Do you remember the Fizzy Quiz? 'What's that got to do with MNS?', I hear you ask.
I must admit, I don't remember too much about it, but I do remember a little kid from Tallaght rapping outside Windmill Lane Studios on RTÉ Television some time back in the late 80s.
Little Kev turned up on Ray Darcy's radio show recently, in a 'where are they now?' slot.
Lots of the listeners remembered Kevin fondly, and in fact the response to him was so good that it got me thinking that he probably should have his own radio programme.
Fortunately for us, at the moment Kevin O'Connell's job is behind the cameras. He is the director of MNS.
It can be a tricky show to direct because we're never quite sure which contributor is going to speak next, so the director needs to be on his toes throughout, and he also needs to know when to play pieces of VT when the guests are talking about specific incidents.
Kevin played football, loves football and understands the game which really helps when directing a football programme.
Thankfully when I hear him in my earpiece, I'm getting direction from him about what's coming next, and fortunately for me his rapping days are over.
The reason I mention Kevin is because he's just one cog among lots and lots of cogs that go into making the programme.
I'm only the guy in front of the camera saying welcome to the programme, when in fact most of the work has been done over the weekend by the production staff, who go to the games, do interviews, edit the matches, add the graphics, put together the features and so on. If we ever win an Emmy, my acceptance speech will have a lot of thank yous to include!
Our programme editor is a Brummie, Steve Caffery. He's a Birmingham City fan, but is fast becoming a big fan of the league here. He went to Bray last Friday night for the first time and really enjoyed the game between Wanderers and Finn Harps, although the wild, wet and windy conditions probably meant that there would be better nights weather-wise to visit the Carlisle. Roll on the real summer!
The editor decides everything that goes into the programme. Who goes to what matches, how many cameras go to each game, what guests are in studio, what special feature reports we do. He also dictates how long each chat will run for after every item.
This week's show was so packed that it left us a little tight on the amount of time we had to chat. I felt a bit sorry for Emmet Malone and Pat Morley, as they were making their MNS debuts, and it would have been nicer to allow them a bit more time to talk about various things. But with goal of the month, the feature on the Brazil game in 1973, and action from all the Premier Division matches, we really did have to motor along.
Jimmy Magee's report on the match between Shamrock Rovers All-Ireland XI and Brazil brought back loads of memories for me. I was only 7 when I went to the game, and I still vividly remember Paolo Cesar and Jairzinho and loving the type of football that they played.
It was great to get the likes of Jairzinho and Rivelino talking to us about that match. We also tried to get them to say 'MNS is the best football programme', but something got lost in translation and that one will have to wait until our outtakes section which will come, I'm sure, later in the season.
A number of you contacted us to say how much you enjoyed the old footage, and I also accept the rap on the knuckles for calling Derry v Sligo a northwest derby. Apparently the Derry and Sligo fans don't consider it a derby match at all.
And thanks also to the emailer who pointed out that Owen Heary is Bohs vice-captain and not captain as I said on Monday. Apologies to the real el capitano Kevin Hunt for the temporary demotion.
Jim McLaughlin came out with a great line on Friday night during our Friday Sportsnight broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, longwave 252 (Are you receiving LW 252 alright? I know a number of people have been discommoded with the switch off of medium wave - myself included. I can't get LW252 in my car - but that's an argument for another day).
But back to Jim. Just after a barnstorming finish to the Rovers v Bohs derby match, in which it sounded like the Hoops had thrown the kitchen sink, fridge freezer and whatever you're having yourself at the Bohs defence, Jim said in his summing up as co-commentator that it takes a lot for him to get excited these days, but the second half of the match at Tolka had done just that and more.
It was a great description from the great man of what sounded like a really tense occasion. The atmosphere on radio was fantastic, with both sets of supporters making lots of noise throughout.
I wonder, after a great start to the season, is this match an indication of where Shamrock Rovers really stand in terms of their challenge this season.
Not quite good enough to be at the cutting edge, but probably too good to be looking nervously down the table at the jittery section. We'll see over the coming weeks.
Having placed a bet on Cork City to beat UCD I was relieved that Alan Mathews' men finally picked up their first three points of the campaign on Friday night, albeit courtesy of a dodgy penalty decision.
John O'Flynn seemed to go down very easily, but Dave Mooney showed how to take a penalty. It could turn out to be a turning point for Cork yet.
Incidentally, we live in changing times. Far be it for me to be encouraging gambling, but it's interesting that you can now bet on every game in the eircom League Premier Division, and First Division as well.
Not so long ago you could only bet on matches which were being broadcast live on television. Ironically, I think the increased exposure on all TV channels - not just RTÉ - has improved the profile of the game, and presumably wakened the bookmaking fraternity to the market that was long available for tapping.
I used to object to the fact that you could bet on an Autoglass Cup, northern section, first round qualifier in Hartlepool, but you couldn't bet on Shamrock Rovers versus Bohemians. I felt that it was a commentary on the bookies' perception of the integrity of the game here at the time.
Thankfully those days are now long gone. You can now bet away to your heart's content, but, and this is a big but, be careful! The bookies rarely lose, and the mug punter is their best friend.
