A solution looking for a problem?

Here's the latest victim group of the evil corporate health care system: young adults. This article in the Star Tribune talks about how young adults may not get health insurance right away after finishing school because their employers don't provide it (or they don't get jobs right away). I would say that this isn't nearly the problem this article indicates it is. I know that I didn't get work right away out of school. So, I went without insurance. Was it a gamble? Sure, I suppose. But, a lot of young people do the same thing. But, they don't have to. And, they don't have to hope they get work with an employer who provides insurance. There are plans with high deductibles that essentially cover catastrophic health problems. These tend to have lower premiums. I have considered going this route myself, if it would save me money. But, the point is that there is already a solution to this supposed issue.

Again, it seems to me that this isn't a problem. But, I bet government has a solution at the ready. And, we probably know what that solution is. And, it will probably make things worse than they already are.

Possibly the greatest letter to the editor...EVER!!

Saw this series of letters to the editor in the NY Times today. There is a lament at Harvard that not enough of their students are going into "public service." Some of their sentiments are somewhat valid, but I don't think it's fair to fault individuals for wanting to better themselves financially by taking a high-paying job. Besides, a lot of people who take these jobs to better society are frankly making things worse.

My favorite letter was this one:

To the Editor:

After a career in public service, I regretfully say, I would not do it again.

Philosophy and point of view led me to doing good instead of doing well, so I never expected to become rich. But now that I’m in my 10th year of a frozen judicial salary — less than summer students are being paid at law firms — I have concluded that whatever I may have accomplished for the public, I have wasted 25 years of my life by serving on the bench.

Emily Jane Goodman
New York, June 23, 2008

The writer is a New York Supreme Court justice.

That is freaking outstanding!! For a New York Supreme Court justice to write in and say she wasted her life is hilarious!! I hope this is not a fake, because this letter is the stuff of legend.

The message: Get that money, Harvard grads!! Otherwise, you just may end up on the NY Supreme Court. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be justices.....

V for victory

I just got done watching the conclusion of one of the biggest upsets in collegiate sports history. The Fresno State Bulldogs, who were seeded 4th in their region (out of 4 teams) managed to get out of there, then win their superregional against a tough Arizona State team, then get it together in Omaha to win the College World Series. That they got as far as they did was amazing. They even spotted the Georgia Bulldogs a game in the best-of-3 series. This is a huge upset, along the lines of Villanova beating Georgetown in 1985 or maybe the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (Boise State over Oklahoma). But, this won't get nearly the play it should because college baseball is not a national sport. It is regional.

It's too bad that college baseball isn't a bigger deal. That is probably because it's a non-factor in a lot of the Midwest and most of the East. Winter really gets in the way of good baseball in these parts. For example, Minnesota has a pretty solid program. They have won many Big Ten titles and have made many trips to the NCAA tournament. But, they never get anywhere in the tournament. Heck, Wisconsin doesn't even have a team. Given that the Big Ten and Big East don't have strong baseball programs nationally, that eliminates much interest in New York and Chicago. If there is no interest in market 1 or 3, that limits the national appeal.

The V on top is supposed to symbolize the San Joaquin Valley and its agriculture. The valley is where Fresno is located.

One last thing

Mr D. has been putting up some pictures of former baseball greats.

One is here, former Twins great Bombo Rivera.

Sir, I'll see your Bombo Rivera, and raise you the former Brewers great above!

Buhloone Mind State

Just to let people know where my head is at these days...I have been thinking about some "life" stuff. I had a cousin pass away recently. Losing people in my own generation, despite most of them being quite older than me, is somewhat unnerving. I have had some good changes in my own life as of late, such as getting promoted at work. Also, I am moving soon...not too far away, just a few blocks from my current pad. It will reduce my expenses, which is good. But, with all this change in my life, some things have frustratingly remained the same. I won't necessarily get into them here, but I think most people who know me probably know what I am getting at. So, if I seem a little melancholy over the next few days, or don't post much, it will likely be because I am in fairly deep thought about some things. I think some of what I have written lately is also a little less than chipper. I am not depressed overall or anything, so no worries there. If any of this inspires good posts, I will put them out there. Things come around. They usually do. As for the title of this post...

Buhloone Mind State is an album by De La Soul, their 3rd album. A lot of the youthful exuberance of their previous work was not there on this album, but it's a good album anyway.

Rappin' again...

Shaquille O'Neal, last seen getting booted out of the playoffs with the Phoenix Suns in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs, decided to drop some freestyle rhymes at a New York nightclub. He took some shots at Kobe Bryant. You know, whatever, these two don't like each other.

The problem here is, WHO GAVE CLANK-FU A MICROPHONE?!!! Haven't we learned years ago that Shaq can't rap?!! I mean, this is terrible! OK, I admit that when Shaq first had a guest verse on "What's Up Doc?" by the Fu-Schnickens, I thought it was cool. But, when he put out an album, that was already overkill. Then, he kept putting out product. And, it got worse and worse!!

The moral of the story is, Shaq and mics don't mix. I say this despite Shaq generally being a good citizen, and one of the best centers to ever play the game. Maybe not as good as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but right up there amongst the greatest. But Shaq, please stop picking up microphones and rapping into them. You rap about as well as you shoot free throws.

A few more than 7 words

On Sunday, George Carlin passed away. He was right at the top of my favorite comedians. My first exposure to him was at my buddy Sean's house. We were in high school, and I went over there to hang out. Sean had a videotape of a special that was on HBO, around 1992. I never laughed so hard in my life than when he started talking about the "safety lecture" that precedes every flight. Here is a link to the partial video. It's pretty funny now. It was absolutely hilarious at age 16.

His line about pilots is genius: "Captain...he's a f#$&#&$ pilot, let him be happy with that! Tell the captain Air Marshal Carlin says, 'go f#$& yourself!'"

George Carlin is one of the all-time greats. He definitely got more jaded as the years go by, but frankly I can't blame him. I enjoyed his cynical take on things. In some small way, I kinda felt like a kindred spirit, especially when I was more cynical than I am now (I am still plenty cynical). But, my favorite thing about Carlin is his ability to rattle off about 35 different things to help illustrate his points. It was great, and so was he.

RIP, George.

George Carlin, 1937-2008

This is another rare celebrity death that hit me. George Carlin, the boundary-pushing comedian who is nothing less than a legend, died yesterday at age 71.

I'll have more to say on Carlin later, but I wanted to note his passing as soon as I found out about it.

Overplaying their hand?

Charles Sykes posted an interesting article speculating that the environmental movement may have overplayed their hand when a link was made between bad tomatoes and global warming (sorry, I mean climate change). He goes on to explain that high gas prices have put the greenies into a tenuous position, with a lot of people changing their mind on things like offshore drilling and drilling in ANWR.

I wonder if the greenies have jumped the shark. It seems to me that their sense of urgency isn't necessarily based on a short timeline to save the planet. It's based on there being only a window of opportunity to get their agenda passed into law before people realize that this isn't nearly as big a deal as it's made out to be. It looks as though this window may be closing. This movement is all about control over humanity. We can't drive what we want, we can't live where we want, we can't use the products and services we want, and it's all in the name of saving the planet. At its best the green movement is silliness. At its worst, it threatens our way of life in ways that we haven't even totally grasped. My personal favorite is stuff like this. I know this sounds like I believe there is some conspiracy. I don't. But, there are some people who would benefit greatly from the successful implementation of the entire green agenda. But, their motives are never questioned. They need to be.

To paraphrase George Carlin (talking about how plastic was going to destroy the planet), "We're going to save the planet? We can't even take care of ourselves, and we're going to save the planet?!! The planet is fine. It's gone through earthquakes, meteor strikes, storms, mass extinctions, the magnetic reversal of the poles, and we think the planet is doomed because of plastic? The planet is going to keep a-floatin' around for a long, long, long time."

Baseball in the middle of industry

I went to my first St. Paul Saints game today. These have historically been hard tickets to get as the Saints are the only pro outdoor baseball in the Twin Cities (until 2010). So, I haven't had a chance to go until today. The Saints play in the American Association, an independent league that used to be the name of a Triple-A minor league, and play their games at Midway Stadium, which is located in an area that is industrial (hence the title of the post).

The game itself was not that great. It was an exciting game, but the Saints built a big lead and gave it away, losing 10-9 to the Sioux Falls Canaries. The collapse was not fun to watch. But, the Saints definitely put on a good show. Many have heard of the various activities that go on at Saints games, but until you actually go to a game, you have no idea. A pig delivers the ball to the umpire. The PA announcer heckled a dude to give a foul ball to a kid...multiple times. People had root beer floats poured on them. People had cottage cheese poured on them. A Japanese dude sang karaoke. Someone in a Sasquatch costume (or was it a wookie) ran around between innings. It's almost as if the ballgame is an afterthought. Oh, you can get beer for 3 bucks. It's not a big beer or anything, but 3 bucks!!!

I gotta tell you, I had a blast. I definitely want to go back. The closest atmosphere to Midway Stadium I have seen is at Warner Park in Madison for Mallards games.

Note: This is my 100th post since starting back in February. I will try to make sure the next 100 are better.

Colorado report 4 - Social Coloradoans

Note: Colorado reports 1, 2, and 3 are accessible by following the numbered links.

One thing that really stood out for me out in Denver was how friendly and social people are out there. As someone who is admittedly not the most outgoing person in the world, it was nice to see that people come up and talk to you, and it's considered normal. Now, I think part of this is the fact that Denver has a lot of transplants, so people need to talk to each other more to find some sort of community. The other caveat is that my sister and I spent a lot of time in a Sconnie-friendly bar. Still, people were pretty social everywhere we went. It was cool.

This is diametrically opposed to Minnesota. I have two major pet peeves about Minnesotans: apparently all the women are taken, and people in general seem to be really reserved. I will address the all women are taken thing later on, probably in a rant. But, it amazes me that people don't talk to each other in this state. At one of the ball games I was at in Denver, we were jawing with some Rockies fans, and it was cool. Meanwhile, I went to two Twins games this week, and no one said a word to anyone who they didn't already know, at least in the area where I sat. Another example: go to a bar in most other cities, and there is a good amount of intermingling. In Minnesota, it's like a middle school lunchroom...tables of people huddled together, keeping to themselves, not daring to talk to anyone at another table. This makes it really hard to meet people. I mean, I am fortunate to have fallen in with a couple of good groups of people here, so I don't lack for friends. But, the barrier put up in social settings in this state makes it really hard to go up and talk to people. I am not sure why this is, but it happens time and time again. It is really hard for someone like me who is shy anyway. In Denver, people talking to you forces you to break out of your shell. In Minnesota, shyness and reservedness is basically a prerequisite for being a Minnesotan. My own reservedness is reinforced by the fact that no one breaks out of their shells.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But, people aren't very social around here. They definitely were in Colorado.

What a waste!

This article in my hometown paper talks about how some kid has the dream bedroom. I was going to go off on a diatribe about how too many parents coddle their children and cater to their every whim. But, then I remembered...the sap dad who did this is going to have to paint it all over in a couple of years when his kid decides that it's really lame. So, I'm glad you took the time to paint the ceiling with constellations present on the day of the kid's birth. Sucker!

I guess posters of athletes and stuff like that isn't enough anymore. I didn't know how deprived I was to only have framed photos of Eric Davis and Michael Jordan in my room along with my Brewers pennant.

I guess the economy isn't that bad if we can afford silliness like this.

It's Father's Day, yo

It's interesting to see the Star Tribune chronicle the so-called hip-hop scene in the Twin Cities. They seem to really, really want a hip-hop scene in this town. While there is some good hip-hop coming out of the Twin Cities, and some artists get some play outside of town, most hip-hop fans nationally aren't really with it. You would be hard-pressed to hear much local hip-hop on B-96. But, since the Strib really wants there to be one, they put out articles like this one.

I mean, it's nice to see how Brother Ali raises his son (he talks about it quite a bit in his music), but is it worth publishing how a niche artist like Brother Ali is a father? And, I say this despite liking Brother Ali's music. I don't agree with his politics all that much, but at least he is putting out music that isn't misogynistic. That's what is good about the local hip-hop community here. It isn't the usual "look at all the crap I have" stuff that has essentially made me stop listening. But, the scene here is not anything close to what Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, or Chicago has. However, that is another post. The point here is, I think the Star Tribune entertainment staff wants badly for Minneapolis to have street cred. This is in addition to them wanting a return to the 80s heyday for the Minneapolis scene, which admittedly was outstanding. They should want that. But, an article about how the Rhymesayers raise their kids? Does it really matter all that much?

Here's the usual disclaimer for any post that talks about hip-hop: I know most, if not all of my few readers, hate hip-hop. You don't need to tell me that.

Oh, happy Father's Day....especially to Ed, my late father (who definitely disapproved of my watching Yo! MTV Raps back in 1988).

Tim Russert

The priest at the church I attend mentioned the passing of Tim Russert, the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," who passed away at age 58 the other day. I was going to write something up about this a couple of days ago, but Mr. D summed up why anyone who pays attention to politics and media will miss him.

UPDATE: Here's another tribute to Russert from The Stencil, whose author is from the Buffalo area like Russert.

Earl, oil, Texas tea, black gold, whatever

I don't have a lot of experience in dealing with gas prices and the like, as I don't drive. However, I got a first-hand look at paying for gas on my recent trip to Colorado. My sister and I drove. We ended up filling the tank six times, with a total cost of around $240. This has to be hard for people who do this every couple of days...especially with larger vehicles.

There has been a lot of political rhetoric about gasoline, likely because there is a lot to be potentially gained by doing so. This is yet another example of how far apart we are on things here. On one side, you have the people who blame oil companies. These people paint oil companies as evil profiteers who are getting rich off the hard-working American who struggles to pay their bills. On the other side, you have the people who blame the dirty hippie environmentalists for not letting us drill for oil because global warming is killing all the polar bears. I think that's about where the two sides stand.

It seems to me that the problem is a supply and demand problem. Demand is rising quickly, and supplies are not keeping up. There are many reasons for this, but the net effect is rising prices (yeah, I took intro micro and macro economics). One side demands a lowering of demand, the other a rise in supplies. I tend to agree that we ought to be working to stabilize supply lines, and not shutting the door on drilling. Yeah I know, the environment. But, the reality is until something better comes along, we need to have oil production. I can see the point about lowering demand, but without coercion, it can only be lowered so much. And, I am against coercing people onto buses and trains. I like buses and trains, but that's my choice.

As for me, the high gas prices had scared me off buying a car for now. Here's the thing, though...$40 to fill up a gas tank is pricey, but it's not that bad (if I get a car, it will hopefully not cost much more that). Of course, if prices continue to rise, all bets are off for me.

I will likely talk about this more, especially as I look more into the election this year.

Colorado report 3 - Coors Field and baseball

Above is a picture of Coors Field my sister took before the game last Friday night. It's one of those new old-style parks. Located in the LoDo section of Denver, it's helped to reinvigorate that part of town. It has wide concourses, many concession stands, many bathrooms, and is very clean. The seats are pretty good, and are angled towards the diamond. Having watched many baseball games of late at the Metrodome, it was refreshing to see this. It was interesting to see that the hot dog of choice there is Hebrew National (pretty good dogs, by the way). Obviously, Coors is served there (Bud is served too, which is strange...but probably temporary once MillerCoors operations take hold). The Rockies fans were generally supportive, although a good chunk of them seem to have Dodger fan syndrome (arrive in the 3rd inning, leave after the 7th). Also, the Rockies fans were generally congenial to us Brewers fans. A few thanked us for the Brewers helping the Rockies get into the postseason last year. So, Coors Field was an enjoyable experience.

As for the games themselves, the Rockies beat the Brewers in 2 of the 3 games in the series. Friday, Ben Sheets pitched well, but the bullpen blew it, so the Rockies won that one. On Saturday, the Rockies came out of the gates strong and the Brewers never really had a shot. Sunday, the Brewers got an early lead and barely hung on, with particularly tight situations in the 7th and 8th innings.

Overall, I had a good time at Coors Field. Hopefully, I can get there again sometime.

Colorado report 2 - Natives vs Transplants

I had a couple of interesting conversations with Coloradoans when I was out there this past weekend. A quick preface: there is a bar within a block of Coors Field that is a Packer bar and is owned by a Milwaukee native called Swanky's. This became a Brewers bar over the weekend.

Anyway, a Rockies fan was in there and was ranting about how he hated all these people moving to Colorado and not adopting their sports teams. He saw me nodding in disagreement. I told him as much. I tried to explain to him the hold that a person's home teams and hometown have on them. He moved around a lot growing up, so he admitted he didn't quite get it. But, he gave my sister and me credit for actually traveling to Denver.

The next night, I was talking to a woman about the guy I talked to the previous night back at the same bar. She was trying to tell me how nice Coloradoans are generally. I brought up the other guy, then she told me that there is some sort of tension between Colorado natives and transplants (of which there are many). She was engaged to a Wisconsin native who moved out there. She was right about Coloradoans, they were generally very cool.

Another interesting thing I saw was a bumper sticker that looks like a Colorado license plate. It said something to the effect of:

"Not a native, but I got here as soon as I could."

The bottom line is that in the few days I was in Colorado, I noticed there is an interesting underlying tension between natives and transplants. There has been tremendous growth in Colorado, and almost all of it has happened on the Front Range. Colorado grew 30% between 1990 and 2000, and by 13% since 2000. Colorado has been a beneficiary (or victim) of internal migration, as shown in this table (PDF format). Many of the transplants have come from California (Californians are populating a lot of western states).

This many people moving into Colorado has strained the state's infrastructure, jammed their roads (I-25 has some impressive traffic jams), and packed their schools. This article (again, PDF format) talks about the growth in Colorado, although it makes erroneous conclusions as it is from an anti-growth group. You can understand why natives are a little upset. But, it was interesting to see people articulate this in a bar populated with Wisconsin transplants after a Brewers-Rockies ballgame.

Here comes the flood

It has been a horrific set of days in southern Wisconsin, hasn't it? A stationary front dropped several inches of rain throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, and SE Minnesota, causing floods with horrific consequences. The draining of Lake Delton near Wisconsin Dells is absolutely stunning. Other flooding throughout Wisconsin has occurred as well. It looks like things are as bad in Wisconsin as they are in Iowa (where my sister and I saw whole fields flooded out). Hopefully the recovery process can begin quickly and go relatively smoothly.

Colorado report - 1

I have not posted in a few days. This has happened before, but usually because I haven't had anything about which to post. This time it was because I was on vacation, spending a few days in Denver, CO. My sister and I went to see the Milwaukee Brewers play the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies won on Friday and Saturday nights, but the Brew Crew salvaged a win in the finale on Sunday. Also on the trip, we checked out Boulder and took a tour of the Coors brewery (I have now toured the home breweries of Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors). We had a great time! Since I had never been to Denver before (layovers at DIA not withstanding), it was interesting to see another city and meet new people. I will have a couple of posts with things that I found interesting about Denver and Colorado.

Obama is getting Minnesota

If this is any indicator, John McCain doesn't stand a chance here. 32,000 at the X for an Obama rally...I highly doubt McCain would pull that off, except at the GOP convention.

Reason #675,333 why the Minnesota State Fair matters

I never would have thought that any state fair anywhere would get an act like Gnarls Barkley to play at it. Yet, it's happening. Gnarls Barkley had a hit a couple of years ago with "Crazy." It's a really fascinating combination of a singing Cee-Lo with a DJ best known for mashing the Beatles' White Album with Jay-Z's Black Album to make the Grey Album (obviously a bootleg). Experimental hip-hop generally doesn't get play at a state fair. State fair music tends to play it safe, so this was really nuts to read.

But, when 1.6 million people attend a state fair, you can afford to take chances with your grandstand acts. This would never happen at the Wisconsin State Fair. 400,000 more people live in Wisconsin than Minnesota, but 600,000 less people go to the Wisconsin State Fair than the Minnesota one.

Pawlenty for VP, and why it won't matter

A post on Charlie Sykes' blog written by Milwaukee County executive Scott Walker is part of what is an avalanche of speculation that John McCain is going to make Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty his choice for Vice President. This is supposed to help McCain get electoral votes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. If this happens, I don't think it will move any of these states into (or further into in Iowa's case) the red side of things.

First off, there is this belief that Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa are all pretty much the same, and that Minnesota is the center of this region. First off, both of these things are patently untrue. While these three states are similar demographically, they all have different economies. Iowa tends to still be somewhat agrarian, Wisconsin is still industrial, and Minnesota is more service-oriented. The workers in these states have different worldviews, and different needs. Second, the idea that Minnesota is the center of this "region" is laughable. Wisconsin leans east in its ways, and is a lot more like Michigan than like Minnesota. Besides, there is a very large center of influence not far from Wisconsin, that being Chicago. If any place pulls weight in Wisconsin, it is Chicago, not Minneapolis. With Iowa, you have to remember that there is a lot of Minnesota between the Twin Cities and the border. Most Iowans do not get their news from Minnesota (Wisconsin doesn't either, for that matter). The population center of Minnesota is just too far and not big enough to exert that much influence over Iowa.

It is because of these factors that Pawlenty for VP will make little difference in Wisconsin and Iowa. As for Minnesota, I read Minnesota as reverting back somewhat to form as a liberal bastion in this election cycle. Long-term, Minnesota is still trending towards the center, but I still think Obama will get Minnesota's electoral votes. Having Pawlenty on the ticket will make things closer, but I still think Obama wins this state by a decent margin. This is not the year for the GOP to break the 8-election losing streak.

If Wisconsin and Iowa go red, I would bet that Pawlenty being on the ticket will have little to do with it.

Janesville GM plant going the way of the dodo

This was probably a long time coming, especially given the price of gas and the renewed emphasis on the environment. But, GM announced the closing of the large plant in Janesville, WI today. Of late, this plant has been making SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe, and has been making Isuzu trucks. As gas prices go upwards of $4/gallon, people are predictably voting with their feet and going with smaller vehicles.

This post is not to blame GM executives or environmentalists or oil companies or politicians or labor unions. This is to speculate as to what might happen to Janesville. Janesville is a city of 60,000 people in southern Wisconsin, about 40 miles south of Madison. I have only been there a couple of times, but it seems to be a decent enough city. It's certainly nicer than the two cities down the Rock River from it, Beloit and Rockford. But, with this closing, Janesville could go downhill fast.

For that city's sake, I would hope there is a contingency plan that can be put into place. After all, auto plants in the United States have been closing as long as I can remember. Janesville leaders had to have known there was a possibility that they would be on the chopping block at some point. If I was a leader in Janesville, I would already have planned for an assessment to find out how much it would cost to tear down the plant, clean it up, and reuse the land (or at least find a way to reuse the buildings). I would find out how much GM would be expected to pay for this to happen. I can't imagine GM would want to keep a closed plant that likely won't re-open. So, get this land back into circulation, parcel it out to diverse companies looking to expand or relocate, and sell, sell, sell. This is a chance for a city that was heavily dependent on one industry to diversify its portfolio. With well over 2,000 people being laid off, there is a ready workforce there; at least some of whom are highly-educated (think engineers) and mechanically inclined (most everybody employed there).

As bad as this is for a small city like Janesville, there is a chance to become even better coming out of this. For their sake, the region's sake, and Wisconsin's sake, I think they really need to succeed.

Save the Clock Tower!!

There was a pretty large fire at Universal Studios out in SoCal today. Normally, I doubt I would post anything about it. But, the courthouse square set from the Back to the Future movies burned down. That makes me sad, as that set played such a pivotal role in the trilogy, of which I am a big fan. They don't know what caused the fire, but I can tell you that it probably wasn't a bolt of lightning.

Now that clock tower will never be fixed.

New links

I added a couple of links to the pseudo-blogroll I have over there.

Northern Alliance Wannabe - Written by a Cubs fan, but I have the link anyway. He is a blog buddy of my brother's and makes some good points about many things. Definitely worth the read.

City Comforts Blog - In my quest to find blogs that deal with cities and the planning thereof, I stumbled onto this one. This person wrote a book with the same name, so I may have to read it. I don't know that I agree with everything that is written there. But again, I like cities, so there is likely some common ground.

I am temporarily linking to Memeopolis. I haven't decided if I like it yet. I found it looking for blogs with Minneapolis listed as an interest (as I just added Minneapolis to mine). It seems to be a lifestyle blog more than anything, but the woman who writes it seems to have a good sense of humor. So, it will probably stay.

10 miles plus

It was a beautiful day in Minneapolis today, so I knew that I didn't want to be cooped up inside. That also meant that I didn't necessarily want to work out indoors. So, I decided to go for a long walk. It turned out to be really long. I went from my apartment near downtown, walked down Franklin Ave to Hennepin Ave, turned down Hennepin and walked to Lake St, then walked to one of my favorite spots in the city during summer, Lake Calhoun. The walk to the lake was 2.25 miles according to Yahoo! Maps. The trail that goes around the lake is 3.1 miles. I took two laps around the lake, then walked back home.

Actually, this was closer to 11 miles. I have never walked that much in one day in my life. But, I did it! Now, there are caveats to this, one being that I stopped for a quick lunch, and was also subject to traffic lights, so there were little breaks in the action. But, I am still happy I was able to do this.

NL Central update #2

A month ago, I wrote about how things were going in the NL Central. Here is the new update. It has been an up-and-down month for some teams, then there are the Cubs, who may be beginning to run away with it. But, here's where things stand as of now (through today's games).

The Chicago Cubs had a great month, going 19-10. They swept Arizona and the Dodgers at home. They had a little trouble with the St. Louis Cardinals at the beginning of the month, but played well enough to leapfrog them in the standings. So, are the Cubs running away with it? Well, keep in mind that the Cubs got fat off a subpar NL West (although sweeping the D-Backs is impressive), and have played 34 home games vs. 23 road games. While the Cubs are very talented, they have not been overwhelming against the division (18-15), and have lost series to St. Louis, Houston, and Milwaukee (twice, at Wrigley). For now, they are 36-21.

St. Louis continues to surprise me with clutch pitching and timely hitting. But, they have come down to earth a little bit, going 16-13 in May. They took 2 of 3 from the Cubs at the beginning of the month, but lost 3 of 4 in Milwaukee. They took the series against the surprising Tampa Bay Rays (who inexplicably are in first in the AL East). St. Louis will be interesting to watch. I am still skeptical, but for now they are 34-24, 2.5 back of the Cubs.

The Houston Astros had themselves a pretty good month in May, but the ying and yang of their season was shown in bookmark series against the Brewers. The Astros swept a slumping Brew Crew to begin the month, but got swept in Milwaukee this past weekend. They went 18-12, and got past Milwaukee to be in third, although by only a half-game after the aforementioned sweep. The Astros stand at 30-28, 6.5 back of the Cubs.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers got into a rut in May. Prince Fielder still is not playing up to standard, with only 8 homers so far. I want nothing more than to send him some meat. Drop the vegetarian diet!! Also, the Brewers are having trouble in the bullpen and at the top of their order. The Brewers went 13-15 this month, including getting swept at Fenway against the Red Sox. That was part of a five-game losing streak. They also had a six-game losing streak, getting swept by Houston and Florida. There's enough there to believe the Brewers can still make a run. But, they better have a better June. 29-28, 7 games behind Chicago.

The Cincinnati Reds also had a good month in May, going 16-12. They had a nice series against the Cubs, and swept Florida and Cleveland. Adam Dunn keeps doing what he does best, which is hit home runs. The Reds also have some good young talent, including Joey Votto. I am not sure if the Reds can continue at the pace they did in May, but they are right there at the moment. They also swept the Braves this past weekend. They are 28-29, 8 games back.

And, assuming their usual spot at the bottom of the division are the Pittsburgh Pirates. But, they went 15-13 this past month. I haven't had much of a chance to see how things came together for the Pirates, but they swept the Braves and the Giants (although the Giants aren't that good this year). They took 2 of 3 in St. Louis, and 2 of 3 at home against the Cubs. At the moment, the Pirates are 26-30, 9.5 games back of the Cubs.

So, what have we learned? The NL Central is not a bad division, but they are beating each other up. The Cubs look to be in good shape, but they have been the beneficiaries of a lot of home games. The Cubs have played 34 home games, and have only lost 8 of them (4 to the Brewers). But, everyone but Milwaukee had a winning month in the division. So, the Cubs have set the pace, but there is a lot of season left.

Oh, and we also learned that the Braves would be junk if they were in the NL Central. They sit at 6-10 against the division so far.