It's for the kids

So I am participating in BigBowl, a fundraiser for Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest. We really didn't do JA at my high school, but I do know "alums" for whom it has made a difference.

So, I will now pull out all the stops to get people to donate, so click here and donate. C'mon, it's for the kids. If you don't give, these children will likely join gangs and kill you. So give...the life you save may be your own.

OK, I'm kidding about the gang thing...but, it would be nice for you to help me raise enough funds so I can bowl a robust 250...in three games.

I've seen this 100 times..

...but I still laugh at this commercial. What a drag, duuude.

That is all.

20-point Buck down

I hope against hope that this won't put the clamps on a season that is going decently (not great), but the Milwaukee Bucks lost Michael Redd for the season with a torn ACL. Last season, it would have been the end of the road. But, with another solid scoring option in Richard Jefferson, maybe it won't be so bad. But, there is no question this one hurts the Bucks quite a bit.

The real meaning of flubs

As most of you know, Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed a couple of words when administering the oath of office to President Barack Obama on Tuesday. What most of you didn't know is why. Sure, most of us probably assumed it was merely a jumbling of words. But, John Nichols of the Capital Times in Madison knows the truth. It's because Roberts doesn't take the Constitution seriously. Nichols does assure us that he doesn't think it's a grand conspiracy (although I wonder if he was trying to convince himself), just that Roberts doesn't have a whole lot of interest in the Constitution, much like the President who appointed him.

So, there's a little truth for your Sunday.

Dining with Red

Every year in Appleton there is an event that seems like it's too big for the likes of a city of 72,000. That is the Red Smith Banquet. It's a fundraiser for youth sports in the Fox Cities. Basically, a bunch of memorabilia is auctioned off, people pay a good chunk of money for a decent dinner and a couple of good speeches. This year's edition just happened, and had such luminaries as former Purdue coach Gene Keady and Brewers GM Doug Melvin. The Red Smith award went to Wisconsin women's hockey coach and member of the 1980 US hockey team that won the gold, Mark Johnson. The Nice Guy award went to Doug Melvin.

I got to go in 1998. My sister managed to get me a ticket, so I got to go. Somewhere in my archives, I have the program, autographed by two of the speakers there; former 49ers coach/genius Bill Walsh, and one of the all-time great Celtics, Bob Cousy. I believe Walsh may have won the Red Smith award, and I think Sal Bando won the Nice Guy award.

I think this is a great event, and it stuns me every year when the speakers are announced. They get some great people at these banquets, despite it being in January and in a cold city like Appleton.

Inauguration Day

So, today's the day a lot of people have been waiting for...Bush is out, Obama is in. So, what am I doing to observe the change in power?

Working...just like any other Tuesday. I know this inauguration day has been hyped like no other, and there is almost orgasmic joy with a lot of people. So, I know just going to work is not giving the new president his due. But, when it comes down to it, we as a nation need to get back to work. This is why I am a tad disappointed at all the pomp and circumstance. If there was ever a time for a more subdued swearing in, this is it.

Don't get me wrong, this is a historic moment. An African-American president is a big deal...however, do we need all this?

Best of luck, President Obama...you are going to need it.

Perhaps Obama is right

President-elect Barack Obama said in a speech today that anything is possible, as the headline of this article states.

Exhibit A in favor of Obama's statement was found on the same site I found the other article...the Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl.

Everything is great in Minneapolis (St. Paul, too)

Things must be, because now the push is on to protect us from trans fats. Now, I understand that trans fats have no real nutritional value and are in fact quite bad for you, but do we need government action for them to go away? Can't we as citizens vote with our feet and eat at establishments who don't use them? Won't doing that solve the problem? In a time of budget crunches, can we afford the additional costs associated with enforcing a ban? Have things gotten better health-wise in places where trans fats have been banned? Has a cost-benefit analysis of something like this been done? Can Minneapolis and/or St. Paul ever not do something that was done in New York, San Francisco, or Portland?

To me, things like this are on the level of when an city council member in Minneapolis tried to ban circuses with animals in 2007. This is silliness and not the business of government to be micromanaging restaurants.

What is Stinger doing tonight?

Oh, not much...just going to see these guys play against the Anaheim Ducks. It has taken 33 years, but I am finally going to my first NHL game tonight. I'll be in the upper level, but I'll be there.

Details to follow...needless to say, I am excited.

UPDATE: Anaheim beat the Wild 3-0. The Ducks defense and goaltending were sensational tonight. The Wild had their chances, but they were frequently out of position, and the defense forced the Wild to the edges most of the game. It didn't help that Andrew Brunette got hurt in the 2nd period. Derek Boogaard was on the ice quite a bit because of this.

As for the arena, it is outstanding. I have been there a couple of times for either concerts or for the MN high school hockey tournament, so I knew that even the upper deck seats are good. But, the Wild put on a show. And, the way hockey in Minnesota is celebrated there is very cool. The crowd was definitely into the game, even though the Wild didn't give us much to celebrate.

Still, I kinda prefer the atmosphere at college hockey games. But, I will definitely go to another Wild game at some point.

Tubby Time!!!

I won't talk a lot of trash about the Badgers here...but that was a gritty win the Gophers had over Wisconsin tonight. To come back from 14 down in the 2nd half and win it in overtime was huge!! I know my Badger fan readers don't like it, but tonight was a defining win for a Gopher basketball squad that is really coming together. You don't beat Bucky Badger at the Kohl Center. But, the Gophers did tonight!!

I am so happy idiotic Kentucky fans ran Tubby out of Lexington. We like him just fine up here in Minnesota!

Rah-rah-rah for Ski-U-Mah!!!!

Good news for Mr D...

Old Style is back...and krausened, baby!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Minnesconsin

Minnesota and Wisconsin are looking for ways to share costs on various things in an effort to save money. Both states face huge budget deficits, and both have needs. I will be very interested in seeing how this works, or even if this works. But, I suppose if we can share in-state tuition, we can share snowplows or whatever. Maybe Minnesota can let Wisconsin borrow the Wild. In exchange, Wisconsin can lend out a Vince Lombardi trophy so Minnesotans can see what one looks like. Of course, only under heavy guard. Wouldn't want Minnesotans to get any funny ideas about getting one of their own.

Mini-rant...with apologies to Natalie Merchant

Much like 10,000 Maniacs back in '86, there's a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather.

But that's not what this mini-rant is about. What it is about is how freaking happy some TV meteorologists and others seem to be about it. In particular, I am talking about the chief meteorologist on a certain Twin Cities channel that has news at 9. When he does the forecast, he acts so smarmy about it. Look, we know it's cold. Stop telling me to "embrace the forecast." I don't want to embrace 30 below windchills, and my guess is most other people don't either. The other people that need to go are those who talk about, "now this is a real winter." Shut the hell up!!! If you are happy about 30 below windchills, you pretty much need to have your head examined. The frostbite is affecting your brain.

I can deal with winter, but I can't deal with people who are happy about miserable winter weather. People who cheer for blizzards and really cold temperatures have got to go!

Rice 'n Rickey

Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today. There was no question Henderson was getting in as the all-time stolen bases and runs leader (2nd all-time in walks). Also, it is sometimes forgotten that he hit a pretty good amount of lead-off home runs...and he has two World Series rings. Rickey Henderson was a no-brainer.

Much less of a no-brainer was Jim Rice. It took 15 years for Jim Rice to get elected. He was a career .298 hitter who hit 382 home runs, which are solid numbers but not necessarily great. But, Jim Rice put together some really nice seasons. And, in an era where a fair amount of people in their first few years of eligibility are marked with a scarlet S, Jim Rice looks a lot better.

As a Minnesota resident, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Bert Blyleven. He is one of the best strikeout artists of all time, and has 287 career wins. Shouldn't he be in?

Bucks ball

Got my first live look at the Milwaukee Bucks tonight as they played the Minnesota Timberwolves up here in Minneapolis. The Bucks were lights-out in the first half, shooting something like 65%. Unfortunately, they let the Timberwolves hang around. And, you know what happens when you let teams hang around....they come back and win, especially at home. While there were a few hundred Bucks fans there, the home crowd (all 10,000 of them) helped the Wolves come back and win. A couple of observations about the Bucks:

1. I really like Andrew Bogut's development. I think he is one of the better passing centers in the league, and he has some nice post moves. I would like to see him alter more shots on defense, but that will get there.

2. Michael Redd had his usual solid game, scoring 32, but I still think he can be a little too quick to shoot. He needs to realize that he is not the only scorer.

3. Richard Jefferson is a nice addition to the team. He had 29 tonight, and while I know he wasn't terribly pleased to come to Milwaukee, he has been a good soldier. Having a high-scoring forward helps.

4. Scott Skiles has a scheme problem on defense. The reason the Wolves got back into the game was because the Bucks did not do enough to defend the baseline. Rodney Carney was left open on the baseline too many times and made too many uncontested shots. He came off the bench and scored 22, and I think he was 4-5 from behind the arc. The Bucks are markedly better on defense, but still are not good enough. I should not have to miss Paul Pressey 20 years after he stopped playing.

5. Overall, the Bucks are definitely better than last year. Having a real coach helps. But, they are not ready for prime time yet. They have to learn to put teams away. The Bucks had no business losing this game, but did anyway. The Bucks may end up in the playoffs in a top-heavy Eastern Conference, but they will not get far. They will be better as Skiles gets these guys to buy into the system.

I hope I can get to another Bucks game, this time in Milwaukee.

Philsophy on the run

So I was at the Y today, jogging around the track. I was cursing the New Year's Resolution crowd for clogging up the track and taking all the treadmills, bikes, weights, etc, when I started thinking about the nature of New Year's resolutions and how the beginning of a new year seems to provoke so many attempts at change. I started thinking about something my old industrial arts teacher, the late Irv Gabrilska, said about change. He basically said that people don't change much past the age of three.

This is all while I was running, by the way.

So, I am interested in your thoughts on this topic. Can people change, or is Mr. Gabrilska right? To start, I think that we can change some things about ourselves, but there are many aspects of our personalities that are hard-wired. I know I am sitting on the fence a little, but I can only look at my own experience. I think I have made changes in some things about myself, but I know that there are some things that will not change no matter how hard I try.

What say you? Sorry, but working out sometimes bring out the philosophizer in me (bonus points for naming the movie in which I likely heard the word "philosophizer?")

Carl Pohlad, 1915-2009

The owner of the Minnesota Twins, billionaire Carl Pohlad, has died. The article gives all the details. Pohlad rightly took a lot of crap for his stewardship of the Twins, including offering them up for contraction a few years ago (that's right, Twins fans...it's not all Bud Selig's fault) and attempting to sell them to people who would move them. But, he eventually got things to a point where there is a new Twins stadium being built (with a lot of help from Hennepin County taxpayers). It is too bad he won't see it come to fruition.

It's been a tough slog for the Twins in the past few years, losing Bob Casey and Kirby Puckett. Now, it's Carl Pohlad.

RIP, Carl.

Down to 71

I gotta give it up to Milwaukee, whose murder count dropped to 71 in 2008, the lowest number since 1985. If this keeps up, some ignorant Wisconsinites may stop being afraid of Milwaukee, which is ridiculous.

Minneapolis' murder count was 39, which is pretty good, too. If this keeps up, some ignorant Minnesotans may stop being afraid of Minneapolis, which is also ridiculous.

I know, murder rate is hardly the total picture of crime in a city. But, murder rate is the easiest way for people to get scared of cities.

Wither Big Ten football?

As I write this, Ohio State is about to take the field against an angry Texas Longhorns squad who could make a very solid argument for being in the championship game ahead of Oklahoma. Folks, Ohio State is about to get smoked like a blunt does by Cypress Hill. It's not going to be pretty. And, it will make the Big Ten 1-6 in bowl games (thanks for the win, Iowa). This is following several previous stinkfests put up by the Big Ten.

This makes me wonder if the Big Ten is ever going to cycle back up into the top conferences along with the Big 12 and the SEC. Now, I know that these things can be cyclical, but I think there are a couple of things standing against the Big Ten ever rising to prominence again:

Demographics: The Big Ten is largely located in states that are declining in importance. We are in the Rust Belt, and people with families are leaving in droves. We are getting older more quickly than the SEC states. While Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee will continue to grow with families, the Midwest and Pennsylvania are losing the game demographically. While Big Ten schools can sell tradition and beautiful campuses, they are far away from home. Also, they get cold. This will be more of a problem going forward.

Coaching: This is slowly changing, but the days of power football at the college level are over for the time being. Unless power football comes back into vogue, the Big Ten needs to adjust. It's starting to happen, with Wisconsin being the one holdout. But, it's going to take a few years. During that time, the Big Ten is probably going to continue to take beatings in bowl games. During that time, athletic directors are going to have to have patience, as well as the alumni. Patience is easy...as a Minnesota alumnus, I have been patient for many years.

So, my question to you is this: Is the Big Ten done as a power conference? I am not sure, but I am afraid that it may be the case.

UPDATE: I should clarify...what I mean is this: Will the Big Ten ever be at the level of the SEC and Big 12, or are we condemned to be like the Big East?

Hop on the bus, Gus...4 bucks, please

So bus ridership in the Twin Cities is at its highest point in nearly 30 years. Yet, Metro Transit is in a funding crunch, according to this article, which also talks about potential solutions. With ridership at these high levels (I can attest to this with full buses going up and down Nicollet), the Met Council does not want service cuts...however, fares going up too much would lower ridership numbers. For me, I believe that there may have to be service cuts. For example, do there really need to be certain routes running every 7-8 minutes (I am thinking of the Hi-Frequency routes in Minneapolis and St. Paul)? How much money would be saved by having 15 minutes between buses throughout the day? If need be, run the accordion buses. You almost never see those in town.

Also, fare increases are inevitable. This sucks for people who rely on the bus (I am kinda amongst that group), but we riders really do need to foot more of the bill for riding the bus, as fares cover only 30 percent of the cost to run a bus. The proposal for another 50 cent increase (on top of the 50 cent increase already happening) could help provided ridership doesn't drop too much.

I am someone who believes that public transportation is a need in communities across the country. Cars rule, but buses and their riders shouldn't be totally left in the lurch.

About a disappeared post

Earlier I wrote a post about the Coleman-Franken Senate race, based on a Star Tribune article saying Franken had pretty much won. I deleted it because I caught a tease on KARE saying ballots were still being counted. So, I apologize if anyone read that post. I still think Al Franken is going to win, but I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions. I will leave that to this guy.

Hoops update

During baseball season, I started to do monthly updates on progress in the NL Central. Now, I want to do occasional updates on the various pro and college teams I follow.



Milwaukee Bucks - Currently 16-18, they have played better than many expected. If the playoffs began today, the Bucks would be the first victim of the Boston Celtics (losing to the Celtics in the playoffs, something new for the Bucks). But, I am excited to see the continued development of Andrew Bogut into something more than serviceable as a center in the NBA. I believe the keys to a great NBA team are a good point guard, a good outside scorer, and a solid center. The Bucks have two of the three right now, and the point guard position isn't too bad with Luke Ridnour. I will get a good look at the Bucks in a week against the Timberwolves. Speaking of which...


Minnesota Timberwolves - They are 7-25 and may have already been eliminated from the postseason. They try hard, but are simply not good. When you blow a 29-point lead to anyone, you have problems. Kevin McHale deserves to coach the team he built. You reap what you sow, don't you Kevin? As it is, Al Jefferson is about the only player who is a real threat on the Wolves. OK, Mike Miller is decent (South Dakota shoutout as I know I have one native SoDak as a reader). But, the Wolves are in a competitive marketplace, so while this season is done, they need to get better soon before there is no interest left. The Wild are more compelling, as are the...


Minnesota Golden Gophers - 13-1, with a 1-1 start in the Big Ten against two ranked teams. The Gophers are a nice surprise. Sure, they feasted on some less-than-stellar competition, but they already have three good wins (Virginia, Louisville on a neutral court, and Ohio State). Tubby Smith is getting this team going, with several solid players. I really like Al Nolen Jr and Ralph Sampson III, two young guys who are already contributing. This also speaks to what Tubby is doing in recruiting. Keep top Minnesota players instate, and grab some top kids from elsewhere. At this rate, we'll see the Gophers in the NCAAs this year. The Big Ten is tough this year, as evidenced by the currently unranked....

Wisconsin Badgers - The Badgers just keep plugging away, at 11-3 (2-0 Big Ten). They pulled a slight upset beating Michigan in Ann Arbor, which could put the Badgers back in the polls. They have three players averaging double figures, and with Bo Ryan at the helm, should be just fine. They are not the best D-1 team in the state, though. That title belongs to...

Marquette Golden Eagles - Marquette is a team that is built for a long run in the tournament this year, provided Buzz Williams can coach them to that point. Like Wisconsin, they beat a highly-ranked team to begin conference play by beating Villanova. MU will need to continue to pull off wins like that in an insanely strong Big East, who could easily put 9 teams in the tournament this year. But, with the Big Three of Jerel McNeal, Dominic James, and Wesley Matthews, this can be done. I look for MU to finish in the top 5 or 6.

UWGB and UWM are playing decent basketball, and the Horizon League looked to be attainable for either of them...until Butler showed that they reload, not rebuild. Butler is going to be very difficult to beat. That's too bad. UWM could have been that team a couple of years ago. Maybe they will be.

2009 - Intro

I just posted a little review of my 2008. 2009 is shaping up to be a decent year as well. Here are some things I hope to or am planning to do this year:

- I may be going to my first NHL game this month. If it happens, my first Wild game will be against the Anaheim Ducks.
- I hope to make my triumphant return to Milwaukee to catch a Bucks game. The Bucks are playing better than expected, and are doing it through the tough part of their schedule.
- Along hockey lines, some friends and I are taking a roadtrip in April to go to the Frozen Four in Washington, DC. We are initially planning to see the Pro Football and Rock 'n Roll Halls of Fame in Canton and Cleveland, respectively. We are also looking to see baseball games in Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
- I would like to run a race or two this year. Not sure which ones, although some of my sibs like to run this one every year (site is temporarily down). I like it too, although I am not being a good Minnesota alumnus for running it.
- My sister and I may do another trip this year, although to where we are not sure
- I also have my 15-year class reunion. This is big because my class did not a 10-year reunion, so I am looking forward to this
- Here in Stinger Nation, I am thinking about doing a blogging project. I don't want to give out too many details, but I can say I want to docu-blog about something. This will probably happen in spring or summer. I have an idea what I want to do, but if I give away the idea, someone will probably beat me to it.

So, 2009 will be a busy year for me. Whatever happens, you will hear about it here....eventually.

2008 - Weren't we just soaking in it?

As I recover from New Year's Eve/birthday activities, I am feeling a bit reflective. 2008 was quite the year, wasn't it? This wasn't a good year for a lot of people, for reasons that are well-covered elsewhere. For me, 2008 was a pretty good year.

- I got promoted at work, which finally makes me feel like I have a career
- I was able to travel to Denver, Houston, and South Bend, IN (which I blogged about here)
- I got to go home a couple of times
- I went to 12 baseball games, including the Twins and Brewers season opener. Also, I got to see CC Sabathia pitch in person for the Brewers
- I started this blog, which is proving more and more to be a good decision
- I have been able to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones
- Finally, I got a new computer last weekend, which is a good way to end the year

There are other things that happened in my life that were good. Not all was good though, as my sister-in-law lost her brother, who was a good man with one of the greatest laughs of all time.

So, hopefully 2009 will be a good year for me. Hopefully it will be a better year for all of us!

8:50 PM

According to my birth certificate, I came into the world at 8:50 PM on January 1, 1976. Guess I have to update the age on my profile.