Sports, Uncategorized

Some Love Pity For a Rival

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Obviously, the Detroit Lions are a team that I enjoy watching the Packers beat twice every year.  No football fan ever wants their team to lose a game within the division.

At the same time, I think that as an honest-to-goodness sports fan, you must have had some pity for the Lions and their fans during the tenure of Matt Millen as the GM.  The dufus was hired out of the broadcast booth with no personnel experience to speak of, and it showed, day in and day out.  Today, the Millen Era is finally over in Detroit.  All I can say as an NFL fan is, “Well, there’s a move that’s only 4 or 5 years late.”  The saga of ineptitude was simultaneously hilarious and sad from the outside looking in.  I can only imagine how painful it’s been for the tens of fans that the Lions still have.

Rejoice today, oh Detroit faithful– the dawn has finally come.

General, Uncategorized

Still Hooked After All These Years

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Caught myself watching VH1 for a while this evening while I was making dinner and getting some stuff done on the ‘tubes.  They were showing the 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.  It’s basically exactly the same thing as I Love the 90s, but without any other pop culture references– just the music.

I have to admit that I still get caught up in these lame VH1 shows whenever I come across them on the dial.  It all started with I Love the 80s, and since then, I think VH1, as a network, has just turned into one non-stop greatest hits album, with an endless commentary track by Michael Ian Black and Hal Sparks.  It’s really stupid.  And yet I can’t look away.

What is it about pop culture that I find so compelling?  I really have no interest in pop culture as it happens, but in retrospective summary, I eat it up like a fat kid on Halloween.  Just can’t get enough.

And for the record, as soon as I saw the title of the program, I KNEW that Smells Like Teen Spirit would be #1.  That’s just the way that network rolls…

Sports, Uncategorized

Still Three to Go

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I have three more Brewers games to attend this season: Wednesday with Michelle, and then Friday and Sunday w/ Schrubbe.

I have to admit it’s going to be tough to get up and stay excited for this last week of the season.  If the Mets are able to beat the Cubs a couple times this week, the Brewers playoff-missing fate could be sealed before the weekend.  It’s been just an amazing turn of events.  Now I know how the Mets must feel about LAST season…

Meanwhile, I am REEEEEEEEALLY looking forward to vacation in October.  In a very serious way.  I’m toasted, man.

"Roll Your Own", General, Sports, Uncategorized

Enjoy While They Last

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It’s a hell of a Saturday out there.  Not a very good time to be blogging; better to be out taking advantage of one of those last nice weekends before the weather takes a turn toward autumn.  Just a couple quick comments then:

  • The Brewers have taken a turn toward winter, about 8 weeks early.  As amazed as I would have been if you’d said to me on August 31, “the Brewers will not make the playoffs,” I will now be SHOCKED if they manage to get in somehow.  The Phillies and Mets are neck-and-neck in the NL East, and really, what we need to do is overcome both.  It would a feat as spectacular as the September collapse to turn it around now.  But I will be there until the bitter end…
  • Michelle and I are leaving shortly to head out to my cousin Aaron’s housewarming party in Cross Plains.  I think it’s pretty remarkable that Aaron set himself a good goal of staying with his folks and saving up for a house, and it took some time, but he did it.  I envy that sort of discipline.  We’re looking forward to the party, too…
  • Kyle and I are going to try our hands at podcasting in the near future.  We’re going to have our first go of it very soon, and we’ll see if anything interesting comes of it.  Stay tuned for details and/or to download.

Have a great Saturday!

Sports, Uncategorized

Replacement Prognostication, Week 3

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If you missed last Friday, you can clickity-click-click back on the 12th of September off to your left there, and get the skinny on prediciting the NFL games.  I decided I would (poorly) cover for Josh this year.  That said, we’ve come to Week 3!

  • Packers – win
  • Bears – win
  • Lions – lose
  • Vikings – lose
  • Chiefs – win
  • Dolphins – lose win
  • Seahawks – win

Season Record to date: 4-2

General, Uncategorized

Voting Catholic

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I don’t think it’s a simple matter to reconcile one’s Catholic faith with the issues in the presidential election.  The issues are at least as complex as the Church’s teachings, and it leaves a lot for a person to think (and pray) about.

I picked up this article in the New York Times on Wednesday, and it talks about these very struggles for Catholics in Pennsylvania.  The writer basically divides the faithful into one of two camps– those that will vote exclusively on the issue of abortion, and those that apply a more comprehensive-Church-doctrine lens when examining the candidates.  It’s an interesting read.

I would put myself in the second camp, but I am also inclined to resist yet another divisive label (and within the same church, for that matter).  I really do feel like voting exclusively on the issue of abortion (or exclusive on ANY one issue) is a cop-out.  If you want to say “I will only vote for the pro-life candidate,” that’s OK, but remember that this year’s “pro-life” candidate is the same one that is willing to prolong the Iraq War as far as necessary and has a hair-trigger on finding an excuse to invade Iran (and who knows where else).

Outlawing abortion isn’t going to make it go away.  I think that choosing abortion is a sad choice, but I also DON’T think that working to protect life should stop at the moment of birth.

Sports, Uncategorized

A List of Former Brewers Players That Could End Up As Brewers Managers (Cont'd.)

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  • Robin Yount.  Widely regarded as the Greatest Brewer Ever, he was the bench coach in 2006, then abruptly resigned.  Now that he’s serving in the same capacity under Dale Sveum, hiring him would be complex.  If he wanted the job, he could write his own ticket.  The fans could take a LOT of losing seasons before they would turn on The Kid.
  • Jim Gantner.  Has managed the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League for two seasons.  I think he’ll fit right in with our team concept…
  • Paul Molitor.  Widely regarded as the Second Greatest Brewer Ever, and the only one of that classic 80s Brewers infield to win a World Series (the year after he was run out of town, with the then-hated Toronto Blue Jays, in 1993).  Has served as an occasional spring training assistant/volunteer with Minnesota and Milwaukee.  Either would jump at the chance to have him back as a coach.
  • Cecil Cooper.  Former Brewers bench coach (2002) and current manager of the Houston Astros.  I didn’t say he was a candidate TODAY, but why not?  A former Brewer, and now experienced with the big job.
  • Gorman Thomas.  Oh, sure he could.  He’s around the ballpark all the time, anyway.
  • Pat Listach.  Current manager for the AAA Iowa Cubs, starting to be talked about as an eventual big league skipper.
  • Felipe Alou.  Played for the Brewers in 1974, and carries a .503 winning percentage as a manager, spanning 2054 games.  He’s still alive, right?
  • Bill Castro.  Current Brewers bullpen coach, he’s the only guy that’s survived the last 3 4 managerial regimes.
  • Jeff Cirillo.  Led some very mediocre Brewers teams in batting a couple times, technically a “free agent” right now, but also a Brewers television personality in 2008.  I’m not saying “next year,” but maybe someday…
  • Don Money.  Former all-star third basemen for the Crew manages the double-A affiliate in Huntsville.
  • Ed Romero.  Current 3rd base coach for the Houston Astros.
  • Terry Francona.  Current manager of the Boston Red Sox played in 90 games for the Brewers in forgettable 1989.
  • Dan Plesac.  Brewers all-star closer in 1987, 88, and 89 is a TV personality for the Chicago Cubs.
  • Willie Randolph.  Former Mets manager and Yankees bench coach played 2nd base with the Brewers in 1991.

Did I forget anybody?

General, Uncategorized

Worth Reiterating

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I mentioned yesterday that I needed to catch up on the Internet and the blogosphere a little after my fall-startup-hiatus.

I have to credit Petters for linking to a NY Times article about Obama’s economic attitudes and policies.  It’s not the lightest article ever, but my link will point you specifically to part five, which discusses his tax proposals in detail.  There is no doubt that the wealthiest Americans are going to be paying more in taxes if Obama is elected.  However, most of us are NOT the wealthiest Americans, and in fact would enjoy a decrease in taxes with Barack in the White House (and a larger one than McCain would bring).

In my experience, it’s hard for some to get passed the idea that a Democrat automatically will “tax and spend,” as if the behavior is etched into a liberal’s DNA, like a salmon returning to its birthplace to spawn.  The article did a great job of explaining the underlying philosophies behind the Obama economic plan.

General, Uncategorized

Extraordinary Desperation

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So, Ned Yost is out, and for the time being, Dale Sveum is the Brewers manager.  If you ask me, that sort of move stinks like Jim Lefebvre.  As I said to Lorch via text, it is the last act of an understandably desperate owner who realizes this is probably the best shot he’ll ever have at winning big, and he’ll do anything to get there.  I would not be surprised to see Jobu in the home locker room at Miller Park on the next homestand, complete with the sacrifice of a live chicken, if necessary.  This is THE shot, and if they can’t do it, a bunch of things (not just the manager) will change.

And I didn’t even come in here right now to comment on the team in general– I’ve just enjoyed the season so much, and it’s looked so promising most of the way.  It has felt so good, and been so much fun.  But when your team regularly falters under the late-season pressure, despite being the SAME 25 GUYS that went 20-7 a month earlier, you start to feel like kind of a fool for it, y’know?  You get comments or observations from outsiders that are wondering why you bother– what do you waste 7 or 8 months of every year on this team for when they just perpetually let you down?  I just really enjoy the game, and a season that stretches from the naturally optimistic spring through the most beautiful and relaxing 3 or 4 months of the year.  I just wish the TEAM would make it easier to justify.

Regardless, I am still holding out hope that things can work out– they haven’t been eliminated yet, and Ryan Braun said it best when he commented that it can’t possibly get any worse.  Try not to let me down this year, Brewers.  I have been there all season long– last night was the first time I turned off the game because it go so ugly.  I have screamed too loud and clapped too hard and high-fived too often to go home and hope for beter luck next time.  I really, really, really want you to pull it out.  Try to give us something to get hopeful about…

firing from the hip since 2002