A Little Sadness Tonight

This blog is named after a song written by my favorite songwriter and performer, Jeffrey Steele.

My buddy Dan Dermody called me tonight to tell me that Jeffrey and Stephanie's son Alex, only 13-years old, was killed Sunday in a 4-wheeler accident. I never got the pleasure to meet Alex, but if he was anything like his dad, I would have liked him very, very much.

I feel so bad for Jeffrey, his wife and their three daughters. I know they'll never forget their young man, and hopefully happy memories can replace the current terrible feelings very soon for all of them.

Amazing.

This week's edition of: "Something that came into the world SINCE the pathetic, hapless, worst pro sports franchise ever - the Chicago Cubs - last won a World Series."



That's right. Talking movies came AFTER the last Cubs' title.

Here's Hoping He Waits...Forever

Mark McGwire didn't get into the baseball Hall of Fame this year. Good. I am among those who hope he NEVER gets in. His obvious steroid use and his pathetic performance in front of Congress would be enough for me to leave him out of the Hall, but beyond that, the guy really wasn't any better than Dave Kingman, he just juiced his body to hit more homers than Kingman did.

McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, they can all rot away and never see the inside of the Hall of Fame. Deserving players like Bert Blyleven, Tommy John, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, and Goose Gossage are still not in, how about we not even discuss these steroid freaks until the right players who DIDN'T enhance their body through chemistry are allowed into the Hall.

Mitch McConnell Is An Idiot

I'll post more later when my head stops shaking uncontrollably. What a freakin' buffoon.

BTW, can I just say this? I am so sick of the GOP line "we haven't been attacked since 9/11". STOP it. It's NOT A BIG DEAL. We've gone DECADES without conflict, CENTURIES without "an attack on our homeland". Just...STOP...it. My word.

It is SO hard to type when you can't stop shaking your head in incredulous disbelief at what you're hearing. Amazing.

What's Good For The Goose...

I'm driving home from Bloomington last night, punching around the AM dial (nothing better than late night AM radio...STILL). I pick up Nashville, Cincinnati, Detroit, Dallas, Minneapolis, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Atlanta...I'm having a blast! And then I pick up a talk show on out of Denver.

The host on that station is upset that Muslim cabbies in Minneapolis are refusing to transport people with alcohol. He says, "if it's part of the job, you have to deal with it. If you knew that going in, why take the job?!?!?"

He then tells of a time when he was at a major league baseball game and ordered a hot dog with chili, and the girl behind the counter had to wait for someone else to come over and help her because "she didn't handle pork products". So again, he says, "why would you take that job if you can't handle the job requirements??!?!"

So a caller joins in and says he's a cabbie in Reno, and if a gay couple wants a ride to a gay bar, he has to take them, whether he supports their "behavior" or not, because "that's the job I signed up to do." And the host says, "see? that's what I'm talking about. Good for you! You just do the job, right? Because if you DIDN'T transport the gays, these liberals would be calling you a bigot!"

Well, guess who's the next caller...yep, me! I say, "I gotta tell ya, I agree with what you're saying...if you take a job knowing what the requirements are and still refuse to DO some of the requirements, why should you be allowed to keep that job?"

And he says, "right on, that's what I'm saying! Why is that so hard to understand?"

I add, "I dunno. I just think these Muslims shouldn't be letting their religious beliefs get in the way of their job."

And he's excited now, "Exactly...no one is telling them they can't be Muslim (the old conservative cabal there, see it?), but they've gotta do the job as described."

I go on: "Absolutely, I agree. And because of that, I feel the same way about druggists. If a guy takes a job at a pharmacy that sells the pill and other forms of birth control and doesn't want to do that based on his religious beliefs, then he shouldn't work there or shouldn't even have applied in the first place, right?"

Silence. Or, as we call it in the business, dead air. Then I hear a click on my end.

I crank up the radio, hear the end of my own comments as the 7-second delay kicks in, and then I hear the silence.

Followed by this intelligent comeback: "Okay people, let's stick to the topic here...we've been talking about only ONE thing here...Muslim cabbies and their refusal to take fares that have alcoholic beverages on them. See how these liberals are? For the last five minutes, I've been laser beam focused on Muslim cabbies, and then they gotta try and spin the subject and twist what I'm saying. (heavy sigh) We'll be right back."

Just to recap...the guy who brought up the big league ballpark situation and allowed the caller right in front of me to express his displeasure with gay people says he's "laser beam focused" on Muslims/cabbies/alcohol and hangs up on me without remotely answering my question.

I drove on, shook my head, laughed out loud, and punched up a Jeffrey Steele CD.

Slight Change

I went to the "moderate comments" section and made it so only "registered users" could comment. Does this mean anonymous gutless wonders will have to sign in with some kind of handle now to comment? Hope so.

Wow...THAT long ago?!?!?

This week's edition of: "Something that came into the world SINCE the pathetic, hapless, worst pro sports franchise ever - the Chicago Cubs - last won a World Series."

Enjoy.

Imagine Manhattan Floating Out To Sea

This stuff fascinates and worries me at the same time.

Ice Shelf Breaks

Nothing lasts forever, eh? 3,000-4,000 years old. Wow. In other words, this thing has been around since BEFORE the Cubs last won a Series.

A Clarification Is Needed

I've been hearing people call Gerry Ford "our only unelected president". Sorry, this isn't correct. One could make a case that Veeps who took over for assassinated presidents were "elected" because they were part of a ticket...I understand that. But what about 2000? Love him or hate him (and I worry about anyone who still would fall into the "love" category), Bush didn't "win" the election in 2000. He did, however, get SELECTED by the Supreme Court to serve in the Oval Office. There was no winner in 2000, therefore, the person who took over in January 2001 was not "elected". I'd say the same damn thing if Al Gore would have been selected by the Court.

Northern Iowa Is Better Than Bradley...In Almost Every Way

Twenty years ago, I was living in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Iowa, and reporting on University of Northern Iowa sports. Ten years ago, I moved back to the Midwest after a hiatus in Nevada, and to Peoria, where I heard about Bradley University.

A few months into my new quarters, I noticed the columnists at the local paper in Peoria had a "look down our noses" view of Northern Iowa. The attitude was "how dare this school be in the same conference as esteemed Bradley University." Most of the venom came during basketball season, as Northern Iowa is consistently a Top 10 Division 1-AA football team, but of course this is ignored around Peoria because Bradley...doesn't even have a football program.

I saw commentary from guys I like very, very much, like Phil and Kirk, showing thinly-veiled disdain for the low-life public school known as UNI, based in such a nothing town as Cedar Falls, and wondering how they would dare play basketball with the stuffy private likes of Bradley, Evansville, and Creighton.

So it gives me some pleasure every time Northern Iowa stuffs Bradley in basketball, like they did earlier this week. The two teams have been very even over the years, as a matter of fact they've split the last 16 games. Now, if I was 8-8 in this decade against another school, I'd at least call them my basketball equal, wouldn't you?

Beyond that, it gives me a measure of satisfaction that UNI spent the last 10 years hosting Bradley in a gorgeous place called the UNI-Dome, built for football, but STILL better for basketball than the old Bradley Fieldhouse (but not as basketball-friendly as the Peoria Civic Center). And even though I don't go back, was never a big, big fan of UNI, and really don't follow them that closely, it gives me yet another measure of satisfaction to see that UNI and Cedar Falls have a new basketball-only arena, which Kirk compliments on his blog this week, by that way.

A 7,000 seat on-campus venue that is a perfect size for a mid-major conference that will never again be a top conference, just a "nice" one.

And Northern Iowa has that venue. Bradley doesn't. I think that's awesome. Good for them.

I don't know, as I get ready to publish this, what prompted this rant. Other than the fact that I find it pleasing that the "football school" has a better basketball venue AND a basketball program that is just as good - if not better - than the stuffy elitists at Bradley and those who live for their every game.

EDIT: One more note: In the last five seasons, UNI is 46-34 in MVC play...Bradley is 34-46. So let's just go ahead and say UNI is indeed a better program right now.

New Feature!

Now that football is almost over for the year, (as soon as Ohio State disposes of Florida), it's time to start thinking baseball.

(No, I don't care about the NFL. Football season is over. Period.)

So, a new feature as I make a resolution to blog more...

Each week, I will feature a photo of something that came into the world SINCE the pathetic, hapless, worst pro sports franchise ever - the Chicago Cubs - last won a World Series. We'll start with this youngster:

Man Responsible For 9/11 Hanged!

Oh, wait, wrong guy. Sorry.

Haven't Seen The Likes Of It Since I Was Growing Up In Minnesota

I came outside Friday morning, December 1st, to find this in my driveway:





That black thing under the white stuff is a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix. I understand my friends in Peoria are having trouble getting their streets back to normal, almost a week after receiving about 1/2 the snow we got in Kewanee. I'm happy to report my road was plowed about 9am Friday morning, I did get a ride to work, and the entire town was completely cleared out and driveable by Friday night/Saturday morning. Kewanee has about 14,000 residents...larger than Morton, I think.

They did a fabulous job of clearing out up here. Glad I'm out of Peoria for numerous reasons, and this is just another one.

I Plagierize a Good Marketing Campaign

Let me give it a shot:

Fumbling the bin Laden search.



Lying to the country to get us into Iraq.


Ignoring the Geneva Convention.


Creating a Civil War in Iraq.



Sending thousands of young Americans to their death, and leaving tens of thousands more disabled and disfigured for life, all over a bunch of lies and deceptions.



Losing credibility for our country world wide.



Losing the GOP majority in the U.S. House.



Losing the GOP majority in the U.S. Senate.



Squashing freedoms of U.S. Citizens with the "Patroit Act".



Squandering a budget surplus and driving us DEEP into debt.



But giving tax breaks to his rich buddies in the process.


Securing the title "Worst President In United States History"

Decorating is a blast!

For the last few years, Diane has been collecting different parts of a little village to put on display during the christmas season. We put it up today, and it's starting to look like quite the town. We've got buildings, trees, streetlights that work, a skating pond that uses magnets to make the skaters "skate", a cobblestone street, animals grazing in a fenced area outside a barn, a fishing hole with a couple of guys dangling poles in the nearly-frozen water (and probably sharing a flask of blackberry brandy), all sorts of holiday things.

As we get older and the world moves faster and faster, as we personally get busier, as life basically flies by, it's amazing how relaxing it can be to turn on all the lights of the tiny village, sit on the couch, and just stare at it. It's fun. I imagine there will be a quiet time tonight, with all lights off except for the village, and we'll just sit there an enjoy our immobile town. I recommend the therapy of it.

I love my dog

He's a handsome chap, don't you think? Name is Juneau. Digs holes like he's trying to visit China the short way. Eats people food as often as possible. Sleeps either a) on the couch in the living room, b) on the couch in the family room, or c) on somebody's bed. He feels he's human.

Obviously, I haven't blogged since August. My new job is both time consuming and extremely, extremely enjoyable. The new house is even more fun. So less time is spent at the computer. Maybe I'll blog more soon, I don't know. Things are good. Job is good, house is good, politics are coming around to the way they should be.

And other big stuff coming soon in my life. So upon further review, yes, there will be more blogging on the way.

Wow, Time Flies, Eh?

I checked this blog out this morning and realized it's been over two weeks since I posted. Those two weeks have been spent moving, and we are now an official resident of Kewanee, IL.

That's right, I decided to move on the two days that it was 101 and 103 degrees. See how smart I am? Diane is not to blame for this decision. I was the one who rented the U-Haul and made the plans. Well, it was hot. How hot? read on.

I made Michael Jordan look like he doesn't sweat.
I averaged taking more showers in a day than most Europeans take in a month.
I changed clothes so often I thought I was in a Cher concert.
Gatorade stock went up .12 per share after that weekend.
I shook my head and almost drowned the cat.
It was so hot my sweat was sweating.

Ok, that'll about cover it.

The Price Of Gas(es)

Between seeing "$3.12" per gallon of unleaded and seeing heating bills this past winter, it's obvious that "gas" of any kind is not cheap anymore. This, of course, despite record profits for the greedy friends-of-Bush in the oil industry.

So one of my employees had an idea this morning...from now on, every time he's in a public place, when he feels flatulence coming on, he's going to let it go...and then walk around the place and collect money for it. He figures if people are willing to pay $3.12 a gallon without complaint, and fork over hundreds of dollars every month to Ameren without complaint, they won't mind paying two bits or so for his gas, and they should do it without complaint.

Maddening Driving Habits, #254

Don't you just love it when you come up behind someone dutifully rolling along right at the speed limit ("good for them", you think, "but I gotta go"), and then speed up the moment you try to slip past them?

I just love that.

Then, when you get by and set your cruise at 63 or 64 (in a 55), the dude decides to tailgate you at that same speed.

I just love that.

Here's my message to the blue Ford dually this morning on Highway 78: If you don't have the guts to speed out there all by yourself, stop using me as a front door. I'm open about my intentions, expectations, and possible consequences...why don't you grow a pair and do the same?

I can't think of any more gutless driving behavior than the driver that will follow anybody going over the limit, but refuses to lead the pack. Wimps. You think you're smart, but you're really not. When my uncle patrolled the highways of Minnesota, he purposely picked up the second car in line whenever he came upon a group of speeders. He figured (rightly so) that the second guy was just using the first guy to do his dirty work.

This...Drives...Me...Nuts!

So I get on I74 at Knoxville this morning, just like every morning, and I set the cruise at 45, just like every morning, and 231 cars pass me before I get to the new Sterling exit, just like every morning, and I don't see a patrol car the entire time, just like every morning.

After Sterling, I am still going 45, just like every morning, and in the one lane of traffic, I've got cars so close to me I can read the VIN numbers on THEIR car, just like every morning. As the end of the construction zone nears, 21 cars pull out to the right of me and accelerate before the 45 zone ends, just like every morning, with no patrol car in sight, just like every morning.

So what's the annoying part? The annoying part is that two miles WEST of the 74/474 interchange, there sits one of Illinois' finest, in the median, sideways, radar gun in hand, trying to catch people speeding...on the open, construction-free part of the highway.

Would somebody PLEASE get a clue over there in Metamora? If you're trying to get that end-of-month quota met so you can get the required income you're searching for, it's quite obvious to ANYONE WITH A BRAIN that the easy pickings at $375 per ticket are right there for you.

If you're trying to keep the roads SAFER (the standard line given), then again, there's no excuse because ANYONE WITH A BRAIN knows that someone going 55 within a few feet of an unprotected construction worker is more dangerous than someone going 75 on the open, straight road.

With the constant speeding in the construction zone, there is NO excuse to be patrolling a stretch of road four miles west of this area right now. NO excuse. None. Period.