Powerless

Saturday morning's storm that blew through the Twin Cities has knocked the power out of portions of the Como area. That "portion" includes my house and block, but does not include once block north and one block south. What gives?? I had to go into THE CHECK on a Sunday just to check the blog for God sakes. (Plus, I missed hearing the Muzak.) Can't check the internet at home, can't play the Bass, can't turn on the AC. Life is rough right now. How do the Amish do this???

At least a tree didn't fall on our house, though. Some other neighbors we're not so lucky. There was some pretty bad damage around Como Lake. We have neighbors who had a tree fall on their house and shatter a sky light right over them while they were sleeping. Not good.

There was a graphic in the Pioneer Press on "what area was hit hardest." I swear the bulls-eye was over my house. Anyway, I'll post more once we regain power. I'm at THE CHECK right now and the muzak is getting to me.

Peace,

Jeff

Friday's Quick Topics

I took a day off from THE CHECK today, so it is a good time to put some thoughts down on current topics that are keeping me up at night.

Topic #1: Smootzie was unhappy. As it turns out, Cornerback (Smilin') Fred Smoot was unhappy during his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. Here's the quote:

"I just wasn't into it," Smoot told the Washington Post of his two years in Minnesota. "I hated the place. I was in a depression, believe that? Smiling Fred Smoot goes through a depression?
"But it happened, man, it happened. I was down, and that's why I made this happen. I went to [Minnesota's] front office and told them: 'I don't want to be there no more. We need to work something out.' And we made it happen. I got out of there, and now smiling Fred Smoot is back."

"I didn't get along with the people there," he said. "I didn't get along with a lot of stuff there. And when a player's not happy he's not going to perform up to his ability."

Wow - that just breaks my heart. First, Smootzie got tagged with the trumped-up, bunko Love Boat charges (nothin' happened, man!), and then we find out he was kind of bummed out the whole time he was here in Minnesota. This explains Smootzie's inability to cover ANYONE during his two-year stay with the Vikes - he was just sad. Hopefully he'll be much happier back in Washington D.C. Maybe the Redskins can organize a boat cruise to welcome him or something.

Topic #2 - Woman arrested for barking at Police Dog in Sheyboygan. I attended the University of Leinenkugels (UWEC) with a couple of guys from Sheyboygan, and I've got to say that "Sheynoid-town" takes the cake for weirdness in WI. Even my friend Wellsey, who is from the Sheyboygan area, admits this. Check out the latest from that town from the StarTribune (thanks for sending to me CD!):

Two women were arrested in Sheboygan after one barked at a police dog.
According to the criminal complaint:

Police officers responded about 3:15 a.m. Saturday to a call about a disturbance between two groups of people on a Sheboygan street. They approached Lawanda E. Bowman, 23, of Sheboygan, because she "was crying and yelling out loud in a hysterical fashion.''
Bowman's friends told the officers that she had been drinking and they were trying to calm her down.

The officers then learned there were two warrants for Bowman's arrest in Milwaukee County. She resisted when they tried to arrest her. As Bowman resisted, Feliciana P. Harrell, 46, of Milwaukee, stepped out of the crowd and began yelling at the officers. She also barked at and agitated a K-9 dog brought in to help control the crowd.

Police later determined the warrant for Bowman had expired. But she was charged Monday with disorderly conduct and two counts of resisting an officer. Harrell was charged with obstructing an officer and harassment of police and fire animals.

All the charges are misdemeanors.

First of all, I didn't realize that there was a law on the books against "harassment of police and fire animals." I suppose it is good that there is. And, can you believe she was drinking?

Topic #3 - Love 105. I am a big fan of 89.3 The Current. They play a great mix of local music and lesser-known songs by a wide array of bands. They tend to play some rap, however, which causes me to turn the dial to another station. I used to turn to "Rev 105," which is the "corporate alternative" station. They played the Clash, but you knew it was going to be "Should I Stay Or Should I Go." Well, Rev 105 has now changed formats to "Love 105." I have to say that the new format is simply the worst that I have ever heard. And I grew up with Eau Claire radio, so that is saying a lot.

Love 105's motto is "the greatest songs of all time." They play sappy love songs from Air Supply, Debbie Boone, Bread, etc. etc. etc. I realize that I am not their target market, but I have to ask "who listens to this stuff?" It's like they've taken the worst songs of the past 40 years and created one huge, torturous playlist. Instead of trying to disburse the angry youth hanging down on Hennepin Avenue with Classical music, they should simply blast out Love 105 and you'd have a ghost-town down there. Are you listening Mayor Rybak?

Topic #4 - Twins stadium groundbreaking rescheduled for Thursday, August 30th. Me and the kooks (my kids) will be in attendance at the rescheduled groundbreaking. After writing 6,987 e-mails and 44 letters to the editor on the subject over the years, I wouldn't miss it for the world. This begs the question - will there be protesters? You know, Euphorians with hand painted signs. This also begs the question, can my kids reach the protesters with their Super Soakers? We'll see.

Peace,

Jeff

756*

It happened last night at 10:50 PM Central time, well after this 40 year-old was asleep. Somebody on the Washington Nationals named Mike Bacsik threw a 84 mile per hour fastball to Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants that ended up traveling 435 feet over the right-center field wall. It marked the 756th time in Bonds career that he has hit a Home Run, which happens to signify that Bonds now holds the All-Time Home Run record in Major League Baseball.

Hooray.

I am very conflicted about this. On one hand, there is almost no question that Barry used steroids to bulk up during his career, which had to have a positive effect on his ability to hit the long ball. On the other hand, even if he was juiced up, Barry still had to hit the ball. Back in The Day when I played baseball, I was "all field, no hit." You could have pumped me full of steroids until I looked like Lou Ferrigno and I still would have hit .200. I have no doubt that Barry Bonds would have been a Hall of Fame baseball player without the steroids, I just don't know if he would have hit 756 Home Runs.

And then there is the character issue. The man whose record Bonds surpassed, Hammerin' Hank Aaron, played with dignity and class. Before Aaron, Babe Ruth held the Home Run record. The Babe also played with dignity, along with copious amounts of bourbon and hot dogs. But it was all "on the level." Barry Bonds is considered by many to be the world's biggest jack-ass. I simply don't have the time or the space to devote to the stories that I have heard about Bonds being a first-class pig to players, fans, & media alike. Not that all great athletes were model citizens. From what I have read about Ty Cobb, he sounded like Satan in human form.

So this is what it has come to. An ass-hole who allegedly used performance-enhancing drugs has broken one of the most revered and beloved records in baseball history. Maybe Bonds is a perfect metaphor for Our Times. Rarely does anything happen anymore that is not ultra-controversial, over-analyzed and dissected by the media. Maybe Bonds breaking that record is perfect. I don't know.

For the longest time, I thought that Hank Aaron's record of 755 Home Runs would never be surpassed. Now, I don't think Bond's record will stand. If he remains healthy, I believe Alex Rodriguez will own the record in a decade. The one record that I do not believe will ever be surpassed is Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Beating that one would be tough, even with performance-enhancing drugs.

What do you think? Does Bond's breaking the Home Run record bother you or is it much-ado about nothing? Let me know.

Peace,

Jeff

John Marty and The Wing Nut

I was on the internet for no more than two minutes this morning when I found more crap to raise my blood pressure. I came across a video clip entitled "Stadium Politics and the Bridge." It's a story about, as I wrote previously, the controversy surrounding the bridge falling down because Hennepin County is funding the Twins stadium (A = B). Here is a link to the story - you have to check it out (you may be forced to watch a quick commercial beforehand. I haven't quite figured out this adding video to blog thing yet. Technofear - again):

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/08/04/lavandera.stadium.money.cnn

Now, I am not upset that the story exists. Let's explore all angles. What I want to know is why Senator John Marty continues to get national exposure and how in God's name CNN was provided with "Political Activist (i.e "unemployed")" Leslie Davis' name to comment on the issue. I have attended two separate hearings on the stadium issue and Leslie Davis has been at both. During the first hearing, Davis brought a guitar and "sang" his opinion to members of the Legislature. He was basically "gonged" after a few minutes and hauled out. During the second meeting, Davis refused to speak in order to the Hennepin County Commissioners and was forcefully removed from the podium, while screaming, by security. Now, he's on CNN. Explain that.

Then, you have Senator (Saint) John Marty, who is against Everything. I will give him credit for the fact that he has ALWAYS been against Everything and has never wavered. If Marty was in charge, the Twin Cities Metropolitan area would look like mid-1950's Moscow. No bling whatsoever, just grey rectangular office buildings and government centers. Now, he's on CNN telling the world that the money directly earmarked for the Twins stadium could have been used for bridge inspections. Or for THE KIDS. Because, as we all know, you can't do both. A or B. Black or White. If you are for the stadium, you against The Bridge. That is the new thing.

Am I wrong here? Am I just ranting (wouldn't be the first time)? Let me know what YOU think.

Jeff

Hey - it's the stadium's fault!

I have written before about how I allow Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman to get under my skin. Well, he's at it again. It took less than 48 hours after the 35-W bridge collapsed for him to start playing the blame game. And, guess what, the Twins stadium is squarely to blame for the tragedy! Here is the article (best read on an empty stomach):

http://www.startribune.com/357/story/1339911.html

Here is the paragraph that gave me stomach pain:

"Both political parties have tried to govern on the cheap, and both have dithered and dallied and spent public wealth on stadiums while scrimping on the basics.

How ironic is it that tonight's scheduled groundbreaking for a new Twins ballpark has been postponed? Even the stadium barkers realize it is in poor taste to celebrate the spending of half a billion on ballparks when your bridges are falling down. Perhaps this is a sign of shame. If so, it is welcome. Shame is overdue."

Yes - shame! Shame on all of you rubes who do not think like Mr. Coleman! And God help you if you are a stadium supporter. You see, we simply cannot build stadiums AND improve infrastructure. We cannot build stadiums AND help widows and THE KIDS. Black and white, baby - no middle ground here. Why, I'm shocked that bridges aren't falling like mad in all of the cities around the country that have been building new stadiums for billionaires.

By the way, how come building The Guthrie with public money never gets blamed for anything by Coleman? Maybe because billionaire Carl Pohlad was not involved? Could that be it? I'm going to go out on a limb and say the majority of the individuals who benefit from a new Guthrie are pretty well-off. But, that building gets a free pass in these matters.

This may sound crazy, but is it possible that bridge collapsed because it was poorly built and had a flawed design? Since it was given poor rating in the past by inspectors, could the bridge have been "fixed" in accordance with that information? Or did somebody say, "you know, we'd like to fix the bridge because we know it's going to fall down any minute, but we are using every last cent of available money on that Twins stadium."

Oddly enough, I drove over that bridge last week and it was down to one lane there were construction crews working on it. And, lo and behold, construction crews were working on the new Twins stadium less than a mile away. Where in God's name did the money come from to do BOTH of these - on the same day?? Something fishy must be going on here.

I wish I could live in a world that was as "black and white" as Coleman's. I wish good and evil and right and wrong were as easy to define as he makes them out to be. Also, it must be nice to have a "whipping boy (the Twins stadium) to blame for every ill in society. Unfortunately, it's not that easy.

I know one thing. I've got to quite reading Nick Coleman because he's bad for my health. And that IS black and white. No middle ground there. Fortunately, I found this excellent article on the same web site, written by Jim Souhan. It speaks on the unifying power that sports can have in times of tragedy. Give this one a read - it will make you feel a whole lot better than Coleman's piece.

http://www.startribune.com/150/story/1341245.html

Peace,

Jeff

35-W Bridge Collapse

Well, I literally just finished writing my prior post of all-important sports nuggets (still worth reading!) and the phone rang. Our friend Kim was calling from Duluth and asked "have you seen the news?" My first thought, in our post 9-11 world, was "terrorist attack." The news, however, was nearly as bad and just as bizarre.

The 35-W bridge over the Mississippi River had just collapsed during rush hour, sending cars plunging into the river. I, of course, starting dialing everyone I knew in Minneapolis that might have taken that way home from work. Phone service was literally shut down due to the scores of people that had the same idea that I did. Luckily, and thank God, I found out eventually that everyone I called is OK.

At this point, 9:15 PM, there are reports of dozens of cars in the Mississippi River, rescue squads looking for survivors, and three are confirmed dead. Who knows how many more there will be?

This is one of those bizarre moments in life that "aren't supposed to happen in your town." Across the country and on CNN, maybe, but 5 miles away? Obviously, this will have the largest effect on the victims and their families and friends. In addition, this will have a profound effect on transit in Minneapolis for years.

Unbelievable.

Jeff

Quick Takes on World of Sports

A lot has gone down over the last couple of days in the world of sports. It has taken a couple of days for me to wrap my brain around these events. Here, like the title of this blog states, is what I think:

Item: Kevin Garnett traded to the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Garnett is (was) arguably the second most popular athlete ever to play for a Minnesota professional sports team behind Kirby Puckett. I am not the biggest basketball fan, but Garnett was the reason I would buy a ticket to a Wolves game. I hate to see him go. And, Boston is getting a hell of a player, and has now earned the right to get destroyed in the NBA finals by whatever team represents the West.

However, if the Wolves would have retained Garnett, they would have won 35 games this year and either miss the playoffs or get destroyed in the first round. Because of his salary, they HAD to trade him. Now, it is debatable as to whether or not they received the best deal. This floundering organization is so poor off, however, they needed to start over from scratch. At least they now have some first round picks, and a young nucleus of Corey Brewer, Al Jefferson, Rashard McCants, Craig Smith and Randy Foye. And, their first-round pick that they got back from Boston will unquestionably be another lottery pick, possibly even top 5. They also have a couple of large contracts coming off the books after next year to free up some cap space. Unfortunately, they are stuck with a few horrible, ridiculous contracts for many years, which brings us to our next item.


Item: Timberwolves buy out contract of Troy Hudson for 80% of full value.

The fact that part-time basketball player and full-time rapper Troy Hudson was signed to a multi-year contract is more sad than ridiculous. Now, the Wolves are paying Hudson $10 million dollars to go away. Yes, you read that correctly. If I was Hudson, I'd feel the need to wear a ski-mask and carry a gun when I cashed that check. Apparently, Troy was feeling "the stress of both worlds" and was not happy playing (and I use that word loosely) for the Wolves. Check out the quote from his agent, Bill Neff:

"He was stuck in jail here and this is the get-out-of-jail-free card," Neff said.

Wow. Jail. Hudson "was stuck in jail" by being paid millions of dollars to play 15-20 basketball games a year and then injure an ankle and sit out the rest of the season. Once again, delusion at it's best.

Item: Twins trade Luis Castillo to the Mets for two minor-leaguers.

This trade has me a little more flabbergasted. The Twins freed up $2 million, which I was convinced they would use to pick up a slugger before the trading deadline. Then, they didn't pick anyone up. But, hey - we got Sal Butera's son! My only hope is that they use that money to re-sign one of their free agents in the off-season (speaking of delusion?). Justin Morneau simply must be resigned. The Twins no longer have the excuse of "playing in a horrible stadium" because the guys they resign today will be playing in the brand new stadium in 2010. If they don't resign these guys, there could be hell to pay, which brings us to our last item.

Item: Johan Santana blasts the Twins for not picking up any players before the deadline.

Check this quote out:

"It's not just about hope," Santana said. "In a realistic world, you have to really make it happen and go for it.

"You always talk about future, future. ... But if you only worry about the future, then I guess a lot of us won't be part of it," Santana said.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner wasn't smiling.

"Why waste time when you're talking about something that's always going to be like that? It's never going to be beyond this point. It doesn't make any sense for me to be here, you know?"

My reaction to Santana's words? OH, CRAP!

Peace,

Jeff