Thursday, October 27, 2005

Cigs in Madison

My guess was kinda right:

At Ole-N-Rick's Northside Inn, a blue-collar tap in Madison, Wis., sales have fallen about 50 percent since a citywide smoking ban took effect July 1.

The owners of the shot-and-a-beer spot, two retired firefighters, have cut staff hours and beer prices, and they are thinking of throwing in the towel.

We've lost all those third-shift guys who used to come in," said Terry Olson, co-owner of the 16-year-old bar and grill. Now, workers from a local bindery and a food plant are driving to taverns in a nearby village where smoking is allowed.

I heard from certain people that this would not happen. Well, it is happening. Now think about the small resturants around Illinois. This is what happens when big government oversteps their bounds.

Patterson, can a fan get a trade?

Back to the important baseball news:


After a frustrating season with the Chicago Cubs in which he hit only .215, Patterson will spend this offseason revamping his hitting stroke. He got started four days after the regular season ended in the cages at HoHoKam Park. It could save his career.

"It's nobody's fault. I did it," Patterson said in an interview in Mesa, Ariz., where he was watching his brother, Eric, play in the Arizona Fall League. "Sometimes you have to make things simple and get back to basic stuff."

I don't like Corey Patterson very much. But he has the unfortunate Sammy Sosa disease. Patterson has no discipline and no desire to learn. He wants to hit home runs, but really cannot. He is very fast and can sometimes get a good jump off pitchers. For some unknown reason, we only see this for about 2 weeks out of the season. His speed should also make a him a valuable fielder. He is not. Balls drop in front of him all the time or the balls bounce by him. The Cubs of course cannot trade him because they are stupid. They drop him to triple A when they should be unloading him.

World Series Champs, yours (not mine) Sox

This goes out to all the good fans of the South Side. I am not a Sox fan, nor do i claim to be one. The Commissioners Trophy is back in the town were it belongs:


It was a victory for the grandparents and great grandparents, who first came into the world when manager Pants Rowland led a group of players named Buck, Swede, Chick, Happy, Red, Nemo and "Shoeless Joe" to the White Sox last World Series title some nine decades ago. It was for the parents who took their kids to Comiskey Park, old and new, U.S. Cellular Field, and heck, even Wrigley Field, hoping against hope that one day they could talk about that special championship season in Chicago.

The win even was for the kids, who have no idea what baseball misery is really all about, having waited only four, five or six years, in some instances, to watch one of their baseball teams celebrate greatness. And this just in for the doubters, the skeptics who didn't believe the White Sox would get to the playoffs, let alone advance.

The first time i saw Eight Men Out, I was in complete outrage. The fact of the story is that it did happen but it was a different time with different players. This was not a curse, rather it was just the baseball god's exacting their vengence.

Monday, October 24, 2005

Mr. Candy Man

Blagojevich, Blagojevich, Blagojevich, when will you learn:

"I want to say to some of our critics, who, I think, are more motivated by the politics of the issue than the righteousness of the cause ... let me firmly assert the health of our children should not be held hostage by partisan politics," Blagojevich said. "This is a matter of common sense and simple human decency."

How can this not be political? Do you think we are idiots? I like the idea, sounds kinda like a Wisconsin program. Unfortunately
everything that you do is political, its the name of the game mr. Guv.

Cocktails, the new campaign for UAL

Chicago bases United Airlines needs to spend some serious time in time out:

A United Airlines pilot was removed from the cockpit and questioned by police after security screeners at Miami International Airport reported smelling alcohol, police said.

The pilot was not arrested and no breath test was done, but the airline suspended him pending an internal investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.

This might be the worst way to apply for Federal Funds, but then again I'm not a professional in the marketing industry. Is there even a legal charge for flying drunk? Some people I know will tell you that you cannot legally drive drunk but who is there to stop the pilots from flying drunk? Could someone please tell me.

Mow Back Time

For those Finance majors out there:

President Bush will nominate Ben S. Bernanke, his top economic adviser, to replace Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, a White House official said....
Mr. Greenspan is expected to step down Jan. 31 and will be the second-longest serving chairman of the Fed...
Mr. Bernanke (pronounced ber-NANK-ee) is a respected economist who has assiduously stayed away from partisan politics until his appointment to the White House post, friends and colleagues say. He studied economic history at Harvard and then earned a doctorate in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Alan Greenspan was a good chairman of the Fed. My dad was very happy during the 90s along with many other people who made good money during that period. Mr. Greenspan got caught up in the politics of the job and lost. Good luck Mr. Bernanke with your new job starting in February, make my dad some money.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Walk it Off 1

Holy Cow ladies and gents! Scotty Pods just walked it off, a bit more later.

2nd Win

The vikings won!!!

Culpepper finished the day at 23/31 passing for 280 yards and two scores to go with his 41 yards on the ground. Favre was equally as efficient with his passing finishing at 28/36 for 315 and a similar two touchdowns. Driver led all players with eight catches for 114 yards while Moore had 45 yards on the ground and 60 receiving to go with his first NFL touchdown.

The win moved the Vikings one game up on the Packers at a 2-4 mark. Green Bay fell to 1-5. Next week the Vikings travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers before returning home in two weeks to continue their NFC North schedule against the now 3-3 Detroit Lions.

Mike Tice keeps getting lucky. As a fan, I do not want to see the team lose just so Mike Tice will leave, but if Brian Billieck is available next year from the Ravens, it might be decision time. Billeck belongs in Minnesota next to Denny Green. They deserve to win a superbowl but those times are long gone. Way to go Edinger!!


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