The View From Wisconsin

My mother would have been 66 today. So give me some room, I got a lot on my mind.

• The Milwaukee Brewers have been in an absolute nose dive since July 1. A promising season where they were a whole seven games above .500 at that time got swept away in a double-header at PNC Park. When the Pirates swept the four-game series at the Brewers' Little Shop of Horrors, they went into a nose dive that sees them at 10 games under .500 going into tonight's tilt against the Phillies. So much for having a turnaround season. It's sad when you pine for a team that simply finishes above .500.
• The Cheesehead Nation is starting to get panicky again. Everyone is up in arms because the Packers' second and third string squad got rocked by the Seahawks in pre-season game one. I guess I'm not as worried as that, but boy, following this team doesn't give you much rest at night.
• So what is the deal with this idiot who put up a billboard questioning the Packers defense? He's a Packer fan? Dear God, we have problems in Packer Country.
• Windows XP Service Pack 2 is available. Yay. (Yawn) My only question is, why are they making it so hard for current XP users to download the thing?
• Someone wanna tell me why LeBron James got only five minutes of playing time against Lithuania?
• Good News, Bad News department: Of the top 5 scorers in the Olympic tournament, three of them are in the NBA. The bad news is, none of them play for Team USA (Carlos Arroyo, PUR; Pau Gaol, ESP; Emmanuel Ginobili, ARG).
• Good, classy move by Michael Phelps to pull out of the 4x100 Medley Relay so teammate Ian Crocker could make up for his poor performance in an earlier Relay event (4x100 Freestyle). Of course, Phelps still gets a gold because he swam in the prelims... Hm, I wonder if someone pointed that out to him...
• I'm still waiting for an e-mail back from the Orioles, outlining what exactly they would like to see done with the Expos in 2005...
• The reason why I'm not going to vote for Kerry in November is simple: the next 9/11 is going to be bigger and more destructive, and I'd rather have someone in office who isn't going to run away and hide when the going gets tough. I don't care what Kerry or the Swift Boat vets claim: he only knows how to do one thing well, and that's straddle the fence.
• Would it help if hockey fans showed their contempt for the NHL/NHLPA (lack of) Bargaining process if we just completely ignore the World Cup of Hockey?
• Russ Darrow, please pick up the white courtesy phone. It's not the fact that you gave Feingold and Doyle money - it's that you had enough money to give politicians on both sides of the aisle money. Yeah, that'll say a lot for us in Wisconsin, having two big businessmen as our Senators. Russ, why don't you do something a bit more constructive, like buying the Brewers?
• I don't care one bit: Paul Hamm deserved the Gold Medal.
• Note to Prime Time: stay retired. It's for your own good.
• I'm starting to like Bowling For Soup a lot more for some reason. Of course, their new song, "1985", might have something to do with it. Can't wait for it to show up on iTunes.
• A gentle note to Mr. McCartney and Mr. Starr: settle with Apple Computer about the iTunes tiff, please?
• I'm really starting to get tired of seeing construction barrels when I'm trying to head East on Capitol or on Wisconsin. I'd like to be able to have a route other than I-94 to head into Waukesha and points East.
• Even money says Bonds doesn't get to 700 this year.

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"That should do it - for now, anyways..."

I haven't ranted for a while, so here goes:

• Anyone out there think that the plethora of tropical storms in the Atlantic are responsible for the cool, crappy weather we're getting up here in the Midwest? We've got people who swear that Whistling Straits is located somewhere in Scotland, not Wisconsin.
• Speaking of which: I yawn in the general direction of Tiger. It's about time he had a nice large serving of humble pie; he has to appreciate what he got so fast early in his career.
• All I ask for is that the Brewers get back to .500 before the end of the season - please?
• Count me as completely underwhelmed by the Athens Olympiad. I just don't really care to see "athletes" competing in events which I have no attachment to or for. Of course, I'm more of a winter Olympics junkie, so I guess I'm biased.
• For those of you who don't understand why the President went after Iraq after 9/11, I have a news flash for you: how do you think this whole thing got started, anyways? Idiot-boy Hussein decided to invade Kuwait, US goes to help Kuwait, Bin Laden gets po'ed at US for putting troops on Saudi grounds, forms al-Qaida to get revenge... have I lost you, Senator Kerry?
• I wonder if anyone will notice my new hat from the Bush online store (http://www.georgewbushstore.com/200-2000.htm) at work...
• T-minus one month to hockey armageddon. This note cheerfully brought to you on the ten-year anniversary of a strike that knocked out a World Series.
• Someone wanna 'splain to me why the Packers aren't starting the preseason until the middle of next week? Is Tags Tagliabue giving the Packers a pass through the Preseason so Brett doesn't get hurt?
• I love it: whenever there's talk about a new stadium deal for any pro franchise, there's always a sidebar column about people who are against it. Even with the deal that the "city" of Arlington, Texas is apparently working wit the Dallas Cowboys. Apparently, in the umpteen acres of land where old Arlington Stadium used to be by The Ballpark (now known as Ameriquest Field) In Arlington houses a trailer park (Stonegate Pines) which has been around for about 15 years or so. Some of the residents don't want to give up their trailers without a fight. Sheesh.
• You know, I tried, I really tried, to think about buying an NBA jersey. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd just look silly wearing a hoops jersey at 5'4".
• Stick a fork in the White Sox. They're done.
• Wouldn't it be sweet if the Rangers met the Yankees in the ALDS... and swept them in three straight?
• Isn't it somewhat... I don't know, strange? inappropriate?... to have an ESPN25 "Behind The Headlines" report on Pete Rose be followed by an episode of World Series of Poker?
• Quincy Carter, please pick up the white courtesy phone. It's a Mr. Donald Meredith.
• Please, God, let Ron Dayne really be back...
• Ditto Anthony Davis - coz I want to see another Wisconsin Rose Bowl in my lifetime.

"Thank you, try the veal, I'll be here all week..."