The End Is Nigh

The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster

I saw this maybe a week ago and was sort of hoping it would go away. Alas, now that Vodkapundit has linked to it, I'm sure it will go on for months. A freaking Darth Vader blog.

It is time to close the internet to all newcomers, even though his blog is probably far more entertaining than mine, I guaranty his hard core fans are waaaaay bigger dorks.

I don't want to go on a rant here...

mediabistro: TVNewser

But this is pretty lame. I really like the Dennis Miller show, even though he doesn't get the best guests. I usually watch the replay of it later in the evening when I'm going to bed and I think he's entertaining as hell. Now I am down to zero decent late night talk shows (I was a Kilbourn fan). What a shame, I guess I'll just have to watch the third Sportscenter of the day and get ZERO new information.

Speaking of ranting, is there anything more stupid than this new Trifecta crap? Why not give Baseball Tonight the hour it deserves? There is no need for an outside the lines nightly. There are not enough truely compelling stories to fill 5 nights a week. It's crap, and it is pissing me off. If Fox Sports would get their act together and do some quality sports programming, they could steal a lot of viewership. Plenty of real sports people are getting quite sick of the MTV atmosphere that is starting to invade Sportscenter. In the last week I have seen that freaking IDIOT Stu Scott walking on a treadmill and wearing a ballcap and sweatshirt to close the show. ESPN needs more professionals like Dan Patrick. I'll tell you what, the best people on that show these days are Peter Gammons and Tim Kuprisin. More professionalism and less idiocy, the whole country should adopt that mantra.

I just don't get why people hate the French?

French channel portrays Pope as 'Adolf II' - Newindpress.com

The French version of the Daily Show decided it would be funny to call the new Pope, Pope AdolfII and disgrace the Holy Trinity. About as classy as you can expect from those filthy cowards.

Jim Lampley Is A Left Wing Whacko!

Only three days and already some "celebrities" are outing themselves as top notch nutcases. I've only browsed a few posts but this one made me laugh out loud.

Jim Lampley says Karl Rove stole the election because bookies "understand which information to trust and which indicators to consult in determining where to place a dividing line to influence bets, and they are not in the business of being completely wrong."

Hey Jim, wasn't Giacommo 50-1? Out of curiosity, what were the odds agaisnt the Panthers being in the Super Bowl a few years back? I'm curious if Jim knows the line on the Mircale on Ice?

So bookies had it at 2-1 that Kerry would win, that means Kerry really did win? I don't understand the logic Jimbo. I the Orioles keep playing good ball and make it to the Series, will Jimbo say it was stolen, that Karl rove must be an Oriole fan?

Jim Lampley's final thoughts:

I challenge every other thinker at the Huffington Post: is there any greater imperative than to reverse this crime and reestablish democracy in America? Why the mass silence? Let's go to work with the circumstantial evidence, begin to narrow from the outside in, and find some witnesses who will turn. That's how they cracked Watergate. This is bigger, and I never dreamed I would say that in my baby boomer lifetime.

By other Huffington Pot thinkers is he talking about great political minds like LArry David, Gwenyth Paltrow, Robert Evans and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss? Yeah, a real powerful team you have there Lampley...jackass.

In Case You Haven't Noticed, and Judging by the Attendance You Haven't

Honestly, I have been incredibly preoccupied lately. There is something special about what is going on down at Miller Park and it's a damn shame that everyone seems to be missing it. No, they aren't playing .750 ball and they aren't nipping the heels of the Cardinals, but they are playing very good baseball. This isn't the flukie, home run fueled winning streak of past years. Granted, they still might fall apart this year, but we are finally able to see the pieces fitting into place. I've missed only four home games so far and I feel terrible when I miss one. Why? Well yes I am a die hard Crew fan and have rarely missed many games (former beer vendor, so I went to the first 2 1/2 years solid at Miller Park) but there is something else.

For the first time I can remember it is possible to SEE a winner being formed. Hardy WILL hit. He'll end this year around .250 and a solid #2 hitter, and by next year will find his form as around a career .280 avg. with a .330-370 OB. Later this year we will see some more call-ups as guys start getting moved (don't be shocked if the Crew is minus Lee, Overbay, and Spivey by September)and we may get to see Fielder as an everyday guy for a month if OVerbay gets shipped out. Secondly, Hendrickson, while he is struggling now, will probably get a shot in late summer as will Capellan. I think by the end of thise year we will have a good look at a team that will be in serious contention for NL Central Champs in 06.

It is because of this excitement that I have been spending all my time on baseball blogs and minor league scouting sites and listening to MLB Home Plate on XM radio (honestly the greatest channel in the history of radio). I have spent my nights watching the crew while listening to the Cards, Cubs and Astros on XM. It's become a bit overwhelming and I have really fell off on politics.

Trust me however, as this nuclear option blows up (possibly Thursday) and the Governor race heats up and politics gets a tad jucier as the summer progresses, I will be back to posting in bunches. This isn't to say that I am taking a hiatus or anything, and since the Brewers go on the road my weeknights will be a lot less hectic, just to explain my recent slacking.

Go out and see the Crew!!

Oh yeah, check out House of Flying Daggers, a Zhang Yimou film...saw it this weekend, fantastic!

Pimentel: People of Cleveland, you are offensive racists!

As are you, FSU fans, Washington Redskins fans, and especially you "Fighting Sioux" fans of North Dakota, how dare you symbolize Native Americans as heroic warriors fighting for your community's honor in various competitive endeavors. It is insulting to suggest that Indians could properly carry the banner for your athletic team which fills you with such pride. How dare you!

Or so it would seem with this shot across the bow at reason and common sense opening today's "Oh, my goldness" editorial;

Now is - ahem - a golden opportunity to remember and appreciate that Marquette University did not return to the Warriors nickname. Doing so would have boorishly given offense to a race of people and betrayed the principles on which the Catholic institution stands.

I'm curious, how does the gay/lesbian/transvestite/god-knows-what-else student group setting up shop around campus reinforce those Catholic principles? Just curious?

Since when is the Urinal editorial board the least bit concerned with Catholic ideals. What a freaking crock.

I Don't Care How Stupid it is...We're Doing It!

Showing an incredible stubborn/arrogant/pompous/condescending/asshattedness the big wig jackasses at Marquette have come out swinging against their detractors.

"We're done," an upbeat John Bergstrom, the chairman of the school's Board of Trustees, said in an opinion echoed by Father Robert A. Wild, the university's president. "This is not an optional program. This is going to be a brand that we're going to build."

Excellent. While you build that brand people are laughing, not just at the University but at me for being associated with the University. I got text messages from friends ranging from Arizona to Providence taunting me. While it was mostly lighthearted kidding, this does serious damage to the value of an association with Marquette. A brand is important, and it seems this whole "Gold" fiasco is all about marketing for the Marquette higher ups. I don't remember them talking about the Golden Eagles as a business decision, which this clearly seems to be.

This is absurd. I will be at the No 2 Gold rally today...will you?

Worst...Nickname...Ever

As a 2004 alum, one of those fortunate enough to hear the speech that started this entire fiasco, I can say with all certainty that Marquette has managed to do what was previously thought impossible; they have pissed EVERYONE off.

I have already received about a half dozen golden retriever emails, and I don't want to tell you how many golden shower jokes have rained down on me since I've been in to work (and I've only been here ten minutes). This is a complete disaster.

I went to the ballgame last night (I am worried since today is the first one I'll miss since the streak started) and it was one of the best games I've seen all night. Then, I get to Kelly's Bleachers and the bartender drops this little bomb on me, I thought she was kidding and just trying to rib me a little bit. When I heard it on the trusty ol TV however, I knew it was true. Total lack of judgment. Are there zero people with marketing sense on the MU board? Isn't the Alan Edmonds guy on there, shouldn't he have some sense of marketing? How was this a unanimous decision?

The part that really gets me is nobody is talking about the Crew? Six in a row, a ten game hitting streak for Overbay, back to back fantastic pitching performances, fighting back to a .500 record, and SECOND PLACE! Not a word this morning on the radio.

My recommended mascot:

PSA: May 6th is "No Pants Day"

I have no clue what you'll do with this infromation, just thought you should know.

Sheets Update

This cannot go without quoting.

"It's like that guy said in 'Coming to America,' " Sheets said, citing the 1988 fish-out-of-water comedy starring Eddie Murphy as an African prince who heads to Queens, New York, in search of true love and ends up working in a fast-food joint.

"Today, it's sweeping floors. Tomorrow, it's fries!"

I absolutely love this guy!

Get well soon Ben, the Crew is on a tear!

More: I hate guns but not enough to do anything REAL

JS Online: Council backs bill to let county stiffen gun laws

JS Online: Council backs bill to let county stiffen gun laws

Okay, letm e get this straight: The Mothers Against Gun Violence think this bill will force your average gang banger in Milwaukee to wait for a background check before the guy selling guns out the back of his van will finish the transaction? Do these people have literally zero idea of the real world? Do they have no foundation in reality? I can sort of see how people could scare themselves into not being rational about conceal & carry (they won't use the gun if they don't have a permit...what?!?) but how can anyone honestly believe this bill is somehow worthwhile?

Davis said aldermen who do not represent central-city districts might have a hard time understanding the toll violence has taken in some parts of the city.

"When I have to attend funerals of kids," he said, before switching his approach. "Have you ever been jacked before? Have you ever had a person stick a gun in your face?"

And how will this stop that? I guaranty most of these aldermen were up in arms when Sheriff Clarke wanted to search automobiles for firearms. His gun initiative would have actually accomplished something, this will do literally nothing and just allows these incompetent boobs to say "heck, we tried!"


Side note: Ebay for guns...www.gunbroker.com

The George W. Bush Conspiracy Generator

I ran across this a few minutes ago and now I know how Air America's Randi Rhodes gets most of her ideas.

Luckily, the DUer's don't care how leftists mouth pieces make up their stories, as long as they involve the vast Bush Conspiracy...Bechtel Bechtel Halliburton Cheney Oil OIL!!!

What a Weekend!

If you're a Brewer fan, and why the heck wouldn't you be, then this weekend was fantastic! I made it to all three games (I've only missed the two weekday day games) and they were each exciting in their own right.

I was incredibly impressed with the baseball IQ of those in attendance on Sunday. The cheers and boos were exactly when they should have been, and seemed to have some impact on manager Ned Yost's decision making process. Overbay gets his fifth hit and the fans explode, standing ovation, forcing a curtain call. It was really an electric moment. I actually got chills watching the fan reaction and imagining what the place will look like (hopefully next year) when the crew is playing for a division title and Miller Park is packed. I am convinced that Milwaukee is a wonderful baseball town and is just itching for a winner. It really appears that given something to cheer about, Milwaukee could sell out more often than not.

The second indicator of high fan IQ was in the ninth, with two outs and Davis beginning to labor. Yost had Adams and Santana (the new call-up) warmed up since the top of the eigth and after a walk Yost got up and started walking to the mound. The fans let him have it. Boos rained down from all in attendance, literally everyone knew how great a complete game would be, and allowing Davis to finish it out made sense. He was at about 120 pitches, not a ton for the durable lefty and the score was wildly out of hand. The meat of the order was past so letting Davis pitch to one or two more hitters had little downside. After a brief discussion during which the booing continued, Yost relented and allowed Davis to stick it out. He was rewarded with a ground out and a Doug Davis celebratory fist pump.

The whole afternoon was incredible. Everything went perfect, two guys with 5 hits, a few home runs, a JJ Hardy RBI and a Doug Davis complete game. Watching the team play confident and with a bit of a swagger was new and exciting and I hope it means good things to come when those hated Cubs bring their rude crude fan base up from the depths of that hole known as Chicago. I generally enjoy Chicago, but it seems the dregs of the city make their way up to Milwaukee. I can't wait to hear their whining and moaning about the increased ticket prices and the backed up traffic and the lack of Bud. Idiots one and all...

I-Jacked, who says lefties can't come up with a gem?

The Shift Memo Gets I-Jacked : Sploid

You'll have to scroll down about halfway but if you like screwing with your snobbish iPod friends (my Dell Jukebox was such a better deal) then you'll love this idea. It comes from the newly launched Sploid.com, leftists lame answer to Drudge (but they are in the Lifehacker, Gizmodo family so at least it looks nice and is run efficiently) which blares news stories in a tabloid like fashion with over the top headlines like "Trump v. Bush" in an attempt to garner leftist audiences.

Anyway, the idea is i-Jacked, basically putting strange and creepy files onto your friends iPod, but short blips that are cleverly named thus hard to find and delete:

iJacked: 1) The intentional planting of horrible stuff on an iPod belonging to a friend, co-worker or loved one. 2) To hijack some fool’s iPod...How does it work, you ask? Simple. These days, people often share songs with their pals, which is a terrible crime known as Piracy or Felony Child Endangerment. Find out what kind of music your victim enjoys. If it’s your wife, for example, you might casually ask, “Lady, do you enjoy music? If so, please list three musical acts that would interest you, especially if I said I just downloaded secret new bootleg music by these acts.”

Then you offer to put this secret music on her iPod.

And then you load a cornucopia of awful things onto said iPod.

What kind of awful things? I’d stay away from traditional “songs,” because they tend to be several minutes long — giving the victim time to skip the song and find out its title — and there’s always the chance your victim will actually enjoy whatever crap music you install. Instead, just put a bunch of Deeply Wrong short audio clips, things that flash by with great weirdness & violence, leaving your victim confused and agitated. Did I really just hear that?

Your primary goal is to load as many little mp3’s as possible, because those iPods can hold thousands of songs and you want to up the chances that your grim additions will pop up in Shuffle mode. Also, if you have the time you’ll want to rename all the files so they don’t stand out. Tuck these little files on the end of long albums, you know? “HogSlaughter.mp3” becomes the last song on The Clash’s “Sandinista,” etc.

I love this idea, especially for your runner friends. What could be better than having a friend running in the park and out of nowhere hear a car horn and screeching tires from their immediate right and then turn and nothing is there. Talk about freaking out!

The Hits Keep Coming

Packers News - Deputy had to pull Taser in order to arrest Green

It seems Ahman Green was rather belligerent when he got arrested, forcing the sheriff's deputy to pull Taser on him. The more details that emerge the worse Green looks (although it appears there was no actual physical violence):

“Ahman was very upset and yelling so loud that his spit was hitting me on the face,” Heather Green said in her written statement. “I began walking backward and Ahman just kept yelling in my face until he had me backed up against a wall...”

As deputies pressed the issue, Green became agitated and told deputies to leave his house, the report said. Green told deputies that he was a football player and he wanted to go to bed because he had practice in the morning.

When Green refused to answer any more questions, deputies told him he was under arrest for disorderly conduct as a domestic violence offense and ordered him to place his hands behind his back. Green repeatedly refused and tensed his arms as deputies grabbed hold of him. Only after Sgt. Tim Johnson unholstered his Taser did Green cooperate and allow deputies to handcuff him...

Heather Green told authorities that she was not injured in the altercation but fled the house in her pajamas because she feared for her safety. There was no property damage inside the home, according to sheriff’s reports, but Heather Green said she is fearful of the aftermath of the arrest.

“I am afraid of what Ahman may do to me now that he has been arrested and what he may to do my property I left at the house,” she said in her statement.

Fantastic Letter to the Editor

Regarding tuition increases at the most bloated public university system in the nation:

UW SYSTEM

Explore alternatives to increasing taxes

The letter by Michael Hawes really incensed me ("More tuition increases are not acceptable," April 22). I worked three jobs to put myself through school and was just happy to have the opportunity to be in school.

Maybe one alternative to raising my taxes so he can have a lower tuition would be to close one of the University of Wisconsin campuses and consolidate students and instructors. That would certainly help keep tuition low and foster competition among the students for those coveted few positions on campuses. If tuition goes up and Hawes really wants to continue his education, he'll find a way.

Bill Hadley
Franklin

The letter got me thinking, just how absurd is the situation, so I went and found a map:



http://www.wisconsin.edu/campuses/images/smap.gif

No, that isn't a joke, and no I didn't add UW-Marathon County or UW-Barron County, and I didn't even make up UW-Marshfield/Wood County. Can you honestly look at this map and tell me there is nowhere to make cuts? Is it too much to ask for the people at Waukesha to go to Milwaukee of Whitewater (20-40 minute drive) or the people attending Richland to make it to one of the THREE surrounding schools? Can Fox Valley and Fond du Lac not be absorbed into Oshkosh? I get Superior, I get River Falls, but STOUT? A four year school, nestled neatly between two other four year schools. Waste in the UW system? If you want to talk serious spending cuts, lets get rid of Parkside, Platteville, and Stout for starters. Next, absorb some of the seemingly hundreds of two year schools into four years and combine those close, like Sheboygan and Washington County.

If we tackle this problem we are talking serious, dramatic cuts in expenses to the UW system and in turn a possible cut in tuition expenses (or plasma TV's for every dorm room) . It boggles my mind why this is never looked at as a serious alternative to raising tuition/taxes.

Thursday Urinal Roundup

JS Online: News:

After an easy House victory, the latest push to curb abortions moves to the Senate where Republican gains increase the likelihood of making it harder for minors to cross state lines to end pregnancies without telling a parent.

To me this just seems like common sense. Shouldn't we make it more difficult for minors to have abortions without their LEGAL guardians consent? Isn't that what the whole "legal guardian" thing means, minors aren't old enough to make drastic life altering decision for themselves, hence a parent is there to help them? If it's okay to end a life without the "legal guardians" consent, then really what purpose do they serve? I would argue entering a contract (legal guardian consent required) as a minor is a lot less dramatic and life altering thant ending a life.

Advocacy Group Reports Less Air Pollution

The "worst environmental President in the history of America" has somehow managed to reduce "significantly" the number of counties in which unhealthy air was reported for the first time in six years. President Bush must really be angry, somehow his plans to scorch the earth are failing.

2 want more cuts in Milwaukee fleet

I just can't imagine there would be more waste, I am sure DPW has cut their fleet to the bone. Come on, who are they kidding? I kind of found this amusing:

At a news conference outside a DPW facility, the aldermen also criticized a sport-utility vehicle assigned to Acting Port Director Eric Reinelt that was photographed outside a home Reinelt owns in Waterford.

Reinelt told the Journal Sentinel he has not been reimbursing the city for personal miles, and is unaware of any policy requiring him to do so.

DPW officials said the SUV was bought by the Port of Milwaukee and is not part of the fleet they oversee. It is unclear what policy may be in effect at the port or any of the other departments where vehicles are not overseen by DPW.

So basically there was this SUV sitting around, so the guy took it and uh, nobody is sure who/what/why it happened. Does the city really buy so many SUV's that they can just misplace one and it ends up going to a glorified temp? (Okay maybe that's a touch harsh, but come on no one knows who screwed up the oversight?)

I am also a little perturbed at the fine reporter Greg Borowski for making it totally unclear as to the extent of the fleet cuts. He reports that " DPW officials submitted a list of 104 vehicles to be eliminated, along with 40 pieces of heavy equipment. Another 65 cars and other "light" vehicles will be reviewed for possible sale later...The DPW also cut the number of vehicles city workers take home from 75 to nine on a year-round basis, and 25 during snow-heavy winter months." However he doesn't say how big a percentage this is of the overall fleet or how many vehicles remain.

Boots and Sabers covers anything I want to say about Holloway

Great Day for Packer Fans

JS Online: Green arrested

Ahman Green arrested after his second "domestic incident." Apparently he is two for two after being involved in an incident with his first wife on their intended wedding night (they got married a few months later) he spent a few hours in jail on Monday night after a 911 hang-up from his residence near Green Bay

Walker to Hold Out

Budding superstar Javon Walker will become yet another of Drew Rosenhaus' clients to hold out. This is getting disgusting. Don't sign him, let him hold out. I hope the Eagles do the same to Owens and the Cardinals do the same to Arizona. Eventually players will understand that signing with Rosenhaus will end their careers, instead of allow them to break contract after contract after one good year.


Al Harris Focus of Inquiry

Additionally WTMJ reported this morning on the radio that CB Al Harris is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a stripper in a nightclub near Miami.

Great day all around for the Green and Gold...

Tuesday Quick Hits

Daron Sutton, the TV voice of the BrewCrew has his own blog, and it's pretty interesting, all two posts so far. The guy is incredibly personable (thanks for the beer) and tells great stories. The only thing better would be if Rock dropped a few comments once in awhile.

The Dog Ate Daron's Homework

My view of the draft is much like most people I have talked to. The first pick was fantastic, in that they had no other choice and didn't blow it. Other than that, passing on Dan Cody in round 2 and Antajj Hawthorne in the later rounds was a gigantic mistake. Instead they took an absurdly raw and surly cornerback, a 26 year old linebacker/end who doesn't fit the system, and reached on Collins whom they could have taken at 58 after selecting Cody 51st. It just didn't make any sense to me whatsoever. They blew it after the first round.

How is this guy not from Wisconsin?

I think we need to start a collection, if this doesn't get the Brewers back to .500 I don't know what will.

Jay Mariotti bursts the Kyle Orton bubble. Not hard to do. Orton played well until he choked against Bucky and never recovered his form after that, to the point where he got benched for God's sake! I only mention this because he has the greatest line of all columnists I read today:

But the Bears don't need just Anyone. They have Rex, Chad and Kyle.

A boy band.

This Urinal editorial has led me to "republish" here a letter to the editors I wrote a year and a half ago.

SMOKING BAN
It's not government's place to make decision

I find it incredibly interesting that the Journal Sentinel recently printed an editorial condemning the Patriot Act as an attempt by the government to take away some of our liberties, and at the same time it is championing the exact same thing in a Sept. 12 editorial ("Dinner without the smoke").

Banning smoking from restaurants is not the purview of the government. Individual owners of various places of business have the right to ban smoking, and indeed many have. To say that this should be a government mandate is more intrusive into the lives of everyday people than allowing the government to have access to library records.

This is foolish and heavy-handed nonsense that hurts restaurant and bar owners and will eventually get out of control. I don't smoke, and I dislike when people smoke around me, but for the government to step in and ban it is out of control.

Americans don't want to live in a nanny state. We have the ability to choose for ourselves whether we want to eat around smoke, and there are plenty of choices available to us now. We don't need government to tell us how to live our lives.

Finally, if Carlos Lee continues this power surge, and Turnbow can hang onto the closer role, AND Sheets doesn't miss more than one more start the Crew will come home looking like a much better ball club, and come May 13th, when they hit the road again WILL have a record above .500.

Cap Times brings it with another doozy

Editorial: Walker vs. caregivers

I especially like the first paragraph, in which the extreme left editors call Walker "the state's most ambitious career politician." I'm just curious, but what do they consider Russ Feingold? Isn't Feingold a career politician, and isn't he running, for all intents and purposes for President of the United States? That seems a tad more ambitious than Governor of Wisconsin. He is still a state politician, Feingold is supposed to be working for the people of Wisconsin and promoting our interest in Washington correct? I know that he hasn't done a damn thing for this state, but does that mean the leftists have given up even considering him a Wisconsin Senator?

The first paragraph continues like a Russ Feingold bio:

...trying everything he can think of to get out of his current job and into the
governor's mansion [oval office]. If there's a gimmick that will allow the state
to avoid dealing with real issues such as education, health care or job
creation, Walker is for it - no matter how useless or outlandish the proposal.

Outlandish and useless ventures for us Wisconsonites like going to Alabama to mend fences with those he offended, or creating ridiculous campaign finance "reforms" that hinder free speech and caused the creation of the obnoxious 527's. Yes, those were definitely worthwhile efforts by Mr. Feingold. The rest of the editorial reads exactly how you would expect it to read, quoting world renowned publications like the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram to prove it's point that HSA accounts are "bad." Very insightful.