Vegas, baby!

Not to bore you (I do that enough already) and not to rub it in (you still want me to try Peter Luger's?) but my go-round for bowling the USBC Open Championships (aka Nationals) is about a week away, and is it my fault that the tournament is in Las Vegas this year?  And Reno in each of the next two years?

Unfortunately for those travelling with me, I am a planner... once I get going, I can't stop.  I started researching airfare before Christmas.  I bet that I had most of our itinerary set before the Super Bowl.  And now with T-7 days, I am improving just about everything I touch.  (Side note; Come to think of it, I don't know what I will do on May 2 when I am home.)  Adding to the challenge of overplanning is the fact that (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Parents along with Jendy Wo, Revvy Al, my sister (whom I believe I've named, but I don't remember it and I don't feel like looking for it) and her friend the Slot Jockey are all coming along.

My-Sugar-Na's children's father lives in Central Iowa, so we are driving them there, then driving to Des Moines for the flight to Las Vegas.  The perfect flight for us leaves at 3:00 PM and gets to Las Vegas around 7:00 PM (conveniently about 5 minutes after my parent's flight arrives from Milwaukee).  But American Airlines had that particular flight about double the price of one that leaves (and arrives) 90 minutes later.  So I set up YAPTA.COM (short for "Your Amazing Personal Trave Assistant") to trigger an E-mail alert when that price dropped.  It worked to perfection, and for one day only, my fare was $228 RT for the flights that I wanted.  Cool beans.  Now that D-Day is approaching, I see that the 3:00 flight is already sold out.  Methinks (or maybe more appropriately Mehopes) they will be looking for volunteers to be bumped.  If the offer is right (a travel voucher to cover next year's trip to Reno and guaranteed seats on the next flight), I'd take that bump.  That's like a Vegas win before I ever get there!  Besides, the car is in my dad's name... he and my mom can sight see for a few minutes before going back to the airport to pick us up.

Now let's talk hotel.  I don't know how this happened, but a concensus was reached to stay at the Excalibur.  In February, we found a "early bird" deal, in which rooms were $36.  Then I called a casino host, and based on my play in Reno two years ago, we were offered a limo ride from the airport, and some buffet comps.  A couple of weeks ago, Jendy Wo found a new promotion, one that keeps the room rates about the same, but throws in a 2-for-1 ticket to the Tournament of Kings show for each room.  Considering that show was on our to-do list, we all jumped on it and adjusted our reservation accordingly.  Then last week, I get a letter from the Tropicana, which is right across the street from the Excalibur. (Long side note; On the way back from Reno two years ago, when I was changing planes in Las Vegas, I was bumped from my Frontier flight.  In addition to the voucher for free air travel, they booked me on a Midwest flight direct to Milwaukee that left six hours later.  One short cab ride later I was at the Tropicana - the closest low-roller casino to the airport - rollin' them bones.  I played craps and a little blackjack for four hours and went back to the airport for my flight.)  This letter from the Tropicana bemoans the fact that I haven't been there for awhile, and they are offering two nights at no charge.  Luckily for me, the available nights are while I am already in Vegas, so I contacted both hotels and made the arrangements.  So now for My-Sugar-Na and I to lodge for five days will cost about $120... total.  In other words, flight and hotel for five days is $288 each. 

Car rental was admittedly a little tough.  My parents and My-Sugar-Na and I are splitting the cost of a mini-van, and that is about $225 tax included.  We get E-mail all the time from Hotwire and Travelocity and the like with $15 a day deals in Vegas.  but somehow our dates were never included.  $225 is not bad, but usually car rentals don't match airfare.

Three of the eight of us are Vegas Virgins - my parents and Revvy Al.  So we tried to come up with an itinerary that would cover those of us who long for; Old Vegas (the Rat Pack Tribute Show at The Plaza and the Neon Museum), Themed Vegas (Tournament of Kings show at the Excalibur), Free Vegas (the Fremont St. Experience, the Bellagio Fountains, the Mirage Volcano, the Siren Show at TI), Not What You'd Think of Vegas (Atomic Testing Museum), Fad Vegas (various poker tournaments) and Dammit, This Looks Cool Vegas (the Vegas Mob tour and Haunted Vegas tour).  The average age of our group is about 45-50, so one thing that is NOT on our to-do list is to wait in line for 90 mintues at a club on a Tuesday evening to buy $400 bottles of wine.

And the food!  Restaurant.com was selling $25 gift certificates for only $4, so we snagged one for the Hash House a Go-Go (as seen on Rachel Ray's Vacation show) and one for Pampas Churrascaria (think Sabor, but Vegasier).  Throw in an unadvertiesed steak special at the Ellis Island Casino, the unadvertised steak and shrimp at the Hard Rock Casino's cafe and the Burger Bar at the Mandalay Bay, and I've got a vacation fit for a king.

Now, to find time for the actual bowling...

I am not going to Opening Day for the first time since 2004, been to 16 overall since 1985... Predictions are impossible this year.  Gallardo = 2008 Sheets, Parra = 2007 Gallardo.  The key is if there is the opportunity to get an ace before July... I had a 300 game at Riviera Lanes a few weeks ago, it was my 16th... Leaving for Vegas in two weeks to bowl the USBC Open Championships, aka Nationals... The bar has been set, and it won't be topped this year... Wisconsin bowlers tend to do well at Nationals... Not gonna eat my way through Las Vegas... Don't think I can eat steak for three meals a day for six days?  Try me... Copper prices are going up, is the recession almost over?  Oil is going up, so it just may be... Maybe not for the captain, but the first thing I thought of when I read this was "Cool"... Still looking for bloggers in West Allis to write about issues... But don't look at me, I've got more important things to write about... Metallica is in the middle of a month-long marathon on XM42, it goes through Monday... (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Offical Son, Mitten, was the starting pitcher for his Rufus King High School JV team on April 8th.  He and another pitcher combined to no-hit Bay View High School 17-4 (side note; 17-4 and a no-hitter?  Yeah, it was JV)... Mitten's fastball was clocked as Thursday... It can't be that hard is it to make sure your van is empty first... Or to put your baby in a crib... Or keep your beer truck on its tires... Way cool... So is this... And this... My-Sugar-Na thinks I have too many blog links... Blame Mark the Editor, he showed me how... My-Sugar-Na's new shoes give her blisters... Hey, bbear, quarter craps (but only 10x odds kinda stink)... The Milwaukee Wave managed a 10-10 record with a bunch of guys you've never heard of.  Next year should be much better if they can retain their stars... In one of the other indoor soccer leagues, the PASL-Pro, the Stockton Cougars won the championship, were sold, then fired their head coach... In the third indoor soccer league, the Baltimore Blast will face the Rockford Rampage in Baltimore this weekend for the NISL title... Happy Easter, y'alls!

The USBC (which at this time last year was based on Greendale) Masters (which was last contested in Milwaukee) field is down to four bowlers, who will bowl for the $60,000 prize on ESPN on Sunday at Noon CST.

The first match will feature Danny Wiseman, Champion of the 2004 Masters, held at Miller Park...

Bowling against Tommy Jones, who made the final round of the 2006 Masters, held at the State Fair Park Expo Center...

The winner of that match will go up against Steve Harman, who is making his second TV appearance. A few weeks ago, Harman and doubles partner Jen Petrick took second in the Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship...

The leading qualifier, making his first televised appearance is John Nolen from Michigan. Since I can't find any video on Mr. Nolen, enjoy this video which includes John Nolen Drive in Madison...

Local pro Chad Kloss has been eliminated from the USBC Masters, being contested in Las Vegas, NV.  In his first match (all matches are three games), he beat Bill O'Neill 669 - 643, before losing his second match to Mike DeVaney 690 - 609.  With the Masters being a double-elimination format, Kloss moved to the Loser's Bracket where he lost to Steve Jaros 636 - 630.  Kloss earned $2,000 for his finish.

Kenosha's Lennie Boresch was also eliminated on Thursday evening.  Boresch's exit was a little quicker as he lost both of his matches; first to Jason Sterner 634 - 621, then to Lonnie Waliczek 595 - 589.  Boresch earned $1,700.

For a wrap-up of the qualifying (the 15 games that preceeded match play), watch this.

32 bowlers remain alive and begin competition later this morning.  By the end of the day, the field will be pared down to the four finalists that will compete for the $60,000 first prize on Sunday on ESPN.

Although I don't think that there was much of anything that AMF Bowlero or the bowling leaders of the area could have done, I still feel gypped that one of bowling's most prestigious tournaments - the USBC Maters - was pulled from Milwaukee after four years.  For this reason, it seems a little hollow to be following the action as it happens in Las Vegas, while trying to convince myself it is as important as it had recently been to me.

Traditionally since the 1950s, the ABC Masters (the American Bowling Congress being the forerunner to the United States Bowling Congress) was held at the site of the ABC national tournament and held on the tournament lanes during the first week in May.  Beginning with the 1999-2000 tournament season, the ABC Masters was aligned with the Professional Bowlers Association and moved to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, NV and bowled in January.  After three years in Reno, it was moved to Milwaukee for four years and was contested in October (which was convenient for the PBA as the midwest tournaments are primarily conducted in the fall).  With the announcement last year that the Masters was leaving Milwaukee, it was also announced that it would again be tied to the USBC national tourament.  Although a blow for Milwaukee, a gain for tradition.  (Side note; the cynic in me says that this arrangement will last only three years as the 2010 and 2011 national tournaments are both in Reno, and the PBA's west coast swing is always in January and February.  Therefore, it is reasonable to assume the event has been moved to the tournament lanes more for convenience than tradition.  We will see where and when the tournament is held in 2012 when the USBC national tournament is in Baton Rouge, LA).

Last year when I gave the round-by-round updates, it was exciting to chart the course of the local bowlers (of which there were many).  Obviously with the tournament 1500 miles away, there are less Milwaukee-area bowlers.  So as I try to determine a way to make this post relevant, please bear with me. 

This year, there were 451 bowlers (which is down from the 485 bowlers that competed last year in Milwaukee).  After 10 games, the top 114 bowlers made the cut - which was a 207.1 average.  Those 114 bowlers will bowl an additional five games today, and the top 63 (plus last year's champion, Sean Rash) will begin the match play portion.  Notable names in the top 114 include...

• 3rd place is Mike Scroggins with a 229.2 average.  Scorggins was the 2005 Masters champion, held at the US Cellular Arena.
• 9th place is Steve Jaros with a 225.5 average.  Jaros was in the 2007 finals at Miller Park, and was the feature of his own story on my blog last November.
• 11th place is Wendy McPherson with a 224.5 average.  McPherson is the highest female qualifyer.
• 17th place is Doug Kent with a 222.2 average.  Kent was the 2006 Masters champion, held at the State Fair Expo Center.
• 23rd place is Chad Kloss with a 220.5 average.  Kloss is an exempt pro from Greenfield, WI.
• 32nd place is George Lambert IV with a 219.0 average.  Lambert was in the 2006 finals at the Expo Center.
• 33rd place is Patrick Allen with a 218.9 average.  Allen was in the 2004 and 2007 finals, both held at Miller Park.
• 37th place is Danny Wiseman with a 217.9 average.  Wiseman was the 2004 Masters Champion at Miller Park.
• 55th place is Norm Duke with a 214.8 average.  Duke was in the 2005 finals at the US Cellular Arena.
• 37th place is Tommy Jomes with a 213.3 average.  Jones was also in the 2005 finals at the US Cellular Arena.
• 84th place is Lennie Boresch with a 211.2 average.  Boresch is from Kenosha, WI.
• 86th place is Walter Ray Williams with a 210.8 average.  Williams was in the 2007 finals at Miller Park.

So of the top 114, 10% are either from Wisconsin or performed in an arena finals.  Live webcams can be seen here, highlights here, and updated round information can be found here.

(Subtitled:  How to begin the first Lightning Round in 2009)

Apparently there is a belief that America hasn't been cool since Slick Willie was getting serviced by Monica... So inaugurations are either cool or not... I think the Obama presidency will be a political and economic nightmare, but a milestone like a black man becoming president isn't a horrible thing... So who really thought the Cards would take out Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia?  Not many, as they were dogs for all three games (two of those games at home)... Pittsburgh is good - not great -, but Arizona is not gooder so look for the Steelers to win The Big Game (because I can still call it that!)... What the hell's the matter with Anquan Boldin?  Can't you be happy about going to The Big Game?  Hell, Asante Samuel was excited about losing the NFC Championship... Being busy at work in inversely proportional to the amount of blogging that I do... Did everybody watch the season premiere of Flight of the Conchords yesterday?  No?  Did you at least watch the season premiere of Big Love?  Thank goodness for DVRs because I actually watched the four-hour football game last night... Tommasino Italia now serves lunch during the week, including the best chili this side of 17th & Wells... Speaking of chili... The Milwaukee Wave game this weekend will feature a tribute to the past, honoring their 25th season.  After the game will be an alumni game... Ask me a Wave trivia question, I bet I know it.  I also bet that no more than 10 non-employees have seen as many home games in 25 years as I have... I hate when websites get too cute.  I tried to link from the Wave's homepage, but it is all Java-y and wouldn't let me... First one to stump me on a Wave trivia question (and you'd better be dang sure of the answer) wins a MyCommunityNOW.com pad of post-it notes and a pen... I haven't mentioned bowling yet... Planning a trip to Las Vegas in April for the USBC national tournament.  I found rooms at the Sahara for $28/night, but flights (at convenient times) are still hovering in the $250 range...  There, the obligatory mention of bowling.

1)  When you are driving on the freeway in the snow and the rest of the traffic is going 45 MPH, then YOU should go 45 MPH or else get off the freeway.  If you are afraid to maintain freeway speeds in the snow, park the car in the garage and take the bus.  Along those lines, JS Online had a poll question that asked what annoys people most after a snowfall, fast drivers or slow drivers.  It was a dumb question, it should have asked "which drivers are more dangerous in the snow, fast drivers or slow drivers?"  Slow drivers are far more dangerous because everyone is trying to go around them causing cars to slide while switching lanes, and causing the pokey drivers to panic and drive even slower.  I was behind a car with an easy to memorize vanity plate.  I won't call out her car here, but if I ever get stuck behind her and find that she is soley causing a traffic disaster on I-894 southbound between the Zoo and the Hale again, I will identify her.

2)  Companies (and the one I work for is one of them) have this nice touchy-feeley line in the employee manual that says that it is important to strike a balance between work and family, and that we give you X-number of vacation days (based on tenure).  Then around Thanksgiving, they send the ominous "Use 'em or lose 'em" memo.  If they were so concerned about my balance, they wouldn't have had a problem with me carrying three days into next year... but I digress.  I had three vacation days to burn in December and took the three Mondays off.  Other than shovel snow and make dinner, I did nothing constructive on those days.  Great for balence, eh?

3)  Fantasy Football stinks.  And not just because I finished 7-7 (for the third year in a row) and missed the playoffs and prize money.  Bill Simmons said it the best (read the Chicago Bears comments), but to summarize, it is basically a $120 lottery.  In August you lose yourself in football websites at the expense of family to "prepare" for the draft, in September you dump the $120 entry fee (and if you are truly a sucker like me, you pay $26 for a website that does the week-to-week homework for you).  You spend countless hours caring about an otherwise meaningless Bengals/Browns game because your 3rd best running back is playing (because your best running back got injured the prior week and may not play, but by the time you choose that Browns RB, your first RB is not only healty but scores three TDs).  Despite Chef Tomas' help, my season basically ended 7 minutes into the first game on the first Sunday as my QB Tom Brady got injured.  I picked #3 in the draft and took Brady, and he got me 3 points for the entire season.  By the way, next year's draft is the first Wednesday in September at Riviera Lanes.  If you are interested....

4)  Back to the snow (because, well, it snows every third day, so it should be part of every third rant); My driveway is very long and in back fans out to a three-car garage.  In minor snowfalls, it isn't a big deal to shovel/snowblow.  But in major storms or when the snow is wet and heavy, our snowblower gets cranky (and I get crankier because that driveway seems to get longer).  I had a bright idea to call a couple of plowing services, but I couldn't believe what they quoted.  What happened to guys with plowing attachments on their pick-up trucks doing driveways for $20?

5)  The Christmas music on XM has disappointed me this year.  Last year, the "Holiday Traditions" station (XM channel 36) played the more traditional music and had quite a few instrumentals.  This year, it seems like there is far less variety, and apparently the after the merger with Sirius, the definition of "Tradition" has changed.  They didn't go a far as programming the warbling Kelly Clarkson or Celine Dionne, but I personally banned the station after hearing three times at work yesterday (in my best Casey Kasem voice) The new Number One Hated Christmas Song, The Carpenter's "Merry Christmas Darling".  This morning, I dug out my three Mannheim Steamroller CDs, The Brian Setzer Orchestra's "Boogie-Woogie Christmas" and Harry Connick's "Harry for the Holidays" and took them to work.  All I am missing is my Neil Diamond Christmas cassette tape.

6)  I will be going to Chicago (well, Hoffman Estates) to watch the Milwaukee Wave play the Chicago Storm this Saturday.  I will also watch the rematch from the US Cellular Arena on New Year's Eve.  I plan on comparing the venues, presentation, talent, etc., and talk about the new XSL.  If I get around to it, I will also comment on the rival NISL.

7)  I have a theory on how TV weather forecasters predict snowfall amounts.  First, be the first to predict any snow.  Then let your competitors quote an expected amount (say, 2" - 4").  Then another competitor tops it (3" - 6").  By this time, the storm has gotten closer and the original predictor not only tops it (5" - 10"), but also pin points it to neighborhoods.  The bottom line is that the fish will go to the TV station with the most ominous forecast, so the forecasters need to have the biggest hook.  As long as I am beating up on TV weatherdorks, didja ever notice that when TV stations interrupt their programming for an update from the weather office, the guy has his tie loosened, his top button undone, the coat off and the sleeves rolled up.  20 minutes later when the local news starts, he is fully dressed.  MARKETING, PEOPLE.  That rolled-up-sleeve look is to make you think he is working hard... and everybody falls for it.  They aren't making the weather, they are looking at the radar and reading the National Weather Service alerts.  I am not saying that the weather guys aren't trained and are or aren't worth their money.  I am saying that during rough weather, they are not working so hard that they have to get practically undressed.  They do it so you think they are working that hard.

8)  Which public agency will be the first to cancel an activity or meeting tonight because it is supposed to snow starting between 9:00 and midnight?  Never mind.  I just checked and the Greendale Park and Rec department cancelled an activity for tonight.  It isn't even supposed to START snowing until bedtime!  Arrggghhh!  

9)  Las Vegas got their largest December snowfall in history (4+ inches in some spots) yesterday in the storm that is headed our way.  I can't wait to call a former supplier in Las Vegas and complain to him about sending his weather to us!

10)  Wrap up... My-Sugar-Na said she wanted to guest blog, still waiting... Mitten told me this morning as I was driving him to his school bus stop that it looked like people were already driving slower because snow was expected later today.  And when I looked around, he was right... Gasoline, steel and copper prices are crashing, why am I not seeing price decreases from my suppliers?...  My elbow is feeling much better and my bowling scores are showing it.  I am looking forward to tournament season starting in January... Nice... Not that I am promoting this, but just passing along that the Lingerie Football League has placed a team in Chicago for the 2009 season... Our company is catering lunch tomorrow.  Should be lots of leftovers as I can't imagine good attendance tomorrow... Don't say Happy Holidays.  At least man-up and say which holiday that you want to be happy.  Merry Christmas, Solemn Ramadan, Kwazy Kwanzaa, whatever.  But this is still a country founded by Christians, don't be afraid to say Merry Christmas; you'll be right far more often then you'd be wrong...  If you enjoy my blog, don't be afraid to tell him that I deserve a Christmas Bonus.

What a silly question.  Of course I saw Mamma Mia! this past weekend and not Batman.  Are you daft for thinking otherwise?

Everybody is Ohhh'ing and Ahhh'ing Batman's record setting weekend, and based on the critics opinions, there is a reason for it.  Meanwhile, Mamma Mia! was a distant, distant second this weekend (with about 1/7 of the attendance) and the critics were far more iffy about this movie.

I learned a long time ago that I am not a science fiction fan.  I loved Batman growing up... the Adam West version.  In the mid-80s I bought the paperback book companion to the show.  I saw Michael Keaton's Batman in 1989 and fell asleep in the theater.  In the 20 years since, I haven't seen another Batman movie, as each one has gotten darker (both in plot and screen visuals).  I have also long since tired of big explosions / special effects / camera tricks / have you seen The Matrix? / CGI video games, etc.  When the climax of a movie is 50% animation, it's like a dead ball... it stops everything.  My mind (and sometimes my mouth) says "Come on, now"... then I lose focus on what I am watching

An example?  In Indiana Jones and Company Travel to South America to Send an Alien Skull Back to Planet Rencar, there is a jeep chase through a jungle, around trees and over bumpy terrain in which both jeeps travel side - by - side for about 213 miles with characters standing on the hood and seats to battle.  That scene, which clocked in at about 43 minutes, shut me off for the rest of the movie. 

It is one thing to suspend belief and get lost in a movie.  It is another altogether to disobey the laws of physics and computer animation for the sake of making a movie important enough to tie into a Burger King sandwich.

The former brings me back to Mamma Mia.  I saw the show in Las Vegas in 2005, and my parents had seen it in May on Broadway (hours before I started diving into my 3/4# rueben sandwich), so My-Sugar-Na and I went with them to see the show at the Palladium at the Majestic Theater.  You have to suspend belief when - to the tune of "Dancing Queen" - Christine Baranski is singing into a stick of deodorant.  You can get lost in a movie when Pierce Brosnan throws out a vocal chord trying (in vain) to get through "SOS".  Mamma Mia! is fun.  And for $50 (tickets and dinner), I sure want to have fun... not to ponder that potential grey area between good and evil.

Besides, look at the supporting players... You have the super-hot Amanda Seyfried in a bathing suit doing a cat walk across the beach versus a character with bad make-up played by a guy that wasn't smart enough to stay alive until the movie premier.

And you're surprised I chose Mamma Mia over Batman?

For the past four seasons, the USBC Masters qualifying has been held at AMF Bowlero in Wauwatosa (with the finals held twice at Miller Park, and once each at the US Cellular Arena and the State Fair Expo Center).  In January it was announced that the Masters was leaving Milwaukee, and would instead be held in Las Vegas.  Although it was a blow to lose the Masters tournament, at least the Masters was going to become part of the USBC national tournament is that will be held in Las Vegas in 2009.  Unknown is whether the Masters will stay in Las Vegas, or if it will continue to follow the USBC nationals (which are in Reno in 2010, Orlando in 2011, Baton Rouge in 2012, Reno in 2013 and Orlando in 2014).

Shortly after it became clear that AMF Bowlero was losing the Masters, I spoke with the general manager of Bowlero, Roy Brent, who stated that the PBA was looking for a way to give Milwaukee a regular stop on the 2008-09 tour.  Unfortunatly, that didn't happen, as the released schedule does not include a stop in Milwaukee.

Without breaking down the tour stops in great detail, it is clear that cost savings were on the minds of tour management, as three cities (Taylor - in suburban Detriot, Reno and Las Vegas each get TWO tournaments).  Make that four cities, if you include northwestern suburb of Vernon Hills and the southeastern suburb of Hammond, IN as part of Chicago.

More proof that Milwaukee is no longer any sort of bowling capital.  At least Dallas/Arlington didn't get a tournament this year, either.

In my third-ever post back in March 2007 (a brilliant post, by the way) I detailed how the NFL is vigorously defending its marks, and mentioned that the NFL had previously sent letters to Las Vegas casinos stating that the Super Bowl cannot be shown in “public on screens that, according to federal law, are larger than those 'commonly used in private homes'."

Over the past couple of years, My-Sugar-Na and I have become fond of watching Packer games (and a couple of Brewers games, too) from the Northern Lights Theater at Potowatomi.  That appears to be coming to an end with the NFL sending "cease and desist" letters to Potowatomi, the Rosebud Cinema and the Majestic Theater (of course, I am sure this didn't help).  To his credit, Don Walker (the MJS Sports Business writer) did a way better job of detailing this than I could have.  I have tried to find time for days to blog about it, but life is really got me chasing my tail. 

Walker does mention that the Fox Bay Cinema Grill once got one of these letters, challenged the league, and hasn't heard a word since.  They will be showing the game, and I will be down there this weekend, and I hope that Steve "The Homer" True can be there and to find a way to bring the cache of prizes that they normally had at Potowatomi.

But I have good news.  A major point of my blog entry from last March was that the NFL was trying to trademark the words "The Big Game" (used by many advertisers as a euphamism for the Super Bowl, which is trademarked).  As of June 25, 2007, the NFL had abandoned its trademark request.  So go ahead Bartz Display, Best Buy and Karl's Rental... advertise The Big Game on February 3rd all you want to.  Just don't show the game on a big screen in a tent.

1.  My-Sugar-Na and I stopped by Tommasino Italia' for dinner last night.  The restaurant on 74th & Greenfield (formerly the beloved Doyle's Milwaukee Inn) is owned by Thomas Doyle.  During dinner (fantastic pizza, by the way, with fresh giardinara and parmesan on the side), I spoke with Mr. Doyle.  He stated two very interesting and believable things. 

First, he is amazed that more of his business wasn't from West Allis residents.  Both the Milwaukee Inn and Tommasino Italia' were/are by no means George Webb-priced, but they aren't Eddie Martinis-priced, either.  My large, three topping pizza was about $16, and the restaurant featured checkered tablecloths, linen napkins and good silverware.  Some of the entrees were in the $15ish range, but that certainly compares favorably with other sit-down restaurants.  He said that business has improved since he changed the offerings to Italian, but there is certainly room for more.

The second thing he said was disappointing.  He said that the chain restaurants opening near Mayfair and Brookfield Square are killing the independant restauranteur.  The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's Little Italy and Bravo Cucina Italiana - though their employees are locals - take all the profits to their corporate ladder.  Sure, many of their offerings are good, but as Mr. Doyle said, if you ask for a Hollandaise sauce, Maggiano's will open a plastic bag that they received from their supplier.  Mr. Doyle would make his own for you.  All this, and a 60 minute wait for a table at Maggiano's, too. 

I have always, always preferred independant restaurants over chains (that's part of why the Devil Reincarnate has been replaced by My-Sugar-Na).  When I go out of town, I try shun chains (Do I really want to go to Applebee's in Durham, NC?).  I think West Allis residents - in order to keep local businesses healthy - owe it to themselves to make a point to go to independant restaurants... whether it is Tommasino Italia', Painted Parrot, or The Little Cafe.

2.  That nutjob, Mike McGee, Jr., made it on the local “bleeding heart or scare people needlessly entertainment program” (aka the news) from jail the other night.  Why, exactly did channel 4 do this?  McGee didn't say anything other than the garbage he usually does ("I'm a political prisoner", "I will be acquitted", etc).  McGee terrorized his district - and as far as he is concerned - "white" Milwaukee for years to the point where is ego is larger than Terrell Owens.  So channel 4 seeks him out to let him prattle on some more?  He has been held in jail since Memorial Day (that is seven months now) with no end in site, as he awaits both State and Federal trials.  He's done.  Toast (burned toast at that).  Let's leave him be.  We will all be better for it.

3.  Professional Bowlers Association exempt player Chad Kloss, from Greenfield, is back in town after completing the first half of the PBA schedule.  Because of an elbow injury, I am done bowling for the season and Chad bowled as my sub yesterday.  Not only did he shoot 792 for three games (and nobody else on our lanes had more than 650), he also made a bet with teammate one of my good friends - I'll call him Brad.  I don't remember the exact details, something about if Chad makes the Round of 8 in any event in the second half, Brad will shave his head, and if Chad qualifies for TV, he will shave his head.  I could be wrong on the specifics, but it is definatley worth keeping tabs on from early-January till the end of March.

4.  The Federal 2008 omnibus spending bill has been released, and Republicans are calling on George Bush to keep his committment from the 2007 State of the Union address to reduce both the number of Pork Barrel projects and overall pork spending.  I took a look at some of the pork projects (thanks to some prodding from My-Sugar-Na), and I can't believe one particular item that I saw.  Las Vegas is planning to open a Mob History museum in a shuttered post office in downtown.  Well, $200K in federal pork is earmarked for "a post office museum in downtown Las Vegas".  Now, that doesn't mean that they are connected, but they appear to be.  In a city in which billionaires are spending as much as $5,000,000,000 (that's five billion bucks, folks) to build a resort to outclass the guy next door (whose resort is only $4.8 billion), why in the world is my federal tax money going to finance yet another Las Vegas attraction?  A Las Vegas Mob History museum would really satisfy two of my loves, but my discretionary money should pay for it, not my tax money.

5.  To keep the karmic alignment proper, since I praised one West Allis business, I need to talk down one of them.  My-Sugar-Na is starting a new job in late-January (let's keep this to ourself, as her current employer doesn't know yet).  Panicking, she is now trying to find occasional doggie day care for Vier Pogo Squad 51.  I've learned not to argue this with her, and the pastures at the new place are, um, greener, so today she visited one potential place.  Playtime Doggy Daycare on Hwy 100 near I-94 told my wife that pomeranians aren't good at day care, but "we'll give it a shot".  My-Sugar-Na is horrified that her dog has been profiled by The Man (maybe she should talk to Mike McGee, Jr?).  Playtime also wouldn't show her the crating area, where they park the dogs during rest time.  Needless to say, Playtime Doggy Daycare is off of her list and she will continue looking.

6.  Work has been quite slow the past couple weeks for a variety of reasons, allowing me plenty of time for mindless internet searching.  I have seen a couple other blogger's lists of horrible Christmas songs, so I decided to make my own short list.

A.  My Favorite Things, What a Wonderful World, Let There be Peace on Earth, and Same Old Lang Syne.  These are not Christmas songs... they aren't even winter songs (like Jingle Bells and Sleigh Ride).  These songs don't belong during the Christmas season, and I believe that they only exist because they have too many hours to fill when radio stations go to "all-Christmas" formats.

B.  Any "new" Christmas song, because they attempt to be commerially saleable.  If a writer wants to pen a new Christmas song, how about something fun, like Rudolph's new girlfriend, or a strike at Santa's workshop, or something else fun.  But listening to some pop star warbling about how she misses her boyfriend at Christmas time... nah.

C.  Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer is about 20 years past its expiration date.  Kind of a dark song for Christmas, no?

D.  Any song where the singer (usually female [sorry, but true]) whose entire goal is to cover as many octaves as possible to show off (a la Joy Bach) and thereby ruining the song.

E.  Some song (don't know the name) about "Mary did you know / that your baby boy" somthing or other.  Pure schmaltz... Jerry Taff-esqe schmaltz (As Lisa Simpson said "They want cheap sentiment? I'll pump 'em so full of sap they'll be blowing their nose with a pancake".)  That song is extra bad when sung by Mr. Schmaltz, Kenny Rogers.  I need to take a shower.

F.  Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt or Madonna (or anyone else).  Christmas songs should be religious or Santa-ish.  Songs sung from the standpoint of a horny golddigger just don't cut it.  Eartha Kitt was fine purring as Catwoman on Batman, not so fine purring for this song.

You know, maybe this post was long enough to justify multiple entries.  But the damage is done.  If I don't post again this weekend, have a blessed Christmas.  Don't do something stupid like celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by drinking yourself into oblivion and shooting your neighbor because he bought his wife a new SUV for Christmas and your car broke down.

Maybe a check into some of the lists (lower right of this page, but conveniently linked in this post) would give us an idea...

Al's Ramblings - This is my favorite Brewers info blog.  The updates are quick and an easy read, and usually the links contained within do the talking.  I like this blog even though I am in complete disagreement about the Brewers rise and fall of last season (Al says that the 24-10 start, or the slide in August are small cross-sections of a season, and the final record is almost always what it deserves to be.  I say that the 24-10 start shows how good the team can be, and the slide in August was a red flag that needed immediate attention.)

Professional Bowlers Association (specifically, the Message Boards) - These can be a lot of fun, like the discussion about the olden days, they can be serious, like discussion of the PBA Experience leagues, or (like 90% of the discussions), they can be a mystifying arguement where everybody will argue and contradict each other.  These are the most entertaining.

Pro Football Weekly - Simply, in my opinion, the best source of football news.  Not much hype, very few puff pieces, just football talk.  Quite a departure from ESPN.com, where they get off on being silly (Side note, great thing ESPN does, though, by publishing an ombudsman.  Too bad they don't pay attention to her.)

Wizard of Odds - Some people think I talk about gambling too much.  But I do it for two reasons; (A) I enjoy it, and (B) so do billions of other people.  Why are casinos going up and expanding faster than anything else?  With that said, if I am going to gamble my precious money, I want to go into a casino armed with as much information as possible.  The Wizard of Odds has more info on any game than any one can hope to digest (you've got to try to read the optimum Final Jeopardy strategy), but spend a couple of hours surfing this site and you are bound to find something to give you an edge the next time you go out to gamble.

Las Vegas Casino Death Watch - Just that... fans of "Old Vegas" won't be able to get enough of this.  Do a complete read.

Cheapo Vegas (and the related Cheapo Reno) - Even if you have only been to Las Vegas or Reno once or twice, it is fun reading these reviews of hotels, casinos and restaurants.

Big Soccer (specifically MISL and Indoor Forum) - For better or worse, the Milwaukee Wave and the MISL are hurting for media attention, and the best way to read up on the teams, players and the league are through the keyboards of othe fans.

Our Sports Central (specifically the Soccer portion) - Our Sports Central focuses on minor league sports, and links easily to the leagues and their websites, as well as linking to any and all related newspaper articles.  This comes in handy when the Wave plays a game out of town.  We might get a few sentences in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but this site handily links me to the opposing team's more complete game article.

Czabe.com - Steve Czaban has a morning show on Fox Sports Radio, does a 30-minute sports segment on the Bob and Brian show on 102.9 "The Hog", writes a weekly column on OnMilwaukee.com and has a daily sports blog which is a nice five-minute way to start each morning.

UniWatch - C'mon, what do you expect?  The subtitle for this site is "The obsessive study of athletics aesthetics".  For a small fee, you can join the club as someone who "Get's It".  I "Get It".

The Amazing Race Sucks - Actually, I quite enjoy the show.  So much so, that there are three sets of required reading each week.  First is the interview with that week's Philiminated contestants.  Then during the week, a "regular" contributor posts a comical (often hilarious) review of the previous show.  Then before the next show, a very thoughtful discussion of the racer's edits... and trying to gleen clues as to who might be elminated next.

The Baby Name Wizard - Great fun to type in name after name after name after name after name to see the rise in fall in poularity (try William, Mortimer, Dakota and Conner.)

The Transport Company - Why-oh-why am I fascinated with busses?  Trust me, I ain't a green freak.  I believe it was because my parents would send me on bus trips around town to get rid of me (and I had to walk to the bus stop, barefoot, uphill - both ways).  That got me used to them to the point where, if possible, I would take the bus to the next door neighbor's house to borrow a cup of sugar.  But really, who can resist looking at photos of busses over the last 40 years?  It is like a window to the past.  Quick, without cheating... where was this picture taken?  This one is a gold mine.  I am getting giddy just looking at the photos!

Game Show Convention Center - Game show news!  Granted, a recent site revamp made it more clumsy than it used to be, where where else can you learn that 1 vs. 100 is coming back soon, or that Regis Philbin has been signed on to host Million Dollar Password?

Industrious clock - More accurate than your watch, I assure you.

Adomiable Penguin Fungo - How far can you hit the penguin?  Keep trying.  My record is about 325.

Roadside Peek - This is along the lines as reading about old Vegas or old busses.  When I first found this site, I spent hours looking at old road signs of bowling alleys, motels, restaurants, gas stations, etc.

Keep checking the side links, as I add more as I find them.

As much as I would hate to turn away readers, if you don't know much about craps, this entry might be hard to understand.  But please, try to follow along.

For years, I've wanted to learn how to play craps at a casino.  Pre-Potowatomi, one of my best friends, I'll call him Pete, would drive to the Chicago riverboats every week for a game.  Pete was pretty cool about it, too.  He would crow about his wins, but he would also tell about his sometimes huge losses.  When I asked him how to play, he would always say that he would show me "the next time we were at a casino".  Invariably, the next time we would be in a casino together, he would start throwing $5 cheques all over the place and I couldn't keep up with him.  I would try to interrupt with a "why did you do that?", but before he could answer, the dice were rolled and he was either collecting or making another bet that I didn't understand.

For our honeymoon in 2005, My-Sugar-Na and I went to Las Vegas and stayed at the Sahara.  One of their perks for joining their player's club was $50 in free table game play.  I found a completely empty craps table (like, at 8:00 in the morning) and asked the croupier to explain the game.  I played for awhile, got a basic idea of the comeout roll and rolling until the point was made or a seven was thrown, but since I was alone, we never got into the prop bets (the hardways, the "Any Seven", etc).  Nor was the "Field", the "Don't Pass" or laying odds discussed.

For reasons I cannot explain, one nondescript day in March of this year I decided to search the internet for a free on-line game (and for rules), so I could learn how to play.  My searching led me to the Wizard of Odds page for craps strategy, and that site had a link to Bodog Online Casino which had a free version of the game for practice.  While playing, something clicked.  I felt comfortable enough to find a slow time to go down to Potowatomi and give it a whirl.  I figured if I could figure out the Pass Line (with free odds), the Come (with free odds) and how to place a 6 and 8, I could play at the table and pick up rest on the fly.

On the next Sunday morning, My-Sugar-Na and I made the trek to Potowatomi.  Needless to say, I was very nervous and a lot intimidated.  There were only 8-10 people on the table, but one guy had a long row of black ($100) cheques in front of him, and about a grand in play on each roll.  I meekly put a $5 cheque on the Pass Line, and craps was rolled.  On my first ever craps bet, I lost.  The next couple of rolls, once a point was established, a seven was rolled before the point, and I lost my money.  Making only the very basic bets at the table minimum, I was out $40 in about 5 minutes.

I walked away and found My-Sugar-Na, and she said that if I had more money and wanted to keep trying, I could.  I went back to the table, and got on a little roll.  In about an hour, I had made back my previous loss (as well as her losses) and we left about $30 ahead.  That got us breakfast at Miss Katie's Diner.

All that little escapade did was pique my interest.  I practiced more on Bodog and others, and made a few more trips to the casino.  In May, I lived at the craps table in both Las Vegas and Reno, and I make (probably too many) visits to Potowatomi each month.  I have made some pretty large wins, and only twice that I can remember did I exceed my bankroll (then kicked myself pretty hard on the drive home).

Since each roll of the dice is an independant event (in other words, dice have no memory.  There is the exact same likelyhood that a seven will be rolled ten consecutive times as there is that a seven will not be rolled ten consecutive times) hot streaks and cold streaks are a matter of luck and timing.  There is no system in craps, just money management.

My money management is that I play the table minimum on the Pass line, and then back up the bet with 3x/4x/5x free odds (regardless of the table limit).  If I am in a bad streak or if my bankroll is declining, I will change to 2x/2.5x/3x odds.  With a house edge of 1.41%, the Pass line bet is one of the very best bets in a casino.  The best bet in a casino are the free odds bet, as they carry 0% house edge.  Once a point is established, I place a Come bet (with the same free odds technique once that point is established) and if one of my points is not a 6 or 8, I will place a bet there at a 1.5% house advantage.  This strategy of playing the odds that least favor the casino is just fine by me. 

I usually do make one high house edge bet, as on a comeout roll I will make a "Any Craps" at an 11% house edge.  Lemme explain...  On a comeout roll, if a 7 or 11 is rolled, there is an immediate pay off.  However, if a 2, 3 or 12 (called "Craps") is rolled, it is an immediate loss.  The "Any Craps" bet is an insurance policy.  In other words, if I bet $5 on the Pass line and $1 on "Any Craps", if a 7 or 11 is rolled, I win the $5 but lose the $1 (a net win of $4).  But with those same bets, if a 12 is rolled, I lose the $5 on the Pass line but win $7 for the "Any Craps" (a net win of $2).  With this, I only actually lose money when I have bets out there when a point is established and a seven is rolled.

When money is really tight, I will play the table backwards by playing the Don't Pass/Bar and the Don't Come.  The difference is that when playing the "Don'ts", you WANT a seven before the point.  In other words, you will win when everybody else is losing.  This can backfire, as if you are playing backwards, if the table gets really hot and you are sticking to the "Don'ts" the other players WILL harass you as they rake in the money while yours gets taken away.

So to the other craps players, what is your favorite strategy?

It's very simple.  Take the modern helmet from the players and give them a leather helmet to protect from hair pulling and cuts.

What are some of the recent head injuries in pro football?  How about the Miami Dolphins QB Trent Green's recent concussion... Do you think that there was any way on God's Green Earth that Green would have attempted that block if he was wearing a leather helmet?  What about Buffalo Bills lineman Kevin Everett's spinal injury?  Would he have attemted to tackle the ball carrier by leading with his helmet if his head weren't protected?

Simply put, the NFL allows players to wear missles on their heads, and then appears to be surprised when the long range effect of concussions and head injuries were attributed to the deaths of former NFL players.  Leather helmets = safer players.

Of course, if you follow the money, there is no way the NFL can let that happen.  The sport thrives because of the speed and violent nature.  Take away the helmets, and players move a lot slower, they don't hit as hard, and the overall gameplay would suffer.  Gameplay suffers, and you don't have a 30-year waiting list for Packers season tickets, or men forking over $229 for the NFL Sunday Ticket packages on DirecTV, and so on, and so on.

Follow the money some more, and one of the biggest reasons that pro football is so popluar is because it is so condusive to gambling.  Sure, you have the obvious ways to bet (either legally in a Nevada casino, or illegally with an offshore account or with a bookie) by using point spreads, over/under totals and money lines.  Also, just about everybody is in an office pool... also illegal.  Fantasy leagues?  That $100 entry fee you pay, which results in prizes determined by the skill of professional athletes (and is not taxed) isn't legal either.  But betting, pools and fantasy leagues sure are fun.

Despite Norman Chad's point of view on Fantasy Football - and also now espoused by (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Father - if you are a fantasy footbal team owner (Side note, I am 4-2, and I've had over 100 points in three of my four wins), or if you do bet on games (I was locked in on Kansas City beating Cincinnati all week, and getting 3-1/2 points was a bonus), or if you have a square in the office pool (6 for the Packers and 8 for Washington won me squat), or even if you are in a 33 pot (I had a BYE this week?  How can my team score 33 points of I didn't have a team?) - don't tell me that watching an otherwise meaningless Titans at Bucaneers game trumps watching the Packers barely hold onto their lead.  Using that particular game as an example, why would anybody outside of Tampa and Nashville watch that game unless there was a little coin action going?  How many fans in, say, Death Valley watched the Rams at Ravens game on their Sunday Ticket package?  Answer... those with some sort of illegal bet on the game.

The NFL and their owners may say that they don't want concussions or spinal cord injuries, but eliminating them would be akin to killing the golden goose.  So those injuries are just a necessary byproduct of making more money than they did last year.  And with every nickel we spend to watch football, we are complicit in this.