To The Last One Leaving: Please Turn Out The Lights

I'm movin' folks.

Not on the radio...just on the Web.

We're done tweaking our Newsradio 620 WTMJ home page, and I'm glad to announce that my Cold Filtered drivel is moving exclusively to this location:

http://www.620wtmj.com

Same low-priced blogs...same low-rent attitude.

Thanks for following me over to my new web home, and thanks as well to all of you who've made this read part of your daily routine. I'm incredibly flattered by the fact that people give this the time of day, and even more flabbergasted when folks write back with comments/compliments/criticism. All are truly welcome.

Please be patient--our tech folk are very, very good, but there is the chance of an occasional glitch, which will probably be my fault. Your patience is deeply appreciated.

Thanks again, and feel free to look around. My change in venue has me rubbing up against some really bright people with unique takes on the world. Visit their blogs, too. Share the love.

But remember me, too.

Anger Management 101/Instructor: Prince Fielder

Let the veteran be schooled.

I listened to a Chicago talk station Monday afternoon, first getting agitated, then strangely relieved. I ended up being glad I'm a Brewers fan, with heady players like Prince Fielder on my side as opposed to the Cubs who sport hotheads like Carlos Zambrano, Michael Barrett and the most recent addition to the Windy City Distemper Hall of Shame, Derrick Lee. Lee faces a suspension after what happened over the weekend, with many of today's radio listeners questioning if Lee should sit at all.

Welcome to life, as viewed thru Cubbie Blue shades.

At issue: the fight Saturday between Lee and San Diego pitcher Chris Young, triggered when a high and tight Young pitch struck Lee shoulder-level.

Let the record show, it was midway in a scoreless game. Doubtful Young was trying to hit Lee, even though hard feelings persisted after Chicago's Alfonso Soriano riled the San Diego bench by allegedly showboating after a home run the day before.

And, let it also be said that instead of dusting himself off after getting hit and trotting to first, Lee got up, walked around, took some steps toward the mound, engaged verbally with Young and then took the first swing (a pretty limp one at that, one that looks as though he really, really didn't want to connect. The video shows that had he truly wanted to get at Young in the ensuing melee, he could've, but opted to wait as "cooler heads" held him back. Muey macho).

I understand the heat of battle, and the Cubs certainly show more fight between pitches these days than they do when the game is on. Recent hot streak aside, these are some true underachievers at this point in the 2007 season.

Lee is a team leader, 31 years of age, knocking down some 13 mil a year.

Contrast his actions Saturday with those of Fielder a few weeks ago against the Pirates at Miller Park.

Fielder got dusted by Pittsburgh hurler Matt Capps May 5th. Rather than charge the mound or do something stupid, Fielder got up and trotted down to first. Capps got ejected, and later would absorb a four-game suspension.

The true revenge, though, came one day later.

Fielder homered twice, then singled and scored the winning run as Milwaukee beat the Bucs--and, as luck would have it, he plated said score as Capps was back on the mound. Again, Fielder kept his cool, letting his actions on the field dictate the terms of his vengeance. Sure, he called Capps everything but a child of God as he headed back toward the dugout, but NEVER did he make a move at the previous night's tormentor. All Capps could do...was slink back to the mound. Brewers win. Fielder gets his pound of flesh.

Perfect.

Fielder is 23. He makes a fraction of what Lee knocks down. Another sign that the bio and the paycheck aren't always the measure of a ballplayer.

Suddenly, I feel a lot better about being a Brewers fan.

It gets even better when I look at the standings.

What Did You Get for Father's Day? Hopefully, It Came With A Roll Cage...

Some get ties...others shirts.

A few...very few...get really fancy, powerful sports cars for Father's Day.

No matter when they get them, it seems folks who get the keys to these supercharged machines are wadding them up at a pretty incredible clip.

The trend is so severe--overmatched drivers putting high priced rides into trees, poles and other immovable objects--that there's a website out there devoted to the smoldering wreckage:

http://www.wreckedexotics.com


And, check out the article that turned us on to all this on Wisconsin's Morning News:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118186544305536109.html?mod=at_leisure_main_reviews_days_only

Being a Kennedy assassination buff, I'm quite used to all things grassy knoll.

We're talking Umbrella Man, Badge Man, David Ferry, secretaries named Kennedy and cars that are Lincolns and all manner of other ways for the public to refuse to accept the inevitable: that Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK all by his sordid lonesome.

So, is it any surprise that the latest, greatest shared cultural experience is the subject of all kinds of off the wall theories?

We're talking "Sopranos" here.

A week since the hit HBO drama abruptly faded to black with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" chopped in mid-verse, people are still sifting clues, looking at the final scene the way one looks at the Zapruder film--frame by frame--hoping for some sort of clue from creator David Chase as to what happened to Tony and his family.

Why is it that we can't take it for what it is?

"Entertainment Weekly" lists seven theories as to what happened in the final scene, and discounts them all.

One has it that the troubling strangers who walk into the diner as the Sopranos go face-first into the onion rings are all people from past episodes, including the Cub scouts who supposedly are the same kids who witnessed Bobby's train store derailment the week before. Turns out NONE had ever been on the show before. This theory is unique in that it creates a new character, "Nicky Leotardo", who never existed.

Number two: the bells on the restaurant door ring every time someone walks in, except Meadow, meaning Tony's dead by the time she arrives. Repeat viewings prove this take wrong, too.

The third: Bobby talking in a past episode about what it's like getting whacked: "You never even hear it--everything just goes to black." Close, but no cigar: he actually says "You probably don't even hear it when it happens", with no mention of things going to black.

Theory number four: this is the only episode that ends without music (what that means, I don't know), supposedly a harbinger of death. Nice, but not so: Season two featured an episode that trailed out to the sound of Christopher breathing on a ventilator.

We're almost done, so hang with me.

Theory the Fifth: Chase shot another ending that makes it clear Tony dies. EW quotes the actor who played FBI agent Harris who says the finale was originally intended to be clearer about Tony's end, that it "went a little further. The gentleman sitting at the counter was much more mysterious, almost like he's walking to the table to shoot Tony, and then the end of the script." Fueling the fire: photos of James Gandolfini in the same scene, wearing a different shirt. A network rep says the picture was taken during rehearsals, with Gandolfini in his own clothes. And, HBO denies that Chase filmed dramatically different endings.

Number six ties into the fifth...something about Tony wearing a different shirt. Also bogus.

The seventh is too dumb to elaborate on: that Tony had a heart attack because of the onion rings.

What's interesting about the finale a week after it aired is that a lot of people who originally didn't like it are coming around. I needed a night's sleep to process it, but came to the conclusion that Chase was true to himself, didn't lapse into neat, episodic conclusions and wrap the series up with a neat little bow. Noting about "The Sopranos" was little, or neat. The ending had to be bigger than life, and more controversial than it's 85 predecessors. Chase succeeds, beyond all expectations.

The theories? The blossom like mushrooms seemingly every time something in this nation appears to be too obvious to accept at face value. JFK. RFK. Pearl Harbor. Even 9/11.

Add to that list a pop culture entry: "The Sopranos". An ending too obvious to be believed. Or accepted, by some.

Best Care In The...Where?

Here's what happens when a headline hits you in the face, and I'm sure many of you faced the same conundrum as you make your summer travel plans.

You go to a website that offers discount air fares, hotels and rental cars--you're presented scads of choices, you make your picks and you wait for vacation to arrive.

I was at the computer the other day, booking a trip to Baltimore where my boy and I will be based during our annual summer baseball trip.

That's when the headline came to life.

Midwest Airlines...or Air Tran?

The choice was easy for the flight out--Midwest was only a couple of bucks more, certainly not enough to be a deal-breaker.

The flight home was a different story. The price difference was, what shall we say, substantial.

I stared at the screen, double checked the numbers, looked again to make sure I had the right departure times right.

And then, I made my choice.

AirTran.

I tried to rationalize it, thinking that I could use the experience on the air, to give an honest appraisal of the differences between the hunter, and the hunted.

And, I felt really, really dirty.

Midwest IS the hometown airline. I know people that work there. I see what they do in the community, from the sponsorship of the convention center that bears it's name to the kadzillion charities where it donates trips. AirTran does business in Milwaukee, too, but I don't see them working the charity circuit nearly as much.

Does this make me a bad person, doing business with the so-called enemy? Or, does it make me a smart shopper who voted with his wallet?

And, do I now lose any right to bemoan the loss of Midwest a local entity if and when AirTran's hostile takeover succeeds?

I'm wondering what others did when faced with the same choice--or, how many of you publicly bemoan Midwest's potential acquisition while privately flying other carriers with lower fares.

I plan on bringing this issue up on the air during an upcoming edition of Wisconsin's Morning News--perhaps Friday, if time permits. We already are efforting reps from both Midwest and AirTran, plus an analyst who could give some neutral insight into how this how process works. I hope you'll be listening, and I also would love to see some feedback via the comments link.

Pardon me while I take a shower. I feel WAY dirty.

Still Buzzing, After All These Days

It's Wednesday and we're STILL talking about "The Sopranos".

I've heard it all, from people cancelling HBO out in protest over the way the show ended Sunday night to others assigning deep, philosophical meaning to each and every scene in the series finale.

I just don't think it's that complicated, and apparently, creator David Chase didn't mean anything quite so deep, either, at least not judging by the one and only interview he's given since the credits rolled.

Was it the audience getting whacked when the screen went black? Were the different characters in the final restaurant scene ready to either kill or arrest Tony?

Chase made the show's final moments some of the most tension-filled ever--we all were looking over our shoulders as the family munched it's onion rings, oblivious to what went on around them. Brilliant.

Each of the Sopranos said or did something in those final 61 minutes to let you know that they hadn't changed one iota in the whole time we'd been watching them--even A.J., who seemed to be in his own solar system, eventually found a comfortable orbit in the family's galaxy.

My only criticism of the last episode is the neat-and-clean way in which Phil Leotardo's underlings so easily agreed to meet with Tony and kick their boss to the curb. That, and the way Tony's longtime FBI nemesis suddenly became a Sopranos fan, giving the what was left of the Soprano clan Phil's location so he could be whacked. Granted, the agent had tipped Tony off to the plot against him, and there is a basis in reality to what he did, but it still came together just a little too easily for my taste.

Then again, don't some things in life do that, too? After days, weeks, months or even years of angst and agitation, don't you find sometimes that a problem just...solves itself in virtually no time, with little or any cost or effort? That is the genius of Chase, who makes his shows so lifelike. Not all story lines wrap up. People come, and go. Who amongst us has ever had an episode in our own existences wrap up neatly in 60 minutes or so, as climatic music plays and credits roll?

Think about how many times you expected something to happen in that final hour--only to be left wanting? Perfect. How often is life THAT obvious?

Be pissed about the finale, if you will. Don't write the series off just because the end left you wanting. Think. Talk. Discuss. Process. Watch it again. Enjoy it for what it was.

A show that remains top of mind, three days after the fact.

We all knew them.

They were the parents who got a little too close.

No, not in a weird, somebody-call-"Dateline" kind of way but rather, the ones who wanted to hang around just a little too much when the kids were having a party.

Teens want their space--we all did as we grew up, started making our own choices, picked what music we wanted to hear, decided what t-v shows were cool. For me, it was in the '70's, with a mom who was truly one of the boys but who also knew when to back off.

And, it was well before the Internet.

Times changed, but the problem lingers. Today's kids have the web and can use the computer to exert their independence. The trouble comes when mom and/or dad want to go with them.

Take Facebook, for instance. Or, MySpace.

These bastions of teen spirit are going grayer, and the rub between parent and child over who's turf these sites are keeps growing.

Check out this story from "The New York Times" which we also discussed today on "Wisconsin's Morning News."

http://nytimes.com/2007/06/07/fashion/07Cyber.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Who Do You Love?

I don't know if I buy this guy's premise, but this is a solid read for area sports fans.

An OnMilwaukee.com blogger says Milwaukee, to paraphrase, pretty much ignores the Bucks while heaping unconditional love on the Brewers.

"I am constantly perplexed by the fanaticism surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers in this city," he writes. "I have never seen a more popular team at the turnstiles that underperformed, lied to fans, had a weak and conservative MLB payroll, and failed to qualify for the playoffs for 25 years? Are we baseball fans here, or just fans of drinking in a parking lot in the warm weather?"

There IS a certain charm in swilling warm Miller Lite on a hot August night while standing amid a sea of asphalt--face it, we don't need much of a reason for a party in these parts, and we squeeze in a lot of life between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

"The truth of the matter, is that the WI sports fan ignores the "Big League" approach of the Milwaukee Bucks and favors the anemic, small-time goodwill of racing sausages and nostalgia.", he says. "How can attendance have dropped at Bucks games and there is no outcry to support our NBA team here with a much needed new building, when just 6 short years ago the Bucks were a shot away from the NBA finals?"

The answer is simple: for all the good the Bucks did, they also blew some of their goodwill by putting a turnstile where the door to the coach's office used to be, and by trading away some fairly popular players (Ray Allen) with little to show for it. The Big Three went to war with a coach (George Karl) who turned on anyone in sight who took issue with his methods and motivational skills. That took a lot of the shine off that title run that ended with a soul-crushing loss in the Eastern Conference finals. And, there's a school of thought that Senator/Owner Herb Kohl should spent more time legislating and less time screwing around with his NBA holdings. As for that new building the Bucks need? Don't hang that on the fans, many of whom who'll swear allegiance to the Bucks but cuss a blue streak if asked to contribute tax dollars for a new arena. And the good Senator? Ask him about a new building and you'll get a fade-to-black-before-the-Sopranos-roll-the-final-credits silence. It's a nuclear subject that no one wants to touch because no one likes any of the answers.

He goes on: "The sad truth may be that short of winning an NBA title, the Bucks may never draw in Milwaukee. We'll be too busy posing for pictures with a man in a Chorizo suit, while Michael Redd scores 60 in a game, and Larry Harris goes out and signs multiple players away with big league money to really try to bring an NBA title to Milwaukee."

Ah, if only money were the answer. There's no doubt Kohl ponied up big dollars to bring a winner to Milwaukee and for that, he should be commended. We all remember the successes of the big-spending Yankees, but we forget the years they fell short despite payrolls that would gag an anaconda. Other teams tried buying titles, too--the Baltimore Orioles come to mind--without adding to the trophy case. If won-loss records determined fan support, the Milwaukee Admirals should be the reigning box office champs, having strung together several strong playoff runs that included an AHL title a few springs ago.

Then there's the product itself--baseball is on the uptick, and the NBA is admittedly in a bit of a funk. It's a league that relies too much on stars and too little on team play, which is one reason I've fallen away a bit. Officiating remains a joke--the star system prevails, and a pro hoop game often has the regulatory credibility of the WWF. Teams that play good pro "D" win yawns from fans, and t-v ratings slide.

And, I don't buy this premise of unconditional Brewers love over the years, either. Sure, we still celebrate 1982 as if it were yesterday, but doesn't this guy remember the empty seats that dotted brand-new Miller Park in the years after it's 2001 opening as the team swirled around the N-L toilet bowl? The arrival of Mark Attanasio and his marketing minions signaled a huge change in how the product is sold, and how the team plays. Talk unconditional love? Look at the pass the Packers get. We filled Lambeau no matter how badly the team played in the post-Lombardi days--the season ticket waiting hardly shrunk as the Pack strung together some two decades of futility.

Sorry, friend, but I'm not shedding any tears for the Bucks. The town was stoked a few years ago when Milwaukee turned the top NBA draft pick into Anthony Bogut who, in the time since, has done little to distinguish himself or make the Bucks contenders again. I think the same fire would've been lit had the Bucks done better in the lottery, and it'll be up to Larry Harris and crew to turn that number six overall choice into something that'll make fans want to buy seats again.

"The truth is," our blogger writes, "the Milwaukee Bucks will be in the playoffs and contend before the Brewers do."

Read the entire piece at:

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/myOMC/blog/show/645

Fade To Black...Roll The Credits

I dove for the remote.

A black screen stared back at me as I panicked, trying to find out if my cable had dumped, if I'd somehow done something to deny me of the REAL end to "The Sopranos". It had to be a technical mistake...something I'd fat-fingered as I'd set up my DVR and VHS to catch the final moments of one of t-v's best shows.

Nope.

That was it.

And, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I'd spent weeks on the air, warning that creator David Chase wasn't one to cave in to the obvious, that he wrote "The Sopranos" the way life happens: some things get resolved, others don't. It's what differentiated "The Sopranos" from everything we'd ever seen before on the small screen. Remember the season premiers that people grumbled about year after year for not being "good enough"? Or the finales that left fans wanting? The dream sequences that made no sense? It's because Chase didn't need to use the medium's usual devices to keep his audience interested--he didn't have to rely on cliffhangers and other tricks to keep us coming back. He had compelling characters and storylines to do that.

And, we returned, even if it meant waiting a year or more for a new season to start.

Think of your own life. Do any of your dramas wrap up in neat little 60 minute packages? Did all of your relationships resolve in 16 or so episodes?

Did you ever have a dream that shook you to your foundation, that stayed with you the next morning, that had nothing to do with anything that was happening in your real life?

That's the beauty of "The Sopranos". It's a tale about people doing things we couldn't imagine, but that we can all relate to. Most of us will never be involved in asbestos dumping, chasing down Russian killers, or crooked construction projects. Fewer still ever killed anyone.

Yet, we all have a messed up relative, a kid with issues, friends with needs, spouses who don't understand.

That's where "The Sopranos" clicked.

I'd predicted an open-ended final episode, one that didn't satisfy or answer all of the show's lingering questions. And, never has an audience been so riveted by a family munching onion rings.

Our stories end each night when we close our eyes. Story lines come and go, with some resuming the next day, others left hanging. People come, stay for a while, then go. Others return when we least expect it.

Will the same be true of "The Sopranos"?

Pot Banging Can Now Commence

The Brewers' best move in the last three weeks may have come Sunday night, when management had the good sense not to air the game against the Rangers in Arlington up against the "Sopranos" finale on HBO.

Too bad they didn't do the same thing the night before.

Saturday night's 4-3 flame-out qualifies as the early season low-point as Milwaukee squandered a 3-0 lead in the ninth with previously infallible closer Francisco Cordero on the mound. Four times--four flippin' times--he had Texas down to it's last strike only to see a Ranger hitter some how find a way on board.

The Brewers were the darlings of baseball the first month and a half of the season, compiling a 24-10 record while making the cover of Sports Illustrated, among other things. A couple of the players even made it onto the set of the CBS soap, "The Young and the Restless" for a cameo that airs later this month.

Will that prove to be the 2007 version of "The Sweep Suit"?

Miller Park still had "that new stadium smell" as the Brewers swept the Cubs at Wrigley in mid-June, 2001. The team wore garish threads, dubbed "sweep suits", on their collective way out of the clubhouse.

They went on to lose 60 of the next 90.

What's going on now has nothing to do with sartorial choice--it has a lot to do with team breakdowns and an inability to consistently put a complete game together.

Good pitching? Expect hitters to struggle.

Plate six runs? The starters stumble, or the bullpen goes up in flames.

The first 34 games of the year featured thrilling comebacks, clutch hits, stellar starts, and bulletproof relief pitching.

No more.

Manager Ned Yost doesn't swing a bat or toss a single pitch, but he makes out the lineup card--one that is seldom the same from night to night. He seems to be in full flail these days, desperately trying to find a combination that'll click at the plate. The result? Players who don't know their roles, when they'll be playing or where they'll be in the lineup. The hiccup is now a full-blown burp that's on the verge of a purge--as the Brewers piddle away their strong start and box office goodwill.

The Rangers are the worst team in baseball, if you go by this morning's standings. This weekend's performance by the Brewers shows you can't always believe what you read.

There's a lot of season to go, for sure, and strong showings on the road in Detroit and Minnesota in the days ahead could be a sign that a young club played through a horrendous streak and is now ready to make a statement. More losses will only add to the fans' discontent. Hoping that everyone else in your division keeps losing is no strategy for success.

The rest of the N-L Central is working on that premise when it comes to the Brewers, and so far, Milwaukee is living down to expectations.

Another "Sopranos" Casualty?

The job you don't want Monday morning: switchboard operator at the cable company.

I'm guessing there'll be scads of calls from HBO customers pulling the plug after "The Sopranos" finale airs Sunday night.

I thought about it.

There was a time when I couldn't have lived without HBO--the movies, "Inside The NFL", big-name boxing. Then came "Six Feet Under", "The Sopranos" and "Deadwood."

After Sunday, they'll all be gone.

I like "Entourage", and Bill Maher's "Real Time" is maddening: occasionally brilliant, sometimes uncomfortably obvious/unfunny/uncomfortable, but the pluses are still outweighing the negatives.

What is there to fill the void?

Fortunately, FX.

"Rescue Me" is back next week, and if you aren't already a fan, might I suggest you plug in a.s.a.p. Denis Leary is a New York firefighter bothered by the after-effects of 9-11, booze, a shattered marriage, a dysfunctional family, the death of a son, and the politics of the firehouse. Unbelievable television: stark, funny, poignant, gut-wrenching. Not for the faint of heart, which is a polite way of saying "stay away" if you're bothered by rough language, sex, and sophomoric humor.

Read more here.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18964561/

Cable is, for the most part, a fly-over: endless clicks of faceless channels that all look alike in trying to pander to a certain demo or niche. FX is separating itself from the pack with each and every one of it's original offerings. It's a place to be forgotten the rest of the time, but offerings like "Rescue Me", "The Shield" and "Nip/Tuck" are making it a reliable stop. Toss in one of my guilty pleasures, Courtney Cox Arquette's "Dirt", and you've got a channel that's turning heads while offering a reliable alternate to HBO.

And, did I mention the best part?

It's free.

Somewhere, Dorothy And Toto Are Laughing

I'm guessing the parks in Stevens Point are empty today.

It's a sunny 90 degrees or so in Central Wisconsin, but I'll bet there isn't a single kid riding a bike, playing baseball, or just plain hangin' out even though the local school district gave them an unplanned day off.

Yeah, right.

The bonus vacation comes courtesy of officials who looked at today's forecast and decided it would be best to shut the schools because of THE POSSIBILITY of severe weather later today.

As I write this, there are no warnings or watches posted in the area.

This is one of those deals where the decision will look brilliant if, indeed, a funnel flattens Stevens Point Area Senior High School. That said, administrators will be punching bags if nothing happens.

Is this the start of a trend?

We remember not to long ago when Milwaukee Public Schools closed in advance of a pending snowstorm--one that looked to be a mortal lock, but that later fizzled out. Kids who were to be home helping mom and dad shovel out were packing local theatres and malls, while administrators got roasted.

Does the Point decision mean we're destined for more unplanned days off each time the National Storm Prediction Center colors Wisconsin red, raising the prospect that severe weather might develop?

I notice Marshfield, Wisconsin Rapids and Wausau didn't lemming along with Point--nor did smaller districts in the region. Will those administrators be accused of subjecting students to possible danger? Or, will they be hailed as practitioners of common sense--leaving the option open to send kids home early, or even put them in the basement of the school should the weather turn bad?

Someone in our newsroom asked the question, "Does this mean we should keep kids who take the bus to and from school each day home because there's a chance they could get into an accident?"

I can't imagine how this decision must be playing out in Stevens Point homes as family routines got blown apart by the district's decision to call off class. Parents probably had to scramble to find sitters. Some moms or dads might've had to take vacation or sick days to be with kids who would otherwise be in class. After all, Central Wisconsin industry continued today despite the pending doom supposedly heading our way.

The same "potential" for severe weather hangs over our heads this morning in Milwaukee, but as I look out my window, I see sunny skies and what looks to be a warm, windy, late-spring day.

I feel like tempting fate.

I think I'll do lunch on my deck.

Is Michael Vick The Tip Of The Iceburg?

The world no doubt knows by now about Michael Vick and the allegations that link him to a rather sizable dog fighting ring. He claims not to have taken part, but rather that he's a victim of the sleazy doings of relatives and their friends who used one of his homes for their ill-gotten gains.

I've heard sports-talk hosts say that Vick would be in less trouble if he'd done a Pacman Jones on someone--their take being that fans tolerate all manner of sick things someone might to to someone else, with zero tolerance for what a person might do to an animal.

Wednesday's New York Times ran the following piece about the prevalence of the pit bull in some NFL circles, and all but says there's a chance Vick isn't the only player with something more than a passing knowledge about the world of dog fighting.

http://select.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/sports/football/06roberts.html?ref=sports

Good Thing This Only Happens Every Two Years

Seizures.

Toileting monkeys.

That's what THIS little bit o' art is triggering in London.

Olympic organizers pull part of a website featuring the new 2012 logo after some viewers reported medical issues when watching some of the footage online.

Then, there's the buying public--the folks who'll have to wear this thing on the shirts, jackets and other swag they'd buy at the 2012 games.

I've been at several games, both winter and summer. I've seen good, and I've seen bad.

London's logo: bad.

Barcelona's mascot: worse.

What the hell is Cobi? It's been 15 years since they trotted his bare ass out, and I still haven't figured it out.

Then, there's Atlanta's "Izzy", as in, "What the hell IS HE?"

I didn't get to go to the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, and after seeing the mascots I'm glad I stayed home.

Seizures? No.

Toileting monkeys? Naw.

The gag reflex? Definitely.

Gathering the finest athletes in the world every two years is a noble venture--one that renews us as a globe, as a civilization.

Maybe someone on this blue and green rock can finally come up with an Olympic logo we can all rally around without controversy. The five rings still work for me.

Or, maybe we could hand an eight year old a box of Crayolas and let 'em have at it.

They couldn't do worse.

We Travel Well...They Don't

"Take back Miller Park!"

The cry is enjoined once again this week as hoards of Cubs fans snarf up the best local baseball tickets and boo the home team Brewers. Worse, Chicago seems to have a knack of doing something in Milwaukee that they don't seem to do very much of away from here:

Win games.

I was talking with a buddy of mine today who just happens to work for the local major league baseball concern--who he is doesn't matter, but what he said spoke volumes.

To paraphrase, he points out how Packers fans prided themselves on making the annual trek to Tampa to literally take over the Buccaneers' home sombrero each NFL season, turning the stadium into Lambeau South. No one derided us snowbirds--in fact, we were lauded in most circles for "travelling well"--the sports euphemism for "having nothing else to do and nowhere else to spend our cash other than the local team."

Badgers fans were legendary for filling charters destined for Las Vegas, Hawaii and other exotic ports of call to watch the beloved Big Red. If memory serves, we're renown for drinking downtown Vegas CLEAN OUT OF BEER during one such road trip. UNLV actually added seats to accommodate the legions of snow birds making the trip west.

So why, then, do we give Cubs fans such a hard time for doing what we used to do, my buddy asked.

My answer was simple: Chicago fans are jerks.

And, in the interest of full disclosure, I used to be one.

Before the Brewers hopped leagues, my friends and I would make the drive to Wrigley, buy a couple of bleacher tickets ($5, if memory serves, and you could only buy them day-of-game) and build nice tans while destroying our livers with Old Style. We'd follow the Cubs to St. Louis, our passions fueled by the 1984 post-season near-miss.

Maybe it's old age, or the ravages of liquor on my memory banks but I don't remember anyone in our group being a tenth as obnoxious as today's Cubs fans are. They act like they own the place, boo the Brewers, and generally treat we locals as interlopers crashing THEIR party.

No other group earns such ire--Twins fans came here a few weeks ago without incident, and Cardinals fans dot the stands with nary a punch being thrown.

So what is it about Chicago?

Don't know.

They'll keep coming, though, because being a Cubs fan is one small part booster-dom and a heaping dose of entitlement brought on by decades of ineptitude and a feeling that "we can do what we want because we're fans of one of America's all-time sports train wrecks and, gosh, don't you just love us for being so loyal?"

No, we don't.

That said, there's only one way Chicago fans outnumber us at our own ballpark--we don't buy enough tickets, or those of us who do flip them to Cubs buyers for a price. It's supply and demand, people, and there are simply more of them buying and way too many of us selling.

Shame.

They may be crude, rude and socially unacceptable but Cubs fans are nothing if not determined. We shouldn't fuel the fire by turning our tickets into cash.

And, don't think losing with stem the Chicago demand--their fans seem to have an insatiable appetite for that, and the Cubs keep feeding them.

Until, of course, the come to Milwaukee.

...Please, Not In The Face.

They're bad people, yet we care about them like family.

There are few if any redeeming qualities about the main characters on "The Sopranos" on HBO--they're in the mob, for God's sake--but that probably didn't do anything to ease the depression we felt after Sunday night's second-to-last installment.

Two of Tony's main guys got shot up--Bobby is dead, and Sil isn't buying any green bananas, if you get my drift.

Actor Steve Schirippa portrayed Bobby and tells what it was like to get the news that he'd be sleeping with the fishes before the final credits roll this weekend.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06042007/news/regionalnews/day_the_grim_reaper_came_to_my_house__actor_regionalnews_.htm

E-Street Band fixture Steve Van Zandt plays Silvio and tells the L-A Times about the end of the mob drama, as well as what'll happen to his portable hair.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-et-soprano5jun05,1,6742600.story?coll=la-celebrity-news

The Web is rife with rumors, projected endings and suspected spoilers. Indulge as you will. I, for one, am living for 8:00 Sunday night when one of the penultimate t-v shows in history calls it a career.

First, they wrap up "Six Feet Under". Then, they stick a fork in "Deadwood". Now, "The Sopranos". Sorry HBO, but the promos for "John From Cincinnati" aren't grabbing me yet, and "Big Love" never got DVR traction in the Mueller household.

I'm hoping Denis Leary still has the "Rescue Me" juice flowing on FX--his drama/comedy about the tortured NYFD souls coping with life in a post-9/11 world is gritty (code word: adult) and priceless. It may be just what you need to get over your post-Sopranos case of the prime time bends.

It returns June 13th at nine p.m. on FX. Yeah, that's cable, kids.

...And This One Needs How Many Batteries??

I can't imagine what it's going to feel like, having a beer with one of my kids for the very first time.

There's that...line. The one that usually doesn't get crossed. The one between parent and child.

Kids separate from us over the years. The pick their own t-v shows, their own music, their own friends.

Mom and Dad suddenly fade in the rear-view mirror of hipness, becoming smaller and more insignificant as the teen years grind on.

Some parents fight this trend, though--it's that whole thing about Mom and Dad trying to be their kids' buddies, instead of their authority figure. They want to share EVERYTHING with their offspring. EVERYTHING.

Welcome to the new Tupperware party.

It's no secret that women are meeting almost every night around the country, not for the usual stitch-and-bitch sessions, but to stock up on intimate apparel, toys, rubs and lotions. A huge industry is cranking out these bashes as women shed the shackles of sexual intimidation.

And, THEY'RE BRINGING MOM ALONG!

More and more of these occasions are turning into mother/daughter bonding affairs.

Read more, courtesy of MSNBC:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14061667/

A Very Public Tanning Session

I like to quote the greats.

John Kennedy dropped a great one about blame right after the Bay of Pigs about success having lots of fathers and defeat being an orphan.

Krusty the Clown came up with another, while the bored "Simpsons" t-v clown was dispatching an autograph seeker hell-bent on telling a life story: "Hey, good luck with that."

It's he of the greasepaint and bulbous nose who's words fit in the case of Channel 12 morning news anchor Caroline Lyders, who is outed as one of "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks' female buds.

"Yes, Taylor and I are friends," Lyders told OnMilwaukee.com, "and as a journalist I respect your asking. But beyond that, I'd rather not comment on my personal life."

Insert clown quote here.

I respect privacy as much as the next guy. Just because someone is dating one of the biggest names in pop culture doesn't mean she has to dignify every detail, but it's naive to think that she's defused the gossip herd by asking for a little space.

I'm still waiting for my callback from Ms. Lyders' boss--all references about what's going on with Hicks were being deferred to 12's News Director as of Wednesday morning. The message light on my desk phone wasn't blinking when I got here at 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

What Ms. Lyders does away from the anchor desk is certainly her business. That ends, sadly, when one is being squired by one of the most famous men in music.

There's a huge gossip beast that needs to be fed every day to satisfy we lifeless worker-bees who have nothing else to do but wonder who's lap Lindsay Lohan threw up into last night. It's a huge industry, and Hicks is one of its key cogs.

Ms. Lyders won't have to say word one about what's happening between her and Hicks because, rest assured, the rest of the world will be saying it for her.

Every move will be documented, and there'll always be a camera somewhere--Exhibit A: the Hawaiian beach shots of Hicks and the local morning news anchor that are now the wallpaper of untold Lyders' fans in Milwaukee.

I found out about the Lyders/Hicks situation without so much as lifting a finger--a buddy called and directed me to the website, where the whole sand caper was there for the world to see, just needing someone to add the caption with the names.

Ms. Lyders' own station deals in this sort of thing--coincidentally, right after the 6:00 news. It's a little venture called "Entertainment Tonight", and it does quite well in the ratings. How soon before Mary Hart and company are breathlessly reporting about "the blond in the bikini at Taylor Hicks' elbow in Hawaii"?

No one would care if Hicks worked second shift at Ladish or was doing oil changes at the local Quick Lube.

He doesn't, though. His fame means his life is an open book--the guy won't be able to go to the restroom without someone from a tabloid checking to see if he washed his hands on the way out. Or, go to the beach without someone taking pictures. Sadly, those who bask in his afterglow are doomed to the same treatment.

Hey, good luck with that.

Seranaded In The Key Of "Boooooooo!"

One look at the Miller Park stands this sun-drenched Wednesday afternoon tells you one thing: the number of fans in the seats is a testimony to the power of warm weather and the good will the team earned while it set the baseball world on fire in April.

The harsh reality is that the Brewers have done nothing to merit this kind of attention since the free-fall that began when the team peaked at 24-10.

They've gone 5-14 ever since. Seven of the last eight tilts ended with "L's".

Sports Illustrated jinx?

One too many soap opera cameos?

Schoolkids sat next to businesspeople during today's matinee-turned-horror show as Atlanta tattooed Milwaukee 9-3, turning a 2-1 Brewers lead to mush with a seven-run outburst in the eighth.

Good teams win at home.

They beat the teams they should, and play even with the ones who are at their level or better.

When the pitching falters, a good team's hitters pick the squad up. The converse applies when the batters are in a funk. One part of the team saves the other's bacon.

Good teams play through bad luck, and always think their next hit will find a hole, their next pitch will induce a double play to end an opposition rally.

How much of that have you seen in the last 19 games?

The April Afterglow is wearing off, but the high standards set by the early-spring Brewers remain--the fans got downright surly this afternoon as reliever after Milwaukee reliever added more gas to a growing late-inning fire. I remember rustling in the past, and maybe the occasional boo, but the crowd today expected more, and let the Crew know it when they felt they weren't getting it.

I wonder how long it'll be before the boos end, and the disgruntled fans start showing up disguised as empty seats.

So THAT'S What She Looks Like Without That Anchor Desk In Front Of Her!

First, it was Shaun Robinson and former Milwaukee Brewer Daryl Hamilton.

Now, Channel 12 may be siring another gossip grand slam: you'll probably recognize the guy in these photos as "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks. You may not recognize the woman he's frolicking with, unless you know a local morning anchorwoman a little better than the average viewer does:

http://www.splashnewsonline.com/2007/05/25/sorry-ladies-taylor-hicks-is-off-the-market/#more-12250

A source told me Tuesday night that the woman in question is Channel 12's Caroline Lyders but I can't get anyone else to fess up. I see OnMilwaukee.com is onto the caper, too.

I'm guessing it's only a a matter of time until someone in the Soul Patrol ferrets this one out.

She's Off "The View" But The Show Goes On...

Fueled by Sam Adams beer and a boot-kissing pal (who IS that woman?), Rosie O'Donnell speaks.

A home video Internet q-and-a with fans done Saturday is up on the Web for all to enjoy. These are the O's first public comments since her on-air flame-out with "View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck Wednesday.

See it all at:

http://www.rosie.com/blog/2007/05/26/no-ja-hero

You Don't Have To Watch Just Because They Tell You To...

"Crash".

"Garden State".

"Little Miss Sunshine".

"Pieces of April".

Four of my favorite movie-going experiences of all time, and none of them created a character that ended up as a McDonald's toy.

None had a huge budget--no huge ad campaign to back 'em up.

They didn't generate lavish sequels--follow-ups that, in many cases, are only made to milk the cash cow regardless of quality.

All four are independent films, and damn good ones at that.

I used to think that people who went to the Downer or Oriental were beret-sporting elitists, too cool for pop culture and driven by some incredible need to read subtitles.

Wrong.

There's quality out there, and lots of ways to find it.

You don't have to chain yourself to the multi-plex and trudge with the masses to see "Shrek 9" or "Pirates of the Caribbean, now with 15 seconds worth of Keith Richards' cameo". Expand you mind.

Plus, the popcorn is just as good. The "Oriental" even puts some of it's candy in the fridge.

Mmmmmmm. Cold chocolate.

Here's a "Wall Street Journal" article that'll whet the appetite for the indies. And, you can leave the beret at home.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118012953063215144.html?mod=at_leisure_main_reviews_days_only

Guaranteed To Get A Reaction: GUARANTEED

I dare you.

I double-dog dare you.

Read this column by Lee Iococca and NOT have a reaction.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=610753


If you're GOP born and raised with a George Bush growth chart taped to your pantry door, I guarantee your head will explode about half-way through.

There's something in here that I think EVERYONE can agree with, or argue about.

I don't offer this as a reflection of my personal leanings. Instead, I wave it in front of you to get you to do something that is sorely lacking these days: think, and talk. Rationally. Without political slant or bias. No liberal. No conservative. No imitations of your favorite talk show host. No yelling, like Rosie. No parroting what she heard at her folks' dinner table, like Elisabeth.

Use your own head. Your own sense of right and wrong.

Think...then talk.

Remember the war dead this Memorial Day, from wars long ended and the one that continues today. And, remember that being a patriot means more than making sure your flag is properly displayed.

It means plugging in, listening, talking, and reasoning with those who don't share the same view.

It's time for all of us to step away from the echo chambers we love to stick our heads into--listening to what we want to hear, what makes us comfortable, what doesn't challenge our beliefs. Stop thinking that someone who doesn't share your thought patterns is somehow less concerned, less informed. Less American.

We're already getting earfuls from those who want to be President in 2008. Let's make 'em work for it by challenging them with hard questions, demanding real answers instead of sound bites and, for Christ's sake, stop making our choices based on t-v spots. We're not buying dish soap here, people. And, this just in: POLITICAL ADS DON'T TELL THE TRUTH.

Hang your flag. Watch your race. Grill your brats. It's Memorial Day, and we deserve it.

But, sometime this weekend, read Iacocca's piece, think about what he's saying and chat it up with whoever's around.

Our country deserves it.

There's The Studio...And The Men's Room...But I Can't Find The Star Chamber!

What a ride.

My first week is officially over at Newsradio 620 WTMJ and, unless I hear otherwise, I assume I'll be back Tuesday to try it again on Wisconsin's Morning News.

It's been quite the adjustment: I liken it to high school, where you stay in the same building but change teachers and classes each fall...the only difference in this case being that it's been 24 years since I moved up a grade.

I'm having a blast while learning the ropes, finding out which buttons do what, who's on which day and what features air on certain mornings. It'll be a lot easier to be creative once the scenery is a little more familiar.

Then there are the e-mails--scads of them, many from longtime listeners of both stations with honest questions, suggestions, and observations. I thank each and every one of you, and I'm trying to respond to each as time permits.

Some stick out more than others.

One that left a mark came from a long time buddy--someone I've known since high school who remains a close friend. He's brilliant, media-savvy and a huge sports fan.

He sent in a first-week critique of my performance, and also had a take on the week-long Bob Harlan series, "A Green and Golden Legacy". He pointed out that there were blemishes on the outgoing Packers C-E-O's record, and that maybe we gave Harlan the kid-glove treatment because of our station's ties to the team.

I've heard this before, and I can emphatically say that I've never been taken before the Journal Broadcast "Star Chamber" for the marching orders demanding that only milk and honey flow from the speakers when talking about our flagship squads.

I never EVER got told what to say or what to cover when I spent a year hosting "Packers GameDay" in 2002--the only criticism I got was from our program director who mentioned one housekeeping flaw in my presentation but not a word about content, direction, or opinion.

And, anyone who ever listens to the post-game call-in knows that the BEST radio comes AFTER the Packers lose. That's when things get visceral, when everyone and everything is in play for both host and caller. The team, the players and certainly the coachers are all up for, to quote an absent friend, "an ass-ectomy without a local."

Think that happens if the Packers are squatting on us?

To that end, I've never been given the speech that so many listeners think we in the media get about leaning to the left--that somehow all of us get marching orders to dump on the right and triumph all that's liberal.

Hasn't happened.

I remember when I first got to Milwaukee to do mornings at the former WQFM--I'd read the Journal and Sentinel radio/t-v columns and just naturally assume that everything had a pro-Journal spin. I just figured that anything that made the paper had been sanitized and was presumably Journal-centric.

Then I started working here, and got to see how things are from the inside. I learned how far off my original perception was.

It's always tough when you cover yourself or those you care about. You try as hard as you can to avoid conflict of interest. You want to be fair. And, admittedly, we don't always cover ourselves in glory when we...cover ourselves. But we try. We really do.

And no one tells us to do it any other way.

"The View": A Full Sensory Experience

You can hear 'em...even with the volume turned almost all the way down.

The women of "The View" made new headlines this week via the shouting match pitting co-hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck against each other. Panelist Joy Behar started it by prattling off a list of things she claimed made George Bush unworthy of remaining President, and, as they say, "it was on!"

Turns out you not only have to listen--you need to watch "The View" very, very carefully.

The drama wasn't over.

The argument mercifully ended, but the next guest, Alicia Silverstone, kept the tension high with a subtle diss to one of the combatants. Check it out:

http://entertainment.bodogbeat.com/alicia-silverstone-snubs-elisabeth-hasselbeck-on-the-view-91774.html

And, the drama continues on Rosie's website as a breathless midday television nation wonders if she'll be back.

http://www.rosie.com/blog/2007/05/24/ask-ro/

Going Grassy Knoll About The Grassy Knoll...

I have a Kennedy assassination conspiracy.

I think there's a plot to keep us confused.

Is it a coincidence that new bullet evidence suggesting Lee Harvey Oswald didn't act alone comes out practically the same week that famed author/prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's mammoth work on JFK's death, "Reclaiming History", is getting critical reviews for it's thoroughness in detailing his conclusion that Oswald acted alone?

Hmmmm.

New bullet research from Texas A-and-M purports that the tests used by the 1979 House Assassinations Committee to prove that all of the fragments from the killing came from Oswald's rifle were flawed. One of the guys behind the study had a hand in helping the FBI change the way it links shooters to crimes, so it seems the work has some cred. Read the "Washington Post" story right here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/16/AR2007051601967.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Confused?

I am.

It shouldn't be this hard to link a gun, a bullet and a crime--if the evidence in the Kennedy case is flawed despite the reams of tests that have been done in the 44 years since he died, what then of the most mundane street crimes? How many folks are doing hard time because the same lead analysis was used to send them to the jug?

Which makes me think this is a lot of bunk.

Okay, there's nothing that links the bullets to the same box Oswald used the day he decided to change history. Is there anything there to suggest a bullet from another shooter? If I'm reading this correctly, the bullets are still made for the same type of rifle Oswald used--there's just nothing to show they came from the same box or can be ID'd individually.

And, this wouldn't be the first swing-and-miss by the Assassinations Committee, which used flawed acoustical evidence to suggest a second shooter fired (and probably missed) from the famed grassy knoll. That got debunked years later, when further analysis discredited the authenticity of an audio tape of the Kennedy shooting that was used to "map" the gunshots.

Bugliosi's book weighs almost six pounds and goes into great detail about how and why Oswald acted alone--how the evidence rules out multiple shooters. It dovetails Gerald Posner's work of several years ago, "Case Closed". Add that to new computer analysis of the famed Zapruder film of the Kennedy shooting which explains, among other things, how the so-called "magic bullet" actually did what the Warren Commission concluded: that it struck both Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally before JFK's fatal head shot. Conspiracy buffs rallied for years around the magic bullet, saying it was proof Oswald couldn't have squeezed off all of the rounds in the amount of time given.

Now, they have new "magic bullets" to trot out, and that can make for many, many more books and a whole lot of money for people who pose legions of questions without providing any answers or evidence to back up outlandish claims.

As someone who recently went through a very major and public job change, I was struck by how fast sensitive, private information that was known by only a few people within our company was out on the internet well before other people who had a right to know it were actually brought into the loop. The theory: even a handful of people have a hard time keeping a big secret.

What secret is larger than the assassination of a world leader? If, indeed, this was some sort of plot, even between as few as two or three people, is it fathomable that the participants would be able to keep it quiet for 44 years? And, what are the odds of the secret staying private if the number of those involved is truly as large as some of the theorists say it is?

Oswald did it.

A dark, angry soul who lived the life of a contrarian desperate to make a mark on the world, he bought a cheap rifle, used his Marine skills to squeeze off a deadly round, and got killed by another fame-seeker before he could tell his story. It's opportunity plus coincidence, all rolled into one. We can't get our arms around that, though, because the thought of a sap like Oswald killing someone like JFK makes all of usthat much more vulnerable. Such a crime HAS to be bigger than it really was.

Conceding to the facts would dry up the conspiracy industry which, at last count, was one thousand books strong and probably growing, what with this week's bullet news.

Read Posner's book, or, if you want to build your assassination mind as well as your forearms, try wading through Bugliosi's. Then, let me know what you think.

I'm guessing you'll come off the knoll.

They Scream...You Decide

Wow.

As advertised today on "Wisconsin's Morning News" on Newsradio 620 WTMJ, here's the entire Rosie Vs. Elisabeth dust-up from yesterday's "View".

This stuff is better than Russert, Stephanopolous and Schieffer on Tony Soprano's peyote buttons.

...Don't You Hate It When Your Spouse Is Right?

She tried to warn me.





My wife, who seems to be on the cutting edge of all that is popular on t-v, told me night after night to skip "American Idol" and instead join her on the couch to catch "Dancing With The Stars".





Truth be told, I'd rather have nails driven into my eyes than watch either--my show of choice would be the Brewers, or anything NHL--but the job requires that I know enough about reality television to be, what shall we say, dangerous?





"Idol" was the show that got the early buzz. It earned the nickname "death star" from rival networks because it destroyed everything in it's path. The others purposely scheduled away from "Idol's" weekly slots, knowing that anything sent up against Ryan, Randy, Paula and Simon would turn to Nielsen flotsam and jetsam.





"Dancing", on the other hand, was the bastard stepchild--they had a hard time finding stars, settling for the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus. What it sorely lacked to me, though, was sex appeal, in the person of Stacey Keibler.

Sorry, when you come back after a season of Stacey with the likes of a John Ratzenberger or even Clyde Drexler, well, sorry, that just ain't going to cut it.


And, when one has only so much time and stomach to devote to shows one doesn't even like, a choice had to be made and I went with what appeared to be the ratings sow.

So, off to my man-cave I'd trot every Tuesday and Wednesday night to watch America whittle away at "Idol's" pile of Carrie Underwood wannabe's, while my wife stayed upstairs, watching "Dancing" and lusting after some guy named "Maxim". Sounds like a brand of condom.

I was supremely confident I'd made the right choice, based on the early ratings.

Until this week.

This is the headline that greeted America in this morning's Drudge Report:

http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272613566.shtml

It's the mouse that roared.

"Idol" numbers reportedly started tumbling as the show progressed--lots of us want to see people who sing worse than we do, but when it came down to watching talented folks go for the brass ring, many went elsewhere.

Sanjaya flamed out, so that little bit of intrigue was gone--remember people debating "Idol's" cred as if they had just seen Walter Cronkite doing an Oxy Clean ad? "Idol" lost a lot of it's sex appeal when both Faux Hawk and Haley got sent home, leaving behind a crop of talented but admittedly plain singers who had a lot of chops but little in the way of flash.

Having never watched "Idol", I expected more of a Roone Arledge touch to the production--the up-close-and-personal portraits of the remaining contestants so I'd have an emotional attachment to each and maybe one that was stronger than the rest...a tie so binding that I'd actually pick up a phone and vote, thus putting some skin on the game, as gamblers are wont to say.

Never happened.

Blake seemed like Chris who seemed like the bald guy who could sing well when loud but crappy when trying to eek out a ballad. The women--though skilled--didn't peg my interest meter, either.

Then there's the reality Paula Abdul--yes, Paul Abdul made a cogent point--kept alluding to toward the end of the Tuesday night show: they're all winners, because copping the "Idol" crown really doesn't mean much any more. This is one of the rare American competitions where the fans DO CARE who came in second, or third, or ninth. Contestants get weeks to develop fan bases which get stoked during the post-Idol tours and that can also produce recording contracts, fast tracks to radio play and thus, stardom. Yes, one can become famous (Chris Doughtry) without winning and one can also fade into oblivion (Ruben Studdard) even after posing for holy pictures with the judges once the final votes are in.

Hats off to my wife, who in the past has yanked off my blinders long enough to turn me onto such gal-friendly fare as "Gilmore Girls", "Seventh Heaven" and "Grey's Anatomy." She taught me the difference between Rachel Ray and the Barefoot Contessa, and also even turned me onto the original incarnations of "The Iron Chef."


Perhaps it's time to venture out of the man-cave more often and see what she's watching in her den.

Or, maybe it's time for me to master the wonders of picture in picture--I'll use the small screen for sports, and the big one for a possible Stacey Keibler comeback special.

How Far Did Larry Harris Toss His Lucky NBA Draft Rock, Anyway?

There's a dumpster somewhere in the Bradley Center, full of the Bucks' hopes and dreams.

It's probably full of the mock-ups of newspaper ads touting Milwaukee's re-emergence as an NBA power...brimming with discarded t-v and radio scripts hailing the fact that the Bucks landed the number one choice in the upcoming draft.

Then there are the ticket office phones...the ones that literally would've melted right on the desktop from the sheer volume of calls coming in from anxious fans wanting season packages, based on the hope that Greg Oden or Kevin Durant would be wearing green and red this fall.

Last night's NBA Lottery show--which amounts to watching a man in a suit open mail, as per one Internet description I read--gives Milwaukee one more reason to feel ambivalent about Secaucus, New Jersey.

It could've changed EVERYTHING: the Bucks' fortunes on the floor, it's prospects in the NBA, it's fate in the community.

General Manager Larry Harris did a fine job this morning when he joined us on Newsradio 620 WTMJ, touting the fact that Milwaukee will still get a fine athlete when the Bucks go sixth in the first round. That's not blowing smoke--it's a deep draft, but the glam is at one and two. Those are the guys who'd make a worst-to-first scenario very, very possible. They would've put the Bucks back on the local map. The finest GPS couldn't find Milwaukee on that chart after January, when injuries devastated the team.

It's not that fans don't like the Bucks. It's worse.

They feel...nothing.

Can that be turned around with a number six pick?

Doubtful.

A number one or two in the draft would've confirmed relevance upon the Bucks.

Now, it's going to have to get it the old fashioned way--they'll have to earn it.

One Is Done

"You read so SLOWLY. It sounded like you tried to enunciate EVERY WORD."

"Don't you know how to say 'plethora'?"

"I don’t expect to be surprised by audio of torture on my morning wake up show. "

So much for my Newsradio 620 WTMJ honeymoon phase.

The first one is done, and the fans are speaking. Many of you were very kind in assessing my first AM morning--for that, I thank you. And, a few were willing to give me constructive criticism as I try to refine my newfound craft. Thanks as well, for that.

Some could sense that I wasn't entirely comfortable--hence the comments about my news cadence. One early riser didn't care for my "Sopranos" summary, especially the part where I played the audio of Tony kicking in a rival's teeth--twice.

Live and learn.

My pants stayed dry but my pits were soaked by the time 4:59 rolled around, and hearing the top-of-the-hour-sounder put the adrenal glands into Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant overdrive. It's pretty intimidating to be looking across the studio at John Jagler--a quintessential pro, a great newsman, and an incredible local personality. Toss in Green Bay Packers voice Wayne Larrivee and you're talking a genuine pinch-me-and-say-I'm-really-doing-this-with-these-guys moment.

And, for all of the years I sat back in the radio newsroom with the likes of Frank Richardson, Ron Irwin, Kevin Fischer, Mark Reardon, Bob Reddin, Cheri Preston and others as they prepped their WTMJ shows as I did the same for 'KTI, I never actually had to go over to their side of the hallway and execute. That happened today, and it was a real education. I hope my tentative approach didn't detract from the performance.

We've all been through the rigors of the new job--different office, new computer systems, a group of strangers who suddenly are your co-workers. I'm fortunate in that I'm still in the same building, working with friends, for the same generous company that keeps giving me chances to grow. My duties may be new, but I'm surrounded by friendlies in a building I've been able to call home for almost 25 years.

I ask for your patience as I learn the proverbial ropes. It's a big tent, this Newsradio 620 WTMJ, inviting many folks to sample it's wares each morning. Some come for news, others for sports, weather, or business. And then, there are those who want a little personality tossed in.

Once I learn what happens when, and what all these new buttons mean, and when it's safe for me to leave the studio to go to the bathroom, I'll be a much better co-worker for John, Wayne and the rest of the Wisconsin's Morning News crew.

I'll also try dabbing on a little extra deodorant until the butterflies flutter away. That should be, oh, spring of 2008.