Warm thoughts from Germany

This arrived in my mailbox today. The high temperature in Napoleon, Ohio, today? 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's nice to know the Germans think warm thoughts at this time of year.

My first Christmas letter

Hello, Everyone!

I hope that this letter finds you in good health and good cheer.

First, a confession. For years, my Dad and I would point and laugh at the accumulation of Christmas letters we received. “How broad/impersonal/cheesy!” we would chortle. Well, in my accumulated (note I didn’t say OLD) age, I have seen the wisdom of such documents. I realize that I don’t get in touch with some of you nearly often enough, and this is a way to fill you in on what’s been happening.

To those who chose to convey their holiday wishes to our family in the form of a Christmas letter, I apologize and humbly beg your forgiveness. (I’m not sure if Dad has contemplated this)

(insert Act of Contrition here)

Please note that I have submitted this document electronically. If it would make this letter more seasonally appropriate, then, by all means, feel free to print it out on the festive holiday stationery of your choice. You will not hear from my attorney.

I probably should have started doing this last year – I was too fried from the special Congressional campaign I worked for to even contemplate such a task. Had I done so, I could have offered a breathless recitation of my international travels and political activities.

Alas, 2008 was quite different than 2007.

Don’t take this to mean that I have taken up a hermit-like existence in my den.

No, I’m not married yet.

This past summer, I provided photography services for the horse races at several county fairs in the area. As much as I enjoy the racing at the fairs, I was smitten by the opportunity to take a tax write-off for fair food. Apparently, I do a pretty decent job – five of the eight circuit champions chose my pictures to go on their trophy plaques. While the proceeds of this venture have not been sufficient to make early retirement to a tropical paradise feasible, I made a precious discovery – it is, indeed, possible to deep-fry a Pop Tart. I did five fairs in 2008, and hope to add at least one more in 2009.

I didn’t take any big, exotic vacations this year, unless you consider Columbus, Ohio an exotic destination. I took in 5 Columbus Crew games this year, enough to make up for the years I didn’t make it to any of their games. I even got to see Mr. Posh Spice (David Beckham) play. My presence must have done The Crew some good, as they are now champions of Major League Soccer. I will probably take in a similar number of their games next year, as I have purchased a partial season-ticket package. I hope to finally get in a trip to Montreal in 2009.

Once again, I was the PA announcer for the girls’ soccer games at Napoleon High School. Unfortunately, the LadyCats did not have a very successful season. We did have a German exchange student on the team, so I was able to get some German practice whenever she scored a goal. I didn’t take two semesters of German in college for nothing. I particularly enjoyed secretly replacing the team’s warm-up music with assorted hits from Neil Diamond, ABBA, and Drafi Deutscher. I’ll be adding the boys’ games to my schedule in 2009. Just my luck – the boys will be in a rebuilding year, because the “Golden Generation” that led the Wildcats to the state semi-finals in 2007, is graduating.

I learned one thing about politics in 2008 – a county commissioner’s race moves at a decidedly slower tempo than a special election for Congress. I assisted Robin Weirauch in her (sadly, unsuccessful) campaign for Henry County Commissioner. This came on the heels of a wild and wooly special election to replace our late Congressman, Paul Gillmor at the end of 2007. My future political activities will be focused on getting BBC Top Gear presenter (that’s British for “TV host”) Jeremy Clarkson named to the post of Auto Czar. Yes, he’s British, but better him than Ralph Nader, and Jay Leno’s tied to NBC for a while.


Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnacht, and Happy New Year. Whichever holidays you’re celebrating, make them good ones.

And I hope that 2009 is even better for you than 2008.

Take care,

Jake

The City Stars get a poromotion....

The Cleveland City Stars, champions of United Soccer League-2, will be moving up to United Soccer League-1 for the 2009 season. They'll be competing against teams like the Montreal Impact and Charleston Battery. Home field is to be determined, but could be at John Carroll, Baldwin-Wallace, or Case Western Reserve.

More here:

http://www.clevelandcitystars.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=273&Itemid=107

We Are The Champions!

Frankie Hejduk closes the deal for the MLS Champion Columbus Crew, scoring the goal to make it 3-1 over the New York Red Bulls (photo: Kicker.de)

A photo album here:

http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/intligen/slideshow/object/500827/

An article about the MLS final in the Kicker:

http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/intligen/startseite/artikel/500817/

And coverage from the Columbus Dispatch:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/11/24/Crew_championship.ART_ART_11-24-08_A1_AUC01UA.html?sid=101

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/11/24/crew24.ART_ART_11-24-08_C1_RUC02Q5.html?sid=101

I'm going to gorge myself at....

Brasa Grill -

http://www.brasagrillsteakhouse.com/

1300 W 9th in Cleveland.

Hey, Chubb Insurance Adjusters...

YOU SUCK!!!!

This is in regards to the theft of my GPS device, perpetrated last Friday night at the Embassy Suites in Dublin, Ohio.

Wednesday afternoon, an adjuster for Chubb Insurance Services, the agency for the Embassy Suites, left a message on my answering machine. Maybe they were looking to make it up to me somehow. When I finally connected on Friday morning, I was greeted with a rude, Gitmo-quality interrogation about the theft of my GPS unit. After I calmly detailed the facts of the situation, I got this response:

Adjuster (Adjustrix?) (snottily): "You do realize that the hotel had signs posted that they were not liable for items lost or stolen?"

Me (calmly): "Yes."

Adjuster (snottily, again): "Are you going to be filing a claim against the Hotel?"

Me: "No." (unspoken: THIS IS WHY I HAVE INSURANCE, YOU IMBECILE!)

This is what I don't understand - Why did this woman act as though I was the one committing some sort of fraud, or God forbid, filing some sort of lawsuit?

Here's the thing - the staff and managers of the Embassy Suites in Dublin could not have been more helpful in dealing with the situation. They called the police and made numerous calls attempting to find a repair shop willing to come out to the hotel to fix my car. Would it have been nice if they had knocked something off my bill for my trouble? Yes, but in light of the postive actions of the hotel staff, I see no need to go to war over it.

In contrast, my encounter with Chubb was unnecessarily unpleasant. So, yeah, CHUBB SUCKS!

Columbus Till I Die!

Another good (mostly) weekend in Columbus. The Crew won, the BlueJackets won, and oh, yeah, somebody broke into my car and stole my GPS unit.

(And I thought Dublin was the NICE part of Columbus)

The Crew had a nice pep-rally-type event at Easton Town Centre on Thursday night, followed by a playoff watch party at the Fado bar.

Went to my first BlueJackets game at Nationwide Arena Friday night. Columbus defeated Montreal 4-3 in a shootout. (I had mixed feelings about this - I was (sort of) rooting for Montreal)

In the wee small hours of Saturday, somebody broke into my car in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites in Dublin, taking my GPS unit in the process. I will say that the staff of the hotel were extraordinarily helpful in dealing with this problem - apparently about 10 other guests had the same thing happen.

And then the Crew finshed off the Kansas City Wizards 2-0 to advance to the MLS Eastern Conference final on Thursday night. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend. Abel & I had great seats near the Nordecke (crazy section).

Obamapalooza!

That's PRESIDENT Barack Hussein Obama, to you! (photo: New York Times)

Follow the elections here:

CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/

MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553

New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/politics/index.html?8dpc

Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/politics/?hpid=topnews

Toronto Globe And Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/uselection2008

The BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/vote_usa_2008/default.stm

Der Spiegel:

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,k-7064,00.html

Al Jazeera:

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/uselections2008/

Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/

Le Monde:

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/sequence/0,2-829254,1-0,0.html

La Presse (Montreal):

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/dossiers/presidentielle-americaine/

CBS News:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/politics/main250.shtml

ABC News:

http://abcnews.go.com/

No, I'm not linking to any of that Fox shit.

Election Day message

VOTE! DAMMIT!

That is all.

From the "Why The Hell Didn't I Think of This..." file

From yesterday's Toledo Blade, news of a "boutique liquor" service, which can create and bottle, nearly any sort of liquor concoction:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081022/BUSINESS03/810220360

The owner, Brian Pearson, gained considerable notoriety for mass-marketing Jell-O shots (another "Why The Hell Didn't I Think of This" item).

Napoleon 2 Ottawa-Glandorf 1

Napoleon overcame dismal officiating and the rustic tactics of Ottawa-Glandorf to win 2-1, advancing to Saturday's district final at Wapakoneta. Ross Evers and Benton Collins scored the goals to lead the Wildcats.

TWO NHL teams in Toronto?

The Toronto Globe and Mail reported yesterday that the NHL Board of Governors is considering a second team in Toronto:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081020.shoalts21/BNStory/GlobeSports

First things first - please bring back the Quebec Nordiques.

Besides, don't those clowns understand that Hamilton is where it's at? If there were a benevolent God, we'd have the Hamilton Predators by now.

The LadyCats are done, but the fun's just beginning for the boys

Regrettably, the Napoleon LadyCats lost 8-0 to St. Ursula Tuesday night.

However, the #8 ranked boys won their opening-round sectional clash against Lima Bath, 4-0. Matt DeMichiei led the Cats with two goals.

Aw $#%^@! We're playing St Ursula AGAIN!

The pairings for the opening rounds of the state soccer tournament have been drawn.

Napoleon's boys will open against Lima Bath on October 13 at 5pm at Defiance. The winner of that game will play Van Wert on October 18 at 3pm.

Napoleon's girls will play Toledo St. Ursula on October 14 at 7pm at Whitmer High School.

My weekend with Posh & Becks....

Last weekend, I went to Columbus with my friends Abel & Janell to see the Los Angeles Galaxy (featuring Mr. Posh Spice) play the first-place Columbus Crew. No, we didn't get to see Posh Spice - she was probably locked in at Polaris doing her own private shopping spree. (What, they couldn't have arranged to take her to what Chris Rock euphemistically refers to as "The OLD Mall" - where you can still get a Hickory Farms Beef Stick and an Orange Julius?)

We went down early, because we foolishly believed we needed to buy gloves (it didn't get that cold), and because we wisely decided to shore up our tailgating provisions (read:ice, tequila, & munchies). We checked into the lovely Embassy Suites at the corner of I-71 and I-270. Dinner was at the Japanese Steak House in the Arena District. Abel & I serenaded a birthday celebrant(victim) because the restaurant's usual entertainment didn't show.

We arrived sufficiently early at Crew Stadium to set up the Margarator. These activities attracted the attention of two young ladies (Jen & Laura, attending their very first Crew game) tailgating nearby. They were affiliated with a school group of some sort, that just happened to have some extra (much better) seats available. Abel, Janell & I agreed to avail ourselves of the seat upgrade. These seats were such that if we were so inclined, we could have touched the hem of Beckham's garments.

Alejandro Moreno's first-half goal stood up to give Columbus a 1-0 victory. This seemed a fair result given the ebb and flow of the game. David Beckham didn't do anything exceptional, but that didn't stop the flashbulbs from popping every time he touched the ball.

Our new tailgating buddies invited us to join them at one of the, ahem, "artsy" bars in the Short North (we did not realize the "artsiness" of the bar in question until I witnessed a guy giving another guy a reacharound) to watch the remainder of the OSU-Wisconsin game. Unfortunately, it was not the same bar where David Beckham would make an appearance later in the night.

We bid farewell to our friends (alas, no digits were exchanged), and adjourned to a less "artsy" establishment for a last drink before returning to the hotel at an ungodly hour.

Senior Night Smackdown

Napoleon's boys soccer team easily defeated Wauseon on Senior Night, 7-0. Matt Demichiei and Ross Evers contriuted 2 goals apiece to lead the Wildcats past the Indians.

We're still NOT No. 9

Despite reeling off several victories since their 9/16 loss to Findlay, Napoleon has NOT re-entered the top 10 in the OSSCA Boys' division 2 poll:


Boy's Division II
Rank School Record Pts.
1. Columbus Desales 10-2-0 95
2. CVCA 9-1-1 84
3. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 8-2-0 74
4. Bay Village Bay 9-1-1 66
5. Dayton Carroll 8-1-1 57
6. Chagrin Falls 10-1-0 50
7. Ottawa Glandorf 9-0-2 37
8. Medina Highland 10-1-0 26
9. Coshocton 10-2-0 16
10. Beloit West Branch 10-1-0 13

Winners' circle photo from Van Wert

At the races, Part 26

Sister Kathy was 4th Saturday night. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2047553&target=893187

We're not No. 9 anymore.

Napoleon's boys' soccer team dropped out of the top 10 in the state after incurring their first loss of the season - 1-0 to Findlay. Order has since been restored with victories over Bryan, Eastwood, and Fremont Ross.

At the races, Part 25

Sister Kathy races Saturday night at Raceway Park. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=834289&target=893187

A question

OK, I just wanna know....who's checking this site out from ISRAEL?

Seriously, that's cool.

Raise your hand if you're sure....

At the races, Part 24

Sister Kathy was 2nd at Delaware last Wednesday. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2044417&target=893187

We're (still) No. 9!

The latest OSSCA poll for boys' soccer:


Boy’s Division II
1. Columbus Desales 8-0-0 100
2. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 6-1-0 86
3. Bay Village Bay 6-1-1 66
4. Dayton Carroll 6-0-0 63
5. CVCA 4-1-1 60
6. Aurora 5-0-1 38
7. Ottawa Glandorf 6-0-1 33
8. Chagrin Falls 6-1 25
9. Napoleon 6-0-1 19
10. Medina Highland 6-0-0 14
Finneytown 5-2-1 14

Big game against Findlay tonight at Loose Field.

At the races, Part 23

Sister Kathy races at the Delaware County Fair on Wednesday. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=831996&target=893187

Back, by popular demand!

Yes, it's back....the Deep-fried Pop Tart, now at the Williams County Fair in Montpelier, Ohio. This appears to be the same outfit from the Paulding County Fair, but with substantially upgraded marketing materials. This amazing delicacy is still only $1. A line of eager patrons circled the trailer.

At the races, Part 22

Sister Kathy was 2nd last night at the Williams County Fair in Montpelier. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2042419&target=893187

We're No. 9! We're No. 9!

Napoleon appears at Number 9 in the latest OSSCA Coaches Poll for Division 2. From OSSCA.org (h/t Tim Barry):


Boys Division II
1. Columbus St. Francis Desales 5-0-0 93
2. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 5-0-0 85
3. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 3-0-1 74
4. Bay Village Bay 4-1-1 67
5. Dayton Carroll 4-0-0 66
6. Ottawa Glandorf 5-0-0 37
7. Aurora 3-0-1 26
8. Chagrin Falls 3-1-0 22
9. Napoleon 5-0-1 19
10. Cincinnati McNicholas 3-1-1 17

Napoleon takes Marion Harding behind the woodshed

On Saturday, both the Napoleon boys' and girls' soccer teams won their games against Marion Harding. The girls prevailed 6-4 after being tied 4-4 at halftime. The boys won much more convincingly, 8-0

At the races, Part 21

Sister kathy will be racing at the Williams County Fair in Montpelier Wednesday, Sept. 10. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=830433&target=893187

At the races, Part 20

Sister Kathy won her race at Van Wert last night. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2038730&target=893187

At the races, part 19

Sister Kathy races Friday night at the Van Wert County Fair, home of the Enhanced Lemon Shake-Up. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=827788&target=893187

Napoleon 4 Defiance 2

The game attracted many enthusiastic Napoleon students
Lee Hunter scored a goal for the Wildcats
Matt DeMichiei scored twice for Napoleon

In a triumph of champagne soccer over abject tactics, Napoleon defeated Defiance 4-2 this evening on the banks of the Maumee River. Defiance scored early on a soft lob over a napping Napoleon goalkeeper - the equivalent of poking a sleeping bear with a stick. Lee Hunter and Matt DeMichiei each scored, giving Napoleon a 2-1 halftime lead. After the break, Defiance scored from a free kick earned through cheap theatrics. Matt DeMichiei and Cole Gerken each registered a goal to provide the final 4-2 tally.

At the races, Part 18

Sister Kathy was 2nd at Lima last night. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2036006&target=893187

At the races, Part 17

Sister Kathy races at the Allen County Fair in Lima. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=825856&target=893187

The Holy Trinity of Fair Food

No trip to the Henry County Fair is complete without paying appropriate homage to the Holy Trinity of Fair Food: the Beef Producers' stand, the Dairy stand, and the Pork Producers' stand, conveniently arranged in close proximity to one another and within convenient walking distance of the french fry stands.

The Henry County Fair

Then....
...and now.

At the races, Part 16

Sister Kathy won her race at Hicksville today. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2034422&target=893187

The Bundesliga makes NPR

Just in time for the start of the Bundesliga season....I heard this story on NPR yesterday about the newly-promoted TSG Hoffenheim (population 4000):

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/08/15/german_soccer/

This is roughly equivalent to Holgate or Liberty Center having an NFL team.

If they can do it, why not the villages around the Schlei? (HA!)

At the races, part 16

Sister Kathy races at Hicksville on Saturday, August 16. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=824880&target=893187

At the races, part 15

Sister Kathy won at Napoleon last night. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2032801&target=893187

Hertha macht alles klar

Marko Pantelic, Fabian Lustenberger, and Patrick Ebert each scored goals to lead Hertha Berlin to a 3-1 victory over Eintracht Trier in the opening round of the DFB-Pokal today. (photo:HerthaBSC.de)

At the races, Part 14

Sister Kathy races Monday night at the Henry County Fair in Napoleon. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=823635&target=893187

A Superclub on the Schlei....

Weg da, Bayern Munich! FSG Schleidoerfer have arrived! The combined might of TSV Schaalby, TVK Nubel, and VFL Eiche will topple the kings of German soccer, starting with the Kreisliga Schleswig.

http://www.fsg-schleidoerfer.de/

At the races, Part 13

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2030663&target=893187

Sister Kathy was 2nd at Urbana last night.

At the races, Part 12

Sister Kathy races tomorrow at Urbana. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=822083&target=893187

At the races, Part 11

Sister Kathy won her race at Bowling Green tonight. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2028587&target=893187

Theonlycardyouneed was 8th at Wapakoneta last night. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2028656&target=889427

At the races, Part 10

Sister Kathy races Wednesday night at the Wood County Fair. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=820401&target=893187

At the races, Part 9

Sister Kathy was 3rd last night at Raceway Park, details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2026265&target=893187

Rights and Responsibilities

I found two great articles from Greg Lalas of CNN/Sports Illutrated:

The American Soccer Fan's Bill of Rights:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/greg_lalas/07/07/bill.rights/index.html

And, since you can't have rights without responsibilities:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/greg_lalas/07/21/us.fans/index.html

GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!

The tentative schedule for the Napoleon LadyCats' 2008 season:

8/18 vs. Defiance
8/23 @ Maumee
8/26 vs. Archbold
8/30 @ Delta
9/2 @ Lima Sr.
9/6 vs. Marion Harding
9/9 vs. Continental
9/13 vs. Sandusky
9/16 @ Findlay
9/20 vs. Wauseon
9/23 vs. Fremont Ross
9/27 @ Bowling Green
9/30 @ Toledo Start
10/4 @ Whitmer
10/7 @ Bryan
10/11 vs. Rossford

Hertha Berlin - Liverpool 0:0

Marko Pantelic (left) fights off a Liverpool defender

Hertha Berlin played Liverpool to a 0-0 draw in an exhibition match at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Hertha goalie Christian Fiedler stopped a Dimitry Voronin penalty kick in the 59th minute to preserve the 0-0 tie.

God's Gift to Coffee Drinkers

The French press - where has this been all my life? I bought mine at Starbucks - and I'm using coffee (the Wildcat's Roar blend) from the Country Gourmet in Napoleon.

At the races, Part 8

Sister Kathy will be racing Thursday night at Raceway Park. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=818647&target=893187

On a sadder note, Maumee Lane has been retired. The poor guy just had too many aches and pains to keep racing. He will be placed with the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption service :

http://www.horseadoption.com/

Brondby, Hamburg, Hertha show off new threads

Brondby's new home jersey
Hamburg SV's new away jersey
Hertha Berlin away
Hertha Berlin home jersey

Brondby (of Denmark), Hamburg SV, and Hertha Berlin unveiled their jerseys for the upcoming season. Sponsors for Hamburg and Berlin, Emirates Airlines and Deutsche Bahn, respectively, are unchanged for 2008/09. Brondby announced a partnership with UNICEF.

Hertha whip Otaci 8-1

Hertha Berlin opened Intertoto Cup play with an 8-1 victory over Nistru Otaci of Moldova. Lukasz Piszczek led the scoring parade with 3 goals and an assist. Marko Pantelic added two goals and an assist.

At the races, Part 7

Sister Kathy was third last night at Oak Harbor. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2022729&target=893187

Theonlycardyouneed was 6th. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2022731&target=889427

Sadly, none of the fair's concessionaires offered Deep-fried Pop Tarts.

Win Photo from Ottawa

Here's Sister Kathy's win picture from the Putnam County Fair in Ottawa.

At the races, part 6

Maumee Lane was 7th last night at Hoosier Park. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2021219&target=873998

Sister Kathy and Theonlycardyouneed race Monday at the Ottawa County Fair in Oak Harbor:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=816393&target=893187

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=816395&target=889427

Photos from the weekend:

From the Cleveland City v. Western Mass soccer match on July 4 at Cleveland State...Cleveland (in green) easily defeated the thugs from Western Mass. (in red) 3-1. Western Mass leads the United Soccer Leagues in yellow and red cards received.

Who ate all the pies? 22! 22!

Crocodinho does the "lawnmower dance"

At the races, Part 5

Sister Kathy was 4th at the Madison County Fair on Sunday. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2019868&target=893187

Theonlycardyouneed was 6th. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2019829&target=889427

Derby Day, German Style - Kamsin wins!

Kamsin (right) runs through the rain, defeating Ostland by three lengths, to win the 139th BMW Deutsches Derby in Hamburg on Sunday. (Photo - Racingpost.co.uk)

Der Weg zum Deutsches Derby, Teil 7 - The field is set

The field for the 139th BMW Deutsches Derby, with jockeys and post positions:

1 Liang Kay T.Hellier 2
2 Top Lock M.Dwyer 14
3 Walzertraum L.Dettori 6
4 King of Rome J.Murtagh 10
5 Il Divo E.Pedroza 13
6 Akiem A.Suborics 12
7 Kamsin A.Starke 5
8 Soum J.Victoire 4
9 Solapur T.Mundry 7
10 Lancetto A.Helfenbein 3
11 Satier K.McEvoy 16
12 Ostland A.de Vries 8
13 Narcisco J.Palik 17
14 Agapanthus F.Johansson 1
15 Adelar D.Boeuf 9
16 Santero J.Lermyte 15
17 Secundus J.-P.Carvalho 11

Scheisse!

Sadly, Germany lost 1-0 to Spain in the European Championship Final on Sunday (photos from Kicker.de)

At the Races, Part 4

Sister Kathy won her race at the Putnam County Fair Friday afternoon. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2016498&target=893187

AND....Maumee Lane won at Hoosier Park on Sunday evening. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2017444&target=873998

At the Races, part 3

Sister Kathy races Thursday night at the Putnam County Fair in Ottawa. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=811538&target=893187

Der Weg zum Deutsches Derby, Teil 6

Liang Kay (above), winner of the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen at Cologne on June 15, has been installed as the favorite for the BMW Deutsches Derby on July 6. (photo:galopponline.de)

Behold the Deep-Fried Pop Tart!

Ahhhh...the county fair, where the ingenuity of food vendors knows no bounds. Witness above, the deep-fried Pop Tart, quite tasty with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.

At the Races, part 2

Sister Kathy was second at Paulding last night. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_result.cfm?race_id=2013789&target=893187

At the Races, part 1

Sister Kathy will race at the Paulding fair tomorrow night. Details here:

http://racing.ustrotting.com/race_entry.cfm?race_id=809754&target=893187

Now on sale....

The United States Trotting Association has dipped into its extensive photographic archives to produce "100 Years in Harness", now available for $27.95 through http://shop.ustrotting.com/ .

Particularly notable is the cover photo, taken at the Henry County Fairgrounds in Napoleon in 1947.

Der Weg zum Deutsches Derby, Teil 5

Walzertraum (above), owned by Gestut Schlenderhahn, likely punched his ticket to the BMW Deutsches Derby, winning the Group 3 German Tote Bavarian Classic in Munich on Sunday, defeating pre-race favorite Kamsin. (photo: galopponline.de)

The final prep race is the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen at Cologne on Sunday.

HEY HEY HOCKEYTOWN!!!!!!

The Detroit Red Wings are your 2008 Stanley Cup champions!

(photo: Detroit Free Press)

We are the champions....

Holstein Kiel are champions of the German Oberliga Nord by 4 points over Altona 93.

(photo: Holstein-Kiel.de)

What, you thought this would be about the Red Wings?

Stanley Cup Suit-Off

Vote for your favorite hockey analyst's suits in ESPN.com's Stanley Cup Suit-off featuring ESPN's Barry Melrose and CBC's Don Cherry:


http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/polling?event_id=3504
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/polling?event_id=3501
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/polling?event_id=3500

For what it's worth....I was warned that I would be deported from Germany if I had purchased a suit from Don Cherry's tailor to wear to Paul & Katrin's wedding.

Fair Time is Fun Time!

For those who are interested - here's Sister Kathy's racing schedule for the summer:

June 19 – Paulding
June 21- Northfield Park
June 26 – Ottawa
July 6 – London
July 11 – Scioto Downs
July 14 – Oak Harbor
July 24 – Raceway Park
July 30 – Scioto Downs
July 30 – Bowling Green
August 5 – Urbana
August 11 – Napoleon
August 16 – Hicksville
August 17 – Raceway Park
August 31 – Lima
August 29 – Van Wert
Sept. 2 – Wauseon
Sept. 10 – Montpelier
Sept. 14 – Delaware
Sept. 17 – Delaware
Sept 27 – Raceway Park
Oct. 4 – Northfield park

GLORY! GLORY! MAN UNITED!!!!

Manchester United defeated Chelsea 6-5 on penalty kicks to win the Champions League final in Moscow. (photo: Manchester Guardian)

Big Brown Delivers Again!

Two down, one to go....

Big Brown (above) won the Preakness on Saturday to set up a bid for the Triple Crown at Belmont on June 7. (photo:AP)

Der Weg zum Deutsches Derby, Teil 4

Precious Boy (above) won the Group 2 Mehl Muehlens-Rennen at Cologne today. He defeated Konig Concorde and his Dr. Busch-Memorial nemesis Liang Kay. (photo Galopponline.de)

Der Weg nach dem Deutsches Derby, Teil 3

Kamsin (above) launches himself into consideration for the BMW Deutsches Derby by winning the Group 3 Grosser Fruhjahrs-preis des Bankhaus Metzler at Frankfurt on May 4. (photo galopponline.de)

Big Brown delivers big in Kentucky Derby

Big Brown passes under the twin spires of Churchill Downs on his way to victory in the Kentucky Derby (reuters photo)

Derby Party

Beth & Jenny model their Derby hats.

We toasted Big Brown's big win with frozen mint juleps on Saturday. Sliders and Derby Pie were on the menu, along with a bunch of tasty side dishes. The viewing of the race was followed by a screening of the movie Phar Lap, about the famous Australian racehorse of the 1930's.

We learned the following:

1. The mint julep can be made into a tasty blender drink

2. Brie is AWESOME on a cheeseburger

Der Weg nach dem Deutsches Derby, Teil 2

Liang Kay (4) defeated last year's top German 2-year-old Precious Boy in the Dr.-Busch-Memorial at Krefeld on Sunday. (photo from galopp3000.de)

This is Keeneland....

The clubhouse/grandstand entrance
The paddock, where the horses are saddled and prepared for the races.