The Blog of Jake

Super Bowl Cocktails, part 2a

2010-02-03T20:13:00.003-05:00

THE WHO DAT COOLER

1oz. Early Times Bourbon

1oz. Bacardi O rum

1oz. Triple Sec

1oz. Lemon Juice

4oz. Bigelow Constant Comment Tea

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into ice-filled glass and garnish with orange slice.

This is a variation on the "New Orleans" described in Difford's Guide, substituting Bacardi O for regular rum, Triple Sec for Chambord, and an orange-flavored tea for chamomile to create a more citrusy, Florida flavor.

Super Bowl Cocktails, part 1

2010-02-03T19:47:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine has commissioned special team-specific cocktails for his Super Bowl party. In honor of the Indianapolis Colts, I present....

PEYTON'S BLUE LAGOON

1oz. Absolut Citron vodka

1oz. Blue Curacao

4oz. Simply Limeade

Stir all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Pour into glass and garnish with orange slice.

This variation on the standard Blue Lagoon features more citrus flavor in deference to the Super Bowl venue, Miami, Florida.

I should probably stop looking at German car magazines...

2009-11-22T00:25:00.003-05:00

The forthcoming Audi A7 (autobild.de)
The forthcoming BMW CS

And the new BMW 5-Series

If I were to ever win the lottery, I don't think there would be a garage big enough to accomodate all of the cars I would like to have.

I used to like NASCAR....

2009-11-18T21:08:00.004-05:00

This is a 2010 Ford Mustang.

NASCAR would like you to believe that THIS is a 2010 Ford Mustang. But it is not.

First, we get the pointless-as-tits-on-a-boar "Chase" "playoff" scheme.

Then we get the abomination that is the "Car of Tomorrow".

Then they give us this "Mustang," apparently, sadly, with Ford's blessing.

It's not as if we needed any more evidence that NASCAR has become a gigantic stinking dungheap.

Witness the hatchet job that NASCAR did in trying to get the Mustang compliant with the "Car of Tomorrow" template to be used in the minor-league Nationwide Series, starting in 2010. The last I checked, the new Mustang didn't have a trunk. But that's not what NASCAR would have you believe. Toyota and Chevrolet haven't been done any favors by the new Nationwide rules either.

Ford and Mustang fans should be marching with pitchforks and torches on NASCAR's Daytona Beach headquarters.

Chevy fans should be thankful that GM didn't let NASCAR butcher the awesome new Camaro in a similar fashion. Their reasoning here, as told by GM Racing Director Mark Kent to autoextremist.com (emphasis mine):

"We've looked at racing the Camaro, and one thing that we do not want to do is to force a car where it shouldn't be. As we looked at NASCAR, for example, we took a very hard look at running the Camaro in the Nationwide Series. That was a request made of us by NASCAR. We've had a tremendous partnership with NASCAR, so we took a very hard look at it. At the end of the day, because of the quest for very close competition and the need to have templated bodies in that series, we just felt that by forcing the Camaro into the Nationwide templates, we were compromising the lines of an iconic car. At the end of the day, we could not get the Camaro in the Nationwide Series to satisfy our requirements."

It's hard to tell what value, if any, the automakers are supposed to derive from NASCAR participation anymore. The automakers are third-class citizens behind the drivers and sponsors. The cars bear no resemblance, either inward or outward, to the cars that we can buy in showrooms. When was the last time you could buy a new car with a carburetor?

They make very nice Christmas lights in Ingolstadt.

2009-11-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjkJCDCxDys

The War On Christmas...Where Do I Sign Up?

2009-11-01T19:31:00.002-05:00

On October 11, I went to the Meijer store in Defiance, and what did I see?

Christmas decorations.

Yes, Christmas decorations. On October 11th.

OCTOBER!!!!

Almost 3 full weeks before HALLOWEEN, for crying out loud. Never mind that one could have bought any of this stuff for half price last December 26.

What's next, tinsel on Labor Day? Reindeer on the 4th of July?

Enough already. You shouldn't be able to buy Yuletide bric-a-brac anywhere outside of Frankenmuth, MI before Thanksgiving.

Don't get me wrong, I LIKE Christmas. A lot. I enjoy giving and receiving gifts. I (grudgingly and in a dilatory fashion) send Christmas cards. I like all the baked goods. I don't even mind going to church at unusual hours for Christmas Mass.

But I'm not ready for any of it in f---ing October.

I'm reminded of a "Sesame Street" skit where the characters pondered what life would be like if it were Christmas every day. The first couple of days were pretty cool. Then the garbage started to pile up. The mail wasn't getting delivered. No work was getting done. Most importantly, Christmas lost its special qualities. I feel like we're at that point. The relentless, inexorable expansion of the "holiday shopping season" erodes the meaning of the winter holidays.

I'd like to get through Halloween. Halloween's not my thing, but I've got no beef with those who enjoy it.

I'd like to give Thanksgiving its due. It's about having a nice meal and spending time with friends and family - not a religious/commercial extravaganza. Shouldn't we be allowed to enjoy that before turning our attention to Christmas?

A "War on Christmas"? No. I've got no use for those who complain about multi-religious holiday displays on public property or kvetch about store clerks who don't say "Merry Christmas."
It's time for a different sort of War on Christmas. It's time to send a message to the retailers - we're sick of the expansion of the holiday shopping season.

DON'T BUY ANY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS BEFORE THANKSGIVING!!!

11/1

2009-11-01T19:20:00.002-05:00

Municipal elections today in one of my favorite cities, Montreal. Follow the results here:

http://election-montreal.qc.ca/actualites/detail/Election-Montreal-Actualite-20091030-2.en.html

Good Night from Loose Field. Drive Safely!

2009-10-13T22:18:00.002-04:00

Golden is Thy Tate...A weekend at Notre Dame 9/19/09

2009-10-04T21:22:00.002-04:00

Me, Paul, Katrin, Jim, Renata, & Mark

Paul & Katrin are smiling....but not as much as when they saw me coming up the stadium steps.

Notre Dame's Golden Tate (from MSNBC Sports)

Lucas County Arena - Open House

2009-10-04T18:25:00.003-04:00

Images from the Open House for the new Lucas County Arena, the home of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye:

Spike, the mascot

Lots of neat stuff in the team shop.

Montreal, on further review

2009-10-03T01:26:00.004-04:00

1. I saw enough of Montreal to convince me that I need to return. I left enough tourist-guide recommendations on the table to justify another visit. Plus, I want to see a hockey game next time around. Like Rick Steves says - always assume you'll return.

2. It takes far greater talent than I have as a traveler, to find a bad meal in Montreal. I want to check out the poutine and spruce beer place on rue Charlevoix that Samantha Brown visited, and render a verdict on the Fairmount-vs.-St. Viateur bagel debate. I HIGHLY recommend m:brgr. http://www.mbrgr.com/

3. The people in charge of Amtrak need to go to Canada, ride the train, and take notes.

4. I believe the bilingual style of the Montreal Impact PA announcer is worth emulating.

5. Montreal - France with training wheels. I did my best to stick with French, but enough people are bilingual, that I could have gotten along fairly well without it. I was able to order food en francais, and get what I thought I ordered. A girl is cute when she greets with "Bonjour-Hi!", but it simply doesn't work when a guy says it. There's just no way to make it sound manly.

Why Am I Laughing? Read This!

2009-09-23T00:51:00.002-04:00

I want to put in a plug for my friend Jim Knaus's new book, Why Are You Laughing?, a collection of humorous anecdotes and wisdom from his adventures in financial planning.

You can buy it here:

http://www.authorhouse.com/bookstore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=59786

The $44 Steak Salad, or What Happens When A Man's Stomach and Penis Gang Up on His Brain

2009-08-14T21:54:00.003-04:00

On the TV show Northern Exposure, one of the minor characters, Maurice Minnifield, once pronounced that "The man is a simple creature, governed by two things - his stomach, and his penis." (or something like that)

Oh, how that's true.

I've just returned from a vacation in Montreal, one of the great food cities in North America. The most enjoyable of the eateries I sampled was m:brgr, an upscale burger joint owned by the proprietors of the highly-regarded Moishe's steak house. (website here: http://www.mbrgr.com/english.html) It was a short walk from my hotel, and it was a bit expensive, but worth it.

I first sampled m:brgr on a Sunday evening. I got a burger with grilled pineapple, grilled mushrooms, and blue cheese. Since it was the special of the day, the fries were free. I washed it all down with Boreale Blonde beer. Quite tasty.

My last night in Montreal, I decided to patronize m:brgr again. This time, with a simple plan: to try their smoked-meat poutine, a potentially delightful combination of two Montreal delicacies, smoked meat (think corned beef), and poutine (a combo of french fries, cheese curds and a beef(?) gravy).

My theory worked as follows:

Smoked Meat = Good

Poutine = Good, therefore:

Smoked Meat + Poutine = Double Plus Good

It was only potentially delightful, because I never got to try it and find out for sure.

I hadn't counted on Nathanielle, a lovely femme Quebecoise, being my server that evening. After briefly explaining the intricacies of the menu, Nathanielle mentioned that the special that evening was a steak salad (that was not on the menu) with truffles and a fried egg (this is where my stomach comes in). Which actually sounded quite good, considering that I had gorged myself on a smoked meat sandwich earlier in the day. Vegetable intake seemed like a good idea.

I was also overcome by the friendliness and beauty of my server (here's where the penis comes in) and felt an urge to impress by ordering something as decidedly sophisticated as a steak salad with truffles.

So, ignoring my internally-stated mission, I ordered the steak salad.

Cost of the steak salad with a pint of beer: $44, with tip

Cost of the poutine avec viande fumee: $10.

You know what stinks? I didn't even get her phone number.

New Soccer Gear

2009-07-12T22:28:00.002-04:00

Manchester United's new jersey. Looks nice, but is it safe yet to wear anything with a big AIG logo on it?
Hertha Berlin away (l) and home(r). Like the away one better.

Wolfsburg has switched to adidas from Nike.

St. Pauli revealed these nifty designs.

The sharp new Hamburg SV jersey from adidas.

Brondby of Denmark introduced new blue away jerseys for this season

Werder Bremen switched from Kappa to Nike gear. The white jersey on the left looks best.

All pictures from footballshirtculture.com

What I'm doing on my summer "vacation"

2009-07-12T22:01:00.002-04:00

Hey! I haven't spent much time here lately.

I'm not technically "on vacation" (yet). But I am enjoying the lighter non-tax-season schedule.

I've been to 8 minor-league baseball games in 3 different ballparks (Toledo, Fort Wayne, and Columbus). I will be attending 5 or so Columbus Crew games. I'll be doing track photographer duties at 7 different county fairs this summer. My cousin Nick is getting married next weekend.

As to vacation, I'll be spending a few days in Montreal in the first part of August. I'm looking forward to it - it's my first extended vacation since the 2007 Germany trip. Before I leave, I'll be taking in a Tigers game in Detroit with my friend Dave Kelly & his family.

Don't ask which movies I've seen lately. I'm stuck in a pop-culture death spiral - I don't think any current movies are worth the $12 to see them in theaters. When you don't go to movies in the theater, you don't see the previews for movies you might find worthwhile. And on and on and on.....

Take care.

When people stop being polite...

2009-06-11T23:11:00.003-04:00

Here's a hilarious blog about the filming of the upcoming season of MTV's Real World in Washington, DC, written by folks who live in the neighborhood near the Real World house:

http://antirealworlddc.blogspot.com/

Ganz Schleswig-Holstein traumt von Liga 3!

2009-06-11T23:00:00.002-04:00

Holstein Kiel celebrates their Regionalliga Nord championship. They will play next year in the German 3.Liga.

Which of these belong in my closet?

2009-06-11T22:49:00.003-04:00

Toledo has a new hockey team this coming season, the Walleye. I'm trying to decide which of their 3 jerseys I should buy. Here's the black alternate jersey, my favorite.
Here's the blue (away?) jersey.

Here's the white (home?) jersey.

I always knew the Germans had good taste in cars...

2009-04-23T19:30:00.002-04:00

It appears that the German car magazine Motor Klassik has discovered the pleasures of my first car, the mid-80's Chevy Monte Carlo SS:

http://www.motor-klassik.de/auto_U_technik/fahrberichte/hxcms_article_505417_14702.hbs

Random bits of stuff....

2009-02-04T12:30:00.002-05:00

Items that maybe I only care about:

Here's a nice article from Terry Pluto about John Carroll's (nationally-ranked) basketball team in today's Plain Dealer:

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2009/02/john_carrolls_mike_moran_keeps.html

The USL-2 champion Cleveland City Stars have posted their 2009 schedule here:

http://www.clevelandcitystars.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=280&Itemid=107

It appears that they still have not settled on a location for their home games - internet sources of dubious reliability have mentioned John Carroll and Baldwin-Wallace as possible home fields.

And the Columbus Crew have posted their 2009 schedule here:

http://web.mlsnet.com/schedule/scoreboard/season.jsp?team=t102

An open letter to GM CEO Rick Wagoner, Bob Lutz,...

2009-01-25T22:21:00.003-05:00

The Cadillac Converj hybrid concept car, shown at the Detroit Auto Show(photo:Los Angeles Times)

...or, for that matter, anybody at GM that will listen:

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BUILD THIS CAR!!!!!!

You saw that ugly piece of junk Lexus hybrid - this car would blow that nasty thing out of the water.

As an accountant, (and I am sure you have accountants to tell you the same thing) I would point out to you that any additional uses that you can come up with for the Chevy Volt platform will spread out development costs and make it easier for you to charge a lower price for the Volt.

Though I am not an engineer, I would be pleased to volunteer my services should the Converj require a "real-world" testing environment. I'm not located far from your Detroit headquarters.

Yours sincerely,

Jake

Liebe Ingolstadt: Teil Zwei

2009-01-25T22:17:00.002-05:00

The Audi Sportback concept, shown at the Detroit Auto Show (photo:Canadian Auto Press)

Einmal in Schwarz oder Dunkelblau, bitte!

Oooooh....a Bundesliga card game

2009-01-25T22:12:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I know it's lame for 35-year-olds to collect sports cards, but geez, it's Topps, it's the Bundesliga, it's a card game, what could possibly be wrong about it?

Ab jetzt im Handel:

http://www.kicker.de/match-attax

The 2009 Derby website is online

2009-01-08T11:42:00.002-05:00

The official 2009 Kentucky Derby website is now up and running. You can find coverage of the prep races and profiles of leading contenders here:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/

Less than four shopping months till the Derby!

2009-01-06T22:25:00.001-05:00

I'm having a Kentucky Derby party again. The ladies still have four months to buy their hats to commemorate the occasion:

http://www.ladydianehats.com/

Warm thoughts from Germany

2008-12-22T21:26:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

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....

2008-12-10T19:05:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-11-24T14:32:00.002-05:00

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....

2008-11-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

Brasa Grill -

http://www.brasagrillsteakhouse.com/

1300 W 9th in Cleveland.

Hey, Chubb Insurance Adjusters...

2008-11-14T18:00:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-11-09T23:33:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-11-05T14:51:00.001-05:00

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

Follow the elections here:

2008-11-04T14:43:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

VOTE! DAMMIT!

That is all.

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

2008-10-23T11:09:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-22T21:04:00.003-04:00

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?

2008-10-22T14:58:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-16T09:54:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-10-08T21:49:00.002-04:00

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....

2008-10-08T20:58:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-03T15:26:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-02T08:55:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-29T21:15:00.001-04:00

At the races, Part 26

2008-09-29T20:39:00.001-04:00

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.

2008-09-25T22:51:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-25T22:45:00.001-04:00

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

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

A question

2008-09-25T09:34:00.001-04:00

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

Seriously, that's cool.

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

2008-09-22T23:27:00.001-04:00

At the races, Part 24

2008-09-22T23:20:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-09-16T09:41:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-15T22:38:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-09-11T23:50:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-11T20:38:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-09-09T22:33:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-08T23:00:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-08T22:58:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-30T08:47:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-28T15:49:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-22T21:25:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-22T17:31:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-18T22:25:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-17T22:20:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-17T21:56:00.003-04:00

Then....
...and now.

At the races, Part 16

2008-08-16T21:58:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-14T14:05:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-12T11:20:00.000-04:00

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

2008-08-08T20:47:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-08T20:42:00.002-04:00

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....

2008-08-07T00:02:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-06T01:01:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-04T21:05:00.001-04:00

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

2008-07-30T22:36:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-27T19:01:00.000-04:00

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

2008-07-25T00:24:00.000-04:00

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

2008-07-24T13:22:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-07-23T22:22:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-22T21:35:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-22T21:22:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-22T21:20:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-17T21:26:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-17T21:21:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-15T22:03:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-13T23:16:00.002-04:00

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

At the races, part 6

2008-07-11T12:22:00.003-04:00

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:

2008-07-08T21:03:00.007-04:00

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

2008-07-07T22:53:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-07-07T22:51:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-03T10:05:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-06-29T23:49:00.003-04:00

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

At the Races, Part 4

2008-06-29T20:32:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-24T11:59:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-24T11:57:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-06-21T11:50:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-20T12:49:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-18T11:29:00.001-04:00

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....

2008-06-17T10:28:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-11T23:00:00.003-04:00

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!!!!!!

2008-06-05T00:15:00.002-04:00

The Detroit Red Wings are your 2008 Stanley Cup champions!

(photo: Detroit Free Press)