Kevin's 2nd Blog Entry - Cue the Harp, it's Christmas!

The terrible cold winter season has stalled hot-stove talks for most of the major league free agency period. The Yankees took the lead by signing anyone and everyone they could get their hands on, and showed little to no concern as to what it would cost. It seems that the treacherous winter weather has few if any people thinking about baseball at the moment. All we can do is look at the radar and attempt to prepare for our third major winter storm in as many weeks. It is tough to think about baseball with a thick 2-3 foot layer of snow over everything, but come spring it will hopefully give way to beautiful green grass and warm days!

Besides all of the white stuff, the terribly cold temperatures, and the havoc that is created on the roadways, this is one of the most wonderful times of the year, or at least that is what most people say. With numerous holiday parties, hot cocoa, warm egg nog, and giving/getting gifts, it’s truly a great time once you get past the weather. From ugly Christmas sweater parties, (which have become an annual tradition for college kids) to hot apple cider spiced with rum, the holiday season always has something fun and entertaining to offer.

It is truly a joyous time of the year as you receive gifts and presents from friends and family, attacking presents like you’re rounding third base and heading for home. Once you start to unwrap the first present there is no stopping; sure coach might be waving you home but your parents seem to be always holding you up. They are telling you to slow down and let other people open a present or too. It is tough to do, but is usually one of the most gratifying things as you are able to see the joy and pleasure others have when opening presents. That is truly the best part of the holiday season; the giving of gifts. Sure you might get a baseball glove or bat, but it is what you give that truly makes it a wonderful experience. A simple gift or a card can go a long way in brightening another individual’s day, week, or holiday season.

The joy and pleasure that you can give to another individual is one of the best things, if not the best thing about the holiday season. Everyone loves receiving gifts but there is nothing that can match the power of giving a gift. The receiver of the gift might not think it is the greatest thing in the world but the simple idea of you thinking of another individual and giving them a gift should mean a lot to that person. Oftentimes it is the thought and effort that counts, not a high-priced tag.

As I have grown older and experienced numerous Christmases with family, friends, and other individuals I have learned that the true joy is not in what you receive but in what you are able to give!

I’d like to quickly praise another Packers collapse and a wonderful win by the Chicago Bears in last night's game. The game was not pretty by any means, as Kyle Orton threw some perfect passes to Charles Woodson and Nick Collins (Packer Pro Bowl DB’s). However, once the Bears remembered that Matt Forte was on their team, and leads the team in receptions and rushing yards, they started to involve him more and he helped create a multiple (more then a 3-and-out) play drive for the Bears which they eventually ended up scoring on and tying the game with. The biggest controversy in last night’s game according to my roommate, Mallards Merchandise King Nick Staehler, was the coin toss in overtime. I thought he was going to have a heart attack as he was wildly complaining about the toss, how it should have been re-flipped, that the Bears were some how cheating and that since it hit Urlacher in the helmet it completely changed the outcome of whether it was going to be a heads or a tails. . . I just sat there and laughed, trying to explain to him that he was off his rocker because Urlacher did not intentionally hit the coin and therefore did not intentionally alter whether it was going to land heads or tails. I told him that the only reason he was freaking out about it was because they (the Packers) lost the toss (which I probably would have done if the Bears lost) but it was a random toss with a random hit off of a player’s helmet and randomly landed on the ground.

The coin toss debacle was a great laugh for me and my other roommates, however the most impressive thing which I think both Bears and Packers fans can agree on is the long snap catching ability of Bear’s punter, holder, and former MVP, Brad Maynard. He was catching long snaps one-handed and placing them perfectly on the ground during a sideline warm-up. Now that is an amazing display of skill by one of the team’s best players . . . now only if we could get him to work on his passing.

Side-note: Duck Blind Princess, the answer is yes and I look forward to seeing you next summer out on the deck!

I hope everyone has a great Holiday Season, and a very happy New Year!

Nick’s Second Post- All Work and No Play...Urban Cowboy? What??

I must say that I am very impressed with all of you who have still managed to get your “Duck Wear” despite our lack of presence in the malls this holiday season. Our sales have been quite phenomenal. “Duck Wear” merchandise is even being shipped to buyers in places such as New Jersey and Arizona. You still have time to order your last minute Christmas gifts if you haven’t done so already. Looking for some help? Please call me at the office (608-246-4277) and I will personally take your order and mail the items! We also have a great ticket special running right now as well. Receive six (6) pint glasses and six (6) tickets (3 for Sun-Wed and 3 for Thu-Sat) in a handcrafted (Thanks Mike) six-pack holder for only $30! Woooooooooooo!!!!!!

So while all of you were digging out of the 6.5 inches of snow we received last week Monday and Tuesday, Vern, Mike and I were working feverishly at the baseball Winter Meetings being held in Las Vegas. We did have a little fun while in the “Sin City” but for the most part we were very focused on the tasks at-hand of planning for next season.

While there we did attend the Minor League Baseball Trade Show, which had hundreds of vendors with all types of products from promotional items, equipment, clothing, amusement rides, and much, much more. I think a few of our favorite ideas we saw were hats by a company named "Twins 47," an amusement ride (something similar you would see at a fair) for the ballpark, a new inflatable game, information regarding pyrotechnic shows, and a heat press to make customized t-shirts at the park. Much like the rest of Vegas there was so much to take in and not enough time in the day to look at everything.

We did manage to squeeze in some time to enjoy ourselves as well. The first night there we were mesmerized by the glowing lights and noises coming from the hotel casino. I told myself going into Vegas that I did not want to spend any money gambling. I fared well the first night and did not spend anything. I cannot say the same for Mike. Ask him sometime about his losses on the first day! We also had to check out one of the places Vern had looked up on-line. If you know Vern at all he has a little "hippy" in him, so naturally I kind of knew what to expect. We ended up visiting a dive bar off the Strip called Double Down. The place was very dark and had a punk motif to boot and also offered a drink called “A*# Juice”, which I was told is a mixture of all sorts of alcohol that did not taste the best. Unfortunately (or better yet, fortunately) I was not brave enough to try one.

Before heading to the meetings on the second day I gave in to my temptations and went down to the casino while Mike and Vern got ready. Needless to say I didn’t fare well on the slots and got down about $40 pretty quick. Next we headed down to the Strip and hit up most of the casinos just as any other tourist would do. As I mentioned before, there is just so much to look at and too much to take in.

During the trip Vern had mentioned he wanted to get a cowboy hat. Well it just so happened the rodeo was in town for their 50^th Anniversary. Let me tell you I have never seen so many cowboys in my entire life! Everywhere you turned all you would see is hats and boots, hats and boots. The hat Vern was looking for was a washed out tattered hat with strings on it. After a few stops in hat shops he couldn’t find anything. I asked him if he was trying to be some type of urban cowboy and why he wanted a hat so badly. I don’t think he took to that very well.

Mike and Vern both saw an ad for an event called “Cowboy Christmas,” which was a huge convention for cowboys to buy everything from hats, boots, jeans, saddles, trailers, lassos and anything else you can stereotype a cowboy to have. Before entering I told Vern it was going to be bad and he wasn’t going to find anything. We walked around in the convention center for all of about 15 minutes and Vern left disappointed (weird!!!) but we did have plenty of laughs.

Later that evening we met up with Curt Carstensen, who works in the Northwoods League office and he drove us around town in his rented car, a “big white Magnum”. We made a few stops at the Rio and another bar outside of town called the Blue Martini. For the most part we took it pretty easy.

So all in all it was a pretty decent trip. And we managed to get a “decent” amount of work done. Here are a few of my likes and dislikes of Vegas.

Likes: Lions at the MGM Grand; Water show at the Bellagio; monorail that takes you up and down the strip; Hard Rock Casino Bar; the fact you can walk up and down the strip with drinks; my amazement that everything is seriously open 24/7.

Dislikes: Seafood buffet at the Rio (way overrated for the price); Coyote Ugly bar in the New York, New York (nothing like the movie); and all the cowboys.

That pretty much sums it up from me. I recommend that everyone go there at least once in their life and spend more than two days because there is just way too much happening!

Have a safe and happy holidays!

Schmeltzer's 2nd Post: Must-see TV for the Sports Fan

It’s about that time for me to step up to the plate (pun intended) and deliver my second and last entry of 2008. It’s hard to believe we are about two weeks away from the start of a new year. For me, this is one of the most exciting times of the year due to the fact that it’s college football bowl season. Now, I know for me it’s always baseball first, but what true sports fan can honestly say that he/she doesn’t enjoy a little college pigskin during this time of year?

Bowl Season: I would love to dedicate this entire post to predicting all the games, but that would probably get a bit long and wouldn’t appeal to everyone, so I’m just going to predict the winner of the first game, which will be played on Saturday, December 20^th. The game is the Eaglebank Bowl and will feature Wake Forest (7-5) versus Navy (8-4). On a side note, the names of these bowls get worse every year. The last weekend in September these two teams met up in Wake Forest and Navy was able to pull out a 24-17 victory. Although, this time around, I believe Wake will get the better of the match-up and steal this one 27-14. I just can’t give the nod to a team that lost to Notre Dame, sorry Midshipmen fans.

On the NFL: I am a big Packers fan and anyone who can say the same, would have to agree that the season has been a really tough pill to swallow. You can come up with tons of reasons why this season didn’t play out as well as one would have hoped, but in the end they just lost too many close games. Good teams find a way to win, and they just couldn’t do it when it mattered most. I do believe, however, they will come back strong next year and be considered the team to beat in the NFC North (although that’s not saying much).

On the NBA: OK, so I don’t really pay that close of attention to the NBA but from the little I do know…the Celtics and Lakers are REALLY good. With a combined record of 42-5 (as of today) and both teams winning by an average of over 10 points a game…look out. These teams will meet up for the first time this season in LA on Christmas Day. Make sure to flip over to NBC in between bowl game commercials to check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

On the Holidays: One of the biggest traditions I enjoy during the holidays is the 24 hour marathon of “A Christmas Story.” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s the 1983 movie about the little kid (Ralph) who asks for the Red Ryder BB gun and is always told no because, “You’ll shoot your eye out”. Both my brother and I will watch this back-to-back-to-back-to-back, etc. My cousins enjoy bits and pieces of this flick, but also do their best to get the remote control and take back control of the TV. It’s a constant battle that has become a tradition.

That’s it for Blog # 2. I hope that everyone who’s reading this has a wonderful holiday season. Be safe if you are traveling and certainly enjoy the time you spend with family and friends. Make sure to get your fill of cut-out cookies and egg nog. See you in 2009!

Coach C.J.'s first blog entry - Your Wisconsin Sports Report

Good morning everyone. I'm coming to you live from Iowa City, IA, where I typically spend the off-season working at a nearby company while spending time with my girlfriend.

It's been an especially frustrating fall for Wisconsin sports fans. The one thing about sports across the board is that you can either choose to make excuses, or choose to look in the mirror and face the facts. The problem with the Packers and Badgers football teams is that neither team has played smart all year. Penalties have killed the Packers to no end this season and ended up costing the game versus the Houston Texans last weekend when a drive on Houston's 25 yard line was killed after a holding penalty and sack forced the team to punt. My message to all NFL officials: Keep the flags in your pants!

The first thing I preach to every new Mallards team each summer is to play smart. Whether it's hitting with two strikes, moving baserunners over, or getting the sure out on defense, I firmly believe that the smarter teams accumulate the most wins over the course of a Northwoods League season and have a better chance of winning close games. Playing "small ball" may not be the flashiest or most exciting brand of baseball at certain times, but it does translate into victories at any level, and as coaches, wins & losses are how we're judged on a year-to-year basis.

I've been spending every single day thinking about the upcoming summer and how to put the best lineup on the field during every foreseeable situation. The most intriguing part about coaching baseball is that no two situations are ever the same...there's always some variation involved.

The 2009 Mallards should be a very exciting team. We'll be a bit younger than year's past, but the neat thing is that every one of our kids think they have a realistic shot at being a big leaguer someday. That's pretty special. Obviously, not all will advance to that level, but to have a group of collegiate athletes who are extremely self-confident while at the same time are extremely humble should translate into a very fun team to watch on the field next season. I tell the players that the NWL is an educational process and playing in this league is like having a summer internship during college.

I also think that "old school" is becoming the "new school" in college athletics. I see more and more players buying into the team concept and really pulling for each other. This is a very good thing.

Here are five observations I've made recently about our beloved Brewers, Badgers, and Packers:

1) Give the Brewers credit for doing all they could to retain big CC Sabathia. Still today, when the Yankees and Red Sox get involved in negotiations, small-market teams aren't able to compete.

2) This year's Badger hockey team reminds me of the Mallards last season...a slow start to begin...followed by a string of victories...then both sitting in first place at the halfway point in their respective seasons.

3) If the Badger basketball team can get exceptional guard play from juniors Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes, the team should finish in the top three in the Big Ten this season. Watch out for Jon Leuer as well...this will be his breakout season.

4) I like the Badgers chances of winning the Champs Sports Bowl versus the Florida State Seminoles. Even though it's been a tough season, sometimes the best cure-all heading into the following season is a hard-fought bowl victory over a storied program. It's evident that running back John Clay is the future of our football team and we should be in the running for the Big Ten title next season.

5) The Packers defensive line is the root of all of the team's problems, and the loss of DE Cullen Jenkins was too big to overcome...there's absolutely no pass rush whatsoever. And we've learned that linebacker Nick Barnett (who is out for the season with a torn knee ligament) is a little bit better than we thought too.

That's all I have for now...I'd like to wish everyone, including former players, coaches, friends, and family, a very Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. I can't wait for the grass to turn green and having the opportunity to send runners home around third base. It should be another exciting year of Mallards baseball!

Jerrad's 2nd Post: The Ups and Downs of Curling

Well, I wish I had better news to report about our curling team comprised of Kevin Caloia, John Schmeltzer, Steven Stewart, and myself. We curl every Wednesday night at the Arlington Curling Club and for all of us, minus Steven (who has curled since high school), it's our first crack at the sport.

Before our very first match on Nov. 19, Steven's dad, Bill, who has been curling for 43 years, was gracious enough to offer a much-needed quick lesson on technique and strategy. To note, the source we used in preparing for our first curling competition was the sport's Wikipedia entry seen here. So needless to say, we were facing an uphill battle from the beginning, although we came into that first week confident that we wouldn't make complete fools of ourselves.

Our first competitor couldn't have been hand-picked any better. Each team is comprised of four individuals, and these gentlemen were around the same age as us and it was their first try at the sport as well. Fast forwarding to the ending result, we, or the "Ice Ducks" as we call ourselves, somehow came out on top and posted our first victory. We were relieved to know that we wouldn't lose every match and become the Detroit Lions of Arlington. As a side note, I in fact did fall on the ice (and was the only person to do so) while sweeping, and a long-time member yelled out "Man down!"...which actually was pretty funny.

The past two weeks we haven't been so lucky. You see, many of the competitors in the league are in their 40's, 50's, 60's, and beyond, and have been curling for just as many years as Bill Stewart has, so they have the touch and accuracy down-pat (the Ice Ducks are still searching for consistency in both areas).

We lost in week two to a very veteran team and this past week we were so bad the accumulated score was taken off the board in the sixth round (matches last eight rounds typically). Alas, we've learned a lot, such as the terms: "Hog Line," Rocks in the House," "In & Out Turns," and the "Hack." And no, if you're good at shuffleboard at the local tavern, that doesn't automatically make you a curling All-Star...we've learned that very quickly. All isn't bad though. After the matches the winning team buys beers (out of a classic vending machine downstairs) for the non-winning team, so being on the "short end" of the scoreboard isn't such a bad thing sometimes. But we're still having a great time and all of the members have been very nice in welcoming us to Arlington.

Thanks for reading...we'll see you Thursday for the newest edition of "Maynard's Musings" with an entry by Mallards Field Manager C.J. Thieleke! Should be good!

Mike's 2nd Post - A boy named "Doug"

Well everyone, it seems my time has come to post again so I hope you’re ready for the second installment of the “Life and Times of Mike Then in the Northwoods League.” When I last posted I gave a little bit of insight to my first year as an intern in the Mankato MoonDogs office. Today, I will fast forward to the summer of 2005 and “The Story of a Boy Named Doug.”

I would like to preface this story with a little more insight into a NWL office. Due to the close proximity that we all work in, and the amount of time spent together, there is quite a bit of good-natured mocking and ridiculing that happens on a daily basis. People take it and dish it right back. It’s just the nature of the business. With that being said, I’ll continue with the story.

As the spring of 2005 rolled on, it was only my second season as an Assistant GM and Kyle and I decided we needed to widen our scope of potential intern candidates and started interviewing several from around Minnesota and Wisconsin. One candidate, from Waunakee, took the time to drive to Mankato for a lunch interview as he was that serious about getting a job in the NWL. He had also toyed with the idea of trying to work for the Mallards, as it was basically in his backyard, but after several phone conversations, one of which happened while he was on spring break in Florida, we convinced him a summer in Mankato would be a great opportunity for a career in baseball. So as soon as school was complete he packed up his car and made the trek to Kato for a summer none of us will ever forget.

Typically, every season teams in the league hire various interns for different specific tasks. Because “Doug” was a baseball fanatic and had worked in the athletic department at his school where he had written stories etc., we gave him the task of writing post-game recaps, updating the website, and sending out email blasts along with his other daily tasks. He was a great kid, who was willing to put in extra hours and do whatever it took to help out the team. “Doug” was a true team-player and was someone who obviously really wanted a job in baseball.

One night after a game “Doug” returned to the office to take care of his post-game duties. That season, we had a catcher from Elon University playing for us by the name of Drew Davis. Drew had had a great night for us and was the central topic of that night’s recap. However, being a complete Milwaukee Brewers homer, “Doug” referred to Drew throughout the story as Doug Davis (a former Brewers pitcher). The next morning as we all began to read the story online, the mistake was clear as day, and “Doug” was embarrassed. Then the email came in…it was from Drew’s mother. Now, I don’t have the exact quote but I believe it was something along the lines of “we appreciate the great write-up about our son; however his name is DREW, not Doug. Can you please make that change?” From that day forward, “Doug” became our intern’s official name. When we would introduce him to people, it was always this is “Douglas our media relations intern,” other mistakes were affectionately referred to as a “Dougie” in our office and to this day I still have his phone number saved as Douglas.

As the summer continued, Doug and I actually became very good friends and went on to have quite a few more memorable moments. At the end of his internship he even stayed in Mankato for several weeks looking for a job in baseball. Later, at an career fair put on by the Minnesota Twins, we found him a job working for the Frisco RoughRiders, (Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers) and he has been there ever since.

I have gone to visit him several times and he has traveled back to visit me. I have spent Holidays with his family and I recently attended a CD release party for his younger brother. All of this because of one summer in the Northwoods League.

One of the reasons I told this story is because we are currently searching for our 2009 interns here and want to let everyone know, that yes there are long days and trials and tribulations that go along with the job, but there is also tremendous opportunity to further your career in sports and make life-long friendships.

Oh, and Douglas, since I know you are reading this…….“MAN DOWN!”

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Vern Blog #2 - What to do during a long, cold Mallards Baseball off-season

So I’m a day late in my blog posting here…I’ve got a feeling that this won’t be the last time my entry is delayed, but I’ll do all I can to make the wait worth your while. So this is kind of a crazy time of year in the life of a person who works in baseball. We don’t have our 2009 schedule yet, nobody really wants to talk baseball during the holidays & we’re mired almost exactly in the middle of the baseball off-season.

Fortunately this fall has offered me all kinds of ways to keep busy. My 14-month old daughter Chloe has been the big highlight. Already walking for a few months she has turned to new challenges, like how to trick me into holding & entertaining her every moment that we are together. To be clear, I love the attention but I can’t help but be curious how she has become so infatuated with me. My wife Kallie says it is just a phase that all kids go through…but I think it is the start of her struggling through the same thing I am. The complete lack of baseball! I’m sure she is thinking to herself, “I can’t believe it is 72 days until pitchers & catchers report to Spring Training!” It follows that the only rational thing she can do is to latch on to the closest thing she has around the house that will hopefully talk some baseball with her. Keep in mind that in her short time here on earth she has been to at least 60 baseball games (if you count in utero attendance) & it makes sense that she misses the comforting confines of a baseball field. Well I’ve been working on helping her develop some new habits to help get her through this terrible time of year.

One that we’ve focused on is music. Kallie brings her to music class once a week & at night I normally will play some classics to augment what she hears in class. Last week we listened to a lot of Beatles, Rolling Stones, Lorretta Lynn, Stephen Malkmus & others. Her favorite though appears to be a band called Blitzen Trapper that I saw at the High Noon Saloon a few weeks ago. After a pretty impressive show I picked up their CD & the next morning I looked at the CD titled "Furr" & thought to myself “man, did I just waste another $10 bucks on a CD by a band I’ve never heard of & probably never will ever listen to again after I throw it on one time?” To my very pleasant surprise it turned out to be some of the best new music I’ve heard in a long time, kind of a modern mix of Dylan & The Flaming Lips or something along that line. To make it even better whenever we played the CD (which was a lot) Chloe would start dancing all by herself! Good Stuff.

Other than that, Mike, Nick & I are heading to Las Vegas next week for the Baseball Winter Meetings. I have plenty of ideas for off-season moves my Twins should make, but as of the publishing of this blog they had not returned my phone call requesting a meeting with GM Bill Smith to review my concepts. I guess we’ll have to settle on spending most of our time at a pretty impressive trade show where we will hopefully find some great ideas for use during the 2009 season out here at the “Duck Pond.” After we’re done with that I’m not quite sure what we’ll do…is there anything fun to do in Vegas? Please feel free to send us any ideas…I don’t think we’re capable of having any fun there though…at least that is what I’m telling my wife!

Talk to you soon!