Steven Stewart's First Blog - The day has finally come...

After “somehow” missing the message the last time I was supposed to write a blog and getting tired of other people bugging me about it, here it is! The excuse of it not being in my job description just doesn’t cut it. Plus, I figured that if I wrote one of these every once in a while, it would give them a little more time between their blogs so they can think of something to write.

I will give you all a brief background about myself. I graduated from UW-LaCrosse in the summer of 2007 after I finished my Operations Internship with the Mallards, with a degree in Recreation Management. The following summer I was offered a Seasonal Position to try and help out the rest of the office get the park ready for the season, as well as help with managing the main concession stand. I am back again this summer to try and make it even better and easier for everyone. In the off-season, I have had the pleasure of helping out Chef Boyer by cooking at Rookies.

I am just like everyone else and like to relax with some friends and enjoy some refreshing drinks. Which brings me to my topic of my blog……………Local Taverns. I would like to know where people like to enjoy these beverages and why? Some people like going downtown Madison to the college bars because that is where “everyone” goes and you will see a lot more people. Others like to go to the National Chain Bars because they are a little better known for a wider range of age groups. And then there are the local bars that you see all over, but never really know what is going to be inside. Truthfully I kind of like the local “hot spots” because you tend to get better service than the other bars, plus it won’t cost you an arm and a leg for the night. But, what is the best part about the local taverns? It has to be the BAR BURGERS. You get that urge where you want to get a nice thick burger at a decent price, and the only thing that comes to mind is a Bar Burger. Usually the tavern is owned by brothers, a husband and wife, or it has been in a family for generations. That creates a nice family friendly atmosphere -which can be hard to find these days. If you are at a local tavern, you are more than likely still able to watch a particular sports game on the television. If it is busy at the tavern you are at, then you also have a better chance of getting the game you want to see on the television than if you were at a “college bar.” It is always interesting to think “Who came up with that or why is it called what it is called?”

Because each place is so unique, that is what makes them so different. Whether it is the jokes and stories from the bartender or locals, specialty drinks, no running water in the bathrooms, or even the “Jumbo Burgers,” each place has its own followers. Yes, I can say that I have been to a bar with no water in the bathrooms and all I have to suggest is make sure you go during the summer and also during the day.(Don’t worry, it did have outhouses for customers to use.) So if any of you want to go there, let me know and we will go. Just make sure we don’t go on the last Wednesday of the month because it is their infamous “Stinky Cheese Night.” I have never been there for it, but I heard that it is standing room only and something that will just amaze you.

So I want to know……..what are some of the good local taverns in the City of Madison? If I can find a free night here or there this summer or am on my way home from the park, where is a good place to stop for a beverage? Well, I hear Vern calling my name (he must have thought of something for me to do around the park) so I better get going and I look forward to hearing your suggestions!

P.S. For those who were wondering, Tony is my cousin.

Kevin's 6th Blog: Just Dance!

With it being the 4th week of the month, that can only mean one thing, Kevin Caloia is back on the blogisphere scene. I apologize for missing/side stepping my blog during the month of March. Unfortunately, I was mentally preparing for a 12 hour van ride down to Alabama for a golf / bachelor party trip. . . .which I had a very good time on, as the weather was beautiful both days and the golf courses were great.

I will share one quick highlight with you from the trip before we dive into the meat of this week’s blog, MUSIC! It had rained for about 12 days in a row while we were down there so everything was really wet and there was a lot of standing water. We were on our way to the third hole which we needed to drive through a tunnel (under the road) to get to. Well some water had collected just before the entrance to the tunnel and I did not think it was more then a couple of inches so I didn’t think twice before the individual riding in the cart with me said, “floor it”. . . . It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen; the water was at least one if not two feet deep and we hit it at top speed 8 mph) and created a pretty amazing scene. Water shot up over the whole cart, we got completely soaked, but didn’t care because we were laughing so hard because we created such a big impact that the water cascaded over the top of the golf cart like a title wave. Note: If you are going to be as stupid as I was that day you will want to make sure your cart has a windshield, you have a couple of adult beverages before and after, and you put your phone in a waterproof bag. . .

Baseball is in full swing and the Brewers have had a couple of home games so what is the juice talk around the office, what song is playing when Braun, Hart, and Prince walk up to bat? What is the hot new track that they are blasting at Miller Park? Well I couldn’t tell you but I am sure numerous Brewer fans have already download it to their iPods. I could tell you every song which the Cubs players walk out to, the beautiful organ! This got me thinking and I thought I would ask all of our loyal readers a question, what do you like better, each player having their own music or stadiums just playing the same type of music for each batter?

Now I think that a lot of people could go both ways on this issue thinking that it is nice to hear an organ every once in a while for all of the players but they also think that it is nice for a player to have their own song to pump them up before the at bat. I am torn on this issue as I could go either way (a switch hitter). I love the idea that they are a team, not a bunch of individuals. That the players “walk up song” (I believe Liz or Rod coined this phrase in our office), which is the music being played as the player walks to the plate, should all be the same or played by the same instrument. They are one team, one group united, with a common goal and purpose to play their best and win the game. (Editor’s note: bla bla bla)

However, I know if I was the one walking out in front of 40,000 screaming fans in the bottom of the 9th with runners in scoring position and two outs, with everything riding on my bat I would want to hear some AC/DC, maybe a little Hells Bells, Thunderstruck, or TNT! I would want something to get me jacked up and excited for the at bat. A song that would give me the confidence to look the pitcher right in the eye and let him know that this is not going to be his day.

I know that the baseball purest prefer just a simple organ being played for the whole game and just the players names being read. While the kids nowaday want the latest rap track from Flowrida, T-Pain or JT! Or possibly the latest Nickelback or Hurt song. I think the two questions which have to be answered by the stadiums though,
1) Is the music going to help or hurt my player’s performance during his at bat?
2) Is the music going to get the crowd involved, get them excited, or is it going to put them to sleep, bore them, or annoy them?

Until next time, keep your chin up because Mallards baseball is just 39 days away!!

Go Bulls! Go Hawks! Get well soon Fridge! R.I.P. “Tired Bill”

Nick's 6th Post: Rubbing's Racing

So I would like to dedicate this blog to a sport that is held very dear to Steven Stewart’s heart….NASCAR! (Steven is my roommate and a current seasonal staff member who also runs the main concession stand. During the season ask Steven how he is related to Tony Stewart)

I have never really had any interest in NASCAR prior to 2003 when my brother, Kevin, left his position as an auto mechanic in West Bend, WI to take a position working for Matt Kenseth and the #17 DeWalt team. He currently builds the transmissions for Kenseth’s cars and travels with the pit crew on race days. I do not watch the sport religiously but if I am sitting around on a Sunday afternoon I will flip back and forth between NASCAR and whatever else I am watching. I do follow it more closely than year's past and try to catch a glimpse of my brother on tv after Kenseth would win a race.

I have visited my brother who lives in Concord, NC, which is about 20 minutes north of Charlotte. This area is also home to many NASCAR teams. It amazes me how much the way of life differs down there from here. First off it is God’s country down there. I have never seen so many churches in rural areas and they are just packed on the weekend…maybe praying to the NASCAR gods?!?! Second, you cannot buy liquor in any old store. You have to go to what they call an “ABC” store. This is a store that is owned by the government whereby you cannot purchase liquor on Sundays. Lastly, I have never seen so many people crazy about NASCAR. I happened to be there for a week and wanted to find a place to watch the Packers game on Sunday so I headed to the Dave and Busters. Of course they had the satellite package that could pick up every NFL at the bar, but most of the patrons were complaining that most of the tv’s had football on and made the bartender turn on the race.

Anyways to get back on track (no pun intended) I was mentioning that the area surrounding Charlotte is home to many NASCAR teams. I was lucky enough to go to the shop where my brother worked on all of the #17 cars. This was not your ordinary shop that you and I are used to. This was a glass palace. I was amazed to how big these buildings were and that they were all tinted glass buildings. You could not see inside but you can definitely see everything going on outside. The shop was very pristine there was not much that was out of order. You could have licked the floor that’s how clean this place was.

I was also amazed at the number of race cars in the building. They were just lined up row after row. I never realized they have different styles of cars they use either. They have certain cars they use for short track races and roads races and usually have a new car for every race, which is not cheap because they cost right around $400,000-$500,000 per car. My brother also said they sell cars that are kind of banged up or they won’t use again to individuals who race in lower levels.


Also while I was there I visited the DEI Museum (Dale Earnhardt Incorporated). This was actually a pretty cool place. They had all sorts of memorabilia and career highlights of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. The thing that amazed me the most was in the center of the museum they had a large glass enclosure with a bunch cars that Sr. had driven throughout his career. It was quite remarkable to see the differences in the cars they drive today to one’s they drove 20-30 years ago.

I have been told attending a race is unlike any other event. People travel in RV’s from all around the country to attend the races. The Phillip Morris Company in Concord actually owns fields surrounding Lowe’s Motor Speedway and they charge people to park in their fields on race weekends. It is quite the scene! I also have been told that the young women who attend these races are phenomenal. My brother has also said "if you ever want to go you let me know," so maybe one of these years I’ll take a trip to a race somewhere.

I don’t have much insight on the sport in general and probably could tell you very little about any of the drivers, but I do respect what these guys do for a living. As for Steven he is such a huge fan of NASCAR he actually purchased NASCAR 09 for his Playstation 2. I have a little advice for you: easy on the left hand turns and slow down coming out of the pits! Well Steven good luck on your quest for the Nextel Cup Championship!

Only 41 Days Until Opening Day!

J-Rod's 6th Post: "State of the Brewers: It's a long season..."

Calm down Brewers fans, we're only 81 innings into the 2009 season.

Of course a 3-6 overall record and 2-4 mark at home isn't exactly the position we had hoped to be after nine games, but, considering that we're only 0.055% into the season, it's hardly the time to panic.

Consider this:

1)Apart from the 7-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on April 9, the Brewers have had a legitimate chance to win every game. The Crew could easily have two more W's minus a blown save by fill-in closer Carlos Villanueva on April 11 against the hated Chicago Cubs and a six-run third inning meltdown by Yovani Gallardo this past Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. While a 5-4 record would look nice...peek around the rest of the league and you'll see the Boston Red Sox sitting at 3-6, the Minnesota Twins at 4-6, the defending American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays at 4-5, and the Arizona Diamondbacks at 3-6. Come October, I still expect at least two of these teams to be sitting atop their respective divisions.

2) Our starting pitching has been pathetic. It's hard to believe we're only third-to-last in the Major Leagues in walks allowed with 43 (only the Braves & Indians have been worse!). It's one thing to put guys on base, but when you start walking consecutive batters with the bases loaded, now we have a problem....*cough* Jeff Suppan. But once this bunch starts pounding the strike zone and gives the team a better chance to win ballgames, things will get interesting.

3) We rank #28 in hitting! Really, if Mike "I swear I'm off the juice" Cameron hadn't gotten off to the start that he has, we'd rank dead last. Check out these batting averages: Prince Fielder (.200), JJ Hardy (.156), Ryan Braun (.212), and Jason Kendall (.120). Manager Ken Macha said it best before yesterday's game in stating that it's evident a lot of these guys are trying to start the year off with a "bang" and are simply swinging at bad pitches. Once these guys settle down and let the game come to them, this offense will give a lot of opposing pitchers' nightmares.

I predicted before the season this team would finish with an 84-78 record, which should put them in the race for the Division (if the Cardinals come back to Earth) or Wild Card come October. Look for GM Doug Melvin to pull the trigger again this season at the trading deadline & make a move for a Jake Peavy-type impact in order to keep the fanbase excited & season attendance again near the 3 Million mark.

But more importantly, Mallards Opening Day is only 45 days, 21 hours, and 24 minutes away....

Schmeltzer's 6th Post: Couldn't have said it any better myself...

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to blog this week on behalf of the man, the myth, and the legend, John Schmeltzer. My name is Vinnie. You all may remember me from such Mallards seasons as 2004 or 2005 or from State Street Brats and the beer stock exchange.

Anyway, no one cares who I am, but may be interested in what I have to say. This, my friends, is the BEST week of the year. FACT. Spring has sprung and baseball season has arrived! There is something revitalizing about the birth of a new season, the fact that for one day, everyone’s team is in first place and has a chance for THIS year to be THE year. (I feel this more than most being a die-hard Cubs fan).

I think this year is more special and more important than most for a number of reasons. We’re all sick of the make-up, break-up stories of Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels; and who really cares if a screaming Stephen A. Smith tells us that LeBron makes a better MVP than Kobe? Does anyone even watch the NBA anymore? More importantly though, in a time when so many people are making sacrifices and facing hardship, baseball shows us that there is hope.

In my backyard of Phoenix, Arizona the Diamondbacks have something going on that even caught the attention of Rick Reilly recently and will be featured in ESPN The Magazine in a few weeks. For years now the Diamondbacks have been going against the grain of what is perceived to be a money-hungry MLB, and have been giving back to their fans.

An idea came to D-Backs CEO Derrick Hall after he heard the story of a season-ticket holder who lost EVERYTHING. Another season-ticket holder went out of their way to buy her two tickets and even pick her up and take her to the games every day. After hearing this story Hall asked himself the question, why don’t we do this for our fans? So ever since, the Diamondbacks have been taking applications to put their fans on ‘scholarship.’ Families in need write in with their story, and the D-Backs give back to those most in need.

No, not with a family four-pack. With season-tickets, financial support and having the players meet with the children in these families. (I’d pull quotes from Reilly’s article, but I don’t have a strong desire to be sued anytime soon.) Imagine the joy of a kid who has had a rough go at it being suddenly able to not only go to all the games, but be able to meet and hang out with A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER! This is any kid’s dream! It just goes to show you how much of an impact baseball can have one someone, especially a kid. For these fans, baseball gives them so much more than hope of their team making a World Series, but it actually gives them hope that there is a shining light from a world that has been so difficult for them. Maybe baseball can be the thing that helps them get back on their feet, or maybe the conversation a kid has with a pro ball-player will cause them to study hard instead of do what society tells them to do and give up.

I think we can all take a page from the D-Backs play book and lend a hand to our neighbors in need. We don’t need to buy everyone season tickets, but try playing catch with the kid across the street that doesn’t have a dad. Invite someone over to watch the Cubs beat up on the Brewers, or get a kid a ticket to a Mallards game. It may not seem like a lot, but there’s something about being at the ballpark that makes us feel good. It lets us escape reality for a brief moment of time and envision the thoughts of hitting that grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, or strike someone out with bases loaded in game seven of the World Series.

Baseball lets us all be kids again. Baseball lets us dream, hope and in many instances, makes us ‘wait until next year.’ But at least we have the excitement of knowing how good it feels once baseball season is back!

So what do ya think Vern, Mallards scholarships?

PLAY BALL!

Mike's 6th Post: Potentially the greatest week of the year...

You can put it on your calendars folks as this week rivals almost any other in a calendar year as the best week ever. Think about it. Major League Baseball Opening Day on Sunday night, the NCAA Basketball Men’s Championship on Monday, and The Masters started on Thursday. There is also the end of the NBA and NHL seasons fast approaching. Combine all those and SportsCenter overload is in full effect!

Being a sports nut it is great to be able to turn on the TV at the end of the day and know there are great highlights to watch every day of the week. Also, as someone who has 4 fantasy baseball teams, was in multiple NCAA tournament pools and is pulling for Sergio Garcia to win The Masters so I can get a free Taylor Made Driver, it helps to know what is going on.

Sunday I watched intently as the Braves and the Phillies matched up in the 2009 MLB debut. In one of my draft’s, which is a keeper league, somehow I was able to take Brian McCann with the first available pick and he did not let me down. Blasting a 2-run bomb into the second deck in first inning, it justified taking a catcher high in the draft and let me know he will be a force to be reckoned with this season. (shout out to Schmeltzer and the NL East).

On Monday, the Twins officially opened their 2009 campaign at home against the Seattle Mariners. With a late Opening Day starter switch last week, Fransisco Lirano got the nod and took the hill. The Mariners, now with the veteran Ken Griffey Jr back in their lineup, proved to be too much for the Twins and we lost. However, Tuesday would be a different story. (More on that later).

Also on Monday night, I was able to experience my first-ever “Itch’s Annual Basketball Bash at Rookie’s.” Making the 35 minute drive out to Rookies was well worth it to share in the comrodarere of the rest of the Mallards staff and a lot of other Mallards fans over a few beers and the first Stoddard’s Brats of the year. Also due to a couple of good-natured gentlemen’s bets, a round or two of shots came from the bar, with the last being…..Orange Whips! Orange Whips have been a staple of any type of NWL gathering or Mallards outing since their debut in Rochester in the fall of 2006. As a concoctuion that changes with every establishment we order them at, Rookie’s did a great job and should share their mix with the rest of the world.

Tuesday I came into the office only to take a fair amount of gruff on the Twins Opening Day loss, however my spirits were not broken. I knew the Twins had the heart to win and they proved it on Tuesday night. After being down two runs, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Twins mounted a comeback for the ages. Carlos Gomez, who is not known for his plate dispiline drew a walk. Then so did pinch hitter Jason Kubel followed by another walk to another pinch hitter in Brian Buscher. With the bases loaded Denard Span squeaked out an infield single to bring the Twins within one and then Alexi Casilla sent a line drive back up the box to plate two runs and give the Twins the victory! WOW! Those types of games are what make me love the game of baseball. The Twins ended up splitting the series with the Mariners and now head to Chicago for a series with division rival White Sox.

Wednesday was another day of regular season baseball but one story really stands out. A young man named Nick Adenhart was making his first start of the 2009 season for the Anelgs. As 22-year old rookie, Adenhart showed masterful control of pitches as he tossed 6 shutout innings en route to his first major league victory. Sadly, it would also be his last. Nick Adenhart was killed late Wednesday night when a car he was riding in was hit by an alleged drunk driver. Tragic. Devisatating. Painful. To see someone with such great potential, someone who had worked hard to recover from Tommy John surgery to work his way into the starting rotation of a Major League team only to have everything taken away because of stupidity is hard to understand. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Adenhart family, the Angels organization and their fans and all of Major League Baseball.

Thursday, the start of The Masters and a great weekend of golf. My Sergio Garcia pick seems to be a little bit of a stretch as he ended the day tied for 47th with an opening round 73, a full eight strokes off the lead. I guess I may have to settle for buying a new driver now instead.

52 DAYS AND COUNTING TO THE MALLARDS HOME OPENER! WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE DUCK POND

VernBlog - April 7

So a couple years ago some friends of mine emailed me & asked if I’d like to sing in a reincarnation of their band that was, & still is, called the Kites. Not sure exactly what they were thinking…I don’t think any of them had seen me sing karaoke or in my church choir when I was a kid, which were basically my only vocal experiences in my life. But, not being one to back down from an interesting challenge, I accepted their offer. Admittedly it took us a while to get things in motion. We had a few meetings to discuss the concept of the band & well that took about one year, then last fall we actually started to practice consistently. After that we tweaked the lineup of the band which includes some names you may know if you are an avid fan of the local music scene:

Adam Schabow – guitar & vocals

Adam Tregre – bass guit

Harris Lemberg – keyboard & vocals (Harris is also the Mallards Organist)

Larry Braun – drums

Victoria Echeverria – baritone sax

Daniella Maria – multiple instruments & vocals

Crazy thing about the lineup of the band is that all of the people in the band have great musical credentials having either played their instrument their entire life, or played (or still play in) multiple bands around Madison & beyond. Well everyone except me that is. So I’ve been spending the last several months trying to catch up with the rest of the band & we’ve gotten to the point where we actually booked our first gig! We’ll be playing at the High Noon Saloon May 7^thth Anniversary Party. Pretty exciting to be playing our first show at the same venue that I’ve seen Dick Dale, Stephen Malkmus & more play at…kind of overwhelming. for the Dane101.org 4

So what do we sound like? That is a good question. The blurb on the High Noon Saloon website describes us as punk rock. I’m not quite sure that is accurate. The original Kites were probably best described as punk, but the new version is pretty eclectic. In my opinion our songs range from pop rock to punk & we’ve even got one song that may qualify as a rap song. Adam Schabow described us as “multi-generational” once, which may accurately describe the bands lineup as well as our musical style.

Like I said before, I can’t say enough about the quality of the musicians in the band. So I really feel like our show will be pretty entertaining, but don’t expect to see us playing at the Duck Pond anytime soon. I don’t think our style is quite right for the park & more importantly I’m pretty confident that I couldn’t handle the pressure of a gig & a Mallards home game on the same night! On top of that the bands that typically have the best reaction at the park play more covers than we do (we actually only play originals, so far at least), so I think you’ll have to catch us around town for the time being. See ya soon!