Schmeltzer's 4th Post

Alright folks, so by this time next week we will be right around 100 days until Opening Day here at the "Duck Pond”. It’s unbelievable how quick that day will sneak up us. Every year it seems like we prepare ourselves better, but no matter what we do there are always things we wish we could have done better. After all, he ballpark is old and needs a lot of "TLC." In order to make things “shine” the way they do each and every year we lean heavily on the group of new interns we hire each summer.

The internship position is by no means glamorous, but we look forward to giving each kid a summer experience they will never forget. One fun fact here is that most of us here know what it’s like to be an intern. In fact, five out of current eight full-time employees working in our office had an internship in the Northwoods League at one point in their career. The other three have worked as a part-time employee with the Mallards before they were brought as a full-timer.

The interns are expected to report immediately at the end of their spring semester of school, which is normally the middle of May. This gives us approximately two weeks to educate them on our organization and basically all the “ins and outs” of the ballpark. During this time they will spend the majority of their 9 AM to 5 PM day working in their respective area of concentration. After 5 o’clock everyone pitches in where they can and we work into the wee hours of the night. No one has ever been excused from painting duties. We go through a lot of Old Virginia green paint.

We hire interns in the following areas; marketing, ballpark operations, public relations (PR) and tickets/hospitality. Each spot is an extension of the front office and extremely important in helping to run and maintain a successful team during the summer. The hours we generally work during the summer can range from 60-90 hours on a given week. Although, if you make the most of this opportunity and can have some fun with it, the time really flies.

For me, I will never forget the summer of 2004. I was brought on as a Marketing/Operations Intern. During the day, I spent a lot of time moving beer and taking care of random maintenance tasks around the ballpark. When it was game- time, I was running the on-field promotions. I had a great superior/manager by the name of Eric Bjorling. He taught me all there was to know about the organization and for that, I am forever grateful. Good looking out Phil!

I ate ballpark food for just about every meal, although those meals were few and far between. One is just so busy that you are either to tired, stressed or busy to eat. Did I mention this was probably the best summer I ever had? Honestly, the friendships you make and the people you meet really do make this an unforgettable “career”. I do want to stress that this is a career and not a job. One final note, that I’m sure every intern (male, at least) can relate to is the interaction you have with the owner of the team. Steve is such a popular guy and knows so many people, that the first few times he meets you (or in my case, a month later), there is a good chance he will refer to you as being a “tough guy”. At this time I want to give you a little taste of what the internship experience was like through the eyes of a few former Mallard interns:

Vinnie Cholewa, PR Intern ’04 & PR Manager ’05: The summer internship with the Mallards was amazing, to say the least. There is one night that will forever stick out in my mind. It was the morning (2 AM) of Opening Day and we were trying to put the final touches on what was an 18 hour work day (mind you, we needed to be up and function less than six hours later). There was a load of bark that we had picked up earlier in the day that was sitting in the bed of my truck and we needed to dump it and spread it before the night was done. You can only imagine how thrilled everyone was to start this task at that time. I do know, however, that the mosquitoes loved every minute of it. These things were vicious to say the very least and almost put me over the edge. Following that daunting task was this humungous rolling Pepsi cooler that was at the bottom of a ramp by “needed” to be moved before we went home. There were probably five of us still left at the park at this time and we couldn’t budge the thing. This was the moment in my internship that sparked something in me that gave me a whole new perspective on life. I was so tired, frustrated, irritated that I took it into my own hands and just bust through this rolling cooler with all I had. I single-handedly moved it up the ramp and out of the fire lane. The look on everyone’s faces was priceless. This just proved to me that one can accomplish anything that is set in front of them. The internship in general taught me to overcome adversity and face challenges head on. I truly have the upmost respect for Vern and the organization as a whole.

Vinnie was probably the only intern ever to have a summer internship and not only one, but two jobs! He spent time working for State Street Brats & Verizon that summer as well. Not to mention, he was known to sleep at the ballpark. On more occasion than once, we would get into the office around 8 AM and sure enough Vinnie would be plugging away at his computer. He once a claimed that he had been there since 5 AM dumping garbage and on his fifth Redbull of the morning. If that doesn’t say dedication (or BS) I’m not sure what does! Anyway, Vinnie is currently living down in Arizona working for Careerbuilder.com and going to school for his MBA at ASU. Good luck pal!

Brian Dodge, Operations Intern ’05: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
Being a die-hard baseball fan, nothing made me happier than getting to go to the ballpark every day for work. The long hours and other minor factors made the position incredibly draining mentally and physically, but in the end you tend to remember all the good things and very few of the bad things. I loved the guys that we worked with that summer and I always felt like we put a good product forward for our consumers.

Aaron Reinen, Tickets/Hospitality Intern ’08: To try and wrap the entire summer into 3-4 sentences is going to be difficult. It was such a great and enjoyable experience, that I really wouldn't know where to start. However, if there is one key skill that I learned and mastered this past summer was the ability to count. You wouldn't think that a skill learned so early in life would leave you, but after many years of using a calculator to do all your math you really do lose some of those skills. For this very reason I will always be in debit to the Mallards, it was this organization that allowed me to find my math self again through counting wristbands!

On a serious note, I do believe the internship is a great starting tool to find out if a job in sports is for you. If you are able to work 938 hours from May to Aug, and still be able to go into work with a smile on your face then you may have found the career path for you. I know it certainly was great for me as I pretty much did a 180 career wise and this past summer really allowed me to get on the right track. I still would like to find a position much like mine last summer, taking care of hospitality/suites and sales. Where and when I'll find something like this is up in the air. Retired (for now) Tarp Crew Member Out!

OK, I am going to wrap up this fairly lengthy blog. I would love to go on and on, because I could write a book with all the things that go on at this ballpark. In fact, I have always wanted to do a reality television series on the Mallards organization.

To be continued…

Jerrad IV Post: Mallards win MSCR basketball barn-burner, 29-22

Madison (Sherman Middle School) – In a battle for first place in the MSCR Basketball Cypress Division Monday night, the Madison Mallards upended Birrenkott Appliance 29-22 in a very-physical game in front of three people.

The game had a nightmare beginning for both squads as neither team was able to hit a shot until five minutes into the contest. Once the teams started getting lucky and were able to put the “sphere”-shaped ball through the “cylinder,” (Geometry 101) the crowd erupted with a loud roar (or cell-phone ring) and the three-person wave broke out.

A back-and-forth affair this was not. Often one team would score, followed by at least 11 or 12 empty possessions by both squads, until again; one individual would have his “stars aligned” and hit a shot. With the absence of Mallards star Nick Staehler, film crews for the taping of the “And 1” series were nowhere near Madison. However, on this night, even minus the television coverage, both teams had a lot to play for—I mean, this was for first place after all.

And just because the halftime score was only 15-13 (Mallards on top), that didn’t mean the first 20 minutes (continuous clock) were played in a laid-back “lah-dee-dah” fashion. This was hardly the case.

When it was apparent early on that the officials were going to call a very-loose game, the force of the physical punishment seemed to increase with every offensive-charge. I haven’t heard that many slaps since I fell asleep to the World Sumo Wrestling Championships on ESPN Classic a week ago. To be fair however, the referees called the game fairly for both sides (None of this Tim Donaghy stuff) and were able to exit the gym afterwards in world-record time.

No question the Mallards lunch-hour office meeting in preparation for tonight’s ballgame paid off. Manager C.J. Thieleke (aka “The Point”) drew some great circles on the erase board followed by arrows to other circles, and squiggly lines to other arrows, and so on and so forth.

Said Duck Blind Manager Kevin Caloia, “Yeah, I thought coach’s lunchtime artwork was just a mish-mash of unguided Dry Erase marker strokes, but really when you think about it, if you were to draw each person’s motion during a typical game, the ending result would be pretty close to what he scribbled.”

“Think about it,” he whispered, no doubt inspired by phone conversations with The “Dude” from the motion-picture ‘The Big Lebowski’ (set to visit the Duck Pond this summer!).

The Mallards, 2-0, 3-4 overall) had great team scoring numbers with nearly everyone scoring a point. But because exact numbers aren’t reported due to an incident last season involving a scorekeeper who hurt himself while laughing, this story can only be told through randomly placed player biographies.

General Manager Vern (“Charging Bull”) Stenman was his usual self tonight. With a head of steam, he bulldozed his way from the top of the key all the way to the basket--two points every time. Ninety percent of the time Vern is fouled hard; 12 percent of the time Vern goes to the free throw line. He matches the playing style of Mark Madsen of the Minnesota Timberwolves, fitting that if Vern indeed cared about the NBA, he’d be a T’Wolves fan.

John (“The Ove Glove”) Schmeltzer is about as tenacious a defender as you’re going to find in MSCR basketball. At least in the Cypress Division. Think Gary Payton, minus the trash talking. John is always “up in his opponents’ business” and looks more like he’s trying out for a spot on Texas Tech’s roster in Bobby Knight’s first try at reality television, “Knight School,” than he is playing time in the league. His breakaway steal and late layup tonight were huge and actually might’ve been a turning point in the victory.

Mike (“O-Charge”) Then has to be considered for the team’s 1B Defender Award to Schmeltzer. With orange shoes that scream customization, Mike is another in-your-face ball-hawker who just so happens to be involved with the two-hardest fouls in the past two weeks. For that Mike, your teammates say “whew!” Tonight, he popped a few three-pointers and picked up a key offensive charge on his opponent late in the game. Indiana Pacer-great Reggie Miller was a very underrated ball defender, and Mike is too.

Nick (“Franchisor”) Staehler received his nickname from receiving royalties from opponents who’d rather throw their money and run than play the Mallards No.1 option. His game belongs in the motion offense where he has room to flash from the top of the lane and into the paint. His next move has opponents perplexed beyond no-end. Sometimes it’s the straight glide to the rim with a guide from the backboard; sometimes it’s a pull-up jumper with an Austin Croshere-like run back downcourt; or, this is the best, sometimes it’s a circus-style scoop shot that amazingly, seems to go in more times than not.

Kevin (“Spin City”) Caloia definitely exudes an old school approach to the game of basketball. The nimble-footed forward would rather spin around you than jump over. And it’s frustrating to stop because you cannot. Although again, statistics are not official, it is believed that at this point Kevin leads the team in banked-in free throws, but Stenman is close behind. Those in MSCR basketball circles have compared Caloia’s game to that of former Sacramento King center Vlade Divac…minus the flopping, sometimes.

C.J. (“The Point”) Thieleke is of course, the quarterback of the team. He’s barking out plays upon plays, formations upon formations, numbers upon numbers, and let it be known—he sure knows when to call a timeout. Maybe he just likes calling one because his summer gig (baseball) doesn’t allow him to, who knows? Like a true leader, he demands a lot of himself and oftentimes makes self-substitutions if he thinks someone else can contribute in his place. He’s that old-school type; think of a back-in-the-day Vancouver Grizzly Damon Stoudamire and Indiana Pacer Jalen Rose combination. CJ had a quick five points tonight and later made a sweet breakaway layup to put the Mallards ahead for good.

Steven (Slippery Salmon”) Stewart, now there’s one hard to catch fish. You better keep your eye on him, or you’ll lose sight of him fast. The comparisons can be made to former Chicago Bulls star role-player Toni Kukoc. Both change the game when they’re on the court and they do the little things necessary to win ballgames. In a real-time comparison, think of Steven as being today’s most unsung NBA player, Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier.

In the end, the Mallards outscored their opponent 14-9 in the second half to close out a 29-22 win. The victory pushes the team to 2-0 in the second half, with a date with the “Comets” lurking next week.

Time of Game: Under an hour, we know for sure

Attendance: 3 (Thanks Mary!)

Injuries: Thieleke (sprained right knee, day-to-day); Staehler (flu-like symptoms, day-to-day)

Mike's 4th post: All baseball, all the time!

Since my last blog entry I think I have found one of the single greatest television channels ever created…THE MLB NETWORK! For those of you who haven’t tuned in yet, it is on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and it is ALL baseball. For a baseball junkie like me, it is almost like there is no off-season. Everyday they replay some of the best games of seasons past. They have a studio where they try and re-create the greatest plays and go as far as breaking them down to show you how one little misstep or an extra pause by the pitcher would have completely changed the outcome of the play. There is a scrolling marquee at the bottom of the screen giving updates on all the trades, free agent signings and players still on the open market. One of my favorite programs is “Cathedrals of the Game” where they go in-depth for 30 minutes about historic stadiums or new-age technology taking over in the new stadiums. It’s AWESOME!

As I was flipping through the channels the other day, I noticed that the MLB Network was playing great pitching performances of the last century. Did you know that only 4 times in MLB history has a pitcher struck out 20 batters in a 9-inning game? Of the eight 19-strikeout performances, Randy Johnson did it twice in the same year (1997). Watching these games gives you an unbelievable appreciation of how incredible those feats really are. The stamina and control of the pitchers as they dominate opposing hitters blows your mind. I was mesmerized and couldn’t change the channel.

Another great segment I am addicted to is “Prime 9”. A panel of judges compile what they believe are the top 9 plays, games, or players in a certain category. It is definitely open to opinion of the judges but seeing the footage, listening to the players talk about their experiences and sometimes getting chills down your spine as you listen to how the game was originally called, makes me tune in every chance I get.

Now with spring training only days away and the first game of the spring season fast approaching MLB Network will help serve another purpose in my passion for the game of baseball: Fantasy Baseball. Last year, I played in 4 different leagues, all which required daily roster changes and were very competitive leagues. I try and do as much research as possible prior to draft days and having a resource like this channel will be great. (However, I do know just about all of the other members of those leagues are listening and watching as well). Here’s to another great year!

Switching gears a little bit, I need to give an update on Mallards Basketball 2009. After a fast start which saw the Mallards (wearing green jersey’s) win the opening game of the season, we haven’t been such “Lucky Ducks” and had dropped 4 consecutive games (all in which we wore white jersey’s). However, on Monday night, the slate was wiped clean and the second half started. Once again, we decided to break out the green jerseys and low and behold, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! The Mallards are now back in the win column and looking to keep the streak alive. We actually even had our very first fan attend a game the other night, so if there are more of you out there, let us know!

Well that’s it for now but not to worry, our very own season will be here in just over 100 days and your Madison Mallards will be back on the field making great plays of their own. Hope to see everyone at the yard.

VERN BLOG IV

Today everything seems right in the world. The Mallards Basketball team got our first win since week one of the season last night, the band I’m singing in (The Kites…more details in a later post) is starting to really sound great, there are strong signs that my daughter is a Bob Dylan fan, our staff are all doing a great job &, oh yeah, the Mallards promo schedule is really starting to come together as well.

So, those of you who follow Mallards Basketball team closely know that the last several weeks have provided a series of heart breaking defeats. Every loss (5) was within a few points & we had a chance almost every game to pull out a “W” well, until the game last week at least. Last week we got beat by 12 or so & it didn’t really even seem that close. To make it worse we actually seemed to play pretty well, but the other team just appeared that much better than us. Well it would be great to say that we learned from that loss & realized what we had to do to win last night…but that would be a bit misleading. The other team had four guys. Well for the first 5 minutes or so, after that they added a fifth guy. Best part was that our nine-man team only had a four point lead 5 minutes in! Anyway, we put it together pretty quick after the first five minutes & ended up winning by 16. Still it might be unfair to say we played great…the other guys might have been a bit tired…but hey, we’ll take any momentum we can get. Seriously though, we’ve got some good signs. Jerrad is lights out from 3-point land, C.J. is providing inspiration & game planning skills, Nick is solid as ever & we haven’t had to bring in Maynard yet to completely confuse our opposition.

So if you know me well, you know I’m kind of a Bob Dylan aficionado. The Dylan/Willie Nelson show we got to host in 2004 is definitely among my personal & career highlights (we’ve actually got an autographed Dylan Mallards uniform in the office). So when Christmas time came last December I was excited to find an illustrated version of the classic Dylan song “Forever Young” for kids. So of course I got it…technically I gave it to Kallie & Chloe, but it may have been (well it was) more for me. Chloe didn’t really appear to care too much about the book until the last week or so. She has started grabbing the book & bringing it over to me & insist that I sing it to her. Can’t beat that.

Oh yeah, Mallards promotions. Here is a quick list of some of the things we’ve been working on lately (nothing is final yet, but hopefully a lot of these will happen):
• Classic Bobble Boy Bobblehead
• Adam West at the Duck Pond – yeah!
• Original Star Trek character?
• Organic T-Shirts for on Summer Time St. Patty’s Night
• Big Lebowski Night – looking more & more like a lock!
• Swedish National team vs. Mallards (pre-season)
• Laser Light Show
So, it looks like the only bad thing is that Opening Day is still 110 days away. The good news is that pitchers & catchers will report in less than a week to MLB Spring Training. Which reminds me…Kallie & I will be throwing a big Twins Opening Day party at our house on the night of Monday, April 6th. We just won a big Weber Smoker last weekend at “Grill N’ 4 Peace” & I plan on putting it to good use for the celebration of the Twins returning to the field. If you are a Twins fan, or a Mallards fan looking for the inside scoop, or just like good food & would like to come over, just send me an email sometime & I’ll send you the specifics.

Liz's 3rd Blog: "February!"

Here we are on the 3^rd day of February. We have survived one month of 2009, the NFL season is over with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning the Super Bowl for the sixth time, and Jimmy the groundhog has seen his shadow so we can expect another six weeks of winter! Although I am always excited for spring, I am particularly excited this year. I am excited for warmer weather, Brewers baseball, and of course the best Mallards season yet.

However, I am also excited for spring as I have started coaching softball again. I am the assistant coach for the 12 U Xplozion Softball team. We practice every Sunday for 2.5 hours. Each week the girls are improving and learning more about the game. This past weekend we played in an indoor tournament at the Wisconsin Center in Wisconsin Dells. The tournament was great! It showed us what we need to work on, things we haven’t covered yet and gave the girls the chance to see live pitching, which is always helpful. Although I will not be able to coach all the tournaments this summer, it has been great working with the girls and being around softball again.

As for the Super Bowl, I was really hoping to see the Arizona Cardinals pull it off, but I must say it was one of the most exciting Super Bowls I have ever seen. The game was back and forth the entire time, Larry Fitzgerald had an amazing game, and Santonio Holmes was UNBELIEVABLE. The catch he had to put the Steelers ahead was spectacular. I also enjoyed the halftime show and thought Jennifer Hudson’s National Anthem was phenomenal. What a venue to make your first appearance after the tragedy of losing her mother, brother and nephew this fall. I don’t know I would have been able to do what she did, but I thought it was great!

I was also pleased with the commercials; my favorites were the Budweiser ones. The first Bud Light commercial with the guy getting thrown out the window for suggesting the company stopped purchasing Bud Light for all their staff meetings was the best in my opinion. And I also really enjoyed the one second High Life commercial. I wasn’t very impressed with the Coca Cola commercials; they were too plain and boring. I spent the Super Bowl with the guys from the office, which has become a bit of a tradition it seems. We enjoyed a nice spread of food, highlighted with homemade salsa and guacamole by Mike and John respectively. The salsa Mike made defiantly had some kick which I liked and John’s "guac" was good as usual. I made BBQ meatballs which seemed to go over pretty good; it is always a good thing when the dish you take to a pass is gone by the time you leave!

As far as the Mallards go, we are doing our best to get information out to companies, fans, players, host families and the Madison area. We are all busy making calls, setting up meetings and emailing. One new package we have put together is the Victory Plan Package. The Victory Plan includes one box or bleacher seat to the June 2^nd, June 11^th, July 7^th and July 10^th game. Each of these games that the Mallards win you will receive a FREE ticket to a future Mallards game! That means you can get up to 8 games in this package. The package is only $36 and is available now! Call the Mallards office for more information.

Thanks for tuning in for my third blog and congrats to the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Kevin's 3rd Blog - In the Year 2000...

The office has a new life this month as we are re-energized from our Holiday vacations and have a game schedule to finally share with everyone. People are walking with an extra hop in their steps, maybe because of the freezing temperatures and snow outside, but I like to think it is because they are on a mission. "Yes a mission from God, we are getting the band back together." The sales band that is, everyone is excited to be making phone calls to new clients and reconnecting with friends and old clients. Things are in full swing for us around here; people are in and out of the office regularly, phone’s ringing dude ("Big Lebowski" quote), there is a new life in the New Year for the Mallards sales band.

The office moral has also been higher lately as “Coach” is back in the office for a couple of hours a day and he brings endless hours of entertainment, arguments/discussions, and crazy ideas. Right now we are really struggling as the Badgers basketball team is on a five game losing streak and I don’t know if it is going to end anytime soon (Coach is a HUGE, HUGE Badger fan in case you didn’t know). However, it is his creative and off- the-wall ideas which usually get everyone talking. You might think he is just a former baseball player, coach and focused only on sports, but he is always thinking of companies we could work with and creative ways which we can work with them. His thoughts often get the wheels turning in everyone's heads and we hit the ground running.

Take a look, it’s in a book, its Maynard’s Lil’ Ducks Reading Rainbow! Yep, that’s right kids, Maynard G. Mallard has started his first ever reading program for area kids. Hoping to encourage area kids to increase their reading skills and time spent reading, the Mallards have teamed up with area schools to allow kids to earn free Mallards tickets with completion of the program. We all know how important reading is to the future leaders of our communities and hopefully the Mallards can help to improve those leaders.

On a completely random note, yesterday in the office we somehow got started talking about Conan O’Brien and his “In the Year 2000” skits which he has on his show. If you have not seen Conan or are not a fan of his comedy then you will probably not like the following but I wanted to try and add some humor to my blog. (The skit is comprised of totally random and weird predictions which are going to happen in the year 2000, the big the millennium scare, yet they continue to do them way after the year 2000.)

In the Year 2000. . . . Mallards Manager CJ Thieleke will have a tirade and throw all of the bats, gloves and back-up catcher’s equipment onto the field to protest a called ball by the umpire to load the bases for the River Bats in a 1 run game…he is immediately ejected leaving the mess for Coach Kus to clean up. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . A certain man, let’s call him N. Staehler…no that is too obvious, Nick S. will propose to his special lady friend underneath the “Duck Pond’s” stadium lights right before the human cannonball performs. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . The Mallards will win the Northwoods League Championship after playing with an all pitcher infield due to an abundance of players returning to school, and winning by 14 straight bunts. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . The original “Dude” from the hit film “The Big Lebowski” will attend a Mallards game opening a whole new relaxed atmosphere around the ballpark and attitude by players and Coach Thieleke . . .

Last Tidbits: Mallards front office teams continue to spiral out of control, as curling has now lost 8 straight matches, and basketball is on a 3 week skid. I guess sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well… the bar eats you. . .

Nick Part III - It's a "Super" week!

For this installment of my blog I had a really hard time trying to think what I was going to write about. I was thinking about work stuff, and the Super Bowl, and the Mallards basketball team, so I think between the three topics I should get to the minimum 500 word requirement.

In the wonderful world of Mallards I have been busy making cold calls, sending emails and trying to gather new sales leads to get the ’09 schedule into people’s hands. Going into this season the Sales team knew it would be difficult to get people to think about group/client outings with how the economy is, but so far most people have been receptive and haven’t really used the economy as a crutch. I mean where else can you be entertained for a whole evening for only $7!

Also during this off-season I have been busy ordering Mallards gear for the souvenir shops. Every spring Vern and I head up to Sports Impressions in the Dells and put our order in for all of our t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. We will be heading there in the next couple weeks to get all that jazz going. One of my favorite items I have ordered so far was a premium felt pennant, which you can roll up and it does not wrinkle or bend. Another one of my favorites is a Mallards wall clock. And for all of those who missed out on the Mallards foam cowboy hats last summer I will have a new shipment in for this summer!

And on to the Super Bowl. Mallards Manager (CJ Thieleke) put it best as he walked in to the office Monday morning and stated it is a “Super Week”. I am pretty sure I have my pick set in stone for the big game and here are my reasons why.

I like Pittsburgh’s tough defense (Troy Polamalu’s wins the “Best Hair Award”….sorry Kevin) and their experience having been there three years ago. They have played pretty solid all year long and as much as I don’t like Roethlisberger you have to give it to him, he is one tough SOB and can take a hit and bounce right back up. And don’t forget about “Fast” Willie Parker. When healthy he can be one of the most versatile backs in the league.

As for the Cardinals, they have never been to a Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how they come out and play in the first couple minutes of the game. They are a young team and might have the deer in headlights look. Can “Old Man” Warner lead the Cardinals to the promised land as he did with the Rams or will he be back bagging groceries after the season is over? The thing that worries me the most is that the Cardinals have been streaky to say the least. Some games their offense would just flip a switch and take over a game and on the other hand the offense isn’t there and the “D” gives up 48, such as in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Eagles. You also have to wonder if Anquan Boldin will quit being a baby and just play already? I mean you are in the Super Bowl! I bet there are dozens of other receivers that wouldn’t mind playing a limited role and being in the big game.

Well here is my official pick: Steelers 38 Cardinals 17

Besides the game I love the commercials. I think some years it’s more fun than watching the actual game. I have searched through the archives and picked out some of my favorite commercials from the past Super Bowls. Search YouTube for the following clips:

Electronic Data Systems "Cat Herder"

E-Trade "Freaky Clown"

Bud Light "Rock, Paper, Scissors"

Career Builder "Monkeys"

Budweiser "Clydesdales Football"

I hope you enjoyed some of my favorite clips!

As for the Mallards basketball team we are 1-3 on the season. The losses have been by a combined 10 points. Last night we lost another close game by 5 points.

Until next time……Go Steelers!!!

P.S. If you ever see Kevin Caloia around ask him about his addiction to the word search in the WSJ…..He loves them so much he spends most of his “personal” time doing them!!