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Happy Lunar New Year

2012-01-29T12:55:00.000-06:00

Madame X and I on Saturday attended the Lunar New Year celebration at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa. Divine Word, primarily a seminary for missionary priests-to-be, has a large contingent of international students -- most of them from Asia.

We are members of the Divine Word FAN (Friends Across Nations) Club, matched with a couple of students -- Joseph from Uganda and Yen from Vietnam.

Though the celebration welcoming the Year of the Dragon is special for the Asian students, no Divine Word student was excluded. The program started with an African drums number, with our friend Joseph (far left, photo below) playing a key role. (He returned to this stage for another number, when this photo was taken.)

If was an enjoyable evening of great food and fun entertainment.

Running recap for 2011

2011-12-31T17:39:00.003-06:00

Brian and Greg at Turkey Trot 2011: Just 2½ miles to go!

Boredom alert: This post (like the others?) will be of little interest to anyone but me, but it's a good exercise for me to be accountable to my training.

Madame X and I just returned from brief trip to her folks’ farm in Brown County, Illinois. The weather continued to be unseasonably warm, and, with this morning's temperature a notch above freezing and the sun shining brightly, we enjoyed a peaceful jaunt on the backroads.

Over the 4.8 miles we covered, we encountered no one. Not a driver. No one in his or her yard or driveway. Not even a dog or a deer, for that matter. (We did see cows in their pastures, however.)

That was my final run of 2011. I feel that it was a good year of running for me. But I didn’t realize how well it turned out until I checked my blog post of a year ago today, where I recapped my 2010 running and set goals for 2011.

My mileage for the year – 1,130 – was my highest total in at least five years. (I covered 938 miles in 2010, 640 in 2009, 759 in 2008 and 742 in 2007.) Turns out that also exceed my new year’s resolution goal by 30 miles.

I credit my increased mileage -- 76% more miles than two years ago -- to better conditioning. As noted here a year ago, I started weight training in mid-2010. That has helped me avoid back spasms and trips to the chiropractor (just two visits in 2011), so I can stay on the run. (Thanks again to daughter Kate for recommending the weights!)

I also credit the fact that I'm in a running group. Without knowing that they would be watching for me to drive up to the starting point at 5:24 a.m. weekdays, it would have been very easy to hit the snooze button. Mr. Reliable was Judd Ott, who was out there every weekday.

Here were my 2011 goals, followed by the actual result.

Days of running – Goal: 273 (75%). Actual: 255 (69.9%)
Miles covered -- Goal: 1,100. Actual: 1,130
Weight workouts – Goal: 100. Actual: 107
Competition – Goal: Complete the Turkey Trot 7½-miler without the big fade experienced in 2010 (Time: 1:00:35). Actual: Accomplished. Ran 2½ minutes faster (58:01), thanks to my pacer and coach, Greg.

My running log also noted :

Longest run -- 7.5 miles. Six times, including the Turkey Trot.
Shortest run -- 2 miles. Twice. One was a pre-dawn day in Chicago. The other was the day after the Turkey Trot, when my body told me I needed another day of rest.
Coldest weather for a run (not including wind chill) -- Minus-15 on Feb. 10. (Fortunately, there was no wind.)
Hottest run -- 80. Three times (June 8, July 18 and, on a morning when the official humidity was 100 percent, July 19.) By the way, those were the temps at 5:25 a.m.
Most miles in a week -- 30.5, Nov. 21-27. The week of the Turkey Trot, it included one of my shortest runs (2 miles) and two of my longest (7.5 miles).
Fewest miles in a week -- 8, Jan. 31-Feb. 6. It included a couple of missed days due to a blizzard, travel to Des Moines for a convention and general laziness.
In late February, we were iced out of running three consecutive mornings.

Aside from the Turkey Trot, I didn’t race particularly well in 2011. I attribute it to advancing years and few interval workouts on the track due to a persistently sore right hamstring.

Enough about the past. Here are my goals for 2012.

Days of running – Goal: 274 (75%). This includes Leap Day.
Miles covered -- Goal: 1,200.
Weight workouts – Goal: 100.
Competition – Goal: 21 minutes for the Labor Day 5k and match 2011's time in the Turkey Trot 7½-miler.

Check back in a year, if you care, to see how 2012 turned out!

A granddaughter weekend

2011-11-08T21:14:00.009-06:00

Madame X and I had a great weekend -- great because it featured time with all three of our grandchildren.

Elsie, nearly 17 months, is learning the fine art of feeding oneself yogurt.

She enjoys going outside -- and her "walks" are mostly "runs."

The next day was a birthday brunch for Claire. How many 5-year-olds
would allow their 2½-year-old sisters to open their
birthday packages? Well, here is one. Lise happily does the honors.

A world map jigsaw puzzle was an early hit.
Claire already knew the names of the continents.

Walk-off homers in the World Series

2011-10-28T17:15:00.006-05:00

Freese frame: Cardinal rounds first after dramatic,
game-winnning home run. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Even for this Cubs fan, who was fighting off sleep while the Rangers and Cardinals fought in the World Series, Thursday night's Game 6 was one of the most exciting in World Series history.

The Cardinals scored in the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings -- twice coming within a single strike of losing the entire series -- to pull even with the Rangers. The game ended on a home run by David Freese (pictured rounding first base), whose two-out triple in the ninth kept the Cardinals alive.

Courtesy of David Vincent, a fellow member of the Society for American Baseball Research, here is a list of all game-winning home runs in World Series history.

Game Ending Home Runs in the World Series
(Player, team, league, date, inning hit)

Tommy Henrich NYA AL 10/05/1949 9
Dusty Rhodes NY NL 09/29/1954 10
Eddie Mathews MIL NL 10/06/1957 10
Bill Mazeroski PIT NL 10/13/1960 9 Series ending HR
Mickey Mantle NYA AL 10/10/1964 9
Carlton Fisk BOS AL 10/21/1975 12
Kirk Gibson LAN NL 10/15/1988 9
Mark McGwire OAK AL 10/18/1988 9
Kirby Puckett MIN AL 10/26/1991 11
Joe Carter TOR AL 10/23/1993 9 Series ending HR
Chad Curtis NYA AL 10/26/1999 10
Derek Jeter NYA AL 10/31/2001 10
Alex Gonzalez FLO NL 10/22/2003 12
Scott Podsednik CHA AL 10/23/2005 9
David Freese SLN NL 10/27/2011 11

What makes a catchy song?

2011-10-04T21:12:00.004-05:00

ABC News reported on a study by researchers in London who think they know what ingredients make a hit, catchy, sing-along song.

What did they think was the No. 1 song?
Here is the link.

Grandparents Day at pre-school

2011-09-17T13:29:00.004-05:00

"Ma" and I took time out to visit on Grandparents Day at our oldest two granddaughters' pre-school/day care on Friday.

Claire, 4½ (pictured), showed us her penmanship skills and ability to work puzzles lickety-split. Lise, 2½, who is still adjusting to her new surroundings and schedule, wasn't quite as excited to see us. Maybe next time.

Haven't missed much

2011-09-05T00:01:00.002-05:00

It was three months ago today, on June 5, when I publicly wrote off the Chicago Cubs.

That afternoon, the Cubs, for the second consecutive tie game, opted to not issue a bases-empty intentional walk to Cardinals star Albert Pujols in the bottom of the 12th (June 4) and the 10th (June 5) innings.

Both days, Pujols burned the Cubs with walk-off homers.

That was it for me. I swore off the Cubs for the balance of the season. I cancelled the score alerts via email. I stopped watching them on TV. I don’t listen on the radio. I took a pass on joining our church’s bus trip to Wrigley Field.

Yes, I glance at the standings now and then. Over the past three months, I have watched about nine total innings, an inning or so at a time, on TV. I might listen to an at-bat or two on the radio while driving home from work. But that’s it – and for this Cubs fan, that is not much over 83 games.

So, what have I missed? Not much.

The Cubs were winning at a .403 clip when I started my boycott. After that, they have gone 37-46 (.445) to improve to .428 for the season.

Overpaid pitcher Carlos Zambrano had another mental meltdown, walked out on the team, got himself kicked off the team for a month. And now the professional athlete is considered not in shape to return for the final month of the regular season.

The Cubs fired the architect of all this, their general manager, Jim Hendry.

Carlos Marmol continues to give up leads in the ninth inning.

My blood pressure has improved.

I wonder if Ryne Sandberg would consider coming back to manage the Cubs.

Self-service sidewalk sale

2011-08-11T21:51:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Madame X and I made a day trip to Mineral Point, Wis., a former mining community that is now home to dozens of art galleries, pottery shops, antique stores and the like.

When I saw this sign outside an odds-and-ends shop, I had to pull out the camera.

A star is not born

2011-08-08T20:52:00.006-05:00

I was asked to be a "henchman" for the Grand Opera House's production of "Singin' in the Rain," will took the stage three weekends in July.

I did not take the stage. Instead, we "henchmen" were filmed a couple weeks in advance -- and the movie was shown to open the stage production.

With permission of the good folks at the Grand, I am posting the movie, "The Royal Rascal" -- as long as I'm in it. My best moment comes at 2:12. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for fans of quality acting, I was the first one killed off. I stopped the movie after that; what's the use of watching more?

So far, Hollywood hasn't called. And, yes, I have notified the phone company of the apparent problem with our line.

40th anniversary of Concert for Bangladesh

2011-07-30T14:41:00.004-05:00

It was 40 years ago this coming Monday -- Aug. 1, 1971 -- when former Beatle George Harrison and his friend Ravi Shankar put on two benefit concerts in New York. The mission was to call attention to, and raise money for, the people of Bangladesh, who faced floods, famine and civil war.

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary, "The Concert for Bangladesh" feature film will stream in its 90-minute entirety through 10:59 p.m. CDT Monday on georgeharrison.com.

Storybook weekend

2011-07-30T09:51:00.007-05:00

I don't have many friends, let alone those (aside from classmates) I've known for four decades. But that's the case with Bob Sokol. If I recall, we met in the summer of 1971 -- no later than the summer of 1972 -- when my summer job was conducting weekly cross-country and road races for the park district in my hometown in suburban Chicago.

Bob was a regular competitor back then, driving his Road Runner (weather permitting!) from Maywood to Glen Ellyn for the races, after which he would demonstrate his unique style of humor. Let's just say that , as a runner, Bob was quite the comedian.

We really bonded on a summer weekend in 1972, when Bob took his own turn as race director, hosting a 24-hour relay on the cinder track of his alma mater, Proviso East High School. It was one of my most challenging events ever -- 34 one-mile runs in 24 hours, averaging 5:47.

Anyway, though we have stayed in touch over the years, our get-togethers have been infrequent. However, Bob and his bride, Carol, paid us a visit last weekend. Though rain Saturday and Sunday mornings wiped out our running plans, Madame X and were happy and proud to show them around Dubuque -- Mississippi River Museum, Fenelon Place Elevator, Eagle Point Park, River Walk, Dubuque Star Brewery, etc. As a bonus, we got to spend some time with Bob and Carol's daughter Kim and her boyfriend Anthony -- a quality couple of med students.

It wasn't this weekend that we learned that we were the inspiration for a children's book.

We resolved that, now that we are empty-nesters, there is little reason to not get together more often. In any case, we still need to have our first run together in nearly 35 years.

After the storm (or between the storms)

2011-07-28T10:59:00.003-05:00

Dubuque received 10 inches of rain Wednesday night-Thursday morning. Some areas reported 14 inches! While that caused some major problems in many sections of town and region, it provided a fun diversion for a couple of young girls we know.

More heavy rain is predicted. Stay tuned.

A hot time in Des Moines

2011-07-17T18:03:00.005-05:00

Salisbury House and Gardens, Des Moines (Photo by Salisbury House )

After I fulfilled a speaking engagement in Panora, Iowa, on Friday afternoon, Madame X and I started a two-night stay in nearby Des Moines.

The weekend was a great chance to catch up with daughter Ellen and son-in-law Adam.

The visit included dinner at E&A's condo Friday, then a full day Saturday: A guided tour of the historic Salisbury House mansion (above), lunch and shopping (by Madame X, while I stood guard) in the sun-baked Valley Junction district, Mass in the Basilica of St. John, followed by dinner and an Iowa Cubs victory at Principal Park.

Though it was a hot day, we had a great time.

If only it were true

2011-06-28T20:54:00.007-05:00

For a couple of years, I saved a particular article located while researching Jay Berwanger (pictured) for my biography. It came from the College Football Historical Society newsletter of May 2002.

I planned to use an anecdote in the article when I finally wrote about Berwanger's career as a college football referee in the late 1940s to mid-1950s.

Here is what I typed into my manuscript:

Berwanger was working the Minnesota-Purdue game in 1948 when he encountered a never-seen-that-before situation. After a Minnesota touchdown late in the first half, the Gophers lined up for the ensuing kickoff. Billy Bye was the holder and Gordy Soltau the kicker. Game film shows Soltau running up and extending through a full kick. The Gophers raced down to make a tackle and the Boilermakers prepared to block. After a moment or two, nearly all the players were glancing about in apparent confusion. Where was the ball? It was soon located under a prostrate Bye. Soltau never kicked the ball. Bye pulled it away, a la Lucy and Charlie Brown. That was a new one on Berwanger, who conferred with the rest of his officiating crew before calling a penalty on Minnesota for delay of game.

It's a fun little story. Unfortunately, there are a couple of problems.

I decided to look up newspaper accounts of the game to see how sportswriters described the odd play. The Chicago Tribune and Associated Press accounts didn't mention it at all.

Further, looking in the fine print, I don't see Berwanger listed as a member of the officiating crew. (Coincidentally, the referee in Minneapolis was someone else with Dubuque ties -- William Blake, a graduate of Loras College.)

If Berwanger wasn't on that crew, did he work another game? In scanning the boxscores of major college games, I finally located him. Berwanger was not in Minneapolis that afternoon but in Madison, serving as referee of Northwestern at Wisconsin.

So, with some reluctance -- it's a fun little anecdote -- the false-start kickoff won't be in my Berwanger biography.

Elsie's first birthday

2011-06-19T15:28:00.006-05:00

Our youngest (for now!) grandchild, Elsie Rose, marked her first birthday last week, and the family gathered on Saturday for her first birthday party ever.

Pop put together a little slide show from the special day. (Don't let the apparent excessive length of the video scare you away. Despite what YouTube shows, it runs just 90 seconds before 3 minutes black screen appears.)

It was also a special occasion for me because, on Father's Day weekend, the party included all four of our children (and all three spouses) and all three of our granddaughters.

Interview Monday on Iowa Public Radio

2011-06-12T11:17:00.004-05:00

The Telegraph Herald is converting its THonline.com to a subscription model (for local content), so Iowa Public Radio asked me to participate in its noon-hour program, "The Exchange," on Monday (June 13).

The topic: Newspapers charging for news online.

I'm told that the program starts with a conversation between host Ben Kieffer and the Iowa Newspaper Association's executive director, Chris Mudge, starting at 12:06 p.m., and I'll be brought into the discussion from about 12:15 to 12:30. Also scheduled for the program is the publisher of the Ames Tribune, Geoff Schumacher.

If you aren't near a radio, you may listen to the program online. Yes, the listen is free.

Jigsaw champion

2011-06-05T11:39:00.003-05:00

The other day, Claire invited me to "help" her put together a couple of jigsaw puzzles. My "help" was mostly limited to watching her in amazement as she pieced them together in no time.

Dinner invitations welcome

2011-06-05T11:29:00.002-05:00

This is our kitchen this morning. Who knew that putting in new cabinets and countertops would wreak such destruction?

Oh well. We're told this will last only eight weeks.

In the meantime, we're open to all opportunities for meals outside the home. By the end of this, we might show up at the Grand River Center on Saturday nights, crashing wedding receptions. Anybody have a tux I may borrow?

Getting off on the right foot

2011-05-14T11:45:00.003-05:00

The oldest granddaughter decided that coloring while holding crayons in the conventional manner was boring, so ...
Oh, to have the flexibility of a 4½-year-old!

Byrne roast: Well done

2011-05-14T09:52:00.004-05:00

Dubuque Museum of Art's promotional photo

A good time was had by all -- even the roastees -- Friday night when the Dubuque Museum of Art hosted a roast of Bob and Cindy Byrne.

Bob, a writer whose column appears in the TH monthly, and Cindy, a painter, not only heard their character besmirched and their foibles highlighted by their friends, they had a shot at each other.

Roasters included William Intriligator, symphony director; Rebecca Christian, an editor and writer whose also writes for the TH; Mary Ann Knefel, representing the Book Club from Hell, of which Cindy is a member; and Dick Locher, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, who has known Bob for 75 years. Paul Hemmer served as emcee.

Looking over the 160 or so people assembled in the banquet hall of the Hotel Julien Dubuque, Bob quipped, "I had no idea we had so many enemies."

Morel of the story

2011-04-26T18:44:00.004-05:00

It's not quite yet morel season in the tri-state area of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. However, that was not the case to the south, where, despite a cold and rainy season, Madame X and some relatives had a great outing in West Central Illinois during Easter weekend. (Of course, I can't disclose the exact location.)

Though I was napping while the hunting was going on, I was allowed to partake in their bountiful harvest.

After 1, the next birthday makes you ... FEE!

2011-04-25T21:37:00.005-05:00

Lise was born two years ago today. However, when you ask her how old she is, she enthusiastically responds, "Fee!" Even when her 4-year-old sister corrects her -- "No, Lise, you are 2" -- the Birthday Girl responds, "Mo, fee!"

So, Lise is now "fee."

Powerful exhibit at River Museum

2011-04-17T14:11:00.011-05:00

It took me a couple of months, but I finally got down to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque to take in the special traveling exhibition “Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America.”

Some folks might wonder why a "river museum" would host an exhibit that has no apparent connection with waterways. The national-level museum is part of the Dubuque County Historical Society, and histories of Dubuque and women religious have been interwoven from the beginning of white settlement.

A major co-sponsor of the exhibition is Clarke University, one of countless U.S. institutions founded by women religious (in this case Mary Frances Clarke, foundress of Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

The museum describes the exhibition as "featuring the untold stories of the innovative, action-oriented women who played such a significant role in shaping the nation’s social and cultural landscape." It is all of that, showing how sisters were part of U.S. history, including the Civil War, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the Spanish Flu epidemic to today's service in education and health care as well as peace and justice issues.

The exhibition remains in Dubuque for another month: Its last day is May 22. I recommend it.

Caption: Benedictine Sisters anticipate the completion of St Anthony’s Hospital in Bemidji, Minnesota, in 1900. Before workers’ compensation was mandated by law, most laborers went without coverage. The sisters made health care affordable by selling “Lumberjack Tickets” for $1-9 and guaranteed medical care in Benedictine hospitals. (Photo courtesy Benedictines of Duluth.)

A change of pace

2011-04-10T19:42:00.010-05:00

Today, complying with a longstanding ~~demand~~ request by Madame X, I hauled out boxes -- one expandable file per year -- of financial records from a musty storage area under a staircase.

Personally, I think this could be a big mistake. I mean, what if the IRS decides to audit us for 1983?

Anyway, I saved our household calendars along with those various documents.

I retrieved the calendar for 1998, the year the oldest of the four Cooper kids graduated from high school and went off to college.

We used an extra-large calendar for several years. The photo shows May 1998. The spaces are filled with notations for sports competitions and practices, part-time job schedules, piano lessons, concerts and the like. And there were events exclusively for Mom and Dad on there, too.

It's 13 years later, and, as empty-nesters for several years, Madame X and I have downsized our calendar. A blank square is more common than not.

Those were hectic days. Many families with school-age children today are experiencing that. But they should take heart: Those days will end someday. So enjoy and make the most of them while you can.

Book review: Scorecasting an interesting read

2011-04-06T08:19:00.002-05:00

As teammates during summer camp, Tobias Moskowitz and Jon Wertheim ignored conventional wisdom when they decided that their weakest defender should not be stuck in softball Siberia, right field.

Instead, they made him the catcher, where he would have fewer opportunities to make critical errors. Their team started winning.

Decades later, Moskowitz and Wertheim are teammates again, examining many assumptions, traditions and curiosities in the world of sports. “Scorecasting” is the product of impressive number-crunching, clear and entertaining writing and a belief that just because everybody “knows” something in sports is true, it is not necessarily the case.

The authors are eminently qualified for the task. Moskowitz is an award-winning University of Chicago finance professor and Werhteim writes for Sports Illustrated and teaches at Princeton.

Among their many topics:

• Why .299 hitters in Major League baseball are rarer than .300 hitters. (Hint: It all comes down to the last game of the season.)

• Why having the No. 1 pick in the National Football League draft is not all it’s cracked up to be.
• Home-field advantage is real, but it has nothing to do with the crowd.

• Does “icing” the free-throw shooter or field-goal kicker by calling a timeout before a critical play?
• Are the Chicago Cubs really cursed?

“Scorecasting” contains just the right blend of statistics and narrative in examining these and other sports “truism.” For anyone who likes to holler coaching instructions at the TV set, it’s a must-read.

What the hail?

2011-04-03T21:07:00.003-05:00

Here's evidence of the brief hailstorm that rolled across Dubuque this evening. It didn't last long, and our windows stayed intact.

Special appearance by Elsie

2011-04-03T17:17:00.003-05:00

For the first time since Christmas, our youngest granddaughter, Elsie Rose, visited us in Dubuque.

The stay was just 24 hours or so, but it was great to have her (as well as her parents, of course) for that time, during which she got reacquainted with her two Dubuque cousins.

Elsie is 9½ months old, and the world is full of new experiences.

Eagle nest update

2011-04-02T07:40:00.002-05:00

Have you checked out the Eagle Cam, giving a real-time 24/7 look at an eagle's nest at Decorah, Iowa? Hundreds of thousands of people have checked in on the Raptor Resource Project site to watch a pair of eagles nurture eggs in a nest.

Overnight, one of the eggs hatched. More to come.

Free TV Show from Ustream

How can this be good?

2011-03-30T20:08:00.007-05:00

I don't consider myself a beer snob. I don't really know what makes one an ale and the other lager. Some day I might study up on that.

However, I do want my beer to taste like something. Thus, several years ago, I gave up on the mainstream brands in favor of microbrews and craft brands. Just the other day I bought one bottle of a beer bearing the Smuttynose label. Even if I tried a microbrew and didn't particularly like it, I usually liked it better than a billion-barrel-a-day brand. It deserved credit for trying to deliver some flavor. A name like Smuttynose should count for something.

Anyway, I nearly dropped my mug tonight when I read that one of my favorite brewers, Goose Island, of Chicago, had been purchased by Anheuser-Busch (which itself was purchased by InBev in 2008). The brewers of 312 and Honker's Ale are now owned by a brewing monolith. Of course, everyone is putting a happy face on this.

How can this transaction be good for beer lovers? The best we can hope for is that InBev won't screw it up.

Birthday observance -- March 19, 1914

2011-03-18T10:07:00.001-05:00

Saturday, March 19, would have been Jay Berwanger's 97th birthday. The winner of the first Heisman Trophy was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on March 19, 1914. He died in June 2002.

The photo above right shows Berwanger as a senior at Dubuque Senior High, 1931-32.

You can take it to the Bank

2011-03-06T17:17:00.015-06:00

We had a great time Saturday night at The Bank Bar and Grille, where we took in the first (and only, they claim) performance by a bunch of Telegraph Herald/Woodward Communications colleagues as well as the Dubuque reporters for the Telegraph Herald's news coverage partner, KWWL.

The band calls itself Bad News.

Who knew that Channel 7's Lauren Squires was a drummer? And Becca Habegger played keyboard and handled vocals!

The first set ended with a guest appearance by Dubuque's mayor, Roy Buol, who did a nice job covering three Eagles tunes. That's Roy in the photo. Backup singers shown are (from left) Rachel Gull, Andrea Hauser and Megan Gloss.

Later, Ron Steele, KWWL anchor, came all the way from Waterloo to take his turn at the microphone. Unfortunately, that came past my bedtime, so I can't provide a review on Ron's performance.

Let's see. Who else did I see on stage? Kurt Ullrich, Ron Tigges, Hobie Wood and, sitting in for a couple of number, retiree Sid Scott. Joining them were a couple of professional guitarists, Rick Hoffman, representing Kephart's Music, and Denny Krueger, of Rondinelli Music.

The event was a fundraiser for the Haitian Project at Loras College. The place was packed, so I hope that organizers collected a nice sum of donations.

Bad News claims that last night was the only night. We'll see about that.

As colleague Erik Hogstrom 'tweeted,' it was a good night for Bad News.

Rest in peace, Prof. Taft

2011-02-27T11:03:00.002-06:00

Today I entered a post on the Telegraph Herald blog site about one of my former professors at the University of Missouri, William Taft. He died last week at 95. I found that surprising. Find out why.

Fun night with African friends

2011-02-26T14:27:00.004-06:00

We recently became acquainted with two seminarians at Divine Word College through the college's Friends Across Nations Club. Our friends are Thierry, from Togo, and Joseph, from Uganda.

The FAN Club hosted dinner and an informal game night on Friday, when we taught them Yahtzee.

They are quick learners, for Joseph came out on top, collecting not one but two Yahtzees in the second game.

Here's a brief slideshow showing some of the fun.

An afternoon with the Saints

2011-02-21T20:17:00.005-06:00

The highlight of our Sunday was a family outing at the Dubuque Fighting Saints game. The youngest fans seemed to enjoy themselves, and the experience left them so drained that they volunteered for early bedtime.

We had great seats, in the second row -- a great spot to see players collide against the glass. Not sure that the girls knew what to make of that.

Unfortunately, the Saints, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit to grab a 4-3 lead in the final period, faded and lost to Cedar Rapids, 6-4.

Fun with Elsie

2011-02-20T14:19:00.003-06:00

Madame X and I enjoyed some time Saturday with our youngest granddaughter (as well as her parents and her Uncle G).

Here is a slideshow report.

Try the FactCheck quiz

2011-02-19T07:25:00.006-06:00

FactCheck.org, which, as its name suggests, cuts through the political mumbo-jumbo, accusations and counter-accusations, and spin in an objective, non-partisan manner.

The folks at FactCheck.org have developed a short, weekly quiz on current events and issues.

As for me, I did not 'ace' the inaugural quiz, which has questions about the Obama health care program, discretionary spending in the federal budget and the auto industry bailout.

I hope they grade on the curve.

Shameless plug for a good blog

2011-02-13T12:22:00.011-06:00

If you're a runner, and if you train or race in Iowa, check out the new blog Go Run Iowa!

It is created by Will Hoyer, who happens to be my son-in-law and father of our oldest two grandchildren. But don't hold that -- or my shameless plug here -- against him. It is a good blog.

A recent post is Iowa City runner Mark Thompson's account of a long training run with a friend at the height of last week's blizzard.

Another post is Will's interview with one of the nation's most successful junior college coaches, Iowa Central's Dee Brown, who has ties to Dubuque, Luther College and now Fort Dodge.

Check out Go Run Iowa!

75 years ago: Iowans in first NFL draft

2011-02-07T20:09:00.004-06:00

Trivia question: Which state had two of its natives picked in the first four selections of the first National Football League draft?

Answer: With one of my current book projects being a biography of Jay Berwanger, a native of Dubuque, you shouldn't be surprised that the answer is Iowa. The other player? Read on.

The National Football League draft was the brainchild of Bert Bell, owner of the lowly Philadelphia Eagles.

Bell had a tough time getting his peers to go along. It took some arm-twisting by George Halas of the Chicago Bears on Tom Mara of the New York Giants for the draft to the owners’ approval in May 1935, effective with the 1936 season. Fatigue and alcohol also might have influenced the decision. League meetings were loosely run nocturnal affairs, where drink was plentiful and sleep was scarce, and that played into the hands of Bell, a sober “nighttime” person.

After establishment of a draft, Bell’s 1935 Philadelphia Eagles finished 2-9, edging the Boston Redskins (2-8-1) for worst record in the league. That dubious honor gave Bell the first pick in the first draft.

The rule called for teams to enter the names of players eligible for the NFL for the first time on a board posted in the meeting room. Then, the team with the worst record in 1935 received the first selection. The selections continued with teams picking, worst to first, until all the names on the board were selected or rejected.

League owners convened the weekend of February 8-9, 1936, at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia. The hotel was owned by Bell’s father, Cromwell, and Bert had served as its manager in addition to playing and coaching football.

ROUND 1
1 Philadelphia Eagles: Jay Berwanger B Chicago
2 Boston Redskins: Riley Smith B Alabama
3 Pittsburgh Pirates: Bill Shakespeare B Notre Dame
4 Brooklyn Dodgers: Dick Crayne B Iowa
5 Chicago Cardinals: Jim Lawrence B TCU
6 Chicago Bears: Joe Stydahar T West Virginia
7 Green Bay Packers: Russ Letlow G San Francisco
8 Detroit Lions: Sid Wagner G Michigan State
9 New York Giants: Art Lewis T Ohio U.

Philadelphia almost immediately traded the rights to Berwanger to the Chicago Bears, but Halas failed to convince him to join the professional ranks.

Trivia answer: Crayne, who was a native of Fairfield, Iowa. When he and Berwanger were high school seniors (Class of 1932), University of Iowa boosters hoped that both Crayne and Berwanger would play for the Hawkeyes. However, they chose different schools.

Party like it's 4709

2011-02-06T11:13:00.010-06:00

Madame X and I attended the Lunar New Year celebration at Divine Word College seminary in Epworth, Iowa, on Saturday. The college is just a dozen miles west of our house, along US 20.

Lunar New Year is a big deal at Divine Word because many of its students come from Asia, especially Vietnam. This is the Year of the Cat under the Vietnamese lunar calendar, and in China it is the year 4709, the Year of the Rabbit.

The event started with Mass, with more con-celebrants than I've ever seen (20? 24?). The presider and homilist were Vietnamese missionaries. (One spent seven years in Togo, which, coincidentally is the home country of one of our Divine Word Friends Across Nations Club student friends, Thierry. Our other friend is also African, Joseph from Uganda.)

Though their home cultures do not observe Lunar New Year, Thierry and Joseph were among the students who participated in the holiday pageant, which followed Mass and a delicious Vietnamese/Chinese buffet supper.

The pageant was a variety show -- singing, dancing, a skit and even a priest presenting a magic show -- and my video doesn't do it justice. I hope the shots from the curtain call reflect the excitement of the students.

Curious time with Curious George

2011-01-09T13:54:00.004-06:00

On Sunday morning, Madame X and I joined our two oldest granddaughters and their parents at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium for a brief visit. The attraction was Curious George, perhaps the favorite character of the oldest grandchild. The museum was also hosting its annual Ice Fest.

However, seeing CG in a book is not scary, compared to seeing him "up close." So, we didn't wait in the long line to tell him hello. After a few minutes looking at other exhibits, it was nap time. And the grandkids needed some rest, too.

Address book addresses passage of time

2011-01-05T20:48:00.008-06:00

I keep pretty busy at work -- contrary to rumors, I do not take a nap every afternoon -- there are times of the year when the pace lets up and I can get to tasks I wouldn't even consider otherwise.

One such period came just before and after Christmas. So I embarked on the little job of updating and cleaning up my electronic address book. Not exciting or urgent, certainly, but a means to be a bit more efficient.

When I was finished going through A to Z, I had made 99 deletions. There were some duplicate entries, but most were files that went into the recycle bin.

In a way, the process was a little exercise that reflected the passage of time. Among the entries discarded were those for colleges my children no longer attend, restaurants no longer operating, salesmen who have retired, individuals who have died -- and several names I no longer recognize. I'm sure there was a good reason to save their contact info -- at the time, whenever that was.

Who knows, when I go through the address book again, what events will result in the next changes?

On the run in 2010

2010-12-31T06:43:00.009-06:00

Here's a post that will interest no one, but will put me "on the record" for 2011.

Though I have the day off work today, and I stayed up way too late last night watching Washington exact revenge on Nebraska in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, I answered the 5 a.m. alarm to participate in our small running group's final jaunt of 2010.

Some 4½ miles later, I closed the book on my running for the year with 938 miles. I've had better years, but those a becoming a distant memory. That mileage total was my highest in at least four years. (640.2 miles in 2009, 759 miles in 2008 and 742 in 2007.)

I lost several days due to back soreness or injury (including my first-ever hamstring pull), but, as a mid-50-something, I need to expect aches and pains to go with the activity. I also noted that I took off both weekend days way too often.

Another mark on the positive side is that in mid-2010 I started a modest weight-training routine, thanks to the encouragement of my older daughter. I logged 49 visits.

My running log also noted other events:

A squirrel grazed my foot while scrambling down a tree (the squirrel, not me) (May 28)
I tripped when a wire on my Yak Trax shoe covering caught the cuff of my sweat pants. Shoulder pain. Twisted an ankle on the same run (Feb. 8)
Longest run: 8 miles -- above elevation of 10,000 feet, no less. (Aug. 1).
Shortest run: 1.5 miles, when my hamstring pull flared again (June 16)
Coldest weather for a run (not including wind chill): Minus-8 (Jan. 2)
Hottest run: 80 (afternoon of June 27 -- what was I thinking?!)

Anyway, for those of you needing to settle bets, here is my tale of the tape for 2010:

Days of running -- 229 (60%)
Miles covered -- 938
Average distance per run -- 4.1 miles
Weight workouts -- 49 (since June 30)

Goals for 2011:

Days of running -- 273 (75%)
Miles covered -- 1,100
Weight workouts -- 100
Complete the Turkey Trot 7½-miler without the big fade experienced in 2010

A year from today, we'll see how this panned out.

Early Christmas morning

2010-12-25T09:01:00.006-06:00

Christmas 2010 is a slowly developing celebration for us, with part of the family having to delay departure from Des Moines until today due to Friday's snowstorm. But we are having fun with our youngest granddaughter, Elsie.

Things will pick up soon, with more family, including a couple of other granddaughters, due to arrive by late morning.

Merry Christmas!

The shortest days

2010-12-21T20:20:00.005-06:00

When you get up at 5 a.m. to go for a run outside, you notice certain things. Like darkness, for example. There is a lot of it during the fall, as our hours of daylight steadily decrease. According to my running log, I've been carrying a flashlight on my morning jaunts since Aug. 10. And I'll be running with one through at least mid-April, when our group starts our run in darkness and finishes in daylight.

Anyway, if there is anything good to be said about our recent blasts of wintry weather, it is this: The days now start getting longer. Sunrise today was 7:29 am, and sunset was 4:33 pm. The change is just seconds a day at first, but I'll take them. In six months, sunrise will be 5:25 am and sunset 8:43 pm. I can't wait!

It was 75 years ago today

2010-12-10T07:44:00.001-06:00

Seventy-five years ago today -- Dec. 10, 1935 -- Jay Berwanger, son of a Dubuque blacksmith, received the first Downtown Athletic Club Trophy. By the next year, it was renamed the Heisman Trophy. Berwanger was flown to New York to receive the trophy.

The photo caption noted that Berwanger, of the University of Chicago, was the only player to be named to all of the various All-America teams in 1935.

Image © Bettmann/CORBIS

To the airwaves

2010-12-09T21:23:00.001-06:00

My Dec. 5 article in the Telegraph Herald about Jay Berwanger was on the Web, and it resulted in several nice comments -- and a request to be part of a sports radio program.

The station is KIIC, based in the southeastern Iowa community of Albia. From 1982 to 1986, we lived in Ottumwa, just east of Albia.

I should be on the air about 9:30 am Saturday with Mark Felderman, who has Bellevue ties. The interview should last 10-15 minutes.

The station has live streaming, so if you are having a boring Saturday morning, click this link and listen in.

What was the question again?

2010-11-17T20:14:00.009-06:00

Note to self: Don't do TV interviews on four hours of sleep. The Telegraph Herald's broadcast news coverage partner, KWWL, asked to come over from Waterloo to do this interview the morning after the election.
I was more than a little sleep-deprived, and I had to be at a meeting anyway, so I got through it on the only take without any injuries.
Take a look.

Clip joint

2010-11-08T19:33:00.004-06:00

As part of our company's United Way campaign, organizers ran a special event in which employees could pay a dollar and clip a half-inch off the department directors' neckties.

Folks were pretty generous, and it was all in good fun for a good cause.

My last "customer" was the young daughter of one of our photographers, Jeremy. He reported, "When we got home she ran in the door and shouted, "I went to work with Poppa and cut one of the bosses of everyone there's tie." Her mother didn't know what to say.

No need to buy a vowel

2010-11-08T17:00:00.001-06:00

I rarely watch "Wheel of Fortune," but this caught my interest.

Happy birthday!

2010-11-07T12:25:00.002-06:00

Our oldest granddaughter turned 4 during the week, and the celebration on Saturday was the highlight of my weekend.

The experience of opening presents just isn't complete without an assistance from one's younger sister. Actually, the girls did a great job of cooperating!

Happy (belated) Halloween!

2010-11-04T07:04:00.008-05:00

The election and other matters kept me from posting these photos of a few of our Halloween visitors -- until now.

Two little girls -- one a clown and the other a dinosaur -- and someone dressed as a college professor started the festivities. Below are a few random shots of our visitors.

Despite favorable weather, we had fewer trick-or-treaters than we expected -- no more than 50.

Meanwhile, a friend who lives on Dubuque's South Grandview Avenue reported 600 visitors. Residents from rural areas -- even across the river in Wisconsin and Illinois -- drive their kids to Grandview and turn them loose!

Early Christmas shopping

2010-10-31T11:50:00.003-05:00

When Oct. 31 rolls around, everybody thinks of which holiday?

That's right: Christmas.

Actually, it was just coincidental that Halloween was the day we picked out and reserved our Christmas tree. Over the last few years, we learned that an extra trip to the tree farm saves time and frostbitten digits. Sure, we miss out on slogging through snow to try to select a tree, but we are willing to forgo that experience.

Madame X and I were accompanied by our two oldest granddaughters (and their parents).

Now, all we have to do is return whenever we choose and claim the tree we tagged. It usually still involves a walk on the snow-covered grounds, but the process moves along much more quickly when you can go directly to "your" tree. Plus, the selection is better at this time of year.

Psi Upsilon honors Berwanger

2010-10-31T09:56:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, the Omega chapter of Psi Upsilon, of which Jay Berwanger was a brother, commemorated the 75th anniversary of Berwanger's selection for the first Heisman Trophy.

The fraternity was kind enough to invite me to the brunch and ceremony, which was attended by about 20 members of the Berwanger family, including two of his three children. The alumni members marked the occasion by presenting a plaque for display in the fraternity house that Berwanger called home for three years.

It was at the fraternity house that a telegram arrived for Berwanger. It was early December 1935. The message was from the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City inviting Berwanger to New York, all expenses paid, to receive the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, honoring him as the best college football player east of the Mississippi.

The award was renamed the John Heisman Memorial Trophy the next year, and the sponsors eventually dropped the geographic limits on nominees.

The Heisman did not always enjoy the status it does today. Berwanger's biggest thrill in winning the award involved taking his first-ever airplane ride. He didn't have a place for the trophy, and for years it resided in the home of an aunt, who used what is today the most recognized of U.S. sports awards as a doorstop.

Quoted in article about Berwanger

2010-10-23T10:05:00.000-05:00

University of Chicago alum Martin Northway had an article about Jay Berwanger, subject of my next book, published in the latest Newcity Magazine.

Northway was nice enough to contact me for an e-mail "interview" for the article. As it turned out, I got the last word.

Congratulations, Ellen and Adam

2010-10-17T20:05:00.006-05:00

Saturday marked my second and final opportunity to be the Father of the Bride. Ellen and Adam tied the knot in a beautiful Mass at Resurrection Church.

The reception at Loras College, largely planned by Ellen (and Adam), was a great time. (Early in the evening, there was a medical situation involving one of Adam's relatives, but that turned out well, too.) Through it all, my role was to write checks and stay out of the way.

IMHO, they are an intelligent, mature couple. They have their feet on the ground. The only deficiency in my new son-in-law is that he is a Packers fan. However, he is also a Cubs fan -- thus I gave my consent to the nuptials.

(Photo credit: Cousin Jamie)

Schalk honored by Litchfield

2010-10-03T17:59:00.007-05:00

While researching my Ray Schalk biography, I observed to Litchfield civic leader Bill Dees that Litchfield is the boyhood home of a major league Hall of Famer but has nothing to inform visitors of this.

As local awareness of Schalk increased with release of my book, Dees was able to raise money to have a sign erected at the Litchfield city limits.

Dees today sent me this photo and this caption information:

Almost 95 years to the day after the first Ray Schalk Day in Litchfield (October 15, 1915) City of Litchfield Street Department workers Curt Evans, Jerry Hull and J.R. Beckham put the finishing touches on the installation of a sign recognizing the impact Ray Shalk had on future baseball players in Litchfield.

On May 8^th 2010 a rededication plaque was unveiled at Ray Schalk Field. During this event a number of people indicated that the City needed a sign at the West edge of the City marking Mr. Schalk's entrance into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Volunteer funds were received from the BRS Baseball Museum in Nokomis with the assistance of Steve Johnson, Litchfield Baseball, Litchfield Rotary, Litchfield Park District, Contemporary Service, Ben Schwab, Mike and Paula Hall, the Todd Neuhaus family, other anonymous donors along with the Author of the Ray Schalk biography, Brian Cooper.

Litchfield tourism director Carol Burke reviewed the graphic and local sign artist Jerry Dever produced the paint on aluminum sign with the assistance of the George Press Inc. and MD Designs by Metal Décor.

It was nice of Dees to mention me, and to credit others involved, but this would not have happened without former Mayor Dees taking the lead.

Alpaca Day

2010-09-26T17:14:00.010-05:00

Madame X and I went to Alpaca Day 2010 at Irish Meadows Alpaca Farm, near LaMotte, Iowa, about 15 minutes from Dubuque Regional Airport. We took along our oldest granddaughter.

We were somewhat familiar with alpacas. Madame X attended this event last fall (when the Telegraph Herald produced this video), and in the summer of 2009 we visited an alpaca farm in Maine. Alpaca fiber is incredibly soft.

Co-owners Mike and Julie Delaney were friendly and accommodating hosts at their open house. We walked the grounds, poking in various barns, including one built in 1860. And Mike brought out a baby alpaca for our granddaughter to meet.

An author to behold

2010-09-19T21:42:00.007-05:00

My Sunday afternoon included taking part in a local authors book fair at the newly renovated Carnegie-Stout Public Library in Dubuque.

Sales for me were ~~nonexistent~~ slow, so I had time to catch up with Telegraph Herald freelance columnist and full-time writer Robert Byrne, compiler of a book of quotations, "The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said," and the collection of his brief essays from the TH, "Behold My Shorts."

That's Bob on the left.

Berwanger name crops up amid Reggie Bush controversy

2010-09-12T18:55:00.004-05:00

The name of Jay Berwanger, subject of my current biography project, is hitting the papers and Internet a little more than usual lately, thanks to the the current Reggie Bush controversy. Should Bush return his Heisman trophy -- or should the Heisman committee rescind the award?

Gordon White, writing in The Pilot, of Southern Pines, N.C., tells some Berwanger history in light of It's largely accurate, though the "coward" reference is a bit out of context. Berwanger was usually the most hard-nosed player on the field.

Running with the senator

2010-09-06T13:57:00.009-05:00

Trophy winners: Madame X and Sen. Grassley

Three members of our family competed in the Mississippi Valley Running Association's 33rd annual Dubuque Benefit Classic on Labor Day morning.

We all ran the the 5-kilometer race (3.1 miles). The morning's festivities included a half-marathon (13.1 miles).

Among the several hundred runners was U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. He turns 77 next week, and finished third in the men's 70-and-older division of the 5k.

For those of you keeping score at home, the Coopers collected three trophies: Madame X, first; Older Daughter, first; and yours truly, second.

Next race? Probably on Thanksgiving at the Turkey Trot -- 80 days away.

Brisk end to 'Jazz' season

2010-09-04T09:20:00.000-05:00

The "Dubuque ... And All That Jazz" series suffered its worst summer ever weather-wise in 2010. One of its four Friday evenings of live music, food and adult beverages was effectively washed out, and a couple others went on as scheduled but under less-than-ideal conditions.

Gray, cool and breezy weather marked the final session Friday night. Attendance was off by at least half (maybe two-thirds), but Madame X and I enjoyed the evening nonetheless, catching up with friends and acquaintances and enjoying Andrew Jr. Boy Jones. (We even bought one of his CDs, "Gettin' Real.")

Another highlight was spending some time there with our oldest two granddaughters (and their parents, of course).

Checking in on Elsie (and others)

2010-08-29T07:10:00.005-05:00

Discovering that we had an open weekend on the calendar, Madame X and I made the 90-minute drive to check in on our youngest granddaughter, 2-month-old (plus) Elsie. Coincidentally, her parents were home, too.

On top of that, we visited our younger son (not pictured). It's been less than a month since he relocated to the same city where Elsie and her parents live.

Pop even squeezed in a nap before the drive home. It was a fun, relaxing day.

And add a week

2010-08-19T19:46:00.002-05:00

Stolen from her parents' blog: Here's granddaughter Elsie at 8 weeks.

Picture perfect

2010-08-15T19:39:00.011-05:00

I was going to blog about a strange radio commercial I heard today. It was encouraging people to donate their old cars to the blind. Now, why would a blind person need a car -- even an old one?

Instead of going into all that here, I'm posting a photo of my youngest granddaughter, Elsie Rose, who a few days ago turned 7 weeks old. (I lifted the photo from her parents' blog.)

And, yes, I know that people donate they cars to an organization that uses money from the cars to help the blind. But the commercial struck me as odd just the same.

Time of the season

2010-08-10T06:37:00.006-05:00

Entry in running log for Aug. 10: "Used flashlight 1st time this season."

Yes, our supply of daylight is getting shorter, and at 5:25 am today there was not quite enough of it for me to feel safe. Runner-tripping sidewalk cracks have a way of sneaking up on you in pre-dawn Dubuque.

So, barring any significant realignment of the solar system, my flashlight will be my companion on these early jaunts until sometime in mid-April 2011.

Two concerts in three nights

2010-08-06T13:44:00.012-05:00

As mentioned here a couple of days ago, we vacationed in Leadville, Colo., where we happened to take in two concerts to benefit the Community Outreach Program of a local church, St. George's Episcopal.

Legendary Judy Collins played the historic Tabor Opera House on Friday night (July 30). She opened the first of two sets with "Both Sides Now," closed the second set with "Send in the Clowns," and for her final encore number chose the classic "Over the Rainbow."

I didn't try to capture video with my point-and-shoot camera from the second row of the balcony. So here's a recent video of her opening number with the arrangement she played in Leadville.

The Tabor was built in 1880 (as the local mining boom was taking off), making it 10 years older than Dubuque's Grand Opera House. Unfortunately, the Tabor is not in such good repair, especially compared to the recently restored Grand.

Two nights later, on Sunday (Aug. 1) Madame X and I were at St. George's, where we heard an all-woman (except for the bassist) San Francisco-based band, Blame Sally, play to a full house (er, church) of about 100. The women of Blame Sally have a soft spot for Leadville, and they did the Sunday night gig on their way to larger venues in Colorado. Here's one of their videos.

When it was all said and done, and meaning no disrespect to a music legend, I think I enjoyed the Blame Sally evening better.

Vacationing -- at minus-600 feet

2010-08-04T19:13:00.010-05:00

One of the more interesting events on my summer vacation was touring the Hopemore Mine, just outside the former boom town of Leadville, Colo.

Leadville is 10,124 feet above sea level, making it the highest incorporated community in North America. It's our favorite vacation spot. I've lost track of how many times we've vacationed there the past 20-plus years; my best guess is eight.

Since our previous visit, Bob Calder, owner of the gold (and other precious metals) mine, received permits to allow tours. The excursion took us 600 feet below the earth's surface. I'm not a fan of tight spaces, but I felt less worried about being 60 stories down than I thought I would. I guess there is a certain point where you just have to leave it in the hands of the Higher Being.

My brother-in-law, his three boys, my son-in-law and yours truly survived what was a fascinating experience.

Stormy Thursday

2010-07-24T06:47:00.004-05:00

This was the scene just one house up the street late Thursday during a series of powerful thunderstorms.

High wind and heavy rain teamed up to topple a large curbside tree. It fell across the bed of a parked pick-up truck, whose bed crashed to the pavement. The street was blocked for a few hours. I didn't know it at the time, but down the street a few houses, a huge limb blocked the road.

What you see to the right of the truck bed is the earth uprooted in the crash.

However, city crews worked through the night, even while lightning was present, and removed the section of tree blocking our street. The trunk was actually pushed back up until crews could return to remove the rest of it. The truck was hauled away.

We were more fortunate than most. The area, saturated by record rainfall totals, is experiencing flash flooding.

Time to move to higher ground.

Something's fishy

2010-07-18T15:04:00.009-05:00

We had several relatives in town this weekend for a wedding shower. Saturday evening, we thought, "What better way to show off Dubuque than to take a twilight walk along the Mississippi River Walk."

Bad idea.

The setting was beautiful, of course, and we're proud of the development along the city's riverfront. The weather was even manageable at that hour.

What we hadn't counted on was another hatching of mayflies, or, as people in these parts call them, fishflies. Fishfly season is usually brief, and I thought the annual infestation was over.

Wrong.

I had never seen anything like the black swarms of fishflies hovering over the trees along the riverbank. (See someone else's video from a year ago, and visualize an even denser swarm.)

By the time we started the return walk to our cars, the fishflies had moved farther inland, causing our guests, including my 80-year-old mother-in-law, to nearly break into a run for the cars, constantly waving their arms to ward off the flying insects.

Fishflies (or mayflies) are not unique to Dubuque or even the Mississippi River. They can be so thick that they show up on weather radar (example below is just upriver from Dubuque at some unspecified year). But they are a rare experience for many folks. Unfortunately, I'm thinking they may wind up being the most vivid memory of the weekend for our guests.

You meet the most interesting people

2010-07-16T21:40:00.004-05:00

After the first "Dubuque ... and all that Jazz" was stormed out last month, Madame X and I were especially looking forward to attending tonight's event.

It was a beautiful night ... made better because our older two granddaughters were on hand (with their parents, of course).

I know what you are thinking, but no, I will not make a crack about seeing people in the gutter.

So long, St. Louis

2010-07-11T08:57:00.009-05:00

Photo: Marla Jordon. National Parks Service contest.

In May, Madame X and I took a trip to St. Louis, figuring that it would be our last occasion to visit the Gateway City in some time because, after five years of college and work in the city, our youngest, Greg, planned to move away later in the summer.

Then fate interceded. Greg suffered a serious knee injury in a pick-up basketball game and a few days ago underwent surgery to repair his ACL. So Mom and Dad made another trip to STL to be there for the procedure and to look after him for a couple of days. The surgery was successful, and the long rehab process is under way (to be continued as Greg starts his new job near Madison, Wis.).

While we wished the circumstances behind the extra trip were different, we do enjoy St. Louis. Though much of our time was spent in the hotel, checking on Greg's ice supply and medication schedule, the trip did allow me to call on all three of my sets of aunts and uncles who live in the area. By the third night, Greg was feeling well enough to go out for dinner at the Schlafly Brewery Tap Room.

The patient demonstrates his progress!

On my final morning in St. Louis, I went for a run that took me to the Gateway Arch. Touching the stainless steel landmark and craning my neck to see the top, I wondered when my next opportunity to repeat the experience will be. I'm sure we'll be back someday.

Mid-year assessment

2010-06-30T06:27:00.005-05:00

Entering this morning's run into my running log, I noted that we're at the midway point of 2010. Time to take stock.

Despite a couple of periods when I didn't run due to injury -- including nearly two weeks this month -- I see that I ran 109 times in the first half of 2010 and covered 463 miles. That's an average jaunt of 4¼ miles. Not bad, but there's not much speed behind those miles, either.

My mid-new-year's resolution is to work on overall conditioning. Thus, this evening I will give weight training a try under the careful supervision of my daughter and coach Dr. Cooper.

River museum addition not to be missed

2010-06-20T21:57:00.008-05:00

Time to dust off the thesaurus. I need the right words to describe the National River Center, the soon-to-open addition to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque.
Impressive.
Fantastic.
First-class.
Educational.
Exciting.
Those are just a few of the words that come to mind after the Telegraph Herald Editorial Board a week ago toured the facility, which at the time was as much a construction site as a showpiece museum.
Still, it was clear that the place will have every bit of the “Wow” factor of the original river museum, which opened seven years ago.
Calling the new facility, in the former Diamond Jo building, an “addition” does not do it justice. It will double the square footage of the museum, and it has features and exhibitions that will take an already first-class museum to a higher level.
In fact, there is so much to see, admission tickets will be good for two consecutive days.
Folks sometimes take for granted treasures in their own back yard. Perhaps you visited the river museum a time or two the past seven years and think you have “seen it already.” “Been there, done that” just doesn’t cut it.
Resolve to make a return visit during or soon after this “preview” weekend to see what is new at this jewel right on Dubuque’s shoreline.

Meet Elsie Rose

2010-06-17T09:09:00.009-05:00

Introducing my third grandchild -- and third granddaughter -- Elsie Rose Cooper.
The details:
Born 7:37 pm June 16, 2010
8 lbs 2 oz
19 inches long
Elsie and her first-time parents, Josie and Andy, are doing just fine.
Welcome to the world, Elsie!

Schalk book no bargain in South Africa

2010-06-08T06:28:00.005-05:00

Google Alerts alerted me that my Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography is listed on a marketplace search engine site named Jump. The book sells for 344 to 376.

That's 344 what? And where?

Turns out that Jump is based in South Africa, where the currency is the rand.

A currency converter tells me that 357 rand, the current asking price on Loot, are worth $46.03. You're better off buying the book here in the US.

Running in tribute -- times 2

2010-05-31T09:55:00.007-05:00

I started off my holiday weekend by participating in the Grey Ribbon Crusade Walk/Run-A-Thon, a 5-kilometer race to honor the late Dubuque Senior High coach Jim Boughton and to help others in their fight against brain cancer.

Coach Boughton, 56, lost his six-month battle to brain cancer earlier this month. His death is a loss not only to his family and the Senior High community, but to the Dubuque running community overall.According to Jim Leitner's story in Sunday's TH, the event drew 496 runners, and that could make it the largest field for an inaugural race in Dubuque. That's a great tribute to Coach Boughton and everyone involved in organizing this race on relatively short notice.

The race started in the Mystique Casino parking lot and took runners along the Dubuque floodwall and back. I ran -- raced would not be the word for it -- the event with friend Dennis Healy, Jim's long-time colleague and friend. Dennis, immensely popular around Senior -- he was commencement speaker for the umpteenth time on Sunday -- had to expend extra energy acknowledging all the greetings directed his way during the event.

Dennis' retirement, just a few days away, means the loss of two popular distance running coaches and teachers from the Senior community.

That the race occurred one day before the 13th anniversary of my mother's death -- to brain cancer -- had me running in tribute to two special people.

Oil Spill Cam

2010-05-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

Watch live streaming video from wkrg_oil_spill at livestream.com

Oil spill cam from the Gulf of Mexico.

Streak of perfection

2010-05-30T16:34:00.011-05:00

For only the second time ever, Major League Baseball has had two perfect games in the same season. And, like the other occasion, in 1880, they occurred in the same month.

May 2010 is when Oakland's Dallas Braden and Philadelphia's Roy Halladay (pictured) recorded 27 consecutive outs to notch only the 19th and 20th perfect games in major league history. Some 130 years ago, Lee Richmond of Worcester and Providence's Monte Ward threw perfect games just five days apart in June 1880.

The subject of my latest published biography, Ray Schalk, was the catcher the fifth perfect game ever. On April 30, 1922, Charlie Robertson, making only his fourth major league start, blanked Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers.

MLB, which has gone years and even decades between perfect games, has now seen three perfect games in less than a year. Mark Buehrle of the White Sox had one last July. Note that after Robertson (with Schalk's help) threw a perfect game in 1922, the next perfecto did not come until Don Larsen's historic performance in the World Series of 1956 -- a span of 34 years. This span was less than 34 days.

Here is the list of perfect games, and a list naming the catchers with a hand in history.

Photo: Associated Press

Video evidence

2010-05-27T20:10:00.005-05:00

To refute any doubts that I did participate as a contestant in the "Dancing with the Stars: Dubuque Style," here is video evidence from the evening of May 22, 2010. (Video by Mediacom Channel 22.)

Raising the stakes

2010-05-21T06:56:00.003-05:00

I learned on Thursday that my employer will match donations ('votes") for my participation in Dancing with the Stars: Dubuque Style, dollar for dollar, up to $1,000.

All vote donations for me go to Riverview Center -- plus I don't have to dance as well to "win!"

Send the pledge to me or visit dubuquechamber.com. Don't delay. The event ...is Saturday night, May 22, at the Grand River Center.

Thanks Jim and Telegraph Herald.

Higher than face value

2010-05-18T18:47:00.009-05:00

Thanks to Google Alerts, I receive e-mail notices and web links to mentions of the subjects of my past and future books, Red Faber, Ray Schalk and Jay Berwanger.

Some alerts tag blog references. Many of those are comments by supposed experts categorizing Schalk as a terrible pick for the Hall of Fame because of his .253 career batting average -- ignoring, apparently, that he was a long-time star because of his defense.

Anyway, the alerts also notify me when memorabilia or, occasionally, my Faber or Schalk biographies hit ebay or a blog.

Today I learned that someone is trying to sell copies my Schalk biography for $33.36 (plus $4 for shipping). Thing is, the book lists for $29.95 (plus $4 shipping) from the publisher's web site.

Quite the bargain. I'd autograph and ship the book for less than $37.36.

Ray Schalk Field re-dedicated

2010-05-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

On a bitterly cold and windy Saturday morning, Litchfield (Ill.) staged its annual Little League parade to open the 2010 season.

Ceremonies included re-dedication of Ray Schalk Fields, named after the Hall of Famer who grew up in Litchfield (and was the subject of my latest biography). I was listed as the "keynote" speaker, and I had to ad lib somewhat. I couldn't hold my script and the microphone without having one or the other blow away. (Yes, it was THAT windy.)

The ceremony brought to Litchfield about 18 members of the Schalk family. The baseball star's grandson Jim Schalk (pictured), with his wife, Laura, drove all the way from Florida to be there. Other Schalks traveled the 250 miles from the Chicago area.

After the unveiling of the plaque to honor Ray Schalk, we adjourned to the new Maverick restaurant, where I presented my slideshow and visited with family members and folks from the Litchfield community. Some of the relatives had lost track of each other through the years, so they had some catching up to do.

Despite the February-like weather, it was a great day.

Pizza and ribs in 2-mile-high city

2010-05-03T06:34:00.006-05:00

Going to Colorado this summer (as we are)? Check out Leadville and my brother-in-law's family's pizza restaurant, High Mountain Pies. Best pizza (and ribs) anywhere! Leadville, the highest municipality in North America (its elevation is above 10,000 feet), is an old mining area that's now a great place for visitors.

Their place just received a great write-up in the Denver Post.

Play Ball! And read the fine print

2010-05-02T13:55:00.000-05:00

The Major League Baseball season is entering its second month, so I am remiss in not posting this cautionary note earlier.

See the ad above? Major League Baseball posts this -- and others like it -- on team pages. "Watch Every Regular Season Cubs Game Online." Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Especially for folks who travel or might choose to not have cable or satellite TV.

Look at the ad again. Toward the bottom, take note: "Blackout and other restrictions apply." Those are critical words, especially when you learn -- as I did, the hard way -- just how expansive the MLB blackout zones are.

Here in Iowa, all six Midwest teams are blacked out: both Chicago teams, St. Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Minnesota.

Last winter, I signed up for the service. Yes, I didn't read the fine print, figuring the blackouts were probably just when the Cubs were involved in a national game. Mistake. I even saw a couple of Cubs spring training games online. But once the regular season started, so did the blackouts.

It took a lot of effort -- and not giving up when MLB said, "Sorry, no refunds" -- before I finally got my money back.

This online service could be great if you live far -- very, very far -- from the home city of your favorite team. However, even if you are a state or two away, you could be blacked out and ripped off.

Baseball fans, beware!

2-for-1 opportunity

2010-05-02T07:03:00.004-05:00

I received a dinner invitation Saturday evening, which presented a couple of opportunities:
1) To get out my bicycle and try to prepare for Dubuque's Bike to Work Week (May 17-21),
and
2) To spend time with the cutest granddaughters in the world.

Sands of time

2010-04-25T20:12:00.007-05:00

You know how it seems that little kids receiving presents often seem more enthralled with the box and packaging than with the gift itself?

That thought came to mind today, when we celebrated granddaughter Lise's first birthday.

Madame X and I gave Lise a little plastic sandbox in the shape of a turtle. But, because today's weather was cool and rainy, we carried the sandbox inside. The bags of sand will be poured into the sandbox on a better day.

However, as this photo shows, the absence of sand didn't seem to bother Lise and her older sister Claire in the least.

Happy birthday, Lise!

It's a gas

2010-04-20T20:46:00.004-05:00

The highlight of our weekend -- and our spring -- was a family gathering involving all four of our children, their significant others, plus two granddaughters.

The older granddaughter likes to entertain as only a 3-year-old can do. She also is pretty forthright about what is going on with her -- as the video shows.

Truth and fiction of NFL's first pick

2010-04-20T06:41:00.006-05:00

With the National Football League draft going prime time, sportswriters and bloggers are reflecting on the history of the draft.

If they go all the way back to the first draft, in 1936, they invariably mention Jay Berwanger, the subject of my next biography.

Berwanger was the first pick in the first NFL draft, selected by the Philadelphia Eagles, who immediately traded their rights to the University of Chicago star to the Chicago Bears. The legend is that Berwanger demanded $1,000 a game (actually, $20,000 for two years of service with a guaranteed contract) – roughly 10 times the going rate at the time – and that Bears owner George Halas refused. Embroiled in a contract dispute, Berwanger never played a down of professional football.

Reality is that Berwanger stated a salary figure that he knew was astronomical, especially during the Depression, not as a demand as much as a statement that he was not interested in playing pro football. The only “negotiation” in which Berwanger and Halas engaged was a brief exchange when they bumped into each other in a hotel lobby. There was no dispute, no holdout -- and no contract.

Nice to have been in the running

2010-04-08T06:50:00.007-05:00

I received word today that my book Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography was not selected for the 2010 Larry Ritter Award of the Society for American Baseball Research. The award goes to the year's best book focusing on the Deadball Era (1900-1919).

The honor went to Robert Peyton Wiggins for The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, which was published by McFarland (publisher of my Schalk and Red Faber biographies).

The Schalk biography was among the 10 or so finalists did not advance to the top three in the judging. Congratulations to Mr. Wiggins.

Though it would have been great, obviously, to have a book rank higher, it was nice to have a book nominated for the award.

I doubt that my next book will even be considered for this award. After all, it's a football biography.

What have I gotten myself into?

2010-04-04T20:43:00.011-05:00

The rumors are true: I am participating in the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce's first Dancing with the Stars -- Dubuque Style.

On May 22, about 10 "celebrities" will dance with professional instructors (or their top students) in a charity event. Folks may "vote" for a contestant by donating money toward his or her selected charity. (My choice is Riverview Center.)

Being a contestant doesn't mean I can dance. Madame X and I took lessons about 20 years ago, but most of that is forgotten. I'm essentially starting from scratch.

Fortunately for me, my instructor is Jennifer Mulcahey, of Ballroom by Jennifer in Dubuque. She and her crew are donating their services toward this charitable event. I've had two lessons, and I'll just say that Jennifer is a very patient instructor.

Don't look for moves like those you see on the TV version of this event. I'm just hoping not to injure anyone.

Birthday observance

2010-03-20T09:13:00.003-05:00

Friday marked what would have been the 96th birthday of the subject of my current biography project, Jay Berwanger (1914-2002), winner of college football's first Heisman Trophy.

John Jacob Berwanger was born in Dubuque, Iowa. His mother Pauline was born in Germany and his father, John, the son of German immigrants, was born in Dubuque just a few weeks after his parents' arrival in the U.S.

Break out the sunscreen!

2010-03-19T21:19:00.005-05:00

On my recent trip to Florida, I took in a spring training game at Port Charlotte. The contest featured two teams I don't follow -- Minnesota and Tampa Bay -- but it was a sunny, fun afternoon at the ballpark.

A 'getaway' without leaving town

2010-03-01T06:46:00.010-06:00

Grey House, the main building at Four Mounds. (Four Mounds photo)

The highlight of our past weekend was a "getaway" experience -- without actually getting away.

As the result of having the top bid at the live auction during the Opening Doors fundraiser a few months ago, six couples, including Madame X and yours truly, enjoyed a B&B experience on the former Burden property now known as Four Mounds.

The estate overlooks the Mississippi River is in extreme north Dubuque, located off Peru Road just south of the John Deere factory. It is operated as a conference center by the Four Mounds Foundation, which is maintaining and improving the property.

Though February weather limited some of our activities, we got out for a hike or two and enjoyed the magnificent views. We also got a walk-through of the White House, which is undergoing renovation and in a few months is expected to be open for lodgers.

I hadn't had much occasion to visit Four Mounds over my years in Dubuque. But I will look forward to the next opportunity.

30 years after "The Miracle on Ice"

2010-02-21T17:14:00.008-06:00

In the long list of improbable and historic upsets in sports, at or near the top has to be the U.S.A. hockey team's gold-medal performance in the 1980 Olympics.

A bunch of amateurs -- college kids with an average age of 22 -- defeated the vaunted and veteran Soviets, considered the best team anywhere (amateur or professional) with a third-period rally in the semifinals. That game was played in Lake Placid, N.Y., 30 years ago tomorrow (Feb. 22, 1980).

Often forgotten is that the Americans had a rally again in the third period to beat Finland for the gold medal.

The victory, which occurred while the Cold War was still hot, was a huge source of patriotic pride. The chant "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!" got its genesis there.

Hard to believe it's been 30 years.

Archie Griffin interview highlights day

2010-02-17T06:37:00.008-06:00

It has been a long week -- and it's only Wednesday morning -- but the highlight of my Tuesday was my brief telephone interview with Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of college football's Heisman Trophy.

Griffin and I talked for about 10 minutes about the subject of my next book, Dubuque native Jay Berwanger, recipient of the first Heisman. Though their playing days were generations apart, the men enjoyed each other's company at annual Heisman events.

Griffin, who won the Heisman in 1974 and 1975 as an Ohio State running back, is president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc. He won a truckload of honors during his collegiate career, including The Sporting News Man of the Year award in 1975.

Berwanger, who won the Heisman in 1935, died in 2002. Griffin remembers the former University of Chicago star as "classy. That’s how I looked at Berwanger. A classy man. Well-respected.”

Thanks, Archie.

New-old heights

2010-02-04T09:31:00.003-06:00

Our youngest, Greg, and his friend Justin took a winter vacation to Leadville, Colo., where his Uncle Tim and family live.

They made a climb of Mount Elbert, one of several "14-ers" in the area. Greg climbed it previously, in the summer of 2008.

Here's a photo of Greg (left) and Justin at the summit.

Big day at Big Boy Toy Show

2010-01-31T19:10:00.012-06:00

Iowa Hawkeyes (from left) Rafael Eubanks, Pat Angerer and Tony Moeaki.

Wisconsin Badgers Mickey Turner (left) and Chris Maragos.

Today I volunteered at the Telegraph Herald's Tri-State Big Boy Toy Show, the two-day annual trade show and event geared for the guys, at Dubuque's Grand River Center.

A feature of the concluding day of the event is an autograph session with college football stars. My job was "crowd control" at the autograph table line. There was a crowd all right, but they stayed under control throughout.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been represented a half-dozen years, while this is the second year we have hosted Wisconsin Badgers.

The Iowa players were Rafael Eubanks, Pat Angerer and (filling in for A.J. Edds) Tony Moeaki. They signed autographs for hundreds of fans -- some of whom lined up nearly two hours before the signing session began -- with grace and friendliness throughout.

The Wisconsin table was capably handed by Badgers co-captain Mickey Turner and Chris Maragos, who likewise thrilled the visitors dressed in red and black.

How long would you wait?

2010-01-26T06:53:00.007-06:00

How long would you wait for a table at a popular restaurant?

I set a personal record on Saturday -- and those who know my patience level might find this amazing: Three hours.

It was not just any restaurant. It was Frontera Grill in Chicago, rated one of the best restaurants -- not only in the Windy City but anywhere. It is owned by Rick Bayless, who has his own cooking show on public TV.

But three hours?

Why not get a reservation? Easier said than done. The restaurant takes a limited number -- and for Saturday nights they are gone three months in advance. Those without reservations are lined up when the doors open at 5 to get their names on the waiting list.

On several previous trips to Chicago, we decided not to wait hours. We succeeded in having dinner there one September five years ago -- and that was with sidewalk seating. A year ago, we squeezed in for lunch at the bar on a Saturday.

This time, Madame X and I arrived at 5:30, mentally committed to a long wait. Still, just a half-hour after the doors opened, we were told the wait would be 2-2½ hours. OK, we told ourselves, we can handle that. We were instructed to check back in an hour and pick up a pager device.

That hour was spent in a nearby Irish pub, where I sipped a Harp and watched rugby on TV. (One team wore pink uniforms.)

The next two hours we spent standing at the edge of the packed bar area, sipping wine and getting to know some folks also in the for the long haul. We met a couple from Seattle and another from Milwaukee.

After three hours, the Milwaukee couple and we agreed to the manager's offer of seats at the cooks' counter -- a bar-like arrangement overlooking the cappuccino machine and next to the cooks' area. Any port in a storm.

The food was excellent. (I had steak strips with a delicious salsa.) Service was fine.

But was it worth three hours? I don't think any restaurant is worth that long a wait. But we were determined to eat at Frontera Grill that evening. Plus, I got a blog item out of it.

How long would you wait?

Schalk and the Super Bowl

2010-01-26T06:52:00.000-06:00

I set Google Alerts for various topics of personal interest, including the name Ray Schalk. Usually, it hits listings for memorabilia sales and blogs by guys who look at Schalk's low batting average (.253) and decree that he should not be in the Hall of Fame, no matter how great he was at defense. (As if the Hall has no offensive stars whose defensive liabilities were overlooked by electors...)

However, about the last place I expected to see Schalk's name pop up was in a story related to the Super Bowl. Yet, there he is, mentioned in a Major League Baseball feature about ex-Major Leaguers who once played in this season's Super Bowl cities.

Schalk managed Indianapolis of the American Association in 1938 and the first half of 1939, when he "resigned." Schalk also has a link to the home state of the other Super Bowl city, New Orleans. When he was player-coach of the Chicago White Sox (1927-28), the team trained in Shreveport, La., in the extreme northwest corner of the state, some 340 miles from New Orleans.

We lose a link to Iowa sports history

2010-01-15T12:10:00.010-06:00

Don Crawford with another Cascade native, Gary Dolphin, "Voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes," July 4, 2007.

I received a sad bit of news today, when Paul Crawford reported the passing of his Dad, Don Crawford. He was 95. I met Don in mid-2007, after he contacted me about my Red Faber biography. I visited him in his apartment in Des Moines.

Unfortunately, my book was already out; otherwise, Don could have helped round out my project. That's because Don had the distinction of likely being the last living person to have batted against Faber. It was in a 1933 exhibition in Dubuque, just a week or two after what turned out to be Faber's last major league game. Don was 18 at the time; Faber was 45.

Don, who grew up in Cascade, might be the only person to have ever batted against both Faber and another Hall of Famer with Iowa roots, Bob Feller. That contest occurred in an amateur tournament a few years later, when Feller was still a teen but soon to enter the majors.

On Independence Day 2007, when the Tri-County Historical Society unveiled its newly remodeled museum wing dedicated to Faber, officials asked Don to snip the ribbon. He was thrilled.

On the occasion of our visit in Des Moines, I wrote a blog post that ended: One of the great pleasures of writing the Faber biography is getting the opportunity to become acquainted with people I otherwise would never had occasion to meet. Don Crawford, a real gentleman, certainly is at the top of the list.

Some 2½ years later, I still feel that way. Peace, Don.