Three Things Make Me Football Happy Right Now

1. After humiliating the Seahawks and kicking back on their couches to watch the Redskins fall to the Giants today, the Cowboys sit at a not-so-shabby 8-4 which makes them #2 in the NFC East. Bearing in mind, we have the pact-with-Satan Giants in the NFC East to contend with. But look at it another way: only three teams (Lucifer's own Giants, Tampa Bay and Carolina) in the entire NFC have better records than the Cowboys. I'll get to the matter of the Cowboys schedule from here on out later.

2. I like watching the New York Beelzebubs, errr, Giants play. Here's my dirty little NFC East secret: I like the Giants. A lot. I thought I could shake it off after the Super Bowl since I figured the soft spot I had for them was just a combination of rooting for the underdog, disliking Brady/Belichick and always having liked the down-to-earthness of Eli Manning and Michael Strahan. But then came this season and I still can't really completely root against them. I like Tom Coughlin for some reason. I will infinitely pick Eli over Payton in the Battle of the Mannings. I think they probably did deserve to be the Hard Knocks team this year. But the reason that they weren't is, in my opinion, part of the reason they are so good. There's a serious lack of "personalities" on the Giants team this year. So while watching Eli Manning do some Soduku puzzles with a warm glass of milk before bed doesn't make for good TV, it seems to be working out just fine when it comes to good football. Yeah.....all the New York Giants are on good behavior and not embarrassing themselves or their team.......

3. Ok, can I tell you how happy I am about the latest Plaxico Burress f-up? Bearing in mind that his injuries and subsequent criminal charges, while completely career-threatening, were not life-threatening. You know what that means, right? It means it's open season on Plaxico Burress. Seriously. You wanna be a knucklehead supreme and carry a gun into nightclub? Well, Plax, I have to hand it to you. You proved that you are more kind, considerate or perhaps (God help us all) more foolish than Pacman Jones. All I care about is that you and your ilk stop putting innocent people in your line of retard fire. So thank you, Plax. My birthday is in a week but you went ahead and gave me an early gift. The gift of laughing as I watch your already shaky NFL career come tumbling down around you because you felt like you needed "protection" and in the process, shot yourself in the leg. You should try not hanging out in nightclubs that make you feel as though you have to bring a weapon with you to be safe. See, the thing is, I think you were carrying that gun to be tough and thug-like. And I'm glad your liquored-up ass didn't decide to further prove your gangster tendencies by shooting someone other than yourself. Because, you see, you will forever be known now as the dumbass who shot himself in the leg with his concealed gun. Which is the least tough or intimidating thing you could have done with a gun. You are now the punchline of a joke Jeff Foxworthy is saving up for his appearance on Showtime at the Apollo. And you missed the chance to play against the Giants too! I am sure you would have gotten a rousing reception during the Sean Taylor Ring of Honor induction ceremony. I would have loved to have seen that.

On to December. I have a feeling we won't use the word "boring" much to describe the next month of Cowboys football.

Game 10 (30NOV08)

Goals, Goals, and More Goals!!!White 12 - Dave Petr, Peter, Leo, Mauro, Edwin, Battle, Anthony (G - Wall side)Black 12 - Jimmy, Dave G, Chris M, Imran, Rocky, Chris S (G - Bleacher side)With Dave Petrelli's last second goal, Team White fought back to a 12-12 draw today. He was the primary goal scorer for the White team (even Pete admits!), while Jimmy was dominant for the Black side in yet

Rob Little... You're Fired!

Sorry Rob but I think we've found a new coach...



Just Kidding, Rob. But couldn't you call us bitches just once?

Grandstand Entertainment

Before I started working at the Fair I was under the impression that it was really easy to book Grandstand acts. I had my list of who I thought should be at the Fair: Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Jonas Brothers (don't judge me), Kid Rock, Kenney Chesney (again). I'm beginning to understand that booking bands for the Grandstand is one of the hardest jobs and you truly can never please everyone! Over the next couple of posts I'm going to answer common questions we get and explain how we book acts and why we book them.

For starters we tend to book two rock acts and four country acts each summer. This is primarily due to our customer demographics, we conduct surveys during and after the Fair to get an idea of what bands our attendees are looking for. Once we know what there is an interest for we can start working with our agent to see who's available.

Required Reading - Thanksgiving Edition

I have made very little secret that I am a fan of John Buccigross. Although he can come across as somewhat vain, I believe his heart is in the right place when it comes to writing about hockey.

So... I believe it to be in everyone's interest to read his most recent hockey essay posted on ESPN.com. The mailbag is optional.

You'll also be able to figure out where I got the idea for the caption contest for the previous post.

Needs a Caption

Here is our fearless leader doing what he does best, whatever that is. Can you come up with a better caption? Comment below. Thanks to the SlapShot blog at the New York Times.

The Gothard Sisters

The Elephant and Tiger Show and Petting Zoo from a post before have filled their dates and will not be able to be at the North Dakota State Fair. I still think that these are both great acts so without a doubt we'll try again for them in 2010.

On a lighter note at the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs we were introduced to three sisters who knew how to wow an audience. The majority of our office has nearly fallen in love with these adorable girls. The Gothard Sisters are champion Irish dancers (kind of like Riverdance but way cuter and not creepy) who also play fiddle and violin while dancing. They would be a perfect fit for our Jukebox Junkie Stage and serve as a great Free Stage edition.

Just Sketchin'

Game 9 (23Nov08)

Another Lousy Turnout ... a Goalie's NightmareBlack 14 - Jimmy, George, Edwin, Ratz, Peter K (G - Bleacher side)White 13 - Dave P, Claudio, Imran, Chris M, Anthony (G - Wall side)Due to 3 Sunday cancellations and 1 no show, this turned out to be a 4 on 4 game.The black team took an early 9-3 lead, and then held on to stop a furious comeback. Claudio & Dave scored all the goals for the white team,

DiabloHockey This Weekend

That is the new 2008-2009 "Hell's Bells" Diablos Video. It Rocks.

The West Side of Hockeytown will be rocking Sunday night with Diablo Double Dip. The Ken Yackel West Side Arena will host the D1 Diablos vs. the Wolf Pack at 4:50 pm. At 8:10 pm the C2 Diablos will then take on the Admirals at the "Yack".

How bout a little Cannibal Corpse? Courtesy of Angry Todd. Go Figure.

Diablos D1 5 - Fighting Saints 1

Eckman, Fricke Lead Diablos Over Fighting Saints

In their most impressive game to date, the D1 Diablos thoroughly dominated the Fighting Saints at both ends of the ice and secured a 5-1 victory on Sunday evening. Coming off a disappointing loss to the Royals, the Diablos made several changes to their game plan that seemed to pay big dividends.

One of the biggest changes from last week was the Diablos' commitment to the 'other side of the puck'. In the first 3 games of the season, the Diablos played very well but seemed to suffer the consequences of some very costly defensive mistakes. They seem to have finally righted the ship, however, as they managed to all but completely shut down the Saints for three periods. All three forward lines were backchecking hard all night long, and along with the stellar play of the Diablos defensemen, made it impossible for the Saints to create any offense.

The Unholy Trinity of Steinbach opened the scoring at 11:08 of the first period. Shane Steinbach, who has been snakebitten along with his brothers lately, scored his second goal of the season on the kind of beautiful passing play the Steinbachs are becoming known for.

While all 3 lines generated a number of scoring chances throughout the game, it was the Destruction Line that surprised everyone (including themselves) by exploding for 4 of the team's 5 goals. Peter Sinesio increased the Diablo lead to 2-0 about a minute later when Shawn Fricke redirected a cross-ice pass from Larry Eckman right onto his tape in the slot.

Larry “Tomahawk” Eckman, known more for being “experienced” than anything else, was exceptionally impressive in registering 2 goals and 1 assist. On his first goal, he capped off the first period scoring for the Diablos when he skillfully banked the puck into the net off of the Saints' defender in a way that only a wily veteran can. Then, in the third period, Eckman did a wonderful impression of Sidney Crosby by collecting a lead pass from LW Shawn Fricke, who won a puck battle in the defensive zone. As he skated up the ice, Eckman accelerated to an incredible speed, beat the lone Saints' defender to the outside, and then tapped the puck in the net on a beautiful rendition of the forehand-to-backhand breakaway move pioneered last season by a certain former D1 Diablo who now runs a certain Satanic hockey blog. When asked about his performance, Eckman said, "Hopefully these damn whippersnappers will finally realize that I'm not 'older' than they are...I'm just 'wiser.' OK, I guess I'm older too...but still..."

Shawn "Clutch" Fricke was also exceptional, putting up 3 points of his own (1 goal, 2 assists). He assisted on Eckman's first goal by just plain outworking the Saints down low in the offensive zone, and also scored a very pretty goal right after an offensive zone faceoff. He beat several Saints to a loose puck and fired a snapshot into a puck-sized hole between the goalie's pad and the left post at 7:56 of the second period. Fricke now leads all Diablos with 6 points in 4 games.

Late in the second period, newfound enforcer Cory Steinbach, who currently leads the D1 Diablos and the D1 East Division with 8 PIMs, got into some (undeserved) penalty trouble as the refs decided to give their whistles a workout. He would again decide to take a 2 minute break at the start of the third period, but luckily the Diablos PK unit prevented the Saints from building any real momentum. After the game, Cory declined to comment on the officiating, saying only that he felt his opinion would not be appreciated by league officials.

The Power Line of Groth, Schaefer, and Lindquist, though they were held off the official score sheet, managed to create several scoring chances that could easily have been goals while maintaining their outstanding defensive play. Dean "Machine" Groth set the example with several unbelievable backchecking efforts. All three played a very smart game and took away the Saints' time and space all night.

In fact, the Saints got so frustrated with the Power Line that they felt the need to take a run at Dean in the third period. In an effort to slow him down, one of the Saints skaters put him in the proverbial "trolley tracks" and ran him hard into the boards. It didn't work, however, and the Diablos thoroughly enjoyed the ensuing power play. Dean is just fine, and after the game said "What? Oh, I'm totally fine...I just needed to skate it off, that's all." Apparently, they don’t call him “The Machine” for nothing.

Diablos goalie Todd Latterner faced 18 shots and continued to impress with his quick reflexes and great positioning. He played well enough to earn his first shutout of the season, but was denied when the Diablos were outnumbered at the top of the crease in the third period, and the Saints managed to score off a rebound on the power play.

In all, it was a much-needed victory for the Diablos, who are now in a 3-way tie for 2nd place in the D1 East Division. They will take on the surging Wolf Pack back
at West Side arena on Sunday 11/23/08 at 4:50 PM. Catch it! Official AHA Scoresheet

By the Numbers:

-Larry Eckman, rumored to be the great-grand-uncle of goaltending legend Terry Sawchuck, has a Kovalchuk-like 4 goals in the past 4 games.

-Every D1 Diablo skater who has played in all 4 games this season has at least 1 point.

-The Diablos had a total of 48 shots on goal, 22 of which were in the third period. The Fighting Saints had only 20.

Diablos C2 7 - Bulls 3

The Diablo Hockey Club C2 Team began last Sunday night's game against the Bulls playing fairly tight and not very cohesive. The Bulls were playing strong defence and their goaltending was firm. However, they blew open a tight game with four goals in the third to come away with their fourth victory in as many games.

Rob Anderson had a four point night (1g, 3a) and Ted Reiff potted a pair of goals including a shorty from Anderson which proved to be the game winner. Andy Suerth had his third tally of the season during the second and Dave Hackley, Jarrick Losey and Steve Nelson all found the back of the net. Justin Alderink saw 16 shots and stopped 13. Official AHA Scoresheet.

Hello, Hello It's Good to Be....ugh....

The boycott is over! You Go Live in Utah is back on top of the Dallas sports blogging game. Much like how baseball went on strike from itself a while ago, I have been on strike from blogging about the Cowboys or Mavericks.

But two things happened in the past week that have brought me back.

1. The story about Tony Romo paying for a homeless man to come watch Role Models with him and a buddy. Which has officially made it next to impossible to ridicule him and most certainly not with the intensity with which I have ridiculed him in the past. You won this one, Romo. But there's still hope for a DWI or bastard child yet.



2. Tracy McGrady’s face when he missed the three pointer with 40 seconds left in the game last night. The three pointer that would have made it a one possession game. The three pointer that could have saved the Rockets from losing to the supposedly (and frequently actually) awful Mavericks. You know, that three pointer? That face Tracy McGrady made? The one similar to the face that most everyone who was involved in Sunday’s chili cookoff made sometime on Monday morning? That face?
Yep, that’s what blogging is all about. Random acts of kindness (and dude-brahness) and watching Tracy McGrady fail. I’m back! *

*I did not actually stop blogging as a boycott of those franchise’s poor showings. I got a new job and had to buy a new laptop. But I like making bold stands where they are completely unnecessary.

RMAF Convention Wrap Up

The remaining days of the conference were filled with hilarious key note speakers, motivating workshops and awe inspiring entertainers. Two excellent speakers at the conference were Patrick McGaughey, a self proclaimed Enter-trainer who spoke on increasing sponsorships, and Dr. Marty Becker, who is a popular veterinary contributor to Good Morning America that kept us all laughing while discussing the bond between humans and animals. Both speakers came across extremely intelligent yet light hearted and had a lot of information to contribute to our Fair-themed discussions. All in all it was a great four days in Idaho. After every meal was a showcasing session. This is when entertainers could perform for us. I felt bad for the entertainers since they are performing in front of some of the toughest critics, a room full of talent buyers! That said there were some pretty ugly showcases but for the most part we found some great talent including The Gothard Sisters. Next conference: IAFE here we come!

Game 8 (16NOV08)

The 1 hour powerplayBlack 15 - Jimmy, Dave G, George, Imran, Mauro, Chris S (Goalie - Bleacher side)White 7 -Dave Petr, Peter, Rocky, Chris M, Anthony (Goalie - Wall side)With the extra man, thanks to last minute cancellations and very reliable substitute players who really don't seem to care about our beloved game(!), Team Black cruised to an easy 15-7 victory today.Jimmy was brilliant in his

Let's Go Pens!

DiabloHockey This Weekend... Catch the Fever!

For those who check out this blog for entertainment options in the Twin Cities, be sure to check out some DiabloHockey on Sunday night.

The C2 East leading Diablos take to the ice at their home-away-from-home, Biff Adams arena at 7:50 pm in a battle for first place vs. the Bulls (2-0-1-0). Can playoff hockey be played in the middle of November? If so, this matchup is as good as any.

If being caught in a prostitution sting doesn't appeal to you, then there's always a quick trip to the Yack. Ken Yackel's West Side Arena will host the D1 Diablos as they look to rebound from a stinging loss to the Royals against the familiar Fighting Saints. Puck Drops at 8:10 pm.

DiabloHockey Fever... Catch it!

Other successful hockey marketing campaigns...

D1 Diablos 2 - Royals 5

D1 Diablos fall 5-2 to Royals; Global Ski Mask Shortage.

DiabloHockey Correspondent Peter Sinesio reports from Highland Arena in St. Paul

If you were planning on giving someone a ski mask for the Holidays...you might want to make other plans. It appears as though the D1 Royals, who spent months stockpiling black ski masks, large nondescript brown bags, and black clothing, managed to steal a deceptively close game by defeating the D1 Diablos by a score of 5-2.

The Satanic Underground Kingdom's Bureau of Unholy Statistics for Hockey (SUKBUSH) confirmed that this was the closest 5-2 D1 Diablo game ever played. The Diablos came out flying and played a fast paced game. Outskating their opponents from the opening draw, the Diablos took the lead thanks to the lightning quickness of the "Power Line" of Dean "Machine" Groth, Dave "War Hammer" Schaefer, and Monique "AzzKikr" Lindquist (Schaefer from Groth & Lindquist). The Power Line used their speed to create chances throughout the game, and put what seemed like a hundred shots on the Royals Goalie.

If the Power Line put a hundred shots on, then the "Unholy Trinity of Steinbach" Line must have had a thousand. The Steinbach brothers Cory, Taylor, and Shane generated scoring chance after scoring chance using their speed, skill, and sheer will to win. Unfortunately, the Royals goalie had just won the lottery, hooked up with a supermodel, managed to get free snacks from the vending machine, gotten a huge undeserved promotion at work, made millions on a simple bank error, and was generally enjoying the luckiest day of his life.

As the game wore on, the Royals would score two consecutive goals to get ahead 2-1. The Diablos answered back when the "Destruction" line of Larry "Tomahawk" Eckman, Peter "Hail Satan" Sinesio, and Shawn "Mr. Clutch" Fricke scored to tie the game at 2 in the second period. Shawn Fricke, fresh off his nickname-earning goal with 50 seconds on the clock against the Spiders, battled hard to get the puck deep in the Royals zone. Peter Sinesio managed a short pass from behind the net, and it was all Eckman needed to bury it for his 2nd goal in 3 games.

Throughout the remainder of the game, the Diablos mostly outplayed, out-skated, and outshot the Royals. They don't award points based on shots though, and the Diablos suffered a few defensive lapses late in the game to finally fall 5-2. The game was 3-2 until just the final minutes of play, when the Royals managed to score on a few of the rare breakaway chances given up by the normally stingy Diablos.

In all, it was an impressive effort for the Diablos. Despite being outscored, the Diablos outshot the Royals 35-23. In the third period alone, the Diablos controlled play by outshooting the Royals 16-4. There were several occasions when the Royals, who have mastered the art of defensively collapsing around their goalie, got hemmed in their own zone for several minutes at a time. The Diablo defensemen did a great job keeping the puck in the offensive zone, and the Royals quickly lost their energy and gave up chances. Defenseman Mike "Death Cannon" Wrobel, in his Diablo debut, impressed his new teammates with strong 2-way play and several great shots on goal.

In a rare postgame interview, one Royals player, speaking only on condition of strict anonymity, said "[The Diablos] scared the shit out of us at first". When asked for a reaction to this sentiment, the Royals goalie said, "Yeah they totally--wait..hold on....I just found $1,000 on the ground....and another $20 in my pocket.....and it looks like someone is about to give me a new Lexus, free of charge..."

The remaining Royals players could not be reached for comment. Official AHA Scoresheet.

Cal Clutterbuck is Now Utility Position Eligible

Cal Clutterbuck had his first NHL fight Thursday night against a former dance partner from the AHL, Keith Yandle.



On the plus side, he did a nice job rattling Yandle's jaw with the constant lefts to the chin. On the negative side, take off the visor, Clutter. Don't drop the gloves and leave your helmet on.

Obviously, he missed that lesson at the Boogaard fight school.

Rocky Mountain Assoc. of Fairs Convention

One of the best parts of working at the Fair is going to conferences. Conferences give us the opportunity to meet with other fairs and learn about what they are doing. The fair industry is unique so it's great to be able to talk with people who understand the different situations of a fair. We also get the chance to meet with many entertainers and individuals from the Fair service industry. Five staff members from our office woke up at 3am yesterday morning to fly out to Coeur d' Alene, Idaho where we are attending the RMAF Convention. The RMAF is notorious for the exposure that entertainers are given to the Fairs that purchase them, for us we buy them for our free stages. The conference kicked off with a reception followed by several performances by entertainers. I'm not sure that any of them are what we were looking for at our Fair, but there are still many more entertainment showcases to come!

Upcoming State Fair Center Events

This week is a busy one at the North Dakota State Fair Center! Coming up on Thursday, November 13th from 5-8pm is the Chamber Showcase of Business. Learn about Chamber businesses as they showcase their products and services in a unique atmosphere. This year the theme is "It's a hoedown!" There's great prizes and plenty of delicious food. The event is sponsored by KXMC CBS13 and the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce. Cost is $10 per person.
November 15th and 16th will feature the Magic City Flea Market, a Holiday Truckload Sale and the Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcase. Visit the Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcases to find unique holiday gift ideas made in North Dakota. The showcase features gift items, clothing, accessories, food and condiments, decorative items and more. You'll be able to find something for everyone. Hours are Saturdays 10-5; Sunday 11-5, admission is $2, but kids under 12 are free.
You also get a free reusable bag with paid admission. Click here for a 2 for 1 adimission coupon.

DiabloHockey Fantasy League Update: Week 5

Five weeks of the NHL season are behind us and one team is standing head and shoulders over the others in the DiabloHockey Fantasy League. The Peter Sinesio-led Dio squad is crushing the competition with a record of 33-9-8. This week, he shut out the hapless Puck You squad, led by John Driscoll, 9-0. Dio has 74 points, 10 points ahead of the 2nd Place team in the league, Puck Tooth.

The surprise team this season so far is the Mike Monroe led Puck Tooth team. They've firmly established themselves as the #2 team in the league yet at the beginning of the season, neophyte G.M. Monroe, could barely figure out the difference between Brad Boyes and Brad Bombadier. Good balance and solid goaltending from J.S. Giguere have set Puck Tooth firmly in the mix for the top spot in the league.

The Fighter Rule has been a success so far - Fantasy Hockey orphans like David Clarkson and Jarred Boll have found homes in the DiabloHockey league. DiabloHockey is like the United Way with regards to providing NHL fighters a warm home and three squares a day. We'd like to acknowledge each of the fighters for each team right now...
Dio - Dion Phaneuf (not necessarily in need of a good home, but opens up another roster spot for his team)
Puck Tooth - David Clarkson
SlingBlade(mmmhmm) - Ryan Malone and Jason Chimera
Unoriginal Bastards - George Parros (the 'stache)
Mojito John (mojo) - Rene Bourque
Douchbags - Adam Burish & Joe Thornton (Hey Douchbags - Thornton drops the gloves (hint hint))
Angry Bears - Jarome Iginla, Aaron Voros, Derek Boogaard, Todd Fedoruk, Brent Burns, Chris Neil & Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Add Ryan Getzlaf to the mix and you've got a team of scrappers. Unfortunately, that's only good for 7th place.
Hyphan Slayers - Jared Boll
Spider Monkeys - Cody McCloud &/or Steve Ott
Satanic Mass - Eric Godard
Mood Killers - Georges Laraque
Puck You - Milan Lucic

Goalie Notes: Roberto Luongo (Slingblade(MmmHmm)) had his third consecutive shutout by blanking the Wild on Sunday. The NHL Record is five. Recent injuries to Martin Brodeur (Spider Monkeys) and Evgeni Nabokov (Mood Killers) have meant that teams need to scramble to keep the lineup intact.

Aaron Voros and Ryan Malone squared up for the second time this season for a possible fight of the year...



Two of the three players formerly known as the Slovakian Mafia, skipped Saturday's reunion when the Wild traveled to Vancouver. Pavol Demitra and Marion Gaborik were both out with injury. The third member, Branko Radiovovich, is playing for Spartak HC in the Russian Superleague.

DiabloHockey Fantasy Hockey Tip of the Week: Set your lineup for the entire week by setting, then saving your lineup for each day. Look up top for links to each day and then set your lineup with regards to your team's schedules.

Diablos C2 4 - Eagles 2

The C2 Diablo squad were able to put a solid performance on the Ken Yackel West Side sheet last night despite a plucky eagle team and an inch and a half of snow. Steve Nelson led the effort with his first Gordy Howe/AHA Hat Trick (goal, assist, roughing penalty), and Andy Suerth and Jarrick Losey were each credited with a goal and an assist apiece. Justin Alderink faced 30 shots and turned away 28. The Diablos are on top of the C2 East Standings with a perfect 3 - 0 record. Official AHA Scoresheet.

Game 7 (09Nov08)

Petrelli shines on his dayBlack 8 - Dave Petr, Leo, Peter, Jordano, Ratz, Imran, Anthony (Goalie - Bleachers)White 7 - George, Dave G, Chris M, John R, Edwin, Rocky, Chris S (Goalie - Wall)Dave Petrelli almost single-handedly won this game for the Blacks today. Celebrating his 36th birthday, Dave was outstanding today, scoring 6 times and playing an awesome two-way game. This was probably the

They're Not Witches...

...well, technically they are, but not the stereotypical, "bubble, bubble, toil and trouble" kind they're sometimes thought to be. A look at modern Wiccans from the Boston Phoenix.

Diablos C2 5 - Renegades 2

The Diablos C2 invaded Biff Adams arena again to face a familiar foe - the Renegades. (Angry) Todd Ewing and Peter VanZyl each picked up a goal and assist and Justin Alderink turned away 23 of 25. Official AHA Scoresheet.

Diablos D1 4 - Spiders D1 4

A Diablo first - a regular season tie. The Diablos D1 and Spiders D1 each potted four but couldn't find the back of the net during the extra time. A power play goal by Fricke with :50 on the clock saved a point for the Diablos. Dean Groth scored his third goal of the season and C. Steinbach had a goal and an assist for his second and third point of the season.

The Official Diablo Tie Video


All members of the D1 Diablos (and most of the C2 Diablos) must watch this before taking to the ice again.

Diablos D1 4 - Wingmen 2

The D1 Diablos continued where they left off last year by defeating the D1 Wingmen 4 - 2. Dean Groth tossed in a pair, but the highlight had to have been Monique Lindquist being sent off to the showers for a high sticking infraction with less than a minute to go. Official AHA Scoresheet.

Diablos C2 5 - ShameonIce 1

A good first showing by the new Diablo squad in their new division. Dave Hackley had a pair of tallies and Robin Jacobs-Spaulding had a pair of helpers. Goaltender Justin Alderink stopped 26. Official AHA Scoresheet.

State Fair Assoc. Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the North Dakota State Fair will be held at The Ramkota at 1:00pm on Thursday, November 20, 2008 in Bismarck. We invite you to join us as we review 2008 and discuss the future of the North Dakota State Fair. This meeting will be your ticket to see a private viewing of a newly created 30-minute North Dakota State Fair documentary, “Our State Fair: The North Dakota Experience,” afterward Bob Wagoner will give a progress update on the proposed grandstand project.

Also on the agenda, three board members will be up for re-election including: Charles Meikle, Vice President, Spiritwood, District 5; Tim Clark, Director, Fargo, District 2; and Butch Haugland, Director, Ambrose, District 8.

Kings, Cards and Reds

State Fair Documentary, coming to a TV near you

Throughout the summer the North Dakota State Fair Association has been working with Prairie Public to create a documentary that captures the history and integrity of the State Fair. “Our State Fair: The North Dakota Experience” features footage from the 2008 State Fair as well as interviews with fairgoers, exhibitors, and fair officials. It also showcases archival photographs and historic video footage. The documentary will air on Prairie Public Tuesday, November 25 at 8:00pm and Thursday, November 27 at 8:30pm. Make sure to tune in, you just might see yourself on TV! Copies of the documentary can be purchased through the State Fair Office for $24.99 or online from Prairie Public.

I was born in Albany, Georgia. I was baptized at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Albany, Georgia. It's my (and Ray Charles') hometown. My mom emailed me this morning to tell me that Albany was on the front page of the New York Times.

Growing up, I saw some pretty terrible displays of racism in Albany. I heard people that I knew and, in some cases, relatives of mine say derogatory things about black people. And from a very young age, it made me mad. Livid, actually. I couldn't understand it and I remember coming back to Texas after a Georgia visit and telling my mom that I finally knew what the meanest people in the world were called. They were called "racists" and I told her that I didn't ever want to be friends with people who were like that.

Which is why this story about Albany from the front page of The New York Times has reduced me, yet again, to tears.

I'm not the only one though. My best friend Chrissy, who lives in London now, is pregnant with her first child. She voted for Obama, as she's still a US citizen. I got this from her this morning:

And I am still on an emotional high. I saw probably the sweetest thing I have ever seen in my life. At the newsagent near my office, I went in to get a bottle of OJ this morning and there was an African woman in there holding hands with her little boy - probably 3-4 years old. They were in front of the newspaper racks, and she was pointing at the front pages saying 'His daddy was from Africa like your daddy. You stay a good boy and grow up to be a good, honest man and you can become something special, too'. Amanda, I fucking lost it! I couldn't hold back the tears as I walked the rest of the way to work. This is a VERY big thing - more than just a figurehead for our government. It's setting a new standard for millions of people. Amazing, just totally amazing.

So I cried over that. I cried watching the speech last night. I cried seeing 'your buddy' Jesse Jackson crying. I cried at the fact I got a text message from you saying you were crying. And I'm about to start crying now just thinking about all this crying.

For a bit of comic relief (and maybe giving me a chance to stop crying tears of joy for like ten minutes), I relay this from my friend Adam (via Dave):

Favorite thing I've read so far from a random Twitterer:
"I'm totally shitfaced on hope right now, you guys. Someone hold my hair while I get my audacity on."

Truer words never spoken.

But then it's back to crying as I look at the text message that my mom sent me the moment they called the election for Obama:


"You can breathe now. I am proud of you and your generation. I love you and thank you for voting"


And finally, if you ever wondered what is the easiest way to become a former friend of mine, Myspace-wise, let me offer you a perfect example:

Welcome to The Socialist Republic Of America!
God help usall. Barack Hussean Obama was just elected President. Guard your wallet. We're about to have the biggest tax increase in the history of the USA. My prediction, the stock market will crash upon this news. I'm all about helping out the poor, I just think it should be done through the church, not the gov. I fully expect accusations of being a racist. Fire away.

Though our Myspace friendship was brief, I wish you all the luck with your hate-mongering, which presumably you will be able to sneak in between typing lessons and English 101. Happy trails, retard.

YES, WE CAN and indeed YES, WE DID.

The Mavs beat the Spurs, the Spurs are winless so far this season, I'm riding out my last three days of my two weeks notice at a job I hate before I head into a job I love and last night, Barack Obama was voted President of the United States of America.


Today, most assuredly, does not suck.

Free Stages 1

Today I’m looking at two free stage acts, the first is a new petting zoo and the second is Tiger Encounter and Elephant Adventure, this looks like it would be a cool show. We had a really great petting zoo last year at the ND State Fair, but this year we’re looking to bring in something a little different, a petting farm. The petting farm will give Fairgoers the chance to milk a cow, pet and feed farm animals, watch baby chicks be hatched and see a sow and pig display. More pictures and information is available at http://www.fairanimalspecialties.com/



I think the tiger and elephant show would be pretty cool. They would do two Tiger shows and two Elephant shows on one stage each day. The elephants paint and play basketball while the tigers do tricks and jump through hoops. The price seems within reason, but before going any further I need to call around to other Fairs and check references. You can see show details if you go to http://www.artistsandattractions.com/ and click on the Tiger and Elephant link.

A New Blog for the 2008-09 Season

Tryouts are mostly done and scrimmages start soon. It's a new season, and we're kicking off a new Blog at a new web address: http://thewmhsh.blogspot.com/Without getting into the minutia, we needed to change the address and wanted to do a Web address that wouldn't give you carpal tunnel every time you needed to type it in. So we made it simple. Bookmark it. Write it down. Pass it on.The new

Is it any wonder I reject you first?

Let's get this out of the way: any current Cowboys quarterback not named Tony Romo sucks, Marion Barber's inability to gain more than two or three yards per run sucks, the surreal number of penalties the Cowboys have steadily accrued each game of this season sucks, the continuing plague of Cowboys injuries sucks, letting Jason Witten play (as well-intended as it may have been) with a broken rib in a game we had very little chance of winning at any point sucks.

I am assuming those are the main talking points on Dallas sports radio today. And yes, those things suck. But I was struck by two contradictory statements I heard during the pre-game show on Fox and during the Cowboys game. Everyone on the pregame show agreed that Jerry Jones must have suffered from some post-Botox dementia when he thought that it would be totally alright not to have a decent, young backup for Tony Romo.

Then, as Brooks Bollinger practiced passing straight to a Giants receiver on the sidelines, Troy Aikman defended Jerry's choice by saying something like, "If you had asked me at the beginning of season whether or not it would be okay to have a 40 year old Brad Johnson as a backup just in case anything happened to Romo, I would have thought that would have been fine, in the event that Johnson would have to play two or three games while Romo got better." Which is why Troy Aikman should not be allowed to make any major decisions regarding football or car dealerships.

The pregame guys were right. But it's very easy to say that, being in the position (bottom of the NFC East) that the Cowboys are in right now. Had Romo not gotten hurt and had the defense and the offensive line not started to slip before the injury, I'm sure no one would be making a sound about the backup quarterback situation. But that's why you get a decent backup quarterback. It's the same premise as car insurance or a change of clothes in your carry-on. You pray you won't need it but if the situation arises, you don't look like an uninsured, pit-stained nightmare.

Then I thought about what really boils my blood about the whole situation. Let's take, as an example, the Denver Broncos last year signing Patrick Ramsey as their backup QB. Now, I'm not saying the Cowboys should even pursue someone as in-demand as Ramsey. But for the sake of the argument, let's say they did. Denver signed Ramsey to a two-year, $5m contract. Again, I'm not saying someone like Ramsey is the key to the Cowboys victory in the face of a Romo injury. But, at $2.5m a year (plus a small signing bonus), Ramsey is a drop in the salary bucket for Jerry Jones.

But instead, Jerry Jones went for Pacman Jones, about whom the kindest descriptive phrase I can think of would be "liability." If I am Jerry Jones and I am thinking about which scenario could be more catastrophic to my team's season, I am looking at either:

a) not getting Pacman Jones, having a weak corner and perhaps that situation getting so bad that I would have to trade before the deadline if I felt like I needed someone who could cover and run the ball back more effectively

b) not getting a decent (all apologies to Brad Johnson, who may have, on paper, looked to be a decent backup) backup quarterback and Romo suffering an injury that takes him out of four games

I think I know which situation seems more dire to me. But that's where my beef with Jerry comes into play. I think Jerry Jones is the Colonel Parker of football. All that matters is the brand and the fame. All that matters is seat licenses and jersey sales. "Any press is good press/there's no such thing as bad publicity/as long as they spell your name right/you know you're doing something right if everyone is talking about you." Jerry is fame hungry and wants to build a team that makes headlines as often as they make tackles. You don't get a face lift unless you intend to get lots of face time on-camera.

I don't think it's exactly fair to blame Wade Philips for all this mess. Or Tony Romo's messed up pinkie or Felix Jones or Matt McBriar or Jason Witten. I am angry at Jerry Jones. I don't understand why he goes for scandal instead of statistics. You can't convince me at this point that Jerry does not relish in the attention, good or bad, that his team gets.

And speaking of people who prefer hype and headlines to football, this , is absurd. And if it is proven to be the work of TO, should lead to a Jerry Jones-enforced fine.

The Dallas Cowboys are the girl who was voted off American Idol somewhere in the middle of the season but not before flashing her tits at the judges then falling off the stage drunk. She now does appearances at local nightclub openings and for an extra $10, will autograph copies of her self-released sex tape. She wants to let you know that she's glad she got kicked off the show because she's just recorded her own self-financed debut album and it will be for sale on her website soon. She will end up on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in a year, talking about how her money is all gone and she blows her weed dealer for any roaches he has lying around. But at least if she's on TV, she's still famous. Just like the Cowboys! Everyone knows them! They're America's Team!

Game 6 (02Nov08)

Greek power defeats the Italians Blacks 6 - Jimmy, George, Peter, Imran, Rocky, Chris S (Goalie - Bleachers)Whites 4 - Dave Petr, Dave G, Leo, Jordano, Battle, Mauro, Anthony (Goalie - Wall)In a tighly fought low-scoring game, which saw the lead flip a couple of times in the game, Team Black downed Team White. George earned his first victory of the season, thanks to the sharpshooting of Jimmy