Review: It Happened in Wisconsin

It Happened in Wisconsin by Ken Moraff

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I checked this little winner out from the Amazon Prime lending library.

It's about a 1930s minor league team known as the Racine Robins, who aren't so much baseball players as they are crusaders seeking to right the wrongs put upon good, hard-working Americans by evil corporations. They don't have a manager, drive their own bus, and keep only enough of their gate to subsist on. The rest of the profits go to helping the poor and the hungry. And probably paying labor bosses although the book doesn't explicitly say so.

The writing is actually good enough in the first few chapters to get you interested in the characters and their backgrounds. But then you get to the halfway point of the book and realize that. . . nothing is going to happen in the book. It's just a vehicle for socialist propaganda. I finished reading it anyways, and I was right.

The book is narrated by a nameless member of the team, who by his account was a star pitcher although who knows because there was maybe three pages of actual baseball action in this book. He speaks retrospectively of the good ol' days when he and his best friends/teammates were out to save the world from greed. In present days, he's a sad old man in a rest home who passes the time perving over his young nurse.

I don't necessarily disagree with all of the ideals put forth in this book, but there's a reason in society why businesses aren't managed by the people, for the people. It's because it doesn't work. There's a reason teams have managers. It's because they would suck otherwise.

But in the author's well-crafted cheesy Wisconsin bubble, all the players are completely selfless and never seek their own interest! And of course, they are also all good enough to play in the major leagues, if only they were willing to stoop so low! And so, in the pages of this idealistic tale, it works perfectly! It's only fiction, after all!

(There are so many exclamation points in this book!)

The arguments against "the system" are interesting for awhile, but the author just continues to beat you over the head with them, again and again and again, until mercifully, the pages go all white. I'm assuming that meant the book was over and not that I was beaten into submission.

There's a subplot involving the narrator's lost love. But is it really a subplot when there is no main plot? That's a question to ponder on when you're not out organizing labor unions.





View all my reviews

Review: Slow Getting Up

Nate Jackson wrote a book about his football career. Never heard of him? Yeah, most people, even football fans, probably aren't familiar with the guy. He wasn't a superstar, or even a starter. He was a reserve wide receiver and tight end who saw most of his action on special teams. I was only familiar with him because he spent the bulk of his playing career in Denver. And honestly, the main reason I read it was for a peek behind the curtains of my favorite NFL team.

He writes extensively about the brutality of NFL life and the various injuries he suffered throughout his professional career, which began as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers, included a season in NFL Europe, and ended with with the Las Vegas Locos of the UFL after he failed to catch on for one more NFL tour with the Cleveland Browns. And how he didn't want to stop playing despite the horrible beating his body was taking.


He makes a point in the book that fans become detached from the realities of football because they participate through a television screen. Think about it - you turn it on, watch the game, and then turn it off. It's very similar to any other television program. The characters disappear from your screen until the next time you turn it on - at what point do players become no more than a fictional being? I'm sure fantasy football and video games only contribute to this warped sense of reality.

Football is a violent game and that many of yesterday's heroes are suffering horrible consequences for their participation in the game. Some of them choose to end their lives prematurely rather than continue living with their damaged body. But. . . no one is forcing any of them to play. They could walk away at any time if they chose. Some of them do. However, the money is really, really, good, which makes it hard. There's also something about the thrill of competing at such a high level that many of us can't quite relate to.

Nate tries to explain why he kept pushing to play professional football, even though he had plenty of valid reasons to quit. I don't know that he's a great writer, but his insights make for interesting reading.

I'd recommend it for Broncos fans. I appreciated his thoughts on why the Broncos lost the 2005 AFC Championship Game loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, how important Gary Kubiak was as an assistant to the success of the Broncos, and the dangerous effects of John Elway Nostalgia.

It's a little coarse language-wise. I'm not sure why the authors of these behind-the-scenes NFL books feel the need to illustrate their tales with so many dirty words. Look ma, I'm an NFL player, because I can talk like one! It's one thing not to be able to express yourself without profanity verbally, but it's another to be unable to do it on a keyboard.

Walking in the Springs

Twice a year, I spend about a week in downtown Colorado Springs for work. It's kind of an interesting place. I brought my camera along the other day and decided to take a few photos for the blog. The first one is a picture of the side of V Bar. The colorful mural was added three or four years ago.

Here we have a picture of Phantom Canyon Brewing Company. It's an easy walk from our client and so we've often had lunch here through the years. We never refer to it by the actual name - we call it "the brewpub". They have pretty good food but I can't speak as to the quality of the brew.

 This statue is up the street from the brewpub - I'm actually not sure who it is supposed to be and I didn't walk over and read the plaque. I'm so lazy! Maybe I'll do it next time.

Street preaching seems pretty common in downtown Colorado Springs. Maybe it's common in Denver as well, although I rarely visit downtown Denver so I wouldn't really be the one to ask. I like that people often seem to stop and engage (argue) with the preacher.








This is the marquee at one of the night spots. Oh, if we only could have stuck around long enough for the Hootenanny! I'm sure it would have been epic.

And here's a shot of the intersection of Kiowa and Cascade. The church is St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral. It's pretty big.

So in conclusion, I'm not a great photographer. There were many other interesting things to see on my walk around the block (especially people) but I felt weird walking around snapping pictures. I guess you can't really have many inhibitions if you want to be a great photographer.

My Manning Manifesto

Here's the deal. Twenty-nine years ago, as a young boy, I became a Denver Broncos fan. The year was 1984, John Elway was in just his second year as a pro, the Broncos won thirteen games, lost just three, and took the AFC West. I've been with them ever since, through Super Bowl defeats and Super Bowl triumphs, through Josh McDaniels and Tebowmania.

Peyton Manning was an enemy. The Colts crushed the Broncos in the playoffs in consecutive seasons (2003 and 2004) and were a major obstacle to AFC supremacy for most of the decade. I tired of hearing about Peyton Manning and the Colts and how great they were. I didn't care about Peyton and his commercials and SNL appearances. I cheered when Tracy Porter intercepted his pass in the Super Bowl and returned it for a touchdown, thus depriving him of a second Super Bowl ring.

On March 20, 2012, these two worlds collided when Peyton Manning, having been released by the Colts after sitting out a year due to injury, signed a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos.

I was definitely in favor of the move and thrilled that he picked the Broncos over 30 other NFL teams. After all, we had just suffered through the turmoil of 2006-2011 which included Jake Plummer's benching, Brandon Marshall's continuous off-field drama, the murder of Darrent Williams, the firing of Mike Shanahan, the ill-advised hiring of Josh McDaniels, the trade of Jay Cutler, and the Tim Tebow Experiment. The Broncos didn't make a playoff appearance from 2006 through 2010, their longest stretch since the 1970s. And even though John Fox, Von Miller, and Tim Tebow led the Broncos to a playoff win over the Steelers in 2011, it was apparent that John Elway wanted Tim Tebow as his quarterback about as much as he wanted Dan Reeves as his offensive coordinator.

However, I remained very reserved in my excitement. Who knew how he was going to come back from his injury? And who knew how things were going to mesh together in Denver? I certainly didn't rush out to buy a #18 jersey.

Things got off to a rough start last season, but once the Broncos finished the year with 11 consecutive wins and earned home-field advantage in the playoffs, I finally decided that I was fully on board with these Manning-led Broncos, and I was excited to follow them on their journey to the Super Bowl.

But then came January 12, 2013, when the Baltimore Ravens came to town and upset the heavily favored Broncos 38-35 in double overtime. I lashed out at Peyton Manning on Facebook after the game, calling him the "greatest regular-season quarterback of all-time." Because what had happened to Colts fans so many times had just happened once again, to Bronco fans. After watching our team put on a show all season, we suddenly found ourselves flat on our backs, the rug to yanked right out from beneath us. I was mad Peyton couldn't come through in the clutch and win a cold weather came on his home field. I was frustrated that despite all of the fanfare that came with his arrival, he didn't get any further in the playoffs than Tim Tebow had the year before.

So my feelings towards Peyton Manning have been much like the weather was on that day - icy.

On Sunday there's a big game, with Peyton Manning returning to his old stadium to lead the undefeated Broncos against the 4-2 Colts on Sunday Night Football. Colts owner Jim Irsay made some remarks this past week that some construed as a shot against Manning and his postseason failures. Will Peyton use the remarks to go up and light up his old team on the football field?

It will be entertaining if he does. But it won't prove anything.

We all know Peyton Manning can dominate the NFL's 16-game regular season like no other. Some great things have happened already this season. Seven touchdown passes in a game. Setting a new Broncos single-game scoring record. Back-to-back 50-point games. Winning a shootout against Tony Romo and the Cowboys. An 11 to 1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. A seventeenth consecutive regular-season win. Whatever they're going to do to the Colts tomorrow night. 

Barring an absolute disaster, the Broncos will make the playoffs this season. But what will happen when the calendar flips over to January?

Based on how the early part of the season has gone, here are some possible locations for Broncos playoff games in January: Denver, Kansas City, New England, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. Only Indianapolis has a dome, and there is a good chance the weather will be cold in the other cities. The Super Bowl, should the Broncos make it that far, will be held in New York. Peyton and the Broncos will probably have to win at least one playoff game in adverse conditions if they plan on hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February.

The passing game will not be as effective in cold weather. Do the Broncos possess a good enough running game? Knowshon Moreno has put up some decent numbers, but how effective would he be without the threat of the passing game? Would the combination of Moreno, Ronnie Hillman, and Montee Ball be able to carry the team on their backs if needed? I don't think Bronco fans can feel good about the answers to any of those questions.


I'm not getting too excited about anything these Broncos do right now. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but Peyton has to prove to me that he can win big in the postseason in order to win me over completely. (How's that for a spoiled fan? That's what Super Bowls and Hall of Fame QBs do to you.) I hope he can pull it off - he needs another Super Bowl for his legacy. I'm a fan all the way, but I have my doubts about this team. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

An Evening with Brian Regan

My sister-in-law Jodi spearheaded a trip to Red Rocks to see Brian Regan at Red Rocks on August 9. This is a picture of all of us on the way in - me, Elizabeth, my nephew Andrew, my sister-in-law Dorothy, my brother-in-law Will, and the aforementioned Jodi.

Here's a picture of the stage from our seats. I took a lot of pictures while we were waiting, but none of them came out that great. This was our second trip to Red Rocks - we also lucked into tickets to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2009.

A lot of Mormons like Brian Regan, too. This may have been the largest assemblage of Mormons in 2013 outside of General Conference, although I cannot verify that as truth. I'm glad he has enough of a following to be able to fill a venue like Red Rocks. It shows that there is a market for comedians that don't need to use f-bombs or talk about genitalia to get laughs. It was a good show, although I can't really recall any of the jokes. He did trot out the "spelling bee" bit which is on his CD - I do remember that much.

Lastly, here's a picture of these three sisters at the show. The one on the left is in fact, not Inspector Gadget. Anyways, it was a fun night out to see Brian Regan live and in person.

Review: Coming Clean

I recently finished this book - it only took me like 10 days. I'm not sure what's going on because I can spend months on end laboring through a fiction title and it literally seems like work to have to read one. But then I get totally mesmerized by a nonfiction book such as this one and fly right through it. Yeah, I don't totally get it either.

The author grew up the child of hoarders, before cable TV taught the world that hoarding was an an actual psychological disorder. The gritty details are almost unbelievable (that is if you've never seen A&E's "Hoarders") - rats, sludge, strangers in the attic, visits from child protective services, and much more. I found it interesting how it affected even the most basic functions of her life. Not only did she have to live in a filthy dumphole, but also she couldn't bathe, eat, sleep, or use the bathroom in a normal way. By the time she reached high school, she had to go to some lengths to hide the horrific conditions she lived in from her friends.

She was driven to succeed in school and in life because she wanted something different for herself. However, she spends a good portion of the book talking about how her parents' living habits continued to affect her life even after she reached adulthood and had a career and a place of her own. I won't get into any details except to say that she has some awesome friends and the situation with her parents reminds me of the line from the Eagles song "Hotel California" - "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. . ."

It's worth a read, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

My Annual Mile High Excursion

Once per year, I usually have the opportunity to attend a Broncos preseason game. My boss and his friend have seasons tickets, and like most season ticket holders they prefer to unload them for free on whoever wants to go. He offered me tickets for the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals. You know, the game where the starters play very little, if at all. The seats aren't too bad - they are in the east stands, upper level, 50-yard line. And I got the parking pass - which is more awesome than it sounds - it makes getting home so much easier than messing around with the light rail.

The Broncos have a huge new video board. Here's a picture. It's truly enormous.

Here's a fun picture of the sun setting behind the stadium. As the saying goes, "If God's not a Broncos fan, then why are sunsets orange?"

This was part of the halftime festivities. It's a kid's team playing some Mascot All-Stars. Of course Miles was there, along with Rocky from the Denver Nuggets. I guess Dinger was busy, or too much of a loser. Also, that's Arby's Curly Fries straddling the 10-yard line. He had no arms.

Here's a shot from the real game. Peyton Manning didn't play at all. Brock Osweiler started at QB, and gave way to Zac Dysert in the second half. The Broncos came from ahead to lose this one. Usually when I go to these preseason games you can spot several jerseys of the opposing team throughout the stadium. However, there were precious few Cardinals fans there. I could have probably counted the ones I saw on my two hands.

Here we are enjoying our time at the game. Maybe someday I'll luck into some regular season tickets.