Patrick425

Where is "here" jericho? This is the current forecast map: http://www.weather.gov/images/mkx/snowaccum/SnowMap_WI.png

Scheduled to take off Thursday for a family trip to San Diego. So was glad when they reduced the snow totals forecast for the southeast part of the state. Looks like an inch or less expected at Mitchell.

I keep reminding my 17 year old son that there has never been a time in his life when Badgers basketball/football did not make it to the NCAA tourney or to a bowl game...and things were far different in the Badger's sports world when I was his age.

They are pretty expensive...not something a college fan is going to buy. That is for the rich. I would think that alumni with decent jobs could afford the tickets. It does appear that many of the empty seats from earlier in the game have filled up. It might have been people went to eat between games and did not get back.

Those lower seats in OK City must be pretty expensive. Otherwise, it's hard to believe that Oklahoma playing a tourney game in OK City is not a complete sell out. I can't imagine the Badgers playing a tourney game in Milwaukee that would not be a complete sell out.

Priceline.com's and Hotwire.com's current definition of Downtown Milwaukee. Two or three times a year my wife and I will stay overnight in downtown Milwaukee, usually because of a work related function. In the past we have used Priceline's "name your own price" option and a similar option on Hotwire.com to get some pretty good last minute deals on hotels. However, over the last year or two both these sites have expanded their "downtown Milwaukee zone" to include the Ambassador Hotel on 23rd and Wisconsin (near the Marquette campus). Sorry, but this is not downtown Milwaukee.

Same here.

Even though I'm not a huge fan of the bat flip thing, I will say that as a kid, I was fairly mesmerized by the guy who I consider the inventor of the modern bat flip, Reggie Jackson. Since he was on the hated Yankees it was a love-hate type feeling, but we sure liked to imitate him on the playground when we were playing baseball. He was kind of like the Darth Vader of baseball...larger than life, played for the Evil Empire, but he sure sold tickets wherever he played. Ironic that he played with Gossage...I wonder what Gossage would say about Jackson's bat flips if he were asked about them now. His bat flips were pretty prolific. Also, gotta admit, loved John McEnroe. He made tennis watchable and he knew that his antics got inside his opponents heads. Edit: This is Reggie's first game back to Yankee Stadium after leaving the Yankees, but this bat flip is classic Reggie:

The first time we went we parked in a neighborhood across the street from the course and close to Magnolia Lane. If you are set on taking a picture of Magnolia Lane (I did not attempt to do this, so I'm not sure how accessible it is or what kind of picture you will be able to take), that is where I would park. If you park in the main lot (where we parked the 2nd time we went), it's going to be a hike to go to Magnolia Lane and back to the car. By the way...food on the course is very cheap. Like $2.50 or $3 for a sandwich and a beverage. The beverages come in nice plastic cups with the master's logo on them. I had a small stack that I took home with me.

2 hour selection show?! I remember when it was a 1/2 hour. Just tell us who's in, I don't need interviews with coaches and analysts picks . I know, I know...all about money.

I can appreciate the different perspective on that. (I'm 41, fwiw), but I get that the game is changing. It doesn't bother me at all. What really got me is his "------ nerds are ruining the game" with an F bomb or 3 in every sentence. His insistence that you have to have played the game to be in an administrative position is a strange, antiquated notion that I simply don't get. Not only will I say I don't agree with him, I'll just say he's wrong, and move on. Yeah, I definitely don't agree with him on that either. Baseball, more that most other sports, has always been a game of stats. That's one of the reason's I fell in love with it to begin with.

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

lcbj68c have fun at the Masters! I have been lucky enough to go two times (both on Sundays). Was there for Mickleson's first win at Augusta (but had to leave early because we had to get to Atlanta to catch our plane). Then was there for Bubba's first win. I was standing on the opposite side of the fairway on the 10th hole when he hit that shot. Just one tip - when you first get there, go to the main pro shop and buy a Master's folding chair. Then set it up at a location of your choosing (there is a clear pocket in the back for a business card or anything with your name on it). Each time we went we set our chairs up at the 16th hole. A lot of people do this. Then you can walk around enjoy the course, but you'll always have a seat to go to and watch the action (the course is a lot hillier than it looks on TV and you will want to take some breaks). This may not be as necessary on Thursday's but having a Masters folding chair is nice anyways and, if I remember correctly, they are reasonably priced. The only issue is having to deal with getting it on the plane (if you are flying).

That article does not make the prospects of staying in AZ sound very good. That would really stink.

Congrats Stalton! Not sure about you, but I was way more nervous about my first home purchase than I was about getting married. I read a lot of books (pre-internet) about what to do and what not to do, what to look out for, various loan types, etc. Not sure where you are in the process, but the two pieces of advice I'll give you. 1) Get pre-approved for a loan (if you haven't already) and 2) Don't let the bank tell you how much of a house you can afford. Their calculation does not take into account many things. Although, maybe this has changed since I purchased my last house and the financial crisis. Do your own detailed accounting of all your income and your expenses (current and projected) and then make your own realistic estimate of what you can afford (don't forget taxes, insurance, heat, water, etc!). Good luck. The house "shopping" is probably the funnest part of it all!

It actually might have been this card that we used when we went (I can't remember for sure, but this seems to be the one): http://www.smartdestinations.com/chicago-attractions-and-tours/_d_Chi-p1.html?pass=Chi_Prod_Go

If you have not already done so, I would recommend looking into this: http://www.citypass.com/chicago We used this a couple of years ago when we went down there and took our teenage son and his friend (so ages a bit different than what you are talking about) and we only went for one day but packed a lot into the day. Started out with the Willis Tower, took the L to the Shed Aquarium (decided to do this instead of the Field Museum because we figured it would take less time...but I would have preferred the Field museum if we had more time.). Then took a ferry over to Navy Pier, ate lunch there, then took a river cruise that highlighted the Chicago architecture. If you go to the Willis tower (which I recomend), get there before the skydeck opens and try to be ones of the first in line (we took the first train down there). You will beat most of the crowd and easier access to the "glass ledge". Now, given it's March, the ferry/river cruise options are not going to be an option (and I'm not sure if a 4/5 year old would be interested in Chicago architecture anyways.), but the ferry was awesome as we got great views and pictures of the Chicago skyline (if you ever decide to go during warmer weather).

It's interesting hearing this. The family I have that was raised in Arizona versus the family that was raised in Wisconsin have totally different views on what is and is not close. The distances between Goodyear, Scottsdale, Glendale and Mesa are nothing to the family who grew up in Arizona as they are used to driving some distance daily. Whereas, the family that grew up in Wisconsin think it's an all day trip driving from Wauwatosa to St. Francis. Funny to see the difference in perspectives. It is interesting. When we go to ST, we often stay in Chandler/Gilbert area and drive to Maryvale or other parks each day. In fact, not uncommon for us to drive from Chandler to Maryvale, drive all the way back, then drive to Scottsdale or somewhere for dinner. Some people may think that's nuts, but it just doesn't seem like a big deal to drive all over the place each day. We do pretty much exactly the same thing FVBrewerFan. So, I don't think it's nuts. We have stayed many years at a place near Baseline road and south 32nd street and go to Maryvale and back (or even Surprise) and back, then go out to Scottsdale, Tempe, Downtown, etc at night for dinner. It's usually nice, sunny, dry....great driving conditions. I'm with my family, we are on vacation, listening to vacation music mixes in the car as we are driving....don't mind it at all.

DHonks, you live in the Phoenix area, correct? I guess if I lived there I may be a little more selective with how far I want to drive, but for someone who is only there for a week to see ST games, I'm pretty much just going to go to wherever the Brewers are playing every day while I'm there. Milwaukee traffic is not bad, but I live in Waukesha and work in downtown Milwaukee, so I drive 30-40 minutes each way to work every day (and now through the Zoo interchange construction). I've been doing that for 25+ years, so I guess I may just be use to driving and traffic. I just always thought getting to any of the parks in AZ was pretty easy. We were even going to go down to see a game in Tucson once (when there were teams down there and the Brewers were scheduled to play there). However, my son (who I think was 5 or 6 at the time) got the flu, so we did not go. I would not be opposed at all to a nice new ST facility in a nice area of town (as long as it stayed in AZ!). There are some really nice parks they have built over the last several years in AZ. I really enjoyed the Dodgers facility last time we were out there (It was a really pleasant walk through a park like setting from where we parked to the stadium). I just don't have the issues with Maryvale that others seem to have. The facility has always felt really welcoming to us. So, while a new park would be nice, I would also not be disappointed if they stayed in Maryvale for another 10 years.

I disagree on your opinion on Maryvale. Maybe it has improved in the six years since my wife and I went down there, but I remember the first thing we were told by someone at the hotel we were staying at was, "Yeah, most of this area is pretty good, other than Maryvale...oh, you're Brewers fans? Well, it's not so bad if you just go to the stadium..." I do personally prefer that they stay in Arizona, if at all possible. Well, like I said, "for reasons noted earlier in the thread", but I'll rehash I guess: - I'm not saying it's not a bad neighborhood, it's just not that big of a deal. I guess for those who have a need to stay at a hotel across the street from the park it might be a big deal. Maybe I'm wrong but, I think most people rent cars when they go to ST. I believe we have been to ST in AZ something like 12 or 13 times. Our M.O. has always been to just go watch the Brewers wherever they are playing while we are there (usually about 5 games). We never stay anywhere near Maryvale (most years we have stayed near South Mountain). I don't think our drive has ever been more than 30 minutes and we have never really felt in any really serious danger when we got off the freeway and traveled north on 51st street towards the park. Last year, we stayed a little North and East of Scottsdale and our trip to the park took us a little more through the neighborhood, but again, not a big deal. Felt like driving through West Allis or something (no offense meant for anyone living in West Allis. I lived most of my life in West Allis). - Once you are in the park, there is not any thoughts about the neighborhood. Feels completely safe. I never felt like my car was in any danger of being broken into or stolen. - No, you don't want to stick around in the neighborhood and have dinner afterwards, but again, just get in your rental car and go to Scottsdale, downtown, Chandler, Tempe, etc. Sometimes that's a bit of a hike, but never bothered me. I'm on vacation and have all the time in the world. - Many of the parks in AZ are not within walking distance of a hotel anyways (or at least it's a long hike). Having said all that, no, I would not mind if they moved to a nicer location. I'm just saying, I really do not think about the Maryvale neighborhood that much when I attend Brewer ST games. It's a nice park that is very fan friendly (especially when it comes to accessibility to players). Actually, we were to one night game at Maryvale. It was one of our first years there (somewhere around 2002-04?). I remember it because my son got to run around the bases under the lights after the game.

I was watching some of that Shriners tourney this weekend on MLB network. That shot makes it look like there were several people in the stands, but my son and I were amazed at how few people were in the stands for most of the games. I know it's a MLB park and college teams, but it seemed like there were no more than 200 or 300 people at most of the games we watched. If UWM did something like that in March (when your really itchin' to see some baseball) each year at Miller Park, we would be there in heart beat. I didn't see this game with the pick off move but A) I wonder if it worked and B) Base runners are usually instructed to return to the base when a pitcher steps off the rubber. Perhaps the base runner was doing that, but did it lazily with his back turned to the pitcher.

Ditto. If the Brewers moved to FL and doubled their ticket prices they would still probably be the cheapest ST tix in Florida and the availability of tickets would cease to be a sure thing. Also, for reasons noted earlier in this thread, the whole bad neighborhood thing is really overblown.

There was a lot of discussion about this last year in a thread, but regardless of how low interest rates are, I'll never understand giving a free loan to the government. The tax software from H&R Block, Tax-Cut, TurboTax, etc. are all pretty simple to use and do the job. I'm a CPA (although I don't do much work with taxes for my job), and I use one of these programs to do our joint return (We have mortgage payments, investments, etc). Unless you have something really odd with your taxes, I would not suggest wasting money on a tax-preparer. Many times they are using similar programs and you are basically just paying them a premium to enter data.

So, do you have to get caught 3 times in one year to get suspended (Or, did that just happen to be the case with Mejia)? I thought it was just 3 times period.

The gas station that I normally go to near our house has replaced all the hose handles with handles that don't allow you to set it to fill automatically. I went in to ask about this and they stated that this is a new thing and that before long all the gas stations will have this. It's apparently an attempt to try to prevent people from leaving their car unattended while it's filling. Yes, this is a relatively minor inconvenience, but A) Another example of the general population having to deal with something based on the actions of a few morons (what idiot leaves their car unattended while it's filling?) and B) The new handles that were installed have to be squeezed pretty tight while it's filling. For elderly people or people with arthritis it's not going to be easy. Anyways, as always, there are always solutions: http://www.gasnozzleholder.com/Default.asp "Comes in four eye-catching colors" !!!