Monday 5-19

Just a few random thoughts today:

I rode my bike to work this morning. A little chilly, but it's amazing how much more "alive" you feel when you get a quick little workout at the start of the day. Now if our building owners would just put a bike rack around here somewhere I wouldn't have to hide my bike in the back stairwell. There are more than a few places around town that need to add bike racks as well. Especially as the price of gas keeps going up. Maybe the city of Oshkosh could extend a TIF district somewhere to get money for installation of racks throughout the area.

The Sunday Chicago Tribune had an interesting article in its Arts and Entertainment section about the "demonization" of Hillary Clinton in the mainstream media. I find it interesting that some of the cheapest shots delivered came from the most "liberal" of the talking heads like Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman of MSNBC. "The vast right wing conspiracy" gets a lot of the blame for Hillary's public persona and high negative image numbers with voters--but it seems to me the "left wing" is the one lobbing all of the hand grenades this time around. Has Rush Limbaugh ever suggested Hillary be "taken to the vet and put down"? Has O'Reilly called for Clinton to be "locked away in a room"? Sounds like some of the boys on the left believe piling on a woman is okay--so long as you give womens' rights issues lip service in the next segment.

Can the Brewers just fire Ned Yost right now? The Crew has lost five in a row for the third time this season. They are now dead last in the National League Central--seven games out of first. And outside of Ryan Braun--who might earn his 45-million dollar contract all in this season alone--no one is hitting. And the pitching hasn't been much better.

Yost's supporters say the team just isn't hitting and that when they do the Brewers will race back up the standings. Do you wait until the team is 15-games out for that to happen? Why aren't changes being made in the lineup right now to get the few guys who are hitting a bit in front of Braun? The Fox Network guys made a big deal Saturday about how loyal Yost is to Rickie Weeks as a leadoff hitter--despite the fact he is below .200. The same thing for "steroid suspension" Mike Cameron--who is also below .200. Perhaps when Braun sets the National League record for solo home runs, Ned will see the wisdom of putting some real hitters ahead of him in the lineup.

And if Ned goes, then pitching coach Mike Maddux needs to go as well. Let's get someone in there who teaches pitchers to throw strikes. I need to look up the record for most bases-loaded walks allowed by a team in a season--because the Brewers have to be on pace to break that mark. If he and Ned go early this season--maybe the new manager can start building a base for a return to the playoffs next year.