Happy Oktoberfest

I partook in Oktoberfest this weekend. The parade, the bars, the Fest grounds. Everything. And I had a spectacular time.

I didn't hear anything about any flipped cars until reading the La Crosse Tribune this morning and my reaction was nothing more than simply a chuckle.

Sure, I feel bad for the car owners and would be irate if it were mine, but it's not surprising that things like this happen. What is surprising is that people are this upset about it, or at least those quoted in the Tribune article or who commented online.

Here's the fact: Alcohol runs this town. And there's not necessarily anything wrong with that.

Sure, La Crosse has two fine hospitals, three great post-secondary educational institutions and countless fine small businesses.

But it's also a town full of people who have spent a significant portion of their lives here and have embraced the Fest tradition. Kornfest, Irishfest, Applefest, you-name-it Fest. You can tell yourself that they are predicated on "tradition" and "heritage" all you want, but that's just because it's more fun to drink a beer while you're wearing lederhosen.

So the quote that "We no longer have Oktoberfest. We have Drunkfest" simply amuses me. Where have you been all these years?

And I'm not giving the college kids a free pass on this. But having been in the middle of that scene not-too-long ago, in my experience, it's not the out-of-towners that are causing the ruckus. It's our own college kids. The ones that, for better or worse, make this city what it is.

I think the police actually do a remarkable job. Given their allotted resources, their motto has to be something along the lines of "don't try to stop them, only hope to contain them" and for the most part, I think they do.

As is with almost every scenario, it's a few bad eggs that are making things look worse. And when the city balloons to over double it's original size, that's bound to happen.

99% of you enjoy Oktoberfest within the realms of what is considered reasonable. Let's enjoy that fact for the rest of this glorious week.

Prost.

Todd's New Pony

I get retirement gifts, but this seems a little much. A horse? At a baseball game? You've outdone yourself, Colorado Rockies



A horse? Really? What is he supposed to do with that? It's one thing to give someone a rocking chair as a gag gift. But a freaking HORSE?

Foods to eat while driving

Insure.com recently surveyed 1,500 drivers on the best foods to eat while driving. Drivers were widely divided in their top picks, but the humble candy bar squeaked out a first-place victory. I'm not sure why an insurance website is releasing details about an action that makes people inattentive, but that's besides the point. Whenever I'm driving, I typically go with a bottled beverage of some sort and sunflower seeds to keep me busy. A burrito would be incredibly difficult.


Rank Food Percent


1 Candy bar 16%


2 French fries 15%


3 Potato chips 9%


4 Chicken nuggets 8%


5 Doughnut 8%


6 Fresh fruit 8%


7 Hamburger 7%


8 Breakfast sandwich 6%


9 Other 6%


10 Sandwich 5%


11 Hot dog 3%


12 Ice cream cone 3%


13 Burrito 2%


14 Pizza 2%


15 Taco 2%

Interesting Story

I was reading the Tribune this morning and was fascinated by the cover story. I'm guilty of falling into the trap of using the flushable wipes - they're so comfortable! - but I had no idea that they weren't flushable. I'm not sure how else do dispose them though, as you don't necessarily want something like that sitting in your garbage can. I suppose there are those little garbage cans that some ladies use but...I'm a dude. Plus, space is a premium in my bathroom. Read more of the story here.

Stand down, Packers fans.

Rookie RB Johnathan Franklin showed promise, but made
a big rookie mistake against Cincy. Photo credit: WPXI.com

The Packers are 1-2.

It's ok.

Breathe.


Green Bay played 3 playoff teams from a season ago, and could easily be 3-0. They were in every game, but penalties, turnovers and the like flipped that record to 1-2.

There are 13 games left in the regular season, and the Packers won't be seeing a stretch like they did to start the season. There are four very winnable games in October and if the Packers don't go at least 3-1, then it might be cause for concern. Detroit and Cleveland at home should be wins, and Green Bay should be able to win one of the two games in Minnesota and Baltimore.

To win 10 games, the Packers would have to go 9-4 the rest of the way. Let's say that Green Bay loses to New York, Atlanta, Chicago AND Baltimore. That's still a 10-6 record, and historically speaking, that will get you into the playoffs way more often than not.

The bye week is coming at an opportune time, giving the likes of Eddie Lacy, James Starks, JerMichael Finley, Casey Hayward, Clay Matthews and Morgan Burnett to get healthy. That's right. The Packers should have beaten Cincy without this crew for all or most of the game.

Stand down, Packers fans. This season will be ok.

Say what?

Via SportsGrid.com

Some fans just don't get it. After the San Francisco 49ers got thumped by the Seahawks in Seattle this past weekend, at least one Niners fan thought that the noise in Seattle gave the home team a distinct advantage. Here's her letter that ran in the Monday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Was anyone else appalled by the unsportsmanlike conduct of the Seattle Seahawks and their fans, juiced on noise, which surely creates as big an advantage over an opponent as any performance enhancing drug and which, to their shame, NFL officials turn the same blind eye they have to concussions and drugs (“Seattle states case loudly, clearly in rout,” Sports, Sept. 16)?

It would be simple to fix. Seahawks players and managers would ask their fans to cease and desist, and the NFL would implement a new rule: The visiting team may stop the game when fan noise is greater than a specified decibel level, and should this rule be violated in more than three games, no home games will be played at the offending field for the rest of the season, including playoff games. Things would quiet down.

At a time when the world seems sour, sports give us a place of joy, community and hope, and to have it spoiled is a bigger loss than it seems on the surface.


Ms. Judy Spellman just doesn't get it. Seattle's fans are notorious for being loud, as they are dubbed "The 12th Man". In fact, this past weekend the crowd set a new world record, verified by Guinness, at 136.6 decibels. That's louder than a jet engine at close range. Well done Seattle.

Can you imagine if a Bears or Vikings fan friend of yours complained about the noise at Lambeau? If that were the case for me, I'd have quite a heyday giving them the business on that one.

James Starks Runs Wild

Courtesy of the Green Bay Press Gazette

James Starks, who at one point was fifth in the pecking order at running back during the preseason, pounced on his chance and galloped for a career-high 132 yards in the Packers' 38-20 win over Washington. He made the most of his 20 carries, hitting the holes in the offensive line hard and showing a good burst around the ends.

"I know this is what I’m capable of doing," Starks told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "I just have to keep rolling. It’s one game. I have to continue to get better, do things right each and every play and try to be a better player."

That’s the thing. It is just one game. Whereas very few will be surprised if Rodgers approaches 500 yards passing again, it will be surprising if Starks continues to produce at this level.

Lacy will have to pass a series of NFL-mandated concussion tests to return to the practice field this week, but it might behoove the Packers to take caution with their rookie running back, given that Green Bay has a bye week following this upcoming week’s contest with Cincinnati.

That should give Starks another opportunity to prove his value to the coaching staff, but that will come against the Bengals’ third-best weighted defense in the league from 2012, according to Football Outsiders, a group that now includes former Steelers stud linebacker James Harrison.

The Packers are definitely a pass-first team, but there has been a greater focus on establishing the run game in order to help keep Rodgers healthy and in the case on Sunday, wear down the clock en route to a victory. Starks wore down a bit as the game wore on, picking up two yards or fewer on six of his last seven carries.

Is Starks’ performance an indicator of long term success? No. But is it indicative of the progress the offense is making? Yes. Don’t look for a repeat performance against Cincinnati, and with Lacy likely returning to the fold after the bye, look for the Packers to continue to strive for balance for the remaining 13 games.