Bear ... Ranger Bear

Am I faster than a sausage?

I woke up the other night from a dream (can't remember exactly what it was about) but I had this strange sensation that I wondered if I could out run a sausage in a foot race. Weird, I know. And here's where it gets even weirder. I punch the clock this morning and in my e-mail is a notice about the United Way Hot Dog Lunch on Monday. And who will be at the Hot Dog Lunch???? The Racing Sausages from the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club. Ah-ha, I thought, this could be my chance to find out if I really am faster than a sausage.

The United Way Hot Dog Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Atrium of the Student Center. For just $4 (that's a buck less than an Abe Lincoln) you get a hot dog, chips, two cookies, and a soda. Plus, the proceeds from the lunch benefit the United Way in Racine and Kenosha counties.

Not sure if I will have the chance to race a sausage, I've got a call into my agent to see about any legal ramifications (there are always legal ramifications). I'll keep you posted.

RDB

LaVontay Update

Here's some of the latest from LaVontay ... I asked him (via Facebook, I can't talk) about the difference between pro ball in Europe and college ball.

Hey, RB: Everything is going pretty good. I hope all is well there. Oh man it is a complete 180 in the physical department...lol.. The refs let you play and really let you beat up on each other. My first game, I was driving on the baseline and a guy from the other team just pushed me straight out of bounds and the ref just looked at me..lol. At first I had a hard time finding my roll on the team, but after four games I'm starting to find my place. Just playing here this little time has made me a better basketball player because here everyone can score and do some of the things you do. I played good last night, had 11 points 6 rebounds 5 assists and 3 steals in 27 mins. The fans love me here, they are very nice and kind.

LF

News from LaVontay

Hey, everybody, I got a nice note from LaVontay Fenderson the other day. He’s over in Europe — the Czech Republic to be more specific — playing for BK Decin. Here’s what he had to say:

Hi RB! Sorry it took so long to write. I have been really busy with basketball and learning the city of Decin. I am playing in the top league over here. I was pretty nervous when I first got here because I couldn’t really speak to anyone. Also, the airline lost my suitcase. So, it was a hard first week because a lot of things that you don’t want to happen to you traveling for the first time away from home were happening to me. Now I’m fine, I have some cool teammates. People in the city are helpful and actually try to understand what I am saying. Decin is a pretty nice, the food is very good – especially the pasta dishes with chicken. Some things are different - I don’t think they have driers, because in my apartment they don’t have one and in the stores the don’t have them, either. So, what you have to do is put your clothes on a rack and let them air dry. Also the outlets and plugs are different ... forgot about that before I left. The money wasn’t too hard to understand, some of our big bills are coins that look like quarters. The town is very high on basketball, they are really crazy about it. No matter where I go the people want autographs or want to talk to me or try to give me a high five. All in all it’s a nice place and I’m adapting to it.
LaVontay 

ESPN.com at UW-P ... or were they?

Always a good idea to read the national media. I was really excited to see Parkside mentioned in an ESPN.com story recently. The story talked about the Northwestern football team holding its fall practice here on campus. It didn't take long for me to wonder "what's up with that" regarding the writer's description of our area.

The Wildcats come to the tree-lined campus at Parkside, which is mostly empty this time of year. It's a Wi-Fi not spot. Cell phone reception can be a challenge, and audible radio stations are few and far between (more on that later).

Wait just a minute ... I mean, seriously, we have Wi-Fi, my cell works when I remeber to turn it on, and the radio dial is full of stations.

Located just beyond the sprawl of Chicago and that of Milwaukee, this is about as isolated as you can get.

WHHHHHHHAAAT??!! Did somebody move the Interstate and not tell me? What happened to the 250,000 peeps that live within about 15 miles of this place. As isolated as you can get??! My guess is that the writer (Adam Rittenberg) was drinking the ice water from the gray cool-down tubs!

Yours truly,
Ranger D. Bear

PS: We love having the Wildcats come to campus. It is a relaxing place to be and maybe a little bit of an oasis isn't such a bad thing.

Cinderella story ... outa nowhere ...

Well, if I would have played in yesterday's golf outing to help support the Athletics Department, I'm sure I would have shot one of the highest scores and, no doubt, won! As it turned out, I had to get my fur back to campus for the soccer games. Anyway, here's a little something from the course.

2009 Athletics Dept. Golf Outing