Labels: Jim Suttle, Omaha, You should have to take a basic quiz on the issues in the election and pass to be able to vote

Here's a heads up: Omaha mayoral candidate Hal Daub will be on The Weekly Grind tomorrow morning from 10-11am on KOIL AM 1180.

Tune in, and call in and ask the man some questions. (402) 342-1180.

Labels: 1180 KOIL, Hal Daub, Omaha, Omaha Mayor Race, The Weekly Grind

Labels: 1180 KOIL, Barrett Ruud, Hot Shops, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nebraska Football, Omaha, The Weekly Grind

I thought this was important as we are all quickly approaching 30, and apparently have all made the History Channel part of our heavy channel-changing rotation...

Tonight at 9pm (CST), the show "Extreme Trains" is about Union Pacific. According to the news man on the radio today, the show focuses on Omaha and North Platte.

Enjoy.

Labels: History Channel, North Platte, Omaha, Union Pacific

This article seems to be opening some fresh wounds around Omaha.

Mark Boal of Rolling Stone writes this piece on the kid who opened fire on Von Maur last year. Basically, his premise is that the national and local media basically did some bare-bones reporting on the story, and he is going to swoop in and save the journalistic day.

The result is an article that goes into painstaking detail of this kid's life (and in some instances, too much detail--see the part about this kid's mom cheating on his dad. I think someone has been reading too many adult sites or something.). There certainly is some journalistic merit to this article, and you can tell that Mr. Boal did some pretty serious reporting.

However, this comes with the price of some heavy arrogance and typical excuse-making.

First of all, much of the details to the story of the shooter that appear in this article have been reported on ad nauseum by the Omaha media. It was known he had an abusive early childhood, known that he bounced around several homes/clinics, and known that neither of his parents would take him into their homes. It was known that he did drugs, tried to sell drugs, made threats, was violent as a child, etc.

The biggest difference, I suppose, is that a lot of these stories did not come with the first-hand accounts and very awkward pornographic details that come with this story. So, uh, thanks--I guess. But to imply that the local media didn't hack it with the follow-through on this story is the height of arrogance and irresponsible. Perhaps, Mr. Boal, the local media was not inclined to include some of the uncomfortable "down and dirty" details because:

A. They were not absolutely necessary to paint an accurate picture of what happened in this kid's life, and
B. The local media knows its market in Omaha, and
C. Maybe they were focused on the victims of the tragedy.

Which leads to the second, and most important, point of contention: the other premise of this piece.

I understand that it is important to study the backstory of events in order to better understand them. And I think it is important to understand this story, to understand what physically and sexually abusive childhoods do to people as they grow older--and the tragic conclusions they may sometimes bring. These are things that we, as a people, need to better understand so we can all eventually become better parents, brothers, sisters, friends, social workers--just better members of society in general.

However, this article does not seem totally interested in that. In fact, this article seems much more interested in making excuses as to why this happened. And they go as follows:

--Bad parents.
--Bad step-parents.
--Nebraska.
--Globalization.
--Psychological drugs.
--Corporate ownership of farms.
--McDonald's.

Among others. I think my favorites are "globalization" and "corporate ownership of farms." Apparently because there's not enough shucking jobs available in Eastern Nebraska, high school drop outs can't get jobs. Or something. And this, of course, leads to too many video games, which leads to too many drugs, which leads to 8 people dead at a department store.

Of course, I'm exaggerating. However, the point is that this article goes beyond painting a picture of a wounded and fragile kid who went over the edge one day. No, everything needs an answer these days. It can't be that the kid is just crazy. It has to be someones fault! The father, whose wife did not want the kid to live in their house because he had threatened to kill her on too many occasions (how selfish!). The mother, who apparently had slept with too many people. The State of Nebraska, who dared to eventually put the kid out on his own after it was deemed that he had made enough progress to get on with life. The family farmer, who couldn't compete with corporate farms and offer him a job. (By the way, I don't mean to harp on this point too much, it is just insulting that Mr. Boal apparently thinks that jobs in agriculture are the only option for high school graduates and/or drop outs--after all, it's not like there are any other industries or jobs available in Nebraska.)

There is merit in reporting on the story behind the story. It is a crucial function of journalism. But to write off the hard work of local reporters and to disregard the pain of a community and--most importantly--the pain of the victims families and friends in the name of writing a in-depth piece about an extremely troubled young man and the failings of other people and institutions that led to a tragic event is, to put it lightly, unfortunate. The tone of the article--that of "I work for a big important magazine, and I'm going to teach this cow-town a lesson on what they all screwed up"--is insulting.

Hopefully Mr. Boal will be learning a lesson through all of this, as well.

**EDIT: I did forget to mention one thing that I absolutely agree with Mr. Boal on: it was borderline tragic how quickly this story--and so many important, tragic stories--leave the national news cycle in the matter of a couple of days anymore. It is a weird and sad existence that we live in that we've developed such a national case of ADD that we cannot focus on terrible events that effect our fellow Americans (and others across the world) for more than a couple of days.

*Steps off soapbox*

Labels: Arrogant Journalism, Omaha, Rolling Stone, Von Maur

That's right, my peoples. Sunday Night Links is a running feature on Heavy Soul, if "running" means "once or twice." Without further ado...

--First of all, everyone at Heavy Soul hopes that everyone was alright after last night's EF-2 tornado here in Omaha. I know that Hales and I were right below a funnel cloud here in the Dundee/Country Club area, but thank God it never touched down. People in Millard, unfortunately, were not so lucky. Here's to a quick response from your insurance company and a speedy recovery.

--Am I the only person around here needing a late pass in regards to the movie "The Rocker?" Coming out in August, it's a movie about a former '80's rock drummer who gets a second shot at stardom with his nephew's band (A.D.D.). It stars Rainn Wilson and Demitri Martin, which is an absolute home run combo. Not to mention Emma Stone who is, in a word, hot.

--Speaking of home run comedians, Todd Barry is playing The Slowdown! July 9th--tickets are only $12! Seriously, if you enjoy stand-up comedy whatsoever, you need to be there. Barry is absolutely hilarious, and his new material on his new album From Heaven is great.

--An interesting quick read on Charles Barkley and his ability to do whatever he wants and never deal with the repercussions that most people in the public eye suffer. I guess it's pretty obvious--be honest, don't rely on ridiculous PR people--but you'd think that more people in the public spotlight would take his lead.

--Another great piece from last week's Sports Illustrated (why don't I subscribe to this magazine again?) on the Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton. Pretty incredible story; here's to hoping the guy stays on the straight and narrow. Between Dusty Baker and the Reds letting Hamilton go for nothing, I'm guessing Cincinnati fans are feeling pretty good about life these days.

--I can't remember where I saw this, so you may have seen it already, but here's a link to a story about the new adidas KG Commander KG NBA Finals Sneaker. It's all yours...if you can find it at retail, and if you can pony up the $1,017 to buy them. They are only producing 8 pairs per game of the Finals. I'm a big sneaker dork (which is kind of funny, considering I never buy them--I'm a big browser), but this shit is getting crazy.

--Here's an early, er, "review" of The Hold Steady's Stay Positive from Stereogum. I'm holding off on my review because, well, I just haven't had time to do it yet. This guy is probably a bit rough on it, although it sounds similar to pete's first impressions. Personally, the more I have listened to it, the more I love it. The one place we totally agree on: the first track ("Constructive Summer") is absolutely the best track on the album. That song hits you right in the proverbial nuts, but unlike when it happens in real life, you feel pretty good about it.

--Here is an incredible story about Dov Charney, American Apparel's CEO and Founder. It goes into detail about how this creep forces female employees to masturbate and do other unsavory things in order to keep their job (not to mention the obnoxious drug culture that is involved there). Reading the stories about this guy, it is officially "uncool" to buy their shit t-shirts. I hope.

--It's College World Series time! Here's a nice article on Georgia's coach David Perno, who has been involved in 4 of 5 of Georgia's 6 CWS experiences. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes he could end up being one of the best coaches in college baseball of all time.

That might be about it. Hiding out in the basement at 3am this morning and staying up until about 5am watching the storms come in and out of the neighborhood pretty much killed me today, and I'm not even sure how the hell I'm awake.

Hope everyone has a neat-o Monday!

Labels: American Apparel, Charles Barkley, College World Series, Demitri Martin, Josh Hamilton, MLB, Omaha, Rainn Wilson, Sunday Links, The Hold Steady, The Rocker, The Slowdown, Todd Barry

Kiplinger just came out with their annual "Best Cities To Live, Work, and Play" issue, and guess who's dominating fools?

Don't pigeonhole Omaha as insurance, Warren Buffett and mail-order steaks. This one-time Great Plains pioneer town has a stereotype-busting cultural scene. Walk through north downtown and discover the indie-rock club Slowdown next to Film Streams, a cinema art house. In Old Market, red-brick roads run past open-air restaurants, galleries and chic boutiques.

They rank Omaha ("Paradise on the Plains") as the #3 city in the United States to live in, behind Houston ("The Comeback Kid") and Raleigh, NC ("Work In Progress").

Pretty cool stuff. And for the record, I don't think this happens without an influx of Heavy Soulers moving here over the past few years. Not a coincidence.

By the way, this post is looking at you, contributors and readers who don't live in Omaha! Get your asses over here!

Labels: Kickin' Ass, Kiplinger's, Omaha

Tuesday, April 15th, the all-knowing and all-seeing Omaha City Council will be voting on whether or not minors should be allowed to go to concerts at places like Slowdown and The Waiting Room because they--*gasp!*--serve alcohol.

Of course, this is a problem. Currently, there is supposedly more Council support to ban minors from attending concerts that are at Slowdown/Waiting Room.

(Of course, they're going to turn a blind eye to the Hanna Montana concert that featured thousands of 13-year-old girls who attended the concert while the Qwest Center served beer. Oh, and that Creighton basketball game--I'm pretty sure they let kids in there. What's that? Spamalot? You mean they let kids go to that? They did, didn't they...I think they sold beer and liquor at that joint. You get the point.)

If all-ages shows are banned, we're going to see a lot of bands that Omaha would not normally get (and used to not get) start to avoid the place, because 1% Productions will no longer be able to promise strong crowds for these bands. Not to mention that you're taking away an important opportunity for young people--and, in the end, all people--to be exposed to great art and culture.

Say what you will about the bands they get, what cannot be denied is how much national exposure Omaha has received because of all the incredible shows they get. And to see the City Council in all their arrogance and hypocrisies try to mess it up because they know how better for you and your kids to live your life makes me want to puke. Hopefully it does you, too. Three things you can do to help out (and two of them are incredibly easy):

1. Sign this online petition. Remember, after you enter in your info, you have to go into your e-mail and click on the link that is sent to you for it to be an "official" electronic signature. If you live out of town, just use 68104 for the zip code.

2. E-mail your councilperson (scroll to the bottom of this post to get their contact info). Remind them they are elected to this position to make the city a BETTER place, not make it worse because they're afraid the kid who is old enough to go to war and vote for them might get a rouge beer at a rock concert. Remind Jim Suttle how strongly he believes in the arts. Remind them how much Saddle Creek and 1% Productions has meant to building up the national arts reputation of Omaha--and how important this is to actively courting and recruiting young professionals, so crucial to the long-term growth of Omaha.

3. Go to the Council meeting on Tuesday. What else are you doing on a Tuesday? Be active in your community. The more people that show up for the cause here, the more impact it will have. Democracy in action, people! The meeting is at 2pm--I would imagine to keep down the number of people that show up, but take a late lunch and show them what's up--and the address is:

1819 Farnam St
Suite LC-1
Omaha NE 68183

Let's get at it. At the very least, sign the online petition (it literally takes 30 seconds), and e-mail your councilman. Go to the meeting. Send in the letter you write to the Council to the Omaha World-Herald. Don't let the City Council ruin a great and growing music scene!

Labels: Keep All-Ages Shows, Make a Difference, Nanny State, Omaha, Omaha City Council

So B at Exit 177 sent along a e-mail yesterday regarding the Omaha College World Series stadium issue.

B--like myself and several Heavy Soul contributors--is in favor of building the new stadium. So he sent along a link to a website called "Build It Omaha," and the contact info for every Omaha City Council member. As a public service, I'll post these at the end of the post.

Anyways, although I hate everything that has been involved with the stadium issue and how it has been handled, I do support the new stadium being built. I think it is going to completely suck-ify the CWS into the Corporate World Series. I think a new stadium will kill a lot of the charm of the CWS.

That said, everything above does not trump the simple fact that anything is better than no College World Series whatsoever. And the way that King Fahey has gone about this--apparently using "Negotiating and Public Office for Dummies" as a guide--has left us in a spot where it's his way or the highway. So I wrote into my Councilman, Mr. Jim Suttle. Here's what I wrote:

Mr. Suttle,

Just wanted to send along some support towards the city building the new stadium.

While I do believe that with the new stadium comes a "new" CWS, which is not a good thing. I'm very afraid that the fun and innocence of the CWS is going to go away with Rosenblatt, and be replaced by a new stadium and a new corporate sensibility, which is unfortunate.

That said, I would take a corporate-ized CWS over no CWS. I hope that you, the rest of the Council, and the people of Omaha keep that in mind. Omaha without the CWS is unimaginable, and it would be an incredibly sad day to see it go away.

Thank you.

Here is the response I got from him:

FROM OMAHA CITY COUNCILMAN JIM SUTTLE

Thanks for sending your note. I appreciate having your thoughts.

After the initial Baseball Committee press conference 3 weeks ago, I said that I would go back on the “listening mode” with the public and with businesses. I wanted to verify my position of supporting Rosenblatt as our baseball facility.

To date, my verbal conversations, telephone calls, letters and e-mails have fluctuated, but now seem steady again at 80% ‘no’ on the Downtown Stadium. The order of the reasons has shifted to 1) uncomfortable with the financing burden on the City; 2) serious traffic and parking concerns; 3) nostalgia for the Old Stadium. Comments are from City wide sources. Throughout the summer, fall and winter, the count was 80% for Rosenblatt.

I just had a briefing by the financial consultants. I asked for a sensitivity analysis. That is, if the numbers changed, does their conclusion on the Downtown Stadium change? For example:

• The City has assets but little cash without going into debt or foregoing services in order to do this Stadium. Can’t the City have a cash credit for the fair market value of Lots C/ E and for the 47 acres at Rosenblatt? (My guess is $ 20m each site)?

• How can the City get out of issuing bonds and providing its credit guarantee? Thus, no extra hotel nor rental car tax. This would let the City hold these options for more pressing problems (e.g. Qwest principle payment; higher national tourism advertising; etc.).

• Where is the ante from Creighton and the Royals into the capital pool for this new stadium?

• Where are these missing costs for the Downtown Stadium proposal:

$16m for parking garages next to stadium per the NoDo Plan?
$10m environmental mitigation at Lots C & E?
$5m for a traffic control center for the Stadium/Qwest traffic /parking flow management?
$4m for trams and jitneys to shuttle to and from all parking lots?

I was criticized again recently by a rep from the Committee for asking these questions. I replied “If a Plan is that good, then it should hold up to the scrutiny of all questions”. I firmly believe that whether it is my idea or someone else’s, asking questions IS a good thing. I will continue to ask my tough questions.

I would appreciate having your thoughts on the above.

Regards.

That's great and all, Mr. Suttle, but did you not READ my e-mail?? What a jackass this guy (along with the rest of our Council) is. He may as well have written "I assume you hate the idea of a new stadium as I do, so I went ahead and skipped reading your e-mail and formulated this ridiculous response that makes me sound like I'm out on the front lines, fighting the good fight for my constituency!" It's not that the questions he asks are not legitimate. But the tone and the fact that it does not in any way address anything that I said is ridiculous. I mean, it's not like I sent this e-mail to the White House. In fact, I've sent e-mails to U.S. Senator Ben Nelson before and I have a direct response from him or a staffer within 24 hours, and it's not some stupid canned Word document. I'm guessing that a U.S. Senator has a few more notes and commitments passed along to him in a day than a Omaha City Councilman does in 2 years.

Omaha's city leadership is honest to God embarrassing. I've never seen such a group of self-serving people all serving in public office at the same time (well, at a local level). They don't listen to anyone other than themselves, and they always assume that what they want is what the people want.

If I'm working at the NCAA and watching all of this from a distance, I would at first chuckle, then be bummed out. Bummed out because I know that I'm going to have to start taking bids from cities all over the country that want to host the College World Series. Because if Omaha even remotely had their stuff together, I would have another 10 years of 20 hour work weeks, because I wouldn't have to worry about all this crap. Instead, Omaha's city "leadership" is making this way too hard to justify letting them continue to host this event.

It is stunning to me that you can screw up a process as badly as Mr. Fahey and the Council have. You take something that is a source of enormous civic pride that virtually everyone in your city loves and somehow completely divide the same group of people into two angry mobs where compromise is no longer even a reality.

Well done, City of Omaha. When is the next city election again?

**EDIT** Whoops, forgot to paste in those Council contacts. Here you go--don't say Heavy Soul never did anything for you!

District 1
Jim Suttle
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, NE 68183
Work: (402) 444-5527
Email: jsuttle@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 1: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District1.pdf

District 2
Frank Brown
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, NE 68183
Work: (402) 444-5524
Email: fbrown@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 2: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District2.pdf

District 3
Jim Vokal
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5525
Email: jvokal@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 3: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District3.pdf

District 4
Garry Gernandt
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5522
Email: ggernandt@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 4: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District4.pdf

District 5
Dan Welch
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5528
Email: dwelch@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 5: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District5.pdf

District 6
Franklin Thompson
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5523
Email: fthompson@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 6: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District6.pdf

District 7
Chuck Sigerson, Jr.
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5526
Email: csigerson@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 7: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District7.pdf

Labels: College World Series, Embarrassment, Exactly How Not To Get Public Consensus, How Not To Run A City, Omaha

Labels: Grain Belt Premium, Great news for all of us, including people reading this I don't know, Omaha, St Patrick's Day

I thought we could start out the Sunday Night Links with a revisit of one of our most-discussed topics: "Omaha has to be one of the drunkest cities in America, right?" Well, it has finally been answered in a quantifiable manner. And the result?

Yes. Yes it certainly is.

Currently on Men's Health website, they compiled all sorts of data and came up with "America's Drunkest Cities." Here are the Top Ten (er, I guess it could be "Bottom Ten" depending on your outlook):

1. Denver, CO, Overall Score: 100
2. Anchorage, AK, 99
3. Colorado Springs, CO, 98
4. Omaha, NE, 97
5. Fargo, ND, 96
6. San Antonio, TX, 95
7. Austin, TX, 94
8. Fresno, CA, 93
9. Lubbock, TX, 92
10. Milwaukee, WI, 91

Lewis Black once said that Milwaukee is the "drunkest city on the planet." Well not this year, Milwaukee! O! what a city! Other notables:

-Lincoln, NE, 56 (with a 95 rating in binge drinking--shocker).
-Des Moines, IA, 54
-Chicago, IL, 62
-Kansas City, MO, 33

There are also other lists like this one on the MH website, including one called "Is Your City A Debt Trap?" Apparently Lincoln is the 6th-most fiscally-responsible city in America, with the least credit card debt in America and the lowest debt-to-limit ratio in America.

How is this possible? I know, like, 5 people who left Lincoln debt-free. I suppose that they only count permanent residents in this, but then again, I don't think Lincoln would have a 95 on the binge-drinking scale if that were the case.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, would you like to guess what city is the highest? Total shocker: Las Vegas. (Of course we want casinos legalized in Nebraska! They'd be great for the economy!)

On to the links....

--A nice story about Daytrotter, a music studio in the Quad Cities (Rock Island, IL specifically) that is more and more becoming a must-stop for touring musicians to stop by and drop a few tracks. Plus, the story mentions Omaha. It's pretty clear that the Tribune was simply trying to get linked to Heavy Soul to drive up traffic! Well, it worked, Tribune. Now go sell the Cubs to someone who will give a shit, please.

--For myself, this year's Super Bowl is the "well, at least I get to drink beer and make kick-ass chili on a Sunday Bowl." I certainly don't like either team, but they have their redeeming qualities: The Giants road unis are probably a top-3 uni in all of sports; The Pats will hopefully forever banish the 1972 Dolphins and their incredibly overrated coach from studio shows' discussion when some team goes 7-0 to start the season.

However, I came across this story from the Boston Herald via Awful Announcing. Some highlights:

Likewise, 72 percent of Pats fans live in homes worth north of $200,000, compared to 63 percent of Giants yahoos, the Nielsen data show.

Pats fans consistently show better taste than their Gotham counterparts, according to Nielsen.

We drink Amstel Light, not Bud Light. Giants fans slug back lots of whiskey.

We are likely to read connoisseur magazines like Wine Spectator. Gotham fans like to pig out on junk food like pretzels, chips and nuts. They’re also less likely to favor organic food than other New Yorkers.

Giants tailgaters are conspicuous consumers who party off the backs of Land Rovers and showy BMW SUVs. Pats fans are more likely to tailgate off the back of an understated Lexus or a sturdy Volvo SUV.

Holy shit. I don't even know where to go with this this. Basically, Ms. Heslam says of not just Giants' fans, but of everyone:

"Unless you're rich, you drink really overrated beer, read Wine fucking Spectator, only eat organic foods, and drive a Volvo, you're a shitty person. And a loser." Also, and just for the record--here are the prices for 2008 models of the vehicles she mentioned:

Land Rover LR2: $36,819
BMW X3: $41,917
Lexus GX: $47,580 (and P.S., the most expensive Lexus was a lot more expensive than the most pricey Land Rover)
Volvo XC90: $48,132

Understated indeed. I hope $48k will buy you a "sturdy" car.

What a bitch.

-Will Lietch (editor of Deadspin) released a book this week called "God Save The Fan: really long rest of the title." I'm reviewing it for The Reader as we speak. 80 pages or so into it: I give it a really solid "A." It is formatted just like a Klosterman book, and is consistently really funny/thought-provoking. I'd highly recommend it.

-Speaking of Klosterman, he apparently whipped up a eTicket entry about the Patriots and how "perfect" they are for ESPN. It is typical Klosterman, where he takes something he likes and explains the reasons for doing so, then ends the column hoping for the worst outcome for them. I love me some Chuck Klosterman, I really do.

-Here's an article basically saying that the hiring of Tim Beck to Nebraska's staff has saved recruiting in 2008. Three new committs this weekend!

-In further Bo Pelini hiring hoopla, Sipple has a nice column about the sometimes forgotten aspect of Bo's career: he's coached in some big damned games, and has kicked ass while doing so. I really think we might have lucked out here, fellow Husker fans.

-A very good interview with Spin's "Entertainer of the Year," Kanye West.

-Here's your libertarian highlight of the week: Dr. Ron Paul on foreign entanglements: "The Ties That Strangle." The essay summary is "Our founding fathers knew a better way to talk with our neighbors, do honest business with them, cultivate friendship, allow travel and open communication. We should neither initiate violence, nor take sides in conflicts that are none of our business." Just common sense platforms in the vein of our Founding Fathers. Join the revolution!

That's all I've got in me for tonight. I might try to find some more tomorrow morning. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Labels: Bo Pelini, Boston is becoming exponentionally annoying, Daytrotter, Deadspin, drinking, Kanye West, Nebraska Football, Omaha, Ron Paul, Will Leitch

Just wanted to do a quick update; not that everyone doesn't know already.

1. Nine people are dead. I believe 2 people are still in critical condition.

2. The kid who killed all these people was a 19-year-old Papillion dropout. And, as you always hear in these cases, there were warnings about violent behavior in the recent past.

A man on 1110 KFAB this morning talked about how the loser tried selling his son and daughter drugs. The idiot sent--via text message--sent basically a price list for the drugs. The father took the text messages to Sarpy County police. Not only this, but the shooter also threatened to kill his daughter, their family, and "burn their house down." This was also reported. What did the police do?

Not shit.

I guess they were too busy trying to get speeders on I-80. Your tax payer dollars at work, friends.

There are many different little stories and eyewitness accounts that I could add there, but anyone in Omaha has probably heard all of them anyways.

The main thing that we wanted to say is how sorry we are for all the people that have been affected by this. Mrs. GA Hill e-mailed me this morning talking about how difficult school is today--lots of connections, parents of kids that were there, family members being victims...incredibly sad and challenging things for a community to go through, and it is still unimaginable.

Although only two or three victims' names have been released, I'd venture to guess that when these names come out, there will be people that we all know in one way or another. That's one of the things that makes Omaha/Nebraska so unique: my MBA professor at Creighton, who is not from Omaha, had a very good insight on this town: "don't' ever say anything bad about someone from Omaha in Omaha, because chances are you're talking to their best friend." There's a lot to be said about this. And sadly, there are a lot of "best friends" in the metro that are probably in a lot of pain today.

From all of us that contribute to this silly little blog, our deepest condolences to those in the community who have been affected.

Labels: Nebraska, Omaha, Westroads Shootings

...I'm not taking your ridiculous column on ESPN.com ("College World Series should hit the road," 6/22/07) sitting down, you douche. Rather, I am going to take it on Ken Tremendous-style and debunk your entire non-argument, pathetic little paragraph by pathetic little paragraph.

Change of venue could broaden College World Series' appeal
By David Albright
ESPN.com
Updated: June 22, 2007

The time has come for the College World Series to leave Omaha.

GA: Sweet opening paragraph. When did it become trendy for sports columnists (I'm looking at you, Tom Shattel!) to use one-sentence paragraphs all the time, again?

There, it needed to be said.

GA: Two in a row? Dave, buddy--we've got to work on your creativity. I mean, your total bad-ass, "I'm a rebel, and am going to say outrageous things to grab the readers' attention!" intro is probably necessary to get anyone to read this garbage, but come on man...you sound like you should be on "Around The Horn" or something (by the way, not a compliment. I'm sure you understand.).

And I did so at the risk of never again being able to show my face at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, or take a stroll through the Old Market, or drink in the slice of Americana that is Zesto's.

GA: Um, yep. Pretty much.

And I also did so at the risk of seriously offending some of my ESPN brethren who (to put it kindly) wax poetic about the prospect of spending nearly two weeks in Nebraska every year.

But seriously, why should Omaha have a stranglehold on one of the premier college sports championship events?

Some would argue that it is -- or has become -- a top-tier event because of everything that Omaha brings to the table each June. And they would be right. Seemingly everyone associated with this event is as welcoming and hospitable as the chamber of commerce ads would lead you to believe.

GA: Alright, Dave, you're losing me a bit here: you're making the argument for keeping the CWS in Omaha. I thought this was about moving the CWS out of Omaha. Let's see what you've got waiting for me in the next paragraph.

But that doesn't mean another community couldn't take all of the great things that already exist about the CWS and put its own stamp on the annual festival.

GA: Totally. Except for Omaha having the perfect-sized stadium whose empty seats (12,000 to 18,000 a game) are filled with people from Omaha. Like, the only people on the planet that care to watch as many college baseball games as possible in a two-week period. Oh, and except for the fact that Omaha built this event, and NOT the other way around.

UC Irvine's extra-inning heroics would be a great story in any town in America. So, too, would Oregon State's run from nowhere to last year's national title.

GA: Yeah, that's why it's on ESPN.

It's no different than George Mason's historic run to the 2006 Final Four in Indianapolis.

Ah, Indy.

It's home base for the NCAA and it's constantly striving to be the "Amateur Sports Capital of the World" -- making it no surprise that the nonprofit Indiana Sports Corporation would love an opportunity to have a piece of the great story that the CWS has become.

Indianapolis also has Victory Field.

GA: Daaaaave--I thought we talked about the one sentence guys earlier, didn't we? I guess you're right, they really pound that point home. "Indianapolis also has Victory Field." Fuck me. You really woke me up in the middle of all this drivel. I forgot Indy had Victory Field. It is awesome. So awesome, I've never heard of it, along with 99.987% of Americans, and 97.89% of baseball fans*. Well, hopefully you'll give me some third-party opinions that hold up this ever-shakier argument of yours.

Opened in 1996 in a section of downtown that rivals everything Omaha has to offer, it is "the best of everything in one ballpark," according to Baseball America. And Sports Illustrated called it "the best minor league ballpark in America."

GA: Here's the hard-hitting, meat-of-the-argument stuff I was looking for! Indianapolis has a sweet minor league ballpark! Sweet Christ, how has the NCAA not thought of this! I mean, hello!!! The NCAA home offices are in Indy! What are they doing there? They have to have enough time after a long day of making college athletics as hard on college athletes as possible to realize that Victory Field kicks ass, don't they?

Dave, here's the bummer of the deal. There are a lot of sweet ballparks in America. In fact, Baseball America named Hawks Field in Lincoln the fourth-best college ballpark in America. It looks exactly like a mini-Victory Field. But guess what? There is no one in America--including anyone in Lincoln--trying to argue that because they have a sweet college baseball stadium, it should be the home of the College World Series.

And specifically for your argument and Victory Field...have you ever even researched this park? It's capacity is 15,500 (only 12,500 of which being permanent seats) and there is no parking, except random parking lots and peoples' yards. Sounds exactly like...Rosenblatt! Unless they decide to expand the field of teams participating in the CWS, it is looking like the NCAA would be bringing in 53% of paying fans into the games. And that is if they completely sell out every game, which flat-out would not happen. It doesn't even happen in Omaha. So, in other words...Indy is out. Sorry.

I don't care if the CWS moves to Indy. I really don't.

GA: Damn it, Dave...oh well, I guess you are showing you're impartial. You just need to see some change!

There are plenty of other great minor league parks that could host this event. There's AT&T Bricktown Ballpark (Oklahoma City), AutoZone Park (Memphis), Dell Diamond (Round Rock, Texas), Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Louisville Slugger Field and Zephyr Field (New Orleans).

GA: Really? Round Rock, Texas. Really. And New Orleans...well, I'll tell you what: when New Orleans can boast a population of Omaha's again, then we can talk. As for the others:

Bricktown. Great place, by all accounts. That's about it. It seats 13,066 (you can fit more than two of these guys in Rosenblatt), and more importantly, cannot even sell out Big XII Championship games. If they can't fill the place up to see the title game of Texas A&M and Baylor, why the hell would one think that they would go to see Cal-Irvine? There were 5,713 people there for the Big XII title game. I'll repeat that. There were 5,713 people there for the TITLE GAME. In Omaha, there were 17,000 people at a game on a Tuesday that started at 1:07 PM.

AutoZone. Besides the fact it is called AutoZone Park? I guess since it is in America's hotbed of baseball, Memphis. But, again, it holds 14,320 people. And, again, you can fit more than two of these into Rosenblatt.

Dell Diamond. Well, again: Round Rock, Texas? Really? I'm not even going to research the capacity, because it is not even worth it. In fact, I'm not even going to investigate the rest of your stupid locations, Dave, because it is a waste of time. There is--literally--no possible way to continue these incredible attendance records that are being set in Omaha at any of your "alternates." It is starting to sound like you're writing a column simply to be controversial and because you think the CWS should be played in other venues...offering not a single compelling argument to back up your opinion.

Let the record show that Rosenblatt Stadium, home to the Omaha Royals, is also a minor league park. And while it wouldn't be fair to call it a fixer-upper, the old ballyard on 13th Street clearly needs some fixing up.

GA: Something we can probably all agree on. Well done.

Rosenblatt has undergone nearly $35 million in renovations over the past two decades, with another $25 million proposed if College World Series of Omaha Inc. can get a commitment from the NCAA to host the Division I baseball championships beyond the current agreement that expires in 2010.

GA: Remind me again: is this column supposed to support the opinion of moving the CWS out of Omaha, or the other way around? My head is spinning at this point.

There's also been talk of putting the $25 million toward building a new ballpark in downtown Omaha, but the city politics and the prospect of leaving Rosenblatt may derail that idea before it ever really gets off the ground.

GA: Also true. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out. Now this is what I'm talking about, Dave! You're talking about issues that are actually plausible to write about! What is going to happen to The Johnny? How will this political theatre play out? How would all this money best be spent? You're starting to bring out some good stuff, Dave! Keep it up! Let's explore this some more!

For a radical idea, how about Chicago?

GA: Oh boy.

It's unlikely that an MLB ballpark would be available for the entire CWS run, but two stadiums could work. Play the elimination games on the South Side at U.S. Cellular Field and then move the championship series to Wrigley Field.

GA: Alright, you've hit a sensitive spot here, Dave. Everything is better at Wrigley Field. EVERYTHING. As has been said by many people before, you could open Wrigley Field up for lunch--with no game being played--and a solid 10,000 people would probably show up to eat.

That said, let's explore this a bit more. First of all, you completely took away my "there's no way any MLB team would willingly go on the road for over 2 weeks for a college tournament" argument--which deflates your entire point here--but we can go on. You're right, a championship game, along with winners' bracket games, would be fantastic at Wrigley. The players would love it, the coaches would love it, the fans would love it. But then you bring up...The Cell. Ah, The Cell. I am totally sure that South Siders would just cram that baby full and set off a few old-fashioned tire fires in celebration of having NCAA baseball loser-bracket games in South Chicago. Give me a break.

There's just no way this can happen. It is logistically impossible.

Go ahead and try to convince anyone that college baseball players wouldn't approach a shot at playing in front of the ivy-covered walls with the same fervor and zeal that they currently do in Omaha.

GA: Yeah, we get it. Wrigley Field is cooler than Rosenblatt. Holy shit, a revelation. Dave, hear this loud and clear: Wrigley Field is cooler than ANY ballpark ANYWHERE in America.

For its part, the NCAA has been relatively silent on the matter. Dennis Poppe, the managing director for baseball, told ESPN.com, "I guess when you have a commitment and a good relationship, it's kind of like a good marriage. Why would you look for another one?"

GA: Shocking. The only person injecting any sort of common sense into this argument is a man that makes a living working for the NCAA. Thanks, Dennis. Well said. It is a good marriage. In fact, I would argue it is a great marriage. It is a marriage that the couple worked really hard for many years to make work, and continue to work hard to make it work. And now, at the end of the day, things are perfect. The couple doesn't have to work as hard, have plenty of money, and now can concentrate on visiting the grandkids and taking cruises. Why ditch the old lady, marry a crazy 28-year-old chick who is just going to give you a STD and take all your money when everything is perfect as is? You don't. You enjoy what you have.

Rotating venues seems to work OK for the Final Fours and the Frozen Four, and those events are perennial sellouts. So why wouldn't it work for baseball?

GA: Because no one outside of Omaha gives two rat craps about college baseball. I thought we talked about this, Dave?

For the people who can imagine this event being played only in Omaha, the list of reasons could fill a book.

GA: What is the point of this column again?

Ultimately, the decision lies with the NCAA. And given the agendas, bureaucracy and conflicts involved, it's too early to tell how this will play out.

GA: This is kind of funny. Kind of like the JoeChats from Fire Joe Morgan, in which Joe answers every question with things like "I don't know, I haven't watched the Blue Jays enough this year to answer the question 'is Vernon Wells good?'."

Although it does bring out a white-knuckle fear of mine, knowing that things are left up to the NCAA to decide. SCARY!

The best of both worlds might be to institute a rotation that includes Omaha as a permanent fixture every two or three years.

GA: *looking around, confused*

That would open up the College World Series to some other great venues and cities while still keeping a renovated Rosenblatt and Omaha in the mix.

GA: *Stunned, glazed look, stumbling around the room* I thought the whole point of this retarded article was that the CWS needs to leave Omaha? Now you've decided that was completely retarded, so you need to retract a bit? "Well, I guess since I have debunked every argument I have brought up in the schizo column myself, I had probably back up and somehow include Omaha in my grand plan." Dave, you've left me speechless.

After all, there's only one Zesto's.

GA: You're right, and everyone at Zesto's hates you.

David Albright is the senior coordinator for college sports at ESPN.com and can be reached at david.albright@espn3.com.

*Not official polling data. As in, the author totally made up these numbers. But I'm guessing they're not far off.

Labels: College World Series, David Albright, ESPN, ESPN sucks, Omaha

Just wanted to pass along a link for a great Nebraska/Omaha politics site called Leavenworth Street. It is very well written, and I found it because it got some nice national publicity in MSNBC.com's report on political donations from members of the press.

Anyways, check it out.

Labels: Leavenworth Street, Nebraska, Omaha, Politics

Just got back from The Blatt...what an incredible game. UC-Irvine--those lovable Anteaters--rallied big time to completely stun everyone at the game; most importantly stunning Arizona State.

Down four runs in the 8th inning, the Eaters scored eight--and if it were not for their completely retarded third base coach, should have scored five--held on with clutch pitching, pushed it into extras to set the stage for little Ollie Linton (all 5' 8" of him, and a total crowd favorite before the last at-bat) to push a single into right field to win the game.

UC-Irvine becomes the first team in CWS history to win two straight extra-innings CWS games (the first being their record 5-hour long game the other night), and have firmly set themselves up as the overwhelming Omaha bandwagon darlings. And guess what? I'm driving the bastard. What a fun team that never gives up.

It's going to take a miracle for them to win two games against defending National Champs Oregon State, but I say bring them on! This is a team of history, by God!

Great stuff tonight, people. Games like that are precisely what college sports--and specifically the College World Series--is all about.

Labels: Arizona State, College World Series, Omaha, Rosenblatt, UC-I, University of California-Irvine

So, just got the June Esquire in the mail, which included their annual "Best Bars In America" feature. There are some good bars that I (and I am sure that many contributors and readers of the blog) have been to, but here's the highlight:

The Homy Inn, Omaha

YOU'RE HAVING: The Asti. The vintage tap handles, the I LIKE IKE! buttons, and the rare baseball cards that adorn the intimate Homy Inn are just quaint foreplay for this fifty-year-old bar's main attraction: bubbly on tap. Available by the flute or the pitcher. (1510 North Saddle Creek Road; 402-554-5815)

This is pretty awesome. And, because I am a huge nerd, I would like to think I had something to do with it. Last year's feature did not include a single bar from Nebraska, which is completely ridiculous. So there was a section on their website for nominations for next year, and I nominated all the great Heavy Soul bars including this one: Barrett's, The Holiday, Goofy Foot, etc. But it is probably appropriate that The Homy is the one that was selected, as it is easily the most unique.

So in tribute to this notoriety, I think we should celebrate. By going there. Like, right now. Call me. Please?

EDIT: In this picture I found, I swear to God that is my car on the far left. Probably is.

Labels: Awesomeness, Barrett's Barelycorn, Bars, Esquire, Omaha, The Holiday, The Homy Inn

Labels: Awesomeness, Goofy Foot Lodge, Hip-Hop, Omaha, Pseudo Slang

O! what an aritcle, npgage! Your hometown Chicago Tribune is spelling out all the reasons you need to move back...below is a snippet.

There was also an even better article in the New York Times very recently, called "Omaha's Culture Club."

O! for Omaha
A wealth of surprises in a city with a heart

By Robert CrossTribune staff reporterPublished September 24, 2006

OMAHA -- Tentative showers cast a pall over the last remaining minutes of the downtown lunch hour.I had seen downtowns like this before--modern towers casting shadows on a few surviving Greek Revival and Neo-Gothic old-timers. At that time of day, the sidewalks had all but emptied. A lot of the cafes there open only for breakfast and lunch, and those were preparing to close.Surely Warren Buffett was out there somewhere making money, and that's always exciting. But I had been led to believe downtown Omaha also had a lively side, an enclave called the Old Market.There, said the booster Web sites and tourist brochures, one could find unique little shops, fine dining, street life, plenty of bars and apartment lofts--most of those housed in former warehouses and factories.The closest old quaint thing in my line of sight, however, was the Flatiron Cafe, a designer-touched eatery wedged into the pointed end of--what else?--a flat-iron building. I was led to believe the Flatiron was a part of the Old Market scene, but its surroundings appeared to be nothing but warrens for Office Depot clientele.Anyway, the Flatiron still served lunch. Black-clad servers brought my vegetable/lentil soup and salmon salad. Everything about the restaurant whispered sophistication. So where could I find the rest of that touted Old Market ambience?It turned out I had undershot my mark by a few hundred yards. My hotel, the Redick Plaza, is, like the Flatiron, just off the western fringes of the Old Market district, across Harney Street from the Orpheum Theater. The theater springs to life in autumn, but this happened to be summer, so the Orpheum neighborhood lacked cultural pizzazz.By turning my back on the financial institutions, etc. and walking two blocks east, I found the city's throbbing pulse. For years, Omaha has marched in the forefront of an urban trend--the preservation, revival and repurposing of buildings that otherwise would sink into decrepitude.The brick walls of Old Market structures bear the faded signs of long-ago occupants and advertisers: Anheuser-Busch beer depot, the Millard Block, Omaha Bemis Bag Co., Skinner Macaroni, Hotel Howard, that sort of thing. Mundane back then, nostalgic/cute today.Interiors work as clothing boutiques, restaurants, book stores, jewelry stores, antique emporia, art galleries, flower shops, bakeries, taverns, theater companies and apartments.Deep in the heart of the Midwest, verging on Great Plains, a hearty segment of the 415,000 Omaha residents insist on all the metropolitan amenities. They refuse categorization as fly-over rubes.That's understandable, because workers typically occupy cubicle farms, rather than tractor seats. Omaha boasts an impressive collection of big-league businesses.Heard of Berkshire Hathaway? No? Well, GEICO Insurance and Dairy Queen are but two of its many subsidiaries. The holding company, headed by Buffett, also owns significant stakes in American Express, Coca-Cola, Gillette, Wells Fargo and the Washington Post. ConAgra (think Chef Boyardee, Orville Redenbacher popcorn and almost everything else in your fridge or pantry) operates a handsome headquarters campus on Omaha's Missouri River riverfront.Other household names: Union Pacific, Mutual of Omaha. And don't ignore Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc., the huge construction and mining firm.

Labels: Birch Needs To Move Back, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Omaha