My take on the LFL - it's another circus!

An introductory news conference was held recently at the Resch Center for the new Green Bay Chill - a member of the Lingerie Football League. A reporter from the Press-Gazette attended the event and wrote a commentary the next day essentially calling the league on the carpet for selling more than football - women in sparse uniforms. The league took exception to the column and told the reporter so.

My take? It's another circus. Another rodeo, another boxing match, another hockey game. All of these events have detractors. Some people oppose a circus or rodeo because they believe animals are abused. Others don't like boxing because of its brutality and others hockey because a fight might break out. However, all of these events have a huge following. I can't tell you that you're wrong for what you believe. Hopefully we all make intellgient decisions on what we spend our money on and we know WHAT we're spending it on. Yes the women will wear skimpy uniforms, but so have the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders for probably 30+ years. I'm not saying either is right or wrong. The fact of the matter is we all have morals, we're all different and we should all be living according to our own morals. Me? Yeah, the uniforms are sparse, but it is tackle football and I'm interested to see how good the football is.

NCAA hockey good for everyone

National sports tournaments don't make their way to Green Bay every year, so when one does it's worth pausing to reflect on the positives for everyone. The 2011 NCAA Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Midwest Regional will be at the Resch Center this weekend - Saturday & Sunday, March 26 & 27. The winner of this regional goes on to compete in the Frozen Four in St. Paul, MN in a couple of weeks.

Obviously it's good for the Green Bay area as the tournament will utilize 8 hotels for the NCAA, teams, officials and staff for Michigan Tech - the host school. That doesn't include the hotel rooms that will be used by the fans that will travel from North Dakota or Western Michigan. The games will be nationally televised by ESPN or one of its affiliate stations. It puts Green Bay on the map again in connection with a championship. We hosted the tournament in 2006 and were lucky enough to have Wisconsin in our bracket. Needless to say every game was sold out that the Badgers played in. Wisconsin didn't make the tournament this year so from a business standpoint that will hurt us a little because the games this weekend likely won't be sellouts.

The NCAA takes over the building as of Friday. Many things have to be done to prepare for the tournament including outfitting the Zamboni with the proper sign as you see in the picture above. All other signs are covered and the ice looks nothing like you'd see at a Gamblers game. It has the look of a national tournament all with NCAA signs and logos.

The quality of hockey will be excellent. If you've been to a Gamblers game this will be probably be a step up as the Gamblers players aspire to be a Division 1 player. Some of the great Division 1 players are too far from playing in the NHL. So give it a shot, see some great hockey this weekend and support a Green Bay area national sports tournament. It's good for everyone!

Event 100 years in the making

I've been a part of hundreds of events since I started this job 10 years ago. But there's one I've never been a part of and probably not many of you have either. That would be a birthday party for your 100-year-old grandmother. My mom has been planning for this just like we'd plan for an event at any one of our venues. She needed a venue, she needed (wanted) a band and she needed patrons - in this case guests. Let me tell you, everyone wants to be part of a party for someone who turns 100. About 200 people came to the party this past weekend in Door County. It was awesome and my grandma is awesome. You'd think I would take a picture of her on her milestone day, but no, I got out my fancy smart phone and took a picture of the dessert table - all home made. I knew others had pictures of granny, but the folks at work - they HAD to see all of this good stuff!

Everyone wanted to get their picture taken with Grandma Josie. It's like she was a rock star. I saw cousins I barely know and old friends and neighbors I haven't seen in many years. Her mind is great, her walk is pretty good and her hearing is only okay. She knew everyone and ate a little bit of everything I think (just like me). It was a special day that doesn't come around too often for most of us. When the party was over and the band played its last song, grandma clapped her hands above her head, waved and blew kisses to the crowd. Just like a rock star.

Mickey means business

Disney On Ice has come and gone from the Resch Center, but as always, it has left its mark and it's not "minnie." It's huge. The show is the biggest thing to come to the Resch each year as far as attendance. It's pretty big for the Green Bay area too. Nearly 30,000 people attend the 8 performances of the show typically from a Wednesday through a Sunday. I know it has a big effect on area businesses and restaurants in the area because I've seen first hand all of the little princesses and Mickey Mouses who are eating at these restaurants before the shows with their moms and dads. I'm sure many who come from the U.P. also shop at our many stores.

The show also tries to leave its mark on the community before it leaves making some sort of appearance or holding something at the arena for a local charity or school. This year I helped arrange a reading event for second graders from Nicolet Elementary School on Green Bay's east side. The students made the short walk to the Boys & Girls Club where they were read a book by a Disney On Ice skater, asked some questions and got a surprise visit by Mickey & Minnie as you can see in the photo.

Chances are you've been to one of these shows over the years if you have kids or will be going soon. Besides the great fun and entertainment provided by this colorful event, always remember M-I-C-K-E-Y is B-I-G business for the entire area every February!

Who was that masked man?

Who was that masked man that rolled through Green Bay on February 8? No, it wasn't the Lone Ranger. In this case, it was WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio. I had the privilege of escorting Rey around to various media stops, a visit to Edison Middle School in Green Bay and to a Subway in Ashwaubenon for a promotional stop. What a nice man. He's a Mexican-American from San Diego and has been a professional wrestler for 22 years. He says that's all he's wanted to do since he was a little boy and his message to the middle school students at Edison was you can realize your dreams no matter what they are!

In the photo Rey is talking with a special needs child who is a big fan of WWE. It was a very touching moment and another example of how these guys and gals of WWE are down to earth folks. They are entertainers, they are athletes, but they are also fathers like Rey who has a daughter that's 13 and a son who I think is 8 or 9. Rey never turned down an autograph request, never turned down a photo request with someone. Rey also emphasized to the students that education has to be their number one priority along with obeying their parents. It's always neat for me to meet the "real" people who perform at the Resch. It's refreshing to see most are like us and that success and fame has not gone to their heads. In this case, it was wonderful to meet the man behind the mask!

My Superbowl experience

I sit here with a stupid nervous edge a few days before the big game between the Packers & Steelers. Nervous about whether the Pack will win. Kind of silly I think because my life really won't drastically change whether it's a win or a loss. But I was at the last Superbowl the Packers were in - the one in San Diego where they lost to Denver. It was a horrible feeling. You go to the game as a working member of the media and I had no problem with that. I was trained not to cheer in the press box for 16 years (take a hint Bears media). I owned very little Packers gear because I couldn't wear it. As a result, I still have very little to this day. If any member of the hometown media tells you they don't care who wins the game they're full of crap. They may not care because they say they aren't a fan, but they care at least because it's so much more pleasant covering a winning Superbowl locker room than a losing one. It was the pits having to go down and interview Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre and the rest after losing what many thought should have been their second championship in a row after beating New England the year before. I heard someone say this week winning the big game is the best win you'll ever have and and losing it is the worst loss you'll ever have. I think that's pretty true. Perhaps that's why I feel nervous as the game approaches. I remember the horrible feeling when they lost last time. Again, my life didn't change. Hopefully the Packers win Sunday, but if they don't, at least this time I can walk away from the TV, pet the cat and not have that sick feeling talking to Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers and the rest.

If the Packers do win, there will be a celebration at Lambeau Field on Tuesday at 4pm, scheduled to end at 5pm. We have WWE Smackdown here at the Resch starting at 6:30. There will be a section of the Lambeau lot that will be saved for WWE parking. We will also have all lots at our complex saved for event parking. Next Tuesday I'm also scheduled to escort WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio around to various radio stations. Should be interesting because the guy wears a mask!!! I'll let you know how that goes next week!

The venue was Soldier Field

Sunday's NFC Championship game was my first time to Soldier Field as a fan. The photo above is a pre-game shot. I've been in the press box for games in the past as a member of the media. Before Sunday, I never had the "pleasure" to sit in the stands with all of those Bears fans. I heard stories about how brutal they are and I should have known because the Chicago media is brutal in the press box during games (I'm guessing that hasn't changed since I left the radio business). Good natured ribbing is one thing, but many Bears fans are rude, crude and downright nasty to Packers fans. I haven't heard so many F-bombs in my life! Many directed toward Packers fans and when the Bears were losing (which was the whole game) directed at their own team. To add insult to injury, some Packers fans would rub it in the Bears fans' faces and then you could detect true anger and passion and F-bombs to those fans. My plan, ignore them. If they talked to me in a reasonable manner I would talk to them. Many fans were cordial and to my surprise, when the game was over, many walked up to me to congratulate me and wish us good luck in the Superbowl. I've heard of Packers fans going without wearing the team colors, but please, this was the championship game. I borrowed Packers winter coats for my wife and I. No disguise for us!

The stadium itself is a decent place to watch football. But for the life of me, all those millions they spent to make it look like a spaceship did little to make the bathrooms decent. Everything seemed very industrial looking. One big plus over Lambeau? Seats. There were actual seats instead of bleachers which were much more comfortable. Food and drink are always expensive at stadiums, but $8 for 16 ounces of beer? Yikes. Walking around Chicago with the thousands of other Packers fans was a hoot. After the game was priceless. The only disappointing thing was the Packers' decision to hold the trophy presentation inside the locker room out of respect for the Bears.

Wish me luck for the upcoming two weeks. A PR guy trying to get coverage for non-Packers stories will be a tall order. The Gamblers have their biggest event of the season this weekend - Teddy Bear Toss. Some things were in the works that I think will fall through because many media folks will be heading to the big D to begin the week-long coverage. Not saying the Packers don't deserve it because it's a major deal for this town. But if any of you have a story idea of how to tie a teddy bear into the Superbowl, I'm all ears!