May Blog

Bierstube Blog – May 2008

"According to Jim" (Jim's rants & raves)

News, Notes, Facts & Opinions from the owner Jim Yanz (if you care).

 

"Happy Mother's Day!" Special: ½ price on our AWARD WINNING marinated beef roast (our sauerbraten!)! No need for a knife on this mouthwatering entrée, melts in your mouth just like Grandma & Mom used to make! Made with special seasonings in traditional Bavarian style with homemade spatzle, gravy, red cabbage & toast. Also, ½ price for you deserving Mothers our famous "Heart Steak" dinner & our 8 oz juicy chicken breast with choice of seasoned rice, asparagus or ½ & ½. Bon Appetite & Happy Mother's Day! Plus a "FREE!" Mimosa for Mom!!!

 

Reminder: There are still a few spots available for JW's Bierstube Spring Classic Golf Tourney at the OUTSTANDING Stone Ridge Golf Course, Monday, May 12^th, 12:30 shotgun. 8 days later, Tuesday, May 20^th, 12:30 shotgun at the equally GREAT Hastings Country Club!!!

 

Admissions of Oversights from Previous Blog: Should've been included amongst the Greatest of all time in their respective sports; Ty Cobb, Earl Cambell, Gordy Howe, Mario Lemioux, Bobby Orr, GREATEST SPORTS CANNIBAL Mike Tyson & Bombo Rivera (for approx 3 weeks). If it's still available for you boxing fans, check out the VHS or DVD "Champions Forever," it's like Ali, the Greatest of all time!

 

Opinion: Matt Birk, get off your so called "I don't like the lime light" fat a-- & be the supposed leader that you are & get into camp. I guess the Vikings haven't been loyal enough to your 7^th ROUND 32 year old herniated butt by paying you roughly $40 million over the last 9 years. ANYONE tell me how it doesn't make sense to see how Birk does this year & his final year of his LUCRITIVE contract that he signed before they extend it. Keys, several sports hernias & 32 years old. Not to beat a dead horse, but why play the "I'm just a regular guy" facade & then show up on every radio & TV show with the kicker opening not one, but 2 restaurants named , you'll never guess, "Matty B's," huh?

 

Fact: The world consumes over 1,000 barrels of oil per second! Alaska has enough to last us at least the next 35 years.

 

Fact: Like an apple a day keeps the Doctor away, the potassium in bananas help prevent strokes.

 

Opinion: You want proof of steroids? Google Lenny Dykstra: went from skinny 175 pd 5 homerun 2^nd baseman to 220 lb HULK averaging 35 homeruns & Jose Canseco (albeit an adultering jerk) has been by far the most credible athlete to discuss &/or write about steroids in sports!

 

Opinion: Speaking of baseball, if I were the owner of the Chicago Cubs I DEFINITELY would take the high road & show some class & offer the infamous fan Steve Bartman a lifelong pass to all Cubs home games just to make up for the turmoil this poor nerd  has unnecessarily endured the past 5 years. 1^st of all there were many other fans surrounding him trying to do the same thing he or most any of us (instinctively) would try to catch the foul ball & 2^nd, their left fielder at the time Moises Alou showed some sincere class & empathy for the poor guy, stating he feels sorry for what he's had to go through & admitted he probably wasn't going to be able to catch the ball anyways. Cub's fans: It's not Steve Bartman's fault you guys choked it away.

 

Fact: Speaking of baseball, I took my boys Max & Sam to the Twins vs. KC game & not only called Justin Morneau's 1^st homerun of the year, but also "The Pitch" & location where the ball was going to land. Honestly I was just trying to get them to pay attention for a pitch or 2 (instead of the cotton candy) & just got lucky.

 

Celebrity Death: Charlton Heston, age 84. Wasn't just an actor & NRA spokesman, but more importantly actively spoke against violent, distasteful, disgusting & profanity filled lyrics & messages in music, ie. Violence against everyone, mostly women & cops. He once protested in a forum that included the producers of Ice Tea's "Cop Killer" & after his speech, nearly everyone in the room including those same producers of Ice Tea & many other rap producers were dead silent with most of them hanging their heads in shame. As Heston walked out of the room you could hear a pin drop. Favorite Charlton Heston Movie: 10 Commandments as, of course, Moses. A little cheesy & over the top, but none the less a very entertaining, educational movie I try to watch nearly every Easter Sunday (Shawn Donavan). Unbelievable special effects, especially for its time.

 

Opinion: Country music has improved rapidly of late; some great post 9/11 songs, songs that you can understand the words, songs with meaning & songs with a story & most importantly a lot less twangy , depressing & hillbilly.

 

Opinion: Best & most ENTERTAINING, informative & funny sport talk show: Pardon the Interruption (PTI on ESPN at 4:30 p.m.) starring Tony Kornheiser & Michael Wilbon. To describe it as a typical sports talk show definitely does not do it justice. It's mostly funny, very informative & has a little entertainment tonight, national enquirer, but unlike the Enquirer, it has accurate juiciness to it. Did I say it's a riot as well?

 

Opinion: It doesn't get much better for us sports fans. What a week! The Final 4, the classic championship game-the Wild clinching their very 1^st NW Division title in style, NHL Playoffs, opening of baseball season, the Frozen 4 & to top it off, the best tourney this side of the NCAA B-Ball tourney, THE MASTERS! I haven't been this excited since my honeymoon nearly 8 years ago!

 

Reluctant Admission: While playing cornerback for the 10^th grade Hastings Raiders (I actually was the QB, but occasionally played defense) "I once ducked a tackle" on the goal line against Sibley at Sibley High. It was a down pour & Sibley had this raging bull of a QB doing a play action end around leaving me on the loneliest island I've ever been on. Well with this big ox blowing steam out of both nostrils, (mixed with a lot of snot) knees pumping high, here comes this 6 foot 4, 230 lb freight train with the speed of a wildebeest & the look in his eyes that said "this is my chance to actually publicly dismember the opposing QB of the undefeated Raiders & score the go ahead touchdown." Well I never gave Tom Syberspace or Syberlicmee (whatever the hell his name was) that satisfaction. I pretended to slip in the mud & made a very conscious decision to save my life at that split second. Seems like forever ago & like it was just yesterday. The outcome of our season was 1^st place breaking nearly every offensive & defensive record. Our record that year: 8 wins, 1 loss. The score that game: Henry Sibley 6 Hastings Raiders 0. Jim Yanz 1 cowardly but smart defensive play (I now have a beautiful wife & 3 wonderful kids!). Tom Seiberlick (now a good friend of mine) 1very dirty play (he still unnecessarily kneed me in the head). & now you know "the rest of the story." (Tom, don't forget you said you'd pay me that c-note by the end of the month.) Tom Kranz, sound familiar? Thank you "great coach & person" Jake Moore & fellow teammates for great memories!

 

Admission #2 & Opinion: Admitted passive (at best regular season hockey fan) However, Hometown Old North Stars or our new Wild "PLAYOFF HOCKEY" is simply incredible because of the extraordinary efforts & all around riveting drama. You're not a pure sports fan if you can't feel "IT!" The intensity in the 3^rd period of a close game or overtime is as great or greater as any other sport!

 

Admission #3: Out of the parts of well over 100 or so hockey games I've seen &/or been to I've actually only seen LESS than 10% of the pucks go into the net even when concentrating & focusing as hard as I possibly can. Thank God for the announcers screaming "HE SCORES!!!" & instant replay! Maybe that's why I played basketball!

 

Recommended Book: The Last Lecture (A Love Story for Life), by Professor Randy Paush, who has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer (which my Dad & Bierstube founder died of). Randy is a Professor turned writer turned motivational speaker said, "A bad apology is worse than no apology." I agree!

 

Opinion: 3^rd Greatest Sports Moment of All Time: Jack Nicklaus at age 46, winning his 6^th Green Jacket in 1986 with a 65 on the final round. I was literally sitting Indian style 3 feet in front of the TV at my Mom's condo, cheering like it was the Vikings actually winning a Super bowl.

 

Congratulations: John Kreyer Jr. bowled a 300 game April 9^th in our Maplewood League. (I was lucky enough to catch the last several frames to witness my 1^st 300! That was fun!) When asked "Was this your 1^st?" He responded, "You really want to know?" I said of course. He embarrassingly admitted "42!" He has bowled in several pro tourneys, including the US Open, the Masters & the USBC & holds several local bowling records as well.