Dust On The Shop Floor

Fumble Plus Fumble Equals Rams Win

2006-09-28T15:14:00.000-05:00

What a finish this past week!! It should have never come down to the fumble by Kurt for the Rams to maintain their lead and victory. The end of this game was made to be much more difficult than it should have been! Hold on to the ball, run the ball, pick up a first down, and run out the clock, this is what should have happened the last minutes of this game. But of course I don't think this Ram team is going to make anything easy this season.

The main thing that I came away from this game is that the Rams continue to have a hard time with tackling. I listened to the game on my Sirius radio and it seemed that the Rams made a ton of missed tackles this game. In my humble opinion, tackling is on the forefront of being a good football team. From what I heard, the Rams are not there yet. I do hope that tackling was addressed this week in practice!!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Rams and 49ers week two

2006-09-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

Well.......the uneasy feeling is getting stronger these days. Eight quarters of regular session football and only one Ram touchdown in the books. What makes it even more difficult to take is the fact that the Rams did have a 100 yard rusher and still lost the game. Yes, they played like "the same old Rams." I must admit though, they had chances to win the game. I think if the defense would not have given up 3 big plays, the Rams would have won that game.

Once again I am hoping for more offense this week!!! Now that they have 1 touchdown under their belts lets go for more!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Opening Day

2006-09-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

I guess I am not sure how I feel about the Ram game on Sunday. A part of me is very happy for the win. However, it seems that there is a larger part of me that is very disappointed about how the offense played, especially in the red zone!!

I am extremely disappointed with the series where the Rams started on the 3 yard line and failed to punch it in the end zone. They ran the ball on first down and Jackson got 1 yard. Then on second down they went to a pass play and got called for grounding due to very poor blocking. Bad things happened after that and they walked away with no points!!!! I guess I don't understand why they just didn't try to run the ball? They needed only 3 yards and had 3 plays to get them!!!! I would hope that the odds would be in Jackson's favor to get 3 yards on 3 tries!!

I started this post on Monday and it is now Saturday and I am still very nervous about the offense. During this past week I have listen to a lot of NFL radio on Sirius. I'm not sure what day it was but I listened to a Denver player talk about the game. It was one of those interviews where the player says that the reason they lost was due to themselves and not the other team. You know what? For the most part I have to agree with him! Don't get me wrong. The Ram defense was super! But for the offense to not score a touchdown with all those opportunities?? I just can't shake my uneasy feeling in my stomach. I pray to the football gods that I will see some Ram touchdowns against the 49ers.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Governor's Cup goes to KC

2006-08-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

Pre-season is pre-season. However, I am starting to develop a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. It has been three pre-season games and the Ram's starting offensive unit has not scored a touch down! I am honestly trying to not make too much about this. But, last night both starting units were outplayed by KC. Yup, outplayed by a team who has been having a very hard time this pre-season. I hope pre-season is pre-season!!

This is my last post of my summer. As of Monday I will be back at work at school up in the North woods. Yup, I will be leaving my family again this school year. Once again I will be living alone during the week days and with my family on the too short weekends!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Section 405, Row 1, Seat 10..........

2006-08-24T13:51:00.000-05:00

This was my viewing spot for my last Brewer's game at Miller Park for this season. Once again I went with my wife and two daughters. Once again we had a great time! Kristyn did such a fantastic job with with the tailgate preparations and food. I am not totally sure, but I think that we may have been the only people to eat fresh mussels in the parking lot at Miller Park!! It was very yummy and a total blast! I can't wait to see what type of great food she comes up with for next season!

Our seats were not too bad for gas card freebies. We were in the first row of the upper level. The game itself was a lot of fun to watch. The brewers played very well. They beat the Rockies 7 to 1. Once again Turnbow cane into the game and looked like he was going to have a hard time finding the strike zone. He walked two batters but he did pitch out of it and did not give up a run!

Certain sports fans can be such a pain!!! When Turnbow came out of the bullpen, most of the fans voiced great displeasure. A young lady sitting behind me gave the thumbs down sign as Turnbow ran to the pitchers mound. My family, who are not veteran sporting events attendees, looked at me with shock and asked if they were really booing him? Yup I sad. These are the same fans who were cheering him like a rock star when he was saving 24 games this season!!!! Fair weather fans need to get a clue.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Pre-season Week 2

2006-08-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

I spent this last Saturday at my sister and brother-in- law's house for a grill out. So I was unable to really listen to the whole game. I was only able to listen to the first half of the Ram game. I listened to the Sirius (Ram) broadcast in my sister's driveway while my nephew did some body work on my sister's PT cruiser. They belong to a custom car club.

What I was able to get out of the first half was that the Rams were unable to get any type of rhythm going on both sides of the ball. 7 penalties in the first half is a sign of very uninspired football. Lets hope this was one of those pre-season games that is NOT a sign of how the regular season is going to go for the Rams.

Brewers just beat the Rockies 4 to 1. Turnbow is still having a very hard time throwing strikes. He gave up the run tonight. I really feel for the guy!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Week 1.....Final Point

2006-08-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

Injuries is the final area I look at when watching a pre-season game. Thank God this is going to be a very short post!

Rams:
No real injuries where noted for the Rams from pre-season game 1. Got to be very happy about this.

Packers:
I am not real sure how their injury situation is right now. I know they had some bumps during the game. I'm sure I will get the scoop during week 2's game.

Overall, week 1 went well for the Rams and not too hot for the Packers. Both Ram and Packer fans need to remember, pre-season is pre- season!

BREWER NOTE:
4 games back in the wild card race. I truly believe their chances are very slim but what the heck....Who knows what will happen!??

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Week 1......Continued

2006-08-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

2. Player Stand Outs:

Packers-
The Packer's number 2 Quarter Back stood out in pre-season week 1. Aaron Rogers did an excellent job on Saturday night. Yup, I know he worked with and against the number 2s and 3s. Aaron did a fine job leading his offense down the football field. For the most part he looked comfortable and confident.

Rams-
Victor Adeyanju ( DE 6-4 270 R Indiana), did an excellent job with the 2s and 3s. From what I heard on the radio, Victor was all over the field. The Ram radio guys sounded totally impressed.
Tony Fisher ( RB 6-1 223 5 Notre Dame) ran the ball very well as the #2 back. He scored a touch down from within the red zone. I liked what I heard about his play.

Overall, I thought that the Ram players looked much more into the game than the Packers did in their game!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Week 1.....Pre-season Football

2006-08-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

Week one of the 2006 pre-season is in the books for the Rams and the Packers. Here are some thoughts and observations regarding both teams.

When I watch the pre-season I watch for three things:

1. ORGANIZATION:

Rams
I thought that the Rams were very well organized. For the most part the whole team appeared to be working off the same page. Due to Linehan being a rookie head coach, I was especially excited to hear ( Sirius radio ) how smooth the team looked to the Ram radio guys!
Grade- Above Average

Packers
The head coach is also a rookie head coach. While I watched the game on a local T.V. station, I couldn't help but to get the feeling that the Packers were a little confused and overwhelmed. I'm not sure if this was the fault of the coaching staff or the players. It will be very interesting to watch this team grow or NOT grow!
Grade- Below Average

I will continue my assessment of week one during the week. For now I am off to the Northwoods with my family for a few days!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

What......A detour????

2006-08-08T10:28:00.000-05:00

YUP, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME!

My last post talks about the search for a new Ram's head coach. Well, as you all know they found one and the season is almost here. I guess I really don't have much to write yet about this year's Ram team. I'm not one of those great prediction guys who thinks I know what is going to happen before the real season begins. All I truly know is that right now every team is un-defeated and has hopes of making a Super Bowl run!

When I started this blog the main goal was to write about my wood crafts. Well, due to a life style change, I am no longer able to get in the shop as much as I would like. The word dust in the title of my blog use to stand for wood dust. Now it stands for actual dust due to lack of work or action. I hope to change this during this school year.

For now, I am taking a detour away from wood crafts and I will be writing about my favorite sports teams and my life in the north woods of Wisconsin.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

The Search is on

2006-01-15T13:09:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I have written my thoughts about the Rams. I guess with all the changes in my life, I have lost touch with football. I usually drive back to my weekday home in the north woods of Wisconsin just about every Sunday. I like to complete the 3 and 1/2 hour drive before it gets dark. Due to this, I did not get a chance to watch very many Ram games this past football season. This causes not only a personal/ family hardship of being away from my family during the week, but also a sense of football "bad attitude". It truly sucks to not be able to enjoy a Sunday afternoon watching my favorite team. I know what some of you are thinking, I did not miss much this season!! Well, even bad football is better than no football.

Before I ramble too much(I think I did already!), I better get to the real point of this post. In my opinion, the Rams need a new Head coach who will deal with the BASICS of good football. Forget about a good offensive or defensive coach. We need a hard nose old school coach who is going to stress the basics of good tackling, blocking, and mental toughness. This team needs to wake up and realize that they stink when it comes to playing good, sound, and tough football! In the very few games I did get to see, I saw mental mistakes, turnovers, poor blocking, and most of all very poor TACKLING.

So, the search is on to find the head coach who will force the Ram players to find what they lost, the ability to play sound fundamental football!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor.

Thanks Lyle Overbay

2005-12-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

One of my present day Brewer heroes is gone to Toronto. Even though I am very sad about Lyle no longer taking care of first base for the Brewers, I am happy that he is going to a team that he will be wanted and he will not have to look over his shoulder. It must have been an unnerving thing for him to look over at the dugout and see Prince Fielder waiting to take his place. I do think that this is a winning situation for Lyle and also the Brewers. In time, I do see Prince doing an excellent job for the Brewers.

The Rams are sliding down into a hole of the truly poor and lower level teams of the NFL. Not much to write with this!! The Rams are unable to perform the fundamentals of basic football. Poor tackling and blocking are the keys to the Rams downfall.

Life in the North woods is going okay. I am still missing being with my family during the week. But having a job in my new career which brings home a nice pay check every two weeks is very very nice!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor.

"I'm A Brewer Again"

2005-11-07T17:04:00.000-06:00

Robin Yount, number 19, is back home with the crew!! He is the new bench coach for the Brewers. My baseball world is getting more and more exciting! I would have to say that number 19 is very high on my list of Brewer favorites. But then again he is high on most Brewer fan lists of favorites.
I do think that this is the earliest I have ever been so interested in the upcoming baseball season. The football season is only half over and my mind wanders away from the Rams and to the Milwaukee Brewers whenever I think about sports. Some of this is due to the fact that the Rams are rebuilding and playing very inconsistent this season. But what the heck, why can't a long time Brewer fan be happy about his team in November??
As far as wood dust on my shop floor, there hasn't been any for quite some time. Dust from lack of work is piling up like the winter snow that will be falling soon here in the north woods of Wisconsin. I have decided to try my hand at making model airplanes while I spend time in my apartment away from home, my family, and shop. I continue to work as a guidance counselor on the week days 3 and one half hours away from home. On the weekends I do go home to be with my family but I have no time for shop time.
My first Airplane is the Corsair. It was used in WWII and in Korea. I hope to have a picture of the finished plane when I complete it. I hope this new hobby helps with the long cold winter nights by myself in my apartment in the woods.

Here's to dust on YOUR shop floor

2 In A Row

2005-11-01T15:18:00.000-06:00

The Rams are now 4 and 4 going into the bye week. People are talking about them again and the players seem to be feeling pretty good. I must admit that I too am feeling pretty good about my favorite football team. However, I just can't shake this feeling of something is going to go wrong again for this team.

I don't think that they really have the fire power to compete with the Seahawks for the division. This next game will tell a lot about this Ram football team. I do hope they prove me wrong and they take care of business in Seattle. The boys should be back and the offense should be ready to rock and roll. It will be interesting to see if Jackson continues to get the ball as much as he has been getting in the past two games.

I guess the bottom line for me is that the heart is obviously there big time!!! But is the skill level on the same page with the top teams of the league?? I really don't think so. But I sure hope that I am wrong.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Monday Night Blues

2005-10-18T16:09:00.000-05:00

Well, another Ram loss on Monday Night. Not much to say about it. Except that this defense needs to go back to the basics. This defense can't tackle to save it's soul!! The offense did very well while Bulger was still in the game. I do wonder what would have happened if Bulger could of played the entire game.

On a personal note, I continue to live and work in the north woods of Wisconsin while my family continues to live 3 and one half hours away. It has been a very tough road for all of us. However, I do not think I could of done this without my wife. She is truly amazing!! But maybe I will only have to do this for this school year. It sounds like a job might open up closer to home!!! I hope my guardian continues to watch out for me!!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!!

I am still here

2005-10-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

Due to a very busy life and some major life changes, I have not been able to post for a very long time. Now that my life is a little less stressful during the week, I hope to get back to this blog.

The Brewer season is over and I am very pleased with the .5oo season. The next goal for the brew crew is the PLAYOFFS!!! I look forward to next April with a sense of hope and happiness!

The Rams are starting this season with inconsistency as the main theme. Lets pull it together men!! Hey Coach....good luck with your health!! I truly hope all goes well for you and your family.

Time to go. I am currently sitting at an internet coffee shop in the north woods of Wisconsin. Paying to write on the computer is not my idea of having fun. Maybe soon I will have a computer up at the cabin.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Brewers, Rams, and Door County

2005-07-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

When I think of the first half of this baseball season, two words pop into my brain. Promise and fundamentals are the words that best describe the first half of the Brewer season.

Promise: On FSN North there is a commercial of Yost talking to his players about a promise he made to the fans that his team will fight to the last out each and every game. I think he and his Crew can feel good about that promise. This team has shown great heart and fight. No one can challenge this team's heart and desire.

Fundamentals: This team does have heart and desire. However, at times they lack the fundamentals. Stupid mental errors have lost more than one game for the Brewers. Booting catches, mental defensive mistakes, poor base running, and swinging at bad pitches have all prevented the Crew from being at .500 the first half of this season. This is a team that will have to shore up it's fundamentals in order for it to be at it's goal of .500 at the end of this season. I strongly feel that this Brewers team can do this!! There will be no fall apart or downward slide this second half. The Crew will play good baseball and will be at or above the .500 mark when all is said and done this season.

We are getting close to training camp time for the Rams. I have read on another blog that it is time for Bruce to put up or shut up this upcoming season. My comment to that is that the leading receiver in Ram history doesn't have to put up anything. The man put up when he caught the winning touchdown in Super Bowl 34.

A few days ago we went to Door County in Wisconsin for a nice summer day trip. Overall we had a great time. Door County is a tourist recreational area with cool little shops, golf, camping, boating in Lake Michigan, and other cool outdoor activities. It is well known for a place where the rich can play. We counted well over twenty license plates from out of state. Most of these plates were on cars that I will never be able to afford!

One of the shops we went into was a shop that has all of it's goods from England. This is a big treat for us as we spent 2 wonderful weeks in England two summers ago. If you ever get a chance to try a Flake chocolate bar, jump all over it and enjoy!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

The waiting game

2005-07-15T08:46:00.000-05:00

Well, there is a small chance we might get to the space shuttle launch after all!!! Due to a problem with the number 4 fuel sensor, it did not launch on the 13th. I do feel sorry for all those involved with this project. However, the delay might cause us to be able to still see the launch in person!

Just as NASA has a short window for the launch, we also have short windows that we would be able to travel to Florida to see it. Our summer calendar is of course jammed packed with activities and obligations that we cannot cancel. So this means that the new launch date must fit into one of our windows in order for us to make the trip to Florida.

My first and most important wish is that they correct the problem and the shuttle is safe and sound for the astronauts!!
My next wish is that the new launch date works out for us!

Right now we are in a holding pattern. Our dream of seeing the shuttle launch in person is still alive!!!

Bummer!!

2005-07-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

It's kind of a sad day today at our house. Today was the day that we were going to start our summer trip to Florida. We were going to drive down there, camp, and watch the space shuttle launch in person. It was going to be a trip of driving, camping, and the space shuttle. These are three things that we all enjoy as a family. I know it may sound funny, but my family enjoys riding in our van for hours at a time. As my youngest daughter likes to say, "I like to feel the road under my feet."

But as our luck or my intense feeling of duty may have it, I forgot about a family obligation that I must do the day after the launch. This gives us no chance to see the launch in person and still be home in Wisconsin to do the 2 hour chore for my parents.

Now that I think about it, this whole week will be a sad one for me!!

Boot Lake

2005-07-06T16:37:00.000-05:00

We just returned home from a 4 day camping trip over the 4th of July at a national campground near Lakewood WI. Once again it was a lot of fun! Camping, paddling the canoe, fishing, eating sunflower seeds, and Brewers baseball were the only things I did for 4 straight days of summer fun. Of course, I also downed all of the sunflower seeds with a good amount of Mickey's. For those of you who don't know what a Mickey's is, it is a fine malt beverage that comes in a wide mouth green bottle.

The all-star break is coming up fast and the Crew has a chance to move into second place!! Go Brewers go!! The last few games it has been fun to see the bats come around and see them score some runs. With the pitching doing very well and now the offense coming around, the second half of the season may be very interesting for the Crew. Lets hope they continue to play fun baseball.

My youngest daughter is at Girl Scout camp for the next few days. Her first time at camp alone. I hope she has a blast! When we dropped her off at camp, she seemed to be right at home. She was all smiles and didn't seem to care when we left. I think she will do just fine.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Fishing Buddies

2005-05-31T17:42:00.000-05:00

My wife took this picture of our girls. We spent part of our Memorial Day holiday fishing with our kids.

God Bless Everyone.....ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO GIVE SO MUCH TO HELP OTHERS!!!!

What the heck....

2005-05-29T22:53:00.000-05:00

.....could this be a woodcraft post??? Oh my god I think it is!!

Here is the Christmas clock that I made for my parents last Christmas. I finally took a picture of it!!! The picture is a little small. But I hope you get the idea?

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

No Soccer This Weekend.......

2005-05-29T07:19:00.000-05:00

.....And I miss it! I have not written a lot about my youngest daughter and her sports. The truth be told. Until now, I was not real sure how much she actually enjoyed sports and that was okay with me. My wife and I have always been okay with what our daughters were interested in and wanted to do.

My youngest daughter played organized soccer for the first time two years ago and after the season said she hated soccer and never wanted to play it again. To be honest, I was a little disappointed but I was okay with it. This spring my daughter asked to play soccer again. This was a total surprise, as she really seemed to hate soccer. We gladly signed her up and waited for the season to start.

To watch her play soccer is so much fun!!! She seems to really enjoy it. She is one of those kids who will look over at the sideline with a huge smile and wave at us with all of her body. As a dad, this is a total blast to see!

Of course I am a proud dad, but for taking a year off of soccer during her sports developmental years, my daughter looks fantastic out there. Her position is fullback. She is an aggressive defender. Without hesitation she will often get in the face of the offensive player and will challenge for the ball. She does look good out there!! I hope she continues to enjoy it!!

Just a short note: my oldest daughter had a 3 on 3 tournament this weekend and she played very well and her team took second place.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

It is time to come clean.......

2005-05-24T22:59:00.000-05:00

....I am a Milwaukee Brewers fan and have been for all of my adult life. Why does it feel like I have some problem that needs fixing when I tell people what baseball team I love and support? And tell me please.... why in my small circle of people I know, there are more Cubs fans that Crew fans? I can take the heat in football. Being a Rams fan in Wisconsin is not a popular thing to be. But come on folks, being a Brewers fan means that I am a "homer" when it comes to baseball!!

There was a short period of time in my youth when I was not a fan of the Brewers. Back in my little league playing days, I played first base. My hero and idol was George "the boomer" Scott. When he was traded to Boston from the Brewers, I went along with him. When I reached college age, I again found the Brew Crew. The Robin Yount days were an exciting time for us Brewer fans!!! "Storming" Gorman Thomas was also a favorite of mine and other fans as well. He and those Brewers made it fun to watch Milwaukee baseball. The term Harvey's Wallbangers has a warm spot in my heart!!!

Okay, getting back to my current problem of being a current fan of the Brewers, I know they have stunk for a good number of years, but they are still Wisconsin's pro. baseball team!! I truly feel that this group of guys are fighters and do not give up when things look bad. How many times have they come back in games this young season? Right now at this moment, they are only one game under five hundred and in second place. Did we Brewer fans expect this? I know I didn't. I am enjoying this little success. It's not too often that my Cub fans friends are so quiet!!! And one last thing, when was the last time a Brewer was on the Jim Rome radio show?? Just a few short weeks ago!!! Go Brewers Go!

Here's to dust on your shop floor

Basketball Camp, Baseball, and Substitute Teaching

2005-05-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

Basketball camp : My oldest daughter wants to attend an overnight basketball camp this summer. After reading about the camp here in Wisconsin, I think that it would be a good experience for her. However, she wants to attend the camp with a girl from her team. This girl's parents have said no to this camp as it is way too expensive. I do agree with them. For the price of this camp, my daughter could attend two camps this summer. My daughter and this girl want to do fund raisers to get the money. They do not have enough time to get the money together for this camp. However, I do think that fund raisers are an excellent idea. Is there a better way to show commitment than earning the money yourself? I think not!! My daughter will attend basketball camps this summer!!

Baseball: Manitowoc Bandits finally sent us our tickets!!! I'm not sure if it was exactly what I was hoping for when I bid on the item at the silent auction. I thought it was a family of 4 pass for the season. I thought that I along with my family could attend all of the home games for the entire season. After receiving the tickets, I'm not sure if this is the case. I need to find out more about the passes I received. I will keep you posted!! Milwaukee Brewers, what can I say?? Please turn it around now!!!!

Substitute teaching: I am doing a long term sub position for a 6 grade. All seems to be going very well.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!