This Just In...

Why is it ok in New York for the main library in NYC to feature an art exhibit with fake mug shot photos of the President and his administration, but it’s not ok for a New Yorker to have vanity license plates that say, GETOSAMA?

Today I begin highlighting Christmas music, a different Christmas song every day for 25 days from now until Christmas.

Put them all together and you have my musical Christmas card to you.

We open with a bang.

Who doesn’t know and love Jingle Bells!

Written by James Pierpont in 1857, that’s right, 1857, Jingle Bells isn’t really a Christmas song. It just became one.

Music historian Bill Edwards writes:

“James Pierpont was one of six children of the well known poet John Pierpont, and uncle of the well known fortune builder J. P. (James Pierpont) Morgan. During the Civil War he defied his abolitionist father's wishes and promoted the Confederate cause with anti-Yankee tunes. But that was later. Jingle Bells was allegedly composed as early as 1850. It was first published by Boston publisher Oliver Ditson in 1857 as The One Horse Open Sleigh. In the following two years it gained such popularity that it was reprinted with identical plates and a new cover sporting the title that the public had chosen for it, Jingle Bells. Not only did American music consumers and performers quickly adopt this song, but they collectively made editorial changes to the melody in the chorus, leaving the verse more or less intact. By 1900, the familiar melody we know today was well established.”

Another story has Jingle Bells being written by Pierpont as a Thanksgiving song. Pierpont composed the song in 1857 for children celebrating his Boston Sunday School Thanksgiving. The song was so popular that it was repeated at Christmas.

Jingle Bells trivia:

Bobtail, contrary to a continually perpetuated falsehood, is not the name of the horse. It refers to an animal, a horse in this case, with a bobbed or very short tail, desirable for pulling a sleigh with low tackle, thus avoiding tail entanglement.

Here’s a jazzy version of this Christmas finger-snapper from Canadian singer Diana Krall:

Pretty classy.

But let's do one more.

Only this time, let's pick up the tempo even more, shall we.

Hold on to your hats.

Dig this wild version by the Brian Setzer Orchestra: 

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on Bobtail ring (Or Hear our voices ring)
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing (Or What fun it is to ride and sing)
A sleighing song tonight


(chorus)
|: Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun [joy] it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh. :|


A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And then we [we—we] got upset.
|: chorus :| A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow,
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.
|: chorus :| Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls along
and sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead.
|: chorus :|

This morning, subbing for Jay Weber, 8-10 am.

 

 

A new report released today concludes that uneducated immigrants are hurting the United States.

The report by the Center for Immigration Studies finds foreign-born adults have less education than native-born citizens and increase the rates of poverty, welfare use and lack of medical insurance.

Here are some of the key findings of the report that’s based on Census Bureau data collected in March 2007:  
·   The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007. 

·   Immigrants account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13. 

·   Overall, nearly one in three immigrants is an illegal alien. Half of Mexican and Central American immigrants and one-third of South American immigrants are illegal. 

·   Since 2000, 10.3 million immigrants have arrived — the highest seven-year period of immigration in U.S. history. More than half of post-2000 arrivals (5.6 million) are estimated to be illegal aliens. 

·   The largest increases in immigrants were in California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. (If Wisconsin continues its trend of supplying illegal immigrants with social services at the expense of taxpayers, more will move north from Illinois here).

·   Of adult immigrants, 31 percent have not completed high school, compared to 8 percent of natives. Since 2000, immigration increased the number of workers without a high school diploma by 14 percent, and all other workers by 3 percent. 

·   The proportion of immigrant-headed households using at least one major welfare program is 33 percent, compared to 19 percent for native households.

·   Immigrants make significant progress over time. But even those who have been here for 20 years are more likely to be in poverty, lack insurance, or use welfare than are natives.

·   The primary reason for the high rates of immigrant poverty, lack of health insurance, and welfare use is their low education levels, not their legal status or an unwillingness to work. 

·  Of  immigrant households, 82 percent have at least one worker compared to 73 percent of native households.

·   There is a worker present in 78 percent of immigrant households using at least one welfare program.


In the category of number of immigrants by state, Wisconsin ranks 23^rd with 257,000 immigrants.

Wisconsin’s % of the population that is immigrant: 4.7%

Between 2000 and 2007, 81,000 immigrants arrived in Wisconsin.

 

This news made me cry.

 Here are the topics my fellow panelists and I discuss Friday night on InterCHANGE at 6:30 on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10 (repeated Sunday morning at 11:00).  


1 – Jude Cops.  

On the same day that Milwaukee’s new police chief comes to town for an introductory visit, three of the main cops involved in the beating of Frank Jude get sentenced in a federal courtroom.  Is this the end of an era?  Is the worst chapter in the history of the Milwaukee Police Department over?  Will Ed Flynn be able to clean up the Milwaukee Police Department?  Does it still need cleaning, or was former Chief Nan Heggerty efficient went it came to weeding out the bad cops? Are the sentences fair?  Is 17 years for Bartlett and 15 years for Masarik punishment enough?    


2 – Cable vs. Satellite vs. NFL/Big Ten.  

Packer fans and some of the media are crying about the fact that many folks outside of the Milwaukee and Green Bay areas won’t get to see the Packer game tonight because of the ongoing fight between the large cable companies, and the NFL Network (the cable companies are also fighting with the Big Ten Network).  The NFL Network wants to be offered as a “basic” cable channel, but the cable operators want to be able to charge extra for it, by including it in a higher cost sports tier.  Who is right and who is wrong?  Who will win this fight?  Is this a classic case of supply and demand, with both entities wanting to make as much money as possible?  Is this another step towards all major sporting events becoming “pay per view” like boxing matches are?  Can the sporting entities do without cable?  Satellite?  Over-the-air TV?    


3 – Smoking.  


Minnesota has already gone all “No Smoking in Public Places Including Bars and Restaurants” and Illinois will go that way as of January 1^st.  New York did it a long time ago.  Will Wisconsin eventually go that way as well?  If so, when?  Why hasn’t it happened already?  Is the tavern lobby really that strong?  Are we seeing the gradual move towards making all tobacco use illegal?  Is that a good thing?  

 

It was a hot summer night in 1976.

I was in the audience to see the late Paul Lynde in some forgettable musical comedy at what was then called the Performing Arts Center. As the lights went down and the curtain went up, the orchestra launched into a medley of Christmas songs……..this, while the temperature outside hovered around 90.

At the end of the overture, Lynde walked onstage and told a somewhat stunned crowd that he loved Christmas music and found it to be so beautiful that he found it strange it wasn’t played all year round.

Diana Weiss over at St. Fiacre’s Garden also loves Christmas music and admits she listens to it throughout the year.

There is an incredible amount of Christmas music to be enjoyed. It’s not surprising some radio stations start playing it so early. People want to hear it, yes, even weeks before Thanksgiving.

Starting tomorrow and for the next 25 days, I will highlight a Christmas song or some Christmas music along with a video every day leading right up until Christmas. I’ll also share the stories behind these songs. Consider them my musical Christmas card to you readers.

As I hoped he would.

Milwaukee, prepare for 4 more years of Tom Barrett, who has no viable opponent.

Cowboys-Packers a series with high-stakes intensity

By ALBERT BREER / The Dallas Morning News
abreer@dallasnews.com

In the 48 years the Cowboys and Packers have shared NFL turf, the two teams have hooked up just 26 times. So in this case, as the teams gear up for their 27th meeting on Thursday, it's not familiarity that breeds contempt. Here, it's intensity.


Cowboys vs. Packers all-time results

Consider that six of those 26 games have taken place in the playoffs. And consider that at least one team carried a record of .500 or better into 18 of the 20 regular-season games. Both teams have been at least .500 entering the game eight times, including five of the last six. Thursday will make it six times in seven games, the only exception coming in 2004. The last time neither team came in at .500 or above was in 1993, when both were 1-2 going in but rebounded to meet again in the playoffs. The Cowboys wound up repeating as Super Bowl champions. As for the six playoff games, here's all you need to know: Four times, the winner has gone on to win the Super Bowl. Two times in the '60s, it was the Packers. Twice in the '90s, it was the Cowboys. The stakes are again high. The teams have never faced each other carrying a combined winning percentage as high as their .909 this year. With home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs potentially on the line, and a chance to further distance themselves from other division leaders in the conference, the two teams gear up for another showdown.

DALLAS-GREEN BAY: THE PLAYOFFS Note: To read The News' accounts of the key games between the Cowboys and Packers listed below, click on the highlighted text in the paragraphs underneath the headings

1967: The Ice Bowl
Packers 21, Cowboys 17

Some say Vince Lombardi was the one who turned off Lambeau Field's $80,000 field heating system. Others say it failed under the weight of a kickoff temperature of minus-13 and wind chill of 46 below. The only things certain are that it was frigid, and that the 1967 NFL Championship Game – serving as the Packer dynasty's last stand – was a classic.

For the second straight year, the teams battled into the final moments for the league crown. As was the case in '66, Green Bay won on the goal line in the game's waning moments. Bart Starr's 1-yard sneak behind Jerry Kramer and Ken Bowman with 13 seconds left, a year after a goal-line stand by the Packers' defense sealed a championship, delivered Green Bay a 21-17 win in a game that belongs to the ages. The Cowboys rallied from a 14-0 deficit to take a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter, and the failed comeback added another tale of heartbreak for a Dallas franchise that was becoming accustomed to such disappointment.

Years later, the effects of the frostbite suffered by players like Starr and Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh that day remained. After the game, Starr's counterpart, Don Meredith, came down with pneumonia. It was so cold that the Wisconsin-La Crosse marching band couldn't perform at halftime because of frozen instruments.

After repeating as Super Bowl champions two weeks later, the Packers spiraled into irrelevance, making the playoffs twice and winning one postseason game in the 25 seasons to follow. The Cowboys played in five Super Bowls and won two in the 11 seasons to follow. But no matter: This game links the franchises in perpetuity.

The morning after

The lead from Bob St. John's account of the Ice Bowl, in the Jan. 1, 1968, edition of The Morning News: The Green Bay Packers, as they had a year ago, broke the hearts of the Dallas Cowboys in the twilight hour Sunday to reign once again as champions of the National Football League and all that's holy in professional sports. Somebody got their settings mixed up. Conditions were impossible. Temperatures zipped to 13 degrees below at gametime and were unfit for man and beast and especially football. And the turf here at Lambeau Field, which was not supposed to freeze because of an electrical heating system under the ground, froze. ... Dallas did not die easily at all and the final blow did not come until Bart Starr's 6-inch quarterback sneak on third down with 13 seconds remaining on the clock.

1966 NFL Championship, Cotton Bowl, Jan. 1, 1967
Packers 34, Cowboys 27

Bart Starr threw four touchdown passes, helping build a 34-20 fourth-quarter lead. A furious Cowboys comeback led by Don Meredith gave Dallas a first-and-goal on the Packers' 2, down 34-27. But an interception by Tom Brown on fourth down with 28 seconds left sent the Packers to the first Super Bowl.

1982 NFC Second Round Playoff, Texas Stadium, Jan. 16, 1983
Cowboys 37, Packers 26

This is the most nondescript of these teams' playoff showdowns, coming in the "Super Bowl Tournament" held in a strike year. The Packers battled back from a 20-7 halftime deficit, but Danny White led a 74-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to drive a final stake into the Packers. The Cowboys then lost to the Redskins in the NFC title game.

1993 NFC Divisional Playoff, Texas Stadium, Jan. 16, 1994
Cowboys 27, Packers 17

The young, rising Packers led 3-0 through one quarter, but after a 17-point second quarter – punctuated with a forced fumble with 14 seconds left and a touchdown two plays later – the Cowboys cruised to victory . Troy Aikman threw for 302 yards, and the Cowboys were on their way to repeating as Super Bowl champions.

1994 NFC Divisional Playoff, Texas Stadium, Jan. 8, 1995
Cowboys 35, Packers 9

Not even close. It was 14-3 after the first quarter, and 28-9 at the half, and the result was never in doubt, even after Emmitt Smith's afternoon ended with a hamstring injury in the first quarter. Troy Aikman made up the difference with 337 yards through the air, with 100-yard receiving efforts from Michael Irvin, Alvin Harper and Jay Novacek compensating for the sidelined workhorse. A week later, the Cowboys' bid for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title ended in San Francisco.

1995 NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Jan. 14, 1996
Cowboys 38, Packers 27

The torch seemed poised to be passed, but as was the case in 1967, the old guard had just enough to hit the young upstart over the head with it. In a game that featured five lead changes, the Cowboys carried a 24-17 lead to the half but trailed, 27-24, entering the fourth quarter. It took Emmitt Smith's second and third touchdowns, part of a 35-carry, 150-yard effort, to put Green Bay away. Troy Aikman (255 yards) and Michael Irvin (100 yards receiving) played supporting roles as the Cowboys punched their Super Bowl ticket on the way to their third title in four years.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Favre detests Dallas

Over a star-studded 17-year career, Brett Favre has won three MVP awards, two NFC titles, a Super Bowl ring and zero games in Irving. The Packers icon is 0-8 at Texas Stadium, making the Cowboys one of two NFC opponents he's never beaten on the road (he's 0-6 in Philadelphia). Conversely, Favre is 2-0 in games against the Cowboys at Lambeau. His numbers at Texas Stadium:

Date Cmp.-Att.-Yds. Pct. TD INT Rating Oct. 3, 1993 21-37-174 56.8 0 0 69.0 Jan. 16, 1994* 28-45-331 62.2 2 2 80.9 Nov. 24, 1994 27-40-257 67.5 4 0 118.4 Jan. 8, 1995* 18-35-211 51.4 0 1 58.2 Oct. 8, 1995 21-41-295 51.2 1 1 72.7 Jan. 14, 1996* 21-39-307 53.9 3 2 84.0 Nov. 18, 1996 21-37-194 56.8 1 0 80.2 Nov. 14, 1999 26-50-260 52.0 1 2 57.1 Overall 183-324-2,029 56.5 12 8 77.3

* Playoffs

Note: To read The News' accounts of the key games between the Cowboys and Packers listed below, click on the highlighted text in the paragraphs underneath the headings

Tuna meltdown

The last meeting between the teams, on Oct. 24, 2004, was perhaps the moment the Bill Parcells era bottomed out. After the 41-20 loss, Parcells said so himself, adding, "I'm embarrassed to put a team on the field that looks like that." Safety Roy Williams actually offered Parcells an apology for the defense's effort, then said, "We can't let ourselves be broken up or we're going to be back like two years ago when [Dave] Campo was the head coach and we were just playing for kicks."

Times a-changin'

When Herschel Walker took off his No. 34 Cowboys jersey after a 31-13 loss to the Packers in Jimmy Johnson's first season, rumors swirled that he was doing so for the final time. "When everything is said and done, then I can come out and talk about this," Walker said after that 1989 game. Little did he know that the deal made four days later would still be talked about 20 years later. The Cowboys traded Walker to the Minnesota Vikings and reaped eight draft picks, seven of them first-day selections and three in the first round. The trade was later lauded for laying the foundation for the three Super Bowl titles.

No one's safe

Physical play hasn't been limited to the players in this rivalry. During the 1995 NFC Championship Game, Cowboys safety Darren Woodson tackled Packers receiver Robert Brooks near the sideline, and their momentum carried both players into Green Bay receivers coach Gil Haskell. As Haskell fell to the turf, his head snapped back, fracturing his skull. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas by ambulance and listed in serious condition that night. Haskell never missed a game, returning the sideline the next season. He's been Seattle's offensive coordinator since 2000 and said he felt "like the luckiest guy in the world" before coaching the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

The very first time

The Cowboys-Packers series kicked off on Nov. 13, 1960, and the Dallas expansion franchise was blown out, 41-7. But signs showed again that the rookie quarterback from SMU, Don Meredith, might have something. A week after making his first start, Meredith was the third QB the Cowboys used that afternoon, going 9-of-16 and throwing for the team's only touchdown. The game was played before 32,294, then a record Green Bay crowd.

Ice Bowl is a distant memory in Dallas
By Tony Walter
Green Bay Press Gazette
twalter@greenbaypressgazette.com

 GRAPEVINE, Texas – The five-member valet parking team at the Gaylord Texan Hotel here heard the question at the same time. What was the Ice Bowl?

“Wasn’t it the Super Bowl?” valet Jeremy said. “I think it was 1977.”

“It was the quarterback sneak game,” said valet Lucas. “It was a conspiracy.”

With the specter of Ice Bowl II hanging over Thursday night’s National Football Conference game between the Packers and Cowboys, Ice Bowl I (Dec. 31, 1967) doesn’t appear to be on the radar screen for most who await the verdict at Texas Stadium.

“Sure, I remember it,” said community college publicist Ray Campbell, 60. “The problem is, everybody’s dead. I mean, it’s mentioned but nobody today really knows what the heck you’re talking about.”

Campbell said he listened to the game on the radio rather than watch it on television.

“The weather here was like it is today (mid-60s) so I was out running around with a really cute girl,” he said.

Don Turner, the 52-year-old owner of the Sea Dogs and Patio on Dallas’ trendy West End, was 12 when he watched the Packers beat the Cowboys on Bart Starr’s quarterback sneak in minus-15 degree weather.

“I remember being amazed seeing people out there playing football in that kind of weather,” Turner said. “It comes up every now and then with some of our customers, but not much.”

Jim Hollomon, a lifelong Dallas resident, was 13 when he watched the game. But it’s ancient history to him now.

“The only time I hear about it is when it’s mentioned on TV,” said Hollomon.

The Cowboys’ public relations staff was asked if anyone in the team’s organization today worked for the Cowboys the day the frozen tundra was memorialized.

No one.

Cowboys need to win a big game at home
Jean-Jacques Taylor: Dallas Morning News

The Game of the Century II for the Cowboys this season is not just important because the winner probably gets home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Cowboys need to beat Green Bay on Thursday to prove they can win a big game at home. Think about it for a minute. The Cowboys had an opportunity to beat New Orleans last year and grab control of the race for home-field advantage, but fizzled. New Orleans embarrassed the Cowboys, 42-17. Still, the Cowboys had a chance to win the NFC East with a win over Philadelphia at Texas Stadium. What happened? The Eagles blew out Dallas, 23-7. Then came their October matchup – Game of the Century I – against New England. We all know the Patriots won, 48-27. So the question is whether the Cowboys can win a big game at home. If not, maybe a trip to Green Bay in January won't be so bad.

Harris can't wait to go one-on-one with T.O.
By Rob Demovsky
Green Bay Press Gazette
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com

Al Harris said all the right things back then — only now is he speaking his mind, sort of — but make no mistake about it, the Green Bay Packers cornerback was perturbed that he didn’t get his one-on-one matchup with Terrell Owens. That was almost three years ago, when Owens played for the Philadelphia Eagles, who on Dec. 4, 2004, torched the Packers 47-17.

In that game, then-defensive coordinator Bob Slowik opted to play mostly zone coverage, and then-coach Mike Sherman allowed it to happen. Sure enough, Owens had a field day against the Packers with eight catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.

To this day, Harris remains baffled by Slowik’s game plan against the Eagles and Owens.

“I have no idea,” Harris said this week when asked why the Packers played zone. “I got in trouble that game. A couple of times we were supposed to be playing zone, and I was playing man. Coach Sherman was hot with me.”

Harris has nothing to worry about this time around.

Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders is sure to stick with his season-long plan of matching Harris against the opponent’s best receiver. That means it’s Harris vs. Owens on Thursday night in the NFC’s biggest game of the season, the Packers at the Dallas Cowboys.

“Al just loves the challenge it brings,” Packers cornerbacks coach Lionel Washington said. “You want to be challenged every week, because you want to shut down the team’s best receiver. He’s done an outstanding job thus far, and hopefully, it can continue.

“T.O. is going to be a guy who’s going to work hard on his routes, run after the catch. It’s just a big-time challenge, and Al has accepted that challenge. But that’s what it’s going to be — a big-time challenge.”

Football might be the ultimate team sport, but Harris relishes those individual opportunities.

“Everybody in this locker room knows if you want to get me up for a game, give me an individual matchup I can concentrate on,” Harris said. “I do get up for the individual matchups.”

Packers backup cornerback Will Blackmon said he can’t imagine a better scenario for a cornerback than going into a game week knowing the assignment is a certain receiver.

“At first, you try to see overall what the offensive is trying to do,” Blackmon said. “Then you try to pick him apart. You want to know when he goes to the bathroom, what time he eats, everything about him. It makes things easier, because you know it’s you against him, man up. You’re both getting paid to do this. It’s competitive. That’s what it’s all about.”

It seemingly gets tougher each week for Harris. Last Thursday against the Lions, he stalked receiver Roy Williams all game. Williams had three catches, but only two were against Harris, and one of those was a hitch route that’s nearly impossible to defend. Harris considered it just another day at the office.

“I started matching up in 2004, and I’ve faced everybody,” Harris said. “So every week is like that. Every week, you face a guy who’s had 1,000 yards, 100 catches. It’s a tough matchup every week.”

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Owens is having one of the finest seasons of his 12-year pro career. He ranks 12th in the NFL in receptions (64) but second in the league in yards (1,093) and touchdown catches (13) behind New England’s Randy Moss.

“With me personally, when you see a guy that never quits, plays hard and is professional about his job, those are the guys that are true professionals,” Harris said when asked what makes Owens so good. “Sometimes you see a guy who’s good on this play but not good on another play. That’s what I think makes him so good. He’s passionate about his job and gives you 100 percent. What more can you ask for?”

It was a matchup against Owens — when he was with the San Francisco 49ers — that helped Harris, then with Philadelphia, land in Green Bay. Sherman saw film of Harris covering Owens and decided to trade for him in 2003. So, it was unimaginable to Harris he didn’t get to check Owens in the 2004 game. After that game, Harris had to bite his tongue not to sound like he was being overly critical of the coaches.

“We have to go with Slo’s judgment,” Harris said in the locker room after that game. “I believe totally in Slo, but me personally — we played Marvin Harrison (of the Indianapolis Colts) like that (in man coverage). It’s not like I’ll stop every route, but I like my odds in bump-and-run (man coverage).”

This week, Harris said: “The NFL is 95 percent zone coverage. Man is my game, but whatever defense is called, you have to play it.”

Washington was the Packers assistant defensive backs coach in 2004 but said this week he couldn’t recall playing mostly zone coverages in that game.

“I really can’t remember why we played so much zone,” Washington said. “I couldn’t tell you. We played more zone then than we do now. I do remember T.O. had a pretty good night. Hopefully, Al’s going to step up and embrace the challenge head on.”

 

 

Just how big is this game?

Ask the man who runs the show in Big D:

Jones: Game with Packers is big

Owner says this is biggest regular-season home game in 12 years

By ALBERT BREER / The Dallas Morning News
abreer@dallasnews.com


IRVING – Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is making no effort to downplay Thursday night's showdown with the Packers. Nor is he sparing anyone the hyperbole.

"It's certainly the most significant game at this stadium since the last time we played Brett Favre and Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game," Jones said, referencing the 1995 win that propelled the Cowboys to Super Bowl XXX.

"[But] anybody who would tell you it's a season-ender if you lose it doesn't understand what 10-2 is in the NFL."

Jones said this is the biggest regular-season game at Texas Stadium since a 1995 loss to the Elvis Grbac-led San Francisco 49ers.

Jones added that if the new stadium was open, this type of game would warrant adding the removable seats that could bump capacity from the 80,000 to 85,000 range to more than 95,000 seats.

Jones said a loss wouldn't dash the Cowboys' dreams, but he also knows those hopes become more realistic with a win, which could lead to home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

"Green Bay is intimidating to me," Jones said of the city. "It's stark, it's usually not one of the sunny days [when the Cowboys are there], compared to the friendly confines of home."

Packers find running game: After beating Minnesota on Nov. 11, the Packers ended a five-week run at the bottom of the NFL in run offense. Tailback Ryan Grant, in particular, has made a big difference. Acquired in a trade from the Giants just before the season opener, Grant has rushed for 467 yards on 101 carries (4.6-yard average) in the five games since taking on a more prominent role after the Packers' bye week.

By comparison, the rest of the Packers have 406 yards on 144 carries (2.8-yard average).

"The style of back they have now, he's able to find the hole and make that one cut," Cowboys linebacker Akin Ayodele said. "I think the offensive line has gotten more aggressive in staying with their blockers. And the passing game has helped them out a lot in the running game."

No change for Henry: Coach Wade Phillips said he expects cornerback Anthony Henry to remain in the limited role he's played the last few weeks – playing in the team's nickel and dime defenses – as his high left ankle sprain continues to heal. But with the three-, four- and five-receiver sets Green Bay brings, Henry could be on the field more this week. And he's fine with that. "I've been making some progress, and I've been improving at practice," Henry said. "The pace we're going at right now is good for me."

Briefly: USA Football officials were in Irving to present Texas with the Governor's Cup, given to the "Best Football State" in the country. Keith Davis, Leonard Davis and Justin Rogers – all of whom played high school and college football in Texas – accepted the award with fellow Texan Wade Phillips. "I think those of us from Texas and in Texas figured this award might be coming this way," Phillips said. ... WR Terry Glenn was the only absentee at Tuesday's practice. Henry and WR Patrick Crayton – who says he'll play – were listed as having "full participation." ... Packers CB Will Blackmon (foot), S Nick Collins (knee) and Grant (ankle) fully participated in Tuesday practice. DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (ankle), WR Ruvell Martin (ankle), S Aaron Rouse (knee), T Mark Tauscher (ankle), LB Tracy White (ankle) and CB Charles Woodson (toe) were limited. TE Bubba Franks (knee) sat out.

*THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF BLOGS PREVIEWING THE BIG GREEN BAY-DALLAS GAME THURSDAY NIGHT*


How do the teams stack up against each other?

From the Green Bay Press Gazette:


Pete Dougherty column:
How Packers match up with Dallas


When the 2007 NFL regular season started, the Green Bay Packers were 25-to-1 odds to win the NFC championship, and only three teams in the conference were given worse chances.

Now, about two-thirds of the way through the season, the Packers are 8-to-5 odds to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, second best behind only their opponent Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys, who have 2-to-3 odds.

A Super Bowl berth isn't at stake when these two 10-1 teams meet at Texas Stadium, and the loser still could go on to win the conference title. Unless either team collapses over the final four weeks, they will be the top-two seeded teams in the conference, get first-round byes in the playoffs and be strong bets to meet again in the NFC championship.

Although the winner will have the inside track for home-field advantage, recent history says the home field really isn't much of an edge in conference championships. In the last 10 years, home teams are 11-9 in conference finals. However, after Dallas beat the New York Jets on Thursday, Dallas owner Jerry Jones summed up what any warm-weather team would be thinking deep down.

"What this game is about is to get back here in January," Jones told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "There is a difference between playing in Dallas and playing in Green Bay in January."

If nothing else, this big game will give these clubs a measure of each other head to head and reveal at least some of the matchups to consider if they meet again in January. So, with both this week and a potential playoff game in mind, here's a report on the Cowboys based on an in-depth interview with a scout who knows them well. The early betting line on the game had the Cowboys a six-point favorite, though the scout predicted that would drop to 3 to 3½ points by game time — teams get three points for playing at home.

Quarterback

Tony Romo (105.6 passer rating) runs an explosive offense ranked second in yards and points, behind only the New England juggernaut.

He grew up in Burlington, idolizing Brett Favre, and he's adopted many of Favre's mannerisms. He also has a similar mental make-up in that he's exceptionally competitive, charismatic, has a great love for the game and will sacrifice his body to win. That makes him a natural leader who teammates rally around.

He doesn't have Favre's physical talent at a similar age — Favre had and has a stronger arm — but Romo is mobile, extremely accurate and has a better grasp of the offense than Favre did as a 27-year-old. The biggest problem Romo could run into is trying too hard to defeat or impress his boyhood hero.

"Is he too jacked up?" the scout said. "Will he do too many things to try to outplay Brett Favre?"

When asked which quarterback was better now, the scout said, "I'd never bet against Brett Favre. I've seen Romo make the (big) mistake this year. I haven't seen Favre do that."

Receivers

Terrell Owens (64 receptions, 17.1-yard average, an NFC-leading 13 touchdowns) is having a big season and has to be accounted for. Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders almost surely will put cornerback Al Harris on the best receiver all day and play him with physical, bump-and-run coverage.

Though Owens is big (6-foot-3, 224 pounds), Harris' tactics might neutralize him.

"These will be the most physical cornerbacks he's faced," the scout said of Owens. "Someone asked me if I'd rather have Owens or (Randy) Moss, I'd take Moss, he's more competitive. This guy, for a big receiver, if it's a contested football, he doesn't go get it like you think he would. When you bang him around you can take him out of his routes."

With Terry Glenn out with an injury, Patrick Crayton is the No. 2 receiver. He has a lanky build (6-0, 200), runs precise routes, has a slippery knack for getting open and catches well but doesn't have deep speed. Sam Hurd (6-2, 195), the No. 3 receiver, would be a No. 5 on many teams but is serviceable and improving as a second-year pro.

The Cowboys don't have anything like the quality of depth the Packers have at receiver with Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Koren Robinson and Ruvell Martin.

"I'd take (No. 4 receiver) Koren Robinson over Sam Hurd any day of the week," the scout said.

Tight end

A position that makes the Cowboys dangerous. Jason Witten is second on the team in receptions (59), offers a huge target (6-5, 265) with excellent athletic ability and great hands. He's Romo's favorite target when plays break down, and he's scrambling.

The Packers have had problems matching up with the elite tight ends they've faced this year. Linebacker A.J. Hawk has been playing good coverage in recent weeks, and maybe Sanders will look to get him on Witten as much as possible. Safeties Atari Bigby and Aaron Rouse (or Nick Collins if he returns from his knee injury) also will share the responsibility.

"(The Packers) will lose this matchup," the scout said. "The problem with this guy is he's 263 pounds, he's very athletic and physical and crafty, but he also has speed. He' a legitimate 4.7 guy (in the 40-yard dash). If Green Bay doesn't have somebody that can play physical with him, he can create a lot of problems.

"He's too good for linebackers and too physical for safeties. If they don't have a plan for Jason Witten, this is something Dallas could take advantage of. The (Packers) could lose this battle and lose it badly."

Running back

New coach Wade Phillips has kept Bill Parcells' two-back system and used it to sometimes devastating effect.

Julius Jones (3.9 yards per carry) gets most of the work in the first half and is tough for a smaller (5-10, 211), quicker back, plus he's become a good pass blocker. After Jones has softened a defense that also has to account for Owens and Witten, Barber (6-0, 220) comes in fresh and ready to punish. He's rushed for 715 yards and 4.9 yards a carry, and is especially good at finishing games in the fourth quarter.

"All of a sudden in the third and fourth quarters, you're not as a fresh as you were (on defense) at the start of the game," the scout said. "They bring in Marion Barber, and he brings a real attitude where he's ready to tote the mail."

Offensive line

The Cowboys have one of the biggest offensive lines in the league with left tackle Flozell Adams (6-7, 343), right guard Leonard Davis (6-6, 366), right tackle Marc Colombo (6-8, 320) and center Andre Gurode (6-4, 312).

Adams can be a shutout pass blocker when he's fully engaged in the game but is prone to lapses that render him ordinary. Davis was a good free-agent signing who's much better suited as a road-grading guard than a tackle. Colombo has some athletic limitations that leave him vulnerable, and the Packers' best matchup on the line probably will be him against defensive end Aaron Kampman. Gurode no longer makes the big mistakes he did early in his career, though he occasionally sprays his shotgun snaps. Right guard Kyle Kosier is listed at 305 pounds but probably is down around 285 to 290 and also could be vulnerable to physical play from defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, Corey Williams and Justin Harrell, who will be playing for injured Johnny Jolly and Colin Cole.

"(The Packers) could lose the matchup with Adams, and they could lose the matchup with Davis," the scout said. "Kampman's their best chance."

Defensive line

Phillips plays a 3-4 defense that went into this week ranked ninth in yards allowed and 18th in points.

The Cowboys have the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL in rushing yards and yards per carry, anchored by a sound starting line with ends Chris Canty and Marcus Spears and nose tackle Jay Ratliff. Their job mainly is to occupy blockers so the linebackers can make plays.

Spears is the best of the group, though Canty (three sacks) noticeably is playing better under Phillips after being beaten down by Parcells for two years.

"(Packers halfback) Ryan Grant is a big, physical type player," the scout said. "Some people think they should totally give up the run at Dallas, and you have to be careful with going outside on them, because they can get to you. But some teams have hit them off tackle. Green Bay has to try to get Ryan Grant going, let him be physical and chew up some clock."

Linebackers

Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (nine sacks) has been getting the most attention from offenses, but converted defensive end Greg Ellis (8½ sacks) also is a threat. Ware is a speed rusher who has 28½ sacks in 37 NFL games. Ellis (6-6, 270) successfully has made the move to outside linebacker and is a crafty 10-year pro who's adept at shedding blockers with his hands.

"(Teams) will say the guy they have to account for is Ware, but they need to talk about Ellis," the scout said. "He's a very solid, productive football player, and if you don't account for him, he'll sack you."

Bradie James (6-2, 250) and Akin Ayodele (6-2, 250) are big, solid inside linebackers who hold the point of attack well. Ayodele is the better athlete.

Secondary

Here's where the Packers should have a big edge.

Terrence Newman is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and is capable of taking Driver out of the game. However, after him, the quality drops.

Jacques Reeves and Anthony Henry have switched off as starter and nickel back all year, and Nathan Jones is the dime back. Safeties Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams are big, physical players who are strong against the run but have problems in coverage. Look for coach Mike McCarthy to liberally deploy his four- and five-receiver sets to create optimal matchups.

"Newman is a Pro Bowl-type corner; he's what Al Harris is to the Packers," the scout said. "If Green Bay is going to win, Favre has to take advantage of Anthony Henry, Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones. I see a matchup problem with Henry (against Greg Jennings). He can be physical, but if you get up the field, he has trouble keeping up. You have to make Hamlin cover and you have to make Roy Williams cover. Where Dallas is vulnerable is to big plays. They have one great corner and three good to OK corners."

Special teams

The Cowboys' return game isn't particularly dangerous with Crayton (12.3-yard average) and Newman (6.5 yard average) on punts and Tyson Thompson (23.6-yard average) on kickoffs. Rookie kicker Nick Folk is 17-for-20 on field goals. Punter Mat McBriar is a weapon (47.6-yard gross, 37.5-yard net). 

Pete Dougherty covers the Packers for the Press-Gazette. E-mail him at pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com

Thank you to everyone who voted for Scott Southworth of Wisconsin as a CNN Hero.

Scott did not make the group of finalists.

He's still an amazing guy and a hero in every sense of the word.

This time at 79^th and Layton.

Details from the Business Journal:

Rapidly growing grocery chain Sendik's Food Market will open a new location in a former Jewel location in Greenfield, developer Devo Properties and the city of Greenfield said Wednesday.

Sendik's will remodel and occupy a 60,000-square-feet store at the Greenfield location at 7901 W. Layton Ave. The store is part of a shopping center that will be renamed Sendik's Commons.

The Greenfield Sendik's will be the latest of new stores operated by the Balistreri family, which recently opened Sendik's locations in Elm Grove and Franklin and announced plans to open a location in Germantown.

Devo Properties is led by developer Greg Devorkin, who developed the Fountains of Franklin retail center where the most recent Sendik's opened. Last week, Devo Properties purchased the Greenfield shopping center where Sendik's will open.

The Greenfield Sendik's is expected to hire 170 employees, said Ted Balistreri, who owns Sendik's along with his two brothers, Nick and Patrick, and sister, Margaret Harris.

The Balistreri family's other stores are in Whitefish Bay, Wauwatosa, Mequon, Grafton, Elm Grove and Franklin. The new store opening in 2008 in Germantown will be at N112 15800 Mequon Road.

 

That’s what John Coleman says about global warming.

Who’s John Coleman?

Coleman is the founder of……..the Weather Channel. 

Here's his recent column from the website of ***, the TV station he does the weather at..... It's really good stuff:

It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming... it is a SCAM.

Some misquided scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data back in the late 1990's to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental-extremism type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the "research" to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus.

Environmental extremist, notable politicians among them then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild "scientific" scenario of the civilization threatening environmental consequences from Global Warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda.

Now their ridicules manipulated science has been accepted as fact and become a cornerstone issue for CNN, CBS, NBC, the Democratic Political Party, the Governor of California, school teachers and, in many cases, well informed but very gullible environmental conscientious citizens. Only one reporter at ABC has been allowed to counter the Global Warming frenzy with one 15 minutes documentary segment.

I do not oppose environmentalism. I do not oppose the political positions of either party.

However, Global Warming, i.e. Climate Change, is not about environmentalism or politics. It is not a religion. It is not something you "believe in." It is science; the science of meteorology. This is my field of life-long expertise. And I am telling you Global Warming is a nonevent, a manufactured crisis and a total scam. I say this knowing you probably won't believe me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning former Vice President of United States. So be it.

I suspect you might like to say to me, "John, look the research that supports the case for global warming was done by research scientists; people with Ph.D's in Meteorology. They are employed by major universities and important research institutions. Their work has been reviewed by other scientists with Ph.D's. They have to know a lot more about it than you do. Come on, John, get with it. The experts say our pollution has created an strong and increasing greenhouse effect and a rapid, out of control global warming is underway that will sky rocket temperatures, destroy agriculture, melt the ice caps, flood the coastlines and end life as we know it. How can you dissent from this crisis? You must be a bit nutty.

Allow me, please, to explain how I think this all came about. Our universities have become somewhat isolated from the rest of us. There is a culture and attitudes and values and pressures on campus that are very different. I know this group well. My father was a Ph.D-University types. I was raised in the university culture. Any person who spends a decade at a university obtaining a Ph.D in Meteorology and become a research scientist, more likely than not, becomes a part of that single minded culture. They all look askance at the rest of us, certain of their superiority. They respect government and disrespect business, particularly big business. They are environmentalists above all else.

And, there is something else. These scientists know that if they do research and the results are in no way alarming, their research will gather dust on the shelf and their research careers will languish. But if they do research that sounds alarms, they will become well known and respected and receive scholarly awards and, very importantly, more research dollars will come flooding their way.

Remember the United Nations had formed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the late 1980's with the mission of a