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Items included in this column are things that I have heard, seen or have been reported to me. I cannot vouch for their veracity.

It’s playoff time in the NBA and the NHL. Our local teams ended their seasons without much fanfare. The Timberwolves seemed to be doing everything they could to lose every game possible to protect the possibility of a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. The Wild had a decent season. But, in the end, it became obvious that they wouldn’t make the playoffs. The Wild’s best player (Gaborik) expressed discontent at restrictions placed on him by the “system” used by the team. Coach Lemaire disagreed.

The NHL continues to struggle despite the fact that game attendance has generally been strong. Hockey fans are very loyal and support their teams, even in unlikely places such as Nashville and San Jose. The problem is that the game does not enjoy widespread popularity. Outside of traditional hockey hotbeads like Minnesota and New England, televised games do not bring in very good ratings. Therefore, the league has not been able to secure a lucrative TV contract like baseball, basketball and football.

Meanwhile, the trend in hockey is youth, speed and goaltending. (College fans saw what a difference great goaltending can make as they witnessed how much better the Wisconsin Badgers were when their goalie was healthy.) Meanwhile, the Detroit Redwings have remained a force in the pro game, despite having neither youth nor speed nor particularly exceptional goaltending. The ‘Wings won their first Stanley Cup playoff game 3-2 in overtime by overcoming a 54 save performance by former Wild goalie Dwayne Roloson who is the netminder for the Edmonton Oilers.

General Motors reported a loss of $323 million in the first quarter of 2006. As bad as that sounds, it’s a significant improvement over last year’s first three months, when GM lost $1.3 billion. During the same period, Ford lost $1.2 billion. Ford says much of that loss is due to costs related to restructuring.

Speaking of Deficits!!!!! The U.S. had a $200 billion trade deficit with China last year. We bought $200 billion more of goods from China than they bought from us. This influx of money has helped fuel an explosion of wealth in the Asian giant. As a result, a huge middle class is growing. Economists project that the new, primarily urban, rich in China will soon number as many as 300 million people. Meanwhile, 900 million rural peasants seem certain to continue living in poverty. How will the lone surviving “communist” power adjust to these inequities?

An attempt to hold up a Chinese restaurant in Levittown, New York was thwarted when employees noticed water leaking from the barrel of the robber’s gun.

Former New York Met pitcher Dwight Gooden recently chose to go to prison for a year rather than serving his time on probation. He explained that he felt that the time behind bars would give him a better chance of breaking his cocaine addiction.

Perhaps Lance Armstrong is addicted to physical activity. After announcing his retirement from bicycle racing, he says that he will run in the New York City Marathon.

The city of Limerick, Ireland has a population, under normal circumstances, of about 54,000. Sunday, April 23, the Limerick rugby team was playing in Dublin. 20,000 residents were expected to travel to Dublin to cheer the team. This may have been a problem for the city. Sunday was also the day that a census was scheduled in Limerick. If it failed to have a population of at least 50,000 that day, it may have been categorized as a town instead of a city. If so, the municipality may lose commensurate funding.

Eighty one minor league baseball players lost funding when they were suspended last season last season for testing positive for a variety a of banned substances.

Barry Bonds was recently fined $5000 because his wristbands violated MLB rules. April 22 he hit his 709th homerun.

Remember Julio Franco? His April 20 roundtripper made him the oldest major leaguer to hit a homerun.

Vanna White recently became the 2309th person to get her own star on the Hollywood “Walk of Fame.” She turned her first letter on Wheel of Fortune in 1982. She claps her hands an estimated 720 times per show. That’s about 28,000 per season.

April 26, 1865, John Wilkes Booth was surrounded by soldiers in northern Virginia as he attempted to escape. He assassinated Abraham Lincoln 12 days earlier. The same night Booth shot the President, a co-conspirator stabbed Secretary of State William Seward in his home. Vice President Andrew Johnson was also an intended victim, but his assailant got drunk and fled town. Booth arrived at the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd about 4 am the next morning. Mudd treated Booth for a broken bone he suffered when he jumped onto the stage after shooting the President. Thus, the expression, “Your Name is Mudd!”

You are invited to send interesting, unusual and/or humorous items that could possibly be used in this space. If you choose to do so, please send it to [email protected].

If you prefer, you may send it to

Chisago County Press

Attn: Dave

12631 Lake Blvd.

Lindstrom, Mn 55045

or, you may bring it in to the office.

Sports stuff would be great, but, please do not limit yourselves. Politics, religion, culture (pop or otherwise) are welcomed. Please do not feel offended if your contribution is not included.

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