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Punchies 2008

It's award season and time for the Punchies, the annual gathering of Bulldog players to give respect to the finest players of this past season. It is also a time for fellowship, wine, and song (get a sitR). We don't know where it's going to be or what time, but save Saturday, September 27 as a fun day on your mental, paper, and computer calendars.

Any thoughts on new award categories or party place? Add it to the comments on this blog.

Summer is almost over and I'm sad. It means a close end to comfortable leisure biking time. This kick ass (Gordie term) video from Doomtree will likely help me get through the winter.


Doomtree "Drumsticks" Music Video from Ted Romeo on Vimeo.

Dream Vision

This came to me last eve:
Saltimboca in a shot glass, muddle a small amount of ham, drink through a cloth napkin.

Saltimboca is usually an italian dish not a liquid. I think this means we should order Saltimboca Friday at the Punchies.

Coming soon: Online Awards Voting.

Elvis Lives

Elvis Lives
Originally uploaded by Ghostface CRZA

He was spotted August 25 in Breezy Point, Minnesota.

The Punchies will be held on a Friday in late September. A formal announcement will follow later this week. Have any ideas for new award categories? Submit your ideas by clicking on add a comment.

2003 Punchies

This is from the pre-sponsorship era when the team name was Donkey Punch. Hence the award ceremony called . . . The Punchies.

MVP (Male) - Karl

MVP (Female) - Kelly Kelly

Best Dressed - Anna Thomson

Most Beer and/or Cigarettes Consumed Per Game - Karl

Most Improved - Anna Thompson

Best Play - Andy Powers home run sliding into home wearing shorts

Best Bar Attendance - Coach, Runner-Up - JJ's Clubhouse

2006 Punchies Award Winners

View the Fotos

MVP (Male)	-	Todd
MVP (Female)	-	Janna
Golden Glove (Male)	-	Todd
Golden Glove (Female)	-	Janna
Rookie of the Year (Male)	-	Todd
Rookie of the Year (Female)	-	Janna
Best Dressed	-	Charisse
Sexiest Male	-	Pete
Sexiest Female	-	Charisse
Most Likely to Get Knocked Up	-	Janna
Most Likely to Incite a Riot	-	Coach
Jesus H. Christ Spiritual Leader Award	-	Coach
Best Coach That's Not Coach	-	Jeff
Most Smokes Consumed per Game	-	Pete
Photo of the Year 1st Place	-	Pete

Minneapolis - America's No. 2 drunkest city

Forbes magazine lists us as the second drunkest city in the U.S. behind Milwaukee. Let's take their title away!

Everyone needs to pitch in and do their part next Thursday at the Punchies by drinking until you lose your eyesight.

Coach

A Forbes ranking of the Twin Cities' drinking habits is greeted with much scorn and skepticism.

BY BOB SHAW

Pioneer Press

Where is the second-drunkest city in America?

Chances are you are living in it — according to Forbes Magazine, at least. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is surpassed only by Milwaukee in the magazine's first-ever "drunkest cities" evaluation.

"You mean we beat out New Orleans? Sounds kind of nuts to me," bartender Chris Fish said as he filled a glass of beer behind the bar of the Hat Trick Lounge in St. Paul.

From corner taps to government offices, experts on drinking scratched their heads Wednesday to try to explain what the survey means.

In the past, officials have boasted that surveys have been kind to the Twin Cities, praising the area lavishly for health, happiness and overall living conditions.

Or is that just the beer talking?

"It seems like that survey is a bit of a stretch," said Bob Hume, spokesman for St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.

Hume said that only two months ago, Kiplinger's Magazine ranked the Twin Cities metro area second in its "Smart Places to Live" survey.

"The criteria there were vibrant, fun, affordable," Hume said. "Enjoy our recreational opportunities responsibly."

How, he asked, could the same metro area be the nation's second-drunkest?

David Ewalt had some answers. He conducted the survey for Forbes as part of a series of stories on the night-life industry. Ewalt said he used a combination of government statistics from 2004 measuring rates of alcoholism, binge drinking, Alcoholics Anonymous participation and other figures.

He was surprised to see Milwaukee and the Twin Cities besting notorious party areas such as New Orleans (ranked 24th) and Las Vegas (No. 14).

"You go to New Orleans or Las Vegas, and they are very liberal about alcohol. You can drink beer on the streets," he said. "To a tourist, they can seem like very drunk towns."

It's likely, he said, that the pattern of drinking in Minnesota is more private.

But some experts said Ewalt's methods might have skewed the results.

"No. 2? I think we should be lower than that," said John Steiger, spokesman for the state Health Department, which compiles records of alcoholism rates.

He conceded that Minnesota and Wisconsin have ranked high on alcoholism surveys, but he said some data can be misconstrued.

For example, high participation in Alcoholics Anonymous could be a sign people are willing to address their problems, he said, and not an indication of drunkenness.

Hume also noted that, with 11 colleges, St. Paul has the second-highest number of students per capita after Boston. That could contribute to a high percentage of binge drinkers, he said.

In the cozy darkness of the Hat Trick Lounge in downtown St. Paul, several patrons — decidedly not problem drinkers themselves — sipped beers Wednesday and pondered the report's conclusion.

"I can see Milwaukee, with the reputation for beer drinking," said Greg Dols, a remodeler who lifted the brim of his paint-spattered baseball cap. "But here? I don't have any theories on that."

Shelley Meredith of Eau Claire, Wis., did. She thought the survey was wrong, period. "Every place has its drunks," she said. But having lived all around the country, she has seen no sign that the Twin Cities could be much "drunker" than elsewhere. "I just don't think that could be true," she said.

Mike Fiumano's reaction was blunt. "I think it's offensive to say that St. Paul is one of the drunkest cities, because I don't see that at all," he said. "I see a lot of young, responsible, business-minded people who want to do right in life."

Bartender Fish walked outside, where patrons were sipping suds in a sidewalk patio area, and he asked one customer about the Twin Cities' ranking.

"As least we are good at something," came the reply.

Bob Shaw can be reached at bshaw@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5433.

Last Game of the Year/When Should We Have the Banquet?

Our last game of the year is at 6:15 this Thursday. The season is coming to an end just when we are getting hot. We won again last week and have won three of the last four games. The one we lost was close too.

I'm trying to nail down a date for when we can hold the Punchies, the annual Bulldog Awards banquet at Buca.

Take this quick survey to choose a date

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB225H8GMMJ5X

Thanks/2005 Punchies

Thanks to Ben for putting together the game summary (see below) that meticulously describes the final game of the year. It is by far the most creative and entertaining Bulldog Blog post of the year. I’m surprised that news of the game events have been relegated solely to the blogosphere and haven’t been covered by the traditional media outlets.

Just a reminder, the 2005 Punchies (Bulldog Softball Award Dinner) will be held at Buca in downtown Minneapolis on August 11. I hope to see everyone there.

View Evite

Final Game/The Punchies

We take on the Village Idiot at 8:15 on Thursday in what will be our final game of the 2005 season. There is an end of year tourney that you have to pay to play. Maybe we’ll try this next year. I heard it’s mostly about drinking beer in the daytime.

Karl will serve as Coach in my absence. Mind him well. BK, Meg, and someone else will be gone too. If you have a friend that wants to come along, invite them to show up with a glove. We might need them.

I have the 2005 Punchies (Bulldog Softball Award Dinner) penciled in for Thursday August 11. Please let me know if this date doesn’t work for you. As an added bonus, everyone that attends will receive limited edition Bulldog softball trading cards.

View The Cards