There was a lot going on in the area this past weekend highlighted by a visit from the President.  Unless you were under a rock this past weekend you know Trump visited the area this past weekend.  Like him or not this was a big deal for the area. 
Last Wednesday I was walking off the 12th green at Hickory when the presidential C5 Galaxy cargo plane came in for a landing.  It was about 300-400 yards away and it was impressive.  I also played the morning that President Trump arrived but had left long before Airforce One came in.  When I left the course there were a steady stream of cars coming up Airport Road and I counted five stands selling Trump stuff between the course and my house including three inside Murphysboro itself.  The vibe around the area seemed to be similar to the Apple Festival parade.  Of course beautiful weather helped out too.
Both Murphysboro and carbondale also hosted football playoff games and both were victorious.  I went to the Red Devil game and it was a great game to watch.  Not too many penalties or turnovers and a lot of excitement.  It was a game of halves as the Devils lead at half time but Prairie Central came back in the second half.  In the end the Devils made just enough plays when it counted to walk away with a 22-20 win including a stop on a two point conversion with three seconds left in the game.
Also going on this past weekend was Carbondale's attempt at bring back and calming down it's infamous Halloween celebration.  I haven't heard reports of any problems that plagued the event in the past so that in itself was a success.

Last night we decided to try the revamped Underground.  I was a little worried because of the halloween stuff going on in Carbondale but we decided to try it anyway.  A drawback of the location has always been lack of parking and last night was no different, we ended up parking in the lot by B&A Travel.
Things got off to an awful start when we got there.  There were no tables available so we had to sit at the bar which I don't mind but the Glue isn't fan of eating there.  The waitress seemed more interested in a group of boys at the other corner of the bar and wasn't very attentive.  She also didn't know the kinds of beer that were on tap and in general wasn't very good.  It is also a different kind of menu than what we are used to.  The Glue ended up going with a Dunkeldog bottle while I had a wee heavy  draft from St. Nicks.  Luckily at this point another waitress came on duty and was much a big improvement over the other one. 
I ended up going with the pork schnitzel with fries and the Glue went with the pork belly rueben with a salad.  The Underground was having cooler problems and the new waitress put some bottles in ice for us plus she went in back and got us cold ones from the walk in cooler.  When the schnitzel arrived it was humongous, hanging out both ends of the bun about six inches.  Big is ok but taste is what matters and this passed the taste test and was good.  The fries were good but nothing outstanding about them.  The Glues pork belly rueben was special, nothing like it around here.  We could have split it and it would have been plenty.  Her salad was just ok.
The second waitress and the food saved the trip for us otherwise I'm not sure if we'd have gone back.

Me and the Glue joined with regulars Ted and Brownie on the Brick Dust Blues for the league tournament.  What a nice day for a tournament especially if you were standing outside the pavilion in the sun although the wind did get worse as the day went on. 
In first game we took on Everybocce Wang Chung.  They jumped out to a 5-1 lead but we came back with a four point frame and tied the game but to no avail.  They continued to make great throws and we went down to a 9-6 defeat.
In the second game we played Boccesauras Rex which featured Josh and Big Mike from the Ringers and Pete and world traveler Jake from the old Biotches team.  Captain Ted decided to make a change before the game and paired him and the Glue on one end and me and Brownie on the other.  The game was a back and forth affair with Boccesauras Rex leading 6-5 when controversy arose.  We didn't have anything real close and they had two obvious points.  I didn't think their third ball was a point but we measured anyway.  I had the string while Pete had the cup.  I went to our ball first and then went to theirs and it was very close but we were closer.  When I went back to make sure my finger hit their ball and moved it a little.  Nobody was real sure on what to do.  I told them it was their decision on the third point since it was my error.  After some discussions their Captain Pete said they'd take to two so there wouldn't be any doubt when he beat us.  I told him that now we're going to beat you to which he replied that they'd take the third point then.  Mine was said in jest and I think his was too but I asked again did they want the third point and he said no so the game continued.  They went long and towards the corner and we exchanged shots getting inside the other teams ball.  We ended up with the point and on the next frame the Glue had a good first shot and Ted finished up and we got a controversial 9-8 win.
The third game was a win and get in game against Here 4 Beer.  We had another close game but couldn't pull it out at the end losing 9-6.  Here 4 Beer went on to the championship where they lost to 12 Oz. Curls.

Roll'em If Ya Got'ems Fall 2018 season came to an abrupt end last night in the Interpool tournament.  As the #4 seed we played #13 seed #thankusforyourwin in the first game.  The game started out exchanging one point frames and a 2-2 tie after four frames.  From then on it was all #thankusforyourwin who played great.  They seemed to always put their first throw very close to the pallino and on those rare occasions when it looked like we might be able to mount a comeback they put their last throw on target.  Roll'ems disappointing season ended with a disappointing 9-3 loss. 
Last night was a true Cinderella story as #14 and last seed 2 Boobs and 2 Girls (aka Dan and his harem at least in Dan's mind) came from nowhere to win the coveted badass towels as Wednesday night interpool champions.  They have been with the MBC since the beginning and while we didn't stay around it was good seeing that they won.
Earlier in the day I received word that a team had cancelled out of the league tournament and we were eligible.  After much deliberation between myself, Ted and The Glue we decided it wouldn't be fair to the other member of Brick Dust Blues for Roll'em to play. 

The Glue got some free passes to the Brewfest this past Saturday so we decided to see what it is all about.  The weather wasn't great, cool, cloudy and a north wind but there were still a lot of people there.  As we walked in we my our nephew Andrew was parking so we walked in with him and his wife and friend.  We also saw our sons friend KJD and many others.  A lot of people had strands of pretzels and other snacks as necklace type things which were a great idea to cleanse your palate.  Stands were setup around the inner circle of the park and on the hill down to the shell.  There were a lot of stands that didn't have any beer that we were interested in but there were still a lot for us to chose from.  Most of the beer we tried I'd had before but my favorite new beer was a doppelbock from Spaten.  I'd parked my car at the bocce courts that morning so we didn't have to walk back up the hill after the Brewfest ended which ended up being a great decision.
On Sunday was a bocce fundraiser for Murphysboro Wrestling.  Our team name was "Can't Make Weight" and we picked up Fred to replace Ted who'd got another team up to help the cause.   A lot of old wrestlers came out to support the cause and my old buddy Harold came down from  Sesser to visit.
In the first game we took on the Wops.  We got an early lead and continued to build on it before finally winning 9-0.  We even managed to quiet the Wops team captain which is not small feat.
In the second game we moved to the new court and took on New Kids on the Bocce.  We once again started our fast but this time we couldn't sustain.  All of us were having trouble with the slowness of the court but still doing ok but two throws ended up getting us.  Both were on mine and Roberto's end and both knocked us out of points and them into three including the game winning points.
In the last pool game we took on Counting Lights which was a team consisting of kids.  They seemed more interested in hitting our balls then scoring and we won 9-0.
This setup a shoot out between us, Wops and New Kids.  It was setup different with each player on a team getting a chance to throw.  There was a three way coin flip to decide who played the first game and my coin was the odd one so we got to set out.  New Kids won the first shoot out so we played them.  The Glue went first for our team and got a good throw that took them four balls to barely beat.  I went next and my ball barely beat theirs so we won the pool and New Kids got second by virtue of winning the first shoot out.
In our first game of non-pool play we took on Wednesday night rival Muddy Rollers.  We got out of the gate fast and capitalized when we could and won 9-4 in a game that seemed closer than the score.
In the quarter final game we played Big Muddy Monsters and couldn't get going.  They capitalized on every opportunity and made great throws when they needed to including the game winner as we lost 9-0.
Big Muddy went on to win the tournament by beating New Kids on the Bocce.  It was a fun day with lots of harassment and laughs for a great cause.

The final standings came out today and Roll'ems late season surge was not enough to get us in the tournament.  We are the top 9-7 team and next on the list if another team cancels. 
Every team on Wednesday had at least 6 wins and the top team had 3 losses while the second place team had 4.  Overall a very competitive league which hurts teams trying to get into the tournament.  No teams who were push overs.
If nothing changes me and the Glue are going to join Ted's other team, Brick Dust Blues who were 11-5. 

With the temperature dropping, Roll'ems slim tournament chances depended on winning two games last night.
In the first game we took on Boccelism who we lost to in the first week.  We got lucky in the first frame when they only got two points after poor throws by both me and the Glue.  Roberto and Ted got us on the board with a point but they answered back with a point after more poor throws by me and the Glue.  Roberto and Ted started heating up and we got to a 5-4 tie before the Glue got warm too and it was all Roll'em afterwards as we won 9-4.
In the second game we moved to the Silkworm court to take on Usual Suspects.  They had my old classmate/friend/neighbor/co-coach/banker buddy Uncle Mikey playing with them.  After falling behind 1-0 we started scoring points in almost all frames including one where I made my only good shot of the night and we cruised to a 9-2 win.
In spite of getting almost no help from me we did what we needed to do and now we just have to wait and see what our teams have done and how much we climb in the standings.

Roll'em If Ya Got'em entered Wednesday night in dire need of two wins to keep our slim tournament hopes alive.  Mosquito spray was in demand as the little bastards were everywhere.
In the first game Roll'em took on #thankusforyourwin.  As is typical Roll'em got off to a slow start as the #'s got single points in the first two frames.  Roll'em got off the schneid with a two point frame to tie it up.  The next frame Roberto's first ball was on the pallino and the #'s used all their balls with nothing within 4-5 feet of the pallino.  Roberto put his next ball in as did Ted but then Ted threw his last ball short barely edging out their ball for a four pointer.  We extended the lead to 8-2 on the next frame.  With Roberto's second ball on the pallino they knocked it to the back wall on their last throw.  Ted's first throw was too long but his next one kissed off a front ball and ended up well within their point ball and Roll'em had a 9-2 win.
We moved from the middle court to the new court to take on Bertha's Ball Handlers.  We continued our hot streak with a three point frame to start the game.  Next frame we tacked on another point for a 4-0 lead and it seemed like it took the air out of Bertha's.  The Glue had another good first shot but her next shot was short after they'd thrown all their balls.  I got my first ball in and with a chance to really jump out in front I threw a ball too long.  The next frame Roberto made a good first shot but on Bertha's last ball they got inside him however Roberto answered by knocking their ball away.  With a chance to win Ted threw both his balls short and even with a 7-0 lead I thought we'd blown our chance.  The Glue had another good first ball in her though and after they threw all theirs she put the game away 9-0.
Our tournament hopes still have a glimmer of hope but we're going to have to win two next week for any realistic chance.

Yesterday was our anniversary and The Glue was off after helping Bailey with the grandtwins shots so we decided on a trip to Cape.  I wanted something different from the usual so I talked to my old classmate/coworker Debbie who lives in Cape and she recommended Tractors in Jackson over a couple other places I had found.  My buddy JayWhit who went to college in Cape verified it was a good choice so that's where we went.
First we stopped at Academy in Cape to pick up some bottles of Moe Cason BBQ sauce which our son really likes.  If you haven't tried it pick some up, one of my favorites. Then it was on to Jackson and Tractors.  It has a bar in it but seems to be more of a restaurant.  We set on the side away from the bar which is not normal for us but the bar side may have been smoking, I didn't hear what the greeter said.  I didn't see anyone smoking and didn't smell anything so who knows.
The waitress was awesome and gave us her thoughts on the different food selections which steered the Glue away from etoufee.  One thing I didn't like is that most meals only included one side.  We decided to split a ribeye and an order of wings with Amberbock BBQ sauce.  The waitress said the fried okra was really good so that sold the Glue while I wanted some sweet potato fries. 
Thanks to the waitress when the food arrived the steak was cut in two and served on separate plates which was great.  The wings were big and good but nothing that would give us cause to drive down there.  The steak was another thing, it was one of the best steaks I've had.  It was cooked medium and was very tender and had just a hint of seasoning.  The Glue didn't care much for the fried okra.  My sweet potato fries were good but again nothing special.  The steak is reason enough to go back soon, I can't say enough about it.
After leaving there we went to Barrel 131 which is across the street from Tractors.  Cool place but a very limited menu.  We each had a beer there and it's unlikely we'll go back.  As the Glue put it "the waitress was a bitch", it seemed like she resented us being there and thought she'd have the day to herself.  Not a very good experience at all.
We headed back to Cape for a stop at our standby Katy O'ferrells.  It was happy hour so we decided to get some half price chips to go with our house Irish Red drafts.  Chips weren't very good and its unlikely we'll get them again, the beer was great as usual.  A women and her adult son set down at the end of the bar and the women had on a Poplar Bluff Mules shirt.  I had to push our buddies place so I asked him if he'd ever ate at Mike & Zach and he said he'd grown up with Zach.  We seem to always run into nice people there.
We decided to finish the trip with our traditional Blue Moon on the veranda at Bella Italiana.  They always serve a loaf of awesome bread even if you're just having beers.  As we were leaving a guy asked about our beer as we were leaving and in a short conversation found out he too was from Poplar Bluff and had eaten several times at Mike & Zachs.
After that it was time to end our anniversary trip and get home to Otis.