Last Updated:  May 15, 2008

Bryan is buying...Duffy's Sports Pub???  WE HAVE A DEAL!
After several months of speculation and quite a bit of work, I am excited to announce the that as of the evening of May 14th all parties involved have come to an agreement on price to take 50% ownership in Duffys Sports Pub in Palatine.  The actual transaction and transfer of ownership will happen in early June.  My partner in this deal is Larry Rebodos (younger brother of Leon), and the initial planned management structure would have each of us as 1/4 owners.  However, we are helping the other current owner plan his "exit strategy", so within 6-12 months Larry and I will more than likely take full ownership of the business.

This is certainly a different business venture than our backgrounds would indicate, but we've both had an interest in this industry for a while, plus as me being a "professional customer" of Duffys and other similar establishments for a long time, I offer some solid insight from a client's perspective.  The current owner (Bill Roscoe) has been quite successful in the bar/restaurant business for 35 years and will be a tremendous asset, both as a business partner and a mentor.  We're confident that we will be able to balance our current business activities with this venture, and we definitely look forward to some exciting times with the bar!  More updates as the deal gets finalized.

Happy 9th Anniversary to Missy & Steve Berry!
On May 15th my sister celebrates nine years of married bliss...just wanted to wish them the best.

Congrats to one of this sites biggest fans!
My buddy Steve May, who is a regular viewer of this site, and his wife Mindy just had their second child, a son named James Patrick.  No other info available at this time, but everyone is doing great.

Condolences to Steve Berry & family
James Berry, the father of my brother-in-law Steve, passed away on May 7th at the age of 84.  He had been in poor health for quite a while and was in hospice in Tucson AZ for the past several weeks.  I refrained from prior postings on this subject as Steve preferred to keep it a more private matter, so hopefully this announcement was OK to include here.

New AJ Pics - January through March 2008
FINALLY the latest AJ pictures have been posted, covering many events in the first quarter of 2008 that include a California trip and of course lots of winter fun in this years heavy snow.  The pages for niece Isabella and nephew Rory will follow in the near future - lots more of these to share as well.
 

Picture of the Moment

Over this past weekend we had a "surprise" party for Laura's birthday, which tied into her mom's favorite Chinese restaurant and some additional "Happy Mother's Day" greetings. Laura was very happy, the company was great, and for once the food didn't give me the runs.  Everyone wins!

Mongo's Musings
(formerly knows as Bryan's Bloglike Bantering)
Just a taste of my postings can be found here - you can read the full stories and leave your comments at my blog spot: http://huskerfan1.wordpress.com/

May 2, 2008

Battle of the Ballparks in Chicago
I'm "borrowing" again from the Chicago Tribune for this article, as it's interesting to baseball fans on both sides in Chicago.  At the bottom is a ranking/comparison of U.S. Cellular vs. Cleveland's Progressive Park (#1 overall) and Wrigley Field vs. Milwaukee's Miller Park (#2 overall, #1 in NL).  For the most part I agree with both articles & the rankings, but of course I have a few comments to share.  First and foremost, the articles are supposed to be about why this is your favorite ballpark, not ripping apart another one.  Listen, I love Steve Dahl and still enjoy his show, but in his opening comments (and then more shortly thereafter) he's magnified the glaring weakness that affects most Sox fans - the inability to carry on a conversation about baseball without mentioning something derogatory about the Cubs.   I say "most" because there are a scant few that actually realize the Cubs are not their direct threat and worry more about Cleveland, Detroit & Minnesota.  So this is my message to the majority of Sox fans - get over it already.  You're probably not going to be the most popular team in the Chicagoland area, ever, or at least in our lifetimes.  So what?  You've won a World Series in the recent past and have a contingency of loyal fans.  Be happy with the accomplishments, as the crazy bitterness reflects badly on both you as a fan and on your team.

I've been to the four ballparks mentioned numerous times and feel the rankings make sense.  Miller Park is truly a great place to see a ball game - excellent facilities, great food/drinks, easy in & out, and extremely family friendly.  Not much else around there, but it's not in a horrible neighborhood either.  Progressive Park is absolutely outstanding on virtually all levels, and I'd actually bump them up a few notches on hospitality as I found the fans very friendly.  The Cell ranks higher than Wrigley (8 vs. 15) primarily due to the better facilities, is more family friendly and is definitely easier in terms of access (parking, etc.).  I think they rank the atmosphere there a bit higher than it should be, but I'm a bit biased.  On that note, there are few if any places that will beat Wrigley in terms of tradition, atmosphere, and the absolute fun of a great surrounding neighborhood.  Yes, some of us do actually go there to watch baseball though the extra partying certainly helps create a very fun event.  In regards to Fan IQ - funny!  Both are in the top third, but Sox rank #4 while Cubs rank #8.  What probably drags the Cubs down a bit are the thousands of people just there for the party...plus all the extra alcohol kills brain cells.

To give the Chicago Tribune credit - the original articles that follow can be found here, here, here and here. 

Here's why Wrigley Field is No. 1 to me
By Ron Santo
As told to Paul Sullivan
May 1, 2008
....(for the full posting, click here)
 

Other things worth mentioning:

Cubs Stuff
Their 2008 schedule and more.

Berry Family Update
They've moved back to the Chicagoland area!

Class of '83 25th reunion:
July 18-20, 2008
For those of you who were fellow Palatine High School classmates of mine, head over to our official class website www.phs1983.com for details on our class reunion and how you can help.  The reunion weekend will be July 18-20, 2008...

Support McCain for President!
Senator John McCain is a political figure that I've liked for years, and with his moderately conservative views always thought he'd be a great choice to lead our country.  I'm officially supporting McCain for President and without getting into major political arguments hope that my family and friends will share their support as well.  You can check out the support site.  

My Website Resolutions
Everyone makes New Years resolutions, so here's mine as it relates to this website...

Leon Rebodos - doing well since the surgery!
One of my very good friends since grade school, Leon Rebodos, underwent emergency open heart surgery early morning on Thursday, December 6th.  The surgery was a success and he's currently on the long road to recovery.  All updates are in the news section.

Welcome, Rory Finnegan Berry!
As of August 23, 2007 my sister and her husband became new parents again.  Read about it here, and see pics here.

Dorsch Family - Moved to AZ
Gene started a new job that had his family relocate to Arizona.  Read more here and check out pictures of their new house at Dorsch.org.

Pictures of the Kids
You can always find the picture pages for our child Alexander (A.J.) under the Alex Pics link in the left side near the top.  These are updated roughly every couple months.  Additionally, on this page there are links to pictures of my niece Isabella and my new nephew Rory.

Site Updates
A log of 2008 updates to this site (by week) can be found here.

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