nextPoint

I'm very excited to be accepting a position with nextPoint. They are the leading provider of web solutions in the legal arena and I am really looking forward to contributing to their great team.

I really enjoyed speaking with many great companies over the last month and am very glad that I was able to find such a great fit in the end.

One more on the bullpen

A clarification on this post. When I wrote that I never considered that Scott Linebrink (who the Brewers did end up acquiring) was actually available.

I'm still not really clear on why the Padres were willing to let them go, but I would definitely have put him on top of my list in that other post. Yes, above Gagne even. So... way to go Brewers!

Now, hopefully we don't end up needing both an 8th inning guy AND a closer...

San Francisco

I'm in beautiful downtown San Francisco for a few days here. On my agenda are a conference, visiting a couple friends, a little business, and (hopefully?) a Giants game. Not sure how the game is going to fit in but it'd be a shame not to check out a game at one of my favorite stadiums when I'm staying so close - not to mention a certain hitter attempting to break one of the biggest records in sports.

I got here and got all checked into my hotel yesterday - it's just a couple blocks from the conference and is exactly what I need. A couple really nice touches on top of the basic: continental breakfast in the hall on every floor + (free) wifi based on my floor.

Wanted: An 8th Inning Guy

We had a great time watching the Brewers take out the Giants this afternoon in front of a sold out Miller Park. I was really looking forward to seeing how the 8 of us reacted to Barry Bonds (boo? cheer? be indifferent?), but unfortunately - he wasn't in the lineup so we didn't get put on the spot.

It was an ideal game - we were always pretty much in control... but still competitive throughout. What was really apparent though is that more than ever we are lacking someone in the 8th inning. It appears that it's no longer Turnbow - he wasn't in there today, but perhaps more telling is the fact that he WAS in there the last couple days, when we didn't have the lead.

Actually, Turnbow seems to have not been able to pull it together since a certain point in April.

So, aside from the rumors on the offensive side which would be great (Griffey Jr, Teixeira) and the one that I'm not so sure of (Dunn) - there has also been some talk on the pitching end of things. What I've heard are basically *any* of the Rangers relievers - Gagne, Otsuka, or Benoit and then Dotel (KC).

All of these guys (as is typical of relivers) are sometimes unstoppable and sometimes can't seem to find the strike zone, but for me the big differentiation is the *next year* factor. If Cordero leaves - which is looking increasingly likely - we're going to need someone to step into those shoes. The right man for the job is... Benoit. Wicked stuff and much more reliable than Gagne or Dotel at this point.

I could see making a case for Otsuka but his recent injury issues are a bit concerning. Actually, maybe we can get both? That could put us in a desirable position next year...

It's A....

Boy! or... at least it will be in a few months.

Mom and Dad Halberg were over today to help out with the nursery as well. It's not quite finished yet but it's looking really great so far!

I Bet You

2 pro poker players (Phil Laack and Antonio Esfandeari) have their own show on MojoHD. Check out the first episode online here.

Basically they come up with crazy bets with each other and then go through with them on film. Some highlights:
* $5000 bet on who can win a dune buggy race
* high card wins - loser has to get the other guys name tattooed on them
* who can shoot an automatic machine gun more accurately

and much more. Good stuff.

Livin in Fast City

Madison was named a "Fast City" by "Fast Company" magazine.

"They are cauldrons of creativity where the most important ideas and the organizations of tomorrow are centered. They attract the best and brightest. They are great places to work and live."

Pretty cool stuff.

Barry Bonds... popular?

Is it just me or is Barry Bonds suddenly popular?

Maybe this was inevitable... everyone loves to hate him: he's never been popular in the media. He's passionate about bringing race to the forefront (which can be a good thing) but he normally does it in a completely nonconstructive way (which is definitely a bad thing).

Did he use steroids? Most likely. Did everyone else? Pretty much.

Every professional athlete (up to and including golden boy Lance Armstrong) is pushing supplements as far as they possibly can without breaking. In cycling, that means pumping in the EPO and figuring out how to best mask it. In baseball, until recently, the point where you were pushing supplements too far was non-existent. That doesn't make it ok to pump yourself on illegal drugs, but when it's effectively being encouraged by your sports blatant "look the other way" attitude... and doing it can make you millions of dollars... it's hard to put the blame squarely on Barry's shoulders which is effectively where it falls at the moment.


I'd be pretty torn if I had a Hall of Fame vote and Barry (or Sosa, McGwire) was on the ballot. Until recently I've been saying that I would vote for Barry, but not the first year - and never for Sosa or McGwire. I think I'm changing that though... Barry is a first year HOF entrant - he just has to be... he has the best stats of anyone... ever. As for the other two: I think they get my vote too. Definitely not on the first ballot, but eventually: I am voting for them.

While I don't have a HOF vote, I have made an important decision about something I actually do have a say in... when he breaks the record: I will be clapping, not booing.

I have 0 Friends

In order to "rate" a video for a Milwaukee-based band (Fever Marlene) that I saw yesterday (check it out) I needed to setup a MySpace page.

My thoughts on MySpace are that it's an incredibly useful tool for finding and listening to bands that you otherwise would have a hard time pinning down. BUT. It boggles my mind that a tool that is so universally known and accepted could be so ugly.

The Smashing Pumpkins page (here) is a perfect example. Their MySpace page is absolutely gorgeous by comparison to almost all other MySpace pages I have seen - way, way better than almost all the rest... and it still is not very nice.

Anyway, as the title says. Here is a blurb from my sad little MySpace page: