FOX News

Friday, June 30, 2006

Diving for Duck Days in Orleans, Nebraska




No words are necessary. Let's just have silence.

Michael's trophy deer


Michael Boehler is an outdoorsman of huge proportions. He has been hunting for 35 plus years. He has killed seven deer with only 79 permits in his life. He hunts the Republican River near Orleans Nebraska. He knows it like the back of his hand.

The clever hunter uses his cunningness to track down his prey. "I try to pretend I am a doe and I think what I need do to attract that trophy deer." Michael won't disclose his secrets but pictured is his largest deer to date. You will notice no antlers but a small gentle little deer headed to a brook to get a drink of water. Shortly after the picture was taken he blew the deer to Kansas. Unfortunately he only was able to save 3 lbs of meat.

"This is my biggest so far, but believe it or not I will get a bigger one sometime in the next few years."

Let's hope he does.

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Deer Hunting tips


Deer must eat and watch for predators at the same time. As deer eat, they are constantly twitching and turning their ears to listen for unusual or warning sounds.

Following are deer hunting tips that will help make your deer hunting experiences more enjoyable and rewarding.

Many factors make deer hunting one of the most rewarding hunting experiences of all game hunting. The elusiveness of the deer coupled with the challenge required for true "wild" hunting of deer makes this a very popular sport.

Tips
1. Don't smoke a cigar while listening to a radio. The second hand smoke of a cigar can have the same effects on deer as on humans.
2. Don't sing loudly with your i-pod going. The deer are easily offended by bad singing.
3. Don't sleep for two hours while you are hunting. You may have bad dreams.
4. Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to detail. See the picture. This is Bryce last year as he was on the Republican River. He has no clue of what is going on. The deer hung on for 2 hours until Bryce left. Try to use common sense.
5. Don't cut firewood while you are hunting. Using a chain saw seems to distract the deer and your chances of a kill go down substantially.
6. Don't poop your pants. For some this doesn't work due to the curious odors they present.
7. Do poop your pants. It works for me.
8. Don't rattle antlers crazily as if you were two bucks fighting. Think about it.
9. You don't need to buy $50 of scent to attract the deer. Just get in a heavily used path and they will come.
10. Don't put your clothes in a bag of pine cones and evergreen branches and then sit down and poop your pants. Just doesn't seem to fit the idea of being a great outdoorsman.
11. Always let the oldest brother hunt from the spot he picks without any argument. This is just pure courtesy to those you should respect greatly.
12. Don't set up a point system for game and update everybody as you shoot four rabbits and then we never hear anything about it until you start the new point system for the next year. It seems the point system is always based on what that person has shot the most of.
13. Most importantly, before you shoot 3-10 deer, remember you have to eat the crap so try to remain calm and think what you are really doing before it is too late.

Only 4 months until the season starts. Be ready and make sure you buy shells prior to when the season starts.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Nebraska signs QB

The Cornhuskers signed one of the top pro-style quarterbacks today from Texas. Patrick Witt is from Wylie, Texas. He is the 4th recruit from Texas and the 8th overall. He was recruited by Jay Norvell and Shawn Watson.

In reviewing the video of Witt, he has a very strong and accurate arm. He is definately a pro-style quarterback. He runs a 4.9 40 and is very strong physically. He plans to graduate in December and enter UN-L the second semester.

He is a good one and should challenge for the starting job in 2007. Most of his development will be how fast he can pick up the Nebraska system. Being in school next spring will be a huge plus.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Huskers pickup 7th recruit

Anthony Blue, a 5'10" 172 cornerback, agreed to come to Nebraska as part of the 2007 class. He will become the 3rd recruit from Texas. He was recruited by Coach Gilmore.

The USC game is coming soon!!

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Mike Boehler attends Jaime's 35 year class reunion!


Many folks dred going to their spouses class reunion. NOT MICHAEL BOEHLER!!!!! He spent most of his weekend entertaining the huge turnout of Jaime's reunion. Even with all of that he found time to eat a lot of food at the huge buffet. Michaels sang a lot of songs from the Temptations and Liberace.

Happy Birthday SCOTT!


Scott Boehler turned 36 today. The Follow-Your-Dream staff would like to take this time to wish you a Happy Birthday. We know it was a rough day for you as we saw you last night drinking tequila out of a huge fishbowl. This was right before you puked rabbit livers and salsa all over the bathroom at a nameless friend.

The picture above was taken milli-seconds before you ran down the hall with gushing puke coming between your fingers as you tried to cover your mouth. Didn't work, did it?

Reality Show is a farce!




It was rumored today by insiders that the Reality Show/Pick Bryce a Date may be a farce. Inside sources say that the whole idea was to fraudulently take advertisers money. They say that there is no plans to follow through with the actual date.

Bryce Boehler was contacted at his home and said that if this is true he would be highly disappointed and may contact his attorney to take action. "I am worked up over this deal and it needs to happen."

Above are the two creators of the show, Brad Hartzog and Betsy Bubble. They were reached but had no comment.

This writer feels bad for Bryce who has been looking forward to bowling with the winner and taking her bowhunting for rabbits. Bryce had said he has been excited for this and plans to take his date the Bugbee's in Alma for a delicious meal. He would like to also take her to the lake and look for old fish hooks with dead fish on them.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Brad Hartzog eats insect kabob


Insect Kabob

Brad Hartzog of Holdrege savors a crunchy grasshopper kebob at a hog roast. Late-night dining is a favorite Brad pastime, and the hog roast offered up an array of snacks including insects, baby birds and scorpions.

Friday, June 23, 2006

2006 Nebraska Football Season is getting close

The football season wil begin in 70 days. Yes, only 70 days. We are almost into July and then you know how quick the summer flies.

This writer is as confident as he has been since Frank Solich's last team. The schedule is tougher in 06 but so are the Huskers. They have a very solid defense with adequate depth at most all positions. The linebacker and defensive end corp is very solid. Corey McKeon and Adam Carriker lead the heart of these positions. Both are leaders of the team. Throw in Ruud, Octavien, and Bradley at linebacker and Barry Turner at defensive end and you have some of the Big 12's best. Steve Octavien, if he can stay healthy, may be as good as linebacker as we have had. Oh, and by the way, a star of the Bowl game, Lance Bradenburgh will provide even more depth.

At the cornerback positions, we have a potential high draft pick in Zach Bowman and the veteran Cortney Grixby.

Two positions of concern with depth is safety and the interior line. Suh and Dagunduro should provide a tough line with Cryer to either start or back them up. Zach Johnson and Craig Roarke will provide depth but need to come along a lot before the season begins. NU will need others to step to provide depth so that we can rotate and keep the players fresh. At safety we have Tierre Green and Andrew Shanle should be starters. Depth will be provided by Titus Brothers and rookie Anthony West. Safety and the interior linemen are two positions we don't need injuries.

On offense, it is essential that Zach Taylor stays healthy. This is a must for a very good season. He is as good as QB as there is in the Big 12. He will play in the NFL at some point. The backups have a long ways to go but continue to show improvement. They aren't ready for the Big 12 today.

One way to keep Taylor healthy is for the offensive line to step up a couple of notches. I believe they will do this in 06. Led by Kurt Mann and Matt Slausen, they will be improved. They are where we need them yet, but they have the potential to improved markedly. Chris Patrick, veteran Greg Austin, Mike Huff, Andy Christensen, and Lydon Murtha will all be challenging for starting jobs. The competition should be fierce which will make them all better.

The wide receiver unit is full of depth.We will easily be able to keep fresh receivers on the field at all times. Nate Swift and Terrance Nunn lead the pack. Maurice Purify will excel. Frantz Hardy will be back along with Chris Brooks. Todd Peterson had a great 2005 season and Isaiah Fluellen is back for one more year. There are no exceptional receivers such as Todd Blythe of ISU but will our depth you won't find a better group. We may have a different start at receiver each week.

Tight end is led by Matt Herian, Josh Mueller, and JB Phillips. Herian is still healing but should start to be a factor by the middle of the year. I like Mike McNiel, a 2006 recruit, to have some impact down the field. Missouri's Coffman and Rucker are tall and fast and caued NU a lot of problems last year. NU needs this kind of player and we should have good improvement at this position this year.

Running back is solid with Glenn and Marlon Lucky. They aren't all Big 12 right now but they are very good and could breakout this season. Leon Jackson is fast and will play in certain situations. I think Lucky and Jackson will catch quite a few passes in 06. Kenny Wilson the JUCO recruit is key. This writer feels he may be the most talented of the bunch if he can pick our system up fast enough. Look to him gaining carries per game by year end.

Jordon Congdon will excel again in 2006. The punter is yet to be determined. Should be interesting as to who can start. Dan Titchener is the favorite to win the job but Will Henery or the walkon from Texas could provide some interesting competition. Don't expect a Sam Koch or Kyle Larson to emerge right away.

The season looks like this:

09/02 Louisiana Tech

NU will win easily 57-7.
09/09 Nicholls State
Special teams play a big part of this game and some offensive records will be broken.
72-3
09/16 @ Southern Cal
Big game. USC will have a different QB. With our linebackers we will create some problems. USC is so talented. I look to two great teams fighting it out in a relatively low scoring game of 17-14. USC wins.
09/23 Troy
Poor Troy will face the Huskers who will be angry after the USC loss. With the emotion of the USC game gone, NU will win 44-9. Taylor may break some season passing records by now.
09/30 Kansas
This will be one of the revenge games the press talk about. The Kansas coaching staff is underrated. After last year's game which was the low point of the Callahan era, we will rebound in a tough one. 31-21.
10/07 @ Iowa State
The "shootout". This will be the best game to date. Iowa State has the Meyer/Blythe connection against our secondary. This will be the game where the defense will have to work very hard. A mulitple overtime game with Iowa State winning 58-54.
10/14 @ Kansas State
Josh Freeman watch out. Motivation does weird things. NU 38-17.
10/21 Texas
Texas will be too tough at home. Very talented but with a new QB. I think Oklahoma is overrated and Texas will win the Big 12. Texas 30-21.
10/28 @ Okla. State
Even though we are a little banged up after Texas look to NU winning 28-7.
11/04 Missouri
Another revenge game. Brad Smith is gone and the backup has been in a little trouble. NU 38-14.
11/11 @ Texas A&M
An away game against a solid team. NU 27-24.
11/24 Colorado
This will be a fun game. Colorado has a new coach learning a new system. NU 45-21.
12/02 Big 12 Champ.
Iowa State loses to two lesser teams and Texas beats NU in the Championship game 22-21.
Nebraska 's record is 9-4.
Nebraska plays Iowa in the Alamo Bowl and wins 38-13.
Season record 10-4

Thursday, June 22, 2006

You have to see this one.

As I was looking at who my visitors were tonight, I had this visitor. Look at this BLOG. Very unique and weird. It comes out of Brooklyn, NY.

  • Holla Back
  • Tennessee is scheduled

    Tennessee Added to Future Husker Football Schedules

    Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson will announce later this afternoon that the Huskers have signed a contract for a home-and-home football series with the University of Tennessee. The games will take place in the 2016 and 2017 seasons and mark the third high-profile non-conference series announced by Nebraska in the past six weeks.

    The series will begin in Lincoln at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 10, 2016. Nebraska will make the return trip to Knoxville and Tennessee's Neyland Stadium on Sept. 9, 2017.

    The announcement of a home-and-home series with the Volunteers comes on the heels of Nebraska's Monday announcement of a contract to play UCLA in 2012 and 2013. In May, Nebraska announced that it will take on Virginia Tech in the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

    In addition to Tennessee, Pederson also announced Thursday that the Huskers have inked a contract for a single game against Florida Atlantic in 2009. The game will be played on Sept. 5 at Memorial Stadium, and is the Huskers' second scheduled non-conference game of the 2009 season, joining the Sept. 19 contest at Virginia Tech.

    The Huskers' games with Tennessee will be the first-ever regular-season meetings between the two schools. Nebraska holds a 2-0 edge in the series with the Vols, defeating Tennessee, 42-17, in the 1998 Orange Bowl and 31-21 in the 2000 Fiesta Bowl. The win in the 1998 Orange Bowl was Tom Osborne's last game as Nebraska head coach and capped a perfect 13-0 national championship season. The Fiesta Bowl victory completed a 12-1 Husker season in 1999. The games with Tennessee will be rare regular-season matchups between Nebraska and the Southeastern Conference. Nebraska last faced an SEC foe in the regular season in 1981 and 1982 when the Huskers defeated Auburn in a pair of matchups. Nebraska did face South Carolina in 1986 and 1987, but the Gamecocks were not a member of the SEC at that time.

    Florida Atlantic completed its second season as a provisional Division I-A member in 2005. The Owls are a member of the Sun Belt Conference and are coached by former Miami and Louisville head coach Howard Schnellenberger.

    For the complete news release, please see Huskers.com later this afternoon.

    Wednesday, June 21, 2006

    Interesting visitors

    Today I had visitors from Puerto Rico, Venezuala, Canada and Indonesia. I had visitors from Florida,Arizona, Oklahoma, Minnesota,Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Nebraska. Every day there are exciting things going on.

    CHECK OUT THE ADS IN BLUE!!

    There are some need things in the blue ads above. Check them out.

    Tuesday, June 20, 2006

    Blog activity

    This writer has has had fun with this blogsite. Today it is a month old. So far there has been 186 different visitors from many different countries. The last two days this site has had four different visitors from Singapore, one from Venezuela, one from Brazil, and one from Canada. I have had many visitors from Spain, New England, Norway, Kuwait, Iraq, Portugal, Italy, Germany and many others. Many states have been represented also.

    This site has had 1340 page loads and 349 returning visitors since it was started on May 20th. On May 24th there were 91 page loads and 42 visitors. There was 16 first time visitors and 26 returning visitors. That was the busiest day ever. Yesterday there were 84 page loads and 12 first time visitors. That was one of the best days ever.

    Thank you for making this fun and your comments. Your support is greatly appreciated. Don't forget to check out the ads at the top of the page. Please give feedback as much as possible so that we can continue to entertain and inform.

    Miami Heat-NBA Champs

    The Miami Heat are #1 in the NBA. I wanted it to go seven because this is the first time since Michael Jordon and the Bulls won that I cared to watch them. The NBA is coming back. Shaq is still good and Dywane Wade is the best!! Except for maybe LaShon. Pat Reilly wins again!! It was fun.

    Mark Cuban got fined $250M for yelling on the court at the refs. Stern has to love him, even though he causes him trouble some times, because he has taken the Dallas team and made them winners. He is fun to watch and very unpredictable. That's what the NBA needs.

    John McEnroe and Jimmie Connors were colorful in tennis. It was fun to watch. Tiger Woods created excitement in golf. Ali was great in self-promotion and we use to live for heavyweight boxing. Howard Cosell was outspoken but respected. Even Bill Clinton gained popularity by being controversial. These people cause excitement and people watch them.

    This writer loves to see the drivers in NASCAR upset at each other. People love to hate and love drivers and they love to cheer against a driver as much as support their favorite driver. Each week there is a different rivalry and we can't wait to see what happens.

    The College World Series is fun this year and there is no clear cut winner yet so each game is exciting. North Carolina looks to me to be the favorite with Rice close behind.

    There is hope that Jake Gdowski gets a scholarship to NU to play football. This writer hopes he can wait until later in the year to get an offer from them. He is about 6'3" and 265 and fast, smart and tough as a bull. He will be a senior at Grand Island High this coming year. Colorado State and Wyoming will offer him a scholarship and a couple of Big 12 schools will get in the action too. This writer hopes NU is one of them.

    Lance Thorell of Loomis is an unknown at this time but he can play high caliber football. The Loomis High School athlete has excelled in football, track and basketball. He played QB on offense last year but his position is cornerback, safety or wide receiver. He will be the best skilled position player in this area this coming year.

    Noah Keller from Kearney will go Division I as a linebacker. He will have a number of scholarship offers. NU will be looking at him closely. The Kearney/GI football game this fall should be a great one.

    NU will have another good recruiting class this coming year. They should get a couple of very quality QB's to sign and they are in line for a number of the top players in the nation.

    Eric Gustafson will excel at UNK. Tremendous athlete.

    The new Royals GM is already making some changes and the Royals are starting to win. Look for them to be decent for the rest of the year. More importantly look for the excitement for Royals baseball to come back and going to a Royals baseball game will be part of the vacation plans around here again. This writer would like to see them play this year. Seats will be easy to get now vs. a few years from now.

    Monday, June 19, 2006

    Matt Hill listed #2 power forward

    Daniel Gibson staying in NBA Draft

    Not a huge surpise at all as all rumors pointed this direction, but Texas sophomore guard Daniel Gibson is staying in the NBA Draft. Probably a tough decision for Gibson, which is why he waited till the last minute to make a final decision. If he had returned for his junior season he would have been the Longhorns’ shooting guard, a position he’s not suited for in the NBA. With his height, his future is at point guard and another season at Texas would not have helped his NBA stock at that position. Gibson is likely to go somewhere in the middle of the second round in June 28th’s draft, where there is no guaranteed money.

    With Gibson gone, Texas will have a completely new starting five next season:

    PG: DJ Augustin/AJ Abrams
    SG: Justin Mason/AJ Abrams
    SF: Kevin Durant/Damion James
    PF: Damion James/Matt Hill
    C: Connor Atchley/Dexter Pittman

    Should be an interesting season, let’s hope the guys can grow up quickly and gel early in the season. Play well enough early to make the NCAA Tournament and be playing their basketball in March.

    Huskers announce home and home series with UCLA

    We are pleased to inform you of another exciting series with a high-profile football program. The Nebraska Cornhuskers have agreed to a home-and-home series with UCLA for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

    The series will begin with Nebraska traveling to the historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. , to take on the Bruins on Sept. 8, 2012. The two teams will face each other in a rematch the following season, with UCLA visiting Lincoln and Memorial Stadium on Sept. 14, 2013.

    Nebraska has faced the Bruins on 10 previous occasions, with Nebraska winning six of the past seven meetings between the two schools. In the last home-and-home series, Nebraska won both games, 14-13 at UCLA in 1993 and 49-21 in Memorial Stadium in 1994.

    The two games with UCLA will be announced to the media later this afternoon and are the first announced contests for Nebraska in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Earlier this spring, Nebraska announced a home-and-home series with Virginia Tech for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Please see Huskers.com for the full media release later today.

    Coach Callahan's son is a graduate assistant at UCLA. Should be FUN!!!

    Tuesday, June 13, 2006

    Huskerhorsepower feels slimed!


    "I have had it with him. He picks the same guys I had and now I have to change my whole team. I'm not stupid just kind of dumb. I am going to win this thing and I want that tooth really bad. Did you ever look at that loser's team. He has averaged 31st with his Group C driver in the last 10 races. He has Scott Riggs this week and slimed him. I'll take somebody else now. This week he uses up Earnhardt Jr. already and he is in 31st. How can that be. Well just look at him. Stay away!! I am from now on. I think I will stop drinking so I can focus this week on NASCAR. I am going out with the Orleans surprise on Saturday. Lucky me."

    Huskerhorsepower was upset during the interview and didn't make a whole lot of sense. HH continually used his little finger to pick his gums. He also wouldn't take the pipe out of his mouth during the interview and it was very difficult to understand him. He left in a flash to get a pedicure for his toes. Not feet just toes. Have you ever seen his toenails. Looks like his face.

    Racinwilbur predicts Michigan Nascar winners


    "Stay away from these this week" the #31 team out of 32 teams in Fantasy Auto Racing League pleaded. I am telling you if you pick any of these you are going down. I am living proof. "I will promise you that you will have a bad Sunday if you take these guys."

    Group A
    1. Matt Kenseth
    2. Tony Stewart

    Group B
    1. Jeff Burton
    2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    3. Kasey Kayne
    4. Kevin Harvick

    Group C
    1. Scott Riggs
    2. Jeff Green

    Sunday, June 11, 2006

    Husker news

    Nebraska got their 5th recruit with a verbal from Shawn Sulivan out of Texas. He is a 5"11" cornerback who had previously signed with TCU. Sullivan was recruited by Coach Watson.

    In the first day of the Husker cap Blake Steinkuhler shined according to a report from "Rival". He will be in the 2008 class and along with Ronnell Grixby are the two top recruits right now.

    Saturday, June 10, 2006

    Orleans Alumni will have a special guest tonight


    A special guest will appear tonight as a surprise. Don't miss the annual Orleans High School Alumni Banquest tonight in Orleans and the Ag building. They will be having great food and the fellowship with your former school mates is priceless.

    This writer has included a picture of the special guest. What year did she graduate? What did she will to the junior class. Look close and you will figure it out!!! What do you think her career is?

    Come join the fun tonight.

    Thursday, June 08, 2006

    John Melton is New Director of American College Connection

    The American College Connection has hired their Director of Football, John Melton, who will be coordinating recruiting plans for football prospects. Coach Melton has thirty-three years of coaching and recruiting experience at the collegiate level, five years at the University of Wyoming and twenty-seven years at the University of Nebraska. He has two National Titles to his credit as the linebacker coach at Nebraska.

    Coach Melton has worked side by side with coaching legends Bob Devaney (sixteen years) and Tom Osborne (eleven years) and has personally coached and recruited Barry Alvarez, Head Coach at the University of Wisconsin, Baltimore Colt great, Trev Alberts and Hall of Famer, Roger Craig. John Melton brings a wealth of inside knowledge of college football that very few coaches possess.

    "After spending twenty-seven years with Hall of Fame coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, I have learned most of the tricks of the trade in college recruiting. We can put this knowledge to work for you to help you find the right school"
    -- John Melton

    John Melton will do an excellent job and this writer wishes him well. Their are many athletes who need this service. As this writer gets more information, I will pass it on.


    Wednesday, June 07, 2006

    Harlan County Bank

    Harlan Co. Bank was inc. 1 May 1900 with Ed WILLITS as pres. On 2 May 1904 Judge William GASLIN was elected pres.; in Jan. 1910, W. G. HASKELL pres. & was also pres. of bank at Ragan. Miss Vesta McKEE was ass't. cashier; E. M. COX, cashier & director. Joe SNYDER, vice pres. Conrad BOEHLER, director. Mary E. HASKELL, sister of Judge GASLIN, a director.

    Mrs. Kammerer advises she will supply the full story on each person if they contact her. Please include an SASE.

    Grandpa Boehler

    BOEHLER, JOSEPH JOHN: Farmer & Stockman; b Beatrice, Neb Jan 8, 1879; s of Conrad Boehler- Amelia Spittly; ed Cath parochial sch, Beatrice; m Etta Fuller May 13, 1914 Minden: s Conrad, John; d Margaret, Joanne; 1893 came with parents to Harlan Co; 1903- owner & opr farm, mgr 7 other farms belonging to Boehler est; raises livestock, Harlan Co; 1909-11 dep state game warden; 1911-14 in real est bus & dep sheriff, Harlan Co; chmn Harlan Co Jones-Bankhead farm purchase com; mbr advisory com on fed farm grants & loans; fed feed & seed loan commission; water facilities com, Harlan Co; Harlan Co land use com; mbr State Safety Coun; state planning bd; past mbr Harlan Co Fair bd 27 years; Cath Ch; Dem, chmn Harlan Co Central Com, mbr exec com of State Central Com; hobbies, reading congressional records & famous speeches; father came to Harlan Co in 1893 & farmed west of Alma; res Orleans.

    Tuesday, June 06, 2006

    Phelps County Nebraska

    PHELPS COUNTY


    Phelps county was organized and its boundaries defined by an act approved February 11, 1873, and was named in honor of Captain William Phelps, an early settler in this part of Nebraska, and whose son-in-law, C. J. Dilworth, served a term as attorney general of the state. Mr. Phelps was born in 1808 in New York state and for many years was captain of a steamboat on the Missouri river.

    • Atlanta. This town, in Industry precinct, was organized in 1888. It was probably named after Atlanta, Georgia, or perhaps after Atlanta, Illinois, which was named after the city in Georgia.
    • Bertrand. This town was organized in December, 1885. It was named after an official of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy raflroad.
    • Funk. The town of Funk began its history in 1887. It was named in honor of Mr. P. C. Funk, one of the oldest settlers in the county who is at present a resident of the town. Mr. Funk is one of the few Grand Army of the Republic veterans left in this vicinity.
    • Haydon. An inland locality in Anderson precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
    • Holcomb. An inland locality in Center precinct, probably named for a local resident.
    • Holdrege. Hoidrege was named in honor of George W. Holdrege, superintendent of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad. The town was established in 1883, just after the railroad was built through the vicinity. It is the county seat of Phelps county.
    • Loomis. This town was named for N. H. Loomis who was associated with the Burlington railroad in the fall of 1885, when the town was organized.
    • Sacramento. This place was probably named after Sacramento, California. The name is from the Spanish language and means sacrament.
    • Westmark. An inland locality in Westmark precinct, probably named for a local settler.
    • Williamsburg. This inland town was formerly the county seat of Phelps county. It was named for William Dilworth, a son of C. J. Dilworth. Mrs. C. J. Dilworth was a daughter of Captain William Phelps for whom Phelps county was named. The precinct is also named Williamsbu

    Racinwilbur sets team



    This is your warning for all you Fantasy Auto Racing teams. This team is 31st out of 32 teams. What he does goes wrong as you see.

    So this week his drivers will be:
    Group A
    1. Jimmie Johnson
    2. Matt Kenseth

    Group B
    1. Kevin Harvick
    2. Dale Earnhardt Jr
    3. Kyle Busch
    4. Denny Hamlin

    Group C
    1. Jeff Green
    2. Terry Labonte

    If you want to come down and join Racinwilbur at the bottom pick this NASCAR team for this week at POCONO.

    The celebration of Jim Sweeney's Life.

    Every now then you experience something that can impact your life. This writer attended the funeral of Jim Sweeney today at the Westmark Church north of Loomis, Nebraska. It was a moving and thought provoking celebration of a man who always put his wife, Pam, first in his life. They did everything together and they were always there for each other.

    Eulogies were given by Brenda Moosburger, a friend, and Dr. Bill Sandy, also a friend and his family physician. Jeff Cox sang "I Can Only Imagine' and "The Lord's Prayer". Pastor Tom Thomas was the pastor. A video was played of numerous pictures of Jim's life. The messages of all were very touching and they all showed through words how Jim Sweeney gave them inspiration in so many ways.

    You see Jim was only 49 and his life was cut short by cancer. But his faith and hope in God and his positive approach to life was precious. The words expressed to us today said that he never gave up and he always said to the end "Don't worry. I will be ok." "Never complain about your work, but feel good that you can." Pastor Tom said that Pam had mentioned that "He made me feel like a queen every day." Friends and family will truly miss him.

    The following was taken from the bulletin given to us at the funeral today. Read it and think about it.

    "Live each day to the fullest. Get the most from each hour, each day, and each age of your life. Then you can look forward with confidence, and back without regrets.
    Be yourself, but be your best self. Dare to be different and to follow your own star.
    And don't be afraid to be happy. Enjoy what is beautiful. Love with all your heart and soul. Believe that those you love, love you.
    Forget what you have done for your friends, and remember what they have done for you. Disregard what the world owes you and concentrate on what you owe the world.
    When you are faced with a decision, make that decision as wisely as possible, then forget it. The moment of absolute certainty never arrives.
    And above all, act as if everything depended upon you, and pray as if everything depended upon God."

    Saturday, June 03, 2006

    Holdrege White Sox


    Nebraska Minor League Baseball
    Nebraska State League
    Holdrege White Sox 1956

    In 1956, the Holdrege White Sox took the field as a class "D" team in the Nebraska State League. The city was one of the two smallest in the league with a population of about 4,400. Del Lefler led the ticket drive for the town and although the town was one of the smaller markets in the league they were third in the league in season ticket with 690 fans buying season tickets. Individual game tickets could be purchased at Hilsabek Sporting Goods in addition to the box office at the ball park.

    Holdrege was a White Sox farm team in 1956. They were managed by Frank "Skeeter" Scalzi. The 43 year old Ohio native had been in the "show" for 11 games in 1939 with the Giants.

    The team played at Holdrege Fairgrounds Park, one of the few parks without a grass infield. Before the season a new coat of paint was applied and the Bears logo from the towns NIL days on the outfield wall was replaced with the White Sox. The dugouts were upgraded with water fountains in each dugout.

    Following an old baseball tradition, various incentive awards were scheduled for the first game. J. C. Martin received four of the five dollar awards. ($5.00 for the first put out, $5.00 for the first double, $5.00 for the first foul catch and $5.00 for the first double play).

    Mutual sponsored a radio game of the day during the season. While it was typically a major league game, on July 9th the national Mutual game of the day was broadcast from Holdrege as they hosted Kearney. Rex Barney came to town to broadcast the game. Kids were admitted free that day but the raucous crowd was unable to bring a victory to the home team as Kearney defeated the White Sox.

    For the season, Holdrege was led by lefty Gary Peters on the mound and Camilo Carreon with the stick. The lineup was heavy with left handed hitters and left handed pitchers. They managed a 33-30 record for the year.

    Roster:
    Joe "J.C." Martin was signed by the White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1956. The nineteen year old from Axton Virginia held down the first base position for the White Sox in 1956. The port side batter averaged .276. He played for Davenport and Dubuque in 1957 and Duluth in 1958. He started the 1959 season with Indianapolis and was promoted to the parent club in September of 1959. He played a total of fourteen years in the majors with three different teams.

    Seventeen year old Tom Plath was an all star at second base for the White Sox. The Chicago youngster averaged .327 for the year.

    Third base was split between Raymond Etchebarron , from Puente California, played 35 games at third, 19 in the outfield and averaged .297 and Salvatori LaSpina who played 23 games at the hot corner, 11 in the outfield and averaged .260.

    Alan Koch was a 17 year old from South Gate California. He was a regular at short and averaged .243.

    Behind the mask was Ron Butcher . He was good with the glove and light with the bat as he averaged .198 for the year.

    The outfield for the year saw three lefty's and five total regular players for the year. Vernon Neal stood on the left side of the plate for 35 games and managed a hefty .343 average.

    Basil "Bill" Harrison from Washington DC played in 45 games. He was signed by the White Sox after playing for Georgetown University.

    The third port side batter was Don Gordon who averaged .219. William Rozich played in 44 games and averaged .254 and Camilo Carreon played in 34 games and had a .350 average.

    Pitchers
    They were led by Gary Peters. The nineteen year old from Pennsylvania led the league in strikeouts. He was responsible for 10 of their 33 victories during the season. He also batted .321 in 40 games. He was promoted to Dubuque for 1957 where he was 10-6. In 1958 he was in Colorado Springs and Davenport. In 1959 he played for Indianapolis and made his major league debut in September of 1959. He spent most of 1960 and 61 with San Diego making brief appearances with the Sox each year. He finally became a regular with the Sox in 1963. He played for the Sox for until 1972. His two best years were 1963 when he was 19-8 and an all star team selection and 1964 when he was 20-8. He had a lifetime record of 124-103.

    Ben Birsa was one of a cadre of left handed flingers and managed a 7-6 record in 19 appearances.

    Jerry Schneider from Jasper Indiana was another lefty in 1956. He appeared in 17 games and had a 1-6 record.

    Alan Brice was signed by the White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1956. The eighteen year old pitcher from Tampa Florida was described as a 6'5" string bean by the local press. He was 6-3 in 15 appearances and managed a .292 average in the batters box. His major league career consisted of 3.3 innings pitched in 1961 with the parent White Sox.

    Thursday, June 01, 2006

    Nascar this week......

    Wasn't it a little harsh for to fine Kyle Busch $50,000 for throwing his harness at Casey Mears last week?

    Michael Boehler of Minden, Nebraska is only 8 points out of the Top 50 in Yahoo's fantasy Auto Racing. There are app 370,000 entrants. Now that is unbelieveable.

    Scott and Jill Boehler will be in Dover, Del for the Monster Mile this week. They will also being going to the Craftman Truck race and Busch race.

    Ricky Rudd may go in and finish the race for Tony Stewart this week. He has a broken bone in his shoulder.

    Toyota may have three teams next year in Nascar.g

    Look for Jimmy Johnson and Mark Martin to fight for the win this week at Dover.