Steve Martin used to say you could never play a sad song on a banjo. I'm thinkin' the same thing could be said for hearing a polka. Your mood automatically picks up. Last night, we had the chance to visit the Happy Dog for the Polka Happy Hour. Yes, it sounds strange, but somehow it works.

They had a dude spinning records, actual vinyl, mind you. Once in a while, he would pull out a tambourine and play along. And when he finished he put on the "cor-deen" and played a medley. I coined him the Neil Young of the Polka because his voice was OK, at best. We got to hear Johnny Cash and June Carter do "Jackson", Frankie Yankovic chimed in with "Too Fat Polka" and "Who Stole The Kishka?" and some really oddball stuff like "What Do Robinson Crusoe and Friday Do on Saturday Night?". A fun time had by all.

Plus, tons of meatless items there. I opted for the Veggie Sausage and Kraut sammie. And, hummus, of course. I had Labatt Blue Light and was distraught it was only 11.5 oz. WTF? First coffee, then ice cream, now beer?

Meal of Links

It's warming up in Antarctica. At least a little bit.

We need to watch this Delphi situation closely. It may cause major problems for GM.

"Bush! Escucha! Estamos en la lucha!" More immigrants rights marches. This time in NYC. Looks like they started the march where the Dutch settled. I wonder if Todd Gack was there.

Exercise Yard

Final Four Saturday was one of the worst I can remember. George Mason lost to Florida by playing 2 bad minutes before and 3 bad minutes after the half. UCLA whipped up on LSU, but that second half was absolutely brutal to watch. Both teams were inept, and I thought Wisconsin might have been back in. But the Bruins have the guns and depth and I think they'll prevail on Monday.

CSU coach Mike Garland got canned the other day and I can't say I was surprised. They need to get someone in here who can clean up this mess. Schedule upgrading would help. I have no idea who is coming, but I have to think it'll be someone with head coaching experience. Let's face it, currently it's not an attractive job, but with that facility, someone committed could make it happen.

Amazingly, Wright State was able to get UNC-Wilmington's coach for their head job today. And this guy has made two NCAA tournaments in four years, including this year. He's pretty good.

Visitor

22 Down: Big name in talk (7 letters) Answer: Geraldo (Strange puzzle today with the reverse words. Easy once you figured it out.)