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Every announcer I heard during and after Friday night's baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates had the same conclusion - "I have never seen that before at any level of baseball." They were referring to the ground ball that Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado hit to Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez when Maldonado literally "tore the cover off". He hit the ball and by the time it got to Alvarez, it had half of the cover just hanging. Alvarez threw the ball to first (after looking at it in amazement) and it got about halfway there and then it began to bounce (or lope) the rest of the way to the first baseman. Maldonado, who is a pretty slow runner, beat the ball to first and was awarded a hit for his effort. He was 3x3 in the game. The Brewers ended up winning the game 5-3.
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This Sunday is the 3rd Annual Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship at Harris Park in Dodgeville from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first two years it was held at the Iowa County Fairgrounds in Mineral Point, but it grew too big to be held inside at that location. It's a great time to see the competitors - of all ages - and check out some great grilled cheese sandwiches! Admission is FREE! There are also booths there where specialty products are shown off and sold. (see above for a photo from years past)
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I ran into Larry Davis, a friend who graduated a year ahead of me (1963), at church Easter Sunday. Larry looked really good and said to say hi to brother Pat! There always are a lot of people at the church services on Easter that you really don't get to see very often.
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That reminds me - this summer is my 50th class reunion!
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The lion's share of the family - brother Pat and his kids and grandkids - got together for Easter brunch at Ludden Lake Golf Course & Supper Club, just outside of Mineral Point. Laurie and John and staff always put on a great feast, especially during the holidays. The weather was very mild, so the youngsters had a chance to get outside and play together a little after the meal. Us "oldsters" then had a chance to sit outside too and do a little conversing!
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This Saturday night there are proms at Dodgeville, Mineral Point and Pecatonica. It always amazes me when schools so close by schedule prom the same night. It's really tough for the students to pick which Grand March to go to!
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We received a note recently from Sherill Pecor of DeKalb, Illinois. She wrote: "Please renew our subscription for another year. Keep up the good work. We really enjoy the newspaper." Shy & Scott
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If you're looking for something to do the Saturday before Mother's Day - a stop at the Hyde Blacksmith Shop might be just the ticket. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and you can see a professional "smithy" in operation. It's located four miles north of Ridgeway on County H.