You won't care about this

1. Bakers Square was owned by Pillsbury once. It was called Poppin' Fresh Pies. This is the biggest sign that I was born in the Eighties, and didn't live in the Eighties.

2. Bakers Square is a wholly owned subsidiary of the company that owns Village Inn. This knowledge blew away a quarter century of clouds in my mind, which I didn't even know existed until I came to Iowa eight years ago. This is because there are no Village Inns in Illinois, except near the River. The Des Moines area has three Bakers Squares, oases in the desert of Village Inns across Iowa. I never knew that the lack of overlap was due to their affiliation.

3. Why is there overlap in Des Moines? The original Bakers Square (neé Mrs. C's) started there.

These are the things that fascinate me when I have a project due five hours ago.

My only hockey post ever

This sport is the topic for today because "Dollar" Bill Wirtz has just died. For those who don't know, the Wirtz family has owned the Chicago Blackhawks for over half a century, and most of the fans blame him and his crony, Bob Pulford, for the longest Stanley Cup drought in The Minor American Sports League Formerly Known As The NHL.

Needless to say, count me among those dissatisfied with his policies and actions, dating back to his mistreatment of hockey great (and terrible person) Bobby Hull. In no other city does a minor league franchise (the Wolves) have the ability to compete with a major league franchise. For damning evidence, note that the Blackhawks home games are never televised, while the Wolves have EVERY game on cable TV. No other team in the AHL (the Wolves' league, the highest level of minor league hockey) can say that.

Because of Wirtz, I never wear my Blackhawks sweater anymore, and the team's mediocre performances barely register a blip on my personal sports radar. Eventually, I may return to the fandom. It's going to take much more for them to fall back into my father' good graces.


While I'm on hockey, I want to mention something that's bothered me for a few years. The North Stars ripped out the heart of one of the two biggest hockey states in the Union fifteen years ago. The team's fanbase certainly spread to Iowa, and included at least one friend of mine. Why, then, would the Dallas Stars want to twist the knife in the collective wound by trotting out an affiliate franchise with the same name in Des Moines?

My guesses are because some people never care about hockey, some people don't care about hockey anymore, or the Minnesota Wild have sealed the wound for those that still love hockey. (That last sentence was fun to read in my head because I pronounce it "HAW-kee.")

In closing, I shall repeat what has been said by many people for about a decade: get rid of commissioner Gary Bettman.