Five-oh-nine, 38 degree Hefe and Sammie the Big Shot

Ward casually speaks into his phone and asks "Give me the Wisconsin-Arizona score."

A moment later, Ward asks again,"What is the score of the Wisconsin-Arizona game?"  When nothing happens, he looks at me and says, "I don't think I'm getting a good connection.  Let me try something else."

I tilt my head up toward the wooden beams running along the ceiling and take a deep breath.  Maybe I should just get out of my chair, walk downstairs and see what the score is on the television playing in the bar area.  Standing up might feel better anyway.

"Here we go," says Ward, teasing me with a smile on his lips.  "It says.... Oh, now I lost it again."

God Almighty, I think as our waitress arrives with our green fried tomatoes, covered in a cheesy sauce and bread crumbs.  Suddenly, I have no appetite and fear that I won't unless I get good news quickly.  I close my eyes and take another breath.  Somewhere the thump, thump, thump of the music heard during someone's elimination on "Dancing with The Stars"  is playing.  Finally, from my right I hear Ward say "85-78.  Wisconsin."

"Honestly?"  I ask, as a jolt of excitement hits my body.

Ward nods and slides his finger across his phone.  "That's what it says:  Wisconsin going back to the Final Four.  Defeats Arizona 85-78."

And just like that, my weekend has suddenly gone from good to great.



We are in Galena, Illinois for a quick weekend with Betsy and Ward Jones, enjoying some fine wine and hearty beers.  It just so happens that it's during March Madness, with Wisconsin fighting for a chance to return to the Final Four in college basketball.

When Liz and I talked about making this trip, I knew there was a good chance that the Wisconsin Badgers men's team could still be playing.  As a number 1 seed, they had what it took to go far in the tournament with a possible match-up with second-seeded Arizona in the Western regional finale.  Such are the risks of going somewhere at the end of March.  Last year we were in Chicago visiting Liz's family.  This year -- it is historic Galena with friends from La Crosse.

Adding to the excitement was the annual Wine Lovers Weekend going on in Galena, one of the largest wine tasting events in the state of Illinois.  The Grand Tasting featured more than 40 distributors from across the United States with over 300 varieties of wine and spirits.  Having never been to it before, we really didn't know what to expect.  But it sounded like a good excuse to indulge our passion for tasting wine wherever we can.

By the time our shuttle dropped us off, the hall was packed with vendors, representatives from wineries throughout the country and tables full of cheese, crackers and fruit. The festival's Grand Tasting was scheduled between 4:00 and 6:00 on Saturday which meant I would be sampling someone's Riesling or Gerwertenimer about the time the Badgers and Wildcats would tip off at 5:09 p.m.

It's typical for me to wear my Wisconsin shirt on days when the Badgers are playing, so all day Saturday people in town (and the Grand tasting) would look at my shirt and say 5:09 meaning the Badgers' game.  It became kind of a secret code (or verbal high-five) for us Badger fans, signaling that we were excited about kick-off.  I was surprised to see how many Wisconsin fans there were visiting Galena, but now that I think about it, everyone is a fan of March Madness.  So why not the Badgers?

When Liz and I walked into the wine tasting hall, the man who greeted us assured me that us would announce the Badger score if we needed a quick hoops fix to get through the afternoon.  I never did ask, as it seemed out of place at a wine tasting event (like eating with your fingers at a Five Star restaurant).   But I did see a few Wisconsin fans walking among the crowd with a confident look on their faces as we bravely acknowledged each other with our 5:09 declarations.



Another Wisconsin win!  I've been saying for two weeks that all I want is one more victory...

As a Badger fan, it is indescribable how I am feeling.  Try as I may, I will never be able to act like we belong here.  For most of my life, college basketball has belonged to teams like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan State.  It defies all logical thought that we should be as good as them, and yet here are in the Final Four.   Again.

Maybe that's why I didn't mind missing the end of the game.  I still expect them to lose a lead in the final seconds, or embarrass themselves to blue bloods like Duke and North Carolina.  But not today.  I smile and shake my head in disbelief.  This is the most awesome feeling in the world.

Time to celebrate!  We are already celebrating at Green Fried Tomatoes, a great restaurant in Galena.  Years ago, Liz and I had enjoyed a meal at GFT when it was located outside the city limits.  We are surprised to see that they have relocated to downtown.  Osso Buco, steaks and lobster are listed on the menu, as is the obligatory green fried tomatoes.

I suggest a round of Jagermeister for the four of us, but nobody seems interested.  Or more accurately -- no one has room for a round of shots.  We are stuffed.

We have spent the afternoon and early evening at the wine tasting festival, and part of the day in Lena, IL where we drank beer at Lena Brewery.  Our friends are investors in a recently-opened micro brewery and it was our first chance to sample their collection of homemade brews, including one called Hefeweizen, or 38 degrees Hefe.

Lena Brewery opened in late January, with all the excitement of Dr. Frankenstein creating his monster and bringing it to life.

The owner, who used to brew his own beer at home, was finally able to make his passion his work.  Lena Brewery is located in an old mill building and is part of a complex featuring a furniture store, gift shop and restaurant.

The micro-brewery has a saying that "every beer has a story.  Some are even true."  We were eager to sample some of them, much to the delight of our friends the Jordans who lived nearby.  Our sample flight of beers included Scrap Iron Black IPA, Ravenscourt Park Chocolate Brown, Uncle Tyson's Dunkelweizen, Pog Mo Thoin Amber, Thrashed Oats, Bloodshed Extra Special Bitter and my favorite, 38 degree Hefe.

Ward, who thinks the world is a better place with IPAs, couldn't be happier with the dark, bitter flavor of the Scrap Iron and Bloodshed.  I on the other hand, need my beer to taste like something that wasn't scrapped off a burnt coffee pot.  The lighter taste of the 38 degree Hefeweizen (Hefe) reminded me of Spotted Cow, a favorite from New Glarus Brewery.  According to the story told by Lena Brewery, if the temperature of this golden-colored hefeweizen gets much above 38 degrees, it can spontaneously combust.  Fortunately for me, I didn't give it a chance.

The incredible rise in craft breweries continues to amaze me.  While not on the scale of a major brewery like Miller or Budweiser, we enjoyed our visit to the taproom and  brew house.  Unlike the wine tasting festival, we were able to take our time and talk to the men and women responsible for crafting these brews.  And to top it off (no pun intended) the men's and women's bathrooms--with their industrial look and ingenious use of beer barrels and tappers -- made going to the toilet an experience you won't forget.

Speaking of forgetting, someone in the taproom asked me if I knew when the Badgers were playing.  With pride, I said "5:09."



As we are leaving the restaurant, I spot a group of six people sitting at a long wooden table.  Two are wearing Badger tee shirts, and having a great time.  As I walk past, I proudly state "On Wisconsin!  How 'bout those Badgers?"

A couple of high fives later and we are on our way down the stairs to the main floor of the restaurant.  The excitement I feel is like some out-of-body experience that comes from thinking you're walking in someone else's shoes.  For me, it's like watching the NFC Championship game with a different ending.  In this version, Jordy Nelson recovers the on-side kick and the Packers run out the clock.  Super Bowl bound, baby!

I've asked some people what they think is harder to achieve the Final Four or the Super Bowl.  Given the number of games you have to play and the sequence of events that must occur for you to get there, I'd have to say the Final Four.  Of course I'm speaking as one of those teams that doesn't load up on one-and-done type players -- like Kentucky and Duke.  It is much harder to overcome the regional seatings and dominant players who create so many mismatches.  It's five on five -- the team with the best five with the deepest bench usually win.  There's no parity like there is in football.

So it is with disbelief that I am watching Wisconsin do it back-to-back.  Who are these players that are capable of beating the likes of Michigan State, Oregon, North Carolina and Arizona?  And how did they get to Wisconsin?

A big part of Wisconsin's winning season is Sam Decker.

The story going around local newspapers has Bo Ryan asking Sam Decker to come to Wisconsin to get to the Final Four and win a national championship.   How ridiculous, considering the UW program had endured a 46-year NCAA Tournament drought before Dick Bennett, a few years before.  After winning the title in 1941 - when the field was only eight teams - UW did not return to the tournament until 1994.  Eleven senior classes came and went without experiencing March Madness.

With Bo at the helm, UW has returned to the tournament every year.  And with the addition of Sam Dekker, the team has two Final Fours and more NCAA Tournament victories than any other Big Ten team.

So who is Sam Decker?  And has there been a better performance than the one he put on in Wisconsin's win over Arizona?  His big shots led UW to a blistering 78.9 percent from the field (15-19) and 83.3 percent from the 3-point line (10-12) in the second half.  For the tournament, WI leads  the field is scoring thanks to Frank Kaminski and Sam Decker.

Decker was the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the year and a 2012 Parade All American.  He amassed 2,629 career points, finishing as the fourth leading scoring in Wisconsin high school history.  While not as prolific in college, he has started every game for the Badger and is second on the team in scoring.  His ability to put the ball on the floor and slash to the basket has made him difficult to stop.  At 6-9 and 230 pounds, he has the length and strength to dunk the ball or shoot a three pointer almost at will.

Today's announcement that Frank (the tank) Kaminski is the National Player of the Year, is awesome news.  But to me, who is still watching repeats of the Elite Eight game -- it hasn't made me forget the final dagger from the Arizona game.  A high-arcing three pointer that Sam Decker put up with 19 seconds to go, just beat the buzzer and propelled WI to Indianapolis where they face Kentucky for the second year in a row.  It is a big shot that will go down in Wisconsin history, and one that will be replayed in my mind for a very long time.

Together, Kaminski and Decker make one of the better combos in men's NCAA basketball.  But will it be enough to get them to the national championship game that his coach mentioned three years ago?

If Sammie the Big Shot has anything to say about it, I like our odds.