Greater Milwaukee Men

Andy Murray with his female coach  Amélie Mauresmo photo cr. Eurosport On a local NPR radio station today I heard a great piece about Andy Murray and how he is taking a stand for women in tennis, reporting on a story that appears in Elle magazine . Admittedly I'm not a tennis fan, I don't have anything against it, just never got into it - even the Slams and Olympics. I have however admired various tennis players - men & women - throughout the years. I mean come on - you have to love John McEnroe - but I also was a fan of Björn Borg and of course Billie Jean King, and the Williams sisters but also Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. Tennis is in a sort of golden age with the Williams sisters and Novak Djokovic, and the icons Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. With Nadal and Federer on people's minds currently, one name that I think gets overlooked - at least among non-tennis fans - is Andy Murray. I knew he was a great player, not sure where he ranks ...

We are still in the middle of the natural disaster that is Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey, and now and by the time its done many, many will be affected. It will take a lot of resources to help people not only now, but in the future. For those of us not in the storm's track, we want to help in some way, but what way is best? Many will go to help, hands-on assistance of course will be needed. But some can't go, and want to help, so they will look to make a donation. Often we think of donating items, its personal to us to give something tangible. But in the end, the simplest way is usually the best. in this case that means donating money. It may seem impersonal, you may think you understand what is needed and want to donate some thing , but with money, those on the front lines can purchase what is truly needed. More after the break on that, but if you just want to cut to the chase - you can donate to Red Cross here .

Once again, BloodCenter of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Brewers are asking blood donors to step up to the plate and help save lives. This is becoming an annual thing and its a great way to give and get. Now (from Aug. 1) through Sep. 1, blood donors will receive one terrace level ticket voucher redeemable for the Brewers game Monday, Sep. 11 vs. Pittsburgh or Tuesday, Sep. 26 vs. Cincinnati. Ticket vouchers are available to donors at all 10 of BloodCenter’s statewide donor centers, as well as select community blood drives, while supplies last.

So, there was one major story of astronomical proportions that eclipsed most other news and social media the past week, but if you paid attention, there were some pretty cool sports stories, local and global and ranging from youth to pro levels including a Packer player and Little League World Series (LLWS) baseball players. It's always great to see men doing great things and though we think it's rare, there are more times than you might see that professional athletes are part of something great. We see all of the failures and missteps, but for some reason its not always 'newsworthy' when they do the right thing, the great thing. I try to catch as many of those as I can and share here. But sometimes, the men are outplayed, age doesn't always equate to greater things. Sometimes its youth that need to help us remember how to act properly. We saw that this week as well.

I stopped in at the new FUEL Cafe south location on 5th Street and saw a donation box for the 88Nine Radio Milwaukee Second Annual  No Empty Backpacks School Supplies Drive   to benefit Milwaukee Public Schools students. In a partnership with  Milwaukee Business Journal   for the month of  August, donation bins will be at Radio Milwaukee in Walker’s Point, Milwaukee Business Journal,  BelAir Cantina  locations and select Educators Credit Union locations. FUEL isn't listed, but as a sister restaurant to BelAir they apparently are participating as well.

Don Draper on a classic bike was the inspiration for the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride We are in the middle of Summer, and here is Wisconsin that means lots of activities - almost too many - as we cram in as much in during good weather as we can before Winter. Among the things to do, it is easy to find many that are philanthropic in nature. And no offense to other groups, but I always take pride in the fact that two of my interests are very prominent in charitable, fund- and awareness-raising activities - namely bikes (I'll include both kinds - motored and self-propelled) and beer. Often both are involved - it is Wisconsin after all so beer is involved most of the time. I could explore why I think its the case that bikers and cyclists are often generous and charitable, but it is what it is. Instead, without further adieu, here are some of the upcoming socially-responsible events. Check back for updates/additions.

Watch out for Motorcyclists, but also bicyclists & pedestrians This weekend is Memorial Day, usually called the unofficial start of Summer (the astronomical first day isn't until June 20) since it kicks off the many Summer weekend activities. Summer means lots of new activity, but really that activity has started since Spring came (whenever that is in Wisconsin whether it be 1 day or 3 months). The new or increased activity I refer to is non-4-wheeled traffic: motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, even pedestrians. Oh, and also since its not Winter that means its also Road Construction season. Because of all these changes in May, the month is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month here and across the nation and Memorial Day wraps it up, but really amps it up for the rest of Summer. The combination of vulnerable traffic, road construction, and mobile and in-vehicle devices makes for a dangerous brew. I know of 2 accounts of circles of friends of motorcyclists being hit by a car in ...