As I watched the Wisconsin Badger and Green Bay Packer games this week I was reminded of the classic scene from "Monty Python & The Holy Grail". The plague is spreading through England and every day a man pulls a cart through a village and picks up the bodies of whoever died that night...one household tries to throw a sick person on the cart and of course he protests mightily that 'he's not dead yet"...besides the fact that the boys from Python could find humor in the bubonic plague...the recovery by both the Badgers and Packers this week may quiet some of the talk of the premature death of both season

The Badger offense looks to be back in sync and the running game destroyed Purdue (a team with a pretty good run defense soming in) and Aaron Rodgers played like a man with something to prove after critics had taken him to task for the failings of the offense so far this season. Yes, Houston was missing one of their best defenders but even Brian Cushing would not have made a difference on this night.

And Jordy Nelson finally broke out...don't forget to get your 87 cent hamburgers at A &W today!

The High school football pairings are out for the first round of the playoffs. Here are the area teams...all games are Friday night at 7 unless otherwise noted.

D-1

DC Everest at Bayport

Green Bay Preble at Stevens Point

D-2

Wausau EAst at Holmen

Tomah at Marshfield

Merrill at LaCrosse Logan

D-3

Rhinelander at Waupaca

Onalaska at Medford

Osceola at Mosinee  (Saturday at 4pm)

Antigo at West De Pere

D-4

New Glarus at Nekoosa

Wautoma at River Valley

D-5

Crandon at MArathon

Auburndale at Stratford

Spencer/Marshfield Columbus at Peshtigo

Colby at Stanley-Boyd

Niagara/Goodman/Pembine at Amherst (Saturday at 1pm)

D-6

Pittsville at Hurley (Saturday at 1pm)

Melrose-Mindoro at Athens

Laona/Wabeno at Edgar

Tigerton/Marion at Rosholt

Stevens Point Pacelli at Wild Rose

D-7

Greenwood/Granton at Loyal

Gilman at Owen-Withee  (Saturday at 1pm)

Almond-Bancroft at Suring

Songs of The Day   (from my I-pod)

King Of Sorrow-Sade (2000) some solid soulfrom one of the underated voices

Kingdom Of Heaven-Melissa Etheridge (2007) Etheridge rails against the darkness for all the good it does