He was a Demon

I would have had this up this morning, but I had to be somewhere. Maybe I'll say where later. But, here is another post regarding a story by erstwhile Timber Rattler beat writer Brett Christopherson.

It fits for two reasons. A.) The Packer-Cowboy game starting in about two hours. B.) Burlington is about eight miles from where I was raised.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo grounded despite success

As the Green Bay Packers prepare to host Romo and his Cowboys tonight at Lambeau Field in a matchup between a pair of early-season NFC front-runners, people in this small Racine County town continue to acknowledge the surrealism of seeing one of their own — an athletically gifted, yet otherwise unassuming guy — suddenly emerge as one of the NFL's brightest names on one of its marquee teams.

Sure, they're proud of the W's and the TDs and the idea that he's The Man in Big D.

But they're even prouder that despite the star on his helmet, the stars he calls his teammates — think Terrell Owns — and the starlets on his right arm — think Jessica Simpson — the 28-year-old Romo is the same down-to-earth, rooted, backwards-cap-wearing guy who considered going to a movie or playing a game with his buddies to be a pretty good day while growing up in Burlington.

There is a lot of stuff in here. Including a place that I used to go to for lunch once or twice a week when I was between careers/jobs about 100 years ago.

Fred's Parkview sits on the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Pine Street at the edge of downtown Burlington, a quaint collection of historic old buildings that could serve as the quintessential centerpiece for anyone looking for a setting to depict Small Town, USA.

Actually, this community of 10,000, set 34 miles southwest of Milwaukee, has been dubbed Chocolate City, USA, because it's home to the Nestle USA chocolate plant.

But now it's also known as the home of the two-time Pro Bowler and Dallas Cowboys quarterback, whose nearly life-sized cutout is attached to the ceiling behind the counter of the restaurant, which claims to have the world's best burgers.

Fred's has become a favorite gathering spot for Romo backers and something of a shrine, too. Framed photos of the Dallas quarterback hang on one wall, while the wall next to Table No. 4 — Tony's table, you could say — is plastered with framed pictures and Romo memorabilia.

"I can tell you this, I wouldn't watch the Cowboys if my life depended on it, other than the fact Tony plays for them," Jim Gawloski said.

I'm only mostly kidding when I say this: The fact that Romo is from Burlington and is now the quarterback of the Cowboys makes me hate the Cowboys even more.

Go read the whole thing. This is the kind of story that Brett can write when he is turned loose on a topic.

Then: Go Packers!

PS. WOLVERINES!