Project continues

Thank you to the two people who popped into the comments yesterday regarding Wisconsin natives in organized ball.

They made sure to mention Jason Jaramillo of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He is a Racine native and got this story in the Racine Journal-Times after last night's game.

The 2001 Case High School graduate appears to have arrived as catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates — at least until starter Ryan Doumit is expected to return from a broken bone in his right wrist around midseason — and Jaramillo has arrived with a smile.

He has done pretty well with the Pirates. What does his manager think?

So delighted is Pirates manager John Russell, who managed Jaramillo with the Class AAA Ottawa Lynx in 2007, that he only could think of one complaint.

“The only knock I have on him is he’s from Oklahoma State,” joked Russell, who was a catcher for arch-rival Oklahoma from 1979-82.

Makes sense. There is this little bit of trivia, too.

Jaramillo, a Franksville native who becomes the first position player from Racine County to start for a major league team since Case graduate Duane Kuiper started 18 games at second base for the 1984 San Francisco Giants.

Yes, Duane Kuiper. What's he doing now?

CC disappointed Luke Duke

But, he understands.

Tom Wopat is a guy with a lot going on these days--almost all of it good. In fact, the actor admits it's as good as it's been for a lot of years.

And that's saying something.

Wopat has been a network television star, for six years in the late '70s and early '80s as a co-star on The Dukes of Hazzard. He has been a Tony nominated-Broadway actor for close to two decades in a number of shows including Chicago, which he will be performing in Calgary beginning Tuesday. And on the side, he's booking more and more work as a cabaret singer.

In fact, if Wopat could have one New Year's wish come true this year, it wouldn't be for himself or his career. It would probably be for his beloved Milwaukee Brewers (he grew up in Wisconsin) to somehow have been able to re-sign their star pitcher CC Sabathia, instead of losing him to the Yankees, who signed Sabathia to an eight-year, $161 million contract last month.

Then again, presumably Wopat understands why the ace hurler left for greener pastures-- actors, like ballplayers, have to go where the work and money is.

That's why the state of Wisconsin lost one of its most talented actors and singers four decades years ago. And that's why Wopat, who grew up worshipping Broadway and always dreamt of performing there, had to make a detour to Hollywood to get there.

That's from the Calgary Herald. Wopat is playing Billy Flynn in Chicago at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary December 30 through January 4.

Wisconsin lost Heather Graham, too. Personally, I take that as a bigger loss.



Is there something we can do? Tax breaks? Incentives? Anything?