I heard that the state now has a law that allows football teams heading toward Lambeau Field -- actually more the opposing teams than Packers themselves -- to run red lights. After all, what could be a bigger emergency than getting to the locker room four hours early?
This common sense law has me wondering about others who ought to be afforded similar status.
- Baseball players cabbing it to Miller Park from The Pfister. Surely, they need to get there on time at least as much as football players do. However, soccer and hockey players must not only stop at red lights, they must also stop at yellow lights and every second green light.
- OB-GYNs on their way to the hospital to birth babies? You betcha.
- Kopp's employees hurrying to put the butter burgers on the grill? No doubt.
- Bartenders? They should be allowed to run red lights both going to work and returning home afterward.
- Musicians on the way to a gig? Absolutely. What could be worse than nursing another beer while Paul Cebar sits at an interminable red at Water and Wisconsin?
- Politicians? Well, no, they should sit at red lights and take an extra moment to ponder things.
- Windell Middlebrooks on the way to pull some High Life out of a hipster bar? What could be more important than this, really?
- Visual artists working in all media? Hey, they're rarely getting paid, let's give 'em something!
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
