If you have already voted 47 times for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, well done. You have done your baseball civic duty. And by “civic duty,” I mean clicking on the name of your favorite player over and over on your phone or laptop regardless of whether he’s having a good season, a bad season, or has been on the disabled list since Memorial Day. This is the modern All-Star Game voting process. And for my money, it really hasn’t changed much. It has always worked this way. Reggie Jackson didn’t need a hot June to get votes; he needed a pulse and a famous name. Meanwhile, players like Nate Colbert were busy doing things like hitting five home runs in a doubleheader for the San Diego Padres, which unfortunately did not come with a national marketing campaign or East Coast endorsement deal. Smaller-market greatness has always been baseball’s quiet casualty. If you didn’t play where the cameras were, you might as well have been hitting fungoes in a cornfield. And yet we pretend this game is still a meaningful measuring stick. Once upon a time, fans could argue it was. The American League and National League only met twice: midsummer and October. That was it. The All-Star Game wasn’t just an exhibition. It was a preview of a potential collision between baseball’s two separate universes.

Now interleague play has turned that mystery into routine. The Yankees and Dodgers see each other just as often as the teams in their own league. This “special” part of the game disappeared years ago. At least we’ve solved the uniform crisis. For a few years, from 2021 to 2024, Major League Baseball dressed all players alike as if they were attending the same corporate team-building retreat. Fortunately, sanity returned, and players now wear their own uniforms again. I guess that’s something. Progress, apparently.

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us. Traditionally, this was the time for teenagers to exhale before another school year arrived. Parents would begin making trips to the school supply aisle while kids squeeze every last drop out of summer. After the Fourth of July, there were still weeks left for swimming, fishing, hiking, camping, backyard games, afternoons at the lake, or simply doing...nothing. Years ago, the word "camp" meant campfires, canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and making memories with friends. Today, "camp" has taken on an entirely different meaning. Basketball camp. Football camp. Volleyball camp. Wrestling camp. Golf camp. Hockey camp. Soccer camp. Softball camp. Baseball camp. Track and field camp. Band camp. Music camp. Choir camp. Drama camp. Throw in showcases, open gyms, strength training, and club tournaments, and suddenly a teenager's summer schedule can look more demanding than an adult's work calendar. Yes, these opportunities can help young athletes improve. They can build friendships, confidence and skills. But somewhere along the way we've lost sight of something equally important - the value of simply being a kid. Not every hour has to be productive. Not every weekend has to be spent chasing a scholarship or preparing for next season. Sometimes the best thing a young athlete can do is grab a fishing pole, spend a day on the lake, hike a trail, or simply recharge. Rest isn't laziness. Unstructured play and downtime help young people mentally recover, rediscover creativity, and return with renewed enthusiasm. Unfortunately, many teenagers today feel that if they skip one camp or miss one showcase, they'll somehow fall behind. The message has become that "optional" activities aren't really optional at all. Miss a weekend because you're camping with your family, and suddenly your commitment is questioned. That is sad.  Sports are supposed to build a lifetime love of competition, teamwork and physical activity. But when every summer day becomes another obligation, the joy that drew kids to sports in the first place begins to fade. Burnout is real, and it often starts long before graduation. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give today's high school athletes is permission to be teenagers once in a while. The conference championship next season will still be there. Childhood, however, won't.

Good news for Wisconsin berry pickers: black raspberry season has arrived early. Local foraging enthusiasts report that black caps are ripening nearly two weeks ahead of last year, and the crop appears to be far more abundant than the disappointing harvest many experienced in 2025. Last summer, determined berry hunters wandered wooded trails, creek banks and thorny fence rows hoping to fill a pail, often returning with only a handful of berries and a collection of fresh scratches. This year, Mother Nature seems to be making amends. Unofficial reports from local Ewell Gibbons impersonators suggest the woods are producing a bumper crop. The legendary naturalist, whose 1970s Grape-Nuts commercials made him a household name and convinced an entire generation that just about everything growing outdoors was edible, would likely be right at home among this year's bounty. Beyond black caps, Wisconsin's edible wild berry lineup includes wild strawberries, Juneberries, mulberries, blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, chokecherries, and wild grapes, providing plenty of opportunities for adventurous foragers throughout the summer. If you've been waiting for the right year to explore Wisconsin's backroads and woodland edges with a berry bucket in hand, this might just be it.

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR announced that on June 24, 2026, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) approved the deer harvest quotas and framework for the 2026 Wisconsin deer hunting season. Beginning Aug. 17, 2027, 720 total bonus antlerless harvest authorizations will be available for purchase across the state. These authorizations are in addition to the free antlerless harvest authorizations issued in farmland zones, which are not reflected in this total. These recommendations were formed in partnership with Citizen Deer Advisory Councils and based on public feedback and deer population objectives. Antlerless harvest opportunities will vary between deer management units (DMUs) based on local deer population levels and management goals. 

One final thought. I'll be away for the next three weeks, heading back to Hastings, Neb., to visit family and friends. For those who have a tendency to get their dander up whenever I express an opinion in this column, you'll have a well-deserved three-week break from me. I suspect some of you are already smiling. As for my itinerary, there won't be any camps involved. No whistles, no drills, no showcases, and no "optional" workouts. Just some traveling, some fishing, and a chance to recharge. Maybe I'll even take my own advice and enjoy summer the way we used to - before every free day came with a schedule. See you in three weeks.