Friday, December 24, 2010

Not everyone is in a holiday spirit this year.

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My goodness, don't you people in New York have any shame? Why are you still whining about the D-Jack run to end the Eagles Giants game last week? Stop it; it's almost Christmas for crying out loud! Not letting go after a heartbreaking loss is not what the Christmas spirit is about.

I know who probably won't be in the Christmas spirit this year; August Busch IV. My man might have some "splaining" to do:

"ST. LOUIS – For generations, the Busches of St. Louis were the first family of American beer-making, the city's most devoted boosters, and bearers of the most famous name in town. But they have also been touched by scandal, tragedy and allegations of reckless behavior.

Now the Busch name is in the headlines again, this time after an aspiring young model was found dead in the gated home of August Busch IV, the former Anheuser-Busch CEO and heir to the Budweiser fortune. The death is under investigation.

The woman, Adrienne Nicole Martin, was Busch's girlfriend and there was "absolutely nothing suspicious" about her death, said Busch's attorney, Art Margulis.

The 27-year-old woman was dead when police and paramedics responded to a 911 call from Busch's estate Sunday in Huntleigh, a wealthy St. Louis suburb. St. Louis County forensic administrator Suzanne McCune said there were no signs of trauma or illness, and an overdose was among the possible causes of death.

Busch IV, 46, joined the family business in the mid-1980s and worked his way up. He was chief of marketing when the brewer rolled out many of its most popular TV ads, including the Budweiser frogs.

When Busch IV took over as chief executive upon his father's retirement in 2006, Anheuser-Busch owned roughly half the U.S. beer market thanks to its two giant brands, Budweiser and Bud Light. Two years later, Anheuser Busch Cos. was sold to Belgian company InBev in a $52 billion deal that created the world's largest brewer.

With the merger, Busch IV turned out to be the last in a long line of Busches to run the company, whose roots dated to the mid-1800s. He is a member of the InBev board but no longer has any role in day-to-day operations.

"He had a reputation as a bit of a risk taker," said Terry Ganey, a veteran journalist who co-wrote the 1991 book "Under the Influence: The Unauthorized Story of the Anheuser-Busch Dynasty." `'That is demonstrated by the fact that he drove powerboats, motorcycles, jet planes and helicopters and participated in sports that could do him some physical harm. But as an executive, I think he operated in his father's shadow."

InBev maintained St. Louis as its U.S. headquarters after the merger, but many in St. Louis felt the region had lost an icon that rivaled the Gateway Arch and baseball's Cardinals — which used to be owned by the Busch family.

"Rightly or wrongly, it will always be recalled that he was the CEO when the company was sold," Ganey said.

Trouble seemed to follow Busch well before he got out of the family business.

In 1983, Busch IV, then a 20-year-old University of Arizona student, left a bar near Tucson, Ariz., with a 22-year-old woman. His black Corvette crashed, and the woman, Michele Frederick, was killed. Busch was found hours later at his home. He suffered a fractured skull and claimed he had amnesia. After a seven-month investigation, authorities declined to press charges, citing a lack of evidence. " [Article]

Oh oh August, it looks like "the ghost of Christmas past" might e coming back to haunt you.

Finally, there is one other person who is not in the holiday spirit; it's Renardo Sidney of the Mississippi State University basketball team. Renardo is not a good dude. Fighting your teammate in the stands at a holiday tournament? WTF? You two clowns embarrassed yourselves, the university, and your families.

Santa, please skip Renardo and Elgin's house tomorrow morning.










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