They Tried To Keep It a Secret, But Couldn't

There it was -- buried so far back in the paper that it was hugging the Kohl's, Penney's and Fareway ads -- but not quite as inconspicuous near the tire and used car gimmicks as the latest Drake football story.

I mean, the Des Moines Register finally put news of the price increase in the paper today, and the folks who wrote and edited it bent over backwards trying to justify a 75-cent cost.

They even went so far as mentioning the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

I've been telling you for weeks that the price of the paper was going to increase from 50 cents to 75 cents, and the headed-for-layoff-and-buyout clerks who work at 8th & Locust in downtown Des Moines tried to put off telling you about the Gannett Co.-ordered decision until today.

Here's what it said on page 2D in the Business section, below a headline under "Business Watch" and "Around Iowa" that read, "Register increases single-copy price to 75 cents."

Whatever poor summer intern who had to write it said:

"The Des Moines Register will increase single-copy rates to 75 cents from 50 cents Monday-Saturday statewide, beginning Monday. The price increase does not apply to subscribers or Sunday single-copy papers.

"Several papers in Iowa and across the nation--including the Cedar Rapids Gazette, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times -- are priced at 75 cents or more, President and Publisher Laura Hollingsworth said.

"She noted the last daily price change was in 2002. Hollingsworth cited higher operating costs, particularly fuel prices. The Register delivers single copies to 1,019 retail stores and more than 1,150 street vending locations."

Even though the paper tried its best to bury the little story so no one would notice it, word will get out eventually.

Wait'll those smartasses who litter the Register's website with comments about how bad the writing is in the paper, and about the poor management, hear about this.

Now they'll have more to think about than how "hot" Hollingsworth [pictured at the right] is. Every time the publisher's name is mentioned on the website, two out of every three people who comment write about the "hot publisher."

It used to be, when the paper raised its prices, a story would be published on page 1 and it would be written by the publisher or the editor. They would try to justify the increase by mentioning that high newsprint prices were forcing the issue.

This price boost couldn't have been more downplayed unless the story was printed in agate type and put in the Olympics supplement, aka the weekly Hy-Vee ad.

I see the smiling guys who write Biz Buzz evidently didn't want anything to do with the price-increase story. They were too busy writing blockbuster stuff like Marv Pomerantz's birthday.

I mean, that's heavy.

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I got an e-mail the other day about No-Name Ballfield, where the local pro baseball team plays its home games.

I publish most of the e-mails I receive from readers -- even those written in crayon and Lithuanian -- but I'll just tell you about this one.

I wondered if it was written by Mike Gartner or someone impersonating Gartner because it mentioned the concession prices at the ballfield, without using a dozen obscenities.

Gartner, of course, owns the team and charges ridiculous big-league prices for beer and all other concessions.

I try to avoid the place like a TB ward.

The only thing that left me a bit confused -- but also very happy -- was that the e-mailer called the ballfield Sec Taylor Stadium.

After all, I was on a first-name basis with Sec Taylor many years ago, and I'm not pleased at all that Gartner took Sec's name off the ballfield.

I thought I was the only guy still referring to the venue as No-Name Ballfield or Sec Taylor Stadium.

So now I'll be waiting for more e-mail from that reader so I can find out who he [or she] really is.

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The Milwaukee Brewers are a baseball team trying to figure who they really are.

In an outstanding show of sportsmanship last night, Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder [shown in the AP photo at the left] attacked teammate and pitcher Manny Parra in the dugout during a 6-3 loss at Cincinnati.

It reminded me a little bit of last season when the Chicago Cubs' Carlos Zambrano threw several punches at then-teammate Michael Barrett.

It took just a few days before Barrett was on his way to San Diego.

It'll be interesting to see what happens at Milwaukee, where Ned Yost is the manager of an out-of-control franchise.

That's what losing four straight to the Cubs can do to a team.

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I wonder if pitcher CC Sabathia knew what he was getting into when he was traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee a few weeks ago.

The big lefthander still hasn't lost a game for the Brewers, but I wonder if he wishes he'd have been traded to the Cubs.

All I know is, he'd look real good in Cub blue right now. Or next season after his ties are cut with Milwaukee.