Shoe’s News: Doogie
By Tim “Shoe” Sullivan
Got a buddy by the name of Doug Berry. They call him “Doogie.” He’s the owner of Doug’s Sports Pub, a bar in Buena Vista. The former Moore Barn. No question about it, he just might be the most interesting guy I’ve ever met. He’s a walking legend.
Where does one start? Well, in 1980, Berry played in the American Legion North All-Star Game at Milwaukee County Stadium, the then home of the Milwaukee Brewers. He played shortstop while representing Legion Post No. 6 of Stevens Point. Also in 1980, he played in the Wisconsin High School Senior All-Star Basketball Game at the Wisconsin Fieldhouse where the Badgers played. It’s now the Kohl Center. Can you name one other high school kid who played in two different All-Star Games in two different sports in the same year? I can’t.
Doogie could always “shoot the rock.” In high school, he was Almond’s all-time leading basketball scorer for over 20 years. His hero was Julius Erving, also known as “Dr. J.”
Berry’s career in sports has been unreal. He’s won National Dart Championships in Las Vegas, and he’s bowled in several National Bowling Championships. And, in 1988, he bowled the first “300” game ever at Skipps.
One could almost write a book just about Doug Berry’s experiences in golf. He taught himself how to golf in high school. He recalled: “When I started out playing golf, I really (expletive.) It got so bad that one day I hit the ball into a pond for maybe the third time. I threw all of my clubs into that same pond and didn’t golf for the next four years Early on, I was lucky to hit the ball at all, and it wasn’t even moving.”
On the other hand, being in the same foursome with Doogie sometimes brought huge rewards. In 1978, Doogie was golfing in Milwaukee with Randy Yonke, a classmate from Almond-Bancroft. Yonke made a hole-in-one.
Berry said, “Then in the mid 90s, I was golfing at Tree Acres with Tom McConnell. We were on a par 3. Tom hit his first shot into the trees. He took a mulligan, teed off again, and hit it right into the hole.”
Two golfing partners with holes-in-one. But, Berry’s luck for his golfing partners didn’t stop there. He shrugged and said: “In 2008, Mark Soik of Stevens Point and I were in a poker tournament in Tunica, Mississippi. The weather was great so we went golfing, and Mark made a hole-in-one.”
Then, in 2010, Kurt “Lick” Miller of Point was golfing with Doogie at the Dogwoods Golf Course in Grenada, MS. And you guessed it. Lick sank a hole-in-one.
Next up was 2014. Doogie and Mark Skibba of a Wisconsin Rapids radio station were in Minnesota to watch Berry’s daughter Maizie play in a AAU girls basketball tournament. She was on the Wisconsin Blizzard. After the game, Doogie and Skibba went golfing, and Skibba sank a hole-in-one.
To recap, Doug Berry was golfing with five different guys who each hit hole-in-ones in three different states. So Berry was asked: “Did YOU personally ever get an “ace” in golf?” Doogie commented: “No, but I do wear two pair of underwear just in case I get a hole in one.”
Continued in next week’s edition
***Correction***
Dear PCG readers,
Oops. When we make a mistake, we’re not afraid to admit it. In Shoe’s Jan. 8, 2021 column about nicknames, Mark Ohlert’s nickname was incorrectly mentioned as “Turtle”. Actually, “Turtle” is his brother Dan’s nickname. Mark’s nickname is “Oatie”. We’re pleased to set the record straight for you.
Shoe