It was a shock this morning for all of us players who make a daily stop at the 7-Eleven on the way to work to chug down a Mike's Hard Lemonade or a Rick's Spiked Mandarin Lime.

As I pulled together the "journalist's breakfast" of Donettes and a malt beverage of choice, I was confrontd by a bare cupboard. No whatchacallits, alcopops! You know, alcoholism's training bra. Zip. Nada.

Even by slapping myself hard a couple of times, I couldn't bring the ol' memory banks up to speed. Then, I saw alcopop aficianado Lisa Riley Roche's lament in the Deseret News:

Starting today, retail sales of flavored malt beverages will come to a halt in Utah. . .

Remeber back when Gov. Jon Huntsman made a deal with the devil (worse, actually, the state Acoholic Beverage Commission) to move the "drunkard's training wheels" to state liquor stores just to get a lousy additional half-ounce of liquor in a drink? The bill came today.

But as yet none of the national drug dealers have met the requirement that alcopops have special for-Zion-only labels, including a skull and crossbones*, so consumers are aware that they are about to purchase something containing alcohol from a SHELF IN A LIQUOR STORE.

So far, no one thinks the lucrative Utah market is worth it. Until then, a cold Bud Light Chilada will have to do. MMMM, Clamato . . .

*OK, I made the skull and crossbones part up.