The first Cubs-Cardinals series of the year begins tonight in St. Louis. I could go on about the injustices of the "East Coast Media Bias" and its perpetuation of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry as the only thing worth caring about, but us Midwesterners know it doesn't get much better in the NL than Cubs-Cardinals (and, to be honest, Giants Dodgers). The teams haven't met since last September's epic five-game tilt in Wrigley Field.
Many have discounted the Cardinals, but it's insane to look past a lineup with Scott Rolen, Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Edgar Renteria and others. Among the Cubs, Astros and Cardinals, either team would be lucky to have a commanding lead going into September. The smart money is on a three-way dogfight, just like last year.
Friday, April 30, 2004
In defense...
For those that criticize me for being a religious follower of "The Bachelor," check out what The Sports Guy had to say in today's column about the NBA playoffs:
I also didn't get to see "The Real World" (no big deal, catching a Real World rerun is as easy as catching chlamydia in San Diego) or the "American Idol" results show (very happy to learn that red-headed stepchild got the boot, though). "The Inferno" didn't air a new episode this week, so I'm cool there.
We did get to watch "Friends" last night, and I couldn't be more excited for next week's finale. I never thought we'd get to see Monica & Chandler's baby, but in retrospect I totally should have seen that coming.
By the way, who else feels bad for Phoebe? Neither he birth nor her wedding got to be season-enders like they did for other characters. So sad. At least she starred in "Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion."
And don't kill me for watching "The Bachelor" ... you'll understand when you're married. If you can watch a TV show with your wife, it might as well be a show revolving around the theme "hot chicks acting crazy." And to be honest, I like the poignant guitar music at the end after some of the girls have been dumped, when they cry into the camera and say, "I don't know what happened; I thought we really made a connection."That said, I was not able to watch this week's episode or watch the tape of last week's show. So, in my world, there's still 10 girls and they don't even know who the spy is.
I also didn't get to see "The Real World" (no big deal, catching a Real World rerun is as easy as catching chlamydia in San Diego) or the "American Idol" results show (very happy to learn that red-headed stepchild got the boot, though). "The Inferno" didn't air a new episode this week, so I'm cool there.
We did get to watch "Friends" last night, and I couldn't be more excited for next week's finale. I never thought we'd get to see Monica & Chandler's baby, but in retrospect I totally should have seen that coming.
By the way, who else feels bad for Phoebe? Neither he birth nor her wedding got to be season-enders like they did for other characters. So sad. At least she starred in "Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion."
Sucks to be this guy
Attention ex-Libertyvillians:
Head on over here to read about the garbage truck driver smart enough to get his truck caught on the 137 bridge while trying to head south on 45. There's a nice picture of the overturned truck caught under the bridge, which held up traffic on 45 for about three hours. Genius.
Head on over here to read about the garbage truck driver smart enough to get his truck caught on the 137 bridge while trying to head south on 45. There's a nice picture of the overturned truck caught under the bridge, which held up traffic on 45 for about three hours. Genius.
North v. South
I don't know how long this Flash movie has been out there, but it is a must-see for a) baseball fans; and b) anyone that has lived in or near Chicago. It quite accuratley depicts, in a totally biased, one-sided fashion, the difference between Cubs and Sox fans.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Could I be more right?
I meant to bring this up earlier, but...
In case you missed it last week, I typed these words of wisdom at 7:24 a.m. April 20:
Am I astonishing or what?
In case you missed it last week, I typed these words of wisdom at 7:24 a.m. April 20:
I would not be surprised if at least one Cubs starter throws a no-no this year, and almost guarantee someone will take one into the seventh inning.And in cased you missed it, Matt Clement did just that Sunday, taking a no-no into the seventh before giving up a solo home run to Karim Garcia.
Am I astonishing or what?
Baby Update
For those dying to see a picture of the little guy, head right over here. The page is active for 58 more days, I guess. There's a spot to leave comments, and -- if I remember -- I will print them out and add them to the baby book.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Crazy Cougar(s)
For those relying on this site for all the Lake County cougar news, I apologize for slacking. The Chicago Tribune reports there may be more than one of the beasts. Check out recent stories here and here.
The Daily Herald checks in here.
The Daily Herald checks in here.
Cleaning out the e-mail
One of the first things I need to do upon returning to regular Blog activity is direct you here for something passed along by Evan. It's a rundown of truly awful album covers with some side-splitting commentary on the side. Here's a sample (which is made much better with the picture):
There's even more where that came from here.
And, just in case you haven't gotten the e-mail forward, here is a link to the eBay page where a dude is selling his ex-wife's wedding dress. It takes some time to read the whole thing, but it could not be funnier. A prime example of how great the Internet truly is.
Have you ever been to one of those parties where everyone sits expectantly and watches two people dance around like retards in a retard shop? Right. No one has, because those parties don't happen. Maybe it was a simpler time when songs like “Poor Little Fool” and “Splish Splash” had some kind of mind controlling power over teenagers. It caused them to pull their pants up too high and wear the worst socks ever made. No wonder there was such condemnation of Rock and Roll in the fifties. Look at what it did to their stupid kids. Granted, this one isn’t terribly offensive, but they get worse.
There's even more where that came from here.
And, just in case you haven't gotten the e-mail forward, here is a link to the eBay page where a dude is selling his ex-wife's wedding dress. It takes some time to read the whole thing, but it could not be funnier. A prime example of how great the Internet truly is.
Apologies
Well, sorry I've been a little lax here. It's been a little busy at the Holland Compound (see below). Things are getting more calm, though, and I think I'll soon be up to my regular tricks.
What I Learned
Here's a column I sent in on my off week, just because I wanted to get all the thoughts out as fast as possible.
I learned a lot in the 41 weeks of my wife's pregnancy, and a few things since our son was born Saturday morning.
I learned the excitement of discovering you’re expecting is soon overcome by several months of limited activity in the baby growing department, that even though you're both "having a baby," your wife is doing the heavy lifting and that no amount of watching "A Baby Story" prepares you for coping with a pregnancy.
I learned "getting ready to be a dad" books are few and far between and also that I don't have the talent it takes to write one myself and even if I had the talent, I certainly don't have the time anymore.
I learned the unsolicited advice from strangers starts in utero, that "they grow up too fast" and how we should make sure our cats don't suck the breath out of his mouth.
I learned I enjoyed knowing she was pregnant when no one else could tell, and also how much things changed when everyone knew.
I learned the "new and expectant mothers" parking space at Hy-Vee is all I'd dreamed it could be. Then I learned new fathers don't get to use that space when they're buying bottles and nipples at two in the morning.
I learned it doesn't do you any good to worry about how to raise a good teenager before you've changed the first diaper.
I learned I didn't like to share the names we picked out, that I don't care what color my mother-in-law thinks the nursery should be and that it's never too early to buy 576 baby wipes in one box from Sam's Club.
I learned I enjoy seeing the same nursing staff every few weeks just the same way I like going to a restaurant where the waitress knows my order before I sit down, and how the nicest nurses will let you weigh yourself as long as you don't tell your wife how much you've lost while she put on 40 pounds.
I learned babies can scare you even before they're born, and it isn't until they come out healthy that you feel comfortable. But then I learned they seem even more fragile on the outside.
I learned I couldn't keep my promise to hold it in for sympathy the whole time she sat through an ultrasound, but also that we had enough willpower not to learn the gender when it would have been so easy to cave in.
I learned sometimes you have to eat, cook and clean up after the same dinner three nights in a row if that's what your pregnant wife wants.
I learned I can buy nursing bras with my mother and not feel all that awkward. I learned to open baby furniture at the store to make sure none of the pieces are broken. I learned some people spend more in nine months on nursery decorating than we do on our mortgage in the same timeframe.
I learned why the ice machine on the obstetrics wing of the hospital is sought after by staff people throughout the complex, and also that they won't let you bring a cooler up there before you bring the baby home.
I learned I do not enjoy watching the movies they show at childbirth class and that no matter how good the teacher is it's very hard to remember the lessons when a pregnant woman wakes you up at 11:30 p.m. and says "they're really starting to hurt."
I learned my wife does not like the phone to ring while she is trying to give birth no matter who is calling.
I learned I can work eight hours, watch a Cubs game, go to symphony rehearsal, nap for an hour, drive to the hospital, work through eleven hours of contractions, pushing and delivery, call grandparents and great-grandparents, take a shower, squeeze into a tuxedo, play in the symphony concert and drive back to the hospital all on about six hours of sleep.
I learned newfound respect for people brave enough to have their first child at 34 or 44 instead of 24. But I also learned how important it really was for us to start our family so young.
I learned how frustrating it is to spend the last 15 minutes of work making plans to not be at work the next day, only to repeat the same exact process 22 work days in a row.
I learned I can type with one hand so I can use the other one to hold the baby.
I learned the things I told my wife before we conceived – that having a baby is the single most important thing a person can ever do and that our lives would never be the same – were completely true for all the right reasons.
I learned it's possible to feel guilty just for taking a shower, especially after your family members spent several hours cleaning your house so it will be spotless when the baby comes home and the new mom can barely walk from the car to the couch on her own power.
I learned I can watch a baby get born without even the slightest hint of needing to pass out or throw up, but how little respect that gets you from the woman that actually has the baby.
I learned being a new dad is fun, scary, exciting, intimidating, empowering, worrisome, challenging, rewarding, demanding and wonderful.
But most of all, I learned how much I have to learn.
I learned a lot in the 41 weeks of my wife's pregnancy, and a few things since our son was born Saturday morning.
I learned the excitement of discovering you’re expecting is soon overcome by several months of limited activity in the baby growing department, that even though you're both "having a baby," your wife is doing the heavy lifting and that no amount of watching "A Baby Story" prepares you for coping with a pregnancy.
I learned "getting ready to be a dad" books are few and far between and also that I don't have the talent it takes to write one myself and even if I had the talent, I certainly don't have the time anymore.
I learned the unsolicited advice from strangers starts in utero, that "they grow up too fast" and how we should make sure our cats don't suck the breath out of his mouth.
I learned I enjoyed knowing she was pregnant when no one else could tell, and also how much things changed when everyone knew.
I learned the "new and expectant mothers" parking space at Hy-Vee is all I'd dreamed it could be. Then I learned new fathers don't get to use that space when they're buying bottles and nipples at two in the morning.
I learned it doesn't do you any good to worry about how to raise a good teenager before you've changed the first diaper.
I learned I didn't like to share the names we picked out, that I don't care what color my mother-in-law thinks the nursery should be and that it's never too early to buy 576 baby wipes in one box from Sam's Club.
I learned I enjoy seeing the same nursing staff every few weeks just the same way I like going to a restaurant where the waitress knows my order before I sit down, and how the nicest nurses will let you weigh yourself as long as you don't tell your wife how much you've lost while she put on 40 pounds.
I learned babies can scare you even before they're born, and it isn't until they come out healthy that you feel comfortable. But then I learned they seem even more fragile on the outside.
I learned I couldn't keep my promise to hold it in for sympathy the whole time she sat through an ultrasound, but also that we had enough willpower not to learn the gender when it would have been so easy to cave in.
I learned sometimes you have to eat, cook and clean up after the same dinner three nights in a row if that's what your pregnant wife wants.
I learned I can buy nursing bras with my mother and not feel all that awkward. I learned to open baby furniture at the store to make sure none of the pieces are broken. I learned some people spend more in nine months on nursery decorating than we do on our mortgage in the same timeframe.
I learned why the ice machine on the obstetrics wing of the hospital is sought after by staff people throughout the complex, and also that they won't let you bring a cooler up there before you bring the baby home.
I learned I do not enjoy watching the movies they show at childbirth class and that no matter how good the teacher is it's very hard to remember the lessons when a pregnant woman wakes you up at 11:30 p.m. and says "they're really starting to hurt."
I learned my wife does not like the phone to ring while she is trying to give birth no matter who is calling.
I learned I can work eight hours, watch a Cubs game, go to symphony rehearsal, nap for an hour, drive to the hospital, work through eleven hours of contractions, pushing and delivery, call grandparents and great-grandparents, take a shower, squeeze into a tuxedo, play in the symphony concert and drive back to the hospital all on about six hours of sleep.
I learned newfound respect for people brave enough to have their first child at 34 or 44 instead of 24. But I also learned how important it really was for us to start our family so young.
I learned how frustrating it is to spend the last 15 minutes of work making plans to not be at work the next day, only to repeat the same exact process 22 work days in a row.
I learned I can type with one hand so I can use the other one to hold the baby.
I learned the things I told my wife before we conceived – that having a baby is the single most important thing a person can ever do and that our lives would never be the same – were completely true for all the right reasons.
I learned it's possible to feel guilty just for taking a shower, especially after your family members spent several hours cleaning your house so it will be spotless when the baby comes home and the new mom can barely walk from the car to the couch on her own power.
I learned I can watch a baby get born without even the slightest hint of needing to pass out or throw up, but how little respect that gets you from the woman that actually has the baby.
I learned being a new dad is fun, scary, exciting, intimidating, empowering, worrisome, challenging, rewarding, demanding and wonderful.
But most of all, I learned how much I have to learn.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Baby Update
Jack Thompson Holland was born at 11:40 a.m. Saturday, April 24, 2004, at Mercy North Hospital in Clinton, Iowa.
Jack weighed seven pounds, four ounces and measured 21.5 inches long.
His mother is recovering quite nicely (now, anyway) and he already has been visited by three grandparents.
More to follow, because the new dad has to play in a symphony concert tonight!
Jack weighed seven pounds, four ounces and measured 21.5 inches long.
His mother is recovering quite nicely (now, anyway) and he already has been visited by three grandparents.
More to follow, because the new dad has to play in a symphony concert tonight!
Friday, April 23, 2004
Contractions
Since we went to the doctor yesterday and Kristie got hooked up to the monitor, we learned that she is having contractions. I guess to this point it just felt like the baby moving. But since she now knows what one actually feels like (the little ones, not the debilitating, painful sitcom contractions), she's been able to tell when today she had one.
The downside is the lady at the childbirth class told us contractions aren't anything to get too excited about until:
They come more than five minutes apart; and
They make it damn near impossible to walk and/or talk.
Neither has been the case today. So... we just keep forging ahead into the weekend and hope the baby has the good sense to come out at a time that would allow me to play in the symphony concert Saturday night and the handbell choir at church Sunday morning.
The downside is the lady at the childbirth class told us contractions aren't anything to get too excited about until:
Neither has been the case today. So... we just keep forging ahead into the weekend and hope the baby has the good sense to come out at a time that would allow me to play in the symphony concert Saturday night and the handbell choir at church Sunday morning.
Mad Dog
Here's Greg Maddux's line from today's Cubs-Mets game:
Seven innings pitched, seven hits. One run (earned) with one walk and eight strikeouts.
This is exactly why the Cubs signed Maddux. Yes, it's only one start. However, it's the second time in a row he left the game with a lead intact. And it proves that if he gets run support, he'll almost certainly pick up win No. 300 some time this season.
Also worth noting is how well Mark Prior's doing in rehab. If the offense stays moderately capable, the Cubs will prove everyone who suggested they'd be contending in October to be right on the button.
Seven innings pitched, seven hits. One run (earned) with one walk and eight strikeouts.
This is exactly why the Cubs signed Maddux. Yes, it's only one start. However, it's the second time in a row he left the game with a lead intact. And it proves that if he gets run support, he'll almost certainly pick up win No. 300 some time this season.
Also worth noting is how well Mark Prior's doing in rehab. If the offense stays moderately capable, the Cubs will prove everyone who suggested they'd be contending in October to be right on the button.
Sucks to be this ingredient
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican cook killed his drinking buddy, cut up his body and boiled him in herbs, according to police who fear he may have been turning him into tamales.
Read the full account here.
Read the full account here.
Sort of sucks to be these guys
Music as punishment? Read on…
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A top Romanian soccer club owner said on Thursday he would send the whole squad to listen to a classical music concert as a punishment if they lose their next match.
With eight games left, Universitatea Craiova, fourth in the first division with 33 points, need to make ground on third-placed Rapid Bucharest on 37 to have a chance of European soccer next season.
"Attending a classical music concert is a hard task for a soccer player," Craiova's main shareholder Dinel Staicu said.
Read the full account here.
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A top Romanian soccer club owner said on Thursday he would send the whole squad to listen to a classical music concert as a punishment if they lose their next match.
With eight games left, Universitatea Craiova, fourth in the first division with 33 points, need to make ground on third-placed Rapid Bucharest on 37 to have a chance of European soccer next season.
"Attending a classical music concert is a hard task for a soccer player," Craiova's main shareholder Dinel Staicu said.
Read the full account here.
Sucks to be this guy
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - A South African man survived an 18-floor plunge from a Cape Town hotel room and was well enough to call out to amazed rescuers, police said on Thursday.
Nicholas du Plooy broke both arms and a leg and also injured his neck late on Tuesday after he toppled out of a 19th-floor window at the Cape Town Ritz Hotel late on Tuesday.
Read the full account here
Nicholas du Plooy broke both arms and a leg and also injured his neck late on Tuesday after he toppled out of a 19th-floor window at the Cape Town Ritz Hotel late on Tuesday.
Read the full account here
Pets in the News
Here's a fascinating story about a cat missing for seven years from a Florida home being found in San Francisco. I've always been weirded out at the prospect of microchip implanting, but stories like this show how valuable the technology can be in helping people reconnect with their pets.
Here's a story about a dog adopted by an American soldier in Iraq and safely returned to his father's staeside home.
Here's a story about a dog adopted by an American soldier in Iraq and safely returned to his father's staeside home.
Idol Worship
The "American Idol" saga continues today as RedEye wieghs in with this piece on Jennifer Hudson backers vowing not to watch the show any more. My favorite part is how it illuminates dudes like this:
One fan in Texas was so outraged at what he called "an almost criminal act" that he created an online petition to ask Fox to reconsider "Idol's" voting methods.
"I've watched 'American Idol' every season, and I've never had a response to a singer as much as Jennifer," said Joey Guerra of Houston. "Something in her voice just spoke to me."
Hudson's performance Tuesday brought him to tears, Guerra said, and when he watched her voted off the next night, he was so furious he had to take a walk to blow off some steam.
Now, the fan who taped every show and made sure his friends knew they couldn't call when "Idol" was on, says he might just go see a movie or hang out with pals on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
"I don't even care who wins," Guerra said.
Farpella
Who among you knew that a natural born pimp is known as a Farpella? Not a damn one, I'd wager.
You can learn this and many other fascinating things at Urban Dictionary. I'm not sure how reliable it all is (the definition for Farpella was submitted by Hugh G. Rection, wink wink), but it does seem to be a good Net time waster.
Reminds me of senior year in hgih school when Alanis Morrisette was popular and schools in L.A. were coming under fire for their new method of teaching urban English. So I came up with a song parody — "Ebonics," as in, "A little too ebonic, does you think?"
I had a lot of free time in high school.
You can learn this and many other fascinating things at Urban Dictionary. I'm not sure how reliable it all is (the definition for Farpella was submitted by Hugh G. Rection, wink wink), but it does seem to be a good Net time waster.
Reminds me of senior year in hgih school when Alanis Morrisette was popular and schools in L.A. were coming under fire for their new method of teaching urban English. So I came up with a song parody — "Ebonics," as in, "A little too ebonic, does you think?"
I had a lot of free time in high school.
.400?
Could Barry Bonds hit .400 this year? I have to think that would be much more exciting for traditional baseball fans than another assault on his own single-season home run record, though at this pace, he probably could accomplish both.
I've already seen guys hit plenty of home runs. Even if Bonds never catches Ruth or Aaron, I know I'm seeing greatness in its prime, something that will be fun to discuss many years from now when I can say that yes, I actually saw Barry Bonds play with my own eyes. To see him hit .400, which hasn't been done for about 60 years, could posisbly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And that's fitting, because he's a once-in-a-lifetime player.
ESPN.com Page 2 writer Eric Neel gives 10 reasons Bonds can seal the deal.
I've already seen guys hit plenty of home runs. Even if Bonds never catches Ruth or Aaron, I know I'm seeing greatness in its prime, something that will be fun to discuss many years from now when I can say that yes, I actually saw Barry Bonds play with my own eyes. To see him hit .400, which hasn't been done for about 60 years, could posisbly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And that's fitting, because he's a once-in-a-lifetime player.
ESPN.com Page 2 writer Eric Neel gives 10 reasons Bonds can seal the deal.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Baby Update
Here's the baby update from the doctor's office this afternoon:
First she went on the monitor, which showed typical movement and a few contractions (surprise) she couldn't really feel. But, if it shows up on the monitor, it must be true. Also, the heartbeat was fine (about 148 bpm).
After that, we went in for the examination. She told the doctor she'd prefer not to be induced unless it was medically recommended.
He checked her out and said she was thinning out, perhaps dilated to about two centimeters. He predicted we wouldn't make it through the weekend without having the baby.
All that said, we still were encouraged to make an appointment for more monitoring next Monday morning.
First she went on the monitor, which showed typical movement and a few contractions (surprise) she couldn't really feel. But, if it shows up on the monitor, it must be true. Also, the heartbeat was fine (about 148 bpm).
After that, we went in for the examination. She told the doctor she'd prefer not to be induced unless it was medically recommended.
He checked her out and said she was thinning out, perhaps dilated to about two centimeters. He predicted we wouldn't make it through the weekend without having the baby.
All that said, we still were encouraged to make an appointment for more monitoring next Monday morning.
MOTAS
Boss, who claims to have escaped The Crimson Room without cheating, passed along a link for this similar, lengthier encounter, The Mystery of Time and Space.
The Bearded President
Attention fellow Kohawks:
Did y'all get the Courier in the mail this week? When flipping through the pages, did you catch the pictures of Phifer with his new beard? If you happened to miss it, the issue is online, in (large) PDF format right here.
As a side note, Coe has these new admissions magazine things that go out to prospies every quarter. I grabbed a couple from the Coe table at a local career fair (see my March 24 column in the archives) just to check them out. In addition to surprise at the difference between ex-Cosmos editor Matt Hemesath and his brother, TKE/Student Body Pres. Eric, I was shocked to see the pubs openly refer to our fair president as "Phife-dog."
Did y'all get the Courier in the mail this week? When flipping through the pages, did you catch the pictures of Phifer with his new beard? If you happened to miss it, the issue is online, in (large) PDF format right here.
As a side note, Coe has these new admissions magazine things that go out to prospies every quarter. I grabbed a couple from the Coe table at a local career fair (see my March 24 column in the archives) just to check them out. In addition to surprise at the difference between ex-Cosmos editor Matt Hemesath and his brother, TKE/Student Body Pres. Eric, I was shocked to see the pubs openly refer to our fair president as "Phife-dog."
The Taj Jamal
Attention ex-Libertyvillians:
OK, you know the Chicago Bulls, right? That basketabll team that used to be real good when we were in high school? In case you missed it, they suck pretty bad these days. Like, darn-near worst record in the league, playing 19 year-old kids, only thing worth wacthing is the fat-guy dancing team bad.
One of the young guys on the team, Jamal Crawford, lives in Libertyville. I learend this from the Daily Herald a few weeks ago. It just so happens that RedEye, the young, hip cousin of the Chicago Tribune, has a feature on Jamal's crib, along with some other folks in the Chicagoland area.
Check out the photo spread of the Taj Jamal here, and then ask yourself how come your parents didn't have a house like that when you lived in Libertyville.
OK, you know the Chicago Bulls, right? That basketabll team that used to be real good when we were in high school? In case you missed it, they suck pretty bad these days. Like, darn-near worst record in the league, playing 19 year-old kids, only thing worth wacthing is the fat-guy dancing team bad.
One of the young guys on the team, Jamal Crawford, lives in Libertyville. I learend this from the Daily Herald a few weeks ago. It just so happens that RedEye, the young, hip cousin of the Chicago Tribune, has a feature on Jamal's crib, along with some other folks in the Chicagoland area.
Check out the photo spread of the Taj Jamal here, and then ask yourself how come your parents didn't have a house like that when you lived in Libertyville.
Idol worship
So that chick from Dunbar High School got booted from "American Idol" last night.
I'd like to be a little more emotional about the whole thing, but I just can't seem to get my dander up, for a number of reasons.
1: We were busy watching the Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs embarass the Pirates 8-1 Tuesday night, and only caught a few performances.
2: Since that Jon Peter Lewis kid got tossed, I've been pretty satisfied.
3: No one should get rewarded for performing Barry Manilow songs, unless it's "Copacabana" or "Swing Street."
4: The American people are idiots.
5: The voting system sucks.
Jennifer Hudson, while no Christina Aguilera by any measure, was still far better than that red-headed John Stevens kid. But he's 16, and it's no stretch of the imagination to believe there's hundreds of kids in a "John Stevens Fan Club" voting over and over to see their boy ushered to the finals. No matter how often he's berated, accuratley, by Simon, he keeps advancing.
When you allow people to vote for who they want to keep, this is the kind of stuff that happens. The voting should be ESPN "Dream Job"-style, where you vote for who you want to cut. That simple change would go a long way toward seeing the worst singer kicked off every week.
Despite all of this expert analysis, "Idol" is not at the top of my reality TV "must-see" list. Of course, all of my TV viewing habits begin and end with Cubs games. After that, I have a nice schedule set up that includes "Fear Factor" and "The Inferno" on Monday, "The Real World" on Tuesday, taping "The Bachelor" on Wednesday for Thursday viewing, "Friends" live on Thursday, "While You Were Out" Friday, "Trading Spaces" Saturday and "America's Funniest Videos" on Sunday. Other than that, we like to watch "FUll House" on Nickelodeon and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" on ABC Family.
I'm going to miss TV once the baby comes.
I'd like to be a little more emotional about the whole thing, but I just can't seem to get my dander up, for a number of reasons.
1: We were busy watching the Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs embarass the Pirates 8-1 Tuesday night, and only caught a few performances.
2: Since that Jon Peter Lewis kid got tossed, I've been pretty satisfied.
3: No one should get rewarded for performing Barry Manilow songs, unless it's "Copacabana" or "Swing Street."
4: The American people are idiots.
5: The voting system sucks.
Jennifer Hudson, while no Christina Aguilera by any measure, was still far better than that red-headed John Stevens kid. But he's 16, and it's no stretch of the imagination to believe there's hundreds of kids in a "John Stevens Fan Club" voting over and over to see their boy ushered to the finals. No matter how often he's berated, accuratley, by Simon, he keeps advancing.
When you allow people to vote for who they want to keep, this is the kind of stuff that happens. The voting should be ESPN "Dream Job"-style, where you vote for who you want to cut. That simple change would go a long way toward seeing the worst singer kicked off every week.
Despite all of this expert analysis, "Idol" is not at the top of my reality TV "must-see" list. Of course, all of my TV viewing habits begin and end with Cubs games. After that, I have a nice schedule set up that includes "Fear Factor" and "The Inferno" on Monday, "The Real World" on Tuesday, taping "The Bachelor" on Wednesday for Thursday viewing, "Friends" live on Thursday, "While You Were Out" Friday, "Trading Spaces" Saturday and "America's Funniest Videos" on Sunday. Other than that, we like to watch "FUll House" on Nickelodeon and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" on ABC Family.
I'm going to miss TV once the baby comes.
Baby watch
Still no sign of the fetus.
We go to the doctor this afternoon. Kristie's mom said the first time she was "examined" by the OB//GYN in the late stages of pregnancy, delivery came shortly thereafter. We've been to the doctor every week since March 24. For the past three or four weeks, there's been no change each time (except for getting different due dates).
The guess is that today there either will be some new change ("You're dilated to two centimeters." "Two centimeters? I'm dilated two centimers!") or an inducement date will be scheduled. Not that the inducement option is the way to go. It's actually a bit scary, though at some point is less scary than the prospect of her being pregnant forever.
Also, on a side note, today is her borther's 10th birthday. I pointed out many months ago the baby was much more likely to come near the 22nd than it was near April 1, her father's birthday.
I'm right so rarely it's a joy to rub it in.
We go to the doctor this afternoon. Kristie's mom said the first time she was "examined" by the OB//GYN in the late stages of pregnancy, delivery came shortly thereafter. We've been to the doctor every week since March 24. For the past three or four weeks, there's been no change each time (except for getting different due dates).
The guess is that today there either will be some new change ("You're dilated to two centimeters." "Two centimeters? I'm dilated two centimers!") or an inducement date will be scheduled. Not that the inducement option is the way to go. It's actually a bit scary, though at some point is less scary than the prospect of her being pregnant forever.
Also, on a side note, today is her borther's 10th birthday. I pointed out many months ago the baby was much more likely to come near the 22nd than it was near April 1, her father's birthday.
I'm right so rarely it's a joy to rub it in.
The "I Never" list
If you read Wednesday's column, you caught three of my "I never" moments: Never owned a cell phone, never changed a diaper, never watched "The Godfather."
While "I Never" is a fine, fine drinking game, able to get people loaded and encourage them to admit embarrassing details, the point of the "I Never" list is more of an admission of cultural phenomena and other life experiences that somehow missed my radar screen.
For example, I've never:
• Watched an episode of "Survivor"
• Visited New York City
• Been out of the country
• Learned to drive a stick shift
• Broken a bone
• Attended an NHL game
• Watched an NHL game on TV in its entirety
• Learned how to keep score for bowling
• Read "Tom Sawyer" or "Huckleberry Finn" and a whole litany of Great American Novels.
• Confessed my all-consuming passion for all things Jennifer Aniston.
Anyhow, you get the idea. I'll add more as I think of them. Making this list might give me something to do when I get bored at meetings I'm supposed to cover. Your additions are welcome.
While "I Never" is a fine, fine drinking game, able to get people loaded and encourage them to admit embarrassing details, the point of the "I Never" list is more of an admission of cultural phenomena and other life experiences that somehow missed my radar screen.
For example, I've never:
• Watched an episode of "Survivor"
• Visited New York City
• Been out of the country
• Learned to drive a stick shift
• Broken a bone
• Attended an NHL game
• Watched an NHL game on TV in its entirety
• Learned how to keep score for bowling
• Read "Tom Sawyer" or "Huckleberry Finn" and a whole litany of Great American Novels.
• Confessed my all-consuming passion for all things Jennifer Aniston.
Anyhow, you get the idea. I'll add more as I think of them. Making this list might give me something to do when I get bored at meetings I'm supposed to cover. Your additions are welcome.
The Countdown Begins
The last of three original "Friends" episodes airs tonight at 7 p.m. Central. According to NBC, the new episode, "TOW Estelle Dies," lasts 32 minutes. So for those of you that, like me, have to be out of the house tonight, make sure to set the VCR extra long.
I was going to start with "For those who have been living under a box," but that's pretty unfair given how long it's been since the last new episode, at least seven or eight weeks. It reminds me of the mini-cliffhanger from 2002 when Joey told Ross he was in love with Rachel seconds before the Winter Olympics began. That was just a two-week delay, this one has gone on for two months.
Some have been ciritcal of NBC, and perhaps rightly so. But no established TV show airs all of its new episodes in sequence (unless it's "24," I suppose), because the TV season lasts longer (September to May) than most shows produce episodes in one season. Even if they air all original episodes in the set timeslot, they're usually interrupted one way or another for sports, movies, pageants or sweeps programming.
And that's cool. If NBC's approach to Friends this year really was so horrible, not many of us would be hanging around just to see what happens. And as it stands, there are plenty of people waiting to see what happens the next three weeks.
Let's just hope I don't get all emotional like I did in the eighth grade when Cheers went off the air.
I was going to start with "For those who have been living under a box," but that's pretty unfair given how long it's been since the last new episode, at least seven or eight weeks. It reminds me of the mini-cliffhanger from 2002 when Joey told Ross he was in love with Rachel seconds before the Winter Olympics began. That was just a two-week delay, this one has gone on for two months.
Some have been ciritcal of NBC, and perhaps rightly so. But no established TV show airs all of its new episodes in sequence (unless it's "24," I suppose), because the TV season lasts longer (September to May) than most shows produce episodes in one season. Even if they air all original episodes in the set timeslot, they're usually interrupted one way or another for sports, movies, pageants or sweeps programming.
And that's cool. If NBC's approach to Friends this year really was so horrible, not many of us would be hanging around just to see what happens. And as it stands, there are plenty of people waiting to see what happens the next three weeks.
Let's just hope I don't get all emotional like I did in the eighth grade when Cheers went off the air.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Magic words
You know, sometimes I try not to bash the White Sox. It's hard, because of how much Sox fans hate Cubs fans. I don't hate the Sox. I really like Magglio Ordonex and Ozzie Guillen, and I think the Sox succeeding would only be good for baseball in general.
But no matter how much you try to be polite about it, it's impossible to ignore the glaring difference between the atmosphere at Wrigley (playoffs in April) and the atmosphere at Comiskey (your typical wake). It doesn't help that the Sox broadcasting team is brutally boring.
This all is a means of introduction to a nice quote from Steve Rosenbloom's "And Another Thing..." column in today's Tribune:
Read the whole column here.
But no matter how much you try to be polite about it, it's impossible to ignore the glaring difference between the atmosphere at Wrigley (playoffs in April) and the atmosphere at Comiskey (your typical wake). It doesn't help that the Sox broadcasting team is brutally boring.
This all is a means of introduction to a nice quote from Steve Rosenbloom's "And Another Thing..." column in today's Tribune:
Good thing about the Yankees coming to U.S. Comiskey Park is that the White Sox finally will have more people inside their park than the Cubs usually have outside theirs.
Read the whole column here.
Can you hear me now?
For those new to me/The Blog, I write a column for my newspaper, the Clinton Herald, every other Wednesday. Most of the archives on this site (in fact, everything older than April), are just old columns posted for friends and family. Here's today's "Salmagundi," on the wonders of cell phones.
I’ve never owned a cell phone.
There, I said it. It’s out in the open — I’ve never owned a cell phone. Just like I’ve never seen “The Godfather,” can’t tell a radiator from a carburetor and haven’t changed a diaper.
But, since my diaper-changing days are about to begin any day now, I’ve been carrying a cell phone with me any time I’m away from my wife or my office phone. It’s all at once empowering and unnerving.
To clarify, it’s not that I’m anti-technology. In fact, I very much enjoy technology. So much so that it’s one of the main reasons I don’t own a cell phone. If I were to allow myself to enter the 21st century, it might be tough to exert self-control.
I’d want a flip phone with a color screen that takes digital video while letting me surf the Internet. I’d want a phone that would plug me in to any Cubs game I couldn’t watch on TV, telling me how many runners were left on base when Sammy Sosa grounded weakly to the second baseman.
I’d download different ring tones for everyone I know, from Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” to Hanson’s “Mmm-Bop!” just because I could. My phone would double as a personal digital assistant, letting me type in my appointments and reminders. It would have voice recognition, text messaging and an assortment of fun games to play to keep me amused in moments of boredom.
That desire for excess is why I don’t have a cell phone. It’s the same reason we don’t have TiVo, digital cable with HBO or broadband Internet access at home. I want it all, and having little to none of it makes it far easier to stomach.
In my line of work, cell phones are a blessing. I can track down key sources on deadline, bypassing their office and going straight to the cell. The worst-case scenario is they get a message to call me back ASAP. This works for people in Clinton or Kalamazoo — I get who I want, when I want them and it’s a beautiful thing.
That’s probably another reason I don’t carry one myself, because I feel the need to get away. It’s very hard for me to be in town and not at work just because I feel I’m missing out on the pulse of life in the Gateway area. I want to know about things as they happen to make it easier for me to recount events in the pages of this newspaper.
With a severely pregnant wife, the cell phone becomes sort of a necessary evil. I know generations of women gave birth successfully without being able to contact their husbands at a moment’s notice. But since the technology is available, it only makes sense to use it.
The challenge is to resist the temptation to become an addict, to call someone different every time I’m in the car, to be the guy walking down the aisles of the grocery store shouting “Cream of chicken or chicken noodle?”
Cell phones, for all of their ability to provide independence from the land line phone, also tie people down. Too often to count I’ve seen people get up from the dinner table to take a call, embarrass themselves by shutting off a ringing phone during church or simply carrying on obviously private conversation in public places, oblivious to the world around them that may not care to hear about their new wart removal cream.
Maybe one day I’ll join the cell-phone generation full-time. It’ll probably happen shortly after my car breaks down 30 miles from the nearest gas station. But until then, I’m content with the status quo; to be on call when I’m needed and shut off when I have time to get away.
Can you hear me now?
I’ve never owned a cell phone.
There, I said it. It’s out in the open — I’ve never owned a cell phone. Just like I’ve never seen “The Godfather,” can’t tell a radiator from a carburetor and haven’t changed a diaper.
But, since my diaper-changing days are about to begin any day now, I’ve been carrying a cell phone with me any time I’m away from my wife or my office phone. It’s all at once empowering and unnerving.
To clarify, it’s not that I’m anti-technology. In fact, I very much enjoy technology. So much so that it’s one of the main reasons I don’t own a cell phone. If I were to allow myself to enter the 21st century, it might be tough to exert self-control.
I’d want a flip phone with a color screen that takes digital video while letting me surf the Internet. I’d want a phone that would plug me in to any Cubs game I couldn’t watch on TV, telling me how many runners were left on base when Sammy Sosa grounded weakly to the second baseman.
I’d download different ring tones for everyone I know, from Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” to Hanson’s “Mmm-Bop!” just because I could. My phone would double as a personal digital assistant, letting me type in my appointments and reminders. It would have voice recognition, text messaging and an assortment of fun games to play to keep me amused in moments of boredom.
That desire for excess is why I don’t have a cell phone. It’s the same reason we don’t have TiVo, digital cable with HBO or broadband Internet access at home. I want it all, and having little to none of it makes it far easier to stomach.
In my line of work, cell phones are a blessing. I can track down key sources on deadline, bypassing their office and going straight to the cell. The worst-case scenario is they get a message to call me back ASAP. This works for people in Clinton or Kalamazoo — I get who I want, when I want them and it’s a beautiful thing.
That’s probably another reason I don’t carry one myself, because I feel the need to get away. It’s very hard for me to be in town and not at work just because I feel I’m missing out on the pulse of life in the Gateway area. I want to know about things as they happen to make it easier for me to recount events in the pages of this newspaper.
With a severely pregnant wife, the cell phone becomes sort of a necessary evil. I know generations of women gave birth successfully without being able to contact their husbands at a moment’s notice. But since the technology is available, it only makes sense to use it.
The challenge is to resist the temptation to become an addict, to call someone different every time I’m in the car, to be the guy walking down the aisles of the grocery store shouting “Cream of chicken or chicken noodle?”
Cell phones, for all of their ability to provide independence from the land line phone, also tie people down. Too often to count I’ve seen people get up from the dinner table to take a call, embarrass themselves by shutting off a ringing phone during church or simply carrying on obviously private conversation in public places, oblivious to the world around them that may not care to hear about their new wart removal cream.
Maybe one day I’ll join the cell-phone generation full-time. It’ll probably happen shortly after my car breaks down 30 miles from the nearest gas station. But until then, I’m content with the status quo; to be on call when I’m needed and shut off when I have time to get away.
Can you hear me now?
Monkey see, monkey do?
In what I consider a must-read for anyone that likes monkeys, Chicago Tribune reporter William Mullen explains what precautions were taken to ensure safety at the new Lincoln Park Zoo ape house.
From his lead:
Read the full story here.
From his lead:
A gang of climbing primates came to the Lincoln Park Zoo on Tuesday to test if its new, $25.7 million ape house really is escape-proof--something keepers wanted to know before the gorillas and chimpanzees arrive next month.
To the chagrin of zoo officials who looked on, the big apes--all experienced mountain climbers and climbing instructors--were able to clamber out of the outdoor yard.
Over the course of a half-hour, one climber found three separate routes out of the supposedly secure enclosure.
Read the full story here.
Fun with Friends
I found this fun page at the Des Moines Register site a few minutes ago. I haven't had time to check the whole thing out, but I did ace the Friends quiz, which requires Flash and may or may not open in a pop-up window.
Sucks to be this chick
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- A Sydney woman demanded an explanation Tuesday from a hospital where a pair of scissors were left in her abdomen after surgery and said she planned to sue.
Read the full account here. With a photo!
Read the full account here. With a photo!
Window to my world
While reading Eric Zorn's Notebook, I came across a link to this excellent commentary in the Centre Daily Times. It quite adeptly debunks myths many people believe about how newspapers operate. It's a quick read and very eye-opening to those on the outside.
Among the insights:
Among the insights:
Amazing as it may seem, people get into journalism because they think journalism matters (and that it will be fun). Professional pride plus fear of nasty phone calls keeps them extremely scrupulous about balance and fairness. When they feel pressure from above to slant the news, they mutiny.
Am I saying all journalists are paragons of virtue? Of course not. The news biz, like every other business, has its scoundrels. But in journalism, as in most professions, shoddy work is a bigger problem than skullduggery.
If you don't believe me, spend time in a newsroom. You won't see conspiracies being hatched. You'll see chaos.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Can you escape?
Can you escape the Crimson Room? I haven't been able to yet. I'll let you know when I do.
Unless you're some kind of genius, prepare to be frustrated.
Unless you're some kind of genius, prepare to be frustrated.
The hallowed halls
Attention ex-Libertyvillians:
Have you been keeping up on the goings-on at dear old alma mater? Surely you all must know the Brainerd building went into remission once the Vernon Hills High School opened. But were you aware of how much it will cost ($8 million) to rehab the place, and that people are working hard to save it?
The Daily Herald has an update on the group's efforts here.
Also, those handy-dandy camera cell-phones soon may be banned at dear old LHS, just like those evil baseball caps. Read up on that here.
Have you been keeping up on the goings-on at dear old alma mater? Surely you all must know the Brainerd building went into remission once the Vernon Hills High School opened. But were you aware of how much it will cost ($8 million) to rehab the place, and that people are working hard to save it?
The Daily Herald has an update on the group's efforts here.
Also, those handy-dandy camera cell-phones soon may be banned at dear old LHS, just like those evil baseball caps. Read up on that here.
Clement-time
Cubs pitcher Matt Clement is the epitome of a paraphrased adage: When he is good, he's very, very good; but when he is bad, he's awful.
His line from yesterday's win against the Reds: 6.1 innings, 4 hits, 1 run (earned), 4 walks and 6 strikeouts. Not dominating, per se, (putting about 1.3 guys on base each inning), but every team should be so lucky as to have a guy that gets the game to the bullpen in the seventh inning after giving up just one run.
In his first start of the year, Clement gave up four earned runs in just four innings on six hits, three walks and just four strikeouts. It's a frustrating on-off situation, but pretty much every starting pitcher has to deal with that.
The way I see it, you can look at the value of a staff by looking at each pitcher over 10 starts (which would give you 50 games). Your best guys, like Mark Prior, are going to have 9 to 10 quality starts in there. With Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano, I think it's reasonable to expect 7 to 8 quality starts (and in those, one or two truly dominating outings). Clement is a 50-50 guy, where it seems he's either brilliant or terrible. And it's too early to tell what they have with Sergio Mitre (or the 2004 edition of Greg Maddux).
That said, Wood, Prior, Clement and Z all have "no-hit" stuff. Of those, it might be the safest bet to go with Clement or Z to get a no-hitter, simply because their "on" games have them almost untouchable. I would not be surprised if at least one Cubs starter throws a no-no this year, and almost guarantee someone will take one into the seventh inning.
His line from yesterday's win against the Reds: 6.1 innings, 4 hits, 1 run (earned), 4 walks and 6 strikeouts. Not dominating, per se, (putting about 1.3 guys on base each inning), but every team should be so lucky as to have a guy that gets the game to the bullpen in the seventh inning after giving up just one run.
In his first start of the year, Clement gave up four earned runs in just four innings on six hits, three walks and just four strikeouts. It's a frustrating on-off situation, but pretty much every starting pitcher has to deal with that.
The way I see it, you can look at the value of a staff by looking at each pitcher over 10 starts (which would give you 50 games). Your best guys, like Mark Prior, are going to have 9 to 10 quality starts in there. With Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano, I think it's reasonable to expect 7 to 8 quality starts (and in those, one or two truly dominating outings). Clement is a 50-50 guy, where it seems he's either brilliant or terrible. And it's too early to tell what they have with Sergio Mitre (or the 2004 edition of Greg Maddux).
That said, Wood, Prior, Clement and Z all have "no-hit" stuff. Of those, it might be the safest bet to go with Clement or Z to get a no-hitter, simply because their "on" games have them almost untouchable. I would not be surprised if at least one Cubs starter throws a no-no this year, and almost guarantee someone will take one into the seventh inning.
Due date, Schmoo date
That's right, kids, Kristie and the fetus have now obliterated their third official due date. No idea when the kid is coming.
For the record, the first time we went to the doctor, way back in August 2003 (which now seems like forever ago), they suggested April 15. As soon as prospective parents get a due date, they latch on to it. So in our heads, it's always been April 15.
But, the technician administering the first ultrasound, just before New Year's, said the kid was due April 10. Still, we had 4/15/04 circled on the calendar.
Then, we went to Iowa City for an ultrasound. The nurse had a little wheel (kind of like the grade wheel we had at Rockland Elementary that told us what percentage we got on a test based on the total number of questions and the number of correct answers) that showed the baby was due April 19. But, the ultrasound just minutes later confirmed April 15.
And, all along, her mother insisted it would be born April 1, which is Kristie's dad's birthday. I said it's be more likely to be on her brother's birthday, which happens to be Thursday. There's not a lot more satisfying than being right when your mother-in-law is wrong.
Anyhow, at last week's examination (April 14), the doctor decided the 15th wasn't a good due date, since nothing has changed in Kristie's condition, except more weight, in the past three weeks. So he pushed the due date to the 19th.
Which was yesterday.
So, the bottom line (which here actually is the bottom line): no baby yet.
For the record, the first time we went to the doctor, way back in August 2003 (which now seems like forever ago), they suggested April 15. As soon as prospective parents get a due date, they latch on to it. So in our heads, it's always been April 15.
But, the technician administering the first ultrasound, just before New Year's, said the kid was due April 10. Still, we had 4/15/04 circled on the calendar.
Then, we went to Iowa City for an ultrasound. The nurse had a little wheel (kind of like the grade wheel we had at Rockland Elementary that told us what percentage we got on a test based on the total number of questions and the number of correct answers) that showed the baby was due April 19. But, the ultrasound just minutes later confirmed April 15.
And, all along, her mother insisted it would be born April 1, which is Kristie's dad's birthday. I said it's be more likely to be on her brother's birthday, which happens to be Thursday. There's not a lot more satisfying than being right when your mother-in-law is wrong.
Anyhow, at last week's examination (April 14), the doctor decided the 15th wasn't a good due date, since nothing has changed in Kristie's condition, except more weight, in the past three weeks. So he pushed the due date to the 19th.
Which was yesterday.
So, the bottom line (which here actually is the bottom line): no baby yet.
Monday, April 19, 2004
The wisdom of Maxim
I love Maxim. Maybe that makes me a chauvinist, or at least juvenile (but Kristie reads it too, so there!) but that doesn't change the fact that I love Maxim. I'm letting my Stuff subscription run out, but that's more a financial decision. I have to have one, and Maxim is the clear king.
Anyhow, aside from the potty humor and hot ladies, Maxim is actually a pretty smart mag. Check out this commentary from the Editor's Letter in the May 2004 issue:
I'm not saying I agree 100%, but as a member of both the political media and the disillusioned MTV generation, I think the point at least is worth considering.
Anyhow, aside from the potty humor and hot ladies, Maxim is actually a pretty smart mag. Check out this commentary from the Editor's Letter in the May 2004 issue:
People, there is something deeply and dangerously wrong with American politics that is not either party's fault. In a culture capable of anything -- microwave pancakes! -- crappy voter turnout must be desirable, or at least acceptable, to the people in power. Maybe disillusionment stifles rebellion.
I'm not saying I agree 100%, but as a member of both the political media and the disillusioned MTV generation, I think the point at least is worth considering.
Sucks to be this guy
WINFIELD, Ind. (AP) -- A northwestern Indiana man who won $9.7 million in a January lottery drawing died when his car struck a utility pole in a rainstorm.
Read the full account here.
Read the full account here.
Friday, April 16, 2004
Here's A Weird One
Have you ever sold a car? Not necessarily sold it, but just gotten rid of a car? Traded it in, junked it out, gave it to a nephew or the blind kid down the street?
Ok. Now have you ever seen the car again? Once?
For all of the cars that you used to own, either yours or your parents or even your best friends, once they're gone, have you ever seen them again?
The reason I ask, is because we saw Kristie's old car at Fareway last week. We were heading into the parking lot, I saw an old blue Oldsmobile, and I joked "Hey, isn't that your car?"
As a point of reference, I say "Hey, isn't that my car?" all the time, because everyone in this town drives a white Buick Century.
As we got closer to the blue Olds, it became increasing apparent that it was Kristie's car. Same crack in the windshield, same rust spots on the hood, same Coe College and Spring Park Apartments parking stickers.
Kristie wouldn't let me stand there and wait to see what poor soul is driving that wreck, which stranded Kristie at least three times in Cedar Rapids and Independence.
By the time she finally had enough, when we really thought it was dead, her Dad donated it to some charity, and had a heck of a time even getting it out of the driveway. I think the group finally came and got it, then said it probably wasn't worth the price they'd already agreed on. But there it was, sitting proudly in the Fareway parking lot, just waiting to turn on its new owner.
We should have left a sympathy note.
Ok. Now have you ever seen the car again? Once?
For all of the cars that you used to own, either yours or your parents or even your best friends, once they're gone, have you ever seen them again?
The reason I ask, is because we saw Kristie's old car at Fareway last week. We were heading into the parking lot, I saw an old blue Oldsmobile, and I joked "Hey, isn't that your car?"
As a point of reference, I say "Hey, isn't that my car?" all the time, because everyone in this town drives a white Buick Century.
As we got closer to the blue Olds, it became increasing apparent that it was Kristie's car. Same crack in the windshield, same rust spots on the hood, same Coe College and Spring Park Apartments parking stickers.
Kristie wouldn't let me stand there and wait to see what poor soul is driving that wreck, which stranded Kristie at least three times in Cedar Rapids and Independence.
By the time she finally had enough, when we really thought it was dead, her Dad donated it to some charity, and had a heck of a time even getting it out of the driveway. I think the group finally came and got it, then said it probably wasn't worth the price they'd already agreed on. But there it was, sitting proudly in the Fareway parking lot, just waiting to turn on its new owner.
We should have left a sympathy note.
Greatest Game Ever
OK, it probably isn't far to give it that moniker. But today's Cubs-Reds game, which the Cubs won on back-to-back Sosa/Alou homers in the bottom of the ninth, was an absolute thrill to watch.
Read all about it here.
The game didn't have the quality pitching that highlighted last year's Cubs-Yankess game started by Wood and Clemens, but it had just about everything else. And a playoff atmosphere in Wrigley Field... in April? Awesome.
Games like this remind me why I'm a baseball fan.
Read all about it here.
The game didn't have the quality pitching that highlighted last year's Cubs-Yankess game started by Wood and Clemens, but it had just about everything else. And a playoff atmosphere in Wrigley Field... in April? Awesome.
Games like this remind me why I'm a baseball fan.
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Walk this Way
Those that haven't seen me lately ought to check out this old Clinton Herald column, which explains my addiction to wearing a pedometer and writing down my step total each day.
My goal this year is to get 2 million steps. According to my spreadsheet, I'm on pace for just about 2.15 million. My average is 5,873 per day. I'm working off the pedometer's default setting, which calculates a 30 inch step. That makes it 2,112 steps to the mile. My best day was March 24, a 15,537 step effort (that's 7.36 miles).
Anyhow, I plan to keep folks posted on my walking habits, which probably will change with the baby and the weather.
And, for full disclosure, I should report I changed pedometers about a month ago when my first pedometer started missing simple steps, like from the couch to the fridge. My new pedometer is far more active. It's nice, because it means I get credit for all of the steps when I go up stairs, a not just the ones taken with the right leg. The downside is that I have to make sure it doesn't register in the car, because bumps in the road will give me 25 freebies just on the way to work.
And, for proof I'm not totally nuts, check out what McDonald's is doing here.
My goal this year is to get 2 million steps. According to my spreadsheet, I'm on pace for just about 2.15 million. My average is 5,873 per day. I'm working off the pedometer's default setting, which calculates a 30 inch step. That makes it 2,112 steps to the mile. My best day was March 24, a 15,537 step effort (that's 7.36 miles).
Anyhow, I plan to keep folks posted on my walking habits, which probably will change with the baby and the weather.
And, for full disclosure, I should report I changed pedometers about a month ago when my first pedometer started missing simple steps, like from the couch to the fridge. My new pedometer is far more active. It's nice, because it means I get credit for all of the steps when I go up stairs, a not just the ones taken with the right leg. The downside is that I have to make sure it doesn't register in the car, because bumps in the road will give me 25 freebies just on the way to work.
And, for proof I'm not totally nuts, check out what McDonald's is doing here.
Subservient Chicken
One of the nice things about a blog is it allows me to let people know about all the weird crap on the Internet without sending e-mail forwards to everyone.
That said, I was thrilled when Evan sent this link along this afternoon. I've only tried to get the chicken to do one thing (dance a jig), but I'm pretty sure I can come up with a few more ideas.
I'd encourage anyone to post here the things the chicken will and won't do.
That said, I was thrilled when Evan sent this link along this afternoon. I've only tried to get the chicken to do one thing (dance a jig), but I'm pretty sure I can come up with a few more ideas.
I'd encourage anyone to post here the things the chicken will and won't do.
Vernon Hills Cougars
For those of you that don't pay attention to what's happening in Lake County these days, here's a bit of an update.
Check out this Daily Herald story about a cougar roaming through part of the county.
If you haven't had enough, stop by this Chicago Tribune story to see what that paper (and WGN-TV) has to say about the situation.
Check out this Daily Herald story about a cougar roaming through part of the county.
If you haven't had enough, stop by this Chicago Tribune story to see what that paper (and WGN-TV) has to say about the situation.
Sucks to be this guy
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A fan seeking to catch Barry Bonds' historic 661st career home run fell about 20 feet from the right-field stands out of the stadium and was injured, a San Francisco Giants official said on Wednesday.
Read the full account here.
Read the full account here.
The All-hair Team
I am a habitual reader of ESPN.com's Page 2, which offers a mix of sports/media commentary and humor each weekday. Some of the guys working for this site have "dream job" type positions that take them on tours of Major League Baseball stadiums, or at least pay them to watch games on TV. From the outside, it seems to be a pretty good life.
Anyhow, check out the site's current features, the All-hair Team, which features excellent photos of some of baseball's best/worst hairstyles (depending on how you look at it).
Anyhow, check out the site's current features, the All-hair Team, which features excellent photos of some of baseball's best/worst hairstyles (depending on how you look at it).
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
The Waiting Game
So, we went to the doctor again this afternoon.
Good news? Kristie's not as big as the other woman in the waiting room, the one with the twins not due until May 6 that will probably get a C-section next week.
Bad news? No change in Kristie's condition. There's been no change over the last three weeks.
Worse news? The doctor decided he didn't like our original due date (Thursday) and quoted another one, April 19. So, we pretty much will continue to wait, wait and wait some more.
And yes, I realize this is much, much harder on the pregnant lady than the husband, I'd like to state that my main concern in all of this is her feeling better. Sure, I'm anxious to have the baby, but I'm really just sorry for what she has to go through.
On the upside, I guess, she decided today was her last day at work until 6 weeks after the baby comes. She said the decision came during middle school band. Her sub, who's been helping with her classes for a few days, was running the rehearsal. Kristie was sitting and watching. She saw a timpani player striking the drum way too close to the center of the head.
However, she decided it would be too much of an effort to stand up and walk over there to correct the mistake. (My solution? Throw a shoe at her to get her attention.) That's when she realized teaching was taking too much of a toll.
Good news? Kristie's not as big as the other woman in the waiting room, the one with the twins not due until May 6 that will probably get a C-section next week.
Bad news? No change in Kristie's condition. There's been no change over the last three weeks.
Worse news? The doctor decided he didn't like our original due date (Thursday) and quoted another one, April 19. So, we pretty much will continue to wait, wait and wait some more.
And yes, I realize this is much, much harder on the pregnant lady than the husband, I'd like to state that my main concern in all of this is her feeling better. Sure, I'm anxious to have the baby, but I'm really just sorry for what she has to go through.
On the upside, I guess, she decided today was her last day at work until 6 weeks after the baby comes. She said the decision came during middle school band. Her sub, who's been helping with her classes for a few days, was running the rehearsal. Kristie was sitting and watching. She saw a timpani player striking the drum way too close to the center of the head.
However, she decided it would be too much of an effort to stand up and walk over there to correct the mistake. (My solution? Throw a shoe at her to get her attention.) That's when she realized teaching was taking too much of a toll.
Comments added
I learned how to add an option for people to comment after each post. I also figured out how to get my e-mail address in the sidebar. A few days ago, I rememberd how to add hyperlinks to the posts. Sadly, that's just about the extent of my HTML knowledge, so don't expect too much else to change here.
Also, if anyone would like to have their homepage listed in my links column, let me know. Now that we're all, for the most part, out of college, I know homepages are few and far between. But, as y'all continue to get married and have families (and, more importantly, digital cameras) I think they'll start to pop up again.
Also, if anyone would like to have their homepage listed in my links column, let me know. Now that we're all, for the most part, out of college, I know homepages are few and far between. But, as y'all continue to get married and have families (and, more importantly, digital cameras) I think they'll start to pop up again.
Sucks to be this guy
TULSA, Oklahoma (Reuters) - An Oklahoma man went into a home improvement store looking for shrubs but left in an ambulance after being bitten by a rattlesnake, officials said on Wednesday.
Read the full account here.
Read the full account here.
Coral, Coral, Coral
Predictably, I also love the Real World/Road Rules challenge shows, especially the current incarnation, The Inferno.
I won't get into a long discussion here, though I could very easily debate the pros and cons of the various scoring systems, dating back to the "Battle of the Seasons" from early 2002.
I'll just say that my favorite segment of "The Inferno" finally came last week. I'd been waiting to see it since it was teased in the preview show.
For those that didn't see (or don't care, I guess), my recap won't do any justice. But it came during a verbal argument between Julie (the Mormon) and Coral (the raging lesbian (I think)) from New York. Julie, fed up with Coral, challenged her to a wrestling match, stating the guys do it all the time.
Coral's response? "I don't wrestle. I f*****g beat b*****s up." Quality television.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the MTV Generation.
I won't get into a long discussion here, though I could very easily debate the pros and cons of the various scoring systems, dating back to the "Battle of the Seasons" from early 2002.
I'll just say that my favorite segment of "The Inferno" finally came last week. I'd been waiting to see it since it was teased in the preview show.
For those that didn't see (or don't care, I guess), my recap won't do any justice. But it came during a verbal argument between Julie (the Mormon) and Coral (the raging lesbian (I think)) from New York. Julie, fed up with Coral, challenged her to a wrestling match, stating the guys do it all the time.
Coral's response? "I don't wrestle. I f*****g beat b*****s up." Quality television.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the MTV Generation.
Frankie, Frankie, Frankie
I love The Real World. I will not apologize for this.
Anyhow, my love goes back only so far as the Chicago season (which I know is not all that far for the old school crowd). I watched a bit of New York, enough to get the Mike-Coral history down. I hated the Hawaii cast, which was my first real exposure to the show (see, my parents didn't get cable until I left for college, and they didn't get real cable, with MTV and ESPN, until a couple years ago). Amaya almost single-handedly ruined MTV for me.
I started watching The Real World in 2001 during the casting special for the "Back to New York" season. I got hooked, mainly because a girl I believe to be Ellen Cho, a year ahead of me at LHS, was on the special, eventually winning a spot on Road Rules (the only way it isn't the Ellen I never reallly knew is if there's another 20-something hottie named Ellen from Vernon Hills, Ill.).
I really got into Chicago for two reasons. One, Tonya is hot. And two, it was set in Chicago.
That followed with the Las Vegas cast, which basically was free Cinemax every Tuesday night. Those kids had no morals. Highly amusing. (The best moment of the season was during the Steven-Trishelle pregnancy scare when Steven told Frank that he and Trishelle would have a good-looking kid. Frank agreed, then added it would bu dumb as a pile of rocks.)
I didn't immerse myself in the Paris cast, but did catch pretty much every episode. My favorite part was how Simon played the role of Brynn from Vegas and Keri from Chicago, the mildly interesting cast member that disappears from almost every epsiode after the first four.
But I love this San Diego bunch. I could go on about Brad (an Orland Park kid that's twice been arrested on the show and on the FIRST NIGHT called his girlfriend at about 3:30 a.m. Central to have her tell his female housemates how big little Brad is), but these days, I'm really big on Frankie.
My favorite Frankie highlights so far:
• She announces she has cystic fibrosis, but also smokes like a chimney.
• She gets cast in San Diego, where the mates' job is working for a sailboat company, yet is deathly afraid of boats. So much so that she cannot eat breakfast because a Merchant Marine ship goes by the window.
• She regularly, at least three times by my count, gets drunk and makes out with a dude, then calls her at-home boyfriend to sort of apologize.
• During one of these calls, she falls asleep with the phone still on her ear.
• She bought a Burmese python at a San Diego pet store.
• She apparently is in to self-mutilation, prompting a few appearances from Dr. Drew, host of the greatly-missed MTV classic "Loveline."
And that's just all I can think of today. Seriously, check this stuff out. My advice is to wait for a Real World marathon, then get all caught up at once. This is a great, great way to kill a Saturday morning.
Anyhow, my love goes back only so far as the Chicago season (which I know is not all that far for the old school crowd). I watched a bit of New York, enough to get the Mike-Coral history down. I hated the Hawaii cast, which was my first real exposure to the show (see, my parents didn't get cable until I left for college, and they didn't get real cable, with MTV and ESPN, until a couple years ago). Amaya almost single-handedly ruined MTV for me.
I started watching The Real World in 2001 during the casting special for the "Back to New York" season. I got hooked, mainly because a girl I believe to be Ellen Cho, a year ahead of me at LHS, was on the special, eventually winning a spot on Road Rules (the only way it isn't the Ellen I never reallly knew is if there's another 20-something hottie named Ellen from Vernon Hills, Ill.).
I really got into Chicago for two reasons. One, Tonya is hot. And two, it was set in Chicago.
That followed with the Las Vegas cast, which basically was free Cinemax every Tuesday night. Those kids had no morals. Highly amusing. (The best moment of the season was during the Steven-Trishelle pregnancy scare when Steven told Frank that he and Trishelle would have a good-looking kid. Frank agreed, then added it would bu dumb as a pile of rocks.)
I didn't immerse myself in the Paris cast, but did catch pretty much every episode. My favorite part was how Simon played the role of Brynn from Vegas and Keri from Chicago, the mildly interesting cast member that disappears from almost every epsiode after the first four.
But I love this San Diego bunch. I could go on about Brad (an Orland Park kid that's twice been arrested on the show and on the FIRST NIGHT called his girlfriend at about 3:30 a.m. Central to have her tell his female housemates how big little Brad is), but these days, I'm really big on Frankie.
My favorite Frankie highlights so far:
• She announces she has cystic fibrosis, but also smokes like a chimney.
• She gets cast in San Diego, where the mates' job is working for a sailboat company, yet is deathly afraid of boats. So much so that she cannot eat breakfast because a Merchant Marine ship goes by the window.
• She regularly, at least three times by my count, gets drunk and makes out with a dude, then calls her at-home boyfriend to sort of apologize.
• During one of these calls, she falls asleep with the phone still on her ear.
• She bought a Burmese python at a San Diego pet store.
• She apparently is in to self-mutilation, prompting a few appearances from Dr. Drew, host of the greatly-missed MTV classic "Loveline."
And that's just all I can think of today. Seriously, check this stuff out. My advice is to wait for a Real World marathon, then get all caught up at once. This is a great, great way to kill a Saturday morning.
Poetry in Motion
Is there anything prettier in baseball than watching Barry Bonds drop a ball into McCovey Cove?
Watching Bonds go deep against Milwaukee last night is a perfect example of why the home run is one of the most exciting plays in all of sports.
It further exemplifies why I prefer baseball to other sports… the entire at-bat is always an interplay of pitcher v. batter. Greg Maddux summed it up pretty well -- after getting thumped by the Pirates Monday -- when he said (and I'm paraphrasing) both hitter and batter know where they want the ball. They know each other's tendencies and abilities.
What follows, with each pitch, is the interplay of seeing who wins. Does the pitcher execute so well the batter fails, or is the batter good enough to hit even the pitcher's best effort?
As the game situation dictates (runners on base, rallies, late in the game), each at bat takes on more and more importance. The beauty of it all is that baseball only ends when the final out is recorded. There is always hope, no matter how remote, that a miracle can happen.
Is your favorite football team down by nine points with two seconds remaining? Game over.
Is your favorite basketball team down by five points wtih one second remaining? Game over.
Is your favorite baseball team down by 10 runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth? Game most likely over... but not for sure.
For more on Bonds and his current feats, check out ESPN.com's coverage of last night's game. Viewers with a good connection should check out the battery of photos on the Website, and try to get ESPN Motion to find a clip of the dramatic blast.
Watching Bonds go deep against Milwaukee last night is a perfect example of why the home run is one of the most exciting plays in all of sports.
It further exemplifies why I prefer baseball to other sports… the entire at-bat is always an interplay of pitcher v. batter. Greg Maddux summed it up pretty well -- after getting thumped by the Pirates Monday -- when he said (and I'm paraphrasing) both hitter and batter know where they want the ball. They know each other's tendencies and abilities.
What follows, with each pitch, is the interplay of seeing who wins. Does the pitcher execute so well the batter fails, or is the batter good enough to hit even the pitcher's best effort?
As the game situation dictates (runners on base, rallies, late in the game), each at bat takes on more and more importance. The beauty of it all is that baseball only ends when the final out is recorded. There is always hope, no matter how remote, that a miracle can happen.
Is your favorite football team down by nine points with two seconds remaining? Game over.
Is your favorite basketball team down by five points wtih one second remaining? Game over.
Is your favorite baseball team down by 10 runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth? Game most likely over... but not for sure.
For more on Bonds and his current feats, check out ESPN.com's coverage of last night's game. Viewers with a good connection should check out the battery of photos on the Website, and try to get ESPN Motion to find a clip of the dramatic blast.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Sucks to be this guy
HONG KONG (Reuters) - When Chan Tin-hon's mobile phone went off, it went off with a bang.
"I was lining up in a bank," the 22-year-old from Hong Kong told local Cable TV. "When I hung up the phone, it exploded. It was very loud."
Read the full account here.
"I was lining up in a bank," the 22-year-old from Hong Kong told local Cable TV. "When I hung up the phone, it exploded. It was very loud."
Read the full account here.
Welcome all
To everyone visiting for the first time (because I just sent out the standard mass e-mail), thanks for coming. I'm sorry it's not more exciting right now, but, frankly, I'm not very exciting right now. But still, thanks for coming.
Friends redux
Looking back at my Friends post from last week, my eyes start to hurt. Was I paying attention to myself when I wrote that? Let's just go through the list, in the order the favorites aired, mostly to complain.
6. TOW the Proposal Part 2
--This is where Chandler and Monica propose to each other. A really solid episode, but I think subtracting the first half (where Joey buys a boat at a charity auction because he thought he was just supposed to guess the right price) really does injustice to the process. This hourlong episode was something special with good plot twists, subplots and an excellent resolution (and it capped one of the few seasons not to end in a cliffhanger).
5. TOW the Rumor
--This is the Thanksgiving episode featuring guest star Brad Pitt. Clearly, a Thanksgiving show had to be included since Friends has a long legacy of Thanksgiving show going back to season one. However, a better example would have been the show with Rachel's sister Amy (Christina Applegate); the eipsode where Joey turns Rachel's maternity pants into "eating pants"; TOW All the Thanksgivings, a nice retro episode that showed the hisotry of Monica and Chandler's relationship (and ended with Monica wearing a turkey on her head); or, preferably, the one with the flag football game in the park.
4. TOW Everybody Finds Out
--Here's a true classic. To paraphrase:
Phoebe: Ah, but they don't know that we know they know.
Rachel: Joey, you cannot tell them we know they know we know.
Joey: Couldn't if I wanted to.
This is the episode where Phoebe and Ross learn what Joey and Rachel know, that Monica and Chandler are "doin' it." A nice climax to the long series of "hiding the relationship" running gags that started when they hooked up in "London baby!"
3. TOW No One's ready
--As stated earlier, my favorite episode of all time (and should have been No. 1 or 2 here). Too many quotable lines to recount all of them ("In the words of A.A. Milne, 'Get out of my chair, dillhole.'"; Hey look, I'm Chandler, could I be wearing any more clothes?"). Plus, also stated earlier, this show featured a one-set, ensemble acting that ranged from two characters in quiet dialogue to all six interacting simultaneously. Very well written, directed, acted and filmed. Shows the strength of the show as an ensemble cast with no one star performer (a la Sam Malone in "Cheers").
2. TOW Ross Finds Out
--Eh... this episode is not that great in the pantheon of Ross-Rachel. I'd much prefer the episode where they get back from the Florida vacation. Not only does it feature a great break-up scene ("You fell asleep?" "It was 17 pages… FRONT AND BACK!") but also the chilling tale of Chandler peeing on Monica after the jellyfish sting. At the worst, this episode should have bumped the Brad Pitt episode out of the 5 slot. At best, it would have made way for TOW the Embryos ("Are you in there little fetus? In nine months will you come greet us? I will buy you some adidas…").
1. TOW The Prom Video
--Again, nice to have because Ross and Rachel hook up ("He's her lobster") but overrated because of the retro prom video. Still, a fairly solid episode that should be on the list somewhere. But all the "Mockolate" stuff is such a limp subplot when so many other things are better in other episodes.
In all, I guess they make these lists to induce arguing, which is cool. I could easily come up with 15 favorite episodes (and we should all be glad they didn't run 15… all this waiting for the next new episode is harsh on hardcore fans), which speaks to how good the series has been over the past decade.
I think I'm all Friendsed out for the day.
6. TOW the Proposal Part 2
--This is where Chandler and Monica propose to each other. A really solid episode, but I think subtracting the first half (where Joey buys a boat at a charity auction because he thought he was just supposed to guess the right price) really does injustice to the process. This hourlong episode was something special with good plot twists, subplots and an excellent resolution (and it capped one of the few seasons not to end in a cliffhanger).
5. TOW the Rumor
--This is the Thanksgiving episode featuring guest star Brad Pitt. Clearly, a Thanksgiving show had to be included since Friends has a long legacy of Thanksgiving show going back to season one. However, a better example would have been the show with Rachel's sister Amy (Christina Applegate); the eipsode where Joey turns Rachel's maternity pants into "eating pants"; TOW All the Thanksgivings, a nice retro episode that showed the hisotry of Monica and Chandler's relationship (and ended with Monica wearing a turkey on her head); or, preferably, the one with the flag football game in the park.
4. TOW Everybody Finds Out
--Here's a true classic. To paraphrase:
Phoebe: Ah, but they don't know that we know they know.
Rachel: Joey, you cannot tell them we know they know we know.
Joey: Couldn't if I wanted to.
This is the episode where Phoebe and Ross learn what Joey and Rachel know, that Monica and Chandler are "doin' it." A nice climax to the long series of "hiding the relationship" running gags that started when they hooked up in "London baby!"
3. TOW No One's ready
--As stated earlier, my favorite episode of all time (and should have been No. 1 or 2 here). Too many quotable lines to recount all of them ("In the words of A.A. Milne, 'Get out of my chair, dillhole.'"; Hey look, I'm Chandler, could I be wearing any more clothes?"). Plus, also stated earlier, this show featured a one-set, ensemble acting that ranged from two characters in quiet dialogue to all six interacting simultaneously. Very well written, directed, acted and filmed. Shows the strength of the show as an ensemble cast with no one star performer (a la Sam Malone in "Cheers").
2. TOW Ross Finds Out
--Eh... this episode is not that great in the pantheon of Ross-Rachel. I'd much prefer the episode where they get back from the Florida vacation. Not only does it feature a great break-up scene ("You fell asleep?" "It was 17 pages… FRONT AND BACK!") but also the chilling tale of Chandler peeing on Monica after the jellyfish sting. At the worst, this episode should have bumped the Brad Pitt episode out of the 5 slot. At best, it would have made way for TOW the Embryos ("Are you in there little fetus? In nine months will you come greet us? I will buy you some adidas…").
1. TOW The Prom Video
--Again, nice to have because Ross and Rachel hook up ("He's her lobster") but overrated because of the retro prom video. Still, a fairly solid episode that should be on the list somewhere. But all the "Mockolate" stuff is such a limp subplot when so many other things are better in other episodes.
In all, I guess they make these lists to induce arguing, which is cool. I could easily come up with 15 favorite episodes (and we should all be glad they didn't run 15… all this waiting for the next new episode is harsh on hardcore fans), which speaks to how good the series has been over the past decade.
I think I'm all Friendsed out for the day.
Just hangin' around
Publicity stunt or religious statement? I credit the man for acting on his beliefs in a striking, non-offensive way. This story ran in Saturday's Clinton Herald. I regret only that I cannot post the picture of this dude, suspended on the cross in his gym shoes and flannel shirt.
CLINTON - Allen Crowe, the minister of the Lighthouse Christian Church, 510 N. 18th. St., had a statement to make Friday, and he did it in an unusual way.
He did it by "hanging" himself from a large cross at the end of the church property.
"I want to get people's attention about what this weekend really is," he said. "It's not the Easter bunny nor the Easter eggs - it's about Christ's crucifixion and resurrection."
And notice they did. Someone even called the police to report a "man hanging from a cross."
"I came out about 3:30," Crowe said. "Some didn't think I would get noticed up here, but within 10 minutes, someone called the police. People are definitely taking notice."
The large pole that helped form Crowe's cross was built around mid-week. There is a metal stand built for him to stand on and a rope tied around each end of the cross beam to allow him to hold on to the cross with his arms spread. The cross will become a permanent fixture for the church.
"I'm getting pretty cold and hungry," he said. "And the traffic is getting lighter so I will probably come down around 6 p.m."
CLINTON - Allen Crowe, the minister of the Lighthouse Christian Church, 510 N. 18th. St., had a statement to make Friday, and he did it in an unusual way.
He did it by "hanging" himself from a large cross at the end of the church property.
"I want to get people's attention about what this weekend really is," he said. "It's not the Easter bunny nor the Easter eggs - it's about Christ's crucifixion and resurrection."
And notice they did. Someone even called the police to report a "man hanging from a cross."
"I came out about 3:30," Crowe said. "Some didn't think I would get noticed up here, but within 10 minutes, someone called the police. People are definitely taking notice."
The large pole that helped form Crowe's cross was built around mid-week. There is a metal stand built for him to stand on and a rope tied around each end of the cross beam to allow him to hold on to the cross with his arms spread. The cross will become a permanent fixture for the church.
"I'm getting pretty cold and hungry," he said. "And the traffic is getting lighter so I will probably come down around 6 p.m."
#23
To me, it's a matter of time before the Cubs retire the number of future Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, the hero of my youth.
I'm not lobbying to run Jody Davis' old No. 7 up the flagpole, or Mitch Williams' 28 or Shawon Dunston's No. 12. Sandberg was the best at his position between 1984 and 1995, though some will debate American Leaguer Robbie Alomar stole the crown earlier than that. We all know Sandberg should have won his second MVP award in 1989 over Kevin Mitchell of the Giants.
So when I saw the new flagpole alignment yesterday, with the Cubs three retired numbers (Ernie Banks' 14, Billy Williams' 26 and newly retired Ron Santo's 10) on one pole, I wondered where Sandberg's would fit in the scheme of things.
On top of the stadium are several flags, honoring good seasons (1945, 1932) and standout players (old favorites like Sanberg and Andre Dawson, or current players like Sammy Sosa) and the Bill Murray-stumping JR 42 for Jackie Robinson. Murray could not remember a prominent cub with the initials JR. He argued, prety effectively, Robinson's flag should be written in Dodger script.
But the Cubs will have to one day move Sandberg from the top of the stadium to the foul pole. If things go well, I'd imagine we could one day see Wood, Prior and Maddux's numbers go up as well (and yes, I'm being presumptive, I'm a Cub fan and it's April). The Cubs probably will have to retire Sammy's 21 at some point.
As an aside, the reason the numbers of the truly great Cubs of old have not been retired, those like Gabby Hartnett, Rogers Hornsby, Hack Wilson, Phil Cavaretta or Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, is because some of those guys didn't even wear numbers and, if they did, often wore different numbers in different seasons. Those men are honored inside the stadium (along with more recent greats) on giant hanging posters, kind of a "walk of fame" type of thing. Some also are honored at the Hollywood style "walk of fame" outside the stadium, with inlaid plaques and everything.
Anyhow... long story longer... it's about time someone at Wrigley started making plans to retire Sandberg's number and to figure out exactly where the flag will fly.
I'm not lobbying to run Jody Davis' old No. 7 up the flagpole, or Mitch Williams' 28 or Shawon Dunston's No. 12. Sandberg was the best at his position between 1984 and 1995, though some will debate American Leaguer Robbie Alomar stole the crown earlier than that. We all know Sandberg should have won his second MVP award in 1989 over Kevin Mitchell of the Giants.
So when I saw the new flagpole alignment yesterday, with the Cubs three retired numbers (Ernie Banks' 14, Billy Williams' 26 and newly retired Ron Santo's 10) on one pole, I wondered where Sandberg's would fit in the scheme of things.
On top of the stadium are several flags, honoring good seasons (1945, 1932) and standout players (old favorites like Sanberg and Andre Dawson, or current players like Sammy Sosa) and the Bill Murray-stumping JR 42 for Jackie Robinson. Murray could not remember a prominent cub with the initials JR. He argued, prety effectively, Robinson's flag should be written in Dodger script.
But the Cubs will have to one day move Sandberg from the top of the stadium to the foul pole. If things go well, I'd imagine we could one day see Wood, Prior and Maddux's numbers go up as well (and yes, I'm being presumptive, I'm a Cub fan and it's April). The Cubs probably will have to retire Sammy's 21 at some point.
As an aside, the reason the numbers of the truly great Cubs of old have not been retired, those like Gabby Hartnett, Rogers Hornsby, Hack Wilson, Phil Cavaretta or Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, is because some of those guys didn't even wear numbers and, if they did, often wore different numbers in different seasons. Those men are honored inside the stadium (along with more recent greats) on giant hanging posters, kind of a "walk of fame" type of thing. Some also are honored at the Hollywood style "walk of fame" outside the stadium, with inlaid plaques and everything.
Anyhow... long story longer... it's about time someone at Wrigley started making plans to retire Sandberg's number and to figure out exactly where the flag will fly.
Wrigley opener
My initial reaction to the new behind-home-plate seats at Wrigley Field is that they really are jarring when the TV camera hits them just right. It isn't so much the seats themselves, but the very awkward way in which the wall juts out from either dugout.
The most important thing, in practicality, is how the famed brick wall backstop (copied at too many new retro staidums to count) looks on TV when the centerfield camera shows the pitcher's mound and batter's box. And from that angle, everything looks normal. The masons did an excellent job of recreating the wall so the casual viewer will notice no difference.
And I suppose, eventually, I will notice no difference when looking at the angular portion of the wall that cuts into the playing field to make room for the new $250 seats. I would prefer the corner be eased a little bit, perhaps to reflect the gentle rounded edge of the wells down the right- and left-field lines.
Just like every Wrigley traditionalist, I didn't really want to see the lights go up in 1988 (even though I was not yet 10 years old). But now, 16 years later, it must be argued that the light standards on top of the roof really do look like they belong there. A night game at Wrigley still is a bit odd-looking, but the lights look like they fit.
I highly dislike the new digital message board affixed to the manual scoreboard in center field. But there are plenty of traditionalists older than me that despised what it replaced - the old light-bulb board that looked like an overgrown Little League scoreboard (Which I know was actually two message boards ago, but let's not quibble here).
All in all, I'm willing to accept little changes because it means the park will continue to be viable. The Tribune Company knows the stadium is its gravy train. I really, really dislike the proposed bleacher expansion plans, but that may be a concession needed to keep the ivy-covered walls at the corner of Clark & Addison.
The most important thing, in practicality, is how the famed brick wall backstop (copied at too many new retro staidums to count) looks on TV when the centerfield camera shows the pitcher's mound and batter's box. And from that angle, everything looks normal. The masons did an excellent job of recreating the wall so the casual viewer will notice no difference.
And I suppose, eventually, I will notice no difference when looking at the angular portion of the wall that cuts into the playing field to make room for the new $250 seats. I would prefer the corner be eased a little bit, perhaps to reflect the gentle rounded edge of the wells down the right- and left-field lines.
Just like every Wrigley traditionalist, I didn't really want to see the lights go up in 1988 (even though I was not yet 10 years old). But now, 16 years later, it must be argued that the light standards on top of the roof really do look like they belong there. A night game at Wrigley still is a bit odd-looking, but the lights look like they fit.
I highly dislike the new digital message board affixed to the manual scoreboard in center field. But there are plenty of traditionalists older than me that despised what it replaced - the old light-bulb board that looked like an overgrown Little League scoreboard (Which I know was actually two message boards ago, but let's not quibble here).
All in all, I'm willing to accept little changes because it means the park will continue to be viable. The Tribune Company knows the stadium is its gravy train. I really, really dislike the proposed bleacher expansion plans, but that may be a concession needed to keep the ivy-covered walls at the corner of Clark & Addison.
Monday, April 12, 2004
My apologies…
… to my lovely wife, who bore the brunt of my stupidity in the early morning hours of Easter Sunday.
I had been in a dutiful deep sleep, so as not to bother the pregnant lady, when I swear I heard the television (more specifically, ESPN's "Bseball Tonight"). Thinking I had forgotten to utilize the sleep timer (oright up there with picture-in-picture and artificial hearts on the list of society's greatest inventions), I flopped an arm on the remote and pushed the power button. Which, not surprisingly, turned the TV on.
Realizing my mistake, I flipped the TV back off ASAP. However, since this is an older TV (bought with Kristie's babysitting money in her junior high years), the pop and whine of simply turning it on jarred Preggo from a deep sleep to which she would not return for some three hours, long enough to watch copious amounts of "Wings" and "Cheers" reruns, as well as a few episodes of "Unwrapped" on The Food Network.
I apologized, but I don't know how you can ever really make up for something like that.
I had been in a dutiful deep sleep, so as not to bother the pregnant lady, when I swear I heard the television (more specifically, ESPN's "Bseball Tonight"). Thinking I had forgotten to utilize the sleep timer (oright up there with picture-in-picture and artificial hearts on the list of society's greatest inventions), I flopped an arm on the remote and pushed the power button. Which, not surprisingly, turned the TV on.
Realizing my mistake, I flipped the TV back off ASAP. However, since this is an older TV (bought with Kristie's babysitting money in her junior high years), the pop and whine of simply turning it on jarred Preggo from a deep sleep to which she would not return for some three hours, long enough to watch copious amounts of "Wings" and "Cheers" reruns, as well as a few episodes of "Unwrapped" on The Food Network.
I apologized, but I don't know how you can ever really make up for something like that.
The numbers don't lie
Cubs starters over the three-game weekend series with Atlanta posted the following numbers:
21 2/3 innings pitched
12 hits
4 runs (all earned)
7 walks
21 strikeouts
That's with Mark Prior on the DL.
21 2/3 innings pitched
12 hits
4 runs (all earned)
7 walks
21 strikeouts
That's with Mark Prior on the DL.
Friday, April 09, 2004
Friends folly
Since I'm in a TV mood today, I think it's time to raise some issues with the recent "Viewer's Choice" of the Top 6 Friends episodes of all time.
They were aired in reverse order of votes received, with the "most favorite" episode running Thursday.
1. TOW The Prom Video
2. TOW Ross Finds Out
3. TOW No One's Ready
4. TOW Everybody Finds Out
5. TOW The Rumor
6. TOW The Proposal Part 2
(Friends neophytes may not know this. but TOW stands for "The One With" or "The One Where" Every Friends episode is named like that.)
There are two problems, in my book. First is the omission of TOW The Embryos. Most folks will know this better as the one where the girls and guys play Ross' quiz game. It ends with Monice and Rachel losing their apartment. It's called TOW the Embryos because Phoebe gets pregnant with her half-brothers triplets.
This episode is a classic, and could easily have replaced TOW the Rumor, a recent Thanksgiving episode featuring Brad Pitt as Ross' high school friend (they started a rumor that Rachel was a hermaphrodite). Ugh.
TOW the Embryos is right up there, for me, with TOW No One's Ready. Not only is this episode incredibly funny, but it was shot in real time on just one set, almost as if it were a one-act play. The give-and-take among the characters is well-written, and the episode is very well acted.
Embryos/No One's Ready are both memorable, to me, because of how quotable they are. I understand TOW Prom Video (where Ross & Rachel officially get together for the first time) is probably the most significant episode (and it bodes well for our hopes they'll reunite somewhere in the final four episodes), and I guess I don't have a problem with it earning the top honors.
I could go on (believe me, I could) and would encourage people to e-mail me for further argument. Head over to the Friends site at TV Tome, which includes more information than anyone could ever need. So I'll stop rambling now.
They were aired in reverse order of votes received, with the "most favorite" episode running Thursday.
1. TOW The Prom Video
2. TOW Ross Finds Out
3. TOW No One's Ready
4. TOW Everybody Finds Out
5. TOW The Rumor
6. TOW The Proposal Part 2
(Friends neophytes may not know this. but TOW stands for "The One With" or "The One Where" Every Friends episode is named like that.)
There are two problems, in my book. First is the omission of TOW The Embryos. Most folks will know this better as the one where the girls and guys play Ross' quiz game. It ends with Monice and Rachel losing their apartment. It's called TOW the Embryos because Phoebe gets pregnant with her half-brothers triplets.
This episode is a classic, and could easily have replaced TOW the Rumor, a recent Thanksgiving episode featuring Brad Pitt as Ross' high school friend (they started a rumor that Rachel was a hermaphrodite). Ugh.
TOW the Embryos is right up there, for me, with TOW No One's Ready. Not only is this episode incredibly funny, but it was shot in real time on just one set, almost as if it were a one-act play. The give-and-take among the characters is well-written, and the episode is very well acted.
Embryos/No One's Ready are both memorable, to me, because of how quotable they are. I understand TOW Prom Video (where Ross & Rachel officially get together for the first time) is probably the most significant episode (and it bodes well for our hopes they'll reunite somewhere in the final four episodes), and I guess I don't have a problem with it earning the top honors.
I could go on (believe me, I could) and would encourage people to e-mail me for further argument. Head over to the Friends site at TV Tome, which includes more information than anyone could ever need. So I'll stop rambling now.
Bachelor buffoonery
Judge if you will, but Kristie and I are huge fans of "The Bachelor." I blame it on my old roommate, who dutifully watched the first season (where Alex spurned Trista for Amanda, leadinmg to Trista's reign as "The Bachelorette."
The main thing I remember about the first season is, well, nothing. I mostly sat in the same room while the TV was on. During the finale, my roomie couldn't make it for the start of the show. I taped it for her and then, when she came home before the show ended, had to work hard to keep her from watching the ending before the beginning.
After Kristie and I got married and moved to Fulton, we dutifully followed the Aaron season. I lost hope in the dude when he ditched Gwen in the cut from 3 to 2, and then he was stupid enough to pick Helene over Brooke.
We were even bigger fans of Trista as the Bachelorette, and watched every episode of her castoff, Bob, as the Bachelor. I think he should have picked Kelli Jo, and not just because she's from Wheaton.
Kristie harbors an all-consuming hatred for Meredith, so we did not watch her as the Bachelorette, Thankfully, Nick at Nite has been running full house at 8 p.m., giving us something to watch on Wednesday nights.
But, with the new Bachelor season, we started following again. Not that I've ever heard of backup Giants QB Jesse Palmer, but at least we don't hate him… yet.
(side note: when I say "watch" the Bachelor, what I really mean is tape it, then watch it the next night. Doing this, you can cut a 2 hour show down to about 45 minutes. It's appalling how much of the show is taken up by commericals and "Next, on the Bachelor…" segments. That, and we like our instant gratification. I hate waiting 10 minutes to see what happens on "The Most Dramatic Rose Ceremony Ever.")
So... back to Wednesday's show. The dummy forgot a girl's name! He's down to his final rose, looks right at Karen, former Miss Rhode Island, and says Katie, the name of some floozy in an ugly blue dress. He immediately recognizes his mistake, then has a tete-a-tete with host Chris Harrison. He can't take a away Katie's rose (through Chris would have let him), but he can't let Karen go because that might be his one chance at true love (I kind of hope they both get cut next week).
Fortunately, Chris tells Jesse he can let Katie stay, if she wants, and also ask Karen to stay. The host magically produces another "last rose of the night" and Karen gets her flower. The most amazing thing, to me, is that this has never happened before.
How, if you're meeting 25 people for the first time, do you remember all of their names — especially when all that champagne is flowing? I always though the guys had a little crib sheet or an earpiece or something. Turns out they were just winging it.
Anyway, all of this leads me to two conclusions. One, we may not be able to follow this season at all if this baby ever shows up. And two, we need TiVo.
The main thing I remember about the first season is, well, nothing. I mostly sat in the same room while the TV was on. During the finale, my roomie couldn't make it for the start of the show. I taped it for her and then, when she came home before the show ended, had to work hard to keep her from watching the ending before the beginning.
After Kristie and I got married and moved to Fulton, we dutifully followed the Aaron season. I lost hope in the dude when he ditched Gwen in the cut from 3 to 2, and then he was stupid enough to pick Helene over Brooke.
We were even bigger fans of Trista as the Bachelorette, and watched every episode of her castoff, Bob, as the Bachelor. I think he should have picked Kelli Jo, and not just because she's from Wheaton.
Kristie harbors an all-consuming hatred for Meredith, so we did not watch her as the Bachelorette, Thankfully, Nick at Nite has been running full house at 8 p.m., giving us something to watch on Wednesday nights.
But, with the new Bachelor season, we started following again. Not that I've ever heard of backup Giants QB Jesse Palmer, but at least we don't hate him… yet.
(side note: when I say "watch" the Bachelor, what I really mean is tape it, then watch it the next night. Doing this, you can cut a 2 hour show down to about 45 minutes. It's appalling how much of the show is taken up by commericals and "Next, on the Bachelor…" segments. That, and we like our instant gratification. I hate waiting 10 minutes to see what happens on "The Most Dramatic Rose Ceremony Ever.")
So... back to Wednesday's show. The dummy forgot a girl's name! He's down to his final rose, looks right at Karen, former Miss Rhode Island, and says Katie, the name of some floozy in an ugly blue dress. He immediately recognizes his mistake, then has a tete-a-tete with host Chris Harrison. He can't take a away Katie's rose (through Chris would have let him), but he can't let Karen go because that might be his one chance at true love (I kind of hope they both get cut next week).
Fortunately, Chris tells Jesse he can let Katie stay, if she wants, and also ask Karen to stay. The host magically produces another "last rose of the night" and Karen gets her flower. The most amazing thing, to me, is that this has never happened before.
How, if you're meeting 25 people for the first time, do you remember all of their names — especially when all that champagne is flowing? I always though the guys had a little crib sheet or an earpiece or something. Turns out they were just winging it.
Anyway, all of this leads me to two conclusions. One, we may not be able to follow this season at all if this baby ever shows up. And two, we need TiVo.
The problem with Cubs fans
Some dude called into The Score Thursday afternoon to complain about Alex Gonzalez's offensive production. He wondered if Dusty Baker could find a way to play both Mark Grudzielanek and Todd Walker in the middle of the infield. The caller said he "couldn't stomach another season" of Alex Gonzalez at shortstop.
Dummy.
See, defense up the middle is a crucial part of a good baseball team. Michael Barrett's passed ball in Thursdays game against the Reds showed that, and we all feel much better with Corey Patterson playing between Alou and Sosa. And, if we ignore Gonzo's crucial error in the most important Cubs game in my lifetime, we know Gonzo should have won the Gold Glove in 2003. No less an expert than Peter Gammons called that snub the worst of all the postseason awards.
To top THAT off, it's not as if Gonzo is an absolute slouch at the plate. Yes, he had an awful slump in 2003. But, on the season, he hit 20 home runs. His .228 batting average isn't stellar, but it was seventh on the team for guys that played 100 or more games. And where does he bat? Seventh.
He was fourth on the team in runs and hits, which means he has to be doing something right. He was also second in strikeouts, which Cubs fans seem to not be upset about, seeing as how they typically revere Sammy Sosa.
Is Gonzo an offensive threat? Not hardly. But in terms of what they're paying him, where he's expected to hit and how good his defense is, he's certainly a better value than Sosa, who is being paid to have the type of offensive season he had three years ago, when clearly, he is not the threat the Cubs need batting third.
Of course, the season is just three days old. So let's not get too excited about anything yet. Batting numbers need two to three weeks to sort themselves out.
Dummy.
See, defense up the middle is a crucial part of a good baseball team. Michael Barrett's passed ball in Thursdays game against the Reds showed that, and we all feel much better with Corey Patterson playing between Alou and Sosa. And, if we ignore Gonzo's crucial error in the most important Cubs game in my lifetime, we know Gonzo should have won the Gold Glove in 2003. No less an expert than Peter Gammons called that snub the worst of all the postseason awards.
To top THAT off, it's not as if Gonzo is an absolute slouch at the plate. Yes, he had an awful slump in 2003. But, on the season, he hit 20 home runs. His .228 batting average isn't stellar, but it was seventh on the team for guys that played 100 or more games. And where does he bat? Seventh.
He was fourth on the team in runs and hits, which means he has to be doing something right. He was also second in strikeouts, which Cubs fans seem to not be upset about, seeing as how they typically revere Sammy Sosa.
Is Gonzo an offensive threat? Not hardly. But in terms of what they're paying him, where he's expected to hit and how good his defense is, he's certainly a better value than Sosa, who is being paid to have the type of offensive season he had three years ago, when clearly, he is not the threat the Cubs need batting third.
Of course, the season is just three days old. So let's not get too excited about anything yet. Batting numbers need two to three weeks to sort themselves out.
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Seven months of excitement
With all of the old columns up, I'll be posting new columns as they run in the Herald, which right now is every other Wednesday.
In case you missed it, baseball started Monday.
It actually started last week with two early morning Yankees-Devil Rays games in Japan. Or I suppose you could say it started Sunday night with the Red Sox-Orioles game from chilly Camden Yards.
But for Cubs fans (and count me among the afflicted), baseball started at 1:10 p.m. Monday in the place baseball is supposed to start — Cincinnati. In that river city, they treat baseball properly, as a holiday with a parade and everything. I don’t know how those good people tolerated Pete Rose for so long.
Actually, if you’re a true baseball fan, the sport never really stops. Days after Josh Beckett recorded the final out of the 2003 World Series, I was back on the Internet tracking down transactions. Who has time for football, basketball and hockey when baseball games are played into October and start up again in February?
Readers of this space that also frequent other news sources, print, broadcast or otherwise, are probably by now overrun with touchy-feely, happiness is a warm puppy, can you believe it’s really spring again Opening Day columns.
The regular news columnist penning a few words on baseball each April is about as reliable as a Sammy Sosa strikeout with the bases loaded. As soon as April Fool’s Day rolls around, the hardened columnist takes a break from rattling bones at City Hall, checks to see just when the hometown nine plays its first game and writes a few lines about how green the grass looks.
Puh-lease.
Most of those guys couldn’t tell a shortstop from a strong safety. They may have watched the Red Sox game Sunday and remarked about the shaggy hair of centerfielder Johnny Damon. Just about everyone that controls an ounce of ink has made the requisite “The Passion of the Christ” joke. But how many of them remember trying (and failing) to get Damon on their fantasy team when he had led off a record 10 games in a row with a base hit while playing for the Kansas City Royals in 2000?
Your average “baseball-fan-for-a-day” journalist can probably tell you about the ivy at Wrigley Field or the exploding scoreboard at the former Comiskey Park. But do they know how to spell Grudzielanek without checking the Baseball Almanac? Can they explain why ex-White Sox Steve Lyons took his baseball pants off on national television?
OK, that’s a trick question. No one can explain anything Steve Lyons does.
Fortunately, I harbor no ill will against those who only care for baseball in April and October. It takes a special kind of dedication (some would call it insanity) to follow each of a team’s 162 games. And when the johnny-come-latelies do show up, it lends credence to the argument that baseball still reigns superior over football.
Face it — the baseball playoffs last October captivated a good chunk of the country for three weeks. Not too many folks paid attention to the NFL playoffs until the Super Bowl, and all everyone could talk about after that was a wardrobe malfunction (maybe that explains Steve Lyons).
Major League Baseball is so popular these days, Fox is broadcasting a Red Sox-Yankees game live in prime time April 16. The NFL may return to prime time next fall, but not without a five-second delay. And while baseball gives us Red Sox-Yankees, football gives us Monday night matchups like Dallas at Seattle.
Not that I’m bitter. I enjoy other sports. They do provide some entertainment in the few months each year where baseball is alive only in newsprint. And there are plenty of folks out there who prefer football or basketball or hockey to the true national pastime. There are even some who enjoy soccer, though I suspect those people have the misfortune of a remote control that broke while the TV was set to the Spanish channel.
Baseball is here and I couldn’t be happier. The Cubs are already in first place, and I’ve got seven straight months of excitement ahead. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
In case you missed it, baseball started Monday.
It actually started last week with two early morning Yankees-Devil Rays games in Japan. Or I suppose you could say it started Sunday night with the Red Sox-Orioles game from chilly Camden Yards.
But for Cubs fans (and count me among the afflicted), baseball started at 1:10 p.m. Monday in the place baseball is supposed to start — Cincinnati. In that river city, they treat baseball properly, as a holiday with a parade and everything. I don’t know how those good people tolerated Pete Rose for so long.
Actually, if you’re a true baseball fan, the sport never really stops. Days after Josh Beckett recorded the final out of the 2003 World Series, I was back on the Internet tracking down transactions. Who has time for football, basketball and hockey when baseball games are played into October and start up again in February?
Readers of this space that also frequent other news sources, print, broadcast or otherwise, are probably by now overrun with touchy-feely, happiness is a warm puppy, can you believe it’s really spring again Opening Day columns.
The regular news columnist penning a few words on baseball each April is about as reliable as a Sammy Sosa strikeout with the bases loaded. As soon as April Fool’s Day rolls around, the hardened columnist takes a break from rattling bones at City Hall, checks to see just when the hometown nine plays its first game and writes a few lines about how green the grass looks.
Puh-lease.
Most of those guys couldn’t tell a shortstop from a strong safety. They may have watched the Red Sox game Sunday and remarked about the shaggy hair of centerfielder Johnny Damon. Just about everyone that controls an ounce of ink has made the requisite “The Passion of the Christ” joke. But how many of them remember trying (and failing) to get Damon on their fantasy team when he had led off a record 10 games in a row with a base hit while playing for the Kansas City Royals in 2000?
Your average “baseball-fan-for-a-day” journalist can probably tell you about the ivy at Wrigley Field or the exploding scoreboard at the former Comiskey Park. But do they know how to spell Grudzielanek without checking the Baseball Almanac? Can they explain why ex-White Sox Steve Lyons took his baseball pants off on national television?
OK, that’s a trick question. No one can explain anything Steve Lyons does.
Fortunately, I harbor no ill will against those who only care for baseball in April and October. It takes a special kind of dedication (some would call it insanity) to follow each of a team’s 162 games. And when the johnny-come-latelies do show up, it lends credence to the argument that baseball still reigns superior over football.
Face it — the baseball playoffs last October captivated a good chunk of the country for three weeks. Not too many folks paid attention to the NFL playoffs until the Super Bowl, and all everyone could talk about after that was a wardrobe malfunction (maybe that explains Steve Lyons).
Major League Baseball is so popular these days, Fox is broadcasting a Red Sox-Yankees game live in prime time April 16. The NFL may return to prime time next fall, but not without a five-second delay. And while baseball gives us Red Sox-Yankees, football gives us Monday night matchups like Dallas at Seattle.
Not that I’m bitter. I enjoy other sports. They do provide some entertainment in the few months each year where baseball is alive only in newsprint. And there are plenty of folks out there who prefer football or basketball or hockey to the true national pastime. There are even some who enjoy soccer, though I suspect those people have the misfortune of a remote control that broke while the TV was set to the Spanish channel.
Baseball is here and I couldn’t be happier. The Cubs are already in first place, and I’ve got seven straight months of excitement ahead. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
The wonders of medical science
How is that doctors, and specifically we're talking about the doctors that bring babies into the world, can know everything about what you should eat, what you shouldn't eat, what supplements you need and basically everything that should or should not happen to your body when you're pregnant... but when they jam their hand up a cervix they have no idea when the baby's coming out?
Let's put it this way: If you had today in the pool, you're SOL. And if you had anything before Easter, it doesn't look too good for you, either.
Grrrr.
Let's put it this way: If you had today in the pool, you're SOL. And if you had anything before Easter, it doesn't look too good for you, either.
Grrrr.
Finished
I have now completed the upload of all of my old Clinton Herald columns. I posted them as close as I could to the day they appeared in print, so most of them are found in the archives. I will continue to post new columns as they come about. As of the present, that's every other Wednesday.
Sadly, Kerry Wood did not pitch his no hitter yesterday. In fact, I think the first batter fouled that up. But still, the Cubs won and we can all be happy about that, even if Joe Borowski just about gave me a coronary.
On a side note, my Cubs jerseys are about the only thing in the house that fit Pregnant Kristie, and I think she looks pretty good in them. She went to Hy-Vee yesterday (first day of Spring Break) and said about six store employees asked her if she needed help finding anything. Add that with a choice parking spot by the sign for "new and expectant mothers," as well as an extended back rub during our nightly viewing of "Full House" reruns, and I'd say she had a pretty good day.
Sadly, Kerry Wood did not pitch his no hitter yesterday. In fact, I think the first batter fouled that up. But still, the Cubs won and we can all be happy about that, even if Joe Borowski just about gave me a coronary.
On a side note, my Cubs jerseys are about the only thing in the house that fit Pregnant Kristie, and I think she looks pretty good in them. She went to Hy-Vee yesterday (first day of Spring Break) and said about six store employees asked her if she needed help finding anything. Add that with a choice parking spot by the sign for "new and expectant mothers," as well as an extended back rub during our nightly viewing of "Full House" reruns, and I'd say she had a pretty good day.
Monday, April 05, 2004
A baby update
Just in case you're wondering, the official due date for the first day of the rest of our lives (not that that's a bad thing) is April 15. Lately, Kristie's been hearing from everyone who had their baby early. And although we're still 10 days off the projection, hearing from everyone else who came in ahead of time kind of rubs it in that the kid isn't here yet.
Me? I was three weeks late. I don't believe the kid will come until it's good and ready. But she doesn't want to hear that, either, because no right-minded pregnant woman (if there is such a thing) wants to wait any longer than she has to to pop that kid out.
And, just in case anyone forgot, the Cubs season starts at 1:10 Central this afternoon.
Me? I was three weeks late. I don't believe the kid will come until it's good and ready. But she doesn't want to hear that, either, because no right-minded pregnant woman (if there is such a thing) wants to wait any longer than she has to to pop that kid out.
And, just in case anyone forgot, the Cubs season starts at 1:10 Central this afternoon.
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Sucks to be this guy
In a word... ouch:
A 65-year-old Cicero man working at a recycling factory on Chicago's West Side was killed Friday afternoon when he fell into a plastic-waste shredder, police said.
Read the full story at www.chicagotribune.com
A 65-year-old Cicero man working at a recycling factory on Chicago's West Side was killed Friday afternoon when he fell into a plastic-waste shredder, police said.
Read the full story at www.chicagotribune.com
Another day
The purpose of this post is basically to make sure I can also update from home. And so far, it appears that I can. Which is nice. Umm... not much else to say today.
The weather is beautiful. I think we'll be heading to Super Target today to update our baby registry, and hope the walking around doesn't induce labor. Of course, if a week of teaching didn't do it, I'm guessing shopping won't have a major effect.
Baseball starts Monday.
The weather is beautiful. I think we'll be heading to Super Target today to update our baby registry, and hope the walking around doesn't induce labor. Of course, if a week of teaching didn't do it, I'm guessing shopping won't have a major effect.
Baseball starts Monday.
Friday, April 02, 2004
My second post ever, sort of
Now that I'm getting the hang of this, things are starting to make some sense. I've found a way to post-date the columns so they are sorted by their original publication dates. Hope this clears some things up (although, as I write this, I haven't told anyone about the blog, so I'm mostly just clarifying nothing. Whatever).
My first ever post
Well, welcome to my blog. I'll try to post all of my Clinton Herald columns, and maybe, just maybe, get some old B-J stuff up as well. And, of course, the new baseball season starts Monday, and my new life as a parent starts any day now.
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