tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53263982011-06-08T02:24:28.099-04:00The Northside LoungeAn account of the Chicago Cubs with some random pop culture thoughts.Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comBlogger6941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-3099068381977051132007-05-07T08:45:00.000-04:002007-05-07T09:12:06.796-04:00HopeThey say hope springs eternal, but for most of the last two years I've had precisely no hope for the Cubs to contend. Finally, somewhere between Zambrano's win over St. Louis and this tidbit from Peter Gammons..."Then there's the matter of plate discipline and on-base percentage. After one frustrating loss in April, Piniella went into the clubhouse and yelled, 'There's nothing wrong with Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-50361225508057210042007-05-01T11:43:00.000-04:002007-05-01T11:58:18.940-04:00OverreactingThe Cubs mailing list I subscribed to had a little argument the other day about a Baseball Prospectus article (possibly this one although it's hard to tell since I'm not a subscriber.) Joe Sheehan was arguing that Cubs' problems are greatly overstated, and he predicted they'll be leading the Central by the All-Star break. He was met with derision on my list, which is understandable Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1176213550113206142007-04-10T09:48:00.000-04:002007-04-10T09:59:10.136-04:00 Cubs look for heavenly intervention OK, losing all these openers is getting annoying. But, if you remeber back to 2002 the Angels lost the opening game of all three rounds of the playoffs yet eventually brought home the world series title. We are months away from even thinking about this scenerio, but we also have to remember that even though openers feel like they have more magnitude they areDennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1176078234484619042007-04-08T20:14:00.000-04:002007-04-08T20:23:54.506-04:00 Nice heart...no win Wade Miller's 2007 debut is not one he will likely want to remember 6 earned runs in 4 innings. The Brewers got those 6 runs before the Cubs even put a crooked number on the board. But, the Cubs had some fight in them scoring 4 runs in the 6th inning to set up the most pivotal moment of the game.With the score 6-4 the Cubs got the first two runners of the 8th inning on baseDennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1175983729499803092007-04-07T18:03:00.000-04:002007-04-07T18:08:49.530-04:00Q BloggingI have no clue how this will look since I am trying to blog from a smartphone. Nice win today and a few moments that could be deemed most important. Aramis' homer is probably the most obvious, but I am going for something else.For me and hopefully to carry over the rest of the season, Dempster's 9th inning was the most important thing. He threw strikes and whiffed the last two on Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1175954758102179172007-04-07T09:57:00.000-04:002007-04-07T10:05:58.126-04:00 Impatience is not history's friend Continuing on my theme of pointing out what I feel to be the most interesting, impactful moment of the game I am going to again go to something subtle. Obviously Rich Hill was fantastic last night and the bats scored enough in the first to support him leading to an easy win.Hill was so good though that he was flirting with destiny. He retired the first 15 Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1175829059702259722007-04-05T22:56:00.000-04:002007-04-05T23:10:59.726-04:00 Yuck I could pick a few pivotal moments in the game where the Cubs messed this one up. I just hope that they don't decide to waste too many more good performances from the back portion of the rotation. Marquis deserved better - the whole team deserved better. But, bad fundamentals, a crappy bullpen and horrible situational hitting will sink a team every time. I just hope they get them all ofDennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1175776701472873792007-04-05T08:13:00.000-04:002007-04-05T08:38:21.496-04:00 Make the other guy make a decision Read any books about poker and the headline is a common theme. The best players apply pressure to their opponents forcing them to make decisions. Making more decisions gives people more chances to make a big error. Personally, I have a friend I play with that I can tell within five minutes if he is having a good decision day. If not, I play ultra Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1175603497041543232007-04-03T08:09:00.000-04:002007-04-03T08:31:37.066-04:00 Discovery of new superstitions My wife and I moved to Cincinnati shortly after our marriage almost 6 years ago. In that time I have been fortunate enough to have the Cubs open their season here 4 times. I have now managed to attend all of them.My overall record is 2-2. The two wins occurred when attending either by myself or with my dad. The losses happened when attending with Scott or my Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1175537736452446292007-04-02T13:38:00.000-04:002007-04-02T14:15:58.963-04:00Opening DayIt's Opening Day, the greatest day of the year. I had planned to go to class today, breaking a long string of enjoying the Cubs' first game of the year. In college I would skip class to watch a full slate of games. Right after graduation, I had to wake up at 4am to catch the Cubs and Mets from Japan (fortunately I don't have to mention Benny Agbayani in this post because that Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1159289172805544942006-09-26T12:35:00.000-04:002006-09-26T12:46:12.836-04:00Cubs HBO Documentary Drinking GameAs you may have noticed, updates have been non-existent this summer. I'm simply out of things to say about the Cubs management from Hendry on up. On any given day, the most relevant news to our chances of winning a World Series are on the business page where we see if the Tribune is coming any closer to selling the team.That said, I'm planning to get some fun Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1151149244485214712006-06-24T07:37:00.000-04:002006-06-24T07:40:44.963-04:00Gut und Evil (I dont know "evil" in German)Two fans from the US/Ghana game Thursdaz. Guess which one I blame for the loss?Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1150291654705236922006-06-14T07:31:00.000-04:002006-06-14T09:27:34.773-04:00 Dufresne shuts down CubsWho the heck is Dufresne? Well that was Tim Robbins character in one of my favorite movies of all time - The Shawshank Redemption. Why does Astros starter Andy Pettitte remind me of him? Well he is able to crawl through 500 yards of foul smelling sewage and come out clean on the other side.For my memory I cannot come up with another pitcher that consistently wins Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1150117214476390422006-06-12T07:56:00.000-04:002006-06-12T09:00:14.546-04:00 The Sound of Silence With a headline like that one might expect the first line to be "Hello Darkness my Old Friend", but there is no darkness in Cub-land today - well minus the record, the injuries, the manager and the presence of Neifi. After dropping the first game of a four game set to the Redlegs in uninspired, apathetic fashion the Cubs came roaring back to win the final three.What does Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1149657539251849252006-06-07T01:12:00.000-04:002006-06-07T11:32:14.826-04:00RoadtripTuesday the Cubs lost, scored one run, and drafted a toolsy project outfielder considered by most a reach at #13 overall. The good news is, I'm leaving for Germany tomorrow, and I think the EU stand against torture includes a prohibition on televising Cubs games. If it doesn't, it should.If you're curious what I'm up to over there, visit the aptly named Scott's World Cup Blog. There's Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1148502898831576002006-05-24T16:13:00.000-04:002006-05-24T16:41:15.943-04:00The Cubs get swept and I don't careWell, I do care, but to some extent its out of sight, out of mind for me. I'm spending the week in Nashville, Tennessee, where I attended last night's US/Morocco game. The US team's performance was beyond frustrating. They dominated posession through most of the game, turning up the pressure in the final minutes to create a series of golden opportunities. Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1148114330971866922006-05-20T04:14:00.000-04:002006-05-20T04:38:52.010-04:00Trying to repress the hateI don't want to be a one-note hater, but damn if this franchise doesn't spend every single day trying to come up with new ways to make me hate them. Last night I sat down to write about the Cubs signing of Tony Freaking Womack. I wanted to write something honest yet not a pure hatchet job, but the absurdity of this team signing that player was just too great. There's Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147999699806718352006-05-18T20:20:00.000-04:002006-05-18T20:48:19.840-04:00 Subconsciously Facing the Truth When the Indianapolis Colts played the New England Patriots this season the Pats head coach made some rather strange moves. He chose to go for it on 4th down early in the game when a punt was clearly in order. He tried a trick on-side kick at another point. Media speculation the next day was that a beat up and overmatched Patriots "knew" they could not hang Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147791351844934372006-05-16T10:36:00.000-04:002006-05-16T10:55:51.880-04:00 That's not the point... As most of Cubs Nation calls for Dusty's head on a plate the offday produced a slew of stories in the Chicago papers about Dusty's future and about the Cubs struggles in general. The Tribune had an interview with Jim Hendry in which he addressed trading for another player while Lee is out.We've tried to [trade]. You can't force things. We're always trying to be Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147679117228975062006-05-15T03:15:00.000-04:002006-05-15T03:45:17.236-04:00Its just awfulThose were the words of my Chicago grandmother on the phone tonight when I asked her if she'd been watching the Cubs. The Cubs were National League champions when she was born, but the intervening years have not been as kind. I'm not going to claim the last two weeks have set a new low, but even our Cubs haven't been this dismal too often. Today was the twelth loss in thirteen Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147507791641791532006-05-13T04:01:00.000-04:002006-05-13T04:09:51.703-04:00HA HA HA HA HAI just read this story from the San Fran Chron. Apparently, Dusty is "mildly annoyed" that the Cubs haven't extended him. In fairness, Dusty denied saying it, and actually volunteered that he shouldnt be getting an extension now anyway:"At this point, when you're losing, you can't be annoyed about nothing but losing. How do you expect to be offered a contract when the team just Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147366625475748122006-05-11T12:56:00.000-04:002006-05-11T12:57:05.486-04:00The Damage is DoneFor the first time since April, the Cubs looked like a major league baseball team last night. Carlos Zambrano was dominant, the offense pounded out eight runs on eight hits, we held Bonds at 713 and won the game 8-1. Too little, too late.Here's a list of things that happened during the worst stretch of hitting in franchise history:The Cubs went 1-10.The Cubs scored thirteen Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147286613335440032006-05-10T14:17:00.000-04:002006-05-10T14:43:33.360-04:00 Things I am sick of seeing The '06 version of the Cubs has been marred by injury, bad play, poor managing and well everything that marred the '05 Cubs. Right now they are in a true tail spin. They have lost 8 in a row, 9 of the last 10 and 18 of the last 32 (OK, the last one is just silly, but if you are going to frame "streaks" around imaginary boundaries why not use the beginning of the Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147248317228972532006-05-10T03:53:00.000-04:002006-05-10T04:05:17.236-04:00New lowsI just updated the world's saddest post at Gonfalon. If you haven't looked, it basically says that this years Cubs have set or tied the franchise record for fewest runs scored over a five-game span, a six-game span, 7, 8, 9, 10, and now an eleven-game span. For a while '06 was running neck and neck with a particularly ugly June of 1963, but the cream is really rising to the top now as Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1147154426244220242006-05-09T01:58:00.000-04:002006-05-09T02:00:26.253-04:00Counting my reasons to live1- The chance that a meteor made of solid gold might fall from the sky and land in my backyard2- Greg Maddux's 2006 performance3- ???Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1146988873672120982006-05-07T03:46:00.000-04:002006-05-07T04:01:32.523-04:00AbsentMe, yes, and the Cubs offense as well. I just posted some numbers putting the recent futility in context over at Gonfalon, but I have a confession that I need to make here.Its my fault.Last Thursday I flew from Atlanta to Vegas. In the first 24 hours, I did nothing but eat, sleep, and play poker, and won a grand total of zero hands. Zero. As in, none. In 24 hours. I was the Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1144284818794852162006-04-05T19:47:00.000-04:002006-04-05T20:53:38.806-04:00 Great seats, bad outcome As opposed to an ugly win the Cubs decided to try and play a little catch up this afternoon and wound up 2 runs short. The offense, which was touted for turning the small ball corner on Monday, scored 6 runs on three 2-run homers today. The first was by Ramy (or Rammy depending on which newspaper you see) in the first. It was a towering, majestic bomb to stake the Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1144152272420610352006-04-04T07:15:00.000-04:002006-04-04T08:04:32.476-04:00 Ugly wins are better than pretty losses Last season it seemed the mantra of the Cubs was "I have to tip my hat to the guy". They would put forward a good effort or maybe a spunky comeback and lose by one in the end. They would congratulate themselves on the effort and move on. I don't imagine anyone is 100% happy with the game yesterday, but would take the result 90 more times.It was an Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1143983079003840712006-04-02T08:43:00.000-04:002006-04-02T09:04:39.020-04:00 On deck: 2006 season Well, I suppose for better or worse a new season of Cubs baseball is due to begin tomorrow. Included in the dignitaries in attendance for this event will be me and the leader of the free world. I will be 15 rows from the field and he will throw out the first pitch - I like my spot better. Actually, I am wondering if the game will even be played tomorrow. Rain is Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1143051287352511312006-03-22T12:25:00.000-05:002006-03-22T13:14:47.423-05:00World Baseball Classic proves just about nothingJapan topped Cuba 10-6 to win the inaugural WBC Monday. It was a game that both teams clearly cared about, and at least half the crowd seemed passionate about it as well. There were admittedly some yawning white boys in the mix, but the older Japaneese couple with the rising sun flag jumping up and down in the midst of a bunch of guys with Cuban Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1142797687591234842006-03-19T14:30:00.000-05:002006-03-19T14:48:07.603-05:00Springtime BaseballIn between games of the NCAA tournament yesterday I decided to flip around the channels and see if by chance the Cubs were on television. To my joy, they were so I flipped up there to see some of the action. I quickly realized this would be a mistake. Turns out it was actually a White Sox broadcast and they were overly eager to remind people who won the World Series last Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1142438044873206012006-03-15T10:42:00.000-05:002006-03-15T13:02:24.726-05:00 The Sky is Falling I am sure most readers have already heard what was reported in the Tribune today. Mark Prior has some shoulder soreness and will go for a consultation today. Cub fans wait on the edge of their seats to see what will happen. I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that much of the season hangs in the balance.Tribune columnist Phil Rodgers decided this would be a good Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1141867225793268902006-03-08T19:53:00.000-05:002006-03-08T20:20:25.806-05:00 World Baseball Classic - Day 2 The US played their second game of the WBC and dropped it to our neighbors to the north 8-6. They were down 8-0 when I got home from work and I had given up them. Upstairs tending to my email I hear my wife let out a cheer and turn the station in time to see the replay of Varitek's granny.That gave me enough interest to watch the rest of the game and the US Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1141866496991743592006-03-08T19:45:00.000-05:002006-03-08T20:08:17.006-05:00Canada 8, USA 6There are a ton of problems with the World Baseball Classic, but despite Selig's best efforts to make it a failure I have to admit that I'm paying attention to this tournament. Despite it all, the sight of passionate fans waving flags and screaming their lungs out (be it a few dozen for US/Canada or a stadium full for Dominica/Venezuela) gets me going.That said, the structure of Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1141720825511787372006-03-07T03:09:00.000-05:002006-03-07T03:40:25.523-05:00Kirby PuckettYou've probably read that Kirby Puckett died yesterday afternoon. Everywhere I've looked on the internet, people are mourning the loss of a beloved man and a great baseball player. Thats entirely appropriate, and fine as far as it goes, and yet...Its driving me absolutely nuts reading so many effusive comments and stories about Kirby Puckett today, virtually every one of which Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1141386856786955672006-03-03T06:17:00.000-05:002006-03-03T06:54:17.336-05:00 Sammy Sosa and the curse of Van Halen After reading Scott's post a couple of weeks ago about some of Sammy Sosa's exploits I had one rather striking thought. He might be the Van Halen of baseball. I have contended for years that Van Halen would be regarded as legends if their plane would have crashed in 1985 (or even 1995). Call it the Nirvana effect.Nirvana rightly is remembered as Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1140073443941335242006-02-16T01:31:00.000-05:002006-02-16T02:09:36.963-05:00For a seven-year period, Sammy Sosa was the biggest star the Cubs franchise has ever seen. The 1998 home run chase was arguably the most memorable baseball event in a generation or more, and the fact that it carried the Cubs to a postseason birth made it all the more satisfying. From 1998 Sosa's production remained at an All-Star level through 2003, a year which again found the Cubs in the Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1139965872444440352006-02-15T00:10:00.000-05:002006-02-15T00:14:40.356-05:00RebirthThese are the nicest of all possible words: Pitchers and catchers.Its been a long cold winter. I've quit my job and lost my one true love, but the one constant through all the winters has been inept Cubs management and I'll be damned if that hasn't turned out to be true once again. There are a smorgasbord of reasons to think this edition of the Cubs will fare no better than the last Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1130386142418657282005-10-27T00:05:00.000-04:002005-10-27T00:09:02.433-04:00Complete the sequence: Red Sox, White Sox, ______Are you watching this, Jim Hendry?The White Sox have won the World Series. Congratulations to their fans (the ones that don't slap Craig Biggio's wife or beat up umpires). Shame on Cubs management for not finding a way to accomplish said feat even once in 97 years. (Although in fairness, if we had gotten half the umpiring breaks in '03 that theyScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1129897093630548022005-10-21T08:18:00.000-04:002005-10-21T08:18:13.636-04:00Rockin' in Charm CityLeo Mazzone is leaving Atlanta for the Baltimore Orioles, apparently mostly because they are doubling his salary to $500,000. That is to say, the Braves seem to be of the opinion that Leo Mazzone isn't worth 1/30th of what Mike Hampton is making this year.Now I am generally skeptical that there is a huge amount of difference between one major league coach and the next. Not Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1129516040945070282005-10-16T22:27:00.000-04:002005-10-16T22:27:20.953-04:00Playoffs? Pfff.When I was in montessori school some twenty-four years ago, kids who misbehaved were sent to sit in "the no-fun chair," a red chair in the corner where you had to sit while not getting to participate in all the fun and excitement of the montessori classroom. That's about what October has felt like.None of the four teams that made it to the ALCS would place in the top-half if I Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1129065834129091932005-10-11T17:09:00.000-04:002005-10-11T17:26:49.200-04:002nd Annual CBA Predictions Contest: Results!The key to a strong finish in this year's contest was faith in Derrek Lee and lack of faith in anything else wearing Cubbie blue. Our overall winner, a blogger, rode pessimistic predictions for runs scored and allowed, wins, and finish to a commanding nine-point lead over second place. That winner was...wait for it...ME! As much as it breaks my heartScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1128947297659465912005-10-10T08:27:00.000-04:002005-10-10T09:45:03.186-04:00Sad SundayThere is no joy in Mudville, or in my house this weekend. Georgia Tech dominated N. C. State Thursday night, but scored only 14 points and dropped the winning touchdown pass into the hands of an opposing safety to blow the game. Georgia won a big game Saturday, which brought me about as much joy as listening to Sox fans wax braggadocious this winter will. Saturday night Costa Rica Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1127661156116750572005-09-25T11:06:00.000-04:002005-09-25T11:12:36.116-04:00They died in the rainLike an entry to the Bad Hemmingway Imitation contest, the Cubs finally, mercifully, gave up the ghost on a wet Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Better yet, they did it with a loss to a key rival, propelling them on toward the playoffs. We now officially have nothing to play for, unless you count our outside chance at reaching .500.I'll have final results of the CBA Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1126913955484949502005-09-16T19:39:00.000-04:002005-09-16T19:39:15.490-04:00Sibling RivalryI sat in a hotel room in Birmingham, Alabama, last night watching the Cubs make a last, last, last ditch effort to prevent the Cardinals from clinching the Central on our field. They succeded, sort of, in a comedy of errors set to a torrential downpour, but the game was eventually called and by the time I awoke the Cardinals were indeed, inevitable, division champs.It occurred to Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1125974547775220092005-09-05T22:42:00.000-04:002005-09-07T11:13:32.936-04:00DOS Y CEROI wish I had the words to describe the euphoria of my weekend in Columbus, Ohio. I've tried to hash out some tortured analogy about the Cubs and Cardinals only playing each other twice every four years, but I just can't make it translate. Maybe the best I can do is share this clip from someone's camera in our section during the second US goal. I was in the front row of that section, Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1125526161734034752005-08-31T17:42:00.000-04:002005-09-01T00:58:18.316-04:00KatrinaI've long been a natural disaster afficianado, particularly when it comes to meterology, but a few more like this and I think I may have had enough. This afternoon I came across an uncannily prescient article describing New Orleans and the Big One. Google started me on the second page, and I read most of the way down before I figured out the article was written long before Katrina Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1125406904680435802005-08-30T09:01:00.000-04:002005-08-30T09:01:44.686-04:00Cutting baitJim Hendry is doing one thing right- he has recognized that the Cubs have virtually no chance to make the playoffs now (around a tenth of a percent on the playoff-o-meter) and is making moves accordingly. Lawton was sent to the Yankees for Justin Berg. Todd Hollandsworth has now been dealt to Atlanta for Angelo Burrows and Todd Blackford. Kerry Wood has been shutdown for the seasonScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1124970940363811592005-08-25T07:48:00.000-04:002005-08-25T07:55:40.370-04:00You know the drillI followed the game from work through Yarbage, and when I headed home we held a 1-0 lead and Mark Prior seeemed to be in complete control. Then I got whipped in tennis, then I returned to the internet to find we had lost 3-1, then I saw highlights of Aramis going down like an antelope made prey on Mutual of Omaha, and finally I busted out on the bubble in our weekly poker Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1124759517481579662005-08-22T20:44:00.000-04:002005-08-22T21:11:57.486-04:00ContentAs August wears on and the Cubs show little sign of a resurrection, its becoming post mortem season. I'm listening to Pat and Ron drool over every potential free-agent on the Braves roster, and I've got to admit 2006 seems a more likely World Series date than later this year.Discussion on a Cubs mailing list I subscribe to today concerned an article from the Daily Southtown in which AndyScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1123511742881264632005-08-08T10:18:00.000-04:002005-08-08T10:35:42.886-04:00Always look on the bright side of lifeIf Brian's fellow hanger-abouts could sing cheery songs in the situation they were in, so can I. This weekend's sweep at the hands of the Mets marks another new low in a season that has had more than its share. It culminated in Sunday's game when our one reliable pitcher couldn't even be relied on to defeat his Bizzaro namesake Victor. The Playoff-o-meter Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1123252398465271602005-08-05T10:33:00.000-04:002005-08-05T10:33:18.473-04:00It hasn't stoppedContrary to my colleague's assertion/hope/plea in the title of yesterday's post, the Cubs lost again yesterday, missing an opportunity to pick up a game on the division-leading Cards and wildcard-leading Astros and plunging the Playoff-o-meter to its lowest point of the season at 5%. This time the main culprit was the once reliable Mark Prior, who gave up three homers to push Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1123123900631569612005-08-03T22:23:00.000-04:002005-08-03T22:51:40.640-04:00 This has got to stop Warning this is going to be sort of a rant. I probably should wait and post this in the morning when thoughts and emotions will be clearer, but I just cannot stand this anymore. For two seasons, the Cubs have had enough talent to contend for at least the wild card. For two seasons, they have underperformed due to not only injuries - which no one can control - but also Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1123034687220165722005-08-02T22:04:00.000-04:002005-08-02T22:04:47.226-04:00Ryan DempsterI was never worried.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1122850385954154192005-07-31T18:47:00.000-04:002005-07-31T19:14:28.660-04:00Too little, too lateOn a day when the Diamondbacks tagged Greg Maddux for six runs and the bullpen for seven more, we at least did finally get a little help for the offense. Hendry traded Gerut straight up for Matt Lawton, practically forcing Dusty to add a guy with a decent OBP to his next lineup card.Don't get me wrong- Lawton's a very useful guy to have around. I think he's an excellent Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1122285674446519792005-07-25T05:51:00.000-04:002005-07-25T06:01:15.083-04:00Felix FelicisMy alarm goes off for work at five in the morning. I therefore haven't seen the end of many night games on school nights this year. Last night was a case in point- I sat down to catch the first couple innings on TV. As it turned out, the first inning was plenty to satisfy any urge I had to watch baseball. I did listen to another couple innings on the radio as I was getting ready Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1122057688332830002005-07-22T14:34:00.000-04:002005-07-22T14:44:27.886-04:00CBA Prediction Contest UpdateJoltin' Joe from VFTB asked for an update, so here it is. Kurt Evans and Jeff Biddle are our leaders in the blogger and reader categories respectively. Jason Steffens and Christian Ruzich, the vanguards of the early CBA are both in the top five, and yours truly squeezes in between them. I'm not sure what I'll do if I end up winning my own prizes. Today's fun Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1122042280460376492005-07-22T09:49:00.000-04:002005-07-22T10:24:40.466-04:00 Blow-up and blown out It has been about 18 hours since the game ended yesterday and I am not fully recovered from the "performance". The best thing that can happen is to get another game started as soon as possible. Hopefully Carlos can be a stopper and get a much needed win against the Cardinals. Personally I do not think the Cubs can catch the birds, but they need wins regardless of who Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121954719985381332005-07-21T09:10:00.000-04:002005-07-21T10:05:19.993-04:00 Game 3 : COD COD because the Cubs mailed this one in. By the third failed attempt to get an out on a sacrifice (which was ruled a hit for Freel in one of the worst examples of home town scoring ever), I was just hoping the Cubs would get all the bad play out of them and be able to move on. The feel of the team was completely different this evening.Lets start with Wood as that is the main Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121874959533138422005-07-20T11:38:00.000-04:002005-07-20T11:55:59.540-04:00 Game 2 success You can tell it has been awhile since I have done this since my headlines are bland and stink more than Patterson's OBP. The Cubs - on the other hand- do not stink, in fact they are doing exactly what good teams do. They are beating the pants off the also rans in the division. They pulled out a 7-3 victory last evening on what was another hot and muggy night in the Queen Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121817141420077722005-07-19T19:37:00.000-04:002005-07-19T21:30:16.656-04:00Wrigley ReportJeez, I manage to go somewhere and see the Cubs play and Dennis has to go steal my thunder. He always turns up when you least expect him!Anyway, I'll try to make my recap of Sunday's game relatively brief since its 48+ hours old by now. Pittsburgh Rob, an occasional commenter on this very site, emailed a few weeks back saying Southwest had a sale from Pittsburgh to Chicago and he Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121799042061460692005-07-19T14:16:00.000-04:002005-07-19T14:50:42.070-04:00 Game 1 success It is 7:25 and my wife gets downtown to accompany me to the game. The game itself started at 7:10, but she had a late day at work and the missing of the first inning or so is not the biggest deal in the world. I see from the internet before I greet her in my company's parking lot that the Cubs are up 2-0. We make our way to the ballpark past the desperate scalpers trying to Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121772941343823652005-07-19T07:35:00.000-04:002005-07-19T07:36:33.510-04:00Dubois for GerutThe Cubs and Indians swapped fringe outfielders yesterday, With Jody Gerut arriving to give the Cubs a slightly different look in the outfield. Its a challenge trade, so I'll compare and contrast what I think of what the two guys bring to the table.Age- Dubois is a year and a half younger and has about a year and a half more major league experience. Slight edge to Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121290011400019892005-07-13T17:02:00.000-04:002005-07-13T17:26:51.406-04:00Copa del Mundo de BéisbolI like the idea of a Baseball World Cup. I don't care for the idea of it being a side business for Emperor Bud. But with Alex Rodriguez having completed his heel turn by announcing plans to abandon his birth country and wrap himself in the Dominican flag, I'm warming up to it again.Don't get me wrong- I don't really care what country A-Rod chooses to compete for, and I Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121189638500141772005-07-12T13:32:00.000-04:002005-07-12T13:33:58.506-04:00TCR RoundtableThe good folks at TCR included me in their All-Star Break roundtable so go check out what I and others had to say.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1121027376316354642005-07-10T16:23:00.000-04:002005-07-10T16:29:36.323-04:00Storm PartyThe Cubs dodged a hurricane and blew away the Marlins, sweeping all three games this weekend by a combined score of 26-10. There were some things to like about this series. Obviously, the not losing was a welcome change. Wood and Maddux both looked very strong. The spark the offense showed was long overdue, and given that it coincided with the arrival of some of the youngsters it Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1120795368478142842005-07-07T23:05:00.000-04:002005-07-08T00:02:48.496-04:00Braves sweepAnd that should just about do it. Mark Prior gets lit up while the Braves 5+ ERA starter three-hits the Cubs in the afternoon. Roberto Novoa throws fastballs to the leading home run hitter in the majors (who happens to have a well-known preference for fastballs) until he hits one out to ice the nightcap. The Cubs fall four games under, eight out of the wildcard and fourteen behind Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1120738898573834692005-07-07T08:12:00.000-04:002005-07-07T08:21:38.590-04:00WakeI went to my first wake a couple months ago, and I feel like I may be going to my second tonight. If the Cubs get swept in a double-header today... well, anything would still be possible but its hard to imagine the team recovering to make the playoffs. The rain is swapping the pitching matchups, giving the Cubs a decided edge in the afternoon game (now Prior vs Horacio Ramirez ) but a Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1120644305318650712005-07-06T06:01:00.000-04:002005-07-06T06:05:05.323-04:00DarkThings look grim. I'm having severe difficulty trying to find the words to express my frustration. Dusty. Neifi. Corey. Maddux. Now Lee hurt. I just don't know what to say.The Cubs are staring at an eight-game losing streak if they don't either beat Smoltz tonight or win in front of me Thursday night. I was regretting that I was unable to attend the first three games in the series Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1120492258248979102005-07-04T11:44:00.000-04:002005-07-04T11:51:06.856-04:00Happy Fourth of July!I hope you are enjoying arguably the best holiday of the year (I'll accept petitions on behalf of Thanksgiving) as much as I am. I spent the morning waving a giant US flag and hollering at everyone who went by while running the world's largest 10k here in Atlanta this morning. I came home to catch some coverage of NASA hitting a comet (here's to cheap, safe, effective Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1120396996352614182005-07-03T09:09:00.000-04:002005-07-03T09:23:41.586-04:00ConsistencyIts funny how fast things change. This team has run hot and cold, and so just when I start to feel good and post something optimistic Dusty drives the Cubsmobile into a tree and we're headed toward the second division (archaic term, I know) again. A month ago, it seemed like all our pitchers were hurt and yet the team went on a tear. Now the pitchers have returned (and seemingly Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1120130841264593262005-06-30T07:27:00.000-04:002005-06-30T07:27:21.273-04:00Bon Voyage and Welcome BackIts been a little hectic the last week or so, but I couldn't let the DFA of Joe Borowski and the return of Kerry Wood pass without comment. In many ways, they are mirror images of each other. Borowski the reliever; Wood the starter. Borowski the 32nd round pick who bounced from Baltimore to Atlanta to the Bronx to the Mexican League to the Northern League before Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1119958328465992342005-06-28T07:07:00.000-04:002005-06-28T07:32:08.470-04:00Happy Birthday, Mark Grace!It's June 28th, the day the nation pauses to appreciate the career of the greatest baseball player, World Series hero, and class acts the game has ever known. He turns 41 today, and while we can't all go to the lengths the great Brad Wackerlin has to pay tribute, I'm happy to at least take a moment to say thanks.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1119294259073378892005-06-21T06:47:00.000-04:002005-06-21T06:46:16.790-04:00Jerome Williams makes Cub debut tonightMaddux, Lee, Ramirez, and some timely defense helped stop the bleeding last night. Tonight it's Jerome Williams who gets a chance to don a Chicago Cubs uniform and help the cause. Let's take the opportunity to update the chart I posted when the trade was made a few weeks back:Jerome WilliamsYearAgeLevelTeamIPERAHR%BB%K%200119AAShreveport130.03.952.6%6.3%Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1119298047593989212005-06-20T15:34:00.000-04:002005-06-21T06:43:55.743-04:00Swing batter swing!I got an email yesterday from Friend of the Lounge Trent McBride asking about Corey's first pitch tendencies. He wrote:(McCarver and Buck) cited the stat that (Patterson) has a big lead in across baseball- percent of AB swinging atthe first pitch. I'd like to see a comparison of how he does in AB where he takes the first pitch and AB where he swings at the first pitch (and Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1119270859352316112005-06-20T08:34:00.000-04:002005-06-20T08:34:19.360-04:00Duncan vs HorryI'm a Hawks fan, but the Spurs have been my backup team for about fifteen years now so I enjoyed seeing their exciting overtime win in Detroit last night. As I'm sure you heard if you watched Sportscenter or opened a newspaper sports section today, the man getting most of the credit for the victory is Robert Horry. Horry, who in the regular season played the seventh most minutes Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1119216360500064422005-06-19T17:25:00.000-04:002005-06-19T17:26:05.563-04:00Happy times are... where, exactly?In the last week the Cubs have lost six out of seven, including a three-game sweep in the Bronx that let down an entire world full of Yankee haters. They were outscored by 7, 8, 10, 3, 7, and 3 in the six losses en route to giving back nearly all the ground gained in the 12-3 stretch that preceeded this downturn. Every single starting pitcher on the big league Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118892508069785032005-06-15T23:24:00.000-04:002005-06-15T23:28:28.073-04:00DownhillThe Cubs' afternoon was surely heading down a slippery slope from the moment I compared today's starting pitcher to my car in the comments.Thanks for the two comments, two phone calls, the IM, and the three e-mails. Yes, I am 100% fine. I turned onto the on-ramp for the interstate, only it wasn't the on-ramp for the interstate, and the next thing you know I am hanging from my seatbelt Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118807749870914392005-06-14T23:53:00.000-04:002005-06-14T23:56:41.900-04:00THE GOODTHE BADI flipped my car upside down, totalling it.THE UGLYSeriously, did I mention the car?Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118696848854117822005-06-13T17:07:00.000-04:002005-06-13T17:07:28.860-04:00Ask and ye shall receiveMOE commented on the Dempster post and said "Is it me or did Dempster look better with Blanco calling the pitches? More groundouts it seems."Aw heck, lets find out. I went through the game logs and found that Dempster has pitched to Blanco six times, April 21 and 27, May 11 and 18, and June 5 and 11. Fortunately, he never pitched to Barrett and Blanco on the same day Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118593548970541322005-06-12T11:11:00.000-04:002005-06-12T17:55:54.903-04:00Cubs rollApparently, I hate the Yankees more than the Cardinals. That's what I learned about myself when my gut reaction to the score updates on Yanks/Cards during yesterday's Cubs game was to root for the Cardinals to get back in it. After thinking about it for a second, reason prevailed and I began rooting for the Cardinals to lose and thus improve the Cubs playoff standing, but for a moment Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118515491379657532005-06-11T14:26:00.000-04:002005-06-11T14:47:51.023-04:00Cub spawn leads US over Argentina 1-0The Wynnes, father and son.Its nice I can find a Cubs angle to justify talking a little soccer. The US outplayed Argentina en route to a 1-0 win in both teams' opening matching of the Youth World Cup today. The US goal came when Marvell Wynne, son of the former Cub outfielder with the same name, found an acre of space on the right side, received a pass, and Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118501671376679252005-06-11T10:49:00.000-04:002005-06-11T10:54:31.380-04:00Chicks dig the long ballAnd so do I, when its being hit by Greg Maddux, Todd Hollandsworth, and Jeromy Burnitz (twice.) With that kind of offensive support, Maddux might stick around for 400. Anyway, we've got favorable pitching matchups today and tomorrow as Zambrano faces Wade Miller today and Rusch takes on Tim Wakefield Sunday. Come to think of it, Maddux's bat speed might match Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118350986688615642005-06-09T17:02:00.000-04:002005-06-09T17:03:55.126-04:00VFTB has upped the anteScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118264792816469282005-06-08T16:38:00.000-04:002005-06-08T21:44:16.356-04:00Surge for SergioI've got a soft spot for Sergio after watching his major league debut with his wildly enthusiastic extended family sitting a couple rows behind me at Turner Field a couple years ago. That spot got a little softer today as he owned the Blue Jays, throwing seven scoreless and striking out six while allowing just a walk and two singles. Oh, and he drove in the game-winning run withScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1118165880501884632005-06-07T13:37:00.000-04:002005-06-07T16:57:43.593-04:00Cubs draft The Cubs have taken Mark Pawelek with the twentieth overall pick in today's first round of the draft. I know I had seen at least two mock drafts that had the Cubs taking him, so its not a surprise pick by any means. I've collected a few articles on him which I will link below. Several sources listed him as the top high school southpaw in the draft, but drafting high-school pitchers Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1117982345631106172005-06-05T10:38:00.000-04:002005-06-05T10:39:05.636-04:00All-Stars and routsYesterday was a good sports day. The US whomped on the Ticos 3-0 last night in Utah. Kasey Keller proved he can still play out of his mind, and Lanny-cakes had a gorgeous goal, a hustle goal, and a gorgeous hustle play to nearly single-handedly create Brian McBride's goal. The US soccer community has been just hammering our golden boy Landon Donovan ever since he bailed out Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1117707953895442962005-06-02T06:25:00.000-04:002005-06-02T06:25:53.900-04:00Cubs sweep DodgersNew April powerHotter as summer waxesRodan rampage onScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1117594341523173232005-05-31T22:51:00.000-04:002005-05-31T22:53:37.890-04:00Damaged GoodsThe Cubs swapped LaTroy Hawkins for David Aardsma and Jerome Williams on Saturday. I've written extensively about Hawkins before. He was an excellent reliever last year who happened to have some hits drop between fielders at inopportune times. His peripherals slipped some this year, particularly in the last couple weeks (i.e. after the abuse from the fans really ratcheted up, not Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1117470575675877822005-05-30T11:37:00.000-04:002005-05-30T13:16:34.136-04:00Chicago RoundupLike a latter-day Ferris Bueller, I ditched work and took my native-Chicagoan father to Wrigley and points beyond this weekend. Here are the highlights, sans subjects to save you time and because the predicate-only approach gives that you-are-there grittiness. You know you love it.ThursdayAwoke at 4:30 a.m. to catch the first AirTran flight of the day to Chicago. Landed, picked Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1117255153258670892005-05-28T00:35:00.000-04:002005-05-28T00:39:13.263-04:00I killed Mark PriorAnd we lost to the Rockies, and I lost my validated parking pass the hotel already charged me $25 for so I now have to buy a $30 version tomorrow, and I can't figure out how to upload the pic I took of Byron, Al, and myself in the bleachers, and I have no idea how I am going to get from the hotel to my grandmother's to Soldier Field to the airport all in ten hours tomorrow. Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1117028114837922962005-05-25T09:04:00.000-04:002005-05-25T09:35:14.843-04:00 Six in a row What does the headline represent? It is not the number of Cub wins in a row - although playing the Astros and the Rockies could easily get the Cubs to that mark. It is not the number of days I have hit the treadmill - that number is more like zero. It is not even the consecutive ABs in which Patterson has swung at a ball over his head. Six in a row represents the number of Dennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1117016838363510902005-05-25T06:23:00.000-04:002005-05-25T06:42:43.666-04:00Presented without commentBASEBALL KNOWLEDGE WILL NOT HELP YOU PICK UP GIRLSScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1116994422937175432005-05-25T00:10:00.000-04:002005-05-25T00:22:45.180-04:00I'm glad she's taking all his moneyI don't follow NASCAR, but I knew when I saw him doing Pepsi commercials he couldn't be trusted. He told an interviewer Sunday that he was worried about singing Tuesday because he didn't know the words. Well he had 48 hours! And there aren't that many words!Oh, and we won our third in a row on a night when we sent out Sergio Mitre, Clemens started and Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1116944778539073772005-05-24T10:25:00.000-04:002005-05-24T10:29:58.593-04:00A Grave MistakeSometimes I have to really scratch my head to come up with a headline, but sometimes the mediocre pun just leaps out at me. Reds reliever Danny Graves was designated for assignment yesterday, meaning the Reds have ten days to trade him or allow him to become a free agent. Graves' 7.36 ERA is presumably the underlying reason for the DFA, but the last straw was when he flipped off aScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1116813414302586932005-05-22T21:22:00.000-04:002005-05-22T21:56:54.340-04:00So what's up with Scott?Today I am posting a bunch of random stuff that's been on my mind and/or going on with me lately. Wait, wait, don't leave! I don't have a choice! I mean, this wouldn't a blog if I didn't write self-indulgent garbage that's irrelevant to anyone but me. So here's what I'll do to keep it interesting- somewhere in the post I'm going to talk about the Cubs... but I won't Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1116733197718949292005-05-21T22:50:00.000-04:002005-05-21T23:39:57.736-04:00Wuertz for closer!Sorry, I know that's not funny. I just don't know what else to say after the pen not only failed to close the door, but made sure the door was shut again behind the White Sox after they walked through it. The Cubs comeback thus fell short, and its another day, another loss, another game further behind St. Louis.Tomorrow is another day, and it will see Mark Prior face Orlando Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1116623885531479652005-05-20T16:49:00.000-04:002005-05-20T17:18:05.550-04:00Sox 5, Cubs 1The opening round goes to the Southside. I got home in time to catch the last three innings, which featured a few faint stabs at a rally but when you call on Enrique Wilson as your top bat off the bench, you pretty much deserve what you get. Greg Maddux had his usual "keep us in the game" performance, allowing a walk and a solo homer but striking out only one Southsider. His Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1116589941526097492005-05-20T07:51:00.000-04:002005-05-20T07:52:21.533-04:00Back from the deadThe Cubs have sprung to life with two ninth-inning wins over the Pirates this week, and my Northside Lounge career is likewise springing back to life. I've decided to leave The Cub Reporter in the capable hands of Christian and his posse and resume full-time blathering here at the good old Northside Lounge. They run the best ship in the fleet, but it was hard for me to Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09370703953597942433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326398.post-1115838538223207482005-05-11T14:42:00.000-04:002005-05-11T15:08:58.446-04:00 Cubs get back on track It is hard to describe May games as must win, but with the Cardinals not losing much and the Cubs far under .500 games are becoming important quickly. With that in mind Greg Maddux came out and pitched one of his best games since returning to the Cubs. He struck out 10 batters and combined with the bullpen to shut down the Mets. The offense sparked to life with the longDennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414031903381158435noreply@blogger.com