I spent 3 days and 3 nights in lovely Santa Fe, New Mexico last weekend. It was my maiden voyage there, and it was all it's cracked up to be. Let's check the scorecard:
Rave: Downtown and "the Square". Plenty of old hotels, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. We stayed in the charming Hotel St. Francis, right off the square, dined at the renowned Pasqual's Cafe, right across the street, had breakfast at the Atomic Grill, and wandered the streets all weekend.
Rant: Pricey, Pricey, Pricey. My initial take on Santa Fe as a town is that any sort of middle class is remarkably absent. It seems that you are either a working-class laborer, whether you're working in a restaurant, leading tours, or hawking blankets and jewelry (of which there is an endless supply), or you're a rich retiree that lives in Canyon Road, drives a sports car, and spends weekends on the slopes in Taos. I'd love to spend some serious time here, but I don't think I'll be able to afford to live in town for another 30 years.
Rave: Gorgeous scenery. The drive up from Albuquerque is through 50 miles of flat desert with mountains on either side, and Santa Fe is at the foothills. We rented a convertible so that we could enjoy the scenery, the desert sun, and smell nothing but wild sage as we cruised around the state. We also hiked the famous Tent Rocks national monument, which is a crazy natural formation about a half hour out of town on the Conchiti Indian Pueblo (in New Mexico, the term
"Pueblo" is used instead of the noticably less PC "Reservation").
Rant: High altitude. At 7,000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is up there. Let me tell you, hangovers at a mile and half in the air are no joke. My oxygen-starved brain was hurting for the better part of the weekend. You have to either be in good shape or willing to stop after ten beers when you're on vacation in order to avoid suffering. I am neither.
Rave: Good friends. We were there for LuckyLiz's wedding, and spent the weekend with friends new and old. Very good times. It helped that TheGirl's crew all forgot their significant others, so I spend the weekend in the company of 4-6 pretty girls who asked nothing of me except for my charming wit, which I am always happy to provide.
This place is a keeper. People always half-joke, half-fantasize about living in Santa Fe, and I can see why. I'd like to get back there again sometime soon and do a little more in-depth visiting to see if I could really settle down there (it's on TheGirl's short list of dream locations), but so far, it makes the grade.
This weekend we've got quite a schedule in the hot, muggy, not-so-Windy City: LittleBro, GUnit, Schwarzky, and Blando Calrizian are all visiting and we're going to blow it out. Kegs, Cubs, pubs, clubs, and shrubs* are all on the itinerary. Hope you have a good one.
t
*-shrubs are not on the itinerary.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Waiting in Vain?
Loyal Cubs fan and Offering reader Gate sadly posed the question today: "Is it time to start talking about the Cubs 2007 team already?" At first glance, it seems that the answer is no; We're still 17 games away from the All-Star break, and 91 from the conclusion of the 2006 campaign. That's a lot of baseball. But let's look inside the numbers and find out if it's time for the "wait 'til next year conversation" yet:
Right now, the Cardinals are 42-28. That projects to a 97.2 win season. I think it's safe to assume that 97 wins will win the NL Central.
Right now, the Reds are in first in the NL wild card by 1.5 games at 39-34. That's a pretty bad wild card race (consider that the White Sox are leading the AL wild card at 46-25, and the Texas Rangers, in fourth place in the AL wild card, have an identical record to the Reds). The Reds' first place position right now projects to the wild-card winner winning 86.55 games. Now, I think that's unrealistic, so let's say that the wild card has to win about 91 games to get in (in the AL, it could be 100).
Right now, the Cubs are 28-43. They have 91 games to go. To win the Central, they would need to win 69 more games, or compile a record of 69-22 the rest of the way. That's a 76% win percentage. That means they would have to win every three-game series the rest of the season, sweep approximately every third series, and win at least 3 of 4 in the few four-game sets remaining.
As for the wild card, assuming they need 91 wins, that would translate to the Cubs needing a record of 63-28 the rest of the way. That's a 69.2% win percentage, which means they would have to win every series the rest of the year, sweep the two-gamers, and win 3 of 4 in every four-gamer.
In either scenario, they cannot lose a single series for the rest of the year unless they swept at least the next one, and cannot get swept unless they came back and swept the next two (in the case of the wild card) or three (in the case of the division, since they already needed to sweep at least one out of every three).
Okay then. Not realistic. So let's assume the best possible scenario. Let's assume that the National League will defy history, the wild card contenders will continue their current pace, and the last playoff spot from the NL will go to a team with 87 wins. That means the Cubs would need 59 wins to make it, or go 59-32 the rest of the way. That's a 65% win percentage, or right about two out of every three games. That means winning every series from here on out, with the possible margin of error of splitting, not losing, one two- or four- game series.
Now, let's look at the Cubs current progress. Since May 1, by the Unofficial Public Offering's Unofficial Count, they've won 5 series, lost 10 series, swept 0 series, been swept in 7 series, and split 1 series. Not good news if you need to go out and win the next 30 series in a row.
Here's the bottom line: to come back from this far back would be almost impossible for a good baseball team, much less a baseball team that's been swept in 7 of the last 15 series. Plus, to hit another bad slide would essentially drop their chances to zero, which, from where they are now, isn't far.
I think it's time for that conversation. The numbers don't lie. Sorry Gate.
Right now, the Cardinals are 42-28. That projects to a 97.2 win season. I think it's safe to assume that 97 wins will win the NL Central.
Right now, the Reds are in first in the NL wild card by 1.5 games at 39-34. That's a pretty bad wild card race (consider that the White Sox are leading the AL wild card at 46-25, and the Texas Rangers, in fourth place in the AL wild card, have an identical record to the Reds). The Reds' first place position right now projects to the wild-card winner winning 86.55 games. Now, I think that's unrealistic, so let's say that the wild card has to win about 91 games to get in (in the AL, it could be 100).
Right now, the Cubs are 28-43. They have 91 games to go. To win the Central, they would need to win 69 more games, or compile a record of 69-22 the rest of the way. That's a 76% win percentage. That means they would have to win every three-game series the rest of the season, sweep approximately every third series, and win at least 3 of 4 in the few four-game sets remaining.
As for the wild card, assuming they need 91 wins, that would translate to the Cubs needing a record of 63-28 the rest of the way. That's a 69.2% win percentage, which means they would have to win every series the rest of the year, sweep the two-gamers, and win 3 of 4 in every four-gamer.
In either scenario, they cannot lose a single series for the rest of the year unless they swept at least the next one, and cannot get swept unless they came back and swept the next two (in the case of the wild card) or three (in the case of the division, since they already needed to sweep at least one out of every three).
Okay then. Not realistic. So let's assume the best possible scenario. Let's assume that the National League will defy history, the wild card contenders will continue their current pace, and the last playoff spot from the NL will go to a team with 87 wins. That means the Cubs would need 59 wins to make it, or go 59-32 the rest of the way. That's a 65% win percentage, or right about two out of every three games. That means winning every series from here on out, with the possible margin of error of splitting, not losing, one two- or four- game series.
Now, let's look at the Cubs current progress. Since May 1, by the Unofficial Public Offering's Unofficial Count, they've won 5 series, lost 10 series, swept 0 series, been swept in 7 series, and split 1 series. Not good news if you need to go out and win the next 30 series in a row.
Here's the bottom line: to come back from this far back would be almost impossible for a good baseball team, much less a baseball team that's been swept in 7 of the last 15 series. Plus, to hit another bad slide would essentially drop their chances to zero, which, from where they are now, isn't far.
I think it's time for that conversation. The numbers don't lie. Sorry Gate.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Quick hits: Never Grow Up Edition
-I'm going to be 27 years old on Thursday, and I just spent $20 ordering this. Props to K-Rock for finding this on the internets, and for being the only person, once the item was found, to order it before me. TheGirl's reaction: "Please tell me you're kidding." I'm not proud of my immaturity. I don't hide it either.
-The Cubs have shown signs of improvement on offense and defense, and have won 3 in a row for the first time since April 23-25. I am rewarding them by attending tonight's game versus Andy Pettitte and the Astros.
-Dolph and I are throwing a joint birthday party on Saturday to celebrate our 27th year on this planet that will include this, this, and a journey downtown to see these guys. Birthdays are fun, but I actually prefer other people's birthdays to my own...probably because I like reasons to celebrate, and celebration itself, but not all the attention. Sharing parties is therefore a good idea for me. Happy birthday, Dolph.
- Get Well Soon, Big Ben. But once you are completely recovered, I'd like to slap you in your newly-repaired head. The fact that this guy is a 24-year old Super Bowl Champion quarterback with a limitless future, and still chooses to ride racing bikes without a helmet, after being repeatedly told by many not to do so, tells me that he should have that head examined while it's getting stitched up. You did a stupid thing, Ben. You were lucky. Don't do it again. And stop saying on national television that you don't think riding without a helmet is risky. In fact, you may have just annointed yourself the new national spokesman for helmet safety.
-Memo to USA Soccer: if you're trying to get the sports-loving public in America to be interested and supportive of your sport, embarrassing yourselves on a world stage isn't the way to do it. After looking anemic and timid in a 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic, there is only one (semi-realistic) option: beat Ghana, draw Italy, and pray to whomever you pray to that 4 points gets you out of pool play. With the goal differential already favoring the Italians, however, even this scenario probably spells doom for the Americans.
Man, it's perfect weather in Chicago this week. Get out there and use it.
-The Cubs have shown signs of improvement on offense and defense, and have won 3 in a row for the first time since April 23-25. I am rewarding them by attending tonight's game versus Andy Pettitte and the Astros.
-Dolph and I are throwing a joint birthday party on Saturday to celebrate our 27th year on this planet that will include this, this, and a journey downtown to see these guys. Birthdays are fun, but I actually prefer other people's birthdays to my own...probably because I like reasons to celebrate, and celebration itself, but not all the attention. Sharing parties is therefore a good idea for me. Happy birthday, Dolph.
- Get Well Soon, Big Ben. But once you are completely recovered, I'd like to slap you in your newly-repaired head. The fact that this guy is a 24-year old Super Bowl Champion quarterback with a limitless future, and still chooses to ride racing bikes without a helmet, after being repeatedly told by many not to do so, tells me that he should have that head examined while it's getting stitched up. You did a stupid thing, Ben. You were lucky. Don't do it again. And stop saying on national television that you don't think riding without a helmet is risky. In fact, you may have just annointed yourself the new national spokesman for helmet safety.
-Memo to USA Soccer: if you're trying to get the sports-loving public in America to be interested and supportive of your sport, embarrassing yourselves on a world stage isn't the way to do it. After looking anemic and timid in a 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic, there is only one (semi-realistic) option: beat Ghana, draw Italy, and pray to whomever you pray to that 4 points gets you out of pool play. With the goal differential already favoring the Italians, however, even this scenario probably spells doom for the Americans.
Man, it's perfect weather in Chicago this week. Get out there and use it.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Reunited
I was in beautiful Middlebury, Vermont this past weekend for my 5-year college reunion. It was quite a celebration although it poured rain the entire time.
This was my first post-school trip down memory lane...I missed my 5 year high school reunion. It sounds kind of lame, but it really makes you take stock of your life when you get the 2-minute version of a hundred other people's lives in the span of 2 days.
Part of the benefit of going to a true liberal arts college is that you end up with a lot of people doing a lot of interesting things post-college...Middlebury really prides itself on being an "anti-trade" school. You therefore get fewer accountants, yes-men, and lackeys at huge firms. As a lackey at a large firm though, I suppose we're not immune.
A sampling of my closest friends includes doctors, lawyers, writers, construction managers, poets, pharmaceutical reps, museum curators, graduate students, musicians, finance wizards, talent agents, lab scientists, computer geeks, politicians, and many, many other strange and fun-to-hear-about jobs. A lot of my friends left their professions chosen out of college (many of them in the financial world) recently to follow aspirations they've always had but felt were impractical. I applaud that. Some of them (me included) have found different ways to include each other in their new careers. Good stuff.
The other notable thing that the weekend left me with is that there are lots of kinds of friends in life: those you lose touch with, those you weren't close to in the first place, those you stay in touch with and keep in your life forever, and those that you don't necessarily keep in close touch with, but don't need to in order to know that you'll always be tight.
It's the last kind that make me glad I made the trip, because not keeping in close touch with those people means you need to be reminded sometimes. It was great to see everyone last weekend.
More later this week.
This was my first post-school trip down memory lane...I missed my 5 year high school reunion. It sounds kind of lame, but it really makes you take stock of your life when you get the 2-minute version of a hundred other people's lives in the span of 2 days.
Part of the benefit of going to a true liberal arts college is that you end up with a lot of people doing a lot of interesting things post-college...Middlebury really prides itself on being an "anti-trade" school. You therefore get fewer accountants, yes-men, and lackeys at huge firms. As a lackey at a large firm though, I suppose we're not immune.
A sampling of my closest friends includes doctors, lawyers, writers, construction managers, poets, pharmaceutical reps, museum curators, graduate students, musicians, finance wizards, talent agents, lab scientists, computer geeks, politicians, and many, many other strange and fun-to-hear-about jobs. A lot of my friends left their professions chosen out of college (many of them in the financial world) recently to follow aspirations they've always had but felt were impractical. I applaud that. Some of them (me included) have found different ways to include each other in their new careers. Good stuff.
The other notable thing that the weekend left me with is that there are lots of kinds of friends in life: those you lose touch with, those you weren't close to in the first place, those you stay in touch with and keep in your life forever, and those that you don't necessarily keep in close touch with, but don't need to in order to know that you'll always be tight.
It's the last kind that make me glad I made the trip, because not keeping in close touch with those people means you need to be reminded sometimes. It was great to see everyone last weekend.
More later this week.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Rock Bottom
Greg Maddux takes his fifth loss in May
to finish 0-5 with an ERA of 7.81.
How can you say that the Cubs aren't the worst team in the National League right now? We are a staggering 5-18 in the month of May. We've won one series all month (2-1 against the Nationals May 16-18), had an 8-game losing streak, a four-game losing streak, a three-game losing streak, and are currently working on another one (after today's loss, it stands at three games).
How bad, exactly, are the Cubs? Let's check the numbers:
HITTING
-Worst in the NL in hits, third worst in all of baseball
-Worst in the NL in runs, second worst in all of baseball
-Worst in the NL in batting average, second worst in all of baseball
-Worst in the NL in RBI, second worst in all of baseball
-Worst in the NL in walks, third worst in all of baseball
-Worst in the NL in home runs, second worst in all of baseball
-Worst in all of baseball in on-base percentage, arguably the most important offensive stat
-Worst in all of baseball in slugging percentage
-Worst in all of baseball in OPS
-Worst in all of baseball in doubles
PITCHING
-Third worst ERA in the NL, 24th of 30 in all of baseball
-Fourth fewest saves in all of baseball (3 behind last place)
-Fourth most home runs given up in all of baseball (5 behind leader)
-Most walks given up in all of baseball
You can check sortable stats by team here.
Our defense is fairly average (in the middle of the pack in fielding percentage, errors, double plays, etc) and our baserunning is pretty spotty but not really to blame for our slide.
And of course, the most important stats of all: The Cubs are 18-28, 10 games below .500, 12.5 games out of the division lead, and own the third-worst record in the NL, ahead of Washington and Pittsburgh. After starting the year 12-7. Fantastic.
Here's what the Cubs need to do (and I'm not watching their games any more until I see some improvement):
1) STOP. WALKING. BATTERS. We walked 9 today.
2) Start hitting the ball. Be patient and stop trying to turn the month around with one swing.
3) Get the top of the order going. Juan Pierre and Ronny Cedeno are hitting miserably right now. Let's get our hottest hitters early in the lineup. How about Jacque Jones in the 2 hole?
4) Starters need to keep pitch counts down. It's hard to stay in games when your exhausted bullpen is pitching by the fourth inning.
5) Stay out of the big inning. Today the Marlins scored 5 runs in one inning, all with two outs. Inexcusable.
6) Wake up. Everything I see and hear out of this team tells me they are in a baseball coma. Get there early, eat a big lunch, perform a seance, get a new bat, whatever it takes. Start over. Get rid of your superstitions. Start acting like you're being paid MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO WIN GAMES. Let's try to get something going before DLee, Prior, and Miller are ready to go.
I love this team, but I'm almost through with them.
UPDATE: The Cubs are also last in the NL in batting average with runners in scoring position, a critical stat when you are struggling offensively. Individually, Juan Pierre is second to last with a .111 average (3-27).
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Quick Hits: Yo' Momma Edition
*Happy belated Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I hope you did something relaxing on the big day this past Sunday...for my mom, it usually involves a long bike ride, dinner someplace where she doesn't have to cook, and Letterman.
Mother's Day is probably the most important of the Hallmark holidays (although I don't particularly subscribe to them) because moms are usually the most underappreciated in a family. Never has a day gone by in the last 28 years when my mom hasn't made a sacrifice for one of her kids. Putting your kids before yourself is what being a parent is all about...after all, having a child makes you no more a parent than having a piano makes you a pianist. It's what you do with it once you have it that counts. Happy Mother's Day, mom.
*I was on the road last weekend in Utah and Las Vegas testing out several venues for TheBigDay in September. Big Ups to all of them:
The Wynn Hotel: Although I'll be staying at the Bellagio in September, I'll be spending time at the Wynn every time I visit Vegas. Great rooms, great light show out back at night, lots of fun to be had at Lure and Tryst, and plenty of table games for all. Auto shuffle on the $15 blackjack tables is bush league though. Believe me, I lose my money plenty fast when you have to shuffle.
Bear's Best: We're playing golf before the rehearsal dinner at this course, and it is pretty fabulous. Located 11 miles west of the strip, it is a combination of Jack Nicklaus's 18 best-designed holes in the western part of North America. Really a fun and difficult course. I didn't play too well there, but I birdied the 537-yard par-5 17th with a monster 280-yard three-wood from the fairway to the back of the green and a routine two-putt.
Entrada Golf Club at Snow Canyon: Where all of the magic is happening...golf, ceremony, pictures, and reception. TheDad stayed at the Inn, we ate at the clubhouse, and played the course. It passed all tests. Entrada is one of my all-time favorite golf courses, especially holes 15 through 18, when you're playing in the lava beds...it's like playing on the moon. The course is a Johnny Miller design managed by Troon Golf, so the course is in impeccable shape.
*The Cubs took 2 of three from the Nats this week, but Woody got rung up for 5 runs in five innings in his first start since last July. It's a long road back from shoulder and knee injuries, but we need every win right now and today didn't help. Nothing we can do but look forward to the first of two inter-city series with the hated White Sox, kicking off tomorrow afternoon.
*The uproar over hazing by the Northwestern University women's soccer team continues. I think this whole thing is much ado about nothing. News flash to all you PC Hazing Police: hazing occurs on every campus, for every sports team and every social group worth joining. Sometimes it goes too far and people get hurt or humiliated. But almost all of the time, as in the case at Northwestern, nobody was forced to do anything. Here's another bolt of wisdom: college underclassmen like getting dressed up with their teammates and drinking beers and engaging in team-building activities (even if they include R-rated skits, writing on each other, etc). I was hazed in college for both my athletic team and social institution. Some stuff I didn't like. 90% of it was really fun and purely to bring me closer to my teammates or pledge class. And it worked. Some of my fondest memories from college involve rites of initiation.
Jason Whitlock makes a great point about the Northwestern scandal in today's column: Why aren't we seeing this as gender equity? People have looked the other way for decades when fraternities and male sports teams engage in hazing involving drinking, writing on each other, sexuality, and subversion to their athletic female counterparts. Now that women are getting in on it, people are going crazy. Why isn't this okay as long as nobody on the Northwestern team complains? Look at the pictures for yourself. Does it look like these girls are being made to participate against their will? Or does it look like they are having a great time having a few drinks, ruining their white t-shirts, and running around scantily clad to the boy's soccer house? It's college. These girls are athletes at one of the most pretigious colleges in the nation. They obviously have shown that they can handle the rigors of Big 10 athletics while attending school in a demanding academic setting. Maybe we should let them take the freshman out and initiate them into the club for an evening without suspending the entire team and embarrassing them on a national stage.
*The Da Vinci Code is getting torn a new one as it debuts in Cannes and is reviewed in most major publications. Frankly, I'm not surprised. I was not impressed with the book and don't expect to be by the movie, when I catch it on HBO in a year.
*This weekend I am going to short game school to refine the most inconsistent part of my game. Gamblers in my foursome beware: when I master the tricks of Dave Pelz's trade, I will be a remorseless scoring machine. Also, BigBro and LittleBro will be in for the weekend, so we'll break in my new digs with a soiree on Saturday as a warm-up to the official housewarming to take place on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
Let's get a couple wins this weekend, Cubbies.
T
Mother's Day is probably the most important of the Hallmark holidays (although I don't particularly subscribe to them) because moms are usually the most underappreciated in a family. Never has a day gone by in the last 28 years when my mom hasn't made a sacrifice for one of her kids. Putting your kids before yourself is what being a parent is all about...after all, having a child makes you no more a parent than having a piano makes you a pianist. It's what you do with it once you have it that counts. Happy Mother's Day, mom.
*I was on the road last weekend in Utah and Las Vegas testing out several venues for TheBigDay in September. Big Ups to all of them:
The Wynn Hotel: Although I'll be staying at the Bellagio in September, I'll be spending time at the Wynn every time I visit Vegas. Great rooms, great light show out back at night, lots of fun to be had at Lure and Tryst, and plenty of table games for all. Auto shuffle on the $15 blackjack tables is bush league though. Believe me, I lose my money plenty fast when you have to shuffle.
Bear's Best: We're playing golf before the rehearsal dinner at this course, and it is pretty fabulous. Located 11 miles west of the strip, it is a combination of Jack Nicklaus's 18 best-designed holes in the western part of North America. Really a fun and difficult course. I didn't play too well there, but I birdied the 537-yard par-5 17th with a monster 280-yard three-wood from the fairway to the back of the green and a routine two-putt.
Entrada Golf Club at Snow Canyon: Where all of the magic is happening...golf, ceremony, pictures, and reception. TheDad stayed at the Inn, we ate at the clubhouse, and played the course. It passed all tests. Entrada is one of my all-time favorite golf courses, especially holes 15 through 18, when you're playing in the lava beds...it's like playing on the moon. The course is a Johnny Miller design managed by Troon Golf, so the course is in impeccable shape.
*The Cubs took 2 of three from the Nats this week, but Woody got rung up for 5 runs in five innings in his first start since last July. It's a long road back from shoulder and knee injuries, but we need every win right now and today didn't help. Nothing we can do but look forward to the first of two inter-city series with the hated White Sox, kicking off tomorrow afternoon.
*The uproar over hazing by the Northwestern University women's soccer team continues. I think this whole thing is much ado about nothing. News flash to all you PC Hazing Police: hazing occurs on every campus, for every sports team and every social group worth joining. Sometimes it goes too far and people get hurt or humiliated. But almost all of the time, as in the case at Northwestern, nobody was forced to do anything. Here's another bolt of wisdom: college underclassmen like getting dressed up with their teammates and drinking beers and engaging in team-building activities (even if they include R-rated skits, writing on each other, etc). I was hazed in college for both my athletic team and social institution. Some stuff I didn't like. 90% of it was really fun and purely to bring me closer to my teammates or pledge class. And it worked. Some of my fondest memories from college involve rites of initiation.
Jason Whitlock makes a great point about the Northwestern scandal in today's column: Why aren't we seeing this as gender equity? People have looked the other way for decades when fraternities and male sports teams engage in hazing involving drinking, writing on each other, sexuality, and subversion to their athletic female counterparts. Now that women are getting in on it, people are going crazy. Why isn't this okay as long as nobody on the Northwestern team complains? Look at the pictures for yourself. Does it look like these girls are being made to participate against their will? Or does it look like they are having a great time having a few drinks, ruining their white t-shirts, and running around scantily clad to the boy's soccer house? It's college. These girls are athletes at one of the most pretigious colleges in the nation. They obviously have shown that they can handle the rigors of Big 10 athletics while attending school in a demanding academic setting. Maybe we should let them take the freshman out and initiate them into the club for an evening without suspending the entire team and embarrassing them on a national stage.
*The Da Vinci Code is getting torn a new one as it debuts in Cannes and is reviewed in most major publications. Frankly, I'm not surprised. I was not impressed with the book and don't expect to be by the movie, when I catch it on HBO in a year.
*This weekend I am going to short game school to refine the most inconsistent part of my game. Gamblers in my foursome beware: when I master the tricks of Dave Pelz's trade, I will be a remorseless scoring machine. Also, BigBro and LittleBro will be in for the weekend, so we'll break in my new digs with a soiree on Saturday as a warm-up to the official housewarming to take place on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
Let's get a couple wins this weekend, Cubbies.
T
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Maybe I'm Craaaaaaaazzzzzzzy...
New music alert (for those that are saavy with the internets, you've heard a lot of the buzz already):
DJ Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo (of Goodie Mob fame) combined to form Gnarls Barkley and have just released their first album, St. Elsewhere. It's one part hip-hop, one part R&B, one part electronica with a dash of soul. I checked it out over the weekend and really liked it.
The first single is "Crazy", (you can download it here) which is a catchy one, but there are lots of others on the album that are sure to rock your party. Go get it.
Props to LongMan for pointing out this album to me. When I break in the new facility with multiple parties this month, St. Elsewhere will definitely be in the rotation. Whoo-hoo!
UPDATE: Check out Ray LaMontagne's cover of Crazy if you like acoustic grooves. TheGirl really likes Ray LaMontagne and Ray did a good job (and quickly, too) with this song.
Big Ups to MusicMatt for finding this cover and letting me know. He is always mining the internets for new music and frequently comes up with good stuff.
UPDATE: If you're a do-it-yourselfer, like Me and LongMan, you can check the Gnarls Barkley tabs here and a discussion and some ideas on the Ray LaMontagne tabs here. Looks like Ray plays it in a different key than Cee-Lo sings it, but it's not hard either way.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Quick hits: Long Layoff Edition
Hello out there...sorry for the extended layoff. It's been a busy month, what with the beginning of the Cubs season, a big relocation, and lots of stuff at work. But the spring has sprung in Chiacago and I have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. Here we go:
1) The Cubs Suck: We're in mired in a 7-game losing streak right now, starting with the finale of the homestand on May 2 and including an 0-6 road trip out west so far. We're finding all sorts of ways to lose, but the common thread is no offense. We've scored 8 runs in the last 7 games, including 5 games when we've scored zero or one run. We simply can't get anything going on offense. We're also careless on the base paths (Jacque Jones), can't hit cutoff men (Juan Pierre), and our rotation is struggling too. I don't know what the solution is. I suppose we have to just wait until DLee, Woody, Prior, and Miller return to the active roster. Woody has sparkled in his rehab starts, and looks to be ready to go after one more minor league outing. What can I say? It's the same, disappointing swoon, just a different year. Offering correspondant GRide returned from the first part of his Cubs road trip without seeing a victory. Not good.
2) I've Relocated: Last week I finally bit the bullet and moved in with TheGirl; we'll be living in sin until the end of September when I make it against the law for her to sleep with other men. We moved into the hip Southport Corridor, which is teeming with bars, restaurants, and other fun stuff to do. The residents of my neighborhood are much older than my previous spot, but it's just as lively and I've really been pleasantly surprised. The nightlife surrounding my new place is much better than before, we're still close to public transportation, and we're closer to Wrigley Field. Our new place is spacious, light, and well-appointed. I had a lot of reservations about moving in with TheGirl (never lived with a significant other before), but I'm happy with the new digs. I'm breaking it in on May 20th when my brothers visit Chicago and we have a small gathering, and our official housewarming party is Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Should be a rager.
3) Iran: Apparently the diplomatic letter sent to the Man In Charge wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Not surprising. All I've heard from the government in Tehran makes me think that they are not capable of rational discourse, but very capable of making life difficult for us and our allies if we are aggressive toward their sovereignty. That's called a rock and a hard place. Let's hope that cooler heads prevail (in the US, Iran, and Israel) and we don't end up trying to turn Tehran into a parking lot and ending up with two quagmires in the middle east. One is enough.
4) Bonds Is One Away from the Babe: And he is getting exactly what he deserves. I don't think anyone would take the opportunity to break a hallowed baseball record if it came at the price he is paying. He'll live the rest of his life with the cloud of a cheater hanging over his head, and he'll never be able to blame anyone but himself (although he's adept at trying). I really hope he doesn't hit 714 or 715 against the Cubs this weekend, but you have to think that there is an excellent chance with the way things are going for the Cubs these days.
5) Vegas, Baby: I'm heading to Vegas the day after tomorrow for a long weekend with TheGirl, TheDad, and TheInLaws. It should be a blast...we're test-driving our rehearsal dinner spot on Thursday night, staying at the Wynn Hotel, and playing some golf at two world-renowned golf courses. What's not to love? I'm looking forward to getting back out there (haven't been since Thanksgiving) and enjoying the bright lights of Sin City and the red rocks of Utah all in the same weekend.
Have a great week everyone.
T
1) The Cubs Suck: We're in mired in a 7-game losing streak right now, starting with the finale of the homestand on May 2 and including an 0-6 road trip out west so far. We're finding all sorts of ways to lose, but the common thread is no offense. We've scored 8 runs in the last 7 games, including 5 games when we've scored zero or one run. We simply can't get anything going on offense. We're also careless on the base paths (Jacque Jones), can't hit cutoff men (Juan Pierre), and our rotation is struggling too. I don't know what the solution is. I suppose we have to just wait until DLee, Woody, Prior, and Miller return to the active roster. Woody has sparkled in his rehab starts, and looks to be ready to go after one more minor league outing. What can I say? It's the same, disappointing swoon, just a different year. Offering correspondant GRide returned from the first part of his Cubs road trip without seeing a victory. Not good.
2) I've Relocated: Last week I finally bit the bullet and moved in with TheGirl; we'll be living in sin until the end of September when I make it against the law for her to sleep with other men. We moved into the hip Southport Corridor, which is teeming with bars, restaurants, and other fun stuff to do. The residents of my neighborhood are much older than my previous spot, but it's just as lively and I've really been pleasantly surprised. The nightlife surrounding my new place is much better than before, we're still close to public transportation, and we're closer to Wrigley Field. Our new place is spacious, light, and well-appointed. I had a lot of reservations about moving in with TheGirl (never lived with a significant other before), but I'm happy with the new digs. I'm breaking it in on May 20th when my brothers visit Chicago and we have a small gathering, and our official housewarming party is Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Should be a rager.
3) Iran: Apparently the diplomatic letter sent to the Man In Charge wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Not surprising. All I've heard from the government in Tehran makes me think that they are not capable of rational discourse, but very capable of making life difficult for us and our allies if we are aggressive toward their sovereignty. That's called a rock and a hard place. Let's hope that cooler heads prevail (in the US, Iran, and Israel) and we don't end up trying to turn Tehran into a parking lot and ending up with two quagmires in the middle east. One is enough.
4) Bonds Is One Away from the Babe: And he is getting exactly what he deserves. I don't think anyone would take the opportunity to break a hallowed baseball record if it came at the price he is paying. He'll live the rest of his life with the cloud of a cheater hanging over his head, and he'll never be able to blame anyone but himself (although he's adept at trying). I really hope he doesn't hit 714 or 715 against the Cubs this weekend, but you have to think that there is an excellent chance with the way things are going for the Cubs these days.
5) Vegas, Baby: I'm heading to Vegas the day after tomorrow for a long weekend with TheGirl, TheDad, and TheInLaws. It should be a blast...we're test-driving our rehearsal dinner spot on Thursday night, staying at the Wynn Hotel, and playing some golf at two world-renowned golf courses. What's not to love? I'm looking forward to getting back out there (haven't been since Thanksgiving) and enjoying the bright lights of Sin City and the red rocks of Utah all in the same weekend.
Have a great week everyone.
T
Thursday, April 27, 2006
On the Road with the Chicago Cubs
Good friend, Offering regular, diehard Cubs fan and permanent Phoenix resident GRide is attempting to see the Cubs in every west coast venue to which they travel this year. He is recording the journey with photos and commentary on an MLB blog that you can view here.
Check in there to see pictures and hear stories of ballparks that we Cubs fans don't get to visit very often. It's easy to post comments there too, all you need is an ID from MLB.com. If you bought tickets to any game this year through an official team website, you already have an ID. If you want to get one, you can get one easily (and free, of course) here.
Since the NL West is clearly inferior to the Central, let's hope GRide sees lots of wins out there.
The Cubs ended the Marlins series with a strange and sloppy loss yesterday, but we're looking to rebound this weekend against an up-and-coming Brewers team. I'll be in the bleachers tomorrow to supervise a series-opening win. Hope your week is going swimmingly.
T
Check in there to see pictures and hear stories of ballparks that we Cubs fans don't get to visit very often. It's easy to post comments there too, all you need is an ID from MLB.com. If you bought tickets to any game this year through an official team website, you already have an ID. If you want to get one, you can get one easily (and free, of course) here.
Since the NL West is clearly inferior to the Central, let's hope GRide sees lots of wins out there.
The Cubs ended the Marlins series with a strange and sloppy loss yesterday, but we're looking to rebound this weekend against an up-and-coming Brewers team. I'll be in the bleachers tomorrow to supervise a series-opening win. Hope your week is going swimmingly.
T
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Nothin' but Nets
Hello world. Today I am giving a shout-out to a great new charitable venture by Sports Illustrated, a magazine and institution that I grew up with and still read daily. The magazine's Nothing but Net program is encouraging anyone who ever used a net to play a sport to donate to the U.N. Foundation, which will use the proceeds to purchase insecticide-treated nets for African families to fight the spread of malaria.
Rick Reilly wrote an interesting column to solicit donations for the program, which tells of the terrible spread of malaria (it kills 3,000 African children per day) and how preventable the disease can be (these nets can reduce the spread of the disease by 60%, last up to four years, and some can cover a family of four).
These nets cost between $4-$6 to purchase, and about $10 total to buy them and ship them where they need to go. 100% of your donation goes to the purchase of nets, as Ted Turner's original $1 billion donation to the U.N. Foundation covers all overhead costs. As U.N. Foundation Director of Children's Health Andrea Gay said, "every cent will go to nets." That means you will send one net for every $10 you donate. It's a simple, easy solution to an epidemic problem.
Bill and Melinda Gates have already purchased one net for every single bed in the country of Zambia. I hope you will join me and many others in sending some desperately needed, inexpensive nets to a place where they will do a lot more good than you can imagine.
To donate, simply go to the U.N. Foundation's malaria site or call 202-887-9040. Rick Reilly and the folks over at SI are asking for $20 from anyone who ever got a thrill from kicking a ball into a net, protecting a net as a goalie, or draining a long three at the buzzer, but I think any donation is acceptable. Start small if you'd like.
Reilly donated $20,000 because he estimated that he's used the word net 20,000 times in his columns over the years. Since I don't have a similar metric, I'm going to start by donating all of the proceeds from my very successful NCAA tournament pool season this year (which I won by correctly picking who was going to be cutting down nets in the Final Four). I plan to donate more in the near future.
Thanks in advance for your help with the effort. Have a great week. If you're going to see the Cubs tonight or Friday, I'll see you at Wrigley.
T
Rick Reilly wrote an interesting column to solicit donations for the program, which tells of the terrible spread of malaria (it kills 3,000 African children per day) and how preventable the disease can be (these nets can reduce the spread of the disease by 60%, last up to four years, and some can cover a family of four).
These nets cost between $4-$6 to purchase, and about $10 total to buy them and ship them where they need to go. 100% of your donation goes to the purchase of nets, as Ted Turner's original $1 billion donation to the U.N. Foundation covers all overhead costs. As U.N. Foundation Director of Children's Health Andrea Gay said, "every cent will go to nets." That means you will send one net for every $10 you donate. It's a simple, easy solution to an epidemic problem.
Bill and Melinda Gates have already purchased one net for every single bed in the country of Zambia. I hope you will join me and many others in sending some desperately needed, inexpensive nets to a place where they will do a lot more good than you can imagine.
To donate, simply go to the U.N. Foundation's malaria site or call 202-887-9040. Rick Reilly and the folks over at SI are asking for $20 from anyone who ever got a thrill from kicking a ball into a net, protecting a net as a goalie, or draining a long three at the buzzer, but I think any donation is acceptable. Start small if you'd like.
Reilly donated $20,000 because he estimated that he's used the word net 20,000 times in his columns over the years. Since I don't have a similar metric, I'm going to start by donating all of the proceeds from my very successful NCAA tournament pool season this year (which I won by correctly picking who was going to be cutting down nets in the Final Four). I plan to donate more in the near future.
Thanks in advance for your help with the effort. Have a great week. If you're going to see the Cubs tonight or Friday, I'll see you at Wrigley.
T
Thursday, April 20, 2006
FF + DC4C = Neato
Last night I saw Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie at the Aragon Ballroom. It was fun. I went with a large group of people with varying levels of experience with both bands; the newbies and the old hats both seemed to like the show a great deal. DCFC was definitely worlds better than their last show in Chicago, which pretty much put me to sleep.Franz Ferdinand was good- they are a little formulaic in their catalog, a problem I also identify with similar bands like the Strokes and the Killers. Obviously, their songs differ a lot, but in their live show the subtle differences often aren't obvious. The star of their show is clearly drummer Paul Thompson, who was given room to extend songs as well as leading several percussion solos/jams. I thought that singer Alexander Kapranos was good and had a lot of personality, but not very precise in his notes and had a bit too much of the dark "indie-whine" found on many Interpol tracks.
Death Cab was great. They came out and started slow with Passenger Seat and Different Names for the Same Thing. Ben Gibbard's voice was very clear in a usually muddy acoustic setting like the Aragon. Then they got things rocking a little more with The New Year, Why'd You Want to Live Here, Photobooth, A Movie Script Ending, and a loud rendition of We Looked Like Giants with Ben Gibbard on the drums. The closer was Sound of Settling. Overall, they mixed the old stuff with the new stuff, playing a couple off of We Have the Facts and at least one off of the Forbidden Love EP (I don't have the full setlist). The encore was predictably slow- I Will Follow You Into the Dark and Transatlanticism. Overall, the energy was much better than last time, and the crowd was really into it. Death Cab has redeemed themselves for me, and have earned at least one more show in Chicago. Franz Ferdinand probably doesn't have quite enough for me to see them by themselves, but were worth getting there early for.
Highlights: We Looked Like Giants, A Movie Script Ending, Transatlanticism
Notable Absences (IMHO): Tiny Vessels, Death of an Interior Decorator, Marching Bands of Manhatten, I was a Kaleidoscope, Blacking Out the Friction.
This weekend is definitely going to be a Fritaturday. I don't know how many more of these I can handle.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Mother Nature is Upset
Multiple tornados and severe thunderstorms hit the hometown of the Offering last night, causing widespread damage and destruction last night. The governer has declared a state of emergency and state and local officials are trying to clean up the mess as quickly as possible. The students at the University of Iowa reacted as expected, by going out in the wreckage and partying.
My home was very lucky- no damage and the power/water/utilities are all going strong. It appears that the worst is over, but more bad weather is expected late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
This is the worst possible time for my family, as TheSister is scheduled to get married tomorrow in Iowa City, and we have 130 people arriving in Iowa City during the day today for festivities beginning at 6:00. Obviously, this is not the time to think of such things, but it appears that nobody was killed.
Keep the good people of Iowa City in your thoughts this weekend. I'm heading there in about an hour, so I'll post an update after the weekend.
T
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
R.I.P. Deshaun Holton (aka Proof)
Deshaun Holton, better known as Proof from Eminem's Detroit-based group D12, was shot and killed early Tuesday morning at the CCC Club in Detroit, Michigan. Proof was a founding member of D12 (as well as many other groups with Detroit MCs), Eminem's best friend, and a father of five.
Proof was one of the driving forces behind Detroit becoming a hotbed for hip-hop innovation, as he grew up performing at all manner of venues, welcomed artists of all kinds into his studio, and was on a never-ending quest to find the next big thing. He hosted and participated in countless rap battles, including at the famous Hip-Hop Shop, and was known as one of the most thoughtful and clever improvisational rappers to come out of Detroit.
Proof was always my favorite member of D12, mostly because I liked his low voice and laid back rhyming style. He heavily influenced Eminem's raps, was a frequent consultant for his concerts, and was always the first member of D12 to be picked to go on tour with Eminem. He released one solo album on his label Iron Fist Records, the introspective Searching for Jerry Garcia, and was featured on D12 albums Devil's Night and D12 World.
I'm sure that Proof fans are sad and angry over yet another needless tragedy, especially as D12 was trying to bury feuds with other Detroit rappers. It's an eerie coincidence that Proof was shot and killed in Eminem's recent video, called Like Toy Soldiers, which was about ending this kind of violence. I hope that this will lead to other artists speaking out against violence for the sake of violence, but I'm not terribly optimistic.
Proof was 32 years old.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Clean Sweep (and a Tradition unlike any other)
It was a fantastic weekend. I attended my first Cubs game of the year last night, and got to see Michael Barrett and Jacque Jones (both pictured above) power the Cubs to an 8-4 victory over the Cardinals and wrap up a three-game sweep of our hated division rivals. Jacque Jones got his first hit as a Cub and first hit of the season in the fourth when he blasted a three-run homer to dead center with the Cubs down 2-0, and then Michael Barrett took advantage of a Jason Isringhausen fastball in the 8th inning in grand fashion after the Cards bullpen walked the bases loaded.
It was nice to see Michael Barrett have such a good weekend (he delivered the crucial game-tying homer on Saturday as well), as his home in Atlanta was severely damaged by a tornado. But according to Barrett, it was the best baseball weekend of his life.
The golf season also got underway on Sunday, as I swung the wrenches for the first time in 2006 (1 birdie, five pars, and pretty ugly at times) and Phil Mickleson won the Masters for the second time. It's Phil's second consecutive major victory and third overall, and it looks like he has finally decided to become the dominant force that golf fans have been expecting for over a decade. After winning by 13 strokes last week, Phil showed the world that he is ready to meet the lofty expectations that come with winning three of the last nine majors.
After checking out a brand new bar, getting out the clubs for a new golf season, taking in the Masters, and supervising a crowd of 40,000 during our first sweep of the year, I'd have to say that this past weekend happened exactly how I drew it up. Next weekend looks to be even better as I head back to Iowa for TheSister's wedding, which prominently involves salsa bands, extended family, cocktails, and my monkey suit. Have a good week and if you're in the windy city, get out there and enjoy the sunshine.
T
Friday, April 07, 2006
The Face of Tragedy
Pictured above is the scene of a horrific car accident in Germany (courtesy of Danimal). The depiction of the carnage, and the few survivors scattered among the broken bodies, is a graphic and profound image. I know it's difficult to look at a picture like this, but I hope, as we begin the weekend, that each of us realizes how lucky we are and how fast we can lose everything. I don't usually like to post sentimental thoughts on Fridays, as I don't believe that weekends are the time to dwell on the serious side of life, but this picture really struck a chord with me. As we count our blessings, let's make sure that we enjoy every day as if it is our last. This weekend, that involves cheering on the Cubs as they open Wrigley Field for 2006 with a three-gamer against the hated Cardinals, trying to get out on the links for the first round of golf of the year, and watching closely to see if anyone can stop Tiger at Augusta.
Have a great weekend everybody. T
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The Shame of Being a Dukie
I am a lifelong Duke hater. I hate their smug attitude, I hate the basketball superstars that have played there over the years, I hate the well-known but seldom talked-about racial tension in the town because of Duke's reputation as a southern school for Yankees, I hate the students' sense of entitlement, especially becuase they are usually just the valedictorians of mediocre New Jersey high schools with wealthy parents.
I base this opinion on real life experience: I went to a snotty east coast college too, and I've worked in DC, Boston, and Chicago in a litany of legal and political jobs; I've therefore run into more than my fair share of Duke students and grads. With a couple of notable exceptions, I find that Duke stereotypes are fairly well justified.
Because of my bad attitude about Duke, I usually like it when they get bad press and otherwise look like jerks in front of the rest of the nation. But I am disgusted and appalled by the recent scandal involving the alleged gang rape of two exotic dancers at a Duke lacrosse party, which has led the coach to resign and the rest of the season to be cancelled.
The circumstantial evidence appears to be very strong; medical tests on the alleged victims are consistent with sexual assault and according to documents published by The Smoking Gun, signs of a struggle were found in the bathroom where the alleged assaults occured.
Today, a previously sealed warrant was unsealed and detailed numerous other pieces of evidence on the events at the party, including an email sent by a member of the lacrosse team, Ryan McFadyen, just after the party in question that talked about killing and mutilating strippers in his dorm room the next night.
This is repulsive enough as it is. But what makes it worse is the racial undertones of the entire scandal. The exotic dancers that were allegedly raped and beaten at the party were African-American; all of the lacrosse players are white except one (who has been ruled out of suspicion, as the dancers said that their attackers were white). The alleged victims claim that they were subject to racist abuse, both verbal and physical, throughout the ordeal. The fact that this may have been, at least in part, racially motivated speaks to the amount of blind hate that exists in the prestigious corridors of Durham.
An aside: I don't know if it's a coincidence that the lacrosse team at the snotty east coast college where I attended was comprised of the most chauvinistic, meatheaded, jerks on campus. They always were the most physically confrontational, especially when drunk (they terrorized a good friend of mine after he testified to seeing them mercilessly beat another kid on a Saturday night), aggressive toward women, and in general awful people. I'm not arguing that all lacrosse players are hyper-aggressive rapists, in fact, I know several that are great people, but I do think that lacrosse is a sport that only permeates the higher socioeconomic classes (boarding schools on the east coast in particular) and rewards naked aggression. When you combine a fiercely loyal bunch of kids (such as those on their own at a boarding school), a sense of entitlement that comes from being rich, and a sport that encourages aggression and physicality, I think you get a higher incidence of events like those that allegedly transpired at Duke and the many, many incidents I witnessed at my alma mater. I played rugby and belonged to a social organization that drew from many sports teams, extracurricular organizations, socioeconomic classes, and backgrounds, and nobody that I associated with was a fan of lacrosse players. Maybe I harbor prejudice against these guys because of what I saw in college, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the swim team or the track team wasn't accused of these foul events at Duke.
Let's hope that if a sexual assault, hate crime, or both did indeed occur, those responsible fry for it.
I base this opinion on real life experience: I went to a snotty east coast college too, and I've worked in DC, Boston, and Chicago in a litany of legal and political jobs; I've therefore run into more than my fair share of Duke students and grads. With a couple of notable exceptions, I find that Duke stereotypes are fairly well justified.
Because of my bad attitude about Duke, I usually like it when they get bad press and otherwise look like jerks in front of the rest of the nation. But I am disgusted and appalled by the recent scandal involving the alleged gang rape of two exotic dancers at a Duke lacrosse party, which has led the coach to resign and the rest of the season to be cancelled.
The circumstantial evidence appears to be very strong; medical tests on the alleged victims are consistent with sexual assault and according to documents published by The Smoking Gun, signs of a struggle were found in the bathroom where the alleged assaults occured.
Today, a previously sealed warrant was unsealed and detailed numerous other pieces of evidence on the events at the party, including an email sent by a member of the lacrosse team, Ryan McFadyen, just after the party in question that talked about killing and mutilating strippers in his dorm room the next night.
This is repulsive enough as it is. But what makes it worse is the racial undertones of the entire scandal. The exotic dancers that were allegedly raped and beaten at the party were African-American; all of the lacrosse players are white except one (who has been ruled out of suspicion, as the dancers said that their attackers were white). The alleged victims claim that they were subject to racist abuse, both verbal and physical, throughout the ordeal. The fact that this may have been, at least in part, racially motivated speaks to the amount of blind hate that exists in the prestigious corridors of Durham.
An aside: I don't know if it's a coincidence that the lacrosse team at the snotty east coast college where I attended was comprised of the most chauvinistic, meatheaded, jerks on campus. They always were the most physically confrontational, especially when drunk (they terrorized a good friend of mine after he testified to seeing them mercilessly beat another kid on a Saturday night), aggressive toward women, and in general awful people. I'm not arguing that all lacrosse players are hyper-aggressive rapists, in fact, I know several that are great people, but I do think that lacrosse is a sport that only permeates the higher socioeconomic classes (boarding schools on the east coast in particular) and rewards naked aggression. When you combine a fiercely loyal bunch of kids (such as those on their own at a boarding school), a sense of entitlement that comes from being rich, and a sport that encourages aggression and physicality, I think you get a higher incidence of events like those that allegedly transpired at Duke and the many, many incidents I witnessed at my alma mater. I played rugby and belonged to a social organization that drew from many sports teams, extracurricular organizations, socioeconomic classes, and backgrounds, and nobody that I associated with was a fan of lacrosse players. Maybe I harbor prejudice against these guys because of what I saw in college, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the swim team or the track team wasn't accused of these foul events at Duke.
Let's hope that if a sexual assault, hate crime, or both did indeed occur, those responsible fry for it.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Opening Day 2006: Success
Happy Opening Day everyone. The Cubs start their 2006 campaign today in Cincinnati as Big Z gets the nod against Aaron Harang and the Reds. None of the experts picked the Cubs to do much damage, but we didn't get any props in 2003 either, and we should have been in the World Series that year.I'm still optimistic. Baseball is probably the most fun season of the year, because of the length, the fact that your team plays almost every day, and it spans the best weather of the year in the midwest. Some people are even saying that 2006 will be the greatest baseball season ever. I'm not making any predictions that are so lofty, but I am very much looking forward to seeing how the NL Central, and the league at large, play out.
For now, go Cubs. Let's make this year a memorable one.
UPDATE: 16 runs on 18 hits and 7 walks for the Cubs today as they defeat the Reds handily, 16-7. The offense was better than we thought, the defense good, the pitching a little inconsistent, but the Cubs got the job done and the season started on the right foot. Day off Tuesday, and then back at it versus the Reds again Wednesday.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Friday, March 17, 2006
And Thus Endeth the Iowa Season
The Iowa Hawkeyes fell victim to the biggest upset of the tourney so far, falling to Northwestern State 64-63 on a long three-pointer at the buzzer.
Now, a lot of people are going to talk about how this shouldn't tarnish a great 25-win season, a Big Ten Tournament title, and a season that our seniors can be proud of. But you know what? It does.
Say what you want about conference record, RPI, or however else you measure success in college basketball- all that matters is where you get seeded in the Big Dance, and how far you are able to go. And for the second year in a row, Iowa got beat in the first round.
A lot of people are also going to express sympathy for our seniors, in particular Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner, because they went out on a sad and disappointing note. Those guys were great players and represented the Hawkeyes really well for four years, but I have zero sympathy for them. Here's why:
This. Team. Choked. This was one of the worst of many epic choke jobs that Steve Alford-led teams author the minute any sort of pressure is applied. Consider the following:
1) We had a 17 point lead on a #14 seed with a little less than 8 and a half minutes to play. They went on a 27-9 run to win the game. That is a collapse of almost indescribable proportions. There is no excuse for allowing your opponent to come back like that, especially when you pride yourself on your defense. None.
2) Our senior center, Erek Hansen, went 2/4 with 1 offensive rebound and 5 turnovers.
3) Jeff Horner was 4-13 from the field, including 1-7 from downtown. That just isn't going to get the job done.
4) We got 7 points on 1-4 shooting from our bench.
5) We turned the ball over 18 times.
6) Northwestern State managed to shoot the ball at a 38% clip and still beat us.
7) Greg Brunner missed a free throw with 14 seconds to go that would have put us up by 3.
All of this leads me to a couple of, in my view, inescapable conclusions. They are hard to swallow, but even as a person who lives and dies with the success of the Hawkeyes, we have to be honest here. They are:
1) Steve Alford is, simply put, a loser. It took him 5 years at Iowa to author a .500 season in the Big Ten (Tom Davis never had a sub-.500 year, ever.). He has won precisely 1 NCAA tournament game in 7 seasons at Iowa. He has gotten beat by inferior teams the last two years in the first round, both played fairly close to home.
2) This team is composed of post-season choke artists. We haven't gone on a post-season run in the Alford era, and it's not just in the NCAAs either. Remember when we got beat by St. Louis University in the first round of the NIT a few years ago? We just can't perform in a one-and-done situation.
3) We desperately need to shake up our program and recruiting. We are not going to get Iowans like Brunner and Horner on a regular basis, and right now, we're not effectively recruiting anywhere else. Time to get a new coaching staff and a new attitude in our program. For tips, call Kirk Ferentz.
4) Time to start laying blame where it belongs. Lack of preparation and mentality is on the coach. Lack of poise and odd absence of fundamentals in crunch time is on the players.
Thanks to our seniors. Horner and Brunner had great careers at Iowa, and I believe they will be remembered for their entire body of work, not just today's game. But no excuses: they were beaten by an inferior team because they couldn't hold a 17-point lead for 8 minutes.
That's a tough thought to ponder on the way back to Iowa City, and for the rest of the off-season. See you guys next year.
Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone. Be proud of your Irish heritage, I know I am.
t
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