blackhawks making you nervous? yeah, me too.
bigggest disappointment so far in baseball? without a doubt, the white sox. touted by many (including me) as world beaters this year, they have been stuck in reverse since day 1 and minnesota continues to pull away from them. eight games out of first and counting with 4 regulars still batting around .200........ throw in the struggles of mark buerhle, gavin floyd and bobby jenks and you have the makings of a typical north side summer on 35th street.
the cubs? business as usual. stuck with three incredibly bad 'no trade' contracts, they are mired in mediocrity for at least three more years as the team grows older. aramis ramirez and derrek lee are hitting like they belong on the south side and the cub bullpen is non-existent. the cubs just finished the 'soft' spot of their schedule at 14-18 and are already 6 games out. new owner tom ricketts hates being called 'lovable losers'......get used to it. but the fans are drooling over starlin castro, who was finally promoted by boo-oo lou last week. castro should have been the SS from opening day (see earlier blog). a couple words of caution to cub fans about celebrating starlin castro too early: jerome walton.
and the chicago bulls? wow. injuries doomed any chance of being successful during the regular season but vinnie actually did a pretty good job with all the adversity, including dropping the gloves with GM john 'tie grabber' paxson. but firing vinnie was the right move (as firing the tie grabber would also be) because the bulls are going to land a stud in free agency and an experienced coach is needed to guide the bulls upward. this move is no different than when the bulls fired doug collins and replaced him with phil jackson or the hawks releasing denis savard for joel quenville. sometimes, ya gotta make a move.
the chicago fire? no clue. i still don't get it. later.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
a few thoughts
despite all the drug related and highly publicized violence in places like acapulco, ciudad juarez, laredo and tijuana, mexico is still a wonderful place for a vacation.
i know that most of you think i'm crazy for staying there every year but just like in the states, you just have to avoid the nasty cities.
but unfortunately, the publicity beat goes on............check out these statistics on recent violence over a 26 hour period: 41 people shot and 4 dead. who would visit that area, right? well, those deadly stats belonged to the city of CHICAGO last weekend but i don't see the state department issuing a warning to stay away from the windy city. perception is reality....unless it's in your back yard.
congratulations to the university of conneticut's womens basketball team for winning their second straight undefeated championship and winning 78 consecutive games over two years. how do you win 78 consecutive anythings?
Godspeed to actor robert culp who dared break all the rules and partner up with a unknown black actor on a weekly television series in 1965 called 'i spy' which played for three seasons. culp defied the critics and thumbed his nose at those who said america wasn't ready for an african american as an equal partner to a white man and that culp was commiting professional suicide. apparently, the critics were wrong as culp was emmy nominated all three years as best leading man in a drama but he never won the award because he lost every years to his tv partner, bill cosby. culp was 79.
tiger woods was playing around on his wife. infidelity was the primary cause of action in 1.2 million divorces last year. when do we get reports on the other million + people? let the guy and his family move on.
how brave is that 11 year old boy who helped his mother fight off the knife wielding rapist the other night? they both suffered nasty facial cuts. when does the local plastic surgeon step up and donate his services?
my buddy jim thinks our former governor is so delusional that he would pass a lie detector examination. wouldn't that be a hoot if blago was found 'unfit' to stand trial and commited to an institution?
if you're thinking about a new car, i think your best bargain is going to be ANY toyota over the next twelve months. that company is going to jump thru hoops to rebuild their reputations. they just have to learn that sticky gas pedals should not be included in the luxury package.
smile. summer is coming.
i know that most of you think i'm crazy for staying there every year but just like in the states, you just have to avoid the nasty cities.
but unfortunately, the publicity beat goes on............check out these statistics on recent violence over a 26 hour period: 41 people shot and 4 dead. who would visit that area, right? well, those deadly stats belonged to the city of CHICAGO last weekend but i don't see the state department issuing a warning to stay away from the windy city. perception is reality....unless it's in your back yard.
congratulations to the university of conneticut's womens basketball team for winning their second straight undefeated championship and winning 78 consecutive games over two years. how do you win 78 consecutive anythings?
Godspeed to actor robert culp who dared break all the rules and partner up with a unknown black actor on a weekly television series in 1965 called 'i spy' which played for three seasons. culp defied the critics and thumbed his nose at those who said america wasn't ready for an african american as an equal partner to a white man and that culp was commiting professional suicide. apparently, the critics were wrong as culp was emmy nominated all three years as best leading man in a drama but he never won the award because he lost every years to his tv partner, bill cosby. culp was 79.
tiger woods was playing around on his wife. infidelity was the primary cause of action in 1.2 million divorces last year. when do we get reports on the other million + people? let the guy and his family move on.
how brave is that 11 year old boy who helped his mother fight off the knife wielding rapist the other night? they both suffered nasty facial cuts. when does the local plastic surgeon step up and donate his services?
my buddy jim thinks our former governor is so delusional that he would pass a lie detector examination. wouldn't that be a hoot if blago was found 'unfit' to stand trial and commited to an institution?
if you're thinking about a new car, i think your best bargain is going to be ANY toyota over the next twelve months. that company is going to jump thru hoops to rebuild their reputations. they just have to learn that sticky gas pedals should not be included in the luxury package.
smile. summer is coming.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
2010 WHITE SOX
the baseball excitement will be on the south side this year as the pitching rich white sox duke it out with detroit and minnesota for the central division crown.
the depending champion twins were dealt a heavy blow when all star closer joe nathan went down for the season but they're the champs until someone knocks them off and that someone should be the white sox in 2010. but, although loaded with pitching, the sox are not without question marks in their outfield lineup.
carlos quentin has never played a full season in professional ball so his health is certainly an issue. alex rios has to bounce back from that disastrous two months after being traded from toronto because hitting .199 ain't going to cut it.
on the plus side, juan pierre is a huge upgrade from scott podsednick. better hitter, faster, better base stealer, well liked in the club house and a very intelligent player. but the pearl of gm kenny williams' off season activities might be andruw jones. a ten time gold glover, he's 35 pounds lighter and pounding the ball. look for him to get more playingtime than expected.
they have a solid infield and the bullpen is lights out. jenks, thornton and putz will twist you in knots. as mentioned, the starting 4 is the best in the american league.
this is a ball club with very high expectations. if you play on the north side and stay healthy, you're still playing for second place but if the white sox stay healthy, it could be a repeat of 2005.
the depending champion twins were dealt a heavy blow when all star closer joe nathan went down for the season but they're the champs until someone knocks them off and that someone should be the white sox in 2010. but, although loaded with pitching, the sox are not without question marks in their outfield lineup.
carlos quentin has never played a full season in professional ball so his health is certainly an issue. alex rios has to bounce back from that disastrous two months after being traded from toronto because hitting .199 ain't going to cut it.
on the plus side, juan pierre is a huge upgrade from scott podsednick. better hitter, faster, better base stealer, well liked in the club house and a very intelligent player. but the pearl of gm kenny williams' off season activities might be andruw jones. a ten time gold glover, he's 35 pounds lighter and pounding the ball. look for him to get more playingtime than expected.
they have a solid infield and the bullpen is lights out. jenks, thornton and putz will twist you in knots. as mentioned, the starting 4 is the best in the american league.
this is a ball club with very high expectations. if you play on the north side and stay healthy, you're still playing for second place but if the white sox stay healthy, it could be a repeat of 2005.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
THE 2010 CUBS
normally spring training is the time for optimism but the chicago cubs have stumbled badly coming out of the chute without a pitch being thrown.
boo-boo lou has obviously begun his season long siesta early by not letting starlin castro start the season at shortstop. castro is the real deal and a 4 star player but simply put, boo-boo thinks that ryan theriot is the answer at short and doesn't want to hurt his feelings. totally moronic.
moving theriot to 2nd (where he better suited) and letting castro handle short (where he's a natural) would solidify the infield and the cubs desperately need that because the pickins' at 2nd have been mighty slim since derosa was traded.
but boo-boo feels that his best shot to win is having a shortstop with average range and and a below average arm. theriot would be perfect at second and the proper move would solidify the middle for ten years but what does lou care? in ten years, he'll be in the shuffleboard finals down in tampa.
the cubs have NO chance to win the division and they better worry about hanging on to 2nd place as the reds are again improved and the brewers will score runs in bunches as everyone chases the cardinals, the class of the division. however, the reds will be hindered by little offense and dusty baker with the brewers not improving the worst pitching staff in the national league.
problems are multiple. second base by committee, a $140 million dollar disaster in left field, a drug using catcher and a pitching staff without a #1. the offensive production fell more than 15% last year and with father time and repeated injuries slowing down the 'star' core, the cubs are done.
cub fans: make second place your goal and you'll have a fun summer at urine field wearing your yosh kowano floppy hats and mock turtleneck dickies.
the white sox are next followed by the MLB yearly predictions.
boo-boo lou has obviously begun his season long siesta early by not letting starlin castro start the season at shortstop. castro is the real deal and a 4 star player but simply put, boo-boo thinks that ryan theriot is the answer at short and doesn't want to hurt his feelings. totally moronic.
moving theriot to 2nd (where he better suited) and letting castro handle short (where he's a natural) would solidify the infield and the cubs desperately need that because the pickins' at 2nd have been mighty slim since derosa was traded.
but boo-boo feels that his best shot to win is having a shortstop with average range and and a below average arm. theriot would be perfect at second and the proper move would solidify the middle for ten years but what does lou care? in ten years, he'll be in the shuffleboard finals down in tampa.
***********************
2010 will be another year of disappointment for cub fans despite the fact they play in the worst division in baseball and that you can normally win the central division being just a little over .500.the cubs have NO chance to win the division and they better worry about hanging on to 2nd place as the reds are again improved and the brewers will score runs in bunches as everyone chases the cardinals, the class of the division. however, the reds will be hindered by little offense and dusty baker with the brewers not improving the worst pitching staff in the national league.
problems are multiple. second base by committee, a $140 million dollar disaster in left field, a drug using catcher and a pitching staff without a #1. the offensive production fell more than 15% last year and with father time and repeated injuries slowing down the 'star' core, the cubs are done.
cub fans: make second place your goal and you'll have a fun summer at urine field wearing your yosh kowano floppy hats and mock turtleneck dickies.
the white sox are next followed by the MLB yearly predictions.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
FINAL THOUGHTS BEFORE VACATION
answer me this: how does the sordid personal history of democrat scott lee cohen NOT make the papers until AFTER the election? check out this list of facts : beating his wife, orders of protection, living with a hooker, using steroids, not paying his taxes, numerous building code violations and failure to pay $54,000 in child support while pouring over two million of his personal fortune into his campaign. these are all boo-boos that will normally de-rail a candidate faster than the cubs fold in september but not one single publication dug these facts up until after the election! and shame on the democratic party.....don't they check out candidates in major races??
as most of you know, i've voted both parties over the years and consider myself more than a casual observer of the political scene and i have to ask: does sarah palin have any idea how badly she'd be defeated if she ran for president? my thought is that she wouldn't survive her own party primaries but my second thought is: who do the republicans have to run against her? now THAT'S a tough question!
what in the world were those missionaries thinking when they tried to take haitian children out of the country without any paperwork? the country might be third world but they look unkindly on americans as it is and i'm afraid this group made it way too easy for the authorities, especially after a prior warning about not having proper documents. look for secretary of state clinton to make a deal for their release and disguise the extortion as more aid to the country.
who works hardest when we get a big snowfall? one answer, your local snow plow driver who has to work until the work is done. it's not like they do 8 hours and the second shift arrives because most townships only have 2 or 3 guys that are responsible for snow removal and that's it. long and dangerous hours working often in 'whiteout' conditions and running the risk of contact with a buried object on the street. tough job.
what is mayor daley smoking? he's already got enough problems with the city budget, the parking meter fiasco, the CTA shutdown plan, employee layoffs and mccormick place losing conventions left & right without telling the public that scott lee cohen should NOT be asked to step down. major democrats such as attorney general lisa madigan and senator dick durbin are urging cohen to call it a day but the mayor defends him? ouch. i guarantee that video snippet will resurface down the road. or is hizzoner going to call it quits and not run again? that would explain his indifference to the cohen catastrophe.
a very scary situation exists in this country with the SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT and it's glaring overall failure. check out the story on page one of the sunday tribune of 2/7/10 and read all about how over EIGHT HUNDRED convicted offenders JUST IN ILLINOIS thumb their noses at registration with little chance of getting caught.....until it's too late for an unfortunate child. the story is chilling.
read it at chicagotribune.com
the super bowl was just that this year and congrats to the saints. exciting all the way.
well, that's it for a couple of months and i hope you've enjoyed some of the blogs and their content. as you know, i've switched from all sports to a combination of topics and the feedback has been favorable and i thank you for that. FYI--it really helps if you 'reply' thru the blog so we can start an exchange of ideas and opinions. stay warm and we'll chat in the spring.
as most of you know, i've voted both parties over the years and consider myself more than a casual observer of the political scene and i have to ask: does sarah palin have any idea how badly she'd be defeated if she ran for president? my thought is that she wouldn't survive her own party primaries but my second thought is: who do the republicans have to run against her? now THAT'S a tough question!
what in the world were those missionaries thinking when they tried to take haitian children out of the country without any paperwork? the country might be third world but they look unkindly on americans as it is and i'm afraid this group made it way too easy for the authorities, especially after a prior warning about not having proper documents. look for secretary of state clinton to make a deal for their release and disguise the extortion as more aid to the country.
who works hardest when we get a big snowfall? one answer, your local snow plow driver who has to work until the work is done. it's not like they do 8 hours and the second shift arrives because most townships only have 2 or 3 guys that are responsible for snow removal and that's it. long and dangerous hours working often in 'whiteout' conditions and running the risk of contact with a buried object on the street. tough job.
what is mayor daley smoking? he's already got enough problems with the city budget, the parking meter fiasco, the CTA shutdown plan, employee layoffs and mccormick place losing conventions left & right without telling the public that scott lee cohen should NOT be asked to step down. major democrats such as attorney general lisa madigan and senator dick durbin are urging cohen to call it a day but the mayor defends him? ouch. i guarantee that video snippet will resurface down the road. or is hizzoner going to call it quits and not run again? that would explain his indifference to the cohen catastrophe.
a very scary situation exists in this country with the SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT and it's glaring overall failure. check out the story on page one of the sunday tribune of 2/7/10 and read all about how over EIGHT HUNDRED convicted offenders JUST IN ILLINOIS thumb their noses at registration with little chance of getting caught.....until it's too late for an unfortunate child. the story is chilling.
read it at chicagotribune.com
the super bowl was just that this year and congrats to the saints. exciting all the way.
well, that's it for a couple of months and i hope you've enjoyed some of the blogs and their content. as you know, i've switched from all sports to a combination of topics and the feedback has been favorable and i thank you for that. FYI--it really helps if you 'reply' thru the blog so we can start an exchange of ideas and opinions. stay warm and we'll chat in the spring.
Friday, January 22, 2010
PART II--THE WAY WE WERE
hey, thanks a lot for your contributions and now here's some more memories from when we were kids. these come from seven different families.
cartridge pens were a big deal because it eliminated bottles of ink. ball points were next.
hot lunches. if you went to a catholic school, this was a big deal. maybe 6 times a year, you had a shot at a sloppy joe or a hot dog. other than that, you brought your lunch. milk was 2 cents.
corduroy pants. you couldn't sneak up on anyone.
reaching 7th grade and getting a locker for the first time.
forgetting your combination.
playing outside ALL DAY in the summer until the street lights came on. then you begged for just a 'little more time.'
being yelled at when you ran thru the grass at dusk. "you'll stir up the mosquitos!" little did they know that their yelling attracted more of them with carbon dioxide than we did by running.
catching lightning bugs and putting them in a mason jar.
my sister making me and my brother take part in a funeral 'procession' for the parakeet.
the girls washing their hair in the utility room because they couldn't tie up the only bathroom.
getting your first little league uniform. all wool but very cool.
getting my first autograph from pete ward at the grand opening for a 7-11.
going to the dump in northern wisconsin after dark so you could watch the bears come in and eat
the garbage. seriously.
blistering the roof of your mouth on a hot pizza.
shaking a pecan tree and then selling them for a nickel a bag.
learning how to play pinball. and pool.
curling your hair with a curling iron heated on an open flame.
almost everyone smoking cigarettes.
going to the local gas station to buy cigarettes for your mom. don't you dare forget the note! and then putting a quarter in the machine and getting the pack with two pennies inside the cellophane. that was your reward.
a washing machine with a manual wringer. how about a mangle to steam press your clothes? there was nothing permanent about 'permanent press.'
that's it for now.
cartridge pens were a big deal because it eliminated bottles of ink. ball points were next.
hot lunches. if you went to a catholic school, this was a big deal. maybe 6 times a year, you had a shot at a sloppy joe or a hot dog. other than that, you brought your lunch. milk was 2 cents.
corduroy pants. you couldn't sneak up on anyone.
reaching 7th grade and getting a locker for the first time.
forgetting your combination.
playing outside ALL DAY in the summer until the street lights came on. then you begged for just a 'little more time.'
being yelled at when you ran thru the grass at dusk. "you'll stir up the mosquitos!" little did they know that their yelling attracted more of them with carbon dioxide than we did by running.
catching lightning bugs and putting them in a mason jar.
my sister making me and my brother take part in a funeral 'procession' for the parakeet.
the girls washing their hair in the utility room because they couldn't tie up the only bathroom.
getting your first little league uniform. all wool but very cool.
getting my first autograph from pete ward at the grand opening for a 7-11.
going to the dump in northern wisconsin after dark so you could watch the bears come in and eat
the garbage. seriously.
blistering the roof of your mouth on a hot pizza.
shaking a pecan tree and then selling them for a nickel a bag.
learning how to play pinball. and pool.
curling your hair with a curling iron heated on an open flame.
almost everyone smoking cigarettes.
going to the local gas station to buy cigarettes for your mom. don't you dare forget the note! and then putting a quarter in the machine and getting the pack with two pennies inside the cellophane. that was your reward.
a washing machine with a manual wringer. how about a mangle to steam press your clothes? there was nothing permanent about 'permanent press.'
that's it for now.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
THE WAY WE WERE
the other day my nephew dan brings me a can of 'throwback' pepsi which proudly proclaims that they are using 'real' sugar and the original recipe for a limited time. ice cold, it was aces in flavor and got me to thinking about when i was a kid:
my dad was a milk man who left the house every day about 0400 and got home in the early afternoon. i had no clue how hard he worked but i was very much aware that we were the first kids on the block to get egg nog at thanksgiving and strawberry milk on a hot summer day. the milk was in glass bottles and had a cardboard stopper with a little tab that you pulled to open. HOWEVER, more often than not, that damn thing ripped off when you pulled it and you were forced to open the stopper with a fork or knife, which shredded it permanently and totally pissed off your parents because the bottle could never be closed again. many times a piece of paper and a rubber band served as the cover.
television was a snap with 2-5-7-9 your only choices and all in black & white. there were no remotes and spinning the channel dial would always get a reaction out of my dad with his most popular phrase "do you think i'm made of money, buster?" i'd race home from school to call 'dibs' on the tv and watch the mickey mouse club until my sister pat muscled me out of the way to watch american bandstand at 4 o'clock. worse than that, i had to watch her dance to the tunes for the next half hour and a war was always guaranteed if she tried to make me dance with her.
my mother watched lawrence welk every saturday and god help you if you screwed up that hour because that would mean no gunsmoke at 9:00 and early bedtime.
sports captured my attention at an early age and i watched the blackhawks every saturday night when they played out of town and lloyd pettit was the announcer with "shot and a goal!" being his catch phrase. today, you might see his name on an ice arena just off the tollway as you near milwaukee. both the cubs and white sox were broadcast on channel 9 and jack brickhouse was the announcer for both teams. the cubs only played day games and going to a friday night game at comiskey park was big time fun. basketball and soccer were non-existent and the bears never broadcast a home game on local tv so you had to listen to brickhouse (yep, he did everything) and irv kupcinet on wgn radio.
my mother or father cooked every meal and the almost nightly question of 'what's for dinner?' was often answered "leftovers.' according to my brother in law roy.....if it was in the
refrigerator and not green or moving, it got eaten on leftover night. tupperware was non-existent in our house and for some reason, my mother thought that 'tin foil' kept everything fresh. it didn't. my father thought the shiny side of tin foil had to be on the outside for it to perform properly. he was wrong. he also thought tin foil protected a roast from drying out in the oven....... but not when you cook it at 475 for 5 hours, dad.
i polished my shoes every saturday and had assigned chores the same day. during the week, homework was supposed to be done before going out to play after school. this was the rule most often broken. you changed clothes as soon as you got home from school and switched into jeans that probably had more patches than a pirate. only girls wore shorts, even in the summer.
t-shirts had no reference to sex, drugs or rock n roll. maybe a picture of a deer with 'boulder junction, wisconsin' written underneath it.
telephones were all rotary dialed and you stretched the cord to the laundry room for a 'private' conversation. NO ONE was allowed to use the phone after 9:00. doctors made house calls and the dentist really hurt. teachers smacked you if you were bad and so did the parents of my friends. i can't count the number of times mr. cervone smacked me and his son jim in the back of the head and told us to knock it off.
my buddy is on the phone and is cracking me up with his stories so we'll do some of those next time. stay warm. HEY! if you've got some childhood memories, share them and i'll put them in the next blog and no, i won't use your name. thanks.
my dad was a milk man who left the house every day about 0400 and got home in the early afternoon. i had no clue how hard he worked but i was very much aware that we were the first kids on the block to get egg nog at thanksgiving and strawberry milk on a hot summer day. the milk was in glass bottles and had a cardboard stopper with a little tab that you pulled to open. HOWEVER, more often than not, that damn thing ripped off when you pulled it and you were forced to open the stopper with a fork or knife, which shredded it permanently and totally pissed off your parents because the bottle could never be closed again. many times a piece of paper and a rubber band served as the cover.
television was a snap with 2-5-7-9 your only choices and all in black & white. there were no remotes and spinning the channel dial would always get a reaction out of my dad with his most popular phrase "do you think i'm made of money, buster?" i'd race home from school to call 'dibs' on the tv and watch the mickey mouse club until my sister pat muscled me out of the way to watch american bandstand at 4 o'clock. worse than that, i had to watch her dance to the tunes for the next half hour and a war was always guaranteed if she tried to make me dance with her.
my mother watched lawrence welk every saturday and god help you if you screwed up that hour because that would mean no gunsmoke at 9:00 and early bedtime.
sports captured my attention at an early age and i watched the blackhawks every saturday night when they played out of town and lloyd pettit was the announcer with "shot and a goal!" being his catch phrase. today, you might see his name on an ice arena just off the tollway as you near milwaukee. both the cubs and white sox were broadcast on channel 9 and jack brickhouse was the announcer for both teams. the cubs only played day games and going to a friday night game at comiskey park was big time fun. basketball and soccer were non-existent and the bears never broadcast a home game on local tv so you had to listen to brickhouse (yep, he did everything) and irv kupcinet on wgn radio.
my mother or father cooked every meal and the almost nightly question of 'what's for dinner?' was often answered "leftovers.' according to my brother in law roy.....if it was in the
refrigerator and not green or moving, it got eaten on leftover night. tupperware was non-existent in our house and for some reason, my mother thought that 'tin foil' kept everything fresh. it didn't. my father thought the shiny side of tin foil had to be on the outside for it to perform properly. he was wrong. he also thought tin foil protected a roast from drying out in the oven....... but not when you cook it at 475 for 5 hours, dad.
i polished my shoes every saturday and had assigned chores the same day. during the week, homework was supposed to be done before going out to play after school. this was the rule most often broken. you changed clothes as soon as you got home from school and switched into jeans that probably had more patches than a pirate. only girls wore shorts, even in the summer.
t-shirts had no reference to sex, drugs or rock n roll. maybe a picture of a deer with 'boulder junction, wisconsin' written underneath it.
telephones were all rotary dialed and you stretched the cord to the laundry room for a 'private' conversation. NO ONE was allowed to use the phone after 9:00. doctors made house calls and the dentist really hurt. teachers smacked you if you were bad and so did the parents of my friends. i can't count the number of times mr. cervone smacked me and his son jim in the back of the head and told us to knock it off.
my buddy is on the phone and is cracking me up with his stories so we'll do some of those next time. stay warm. HEY! if you've got some childhood memories, share them and i'll put them in the next blog and no, i won't use your name. thanks.
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