You never know where you’re going to find the special moments in life. Four years ago I had the opportunity to go to a Sox game at US Cellular Field to watch them play the Red Sox. Being a devout Cubs fan I was convinced that even though I wore my Red Sox hat, I was going to have a lousy time watching the White Sox at the Cell. As it turns out, it was a great night. Oh sure, the White Sox won so the evening wasn’t perfect, but the stadium was more appealing than I imagined.
Sitting there watching a live Major League baseball game for the first time in over ten years turned out to be one of the most enjoyable evenings. Despite not cheering for the White Sox I was able to see firsthand why there were so successful that year. In the sixth inning Scott Podsednik reached base. He promptly stole second, was moved over to third on a ground out to second and then scored on a sacrifice fly. Get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in. Bobby Jenks came in for the ninth and nailed down the save. During one at bat he started out with a 95 mph fastball for a strike, followed it with a 99 mph fastball strike and then finished the batter off with an 83 mph changeup. Good stuff.
More recently the Lady Rebel and I took our kids to Florida this summer and stumbled across some life experiences. Mine took place at Sea World. While Kim and the girls were waiting in line to go on a roller coaster, I was chasing Cooper around a kids play area. At one point he was pushing his stroller and came close to knocking into the ankle of a bare-chested guy wearing a Tampa Bay Ray hat standing near a brick sitting wall. I told Cooper to watch out to which the guy replied “He’s all right.” From there we kind of small talked about Cooper and this guy’s kids that were running around. While we were talking I noticed a rather large bump on his left upper chest. I assumed it was a cyst or something. He said “I just got hit with this [pointing to his chest]. I have stage 4 cancer and the doctor says I have 13 months to live.” Turns out the lump on his chest wasn’t a cyst, it was a port for the chemo IV that he was receiving.
The amazing thing about this guy (sadly our conversation never got to the point of exchanging names) was how calm and upbeat he was. “No reason to get upset or complain, man. Doesn’t do any good. Now it’s all about them,” he said pointing to his kids. “This is going to be a year of fun for them. Anything they want to do, we’re going to do it.”
You can’t walk away from a conversation like that, as brief as it was, without feeling like your life has changed in some way. It certainly put some things in perspective.
Kim had her moment at the Magic Kingdom. To fully appreciate the experience, you would have to be familiar with my Owner Profile, more on that later. I had accidentally knocked my daughter’s, Ally, drink on the ground spilling it everywhere. Kim took her to a stand to get a replacement.
While she was waiting in line, the young girl in front of Kim realized she was short of money to pay for her drink. She turned to her mom who was standing off to the side and said “Mom, I’m short! Do you have any change?” Her mom was holding a bunch of bags and was trying to dig through her purse, so Kim handed the girl the amount she was short. The girl must have thanked Kim about ten times which is cool enough, but that’s not where the story ends. Kim then placed her order and chatted with the guy serving the drinks. When he handed her the lemonade, Kim gave him the money. He handed the money back and said “Thanks for paying it forward.”
On my Owner Profile, I have listed “Paying it Forward” as one of my favorite all-time movies. Every time it’s on and I’m watching it, Kim will say “Oh god, you’re watching it again?”
Kim said when the guy said “Thanks for paying it forward” it gave her chills. I’m sure because of the movie tie-in but also because of the kindness that we don’t often see.
Here’s one more spin on the experience. Kim wasn’t aware of it, but the day before we went to the Magic Kingdom I was flipping through the stations on the TV in our room and came across – you guessed it – Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey in “Paying it Forward”.
Sometimes the universe works in pretty cool ways if you take the chance to watch what’s around you.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Making It Easier To Cheer For The Home Team
How cool would it be to have ESPN, the MLB Channel, Fox, WGN, Comcast (Insert any other network to broadcast an NL game) include a little logo of the CFCL team a player is associated with when they come to bat?
Being blessed (yes, I said blessed - SERENITY NOW!) with four active children it’s hard to find the time to commit to memory which player is on what CFCL team. Some are obvious to me – Fukudome (former Rebel) was drafted by the Ruffins (Cub Fan) so there are a couple of connections to help me remember.
But guys like Santana? Manny? Pujols? Not a clue without looking it up. And then to add in players that prior to the draft I had never heard of (Josh Kinney? Danny Murphy? – there are reasons the Rebels will not be staying in 2nd place this season), it’s tough to know which team is being successful on a highlight by highlight basis.
With the CFCL team logos, the information would be right in front of us and obviously help us learn each others teams much more efficiently than looking it up on Sportsline.
Now batting, Derrek Lee and next to the line that shows .197 batting average, 2 homeruns and six rbis there would be a Candy Colored Clowns logo.
I bet you in today’s world of technology there would be a way to get that done. How cool would that be? Immediately you could cheer or groan if the batter made an out or batted in a run. “Sweet! Utley of the Red Hots (oh yeah, also the Phillies) just drove in a run which puts the Hots an RBI ahead of Kenndoza, which brings the Line one point closer to me!”
From there it’s just a short step to the post-game interview where Ryan Howard thanks God for the opportunity to let him play at this level, the Phillie fans for their support and the Rebel organization for signing him this year and making him feel welcome.
Being blessed (yes, I said blessed - SERENITY NOW!) with four active children it’s hard to find the time to commit to memory which player is on what CFCL team. Some are obvious to me – Fukudome (former Rebel) was drafted by the Ruffins (Cub Fan) so there are a couple of connections to help me remember.
But guys like Santana? Manny? Pujols? Not a clue without looking it up. And then to add in players that prior to the draft I had never heard of (Josh Kinney? Danny Murphy? – there are reasons the Rebels will not be staying in 2nd place this season), it’s tough to know which team is being successful on a highlight by highlight basis.
With the CFCL team logos, the information would be right in front of us and obviously help us learn each others teams much more efficiently than looking it up on Sportsline.
Now batting, Derrek Lee and next to the line that shows .197 batting average, 2 homeruns and six rbis there would be a Candy Colored Clowns logo.
I bet you in today’s world of technology there would be a way to get that done. How cool would that be? Immediately you could cheer or groan if the batter made an out or batted in a run. “Sweet! Utley of the Red Hots (oh yeah, also the Phillies) just drove in a run which puts the Hots an RBI ahead of Kenndoza, which brings the Line one point closer to me!”
From there it’s just a short step to the post-game interview where Ryan Howard thanks God for the opportunity to let him play at this level, the Phillie fans for their support and the Rebel organization for signing him this year and making him feel welcome.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
CFCL - The Next Quarter Century
The Cub Fans Club League (CFCL) embarked on the next quarter century of competition on April 5th, 2009. The day was full of business and pageantry.
The Business: kicked off at 7:30am one minute after the Candy Colored Clowns channeled their inner Stoned Meister and then fought off the disease at the last second, walking in at 7:29am.
In an Executive Committee election that came down to the final vote, Rich Bentel, David Mahlan and Michael Coulter were elected. Matt Bentel came within one vote of forcing a run-off against Coulter yet Jeff Probst still asked Matt to bring him his torch because the tribe had spoken.
Shortly thereafter a brief comment was made to remind everyone that the purpose and fun of the league is based on Draft Day. Any trades throughout the year should take into consideration that trades are meant to supplement the building process of a team, not dominate it.
Mike Bentel was introduced as The Proxy for David’s Ruffins – and as it turns out he was about to do a stellar job.
The Pageantry: with the announcement that behind a unanimous 9-0 vote of returning owners, the CFCL Championship Trophy will, from this day forward, be named The Copperfield Trophy – in honor of the CFCL’s most successful franchise (Eleven titles in Twenty-five seasons). Head Copperfield then signed the trophy ball in the spot reserved for the previous season’s champion.
At 7:50 The Ruffin Privilege (now a 25 year tradition)
began the draft with the Ruffins nominating Chase Utley. Utley, ultimately going to the Red Hots for .40, joined Dan Haren (DoorMatts - .33), Jimmy Rollins (Lambchops - .38), Brad Lidge (Bulls - .37), Todd Helton (Copperfields - .46) and . . . Ray Lankford.
** The previous clips of CFCL history come to us courtesy of League Archivist, David Mahlan. **
For the second year in a row the Rebels and Clowns had a show down over Derrek Lee. This year the Rebels blinked and the Clowns grabbed the early Nick Esasky lead with a bid of .19. But it was still a sad moment in the Rebels draft. For the first time since Lee became a Cub, he is not concurrently a Rebel. For 550 at bats this season, the Rebel faithful will be Clowns fans.
In what is believed to be a CFCL record, 54% (7 of 13) of the Home Town Discounts were exercised. Every team walking in with the rights to a HTD reacquired at least one of their eligible players except for Moore Better, who didn’t get a chance on Oliver Perez (Perez went in the 1st round of the Rotation Draft to the Revenge).
The Draft was completed at 2:15 (after the Red Hot’s picked six straight penny players).
The Business: kicked off at 7:30am one minute after the Candy Colored Clowns channeled their inner Stoned Meister and then fought off the disease at the last second, walking in at 7:29am.
In an Executive Committee election that came down to the final vote, Rich Bentel, David Mahlan and Michael Coulter were elected. Matt Bentel came within one vote of forcing a run-off against Coulter yet Jeff Probst still asked Matt to bring him his torch because the tribe had spoken.
Shortly thereafter a brief comment was made to remind everyone that the purpose and fun of the league is based on Draft Day. Any trades throughout the year should take into consideration that trades are meant to supplement the building process of a team, not dominate it.
Mike Bentel was introduced as The Proxy for David’s Ruffins – and as it turns out he was about to do a stellar job.
The Pageantry: with the announcement that behind a unanimous 9-0 vote of returning owners, the CFCL Championship Trophy will, from this day forward, be named The Copperfield Trophy – in honor of the CFCL’s most successful franchise (Eleven titles in Twenty-five seasons). Head Copperfield then signed the trophy ball in the spot reserved for the previous season’s champion.
At 7:50 The Ruffin Privilege (now a 25 year tradition)
began the draft with the Ruffins nominating Chase Utley. Utley, ultimately going to the Red Hots for .40, joined Dan Haren (DoorMatts - .33), Jimmy Rollins (Lambchops - .38), Brad Lidge (Bulls - .37), Todd Helton (Copperfields - .46) and . . . Ray Lankford.
** The previous clips of CFCL history come to us courtesy of League Archivist, David Mahlan. **
For the second year in a row the Rebels and Clowns had a show down over Derrek Lee. This year the Rebels blinked and the Clowns grabbed the early Nick Esasky lead with a bid of .19. But it was still a sad moment in the Rebels draft. For the first time since Lee became a Cub, he is not concurrently a Rebel. For 550 at bats this season, the Rebel faithful will be Clowns fans.
In what is believed to be a CFCL record, 54% (7 of 13) of the Home Town Discounts were exercised. Every team walking in with the rights to a HTD reacquired at least one of their eligible players except for Moore Better, who didn’t get a chance on Oliver Perez (Perez went in the 1st round of the Rotation Draft to the Revenge).
The Draft was completed at 2:15 (after the Red Hot’s picked six straight penny players).
Monday, March 30, 2009
Draft Day Eve
As we get ready for CFCL 2009 (!!) I have found myself strolling down Memory Lane. It seems as good a time as any to go through this exercise since we concluded 25 years last year and start on the next 25 this year.
The one thought that keeps running through my head is the year that I was trying to figure out whether or not to keep Andres Galarraga. I was at a gym I belonged to at the time up on Harlem and Fullerton. Roster Cut Sheets had arrived in the mail (there was no Internet at the time) and among other things I had to decide if the Big Cat was worth .32.
So I went to the gym (this was also pre-marriage and children) and in between sets I was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, not trying to psych myself up to increase my workout performance, but rather trying to figure out if I should cut the anchor to the Rebels offense. If my memory is accurate it was a good move cutting Galarraga. I am pretty sure I reacquired him for a salary in the low to mid .20’s.
Then I go back further in my mind to all the Draft Day Eve rendezvous that David and I had at Mr. Submarine. We would head out around 11pm the night before the draft (this again was pre-marriage and children – heck it was even pre-girls in our lives), go to Mr. Submarine and talk in anxious anticipation of the next day’s festivities.
There was the year that computers entered the CFCL. Bob Monroe (the man that is honored by the name of this blog) had one of those home computer things. That meant that draft day lists and such could be printed instead of typed up on the typewriter and copied. So again the night before the draft I rode my bike from my parents home in River Forest to David’s home in Oak Park. From there we rode our bikes to Bob’s house in Brookfield to print out the documents and have them ready for the next day’s draft.
There was the year that we sat in the Ruffins’ basement waiting for an owner to arrive that never did. We were supposed to start the draft around 7pm, but since we waited we didn’t get going until 8 or 9pm. So there we were walking around Dave’s backyard during a break around 1am. I can only imagine what his neighbors were thinking.
And for the past ten years or so, there have been the drives in to the Draft Room. It starts out with me jerking awake around 4am, completely certain that I’ve overslept. Then when the sweat dries and I nestle back into bed, I glance up every 8-10 minutes to see what time it is. Finally around 5am I give up and get dressed, quietly moving about the house to collect my computer and papers so as not to wake the family. Then it’s a quick thirteen minute drive to the DoorMatts home where I arrive at least 30 minutes before I promised to be there. With the car lights turned off I sit parked on the street looking in the front window watching as the ‘Matts pack their lunch (yeah dude, I’m watching you). Matt hops in the car and we try to cram two months of conversation into a thirty minute drive.
Once at the office we do a quick reconnaissance of the room and figure out if there is a better way to construct the tables than last year. Fifteen minutes later we’re done, staring at the clock waiting for everyone else to arrive. Soon the familiar faces come through the door and it’s time to reacquaint ourselves with our fellow owners that we haven’t seen in twelve months. Andy Williams was wrong. Draft Day Eve and Morning is the most wonderful time of the year.
What are your Draft Day Eve memories/routines?
The one thought that keeps running through my head is the year that I was trying to figure out whether or not to keep Andres Galarraga. I was at a gym I belonged to at the time up on Harlem and Fullerton. Roster Cut Sheets had arrived in the mail (there was no Internet at the time) and among other things I had to decide if the Big Cat was worth .32.
So I went to the gym (this was also pre-marriage and children) and in between sets I was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, not trying to psych myself up to increase my workout performance, but rather trying to figure out if I should cut the anchor to the Rebels offense. If my memory is accurate it was a good move cutting Galarraga. I am pretty sure I reacquired him for a salary in the low to mid .20’s.
Then I go back further in my mind to all the Draft Day Eve rendezvous that David and I had at Mr. Submarine. We would head out around 11pm the night before the draft (this again was pre-marriage and children – heck it was even pre-girls in our lives), go to Mr. Submarine and talk in anxious anticipation of the next day’s festivities.
There was the year that computers entered the CFCL. Bob Monroe (the man that is honored by the name of this blog) had one of those home computer things. That meant that draft day lists and such could be printed instead of typed up on the typewriter and copied. So again the night before the draft I rode my bike from my parents home in River Forest to David’s home in Oak Park. From there we rode our bikes to Bob’s house in Brookfield to print out the documents and have them ready for the next day’s draft.
There was the year that we sat in the Ruffins’ basement waiting for an owner to arrive that never did. We were supposed to start the draft around 7pm, but since we waited we didn’t get going until 8 or 9pm. So there we were walking around Dave’s backyard during a break around 1am. I can only imagine what his neighbors were thinking.
And for the past ten years or so, there have been the drives in to the Draft Room. It starts out with me jerking awake around 4am, completely certain that I’ve overslept. Then when the sweat dries and I nestle back into bed, I glance up every 8-10 minutes to see what time it is. Finally around 5am I give up and get dressed, quietly moving about the house to collect my computer and papers so as not to wake the family. Then it’s a quick thirteen minute drive to the DoorMatts home where I arrive at least 30 minutes before I promised to be there. With the car lights turned off I sit parked on the street looking in the front window watching as the ‘Matts pack their lunch (yeah dude, I’m watching you). Matt hops in the car and we try to cram two months of conversation into a thirty minute drive.
Once at the office we do a quick reconnaissance of the room and figure out if there is a better way to construct the tables than last year. Fifteen minutes later we’re done, staring at the clock waiting for everyone else to arrive. Soon the familiar faces come through the door and it’s time to reacquaint ourselves with our fellow owners that we haven’t seen in twelve months. Andy Williams was wrong. Draft Day Eve and Morning is the most wonderful time of the year.
What are your Draft Day Eve memories/routines?
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