It had been a long weekend of work with more on the horizon. Suddenly a window of opportunity presented itself and I jumped through it. A quick, impromptu drive up Kirk Road brought me to the doorstep of the Cougars for a beautiful Saturday night game.
Ok, doorstep, not so much. How about the last freaking row of the parking lot?! Seriously? Yes, I showed up as the game starts but c'mon. It's minor league ball after all and Kyle Schwarber and the Cubs left last season. Oh wait, I get it. It was Country Music night. Some local group did a pre-game concert, country music played between innings and fireworks set to country music after the game. Of course it would be packed.
While the game was less than stellar (Cougars lost 7-0 committing two errors), it was memorable for all the right and crazy reasons minor league ball is so awesome. The Cougars rightfielder Chuck Taylor made an unbelievable catch running full force through the visitor's bullpen headlong into the low fence keeping the fans at bay. Actually it was more like "running thigh-long" into the fence since that's the part of his body that connected with the barrier before he catapulted head first into the stands - hanging on to the ball to record the out.
This was the first time I think I ever saw a 3-4-3 groundout occur ---- twice. Not a double play mind you where the first baseman snags a grounder, throws to second to get the lead runner and then catches the return throw to get the batter. No, this was (and IT HAPPENED TWICE) a ground ball caroming off the first baseman, over to the second baseman who grabs it, and threw to first to record the out. It was awesome. Twice.
There were the usual between inning antics with a country flair. They even had two World Championship Arm Wrestling matches after the game. But then the pinnacle of the night was reached. I thought it would be the fireworks. Anyone who has been to a Cougars Fireworks Night knows how awesome the fireworks are. But that was usurped by . . . The Jesse White Tumblers.
At 10pm a group of twenty or so 8-15 (?) year olds took to the field, laying out mats and mini trampolines. They began by doing some basic tumbling that would leave me in traction for years, gradually getting more creative as they loosened up. I was sitting half way up in the stands on the left field side, basically behind the thirdbase dugout and that provided me with the best view in the house.
The tumblers all ran and jumped, twisting and soaring over fellow tumblers who were providing a sort of pyramid to jump over. About half way through the performance I glanced down and was struck by the sight. Standing in front of the third base dugout was not just a player or two from the visiting team. IT WAS THE ENTIRE TEAM. Standing, captivated, watching these young kids do wonderful acrobatic things.
These baseball athletes had just spent the evening hitting balls thrown at 95 miles an hour, leaping in the air to catch spheres hit at rocket speed, running and sliding and doing amazing acts of physical agility. And here they were, transfixed watching these kids perform. The team I'm sure could have hopped on their bus to get to the local motel, yet they didn't move.
When the final tumbler did his thing, which was amazing (he ran and jumped over all his fellow tumblers [I didn't count how many, but at least 15?] ala Evil Knieval jumping his motorcycle over a string of cars) the kids all exited the field through the third base dugout where they were met with . . . .high fives from the entire visiting team.
Watching hockey teams shake hands at the end of a playoff series is pretty cool, but this was remarkable. Multiple ages, multiple races, multiple cultures, multiple talents high fiving each other respecting what had been accomplished.
Then the lights were doused and the fireworks began. Accompanied by Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown, Blake Shelton and a host of other country artists and the most amazing Aquarian blue moon down the right field line, past the picnic area, hanging just so in a perfect summer night's sky.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Breaking New Ground
When you have children you never know when that awesome comment or conversation is going to happen, you just know that it will.
Tonight such a time occurred. With my oldest (18) and youngest (14) daughters and son (7) hanging out for dinner, the subject magically turned to baseball. Katelyn (18) reaffirmed her love and admiration for Cubs phee-nom, Kris Bryant. She readily admits that he became her object of affection because he's so adorable, "but hey" Katelyn says "it turns out he's an awesome player as well! I know how to pick 'em."
For years she said I should have Alfonso Soriano on my fantasy team. With Soriano it wasn't because he was good looking, just because "he's awesome" according to Katelyn. Now with Bryant she chastised me for not having him on my team. The owners in my league can tell you that I did everything I could to get Bryant right after he was drafted by the Cubs including telegraphing my moves to force another owner to snag Bryant two slots ahead of me.
"I could probably win your league," Katelyn stated confidently. "All I need are pictures of all the players. I would pick all the good looking ones."
I kind of laughed as thoughts rolled around my head. "Have you ever won the league?" she asked. I said it had been a while (almost 20 years). Then I said 95% joking, 4% serious, 1% hoping "I recently pissed off an owner and they decided to resign. So we have an opening. . . "
She declined, saying she didn't want to be the only girl in the league. I pointed out she would be the FIRST girl in the league. But that didn't stop the four of us from brainstorming and spit balling ideas for her team.
We started with the fact that she would be a pioneer and Kristi (14) threw out a reference to Neil Armstrong. Then Katelyn said "Amelia Earhart" and I came up with her team's tagline - "A female pioneer who loses her way and is never heard from again." I can only assume using a drafting strategy based on the good looks of a player would destine her team to the cellar.
Well, her team needs a name. Usually the CFCL (Cubs Fan Club League) encourages its owners to build a team name in connection to the owners name. But Katelyn nailed the name in five seconds.
"The Air-Hearts**", she said, specifically spelling the second part of the name h-e-a-r-t-s. "The 'hearts' go out to the good looking guys on the team."
** Yes, Amelia's last name was Earhart. But if we spelled the team name The Ear-Hearts, obviously people will be thinking 'hearing' and mispronounce the team name. We're exercising creative license here people.**
And literally seconds after the name was identified and my note taking began, Katelyn came up with the team logo. I can't create it in a word document so I will describe it. It's a baseball in the shape of a heart with the red baseball stitches in front of each loop of the heart and wings extend out to the side from the upper parts of the heart. A shout out to Amelia flying (wings), the heart for the good looking guys on the team and baseball stitches for . . . well you understand.
A legitimate team name, logo and approach all created in less than 10 minutes. Let me tell you. As a father who loves his children, loves baseball and loves fantasy baseball this was . . . Eden, Nirvana, Shangri-La all rolled into one.
Think about it, the team could be located on Howland Island, the island Amelia Earhart was trying to reach when she lost contact with the Navy. Sure the Air-Hearts would travel more than the Seattle Mariners, but think about the home field advantage. Teams coming in suffering from severe jet lag, playing in oppressive heat. The only fans attending would be Air-Heart fans, what fan would travel to see their team play only three games at a time on Howland Island?
As an owner, while she could learn it eventually, Katelyn would have to figure out how to coordinate our salary cap with the physical appearance of her team.
This is a pipedream as she has bigger fish to fry. After conquering high school by finishing in the top 7% of her class (already more qualified to run a team than I am) she's off to the University of Iowa in four weeks to make an impact in the Health Sciences field. It's the right decision . . . .but this would be totally cool.
Tonight such a time occurred. With my oldest (18) and youngest (14) daughters and son (7) hanging out for dinner, the subject magically turned to baseball. Katelyn (18) reaffirmed her love and admiration for Cubs phee-nom, Kris Bryant. She readily admits that he became her object of affection because he's so adorable, "but hey" Katelyn says "it turns out he's an awesome player as well! I know how to pick 'em."
For years she said I should have Alfonso Soriano on my fantasy team. With Soriano it wasn't because he was good looking, just because "he's awesome" according to Katelyn. Now with Bryant she chastised me for not having him on my team. The owners in my league can tell you that I did everything I could to get Bryant right after he was drafted by the Cubs including telegraphing my moves to force another owner to snag Bryant two slots ahead of me.
"I could probably win your league," Katelyn stated confidently. "All I need are pictures of all the players. I would pick all the good looking ones."
I kind of laughed as thoughts rolled around my head. "Have you ever won the league?" she asked. I said it had been a while (almost 20 years). Then I said 95% joking, 4% serious, 1% hoping "I recently pissed off an owner and they decided to resign. So we have an opening. . . "
She declined, saying she didn't want to be the only girl in the league. I pointed out she would be the FIRST girl in the league. But that didn't stop the four of us from brainstorming and spit balling ideas for her team.
We started with the fact that she would be a pioneer and Kristi (14) threw out a reference to Neil Armstrong. Then Katelyn said "Amelia Earhart" and I came up with her team's tagline - "A female pioneer who loses her way and is never heard from again." I can only assume using a drafting strategy based on the good looks of a player would destine her team to the cellar.
Well, her team needs a name. Usually the CFCL (Cubs Fan Club League) encourages its owners to build a team name in connection to the owners name. But Katelyn nailed the name in five seconds.
"The Air-Hearts**", she said, specifically spelling the second part of the name h-e-a-r-t-s. "The 'hearts' go out to the good looking guys on the team."
** Yes, Amelia's last name was Earhart. But if we spelled the team name The Ear-Hearts, obviously people will be thinking 'hearing' and mispronounce the team name. We're exercising creative license here people.**
And literally seconds after the name was identified and my note taking began, Katelyn came up with the team logo. I can't create it in a word document so I will describe it. It's a baseball in the shape of a heart with the red baseball stitches in front of each loop of the heart and wings extend out to the side from the upper parts of the heart. A shout out to Amelia flying (wings), the heart for the good looking guys on the team and baseball stitches for . . . well you understand.
A legitimate team name, logo and approach all created in less than 10 minutes. Let me tell you. As a father who loves his children, loves baseball and loves fantasy baseball this was . . . Eden, Nirvana, Shangri-La all rolled into one.
Think about it, the team could be located on Howland Island, the island Amelia Earhart was trying to reach when she lost contact with the Navy. Sure the Air-Hearts would travel more than the Seattle Mariners, but think about the home field advantage. Teams coming in suffering from severe jet lag, playing in oppressive heat. The only fans attending would be Air-Heart fans, what fan would travel to see their team play only three games at a time on Howland Island?
As an owner, while she could learn it eventually, Katelyn would have to figure out how to coordinate our salary cap with the physical appearance of her team.
This is a pipedream as she has bigger fish to fry. After conquering high school by finishing in the top 7% of her class (already more qualified to run a team than I am) she's off to the University of Iowa in four weeks to make an impact in the Health Sciences field. It's the right decision . . . .but this would be totally cool.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Tales From the Trail
So Monday night I had one of the best nights in a looong time. I surprised my 13 year old daughter, Kristi, with tickets to Pentatonix. If you don't know who Pentatonix is, shame on you. Go to Youtube and be amazed.
On the way home - and this is an honest to God true story - we were recapping the concert and talking about "stuff". Somehow, the conversation went like this (and before I regale you, you need to understand that Kristi has become obsessed with playing "The Oregon Trail". Apparently it's a web based game that actually teaches the youth of America life skills like critical thinking and money management.)
On the drive home we passed a building with the letters NSA on them. So Kristi makes the comment that the government is in that building, watching our every move. "If you didn't already know, I am totally anti-government," she said. Yeah, I had a feeling. So I made a comment about her removing herself from society and living alone.
"My goal," she said in response, "is to have a covered wagon led by oxen and go on The Oregon Trail to . . . Oregon." (I SWEAR to you this conversation really took place).
I responded "Well, that would certainly get you on the news as they follow you across the country on your way to Oregon."
"I would have my oxen scare off the reporters so they would leave me alone," Kristi said.
And from there I decided to verbally imagine what the news report would sound like.
Carol (in the studio) - We now go live to Bob who is following a story somewhere out west.
Bob (on location) - Thank you Carol! We are following a covered wagon led by a team of oxen. The driver's name is Kristi and it appears that she is headed toward a remote cabin in Oregon where she will be meeting up with her followers - Kristi-ites.
*Kristi (in the car) starts laughing out loud with the occasional "oh my god" thrown in*
Carol - Bob, have you been able to ask Kristi what her intentions are?
Bob - Not exactly. Every time we approach her she gives her oxen a command in some foreign tongue that causes the oxen to begin to attack us. We're not sure what language she's using, we've taken to calling it Kristiphonics. I think she created the language so only she can communicate with the oxen.
*Kristi (in the car) narrowly misses hitting her head on the dashboard as she doubles over in laughter. Don't call DCFS, this is NOT my fault!*
Bob - We are currently in Montana. It looks like she will be passing through the tall stick part of Idaho where she will pick up a few potatoes for her, her oxen and the Kristi-ites and then make her way to the remote cabin in Oregon.
Carol - Bob! This is an amazing story! How do you know her destination is Oregon?
Bob - Well, Carol, we have an advance team of reporters that have spotted the remote cabin, largely because the Kristi-ites are sitting in a field, holding their cellphones aloft with the flashlight feature on, creating a large luminescent bon fire for Kristi and the oxen to drive towards. As they await their leader's arrival, they are humming and singing, a cappella, a Kumbuya type of song in their Kristiphonics communication.
*Kristi (in the car) gasping for breath, holding her hands over her mouth to prevent spitting while laughing*
Carol - Bob, do you or the advance team appear to be in any danger?
Bob - Carol we haven't been attacked - aside from the surly oxen - if that's what you mean. Though we do have reports from the government that they are concerned that Kristi is transporting many years worth of munitions to fortify herself and the Kristi-ites as they plan to establish what we have now learned to be a new religion of goat worship. Apparently they are establishing "Goatism" where in they meet on the second Tuesday of every June. They need to keep it simple because, well, goats are simple.
*Kristi - there may have been a snort*
Carol - Bob, for the love of god . . . or goat, please be careful and report back to us if you hear anything new.
Bob - Thank you Carol. We're keeping an eye on things. Back to you in the studio.
On the way home - and this is an honest to God true story - we were recapping the concert and talking about "stuff". Somehow, the conversation went like this (and before I regale you, you need to understand that Kristi has become obsessed with playing "The Oregon Trail". Apparently it's a web based game that actually teaches the youth of America life skills like critical thinking and money management.)
On the drive home we passed a building with the letters NSA on them. So Kristi makes the comment that the government is in that building, watching our every move. "If you didn't already know, I am totally anti-government," she said. Yeah, I had a feeling. So I made a comment about her removing herself from society and living alone.
"My goal," she said in response, "is to have a covered wagon led by oxen and go on The Oregon Trail to . . . Oregon." (I SWEAR to you this conversation really took place).
I responded "Well, that would certainly get you on the news as they follow you across the country on your way to Oregon."
"I would have my oxen scare off the reporters so they would leave me alone," Kristi said.
And from there I decided to verbally imagine what the news report would sound like.
Carol (in the studio) - We now go live to Bob who is following a story somewhere out west.
Bob (on location) - Thank you Carol! We are following a covered wagon led by a team of oxen. The driver's name is Kristi and it appears that she is headed toward a remote cabin in Oregon where she will be meeting up with her followers - Kristi-ites.
*Kristi (in the car) starts laughing out loud with the occasional "oh my god" thrown in*
Carol - Bob, have you been able to ask Kristi what her intentions are?
Bob - Not exactly. Every time we approach her she gives her oxen a command in some foreign tongue that causes the oxen to begin to attack us. We're not sure what language she's using, we've taken to calling it Kristiphonics. I think she created the language so only she can communicate with the oxen.
*Kristi (in the car) narrowly misses hitting her head on the dashboard as she doubles over in laughter. Don't call DCFS, this is NOT my fault!*
Bob - We are currently in Montana. It looks like she will be passing through the tall stick part of Idaho where she will pick up a few potatoes for her, her oxen and the Kristi-ites and then make her way to the remote cabin in Oregon.
Carol - Bob! This is an amazing story! How do you know her destination is Oregon?
Bob - Well, Carol, we have an advance team of reporters that have spotted the remote cabin, largely because the Kristi-ites are sitting in a field, holding their cellphones aloft with the flashlight feature on, creating a large luminescent bon fire for Kristi and the oxen to drive towards. As they await their leader's arrival, they are humming and singing, a cappella, a Kumbuya type of song in their Kristiphonics communication.
*Kristi (in the car) gasping for breath, holding her hands over her mouth to prevent spitting while laughing*
Carol - Bob, do you or the advance team appear to be in any danger?
Bob - Carol we haven't been attacked - aside from the surly oxen - if that's what you mean. Though we do have reports from the government that they are concerned that Kristi is transporting many years worth of munitions to fortify herself and the Kristi-ites as they plan to establish what we have now learned to be a new religion of goat worship. Apparently they are establishing "Goatism" where in they meet on the second Tuesday of every June. They need to keep it simple because, well, goats are simple.
*Kristi - there may have been a snort*
Carol - Bob, for the love of god . . . or goat, please be careful and report back to us if you hear anything new.
Bob - Thank you Carol. We're keeping an eye on things. Back to you in the studio.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Ice Hogs And What They Teach Us
Boy, it's been a while since a new Monroe Doctrine has been posted. I've found that going through a divorce can really sap all creative strength from a person. So here's an attempt to get back into the swing of things and rather than hit the ground running with baseball, I figured I would ease myself back in with, of all things, hockey.
Admittedly I am a fair weather, bandwagon jumping fan of hockey. Didn't care much about it until the Blackhawks won the first of their two recent Stanley Cups. That sparked an interest.
So while trying to find something fun and different to do with the kids last weekend I took them to Rockford, IL to see the Ice Hogs (minor league affiliate to the Blackhawks). I was impressed. The way the Ice Hogs handled their pre, during and post game stuff reminded me of the Kane County Cougars for minor league baseball. It was fun, it was professional and it was cost effective.
My kids (three girls and a boy) seemed to view our excursion as a punishment rather than an adventure. The older two girls absolutely wanted nothing to do with this, but they went anyway.
While the Ice Hogs put on a great game and won 3-0, for the kids the entertainment seemed to be more in the stands. Directly in front of us was a young boy who would alternate his attention between the action on the ice and his hand held electronic device. My son (age 7) was yelling at the players (from the second to last row of the stadium) "Get it to number 28! Oh man, 28 was open! Why didn't you pass it to him?!"
That caused the boy in front of him to comment "They should pass it to 57." My son responded "Well, that is a very good suggestion!" At which point my son leaned to me and said "Papa, I have a new best friend."
Watching this exchange caused my 13 and 15 year old daughters to absolutely crack up to the point of near tears as the banter between the boys continued throughout the game. That coupled with my son's efforts to get on the video screen by dancing wildly to the music during the time outs was more entertaining that anything American Idol can produce.
It's obvious my son understands the nuances of hockey because part way through the second period he asked "Hey, when are they going to start fighting?" I explained that these players don't make much money and probably get fined if they fight.
My oldest daughter wasn't as impressed with the Ice Hogs. Based on the play she was observing she couldn't understand how any of these guys were going to be called up to the Blackhawks any time soon. Her standards for hockey play are pretty high.
Another interesting and telling moment during the game was when the audio people tried to get the crowd amped up. There is a tradition for them to play "Monee, monee". Now in the clubs, I think we're all aware of the part of the song where people will yell out about the opportunity to have some entertaining nocturnal activity. When they started playing the song in the stadium, I cringed thinking my kids were going to hear this. Instead the crowd is conditioned to another response. It took me a few times through to understand what the crowd was yelling, but I finally got it. Both my 13 and 17 year olds asked what the crowd was yelling. I said it's "Hey, guess what? You're goalie sucks!" Upon hearing that my 13 year old said "Aw that's just mean."
I took them to see the Ice Hogs because they had never been to a live hockey game. And while the game was entertaining and the Ice Hogs do it up right, sitting in the stands I observed more about my kids' personalities than I did about a hockey game. It was awesome.
Admittedly I am a fair weather, bandwagon jumping fan of hockey. Didn't care much about it until the Blackhawks won the first of their two recent Stanley Cups. That sparked an interest.
So while trying to find something fun and different to do with the kids last weekend I took them to Rockford, IL to see the Ice Hogs (minor league affiliate to the Blackhawks). I was impressed. The way the Ice Hogs handled their pre, during and post game stuff reminded me of the Kane County Cougars for minor league baseball. It was fun, it was professional and it was cost effective.
My kids (three girls and a boy) seemed to view our excursion as a punishment rather than an adventure. The older two girls absolutely wanted nothing to do with this, but they went anyway.
While the Ice Hogs put on a great game and won 3-0, for the kids the entertainment seemed to be more in the stands. Directly in front of us was a young boy who would alternate his attention between the action on the ice and his hand held electronic device. My son (age 7) was yelling at the players (from the second to last row of the stadium) "Get it to number 28! Oh man, 28 was open! Why didn't you pass it to him?!"
That caused the boy in front of him to comment "They should pass it to 57." My son responded "Well, that is a very good suggestion!" At which point my son leaned to me and said "Papa, I have a new best friend."
Watching this exchange caused my 13 and 15 year old daughters to absolutely crack up to the point of near tears as the banter between the boys continued throughout the game. That coupled with my son's efforts to get on the video screen by dancing wildly to the music during the time outs was more entertaining that anything American Idol can produce.
It's obvious my son understands the nuances of hockey because part way through the second period he asked "Hey, when are they going to start fighting?" I explained that these players don't make much money and probably get fined if they fight.
My oldest daughter wasn't as impressed with the Ice Hogs. Based on the play she was observing she couldn't understand how any of these guys were going to be called up to the Blackhawks any time soon. Her standards for hockey play are pretty high.
Another interesting and telling moment during the game was when the audio people tried to get the crowd amped up. There is a tradition for them to play "Monee, monee". Now in the clubs, I think we're all aware of the part of the song where people will yell out about the opportunity to have some entertaining nocturnal activity. When they started playing the song in the stadium, I cringed thinking my kids were going to hear this. Instead the crowd is conditioned to another response. It took me a few times through to understand what the crowd was yelling, but I finally got it. Both my 13 and 17 year olds asked what the crowd was yelling. I said it's "Hey, guess what? You're goalie sucks!" Upon hearing that my 13 year old said "Aw that's just mean."
I took them to see the Ice Hogs because they had never been to a live hockey game. And while the game was entertaining and the Ice Hogs do it up right, sitting in the stands I observed more about my kids' personalities than I did about a hockey game. It was awesome.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Happy 100th Wrigley!!
So Wednesday (4/23) was
the 100th birthday for Wrigley Field. The Cubs organization decided to celebrate,
in part, by bringing back a few former Cubs.
I didn’t pay close attention to all the festivities since it was a day
game and I had other commitments to attend to during the day.
I did notice they lost (natch) and I did see a picture posted on FaceBook showing Ferguson Jenkins, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Randy Hundley and Andre Dawson on the field. Kind of cool. Except Jenkins, Banks and Williams are ALWAYS at Wrigley.
400th anniversary of the organ Frank Pelico played? Jenkins, Banks, Williams.
Lights for the first time at Wrigley? Jenkins, Banks, Williams.
Special Celebration Day for Ron Santo NOT making the Hall of Fame (again)? Jenkins, Banks, Williams.
There were missing players and personnel. One that was not missing was the jackass that wore #21 for 13 years. All day long on sports talk radio the following day was the great debate as to whether Sammy Sosa deserved to be invited back.
NO!!! That arrogant, roided-up, corked bat sorry excuse for an outfielder does not need to be invited back to Wrigley. I may be in the minority on this one as other may say “Let by-gones be by-gones.” I can’t do that. In fact, I have a relatively comprehensive list of players who should have been invited back well before Senor Sosa.
Bill Buckner – He was (and still is) my all-time favorite Cub. Growing up watching him waggle his bat in the lefthand batter’s box right before he laced another double to the gap was a joy.
Dave Kingman – For two years I loved watching him hit homer for the Cubs rather than against them. Yes, he spent “Dave Kingman Day” on his boat on Lake Michigan rather than at Wrigley Field. And he gave a reporter a shoe box with a dead rat in it, but he still deserves to come back before Sosa.
Steve Bartman – This is a no-brainer. The only problem is had he come back, then the story was Bartman and not the 100th birthday of Wrigley. But Bartman needs to be invited (and he needs to accept) looooong before Sosa is addressed.
Ed Lynch – Understand I HATE (REALLY HATE) Ed Lynch. He massively sucked as the Cubs GM and he may have been a better GM for the Cubs than he was a pitcher.
Larry Himes – Was integral in having our future Hall of Fame secondbaseman retire (for the first time) too early. And yet I would invite him back before SS.
Steve Ontiveros – Spokesman for the hair replacement company while he was “patrolling” thirdbase. Still don’t forgive him for ending the magical game against the Phillies the Cubs lost 23-22. His weakass, game-ending groundout ruined any chance for another comeback.
Lee Elia – Give him an open mike and a seven second delay.
Dallas Green – Architect of 1984. Where was he on Wednesday?
Dusty Baker – Absolutely ruined our chance for glory in 2003 and yet I would rather see him walk on to the field to celebrate than Sosa.
Andy Pafko – Is he still alive? If so, he should have been there.
Mick Kelleher – He hit 545 fewer homeruns than Sosa as a Cub. He should have been there to make the girls swoon once again.
Andy McPhail – Couldn’t do much right for the Cubs after taking the Twinkies to the Promised Land twice.
Anyone, anyone would be better than Sosa. Milton Bradley, Michael Barrett, Carlos Zambrano, Roy Smalley who never met an error he didn’t like.
I did notice they lost (natch) and I did see a picture posted on FaceBook showing Ferguson Jenkins, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Randy Hundley and Andre Dawson on the field. Kind of cool. Except Jenkins, Banks and Williams are ALWAYS at Wrigley.
400th anniversary of the organ Frank Pelico played? Jenkins, Banks, Williams.
Lights for the first time at Wrigley? Jenkins, Banks, Williams.
Special Celebration Day for Ron Santo NOT making the Hall of Fame (again)? Jenkins, Banks, Williams.
There were missing players and personnel. One that was not missing was the jackass that wore #21 for 13 years. All day long on sports talk radio the following day was the great debate as to whether Sammy Sosa deserved to be invited back.
NO!!! That arrogant, roided-up, corked bat sorry excuse for an outfielder does not need to be invited back to Wrigley. I may be in the minority on this one as other may say “Let by-gones be by-gones.” I can’t do that. In fact, I have a relatively comprehensive list of players who should have been invited back well before Senor Sosa.
Bill Buckner – He was (and still is) my all-time favorite Cub. Growing up watching him waggle his bat in the lefthand batter’s box right before he laced another double to the gap was a joy.
Dave Kingman – For two years I loved watching him hit homer for the Cubs rather than against them. Yes, he spent “Dave Kingman Day” on his boat on Lake Michigan rather than at Wrigley Field. And he gave a reporter a shoe box with a dead rat in it, but he still deserves to come back before Sosa.
Steve Bartman – This is a no-brainer. The only problem is had he come back, then the story was Bartman and not the 100th birthday of Wrigley. But Bartman needs to be invited (and he needs to accept) looooong before Sosa is addressed.
Ed Lynch – Understand I HATE (REALLY HATE) Ed Lynch. He massively sucked as the Cubs GM and he may have been a better GM for the Cubs than he was a pitcher.
Larry Himes – Was integral in having our future Hall of Fame secondbaseman retire (for the first time) too early. And yet I would invite him back before SS.
Steve Ontiveros – Spokesman for the hair replacement company while he was “patrolling” thirdbase. Still don’t forgive him for ending the magical game against the Phillies the Cubs lost 23-22. His weakass, game-ending groundout ruined any chance for another comeback.
Lee Elia – Give him an open mike and a seven second delay.
Dallas Green – Architect of 1984. Where was he on Wednesday?
Dusty Baker – Absolutely ruined our chance for glory in 2003 and yet I would rather see him walk on to the field to celebrate than Sosa.
Andy Pafko – Is he still alive? If so, he should have been there.
Mick Kelleher – He hit 545 fewer homeruns than Sosa as a Cub. He should have been there to make the girls swoon once again.
Andy McPhail – Couldn’t do much right for the Cubs after taking the Twinkies to the Promised Land twice.
Anyone, anyone would be better than Sosa. Milton Bradley, Michael Barrett, Carlos Zambrano, Roy Smalley who never met an error he didn’t like.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Draft Day 2014 - Recap
We also welcomed back some former owners who came by to help us celebrate the 30th anniversary. Kelly Barone (Six Packs), Paul Zeledon (Da Paul Meisters) and David Mahlan (David's Copperfields) all stopped by to shake hands and talk about memories. The fact that they would be willing to take time from their busy weekends to visit a fantasy baseball draft speaks volumes of their character. David came despite being heavily medicated to mask the pain of a kidney stone.
Once all the current owners were finally in place, we commenced with league business. We elected the Executive Committee. Usually there is a clear cut direction the league wants to go with their leadership. This year the voting was more diverse. The EC was established for 2014 with the election of: Tim Morkert (10 votes), Rich Bentel (9 votes), Nick Hansen (6 votes) and [alternate] Matt Bentel (4 votes). Also receiving votes were: Mike Bentel (2 votes), Matt Grage (1 vote), and Pat Chesnut (1 vote).
The CFCL also welcomed a new franchise. Stranger Danger resigned at the close of the 2013 season. Hey Patta Matta Swing (The Swing) was offered the franchise and took to it like a fish to water. Pat Chesnut and Matthew Barriball (childhood friends of the owners of the Twin Killers) joined the CFCL in December and threw themselves into ownership with a ferocious passion.
At 1:30pm the Ruffins began the draft with the Ruffin Privilege, nominating 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen. Annnd we were off to the races. Walking into the draft Kenndoza Line had the most money to spend per player (over .20!!!) and figured to be the odds on favorite to snag any player they wanted. Little did they know that when it came to McCutchen, there were a couple of other owners who had a strong opinion. Morkertzuma's Revenge and Dem Rebels also coveted the Pittsburgh centerfielder and had money burning a hole in their pockets. The bidding was fast and furious. Once it reached .48 the Revenge thought better of things and dropped out. So the Line and Rebels were in a showdown that reached near record proportions. When the Rebels unbelievably said "Fifty-five", the Line came to their senses and flipped their card over.
The table let out a collective breath as they saw the Rebels spend 42% of their budget on the first player in the draft. As if that wasn't enough, the next player ** nominated was Matt Harvey. Matt Harvey who is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery and isn't expected to pitch until the second half of the season at the earliest.
** Usually (usually) in the CFCL draft, the first two rounds of players nominated are players that will command high salaries. Some owners nominate these players to try and suck out a lot of money from their fellow owners. Others will do it because the high priced players are well known and they (the owners) know that if they nominate a player, they won't get stuck with that player unless they really want him and if they don't get the player, it fills up a roster spot on an opponent.
Mike Bentel of the Twin Killers saw an opportunity and took the first step to owning the first round of the draft by outlasting all other owners on Harvey (11 cents). That was the first of five players the Killers acquired in the first round (Harvey, Adam Wainwright, Pablo Sandoval, Curtis Granderson and Brandon Phillips).
One of the interesting players entering the 2014 draft was Ryan Braun. Caught cheating twice (!!) using steroids by Major League Baseball, no one knew how he would be viewed by the owners of the CFCL. Would they want a proven cheater on their team? If so, what type of production could they expect? What would they be willing to pay? Were they concerned that Braun might try to cheat (and get caught) a third time? We found out the answer quickly as Braun was the third player nominated Saturday. The Kenndoza Line, having been outspent on McCutchen, made a huge statement by spending .49 on Braun.
The rest of the day progressed as drafts usually do. A surprise nomination creates an earlier than expected penny player (this year it was Dem Rebels nominating Randall Delgado). Around the sixth or eighth round we were fortunate enough to have CFCL Founder David Mahlan stop by and reprise his role of League Photographer (photos to follow in a subsequent post).
The draft ended with the newest team, The Swing, selecting seven penny players in a row. Despite all the pomp and circumstance involved with the 30th anniversary celebration, we were able to complete the auction portion of our draft in a snappy 5 hours.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
Ok, it's been a while since I've contributed to the Monroe Doctrine. Usually I try to post something no less than weekly. But with my efforts to have daily updates celebrating the CFCL Turning 30, I have been extremely lax with the Monroe Doctrine.
Until today. Feeling compelled to post because of the NL Wildcard Game tonight between the Pirates and the Reds. First of all, I abhor the current playoff system. Major League Baseball (or Bud-dumber Selig) want there to be an exciting "playoff race" in September, but then do everything in their power to get rid of the teams that provided such excitement. Rather than have a Best of 3 or Best of 5, it's a winner take all Wild Card Showdown. Fine, there may be some excitement there, but for the loser it's 162 games to basically play an exhibition and go home.
But that's what we have for now. So I look at Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati and think "C'MON PITTSBURGH!!!" Why? I'm a Cubs fan, so why would I care deeply about who wins this game. Well if the Cubs didn't exist, even though I'm in Chicago, I would be a Pittsburgh fan. Let's breakdown the good and bad of the Pirates and Reds.
PIRATES GOOD
Until today. Feeling compelled to post because of the NL Wildcard Game tonight between the Pirates and the Reds. First of all, I abhor the current playoff system. Major League Baseball (or Bud-dumber Selig) want there to be an exciting "playoff race" in September, but then do everything in their power to get rid of the teams that provided such excitement. Rather than have a Best of 3 or Best of 5, it's a winner take all Wild Card Showdown. Fine, there may be some excitement there, but for the loser it's 162 games to basically play an exhibition and go home.
But that's what we have for now. So I look at Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati and think "C'MON PITTSBURGH!!!" Why? I'm a Cubs fan, so why would I care deeply about who wins this game. Well if the Cubs didn't exist, even though I'm in Chicago, I would be a Pittsburgh fan. Let's breakdown the good and bad of the Pirates and Reds.
PIRATES GOOD
- Andrew McCutchen - Amazingly talented player who, if his facebook page and posts can be believed, is committed to his community and life outside of baseball.
- PNC Park - I've never been, but from what I've seen on TV it is the best park in all of baseball. Yes - I realize the Cubs play at Wrigley.
- Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, Honus Wagner. Wonderful, wonderful player history.
- Roberto Clemente Bridge. Painted yellow and shut down on game days/nights for fans to use to access the park.
- Pittsburgh itself - Home of the Steelers and a true blue collar work ethic.
- We Are Family - 1979, a great season.
- They employed Barry Bonds. However, this was the pre-Juiced-Cheater Bonds. This was the Bonds that everyone says was a Hall of Famer before he creamed and cleared his way to a fake homerun title.
- 20 years of losing. Well that's over, but it sure did take a long time to win more games than they lost.
- Notice I'm starting with the bad things about the Reds? I really don't like the organization.
- Marty Brenneman. This may be a bit personal, but he decided to take shots at Cub fans. Can't remember why. I'll admit a lot of Cub fans are idiots, but Marty - focus on the damn game. You and Hawk Harrelson should realize your job is to report on the game and not try to be a personality of it. Need an example? See Vin Scully. Oh and teach your son how to talk like a normal human being. That fake announcer voice he uses for baseball and football is really stupid.
- Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose. Yes, great players. Also great egotists that think they are better than the game (Rose) or that they are the game (Morgan).
- Dusty Baker - this one probably should have been listed #1 on my list. Still can't believe he didn't have the bullpen up and going in Game 6, 2003 NLCS. Took great happiness in watching his Reds win the first two against the Giants last year and then tank three in a row a home. God that is sooo Dusty.
- Their fans. Many of their fans are arrogant, pains in the asses. That could probably be said for many or all ML teams. I just really don't like Cincinnati.
- There's only two things I can think of. Great American Ballpark. Not as great as PNC, but it's on the river and you can watch the barges float back and forth during a game. Took the family there for Cubs vs. Reds back in 2008. Really nice park.
- People of Cincinnati. Very pleasant and kind. Couldn't be nicer trying to help some out of towners find their way around the city.
- WKRP in Cincinnati. Johnny Fever, Venus Flytrap, Les Nessman. The whole crew. Awesome show but not enough to sway me to cheer for the Reds.
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