My beloved Cubbies just swept the Red Sox at Fenway. Mounting a 19 hit attack that yielded 16 runs scored andincluded 4 home runs, home runs not generally counted upon by the players who hit them, we journey on to Washington for a weekend series with the Nationals. After the worst March record in team history (ha ha they played one game in March {but lost it}, things didn't get any better in April or May. June however, brought the first monthly winning record in June since 2007.
The Cubs are pretty close to the laughing stock of baseball. I understand this. This only makes me root more for them. After years of spending money to watch the Cubs, I watched in dismay as the Ricketts* family bought them, Wrigley Field and a 25% stake in the Comcast baseball network for a reported $845 million. Dismay because much of the Ricketts family's politics are to the right of Attila the Hun, but the managing partner, Tom is a pretty good guy, moderate in his politics and a Northwestern Grad. He seems intent upon creating a good product on the field, but alas, as is my right, his father and brother's views make the team I love, an automatic boycott. That means when my friend calls me up and tells me he's got two for a Cubs game, I have to tell him no thanks. Parking, concessions, anything that contributes to the Ricketts family coffers will not come from me. It's like as if Charles and David Koch bought my favorite team and because they're such 'marons', I couldn't go anymore. Is Joe Ricketts as bad as Fred Koch? Pretty close. Life is complicated sometimes.
That aside, the Cubs who have not appeared in a World Series since 1945 (lost to the Tigers) and have not won a series since 1908. Invariably the jokes come fast and furious. The best one is to paraphrase the old line, "well anybody can have a bad year." In the Cubs case, you remove year and insert century.
Well the Ricketts' having spent all this dough for a team that is famous for one of the two most quaint (if not antiquated) ball parks in baseball, needed to bring a winner to the North Side. (The White Sox own the South Side-- that is where I live and suffer not being being able to go into White Sox bars wearing an Cub paraphernalia without risk of getting my ass kicked. {I'm serious} ). They decided that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery so they went out and hired Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, both alums of the Red Sox when in 2004, they finally broke their curse and rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the LCS to the Yankees to win 4 straight and then beat the most consistent team in baseball in the past 15 years, the St Louis Cardinals to finally emerge victorious in a world series. At least the Red Sox had been to World Series' more than the Cubs. When you finally get off the "schneid" , get the monkey off your back and win, you start to think maybe we can win more than one. That has happened to Sox and Theo Epstein and his staff were at the helm for this miracle.
July 5th 2014: FLASH. Yesterday, the Cubs rode a nice pitching performance along withsome timely hitting to a 7-2 win over Washington in the opener of a weekend series. Promptly after the game, the club announced that it had traded Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija to the Oakland Athletics for their top two prospects, SS Addison Russell, Pitcher Dan Straily and OF prospect Billy McKinney.
We'll see what the mood is like today. trades that subtract two of your best pitchers can either be a shock and send a team into a real downer or they can be seen as a challenge for those left behind . There will be more trades and the stockpiling of position players doesn't bode well for the following current Cubs; Junior Lake, Darwin Barney, Ryan Sweeney or pitcher James Russell- because you can't have two Russells on your major league roster. That's just bad luck.
Good news is a 4 game winning streak, a sense of "fuck management" if they think we're going to lay down and die by the remainders. Next 7 games (2 against Washington- a division leader) and the Cincinnati Reds ( a 5 game series including a doubleheader on Tuesday the 8th.) will reveal whether they tank or plow on. I think the latter.. But I'm a fan.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Worst President??
A recent Quinnipiac poll has suggested that 1/3 of respondents felt that Barack Obama is the worst President since World War 2. 33% was the number, I believe. At the same time, the same people were asked who they felt the best President was in the same time frame. It was Ronald Reagan and the number was 35%. Finishing below RR was Bill Clinton @ 18% and JFK @ 15%.
I would love to know the sampling numbers and who was asked. But, we'll not be made privy to that information. That both are fishy to say the least, is pretty evident to me. But that's just me and as with anything, dear reader, you are entitled to your own opinion-- that is if anybody asks you.
It is a fact that time benefits the worst Presidents. George W. Bush, previously the President thought to be the worst, has experienced a slight uptick in forgiveness. Or is it that people are less hostile about his Presidency as time passes.
POTUS 44 has been the most vilified President in my lifetime. Had I lived in the time of Herbert Hoover or Woodrow Wilson, or Andrew Johnson, my opinion might be different. But I'm not commenting on the numbers that currently dog Obama. They will get worse as he is sued and if Republicans gain control of the Senate, he will be impeached, as the house will quickly dispatch their articles to a friendly Senate whom they are confident will convict.
I love the body politic, the whole process- formation of policy, the attempt to do the people's work. The 111th, 12th and 13th Congress will rank as the all time least productive, the most polarized and held in the lowest esteem of any Congress in our brief history.That's only the legislative branch. The judicial branch has also seen a better era in terms of its performance and the public activism of some of its lifetime appointees.
So, it's a tough and unrelenting job. No matter who occupies this office is going to age beyond their years. I cannot imagine the stress and frustration to remain dignified in such an atmosphere. So, I take no pleasure in this post today. But it begs a humstle, so today let's remember the old Blues man, Albert King and his Born Under A Bad sign.
I like my President. I don't think he's fought hard enough to balance the un level playing field that he encountered when he announced his candidacy. His rise and election were part of a perfect storm and his vilification is because of who he is and what he represents. It has brought out the best and the worst in all of us. Someday, his critics will chill and his numbers will go back up. But they're only numbers. When I think of the things that have happened in this brief century (so far), it's no wonder that the general resentment is so high.
So, that's my two cents. Please enjoy a safe 4th of July and try to remember-- we're a very young country, lucky in so many ways and our people are a decent sort. Exceptional? Sometimes yes and oft times not. I wouldn't want to live any where else-- even though these days I have to scratch my head more than I don't.
See you after the 4th. Count your blessings, pray for those who'd do better if they knew better. Hug your kids- or dogs or cats. Don't blow your hand off with fireworks and above all, try to be thankful. Everybody has a reason to be thankful at some point, for something. OK?
I would love to know the sampling numbers and who was asked. But, we'll not be made privy to that information. That both are fishy to say the least, is pretty evident to me. But that's just me and as with anything, dear reader, you are entitled to your own opinion-- that is if anybody asks you.
It is a fact that time benefits the worst Presidents. George W. Bush, previously the President thought to be the worst, has experienced a slight uptick in forgiveness. Or is it that people are less hostile about his Presidency as time passes.
POTUS 44 has been the most vilified President in my lifetime. Had I lived in the time of Herbert Hoover or Woodrow Wilson, or Andrew Johnson, my opinion might be different. But I'm not commenting on the numbers that currently dog Obama. They will get worse as he is sued and if Republicans gain control of the Senate, he will be impeached, as the house will quickly dispatch their articles to a friendly Senate whom they are confident will convict.
I love the body politic, the whole process- formation of policy, the attempt to do the people's work. The 111th, 12th and 13th Congress will rank as the all time least productive, the most polarized and held in the lowest esteem of any Congress in our brief history.That's only the legislative branch. The judicial branch has also seen a better era in terms of its performance and the public activism of some of its lifetime appointees.
So, it's a tough and unrelenting job. No matter who occupies this office is going to age beyond their years. I cannot imagine the stress and frustration to remain dignified in such an atmosphere. So, I take no pleasure in this post today. But it begs a humstle, so today let's remember the old Blues man, Albert King and his Born Under A Bad sign.
I like my President. I don't think he's fought hard enough to balance the un level playing field that he encountered when he announced his candidacy. His rise and election were part of a perfect storm and his vilification is because of who he is and what he represents. It has brought out the best and the worst in all of us. Someday, his critics will chill and his numbers will go back up. But they're only numbers. When I think of the things that have happened in this brief century (so far), it's no wonder that the general resentment is so high.
So, that's my two cents. Please enjoy a safe 4th of July and try to remember-- we're a very young country, lucky in so many ways and our people are a decent sort. Exceptional? Sometimes yes and oft times not. I wouldn't want to live any where else-- even though these days I have to scratch my head more than I don't.
See you after the 4th. Count your blessings, pray for those who'd do better if they knew better. Hug your kids- or dogs or cats. Don't blow your hand off with fireworks and above all, try to be thankful. Everybody has a reason to be thankful at some point, for something. OK?
Monday, June 30, 2014
SCOTUS
It's another day where progressive ideas have taken a beating. We need to keep fighting for the day when 5 white men don't have the power to "interpret" the constitution as they continue to do.
But I continue to believe that in November, a powerful statement can be made at the ballot box.. I only hope people will understand the "power" they possess and make that statement.
That's all I want to say for today.
But I continue to believe that in November, a powerful statement can be made at the ballot box.. I only hope people will understand the "power" they possess and make that statement.
That's all I want to say for today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)