Cubby-Blue

72 Days 'Til Spring Training

There are lots of blogs that have little counters that tell you how many days there are til Spring Training.
I use q-tips.
2 a day, in fact.
I do this thing where I take how many days until Spring Training, multiply it by two q-tips, and put them in this metal q-tip holder thingy we got at Target, and then use two a day.
Amazingly, this handy device does the count-down automatically as you use the q-tips!
If you wanted to start this today in fact, you'd take the 72 days until, times two is 144 q-tips, put em in a holder thing and start using 2 a day.
You can modify it to your own bathroom habits, like if you use four a day or two a week or whatever.
It's simple, but you must be diligent.
Now I admit, once the q-tip counter-downer is started, you won't get an exact count as much as a "feel" for how many days are left until it's pretty close.
Unless, you actually counted them.
But I like the lo-techiness of it, and it's got an added bonus as well: if you've got a Cub Buddy with ears that are...not so clean, it's a pretty awesome Holiday gift.

Poof Went Mark Prior

(FIRST, A TECH ALERT - I PUT 6 PAINTINGS IN THIS POSTING. PLS LET ME KNOW IF IT'S TOO ANNOYINGLY SLOW TO LOAD.)
Well, that was...a non-event, him leaving.
I was actually hoping old Mark would have been slightly more willing to accept ohhhh...WHATEVER KIND OF CONTRACT THE CUBS WOULD OFFER TO STAY ON THIS TEAM.
How much cash of mine went in his pocket the last couple years?
Like, well, some I bet.
I felt like he owed me, plus I wanted to see if he could ever get back to his awesome '03 self again.
Because no matter how bad he soiled the bed here, he was such a freaking STUD that year.
And I see maybe he'll become...an Astro?
Gross.
Anyway, here are a couple paintings of Mark's Cub career:

From '04:

From '05:

What Winter? We Got Kosuke Fukudome!

Used to be you could sort of depend on the Bears to make the winter less sucky.
Not so in the Winter of 2007.
This year the happy has come from the Kosuke Fukudome signing.
I'm all in the Big Good Mood.
And even though spring training is months away and I've got a shovel in my hands, I'm thinking about summer.
That's a good trick, Jim Hendry.
Thank you.

ps:
I was walking from Walgreens last weekend and there was a guy wearing a Packer hat coming my way, staring me down, and I thought, "Not that again."
Remember late 90's when perfectly normal men and women you knew and respected suddenly put on Packer hats and...switched?
God.
And poor Kyle Orton.
Whatever chance you want to call it - "big", "fair", or "no" - I just don't envy you.
The line's a wreck and the B-Team back is starting, and the defense...
Well, get out there and give 'em hell, kid.
(I think that was Paul Newman's Mom's line in "Cool Hand Luke", shortly before young Paul takes the rifle shot in the neck...)

The Mitchell Report - Sounds Like a New Gossip Show on E!

I don't know what I was expecting.
Something?
But George Mitchell - he had no legal muscle, he just got some people to talk about other people.
So what we got is a really expensive piece of gossip.
It's sort of appropriate for the party season right now, and you can lump this right in with the party you went to last night.
"Hey, I heard that Smith was making out with his assistant in front of everyone last night."
"No way. Hey did you hear that Roger Clemens took steroids?"
"Shut UP!"
"Yeah - it was on tv, some old guy was talking."
See?
Nothing happened.
Just gossip fodder.
And it's even dumber now, because I can use this stupid list any way I want.
For instance, I dislike the Rocket.
So I go, "I KNEW it - Clemens is the biggest cheater EVER."
But I like Brian Roberts (and desperately want him to be a Cub).
So I go, "Yeah well he was just...having dinner with some bad guys - he never did anything wrong."
Now, it's still different for Barry Bonds because he might have lied to the principal and if so he's gonna have to go to detention.
But this Mitchell Report?
Just gossip.
I downloaded the pdf, and it's got this gigantic table of contents and like, no pictures or anything, so I don't think I'll actually read it.
But you can.
Tell me if anything changes.

Cubs Finally Beat the Padres, sign Fukudome

Ha!
I've been waiting for an excuse to moon Steve Garvey since October 6th, 1984.
If you don't know why, go here.
That's a little negative, so let me start again.

In competition with each other over Japanese right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, the Cubs finally outbid the San Diego Padres last night and signed him to a 4-year deal.
It seems like that's like the 1st time the Cubs have beaten the Padres at anything in about 3 years, and of course I have deeper issues with the Pads related to 1984 and not limited to Steve Garvey.
(I just really really dislike the Padres...)
So, after much talk and anticipation, Kosuke is the big fish Cub GM Jim Hendry went after and caught.
I found out about it on LOHO about 11 last night - those guys are quick!
It's alot of dough, but I think Fukudome's a giant leap in outfield talent compared to last year's right fielders.
Plus, it's cool to have that global thing going on with my favorite team.
Go Cubs.