Cubby-Blue

Cub Fans Going Incognito

Well, get used to it, guys.

When Bill Murray pokes fun at us on Saturday Night Live, it's kinda real.

I don't know about you, but I got a good laugh out of it, and that's a good thing.

If you don't take this stuff personally, you'll be fine.

In fact, there's nothing better than laughing right about now.

And I hope this drawing helps.

I watched some of the Boston/Tampa game last night.

Man, those guys are intense.

Dice K was amazing, but I really liked watching Kevin Youkilis bat.

That guy's just not kidding around at all, and it was his clutch RBI double, a liner off the glove of Carl Crawford, that really put the dagger in the Rays.

Sox 2 Rays zero.

Also, watch out for this: Ray's pitcher Grant Balfour hit JD Drew with a pitch waaay up on his shoulder but also very close to his ear.

Okay, it's a gorgeous day.

I know we all wish the Cubs were at Wrigley today, but what can you do?

Try to enjoy the day.

Apparently, I'm Not Well Yet

Couldn't listen.

Couldn't watch.

Even Though They Beat The Cubs, I'm Pulling For The Dodgers

When Manny Ramirez was first traded to the Dodgers, for some reason this was the first thing I thought of: what was it like when he first met Greg Maddux?

Pretty sure they met at All-Star games over the years, but the first time they met as team-mates.

Sharing the locker room, maybe having a beer after the game.

Cracked me up because Maddux is so by the book and Manny is so by himself.

Anyway, I want to see a Boston/LA series, so that's who I'm pulling for.

I may have mentioned this story in comments, sorry if I'm being redundant.

We had awesome seats about 10 rows behind the Cubs dugout at the last Cubs loss at Wrigley, the night of the Holy Gloves, and late in the game Manny came up to bat.

A fan a couple rows ahead of us stands up and yells "YOU SUCK!"

One of the guys with us yells, "No he doesn't you IDIOT. He's killing us. I wish he was a Cub!"

Now, I've never been a real Manny fan, and when he quit on the City of Boston I thought it was the ultimate display of despicable modern ballplayer selfishness.

But right then, I would have totally taken Manny batting for the Cubs.

And if I were the Phillies, I wouldn't throw anything near the plate unless I was up ten in the ninth.

Okay, Cubs sign Harden.

I'm gonna pre-set my mind to...a year of suspense, wondering if he can go the next game, if he can go seven innings, all that.

But man when he's right he's pretty scary, so that's all good.

Carlos Marmol, choose your drivers wisely.

And whoever busted the pipe in the Dodger's visitor clubhouse well, I threw my remote too.

Who Was The Last Person To See A Cubs World Championship Team?

Last Saturday night, as I watched the first inning of the Cubs last loss of the season, I did this painting.

It's acrylic, and with that medium you don't have to be carefully planned out like you do with watercolor.

Normally at home, I'll watch a Cubs game and as soon as I have a handle on the game, or a subject at least, I'll start a painting.

Sometimes it takes 9 innings, because you just don't know what's gonna happen.

On Saturday, I started right after the Dodgers scored 2 in the first.

Got up and with angry strokes did a big red background.

Watched a little.

Came back and decided to paint just an angry fan, which I could paint all year, really.

Made the shoulders, started on a face.

Watched a little more.

Then I was putting a highlight on the left side of his face with a little titanium white, and with one brushstroke I sort of accidentally saw the skull underneath.

Went with it.

Because I suddenly remembered how I started this year, back on New Year's Day.

(Last year's "next year".)

I was thinking about the hundred years since a World Championship here.

This is that guy in the grave there, I guess.

Whatever his/her name is, the last person to see a Chicago Cub World Championship team is still dead.

I thought there would be millions of new, live ones this year.

But as Lou might say, "Look, what are you gonna do?"

Okay, got that one off my chest, sorry about the prolonged funeral.

While I think it's sick but still funny, that'll be the last angry post about the Cubs for awhile.

Pretty sure, at least.

Cubs 2008 Epilogue: The Man With The Owl Eyes

This is personal and it's long. It will contain subject matter you might think of as "about a curse", so if that doesn't interest you I apologize and please come back some other time. Some odd things happened during this last playoff period that affected me. Things that threw off my mojo balance. First, Paul Newman died. When I was a senior in high school, we had a "study hall" where they asked us if we wanted to study or watch a movie... They had a choice of about 5, so once a week I got to watch "Cool Hand Luke". It turned into and is still my favorite movie of all time, with stunning work from Mr. Newman and a superstar cast including Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton, and George Kennedy. Anyway, I think he was a national treasure and the kind of significant loss that makes the world shake a little. Next. I read the CHICAGO TRIBUNE every morning, and I'm sure they warned us but... One day I got up, went outside, and there on my front porch was a paper, but when I opened it they'd completely re-designed it. Like picking up my coffee and taking a sip of tomato juice. I'm kinda used to it now, but this was just the kind of thing that makes me go look in the mirror to make sure it's me. Then, the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover. It's a curse so powerful and true, you don't even have to be an oddball like me to know it's significance. When Sutter told me there was a fabulous article in SI about the Cubs, all I wanted to know is if the Cubs were on the cover. I couldn't even talk about it. Naturally after all that, I was the walking freaked. If you read this blog, you already know about the Man with the Owl Eyes. Seeing this weird guy (and his son, who had the same eyes, I just didn't paint him) at both Wrigley playoff games, once at Bernie's and the next night getting off the el, was just the mad capper of the week. Last year the season-ending weirdness came in a small baggie. The cremated ashes of The Judge, who's presence at a particularly impossible comeback Cub victory led us to decide he should come to a couple more games rather than be spread around Wrigley Field. In addition to it being pretty cool for him to get some extra time at the games, he was good luck. And after the final loss to the Diamondbacks we finally decided to do what we were supposed to do, and in the process found out about the Secret Society of People Who Spread The Ashes Of Deceased Cub Fans At Wrigley. And this year the Man with Owl Eyes. I am sure I bring this on myself, I totally understand that. But as soon as I saw him on the sidewalk at game 2, I knew disaster was gonna happen. How Big Z kept it together amazed me, with the game ruined by errors in inning two. And in the end there were capital E's by every single guy in the infield. That doesn't happen to anybody but the Cubs. Anyway, I'm not saying it was a curse or the goat or a black cat or even the Man with Owl Eyes. I'm just sayin'. Lastly. Somewhere late during game 2, I went to the men's room. Inside was a giant, mostly quiet crowd. Inside they also play the AM 720 Cubs broadcast, and since it was between innings Pat Hughes was doing a live commercial. It went something like this: "...And now you can buy the new book "Hoodoo: Unraveling the 100-Year Mystery of the Chicago Cubs..." Everybody knows it's about curses and bad luck, and without missing a beat one guy went "F$#@ YOOOUUUUUU!" Then we all laughed. Then the Cubs lost.