Cubby-Blue

Blackhawks Win! Dustin Byfuglien starts new craze!

 I don't know exactly what that pose was, but when Dustin Byfuglien scored the winning goal in overtime last night, he raised his hands and, well... lifted a leg as he skated by the absolutely crazed Chicago Blackhawk home crowd. 

It was a truly magic moment. But you know Dustin, you could take a lesson or two from Patrick Kane or something when it comes to the after goal "thing". (Not that I'm a big fan of any of that, especially in the NFL.) 

Ahhhh, just kiddin'. I think he was about to run into the boards so he kept his leg out of the way.

In any case, THE BLACKHAWKS ARE NOW ONE WIN AWAY FROM THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!

And really, Byfuglien was one of many hard working Hawks last night. Certainly don't want to downplay the winning goal, but the whole team effort is never more apparent than when you're watching the Hawks.

Honestly, on a maturity scale for being a hockey-watching fan? I'm about a 1 year old. A baby. Brand new. Can't even walk yet, let alone really talk it. But I'm hooked right now, and it's sooooo much fun.

How about Dave Bolland's breakaway goal? How loud were you screaming? How about his pass to Buff?

Just fantastic.

Meanwhile down in Texas, Ted Lilly continues his steady climb back to BAMF as he shuts down the big-hitting Rangers for 6.2 innings giving up just 6 hits and 2 runs, but the Cub hitters only manage to get 1 dinky run and lose 1-2.

Really frustrating watching the Cubs try to hit. 

Nobody on this team has "clutch" anywhere in their nickname, and it's such a shame because they do get on base. It's like...1 more hit at the right time and their record could be totally different. 

Oh well, it's another day and tonight we'll see Randy Wells (3-2, 4.13) against Derek Holland (2-0, 2.38).

Bob Howry or Blackhawks. Hmm...what to talk about?

I figure EVERYBODY'S gonna be talking about Bob Howry coming back to the Cubs today.

Here's what I drew in less than 3 minutes last night:

 
 Oh wait.

I guess I don't have a say in the matter, do I?

But... did we not just discuss how truly awful ol' Bob Howry was when the Cubs last visited Arizona?

Yet, there the story is in MLB TRADERUMORS: Cubs close to signing Bob Howry.

You know, it's not as if the Chicago Faithful don't have enough to be not faithful about - why add gasoline to the fire? I mean, between this year and last I think I've heard enough booing to last a non-World Series century. Yes, I've read that he'll help the kids and he's a great guy, but, you know... in the world of ideas, this one is begging for the naysayers to speak up. Can't you hear it? "He'll sure show the kids how to give up that long ball..." 

Well, at least the Cubs lost yesterday and left the tying run on 3rd with nobody out in the top of the 9th!

Ahhh, that was mean.

It was the Phillies, it was actually a good game and the Cubs were in it all the way to the end. Ryan Dempster is always good, but so far this season he's just not getting any luck at all.

I guess they flew to Texas last night, and they'll play the Rangers today. Did you know they were in first in the AL West? Over the Angels and A's? 

I didn't. 

In fact, I don't know squat about the Rangers. Hopefully I learn that they don't match up against the Cubs. It'll be Terrible Ted on the mound tonight!

Now, for the other part of today's post: The Chicago Blackhawks host the San Jose Sharks tonight. 

Everybody got all weird about the Hawks winning at home vs. on the road, that maybe they're better playing at the other guy's place. 

I bet Brent Seabrook's got something to say about that.

It's all on tonight, and if you're a Chicago fan (yeah, even if you're a Sox fan), it's gonna be an awesome 7:00 PM, and I'll be switching back and forth for a couple hours of sports bliss.

GO CUBS!

GO HAWKS!

PS: Mike Huang, my buddy and excellent writer at VINELINE (and the guy who gives me the illustration assignments there every month) is covering the MLB draft for the Sporting News. It's all about the young talent available in high school and college. Please go here, learn something about the kids coming up, and leave a comment. 

Hey Tom Gorzelanny: LOOK OUT, MAN!

Man, can somebody put a force-field up around this guy? 

After catching a line drive in the shoulder a couple weeks ago, another line smash catches Tom Gorzelanny in the left hand yesterday.

Seriously, if I was walking down the street with him and I saw a banana peel on the sidewalk, I'd steer Gorzy to the nearest crosswalk.

He got X-rayed and it came back negative, but man that's gotta smart.

The good news was he was pitching not like a 5th starter, but more like an ace. He went 6.2 innings and only gave up 3 hits and no runs. Not bad. And the Cubs beat the NL East 1st place Phillies 4-1 last night, and it's kind of a nice little streak going for our favorite team. 

Calming, isn't it?

Okay, lets see what happens today.

And...last thing.

A couple weeks ago or so I was reading the Trib sports, and Trib photographer Scott Strazzante had captured one of the funniest photos I've ever seen - that's Adam Burish and Ben Eager on the bench just giving it to a Canuck. Eager's expression is absolutely priceless, and you can imagine any quote from "Slapshot" coming out of his mouth.

 

They'll be playing again Friday night here in town, going for win #3 vs. the Sharks, who have exactly this many wins against the Hawks so far: zero.

Did Zambrano take a leak on Wrigley Field?

 So my buddy Oif has this story about when he was little and his dad was gonna make him mow the lawn all summer. It was for the good of the household. Oif was learning about responsibility, and the yard would look good.

Only Oif had a different idea.

He lowered the blades on the mower... and mowed.

Cut the grass so short that it pretty much ruined the yard.

His dad decided that Oif shouldn't mow the lawn any more.

Now I'm not saying the Carlos Zambrano move to the bullpen was a great idea - I'm not even sure about Lou Piniella's motives for that. In fact, the more I think about this team, the...more gross it gets.

I'm listening to the Score this morning, and Mully & Hanley are talking to Trib baseball guy Dave Van Dyck. Van Dyck is saying things like Big Z's "nose was growing" when he was talking about being happy in his bullpen role. Yesterday when they announced that Z was gonna move back to the rotation, part of the story was something like "It's no secret that Carlos has lost velocity..." and that the move to the pen may have been a way to help him regain some of that (which... does that make any sense?).

But there's no doubting that Carlos' performance vs. the Pirates the other night was horrible. He hit a guy and gave up a homer to Garrett Jones. The Cubs lose, and after that game came the interview that I think Van Dyck was talking about. 

So anyway, somewhere in this Score chat this morning, either Mully or Hanley asked Van Dyck if he thought Carlos "grooved" the home run pitch to Jones.

I'm SOOO NOT saying he did, but the very fact that that could be talked about on the freaking radio? 

Dude, that makes my head spin.

Anyway, long story short is I figure Carlos pulled an Oif here. 

There's just no other way I can figure it. After the "lost some velocity" comment, after finding out he's going back to the rotation, and then Carlos' performance last night with the consistent 93 - 94 mph fastballs. He looked pretty good didn't he?

At some point in the future we'll find out just what's going on in Lou's clubhouse, if it's truly the disaster I think it might be.

And, if Carlos DID groove that pitch?

Words would not describe my anger.

Anyway, Carlos Silva is now 5-0 (that's just too weird to write) after the Cubs beat the Rockies 6-2.

Tonight they fly to Philadelphia, to play the team with the best record in the NL.

Ouch.

Lastly, I tried to share one of our commercials with you yesterday, but I guess you have to be a Creativity subscriber to see it. Anyway, if you still wanna see it, email me and I can email you from the site. That apparently works.

Maybe Aramis Ramirez is coming out of it.

Yeah, it's way too early to tell, but if Aramis Ramirez gets hot (which is pretty much normal for him), it changes the team.

The Cubs have missed no bigger bat than his.

Last night he hit a game winning bomb with Castro in the bottom of the 11th.

Cubs 4 Rockies 2.

Tonight it's undefeated Carlos Silva, and hopefully some Ramirez damage.

Go Cubs.

Then there's good news and sad news.

Sad first: Mark Prior, who for the last 50 years or so has been trying to make a comeback, took a line drive off his pitching shoulder and will be shut down for 3 weeks.

The Baseball Gods gave him everything early, and now they're just tossing banana peels at his feet.

Good next: Hawks tonight. 

They won the first game, and besides The Niemisis who was out of his mind brilliant, I thought I'd seen the Hawks skate better.

Anyway, you gotta watch.

Go Hawks.

Lastly, I tried to share one of our commercials with you yesterday, but I guess you have to be a Creativity subscriber to see it. Anyway, if you still wanna see it, email me and I can email you from the site. That apparently works.