Cubby-Blue

Introducing new Chicago Cubs Manager Mike Quade

Just announced.

Mike Quade will be the manager for the Chicago Cubs for the next 2 years.

Read here!

Okay, be sure to watch for the press conference!

 

Kerry Wood's lookin' pretty good for the Yankees

I luckily caught the 8th and some of the 9th in last night's 8-zip Ranger win over the Yankees, so I got to see Kerry Wood come in for one inning and shut 'em down.
I don't remember the batter, but if you were watching you got to see a vintage Kerry Wood curve that made the guy buckle and leap out of the batter's box as the ball settled down right over the inside corner for a gorgeous strike. 

No hits no walks no strikeouts, but he clocked at least one at 95, and it just must be nice to have him as your set-up guy.

But it was Cliff Lee's game with him going 8 innings and giving up zeero runs, and the Rangers are now up 2 games to 1.

I so didn't expect this, but that's baseball.

And even though I don't want the Yanks in the WS, it would be awesome to see Kerry get a ring.

I think he's like 32 or 33 now, but he looks sort of gaunt and old.

You think about what that guy's been through though, and you'd probably look like that too.

Anyway, that just popped into my head, that "Kerry the 8th" thing - kinda like a king of that inning.

Go Kerry!

 

Lovie Smith is now a member of Terrible Anonymous

Wouldn't this be awesome?
If, no matter what your job, you had to go join Terrible Anonymous if you were terrible at it?
Sit in a room with your terrible peers and admit your terrible-ness by telling terrible stories about the terrible decisions you made to make your team or business or government more terrible?

Certainly the guys in the drawing would be there.

Yes, I am aware that the Bears are 4-2, and that they are in first place.

But do any of you think they're a first place team?

Do you think they're destined for the playoffs?

Man, I don't.

Okay, baseball.

Ex I-Hate-The-Astros Ace Roy Oswalt and his new Phillies beat the Giants 6-1 and are now tied at one game apiece in the NLCS.
And tonight the similarly tied Yanks and Rangers play in NY, mounding with Andy Pettite and Cliff Lee.
That ought to be a good one.

 

 

 

 

The Cubs somehow show up in Prescott, AZ.

Hi you guys, it's nice to be back. Our trip took us from Chicago to Phoenix to Prescott to Lake Powell, which is the lake that happened when they dammed the Colorado up around the AZ/UT border.

When we landed, there was a horrible weather front that ran from Phoenix all the way up to Page (where Powell is). Crazy hail fell in Prescott, a tornado that knocked over a freaking train touched down outside of Flagstaff, and there were awful storms and really strong winds across the whole state.

So, you know, it mighta been some kind of crazy temperature change or water pressure thing from the weather that kept us from catching the Lunker Striped Bass rather than, uh, technique or choice of lure or whatever.

Anyway... a couple shots from the trip:

There's no way to convey the scale of this place. It's HUGE.

It's beautiful.

It's gorgeous.

And no matter where we went (this is my Dad).

It had small fish (that's Flynn).

Luckily, we brought man food.

 

And finally, when we were back in Prescott we had a spare hour to go hang at Whiskey Row which, back in the Day (Wild West, that is), was originally about 40 bars "in a row" that have since been trimmed to maybe 4.
(I'm still mad about that, but I guess 4 bars is okay.) 
We went into one of 'em called "The Palace". 

Many scenes of an old Steve McQueen movie called "Junior Bonner" were shot here.

Along with a giant mural of that movie poster, they have history all over the walls: guns, little museum displays of Old West stuff, taxidermy animals, and... photos.
This one was on the wall behind us: 

And upon closer inspection... 

Mother of GOD, will I never escape it?
THIS ANCIENT LOOKING PHOTO WAS TAKEN THE YEAR THE CUBS LAST WON THE WORLD SERIES. 

Speaking of which, Mike Fontenot got a hit in yesterday's NLCS game as the Giants win game 1 over the Phillies. Tim Lincecum and Roy Halliday were kinda human, and some guy named Cody Ross hit a couple out for the Giants.
And in the ALCS the Rangers calmly came back from their opening 5-6 disastrous loss to beat the Yankees 7-2, so they're all tied up at one game apiece.

In other news, Terrible Ted Lilly of the Valley of the Shadow of Death will apparently remain a Dodger for the next 3 years. THANKS JIM HENDRY!!!

Yankees teaching history to the Texas Rangers

Oh man, that had to hurt.
The Texas Rangers were in the catbird seat, gaining momentum and confidence and spirit and resolve and psyche and then poof, the 8th inning happened.
I'm sure that Cliff Lee will have something to say before long, but I know how this one ends already.

If the Rangers had a 5 run lead and coughed it up in the 8th to lose against ohhh, say Minnesota or Tampa or even the Red Sox you'd go, "Well, they can come back."

But it's the Yankees.

They broke your back in game one.

Did you see Nolan Ryan in the 1st inning?
That was one happy man, maybe already thinking about game 2.

In the 8th, he looked like he ate a bad dog.

Trust me, I'm with you - there's nobody I'd rather see lose than the Yanks.
But it won't happen in the ALCS.
Not now.