Cubby-Blue

Can the Cubs get any sponsors for the "Call to the Pen"?

How many baseball games have you watched?
Like a million, right?
I'm completely spacing out here, but for the life of me I cannot remember who sponsors the "Call to the Pen".
I mean, SOMEbody sponsors everything.
Anyway, maybe there is an actual sponsor, and if there is I bet those guys are prettttty sad about their decision.
Can you imagine paying for that?
Lets say it's Barbasol.
"And now it's time for the Barbasol Call To The Pen..."
Then Carlos Marmol comes in and can't find the plate but there's all kindsa injuries so they leave him in til Arizona Diamondbacks 1st baseman Paul Goldschmidt hits a grand salami? Or...wait. They leave him in til he gives up a grand salami and then walks the next guy too?
And later a guy the Cubs picked up on waivers from the Rockies, Zach something, gives up another 4 runs in the 9th?
Well, I figured if Cub Fans had a "Call to the Pen", it would simply be: "DON'T DO IT!"

Jeff Samardzija (it was only about a month ago I realized that I can spell Jeff's name without looking it up!) was his usual stud self striking out 11 in 6.1 innings.
But I'm pretty sure he threw more pitches in the 6.1 than he did in his complete game shutout in his last start, and gave up a couple walks but still left the game with a 2 run lead.

Then, the creaming began.
11 Snakey runs in the last 3 innings, and the DBacks win 12-4.

But I learned a couple new things last night.
The first thing was...remember I decided that I would just keep trying new beers?
Yesterday I see a beer made with Apricots called "Aprihop".


I have NEVER bought a beer with fruit flavor in it, but it was Dogfish Head, and those guys are talented so I tried it and... awesome.

Next, I was gonna grill some skirts (steaks) and needed to use my "Haul Ass" marinade.
This is a picture of the inside page of a grill book:


If you couldn't tell, "Earl" is oil.
Olive, but canola will do too.
Anyway, wer'e OUTTA SUGAR!
But we have brown so I put that in.
And this is just a theory but here's what I think happened because it's part of how BBQ sauce works - the brown sugar on the outside of the steaks caramelized.
You cook skirts over a really hot fire for about a minute, minute and a half per side.
You want some burn marks on this steak, and in those burn marks was crunchy caramelization that was incredible.
Probably regular sugar does this too, it's just not as tasty.

Okay, I got about 50 things to do today and if I get 'em done I'm gonna haul down to Addison and Clark and see if it rains or not.

Go Cubs.

 

CUBS SWEEP SOX and Things That Are Made From Wood.

I think I read that the Cubs haven't won the Crosstown Cup in 7 years?
Is that right?
Did you even know there was an actual Crosstown Cup?
Well, there's a buncha Cubs posed next to it right there in this morning's Trib!
(Here's a screen grab from their photo section ):


Kind of an unfortunate crop on David DeJesus, who looks like he's doing an impersonation of Peter Seller's doing Toulouse Lautrec. 
But anyway...Travis Wood.
We've talked a little about him and this impossibly cool season he's having so far, and what a plain old jock he is.
An all around athlete type.
Shutting down the Sox (and pretty much every other team he's faced) with his arm, pinch running him since Tony Campana isn't around, and yesterday hitting a grand slam!
Super coordinated.
He probably played football and basketball in high school.
He probably would whoop you at golf.
Or yo-yo.
I had Emily's radio on in the office when he hit it out, and we've re-done our offices so that it's all modern - an "open space". And that means there are no doors on any offices. So, you know, if you sit on my floor and you were here yesterday afternoon, sorry if I disturbed you.
Everybody got in the act, really.
Cubs 8 Sox 3 Cubs SWEEP!

Dioner Navarro with the hat trick, Brent Seabrook with the walk-off home run. (illustration)

No time for a story today, but I'm pretty sure you all heard the Cubs cuh-REAMED the Sox 9-3 yesterday as Dioner Navarro hit 3 dingers.
And then for dessert we got controversy (thank GOD the Hawks won or this would be SO tainted by that ref's call) and victory from the Blackhawks as they beat Detroit in overtime 2-1.
Awesome!
Gots to run. 

Cubs vs Sox. Where have all the bad guys gone?

Weird, but I kinda miss the days of way more legitimate, over-the-top dislike between the Cubs and Sox.
I mean, I guess Jake Peavy's still someone you can love to hate, but overall the Sox are just sort of...there.
Look at Robin Ventura.
Bland. 
Plain oatmeal.
A Chevy Impala rental.
As much as we all couldn't stand him and are enjoying his current quiet status, it was never boring when Ozzie Guillen was here.
They should have him come sing the 7th inning stretch just for grins.
Okay, kidding.
I have no idea where that drawing came from.
Something to do during a rainout, I guess.
But I was talking to someone the other day about how the rivalries are all sort of at a cooler temperature while the Cubs re-tool and get ready for the Big Surge in a couple years.
Although probably Milwaukee, because they're so awful (and not in the middle of rebuilding HAHAHAHA), they're still pretty high temp.
But like in St. Louis, I promise you they don't look at the Cubs like they did in 2003.
Sure there's excitement here with Castro and Rizzo and Samardzija and Castillo.
And Barney can dazzle with the glove.
Garza tried to fire everybody up in Cincinnati after the waaaaaay-high Cueto-over-DeJesus-pitch the other day, but if silly Dusty hadn't responded nobody would have noticed.

Okay, now that I spent all that time talking about how it's all cooled off, um... it's going to be Danks vs Scott Feldman. Had the rain come just one inning later last night, we might be talking about a sweep.
And I forgot that Samardzija nailed Konerko the other day.
What was I thinking?
What if Danks throws at Soriano?
Okay, what about Rizzo?
Ahhh, I don't even need any of that to remember...IT'S THE CUBS VS THE SOX.

Sorry.
I'm back to normal.
If I can figure out a way to sneak out of here Thurs or Fri, I'm totally gonna be at Wrigley.
Don't tell anybody, okay?

 

What a GREAT night for Cubs/Hawks.

Swear to god.

All day I'm digging the weeds and crap out of the garden to make room for the herbs and flowers.
Tomatoes are already in.
Finally I'm done and ready for some amazing sports viewing.
It's 6:15, the Cubs/Sox have just started.
I have chips and hummus and frosty Lagunitas Pils.
I am in heaven.
Suddenly I hear "HONEY!"
Uh oh, daughter has a broken down car across town.
Like, an hour across town.
I listen to the Cubs/Sox game on the way, but I can only think is she okay and how many tow trucks are available on Memorial Day???
We get to the car.
It's our newly bought used car, and clearly has a debilitating electical malfunction.
A red light is blinking, and nothing will turn on - especially the engine.
So we call for a tow, that takes quite a bit of time.
I see the Hawks are winning and...NO it's tied up.
I listen to about 15 minutes of Cubs/Sox right when they score a bunch of runs.
The tow truck arrives.
I meet Hugo the tow truck guy, who's super nice and here to save the day.
By the time I get to the car place, the Cubs have already smoked the Sox and the Hawks are losing 1-2.
Nothing works on the car so I have to put a waterproof tablecloth over the door because a window is half way down and it's supposed to storm.
I sprint home from the car place.
I turn on the tv and THE HAWKS ARE WINNING.
Michael Frolik scores on a penalty shot.
Stupid Hawk penalties and a weird Detroit goal keep it scary til the end, but the Hawks win.

What a great night, even with the car crap.
Jeff Samardzija went 9 and shut the Sox out?
2 hits 2 walks 8 strikeouts and...108 pitches!
Incredible.
Daughter is fine, btw.