Cubby-Blue

Did you hear? Cubs baseball starts today.

Yeah it's true.
After the dumb snail race to greed-peace between owners and players, actual Cubs will be working out at Wrigley Field today.
It's really happening.
Today we'll start seeing tweets and pics and video of some of our best Friends of Summer, except for José Quintana.
He's already claimed the Brandon Morrow Pants prize by cutting his thumb while washing dishes. 
While I'm not 100% sure that I believe that story, what I can't deny is this sentence: "The procedure identified a lacerated digital sensory nerve in his left thumb, which was surgically repaired."
HURL!
He had microscopic surgery. Sometimes feeling comes back to a nerve quickly, and sometimes not.
Given that this season's supposed to be a sprint and every team is talking about the importance of a fast start... this isn't good.
Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Tyler Chatwood, and Alec Mills.
That'll be the Cubs' starting five, at least for now.
And I CANNOT WAIT to turn on my little Panasonic transistor by my grill on July... 23rd? 
Okay, that said... here's where my head is at right now:


I haven't seen this anywhere yet, but surely if/when this season gets off the ground, there'll be an addition to the "players" section at MLB.com.
Ordinarily, there you can find transactions, stats on any player, probable starters... but this year there'll be a list of players who have caught the virus, or players in quarantine.
Yeah, EVERYBODY who's important enough to get close to the teams will be closely monitored, but if that player's quarantine list gets too big...
I don't know.
There have been people way smarter than me plotting the way for baseball to be played this year, it's just that I can't help feeling like something will come up, maybe something no one's thought about yet, that could dash the whole thing.
To be clear, I am THRILLED BEYOND BELIEF THAT BASEBALL IS BACK.
But I can't help feeling like Lucy's holding that football and telling me to kick.
Time will ease that anxiety, so please don't let my baseball insecurities ruin your day.
Think positive, I promise to try and do the same, and in a couple weeks we'll hopefully be watching baseball on tv or listening on transistors, and we'll be that much closer to feeling normal.

Here's a couple other things I've done recently:
I walk every day. This is a story of one of those walks:


Here's a painting, for no reason whatsoever, of Baron Von Raschke and his lethal "Iron Claw" - one of the wrestlers I remember from when I was a kid.


And someone commissioned me to do this Ron Santo painting:

Okay, have a happy 4th of July.
And today be sure to check whatever your method of keeping in touch with the outside world is... and look for Cubs.
Baseball's back. 
I didn't think I'd get to type those words this year.
Or these two:
Go Cubs!

Baseball's happening? And 36 years ago today, the Sandberg Game.

Well first off, baseball may actually happen after all.
Players to report to Spring Training on July 1st. 60 games. DH. Extra innings begin with runner on 2nd. Money blah blah contracts blah blah blah blah.
There have already been numerous cases of covid-19 with players and baseball supporting staff. 
Oh, I'm excited for sure, but I can't imagine this happening without some major hiccups.
Something or things will happen that no one has thought about yet. 
And the thing we all dread most, well I don't need to even write that.

We'll have plenty of time to reflect on the massive amount of douchebaggery and damage to the game this teeny bit of owners vs. players negotiating spawned.
I mean, even BEFORE Cardinal owner Bill DeWitt said that baseball wasn't very profitable, we'd already been treated to Astros owner Bill Crane saying their World Series cheating "Didn't impact the game. I never said it didn't impact the game." 
So, not talking about that yet.
I'm just remembering that Kris Bryant didn't get traded, and had baseball NOT happened (and it still might not, thank you virus), then possibly the last time we'd have seen him in a Cubs uniform...he was being helped off the field after slipping on first base. 
That ain't no way for that guy to go out.
IF it turns out he's no longer a Cub after this season.

Okay happier thought: The Sandberg Game.

If you recall, I was there by accident (a friend from Belleville came up to Chicago with Cardinal fans and extra tickets).
The game sucked early as Steve Trout gave up 7 runs in the first 4 outs.
But then it.. got better.
Today ESPN put up a 45 minute video titled "The Sandberg Game".
I'm waiting to watch until it's an appropriate time to crack a cold one.

Cubs #1 pick Ed Howard

How come I feel so good about this Ed Howard kid?
The Cubs #1 pick of 2020 is a local highschool kid from Mount Carmel, that's why.
I always wished former local stud OF Curtis Granderson woulda somehow ended up playing at Wrigley.
Because he was local AND good.
And Howard checks the good box too - he was widely regarded as the best shortstop in the draft.
Crazy for a hs kid.
So very cool there, Mr. Epstein and Mr. Hoyer. 

As far as the rest of baseball?
Bite me.
The owners... it's like they're pretending no one can read.
The silly sliding pay scale based on how many games but stays the same proportion no matter how many.
So much damage to the game over relatively nothing. 
The Commish guarantees baseball this year.
We'll see. 

Still angry at Sammy Sosa? Nah.

I was so angry.
That asshole walked out on the team!

It's widely believed that the player who destroyed Sammy's boombox was Kerry Wood.
And the ending to this season just pushed the way we all had begun thinking about him to the edge.
He'd become a diva.
Bigger than the team, and everyone was in on that from management to you and I.
Hey Sammy? You're late for Spring Training again? That's okay bud, just keep hitting homers.
But at the end, all that prima donna stuff had worn out it's welcome.
Plus, he just wasn't Sammy any more - the performance fell off.
After walking out in '04?
Good riddance, man.

And then the whole steroid thing.

Here are random pages from my sketchbooks in '03 and '04.








Well, I've decided to give up the anger.
He didn't gamble. He didn't throw games. 
It's been long enough, and lately I've been thinking about the joy he brought and honestly, now I think that outweighs his ending in Chicago. 
Plus, I don't want to be a bitter old codger. 
On June 14th, I'm going to watch this ESPN "30 for 30" episode on the '98 season, "The Long Gone Summer".
It's about the big Sosa/McGwire home run tango.

Surely there'll be more than just that because the whole deal didn't end well, but oh well.
That's baseball.

A little Cubs and some cartoons.

Hi.
Man it doesn't stop being weird, does it?
Let's see... 
Well, IF baseball's to come this year, it's got just so. many. things. to overcome.
Passan wrote what has to be the simplest explanation of a really loooong subject (here, in case you haven't read it).
After reading and using my brain, it's safe to say that Anthony Rizzo and Jon Lester, both with pre-existing conditions we're well aware of... won't play this year.
End of story.
The worst case scenario, if they played, isn't worth it.
So, right off the bat... would that even be a Cubs team?
IF baseball happened and Victor Caratini started at first... is that okay?
HELL YES!!!
Of course I'd be bummed not seeing Rizzo, but it's plain old common sense for him not to play, so there you go.

Honestly, as much as I'd like to see baseball this summer, I don't see this shortened season happening.
Especially after reading Passan's article.
Or maybe baseball starts, but things nobody thought of yet happen, and poof.

Baseball is a gift.
This year more than any other.
If MLB and the Players Union treat it that way, then...
What about just an all-star game?
Or one 7-game series with 2 teams made of players representing each team?
That seems do-able, doesn't it?
And if they scheduled it for like September, we'd all get to salivate for that week and a half.

Whatever, I'm just a fan.
And while I know MLB is trying to schedule an actual shortened season... it seems incorrect given our current circumstances.

Okay, here are some things I made recently...

I took a little drive to the UPS Store, this is all true:


I don't know if you're aware, but the rain in the Chicago area has really gotten out of hand (pardon my French):

I went to the hardware store and my glasses fogged up because the mask:

And these last couple come from... sometimes I find humor in annoying others, and during this pandemic, that would be my wife.
So I left all the cabinets and drawers open for her to find in the morning...

And singing. Good LORD is that annoying.


Ahh man, just trying to get through this thing and... even if my wife seems angry, it's at least a little entertaining.

As alway, go Cubs.

There ARE other songs to sing while washing your hands, Cub Fans.

How many times have you sung "Happy Birthday" (twice!) while washing your hands?
Try something nice for your baseball soul. 
Sing "Take me out to the ballgame" for a change.
Sing it loud like you're in the cheap seats at Wrigley.
Like Harry's leading the whole glorious mess, even if he's up on the screen.
Honest, you'll feel better.