Gutless

While I try not to dig on the unfortunate few who pledge their allegiance to the white sox, this article makes it difficult not to. As we know, we are a Cubs household (Me, Wrigley, Murphy and Gracie outnumber Marilyn), and I try to be subtle about my support. However, some people believe that Cubs fans take their fandom a little too far. This story shows how sox fans are the ones that take it too far. Is it too much to ask for a them to be gracious in good times and bad. Ever since the 2005 season, most sox fans I know have become completly insufferable, and this is evidence of that theory. I understand that it may be a little difficult to show a little class, but I know that it is possible. 

No, Cubs, No

Well, it's over. Another year, another let down. I have to admit, this one hurt, but not as bad as 2003. On the plus side, I had a great time watching them this year. Ninety-seven wins is hard to deny, and while I expected them to continue their success in the postseason, it simply was not meant to be. As the saying goes, "There's always next year."

P.S.

After much thought, I have decided to put the blame on Anthony for speaking negatively about the Cubs in a previous post and Marilyn's black magic troll/gremlin.

The Greatest Song Ever Written

Most people know that I am very loyal fan of the band Pearl Jam. Their lead singer is a gentleman by the name of Edward Vedder, and he was born in the suburb of Evanston. Well, Mr. Vedder is nothing less die hard fan of a baseball team called the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs play at Wrigley Field, otherwise known as the "Greatest Place On Earth." Last month, Mr. Vedder played a couple of solo acoustic shows at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. During one of the shows, Mr. Vedder played a new song that was inspired by a meeting with Ernie "Mr. Cubs" Banks at this years Cubs Convention.  The song is called "Someday We'll Go All the Way." Here are the lyrics:

"Someday We'll Go All the Way"

Yeah, don't let them say that it's just a game.
Well, I've seen other teams and it is never the same.
When you go to Chicago, you're blessed and you're healed, The first time you walk into Wrigley Field.

Heroes with pinstripes and heroes in blue, Give us the chance to feel like heroes do.
Whether we'll win and if we should lose, we know Someday we'll go all the way.
Yeah, someday we'll go all the way.

We are one with the Cubs, with the Cubs we're in love.
Hold our heads tall as the underdogs.
We are not fairweather, but farweather fans.
Like brothers in arms, in the suites and the stands.
There's magic in the Ivy and the old score board.
The same one I stared at as a kid keeping score.
In a world full of greed, we could never want more.
Someday we'll go all the way.
Yeah, someday we'll go all the way.

Here's to the men and the legends we've known.
Giving us faith and giving us hope.
United we stand and united we'll fall
Down to our knees the day we win it all.
Yeah Ernie Banks said, "oh, let's play two".
I think he meant two hundred years.
Playing at Wrigley, our diamond, our jewel.
The home of our joy and our fears.
Keeping traditions, and wishes anew,
The place where our grandfathers' fathers they grew.
The spiritual feeling if I ever knew.
And when the day comes for that last winning run, and I'm crying and covered with beer.
I look to the sky and know I was right today.
Someday we'll go all the way.
Yeah, someday we'll go all the way.

As you can see, this song is capable of moving people on an emotional level, so go ahead and wipe away the tears if you need to. I heard this song earlier this evening on 93.1 WXRT, home of Chicago's finest rock, and thought it was the single greatest song I have ever heard. If you have not heard it, please note that this will be the song that Marilyn and I dance to. 

Where Were You?

I know where I was. Sitting on my couch with my hands clasped and holding my breath. Then at approximately 9:22 P.M. on Sunday, September 14, 2008, Carlos Zambrano threw a no-hitter. That's right, I said Carlos Zambrano threw a NO-HITTER. It has long been a dream for us loyal Cubs fans to see a no-hitter, for the last one occur ed in 1972. The opponents were the Houston Astros and the site was Miller Park in Milwaukee. It was another great moment in what has been a season of great moments. Please continue your prayer campaign as we approach the playoffs. 

Yes We Can

I got a major treat last week: a free Cubs game. Most of us know that I am a Cubs fan, and I love to attend games. There is no other place on Earth I would rather be than Wrigley Field, watching my Cubbies win. Well, one thing that I have sacrificed for the sake of our wedding fund is purchasing Cubs tickets. I will usually attend around ten games a year, but I told myself I will just have to enjoy the games from home this year so we can have the wedding of our dreams. However, if tickets somehow come my way, I will always say yes. Last week I was lucky enough to have one of the teachers I work with toss me a couple of tickets for the game on Thursday, August 28 against the Phillies. I gladly accepted and was giddy with anticipation for the whole week.

After picking Mar up from the train station in Hinsdale, we made our way to the North Side and promptly headed to the Shrine. The seats we were sitting in actually belong to one of the deans at my school and were very good. We were on the third base line in section 407, which is a prime spot to view the game. Ryan Dempster was pitching, which is almost a guaranteed victory at home for the Cubs. On this particular day, Demp didn't have his good stuff as he labored through six innings while keeping us in the game. By the time the eighth inning came, we were down by 4-1 and the magic was about to begin.

Mike Fontenot led bottom of the eighth off with pinch hit solo homer, cutting the Phillie lead to two runs and riling the crowd up. Alfonso Soriano followed with a double and Ryan Theriot promptly moved Soriano to third with a solid single. This put men on the corners with no outs and Derek Lee at the plate. The crowd was really worked up at this point, but I kept my cool because I knew that nothing was set in stone quite yet. We were still down by two runs and there was no guarantee that we were going to take the lead. Well, D-Rock worked a walk out of his at-bat and the bases were now loaded for Aramis Ramirez. This is when I got excited.

As Rami made his way to the plate, I turned to Mar and pointed to the bleachers in left center and said, "That is the spot where Aramis is about to hit a grand slam." Rami then took the first pitch high and tight. I then said to Mar, "The pitcher is about to groove Aramis a fastball and he is going to give it the ride of it's live." The next pitch was a fastball, and Mr. Ramirez deposited the ball in the exact spot that I pointed to in the left center bleachers. I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever heard Wrigley that loud as the crowd went into a frenzy. Everyone was jumping and giving each other high fives as our Cubs took a 6-4 lead. They did not score anymore runs, but the lead was enough for Woody to hold down the Phils in the top of the ninth to earn a save. After the final out, "Go Cubs Go!" blared for the PA system as we sang along word for word.

This was one of the best regular season games I have EVER been to. Besides the victory, it was a real treat for me to go to the game and I was very thankful for the opportunity. I really hope this is the year that we go the distance, and I whole heartedly believe that we can. On top of the game being so great, the Punky QB sang the Stretch. It really doesn't get much better than this.

A Girl and her Sports

All my life I have been a sports fan. Maybe not the die-hard, crazy, need to watch every single freaking baseball game when they play 160+ games a season type of fan, *DEEP breath* but nonetheless I'm a fan of Chicago sports.

I was extremely fortunate to be able to experience the glory days of the Chicago Bulls, with the six championships and all. :) I remember vividly watching the playoff games and Michael Jordan dominate the court. My favorite was my little point guard, John Paxon. For those of you who don't know this (I'm sure there are, hm, maybe a few) he is their current GM. I used to have this HUGE--like took up a quarter of my bedroom wall--poster of him. Back in the day, I loved me some good basketball! I still enjoy a good basketball game, and do catch the occasional games when Chris tosses them on the television.

Moving onto my FAVORITE sport. Football. I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some football!! I've always been a huge Chicago Bears fan! I can remember when the Bears won the Superbowl! I remember the Chicago Tribune, with it as a heading, I remember the little (maybe it's called a 45?) Super Bowl Shuffle record that we got--in the newspaper I believe. Needless to say, I love football. I love watching football on Sundays. Fantasy football has made me *so* much more aware of who's doing what on the other teams. Now, I may not know all of the "technical" lingo or what the "technical" point of a corner back is, but I can for sure follow a game and enjoy each and every down. A little FYI...I pray that the Bears put on a better show during the regular season than what I saw in the pre-season! Who's with me on that one!? :)

Last but not least on my list of sports are my beloved Chicago White Sox. Now if you've gotten this far I'm pretty sure this just put a smile on many of your faces. While football is my favorite, I do love baseball as well. But, it's a LONG season, with about a million games, so I do allow my life to take me where it needs to. While I may not know the score of the game the night before, or sometimes even what time they start (which is another reason why I love football...it's either Sunday, Monday, or Thanksgiving.)--but I surely know what series they are in and usually what the race is between the Sox and the Twins. I remember going to the old Comiskey Park, and praying that the upper deck wasn't going to fall off with all the people sitting in it. I then remember them tearing down the old one and replacing it with a new one. My dad totally had the side-by-side picture from the newspaper hanging in our garage. My other memories include ALL of my friends being Cubs fans. And me always being the lone Sox fan. Maybe that's why my heart lies within the heart of Solider Field rather than Comiskey--er, US Cellular Field.

Which now brings me to my next train of thought. There is absolutely, 100% nothing wrong with me being a SOX fan. Nothing at all. Chris mentioned "flawed" when it comes to me supporting my Southsiders (and I know he's "kidding"). And some, not all (...easy Ellie) of my friends have given me crap for it over the years as well. Here is my point. I support MY team because they're MY team. Not because they are by friends team, or the team that everybody else likes, or anything along those lines. I've followed them for years. I have great memories of games, stadiums, outings etc. Just because Chris or any other of my friends are Cub fans (or any other team for that matter) it DOES NOT mean that I should have climbed aboard the all of my-friends/boyfriend/fiancee-bandwagons and become a fan of THEIR team. They should all be proud that they support their team and that I've continued to support mine. Let me tell ya, it's way more difficult to support your team when you are in the minority. I've stood by my Chicago White Sox for years, and I will continue to stand by them in the years to come.

**Sidenote...not too much into hockey. Maybe now that it'll be aired on tv it'll be easier for me to get into? We'll see...**

An Ode To The Troughs

Those of us gentlemen that have been to Wrigley Field know the dirty secret of the men's bathroom, they contain troughs instead of urinals. While some guys love the trough, I don't care from them. Nonetheless, the trough is one of those "experiences" that everyone comes to know after visiting the Shrine. A little while back, our "friend" Andrew, and I only use the term friend because I cannot thing of something more appropriate shared this video with me (WARNING: PLEASE DO NOT VIEW IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, THIS IS GROSS):



While the thought of doing this turns my stomach, it is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I understand that this will probably only appeal to us gentlemen that have experienced the troughs, so I apologize to those of us find who no entertainment in this video. You can simply blame Andrew.