Yes Meeeeeeeeeeeeeechigen

vaca sex 2

What is it about sex in a hotel room that feels slightly naughtier than when you do it in someone's bedroom?

Sox Update: Being in Michigan, I got to catch some of the Sox-Tiger game on FSN Detroit. Uribe saved the game with a defensive gem in the 8th... You probably know the rest so I won't go into too much detail, but I though Politte, Vizcaino and Mr. Zero all pitched pretty well (and were also lucky). The Tigers look pretty good to me, its hard to believe they're under .500. That was one looooooong game, which is bad news for the strippers in Windsor - I'm guessing that since today's game is a matinee, the players went straight back to the hotel.

Raining up here today, so probably not doing much.

Back to the grind in a few days. Look for the usual daily updates to start up again in the next day or three.

The girls on the beach

beach quickie

...are out of my reach. They're too damn young. They didn't build em like that when I was an awkward teen. If only I was a zillionaire rockstar... I tell ya, Tom Cruise is off his fuckin nut to go ape over one lone girl. But its no surprise, that Scientology crap turns your brain into mush.

This hotel computer is unbearably slow. Must be dial up. What's worse, is since its shared for the whole damn joint, I have to wait for some fuckin travelin shit salesman from Jerkwater, Michigan to finish up lookin at the Bass Pro Shop site, and porn (I wish I was kidding).

I've been eating and drinking fairly well, but not accomplishing much else. I brought some DVDs up with me, but fell asleep about halfway thru Team America; World Police. I did see the deleted sex scene which was at once hilarious and deeply disturbing. Lots of classic lines. The music is great. Can't wait to see the rest.

I've also made some serious headway into The Studs Lonigan Trilogy. The first book, Young Lonigan, is only 200 pages. The other two are each more than double that length. I'm nearly done with YL. Farrell gets a bit too deep into descriptions for my taste. The first 60 pages of YL describe one long night. The next 20, a brief afternoon... He follows that pattern of allowing himself plenty of freedom to really stretch out. Taken as a trilogy, 100 pages out of 1000 is not too much to set up characters. I just hope there is a payoff.

Every morning I pick up my complimentary copy of USA Today, turn to the sports, and play "Search For The White Sox Score." According to the biased liberal media, the Yankees doing nothing is still a bigger story than the Sox off to the best start in franchise history, owning the best record in baseball... I say - "KILL 'EM ALL!"

Vaca Sex 1

vaca sex

Just testing to see if I can publish from the hotel puter.

Near perfect day on the beach.

More later.

Gone fishing

chill 1

This blog is going to be notably quiet the next few days.

I'm headed to the beach for my first vacation in 3 and 1/2 years. I'll be chillin with the tunes, sampling some local brew, catching some much needed rays, catching up on some much needed sleep and hopefully making some headway on the Studs Lonigan Trilogy.

I'll try to keep up on the blog as much as I can, but my access to the net will be limited.

I should be back up on or about July 1.

Chicago Derby Part 2 - Cruisin At 50

Sox Update: A big 12-2 win over the Cub at a sold out park on the southside. Thomas, AJ and Crede homer. Rowand goes 3 for 5. Ozuna played his 4th strainght game and went 1 for 4. sPod was 1 for 1, with 3 walks and 2 runs scored. Garcia gets the win - striking out 8 in 7 IP.

The Sox reach the 50-win plateau... more importantly, they're 10 and 1/2 games ahead of the Twins.

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): a doubleheader means twice the losses!!!

Birmingham (AA): Beat Chattnooga 7-5. Sweeney goes 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Gonzales drove in 3, and homered. Rogo was 2 for 5. Fields struck out 3 times. Jenks gives up 2 ER in 2 IP, but strikes out 3.

Winston-Salem (A): get 2 in the bottom of the 9th to beat Wilmington 8-7. Collaro watch: 1 for 4. Hall goes 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a homer. Daigle goes 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.

Kannapolis (A): lose to Greesnboro, 4-1. The Greensboro pitcher, some dude named Garcia, strikes out 12 Intimdators in 8 IP. He's now 3-0.

Bristol (R): One thousand one-hundred and two fans watch Kingsport destroy BS, 18-4. Its the ugliest pitching line I've seen all year...

Great Falls (R): The pitching collaspes late in the game and they lose 9-5 to Billings. Johnson was 3 for 3.

Does the College World Series seem to be draggin on about a month longer than usual? Does anyone watch any of the games in this confusing format?

Baseball phrase of the day: rescue service n./arch. relief

Today's music selection: the iPod battery ran out just as I was getting into some Wilco.. "When you wake up..."

I spent friday evening at a southwest suburban street fair. I hate the these things - the crowds, the sweat, the lousy cover bands and the overpriced, nasty food. As bad as that is, I think its much worse to see really young teenage girls dressing like hookers. I'm certainly no prude, but is it really appropriate to dress a 9-year old like Brittney Spears? Where are the parents? Sad...

On/off

mmm

The Sox were off on thursday.. lucky I was on... and got laid for the first time in a few days. The MILF felt extremely good last night. A passiotante session, it started with a long massage. Man, I'm soooo happy I don't wear condoms anymore.

No minor league update today - I'm just too busy getting prepared for vacation.

Tall Tuesday

I'll admit, I've been lying down on the blog job these past few days. A shame really, as the Sox just finished up 4 of the most important and exciting games of the season. So, I've gone back and updated my posts since friday accordingly... Enjoy.

Sox Update: I find it hard to put into words just how unexpectedly great Jon Garland has been this year. The Sox win over KC tonight pushes his record to 12-2. When the season began, he was the #5 starter with McCarthy looking over his shoulder. As it stands now, he'll be on the mound in Detroit in 2 weeks as the AL starting pitcher in the All-Star game. Fuck.

The Sox hit tonight, too. sPod was 3 for 4, though he was thrown out stealing. Ozuna played again tonight and promptly went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs. All of a sudden, Timo Perez is looking even more useless... Dye and Crede each had 2 hits.

How bout that play by Iguchi, behind firstbase throwing from his knees... What a find he's been for the Sox... The D continues...

After watching McCarthy monday night, I got to thinking about the trade possibilities coming up in the next few weeks. The Sox need, or so I'm told they require, the services of a left handed power hitter. I'd like to see See Chop Hoi in a Sox uni... So who can the Sox trade? Thomas is not a possibility, no team will take his contract. Maybe Everett. McCarthy might be the best bet. His trade value is high, and if the Sox win it all the sacrifice will be worth it. I'm not saying that is what should be done. I think the best option is to leave the team as is and trade no one.

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): fill in the blanks yourself.. I'm tired of reporting on these losers.

Birmingham (AA): Beat Chattanooga 3-1. Owens gets 3 hits. Tracey pitches 7 innings of scoreless ball and is now 7-3 on the year.

Winston-Salem (A): Beat Frederick 7-6. Collaro Watch: 1 for 4. Daigle 0 for 3. The real story was the debut of Sox 2005 #1 Draft pick Lance Broadway, in his pro debut, goes 4 and 2/3rds, yielding 2 ER, including 2 homers, and 4 walks, while striking out 6 in a no-decision.

Kannapolis (A): Lose to Ashville 7-4. Hansen homered and drove in 3. Cook struck out 3 times. Zaleski loses it in relief, yielding 3 ER in just over an inning.

and today was opening day in the rookie leagues...

Bristol (R): Beat Greenville 6-5 in 10. Sanchez goes 2 for 4 (homer, double) and scores 3 runs. Another Sanchez pitched, and and struck out 7 in 5 and 1/3rd, giving up just one run.

Great Falls (R): What a way to start the season, getting gang raped by Billings 14-3. Novona struck out 5 in 4 and 2/3rds, but also gave up 2 ER . Logan struck out 3 in 2 IP, but also gave up 3 walks and hits, and 3 ER.

Baseball phrase of the day: Mr. Guess n. umpire

Today's music selection: lots of jazz to ease my pain. cannonball Adderly, Bobby Matos...

I don't want to talk about softball last night... we barely fielded a team, and got killed by the best team we've played all year. It was ugly. At least they shared their beer with us after the game. That is, if you can call Coors Light beer. We had a new girl play for us tonight.. cutie blond... she struck out twice, but hopefully will hit a homer run with yours truly by the end of the year...

I've also remove the link to The Standing Ovation, the baseball blog collective. Turns out, they have multiple writers for the same team, so you have more than one person posting the same boring story. Forget that noise.

Full moon around the sky the last few nights. For the first time in recent memory, it has not increased my libido, despite being around numerous hotties.

A Southside debut

Sox Update: Thanks to nice weather and half price tickets, 34,000 people showed up to watch Brandon McCarthy make his debut at Comiskey. I felt like it was his poorest outing of the year - he just could not find the plate and went real deep into the count on KC hitters. 4 and 3rds IP, 6 ER, only 4 Ks in a no decision. I'm not sure what Ozzie's motivation was for bringing in Vizcaino, who promptly gave up 2 more runs. Finally, he called on Cotts, who pitched a nice 2 and 1/3rd, striking out 3, and earning the win.

At the plate, it was the AJ show again. That guy can be most clutch. His bloop single was the difference. He was 3 for 5 on the night. Iguchi was also 3 for 5 and made some nice plays on D. Konerko was also 3 for 5, including a homer, and he drove in 4. Big Frank and Dye also homered. Ozuna almost got lost in the shuffle, but he was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

Oh, did I mention, the Sox beat the KC Royals, 11-8.

More fun tonight at 35th and Shields...

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): aaw you know.. the check's in the mail...

Birmingham (A): off day.

Winston-Salem (A): lose to Frederick 10-6. Collaro watch: 3 for 5 with a homer and 2 RBIs. Daigle was 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs, and 3 runs scored thanks to 3 walks.

Kannapolis (A): off day.

The circus comes to town

Sox Update: ESPN Sunday Night baseball came to town and brought the likes of Joe Morgan and Sam Ryan with them. The Sox come back (again) and beat the Dodgers.

The park was empty again. Pathetic.

Some thoughts on the ocverage:
--ESPN had a bizarre short feature in the 4th regarding Northside vs Southside that was awful. Not only was it too short to make sense, it also slighted the Sox. Great.
--No one ever says a good word about Joe Morgan. I suppose you could do better? I enjoyed most of his commentary, including a great breakdown of throw location from the shortstop to the secondbaseman during a 6-4-3 double play. It was a refreshing in-depth exanimation of the little things that make the game great.
--Morgan also discussed his famous arm twitch, noting that it was inspired by none other than Nellie Fox.
--Sam Ryan did a piece on the food at Comiskey, discussing, and touching, polish sausages and churros. You don't fool me you little naughty girl.
--The 7th inning music break was Toby Keith. Huh? Is ESPN out of their fucking minds? I thought the segment was supposed to focus on local music of the HOME team. Keith is not from the southside (unless you consider Nashville part of the region south of the Loop). And Keith was talking about his love for the Dodgers, no less. Why not Lucky Boys Confusion, Disturbed, Screaching Weasel, Billy Corgan (ok, he's a Cub fan, but I'm sure he'd at least have something interesting to say about the Northside-Southside rivalry)... Was Tommy Shaw too busy to talk on national TV? Buddy Guy? Shit, the list of great musicians from the southside is endless! The Sox get shafted. Again. Thanks ESPN, you fucking idiots! Some ass hole producer deserves to lose his fucking job over this.

One bit of mixed news: El Duque goes on the 15-day DL. McCarthy gets the call, and starts monday night at Comiskey vs the Royals.

See Chop Hoi is one guy I wouldn't mind seeing in a Sox uni. Not sure who they could trade for him, but he is just what the Sox need - a left handed hard hitting firstbaseman.

You mutha fuggin sonofabeetch

Sox Update: I'm not sure what words I can write here to describe saturday night's thrilling game. I don't need to rehash a box score here. I saw the early innings, and the last one... I''ve watched a lot of thirlling events in my life, but that game is among the finest. AJ's homer in the 9th set the hairs on the back of my neck at attention. Rock on, dude! It reminded me of the national televised Cub game in 1984 when Ryne Sandberg came up and hit two homers, one in the 9th, one in extra innings, off Bruce Sutter and sent the Cub straight into the post season. That game was a turning point for the 84 Cubs, and I think this game was the turning point for the '05 Sox...

The SF Giants can call AJ a cancer all they want. Fuck them. This dude rocks hard balls all the way!

The old '59 jerseys look fantasic. They should wear those all the time!

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): Thankfully, suspended after 14 innings in a 5-5 tie. If only all the Kinghts game could end this way.

Birmingham (AA): BEat Mobile 10-5. Some dude named Aceves goes 3 for 4 with a homer and 5 RBIs.

Winston-Salem (A): Beat Wilmington 7-4. Collaro Watch: 1 for 4 with a double and 3 RBIs. Lee had 2 doubles.

Kannapolis (A): Lose 5-2 to Hickory. Liotta strikes out 5 in 6 IP.

Warm

inside you

If there is an upside to not going to the game on friday night, it was that I had a nice unexpected, warm session with the MILF. She reeally seemed to enjoy it!

Sox Update: Buherle blows thru the Dodgers like a hot knife thru butter. Hey, where was this guy in October, 1959? He got 6 Ks and gave up 8 hits, but was never in trouble. Thomas and Dye homer. So far this season, Thomas has 8 hits in 25 at-bats, 5 of those hits being homers. Of the 28,000 on hand, local-boy-made-good actor Vince Vaughn was among them. He's the only celeb to show up at the park so far this season. Maybe ever. Does someone have a spare ticket for Paris Hilton? Years ago, a friend told me he saw Ray Liotta in a box seat... anyone else?

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): one guess.. that's right, another L for the Knights!

Birmingham (AA): beat Mobile uneventfully 7-2.

Winston-Salem (A): lose to Wilmington 5-4. Collaro Watch: 1 for 4. Daigle was 2 for 4. Gio Gonzales make his AA debut, striking out 4 and yielding 2 runs in 3 and 2/3rds.

Kannapolis (A): Beat Hickory 10-5. McCarthy was 3 for 6. King homered, driving in 3.

Baseball phrase of the day: nail bitter n. close game.

Olde Tyme Movie review: American Pop (1981). Ralph Bakshi's sprawling, ambitious animated portrait of the music that connections 4 generations of Americans together. The live anime is set aginst a contantly changing background of psychedelic imagery and real old news footage. The soundtack is amazing, and at the center is a poingaint, climatic scene which uses Bob Seger's "Night Moves " (albeit with a different piano line) as its centerpiece. I recall watching Siskel and Ebert give this film high marks when they reviewwed ity "At The Movies" in 1981. 24 years later, I finally got it see it. It was worth the wait. Highly recommended.

Came across this totally cool blog about a guy who rode the entire "L" system. Took him 12 hours. He took some cool photos.:

http://funpants-ctamarathon.buzznet.com/user/

EasyW Sells Out!

a waste of good beer

I would love to write all about my experience at the Sox-Dodger game last night, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to sell my tickets. Sometimes life's priorities and responsibilities get in the way of a good time. That, and friends backed out.

A real shame too. It would've been a good time, and I was real excited to go... I was shocked that no one at work or on eBay wanted these tickets - section 160 - for face. I sold them to a scalper for $50. When I got home and turned on the game I realized why - about 12,000 empty seats at the park! That place should've been packed last night. Pathetic!

Wednesday's Wall Street Journal

Sox fans might to take a look at this mornings Wall Street Journal. There is a story right on page one titled "White Sox Are Hot, So Why Are Fans In Chicago So Blase?". The article discusses reasons for attendance problems, and they cite all the usual suspects. There are some good quotes. The author does get to the heart of issue regarding the Sox lack of national attention for their 88-year championship drought; They haven't been good enough to win, and they haven't been bad enough to tap into baseball's romance with hapless losers.

Falling into the trap

Looks like I'm falling into the trap of being a vain blogger. Whatever, its a good writing exercise...

Pick a popular (or obscure) musical artist, the answer the question with original song titles.

1. artist choice: Replacements

2. are you a male or female: Gary's Got A Boner

3. describe yourself: Shiftless When Idle, Treatment Bound (cheated, used two)

4. how do you feel about yourself: Unsatisfied

5. describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: Androgynous

6. describe your current boyfriend/girlfriend: Favorite Thing

7. describe your current location: Left of the Dial

8. describe where you want to be: Happy Town

9. your best friend is: Sadly Beauitiful

10. your favorite color: Color Me Impressed

11. what’s the weather like: I Don't Know

12. if your life was a television show what would it be called: Seen Your Video

13. what is life to you: Til We're Nude

14. what is the best advice you have to give: Fuck School

15. if you could change your name what would you change it to: Alex Chilton

Boat Boys

Sox Update: WTF? It was no surprise when Conteras got shelled by the low-level D-Backs. But El Duque too? Uh, hey guys, I hear Fidel has reserved a corner of a dungeon cell in Havana for ya. Is it time to ship em back?

I haven't hit the panic button yet. But they better fuckin win tomorrow. If the Sox get swept by Arizona, the Twins will gang rape them come August.

Minor League Update:

Charlotte (AAA): Lose 3-2 to Norfolk. The only reason it was close? Brandon McCarthy, who struck out 7 in 6 IP. His record drops to 3-7. Mama said...

Birmingham (AA): lose uneventfully, 2-0 to Tenn...

Winston-Salem (A): Beat Fredrick, and this is not a typo, 21-12. I don't even know where to begin with this mess of a box score. Lets see, Collaro was 4 for 6 with 2 homers and 7 (yes 7) RBIs. Daigle was 5 for 6 with 6 RBIs. I think I'll stop there...

Kannapolis (A): Beat Columbus 6-2. Ricks was 3 for 4. Moat picked up 3 Ks in 3 IP.

Baseball phrase of the day: softie n./arch. a softball player

Today's music selection: There is nothing wrong with Poi Dog Pondering. I am comfortable enough in my manhood to say that... same goes for Husker Du, who rock a lot harder, but are 33 and 1/3rd % gay.

Softball team played a man (or a gal) down and lost a close one in the final inning. We're 2-3, but unlike last year, we've been real close in every loss. My slump continues. I was 0 for 3. Woulda had a homer, but got no sign from the coach rounding third and was thrown out at the plate with the tying run.

I'm deep into the first chapter of Studs Lonigan. As I read along this summer, I'll try to keep an eye out for comparisons between the author (Farrell) and his main character (Studs) with that of Saul Bellow and his most famous protagnoist, Augie March. Fun fun fun!!!!

Finally!

Sox Update: Conteras gets shelled, early and bad. You knew it was coming, and I'm surprised he made it all the way to June 13th without at least 2 or 3 outings like this. On the Sox staff, Contereas is the #5 starter, and tonight he showed why. I don't think he's trade bait, but his inconsistency on the hill is well-known. Monday night was a jolt back to reality for Sox fans... Conteras is the weak link on this starting staff.

The Sox lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-1. The Sox 'one' being a solo homer by Big Frank, who left the game, apparently injured again, after singling in the 6th. Ugh.

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): Mercifically, a day off.

Birmingham (AA): the Barons rally late, but fall to Tenn. 5-4. Honel strikes out 7 in 5 and 1/3rd IP.

Winston-Salem (A): Killed the Keys, 12-4. Collaro Watch: 2 for 5 with a triple. Nanita drives in 3. Daigle was 3 for 4 with a homer.

I think Leo Daigle has now eclisped his extremely talented teammates as the MVP of the Carolina League. He's leading the league in almost every major hitting category, and currently has a triple crown going. Check out these sick stats: .409/.675/.350 (OPB, SLG, AVG), 20 homers and 65 RBIs, 166 total bases.

Here comes Broadway - Lance Broadway - the Sox #1 draft pick (15th overall). The new millionaire joins the Hogs this weekend.

Kannapolis (A): beat Columbus 12-3. Smith goes 4 for 5 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Hernandez goes 3 for 5.

Baseball phrase of the day: is getting old and tired...

Today's music selection: iPod's battery is dead. Recharging. Rock, H-A-R-D rock tomorrow.

I finished up Legacy of Love by Arun Gandhi. There is a lot of good wisdom in the book. I don't agree with everything, but still a quality read. I don't have the stomach to start back in on Angela's Ashes right now. I've committed myself to finishing up the Studs Lonigan Triology this summer, so to that effort, I've started in on it tonight.

But I'll leave you something heavy to chew on from Gandhi:

"The Earth can produce enough for everyone's needs, but not for everyone's greed. Our greed and wasteful habits perpetuate poverty, which is violence against humanity.... anything wasted is violence... people are living in denial."

Mission accomplished

Sox Update: Fans and media alike have been all over Ozzie for his bonehead move to let Buehrle hit for hisself late in the game on saturday night, with runners on, blah blah blah... Yeah, it was a dumb move on Ozzie's part. Hopefully, he's smarter for his mistake. But the series is over, the Sox took 2 of 3 from one of the top teams in th NL, and head back home with a 42-20 record, still the best in baseball (the only other team above .600 is the St. Louis Cardinals).

Today, the hero was Rowand, who hit a dramatic 3-run homer in the 10th. Politte gets a much-earned win. Everett continues to make things tough on Ozzie, going 3 for 6.

Arizona is in town for a 3-game set early this week. Can't look past 'em. But a lot of folks, myself included, are really looking forward to the Dodger series this coming weekend...

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): Borchard hit his 10th homer of the year, and 2nd in as many days, in a 10-4 losing effort to Norfolk.

Birmingham (AA): in progress. Nuthin like a lil sunday night baseball from the ol' Southern League.

Winston-Salem (A): Beat Wilmington 4-2. Collaro Watch: 0 for 4. Daigle goes 2 for 3 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Valido alsocollects 3 hits.

Kannapolis (A): Lose uneventfully 11-7 to Columbus.

Baseball phrase of the day: is taking another day off.

Heartbreatker, shoemaker...

Sox Update: Dustin Hermanson, who has been consistently solid all year, did his best Lee Smith impression on saturday night in SD, giving up 2 runs in the 9th, losing 2-1. Obviously it was a shame on multiple levels, mainly because Buehrle pitched another great one - 7 and 2/3rds, 7 hits, 6 Ks. The run support just was not there. This heartbreaker comes on the heels of a fine 4-2 win on friday, in which Hermanson preserved the win for Garland (now 10-2!). Rubber match this afternoon at the PetShop...

This is, in my humble opinion, one of the most important series for the Sox all season. Reason being, I picked the Sox over these same SD Padres in the World Series. It sounded crazy back in the preseason, but not so looney now. Bit on that, Gammons!

Minor League Update:

Charlotte (AAA): Lose 9-5 to Norfolk. Norton was 4 for 5. Anderson (10) and Borchard (9) homered. Again, it was the pitching of Stewart and Munoz that sunk them...

Birmingham (AA): rained out.

Winston-Salem (A): Beat Wilmington 10-9 in 10 innings. Collaro Watch: 2 for 4, but Lee was the story, going 2 for 5 with 2 homers. Valido has 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Kannapolis (A): lose uneventfully to Columbus, 3-0.

Rookie league begin this week, so look for updates on Bristol and Great Falls.

Baseball phrase of the day: quack quack n. a time honored call made by the players to get the attention of the trainer. A play on the notion that the trainer's healing skills are based in 'quackery.'

I keep forgetting to mention that I watched the US men's soccer World Cup Qualifying wins last week at home over Costa Rica and at Panama. With those two wins, the US basically assueres themselves a place in the top 3 of the CONCACAF, meaning they'll be in Germany next summer. Sure, they still have some tough games - at Guatamaela (the US never plays well in the heat of Mazatango) and Mexico (but its at home. Well, as home as it can be), but they also get home mathces versus weak-ass Panama and Trinidad/Tobago.

Son, you've been drafted.

Some of the other Sox blogs - and other baseball blogs - as well as the traditional mainstream media (and by that I don't mean Oprah), have spent some time (albeit small amount of time) covering the recent MLB amateur draft. I wonder why. Unlike fooball and basketball, the baseball draft is a completely different beast for several reasons (which is why no one cares, and it's pointless to cover):

1) none of the players drafted will have an immediate impact on their new team. Even the likes of Dwight Gooden (and Brandon McCarthy) have to toil away in the minors for at least 2-3 seasons minimum before even getting to the show. That is not the case for basketball (immediate impact player - LeBron James) or football (John Elway).

2) while there have been huge busts in basketball (Ralph Sampson ) and football (the Boz, Archie Griffin), baseball is a total crapshoot.Here's a list of the #1 draft picks from 1979 to 2002 (lets give the 03 and 04 players some time to fail).
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/history/draft/index.jsp?feature=number_ones

Sure, there are some big names, but compare that with football

http://football.about.com/od/nfldrafthistory/l/bl_draftfirst.htm

or basketball

http://www.insidehoops.com/nba_draft_toppicks.shtml

The majority of top draft picks make it to the pros in those two sports. And for every top pick in baseball who fails to live to the hype (Van Poppel - rd. 1 but 14th overall) there are 10 guys picked really late who make it huge (like Piazza - 62nd round).

3) I'm not a huge fan of Beane Ball, but when it comes to the draft, I side with Billy's philosphy of not drafting a high school kid. I also agree that Sabermetrics, as opposed to traditional scouting, is a better tool to exploit for superior draft pick performance. I think Moneyball did a good job of illustrating that most old school baseball scouts "eye" for talent is a myth.

How pointless is the draft? In 1993 our fair team from the Southside drafted a woman - Carey Schueler.

So, if you want pointless Sox draft coverage, find it someplace else.

WOW

HOT

I got a nice suprise today. After a looong day at work, the MILF piqued my interest by prancing around the shed in a short black summer dress. Tres sexy. She lured me into the bedroom with a sly smile, and I slowly reached under the dress and removed her white panties. I laid her on the bed, lifting her dress up around her waist, exposing her, entering her...We went at it missionary style for quite a while - slippery, warm, and wet - then I flipped her over and finished her up doggie style. It was a sweaty, satisfying session. I love it when we do it partially clothed. Afterwards, I felt great, king of the world...

Sox Update: Hard to know where to begin with this one- a huge 15-5 win. Ozuna goes 3 for 5 in the lead off spot, with a stolen base. Rowand, Everett, and Dye also get 3 hits each. Crede and Big Frank with back-to-back homers. El Duque gets the win, going 6 innings with 6 Ks. Shingo gives up a solo homer in the 9th, but then strikes out the side (and DOESN"T get the save).

My hot lil session with the MILF means I missed most of the game. I did catch a bit of Hawk and DJ discussing their musical tastes. DJ claims to have a deep interest in a wide variety of music styles, but failed to mention any specifics. Hawk, as you'd expect, has narrow taste, praising the likes of Neil Diamond and Frank Sinatra. Hawk did say, "I used to like Springsteen, but not so much anymore." Join the club.

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): Lose 6-1 to Louisville. McCarthy has another unfortunate outing - 4 IP, 6 ER, 2 walks and 5 Ks. Watching McCarthy get consistently shelled in the International League is starting to become painful. The lack of Knight run support may have damaged his confidence. Why not send him down to Birmingham, who actually wins games occassionally? At least he'll have a chance. Sheeesh.

Birmingham (AA): off day.

Winston-Salem (A): Lose to Potomac 10-9. Collaro watch; 0 for 5. Ouch again. Whisler gives up 3 ER in 3 and 1/3rd IP. Daigle goes 2 for 5 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs.

Kannapolis (A): Beat Charleston 4-2. Cook was 1 for 1 with 4 walks.

Baseball phrase of the day: ham hitter n./arch. an inferior batter.

Today's music selection: More MPB - which included Marisa Monte and Rosa Passos.

Wha happened?

hi friend

I know what you're thinking. I don't post for a few days so I must have some good story to tell. Maybe a new - or additional - lady in my life. A quickie in a club bathroom, or an all night sheet-soaking session.

Sadly, no such luck.

Sox Update: Spent the last year, Rocky Mountain Way (wah wah wah wah)... Sorry - I had to do it. Nuthin wrong with a lil Joe Walsh, the Bomber himself... The Sox play their first ever game in Denver and they brought their lumber. After a rough first inning, in which he made one mistake and allowed a 3-run homer, Garcia has his best game of the year and the Sox win 9-3. He allowed 2 hits over 8 IP, striking out 10. Mr. Zero looked like his old self and gets the save. The offense was on fire. AJ came thru with some clutch hits. Konerko homered, going 2 for 3 with 2 walks. Dye, Uribe and AJ each had 3 hits.

One bad thing - the Sox left 12 men on base.

Now that Big Frank is back, there have been a lot of trade rumors floating around, involving Carl Everett, or even the aforementioned Mr. Thomas. I've also heard the Sox two top minor league prospects may be on the block, namely, Brandon McCarthy or Brian Anderson. I'm not so sure. Right now, I don't see a whole lot of holes in the Sox line-up. And why mess with the success. I agree you have to be on the look out, but for who? A power-hitting firstbaseman? I dunno. Maybe... Sounds like a mistake, from a tuesday point of view...

Minor League Update:

Charlotte (AAA): Despite the fact the Stewart gets shelled for 5 ER and 10 hits in just 4 IP. the Knights somehow find a way to beat Indy 6-5. Gload homered and drove in 2.

Birmingham (A): rained out.

Winston-Salem (A): lose to Potomac 2-1. collaro sat out. I hope he's OK.

Kannapolis (A): lose to Augusta 5-3. Berry was 2 for 5 with 2 doubles.

Baseball phrase of the day: middle gardener n. center fielder.

Today's music selection: It was hot. Soooo hot. So I cranked up the MPB... And since I mentioned Joe Walsh earlier, I might as will make the confession that yes, 20 years ago, I was a fan. Here's some of my favorites from one of rock n roll's finest:
'Waffle Stomp' (by far his best tune)
'Life's Been Good' (an anthem)
'I.L.B.T' (as in "I like big tits!")
'Tomorrow' (acoustic version )
'Indian Summer' (also, acoustic)
'In the City' (from 'The Warriors' soundtrack)
'All Night Long'
'The Confessor'
'Rosewood Bitters' (which Joe didn't write, Michael Stanley did, though Walsh played on Stanley's original version, I like Joe's version, but not as much as the original.).
'Bubbles'
'Good Man Down'
and from his early days -
'Walk Away'
'Funk #49"

Tavern review: Jimbo's

Looking west across 3300 South Princeton, down 33rd Street.

Since McCuddy's met the wrecking ball in 1989 to make way for the "new" Comiskey Park, Jimbo's has had the distinction of being the tavern closest to 35th and Shields. Once located just on the other side of the left field stands, its now 2 blocks north of the stadium, on the far end of Armour Park.

Jimbo's is a neighborhood place, that gets jammed before and after Sox games. The inside is appointed with the usual sports bar trappings. They've set a few tables out on the sidewalk of 33th street, and roped them off. This alfresco experience is a pleasant place to enjoy a cold one (or five). As long as there are no drive bys.

Jimbo's also serves food, albeit hidden beneath a thick layer of deep fried crust. The shrimps were tasty and served with a lot of extra bread.

The waitress I met there was HOT.

Jimbo's is at 3258 S. Princeton.

3G Pod = $

Rest easy, Pod people

Apparently, I'm a part of the class action lawsuit in Cali re: the 3rd generation iPod battery life lawsuit v. Apple. This is sweet news, because as a part of the settlement, I get a $50 credit at the Oak Brook iPod store, and I am in desperate need of new ear buds and a remote.

Finally...FRIDAY!

Sox Update: A balanced effort once again as no one in particular leads the Sox to victory over the Tribe, 6-4. Dye was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a stolen base. Rowand and Konerko each had 2 hits. sPod was 1 for 2 in SB. El Duque has one bad inning but picks up the win. Hermanson comes in to close it down after a nice inning by Cotts.

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA): Brandon McCarthy is back! And the Knights reward him with a 5-4 loss at Indy (he, at least it was close!). His line is not all that great - 5 ER in 6 1/3rd, striking out 8.

Birmingham (AA): Lose to Montgomery in a game that was "completed early". Villacis and Meaux combine to give up 7 ER, while striking out 4.

Winston-Salem (A): Lose to Lynchburg 11-9 in a game that was alos"completed early". Collaro Watch: 3 for 5 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Daigle was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and 2 walks.

Kannapolis (A): Lose 5-4 to Augusta. King goes 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. McCarthy (the SS not the P), strikes out thrice.

Baseball phrase of the day: crocus sack n. impending victory.

Today's music selection: The Best of Billy Joel, which I know is a contradiction... but the 'Piano Man' has had a few good tunes. I've listed my favs below:

'Nobody Knows But Me' (by far, his best tune)
'Captain Jack' (I always wanted to hear GNR do a version of this tune)
'The Entertainer'
'Piano Man'
'The Stranger'
'My Life'
'Big Shot'
'Movin Out'
'You May Be Right'
'And So It Goes'
'I Go To Extremes' (I know, I know, this one is lame...what can I say.. a 'guilty pleasure')

'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' (also corny, but reminds me of the fall of 1987, my freshman year of college in Tiffin Hall at Ohio U. My roomate - a firefighter from Pittsburgh who played in the marching band - turned me on to 'The Stranger'. I was heavy into Husker Du and the Replacements at the time, but shockingly enough, I liked it. Around that time, I also fell deeply in love with a stunning blond from Akron who, shortly after our first date at Athens' only Italian restaurant, broke my heart...).

3s are wild

Thursday was an off day, and I had meant to make a long post yesterday examining the three keys to the Sox success so far in 2005. The season is officially approximately 33 and 1/3rd over.

1) sPod OBP has climbed to .374, the best among Sox regulars. That puts him about 13th amongst AL players, much lower when you add in the NL. Pre-season I indicated that there would be a very direct correlation between the Sox success and sPod's OBP. So far, that hasn't excatly been the case, the Sox have had an enormous amount of success despite his OBP being below the magical number for a good lead off man - .400. To his credit, sPod is leading the majors in stolen bases (he's been a terror on the basepaths) and is hitting near .300. I'm convinced that he needs to be at .400 if the Sox success is going to continue thru the 2nd half of the year.

2) Its fairly obvious the criticism that AJ got in SF last year was undeserved. He's emerged as a team leader who's kept the pitchers in check. It will be interesting to see if the Sox leadership and team dynamic change now that Big Frank is back.

3) The pitching. I think its fair to say that despite his last 2 outings, Jon Garland has been a huge surprise winning 8 straight games. He doesn't strike a lot of guys out, but he makes key pitches. We'll see if the K/IP ratio increases and his success is maintained. I also think its fair to say that Buehrle has pitched as anticipated. I'll go so far to say the both Contereas and El Duque have pitched better than expected. Neither are off the charts, but both have avoided meltdowns and kept the Sox in just about every game they've started, with a couple of exceptions. Garcia has not been the ace everyone expected in 2005. But to his credit, he's been about the same as we saw last year. McCarthy performed as you'd expect from a 21-year old phemon - he mows down the Cubs at Wrigley, then gets shelled at Texas. Par for the course for a guy who wasn't even on anyone's radar back in Feburary.

I added a cool photo blog link at the right under "Misc" called 'Looper' - it focuses on photo art in the Loop.

Coupla tavern reviews coming this weekend as well... stay tuned!

Maybe this will make me feel better

Boobs in my face always make me feel better

Got sum James Taylor fer ya, Timo

"..goin to Carolina..."

As in Charlotte!

Sox Update: Was Ozzie on smack tonight? In a key game against the best team in the AL, he starts Timo Perez at first base - a position he's NEVER played before. And guess what happens? A glove error on a throw from AJ opens the flood gates, the Angels score 4 runs, and win 10-7. It makes me so sick I don't even want to discuss the rest of this fuckin game. But I will, cause I'm a weak man-slut. Contreras kept the Sox in it, again, and got little run support. He didn't get in a groove, and was having trouble, but still pitched OK. Again. Carl Everett was 2 for 4 with a homer, a key double, and 3 RBIs. sPod had a nice stolen base. Rowand and Crede also homered. Hermanson has his worst night of the season, giving up 2 ER in the 9th.

Hey KW - while you're sending Timo down to AAA, send Vizcaino, too. He can't pitch fer shit.

Down On The Farm:

Charlotte (AAA):

Birmingham (AA):

Winston-Salem (A):

Kannapolis (A):

Baseball phrase of the day: halos n. nickname for the Los Angels of Anaheim.

Today's music selection:the perfect music for a perfect day (weather-wise, at least) - Yo Yo Ma.

Shameless promotional vehicle

beach read

If my hit counter is accurate, for the past few weeks, I've got over 500 hits a day to this here blog (why don't any of you leave me a comment? Yes, you. I'm talking to y-o-u). So I'm going to take this opportunity of a wide audience to promote the fine new novel by my Chicago bud Leslie Stella - Unimaginable Zero Summer. check out my review from May 19th for more.