Southside Adventures

Dare I?

2009-11-27T15:34:00.001-08:00

start blogging again?

this is a test

2009-11-27T15:32:00.001-08:00

This is only a test.

Hot Stove transactions

2007-02-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Its been a while.

To get you caught up on some Sox news so far this offseason (note my comments in BOLD):

11/16 - The Chicago White Sox have acquired right-handed pitcher David Aardsma and left-hander Carlos Vasquez from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for left-handed pitcher Neal Cotts. Maybe a good deal. Aardsma has stuff, he becomes yet another recovery project for pitching coach Don Cooper.

12/1- The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.9 million contract with outfielder Scott Podsednik, avoiding arbitration. Horrible move. sPods is a bum. Shortly after this deal was finalized, he injuried himself and went under the knife. He'll miss spring training and likely all of April. And even when he does come back, he'll still bat .260, with an OPB of .300, and not be able to throw out runners scoring from 2nd on short pop flies to left. Bum. total fuckin bum!

12/5- The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a one-year, $800,000 contract with infielder/outfielder Pablo Ozuna, avoiding arbitration. Great move. Ozuna should be the starting left fielder, but won't...

12/7 - The Chicago White Sox have acquired right-handed pitcher Gavin Floyd and a player to be named later from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-handed pitcher Freddy Garcia. (also acquring pitcher Gio Gonzalez). This is the trade everyone was expecting. Floyd becomes off season project #2 for Coop. The re-acquisition of Gonzales speaks volumes. He could be the next Boone Logan!

12/8 - The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Mike MacDougal on a three-year, $6.45 million contract that contains a club option for 2010, avoiding arbitration. Yeah, OK. Next.

12/16 - The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Sisco from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for first baseman/outfielder Ross Gload. Coop has a full plate.

12/17 - The Chicago White Sox and free-agent catcher Toby Hall have agreed to terms on a two-year, $3.65-million contract with a club option for 2009. Maybe the best move the Sox made all year. Hall can hit lefties (AJ can't). He'll catch at least 30 games, and can even DH to give Thome a rest.

12/23 - The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed pitcher John Danks and right-handers Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner from the Texas Rangers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy and outfielder David Paisano. The trade no one expected. I'm not sure this helps the team for 07, but it may going forward. McCarthy was the good soldier and will be missed, but apparently his fastball did not have enough movement on it for KW.

12/27- The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a one-year, $1.9-million contract with infielder Alex Cintron, avoiding arbitration. Cintron could be the opening day shortstop if Uribe fails to use his 'Get out of a 3rd world country free' card.

1/25- The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a one-year, $1-million contract, which includes a 2008 club option, with free agent outfielder Darin Erstad. HUH?

1/30 - The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract, including a spring training invitation, with infielder Junior Spivey. Double HUH? I checked my calendar after this trade. Yep, its 2007. Who's next? Julio Franco?

'Best of Southside Adventures' Part 2

2006-11-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

Originally posted March 6 2006

I was reading on Stosh's blog about his encounter on a bus last week with the Mekons Sally Timms, and got to thinking about the Mekons, and how, despite growing up a huge music fan in the 1980s, I've never heard any of the Mekons records. It did, however, remind me of that great song "If I Was A Mekon" by Too Much Joy from their oft overlooked "Son of Sam I Am" album. So, whist drinkin a bit (the MILF is out seeing fuckin 'Brokeback'), here is a short list of some great 80s albums you've never heard, but were staples of my adolesense:

Too Much Joy - Son of Sam I Am
The Pursuit of Happiness - Love Junk
Georgia Satellites - In The Land Of Salvation and Sin
Little Steven - Voice of America
Replacements - Hootenanny
Replacements - When The Shit Hits The Fans
Husker Du - Flip Your Wig
The Ravyns - self titled debut on MCA
Fear - The Record The Kings - The Kings Are Here!
The Young Fresh Fellows - The Men Who Loved Music

I wanted to add the Minutemen's Double Nickels On the Dime to this list. But if you've never heard that album, you have no fuckin business being here in the first place (kidding of course).

Speaking of which, I'm desperately trying to find this t-shirt for the MILF for her b-day in May. She'll be the talk of the burbs pickin up the kiddies from the school in that number. If that doesn't work out, maybe I'll just get myself a 'Metal Circus' coffee mug. I hope they ship to the USA!

Tubin

2006-11-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

I've been playing with YouTube a bit.

Its nice to see that 30 years after its relase, The Kings have finally releaed a video for 'Beat Goes On/Switchin To Glide'. It gets moving about 3:13 in...

Also available are lost hits from the likes of Martin Briley and the Michael Stanley Band.

Then there's the early MTV classic from Bryan Adams (before he sucked) - 'Cuts Like A knife'. Sure, thew chick in this video is hot, but the freaky part comes when she dives into the empty pool and comes out soaking wet. Check out the bass palyer - he looks like he having sex with himself.

Then there is the greatest video ever.

and an a fantastic MTV news piece from 1991 with Tabitha Soren reporting on the Replacements. As one fan says - 'if they break-up if now, they'll be legends.'

Best of 'Southside Adventures' Part1

2006-11-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

By popluar request - and with nothing else to post, here is a 'best of' originally posted on Dec 21st 2005.

'End of a great era in music'

(AP) - Toyko - EasyW's iPod was found dead today at an upscale Toyko hotel. He was 3 years old. Japanese officials gave no cause of death, but foul play is not suspected. "The premature expiration appears to be lifestyle related," said one anomyous Japanese official thru a translator.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs could not be reached for comment. But an Apple spokesperson denied rumors of a suicide. "This is a tragic event, and those close to the iPod would like to request privacy from fans and the media in order to properly grieve." said the spokesperson.

Sympathy poured in from musicians around the world."This is the end of a great era in music," said U2 frontman Bono when informed of the news as he fed children at a UN refugee camp in Southern Sudan, "But we've got to keep going, and move forward, and take the lessons learned from this great machine and apply them towards a brighter global future."

"We had a lot of good times together, crazy wild times." said rapper Chuck D. "Its a shame, too. I hear he was about to get into some Podcasting."

Even the usually reclusive Axl Rose emerged from his Malibu compound to express sadness. "I was really looking forward to working with the iPod on 'Chinese Democracy'," said Rose.

GOOD BEGINNINGS

iPod began his life at a bacteria and germ-free assembly plant near Hong Kong, and was shipped to North America as part of the iPod "Second Generation" invasion in early 2003. Landing at a Best Buy location in Bolingbrook, Illinois. iPod's original owner purchased the sleek device in June 2003. During the short 5-month ownership, the original owner loaded iPod with an ecclectic mix of music. But ultimately, 15 GB proved to be too small for such a big music fan, and iPod was quickly put on the block as his owner moved onto to a 20 GB model.

The iPod was resold to EasyW for $300 in November 2003. At the time, that was a substatial savings over the $350 list price. Once initial interface issues were resolved, the iPod was quickly up and running with a variety of new rockin tunes.

DOWNWARD SPIRAL

The iPod's finest moments came during the summer of 2004, when 15 GB of new music was rotated on an almost daily basis. Exciting and unique playlists were created weekly and touched on such influences as Hawaiian surf music, fat Minneapolis gay thrash punk of the 1980s and the nostalagic 'junior high memories'. Shortly thereafter, a bug in the Dell PC related to a driver recoginition issue with the remote storage device inabled the iPod to be updated with iTunes. As a result, since November 2005, the iPod shuffled along with its 15 GB of music unchanged. A downward spiral quickly followed. Just last month it was learned that, as a child, its previous owner may have overcharged the young battery, thereby significantly reducing the iPod's lifespan. Additionally, iPod's earlist years may have been characterize by other forms of sonic abuse. "Good Charlotte, Nickleback, Whitney Houston.. shallow music of that nature," said one anomyous source.

Fellow Apple device Black Nano recalled a recent disturbing incident at his Silicon Valley home. "It was real late, like 4 in the morning, and he had been out at some mp3 party in the Valley, doing a lot of coke with Pink Mini. I could tell because they both had white rings around their input jacks. Anyways, she gave him a ride over to my place. iPod came in, his protective case was all frayed, and the snaps were broken. He pushed his way past me, went right for my Gateway mainframe, plugged in and starting downloading stuff like Led Zepplin... it was real disturbing. Then he snagged my new Bose headphones and ran out the front door."

Actor Nick Cage recalled a similiar incident that occurred just a few weeks ago, at a party for music industry executive Jimmy Iovine at his Beverly Hills mansion. "Springsteen was there and was trying to talk some sense into him.. talking about Roy Orbison, Dylan, that sort of stuff.. but the iPod was having none of it. You could tell by the look on his backlight that he just wasn't there. Later that night, I saw him disappear into a room with two groupies carrying some really big headphones.. it was the last I ever saw him."

In recent days, rumors had also circulated in the entertainment world that iPod had been banned from the Playboy mansion after allegedy giving a mild electric shock to a group of party goers in a hot tub. Actor Corey Feldman, who witnessed the incident said, "The media has blown the incident at the Mansion way out of proportion. It was not a big deal. It wasn't nearly as crazy as that time Fred Durst threw one of Hef's flamingos into the grotto."

In recent weeks, the iPod had gone to a repair center on the Hawaiian island of Molokai in attempt to get well, but wound up missing just a few days after its arrival. The iPod apparently went home to Japan and was last seen backstage at a concert on saturday with Ashlee Simpson moments before she collasped on stage from "exhaustion".

THE FUTURE LOOKED BRIGHT

The iPod was a fixture on the Hollywood and fashion circuits, and was often found accompying various starlets on mundane errands. Among those linked with the iPod in recent months were actresses Natalie Portman, who was often seen in iPod's company on the set of her latest film, and Jessica Alba, who often had iPod accompy her when she worked out and went to the grocery store. For a brief period, iPod was also socialite Paris Hilton's traveling companion. Around this time, however, those closest to iPod began to notice some performance issues, most notably, a reduced battery life and occassional, unexplained shut-offs. "It would just shut down completely," said EasyW, but come right back a few seconds later. It was a warning sign I should've picked up on."

Just six months ago, the future looked limitless, as iPod had signed a development deal with Miramax and was set to star as the lead opposite Tei Leoni in the forthcoming Jerry Bruckheimer film "Love Among The Pod People". Shooting was schedule to begin in Chicago this spring. In an effort to cheer up the iPod, EasyW had recently downloaded iTunes 6.1 and was making an effort to finally fix the long-standing driver recoginition issue, going so far as to inquire about contacting a repair person. "I was really looking forward to adding some new Modest Mouse.. and I recently discovered an old Police disc I had meant to upload. I know it was looking forward to that new Strokes album as well... I guess its too late for that now." Thru tears, EasyW further lamented, "And I had all this christmas music on there, and had planned to take it back to the beach next summer..." his voice trailing off. While an autopsy is expected, one person close to the iPod indicated the premature death was not caused by poor musical taste. "Sure, there was some Michael Stanley on it, but only a few songs. Mostly, the iPod will be remembered for having more rock in it than a quarry."

Opportunity Rocks!

2006-11-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

'Its not what you know, its who you know'.

A very true statement. As proof, I called in a favor to a good old friend, and it now appears that I have an opportunity to get my foot in the door of the world of professional baseball. I can't discuss specifics, but suffice to say its unpaid, but not low-level grunt (or PR) work. I'll know more this spring. If this works out you never know - I do have a contact with a direct line to one of the big GMs.

Just wanted to share that exciting news. More later...

Ten years burnin

2006-11-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

My it has been a while since my last post. Happy thanksgiving to those here in America.. and Merry Christmas to all those in Canada (a place where football is already over for the year, as BC has defeated Montreal at a downright freezing stadium in Winnipeg in the 94th Grey Cup). The frost WAS on the pumpkin last week, but this week its sunny and 60 degrees - thank you very much Henry Ford. Even though I'm a vegetarian, I still have fond memories of family gatherings at thanksgiving. When I was going to college in Ohio, after finals (we were on the wonderful quarter system) I'd catch the bus or hop a ride with a fraternity brother north to Cleveland. At least once I beat my folks, who were driving from Chicago, to my Grandma and Aunt's apratment in Berea. Exhausted, I'd crash. After the meal, and the drive home on I-90, I'd spend the next month working on the trucks at UPS... But it was 10 years ago this fall/winter that I was wandering through Europe and North Africa, and have great memories of the Thanksgiving I spent on a ferry in the Adratic Sea, returning to southern Italy from Greece. Actually, American Thanksgiving just happened to fall right in the middle of a 'plans, trains, and automobiles' like trek I was making from Crete to the Alps. Broke and unable to afford airfare, it took me 3 days of non stop travel - walking to the ferry in Reythemon, the 12-hour ferry ride to Pireaus, the subway during morning rush hour to Athens, the walk to the train station, the train to Petras, the aforementioned horrific 24-hour Thanksgiving ferry ride in rough seas to Brindisi, where I shared a pizza dinner with other Western backpackers (then an all night train journey to Asti).

Since I last posted, the St Louis Cardinals became surprise victors in the World Series, beating the heavily favored Detroit Tigers. I was rooting for the Tigers, but not at all surprised St Louis won - back at the beginning of the year I did pick them as National League Champions (though I had them losing to the Yankess in the Series).

State of the Sox

Baseball news on the Southside. There was some problem down in Venezuela, where about 6 Sox players had gone to play Winter ball on Ozzie's old team - the La Guaira Sharks. The trouble began after coach Razor Shines was dismissed. Brian Anderson caught some nasty bug and lost a lot of weight, and Boone Logan returned with a sore arm, That said, Josh Fields got some time in left field, as the Sox maybe aim to convert him from a thridbaseman, as Joe Crede stands in his way of moving up from Charlotte to Chicago.

By now you've also heard the Sox traded lefty set-up man Neal Cotts to northside Cubs for two ptichers. One of them - David Ardsma- looks decent, a project for Coop, just like Thornton was... The Cubs also signed one of the most sought after free agents in Alfonso Soriano, to some crazy ass 8-year, $136 skazillion dollar deal. These long term ,big money deal almost never work out well for teams (they work out great for the players), and the Cub will be paying Soriano about $17 million a year as he approaches age 40. Dumb fucking move. And just when you thought they couldn't get any stoopider, they re-sign the perpetually injuried Kerry Wood, a guy who is finished - FINISHED - in the bigs.

As bad as that is, the idiotic Boston Red Sox paid $51 million just for the right to sign Japanese phenom pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.. Keep in mind IF they sign him, it will cost them an additional $50million or so...

Probably the most exicitng POSITIVE news to come out of baseball is the new stadium being built in Fremont, California for the Oakland A's. take a look here at this park - maybe the most beauitiful, well-done of all the new stadiums built in the frenzy since Camden Yards went up in 1992. But like everything in crazy cali, nothing is easy. Even though the land is being traded to the team for naming rights - at a cost of $0 to the taxpayers - the people of the Bay Area are not happy. Just a read of few A's blogs out there - Like this one, this one and this one - reveals that the fans and citizens seem more concerned with adjacent wetlands - wetlands that, I should note, are protected and have already been preserved - than the benefits this stadium will bring to the community. They're worried about traffic (even though the stadium will be served by the subway) and the proximity of a fire department (why?). If this were being built on the southside of Chicago, you'd hear none of that - it would be all positive praise.... Still I'm getting an A's cap for Xmas from my cousin - a southside transplant - who resides out there, and am now swearing that the A's are just maybe my 2nd favorite team in the American League (sorry Detroit, and Baltimore).

HOT STOVE

Last week, reclusive stat guru Bill James joined my ol pal Mike Murphy on The Score (670 AM in chicago) to talk stats. It was a great interview. I just ordered the new 2007 Handbook, as well as Baseball Between The Numbers... I'm always skeptical of such stats, but want to review and examine them on my own. There's got to be something to them...

My good college radio buddy - Doc Scott- has a great new address for his Cincinnati Reds blog - Red and Blues, so I recommend you take a gander at it.

Jerry Cohen and the fine folks at Ebbets Field Flannels have some impressive new items out for winter. Whist seaching around the web, I also came across two other decent retro baseball apparel sites - Distant Replays, which has a great selection and some sales, and Throwback Max, which has a ton of moderately priced merchandise. Add these to the list along with Stall and Dean and you've got plently of places to get that cool gift for the baseball nerd in your life. All of these much better than the overpriced Moonlight Graham.

How bout that Ohio State-Michigan game last weekend? Could it have been any more dramatic? Memorable, truly. The other big college football game in Ohio last week was down the road from Columus in Athens, where my beloved Bobcats defeated the Akron Zips 17-7 and won their first ever MAC East Division title. At 8-3, Ohio U now gets to meet Central Michigan in MAC championship game at Ford Field in Detroit. Likely, OU will wind up in Alabama at the GMAC Bowl, while Central stays in Detroit for the Motor City Bowl. Whatever. With 3 games left in their season, OU has already won more game this year than in all 4 years COMBINED during my college days (7 wins - 1987 to 1991, 4 of which came in 1988). This will be only the 3rd bowl appearance in OU's history, and the first in nearly 40 years- the last being at 49-42 loss to Richmond - yes, the Richmond Spiders- in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl, (the first being a 15-14 loss to West Texas State in the 1962 Sun Bowl). Stranger still, OU is about to break into the Top 30 in the polls. Great, but inaccurate, as there are plently of teams ranked below OU that are better (UCLA and Penn St - to name two) and one that's already kicked Bobcat ass this year (Mizzou, at #40, beat OU 31-6 back on Sept 23rd). Still ,its nice...

Oh, and the Chicago Bears are not just 9-1, they are the best team in the NFC by a full 3 games, and clinch a playoff spot with a win this weekend at New England.

I've been reading a lot. After reading a glowing review, I blew thru a great love story called The Translation of Dr Apelles. It was deep, emotional and very worthwhile. I think its only a matter of time before Oprah picks up on this one. I've also started in on Ernie Pyle's Brave Men - his first hand account of World War II.

I saw Borat the night it came out, having never seen Da Ali G Show, so I went into this blind and thought was OK - some great laughs, and some, not so much....

My days are filled with the downtempo and chill tunes of www.live365.com. Traditional radio is so dead- and Live365 is an example of why... Among the great tunes I've discovered on one of the stations (either 'After Hours Cafe' or 'Loungemaster London') is Kool and the Gang's wonderful instrumental 'Summer Madness' - sounds like it could've been recorded yesterday, not 30 years ago. Now, I hear it being sampled all over the place, and its in the new LeBron James shoe commercial as well.

The MILF and I have had a couple of nice, memorable sessions. And when I saw this, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

2006-09-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

HNT #24

The Hugo Chavez Book Club

2006-09-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Listen to me!

Venezuelan Socialist Dictator Hugo Chavez was at the United Nations this week promoting his new book club. This month's selection is Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance.

Next month: The Bridges of Madison County.

Happy Labor Day

2006-09-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Long live the Haymarket martyrs!

Forks

2006-08-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Put a fork in the Sox - they're done.

For me, the entire season cam down to the 5th inning of friday night's game against the Minnesota Twins. With the Sox up 3-0, 2 runners on base and 2 outs, Konerko hit a deep drive that just missed being a home run. It wound up being an out. So instead of going into the 6th inning up 6-0 ( at least), Vazquez enters the 6th up only 3-0... guess what happens... another meltdown and the Twins score 4 runs. The Sox lose 5-4 and then promptly drop saturday's game as well. As if all this weren't enough, Manager Oz's consistent misuse of his players in the line-up is maddening. He plays sPod (why?), won't put McCarthy in the starting rotation, won't put in a hot Anderson against lefties... What's going on here? The Sox fan in me wants to scream out in pain, but the Chicago baseball fan in me remembers a lifetime of losing seasons, and then 2005 and I really don't care what happens any more. Plus, football season is right around the corner...

I don't get it

2006-08-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Fuckin White Sox. They kill the best team in baseball - Detroit, but can't beat the perpetual doormat Kansas City Royals.

Fuckers.

2006-08-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

HNT# 23

How Long Has It Been?

2006-08-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

since I've had sex? I dunno. I stopped counting the days. I thought I had a shot last friday, the MILF went out drinking with some gal pals, but sadly Aunt Flo stopped by just prior. Maybe next week.

The Sox are not playing well enough right now to win the division. Seventeen games into the most important 21 games of the year, and they are 9-8, including 4-2 against the AL Central leading Tigers heading into Thursday mornings contest. Still they are 6 and 1/2 games back. I'm not sure what's wrong. Maybe they've been spoiled by their success? I was at the game on Wed August 16th when they lost to the lowly Kansas City Royals 10-4. They just had no emotion at all. Lunch on friday with my buddy from the Minnesota Twins - I'll see if I can get some inside angle from him...

I spent some time on the southside yesterday - Hyde Park to be specific. Took the old IC line - now the Metra Electric line - down to 57th. Walked west to the U of C bookstore and picked up a cool shirt on sale for $10, and a copy of Les Mis for $5. Walked across the Quad and back down 57th Street and marveled at what an amazingly beauitiful urban neighborhood Hyde Park is...

Played softball last night. Had to pitch. We won! I only went 2 for 4 but hit the ball very solidly each time. The team we played is a team we've played (and beaten) each of the past three seasons. They have two of the most smokin hot girls that I've ever seen on their team. Playboy hot. And they're not terrible players either. They are very distracting, however... maybe that's their plan. The playoffs begin next week (I think).

Started up a fantasy football team at work. I'm just not as into it as baseball, but it will give us something to talk about around the water cooler at the salt mines. I'm also in an English Premier 'Football' (read; soccer) fantasy league with some guys from my old college radio station. I have no clue why.

I'm working like mad, and not drinking enough. Jazz music has been my saving grace. I can't stand to listen to anything with lyrics. Just chill, baby.

Up to the beach in Michigan this weekend, probably for the last time this year.

21 Days

2006-08-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

Beginning August 7th, the Sox entered the most important 3 week stretch of the entire season. Its a 'make it or break' period in which the Sox play every day - 21 games- against the best and more important teams. Of those 21 games, 14 are at home. As I write this, the Sox are already 4-2 during the stretch, with a loss to the LA Angels (make-up of a rain out), 2-1 vs the New York Yankees, and most importantly, 2-0 vs the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers. After a 4-game series to perpetual cellar-dwellers Kansas City (I'm going to Wednesday's game), the Sox play 3 in Minnesota and 4 in Detroit, before coming home to face the Twins for 3 more games. In this stretch, the Sox could cut the Tigers lead significantly, and single-handedly knock the Twins out of the race altogether. No news news here... So far, from what I've seen of these 6 games, the Sox appear to be coming around. Sure, they've gotten some breaks, but are finally starting to show some signs of life.

Lots else happenin here at Southside Adventures Global Headquarters.

I'm beyond broke and seeking new employment. I've gone so far as to apply for the night shift at the local sex motel.

I've been slowly reading thru The Best American Short Stories 2005 and so far its really great. The first story in the collection is about baseball. I've also picked up some Carl Sandburg.

Saw two moveis this week. The original Red Shoe Diaries with David Duchnovy was horrible. You've got to start somehwere, I guess. The sex scenes were Ok, but it just didn't hold together for me. A much better film was Green Street Hooligans with the gnome-like Elijah Wood. Its the semi-true story of the West Ham 'fan' (read;thug) group call the Green Street Elite (GSE) which in real life is known as the Inter City Firm. A lot of the thuggery focuses on the real life rivaliry between West Ham and Millwall, who's 'firm' is not named, but in real life are called 'The Bushwackers'. Violent, but a fine picture.

My softball league in the burbs is done for the year. We finished up the season with our best win of the year, a good one against a good team, to finish out the campaign 4-10. With Lollapalooa over, the city league revs back up the week - 3 more games to go.

Tavern Review: South Loop Club

2006-08-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

The South Loop Club

Located at 701 South State Street, the South Loop Club is one of the few watering holes in the area. Its a small sports-bar style tavern with a confusing and uncomfortable seating arragnement. The times I've been there, its filled with a mix of locals, students, tourists and post-game softballers from nearby Grant Park. Plently of TVs, though there are so many obstructions, its hard to see them. The beers are plentiful and reasonably priced, and the popcorn is free. The menu is not bad either. Not much of a pick up joint, but not a bad spot for a post-game oat soda.

2006-08-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Back

Afterglow Part 2

2006-08-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just got home from a late softball game under the lights. I played my best game of the year. 3 for 3 with 3 runs scored, I hustled around the basepaths and made some good plays out in right center. I even gunned down two runners going to third. I'm totally charged up. What a great fuckin game. Sadly, no money to go to the bar afterwards.. but we are beginning to discuss joining the fall league... Five games to go, sunday and next friday in the burbs, then the following three tuesdays in Grant Park. I'm ready to fuckin destroy!!!!

I played well enough to consider participating in the '38 and over' baseball league next year. I'll be (just barely) 38 next spring... but I'm the youngest 38 year old ever. I can hit the curve, and knock you so silly your kids will be stupid.

Work is finally getting back to a managable level. Still I'm $600 short this week... and another $300 short on my property taxes due at the end of the month... Got to do something about this. I'm sick of struggling, sick of just barely scraping by... I have an assload of money set aside for retirement (savings and investing is always my first priority), but can't pay the fuckin electric bill. Drivin to the poor house in a limo...

Sox were off tonight - big 3 game weekend series in the North Country begins tomorrow. The Sox will lose badly - too many hot stripper Annies in Toronto to fuck.

Pre-game tonight I had some time to kill and picked up my copy of The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg. I read some of my favorite poems from 'Chicago' Poems' and 'Cornhuskers'. Good stuff from the former Elmhurst resident.

Tallegeda Nights- The Ballad of Rickey Bobby is getting good reviews. Can't wait to see it.

If today is tuesday, this must be Kansas City

2006-08-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

I just have no imagination today - work drained the life out of me.

Things are pretty quiet on the Southside. But its hot out, damn hot. I'm drinking a Special Ex tall boy and watching the Sox try to beat the Royals in KC. The Sox had 2nd and 3rd with none out in the 6th and failed to score. Pathetic.

I have a new tavern review written, but am waiting until I can get my Hello working so I can publish a picture of the joint. That means no more participation in Half-Naked Thursday for me either. Damn!

Some of the great times I had planned this week - like last week - fell thru. I didn't go down to Bears camp monday because it was just too hot. I had an event planned today, which also got called off due to the heat. Same for tomorrow's Brazilian/Portugese fado concert in Grant Park. The cool down is coming thursday, just in time for my softball game. Pizza friday and saturday, then softball again on sunday night. Maybe going to a party on saturday.

Speaking of football, the Illini finally set a time for the October 14th game against my beloved Ohio U Bobcats - its a 6 pm night game. Hooray! A night in Champaign!

Oh, and I'm broke. Beyond broke. I had to file an amended tax return in May and am still waiting on my $132 - of which $50 belongs to my accountant.

More bad financial news - unlike last year, my firm is not giving out company shares to sell at Xmas. I just found out it was a one-time thing last year. So I need to raise about $1000 before December to do my share for first world consumption during the holiday gift giving pleasure. But my more immediate problem is that I need to send out my property taxes in 2 weeks and am $600 short. And I need to fix the broken windshield on my car - that's another $200. Maybe I can get a 3rd shift job at a factory or something. Man, I don't want to have to resort to UPS or selling a kidney.

As the season winds down, I'm trying to get some more light summertime reading in. I'll dive into a short story collection this week.

I'm not real disappointed the Sox didn't make a move before the trading deadline. I think they have the horses to contend. I'm a bit dismayed over Thome's apparent injury. The weekend series in Toronto will be a big one..and exciting. The Tigers are going to collaspe. They have to...

I'm eating and drinking like mad, desperately trying to gain about 8 lbs. Not much luck so far. What's a vegetarian to do?

No sex from the MILF lately. I need a fuck buddy! Someone who is up for anything, and expects nothing in return. It would help if she is hot, and also in a serious relationship.

Thornton just came on in relief in the 8th, and promptly surrendered 2 runs to knot this one up. On to the 9th...

Gloating bout Gload

2006-07-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Ross Gload's 9th inning, one-out grand slam on friday night marks the turning point of the 2006 Sox season. A game that was lost suddenly was won, and a long losing streak is now 2-game winning streak. I still think Ozzie needs to shuffle the line-up and move Thome down to the 5 or 6 spot, but I think they need to stick with the pitching they've got. Vazquez will come around, trust me... But now the Sox are back on the offensive, and if I was the Tigers, I'd be scared.

Last monday turned out to be not so great. Eh - such is life. I'm still buried at work. In the little free time I've had, I've been having a fucking blast playing softball. My teams lost both tuesday and friday, but they were good fun games nonethless. I played some awsome D at 3B, and am hitting the ball solidly. The suburban league is back at it tomorrow night, and again on thursday, and next sunday - so that's 4 games in 2 weeks. The city league is on hiatus for 2 whole weeks, thanks to fucking Lalapaloozer.

I'm working some angles on some potentially exciting projects. If any of them come to pass, look for updates here next week.

I'm also eating and drinking everything in sight in an effort to gain 5-8 pounds. I'm just too thin. Today it was a huge pizza and about 20 corn fritters.

Had a quick but satisfying session with my MILF on thursday. Sometimes sex just feels so goooooood....

Sorry no pictures lately. My Hello publisher keeps going down on me (not what it sounds like), and reinstalling is a bitch. I'll try to get it up (again, not that) later this week in an effort to continue my participation in Half-Naked Thursday (HNT).

Watch This Space

2006-07-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

I've been buried at the salt mines... so no updates lately.

It was nice to see the Sox finally win today. Matt Thornton is coming along nicely. A turnaround like the one Thornton experienced from Seattle to Chicago makes you realize what a great pitching coach Don Cooper is...The fucking Mariners didn't know what they had in Thornton.

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal had a piece on teams with the best record at the All Star Break and how many went on to the World Series. The stat covered both leagues, but only went back 6 years... The only two teams with the best record at the break to make the series were the St. Louis Cardinals (2004 loss vs the Boston Red Sox) and the 2005 White Sox (winners and still, defending WORLD FUCKING CHAMPIONS). that doesn't bode well for the Detroit Tigers. A collaspe is coming. It is . I swear it is...

Few odds and ends in my life worth noting.

I might get a chance to actually play in a game at Sox Park in the near future. Details forthcoming. Suffice to say, I had to call in some solid 'I owe ya's.

I finished Eugenie Grandet. Good, but more high schoolish - along the line of Dickens' Hard Times. And you never know how that shit is gonna translate from French. Now, Crime and Punishment - that's a whole different ballgame... Onto some short stories to finish out the summer...

Softball was a brutal 30-0 loss on tuesday. I had to miss thursday (we won). I'll be back at it this tuesday, but will have to miss my suburban league again on friday for work. Oh, and thanks to Perry Farrell and his fucking freak show, my coed city league gets a big 2-week break due to the set-up and tear down in Grant Park in August. If the fucking Flaming fucking Lips mess up my field I will personally kick the shit out of Wayne Coyne and make him sorry for Zaireeka!

Watch this space- Monday stands to be among the most intersting evenings of the year for me...

HNT #22

2006-07-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

HNT #22

Weekend Update

2006-07-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm up late working from home... so that will tell you pretty much how my weekend went.

I was a wee tiny bit hungover on saturday morning. Not a good thing when you have to be outside at 9 in the morning and its 90 degrees with 99% humidity at 9 in the morning. A few cokes and McDonalds set me right. In my effort to gain some weight, I've been eating bad... and late... just 5 more pounds...

Tough to talk much about the Sox. Getting swept in NY while the Tigers just keep on winning. This cannot continue.

Politte is finally gone, proving what I've been saying all along - 2005 was an aberration for him. Too bad as his seems like a competitive guy and was a key to the 2005 Championship.

Trade rumors continue to swirl around Freddy Garcia. Shipping him off to Philly for Tom Gordon sounds like an option, but the deal that actually comes down will probably not involve either of those players.

I tried and failed at reading the short stories of Theodore Dreiser. Just not my cup of tea. Same for So What, a biography of Miles Davis. I like his music, but I just don't have the paitence to read about him these days. So its back to Balzac... almost done... Its going to be tough to finish, as my all time favorite book The Best Short Stories of Mark Twain is beginning to seduce me all over again.

Thanks to the heat I'm listening to a lot of Martin Denny, Stan Getz and Herbie Hancock.

Netflix was kind enough to send me Up The Academy. The toasts in Glory Daze inspired me to rent it. Can't wait to watch it...

New link at right explores in great great detail the history of football helmets of each team in every league (including Canadian colleges) .. its filthy.

I've also got a page on myspace, since, like meth, its seems to be what all the kids are doin these days. I'll add bells and whistles to it down the road maybe someday.

A lot to look forward to this week - 2 softball games, the Sox-Detroit series, and a maybe a date with the MILF... expensive meals make her horny.

Good friday... NO. GREAT friday

2006-07-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

As my loyal readers (both of you) know, I quit blogging on a daily basis about a month back. One reason was to focus my energy on an exciting and potentially profitable writing project. The other was because of a potentially serious health issue staring this mid-30sumthing male in the face.

After 10 months, 4 doctors, 3 CTs, 2 blood tests and 1 MRI the results are in.

I'm suffering from a liver adenoma. In layman terms, its a benign (for now) complex cyst. Luckey me, I've got 2 - one that is about 1 cm in diameter, the other about 2.5 cm. Pretty small. Oddly, they are much more common in women than in men, and are typically associated with conraceptive use. Hmmm...

Nothing in my extensive blood work shows any sign of anything abnormal (read CANCER). If I had cancer, I'd certainly know by now. If anything, I've had a few doctors tell me, after reviewing the results, that I am 100% healthy. Surgery may come at some point to remove these things, but they aren't growing much, so that would likely be years down the road (if at all). Best of all, I have no trace of any liver disease whatsoever. So bottoms up, mutherfuckers!

After expending so much emotional energy on this issue that past 10 months, today really feels like the first day of the rest of my life. So I don't what the fuck I'm doing here, writing this shit to you assholes.

Later.

HNT #21

2006-07-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

HNT #21

(Crickets chirping)

2006-07-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hello?

Anyone out there still reading?

I'm celebrating the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh by drinking my last Yuengling. Thanks to a two out hit by Konerko in the 9th inning, the AL wins for the 12th straight time. Home field advantage for the AL in the World Series.

I've been too distracted to read, but am trying to finish up that Balzac. I'm moving on to some short stories next week.

Work is insane.

Softball keeps getting rained out. At this pace, I'll be playing into September.

My new passion is do-it-yourself internet comic strip creation. As soon as I can figure it all out, I'll post a link.

The MILF and I fucked the other night. It was a quickie but a goodie. Just before I came, I noticed her looking and smiling at me. Afterwards, I asked her why.
"Because whenever we do it you just have the bigfgest smile on your face. You look so happy. And act like a porn star... everytime."

Loong weekend

2006-07-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

beach weekend

I've got a nice long 5-day weekend from work. I'm going to need it - July is going to be busy at the salt mines. I'll be on the beach most of the time.

The MILF and I had an exciting quickie yesterday afternoon. She was upset, a little depressed, and I was there to support her, holding her, telling her how great is (you know, just the truth). The connection was so strong, there was no way we couldn't do it. We were in a position where we could get caught, so she was hesitant. I convinced her, was right, and we didn't... Had we waited just 3 more minutes, we would've been totally busted.

That experience set the tone and I had a good night hitting at softball. Not great, but certainly brought me out of my mid-season slump.

More 'derby' today - Sox vs Cubs!

I'm desperately trying to put ON weight - at least 5 pounds. I just noticed I'm too thin. Pizza and avcados should do the trick.

I finished up Fantasyland by Sam Walker. Some of his behind-the-scenes stuff might be of interest to fantasy roto-nerds, but not to me. He did tell a good story behind the numbers, and it was an enjoyable read for the hardcore. I'm taking Balzac to the beach...

More loose ends

2006-06-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Pretty soon - sippin on the beach!

I feel the need to write a little...

I head up to SW Michigan this weekend for some time on the beach. I hope the weather gets better and it warms up! For financial reasons, the vaca has been cut from 6 days in a swank hotel to 3 days of camping on a farm... lemonade out of lemons, I guess... or as Andy M might rap - 'when life gives me lemons I make a beef stew!'

I went to the Sox game back on June 4 and watched them lose badly to Texas. Great seats - first row behind the Sox dugout. After getting shelled in the 7th, Buehrle threw his hat and glove into the stands, which the people directly next to me caught. I don't care about the sweat-soaked cap, but I'm a lefty and it would've been nice to have that glove. I just didn't think fast enough, I guess. I did get some good pictures which I may post sometime soon.

How bout the Sox lately. they keep winning, but still can't catch the Tigers. I knew Detroit was good, but winning 50 of their first 75 games? I was happy to see the Sox dismantle St. Louis, the best team in the NL. It could come back to bite them in the ass if those two meet in World Series - imagine the Cards motivation. And as if last year's World Series wasn't enough, it was also fun to watch the Sox dish out more pain to Houston. Sunday night's game was great, even though they lost. With a 3-run homer in the 8th and a grand slam in the 9th, Iguchi is now a legend. Of course, I dropped him from my roto team 3 days before that... Cantu was back! But, I'm in first place for the first time ever!

That same weekend, I went to the 57th Street Art Fair down in Hyde Park. It was my first time back there in about 15 years. I didn't buy anything, due to the fact that I am beyond broke, but I did meet a real nice artist who had some very cool, cheap ($15-20) small paintings of Sox Park and other southside images. Checkout the Rodwan Gallery for more...

Speaking of consumerism, Ebbets Field Flannels have introduced some cool new long sleeve practice shirts. No team I'm really interested in, so I'll wait til they go on sale.

I've been playing softball like crazy. My coed team in the city is doing quite well. Not the same for my all-dudes team in the burbs. For the first time ever, I hurt myself last week - some kind of strained abdomen muscle when I swung too hard. I was in pain for 3 days straight. I'm a little better now and will be in the line-ups this week. But I'll have to bat lefty, which I can do, since I'm a switch hitter.

How bout that World Cup? I haven't watched so little soccer since the 1982 Cup. US was 3 and out... The only game I've really watched was the great England-Ecuador game this past weekend. Beckham's goal was one of the ages... guess I'll root for Brazil for the duration... See you in SA in 2010.

I haven't been watching too many flicks lately, but I did catch Hostel (2005). The first time I watched it, I just forwarded to the nudie parts- of which there were many quality ones. The second time thru, I really watched it. It was good... and scary... I also watched an old favorite - Glory Daze (1996)with a young, pre-Good Will Hunting Ben Affleck and a post-Ivy Alyssa Milano, and other soon-to-be-stars in this, like Matthew McConaughey and Matt Damon (in a non-speaking role as 'Egdar Pudwacker') and some dude who went on to be in that '3rd Rock From The Sun' sitcom. Its a great collegiate comedy flick with some redeeming qualities. I'm not sure I agree with their 'preservation thru desctruciton' mantra, but it was a lot of fun to watch. Great soundtrack, too. HIGHLY recommended.

I've been listening to nothing but Milt Jackson lately.

In what little free time I have, I read. I've been switching effortlessly between Balzac's Eugenie Grandet and Fantasyland... More than anything lately, I'm excited to read the new Laura Kipnis. I've considered going to Northwestern just to take one of her classes... she's a hottie!

No sex from the MILF in a few weeks. Its been about 2 months since our last quality session. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to move outside the relationship for some...

More later...maybe... lots going on... some good, some bad...

The End

2006-06-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

The End

As you may have noticed, there have been no updates here in over a week. That's no accident. Being off from work, I find I am less structured in my activities and get less done than when I am actually working. These days I'm just not motivated to carry on with this.

Truth be told, I'm going thru some potentially serious health issues that surfaced last September and from this point on need to be the main focus of any free time and energy I have.

The blog began as a way to get me back in the habit of writing every day. And to that effort, it was successful. If I can get past this health issue, I have a potentially great and profitable idea that I am excited to continue work on. And I never say never, so you may someday see a post here again.

Thanks to everyone who has dropped by to read my pointless ramblings over the past two years. I have appreciated every comment.

So long e'rybody! And here's hoping we all live happily ever after....

HNT #20

2006-06-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

A day late and a dollar short... as usual... this one is a dead ringer for the MILF.

Memorial Day

2006-05-29T04:11:00.000-07:00

You can't wear the flag like that

Nice long weekend. I've got the next week off work, so please expect more regular postings, including a recap on all the minor league stuff.

Before I get into the baseball stuff, I wanted to remind my readers (both of you) the meaning of Memorial Day. I didn't plan on thinking about it that much, but saw some special on CNN Presents about wounded American soldiers in Iraq. It got me thinking of the enourmous sacrifices that these people make... regardless of your feeling on this 'war', selfless humans who put themselves in the line of fire, and make the ultimate sacrifice, are worthy of some time and thoughts from the rest of us. Too often, the misguided Patriotism we see in the form of auto magnets fail miserably to provide any real meaning behind how fortunate we all are.... So while you're sitting around in the sunny backyard, surrounded by family and friends, getting sauced and enjoying the bounty of bbq-ed treats, its important to remember that there is someone JUST LIKE YOU who is shaking in their boots on the sand of some godforsaken middle eastern desert wasteland who probably doesn't want to be there and would give anything to be you at that moment.

OK, I'm off my soapbox. On to some fun stuff.

The MILF sacrificed herself and gave me a quickie on saturday night. She wasn't really in the mood, but I was 'in need.' Sadly, I'm out of KY lube and had to use that nasty Astroglide stuff. I've noticed a little Astroglide goes a loooong way, so I need to remember to apply less next time, its soooo smooth I can hardly feel anything.

How bout that Indy 500? If you can make it thru the first 450 miles, the rest of the race is thrilling. Fuck!

Sox Update: The Sox go into Toronto and lose 2 of 3 to a good Jays team. Maybe the Sox beat themselves. Friday Konerko homers, but Garcia has a bad outing... as does Politte and the Sox lose 8-2. Saturday Ozzie explodes after a 3-2 11 inning loss. The pitching, namely Contreras and McCarthy, was great, there was just no hitting, no hustle (other than Crede, who went 3 for 5. Sunday the Sox bounced back big, as Dye homers and 3 for 4. Mack also homered. The ailing Iguchi got the day off, and in his place, Cintron picked up 2 RBIs. Garland gave up 6 ER in 5 IP, but still got the win...

Big 4 game series at Cleveland begins today at The Jake.

The Sox trail the Tigers in the Central division by 2 and 1/2... Detroit is, by the way, impossibly, 20 games over .500... yes, 20 games... and its not even June 1st.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

update coming... I promise.

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

Music: Got caught up on some hipster stuff over the weekend.. the Arctic Monkeys do nothing for me... but I enjoyed some Spoon, Hold Steady and Block Party.

Beer count: thursday - 2, friday - 2, saturday - 1. Sunday over to a friend's house for a traditional M-Day cookout, and had 3. It was a treat to drink good beer for once - I had a Moretti and two Red Stripes. I'm just about out of my Yuengling.

Potentially some big news forthcoming on a part-time baseball-related hobby... stay tuned.

I remember all those great Memorial Days I spent back at school in southern Ohio (all 4 of them , at least). Since I was from Chicago, and school ended in June, unlike everyone else, I never went home for the holiday - in two weeks I'd be home for 3 months. No thanks. So I spent a lot of time studying for finals and drinking. the town was deserted and that's how I imagined summer in Athens, which sadly, I never got to expereince. So laid back.... I wish I was there...

HNT #19

2006-05-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

HNT #19

An off day - just what I needed to get caught up.

And softball got cancelled due to rain.

Sox Update: The Sox sweep the Oakland A's at home for the first time since 1987, at a time when Harold Baines, Greg Walker and Ozzie played for the palehose. Monday the sell out crowd cheered Frank Thomas, the greatest hitter in Sox history, as he hit two homers in his homecoming. Couldn't have been a better night, as the Sox still won 5-4, thanks to a Pablo Ozuna bunt single in the 10th. Said A's firstbaseman Nick Swisher ""It was just a perfect bunt. I mean, it was absolutely perfect." Like I said there is nothing this guy can't do. .

Tuesday, Konerko Dye and Thome homer in a 9-3 win. Vazquez again pitches just good enough for the win ( 6 IP, 3 ER on 6 hits, 4 walks, 3 Ks). sPod had 2 stolen bases.

Wednesday was incredibily the Sox 6th sellout in a row. Buehrle pitched just well enough for the win, though the Sox almost gave it away. Jenks really looked his best of the season, closing it out - the A's looked completely baffled by his off-speed stuff.

Thrusday night, a good night for the Toronto ballet.

The Sox have the 2nd best record in baseball, but its only good enough for 2nd place in their division (ladder). How bout them Detroit Tigers? I knew they would be competetive, but the best record in baseball? c'mon...

As predicted, Boone Logan got sent down, though only to AAA, as Contreras came off the DL. 39 (yes 39) year old journeyman reliver Jeff Nelson got the call up. Montero was returned to Charlotte. Nelson got into the game on both tuesday and wednesday, throwing just one pitch in the latter (it went for a hit).

DOWN ON THE FARM:

No time to update this today. It will have to wait til the weekend.

Baseball phrase of the day: dirter n. a ground ball.

AFL Update: from My Girl Friday: The Cats got beaten by 102 points by Collingwood last week. As much as we ALL hate to admit, Collingwood, seems to be the real deal this year. But you didn't hear it from me.

Noble rot: Out to a fancy expensive dinner with the MILF on tuesday, we downed a bottle from New Zealand. I don't remember the name, so I guess that's not very helpful. But it was good, and fairly inexpensive.

Beer count - I'm not keeping count... about 2 each day...

Wild Weekend

2006-05-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

wild times

Sox Update: A Crosstown series for the ages that truly was classic.
--Friday, the Sox take advantage of a bad outing from Maddux and win 6-1. Thome homers. Konerko goes 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Two-hitter complete game for Buehrle.
--Saturday was unforgettable. The sucker punch from Barrett to AJ and the ensuing brawl dominated the news, but it was Iguchi's 2 homers and 6 RBIs that was the real story. That and a strong outing for Garcia.
--Sunday, it appeared the sweep was in order. the Sox broke out the cool 1906 home unis. I can't second guess Ozzie's decision to take Contreras out of the game in the 8th - coming back from injury, having thrown nearly 100 pitches, there was no reason that with one out and a lefty coming to bat, that Cotts couldn't shut the door. We know what happened after that. What should've been a double play wasn't and the flood gates opened. Uribe's throw was wide right to first, but it looked to me like Konerko should've had it. Sox lose. Still, 2 out 3 ain't bad.

Frank Thomas, arguably the best player in Sox history, makes his homecoming to the southside tonight, in the uni of the Oakland A's. The fans will cheer, not boo!

The next 5 weeks are the real meat of the season for the Sox - not a pushover on the schedule until they travel to Pittsburgh at the end of June. Check it out:
--home vs Oakland (3)
--road vs Toronto (3) and Cleveland (4)
--back home vs Texas (3), Detroit (3) and Cleveland (3)
--(4) at Texas, (3) at Cincinnati
--(3) vs St. Louis at home, and a World Series rematch vs Houston (3) at home.

It will be real interesting to see how these games play out.

So sad about Barbaro. It was a tough piece of video to watch.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

System issues. I'll have to try to update later in the week.

Baseball phrase of the day: lumber man n. a player who is primarily a hitter.

Beer count: I lost count. Just 2 on friday. Three on saturday (the aforementioned Yuenglings), and at least a few more on sunday. What's a beer lover to do?

I've been carrying around some Balzac in my bag for more than a week, but just can't bring muself to read anything these days.

The MILF gave me some good, close, very passionate and intimate lovin on sunday night. I need more of that!

Yuengling

2006-05-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

Since 1829

Ever heard of this beer?

About 2 years back, there was a great article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal discussing Pennsylvania's ancient liquor laws and their effect on the dynamics of the local beer industry. Apparently, these laws were created many years ago to allow local brewers to retain a disproportionate market share, at least when measured against other states. For example, in every other state in the USA, Bud and Miller control about 90% of the beer market. The other 10% would be a mix of imports (mostly Corona), major micros (like Sam Adams), and local micros (like Great Lakes, in Ohio). But in PA, the law has created a different sort of pie, a large slice (to the tune of about 25% if I recall the article correctly) of which is controled by Yuengling. Similiar sized market shares are held by both Bud and Miller, with the other 25% being the aforementioned mix, albeit it with more of a local twist. But to have a 3rd brewer dominate a large local market is unique - unheard of really - ... and in the minds of Bud and Miller, a bad thing, since they want their greedy hands on what thy feel is their divine right to those market shares.

So, ever since I read that article, and as a huge beer drinker, I wanted to taste what all the fuss was about. On saturday, I acquired an entire case of Yuengling Lager, not an easy feat since the beer is sold only in about 10 states, all of which lie far to the east. My conclusion is that it is good cheap beer (about $15 a case). Its got some flavor and taste, much more so than Miller or Bud. I drank 3 while watching the Cub-Sox game- not a real Chicago thing to do (guess I should've been drinking Old Style, or at least my Special Ex).

I hope Yuengling keeps up the good fight!

HNT #18

2006-05-19T05:07:00.000-07:00

HNT #18

A day late... but better late than never.

An update to follow. Today. I promise.

Just

2006-05-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

hip

blah.

My posts are turning into weekly affairs. Sorry bout that. I'll try to be more regular.

Sox Update: The Sox go into the Suncoast Dome and lose 2 of 3 to a tough Devil Rays team. On tuesday, niether McCarthy nor Logan had it together. I'm wondering if it isn't time for ol' Boone to begin looking for an apartment in Birmingham. sPod had 3 SB, bringing him to 14 on the year. Win on wednesday behind Dye who was 3 for 3 with a homer. Despite being hit on the hand, Garland pitched just well enough to get the win. On thursday, Vazquez was missing his marks in the losing effort. Iguchi and Dye homer.

In case no one noticed, AJ is close to breaking Rick Cerone's ML record for errorless games by a catcher.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA):
--5/13 Owens 3 for 5; Fields HR
--5/14 Fields 5 for 5 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs
--5/15 Haeger gets back at it - no runs and 6 K, just 4 hits in 6 IP. He did walk 6...
--5/16 Phillips pitches 8 scoreless innings
--5/17 Young 4 for 5; Rogo HR, 3 RBIs; Randolph 6 IP 7 Ks just 3 ER.

Birmingham (AA):
--5/14 Schnurstetin 2-4, HR 3 RBIs
--5/15 Nanita HR, 3 RBIs; Schnurstein struck out 4 times
--5/17 Broadway has his poorest outing of the season - 7 ER and no Ks in 4 IP

Winston-Salem (High A):
--nothing to report. Seriously, its been a boring 5 days for the Hog.

Kannapolis (Low A):
--5/15 no errors in a 3-2 loss
--5/16 no errors in a 4-2 win. Hollis 2-4, 2 RBIs; Roberts HR
--5/17 old habits die hard - 3 errors in a 8-0 loss. But don't blame the D in this one. Sabo yields 4 ER on 5 hits and 2 walks in just 1/3rd of an inning pitched.

Baseball phrase of the day: bases drunk n.adj. bases loaded

Music: my new kitchen radio is constantly tuned to the jazz on WDCB. I hope those NPR fucks at WBEZ fall off the pier.

Old Tyme Movie Review: Hostel (2005). Really scary. Gruesome. And lots of sexy Euro-nudity.

Noble Rot: Vhino (or is it vino?) Verde. A light sparking wine from Northern Portugal that is best served chilled, and at its finest when drunk young, outside on a sunny summer day. And since its low in alcohol, you can have more than a few glasses. Pairs well with lighter dishes, noshes, seafood and most pasta.

Beer count: monday, tuesday and wednesday, one each day. Two on thursday.

Softball this week on the muddy fields of Grant Park. It was fun and we won. I went 2 for 3 with a run scored, but who's counting? I made some great, albeit it, lucky plays at third. I must be the world's only left-handed thirdbaseman. Another game tonight. One that I will probably have to miss due to a family comittment. One game next week, then two the week after that. Can't wait to get the cool unis for both squads.

With the Chicago Derby, known more famously as the Crosstown Classic, coming up this weekend, I thought it might be a good time to revisit my beer nuts recipe:

12 oz. beer (I use Special Export or Old Style)
1/3rd of cup of coarse (Kosher) salt
12 oz SHELLED, raw (unsalted, unroasted) peanuts

--Combine the beer, salt and 1 cup of water in medium sized pot.
--Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
--Remove pan from heat and add peanuts.
--Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
--Drain.
--Heat oven to 325 degrees.
--Spread nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.
--Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once
--Turn oven off, leave nuts in the oven for 3 hours.
--Store overnight.

2006-05-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

Technical difficulities. Please stand by...

Laying in bed on a rainy sunday

2006-05-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Coffee, a chocolate crossiant and the sunday paper would complete this picture

Something I wish I could do...

I'm finally beyond the bug, and ready to play some catch up on the blog.

Sox Update: There has not been much to write about during these first two games up in Minnesota, the Sox having dropped both and being outscored 18-5. On friday, Ozuna was the lone offensive highlight, going 2 for 4. Garland got shelled. Saturday, sPods continued on the road to .300, going 2 for 5 (he's now at .273). AJ was 3 for 4. Vazquez's ugly line (7 ER in 5 2/3rds IP) is particularly disturbing to me because I've got him on my fantasy team.

At 23-12, the Sox cling to a half game lead over the Tigers.

Tonight's contest at the rollerdome is the ESPN sunday night game. this season, I don't think they still have that local music/baseball feature on this program. Too bad, tonight might have been Westerberg.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

My last post on the Sox minor league system being all the way back on May 5th, I'm going to do a weekly round-up:

Charlotte (AAA):
--on May 6th, in the first half of a DH, Rogo homered; Phillips got 6K in 6 IP. In the nightcap, Randolph - 5 IP, 5 Ks, 5 walks.
--5/8, Velandia and Gonzalez each struck out 3 times; Redding 7 IP, 5 Ks, 5 BB, 2 ER
--5/9, Blakely struck out 4 times; Tracey 6 2/3rds IP, 6 Ks
--5/11, Velandia hit a grand slam; Blakely and Fields each homered
--5/12, Fields and Young homer; Stewart 2 for 3, 2 RBIs.

Birmingham (AA):
--5/6, Rodriguez gets roughed up 11 ER in just over 5 IP
--5/7 Sasser 2 for 3, HR, 3 RBIs, Collaro 2 for 4; Liotta 4 IP 7 ER; Tucker 2 IP, 6 ER
--5/8, Smith stuck out 4 times; Broadway pitched a sweet complete game shutout, allowing just 4 hits with no walks and 7 Ks.
--5/9, Collaro 2 for 4, HR; Lumsden 5 2/3rds IP, 6 ER, gave up 4 homers.
--5/10, Myers, Smith Schnurstein, Collaro and Molina gets 2 hits each; Malone 5 IP, 6 K, 2 ER.
--5/11, Smith 2 for 3, HR; Rodriguez has another poor outing - 6 IP, 3 ER.
--5/12, Liotta pitched well enough to win - 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 Ks - but gets the loss.
--5/13, Smith walked 3 times, Amador struck out 4 times. Another great outing for Broadway - 6 IP, no runs (though he did yield 7 hits), 5 Ks, 3 walks.

Winston- Salem (High A):
--5/6, Torres 5 IP, 9 Ks.
--5/9 Hernandez 4 Ks in 2 IP of relief.
--5/10 Hansen 2 for 2 with 2 walks; Egbert 7 IP, 10 Ks.
--5/12, Torres 2 IP, 6 ER, 5 walks.
--5/13, Hansen 3 for 4, HR

Kannapolis (Low A):
--5/5, they had 5 errors, but had 14 innings in which to do it. Still won 8-5. Perez 5 K in 3 IP.
--5/6, just 1 E in a 12-7 loss. Ricks 2 for 4, HR, 4 RBIs; Rote 5 IP, 9 ER.
--5/7, no E in 5-3 loss.
--5/8, 3 E in a 10-1 loss.
--5/9, 0 E in a 3-2 win.
--5/10, despite 2 E won 7-3. Orlando and Roberts were each 3 for 5. Sanchez homered.
--5/11, 4 E in a 16-2 beating. Rote 3 ER in 4 IP, 5 K, 3 walks.
--5/12, 3 E in an 8-3 loss. Hernandez 3 for 3.
--5/13, 1 E in 6-3 loss. Cortes 6 IP, 4 ER, 6 Ks.
SEASON ERROR TOTAL: I count 70 in 36 games, with 2B Whealy leading the way - 11 in 21 games.

Baseball phrease of the day: bill n. a game in the schedule.

Music: In an effort to combat the seemingly endless rainy season here on the South side, I've let Martin Denny's Quiet Village/Enchanted Sea take me away to a paradise in the South Pacific. Also been giving that new Death Cab For Cutie a listen. Not too bad...

Olde Tyme Movie review: The Times of Harvey Milk (1984). An Oscar-winning documentary, I saw this fine film for the first in a film class in college back in about 1989. I was surprised Netflix had it and wanted to see it again. After all this time, even as a very straight male, it still had an impact on me. What a story. Apparently another Milk movie is in the works, set for a 2007 release. Also, if you're in the market for the best folk song ever written on Harvey Milk (there have been several) for my money, the best one, by far, is Steve Zarate 's 'The Ballad of Harvey Milk.' Try to steal it, however, as the album its on, 'Homecoming' is horrible.

Beer count - hard to believe, but I haven't had a drink in a week. Having a horrid stomach virus will do that to ya. Not sure when I'll get back to it. Maybe tonight. I honestly I cannot remember the last time I went a whole week without at least one beer.

I had to put my conditioning program on hold all of last week. I'm back at it on monday. I also have at least two softball games next week, though from a sunday point-of-view, it looks like my game on tuesday might be rained out.

I know what I'm going to give the MILF for mother's day... the usual deep tissue massage, chocolate, and some alkiehall. Hopefully that will lead to a little lovin. Lord knows, I needs it.

HNT #17

2006-05-11T03:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, God!!!!

Sox Update: Haeger definately did not have the knuckler working on wednesday night- 4 1/3rd IP, 5 ER, 5 walks, just 2 Ks. This is why I hate knuckleballers - its either feast or famine, either they got it goin on, or they get shelled. Every time they go out there its like Forrest Gump's box o' chocolates - 'you never know what you gonna git.' On the offensive side, Anderson did hit a key homer. Well, it was key at the time. A 12-5 loss, but the Sox cling to a 2/12 game lead over the Tigers.

Minor league update and other features will have to wait for another day. I have to get back on the job.

Softball started last week, and I had a good game. Looks like tonight's game will be a wash out.

Enhancements

2006-05-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

real?

You'll notice a few enhancements to this blog.

First and foremost, I encourage you to click on the link at right for some 'cool music while you read.'

I've also added some links, the best of which is, I think, the hilarious blog from Jack Keefe.

More to come...

Vintage Mats Videos

2006-05-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Just found this link to some super rare vintage Replacements videos on YouTube.

Check out the high-quality stuff from the 7th Street Entry circa 1981. Tommy looks fresh outta junior high. They also look surprisingly sober.

To see how far they've slid, or how much they've grown, check out these audio files I picked up off Stosh's blog (which he lifted from Jim Rome):

Interview with Tommy Part 1

"Message To the Boys"

Interview with Tommy Part 2

The best and saddest part of this is when Tommy talks about what a good time the 80s were to be young and stupid and how lucky they all were to survive it, "oh, except for my brother Bob (Stinson, the band's original guitarist who died of an overdose)".

Then, Tommy goes on to talk about the NBA playoffs.

Sad. Sad. Sad.

You can also hear a sample of the 'new' Westererg, I mean, Replacements, song, 'Pool & Dive' here.

One thing you can also do at the Rhino records site is watch the great amazing hilarious video from 1986 for 'Bastards of Young'. Hands down, best most artistic video ever. Don't miss it.

Tavern review: Venice Cafe

2006-05-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Halloween at Venice, a few years back

Its been far too long since I've done a tavern review, so here is one I've been saving.

Venice Cafe, across the street for the Sears Tower, at 250 South Wacker, isn't technically on the south side, its in the Loop. Its also more a restaurant than a traditional tavern. But for the past 8 years, its been one of my favorite spots. Often, when I have pals in from out of town, I suggest Venice.

Sadly, it appears that the original location on Wacker will be closing its doors for good on May 12th, and moving into the Sears Tower, level one. It just won't be the same.

Venice is a lunch-only spot, and its not open on the weekends. Lunch begins early (about 10:30 for the traders) and served only til about 2. serving pasta, pizza (both Chicago and NY style), calzones, and some great daily specials. The soups are notably good and are served with a great homade onion roll (you get the roll with the pasta, too).

The place comes alive after 5, when cheap beers and very powerful mixed drinks are available in the bar. Its a popular after-work spot, due not only to the cheap beers and potent mixed drinks, but also the FREE PIZZA. Yes, FREE! And on fridays, they have nearly a dozen varieties. I've also seen them give away free wings and bruchetta.

The waitresses are hot. And by hot, I mean Playboy model hot. So, tip well.

They have a new location at 500 West Monroe where they apparently serve breakfast.

Tonight, Tonight

2006-05-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Knucklerballer Charlie Haeger gets the call-up from Charlotte and will start tonight's game against the defending AL West Champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Haeger's stats this season has been impressive - in 6 games started, 40 IP, he's 3-0, striking out 31, walking 20, and allowing just 3 ER.

So Jose Contreras, and his recent multi-gajillion contract, go on the 15-day DL with "an irritation of the sciatic nerve causing pain in his right hamstring."

If this injury to the Sox current ace goes longer than a week or so, look for McCarthy to step in...

Infected

2006-05-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

In my preperation for the coming Bush-created bird flu pandemic, I've been conducting my own, non-voluntary test of a stomach virus, which has knocked me on my ass.

So, please stand by, and I'll be back in a few days...maybe.

Watch this space

2006-05-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Busy all weekend - update coming soon.

Ready or not

2006-05-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

lil anime fer ya

...here comes the weekend.. and its a big one for me. More on that later.

Sox Update: Contreras gets the win in a 4-1 rout of the Mariners. He's now 16-2 since the All-Star Game last year. Estaban who? Iguchi had 3 hits, Thome homered and drove in 3. Sox are now 11-3 at home, and maintain just a game and half lead over the Tigers.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): wednesday was an off day. Thursday, the Knights extended their winning streak to 9 (and 15 of 16), when Hager had the knuckler goin on and beat Louisville, 8-3. Haeger struck out 8 in 5 IP and gets the win. Fields and Rogo had 3 hits apiece, including a homer each. Sweeney also homered.

Birmingham (AA): Wednesday, the Barons lost 5-4 to Jville in 10. Smith homered. Broadway gave up 2 ER and 3 walks in 4 and 2/3rd IP. He struck out 4. The Barons bounce back on thursday with a 7-6 win over Jville. Smith was 3 for 3. Lumsden is just good enough to get the win.

Winston-Salem (High A): wednesday was a 6-4 Hog victory over the Keys of Fredrick. Hansen hit a grand slam. Day struck out 6 in 3 IP of relief. Thursday was a 5-2 loss to those same Keys from Fredrick. De Los Santos had 3 hits. Smith homered. Welker struck out all 3 times to the plate. Egbert gives up 5 ER in 5 2/3rds IP, striking out 5.

Kannapolis (very low A): Wednesday not even 2 Intimidator error can stop the offensive assulat, and itts a rare Kannapolis win, 6-2. Acosta goes 3 for 4. Roberts and Allen homer. The Intimidators also comitted 2 errors on thursday, this time losing 8-6 to Savannah. Orlando and Whealy homer. N. Rodriguez lost this one, giving up 5 ER in the 1st inning before being yanked.

Baseball phrase of the day: dope book n. a book containing baseball records and statistics.

Beer count: Wednesday - 4 (I was at the game), thursday -1.

Sticking to the workout program, though I am skipping lifting friday. I'll do saturday instead.

I just can't bear to pick up Walden and read it on the train. I opt for sleep instead. I've heard a few people say that Life of Pi is good. I dunno. I just don't feel like reading much these days.

HNT #16

2006-05-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

HNT #16

Twilight on the South Side

2006-05-04T04:15:00.000-07:00

I wish I had walked out to this ramp a few minutes earlier to take a shot of the sunset.

Mies Impact

2006-05-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

Say 'Mies'

Mies van der Rohe's most famous work - and argueably the 20th century's most influentuial architecture- on the campus of IIT is just 3 blocks east of Sox Park. These windows in the upper deck represent the impact his work had on structure.

Attention to detail

2006-05-04T04:06:00.000-07:00

old logos and attention to detail are everywhere

Commerating the Sox of the 1940s?

2006-05-04T04:05:00.001-07:00

Wall mural near Section 516.

These are scattered throughout the upper deck and cover the Sox entire history. Very nicely done.

Still a good view

2006-05-04T04:05:00.000-07:00

a bit further away

The view from Section 520

2006-05-04T04:04:00.000-07:00

Crede at the bat

Pablo's Day

2006-05-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

one for the ages

I guess I picked a good game to go to... as many of you know from reading this blog over the past few years, my favorite Sox player is jack-of-all trades utility Dominican, Pablo Ozuna. On wednesday night, the 31-year old Ozuna showed why he is such a valuable player - in the bottom of the 9th, with two outs, he hit his first ever major league homer to tie the game. Then in the 11th, he stretched a sure single into a double and scored when the next batter, Uribe, got a hit. The Sox take one that was definately lost and turn it into the most exciting win of the season.

More on the game later, including pictures from yours truly. But its late and I must rest.

Splitting two

2006-05-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

Are those for me?

In 2005, I was only able to make it out to Sox Park twice. I'll only go if I don't have to pay (much) for tickets. I've already got plans in the works to double that figure this season, consistent with my miserly ways. Its my way of sticking it to the man. That man being Reinsdorf. Anyways, my first trip out there is Wednesday night vs Seattle. Look for the 'Southside Adventures' pre-game gathering at Cal's, followed by an in-game party at the Bullpen Bar. Watch this space for pictures (maybe) later in the week.

Sox Update: The Sox split a 2-game series against the Native Americans at the Jake in Cleveburg. I watched most of monday's game, and thought Vazquez pitched pretty well. Not sure what was wrong with McCarthy. But the day belonged to sPods, who was 4 for 5 with 3 runs and 4 stolen bases (tying a franchise record, no small feat for a 100-year old club). He's still batting just .263, but he's been hot lately. Konerko homered and drove in 3. Ozuna even got in the act with a SB. Thome's had an RBI in his homecoming. Jenks held it together, barely, at the end...

Tuesday afternoon it appeared the Sox may have spent a few hours too many in the Flats on monday night, losing badly, 7-1.. and it wasn't that close. Buehrle imploded in the 1st and it was downhill from there. I didn't see it, but it sounds like Widger got hurt pretty bad (head injuries are never good). Dye's sore calf acted up again and he had to be pulled i nthe 3rd. Beyond that, there was some good news - Crede was 3 for 5, Mack 2 for 4. And Logan struck out 5 in just over 2 IP.

The Sox are still 18-8, a half game in front of Detroit, who are, surprisingly, the 2nd best team in the AL right now, though you wouldn't know it from reading the NY Times, Sports Illustrated or the Wall Street Journal, or watching ESPN. If their east coast media bias is any indication, the Red Sox and Yankees are still tops. I say FUCK 'EM!

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): Monday, beat Buffalo 6-2. Young homers. Redding goes the distance and earns the win. Tuesday the Knight extend their win streak to 8 with a 4-0 win over Buffalo. In 7IP, Tracey strikes out 6 and gives up just 1 hit. Charlotte has now won 15 of their last 17.

Birmingham (AA): Monday was an off day. Tuesday, beat Jville 3-1. Getz had an RBI, Collaro was 0 for 2.

Winston-Salem (High A): Monday was a 7-4 win vs Fredrick. Cook homered. Moat gets the win, pitching 5 scoreless innings and striking out 4. Tuesday lost to Fredrick 5-4. Kelly hit a 3-run homer.

Kannapolis (Low A... and falling): The result from Sunday is finally in, and as usual, it ain't pretty - the Intimidators commit 2 errors in a 7-5 loss to Charleston. Those two errors were the difference, however, as five Kannapolis pitchers yield 5 ER. Roberts was 2 for 4 with 2 doubles. Monday, just one error in an uneventful, but now expected, 1-0 loss. Tuesday 2 more errors lead to 2 more unearned runs, and the Intimidators lose 3-2 in 12. Ricks was 3 for 5 with a double, but also had one of the two errors. In 6 IP D. Rodriguez struck out 10 and gave up just 3 hits.

Baseball phrase of the day: teaser n. an especially deceptive pitcher.

Noble Rot: a lot of people make fun of the fact that I like jug wine. To some (OK, most) it tastes like lighter fluid. To me, its a good cheap way of getting my daily does of grape juice. My favorite 'gallono' vintage is Carlo Rossi's Paisano. Its a light red that goes well with everything from pasta to chocolate. I like to drink mine slightly chilled, and drop an ince cube in the glass to take that 'edge' off... just $8 a gallon at the local outlets....

Beer count; monday - 2, tuesday - 2.

I was still too tired from sanding drywall to work out on monday, and my ass dragged all day. I ran a mile or so on tuesday morning. I have to get it together, softball begins this friday under the glare of the suburban ball field lights.

The last full weekend in April

2006-04-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

Photo stolen from Francis Specker/AP

Sox Update: Pablo Ozuna (#38 in the picture above) shows some spirit on the base paths and caps the Sox 3-game sweep in the Tragic Kingdom of the Los Angeles County Angels Baseball Club of Anaheim, California Angels. Friday was a nice 8-5 win. Dye homers and Iguchi goes 3 for 5. Garcia is just good enough to squeak out his 4th win of the season. Saturday AJ gets plunked in an exciting 2-1 Sox win. Contreras was nearly untouchable again and is now 4-0. Thome homered. Sunday it was Ozuna pinch running around the bases to score the come-from-behind winning run in a 6-5 victory. Crede was 3 for 3, Garland gives up 5 ER in 7 IP.

One injury note - Dye left the game both saturday (blood blister) and sunday (sore calf). Keep an eye on this....

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): the Knights are on a nice little 6-game win streak. Wednesday a 12-5 win over Ottawa. Gonzales goes 4 for 6, Rogo gets 3 hits and drives in 3. Thursday beat Ottawa 4-2. Rivera homers. Sean Tracey is not convincing in the win (5 IP, 5 walks, 3 Ks 2 ER). Friday beat Ottawa again. Hager gets the win, but walked 5. Hummel struck 4 times. Saturday was a 13-10 win against Buffalo. Hummel and Sweeney homer. Sunday the Knight won 14-8 at Buffalo. Fields had 4 hits and 5 RBIs. Randolph did not have a good outing (3 1/3 rd IP, 6 ER, 7 walks).

Birmingham (AA): Wednesday lost 8-3 to Montgomery. It wasn't Liotta's fault ( 6IP, 3 hits, 0 ER)... the relief blew it - West and Pollack combine to give up 8 ER in just 2 IP. Thursday was a 1-0 win over Montgomery as Broadway throws 6 scoreless innings. Friday the Baron defeat Montgomery 7-1. Molina drives in 4 and Lumsden gets the win. Saturday beat Montgomery 9-6. Collaro goes 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Sasser homers. Sunday they lost 8-4 to Montgomery. Smith homers.

Winston-Salem (High A): Wednesday rained out. Thursday beat Fredrick 19-2. Kelly gets 4 hits and 4 RBIs. Allen also collected 4 RBIs. Friday was an uneventful 3-2 loss to Wilmington. Saturday lost 4-3 to Wilmington in 12. Egbert struck out 7 in 7 IP. Sunday Whister is at it again, and gives up 6 ER and 5 walks in just 6 IP, leading the Hog to a 9-4 loss.

Kannapolis (Low A): I'm almost afraid to look. Wednesday 4 Intimidator errors help Greenville cruise to a 4-0 win. Thursday just 2 errors in an 8-3 loss. This time it was the pitching - D. Rodriguez gives up 7 ER in 4 IP. Friday 2 errors are responsible for 3 of the 8 runs in a shutout loss to Charleston. Saturday just one error keeps it close, 4-3, but still the same result - an Intimidator loss. N. Rodriguez strikes out 7 in 6 IP. Sunday vs Charleston, game data not available.

Baseball phrase of the day: pace n. The rate of speed at which at pitcher works.

Beer count: Friday -2 beers. Saturday - 2 beers. Sunday - 1 red wine, 1 beer.

I started in on Walden this week. We'll see how long that lasts....

Taken

2006-04-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

poked

Its been a long time since I wrote about any encounters with the MILF. The sex has been great, but not as frequesnt as I would like - I prefer twice a day, she seems fine with twice a month. I've become OK with that, as I've learned that if she's not into it, the sex is just not real good. But when she's into it, like she was friday night...

It started with her stripping down and slinking into bed. I lit candels and got out the oils and gave her a long, intense, deep-tissue massage. She was so relaxed, so ready to be taken... all I needed to do was raise her hips up just a few inches and slid in from behind. That's probably one of our favorite positions - her face down on the bed, me on top... it was slow and sensual and very sexy. I was kissing her back, sucking her neck and ear lobes, massaging her shoulders, running my fingers down the length of her spine. Afterwards we collapsed together in a heaping pile of used, warm flesh.

Bittersweet Blues

2006-04-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Cary Hudson

My main man Cary Hudson has a new album out on Black Dog Records called 'Bittersweet Blues'. The former Blue Mountain front man has two other fine solo records under his belt, The Phoenix and Cool Breeze. Plus all those great Blue Mountain songs he did with his ex-wife Laurie Stirrat (twin sister of Wilco bassist John Stirrat).

You can check out some samples of each of the tunes here. I think both 'Passin By' and 'Shoofly Blues' are among his best tunes. And 'Just Stuff' is the most profound song I've yet heard on the whole Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Cary is a joy to see live, so I hope he makes it back up this way soon. Fitzgerald's maybe?

On a milk carton

2006-04-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

fix that crack

I apologize, I've been MIA all weekend. Its late and don't feel much like writing. Sanding drywall all day will do that to ya.

I'm still tearing apart the Sunday Trib. Looks like the 'Books' section has a piece on James Farrell and the Sox. I read the great article on Chicago-style 16-inch softball. For anyone else in the rest of the nation who doesn't know what that is, you are missing out. For the past 15 years or so, I've played 12, but the day will come that 16 returns into my life.

Speaking of softball, my season begins next week. Good thing I've been training. Speaking of which, I didn't do much of last week. I managed to lift weights on wednesday and friday and that was it. Back on that horse this week!

Speaking of this week, I have to leave for work VERY early tomorrow to avoid the overcrowding on the trains and in the Loop for the May Day Immigration rally. Officials expect maybe half a million or so to march right past my building. Great. Maybe the rain will reduce those numbers.

I'm in the market for a new mountain bike. My ol' Trek 830 Antelpoe, which I bought just after I got out of college and moved into my first real apratment in Wrigleyville in 1992, has long since had it. I still ride it to and from the train, but it has no brakes, rarely shifts gears and has had the rust so painted over as to be unrecoginzable. Last year, I had my heart set on a North Face Namotu. But Dick's sold out of them. So I looked at Iron Horse, but can't find them anywhere. I've finally settled (I guess), on a Gary Fisher Tarpon. I've always wanted a Fisher, and while this will bust my budget of $200 (the bike will be $300), I think it will be worth it, at least if my usage of the old Trek is any indication - I rode that thing all over the Lakefront in the early 90s (which is fun maybe twice), used it to commute to and from 2 suburban jobs (16 miles a day) back in 1994, a great trip to West Virgina in 1998, and all those memorable years at Waterfall Glen and Palos. So long, old pal... but I'm looking forward to the exciting work of front suspension!

HNT #15

2006-04-28T03:55:00.000-07:00

What a good year for the roses.

Off day ramblings

2006-04-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

The old University el stop on the Green line (circa 1985), at E. 63rd Street

Playing around the web, I came across this great site about the el. There is a lot of cool info on here about abandon lines and stations, like the old Paulina Connector (coming back this year as a part of the new Pink Line), the old Stock Yards line, and the classic Mannheim/22nd Street Station. I'm not much of a rail buff, but I do dig Chicago's extansive public transportation system.

Picked up my tickets for my first Sox game of the season - next Wednesday night May 3rd vs Seattle. the tickets are for the upper deck, but look for me at the Southside Adventures party in the Bullpen Bar.

Two Days

2006-04-26T03:40:00.000-07:00

looooong legs

I always seem to fall behind then have to scramble to update... this blog is more trouble than its worth I tell ya!

Sox Update: monday, the Sox tried hard, as Anderson homered in the 9th, but it wasn't quite enough and the Sox lose in extra innings, 4-3. Had they won, it would've been their longest winning streak since the South Side Hit Men had one that long back in the summer of 1977. Ozuna got in the game at leadoff and went 2 for 4. Tuesday night was a barrage of hits, as the Sox beat the Mariner 13-3. Crede, Konerko, and Dye homer (Dye had 2). Iguchi drove in 4, and sPods had 3 hits and stole his 4th base of the year. Vazquez and Logan combine for the win, striking out just 3 between them.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): monday, lost to the Durham Bulls, of 'Bull Durham' fame, 5-3. Phillips pitched well - 8Ks and just 1 ER in 8 IP. Tuesday the Knight beat Ottawa 4-1. Rogo had 3 hits. Randolph struck out 5 in 4 and 2/3rd IP, but also walked 6.

Birmingham (AA): The Barons announced that the annual Rickwood Classic is June 22nd. Get your tickets now! Monday, despite Smith's 2 homers and 4 RBIs, they still lost to Jville, 9-4. Collaro was 0 for 4. Malone gave up 7 ER in just over 4 IP. It was a different story on tuesday, as the Baron beat Jville 7-2. Molina homered. Collaro was 1 for 3. Rodriguez and Lamura each struck out 5.

Winston-Salem (High A): A big 11-2 win over Fredrick on monday. Cook was 3 for 5 with a homer. Whisler struck out 7 in 5 IP. Tuesday the Hog lost 8-2 in a rain-shortened game. Torres gave up 5 ER in 2 IP.

Kannapolis (Low A): The Intimidators commited no errors in a 7-4 loss to Greenville on monday. Cunningham was 3 for 4 with a homer. Tuesday the Intimidators commited 3 errors, but still won, 10-8. Cunningham again got 3 hits, as did Whealy, and Sanchez. Brooks made it closeearly on, yielding 5 ER and 3 walks in just 2 IP.

Baseball phrease of the day: barrage n. a number of hits in close succession.

Beer count; monday - 2 tall boys, tuesday, just one.

My body was too worn out from the weekend of hard manual labor to workout on monday or tuesday, but I got back into some lifting on wednesday. Damn, and the working out is making me horny - I need some SEX!!!

Weekend Update

2006-04-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

talk

I've decided that because I have sooo many pictures saved up in my library, I'm going to try to publish one every day. The picture may not have anything to do with what I'm writing about, but hopefully you'll find it sexy or erotic or whatever, and it will keep ya comin back for more (hey, I'm like a drug dealer, but online, and with sexy PG-rated pictures instead of drugs!). Maybe that makes this blog more like a British 'newspaper' and their 'page 3' girls...

I'm also going to be adding some more links in the right column, so stay tuned.

Sox Update: Sox win saturday and sunday. They've now won 10 in a row and 11 of 12. They're also in first place, ahead of Detroit by a game and a half. Saturday night was a sell-out crowd. Dye goes 3 for 5 with a homer and 4 RBIs. Konerko and AJ also had 3 hits apiece. Thome homered. Garcia must have pitched well enough to win. Boone Logan couldn't find the plate. McCarthy had to come in and save him. Sunday, Crede (3 for 4) and Uribe (3 for 4, 4 RBIs) hit back-to-back homers off Silva, Anderson also homered in a 7-3 win. Contreras had the stuff again. He's now 3-0. sPods is finally starting to hit, but it might be too late....

The swing out to the west coast this week will be nice because it means I will actually get to watch some games, since they don't start til 9 pm central time.

Over on the north side, 40-year old Cub pitcher Greg Maddux is now 4-0, and off to his best start EVER. Huh? According to sunday's Chicago Tribune, it because he actually put in some serious conditioning in the off-season.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): rained out saturday. Sunday, Haeger has the knuckler going on, and the Knight beat Durham 2-1.

Birmingham (AA): saturday, Broadway pitches OK (7 IP, 2ER, 4K) but the offense supplies no run support and the Barons lose to Jville, 2-1. Sunday, Getz homers in a 6-5 losing effort to Jville. In 5 IP, Lumsden gives up 4 ER and 3 walks.

Winston-Salem (High A): Harrell and Hernandez each strike out 5, but the Hog still lose ot Wilmington, 4-2. Saturday, a late rally can't save Egbert (4IP, 3ER), and the Hog lose again, 4-3.

Kannapolis (Low A): Despite 5 (yes, FIVE) Intimidator errors, this one is a close 8-7 loss to Charleston. Allen goes 2 for 4 and homers. Saturday there were no errors commited in a 5-1 loss.

Noble Rot: another '2-buck Chuck' selection... this time the Shriaz. Just as good as most $10 bottles out there...

Beer count - friday, one. Saturday, one. Sunday, 2 glasses of wine. The weekend was just too busy for me to drink.

Last week, I made a serious effort to start working out again. I've been doing seasonal stuff like mountain biking and xcountry skiing for years, but gave up working out (and my hapkido training) about 6 years back. Well, I've made the commitment to get back into shape, as much for softball season as to work on my 37-year old body. I'm still fit and trim, just no muscles anymore and not in good shape. Last week I actually lifted 3 days and ran about a mile twice. I also spent all day saturday and sunday doing a lot of hard manual labor... I notice a difference already.

Fell asleep saturday night watching an 'SNL' repeat. Nothin speacial about Fall Out Boy. Natalie Portman, on the other hand...

Nice one

2006-04-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

very nice

Sox update: another very nice pitching performance, this time by Buehrle (8 IP, 1 ER, 6Ks) and the Sox defeat the hated Twins, 7-1. Santana was good, but didn't get any run support. Thome homered (again). Fireworks after the game tonight for all ya hillbilly mutherfuckers...

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): On thursday, the Knight beat Toledo 5-4. Rivera homered. Friday they won again. Lopez was 3 for 3 with a homer. Young also homered. Redding gave up 2 ER in 6 IP, but struck out 6.

Birmingham (AA): Thursday, the Barons lost to Tenn 2-1. Getz was 3 for 4. Collaro was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Friday was a 4-3 loss to Jville. Quinn homered Liotta 3 ER and 5 walks in 5 IP, striking out 3.

Winston-Salem (High A): I don't feel like writing about them, so I won't... let's move on.

Kannapolis (Low A): Thursday guess what happened? The Intimidators commit no errors and beat Charleston 9-3. Hernandez homers and drives in 4. Castillo homered, while going 3 for 5 and driving in 3. The pitching was there again, too, as Brooks, Ricce and Perez combine to strikeout 16. Friday, the Intimidators really let us know who they are; they commit 3 errors and lose to Charleston, 6-3. Welker was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs.

Front page artcile in friday's Wall Street Journal on the 2-year Dan Ryan Expressway construction project. I hope I don't have to drive anytime soon. What can you do? You take the Skyway...

Big ol jet airliner

2006-04-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

long time comin

Off day for the Sox... a good day to break out one of the posts I've been savin up for a while.

I missed it entirely, but this past October, one of the great musical sprirts of our time, Paul Pena, passed away. Paul is not a household name, and for most of his career was an obscure musical footnote even for music geeks like myself. He was known - if he's was known at all - for writing a song that became one of the biggest hits of the 1970s - Steve Miller's 'Jet Airliner'. In recent years, he gained some fame as the subject of the Belac brothers award winning documentary Genghis Blues, which follows Pena as he travels to Tuva to compete in a national throat singing contest. It's a challenge not only because Tuva (near Mongolia) is a land that time forgot, but also that Pena is blind (and sick). But the movie is tribute to his strong personality and all things that the human spirit may overcome. I don't think I'm going to listen to any Tuvan throat singing any time soon, but its still a flick worth checking out.

Anyways, the other day, buying birthday gifts for the MILF on amazon, I stumbled across Pena's long lost album "New Train', recorded in 1972, but not released until 2000. The record company executive that kept this gem on the shelf for 28 years deserves to be drawn and quartered. Among the gems on this lost masterpiece are the title cut, the original souful version of 'Jet Airliner' (the one that Miller heard, then recorded and tunred into a million-selling mega-hit), and 'Gonna Move', a staple for a lot of soul bands that, I swear, if you can't get a groove goin to this tune, you have no fucking soul.

Do yourself a favor and buy this record!

HNT #14

2006-04-20T04:03:00.000-07:00

HNT #14

Sox Upate: Behind another amazing pitching performance, this time by Vazquez, the Sox beat KC 4-0 and move back into first place in the AL Central. sPods went 2 for 4 and has pushed his average above .200.

Minnesota in town this weekend, which means a free lunch for EasyW, courtsey of the Twins, on friday.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): A 7-run 3rd caps a 12-4 win vs the Medhun. Owens homered and drove in 4. Philips stuck out 5 in 6 IP.

Birmingham (AA): BEat Tenn 4-0. Getz was 3 for 4. Collaro was 0 for 4, but at least he didn't strike out.

Winston-Salem (High A): The Hog lose uneventfully, 2-1.

Kannapolis (Low A): Thankfully, wednesday was an off-day. Hope they took some fielding practice.

Baseball phrase of the day: beachead n. a batter who reaches first base to start an inning.

Old Tyme Movie Review: El Callejon de los Milagros (1995). Spanish with English subtitles. A young Salma Hayak in an interesting drama on the lives of some people in the neighborhood, at a crossroad, lookin fer love.

Noble Rot: picked up a bottle of Charles Shaw (aka 'two-buck Chuck') Savignon blanc at Trader Joe's over the weekend. Very drinkable for the price. Certainly a better value than any Pinot Grigio out there.

Beer count - wednesday - 2. Thursday - 2 glasses of wine with dinner...

I finally got my settlement in the class action lawsuit against Apple re: the iPod battery life. Spent the $50 store credit on some JVC headphones and lil Sony speakers. Cary Hudson never sounded so good!

Just another day

2006-04-19T02:58:00.000-07:00

Sox Update: With the 4-1 win over KC, sox have now won 8 of 9. Garland ptiched well and sPods is finally beginning to hit the ball and get on base. Thome scored another run.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): This is a different Knight team than last year; 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th beat the Toldeo Mudhens 4-3. Last year, they would've lost by 10. Field and Matos each get 2 hits. Blakely strikes out 3 times. Velandia and Lopez each homer. Haeger must have had the knuckler working - 8 K in 8 IP, 0 ER.

Birmingham( AA): Similiar to the Knight game, a run in the bottom of the 9th and the Barons beat Tenn 4-3. Quinn goes 3 for 5. Collaro goes 1 for 5 but also struck out twice. Lumsden strikes out 6 in 5 IP, walking 3 and giving up 2 ER.

Winston-Salem (High A): The Hog uneventfully 5-3 to Myrtle Beach.

Kannapolis (Low A): 2 more errors and another loss, 6-4 to Rome. This time only 5 of the 6 opponent runs were earned. Rodriguez struck out 9 in just 5 IP. Roberts was 3 for 5.

Sorry no other updates today - I am just buried in the salt mines.

Near Perfection

2006-04-18T03:35:00.000-07:00

near perfect

Sox Update: On a clear and chilly evening, Contreras gives up just one hit over 7 IP, striking out6 , and the Sox hitting comes thru for a 9-0 against KC. Konerko and Crede homer. Iguchi was 3 for 5.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): Impressive 6-4 win over Pawtucket. Owens goes 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Montero strikes out 6 in 2 and 2/3rds IP.

Birmingham (AA): Broadway strikes out 5 over 7 IP and leads the Baron to an 8-1 vs Tenn. Quinn homers and drives in 3. Collaro was 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs.

Winston-Salem (High A): lose to Myrtle Beach uneventfully, 3-2.

Kannapolis (Low A): 2 more errors pushes them closer to the all-time record for fielding ineptness in a 3-0, 13 inning loss to Rome. Those errors were the difference, again, as 5 Intimidator pitches combine to give up 0 ER and strike out 11. I count 22 errors in 2006 for the 1-10 Intimidators, now in the cellar of the South Atlantic League's Southern Division. Its going to be a long season for these guys.

Wet...sooo wet

2006-04-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

So wet

Sox update: A rain-shortened game doesn't give the pen a chance to blow this win - Sox win 6-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays and move into first place (finally!). sPods came back and went 2 for 3 with a stolen base. Dye homered again (hey, he's streaky), and Thome hit homer #7. Garcia was barely good enough to win this one. Uribe is still out with a minor injury. And Mack got the start in CF in place of the slumping rookie Anderson. Tomorrow is half price 'fight night' at the ol' ballyard vs KC. Some good seats were still available as of friday.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): Redding gets roughed up by Pawtucket, giving up 6 ER in just 5 2/3rds IP, and the Knight go on to lose, 10-3.

Birmingham (AA): the Barons lose ugly, 10-0 to Tennessee. Liotta gives up 4 ER in 3 and 2/3rd IP. Collaro sat out again- hope he's OK.

Winston-Salem (High A): Kinston scores one in the bottom of the 9th to win it, 3-2. Otherwise, uneventful.

Kannapolis (Low A): Despite committing just one error, the Intimidators still find a way to lose to Rome, 8-1.

Found this cool website on small urban living.

More bad news for music lovers. From the Arts section of sunday's Tribune, Chicago area public radio station WBEZ will shed itself of all music programming by 2007. While that does not include the pop critic show Sound Opinions, it does include all the wonderful jazz music, Blues Before Sunrise (which I first listened to in high school, 20 years ago), "Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland" (a sunday morning staple) and Afro-Pop Worldwide. I encourage anyone who has ever donated money to these idoits not to sent them another cent... EVER! Don't bother writing a letter, it won't do any good. At least WDCB is there to pick up the slack.

And on the third day

2006-04-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

..EasyW got caught up on the posts on his blog. And once again feared for his soul due to his blasphmey.

Sox Update: Friday was a wild 13-7 loss at the hands of Toronto. Crede was 4 for 4. Konerko and Dye homered. Ozuna was 3 for 5 in leadoff spot, replacing the useless sPods. The sun shone much brighter on the southside on saturday afternoon, and the Sox won 4-3 behind a good outing for Buehrle. Jenks got the save, Konerko homered and drove in all 4 runs. Hey - Dye had a stolen base!

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charoltte (AAA): Friday lost 5-4 to Pawtucket. Fields homered. Philips yielded 4 ER on 10 hits in just 5 IP. Sean Tracey struck out 4 in 2 and 1/3rd IP. Saturday was a 7-4 Knight win on a Fields homer. Lopez also homered and drove in 3.

Birmingham (AA): Friday was a 4-3 loss to Huntsville. Collaro was 1 for 1 with an RBI. Myers was 2 for 4 with a homer. Malone struck out 6 in 6 IP, giving up just one run. Tucker lost it in relief. More of the same saturday - a 6-2 loss. Nanita walked 3 times. Lamura gave up 2 ER in just over an inning on the hill. Collaro was out of line up.

Winston-Salem (High A): Friday won 8-3 vs Kinston. Kelly was 3 for 4 with 2 homers and 3 RBIs. Gomes had 2 hits and drove in 3. Torres struck out 5 in 5 IP. Saturday was an uneventful 5-0 loss for the Hog.

Kannapolis (Low A): Friday was an ugly beating for the Intimidators at the hands of Ashville, 12-1. Only one error... but that error somehow was responsible for 4 runs. I'll spare you the rest of the gory details, but some pitcher named Chris Brennan managed to walk 4 batters and give up 2 ER in just 1/3rd of inning of work. Saturday, the Intimidators were back in form, comitting 3 errors in a 10-6 loss to Rome. The 4 unearned runs being the difference. That said, Blood had two hits, including a homer and drove in 4, Castillo walked 4 times, Welker had 3 hits.

Baseball phrase of the day: taking the holiday weekend off.

Old Tyme Movie Review: Blame It On Rio (1984). A timeless classic. Michelle Johnson is stunning as the teenage daughter of Michael Caine's best friend. She seduces Caine amid the stunning back drop of the most beauitiful city on earth. Includes a young, hot, Demi Moore.

Beer count - friday - 2 (Special Ex). Saturday - 6... but it was over a 6-hour period. Two Pacificos (sans lime), a Bud Light, a Labatt's, a Samuel Adams, and a Special Ex.

Acceptable thursday

2006-04-14T03:52:00.000-07:00

Sox Update: The ball was flying all over that park in Detroit on thursday afternoon. Sox win 13-9. Thome homers and drives in 2. Iguchi homers and drives in 3. Dye had 3 RBIs. Cintron had 3 hits.. etc... it just keeps going... Not much you can say about the pitching on a day like today. Sox come home to take on Toronto tonight on the Southside, trailing the first place Indians by just a game.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): Haeger gets the win in Columbus behind an Owens homer. Velandia had 3 hits.

Birmingham (AA): The Barons win 2-0 at Huntsville on a Schnurestein homer. Collaro goes 0 fo4 but at least he didn't strike out.

Winston-Salem (High A): The Hog with a 6-4 win against Myrtle Beach. Homers from DeLos Santos, Gomes and Kelly. Smith had 3 hits.

Kannapolis (Low A): After an errorless game that produced an Intimidator win, on thursday, they committ 4 errors (AGAIN?) and lose to Ashville, 8-5. That's 17 errors in just 7 games - of which 4 are from Rodriguez, 3 from Carter. Too bad as the pitching looked fairly decent, with 15 total strikes outs spread among 4 different pitchers who only gave up 3 ER between them. But when you make 4 fucking errrors, you are going to lose games.

Baseball phrase of the day: big guns n. a team's best batters.

Beer count -2.

HNT #13

2006-04-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

HNT #13

Ah, sunshine...

Sox update: Try as he might to give it away, Jenks can't quite blow this one. Contreras pitched well - 8 IP, 1ER, 1 walk and 2 Ks. Nate Robinson also pitched well for the tigers - 7 IP with 6 K and 3 ER... those earned runs were mostly Thome, who saves the day... again... with a homer. Konerko also drove in 2.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): On tuesday, the Knight lost 6-4 to the Clippers. Redding yields 5 ER in 5 IP. Wednesday, despite a 2-hit, 3-RBI performance from Owens, they lose again, 12-6. This time its Lubisich, who gives up 7 ER in just 3 and 2/3rds IP.

Birmingham (AA): Tuesday beat Huntsville, 8-0. Homers by Amador (remember him?) and Valido (and him?). Collaro goes 1 for 5. Liotta has a strong outing; 6 IP, 4 Ks. Wednesday they win again... Collaro is 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs. Quinn goes 3 for 5 with a homer.. Molina (yes, the catcher) homers as well. All those runs were good news for Lance Broadway, who was not at his best - giving up 4 ER in 5 IP.

Winston-Salem (High A): Tueday, lost uneventfully to Myrtle Beach. Wednesday, the Hogs win 4-0 behind a 3 for 4 performance from Kelly, who had 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.

Kannapolis (Low A): On tueday, guess what? The Intimidators make NO ERRORS and beat Ashville 5-1. Hernandez was 4 for 4. Wednesday they lose 10-3, committing just one error... which had no major impact on the game. The major impact was Kannapolis pitcher Cortes, who gave up 6 ER in just 3 IP. To his credit, he also struck out 5. Santeliz followed for an inning and gave up 4 runs. By the time Chirno got in for 2 innings to strike out 4, the game was long lost... should be a recurring themem this season in the South Altantic League.

Baseball phrase of the day: ash n. the bat. (most bats are made from white ash).

Finished up Blood Horses by John Sullivan. I thought it was a wonderful book. A collection of essays, really. the best of which were about horse racing and his relationship with his father. A very good read, if you get the chance. ANd while I like horse racing, I'm not obsessed with it. I'll save that for a later day in my life.

Had a nice session with the MILF last night. Without going into too much 'high school lokcer room style boasting', it started with a massage, of which she was much in need. You can guess how it ended.

Beer count - 1

Detroit Medley

2006-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Sox Update: the Sox win in Detroit behind the bland pitching of Garcia. Will this guy ever have the stuff to win 20 games in a season? Well, he was (barely) good enough today. Sox pitchers hold Chris Shelton to just one hit. Thome, Konerko and Crede homer. McCarthy and Jenks pitch solidly in relief. Despite the losing effort, Tiger pitcher Bonderman strikes out 8.

Off day tomorrow, which is bad news for the strippers across the Canadian border in Windsor. Be on the lookout for bored millionaire professional athletes....

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Even after my big update yesterday, I'm still a day behind on this shit.

Charlotte (AAA): Beat Toledo on sunday, 7-1 on a Rogo homer. Phillips gets the win and strikes out 3 in 5 IP. Monday at Columbus, nothing to report in a 2-1 win.

Birmingham (AA): Sunday, a 3-0 loss to West Tenn. Nothing to report, oh, except that Collaro struck out 3 times (c'mon, Tom!). Malone walks 5 in 5 IP. Monday lost again to West Tenn, 3-2. Collaro was 1 for 4 with no strikeouts. Sasser, however, struck out 3 times.

Winston Salem (High A): Sunday was an off day. Monday, nothing notable in a 5-1 win over Myrtle Beach.

Kannapolis (Low A): Sunday, the Intimidators committ 2 more errors (that's 12 in 4 games for those keeping score at home) and lose again to Rome, 8-2. In just 3 and 2/3rds IP, Rote managed to give up 7 ER on 6 hits, while walking 5. Mercifully, monday is an off day (uh, PRACTICE!!!).

Baseball phrase of the day: dead red n. a fast ball.

AFL: Coming off their impressive 27-point opening game win over Sydney last week, the Essendon Bombers drop to 1-1 on the season with an 18-point loss to the Lions at Brisbane. Monfries had 5 goals, Lloyd, 4. Its a home match this sunday in the dome against the undefeated Western Bulldogs. Good seats still available.

Olde Tyme Movie review: Loverboy (1989) Patrick Dempsey over-acts his way thru this unfunny and dated 'comedy'. The only good part is the name of the pizza joint - 'Senior Pizza'.

Noble rot: a new feature this season at Southside Adventures. I'll peridocially review wine I've tasted without trying to sound too snobbish. First up is a nod to My Girl Friday, and comes from South Eastern Australia - Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2003. It was a medium-bodied, classic-style Cabernet. It's smooth, but didn't do much for me. Not to justify its price, of$10, anyways.

Beer count: Just 1 Special Export... and a glass of wine with dinner, officer.

Week One

2006-04-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

The first week of the World Champion Chicago White Sox 2006 campaign is over... and much different from 2005, the Sox find themselves in last place. Despite a good win today in KC, the Royals still managed to win 2 games vs the Southsiders. The Sox won on that strange opener last sunday to Cleveland, then dropped the next 2 games to the Indians.

Here are my observations so far for 2006:
1) Dye gets injuried. No big surprise.
2) Boone Logan, this year's 'spring training feel good phenom' has not been overly impressive in his 2 outings. He'll get more chances...
3) For Matt Thornton, see #2 above. At least he hasn't blown any games yet. Maybe coop can fix this turd.
4) sPods is 1 for 22. His OPB is .087 when, for a lead off hitter, it should be closer to .400. Keep it up, Scott - summer in Charlotte is nice... or maybe you prefer Kansas City?
5) I don't care that Thome has struck out 8 times, cause he's hit 5 homers.
6) Pablo Ozuna is my favorite player, so I was disappointed to see his wind-induced error cost the Sox a game in KC.
7) Harold Baines caoching first base - welcome back #3!

The Sox head to Detroit to take on the red hot - SMOKIN - Tigers. While I've been a big fan of the play of this team since last year, I especially like Curtis Granderson. Though it appears Chris Shelton may be off to the hottest start in baseball history.

Down On The Farm

2006-04-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

I'll try to update this everyday. For now.. here is a review of the past week in the Sox minor league system:

Charlotte Knights (AAA - International League) - in 2005 the Knights were among the worst teams in organized baseball. No place to go but up. The 2006 season open for the Knights in Toledo. In that game, Redding got the win, striking out 6 in 7 IP. Fields was 2 for 4. The Mudhens won game 2, but Fields had a double and Lubisich struck out 6 in 5 IP, also giving up 3 ER. The Knights won the rubber game. Rogo was 2 for 4. Haeger gets the win, striking out 6 in 7 IP. Sean Tracy struck out 2, but also walked 2 in his lone inning of work

Birmingham Barons (AA - Southern League): The Barons finished well in 2005. The big news, for me at least, at the beginning of the 2006 season, is that Tom Collaro starts the season on the roster. I've been a huge fan of Collaro since I saw the monster numbers he was posting at Great Falls at the end of 2004. At that time, Sox fans told me he was 1) too old (he just turned 22) and 2) strikes out a lot (true, but getting better). Here is an interview of his I posted from last season. Opening day lost at West Tenn. But guess what? Collaro homers. Valido was 2 for 4. Little lost it by giving up 3 ER in the 8th. Game 2 was a 2-1 loss, though Collaro had a single, the real story was Lance Broadway who struck out 10 in just 6 innings of work. The Barons salavage game 3 thanks to - SURPRISE - Tom Collaro, who homers. Lumsden strikes out 7 in 6 IP.

Winston-Salem Warthogs (High A - Carolina League): Hogs won the opener vs Kinston 4-3. Lucy was 2 for 3 with a homer and 3 RBIs. In 5 IP, Egbert gives up 3 ER, strikes out 3 and walks 3. Kinston won game 2, 9-3. Whisler gives up 5 ER in 5 IP. The Hogs drop game 3 as well, 8-6. Kelly was a bright spot, going 3 for 5. The pitching lines continue to be full of numbers: Torres, 4 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 3 K. Hurd, 1/3 rd IP, 4 hits, 3 ER.

Kannapolis Intimidators (Low A - South Atlantic League): This team won their league in 2005. But based on the 06 results, the guys that helped win that title must all have been promoted to Winston-Salem. Opening day was a 6-5 loss at Rome, who scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win it.. Castillo was 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Hernandez, Sanchez and Orlando also collected 2 hits apiece. Santeliz give up 3 ER in just 1/3rd of an inning pitched. Each team committed 3 errors in a sloppy affair. Rome won again the next day, 5-3. Sanchez homered and drove in 3. A couple of errors doomed the Intimidators. Game 3 was also a Rome win. Roberts was 2 for 4. Oh, the Intimidators had 5 errors. Yes 5.... in one game. So over the 3 game series, the Intimidators are 0-3 and have comitted 10 errors. Maybe some extra fielding practice would be in order....

Falling down on the job

2006-04-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

I've done a lousy job of updating this space over the past week. For this and noxious fumes, I blame the new 7 month old English pointer I acquired last week.

I'm working from home today, so rest assured, lots of commentary on the way.

I feel especially bad since The Cheat over at South Side Sox gave me such a nice mention in his listing of Sox blogs.

On a personal note, my Yahoo fantasy team is stacked:

C- V. Martinez and Posada
1B - Pujols, Howard and Thome
2B - Cantu
3B - A. Ramirez and Polanco
SS - Jeter and Rollins
OF - Sizemore, Damon, Jenkins, Crisp, and Holliday
Pitching is L. Hernandez, Millwood, Backe, J. Sosa, Escobar, Hudson, Colon, Capuano, J. Vazquez, and Lowry.

HNT #12

2006-04-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

Curves

A day late and a dollar short...

2006-04-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

95 diamonds on 14K

Stupid Blog Stuff

2006-04-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

I blame My Girl Friday.

Four jobs I've had:
--producer for radio sports talk show in Chicago (2 years. Ugh.)
--pizza delivery driver
--Starbucks barista
--cube dweller

Four movies I can watch over and over:
--Breaking Away
--Central Station
--Up The Creek
--Roger & Me

Four places I have lived:
--Chicago (4 city neighborhoods and 3 in suburbs)
--Athens Ohio (4 years. Wish it had been 5)
--Cleveland (on and off for a few years in the mid-1990s)
--London (yes, the one in England)

Four television shows I love to watch:
--the BBC News
--Glamore Productions Present Star Performers Showcase with Rocky Espositio
--The Other Winfrey Show with Earl Winfrey
--baseball

Four places I have been on holiday:
--the sahara desert near the Tunisia/Lybia border
--Quepos, Costa Rica
--Kauai, Hawaii
--Southern Crete
(to name a few)

Four of my favourite dishes:
--Chicago-style stuffed pizza
-- pesto gnocchi in Corniglia, Italy
--just plain old pasta
--does beer count?

Four places I would rather be right now:
--sucking down a big ol aquarium of cheap beer at the back table inside The Pub, 39 N. Court St., Athens, OH (no link, of course. Its OU!!)
--Mountain Hostel in Gimmlewald Switzerland
--The Pink Palace in Cofru
--The Playboy Mansion in So Cal

Four pet hates:
--cold ketchup
--cold women
--bad drivers
--blind followers

AL Preview

2006-04-03T00:59:00.000-07:00

To compliment my 'Readers Digest'-style NL preview below, I wanted to offer up my thoughts on the AL East and AL West in similiar form. I'll have an expanded look at the AL Central in a few days.

AL EAST:

The Yankees pitching is questionable again this year. But it won't matter - they have a lot (really - A LOT) of hitting. Toronto is much improved and will contend. Boston has big pitching problems, a brand new infield, and Coco Crisp! Its not enough to get into the post season. Baltimore remains in free-fall. Tampa has some good young players but that translates into another last-place finish.

AL WEST:
Toughest division in baseball to pick. The LA Angels have so much talent I wonder how they could lose. they'll be out to avenge their performance in 2005. Oakland is fielding another fine team on a budget, but too many question marks to be a sure thing. The Central Texas Lumber Company - aka "The Rangers" - finally have a pitcher (Millwood) to go with their abundance of hitting. they will be close, at least until mid-season. Seattle has a few players worth watching, but will not contend.

Not Pretty

2006-04-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

Photo stolen from Jeff Roberson/AP

The Sox finally began the defense of their first title in 88 years on sunday on the southside. It seems like the past 160 days was just a dream... I, like many, simply didn't want the 2005 season to end.

Amid the scary storms - for a while it looked like we might even get a twister or two - the Sox defeated the Indians 10-4. The game began at 7, and thanks to the rain, didn't finish up until about 1:30 in the morning. The Sox were sparked by a 2-run homer from new guy, and ex-Indian, Jim Thome. Although I didn't write about it here, I did watch a lot of spring training, especially the past few weeks, and saw Thome really get into a groove. Dye was 3 for 3, including an ugly infield hit. Anderson was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and a nice double. How sweet is it that McCarthy gets the win in relief?

The championshp banner is up and the ring ceremony is tuesday.

The severe weather we get around this time of the year is always scary. I just get glued to the weather channel, watching line after line of deep red rader imagery pass over us agin and again... I go to my front window to look for a twister, thinking that somehow if I see one, I'll have time to grab all my photo albums and run to the basement.

My internal clock is completely off thanks to the time change. It was nice to see the sun until 7:30, but even when the opposite is true in the fall, I never really feel like I ever get that hour back.

Opening Day 2006

2006-04-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

Today, the World Champion Chicago White Sox begin the defense of their title. For possibly the first time in team history, anything less than all the marbles will be a disapointment.

I'll be offereing up my previews of the American League tomorrow. But I've also been taking a look at the National League, and in 500 words or less, here are my thoughts on 2006 might shake out:

NL EAST:
Atlanta remains the team to beat- they've got the pitching and the hitting to go all the way. The NY Mets have a lot of vetern talent and could challenge if everthing goes right for them. Philadelphia has plenty of hitting, but no pitching - they'll fade mid-season. Washington might be OK to watch again this season.

NL CENTRAL:
St. Louis has a well-balanced squad. The Cubs are good, but with a lot of question marks. If the Cards stumble, the Cub have a shot. Milwaukee will surprise and contend all year (if Sheets is healthy). Houston will also compete, due to their 3 great starters, but ultimately just doesn't have the offense.

NL WEST
Someone has to win it, right? LA Dodgers and Arizona are rebuilding. Colorado is a joke. San Diego is just weak. That leaves the SF Giants, who should put it together enough to win the worst division in baseball.

Bastards of Young

2006-03-30T19:59:00.000-08:00

Incorrect - the August 1987 show was at the Riv, not the Aragon...

Have to give credit where credit is due - Stosh has some good links up about the Replacements. Apparently, the three surviving members may have been in the studio this past December recording 2 new tunes for a soon-to-be-relased 'Best of' on Rhino. Seems awfully unlikely that Axl would let Tommy out of Guns N Roses to do that.. but who knows.

Beyond the 'Best of', there is also a box set on the way, maybe, (to include a DVD) and a reissue of all their albums (again, maybe. As legend has it, didn't they throw all those masters into the Mississippi?) complete with bonus material. I've heard most everything the Mats have comitted to tape, including a lot of outtakes, but I'd be real interested in the DVD.

In the meantime, take a look at this trailer for the coming film 'Color Me Obessed"about 'Mats fans and their distrubing devotion to a band that broke up in 1991.

HNT #11

2006-03-30T19:37:00.000-08:00

HNT #11

More media bias

2006-03-26T06:50:00.000-08:00

One guy with too much time on his hands is 'journalist' Allen St. John. In the friday issue of the Wall Street Journal, John, or St. John, or whatever he calls hisself, surrounds a few paragraphs he probably calls an 'article' with some data on "P-wins".

"P-wins" are the useless stat that that takes the number of games a team has won and "adjusts" them based on run differential. Its more complex than that, and he gives Bill James full credit for developing the pointless and complex mathmatical formula. The goal of this stat, I guess, is to identify which teams might be better than their win-loss records indicate and vice versa.

Not surprisingly, the White Sox gets slighted and all credit for any of their success in 2005 is attributed to 'luck'. Jamesians don't like 'luck', or heart or drive or desire or any intangible figure that is immeasurable and arbritary. Yet it is these intangibles that seem to carry teams to victory, again and again and again.

Oh, and just for the record, according to St. John, based on P-wins, the 2006 world series will be St. Louis over Boston.

OK, maybe. We'll see.

ATTENTION BASEBALL BOOK PUBLISHERS

2006-03-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

During a pre-season chat with another blogger, I discovered that he's been receiving free promotional copies of newly released books on baseball, with the hopes that he might post a favorable review on his site.

I'm all about free baseball books. I'd especailly like to get my hands on a free copy of "Fantasyland" by Sam Walker.

So, any publisher out there that wishes to have their book reviewed, please contact me thru this site.

Ok, I'm done being a whore...for now.

thanks.

Settling

2006-03-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

Book vs magazine

With the loss of the TSN/STATS,Inc. Scouting Report book, I did some research on a number of similiar publications. My conclusion is that they are either too focused on numbers, or concentrate on predicting performance (for fantasy leaguers) and are usually wrong. The price didn't justify the data inside for me.

So, going the 'miser' route, after looking at more than a dozen magazines, I've settled on Lindy's Baseball Scouting Report. Within the pages are decent scouting reports on all the major league regulars (something the other mags lacked), as well as 2005 stats. There also appears to be some minor league and college info as well.

Six Days

2006-03-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Now that's a choke!

Less than a week until footie season begins - that's Australian Rules Football, a brutal mash-up of rugby (with no play stoppage), soccer (but lots more exciting) and American gridiron football (with no padding). I'm making this post in the hopes the My Girl Friday will provide me with occassional updates on the thunda from downunda. I'll try to throw in some commentary as well, if I can actually find an outlet that carries the matches. And I'll try to provide some extra insight on the Essendon Bombers.

I take it all back

2006-03-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

Thornton watches another one sail into orbit

I'm going to have a great time making fun of Thornton and his attempts at pitching this season.

Thorn in our side

2006-03-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

NO!

By now you've read all there is to read on the Borchard for Thornton trade. I'm sad to see Borchard go - I've had a fondness for him ever since he hit that 500-foot homer back in late 2004. But it was his time, I guess.

What I don't understand is why anyone in their right mind would trade anything more than a ham sandwich for Matt Thornton. Thornton is the focus of a number of funny blog entries from Lookout Landing. Seattle fans are very happy to see him leave. How happy? The same blogger apparently sponsors Thornton's page on Baseball Reference.com and has put up a new ad up that simply states "He gone!". Ha ha ha. Thornton had a debacle of a 2005 season, where, in 55 games, 57 IP, he went 0-4 with a 5.21 ERA, yielding 13 homers and 42 walks. Oh, he did strike out 57, but also threw 7 wild pitches. His stats from 2004 lead me to believe 2005 was not an aberration (big word... you like that, huh?). Basically, he throws hard and fast and can't find the plate. I haven't see his outings for the Sox this past week, but the stats indicate they were nothing short of awful.

To say that Sox pitching coach Don Cooper has his work cut out for him with this clown is an understatement. My prediction - Thornton is working the deep fryer at a Charlotte-area Arby's by July 4th.

Don't expect any more musing from me on Mr. Thornton He's not worth writing about.

Ain't No Water

2006-03-24T03:52:00.000-08:00

Before a single pitch has been thrown at 35th & Shields this season, the Sox have already sold 2.2 million tickets. That makes 2006 the Sox 5th highest attendance year in franchise history - not a small feat for a team that's been around over a century.

In millions, here are the Sox top years in home field attendance:

1991 - 2.9
1992 - 2.7
1993 - 2.6
2005 - 2.3
2006 - 2.2
1984 - 2.1
1983 - 2.1
1990 - 2.0

And it will porbably only take a month or two before 2006 passes 2005... I don't think the Sox will get a lot of 'walk-ups' anymore... so I'm not sure they'll pass that 1991 mark and get over 3 million. That would be quite a feat!

What does this mean for the fan?

Sox Park can hold, for 81 games, about 3.4 million fans. So that means nearly 70% of the seats for all games are already sold and gone. One look at the park's seating chart gives you a good idea of which seats are gone, and which remain. Do you really want to pay your hard earned money to sit in the 500 section? I can hear Bob Uecker now - "He missed the tag! He missed the tag!"

I guess I'm frustrated because I tried buying some group tickets (20) to a random wednesday game in may, and the "best available" were section 509 or some such crap. I tried different dates, again and again... same result.

What's worse, is for half priced mondays, it appears the lower deck is sold out as well. the last few seasons, the Sox had a policy of not putting those monday half priced tickets on sale until the friday before the monday game. No more I guess.

On the positive side, all the fair weather fans who hastily purchased season tickets with the sole purpose of obtaining World Series tickets, will have plenty to sell above the Dan Ryan. So obtaining a decent seat at a fair price is still possible, but maybe more of a hassle.

World's Greatest

2006-03-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

from Tiffin, Ohio

The World's Greatest Potato Chip -Ballreich's of Tiffin, Ohio. So unique.. so salty...

I'm enjoying some now with a cold beer and thought you'd like to know!

HNT #10

2006-03-23T04:48:00.000-08:00

HNT #10

Lots to write about - too busy.. not time not enough hours in my day.

Stay tuned - good stuff comin...

Out In The Desert; more notes on spring training

2006-03-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

Near Tuscon

I still haven't watched much spring training this year. When I have had time to watch baseball on TV, its been the WBC, which has really surprised me - it's been outstanding.

From Sox Camp; Jose Contreras will throw some more and make his next scheduled start on March 25. Supposedly, no soreness. The same is being said of Hermanson, but I don't believe it. Even if he starts the year with the Sox, I think its unlikely he'll finish it, which just adds to the middle reliever woes. sPods is going thru some rehab and will in a minor league game this week. I'm still comfortable with the lack of depth in the Sox outfield. Joe Crede's bat has started coming around.

But the big talk around srping training has been the pitching of Boone Logan. Just 21, he's this spring's Brandon McCarthy.

The space won't be updated for the next few days, as I'm off on a little romantic getaway to the North country. Here's hoping to 'slow n dirty'!

Please stand by

2006-03-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

hmm

I haven't been able to publish lately due to some technical gliches - some type of java interface error.

I'm off to watch the WBC - Cuba and the DR.

The MILF gave me some fast lovin last night... too bad, cause I prefer slow, and sometimes dirty.

Erin No Bra

2006-03-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

wearin o' da green

I'm celebrating St. Patrick's Day by recalling the struggle of my people, reading some Frank McCourt, eating some fish n chips and drinking a lot of tea (I drank too much beer last night).

HNT #9

2006-03-16T04:07:00.000-08:00

Goose Juice!

Not sure what that means, but it sure sounds good - goose juice!

Last plug

2006-03-15T03:54:00.000-08:00

1951 Sioux City Soos road jersey

Ebbets Field Flannels has extended their sale ($99 on select jerseys) to April 15th. Additionally, all merchandise is now 20% off.

I picked up a fungo shirt last week and haven't taken it off since.

HALF!

2006-03-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

With spring training half over, now is a good time to begin looking at some of the stats thus far.

Also, today is cut day, with the roster being pared down to 25.

HITTING:

Lookin good:
--at the rate he's going, Josh Fields could be in line to challenge Crede's lock on 3B. .529/1.200/.467 (OBP/SLG/AVG). He's 7 for 15 with 18 TB, 3 HRs, 6 RBIs and, for good measure, 4 SB.
--Uribe leads the regulars with a .318 BA - 7 for 22
--Sweeney has posted some surprising numbers - .478/.900/.450 - including 3 HRs and 18 TB.
--Borchard has collected 12 TB despite a .292 OBP
--Thome's hitting .350, with 7 walks. No homers, however. Looks like he's taking it slow and just trying to get back into a groove and make contact.
--Mack and Ozuna are both motoring along - hitting over .300
--all three catchers in camp are hitting well. Molina and his one at-bat doesn't count.

Not so good:
--sPods only has one hit in 9 at bats.
--Crede is also in trouble, batting just .118 in 17 AB, with a double and an RBI.
--Dye is hitting OK, but has struck out 6 times in just 20 AB--Iguchi has just 2 hits in 21 AB (.095 BA - YIKES)
--with the addition of Thome, Rogo could be trade bait - he's got just one hit in 14 AB (.071 BA) and has struck out 4 times.

PITCHING:

Lookin good:
--Contreras has stuck out 12 in 10 IP
--Vazquez has given up no runs and struck out 3 in 3 IP
--Lopez has struck out 8 in 7 IP
--Reynoso has struck out 6 in 5 IP

Not so good:
--Haeger and his knuckleball has a 17.47 ERA. Good luck in Charlotte.
--Hermanson is injuried and his stats show it.
--Lance Broadway is going to have to do better than 4 ER in 3 and 2/3rds IP.
--Politte is struggling with an ERA of 12 in 3 IP.