Right! I know it has been a while, but I got a promotion at work and have been pretty swamped. The Cubs have split with the Cards so far, and if not for a shaky bullpen, should have won last night. Still hanging in there, and Wood is progressing!  ¶ 12:21 PM 0 comments

 

Ok, what happened? We just SWEPT the Astros, in Houston, without Sammy. Can someone please explain this to me? How did we get clutch hitting? How did we give up so few runs? How far does Derrek Lee have to hit a ball to get a home run? Will Biggio ever figure out the hill in center field? How could Todd Hollandsworth not have been safe at home? Why didn't Dusty come out and argue that call?

I do have to say that so far, this has been my favorite Cubs' season. Not because of the winning, but this is the first year that my son has really sat and watched games with me. The really funny part is that it is not because of anything I did...it is all because of a video game. We rented MVP Baseball 2004 for the playstation, and all of a sudden, he knows all of the names of the players. We will be watching the game, and he will ask me if Bako or Barrett is catching...WTF!!! Or he will ask me why Derrek Lee doesn't get closer to the plate...I love that kid. What is even funnier is when he gets the real Cubs confused with the video game Cubs. On the game, Juan Cruz is still on the roster, so he tries to find him on the real Cubs. Or, he will ask my why Sammy Sosa is playing on the video game when he was supposed to be hurt. That cracks me up!

Here we go into a three game series with Oakland. The only thing I am looking forward to is that the Cubs will see three lefties in the series. We also get Sammy and Grudz back, although I cringe at the thought of disrupting amazing chemistry right now. We will have an amazing bench, though. How can Dusty actually feel good about benching Todd Walker? The guy is hitting everything in sight!  ¶ 8:58 AM 0 comments

 
YES! We beat Clemens, we beat Clemens! What a game last night! Prior goes 5 strong, good, clean innings, and Todd Walker shows us why Gudzialanek won't be seeing much PT when he gets back. He was ONE FOOT from going for the cycle. I wish that umpire would have called it fair just so he could do it. I am really liking Todd Walker more and more every day. I love his blue collar work ethic. Speaking of which, did anyone else notice the lack of coverage on Hollandsworth's AMAZING catch against Anaheim? That was the best freaking catch I have seen all year, and it didn't even make the highlights on SportsCenter.

Thankfully, the Cubbies are on a winning streak. Hopefully, the Rangers can beat the Reds to help us out. Tonight, it is Z against Miller. Hopefully, Carlos can continue his dominance. If this team can just keep afloat until we get healthy, I have full confidence that we can pull this division out.

  ¶ 12:41 PM 0 comments

 
See what I mean? Awful one day, amazing the next. What is the deal? Is it so much to ask for some consistency? Not losing consistency, though. :)

The rain around the DFW area has caused massive flooding in the area, and especially around our house. There are several creeks around our neighborhood, not to mention the Trinity River, so many of the roads into our area are closed off, making it a nightmare to get home. We have survived so far, but man it would be nice to have the roads back to normalcy. What frustrates me is all of the people making u-turns in the middle of the road because they don't want to wait like the rest of us. I have almost rear-ended somebody the last two days because they are making u-turns where they shouldn't be.

Anyway, Cubs-Angels today. Should be interesting as Dusty gets to use the DH.....  ¶ 8:56 AM 0 comments

  Sigh.
Win one, lose one. Win one, lose one. The Cubs seem to be following a pattern. I guess I could be happy that it isn't lose 3, win one, lose 4 win one, but this team is destined for so much more. Seeing that Mark Prior gave up a granny just ruined my day. I didn't see the game, but apparently there were some tempers flaring. Should make for an interesting series, but what is amazing is that the Cubbies don't play the Cards after July 20th. Doesn't that seem weird? You would think the MLB would want to really tap the resources available for that matchup. I mean, that is an automatic sellout! Yet the cubs have more games against Montreal in August and Sept than they do with the Cards. Yeah, those games should be a sellout!

I still am having trouble figuring out why I get so upset at the Cubs. Yesterday, I swear that if I could have called Dusty Baker and yelled at him, I would have. I don't know why. It isn't his fault half of his roster is on the DL. He can't make the umpire call the strike zone like it should. So why do I get so upset? I was trying to explain this to my wife last year after the playoffs, but there is no example in her life that can equate. Take something that you have been passionate about for 22 years. Nothing. She has hardly been alive that long. So, she really can't understand the level of passion I have for this stupid game or this stupid team. How do you tell someone that some of your fondest memories are watching Jim Frey tuck his hat into his jersey when the Cubs clinched the division in '84? Or Gary Gaietti's home run in the one game playoff against the Giants in '94? The only moment in her life that could measure is the birth of her children, which is a much bigger moment, but she remembers them vividly. I completely and totally remember exactly where I was when Eric Show hit Andre Dawson in the face. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news that Ryno retired, then came back. No one should remember those things, but I do. Most non-sports people just don't seem to understand me and the passion that burns for sports. I wish I could make people feel like I do for a day or so, and I think they would be just as passionate as I am, because the feeling is so great when your team wins, but the feeling when they lose is preceived as bad, but it is something that you take along with the good because that is why you are passionate. Personally, I think being a Yankees fan would be very boring. Hey, we won again! I love seeing the face of a guy who has never won a World Series before right as he realizes they are going to win. It is priceless. Now, when Derek Jeter wins the WS, you can see that he is thinking about where he will put another ring, not the fact that he has reached the pinnacle of his talent yet again. It is the same reason why I am really rooting for the Pistons. Not only do I want to see a team win that isn't the Lakers, but I really don't want Karl Malone to get a ring. How's that for passion?  ¶ 12:29 PM 0 comments

  Sigh. I guess asking the Cubs to go on a winning streak is just to much to ask. Watching Wendell Kim wave Jose Macias home last night was too much. Jim Edmonds was right behind second base! Why would he send him against a GOLD GLOVE center fielder? I know Aramis Ramirez isn't a guarantee to get a hit, but at least give him a shot! This is the major leagues, after all! At least Farnsworth and Remlinger looked good.   ¶ 8:54 AM 0 comments

 

Well, I uploaded some new pictures this weekend, so check them out. Chandler finished his season this year with an All-Star type game. We lost by one run, but we had a great time. I love those kids, man. They are so great.

We visited Bedford Splash, which is like a very small Hurricane Harbor. Alexa was an absolute machine, wanting to ride every slide they had a hundred times. She was so tired at the end of the day, but she didn't want to quit! I got a really bad sunburn on my back, and some kid pooped in the pool, so we left a litte earlier than we planned. It was nice to have the three day weekend, though.

The Cubs have won two in a row...plus they won't see Albert Pujols this week, thank God. If the Cubs can just keep their heads above water until they get healthy, I think they will be ok...Now if the Reds can just hit a slump (which they will).  ¶ 11:15 AM 0 comments