A Mild Uproar of Fun

It might not be too exciting but spring baseball is here! You can catch split team action from the Sox and the Cubs on WGN today at 2pm.

Comic strip from Carl Skanberg.

Strip by Carl Skanberg

Despite the fact that White Sox slugger (and one day Hall of Famer) Jim Thome wanted to return to the South Side, manager Ozzie Guillen opted against the idea, and now Thome has signed with… the Twinkies! And for a mere 1.5 million dollars! Ah, the truth is sad and hurtful. No more joking, “Thome wants a homey!”. All I can say is, Ozzie I hope you know what you are doing. And, Jim, I’m sorry to see you go. It was always a thrill to see you smack that ball around The Cell. I wish you all the best of luck at Target.

Follow the story from the fanatics.

Below, Thome’s lone homer prevails the Sox over the Twins and into the American League Division Series against the Rays in 2008:

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!

Well, apparently, “some” is the operative word here. In a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal, a study discovered that during a typical NFL game, only 11 minutes are actually devoted to footage of the playing on the field. It seems 58.5% of the footage is of players just “standing around”. How is this possible? Check out the chart, which compares four NFL games broadcasted by CBS, NBC, FOX, and ESPN.

Below, Standing Around Football:

Eva is!

NFL Preseason Football starts tonight on NBC with the Bills against the Titans! I’m sure going to miss John Madden this season.

Here are a few excerpts from audio recordings that I did last night of a 16 inch softball game at the park across the street from our apartment:

Play Ball
Notice how you can hear the EL train in the background.

Batter Up!
A base hit!

3 Outs
A quick 1-2-3 inning. A pop out. And then a double play.

Home Run
The first home run I’ve seen at the park. The ball went over the fence and into the street which upset a little dog out for a walk.

Check out this article from one of my favorite sports blogs, Uni Watch. For those unfamiliar, Uni Watch is an obsessive look at the sports uniform. It might not sound very exciting but believe me it’s highly addictive!

Tune into the David Letterman show tonight as White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle reveals the Top Ten “Things That Went Through Mark Buehrle’s Mind During His Perfect Game”. Should be a hoot!

UPDATE: If you missed Buehrle’s appearance (along with Josh Fields and Dewayne Wise) on Letterman, here was the Top Ten:

10. “I did it! I did it! Oh wait, it’s only the fourth inning.”
9. “If this doesn’t get Kate Hudson to notice me, nothing will.”
8. “Too bad I’m not on my own fantasy team.”
7. “My brother-in-law bowled a perfect game.”
6. Fields and Wise: “We’re going to Disneyworld!”/Buehrle: “and I’m running for the Governor of Alaska.”
5. “Did I remember to Tivo ‘So You Think You Can Dance’?”
4. “I’m leaving after the 7th inning to beat the traffic.”
3. “Should I shave my back?”
2. “Sunflower seed… lodged in my windpipe… Get Help!”
1. “Maybe I’ll give up one hit so I don’t have to appear on Letterman.”

White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle pitched a perfect game today! For non baseball fans, a perfect game is one where a pitcher doesn’t allow a single opposing player on base, meaning no hits, no walks, or hit batters. A perfect game is so rare that it has only happened 18 times in Major League Baseball and now twice in the Sox franchise history. It was such a major accomplishment that even the visiting team took time to applaud Buehrle before retreating to the locker rooms. And amazingly, this is Buehrle’s second no-hitter of his career. You can check out the last out here. However, perhaps even more exciting than that, is Wise’s home run stealing catch that he bobbles out of his glove yet still manages to grab barehanded. You can view that here. For those really pumped, you can watch there entire 9th inning here. Only act fast before YouTube takes it down. ESPN coverage here. And oh, photos here.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 3

On Sunday, I attended the Cubs/Cards make-up game from a rain out in April. If you’ve been reading the baseball posts then you are well aware of my recent drought of seeing a victory. Well, I caught a “W” for the Cubbies. Not sure that counts. Especially since it meant that I had to endure the horrible sing-a-long number, “Go Cubs Go”. Even worse though, I was sitting next to one of the most obnoxious fans I have ever met.

The “fan” was in his mid twenties, from Indianapolis, and was attending his first Cubs game. How do I know this? Because, he talked to me throughout the entire game despite the fact that I hardly ever responded. Around the 1st inning, Annoying Fan told everyone around him that he could make his father proud if at the 7th inning stretch he streaked across the field. “What’s the worst tat could happen to me, ” he asked. A Cubs fan next to me had the answer. “$1000 bail!” AF said that he had that much money on him and that it might be worth it. I told him that he had about an hour and an half to think it over. Did I mention that AF had already confessed to us that he been drinking heavily in Wrigleyville the night before and had woken up on someone’s porch (thank goodness we don’t live in that neighborhood).

During the 2nd inning, AF started quizzing me on baseball history. His first question was what was the oldest ballpark in the majors. Easy, Fenway Park. Obviously, he thought I was going to say Wrigley. And then he came with a harder one. What is the oldest team in the majors? I answered, “Cincinnati Reds.” He was impressed and stopped with the baseball trivia. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from commenting and telling jokes to me for the next couple of hours.

The sad thing was that he was a friendly guy. But there was just too much pep there. I mean even the Cubs fans were getting agitated with him. The most annoying thing he did was press his fingers between his lips, and blow the loudest whistle I’ve ever heard come from a human being. He kept doing this over and over and over again. Finally, a Cubs fan near me told him that whistling was really only reserved for home runs. That stopped him for a few innings at least.

Speaking of home runs, AF called the homer from Carlos Zambrano in the 4th inning. This fact excited him to no end. He started screaming out profanities (luckily, the young kid in front of him was with his dad on a bathroom break) and looked for someone who would high five him. Even with an excited crowd, I don’t know if he found any takers.

Towards the 5th and 6th, I think all the beer AF had consumed was starting to have a sleepy effect on him for he was pretty quite during this time. But as soon as the 7th inning came around (no, he didn’t run out onto the field naked), he got his second wind. He started up the whistling again much to the chagrin to those around him.

I will admit that he had one funny joke. At one point in the game, the Cubs popped up behind Pujols (who had already committed an error missing a routine grounder through his legs) in short right field. Three Cardinals went for the ball but the ball fell in between them. AF yells, “How many Cardinals does it take to catch a pop fly? More than three!” Okay, that was funny. But true to his annoying nature, he ruined the few chuckles he got by immediately repeating the joke. And then in the 8th, he recycled the joke without any context.

Surprisingly, at the bottom of the ninth, AF turned to all of us around him and announced that he was leaving to beat the crowd because he was driving back to Indianapolis that night. As soon as he was gone, there was a collective sigh of relief. One Cubs fan near me told me, “I don’t know how you sat next to him the whole game!”

As I said, AF was friendly but also so grating and exhausting. At one point while he was talking on the phone to his friend, he commented on just how beautiful the day was and how beautiful the ballpark was and how much he wished his friend could be there with him. That the people were so friendly. And it all felt like a bit of Heaven. Thinking about that made me feel a bit guilty about all the negative thoughts I had had about him. Then, I felt the ringing in my ears.

Arriving at the ballpark by bus.

The old time band plays for those entering Wrigley. Nice touch.

Inspired by Adam a few months ago, I kept score. It was also a great way to ignore the madness going on next to me.

The great Pujols went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run. He also made an error that probably cost the Cards any chance of getting back in the game. A few days later, he would also make an error in the All-Star game.

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Towards the end, you can see AF waving his newly bought Cubs cap. AF was also wearing a Cubs shirt he bought at the gift shop and finally put on around the 3rd inning.

The last out was a fly out to Milton Bradley in right field. Note that I stopped transmission right before the “Go Cubs Go” sing-a-long.

The massive crowd that AF was trying to beat. The official attendance for the game was 40,701. For the Sox, such a number happens on opening day, during playoffs, or whenever the Cubs are playing at The Cell. For the Cubs, it’s just another day at the ballpark.

Dang, I forgot to take a picture of my hot dog.

White Sox 8, Indians 10

Alright, I’m getting tired of seeing the Sox lose. I haven’t seen a Sox victory since May 7th. And what’s really frustrating is that the Sox have been winning, but I’ve just been going to the wrong games. To be fair, I knew the odds were against me when the Sox took to the field yesterday. The Sox had swept the Indians in Cleveland last week and were one game away from doing the same at home. In baseball, you’re always playing the odds. Statistically, I didn’t stand a chance.

My friend that invited we to the A’s game called me up a few hours prior to yesterday’s game, and since I wasn’t working, I jumped at the idea. Before I headed out for the train, though, I debated on whether or not to wear my new Sox cap or the old one. Since I’ve purchased the new cap, I haven’t seen a single Sox victory.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t play the superstition game. I mean, I did once upon a time. Like making sure you’re wearing your lucky shirt in order to push those odds in your favor. But then one day (during a Grizzlies game), it all seemed really silly. How could one person’s eccentricities doom an entire team? Surely, I had no influence over a team’s dismal play. Right? After laughing off the Gods of Baseball, I grabbed my new Sox cap and took a mighty stand against superstition. And what did it get me?

For one, an early beating! Sox starter Clayton Richard gave up a grand slam in the 2nd which put the Indians up 6 -2. The next inning, the Tribe added 3 more runs to take a 9 -2 lead. Ugh, I was sensing superstition was teaching me a harsh lesson.

And then, I felt like my luck was beginning to turn around. With two outs in the 3rd, the Sox managed to add 4 more runs on the board. And then in the 5th, also with 2 outs, the Sox added 2 more, making it a one run difference. Perhaps, my new cap was a good luck rally cap!

Alas, no. The Indians added another run in the 6th. The Sox, despite having multiple opportunities, were not able to send any more players over home plate. Still, you have to give it to the Good Guys for not giving up. It’s not their fault that I decided to be stubborn and wear the new cap.

Despite the loss, I enjoyed myself and my hot dog:

Sure, it looks disgusting but it’s so so good!

And since it was a decent crowd of over 27,000, I recorded another Nancy driven version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”: