Greg Maddux

Today Greg Maddux is retiring from baseball, at the age of 102. I will really miss him. From the time he started out as a Cub, so very many years ago, he was my favorite pitcher. Greg Maddux was an average looking guy who wore glasses, had no real fastball or discernible out pitch and absolutely dominated Major League hitters during the most productive hitting era in history. He used smarts and almost magical location to get guys out, and it's amazing that after 20 years, you could still only hit him when he missed his spot. He was the best pitcher in baseball the day he left the Cubs for the Atlanta Braves, a move that he didn't want to make but was put upon him through poor Cub's management and The Devil Scott Boras. It did, however, give me a reason to follow the Braves, which worked out well since the Cubs went on to stink for most of the 1990's.

He joined the Cubs again a few years ago, and due to sad but understandable business reasons he had to leave again, this time heading west. It made my stomach churn to watch him pitch against the Cubs in the playoffs this year, but it was nice that the Cubbie faithful applauded him when his name was announced.

Greg has been my favorite pitcher for what seems like my entire life. It's sad to see him go, but I know I'll get to see him in five years at his Hall of Fame induction.

3 Posts in One

An Extra value post today:
1. It just dawned on me that our President-elect is a White Sox fan. Hmm... I don't think that realization would have altered my vote. Well, let's hope he is as good at reaching across the aisle and building unity as we think he is.

2. I have recently accepted an NFL picks challenge from my friend Dan. You can find his picks here. I love this stuff... So here are my absoutely, 100% accurate, stone-cold, guaranteed, lock-of-the-week picks. All picks are guaranteed or your money back*. My picks are in capitals, bolded, italicized, and colored, because that's how confident I am in them#.

BRONCOS at Browns - OK, so the Broncos have a shockingly bad defense, but they are going up against a replacement quarterback on an unusually short week. This was a strange decision by the Browns and I can't see it paying off in this game. Down the road, maybe, but not tonight.

Saints at FALCONS - The Saints are talented, but inconsistent and beat up. I would know, since I have seemingly half their offense between my two fantasy teams. I also have Matt Ryan, who is having a good year for a rookie quarterback, but is still inconsistent. Again, I would know this since he is one of my quarterbacks and I always bench him the weeks he has great games and play him the weeks where he looks like a rookie quarterback. Sigh.

Titans at BEARS - No, I don't believe the Bears are better. But the Titans have to lose some time, and the Bears are physical enough to beat them at home, maybe.

JAGUARS at Lions - Surely the Jags have some measure of pride and professionalism. Right?

Seahawks at DOLPHINS - Yes, I did a double take before making that pick.

PACKERS at Vikings - How disappointing has this Vikings team been? I mean, people were picking them to win the Super Bowl before the season.

BILLS at Patriots - I just think the Bills are going to bounce back a bit here.

Rams at JETS - I wouldn't normally pick the Jets, but they are playing the Rams. But if you happen to be the type of person who is interested in what the spread is, I would take the points.

RAVENS at Texans - I would love to see all of the major American professional sports leagues enact a structure like European soccer, where the bottom teams get relegated to the lower league, and the winning teams from the lower league move up. Then we wouldn't have to watch the Texans anymore (not that they're horrible this specific year, but as a franchise, even an expansion franchise, they're pretty bad). Other teams that would likely get caught into this trap (from all leagues): Clippers, Raiders, Knicks (wow), Bobcats, Royals, and I would have said Rays until this season.

PANTHERS at Raiders - I think my above comment explains why I'm not picking the Raiders.

Colts at STEELERS- Are the Colts even good at football this year? Don't get me wrong, they're my favorite team in the NFL, I just don't think they're very good.

Chiefs at CHARGERS - They say you can fire a good coach and not get any worse for one season, but by the second season things start to slide. On an unrelated note, this is the second season for the Chargers without Marty Shottenheimer. Still, the Cheifs are a grease-fire.

Giants at EAGLES - The Giants are better. But you can't win every away division game in a very good division.

49ers at CARDINALS - This is the Monday night game? Seriously? I'm sure ESPN is just thrilled about that.

*- Guarantee not valid in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the State of Indiana, the United States of America, or Denmark.
#- Actual confidence level 25-30%, with a 3-5% margin of error.

3. Also, from Dan, iPod tag. The rules are simple- put your ipod (or other non-Apple branded music player) on Shuffle and list the first 15 songs that come up. Then you tag someone else. Here goes:
1. Christmas Time is Here- Vince Guaraldi (Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack)
2. Ooh! My Arms- The Beatles (this isn't even a song. it appears to be random spoken words between songs but somehow got it's own track)
3. Ignoreland- R.E.M.
4. Marry You- Eric Clapton & BB King
5. I'll Be on My Way- The Beatles
6. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve- Harry Connick Jr.
7. Mrs. Robinson- Simon & Garfunkel
8. Phantom Regiment 1995 DCI Finals Show
9. On A Plain- Nirvana (Unplugged in New York)
10. Living for Jesus- Third Day
11. Where is the Love- Black Eyed Peas
12. You Never Know- Dave Matthews Band
13. Before You Accuse Me- Eric Claption (from Unplugged, my favorite CD ever)
14. Above All- Rebecca St. James
15. November Rain- Guns N' Roses

OK, so I would love to hear from my lovely wife, my cousin Aaron, and Matt Peterson. I'm guessing those will be some wildly different playlists.

The Winter of My Discontent

Now is the winter of our discontent
After glorious summer by the sons of ‘go;
And all the sun that shown upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

excerpted from Ricub the Third, Act I, scene 100

Tonight's the Night (Hopefully Part 1 of a 3 Part Series)

Sports psychologists highly recommend a technique known as "visualization." The idea is to rehearse mentally both the steps towards success and the success itself. So, a tennis player might picture himself tossing the ball to the perfect 1 o'clock position, keeping his arm up and straight, bringing his feet together, pushing up from the legs, reaching up for the ball and striking it at its peak, pronating the wrist, following through, and landing in a balanced position. He would then further visualize the outcome of the play and of the event itself. Sports psychology is huge these days, so it must be an effective technique, right? I might as well give it a shot, I guess.

I am visualizing myself turning on TBS tonight, just in time for the game to start so I don't have to hear a half hour of nonsense about curses, and "do or die," and Manny Ramirez. The Cubs are the visiting team so have the opportunity to bat first, and they use the opportunity to jump out early, after Soriano works a deep count and gets on base with a single, as a good lead-off hitter does. He is Theriot also gets a single, and Lee drives them both home with a stand-up double. Ramirez finishes the inning's scoring with a two-run home run. I, along with Cubs fans and players everywhere, take adeep breath and begin to relax. I am tired, having driven 6 hours today to come home and still being kind of sick, so I start to zone off a little bit, mostly just listening to the game call in the dark with my eyes closed. But when I do stir, the Cubs continue to hold and even grow their lead. I wake up in time for the ninth inning, which I want to watch, but is always my least favorite inning because it takes forever and I just want them to win already. But Kerry Wood makes is easy on me by retiring the side 1-2-3, and the Cubs claim their first game of the post-season. All the players walk out onto the field and slap hands, while the Dodgers players walk off the field in disgust. Most of the LA fans have left a while ago. I wish they would play "Go Cubs Go," but it is any away game so they won't. So I listen to it on my ipod and go to bed, having my best night's sleep in a while.

This is bound to work...

The Game and the After Effects

NOTE: See this comment and this post. This is the one post relating to the Cubs game that I will write. I do NOT accept responsibility for the Cubs losing. Not accepting responsibility is the only thing making my life livable at the moment.

As all the readers of this blog know, we attended the debacle Game 1 of the NLCS. Our seats were quite literally in the top row of the upper deck. As you can see in this picture of Nancy (and her growing bump), the only thing behind the top row in the upper deck is a chain link fence.On a windy night like that night, that chain link fence does nothing to protect those in the top row from the icy sting of Chicago's wind. Upon arriving at our seats, we quickly realized we needed to increase our clothing options, so we strolled down to the convenient and reasonably priced clothing purveyor and purchased a new stocking cap and hooded sweatshirt. This was when we were still in a good mood.

The good mood was elevated when Mark DeRosa hit the flukiest home run ever in the second inning, and we were happy to have the early lead. And we actually kept it for a little while. And then the wheels fell off. Really, you could see it right from the start. Dempster didn't have command of the strike zone, and he seemed to be wanting to establish the "high" end of the strike zone, a strategy that is unconventional to say the least. The fact that this eventually caught up with him was not exactly a surprise, but the way it happend sort of snuck up on us. Walking the pitcher doesn't help. Nor does walking the next guy. Nor does a ridiculous infield hit by Manny Ramirez. It goes without saying that a grand slam followed, all of the life and energy was sucked out of the crowd, and the game was effectively over.
When we were on the train coming home, I started to feel sick to my stomach. At the time, I thought this was because of the Cub game and the fact that I had eaten ballpark food all night. But shortly, it became obvious that it was more than that. By the next morning, Nancy, Sophie and I all woke up with the stomach flu (it's all the rage in Lexington right now). So, we added illness to insult & injury.

Yesterday was basically split between laying down wrapped in blankets or in the bathroom (pleasant, I know). I was determined, however, to stay up and see the Cub game, but was worried that since Game 2 started so late, that I wouldn't be able to stay up for it. Fortunately, the Cub's defense made my life much easier by handing over the game in the second inning, allowing me to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

My one glimmer of hope right now? Rich Harden is pitching Game 3. Frankly, I was a little surprised that he wasn't tipped to start Game 1. He has been our best pitcher since he arrived and should be plenty comfortable pitching on the west coast. Go Rich!!

Now, back to the beginning... Is the game 1 loss somehow my fault? I find it hard to believe that it could be. For one, we were literally sitting as far away from the field as you possibly can and still be in the stadium. Now, I know I am a powerful guy, but I don't think my power extends that far. But this can speak to a larger point involved in this series, which is the millions of people like me, who have pinned all of their hopes and expectations on this team. There were 42,099 of us there Wednesday night, and I can tell you that the burdens of those 42,099 people are heavy. Too heavy to reasonably expect 25 men to carry. So, is the loss my fault? No. Can the pressure of meeting the expectations of Cub fans everywhere play a part in their poor play so far? Definitely. So in way, it's ALL of our fault. Except mine.

Here are some additional pictures:

Tickets

As many of you will remember, there was an "incident" around this time last year involving the Cubs getting swept and me having useless tickets to a non-existent game. So, this year we are taking no chances. Our tickets are for Game 1 of the NLDS, which is pretty much guaranteed to get played short of a natural disaster or the rapture.

This week, I will start to get a weird feeling in my belly (weirder than the normal feeling in my belly, which is saying something). It will be part excitement, part joy, part anticipation, and part dread. But mostly excitement, joy, and anticipation. I will also have the opportunity to see most of the readers of this blog in a few days (hi Mom), which is also nice.

Go Cubs Go!

Clinch

I think this is just what the Cubs need to push them over the top and clinch the NL Central this weekend:

By the time the playoffs start, this should have grown in nicely.

The End of Cynicism... kind of

Cub fans are an eternally hopeful lot. We stick with our team through bad times better than any other fan base in sports, at least in my opinion. With that said, I think that has also made us a little bit cynical. The fact is, most years, we don't expect to win. Even when we make the playoffs, we don't expect to win the World Series. We're glad to be there! This is our defense mechanism. After 100 years with no Championship, it is easier to be laissez-faire than to really open up our hopes and risk being hurt. To be fair, we've been right on this point for a while now.

2003 changed that for me a little bit. For the first time, I was actually and realistically hopeful that we could close the deal in the NLCS and at least make the World Series. But the truth is, that hope caught me by surprise. I was surprised when the Cubs beat the Braves in the NLDS that year, and it was only after taking a lead in the Marlins series that I really, truly opened up my emotions to the prospect of winning. And then, just as the Cubs Fatalists could have told you, a disaster happened, and everything fell apart. After that, the defense mechanism returned.

Last year, the Cubs started the season off slow, but made a nice charge at the end which, along with a Milwaukee collapse, allowed the Cubs to back-door their way into the playoffs. Sure, I was excited and hopeful, but I didn't honestly believe that team was truly good enough to win the World Series. I mean, they got swept by a mediocre Arizona Diamondbacks team. Yes, that loss stung, a lot, but it stung more because I had tickets to a non-existent game 4 than because they lost.

I got over it quickly and began to set my hopes on this season. If you are a reader of this blog, you will know that I started writing about this season some time last year. I could barely wait for baseball season to start. Somehow, and who knows why, I had it set in my heart that this year finally was the year. But that means the defense mechanism is gone. I am totally hopeful, totally engrossed, totally invested, and totally vulnerable. I am open to be teased, open to be taunted, open to lose all hope, and open to be hurt. But more importantly, I am open to be happy, open to cheer with my loudest voice, open to dance around, open to hug people I don't even know, and open to celebrate like I've never celebrated before.

My name is Dan Erickson, and for the first time, I am NOT a cycnical Cubs fan.

A Winning Season

Last night, the Cubs won their 82nd game of the season, the first team in baseball to do that this year, thus guaranteeing themselves a winning season. This is 2 winning seasons in a row, a rarity is Wrigleyville, and one that came with a lot of pressure and expectations from Cub fans like me. With any luck, this could be a very expensive fall:)

I Was Wrong

I was wrong about the Jim Edmonds trade. I still feel like my reasoning was correct, but he has had quite the resurgence, and I have really enjoyed watching him play. Go figure.

Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium is somehow different than I thought. Being one of the 3 "historic" stadiums remaining in baseball, the other 2 being Wrigley & Fenway, I expected to feel like I was in baseball Holy Ground. And let's face it, Yankee Stadium has seen more baseball history than every other baseball stadium combined. Yet somehow, I didn't feel that way at all. Yankee Stadium feels like a modern baseball stadium, with giant replay monitors, constant video, and non-stop music in your face. It has clearly seen substantial renovation over the years, all of which was definitely needed, but it does sort of strip the place of its history. I beleive that monument park exists in the outfield not because it is an organic extension of the history that has taken place there, but rather as a reintroduction of that history into a stadium that would barely be recognizable to those who came before.

All of that said, I loved it. One thing you can't tell on TV is that Yankee Stadium is total dump. I say this with total affection, as my favorite place on earth, Wrigley Field, is an even bigger dump. But the difference is in the presentation. Wrigley is a dump and embraces it, while Yankees Stadium tries to blind you to the fact that it is a dump with constant distraction and just plain gaudiness. This is ironic, as the Yankees try to portray their image as classy, when in fact it is really, really gaudy.

Anyway, as I get older and have begun to grow my family, I have really started putting a larger emphasis on unique experiences. At this point, going to Yankee Stadium as it exists today is a once in a lifetime experience. That place, which has been such a big part not just of baseball history, but of our national history, will not exist in a few months, and this was my only chance to see it. I couldn't be more glad that I did. Plus, I got to share it with my best bud Mike, which made it even better. Here are a few of our pictures. Many of these are photomerges, which explains the weird jaggedness, but I thought that was cooler than cropping them. This was a great day.

Baseball

1. Who says the Cubs can't play on the road? (Although, to be fair, they do call Miller Park "Wrigley Field North")
2. Just one time this season, I am going to take a Cubs break and follow a different team, if only for a day. As we all know this is the last year of Yankee Stadium, a place that has seen more baseball history than any other place. It is, in some cases literally, a museum for baseball, and I have never been there. This weekend I am remedying that by watching the Yankees play the Angels on Friday night with my friend Mike. So, for one day only, I am a Yankee fan (who watches the scoreboard to see what the Cubs are up to). Pictures to follow...

The All-Star Game

I was getting my hopes up for a bit there that the National League might win, and get home field advantage, and that the Cubs could have the home field throughout the entire playoffs, and their home record is so good that it would propel them to the World Series title and I would have a heart attack...................

But, alas, the AL pulled it out again.

It was pretty cool to see the last All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Honestly, I think that will be the last major baseball event there, as I don't think the Yankees are going to the postseason this year. I'm not normally one for over-done pregame festivities. They always take too long and are too cheesy. They scream at you, "Be emotional now!" I don't need to feel manipulated by some PR guy at MLB. Plus, they make the games start way too late. BUT... I really liked the pregame at this All-Star game. I don't think they could have pulled that off anywhere but Yankee Stadium, but it just seemed right there.

More importantly, I thought the Cubs players represented themselves well, especially Zambrano and Dempster. Good job boys!

Cub Game Pre-Test

We are leaving tomorrow for our first little "mini-vacation" of the summer. Ostensibly, we are making the trip so that we can attend my sister Kelsey's high school graduation party, but the real reason is the Cub game we are going to on Thursday. Kelsey's coming with us, so it's OK...

Anyway, the last two years, I have evaluated the games we have attended using the criteria below. Last year, I even made a predicted rating and then did an actual rating after the game. Since I haven't blogged in a while, I figured I would do the same thing here. Again, these are the same questions I ask every year, just to be fair, and are ranked on a scale of 1-10.

1. Are the Cubs playing for anything or in a race of some kind?
As of this post, the Cubs have the best record in Major League Baseball, so they are officially in the playoff hunt. As they haven't been this good this late in the season in 100 years, I would say this scores a 10.

2. How is the weather for the game?
It's supposed to be in the 80's and sunny at game time. This may be a hair warmer than we prefer, but doable. Let's say this gets a 7.

3. Who are they playing?
They are playing the Atlanta Braves. We knock off one point for being out of division, but otherwise, this is a very good game to see. The Braves are pretty good, definitely in playoff contention, and are generally a fun team to watch play. So, I'd give this an 8.

4. Who am I attending with?
This one may deserve extra credit. Scheduled to appear: Me, Nancy, Sophie, my Mom, Allen, Chris, Kelsey, and Steven. This is the first time that I have gone to a game with my family since my dad died, so this is a pretty big deal for me. Plus, it is Sophie's first (of many) times to Wrigley, and it is Kelsey's first time as well. Now, Kelsey is bringing her boyfriend, so I may need to take away a point for that... So, let's say this gets an 11.

5. Quality of Hot Dogs & Peanuts.
Normally, I would give this a pre-score of 7 and go from there. Last year's were very good, but 2 years ago they were bad. But... this game is supposedly "1948 Day," and everything, including concessions prices, are to be rolled back to 1948 levels, at least for part of the day. If that is true, this could be a VERY good day. So, let's say 8, for now.

6. Number and Quality of Exciting Plays.
It's hard to say in advance, but I would think this game should have some action to it. Let's say 7 for now.

7. Who is singing "Take me Out to the Ballgame?"
This is a big wild-card. We're going 5 for now.

8. Did the Cubs win?
Well, it's a home game, so there's a pretty good chance. Let's assume yes and give this a 10.

That is a score of 63, but there is plenty of room for growth here. I may also need to find a way to award bonus points for 1948 Day. Both teams are wearing their throwback uniforms, and the atmosphere there should be pretty cool.

Go Cubs Go!

Cubs: The Good, The Bad, and the Surreal

THE GOOD:
After today's game, the Cubs are now a ridiculous 26-8 at home, which includes their current 7 game winning streak. This is very, like historically, good.

THE BAD:
On the road, the Cubs are 10-13. Not only is that a bad record, but that means they have played 11 more home games than road games. So, they are in for some serious road trips, starting with 23 of their next 32 on the road. Let's just say this is an important part of their season.

THE SURREAL:
The Cubs have the best record in Major League Baseball, a distinction they have not had this late in the season since 1908. What else happened in 1908? The Cubs won the World Series. I'm not trying to jinx it or anything, but that was the first time I have ever said or written the phrase "The Cubs won the World Series," and, well, it felt good.

The Jim Edmonds Signing

There has been much ado today about the Cubs signing Jim Edmonds. Most of the buzz has revolved around many of the Cubs fans who just can't accept the fact that we signed a guy who has been a huge rival for so many years. They just don't see how this could possibly work. I'll be honest, I don't see how this could possibly work, either, but it has nothing to do with the fact that he used to play for the Cardinals. I just don't think he's very good. Let's just look at the last few years:

Year	BA	OPS	HR
2004	0.301	1.061	42
2005	0.263	0.918	29
2006	0.257	0.821	19
2007	0.252	0.728	12
2008	0.178	0.498	1

Am I the only one who finds this disturbing?

Now, I understand that Felix Pie wasn't exactly tearing it up in the big leagues (.222, .572, 1), but I find it hard to believe that Edmonds is, at this point in his career, a major step up. Why not let the young player, who the Cubs still believe the be a big part of their future, get some experience and learn to hit major league pitching at the major league level? Plus, I'm inclined to believe that his defense is better that Edmonds is at present, and that he will be a MUCH bigger threat on the base paths. I know that Edmonds has, in theory, more power, but I think that is not relevant for two reasons; 1) the Cubs already have the best offense in baseball by almost 20 runs, and 2) baseball at large is making a move back to station-to-station play, and Pie fits that model much better than Edmonds does. I know it seems like I'm a big Pie homer here, but believe me, I am painfully aware of his shortcomings as a player. I'm not at all convinced that he is ready to be an everyday player at the major league level, let alone on a playoff contending team. Nonetheless, I'll take an athletic 23 year old hitting .222 over a washed up 37 year old hitting .178 every day of the week!

With all that said- I hope that I'm terribly wrong. I hope Jim Edmonds returns to his form from the 2004 season, when he was one of the best players in baseball. Go Jim Edmonds!!!!

Back to the Blog

We've been away from the blog for a few days, so it's time to get caught back up...

1. As I wrote here on April 23, the last 17 games were going to be an important indication for just how good the Cubs were this season. It was a brutal stretch, with a lot of division and road games and ending with a home series against the team with the best record in baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks. So, what did we learn? The Cubs went 8-9 over 17 games (4-2 at home and 4-7 on the road). On its face, I would find that mildly discouraging, but the weird thing is that they played 3 series in a row where they outscored their opponents but lost 2 of 3. So, it's discouraging that they lost, but encouraging that they have a high value in expected wins. In the long run, that is encouraging. On a more personal note, WHERE WERE THOSE WINS AGAINST THE DIAMONDBACKS LAST OCTOBER?????

2. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, most importantly my wife, my mom, and my mom-in-law.

3. Sophie is learning to pose for the camera. Let's just say that it's a work in progress:
4. I'm feeling pretty good about the Mountain Dew challenge. It's a little harder than I thought it would be, but I'm feeling good nonetheless. I also grow more appreciative every day not to be participating in Mustache May.

5. The guys I've worked for just opened their first of several new Dunkin Donuts in Lexington. Nancy & I grew up with Dunkin Donuts, but they are new to this area. So, we went to our first ever Donut Party on Friday, and took home copious amounts of free donuts to share with anyone who would take them. I have now officially had my fill of donuts for some time to come. But if you haven't- Go to the new Dunkin Donuts on Main at Rose!

Another Win

10,000!

How Good Are They?

There are many people out there asking if the Cubs are actually any good or if they have simply benefited from an easy early schedule. There is some truth in this question, as they have played 12 of their 20 games against teams with losing records, 6 against the Pirates alone. When they have played quality teams, they lost 2 of 3 to the Brewers, lost 2 of 3 to the Phillies, BUT- they took both games against the Mets over the last two days. So where does that leave them?

I believe we're going to get a very good indication of that over the next 17 games. First of all, 11 of the next 14 games are on the road, with the one home series against the rival Brewers. They will have to start on the road against the defending NL Champions Rockies, then go to Washington, then the Brewers at home, then at St. Louis and then at Cincinnati. There is no breather once they get home after that, though, as they'll have to play the Diamondbacks, who currently have the best record in baseball. This is NOT an easy stretch!

The good news- We'll have a very good idea of exactly how good the Cubs are 17 games from now.

Monday Night Cubs

I thought I would do a little Cubs blogging while watching them play the Mets on a Monday night...

Did any of you see the WGN special "Cubs Forever" on Saturday night? I missed the first 20 minutes or so but caught the rest and found it the most enjoyable 40 minutes of television I've watched in a long time. Unlike most Cubs specials I've seen, this one didn't dwell on the negative but was fun, positive, uplifting and hopeful. It is going to air again on WGN on May 3 at 8:00 ET if you didn't get a chance to see it.

I told Nancy this earlier, but it seems like emotionally I'm really invested in this season. I can't explain why, but it just seems like this is the year, it has to be the year. As much as I love the Cubs, I've never made a point to check in during every game, every day, every inning, like I am this year. I'm considering getting the MLB radio package so that I can listen to their games on my computer at work. Or maybe get satellite radio. I'm even growing to appreciate Sweet Lou. It's safe to say that I've gone all in and April hasn't even ended yet. It's going to be a looong summer (fortunately, it seems like they're pretty good so far!).

To answer your question, yes, I have purchased the song "Go Cubs Go." I just about have all the verses memorized and have begun singing it to Sophie. We dance and have fun with it. My goal is to have that be the first song she knows. I know, I know.

Big Z looks good tonight.

The Cubs took over first place in the NL Central last night. Unlike last year, that is a distinction that actually means something. At this early point in the season, the NL Central is the strongest division in baseball. I know that this means there is going to be some serious beating up of one another throughout the season (we can't play the Pirates every game, unfortunately).

So, in short, Go Cubs Go!