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Thursday, April 24, 2008

10,000 Chicago Cubs' Wins

Wow, the Cubs have won 10,000 games.
Who says they are the Lovable Losers?
The Cubs are 10,000-9,465 all-time, so that means they have a winning record!
They are off to their best start since 1975.
100 years since their last World Series victory though.
They trail only the New York/San Francisco Giants in overall wins.
Enjoy it Cub Fans.

---added---
I just went past wrigley, and they have a white 10,000 flag hanging opposite of the W flag in center field. Very cool. Only problem is that they lost to Colorado today, and the W flag shouldn't be up! Oh well, let's win tomorrow.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Chin Music


I dug the sign hanging outside of Wrigley this weekend, I'm sure it wasn't just the $6.25 Old Style's that makes this cool.

Kerry Wood: "I like Country Rock and Chin Music."


Check out Wrigley field famous sign live!

FIRST PLACE

It doesn't happen often, but both the Cubs and the White Sox are in first place on the same day. The Cubs have been beating up on the hapless Pirates, having beaten them 6 times this year already, part of the reason the cubs are 12-6.
I had the pleasure of attending Friday's 3-2 nailbiter, then the Cubs walloped the Pirates for 13 runs each game Sat and Sunday. Wow. Glad our bats have come alive.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Former Chicago Bulls Jason Caffey Gets bankruptcy relief

Here is an article that I stumbled upon to show that even pro ball players have bankruptcy issues....although, he brought this on himself...at least he is taking steps to cure the problem...read on..

From the Press Register
Woman in court in Caffey case
Mother of ex-NBA player's son accused of violating court order
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
By BRENDAN KIRBY
Staff Reporter

An Atlanta woman entitled to tens of thousands of dollars in child support from a former professional basketball player went to federal court in Mobile on Tuesday to battle a $40,000 judgment entered against her for violating the player's bankruptcy.

Tuesday's hearing repre sented the latest twist in a saga that has seen former Chicago Bulls power forward Jason Caffey -- who is from Mobile and was a star player for Da vidson High School -- go from admired millionaire athlete to an alleged deadbeat dad who claims he cannot make court-ordered payments to seven women who have had at least eight of his children.

Karen Russell, who has been fighting Caffey for years over payments for their 15-year-old son, did win a small victory in that Tuesday hearing.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Margaret A. Mahoney decided that Russell, who now lives in Atlanta, should be able to appeal the $40,000 order, even though the normal 10-day window for doing so has closed.

Earlier this year, Mahoney had ordered Russell to pay after determining that she violated a freeze on debt collection mandated by Caffey's bankruptcy.

Russell said outside the courtroom that she was stunned when she learned that Mahoney had entered the judgment against her.

"It's surprising to me that they would even allow him to file bankruptcy to get out of paying child support," she said.

Under federal law, a bankruptcy judge cannot wipe away Caffey's child support obligations. But all creditors -- including the mothers of his children -- are supposed to stop all efforts to collect their debts while Caffey works out a bankruptcy plan with the court.

Still to be resolved is Caffey's demand that Russell pay his attorneys' fees. Mahoney set a hearing next month for that matter and suggested that Russell might want to hold off on her appeal until a final decision is made then.

Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Herschel T. Hamner Jr. found Caffey in contempt in July for not paying child support, and an arrest warrant was issued in August.

Caffey filed for bankruptcy protection that same month, yet Hamner issued the arrest warrant shortly afterward.

Mahoney ruled that Russell had a duty to put an end to the proceedings once the bankruptcy was filed. Not only did Russell not do so, the judge ruled, but she accepted money in October as part of a settlement Caffey's lawyer negotiated in order to get his client out of jail.

Russell, meanwhile, claims that she never knew about the bankruptcy order. She said an address where the notice was mailed is a Montgomery post office box that she set up to receive child support payments.

Lawyers who were representing Russell at the time have said they did not receive notice, either, despite testimony that Caffey's lawyers left phone messages and sent copies of the order by fax and e-mail.

Russell, who works for a chemical company, said she met Caffey when both attended the University of Alabama. They did not date exclusively or for very long, she said, but the relationship produced a son. She said she began having problems getting Caffey to pay within months of a child support order in 1995.

The only time Caffey regularly paid, Russell said, was when it was automatically deducted from his paycheck from the NBA. Court records put the child support debt at more than $82,000; Russell said it exceeds $100,000 when attorneys' fees are included.

Russell's lawyer, Penny Douglass Furr, said the $40,000 judgment against her client is separate from the money Caffey owes, meaning she could not simply deduct the amount.

"That's basically a year's salary for Karen."

Monday, April 14, 2008

Extra innings

This is how to wear down your bullpen:
Cubs:
Monday: 12 innings. Win
Wednesday 15 innings. Win
Sunday: 10 innings. Win

Now, Jon Lieber has been invaluable to the bullpen, although I thought he should have been the #5 starter ahead of Jason (if I don't start, I don't want to be here) Marquis. He has the best attitude, and hell, he was the last 20 game winner for the Cubs!

Game notes: in Sunday's 10 inning win against Philly, I was surprised that Pinnella used Carlos Zambrano to pinch hit for Kerry Wood in the 10th inning. Although, his routine grounder was thrown by Chase Utley into the dugout letting the winning run score, it would have otherwise been a double play. The Cubs had no one left on their bench, having used everyone else but the relief pitchers and other starters. I would have left Kerry Wood in, even if you were going to bring in Howry in the 11th....Wood has some pop in his bat, and has a decent eye at the plate for a pitcher. This way, you could still use Zambrano in later innings as needed. Alas, I don't get paid millions to make that decision, at least they won!

Friday, April 11, 2008

5 game win streak

Nice to see the Cubs put together a 5 game win streak here. Although 1/2 was against Pittsburgh, it was on the road. They did a good job battling back after giving up the lead.....Heck , tuesday, they were up 7-0 and almost lost it, until they won in 15 innings. The team has shown some resolve, in battling back in the late innings. Years past they would just roll over and look to tomorrow's game. Sweet Lou's influence is working. Go get em boys.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Congrats KU

Congratulations on winning the NCAA Tourney this year Kansas. Yes, this is a Chicago blog, and yes,there are Chicago Connections. Derrick Rose played on Memphis, missed a key free-throw with 9 seconds remaining, which gave the Jayhawks a final shot - and yes, they sunk the 3 to tie the game and went on to win in OT.

Congrats to Bill Self, former coach of the University of Illinois. Self was a great coach, great recruiter too, Derron Williams, Luther Head and Dee Brown were all his recruits from the 2005 team who lost to NC in the championship game a few years ago.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

right closer?

After blowing a 0-0 game in the ninth on opening day, Kerry Wood has settled down and notched his 3rd save in 3 oportunities during the first week of baseball in 2008. Let's keep up the heat and keep shutting them down.

Patrick Kane gets my vote for ROY

Patrick Kane has an awesome shot (no pun intended) at getting some hardware this year ...rookie of the year award. He has 21 goals and 51 assists, for 72 points. His teammate, Jonathan Toews led all rookie skaters with 24 goals. These two should light the lamp for years to come, so I hope Tallon inks them for long term deals. Heck, use the tv revenue they will pull in next year!

TV Time

The Hawks have announced that all 82 games, both HOME and away, will be on television for the 08-09 season. This is the first time ever for the hawks. Comcast and WGN have won the bids for the games. This hopefully will help re-build the fan base that has become quite depleted over the last 10 years. Sub-par play, sub-par management, and trading away all of the fan favorites has had quite the impact. Now it looks like the team has turned the corner. They have added some top notch rookies in Kane and Toews...great job Tallon! The team barely missed the playoffs, having one thier last 4 games. Now, with the youngsters, it looks like they will be a playoff caliber team next year, with the ability to see them on TV every time. The United Center has been sold out for the past few weeks too, so it shows that the fan base is coming back around.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

As Johnny Drama would say..."Victory!"

hawks win
cubs got first win
sox got first win
hawks need a prayer to make the playoffs but are fighting
cubs have a deep lineup and pitching staff
sox...well, a team will never go 0-162 so they had to win at least one

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Here we go again....

Kerry Wood was not a very effective closer yesterday on opening day for the Cubs (He gave up 3 runs.) Neither was Bob Howry ( gave up game winning run), nor formerly lights out - Eric Gagne for the Brewers, (Gave up the game tying 3run homer in the bottom of the 9th to Rookie Kosuke Fukudome.) Carlos Marmol, on the otherhand, pitched a gem of an inning in the 8th when Carlos Zambrano tired...yes, cramps again.

Now, I am not really a Sox fan, but they did get screwed double time in the 8th on opening day. Congrats to Thome who knocked out 2 dingers to start the season off...nice (and he's on my fantasy team!) But Crede was totally safe at home...the relay was high, catcher made a vague swing tag, but missed him from the angle I saw. Then right after that, the umps called runner interference when the Sox went to try to break up the double play, he slid, caught the 2nd base bag with his foot, albeit slid over the bag, but he was out anyways. Just because the runner tossed his hands in the air (many do when sliding) the ump called interference. He did drift towards the 2nd baseman, but was nowhere really near him, and did not touch him. Rough calls.