Category > 2ON2OUT
It appears Woody will don another uniform next year. The Cubs front office decided that giving a three to four year deal to the often electric, but always inconsistent closer wasn’t the best way to use their holiday money. The fact is, this is a good baseball decision. Woody was a solid closer and ninth-inning men are hard to come by, but with the acquisition of Kevin Gregg from the Marlins, the back-end of the Cubs bullpen is not the …
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable my friends. A sweep. No wins. A story… When I was eight years old my cousin gave my brother, sister and I his Atari 2600. After mashing through games like Adventure and Decathlon he loaned us Pitfall II.
What Happened Well, we’re here my friends. The playoffs. The prognosticators predicted that the Cubs would repeat as Division champions and for once, they didn’t disappoint. The question, up until yesterday afternoon’s flat fastball out of the hand of Bob Howry and into the bleachers off of Ryan Braun’s bat, was, “But who will we play?” Behind the impossibly durable arm of CC Sabathia, pitching on three days rest for the third straight outing, the Brewers took two of three …
Clinch For the first time since 1907-08, the Cubs have won the division in back-to-back seasons. As expected, the Northsiders clinched (on Saturday), with their arch rivals on the field, in a 5-4 nail biter. Most years, this would be enough. Division champs, Cardinals eliminated and are forced to watch the Cubs celebrate. Like a dream come true. But not this year. This is simply not enough. As much as I’d like to tell you that this is my favorite …
Well my friends, records and landmarks continue to fall for the 2008 Cubbies. Carlos Zambrano tossed a no-hitter last night and 1972 has been erased. For years, opposing batters, pitching coaches and teammates have speculated that Big Z had the stuff to throw a no-hitter. Maybe it was only a matter of time. But after a twelve day layoff because of shoulder issues? On a neutral site against a team who had just won 14 out of their last 15 …
What do I expect as a Cub fan? It’s a question I ask myself from time to time. The answer is usually pretty bleak. I expect losing. I expect little support from upper management. A terrible and over-hyped farm system. I expect many people to attend games because they like “hanging out” at Wrigley Field. And finally, I expect winning enough to get your hopes up and then destroyed. But, the thing of it is, these expectations have started to …
I’m finding it difficult to write about anything other than the post-season. Call me crazy, start writing in about the Cubs inevitable collapse if you’d like — but I still think there’s no way they won’t be in the playoffs. Wildcard maybe, but in the playoffs nonetheless.
Last week I declared that the Cubs would be making the playoffs. This week, I thought I’d write a little bit about who else might be there from the National League. Here’s what I’m thinking: NL East This thing is still wide open. I’m going to go with the Phillies. But here’s another prediction. The team that wins the NL East will not advance past the first round of the playoffs. Philly and the Mets just don’t have the horses. …
I write this from vacation in Wisconsin. On the way up here I was listening to 670 The Score in Chicago. Boors and Bernstein (not my favorites, I’m a Murph guy) were discussing what the Cubs should actually be focusing on in these last few weeks given that they were going to make the playoffs. When fans would call in about Milwaukee possibly passing the Cubs for the division lead, Bernstein would whine back at them saying, “It doesn’t matter! …
Stepping Up What a difference a week can make. Your Chicago Cubs were able to gain four games on the Milwaukee Brewers and two on the Redbirds to move the trailers to five and six games back, respectively. It all started with the huge four-game series at Miller Park, where the Cubs shocked all of baseball and Baseball Tonight’s Buck Showalter by sweeping the Beermakers in their own backyard. As I posted last week, I really felt like the key …
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Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
Very inspired Photochops as well….
Props on the new YMCA dig. I think it’s a terrible spot for it, but then again, I’m not well-to-do and I’m not willing to drive 15 minutes at $4/gallon to exercise for an hour.
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/do-loud-pipes-save-lives/1119/ Are you a smoker, too? I feel like I’m just getting recycled arguments.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/dangerous_motorcycle_safety_myths/index.html “Myth 2: Loud Pipes Save Lives”
Yes, I also love the idea of the downtown! However, the “turds” that ride Harley’s or any other motorcycle have the right to ride their motorcycles regardless of the “loudness” anywhere they want. They are buying gas, hence they are contributing to the motor fuel tax that…
Yup, this was the year I realized there’s no way this is my last CU marathon, even though I’m gradumacating next week.Where else am I gonna get cheered on by 70+ year old heart-of-gold volunteers who smile at me so genuinely I could believe I’m their granddaughter?…
I always have a good, but disappointed, laugh when marathon time creeps up and I start seeing posts on the WCIA Facebook page lamenting race day and how difficult it is to get around town that day. One this year said, “can’t they just go run in…
Reminds me of Total Football (soccer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Football
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As a liberal conservative, and a person who favors taxes & services ... and also a sense of proportion; I savor the comic potential that still exists in this comments section. I’m pretty sure we can goad more anti-government rhetoric from confirmed progressives and government employees. If…
Did the Crave Truck get a permit to park in city metered spots and city right of way? Or did they just get a permit? The city clerk’s office seems to be a suspect here, but it’s not clear they did anything wrong. Did the Crave Truck…
High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
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@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.