Viking from Bluegrass now in the Land of the Fighting Irish

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, BABY!! -WEEK 12

I simply have too much going on this fall and have been sorely lacking on blog posts. So AGAIN I have to catch up on several weeks...

Week 7 Scores:

UCONN 38, Louisville 25
USC 34, Notre Dame 27

Week 8 Scores:

Cincinnati 41, Louisville 10
Notre Dame 20, Boston College 16

Week 9 Scores:

Louisville 21, Arkansas State 13
Notre Dame 40, Washington State 14

Week 10 Scores:

West Virginia 17, Louisville 9
Navy 23, Notre Dame 21

Week 11 Scores:

Louisville 10, Syracuse 9
Pittsburgh 27, Notre Dame 22



Week 12 Preview:
Louisville (4-6) is playing at South Florida this weekend, and are having a dismal season so far ;-( The Cards are getting man-handled by almost every opponent they've played. They are 1-4 in the Big East (2nd-to-last place), and their 2 remaining games are against conference opponents. I really hope that Louisville can pull it together and try to finish the season at .500, not that I think it will help Kragthorpe's job at all.

Notre Dame (6-4), is preparing for their last home game of 2009. Here are some highlights from the past few weeks: played fairly well during the USC game but made too many big mistakes. BUT it was definitely the most reaspectable showing against USC since I moved to South Bend. The B.C. game was one of the best games I've seen all year and finally we beat those scraps at home. Two years ago, those Eagle fans really grated my nerves after they beat us. Didn't see much of the Washington State game we finally had a win by more than a few points. And didn't keep the fans holding their breath down to the last tick of the clock (as has been the routine ALL season). Navy game was painful to watch because we had SO many chances that we just didn't capitalize on. That gave us our 3rd loss, dropping us from BCS contention and the rankings. The Pitt loss last night was the nail in the coffin of getting a decent bowl game (as far as I can tell). Now if we finish 8-4, we would still probably only go to what I call a "scrap bowl".
As for this coming weekend, the Irish are hosting UCONN (4-5, 1-4 in Big East) who has no respectable wins. This should be a game for the boys to get their confidence back and get pumped for Stanford which is their final opponent of the season (and just so happened to wallop USC last night). Game is on Saturday at 2:30pm (televised on NBC). I said that Navy was a must-win and that beating Pitt would be nice. But after 2 losses in a row, N.D. HAS to beat UCONN.

Other teams to watch:
# 11Ohio State at Michigan Saturday-12noon, ABC (important to everone who lives around me even though I don't like EITHER of these teams)
# 18 Penn State at Michigan State Saturday-3:30pm, ABC (another important Big 10 game which should be a pretty good matchup)
# 13 Oregon at # 17 Arizona Saturday-8pm (no tv info yet)

GO IRISH!!
GO CARDS!!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, BABY!! -WEEK 7

I have missed a few weeks because things have been C-RAZY lately so I have to catch up on a few weeks...

Week 4 Scores:

Utah 30, Louisville 14 
Notre Dame 24, Purdue 21 

Week 5 Scores:

Pittsburgh 35, Louisville 10 
Notre Dame 37, Washington 30 (OT)

Week 6 Scores:

Louisville 25, Southern Miss 23
Notre Dame (BYE week)

Also, here's a first look at the 2009 Polls:

AP Top 25

1	Florida (50)	5-0	1490
2	Alabama (10)	6-0	1430
3	Texas	5-0	1395
4	Virginia Tech	5-1	1283
5	Boise State	5-0	1199
6	USC	4-1	1161
7	Ohio State	5-1	1048
8	Cincinnati	5-0	1038
9	Miami (FL)	4-1	970
10	LSU	5-1	947
11	Iowa	6-0	919
12	TCU	5-0	917
13	Oregon	5-1	776
14	Penn State	5-1	597
15	Nebraska	4-1	576
16	Oklahoma State	4-1	559
17	Kansas	5-0	551
18	Brigham Young	5-1	490
19	Georgia Tech	5-1	453
20	Oklahoma	3-2	432
21	South Florida	5-0	330
22	South Carolina	5-1	319
23	Houston	4-1	192
24	Utah	4-1	76
25	Notre Dame	4-1	75

Conferences represented in Top 25: Big 12 leads with 5 teams, SEC is next with 4 teams (2 of those in Top 5). Big 10, ACC & Mountain West each have 3 teams, PAC 10 & Conf USA each have 2 teams; WAC & Big East have one each.



Week 7 Preview:
Louisville (2-3) is playing at UCONN this weekend, and really are not having such a great season so far ;-( The Cards are definitely getting in the swing of the conference portion of the schedule. They are 0-1 in the Big East, and 6 of their remaining 7 games are against conference opponents. I really hope that Louisville can pull it together a bit (coming off their win against So Miss) and pull out some Big East W's.

# 25 Notre Dame (4-1), is back after having last weekend off and they are back in the Top 25! Hopefully that lasts more than one week.  They are hosting their toughest rival so far this year, the # 6-ranked stupid Trojans of USC (4-1, 2-1 conf) on Saturday at 3:30pm (televised on NBC). Technically, the Irish are 2-1 against Big Ten opponents and 1-0 against the Pac 10 so far this season. N.D. is all about keeping their fans (and the opponents) on their toes this year as every game (except opening weekend against Nevada) has come down to the last 5 minutes and in one case even OT to pull out a victory. It's definitely been exciting but has gotten a little crazy ;-)
This weekend's game hosting USC will probably get the most press so far because USC has beaten Notre Dame 7 times in a row, they are long-time rivals, and USC is ranked # 6 so winning would be HUGE!!
According to espn.com, for the first time in several years, the Irish actually have an edge at QB vs the Trojans. The remaining question is can the offensive line handle the USC defense? The line on the game is USC favored by 10. But if we can keep it close, I am counting on OUR California boy to make all the difference and turn the tides for the first time in a long time. It was also be fun for me to see "The Poodle" (Pete Carroll) humiliated ;-) 
Also, here are some N.D. stats so far this season. NCAA Ranks: Total Offense is 470 yds/game (rank 10th), Passing is 333 yds/game (rank 8th), Rushing is 148 yds/game (rank is 59th), Points Scored is 32.6 pts/game (rank 28th). 

Other teams to watch:
# 20 Oklahoma at # 3 Texas Saturday-12noon, ABC (important to Big 12 and Nat'l Championship)
# 4 Virginia Tech at # 19 Georgia Tech-6pm, ESPN2 (important to ACC and Nat'l Championship)

GO IRISH!!
GO CARDS!!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, BABY!! -WEEK 4

Well this college football season is already rolling right along and there is plenty of action to come. Plus it's too early to show rankings because they don't mean much yet.

Week 3 Scores:

Kentucky 31, Louisville 27 
Notre Dame 33, Michigan State 30 (we actually won this game by 9 or 10 because we were robbed of a TD.)


Week 4 Preview:
Louisville (1-1) is playing at Utah this weekend, aftyer losing to their in-state rival Kentucky by 4 points. That game (which I didn't see because I was at N.D. tailgating) must've been a heartbreaker because the Cards really came back after being down significantly. Louisville is coming off 2 mediocre games I guess & Utah is 2-1 (after beating Utah State, San Jose State & losing to Oregon last weekend by 7 pts). Let's just hope that we play well and make a nice showing out west, preferably with a W.

Notre Dame (2-1), is back to the road but not going very far-just a quick trip to West Lafayette to play Purdue (their 3rd Big Ten opponent this season). Being at last week's game was totally awesome even though I had to sit through too many 2nd chances that we kept giving to MSU plus we got a TD taken away (which everyone in the world who has seen the replays: sports commentators, even people that don't like N.D. agreed that we were robbed). Unfortunately, our best Wide Receiver was injured esoterically but it was his collarbone so he's finished for 2009 ;-(
This weekend's game at Purdue is a late one, starting at 8:00pm (televised on ESPN) and should be less of a challenge than the previous 2 weeks. However, Purdue has always been scrappy, so we still have to show up with our A game and things should be fine. I'm gonna repeat what I said before last week's game: let's just hope the Irish offense plays as good as last week, and the defense plays just a little better. If that happens, I say we get the W. 
Also, here are some N.D. stats so far this season. NCAA Ranks: Total Offense is 479 yds/game (rank 14th), Passing is 329 yds/game (rank 10th), Rushing is 155 yds/game (rank is 56th), Points Scored is 34 pts/game (rank 31st). 

Other teams to watch:
# 9 Miami at # 11 Virginia Tech Saturday-3:30pm, ABC

GO IRISH!!
GO CARDS!!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, BABY!! -WEEK 3

Well this college football season is already rolling right along and there is plenty of action to come...especially TOMORROW!

Week 2 Scores:

Michigan 38, Notre Dame 31 (didn't see this game because I was at a wedding but seeing this score made we wanna cry...SO close. Of course, you know what they say "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades".)


Week 3 Preview:
Louisville (1-0) is hopefully a lot more ready for their in-state rival Kentucky than they were last year. Each team has only played one team: Louisville beating Indiana State two weeks ago and Kentucky beating Miami of Ohio. I don't wanna say too much before this game because of the shellacking last year. So I'll just say C-A-R-D-S-GO-CARDS!!

Notre Dame (1-1), is back at home this weekend after a disappointing loss in Ann Arbor. I didn't get to see much of last week's game but we were leading 34-31 with 4 minutes left and Michigan came back to score in the last 38 seconds ;-( 
Tomorrow's game is at 3:30pm (televised on NBC) against another rival from the state just North of the 'Bend, Michigan State. MSU has beaten Montana State and lost to Central Michigan. Not very impressive. According to ESPN.com, N.D. is favored to win by 10. And I can honestly say that at the beginning of the season I would've thought that Mich St would be a tougher opponent than Mich, but maybe I was wrong. Let's just hope the Irish offense plays as good as last week, and the defense plays just a little better. If that happens, I say we get the W. 

Other teams to watch:
Other than the Thursday night game (which is already over), no other matchups (besides my two teams' games) are really blowing my skirt up this week ;-)

GO IRISH!!
GO CARDS!!

FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT ANYONE WHO WANTS TO MAKE FUN OF ME FOR HAVING A FANTASY FOOTBALL TEAM OBVIOUSLY UNDERESTIMATES THE BEAUTY OF PRO FOOTBALL PANTS!

Insight into my Fantasy League: Ok, my Fantasy Football League had our draft the other night. This is the same league I've played in since 2001 and all the guys in it (except for a couple new guys) are my ex-coworkers. In fact the league used to be called a "play on words" of our company name. Then the company we all worked for was bought out and so the next year we changed the Fantasy League to another "play on words" of the new company name. As of 2 years ago, everyone in the league no longer works for the company-everyone has left and more than 1/2 of us have moved to another state. So whereas our old Draft nights would be at BW-3's while enjoying dozens of buffalo wings and pitchers of beer, we now have to do online drafts because it's impossible to get everyone together. 

Why I enjoy playing Fantasy Football: By the way, for anyone who likes Pro Football or REALLY likes Pro Football, having a Fantasy team is fun because instead of only paying attention to the team you cheer for (in my unfortunate case-The Minnesota Vikings), you can watch parts of several games on Sundays and be excited because one of "your" guys is playing. For example, if you have the Quarterback from St. Louis Rams and a Wide Receiver on the Cincinnati Bengals and those 2 teams are playing each other, you watch the game hoping for a really high-scoring contest.  That way, you get lots of points for your QB and also lots of TD receptions and yardage for the WR on the opposing team. Also, for people who live far away from the team they actually root for (like if you are from CO and so you're a Broncos fan but then you move to NJ or somewhere on the East Coast), if you never get to see your team on tv (unless you go to a sports bar) then you can watch the other games on Sunday and still be interested in what goes on. It really just makes Sundays more fun! Ok, I swear I'm not trying to recruit other Fantasy Football enthusiasts, I just felt the need to explain why I enjoy it.

In my league, my team name is The Grasshopper Unit which is a reference to a Beastie Boys album. My outlook for the 2009 season is good. In the 2008, my team went to the playoffs and got to the “SuperBowl” game! The Grasshopper Unit lost in the finals but what a great (and long) season! Plus I'm the only girl in my league so beating up on the guys is fun sometimes ;-)

So on to my 2009 Draft:
I won't list my entire roster but here are the best guys I got (to use for most of my starters) and what their rank by position is:

Matt Ryan, QB, # 11 (ATL Falcons)
Thomas Jones, RB, # 4 (N.Y. Jets)
Chris Johnson, RB, # 8 (TEN Titans)
Steve Smith, WR, # 4 (CAR Panthers)                                      
Antonio Bryant, WR, # 6 (T.B. Buccaneers)
Bernard Berrien, WR, # 10 (MIN Vikings)
John Carlson, TE, # 7 (SEA Seahawks) my Rookie Sleeper from 2008 who broke all TE records in SEA and won the starting spot by Week 3
David Akers, K, # 2 (PHI Eagles)
MIA Dolphins, DEF, # 8 

Players with a connection to the teams I cheer for
John Carlson, TE, THE IRISH ALUM on my team
David Akers, K, THE CARDINAL ALUM on my team
Bernard Berrien, WR, THE MINNESOTA VIKING on my team

These are the funniest Breakup Songs I've ever heard. Can you say angst? ;-) Also, I'm including one (or a few) of my favorite lines from each...

The Breakup Song by American Hi-Fi
"One more thing before you go, would you please give me my records back? My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies, Cheap Trick, and Back In Black..."

But It's Better If You Do by Panic At The Disco
"I'm of consenting age to be forgetting you in a cabaret somewhere downtown where a burlesque queen may even ask my name. As she sheds her skin on stage, I'm seated and sweating to a dance song on the club's P.A. The strip join veteran sits two away smirking between dignified sips of his dignified peach & lime daiquiri. And isn't this exactly where you'd like me, I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know. Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety..."

Chicago Is So Two Years Ago by Fall Out Boy
"You want apologies? Girl you might hold your breath until your breathing stops forever, forever. The only thing you'll get is this curse on your lips: I hope they taste of me forever..."

Don't Go Away Mad by Motley Crue
"...girl don't go away mad, just go away..."

Ex-Girlfriend by No Doubt
"you know it makes me sick to be on that list, but I should thought of that before we kissed..."

Hate (I Really Don't Like You) by Plain White T's
"Hate is a strong word but I really, really, really don't like you. Now that it's over I don't even know what I liked about you."

I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy & All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me by Fall Out Boy
"Douse yourself in cheap perfume, it's so fitting, so fitting of the way you are-can't cover it up."

I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard by Nightmare Of You
"Oh Megan, is this thing of ours still on? For I haven't slept a wink since you have been gone. And I want to be buried in your backyard, so when the flowers grow you'll know you're still in my heart."

Jude Law & A Semester Abroad by Brand New
"I hope the next boy that you kiss has something terribly contagious on his lips...tell all the English boys you meet about the American boy back in the States. The American boy you used to date, who would do anything you said..."

Latest Disaster by Stroke 9
"She bought herself a guitar and she learned a few chords. And she wrote me a song it goes like this: Get out, get dressed, you're just like the rest. There's only one thing you're after, you're still the same self-centered bastard..."

Lemonade by Wheatus
"I knew that you would because you told me that it runs in the family..."

Letters by Stroke 9
"sooner or later I'll be gone & when you wake, you will see. That sooner or later all the songs that make you shake will be by me..."

Love Stinks by J. Geils Band
"You love her but she loves him, and he loves somebody else, you just can't win. And so it goes til' the day you die, this thing called love it's gonna make you cry..."

Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off by Panic At The Disco
"Am I who you think about in bed? When the lights are dim and your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your dress. Then think of what you did and how I hope to God he was worth it when the lights are dim and your heart is racing as your fingers touch his skin. I've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better fu#k, then any boy you'll ever meet, sweetie you had me. Girl, I was it, look past the sweat, a better love deserving of exchanging body heat in the passenger seat. No, no, no you know it will always just be me."

Ohio (Come Back To Texas) by Bowling For Soup
"so when you're done doing whatever, and when you're through doing whoever, you know Denton County will be right here waiting for you. Come back to Texas, it's just not the same since you went away..."

Santa Monica by Everclear
"I am still dreaming of your face, hungry and hollow for all the things you took away, I don't wanna be your good time, I don't wanna be your fall-back crutch anymore..."

She Hates Me by Puddle Of Mudd
"She fu#king hates me, she fu#king hates me. I tried too hard and she tore my feelings like I had none and ripped them away..."

Slow Down by The Academy Is...
"Take back everything you ever said, you never meant a word of it, you never did..."

Song For The Dumped by Ben Folds Five
"Give me my money back, give me my money back, you bit#h! I want my money back. And don't forget, and don't forget, to give me back my black t-shirt."

Thanks For The Memories by Fall Out Boy
"One night and one more time, thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great. He tastes like you, only sweeter...I only think in form of crunching numbers, in hotel rooms collecting Page Six lovers, get me out of my mind, get you out of those clothes. I'm a letter away from getting you in the mood..."


So those are my favorite angsty breakup songs ;-) Hopefully they made you guys laugh!

Wrigley Field is a magical place. Believe me. It's probably one of the major reasons that there are SO many Cubs fans around the country. Either they've been to Wrigley and experienced that magic first-hand, or they've seen the ballpark on WGN wtaching games for so many years that it feels like they've been there, or they just get the old-school awesomeness of Wrigley Field, which IS old-school. And with the old Fenway and the old Yankee Stadium both gone now, Wrigley becomes even more famous for being old-school. And it also has some famous nicknames and parts to it that people know it by. "The Friendly Confines" or the "Land Of Ivy" as I like to call it because the ivy covering the outfield walls is also famous. The team has nicknames besides the Cubbies including "The North Siders" (because they plan on the north side of Chicago as opposed to the Sox who play on the south side) and an unfortunate nickname of "The Loveable Losers" because it has now been 101 years since they won a World Series ;-( But enough with the negative crap, Wrigley is a very special place, and even people who hate the Cubs and cheer for other teams can feel it when they are there. It's a real experience seeing a game there, like I said it's a magical place.

Tonight Jeff Samardzija will be experiencing this magic in a whole new way. He will not be starting off the game by chewing sunflower seeds sitting on a folding-chair down the 3rd baseline in the bullpen. NO, he will be coming from the dugout to take the field and throw out the FIRST PITCH of the game...and the second, and third, etc. YES, tonight is Jeff's first start EVER as a Chicago Cub. Now the truth is that he is no stranger to starting because that is what he spent college and his 2 1/2 years in the minors doing. BUT when he was called up for the first time to Chicago (last July), it was as a reliever and that has continued with both his call-ups this year.

In my opinion, being a starting pitcher is nothing like being a reliever. First of all, when you start you have 4 days off between games to rest and then study up on the opposing batters that you will face in your start. Also, you have to have your arm conditioned to be able to throw 100+ pitches (sometimes up to 120) which is a heckuva workout. The other major difference is your repertoire of pitches has to be deeper, meaning you need 3 or 4 different pitches to be able to mess with the batters' heads and keep them guessing because you will be seeing each batter multiple times (but hopefully not too many times ;-) For a reliever it is also challenging but in a different way. like you never know which nights you'll be pitching and you REALLY never know when you'll get in the game. Most nights you can count on chilling in the bullpen until the 6th/7th before even thinking about getting in the game. Other nights, the starter implodes or gets hurt and next thing you know, the bullpen is being used very early in the game. You can get away with only having a couple different pitches BUT they have to be awesome, otherwise you will get drilled and lose the game. Starters can try to get ahead of batters, get some short innings and hope the offense gives them some backup. But relievers are only being used BECAUSE someone else didn't/couldn't do their job, so the pressure is pretty bad. For starters it's a different kind of pressure because you are the one with prime responsibility of keeping your team in the game. in other words, if the bats aren't working for your boys, then you HAVE to make sure they also aren't working for the other boys ;-)

So, since we're talking about Relieving & Starting, let's talk about Jeff's stats so far this year:

In AAA (Iowa Cubs) as a Starter:                                                                                                                                                 13 games pitched, 67.2 innings, giving up 69 hits with 28 earned runs. 
Threw 52 strikeouts and gave up 20 walks, record of 5-3, ERA of 3.73. Threw 1046 pitches with 685 strikes (strike percentage of 65%).
Highlights-pitched 8 innings of a game allowing no runs. Had 3 different starts with 6 strikeouts each.

In Chicago as a Reliever:
16 games pitched, 24.1 innings, giving up 55 hits and 24 earned runs.
Threw 13 strikeouts and gave up 12 walks, record of 1-1, ERA of 6.29. Threw 410 pitches with 254 strikes (strike percentage of 62%).
Highlights-pitched 4 innings in Colorado (2nd-6th) last Friday night, giving up only 2 runs against a team that was seriously on (Colorado scored 33 runs against the Cubs in 4 nights). Also the Win he got on Jul 27 against Houston when he came in to start the 12th inning, effectively closing the game with 2 shutout innings.

In my humble opinion, Jeff needs to work on the following: getting MORE strikeouts at the major league level, a few less walks (although several of the ones in Chicago this year have been intentional) and taking deep breaths to get his good stuff under control before he throws the ball. Sometimes I think he works too fast. When he is on he has VERY low pitch counts, gets ahead of almost every batter, and only gives up dinky little hits. He just needs to be ON a little more often. This is something which I think would re remedied IF he was consistently starting (instead of being in the bullpen). And tonight he will get one hell of a welcome as he's throwing against the Phillies who are responsible for his only loss this year (one he will not soon forget since he gave up a 3-run homer to Jayson Werth which ended the game) in the 13th inning just 3 weeks ago. Time for him to get some revenge in OUR house.

GOOD LUCK TONIGHT JEFF!
GO CUBS!
BEAT THE PHILLIES!!

Because all the NFL teams are already in camp, I have updated the status of all the boys from last year's Cardinals & Irish who are now NFL rookies:

 

2009 DRAFTED PLAYERS:
Eric Wood, C, Louisville, selected in Rd. 1 with # 28 pick by the Buffalo Bills

CURRENT STATUS: Just signed a 5-year, $12 million dollar contract with Bills.

David Bruton, S, Notre Dame, selected in Rd. 4 with # 114 pick by the Denver Broncos

CURRENT STATUS: Just signed a 4-year, undisclosed __ million dollar contract with Broncos.

George Bussey, OT, Louisville, selected in Rd. 5 with # 170 pick by the New England Patriots

CURRENT STATUS: Just signed a 4-year, undisclosed __ million dollar contract with Patriots.

2009 UNDRAFTED (BUT SIGNED) PLAYERS:
Brock Bolen, FB, Louisville, signed as undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars

CURRENT STATUS: On Jaguars roster but hasn’t signed a contract yet.

Hunter Cantwell, QB, Louisville, signed by the Carolina Panthers

David Grimes, WR, Notre Dame, signed as undrafted free agent by the Denver Broncos

CURRENT STATUS: Released by Broncos in July.

Patrick Kuntz, DT, Notre Dame, signed as undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts

CURRENT STATUS: Released by Colts last week.

Terrail Lambert, CB, Notre Dame, signed as undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers

CURRENT STATUS: On 49ers roster but hasn’t signed a contract yet.

Asaph Schwapp, FB, Notre Dame, signed as undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys

CURRENT STATUS: On Cowboys roster but hasn’t signed a contract yet.

Mike Turkovich, OG, Notre Dame, signed as undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys

CURRENT STATUS: On Cowboys roster but hasn’t signed a contract yet.

Chris Vaughn, WR, Louisville, signed as undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints

CURRENT STATUS: Released by Saints sometime in summer.

2009 UNDRAFTED PLAYERS with an upcoming NFL Tryout:
Maurice Crum Jr., OLB, Notre Dame, invited to tryout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

CURRENT STATUS: Not signed by the Buccaneers.

Justin Brown, DL, Notre Dame, invited to tryout for the Washington Redskins

CURRENT STATUS: Not signed by the Redskins.

Other Recent Alums Playing in NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
Harry Douglas, WR, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)
Antoine Harris, S, Louisville alum (5th Year NFL player)

Baltimore Ravens
Tom Zbikowski, S, Notre Dame alum (2nd Year NFL player)

Carolina Panthers
Gary Barnidge, TE, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)
J.J. Jansen, K, Notre Dame alum (2nd Year NFL player)

Cincinnati Bengals
Brandon Johnson, LB, Louisville alum (4th Year NFL player)
Chinedum Ndukwe, S, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)
Dan Santucci, C, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Cleveland Browns
Kurt Quarterman, OL, Louisville alum (3rd Year NFL player)
Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Denver Broncos
Elvis Dumervil, LB, Louisville alum (4th Year NFL player)
Ryan Harris, OT, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)
Darius Walker, RB, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Green Bay Packers
Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)
Breno Giacomini, T, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)
Jason Spitz, OG, Louisville alum (4th Year NFL player)

Houston Texans
Omobi Okoye, DT, Louisville alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Jacksonville Jaguars
Derek Landri, DT, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)
Lamar Myles, LB, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)
Montavious Stanley, DT, Louisville alum (4th Year NFL player)

Kansas City Chiefs
Corey Mays, LB, Notre Dame alum (4th Year NFL player)
Kolby Smith, RB, Louisville alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Miami Dolphins
Anthony Fasano, TE, Notre Dame alum (4th Year NFL player)

Minnesota Vikings
John Sullivan, C, Notre Dame alum (2nd Year NFL player)

New England Patriots
Mike Richardson, CB, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)

New York Giants
Justin Tuck, DE, Notre Dame alum (5th Year NFL player)

New York Jets
Kerry Rhodes, S, Louisville alum (5th Year NFL player)
Mario Urrutia, WR, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)

Oakland Raiders
Michael Bush, RB, Louisville alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Philadelphia Eagles
Victor Abiamiri, DE, Notre Dame alum (3rd Year NFL player)
Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame alum (2nd Year NFL player)
Willie Williams, DT, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)

Pittsburgh Steelers
William Gay, CB, Louisville alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Seattle Seahawks 
John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame alum (2nd Year NFL player)

St. Louis Rams
Renardo Foster, OT, Louisville alum (3rd Year NFL player)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Patrick Carter, WR, Louisville alum (2nd Year NFL player)
Maurice Stovall, WR, Notre Dame alum (4th Year NFL player)

Preseason games start Thursday, Aug. 13th! 
Week 1 begins Thursday, Sept. 10th! 

I just had my birthday and I was thinking about all the cool people born on that same day. Here are some actors I really like who happen to have the same birthday as me:

Kate Beckinsale
my favorite K.B. movies:
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Serendipity (2001)
The Aviator (2004)
Van Helsing (2004)-didn't much like this movie but Kate was good

Sandra Bullock
my favorite S.B. movies: way more than everyone else on this list because I've loved her for 15+ years
Love Potion No. 9 (1992) 
The Thing Called Love (1993)
Speed (1994)
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
The Net (1995)
A Time To Kill (1996)
Hope Floats (1998)
Forces Of Nature (1999)
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Two Weeks Notice (2002)
The Proposal (2009)

Helen Mirren
my favorite H.M. movies:
Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)-she was SO good in this silly little movie
Gosford Park (2001)
Raising Helen (2004)
The Queen (2006)-won Oscar!

Jeremy Piven
my favorite J.P. movies: almost always in John Cusack movies
Say Anything (1989)
Very Bad Things (1992)
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Serendipity (2001)
Old School (2003)
Chasing Liberty (2004)
The Kingdom (2007)
(TV)-Entourage (2004-present)-the role of his career in my opinion (including 3 Emmys!)

Kevin Spacey
my favorite K.S. movies:
The Usual Suspects (1994)-Oscar numero uno!
Midnight In The Garden Of Good & Evil (1997)-loved him in this!
The Negotiator (1998)
American Beauty (1999)-Oscar numero dos!
Pay It Forward (2000)
Beyond The Sea (2004)
Superman Returns (2006)
21 (2008)

Back To The Future (1985)
"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads?"


The Breakfast Club (1985)
"Well, if you say you haven't, you're a prude. If you say you have you're a slut. It's a trap. You want to but you can't, and when you do you wish you didn't, right?"
 
"You won't accept a guy's tongue in your mouth, and you're going to eat that?"

"Well not at present, but I can see you pushing maximum density."


Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
"We sit in the visiting section Kenneth... at our own school."


Christmas Vacation (1989)
"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse."


Dead Poets Society (1989)
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."


Dirty Dancing (1987)
"You just put your pickle on everybody's plate, college boy, and leave the hard stuff to me."


European Vacation (1985)
"Hey kids, Big Ben, Parliament! Hey kids, Big Ben, Parliament!"


Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
"What do you mean we didn't do anything fun? We ate pancreas."

"Do you know where she is? Do you know when she'll be back? Do you know anything?"


Footloose (1984)
"Even if this was not a law, which it is, I'm afraid I would have a lot of difficulty endorsing an enterprise which is as fraught with genuine peril as I believe this one to be. Besides the liquor and the drugs which always seem to accompany such an event the thing that distresses me even more, Ren, is the spiritual corruption that can be involved."


Ghostbusters (1984)
"There is no Dana, only Zhoul."


The Great Outdoors (1988)
"Well sure it is, there is nothing on that plate but gristle and fat!...No problem. If I can get a dessert down him, think you can throw in a couple of Paul Bunyan hats for the kids?"


Heathers (1989)
"You were a brownie, you were a bluebird, you were a Girl Scout cookie."


License To Drive (1988)-yes I felt the need to include a "Coreys" movie LOL
"Les, to live in fear is not to live at all."


Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
"And I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn't fucking there. And I really didn't care to fucking walk down a fucking highway and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"


Pretty In Pink (1986)
"I just want them to know that they didn't break me."


Risky Business (1983)
"Joel, you wanna know something? Every now and then say, "What the fuck." "What the fuck" gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future. So your parents are going out of town. You got the place all to yourself..."


Say Anything (1989)
"She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen."


The Secret Of My Success (1987)
"Please God, help me get out of this. I swear I'll go all over the world telling people not to screw the boss's wife."


Sixteen Candles (1984)
"Unbelievable. You make somebody a bridesmaid and then they shit all over you."

"Last night at the dance my little brother paid a buck to see your underwear."


Some Kind Of Wonderful (1987)
"Ease up, Dad. Any fool can get into a college. Only a precious few may say the same about Amanda Jones...Am I wrong?"


Uncle Buck (1989)
"Stand me up today and tomorrow I'll drive you to school in my robe and pajamas and WALK you to your first class. 4:00 okay?"


Weird Science (1985)
"I can be a real serious bitch if I don't get what I want."

So today is the first day of the 2nd half of MLB season, believe it or not. This season for me has flown by. I wanted to do some comparisons with the Cubbies infamous 2008 season (where we came SO close and yet SO far away to winning everything!).

	2008	2009
1st half record	57-38	43-43
Home record	37-12	27-18
Away record	20-26	16-25
NLC standings	1st place by 4.5 games	behind by 3.5 games

Now to begin with, the Cubs have only played 86 games in first half vs 95 last year so it isn't a perfect comparison but still. My boys have their work cut out for them. one thing I can say is that considering how many injuries we have had this season, things could be a lot worse. However, we really have to kick it up a few notches if we're gonna win the division, much less do something in the playoffs.      

The 2009 Cubbies season so far has consisted of a lot of mediocrity with some brilliance. For example, the bullpen started out as a disaster and now it's much better (with very few exceptions). The starting pitching is good (although not as good as 2008 1st half). More on the pitching stats here:

	2008 (as of 7/24)	2009 (as of 7/15)
STARTERS:	ERA (record)	ERA (record)
Ryan Dempster	3.05 (11-4)	4.05 (5-5)
Rich Harden **	2.12 (5-2)	5.47 (5-6)
Ted Lilly	4.49 (9-6)	3.18 (9-6)
Sean Marshall *	4.34	4.01 (3-6)
Randy Wells	N/A	2.72 (4-4)
Carlos Zambrano	2.96 (11-4)	3.53 (5-4)
BULLPEN:	ERA (record)	ERA (record)
Kevin Gregg	N/A	3.32 (3-2)
Angel Guzman	N/A	2.60 (2-1)
Kevin Hart	N/A	1.69 (0-1)
Aaron Heilman	N/A	4.32 (2-3)
Carlos Marmol	couldn't find stats	3.64 (2-1)
David Patton	N/A	5.63 (3-1)
Jeff Samardzija	N/A	4.82 (0-0)

NOTES about Pitcher Chart:  I'm including Sean Marshall as a starter because last year he was the most-used backup starter (even in first half). In 2008 first half, we had Jason Marquis but since he's gone this year no point in comparing. Also Rich Harden's 1st half '08 is a combined Oakland/Chicago stat.

The point of all this is that the pitching is doing pretty well but some pitchers could use better consistency. We'll see how they kick off this 2nd half.

The REAL story for this year's team is a lack of offense. I haven't had a chance to look up the numbers but besides most of the players having better averages 1st half '08 than they have so far this year, I'm SURE that we scored way more runs in 1st half '08 than we have this year.

I'm pretty sure that I've talked about this before BUT I bought an ipod (a huge one-now called the Classic Video iPod 80GB) in March 2007. The reason my first ipod was so HUGE is because I considered it a long-term investment to keep ALL my music on and I have a LOT of music (as well as some videos, pics, etc). Ipods have a ONE YEAR WARRANTY which is pretty sad but I suppose these days a 1-year warranty is all you get on anything that doesn't require gasoline to operate it. I even think those $5k flat-screen tvs have a one year warranty. Sheah...reason # 7 that I won't be purchasing one of those anytime soon.

But I digress. So my ipod became my car stereo for all intents and purposes because I had 5000+ songs on it (every cd I own uploaded as well as a bunch of songs I bought off itunes). So I got about 9 months of usage in 2007 and a full year of 2008. Then in January of this year it just died. At first I thought the battery was just dead so I kept trying to charge it, but all it did was make this creepy clicking sound. believe me when I say this is not a sound you want to hear from your "baby". Because my ipod IS like my baby. First of all because I am obsessed with music and have it with me at all times except when I'm watching a movie, sleeping, or in a really good conversation with someone. Other than that, my baby is there ;-) Well considering that my baby functioned as my car stereo for those 21 months, I had to get all my multi-cd cases back out and fill them with my current favorites. Which to me is so 2004. PLUS I had to make new mix cds because I have been Queen of the Mix since I was about 15-years-old. Back then I started of course with cassette tapes <<no laughing at my age>> and then progressed to cds for college and all the years after. And THEN I discovered itunes in 2005 and have used it to become Queen of the Playlist. Itunes has housed all my uploaded cds and purchased music (essentially my living music library) for the past 4 years. I actually had an itunes library for more than 2 years when I bought that first ipod. but hey, I do not make snap decisions when it comes to purchasing things. Some of this might have to do with the fact that
a) I work in marketing so I automatically ignore commercials, brands, promotions and gimmicks which are used to sell products,
b) I have worked for manufacturers for over a decade now and realize that engineers and manufacturing plants do make mistakes, especially in the first versions of a new product so I'm never the first one to get anything.

So my baby died after 21 months. I went through all the stages of grieving but denial lasted the longest. I kept thinking that one day I would plug it in and miraculously it would just say "low battery". By March, this still had not happened and I figured that I'd better come to terms with getting it repaired. I contacted Apple and they act as though they don't even want to check out your ipod unless it's still under warranty (even if you realize & agree that you'll have to pay for it yourself). What kind of customer service is that exactly? Finally I talked on the phone to an Apple "technician" who helped me get a repair # and instructions as to where I mail it for diagnosis. This is where the anger started to kick in because the guy on the phone did not sound optimistic when I told him which icon was showing on the ipod plus telling him about the "clicking sound. He was pretty much saying I was screwed and that getting it repaired was about the same as buying a new one. NICE! I figure I couldn't lose anything by making SURE that it was dead before considering replacing it, so I mailed my baby away (after of course making sure I had all my stuff off of it-which fortunately I did before it went comatose).

Apple checked my baby and mailed it back to me with a confirmation that it was indeed already on its way to the afterlife AND a corporate lawyer-scripted version of "sorry about your luck but these puppies only have a one year warranty". AWESOME! So as you can see, the anger was definitely in full swing at that point LOL.  The sadness stage went by pretty quick because I was upset about losing my baby for good but I am a realist and I am practical and my upcoming 10-day vacation with 4 flights and plenty of airport terminal meant that I HAD to get a replacement "baby". So then I got to the phase of shopping for a new ipod (acceptance of my loss).

It turns out that in the 2 years since my 2007 model had been made, you could now get a 120GB version for a little less than what I paid for the 80GB. I was still annoyed enough at Apple's crap quality that I considered buying a different brand but during the 21 months my ipod was functioning I bought a hard case and softcovers to protect my baby. I didn't want to lose even more money because none of my accessories would now work so I begrudgingly decided to get the same model but in a 120GB version (classic style with video). When I bought it, ironically enough, they offered an extra 1 year warranty from Apple for an addtional cost. However, there was a 3rd party company that offered an extra 2 years (above the original one year offered by Apple) which meant I would get 3 years from the purchase date. It was only a little more expensive than the stupid Apple extended warranty, so I went with the 3-year deal. To me it's a no-brainer considering how important this one piece of hardware is to me and my everyday life.

But I have now decided I will never consider buying another piece of Apple hardware. Period. Not an iphone, not a laptop, absolutely NOTHING. And I'm sticking by this, you guys can test me on it ;-)

About a week ago while I was on vacation, I was thinking of a concert I'm going to in August. Panic at the Disco is opening for Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy. I've always thought seeing Blink live would be a riot and these tickets were CRAZY cheap so even without my boys from Vegas, I would've found a way to be there. Anyway, so on my trip I had been listening to my ipod which has some old covers that Panic had done on tour in Europe the summer of  '06 and '07. Between listening to a couple of their old random covers on old tours (the best of which were Tonight, Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins, Round Here by Counting Crows and The Weight by The Band) AND thinking of the upcoming concert, I ended up dreaming about them that night. In my dream I guess I was hoping for them to do a cover of some of the old 60's songs I like (especially now that their 2nd album from last year was VERY retro-sounding). In the dream they performed Bus Stop by The Hollies live and it was AWESOME!

Today I fly home from my vacation and there are posts all over the web saying that Panic at the Disco is splitting up. Imagine my shock and surprise??? It turns out that Ryan (main lyricist, lead guitarist) and Jon (bassist) are leaving to start a new project. But Brendon (lead singer) and Spencer (drummer) are staying together and will be adding 2 guitarists to continue on as Panic. It's been 10 hours since I heard this information and I'm really still processing. However, I like to think of the positives in everything. My favorite parts of Panic have always been Ryan's words and Brendon's voice, in addition to the fact that they are great live. And after the 2nd album when Ryan actually got a few parts on songs where you can hear his voice, I really like the sound of he & Brendon's voices together. BUT in the past 18 months, the band's sound changed a lot and I loved the changes. But part of me also still loved the sarcastic and more raw-sounding tunes on the first album. I think anyone who is a fan of this band just appreciates how talented these 4 guys are and is impressed at everything they come up with (regardless of the genre).

It turns out that the shift in their sound is what has now split them up because it seems that two of them want to continue on the new path that the 2nd album went down (which two I'm not sure yet) and the other two want to do something else. So if that is really the case, I will say that I look forward to what the former Panic (with Brendon, Spencer & two new members) ends up putting out on their 3rd album. I also (just as much) look forward to what Jon & Ryan's new "project" will sound like.

For now, I have both experiences of seeing the band live in my memory and I look forward to seeing all 4 of them live in the future (even if it won't be onstage at the same time). And I can always dream about one day hearing Brendon sing Bus Stop by The Hollies ;-)

Well folks, Summertime has OFFICIALLY arrived in my neck of the woods. It was a long time coming but now we're getting San Diego-esque weather (70 and sunny) at least  5 days/week. Which brings me to my newest list...all the things I love most about Summer (in no particular order):

More Daylight
This one might be pretty obvious but the fact is I grew up in and still live in the western-edge of the Eastern time zone which means that the sun doesn't set until 9 or 9:30pm, sometimes even later (meaning about 15hrs of daylight). This lasts a few months at least which is TOTALLY AWESOME. This means any activities requiring light (sports, cookouts, etc) can be scheduled in the evening and still leave you plenty of hours of light and a great later dusk time. Which means the days are just really long. A thing of beauty indeed ;-)

The Convertible
So having a convertible is more fun when you can actually USE IT (as in driving with the top down). I live far enough north that this only last 4 or 5 months but I soak up every day I can. There is nothing like driving down a highway with the wind whipping through your hair and the sun beaming down on you (as long as you're wearing lots of sunblock that is LOL). Or even in the evenings to have no "lid" and be able to look up and see the stars. This is a great sensation because it feels like you're in nature even when you're in your car. You can see better and smell better. The senses are completely heightened. I think only convertible and motorcycle-drivers get this.  

Sand Volleyball
Volleyball is officially my favorite sport to participate in, it's also the only the sport I happen to be any good at (coincidence?). The first time I played volleyball in the sand, I was converted for life and since then I have never enjoyed playing volleyball indoors. In fact, I think the saying is "once you go sand, you never go back" (even though that doesn't rhyme at all). I've been playing in a league (or sometimes 2) for a decade now and I just wish it lasted more months of the year. But I will never live in Southern California or Florida so the 4-month season will have to suffice I guess. It's also a better workout and more of a challenge than indoor volleyball because it's harder to jump and you have natural elements affecting the game i.e. wind. Believe me, it's a great way to get exercise and enjoy the summer weather.

Church Picnics
Growing up Catholic this is a big part of the summer season. In fact, every weekend there was a Catholic church picnic somewhere pretty close to our neighborhood. Fried fish sandwiches on rye bread (in a sheet of tissue paper), booths of illegal gambling for only a dime where you could win cakes or  plants, the dunking booth, sometimes even a couple mini-carnival rides. Later when I was in college these picnics became mini-reunions between friends that went away to college & those of us who stayed home for school. I can remember a hundred great nights with great friends all taking place on the blacktop of a random Catholic church parking lot.

The Drive-In
There are apparently people alive who have never been to a drive-in movie. This is very sad to me because this was a huge part of my childhood summers. We always had a few drive-ins within a half-hour of my house and although I have moved away, I have managed to find another drive-in so I can go at least once every summer and remember how cool it is to see a movie outdoors. In fact, I still remember how scary it was to be watching Twister at the drive-in during the part of the movie where a tornado takes out a drive-in movie theater. Things have changed over the years and drive-in theaters are much harder to find but they are out there. I really hope they are still around when I have kids old enough to appreciate the coolness of the drive-in experience. I'm old-school so in the summer I prefer to skip the stadium-seating, overpriced concessions, frozen theaters in huge buildings to be replaced with spending a summer evening (and night because the first movie never starts until 9pm at least) in the car. You can feel the breeze and hear the crickets, watch the 1950's animated commercials with the hot dog and bun and you usually pay $7 and you get two movies. The bargain is an obvious one and the experience is unique to say the least.

Outdoor Concerts 
I love concerts when it's a band I'm a fan of. I ESPECIALLY love outdoor concerts in the summer because the vibe is so different. Everyone is chilled out, and if it's the kind of venue which has a lawn seating element there are blankets with groups of people just enjoying the heck out of their evening. To me, hearing live music outdoors is the same as eating food outdoors, it makes the whole experience better. This year I am seeing No Doubt, Jason Mraz, and Aerosmith all at outdoor amphitheaters. I'm pumped!

Festivals
Summer is of course the height of the festival season. They have a million different themes and names but outdoor festivals are always a great time. Food, music, sunshine, art, dancing, fireworks, whatever, they are always filled with happy people & good stuff. My favorites these days are Summerfest in Milwaukee, the Reds Whites & Blues BBQ Festival at Round Barn Winery in Southwest Michigan, and any Greek Festival anywhere (Louisville, Kalamazoo, South Bend). Oh and how can I forget the Kentucky State Fair which I haven't been to since I moved away but I miss it ;-)

Going Where The Nature Is
This is a broad one because it could mean hiking or camping or going to a lake or a beach. Because while a lot of summer is filled up with enjoying an event while outside, this one for me means that the nature (the scenery) IS the event. I love walking through the forest, along any beach, around a lake, through a field, or over a mountain. You can just sit somewhere with no technology and no noise and appreciate all things natural. I will be doing a lot of this on my upcoming trip to the Pacific Northwest. Yay!

Cook-outs
This one is again a broad one because cook-outs happen other times of the year and they also accompany some of the other events above. But just a regular good-old-fashioned cookout in the backyard with the grill going, the tiki torches flaming, cold lemonade/other frosty beverages, "picnic" food like hot dogs, burgers, cold salads, baked beans, and some kind of frozen dessert. Yum! Add in some brightly-colored plastic plates and paper napkins and I will be there ;-)  I mean I am all for some culinary delights but once in a while eating super-simple picnic food just like you did when you were 6 has a sort of comfort to it. It's familiar and makes you feel nostalgic. For me it reminds me of my birthday because it's in July so my parties were almost always outside. In my book, eating food outdoors adds to the enjoyment of the experience anyway, so I prefer it if given the choice.

Baseball
The perennially American summer standard. Nine innings, uniforms, a freshly-trimmed field, pristine base paths, the jingles played by the PA announcers, the kids, the popcorn, the hot dogs, the peanuts, the ice cream, the (temporarily) cold beer, the food vendors, the 7th Inning Stretch, bringing your own mitt to the game, the hilarious team mascot names (especially in Minor League Baseball), the silly events talking place between innings to entertain the kids (again especially in Minor League Baseball)-the dedicated fans, the inebriated fans, the crack of the bat, the whoosh of a guy sliding into home plate...and I'm just naming some off the top of my head. Like I said in another blog, if you close your eyes at a baseball game and just listen to the sounds and breathe in the scents, you would know exactly where you were. Sometimes on special occasions they even shoot off fireworks after the game so really it's a very enjoyable 1/2 day event no matter how young or old you are.

SO GLAD THAT SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE!

Welcome Summer & please stick around ;-)

<<Cue the instrumental music from Field Of Dreams...>> 

"Is this heaven?"
"No, it's Iowa."

Sorry, couldn't resist the Field Of Dreams reference...

Jeff Samardzija is now almost 3 months into his third full season in the Chicago Cubs minor league organization.

I haven't yet done an update on The Shark's stats this year because it's been a bit hectic. In Spring Training, he competed for the 5th starter position for the big-league Cubs but Sean Marshall pretty much had that one in the bag and his ERA was sick. But at least Jeff was getting some face time since he spent end of July through the playoffs with the big-leaguers last summer.
So he started season 3 at the AAA club of Chicago-the Iowa Cubs but after only a couple weeks, he got called up to Wrigley and spent two weeks in the bullpen. The 2009 Cubbie bullpen began disastrously and Jeff had a couple bad outings which got him (and a few other not-so-great performers sent back down). Personally, I want Jeff to eventually be starting at Wrigley and spending time in the bullpen isn't gonna give him enough innings to be able to work on that plan so I am HAPPY he is back in Iowa. Without further ado, here are his 2009 stats so far:

Jeff April 2009 stats (AAA only):
2 starts (1 home, 1 away)-3 appearances total
12 innings pitched
April Record: 0-0
Has given up 5 runs, 6 hits, 4 walks
April ERA: 3.75
April Strikeouts: 11
Opposing batters' average when facing Jeff: .154

Jeff May 2009 stats (AAA only):
5 starts (2 home, 3 away)
23 2/3 innings pitched
May Record: 2-1
Has given up 11 runs, 27 hits, 7 walks
May ERA: 4.18
May Strikeouts: 18
Opposing batters' average when facing Jeff: .284
May Batting Stats: 8 at-bats (2 singles, 1 HOME RUN)

Jeff YTD (MINORS cumulative) 2009 stats:
7 starts (3 home, 4 away)
35 2/3 innings pitched
Record: 2-1
Has given up 16 runs, 33 hits, 11 walks
Season-to-date ERA: 4.04 (Apr 3.75, May 4.18)
Season-to-date Strikeouts: 29
Opposing batters' average when facing Jeff: .219


Jeff 2009 stats (MAJORS-Chicago Cubs):   * Only for two weeks from 4/23 through 5/5
5 appearances (9 home, 8 away)
3 1/3 innings pitched
Record: 0-0
Has given up 3 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks. Threw 66 pitches, 42 for strikes (64% strikes).
Season-to-date ERA: 8.10
Season-to-date Strikeouts: 5
Opposing batters' average when facing Jeff: .255

This past Saturday, a group of 6 of us went to the Cubs game at Wrigley-my first game of this season so far. We had bleacher seats and it was an awesome day!

Here are some things observed/learned/experienced before/during/after the game:

You could NEVER ask for better weather than 72 degrees, sunshine, and a constant breeze off the lake. In San Diego, that weather wouldn't be such a gift, it would be the norm. But in Chicago, in late Spring/early Summer, it's a GIFT.

That Reed Johnson (#9, Center Fielder) is a complete bad ass! He went 3-for-3 at the plate, including a line drive single, a "How to Bunt" clinic in the 3rd inning to score Ryan Theriot, a solo home run in the 7th, AND he stole a base. Besides his athletic abilities, he also makes some strange gestures to those of us in the bleachers yelling his name while he's just chilling in the outfield. One gesture that looks like he wants a beer, one that looks like he's using his hand to make a fake moustache, and another one that is really weird.

That Rachael & Beth WILL confiscate a guy's "man card" for wearing either girly sunglasses or girly jeans. And they should. Seriously. We should've gotten some photos.

That Ryan Theriot & Mike Fontenot (who I like to refer to as the Cajun Twins), make watching the game really fun. Fontenot (aka the Keebler Elf because he's 5' 7") hit a double to allow Reed Johnson to score, then later hit a triple to score Bobby Scales. Theriot got hit by a pitch and in the same inning tried to steal a base (gimpy leg or otherwise), in addition to making some awesome plays as usual at shortstop.

That watching the mighty L.A. Dodgers (who have the BEST record in Major League Baseball) INTENTIONALLY walk little Mikey Fontenot might be the funniest thing I saw all week. I mean he's the smallest guy on the team. Of course, as Dustin Pedroia has proven, height doesn't matter when it comes to swinging the bat.

That some people are apparently just not meant to have a breakfast burrito. Or an apple that isn't already brown.

That paying $6 for a cold Tecate is a thousand times better than paying the same for a friggin' Bud Light (or an Old Stale).

That people from Central Indiana:
a) STILL make fun of people from KY (as if it's SUCH a difference)
b) realize that people in Northern Indiana make fun of them,
and
c) also make fun of people from Southern Indiana so they can feel better
Regardless, apparently no matter where you're from, and even if you're drunk and stuck with each other in the bleachers; if you share a love of the Cubbies, you can all get along.

That throwing peanuts CAN get you kicked out of Wrigley, as learned by the bachelor party group sitting a few rows in front of us.

That Ryan Dempster (starting Pitcher) had his best outing of the season, going 7 innings allowing only 3 hits and striking out 5, including all three batters in the 3rd inning! Awesome performance from my favorite Canadian!

That it's possible for Nick to be with us for 12 hours and not get kicked out of anywhere. He was also never "politely asked to leave" from anywhere we were LOL. Maybe he should start wondering about his crowd...

That only ONE bar in Wrigleyville doesn't card after a game. Because one person in our group is a toddler (and by that I mean 20-yrs-old). She knows who she is. But you know what, toddler or not, it wouldn't be the same without her there ;-)

That renting a car one-way from Chicago to South Bend (picking up in Chicago & dropping off in S.B.)  costs $240. Let me say that again-two hundred and forty dollars. Renting a car round-trip, on the other hand, is only $60. WTF????

That after 4 beers you sometimes forget whether the guy on the phone said Alamo or Hertz. And yes, I know that these two words sound nothing alike.

That leaving 40 minutes to get to Milennium Station from Wrigleyville is NOT enough time ;-)

That it would be really nice if there was a later train than 8:00 Central time. And 50% is not a good percentage of people in your group making it to the train on time ;-) Also, it's ironic that the person going on the least amount of sleep, and who had the most alcohol, was the first one to the train.

That the Chicago Police Dept (who exercises authority over the transit operators-especially after a Cubs game) does not care if all your friends aren't with you, they do NOT hold the train for anyone ;-)

That giving a sandwich to a homeless guy (no matter how hungry you are), feels pretty good.

That crashing into a green wall would've been much cooler if it was ivy-covered and at Wrigley (as opposed to a green jacket a big guy was wearing standing right around a corner in downtown Chicago where I was sprinting to catch a train ;-) Ouch! Still have a bruise from that incident LOL

That getting stuck after missing your train isn't so bad if you're with good friends.

That's it's pretty damn hard to beat spending a Saturday in the bleachers at Wrigley Field ;-) especially when we win 7-0!! Good friends, good weather, good baseball, GOOD TIMES!!

The Cubbies have finished 6 weeks of the regular season and have a record of 21-15. The EXACT same record that the Cubs had last year after 36 games. their home record is 12-7 and their road record is 9-8 so they aren't doing WAY better at home like they were last year, but they are still better at Wrigley. As for the National League Central Standings, they have caught up with (and passed) St. Louis after a several-week chase BUT Milwaukee is still ahead of the Cubbies and the Cardinals so there's a new person to beat. Just like most recent years, the NLC will be a challenge all the way up to the last month.

A word about pitching:
The starting pitching is still great, like it has been since the beginning of the season, with very few bad starts. Also, the 5th starter for the past couple weeks has been Randy Wells (brought up from AAA Iowa to fill in) while Zambrano was on the DL. As for the total team's pitching, the Cubbies are right in the middle of MLB statistically with the 15th best team ERA. When Z is back in the rotation for good on Friday, Piniella will have to decide if he keeps 6 starters OR swaps Wells & Marshall based on the pitching matchups (righty vs lefty).
As for the bullpen, the 09 season started out disastrously. It has somewhat improved, with some bullpen guys doing much better and staying more consistent than others.

Who's pitching best? Ted Lilly has the best ERA and record for a Cubbie starter with 3.27 earned run average and a record of 5-2 over 44 innings. (I'm not counting Randy Wells in this since he's only had a couple appearances so far). As for the bullpen, Angel Guzman has the best ERA with 3.32 over 19 innings of relief. Kevin Gregg is doing the best as far as closing with 6 saves out of 7 possible, however, he HAS had some hiccups in between which have made us all nervous ;-)

A word about scoring runs:
At the beginning of the season the Cubbies were taking quite a while to get the bats going. But now, most guys are pretty well with some batting very well.

Who's hitting best? Kosuke Fukudome has the best average (.333) and on-base percentage (.454) of anyone on the team who's had at least 100 at-bats so far this season. Of the guys who start (nearly) every day, Ryan Theriot and Alfonso Soriano are hitting best with averages of .294 and .280, respectively. Soriano also has the most home runs with 12 so far this season. Aramis Ramirez was hitting great but has been on the DL for 19 days (of an estimated 4-6 weeks of DL time) after dislocating his shoulder.          


Bobby Scales is AWESOME!
First of all, this guys has been in the Minors for 10 years. Yes, a DECADE. He only makes the league minimum (or maybe a little over) so he has to teach high school in the offseason to help support himself and his wife. Anyway, this guy is already 31 years old which is pretty old for someone in baseball who has never been called up to the Majors yet. In fact, most guys his age would assume that means they're stuck in the Minors until they retire. But Bobby held out faith and kept playing his heart out for the Iowa Cubs, believing that he could one day contribute to the big league club.
Well, he finally got his wish on May 5th when he was called up to the Cubbies and got in his first major league game. Only one week later (May 12th) he hit his first career Major League home run at Wrigley which I'm sure he'll never forget. What a great moment for a guy who's been waiting since he was probably 6-years-old for it to happen ;-) His batting average since coming up is .333 with a slugging % of .625 and on-base % of .407. Bobby Scales you are now my 2nd favorite Cubbie!! He is SO fun to watch because you can tell he's having a great time every minute that he's on the field ;-)


National League-Central Division STANDINGS

MIL            23-14
CHC          21-15
STL           21-16
CIN           20-17
HOU         17-19
PIT            16-21

So almost every time I love a book or a movie or a tv show (much more seldom than the first two), it's because there's at least one awesome character. In some cases, there are SEVERAL awesome characters which is even better. Like for example when I used to watch ALIAS, besides the lead role of Sydney Bristow, I also loved the characters of Michael Vaughn, Marshall, and both Sydney's parents. Which brings me to my point for today which is to celebrate Seth Cohen, hands-down the BEST character on the now-dead show The O.C. AND the real reason I ever watched that show. In fact, if an episode didn't have enough Seth in it I was just sad and usually wanting my 45 minutes back ;-)

Seth Cohen was the self-deprecating, total outsider amidst a sea of tan, blonde, beautiful and ditzy people in New port Beach, California. He prided himself as the only one with any culture, muslcal taste, or sophistication. His main role in the town (and school) in which he didn't fit in was getting bullied or teased, but all the while he was quietly mocking them and being entertained by his fellow students' idiocy on a daily basis. He invented Chrismukkah (a hybrid holiday of Christmas & Hanukkah) because his parents on the show were in his words "WASPy McWASP and a New York City Jewish guy". And he was SO witty that his contributions to every scene were what carried most of the scenes (rumors were that Adam Brody ad-libbed a lot of his character). The point is that Adam Brody's Seth Cohen was one of my favorite tv characters of all time. So without further ado,

Here are some of my favorite Seth Cohen-isms (quotes):

To Ryan right after Seth's parents officially adopt Ryan.
Seth Cohen: "Dude. You're a Cohen now. Welcome to a life of insecurity and paralyzing self-doubt."

Ryan: "It's kind of a shady area up there. It's a hardcore neighborhood."
Seth Cohen: "Dude, it's Long Beach. Not Chechnya."

Seth Cohen: "It is oh-seven-hundred hours. Let the Guys' Night Out begin."
Zach: "Seth, oh-seven-hundred means that it's seven am."
Seth Cohen: "Look, nobody cares that you were in ROTC."

Seth Cohen: "So when you lost your virginity I was playing Magic the Gathering?"
Ryan: "You still play Magic."
Seth Cohen: "Yeah, but not as much."

Seth Cohen: "Do you have any idea how pathetic it is to sit here and listen to you babble on about mergers & acquisitions while some guy stares at your boobs?"
Summer: "What guy was staring at my boobs?"
Seth Cohen: "Who cares. Listen to me, the point is, that guy doesn't know you. He doesn't care about who you really are. In fact, he has no idea that every day of 3rd grade you shared your lunch with that little skinny squirrel who kept getting his nuts stolen by that fat squirrel."
Summer: "I hated that mean squirrel."
Seth Cohen: "And none of these guys were there when you had to read your poem aloud in class and your hand was shaking because you were nervous and you cared what the other kids thought."
Summer: "Poem? What poem?" 
Seth Cohen: "I Wish I Was A Mermaid."
Summer: "You remember that? That was like 6th grade?"
Seth proceeds to recite the entire poem and then Summer kisses him. FINALLY. What a great moment ;-)

Seth Cohen: "Ryan. That's extremely minty of you. I didn't even know they had musicals in Chino. I didn't even know they had dancing. Or... laughter."
Ryan: "That's because no one who lived there is as funny as you."
Seth Cohen: "So, we finally agree I'm the funny one. Well look at that! Looks like we all learned some valuable lessons this Thanksgiving."

Seth Cohen: "Hey guys. Welcome to Comic Book League. Check it out. We're gonna to be getting into the issues. The stuff that matters. You know what I mean? Check it out. Today's topic: capes. Gay, or kinda cool?"

Seth Cohen: "What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico."
Ryan: "What happens in Mexico?"
Seth Cohen: "I don't know because it stays there. That's why we must go!"

Seth Cohen: "That is how lame I have become. I have to be third-wheel to not even a real relationship."

Seth Cohen: "I think closure's overrated. I'm more of a fan of open unrequited love."

Seth Cohen: "Ok, I'm gonna go make magic happen. I feel like my hair's working for me tonight."

Seth Cohen: "Dude, I love that guy."
Ryan: (motioning to Summer kissing Zach across the room) "You're not the only one."
Seth Cohen: "No. She cannot be dating him. That's not even possible. How is that possible?"
Ryan: "A second ago you wanted to date him."

Ryan: "You could try being friends with Summer."
Seth Cohen: "Dude, do you really think Summer's gonna want to be friends with me after what I did to her. Especially now that she has the Zach Attack? The guy's like Superman."
Ryan: "He's not like Superman."
Seth Cohen: "He's like a thoroughbred. And I'm a monkey. With cymbols." 

Seth Cohen: "I'm not wallowing, Ryan, I'm agonizing. The two are vastly different. Yeah, wallowing, see that's like lounging around, eating ice cream and watching VH1. But agonizing-it's more like MTV2. No frills, it requires discipline. There's no sleep, no food. Just sitting there thinking and wondering, hour after hour, if Zach & Summer had sex."

To Ryan when they are following Ryan's brother (who's only been out of jail a few days) because they're worried he's gonna violate his parole
Seth Cohen: "Would you relax. He's probably just going to buy cigarettes. Or getting into that suspicious looking Camaro with a guy that looks like Lou Reed."

Seth Cohen: "Are you thinking of going undercover? A high school sting operation? Because that would be very 21 Jump Street of you."
Ryan: "Whatever it takes."
Seth Cohen: "Yeah, okay. I get to be Richard Grieco."

To Ryan in Vegas when they have a major problem 
Seth Cohen: "Dude, what do we do? I don't want to get thrown out of the hotel. I love the hotel. I want to marry the hotel and have little alcoholic, gambling-addicted kids with it. Is that wrong?"

Seth Cohen: "I don't believe it, Ryan. Bright Eyes has two albums in the top ten."
Ryan: "You okay with that?"
Seth Cohen: "Yeah I just feel like the rest of the world's finally caught up to me. It's a little bit scary."
Ryan: "Yeah, it's a lot scary."
Seth Cohen: "Tell me I'm still special."

Seth Cohen: "I think one day, pretty soon, we're all gonna have a good laugh about this. Ha ha ha. I know that day feels far off, but comedy is just tragedy plus time."

Seth Cohen: "Ryan, I am freaking out right now. I'm using a payphone. And god knows what Asian strain of lip herpes I'm contracting."

Summer: "These are our college lists. Do you see a difference?"
Seth Cohen: "Yeah. The font. Looks like you went with the, ah, Times New Roman."
Summer: "The schools, Doofus. None of them are the same. None of them are even in the same time zone."
Seth Cohen: "Okay, so you went West Coast, I went East Coast. It's not a hip-hop war."

Summer: "What does she see in that guy? He's so dirty and greasy."
Seth Cohen: "He's got good abs. Women like abs. I got a six-pack myself. I know."
Summer: "Cohen, those are your ribs."
Seth Cohen: "Oh."

I have mentioned that I went back to my hometown last weekend for the KY Derby. As we all know, road trips are fairly entertaining and my friends & I always experience funny things even without the 6-hour car trip hangover. And I feel like I need to share some of the silliness even if you don't get the joke because you weren't there. I am including a reference so you know what we were discussing which might help you to get them.

QUOTES/EPISODES from DERBY ROAD TRIP TO LOUISVILLE
Teresa commenting on the weather on Friday afternoon because the next day is when we would be at Churchill Downs outside all day for Derby: "Okay rain, get it out of your system because I plan on tomorrow being sunny ALL DAY. Seriously, I'm not messing around."

After my longest and toughest drive ever on U.S. 31 from South Bend to Indianapolis because there was construction, an almost-constant torrential downpour, and tons of traffic: "Bless you, Kokomo, I never thought I would see you again." 

While putting our names on the list for a table (after being told the wait is 45 minutes) AND we haven't eaten in a LONG time: Host-"smoking, non, or first available?" Me-"actually if you want me to start smoking right now just so I can get a table quicker, I'll do it, just give me the cigarettes." Then he cracked up which is what we were aiming for because a really annoying little punk was going off about people who came in after him getting seated before his group. NOTE (before anyone asks): we ate dinner in Southern IN which still has smoking sections in restaurants-in Louisville there's no smoking in restaurants.

After winning on our third race in a row (amidst jubilant screaming): "Could we get any more awesome!!"
For the record we won on 5 of the 8 races we bet (4 exactas and a trifecta). Like I said "we are awesome!!"

Me talking about one of my favorite appetizers at one of my favorite restaurants (after being at racetrack all day long and again we were eating dinner late and we were in the car on on our way, starving): me- "their bruschetta is so good." my other friend-"don't you mean focaccia?" me-"oh yeah, focaccia. I think in my head it just registers as awesome Italian bread with yummy stuff on top." ;-)

About a very young girl in a very skimpy dress with a 60-yr-old guy who looked like he was dripping with cash: "Well, she may not be (uses air quotes) working, but she's definitely working" ;-) 

Me (the only single one) explaining to the two married girls after coming back from betting what took me so long: "I just flirted with a cute guy from Chicago. He asked where I got my program. And, well I decided that the old Kim would've just answered his question and let him walk away...(grinning) so I decided to be the New Kim." ;-) 

My sister, at the Kentucky Derby, after the 4th set of Churchill Downs archives photographers had stopped us and snapped a picture: "I am so over the paparazzi."

Waitress at brunch on Sunday over-sharing. First she tells us not to order juice because it's over-priced and then she makes the mistake of telling my dad he can't order a fried egg because they only use eggs that are already beaten, so they can only make scrambled eggs and omelettes. Then she tries to get my dad to feel her bicep to prove how strong she is, and then she talks about wrestling with her fiance and winning by getting him into a headlock. All I kept thinking was T-M-I ;-)

Teresa after taking a bite of grits and deciding she likes them (which gave me all kinds of flashbacks from the movie My Cousin Vinny when he asks what a grit is:  "Hey, these are actually pretty good. Kim, take a picture because my dad is from Carolina and he'll never believe I'm actually eating grits. I've never liked them." And yes, I DID take the picture.


As more memories come back to me, I might have to add to this list...