S.O.C 2

This article was on ESPN.com today. It was about Sam Zell, who is the owner of the Cubs and Wrigley Field.

I liked this part.

No surprise there. Zell is about sell. About profit. About green -- and I don't mean the ivy on the Wrigley Field outfield walls.
But most of all, Zell is about Zell. His Sam I Am Tour of assorted Tribune media properties in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Orlando, among others, hasn't, well, exactly had the feel of a town hall meeting to them.
"F--- you," he told an Orlando Sentinel photographer at one meeting. In another, he described a Trib management type as a "motherf-----," according to people at the meeting. He reminded employees that if the entire venture fails, he'll still be a billionaire but they'll likely be jobless. And when characterizing his ownership role, he said, "I'm your Viagra."
Zell's language is so inappropriate for the setting that even Eminem is offended. Zell prides himself on being the defibrillator paddles of the business world. He's here to shock your senses. Clear!
"My head only looks forward," he said during a visit to L.A.
Zell is more insufferable than another Will Ferrell sports movie (please, Will, more cowbell, less sports). But like it or not, this is the man who will decide whether Wrigley Field remains Wrigley Field. Sadly, his head looks forward only to the highest bidder for those naming rights.
The possibilities are frightening:
• Cialis Field (In the rare event of a Cubs game lasting more than four hours, seek immediate medical help).
• White Sox Park (Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf can't outdraw the Cubs, so he deep-sixes their stadium name).
• F-Bomb Stadium (Zell's personal favorite).

Same Old Cubbies

Let the distractions begin!!

On the first day of spring training games the Cubs have found a way to take the attention off their undefeated record. A record that stands at 1-0 after a 12-6 victory over the San Francisco Giants Thursday.

It seems the owner of the Cubs is planning on selling the naming writes of Wrigley Field. It was built as Weeghman Park in 1914 and renamed Cubs Park in 1920 then again the Field was renamed after then owner William Wrigley Jr. in 1926.

Weeghman Park 5 Years of Cubs baseball, 0 World Series Titles
Cubs Park 6 years, 0 World Series Titles
Wrigley Field 81 years, 0 World Series Titles

Busch Stadium the Third 2 years, 1 World Series Titles

Exile in America

Seeing Matchbox Twenty live is awesome! And I guess I should know I’ve seen them live five times now. After waiting five long years since the last time I saw them I finally got to see their show Monday night. Logan and I got to see one of his favorite bands, Mute Math, along with my favorite band. It was a good show, but not only did we get to see it, we were able to meet Mute Math, and we took the show home with us. They had this thing called “Live in a Flash” that, after a small fee, allowed us to leave with a flash drive containing the MB20 concert we just saw. It was a cool touch.

Baby Birds

It is not probable, but possible that the 2008 Cardinals line-up could be made up of some very young men this season. There is a bit of what some people might call an on the fly rebuilding program going on is St. Louis. I prefer to look at it more as a “out with the old…” approach. Anyway you want to look at it there are young faces up and down the Cardinals 40 man roster, which has an average age of 29.6. If the stars align one humid night is St. Louis this could be the Cards starting line-up.

1. Cesar Izturis 28
2. Rick Ankiel 29
3. Albert Pujols 28
4. Chris Duncan 26
5. Colby Rasmus 21
6. David Freese 24
7. Brenden Ryan 26
8. Yadier Molina 25
9. Adam Wainwright 26

All of these players are in there twenties. Colby Rasmus, has only been of legal drinking age for less than five months. The oldest player on this list, at least the oldest player with a birth certificate, is Rick Ankiel at 29 years of age. He might be the oldest, but I think it’s safe to say no one will be calling him “Gramps” any time soon.

100 and counting

With less than 17 hour until Spring Training, the Cubs are up to their same old tricks. No not losing, at least not yet. Last spring Carlos Zambrano guaranteed a world championship for the northsiders. It’s a new year with a new fool, enter Ryan Dempster.

"I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do," Dempster said.

“We're a better team than we were last year, I truly believe. And last year we made it to the playoffs."

They did make the playoffs, good job. We won’t mention the fact that the Cardinals and Cubs both won the same number of playoff games in 2007………Zero.

This is a special year for Cardinals and White Sox fans. It’s been 100 long years since the lovable losers have won a World Series title.

Go Cards,
Long live the goat,
And Play Ball!

Redbrid Hatin'

I’m not trying to add to my list of ESPN writer that I don’t care for, BUT.....

Will Harris wrote this article about my Cardinals. Will is entitled to his opinion and a lot of the baseball world would agree with what he said, but I have a problem when anyone says things like…

“This could easily be the worst team in the National League. The Cardinals' roster is absolutely full of players whose skills or health make them unlikely to even repeat the performances that led the team to a sub-.500 record last season, let alone improve on them.”

Or

“Expect La Russa and Pujols to land with another franchise soon so that the rebuilding can commence in earnest. St. Louis fans should hunker down over a slab of ribs from C & K and start wondering if the Rams will be any good this fall.”


Let me again say, Will’s assessment is not far off from most people in baseball. I ‘m not saying that his words are out of line, I just want them to be on the record.

It should also be noted that the last time the Cardinals were the worst team in the National League Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States in 1918. They came in last place just behind the Boston Braves.

Say what you want Will, there’s still a reason we play the games.

And you can quote me on that!

Sports or Gossip

I love Baseball.

I love the St. Louis Cardinals.

I love sports.

Anyone who is reading this that knows me knows this to be true.

I do not love tabloid magazines.

I hate TMZ. Anytime I see or hear about them on TV, I first puke a little in my mouth and then change the channel. It made me sick to see TMZ photographs of Tom Brady on ESPN last week.

I love sports.

I ask that if you want to write for TMZ you do so and I won’t read what you write. If you want to write for ESPN do so and I will read what you write. However, if you want to write for TMZ and you are writing for ESPN I have a problem. Sportswriters are to write about sports not parties around sporting events.

I had the following e-mail conversation with Jemele Hill of ESPN the magazine this week after she wrote this article on ESPN.com

Jemele,
Please do all of us a favor and go write for TMZ.com instead of ESPN.com. You were at the Super Bowl and you are writing about the parties! If you want to be a sports writer please write about sports. Spend your time writing about the Daytona 500 or the start of spring training. The NHL and NBA are both in mid-season form, why not write about them? Or maybe just maybe write about the biggest sporting event in America that you were at. Manning brothers winning back to back Super Bowls, the end of the perfect season, the catch, the hoodie write about anything except girls getting it on in Drew's suite.

Thanks,
Casey

Casey
I think the fact that the party column is, currently, among the top-20 most viewed stories negates your argument. And just so you're aware, I wrote two sports columns at the Super Bowl. Like it or not, the SB parties are as big as the game itself.

Jemele

I don't think it negates my argument. I did not say people were not reading it. I said people should read it on TMZ.com not ESPN.com. If you think the SB parties are as big as the game itself that only proves my point.

Thanks again,
Casey

Even though we have a differing view of what should and shouldn't be on ESPN.com, I respect her for reading my e-mail and writing back.

I'll keep you posted!

Great American Race l

Kristin has 12 days 13 hours and 46 minutes to learn all she can about NASCAR and the Daytona 500.

The way I see it; the more she knows = the less bored she is = more NASCAR for me.

Here are some helpful links to make her NASCAR savvy in no time.

Glossary of NASCAR term

History of the Daytona 500 via Wikipedia

Carl Edwards Bio (aka my driver now)

Rusty Wallace (aka my driver since I was 3)

Dale Earnhardt

NEW POST!!

I haven’t blogged in two weeks…..sorry.

Here is what has been going on:

*I got to go to the Detroit Auto Show.

*The guy that I don’t get along with at work transferred last week! However he changed the password on the main computer to “cubsrule08”. He sucks!

*Kristin took a chuck of flesh out of my face with her fingernail, but it's healing up nice.

*The new scoreboard at Kaufmann Stadium is going up.

*I went to WinterBlast last weekend. It was fun. I met some new kids and got to smoke some of them in the face during dodge ball.

*Kristin is sick aka I might be getting sick.

*I have lost my phone and Sprint is dumb.

*I had a nightmare last night that I missed opening day. It was Kristin’s fault.

*Since my last post the Cardinals have not made and major moves. I might start the chant “We Want Walt” at some point this season.

*Did I mention that Kristin took a chuck of flesh out of my face?

*I am 900 miles away form getting out of the 36,000 mile warranty. I’ve had the car since April.
*I have planned the coolest baseball road trip in the world. All you need to know; 9 games, 9 different stadiums, 8 days!


That's all folks!