Second Chances.

Next year looks to be a pretty interesting year for the Chicago Cubs. There is a new general manager, Theo Epstein, a new manager about to be announced, probably Dale Sveum, and a major headache will be given another chance.

Last August I wrote about Carlos Zambrano's meltdown and his subsequent suspension. Zambrano has met with Epstein and will be given an opportunity to make the team next spring. I have mixed feelings about that. While I agree that everyone deserves a second chance, Zambrano has had more than one to mend his ways. As good a pitcher as he can be when he has his head on right, he can be one of the worst when he lets his emotions get the better of him. The decision to keep them probably rests on the fact that he will be paid $18 million next year whether he pitches or not. It would be hard to find a team willing to pick up that salary, not to mention taking the risk on the attitude. So, for better or for worse, Carlos is still around. Hopefully the suspension opened his eyes and he will come to spring training a reformed man.

Unless something drastic happens Aramis Ramirez has played his last game for the Cubs. I like Ramirez and he puts up very good numbers, but the numbers don't translate very good into wins. Considering the amount of money that he wants, he is not really worth the price that he wants. I am sure he will get it, but I don't see the Cubs paying that much.

I really don't have in the predictions for next year, but I am looking forward to see what Epstein has up his sleeve. He did a very good job in Boston, ending the curse of the Bambino, and now we get a see what he can do with the curse of the goat.

Grow up, Carlos.

Most years it can be very trying being a Chicago Cubs fan. This is one of those years. However the last couple of weeks have been going very well for the team. They had a seven-game winning streak, and had won nine out of their last 11. Then came last Friday night in Atlanta. It was Bobby Cox night, when the Braves retired Cox's number. Carlos Zambrano was pitching and was being extremely hospitable to the Braves. He allowed five home runs, including back-to-back home runs by Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla. The next batter was Chipper Jones and Zambrano threw two pitches at him. Of course, the umpire tossed him out of the game for that. Zambrano is well-known for tossing temper tantrums when things don't go his way. At those times, a two-year-old shows more maturity. He has fought with his catcher, destroyed a Gatorade container, ripped his teammates in the press, and generally acted like a spoiled brat many, many times. This time he went to the clubhouse, cleaned out his locker, and went home, claiming he was retiring. It was a real mature way to handle the situation. I don't think he was prepared for the Cubs reaction, however.

The Cubs have placed him on the 30 day disqualified list which means he not only is not playing, he also is not receiving any salary. Of course, the players union has already filed a grievance, but I really hope the Cubs stick to their guns. I appreciate the fact that Carlos is a very intense player who doesn't like to lose, but we have seen this kind of behavior too many times. His teammates are tired of the drama that he brings. They have made it pretty clear they don't want to see him return. I am sure he will pitch again but I don't believe it will be in a Cubs uniform. He has come close a few times before of burning that bridge, but this time he used gasoline. He can be a very good pitcher, but his skills are clearly diminishing. Factor in that personality of his and he becomes a liability instead of an asset. Some team out there will be willing to give him a chance. Let them try and tame this man child.

The Cubs seem to play much better and August and September. If we could only start the season, then we might see some success. No matter what, I will still root for them. I am a die-hard Cubs fan, not one of the fair weather fans that only root when their team is winning.

The baseball card pictured here is from my collection. It has in it a piece of uniform that Carlos wore during a game.

Play Ball!

Here we go again. The baseball season kicks off today with the Cubs playing the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Most teams would relish opening against the Pirates. After all last year the Pirates finished 57-105, the worst record in baseball. However when they played the Cubs they acted like world champions, winning 10 of the 15 games the two played. Hopefully this year the Cubs will be better against them and the rest of the league. As big a Cubs fan as I am I don't see them winning the division. They have some promising young players and I see good things in the future. As for this year, let the fun begin.

The card you see pictured is the second best card that I have got this year. I'll show the best next Tuesday. The card is a Starlin Castro autograph card from the Topps Heritage set. The card is based on the 1962 set. There are two grades of autograph cards. One is signed in black ink. If you notice, this card is signed in red. Castro only signed 62 cards in red. This one is numbered 18/62. There are no guidebooks on the price of it, but one sold on eBay for around$100. Of course to me, it is priceless.

The 300 Million Dollar Man.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. You are actually seeing a picture of a St. Louis Cardinal on a blog by a die-hard Cubs fan. Most likely this will be Albert Pujols' final season with the Cardinals and the Cubs are one of the teams mentioned for his next destination. That however is not why I bring him up. The major stumbling block to his signing with the Cardinals was the fact he wanted a 10 year contract worth $30 million a year. Personally I do not want to see the Cubs give him that much money. Mr. Pujols is 31 years old. I think it would be ridiculous to pay him $30 million at age 41. Problems can crop up when you give big long term contracts. (cough*Alfonso Soriano*cough.)

The real reason for this post is some of the comments made about Albert. Originally I was going to call this post 'Hyperbole', but the statements made about him do not quite fit the definition. According to dictionary.com, hyperbole is "

obvious and intentional exaggeration." The statement that more than one sportswriter has said is that Mr. Pujols is the greatest hitter of all time. The reason I am saying that this is not hyperbole is I believe that they are serious, not making an intentional exaggeration. I will concede he is the best hitter currently playing, but to call him the greatest of all time is premature at best. In my opinion, he is not the greatest hitter the Cardinals have ever had. That honor would belong to Stan Musial. Pujols and Musial have the same lifetime batting average, .331, but Albert has only played 10 years while Stan compiled that over a 22 year career. The funniest statement I read was in the comments on one of the articles about Pujols' not signing when some fan made the statement that "Alberto Pujols is a better hitter than Gwynn, Ripken, Helton, Jackson, Ruth, Gehrig, and Boggs together." To quote Dr.Evil, "Right." Pujols is good, but he is not the greatest.

Thicker Skin Needed.

Bengie Molina is mad at ESPN. The other night on Sportscenter they showed Molina getting thrown out at home on a play that most players would have been safe on. When showing it the used slow motion and played a little of the music from the movie Chariots Of Fire. Molina felt he was disrespected. See it for yourself:





Personally I think Molina has blown the whole thing out of proportion. The rant was kicked off by Giants beat writer Henry Schulman who blogged about it on the San Francisco Chronicle website. Molina then commented on it in his blog at MLB.com. Bengie, what part of it was a joke don't you understand. I am sure you have been called much worse at the ballpark. He admitted he was the slowest runner in the league and the tape shows why. I can relate to being slow. When I ran in school they timed me with a sun dial. I find it hard to feel sorry for Bengie. He makes over $6 million. If you are an athlete and you mess up you are open for ridicule. You need to take a page from a former catchers book.



In his book A Catcher In The Wry, Uecker talked about his speed on the basepaths. He said they would whip the ball around the infield and still throw him out. It's just a game Bengie. There is no reason to get mad over something that small.

For the record, I would also knock any Cubs player who did the same thing.

Coming Clean, Maybe.

Last October I started to blog about the St Louis Cardinals decision to hire Mark McGwire as their batting coach. The main point was going to be how before spring training began he needed to address the steroid issue. I had most of the post worked out in my head, but then I decided to wait and comment on it either on the first day of spring training or when Mark addressed it himself. Yesterday Mark revealed he had used steroids for almost 10 years, including the 1998 season where he hit 70 home runs. When I heard that I was glad he was finally showing some remorse for his actions. I was going to praise him for that. Then I read about his explanations for taking them.

He claims that steroids did not help him hit any home runs. He did hit 49 home runs as a rookie in 1987, but his totals were dropping. He was injured and didn't play much in 1993 and 1994, then his home run binge really took off. I have the same problem with his statements that I do with Barry Bonds. I have an excellent bovine excrement detector and when I read his claims it went off so loud I still have a headache from it. If you want to read more about his claims and the rebuttals to them click here, here, and here. I know there will be some who disagree with me, but I feel that any of those who are tainted by steroids do not deserve to be put in Baseball's Hall Of Fame. Obviously the voters seem to agree. To get in a player needs 75% of the vote. Mark has only recieved 25% the four years he has been eligible.

While I was working on this I recieved a phone call from My Buddy In Illinois. We were talking about this. He is a Cardinals fan but is not too enthused about Mark. I told him that originally I was going to call this post Coming Clean, but then I decided to call it Coming Clean Partway. He suggested using maybe, so I told him I would give him credit. He never reads my blog. Of course the fact that he doesn't have a computer has a little to do with that.

Sammy, Is That You?

A few days ago the picture you see on the right of Sammy Sosa surfaced. Sammy was in Las Vegas attending the Latin Grammy's. As you can see, Sammy is a whole lot paler than he has previously appeared. Of course after that picture came out the speculation began. Was Sammy bleaching his skin or does he have Vitiligo? The answer turned out to be that Sammy had his skin rejuvenated and the treatment whitened his skin. This article talks about it. One thing the article mentions that I find funny is this treatment is mainly used by women. Is Sammy a vain creature? To quote the movie Gung Ho, "Is a frog's ass watertight?" I am a die-hard Cubs fan, but Sammy has never been one of my favorite players. The year after he hit 66 home runs there was rumors of him being traded to the New York Yankees. I was in favor of it. Sammy always struck me as being more interested in himself than the team. Just so I don't come across as too snarky, if having those treatments made Sammy feel better, more power to him. Decisions like that are up to the individual and I don't pass judgment on them.

One of things I really enjoy about my blog is when you get comments from someone totally new. Dsmcaron stopped by and had some nice words about my ramblings here. Thank you for visiting. It is always nice to hear. I am also gaining a few new friends from Thursday Thunks. I had fun doing that and it will become a regular feature here.

I Respectfully Disagree.

Three weeks ago I talked about how I felt that Michael Vick deserved a second chance and should be allowed to resume his football career. In the comments I recieved from that that two of my friends, Dana and Jeff, both expressed the opinion that Pete Rose should also be forgiven and allowed into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. I understand where they are coming from, but I disagree with them.

If you only base belonging to the Hall Of Fame, there is no doubt that he should be there. No one has more hits, played in more games, went to bat more times, and made more outs than he did. I know that last one is a negative statistic, but that comes with longevity. There is no doubt with all he accomplished he should be in. However, baseball has one major commandment, Thou shalt not bet on baseball games. To borrow from Hamlet, "ay, there's the rub".

Gambling had been around baseball in the early days, but never on the scale as the 1919 World Series. I have supplied a link to Wikipedia. As with most articles there, it gives a fairly good overview of what happened. 8 members of the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the Series. They were acquitted after a trial, but the newly appointed Commissioner of Baseball, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, banned them for life. It was an example for all the players of the consequences of gambling. Ever since then it has been stressed to players you do not bet on baseball games.

When originally confronted by the betting allegations Rose of course denied them. Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti hired attorney John M. Dowd to investigate. Dowd found that Rose bet on Reds games in 1986, 1987, and 1988. Rose continued to deny that. The matter was headed for Federal Court when Rose cut a deal. He agreed to be placed permanently on baseballs ineligible list. He never admitted why and baseball didn't push the matter. For almost 15 years he continued to lie and claim he never bet on baseball. Then as his eligibility for the Hall Of Fame was running out he wrote a book. I tried to find out how much he was paid for it, but I wasn't able to, but he never admitted gambling on baseball until he was paid for it. I do believe him when he said he never bet against the Reds, but he now fully admits to breaking that commandment.

Had Pete come clean at the time the allegations came out, I would be more forgiving. Since he chose to lie for all those years and only admitted it as a desperate chance to get into the Hall, I do not believe he deserves to get in. As a baseball player, you do not bet on the games for any reason. Dana and Jeff, I understand and respect your reasons for him getting in. This in mine as to why he should not.
A double bar at the end of a measure signifies the end of the piece of music.
Today's question is Grade 5/U.S. History.

In 1876, "Custer's Last Stand" took place during what battle?
I knew this one. 133-21.

Marketing Misfire.

Tropicana recently changed their packaging. The new package was loved almost as much as New Coke. The major complaint was it was too generic looking. Others felt it was ugly or stupid looking. Tropicana's president Neil Campbell was quoted as saying:

"We underestimated the deep emotional bond. What we didn't get was the passion this very loyal small group of consumers have."

They are trying to justify the money they spent on the new packaging, or they simply don't have a clue. Do you want to know what I think caused the failure of this package? (Too bad wise guy. I'm going to tell it anyway.) As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Check this out.


Now pick out your favorite juice. Do like juice with pulp, no pulp, calcium, low acid or something else? The packaging is too similar. The only way to tell them apart is the small bar on top of the carton. Stocking it was hard enough before, but this new package made it harder. You want your customer to be able to find what they are looking for easily. People don't mind when you change a package, but they don't want to have to study it to make sure they are getting the right thing. In justifying the change they said it was because of a very loyal small group of consumers. I have seen estimates that their business was off 20% after the change. Why not just admit they goofed and be done with it? Who do they think they are, politicians?



The Cubs opened their season beating the Astros 4-2 last night. (Sorry, Quiggy. Ok. Not really.)
Kevin Gregg, the new closer pitched the ninth. His performance reminded me of both Lee Smith and Mitch Williams. It seems like they can't do the job without putting someone on base. The first two batters Gregg faced got hits and one scored before he ended the inning.

Dana asked me yesterday about the White Sox. I have heard there was a second team in Chicago, but I thought that was an urban myth. Seriously, I grew up in central Illinois where people mainly followed either the Cubs or the Cardinals. There were a few White Sox fans there, but not many. I have always been more of a National League fan than the American League. I have nothing against the league other than the designated hitter. I would like to see that abolished.
Dagwan and Travis were both right. Georgia borders the Atlantic Ocean.
Today's question is Grade 4/World History.

The ancient kingdoms of Kush and Axum were in which continent?

• A) Africa
• B) Australia
• C) Europe

I guessed on this one. It was a good guess. 67-15.

Play Ball.

At 7:00 P.M. tonight the Chicago Cubs will begin their quest for a third consecutive division title. They seem to be able to put it all together during the season, then forget to show up for the playoffs. Of course, being the die-hard fan I am, fully believe they can pull it off. Then again, I also thought they would be World Champions last year. The Cubs made no major moves over the winter, but they really didn't have to. I will be commenting on each game this year. Most of the time it will just be a couple of sentences talking about the game. I like Carlos Zambrano, today's starting pitcher, but he makes me nervous, especially early in the year. I am glad they are playing in Houston and not Chicago. The weather will definitely be nicer. Play ball.

Travis and Winthrop J. Quiggy were both right. Ponce de Leon named Florida.
Today's question is Grade 2/U.S. Geography.

Which ocean borders the state of Georgia?

If I didn't know this one, I would deserve to be thrown into it. Fortunately I know. 66-15.

The New Eight Men Out.

The New York Daily News had an interesting article the other day. They looked at the Hall Of Fame chances of 8 men, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Raphael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield, and Ivan Rodriguez. The original eight men out were the members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox who conspired with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series. Over the next couple of weeks I am going to look at each of these 8 individually and voice my opinion on them. I will state now that I don't believe any of them deserve to be in the Hall. I will give my reasons when I discuss them.

The steroid era has given baseball a black eye. I have talked about it before and I am sure I will talk about it again. If they want to clean it up, and there is no indication that they do, the solution is simple. Get caught once, automatic 60 day suspension without pay. Get caught again, you're done. A lifetime ban. The Players Association will not allow that of course. At one time the Players Association was needed. Now they are ruining baseball. The players need to wake up and see just how fortunate they are. When someone like Manny Ramirez sneers at an offer of $25 million for one year, it makes you wonder what is going on in his head. Part of Manny's problem is his agent is the poster boy for excess, Scott Boras. There is no interest in Manny because Manny is only for himself. He can tear a team apart. The only team in baseball even remotely interested in him is the Dodgers. I would like to see them now tell him, Well since $25 million wasn't enough, we are no longer interested. Again, it probably won't happen but I would like to see it.
Al and Travis were both right. Spiders are invertebrates.

Today's question is Grade 2/Geography.

What city in Greece is known as the birthplace of democracy?

I had to guess on this, but I guessed right. 39-10.

More Baseball Woes.

The hits just keep on coming. It was bad enough to have Alex Rodriguez exposed as one of the steroid 104(and how many are sweating that they will be next?) now we have Miguel Tejeda being charged with perjury regarding his testimony before congress. Who do we blame for this. Actually there is plenty of blame to go around. Let's start with 1994 when the players went on strike and the last half of the season was canceled. Baseball fans were naturally upset and stayed away from the park. Baseball needed something something to reignite the spark. What is more exciting than home runs? Somebody got the bright idea that the best way to produce more offense was to bulk up. Remember the Mark and Sammy show? 1998 brought the fans back in droves to watch the mighty Maris record fall. There was the touching way that Roger Maris' family was there the night that Mark McGwire hit home run number 62. Equally touching was Sammy Sosa's presence that night and the big hug that he gave Mark that night. All was well in the baseball kingdom again.

Another advantage was players would not feel the effects of the wear and tear on their bodies as much and come back from injuries quicker. This blame I place squarely on the players and their union. More hits meant more money and the players union loved that. So what if players would drop dead in their 40's. Get the money while you can and raise the bar so that those coming after you will get the big buck contracts too. What some men will do for the almighty dollar.

Blame must also be placed on the owners. Don't tell me they didn't suspect something was going on. In 1996 Brady Anderson of the Baltimore Orioles hit 50 home runs. In 1995 he hit 16, in 1997 he hit 18. One year he is an OK player, then he becomes the all powerful Oz, and then someone opens the curtain and reveals the true Brady. The owners only saw people coming in and would do whatever it took. How could the Giants have accepted the freakish growth of Barry Bonds as an intensive work out regiment? I will look for some baseball cards of Barry from 1998 and 1999 and you be the judge. Barry bulked up after the Mark and Sammy show had its run. He was knocked out of the spotlight and would do anything to regain it. The Giants, Major League Baseball and the players union all ignored the situation. Nobody would ask the tough questions. Now the bill has come due.

As if the steroids weren't bad enough, another even sadder baseball story came out today. Roberto Alomar's girlfriend filed suit against him for giving her HIV. According to her suit, Alomar has AIDS and passed it off to her. Of course this was not MLB's fault, it just come out at a rotten time for them. You can read the suit here.Travis and Mike were both right yesterday. The answer was pupa.

Today's question is Grade 4/Life Science. In humans, muscles are attatched to bones by which of the following? A) ligaments B) Tendons C) marrow

I knew this one. 26-9.

Looking At The News 2.

Yesterday I talked about Alex Rodriguez and his steroid usage. I will give A-Rod credit, he has come out and admitted what he did. That puts him one step above Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Mark McGwire. He claims he took them to help himself live up to the $252 million contract that he had signed in 2001 with the Texas Rangers. Back then players looked at it differently. Not everyone was doing it, but 103 other players tested positive. That doesn't justify it, but he wasn't alone. As far as I am concerned, since he admitted it and has not done it since, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. One of my favorite parts of the movie Gettysburg is when Robert E. Lee chastises J.E.B. Stuart, who was supposed to scout out troop movements and didn't. This is based on a historical truth. I won't swear Lee said this exactly, but from what I have read about him it was probably close.
You must take what I have told you, and learn from it, as a man does. There has been a mistake. It will not happen again; I know your quality.
I hope A-Rod lives up to it.

Another story I talked about was the Pizza manager who pistol whipped a customer. Some new information has come out about that story. It seems the Pizza manager was actually from Brooklyn. He was in Florida because he is in the witness protection program. He was actually a mob hitman and he testified against his boss. That is a great way to keep your cover.

Since I mentioned his over-reaction, how about a customers reaction at a Burger King in Florida? I really am not picking on Florida, it just happens to have taken place there. A customer felt they were too slow in serving him and was upset that they didn't have lemonade any more. So did he call the Burger King office and complain. Of course not. If he had I wouldn't be mentioning this. He called 911. Now he will get to explain it all to judge. Any one want to bet the judge will not be amused?

The final story I have is about a very persistent woman in South Korea. She has been trying to get a drivers license since 2005. She has taken the test 772 times and has yet to pass it. She is not giving up and tries almost every day. Hopefully she will pass sometime. That kind of persistence should be rewarded.


Travis knows science much better than I do. The right answer was a neutron.

Today's question is Grade 3/Animal Science.

What is the last stage that a butterfly goes through before it becomes an adult?

A) pupa
B) larva
C) egg

I knew this one. 25-9.

A-Fraud.

Joe Torre wrote a book about his years with the Yankees, called of course The Yankee Years. One of the people who did not come off well in the book was Alex Rodriguez. According to Torre A-Rod's teammates call him A-Fraud. He does have a reputation for putting himself above the team. Of course some people quickly accused Torre of stretching the truth in order to sell books. They also felt he wrote it because he was upset with the way he departed the Yankees. Now the story comes out that A-Fraud is the truth. Some have suspected but until now it has not been proven. A-Rod failed a steroid test in 2003. He is another one that makes you wonder why he would do it. His statistics up until then were great. Part of A-Rod's problem is his ego. He has extremely high expectations of himself. Until now he has always denied using steroids. He has never come out and directly denied it, but he always said talk to the players association, knowing they would never reveal the truth. Had he come out then and admitted it I think people would have been more forgiving. We are now seeing a steroid backlash. Mark McGwire received less votes this year than he did last year. A lot of that comes from the fact that Mark will not admit to taking anything. He was caught with it and still insists it was nothing. It will be sometime before baseball cleans up this steroid mess. If they would get serious about it that would help. Give a suspension for the first offense and then ban them on the second offense. Of course the players Association would never go for that. After all, in the '90's they insisted Steve Howe keep getting another chance. Howe was suspended 7 times for drug use. It seems in their eyes the players can do no wrong.

The answer to the weekends question was 2, with good and hairy being the adjectives.

Today's question is Grade 5/Science.

What is the name for a sub-atomic particle that has no electrical charge?

Science is definitely not my strong suit. I had no idea. 24-9.

Mr. Ego.

Manny Ramirez has always had a certain aura about him. He is an extremely talented baseball player, but as a team player he has a less than stellar reputation. He has spent most of his career in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox decided last year that they could live without him. He became a free agent at the end of the season and the Red Sox did not want to pay him what they knew he would be asking so the traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers last July 31 as part of a three team deal. the Pittsburgh Pirates were the third team in that deal. I think Manny felt that a lot of teams would be jumping at the chance to sign him. Spring training is coming and Manny is still unsigned. The Dodgers offered him a one year deal for $25 million. Manny's agent, Scott Boras, called it "a suggestion." I would take that suggestion in a heart beat. It is believed Manny wants a 4 year contract, but teams aren't in a hurry to commit that kind of money for 4 years, especially considering Manny is 36. I am sure eventually he will sign, but he had better come down on his price soon. Maybe he hasn't heard about the recession.

I have decided to combine the 25 things post with my 200th post, so you will see it Thursday.
Travis was correct. Punxsutawney Phil is in Pennsylvania.

Today's question is Grade 5/Math.

True or false? Zero is an integer.

I knew this one. I am now 21-7.

Goodbye Kerry.

Yesterday the Cubs traded minor league pitcher Jose Ceda to the Florida Marlins for pitcher Kevin Gregg. Gregg will become the Cubs closer which means that Kerry Wood became expendable. The Cubs will not resign him. Kerry has been with the Cubs since 1997. He became a phenom when in his fifth start he tied the major league record by striking out 20 batters in one game. Unfortunately he has been plagued by injuries and has been on the disabled list 12 times.

Gregg is somewhat of a question mark because he needs knee surgery, but should be fine by spring training. He currently is the highest paid player on the Marlins, and since he is eligible for arbitration the Marlins let him go. When healthy he is a great closer, so hopefully his health problems will be taken care of and he will pitch up to his ability.

I will follow Kerry next year. I hope he has a good season and I hope he stays a relief pitcher. He just gets hurt too easily when he starts.

Curses! Foiled Again!!!

Once again we have been led down the path. Some years we have been drug there, but this year we ran. Our hopes were higher than they have been for many years. They seemed to have it all. They were among the league leaders as a team in almost every offensive and defensive category. They seemed destined to break the curse and then they once again ran into a buzz saw, this time one from Los Angeles. Once again, we the loyal faithful find ourselves in that position we know all too well. We sigh, shake our heads, mutter a few unintelligible comments, throw back our heads, and shout to the world, WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR!!!!!!

Could It Be?

1908.
Theodore Roosevelt was in the final year of his Presidency.
William Howard Taft would be become President-elect by defeating William Jennings Bryan.
For the first time a ball drops in Times Square in New York City to welcome the new year.
Mothers Day is observed for the first time.
The Office Of Chief Examiner is established by the US government. This would be later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The company that would become General Motors is founded.
Henry Ford makes his first Model T.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are allegedly killed in Bolivia.
And on October 14 Orval Overall pitches a 3 hit shut out as the Chicago Cubs defeat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 to win the World Series for the second consecutive year. The Cubs won the series 4 games to 1. The Cubs would appear in the series 7 more times, but 1908 was the last victory. Their final appearance in the series was 1945. Now we look at 2008.
The Cubs have the best record in the National League and the second best in baseball. They have been extremely consistent, except for that losing streak at the start of this month. Is this their year? I am a die-hard fan and will tell you of course it is. They have great hitting and pitching. Their pitchers also are good hitters. I don't know if it is still true but the Cubs number 9 spot had produced better stats than 4 American League teams. No matter what happens, this will be fun.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.

Today is the last game that will ever be played in Yankee Stadium. There is a very slim chance that they could make the playoffs. All that would need to happen is the Yankees win every one of their games and the Red Sox lose every one of theirs, then there would be a play off. The Yankees are guaranteed a winning season, but considering their payroll more is always expected. How much would you be willing to pay to be there? According to a website called Razorgator, which keeps tabs on the secondary ticket market the average price for this game is $1111 with the highest ticket going for $18,300. The article that I read that is 9 days old. I was going to talk about this sooner, but I have been a little distracted. I am curious if anyone actually bought the seats for that much. You can ask for it, but getting it is totally different.

With Yankee Stadium going away, Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago are the oldest ball parks around. The next oldest is RFK Stadium in Washington, DC which was built in 1961. The House That Ruth Built closes tonight. I am not a Yankees fan, but I do like their manager, Joe Girardi. I hope they close it out with a win.


For the last game at Yankee Stadium, what better baseball card to represent the ocassion than the Bambino himself. This card is from Upper Decks' Yankee Stadium Legacy series, which I have posted a few previous examples. this is from Game 909, August 14,1934 in which the Tigers beat the Yankees 7-3.

The traveling trophies have returned.

I am a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, and have been since 1969. My buddy in Illinois is a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and we have a lot of fun kidding each other about this. Several years ago I started our version of traveling trophies. Just in case you are not aware of them you can read more about them here. Since I collect baseball cards of course the trophies are cards. Originally they were cards of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire but that changed when both left. Since the big stars are now Derrek Lee and Albert Pujols they are the trophies. The way it works is when the two meet whichever team wins the series the cards go to them. If it is a two or four game series and the teams split the series, the cards remain with whoever had them. Since the Cardinals had won the first series this year, my friend had the cards. This past weekend the Cubs took two of the three the cards returned to me. Normally we buy a greeting card to put the cards in, the funnier the card the better. This time however my friend was feeling cocky and he upped the ante. Not only were the cards on the line, he wanted to increase the bet to include a DVD. Had the Cardinals won I would have sent him the first Inuyasha movie. Instead he sent me the cards with the Record Of Lodoss War. I'll be reviewing that later. The next time the Cubs and Cardinals meet I will blog about their rivalry.

Todays card is one to make you go ahhh. I really like it when they do cards with the players kids and this is the best I have seen. I will post more later.