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.

New Ownership.

After being on the market for two and a half years, the Chicago Cubs have new owners. Yesterday the Tribune Company sold the team and Wrigley Field to the Ricketts family for $845 million. Not a bad investment considering they bought the team from the Wrigleys in 1981 for $20.5 million. The price paid is the most for any major league team.

How successful will the Cubs be now? We will see what moves are made this winter. Hopefully Milton Bradley has played his last game. The Cubs have a decent core of players and don't really need a lot. There were too many injuries this past year and there really isn't much you can do about that. I remember getting my hopes up when the Tribune Company bought the team. Hopefully this year will be the one we have been waiting for.

The Deadliest Catch.

Tonight at 9:00 P.M. EST Season five of The Deadliest Catch premieres. For some reason I managed to miss the first three seasons, but I got hooked on this during season four. (The reason I missed the earlier ones was because of the one who disappeared during the middle of the night.)

In case you have never seen it, The Deadliest Catch follows the men who fish for crabs in the Bering Sea. It really is a very dangerous job. The men put in long hours in terrible conditions and a few die every season. So far none of the boats they have featured have lost anyone, but they did show one of the boats rescue a man who had fallen overboard.

The show is narrated by Mike Rowe, who I have mentioned before from his show Dirty Jobs. On his blog, Mike was asked why he doesn't do a Dirty Jobs episode about the crab boats. Basically he said the tone of the shows are opposite, so it wouldn't work. His full answer can be found here. I find shows like this much more entertaining than network television.


The Cubs game was delayed over an hour because of the weather, but it didn't seem to bother Ted Lilly. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Garrett Atkins then hit a single and that was the only hit for the Rockies. The Cubs won 4-0. There is no game scheduled for today. They play the Rockies again tomorrow.
Travis was right. The Greeks developed comedy and tragedy.
Today's question is Grade 1/Civics.

Which of the following is a U.S. federal holiday?

• A) Arbor Day
• B) Flag Day
• C) New Year's Day

I knew this one. 73-15.

Diogenes Finds Two.

Legend has it Diogenes wandered the streets of Athens carrying a lantern seeking an honest man. When we read the news today we get all the bad that is going on in the world. It was refreshing to run across two stories of honest people.

A woman in Los Angeles found a cashiers check worth $357,959 laying on the ground. It was a Saturday afternoon so she had to wait until Monday to return it. The bank told her she could mail it in, but she personally delivered it. She said she never considered keeping it and declined a reward.

Our second honest man is R. Lee Ermey, ex-marine sergeant and actor. Ermey was in Missoula, Montana to film an episode of a new series for the History Channel. He was traveling with a crew member when he spotted a bag laying by the side of the road. He stopped to check it out. It was a deposit bag which contained at least $8000 in cash plus more in checks. What did Ermey do with the bag? He went and deposited it.

It is nice to know that with all the bad out there, there are still some honest people.


The Cubs ended their series with the Brewers by beating them 8-5. They literally walked away with this one. In the fourth inning they scored 4 runs when the Brewers pitchers walked in the runs. Ryan Dempster got his first win of the year. Kevin Gregg continues to struggle. He wasn't in a save situation but still gave up another run. Unless he turns it around fast he will lose the closers job. The Cubs are supposed to play their first game at Wrigley Field today against the Colorado Rockies. Rain is in the forecast so we will see if they get to play.
Dagwan was correct. St Peter's Basilica is in Vatican City.

Today's question is Grade 5/Literature.

Comedy and tragedy are the two kinds of plays developed by who?

• A) The Greeks
• B) The Romans
• C) The Egyptians

I knew this one. 72-15.

Sunday Smiles.

Last night I was working in frozen foods when one of my co-workers came down the aisle looking for Cool Whip. Her name is Krystal. With today being Easter we had sold completely out. I had just put out a few cases. She was looking at what was there and said, "What. No regular. Krystal don't do light."

Have a happy Easter. I hope you enjoy these.


How Easter eggs are made.





The Cubs bullpen continues to struggle, but thanks to a ninth inning home run by Alfonso Soriano the Cubs beat the Brewers 6-5. Carlos Zambrano struggled against a team he dominated last year. In today's game Ryan Dempster tries to win his first game of the year.

Quite A Night.

Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late.

A Day In The Life.
John Lennon-Paul McCartney.

Well maybe not quite like that. If I drag a comb across my head all I am doing is scratching it. My apartment doesn't have stairs. Also, it was a can of Diet Coke, not a cup. Last night I woke up, looked at my clock to see the time, and was greeted by flashing lights. Naturally that meant at some point the power had gone off. I went into the front room to check the time on my caller ID. Of course there was a message so I had to check that out to get the ID back to time. When I finally found the time it was 10:11. I made it to work at 10:30, half an hour late. Then the fun continued.

I was working in the dairy department. A milk truck was due in around 2:00 A.M. Normally all I have to move some bread racks to clear the back hallway so the milk can be put in the cooler. However last night someone had pulled two pallets of eggs into the cooler and left them. I had to empty the pallets onto the shelves in the cooler. Then I went to the meat cooler where the new dairy freight was. Before I got that done a meat and produce truck showed up. There were 16 pallets on that truck, 12 of them for produce. One of my co-workers pulled the pallets off the truck and I had to take the produce area. By the time I was done with that it was 2:00. The milk truck wasn't there so I took a break. As soon as my break was over, the milk truck arrived. The only thing I have to do is check the pallets of milk and make sure everything is there. Easy work, but time consuming. By the time he left I finished breaking down the pallets and went to lunch. It was 3:40. I had been busy all night and had only stocked 2 cases before lunch. When I got back I put out as much as I could until 7:00 and went home. Occasionally there are nights like that. Fortunately they don't happen too often.

The Cubs were beaten by the Brewers 4-3 yesterday. Kevin Gregg has had a rough start as the Cubs closer. He was the loser in the game. That is the way it is when you are a closer. One day you are a hero, the next day a goat. Carlos Zambrano tries for his second win tonight.
Sorry Travis. Winthrop J. Quiggy was right, Herbert Hoover preceded Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Calvin Coolidge preceded Hoover.

Today's question is Grade 5/World Geography.

The Pope will celebrate Easter Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. In what country will he be?

I knew this one. 71-15.

The Knock At The Door.

I was woke up about 6:00 P.M. last night by someone knocking at my door. I realize most people will think that is strange, but if you work third shift it is not. My days off are Tuesday and Wednesday, but I try to keep my sleep schedule, which means bedtime is usually around 2:00 P.M. The person knocking was my son. I had mentioned earlier that he was going through a trying time in his life. At that time I didn't know the full story. He has been giving it to me a little at a time. He is in the process of getting a divorce. The process was almost completed before he told me anything about it. I had a hunch from the start I wasn't being told all. There were too many things that didn't make sense. He was still living with his wife until the divorce was finalized, but she threw him out early. He is currently unemployed, and my oldest daughter had told him if he moved back to Illinois she could get him a job. Since my apartment is too small for him to move in with me, he decided to go ahead and leave for Illinois two weeks early. He will be leaving this morning.

We went out to eat and I went over the route he needs to take to get there. He can't read a map. Fortunately most of the route he has to take is on the Interstate. There are two tricky parts to it which I went over with him several times so he understood. The first is in Chattanooga where he leaves I-75 and picks up I-24. I-24 goes straight into Illinois, but the tricky part is getting through Nashville. There are three Interstates that pass through there and you have to watch to make sure you get on the right one. I would have gone with him and led him through there, but I have to go to work at Taco Bell this morning. I will be home by the time he goes through there and I told him to call me if he has any problems. In a worst case scenario, I will have him stay where he is at and I will go to him and help him get through. It would mean about a six hour round trip for me. Hopefully he will make it on his own. I am going to miss him, but with the economy here this is his best option.


The Cubs took the series from the Astros, winning 11-6 yesterday. Ted Lilly had a shaky start, but Aramis Ramirez came through getting 4 hits in six at-bats and driving in 4 runs. Mike Fontenot also drove in 4. The Cubs are off today and play in Milwaukee Friday night.
There were no guesses on yesterday's question. The noun in that sentence was city. What that has to do with geography is beyond me.
Today's question is Grade 2/U.S. History.

Who was the first black person to play on a major league team?

Of course I knew this one. 69-15.

Forgiveness.

Over a year ago I talked about the Food Network firing Robert Irvine for lying on his resume. He was host of the show Dinner:Impossible. The show continued with Iron Chef Michael Symon but it wasn't as good. Irvine is being given a second chance. The new season of Dinner:Impossible starts tonight. The new season will only be six episodes. I am not sure if more will follow. Irvine has a blog where he tells his side of the story. I feel he has paid the price for what he did and enough time has elapsed for him to start again. His biography has been updated and I am sure there will be no more exaggeration from Chef Irvine. I am looking forward to these new shows. I am sure that the Food Network is being cautious, which is why there are only six episodes in this season of Dinner:Impossible. If the ratings are there there will be more.


Well the Cubs will not go 162-0. They lost last night 3-2 in 10 innings. Kevin Gregg gave up a bases loaded single to Jeff Keppinger which ended the game. That is the life of a closer. Save one game, lose the next. One of my favorite Casey Stengel quotes is "I don't get paid to win every game. Just two out of every three." Tonight the Cubs try to get their 2.

Somebody new had some nice comments about this blog. Thank you for the kind words and welcome Sarah.
Winthrop J. Quiggy and John were both right. Kush and Axem were in Africa.
Before I get to today's question I have a comment on this calendar. Whoever came up with the subject for today misread the question. The alleged category is Grade 2/ U.S. Geography.

What is the common noun in the following sentence? "I saw it in the city of Buffalo."

If this is a geographic question, school has changed quite a bit since I last went. I did know the answer. 68-15.

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.