It's been a while. But things have been a little crazy. More (and more frequent) bloggity goodness coming very soon-including my first Cubs post of the year...and maybe even some political what-have-you. In the meantime, check out my buddy Tim's blog for some exciting Titans news. Be back again real soon.
Showing posts with label Ribs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ribs. Show all posts
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Things heat up...
Literally and otherwise-the temperature has been north of 100 degrees, and the pennant races have gotten very interesting. The one nearest and dearest to my heart, of course, is the NL Central. The Cubs, now in first place, have finally managed to capitalize on the Brewers' skid, despite being 4-6 in their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have been not-so-quietly gaining ground, going 7-3 in the same stretch. The 4-game homestand that kicked off yesterday at Wrigley is a must-win for the Cubs.
The good news is that the Cubs have finally started to pull it together offensively, even with Soriano out of the lineup and Derrek Lee struggling big-time at the plate. The not-so-good news is that the bullpen is still shaky. Not a good thing, when you look at the big numbers the Cardinals' offense has been putting up lately-a staggering 55 runs in their last 10 games, including three straight thrashings of the Brewers.
That being said, the Cubs did a couple key things in the win yesterday-
The good news is that the Cubs have finally started to pull it together offensively, even with Soriano out of the lineup and Derrek Lee struggling big-time at the plate. The not-so-good news is that the bullpen is still shaky. Not a good thing, when you look at the big numbers the Cardinals' offense has been putting up lately-a staggering 55 runs in their last 10 games, including three straight thrashings of the Brewers.
That being said, the Cubs did a couple key things in the win yesterday-
- Get a quality start from the pitcher. Rich Hill's numbers from yesterday: 7 IP, 3H, 1R, 2BB, 7K. A very good outing.
- Keep it close. Howry and Dempster both did a good job of shutting down the Cards' offense.
- Make things happen offensively. Although the 2-run, 4-hit box score doesn't look that impressive, coming up with an answer to Pujols' homer was key.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win!
Ladies and gentlemen...your NL Central leaders, the Chicago Cubs.
That is all.
That is all.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
A ray of hope.
As depressing as the news has been lately, I came across a story that finally brought a smile to my face. It seems that...
Paris Hilton is losing about $60 million dollars.
Yes, ladies and gents, everyone's favoritewhore "socialite" has managed to upset the man with the money-her grandfather. It's nice to know that some people still have standards.
Paris Hilton is losing about $60 million dollars.
Yes, ladies and gents, everyone's favorite
Sunday, July 29, 2007
The Simpsons: a review.
Went to the movies today for the first time in a while. What would inspire me to plop down $6.50 of my hard-earned money? The Simpsons movie, of course. I went in with mixed expectations. Given the declining quality of the show over the past few seasons, I was a little concerned-I was hoping for a return to "classic" Simpsons style. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.
The movie clocks in at just under 1 1/2 hours, and plays a lot like an extended episode of the series. It opens with the Simpson clan taking in the new "Itchy & Scratchy" movie-which quickly turns self-aware as Homer moans "...who would pay eight dollars to see something they could watch at home for free?" This is just the beginning, as the first half of the movie is filled with the classic brand of humor that the show has become known for: smart, a little edgy, sometimes crude, sometimes slapstick. A lot of the traditional targets are there, with organized religion and consumer culture being in the forefront. Of course, there's also some of the slapstick, Homer-doing-dumb-things humor throughout.
In terms of plot, the storyline is something of an excuse to string together some jokes. But in this case it works. Here's the rough synopsis. Following Grandpa Simpson's religious vision, Homer singlehandedly pollutes Lake Springfield, causing the EPA to seal off the entire town inside a giant dome. Logically, it's now up to the Simpson clan to help save Springfield. As a matter of fact, don't worry about it. What's more important to know is that all the favorites make an appearance-Moe, Cletus, Flanders, Lenny, Carl, Mr. Burns, and the rest of the usual suspects. The second half of the movie slows down a little bit, and actually delves into emotional territory for a while-reminiscent of the early seasons of the show.
Overall, I'd give this movie two separate ratings, on a scale of one to five. First, the rating for a casual fan-a solid 3. For a die-hard Simpsons fan, it gets a 4.5-a 4 overall, plus a bonus 1/2 point for being (much like the show) highly quotable. All in all, a pretty good way to spend a hot summer afternoon.
The movie clocks in at just under 1 1/2 hours, and plays a lot like an extended episode of the series. It opens with the Simpson clan taking in the new "Itchy & Scratchy" movie-which quickly turns self-aware as Homer moans "...who would pay eight dollars to see something they could watch at home for free?" This is just the beginning, as the first half of the movie is filled with the classic brand of humor that the show has become known for: smart, a little edgy, sometimes crude, sometimes slapstick. A lot of the traditional targets are there, with organized religion and consumer culture being in the forefront. Of course, there's also some of the slapstick, Homer-doing-dumb-things humor throughout.
In terms of plot, the storyline is something of an excuse to string together some jokes. But in this case it works. Here's the rough synopsis. Following Grandpa Simpson's religious vision, Homer singlehandedly pollutes Lake Springfield, causing the EPA to seal off the entire town inside a giant dome. Logically, it's now up to the Simpson clan to help save Springfield. As a matter of fact, don't worry about it. What's more important to know is that all the favorites make an appearance-Moe, Cletus, Flanders, Lenny, Carl, Mr. Burns, and the rest of the usual suspects. The second half of the movie slows down a little bit, and actually delves into emotional territory for a while-reminiscent of the early seasons of the show.
Overall, I'd give this movie two separate ratings, on a scale of one to five. First, the rating for a casual fan-a solid 3. For a die-hard Simpsons fan, it gets a 4.5-a 4 overall, plus a bonus 1/2 point for being (much like the show) highly quotable. All in all, a pretty good way to spend a hot summer afternoon.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
They gone!
Well, folks, it turned out to be a wonderful weekend for Chicago Cubs baseball. That's a rare enough thing for me to get to say, but sweeping the Sox at the Cell deserves a post.
The good: Three quality starts by Cubs pitching. The Sox were held to 16 hits and 2 runs over the entire 3-game series. Alfonso Soriano gets a gold star for homering in all 3 games, plus a beautiful throw to the plate in today's game. The Cubs looked solid on both sides of the plate.
The bad: Saturday's game subjected me to the atrocity that is the Sox broadcasting team. For those of you unfamiliar, allow me to give you a crash course. The duo consists of Ken "Hawk" Harrelson and Darrin "DJ" Jackson. "DJ" is apparently fond of loading up on Valium before every game-he seems to have serious trouble with minor things like, um, words. If he wasn't calling Cliff Floyd "Gary Boyd," he was bumbling his way through promo copy in a fashion that would have made Mushmouth look like Casey Kasem. And as for the "Hawk?" There are so many levels of awful here, I'm just going to hit the major ones. He's been criticized for being an obvious "homer," which he certainly is. However, Harry Caray was definitely one as well. The problem is that "Hawk" takes it to a whole other level-referring to the Sox as "we" or the "good guys." Irritating to hear a score like this..."end of the 4th, good guys down 2-1."
He also has some of the most annoying catchphrases in the history of sports. After an opposing team has a player strike out? "He gone." Not "he's gone," as anyone with a sense of grammar would say, but "He gone." And when the Sox get a home run? I suggest covering your ears, because you're about to get both "Hawk" and "DJ" screaming at once- "you can put it on the board....YES!" This, combined with "Hawk's" random references to "duck snorts" and "cans-o-corn," had me yelling at the TV by about inning number four. These guys are so bad, their own team's fans are calling for their heads:
Heave the Hawk
and also here.
Pretty bad, folks, pretty bad.
And the ugly: One of the strangest baserunning plays I've ever seen in today's game. I won't even attempt to try and describe it. Even the umpires were confused. The game was held up for a good 15 minutes while they had a conference on it. For a pretty good explanation of what happened, swing over here to one of my favorite Cubs-related blogs.
All in all, a fine weekend. The Cubs get out their brooms, the weather here is nearly perfect, and it's all topped of nicely with a heapin' helpin' of ribs, chicken, and turducken at Fin's place. That definitely works for me.
The good: Three quality starts by Cubs pitching. The Sox were held to 16 hits and 2 runs over the entire 3-game series. Alfonso Soriano gets a gold star for homering in all 3 games, plus a beautiful throw to the plate in today's game. The Cubs looked solid on both sides of the plate.
The bad: Saturday's game subjected me to the atrocity that is the Sox broadcasting team. For those of you unfamiliar, allow me to give you a crash course. The duo consists of Ken "Hawk" Harrelson and Darrin "DJ" Jackson. "DJ" is apparently fond of loading up on Valium before every game-he seems to have serious trouble with minor things like, um, words. If he wasn't calling Cliff Floyd "Gary Boyd," he was bumbling his way through promo copy in a fashion that would have made Mushmouth look like Casey Kasem. And as for the "Hawk?" There are so many levels of awful here, I'm just going to hit the major ones. He's been criticized for being an obvious "homer," which he certainly is. However, Harry Caray was definitely one as well. The problem is that "Hawk" takes it to a whole other level-referring to the Sox as "we" or the "good guys." Irritating to hear a score like this..."end of the 4th, good guys down 2-1."
He also has some of the most annoying catchphrases in the history of sports. After an opposing team has a player strike out? "He gone." Not "he's gone," as anyone with a sense of grammar would say, but "He gone." And when the Sox get a home run? I suggest covering your ears, because you're about to get both "Hawk" and "DJ" screaming at once- "you can put it on the board....YES!" This, combined with "Hawk's" random references to "duck snorts" and "cans-o-corn," had me yelling at the TV by about inning number four. These guys are so bad, their own team's fans are calling for their heads:
Heave the Hawk
and also here.
Pretty bad, folks, pretty bad.
And the ugly: One of the strangest baserunning plays I've ever seen in today's game. I won't even attempt to try and describe it. Even the umpires were confused. The game was held up for a good 15 minutes while they had a conference on it. For a pretty good explanation of what happened, swing over here to one of my favorite Cubs-related blogs.
All in all, a fine weekend. The Cubs get out their brooms, the weather here is nearly perfect, and it's all topped of nicely with a heapin' helpin' of ribs, chicken, and turducken at Fin's place. That definitely works for me.
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