NBA Prediction, Peavy Stays In Junior League

Call me crazy, but I think I'll take the Nuggets tonight in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals. I love Kobe, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol, but I think the veteran leadership of Billups (and veteran, uhh, participation of K-Mart) combined with Nene and Carmelo and JR Smith and Birdman adds up to a major upset victory tonight.

Callin' it now, so that if I'm right I can gloat.

Also, apparently Jake Peavy decided he likes the retro San Diego unis (pictured) and would rather stay in the nice safe National League, where he gets to face the pitcher once every other inning. Now, I have Peavy on my fantasy team (The Double Baggers) and think his stats would probably be better over in the senior circuit (aka the junior league) but I would have loved to see him pitching at the Cell. He could have stayed under a 4 ERA and brought a ton of K's to the table.

Oh well.

Anyway, hopefully more to come tonight.

Hoping for another great NBA game!

Sox trying to get Peavy!

What a year it would be for me. I know everybody has there favorite team in sports and then they have their favorite player that isn’t on their team.

For football my favorite non-Bear’s player was Jay Cutler. I don’t know why I liked him so much I just did. That’s why I made sure I traded for him in all my fantasy teams.

Who is my favorite non-White Sox Pitcher? Non other then Mr. Jake Peavy! This would be the most fantastic year for moves if the Sox could land him. I think if Ryan was heading to Jamaica we would have to have a repeat of Jay Cutler Day. I know the trade wouldn’t be as big as the Jay Cutler trade but I know I’d be one very happy Sox fan.

Growing up with...The Blackhawks?

Over the years, one sport that has moved in and out of the spotlight is hockey. That could be because of lockout or lack of interest, or maybe just a combination of both. Either way, the light is back and brighter than ever in the Windy City.

We've read about it all year, the young talent and now the success of a team. So as I sit here at my computer after a 5-2 game 1 loss to the rival Red Wings, it has me thinking about a franchise and how far they have come...in this fan's eyes.

I went to my first Blackhawks game in 1996. I can't really remember the exact date without looking, my ticket stubs are scattered around my room. However, I did find the one from my first Bears game...November 24th, 1996, a 31-14 win over the Lions (No doubt it was a Dave Krieg gem under center).

Enough basking in mid-90's Bears glory, the moments are few and far between. My first Hawks game was against the Hartford Whalers. As an 11 year old, it didn't get any better than box seats, whatever food I wanted, and a 4-3 win. What did I know about professional hockey? The closest I had ever been to a Blackhawks player was when I was at a Dodge Dealership in Downers Grove earlier that year. Eddie Belfour (pictured) drove up in his Viper, bought a truck and left.

After that season, I drifted as a Hawks fan. With few games being televised until this year, there wasn't much exposure. Sure they were my favorite hockey team, but their last Conference title was in the 91-92 season. Their last Stanley Cup title, 1961. Continuing in the mid-90's, it's quite possible that sports fans in Chicago didn't even know we still had a hockey team, and thought the Bulls were the only team that played at the United Center. Rightfully so, as they won championship after championship. After the transformation of the past few years, the Hawks are at the forefront, the perfect mix of young talent and tradition.

You could call many of the fans bandwagon, but there is nothing wrong with that. Its not the hot and cold choice between Cubs and Sox. The Hawks are something the city can agree on and embrace. I recently went to my 2nd Hawks game ever. Round 1, game 5 with Jamie and Steve no less. A Hawks win, but an atmosphere like nothing I had ever experienced. The tradition of cheering during the national anthem began in 1985. As you stand there, you get goosebumps and feel the biggest sense of pride for a country, for a team, and for all the fans there cheering alongside.

The puck drops and there is an electricity flowing throughout the entirety of the game. That game went so well I went to Game 6 against the Canucks. Back and forth the teams went, the building was booming even more than the series before. With a Patrick Kane hat trick, the game and series were clinched. Fittingly, it was the young talent equalling the tradition of a franchise in a game Hawks fans will not soon forget.

The “One Goal” mantra applies to the team and the city, whatever goal they are promoting, we all know the ultimate goal is hoisting the Cup. They have a chance to end the drought, a drought twice as old as many of their players. I know this fan is ready, and the push continues tomorrow night in Detroit.

Tony K out, Jon Gruden in on MNF

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that espn is reporting (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4174469) that Jon Gruden will be joining the Monday Night Football booth.


I never disliked Tony K. I felt like sometimes he tried to hard, but overall not bad. I know a lot of you will be happy about this.

I just love Jaws, when I first heard Gruden was joining the booth, I was scared he was the one getting kicked off, but thankfully he is not.

Two Funny Baseball Stories From the Weekend

Two funny stories I read in Chicago Tribune’s Redeye this morning that I wanted to share with everyone.

Joe Madden made an error filling out his lineup card for the Tampa Bay Rays and essentially accidentally forfeited his Designated Hitter for the game. So what does this mean? Well it means the Rays had to have their pitchers hit throughout the game like a national league game. Even worse, Joe Madden’s mess up forced the pitched to bat where the DH was supposed to hit in the heart of the order. Well this should mean easy outs for Cleveland pitchers right? Wrong, Pitcher Andy Sonnasnstine hit an RBI as the Rays won 7-5 over Cleveland. How can a AL pitcher get RBI’s against last place Cleveland but the White Sox can’t.

And

The Angels announced that Pitcher John Lackey is going to pitch on only two days rest! That’s pretty impressive considering most pitchers get 5 days of rest between starts. Well, actually know, in Lackey’s last start on Saturday, he threw a total of 2 pitches. Pitch 1 sailed over Ian Kinsler’s head, pitch 2… right in the ribs. (This Link has the video of the game) I think that’s a pretty good outing if you ask me. Also I would have loved to have been in LAA’s bullpen when that happened. These guys aren’t even thinking about getting ready and then BAM! In you go.

Bloomington: Summer Superstar Convention

So Noffke and Jamie came down this weekend (yes, they brought their flippy floppys) for a whole bunch of grilling and bartime socializing. How can I make this somehow sports related? Well...

We watched the Sox choke away a game at Yogis with Ninja Bartending Master Glass. And then, as soon as the South Siders lost, 2-1 to Toronto, my fantasy team Cub Kevin Gregg gave up four runs in the ninth to blow the save, followed by the Cubs scoring a run in the bottom of the frame. And no, Gregg didn't get the vulture win, because he didn't even manage to get an out. (Gregg is quoted in the Tribune saying "I think I could have hit myself today.") The Double Baggers just took their first head-to-head loss of the year in my Yahoo!Random League. Utley, Pena, and Wells all decided to slump at the same time as Danks and Chris Young (dropped for Barry Zito)... then Gregg got lit up too. Ouch. On the bright side, I'm goanna win K's every week.

Anyway. Other sporting events of the weekend–we got in three games of darts at Upstairs. I'm not going to gloat too much about the outcome other than to say I will be joining the semi-pro dart playing ranks as of tomorrow. However, Noffke did give me ten-to-one odds on hitting a triple 20.

I am one dollar poorer. Damn.

But yeah, great weekend, except that the Sox really need to pick it up. 15-19? Ouch. I mean, the AL Central is by no means out of reach but it's time to get another starter- yeah, Colon pitched a good 5+ innings today but he can't go any deeper than that- so come on, Kenny Williams.

Hawks-Wings Game One is tomorrow at 3. I'm thinking this is going to be a great series for not only hardcore hockey fans, but also the sport as a whole.