GhostRunner

I think Todd Walker's been doing an outstanding job after being forced into the 1B role since the Lee injury. He's receiving throws well, stretching out for double plays, and digging Ramirez's numerous worm-burners out . . . and he's still hitting .350+, to boot. I say give Walker his props for being a quality team guy and a decent fill-in for Lee thus far.

Word . . . and Stone, too.

You're all fatophobes. Does it really matter if he's fat or not? I mean, what difference does it make? In this day and age, someone being fat is pretty commonplace and generally accepted. Heck, lots of people are fat and they aren't any less of a person as a result. Fat people have rights, too. OK, I'll admit it . . . I'm a fat man. It's not a choice I made. It's just the way I was born. And I don't think I should be ridiculed because of it, even if my gut is exposed when I decide to wear my half-shirt. Quit the fat-bashing! (Yes, this is tongue-in-cheek. Although it's not nice to make fun of people for any reason.)

Wait, is he actually using drugs as a reason to simultaneously denounce the Beatles and to support his pro-Stones argument? The Rolling Stones? The Rolling Stones, whom include as a member the one and only Keith "Walking Dead" Richards?! I think your morality is corrupting your argument here. Whether you condone or abhor drug use, it shouldn't matter whatsoever in determining the quality of a band's music. And to inject the subject into a comparison between the Beatles and the Stones is downright laughable. BTW, you seem to draw the conclusion that LSD and other drug use somehow prevents true artistic genius or "metaphorical thinking". Well, truth is, some of the greatest minds, poets, writers, and musicians in the long history of the world have been drug users . . . perhaps even Shakespeare.

Why isn't this in the fantasy forum? Jus' wonderin' . . .

In a similar vein, I've heard many arguments speculating on what would have become of the Beatles had they stayed together and continued to produce (and had Lennon not been murdered) . . . many painting a very negative image of what might have otherwise been. Given the fragmentation of the band during the Let It Be and Abbey Road sessions and the mounting pressure from both McCartney & Lennon desiring solo careers, any further works may have been less than high-quality. As such, it's their short-lived union as a band that may have very well been the best thing for them historically, cementing their status as rock & roll deities with a relatively small body of top-shelf material, having very few disappointments for future fans to dwell upon. In other words, the Rolling Stones of today could very well mirror what the present-day Beatles could have become, for better or, IMO, for worse.

Why did I just read that as "creamy potpie"? Odd.

The Beatles, hands-down, no contest. They revolutionized music in so many ways, including songwriting, studio performance, studio technique, and pure innovation. Their early days were great, but Help!, Rubber Soul and Revolver ushered in a musical sea change that still reverberates even today. Although to be honest, I feel the better argument (per Mia in "Pulp Fiction" anyway), is the Beatles vs. Elvis. The Stones had their moments, no doubt, but from Satanic Majesties onward, they were just trying to keep up with John, Paul, George and Ringo. The Stones' recent years of crap albums and incessant touring doesn't help their case, either.

Well, there's something . . . Barrett hasn't given up yet.

Is it just my WGN feed, or does Busch look very dark? Did they forget to build (or turn on) the light standards? Looks awful tonight for some reason.

Actually, he says both . . . and often. And if "beautiful man" = "obnoxious drunk in a loud Hawaiian shirt carelessly given a live mic", then Mike Shannon claims first prize in a beauty contest and the $10.

I totally understand the Santo-Shannon remark. I go around and around with my Cardinals-fan "friends" about it. Strangely, I've also run into many Cards fans who don't really like Shannon either. I think he just rubs some people the wrong way. At least this thread isn't about Hrabosky . . . I couldn't contain my vitriol if it were.

How is it that this great thread hasn't received a reply yet? Bravo, gus_dog . . . I thoroughly concur with your sentiments, erratically rhyming as they are. :P

An American hero - really? Does Mike Shannon rescue people from burning buildings and uncover terrorist plots when he's not three sheets to the wind, howling on the radio? Maybe that "get up ball, get up" yell that he likes to spit out cures athlete's foot phonically over the radio, and that qualifies him as a hero. Or maybe he's just loaded again, continuing to ride Jack Buck's coattails and making me appreciate Pat Hughes more and more every time I hear him fawning over another Edmonds faux-acrobatic catch. No sir . . . I don't like the man.

Christ, where do you people get off? So the guy's got some unusual beliefs and a world view that you either disagree with or simply don't understand. Does that warrant insults and belittling commentary? Get over yourselves.

Glad to see that BP penciled in a heartbreaking 1-game deficit for the NL Wild Card berth. :evil: Pardon me while I slip into a coma for the next 8 months and spare myself the grief of hoping. I do like the RA prediction, though.

I agree somewhat, esp. with the notion of Baker's philosophy not meshing with the current club, but I truly feel that bringing in yet another manager (with yet another skill set, strategic mentality, etc) could do more harm than good. Let's not forget that despite Cubs fans disliking Baker, the players - including guaranteed hold-overs like Lee, ARam and Zambrano - genuinely enjoy playing for Dusty. He is a player's manager, no doubt, and booting him despite having had 2 (3?) consecutive winning seasons may cause resentment in the locker room. McClendon has always been a victim of his team's lack of financial support. Could you honestly say that he's ever had a squad with enough quality players to succeed? A manager only works with the tools he's given, and when your GM dumps quality guys yearly in exchange for salary relief, your managerial skills will be tested regardless of ability. Personally, I think McClendon's a talented manager who gets a lot out of some lesser players. And your mentioning of TLR and Bobby Cox really just illustrates the advantage of having stability in the manager's office; they're the 2 most successful current NL managers by far. Yeah, he's a Cards fan, but he's also a sports writer, and has written objectively about the Cubs many times in the past. I don't have any reason to think otherwise about this article, although I guess ulterior motives are always a possibility in anything.

Kirk Wessler, a respectable (albeit unabashed Cardinal fan) sports writer for the local Peoria Journal Star, wrote an interesting column yesterday regarding the current atmosphere of Baker & the Cubs. His main points focused on the Cubs needing more stability in the clubhouse, rather than yet another manager and/or coaching staff transfusion, and he provides some rather valid reasoning IMO for keeping Dusty around. If nothing else, it's another POV for the adamant Dusty-haters out there to consider. Some highlights (LINK):

Not that anyone cares, but my non-yearly trip to Wrigley takes place tomorrow. Just to jinx everything, I'll go ahead and say that I'm undefeated in attended games, although it's a tiny sample size (4-0). I also haven't posted on the first page of any game threads to date this season, so maybe this will shake things up a bit. And if Lee sits, I'll be quite upset. Having said that, I look forward to an inevitable discussion on the merits of [brackets] vs. (parentheses) & their respective mojo-inducing qualities when used in game thread titles. . .

Initally the booing and chanting "Hawww-kins" didn't bother me, but the "Hawkins Sucks, Hawkins Sucks" was a bit over the line. And it's not because I pity LaTroy. As a pro baseball player, he gets paid to perform and that includes performing under the heckling of fans, but what crossed my mind was the fact that Hawkins grew up in Indiana as a true-blue Cubs fan. I can't put myself in his shoes, but it must be painful to hear the fans of the same team you grew up following cursing your name in their home park. Hawkins didn't perform well as a Cub, but his teammates made it known publicly that he was very well-liked in the clubhouse. He doesn't deserve any more abuse IMO. . . tonight was enough, now let it go. There are plenty of ex-Cubs that were much worse than Hawkins & never caught nearly as much flak as he has. I also embarassedly agree that Cubs fans are now seemingly on par with Boston fans, which is a definite insult any way you cut it. I blame the Hundley/Alfonseca fiascos for the attitude change.

Is it wrong to wish for only 1 Maddux K tonight so that I can see #3,000 happen live and in-person on Sunday? :P Meh, I guess it's good either way. As long as the Cubs win, that is.

On a somewhat-related note, CSN Chicago will be having an honorary day of programming for Ryno on July 30. A half-hour special, "Ryne Sandberg: The Call to the Hall", will air at 6:00pm CDT, followed immediately by a rebroadcast of the famous June 23, 1984 Cubs/Cardinals game at Wrigley (aka, The Sandberg Game). Re-live the memories before Ryno's HOF induction.

Yikes! Pleeeze keep this hush-hush, at least until I manage to pick up some tickets. And perfect timing, too, 'cause I'm on vacation all this week. Sweet. EDIT: Sorry, forgot to say "big thanks" to DJAXXFAN for the scoop! :D

I remember one time, I went fishing, and had a carp on the line, but I lost it. That made me happy because I didn't lose my tackle. :D 8) Heh, that's nothin'. . . down on the big dirty river here in Central IL, we're infested with Asian Carp. They literally jump out of the water and into your boat, or, if you're particularly lucky, smack you in the face. Seriously, it's crazy. Local 'necks enjoy bowfishing for the things. And while the fish can't throw a curveball as well as that other "Carp", they do taste better when deep-fried - allegedly.