Monday Morning Education News
2009-08-31 16:51:00 New school blends past, future Sun Times Can a school in North Lawndale achieve 96 percent attendance and 100 percent college placement? The Ford Motor Co. Fund's first school in Dearborn, Mich., achieved those results, and now officials hope the same can be done at a new charter high school opened by the fund in Homan Square on Saturday. Boy's lack of services investigated Tribune Following a Tribune report on a Chicago Public Schools student who waited five months to receive court-ordered special education services, the district has decided to launch an internal review of its Office of Specialized Services. Should Kids Pick Their Own Required Reading? CLTV Get ready for the lengthy reading lists and book reports. As Chicago...
Monday Morning Education News
2009-08-10 15:37:00 There's always something interesting going on in Chicago schools, even in the middle of August.Some question phasing-in at new Skinner School Gazette Chicago Some families living near Skinner West wanting to send their children to a neighborhood school must travel more than a mile away and object to this phase-in, however. Although this plan will benefit families with young children, it offers no help for neighborhood children already beyond kindergarten, some neighborhood residents said. Chicago Public Schools Adds More Schools to Year-Round Track WBEZ Monday is the first day of school for some Chicago Public Schools students. The district has added 91 new schools to its year-round calendar. School Bd. chief won't profit from Olympics deal, he says Chicago Sun-Times...
Randy Miller wrote a new blog post: Monday Morning July 13 Tokyo
2009-07-13 01:13:00 Randy Miller wrote a new blog post: Monday Morning July 13 Tokyo Monday morning!! Momoko did well in her English Interview test yesterday but has another test today. Akemi has started a new job so we were all busy this morning. Tokyo is supposed to be hot, windy, and humid today. Sounds like fun. I spent all day Sunday watching DVDs. I watched Donovan’s Reef, Kelly’s Heroes, and ...
Bribes, slaves and recycling... Monday morning round up
2009-07-06 17:00:00 Shorter roundup this morning. Going to try doing it twice a week, so check back Wednesday for more of this week's housing news. Indicted Chicago developer made big profit on city deal - the Suntimes' front page story today reminds us, once again, that developers and politicians aren't above the influence of hot dollars. The article also notes Boender nearly redeveloped a "blighted property near Midway airport." That's near LeClaire Courts.In New York's Public Housing, Spreading the Gospel of the Recycling Bin - Great NYT article and video about teaching residents to recycle in NYC's public housing. Could a similar effort be taken up here in Chicago?What to the slave is the 4th of July? Interesting editorial reflects on Fredrick...
Monday Morning News
2009-06-22 15:36:00 2nd teen pleads guilty in slaying of student on bus Sun Times The second teenager charged with murdering Julian High School honors student Blair Holt pleaded guilty Friday to firing the deadly shots on the CTA bus Holt had been riding with friends when he was gunned down. CPS delays school construction for more neighbor comment Chicago TribuneChicago Public Schools has halted construction of a West Ridge elementary school in part because a zoning meeting was held on a Jewish holiday, barring many residents in this predominantly Orthodox ... School bus monitor recalls scary day Sun Times Maggie Connelly had been a monitor on Ronald Newsome's bus for about a month and a half when she was taken for a...
Monday Morning Headlines Placeholder
2009-03-23 14:10:00 No, it's not from yesterday, but all the ST games are beginning to blur together Happy Monday morning, Cubs fans! For those of you that missed the game yesterday in the 60-degree weather, The Beast is back: Zambrano, the Cubs' Opening Day starter, struck out six over six innings, the longest outing by a Cubs starter this spring. He did not walk a batter and gave up four hits. Carlos Marmol gave up one run on two hits and struck out three in one inning. And Carlos makes a push to be our numero uno PH: Zambrano helped himself with a double to lead off the fifth. He advanced on Alfonso Soriano's fly ball to right and scored on Aaron Miles' sacrifice fly. I'm only half-kidding about the PH. He continues to be one of the best hitters on the team. Derrek Lee calls the WBC people "disrespectful": MESA, Ariz. - Derrek Lee said Major League Baseball officials were "disrespectful" for pressuring him to replace Kevin Youkilis on Team USA's roster for the World Baseball Classic. After ...
Monday Morning
2009-03-16 20:59:00 Apart from seeing some drunk kid walking home along the left shoulder of the 33 yesterday, nothing really that compelling to write about, so here's a few quick snippet posts. Amazing Race is good - they've spent an inordinate amount of time in Eastern Europe, including Romania and Russia. ...
By: BuffaloPundit
Monday Morning Thoughts
2009-01-12 15:25:00 While I must mention yesterday's Steelers game, I also have some thoughts on other topics below. After seeing every road team win during this playoff weekend, the Steelers looked really good Sunday afternoon in comparison. Willie Parker had his best game of the season running for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 181 yards and a touchdown, but more importantly, had no interceptions or fumbles and was only sacked once. Santonio Holmes had a huge punt return for a touchdown, and the Steelers defense did a great job shutting down Darren Sproles who was held to 15 yards rushing and 91 yards receiving, 62 of which came on a late touchdown when the game was out of reach.Next up is the Baltimore Ravens: Round 3. Remember how Baltimore Ravens fans complained after Santonio Holmes? catch was ruled a touchdown on December 14? Well, they?re still bitter. Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun wrote the following after Saturday's Ravens win, "These Ravens won with...
By: Sean's Ramblings
Monday Morning Update
2008-12-22 18:28:00 Jessica had a downer morning. I could tell as soon as I walked in her room, she was not doing well. She was in a lot of pain. And I found out she had a couple of bad dreams and asked her nurse to call me, and the nurse told her we were sleeping and did not call us. Needless to say, I was not thrilled, and it won’t happen again.  Please pray for peaceful sleeps for her. I think the medications are giving her crazy and scary dreams. It took awhile for her to perk up and getting more meds in her to give her comfort. She sat up in a chair for over an hour and then took a long walk - went about 6x as far as she did last night and walked along at a good pace. There is concern still of the bedsore developing AND pneumonia. Both of her lower lungs show slight collapse - mainly because she is not breathing in deeply enough. So we are working on getting her to blow in a “thingy” that makes the balls go up 10x every hour. It’s already helped her oxyg...
Monday morning quarterback: Campaign 2008
2008-12-06 21:27:00 By Jefferson Flanders Here are five “Monday Morning Quarterback” observations about the 2008 campaign: 1. In the end, consider the key to the 2008 presidential election not President-elect Barack Obama’s lofty inspirational rhetoric, nor the inadequacies of the message-challenged McCain campaign, nor the drag of the GOP’s unprepared vice presidential nominee, but something much more elemental: money. ...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-11-24 12:54:00 It's whisper day Crazy Uncle Phil is hearing things again From the Trib: Kansas City is focused on Sean Marshall and Mike Fontenot in talks with the Cubs about Mark Teahen. ... Some people in Houston are beginning to show optimism that the Astros could be the team to pull off a Jake Peavy deal. Roy Oswalt has been telling Peavy that as a 1-2 punch they would make Houston competitive again. ... And since that's the only Cub news I could find, we'll go outside baseball: Iowa's first lady violates smoking ban From kirotv.com: Her husband just signed a smoking ban into law in April. Now Iowa first lady Mari Culver admits she already broke it. The wife of Gov. Chet Culver released a statement Thursday saying she quit smoking last year but started again a few months ago and smoked in a state vehicle. The ban outlaws smoking in most workplaces, including cars of employers. The first lady's admission followed a report in The Des Moines Register that she was seen sm...
Monday Morning Cheerleading/Open Thread
2008-11-17 14:07:00 Derrek Lee inducted into AFL HOF We've all been waiting a long time for this to happen. From Cubs.com: One of the great things about the Arizona Fall League's Hall of Fame and its Distinguished Alumni Awards is that, unlike their Major League counterparts, the honorees are generally still active players and managers. So fans at Saturday night's game at HoHoKam Park between the Mesa Solar Sox and Phoenix Desert Dogs got the added treat of seeing Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee receive a Distinguished Alumni Award. Lee was a member of the AFL's Hall of Fame Class of 2007 with White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye, Twins outfielder Torii Hunter and newly named Brewers manager Ken Macha. But he'd been unable to make it to the Valley of the Sun for the induction ceremonies. For Lee, returning to be honored by a league in which he honed his game in both 1995 and 1996 as an up-and-coming blue chipper with the San Diego Padres gave him a chance to reflect on how the "finishing school...
Monday Morning Headlines Attempt
2008-11-10 14:59:00 There is precious little Cubs news out there today, kids. The swirling trade rumors are harder on Jake Peavy than any of us anticipated. We're really scraping the bottom of the Cubs news barrel today, so bear with me. According to ESPN (again), the Cubs are still one of the front runners for Peavy: Sources have told the Chicago Sun-Times that the three finalists to land Jake Peavy in a trade are the Cubs, the Braves and the Dodgers, although L.A. would be a long shot. So let's have a little contest today. Do the Cubs get Peavy? If so, what do we give up? When does the deal get done? We'll have to settle for some former Cubs news: The Tampa Bay Rays declined the options on designated hitter Cliff Floyd and left-handed reliever Trever Miller. Floyd, the former Thornwood High School star who spent the 2007 season with the Cubs, is mulling retirement and: Former Cub Jacque Jones is hungry enough to extend his career that he's playing in the Mexican League. He was hitting .301 thro...
Monday Morning Headlines
2008-11-03 16:31:00 You're all probably still sleeping off the remnants of a 3 day Halloween weekend, but no matter there isn't a whole lot going on anyway. Tattoo this! I first read the headline of this and thought I was going to read about a guy getting a World Champions tatoo in August, but alas it was not to be The artist, Derek Rivers, told the Post-Dispatch that he is not a St. Louis Cardinals fan but added the words in red inside an outline of the Cubs' "C" as a joke. Burroughs and Rivers laughed, then Burroughs told Rivers to "color it in now." Rivers did, but the fill-in mysteriously faded and "Go Cards" re-emerged. yes, he tatooed in Go Cards on a Cubs fan, how is that funny? GM meetings are starting today, so everything else is just re-iterating things we already know. check it out here and here and some weird article on Kyle Orton's neck beard have at it people, I'm going to go grab another slice of the pan de muerto, yum!
Monday Morning Music Choices
2008-10-27 17:35:00 Monster 80's ballad Monday!5. Every Rose Has Its Thorn- Poison- Sway to the music. You'll love it! All white people do.4. Knockin' on Heaven's Door- Guns n' Roses- Axel takes you on a ride to the Pearly Gates, although I think it was an over-sell for a guy with a perm. 3. Love Song- Tesla- A beautiful minstrel show of a song.2. To Be With You- Mr. Big- I didn't know this song was that old....it's a good one though.1. Wind of Change- Scorpions- The biggest of the big hair bands gets the biggest hit on the biggest list of the year. That's Big Time!Have a great Monday!See the rest at www.AnAmericanFrontPorch.com
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-10-27 11:24:00 Aramis is NL's best hitter for 2008 The proof is in the award. From the Trib: Even Aramis Ramirez said he was surprised by his selection as the Hank Aaron Award winner, presented annually by Major League Baseball for what Commissioner Bud Selig called "the most outstanding offensive performers" in each league. "There are a lot of guys, a lot of good choices," Ramirez said after receiving the trophy before Sunday's game. "But the fans voted for me, so I'll take it." When the award was begun a decade ago, it went to the player with the best offensive statistics in each league. This year, for the first time, fans voted on MLB's Web site after each team selected one nominee. Boston's Kevin Youkilis won the AL award, which is a testament to which teams have the most loyal fans. The White Sox nominated Carlos Quentin. "I'm sure that had a lot to do with it," Ramirez said. " The Cubs fans, they are the best fans in the world." Even Aramis Ramirez said he was surprised by his selectio...
Monday Morning Headlines
2008-10-20 15:58:00 So, I don't know if you heard, but the World Series is set and its....... The Philadelphia Phillies v the Tampa Bay Rays! And Fox right now is having a party! Ok, so its not a complete ratings bonanza, but still the Rays have been a great team all season, and a fun story, and the Phillies, well, the Phillies pissed off the Mets fans, so that's cool too. Here's a little help to get you as excited about this as I am. Projected Rotations Phillies:@ LH Cole Hamels (14-10, 3.09, 196 strikeouts), RH Brett Myers (10-13, 4.55), LH Jamie Moyer (16-7, 3.71), RH Joe Blanton (4-0, 4.20 with Phillies after July 17 trade from Oakland; 9-12, 4.69 overall). Rays:@ LH Scott Kazmir (12-8, 3.49), RH James Shields (14-8, 3.56), RH Matt Garza (11-9, 3.70), RH Andy Sonnanstine (13-9, 4.38). There is a bunch more info in there, but here's the fun part The biggest thing these teams have in common is losing. The Phillies have lost more games than any franchise in professional sports, while Ta...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-10-13 15:39:00 That Garfield is sooooo funny Carol Slezak gives D-Lee the what-for From the Sun-Times: Derrek Lee got it wrong when he said fans couldn't take the Cubs' disastrous postseason experience any harder than the team did. ''We're the ones out there scratching and clawing,'' Lee said. ''I don't think they can take it any harder than we can.'' Why of course they can -- and they have. Players come and go. Fans are forever. Players still get paid no matter how miserably they perform. Fans are the heart of every organization. Fans, not players, hurt most when a team loses. Fans can't become free agents and switch teams at the snap of a finger. Their fandom is in their blood. Just how upsetting did Cubs fans find these playoffs? While Lee and his teammates were out there scratching and clawing, fans felt like clawing their own eyes out. Those three losses to the Dodgers were that painful to watch. Can anything good come from the playoff disaster? It can, and it already has. Cubs...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-10-06 14:09:00 Colts decide to not completely ruin my weekend I'm starting out with good news today. And the Bears won, too. From Yahoo: Headed for another early-season loss, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts staged a stunning comeback thanks to a colossal collapse by the Houston Texans. Manning's late-game poise-and the lack of it for Houston quarterback Sage Rosenfels-helped the Colts scored 21 points in a late span of 2:10. Two touchdowns came thanks to fumbles by Rosenfels, then Indianapolis intercepted Rosenfels' last-ditch comeback attempt for a 31-27 win Sunday. On to baseball Lou thoroughly explains how the Cubs lost. There's also some mention of neither Soriano nor Ramirez showing up. From the Daily Herald. But Piniella seemed to know, or seemed to sense, that his team could be had in the playoffs. Asked after Saturday night's loss if he was shocked, he said no. So how did a team go from scoring 855 runs in the regular season to scoring 6 in three playoff games for the second...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-09-29 11:01:00 I couldn't resist Cubs let Brewers make postseason I wonder if this is an attempt to further ruin the pitching arms of Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia. From the Daily Herald: The Cubs went with a pitcher-by-committee system, and it didn't work out badly until late in the game. Angel Guzman started and pitched 2 scoreless innings. The Cubs got an unearned run against Sabathia in the second. Cubs reliever Michael Wuertz walked in a run in the seventh. Howry gave up a one-out single to Mike Cameron in the eighth. After Ray Durham flied out, Braun crushed the first pitch over the wall in left. "No, I was just trying to hit the ball hard," Braun said when asked if he was thinking homer. "We've just got to find a way to continue to play." All in all, Cubs manager Lou Piniella said he was pleased with the overall effort of his pitchers. The Cubs finished the season with a record of 97-64, the first time the Cubs have posted a 97-win season since the 1945 pennant winners went 98-56. "Our kid...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-09-22 13:29:00 From the Sun-Times: Cubs not putting crappy team out there every day. The lineup will look different tonight when the Cubs open a four-game series in New York. ''We're going to play a regular lineup,'' Piniella said. ''We'll have to play as representative a team as we can. I can't let all these [regular] guys sit.'' Piniella understands the integrity issue involving the playoff races, but he has other reasons for spacing out rest for his players. Decisions have yet to be made about the playoff roster, and the starting rotation carries questions of a different sort -- such as, will Carlos Zambrano or Dempster be the Game 1 pitcher? ''I'm not making any comment as to what our rotation will be,'' Piniella said flatly. What is certain is that the starters will be shortened in each of their last regular-season turns. Dempster threw only 67 pitches Sunday, with his next start scheduled for Friday in Milwaukee. From the Trib: Phil tells us what we already know. The Cubs mi...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-09-15 10:19:00 Well done, Big Z Move over, Milt Pappas Cecil Cooper, you can suck it. You have only Drayton McLane to blame. From the Daily Herald: Zambrano pitched the first no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs in 36 years, returning from a sore rotator cuff to shut down the Houston Astros 5-0 Sunday night in a game relocated because of Hurricane Ike. "I guess I'm back!" Zambrano woofed. Pitching for the first time since Sept. 2, and cheered on by thousands of Cubs fans, Zambrano stopped a Houston team that had not played since Thursday. The storm forced baseball to move two games from Texas to Miller Park and the weary Astros arrived only hours before the first pitch. The Cubs, meanwhile, faced a short bus ride. Plenty of their faithful followed them up I-94, once again turning the Brewers' ballpark into "Wrigley North." This was baseball's first neutral-site no-hitter, the Elias Sports Bureau said. "It was a long travel day and Hurricane Ike," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "That's what I put...
Monday Morning Links and Other Thoughts
2008-09-08 15:54:00 It?s so nice to have football back! To see the Steelers have an impressive season debut in defeating Houston. To know that there are games on for approximately 10 hours from Sunday early afternoon to Sunday night. To walk around the grocery store on a Sunday and see people wearing their football jerseys. (Although why was one guy wearing an A.J. Hawk Packers? jersey when the team doesn?t play until Monday?) To follow your fantasy football teams and hope that Terrell Owens can score big points while his quarterback Tony Romo does not (or worse to root for Reggie Bush for one league and against him in another). Welcome back professional football!Have you watched any football highlights from yesterday? If so, you may have noticed every announcer gushing over Brett Favre?s touchdown pass where he threw a terrible ball on a fourth down that somehow manager to find an open receiver. It?s only a matter of time (probably next week) when that same pass is intercepted.On to the links?...
By: Sean's Ramblings
Monday Morning- Work in Progess Headlines
2008-09-08 15:44:00 Lou is not a happy camper. Even for those who don't believe the Cubs are eternally doomed, Sunday would give them pause. After losing seven of eight games, including Sunday's 4-3 stinker to the Reds, it is understandable that the mentality has evolved into a sky-is-falling September swoon. Can anyone put things in perspective? If manager Lou Piniella could, he certainly didn't try Sunday. He refused to meet with the media for the first time this season. So it was up to team elder Derrek Lee to assess the mood. "We still can't panic," Lee said. "We're still in good shape. We just need to be better. We're a better team than this, and we would like to play better. You don't ever want to play under your talent level, and that's what we're doing right now. "We're in a funk. We're in a skid. We've just got to fight out of it." Could you maybe be in a little less of a funk? You know, one where you don't lose 2 of 3 to the Reds? For those that missed it Caution: may cause...
Monday Morning Headlines/Game Thread Astros @ Cubs 3:05 CT/4:05 ET WGN
2008-09-01 12:11:00 Cubs stink for second day in a row A 20-8 August isn't so bad, I suppose. From the Trib: "There's nothing wrong with the effort," a testy manager Lou Piniella said after Sunday's 5-3 loss. "Give the Phillies credit. We're not supposed to win every day. It's not that easy. "I think we spoiled people and we got people used to [winning]. But every day things don't go your way in this business. That's why you play 162 games, and that's why you play six months." But with their second straight home loss - for only the second time since the opening series - the Cubs had their nine-series winning streak broken. Cubs hitters left 19 men on base in the last two days. Their last 23 hits have been singles, going back to Friday's homer by Alfonso Soriano - and he left four runners on base in his final two at-bats Sunday. "We believe [our] team is very good," Soriano said. "We have to play better. We left a lot of runners in scoring position, so I have to start concentrating a little bit...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-08-25 14:41:00 Raise your hand if you're Sure! Harden still good From the Daily Herald: Pitcher Rich Harden took advantage of a cool day with the wind howling in as he tamed the Washington Nationals over 7 innings as the Cubs moved to 30 games over .500 at 80-50 with a 6-1 victory. Harden allowed only 2 hits and reached double digits in strikeouts for the fifth time as a Cub as he tied a career best by fanning 11 Nationals, using his overpowering fastball and a wicked changeup. Although he allowed a leadoff homer to Austin Kearns in the third, Harden also let the breeze do its work, recording 4 flyball outs. And he's nice enough to give Soto credit: "I've definitely got to give a lot of credit to Soto," Harden said. "We've been working pretty well together. I feel really comfortable with him behind the plate. Really, it comes down to mixing up pitches and keeping hitters off balance, keeping them guessing. He's done a great job with that." "With him, it seems like we're on the same page a...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-08-18 14:49:00 Nice to have you back, big guy Cubs' big inning puts away Fish From the Daily Herald: The Cubs began their seventh-inning assault against Florida starter Chris Volstad and continued it against Renyel Pinto, a former Cubs farmhand. Mike Fontenot led off with a double and scored on Alfonso Soriano's 2-run, bases-loaded double. After the Cubs reloaded the bases, Aramis Ramirez doubled home 2 more ahead of Kosuke Fukudome's sacrifice fly. Reed Johnson later cleaned up the bases with a 3-run double. "It was the same situation last night," Johnson said of the Cubs' 2-1 loss. "We had some guys on, and we just weren't able to cash in. "That was the difference today. We were able to get those guys in. Sori gets a big hit. Ramy gets a big hit. When we get those guys rolling, we're pretty tough to beat." Dempster looks good, again From the Trib: Dempster improved to 14-5, one win shy of his career high, striking out 10 and allowing two runs on five hits over six innings. He has allowe...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-08-04 12:20:00 For Reed's a jolly good fellow Wild and wacky day at Wrigley From the Trib: With the Cubs trailing 2-0 after Brandon Moss' solo home run, Soto went to the mound seemingly to calm Zambrano. But instead of telling Zambrano to calm down, Soto just moved his lips and said absolutely nothing. "He just went out there and was standing out there," Zambrano said. "That was kind of funny. He was moving his chin and looked like he was talking, but he wasn't saying nothing." Soto's routine apparently worked, and Zambrano retired the final 11 batters he faced. The Cubs tied it off Ian Snell in the second on Soto's RBI single to right and a run-scoring double-play grounder by Zambrano. They took a two-run lead in the fourth on three straight doubles by Jim Edmonds, Soto and Zambrano. After Ramirez's solo homer in the fifth made it 5-1, Zambrano said "it was my idea" to come out of the game after only 82 pitches. "I was mentally prepared to go five or six innings," Zambrano said. Manager L...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-07-28 12:33:00 Cubs remember how to hit From the Trib: "The good thing is that our bats came alive," manager Lou Piniella said. "Let's hope they travel well to Milwaukee." Piniella's Cubs were back in first place by a full game as they packed their bats for a four-game series against the Brewers starting Monday night. They haven't been out of first place since May 10. Of course, facing Florida's Rick VandenHurk at Wrigley Field is not quite as challenging as facing CC Sabathia at Miller Park. But the 12 hits, including a three-run homer by Alfonso Soriano and a three-run double by pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot, gave the Cubs some momentum. "It was a good game for us; we needed that one," said Derrek Lee, whose 2-for-5 day included a game-tying homer in a four-run seventh inning. "We needed to score some runs. We were not getting much going, so it was nice to see some excitement on the bench, guys high-fiving." Fontenot, whose seventh-inning double made a winner of reliever Chad Gaudin, said: "He...
Monday Morning Music Choices
2008-07-21 16:33:00 By Cameron ClarkI like waking up early in the morning. It's the most peaceful time of the day. I have really fallen in love with my sunrise ritual at our new house. The sun comes up over the woods in our backyard, spreading an orange-ish sun-kissed light over our deck. Around 5:45 I go out to meet the sun rise with Abby, my Bible, the morning newspaper, and a cup of coffee. The coolness of the early morning is something to be savored, especially in the hotness of late summer. I am at my leisure to read through some scriptures, reflect, pray, and just be. How blessed we are to have a place like this. To be in a town with friends and family. To have the opportunities coaching, doctoring, and finally growing our roots as a family. The latter is truly sweet as we have been wondering in the northern wilderness these last two years. The kind of peace and excitement I feel upon waking up is a truly spiritual experience. On this Monday morning, I thought I'd check out the music already on...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-07-21 08:01:00 Anything you can do, I can do shorter. **Don't forget to wish Sparkles the happiest of birthdays today** Lou hatches winning scheme in Houston That's why they call him the cerebral assasin. From the Daily Herald: "Jim Hendry and I were talking before the ballgame," Piniella said, referring to the Cubs' general manager. "I told him, 'We're not going to take any batting practice. We're just going to go out and play.' Today, we went out and scored runs without batting practice. I think when we come here to Houston, we'll make the bus 5:15-5:30 and come out here and stretch and play." The Cubs (58-40) scored a grand total of 2 runs over the first two games of this series, both losses. Typical of Piniella, he said he believed Cubs hitters were trying to "knock those pumpkins off the train" at Minute Maid. Those "pumpkins" atop the big left-field wall actually are large oranges (in keeping with the ballpark's sponsor). Oranges, pumpkins, whatever, Piniella's point was the same....
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-07-14 12:47:00 "Kiss this, Lewis" Cub bats go flaccid against Lincecum He's a pretty good pitcher. From the Daily Herald: "Our guy pitched well too, but their guy pitched a little better. I thought the humidity might get to him, but to his credit he threw 8 real good innings of baseball. Obviously he is a good-looking pitcher and his record proves it." Entering Sunday at 10-3 with a 3.13 ERA, Dempster certainly has exceeded expectations in his return to starting. Lincecum, the Giants' fire-baller who just appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has been even better, and he was again Sunday. Now 11-2, Lincecum added 9 strikeouts to his major league-leading total while lowering his ERA to 2.57. And he has done all that without one big advantage his opponents have - getting to face the Giants' lineup. "It's not just one pitch," Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez said of Lincecum's 98-mph heater. "If you sit on one, you have no chance on the other ones." Hendry pinpoints Cubs' first-half s...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-06-16 04:46:00 Nice try, Hufflepuff. Cubs good enough to "get by" Jays All that matters is the W, right? From the Daily Herald: Lilly looked to have good stuff, as his 6 innings of 1-hit shutout ball would attest. It's just that it was a little all over the place as he walked five and struck out six. "I was throwing the ball OK," said Lilly, who had problems with his arm strength early this year but said he's "pretty close" now. "I got erratic, especially in the fourth inning. But for the most part, I felt pretty good out there." With the victory, the Cubs accomplished what they had hoped in Phase I of this tough stretch of interleague play, with today's Hall of Fame game mixed in. They took two of three from the Jays to move to 20 games over .500 at 45-25. They beat Jays ace Roy Halladay on Saturday and knocked off Jesse Litsch on Sunday. "It was a good series for us," said manager Lou Piniella. "We lost a close first game on Friday. We beat two darn good pitchers. Halladay's an ace of any ...
Gina Carano - Monday Morning Pick Me Up
2008-06-09 16:00:00 With Ultimate Fighting getting some air time on national TV I figured it was time to put resident MMA and American Gladiator hottie Gina Carano into the pick-me-up. Gina looks good and she can wreck shit with her fists. Don’t take my word for it, check out the video below where she just annihilates some ...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-06-09 14:56:00 Nice game. Let's work on pitching more like that, and less like the rest of the time that you pitch. Cubs manage split A 4-3 California swing is nothing to turn your nose up at. From the Daily Herald: Jason Marquis took a two-hitter into the seventh inning and the Chicago Cubs extended Brad Penny's winless streak to seven starts with a 3-1 victory Sunday night, salvaging a split of the four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Marquis (4-3) allowed an unearned run and three hits over 6 1-3 innings, walked one and struck out two in his second-longest outing of the season. Mark DeRosa was 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs, helping the Cubs finish their road trip 4-3 and avoid their first three-game losing streak. They are the only team in the majors that hasn't lost more than two in a row. Carlos Marmol relieved Marquis with the potential tying runs on base, striking out Matt Kemp and retiring Blake DeWitt with the help of a sparkling play by three-time Gold Glove first base...
Monday Morning Question
2008-06-03 00:02:00 Krissy asks,"What is the name of the first entry of your blog? What is the entry about? If you'd like, list the link so others can read your first entry."Mine was: "Wiping The Slate Clean"Here is a bit of that entry:For those of you who stop by once in a while and read my semi-interesting journal entries, got a little surprise! Yep I deleted my old journal. It's a long story that I wish not to discuss in great detail. Basically in a nutshell, I have decided to cut ties with a lot of people, no longer use my previous s/n, and start over. I'm wiping the slate clean and moving on.
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-06-02 16:04:00 Eat my knee OK, Cubs, you're good, but how good are you? This month, the proof will be in the pudding (or the road record). From the Trib: The standings show the Cubs are the best team in baseball. The statistics say they have scored more runs and have more come-from-behind victories than any other team. But they aren't sure how good they really are even after beating Colorado 5-3 Sunday and finishing with their first undefeated homestand of at least seven games since 1970. Doubts linger because the Cubs are only 10-13 on the road, where they play 23 of their next 32. "After this next month or so, when we get through this next stretch of [road] games, we'll know exactly where we're at," manager Lou Piniella said as his team prepared to head west to play the Padres. "We'll see what the road brings, but I have a pretty good feeling." Cubs lighting up Wrigley This team could've played night games before '88. From the Trib: Something historic is happening at Wrigley Field. And ...
Adriana Lima - Monday Morning Pick Me Up
2008-06-02 16:00:00 Brazil cranks out hot chicks like Oscar Meyer cranks out wieners. Adriana Lima is a Brazilian supermodel who does a lot of work for Victoria Secret. Interesting side note Chickipedia says that Adriana is a virgin. Or more accurately she claims to be a virgin.
Monday Morning Meme
2008-06-02 14:34:00 1. What kind of water do you drink? Bottled water, tap water, sparkling water….? How MUCH water do you drink in a day? If you’re not drinking water, what ARE you drinking? We have a water filter on our sink faucet and we fill up a 2.5 gallon container in the fridge with it every other ...
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-05-26 15:49:00 Gah! Mr. Miles testifies That first sentence best describes what most of us have been feeling. From the Daily Herald: Alfonso Soriano just may be the most maddening player in all of baseball. Soriano giveth. Soriano giveth away. If the Cubs played hockey, Soriano would be a "minus" player for the season. Soriano was in the middle of just about everything Sunday in another excruciating extra-inning loss to the Pirates, this one a 6-5, 11-inning mind-bender. The Cubs' $136 million man did hit a 2-run homer in a 4-run fourth inning as the Cubs came back from a 2-0 deficit. But the play that will have most people talking this morning happened in the ninth, when Soriano was playing the field -- a place where he has become a measurable liability. The Cubs were on the verge of a 5-4 victory with Brian Bixler on first base. Nate McLouth lifted a flyball to Soriano in the sun field. He drew a bead on the ball, but at the last second he appeared to turn away as he lost it in the sun. The ba...
Monday morning phone calls
2008-05-26 08:51:00 Monday morning is my time to make any phone calls I need to make. I spent the morning chatting with the lovely people who I pay for my auto insurance, the not so lovely people who I pay for my broadband service and the people who keep sending me letters telling me that I need ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Monday morning phone calls", url: "http://mummifiedtimesfive.net/-2008/05/26/monday-morning-phone--calls/" });
Monday Morning..ish Meme
2008-05-19 22:02:00 I got SO distracted today - I have barely left my computer, and haven’t gotten much of ANYTHING accomplished! I spent the last 2 hrs looking for the site that I’d ordered my first set of photo greeting cards from. Then, when I had just about given up and was getting up to go downstairs ...
Monday Morning Humor: SNL Digital Short ?Japanese Office?
2008-05-19 15:00:00 Steve Carrell hosted this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live and surprisingly this Digital Short did not include Andy Samberg. Instead they’ve got a recreation of The Office in its supposed original format as a Japanese television show. I’ll warn you now, there are no subtitles. This content brought to you by Wild ...
By: Wild Bluff Media
Monday Morning Headlines/Open Thread
2008-05-19 14:52:00 Kerry waves to Fukudome's surrogate grandmother. Cubs put patience on display I still can't believe this team is winning by taking walks more than by giving them up. From the Daily Herald: The Cubs completed a feat on Sunday they haven't accomplished in 30 years. They hope it acts as a springboard to something they haven't accomplished in 100. Jason Marquis delivered a quality start for the third time in eight outings and the Cubs drew 7 walks to fuel a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh in front of 41,321 fans at Wrigley Field. The win gave the Cubs 8 victories on a 10-game homestand for the first time since June 1978. "It was a wonderful homestand for us, 8-2 against good opposition," manager Lou Piniella said. "Now we've got six important games in a row starting off with a Houston team that's swinging the bat awfully well." Marquis (2-3) surrendered a 2-run home run to Adam LaRoche in the first inning, but settled down and limited the Pirates to 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits over 6...
Alley Baggett - Monday Morning Pick Me Up
2008-05-12 16:00:00 Another Monday and another hot lady to brighten up your Monday morning. Alley here is going for the cowgirl look. I like the Texas shout out on the back of her bikini.
Monday Morning Headlines
2008-05-12 14:48:00 Behold, that which won us the game. Daryle Ward's ass Much to Julie's dismay, it appears as though there will be more Sean Gallagher according to Dave Van Dyck It appears the Cubs have a rotating rotation. Sean Gallagher not only became the emergency starter for Sunday's rain-delayed 6-4 victory over Arizona, it looks like he'll get at least one more start next weekend against Pittsburgh. Phil Rogers enlightens us on National League Closers. He entered the weekend series against Arizona having made 16 appearances. He had allowed 11 hits and three walks in 17 innings. The opponents' batting average against him was .183, the best of his career, with a .258 on-base percentage, again the best of his career. He had 5.3 strikeouts for every walk, again his best mark. He has thrown only 13.4 pitches per inning, by far the most efficient pitching of his career. I didn't anticipate this one, but Jay Mariotti wants to show the Cubs some love. This is one of those rare, surreal o...
A spot of fun for a grey Monday morning.
2008-05-12 14:27:00 .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } ferrari-limousine, originally uploaded by NELVEY.com. After getting all of Pope Benedict's luggage loaded into the Limo, the driver notices that the Pope is still standing on the curb. 'Excuse me, Your Holiness,' says the driver, 'Would you please take your seat so we can leave ?'.'Well, to tell you the truth,' says the Pope, 'they never let me drive at the Vatican, and I'd really like to drive today.' 'I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I can't let you do that. I'd lose my job!'.'Who's going to tell ?' says the Pope with a smile. Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the Limo to 105 mph. 'Please slow down, Your Holiness!' pleads the worried driv...
Monday morning Market update
2008-05-12 13:24:00 The sales continue to show a decrease over last year, however, on a more positive side, the decrease seems to be getting smaller. Are we finally seeing signs of the bottom of the market? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal seems to see other signs that point to a more normal market. This ...
Quick Bytes: Monday Morning Media Maddness
2008-05-12 09:15:00 Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).This is a weird quick bytes. There is a bit of an absence of Jaguars news in the rest of the sports-news-o-sphere, but that doesn't mean there's nothing worth reading. Today's edition attempts to highlight some of the better pieces out there.If you're dying for Jaguars commentary, I implore you to come back at 12:30 EST, where we'll start a new series here at Big Cat Country examining the state of the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars Roster!: I almost wrote an entire post today about my frustrations with SI's Peter King and his Monday Morning Quarterback. This week's incarnation epitomizes my love/hate relationship with Mr. King as he quickly brushes off the nuggets of gold in his article, while spending far too much time spewing nonsense.This, for example, deserves more research and a full article ...I remember talking to San Diego GM A.J. Smith the... |
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