For Mom...

1949-2003

Growing up, I was never one of those kids who had nightmares about monsters. I never thought monsters lived under my bed or in my closet. Having a nightlight on wasn’t required for me to be able to sleep. My nightmares were based in reality. My fear was of real things I couldn’t control. The only constant nightmare I had involved my mother dying and me powerless to stop it. This nightmare was recurring in some form till two years ago. Two years ago on this day my nightmare came true. My mother passed away after battling skin cancer at the age 54. What do you do when your one base fear becomes reality? Is there anything that makes one think more about lost opportunities? I would like to say after two years that I’ve come up with answers, but I haven’t. What I do is live off memories of my mother. The Christmas before she passed away, her parents gave me a book containing pictures chronicling my life. I don’t see that as being coincidental. So, this week I'll be sharing some memories of my mother along with the other posts. I’ve shared a few in my movie post, here are some more.

My first early memory is when my mother was packing to leave for her grandmother’s funeral. I was sitting on the bed crying. I wasn't crying because my great grandmother had died. I had met her maybe a few times in my short life. I was crying because my mom was leaving. Obviously, I was a momma’s boy.

When I had the chicken pox as a kid, she laid out a cot in my parents bedroom. While I battled the chicken pox, she would bring me Pop Rocks and some other gift everyday when she came home. She also told me to stop scratching. I still scratched.

My Mom was a nurse, which helped when I was sick. The problem was when she had to work the late shift. Often I would try to stay up till she came home. Usually, I’d end up falling asleep. One night, I woke up after falling asleep, to find a coloring book waiting for me. It's the little things

Because of my history with cancer, I was constantly going in for tests and check ups. The tests blew. There’s nothing like laying on a cold table in your tighty whities while a room full of doctors poked and prodded. But it was worth it for two reasons. First, I didn’t have to go to school. But the best reason was I got to hang around all day with my Mom. I got to see where she worked, and talk with all her doctor and nurse friends. It was mother/son day for me about every month. It kind of made all those exams worth it.

Every artistic and musical bone in my body I got from my Mom. She always encouraged me to take piano lessons, and would always sign me up for art programs during the summer. Piano lessons I wasn’t so fond of, but I did love my art classes. She would never allow me to miss a day, ever. Except for one day. One day she let me sleep in. We then gathered as a family in my little brother’s room. I remember the sun shining through the window while we just talked and laughed. I think Thundarr the Barbarian was the cartoon on the TV.

Mom always did the Holidays well. She was always the hostess for Thanksgiving. She would make my Halloween costumes from scratch. But what she especially excelled at wasChristmas. From the presents to the food, she did it all. She always got me what I wanted, andMom always did the Holidays well. She especially excelled at often things I didn’t know I wanted. When I was around seven, I remember waking up one Christmas Eve, and watching my parents wrap gifts. I’d sit there at the top of the stairs and peer through the railing. Yes, I did it at first to prove my suspicions of Santa Claus’s existence. But, the following years I did it to watch my Mom and Dad being Susan and Al. She was not very good at hiding the Christmas gifts. My brother somehow always found out what he was getting.

Coinciding with Christmas was my birthday. I was born three days after. The story goes that I was late. Imagine that. So, to make sure I was born before New Years, my Mom started doing chores to coax me along. This completely explains my dislike for manual labor. I think Mom felt guilty that I was a December baby, because she really went out of her way to make sure I celebrated my birthdays. Even when four out the 35 kids I invited showed up, she made sure I had a great birthday. I always had parties, and never got the combo Christmas/birthday gift.

My first post divorce memory of my Mom is when she took me and my brother fishing. My brother and I had already gotten the divorce talk from our Dad. This was the Mom talk. I don’t remember much of the talk. I do though remember standing there while Mom watched us fish. She had that somber look on her face I’d never seen before.

I doubt there’s ever been a Mom that worked so hard to make a step-family a family. When she remarried, she worked tirelessly against our reluctant attitudes to make us one family. To her credit that is exactly what we became. The words “step” and “half” aren’t used in our family. We are all just brothers and sisters.She was there for all of us. When I had my back surgery, she stayed in Cleveland till I was finally released. Even though I was high on Morphine, I can remember her and my Dad there. Seeing my Mom and Dad together at my bedside gave me perhaps a glimpse of what could’ve been. She was there when I needed a car. She was there to teach me how to dress and color coordinate. She was there when I graduated, and had hair. When I wanted to pursue the radio biz, she helped me move. She even drove to Nashville to help me move back, when I realized radio wasn’t for me. Even when she thought I was making the same mistake by pursuing film and television, she still supported me.

Perhaps that’s the problem. She was always there when you needed it. That’s what makes that text message I received saying “Call Mom!” such a painful memory. It’s the only text message I’ve ever received, and it was letting me know something was wrong. When she told me she was diagnosed with cancer, that rock I had counted on so much began to crumble. I never want to recieve another text message again...ever.

Still, she was there. When I first came home since she was diagnosed, she had my step-father take her out of the hospital to meet me at the airport. Even though she was sick from the chemo she took me out to lunch. She was still the rock. She still couldn’t stand us pandering to her every need. Even then I still held hope that she would survive. How couldn’t she? If I can survive cancer, certainly she can.

It wasn’t till the last two weeks she was alive that I became fully aware of the end. The woman who had relied on her for everything was now having to take care of her. Still we got glimpses of Mom. She fought to stay awake till my oldest half sister got back from Europe. When I got there, they gave her a few days at the most. She was up and walking around the next day. When my grandparents got into a car accident that same week, it was my Mom who got up to try and help my grandmother get around. Even though she couldn’t eat, she still wanted to sit with us at the dinner table. When someone didn’t have a fork, Mom got up to get it for them. One day she really wanted a bake potato, so my Uncle James and I drove into town to get one. If there’s one thing I knew it was how to get people lunch. Returning with the prized bake potato, I gave it to her. Nobody thought she’d eat it, but she ate the whole thing. I like to think it was because I got it.

The last good moment was at night when we were putting her to bed, after going over some pictures. She sat on the bed and asked everyone to leave except me. I sat down next to her, she took my baseball hat off, and we talked, cried, and said our goodbyes. She then had each one of the other kids come into the room individually to talk with her. Even to her last days she was still the rock. She died in her sleep soon after.

So that’s my Mom in a snapshot. Ok, a three page snapshot. I miss her every single day.
I still have moments where I pick up the phone to call her on weekends. They don’t seem to happen as often as they did and that scares me a little. I don’t know if I want to reach the point of acceptance. I don’t want be at ease that she died. I don’t want to fill that hole. If I fill that hole, I’m afraid I’ll forget even though I know that’s impossible. I won’t forget because I have a huge family full of brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews to remind me. I have them to be the rock my Mom was. I have my Dad. I have friends like Bob who listened and understood.

I realize I’m at the point of rambling and it’s now 4:30 in the morning. I don't even know if this all makes sense due to the "dust in my eye." My point of this post is to proclaim that I had the greatest Mom in the world. I miss you Mom.

Love,
Brad

Excuse Me Sir, You Have Been Sequestered for Your First Kiss.

My oasis from attending Bob Jones as a kid was Clearview Circle where I lived with my brother and Dad. There were woods in the back to explore, a giant tree in the backyard to climb, and Jill across the street to adore. Jill Davis was my first crush. She was the first girl that made an infection of “cooties” seem desirable. She also happened to live right across the street. Jill was everything a young rebel would want in a girl. She went to a public school, listened to secular music, went to movies, and was an early bloomer.

Jill had always known I had a crush on her. How did she know? Oh, I told her when she asked. It was before the days I knew you were supposed to deny, deny, deny. On a certain Valentine’s Day, I was hanging out with her brother and my brother. At the time, Jill was in the backyard with her friend Allison(?). Allison was that mischievous instigator that always enjoyed toying with the fact that I had a crush on Jill. That is why I was rather suspicious when she walked up to me and said Jill wanted to give me a Valentine’s Day kiss. It was one of those “punch in the nose” moments. I was dazed and stunned. After giving myself a standing eight count, I asked why. Yes, I realize when a girl wants to give you a kiss, that last thing you should ask is why. But, I had seen my TV shows, and a few movies. This isn’t really how first kisses were supposed to happen. I envisioned lowered lights, or a starlit sky. Allison simply replied “Because it’s Valentine’s Day.” Good enough for me. After receiving my instructions to meet Jill behind the playhouse, I made the trek to the back yard. I would like to say I walked with a confidence rarely seen in a man except for Cary Grant. In actuality, I was practicing kissing on my hand.

With a racing heart and slobbered hand, I finally approached the back of the playhouse. As stated, there was Jill with a slightly nervous expression. Come to think of it, her expression was more apprehension than nervous. Anyway, I shuffled up to her and said “Hey.” She replied, “Tongue or no tongue.” At that point, my brain barely got off the mat before the referee counted to ten. It should be stated that as a kid growing up, I was never one to adhere to learning curves. Perhaps I should have said “No tongue,” and worked up from there. I like jumping the first few rungs, so I said, “Tongue.” Ok. I really said “Tongue, I guess?” Though, any guy in their right mind, when presented those options, is going to say “Tongue.” Who is going to say, “No tongue?” Who?

So, I set myself as she said “Ok. Now close your eyes.” Yes, I realize now that this is a common phrase that would lead to me kissing a dog, or some other practical joke. But, my brain had already thrown in the towel awhile ago. There actually was no practical joke to follow. I got to kiss my first crush. This is what movies are made of. This is the American Dream. This was one of those first steps to being a man. Except for one thing: It sucked. Perhaps it was her nervousness/apprehension. Maybe it was my lack of experience. It could have been the awkward 2 minutes of silence that followed, after which I said, “Ok. Thanks. Uh. I’m gonna go watch Stingray.” We then just quietly backed away from the scene. That is not how I pictured my first kiss to be. How could the TV and movies lie to me? Where were the stars and fireworks? Where was the choir of angels? Was that really French kissing? I thought there was supposed to be more tongue. Anyway, that was my first awkward lip contact with the opposite sex. Weird as it was, Jill actually made up for it a couple years later. The day I moved back to Ohio Jill gave me a goodbye kiss in the storage closet at the back of our house. That was how a first kiss was supposed to be. Except I think Allison was watching. Shudder.

Another Bit

In other news, Dulli's finally releasing Amber Headlights on Sep. 6th. I don't know how available it will be in your neighborhood, so I suggest ordering it on-line. The sucker I am went a head and paid the extra shipping, so I could get it on the day it's released. The songs "So Tight," "Domani," and "Wicked" have all appeared as B-sides on singles from the Blackberry Belle album. I've also seen him play "Cigarettes" live a few times. I'm interested to hear if the album version rocks as hard as the live version. I have a rough version of "Golden Boy" for you fans. Enjoy.

Greg Dulli-Golden Boy-Amber Headlights


Track listing
1. So Tight
2. Cigarettes
3. Domani
4. Early Today (And LaterThat Night)
5. Golden Boy
6. Black Swan
7. Pussywillow
8. Wicked
9. Get the Wheel


If you are an artist or artist representative being featured on this blog and want me to take down a song, let me know, and it will be removed from the server immediately.

Bits O' Music

After a lengthy search I finally got hold of The Go! Team EP that was sold exclusively during their Australian tour. Three of the songs ("We Listen Everyday," "The Ice Storm" and "Hold Yr Terror Close") are B-sides from previously released singles. There is also a re-recorded single version of "Bottle Rocket" which I assume will be similar to the U.S. remixed version. The main differences between this version and the original is that due to the U.S.'s stricter sampling laws their rapper Ninja sings the sampled rap in the U.K. version. This new version is much cleaner sounding which I think takes away a little bit of the charm of the album. That homemade kitchen sink sound is lost. There are two previously unreleased tracks, "Did You Feel It Too?" and "We Just Won't Be Defeated." "Did You Feel It Too?" sounds like it belongs on Thunder, Lightning, Strike. It is though missing that "80's action" kick. I am still digging it, so that's what I'm posting.

The Go! Team-Did You Feel It Too?-Are You Ready for More: The Go! Team Australian Tour .... EP


If you are an artist or artist representative being featured on this blog and want me to take down a song, let me know, and it will be removed from the server immediately.

It's Kind of Like a Shakespearean Comedy

Attending Bob Jones Junior High, I was always a bit of an outsider. When you use such language as “darn” and find yourself head bobbing to “Down by the Riverside,” that can happen. There are certain levels of rebelliousness, and apparently I had climbed too many rungs.

After a random lunch period, I was approached by a couple friends with good news. Without my consent, they had spent their lunch period asking girls if they would want to be my girlfriend. To this day I still question their friendship. Surprisingly, a girl had said yes. Two questions came to mind: Who? and Why? My friends quickly pointed out that you should never ask why. The answer to the first question was: Amy Weaver. At least I think that was her name. I’m certain it was Amy.

What followed was a confirmation that she indeed did want to be my girlfriend. I should have known then that something was a miss, when she glanced to one side of the room. Her gaze eventually landed on my Bambi sized eyes of hope. If I knew what I know now, I would have recognized the hesitant nod, and the “What the hell have I done” gulp that followed. But I didn’t know better, and I had my first girlfriend. Whoo Hoo!

The first day of our union consisted of us getting to know each other. We had never really spoken before then, and that made for a lot of catching up to do. I would walk her to class, carry her books, and gaze at her across the class room while she gabbed with her gal pals. I was certain she was talking up how wonderful I was. That their faces only showed signs of concern did baffle me.

The next day was the greatest. It was Three Stooges Day. This meant I got to walk her all the way to auditorium, and sit next to her. Our love was blooming! There we were basking in black and white glow of The Stooges, while they tried to haul an ice box up a really big hill. I’m sorry Larry, Curly, and Moe, but you took second place that day. I had my girl sitting next to me. As the lights went up, I showed her my paper bag book cover with “Brad & Amy” written in the corner. There it was again; that hesitant smile.

Day three of our romance was also the end. I went through the same routine: talked, listened, carried books. It was after math class, when she sprinted out of the room, that I finally detected that something was amiss. As I walked to orchestra practice, one of her guy friends ran up to me and filled in the blanks. Amy wasn’t lying when she said she would want to be Brad’s girlfriend. It’s just she meant the other Brad in our class. It was so nice of my friends to not make that distinction. Rather than break my heart immediately, she decided to play along till she could get the nerve to have a friend break the bad news. Maybe, she really wanted to give a chance. Maybe, she just felt guilty and lost, and didn’t know what to do. Maybe that’s just life at Junior High. Bob Jones Junior High.

Hello Ladies! No! Wait! Don’t Run! I’m Clean!

As my friends will attest, I have had a spotty record at best with the female population of our species. To prove my point, I will be posting the top five most awkward/uncomfortable moments over the next couple days. There is no real order to any of these, but you can do it if you want.

1. During my junior year in Cedarville, I was living in an apartment complex with four other friends. There were quite a few Cedarville students that lived in the complex, but none as beautiful as Claire. She lived directly across the courtyard, and was clearly the most attractive woman to ever attend Cedarville. The difference between us was tee-ball and the Majors, she was that far out of my league. I was too naïve and smitten to care.

One wintry morning I decided it was too cold to go to class...again. Watching a rerun of last night'’s Sportscenter, I heard a knock at the door. Who was there? Sweet Claire in all her naturally bronzed skin beauty. She needed a ride to class, and was wondering if I could be her chauffeur. Of course I said yes, because it'’s never too cold for love just class.

This brings us to my car at the time. It was a 1974 Ford Maverick in mustard gold, and with a brown vinyl top. It was my first car ever. I bought it for 900 bucks that summer. Like most men, I gave her a name: Claudia. As you may have noticed the name Claudia is a little similar to Claire.

After being a gentlemen and opening the passenger side door for her, I "school boy skipped" in and started up the car. Amazingly it started in the 20 below weather. The problem came when I tried to back out. The snow had turned to a thick layer of ice that night. Here I had the girl of my dreams in my car and I was left spinning my wheels. Trying to coax a little traction out my car, I started talking to my car. The problem is I kept calling it Claire rather than Claudia. I started saying things like, "Come on! Claire baby," and "“You can do it Claire." Whereas you can imagine her reaction, I didn'’t at the time. That is till I started rubbing the dash of a car and said, "“Come on Claire, you know I love you."” Finally realizing I was saying Claire instead of Claudia, I tried to talk my way out. After trying to explain that my car's real name was Claudia, but I got Claire on the mind because...It was useless. So, the car never got out of the parking space, and Claire was forever creeped out. I still had the balls to ask her out to a baseball game later on. Of course, she said no.

Tomorrow: My Shakespearean Comedy

Mmmm Guilty Pleasures

There are those movies that you can’t not watch when they come on the tube. We all have them whether we admit it or not. Even if we come across the movie and it's halfway over, we still have to watch the rest. What's great about these movies is when you find someone who likes them as much as you. It's like a Cubs fan meeting another Cub fan. You don't even know that person and there is already a common bond. So, here are a few of mine.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: This was one those family movies. I don't mean for "the family." It was a movie that my family enjoyed. There was a time when us kids would sit and watch this every day during the summer. You know you have movie gold when the main character is a rock star, scientist, adventurer who along with his band The Hong Kong Cavaliers fight to stop aliens from destroying Earth. The fact that you have characters named, New Jersey, Perfect Tommy, and Rawhide only sweetens the deal. Extra bonus is Jeff Goldblum’s outfit: bright red cowboy getup. Don’t even get me started on the theme music. Side note: A couple years ago, my family was playing charades. I got as far as Buckaroo and my step sister got the whole title including the "Across the 8th Dimension" part. I love my family.

Flash Gordon:
Yes I’m talking about the 1980 camp version and not the serial. It’s another sci-fi classic of my youth. Honestly the best thing about this movie is the soundtrack by Queen. You know you have the Flash theme stuck in your head right now. FLASH! AAAAAAAAAAH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE! Good stuff. Bad acting, hot 80’s girls, Mac von Sydow as Ming the Merciless, Pre-Bond Timothy Dalton, and HAWKMEN! Imagine my thrill when I heard “Vultan’s Theme” on the Atari 2600 video game Vanguard. Geek boy heaven. “Second Wave Dive!”










Road House:
Patrick Swayze is probably the king of guilty pleasure movies. Not only does he hit the male demographic (Next of Kin, Point Break, and Road House) but he gets the ladies as well (Ghost, Dirty Dancing). Road House is the heartwarming tale of a Cooler brought in to clean up the worst bar in the world. His efforts to clean things up put him in opposition with the richest and baddest man in town. Did I forget to mention that the Cooler has degree from NYU in philosophy? Genius! The greatness of Road House lies not only in Mr. Swayze, but in Mr. Sam Elliot who plays Swayze’s mentor. With such lines as “That gal's got entirely too many brains to have an ass like that,” you can see why. For those who have heard the rumblings of a Road House 2, I would just like warn you that Swayze has declined a return to the “Double Deuce.” Why make the movie if you can’t get Swayze?

Big Trouble in Little China:“Everybody relax, I'm here.” Kurt Russell absolutely dominates in this movie, playing the moronic braggart anti-hero, who talks too much, and is really just there for the ride. Russell’s character Jack Burton became a huge source for lines I’d quote growing up. This movie has a semi, 2,000 year old Chinese Sorcerer, The Lords of Death, weird monsters, and a guy named Egg. How can go wrong with that? It should also be noted that the director of Buckaroo Banzai also wrote Big Trouble. This would have put him into my Top Ten list except that I found out he wrote “Stealth.”

Other Jack Burton Quotes:

“Like I told my last wife, I said, "Honey, I never drive faster than I can see, and besides... it's all in the reflexes."

“Would you just stop rubbing your body up against mine, because I can't concentrate when you do that?”

Gracie: I'd go with you but...
Jack Burton: I know, there's a problem with your face.

“When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, looks you crooked in the eye and asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."

Better Off Dead:Let the John Cusack man crush commence. I could go on, but you all know how great this movie is.

“This is pure snow! Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?”

“I want my two dollars!”

“I have great fear of tools. I once made a birdhouse in woodshop and the fair housing committee condemned it. I can't.”

“She only speaks French, Roy. She doesn't speak imbecile.”

And the greatest quote:

“Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that."

Other GP's of note:

They Live- "I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Evil Dead 2
Army of Darkness
Point Break
Tango & Cash
The last 30 minutes of The Dukes of Hazzard Movie.

Tales from Minimum Wage

I was thinking last night about the worst jobs I’ve ever had. It’s a long list but helps when I get frustrated with the new job. As Bobby, Tim and Jiff know, I have my share tales from minimum wage. This might work its way into being a once a month column. I know you’re supposed to save the best for last, but since I don’t know where this will go I’ll start off with the best I’ve got. This post has been rated MA for language and personally awkward situations.


As I’ve stated before, I worked the overnight desk at the smallest Best Western in world. Apparently, it’s now a Regency Inn. I worked there my junior and first senior year of undergrad. My job consisted of coming in at six and working the desk till midnight, when I could go down to “the den” and sleep. I did all the normal crap from wake-up calls to laundry. There’s nothing like washing sheets that strangers have slept in.

One night I was called in on my night off to cover for my roommate because he wanted to spend time with his girl. To greet me was the racist 65 yr old afternoon desk clerk, and the manager named Snookie. Yes, Snookie. They left with a warning that the church was paying for a homeless couple to stay in one of the rooms. I think it was room nine. If they caused any problems, I should call the church and Snookie.

The night was rather slow the first few hours. Then someone rang from room number nine. I answered it. Mistake #1. The first words uttered were, “Do you know why Montana went to Kansas City?” Imagine an 80 year lady who smoked since she was six with the drunk slur going, and you get a good idea of what she sounded like. She answered my “No,” with the fact that Montana was apparently a drug fiend and signed with Kansas City to get more money for drugs. Then she hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, she called up again asking if she could bring her puppy into the room. Sticking to my guns, I said she couldn’t because dogs aren’t allowed. She proceeded to give detail information of her life as a prostitute, about the guy in the room that beats her, and how she was proud of her daughter, who wanted nothing to do with her. She followed that up by asking again if she could bring the puppy into her room. What do you say after a story like that? We’ll just call it mistake #2.

I quickly followed that up with mistake #3, when I agreed to her pleads to meet me. She wanted to thank me for being such a kind person. I waited for half an hour. She called back, saying she couldn’t find the office. Now the hotel is in the shape of a rectangle, and she was on the bottom floor. The office was on the corner, literally fifteen feet from her room. I gave her directions and she still couldn’t find it. After giving her directions for the third time, I waited. Another guest of the hotel came in and was getting some ice from the bucket. Of course that’s when she comes in, barefoot, stumbling, and wearing a tie-dyed New Kids on the Block T-shirt. Thinking the guest was me, she gave the poor guy a big hug. By tomorrow morning, I was sure I would be fired or dead. Apologizing deeply, I got her off him, and was then given my own drunken bear hug. For those who don’t know, I’m not what you would consider a “touchy feely” person…at all. The smell of booze and a damp ashtray didn’t help.

She hung out with me for about thirty minutes telling me more of her life, her daughter and how she got from Kansas City to Ohio. Halfway through our chat, the man she was staying with rang. He wanted know if she was still there. This conversation then followed:

Man: “Has the bitch sucked your c*ck yet?”
Me: (Gag reflex) “No!”
Man: “What are you waiting for?”
Me: Unintelligible mumbling

After hanging up, she went into full detail about this hulk of man who was a complete asshole, and beat her repeatedly. It was at that moment I realized that for the sake of my life and job, it was time for her to leave. Trying to get her out of the office, she latched onto a necklace I was wearing. As stars stared popping in my vision from lack of oxygen, I asked if she wanted it. She said no, and pointed to the flannel shirt I was wearing. I gurgled no. She then pointed to my Huey Lewis and the News T-shirt. (Remember, I didn’t know better at the time). I asked if she wanted the T-shirt. Mistake #4. She responded by whipping off her New Kids on the Block T-shirt and handing it to me. At this point you might be asking yourself a question. Let me answer it by saying that she in fact was not wearing a bra. Is it sad that these would be the first real live breasts I would see in person?

When faced with a topless 50+ year old drunk woman handing you her T-shirt at your place of employment, you have two choices. Argue with the topless woman till she finally puts her shirt back on, or trade shirts. I made my choice with one factor in mind. What’s the quickest way I could get this woman’s breasts covered? Yes, I ended up with a tie-dyed NKOTB t-shirt that night. She got a Huey Lewis T-shirt. There were no winners.

I then risked life and limb, and ushered her back to her room. Mistake #5. I was certain I was going to be pummeled when this behemoth answered the door. Luckily he was out cold. The smell of booze, smoke, urine, and my own fear kept me at the doorway. She hugged me and I finally went to sleep, thinking this was the end of the ordeal.

My roommate woke me up the next morning and asked me what happened last night. I knew I was fired. I told my tale. He said the lady was picked up by Police when she kept jumping into people’s cars at the grocery store next door. Apparently, as they hauled her away, she yelled that the nice boy Brad deserved a raise. I never got the raise, but I also didn’t get fired. So it was a wash. And that’s it. They tales won’t get better than that. They will get shorter

Cubs Wrap Up Season Early w/ Bad Case of “Baby Arm”

Like last year it’s the Bob’s Mets again that have sealed the Cub’s fate. Unlike last year, the Cubs were never leading the Wild Card, and it’s only August, so I don’t have to torment myself for the rest of the year. The Cubs followed up their awful series with the Phills with an even worse series against the Mets. With absolutely nobody hitting, and Dusty Baker making sure to put the worst team on the field that he can the Cubs were swept. The highlight of Dusty’s managerial style being Sunday night’s game in which he had a whole outfield with “baby arms.” The Mets seemed to take extra bases on everything hit to the outfield. Why? It took five relay throws to get the ball into the infield. I’m sorry Corey Patterson. We as the Cubs Family are sorry. We don’t miss your bat, but we really miss your arm.

This brings up my first side note. I hate that we are called the “Cubs Nation.” We are not the Red Sox. We might have been linked to the Red Sox, but we are not the Red Sox. There seems to be this effort to fashion the Cubs after the Red Sox in hopes of accomplishing what they did. It’s not going to happen. I offer up the new slogan “Cubs Family.” I think it fits. Now back to this weekend.

To compound the ineffective outfield, the Cubs played like a bunch of minor leaguers. Errors, and bad base running has been a staple of the Cubs since Dusty Baker showed up, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The Mets got numerous extra outs that lead to higher pitch counts which then lead to a burnt out bullpen. The Cubs also couldn’t hit a lick. The three Mets starting pitchers faced were Glavine (old), Seo (rookie), and V. Zambrano (walk machine). The Cubs hitters apparently forgot how old Glavine was and didn’t take any pitches to get his pitch count up. Ever since the beginning of time, the Cubs have always sucked when facing rookies. They never seem able to adjust in game. The worst was that they only coaxed two walks out of historically wild Zambrano. He rarely threw first strikes the whole game, but the Cubs never capitalized. Like nearly two-thirds of the league, the Mets have a suspect bullpen. I don’t know why the Cubs didn’t work the pitch count out the starters to get to that bullpen. You may not get hits, but at least make the pitchers work!

So, the Cubs are now six games out of the Wild Card and have six teams to over come. One of those teams is the Brewers. The Brewers! Can you say “Maybe Next Season?” What would I like to see next season? Clear out the outfield for the young players. I want Matt “The Big Murt” Murton in left, Patterson in center, and Felix Pie in right. Nomar is gone. I’m sorry, but he will never play a whole season again. Keep the rest of the season, unless we can get someone who can hit as well as Walker but with better range. I have nothing against Dusty except he has proven he can’t handle a pitching staff, and never seems to put it to the players when they need it. So, I’m sorry Dusty but you’re gone. To replace Dusty, I suggest Terry Pendleton. He’s done so well with the young players in Atlanta. I’d like to see him take a crack with our young players. I think he deserves a chance to manage in the big leagues if it’s with the Cubs or not. I could go further into the Cubs problems in developing our young players, but then you’d really be bored.

On a final note, I Tivoed Steven A. Smith’s new talk show “Quite Frankly” on ESPN 2, because he was doing a whole segment on the Cubs and their fans. It was incredibly frustrating. If you want to get to the bottom of the Cubs Family woes, you do not bring in Mr. Cub, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams. They are going to give you soft answers and rightfully so. Why should they talk ill of the people giving them a paycheck? The problem with the Cubs for years has been The Tribune. Up until about 6 years ago, the Tribune was happy to put a serviceable team on the field and rake in the cash from all the people who came just for the ballpark. If the Cubs were close in the race, they would allow some free agent spending, (i.e. 1984), but usually it meant never paying a player no matter how good they were (i.e. Maddux). They really couldn’t even draft well, even though they were consistently at the bottom. Now they are drafting well, but development turns them all to bums when they reach the majors. How the Tribune doesn’t have the same financial resources as the Red Sox or Yankees is beyond me. But, I will go on cheering for my Cubs even though they constantly frustrate me and break my heart. I will go on, because it wouldn’t be right to stop. Steven A. Smith kept asking why do Cubs fans still root for a team that hasn’t won the World Series in almost 100 years. It’s because we are fans. Is it that difficult to comprehend? Does Steven A. Smith think Cubs fans should just give up? Should there be no Cubs fans? What if Red Sox fans had given up? Or the NY Rangers? We love our Cubs, always have, and always will. That’s what a fan does, right?

Dukes of Hazzard Review

Yes, I was waffling on whether or not to see The Dukes of Hazzard Movie. When Friday night came, I realized that it was my responsibility to see it. Like K-ball said, "Youpromised your readers." My other reason was best said by Bob, “What guy doesn’t want to see a movie with flying cars?” Exactly. I had to see the “flying cars.” So what about the “flying cars?” Oh they fly. The movie opens with a solid chase scene with a nice jump across a broken bridge, which was Hazzard TV staple. I then checked my watch to time when the next chase would happen. Ten mintues passed and I waited. Thirty minutes passed and I waited…and I waited. I waited over a damn hour for the next chase! How the hell can you expect the audience to sit through a Dukes of Hazzard movie yet wait over an hour for the General Lee to show up again? This is where I needed a girlfriend, that I would bribe with a nice dinner, to wake me up when the cars start flying.

You might be asking, "Is it funny at all?" Let me say that the only funny part of the movie is the outtakes they run during the credits. Sad isn’t it? There are the jabs at the show such as Dukes visit a University and Dukes in "black face." There is also a gag about the fact that there’s a rebel flag on the car. None of them are really that funny. Knoxville is passable. Sean William Scott really tries to make it work. Jessica Simpson just scares me. I know she’s supposed to be beautiful and/or “super hot,” but her profile is frightening. What was I reminded of?

She’s awful too. Surprising isn’t it? At least Catherine Bach portrayed Daisy with a brain. The old Daisy wasn’t stupid or at least not as nearly as stupid as Simpson. The movie was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar who directed all the Broken Lizard movies like Super Troopers. Many of the Broken Lizard troupe make guest spots, but no Dukes of Hazzard vets show their face. I don’t know what this means to you. I know some people swear by it. The movie does stay rather true to the TV show, particularly the narration which is done by Junior Brown. I repeat it is Junior Brown not Willie Nelson. Many reviewers keep saying it is Willie Nelson. Are they deaf? It is clearly Junior Brown. Willie Nelson is left spewing a bunch of jokes that weren’t funny the first time I heard them in a Mike’s Hard Lemonade commercial. Oh…and he likes weed…alot. But what about the flying cars? Ok. Ok.

Finally, more than halfway through the movie the General Lee finally gets to shine. The whole third act is nearly all driving, which almost saves the entire movie. Is it Ronin good? No. I would say it is probably a step above Fast and the Furious. It’s the outstanding jumps that puts it over Fast And Furious. They only really went airborne once in Furious. The chase through downtown Atlanta is the highlight Dukes. From the exceptional drift around the circle to the leap onto the freeway, it all left me with a wide smile on my face.It’s not perfect though. There are moments where it looks like they didn’t have the time or the money to get all the angles of the chases on film. I guess it costs more than I thought to get Knoxville. It still though ably satisfied my flying car fix. So, should you go see it? Probably not. I’d wait for rental. You could see another movie that lets out before the third act of Dukes begins. That way you could sneak in and see most of the “flying cars.” You could also watch the first chase sequence, set your alarm, and take a nap for an hour and 13 minutes. The only reason you should even think of paying movie theater price is if you really like to watch "flying cars."

Movie w/o chases: D+
Chases: B+

Bits O' Music

There are so many bands from Ryan Adams and the rest of the alt. country ilk to the Replacements and REM that have been influenced by the band Big Star. I'll admit I didn't know about them till The Replacements album Pleased to Meet Me. That's my mistake and yours if you haven't experienced Big Star. I was going to post their song "In the Street" which was covered by Cheap Trick for that crappy "That 70's Show," but wisely decided on this . To use a MOL nation term, Big Star is "genius."

Big Star-Watch the Sunrise-#1 Record

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Ramblings

I previously admitted that I wanted to see the Dukes of Hazzard movie. Last night I was looking forward to it, this morning not so much. So what happened between when I went to bed and woke up? For those of you who are thinking I had brief moment of sanity, perhaps it was that. Perhaps it was a fear that all the cool jumps were already in the trailer. Most likely I finally realized I would better support the industry by paying to see Broken Flowers than the Duke Boys.
VS

It’s really not that tough of a call.

On the lot where we film there is a commissary, or as we like to call it commiscary. They recently added a café called “Sauce.” Clearly someone should be fired over what could be the dumbest name ever.

Every Tuesday night at 10:58pm I thank FX for “Rescue Me.” The fact that this season begins right after the Shield season is over, so makes up for these 13 ep seasons. You should absolutely be watching this show.

Being a fan of the video games, this summer has been absolutely horrible. I have not bought a single game during that time. Of course, from now till the end of the year they flood the market. Four “I Will Buy The Day They Come Out” locks:

Burnout Revenge
We Love Katamari
SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs
Prince of Persia 3

There are a few other “maybes” like Darkwatch. I won’t even begin with the introduction of the Xbox 360 later in the year.

There is no reason Oklahoma should be ranked above Virginia Tech, Ohio State, or even Iowa. And considering Texas always loses to the Sooners, why should they ever be ranked above Oklahoma? The Big 12 is not what it once was. This is another example of why preseason rankings are crap.

Today, that team that plays ball on the Northside of Chicago get back three players today: Nomar, Wood, and Williamson. I actually think Williamson will be the more important player if they get back into the Wild Card Race. But they won’t. I offer you up three examples of why they won’t:

1. Tuesday night, Jeromy Burnitz was picked off first on a ball that got by the catcher. It’s a dumb move, but what makes it worse is that THE BASES WERE LOADED!

2. Wednesday, their pitchers forgot to cover first base on three ground balls. THREE!

3. Then, with the score tied in the ninth, Barrett the catcher had a pitch roll away from him. The Phills' Jimmy Rollins, who was on third, came down the line. The smart thing would’ve been for Barrett to run at Rollins, who was trapped. Instead, Barrett threw wide of third, and Rollins scored the winning run standing up.

Damn it feels good to be a Cubs fan.

Things I’m “loving on” right now:

1. Purell Hand Sanitzer-because the flu has shown up in the office early this year.

2. Calling the perfect PA play in NCAA Football 2006 so your tight end is wide open down the side lines.

3. Opening the mail box and seeing those Netflix envelopes.

4. That one hour every Friday on the Dan Patrick Show when he’s joined by Keith Olbermann.

5. MLB Baseball on XM radio.

That which is “wheels off:”

1. Those who come in sick with the flu.

2. Watching your Tight End drop the pass after you called the perfect play.

3. The decline of the youth of the World made evident while playing Halo 2 online.

4. For reasons unknown I have a subscription to Entreprenuer Magazine. Since, I haven’t had a drink in four years, I can’t blame it on that.

5. Nobody seems to remember the Truffle Shuffle.

Wabasawki Defined

Since it’s in the address of this blog and my consistent username from IM to Xbox Live, I’ve been asked numerous times: What the hell is Wabasawki? To put all rumors and speculation to rest, I shall explain. The second job my father got, after my parents divorced and we moved to South Carolina, was writing text books for Bob Jones University Press. One of the writing exercises he came up with was to take a common day item and use its features to describe something fantastic and give it a new name. His example was a Humpback Wabasawki. In reality it was a school bus. He though described it as a giant yellow humpback creature that would swallow up children if you weren’t careful. Thrilled my little brother and I, who never had to ride the Humpback Wabasawki, would constantly yell “Humpback Wabasawki!” every time we passed a school bus. As years have gone by Wabasawki has stuck with me. It’s a tribute to my Dad and to childhood imagination. That imagination is something I am constantly scared of losing.

A side note in my constant rant against the BJU. My Dad wrote books for them for 4 years. He was underpaid and never had his name listed as an author simply because my Mom left him. He was supporting two kids on a shitty budget because of this scarlet “D” they placed on him. And they then had the gall to hand me a button saying “BJ Cares.” Bullshit!

Bits O' Music

It's time for another flashback track from days gone by. This song comes from another underrated band, Cheap Trick, off their underrated album, In Color. "Southern Girls" is Cheap Trick's response to The Beach Boys "California Girls." Cheap Trick is more than "Dream Police" or "I Want You to Want Me." Please don't define them by "The Flame." (shudder) I'm sure they didn't know what they were doing at the time. Of course, they are also right about those Southern Girls.

Cheap Trick-Southern Girls-In Color

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Ballpark Checklist

At work this week some co-workers (K-ball, Brian, etc.) were discussing most states visited vs. lived in, and most countries visited. I was in the middle of the pack on all the lists till I brought up ballparks. I knew I had this category. It was made all the more evident with the "Here goes Brad on baseball again!" looks I got. So, here's my list so far. 15 in all and one to be added next month. You may ask how could an Ohio boy not have gone to Jacobs Field. Believe me I've tried, but numerous things have happened each time I've tried. But that's for another post.

Ballpark Gravyard and one on life support:

Fulton County Stadium:

I went here in '84 I believe. It was a dump then too.

Qualcomm:

The people made up for the park. Also got to see Olerud of all people hit for the cycle.

Riverfront:Cookie Cutter Dump

Busch:

Decent Cookie Cutter, but in reality still a dump, because it's still a cookie cutter stadium.

The New Guys:

Great American:

It's not a bad ballpark at all. Great sight lines, and surrounding area. I just keep thinking that something is missing. It didn't feel Major League, but more like an expensive minor league park.

Petco:

Great new ball park that really fits the city of San Diego. I also loved the Gas Lamp District surrounding the ballpark. San Diego is great city and this ballpark makes it even better. If they could just do something about the uniforms now.

Pac Bell (SBC) Park:

It's as great as they say. My Dad and I showed up hours before the game and just walked around taking it all in.

Camden Yards:

It's not so new anymore, but it's held up very well. Not a bad seat in the joint. And you absolutely must get the BBQ. The Fans suck though.

The Dumps:

Oakland (McAfee) Coliseum:

Dump in a Dumpy area. Feared for my life. Watched Zito retire 16 straight.

Yankee Stadium:

I realize this is a baseball landmark, but it's a dump. I have never been to a filthier ballpark in my life. Trash was literally stacked up in all the corners. How can such devoted fans treat a landmark this way?

Shea Stadium:

This is actually an underrated ballpark. It's all the chop shops surrounding the park that make it dumpy. It's the same nice layout as Dodger Stadium. Much cleaner than Yankee Stadium. The fans maybe tend toward abnoxious but they love their Mets, and I respect that.

The Mediocre:

Dodger Stadium:

Nice sterile stadium. Great weather. Good luck getting a seat right behind home plate. Fans are lackluster. The reserved level seats behind home plate though give you a great view of the park. Along the lines you're too far away, and forget the bleaches unless you enjoy risking your life.

Angel Stadium:

Not a bad place. The fans are energetic but morons. I hate the Thunder Sticks, and Rally Monkey. Even though they sold the team, there is still that Disney sheen to it all. And you know how I feel about Disney.

The Classics:

Fenway:

The classic AL park. Yes it's cramped, and there are seat where your view is blocked. But the area around it is great. There's the Green Monster. Fans know their baseball. I probably would've had a better report with the fans if Bob hadn't a worn his Mets hat. I thought for sure we were going to get shanked.

Wrigley Field:

Come on it's heaven on earth. It has everything you could want in a classic ballpark. Well, except for any World Series banners hanging anywhere. Still, it's the best place on earth to spend an afternoon.

Coming in September, Safeco Field will be added to the list:

Movies of Personal Importance

Since I hit my musical firsts, I think I might as well hit the movies. These aren’t necessarily firsts, but movies of importance as I grew up. Most of them are though firsts of some sort.

Pinocchio-This is my first recollection of going to see a movie. I remember going into the darkened Palace Theater (I believe) in downtown Columbus with my Mom and Dad. I don’t remember if we got popcorn or candy, but I remember watching this movie with my Mom and Dad. This was before my brother was born and before my parents divorced. It was just me and my parents. The odd partial memory married to this is my Mom taking me to see Bugs Bunny on Ice at Veterans Memorial. It was rather disturbing seeing your animated hero on ice skates, prancing around. The fact that Bugs was followed by Batman and Robin on skates just takes the whole scarring moment up a notch.

Star Wars-I guess this is the first PG movie I saw in the theaters. I remember my Uncles on my Mom’s side discussing with my parents that the movie was Ok for me to see. My parents didn’t go because my brother was still in the infant stage. I guess I owe a lot to my Uncle James and John. The unfortunate event of that moment was that the film broke right before Luke went searching for R2D2 on Tatooine. Having never experienced that before in the movie, I became rather distraught, since I didn’t know they could fix it. Devastating stuff.

Raiders of the Lost Ark-It still amazes me I got to see this in the theaters. When this came out my parents had just divorced, I was living with my Dad, and attending Bob Jones elementary. Since they didn’t allow going to movies, the only time I could was when I visited my Mom on holidays or during the summer. This was the first movie she took my brother and I to after the divorce. She regretted it a little after the melting faces, but I’m so thankful she took me. It’s one of my Mom memories I recall when I think about her. It was just me my brother and her, before the meshing of the step-brothers and step-sister. After that, it ended up being E.T. all the time.

Aliens-My first R movie I saw in the theaters. I was sneaky about this. I wasn’t allowed to see R movies, but so wanted to see this. My options were slim since my Dad was certainly not going to take me, and my Mom was rather hesitant. Who came through, but my step-father. He was rather excited to see it himself, so I went with him. It was one of those rare moments we shared amoung the growing pains of meshing the two families.

Field of Dreams-Who else could I see this movie with but my father. This and The Natural are pretty closely tied with my Dad in my memory banks. I went though with Field because of the obvious father son story line. Watching a movie about baseball and that father and son bond with the man who played catch with you, and fought to keep custody of you just can’t be described in words. I still can't recite the "catch" line without some dust falling into my eye.

The Killer-John Woo’s film instigated my change from wanting to be involved in radio to movies. I spent a year and half of undergrad working the overnight desk at the smallest Best Western in the world in Xenia, Ohio. It was dump, but my roommate and I got free board in the windowless apartment in the basement, and we got paid. It still wasn’t worth it. Being in the Podunk town in a Podunk hotel, we only had basic cable. At least that’s what they thought. Back in those days, the device that scrambled the movie channels was placed between two split ends of the cable wire. With a screwdriver you could easily remove the device and get free movie channels. We were allowed to leave the desk after midnight, and used an intercom if someone came in for a room. One night, after midnight, I went down to right some radio spots for the college station, but my roommate had his girlfriend over. It was a slow night so I unscrewed the scrambler and used one of the available rooms to write. Out of boredom or just because I was tired of flipping channels I stopped on this Chinese film being shown on Cinemax. It was the Killer. When Chow Yun-Fat burst through the door in that opening scene and kicked that gun from the table to his hand, I was hooked. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Which suddenly had me asking what else I was missing. The movie opened a whole world of cinema outside the multiplex.

The Usual Suspects-This solidified my desire to be involved in film. I had just graduated and was living in Nashville. I was interning for a Christian record label in the radio promotions department. Everyday, I was losing a little bit of my soul. With The Killer sparking my desire to see films outside the mainstream, I was looking for movies outside the mainstream. I heard about The Usual Suspects being a throwback to the old film-noirs, so I couldn’t wait to see it. Of course nobody I knew wanted to see it, so I went alone. I know I drove my roommate nuts talking about this film. He did though admit that I was right about it, after he finally saw it on video. A month later, I finished my internship and moved back to Ohio with plans to go to film school.

So there’s a little insight to the media that shaped the pop-culture snob I am today. I’m a little more proud of the films than the music, obviously. There is something magical about movies that seems to have faded a little as I've grown up. Maybe it's age, or learning the magician's secrets, or perhaps it's simply the lack of quality of movies today. I do though still get that jolt every now and then. Like watching Swingers with Jeff, Strain, and Sarah, or Bobby and I sharing our dumbfoundedness after watching Memento. It's not just the wonder of the movies that make them so great, but the shared experiences that surround them. I still remember Bobby's first words after watching Memento being "Movies like that make me want to quit." Of course he was kidding, thank goodness.

This brings me now to my final movie of personal importance: Finding Nemo. This was the last movie in which our whole family got together before my Mom died. I still recall my Mom, sick from the chemo, sitting next to me. I remember grabbing her hand when Nemo's Mom died in the first fifteen minutes . It made for an eerie moment, but we were together as a family laughing, crying, and truly enjoying one of our last times together. There's that dust again.

So I thank not only the filmmakers for these movies, but my friends and family for the moments and experiences I was able to share with them at the movies. Thank you.

Film Heaven in a box set.

I'’ve been on quite a binge lately. With the lack of quality current releases, I'’ve been snatching up the recent crop of DVD'’s of classic movies. The genre of choice is film noir. Of the last fifteen DVD'’s recklessly purchased, 13 of them fit under film noir. The major studios like Fox, Warner Bros, and Universal have finally realized the money they could make releasing these classic on DVD. I couldn'’t be happier. Growing up on Bogart and Hitchcock movies, I'’ve found film noir my movie jones of choice. From the anti-hero and the vixen to the creepy and unique characters of the underworld, I just dig these films. My favorite current purchase is the Warner Bros. Film Noir Vol.1 box set. It contains five of the best film noirs: Out of the Past, Murder My Sweet, Gun Crazy, The Set Up, and The Asphalt Jungle. The only one of these I wasn'’t previously familiar with was The Set-Up, but it has commentary by Scorsese. How could I say no? He rarely does commentary on his own films, but he'’ll do it for this film? Gold! I tell you! Gold! Here'’s a list of the rest of my purchases:

Point Blank-starring Lee Marvin
The Big Red One-stop giggling pervert it stars Lee Marvin as well*
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Notorious (Criterion)
Night and the City (Criterion)
Nightmare Alley
House of Bamboo-Sam Fuller'’s version of Street with No Name
Touch of Evil
This Gun for Hire-the first Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake team up.
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia-The last true Peckinpah movie*
*Not Film Noir but still great.

One thing that struck me watching Notorious, and This Gun for Hire is that there aren'’t any actresses around that can compete with such women as Ingrid Bergman and Veronica Lake, or Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn for that matter. I'’m sure this is probably as much a result of my strict upbringing since classic films were the only movies I could watch. I guess they assumed all black and white movies contained upstanding moral citizens. Heh. Anyway, maybe its’s the appearance of class and sophistication, or just the wit portrayed in their films that I want to believe carries over. But I have always found these women much more attractive than any starlet the studios trotted out in my time. While my fellow dormmates had pictures from the SI Swimsuit issue or Claudia Schiffer on their walls, I had Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. Some would point to Miss Monroe (the Asphalt Jungle) as the starting point for the recent taste in movie starlets, but that's probably unfair. The image Monroe presented wasn't the image for me. I guess I like my women proper, strong, and with a biting wit. Yes, I realize this probably say a lot about the cold and aloof women I tend to date, but I ramble.

The point I'’m making is: Why go spend money at the Cineplex to see a half assed action flick or generic chick flick, when you can netflix or rent a movie that can restore your love of film?

Bits O' Music (Redux)

It's back kids. Enjoy!

The Exploding Hearts-Sleeping Aides & Razorblades-Guitar Romantic

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Sorry About That

For those of you who were trying to access The Exploding Hearts song, apparently there is something wrong with the MP3 file. So, I switched it out for another one of their songs. It's just as catchy, and I really like the fingersnaps. I'll put the other up as soon as possible. I beg for your forgiveness.

A Hall of Fame Weekend

Hall of Fame weekend is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do you get to relive the past of the baseball, but it’s also the trading deadline. So while watching the HOF speeches you can check the bottom line and Baseball Tonight for the latest trades. Of course this was a less than thrilling trade deadline, but that just left me more time to enjoy Sandberg going into the Hall of Fame.

Having watched quite of few Hall of Fame speeches, I was rather surprised at Sandberg’s. There were the standard thank you’s to fellow teammates, coaches, family, and fans, but the underlying message was a calling out of current baseball players. He said he wasn’t calling out anyone specifically, but come on. When you say, “If this (HOF induction) validates anything, it’s that learning how to bunt, and hit and run, and turning two is more important than knowing where to find the little red light on the dugout camera,” who are we supposed to think this is reference to, but the chest tapping and kiss Sammy Sosa. I also found it odd, how few Red Sox fans there were in comparison to Cubs fans. Did Boggs winning a Championship with the Yankees really sour the fans that much? Sorry, dumb question.

In non-HOF news, that team of mine lost 3 of 4 from the D-backs. Sunday, they were crushed 13-6. Which brings up again what I’ve thought for two years: Last year the Cu- “that team” signed Maddux as a way of saying sorry we got rid of you in your prime. Well it was a mistake. Tell me who you would rather have Maddux or Clement. The signing of Maddux made us unable to sign Clement. I miss his goatee, even though it seems the catcher Barrett is trying to carry on the tradition.

“That Team” was actually one of the few teams to make a move at the trade deadline. I would like to think that my blog had something to do with them trading for Lawton, and I will actually keep thinking that. So, they now have an actual leadoff man. I just wish they would have done this earlier. How long have we been without a leadoff man? That’s right two years. What made the difference in 2003? The trading for Kenny Lofton.

In other non-baseball moves, I won the Heisman Trophy last night for Tennessee, in the incredibly fun game NCAA Football '06. I had a pretty outstanding season including the SEC and National Championship, and breaking the NCCA record for most touchdowns thrown in a season (78). I'm considering going pro next season (tomorrow) but am leaning towards staying the full four years. Why? Becuase I respect the game!

Also, why does the blogger spell check list "blog" as a misspelled word? That makes no sense.

My American Single for August