Michael’s First Game Ball

Last year, Michael never received a game ball while on the Pinto (7-8 year olds) Little League Mets. He had been hitting mostly up the middle and to right field this season, so I spent some time with him this past Sunday on hitting to left field. We went to the cages, all concentrating on making good contact out in front of the plate. Well, the effort paid off because he hit the ball into left field on a fly, a big deal for the kids his age. After admiring the trajectory for a moment, Michael got a double and an rbi to spark the Cubs (yeah, the Cubs) on to victory and he earned his first game ball of the season. So he comes back to the bench after winning the game ball and Cindy and I were standing about 8 feet apart. Who does he go to show it off to? His mother, of course. I’ll put in the effort with him as long as he wants to do it and he’ll be saying, “Hi mom!” on TV someday. Hopefully, it will be a baseball related broadcast.

Sweet Dreams!

Chasing that pot of gold

I happened to be taking a photo of that wonderful rainbow a couple of weeks ago. You know the one that was over Wrigley field before the Sunday night White Sox game? Well I am glad I had the camera in my hands when Jules and Michael decided to provide some priceless footage. I have posted it on You Tube in two installments. The first is Jules explanation, with a little acting at the end. The second is Michael’s take, which should have been scripted, but the point is made. I stopped them and told them the truth, off camera, because I just didn’t want to walk four miles and then have them be terribly disappointed.

 

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oHVipyEm7A

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFnTCHZu3V4

 

Their response, after it was all over was, “Are leprechauns real?”

Chicago Baseball 2008

With both the Cubs and the White Sox in 1st place in their respective divisions for most of this season, it has everyone across the nation talking about the possibility of a crosstown World Series. I urge everyone to use cautious optimism from this point forward when thinking, writing or speaking about either team. I do not know when the last time both teams were in 1st place this late into the season, but I know it was 1906 when they last met in the World Series and my beloved Sox won that one. That was the year the Cubs set the Major League record for wins in a season with 116, so they were big favorites in that series. With the AL having home field advantage this year, it doesn’t bode well for the Cubs’ chances, but 100 could be the magic number to overcome that disadvantage. It has been 100 years since the Cubs’ last World Series victory, a 4 games to 1 triumph over Detroit. The Cubs also lost World Series bids in 1910, 1918, 1920, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945. The White Sox, until 2005, were more famous for the World Series that they intentionally lost to Cincinnati, the 1919 Black Sox scandal. God willing, I hope that all goes peacefully here in Chicago. It will truly be a magical season if either team wins the World Series. I am pulling for both teams because I really want to see that in my lifetime. But remember, cautious optimism.