Year: 2003

HOW TO SAVE STEVE BARTMAN’S LIFE

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

The Cubs should hire him.

Seriously. Find a job in the organization for him. He’s not stupid. Guys’ a finance major. Must be something on the business side he can do. Plus he coaches youngsters. Let’s keep in mind that he, an amateur, displayed the most often quoted baseball axiom that even many pros forget: Keep your eye on the ball. He did that. So if the Cubs have a youth club (as many ball organizations do) put him in charge of that.

And just imagine the commercials for next year: “I’m Steve Bartman. As Chicago Cubs associate business manager, I have permanent seats at Wrigley…nine rows back of home plate. I’m nowhere near the front row. NOTHING can stop us now.”

PAD

CAROLINE PIX

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

If anyone is interested in seeing current pictures of Caroline, the Cutest Baby in the World, you can check out Kathleen’s new website at: http://homepage.mac.com/kathodavid/PhotoAlbum1.html

PAD

THUS DIES THE DREAM

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Well, I’ll tell you, I’m glad I’m not a Cubs fan particularly, because if this is the kind of thing they’ve been going through for the last 57 years, I don’t think I could take it. I mean, at least the Mets just stunk up the place from the get-go. But *this?*

And that poor Bartman guy. It’s like the entire city of Chicago is going to be one big prison shower and he’s bending over to pick up the soap. Never mind that the Cubs may very well have found a way to blow it entirely without his help. There are going to be fans who will seize on that moment and say, “If it hadn’t been for him…” At best, he’d better never go into any sports bar again, because inevitably some guy is gonna come over and say, “You’re him, aren’t you. The idiot.” And wam. He might as well change his name to Goatman. Or to anything else. Or just leave town, at least until spring training arrives so that hope can swell anew before it’s eventually dashed.

What made the Sox/Cubbies match-up so intriguing was that history was going to be made (and a curse shattered as far as the curse-obsessed media was concerned) one way or the other. If it’s Marlins/Sox, well…you just figure the Soxs will lose and that’ll be that. Which is not to diss Sox fans; I personally would be pulling for them. But it just won’t be the same. And as I said before, Marlins vs. Yankees, the only ones who give a crap will be the respective fans. Big ratings in NY, big ratings in Florida, rest of the country, uh uh.

But hey, at least it’ll be Pedro vs. Roger one more time. If nothing else, that’ll be something to see.

Cowboy Peter’s TV round-up will wait until I have a chance to watch the shows I taped since I was watching baseball.

Oh, and once again…if you’re one of those baseball snobs…feel free to take this opportunity to just shut up for once, okay?

PAD

ATT: ANYONE IN THE JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA AREA

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Want some free popcorn and a chance to see the greatest non-superhero comic book movie since “Ghost World?”

Then this Friday, get yourself over to the San Marco Theater in downtown San Marco. A spruced up, old-fashioned theater that features lounge seating and serves both beer and dinner, will begin a limited run of “American Splendor,” the acclaimed new film based on the works of Harvey Pekar which is an absolute must-see for any comic fan.

But how and why do denizens of this website rate free popcorn? Because my eldest daughter, Shana, works there part time. She’ll be the 22 year old behind the candy counter. So just come up to her, say “Your dad sent me” and she’ll give you a bag of popcorn on the house.

Oh, and she might give you a free soda if you can prove that you’ve fled Chicago for Florida to avoid retribution because you meddled with a catchable foul ball at last night’s game. Not that she’s a baseball fan, but because you probably need all the charity you can get right now.

PAD

NOW MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO LEAVE TOWN

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

So there’s the sportscasters during the ill-fated (for Chicago) Cubs/Marlins game, stating repeatedly that they hoped the fans in the stands who got in the way of a catchable foul ball would not be ill-treated by Cubs fans the next day. Meanwhile, just to make sure that everyone in Chicago can ID these guys on sight, they keep replaying the sequence at various angles with assorted degrees of close-ups.

In case you weren’t watching, the caught fly ball would have left the Marlins with two outs. Instead, because a fan practically knocked the ball out of the fielder’s mitt (the fielder was visible on camera repeatedly saying the “F” word afterwards) the batter had the opportunity to ignite a rally that sent the Marlin to an eight-run eighth inning, leaving the Cubs and their fans shellshocked. Apparently two fans, a youngster and a guy in his late teens or early 20s, were responsible for grabbing at the ball instead of getting out of the way. Technically it wasn’t fan interference since the fielder had to reach over the stands to get at it. But Cubs fans likely won’t see it that way.

Perhaps the fans involved would be well-advised to get out of town, at least until game 7 is over. If the Cubs win, it’ll be an unimportant footnote. If the Cubs lose, well…they’ll probably get a heroes welcome in Florida.

Oh…Red Sox lost. I’m not sure which is less inspiring for their prospects: That they’ve only beaten one Yankees pitcher this series, or that they’d have to take two in Yankee Stadium. Still, the Sox have done well with their back against the wall lately, so we’ll see. The game of choice for anyone with true love for baseball is Sox/Cubs. If it’s Cubs/Yankees, at least it’ll be the first Cubs series appearance since 1945, and their first chance at a win in close to a century. If it’s Yankees/Marlins, the only ones who’ll give a dámņ are Yankees and Marlins fans, and World series ratings will likely suck.

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TO BOSTON AND BACK

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Just came back from a same-day trip to Boston and back, driving the visiting Gwen home and relocating her cat, Treat (named for actor Treat Williams) to her Boston residence. He’s always been her cat, and he’s been slapping around the other cats pretty good lately (he’s near as big as a Main Coon), getting a bit antisocial as he gets older. So we (in consultation with the vet) decided that relocation would be the best for all concerned. It’ll probably take him a few days to adjust to the new environment, but once he has we expect he’ll be much happier.

I didn’t hang around in Boston, though. If nothing else, I figured my car with the New York license plate might get keyed or worse by wandering Red Sox fans.

And hey…series tied up at 2. I think Yankees fans just hate to admit how evenly matched these teams are, and that any of the games could break either way.

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