Happy "hump day" guys and gals. A big time win for my softball team last night. Going into the game we were tied with The Score for second place in the league at (6-2). We played the first place team Jack FM who was (7-1) and beat them in "walk-off" fashion 6-5. Now all three teams (us, The Score, Jack FM) are tied for first place in the league at (7-2) with one regular season game remaining before the playoffs. I was a solid 2 for 3 from the dish with 2 RBI's (pedestrian). Not sure how the tie-breakers are going to work this mess out, but I wouldn't want to play us as we've won six games in a row after a terrible (1-2) start to the season. I love softball. Yes (in Hawk's voice only).
As I predicted in yesterday's entry, the Cubs ended up losing last night to the Astros. The problem is, if you would've told me that they (the Cubs) were going to score six runs and have Roy Oswalt leave the game with an injury after pitching an inning and two thirds, I'd probably have chalked up a victory for the Northsiders. Well, what can you do? Big bounce back day today as Randy Wells takes the bump and tries to win game three of four in the series.
As I told you last week, I'm heading into the studio tomorrow to record an EP that I've written this summer. I'm bringing ten songs, but I haven't decided how many of them are actually going to make the record. When you write your own songs, naturally you love all of them for what they are, and in their own way. But that doesn't matter. You can love everything that you create (songs/paintings/dumps), but if no one else thinks very much of them, it doesn't mean a whole lot (I'm talking to you Randy Marsh...South Park, not the umpire). I'm just going to bring in these ten songs, and let the guys that I'll be working with have a LOT of input on what they consider to be the "recording worthy" tracks of the bunch.
I must admit that I'm very excited about this, but also extremely nervous. I've always been a pretty confident person in every aspect of what I've done (I know that I sound like an assclown for saying that), but since it's been so long since I've shared my music with someone else, I'm pretty scared about the entire process. With that being said, I do think that it's good and very important to get out of your "comfort zone" every once in awhile with whatever it is that you do. There's absolutely NO way that anyone can grow by doing what's comfortable to them everyday. There are so many people, in every walk of life, that take NO chances with what they do, and work the SAME job for 30 years with NO possible advancement (I guess that kind of security isn't a terrible thing...but I'll continue anyway with or without you) and eat at the SAME restaurant once a week, and NEVER travel anywhere, and just stay in their little BUBBLE for an entire lifetime. THAT'S NOT LIVING! Put yourself into an uncomfortable position from time to time. Do something that you've always wanted to do. If you want to skydive...what are you waiting for? If you hate the way that your boss runs things and you want to start your own business and run it "your way"...you should've quit YESTERDAY. If you've always wanted to go to Australia...just spend the money and do it (I hear that it's glorious). If you hate your office job and have always wanted to be a writer/musician/artist, please don't waste any more of your repetitive life. Quit the cubicle, and TAKE A CHANCE! I know that it's cliche', but you ONLY LIVE ONCE. (You'll wait forever if you think that there's reincarnation/heaven/judgment day/or any other stupid tradition that people try to force on you...stop waiting, cause it ain't coming).
There are always going to be naysayers when it comes to stuff like this. Generally, it's called ENVY. No matter what, there will always be a group of people that spend their lifeless days trying to bring those that are actually trying to do something "out of the norm" with their lives down to their pathetic level. These turds are inevitable. They exist like parasites around those who don't subscribe to their "cookie cutter" way of doing things. People are always envious when someone actually grows/has the balls to get out of the "rat race" and try something that they've always wanted to do even when it defies all aspects of logic. No one likes "punching the clock" at a job that they hate, in a town that they despise, while not tasting a drop of any of the possibilities that are actually out there for all of us. So naturally, they want to try and pull you down into what it is that they deal with on a day to day basis...their scummy lives. DON'T let these FOOLS bother you for a second.
To kind of wrap this entire entry up into a pretty red bow...99% of us want to do something with our lives that is "outside of the box" and not an "average Joe" way of traveling this road. Only 1% of us actually make it happen.
Which percentage do YOU fall into?
Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. I'll be in the studio all day, everyday from tomorrow through Saturday so you won't hear from me until Monday (you'll live a FEW days without "Webby Files" won't you?) Right now I'm listening to "Please, Please, Please Let Me get what I Want" by The Smiths. Maybe my all-time favorite band. Drinks of choice: ice water...drank WAY too much last night for Jeffy's birthday.
Get out there and be somebody (one of the WORST cliches of all-time).
Webby
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I've Tried 'em all, I Really Have, and the Only Church that Truly Feeds the Soul, Day in, Day out, is the Church of Baseball.
Hello again everybody. Can Jake Fox (Johnny Bench) please get a start behind the plate? All the guy does is hit, and for as bad as everyone says he is defensively he does an adequate job anywhere the Cubs seem to put him. Give him a start behind the dish so we can have that bat in the lineup. Thank you. If they would have put him at 3B as soon as Aramis Ramirez went down instead of going with Fontenot/Miles/Freel, I guarantee that their record wouldn't have been as bad as it was during that stretch. More of this discussion in a bit...
Another quality win last night for the Northsiders as Zambrano pitched 7 innings of 1 run, 3 hit baseball, and the bullpen gave the Cubs six scoreless innings. For as bad as that bullpen was in April, they have become one of the main STRENGTHS of this ball club. Even with Guzman and Gregg not available last night, they didn't miss a beat throwing Aaron Heilman, Jeff Stevens and Jeff Samardjiza out there after Carlos Marmol shut down the Astros. Now we get Ryan Dempster back starting tonight after his broken toe had him on the DL...I predicted in yesterday's entry: "There's No Crying in Baseball!" that the Cubs will take three out of four in this series. Well that obviously means that you're going to lose one. I think that tonight is the night that the Cubs' winning streak comes to an end with Roy Oswalt on the bump for the 'Stros. Prove me wrong Demp.
Whenever anyone lobbies for a guy like Jake Fox (a "late bloomer" out of the minor leagues) to get more playing time or to be included in a trade for some kind of need on your particular baseball team, all of the so-called "experts" on sports radio/newspapers immediately call the guy a "meatball" and dismiss his ideas because NO ONE that's any good spends that much time in the minor leagues. Well, that's simply not true. Try WATCHING a baseball game or two instead of burying your head in all of the saber metrics and you'll SEE that there are guys all around baseball that just took a little bit longer to develop than others. Of course, there are many examples of guys who get called up to the big leagues after a long tenure in the minors, enjoy a good three weeks and then are never heard from again (Bobby Scales). No question about it, but a lot of times you can SEE the difference with the old fashioned "eye test" between the "cup of coffee" guy, and the potential "everyday player."
Fox turned 27 years of age last week. He had a stint with the Cubs back in 2007 (2 for 14, 1 RBI) but wasn't heard from again until this season. At AAA Iowa this year, Jake Fox played in 46 games (roughly 1/4 of the season). In that amount of time he hit .409 with 17 HR and 53 RBI! I'm not the greatest at math, but multiply those numbers by four (not quite, I know...just relax) and that's an unheard of type of season. Since being called up, and given very sporadic amounts of playing time (92 AB's in 36 games), Fox is hitting .315 with 5 HR and 21 RBI. Not only has is playing time been inconsistent, he hasn't been able to get comfortable at a position either. He's played 15 games at 3B, 5 in LF, 5 in RF, 3 at 1B and 2 games behind the plate. You expect a guy to perform at a high level, yet you play him twice a week and when you do put him in the lineup, it's at a different position every time. Not easy, me thinks.
Now I'm not saying that Jake Fox is a future Hall of Famer. All I know is that the Cubs weren't getting any production out of third base. Then finally, Piniella said "screw it," put Fox at third, he hit, and the team started winning. Right now the Cubs are getting ZERO production from Koyie Hill behind the plate (offensively), and very little production from Fontenot/Baker at second base. How long will it take Piniella to realize that today's game is about hitting? Look at Boston/Philadelphia/LA Dodgers...yes, they do have solid pitching, but it's those OFFENSES that carry those teams to pennants, not wasting all of your time worrying about who plays a better defensive second base. You deal with the defensive shortcomings of Manny/Soriano/Pierzynski/the entire St. Louis Cardinals defense minus Molina, because you want their BATS in the lineup.
Play Jake Fox somewhere everyday, or trade the man while you can still get something for him. Yes, sports radio/newspaper "experts," he DOES have value. There are several guys who were older than Jake Fox before they started playing everyday. Some of them are pretty damn good players. You still don't believe me? Here are just a few:
Raul Ibanez, Phi - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2001. At 37, he's batting .308 with 26 HR and 74 RBI. (1 time All-Star).
Nelson Cruz, Tex - Still hasn't played 100 games in a season (he will this year) at the age of 29. He's batting .269 with 24 HR and 56 RBI. (1 time All-Star).
Ben Zobrist, T.B. - Still hasn't played 100 games in a season (he will this year) at the age of 28. He's batting .301 with 18 HR and 54 RBI. (1 time All-Star).
Ryan Ludwick, STL - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2007. At 31, he's batting .271 with 17 HR and 63 RBI. (1 time All-Star, 1 time Silver Slugger).
Luke Scott, Bal - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2007. At 31, he's batting .281 with 18 HR and 53 RBI.
Mark DeRosa, STL - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 28 back in 2003. At 34, he's batting .266 with 18 HR and 57 RBI.
Jack Cust, Oak - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 28 back in 2007. At 30, he's batting .232 with 16 HR and 50 RBI.
Casey Blake, LAD - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2003. At 35, he's batting .274 with 12 HR and 58 RBI.
Nyjer Morgan, Was - Still hasn't played 100 games in a season (he will this year) at the age of 29. He's batting .303 (stealing 1st) with 2 HR and 31 RBI to go along with 30 SB's.
Skip Schumacker, STL - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 28 back in 2008. At 29, he's batting .304 with 3 HR and 24 RBI.
There are countless other good Major League players who were older than Jake Fox before they finally got their shot to play everyday. Don't buy into the "sports radio cliches" of "there's a reason why he's just starting to play at the age of 26/27, he's not that good." I agree with you. There is a reason. He wasn't good enough back when he was 21...but he is now. Watch a game.
Thanks for checking out my blog, I don't like to talk strictly sports like I've done the past two entries, but it's hard for me to get past how the Cubs are finally playing like they were expected to play. We'll get back to drama/advice/farts, etc. tomorrow (unless they win again :) Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "You're Wrong" by NOFX. I agree with 99% of this song, but I just can't get away from meat...it's so delicious. Drinks of Choice: beef broth :) Big softball game today, highlights tomorrow.
I'm out.
Webby
Another quality win last night for the Northsiders as Zambrano pitched 7 innings of 1 run, 3 hit baseball, and the bullpen gave the Cubs six scoreless innings. For as bad as that bullpen was in April, they have become one of the main STRENGTHS of this ball club. Even with Guzman and Gregg not available last night, they didn't miss a beat throwing Aaron Heilman, Jeff Stevens and Jeff Samardjiza out there after Carlos Marmol shut down the Astros. Now we get Ryan Dempster back starting tonight after his broken toe had him on the DL...I predicted in yesterday's entry: "There's No Crying in Baseball!" that the Cubs will take three out of four in this series. Well that obviously means that you're going to lose one. I think that tonight is the night that the Cubs' winning streak comes to an end with Roy Oswalt on the bump for the 'Stros. Prove me wrong Demp.
Whenever anyone lobbies for a guy like Jake Fox (a "late bloomer" out of the minor leagues) to get more playing time or to be included in a trade for some kind of need on your particular baseball team, all of the so-called "experts" on sports radio/newspapers immediately call the guy a "meatball" and dismiss his ideas because NO ONE that's any good spends that much time in the minor leagues. Well, that's simply not true. Try WATCHING a baseball game or two instead of burying your head in all of the saber metrics and you'll SEE that there are guys all around baseball that just took a little bit longer to develop than others. Of course, there are many examples of guys who get called up to the big leagues after a long tenure in the minors, enjoy a good three weeks and then are never heard from again (Bobby Scales). No question about it, but a lot of times you can SEE the difference with the old fashioned "eye test" between the "cup of coffee" guy, and the potential "everyday player."
Fox turned 27 years of age last week. He had a stint with the Cubs back in 2007 (2 for 14, 1 RBI) but wasn't heard from again until this season. At AAA Iowa this year, Jake Fox played in 46 games (roughly 1/4 of the season). In that amount of time he hit .409 with 17 HR and 53 RBI! I'm not the greatest at math, but multiply those numbers by four (not quite, I know...just relax) and that's an unheard of type of season. Since being called up, and given very sporadic amounts of playing time (92 AB's in 36 games), Fox is hitting .315 with 5 HR and 21 RBI. Not only has is playing time been inconsistent, he hasn't been able to get comfortable at a position either. He's played 15 games at 3B, 5 in LF, 5 in RF, 3 at 1B and 2 games behind the plate. You expect a guy to perform at a high level, yet you play him twice a week and when you do put him in the lineup, it's at a different position every time. Not easy, me thinks.
Now I'm not saying that Jake Fox is a future Hall of Famer. All I know is that the Cubs weren't getting any production out of third base. Then finally, Piniella said "screw it," put Fox at third, he hit, and the team started winning. Right now the Cubs are getting ZERO production from Koyie Hill behind the plate (offensively), and very little production from Fontenot/Baker at second base. How long will it take Piniella to realize that today's game is about hitting? Look at Boston/Philadelphia/LA Dodgers...yes, they do have solid pitching, but it's those OFFENSES that carry those teams to pennants, not wasting all of your time worrying about who plays a better defensive second base. You deal with the defensive shortcomings of Manny/Soriano/Pierzynski/the entire St. Louis Cardinals defense minus Molina, because you want their BATS in the lineup.
Play Jake Fox somewhere everyday, or trade the man while you can still get something for him. Yes, sports radio/newspaper "experts," he DOES have value. There are several guys who were older than Jake Fox before they started playing everyday. Some of them are pretty damn good players. You still don't believe me? Here are just a few:
Raul Ibanez, Phi - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2001. At 37, he's batting .308 with 26 HR and 74 RBI. (1 time All-Star).
Nelson Cruz, Tex - Still hasn't played 100 games in a season (he will this year) at the age of 29. He's batting .269 with 24 HR and 56 RBI. (1 time All-Star).
Ben Zobrist, T.B. - Still hasn't played 100 games in a season (he will this year) at the age of 28. He's batting .301 with 18 HR and 54 RBI. (1 time All-Star).
Ryan Ludwick, STL - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2007. At 31, he's batting .271 with 17 HR and 63 RBI. (1 time All-Star, 1 time Silver Slugger).
Luke Scott, Bal - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2007. At 31, he's batting .281 with 18 HR and 53 RBI.
Mark DeRosa, STL - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 28 back in 2003. At 34, he's batting .266 with 18 HR and 57 RBI.
Jack Cust, Oak - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 28 back in 2007. At 30, he's batting .232 with 16 HR and 50 RBI.
Casey Blake, LAD - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 29 back in 2003. At 35, he's batting .274 with 12 HR and 58 RBI.
Nyjer Morgan, Was - Still hasn't played 100 games in a season (he will this year) at the age of 29. He's batting .303 (stealing 1st) with 2 HR and 31 RBI to go along with 30 SB's.
Skip Schumacker, STL - Played 100 games in a season for the first time in his career at the age of 28 back in 2008. At 29, he's batting .304 with 3 HR and 24 RBI.
There are countless other good Major League players who were older than Jake Fox before they finally got their shot to play everyday. Don't buy into the "sports radio cliches" of "there's a reason why he's just starting to play at the age of 26/27, he's not that good." I agree with you. There is a reason. He wasn't good enough back when he was 21...but he is now. Watch a game.
Thanks for checking out my blog, I don't like to talk strictly sports like I've done the past two entries, but it's hard for me to get past how the Cubs are finally playing like they were expected to play. We'll get back to drama/advice/farts, etc. tomorrow (unless they win again :) Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "You're Wrong" by NOFX. I agree with 99% of this song, but I just can't get away from meat...it's so delicious. Drinks of Choice: beef broth :) Big softball game today, highlights tomorrow.
I'm out.
Webby
Monday, July 27, 2009
There's No Crying in Baseball!
What up y'alls? Hope your weekend was as good as the Cubs'. I probably couldn't have drawn that one up any better. The Cubs of course swept a three game series vs. Cincinnati at Wrigley Field for the first time since 2001. I figured that they would win two out of three, but sweeping them at home wasn't that big of a surprise considering how poorly the Reds have been playing in the second half. Here's where it gets better/more surprising if you're a Cubs fan. I assumed that Philadelphia would take two out of three vs. St. Louis (didn't know the games would be so lopsided), that wasn't a shock either, but to have the New York Mets go into Houston and take two of three from the red-hot Astros (combined score of 18-6 in the Mets' two wins) and for Atlanta to go into Miller Park and take two of three from the Brewers (combined score of 19-6 in the Braves' two wins) now THAT was a very pleasant surprise. I was off in my prediction from Friday's post where I said, "The Cubs will only be a 1/2 game out of 1st place on Monday." I can deal with being wrong every once in awhile. Great weekend.
From the Cubs' perspective, the standings are stacking up very nicely right now as we head into August and the "dog days" of the season. Not only are the Northsiders in 1st place by a 1/2 game after a very sub-par first 3 1/2 months, they lead the Cardinals and Astros by 3 full games in the loss column, while Milwaukee is four games back! With as good as Randy Wells (6-4, 3.10 ERA) and Kevin Hart (2-1, 2.08 ERA) have pitched, getting Ryan Dempster and All-Star Ted Lilly back into the rotation, and hopefully getting a HEALTHY Geovany Soto back will be like acquiring THREE former All-Star players at the trade deadline for a team that is already in 1st place. It seems that things are finally coming together for the '09 team, and I believe that it will only get better. (I just jinxed it didn't I?)
I like what St. Louis has done in the last few weeks (as does a very SURPRISED Tony LaRussa). The front-office was criticized very heavily for doing absolutely nothing in the off-season as far as key acquisitions go, yet LaRussa led a very over-achieving group to a hot start (17-7) in the first month of the season. Since then, the Cardinals have played the kind of baseball that most experts predicted them to play: A team that could jump up and bite you (because of Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter), but a slightly below average team none the less (a 36-41 record since their nice April). With the acquisitions of Mark DeRosa (does NOT look right in that uniform) and Matt Holiday (very surprising that the Red Birds gave up one of their BEST prospects for what is seemingly a renta-player), this is now a VERY formidable line-up as far as I'm concerned. Pujols now has legitimate protection with Holiday, and with DeRosa in the lineup, Cardinals fans don't have to see Joe Thurston playing everyday at third base (I'd be thrilled about that). If you've noticed, I haven't mentioned anything about the Julio Lugo acquisition. Well, that's because I don't really consider it to be that meaningful. Yes, I know that the guy is batting .317 right now (coincidentally what Aaron Miles batted last season...who?), but he's only played in 40 games (that avg. will drop very quickly) and I've always enjoyed the way that Brendan Ryan plays. He just seems to be more of a "LaRussa guy" than Lugo. Also, have fun with that $9 million per year for a utility infielder. (Not sure how much the Cards have to pay of that massive contract, but something to consider). I just hope he doesn't beat the crap out of any women down in the "Gateway City," that would be unfortunate.
Let's take a look ahead...
The Cubs welcome Houston into town for a four game series starting tonight (the fourth game being a make-up from an earlier rain-out). St. Louis gets to host the team with the best record in baseball as the Dodgers (62-36) come to Busch (very funny) for four, and Milwaukee has the good fortune of playing the next seven games against the Nationals (30-68) and the Padres (38-61). The Cubs have a great opportunity to really put a damper into the hopes of a valiant second half comeback from the Astros. If the Cubs can continue their outstanding play at home (30-18) and take three of four, all of a sudden Houston is four games back and five back in the loss column heading into August. The Cardinals are (26-21) at home and the Dodgers are (28-19) on the road. Something has to give in this series. My prediction: They split. Milwaukee should at worst go 3-1 against the crap that they get to face at home before heading to San Diego, so after this next series for all of these teams, here's what I believe the standings will be:
Chicago (54-46)
St. Louis (55-50) 1.5 GB
Milwaukee (52-50) 3 GB
Houston (51-51) 4 GB
Since we are heading into August and there are still a TON of games to be played, let's see who has the easiest road to the division:
Chicago - 66 games remaining (33 Home, 33 Away).
St. Louis - 61 games remaining (34 Home, 27 Away).
Milwaukee - 64 games remaining (32 Home, 32 Away).
Houston - 64 games remaining (31 Home, 33 Away).
St. Louis clearly has the advantage with the amount of home games remaining on their schedule. The Cardinals aren't as good at home as the Cubs, but the six less road games should definitely play to their advantage. Houston has the toughest road with more games away from Minute Maid Park than at home. Let's take a look at the caliber of opponents that are left on each team's schedule:
Chicago - Remaining opponent's winning % is .488 (36 games against teams .500 or better).
St. Louis - Remaining opponent's winning % is .488 (37 games against teams .500 or better).
Milwaukee - Remaining opponent's winning % is .457 (38 games against teams .500 or better).
Houston - Remaining opponent's winning % is .506 (46 games against teams .500 or better).
I think that these numbers are staggering! Milwaukee has a huge advantage as far as the winning % of their remaining opponents is concerned, while Houston is in BIG TROUBLE. Not only do the Astros remaining opponents combine to have an above .500 winning %, they play 46 individual games against teams at/over the mark (including the next 23 in a row!) I like where the Cardinals sit because they have all of those home games left, and of their 27 road games remaining only 12 of them are against teams that are .500 or better. The Cubs look very good as well with only 36 of their remaining 66 games against winning teams as they sit atop of the division.
Looking ahead to the final week of the season, know this: If the division is tight with six games to go, the Cubs are winning it (wow, two jinxes in one blog...very unlike me). The Northsiders close 2009 with six straight home games. Three against Pittsburgh (43-55) and then three against Arizona (43-56). The other teams in the mix aren't quite as fortunate. St. Louis has three AT Cincinnati (44-53) and then closes out at home with three big ones vs. Milwaukee (49-49). The Brewers play three AT Colorado (54-44) before heading TO Busch (53-48), while the Astros finish with four AT Philadelphia (56-40) before heading TO New York (46-51) for three vs. the Mets. Let's just take care of business vs. the pesky Astros.
It's good to dive into a little baseball after a great weekend. Hopefully the Sox can bounce back after a very unfortunate (1-3) series at Detroit. Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog with your thoughts on the NL Central race. Right now I'm listening to "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" by Vampire Weekend. Catchy tune. Drinks of Choice: Smithwick's (don't ever say the name of this beer wrong!) Take care.
Webby
From the Cubs' perspective, the standings are stacking up very nicely right now as we head into August and the "dog days" of the season. Not only are the Northsiders in 1st place by a 1/2 game after a very sub-par first 3 1/2 months, they lead the Cardinals and Astros by 3 full games in the loss column, while Milwaukee is four games back! With as good as Randy Wells (6-4, 3.10 ERA) and Kevin Hart (2-1, 2.08 ERA) have pitched, getting Ryan Dempster and All-Star Ted Lilly back into the rotation, and hopefully getting a HEALTHY Geovany Soto back will be like acquiring THREE former All-Star players at the trade deadline for a team that is already in 1st place. It seems that things are finally coming together for the '09 team, and I believe that it will only get better. (I just jinxed it didn't I?)
I like what St. Louis has done in the last few weeks (as does a very SURPRISED Tony LaRussa). The front-office was criticized very heavily for doing absolutely nothing in the off-season as far as key acquisitions go, yet LaRussa led a very over-achieving group to a hot start (17-7) in the first month of the season. Since then, the Cardinals have played the kind of baseball that most experts predicted them to play: A team that could jump up and bite you (because of Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter), but a slightly below average team none the less (a 36-41 record since their nice April). With the acquisitions of Mark DeRosa (does NOT look right in that uniform) and Matt Holiday (very surprising that the Red Birds gave up one of their BEST prospects for what is seemingly a renta-player), this is now a VERY formidable line-up as far as I'm concerned. Pujols now has legitimate protection with Holiday, and with DeRosa in the lineup, Cardinals fans don't have to see Joe Thurston playing everyday at third base (I'd be thrilled about that). If you've noticed, I haven't mentioned anything about the Julio Lugo acquisition. Well, that's because I don't really consider it to be that meaningful. Yes, I know that the guy is batting .317 right now (coincidentally what Aaron Miles batted last season...who?), but he's only played in 40 games (that avg. will drop very quickly) and I've always enjoyed the way that Brendan Ryan plays. He just seems to be more of a "LaRussa guy" than Lugo. Also, have fun with that $9 million per year for a utility infielder. (Not sure how much the Cards have to pay of that massive contract, but something to consider). I just hope he doesn't beat the crap out of any women down in the "Gateway City," that would be unfortunate.
Let's take a look ahead...
The Cubs welcome Houston into town for a four game series starting tonight (the fourth game being a make-up from an earlier rain-out). St. Louis gets to host the team with the best record in baseball as the Dodgers (62-36) come to Busch (very funny) for four, and Milwaukee has the good fortune of playing the next seven games against the Nationals (30-68) and the Padres (38-61). The Cubs have a great opportunity to really put a damper into the hopes of a valiant second half comeback from the Astros. If the Cubs can continue their outstanding play at home (30-18) and take three of four, all of a sudden Houston is four games back and five back in the loss column heading into August. The Cardinals are (26-21) at home and the Dodgers are (28-19) on the road. Something has to give in this series. My prediction: They split. Milwaukee should at worst go 3-1 against the crap that they get to face at home before heading to San Diego, so after this next series for all of these teams, here's what I believe the standings will be:
Chicago (54-46)
St. Louis (55-50) 1.5 GB
Milwaukee (52-50) 3 GB
Houston (51-51) 4 GB
Since we are heading into August and there are still a TON of games to be played, let's see who has the easiest road to the division:
Chicago - 66 games remaining (33 Home, 33 Away).
St. Louis - 61 games remaining (34 Home, 27 Away).
Milwaukee - 64 games remaining (32 Home, 32 Away).
Houston - 64 games remaining (31 Home, 33 Away).
St. Louis clearly has the advantage with the amount of home games remaining on their schedule. The Cardinals aren't as good at home as the Cubs, but the six less road games should definitely play to their advantage. Houston has the toughest road with more games away from Minute Maid Park than at home. Let's take a look at the caliber of opponents that are left on each team's schedule:
Chicago - Remaining opponent's winning % is .488 (36 games against teams .500 or better).
St. Louis - Remaining opponent's winning % is .488 (37 games against teams .500 or better).
Milwaukee - Remaining opponent's winning % is .457 (38 games against teams .500 or better).
Houston - Remaining opponent's winning % is .506 (46 games against teams .500 or better).
I think that these numbers are staggering! Milwaukee has a huge advantage as far as the winning % of their remaining opponents is concerned, while Houston is in BIG TROUBLE. Not only do the Astros remaining opponents combine to have an above .500 winning %, they play 46 individual games against teams at/over the mark (including the next 23 in a row!) I like where the Cardinals sit because they have all of those home games left, and of their 27 road games remaining only 12 of them are against teams that are .500 or better. The Cubs look very good as well with only 36 of their remaining 66 games against winning teams as they sit atop of the division.
Looking ahead to the final week of the season, know this: If the division is tight with six games to go, the Cubs are winning it (wow, two jinxes in one blog...very unlike me). The Northsiders close 2009 with six straight home games. Three against Pittsburgh (43-55) and then three against Arizona (43-56). The other teams in the mix aren't quite as fortunate. St. Louis has three AT Cincinnati (44-53) and then closes out at home with three big ones vs. Milwaukee (49-49). The Brewers play three AT Colorado (54-44) before heading TO Busch (53-48), while the Astros finish with four AT Philadelphia (56-40) before heading TO New York (46-51) for three vs. the Mets. Let's just take care of business vs. the pesky Astros.
It's good to dive into a little baseball after a great weekend. Hopefully the Sox can bounce back after a very unfortunate (1-3) series at Detroit. Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog with your thoughts on the NL Central race. Right now I'm listening to "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" by Vampire Weekend. Catchy tune. Drinks of Choice: Smithwick's (don't ever say the name of this beer wrong!) Take care.
Webby
Friday, July 24, 2009
We Busted Outta Class. Had to get Away from those Fools. We Learned More from a 3 Minute Record than we Ever Learned in School.
Good day everyone. So Mark Buehrle throws a perfect game...wow. Always fun to watch. I tuned in at about the 3rd inning, and even that early in the game you just had the feeling that he wasn't going to give up a hit all day. I thought for sure that he'd walk somebody, but man, it's fun to watch that guy just pound the strike zone and work as quickly as he does. A tip of the cap to you sir.
For as much as I like President Obama, his whole "I'm a die-hard Sox fan" thing is getting a bit tired in my opinion. I thought that it was cool how he wore the Sox hat everywhere after he was elected, and I dug the fact that he sported the White Sox jacket when throwing out the first pitch in the All-Star Game, but come on...first he called Comiskey Park "Cominsky." I thought that maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, but he proceeded to call it "Cominsky" again so I knew that that's what he thought that it was called. Now anyone who claims to be a White Sox fan (or even a baseball fan for that matter) knows Comiskey Park, but I forgave him. Then yesterday, he calls Buehrle to congratulate him for his perfect game...cool, but in an interview later on in the day he said that he told Buehrle that he better buy the Center Fielder "Weiss" a steak dinner for making that great catch. Maybe this is just a Sox fan thing? (Like the whole Javier VazqWez fiasco that we all dealt with for so long), but I'd like to think that a "die-hard Sox fan" would know who DeWayne Wise is and not refer to him as "Weiss." (Not sure if it's Charlie or Walt). I still love our President though, I just want him focusing on real issues and not pretending to be this huge Southside fan when he clearly is not.
In other baseball news, I'm reading that Cubs Manager Lou Piniella is weighing his options on whether he'll return for the final year of his contract next season. It's being reported that he had no idea what he was getting himself into, and that he said that the fans/media on the Northside are more difficult than anything that he's experienced in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other crazed baseball markets. All I can say is...thank you. Thanks for the compliment. Ever since 2003, there is no such thing as the "Lovable Losers" anymore, and I couldn't be happier. A lot of my friends have always called me a "Sox fan who roots for the Cubs," because I always treated the Cubs the way that White Sox fans treat their team. I held them accountable, didn't accept losing, and didn't go to the games win, lose or draw just to go sit in "The Friendly Confines" and get drunk on a warm summer day in Wrigleyville. Well it seems that a large portion of Cubs fans are now buying into that philosophy and I think that it's a good thing. I like the fact that we put pressure on players to perform. I like the fact that we outspend our division like New York and Boston, and compete payroll wise with anyone in baseball. I enjoy hearing boos when they're deserved (although I've never been one to boo). They always win in New York/Boston/Philadelphia and maybe it has something to do with the fact that their fans hold the team to a higher standard seemingly forcing them to translate it on the field.
I used to play a game with myself and friends after going to a Cubs game (long before the culture change at Wrigley). We'd be walking out of the park and towards all of the bars in Wrigleyville and I'd ask 15-20 people who were all just at the game, what was the score of the game that you just attended? No joke, if I asked twenty people (15 guys, 5 girls), only about TEN of the TWENTY would know the final score of the game that they just spent three hours watching. Seriously. When someone got the score wrong or would just say "I don't know," we'd ask them to take off all of their Cubs memorabilia because they clearly were NOT Cubs fans...not unlike our President with the White Sox.
It's been fun rapping with you this week. Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to an acoustic version of "No Surrender" by Springsteen. Drinks of Choice: Headed to Wrigleyville for Old Style, me thinks. My prediction: The Chicago Cubs will be 1/2 game out of first place on Mondays edition of "Webby Files."
Peace the F.
Webby
For as much as I like President Obama, his whole "I'm a die-hard Sox fan" thing is getting a bit tired in my opinion. I thought that it was cool how he wore the Sox hat everywhere after he was elected, and I dug the fact that he sported the White Sox jacket when throwing out the first pitch in the All-Star Game, but come on...first he called Comiskey Park "Cominsky." I thought that maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, but he proceeded to call it "Cominsky" again so I knew that that's what he thought that it was called. Now anyone who claims to be a White Sox fan (or even a baseball fan for that matter) knows Comiskey Park, but I forgave him. Then yesterday, he calls Buehrle to congratulate him for his perfect game...cool, but in an interview later on in the day he said that he told Buehrle that he better buy the Center Fielder "Weiss" a steak dinner for making that great catch. Maybe this is just a Sox fan thing? (Like the whole Javier VazqWez fiasco that we all dealt with for so long), but I'd like to think that a "die-hard Sox fan" would know who DeWayne Wise is and not refer to him as "Weiss." (Not sure if it's Charlie or Walt). I still love our President though, I just want him focusing on real issues and not pretending to be this huge Southside fan when he clearly is not.
In other baseball news, I'm reading that Cubs Manager Lou Piniella is weighing his options on whether he'll return for the final year of his contract next season. It's being reported that he had no idea what he was getting himself into, and that he said that the fans/media on the Northside are more difficult than anything that he's experienced in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other crazed baseball markets. All I can say is...thank you. Thanks for the compliment. Ever since 2003, there is no such thing as the "Lovable Losers" anymore, and I couldn't be happier. A lot of my friends have always called me a "Sox fan who roots for the Cubs," because I always treated the Cubs the way that White Sox fans treat their team. I held them accountable, didn't accept losing, and didn't go to the games win, lose or draw just to go sit in "The Friendly Confines" and get drunk on a warm summer day in Wrigleyville. Well it seems that a large portion of Cubs fans are now buying into that philosophy and I think that it's a good thing. I like the fact that we put pressure on players to perform. I like the fact that we outspend our division like New York and Boston, and compete payroll wise with anyone in baseball. I enjoy hearing boos when they're deserved (although I've never been one to boo). They always win in New York/Boston/Philadelphia and maybe it has something to do with the fact that their fans hold the team to a higher standard seemingly forcing them to translate it on the field.
I used to play a game with myself and friends after going to a Cubs game (long before the culture change at Wrigley). We'd be walking out of the park and towards all of the bars in Wrigleyville and I'd ask 15-20 people who were all just at the game, what was the score of the game that you just attended? No joke, if I asked twenty people (15 guys, 5 girls), only about TEN of the TWENTY would know the final score of the game that they just spent three hours watching. Seriously. When someone got the score wrong or would just say "I don't know," we'd ask them to take off all of their Cubs memorabilia because they clearly were NOT Cubs fans...not unlike our President with the White Sox.
It's been fun rapping with you this week. Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to an acoustic version of "No Surrender" by Springsteen. Drinks of Choice: Headed to Wrigleyville for Old Style, me thinks. My prediction: The Chicago Cubs will be 1/2 game out of first place on Mondays edition of "Webby Files."
Peace the F.
Webby
Thursday, July 23, 2009
These Pretzels are Making Me Thirsty!
Hey, hey, holy mackerel! How's life my fellow Internet mongoloids? Doing well here at the Webby Files headquarters. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all of the messages/emails that I've received regarding this blog. We're basically a couple of weeks into this thing and I'm definitely enjoying it more than I thought I would. Thanks for checking it out from time to time.
I'm taking ten songs that I've written over the last month into the studio on Thursday (a week from today) for a long weekend of recording/drinking/hanging out with my music friends and so forth. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't recorded anything for about four years so this is very exciting for me. Hopefully it turns out as well as I imagine it turning out in my head. Right now these songs are just acoustic skeletons waiting to be layered and layered into a human being full of life and wonder. Hopefully within a month or so I'll be playing some shows around Chicagoland (either acoustically or with an entire band) to satisfy my musical urges that I've been having for the past couple of years. Who knows where it goes from there? (Probably not too far...but FUN and REWARDING none the less.)
Has anyone checked out the fairly new show on Comedy Central "Tosh.0?" Wow. I've been a fan of the comedian Daniel Tosh for quite sometime (thank you Laurence for turning me on to him), so naturally I was excited when I found out that he was getting his own show. However, I generally find myself being very disappointed with anything that's on cable TV. So far with this show, not the case. I actually find myself laughing out loud...partly because of how stupid the people of the Internet are (yes, I know that I'm typing a blog right now), but mostly because of his injections of humor in between the videos. He's hysterical. If you haven't seen the show, it airs on Comedy Central Thursdays at 9pm.
I'm thrilled that I like Tosh.0 so much because I'm finding that I'm getting harder and harder to please when it comes to movies/music/television these days. It sucks. I don't know what my problem is, but I seem to go into everything with super high expectations, and then I'm ultimately "let down" when those expectations aren't met. For Example: Everyone loved the movie "The Hangover." I was told by several of my friends to bring a diaper to the theater because I would literally shit my pants. So of course I brought a package of "Huggies" to the show, and I didn't even have to open it. I think I laughed maybe four times (half of the laughs were during the closing credits). Don't get me wrong, it was a decent comedy, but it didn't stand out to me as anything special. I guess my expectations were too high. I also saw "Bruno" last weekend. I think I laughed about five times during this one. I thought that it was better than "The Hangover," but it definitely wasn't that shocking or provocative. It was just OK.
I watch "Seinfeld" everyday. It never let's me down (except for the final season...no Larry David influence.) "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is the ONLY current sitcom-esque show that I watch, and they only do about 10 episodes every other year. I also enjoy "Real Time with Bill Maher." As far as television goes, that's about it. I don't like "Entourage," I HATE reality TV of any kind, and I can't get into any action based shows if they're on "basic cable." I can't watch "24" or "CSI Tallahassee" because if it's on basic cable, then they can't say and do the actual things that a person would do if they were in a "messy situation." There's NO cussing, NO graphic violence, and NO nudity...it's just NOT realistic to me.
The last five movies that I've seen that I REALLY enjoyed, and would give four stars too are as follows:
"Burn After Reading" Outstanding dark comedy by the Coen Brothers. 2008
"Religulous" Bill Maher's look at all of the different religions. 2008
"No Country for Old Men" Another great movie from the Coen Brothers (all-time great). 2007
"The Departed" Scorcese finally won an Oscar for this one. 2006
"Kill Bill Vol. 2" Tarantino's conclusion to the "Kill Bill" revenge movie. 2004
There you have it. I have to go back five years just to make a list of the last five movies that I've seen that I really enjoyed. That's ridiculous. I don't know what my deal is, but it seems that I need one of the best directors of this era (Coen Bros., Scorcese, Tarantino) or a documentary about something that I feel very strongly about (the scariness of religion) to get full enjoyment out of a picture these days. I've turned into something that I can't stand...a pop culture snob.
I'd love any recommendations on TV/movies/music that you think would satisfy my endless craving for something that isn't completely watered down and/or repetitive and unoriginal. I'm dying here:)
Please hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to
"Do You Pray" by Chuck Ragan, one of my all time favorite guys. Drinks of Choice: PBR is always satisfying, cheap.
Peace the F.
Webby
I'm taking ten songs that I've written over the last month into the studio on Thursday (a week from today) for a long weekend of recording/drinking/hanging out with my music friends and so forth. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't recorded anything for about four years so this is very exciting for me. Hopefully it turns out as well as I imagine it turning out in my head. Right now these songs are just acoustic skeletons waiting to be layered and layered into a human being full of life and wonder. Hopefully within a month or so I'll be playing some shows around Chicagoland (either acoustically or with an entire band) to satisfy my musical urges that I've been having for the past couple of years. Who knows where it goes from there? (Probably not too far...but FUN and REWARDING none the less.)
Has anyone checked out the fairly new show on Comedy Central "Tosh.0?" Wow. I've been a fan of the comedian Daniel Tosh for quite sometime (thank you Laurence for turning me on to him), so naturally I was excited when I found out that he was getting his own show. However, I generally find myself being very disappointed with anything that's on cable TV. So far with this show, not the case. I actually find myself laughing out loud...partly because of how stupid the people of the Internet are (yes, I know that I'm typing a blog right now), but mostly because of his injections of humor in between the videos. He's hysterical. If you haven't seen the show, it airs on Comedy Central Thursdays at 9pm.
I'm thrilled that I like Tosh.0 so much because I'm finding that I'm getting harder and harder to please when it comes to movies/music/television these days. It sucks. I don't know what my problem is, but I seem to go into everything with super high expectations, and then I'm ultimately "let down" when those expectations aren't met. For Example: Everyone loved the movie "The Hangover." I was told by several of my friends to bring a diaper to the theater because I would literally shit my pants. So of course I brought a package of "Huggies" to the show, and I didn't even have to open it. I think I laughed maybe four times (half of the laughs were during the closing credits). Don't get me wrong, it was a decent comedy, but it didn't stand out to me as anything special. I guess my expectations were too high. I also saw "Bruno" last weekend. I think I laughed about five times during this one. I thought that it was better than "The Hangover," but it definitely wasn't that shocking or provocative. It was just OK.
I watch "Seinfeld" everyday. It never let's me down (except for the final season...no Larry David influence.) "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is the ONLY current sitcom-esque show that I watch, and they only do about 10 episodes every other year. I also enjoy "Real Time with Bill Maher." As far as television goes, that's about it. I don't like "Entourage," I HATE reality TV of any kind, and I can't get into any action based shows if they're on "basic cable." I can't watch "24" or "CSI Tallahassee" because if it's on basic cable, then they can't say and do the actual things that a person would do if they were in a "messy situation." There's NO cussing, NO graphic violence, and NO nudity...it's just NOT realistic to me.
The last five movies that I've seen that I REALLY enjoyed, and would give four stars too are as follows:
"Burn After Reading" Outstanding dark comedy by the Coen Brothers. 2008
"Religulous" Bill Maher's look at all of the different religions. 2008
"No Country for Old Men" Another great movie from the Coen Brothers (all-time great). 2007
"The Departed" Scorcese finally won an Oscar for this one. 2006
"Kill Bill Vol. 2" Tarantino's conclusion to the "Kill Bill" revenge movie. 2004
There you have it. I have to go back five years just to make a list of the last five movies that I've seen that I really enjoyed. That's ridiculous. I don't know what my deal is, but it seems that I need one of the best directors of this era (Coen Bros., Scorcese, Tarantino) or a documentary about something that I feel very strongly about (the scariness of religion) to get full enjoyment out of a picture these days. I've turned into something that I can't stand...a pop culture snob.
I'd love any recommendations on TV/movies/music that you think would satisfy my endless craving for something that isn't completely watered down and/or repetitive and unoriginal. I'm dying here:)
Please hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to
"Do You Pray" by Chuck Ragan, one of my all time favorite guys. Drinks of Choice: PBR is always satisfying, cheap.
Peace the F.
Webby
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Fool Me Once...Shame on, Shame on You. Fool Me...You Can't get Fooled Again.
Hello friends. Sorry for posting so late in the day, but I had to finish watching that marathon of a game between the Cubs and the Fightin' Phils. A 9 inning game that lasted the same amount of time as the 13 inning game last night. They could have played for 5 hours as far as I'm concerned, as long as the Cubs figure out a way to salvage a game from Philadelphia, I'm happy. No complaints from me after a 5-2 roadtrip, especially without Dempster, Soto, 50% of Ted Lilly, etc. In other happy news, Milwaukee has already lost today, so if Houston sweeps St. Louis tonight then the Cubs and Astros will be tied for 2nd place, just 1 game back. I love baseball.
Another quality win for my softball team last night. We disposed of ESPN Radio for the 2nd time this season in blowout fashion. 12-6 final. I went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI's (not that I keep track of my stats), and we improved our record to (6-2), tied for 2nd place in the league. Softball is a great game because you feel like your being "active," but in reality, you're basically running about four times per game and doing a ton of standing around. Not unlike your typical baseball player. I know I got MY exercise in for the week :)
I found out something yesterday that really disappointed me, so obviously I'm going to vent about it to you. There's a girl that I'm friends with who called me about a month ago very upset. She told me that her longtime boyfriend of about three years (a guy who I met only once and thought was a complete douche...beside the point) turned out to be married with kids the entire time that they were dating. This guy had a separate apartment, somehow found time to be with her every day, and even had all of his friends in on the joke. Now, I'm not even going to get into how difficult this must have been to pull off, but I don't think that I'll have to do much convincing for you to believe me when I say that this guy is premium assclown. I'm sure that we've all made mistakes in our different relationships from time to time (I know I have), but if you're married and living a completely separate life from your wife and kids, then you measure pretty low on the scumbag pole. Naturally when I spoke with her on the phone that day she told me that she was dropping him like a name, so I wished her well and told her that at least she knows what this guy is really about and now she can move on with her life. Well guess what? You guessed it. She let this creep come crawling back to her. Can you believe it?! Why do people do this?
It's disgusting how self destructive people can be when it comes to their relationships. It may be stereotypical, but it really seems like women actually believe that they can CHANGE THEIR MAN. You can't. You either love who he IS, or you live with the fact that you married/date someone that you can't stand. I'm sure that we've all been cheated on at one point or another and I know that we're all familiar with that unmistakable feeling that comes along with it. Yet, a good portion of us willingly gave that person a 2nd chance...sometimes three or four chances. We don't seem to do this in any other walk of life. For example: If someone steals from you, you're probably not going to trust them to be around any of your things ever again. That's just the way it is. Or if you buy a Chevy and it breaks down on you over and over again, then you're probably going to go with a Ford next time you purchase an automobile. It's that whole "fool me once" cliche' that W. screwed up so badly. For whatever reason, this simple logic just doesn't seem to apply to relationships. Where's Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla when we need them?
I know it's easy for me to say, but don't go back to someone who dated you while he was married with kids. I mean, we shouldn't even be having this discussion! Even if he is going to get a divorce, who's to say that he won't pull the same type of thing on you while you're at home married with kids of your own? He's not going to change. YOU need to change. Stop being attracted to that kind of behavior, it's not healthy. Smoke, do drugs, stand in front of the microwave while you pop your popcorn...(all LESS destructive activities :), just don't fall for this again. You WILL get burned.
Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. Genius song. Drinks of Choice: The Champagne of Beers.
Peace the F.
Webby
Another quality win for my softball team last night. We disposed of ESPN Radio for the 2nd time this season in blowout fashion. 12-6 final. I went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI's (not that I keep track of my stats), and we improved our record to (6-2), tied for 2nd place in the league. Softball is a great game because you feel like your being "active," but in reality, you're basically running about four times per game and doing a ton of standing around. Not unlike your typical baseball player. I know I got MY exercise in for the week :)
I found out something yesterday that really disappointed me, so obviously I'm going to vent about it to you. There's a girl that I'm friends with who called me about a month ago very upset. She told me that her longtime boyfriend of about three years (a guy who I met only once and thought was a complete douche...beside the point) turned out to be married with kids the entire time that they were dating. This guy had a separate apartment, somehow found time to be with her every day, and even had all of his friends in on the joke. Now, I'm not even going to get into how difficult this must have been to pull off, but I don't think that I'll have to do much convincing for you to believe me when I say that this guy is premium assclown. I'm sure that we've all made mistakes in our different relationships from time to time (I know I have), but if you're married and living a completely separate life from your wife and kids, then you measure pretty low on the scumbag pole. Naturally when I spoke with her on the phone that day she told me that she was dropping him like a name, so I wished her well and told her that at least she knows what this guy is really about and now she can move on with her life. Well guess what? You guessed it. She let this creep come crawling back to her. Can you believe it?! Why do people do this?
It's disgusting how self destructive people can be when it comes to their relationships. It may be stereotypical, but it really seems like women actually believe that they can CHANGE THEIR MAN. You can't. You either love who he IS, or you live with the fact that you married/date someone that you can't stand. I'm sure that we've all been cheated on at one point or another and I know that we're all familiar with that unmistakable feeling that comes along with it. Yet, a good portion of us willingly gave that person a 2nd chance...sometimes three or four chances. We don't seem to do this in any other walk of life. For example: If someone steals from you, you're probably not going to trust them to be around any of your things ever again. That's just the way it is. Or if you buy a Chevy and it breaks down on you over and over again, then you're probably going to go with a Ford next time you purchase an automobile. It's that whole "fool me once" cliche' that W. screwed up so badly. For whatever reason, this simple logic just doesn't seem to apply to relationships. Where's Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla when we need them?
I know it's easy for me to say, but don't go back to someone who dated you while he was married with kids. I mean, we shouldn't even be having this discussion! Even if he is going to get a divorce, who's to say that he won't pull the same type of thing on you while you're at home married with kids of your own? He's not going to change. YOU need to change. Stop being attracted to that kind of behavior, it's not healthy. Smoke, do drugs, stand in front of the microwave while you pop your popcorn...(all LESS destructive activities :), just don't fall for this again. You WILL get burned.
Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. Genius song. Drinks of Choice: The Champagne of Beers.
Peace the F.
Webby
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Are You Gonna Bark All Day Little Doggy, or are You Gonna Bite?
Hey, Hey. I have to go play softball so I'll keep this brief. Last night I went out with a few of my friends for drinks and wings while we watched the Cubs/Sox games. It's something we generally do every Monday evening, and its something that we all look forward too. Anyway, there were four of us initially and a fifth member that joined us halfway through the gathering. After about twenty minutes, the bar we were at was completely full. There are probably forty tables at this place and a full bar, not to mention outdoor seating as well. It was hopping. We all ordered our food and drinks and then a second round of drinks. The waitress was very nice and helpful (considering how packed the joint was) and accommodated us very nicely. About halfway through our time there, the fifth member of our group joined us. He sat down and waited for the waitress to come by so he could place his food/drink order. He continued to wait, and now all of us were ready for drinks...and all of us continued to wait. After about 15 minutes, our waitress finally came back and realized that we had a table full of empty plates/bottles, and a new member that wanted to order as well. She took our orders and then had us wait another 10 minutes or so before she brought our food/drinks (forgetting one of the drinks). She was polite, but was obviously stretched very thin as this place was busy, and she simply couldn't handle the workload. It got to be pretty frustrating as we waited and waited for everything (and that's only when we actually saw our waitress to place an order.) When we received our bill (after another 10 minute wait) it totalled $80.00. Now, I've never worked in a tip-based industry, but I always tip 20%. I also always tip $1 per drink when I order at a bar. It's just something that I believe in, and due to the fact that these people make far less than minimum wage and are completely dependant on their tips, I feel that this is the reasonable thing to do. With all of that being said, this waitress did NOT deserve a full 20% tip. I thought that the correct way to deal with this situation was to simply tip her 10% and send the message that we are NOT cheap bastards, but your performance was not worthy of a full 20% tip. I professed this to my friends and two of them agreed and proceeded to throw down the appropriate money, but two of them said that she deserved NO tip and that we were ridiculous for giving her 10%.
Hasn't everyone had a bad day at work before? Hasn't everyone experienced a time at their job where they were so busy that they may not have been able to give everyone the amount of attention that they would normally receive? I don't want to get into the whole "Reservoir Dogs" opening scene where Steve Buscemi refuses to tip the waitress because she CHOSE her profession, but I think it's cheap and ridiculous to not tip someone anything at all. Even my friend that came late and had to wait longer than anyone for his food/drinks ended up throwing down more than his share because he didn't want to be lumped in with the 2 cheapskates that wouldn't tip at all.
I think that everyone has friends (No tippin' Pippens) who behave in this way, and I'm sure that they all profess some great logic on why they're superior for doing it. But guess what. You're not proving any point or setting some standard on how society should behave...you're simply just a cheap asshole.
Sorry for the abbreviated rap today, we'll get back into it tomorrow. I have to go kick ESPN's ass in softball. Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to ESPN's "Sports Nation" on TV in the background...boring, but better than "Rome is Burning." Drinks of Choice: Blue Gatorade, softball time.
Peace the F.
Webby
Hasn't everyone had a bad day at work before? Hasn't everyone experienced a time at their job where they were so busy that they may not have been able to give everyone the amount of attention that they would normally receive? I don't want to get into the whole "Reservoir Dogs" opening scene where Steve Buscemi refuses to tip the waitress because she CHOSE her profession, but I think it's cheap and ridiculous to not tip someone anything at all. Even my friend that came late and had to wait longer than anyone for his food/drinks ended up throwing down more than his share because he didn't want to be lumped in with the 2 cheapskates that wouldn't tip at all.
I think that everyone has friends (No tippin' Pippens) who behave in this way, and I'm sure that they all profess some great logic on why they're superior for doing it. But guess what. You're not proving any point or setting some standard on how society should behave...you're simply just a cheap asshole.
Sorry for the abbreviated rap today, we'll get back into it tomorrow. I have to go kick ESPN's ass in softball. Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to ESPN's "Sports Nation" on TV in the background...boring, but better than "Rome is Burning." Drinks of Choice: Blue Gatorade, softball time.
Peace the F.
Webby
Monday, July 20, 2009
The One Constant through all the Years Ray has been Baseball.
When you come in on a Monday, and you're not feeling real well...does anyone ever say to you, "Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays?"
Don't you wish that your favorite baseball team could play the Nationals 162 times a season? My goodness, that was fun and relaxing baseball to watch. I knew going in that there wasn't any reason why the Cubs shouldn't take 3 of 4 from the Nats, but after the 1st 2 games I was thinking to myself, "It's going to be nice to get to four games above .500 for the first time since May 20th." Thank you nation's capital. How about the fact that teams in the NL East get to play the Nationals 18 times every year! That's not even fair. It shows you how bad the NL East is when you consider that the four other teams get to play a ton of games against a Triple-A team and yet only two teams are above .500 and the combined winning % of the division minus Washington is only .509%! That be real bad!
Since we're talking divisions in MLB, let's dive a bit deeper. The divisions by winning % are as follows:
AL EAST .539%
AL WEST .519%
NL WEST .509%
NL CENTRAL .500%
AL CENTRAL .470%
NL EAST .465%
No big surprises, we all know that the AL East has been the best division in baseball for the most part of the last ten years with few exceptions. The AL West has had the Angels for awhile, but is having a couple of story book seasons from Texas and Seattle (both teams will fade by September, Texas is already starting.) The NL West is very top-heavy, but with San Francisco's pitching and the coming out party by one Pablo Sandoval (AKA Herb Lawrence...inside joke) and the uprising of Colorado since Jim Tracy took over, they are a very nice division as well. The NL Central has four teams at .500 or better with Cincinnati right in the mix, and the AL Central and NL East are just flat out bad divisions. Wait, What was that? You're upset that I called out your American League Central? Let's take a look shall we?
The AL Central has an overall record of 215-242, .470 Winning % ranking them 5th of six divisions. They are 37-72 vs. the AL East and 41-36 vs. the AL West. Detroit has the best record in the division by 1.5 games at (48-42). There are two other teams in the division at .500 or better: White Sox (47-44) and Twins (47-45). Let's compare your AL Central to the other divisions in baseball.
Versus the other two divisions in their respective league:
AL EAST .552%
NL WEST .525%
AL WEST .522%
NL CENTRAL .521%
NL EAST .453%
AL CENTRAL .419%
The NL East/AL Central are getting tattooed by the other 2 divisions in their respective leagues. I feel bad for the National League East though, those pesky Nats are weighing down the other teams in the division in every statistic. Let's take a look at the divisions minus their worst team:
AL EAST .561% w/o Baltimore
AL WEST .551% w/o Oakland
NL WEST .536% w/o San Diego
NL CENTRAL .512% w/o Pittsburgh
NL EAST .509% w/o Washington
AL CENTRAL .492% w/o Cleveland
There we go, that at least gets the NL East out of the cellar and above .500 as a division. Uh oh, even without their worst team your AL Central is STILL below .500 as a division, and is STILL ranked as the worst division in baseball. Something must be wrong...I know, a lot of these divisions have one really good team which makes them top-heavy. Let's take away the BEST team in every division.
AL EAST .523% w/o Boston
AL WEST .500% w/o LA Angels
NL CENTRAL .491% w/o St. Louis
NL WEST .479% w/o LA Dodgers
AL CENTRAL .455% w/o Detroit
NL EAST .438% w/o Philadelphia
All right!!! We did it! We got the AL Central out of the bottom of the divisions (Thanks again Nationals!), and without those Dodgers, the NL Central jumped into 3rd place. Man that AL East is deep! Even without the Red Sox they continue to play well above .500 as a division. Here's how I would rank the divisions overall as we are approximately 100 games into the season:
6.) AL CENTRAL
There are three teams above .500 but they combine to be only 11 games over the mark. The division has been dominated by the AL EAST (understandably so) but there is NO excuse for those kind of records when you have TWO "gimme teams" in the division. Cleveland (36-57) and Kansas City (37-54) who combine to be 38 GAMES BELOW .500!
5.) NL EAST
Only one "gimme team" in the division but they are the ultimate gimme. The Nationals are (26-65), a .286 winning %. That is barely a Triple A team, and they're threatening to be the worst team in baseball history. The World Champion Phillies appear to be hitting their stride while Gandhi and the Mets are the most disappointing team in the Big Leagues. Look for Florida to make some noise before its all said and done.
4.) NL WEST
The reason that the NL Central jumped them in the standings is that they are below .500 against them (48-50), and the fact that the West has the dreaded TWO "gimme teams." With San Diego (37-55) and Arizona (39-53) its no wonder the Dodgers are running away with the National League. Look for San Francisco to try and add a bat to protect Sandoval and make a serious run at the Wild Card.
3.) NL CENTRAL
Unlike the West (Dodgers), there isn't a great team in this division. However, there are four "good" teams and Cincinnati has been above .500 for a lot of the season recently falling to (44-47). The NL Central is above .500 against the West and the East and has only one "gimme team," Pittsburgh (40-51). But just ask the Cardinals about how much of a gimme team the Pirates are after the Bucko's went into Busch and swept the Red Birds earlier this year. On a side note, does anyone think that it's a bit unfair that teams in the NL Central have to finish better than five other teams to win a division, while teams in the AL West only have to top three? Food for thought...
2.) AL WEST
The only division in baseball to dominate the vaunted AL EAST (56-43). Led by the slow starting Angels, this division has three teams above .500 combining to be 28 games over the mark, with only one gimme team (Oakland 38-52).
1.) AL EAST
No doubt about it. In my opinion the Red Sox, Yankees and American League Champion Rays would EACH be in first place in ANY other division. The Wild Card almost always comes out of here, and it's no coincidence that this division outspends all of the other ones by a lot. There are NO "gimme teams" as everyone is above .500 or only single digits below the mark, all while having to play each other for all of those inter-division series. Boston/New York/Tampa Bay combine to be a whopping 46 GAMES ABOVE .500! Look for the Rays to jump up and steal the division or at least the Wild Card spot from one of the two giants.
It's been fun getting inside the numbers with you a bit. The Cubs now have to face a legitimate Major League opponent starting tonight, so hopefully those Phillies' stats are inflated due to those pesky Nationals. Looking at that stacked lineup...I kind of doubt it.
Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "The Blues, Mary" by Brian Fallon. Quality acoustic number. Drinks of Choice: Is it questionable for a man to enjoy a vodka lemonade?
Peace the F.
Webby
Don't you wish that your favorite baseball team could play the Nationals 162 times a season? My goodness, that was fun and relaxing baseball to watch. I knew going in that there wasn't any reason why the Cubs shouldn't take 3 of 4 from the Nats, but after the 1st 2 games I was thinking to myself, "It's going to be nice to get to four games above .500 for the first time since May 20th." Thank you nation's capital. How about the fact that teams in the NL East get to play the Nationals 18 times every year! That's not even fair. It shows you how bad the NL East is when you consider that the four other teams get to play a ton of games against a Triple-A team and yet only two teams are above .500 and the combined winning % of the division minus Washington is only .509%! That be real bad!
Since we're talking divisions in MLB, let's dive a bit deeper. The divisions by winning % are as follows:
AL EAST .539%
AL WEST .519%
NL WEST .509%
NL CENTRAL .500%
AL CENTRAL .470%
NL EAST .465%
No big surprises, we all know that the AL East has been the best division in baseball for the most part of the last ten years with few exceptions. The AL West has had the Angels for awhile, but is having a couple of story book seasons from Texas and Seattle (both teams will fade by September, Texas is already starting.) The NL West is very top-heavy, but with San Francisco's pitching and the coming out party by one Pablo Sandoval (AKA Herb Lawrence...inside joke) and the uprising of Colorado since Jim Tracy took over, they are a very nice division as well. The NL Central has four teams at .500 or better with Cincinnati right in the mix, and the AL Central and NL East are just flat out bad divisions. Wait, What was that? You're upset that I called out your American League Central? Let's take a look shall we?
The AL Central has an overall record of 215-242, .470 Winning % ranking them 5th of six divisions. They are 37-72 vs. the AL East and 41-36 vs. the AL West. Detroit has the best record in the division by 1.5 games at (48-42). There are two other teams in the division at .500 or better: White Sox (47-44) and Twins (47-45). Let's compare your AL Central to the other divisions in baseball.
Versus the other two divisions in their respective league:
AL EAST .552%
NL WEST .525%
AL WEST .522%
NL CENTRAL .521%
NL EAST .453%
AL CENTRAL .419%
The NL East/AL Central are getting tattooed by the other 2 divisions in their respective leagues. I feel bad for the National League East though, those pesky Nats are weighing down the other teams in the division in every statistic. Let's take a look at the divisions minus their worst team:
AL EAST .561% w/o Baltimore
AL WEST .551% w/o Oakland
NL WEST .536% w/o San Diego
NL CENTRAL .512% w/o Pittsburgh
NL EAST .509% w/o Washington
AL CENTRAL .492% w/o Cleveland
There we go, that at least gets the NL East out of the cellar and above .500 as a division. Uh oh, even without their worst team your AL Central is STILL below .500 as a division, and is STILL ranked as the worst division in baseball. Something must be wrong...I know, a lot of these divisions have one really good team which makes them top-heavy. Let's take away the BEST team in every division.
AL EAST .523% w/o Boston
AL WEST .500% w/o LA Angels
NL CENTRAL .491% w/o St. Louis
NL WEST .479% w/o LA Dodgers
AL CENTRAL .455% w/o Detroit
NL EAST .438% w/o Philadelphia
All right!!! We did it! We got the AL Central out of the bottom of the divisions (Thanks again Nationals!), and without those Dodgers, the NL Central jumped into 3rd place. Man that AL East is deep! Even without the Red Sox they continue to play well above .500 as a division. Here's how I would rank the divisions overall as we are approximately 100 games into the season:
6.) AL CENTRAL
There are three teams above .500 but they combine to be only 11 games over the mark. The division has been dominated by the AL EAST (understandably so) but there is NO excuse for those kind of records when you have TWO "gimme teams" in the division. Cleveland (36-57) and Kansas City (37-54) who combine to be 38 GAMES BELOW .500!
5.) NL EAST
Only one "gimme team" in the division but they are the ultimate gimme. The Nationals are (26-65), a .286 winning %. That is barely a Triple A team, and they're threatening to be the worst team in baseball history. The World Champion Phillies appear to be hitting their stride while Gandhi and the Mets are the most disappointing team in the Big Leagues. Look for Florida to make some noise before its all said and done.
4.) NL WEST
The reason that the NL Central jumped them in the standings is that they are below .500 against them (48-50), and the fact that the West has the dreaded TWO "gimme teams." With San Diego (37-55) and Arizona (39-53) its no wonder the Dodgers are running away with the National League. Look for San Francisco to try and add a bat to protect Sandoval and make a serious run at the Wild Card.
3.) NL CENTRAL
Unlike the West (Dodgers), there isn't a great team in this division. However, there are four "good" teams and Cincinnati has been above .500 for a lot of the season recently falling to (44-47). The NL Central is above .500 against the West and the East and has only one "gimme team," Pittsburgh (40-51). But just ask the Cardinals about how much of a gimme team the Pirates are after the Bucko's went into Busch and swept the Red Birds earlier this year. On a side note, does anyone think that it's a bit unfair that teams in the NL Central have to finish better than five other teams to win a division, while teams in the AL West only have to top three? Food for thought...
2.) AL WEST
The only division in baseball to dominate the vaunted AL EAST (56-43). Led by the slow starting Angels, this division has three teams above .500 combining to be 28 games over the mark, with only one gimme team (Oakland 38-52).
1.) AL EAST
No doubt about it. In my opinion the Red Sox, Yankees and American League Champion Rays would EACH be in first place in ANY other division. The Wild Card almost always comes out of here, and it's no coincidence that this division outspends all of the other ones by a lot. There are NO "gimme teams" as everyone is above .500 or only single digits below the mark, all while having to play each other for all of those inter-division series. Boston/New York/Tampa Bay combine to be a whopping 46 GAMES ABOVE .500! Look for the Rays to jump up and steal the division or at least the Wild Card spot from one of the two giants.
It's been fun getting inside the numbers with you a bit. The Cubs now have to face a legitimate Major League opponent starting tonight, so hopefully those Phillies' stats are inflated due to those pesky Nationals. Looking at that stacked lineup...I kind of doubt it.
Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "The Blues, Mary" by Brian Fallon. Quality acoustic number. Drinks of Choice: Is it questionable for a man to enjoy a vodka lemonade?
Peace the F.
Webby
Friday, July 17, 2009
If You Told Me 20 Years Ago I'd See Kids Walkin' in our Texas Towns with Green Hair, and Bones in their Noses...I Just Wouldn't of Believed ya
Hello again everybody. One of the most boring periods of the entire sports calendar is over (the All-Star Break) and it was extremely nice to have baseball back on television last night. It seemed that some of the behind the scenes people at Comcast Sportsnet were still enjoying their break during the top of the 1st inning of the Cubs vs. Nationals game. Did you notice? Len and Bob's talkback button was stuck, so half of the time Bob was talking you could hear Len talking to his producers about stuff, and at one point Bob let out this loud cough into the talkback which of course you could hear plain as day. Being in radio, I enjoyed this very much. Kasper and Brenly are one of the most smooth and flawless broadcast teams in all of sports, so it was kind of funny to see the train derail a bit. Man, I really think that they are good though. When you listen to a lot of broadcasters in other towns, it makes you realize how lucky we are. Huge fan of Len and Bob.
I was at a birthday gathering the other night at a bar in the suburbs. It was with a bunch of my girlfriend's friends, some I knew, most I did not. It was a decent time, I just kind of sat back and observed while sipping my usual. During my intense observation, I noticed that out of the twelve people that were there, eight of them had VISIBLE tattoos. 66.7%. I obviously didn't ask the other four if they had any tattoos themselves, but conservatively I'll figure that at least one of them had a tattoo that wasn't visible. So now we're at 75% of this little gathering having ink under their skin. Now this wasn't a Hell's Angels convention, and it wasn't an NBA roster either. (An NBA roster would have been 11 out of 12 minimum). This was a group of young professionals/students in their mid to late 20's out celebrating a birthday on a weeknight. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no prude. When I was 15 and just starting to get into playing music, I would tell anyone that would listen that as soon as I turned 18 I was getting a bunch of tattoos. In the many years that have followed, I still think about getting tattoos probably more than the average person does (of NON-tattoo'd skin). For whatever reason I've never pulled the trigger on this, but it all got me thinking. When did NOT having tattoos become MORE rebellious than having them? If everyone in my generation is getting tattoos, then they are no longer the cool outsider thing to do. Tattoos used to be reserved for bikers/rockers/sailors, etc., but now the entire "tattoo scene" has been hijacked by young professionals/athletes/stay at home moms:)/nuns, and secretaries. There are even something like five different tattoo based reality TV shows right now!
What's next? Since tattoos and piercings and hair dye are no longer "out of the norm," what are the ACTUAL outsiders going to come up with? How about skin bleaching? Wait, we've done that before. I've got an idea, how about suspending your body in mid air with meat hooks through your back and just hanging there? No, I saw that on "Real Sex" back in '97. I suppose that there is one thing we could do...We could actually THINK as outsiders. You know, be ORIGINAL. Outside of the box. Have a UNIQUE personality. Stand out with your BRAIN and your HEART, not just your outer appearance. Now THAT would be "out of the norm"...
No, that would never stick would it.
It's been a fun week rapping with you, I've enjoyed it very much. I'll be back on Monday so tell a friend. Be sure to hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "Welcome to the Working Week" by Elvis Costello, "My Aim is True," 1977. Drinks of Choice: A&W during the day, Tullamore Dew on ice by night. Let's please take 3 0f 4 at Washington.
Peace the F.
Webby
I was at a birthday gathering the other night at a bar in the suburbs. It was with a bunch of my girlfriend's friends, some I knew, most I did not. It was a decent time, I just kind of sat back and observed while sipping my usual. During my intense observation, I noticed that out of the twelve people that were there, eight of them had VISIBLE tattoos. 66.7%. I obviously didn't ask the other four if they had any tattoos themselves, but conservatively I'll figure that at least one of them had a tattoo that wasn't visible. So now we're at 75% of this little gathering having ink under their skin. Now this wasn't a Hell's Angels convention, and it wasn't an NBA roster either. (An NBA roster would have been 11 out of 12 minimum). This was a group of young professionals/students in their mid to late 20's out celebrating a birthday on a weeknight. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no prude. When I was 15 and just starting to get into playing music, I would tell anyone that would listen that as soon as I turned 18 I was getting a bunch of tattoos. In the many years that have followed, I still think about getting tattoos probably more than the average person does (of NON-tattoo'd skin). For whatever reason I've never pulled the trigger on this, but it all got me thinking. When did NOT having tattoos become MORE rebellious than having them? If everyone in my generation is getting tattoos, then they are no longer the cool outsider thing to do. Tattoos used to be reserved for bikers/rockers/sailors, etc., but now the entire "tattoo scene" has been hijacked by young professionals/athletes/stay at home moms:)/nuns, and secretaries. There are even something like five different tattoo based reality TV shows right now!
What's next? Since tattoos and piercings and hair dye are no longer "out of the norm," what are the ACTUAL outsiders going to come up with? How about skin bleaching? Wait, we've done that before. I've got an idea, how about suspending your body in mid air with meat hooks through your back and just hanging there? No, I saw that on "Real Sex" back in '97. I suppose that there is one thing we could do...We could actually THINK as outsiders. You know, be ORIGINAL. Outside of the box. Have a UNIQUE personality. Stand out with your BRAIN and your HEART, not just your outer appearance. Now THAT would be "out of the norm"...
No, that would never stick would it.
It's been a fun week rapping with you, I've enjoyed it very much. I'll be back on Monday so tell a friend. Be sure to hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "Welcome to the Working Week" by Elvis Costello, "My Aim is True," 1977. Drinks of Choice: A&W during the day, Tullamore Dew on ice by night. Let's please take 3 0f 4 at Washington.
Peace the F.
Webby
Thursday, July 16, 2009
You're Like a Big Bear with Claws and Fangs and She's Just a Little Bunny
Hello again, just trying to throw gasoline on the fire here. I received several emails/messages from people interested in recording so I appreciate those very much. We will be in touch very soon. I grinded out another song yesterday that I'm pretty proud of. It's funny how you can go months without writing anything that you're proud of and then all of a sudden in 10 days write some of the best stuff that has ever come out of you. Can't explain it, I'm just excited about it.
Over the weekend I was at Chicago Brahaus in Lincoln Square with some family and friends. We had a late dinner and then did some major drinking and dancing well into the morning. There were six of us, and if you've ever been to the Brahaus they have these huge tables that seat 9 or 10 people. So at our table we sat with these three Lithuanian guys who were probably in their late 20's. Each group kind of kept to themselves over dinner, but as the evening progressed and the 1 Liter German beers continued to flow, we all became one BIG group and it was a lot of fun. I got to talking with one of the three gentleman and he told me that he frequented the Brahaus often because he was quite fond of one of the servers there. So naturally I asked him if he'd asked her out? He just kind of put his head down and gave the universal "I'm too scared" symbol. It reminded me of this big spiel that a guy I know gave once, so I thought I'd pass the knowledge on to my new friend (and YOU in this blog :)
There is ONE key to getting the person of the opposite sex to like you. ONE. All of the other things that we do, we do them to gain this ONE key.
CONFIDENCE.
It sounds simple, even stupid. But hasn't keeping things simple worked for a long time? Why do guys buy nice cars? Confidence. Why do ladies spend hours in front of the mirror before they go out? Confidence. Why is every other commercial you here these days on TV/Radio about erection pills or size enhancement? Confidence. You can avoid all of this if you just have the confidence in the first place! It's like the movie "Swingers." Vince Vaughn's character gets all of the chicks because he's confident. When he walks into a room, people notice. Girls notice. And when they do notice, he's not scared to walk right up to them and start a conversation. On the other hand, John Favreau's character "Mike," was the exact opposite of confidence. Until the end of course, when he sucked it up and asked Heather Graham to dance. My friend gave this spiel long ago, and it's something that has stuck with me for a long time. Now my friends, I pass it along to you.
BTW, I'm not sure if my friend from the Brahaus ever approached his "Princess Waitress." I think she ended up being engaged (Got to watch for that left ring finger). But as Brad Pitt says in "Fight Club," "Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel's life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted." Well, maybe that's a bit much.
Thanks for hanging out, hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "La-Z-Boy 500" by The Falcon. Drinks of choice: Ice water, big day today.
Peace the F.
Webby
Over the weekend I was at Chicago Brahaus in Lincoln Square with some family and friends. We had a late dinner and then did some major drinking and dancing well into the morning. There were six of us, and if you've ever been to the Brahaus they have these huge tables that seat 9 or 10 people. So at our table we sat with these three Lithuanian guys who were probably in their late 20's. Each group kind of kept to themselves over dinner, but as the evening progressed and the 1 Liter German beers continued to flow, we all became one BIG group and it was a lot of fun. I got to talking with one of the three gentleman and he told me that he frequented the Brahaus often because he was quite fond of one of the servers there. So naturally I asked him if he'd asked her out? He just kind of put his head down and gave the universal "I'm too scared" symbol. It reminded me of this big spiel that a guy I know gave once, so I thought I'd pass the knowledge on to my new friend (and YOU in this blog :)
There is ONE key to getting the person of the opposite sex to like you. ONE. All of the other things that we do, we do them to gain this ONE key.
CONFIDENCE.
It sounds simple, even stupid. But hasn't keeping things simple worked for a long time? Why do guys buy nice cars? Confidence. Why do ladies spend hours in front of the mirror before they go out? Confidence. Why is every other commercial you here these days on TV/Radio about erection pills or size enhancement? Confidence. You can avoid all of this if you just have the confidence in the first place! It's like the movie "Swingers." Vince Vaughn's character gets all of the chicks because he's confident. When he walks into a room, people notice. Girls notice. And when they do notice, he's not scared to walk right up to them and start a conversation. On the other hand, John Favreau's character "Mike," was the exact opposite of confidence. Until the end of course, when he sucked it up and asked Heather Graham to dance. My friend gave this spiel long ago, and it's something that has stuck with me for a long time. Now my friends, I pass it along to you.
BTW, I'm not sure if my friend from the Brahaus ever approached his "Princess Waitress." I think she ended up being engaged (Got to watch for that left ring finger). But as Brad Pitt says in "Fight Club," "Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel's life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted." Well, maybe that's a bit much.
Thanks for hanging out, hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm listening to "La-Z-Boy 500" by The Falcon. Drinks of choice: Ice water, big day today.
Peace the F.
Webby
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Jesus Rowand
Hey, Hey. Is anyone else annoyed by people who take non-serious things WAY too seriously? This behavior stretches across all avenues but is bothersome to me all the same. When people feel the need to be offended by something just to show that they have liberal/progressive views, when in reality they're just grandstanding in front of a group of people trying to show them how much better they are...listen, you are NO dignified gallant. You are an asshole, and everybody hates you. How about people who read a stupid blog on the Internet (not unlike Webby Files) and dissect every line pointing out its flaws and shortcomings while professing some great truth on how they know more about situations that have nothing to do with them as opposed to the actual insider who went through it all. There's a place waiting for you... And on a smaller level (size is a matter of opinion I guess), the guys on 16 inch softball teams who slide cleats-up into a girl while wearing eye black, wristbands, high socks, and baseball pants. (Aaron Rowands). These people all have one thing in common. They take NON-serious things way too seriously...and probably have no interest in the opposite sex.
Speaking of softball, I play in a radio league on Tuesday nights with some friends "in the business" and we had another solid victory last night improving our record to 5-2. A very pedestrian 8-5 win over The Loop. I was a quiet 2 for 2 with a sac fly and 2 RBI's. I also slid into a girl at 2B cleats-up breaking up a double play, crashed into the wall in center while making a running catch, and then ran out of our dugout to argue with the umpire over the amount of pine tar on my bat. It was a quality Tuesday evening at the ballpark.
I watched about 3 innings of the All-Star game last night. How about those St. Louis Cardinals fans down there? What a bunch of enablers. Come on, first the love affair with McGwire, now Pujols? You don't think he's clean do you? I'd like to think that fans of certain players from the 90's wouldn't be fooled twice if they got another shot at a barbarian on their roster, but hey, the Cards fans have proved me wrong once again. I read recently that finally after 11 years they're considering the removal of the Mark McGwire Honorary Highway in downtown St. Louis. I'd be happy if they just got rid of that stupid "Big Mac" sign in the upper deck of left field. Pujols is by far the best player that I have ever seen, but that man looks "jacked up." I absolutely love the direction that baseball is going however. Slowly but surely, the baseball "athlete" is coming back. I plan on seeing a lot more Grady Sizemore/Hanley Ramirez/Dustin Pedroia, and a lot less David Ortiz/Manny Ramirez/Jim Thome. It's good for the game, me thinks.
It's been fun. Please hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm enjoying "Senor and the Queen" by The Gaslight Anthem. Quality. Drinks of Choice: It's sunny in Chicago, something Mexican. Tecate?
Peace the F.
Webby
Speaking of softball, I play in a radio league on Tuesday nights with some friends "in the business" and we had another solid victory last night improving our record to 5-2. A very pedestrian 8-5 win over The Loop. I was a quiet 2 for 2 with a sac fly and 2 RBI's. I also slid into a girl at 2B cleats-up breaking up a double play, crashed into the wall in center while making a running catch, and then ran out of our dugout to argue with the umpire over the amount of pine tar on my bat. It was a quality Tuesday evening at the ballpark.
I watched about 3 innings of the All-Star game last night. How about those St. Louis Cardinals fans down there? What a bunch of enablers. Come on, first the love affair with McGwire, now Pujols? You don't think he's clean do you? I'd like to think that fans of certain players from the 90's wouldn't be fooled twice if they got another shot at a barbarian on their roster, but hey, the Cards fans have proved me wrong once again. I read recently that finally after 11 years they're considering the removal of the Mark McGwire Honorary Highway in downtown St. Louis. I'd be happy if they just got rid of that stupid "Big Mac" sign in the upper deck of left field. Pujols is by far the best player that I have ever seen, but that man looks "jacked up." I absolutely love the direction that baseball is going however. Slowly but surely, the baseball "athlete" is coming back. I plan on seeing a lot more Grady Sizemore/Hanley Ramirez/Dustin Pedroia, and a lot less David Ortiz/Manny Ramirez/Jim Thome. It's good for the game, me thinks.
It's been fun. Please hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Right now I'm enjoying "Senor and the Queen" by The Gaslight Anthem. Quality. Drinks of Choice: It's sunny in Chicago, something Mexican. Tecate?
Peace the F.
Webby
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I'm on Fire
Good day. It's funny to me the kind of responses something as silly as a blog can get. I guess that's the point, you type some crap that's been swirling around in your head (mostly tongue in cheek for humor's sake) and then see what people think about it. Some people get it and think it's funny. Some people get it and think it's stupid (me). Some people just don't seem to get it at all and take real offense to it as if it was written in the Sunday Chicago Tribune. That's what is so great about the blogosphere, and part of the reason why newspapers are folding across this great land of ours. Anyone with a computer these days can just write whatever they want and anyone can read it and take what they want from it. After yesterday's entry: "It's Been a Month Y'all, Let's Rap" I received messages and comments that really had me chomping at the bit to get back in front of my trusty laptop and respond.
Isn't it strange how we all have opinions about people that we have never met? Whether they are athletes, celebrities, or even media people, as a society we love putting them in their place. I'm guilty of it, hell we all are. But I've always wondered why? For example: This whole Michael Jackson thing. I didn't watch 1 second of the funeral or any of that excess. It's just not for me. But my goodness, how could people be that upset about someone that they've never met? You knew him through your CD/Record player and that's it. As far as your CD/Record player is concerned, the King of Pop is still alive!!! You can pop that disc in any time you want and have the same relationship with MJ as you've ever had! Conversely, people loved piling on this guy as well. He's dead. You didn't know him. Move on with your life. You shouldn't have to pick a side on this issue and either be devastated because "Michael Jackson changed your life!" or spew hate towards the guy.
Now I would never call anyone in local or national media a celebrity (although a lot of them think that they are). YOU ARE NOT THE STORY. You report the story, or talk about the story or interview people who ARE involved in the story, but the story is NOT ABOUT YOU. The funny thing is... Am I wrong about this? Over the last 10-15 years it seems that media people ARE being viewed more and more as celebrities. I'm a big fan of score670.com. Most of you reading this blog are familiar with this site. If you're not, it's essentially a message board website devoted to Chicago sports media. Yes, people would rather talk about Chicago sports media members than actual Chicago sports! As a former member of the Chicago media (hopefully current member again soon :), I really enjoy this website. When I would do radio shows I could get instant feedback on what people liked/disliked about what I was doing. I truly value 99% of the opinions on that board. This brings me to some of the comments I've received on yesterday's blog entry.
Maybe I'm wrong (there's a good chance), but I've always thought that one of the most important traits a person could have is being "self aware." You know what I mean. We've all been at a party or gathering where there's always some guy that doesn't seem to know that everyone is making fun of him right in front of his face. Maybe he doesn't know when to shut up (let the game come to him), maybe his breath is unbearable, or maybe he's just making a fool out of himself...the problem is that he has NO idea that he's the butt of the joke. He's not self aware. I've always been sure to never be "that guy." Radio people are one of the worst groups of people at being self aware. If you ever have a conversation with a radio guy, be prepared to let them talk about themselves for a long period of time. That's who they are into. Themselves. A radio guy will talk about himself for an entire conversation and not even realize it. You'll just nod and smile over and over, and think to yourself, "man, this guy has NO idea that he's been talking about himself for the last 20 minutes." (I realize that a blog contains a lot of talking about yourself...Can't sneak anything by you.)
What I'm learning about blogging and even radio to a certain extent, is that it's 10 times as hard to be "self aware." I've never been called a douche by someone who's actually met me, I've never been the butt of a joke in person either, but over the Internet by people who have no idea who I am it happened in response to yesterday's entry. Over the airwaves it's a lot easier to tell if someone is being "tongue in cheek" with what they're saying. I get that. Everyone knows that you can't READ someones tone of voice, but I hope that people think that I'm smart enough to know that there are a lot of people who have lost their jobs, not just me. I'd also like to think that people are smart enough to know that staying at home and raising kids CAN be a full-time job. I've never done it, but I'm smart enough to know better. I find it hilarious that certain people think that I'm just drunk all day, and am not out trying to get back into the business, not that it's any of yours. But hey, I'm not mad at all. I'm just learning to be more "self aware" in the blogosphere. You Internet people are WAY ahead of me, but I'll catch up. I just appreciate the fact that you care about anything that I say enough to comment on it.
Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog.
Right now I'm enjoying Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire," -fantastic song by The Boss.
Drink of Choice: Can't drink, don't want to upset any internet folk :)
Peace the F.
Webby
Isn't it strange how we all have opinions about people that we have never met? Whether they are athletes, celebrities, or even media people, as a society we love putting them in their place. I'm guilty of it, hell we all are. But I've always wondered why? For example: This whole Michael Jackson thing. I didn't watch 1 second of the funeral or any of that excess. It's just not for me. But my goodness, how could people be that upset about someone that they've never met? You knew him through your CD/Record player and that's it. As far as your CD/Record player is concerned, the King of Pop is still alive!!! You can pop that disc in any time you want and have the same relationship with MJ as you've ever had! Conversely, people loved piling on this guy as well. He's dead. You didn't know him. Move on with your life. You shouldn't have to pick a side on this issue and either be devastated because "Michael Jackson changed your life!" or spew hate towards the guy.
Now I would never call anyone in local or national media a celebrity (although a lot of them think that they are). YOU ARE NOT THE STORY. You report the story, or talk about the story or interview people who ARE involved in the story, but the story is NOT ABOUT YOU. The funny thing is... Am I wrong about this? Over the last 10-15 years it seems that media people ARE being viewed more and more as celebrities. I'm a big fan of score670.com. Most of you reading this blog are familiar with this site. If you're not, it's essentially a message board website devoted to Chicago sports media. Yes, people would rather talk about Chicago sports media members than actual Chicago sports! As a former member of the Chicago media (hopefully current member again soon :), I really enjoy this website. When I would do radio shows I could get instant feedback on what people liked/disliked about what I was doing. I truly value 99% of the opinions on that board. This brings me to some of the comments I've received on yesterday's blog entry.
Maybe I'm wrong (there's a good chance), but I've always thought that one of the most important traits a person could have is being "self aware." You know what I mean. We've all been at a party or gathering where there's always some guy that doesn't seem to know that everyone is making fun of him right in front of his face. Maybe he doesn't know when to shut up (let the game come to him), maybe his breath is unbearable, or maybe he's just making a fool out of himself...the problem is that he has NO idea that he's the butt of the joke. He's not self aware. I've always been sure to never be "that guy." Radio people are one of the worst groups of people at being self aware. If you ever have a conversation with a radio guy, be prepared to let them talk about themselves for a long period of time. That's who they are into. Themselves. A radio guy will talk about himself for an entire conversation and not even realize it. You'll just nod and smile over and over, and think to yourself, "man, this guy has NO idea that he's been talking about himself for the last 20 minutes." (I realize that a blog contains a lot of talking about yourself...Can't sneak anything by you.)
What I'm learning about blogging and even radio to a certain extent, is that it's 10 times as hard to be "self aware." I've never been called a douche by someone who's actually met me, I've never been the butt of a joke in person either, but over the Internet by people who have no idea who I am it happened in response to yesterday's entry. Over the airwaves it's a lot easier to tell if someone is being "tongue in cheek" with what they're saying. I get that. Everyone knows that you can't READ someones tone of voice, but I hope that people think that I'm smart enough to know that there are a lot of people who have lost their jobs, not just me. I'd also like to think that people are smart enough to know that staying at home and raising kids CAN be a full-time job. I've never done it, but I'm smart enough to know better. I find it hilarious that certain people think that I'm just drunk all day, and am not out trying to get back into the business, not that it's any of yours. But hey, I'm not mad at all. I'm just learning to be more "self aware" in the blogosphere. You Internet people are WAY ahead of me, but I'll catch up. I just appreciate the fact that you care about anything that I say enough to comment on it.
Hit me up on facebook or in the comments section of this blog.
Right now I'm enjoying Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire," -fantastic song by The Boss.
Drink of Choice: Can't drink, don't want to upset any internet folk :)
Peace the F.
Webby
Monday, July 13, 2009
It's been a month y'all, Let's rap
Hello friends...last I spoke with you I poured all of my thoughts out on the CSWebio.com fiasco that really kicked me in the sack region and has me spending a lot of time at home during the middle of the day. Nearly a month has passed, so I decided it's time for an update. Now, my ego is not quite big enough for me to think that you reading this cares too much about what's going on in the day to day happenings of one Matt Weber, but at least it gives me something to do in the afternoons and I can vent a little bit on the shit that's going on in what you people call the "real world." So as some famous guy would say..."Sit back, relax, and..." I can't remember.
I've had a job since I was 14 years old. That means for nearly twelve years I've felt that overwhelming sense of depression that engulfs you...you know what I'm talking about. It's usually on a Sunday evening, right about when the show "60 Minutes" comes on. Oh yeah. Just thinking about it is making you sick isn't it? It's when you realize that the weekend is over, and it's back to that repetitive shit hole that we call "work." Everyone has felt it before, most people feel it their entire lives. Whenever anyone asks me, "So, is there a positive that has come out of you losing your job and that whole situation?" That's my answer. I never feel that sense of dread on Sunday evenings after a great weekend that I'm sure you'll be feeling. The problem is (and all of you unemployed people reading this know what I'm talking about), you feel that dread Monday thru Friday from 9am to 5pm.
I've been staying with my girlfriend since all of this went down. She lives in Villa Park (west suburbs) and it's been kind of nice just getting away for a bit. She pays for the groceries and it's allowing me to kind of stay afloat until I land back on my feet. Naturally, I try to help out around the house in return, but guys: if you've ever wondered what it feels like to NOT be the man in you're relationship...lose your job. You may as well completely remove your genitalia and just follow your significant other around. And it's not her fault, but that's just the way it is until you start bringing money back in. Don't have any opinions, don't give any input, just quietly agree to do whatever she asks and be sure to NOT do all of the annoying shit that you used to do to piss her off (but made you a man) because you've got NO legs to stand on. I make the bed everyday (I had never made a bed in my life), I clean around the house including: dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc. (please kill me), and I cook every night unless SHE wants to go out for dinner (I order a salad). What have I learned? Housewives have it easy as shit. Don't ever let a stay at home mom tell you that what she does everyday is a job. Housework is not a job. That shit is easy as hell.
Growing up I was always into music. Now, whenever you ask somebody that you're on a date with, "So, what are your interests?" Inevitably they'll answer, "Music", at least in their top 5 responses. I know everyone likes music, but I loved music. If you truly LOVE music, then you don't like what's played on Top 40 Radio. Also, you're always embarrassed when people talk about the stuff that they're into, because you've never heard of it. POP music isn't popular to someone who is actually into music. When people say that they love rap, rock, country, or r&b, yet they list artists such as Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Chesney or Mary J. Blige. Then they don't like any of those genres...they simply like POP. Example: You ask somebody,"So, what's your favorite kind of music?" And they say, "Rock & Roll" and you say, "What's your favorite bands?" and they reply, "Daughtry, Disturbed, Nickelback and 3 Doors Down." That shit isn't rock and roll. There's nothing rebellious, or original, or daring about any of those bands. That garbage is pumped out by music factories and on to the radio stations for all of the un-rebellious, un-original and un-daring to enjoy. And they do, but don't let them tell you that they truly LOVE music. I digress. So I was deeply into music and played in a lot of bands. We did some traveling and had a lot of fun, but didn't make much money and ended up going to school/work and gave up on the dream. (BTW, we played all original songs...if you want to know how I feel about most cover bands, read how I feel about Top 40 Music again.) I've never lost that desire to do music though. I used to play bass and sing, but now I pretty much just write songs on acoustic guitar. I've been doing a lot of that lately, and last week I wrote three songs that I'm really proud of. I think I'm going to take advantage of this free time and do some more writing and then record them. Maybe I'll play some shows. If anyone is into recording or knows of some good studio prices, email me. I'm very interested.
Well, I've done a lot of rambling but I've had a good time writing this. I think I've pretty much summed up what I've been doing for the past month or so. A lot of cleaning, being void of a nutsack, playing songs...all with a tinge of alcohol. I think I'm going to try and write at least 3 times a week, so if you've enjoyed any of this, tell a friend.
Today I've been listening to the new split EP by Brian Fallon and Chuck Ragan. It's fairly great. My drinks of choice: Miller High Life, ice cold in a bottle with a shot of Tullamore Dew Whiskey. It's the all-star break, so I'll dive deep into sports in the next entry. Contact me on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Peace The F.
Webby
I've had a job since I was 14 years old. That means for nearly twelve years I've felt that overwhelming sense of depression that engulfs you...you know what I'm talking about. It's usually on a Sunday evening, right about when the show "60 Minutes" comes on. Oh yeah. Just thinking about it is making you sick isn't it? It's when you realize that the weekend is over, and it's back to that repetitive shit hole that we call "work." Everyone has felt it before, most people feel it their entire lives. Whenever anyone asks me, "So, is there a positive that has come out of you losing your job and that whole situation?" That's my answer. I never feel that sense of dread on Sunday evenings after a great weekend that I'm sure you'll be feeling. The problem is (and all of you unemployed people reading this know what I'm talking about), you feel that dread Monday thru Friday from 9am to 5pm.
I've been staying with my girlfriend since all of this went down. She lives in Villa Park (west suburbs) and it's been kind of nice just getting away for a bit. She pays for the groceries and it's allowing me to kind of stay afloat until I land back on my feet. Naturally, I try to help out around the house in return, but guys: if you've ever wondered what it feels like to NOT be the man in you're relationship...lose your job. You may as well completely remove your genitalia and just follow your significant other around. And it's not her fault, but that's just the way it is until you start bringing money back in. Don't have any opinions, don't give any input, just quietly agree to do whatever she asks and be sure to NOT do all of the annoying shit that you used to do to piss her off (but made you a man) because you've got NO legs to stand on. I make the bed everyday (I had never made a bed in my life), I clean around the house including: dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc. (please kill me), and I cook every night unless SHE wants to go out for dinner (I order a salad). What have I learned? Housewives have it easy as shit. Don't ever let a stay at home mom tell you that what she does everyday is a job. Housework is not a job. That shit is easy as hell.
Growing up I was always into music. Now, whenever you ask somebody that you're on a date with, "So, what are your interests?" Inevitably they'll answer, "Music", at least in their top 5 responses. I know everyone likes music, but I loved music. If you truly LOVE music, then you don't like what's played on Top 40 Radio. Also, you're always embarrassed when people talk about the stuff that they're into, because you've never heard of it. POP music isn't popular to someone who is actually into music. When people say that they love rap, rock, country, or r&b, yet they list artists such as Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Chesney or Mary J. Blige. Then they don't like any of those genres...they simply like POP. Example: You ask somebody,"So, what's your favorite kind of music?" And they say, "Rock & Roll" and you say, "What's your favorite bands?" and they reply, "Daughtry, Disturbed, Nickelback and 3 Doors Down." That shit isn't rock and roll. There's nothing rebellious, or original, or daring about any of those bands. That garbage is pumped out by music factories and on to the radio stations for all of the un-rebellious, un-original and un-daring to enjoy. And they do, but don't let them tell you that they truly LOVE music. I digress. So I was deeply into music and played in a lot of bands. We did some traveling and had a lot of fun, but didn't make much money and ended up going to school/work and gave up on the dream. (BTW, we played all original songs...if you want to know how I feel about most cover bands, read how I feel about Top 40 Music again.) I've never lost that desire to do music though. I used to play bass and sing, but now I pretty much just write songs on acoustic guitar. I've been doing a lot of that lately, and last week I wrote three songs that I'm really proud of. I think I'm going to take advantage of this free time and do some more writing and then record them. Maybe I'll play some shows. If anyone is into recording or knows of some good studio prices, email me. I'm very interested.
Well, I've done a lot of rambling but I've had a good time writing this. I think I've pretty much summed up what I've been doing for the past month or so. A lot of cleaning, being void of a nutsack, playing songs...all with a tinge of alcohol. I think I'm going to try and write at least 3 times a week, so if you've enjoyed any of this, tell a friend.
Today I've been listening to the new split EP by Brian Fallon and Chuck Ragan. It's fairly great. My drinks of choice: Miller High Life, ice cold in a bottle with a shot of Tullamore Dew Whiskey. It's the all-star break, so I'll dive deep into sports in the next entry. Contact me on facebook or in the comments section of this blog. Peace The F.
Webby
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