Guess we can rule out My Big, Fat, Greek Idol...

Well America, you've managed to screw up American Idol again and vote off the entertaining Constantine. Granted, his performance of "How You Remind Me" was a little rough on the vocals, but he could sing the alphabet and still have more stage presence than Anthony. What kind of a guy chooses Celene Dion when you have your pick of any song in the new millenium? And don't even get me started on Scott. I want the names and phone numbers of the aurally challenged viewers who keep voting for this loser so I can talk some sense into them. The show becomes a joke when you let contestants with no talent stay on this long. Luckily, Mr. Maroulis' band already landed a contract this week anyway. Rock on, Constantine!

Derrek Lee & Corey P. are my heroes!

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! The Cubbies fight back from a 6-1 deficit in the 3rd to win 8-7. Derrek Lee hit 2 bombs (and went 4-4 with 6 RBI) while Corey Patterson hit a walk-off in the bottom of the 9th. Now I have bragging rights in the office since my Cubs beat the boss man's Reds. Holy cow! I feel like doing a little victory dance right now but that might not be good for my job security. Let's hope my joyous mood will continue past 8:30 pm when Scotty the Body is finally kicked off of American Idol (keep those fingers crossed America!).

Nomar and Anwar's worst Wednesday ever

April 20, 2005 is a day that will live in infamy for Nomar Garciaparra and Anwar Robinson. Poor Nomar landed in a heap at home plate after tearing his groin in the evil lair known as Busch Stadium. He will be out at least 2-3 months and possibly the entire season. Who will pick up the offensive slack for the Cubs? That's a good question and Jim Hendry had better find the answer quickly. As for Anwar, he was voted off of Idol this week, inexplicably leaving Scott and Anthony in the competition. I'm seriously starting to wonder if America is tone deaf. Although Anwar was certainly not going to win, he sure sounded a heck of a lot better than anyone else in the bottom three. Here's to a speedy recovery for Nomar and a bright future for Anwar.

"I f-in' love winnin', man. You know, it's like better than losin'."

No truer words have been spoken, Nuke LaLoosh. Today was a beautiful day for my ballclubs as the Tigers finally broke out of their 11-game losing streak and beat TCU 6-5 in 10 innings. Thanks for the walk-off homer, Cory! The Cubbies also defeated the Pirates 4-2 to take the series. Congrats to Derrek Lee on getting off to such a hot start. What a great way to celebrate my half-birthday! ;) Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend. You couldn't ask for nicer weather than we have here in Memphis right now- sunny and in the low 80's. Let's hope both the Tigers and Cubs continue their winning ways. Good luck this week, boys!

Am I missing something?

How in the world did Scotty the Body survive another week on American Idol while funky Nadia got kicked off? Now I realize no one had ever heard of the song she sang this week, but at least she can sing in tune. And why oh why was Bo in the bottom two? That is ludacris, America. Let's get it right next week and vote for the BEST singers, not the ones we feel sorry for.

In Cubs news, Mark Prior pitched a heck of a game yesterday. I'm really impressed with the way that he shut down the Padres offense and made it through the whole game without losing any body parts. The Cubbies have a tough 7-game road trip starting tomorrow and everyone needs to step up. With any luck, they should be able to sweep the Pirates and at least split with the Reds and Cards.

"Here's to you, Men in Blue, you're the cream of the crop. You're a team built on dreams, you'll go right to the top. And as sure as there's ivy on the centerfield wall, the Men in Blue are gonna win it all!"

Two out of three ain't bad

I'd like to congratulate the Cubbies on taking 2 out of 3 from the Brewers. They really bounced back after blowing Friday's game with 2 outs in the 9th. Carlos Zambrano continues to impress and cement his status as the true ace of the staff. The bullpen still needs a lot of work, but they've managed to stay afloat. Although Greg Maddux has gotten off to a slow start, I don't think we need to worry about the future Hall of Famer. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Mark Prior can actually pitch tomorrow and that Todd Walker's knee isn't blown out. Good luck today vs. the Padres! I'll never forgive those (insert any four-letter word here) for 1984, so let's annihilate them! GO CUBS!!!

Help Wanted at Wrigley Field

Here's the ad that should run in the Chicago Tribune:

Help Wanted: A reliable closer for the Chicago National League Ballclub. Must be able to hold 1-run leads, talk to the media when necessary, and be cordial to umpires.

A second position for a manager who knows when to remove pitchers from a ballgame when they have nothing left in the tank may also soon be available.

Clean out your ears, America!

How in the world was Vonzell in the bottom three on American Idol last night? All I can figure is that some of the voters are suffering from wax buildup because there's no way that Nikko should have been voted off before Scott or Anthony. I don't know how many more weeks I can take of those two warblers. Let's hope Q-Tip sales go up and they are soon put out of their (our?) misery.

As for the Cubbies, they are off to a disappointing 1-2 start. Now I realize we don't have our rotation set up the way we would like yet, but shouldn't we be able to beat the Diamondbacks regardless? I don't think that Ryan Dempster is the answer for our 5th starter. Perhaps we shouldn't have sent Matt Clement packing without a suitable replacement. And so far, other than in the first game, I'm not too impressed with our hitting. Hopefully the boys in blue will get it together by the home opener tomorrow. Ryno is throwing out the first pitch and singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ron Santo, so it should be a good game.

"Wind's blowin' out, wind's blowin' in. Whichever way it's blowin', the Cubs are gonna win!"

So much for my happy ending...

I hate to quote pseudo punk rocker Avril Lavigne, but the song does fit in this case. The Illini came up a bit short last night, losing to UNC 75-70. However, I am very proud of them for fighting back to tie the game after being down 15 points early in the second half. You certainly can't complain when your team goes 37-2, but it sure would have been nice to win a national championship. I guess the good news is that apparently the apocalypse is still a little while off. HA HA! And on a brighter note, the Cubs did clobber the D-Backs 16-6. Now I can focus all of my energy on root, root, rooting for the Cubbies.

"GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!"

We're loyal to you, Illinois

We're Orange and Blue, Illinois. We'll back you to stand against the best in the land...

My Alma Mater is going to the finals for the first time, baby! I couldn't be any prouder to be an Illinois alum. What a team! Monday just might be the best day ever because not only are the Illini playing for a national championship, but it's also the Cubs' first game of the year. Could 2005 be the year for Illinois sports? Guess we better start looking out for locusts. HA HA!

Today has been a great day. I found lots of fantastic stuff at the mall, including 3 spring outfits and a pair of dress shoes. With all the team banquets coming up, I've got to look my best. I also picked up some new perfume, candles, and bubble bath. It looks like I'm all set for a spring fling- all I'm missing is the man. ;)