Sweet Home Chicago

A lot of people seem to think that Chicago is the only city in Illinois, so this is a tongue-in-cheek blog title. One of my best friends still believes that I am from the City of Big Shoulders, so now I just nod my head in agreement because if he hasn't gotten it by now, he's never going to figure it out... Anyway, this weekend was the final showdown of the year between the Cubs and the White Sox. Believe it or not, the Cubbies managed to win 2 out of 3 at The Cell (what an appropriate nickname for that concrete dump they call a ballpark). Mark Prior made his first start since he almost had his pitching arm knocked off at the game I attended on May 27. He was brilliant and only allowed 1 hit through 6 innings. Now these are the kinds of performances we need from our ballclub if we intend to fight for the Wild Card. However, I'm going to try to keep a level head this time and not be fooled by this rare display of sparkling play. It would be in character for me to get overly optimistic and think that the Cubbies are back in contention. But this time, I'm going to try to maintain an even keel and maybe I will be pleasantly surprised instead of devastated later. Only time will tell which Cubs are the real deal in 2005- the ones who won 7 in a row at the beginning of June or the guys who got swept by the Yankees last weekend.

By the way, I wanted to give a shoutout to my friend Maria's Florida Gators who made it to the College World Series Championship Series. There's nothing to hang your head about- your boys are considered the 2nd best team in the entire nation. They played their hearts out and hopefully today's loss is just the motivation they need to make it back to Omaha next year. GO GATORS in '06!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me

As you all know, I'm a very easygoing gal for the most part but even I have a few pet peeves. One of those things that really annoys me is when people do not return my phone calls. Now I realize that we're all busy and I don't expect you to be at my beck and call. However, I do expect everyone to follow the rules of common courtesy. And by the way, dialing me up but not leaving a message on my voice mail counts as a non-call... Sorry to vent but I guess I just expect a little more out of those whom I consider to be a friend. Don't get on my bad side because you know what the astrologers say about Libras-- we have an iron fist under that satin glove. ;)

Maybe I'm just fired up today because the Cubbies got swept by the Yankees this weekend. Guess it was time for their annual June swoon... I'm expecting to hear some gloating from one of my NY pals. Let's hope they can get back on track tonight vs. the Brewers because the Cardinals can't seem to lose.

Batter up!

Today is a big day for baseball fans. This afternoon, the College World Series begins (or as I like to call it, the only reason anyone would ever want to go to Omaha). It should be very exciting because there are a lot of new faces this year. I'm rooting for Florida since my friend Maria used to work there and knows some of the guys on the team. GO GATORS!

As if that wasn't already enough excitement, we can watch the Cubs play the Yankees tonight in Yankee Stadium for the first time since 1938. I'm really looking forward to this series because I think the Cubbies are actually better than the Bronx Bombers right now. After living in New York for 3 years, I have grown to hate the Yankees and their cocky, obnoxious fans. GO CUBS GO!

Carolina on my mind

I'm off to Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday for my annual athletic academic advising conference. It's going to be a welcome break from the office and a chance to reconnect with old friends. The N4A Conference always energizes me because I get to meet new people and learn new things. Hopefully I will have a chance to check out the sights (and by sights I mean hot men because I hear there are lots of them in the area- BONUS!). Much love to my readers- hope you're having a great day! Mine will improve tremendously if the Cubbies can manage to beat the Blue Jays this afternoon. GO CUBS!

The Cubbies are rockin'/ Vacation, all I ever wanted

I guess all the Cubs needed to start a winning streak was for the V family to visit Wrigley Field. Since we attended Friday's game in Chicago, the Cubbies have won 5 in a row. We had a great time at the game since the Cubs pounded the Rockies 10-3. However, we definitely could have done without the line drive hitting Mark Prior's elbow. The boys in blue can't seem to escape the injury bug, yet they are still hanging in there. Good luck tonight vs. the Dodgers!

As for my vacation wrap-up, I had a wonderful time at home and I can't wait to go back in July. In addition to the Buble' concert and Cubs game, I also saw "Revenge of the Sith" and played some mini-golf. Dad and I enjoyed some competitive games of baseball on Brian's Playstation 2. Kelly and I did some quality shopping and karaoke. Mom was entertaining as always and kept us stuffed with delicious and nutritious meals. Our poor dog, Geoffrey, is depressed now that we have all left but I'm sure he will be back to his ornery self in no time.