What is on Nick's Mind

Three topics that are on Nick’s mind.

Newspapers

I have mixed emotions about Jay Marroitti leaving the Sun Times. On the one hand I, like most of Chicago thought he was a smarmy ass, who only spouted knee jerk reactions. He was a human fire alarm who consistently flip flopped on his opinions. On the other hand, I must admit I did read his column.

It was rare I agreed with him. But, one thing you can not accuse of Marrotti of is not having an opinion. Sure, it was often in my mind mis-guided but he got you talking, which is one of the best things you can say about a sports columnist. He is far better then the vanilla Rick Telender who is so boring you need a Red Bull and a hit of Ecstasy just to read him.

His reasons for leaving, I do agree with. The newspaper business is a sinking ship and he wants to head off like so many others into the cyber world. That makes me sad. I still love reading the newspaper. Listen, I am not one of these anti-technology stuck in the 50’s old men. I make my living based on technological advances. But, there are some things that sadly are becoming less relevant and the newspaper is one of them.

I know younger kids just don’t read the paper. They didn’t grow up with it like I did. I buy the paper every day, even when I am on vacation. I will usually buy one no matter what town I am in. I have some deep seeded need to be wired into the world. I could not imagine a morning train ride without a Sun Times. It is what makes life worth living.

I hope for no other reason the medium survives. Sure it has to change, and I in no way have the answer. All I do know is it will be a real pain in the ass to lug a laptop into the bathroom when I want to read something when I am on the throne.

Instant Replay

I am in the vast minority I know, but I do not like baseball going to instant replay. I understand the need to get the call right. I also realize it is only for home run calls (for now.) However, has anyone seen how bad instant replay is in football?

Half the time even with replay the refs still get the call wrong. Now, baseball is going to have an umpire leave the field, call into some office in New York to get the right call on a home run. I have said this numerous times but bears repeating, baseball and football are different sports. If you have an interruption of that amount of time in football, no big deal. In baseball when you have a pitcher sitting on the mound for ten minutes trying to decide a call he can start to stiffen up. (Baseball is also very much a flow and momentum game. Anyone that tells you different has never played.)

And we all know that certain managers are going to take advantage of that. (Hello, Tony La Russa.) Somehow the game has survived nearly 150 years without instant replay. But, because we had a couple of missed calls earlier this year, the knee jerk reactionary commissioner, predictably over reacted and instituted this nonsense in the middle of a season. Even, if let’s say you want instant replay why institute it in season? Was this such a problem that we couldn’t wait until next April? We could have tested it in spring training and worked out any glitches. (And trust me their will be glitches.)

In a 162 game season, each game is as important as the next. So, the ones in May are just as important as the ones in September. By having instant replay instituted in the middle of the season, it does not allow for the delicate balance that is baseball. In a long season breaks tend to even out. You get a call in May, and the logic is that one will go against you in somewhere down the road. (That is unless you were the 2005 White Sox.)

I agree with the thought behind instant replay. I just don’t think that the solution that baseball has come up with is the one that is going to fix a problem that was severely overblown in the first place.

Obama is not a Cub Fan

I am still going to vote for the guy but was he way off base in his comments concerning Cub fans. I don’t want to mis-quote the guy, so here is what he said when he was discussing the two teams in Chicago. “You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball. Southside”

That is such old thinking and is from someone who hasn’t stepped foot inside Wrigley field in years. Yes, there is a part of Cub nation that goes just to drink and be seen. And from someone who has been to so many games this year that I have lost count, I would put that minority of fans at about 5%. (And I am not going to apologize if some Cub fans are good looking and dress nice.)

The 2003 season changed Cub fans. The bar has been raised and the fans are more into a game at Wrigley then any other park I’ve been to in the last ten years and that includes the Cell. We don’t need fan o’meters to tell us when to cheer. We don’t need a kiss cam or a fundamentals section to get fannies in the seats. Every time a pitcher gets two strikes on a batter the fans all start clapping. They are into each pitch and have not been shy in voicing their displeasure.

Like I said, I still like Obama and am still going to vote for him. He is just voicing the same old recycled rhetoric that Sox fans have been regurgitating at nausea forever. The reason they do so is simple. It is nothing more then jealousy which a World Championship should have cured. But, I now realize they will always fell inferior and I guess I understand why. I invite all Sox fans to attend at least one game at Wrigley before making their baseless assumptions. I mean I could make the assumption that all fans at the Cell are angry, bitter drunks who talk like sailors and can’t handle their booze. But, I know that is not the case because I have actually been to the park in the last decade.

An Interview with Joe Francone

It is funny what you will find when you decide to do some cleaning. A couple of months ago while cleaning out a closet I came across an old box. In that box, was a green folder which contained a 7^th grade Social Studies project I had completed. When I was a fresh faced lad back in 1981 attending Wilkins Jr. High School, our social studies teacher, Mr. Kurivial gave us a class project. (By the way this was the same teacher that would be the Dungeon Master for all us geeks who played Dungeon and Dragons after school.)

The project was about studying your heritage. Since mine was Italian, I was charged with creating one about my Dago bloodlines. In this folder, was a family tree, a recipe for my Mom’s lasagna, and a couple of paragraphs about famous Italians (I listed, Joe DiMaggio, Al Pacino and Mario Lanza for some reason.) I also was charged with interviewing an older family member. And I chose to interview my Grandfather.

Reading that interview was a bit jarring at first. My Grandfather died six years ago. So, reading what an 11 year old Nick would ask him, and reading his answers was very interesting to me. I still miss the guy at every family gathering I attend. But, when I was reading this I was able to close my eyes and hear his voice like it was yesterday.

Here I will transcribe the all too brief interview. Remember I was eleven years old and was no Geraldo Rivera at the time. (Also, if anyone wants my Mom’s lasagna recipe let me know.)

Nick: How old were you when you left Italy?

Grandpa Joe: I was seven years old.

Nick: What city did you leave?

Grandpa Joe: Bitritto City, Italy.

Nick: What did it feel like to leave?

Grandpa Joe: Although I was only 7, I went to school up to 2^nd grade. But I did not have much time to get used to what was going on.

Nick: What ship did you come on?

Grandpa Joe: The S.S. Luciana

Nick: How did it feel to be coming to a strange land?

Grandpa Joe: It was strange the first few days, but after awhile I loved it.

Nick: Did you speak English, how did you communicate?

Grandpa Joe: No, but in one month I learned the language well enough to communicate.

Nick: What was the first school you went to in America?

Grandpa Joe: The George Washington School on Grand and Morgan.

Nick: How did you like it?

Grandpa Joe: I found it interesting.

Nick: Did you get along with other kids?

Grandpa Joe: Fantastically

Nick: As a child did you miss Italy?

Grandpa Joe: For the first year I was kind of homesick.

Nick: What was your first job?

Grandpa Joe: I worked in a car wash.

Nick: Were you in a war?

Grandpa Joe: Yes, World War II. I was in France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Panama City, and the Philippines.

Nick: When did you meet your wife?

Grandpa Joe: Through a cousin of mine, Vito. I met Rita and got married after I was discharged.

Nick: When and how did you get your present job?

Grandpa Joe: Sept. 15, 1946. My Brother-in-law brought me there.

Nick: Do you enjoy your work?

Grandpa Joe: Yes, I like being a truck driver for J.C. Deacon Plywood.

Nick: Do you have any desire to return to Italy?

Grandpa Joe: Yes and I am going to see the house I was born in.

Nick: Do you still have relatives in Italy?

Grandpa Joe: Yes, I have Aunts.

Nick: Do you wonder how they are?

Grandpa Joe: Very much.

Nick: Do you keep in touch?

Grandpa Joe: I wrote them but never heard back.

So there it is. It was surprising not to hear some no shits in there. (One on my grandpa’s nicknames was No Shit Joe. He would say something like, Hey, I just bought a new Granada, no shit.) I spent a lot of time in my younger days at my grandparent’s house and I got to spend a lot of time with both my grandmother and grandfather.

For that I am grateful. I got to know both of them. My grandfather was as deaf as Marlee Matlin. I can still think back to him falling asleep to the radio tuned to talk radio or some oldies station (I can recall the first time I heard the Ink Spots, Java Jive and my brother and I laughing our asses off when we heard it) at a decibel level louder then a space launch. He was always full of life and absolutely knew no strangers. You met him once and he made you feel like he knew you his whole life. Most everyone I knew that ever meet him, loved him. You just could not help yourself.

2008 NFL Picks

I am no football expert and this year in particular I have paid very little attention to the pigskin. And I am so sick of the Favre nonsense that it makes me care even less. Still, I will again go out there and make some bold predictions about the upcoming NFL season.

AFC

East

1. New England

2. NY Jets

3 Buffalo

4. Miami

The Patriot’s should roll in this weak division. They have a chip on their shoulder and should win easily. The Jets have Favre, that’s great, but the rest of the team still reeks. The Bills well, are the Bills. Maybe if Trent Edwards figures it out they finish 2^nd. The Dolphins are still bad and it will take Parcels more then a year to turn around this turd of a team.

North

1. Pittsburgh

2. Cleveland

3. Cincinnati

4. Baltimore

The Steelers are still good, but not unbeatable. Still they have enough to win this one. I almost picked the Browns and if they get the running game going and improve their D just a little bit, they will win it. The Bengals can score but can’t stop anything. The Ravens are a mess on offense which a good D won’t be able to bail out.

South

1. Indianapolis

2. Houston

3. Jacksonville

4. Tennessee

The Colts should win yet another division title. They are still a very good team which is kind of flying under the radar. The Texans are my surprise pick in the AFC. They were decent last year and I think they take a step up this season. The Jag’s are good, but I still don’t trust Garrard. I still don’t know how the Titans made the playoffs last year. Jeff Fisher is the most under rated coach in football.

West

1. San Diego

2. Denver

3. Oakland

4. Kansas City

The Chargers were very close last year against New England. They are good and I think could be even better then they were last year. The Broncos are bad but so is the rest of the division. My Raiders are still re-building but there is at long last light at the end of the tunnel. The Chiefs better hope Larry Johnson has a bounce back year or they are toast.

NFC

East

1. Dallas

2. NY Giants

3. Washington

4. Philadelphia

This is a very good division top to bottom that I think the Cowboys still will win. They have the most talent and a chip on their shoulder after last year’s playoff choke job. The Giants got hot at the right time last year, and will still be good. The Redskins are a curious team. I do not get the Jim Zorn hiring. The Eagles are not bad but, in a tough division finish last.

North

1. Minnesota

2. Green Bay

3. Chicago

4. Detroit

The Vikings are very good other then at Quarterback. Still in this pillow fight of a race they will figure out a way to win 9 games and win the division. The Packers have talent but the QB situation may come back and bite them in the ass. The Bears have a good D, but the other side of the ball is a joke. The Lions are as usual bad.

South

1. New Orleans

2. Carolina

3. Tampa Bay

4. Atlanta

The Saints had a bad year in 2007. But, they will be a very good team in 08. The Panthers could surprise but are off to a bad start with the Steve Smith incident. The Buc’s were a fluke last year and I don’t see them repeating their success. The Falcons owe Michael Vick a huge middle finger salute. They are going to be very bad.

West

1. Arizona

2. Seattle

3. San Francisco

4. St. Louis

Maybe I was a year early in my Cardinal love. I will pick them again as I think they have a good team. The Seahawks are still good but are getting old. The Niner’s need Alex Smith to figure it out. If he does they will be good. The Rams can still score but that D is still bad.

Playoffs

AFC Seeding

1. New England

2. San Diego

3 Indianapolis

4. Pittsburgh

5. Cleveland

6. Houston

Indy over Houston

Cleveland over Pittsburgh

New England over Cleveland

San Diego over Indy

San Diego over New England

NFC Seedings

1. Dallas

2. New Orleans

3. Arizona

4. Minnesota

5. NY Giants

6. Carolina

Carolina over Arizona

NY Giants over Minnesota

Dallas over Carolina

New Orleans over NY Giants

Dallas over New Orleans

Superbowl

San Diego over Dallas

The Year of the bat

This summer is being hailed as the summer of Batman and that may very well be true. I’ve seen the Dark Night and it has surpassed Spiderman as the best superhero movie I have ever seen. With that said, I had my own Batman Summer. Only it was in 1989.

In early 89 you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing someone wearing a Batman shirt. The buzz surrounding Burton’s Batman release was everywhere. Well, at least it was in the geek community of which I and my posse where members in good standing in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. I still remember the release date. June 23^rd 1989. It was easy to remember as it coincided with my 20^th birthday.

My friends and I made a pact to see the movie ten times that summer. In retrospect of course the Burton film is no where near the cinematic accomplishment of the Nolan films. Still we didn’t know any better and at the time we all liked the movie. Obviously, Jack Nicholson’s performance went a long way to the enjoyment of that film. His absence in the subsequent sequels was sorely missed.

We all headed out the night before the opening of the O.G. Batman to a special showing they were having at Chicago Ridge Mall. I had to work that night, so my friend Paul got me a ticket and dropped it off for me at Kmart. I got to the theater and my click had saved me a seat. It was perfect as I walked in about five minutes before the movie started. The theatre was electric that night in anticipation of the film, with fellow movie and comic book nerds filling the theater.

We were destined to like it. I, like most of my friends grew up with the campy Adam West 1960’s television series and became a Batman fan because of it. As a little kid there was nothing better then that show. It had cool villains, (like Vincent Price as Egg Head) complete cheese ball dialogue and those classic captions when fights erupted. As a matter of fact I was watching that show in 1977 when they broke in and announced that Elvis Presley had died.

As that summer of 1989 progressed we kept going to see it. We saw it the day after the premiere at Ford City. We saw it in Orland. We saw it at the dollar theatre, a couple of times. And then we saw it a couple of more at the drive inn on Columbus Drive. I bought a Batman shirt and wore it proudly all summer. (Sometimes, I sit and wonder how I ever got laid.) All told we saw that movie close to our intended ten viewings. I was such a geek about it I bought the long forgotten and infrequently played Batman soundtrack that Prince laid down.

The subsequent sequels all sucked. Batman II is unwatchable it is so bad. They hooked me to the theatre one more time for the third installment and all I need to say is Chris O’Donnell as Robin. By the time the Clooney Batman came out the films had long past jumped the shark.

Nolan revived the franchise and is telling the story in a very dark structure and true to Frank Miller’s vision. Which I whole heartily applaud. Still the 1989 Tim Burton Batman has a special place in my heart. Yes, the movie is terribly flawed but the memories that come back to me upon viewing it are priceless.

A Downer

If you see me next week and I am a dick to you, I apologize in advance. I am going to be stuck working in the brain sucking office we have in Downers Grove. To say I hate that office is not strong enough. Working there sucks all of the life force out of me and makes me angrier then the Hulk.

So, I will be stuck with a week of lunch at White Castle’s and Culver’s. I will drive in rush hour traffic cursing the needless construction. I know, what you are thinking quit bitching at least you still have a job. I know, but man that place sucks.

I can’t quite put my finger on just what it is about our office there that I hate so much. The people who work there are all Western Suburban soccer Mom’s that all weigh north of 200 on the scale. They are all mean, bitter and have fallen into that life has kicked my ass mode of thinking.

Anyway I know it is not as bad as I paint it, but I am dreading it none the less. Hopefully, it will be an uneventful week that will fly by. (Another by product of working in Downers is since it is not my home office and I am filling in, it can be boring as shit if no tickets come in.) Like I said at the top, hopefully I don’t run into people I know and if I do, I’m sorry.

Go Cubs!

As we sit here today, the Cubs have a five game lead in the National League Central. The 2008 edition of the Chicago Cubs have taken over my life. This is the most games I have ever attended. If you have not been to Wrigley this year you are truly missing something special. The fans are into every pitch and there is magic in the air. No matter the score you still feel this team will go out and find a way to win.

When I am not at the game I am usually watching them. (God bless Len and Bob, the Cubs TV announcers.) During the All Star break I didn’t know what to do with myself. I live and die with every pitch and more times then not this season this team has given me a lot of joy. Which as a Cub fan is rare.

Being a Cub fan, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. A lifetime of losing will do that to a person. There are only two conclusions to this season. One is the Cubs will at long last win the World Series. Or, they will break Cub fans hearts in a cruel and unusual way. Of course I hope for the first outcome but there is a nagging feeling that the second outcome may occur.

Still, this summer with the Cubs has been nothing short of a blast. This is a good and confident baseball team. Pinella seems to be pushing all the right buttons and the team is hitting and pitching very well. Sure, I take every loss hard but, in the back of my mind I realize you can’t win them all.

I so badly want them to win this year. I am not greedy, all I want is for one time to have the Cubs become World Champs. Then I will move on with my life. Baseball is the greatest game ever invented. It makes me sad when I learn of others who don’t get it or haven’t found the beauty and strategy of the game. I was born to be a Cub’s fan for better or worse. I lived with all the bad teams and a year of Jim Essian. I think it is time to cash in on all the years of character building we have had to endure.

In my wet dream we beat the Mets, then the Cardinals and the White Sox to win the World Series. I realize this scenario is unlikely but, if that did happen it would almost make up for the all the shit we have had to eat lately. (In particular the two cruel years back to back of 2005 and 2006 where the White Sox and Cardinals won the series. I am still not sure which was worse.)

2008 will be a memorable year either way. One in which we will think back to with either a smile, or heartbreak. It has been five years since we were five outs away in 2003 and the memories of that 8^th inning still hurt to think about. There is only so much pain one’s hearts can take. I ask the baseball Gods, to please just once let us have our day in the sun. I think we deserve it.