Today is the 25th anniversary of one of baseballs most famous tirades. *Language Warning*

Here's the background from the YouTube clip:

On April 29, 1983, during Lee Elia's tenure as the Cubs' manager, the Cubs suffered a one-run home loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After the game, he lashed out at Cubs fans for their fair weather support of the team. (Their consistent booing and heckling at Wrigley completely unnerved Elia.) A member of the press secretly recorded this "off-the-record" session with reporters.

Labels: Cubs, history

On April 25th, 1976, the Chicago Cubs were closing out a weekend series at Dodgers' Stadium. In the 4th inning, two hippies ran out onto the field with an American flag, lighter fluid, and some matches. After dousing the flag, and attempting to engulf the flag in flames, Rick Monday, a Cubs outfielder, ran and snatched the flag as they were about to light it. Shortly thereafter, the crowd rose and began an impromptu chorus of "God Bless America".

Personally, I think this event shows how torn our country was during the Vietnam War ERA (I hope that pacifies Tom). It may be someone's constitutional right to burn the flag...but thankfully, it is also another citizen's right to rip that flag away and prevent it from being burned (I'm sure the breaking and entering onto the field didn't help their cause either). The only thing that could have made the thing a bit sweeter would have been if the Cubs didn't lose this one in a heart-breaker at the bottom of the 10th inning; it was an unearned run no less.

Labels: Constitution, Cubs, Flag burning, JayBandit, Rick Monday

Some of this is a bit dated since I haven't posted in a while, but I've been working a lot lately, yadda, yadda, yadda. Without further adieu:

• I'll start with the sad stuff. The kid who's tragic paralysis was the inspiration for the highly successful movie "Friday Night Lights," and the TV show by the same name, died at only 20 years old...
• I hope you're still not looking for him, because Steve Fossett is dead.
  
• If this isn't the final clue that we're heading for the apocalypse, I don't know what is.
• Before Google takes over the entire planet, they'll start with our health records.
  
• I found this interesting article about the increase in Cook County taxes (and the reactions of the Northwest Suburbs) through one of my favorite Cubs' blogs, Hire Jim Essian,
  
• I can't believe this hasn't been more widely reported, so I'll point out that apparently global temperatures are now going down! [For a more in-depth discussion of global warming, I suggest you check out former posts by Brian and yours truly.]
• A lot of people refuse to have "Organ Donor" put on their licenses for big fear of doctors giving them sub-standard care in order to obtain their organs for transplants; When you see even a single story confirming their fear, it's hard to argue with them.
  
• Looks like Jimmy Kimmel was able to get back at his main squeeze, Sarah Silverman, for her little "fling" with Matt Damon (Augur enjoyed the original video a bunch).
• It's really great to see how the uber-rich have no respect for their fellow man.
• And people wonder why video games are tailored towards males...
  
• I'd like to throw a shout-out & congratulations to the hard-working boys of the Illini Hockey Team for completing an undefeated season. The fanfare at their games is epic, so I suggest you attend a game next season if you can.

Alright, I think that is enough food for thought for now.

Until next time...

EDIT: I actually went back and found the Global Warming Posts that Brian and I wrote last year...or perhaps in '06:

Global Warming: Round 1
Indisputable
Global Warming: Round 2
Global Warming: Interlude

Enjoy!

Labels: Cubs, Global Warming, google, Illini Hockey, JayBandit, Jimmy Kimmel, Organ Donor, Sarah Silverman, television, video games

The winter of 1997-1998 was a really bad one for me on the ole "famous person death list". First we lost Chris Farley just a week before Christmas, and then Harry Caray at the onset of spring training.

Thanks for all the good times, and teaching me how to be a functional alcoholic. Now that we've made 100 years without winning the big one, hopefully we can pull it off now that we have Fukudome.

How 'bout one more for the road, big guy:

A One!... A Two!... A Three!...
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the CUB-BIES,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.

Harry Christopher Carabina
March 1st, 1914 - February 18th, 1998

Labels: baseball, Cubs, Harry Caray, JayBandit