IGT 7-14-06 Mets at Cubs for the first time all year!

[stevejrogers]

Seems appropriate to post a great baseball song by a great artist who left this world much too soon. Steve Goodman, who's most famous song is City Of New Orleans which became a hit for both Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson. This is his tribute to his beloved Cubbies:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_cubs.shtml

A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
By the shore's of old Lake Michigan
Where the "hawk wind" blows so cold
An old Cub fan lay dying
In his midnight hour that tolled
Round his bed, his friends had all gathered
They knew his time was short
And on his head they put this bright blue cap
From his all-time favorite sport
He told them, "Its late and its getting dark in here"
And I know its time to go
But before I leave the line-up
Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

Told his friends "You know the law of averages says:
Anything will happen that can"
That's what it says
"But the last time the Cubs won a National League pennant
Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan"
The Cubs made me a criminal
Sent me down a wayward path
They stole my youth from me
(that's the truth)
I'd forsake my teachers
To go sit in the bleachers
In flagrant truancy

and then one thing led to another
and soon I'd discovered alcohol, gambling, dope
football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis
But what do you expect,
When you raise up a young boy's hopes
And then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups.

Year after year after year
after year, after year, after year, after year, after year
'Til those hopes are just so much popcorn
for the pigeons beneath the 'L' tracks to eat
He said, "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
and I'll read you my last request
He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field
On some sunny weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the "National Anthem"
and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'
Make six bullpen pitchers, carry my coffin
and six ground keepers clear my path
Have the umpires bark me out at every base
In all their holy wrath
Its a beautiful day for a funeral, Hey Ernie lets play two!
Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,
Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt
And I'll be ready to die

Build a big fire on home plate out of your Louisville Sluggers baseball bats,
And toss my coffin in
Let my ashes blow in a beautiful snow
From the prevailing 30 mile an hour southwest wind
When my last remains go flying over the left-field wall
Will bid the bleacher bums ad�eu
And I will come to my final resting place, out on Waveland Avenue

The dying man's friends told him to cut it out
They said stop it that's an awful shame
He whispered, "Don't Cry, we'll meet by and by near the Heavenly Hall of Fame
He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now,
So its just what I'm going to do
He said, "but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs,
So its me that feels sorry for you!"

And he said, "Ahh Play, play that lonesome losers tune,
That's the one I like the best"
And he closed his eyes, and slipped away
What we got is the Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
And here it is

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

[MFS62]

]and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'

Nice, but that line cheapened the whole thing.

I used to feel bad for Ernie Banks and for the family of Ken Hubbs. Slightly less bad for Billy Williams.

But ever since Santo's heel-clicking, my feelings for the Cubs and ther fans has been "Fukk them and the goat they rode in on."

Later

[stevejrogers]

NY Mets
J. Valentin 2b
P. Lo Duca c
C. Beltran cf
C. Delgado 1b
D. Wright 3b
C. Floyd lf
X. Nady rf
C. Woodward ss (Reyes is still resting the finger)
S. Trachsel p

Chi Cubs
J. Pierre cf
T. Walker 2b
D. Lee 1b
A. Ramirez 3b
J. Jones rf
M. Barrett c
A. Pagan lf
R. Cedeno ss
G. Maddux p

[MFS62]

]R. Cedeno

Nahhh. It couldn't be.
Could it?

Later

[Guest Iubitul]

]M. Barrett c

Since it's Friday, my first thought was to wonder when Marty Barrett became a catcher....

[Centerfield]

The same time Roger made the jump to shortstop.

Is that Angel Pagan in leftfield? Wasn't he once a Cyclone?

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Centerfield wrote: The same time Roger made the jump to shortstop. Is that Angel Pagan in leftfield? Wasn't he once a Cyclone?

Yes. And a B-Met. And a Tide.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Play Ball!!!

Time to rock Maddux's world.

[Willets Point]

Beating up on Maddux makes me feel like this guy:

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Valentin leads off the game with a double. Let's score early and often.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Groundouts by Lo Duca and Beltran bring home the run.

Delgado fans for the third out.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

The Mets play "small ball" and use a pair of "productive outs" to plate Valentin.

Metts 1 Cubs 0 heading to the bottom of the 1st.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I have a choice of watching this on ESPN or I can get the Cubs local telecast. Right now I'm on ESPN, but I may switch back.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

And very quickly there are two outs in the bottom of the first.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Two-out double for Derrek Lee.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

A walk and now there are two on for Jacque Jones.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Jones doubles off the ivy and two runs score.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Oh them bases on balls.

[soupcan]

Oh, dem bases on balls.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Jacque Jones isn't fucking aroudnd this year, man.

2-1 Cubbies on a base-clearing double.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

David Wright leads off the second inning for the Mets.

[Elster88]

I missed baseball.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Wright's out.

Floyd singles to right.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Nady's up.

ESPN announcer wondering if the Cubs will pitch out with Floyd on first.

And they do! On the second pitch.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

On the third pitch, with Floyd running, Nady DPs back to Maddux.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Maddux is losing the decal on his helmet, someone call uniwatch.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Cubs scoreless in the 2nd. Still 2 to 1, Chicago.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Top of the third we have Woodward, Trachsel, Valentin.

Woody starts by striking out.

[Centerfield]

Gotta get into that Cub bullpen. Work Maddux.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

I love watching the movement on Maddux's pitches.

(Except for the whole "Beating the mets" part)