We're Talkin' Baseball

Not much of a plan here, but we saw Jennie Finch in the Olympic opening ceremony, and I thought I'd post this:

You can tell the video's a few years old, because A-Rod is still a Ranger, and Jay Buhner and a few other since-retired folks are still in the game. Jeez, is Danny Graves still playing? He was a solid closer for a while.

And if Finch were 5'1" with hair growing out of her ears and named Earlene, I doubt Barry Bonds would have been so chummy with her.

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And the Rangers lost to the Orioles 9-1 tonight. Good lord, my KIDS could beat the Orioles.

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And on that note, in case you've never heard "A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request" by Steve Goodman, here it is. Really. Set aside six minutes to smile:


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As of this writing, the Cubbies are 70-46.

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"You the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs, so it's me that feels sorry for you..." I love that line!

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Go to Wrigley Field. Really. Forget every other ballpark. I've been to enough that I feel like I'm not just blowing smoke when I say this: It's the ultimate baseball experience, period. Fenway, with all its baseball glory (and my second-favorite team) doesn't compare; you still kinda have the feeling you'll see a rat in there somewhere.

And Yankee Stadium? Please. That place is constantly a riot waiting to happen. It's a dump, and let me tell you, I'd like to be the one to push the plunger when they blow that place up. Well, only if the Yankees are in it... (ouch... bad, I know).

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There are lots of nice new parks, sure. I like our own Ballpark in Arlington just fine. I like the Indians' park as well. Minute Maid Field is nice, and the Rockies' Park, if a bit bland, does impress with its scenic vistas.

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But nothing else is Wrigley. The smells, the architecture, the ivy, the atmosphere... I think Hood and I were there on a perfect day last September.

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And I would LOVE it if Mark Cuban bought the Cubs. God I'd love to see his devil-may-care attitude and deep pockets behind that franchise.

See, at this point, if there's a high-dollar free agent available, he pretty much goes to the Yankees. They'll pay the highest bucks, period. They've got so many of these guys that sluggers who'd typically be at the heart of the order are batting way down. Heck, Pudge was batting 8th the other night. Admittedly, he's not the hitter he once was.

But okay, they've got to squeeze in A-Rod, Giambi, Nady, Sexson, Abreu... any of these guys would be a 3 or 4-spot hitter in a typical lineup. And Jeter's got 55 RBIs... you see what I'm getting at here?

So it would be great to have another owner, especially Cuban, be able to write a check for whatever player he wants. It's not a brand of team ownership I'm generally fond of, but you know, if it annoys the Yankees it's a good thing in my book.

And we all know that Cuban will say what he feels. If he thinks Steinbrenner or his progeny are behaving badly, he'll say so to anyone within earshot.

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I've prattled on long enough. Have a great weekend.