My brother left for boot camp about two and a half weeks ago. Though his departure has left a bigger hole in the lives of my parents… I have really found myself missing him. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better…
My brother and I are almost polar opposites in many areas of our lives. Growing up together… we fought like most brothers do. Nothing huge or out of the ordinary. We didn’t hate each other, but we weren’t close either. There is a five year difference between us… it was one of those deals where if I wanted to hurt my brother, I could. If anybody else wanted to hurt my brother… I would really get defensive. Funny how that works. I can break his arm if I want to, but if anybody else wants to break his arm, they’ll have to go through me to do it.
Our toleration of each other started to turn, I’m guessing, around the time he started high school and the time that I was finishing up college. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I guess… and for the better part of about eight years, Jeff has been one of my best friends. We’ve seen each other go through a lot. He was my best man when Melissa and I were married. I’ve seen him go through some difficult circumstances and relationships. He watched me struggle through my early years of ministry as a naïve, thin-skinned pastor (ok, I'm STILL naive and thin-skinned). I’ve watched him wrestle with what he’d like to do with the rest of his life. Through all of life’s twists and turns… we’ve remained close.
One of the areas in life where Jeff and I both share a passion is baseball. We both love the game of baseball. We both have faithfully followed the St. Louis Cardinals through the great years (recently) and the not so great years (the early 90’s). I guess I am really missing him right now because I really love talking baseball with him. I would love to get his take on who should fill the last bullpen spot… of if Junior Spivey has played himself out of the starting line-up. In the past, if there has been any dramatic Cardinal wins, he is the first person I think of to call. So on Opening Day, if the Cardinals start with a win against the Phillies, normally he would be the first person I would call. I will really miss that this year… I really will.
Even so… I am very proud of his decision to enlist. I am proud of him for various reasons… but one of the biggest is that I am not, nor would I have been at 23 years old, tough enough mentally to do what he’s doing. Just being honest. The first couple of months at college were tough enough for me… and that’s with access to the outside world and various friends from my home church that were on campus with me. I didn’t have anybody yelling at me… I didn’t have to take public showers… etc. etc.
Here’s hoping that basic training is going as well as possible for him… and that when he does finally emerge… he will be a better, stronger man because of it.
All this to say that I miss him right now and that when he finally emerges from boot camp in about four weeks, it will be great to be able to talk with him again. We’ll have a lot of baseball to catch up on, that’s for dang sure…
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Collapse of the Cardinals?
This is an excerpt from an article from Baseball Prospectus that I found back in February... written by Will Leitch:
Is this guy serious? Is this guy even familiar with most regular Cardinal fans? I will admit that I was disappointed to hear that the Cardinal payroll would not be going up this past winter… but would that be enough to cause me to turn on my team? No. Is that going to be enough to turn most fans around here against the Cardinals? No. Considering that we still have the sixth highest payroll in the Major Leagues… I’d say that we are doing alright.
I have the same type of opinion about the radio station. I am sad to see KMOX not carry the games this year, but more because of tradition than because of practicality. KTRS probably won’t have as far of a reach as KMOX did… but we live in a time where it doesn’t really have to. People can still get Cardinal baseball in a variety of ways… from satellite television, to satellite radio, to the internet… there are ways to still get Cardinal baseball, even if you don’t get KTRS. I’m sure there will be a handful of fans out there who will be disappointed enough to vow not to support the organization anymore. These are the same people that are unhappy with the job that Walt Jocketty and Tony LaRussa have done. You know, because going to the playoffs five of the last six years is just terrible. They are a small minority. They will not make a difference.
My biggest disagreement with this article comes in the form of the new ballpark. Though the old Busch stadium was greatly loved and even though most Cardinal fans wondered why we needed a new stadium in the first place… I think this will be a situation where no one will really know how greatly we needed a new park until they take in a game IN THE NEW PARK. Seriously. I’ve seen the pictures. I’ve been by the stadium. Old Busch won’t even be able to hold a candle to this new stadium. Old Busch was only good because of the tradition and fans anyway. This new stadium will still have the great fans and will begin creating its’ own tradition in the coming weeks… along with better sightlines, better food, more walking space, better layout, better acoustics and scoreboards, more to do… etc. etc. etc.
Most fans that I’ve talked to recently aren’t upset by the new stadium… they are excited about it. They can’t wait to see the finished product. They can’t wait to take in a ballgame there. The true form of proof comes in ticket sales… and considering the Cardinals have already sold close to 3.5 MILLION tickets already for the upcoming season… I’d say that people are pretty excited about it.
I don’t know, Mr. Will Leitch, whoever you are… The collapse of the baseball market in St. Louis and the turning of the best fans in baseball on their beloved Cardinals may happen someday… but it won’t be happening this year… and it certainly won’t be happening as soon as you think it will. Why don’t you turn your doomsday article writing on another team with less loyal fans, less tradition, and a team with less potential? In fact, I can think of another city IN MISSOURI that this article might relate to more…
But the St. Louis Cardinals? You must be out of your mind.
“It’s not just one thing. It’s a combination of all of it, the unwanted new stadium, the lack of respect for radio tradition, the sudden (and promise-breaking) penny-pinching. Suddenly, this doesn’t resemble the fuzzy love of Cardinal Nation; it feels like just another team. Like a business. It is a business, of course, but when you’re messing with Cardinals tradition, you’re in serious danger of killing the golden goose. If the fans turn against the franchise, the Cardinals really are just another team. And that’s disaster.
Imagine, if you will, the Cardinals getting off to a rough start this year, and combine that with disorganization at the new park; it won't be able to handle full capacity until May, and the concessions will only be partly open for the first month. Those outside the St. Louis area may open the season by struggling to get adequate radio reception. The Cardinals suddenly aren’t so cuddly; the fans finally express their impatience with Tony LaRussa not turning into Whitey Herzog.
If the fans start to turn, it could be dark days for St. Louis baseball. It could happen much sooner than you think.”
Is this guy serious? Is this guy even familiar with most regular Cardinal fans? I will admit that I was disappointed to hear that the Cardinal payroll would not be going up this past winter… but would that be enough to cause me to turn on my team? No. Is that going to be enough to turn most fans around here against the Cardinals? No. Considering that we still have the sixth highest payroll in the Major Leagues… I’d say that we are doing alright.
I have the same type of opinion about the radio station. I am sad to see KMOX not carry the games this year, but more because of tradition than because of practicality. KTRS probably won’t have as far of a reach as KMOX did… but we live in a time where it doesn’t really have to. People can still get Cardinal baseball in a variety of ways… from satellite television, to satellite radio, to the internet… there are ways to still get Cardinal baseball, even if you don’t get KTRS. I’m sure there will be a handful of fans out there who will be disappointed enough to vow not to support the organization anymore. These are the same people that are unhappy with the job that Walt Jocketty and Tony LaRussa have done. You know, because going to the playoffs five of the last six years is just terrible. They are a small minority. They will not make a difference.
My biggest disagreement with this article comes in the form of the new ballpark. Though the old Busch stadium was greatly loved and even though most Cardinal fans wondered why we needed a new stadium in the first place… I think this will be a situation where no one will really know how greatly we needed a new park until they take in a game IN THE NEW PARK. Seriously. I’ve seen the pictures. I’ve been by the stadium. Old Busch won’t even be able to hold a candle to this new stadium. Old Busch was only good because of the tradition and fans anyway. This new stadium will still have the great fans and will begin creating its’ own tradition in the coming weeks… along with better sightlines, better food, more walking space, better layout, better acoustics and scoreboards, more to do… etc. etc. etc.
Most fans that I’ve talked to recently aren’t upset by the new stadium… they are excited about it. They can’t wait to see the finished product. They can’t wait to take in a ballgame there. The true form of proof comes in ticket sales… and considering the Cardinals have already sold close to 3.5 MILLION tickets already for the upcoming season… I’d say that people are pretty excited about it.
I don’t know, Mr. Will Leitch, whoever you are… The collapse of the baseball market in St. Louis and the turning of the best fans in baseball on their beloved Cardinals may happen someday… but it won’t be happening this year… and it certainly won’t be happening as soon as you think it will. Why don’t you turn your doomsday article writing on another team with less loyal fans, less tradition, and a team with less potential? In fact, I can think of another city IN MISSOURI that this article might relate to more…
But the St. Louis Cardinals? You must be out of your mind.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Winter Wonderland
It snowed a little bit here in Missouri and it worked out that Emily was able to enjoy it! Here are a few pictures of her having some fun!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
If: Part 1
I have had a book sitting on my desk at work now for a year… specifically for blogging purposes. It’s a book called ‘IF’ and it’s full of ‘if’ questions… basically designed to get people talking to each other. I thought I’d work my way through the book on the weeks where I didn’t want to really write about anything particularly serious. So here goes:
If you were to be granted one wish, what would it be?
Geez. I could take the cheap way out with my first wish and ask for unlimited wishes. My second thought is to ask that everybody would come to know Christ… but then I’d be taking away everyone’s free will, which God Himself chose not to do… so I guess I could modify it to wish for all to have a good opportunity to choose Christ, I don’t know. If you throw all the Miss America answers out (like World Peace and no more poverty) I guess I would have to choose one from the following… That I could get tennis lessons from Andre Agassi, that I would be debt free, that I could play in a baseball game at Busch stadium, that more Star Wars movies would be made, that the Cards would win the World Series, that the Cubs would go another 100 years without winning one, that I could sing a song with U2… so on and so forth.
If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Easy… my wife.
If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in history, who would you choose?
Still my wife…
If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?
Depends on whether I can take people with me. If I am with Melissa and Emily… I would want to go to DisneyWorld. If it’s just me, I’d probably want to go wherever in Florida the Cardinals are playing their Spring Training game tomorrow. Honestly, though… I really wouldn’t want to go anywhere cool without my family to share it with.
If you could have lived through any war in history (without actually fighting in it), which would it be?
Hard question just because I think it would difficult to live through any war, especially if you are close to it, but I’ll take a shot at answering anyway… I am fascinated by World War II, but I would probably have to choose the Revolutionary War. Just to see what happened to cement this country’s independence would highly interesting to me.
If you could eliminate any one type of insect permanently from the earth, what would you get rid of?
Without even thinking about it, the mosquito.
If you had to eliminate a single type of animal forevermore, which would you choose?
Because of my experiences with these foul creatures in Kalamazoo, I would have to say bats. (Long story short: Melissa and I woke up on at least seven occasions with a baby fruit bat (sometimes two) swooping around our bedroom ceiling. It was terrible. That is one thing that I do not miss about the parsonage at Kalamazoo. Since moving, I have not had to deal with bats, thank the good Lord above.
So, how about you? What would be your answers to some of the above ‘if’ questions?
If you were to be granted one wish, what would it be?
Geez. I could take the cheap way out with my first wish and ask for unlimited wishes. My second thought is to ask that everybody would come to know Christ… but then I’d be taking away everyone’s free will, which God Himself chose not to do… so I guess I could modify it to wish for all to have a good opportunity to choose Christ, I don’t know. If you throw all the Miss America answers out (like World Peace and no more poverty) I guess I would have to choose one from the following… That I could get tennis lessons from Andre Agassi, that I would be debt free, that I could play in a baseball game at Busch stadium, that more Star Wars movies would be made, that the Cards would win the World Series, that the Cubs would go another 100 years without winning one, that I could sing a song with U2… so on and so forth.
If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Easy… my wife.
If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in history, who would you choose?
Still my wife…
If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?
Depends on whether I can take people with me. If I am with Melissa and Emily… I would want to go to DisneyWorld. If it’s just me, I’d probably want to go wherever in Florida the Cardinals are playing their Spring Training game tomorrow. Honestly, though… I really wouldn’t want to go anywhere cool without my family to share it with.
If you could have lived through any war in history (without actually fighting in it), which would it be?
Hard question just because I think it would difficult to live through any war, especially if you are close to it, but I’ll take a shot at answering anyway… I am fascinated by World War II, but I would probably have to choose the Revolutionary War. Just to see what happened to cement this country’s independence would highly interesting to me.
If you could eliminate any one type of insect permanently from the earth, what would you get rid of?
Without even thinking about it, the mosquito.
If you had to eliminate a single type of animal forevermore, which would you choose?
Because of my experiences with these foul creatures in Kalamazoo, I would have to say bats. (Long story short: Melissa and I woke up on at least seven occasions with a baby fruit bat (sometimes two) swooping around our bedroom ceiling. It was terrible. That is one thing that I do not miss about the parsonage at Kalamazoo. Since moving, I have not had to deal with bats, thank the good Lord above.
So, how about you? What would be your answers to some of the above ‘if’ questions?
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
Direct Deposit Tithing
So I was reading through a ministry magazine a couple of weeks ago and I read an article that I circled and then later photocopied because I knew I would want to post about it on here. It was an article about a church that offered an unique tithing option... Each week, the church would automatically withdraw your tithe from your bank account. You would figure in advance how much tithe you would want to give that year, and the church would split that figure up into 52 weeks and take that exact amount from your checking account each week.
For church members, it means no more worries about forgetting your check or cash each week before you leave for church or stressing about sending your tithe check in while you are out of town. For the church, it means a more consistent income year round as there are usually ‘dead’ times, financially... like the summer when people are busy with vacations and outdoor activities... or the winter, when harsh weather can occasionally force people to stay in on Sunday morning.
Maybe I’m in the minority. Maybe I’m just picking on a really small issue here. But it just seems to me that a tithe that is automatically withdrawn would be much less sacred and would make giving a little too easy. I’m not saying that tithing should be hard… but I do think tithing should be done with reflection, gratefulness, and surrender. In my mind, the offering time in a worship service is an amazing chance to reflect upon all that God has blessed us with, to thank him for those blessings, and finally, to acknowledge that those blessings belong to Him and that we are willing to surrender all those things back to Him.
If we were to have our tithe automatically withdrawn, the church would no doubt get our money just the same. The church would use our money for ministries just the same. But I wonder if our attitude towards giving would change a little? Writing a check or putting money in the offering plate every single week is a tangible action that is hard to ignore. Seeing four payments made to the church on our bank statement once a month… well, I’m not sure how much of an impact that will make on us.
I remember a meeting that I had with a tax professional during my first or second year in Kalamazoo. He suggested that it would save Melissa and I a ton of money in end of the year taxes if I would work out a simple deal with my church that would look like this: Once the church decided how much they would pay me for the upcoming year, I would then arrange for them to cut that back by 10% and count it as my tithe for the coming year. That way, my total package would appear to be less than it really was.
Melissa and I never seriously considered this method for various reasons. First and foremost, however, was that we wanted that weekly reminder that anything we have been blessed with has come from God and continues to belong to God. We wanted to write that check and put it in the plate each week to remind ourselves of Who we belong to… and to signify that we have chosen to surrender all of who we are and all of what we have to Him...
It just seems like we would miss all that if our tithe was automatically withdrawn each week...
What do you think?
Are there any more benefits of Direct Deposit Tithing that I’m not thinking of?
Are there more disadvantages that I didn’t mention?
Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?
If your church started doing this, would it make you happy or concern you?
For church members, it means no more worries about forgetting your check or cash each week before you leave for church or stressing about sending your tithe check in while you are out of town. For the church, it means a more consistent income year round as there are usually ‘dead’ times, financially... like the summer when people are busy with vacations and outdoor activities... or the winter, when harsh weather can occasionally force people to stay in on Sunday morning.
Maybe I’m in the minority. Maybe I’m just picking on a really small issue here. But it just seems to me that a tithe that is automatically withdrawn would be much less sacred and would make giving a little too easy. I’m not saying that tithing should be hard… but I do think tithing should be done with reflection, gratefulness, and surrender. In my mind, the offering time in a worship service is an amazing chance to reflect upon all that God has blessed us with, to thank him for those blessings, and finally, to acknowledge that those blessings belong to Him and that we are willing to surrender all those things back to Him.
If we were to have our tithe automatically withdrawn, the church would no doubt get our money just the same. The church would use our money for ministries just the same. But I wonder if our attitude towards giving would change a little? Writing a check or putting money in the offering plate every single week is a tangible action that is hard to ignore. Seeing four payments made to the church on our bank statement once a month… well, I’m not sure how much of an impact that will make on us.
I remember a meeting that I had with a tax professional during my first or second year in Kalamazoo. He suggested that it would save Melissa and I a ton of money in end of the year taxes if I would work out a simple deal with my church that would look like this: Once the church decided how much they would pay me for the upcoming year, I would then arrange for them to cut that back by 10% and count it as my tithe for the coming year. That way, my total package would appear to be less than it really was.
Melissa and I never seriously considered this method for various reasons. First and foremost, however, was that we wanted that weekly reminder that anything we have been blessed with has come from God and continues to belong to God. We wanted to write that check and put it in the plate each week to remind ourselves of Who we belong to… and to signify that we have chosen to surrender all of who we are and all of what we have to Him...
It just seems like we would miss all that if our tithe was automatically withdrawn each week...
What do you think?
Are there any more benefits of Direct Deposit Tithing that I’m not thinking of?
Are there more disadvantages that I didn’t mention?
Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?
If your church started doing this, would it make you happy or concern you?
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
A Visit to New Busch
My dad, my brother and I went down to the new Busch stadium last Friday afternoon just to get a look at the construction progress. My brother will be entering the Air Force next week and won't get an opportunity to personally see Busch for awhile... so I was glad he was able get down there before he left. Here are some of the more interesting pictures that I was able to snap.
(This is just a quick shot to show just how close the stadium is to the highway. I think I read somewhere that it's only about 40 feet away. I kind of like it... as it gives the stadium an urban feel. I think this is where the players will enter and park.)
(This is a shot from a neighboring parking lot rooftop. I zoomed in to try and get the infield outline. This kind of shows a panaramic of the stadium behind home plate.)
(This isn't a great shot as there are plenty of distractions and wires in the way... but I wanted a picture of the stadium and the arch together.)
(Here's a neat 'bottom to top' shot of one of the corners at the new Busch. I love the lettering at the top and the brick facade is really sharp looking.)
(This is a picture of the 'grand' entryway... which is supposed to pay homage to a few different past/present structures throughout St. Louis. I just think it's cool looking and wanted to include it here.)
A couple of thoughts struck me as I was down there:
1) It is going to be a beautiful park! While I was sort of sad to see the last stadium go, this stadium will be so cool that I don't think I'll really miss the old one after a couple of games in this new and improved one.
2) I have no idea how they are going to be ready for opening day. There still seemed to be tons of things left to be done before they can even consider having fans in there. I know they'll be ready... but it just boggles my mind.
3) Do we really have to wait a WHOLE MONTH for baseball season to start. Geez!
(This is just a quick shot to show just how close the stadium is to the highway. I think I read somewhere that it's only about 40 feet away. I kind of like it... as it gives the stadium an urban feel. I think this is where the players will enter and park.)
(This is a shot from a neighboring parking lot rooftop. I zoomed in to try and get the infield outline. This kind of shows a panaramic of the stadium behind home plate.)
(This isn't a great shot as there are plenty of distractions and wires in the way... but I wanted a picture of the stadium and the arch together.)
(Here's a neat 'bottom to top' shot of one of the corners at the new Busch. I love the lettering at the top and the brick facade is really sharp looking.)
(This is a picture of the 'grand' entryway... which is supposed to pay homage to a few different past/present structures throughout St. Louis. I just think it's cool looking and wanted to include it here.)
A couple of thoughts struck me as I was down there:
1) It is going to be a beautiful park! While I was sort of sad to see the last stadium go, this stadium will be so cool that I don't think I'll really miss the old one after a couple of games in this new and improved one.
2) I have no idea how they are going to be ready for opening day. There still seemed to be tons of things left to be done before they can even consider having fans in there. I know they'll be ready... but it just boggles my mind.
3) Do we really have to wait a WHOLE MONTH for baseball season to start. Geez!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Cub Hatin' #2
To celebrate the first of many spring and regular season losses for the Cubs this year... (yep, they lost to the Athletics 7-2) here is their proposed regular season promotional schedule:
The Chicago Cubs 2006 Promotional Schedule:
April 7: Home Opener and raising of the "Attendance Flag" to commemorate the magical 2005 season in which the Cubs sold out the majority of their home games. Not being raised: World Series Champions flag.
April 8: Presentation of the "Nice Neighborhood" rings to members of the
2005 squad in commemoration of their capturing of the city's heart by playing in such a cute little part of town. Not being presented: World Series Champions rings.
April 9: Home Opener festivities conclude with "Red Broomstick Day." Red broomsticks will be handed out to the first 10,000 Cardinal fans to commemorate the Cubs first home sweep of the year... to the Cardinals.
April 24: Win a Mark Prior autographed picture! 100 lucky fans will receive a 5 x 7" photo signed by the Cubs' 11-game winner! Only the first one will be signed by his right hand... as in doing so... he will pull a tendon in his elbow and be out for the rest of the year. The last 99 will be signed with his left hand.
April 25: Turn Back the Clock I with throwback jerseys, old-timely music and special guests and relive the magic of the Cubs' epic loss to the Florida Marlins in the 2003 NLCS.
May 13: Turn Back the Clock II with authentic 1984 uniform jerseys being handed out to the first 1,000 fans. The Cubs will help fans relive the moment even more by getting killed by the San Diego Padres during the game.
May 14: Precious Moments figurine doll to the first 10,000 female fans. Everyone else will get to enjoy another whole sale slaughter of 25 baby bears.
May 26: Steve Bartman dart board day: First 5,000 fans recieve a dart board with a picture of Steve Bartman in the middle. Fans will be encouraged to continue to blame innocent bystanders for the collapse of the 2003 Cubs.
May 27: Chip Caray and Steve Stone punching bag day: First 2,500 fans will recieve a punching bag with the photo of these two critical former announcers. The Cub blame game continues to be played better than their baseball game.
June 15: Kerry Wood bobblehead day. The first 10,000 fans will receive a bobblehead doll of the Northsiders' all-time leader in simulated strikeouts! Bonus feature... each bobblehead comes with a complementary pass to watch Kerry Wood undergo one of his weekly MRI's.
June 16: Turn Back the Clock III - Kick off a rematch of the Cubs' most recent World Series appearance as they welcome the Detroit Tigers and try to beat them for the first time since 1945.
June 26: Goat Day - In the hopes of reversing the curse of the goat... all fans will be required to bring a goat with them to the game. (Of course, each fan must pay a full price ticket for their animals.)
June 30: Crosstown Amnesty Day - All managers and first 25 players on the White Sox active roster will receive a complimentary win.
July 1: Turn Back the Clock IV - 1906 World Series rematch. Authentic memorabilia will be given out to lucky Cub fans, as will an authentic 1906-style massacre of their lovable losers during the game.
July 2: Lovable Loser Day - First 15,000 losers get to fall in love with the Cubs even more as they are handed yet another staggering loss at home by the 'other' Chicago team who will be sporting really cool 2005 World Series Championship Rings.
July 14: Harry Caray Day, featuring an all-star tribute to the late and beloved former White Sox and Cardinals announcer.
July 27: Sammy Sosa Day, featuring a ceremony in which Sammy Sosa's number will be retired and his corked bat will be placed in a case and hidden in the center field ivy. All fans will receive a commemorative 'before and after steroids' picture of Sosa's head.
August 1: Nine Games Back Day - First 10,000 fans in attendance to correctly explain what "Nine Games Back" means receive a Cubs t-shirt.
August 19: Playoff Day. Come out and root for the Cubs as they stand on the brink of elimination against the Cardinals with forty-one games still left to play in the season. First 20,000 fans wearing Cubs gear receive a White Sox t-shirt.
September 1: "C.U.B.S. Day" First 10,000 fans will recieve a C.U.B.S. T-Shirt. (Completely Useless By September).
September 2: Turn Back the Clock V - Cubs fans, come out and party like it's
1989 in this showdown against the 1989 NLCS champion San Francisco Giants!
October 1: Final Home Game / Wait 'Til Next Year Day - First 39,538 fans are idiots.
The Chicago Cubs 2006 Promotional Schedule:
April 7: Home Opener and raising of the "Attendance Flag" to commemorate the magical 2005 season in which the Cubs sold out the majority of their home games. Not being raised: World Series Champions flag.
April 8: Presentation of the "Nice Neighborhood" rings to members of the
2005 squad in commemoration of their capturing of the city's heart by playing in such a cute little part of town. Not being presented: World Series Champions rings.
April 9: Home Opener festivities conclude with "Red Broomstick Day." Red broomsticks will be handed out to the first 10,000 Cardinal fans to commemorate the Cubs first home sweep of the year... to the Cardinals.
April 24: Win a Mark Prior autographed picture! 100 lucky fans will receive a 5 x 7" photo signed by the Cubs' 11-game winner! Only the first one will be signed by his right hand... as in doing so... he will pull a tendon in his elbow and be out for the rest of the year. The last 99 will be signed with his left hand.
April 25: Turn Back the Clock I with throwback jerseys, old-timely music and special guests and relive the magic of the Cubs' epic loss to the Florida Marlins in the 2003 NLCS.
May 13: Turn Back the Clock II with authentic 1984 uniform jerseys being handed out to the first 1,000 fans. The Cubs will help fans relive the moment even more by getting killed by the San Diego Padres during the game.
May 14: Precious Moments figurine doll to the first 10,000 female fans. Everyone else will get to enjoy another whole sale slaughter of 25 baby bears.
May 26: Steve Bartman dart board day: First 5,000 fans recieve a dart board with a picture of Steve Bartman in the middle. Fans will be encouraged to continue to blame innocent bystanders for the collapse of the 2003 Cubs.
May 27: Chip Caray and Steve Stone punching bag day: First 2,500 fans will recieve a punching bag with the photo of these two critical former announcers. The Cub blame game continues to be played better than their baseball game.
June 15: Kerry Wood bobblehead day. The first 10,000 fans will receive a bobblehead doll of the Northsiders' all-time leader in simulated strikeouts! Bonus feature... each bobblehead comes with a complementary pass to watch Kerry Wood undergo one of his weekly MRI's.
June 16: Turn Back the Clock III - Kick off a rematch of the Cubs' most recent World Series appearance as they welcome the Detroit Tigers and try to beat them for the first time since 1945.
June 26: Goat Day - In the hopes of reversing the curse of the goat... all fans will be required to bring a goat with them to the game. (Of course, each fan must pay a full price ticket for their animals.)
June 30: Crosstown Amnesty Day - All managers and first 25 players on the White Sox active roster will receive a complimentary win.
July 1: Turn Back the Clock IV - 1906 World Series rematch. Authentic memorabilia will be given out to lucky Cub fans, as will an authentic 1906-style massacre of their lovable losers during the game.
July 2: Lovable Loser Day - First 15,000 losers get to fall in love with the Cubs even more as they are handed yet another staggering loss at home by the 'other' Chicago team who will be sporting really cool 2005 World Series Championship Rings.
July 14: Harry Caray Day, featuring an all-star tribute to the late and beloved former White Sox and Cardinals announcer.
July 27: Sammy Sosa Day, featuring a ceremony in which Sammy Sosa's number will be retired and his corked bat will be placed in a case and hidden in the center field ivy. All fans will receive a commemorative 'before and after steroids' picture of Sosa's head.
August 1: Nine Games Back Day - First 10,000 fans in attendance to correctly explain what "Nine Games Back" means receive a Cubs t-shirt.
August 19: Playoff Day. Come out and root for the Cubs as they stand on the brink of elimination against the Cardinals with forty-one games still left to play in the season. First 20,000 fans wearing Cubs gear receive a White Sox t-shirt.
September 1: "C.U.B.S. Day" First 10,000 fans will recieve a C.U.B.S. T-Shirt. (Completely Useless By September).
September 2: Turn Back the Clock V - Cubs fans, come out and party like it's
1989 in this showdown against the 1989 NLCS champion San Francisco Giants!
October 1: Final Home Game / Wait 'Til Next Year Day - First 39,538 fans are idiots.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
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