SB Nation User Blog: Chiburb

OT: Sad Day For "815" And ALL Illinoisans

Chiburb — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:39:37 -0000

OT: Sad Day For "815" And ALL Illinoisans

As usual here in Illinois the social service agencies are the first on the chopping block because we have no lobby in Springfield, and don't provide enough monetary compensation for our representatives to give a damn about us.

When agencies asked how to deal with the thousands of people who will be displaced by these cuts, the State's Secretary of the Department of Human Services had no response. The new fiscal year as well as the budget cuts started today.

I want to have my state legislature spend an afternoon in any number of agencies today who are closing their doors and explain to an adult or child suffering from mental illness–self-mutilation, pyromania, dimentia, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorders, sudden onset explosive disorder, anger management etc. that the one place which has been helping them is now closing. That where they have friends is closing. That where they have built a life for themselves is closing.

But our clients are the marginalized, the poor, the ghosts who walk our city streets seen but not heard, acknowledged but not understood, and in most cases roundly ignored and thankfully forgotten by our politicians as soon as they are finished with their photo op at our agencies. They have no lobby and no money and are therefore expendable.

These people will be tossed out onto the streets with no treatment, no help and no options. People will die, and no one seems to care.

IF there was a blog called SoxMachine...

Chiburb — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:44:37 -0000

IF there was a blog called SoxMachine...

Run by someone who MIGHT be named Jim, what would you like to see changed/added/deleted from that site?

Inquiring minds want to know. Unless I imagined this whole thing.

High School Team Throws 3 No-Hitters In 6 Games

Chiburb — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:08:00 -0000

High School Team Throws 3 No-Hitters In 6 Games

Clovis West High School baseball coach Kevin Patrick knew he had a lot of pitching talent going into the season. He just didn't know the school, located in Fresno, Calif., was on its way to becoming No-Hitter High.

When J.D. Salles struck out the last batter during a tournament victory, it was Clovis West's third no-hitter in the first six games this season.

The three pitchers who threw no-hitters – Salles, Sean Silva, and Jared Lee – are Division I prospects. (Salles has signed with Fresno State, and Lee will play for UNLV. Silva has not decided on a school.) Moreover, since none of the pitchers played football last fall, the entire pitching staff was able to work during the offseason and fall ball on mechanics with pitching coach Shawn Hannah, a former pitcher with the Detroit Tigers.

South Side Sox Reflects On Nick...

Chiburb — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:06:20 -0000

South Side Sox Reflects On Nick...

This member of SSS wrote a beautiful tribute that reflects on life, death, baseball, and community. It's lengthy, but perhaps deserving of your attention.

Once again, our condolences.

Babe Ruth "guest blogs"

Chiburb — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:24:21 -0000

Babe Ruth "guest blogs"

Ken Levine, a comedy writer who hosts the LA Dodgers pre and post game show, invited the Bambino to fill in at his blog. A couple of snips for flavor, more at the url:
THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS – What kind of pussy name is "Blue Jays"? How the hell is a Blue Jay supposed to strike fear in the hearts of opponents? "Blue Jays" wear pigtails and sell cookies, "Giants" stomp on people and get arrested with Mickey Rourke.

Same with…

THE LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM – When you think of an "angel" you don’t think some bad ass dude who’s gonna grind your guts into garters. Fuck no. You think of Nicole Kidman prancing with wood nymphs and shit. Who cares if you’re from Los Angeles, Anaheim, or California ? If your team name is "angels" your city of record is Fantasyland.

And along those lines…

Must-read if you love newspapers...Roger Ebert

Chiburb — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:07:07 -0000

Must-read if you love newspapers...Roger Ebert

In the way some kids might be awed by a youth gang, I was awed by admission to the fraternity of newspapers. I adopted the idealism and cynicism of the reporters I met there, spoke like they did, laughed at the same things, felt that I belonged. On Saturday nights about midnight at The News-Gazette, when we put the Sunday paper to bed, we gathered around the city desk, tired, released, and waited for the first papers to be brought upstairs. Ed Borman, the news editor was in the slot; Bill Schmelzle, the city editor, had Saturday nights off. Borman would crack open a six-pack. I tasted beer for the first time. I was a man. My parents, my family, my friends at school, nobody, would ever really understand the fellowship into which I entered. Borman didn't care that I was drinking at 16. We had all put out the paper together. Now we would have a beer.

Baseball Analysts Versus Vegas: Over/Under

Chiburb — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:41:04 -0000

Baseball Analysts Versus Vegas: Over/Under

Many teams looked at, but here's the snip of the White Sox:

Chicago White Sox - Over 77.5 (-125) Under 77.5 (-105)

Prediction: Under

What is Vegas missing here?

Aging bats anchor a mediocre offense. Fluky 2008 performers set to return to earth headline a pitching attack that strikes fear in nobody now that Vazquez has headed south.

March Madness, Non-Beckham Style

Chiburb — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:19:33 -0000

While I don't particularly care for hoops, pro or college, I can't help but see some of the March Madness on the tv. Some, however, are GLUED to the tv and intertubes... especially to check their brackets. Now, just in time, you can watch all 63 CBS games LIVE on your iPhone:

MobiTV, which offers prime-time TV programming for cellphones, has cut a deal with CBS Sports to show 63 NCAA basketball games in an iPhone/iTouch app for $4.99. The games begin next week, but the App goes on sale Thursday.

The app grants access to all of the CBS Sports NCAA games, and goes one step further than television, says MobiTV senior vice-president Ray DeRenzo.

On TV, you can only see one game at a time, but on the iPhone or iTouch, you can choose to watch any of 4 games that are happening at any given time until the elimination process begins. So, for instance, if you tune in and see that games in New York, Florida, Illinois and California are available to watch, you just click to see the game of your choice.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/03/live-sports-are.html

Community Project: New Member/Vistors "Cheat" Sheet

Chiburb — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:32:53 -0000

In response to a recent suggestion, perhaps we can use this thread to catalogue the origins of certain phrases or references that often have newbies/visitors scratching their heads. For example, at every reference to "Liz" someone will ask "who's Liz", and with good reason: how could anybody be expected to remember a late-season game in that suckitude known as 2007? By then, any normal person would've had something better to do on a Friday night instead of hanging out here!

So anyway, I'm thinking that if we each took one or two of these "inside" thingies, posted it/them as a comment, the burden could be shared easily (instead of dumping it on U-God). I'm also thinking that "comments" in reply to these comments should be reserved for corrections/additions to that topic. In other words, let's not get lardy with "oh I remember that" or "that was a good one".

I'll start with Liz:

Josh/Smosh! Nate Silver Predicts The Oscars!!!

Chiburb — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:21:44 -0000

Josh/Smosh! Nate Silver Predicts The Oscars!!!

Slum Dog $$$$$$$ at 99% probable win.