SB Nation User Blog: Emelie

Slate Contest: Describe Baseball in 150 Words

Emelie — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:35:08 -0000

Slate Contest: Describe Baseball in 150 Words

It's pretty straightforward:

So, a Slate contest of precision and brevity and sport: Explain the game of baseball in 150 words or less.... The best effort will win the thanks of a grateful father and his son. Use the form below to submit your definition. Please send it by 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. Slate will publish the winning entry—and some of the most valiant attempts—in a follow-up article. Play ball!

New York Times Picks Cubs to Win World Series

Emelie — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:12:07 -0000

New York Times Picks Cubs to Win World Series

Today is SWL's birthday! Happy birthday, O Prosthetic One!

Emelie — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:26:17 -0000

Today is SWL's birthday! Happy birthday, O Prosthetic One!

MLB Dugout Heroes

Emelie — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:27:15 -0000

MLB Dugout Heroes

Haven't tried it yet but here's a beta download of a forthcoming game MLB Dugout Heroes. Who knows? Could be fun.

Blurb says: a free, officially licensed PC-based baseball game expected to be available in North America at the beginning of the 2009 baseball season. Draft animated versions of your favorite players to create your own unique team.

Obama divides press conference into Sox vs. Cubs fans

Emelie — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:36:33 -0000

Obama divides press conference into Sox vs. Cubs fans

From HuffPo Chicago edition:

In a nod to Chicago's rival baseball teams, the news media's seats at the Obama transition team's Monday press conference have been divided into two sections: White Sox and Cubs. The Sox, Obama's favorite team, are the South section, while the Cubs section comprises the North seats.

From the morning pool report from McClatchy's Steve Thomma:

Motorcade rolled from Hyde Park at 9:11 am CST, pulled into service entrance of the hotel at 9:19 am CST. It's noteworthy that the press seats at the news conference have been divided into a White Sox section - to the South - and a Cubs section - to the North of the ballroom. But in a crime against nature, your pooler - a genuine White Sox fan, a man who attended his first twi-night double header at the Old Comiskey in 1963, who sat behind third base for the 50th anniversary All Star Game there in '83, who knew Bill Veeck and the wonders of Disco Demolition night, who saw the great Ozzie play before he managed - has been assigned a seat in the Cubs section.

Final Cubs Bids by Thanksgiving

Emelie — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:25:15 -0000

So reports the Tribune:

Tribune Co. has asked bidders for the Chicago Cubs to submit new offers before Nov. 27, Thanksgiving day, according to two people involved in the negotiations.

The bids have to include details on how the prospective buyers will finance the purchase of the team. Chicago-based Tribune, which also owns the Chicago Tribune and other media properties, also is looking to sell Wrigley Field and a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet, a regional sports network. Before the financial crisis gripped Wall Street, the package was once valued at more than $1 billion.

Sam Zell's Tribune is seeking a heavily leveraged deal to minimize the capital-gains tax for the company. The company bought the Cubs and the landmark stadium for $20.5 million from the Wrigley family in 1981.

Full story here.

OT: Goodbye Studs, It was good to know you

Emelie — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:31:32 -0000

Quintessential Chicagoan Studs Terkel died today. How sad to see him go. I'm sure he's out in the bleachers now, enjoying the game on a sunny spring or summer day. "Let's go the park at 2:00 ... Let's go to the bleachers... it was the spontanaity of it, watching experts, good skilled craftsmen ply their trade..."

You lived a good life, Studs, and you enriched ours immeasurably along the way. Bon Voyage... and thanks.

p.s. would've made this a fan shot but couldn't figure out how...

OT: Clemens Trainer Finds HGH Receipts Under TV Set

Emelie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:53:48 -0000

As if this case couldn't get any more bizarre, Clemens trainer claims he found a stash of HGH receipts sent to Clemens home under a busted TV set.

"My TV broke and I said, 'Damn, I got to get it off the dresser,' Radomski said Wednesday. "And it was right there."

He goes on to say,

"The investigators knew from day one that I sent a package to Clemens' house," Radomski told ESPN.com. "They knew before the Mitchell report was released and before Brian went before Congress. So this is nothing new to them.

"I just couldn't find the receipt. And just by [accident] this weekend, I moved my TV and whatnot and I found the package, an envelope, and it had [Clemens'] receipt and about seven or eight other receipts."

He turned the information over to the Feds. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, they make of it.

All Cubs Channel a Result of Sale?

Emelie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:56:46 -0000

The Business Section of the Tribune this morning offers the tantalizing possibility of an all Cubs cable channel. The Tribune Co. included this proposal in its financial book sent recently to prospective buyers. The Cubs market is huge.

On Comcast SportsNet, the Cubs draw more viewers by a wide margin, the article says, more than the other three sports teams shown on the network: the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks.

The WGN factor complicates matters and proves worrisome. The article says, it's unclear whether Tribune Co... would obligate the new team owner to continue broadcasting games on the local station, which has a 60-year history with the Cubs.

It would be a shame to have a local all Cubs channel at the expense of nationally broadcast games. Fortunately, for the near term -- or at least until 2019 when the CSN license expires -- we can breathe easy.

What Baseball Books, Sources, References Do You Use?

Emelie — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:17:03 -0000

We've talked about favorite baseball movies. What about your favorite baseball books? What books influenced how you think about the game? Which ones did you find most enjoyable?

Also, what sources aside from BCB (electronic or otherwise) do you frequent most for information, insight, data, etc.?

There's so much information out there, having your sage advice on identifying the best of the best will be deeply appreciated. I can't think of a more astute group of experts.