Game 8 – Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Cubs vs. Padres 7:05 – Heather, Wigs, Kristen, Julie

A beautiful night in Chicago.  Weather was gorgeous today – in the 80’s.  The weather lured Kristen to come out to the game tonight too.    

7 home runs in this game - 4 by the Cubs and 3 by SD.  The wind was blowing out, and Starlin looked like he was trying to hit one out on every at bat.  Actually, everyone kept trying to hit balls in the air, but most of them were flyouts.  Paul Sullivan said “Players drooled during batting practice at the prospect of hitting into the southerly wind blowing out toward left field at a brisk, 12 mph clip.”  Starlin finally succeeded in his 3^rd at bat.  DeJesus, Cody Ransom (yea!) and Valbuena (double Yea!) also homered.  DeJesus’ homer had to be reviewed – not sure why but they ruled correctly. 

After San Diego scored all the runs in the 5^th, we decided to make the move to Bernie’s to watch the 3^rd period of the Hawks game.  While we were finishing our beers (and Wigs his water), the Cubs scored 4 runs!  Hawks game was very exciting and ended up in OT.  Hawks win on Bickell’s goal after a perfect pass from Stahlberg!!!  After the goal, Bickell slammed into the boards, and Wigs said “can you imagine being in the front row for that?!  That would’ve been awesome.”  (Or something along those lines…)

Game Tidbits (courtesy of Carrie Muskat, the Cubs beat writer for MLB.com):

·         In 2007, Edwin Jackson went 0-8 in his first 13 starts, and didn't get his first win until June 24.

·         The Cubs loss was the largest margin for the year.

·         The Cubs’ previous 25 games had been decided by four runs or fewer, a franchise record.

·         The Major League mark is 33 consecutive games decided by four runs or fewer, held by the 1914 Tigers.

·         The Padres sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth and hit for the team cycle.

·         Rizzo finished April with 20 RBIs, second most by a Cubs left-handed hitter behind Hall of Famer Billy Williams, who drove in 25 in April 1970.

Julie Tidbits:

·         Wigs got a new Galaxy x4 phone.

·         Edwin Jackson is 29 years old and making $13,000,000 per year.  Wow.  And he was born in West Germany.  Interesting. 

o   Jackson’s line last night:  4.2 IP, 11H, 8R, 8ER, 2BB, 6SO, 1 HR

·         Hector Rondon is 25 years old and making $490,000 per year. 

o   Rondon’s line last night:  2IP,  H, 4R, 4ER, 1BB, 0SO, 1 HR

·         Kameron Loe also pitched last night and he is 6’8”.  The new Volstad.  We’ll need to work on a back to back picture of him and Wigs. 

·         Shawn Camp also pitched last night and didn’t give up any hits.  ERA getting down there – 6.35!

·         There was a really, really bad mustache in the bleachers last night.  I tried to get a picture, but I was laughing and need to work on my spy skills on taking pictures.  I think I totally got busted by the guy’s Mom (sister, girlfriend??) in the row behind him. 

Recap:

Cubs lose 13-7.

Weather was beautiful and warm.

Trish & John sold parking for $27 and $25.  The lady paid $20 originally and John couldn’t break another $20 for the additional $5.  So she agreed to pay when she got her car out.  She gave Bonnie an extra $2 in addition to the final $5 she owed.  Very nice!  Time to sell: about 10 minutes.  Carrie Ruziscka helped sell the spots, and Trish & John went to the game with her.  Right behind home plate.

My season record:  Visitors 5, Cubs 3

Game 7 – Monday, April 29, 2013

Cubs vs. Padres 7:05 - Heather, Wigs & Julie

Finally a game without snow boots!  Yea!!!  It was a nice spring night, albeit a little windy.  I still think people dress crazy – shorts, tank tops, tank dress, skirts.  I mean it was warm, but not July warm! 

Cubs back home after a 4-6 road trip (can we play Miami all the time??) to face the 9-15 Padres.  (Cubs were 9-15 going into the game.  Even matchup!)  A 9-game homestand against the Padres, Cincinnati and St. Louis.  We better take advantage of the Padres. 

It must’ve been a lefty pitching because all the slugs were in.  Sappelt – who has a slight edge so far for the MHC (Most Hated Cub) this year.  Not one ball into the stands between innings.  Please go away.  Hairston – who hit a home run and I couldn’t even clap for him.  (Hey – he broke his 0 for 15 streak!)  He’s probably LFC (Least Favorite Cub) vs. MHC.  Cody Ransom.  He’s young, so I at least like him.  I clapped for his home run.  He and Barney had a slick play late in the game to get an out and save a run from scoring. 

Samardzija started and looked kind of shaky (in terms of walks/hits), despite striking out 8.  He has 47 K’s on the season, which is near the top in the NL.  (Yep, too lazy to look up his exact ranking.)  He was followed by Bowden, Camp (who got his era down to 6.97!), Russell and Gregg.  Both Russell & Gregg have 0.00 ERA.  I’m shocked by this.  Especially for Gregg.  Walking out of the park, the announcer was recapping game stats, and the Padres left 11 men on base; the Cubs left 6 men on base.  Yep, kind of evenly matched. 

Game Notes – random occurrences or things we talked about: 

·         On way to the park, the Peanut Vendor on the Rockitt corner says to me as I walk by “I bet you’re sexy without those glasses on.”  Hahahahahha

·         Pittsburgh in 1^st in the Central!  It’s early; give it time. 

·         Padres catcher Nick Hundley is not related to Randy Hundley or Todd Hundley (MHC circa 2001-2002).  Seriously – this guy was never good:  http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/2325/todd-hundley

·         Rule of thumb on getting thrown out of park: 

o   Skinny tatted up guy without shirt on – high probability

o   Drunk 20 somethings (or under 21’s caught drinking) – low probability

·         Big guy in 3^rd row couldn’t let go of the fact that some dude didn’t bring a cup of Cheese with the pretzel.  Ok, maybe funny the 1^st time you said it.  But after the 30^th “No cheese”, not so much.

·         Who is Julio Borbon??  I don’t know, but he had a pretty good throw in to 2^nd base on a hit to right field.  He’s making $496,000. 

·         When did Cody Ransom get called up?  He’s making $550,000.

o   And while running across that tidbit – Darwin Barney is making $562,000.  No wonder he has to eat at RJ Grunts.

o   Trish – did you know Darwin was born in Portland?? 

·         Kevin Gregg is 34. 

·         The wave at Wrigley is starting way too early.  Meaning April.  And 6^th inning.  While the Cubs are batting.  Fools.

Recap:

Cubs win 5-3.

Weather was windy, but warm.

Trish & John sold parking for $20 to Eric, who is quickly becoming a regular, and $25 for the other spot.

My season record:  Visitors 4, Cubs 3.  Almost to .500!

Next up:  Hawks play at the same time as Cubs on Tuesday night.  Dilemma! 

Detour to NY – April 26-28, 2013

Detour to NY – April 26-28, 2013

Saturday, April 27^th is Kevin’s cousin’s son’s 1^st communion in Riverdale, NY.  Kev & I decided to make the trip.  Kev more from the family aspect, me from the dining aspect.  We had planned to get in around 9:00 PM, and I thought we’d grab a late dinner at Babbo, which is a Mario Batali restaurant recommended by Heather. 

Kevin was flying United and I was on American.  His work now requires him to use United, so we are a family divided when it comes to flying.  Unfortunately, we were sequestered.  Or just delayed because of Friday night traffic at O’Hare.  Fortunately both of us were delayed about the same amount of time, and we ended up landing within minutes of each other.  By the time we got to the hotel, it was probably 10:30 or so.  I was starting to panic that the restaurant would be closing their kitchen soon (I thought I read somewhere that it closed at 11:30).  And so by the time we got to the restaurant, it was about 11:15.  It was mobbed.  I went from panicking about getting there in time to eat, to panicking about getting a table!  Fortunately, we grabbed a couple newly opened seats at the bar which worked out perfectly.  We love eating at the bar. 

We started with an appetizer “compliments of the chef” of BBQ Chickpea Bruschetta.  I have no idea if that’s what it was called, but that’s what it looked/tasted like.  Yum –EEE.  Then we split an Arugula salad with smoky cheese.  For entrees, I had the Branzino (fish), while Kevin had the Fettucine with Stinging Nettles (asparagus and prosciutto).  Everything was really, really good.  It was getting late, and we were being picked up at 10:30 the next morning, so we didn’t walk around much or see anything else.  We Uber’d a car back to the hotel. 

We stayed at the Club Quarters right across from the World Trade Center.  Saturday morning, we walked around a little, and went into Trinity church. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Church,_New_York

Then we went to the WTC memorial – got in line around 9:30 and it took us almost half an hour to get into the sight (which opened at 10).  There were metal detectors, show your ticket 3 times, snake through lines, etc.  The park is really pretty; the pools/waterfalls are beautiful. The names of all the people, firehouse #’s, ladder #’s, battalion #’s, etc. were etched into the “rails” surrounding the waterfalls.  It was moving and emotional.   Very nicely done.  The one thing that bugged me was people posing for their Christmas card photos in front of the falls.  Really??  I don’t have words for this.  After the park, we went to the rooftop restaurant of our hotel, which looked right over the memorial park.  Really good view.  Truly incredible to try and imagine the buildings and the airplanes being right there.   We heard on the news that they just found landing gear from one of the planes – can you imagine?  12 years later?!  We didn’t go by where that was, but it seems weird that it wasn’t found before now.  Wow. 

Cousin Tess’s driver Carlos picked us up and off to Riverdale we went.  We dropped our bags at Tess & Marty’s and then walked down to the church to see Ryan eat Jesus.  The priest was horrible, and kept talking about how the bread was the same Jesus that was swaddled in the blanket in Mary’s arms and hanging on the cross.  I’m like “Dude – you’re talking to 7 year olds!!”  So after the fire, brimstone and guilt about showing up for mass on Sunday (um, dude – maybe you’re the reason people don’t want to come??), we went to the lunch party at the Bronx Fieldhouse.  (I think that’s what it was called.)  Very pretty setting, with an open air veranda, overlooking the tennis courts and pool.  Good to see the family and chat with family friends.  After the party, we went back to Tess & Martin’s and hung out there, ordering pizza and salad for dinner.  

Then up the next morning for flight back to Chicago.  Fun weekend – but went by fast!  Back to baseball on Monday night! 

Restaurant 6 - Fork

Restaurant 6 - Fork

Saturday, April 20, 2013 – Lincoln and Wilson in Lincoln Square

So as we continue through this, I am really realizing that we are on a dual track:  to document our fun at attending 40 games and to make sure we don't do any repeat restaurants.  So we'll see how close we are to both 40 games and 40 restaurants.  Fun! 

On Saturday, Kevin and walked over to Lincoln Avenue to see what we could find for dinner and watching the Hawks game.  We stopped in to Bad Apple, and I couldn’t believe how mobbed it was.  It was around 7:30 and probably 3 deep at the bar.  We moved on.  All the places seemed really crowded.  We didn’t want bar food, but something a step up.  And we wanted a tv.  We ended up at Fork, which was also very crowded.  We saw that a couple was paying and so we hovered behind them to grab their bar stools.  Good thing – right after we sat down, it was probably 2 deep behind us. 

Fork bills itself as a craft brew and wine bar, and they had flights of both beers and wines.  We ordered a bottle of French Bordeaux which was very good.  We ordered some charcuterie (Spanish sausages and Spanish cheeses), while waiting for Heather and Wigs.  By the time they arrived, we managed to grab one more seat right next to Kevin, and things started to clear out a little.  Next bottle of wine we ordered was a Tempranillo (to go with our Spanish charcuterie J).  Wigs ordered some kind of beer – it was dark, so maybe a stout? 

For dinner, I ordered popcorn crusted Halibut with fava beans.  It was too salty, and the fish was actually kind of stringy.  Weird.  Kevin ordered Macaroni and Cheese, and he thought it was kind of “bleh”, which I took to mean bland.  Heather ordered tomato soup and a small Mac and Cheese.  And Wigs ordered mushroom soup and Shrimp and Grits.  I like how the serve the soup, where they bring you a bowl that has stuff in it like croutons, mushrooms, etc. and then pour the soup in from a separate carafe.  Unfortunately, Heather’s soup wasn’t hot, and Wigs’ was lukewarm.  He said his Shrimp and Grits were good, but it’s hard to screw that up. 

Overall, like the mac and cheese, the place was “eh”.  I’d probably come back for a wine or beer flight and charcuterie, but not for dinner.  Here is what Heather had to say:

Yeah, I guess tasteless is probably a good word (for the Mac & Cheese). It was pretty blah for pasta & I really like pasta. The soup was cold and not really that good at all. It takes a lot for me to not like tomato soup. I even like canned campbell's tomato soup, so I don't think it's hard to please me in this category...would it have been good if it had been hot? Not sure, but it seems like a simple soup to me, how do you screw this up? How many times has this place changed hands/names? Wasn't it just Fiddlehead (?) over the winter? Now it's Fork, but with the same (essentially the same) menu? I like the big beer/wine list...I guess you can serve mediocre food if your place is packed every weekend night.

Wigs said neither places from the last two nights would be restaurant #41. 

Next weekend, Kev & I are going to NY for cousin’s son’s First Communion.  We are staying in the city on Friday night (near World Trade Center) and my goal is to try and go to Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo.  Jimmy – if you’re reading this, let us know if you want to meet up!  We get in late – 9:00 to La Guardia.  Sat night, we’ll be at Cousin Tess’s in Riverdale area of the Bronx.  After that, we’ll be back to baseball on April 29^th! 

Restaurant 5 - D’Candela

Restaurant 5 - D’Candela

Friday, April 19, 2013 - D’Candela (4053 N. Kedzie)

We chose this place for a couple reasons:

1.      Shelly went a few weeks ago and said it was great

2.      BYO

3.      It is across the street from the Bistro (where “TJ” (Tuscany John) works and we wanted to watch the Hawks game

They serve Peruvian food, and the place itself was kind of weird – you walk into what looks like a fast-food takeout joint, and then cross into a more cozy dining room.  The menu was way bigger than I expected – 3 full pages with 2 columns each listing chicken, fish, beef, etc.  We started with a plate of ceviche – probably the biggest dish of ceviche I’ve ever seen, and a good value for the price.  There was tons of calamari, a couple shrimp, and something scary looking that we didn’t know what it was.  Wigs ate it.  (Maybe a clam??)  we also had a beef empanada – that was good too.  Really flaky crust stuffed with ground beef and hardboiled egg.  Weird.  There was bread and two dipping sauces on the table – one sweet, and one superhot.

For dinner, Heather had the chicken & mushroom special.  This looked really good.  Wigs had the ribeye, which he said was good, although he was expecting a thicker cut steak.  It was more like a skirt steak.  The yucca (I think that is what it was) in sauce was good, although it wasn’t very warm.  But he did like the sauce mixed with my rice.  I had the grilled tilapia with vegetables and mashed potatoes.  The spices on the fish was really good, but the vegetables were cold and potatoes kind of soupy. 

Heather brought a really good bottle of wine left over from her Napa Valley trip, and Wigs brought some beer.  Overall, the food was OK.  But the service was really sloooooooooow.  I got there about 15 minutes after they did, and they had just gotten the wine key to open the wine.  Took forever for Wigs to get his 2^nd beer out of the frig.  Also the check.   Everything was slow. Considering there were only 3 tables in the place, it shouldn’t have taken that long for things.  Here's what Heather had to say:

D'Candela - I liked my food so I liked this place better (than restaurant #6)....grilled chicken with mushrooms & a red wine sauce....good. Yeah, the service was bad...how long did we sit there between being done & getting the check? That was the longest/worst part. I could have gotten up & asked for a wine key.....so not the biggest deal, just glad we didn't really have any place to be, but generally when I'm done w/dinner I like to be done & get up. I can "lounge, drink more, hang out" somewhere else....like the bar across the street.

After the game, we went to the Bistro, and had some more wine and beers.  Kristen also showed up and we had some lively conversation and watched the Hawks beat Nashville and the Cubs lose to Milwaukee. 

Cubs Rained Out - Thank God!

Cubs Rained Out – Thank God!

Wednesday night’s game was rained out.  I couldn’t bear the thought of trucking down there in the rain and snow boots, so I am very happy they called it early.  Not sure when it will be made up. 

I don’t know how they got Thursday’s game in, but they did.  Cub Win 6-2!!!  Yippee!!  And Soriano hit his first home run.  Yea!

Cubs are heading to Milwaukee, then Cincinnati and then Miami. 

I’m finally caught up on my games, so we better start planning our restaurants.  LMK if anyone has suggestions, and of course everyone is welcome to join us!  Heather is scouting places – she found a couple cards from when we went to Mole Fest in Pilsen last year (where they had live Mexican wrestling with the crazy masks!).   

Next game:  Monday, April 29 vs. SD

Next Restaurant/Game combo:  Friday, May 3 vs. CIN.  I think we are heading to Pilsen if anyone wants to join us!! 

Game 6 – Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Game 6 – Tuesday, April 16, 2013 vs. Texas Rangers

Back to winter coats, hats and boots.  My sister-in-law gave me a pair of snow boots for Christmas this year.  I think I only wore them once during the entire winter, but boy have they come in handy for the Cubs season.  Thanks Tracy!!! 

We all got tacos for dinner.  Heather & Wigs go to the place under the el tracks on Addison.  We don’t know what it’s called, so Wigs took a photo for me on the way out of the game:

 

Good News – the Cubs got rid of Lillebridge! 

Bad News – the Cubs signed Kevin Gregg!  Really??  I think he was in the running for my MHC title in 2009.  Seven blown saves for the Cubs that year (out of 30 tries).  Yes, I looked that up, which then takes me down a total rabbit hole.  Check out the roster and pitching staff that year. 

Batting:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/stats/batting/_/name/chc/year/2009/chicago-cubs

Milton Bradley!  Wonder if that was the burrito year?

Pitching:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/stats/pitching/_/name/chc/year/2009/chicago-cubs

Ah, memories…

Attendance has been way down this year, which isn’t a surprise given the crappy weather and crappy team.  I should modify that to say crappy bullpen.  While it’s nice to have the extra room to spread out, I’ve realized the downside of this is that you can hear every stupid conversation going on in the entire right field (vs. the usual case where you only hear the stupidity going on behind or in front of you). 

Heather wants to start a blog or website about how girls shouldn’t wear leggings or jeggings. 

During the 8^th inning, they played Sweet Caroline.  At first I thought it was more evidence of Theo trying to turn us into Boston.  But then realized it was a tip of the cap to the tragedy Boston endured and is recovering from.  Weird, but whatever.  I think the fans were too drunk to realize it. 

I was really hoping that drunk dancing girl would fall down the stairs. 

Kevin is somehow now in love with this team.  They have Heart.  They are Trying so hard.  They never give up. 

To his credit – the starting pitching has been pretty good.  And tonight, the Cubs did load the bases in the bottom of the 9^th with 2 outs, and there we were (all 1000 of us left in the stadium).  Yelling for Darwin Barney in his return from the DL.  What a great story that would make.  And he hits it to center…… And it’s caught.  Sigh.  I do agree with Kevin that it’s good to see that they haven’t given up in April, but it’s frustrating that the outcomes are the same. 

I know I sound cynical and I really do love the Cubs and baseball.  Maybe I’ll cheer up when it stops raining and being cold. 

Recap:

Cubs lost 4-2.

Weather was cold and rainy.

Trish & John sold parking for $30 (to a repeat customer already!) and $25 for 2^nd spot.

My season record:  Visitors 4, Cubs/Snow boots 2