Zach's Travels

To Eleven People Who Keep Me Going (Literally)... - August 23, 2009

2009-08-23T02:13:00.001-05:00

Recently enough in life I've had a couple revelations. For one, it's really difficult for me to trust some people worth a damn anymore. Second of all, I've come to the realization that sometimes, a few "close" friends of mine expect them to be the epi-center of my universe, which couldn't be farther from the truth.

The latter realization has been a real issue for me lately (and if I tagged you, none of this pertains to you), to the point where I have really been stressing things on an everyday basis. At the same time I think to myself, "why should I even bother with people who are obviously either just using me for rides, or rely on me for way too much for their own good?" It's become really bothersome, because I have friends in other places who want to do things with me and see me too, and I'm not going to neglect them because certain people are paranoid about me doing quite frankly something I've always done. It ain't right.

I'm flattered that you want to see me so badly, but I need breathing room. And if you're going to be pissy over the fact that I have other people I want to do things with (some of whom I've been friends with upwards of ten years), maybe you should just give up on me. Because I can't continue to bend over backwards and give the satisfaction when you're probably bullshitting me any chance you get. It's not worth my time or your's. Considering the certain people I have in my life, you haven't been around nearly as long to be worth it for me.

What's the purpose of this rant?

Because these recent negative events, where "friends" who consistently question the merit of what I'm telling them (the honest to God truth, mind you) and over the past two weeks have done nothing but bitch to my face about never seeing them and continue to take personal shots at certain interests of mine, have sparked another realization: The friends who've always been there for me are probably the greatest people in the world to me.

Anyone who I tagged in this note deserves to be here. These past two weeks have really opened my eyes as to why I value certain people so tremendously, and have always tried keeping them around at any cost, at any life changing turn, and at any obstacle that either I tried helping them overcome, or vice versa. There's really no other way to show my appreciation than by doing what I do best: write about it. And considering a recent battle with a return of my anxiety, on-and-off friendships, "friends" consistently giving me a hard time, and stresses at home, I felt this was necessary, because as much as you were unaware of it, I needed you guys. And you all were there.

These people have been with me through a lot of things, whether it be my first major move, the loss of my grandfather, the family issues I've had, the relationship difficulties that have always been there, etc. One by one, I want to individually thank all of you, in my own special and personal way, ways I probably could never do in person because I'd ramble on and not make much sense, hah.

First of course there's Dale, who's been my best friend over the past thirteen years. I feel gifted over the fact that I've been able to keep you around that long, because I see so many people who can't brag of a friendship lasting even half as long. I can't think of anyone else I could make a list of 200 inside jokes with, talk about baseball and go to concerts with, spend weekends with, and not get tired of, haha. You're like the brother I've never had, and I hope things stay that way for a long time. Thanks for being there for the late night convos, playing baseball franchises that never last past a week, among other things.

Second, naturally, is Sean. You and Dale are the upper etchelon of people in my life and have been for about as long as he's been there. I've known you for only a year less than I have Dale, but we've had a lot of good times, from playing Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside and All Star Baseball 2000 in your basement when we were in second grade to...well, still doing that now, hah. Never in my life do I have more stimulating sports convos and honestly, we need to catch more sporting events on a regular basis. Hawks game in November? You're also like a brother to me, and I really appreciate it.

Third would be Katie. Possibly the most interesting relationship I've had with anyone in my life, which may explain why I consider you the best friend of the opposite gender I've ever had. I remember meeting you eleven years ago and we just hit it off really well, and then at the end of second grade you moved, which was devastating. In seventh grade we got back in touch, stopped talking, then again Sophomore year and haven't looked back. Since then, you've been there through everything, as I have for you. You have no idea how proud I am that we've found an identity in our friendship, and I couldn't be happier with how things are. Thank you.

Fourth, Laura. Considering how long I've known the above three (thirteen, twelve, eleven years, respectively), you're out of place, but that doesn't diminish your impact. Funny how I thought you didn't like me when I met you, but ever since we had that conversation on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" as we both took a sick day Sophomore year, seems like we haven't stopped, hah. Next to Dale, you and I probably have more inside jokes than anyone else, and you've become the best thing to ever happen to me in Lockport. Seriously. Which explains why I get so bent about hanging, because there's really nobody I'd rather spend time with out here. We have to pick a day to do lunch after school every week. Or else ;)

Fifth would be Brian. We go back kind of a long ways, first on a musical basis, now more than anything on a Cubs/Hawks/Bears basis. I first got to know you Freshman year, then everyday Sophomore year (your Senior year) we talked about the Cubs, Hawks, or Bears everyday between fourth and fifth period. It's a shame you're off at college because I never see you anymore, but hopefully that changes when you transfer, because we always have a good time watching Cubs games and just kickin' back. I miss you 'round these parts and look forward to your return. You're like an older brother to me, and anticipate more college advice when I start next fall.

Sixth, Roberta. There's no way I could forget you in this whole thing. We don't see each other much anymore outside of school, and don't talk nearly as much either, but I always remember you as the first best friend I had outside of Chicago, and seeing you the past few days and how happy you've been to see me has really helped through some things. I miss you more than you could ever imagine, because I'd still consider you one of the best friends I've ever had. Those times we spent in seventh and eighth grade are some of the best memories of my life and I miss those days. We should do something soon, just for the nostalgia of it.

Seventh is Marcella. I never see you, but you're the closest thing to a sister I've ever had. I remember I sent you an IM in December of Freshman year out of sheer curiosity because I'd heard so much about you, and since then we really hit it off. It's a shame you live all the way out there because if you didn't we'd probably do things on a much more regular basis. We've been through everything together and I'm glad you trust me with as much as you do, because I trust you with about the same. Love you, buddy.

Eighth would be Zach and Mitch. Is it strange that I'm posting message board friends on a personal note? I'd hope not, because I personally believe any kind of relationship can transcend beyond knowing someone in person, as long as you keep in touch and can maintain that person's interest. These two are the only two guys I can think of who, since I've started using message boards in 2005, have been through a lot of personal hardship as I have for them. Zach's been there through the relationships, and Mitch through the anxiety. Plus, we just have a fucking good time talking on a regular basis. One day we'll have a get together, jam, and just chill. You guys have been great to me and deserved a shout. I only post on one message board these days, and it's the one you guys post on. Go figure!

Ninth, Nikki. Maybe it's unorthodox that I'm putting you in here but I think my reasons are legit. I've known you since...eighth grade, I think. Since then, it seems like any problem that comes across you or myself, we've gone to each other for in a flash. When you said on one of those ridiculous picture-tag things, where I know more about you than anyone else, it really made me think about that. You really have helped me through a TON of stuff, as I hope to have with you, and through this whole time we've never really hit a snag or conflict. A good four and a half years, probably, and it was nice hanging out with you for the first time in awhile on Friday. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help with things.

Tenth would have to be Ray. I think of the above people I've known you the shortest (met at the Rush show Sophomore year, September) at about two years, but you've always been a good guy and have given me a shit-ton of excellent advice when I've been down. Eventually, ParthenoGenesis will take off and we'll be chillin' a lot more, and I hope if you do the radio gig this year you use me as a "guest" every week. You've been a good friend to me and I'm glad you've stuck around.

Eleventh, but certainly not last, Lauren. Another person I go back to Taft with who I could maintain a steady conversation for a few hours with on a seemingly regular basis, which is hilarious because like I always say, I thought you hated me way back then. But we've been able to talk about a lot of things, mostly relationship hassles, and stay close to each other this long. You always suggest how I'm your best friend (whenever I threaten to kick assface's, well...ass) and I always appreciate that. So thank you.

Like I said earlier, I needed the eleven (or twelve, I cheated) of you in order to help get me through personal issues over the last couple months. And you guys did your part, be it direct or indirect, and I couldn't be happier at the fact that I have so many people who both respect me so much, and I have an undying respect for. I've been able to keep you guys around longer than anyone else in my life, and I have for various reasons. I'll always do what I can to keep you all with me, even though with some I know I don't have to, though I still try.

People like to think I have an ego, that I think way too much of myself. It couldn't be farther from the truth, I really don't think much of myself. I really don't think I'm that great of a guy. But you guys will be there for that occasional ego boost or self-esteem riser that I need every now and then, and it's always appreciated. I feel respected around you guys, appreciated. Something I don't feel from the "friends" I mentioned at the beginning.

So this was a necessary indulgence, because now more than ever I've felt the need to let everyone know how much I appreciate and respect them. With some, it's been long overdue. With others, they hear it on a regular basis and probably won't even read it. I consider myself the luckiest guy on the world to be surrounded by people like yourselves, and hope to keep you all around for a very long time. Because frankly, I don't know where I'd be without even one of you.

In a simple rhyme: Thank you :)

-Zach

"Sometimes, Life Just Gets in the Way..." - July 30, 2009

2009-07-30T03:00:00.001-05:00

"...and there comes a time when you need to remember who and what makes and has made you the wonderful person that you have become."

This is an old quote of mine that I decided to dig up specifically for this blog. I remember saying this to a friend who was feeling down back in eighth grade, to try and cheer her up. She loved it so much she used it as a MySpace headline for a few months, and I saved it on my hard drive. I actually forgot about it a long time ago, but was cleaning up all my computer files and found it. I'm glad I never tossed it because of it's small file size, because it really is an excellent quote.

But why exactly did I decide to use it? Well, there comes a time when a person needs to take their own advice sometimes and realize that they'd left some things behind in their past, whether it be people, things, hobbies, etc. I'm guilty of that, and tonight has been one of those nights where you're left with nothing better to do than think about all those things from your past, and just how much you miss some of them.

And sure, life goes on, you meet new friends, you head in new personal directions and sometimes that overshadows what truly makes you happy, what continuously got you by on a regular basis regardless of what was going on in life. I'm trapped in the apex of that enigma. I love the new things I have in my life, the new friendships I've made over the last six months and the new routines I have with different people. But I also miss what I used to have with some people, and sometimes regret not taking more advantage of any time I had with them.

I'm also guilty of not writing on a regular basis. I haven't done a fun post in awhile, be it a countdown, a listing, or a simple life update blog which surprisingly became popular amongst a circle of friends. My last life update was on January 26, 2009. That was way too long ago, and honestly, I don't think there's any legitimate way I can cover February through July in a simple blog posting. What I can do, is throw some insight out there as to why I'm stressing these nostalgic anecdotes the way I am, and pretty much summarize my summer, like I would in a typical blog posting.

Back in March, I joined up with a new circle of friends in Adam, Rob, and Darren, eventually joined by Karolina and Alex, Rob's and Adam's girlfriends respectively. Usually I won't throw names out there in my blogs, but they're worth it, I'd say. I have to be totally honest, ever since I moved to Lockport back in 2004, I hadn't been happier to be a part of the group I was in, and frankly am still very pleased to be with all of them on a regular basis. And since March, we've done everything together, be it a trip to Chicago that marks up as one of the best days of 2009, blowing off air-horns on a memorable night (for me) in April, and just hangin' out with them as much as I could until summer rolled along. March also saw me reconnecting with others as I had just started using Facebook constantly, such as Dan and Andy, so that was always a plus.

I met some new people through them, be it at school or when we would just hang out. It was nice to be surrounded by people I could be obnoxious with, to be immature with, and to just have a good time with.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Then summer actually came. I found myself with a pretty busy schedule, so I was often dividing time with them to do other things, either with family or friends I hadn't seen in awhile. So things looked to be very good: A summer spent with the circle of friends I'd had the past several months, seeing older friends, baseball games, concerts, and a ton of other things. I had a nice preview in Peoria seeing a Chiefs game and fireworks afterward, certainly a positive way to start things off despite one more week of school.

My first week consisted of a Cubs game which we lost 8-2, a baseball game for Kendall's baseball league, and taking Laura out for her birthday (which was especially nice because as time went on we saw less and less of each other, so I was glad I could do something nice for her and actually hang out with her for a change). Chickenfoot also came out that day, which maintains significance because ever since it was released, it's all I've been listening to. Still on heavy rotation over here.

As the second week rolled around, I had plans to stay overnight by Dale's leading into a Cubs game I'd attend with my uncle on that Friday (June 12th). This slightly complicated my dream summer of doing everything I possibly could, because I had a game in Kendall's baseball league while I'd be up there, and also had people wanting to do stuff, toward which I had to reluctantly decline. But it was nice at Dale's, great to be back in the old neighborhood just relaxing, easing my mind. Reconnected with someone who I've come to really respect through MySpace during that stay up there, and forged a relationship with her I'm rather proud of now.

That Cubs game with my uncle was one of the worst I ever attended. It was the game where Milton Bradley threw the ball into the stands with only two outs instead of three? Yeah, beautiful. Cubs lost 7-4. But the day wasn't a total loss, as we went to see "We Believe - Chicago and it's Cubs" at the Chicago Theatre at 10:30 PM for the premier, and little did I know my name was in the credits. One of the coolest things ever, and I'm so proud to have been a part of that.

About a week went by when I just chilled, went over to Brian's for a Cubs game (which was really nice as I hadn't seen him in awhile due to his being at college, and I'm glad I've been able to take advantage of his return home this summer). Hit yet another Cubs game on Friday the 19th, only in a direct parallel to a week prior, it was one of the best Cubs games I'd ever attended, coming back from a 7-0 deficit to win 8-7. Also luckily for me, Laura rescheduled her birthday party for the day after so I didn't miss it, which I would've come to regret eventually. I attended the party and saw some people I haven't seen in awhile, and despite some unnecessary drama, it was a very good night.

Later that week, I went over to Alex's with Adam, Rob, and Karolina for a swim, headed up to St. Dan's Carnival with Sean and saw some old frends despite the whole thing pretty much sucking, and headed to Milwaukee for a vacation at Summerfest and a Brewers game for awhile. Would be there for a few days, saw KISS which was one of the worst shows I'd ever seen, the Brewers lost 7-0 that day against San Francisco, and I saw Heart on our last night, who were very, very good. It was a nice vacation, though too long for my liking.

Upon my return, I headed over to Plainfield about an hour later to hang out with Katie, who I hadn't seen in a VERY long time. We made a nice day out of it, watched Juno, I listened to her Steve stories, and it was just really nice to catch up with her. After heading home, I had to go pack again, as I would be heading up to Summerfest yet again, only this time with Dale. We chilled on my first night there, Danielle came over and we played Mario Kart with chocolate all over my shirt (long story), and just watched Frasier and Whose Line after she left. The next day, we went to Summerfest and saw Whitesnake AND Judas Priest in the same night which was sick as hell (despite the women and scents leaving much to be desired compared to the last two years). We came home, relaxed, and sure enough, it was already the Fourth of July and I was back in Lockport!

The Fourth was a relaxing day with family, as was the fifth. I spent most of the sixth on my ass before heading over to Rob's with Adam to play some Nintendo 64. On the seventh, I went to yet another Cubs game, my last one to date, which was a really embarrassing 2-1 loss. The next day I went to Brian's to watch a game, then the NEXT day I had to go see a specialist for my throat, which apparently had a scratch on it. By the end of the weekend, it had healed fully. I went to Dave's party that Sunday feeling much better.

Thank God for that, because that Monday was the Green Day show, which was nice because I talked to Stacey a lot before and after it. Sadly, I hadn't talked to her as much (or seen her at all!) as I'd have liked to over the course of the summer, because I'd still say she's one of the closest friends I have. But it was nice to get back in touch with her, that's for sure. And the show was incredible. One of the best concerts I ever attended which is surprising, because I was always a moderate GD fan. Safe to say that changed after that show.

The next day was a beach trip with Adam, Alex, Rob, and Karolina, which I decided to treat them to as an attempt to make up for all the times they invited me to things that I couldn't make. Basically showing my appreciation. Sadly, there was some stress. I won't throw a name out there but a friend really wanted to go, I just couldn't fit him in for one and for two I thought he was busy. I really felt bad about it, and I hope he realizes I wasn't trying to be an asshole. In spite of that, it was an excellent day.

Later for the weekend, it was Blackhawks Convention at the Hilton with my uncle, first time I'd ever gone to that. The event was a disaster, but I did pull off a nice haul with autographs that I'm very proud of. I also got to hang out with Lauren there for awhile, which was really nice because that's one of those relationships I managed to re-establish in March via Facebook. So it was a successful weekend, that's for sure.

Last Wednesday, I went to Cruefest with Adam, Alex, and Rob, and I must say the bands this year were so much better than last year. And Motley sounded very good too. Very nice day on a very nice view from the lawn. Luckily the weather held up as well, and turned out to be a beautiful evening. On Friday, I went to Katie's again and we just caught up, which again was very nice. Saturday I went to Sean's block party and once again saw some great friends I rarely get to see. Sunday I helped my uncle clean (part of) his basement. Since then, I've been very relaxed, just taking it easy. Except for Tuesday, where I spent another very nice day with Laura, and got her into Best in Show and Frasier, hah.

++++++++++++++++++++++

One thing I've learned throughout this summer is that you can't please everybody, no matter how hard you try. And I learned that the difficult way, trying to do more than even I myself could handle. Take Kendall's baseball league for example. I felt terrible that I didn't participate and live up to the promise I made for that, but ultimately, life just got in the way. Or with Adam, Rob, and Darren. I always wanted to do stuff with them, but ultimately, life just got in the way.

I lead several different lives. I live a Lockport life, a Chicago life, and a family life. This year has been harder than ever to manage all three at once, and it's become rather stressful. Maybe some of it's a good thing, that a lot of people want to do things with me and keep me around. But it's also a bad thing because sometimes I just can't fulfill that. Which is why there will be times when I try and make it up to them, and it's usually a success.

The fourth "life" that I used to update regularly is the love life, which is complicated. These days I'm just going with the flow, waiting for something to come my way, and trying my damndest to not dwell on anything. Of course I have my interests, and one of them may know who they are, but I'm still searching for someone I can get into something serious with. It's a void in my life I feel needs to be filled.

What does the rest of my summer hold? Well, it's more chill, that's for sure. Saturday I have a Fire game (and an extra ticket, anyone want in?), next Friday is the long-awaited Chickenfoot concert, the Sunday following is a baseball game with Sean, and then the Thursday afterward is a Cubs game with my uncle. There will be other things sprinkled in there, I'm sure. But that's the main outline of August.

Then, school begins on August 19th. Whoo-hoo! (note the sarcasm)

But the overall moral of the story is: Sometimes life just gets in the way. I have still been getting in touch with some friends through Facebook, like Nikki and Cait, people I haven't spoken to in a very long time, and it's really nice catching up with the likes of both as I truly have missed them, among others. I outlined those two because I considered both to be very good friends of mine awhile ago, and it's nobody's fault we would stop talking. Life just got in the way, and that distanced all of us. It happens. It's nice to know I was missed, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual knowing I missed them.

This blog also symbolizes the one thing that will always make me consistently happy: Writing. Something I've neglected to do when it comes to my life over the past six months (even though I remained active with Cubs blogs among others). And I'd forgotten the great therapy it happens to be. I seemed to have had a prophecy tonight, one which answered a lot of the questions I'd been seeking answers for the past couple weeks.

I spoke earlier of revisiting older things that once made you happy or filled voids in your life, and catching up with certain people recently have helped that. Then I spoke of the new friendships which are still there and life is in continuous constant motion forward. But I neglected to speak of the middle ground. On Tuesday, I spent an entire day with Laura (and part of it with Dave), one of the best friends I've ever had in my life, and can't remember how long ago it was since I felt that kind of happiness. Later on that night I talked to Brian deep into the night as I have every night this summer, texted Dale as he's on vacation, commented a status of Dave's, talked to Bittner this morning, and talked to Sean earlier today. The two others who've been around me forever and have always been great to me, Katie and Lauren, I'm sure I'll talk to later on.

It's that balanced medium that I like the best: The things and the people who have always been there for you. The one's who've always consistently reminded you why you're still here and why you do the things you do. And why everyone has the wonderful person inside of them, because there's always someone or something who wants to keep them near.

As cheesy and cliche' as that may be, think about it. That's my sign off.

-Zach

"The Second Longest 'Tribute' I'll Probably Ever Write..." - March 18, 2009

2009-03-18T19:38:00.003-06:00

I did a "Tribute" blog last June in dedication to my late grandfather, a concept which I happened to be very fond of (and other people liked too, I'm assuming for the subject matter as I poured everything I had in me to convey my feelings about the ordeal). Upon reflection, that was a really solid concept (much like my "Reflection" blogs which are uncommon but have clicked with others), one which, while I would never get in as much depth as I did the predecessor, could work out very well if I gave "Tribute" blogs to friends, other family, or even personal heroes and idols of mine.

That said, I'm going to start this today, in part because I owed somebody big time for leaving them out of my blog for such a long time after promising her she'd be in here. Not necessarily the best idea on my end, but I must admit, the timing was a bit awkward. I posted my first 2009 blog on January 26 to cover stuff like the Cubs Convention and all that, and by this point our relationship had taken an awkward turn due to some drastic unforseen events, causing us to seemingly only be speaking on a week-to-week basis by then. With that said, a slight mention in that blog wouldn't have killed me, so if you're reading this, this is my apology.

But let's get with the happy, shall we? In my usual "not use names" fashion, chances are I won't mention her name anywhere in here (it's a privacy thing, most people don't like to be that "public"), but she'll know who she is.

This whole thing may be one of the most "complex" close relationships I'd ever been a part of, honestly. We met in 1998, first grade, and at the time she may have damn well been the best friend a then-stupid-looking kid like me could've asked for (heh). Eventually, for myself at least, it translated to your cute, stupid "puppy love" kinda thing, since at the time I'd developed significant feelings for her. And they stuck around for a good couple years. It's safe to say it was the first point in my life where I ever maintained feelings like those, and I liked it.

Sadly, after those "good couple years," she moved, which hurt like hell because not only was I losing the person who had left that specific impact on me, but at the time I was also losing my best friend. So I really believed I had nowhere to turn at that point, and what was more depressing is I misplaced the number she gave me so I had no means of contacting her. It was pretty hard on me, at the time being only eight years old as it was.

It took five years before we even managed to speak again, sad as it was. I'll never forget, it was Spring 2005 and I had just bought ESPN MLB 2K5 for my XBOX, which I was playing in my parents' room (usually it's in my room, but my dad got a new Tom Clancy game so until he beat it, I was stuck in there). Suddenly I get a call, and lo-and-behold, the caller ID gives her last name. I really had no idea how to react, what to say, etc. So I didn't answer, and gave myself a day to sort myself out mentally.

When I finally got myself to do what I needed to do, I was very happy about it. We talked for a few hours and eventually would do that regularly for, if I'm not mistaken, a couple months. All the catching up we did, the changes in our personalities (and the similarities that stuck around for five years). We also regularly talked online, and it was always a relief when, at the time my grandfather and best friend was very, very ill, I could always look forward to coming home, onto my laptop, and talking to her.

What still hasn't come clear to me is, shortly after my grandfather passed, she just...left. I'm still not sure what happened, and have mentioned it to her in the past and frankly, I don't think she knows either. Just one of those things. So it was depressing, because she was helping me get through such a difficult time and wasn't there anymore.

And no doubt, part of why she was helping me so much is because those feelings from before stuck around, and a huge part of me wanted to continue expanding on that relationship to maybe turn it into something down the road.

That was Summer 2005. Fast-forward to January 2008 when someone adds my MySpace. I send the message asking who she was, just out of curiosity, when viola, I'm sure you can assume who it was (I had to ask because when we got back in touch in 2005, I still hadn't seen her, all we did was talk on the phone and AIM. So I didn't know what her modern appearance was). I remember one Saturday night we spent about four hours catching up on AIM, just like we did three years prior, and considering how greatly both of us had changed, it was like meeting a whole new person, yet maintaining the strong history that was developed. So it was interesting.

Part of me was so surprised to me someone with such similar interests as myself, which I found fascinating. We got to know each other more and kept in touch in moderation, certainly not as much as we had three years prior.

Then comes a day in January when we decided to catch up with each other after a couple months of not speaking (no reason, we were both so busy). She told me she had feelings for me via text. Uhh, whaaaa!? What she ended up saying to me that night was stuff I was too nervous to say myself for years! Not to mention, I wasn't going to anytime soon, as I believed she was still in a relationship while she apparently was not.

Naturally we tried to expand on this, and it was definitely one of the best feelings in the world for someone like me. It was eleven years of foundation, to a point where I always wanted it to go. And it was a spectacular week, getting nice texts and talking everyday almost non-stop. Sadly, circumstances arose, and it just...ended. I'm used to things not going my way, so I didn't take it too hard. But let's not underestimate that as me taking it well. My feelings that built up for so long had suddenly been dissolved, and it was a sad thought.

It's been two months since then. As crazy as it sounds, I attempted to just move on with other options, but I simply couldn't stop thinking about her. She's just such a tremendously special person to me and the fact that I had lost it so quickly really did end up hitting me hard. She may very well be the most special girl I've ever met, honestly. Though I got a very nice, refreshing call from her today, though I was out of my element because I was exhausted and she also told me something I wasn't expecting to hear, however, it made me a very happy guy.

And I still have significant feelings for her...

That's that. I felt it was deserving, and instead of giving only a sentence or a paragraph, I gave her the whole damn blog. I've always believed that, if I can't have her in a relationship, I still want her in my life. So when we go a month without speaking out of sheer lazyness on one end or stupid phobias on the other, it's not a good thing, because the thought of her is in constant rotation in my mind.

I've never gone into this much detail trying to make her feel as special as she possibly could but I feel it was deserving. I said I'd do it for her birthday, but I didn't want to wait that long. I already have some ideas as to some other things I'm going to do for her birthday anyway, which is in ten days.

So if you're reading this, there's your mention in my blog :D It ended up longer than even I had expected...

-Zach

"My, How Far We've Come..." - March 12, 2009

2009-03-12T21:47:00.000-06:00

Usually I'll quote a lyric of my thoughts for the blog title. That was actually the plan until today when I started to reflect on a lot of aspects on life, and realized just how far not only I, but everyone else around me, have gotten at this stage of our lives in comparison to one, two, or even four years ago.

Allow me to elaborate. Yesterday, I saw a magnificent friend of mine who I never get to see these days anymore. Neither of our faults, just never a convenient time for either of us. What's funny is just how much our relationship has changed, albeit it hasn't been for the better. I saw her twice yesterday, and I swear on my life I never hugged anyone as strongly as I did then (when you lose your balance, you KNOW it's pretty strong, hah). It was expressing my emotion of just how much I miss her, and clearly the feeling was mutual as she expressed the same thing. Since the first hug I gave her early yesterday morning, I seriously thought about her all day; not the way you're all thinking. I was thinking about how I'd still probably consider her one of the greatest, best friends to ever walk into my life, despite the distances between us these days.

What's funny is, two years ago to the date, I saw her everyday after school, locker right across the hall from mine, chances are if she wasn't staying after I'd walk out with her, give her a hug, and we'd be on our way. It was almost routine, and if one reflects, that period two to three years ago may have been the best period we ever had together. Only reason I say that is because part of me realized by that point what I was too stupid to realize before. I've known her for five years, and five years ago I'd have considered myself to be in love with her, despite the fact that the feeling wasn't mutual and that was very obvious. By the time I got over that, things vastly improved between us, and lately I've begun to think about just how much I took for granted with her in the past, since I hardly see her anymore.

She mentioned something to me yesterday, and I was intrigued. In that period four to five years ago when I had significant feelings for her. She mentioned a letter I sent her expressing my feelings in possibly the most romantic way I've ever done, with anybody. She told me she read it again and she cried, much like when I first sent it. I read it back and, poorly written as it was, it was beautiful, and definitely a positive reflection of the one time I EVER felt even remotely close to being with the first person I ever can actually say I loved. And part of me realized what a fool I was to chase the whole thing the way I did, but I've learned from that and frankly couldn't be happier with the way things ended up with her and I. Of course, if I could change how things are now, I would (as far as seeing her and such)...

This leads to other relationships. How the two other best friends I had here in Lockport two years ago and I are no longer on speaking terms, courtesy of one's own ridiculous pretention against me and another's childish insecurity about my affairs with certain people in his life. How I lost the person I'd fallen hardest for since the beginning of high school two years to yesterday, and how I'm now closer to her than I was seemingly then, just in a different way. How I've been able to maintain some friends from junior high and even from Midway and just how important a role they've played in my life the whole time. How two years to the day I got my Genesis tickets, starting what ended up being the greatest concert year of my life. How four years ago I had been so disgusted with the Cubs organization my grandfather and I could hardly watch a game anymore, then two years ago how a few smart free agent moves (not often I get to say that!) generated interest, and how today I seriously cannot remember ever being this excited for the start of the season. How two years ago my relationship with my dad seemed beyond repair, and how these days it's become much better, despite the occasional squabbles (See that? I used the word squabble in one of my blogs!). Sometimes I think we all take these things for granted, but to preach what another "acquaintance," if you will, said yesterday, sometimes you have to give them some thought in order to totally appreciate exactly what you have.

So clearly, a lot has been on my mind, but unlike most times I've been very thankful for what I've been able to hold onto lately, or for that matter, been able to get back in different variations. It's these little things that have kept me going of late, since life for the longest time until the past few weeks had been at a stand-still. It's been a month and a half since I did a life update, and this may have been the best damn interlude I've done in recent memory, so let's get to the goings-on, shall we?

February was a bore. Really, I can't think of anything substantial that happened that month. All I can recall is two four-day weekends, being sick for both of them (one being the worst damn sickness I've experienced in years, more on that later). Spring Training for baseball began, which is always a good thing because I've seriously been going insane without my baseball. Let's not forget I am a Cubs fan and still need validation after last year's miserable collapse, just one step closer to that happening! Also got Cubs tickets! June 19 vs. Cleveland and July 7 vs. Atlanta, so keep an eye out for me on TV, y'hear? Managed to get some Brewers tickets for June 28 as well up in Milwaukee at the end of the month, so slowly but surely, my summer planning had already begun.

At the end of February, in our big four-day weekend leading up to March, I couldn't believe how sick I had become. Splitting headache, like my head was run over by multiple semi-trucks, asthma cough, congestion, soreness all over, chills and then unusual spurts of unbearable warmth. I was sick that entire weekend, which really sucked (to put it bluntly) because I did have some plans for that weekend. The good news is, I felt like I was going to die, and luckily I'm here, posting this blog for my legions of loyal readers to enjoy .

March so far has been excellent. Baseball games are now being televised, I'm getting tons of concert tickets (paid to get a bite at U2 pre-sale tickets, seeing Paramore and No Doubt, Cruefest if I can score something cheap, likely going to Summerfest twice, waiting for Chickenfoot and AC/DC to announce their respective tours). My summer from June 19 up until July 22 is booked, with days open here and there, but for the most part I'm packed, and I couldn't be happier, because unlike the last month and a half, I actually have something to look forward to. Among other things this month, the World Baseball Classic has been fascinating, unlike in 2006, and the Blackhawks are still making an aggressive push to the postseason. School's also been outstanding, had an awful start to third quarter but the way my grades look, I can still hold on to the "honor roll" title and keep my GPA at a 3.2, which always makes life so much easier, especially with fourth quarter being such a cakewalk.

I haven't updated on my love life recently, essentially because there's nothing to report. What else is new? I made an attempt with one person but it felt like a one-way street and I was the only one driving down it. To be fair, being old-fashioned I expect myself to take control of stuff like this, but part of me seemed like I was chasing something rather unnecessary way too strongly, and for me, it doesn't work like that. I like when a foundation is put in place and I'm not the only one making an effort to work something out. Which leads me to my next point: I just need to meet new chicks, to once again, put something bluntly. I've pushed very hard with certain ones in the past to little or no avail, and I need to move on, problem is I can't find anyone I can legitimately move on towards. Sure there are people I'd like to meet or get to know better, but those are things I can't really see panning out anyway. So, "love" is also at a stand-still, sadly. I don't fret over it as much anymore, just waiting for something to come along...

So, what's in store for the coming days? Spring break is on the horizon, and I have no plans! I do expect that to change, however, I seriously doubt that I'll spend the entire time at home. Baseball season starts on April 6 and naturally I'm very excited about that. Cruefest and U2 tickets go on sale very soon, with Chickenfoot probably announcing their tour shortly. March Madness starts next week. With Spring on the horizon, a lot more tends to happen, and I couldn't be more excited with summer slowly (yet rapidly, figure that enigma out) approaching. S'gonna be a fun ride, and as always, I'll have updates along the way.

Peace!

-Zach

"Turn Your Clock Back, Paint it Red on Black: Reflection 2004" - February 8, 2009

2009-02-08T19:46:00.002-06:00

Those who know me well know how tremendously nostalgic I can be (I know for a fact Dale and Stacey have mocked that quality in me enough :D), which leads me to ask myself: How on Earth, after all the "Reflection" and filler blogs of the past, could I possibly forget to indulge in the year where the most change I ever experienced in my life? The answer? I have no idea.

To preface, this year was either going to end up (at the time) either the best year of my life or the worst year of my life. It was really that simple. In late 2003, my mother approached me, telling me the family was moving out of Chicago (to quote her, "maybe even out of state," which thankfully didn't happen) and we'd be spending most of the next year searching for a new home. I was crushed, that everyone thought I could very well leave everything I had established those past twelve years and just casually move on, leave my best friends of eight and six years, etc. So it didn't fly over easily.

After awhile, though, the idea was a bit more inviting, though most of me still didn't want to leave. It was change I had no possible way of preventing, so I had to accept it, even though 80% of me just wouldn't budge. Well, we found a house much sooner than any of us had ever expected (much to my chagrin, the more time we spent looking, the more time I had in Midway), and on February 1, 2004, we made a deal to move into Neuberry Ridge in Lockport, IL. This just so happened to be Super Bowl Sunday, so instead of watching the game with the family, they painted and started fixing up the house, while I quietly sat in my room listening to Rush (I was far from the rabid fan I am today, I even got tired of them and stopped listening for awhile), for the first time knowing I didn't have many more days left in there.

Much of my Spring revolved around telling my friends I was leaving, getting ready for the Cubs to hopefully repeat off their 2003 success, fixing up the house, and just thinking non-stop about everything. Did I take things for granted with people and my time here? I'm not going to see my grandma, grandpa, or uncle much anymore, will I? These thoughts weren't good, thoughts a twelve year old kid should have. And to be honest, the family didn't help. In the process I was mostly an outsider, one who pretty much kept his mouth shut on everything, which worked against me at times because I was needed for things and wouldn't give in, which caused a lot of tension between the family and I. I still stand by that attitude, since mentally, I just wasn't ready for something like this.

But in Spring, some rays of hope shined through. We got a new pup on the last weekend of March, which we named Snickers after much deliberation, who still lights up the house today with her joyfulness. On March 25, my favorite band of the time, Van Halen, announced they were reuniting with singer Sammy Hagar, recording three new songs for a new greatest hits package, and touring North America to support them. This is something my hyper twelve year old self never thought he'd ever see, his favorite singer reuniting with his favorite band. Tickets went on sale Saturday, May 1, and my dad promptly got tickets to the show.

I'll never forget hearing the new single, "It's About Time," for the first time on May 6, 2004 (I remember I was ready to watch the "Friends" finale, a show I never watch but had to see the spectacle as it was so over-hyped). I was sitting in my room, about 6:30 PM, window open enjoying the calm mid-Spring breeze, when Seaver on the Loop said they had a new Van Halen song after the break. Well, after going through "Comfortably Numb," this thick, pulsating guitar riff comes in. I said to myself "Nah, this has got to be some new band." But then, all the sudden, Sammy Hagar's vocals come up and Ed's signature guitar sound becomes apparent. It was the new Van Halen song, and I was stoked. Sure, it came out the day they announced the tour about a month prior, but with the hustle and bustle of moving, this was the first I time had the chance to listen to it. Hearing "Turn your clock back / paint it red on black" gave me hope for the concert on July 19!

May was a spectacular month that year, because I started to see a lot of friends more than usual, just getting as much time as I could in with them before I left, which at this point could've been July, maybe August, maybe even November! I remember spending Dale's birthday with him that year (and spending the weekend by his casa, making fun of our science teacher Mr. Malek's childhood photo and such), which conveniently fell on a Friday and we went to The Pit for dinner. He had announced to me he also got Van Halen tickets for his birthday, which excited us both. I also recall his father asking me if I'd ever heard of a band called "Velvet Revolver," consisting of the guys from Guns N' Roses and the singer of Stone Temple Pilots who were just on Leno the other night. Well, I hadn't, but it was just something else to look forward to. Clearly my musical mentality was growing tremendously at this point, and the weekend prior to Dale's birthday I'd buy my first Motley Crue album, which turned me into the rabid Crue fan I am today.

School eventually let out on June 4 (my last day ever at St. Dans), which just so happened to be the day Mark Prior returned from the disabled list (funny, he gave up only two hits and ended up with a loss). Excellent way to begin the summer already! Mostly everyday over the summer I'd take a walk or take my bike out in the evening, usually meeting up with and hanging out with friends, whether it be just going around, chilling at Byrne, playing baseball, among other things, usually until the night rolled in. My friends made my last summer there incredible, and surely helped me in remembering them as I moved on.

If I wasn't out with them, chances are it was a quiet evening in the house, usually with me cranking out the Loop while I played MVP Baseball 04 on the PS2 or All Star Baseball 05 on the XBOX. I remember the first time I heard the mystery band Velvet Revolver on the radio, when "Slither" debuted on the Loop while I was "modernizing" my Cubs roster on MVP 04. I just remember sitting there thinking "Well damn, that kicked some ass!" This just led to a cycle that was the Contraband (VR's first album) craze I went through surrounding the rest of 2004.

June also meant a new season of Whose Line is it Anyway?, my favorite show of the time. I remember being so stoked for the start of the new season, and it really didn't disappoint (despite the fact that they were all throwaways from past seasons). Sadly, the day after the debut, we had to put our chocolate lab of eight years, Mocha, to sleep. She was always very pleasant and personable (though Sean always felt like she was gonna bite his hands off :D), and it was sad to see her go.

July provided some interesting fireworks (haha, pun). I started the month off by going to a Cubs game on the first, against Houston. I'll never forget Mark Prior pitching a fantastic game in seven innings, with the Cubs up 4-1, and Kent Mercker allowing a three-run homer to Carlos Beltran RIGHT after Prior was taken out, tying the game. Sammy Sosa won it in the ninth with a walk-off homer, luckily. July also meant my last Fourth of July in Chicago. We went up to Wisconsin to buy our illegal fireworks (heh) and put on one last show at the house. I remember retiring early to watch the Cubs / Sox game on ESPN, which the Cubs won in the ninth on a bases-loaded walk taken by Todd Walker. Another great game that week!

I spent much of July doing the same things I was doing in June, only the visits we'd make to the ground where the new house was being built were more frequent, meaning more long trips and more times eating out with the family. I remember one night listening to Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home," under a cloudless sky on a 70 degree early summer night heading home from the new house area, which was so appropriate considering everything, and pretty much helped me appreciate everything around me just a little more. A reason why I'll never tire of that song.

July 19 came around, which was the date of the Van Halen concert. I was asked recently to rank my Top 5 favorite concerts (since I've seen so many bands) and this came in around the #3 spot. What a great show, caught it in the "magic" period between July 3 and July 20 where not one single show was bad (considering how many awful performances were on this tour thanks to Eddie Van Halen's alcohol problem). Definitely a concert I'll never forget. I also remember going to Best Buy the day after to buy the Greatest Hits package VH released, and mom lost her keys for work at the store. We frantically looked around, and when we gave up, we just cranked VH in the car on the way home.

I remember I spent the following weekend at Dale's the last time I'd see him until he stayed over by my place Thanksgiving weekend. It was awkward at first, and my voice was still shot from the show. But eventually, we got into our niche and just had fun like we always did. Listened to VH, played GameCube (Sonic the Hedgehog, man!), just relaxed. It was a blast, and I'll always remember it as the last time I'd stay there while living in Chicago. The Thursday after that weekend, Uncle Tom and I went to see Spiderman 2 downtown, and figured we'd visit the beauty that was (at the time, brand new) Millenium Park in the process. After returning back to his house, I sat down with my grandpa, watched the Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond, and the Cubs game whilst having chicken for dinner. I think that was the last day I spent at their house before moving as well. What a shame.

July ended with the last time I'd hang out with friends. I spent the majority of that Friday (which was July 30) with Kurt Mueller, Jackie Kwasny, and others who came in and out. At the time, I had no idea this would be THE last time I'd really hang out with any of these people (at least until May 2005), but once I actually left, I felt bad that I never got the chance to really add closure to ANY relationship I had out there, not just those two. Still, it was definitely a great night for what it was.

August came around, and nothing too noteworthy happened outside of Greg Maddux winning his 300th game with the Cubs against the San Francisco Giants. I do recall heading out to the area where the house was being built with my mother a few days prior to that, and listening to the Cubs and newly acquired Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra rape the Rockies on the radio. Clearly, I have a lot of fond memories with that 2004 team, despite the fact that they'd become whiney bitches by the end of the year (will explain later).

August 12, 2004: The day my life changed forever. We closed on the house, it was completely built, and we moved in. It was gloomy, perfect fit, really, since that was pretty much the mood of everyone. Just a very somber day all around, and when I said goodbye to that house on 52nd and Nottingham, I realized I was saying goodbye to my history and saying hello to a new beginning, one I wasn't looking forward to.

I started school at Taft, which was a massive dump compared to what St. Dans was, but it was still a nice change of scenery: small town school filled with small town people. Not really my thing, and after five years living here, it still really isn't. Regardless, I made fast friends, and they know who they are. I already indulged in 7th grade in a blog back in October, no need to continue now.

The rest of the year, well, it's a lot like death to birth. A part of me died on August 12, leaving behind all I established and all the friends I'd made. But a part of me had been born again, starting from scratch, everything...different. All I could really remember was my grandpa coming out once a week to pick my sister and I up from school, my Velvet Revolver craze expanding to it's farthest extent, the 2004 Cubs season ending on the worst note possible (89 wins and no postseason because of whiney bitches like Alou, Mercker, Sosa, and Dusty, and of course, losing Chip and Steve as the team's voices didn't help), and establishing a new beginning in my new home.

I was a totally different person at the end of 2004 than I was at the beginning of it, and quite frankly, the person I am today has been a gradual improvement over the one everyone saw at the end of 2004. Every change that happened to me personally in '04 was very rapid, there was really no time to realize it until years later, but the ones that have happened since have been very noticable, since it all comes so slowly.

That's a little insight to those who didn't know about my history before Lockport, and a little insight into how different a person I am because of everything that's happened since the move actually happened. I'll always say that moving out of Chicago was one of the worst things to ever happen to me, since I've never totally felt like I've fit in here in the five years I've been here. But, I've met some fantastic people, ones who I'd hope I can keep around for a very long time (of course, there's VERY few of you guys), and for that, well, at least something good came out of the move.

Still, I have every intention of heading back up there for college, so once I graduate high school, you bet yer ass I'm heading back where I belong. Until that time, eh, I think I'll make the most of what's on my plate now.

-Zach

"Top 20 Cubs Games" - February 8, 2009

2009-02-08T01:14:00.001-06:00

This is a VERY long post. I don’t expect you all to read the whole thing, but you can at least check out the game dates, results, etc.

The Cubs Convention was a couple weekends ago, which for me, calls for the beginning of the 2009 baseball season! In this period between the Convention and pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa, Arizona on February 13, I figured I’d give one of my traditional “filler blogs” to fill the void.

Background on this, this 2009 season will be my 14th season as a Chicago Cubs fan (1996-Present), and I’ve seen a ton of spectacular games (as well as heartbreaking ones) in that period of time. A lot of them stick around in my memory, and I even have some of them in my DVD / VHS archive! It’s been a fantastic fourteen years so far, and I figured I’d share some of those memories with you.

So, clearly by the title, I will be ranking my Top 20 favorite Cubs games, and I will divide each description into two parts: Where I was and what I was doing throughout the course of the game, and what actually happened in the game thus allowing it to be on this list. Unlike my usual “ranked” blogs, I’m going to count down on this from twenty to one, just to try something a bit different. You all get the idea, but first, so we don’t end the blog on a bad note, I’m going to list the worst Cubs game I’ve ever witnessed in my fourteen years.

October 3, 2004 vs. Atlanta Braves (W 10-8)

Where I was: It was the final game of the season, so as you can imagine, it was a lazy Sunday just watching baseball. Not much of a background to this one, honestly.

What happened: The Cubs actually pulled off a 10-8 victory in the nine inning ballgame, great offensive performances by Moises Alou, Aramis Ramirez, and Mark Grudzielanek. The problem? Any Cubs fan aware of the 2004 season knows that this was Chip Caray and Steve Stone’s last season with the Cubs, because Kent Mercker, Moises Alou, and Dusty Baker all had problems with Chip and Steve’s honesty about how poorly the Cubs had played despite their 89 wins. Steve’s saying “This was a team that should’ve won the Wild Card by twelve games, but because Dusty didn’t have control over his team, that didn’t happen” pissed off Dusty and the players, thus forcing Steve to decline a contract extension after 21 years with the club and Chip Caray shown the door. Saddest thing is, they were right, and now we’re stuck with two ass-kissing broadcasters until 2012.

Sammy Sosa also decided to arrive to the ballpark five minutes before game-time, thus forcing Dusty to start Jason Dubois (who homered in the game) in right field instead of Sammy. Sosa was fined a large sum of money by the team and eventually traded to the Baltimore Orioles in January 2005. It was the most bitter tasting Cubs victory I could remember, and may attribute as to why I didn’t pay much attention to the 2005 Cubs, probably from my utter disgust.

And now, for the good moments!

#20 – September 1-4, 2003 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Where I was: I had just recently started sixth grade, so outside of the Labor Day off-day I had on September 1, I spent the majority of the time either watching the night games or the conclusions of day games after returning home from school.

What happened: This was a tremendously important series for the Cubs, because it was a rat race between the Cubs, Cardinals, and Houston Astros for first in the NL Central. Due to a rain out that May, a double-header was scheduled for September, making this a five game series. Cubs won the first game of the series 7-0, with assistance from a solo homer by Eric Karros. The next day was the day of the double-header. Game 1 was a 15-inning thriller ending with a Sammy Sosa walk-off, two-run shot against former Cub long-reliever Jeff Fassero. The second game was a St. Louis victory, but the Cubs got gypped. Moises Alou lined a double down the line kicking up the chalk dust, but the umpire signaled it foul, resulting in his ejection. Journalists GRILLED the ump for missing the chalk in the air, because if the ball hits the line, it’s a fair ball. The Cubs fell 2-0 despite a phenomenal start by Kerry Wood.

That road block didn’t stop the Cubs. The fourth game of the series set off more fireworks, as the Cubs came back from a 7-3 deficit going into the bottom of the seventh before heroics from Alex Gonzalez and Mark Grudzielanek helped the Cubs to a five run rally in the last two innings to help the Cubs win 8-7. In the fifth and final game, there was a lot of flip-flopping with the lead, before the Cubs eventually took control in the bottom of the seventh following a Tony Womack RBI single, leading them to a 7-6 victory.

The Cubs taking four of five from St. Louis effectively ended their season, and kept the Cubs’ season alive. Perhaps the biggest series and most exciting series (outside of Milwaukee in September ’98) I’ve seen in my life. I may put multiple games down the list, but I put this series at #20 because five games is a bit much and thus an unfair advantage over other games. Perhaps the most important series the Cubs have ever played in my lifetime.

#19 – May 9, 2004 vs. Colorado Rockies (W 5-4)

Where I was: I remember this day tremendously. It was Mother’s Day 2004, and we were set to go to a family brunch with my grandma, grandpa, and uncle at Willowbrook. My grandpa kept hustling out to the car to figure out what the score was. I remember the sixth inning interview on WGN 720 with Jeff Garlin (who sang the seventh inning stretch that day) being one of the funniest things I ever heard on a Cubs game. We were in and out, whether it be the restaurant, or their house, or my house, and each time we tuned in, something different was happening.

What happened: It was a warm day at Wrigley Field. The Cubs started early with a lead-off home run by recently called up second baseman Damian Jackson (who only played a few games) in the bottom of the first. Runs were scattered here and there, and three rain delays and assorted runs here and there, the game was taken to the tenth inning tied 3-3. Closer Joe Borowski came in to fill a void from the pen and quickly surrendered a homer to Todd Helton, putting the Rockies ahead 4-3.

My grandpa’s “You never know until the last man is out” saying never held more true, because with two outs, Aramis Ramirez crushed a homer over the left-center field wall into the street, tying it again 4-4. The Cubs eventually won in the bottom of the twelfth on a double by Corey Patterson. The back-and-forth of the game was definitely a memorable one, and the perseverance of the Cubs was respectable.

#18 – July 31, 1999 vs. New York Mets (W 17-10)

Where I was: This was one of the hottest days I’d ever experienced in my life, which was a hot topic during the Cubs game, both on TV and the radio (and a nice memory to have, got me a free coffee at Dunkin Donuts on a trivia question!). The day of the trading deadline and, let’s face it, the Cubs were done that season, so nobody expected the Cubs to do anything. I spent most of the day either at my grandpa’s or on the road with him.

What happened: It was one of those high-scoring games you just don’t forget. The Cubs struck starter Octavio Dotel (yes, he actually started!) for seven runs in the first inning, led by a Gary Gaetti grand slam. After three Met runs in the top of the second thanks to a Robin Ventura home run, the Cubs would score two more against Dotel in the second thanks to a Sammy Sosa two-run blast before Mets skipper Bobby Valentine decided to pull his starter. With a 9-3 lead, the Cubs should be comfortable, yes? No!

The Mets would score six more runs by the fifth inning thanks to another Ventura home run against Cubs starter Jon Lieber, tying the game 9-9. But this awful Cubs club was resilient, and they proved it in this game. The Cubs would go on to score eight more runs compared to just one by the Mets, led by homers by Jose Hernandez and Sosa, thus resulting in a 17-10 Cubs victory.

#17 – March 29, 2000 at New York Mets (W 5-3)

Where I was: The Cubs and Mets were the first American baseball teams to play baseball in Tokyo, Japan. This was their opening series of the regular season, and the Cubs had a new look with manager Don Baylor and players like Eric Young, Damon Buford, Joe Girardi, and Willie Greene. Because the games were in Japan, they started at four in the morning here, as it was the evening there. My mother would wake my eight year old self up at five to watch the games (I would tape them so I could reflect later, SO glad I did). I’d play Pokemon Yellow while eating breakfast and watching the Cubs game. What a way to start the day!

What happened: Amidst all this excitement, there was baseball to be played. This game is important because the Cubs made an early statement in a foreign land, which was important for the team. The Cubs struck early with an RBI single by Damon Buford, but by the third the Mets would tie it up. After the Cubs took a 2-1 lead in the fifth, it was a story of the long-ball. Shane Andrews hammered a two run jack off Dennis Cook making it a 4-1 game in the seventh, and in the eighth Mark Grace slapped a solo homer off Rich Rodriguez. The Mets would not go down quietly, however, because Big Mike Piazza simply destroyed a two run homer off the just horrendous Cubs reliever Brian Williams. But, Rick Aguilera would shut down the Mets in the ninth and the Cubs won opening day in Japan against the future NL Champions. Thought it wasn’t something for fans to get used to, as they’d only win 64 more and lose about 97 before all was said and done.

#16 – October 6, 2001 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (W 13-2)

Where I was: It was a lazy Saturday on the last weekend of the season (extended due to the 9/11 attacks). The Cubs, who were contenders most of the season, lost their Wild Card spot on October 2, so didn’t have much to play for. Little did we know, after this tremendously fun game, Arne Harris, the Cubs’ camera director who was loved by so many fans, players, and broadcasters for 40+ years, would die later that evening, setting a very dark, somber mood on what I’d like to call “Black Sunday.” Though it wasn’t official, I consider this game to be the last game of the wonderful 2001 season.

What happened: The Cubs attacked early and attacked very, very often. They scored three runs in the first courtesy of a Roosevelt Brown homer driving in all three off Pittsburgh starter Tony McKnight. It didn’t stop there, however. Sammy Sosa would come up with an inside the park homer in the third, his 63rd of the season and easily capping off the greatest offensive season by an individual in Cubs history (yes, he hit 66 in 1998, but overall, with average and RBIs, 2001 was his best season). Fred McGriff would follow with another homer, going back-to-back with Sammy. One of the evening’s surprises was inconsistent starter Julian Tavarez, who only allowed one hit in 7 1/3 innings, and didn’t allow that hit until the seventh inning. The Cubs touched up the Pirate bullpen for six runs in the eighth (thanks to another three-run homer by Roosevelt Brown, giving him seven RBIs on the game).

This game is here in the memory of Arne Harris’ last game with us and the Chicago Cubs. RIP Arne.

#15 – May 16, 1996 vs. Houston Astros (W 13-1)

Where I was: Sleeping over at my grandfather’s. It’s such an old game I really don’t have much of a memory behind this one.

What happened: It was Amaury Telemaco’s first career start, a name a lot of Cubs fans (including myself) seem to remember for absolutely no reason whatsoever. The Cubs attacked early on a Leo Gomez three-run homer off Doug Drabek in the second inning, and the Cubs would score two more runs in the third to go up 5-0. Fast-forward to the seventh inning. Sammy Sosa hit a solo homer off Jeff Tabaka to lead off the inning, followed shortly by Scott Servais jacking a two-run blast off Tabaka leading to his departure. After a few assorted runs, Sosa homered again that same inning, this time a two-run shot off Jim Dougherty. This eight-run seventh inning resulted in a 13-0 Cubs lead, eventually leading to a 13-1 Cubs win.

#14 – June 10, 2005 vs. Boston Red Sox (W 14-6)

Where I was: Hmm, I was there! One of the few times I’ll take a game I was at and incorporate it in a list like this. The atmosphere was rabid, and rightfully so. Cubs vs. Red Sox, an ol’ school baseball match-up, the 2004 defending world champs vs. the…Cubs (haha). The histories of these two franchises colliding against each other was definitely worth the price of admission, and what a great day for a baseball game!

What happened: Lucky for me, I got to catch a Greg Maddux start, against the BoSox starter Bronsan Arroyo. The Cubs weren’t intimidated by the Red Sox, and thanks to homers by Todd Hollandsworth and Jeromy Burnitz, the Cubs were ahead 3-0 by the second inning. The Cubs scored four more in the bottom of the third and led 7-1 by the top of the sixth. David Ortiz homered off Maddux, but the Cubs immediately answered back in the bottom half of the inning with another homer by Burnitz and a surprising home run by Maddux himself. So the Cubs led 11-2. Despite a rough end with Cliff Bartosh allowing homers to Ortiz and ex-Cub Mark Bellhorn in the top of the ninth, the Cubs would pull out a 14-6 victory, a huge win for the Cubs beating the defending world champs.

#13 – June 7, 2003 vs. New York Yankees (W 5-2)

Where I was: Ahh, this one was special. I watched up to about the fifth inning at my house, and listened to the rest of the game on the radio. This was the first Saturday of my summer vacation and there was no better way to start it than a marquee match-up between the red-hot Cubs and Yankees on national television.

What happened: It was the pitching match-up of the year, Roger Clemens (searching for career win number 300) vs. Kerry Wood, the past vs. the future. First we saw an eerie collision between Wood and first baseman Hee Seop Choi, stopping the game for twenty minutes and Choi lying on the first base line, not moving, unconscious for about ten minutes before being carted off (his career was never the same again). The promotion of said pitching match-up delivered, with the Yankees striking first in the fifth inning courtesy of a Hideki Matsui homer against Wood. There was a combined sixteen strikeouts between both starters, until Clemens was pulled after allowing a hit to Sammy Sosa and walking Moises Alou in the bottom of the seventh, and Juan Acevedo was put in to pitch. Immediately after coming in, Eric Karros (Choi’s replacement at first) slapped a three run shot into the left-field stands giving the Cubs the lead, and thus breaking Clemens’ fourth attempt at 300. I’ll never forget borrowing my mother’s radio while we were in the Home Depot and going nuts after he hit that homer, one of my most memorable Cub moments. The Cubs would score two more runs, and eventually win the game 5-2.

#12 – June 29, 2007 vs. Milwaukee Brewers (W 6-5)

Where I was: At home, it was a lazy Friday afternoon over my summer break, and the Cubs were surging, just one game away from a .500 record of 39-39. The Cubs had a six game winning streak coming in, sweeping both the White Sox and Rockies in that order, helping them substantially in the standings. Many consider this to be the best game of the last ten years, clearly, I don’t. But this was a big deal.

What happened: It wasn’t a good start. Rich Hill immediately gave up a three-run homer in the first against Kevin Mench, and with a couple of assorted runs, the division-leading Brewers were ahead 5-0 early. But the Cubs weren’t going down easy. By the ninth inning and RBIs from Cliff Floyd and Mike Fontenot, the Cubs were trailing 5-3 in the ninth. The Cubs touched up closer Francisco Cordero early that inning, and a Derrek Lee RBI drew the score within just one run. Aramis Ramirez was up, and with the Cubs recent luck, you had the feeling that SOMETHING would happen. Well, it did, and resulted in what could be one of the more memorable homers in the past ten years. Ramirez hit a two-run game winner, defeating the Mighty Milwaukee Brewers 6-5.

#11 – April 16, 2004 vs. Cincinnati Reds (W 11-10)

Where I was: My grandpa always picked up my sister and I from school when we went to St. Dans, so I watched the first half of the game by him, and the other half at home. This was a very interesting game, one of those back-and-forth games that’s always exciting until the very end.

What happened: This was possibly the most unusual back-and-forth game I can remember. Started off poorly for the Cubs, with starter Sergio Mitre loading the bases and surrendering two runs early to the Reds. The Cubs answered quickly, however, doing the same against then-rookie Aaron Harang. The Reds would score two more in the top of the third, only to be answered again by the Cubs via back-to-back homers from Moises Alou and Aramis Ramirez. The game was quiet until the top of the sixth, when Mitre was pulled for Michael Wuertz. In only a third of an inning, he managed to walk a guy, give up a two-run homer to D’Angelo Jimenez (only 36 career homers in eight seasons), a massive two-run home run to Ken Griffey Jr. (which he just destroyed), and another run on a double. So, in the blink of an eye, Wuertz surrenders five in only a third, making the score 9-4 Reds. The Cubs, being resilient, scored one in the bottom of the inning, and proved they weren’t out just yet.

Master of the Double Switch Dusty Baker made a mistake in the seventh inning, apparently not penciling Ramon Martinez’s pinch hit appearance in the #9 slot. Martinez doubled, which was taken back, leading to a tirade perhaps more intense than Lou Piniella’s famous June 2, 2007 tirade. Dusty was ejected, but this clearly fired up the Cubs. They scored two runs off doubles by Ramirez and Alou and now were only down 9-7. Kyle Farnsworth in typical fashion decides to make it even further out of reach, giving up a big solo homer to Wily Mo Pena. The Cubs bounced back again, though, with Todd Hollandsworth hitting a two run homer to right making the score 10-9. In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs had one last chance. Sammy Sosa hit a solo home run (his 512th as a Cub, tying Ernie Banks’ all-time team record), followed by a Moises Alou homer. The only time I ever remember the Cubs going back-to-back to win a ballgame. Immediately, my phone rang, and my grandfather pretty much shouted “Were you watching the game? Incredible, huh!?”

#10 – June 25, 2007 vs. Colorado Rockies (W 10-9)

Where I was: Initially I was heading home from my uncle’s place, listening to the beginning of the game on the radio (and being subsequently caught behind a train for a half hour). When I returned home, I simply sat down with the family and just watched the game.

What happened: The Rockies touched up Jason Marquis early on, scoring a run in the first. That didn’t stop the Cubs from hitting Jeff Francis harder in the bottom of the inning, off an RBI single from Mark DeRosa and three-run homer from Angel Pagan. The Cubs scored extra runs in the third and fifth innings, before Colorado answered back with two in the top of the sixth. Most runs were being scored off slap base hits, doubles, or careless base runners from walks. The Cubs scored more runs in the bottom of the sixth and bottom of the eighth, taking an 8-3 lead by the ninth. Scott Eyre came into pitch, who successfully walked two and allowed three hits, driving in three runs for the Rox. Just like that, it’s an 8-6 ballgame. Enter Home Run Howry to save the day, which didn’t happen. He too allowed three hits including a three-run homer to Troy Tulowitzki, and just like that, the Rockies now had a 9-8 lead. One fan was so angry he jumped out of his seat and charged Howry on the hill!

Everyone in the family retired off to bed, as the game was a lost cause. Being the fool I am, I wanted to watch the end, and I’m very glad I did. Mike Fontenot started the inning with a hit (who went 5-5 that day), followed by hits from Theriot, DeRosa, and Koyie Hill. The Cubs had driven in a run with those at-bats, tying the score 9-9. Brian Fuentes, one of the most reliable closers in the game, allowed a single up the middle to Alfonso Soriano with Hill scoring from third. My mom ran down the stairs and asked “Did you see that!?” I sure did, Cubs win 10-9.

#9 – May 30, 2008 vs. Colorado Rockies (W 10-9)

Where I was: First of all, what are the odds of having two 10-9 scores next to each other on this list, in sequential order by season, against the same team? Funny thing is, both were two totally different games. It was the second day of my summer break, and it started off with a rain delay, so I didn’t miss anything by sleeping in. I watched it on my computer, stopped for awhile, checked back in and decided to stick with it. I’m glad I did.

What happened: Ted Lilly had one of his “bad” starts (those who know Lilly know he’s VERY dominant when he’s good, and absolutely horrendous when he’s bad). Lilly didn’t even manage to go a complete three innings, allowing seven runs in those innings, including a two run homer to Todd Helton in the first and a three run shot by Chris Ianetta in the third. The Cubs scored one in the bottom of the third, but Colorado struck again, with Ryan Spilbourghs hitting a homer off pitching replacement Jon Lieber in the fourth, and another run scored in the top of the fifth. Colorado was winning 9-1, and most teams by this point would’ve given up (and Lou Piniella almost did, pulling Soto from behind the plate and Lee from first base).

But the one special thing about the 2008 Cubs was their resiliency (except in the playoffs). The Cubs scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth courtesy of homers by Kosuke Fukudome and Jim Edmonds (which officially endeared himself to Cubs fans), but that wasn’t even the start of the fun. Micah Hoffpauir started the seventh with a double off Aaron Cook, only to be followed by a Henry Blanco home run. Colorado’s unreliable closer Manny Corpas came in and only made things worse, giving up doubles to Fukudome and Edmonds, and suddenly, the score was 9-8 Colorado. Mark DeRosa stepped up and smashed a two-run homer to left field, and just like that, the Cubs had a 10-9 lead. Perhaps the most remarkable comeback I’ve ever seen in a Cubs game (though #8 gives this a huge run for its money), and Blackhawks legend Bobby Hull was loving every minute of it (he was the seventh inning stretch conductor). The Cubs bullpen held it down and won by a 10-9 score.

#8 – September 18, 2008 vs. Milwaukee Brewers (W 7-6)

Where I was: The Cubs had two remarkable comeback games in 2008, and if I could place them in a tie, I would. Just because this is ranked ahead doesn’t mean it was better, you just can’t place them in a tie because they were so different from each other. This was the day of the homecoming parade at school, an event I desperately wanted to avoid, especially with the Cubs so close to clinching the division and the game starting at 1:20 (Parade or game? Dumb question). So I had Subway, and when I returned home, I promptly turned on the game. My mom surprisingly got off work that day so we watched the game together, even when it looked its worst.

What happened: The Cubs were playing the rival Milwaukee Brewers, who pretty much no longer provided a threat to the team’s progress in advancing to the postseason. The game started off roughly, with a near 40-pitch first inning from starter Rich Harden, walking a number of guys, and Mark DeRosa’s error at second base didn’t necessarily help. Luckily, the Brew Crew only ran away with one run that inning. The Cubs fought back early, with a Jim Edmonds home run in the second to tie it up. The Cubs did eventually manage to take a lead, with Aramis Ramirez homering in the fourth to put them ahead by one. But it went downhill from there for the Cubs, very quickly. Harden was pulled in the sixth, and Jeff Samardzija was put in there which proved to be a big mistake by the Cubs coaching staff. He allowed four runs, mostly on walks and slap singles, and the Brewers were suddenly up 6-2. Nobody-pitcher Randy Wells came in and shut the Brewers down, but it seemed bleak for the Cubs for the majority of the game.

However, this is another display of the team’s startling resiliency. Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee were two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth. But Ramirez attempted to start a rally with a lead-off double, which was followed up by a Jim Edmonds RBI single, making it a 6-3 game. Mark DeRosa quickly followed with a single, moving Edmonds to third. Up stepped Geovany Soto, future National League Rookie of the Year. First pitch from Brewers closer Solomon Torres was just crushed over the left field wall for a three-run homer, and in the blink of an eye, the Cubs tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. That’s about as clutch as it gets.

So we move on into extra innings, with Carlos Marmol and Seth McClung respectively mowing down their opposition. The Brewers scared the Cubs briefly against Kerry Wood, but brilliant defensive alignments halted their progress. In the bottom of the eleventh, Jim Edmonds was thrown out in the middle of an at-bat for arguing balls and strikes, a huge lapse in judgment by home plate ump Ed Rapuano if you ask me (the ball was six inches off the plate!). Felix Pie stood in for the at-bat and coaxed a walk, but that was meaningless as the Cubs couldn’t string anything together. The Cubs started fighting in the bottom of the twelfth, with Reed Johnson drawing a walk and Jason Marquis pinch running for him. Soriano drew a walk as well, and heads up base-running by both put them at second and third with two outs (Soriano’s run didn’t matter, but heads up either way). Derrek Lee fought in his at-bat, after going 0-5 for the day, and quickly slapped a single into center to drive in Marquis and help the Cubs to a 7-6 victory. Now, homecoming parade or Cubs game, I ask you? (hah)

#7 – September 21, 1997 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (W 11-3)

Where I was: Ahh, the early-late ‘90s, where on every Sunday my mother, sister and I would head over to the grandparents’ place for lunch/dinner. My grandpa, uncle and I would watch a Cubs game while my sister, grandma, and mother would stay in the kitchen, probably watching the Cubs game as well whenever they weren’t doing anything. This wasn’t your typical Sunday afternoon baseball game, though. The horrendous 1997 Chicago Cubs were playing their last home game of the year, capping off a then-66-90 season in grand style against the Phils. Not to mention, it would be (my personal favorite baseball player ever) Ryne Sandberg’s last ever game with the Chicago Cubs. We didn’t know it until February 1998, but it would also be Harry Caray’s last home broadcast before passing on.

What happened: Who knew the Cubs would attack so vehemently on a guy like Curt Schilling so early on? Sandberg started the game appropriately with a double, driven in by Mark Grace putting the Cubs up 1-0. Starter Kevin Tapani allowed his first run a half-inning later, giving up an RBI single to Tony Barron, tying the game. The game would be scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when the Cubs exploded for five runs courtesy of two-run homers from Lance Johnson and Mark Grace, as well as a solo shot from Dave Hansen. Schilling was pulled and the Cubs were up 6-1. Tapani allowed an RBI double to Rico Brogna in the sixth, which would be the only other run he surrendered. The Cubs struck again in the seventh, with Jose Hernandez slapping a three-run shot off Ryan Karp to put the Cubs up 9-2. After scoring two more in the bottom of the eighth going up 11-2, and Rodney Myers giving up one more run to Philly in the top of the ninth, the Cubs won 11-3 in exciting blowout fashion.

This game is very important, as it signals the end to the career of one of the Cubs’ greatest players and the final broadcast of one of baseball’s greatest voices. Hearing Harry sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame now, knowing just what was going to happen five months later, is almost eerie, but in another sense tear-jerking knowing it would be the last time we’d ever hear it. RIP Harry Caray, we sure miss you down here!

#6 – August 7, 2004 at San Francisco Giants (W 8-4)

Where I was: The last thing I was going to do was miss this game. Greg Maddux (my favorite pitcher in the history of baseball) was aiming for his 300th victory that afternoon, a feat accomplished by only a handful of others in baseball’s illustrious history. He attempted to get the win the prior Sunday against the Phillies, a game the Cubs won but didn’t draw a lead until after Maddux was pulled, giving him a no-decision. I turned on the game on my awful, big-screen Zenith TV in the living room and didn’t have to force the family to watch the game, since they were too busy preparing for us to move in a week. We headed to dinner around five that day (early by our standards), and I was listening to the game on the radio there, and watched it over the corner of our booth at Max and Erma’s to see history made. I didn’t miss a second of this one, and I’m very happy about that.

What happened: At first it didn’t even seem like the Cubs wanted to get the win for Maddux, with the offense slumping and Maddux clearly struggling to find a groove. The Giants went up 3-0 by the third inning, with RBI doubles by A.J. Pierzynski and Edgardo Alfonso, and an RBI triple from Ray Durham. But the Cubs were ready to come back, and with big RBI doubles by Aramis Ramirez and Todd Walker, the Cubs took a 4-3 lead by the fifth, and a Corey Patterson two-run blast in the top of the sixth put them up 6-3, giving Maddux a decent lead.

But Maddux ran into some trouble, allowing an RBI single to Deivi Cruz without the ability to retire a hitter to cut the lead to two, and Dusty Baker figured it was time to pull his starter. Could the Cubs’ generally-inconsistent bullpen hold down the fort? Looks like it. The Giants were kept silent by John Leicester, Kent Mercker, Mike Remlinger, Kyle Farnsworth, and LaTroy Hawkins, and were even given a little extra insurance in the top of the eighth on a two-run homer by Moises Alou. In the end, Hawkins was able to shut down the Giants in the ninth and the Cubs helped Greg Maddux to his 300th career win. The Giants fans even gave a standing ovation for the classy right-hander, proof that Maddux is a universal favorite amongst baseball fans and will happily go into the Hall as one of the most dominant, clean, and generous baseball players alive. I’m sure he’d disagree, as modest as he is, but there’s no doubt about it.

#5 – September 28, 1998 vs. San Francisco Giants (W 5-3)

Where I was: Ahh yes, the all-elusive 163rd game of the season, a game which happened only five other times before this one, all for the same purpose: to clinch a playoff spot. This game was HUGE for the Cubs, with this being only their second winning team since 1989 and the first playoff contender since then. It was the biggest event in Chicago at the time, got tremendous media coverage, and with Michael Jordan throwing out the first pitch (and giving Sammy Sosa a hug afterwards for his phenomenal season), every big name in Chicago was there, supporting their team. I was spending the night at my grandpa’s, and decided to stay up late to catch the conclusion of the game, and boy was I glad I did that!

What happened: The game was quiet for the most part, only noteworthy thing being Cubs starter Steve Trachsel taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning before it was finally broken up. The first runs proved to be HUGE, which was a two-run blast by late-season pickup Gary Gaetti over the left-field wall in the fifth inning, striking a massive blow to the pace the Giants had the Cubs at during the game (one could argue this was one of the biggest home runs in Cub history, for many factors). The Cubs knew they couldn’t stop there, as they piled on two more runs in the sixth, with Matt Mieske (subbing in for the injured Henry Rodriguez) slapping a two-run single into right.

The Cubs were up 4-0 for most of the game, and Mark Grace doubled off Giants closer Jose Mesa to add another insurance run putting them up 5-0. The game, however, wasn’t over, and the Giants made that very clear. Jim Riggleman proved he had absolutely no idea how to utilize a bullpen in the postseason, throwing Kevin Tapani out to pitch for no reason at all (he had just started the previous Friday). Well, Tapani proved he was out of place, giving up three hits and a two-run triple to J.T. Snow. Exit Tapani, enter Terry Mulholland. Yes, Mulholland was awesome in 1998, but he just started the previous day and had absolutely no business being out there again. He gave up a couple hits, which resulted in a run, making the score 5-3. Riggleman finally started to think clearly, pulling Mulholland to have reliable closer Rod Beck pitch the rest of the ninth, and he shut ‘em down instantly. Joe Carter popped out to Mark Grace (appropriately the only member of the 1989 team on the current roster), ending the game with a Cubs playoff berth. I’ll never forget the celebration, as it was the first Cub clincher of (currently) four I would see in my lifetime. It was a happy time to be a Cubs fan, and surely was fun while it lasted (no need to dwell on the awful postseason). A 163rd game is unique in its own way, and with the Cubs winning it makes it all the more important to Cub history.

#4 – September 14, 2008 at Houston Astros (W 5-0)

Where I was: Any Cubs fan reading this blog should understand the significance of this game as Carlos Zambrano’s no-hitter, so I won’t give too much of a background, other than the fact that while it was technically AT Houston, the game was still played at Milwaukee’s Miller Park (or Wrigley Field North based on the magnitude of Cub fans there) due to the dangers of Hurricane Ike and the time near the Texas area. So it was definitely a special game for that reason alone. I initially headed to my grandma’s for the day with the family, but we returned home just in time for the game. I pretty much spent the whole game on my couch in front of my Samsung, like I do for any Cub game these days.

What happened: The Cubs wasted no time jumping ahead, with Alfonso Soriano leading off the game with a solo home run, putting the Cubs up 1-0. Zambrano needed a good start, and after his first two innings he was cruising right along. The Cubs offense took advantage of the near-Wrigley scenery, with Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto getting clutch doubles helping the team to a four run third, putting them ahead 5-0. This score would remain consistent throughout the course of the game.

But the score wasn’t all that mattered in this game. Zambrano was cruising right along, walking just one guy and not allowing a hit yet. By the seventh inning, you start to think in the back of your mind “Wow, he’s pitching a no-hitter this late in the game!?” Of course you’d never say it, under the superstition that you’d jinx it. Well, by the ninth inning, the 23,000 fans who migrated from Chicago to see this game were on their feet, and ESPN interrupted the White Sox / Tigers game to broadcast this historic event. Zambrano got the first two out with ease, but then had to face the pesky Darin Erstad. Erstad took the count 3-2 and fought off a few pitches to keep the at-bat alive. Big Z threw a heavy slider that Erstad chucked at and just like that, Carlos Zambrano had pitched the first Cubs no-hitter since Milt Pappas in 1972. A moment I personally never thought I’d see in my lifetime had just occurred, and I think I actually shed some tears of happiness. It was a great game, and not only that, it shrunk the Cubs’ magic number to seven games, with a big series against the Milwaukee Brewers coming up later that week.

#3 – May 6, 1998 vs. Houston Astros (W 2-0)

Where I was: First, a little background. I found it easy to rank these pitching performances because, well, you see no-hitters every season, sometimes a couple times (like 2008). But when a guy can strike out 20 men in only his fifth major league start, that’s real dominance that we’ve seen only four times in baseball history. So naturally, this date is more significant than the one before it, though by no means is it meant to discredit how amazing Zambrano was against the ‘Stros last September, which is why it’s only fair to rank the games back-to-back.

Anywho, I was sick this day, so I took the day off from school. Whenever I did that, considering both my parents worked, I would be dropped off with my grandma and grandpa. My grandpa had to paint the kitchen that day, so I decided to watch the game in the kitchen as the rain poured down outside so I could talk to him and watch the game with him. One of the best days off I ever took in my life.

What happened: Kerry Wood, with a 5.79 ERA at the time facing easily one of the best offenses in baseball, wasted no time attacking the division rivals. He struck out the Killer B’s at the top (Biggio, Bell, Bagwell) with ease, and had his first three strikeouts immediately. Well, Astros pitcher Shane Reynolds was just as dominant, striking out the first three Cubs he saw. Wood came into the second inning and struck out the side again, while Reynolds didn’t have the same luck. Mark Grace started the inning off with a double, which set the table for an RBI single from Henry Rodriguez, putting the Cubs up 1-0.

Wood continued to cruise, striking out ten by the fourth inning. He allowed a single to future Cub Ricky Gutierrez, though I disagree with the call to this day (as would my grandfather if he were still with us). It’s not Wood’s fault Kevin Orie misplayed that ball and bobbled it. Had it been ruled an error, Wood would’ve had a no-hitter. Either way, around the tenth strikeout, I remember I’d tell my grandpa “Wow, he struck out another!” before he finally set down the paint roller to watch the game (he had a better understanding of how special this was than I did). We watched him, strikeout after strikeout, in amazement of just how dominating he was. The Cubs offense, which was mostly quiet during the game, struck again in the eighth with a Jose Hernandez RBI single, giving Wood some insurance. Well, Riggleman tossed his 20 year old starter out in the ninth there with 18 strikeouts, and Wood seamlessly struck out two more (one to end the game), proving to be one of the most dominating pitching performances in the history of baseball. Cubs win 2-0. Funny how both dominating pitching performances came against the Houston Astros. Suck on that, Drayton McLayne.

#2 –September 27, 2003 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (W 4-2, 7-2)

Where I was: This is one date, but it was a double-header. I went back and forth multiple times deciding whether to put just the last game or both, but I figured since it’s so high on the list, I’d do both. The Cubs’ magic number to clinch a division title for the first time since 1989 was three going into the day, and with a double-header against the struggling Pirates, things were looking up for the Cubs, and the fans were very optimistic.

For the first game, I was at my grandparents’, watching the game with my grandpa, keeping track of everything going on with the division rival Houston Astros (who needed to lose that afternoon). For the second game, we returned home on that dark, gloomy early-Fall Saturday evening, which was a very relaxing experience, despite the tension surrounding the game.

What happened: Wrigley Field was louder than I’d ever heard it before (even louder than the 1998 Wild Card game), and the fans were scoreboard watching all afternoon. With Mark Prior (17-6 at the time) starting, fans were very comfortable with the first game, and they had every reason to be. The game was a pitching duel between Prior and Pittsburgh starter Josh Fogg until the fourth inning, when Prior allowed a solo homer to Pirates power-hitter Craig Wilson. This happened to be the inning where the Brewers put up a few runs against the Astros, and when the scoreboard changed in center field at the end of the inning in that game, our game paused to let the fans exert their fanatic energy. The place went bonkers (for lack of a better term), and clearly helped give the Cubs momentum.

In the bottom of the fourth, Fogg loaded the bases and allowed RBI singles to Aramis Ramirez and Moises Alou (who had a scary knee-to-head collision at second base, but remained in the game), giving the fans more to cheer about putting them up 2-1. It didn’t end there for the Cubs, though, with quiet-catcher Damian Miller leading off the fifth inning with a solo homer to right field. Fogg would again let runners on, and gave up an RBI walk to Sammy Sosa, putting the Cubs up 4-1. The game, for the most part, remained quiet (outside of Pittsburgh’s other run in the sixth), until the ninth. Wrigley erupted and the team delivered, with Joe Borowski shutting the Pirates down with the two men on for most of the inning (a homer would’ve tied the game). But a pop-out to Mark Grudzielanek ended Game 1, and with the Astros eventually losing, the Cubs’ magic number was now one.

So, Dusty Baker had faith to send out the same lineup for the night-cap (subbing Alex Gonzalez with Ramon Martinez, Damian Miller with Paul Bako, and Randall Simon with Eric Karros). The Cubs made the Wrigley faithful proud early on, with Sammy Sosa slapping a solo homer in the bottom of the first to dead-center field, giving the Cubs and starter Matt Clement a very early lead. This wouldn’t be the end of the scoring, however. The Cubs began a romp in the bottom of the second, with hits from just about everyone in the lineup and RBIs from Ramon Martinez, Paul Bako, and Mark Grudzielanek, putting the Cubs up 6-0 giving the 40,121 fans in attendance faith that this was the day the Cubs would end the magical 2003 season on the highest note possible.

Matt Clement made one of the finest starts in his career, shutting down Pittsburgh with just one earned run in seven and two thirds innings. The game was quiet for the most part, outside RBIs from Abraham Nunez giving Pittsburgh two runs in the top of the eighth. Of course, the Cubs decided to answer that (even though they didn’t need to) with Moises Alou hitting a solo homer over the wall in left-center field, putting the Cubs up 7-2. Dave Veres came in, and albeit running into trouble, ex-Cub Jose Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the game, giving the Cubs a Central Division title. The only time I can honestly recall crying in a baseball game, because after such an extreme uphill climb, the Cubs FINALLY made it where they needed to. It was an excellent double-header, and in a sense, was the first of many seasons to display this current Cubs era of dominance (four winning seasons in six years, three playoff appearances). Because this win left such a positive impact on Cubs teams in years to come, there’s absolutely no reason this game shouldn’t be #2. If you can give me a legitimate one, I’ll give you $50.

#1 – September 12/13, 1998 vs. Milwaukee Brewers (W 15-12, 11-10)

Where I was: Let me preface this by saying, no matter how phenomenal that 2003 clincher was, it’s still WAY behind these two games for the #1 spot. Records were broken, the scores were abnormally high, and above all, they inched the Cubs closer and closer to where they needed to be in order to get into the postseason, as these were must win games. For the first game, I was essentially just lazing around the house, playing video games most of the day until the 3:00 start, before I rushed into the living room to watch the game with the family. For the second game, it was another traditional Sunday at Grandma’s for dinner and a Cubs game.

What happened: The Cubs lost the first game of the three-game weekend set against Milwaukee 13-11, with Milwaukee going on an early tear and sticking to it (not to mention exposing Don Wengert as a weak starter in the majors). After that devastating loss, the Cubs still had to fight, so they went into Saturday with Mike Morgan taking the hill. It was a nice start for the Cubs, scoring two very early in the second inning. But it was all down-hill from there. Morgan allowed eight runs in the third before even being taken out, courtesy of Jeromy Burnitz, Geoff Jenkins, and Bobby Hughes. The Brewers eventually scored two more in the top of the fifth, going ahead 10-2. Normally, this would be a reason to panic, but for these Cubs, it was just another reason to fight.

The Cubs began to stage a comeback in the bottom of the fifth, with Jose Hernandez slapping his 22nd homer of the season off Milwaukee starter Rafael Roque. The Cubs got two more in the next inning off a two run blast by Gary Gaetti, his 17th of the year. Milwaukee put up two more in the top of the seventh, going up 12-5, but the Cubs were by no means done scoring yet. Sammy Sosa, still in the home run race with Mark McGwire, hit his 60th of the year, a three-run liner tugging the foul line, trimming the deficit to four. Immediately after, Glenallen Hill hit his sixth of the year going back-to-back with Sosa and making it a three-run ballgame.

The bottom of the eighth came around with Tyler Houston coming up for Scott Servais, who replaced him earlier in the game. Houston homered making it a 12-10 ballgame. In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs scored one on a Mickey Morandini RBI single, which eventually loaded the bases. Orlando Merced, who was signed by the Cubs mid-season but didn’t live up to expectation, stepped in at the pitcher’s spot to pinch-hit. After battling some pitches off, Merced cracked a deep drive to left-center field which went out for a walk-off grand slam. The Cubs won a seemingly unwinnable game by a final of 15-12.

Sunday came around and already it was one of the highest scoring series’ of the season (51 runs between both teams in two games). All eyes were on Sammy Sosa as he was only two homers away from breaking Roger Maris’ single-season home run record and catching up with his rival Mark McGwire. But not only that, the Cubs were constantly inching closer and closer to a Wild Card berth, and needed any win they could get.

Milwaukee jumped ahead quickly with a solo homer by Mark Loretta in the first inning. Fernando Vina hit an RBI double in the third that put Milwaukee ahead 2-0. The Cubs were ready, though, and once they figured out Brad Woodall, they attacked with six runs in the bottom of the third, courtesy of doubles by Steve Trachsel and Mark Grace, as well as RBI singles by Gary Gaetti and Glenallen Hill. In an instant, the Cubs were up 6-2.

After a solo homer by Jeromy Burnitz in the top of the fourth, the Cubs struck with two more in the bottom of the fifth, this time courtesy of Sammy Sosa’s 61st home run of the season, a colossal 480 foot blast to left. With an 8-3 lead, the game seemed to be in the books, but if we learned anything from the first two games of the series, it certainly wasn’t over yet. Jeff Cirillo hit a solo shot in the top of the sixth to narrow the deficit to four. Trachsel allowed his last solo shot in the seventh against Bobby Hughes, bringing Milwaukee yet another run closer. Trachsel was pulled in favor of Terry Mulholland who, while he very rarely screwed up in the course of the year, didn’t get the job done. Mulholland allowed four more runs which put Milwaukee ahead by one, and his replacement, Chris Haney, allowed one more on another homer to Jeff Cirillo in the ninth inning putting them ahead 10-8.

The bottom of the ninth came and it was crunch time for the Cubs again. After Mark Grace was retired, Sammy Sosa was up again and on a 2-2 count, pummeled #62 on another massive 480 foot blast to left field. The fans went absolutely insane, because not only did their beloved Sammy Sosa tie one of the most heralded records in all of baseball, but the Cubs were now only down by one in the ninth with only one out. Henry Rodriguez, who had a knee injury but was put in because the bench was short-handed, pinch-hit and doubled to right-center field, limping into second base before being pulled for pinch-runner Jason Maxwell. Just when you thought late-season pick-up Gary Gaetti could do it all, well, he did more, and drove in Maxwell on an RBI single, tying the game at ten. I never heard Wrigley Field louder than it was at that very moment. The game went to extra innings.

Rod Beck came in for the tenth inning and promptly shut down the Brewers in order, striking out two of them. The top of the order was due up for the Cubs in the bottom of the tenth, with Lance Johnson and Jose Hernandez going down quickly. The fans were excited, because if Mark Grace could get on, Sammy Sosa very well could’ve gone after home run #63, going ahead of Mark McGwire for the first time all season. Grace didn’t give him that chance, as he crushed a solo homer over the right field fence that won the game for the Cubs, appropriately enough on Gracie the Swan Beanie Babie day, no less. I remember being in the drive-through at Burger King with my mom and sister listening on the radio, flipping out in the car after he hit that game-winner. It was a very special game for me as a fan, and a very important one for the Cubs to win.

That was a spectacular series for the Cubs, and both teams scored a combined 72 runs in three games (the most I’d ever seen associated with the Cubs). Steve Stone said it best before the Sunday game, “Friday, Jim Riggleman felt like he was losing his best friend. Early in yesterday’s game, he felt like his friend had passed on. By the end of yesterday, he felt like someone bought him a new dog.” As silly as that is, it’s a great analogy, and an understandable one. A huge part of me wishes he still had the September 12th game on VHS, but at least I could salvage the September 13th game.

That’s that, Cubs fans. Initially I was going to make a list of five games that weren’t important enough for the list above, but I hold dear to me anyway. Well, I didn’t realize it was going to be this long, either! All I can say is, I’m sure this list will expand after this upcoming season, but we won’t know until it’s all said and done.

Pitchers and catchers report to Mesa, Arizona next Friday, and I couldn’t be more excited! Later all!

-Zach

"We Are Young, Wandering the Face of the Earth" - January 26, 2008

2009-01-26T21:10:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I should also say Happy Birthday to Edward Van Halen and Wayne Gretzky while I'm at it :D

So, it's 2009, so far it's been...interesting. I can't necessarily say it's been good or bad, though the ups have been considerably memorable so far and the downs are ones I can probably get over in no time. That said, it hasn't been all sugar mice and sunshine these days, which is an interesting and generally different approach to how things have been for me this past year.

Sometimes I go through my phases. These days, I've pretty much been thinking about the friends I've been able to maintain for awhile, and the ones I've lost. Let me tell you: The ones you think about the most are the ones you're more likely to lose. Why is that? Because I could consider some random guy a good friend, we stop talking, and really, it's not the end of the world to me. Then I could lose a fantastic friend by just growing apart, and the memories you have with them haunt you for awhile, because you realize those memories probably won't happen again, despite how much fun you had. And then, in the end, that's all you have...memories.

Don't ask me why I've been thinking about this lately because frankly, I couldn't tell you. Part of the reason is because I was just talking to someone today who I, at one point last year, considered my best friend in Lockport. She was always there for me, always for a good laugh, or just to have fun. I've seen her once the last two months and have hardly even spoken to her in that time, and frankly, it hurts. I miss her a lot, but I guess it's just a lesson of life?

Why do these things bother me so much and, to quote myself, "haunt" me? Perhaps it's just me being used to losing people I care about. Which is why I get so close to them and jump through rings of fire to make them happy, because the last thing I want to do is lose THEM, too. I've been lucky enough to have one best friend for fourteen years and another for eleven. The problem is, they live too far away from me to see them on a consistent basis. I haven't found someone I can consistently rely on here, which bothers me and really does make me uncomfortable at times, because if things go horribly, horribly wrong, I really don't have anyone I can fall back on.

That's not to say I don't have anyone to rely on. There are a select few who know who they are who I feel very good about these days. It's just that, considering my track record with people, I get a little paranoid about my relationships with people. It's why I hope people understand that when I get close to them, it's not just being annoying or overbearing. It's because, mentally, I'm afraid of losing another person in my life.

You know, if it were baseball season, I wouldn't have this much time to think :D

Ahh, so, typical intro rant aside, things have been interesting. The year started off in typical positive fashion. Spent a few days by Dale's, just did random stuff up at his place before migrating back home. Funny thing is we didn't really do anything worth talking about, just random bullshitting around, like we usually do whenever I stay over in the winter.

So, at home, this one girl and I became really close just a few days after I returned. For those who don't know, we had a very long history together and I guess things just came full circle with us and we started a relationship. I really liked her, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't anymore, because I do. But things happened, understandable things which nobody could really control, and for that, I totally understand that it didn't work out. I can hold out hope for the future, but as of now I really don't know how possible that is at this point. It hasn't gotten me down too much, guess it's the optimist inside of me. Oh well. She knows I wish her the best in everything she does, and she knows that I'm always going to be in the same place I am right now.

School's been fine, par for the course lately. My semester GPA was a 3.4 so I really have no complaints about that, and this quarter has been going by very well so far as well. School hasn't been much of a problem over the past year and a half, it's probably just the biggest annoyance I have to deal with for nine months of my life. And this weather certainly isn't inspiring enough for me to give a damn whenever I wake up in the morning, either.

One positive these days was the Cubs Convention, which was a decent haul again this year. Pulled off Billy Williams, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly, Sean Marshall, Doug Glanville, and Reed Johnson. Certainly not as noteworthy as the past couple years, but successful regardless. Of course, the Convention makes you yearn for baseball, which makes the currently-eighteen days before pitchers and catchers report to Arizona so much more excruciating. Still, more than halfway through the offseason and the first Spring Training game is one day less than a month away! So I'm starting to get excited.

That's about it. You can see there are bittersweet feelings running through me these days and really, they aren't as bad as I make them seem. Just too much time to think these days, about whatever crosses my mind. I need baseball, concerts and new music releases, etc., help take my mind off everything. This is how I was this time last year so I really can see myself bouncing back from where I am now.

Plans for next month? I'm really looking past February and crossing my fingers for March to come as soon as it possibly could, mostly for purposes of baseball and weather (but if it's anything like last year, the weather won't improve until May). February is easily my least favorite month of the year, always has been. I do have plans for this weekend, may head up by Sean's for the Super Bowl. Would be a nice end and a good beginning to the month of February. After that, no plans until March 2, nothing for Valentine's Day, etc.

Eh, I'm done. I have an English outline to do and can't think of a legitimate outro. See you next month!

-Zach

"Yet ANOTHER Exercise in Self-Indulgence" - December 31, 2008 Year Recap

2008-12-31T17:30:00.001-06:00

It’s the end of 2008 and quite frankly, I’m not happy.

Why do you ask? Well, these past 365 days were a massive 180 to what 2007 was. To be honest, I’m surprised that the year ended in such positive fashion, only because 2007 was so utterly horrendous, I really had the lowest expectations possible going into the New Year. But sometimes, low expectations call for great things. You don’t expect much to change, or much to happen, and then something surprises you. Before you know it, it’s another surprise after another surprise, all of which leaving their own special positive impact thus making for a very good year. Of course, when you end something on such a positive note, you always ask yourself, “If I had more time, what else could I have done?”

Part of the reason the year was so great is because I became a much stronger person, as far as accepting certain flaws as well as standing up for myself in specific situations. 2007 taught me a lot about things I needed to improve on in life, as far as fixing my pessimistic attitude, being the bigger person and trying to fix the relationship with my dad, understand why I’d failed in my relationships that past year, and work on getting my grades up in school. All of which, if you ask me, were overwhelming successes, and to be honest I attribute those four key factors as to why my 2008 will probably go down as the best year so far in the seventeen that I’ve seen. And I really don’t think I’m stretching it here.

I really do, honestly believe that I’m a tremendously different person than I was at the end of 2006, hell even the middle of 2007, because for the first time in my life I was willing to spend less time worrying about the little things and direct my focus to the big things around me. Believe It or not, that’s proven to be a much greater improvement of character than even I would’ve ever expected. Instead of worrying about “Oh, she doesn’t like me, what am I going to do,” these days I’ll just make an approach, and if it fails, you know what that means? To me, it essentially tells me that there’s another opportunity out there, and to be honest that’s an outlook I have every time I happen fail at something.

I’ve also mellowed out ridiculously. Sure I still have an obnoxious side but it’s nowhere near as apparent as it was, say, a year and a half ago. My obnoxiousness seems to have translated into more subdued, sharp-witted humor. How that happened, I don’t know, perhaps that’s another flaw that I had sub-consciously decided to fix, because I do realize it was a problem. Sure, a nickname like “Megaphone” comes around now and again, because I still haven’t completely gotten over that side of me (and probably never will) but I have it under so much better control than it used to be, and it’s really helped me socially.

One issue I still have is my low self-esteem, which translates to low confidence in certain situations I have to face in life. Granted, I have and probably always will view myself as a great person who seeks out the best in other people and always tries to help them with something in their best interest. But based on the events that occurred in 2007, my self-esteem took such a massive blow I haven’t been able to get over it, despite all the positives I’ve encountered. And it bothers me when I have people saying that I “shouldn’t have the problem because I’m such a wonderful person.” Honestly, I firmly believe that it’s a mental block you simply can’t just “get over.” It’s going to take awhile for me to overcome that. Funniest thing is, I’m a very ambitious person with a lot of goals that I want to reach. Which is a plus, because it shows that I’m starting to build up some personal confidence and realize that if I want to do something, I can make sure it’s done, no matter what the task may be.

So, the purpose of this whole thing is to recap the year, yes? Well, just like any story, you start from the beginning. I ended 2007 with a “it can’t get much worse than this” attitude, meaning that while I didn’t have drastically high expectations, I had a better feeling about the year in general. For the fifth year in a row, I spent my New Years by Dale’s place up in Chicago, which was a lot of fun. Shoveling with three hours left to go, counting down with Collective Soul on CBS that night. That was a particular New Years celebration I’ll have a difficult time forgetting, because it was the end of one of the darkest chapters in my life and the start of hopefully something better.

Well, we ended that stay on the second day of the year, with a fun trip to Chicago Ridge Mall with some friends (really just one, which was Marcella, since to be honest I haven’t been the biggest fan of really anyone else I met that day and still, am not, really). I took the ride home later that evening and, to my joy, realized that I still had a good five days left of my winter break. So I slept in and just relaxed, since I’d spent a long week up in Chicago as it was. Sadly, it was back to school the next week, but luckily, unlike the clusterfuck that was 2007, my final exams were actually before break, so the semester started with a clean slate. Which was nice, less for me to worry about over my vacation. Glad they decided to stick to that format.

Anywho, the rest of January was a bit of a drag, though I did have another successful haul at the Cubs Convention. I took off school that Friday and spent Thursday night at my uncle’s, and this worked in our favor, because we got there early enough for an Alfonso Soriano autograph and picture. Sure, he’s a flop and I can’t stand him, but you just cannot diminish the value of it! Also just the weekend following, there was a back and forth between Dale and I on the phone in the early afternoon, because he managed to get Rush tickets at the United Center for June 9th! Long wait, but damn well worth it. So, clearly, January was off to a solid start, which was definitely a lift to my spirits.

February was very bland. I’m sure you all remember my stories about February ’07 being a remarkable period of inspiration in my life, from getting closer to a beautiful girl to watching snow fall so majestically in a way I hadn’t seen it fall before. Wish I could say the same for this year. By this point, I just wanted the snow to go away, I had nothing special going on, and there was no Super Bowl excitement without the Bears there (although it was good to see the Giants kick some Patriot ass!). It just wasn’t the best month, and frankly I was just counting the days before spring would come along.

I’ll never forget one night, though. I went to Cait’s birthday party which was an absolute blast, although my night was ruined by my father coming home at four in the morning the following night without even calling after a party. That’s not the norm around here, so my mother and I were scared shitless. So even when I have a very fun evening, I couldn’t find solace that night. Felt like the same old shit happening again. Pretty much the only downside in the first two months of the year, so nothing too bad to complain about, really.

So we move on to March, which wasn’t that memorable either, to be honest. Although am I the only person who has those days that, no matter how insignificant they may be, you just remember them so ridiculously well? For some reason I remember St. Patrick’s Day vividly, as I spent that day with Laura, Cortez, Jess, and Dave, and we all saw “Horton Hears a Who” (why is it that movies between January and April always suck massively that your last resort is that?). Sweet movie for what it was worth, and a great day to boot.

Another bad experience was coming back from my uncle’s before Easter and having my dad embarrass me in front of them—second time in a month, mind you—thus causing my dad and I to not speak to each other for about a week, the longest feud we’ve ever had, which may have been the best thing for us. I really cannot think of a time since that incident when he and I have had a bad fight, when before it used to happen on a considerably consistent basis.

This leads us up to April, and still, no warm weather. Baseball season had begun, the fourth quarter of school had begun, and life was good. The Cubs showed promise and delivered on it early, my grades were solid, seriously, who was I to argue with how things were going? Though to be honest, it wasn’t as notable as April 2007 was, not as much going on. Rush’s new live CD came out in the middle of the month, which was definitely something to hold me over until the show in a couple months.

May was perfect as it usually is. School gets out later that month and you just keep the countdown tally going as to when you get the hell out of there (alright, so maybe I’m the only one who does that, so what?). Not to mention, summer plans start to get together, which makes the anticipation to leave so much worse, really.

Sophomore year was so far my best year of high school (so far, Junior year’s not measuring up) and really, may go down as one of the better years of my education life. Lots of memories, from Mr. Russell’s American Government class, to Mrs. Ireland’s Journalism course, and most of all, Mr. Kane’s Physical Science. Most of my memories come from that class, actually, primarily with Lauren, Stacey, Megan, and Mark. Though I gotta admit, sometimes it killed me to see someone who I still cared so strongly for despite everything that went down between her and I have some of the issues she did, and even worse me not knowing the purpose behind any of it.

May ended in positive fashion, school year ended positively, which led up to a very optimistic June. My last weekend in May I had taken a trip to Peoria to see the Chiefs, and that was a very good trip, despite the ending where I had to deal with a bout of food poisoning when I got home. Amazing free breakfast my ass!

Anywho, I had so much planned the month of June, and really had myself booked up for the first three weekends back in late April. Lucky for me, none of those plans fell through; all of them were resounding successes. My summer essentially began with Laura’s birthday party, which was a whole lot of fun seeing certain people and meeting new ones in the process. The next day we went to my sister’s 8th grade graduation dinner, where my uncle graciously gave me tickets to the Cubs vs. Braves game on June 10th, and also gave me Brewers tickets for a trip he and I would take up there in late July. So my summer started off essentially, well, perfectly.

So, the rest of the week was just used to relax. I went to Max’s birthday party that Friday which he had graciously set on that day because I was leaving for a week in Chicago the following day. That was another great experience, just playing football, having a bonfire, and messing around with friends. I remember sitting out on Max's porch with Laura waiting for our ride, staring at the sky and just talking about life. That was a great evening. But the fun was just beginning.

That Saturday, which was June 7th, Dale and his folks picked me up at my place late in the evening, in a very hot, muggy late spring evening (unseasonably warm, guess the heat was compensating for the winter that overstayed it’s welcome, eh Al Gore!?). This would be the start of an outstanding week in Chicago, which started off with Dale and I just messing around and resting. The next day was pretty much the same thing, since the weather was bad and much of it was spent mellowed out in the house. Though we did have an interesting walk to Arby’s that day, where we saw a ton of older friends in unexpected places. But that’s about it.

The following day was the day of the Rush show we’d waited four months for, and to be honest the long wait really paid off. Since Dale was at band early, I got to sleep in until 10:30. First time I ever slept past eight in his house, haha. I entertained myself with my Nintendo 64 while he was gone, but when he came back we headed to Burger King and swiftly headed back home. We met up with our good pal Ray around 4:30 (later than we wanted, but he had work, so it’s forgiven) after doing some yard work in the rain, and left for the United Center about a half hour later after spending time to search for directions. We had dinner at this God-awful place called Moretti’s (thanks a lot, Rush fans!) since it was right by the venue, and got to the United Center around 7:10, just a half hour before estimated show time, so we were behind schedule. I won’t indulge into how the show was, except the fact that it was perhaps the best show I’d seen in my life (I know I said that about Rush last September, but it’s not my fault they just keep getting better!).

So after returning back from a very long day, we both hit the hay early, especially considering I had a very long day ahead of me following that. On that next day, I left Dale’s around two, because Sean, my uncle and I had to get to Wrigley Field to see batting practice at the Cubs / Braves game. What a great game, too! Cubs won 10-5 no thanks to Home Run Howry and thanks to a three-run jack by Geovany Soto. That game was a blast, and after returning home, the next few days were leisure days. I pretty much helped my uncle around the house, watched the Cubs’ 1948 game with my grandma (she’s a huge Cubs fan, thanks to my late-grandfather), etc. But I’d headed to Sean’s place on that Friday; we went to the White Sox / Rockies game at U.S. Cellular Field that evening and had a blast.

The next day we pretty much decided to relive nostalgia for the majority of it. We helped out in removing the pool cover of a family friend of theirs that morning, then went swimming, and eventually spent a good four hours playing All Star Baseball 2000 and FIFA World Cup ’98 on the N64. It’s what we did when we were young lads, so that was a nice time to revisit. After a great dinner from his mother, we watched some baseball, played MLB 2K8, I showed him the Tourette’s Guy video and had him crying at how funny it was, and then we retired. Due to a baseball game he had the next day, I had to leave. I returned to my uncle’s, we watched the Cubs against the Blue Jays in Toronto, and then I headed home. My long, phenomenal week had come to a close. I’m sure you’re all glad, I indulged into that more than I should’ve, haha.

The rest of June was a drag, except when I got Motley Crue tickets for the second row in mid-July! Also, very suddenly Dale and I made plans to head up to Summerfest on the first day of July in Milwaukee to see O.A.R. (we wanted to see Rush again, but we couldn’t get up there that day). I came up on June 30th, we played baseball, had some dinner, I had some fun with the neighbors while he was at band that evening. When he came back, we just hung out on the porch (after chasing his ass around for throwing a drum stick at my foot), enjoyed the mid-70s early-summer weather while listening to the Sox game, and headed back to play Mario Kart in his basement. We eventually ended up playing MVP 05 on the GameCube and doing our own broadcast, stacking my camera on about 20 different VHS cases. We watched Whose Line is it Anyway for the rest of the evening and went to sleep at four, only to wake up at eight.

The next day was when we left for Summerfest. Not much to say about that, really. We arrived at 2:15, set up the camper, and headed to the festival grounds. Saw some great bands, had much nicer weather (unlike the 100+ degree day we had in 2007), partied with the folks at the O.A.R. show (many Illinois folks, actually), just a great day. The marijuana scent in the air was a fond reminder as to why outdoor festival concerts are such a blast, haha. We retired to the camper around 12:30 and hit the hay. We left early the next day to return home, to which I had another busy day ahead of me. I would be picked up by my family, and we headed to Taste of Chicago. Great experience, the rain was nice, to be honest, and the Cubs were playing in the West Coast so I wasn’t going to miss it thanks to the late start. Probably the most exhausting day of the summer though, two major festivals in two days ain’t easy on you, trust me.

Fourth of July was uneventful (good, I needed a break) and for the most part didn’t do much until the middle came around. Went to Dave’s party on the 12th which was a ton of fun, and also had the MLB All Star Game three days later (which really I didn’t care much for). The next day was Cruefest in the second row with Cortez, which was a hell of a time. Talked to some of the titty cam girls (got one’s number, but haven’t spoken to her since July, haha), interacted with the band, and just had an awesome time, one of the best concerts I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Following that show, my dad and I went to a Chicago Fire game that Saturday, the 19th, which ended in a tie. But a Fire game in the second row in beautiful weather, with Toyota Park being ten minutes from the place you used to proudly call home? Come on now, that’s a great feeling.

July ended with that trip my uncle and I took up to Milwaukee. Saw the Police again and two Brewers games (one win, one loss), and also went up to Germanfest, which was pretty nice. For the most part it was a nice relaxing getaway, despite having to deal with seeing the Brewers who I have tremendous respect for briefly take over first place in the Central in front of my eyes (didn’t last long, since we destroyed ‘em in a sweep the next week). We returned that Sunday the 27th, watched the Cubs game, then I helped him with some of my grandmother’s plants later that evening accompanied by an unusual accordion player down the street (I’ll tell you, as dorky as it sounds, the melodies he was playing were so beautiful, it fit the mood of a mid-summer evening back in your “hometown” absolutely perfectly. That’s a very fond memory I have). That Monday we headed to Navy Pier to see “The Dark Knight” in IMAX, followed by Harry Caray’s for dinner. The next day my uncle and I accompanied by Sean went to the minor league game between Peoria and the Kane County Cougars at Wrigley Field, which was such a corporate sell-out game, I was simply appalled. Only National City execs could get a Ryne Sandberg autograph instead of us fans who waited an hour and a half for it? Thanks a lot, assholes.

So, I returned home on the 30th, which effectively ended my July in prime fashion. August showed promise, well, at least half of it with school starting. On August 5th the family headed up to Wrigley Field once again to see the Cubs take on Houston, which was a wonderful comeback victory courtesy of an Alfonso Soriano three-run homer (I still don’t like him). That was a great day, but another very exhausting one. To be honest by this point I was actually beginning to get worn out. I spent the last free week I had sleeping in, watching the Cubs against Atlanta, savoring every free minute I had left. School began on the 15th which was a major drag, but to be honest it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected.

I also was lucky enough to reunite with someone towards the end of the month who’d left one of the most significant impacts on my life, even though I’m sure she’d be modest enough not to think so. Our relationship had been rocky for several reasons which had all been cleared up eventually, and frankly this was one of the higher points as far as personal relationships are concerned for the entire year. She knows who she is, and I’m very glad to say things are evened out between us.

September was a bore. Really, I don’t even have that much to say. I did see one of the best Cub games of my life that month, on September 18th against Milwaukee, which was a come-from-behind win taken to twelve innings. We all knew the Cubs were going to clinch the NL Central, that was pretty much the only exciting thing about it. That happened on Homecoming day, which was also nothing really special (though I did have an awesome, humorous discussion with Stacey that night, despite the subject matter). Honestly, that’s about it. Shame, huh?

October, on the other hand, had proven to be more entertaining, though because of my primary focus on school I had a difficult time doing as many cool things as I had been doing for most of the year. My month started negative, not so much personally though. I went to NLDS Game 1 at Wrigley Field between the Cubs and Dodgers, and any baseball fan knows how that one ended. Mark DeRosa got the big two-run homer, but then we allowed seven runs losing, as you can imagine, 7-2. This was the beginning of the end, as we would lose the next two games and were swept out of postseason contention. Lazy bastards. 97 wins are absolutely meaningless when you can’t win ONE SINGLE PLAYOFF GAME!

The rest of the month was considerably busy. My parents’ anniversary was on the 10th, and the next weekend was my uncle’s birthday dinner. I don’t get many chances to eat prime rib, but if I get the chance to do so two weeks in a row, who am I to complain!? Anywho, I basically spent two weeks following that anticipating my birthday, which was on the 29th. Better than I’d expected despite being on a Wednesday. Got the new Madden game, NHL 09, a box of Upper Deck baseball cards, a Blackhawks hoodie, tickets to get autographs from Mark Grace and Lou Piniella in November, and best of all, AC/DC tickets for that Saturday! It was a great birthday, much to my surprise.

So naturally, November began with the AC/DC show, which was one of the best shows I’d seen in my life. I swear, between both Rush shows, Cruefest, AC/DC, Sammy Hagar on stage, Collective Soul from the seventh row, and Genesis the past couple years, I’ve seen some of the best shows I ever have in my nine years of concert-going. But AC/DC were stellar, great setlist, great energy. Just not the best venue in the world, but hey, can’t be perfect, can it?

The next few weeks would be a drag, watching Kyle Orton get hurt (and rushed back to play way too quickly) for the Bears, dealing with stresses of school, etc. However, on the weekend of November 21, I went to stay up by my uncle’s to meet the aforementioned baseball figures from my birthday. That was a successful weekend, saw a ton of autographed memorabilia, even met AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria on a quick last-minute decision. That was a hell of a weekend, of course I came home on the 23rd and had to take school off the next day because I had another bout with food poisoning. Funny, in seventeen years of life I only had to deal with it once, and this year alone I had it twice. Damn.

Anyway, in just a matter of days, in time for Thanksgiving break, I returned up to my uncle’s to help with Christmas decorations and such. Thanksgiving with the family was nice, no complaints about that. The following day my uncle and I went doorbusting, which was a lot of fun. Spent about three hours out shopping around, and when we got back to the house, we picked up my grandma, had breakfast, and immediately started putting up Christmas decorations. It was probably one of the busier days of the year, because I woke up at three in the morning and went to sleep at eleven that night. The next couple days were relaxing, went downtown to my uncle’s for the morning, finally saw “Quantum of Solace” (which I’d end up seeing three more times), and returned home. The rest of the weekend was spent secluded, for the most part, watching college football and hockey. It was a nice getaway.

But all good things must come to an end, eh? I had to go back to school starting right at the beginning of December, but luckily it was only three more weeks until vacation. Not much really went down throughout the course of the month until vacation came around, to be honest. I was absolutely drained down the stretch, getting sore, and working too damn hard for my own good. But certain positive aspects came out of it, definitely. Especially the start of a vacation I, and I’m sure many others, so desperately needed.

Vacation began on December 19 in a somewhat unusual day with school. We had a huge ice / snow storm that night and I expected school to be cancelled (which I didn't want, last thing I needed was to have to come back from vacation and take a final exam). I got to sleep late, school started two hours later, so I woke up at 8:30, watched Spin City for the first time in ages, and went to school. Very good day, and a great way to kick-off my vacation.

Not much went down until Christmas, and let me just say, Christmas was a BLAST. Got tons of stuff, lots of Cubs paraphernalia, such as a new alternate blue Mark Grace jersey, a 2008 plaque for my wall, and autographs of Ryan Dempster, Ryan Theriot, Carlos Marmol, Mark DeRosa, and for unusual measure, CC Sabathia in a Brewers uniform. Also got Blackhawks tickets for January 4th, a new DVD/VCR, a new digital camera, music, the Genesis 1983-1998 box set. I got a massive haul this year and I'm damn proud of that.

The next few days were a drag, not much happened until I saw Jeff Dunham last night with my dad up in Rosemont. That was a very funny experience, Dunham is easily one of the funniest people in the business today. Worth the $50, definitely. "Taste a Vagina!"

So tonight, we arrive at. Today I woke up at noon, went to my grandma's for awhile, and then proceeded to go by Dale's place for our traditional New Years celebration. Who knows what we'll be doing tonight. Probably head to Chuck's after his haircut, then watch the Snakes & Arrows DVD for the first time since I got it last month, and ring in the New Year with a visit to the guys at Pirate radio. Afterwards we'll probably run around the block throwing Triscuits around like confetti, because that's just the kinda guys we are. And before you know it, it'll be 2009!

There you have it. The end of 2008 and a damn fine summary of it, if I must say so myself. I’m gonna miss this year. So many things happened, and really this summary is just about as long as last year’s, much to my surprise it may actually be shorter. But I believe I summed it up nicely. All four goals were accomplished: Improve things with my dad, keep my grades better, my pessimism is almost non-existent, and I’ve learned from relationships how to improve myself. Mission accomplished.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION: LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES IN 2008, AND CAPITALIZE ON THEM IN 2009.

I will extend it though, to give a few shout-outs to those who made this past year what it was. I simply cannot have you all read such ridiculous self-indulgence without throwing out a few thank yous in the process. Last year I basically just gave a “Thanks a lot, you know who you are,” but this year is different. This year would not go down as one of the best I’ve been lucky enough to have experienced without these people on the list, and I honestly would feel very poorly if I didn’t extend my gratitude to these special people.

Dale – Another year in the books, and another year of awesome music, videos, and stories to tell down the road. There’s a reason you’ve been my best friend going-on thirteen years, and if this year wasn’t an example of that, from the Rush show to Summerfest to another classic New Years celebration, then I really don’t know what is. Thanks a lot, buddy, you deserve it.

Sean – My other longest-lasting friend, who deserves a shout out as well. We didn’t chill as much as we wanted to this past year, but nevertheless, the times we did were just great. Someday we’ll get those usher jobs at Wrigley and I’ll be seeing you everyday, but until then, what was accomplished this past year was great. Thanks, man.

Brian – Brian, my good friend, off to college and away from here. All I have to say is “You lucky bastard!” Hope life’s treating you well and I have to admit, I miss my daily Freddy Bynum joke around here. Take care, man, you’ve been missed. Keep on rockin’ through the night, my friend!

Laura – You were there since the start of the year, and what’s sad is I haven’t seen you as much as I’d hoped toward the end of the year. But we had some good memories, from the movies to your party to talking before school everyday. Thanks for contributing. You've been one of the best friends a guy like me could ask for and I'm proud I can say that.

Marcella – My amazing Asian sister. I know I lose my temper with you and the things you do, but you know the reasons I do. While I don’t see you as much as I’d like, I saw you more than I expected to this year, and those were fun times. So thank you, and take care of my best friend for me *wink*

Stacey – I know you only contributed to about a third of the year, but you still deserve something. Why? You said in a survey that you didn’t think you made a difference in anyone’s life, but you’ve made a significant one in mine, whether you believe it or not. You taught me a lot about myself that I didn’t know two years ago which helped me become who I am today and I thank you for that, and it’s good to have the Stacey from before back in my life these days. Your dedication was longer than the others because I didn’t get the chance to thank you last year. You've become one of my very best friends despite our history, and I'm very happy about that.

Max – We haven’t talked recently man, but I gotta say it was a good year, especially towards the end of German last year. Miss ya this year bro, take care of yourself, and keep kickin’ ass with Martial Law!

Auston – Good to be seeing you everyday again, man. You’ve always been a quality friend, always helped me out with stuff, and always provided a good conversation. Thanks man.

Cait – I know towards the end of the year we didn’t talk so much, except around the playoff time with our Cubs / Sox battles, but for the first half we kept in touch a lot and I know I tried to help you with a lot of things. Thanks for continuing to make the Cubs / Sox rivalry interesting, I look forward to next season.

Lauren - You deserve a dedication as well, you've become a very valuable friend to me and I completely respect everything you've done for me and helped me with over the past year. Not many are willing enough to take time out and do that, so thank you.

Of course, along with the thank yous I could extend a couple of fuck yous as well, but I’ve decided to stay classy and let the past remain the past.

So, forecast for 2009? None of us really know, I sure as hell didn’t expect to make so much progress personally this year, but I did. I’m going into 2009 optimistically, though not with too many high expectations. If I learned anything from this past year it was to never get your hopes up too high, because you may just be disappointed. If you go in with low or moderate expectations, things may end up better than you’d expect. That was my mentality throughout 2008, and it turned out to be one hell of a year. Screw 2009 being a "new beginning" for me, as far as I'm concerned 2009 is just a higher number, for me it's essentially going to be a continuation of 2008, hopefully keeping things on the high they're currently at.

Question marks going into the New Year: Will my Cubs finally learn and maybe win a damn playoff game? Will I finally get to see the Bruce Springsteen for the first time? Which friends are going to continue to stand by me? Will I find a relationship and be able to stabilize it? Who knows?

Being a very nostalgic person for much of my life, especially this year with the Nintendo 64 abuse, viewing of old Cubs games on VHS, and catching up with some old friends, I’d like to leave with a random lyric I wrote, one of my favorites. It’s uplifting, and it’s about positive reflection on life, from a piece I submitted to school for Visions.

“So at these crossroads, we return
To the days that we conquered the world.
We were kings in our own memories
As those times in life fade to history.”

This is Zach, signing off for 2008. It’s been a riot, and you were there for the experience. Thank you all, take care, and have a great night!

-Zach

"Trip Down Memory Lane: Top 15 Video Games" - December 18, 2008

2008-12-18T20:27:00.003-06:00

As everyone is already very well aware of, I'm a ridiculously nostalgic person. A major part of my past, however far back that may indeed extend, would be video games. Talk about a central focus of my life for so many years. I'll always remember living in Chicago and going to a buddy's house to play Nintendo 64, which was typically the norm if you weren't out playing baseball or basketball. What's funny is, those were the days when beating Perfect Dark was the most difficult thing was going on in your life (which I need to buy on eBay).

I've worked on these "Top 15" lists in the past, did 'em seemingly religiously at the beginning of the year (before life started getting more in the way), and while I still have three finals to take tomorrow, I thought I'd ease myself of some stress with a trip down memory lane. Whether it be recent or from the past, these are games almost all of you should know, as these defined our generation and sometimes those after us. I can't make a universal "Top 15" list, so this is essentially my personal favorite 15 video games of all-time. Let's begin.

#1 - Goldeneye 007 (Nintendo 64, 1997) - Single-handedly the most addictive game I've ever played in my entire life. A game who's gameplay is so modern, who's graphics were stellar for the time, who made a first-person shooter more than just killin' bitches in your way. Find me one guy my age who didn't own and enjoy this game, I dare you. It's based on the 1995 James Bond film Goldeneye, and the game is ridiculously accurate toward the movie's storyline. 17 different levels (19 if you unlock "Egyptian" and "Aztec"), all of which maintaining different objectives to make each level more difficult than the last (my favorite being, easily, Statue Park). This game has been with me through everything, whether it be preparing for basketball practice or simply just using it to relieve some stress (recently, for example).

#2 - Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64, 1996) - This is a game that shouldn't be omitted from any video game list. It's a seemingly never-ending quest to find 120 stars throughout the game and defeat your enemy Bowser three times, first time Mario ever did it in 3D. Clever levels, interesting storyline, and complex challenges that no matter how many times you beat the game, always make you want to do it again.

#3 - Pokemon Red and Blue (Nintendo Game Boy, 1998) - Yeah, I know this is the "lame" answer, but back ten years ago, there wasn't a single person who wasn't playing one of these games. And they were always exciting: Say you beat the Elite Four, you still needed to catch more Pokemon. The game never ended, even though (by research) it's a fact that you can't catch every single one (unless one has a Gameshark). I recently broke out my Red version just for kicks and I swear I couldn't put it down! Gold was always my favorite, but Gold would've never existed without these two, which sufficiently held me over for a couple years before the release of Gold. Pokemon Stadium (N64, 2000) won't make the list, but deserves honorable mention. Great game as well.

#4 - Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2, 2002) - A game that I still think doesn't receive it's due from the public, I always thought it was brilliant. Not to mention, the shit gets REALLY hard after awhile. Hollow Bastion is probably my favorite level / world in ANY video game, because along with it's absolutely beautiful design, the story really starts to unfold. I spent DAYS trying to beat Riku, for Christ's sake! The game was always a challenge, I was lucky enough to beat End of the World with the Ultima Weapon after several tries. You know what? I haven't played this in awhile, actually...

#5 - Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (PlayStation, 1998) - The sequal to the magnificent 1996 debut, the game seems more appealing solely based on the fact that the story is easier to understand and characters are given more interesting personalities. I couldn't tell you how many times I collected every crystal but could hardly get the gems, haha. Still, awesome game, still have it, too. May give that one a spin tonight.

#6 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64, 1998) - Yes, I realize it's not #1 on my list, like it is everywhere else. But it's there, which in itself is impressive enough. I'd spent endless days in the winter of 1998 playing this one, and if I wasn't playing it, I was organizing my 1998 Collector's Choice baseball cards while watching my mother play it. What a fun game, easily the best of the Zelda series (coming in very close would be "Wind Waker). Got the GameCube version of it with Master Quest, which is hard as shit, but nevertheless, exciting.

#7 - Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo 64, 1998) - Outside of Goldeneye this was the Rare corporation's shining moment. It's a stupid bear with an annoying, smart-ass bird in it's backpack who can fly both around at will. How brilliant is that? Not to mention, the storyline flows very well, for such a silly concept the game has moments that are just ridiculously hard. The game pretty much out-does any sequel made from it, hands down.

#8 - Spyro The Dragon (PlayStation, 1997) - People often overlook the Spyro series and I never understood why. It's this cute dragon with a vicious interior, kinda like that small dog or cat all of us had once owned in our lifetimes. Interesting plot, nice graphics for it's time. Basically all your doing is shooting fire at the asses of anything that gets in your way, and if you can't burn it, ram it! Great game, underrated too.

#9 - Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation, 1997) - I remember how difficult this game was being only five years old at the time of it's release, but in reality, after re-visiting it several times after that, I pretty much came to the conclusion that the game really does live up to it's hype. One of the best video game stories I'd ever experienced and possibly the most well-done RPG of all-time. No one should overlook this one.

#10 - Sonic Adventure / Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (SEGA Dreamcast / Nintendo GameCube, 1999 / 2001) - Sonic the Hedgehog is probably my favorite video game character of all-time. I remember playing the original game on Sega Genesis when I was at least four years old (still have the Genesis, no idea how to hook it up). We sold the Genesis around '96, but when I got the Dreamcast in 2000 it was a BLAST playing as Sonic again. Not to mention, it's a great story, easy to follow (unlike the latest installment, blech!), and the missions are pretty classic Sonic. Love this game, wish my Dreamcast hadn't crapped out on me. It's sequel was just as good, if not better, introducing Shadow Sonic and also focusing more on individual storylines.

#11 - Tom Clancy: Splinter Cell (XBOX, 2002) - I got an XBOX for Christmas 2002, and I remember instantly by dad bought this game for the both of us on December 26. At the time, there was no other game like it. It was much more than just a first-person shooter; it was a strategic, complex, and thusly, interesting game.

#12 - Halo 2 (XBOX, 2004) - Very fond memories of this game, clearly one of which playing it in my CCA class after every lesson with just about everyone there Freshman year. The Halo series defines this generation, much like Goldeneye did seven years prior, and anyone who hasn't played or owned one has really been missing out.

#13 - Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64, 1999) - Why not higher on the list? I'm well aware that it's a favorite of just about everyone I know, but frankly I've always been a fan of storyline-oriented games. Regardless, you guys have no idea how many sleepless nights I spent playing this one when it first came out. Melee and Brawl were great sequels, excellent even, but the first will always be the ultimate one. Awesome.

#14 - Rayman (PlayStation, 1995) - The oldest game to be on the list, and definitely deserving of it. Rayman is just a...weird...thing, who goes through ridiculously unusual obstacles in order to complete the game. I've never fully finished it, because sometimes it gets so bizarre you just kinda lose focus. I swear, someone HAD to be on LSD when they made this one, haha. Great game, though, and often forgotten due to it's subpar-to-awful sequels.

#15 - Yoshi Story (Nintendo 64, 1998) - My Nintendo history ain't as good as it used to be, but I don't recall any game revolving around the lovable dinosaur Yoshi. What a "cute" game, if you will. Interesting plot, with Yoshi inevitably having to defeat Baby Bowser at the end. It takes the form of a standard NES Mario game for the most part, just with 3D graphics, which is what makes it so interesting. Great plot, great game.

Games of honorable mention (due in part because I didn't want to add racing or party games) - Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash, Diddy Kong Racing, Crash Team Racing, Mario Party 1 and 2.

Now, I finished that list, but what I'm sure everyone knows about me is, I'm also an avid sports fan. Thus, I take a strong liking to sports games, as one is able to control the progress of a team in a season, franchise, or just an exhibition game. I'm going to list two games each for baseball, basketball, and football, just to balance it out. I could list many more, but don't see much sense in it.

Baseball:

Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr. (Nintendo 64, 1998) - The simplest yet quite possibly the most exciting baseball game ever made. I love season mode where you can pretty much rape an opposing team 28-0, and how they would never sub out their pitcher anyway. I've probably thrown about ten perfect games (just threw one with Pat Hentgen last weekend against Texas), but only because I've played it so many times. This game's been through just about everything with me, and if it were on the initial list of 15 it'd probably come in at #2. Christ, I'd wake up at 5:30 in the morning sometimes, just to play this game.

All Star Baseball 05 (XBOX, 2004) - MVP 05 came out the following year and I have no problem admitting like everyone else it was probably the best baseball game ever made. That said, I've always had a soft spot for the ASB series (I own every game, except 99), and this game was the best of them all. Great graphics, excellent commentary, easy gameplay. I spent many mornings in the Summer of '04, counting the days before moving out of Chicago, playing this one in my basement. Shame this was the last of the series, they were really starting to make great progress with their games. We can thank Acclaim Sports for not paying their royalties.

Basketball:

Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside (Nintendo 64, 1998) - Same creators as Ken Griffey Jr. MLB, ironically enough, and this game was just as great. Realistic gameplay, awesome rosters of the time (w/ player photos, something Griffey MLB lacks). I'll always remember Michael Jordan's player being listed as "Roster Player" with jersey number 98. Funny stuff. Excellent game.

The 2K Sports Series (Sega Dreamcast / XBOX, 1999-Present) - Very rarely would I single out one group, but these games always seem to be getting better, release after release. The game easily had the best sports graphics ever upon it's initial release in winter 1999, which added towards it's appeal. 2K sports hardly disappoints with their games, but the NBA series has probably been their most consistent.

Football:

Madden 99 (Nintendo 64, 1998) - I remember this one so fondly. I often recall going over to Sean's regularly and just churning this one out as long as we possibly could, until we had to eat or I had to go home. This is around when the Madden series was becoming THE series to play for NFL football games, and what a way to start. Always nice to play a throwback game at the Pontiac Silverdome or Old Soldier Field, eh?

ESPN NFL 2K5 (XBOX, 2004) - When baseball season ended and I wore out ASB05, this game took over. Almost every morning in the winter of 2004 going into 2005, I would play this game. The franchise mode was stellar, the graphics were so far ahead of their time, which added to it's appeal. Possibly the best "Swan Song" of all sports games, since after this one Madden bought out 2K Sports' NFL rights. Excellent game.

Honorable Mention: FIFA World Cup '98, the Tiger Woods golf series, Nagano Winter Olympics '98, Wayne Gretzky NHL Hockey.

There you have it, that was a fucking fun list to make! Talk about a trip down memory lane indeed, I'm gonna have to break out some of these this weekend. Any omissions on my end, let me know. I'd love to see what else you guys would add on to this.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, should hold over well until my New Years post.

-Zach

"Step Into Christmas With Me" - November 30, 2008

2008-11-30T21:24:00.003-06:00

Winter's officially here, folks (to me, if it snows, its winter,), and to be honest, it feels great! Let's just hope it doesn't decide to over-stay its welcome like it did last year...

This is a great time of year. Really, if you were to ask me, its probably the best time of the year outside of late June / early July. Its the time after Thanksgiving but before Christmas, the magical period of anticipation to one of the finest holidays of the entire year. Its romantic, the kind of time where you just want to take someone you love into downtown Chicago and just admire the sights, no matter how long you're up there or how many times you've passed up the same attraction. Its a season of giving, a time when you just feel the need to put your selfish desires on the shelf and do something generous for people who don't have the means to do for themselves.

I love it, folks. I'm sure that's pretty obvious, really. This is the time where I can actually ENJOY the snow, a time where I won't complain how cold it is (unless its unseasonably cold, which is has been all month). Not to mention, hockey season is now in full swing, NCAA men's basketball begins, BCS standings become more clear, and football heads into its final quarter before the playoffs. The ONLY downside to this is the fact that my #1 sport of Major League Baseball is done for another three months until the World Baseball Classic on March 5 (four months until Opening Day on April 6). Other than that, I have no real complaints.

I'd like to apologize for not having a personal update on myself over the past two months (I didn't live up to my promise of a blog a month, though I'm being rather self-centered; I'm sure none of you actually give two shits about it), regardless, I found some free time, and I want to cover some ground before I end the year with a bang...well, as far as blogs are concerned.

Last time I posted was, when, September 29? Well, amidst the anticipation of the Cubs in the postseason, I'm sure EVERYONE knows how that fucking disaster ended. You never wanted to say it, but at times during the regular season you would quietly say to yourself "You know, this may finally be our year." But its just proof that 97 wins doesn't mean shit in the playoffs, especially when you get swept by a team with 84. So, that ruined my interest in the National League, but in the AL I found extreme interest in the Rays, who sadly couldn't keep their miraculous run going the whole way and lost the World Series to those damned Phillies. I haven't had a World Series go my way until 2004...

October was a solid month, really. Nothing specifically noteworthy occurred, just a fun, relaxing time in life. Lots of events, such as my parents' anniversary, my uncle's and sister's birthdays, and of course, my own birthday. It was nice from my uncle and grandma, got some new XBOX games and a giant, framed Lou Piniella photo (signed, mind you), among other things. From my parents, I got a new Blackhawks hoodie and tickets to see AC/DC, which ended up being one of the best concerts I'd ever seen.

November, as always, was a very solid month, quite possibly one of the best of the year. A very quiet first few weeks, thats for sure, just a couple big events that I'm going to save for my blog at the end of the year. Last weekend, I was lucky enough to head to a memorabilia convention in Rosemont and met Mark Grace, Lou Piniella, Evan Longoria, and Ryan Theriot, all personal favorite baseball figures of mine at one point or another. That was definitely a pleasant experience, no doubt.

This past Thanksgiving weekend was spent with my uncle and grandma. I got a nice pay-day for assisting in putting up decorations and the christmas tree (it sounds easy, but not with these people, trust me). I was also able to get Family Guy Season 5, Rush's new Snakes & Arrows Live DVD, among other smaller things. It was a nice, fulfilling trip. Also went doorbusting on Friday morning, which was absolutely insane, and I was completely worn out by the end of the day. Nevertheless, worth it I'd say.

I have no complaints, and I don't want to say too much because I always like more detail in my wrap-up at the end of the year. All I can say is keep an eye out for it, I'll probably start writing it in a couple weeks, honestly. I don't plan these blogs ahead, this one I plan intensely, because it has to be PERFECT. I know it sounds silly, but being the perfectionist that I am, this has to be the big bang for me, and in order for me to feel fulfillment, this needs to be great. Crazy, I know. But thats just me!

So, until December 31, unless I decide to pull off a filler sometime in between, I bid you all adieu. Farewell!

-Zach

"Let Chicago Be Rocked" - AC/DC Review, November 1, 2008

2008-11-02T20:42:00.007-06:00

When you think of iconic rock acts, who are the first to come to mind? The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, naturally. But if you're willing to overlook AC/DC, despite whatever opinions you may hold on them, I'd be inclined to say you're out of your mind.

Twenty-five years ago, AC/DC were one of the world's largest touring acts, probably around this time in support of their 1983 release Flick of the Switch. As most music fans know, hardly any bands who maintained such success through the 1970s, 1980s, and much of the 1990s would be able to keep it up in today's music scene without hitting the county fair or amphitheater circuit years ago.

But AC/DC, much like the majority of their careers, are an exception to that rule. Just last week, the Australian metal band's fourteenth studio release Black Ice stormed to #1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts selling 800,000 copies in it's first week. The band beat out the soundtrack to High School Musical 3 by nearly a whopping 550,000 copies, skyrocketing as the #2 US release of 2008. If you're a rock band who's been on the circuit for 34 years and can dominate a universal hit like HSM by such a staggering total, you just know you're doing something right.

My folks and I, for years, have said that we would attend an AC/DC concert whenever they came to Chicago, regardless of the cost. When tickets went on sale on September 20, the tickets for October 30 at the Allstate Arena sold out instantly (no surprise, since AC/DC are a universal favorite amongst music fans everywhere). Luckily for my father who was trying to get them, a November 1 date popped up on Ticketmaster and instantly grabbed them. Of course, I didn't know about this until my birthday on the 29th, when I got a ticket of my own. So, my mother, father, and I were headed to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont that Saturday.

After a brief stop at the Hinsdale Oasis for dinner, we arrived at the Allstate at 6:00 p.m., and hung around in the car until gates opened at 6:30. The Allstate Arena isn't the nicest venue out there; its like a maze getting around the place and took awhile for us to find our seats, but when we did it was smooth sailing. I picked up a cool shirt specifically for the Chicago dates, their No Bull DVD filmed in 1996, and some glowing horns that fans wore on their heads.

A band from Ireland called The Answer opened up the show, not half bad to be honest. Shortest opening act I'd ever seen though, going on for about twenty-five minutes before being booted off. Fans had a half hour to head to the restrooms (which were a nightmare in themselves, trust me), get any refreshments, buy souvenirs, etc. AC/DC's stage time was to be 8:30 on the dot.

They weren't kidding. At 8:30 sharp, the lights went out, and the X-rated intro video on the locomotive began to air on the big high definition screen at center stage (won't spoil it for those who intend on going to see them anytime soon). As it ended, the band broke into their first song, which coincidentally was the first single off Black Ice, "Rock N' Roll Train." The fans went insane, and weren't afraid to sing every word to the newest addition to AC/DC's hit collection. Following that was a fan favorite from the former-and-late vocalist Bon Scott era, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place to Be" from 1977's Let There Be Rock. But after the reaction to their next song, 1980's "Back In Black," the crowd seemed rather tame. The placed exploded once Angus Young began the opening riff to that very popular favorite.

With the crowd now fired up and ready for more, vocalist Brian Johnson introduced another new song, this time "Big Jack," which the crowd promptly caught on to and sang along. Following that would be my personal favorite song of the evening, 1976's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," which Brian Johnson got the crowd into with ease. The band wasted no time segwaying from that to one of the band's most popular songs, 1990's "Thunderstruck," which saw 20,000 fists of the sold out crowd pumping in the air.

After an outrageously hot start, the band decided to mellow out a bit, starting off with the title track of their latest album, "Black Ice," and moving on to a concert staple for many years, 1975's "The Jack." "The Jack" was very well received, with Johnson doing a very respectable job replacing Bon Scott's vocal and Angus Young even doing a rather humorous strip-tease in the middle of the song, allowing the crowd to go just insane.

We heard bells quietly in the background and saw a giant church bell drop from the ceiling, so we all knew what song was next. As Johnson swung around on the bell, Angus began to play the opening riff to the first song off 1980's masterpiece Back In Black (and also Johnson's first album as AC/DC's vocalist), "Hell's Bells." Next up, ironically in the same order as the album, came "Shoot To Thrill" off the same album. A personal favorite of the night for me, and clearly a favorite of the crowd as well. Following that would be two more new tracks, "War Machine" being the first (and probably the best new track of the night) and the considerably poppy "Anything Goes," two of the albums best tracks. The band did a very solid job in their choice of new songs to put in the setlist, I'd say.

After that we'd get the one AC/DC song everyone on the planet knows, the generally very tiring 1980 staple "You Shook Me All Night Long," which wasn't so bad in concert because of the crowd energy. Still a song I like to avoid on all costs. A nice compliment to "Anything Goes" though, no question. Next up was one of the band's very first singles, 1975's "T.N.T.," which was given a nice touch by the pyrotechnics and also by the emphatic "fight!" chant by Angus Young. Following that were two classics from Let There Be Rock, the first being "Whole Lotta Rosie," which featured the giant inflatable Rosie in the background and drove the crowd insane. The second tune was "Let There Be Rock" itself, clocking in at over ten minutes featuring an absolutely outrageous solo by Angus. It's easy to underestimate him as a guitar player, but seeing that solo really convinced me that he's much better than what comes off on record. Simply astounding.

The band left for a few minutes, and promptly came out for an encore with Angus rising from the ground, sporting his devil horns. He broke out with the riff to the 1979 hit "Highway to Hell," which featured plenty of crowd participation. The band would shortly after start their 1981 concert anthem and traditional concert closer "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)," with the cannons intact on top of the stack of amps. Several cannon explosions (on cue, no less) were one last calling for the crowd to go absolutely ballistic, and capped off a very solid show in very effective fashion. 20,000 fans left the Allstate Arena very satisfied.

Me? I went in as a casual fan of AC/DC, I left a HUGE fan of the band. I actually went out the next day and bought three of their albums I never had before. I've never been able to say that a concert made me a much bigger fan of a band I casually liked before, but this one did just that. Of the seventy-or-so bands I've seen, this can safely be considered one of the Top 3, up there with Rush, Genesis, and probably Van Halen in 2004. This band lives up to their title as one of the loudest and most rockin' bands of all-time, and I didn't leave disappointed.

As for the setlist, it'll please casual fans and those who've never seen them before, but die-hards will be disappointed by the over-abundance of hits (noting off 1978's Powerage, no "Moneytalks," one from Highway to Hell, nothing off their last new release Stiff Upper Lip from 2000, to name a few examples). For someone like myself, I found it considerably enjoyable, to see one of history's greatest rock n' roll bands doing what they do best. Not to mention, my ears are STILL ringing vehemently!

If you're not a big AC/DC fan but are willing to go into a concert with an open mind, I GUARANTEE you'll leave a bigger fan than you went in. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Certainly worked for me.

Setlist:

Rock N' Roll Train
Hell Ain't A Bad Place to Be
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hell's Bells
Shoot to Thrill
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me All Night Long
T.N.T.
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock

Encore:

Highway to Hell
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

-Zach

"Role Models" - October 27, 2008

2008-10-27T19:15:00.002-06:00

You talk about a strange surge of inspiration. I was watching The Simpsons on DVD last night as I struggled endlessly to fall asleep. I can't tell you the episode title, all I know is, it's the second or third episode on Season 10, I was too dazed to remember. Anywho, the basis of the episode is, Homer's driving and finds out life expectancy in male's has increased and he's "wasted half his life." VERY funny beginning, I was laughing my ass off albeit half asleep. So Lisa teaches him about Thomas Edison, who he develops this obsession for and talks about non-stop, before Marge suggests he becomes more like Edison instead of talking about him.

What happens next is, he quits his job (saying Marge suggested THAT too) and decides to become a full-time inventor in the basement. He puts up a poster of Edison in front of his desk for inspiration.

Now, what relevance does this hold and why exactly am I so into this? While it is ridiculous that Homer Simpson looks at Thomas Edison, of all people, as a role model, the concept itself and the admiration he shows for the guy is, I guess you can say, charming. The Simpsons in the past have been able to evoke personal emotions in the show (in sometimes hidden ways) that sometimes seem so real, or are so similar to life, you just can't help deny just how real it comes off, and how you can relate to that (see "Lisa the Iconoclast" for a better example).

It makes you think about the role models you've had in your life and what they've meant to you at some point or another. Of course my grandfather was #1 and always will be, but that's been established. I'm talking about the person you threw the poster of up over your bed, over your desk, somewhere that you can see it to garner inspiration. It's a very interesting thing if you think about it. That because a person is so popular and has done tremendous things, you can admire them for it.

So that begs the question, who have I considered role models over the years? Well, one of my first was Eddie Van Halen. Outstanding musician, tremendous guitar player, and his music left an outrageous impact on my life at just the right time. I still reflect on the music today, despite the fact that I don't hold either him or the band in the same regard anymore. Frankly, my admiration stops at a number of dickhead moves, and I hate saying this, but he's probably the only "role model" who over the years has truly let me down. And really, it's a shame.

Musically my role models have changed since then, and have remained more steady. I take more after Sammy Hagar and Mike Anthony (ex-singer and ex-bassist of Van Halen) these days, because they had to tolerate the bullshit of the aforementioned Edward Van Halen for so many years, yet were always able to go out and put on the best damn concert possible. Not to mention, meeting them last year was also a definite positive in their regard. There's also Nikki Sixx, the smart lyricist that made Motley Crue more than just a hair band in the '80s music world, who overcame so much adversity just to try and stay alive, and sure enough, he's still out there kickin' ass. Once again, classy guy in person, definitely a great moment for me. We finally end with my "big two" the last couple years, Neil Peart and Phil Collins. Both drummers, both lyricists (though Neil much more profound than Phil), both members of my two favorite bands, and both passionate about the things they do. Never do anything bad to people who cross their paths (well, except Phil to his ex-wives *rimshot*), just go out there, try and keep the fans happy, and give their all everytime they do something. How can that not be respected?

The two biggest things in my life have always been sports and music. Yes, in that order, so naturally my sports heroes have left a much greater impact on me than my music ones have. My first ever sports idol was Sammy Sosa, I think all of us Chicago sports fans can kinda figure what happened there (*rimshot again* I'm wearing the house drummer out tonight!).

Baseball has been my primary source for heroes, and the first one for a very long time (and still kinda is) would be Ken Griffey Jr. So much fun to watch when he was younger, before he was injury prone for the tail end of his career. His days in Seattle were classic, every single game he played there was exciting. He just kinda faded out, which sadly DOES happen. But he was still my first favorite baseball player and really the first sports figure to hold out longevity as a "role model."

Chipper Jones, Cal Ripken Jr., David Justice, Greg Maddux, Kevin Brown, Tom Glavine, all these guys were some of my favorite players back in the day (well, MY day that is). Even more recently, Josh Hamilton and Ryan Braun have climbed that ladder, for Hamilton's overcoming adversity to put up stellar numbers for a, well...bad team, and Ryan Braun's scrappy playing to carry his team to the postseason.

But naturally, you stay true to your home, because that's what you're most familiar with. When Mark Grace left the Cubs (unwillingly, mind you) after the 2000 season, I studied up on him and Ryne Sandberg more. Being a Cubs fan since '96, it's easy for those two to be overshadowed by the uprising of Sammy Sosa. But these guys were just fascinating, and their numbers were stellar in their careers. They instantly climbed up the ladder for me, and eventually would become my two favorite Cubs of all-time, even though they didn't have far to go, since they were both respectively behind Sammy Sosa. Always had a strong respect for both, just took awhile for that to come into full bloom. And meeting Ryne Sandberg really was the icing on the cake, so pleasant in person and just a nice guy. I'd run into him time and time again at the Cubs Conventions and he'd actually be able to recognize me and greet me as if we've known each other our whole lives. That first happened in 2002, and sealed the deal for me, really. November will be the first time I meet Mark Grace but I assume that to be pleasant as well.

Gracie and Ryno are my two favorite idols of all-time, and the greatest role models I ever had. The jerseys, posters, baseball cards, and autographs really tell that story well enough. And hell, we may have both guys with the team next year. Ryno may coach on the Cubs roster if Sinatro leaves, and Mark Grace may replace Bob Brenley as the team's color analyst if he decides to manage the Milwaukee Brewers. That'd be just awesome if both could be a part of the 2009 campaign, and would really be special for me as a Cubs fan. It's just nice to have two down-to-earth athletes as heroes of your's as you grow up, and be able to meet them and develop seemingly personal relationships with them, as if you've been friends for a long time. It means a lot to a fan like myself.

And this ties back with the end and essentially the Simpsons episode. At the end of the Simpsons episode (after Homer found out Edison had one of his ideas but remained undiscovered, so he decided to destroy it at the Edison museum, but couldn't because he saw Edison's picture of Leonardo Da Vinci and realized the relation between he and Edison). Those posters of our heroes we hoist up in our rooms, we're just admiring someone who's exactly like us, even if we don't know them personally. A person who fought towards a dream, and once they caught up to it, took full advantage of it. A person who had the drive to make the most of themselves, someone who deep down shares the same attitudes towards people and life as we do. It goes beyond the fact that they've accomplished so much. It's the fact that, overtime, they're just like us, we're just blind to realize it.

This blog was awful, haha. Jumpy, thoughts all over. But it's meant to convey a point, and when it goes into my book sometime in 2010, it'll be edited, well...better. But I'm sick, so give me a break. Still, it's a concept I've given some serious thought over the past day and it's really interesting how it all works out. I'll have a blog in a couple days, after my birthday on Wednesday, probably. See y'all then!

-Zach

"Reflection: 7th Grade" - October 14, 2008

2008-10-14T22:18:00.003-05:00

Why 7th grade? Well, to be honest, I couldn't tell you. You all know me, I choose the most unusual times to be nostalgic, but it was one of the best times of my life, hands down, and really tends to be overlooked because it's in between two massive events that really altered my life forever. So it's like the cheese on a sandwich from Subway; you know its there, but you fail to recognize it because its inbetween the Hearty Italian bread and the meat. Cheesy analogy, eh? (pun TOTALLY intended :D)

So how did it all start? I moved out of Chicago on August 13, 2004 (we make note of that everytime that date passes), and started school about a week after I moved. If I could make a guess, and I'm not 100% positive, my first day at Taft (and at a different school for the first time in eight years) was August 21, 2004. It was tough, because I was coming off what could've very well been the best summer of my life, still in Chicago. Talk about a massive shift; moving from a school of 800 people to one of about 350. It was smaller, a bit of a dump (sorry Taft fans, I simply cannot lower my standards), and the people were...different. Was the difference in people necessarily a bad thing? Absolutely not. It was just a shift that, at that point in my life, I simply wasn't used to.

The people were nice, very welcoming, something I hadn't expected (simply because of my upbringing and the society I was surrounded by). Despite being a generally outgoing person, I was nervous as hell my first day there, and I think it could show. For Christ's sake, I didn't even know how to use the locks on the lockers, because for eight years of my life that was never a concern. So as I said, things were different, but it was an environment I could get used to real quickly.

I made some fast friends. Darren and Nicco, both Cubs fans (huge sigh of relief, because living on the South Side as a Cubs fan for twelve years ain't easy) who I'd generally talk baseball with. Leianne, Tiarra, and Kasey, who were in fairness the first people to approach me and really make me feel comfortable where I was. Then there was the person who I considered my best friend for two years, Roberta, who I honestly can't say the same about anymore. Not her fault, moreso mine, but more on that later. I developed a strong foundation pretty quickly.

So this is Autumn 2004, a time when one could proudly wear a Mark Prior 2003 All Star Game jersey without criticism, when people didn't want George Bush to serve a second term but really had no other choice, since his opposition was even worse (and yes, I am a Dem). My Cubs were closing out perhaps the most humiliating season I'd ever seen from them, whiniest and most pathetic group of professional athletes I'd ever witnessed. I also remember, almost every weekend, playing NFL 2K5 when I woke up to about 2 p.m., listening to either the Loop or a CD on my radio filling some time, very relaxing. I also became addicted to Family Guy very quickly, needed something to enjoy at 10:30 p.m. before heading to sleep (still an addiction). To be honest, it's really all I can remember about the time period, hah.

Anywho, time moves on, and things become more and more positive with people I'd become close to, some of which I'd considered best friends. I'd become attracted to Roberta, very strongly, one of the longest attractions to someone I'd ever had. You can't help who you like, which she understood, but I took that to an extreme I really shouldn't have taken it to. As soon as I got over it, things between her and I weren't the same. She'd suggest differently, but I never felt the same afterward, as if I screwed up the solid friendship we already had. They say "live life with no regrets," but sometimes you just do things you wish sometime down the road you can change. And the problem is, you can't. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself, but she was, and frankly still is, one of the most special people I've met in my life, and it's just difficult to swallow the fact that I handled that so carelessly at one point. It'd be nice to still be able to call her a "best friend," but things have just become to distanced between her and I, though like I said, none of that is her fault. If she reads this, I hope she realizes that she's still in my thoughts and very important to me, despite the distance between us.

So, skip the winter, t'was a boring time for the post part. I just remember spending long, cold nights with my Game Boy SP in front of our new TV watching football, filling the void with nothing to do. Motley Crue released new music and began a tour, after becoming a full-fledged fan the last summer, it was quite a treat. I picked up their greatest hits set (Red, White, and Crue) on February 5, 2005 (I still had the receipt, shockingly enough) and would often listen to it while doing homework or watching Arena Football on Saturday afternoons quietly in my room. Those two discs HAVE to be burned out by now, hah. An occasional school event here and there, generally a basketball game with some friends. Not a bad time at all.

Spring was a fucking blast, 'nuff said. I reunited (briefly) with a friend of mine, someone I considered a tremendous friend back in 2nd grade, and her name is Kate. I remember spending hours on end on the phone with her just catching up, whilst playing "ESPN MLB 2K5" on my XBOX. Things with her and I started really well, then we just kinda stopped talking around June (though we picked back up in January 2008, and haven't stopped talking since, very happy about that). In other news, my Cubs showed promise, the Bulls were a genuinely good basketball team for a change and made the playoffs, the NCAA Tournament was a blast because of the Illini making it to the Championship (and getting a cheap loss to those UNC bastards).

Later in the Spring, around May before summer break, was an outstanding time. I held a legitimate relationship with just about anyone you can think of, and even some then-eighth graders moving on to high school. For the first time in awhile, I really felt genuine respect, a feeling that hasn't faded since. It was just nice to be able to have those kinds of relationships with people. We had to do research papers, which I remember writing often while listening to Van Halen's "OU812" album with King of the Hill or Simpsons on the TV. Still the best paper I ever wrote, because the situation was just flawless. I went to see U2 and Sammy Hagar within three days of each other that month, towards the end they had the school olympics thing (which was awesome the first year around, but became really tired by my eighth grade year), and grad dance. Sad to see all those eighth graders leave the school, which is funny because I only associate myself with one these days, and we don't even talk, she's just in my English class this year. Funny how that works, eh?

The summer essentially began the weekend before school finished. I took a trip out to Dale's, first time since New Years and only second time since I'd moved since we did that. He had something going on my first day there, so I spent some time with old St. Dans friends I hadn't seen in a year. That was the perfect start to my summer, so incredible to see all those people again after such a long time (still is, actually). After the grad dance and the end of the year celebrations and such, Steph Lillis invited me to her grad party, which I remember for some strange reason as being a very good day. That following weekend, I went to the Cubs / Red Sox game at Wrigley on June 10, which we graciously won 14-6. I went to St. Dennis' carnival and hung out with Jessy Morgan most of the time the following day which was also a ton of fun. I also developed relationships with two going-on 7th graders (now sophomores) who have left a huge impact on my life, Jenny Jackinoski and Auston Wheets (sp? sorry bro :D), which ended up being a massive highlight to my summer.

Of course, all good things come to an end. This was around the time my grandfather was hospitalized and became very ill, eventually leading to his death. That's the one experience that changed my life forever, and things haven't been the same since. But it's safe to say before that, was easily one of the happiest times of my entire life, hands down, and I have a ton of people to thank for that. Those are the same people who made life easy on me following that tragic June 22 afternoon. The majority of which I still talk to today (Darren, Nicco), some of which I wish remained a part of my life (Leianne, Berta). The last thing I did that summer before spending it in isolation following grandad's passing was Canal Days, which was really fun since I spent most of my time with people who I wouldn't see again until August.

Oh, how things have changed, eh? I still can't believe that was three years ago, unbelievable. A LOT has happened since 7th grade, but it was the silver lining between two massively bad events to occur in my life, a silver lining that lasted a good ten months and I'm damn proud of it. I'm sure half of those people won't read this, but to the ones who left their impact: Thanks. You guys still mean a lot to me and my growth as a human being and I couldn't appreciate it more, and thanks to you all, you made my first year a VERY good one.

This was longer than expected. Well, that's about it, then!

-Zach

Hunt For Blue October 2008: Miserable Failure

2008-10-05T13:46:00.002-05:00

The 2008 Chicago Cubs team was one seeking redemption. In their second season under manager Lou Piniella, not to mention the whole team being together as a whole (minus Jason Kendall, Jaque Jones, and Cliff Floyd, plus Kosuke Fukudome, Reed Johnson, Jim Edmonds, and Rich Harden), this ballclub looked more comfortable together and much more poised to do more than what they did in 2007. And that they did.

The 2008 regular season was, in every sense of the word, magical. Think of all the moments this team had witnessed this season, things that I as a fan had never seen in the twelve-years-and-counting of watching this team. We won our 10,000th game on April 23 in Colorado, via a walk-off homer by Aramis Ramirez. A 19-run shellacking of the Milwaukee Brewers a week later on the 30th. Posting an 18-9 record in the month of April, posting two six-game winning streaks to justify that record. We were down 9-1 against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley on May 30, before scoring nine runs in the sixth and seventh innings to come back miraculously and win 10-9. The “1948 Game” on June 12 against the Braves, which went eleven innings courtesy of a Jim Edmonds game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth, only to be won by the Cubs in the eleventh with a bases loaded hit-by-pitch to Reed Johnson to end the game 3-2. The sweep against the crosstown American League rival, the first-place White Sox, at Wrigley (only to be followed by a sweep at the Cell a week later). Rich Harden’s first start as a Cub on July 12 against the Giants, with the Cubs leading 7-0 only for then-struggling set-up man Carlos Marmol to blow that lead, tying it at 7-7 going into extras. The Cubs would win it on a walk-off single by Reed Johnson in the bottom of the eleventh inning. The magical (and then, necessary) sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers at the end of July, burying them to five games behind first place. A back-and-forth game against the Astros on August 5, only to be won thanks to an Alfonso Soriano three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, widening the gap, eventually winning the game. Outscoring the Braves a week later in Atlanta 29-9, sweeping the season series for the first time in franchise history. A seven game winning streak at the end of August (topped off by an Aramis Ramirez go-ahead grand slam against the Phillies in the sixth victory). The mid-September make-up series in Miller Park against the Astros, which featured the first Cubs no-hitter in 36 years by Carlos Zambrano, as well as a one-hitter thrown by Ted Lilly the next day. A magical game against Milwaukee later that week, on September 18, with the Cubs down 6-2 before shortening the gap to three runs, and closing the gap with a two-out, three-run homer by Geovany Soto taking it to extra innings. The Cubs would win in twelve innings on a walk-off single by Derrek Lee, 7-6. The clinching game on September 20 against rival St. Louis Cardinals. And even after the clinch, we took the New York Mets to extras eventually winning off an Aramis Ramirez walk-off homer, proving to be a deciding factor in the Mets’ Wild Card hopes later on.

Of course every magical season does have a few downsides. Opening the season losing a series to the Milwaukee Brewers certainly wasn’t starting off on the right foot. We lost Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano here and there to injury (which may be considered a good thing in the long run). We had a downright horrific season against the American League during interleague play, posting a 6-9 record. The team had a rough time after the All-Star break, losing series’ to the Diamondbacks and Astros with serious hitting problems. We went on a six-game losing streak at the end of August entering September. The season didn’t end well, since the team seemed to take it easy, posting a subpar 4-4 record following the September 20 clincher.

Sure, it was magical, and this is the first time I could safely say I saw a real team effort instead of just a few stars stepping up to the plate (excluding 2003). Mark DeRosa put up a Ryne Sandberg quality season at the plate, hitting a career high 21 homers, driving in 87 runs, and posting another solid .285 batting average for his second year as a Cub. Geovany Soto is single-handedly the National League Rookie of the Year, hitting .285, 23 homers, and 86 RBIs, and establishing himself as a quality starting catcher for years to come. Those two have arguably put up a fight to share the Team MVP award this season. Aramis Ramirez, despite some struggles here and there, put together another quality year, hitting .289 with 27 homers and drove in 111 runs—the best on the roster. Jim Edmonds and Reed Johnson created a successful platoon in center field, hitting a combined 25 home runs and driving in 99 runs, perhaps the biggest surprise of the season. Ryan Dempster was successful as a starter, winning 17 games and posting an ERA under three. Ted Lilly also won 17 even considering his early-season struggles, and could safely be considered the ace of this staff after his past two seasons. Rich Harden fulfilled his expectations, going 5-1 with an ERA under two since coming to the Cubs in July. Carlos Marmol had mid-season struggles, but bounced back to remain one of the elite relievers in all of baseball. Sean Marshall, after being converted to a long-relief man, did very well in his relief appearances, and did decently in his spot starts as well.

And like any season, it has its disappointments. Tops would be the $136 million man Alfonso Soriano. Yes, in limited time he hit 29 homers and hit .280, but when he wasn’t on a white-hot streak of hitting, he was really bad. Derrek Lee continued his slumping since the middle of the 2007 campaign, albeit posting a .290 batting average with 20 homers and 90 RBIs. His 27 double plays and .361 on-base percentage don’t bode well, and his inability to get hits when the team truly needs him to come through have really frustrated the fans. Kosuke Fukudome started off tremendously well at the beginning, but tailed off miserably as the season progressed, eventually hitting under .200 for the months of August and September and losing his starting job. Carlos Zambrano came out like a house of fire but really slowed down in the final two months, eventually winning only 14 games and posting a 3.81 ERA. Jeff Samradzija, to me, did not live up to expectations, and was often unreliable as time passed, despite a glimmering 2.28 ERA. And one mention I’ll take a lot of heat for, Kerry Wood. Had a rough start but eventually found fair ground for a good couple months, before a blister injury in July added very unnecessary drama within the club. Since his return on August 5, he hadn’t been the same, posting a 6.75 ERA in the month of September. Despite an attractive total of 34 saves, he still doesn’t appear to have the make-up of a successful closer, blowing six of his forty save opportunities and proving unreliable at certain times.

But despite the disappointments and occasional season struggles, this team was able to win 97 games—twelve more than last season’s total of 85—and be the first National League team to clinch both a division title and home field advantage in 2008. The team looked very promising and ready to succeed, after last season’s Division Series disaster against the Arizona Diamondbacks, being swept in three games and outscored 14-5. To these guys, last season appeared to be a learning experience, as they seemed ready and poised to prove that this team was indeed better than last. Not to mention, the Cubs HAD to make it to at least the NLCS, or the season looks like a regression and therefore, a failure.

They would be faced with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who the Cubs looked very solid against early on but had become an entirely different ballclub since the last time they faced off on June 8. Trades for Casey Blake and Greg Maddux added some postseason experience to the club as well as another bat and arm to a lineup and rotation that looked pretty good already. But the trade that made headlines from July 31 through Game #162 was the one for Manny Ramirez, who cut his hair (somewhat) and wore jersey number 99 for the remainder of the season. He provided nothing but a positive influence on the team, and helped them believe they could win ballgames. So the combination of manager Joe Torre, Ramirez, and Maddux—all three men with tremendous postseason experience—really helped the team in becoming the powerful force they did in the final two months, despite winning only 84 games in the regular season.

So this team provided a challenge, and the Cubs as well as their fans were aware of that. Game 1 of the NLDS was a wash. The game started well, getting Manny Ramirez to ground into a double play, Mark DeRosa putting us ahead 2-0 with a wind-blown homer to right, and an awkward catch by Fukudome in right. Things really looked to be in our favor. Ryan Dempster, however, looked rough, only going 4 2/3 innings, walking seven batters. While his strike zone was inconsistent early on, as the game progressed he kept missing his spots, and the walks did eventually catch up to him, allowing a grand slam to Dodger first baseman James Loney, putting them ahead 4-2. Things only got worse, as Sean Marshall would pitch an effective 2 1/3 innings allowing only one run, a truly remarkable solo golf shot by Manny Ramirez that had to have been hit 450 ft. out of the yard. Jeff Samardzija came in and allowed one more run on singles, and Jason Marquis capped off the game by allowing a solo bomb to Dodger catcher Russell Martin (and almost allowing another by Andre Ethier). The Cubs would go on to lose Game 1 7-2, appropriately on a pop-out by Alfonso Soriano thrown by Cubs fan-favorite Greg Maddux, assumed to be pitching as a “let’s rub it in” move by Joe Torre in the late innings.

Game 2 didn’t prove to be any better, only this time the signs of a loss came very early on. Carlos Zambrano looked good in the first, retiring the side with ease. The top of the second, however, marked the Cubs downfall. It all started with a play at shortstop which Ryan Theriot attempted to bare-hand, when he could’ve easily stuck his glove in front of the ball and made an out, which resulted in a base-runner for Los Angeles. It didn’t get any prettier. Next was a grounder to Mark DeRosa which he muffed at second, when he could’ve easily turned a double play had he succeeded to field the grounder. Then a grounder was slapped Derrek Lee’s way—a play he’d usually make—and it deflected off his glove. The inning was topped off by a bases-clearing double by Russell Martin, and in the blink of an eye, the Cubs were down 5-0. The Dodgers continued to pile on runs (one of which being another solo shot to Manny Ramirez off the box seats in center field) and eventually led 10-1 by the ninth inning (the only Cub run coming off a Jim Edmonds double). Carlos Zambrano turned in a solid start despite fan skepticism, allowing seven runs, only three actually earned. The Cubs tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth, with Mark DeRosa attempting to redeem himself by driving in two runs on a double making the score 10-3. The game eventually ended on a strikeout to pinch hitter Daryle Ward. Just like that, the Dodgers, lead the series 2-0 going into Los Angeles.

Cubs fans and the media still held out hope for Game 3, even though based on the horrendous display of offense the last several games I wasn’t getting my hopes up, personally. I had every right not to. The Dodgers started off strong, courtesy of a James Loney two-run double in the first putting them ahead 2-0 (easily should be considered the NLDS MVP, hands down). The Cubs had so many chances to put something together, having men in scoring position numerous times leading up to the offense just not driving them home. It really was, to say the least, pathetic. Starter Rich Harden looked fine, he missed his spots here and there but for the most part, the runs he gave up shouldn’t have made the difference in this game, considering the opportunities we saw. But they did. With a 3-0 score late in the game, Daryle Ward tried to make a statement by driving in the Cubs’ first run of the game, but sadly that was futile. In the top of the ninth, appropriately enough, Fukudome grounded out and Soriano struck out swinging to end the game. What a way to go down, huh?

Last year’s postseason was a failure, but the season itself can be considered a success. We made a statement that we were good enough to take this team to the next level in 2008. We didn’t do that. We had to do more than just win 97 games in the regular season, we already proved we had a team that could make the playoffs. We had to go out and prove that we could take it further than the first round of the playoffs. We couldn’t do that, which makes this entire campaign, sadly, a failure.

It was a fun season full of magical moments that I, as a fan, will never forget and have been proud to witness, but it doesn’t diminish the fact that we failed our biggest goal this season. And it’s heartbreaking. I wasn’t there for 1984 or 1989. This is the first time I actually felt that, at times, this could be “the year,” just never said it to prevent the jinx (yes, I believe in that, just not curses or Steve Bartman).

But then again, I’ve done the dance before and I’ve seen it in my twelve years of watching this team. I watched us get embarrassingly swept by the Atlanta Braves in 1998’s NLDS, topped off by an eighth inning grand slam by catcher Eddie Perez in Game 3. I watched us get to five outs away in 2003’s NLCS before Alex Gonzalez muffed up a routine double play opening the door to a huge eighth inning for the Florida Marlins, eventually leading to our demise. I saw us go in ridiculously unprepared to last season’s playoffs, and we proved we weren’t ready, getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. This year, I really thought we were more ready for the dance, that we had learned from the mistakes of last year and would try to bounce back from them. I had higher hopes than last year, but being a realist I can’t say I’m too crushed because as a Cubs fan, eventually you just have to expect a collapse. You haven’t won it until you actually win the damn Series, which is why I hated those God-forsaken “Its Gonna Happen!” signs around the ballpark. Looks like those of us smart enough to not get too ahead of ourselves are having the last laugh. No, I’m more frustrated and disappointed than anything, because the team could’ve done special things. They didn’t.

So now we look ahead towards 2009 and what could be fixed. You wish the organization wasn’t stupid enough to give Alfonso Soriano a $136 million contract for as many years as they did, since we signed him as a leadoff hitter with speed. To be perfectly blunt, he sucks at both aspects and provides nothing but a guess hitter at the top of the lineup. He’s no all-star, he’s a hack. We screwed up by not giving Carlos Beltran a big contract in 2005, that way we could’ve avoided the signing or Sorry-ano. Instead, we’re stuck with this guy. That’s your all-star, that’s your team leader. What an embarrassment. The first base position needs an upgrade. I personally respect what Derrek Lee gave this organization but his time has really run out. He’s not the player he was in 2005 or even the beginning of 2007, he’s become older now and he’s losing his stride, so something has to be done. You either give Micah Hoffpauir a chance, who could very well surprise us in a way Geovany Soto did this past season, or you spend money on Mark Teixeira, an established young first baseman who hits the market this offseason. You’re pretty much stuck with Fukudome and I think it’s fair to give him the second chance, since he did prove the potential is there. In center, re-sign Reed Johnson and make him your everyday starter (I give up on Pie, I’m still not sold after two seasons). Why not Edmonds? I think he’s going to retire, and if he doesn’t, I don’t think it’d be wise to take him back anyway (shades of Gary Gaetti ’99, anyone?). If you’re really picky and want to upgrade at short, there are several scenarios that could be played out and I’ll leave that to you all. I’m personally alright with Ryan Theriot as our everyday shortstop for 2009.

Pitching? Try and keep the core of Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, and Harden at the top. They did tremendously well this season and you really couldn’t ask for more from them (maybe “Z,” but that’s a bit picky). For the fifth spot, hold an audition between Jeff Samardzija (that IS why we signed him), Sean Marshall, and Rich Hill (give him another shot, I still think he’s got it). Try and shop Jason Marquis around, he’s done well as the #5 starter and will be valuable somewhere else. As far as the pen is concerned, I will not shed any tears if Kerry Wood doesn’t return, but we all know that he’ll be re-signed in the coming days anyway, so who cares? Brian Fuentes and David Weathers, two quality and experienced relievers, become free agents next season. Try and buff up the obvious weak spot on the roster with one of those two, it can only go up from where it is now. Don’t even waste your time on Bob Howry anymore.

Changes need to be made. Jim Hendry made minimal ones after 2007 and look where it got us. I’m talking BIG changes, changes that will alter the focus of this team for the better, take for example the Manny Ramirez signing in Los Angeles and how that impacted the team so positively. We need something different, instead of the same guys walking in and blowing people away in 2009, only to slump in the postseason yet again.

It’s been a good year, but a failure. As a fan, I’m hoping I can step into my thirteenth year feeling good about it, but frankly, after this past offseason (and the past seven or eight), going into the Cubs Convention in January saying “this just might be it,” I’ll be saying “You failed the past two seasons. I don’t care if you win 120 games, it’s not going to look like a serious effort until you win a playoff series.” Damn right I’ll be more critical, and next year it’ll be taken to a different extreme, and extreme even I probably won’t be too familiar with. I am, however, happy with Lou Piniella. He still keeps a cool head and knows how to manage this ballclub and keep their heads in the game, and one has to respect that. He's done a great job these past two seasons and hopefully he gives us the same success in the next two.

It’s gonna be a long, cold offseason my friends. Just sit back and enjoy the rest of October baseball and what it has to offer. The Rays are looking good, as are the Red Sox, and the Dodgers are red hot. As far as the Cubs are concerned, I’ll still hold out hope, I’ll still attend games and the Cubs Convention, I’ll still watch the games and support my team. But damned if I can even get sucked into the trap I got sucked into this season ever again. It’ll be an interesting offseason, with the sale of the team and the ballpark, moves that will be made. We’ll see where this takes us. But right now, as I said, let’s just enjoy the rest of what October baseball has to offer and relax, before we worry and stress over “next year.”

2008 Team MVP: Mark DeRosa / Geovany Soto / Jim Edmonds and Reed Johnson - What DeRosa and Soto were able to provide in the middle of the lineup was absolutely huge, and the platoon of Edmonds and Johnson--two guys who weren't even at Spring Training--has proven to be a massive success for the club this season. It'd be a disappointment to not recognize those two along with DeRo and Soto as far as value to the team.

2008 Team Cy Young Winner: Ted Lilly - To go through what he did during the early part of the season and still manage to post 17 wins is remarkable, in every sense of the word. "Bad Lilly" only showed up a few times after April, but for the most part he was consistent on the road and at home, something that can't be said for Ryan Dempster.

2008 Team Most Improved Player: Ryan Dempster - It's pretty obvious. I thought he was horrendous as our closer, but winning 17 games and being so dominant at home really made things much easier on the team to win games. Good call, Lou!

"The Trees Light Up in Flames" - September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T21:40:00.002-05:00

Folks, it's that time of year again. The trees begin to change their colors as if God started his own personal bonfire. The weather cools off, the day gets shorter, and in my humble opinion, it's the most romantic time of the year. Of course, with me that tends to go to waste, but whatever (laughs).

Yes, you guessed it. It's autumn, and early autumn is single-handedly one of my favorite times of the year. Everything seems to happen in the fall, and to me it really adds a nice finishing touch on any year, at least in my life. I mean, how can you go wrong? The MLB postseason begins immediately in October, always exciting (even moreso that the Cubs are in it once again), my birthday is on the 29th, my uncle's and sister's birthdays also in the month of October, parents' anniversary (always a nice occasion), the concert year closing out, hockey season begins and football season heats up, Halloween, the ideal fall weather. I can really go on and on and on and...well, you get the picture.

But before we take a look into the future, let's take a look at the past. I have a feeling this post will be one of my shorter ones because frankly, I haven't done much this past month. I have a feeling the majority of it will probably cover things I'm GOING to be doing, rather than things I'd done.

When was my last update, August? Well, school's been annoying. What else is new? My grades are good so I can't really complain, I'm just sick of the grind. Same shit every single day. No real complaints about my teachers, 'cept for Conway but I've never really liked her going back to last year. But like I said, outside of the grind, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape academically.

Let's see, let's see, what else? The Cubs are winning! I know I've done enough blogs on the Cubs recently but shit, I can't get enough of this team. We clinched on the 20th of September, good game against the Cardinals, the rest of the month was basically auditioning for the bullpen spots and the last places on the 25 man postseason roster. We won a couple, including an exciting extra inning game against the Mets at Shea Stadium last week. But for the most part it was resting regulars and brushing up the bullpen role. Not to mention this past month we had Zambrano's no-hitter against Houston and a miracle bottom-ninth, two-out comeback four days later against Milwaukee. Exciting time for the North Siders.

Homecoming week was the 15th to the 20th. It was annoying, only thing I truly participated in was Cubs / Sox day (and felt good to lend my Mark Prior 2003 All Star Game jersey to a friend who needed something Cubs related to wear). Outside of that, I could really care less about the whole school pride thing. In honesty, it's a "what have you done for me lately?" sorta thing. They've screwed me over so many times in so many ways, and I'm expected to show off pride in my school. Yeah, right.

The dance was alright, things could've been better. Nothing bad really happened to me, I was just kinda there, annoying the folks by singing Eddie Vedder's Cubs song "All the Way" obnoxiously to everyone, which was a ton of fun in itself. Had a lot of fun afterward, celebrating the Cubs clinching with some friends and some champagne in the eyes, blinding me the next morning. Then afterwards having a ton of fun online about a certain situation I'm not sure I should mention or not (the person involved knows what I'm talking about, which is all that matters). That was a fun night, I gotta admit.

Love life, haven't covered that in awhile. But what's there to cover? I'm not trying to be negative, there's just nothing there to talk about. Sure I have my interests, sure it's not to the point where I'm comfortable leaving those in the open yet. As of now I'm just kinda rolling with things to see what happens, hoping in the end things will go my way. It's not bringin' me down, so why see it as a negative thing, right?

Alright, now the fun begins, looking forward to arguably the best month of the year (against May and July, respectively). The month starts in an outstanding fashion. My uncle won the Cubs playoff ticket lottery last week and managed to get tickets to Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers for Wednesday, October 1st. Of course he surprised me with that one yesterday, just casually asking "So hey, I won the lottery last week, want to go to Wednesday's game with me?" Uncle Tom, I love ya, but that's a stupid question (laughs). So I'll be there, 5:30 PM at Wrigley Field, Wednesday evening. Keep an eye out for me on TBS, will ya?

Rest of the month? I'm booking my weekends, gonna try and make up for lost plans this past Sunday in upcoming weekends with someone, looking for things to do on the other days. My parents' anniversary is the 10th, always a nice day. Uncle's birthday a week after on the 17th, sister's four days after on the 21st. Somewhere between the 21st and the 29th we'll have a family party where my sister and I get gifts from my grandmother and uncle. Then comes the 29th, my birthday, the greatest day in the history of mankind. Start getting your gifts ready! The 30th is most likely the AC/DC concert at Allstate, and Halloween I'm going to either try and spend with friends or perhaps make trek up to Sean's in Chicago and catch the Blackhawks game that day.

Busy month, eh? My weekends are mostly free though, so make plans if you'd like, I'm open to just about anything these days.

That's about it, actually. Not much more to say. Going to be an exciting month, I can just smell it (maybe that's the beautiful scent of autumn air, I don't know, hard to tell). I don't have much of a conclusion, so fuck it, I'll catch you when it's all said and done!

-Zach

"Clinchers" - September 21, 2008

2008-09-20T23:42:00.004-05:00

I've posted a few Cubs related blogs over the past half a year, but today is a special day. Today is the day the Cubs became the champions of the 2008 National League Central Division!

Let me explain to you all what this means to me, from a die-hard fan's perspective. I've seen (excluding today) three clinchers over the past twelve years. You always walk in with high expectations and two out of those three times we've been sorely disappointed (with the sole exception being 2003). That being said, this year is a lot different, for several reasons. We haven't won 93 games since 1989, and we still have nine more games to play. Realistically, we could pass the 1984 team's number of victories which was 96, and we haven't had more than 96 wins in a season since 1945.

This team is definitely special, but will that hold any water in the playoffs? Well, that's yet to be determined. It doesn't matter if we win 162 games this season, once you hit October baseball, it's a whole new season, in a sense. Everything changes, match-ups from the previous season don't seem to matter much anymore, and it's a wild rat race for the trophy in the end. Lord knows it isn't an easy one, either.

As I've stated, this is my fourth clincher in my lifetime, and the three prior ones ended in sore disappointment. But in fairness, allow me to reflect on the good times, when the clinch actually occurred, before we could eventually be let down in the October atmosphere. Whenever the Cubs could clinch in front of 40,000 faithful fans at Wrigley Field and in front of the eyes of millions of others, it's a special moment, one which right now, sorely deserves reflection.

Most people in my age group aren't going to remember 1998, but it was actually the first season I remember tremendously vividly (been a fan since '96, you do the math). Sammy Sosa in The Great Home Run Race against Mark McGwire, rookie Kerry Wood stunning the world with thirteen victories, nearly 11 strikeouts per start, and a magical 20 strikeout performance that May, and the little guys around them, like Hernandez, Morandini, Gaetti, Tapani, and co. getting the job done on a regular basis. It was a magical season indeed, one of my personal favorites to date.

So we take you to September 28, 1998. The Cubs were in the Wild Card hunt for a very long time, in a race with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. Well, the Mets got knocked out that Saturday, and the Cubs and Giants lost on the final game that Sunday. So after a road trip from Houston's atrocious Astrodome, the Cubs hiked up to Wrigley for a night game that following Monday, winning the coin toss against the Giants of San Fran.

The Cubs and their faithful hadn't seen postseason baseball since 1989 against, ironically, the very same Giants. They didn't seem up to the task though. Henry Rodriguez was humorously showered with "O Henry!" candy bars in left field, which took the grounds crew over fifteen minutes to clean up before resuming play. Steve Trachsel took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and Gary Gaetti hit, in my opinion, one of the most memorable home runs in Cubs history in the fifth inning giving us a 1-0 lead. Appropriately, the rare 163rd game of the season ended with astounding closer Rod Beck to get a pop-up to Cub legend Mark Grace at first base, and what do ya know? The Cubs were headed to the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

Playoff Recap: The Cubs face the NL East champion Atlanta Braves, who won an incredible 106 games that season compared to our silly 90 wins. Well, that match-up really didn't disappoint baseball fans, as we were swept mercilously in three games, being outscored 15-4. Jim Riggleman didn't know how on earth to set up a postseason rotation or lineup because, well...he was an idiot. Not a proud series for Cub fans, though we did get nice pitching performances from Terry Mulholland and Kerry Wood.

After five dreadful years (excluding the impressive 2001 season, going a horrendous 199-287), we had a breath of fresh air. Dusty Baker, who originally took the Giants that previous season to the World Series, had been hired as the manager of the Cubs. 2003 was a great season, only stand-out performer being Mark Prior winning 18 games. Outside of him, it was a team effort. Guys like Karros, Grudzielanek, Ramirez, Alou, Lofton, Sosa, Wood, Zambrano, Clement, Guthrie, and Borowski held this team on their shoulders and took this team to their first division title since 1989 (note-Wild Cards do not constitute division titles).

Fast forward to September 27. 2003, just one day from marking five years since the Cubs clinched a playoff berth. The game on Friday the 26th got rained out, so the Cubs went into Saturday the 27th facing a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, in very chilly fall conditions at Wrigley Field. The team's magic number was two, and a loss by the Houston Astros that day would make it one, and the fans were absolutely pumped for this game.

Mark Prior was set to go looking for win number 18 in the first game. The Houston / Milwaukee Brewer game was going on at the same time, and I'll tell you, it was absolute insanity when Milwaukee scored four runs in an inning once the scoreboard workers changed it. Never in your life would you hear that park that loud for something seemingly so minimal. The Cubs won the first game 4-2, thanks to a homer by catcher Damian Miller which really helped out the offense. The second game was dark, storm clouds passing in and out, with Matt Clement facing the task of taking his team to the postseason (and looking for his 14th win). The game started off well, with Sosa hitting a first inning homer off Ryan Vogelsong and the team scoring five more runs in the second. The ninth came with the Cubs ahead, and Jose Hernandez from the 1998 team (now with Pittsburgh) grounded into a 6-4-3 double play ending the game in the very cloudy early evening of Wrigley Field. The mob scene in the streets, on the field, and in the stands was absolutely astounding, and seeing the team so happy after such a grueling season was truly magical.

Playoff Recap: The Cubs, with 88 wins, were set to rematch against the Atlanta Braves, this time with 101 wins. The Cubs surprisingly took the series to all five games, and eventually clinched a spot in the second round against the Florida Marlins in the final game. The second round had an outstanding start, we went up 3-1 before losing three more games (going all seven that round) and eventually losing our World Series spot. And Game 6's clusterfuck wasn't Steve Bartman's fault. If Alex Gonzalez were any kind of a player he wouldn't have muffed up the double play and we'd have just been three outs away from our first World Series since 1945.

Three more dreadful seasons followed. 2004 we actually won more games (89, not drastic) but didn't make the playoffs because of petty clubhouse nonsense. 2005 had high expectations but we ended up four games under .500. 2006, well, don't get me started. But 2007 marked change. We hired one of my favorite managers of all-time, Lou Piniella, to take this team to a better direction. We signed Ted Lilly, Alfonso Soriano, Mark DeRosa, among others, and really seemed like a possible contender.

So we have a miserable start to the season, including a dugout fight between Michael Barrett and Carlos Zambrano, but Lou Piniella's tantrum the day after with an umpire sparked inspiration into the team. We had an incredible month of June and a pretty good July, and by August we propelled to first place, after being in second by eight games at one point in the season. It was a fun ride to success, I must say.

So enter September 28, 2007. We got off a miserable sweep against the Marlins and went into Cincinnati with a very small lead in first place. The game started with a lead-off homer by Alfonso Soriano, followed by five more runs later in the game to win 6-0, but that wasn't the clincher yet. The Brewers still had a game in progress against the San Diego Padres, who were hungry for a playoff berth of their own. With the Cubs waiting in the Reds clubhouse, the Padres shut the Brewers out, and the Cubs were NL Central champs once again. Though based on a somewhat rocky season, postseason expectations couldn't be too high, at least for myself. So yes, the celebration was exciting, but quiet. We still had a long way to go.

Postseason Recap: The Cubs with only 87 wins faced off with the Arizona Diamondbacks who won 90. The series were basically shades of '98, just bad baseball, weak offense, subpar pitching. We weren't prepared, and while we weren't mis-matched against a team with 106 wins, it was still pretty disasterous.

Much like in 2004, there were high expectations for a follow-up. The cold winters of the offseason were unbearable for Cubs fans, including myself. The Cubs Convention filled the void for the twenty days before pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training. Lou Piniella and the players continued to state that there was "unfinished business" to take care of, and fans bought it.

And boy, they should be glad they did. The season started in April with the Cubs posting an outrageous record of 18-9. For much of the season, we were the hottest team in all of baseball, eventually with the most come from behind victories in the sport, as well as the second best home record and best overall record in Major League Baseball.

So we go into September 20, 2008 with 92 wins in the books, which is incredible because we hadn't even won more than 90 games since 1989 (93). With still nine games to go, the Cubs would face the rival St. Louis Cardinals, and after a miserable loss for the Milwaukee Brewers the night before, all the Cubs needed to do was win and they would clinch the NL Central for the third time in six years, something it took them 40 years to do before 1984. All started off well, with Alfonso Soriano driving in three on a triple in the second inning, and later Mark DeRosa driving in a run on a double and Ted Lilly bringing him home on a surprise suicide squeeze. The score would be 5-0 until the sixth, when Troy Glaus of the Cardinals hit a monsterous three run blast after the Cards had already scored one run, making the score now 5-4. The game remained that way until the bottom of the ninth, enter Kerry Wood. With two outs he faced the pesty Aaron Miles, who graciously popped up to Jim Edmonds in center, resulting in the Cubs' fourth playoff berth in ten years.

The celebration at Wrigley was something special yesterday. It was different from '03, the energy level was the same, but the reason for that was different. In '03 we snuck up on Houston and were a surprise champion. This season was different, we were a monster all season long and it was inevitable that we were going to clinch after taking a seven game lead in the middle of September. The fans were celebrating the magical season that was 2008, but it was VERY subdued in the clubhouse for awhile because everyone in the ballclub knows that there's much more baseball to be played. Sure, the players ran around and sprayed Champaigne into the stands, and celebrated hard like any team should. But still, there was the awareness to not assume we've "won" anything yet. And Lou Piniella is dead on for brainwashing that mentality into the players.

So now we have a week left to play baseball and work out the playoff roster. This is the earliest a Cubs team has clinched playoff berth since 1932. So we've got a ton of time to prepare for October baseball and right now I'm feeling comfortable. Throw us against a team like Philadelphia, I won't be so comfortable, hah.

Still, look at how awful two of the three postseason recaps were. Yet I'll always maintain positive memories of the season because the clincher essentially captures the true essence of the team in one game, one celebration. Whenever a team clinches a playoff berth, it's a special moment, especially when it's the Cubs. The city of Chicago lights up, hoping that maybe this time, we'll get it right.

Hey, who knows, this may be the year. But I'll never make that assumption until we actually win it all. I was there to witness 2003 fall apart right before my eyes, and since then, I'll never, ever be stupid enough to hold up an "It's Gonna Happen" sign, because until it does happen, it hasn't. That sounds like a really stupid remark but think about it. You can't jump to that conclusion until it's over, and it's far from that right now. If you expect it, your chances of getting let down are better than of them getting fulfilled.

Still, in the words of Eddie Vedder, "Someday we'll go all the way." The hope is ALWAYS there, and I'll always be saying "Believe in AC 00 00 00" until it happens.

-Zach

"Reflection: September 13, 1998"

2008-09-13T22:19:00.004-05:00

Allow me to paint a picture for you, shall I?

It's one of the last days in the summer of 1998, and I was in the mere age of seven, innocent and skating by in a stress-free, work-free lifestyle. I just started First Grade, a time when school was actually enjoyable and something to look forward to. The family had decided to buy a vacation to Florida for that October just a few weeks prior, a trip everyone, from my mother, my sister, grandma, grandpa, and Uncle Tom, all except my father, would attend, my first time ever on a REAL vacation. Chicago sports had taken a beating, dismantling the Chicago Bulls dynasty, no real interest in Blackhawks hockey anymore, the Bears were losing, the White Sox were subpar. But there was one ray of hope, yes, you guessed it. My Cubs were winning, for the first time in the three years I had been watching them, in the magical fairy tale season that was 1998.

Today was Sunday, September 13, 1998. Typically on Sundays, my mother, sister, and I would head over to the grandparents' house for a lunch / dinner around three in the afternoon, and I'd spend most of my time with my grandpa and uncle over the summer watching Cubs games on WGN, as the aroma of pork, perogi, sometimes saurkraut or cauliflour, and my favorite dish of my grandmother's, mashed potatoes, filled the air as we awaited the feast. This Sunday was no different, except for the fact that at it's standard 1:20 PM start, we didn't know history would be made.

Let's recap the first two games of this series. The Wild Card leading Cubs began a series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, September 11, 1998 at Wrigley Field. The team, at this point, needed to win as many games as possible in order to stand pat in the race, as the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants showed no signs of slowing down at this point. The Cubs had a solid 82-66 record, by far exceeding expectations for the season, but the Brewers were in fourth place in the NL Central and essentially out of contention, so they were playing the spoiler. This was also special, not to mention, because of Sammy Sosa's status in the Great Home Run Race of '98, standing at 58 and could likely catch up to leader Mark McGwire (62) by weekend's end.

Sparks flew in the first game that Friday, sadly resulting in a 13-11 victory for the Brewers. Don Wengert pitched only two and a third, allowing five Milwaukee runs, but his replacement, Rodney Myers was no better, giving up four. The Cubs burned through a whopping six relievers in the loss, but the Cubs did fight, with homers by Gary Gaetti (15th), Jason Maxwell (1st), and at no surprise, Sammy Sosa (59th), snapping a five game homer-less streak.

The second game was even more of a thriller, starting off poorly once again for the Chicago Cubs. Mike Morgan surrendered eight runs in three innings, allowing homers to Geoff Jenkins, Jeromy Burnitz, and Bobby Hughes. By the bottom of the seventh, Milwaukee led the Cubs 12-5, but an offensive explosion by the Cubs brought them within just three (courtesy of a three-run homer by Sammy Sosa, now standing at 60 on the year). The Cubs eventually tied it and took the game to the bottom of the ninth, still trailing, this time 12-10. The Cubs tied it up with punch base hits, but the big hit was a pinch-hit, three-run homer by Orlando Merced, thrusting the Cubs to a shocking 15-12 victory.

Could the series possibly get anymore exciting? It was tied 1-1 going into Sunday the 13th, with both teams scoring a combined 51 runs in the series alone (by then the third highest run total for one series in the 1998 season, with one more game to go). You wouldn't believe it, but damnit, it did. It was "Gracie the Swan" promotional giveaway day, where swan Beanie Babies were given out in commemoration of Cubs legendary first baseman Mark Grace. Grandpa, Uncle Tom, and I expressed our interest in wanting to be there amidst the 87 degree Indian summer North Side heat, sadly it was the hottest ticket in Chicago since the NBA Finals that past June.

It started off negatively once again, with Steve Trachsel starting the game off by giving up a solo home run to Mark Loretta in the first, making it 1-0. Things didn't get any better as Milwaukee would go up 2-0 on pesky base hits by the bottom of the third. But in that bottom half of the inning, the Cubs offense powered it's way to a six run inning, thanks to hits by Mickey Morandini, Scott Servais, Jose Hernandez, Glenallen Hill, and Gary Gaetti, and even doubles by pitcher Steve Trachsel and Mark Grace, playing surprising small-ball instead of the usual, powerful approach the team had normally taken. The Cubs led 6-2.

Trachsel, however, was ready to let that slip. After retiring Jeff Cirillo, he gave up Jeromy Burnitz's 36th homer of the season, making it a 6-3 score. Things were silent from here on out until the bottom of the fifth, where Mark Grace singled to set-up Sammy Sosa's third at-bat of the game. All eyes were on Chicago's latest hero to bring the Cubs ahead further, and he didn't disappoint. Sosa hammered a 480 foot blast to left field (I agree with Steve Stone's assessment of the distance being "grossly understated") for #61 on the season, tying Roger Maris' former single-season record (broken by McGwire just five days prior). The Cubs were now ahead 8-3. Seemed like a good lead, but the way the series had been, nothing was ever set in stone. In the top of the sixth, after retiring Dave Nilsson, Trachsel surrendered a home run to Jeff Cirillo, closing the gap within four runs. Then the Brewers led off the top of the seventh with a home run by Bobby Hughes, making the score 8-5.

Exit Steve Trachsel, enter Terry Mulholland, retiring the rest of the Brewers easily. After Chris O'Donnell gave a quote-unquote "stirring" rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," the Cubs stepped in, still ahead, and Sosa led off. He struck out, and the place became silent as the Cubs were retired aside from one walk to Glenallen Hill. The top of the eighth was vital for the Brewers, as they scored four runs off Mulholland, all on punchy base hits. Suddenly, the Brewers were ahead 9-8. The bottom of the Cubs' eighth was quiet. Guys got on base but failed to score. The top of the ninth saw Jeff Cirillo hitting another home run, this time off Cub newcomer Chris Haney. Brewers went up 10-8 by the end of the inning.

Now is when the REAL fun begins. It's the bottom of the ninth. Crunch time. The shadow-line had already crossed the infield as the game surpasses it's standard three-hour run-time. The Cub fans, who would've usually left by now in the 1997 season (since a loss could be expected), are staying not only to see Sammy Sosa anymore, but to also see their beloved Cubbies pull out their 84th win of the year and maintain first in the Wild Card race.

After Grace led off and grounded out, it was Sosa turn, millions of eyes outside of the 40,000 strong at Wrigley around the world surrounding him, awaiting history to be made. He didn't disappoint, as he smacked one of the longest home runs I'd ever seen in my days at Wrigley Field, hit into the alley outside of left-center field (another grossly underestimated 480 feet). This would be one of the most touching moments I'd ever seen in a baseball game. Tears filled the eyes of Sammy Sosa, the fans at Wrigley Field, my mother, myself, and I think my grandfather, over such an accomplishment for such a tremendous hero. Yes, in future years Sosa would alienate his fanbase away from him and turn into a serious egomaniac, but here, he was just the little guy, succeeding and beating the odds, before the success got to him. He was the guy who cared more about his team winning than his own record, the guy who gave his millions to people who needed it more than he did. Suddenly, this guy was a superstar, who put up numbers as if he were a machine, but his tears proved he was human after all. Without question, the greatest moment I'd ever seen on a baseball field in my lifetime, and after a whopping three curtain calls, the game continued, in front of 40,000 roaring fans.

There was still baseball to be played though. Sosa's homer put the Cubs only within one of Milwaukee, and the injured pinch-hitter Henry Rodriguez dug in and doubled on the first pitch, admirably limping into second base. Chip Caray had stated amidst the excitement (and excited himself) that "My grandfather said in the fourth game of the 1964 season that the Cardinals would win the World Series. Well, as crazy as it sounded then, you get the feeling that this may just be our year..." Jason Maxwell pinch-ran, and on a 2-2 count, Gary Gaetti slapped a single up the middle which scored Maxwell and tied the game. 10-10. Un-be-lievable. It was a mob scene at the ballpark no one ever expected to see in 1998. It's safe to say it was the most ambitious and positive I've ever seen that ballpark in my entire life.

The game would go to extra innings, and Rod Beck (Shooter, if you will), our excellent closer with 50 saves, comes in and shuts down the Brewers 1-2-3 in the top of the tenth. It was the Cubs' chance to pull out a victory in the bottom of the inning. After Lance Johnson and Jose Hernandez lost their at-bats, Mark Grace dug in with two outs, and on "Gracie the Swan" day, he caps off the legendary game in perfect fashion, by delivering a solo blast into the streets in right field to win the game for the Cubs, final score 11-10. As "Celebration" played in the background, the team carried Sammy Sosa on their shoulders as they walked off Wrigley, and with a final curtain call by Mark Grace, the game was officially over. But the fans stuck around, and I'm not sure if anyone knows how long the folks actually stuck around...

I don't care what ANY Cubs fan says, that was single-handedly the best series ever at Wrigley Field and possibly Cubs history. The excitement, the drama, the back-and-forth of the score, the playoff atmosphere, the "90 Mile Rivalry" (as I call it) with the Brewers, the magic of the home run race, the magic of the Wild Card race. It was single-handedly a story-book series, one that must NEVER be forgotten by Cubs fans. And probably wouldn't.

I'll never forget the end of the game, my grandfather said to me "Remember this game, and remember this series. You'll never see another one like it ever again. I know I haven't." And he was right. I have yet to see something as exciting as that mid-September series on the North Side. When teams combine to score 72 runs in a three game series, you know it's something special. Steve Stone's "offensive onslaught" description seems rather fitting, eh?

The last game was the greatest Cub game I'd ever seen in my life. It capped off a magical series perfectly, with pieces of history thrown in there and an ending that you could only write in a book. September 13, 1998 is easily one of the finest memories of my entire life, even for being so young. Thanks to the Cubs Legends DVD box set, I was able to relive the memory today. Certainly not the sunny, 87 degree day it was ten years ago, but nevertheless, the chills ran down my spine when Chip Caray would call the home runs and the end of the game, as they were just as vibrant as they were this day ten years ago.

Probably the best baseball experience I ever shared with my grandfather and uncle, and probably the best experience to date. Hard to believe a regular season game tops off all the playoff victories and clinchers I'd seen, but there was something in the air that day, and something magical about that 1998 season, that makes it's memory so valuable. And I'm damn proud to have been around long enough to remember it and respect it the way I do today.

-Zach

"That's How it Is, and How it Ought to Be..." August 23, 2008

2008-08-23T02:04:00.005-05:00

I really can't remember the last time I went three weeks without posting anything. I'm usually consistent, even when it comes to filler, but somehow I've overlooked that aspect of late. What gives?

To put it bluntly, 2008 has been a very interesting and exciting year, a story which will have so many more positives to it than my 2007 wrap-up come New Years Eve. But with excitement also comes business, which isn't something to be totally enthusiastic about. Frankly, this is the first time I've been forced to do any labor since May 28th. This may very well explain why I haven't posted any updates recently. Yes, I'm back in school, and no, I'm not happy about it. I feel like so much more could've--and should've--been done with my summer, even though through reflection it may very well go down as the best summer of my life. Perplexing, ain't it?

My last update on life in general was on July 20th, it's safe to say enough has happened since then to fill up a decent blog. It's really no question that I HAVE been busy, but with what exactly? Well, for starters, on July 24th I went to my uncle's in Midway, where I'd eventually stay for a week, including a trip to Milwaukee sandwiched somewhere in there. We left for Milwaukee via Amtrak the next day, nice, smooth ride. Then we got lost looking for our hotel, which was a pain in the ass because the luggage we were carrying was outrageously heavy. Eventually we did find it (try finding "Plankinton" if you've never been in Milwaukee before), so we stopped for Subway and camped out there for the afternoon, watching the Cubs shamelessly lose to the Florida Marlins.

But what exactly were we doing in Milwaukee? Well, primary objectives were two things: Catch two Brewers games, and the Police concert up there. We managed both successfully. The Police, like always, put on a very solid show, not much more to say that most don't already know. The Brewers games were interesting, second moreso than the first. The first had Houston winning 3-1 in a three hour game that didn't see much action. Not a pitcher's duel, guys were getting hits, just not scoring. The second was a thrill, Brewers winning, to my knowledge, 6-4, powered by a Ryan Braun go-ahead two run homer. I also got to meet the "High Life" guy, Windell Middlebrooks ("For $13, I'll BE a Macadamia Nut!"). What a beast! Miller Park is a good venue for a baseball game, nice and wide, seats about 43,000. I was impressed.

We went home that Sunday and would just relax, watch the Cubs, etc. Typical Sunday afternoon reminiscent of my early childhood (nice lunch / dinner from my grandma, Cubs baseball, summer weather...). Monday the 28th saw us heading downtown to Navy Pier's IMAX to see "The Dark Knight," which lived up to it's hype (except Two-Face, which was a totally moronic addition). We'd feast at Harry Caray's that evening and head home. The next day saw us attending the "Road to Wrigley" minor league game between the Kane County Cougars and Peoria Chiefs, which Sean attended with my uncle and I. Honestly, the fondest memories would be putting up a five run Cubs sixth inning against the Brewers on the scoreboard, allowing the crowd to go totally apeshit, and the rain that caused the game to end abruptly in the 9th inning. Interesting night, to say the least. Shame those National City bastards wouldn't let me get my Sandberg jersey signed. So far I'm 0-2 in my attempts with THAT.

Wednesday I headed home, and my long week was recorded in the book as my last stay away from home for the summer. No complaints, I've had a couple week-long getaways this summer, which ain't bad. Anything to get me out of Lockport.

It's safe to say that I essentially sat on my arse and did nothing substantial for a week after coming home, other than resting from my outrageously busy previous week and beginning to dread the beginning of school. On August 5th, the whole family attended the Cubs / Astros game at Wrigley Field. It's safe to say that game was one of the best of the entire season, with the Cubs coming from behind to win 11-7. Man, what a thriller! The atmosphere in that place in a come-from-behind victory is simply phenomenal. It was a very successful day, and I even pulled off autographs of Houston's Hunter Pence and Jose Valverde.

Following that, not much to really talk about. Dale and I really wanted to do the Extreme show on August 9th but there was absolutely no way we could pull it off, sadly. The saddest part about my time between August 6th and August 15th is that the most eventful thing that happened to me was my laptop crashing briefly and not having the slightest idea how to recover it (dad, our computer guru, was in Dallas). Told ya it was sad. The good thing is, I spent my whole final week of freedom well-rested, so who am I to complain, really?

August 15th was the day that no middle-school, junior high, or high school student wants to arrive. That would be the dreaded first day of school. Went by much smoother than I had expected, but really, the whole "come in Friday to be prepared for Monday" idea is total bullshit. Either way, not many complaints. This past week was my first full week of school and as of now, I don't have much to say. But, it's only a week in, and being the generally "glass half-empty" kinda guy I am, I'm expecting something to turn that around soon enough. Hard to be optimistic in a place like Lockport Township High School.

Hey, one of my rare "glass half-full" thoughts would be that, I only have two more years of dealing with these people, before I set out to do what I want and live my own life. Just the sound of it sends positive chills down my spine. So lately my mentality is go in, get my work done, come home, do homework, rest, come in, same deal. I don't bother with much else anymore, which to me seems logical.

That wraps up the things that I have done and accomplished since my last post, and I'd say it's really nice closure to a seemingly perfect summer. I honestly don't think I had one worry (aside of the computer incident) the whole time, which is a really rare occurrance for me. I'm very proud of it, for a change. Sadly, St. Dans Carnival this year was NOT a success, but that's nobody's fault. Obligations get in the way, it happens. So I couldn't wrap up my summer perfectly, but it was still damn good.

So, what's up now and what's up in the future? Well, the now has been pretty solid. School's off to a solid start, which I couldn't say for myself the past two years (even though Sophomore year had a fantastic end). I've caught up with someone who had left a considerable impact on my past, and I'm very happy that things are generally positive in that area. I won't say the name (seriously, do I usually say names, anyway?), but I'm sure she knows who she is. So things have been nice, I really don't have much to complain about. When was the last time THAT happened?

Future...future. Well, I'm not planning ahead too much. I do want to go to the Journey show on September 12th, but I'd have to gather a posse to go with me. When was the last time you heard "posse" and "Journey" thrown in the same sentence? Regardless, I really don't want to go by myself, at the same time, it's a show I'm looking to attend, and have for awhile. I've got time to ask around, so that's probably what I'll do. Other than that, not much else. I am also starting a serious website, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I don't like September, nor do I expect this September to be too hot. Now, when October nears, then we'll have something to talk about.

All in all, once again, pretty satisfied with life. It's the first time I've been consistently happy since May of 2005. And I DO mean that. Life's been a total roller coaster since June '05, so it's good to find some stability for a change. I don't know when I'll post something next, hopefully soon. Got a ton of ideas for filler blogs I can do in the time between monthly life updates. We'll see where I'm taken over the next few weeks.

As of now, that's about it. Good to be back at it, three weeks may not seem like much, but just look at my posting history. BIG difference. Stick around, I've got some good shit on the horizon. Until then, enjoy the grind of school. I know I will (end sarcasm)

-Zach

"Reflection: 2001" - August 1, 2008

2008-08-01T22:58:00.002-05:00

Here's a new concept I'd drummed up for a "filler blog," which is something I've needed a whole lot more of as of late. This idea is called "Reflection," where I reflect on a time period of my life that I remember very fondly, and I'll generally have a reason for posting it at the time that I do (say, sometime next March there may be a 2005 one in store). Whether it be good or bad, it's a memory nonetheless, one which hasn't been posted since it occurred at a time in my life before blogging / writing was a big deal to me.

We take ourselves back to the year 2001, a time when I was only first getting into the music I listen to today. A time when I still lived in Chicago and saw no sign on the horizon of going anywhere, except maybe somewhere else in the neighborhood. A time when you thought you understood the concept of a romantic relationship, but never even had a clue. A time when your dream was to start a band and wrote the worst songs ever known to man. A time when Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds led Major League Baseball in home runs, before anabolic steroids were ever an issue. A time when the Twin Towers still stood high, eclipsing the sun and New York's metropolis, and George W. Bush was considered one of the best things to ever happen to this country. A time when this nation's patriotism was at an all-time high.

So funny how much changes in the course of eight years, eh? :D

In 2001, I was gonna be ten years old. To any nine year old, that's a big deal, for whatever reason. Guess it may be the whole double-digits thing? I understood it then, and frankly, I don't understand it now. Hah. I lived in Midway, still going to St. Daniel the Prophet school, third grade and fourth grade. My third grade teacher was Mrs. Collelo, and fourth grade was a swap between Ms. Bowers and Mr. Schipitz (if that's how you spell it). Sweet Mother of God, that seems like a long time ago.

I just remember third grade being a blast, getting closer to my two best friends to date (Dale and Sean), meeting someone who I'd have what could be called a "playground crush" on for about two and a half years (Lauren Cross, who ironically now goes to Lockport Township High School). I don't think anyone has surpassed that record in my book, though part of the reason is because I can't find a stable relationship. Nice job, Lauren, haha.

I remember this is when Pokemon: Gold and Silver came out, around that time at least. Haven't played that shit in years, but my God did they do the trick at the time. Everyone would talk about them, the secrets, make up lies about the things they'd catch and how they did, Gameshark secrets, etc. Those games defined the generation at the time, hands down. Hell, the whole Nintendo era did. N64 was the hottest thing around, though would soon be forgotten with the upcoming Gamecube release in November.

The summer was a blast, now that I think of it. I actually did summer camp at Valley Forge, which most of my friends were a part of. Actually helped me get closer to some people than I already was. July 5, 2001 was not a good day however. I broke my wrist roller blading, and my grandma (dad's side) had a stroke. Certainly not the brightest day in Zach Bernard history. Still, even with a broken arm, I managed to turn out alright. I remember the day of the surgery, I hadn't eaten anything for 13 hours. It was a Friday and I got out of the hospital around 10 p.m., then we stopped at Portillo's on Harlem, listened to the Cubs wrap up a LONG four hour, extra-inning game against the Detroit Tigers, and wrapped up the day. Hard to forget that one.

Speaking of the Cubs, this was one of my favorite Cubs teams in history. Managed by Don Baylor, you had Sammy Sosa, Matt Stairs, Ron Coomer, Michael Tucker, Delino DeShields (haha, Sean), Rondell White, Eric Young, a terrible Todd Hundley, Joe Girardi, Kerry Wood, Jason Bere, Jon Lieber, Jeff Fassero, and Kyle Farnsworth. We were STACKED that year, and had First Place for quite some time. I'll never forget, however, eating at a restaurant called Nick's on 79th in Chicago, watching the Cubs miserably implode against the Cincinnati Reds. Aside from a Sammy Sosa two run homer, the Cubs lost 10-2 that cold, September night. This started the Cubs September Massacre of 2001. Such potential, wasted in that month. We went from First to Third, finishing the season without going to the postseason. What a shame. And then the sad tone of the last game when the beloved Arne Harris died, and Chip Caray cried a few times because he lost a dear friend. What an awful way to end such a positive season...

Yeah, was a summer of Cubs winning, hanging with friends, taking long walks, hanging out on the porch on Sunday nights, creeping views from the front screen door to see the score of the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game. This was the time when I was first the budding music fan I am today. My favorite bands? Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and U2. I loved those three. I was also becoming a big Van Halen fan, who would be my favorite band from Winter 2001 to Spring 2007. I'll never forget ABC Family airing U2's concert from Boston in 2000, and keeping that on VHS until I picked up the DVD sometime in 2006. Also, I remember VH1's special Bon Jovi: One Last Wild Night concert, which I had taped, but lost in a move, sadly. Still looking for that one as a bootleg. That, however, remains one of the most memorable concert performances I'd ever watched on TV in my life, hands down. Mom had gotten Van Halen's "Best of Vol. 1" for Mother's Day, and that essentially began my VH saga.

So, when school started, it was fourth grade for me, for the bitch that was the young Ms. Bowers. She was the type of teacher who was young and thought her upper-hand was intimidating. Though it was nevertheless, humorous. She reported the news of the plane destroying the Twin Towers, at the time calling it a "bombing." Stupid bitch. She was replaced my Mr. Schipitz, who was such a cool, nice guy, but really wasn't much of a teacher. Things with friends really began to stabalize, and it was really the beginning of some relationships I still have with friends now, even though I don't see them like I used to.

These was also around the time when my mother started working again, and my grandfather started picking me up from school and go out to lunch afterwards. This was a routine that would continue for years to come. Until I had moved.

2001 was a year of humor, change, childish playground heartbreak, maturing with friends, meeting ones who will have made a beneficial impact on the rest of your life, and most of all, excitement. I know I jumped around a bit and ended abruptly, but 2001 was the earliest and probably the haziest of the years I plan to reflect on. There are more coming on the way, so sit tight!

-Zach

"Hot, Summer Nights" - July 20th, 2008

2008-07-20T23:03:00.003-05:00

If you go back four years and one day from today, the date is July 19, 2004. What's the relevance of that date? Well, I saw a band I thought I'd never see in my life. That was my then-favorite band, The Mighty Van Halen. I was one happy twelve year old kid, who at the time still lived in Chicago (but was one month away from moving away). This was a very special show for me, as I got to see the greatest living guitarist in front of my very eyes, and see the band that for so many years satisfied so many people with their music.

That's just a small example as to why that time period was so special for me. Yeah, I was moving out of Chicago in a month. It was devastating then and it still is now. But, my friends definitely did all they could to make my last days there the best they possibly could, and you know what, they succeeded.

Funny how so much has changed over four years, yet so little is different. When you look at it in a certain perspective, it's pretty perplexing. But in the most interesting way possible.

Here I am, July 20, 2008. I still keep ties with my friends in Chicago (as many as I could), I'm still an outrageous Cubs fan, I get the same kicks out of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" (though that was after a brief hiatus), and I still wish I lived in Chicago. Yet at the same time, my favorite band is Rush, and I have to drive 35 miles to even get to Chicago to see my other family friends (which in reality is usually only in the summer). You'd think my life is pretty similar to the way it used to be in 2004, barring a few naturally setbacks. But it's very far from it.

I did this premise for a reason. My life has been fantastic so far in 2008. I had a discussion with Laura (who every reader should know by now) about the future. I think of how I was four years ago, and I wonder how things are going to be four years from today, in 2012. Best case scenario, I'm back, living in Chicago, going to college there, with a job in the city (which has a great economy), and just being back where I belong, living my dream (As a journalist. Didn't catch it already, dummy? :D). And I intend on doing everything in my power to make that happen. But the thing is, you never really know where life will take you. That's the thrill of the ride, folks.

So, we've reflected on the past and plans for the future, what's been happening in the present, one may ask? Last post was June 21st (life-update post, that is), and a lot more than I expected has happened. Just when I thought June couldn't be outdone, well, it has been. And July ain't over yet. How did June end, though?

Like I said, last post was on the 21st. Which means the Cubs were in the middle of their sweep of the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field! But I can't brag. The following weekend, we got swept by them in their house. And we just sucked. So, the series was even. You Sox fans who feel like gloating are stupid. The End :D

Anywho, in-between both series', I finished up behind the wheel. What a pain in the ass that was. I didn't like my instructor, everything was so ridiculously simple and fundamental, I was waking up early for seemingly no apparent reason. It was a total waste of time, and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that. Pointless. It's not like I'm in a hurry to get my license. Considering how expensive gas is and my lack of a job, what's the point, really? I'd say I'm a damn good driver anyway, so I can take my hours gradually as they come.

That same Thursday when I ended behind the wheel, Dale tells me he may be going to Summerfest in Milwaukee, and asked if I was interested in going with. After much deliberation, I most certainly was. So on June 30th, I drove to Chicago and to his house, where I'd stay until the second of July. It was probably the smallest gap between stays of myself at his place since I moved in August of 2004. Definitely a surprise but nevertheless, thrilling. So what did we do that day? Relaxed, mostly. Played some baseball, got a surprisingly enthusiastic greeting from Paige, who I hadn't seen since last August (always nice to hear from someone I grew up with in the neighborhood, regardless), ate dinner, he went to band so I hung out with the neighbors. Bastard threw a drumstick at my foot when he came home, so I chased him around the block threatening to kick his ass until it got boring.

When we went inside, we played Mario Kart: Double Dash (just like old times) and eventually played MVP 05 on the Gamecube, where we did some considerably humorous mock broadcasts for his Toronto Blue Jays franchise. Following that, we'd bust out his old "Whose Line is it Anyway?" tapes. About three years ago, this was my favorite show, bar none. Ever since ABC Family replaced it's timeslot and is hardly on TV anymore, it dropped on my list. So I realistically had not watched the show in years. Wow, did it bring back some memories. Talk about ultimate nostalgia for me. Ever since then, I've been hooked! Anyway, we went to bed later than usual, sometime around 4 am.

The relevance of this day for myself, personally, is that I started growing the moustache. This DOES mean something for the story later on, mind you.

Anywho, we woke up around 9 am on that Tuesday morning, the day we'd head up to Milwaukee for "The World's Largest Music Festival" (also known, in simpler terms, as Summerfest). We were excited. Listened to the radio, talked sports with Dale's dad (Nick Swisher hit a grand slam and had five RBIs for the Sox in the previous night's game, Mark DeRosa hit a grand slam and had six RBIs for the Cubs the same night. Productive day for Chicago, both resulting in wins). After breakfast, we took a walk to the mailbox on 59th and Nashville, and would quickly pack up and leave for Illinois' Cheesy Neighbor.

So, on the way we watched R30 (just like last year, and always feels good), got caught in traffic (because of "fucking Blagojevich" to paraphrase Dale's father, who would throw a series of malicious vulgarities his way in order to convey his displeasure towards the new tollways). We stopped at a Burger King on the way, and would arrive at the camp site around 2:15 pm. We still caught a nice number of acts, smaller acts and tribute bands that really did a nice job, for the most part. It wasn't as hot as last year, which we were thankful for. Very comfortable, relaxing day.

We walked around for the most part, until about 8:30, when we stopped by the stage O.A.R. would be performing at. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band was performing, and to our surprise, had a very strong youth following. It was bizarre. They were tight musically, though for the most part I was focusing on the four hot chicks who were giving all the guys essentially a free show just a mere five rows ahead of us. It was...uhh, entertaining :D

Next would be O.A.R., and we had some drunken college chicks drop in next to us. Hey, I can't complain about that. One seemed to assume that I was 19 years old, which no chicks at a concert had ever assumed about myself before. I really think it was the 'stache. So I talked to the most sober one for awhile, and as soon as the O.A.R. performance started, I was getting a lot of action and attention from two of the four. Some "booty action" from the both of them (figure I'd use a Sean term since I simply cannot think of a more blunt way to put it :D). Can't complain about the result. I thank the 'stache.

Anyway, O.A.R. was certainly a solid performance. Not one I'd rank in my Top 10. Or 15. Or 20, for that matter. But it was pretty good, cannot lie. After the show, we headed out in the stampede that was the Summerfest crowd, sometime around 11:50, hit the bus back to the campground, showered, and went to sleep. Always a nice rest in the camper.

So the next day, we'd head back pretty early (9:30-ish). Stopped for some breakfast at Nick's (cool little place), and got tied up in traffic...again (where I swear I heard Dale's dad rant "I'm gonna grab Blagojevich by the hair and strangle him" :D I love those rants!). We didn't get home until 1:30, and only really had time to hang out on the porch. I was not looking forward to the rest of the day.

Why? I was going straight from Summerfest to the Taste in a matter of hours. I said goodbye to Dale and his family, and moved on in my journey. It was a nice trip to the Taste, got to try Lou Malnotti's pizza and just enjoy the other food out there. It was rainy, nevertheless, enjoyable. But also very, very exhausting. It was so nice to sit down and watch the Cubs game that night, after walking seemingly twenty miles in the course of two days.

So, from there on, not too much happened. Uncle Tom and grandma came by on the Fourth of July and that was a nice meeting, definitely. Watched the Cubs win a close one against St. Louis, no complaints. The weekend was boring, though the week was somewhat interesting. On that Tuesday I was asked to do a guest vocal spot for a band, and had about ten songs to learn by Saturday (which would eventually translate to Thursday). So, I did the best I could to get a vocal down and learn the lyrics in the short amount of time I had. It wasn't easy, but I guess they expected it to be. Because I went to the practice on Thursday and I was bad, and I know it, but considering the circumstances, I felt like I was alright. But of course, to the egomaniac guitar player, I sucked, and he had no mercy on me nor respect, even though I was doing them a favor and tried my damndest to do what I could in two days. When asked when the next practice would be, I was told "This is it, get it done by Saturday."

The work ethic was awful, which is why I backed out. I sensed little chemistry between the guys and it all seemed forced to me when they DID display chemistry. The band is controlled by an egomaniac guitar player who thinks he calls the shots (and isn't very good, sorry pal), a pretty solid and dedicated bass player who seems to take a lot of flack from said guitarist, even though he'd deny it, and a drummer who's very middle-ground, which I do like. This isn't a band I'd be interested in singing for at all.

So, Saturday came and it was Dave's party. Dave's a very cool guy so I assumed his party would be cool. The band I was set to sing for did not do so well that night, and the reactions from the public were not so good either, as an observer. Gotta be honest with what I sees. But aside from that, Gage, Max, and Alex sorta saved the show with some jamming of their own. After that, we hung around the bonfire for awhile, good to hang out with Laura, Cortez, Max, Gage, and Dave again. Always a thrill. It was a good party. Nice job, Dave.

So, the weekend closed out, and it was All Star Week for baseball. Home Run Derby was outstanding, Josh Hamilton put on one hell of a show (28 homers in ONE ROUND!? BEAST!). Then the ridiculous All Star Game itself. 15 innings and wearing out the pitchers and players? If someone got hurt, it'd be Bud Selig's ass on the line. Stupid fucker, making an exhibition game mean something. That's how players get hurt and it screws up any team's chances. Fucking tool...

Crue Fest was Wednesday and you could read my blog for the review. I have to apologize to those who I'd said would go to the show with me and didn't. It was an inconvenience. Sorry. Though I have to say, it was a blast! Second row, fuckers! AND the number of the girl who was on the Titty Cam. I'm telling you, this moustache is doing me wonders! (even if that wasn't the case, let me dream :D)

Thank you, Jason Giambi!

I was also told during that week from Max that he, Gage, and Alex were starting a band and wanted me to be the vocalist. Well, the style of music is right up my alley and I love the chemistry there. We'll see how that goes, but for now, I'm excited! Hope it takes off and goes somewhere! I also started grabbing episodes of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" on DVD. You can't buy those anywhere, so why not just get 'em myself?

Yesterday I went to a Chicago Fire game with my dad and got to see Marcella. Always a thrill to see her. Those games are always exciting too, considering it's ten minutes from where I used to live, and the crowds are always energetic. Very fun game, indeed. I'd also like to apologize to Marcella's friend if I came off as somewhat of an asshole. Too much going on in my head, dude. Forgive me :) Today, the family did a nice dinner at the Weber Grill, and that's where we are now.

What's in store for my future? July closes out with me taking a week-long trip to my uncle's. I am leaving Thursday to go by his place, and on Friday we are leaving for Milwaukee again for two Brewers games at Miller Park, Germanfest, and a Police concert. Can't complain about that. Then we get back to his place, see "The Dark Knight" at Navy Pier's IMAX on the 28th, and go to the "Road to Wrigley" minor league game at Wrigley on the 29th, probably with Sean. It's gonna be a beastly week. August has a Cubs game, another potential stay by Dale's, a hopeful stay by Sean's and another trip to St. Dans carnival with him, starting work with this new band and maybe even having a performance in the month as well. Though I doubt that July can be topped, or even June for that matter. August has the start of school, which we all dread.

So there's still ten days left in July, but it's already done enough to win the "Best Month of 2008" award (well, so far). With a little more than half the summer wrapped up, we all are dreading school. But Van Halen sang it best:

"Those hot, summer nights, that's my time of the year!" I have every intention on making the most of the time I have left to myself, as well.

See ya in August!

-Zach

"The Saints Came Marching In" - Cruefest Review, July 16, 2008

2008-07-17T12:46:00.002-05:00

It's 95 degrees outside, a mid-summer day, and you're going to see one of the greatest live acts in rock history at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre that day. It really defines what rock n' roll is all about, no? I got the pit tickets as a gift from my folks, and it was a pleasant surprise at the time. But I really didn't have any idea that it was going to be as fantastic as it was.

So, you have the scene. Cortez and I get to the venue at 4:40, twenty minutes before the first band, Trapt came on. I had the time to purchase a T-shirt, then we got our pit wristbands and walked over to the pit itself. We hadn't eaten or had anything to drink yet, but out pit placement was so solid, we decided to just hang around there for the whole night so we didn't lose it.

Trapt came on. I know very little of their music, but fucked if I didn't enjoy it. I figured they put on a very solid performance and was pleasantly surprised. Sixx A.M. was next, Nikki Sixx's band, and one who's music I was more familiar with. They too, put on a very solid performance. I couldn't believe how good of a guitarist DJ Ashba was. He was tearin' it up up there, and also putting up a show and talking to the crowd. James Michael is also a very energetic vocalist on stage. Very solid performance.

Next would be Papa Roach, where beforehand I met two pretty cool fans who won their tickets from 97.9 The Loop. Very cool guys, one wearing a Cubs hat and we talked about the All Star Game. Then Papa Roach came on. Singer looked like a real douchebag but you gotta love the guy's energy. They didn't really do it for me, I just didn't care for the music. Gotta give the band some props, though, they started a mosh pit very close to us, which helped us move MUCH closer to the front than we were. Wasn't much of a pit, really. Anyway, their performance left much to be desired.

"Come on, ya fat bastard, move us to the front!" said a guy who joined the two fans I was talking to. It just so happened it was the seventh grade gym teacher of these guys. How fuckin' cool is that? I simply could not imagine Mr. Huey at a Crue show :D Anyway, before Buckcherry came on, we spent the 45 minutes or so just talkin' music, Crue, etc. I guess this gym teacher wanted to test my taste in music by seeing my other favorite bands. When I told him Rush, Genesis, VH, he asked "Are you gay!? Because this isn't normal for someone your age!" He got a kick out of two 16 year olds nearly front row at a Crue show, and it was nice to get that respect.

Next up was Buckcherry, who puts on a really good live show. Josh Todd didn't associate himself with the crowd much. Seemed like a "Get on, perform, get off" type deal. You can't deny the fact that they brought it live, though. Regardless, it wasn't my most favorite performance of the night. I felt Trapt and Sixx A.M. put on more solid performances. There was also a big ass fight. Some hippie dude tried to but his way up to the front, and some guy nudged him to move and punches started to throw. It was entertaining. Dude was grabbin' at my shorts trying to take me down with him. But, he got taken away. And the nudger was a hero :D

So, Buckcherry walks off, and we have time before the Crue. They did a Rock Band competition on stage and the drummer really blew. It was pretty bad. Anyway, we found loopholes to get closer to the stage, and by the time the Crue game out, we were second row. Got to speak to some more fans, it was really entertaining. Crueheads are best, fuck the rest!

Anyway, after the infamous "Hell's Bells" soundtrack, Crue comes on around 9:20 with that eerie-as-hell intro of their's, followed by rippin' into "Kickstart My Heart." You can already tell the band was ready for tonight's show, as they came out ready and willing to please every single person there. Everyone moving around a lot on stage, and I'll tell you right now, the front-row experience is so different. The pyro was deafening and felt like walking into an oven, the lights were blinding at times, but you know what, I'm not complaining. That's part of the experience. Speaking of lights, for an '80s metal band, these guys had an outrageously cool light show. Nice way to start the show.

Next they'd medley into "Wild Side," and the fireworks intro was similar to their ROAE one from 2006. But from where we were, the smell and sound of it, Christ, it was like the Fourth of July twelve days late! Very solid, driving performance. After that was "Shout at the Devil '97," which to me has always been better than the original. The pyro was awesome here as well, not as intense as ROAE, but definitely pretty cool. Vince would then do his intro, and break into their newest single, "Saints of Los Angeles." I agree with Zach when he says they should lose the pre-recorded bass track in the intro, but definitely solid. Vince's vocals are so much better time time around than when I saw them in '06.

They kicked it old school for the next one. Mick did a very quick guitar solo and ripped into "Live Wire," one of the biggest highlights of the night, I'd say. Very energetic performance on all ends, and Vince gave me a look and smiled when he saw me sing the "Wild, young, runnin' free. A little bit better than it used to be" part. He seemed kinda surprised. Definitely one of the best of the night, bar none. But what can I say? It's fuckin' LIVE WIRE!!

Next was "Sick Love Song," which sounded SO good this time around. Last time I saw it sounded sloppy, this time was slowed down and sounded incredible. Plus, this time it was nice being surrounded by people who know the lyrics, unlike last time when we had two people in our section. Next, Tommy comes out to say hello, takes a drink, all that.

So, it was definitely a shocker when Tommy went looking for the Titty Cam. I was almost sure we weren't gonna get it, but we did, and it was a blast. Chicago (or "Titcago," as he kept calling it) will never disappoint with the titty cam. There were a couple chicks around us who showed off their stuff too, and were quite impressive, I must say. Very fun, did not expect us to get it since Detroit didn't the previous night. And one of the dude's I mentioned earlier had the chick on his shoulders! Lucky fuckin' bastard!

We continue with the music, and they were doing Roll-B for the official video of "Motherfucker of the Year." I got in so many shots on the camera, I HOPE they use the Chicago footage, because then I'd be in the video! Anyway, the performance was sick. Such a powerful, heavy, driving song and they really delivered. Never heard it live until the show, and was impressed.

Jozie then came out as an angel and handed Vince his guitar. She's still got it, she was smokin' in the angel outfit. Nice arse, too :D Following that, would be "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" which was definitely a highlight for a lot of fans there. Lots of headbanging, singing along, and one of the girls near us flashed the guys again! It was awesome. Then they proceeded to do "Same Ol' Situation." I've bashed it before but it's so much fun when you're so close to the stage. Very exciting performance.

It was time for Nikki to do a quick rap to the crowd, and mentioned how Detroit thought they were better than us. So everyone booed, and I got some laughs when I shouted "Fuck Detroit, and their Red Wings!" He really pissed off a lot of people, but then he said Detroit and Chicago were their two favorite places to play, which is always cool to hear. He did his "sit down and jump" routine. Well, it's hard to sit down in the pit, but he told us to "Pretend it's a Bon Jovi concert and sit down." Got a lot of laughs from the crowd on that one. We couldn't sit, but we jumped, and I think I got on film for THAT too!

Anyway, Tommy then broke into "Primal Scream," which I never dug live until last night. Wow, that was solid. Always been my favorite Crue song, but this was unreal. Another serious highlight of the night, with EVERY SINGLE PERSON around us shouting the lyrics. It was awesome! After that, Tommy did a cool intro on the drums, and Vince had us clap and sing "Looks That Kill" behind that beat. Sorta like the "Ten Seconds to Love" breakdown from 2005. Even if these guys hate each other, damned they weren't having fun. It seemed genuine from where I was. Anyway, then Mick broke into the intro for "Looks That Kill," and it's ALWAYS a fun song for the show, regardless. Definitely enjoyable.

Vince did the "hand in the air, make a fist" deal, which I don't recall him doing in '06 at my show. That was a cool intro, and when the motorcycles went off, the crowd went apeshit. They knew it was time for "Girls, Girls, Girls," and I was getting high-fives from everyone around me. It was just awesome. Sounded like it was de-tuned as well, so it sounded much cleaner, I felt. They then medleyed into "Dr. Feelgood," which I felt was a very sloppy transition. But everyone was in awe over how well Mick could shred, considering his condition. He was phenomenal last night.

So, the band walks off, and we wait for the encore. The roadies rolled out a piano and Tommy came out, high fiving Mick and he started playing "Home Sweet Home" on it. Then Mick and eventually Nikki joined him, and Vince started singing, with everyone else singing as well. It was definitely a solid closer, especially with the new arrangement. I was pleasantly surprised, but they made it the perfect closer.

We walked out, I got the girl who was on the Titty Cam to take a picture with me, AND I got her number. How fucking beastly is THAT!? She was great, definitely. Then I said goodbye to the two guys who won the tickets on The Loop and told them it was nice to meet them, likewise for them. So, we let the venue, took the ride home, stopped at McDonald's on the way back for some food since we hadn't eaten all day.

All I gotta say is, wow. The front row experience is like no other. I was able to get good pics, interact with Vince and Tommy, get to see some personal heroes up close. It was truly a phenomenal performance, SO much better than 2006 was. I gave them a C+ on performance in '06, this year they get a solid A. Despite the "greatest hits" setlist, they really delivered, and made me leave a very happy guy with a shit-ton of memories to boot. Outstanding.

If Cruefest comes to town, GO! It's worth it, so much. Even the other bands will entertain you, you'd be surprised. This was a Top 5 show for me, and I've seen about 60 bands and counting. Once again, SO worth it.

Crueheads are best, FUCK THE REST!

-Zach

Setlist:

Kickstart My Heart
Wild Side
Shout at the Devil '97
Saints of Los Angeles
Mick Mars Solo / Live Wire
Sick Love Song
Tommy's "Titty Cam"
Motherfucker of the Year (filmed for video)
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Same Ol' Situation
Nikki Rap / Primal Scream
Looks That Kill
Girls, Girls, Girls
Dr. Feelgood

---Encore---

Home Sweet Home

"Life in Baseball City, USA" - July 4, 2008

2008-07-04T22:49:00.003-05:00

I'll come right out and say it. Chicago is the greatest baseball city in the world. Bar none. New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and St. Louis (argued as the best baseball cities) can't light a candle to the fan support Chicago gives their baseball teams. Instead of typically breaking into why Chicago is so fantastic for baseball, I think it'd be a nice idea to start off with why the aforementioned other cities do not have what Chicago has.

New York - Sports politics are awful. Hank Steinbrenner disgracefully allowing Joe Torre to leave the Yankees, and telling Joe Girardi how to manage his team by having Joba Chamberlain start (which I think is still a bad idea). The Mets firing Willie Randolph the way they did was shameful, and the soap opera that Jerry Manuel caused in the process is no better. The Mets appear to have bandwagoners anyway.

Los Angeles - There doesn't seem to be the same passion in their baseball teams, even though they have the Dodgers and Angels, who typically seem consistent in their winning. Don't know how they can ever be considered one of baseball's most passionate cities, really.

Boston - May very well be the most arrogant and obnoxious fans ever, and jumped the bandwagon in 2003 when the Sox were in the ALCS and almost made the Series. They never had so much support until the team suddenly started winning. But then again, the same can be said for all New England sports, no?

St. Louis - They come second in arrogant and obnoxious fans. They have a genius for a manager in Tony LaRussa, but he's the biggest prick among Major League Faculty, if you will. His World Series team was subpar in 2006 and while the team has always been talented, their fans and manager seem to give them a bad name among sports.

So what does Chicago have that these other "baseball cities" don't? They have the most supportive fans in the world, and come close to what the Green Bay Packers have in the NFL as perhaps the greatest fan following in sports history. I'm a bleed-Cubbie-blue Cubs fan since I was four years old and will be until the day I die. That can't be changed. But there's no denying that both the Cubs and White Sox have an extreme and passionate following that no other Major League and possibly sports team could have.

I'll often criticize the arrogance and cockiness of Sox fans and some players, but in the end it's no secret Cubs fans are no better or worse. It's not really arrogance or cockiness at all. It's passion, just shown in different ways. I try to be a realist and open-minded as a Cubs fan, and when the Sox impress me, I won't be afraid to admit it. I won't make excuses and say they're winning cheaply, either, unless I see it that way. If my Cubs are sucking, I won't be afraid to admit it. I won't make excuses, either. If my Cubs are dominating and the Sox are sucking, you better believe I'll rub it in their faces. That's the mentality of the rivalry, and it's why I love the rivalry so much.

At this point, no team is better than the other. The overall series is tied 33-33 between the two, the 2008 season series was split 3-3, and the split had an even distribution of runs at 32-32. Right now, no team is better than the other, no matter what the record is. Because when faced against each other, they're about as even as even can get. And if you can deny that, you're delusional and stupid.

Yeah, the Sox have had bandwagoners. Those will be the same people who will jump the Cubs ship if they ever win the World Series, too. Those aren't the real fans. I always say that if a person cannot name five players on the roster of the team they support, they aren't a real fan. They just say they are because that's what's cool. I know a passionate Sox fan when I see one, as I lived on the South Side for twelve years. So I can tell a fake when I see one, too. As a die-hard Cubs fan, it's easier to spot. I have a much greater respect for Sox fans who say "Cubs suck!" that watch the games, go to the games, and know the team they represent. To me, they have room to talk, just like I'd assume I do as well. That's different than the ones who make the same remarks only because they feel it's what they should do, which is just pathetic.

You look at each of the team's playoff appearances since the Cubs did it in 1989. Since 1989, the Cubs have appeared in the playoffs four times (1989, 1998, 2003, 2007) and the Sox three times (1993, 2000, 2005). So that's pretty even, too. And when this happens, you see a lot of the fan support start to increase, and fans who know their baseball and typically lurked in the shadows all season start to come out, as well as the aforementioned bandwagoners who deem it necessary to cheer on the winning side of Chicago. Even though the latter is pathetic and I don't like it, it's support nonetheless. The Cubs of 1989 and 2003 and the Sox of 1993 and 2005 being the greatest examples. Never in my life had I seen so much support over sports teams in my life. Ever. And that's pretty admirable.

You'll never walk the streets of New York, Boston, L.A., or St. Louis seeing people wearing hats and jerseys of their favorite team and players like Chicago baseball fans (well, you may, just not as many). The fan support goes outside the ballpark and the home, and is taken around in casual situations. You'll often find out that Ryne Sandberg was my favorite baseball player of all-time, just like you'll see Mark DeRosa is my favorite current Cub. Just like you may see a friend of mine sporting a Joe Crede jersey someday down the line showing their support for their player, or just wearing a shirt to show off their pride. It's outstanding when you think of it.

The rivalry between both teams and their fans is so ridiculously intense. I personally hate the Crosstown Classic. Brings out the worst in both side, Sox fans and Cubs fans truly at wit's end. I think it's pointless, since by now after eleven years it's proven neither team is better than the other when faced against each other. I'd rather just see an exhibition game every season, a Mayor's Cup kinda thing, instead of the Crosstown Classic. Emotions not running insanely during a whole series, rather running high during one game that doesn't mean jack against the season. This season has proven it's a disadvantage against both teams to play in the other park, so why keep doing it? I guess it stems from my dislike towards interleague play, but whatever. That's Major League Baseball's problem, not mine.

I'll always speak negatively about the Chicago White Sox and their fans, but you know what? That's sports. I'm very passionate about my Cubs and it's just instinct to dislike a team we're rivals with so strongly. But if the White Sox get to the postseason--and deserve to be there--you may see me saying "Good for them, I hope they do well." Will I want them to win? Nah, but I'd at least wish them the best, which I will admit is more than what can be said for some Cubs fans I know. And I know some die-hard South Siders who've become my best friends who would do the same for the Cubs. Those are the fans I really like, because it's basically how I am.

Anyone willing to claim that Chicago isn't the greatest baseball city in the world is fucking delusional. Period. The atmosphere at the games of each team, the open fan support you see in the street, in the high school halls, in the bars, in the ballpark is outstanding. Take it from a guy who's been to both team's games enough in just a short amount of time. I've NEVER seen such a powerful fan following for any team, in any sport in my life (Except for, as I said, the Packers in the NFL. And I AM a Bears fan). It's so admirable that the fans in this city are so passionate. Jay Mariotti said it best when he said "Forget New York, forget Boston. Baseball's new home is Chicago." You know what, I think this has ALWAYS been baseball's home. There's nothing like walking into a Cubs or Sox game, ordering a big-ass slice of Connie's pizza (or two), getting a scorecard, keeping score, and watching two of sports' most storied franchises duke it out against whoever they're facing. The feeling is simply indescribable.

This may explain my deep passion for the sport. I grew up on the South Side, a fifteen minute train-ride to what was then Comiskey Park. I was surrounded by friends and their families who went to Sox games seemingly every single day (I have a best friend who goes on every opportunity). I had a grandfather who took the Cubs more passionately than anything else in his life. I started going to Sox games with friends and Cubs games with my grandpa, and soon I got caught up in the hype of Chicago baseball, and was soon seasoned as a general baseball fan. As a Cubs fan on the South Side, I took a lot of heat, but it helped me understand the difference between an honest, die-hard fan rivalry and a false one, the latter which I've seen more of ever since I left Chicago. I grew up in the right place at the right time in my life, and the passion I have for this game and the teams in Chicago will probably never die. Same goes for the people who grew up amidst that same background, I'd assume.

Chicago is the greatest city in the world, period. The fact that it has such passionate and respectable fans towards their baseball teams is, as I said before, truly admirable. I say what I do about Sox fans, and most die-hards know my feelings, but in the end, I have a strong level of respect for realistic fans who know when their team sucks, know when their team deserves to be praised, know the roster, and go to the games. It's just more hidden. Just like I respect Cubs fans by the same token as Sox fans. Essentially, if you can be a realistic and logical fan of your team, you got my respect. Simple as that.

*Raises glass* Here's to you, baseball fans of Chicago. You deserve the praise!

-Zach

A Tribute to My Best Friend - June 29, 2008

2008-06-29T15:29:00.002-05:00

No, this is not a tribute to Dale or Sean. Sorry fellas, maybe some other time. This is a tribute to the greatest person I've ever known in my life, who three years ago last Sunday left this world leaving what could very well be the biggest impact anyone's ever left on me. This person was my grandfather.

He was just a fun guy, everything he did. The kind of guy everyone knew, even if he didn't know them. I remember one day when I was really little, he and I went to a Wal-Mart to pick up some lawn care supplies, and he ran into this woman who he had a discussion with for a half hour. When I asked him who that was, his simple answer to me was "I wish I knew!" It was something he and I always would laugh about, even just casually bring up from left field.

He used to have a job for a couple years at TCF Bank on Archer, after he retired from trucking, and I always remember casual Wednesdays when he would wear these Hawaiian shirts. He used to try and do some kinda hula dance with it, and it always made my young six year old self laugh about it. After he retired, he and his friend Roger, who used to help mow my lawn in Chicago would just chill at the bank, and almost every day in the summer of 2003 and 2004 we'd go down there and talk sports. It was nice because I learned a LOT about the past history of football and baseball, things that to this day I remember, and really have a good use for knowing.

He was the biggest Cubs fan I'd ever known. He'd randomly spit out facts about this team hardly anyone would know, and the thing is, he wasn't making them up. He's what got me into baseball, insisting he watch the Cubs game before I got to watch Aladdin one day when I was five. That day got me hooked on the sport forever, and until the day he went he and I were talking baseball. Sometimes we'd go out for lunch, stay in the place for hours after we ate because we always talked so passionately about it, and sometimes pissed off casual eaters with our volume. I remember the last day I saw him on this earth, he was watching the Braves / Reds game on TBS, I think it was Father's Day 2005. He and I watched it together, since the Cubs were on in the evening and we couldn't watch that. The outcome wasn't the desired one, but nevertheless, it's a game I will never forget.

I spazz out when the Cubs screw something up, yes. I have a short fuse with this team. But I got that from him. He endured seventy-five years of losing, and his anger towards a loss, a bad trade, a poor performance by a player clearly rubbed off on me. I scream, I get pissed when things go wrong. But I do it because I got it from him, the passion, the love of the game. I remember in '98 when Brant Brown dropped the routine fly ball in left to prevent our Wild Card berth. I was doing basic first grade homework at the time next to him, and we both stood up and just flipped out. It was a BAD scene. We'd end up ranting about how awful the bullpen was (all the time), how big of a mistake Nomar Garciaparra was, how much Alex Gonzalez ruined our chances in the 2003 postseason (screw Bartman, it was Gonzo's fault).

Sox fans, don't give me too much flack for being a Cubs fan. Because of this, I take it on a very personal level.

He taught me everything I needed to know about the game, both historically and playing it as well. He taught me how to hit, catch, all that stuff. Every day we'd go into the backyard and play catch, sometimes go to Vitumn Park and hit. And for a guy in his seventies, he could HIT, and he had an arm on him, and he didn't go easy on me because I was ten years old. Let's face it, the guy was a monster.

Summer 2004 was a tremendous memory. My parents would work, so he'd come and pick up my sister and I (who at the time only lived three miles away), he'd drop off my sister with my grandma, and he and I would go to Dunkin' Donuts and the bank just to hang out and talk sports. After that, we'd go home, read the paper (all I'd read is the sports section), go get lunch, come back, and typically watch a Cubs game the rest of the afternoon, ranting and raving, depending on what was happening, of course.

Man did this guy have a sense of humor. He'd always tell strange jokes, always watch comedy shows, even questioned everyone's comedic ability on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" which was my favorite show at the time. He thought it was scripted. Certainly was a straight-shooter and told it like it was. And that's just a small example. He'd do politics, sports, television, anything. And it got humorous after awhile. He was definitely as old school as it got, but somehow managed to conform to modern society well enough to allow me to enjoy myself when I was with him. I remember one day he was having a fight with my grandma and left for awhile. He came home and when I asked where he was, he said he was "just getting a haircut." Funniest thing is, he DID get a haircut. Even though he was pissed and left the house for a few hours.

Funny thing is, according to my grandmother, he wasn't always like this. He drank, he got into arguments, stuff of that nature. He changed when I was born, which says a whole lot about what I've done for him. Shit, he smoked, but because of my asthma condition, he always had the courtesy to step outside, until he went cold turkey in 2000. Unlike some "grandparents" of mine who GAVE me my asthma condition. He did a lot for me, sometimes I regret that I could never fully return the favor for him, because I end up feeling as if I somehow took advantage of his kindness. That sense of remorse usually comes after the death of a loved one, right? He knows I'd have made up for all of that if I had the chance. If he just had a few more years on this earth, I'd have probably done things for him to return the favor. Sadly, I never had that chance.

I've been having dreams about him lately. He just randomly shows up in them, and the most bizarre thing is I KNOW he's passed on, even in the dream, but he's there, and I often wonder what he was doing there. In one dream, it was Christmas and the family was together, and I marveled at the fact that he was in my prescence but had no clue WHY he was there. It was a nice dream, because there were conversations just like old times. But it was just strange. Last night I had a dream I was watching the Cubs game in his kitchen with him, feeling the same sense of confusion as I did before. We were watching the Rangers (for whatever reason) beat the Cubs 14-1 in the third inning, and Ted Lilly get rocked (due to recent events in Cubs games, should I really be surprised?). He and I were screaming at how bad it was. Just like old times. Then I woke up, wondering why I'm having these dreams.

It's simple. I miss the guy. When my dad wasn't there for me in the past, who was? My grandfather. Since his passing three years ago, my uncle took over his role. No, you can NEVER fill that guy's shoes, no matter who it is. But he's doing better than anyone could doing so. We go places, we do fun stuff, we just get out and enjoy ourselves, something I can't do around here. Shit, he and I are going up to Milwaukee later in July to see the Brewers. That's just a tiny example of what he's done for me these past three years, and I couldn't be more thankful that he's done that.

But my grandfather was the ultimate, and he's really missed. But, it's the cycle of life, these things happen. I get mellow around this time of the year because I remember what happened three years ago. If he just had a few more years on this earth, we'd be able to talk about the Cubs in first, the latest Cubs losses, the Presidential race (I'm more into politics than I was in 2004), how corrupt Chicago and Illinois government is, stuff like that. And I'd be able to return the favor of the things he'd done for me. Regardless, he knows I would have, and that's all that matters. A few of my friends who knew him will tell you how outstanding of a guy he was, and know I'm not just talkin' bullshit here.

I'll see him again someday, definitely. I just hope it's later rather than sooner. I want to get the most out of my life while I have it and make the same impact on any children I have that he had on me. He always supported my decision to want to be a sports journalist and always wanted me to take advantage of it, which is why I intend on living that dream. For him. And he'll get a special nod from me someday in an article in the future.

Grandpa's probably having a Budweiser with Harry Caray right now, watching me as I type this. If that's the case, here's to ya! I miss you, and we'll meet again someday, whether it be in my dreams or in the big house in the sky. I just know it'll be a moment I'll always remember.

RIP Dan Biskoski (June 14, 1930 - June 22, 2005). We love you and miss you down here!

-Zach

"Fireworks and Lightning in Bizarro World" - June 21, 2008

2008-06-21T19:08:00.004-05:00

Fireworks and lightning, to me, are very thought-provoking. Mystical, majestic explosions of light in the evening sky. How does that not make you think about things? It should make one think about life, love, good times, the future, among other lesser important things. People are afraid of lightning, I find it to be stunning, like art unfolding right in front of your very eyes. Which may explain why I have such an appreciation for each. I'm always very "zoned in," if you will, during a display of each.

It's been a month and a few days since I last gave a full update on life, and wow, it's been a roller coaster since then. For a change, mostly positive things. I mean, how can one complain? School's finished, summer's here, my Cubs are STILL winning, I've accomplished a lot. Things have just been solid lately. Might as well start from the beginning, which as I reflect, seems like SO long ago!

On May 24th, my father and I took a trip to Peoria to see the Chiefs (Cubs A affiliate). Nice little metropolitan town, no doubt. The hotel we stayed in was shit, though, very poor decision. The game was fun, nice stadium, can't complain. Except security (typical Cubs security) who, as always, wouldn't seem to follow their own rules with getting a Ryne Sandberg autograph, thus causing disappointment in many fans there, including myself. Ah well, shit happens, right?

Regardless of that, the game was cool, nice weather, no complaints. Nice win by the team and a cool fireworks display at the end. Next day we came home, and I guess the breakfast at the hotel gave me food poisoning. Sweet, right? I was sick all night (Marcella would know, since I was on the phone with her). It was just miserable. Tried to sleep, didn't get much of it. Luckily, next day was Memorial Day and I had off of school, so I had a day to recover. But it was just an awful night.

So we did the last couple days of school (see my blog reflecting Sophomore year for highlights), and it was such a relief on the 28th to just get the hell out of there and relax for a change. On that weekend, I went to Laura's 16th birthday party, which was a lot of fun and a very nice getaway for an evening. Then my sister's graduation dinner was the next day, and I actually got a nice surprise from my uncle that day. He gave me baseball tickets to the Cubs game on June 10th, Brewers games on July 25th and 26th, and to the Chiefs / Cougars game at Wrigley on July 29th. Definitely excited for all of those.

The next week was more of a relaxing period for me. Spent a lot of time sleeping, playing video games, stuff that calmed me down. And stuff that I needed, no less. I was basically free to rest until that Saturday (June 7th), and I took advantage of that time, 100%.

On that Saturday, the weather was nuts. Rainy, tornado warnings all over Fox (missed Seinfeld, thanks a lot, Mark Strehl). Though surprisingly, Lockport didn't seem to be a huge target for that. Regardless, it was strange, but this was the day I'd leave for Dale's and spend a week in Chicago! So after some Burger King and some Simpsons on DVD, I waited outside for about a half hour and was finally picked up. Dale, his family, and I listened to the Sox destroy Minnesota on the radio and pulled up into his house. A stay I had planned for five months had finally arrived!

That night, we didn't do much. He was exhausted, as was I, it was hot as Hell in his house. Not much inspiration to do much. We basically unpacked, watched Family Guy, and went to sleep. The next day, I woke up early because Dale was sleeping like a sick horse, moving around and making noises and all that crazy bullshit. I was up at 6:30, he wouldn't get up until 9. So I went on his computer awhile. We filmed breakfast (which we'd been dying to do for a long time, don't ask why), made some thrusting videos, went to Arby's and came back. Speaking of Bizarro World, funny thing happened on the way back. We were walking down Archer, and the first old friend of mine I run into to is, ironically, Lauren Cross, who just so happens to go to Lockport, for those who don't know. Of all the people I end up seeing, it's someone who doesn't even live there anymore, casually walking into Obbie's. Funny, and strange. Bizarre.

Later that evening we would see Marcella (who was so nice to see after such a long time), had Obbie's for dinner (another ironic, bizarre coincidence), sat outside and listened to Rush's A Show of Hands album amidst the lightning of the evening, went inside and Dale tells me he had to go to bed early because of band at 6:30 in the morning. So that left the house all to myself, and considering it isn't even mine, I was clutching at straws to find something to do. I found myself playing Nintendo 64 and watching a Rush DVD before I finally called it a night.

The next day, June 9th, was the day of the Rush concert with Ray! It was FINALLY here, after nine months of waiting. That day was interesting, I was able to sleep until 10:30 because the sick horse had to wake up early and wasn't home to keep me up (haha). I ate pancakes for breakfast, played Super Mario 64 for about an hour until he got home. From there, we walked to Burger King in the rain (or approaching rain, whatever), which was a shit-ton of fun. After that, we returned to his house, the rain picked up, but we did some yardwork and mowed the lawn in the rain. Fun stuff, actually. From there, all we had to do was sit and wait for Ray to come get us and we were on our way to the Rush show!

There's a blog on the show itself, I'm not gonna rehash everything. I will say, however, that it was the best show I'd ever seen in my life. Bar none. Want to know more? Read the other damn blog :)

The trip home was fun, crankin' Different Stages out, windows open, singing all the songs as loud as we could on the outskirts of a dangerous Chicago neighborhood. Fun stuff! Regardless, we returned home at 11:45, I had a cool shirt and a program, said goodbye to Ray, went back in the house, Band Boy had to go to sleep at 1, so I spent about an hour and a half on the phone with Emma that night while I was alone, which was nice. I went to sleep about 3 in the morning, ending possibly the best day of the whole damn week, perhaps the whole year so far.

Next morning I woke up at 10:30 again, went on the computer, typed my Rush blog, packed. Dale came home, and sadly we just had a little time for goodbyes because I left at 2, was going to the Cubs game later that evening with Sean and my uncle. So my stay at Dale's ended at 2:00 on June 10th, and it was awesome! After a quick stop at my uncle's house, us three were on our way to Wrigley Field.

The game was outstanding, Cubs won over the Braves 10-5. Ted Lilly pitched well (only mistake was a three-run homer in the first off former White Sox Third Baseman Greg Norton, which was so laughable). The Cubs offense touched up Tom Glavine early, and he left due to a shoulder injury. Bob Howry almost blew a 6-3 Cubs lead in the 8th by allowing two runs to bring Atlanta within one. The booing on him was outstanding! But nothing to worry about, as the next inning Geovany Soto hit a three-run shot into left field to put us ahead 10-5, and it was up to the bullpen to hold it down. What a game that was, the atmosphere there is absolutely unreal. I took a South Side Sox fan to the game and even HE was getting caught up in it. So much fun. I even bought one of those badass "Horry Kow!" shirts with Fukudome's name on the back. That'll be worth something in a few years!

Anyway, we returned back home around midnight, I showered and slept like a baby that night. My uncle woke me up at 8:30 the next morning, which is the norm from him, and we did breakfast followed by some yardwork (which gave me some nice pay in the end). Then we went out, did some stuff, and would return home for dinner, which would be Obbie's (again), then we'd watch the Cubs game and relax the rest of the evening. I went to sleep, woke up the next morning after one of the strangest dreams I'd ever had along with a splitting headache. I got over that, watched the Cubs throwback game with my grandma, just kinda relaxed the rest of the evening. When my uncle got home we watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which my Lakers pathetically lost. I went to bed, and the next morning was another transitional day.

After packing, I got Genesis' new "When In Rome" DVD finally, which I had a chance to watch Sunday and is absolutely brilliant. I made a few phone calls, and some Law & Order, Sean picked me up, as I would spend the weekend there. I dropped stuff off at his casa, we chilled, and got tickets to the Sox game against the Rockies that evening. The Sox ended up pulling out a victory, though the atmosphere was totally different. The same excitement just wasn't there, it was very different. And the booing of Scott Podsednik as a pinch runner was disgraceful, I thought. It's not like he WANTED to leave. Ah well, can't change people. Regardless, they won, Jenks closed it out, and there was a cool fireworks show at the end of the game. Very nice evening. When we returned back to his place, we played some Mario Kart 64 and basically went straight into bed, though spoke about life and such for about three hours before actually getting sleep.

The next day was relaxing, basically just watching baseball and playing Nintendo all day, just like old times. Though we did get up early to help a family friend of their's take off the tarp on their pool, and played some beastly basketball on one of those kiddie hoops. That was awesome. When we got back to his house we did some swimming in his pool, very refreshing. Then we played the N64, some Goldeneye, NBA Courtside (he owned me, Brent Barry, at the time of the Heat had 42 points at half time, haha), I owned him in some All Star Baseball 2000 (Cubs were winning over the Sox 14-6 after 3 innings, Gary Gaetti had three homers :D), and then we dominated as Argentina in FIFA World Cup Soccer '98. Just like old times. We'd have a beastly dinner, go upstairs and play MLB 2K8 on his PS3, and then we went to sleep.

Next day (June 15th) would be my last. We woke up at 9:30, I started to pack whilst playing FIFA again (one of the most addicting sports games ever), we went downstairs, I had a donut, I showered, and before you knew it, my uncle had picked me up. After a quick handshake with Sean, we said goodbye and I moved on to my uncle's for a couple hours, watching the Cubs beat the Blue Jays in Toronto, very nice game. Around 2 we left for my house, and when we got there, it marked and end to what very well could be considered one of the best weeks of my life. Bar none.

So, how have things been since? Topsy-turvey if you will (if that's how it's even spelled!). I've been forced to wake up at six in the morning for behind the wheel, and I feel like I'm wasting my time because it's so damn easy! What a joke. Too lazy to handle it during the year so they ruin two weeks of mine and other's summers with this bullshit. So my sleep schedule has been screwy because of that. I've also been sick, still recovering. Should've gone to a bonfire tonight but still wanted to have the house to myself and have time to totally get better. Smart choice, I think.

So that's that, however there are other broader subjects that need to be handled, one that always interests people is seemingly my love life. Well, I'm confused as shit, to be honest. Has not bee going well lately and I've just been in the dark. I know what I like and they (most) know who they are. I'm just not getting anywhere with any of them, and it gets frustrating at times. But, what can ya do? Outside my love life, I've also been working on getting a personal domain for blogs, and other things I do with my life. Definitely looking forward to that. I also got back to messing around with my baseball cards again, organizing them and such, then doing inventory. I only have half my cards in books, and that totals about 4,000 of them. Some of the cards are worth hundreds of dollars, so I probably have about $7,000 worth of baseball cards, if my estimate is correct. And like I said, that's not even HALF of what I have. I still have a shit-ton of old ones that need to be archived, probably more valuable than what I've got now. It's fun stuff! Plus, half the ones I have archived are probably Cubs and Sox cards, anyways :D

So what's next for Zach? I have no idea. I have zero plans. I'd KILL to go to one of the next four Cubs / Sox games coming up, but I need a miracle on that one. I've been writing and may end up recording with a friend of mine soon, if he wants too, of course. I have hardly any plans lined up, so if you want to book Zach for a day, just give him a jingle. OH! I got tickets to Cruefest on the 16th of July! Seventh row from the stage, center, how beastly is that! It's gonna be a fucking blast! Then there's the trip with my uncle to Milwaukee in late July. But before July 16th I have absolutely no plans. Ah well, gotta roll with whatever happens.

Anyway, wow, I like this blog. Turned out pretty well, depicts my life since May 18th pretty solidly, I'd say. Whew, was a pain in the ass to type though, took me some time. Regardless, I'm happy with it. I don't know what kind of filler blogs I have coming up, but those just come to me. So we'll see what happens, but for now, I'll say goodbye. Next life update comes sometime in July, so be ready!

-Zach

An Evening With Rush: Take Two! Review of June 9, 2008

2008-06-10T10:53:00.005-05:00

Last night was the Rush show, and let me first say, there's a world of a difference between the last time I saw them (September 2007) to now. For the Tinley show last year, Dale and I had just started our Sophomore year and were already about three weeks in, it was sunny, late summer, gorgeous weather, seeing Rush for the first time at an outdoor venue. This time, Dale and I had just gotten out of school, it was cloudy and rainy, late spring, seeing Rush for the second time at an indoor venue. So, two very different scenarios should call for two very different evenings, eh?

Anywho, Dale and I brought our pal Ray along, huge Rush fan who was also kind enough to provide a ride. We stopped at a place called Moretti's near the venue for dinner, and at about 6:50 we arrived at the United Center. We scoped out our seats and after we found them, hustled to the swag lines so I could buy a shirt and a program. It was about 7:25 when all was said and done, and I ran to the bathroom to change my shirt and got back to the seats at exactly 7:30, when the band was supposed to come on.

The lights eventually went down at 7:45, with the adrenaline of a concert rushing through our veins like no one could ever believe. The intro video was the same, and it helped me realize how much I dislike "greatest hits fans." The whole video, the guys behind us kept saying "Start the damn show!" and "What are they a fuckin' comedy act now?" Annoyed the hell out of me. In the vid, Alex Lifeson says he has a dream about snakes, he calls for "honey" so he can talk to them about it, and Neil Peart wakes up next to him, thus instigating a scream of horrifying surprise. Following that, Geddy Lee is sitting in a room and Harry Satchel (also played by Geddy) and basically tells him to get off his ass and get on stage.

And they did. First song of the evening was the classic "Limelight," which was an immediate crowd pleaser. The band seemed very energetic as did the fans, and the sound was simply great where we were. It's an awesome way to start off a Rush show, no doubt. Second song was, as everyone by now should know my personal favorite Rush tune, "Digital Man." This one smoked, only this time I think I had a much greater appreciation for it than last time. The guys seemed to have a lot of fun with this one, and who could blame 'em? The crowd was lovin' it, and Rush has seemed like a band who enjoys playing deep cuts. It was also a serious highlight for me. Third song was "Ghost of a Chance," which seemed to me like somewhat of a momentum killer. I was anticipating it live, sadly it didn't really deliver. "Entre Nous," which was replaced by GOAC for this leg of the tour, seemed to be the better fit for that spot in the set.

Geddy would take a moment to say hello and introduce the next song, which would be a very emotional performance of "Mission," and after this would be the classic "Freewill." That song was a definite crowd pleaser, especially in Alex's shredding guitar solo when you seemingly couldn't calm the crowd down, and who can blame him? The guy has to be mid-50s, and the fact that he could still shred so gracefully, to me, is remarkable. Following this, Ged would introduce the next two songs as "new" ones, and the annoying fans behind us were saying "Well, time for ME to go take a shit!" laughing their asses off, while Dale, Ray, and I were stoked to hear these songs again. First one was "The Main Monkey Business," which was SO much better the second time around for some reason. Following that would be "The Larger Bowl," which also seemed to click better live in the environment it was in.

After a small string of Snakes & Arrows tracks, Geddy said we'd move on to some classics, and he wasn't lying. The first one was "Red Barchetta," which I will say right now was probably the best song of the night. So much energy in the band and the crowd, it was just outstanding. Such a perfect atmosphere for that song, and Neil even caught the stick on the toss, which made the crowd more rabid. Definitely better for the set than "Secret Touch" was last year. The next tune would be another new addition to the set, "The Trees," which replaced "Circumstances" from last year. This was a real momentum killer, and if I were the band I'd have alternated "Barchetta" and "Trees" around. Cool to hear live, but it didn't click with me. Following this would be two of my favorite songs from last year and probably this year, too. "Between the Wheels" was the first, a song which I really was hoping would be dropped because lately I've had a hard time getting into it. It didn't disappoint though, it was probably one of the most solid performances of the night. Just awesome. After this would be "Dreamline," with the stunning laser show and enormous energy by the band and fans. Following the song, Geddy would announce that they are no longer "spring chickens" and need to take a break, thus beginning the intermission.

In this contest, I believe it's safe to say that Chicago was the clear winner of the first set.

We would then set out at intermission, where I would go use the bathroom (which had probably the quickest line I've ever been in waiting), and Dale and Ray would go to a concession stand to buy some beverages. When I returned to the seats, they both were already there, both saying that so far, this show was better than Tinley. And I agreed. So we looked at the program, and before you know it, the lights go down again. Seemed to be a much shorter intermission from last time.

The intro video to the second set was different. Instead of Alex's "Plane of Dharma" video, we got a new one called "What's That Smell?" It featured Harry Satchel again, driving a truck and picking up Alex's Barbie dolls (which he humorously has as his "fan club" on stage), and then finding a guy with some chicken (a play on the chicken roasters Ged uses as amps). In the end, Jerry Stiller makes an appearance, which was nice to see due to the R30 vid.

After this, the band would break into "Far Cry," which seemed to translate so much better live this time around (seemingly all the S&A songs did). It was a nice way to say "Alright, we're back in business!" especially with the shot of pyro before the second chorus. After this would be "Workin' Them Angels," which is such an uplifting tune in concert, given a great place in the setlist. It was an awesome way to start off the second half of the show.

The string of Snakes & Arrows tunes would continue, same as Tinley, with "Armor & Sword," which seemed to work out so much better this time around. The band seemed so into the song, and while the fans didn't take so kindly to it, the guys and I really enjoyed it. Smokin' performance of the song. Following that would be the dreaded "Spindrift," which I really was not looking forward to and as I reflect, I still think it should've been dropped. Better than Tinley, but still nothing really enjoyable. Next would be "The Way the Wind Blows," which was pretty good, nice way to end the string of S&A songs. Powerful performance.

We now approach the Big Three, if you will, from this tour. The band explosively breaks into "Subdivisions," a crowd favorite that definitely got a positive reaction this time around (and featured Dale and I humorously shouting "SUBDIVISIONS!" at each other when that part came up). Next would be "Natural Science," a song I can garner so much more respect for this time around, and they delivered. What an awesome performance, they really delivered the goods. Following that would be "Witch Hunt," with the outstanding laser display and a generally solid performance. After this would be "Malignant Narcissism," which really didn't click for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MalNar, but being familiar with the set, you KNEW what was coming next, which spoils the fun, somewhat.

What's next you ask? Neil Peart's drum solo! And my God this guy does not disappoint. His solo was basically the same as Tinley, only the electronic part seemed to lack a little bit of energy. Regardless, what this guy is capable of doing is mind-blowing, and it was impressive. Of course the assholes behind us kept saying "I think he needs to turn back around" during the electric part, and saying "Eh, it was alright" at the end. I mean come on, this guy put on a godly display of musicianship, as usual. Following that was the most emotional version of "Hope" I'd ever seen, a beautiful acoustic piece by Mr. Alex Lifeson.

Now we move back to the songs, starting off the last third of the show with "The Spirit of Radio," clearly a crowd pleaser. Everyone was on their feet, clapping, singing, clearly enjoying this classic being performed in front of them. Next would be "2112: Overture / Temples of Syrinx," which replaced "Summertime Blues" from last year. The Overture was played with a ton of energy, the fans singing certain parts and shouting "hey!" towards the end everytime there was a break in the music. Then, after a pyro explosion, the lights dim to a mere spotlight on Geddy, and a haunting chorus of 18,000 fans sang "And the meek shall inherit the earth..." along with Ged. It was a staggeringly good performance by the guys, glad it was added. After that was the funny South Park intro with them playing "Tom Sawyer," which would lead up to...you guessed it, "Tom Sawyer." Very nice performance, something about this one dominated the last show's. Nice way to end the regular set.

Enocre time! The first song is "One Little Victory," a song I like but to me doesn't belong as the first encore song. Regardless, pretty good performance, better than Tinley's because to me it sounded a bit slowed down, which it needed because it sounded sloppy in Tinley. Next would be "A Passage to Bangkok," which was SO much better this time around. I couldn't get into it at Tinley like I did last night. After this would be the last song of the evening, the fan favorite instrumental, "YYZ." This ended the night in grand fashion, and after it was over, the band left and fans began filing out, although a video at the end captured Al's "Plane of Dharma" character saying goodbye instead of Harry Satchel like last year. It also featured a cameo by Jerry Stiller and a funny appearance by Neil.

Overall, the better show was Chicago, and I'm not saying that off the high of last night's show. Do I miss "Entre Nous" and "Circumstances?" Yes. But I like two of the new inclusions as well so it cancels out. The band seemed to have a lot more energy last night than they did at Tinley, and it's proof that Rush is an indoor band rather than outdoor. Worked very well last night. I went in saying it couldn't get better than Tinley. To my surprise, it was.

Sadly, until Rush tours again, I won't be seeing them for awhile. No more stops nearby. Oh well, I'm sure the next tour will be just as good, if not better (Ged's "hope to see you again sometime!" at the end provides some nice hope as a fan). But two shows on the Snakes & Arrows 2007/2008 World Tour with my best friend? I can't complain, that's very satisfying to me.

So we left the venue and basically walked back to the lot where our car was parked. People shouting "RUSH!" all over the place was definitely exciting, and the one guy who said "Bangkok! Pulling into Khatmandu, smoke rings fill the air!" was quite humorous. We left blasting Disc 2 of "Different Stages," jammin' to "Natural Science" in the lot, and cranking and singing "Test For Echo," "The Analog Kid," and "Freewill" as loud as possible on the way home, getting some interesting looks from pedestrians. At 11:45, Dale and I said goodbye to Ray, he drove off, and we went back in the house, ending our evening.

And a great evening it was, one which I documented very well on video and also on pictures, if you will. Great fuckin' show, guys. And to show the excitement of other fans, I think this quote speaks volumes:

"Witch Hunt. They played fuckin' Witch Hunt!"

Yes they sure did. And it was but one of the many highlights of the evening. Anyway, I'll have a full blog on my entire week here sometime next week, but for now, goodbye!

Rush N' Roll!

-Zach

"You Can Make Me Smile In the End" - May 28, 2008

2008-05-28T14:26:00.003-05:00

So this is it, huh? I know I stated you wouldn't hear from me for about a month since my last post, so just consider this some filler. It's not as if I'm going to indulge into my personal life over the past two and a half weeks.

I would however like to commemorate the last day of Sophomore year, which ended all but three hours ago from right now. It's a blog dedicated to the 2007 / 2008 school year, one which, as I reflect, I'd truly enjoyed. I stabalized myself in a lot of areas, such as friends, grades, etc., something I basically needed to do after last year. I couldn't be happier being surrounded by the people I see and call close friends, nor could I be happier about my place academically, because it's really where I should be right now.

I consider this year somewhat like a President's legacy. You know it was pretty good, you just have to wait awhile before it officially makes it's mark on history. That's how I feel. I did a lot of bitching, and quite frankly it still makes sense, a lot of it. That doesn't diminish the fact what this year has done to me from a more personal side of things.

And yes, there are some things I seemingly couldn't accomplish that I would have liked to. My biggest is finding a stable relationship, and considering some points I'd hit in my personal life before, would've been nice to have earlier. Am I so focused on it now? Not so much. However, it would've still been nice. I also couldn't seem to get myself to do Porter Press this year, which I should really do next year, considering I am an aspiring journalist.

So after the sores, the complaints, and above all the stress, I have three months to sit on my ass an relax. Sure, I'll go out and do things too. Lots of people I need to see and do things with. But it's just nice to have the downtime to do whatever I feel like doing, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. This weekend, I have two parties to attend: One for one of my best friends, the other a family thing for my sister. Nice kick-off weekend, if you will. What comes after that will all be told in my next blog.

Cue Alice Cooper, school's out for summer! I know it's cliche, but it's felt good the past ten years, and it STILL feels good now!

"Let Me Tell You About This Love / Hate Relation" - May 18, 2008

2008-05-18T20:38:00.002-05:00

I tend to like a lot of things that are seemingly love / hate with people. I'm a Cubs fan, a Rush fan, a Genesis fan, a Duke Blue Devils fan. So naturally it's an interesting concept to me. I guess one could say that this time of the year is no different, except I feel both emotions this time around. I love it because school's almost out, the weather should be getting warmer, concerts and baseball games come around more often, as well as stays in Midway.

I hate it because school is such a ridiculous pain in the ass right now. I'm approaching my last week, but it sure as hell don't feel like it. It's as if I have three weeks left, because all the work that's coming my way in such a short period of time. I don't understand why teachers feel the need to cram everything they were too lazy to teach before, when we already have to worry about finals anyway. The extreme packets they give us hardly help any of us. They're usually taken for an outrageous total of points thus adding more stress to us who have to finish that and study at the same time. I mean, it's not like ALL the material can be found on that ten page packet...

So I have a busy week ahead of me, one which I really am not looking forward to. On a brighter note, there's a whole lot going on in a very short amount of time that's going to make all this work pay off. What would that be, exactly? Well, the last time I posted a blog about my personal life goes back to April 15th (which seems like ages ago), so perhaps I should cover that stuff first (and leave you readers at the edges of your seats to see exactly what's going on later [as if you actually care]).

The rest of April wasn't too shabby. The Cubs were winning, I was starting to get more and more concert plans together. It was basically the period when I started to get my summer planned and organized. Other than that, there ain't too much to discuss. I saw Iron Man, I spent some time with friends (though not as much as I SHOULD), and really just kinda chilled and did my own thing over the course of the month. What is there to really discuss?

I have felt good. I've spoken to some old friends recently and spoken to some new ones as well. My grades are staying consistent, the weather's been nice (though it could be nicer), my baseball teams are doing quite well right now. There really hasn't been much to complain about as of late as far as my personal life is concerned. Today, I also hooked up my VCR. What's the significance you ask? Well, I have a TON of old baseball games on VHS tape right now that need to be converted to DVD, which I plan to do through my DVD player and VCR. This has been an issue for me the past month, and I finally took care of it today. Thanks to this one site for the inspiration (www.baseball-almanac.com).

My "love life" is at a stand-still right now. Before I had been under the assumption that I was making some minimal progress with the girl I'd mentioned in previous blogs, but now we've kinda reached a standing point as to what's going on. Am I still trying? That's part of the problem. I've recently lacked the inspiration to go out there because I feel like it's not going to get me anywhere.

She knows my stance. My issue is I'm not clear on her's, and that's what's causing the problem. I wouldn't mind just having a simple friendship with her, at all. The problem is, at this point I'm lead to believe that I could make some progress with the situation, which is what's forcing my confusion. I really wouldn't mind if there wasn't a chance of me making progress, the problem is I really don't know what to believe at this point.

Anyway, to end that rant, you know what I've done and I've updated on how I feel. Let's discuss what's going on, shall we?

Basically, I'm booked up until June 20th, and I'm not even kidding. Next weekend, I'm going to Peoria to see the Chiefs (Cubs A affiliate) with my dad. That's gonna be a nice getaway from the usual nothing I deal with on a regular basis. I also intend to get my Ryne Sandberg jersey signed, if I get lucky and catch him before the game starts. Following that, I'll probably spend Memorial Day here, then finish up the rest of the school week, sister's eighth grade graduation. My following weekend is confusing. Laura has her party the 31st and my sister's grad dinner is some day in there. If it's June 1st then I go to Laura's party. If it's the 31st, I don't. And I really want to go to that party, but if shit happens, it's beyond my control.

The week after that looks alright. I'm open everyday, but trying to make some plans. I promised Laura I'd take her to a movie and then get dinner or something afterward, before I left for Midway. I'm still debating what day that would be, and it really depends on what other plans I make with other people, as well as when she's free. So that's my only plan for the week and it's still rather hazy as to when that's exactly going to happen. But regardless, I'm still trying to set plans with others as well. We'll see what happens, still a couple weeks before it happens.

June 7th I head to Midway for a week, spending the days until the 10th at Dale's. At Dale's, we may hit a Sox / Twins game on June 8th, then we have the Rush concert we've waited for over the course of four months on the 9th. We'll probably do random assorted things in there as well, like we always do, and document them on video like usual. On the 10th I'll move to my uncle's and spend a few days there, going to the Cubs / Braves game on that day. The time I spend with my uncle is always nice because we always end up doing something exciting. Then sometime after that, I'll probably head over by Sean's, either on the 13th or 14th, catch a Sox / Rockies game (possibly), play MLB 2K8 and All Star Baseball 2000 all day, and chill with some old friends I haven't seen since August. After that, I'd go home.

Following that week, I have no plans, and frankly I don't want to think that far ahead anyway. I'm booked up to the max, and honestly I couldn't be happier with these plans. Just a lot going on for the first time since probably March, and for the first time since then, I'm actually looking forward to something, which couldn't be a better feeling.

So that's pretty much that. In other news, Genesis' DVD was held off until June 10th. Pissed about that, but what can you do? I'll still buy it when it comes out. Other than that, the confusion with my interest, and the anger I'm feeling about this upcoming week, I couldn't be happier, because so many positive things are on the horizon.

Next time you hear from me may be the longest blog I've ever done, and I'll leave you with that. See ya next month!

-Zach

A New Era in Zach's Blogging

2008-05-11T20:27:00.003-05:00

Inspired by both Laura and the shitty way MySpace handles new blog posts copied from Microsoft Word 2007, I've decided to retire posting my blogs there and hosting them on this blogspot account.

Why call it "Zach's Travels?" Well, the climax of the nearly 30-minute "Duke Suite" by Genesis is called "Duke's Travels," and I figure since I normally blog based on my life, the things I do, and where I go, "Zach's Travels" has a pretty cool ring to it. Chances are that's what I'll end up titling my book someday as well :D

I'll have a new post sometime this week (and no, I don't do them that regularly, usually life updates about once a month, and void fillers here and there). That's pretty much that. Good to move on to something new, after spending a year and eleven months (fine, two years) with blogs on MySpace.

-Zach