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
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
"We Are Young, Wandering the Face of the Earth" - January 26, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
"Yet ANOTHER Exercise in Self-Indulgence" - December 31, 2008 *Year Recap*
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
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
Thursday, December 18, 2008
"Trip Down Memory Lane: Top 15 Video Games" - December 18, 2008
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
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
Sunday, November 30, 2008
"Step Into Christmas With Me" - November 30, 2008
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
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
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