Monthly Archives: July 2008

Aftermath (By the way: In your face, Milwaukee!)

It’s clear now – obviously the Boston Red Sox front office voraciously reads Mister Faded Glory, and dealt longtime slugger Manny Ramirez out of spite, to teach me a lesson. The Sox shipped the star nearly as far away as … Continue reading

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Ramirez trade Red Sox Manny tired malcontent Manny being trade Red Sox Ramirez deadline Manny trade Red Sox Manny trade Cooperstown Boston Manny trade being trade

Make it stop! Please, for all that is decent, make it stop! For nearly the fifth year in a row, or tenth, or third, or whatever, as the major league baseball non-waiver trading deadline approaches we’re greeted with a blitz … Continue reading

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36 Hours

Well, obviously I’m back in. And obviously, my panic-stricken moratorium imposed Sunday afternoon is totally kaput. I mutter to myself, repeatedly, tossing and turning at night, a cathartic phrase. I type it here, and I burn it into my brain. … Continue reading

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This game and this team

This game of baseball and this team, the Chicago Cubs, will prove to be the end of me. I’ll leave it at that. On to Milwaukee. Maybe  the scuffling is over, for now, and maybe the North Siders carry some … Continue reading

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Torture

Somewhere along the line this baseball season turned into pure agony. The first two weeks after the All-Star break, and I’m already yearning for fall, when baseball is over and I don’t have to care about this stuff anymore. So … Continue reading

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The Man Who Laughs … and The Dark Knight

You’re no doubt totally unsurprised to read my knee-jerk review of Christopher Nolan’s near-masterpiece The Dark Knight. I stand by it. The movie is, quite simply, fantastic. Dark, intense, and suspenseful, TDK furthers the legends of the Caped Crusader, Clown … Continue reading

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If this was an actual Cubs Check-In, we’d be booing. Argh.

You might be wondering where to find your All-Star Break, post-All-Star Break, or mid-month Cubs check-in. Well, I’ve got no answers. Not until the team masquerading as our Cubs disappears and the real article shows up. This is completely frustrating … Continue reading

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Just wow.

Holy fuck. If you are a fan of Batman, this is the best action, crime-drama, or superhero movie you will ever see. Believe the superlatives. All of them. More later.

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Scant hours and counting…

Stop calling it a comic book movie. A cursory review of Rotten Tomatoes’ capture of The Dark Knight zeitgeist reveals a consensus lauding the “intense” or “grim” cinematic spectacle;  both fair categorizations. After all, the most hardened Batman fan wouldn’t … Continue reading

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Won’t someone please think of the bullpen!

You’ll have to excuse me for the late-afternoon post, well beyond the life cycle of last night’s AL vs. NL contest. I stayed up well into the wee hours playing an All-Star drinking game: Each time Joe Buck uttered the … Continue reading

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Jason’s moment of triumph obscure

Last night sideline reporter Erin Andrews offered a terse grimace during the culmination of ESPN’s Home Run Derby-MLB Public Relations Extravaganza award presentation to Derby champ Justin Morneau. As MLB (or State Farm) CEO or president or whoever-he-was presented the … Continue reading

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“He will be our new god.”

“Ramirez is the guy you feel comfortable with in that situation. [He's] a professional hitter, he gives you a good, professional at-bat.” Lou Piniella, Cubs manager. Van Dyck, Chicago Tribune, 7/12/08. Absolutely the man.  And thank heavens the Cubs are … Continue reading

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Welcome back, Portland Trail Blazers. I’ve missed you.

You’ve read the hints several times over. You’ve heard the asides, mutterings, and conjecture. Now here it is: Mister Faded Glory is returning to his roots, at long last, once again assuming the title of Portland Trail Blazers fan. Lest … Continue reading

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No words are necessary, but we’ve got them anyway.

As you know, Mister Faded Glory lurks in Kansas, hopeless center of stomach-churning Americana. As you also know, Mister Faded Glory hails from north Iowa, which, as Midwestern as it is – usually seems positively cosmopolitan compared to its Dust … Continue reading

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Hardened

Rumors bounded around the Internet, talk radio, and elsewhere today that the Cubs were hot after would-be Oakland ace Rich Harden. And of course, I personally didn’t think the Cubs had the scratch to acquire the one-time untouchable. Well, I … Continue reading

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