JerryMac's thoughts

2011 Cubs thoughts

2011-05-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

It's a month in a half into the 2011 baseball season and this is my first blog. I wanted to give it some time before I posted about being on the bandwagon or just rip this team to shreds. Let's see where the team is and where I am at in support at this point in the season.

The team has two bright young players who should be the heart of this team for years to come. Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro are good young players who will only get better. My problem with Castro is he needs to play better defense and can't relax on each throw. Should Castro be moved to second, maybe but let's see how it plays out over an extended period before a rash decision is made.

My problem is what they are doing with him in the lineup. Castro is being moved around like a yo yo and it is not good for his growth as a player. Castro is a good hitter but is still young. He needs to leadoff or hit lower in the order to keep the pressure off of him. When he matures a little bit and hits for more power then third will be the spot for him. But this is not the time to hit him there.

Aramis Ramirez has gone for a great clutch RBI guy to just a guy swinging out of his shoes to hit a homerun. He should no longer be the guy in the fourth spot. Move him to third to take advantage of his ability to hit for average and put less pressure on him to hit for power and RBIs.

Carlos Pena is starting to come out of his slow start. He has not been good but it is too early to tell if he can hit. I like him defensively though.

Marlon Byrd is the second to last person on the team to hit 3rd. Why? That's because he can't seem to handle it. He has done to do his best impression of Derrick Lee by hitting into double plays in key situations.

Tyler Colvin needs to get more oppurtunities or be sent to the minors. Fukudome is playing for a contract that he probably wont get from the Cubs. He got off to his usual good start but time will tell if he has figured it out and will continue to play well the whole year. Quade needs to figure out how to get Colvin more starts to get his timing back. It may be time for Quade to start giving guys days off and let Colvin move around the field so he can get some at bats. Colvin has to then take advantage of those at bats and hit. If these things don't happen then Colvin needs to be sent down to play regularly.

I am going to skip to the most disappointing part of the team and that would be the starting pitching. Who would have thought that Zambrano would be the best pitcher at this point of the season. Dempster and Garza started out awful but have gotten better recently. Who knows how Wells and Cashner would have pitched if they had not gotten injured but it couldn't be any worse than their replacements. Coleman has been ok but certainly not great. Russell should never have been given the chance to start.

This brings me to the manager Mike Quade He has been lauded for his openess and lucidness during his press conferences. Quade decisions regarding lineups has a lot to be desired. As stated above moving Castro around in the lineups is too much for that kid to handle this early. He needs one spot to thrive and he has the talent to do it. Byrd is not a three hitter and has proven it over the last month. Quade should never have started him and the fact that he continued to do it is stupid. After the first one they should have brought someone up from the minors who has been starting on a regular basis there to take the starts. I just feel that Russell is better suited for the Bullpen. He did well there last year. Failure like this can ruin one's confidence and it may not be able to be recovered.

The Cubs spent much of the first month at the .500 mark and is currently 3 under and is four games out of first. Between the lack of consistent clutch hitting and the problems with the starting rotation I think this is impressive. If the team gets better pitching and more clutch hitting I believe they can contend for the wild card or even the very average NL Central division. Only time will tell if any of this will happen but there is hope.

Thoughts on Egypt

2011-01-31T15:34:00.000-08:00

When the protests began in Egypt I wasn't sure why United States wasn't showing more support for Mubarak and his government. I looked at the situation like this; As far we know, Mubarak has been a loyal ally in the war on terror, provided support during the first Gulf War and did not impede us during the second war. Mubarak has made nice with Israel who is a major ally to the US even though that country isn't perfect either. In this case it appeared that the devil you know has to be better than the devil you don't. This is especially important in that area of the world because we are not exactly popular.

But looking at the recent developments such as pulling the police, allowing looters to roam the streets, allowing vigilantes to set up check points to fight back against the looters, and firing live ammo at the protesters has made me rethink about how that country is handling itself. Now Egypt has shut down all Internet activity which prevents it's people to get information about what is happening and let the outside world know what is happening inside the country.

Mubarak is not coming out well in the pr fight. I think it's time for him to call for democratic elections to allow the people to decide who they want to govern them. I don't know if a new leader will cure what ails the country but it appears to be time to find out. Let's just hope the next leader will allow Egypt to continue to be a faithful ally of the United States.

More difficult than I thought

2011-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog I fully intended to keep posting on a regular basis. I didn't expect that posting regularly would be as difficult as it has been. I appreciate those of you who have inquired about when my next posts will be. I have two other posts today and will make an effort to try and post on a more frequent basis.

Thanks again for having an interest on what I have to say and will try and keep posting on this blog on a more regular basis.

2011 Cubs season

2011-01-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a turbulent fall and winter for the Chicago Cubs. They took a lot of hits for they way they treated Ryne Sandberg during the managerial process which eventually went to Mike Quade. The Ricketts family bungled the PR on trying to get public funding to fix up Wrigley Field.

I was not happy with how the 2010 season ended and not looking forward to the 2011 season. I believed and still feel that Jim Hendry has dropped the ball on many deals such as Soriano, Fukudome, Bradley, etc.

During the off season, the Cubs traded for Matt Garza, resigned Kerry Wood and Todd Wellenmyer for the bullpen and signed Carlos Pena to play first base. On paper these are pretty good acquisitions but only time will tell whether these acquisitions will work out or bomb like so many others that Jim Hendry brought in.

Last year I was cautiously optimistic regarding the Cubs chances for the season. I was worried about the unproven bullpen which ended up to be correct because during the beginning of the season it was awful. Once it was stabilized it still had issues. No one would have predicted Carlos Zambrano would have completely lost his mind and Aramis Ramirez would have been as awful as he was.

If Zambrano can keep his head on straight and Ramirez can stay healthy and hit the way he normally does, they will help the team be competitive. If Pena can hit .250 instead of .196 and Kerry Wood can pitch like he did with the Yankees they will help the team be competitive.

Going into the 2011 season the Cubs have a lot of questions regarding their new and old players. If all of these players can play to their potential I am cautiously optimistic that they can compete for the wild card or even the division if the Cardinals, Reds and/or Brewers falter. It will be an interesting 2011 season that I fully expected to not have any interest in at the end of the '10 season. Once again with a new season almost here hope springs eternal.

GO CUBS!!!!

Decrease spending.

2011-01-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

In this time of recovery from the worst recessions since the great depression, the United States has to make tough budgetary decisions in order for our government to not be overwhelmed in debt that we will never be able to get out of.

The United States government has gotten too large and expensive to continue on its current path. In order for the budget to be balanced and the national debt to start to be reduced, we Americans are going to have to make sacrifices. People are going to have to take personal responsibility for things they have come to expect the government to handle.

At this point nothing should be off limits with regards to spending cuts. This would include reductions to defense spending, foreign aid, social security etc. This country is drowning in debt and work needs to begin immediately to prevent our country from becoming a second class country.

The United States is a great country with great people. It's time to focus on ourselves to make sure we continue to be a great country otherwise we will end of like many European countries who used to be great but now rely on the United States to lead.

Thoughts on Steve Bartman

2010-11-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

I get tired of hearing Bartman jokes relating to the Cubs and their supposed curse. Let's see if I can try and set the record straight about Steve Bartman.

It is possible that Moises Alou could have gotten to the foul ball but no one will ever know for sure. I think Bartman should have been called for interference on the play. Since Bartman wasn't called for interference, he did not cause the Cubs' shortstop Alex Gonzalez to commit a costly error a few minutes later. Bartman did not cause Mark Prior from losing his composure and start giving up hit after hit after hit. Bartman didn't cause the Cubs manager Dusty Baker or the pitching coach to do nothing to stop the bleeding in that inning until it was too late. Bartman didn't cause Kerry Wood from having over 100 pitches in the 5th inning in the following game or from poor managing of the pitching staff by Dusty Baker in that game as well.

I believe that a pattern developed during game 6 and 7 of the 2003 NLCS. That pattern was poor play by the players and bad managing and coaching by Dusty Baker and his staff. It's time to understand this and stop giving Steve Bartman so much grief about that game because it wasn't his fault that the Cubs lost. All of the media hacks and meatball fans who blame Bartman should stop blaming him and move on because the jokes aren't funny.

Thoughts on the Sandberg decision.

2010-11-17T18:29:00.001-08:00

I hope these will be my final thoughts on this issue but I wont guarantee anything. I feel the Cubs made a major mistake in not retaining Ryne Sandberg in some capacity in their organization. In fact I believe that Jim Hendry really didn't take Sandberg's candidacy for the manager of the Cubs seriously and doesn't want him around.

I have been told that it's time to let it go. I am having a hard time forgiving and forgetting they way the Cubs(my all time favorite sports team) treated Ryne Sandberg(my all time favorite athlete). I feel that Jim Hendry must not like or be jealous of Sandberg to treat him with such disrespect. I get it that the current team may not be the right fit for Sandberg, The team has a lot of holes and parts that do not fit together very well. At the very least he should have been offered the bench coach position. Sandberg is a classy individual who would not be trying to back stab Quade to get the manager's job. Sandberg wants to learn and get better at being a coach and eventually a manager. If that wasn't going to be an option either the team should have at least communicated that he had an option to stay in triple A Iowa and/or be a candidate for the bench coach position when they told him that he would not be the manager of the team.

From all the reports out there, Sandberg found out that he would be welcome back to the organization through the media just like the rest of us. This is not the way to treat you hall of fame player who gave it his all day in and day out, everyday during his playing days. Sandberg has since taken a Triple A job with the Phillies organization and recently was quoted in a story by Columnist Barry Rozner that taking the job was "a lot like coming home". This breaks my heart and I am sure the hearts of many other Cubs fans. Obviously the Cubs didn't treat Sandberg with the feeling that it was home for him.

I have been a defender of Jim Hendry for awhile. He has done many good things for the team. That being said the he has made a mess of this situation as well as the rest of the team that he has built. The new owner should take notice and terminate him. The Ricketts family also should have handled this situation better but they left the baseball decision to the only baseball person on the staff and that was Jim Hendry who screwed it up.

The Cubs hall of fame icon has been treated very poorly by the team. We Cubs fans may never again see him in a Cubs uniform because of the way he was treated. I am sure I am speaking for many Cubs fans when I wish Sandberg the best of luck and he will be missed.

Instant replay thoughts

2010-10-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up it was fun to watch a football game or Baseball game at home because we could see the instant replays. In Baseball the umpires got the call right most of the time, If there was an argument by the manager it was because he didn't see the play correctly. The umpires were always pretty good at what they did and very rarely did I have a problem with what I saw.

I have a problem with what I see the past 2 or 3 seasons. The major league umpires these days are awful. They are either not trained very well or not paying attention. It seems like every game has some sort of blown call that could potentially change the outcome of the game. What is worse is the calls are so obviously wrong that it makes the game as a whole look bad.

Instant replay could help with correcting these errors. I am not talking about balls and strikes. There is something to be said regarding the human element to these types of call. Even though every umpire has their own interpretation of the strike zone, the calls should be more consistent rather that having to "feel out" what the umpire is going to call. That has a lot to do with training or retraining the umpires. Regarding instant replays, I am talking about close plays at first, I am talking about fair/foul calls, I am talking about whether a ball was trapped by a fielder. I am talking about whether a player may have been hit by a pitch(Derek Jeter). These reviews can be done quickly and accurately to improve the integrity of the game and the umpires themselves.

As far a football goes I think instant replay is a good because the game has gotten so much faster that the refs have a hard to keeping up. Most of the time they get the call right.

Instant replay has gone from a cool thing that you could see at home to something that could become an integral part of sports. It should be implemented to make sure the calls on the field are correct.

Thoughts on Melo and Noah

2010-09-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

There are all kinds of rumors regarding the Chicago Bulls again. This time it relates to the Bulls interest in Carmelo Anthony. According to speculation, Denver would want Noah in any deal and the Bulls are unwilling to deal him. My question is why?

Noah is a high energy guy who plays hard on the defensive end. His main liability is his offense. His jump shot is awful and his free throw shooting is not much better. What you would get is an all start player to play with Rose and Boozer and can score a lot of point. This deal has to be done and done as soon as possible.

You can never have too much talent on a team and Noah is not as talented as Anthony who can score a lot of point in a hurry and if combined with Derrick Rose will have a great 1-2 punch. The Bulls need to make this deal and will be better off if they do.

Thoughts about the WTC Mosque/cultural center

2010-09-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

I will start off by saying that the Mosque that is being proposed near the World Trade Center site has the legal right to be built. I will not argue that point at all. I do feel that even proposing that it be built on or near that site is insensitive to the victims and their families of the worst act of terrorism in American history.

I see the protesters who are against the proposed mosque and some of their signs are racist and horrible. I am not against Islam or Muslims and feel that these signs are worse than the idea of the proposed Mosque itself. These signs promote hate and bigotry which is not what the United States should be about.

My point is that the horrific events of 9/11 were done by extremists in the name of Allah and having a mosque on that site is insensitive to the horrific tragedy that happened there. It seems like the people who want it there want to make names for themselves by causing controversy and that is wrong and should be stopped.

If the Mosque is built I believe that it should be left alone and the people who go should be allowed to pray in peace. I do believe that it should not be allowed to be built as a sign of respect for the people who died there.

Could the Bears become irrevalent?

2010-09-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Since the Chicago Bears were major players in the NFC in the 1980s, they have been a average to below average team. The team was very inconsistent under Dave Wannstedt who, I believe, is a very bad coach anyway. Dick Juron was an average coach who did lead them to the playoffs once. And now Lovie Smith, who took the team to the Super Bowl a few years ago, is leading the Bears to what most likely will become a very sub par season.

I think the Organization as a whole needs to be fixed either by new ownership or a change in philosophy. I am not going to say they are cheap because they have spent a lot of money on players over they last few years. I feel it is on how they spent the money on the players, the coaches and the stadium itself that has gotten them into the predicament that they are in.

This reminds me of how the Blackhawks became irrelevant in this city for many years until the Bill Wirtz passed away and they changed they way they did business. What the Bears have on their side is a solid base around them in terms of their sport. The NFL is far more popular in the United States than the NHL and is still growing. The fact that they will remain on TV every week while the Blackhawks were practically invisible helps the Bears.

The Bears need to get better leadership at the top whether it be someone in the McCaskey family takes control and organizes the team better or the family sells the team and the new owners reorganize how the team does business.

Whatever happens with the Bears organization, the team needs to scout new players better and coach existing players better. This falls under the parameters of Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith and his staff. Angelo has proven a sub par GM who does not know how to scout players. He takes too many risks on players from small schools and "projects" who do not turn out.

Lovie Smith has become very arrogant and does not think he can do wrong. He and Angelo continue to bring in players who he used in the past and many have failed. Smith continues to use the cover 2 defensive scheme when he does not have the proper players for that defensive scheme. The team has not upgraded their offensive line to a point where they are good enough to protect Jay Cutler on a regular basis.

On top of that, the team and the city did not build a stadium that is conducive to the area where it is located. The new stadium should have been built with a retractable roof. This would allow the the city to compete for a super bowl. In addition the playing conditions on the field i.e the grass is usually in poor condition. The team and the city are unwilling invest in turf real or artificial that is safe and better to play on.

The fans of the Bears will eventually tire of the dysfunctional way the team is run off the field and the lack of success on the field. Chicago fans are loyal, but with the reemergence of the Blackhawks, the improvements to the Bulls, and the competitive Baseball teams, the Bears will have to start fixing their organization from the top to the bottom or they will be in trouble.

Wade is the bad guy

2010-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

To most Bulls fans the big free agency prize would have been getting LeBron James, a great consolation prize would have been to get Dwayne Wade. It never seemed possible until the Bulls had two meetings with him, within a span of 24 hours.

As it turns out these meeting were a ploy by Wade to get an idea of what the Bulls' free agency plans were. He never had any intention of coming back to Chicago, despite it being the city where he grew up. To me Wade was very disingenuous when he said on ESPN that Chicago was his heart. I don't believe that Wade had any intention on leaving Miami and if he had would not have come to Chicago.

To tease a fan base the way he did and then stab them in the back is wrong and should not be forgiven. James did tease The Bulls fans but he is a sad case of a person who doesn't want to have the pressure of being the guy that everyone depends on, on a team. He should no longer be compared to the great like Jordan, Johnson, Bird and others. But the person who Bulls fans should boo every time he gets the ball is Dwayne Wade for acting like he wanted to come back when it is clear he had no intentions of doing so.

diet update, update

2010-08-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has not followed my weight loss or didn't see my facebook post, after 6 months I have lost 50 pounds!! I have found that my diet has been an evolving process. I have found out a lot of things about myself and have tried new things that I never thought I would like.

If you have read some of my previous posts, I started off buy trying to eat a lot of soup. I was advised by several people that may not have been the best way to go so I cut back to eating it for lunch or dinner 4 days a week. Eventually I eliminated the soup and replaced it with a serving of fat free pringles with a turkey sandwich. That's 180 calories that I was saving!!!

For years I was a person who ate whatever I wanted, when I wanted and I paid for it by gaining A LOT of weight. This diet is not just about losing weight. For me it's a lifestyle change. I have learned how to eat better and how many calories I should have per day to remain healthy.

I have tried new healthier things recently as well. Many of you know I am a picky eater and I don't eat salads or too many veggies. My wife Jen gave me some of her cut up cucumbers recently and I discovered that they were pretty good. She then made me a little salad with mainly lettuce and shredded cheese and some french dressing. It wasn't something that I could eat every day but it was something that I could eat.

Many people go on fad diets where they eat prepared meals to lose weight. While it may work for them to lose weight, what happens when they stop eating that food after they reach their goal? Many people gain the weight back. While I haven't reached my goal which is another 25 pounds away I believe that since it is a change in my lifestyle I will not gain the weight back.

I can't wait to get to my goal weight so I can eat more through out the day and feel fuller after I eat. The funny part of it how much weight I have lost, is if I continue at my current pace I will reach my goal prior to the holidays starting. I just hope I don't have to restart my diet next February hahaha.

Thoughts on the Blago trial

2010-08-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's been over a week of jury Deliberations and they are deadlocked on several counts. I guess it's time to ask what part of extortion does the jury not understand. Blagojevich has tried to extort money and favors from a children's hospital to the president-elect. The former governor even tried to extort the Chicago Tribune to have the state buy Wrigley Field if the editorial board wrote nice things about him.

Granted the Wrigley Field thing never happened and he never got a job in the President's administration(one of the few things Obama has done right). The issue should his intent and the prosecution should have proof that he did accept money for favors. If the prosecution does not have this proof they should not have gone forward with the trial.

The evidence in this case is so overwhelming bad for Blago that is he is not convicted, all the lawyers for the federal government should lose their jobs for incompetence. In addition, if the former governor is found innocent he will never let this state and country for that matter forget it. I just want to see this guy go away because he and his wife are out of their minds!!!

Back by semi popular demand

2010-08-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

I have been getting requests recently regarding when I will be adding more posts to my blog....namely my mother hahaha. I have found out that it is hard to come up with stuff to consistently feel strong about and want to write about them.

I went though a Cubs stage but at this point they are not worth wasting the time and energy on that "dead ass" team. Bob Brenly was right on about that.

Our President has not done anything stupid recently....come to think of it he hasn't done anything at all. Which is why he is not worth putting the time in to write about nothing. Seinfeld was a show about nothing but at least it could be funny. I don't find anything funny about the current administration.

I have tried not to make a big deal about my weight loss. I don't want to become too self focused because that does get old pretty fast. People don't always want to hear about your trial and tribulations regarding how much you lose and how often you feel hungry. I will post an update about it though because I have lost a significant amount of weight and if I can help someone else that would be all the better.

I will post some thoughts about the Blago trial and awaiting the jury's verdict. I don't know what the debate on some of this stuff is.

Anyway stay tuned for some interesting stuff because it's coming!!!!!

Bad contracts and Jim Hendry

2010-06-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Jim Hendry does not deserve all the blame for the crazy contracts given to Soriano, Fukudome and others on the Chicago Cubs. I believe, when John McDonough took over the team, he wanted to get the team to a World Series quickly and thought spending a lot of money on free agents would be the way to go. I believe McDonough pressured Jim Hendry to spend more money and offer certain terms in contracts than he otherwise wouldn't have done because of the mandate to win the World Series before the Tribune Company was sold.

Soriano and Fukudome were the "hot" free agents during that winter and McDonough made sure that he was not going to get outbid for these players whom he believed would take them to the World Series. I think that he was also behind the no trade clauses for other players like Zambrano, Lee and Ramirez.

Hendry is certainly not blameless in the current fiasco that are the Chicago Cubs. Over the years he consistently has had problems with identifying quality relief pitching. Hendry did ok with Bobby Howry during his first go around with the team. Scott Eyre, John Grabow, and several others never really panned out for the team.

Then there was the Milton Bradley fiasco. Bradley conned Hendry into believing that he was a changed man and could thrive in Chicago. We all know how THAT worked out. Hendry did make up for that by trading him for Carlos Silva who has done very well. Hendry also got money BACK in the deal as well. One thing that Hendry has done pretty well over the years is get making trades for quality talent while giving up very little in return. Aramis Ramirez(regarless of how he is doing this year) is a prime example of how he can make great deals for the team.

There is a lot of blame to go around regarding why the Cubs are an awful team and are loaded with a lot of bad contracts. Some of the blame may be Hendry's fault and some of it is someone else's fault who is not with the organization any longer. Due to the attempt to spend their way to a World Series title, the Cubs are farther away from it than ever.

How can you trust Zambrano in the bullpen?

2010-06-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Carlos Zambrano had a childish tirade in the dugout on Friday andapparently he demanded a trade. My question is, if you do bring him back to the team and stick him in the bullpen, How do you trust him to pitch for the team and not give up runs on purpose?

I believe that the Cubs have to trade or release Zambrano without him being allowed to perform on this team at all. Zambrano has shown that he is a me guy who is on the downside of his career. He can not be allowed to poison the clubhouse anymore than it already has been.

The Cubs have a lot of problems and the last thing they need is Zambrano acting like Milton Bradley for the rest of the year. It's time to move on and not even take the risk of Zambrano sabotaging this team anymore than he already has. Besides all he will be is a mop up guy anyway. I doubt Piniella will give him many important innings.

Time to fire Lou and rebuild this team.

2010-06-18T20:40:00.001-07:00

Ok so the Cubs can no longer use the excuse that it's early because it isn't. Right now they have been playing awful defense and can't seem to hit when it counts. I believe that this mainly falls at the feet of the players, but I think that Lou has failed to properly prepare the team and coach them correctly. I believe that the team should send him on his way to retirement and either call up Ryne Sandberg to manage the rest of the year or have the bench coach Allen Trammel do it. The team needs a shakeup and I believe nothing will help more than a new voice in the clubhouse.

Lou has failed to take advantage of the skills of many of his players and puts far too much faith in other players. Tyler Colvin should be playing somewhere nearly every day and Fukudome should be sat on the bench or traded for whatever the team can get for him.

Carlos Marmol should not be seen in the eighth inning and Andrew Cashner and Sean Marshall should be the duo for getting the game to the ninth. I do not want to see Grabow and Howry anymore. These 2 players are awful and should not even be on the team. I think it was a mistake to send Russell back down to the minors just because Grabow was due to come off the DL.

I believe the team should put Theriot, Fukudome a Lee on the trade market. Lee will not be back next year anyway so you may as well get something for him like prospects or a decent veteran reliever who can still pitch. Fukudome is a waste of money and is too streaky. Theriot is a streaky player who does not have good defensive instincts and is not patient at the plate.

If the team does not start to play better management should start to plan for next year starting with a new manager and playing the prospects like Tyler Colvin.

The problems with the Catholic Church

2010-06-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am a Roman Catholic who grew up going to catholic elementary school and high school. I was raised to go to church every weekend and to believe in the Church's teachings. Like many people, my relationship with the church has faded with time. Recently I went to mass and listened to the Priest speak about the problems the church is having with the shortage of priests. He also spoke about other problems that he had with the church.

I believe that the church as an institution has many problems and needs to be reformed. The church is stuck in its old traditions that no longer apply in this ever changing world. One of these traditions that should be changed would be that priests can't get married. The Church should allow priests to get married and allow women to become priests. I think you would get a better quality of person to lead the parishes.

There have been many sex scandals involving priests. I am not saying all priests are child molesters. I am saying that you may get a better quality person who is allowed to be married. This person would be able to relate better to his or her congregation. I know all men and women are not perfect and some cheat on their partners. While cheating on your partner with another man or woman is not right and a sin, it is better than molesting a 13 year old boy.

I realize that the church relies on donations to run. I find it distasteful when they request money during mass. I feel that during this sacred time, that you spend with God, you should not interrupt it asking for money. Lastly the church should stay out of politics and lobbying. This is a violation of church and state and this practice should be stopped.

The Catholic Church has many problems but it also does good things.
I am not going to deny the fact that it helps many people through its words and actions. I feel the institution needs to reform itself and change with the times. The Church should learn from it's flaws and adapt to the modern world. I have my own personal reasons why I have moved away from the Church but I think that the reasons stated here are the primary reasons why I am not involved with the church like I used to be.

Oil Spill

2010-06-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Like many of you, I have been watching the progress, or lack of progress for that matter, in attempting to stop the oil spill in the gulf. BP has repeatedly shown its ineptness in stopping the leak and preventing a possible worldwide ecological disaster. There is a webcam which shows the amount one of the earth's greatest natural resources being wasted. I am not riveted to this webcam because it makes me sick seeing the amount of oil coming out of the earth without it being stopped.

I also want to blame the President for not taking control of the situation by recognizing that BP is failing to fix the problem. At this point the President should find out if the military can take control of the situation and stop the leak themselves. I find it hard to believe that a company worth billions and a superpower nation, with so many smart engineers in both, can not stop this leak in a reasonable amount of time.

I am not an environmentalist but I do believe that we should do what we can to protect the earth. I do believe that this oil spill is one of the world's worst natural disasters in history. The fact that no-one knows what to do about it is even worse.

What's so wrong with Lebron to the Bulls

2010-05-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

I was listening to sports talk radio today and they ran a segment on Chicago Bulls fans who would not be in favor of Lebron James signing with the Bulls this off season. I am not sure what the issue would be. Lebron James is one of the best players in basketball and will be the best free agent available.

People who don't like LeBron complain about his antics on the court and feel he is too arrogant. I believe they are forgetting that Michael Jordan was probably just as arrogant when he played. MJ trashed talked all the time, he would shoot free throws with his eyes closed once in awhile and he would be in the referee's ear constantly lobbying for calls to be in his benefit. Everyone forgets this because Jordan was the best basketball player of his era. I wont say that he is the best player ever because I think it's hard to compare players because they all played in different eras where the challenges were different.

Currently Lebron James is one of the best players in the league and if you combine him with Derrick Rose, Noah and another free agent you will have a team that will be hard to beat. After all the goal of a team is to win the championship and James would give the Bulls a better chance to do that.

Thoughts on NASA

2010-05-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

The United States has reached a period in its history where it has financially overextended itself. Instead of creating more government programs there should be less. One way to start the reduction of the out of control government spending is to incorporate NASA into the air force and reduced to a research program.

I believe that we have reached a point in our history that we no longer can and should reach for the stars and worry about the moon and Mars. We should be cutting the national budget and use the money saved to reduce the national debt, fund other needed programs or even reduce taxes. Obviously not all the money going to NASA will go somewhere else. The air force would need some additional money to fund their version. But I believe that as a research program, it can augment what the air force already does.

Our nation is at a financial crossroads and the government needs to be more responsible with our tax money. I believe that reducing NASA to a program under the air force is just a start.

Possible trade scenarios

2010-04-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

I am not trying to turn this blog into a blog only about the Cubs. At some point I will have some strong feelings about politics, an update about my diet(If I ever lose any more weight haha) or just a random diatribe about an issue.

That being said I do have some thoughts about possible trade scenarios that the Cubs could look into. After Carlos Zambrano was moved to the bullpen to help in late inning relief, reports came out that when Hendry goes looking for a late inning guy, it will be a major move instead of a small one. I believe that some of the players that could be in possible trade scenarios are Derrick Lee, Geovany Soto, Tom Gorzelanny, Carlos Zambrano and Fukudome.

The first possible trade scenario could be with Geovany Soto and the Boston Red Sox. Boston is in need of a catcher and Soto could help them out while we get Hideki Okajima or Daniel Bard who are statistically their best relievers. Koye Hill is a good defensive catcher and could be a trade option as well but I believe that Soto will give you the best bang for your buck.

Another possible trade scenario would be to trade Carlos Zambrano or Tom Gorzelanny to the Dodgers for Jonathan Broxton. The Cubs may have to eat some of Zambrano's salary but in the end they should be able to save some money on Zambrano's contract and improve the bullpen. If Gorzelanny is traded, the team can move Zambrano back to the rotation where he belongs.

Another trade scenario could to trade Derrick Lee to San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell. It's possible that the trade could be a three way deal that would get the Cubs at least one reliever and another team may get Gonzalez. The only reason to consider trading Lee is because the Cubs may not bring him back next year and would want to get something for him.

Another scenario would be to trade Fukudome to the Nationals for Tyler Clippard. The Nats are looking for an everyday outfielder and Clippard would be a good fit in the bullpen. The team may have to eat some of Fukudome's contract as well but in the end should save money for the budget. This would let the Cubs start Tyler Colvin and see if he can play.

I am not sure if any of these trade options are viable so early in the season or if another player or team is an option. I believe the longer the Cubs keep Zambrano in the bullpen the more willing he would be to waiving his no trade clause. If that is the case, the trade to the Dodgers could be a likely scenario. It is something to think about and I look forward to seeing what happens. Some of the trade scenarios could include trading some of their prospects. I believe that there should be few "untouchable" prospects except for Tyler Colvin, Andrew Cashner, Brett Jackson, Starlin Casto and Jay Jackson. The team should consider trading anyone else to help strengthen the team.

Horrible start

2010-04-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

Just as I started my last post on the start of the season for the Cubs, I am going to start off by saying it is still early. That being said, the Cubs are off to a horrible start and it will be very difficult to fix it.

Starting off the bullpen has been awful. Jeff Samardijia needs to be sent to the minors or released so he can go play wide receiver for the Bears. He can't can't anyone out on a consistent basis and can't seem to throw stikes. The same goes for Grabow who is supposed to be the veteran presence. Marshall has probably been over used because since his good start, he has not pitched as well. Russell has pitched well and has been a bright spot. Marmol has pitched very well. Even though he blew a save on Sunday, he made the Astros earn their runs. They had to hit their way on. I don't like the strategy of pitching him for more than one inning and in non save situations. He will get tired and wont be as effective for the save situations.

The Cubs have to figure out what to do with Soriano. He is an awful outfielder and is only getting worse. Maybe they can put him on waivers in August and someone can claim him like the Sox did to Rios last year. I want the guy traded or released as soon as possible. Another player I want to go is Fukudome. He is a good right fielder but is too inconsistent at the plate. If they can get rid of him and his contract. The Cubs would be in better shape next off season.

The rest of the offense will hopefully come around. Ramirez who is awful right now can not be this bad all year. I really feel that Tyler Colvin needs to get a fair shot playing somewhere on a consistent basis. If that will not happen he needs to be sent to the minor leagues to get regular at bats. I would rather see him play for Soriano or Fukudome.

Pinella may not be a great media interview but he know how to manage a game. I am sure he will be able to figure something out and get Hendry to call up the right players from the minor leagues. Jim Hendry has done well getting rid of mistakes but has a hard time judging pitching talent. I am not calling for his firing yet. He needs to fix this team and fast otherwise that will change.

As for the help that they have coming in the Minor leagues, I think they need to call up Starlin Castro as soon as possible. He needs to start at shortstop moving Theriot to second base. That will help the infield defense quite a bit. I was not overly impressed with Andrew Cashner and some of the other pitchers in the minors during Spring Training. That being said I many of them are now pitching well and should be considered for call ups in order to shore up the bullpen. If they can throw stikes and get people out that would go along way to what is wrong with this team.

Diet update

2010-04-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's been over 2 months since I started my diet and I have lost about 20 pounds!!! Since I started the diet I have received all kinds of advice and suggestions. I have taken some of advice and incorporated to what I am doing.

One of the main things I have been trying to do over the past 2 months is keep my daily calorie count to under 2000. I feel I have been successful doing that. My daily diet normally consists of the following

Breakfast-2 mini bagels w/cream cheese
Mid morning snack-Banana
Lunch-Turkey and cheese sandwich and a bowl of Healthy Choice Chicken noodle soup and a serving of crackers
Mid afternoon snack-small tub of pringles
Dinner during the week 1 breaded pork chop, 1 serving from a tub of microweable mashed potatoes and a serving of corn
Desert-If I have desert it is sugar free vanilla pudding.

For the most part I try and find food(especially snacks) that is low in calories. I have figured if I can cut as many calories out of the foods that I do eat it will help me with my daily count and I can continue to lose weight.

During the week I normally drink 2 bottles of water a day plus a cup or two when I get home. I have all but given up pop. I tried diet pop but I don't like it enough or need the caffeine that badly : ) Depending on my calorie count for the day I may have Milk with dinner.

I have been going to the gym about 3 days a week. I do some weights and then the treadmill for about 40 minutes.

Do I cheat once in a while? Yes. When I do eat McDonalds I get water and only one Double Cheeseburger instead of 2. When I do splurge I try and offset those calories by eating something with less calories for my next meal. I eat more Subway Sandwiches that I eat McDonalds or other fast food place.

Thanks again to everyone who has made suggestions. So far so good and hopefully I can keep it up.