It must stink to be a Cubs fan!

I made my annual trek to Wrigley Field on Sunday. I'm not a Cubs fan, but I appreciate baseball and like the atomosphere at the "Friendly Confines." As a friend of mine said as we drove down to the North side, "Now we have to drive through Milwaukee to see bad baseball."

Now, I'm one of those guys that thinks is funny how the Cubs can continue to rip the hearts out of their fans. In one week you had two runs score on a sac fly and then there was Sunday.

Jae Kuk Ryu was making his first Major League start and gets lit up by the Braves. Four HRs in 1 and a third innings of work. And they were no cheapies. The wind was blowing out but it wouldn't have mattered. He was groovin' in there like it was BP.

Of course I could only laugh at the Cubs fans sorrows of their horrible team. Listening to the frustation was just fabulous! Whether "Dusty should be fired," or they should "Trade Wood and Prior," or even the one word not allowed to be discussed but is....Bartman!

Sitting there watching the Braves move around the bases like that Bugs Bunny baseball cartoon...one after the other going yard as people start to leave.

Then in the bottom of the 9th, just like the Cubs always do...they have their fans some hope. Even if it was for one meaningless game in May. They rallied to put up four in the 9th to tie and left the winning run at third. So, then the people who got up to leave, trickled back to their seats, thinking the boys could do it!

I DON'T THINK SO....In typical Cubs fashion, in the top of the 11th, a high pop-up to Aramis Ramirez bounces off his head. The runner gets to 2nd and scores a few batters later and the Cubbies lose again.

Now, I'm laughing my butt off at this point as people are litterly sitting there in disbelief. I'm sorry, but it was great! The Cubs are cursed and will be cursed forever. It makes for a good story....how can they lose again???

We'll have wait and see, but I'm sure on a much bigger stage, the Cubs will someday get back into contention and again, rip the hearts out of their dedicated and beloved fans!

I can't wait.

Why do I watch bad TV?

I had a thought last night as I watched the "thrilling" conclusion to "10.5 The Apocolypse" on NBC. That thought was...."Why am I watching this??" The fact that I actually taped Sunday night's first part and watched it on Monday, show's how horrible TV has grown on me. I knew it was bad, but kept on watching...and last night, it was the same thing....I sat through the first part, which means I must gut out part 2! It's not just this cheesy TV movie. I watch other TV that's considered "bad"' by national standards. I watch even the worsed reality shows such as The Mole and Temptation Island. I'll even plop down $10 bucks to see a bad movie. I plan on seeing See No Evil, which is suppose to be just horrible. I paid money to see the Real Cancun a few years back and was the only person in the theater at a 7pm showing on a Saturday...that's bad! I also paid good money to see Soul Plane in the theater. I guess it's the car crash analogy..you just gotta watch. My excuse is that I'm watching this things to "stay on top of the latest in pop-culture."

What are some of the really bad things you've watched/enjoyed in the past. Let me know.

Packer Mini-Camp

Yeah, I know this is a bit late, but I thought, I'd give my take on what I saw at the first Packer mini-camp this past weekend. First off, I know this is only mini-camp and you really don't get a good feel for a player until they put the pads on at mini-camp and can hit and be hit. But here's my take on what I saw inside the Don Hutson Center..

1. Aaron Rodgers looked pretty good for the most part. His time spent in Green Bay in the offseason I think has paid off for him. He looked stronger both physically and throwing the football. He also looked like he was now "part of the QBs." Ie, last year a lot of times at practice it looked like he was an outsider with Favre and Nall yucking it up and Rodgers in the background. At least this weekend Rodgers looked like he was interacting much more with Favre. Does Favre really have a choice now with all of his buddies gone?

2. The two rookie offensive lineman are kind of interesting. Daryn Colledge looks like he's going to be a player. Sometimes you can just tell when a guy has talent, and I think he does. Jason Spitz out of Louisville, has as a great hair-cut. It's sort of a perm-afro combo that is very unique. I also found out that Spitz has a Wisconsin connection. I believe his dad lived in the Milwaukee area.

3. WR Greg Jennings looks like he could be a player. Now receivers don't usually put up big numbers in their first year, but he was sharp. Mike McCarthy even commented after Friday's workout that he thought Jennings was Donald Driver at one point when watching a drill because his technique was so solid.

4. It was good to see Brett Favre at mini-camp, but I was disappointed to find out that he won't be at the minicamp that starts on May 19th. If Brett really wants to win, he should be there as the leader of the team. If he doesn't work-out fine, but he should still be there to set an example for the younger players.

5. I find it funny that Charles Woodson is wearing #2 at practice and he'll be #21 in games. Woodson wants to wear his college number again, but the NFL has strict rules as to what numbers players can wear at each position in games. Reggie Bush is also trying to get the league to let him wear #5, which is not allowed for running backs.

6. I like Mike McCarthy on the sidelines. He is very much involved. He lets his coaches do their jobs, but he's not afraid to jump in there and be vocal and coach. Sherman was more of the general watching from a distance at practice.

7. The linebackers will be interesting to watch this year. Right now, Hawk is on the weak-side, Barnett's in the middle, and Roy Manning is on the outside. Don't be surprised if Abdul Hodge somehow gets in the mix.

Those are just my takes....again it's only mini-camp, it'll be nice to see these guys in pads later this summer and get a better idea of what we'll see from the 2006 Green Bay Packers. I still think 8 wins is high water mark for this team this year. FYI...CNNSI.com had Green Bay as the worst team in football next year and picking first in the 2007 NFL Draft.

American Idol Heads Down The Homestretch

If you're a fan of American Idol, it's getting down to nitty-gritty here with the final four...soon to be final three after tonight. It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out and who goes home tonight with Chris, Kat, Elliot, and Taylor left in the mix.

This is a very interesting mix of talent in this year's edition. Chris the rocker, Kat the pop-star, Elliot the ugly dude, and Taylor the grey-haired southern guy all bring something different to the table.

It would seem that the American Idol producers would want Kat or Chris to win with hopes of them being the most marketable as a pop-star of the final four.

It is kind of odd though how the first four editions of Idol have all had different types of winners. Kelly Clarkson was the true "pop-star." Rueben was pitched as the next Luther Vandross, but his star has faded, Fantasia was more of a soul singer, and Carrie Underwood the country star. With the way the pattern is going that would make Chris the Rocker the odds-on favorite to win. If you listen to the judges comments they seem to want him to win as well.

I think Kat could have a future in the music business after the show, Elliot, no way, and Taylor will get his 15 minutes as the "grey-haired young dude" and then fade out of sight.

LOST!

If you're a fan of ABC's Lost, you had to enjoy last night's episode. I tell ya! The producers keep you on your toes, and are doing a nice job of finally starting to show us how all of the characters somehow are tied together.

Ana Lucia and Jack's Dad. Sawyer and Jack's Dad. Libby & Hurly. Michael and Jin. It's all good.

The ending to last night's show was a shocker to say the least. Would they really kill off AL and Libby? I bet Libby lives because they've tied too much into her relationship to Hurly to let her go...But both actresses have had DUI arrests so, if they are dead, the producers message is "Don't Drink and Drive or Michael will shoot you dead off the show!"

Also, did anyone catch the Hanso commerical in the middle of the regular ads!

I do get a little ticked that there are SOOOOOO many reruns this season.

Good Stuff...and the rest of the season should be pretty good...and unpredictable!