The Before The Kick Team

UPDATE 4/27/09: I used Buster this morning on my way into the loop. It was accurate enough that it made me run after the “approaching” bus. So far, so good.

Please note: hulu posted the wrong title on the video, this is the Chicago Blackhawks vs the Detroit Red Wings.

Viva la Vinyl

In honor of the announcement of the summer Eddie Vedder tour, I thought I would resurface my Eddie Vedder story from last summer’s solo tour.

This would not have happened without the following:

1) Shorty.
2) Josh.
3) Some guy named Vu.
4) Dead cell phone.
5) Live band karaoke.

7:00PM on Sunday, August 24th 2008. I was at my friend Gas Bag’s place for our yearly Fantasy Football draft. We wrapped up the draft just a little past 10:00PM. Afterwards, my buddy Shorty and I walked back to my place. Once we got there we parted ways. Me going straight to my couch and Shorty going straight to a bar for drinks. As I was sitting on my couch cleaning up my DVR, I received a text from Shorty. He texted me the following message; Just heard that Eddie Vedder was at Stanley’s (bar in Old Town). I instantly called him and he confirmed that his text wasn’t a sick joke. The next 2 minutes of our phone call was filled with silence. During that time of silence, I contemplated if I should take the chance (by chance, I mean get off my couch on a Sunday evening at 10:45PM) and go to Stanley’s. I thought about it and got back on the line and said to Shorty, “I’ll pick you up. We’re going to Stanley’s.”. I grab my car keys and the closest PJ vinyl to the couch and leave.

Fast forward, I’m at Stanley’s with Shorty and there’s a long line to get in. A suspiciously long line for a Sunday night at 11:00PM at Stanley’s. Yes, Sunday’s is industry night at Stanley’s and yes, they have live band karaoke. Still, no reason for 30 people to be waiting in line to get inside and hear a drunk guy’s version of Sweet Caroline. So we pretty much took that as a confirmation that Eddie Vedder was inside. I called Josh another buddy of mine that is a PJ fan, to give him a heads up that Ed Ved was at Stanley’s. In the middle of my conversation with Josh my phone dies. I now have no more cell phone access for the rest of the evening.

Shorty and I are still waiting in a line that wasn’t moving. I decided to go up to the doorman and pull my “industry” line and give him my Mad River business card (at the time I still had ownership in the bar).

The door guy apologized and said, “I can’t tonight.”
I asked back, “Why?”.
The door guys said, “I can’t say.”.

I get back in line defeated and realize that this probably wasn’t going to happen. Out of the blue, Shorty recognizes this guy that just came out from Stanley’s to smoke. Shorty goes over and talks to him. Shorty comes over and introduces me to this guy who’s name is Vu.

After talking for a little, Vu says he’ll get us in through the kitchen. We follow him to the kitchen door and as we start walking inside, the door guy comes running at us.

He yelled, “Vu what the f*ck are you doing?! You can’t just pull people in w/out asking!”.
Vu apologized to door guy and asked, “Can I get my friends in?”.
Door guy responds, “No.”

Now I’m even more devastated because not only were we not going in through the kitchen door, we also lost our spot in line.

5 minutes later, Vu comes back and says, “Come on, we’re good to go now.” We go in through the kitchen and straight to the bar. Vu gets us some beers as I was scoping out the scene. Shorty then spotted Ed Ved at a table. I instantly book it through the crowd of people, bobbing and weaving, holding my PJ vinyl. By the time I got to the table, he was gone. I didn’t see him leave and I had no clue where he went. So I decide to wait, thinking he went to the bathroom. 15 minutes go by and still no Eddie and at this point I had lost Shorty. My cell phone was dead. I didn’t know if Josh made it. 15-20 more minutes pass and I’m about to accept the fact that he left for good.

Then out of the blue, I heard Shorty call my name from the front of the bar. I go over to him and he said, “Josh just texted me. Eddie is outside on corner of Sedgwick.” I thanked Shorty, gave him my beer and ran like Usain Bolt, straight out the door.

I went outside. Turned at the corner. I see Josh and then I see Eddie Vedder. My heart is racing at this point. I’ve been a PJ fan for my entire life (well since Ten came out). I’ve been rehearsing what I would say in this moment that was about to occur, a thousand times over in my head throughout the past 15 years. So, I approached Eddie. He saw me coming and stuck his hand out to shake mine. I shook it. Everything I had rehearsed was pretty much out the window at this point and my heart was in my throat. First thing I said was….

TC: “The first time I saw you guys was in 1995 at Soldier Field.”
EV: “Wow, that was a long time ago!”
TC: “I’ve been to almost 40 shows since then, and my favorite concert so far was the fan club show at the Vic last year, prior to Lolla.”
EV: (Smiling and nodding his head.)…
TC: “It would mean the world to me if you could sign my record for me.”
EV: “Absolutely, I would love to.”
TC: (as Eddie is signing) “I just got married in June and my wife and I’s first dance was to Come Back!”
EV: “(still signing) “Really?! What an honor.”
TC: “You know, being completely honest, my #1 idol is Michael Jordan but you are a close 2nd to me. Jordan brought us 6 championships but you brought me a lifetime of great music.”
EV: (proceeds to draw a picture of a wave on the album) “What was your name again?”
TC: “Tom.”
EV: (he signed “For Tom.” after the picture of the wave he drew. See above for picture of signed album)
TC: “I was at your Thursday night show. It was awesome, Hurt was a great cover too!”…
EV: “Yeah, Thursday night was the better show.”
EV: (hands me back my album) “Well, thanks Tom.”

He then took a picture with me, said bye and got in his car and waved.

Ed's on the right.

As a Cubs fan, I am always thriving for more ways to get the latest information about what’s going on in baseball. In today’s technologically advanced world there are a few things required to make the baseball season a great one. From the iPhone to Twitter the following list will allow you to make the most of the year. Use each and every one of these things to keep you on top of the 2009 Cubs as they go for their 3rd NL Central Division Championship in a row.

• MLB At Bat 2009 (website/iTunes) – Gameday Audio, Live Scores, Videos, and more.
• Slingbox & Slingbox Player (website/soon for iPhone) – Watch every game.
• MLB.tv – If you’re out of market this is what you need.
• Cubs.com – Duh.
• Cubs.com Mobile
• Cubby-Blue.com – An illustrated journal about the Chicago Cubs by Tim Souers
• Chicago Tribune Cubs Coverage
• Chicago Cubs Twitter (twitter)
• Chicago Sun-Times Cubs on Twitter (twitter)
• Wax Paper Beer Cup (website/twitter) – A Chicago Cubs Fan/Blogger

Those are just are just a few of the many places to get great Cubs coverage. Feel free to comment more ways to access information about the Cubs this season.

Oh… and GO CUBBIES!

Chicago's Sammy Hager

My top 5 reasons why I love the Jay Cutler trade.

#5 Moral boost for Bears fans.
Regardless of whether Cutler pans out as the future of the Bear’s offense or not, right now he is good for Chicago Bear’s fans. He’s a big name, he’s young and he’s cocky. When I think of Jay Cutler I think of how Eminem described 50….take some B.I.G. and some Pac and mix it up in a pot sprinkle a little Big L inside and what the f*ck do you got?….maybe not 100% relatable to Cutler but the basic gist that he’s made up of a lot of different QB’s. He’s cocky like a McMahon, he’s a gun slinger like a Favre and on his good days can be smooth like a Brady. Bottom line is he is taking over at a critical point for Bear’s fans. We’ve been on the cusp of greatness the past 5 years with playoff appearances, #1 defensive ratings and even a trip to the Super Bowl but we were always missing the final piece. The Cutler situation reminds me a lot of Van Halen when they replaced David Lee Roth with Sammy Hager. At first old school Van Halen fans missed the energy and unique vocals Roth brought to tracks like “Panama” and “Hot for Teacher” that Hager couldn’t. However, Hager could play the guitar and write his own songs, which led to more serious tracks. This pushed Van Halen over the commercial edge and got them a whole new set of pop rock fans that took them into the mainstream. All of the Hager era albums went multi-platinum. Hopefully Cutler can be the Bear’s Sammy Hager and also one day have his own brand of tequila. When that day comes, I will be the first in line at Binny’s.

#4 This will make Matt Forte better.
We got Cutler. So What? Who’s he going to throw to? We have no WR’s. Who needs wideouts when we have MATT FORTE?! With Forte rushing for over a 1,000 yards (1231 yds) and having 8 rushing td’s, people forget one important stat of his breakout rookie year. HE LED THE BEARS IN RECEPTIONS! Not only did he lead the Bears in receptions, he was 3rd in receiving yards and 2nd in receiving touchdowns. Now carry that over to this year and add a QB that can actually throw deeper than 15 yards. Not only will Cutler increase Forte’s receiving numbers but he’ll open up the run game for him as well. Defenses have to respect Cutler and they have to respect the Bear’s passing game now. Mix in the additions of new offensive lineman Orlando Pace and Kevin Shaffler as well as a healthy and more developed Chris Williams and Matt Forte should be playing in Hawaii come next February.

#3 We got him for nothing.
Everyone keeps talking about how we gave up a lot for Jay Cutler. (in a high pitched voice) Really? (even higher pitched voice) Did we? I think the opposite. I think we got him for a more under market value than half the high-rise condos in the South Loop.

1) We gave Denver Kyle Orton. – I like Kyle Orton but I love Jay Cutler. We gave Denver a QB that was good at managing the game. In return we got a QB that can manage and make big time plays. No brainer on this one.

2) We gave Denver our 1st round pick & 3rd round pick this year and our 1st round for next year. – This is the part that gets everyone more heated than a 55 year-old menopausal woman. We had the 18th overall pick this year. Look at our 1st round draft history. Who are we really missing out on? The long snapper from TCU? (no offense to long snappers from TCU) The Bear’s late round picks are the ones that pan out into NFL stars. Look at the past 5 years as an example, 1st round vs rounds after that.

2008
1st Round – Chris Williams – Stay tuned to see how this story ends.
2nd Round – Matt Forte – FRANCHISE RB!!!!

2007
1st Round – Greg Olsen – There are exceptions to ever theory, and this is one. Stud.
5th Round – Kevin Payne – 5th most tackles and led the Bear’s D in interceptions last year.
5th Round – Corey Graham – 4th most tackles on Bear’s D last year.

2006
1st Round – No 1st Round Pick
2nd Round – Devin Hester – We all know what the impact he had on the Bears & NFL.
5th Round – Mark Anderson – Had 12 sacks Rookie year. Not so great last year but I think he was using steroids.

2005
1st Round – Cedric Benson – Enough said.
4th Round – Kyle Orton – He filled in great for the Bears and took us to the playoffs his Rookie year.

2004
1st Round – Tommie Harris – Always hurt. Still waiting for him to breakout.
3rd Round – Bernard Berrian – We should have never let him sign with the Vikings.
4th Round – Nathan Vasher – When him and Peanut are healthy we have great corners.

#2 This will make our TE’s better.
Let’s say Devin Hester becomes a solid wide receiver. It’s possible. He’s fast, duh. He can catch, sometimes. He fast? As my boy Shorty always says, “There’s no reason why Hester can’t be a Steve Smith.” I completely agree, especially with Ron Turner’s love of the screen pass.

(Sidebar.

Dear Ron Turner,

We do not have Tom Brady, nor do we have Wes Welker, nor do we have the Patriot’s offensive line or a guy named Randy Moss. Just because the screen pass works in Madden with Hester on the PS3 doesn’t mean that it will translate onto the field in real life. Just saying.)

BACK TO THE POINT. Hester will become a deep threat since he’s fast and since Cutler has a stronger gun than the spread in Contra.

(Sidebar. What if NFL coaches could enter in cheat codes before the game? For example, Lovie enters the Contra code and the Bears get 50 chances at a 3rd and 7 situation. Or the Pat’s could enter in a code that would make Tom Brady knees invincible. The Bengal’s could put in a code that would make their players never rape a girl, carry a concealed weapon, drive under the influence, burglarize a home, etc. The Bear’s could have used this against the Falcon’s last year or at least 007 373 5963 to fight Mike Tyson.)

Deep ball threat means there’s going to be holes in the middle and the flats which means Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark will get more touches. Considering Olsen and Clark were the #2 and #4 leaders in receptions, they should put up big time numbers this year. Not to mention, we use Olsen in the slot a lot. He’s basically a wideout.

#1 One less trade in Madden.
This will be the first time I won’t have to trade for a QB after week 1 when playing franchise mode with the Bears in Madden, since Madden ‘03 when we had Kordell Stewart. I traded him after the season was over.

For those of you who know me know that I am a watch guy. I love them. It’s an addiction.  This past week at Baselworld in Switzerland, Rolex unveiled an extension to their iconic Datejust line.

Now I love the Datejust line and I actually love..love the look of the watch above, but I have just one beef with it.  What’s that you ask, well the case (face) is 41mm in diameter.  Now this might not sound like that big of a deal but for Rolex it is.  You see to me Rolex is the ultimate brand when it comes to watches, each watch design has a heritage that ties back to the early days of the brand.  For example, if you look at the evolution of the Submariner very little has changed since it was launched in 1954 at the Swiss Watch Fair and the same is true for the Daytona and the GMT.

Now there is no doubt in my mind that Rolex is a mainstream watch brand but for them to make such a change shows that they are playing to the current trend or fad of big watches that is sweeping the marketplace.  To be that is not what Rolex is about…trends…fads…to me Rolex is never changing always sought after and always classic always iconic.

I am a little late on this one but I thinks its a great idea and wanted to share.  The world famous New York Yankees are now offering for sale the exact same grass seed that is used on their famed field.  Now you can have the  same grass in your front yard that Johnny Damon gets paid $13m a year to frolic in.  Whats next Madison Square Garden hardwood floors, Pittsburgh Penguin ice cubes?  In the world of sports fanatics (especially with the Yanks) this is an idea that I can see taking off.  Would I do it…I think so, would just have to be from Wrigley Field… hit this link for the original article NYT Yankee Grass Article

Here’s our first winner:

Name: Matthew Raskin (yes, me, no one has submitted anything yet)
Location: Wells & Jackson, Chicago, IL (map)
Device: iPhone 3G
Title: Willis Tower?
Caption: The building soon formerly known as the Sears Tower.