2009 MLB Predictions Sure To Be Wrong

Well, it's opening day, my favorite day of the year, and before I continue with my Opening Day Traditions (Watching the Sandlot), I'll make my predictions.

Awards:

AL
Rookie of the Year: David Price (Rays)
Cy Young: Jon Lester (Red Sox)
MVP: Mark Teixeira (Yankees)

NL
Rookie of the Year: Pablo Sandoval (Giants)
Cy Young: A healthy Rich Harden (Cubs) or Brandon Webb (D'Backs)
MVP: David Wright (Mets)


Division:

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: D'Backs
NL WC: Phillies

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Angels
AL WC: Yankees

Playoffs:

NLDS:
Cubs vs Phillies: Cubs in 5
Mets vs D'Backs: Mets in 3

ALDS:
Red Sox vs Twins: Red Sox in 3
Angels vs Yankees: Yankees in 4

NLCS:
Cubs vs Mets: Cubs in 6

ALCS:
Red Sox vs Yankees: Red Sox in 7



World Series:
Cubs vs Red Sox: Red Sox in 7


So there you have it. Against my better judgement, I pick the Cubs to finally make to the World Series (I originally had the Mets). However, I think the Red Sox are just too strong this year to be ignored. It's going to be a helluva race in the AL East this year.

Hopefully I'm wrong, and the Cubs can take it all.


Baseball themed Awesome Video Of The Day (My favorite Conan bit... ever)

Conan O'Brien 1864 Baseball
Uploaded by Youpinadi

Song Of The Day

Not So Serious Anymore Are We?

This was too good to not share with you

Why So Serious?

Incoherent rambling and repeating myself begins now:

When I was 21, I used to look back at my life when I was a freshman in college and think of just how much of an idiot I was and how far I've come. 2 years later, I look back to when I was 21 and think the exact same thing. I'm sure in 2 years I'll look back and think, "Man, how did I ever live like that?" I always think I'm where I need to be to live my life. But looking forward now, I realize I still have a long way to go. This became much more evident after meeting with a councilor at the school I'll be going to (Yeah, I'm going back to school. Took me long enough right?). I need to turn my life around.

The biggest inspiration for this is my next door neighbor Dirty. No offense Dirty, but I don't want to turn out like you. If I'm 34, living with 24-26 year-olds, working retail for $8.50 an hour, there's a serious problem. But every time I examine my life, I see myself turning down the Path Of Dirt. Every time I find myself playing beer die on a Monday or Wednesday night, there's a little part of me that says, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH YOURSELF?" So thank you, Dirty, for hopefully changing my life.

I think being 23 and living with a 20 and 21 year old for the last year who are so much more mature than I was then (and more than I am now), and ahead of me (by leaps and bounds) in school, finally got my head straight. I can't keep fucking around like I do now, forever. I know I've still got some time to figure it all out, but it's finally time to start the process. And I went through this exact same thing a few years ago when I lived in my parents house for that one God awful year. I told myself then that I was going to change; start doing better in school, stop drinking so much, get in shape and get my life in order. So here I am, 3 years later, telling myself the exact same thing. The good news is that I've got one step down, I'm back in school. Now, I just have to break all the bad habits I've been forming since I got to college.

This isn't to say I'm going to quit playing beer die on Monday or Wednesdays or move somewhere where I can get a fresh start (although the thought has crossed my mind). That wouldn't be fair to you, my loyal reader who no doubt is waiting for baseball season to start so I can write about our drunken shenanigans. No, I'm going to be here for a while, but living a different lifestyle. I realize that right before baseball season starts is probably not the opportune time to have a life changing blog post, but it's something I have to do so I can not feel like a complete failure. I feel if I don't do something now, I'll be Dirty Jr. before you can say, "Just living the dream."

This isn't going to happen overnight, it's a gradual process, and going back to school is step one. Step two is world domination. Obviously.


Next post: 2009 Baseball Predictions Sure To Be Wrong

Awesome video of the day


Awesome song of the day

And You Say Chi City

In the last year, I've been all over the Midwest for my job. I can't help but notice that every time I come home, it's the best part of the trip. That's not to say that I don't love going to all these places, and have incredible amounts of fun on these trips; but these trips make me appreciate being from Chicago even more. It's just so much better than everywhere else I've ever been (yes, this includes London). For FUZE, I've been to Peoria IL, Bloomington MN, St. Louis MO, Madison WI, Indianapolis IN, Cleveland and Cincinnati OH, Galena IL, Eau Claire WI, and of course my favorite, Minneapolis MN. Big cities, small bum-fuck towns, metropolises and hick towns... and St. Louis. And seeing as I've been in Chicago my entire life, I compare all these cities to Chicago.

Sometimes town are too small (Galena, Eau Claire), sometimes they're just shit-holes (Peoria, St. Louis), sometimes I think they suck because I didn't go in the right time of the year (a student-less Madison), sometimes they're flat out boring (Indianapolis, Cleveland), and sometimes the biggest storm of the decade hits and the entire city is out of power, causing me to miss Zambrano's no-hitter against the Astros last season (Fuck you very much, Cininnati).

But sometimes, there's that one city that is just like a smaller Chicago (Minneapolis). Maybe it's because I grew up listening to my favorite MC rap about Minneappleseed for the last 10 years, or because we had a great guy show us around (Thanks Chad!), or because they play host to the best English Pub I've ever been in, and the Worlds Best Selling Jameson Bar (Big Ginger like WHAT!?!).

Minneapolis to this day is the only FUZE location in which I was disappointed to be leaving. I even floated around the idea of moving up there. It's still kind of floating around in there.

Anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make, and I'm sure have failed miserably, it that Chicago is better than all those places. There's no place that can offer all the things that Chicago can. Where else can I live 50 yards from one of the oldest ballparks in the country? All the things this city has to offer; amazing museums, crappy sports teams, amazing food, great shows, dozens of music venues, hundreds of festivals, the Sears, I mean Willis? Tower. Walk out to the Shedd Aquarium (another favorite of mine) at night, turn around, look at the skyline in July and tell me you don't love this city.

Filler: Music is a Safe Kind of High

So there's been another thing on Facebook floating around that has people commenting on the 15 albums that have changed their lives. So, naturally, I have to do it. This isn't my favorite albums of all time, although that may come at a later date.

Outside of the first 3, this is in no particular order

1. Please Please Me by The Beatles
The first album I can remember listening to. Throwing on the vinyl my dad brought over from England when I was maybe 5 or 6. I was hooked, singing 'Love Me Do' from dusk till dawn. Singing so much, my mother, the biggest Beatles fan I've ever met, even told me to stop. Of course, this may have been due to my pre-pubescent voice. I'm pretty sure I'd want my kid to stop ruining my favorite album too. None the less, this album started me on my oldies trip, which still stands to this day.

2. Definitely Maybe by Oasis
This was the album that finally got me into modern 'popular' music. I still remember the first time I heard this album. I was at school early in 5th grade for Patrol Guard duty (the kids that helped you cross the street before school), and Vernon Smith told me he had the 'New Beatles.' A rather unknown British band called Oasis. When the first track played, Rock n' Roll Star, I was done. It was a sound I had never heard before, and I liked it, I wanted more of it. I started listening to Q101 when I got home and making mix tapes from my favorite songs on the radio.

3. The Lucy Ford EP's by Atmosphere
The album that turned me onto underground hip hop, and turned me onto an entire new world. Up until I heard this album in winter of 2000, my hip hop consisted of Ludacris (who I still love), Big Tymers, Cash Money Millionaires and the like. I had no idea there was hip hop out there that was actually insightful, and wasn't about the typical drugs, guns, and murder. I started searching for new rappers that I'd never heard of, and it turned my world upside down. This record turned me onto so many other great MC's and inspired me to read up on the history of hip hop. Every hip hop artist who's album I've bought since 2000 can thank Slug. This is definitely in the top 10 of my favorite albums of all time.

4. Interrupting The Scenery by NOViCE
These guys had a new sound (pattern here?) that I absolutely loved. I wasn't big into the whole 'emo' and 'my life is so much worse than yours' scene, and I'm still not, but these guys did it differently. It was... so much better. My roommate at the time, and my current boss Evan found out about these guys from a relatively unknown website called MySpace. So not only is this an awesome album, but it got me into MySpace, which lead to Facebook, which apparently leads to Blogspot.

5. The Slim Shady LP by Eminem
The first time I heard this album was the spring of '99. I was in England of all places on a school trip and I was hooked. I never thought music could be so funny/vulgar/cruel. This album had everything. It had tracks to make you laugh, make you cringe, and make you wonder 'What the fuck was that?' This album really opened me up to more hip hop, got me into Dre, which got me into Snoop, and so forth.

6. Indecent Proposal by Timbaland & Magoo
Not to say this album really changed my life, but I was always associate this album with the England Christmas trip I took with my family in winter of 2001. You know when you listen to something so much during a span of time, that it will always remind you of that time? That's what this is. I put this album on and immediately think of myself walking across the Stray to the shops in Harrogate. So it did change my life in the sense that I will never not listen to it and not think of England, which is fine by me.

7. 40th Anniversary Collection by James Brown
My dad grew up on The Hardest Working Man In Show Business, and he made damn sure I did too. So I was already heavy into old soul music when I got this album, but I played the shit out of this record non-stop for most of my middle school years. To this day, whenever I'm feeling a little down, I'll put on some James Brown or...

8. Live at the Wetlands by Robert Randolph & The Family Band
There are 2 live albums I've come across that do justice to the band's performance. Live at the Wetlands is one of them. Back in '03, a couple buddies and myself went to the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour, which stands to this day as being the single greatest show of my life (Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Talib Kweli, The Roots, OAR and NERD for 10 bucks? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?). They put on the 3rd most energetic and amazing performance I've ever seen (following #1 Mute Math and #2 The Roots). And this album is just as energetic, and it's so damn happy! If you don't move around or put a smile on your face when listening to this... you are one miserable fuck.

9. The Roots Come Alive by The Legendary Roots Crew
It saddens me that The Roots have become Jimmy Fallon's house band, but at the same time, that's freaking awesome. Anyway, this is the other live album that does justice to their performance. You really have to listen to it, it's got to be up there on the list of 'best live albums of all time.' I had already liked The Roots a lot by the time I heard this album, but it made me appreciate live-hip hop even more (the whole instrument thing, no produced beats). ?uestlove is too dope.

10. Mute Math by Mute Math
As soon as Typical starts playing on this record, the energy doesn't slow down. Even their slow songs are relatively up tempo (for slow songs)! I'll say this album changed my life in the sense that I'll never look at another live show the same way after seeing these guys live, and I saw these guys live because I fell in love with this album. So thanks for ruining every concert experience I'll have from now on guys. Thanks a bunch. And fucking come out with your album already!!

11. Final Straw by Snow Patrol
I can say that Snow Patrol are a band that I found about, by myself. Most bands I listen to these days have been recommended to me by various people. But this one I found out about (and before anyone else did, which I take great pride in). I remember the first time I heard 'Run,' I was sitting in Richard Mack's studio, helping him with his new book (plug!), and I had Virgin Radio UK on, it came on and I was floored. Such a nice chill vibe but with a build up towards the end.

12. Class Clown by George Carlin
Never said it had to be music albums did we? I remember the first time I got my hands on 'The 7 Things You Can't Say On Television,' my buddy Matt and I must've listened to it 6 times in a row, crying because we were laughing so hard. I started to suddenly care about comedy and actually look for new comedians.

13. That Thing You Do Soundtrack
Don't even get me started...

14. Spice by Spice Girls
The first album I ever bought with my own money. Yup. I said it.

15. Original Pirate Material by The Streets
Another artist I can proudly say I found out first and by myself. The Streets opened me up to the UK Hip Hop scene, and even became some inside joke fodder for me and some of my friends.

There is one last thing...

My buddy Ben has a blog up for some of his photography. He's got some great stuff. Do us both a favor and ch-ch-ch-check it out.


Accidently Blogging

Quit trying to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring and besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls. They're more democratic.

So baseball season is quickly approaching, and it makes me extremely happy.

Baseball season in Chicago is a very special thing, and it's even more special when you live where I live. It means drinking all day on the weekends and playing beer die for 12 hours until you decide it's time to stumble on over to Donkey or Bacci for some late night eats. It means counting down the days till 'Hot Girl Day.' It means making really stupid comments and seeing if people walking by react. It means saying 'Sup' and 'You gonna eat that?' all day long. It means people walking by asking what the score is, even though there's a huge scoreboard hanging next door. It means grilling all day from lunch to dinner. It means tricking girls into hanging out with us by asking them to comment on absolutely absurd situations.

But most of all, it means taking entire days just relaxing on the front porch listening to Pat & Ron call the game while you enjoy a couple beers with your friends, meeting new people and making new stories.

I'm excited this year because competitive baseball starts earlier, instead of sitting through meaningless spring training games, we'll be treated to the World Baseball Classic, which I enjoyed in '06 (even if there is no England team).

As for the Cubs, I'm not pleased with how this off season went. We let one of my favorite Cubs of all time go (Kerry Wood), we traded one of my favorite current Cubs (Mark DeRosa) for 3 pitching prospects from Cleveland, and we heard all winter about how Jake Peavy was going to be a Cub. For all you people who believed the Peavy hype, let me ask you this, has there ever been a trade that Jim Hendry pulled off that you heard about for more than 1 week? Other than trading away Sammy Sosa, there isn't. We went through the exact same situation last year with Brian Roberts.

The Aaron Miles signing really gets me, along with Parker Brothers, no wait, Milton Bradley. Now granted, if Bradley stays healthy, he can play ball. But the odds of that happening are not good. But Aaron Miles is no Mark DeRosa, and he was signed essentially as his replacement.

I'd love for the Cubs to go out and get a proven 5th starter. I like Sean Marshall, and if he can eat innings and win a few games for us, great. I just think there's better options. We also need someone for when Rich Harden goes down, cause you know he will. I'm not sure Samardizja is ready to start in the big leagues. I don't want to see what happened to Joba Chamberlain happen to Samardizja. Joba was great as a set-up guy, but kind of faded into obscurity last year when he moved to the rotation.

2 awesome videos of the day today, cause I couldn't decide which one I wanted to post. They're Favrellous!





Awesome song of the day: