Guys,

It’s with infinite sadness that I have to report that this is going to be my final regular post on HJE. As you know, HJE recently took on the funny and talented Mike D. and Tonker to help out around here, to post when I needed a breather, and to provide a bit of a different perspective on the Cubs (Mike D.’s encyclopedic knowledge of Cubs history and Tonker’s inclination to put “u”’s after all of his “o”’s being a big part of that).

My original intention wasn’t to post less or step down, but the grind of work, blogging, and family life has taken its toll on all three and, unfortunately, something’s gotta give. I’d hate to think my priorities were so out of whack that I would choose blogging over family and paychecks, so the axe had to fall somewhere. I have spoken with one of my good buddies, a lifetime Cubs fan himself, who is going to take over the majority of the blogging activity. In keeping with the tradition, he is going to go by the name “Gonzo.” I know he will have the time and enthusiasm to pick up where I’m leaving off. I would have asked Mike D. or Tonker, but I didn’t want to burden them with full-time duties, as they, too, have jobs, families, and lives. Gonzo, on the other hand, is a dirty hippie with too much time on his hands. Perfect for this task.

I will still be around, Shoutboxing and posting what and when I can. It’s just that posting every day has deprived me of sleep for too long. I’ve passed the “master list” of the Top 79 Cub Killers of My Time over to Gonzo, and he has assured me that he will see the list to its completion. He has also promised that Sweet Uncle Lou will still be doing his Friday Roundups. So, hopefully, not too much will change around here.

By way of introduction, I asked that Gonzo put together a first post. I have attached it below:

Another season of Chicago Cubs baseball is underway at last! And for those of us who literally have Cubbie Blue running through our veins, it could not have come quickly enough.

GM Jim Hendry and skipper Lou Piniella have made every move they wanted to make to bring us the first World Series since World War II, and finally end the curse of the Billy Goat. Those of us who go to the games to cheer on our beloved Cubbies, win or lose (but hopefully win) know this is the year our hearts mend (what in the world was up with that guy, anyhow?)!

Speaking of going to the games, no matter what happens, it’ll always be Wrigley Field to me, and there’s still no better bargain in the world than sitting in the bleachers at a Cubs’ game, soaking up the sun and chatting baseball with the knowledgeable “Bleacher Bums.” In fact, I think the only reason Sam Zell is thinking about renaming Wrigley Field is because he owns part of the White Sox (booooo!) and doesn’t understand how much the name Wrigley Field means to those of us who have rooted for the Cubs since the Mark Grace days. I’m sure he’ll come around soon enough.

So, on to the Cubs. What a great team we have! Our lineup is as good as anyone’s in the Senior Circuit. Between the scrappiness of Ryan (which sounds like “Ryne” if you say it fast enough – he might be another Sandberg! One can only hope, right?) Theriot and the hustle of Aramis Ramirez, and the impassioned leadership of Derrek Lee, how can we lose?

We have great pitching too. We have Carlos Zambrano, who you can always count on for a great performance. And how great a pickup was Ted Lilly? He is one cool customer. In fact, he’s so relaxed out there that I heard someone say his “head is in the freezer”. Actually it sounded like “he has heads in the freezer”, but that doesn’t make any sense, does it? I also expect big things from Jason Marquis, who is a playoff veteran, having gained experience in the last two postseasons. And Rich Hill is gaining confidence every time he goes out there, and Ryne (Oops, I typed it too fast) Ryan Dempster will just crack everyone up, and keep the team loose in between his starts.

Speaking of postseasons, now the Cubbies are actually playoff-seasoned. They’ve been through the long “second season” and now understand that instead of 162 games, they may have to be ready to play over 170 in order to win the pennant.

There’s also a lot of new faces, like Fukudome. We need a nickname for him – I was thinking of “Ichiban”, which is Japanese for “Number One” (I remember reading in wrestling magazines that the Japanese fans called Hulk Hogan “Ichiban” whenever he went over on a tour). Felix Pie has been handed the starting center field job, although Reed Johnson (You can tell he’s gritty just by looking at him, and his name just SOUNDS like a baseball player’s) will certainly press him for playing time. Of course, we can’t forget Soriano in left, who will once again try to become the first Cub to have a 40/40 season.

So, I hope you join me in wishing the Chicago Cubs good luck for the upcoming season. But even if they play poorly, at least we have the pleasure of seeing the boys in blue lock horns with some of the finest players in baseball when they come to Wrigley Field. Just imagine when the Padres come to town, and the Cubs take on former Cubs Greg Maddux, Michael Barrett, and Mark Prior “to being a Padre, he was a Cub.”

But I’m not going to say they’ll play poorly. We’re not here to be pessimistic. Our Northsiders are going to be “Great in 2008″! Put THAT on a t-shirt and sell it!

Don’t worry. He’ll figure it out soon enough.

-Kerm

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under Cubs, HJE Events.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.