It makes me absolutely sick watching the Mets piss game after game away to Atlanta. It's simple, Satan controls baseball.
How many times do I have to see great starting pitching by the Mets only to see it become meaningless by the team's own screw ups. Whether it's making a key error, a huge double play when he Mets are about to put a big inning together, a horrible job by the bulls*** pen. And injuries. Beltran misses the series. Floyd's finger is bothering him. Matsui's poor little back ache.
It's always the same.
I say it over and over. And if you know me a ittle bit, you've heard it from me now a million times. This franchise never changes! Let's go ahead and declare it! 14 F'N years those damn redneck assholes are winning another division crown. How many more years will I have to watch both of these two teams tomahawk me right in the heart and in other places too! God, how many more times?
To hell with the Cubs. To hell with the White Sox. To hell with the Blackhawks. Chicago folks, try this orange and blue piece of crap that is the New York Metropolitans on for size. One week rooting for them, you'll never hate your team again.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Rosary nets 3rd straight regional soccer crown
By Adam Bartolo
Daily Herald Correspondent
Posted Saturday, May 21, 2005
If Rosary’s girls soccer team was seeded lower than Immaculate Heart of Mary, they sure didn’t play like it.
The No. 5 Royals pressured the No. 4 Tigers from start to finish and came away a 4-0 victory Friday to win the Class A IMSA regional, Rosary’s third regional title in a row.
Rosary will face top-seeded Benet in the Lemont sectional at 11 a.m. today.
“It’s our standard,” said Royals coach Kevin Callaghan, who also celebrated his birthday. “We have set a standard and that’s our minimum. We have made some more history.”
With just over eight minutes gone, Rosary grabbed the lead. Catherine Sokolinski sent a free kick from the corner to the goal box where Sam Stavola headed the ball into the top of the net.
“Soko and I have been working on this all season,” said Stavola. “She got me a good ball.”
The Royals struck again midway through the first half. Liz Mehr dribbled in from the right side and sent a bloop kick off the crossbar. Mehr found her own rebound in front of the net and booted the ball home for a 2-0 advantage. The score stayed the same through halftime.
Despite the offense’s play, the key to this game was Rosary’s team defense.
The Tigers boasted two towering and talented players in Lauren Santos and Debbie Kozlowski. But the Royals intercepted passes, blocked shots, and did whatever they had to do to prevent the Tigers from keeping pressure in the offensive zone.
“I have to give a lot of credit to our defense, said Stavola, a forward. “They really stepped it up and we played like a team.”
Callaghan described the double sweeper strategy his defense used.
“I saw IHM play and they are very strong in overlapping and creating numbers on top,” Callaghan said. “So I decided it’s time to put our stop defense in there. I knew by doing that it would stifle anybody coming through.”
That strategy limited the Tigers to 8 shots on goal compared to Rosary’s 18.
But for the final eight minutes of first half, the Tigers looked like they would roar back into the game. They had five legitimate scoring chances, but not even one registered with a shot on goal. Either they shot wide or Rosary goalie Ally Mielke picked off a pass.
As the second half went on, Rosary regained its edge and controlled possession. The Tigers barely threatened over the final 40 minutes.
The Royals added two late goals, one by Annmarie Stanley with 8:28 remaining and another with just over a minute left when Katie Dienhart scored on a 1-on-1 with the goalie.
Next up is Benet, which will be a difficult match but one the Royals believe they are ready for.
“We’ve played them before,” said Callaghan. “I wanted to get there and play with that team. We’ll play them hard.”
The winner of that game goes to the sectional title against the winner of No. 3 Lemont and No. 2 Wheaton Academy, last year’s state champion.
By Adam Bartolo
Daily Herald Correspondent
Posted Saturday, May 21, 2005
If Rosary’s girls soccer team was seeded lower than Immaculate Heart of Mary, they sure didn’t play like it.
The No. 5 Royals pressured the No. 4 Tigers from start to finish and came away a 4-0 victory Friday to win the Class A IMSA regional, Rosary’s third regional title in a row.
Rosary will face top-seeded Benet in the Lemont sectional at 11 a.m. today.
“It’s our standard,” said Royals coach Kevin Callaghan, who also celebrated his birthday. “We have set a standard and that’s our minimum. We have made some more history.”
With just over eight minutes gone, Rosary grabbed the lead. Catherine Sokolinski sent a free kick from the corner to the goal box where Sam Stavola headed the ball into the top of the net.
“Soko and I have been working on this all season,” said Stavola. “She got me a good ball.”
The Royals struck again midway through the first half. Liz Mehr dribbled in from the right side and sent a bloop kick off the crossbar. Mehr found her own rebound in front of the net and booted the ball home for a 2-0 advantage. The score stayed the same through halftime.
Despite the offense’s play, the key to this game was Rosary’s team defense.
The Tigers boasted two towering and talented players in Lauren Santos and Debbie Kozlowski. But the Royals intercepted passes, blocked shots, and did whatever they had to do to prevent the Tigers from keeping pressure in the offensive zone.
“I have to give a lot of credit to our defense, said Stavola, a forward. “They really stepped it up and we played like a team.”
Callaghan described the double sweeper strategy his defense used.
“I saw IHM play and they are very strong in overlapping and creating numbers on top,” Callaghan said. “So I decided it’s time to put our stop defense in there. I knew by doing that it would stifle anybody coming through.”
That strategy limited the Tigers to 8 shots on goal compared to Rosary’s 18.
But for the final eight minutes of first half, the Tigers looked like they would roar back into the game. They had five legitimate scoring chances, but not even one registered with a shot on goal. Either they shot wide or Rosary goalie Ally Mielke picked off a pass.
As the second half went on, Rosary regained its edge and controlled possession. The Tigers barely threatened over the final 40 minutes.
The Royals added two late goals, one by Annmarie Stanley with 8:28 remaining and another with just over a minute left when Katie Dienhart scored on a 1-on-1 with the goalie.
Next up is Benet, which will be a difficult match but one the Royals believe they are ready for.
“We’ve played them before,” said Callaghan. “I wanted to get there and play with that team. We’ll play them hard.”
The winner of that game goes to the sectional title against the winner of No. 3 Lemont and No. 2 Wheaton Academy, last year’s state champion.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
DEBACLE!!! Thoughts on Ron Santo
Disgusting.
Watching this loss to the Cubs yesterday was as sick a loss as I remember in a while. I knew once lovely Derrek Lee hit his fourth foul he would hit it out. I knew it!
And this team is .500. That's it. Victor Zambrano trying to throw strikes is like watching Stevie Wonder try to shoot archery. Dae Sung Koo sucks. Mike DeJean sucks. Kaz Matsui is lower than sucks. Jose Reyes gets into 0-2 counts 3 times a game.
And I have a few things to say about Ron Santo. I thought Hawk Harrelson was a lousy announcer. My God! Have you heard Santo on the radio. That voice is like Jimmy Stewart and Harry Caray had a baby suffering from a lifelong hangover. There's nothing informative. Just cheerleading. And hoping for a double play. Hoping for a big base hit. Ron, I don't care what you hope will happen! We know what you want to see! Let the fans cheer. Teach me something for once instead of acting like the glorified cheerleader that you are. You are brutal. Go watch the games at home because you bring nothing to the radio booth.
Watching this loss to the Cubs yesterday was as sick a loss as I remember in a while. I knew once lovely Derrek Lee hit his fourth foul he would hit it out. I knew it!
And this team is .500. That's it. Victor Zambrano trying to throw strikes is like watching Stevie Wonder try to shoot archery. Dae Sung Koo sucks. Mike DeJean sucks. Kaz Matsui is lower than sucks. Jose Reyes gets into 0-2 counts 3 times a game.
And I have a few things to say about Ron Santo. I thought Hawk Harrelson was a lousy announcer. My God! Have you heard Santo on the radio. That voice is like Jimmy Stewart and Harry Caray had a baby suffering from a lifelong hangover. There's nothing informative. Just cheerleading. And hoping for a double play. Hoping for a big base hit. Ron, I don't care what you hope will happen! We know what you want to see! Let the fans cheer. Teach me something for once instead of acting like the glorified cheerleader that you are. You are brutal. Go watch the games at home because you bring nothing to the radio booth.
Monday, May 09, 2005
On my way...
Well I'll be heading down to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field this afternoon. And I had to pay for my tickets after a promise they would be free.
So I called him up this morning to ask where and when I could pick them up and when I ask for a specific time, he goes ballistic. He threw a few four-letter words right at me, which was completely uncalled for. What's amazing is he was the boss I really respected. He had my back and I had his. And he turned out to be a complete dick. Pardon my language, but I'm actually being kind.
Aaron Heilman vs. Jon Lister is the pitching match. That's not how he spells his name, but I'm not about to look it up. Let's hope the Notre Dame alumnus stifles the bats of Patterson, Ramirez, Lee, and Burnitz.
Went 4-4 in my softball exhibition game yesterday. Made two catches in left field. One fly ball went way over my head. And I've still got my speed on the bases. The bad news is they actually moved the base lines from 60 feet to 65 feet. Maybe I should try running in my spare time for once.
Man, Portillo's knows how to mix Italian beef and Italian sausage. Throw on the hot giardinara and it's to die for!
Why people get so into the Kentucky Derby, I'll never know. Dad told me George Steinbrenner's horse didn't cover the money. Whatever that meant!
How in the world did Jennifer Garner let a loser like Ben Affleck impregnate her?
Song: Mr. Natural-Bee gees
So I called him up this morning to ask where and when I could pick them up and when I ask for a specific time, he goes ballistic. He threw a few four-letter words right at me, which was completely uncalled for. What's amazing is he was the boss I really respected. He had my back and I had his. And he turned out to be a complete dick. Pardon my language, but I'm actually being kind.
Aaron Heilman vs. Jon Lister is the pitching match. That's not how he spells his name, but I'm not about to look it up. Let's hope the Notre Dame alumnus stifles the bats of Patterson, Ramirez, Lee, and Burnitz.
Went 4-4 in my softball exhibition game yesterday. Made two catches in left field. One fly ball went way over my head. And I've still got my speed on the bases. The bad news is they actually moved the base lines from 60 feet to 65 feet. Maybe I should try running in my spare time for once.
Man, Portillo's knows how to mix Italian beef and Italian sausage. Throw on the hot giardinara and it's to die for!
Why people get so into the Kentucky Derby, I'll never know. Dad told me George Steinbrenner's horse didn't cover the money. Whatever that meant!
How in the world did Jennifer Garner let a loser like Ben Affleck impregnate her?
Song: Mr. Natural-Bee gees
Saturday article
West Aurora glad to scratch out runs any way it can
By Adam Bartolo
Daily Herald Correspondent
Posted Saturday, May 07, 2005
West Aurora and Wheaton North may not have played a pretty baseball game, but the Blackhawks were able to scrap out a 4-2 win against their DuPage Valley Conference foe Friday in Aurora.
Both teams had opportunities to score, but it was the Blackhawks (16-8, 8-5) who found ways to push runners across the plate.
Trailing 2-1 in the third inning, the Blackhawks scored twice without a hit. Andy Beatty led off with a walk and Dan Kraabel tried to bunt him to second, but the ball trickled under the third baseman’s glove and both runners were safe.
Following a sacrifice bunt, Ryan Dennis got hit by a pitch to load the bases for Brandon Copp. He grounded out to second, but the tying run scored. With Nick Golich batting, Kraabel scored the go-ahead run when Pat Kirchhofer’s pitch sailed to the backstop.
But for a team that’s been struggling to score runs lately, West Aurora coach Dave Rowell was happy to see his team score no matter how they did it.
“It was nice to get a couple of those (base runners) in today even if it wasn’t pretty,” Rowell said. “We get them on base but we just don’t always score them.”
The Falcons (12-14 4-9), on the other hand, spent most of the day trying to figure out the Northern-Illinois bound Copp.
Despite not having his most dominating stuff and pitching on three days rest for the first time this year, Copp pitched a solid game. He threw 117 pitches over seven innings, allowing 3 singles and 3 walks, while striking out 11.
He had some trouble locating his pitches, but he mixed his curveball, fastball and changeup effectively, keeping Wheaton North’s hitters confused.
“I couldn’t locate my fastball inside and outside,” Copp said. “But I was fortunate to keep them off balance.”
Even after the game was delayed in the fifth inning for 30 minutes by lightning, the strikes continued coming as Copp fanned four of the next five hitters.
Copp also added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 4-2.
In the seventh, the Falcons looked like they might rally. Dave Lindberg led off with the second of his 2 singles. The next batter, Kevin Small, lined a shot to the right fielder Kraabel. He dove to make the catch, but the ball bounced on the grass. Lindberg, unable to tell if the ball was caught, froze halfway between first and second. Kraabel recovered, and fired the ball to second base for the force out.
The next batter popped out and then Kevin Smith smashed a line drive that seemed headed toward right field. But second baseman Jason Lowe leaped for the catch to end the game.
Falcons coach Dan Schoessling was frustrated with his team’s lack of execution on offense and defense, but was pleased with his team’s ability to push Copp. Schoessling said these kinds of games will help come playoff time.
“We took some good at-bats against him,” Schoessling said. “We’re better for facing a good pitcher. That’ll definitely help us down the road.”
By Adam Bartolo
Daily Herald Correspondent
Posted Saturday, May 07, 2005
West Aurora and Wheaton North may not have played a pretty baseball game, but the Blackhawks were able to scrap out a 4-2 win against their DuPage Valley Conference foe Friday in Aurora.
Both teams had opportunities to score, but it was the Blackhawks (16-8, 8-5) who found ways to push runners across the plate.
Trailing 2-1 in the third inning, the Blackhawks scored twice without a hit. Andy Beatty led off with a walk and Dan Kraabel tried to bunt him to second, but the ball trickled under the third baseman’s glove and both runners were safe.
Following a sacrifice bunt, Ryan Dennis got hit by a pitch to load the bases for Brandon Copp. He grounded out to second, but the tying run scored. With Nick Golich batting, Kraabel scored the go-ahead run when Pat Kirchhofer’s pitch sailed to the backstop.
But for a team that’s been struggling to score runs lately, West Aurora coach Dave Rowell was happy to see his team score no matter how they did it.
“It was nice to get a couple of those (base runners) in today even if it wasn’t pretty,” Rowell said. “We get them on base but we just don’t always score them.”
The Falcons (12-14 4-9), on the other hand, spent most of the day trying to figure out the Northern-Illinois bound Copp.
Despite not having his most dominating stuff and pitching on three days rest for the first time this year, Copp pitched a solid game. He threw 117 pitches over seven innings, allowing 3 singles and 3 walks, while striking out 11.
He had some trouble locating his pitches, but he mixed his curveball, fastball and changeup effectively, keeping Wheaton North’s hitters confused.
“I couldn’t locate my fastball inside and outside,” Copp said. “But I was fortunate to keep them off balance.”
Even after the game was delayed in the fifth inning for 30 minutes by lightning, the strikes continued coming as Copp fanned four of the next five hitters.
Copp also added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 4-2.
In the seventh, the Falcons looked like they might rally. Dave Lindberg led off with the second of his 2 singles. The next batter, Kevin Small, lined a shot to the right fielder Kraabel. He dove to make the catch, but the ball bounced on the grass. Lindberg, unable to tell if the ball was caught, froze halfway between first and second. Kraabel recovered, and fired the ball to second base for the force out.
The next batter popped out and then Kevin Smith smashed a line drive that seemed headed toward right field. But second baseman Jason Lowe leaped for the catch to end the game.
Falcons coach Dan Schoessling was frustrated with his team’s lack of execution on offense and defense, but was pleased with his team’s ability to push Copp. Schoessling said these kinds of games will help come playoff time.
“We took some good at-bats against him,” Schoessling said. “We’re better for facing a good pitcher. That’ll definitely help us down the road.”
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
This week in Bartolo-land
Well we wrote two articles last week. I even got to enjoy a catered meal at the socccer tournament I covered on Friday night. Actually it was coffee cake and a bottle of water, but it was still good. I got a full 40 hours of work in too.
Mother's Day is coming up. I wish there was a Son's Day.
My softball league kicks in this week. I can't wait.
Can we banish that piece of crap Tom Glavine back to the Braves? I seriously don't know if he hurt us worse when he was with Hick-lanta or now as a member of the Metrpolitans. I'll be blunt. The best thing that can happen is for him to get seriously hurt. If he pitches a certain number of innings, his option for next year automatically kicks in.
A few more Met notes. I feel okay about them, certainly better than the last three years. They've hung in there without three of their top starting pitchers. Right now, they're not consistent. They score no runs for eight innings and then score five in one inning. The offense is potentially incredible, but not reliable. Diaz, Wright, and Reyes still have a lot to learn. And I never thought Cliff Floyd would be as good as he is. For all the injuries he's had, it's good to see him playing well.
Big thumbs up for Rob Van Dam's DVD. Actually, no. Make that Five Stars!
Fantasy baseball is improving. I am gaining ground and climbing out of the cellar in both leagues.
I think I'm going to get a 1974 Bee Gees record called Mr. Natural. There weren't any big hits on it, but it was the beginning of their move towards R&B music. I heard the title cut off of the recrods and it was a great song. By the way, I own more Bee Gees records than any other artist. In my collection of music, that's a good accomplishment.
Mother's Day is coming up. I wish there was a Son's Day.
My softball league kicks in this week. I can't wait.
Can we banish that piece of crap Tom Glavine back to the Braves? I seriously don't know if he hurt us worse when he was with Hick-lanta or now as a member of the Metrpolitans. I'll be blunt. The best thing that can happen is for him to get seriously hurt. If he pitches a certain number of innings, his option for next year automatically kicks in.
A few more Met notes. I feel okay about them, certainly better than the last three years. They've hung in there without three of their top starting pitchers. Right now, they're not consistent. They score no runs for eight innings and then score five in one inning. The offense is potentially incredible, but not reliable. Diaz, Wright, and Reyes still have a lot to learn. And I never thought Cliff Floyd would be as good as he is. For all the injuries he's had, it's good to see him playing well.
Big thumbs up for Rob Van Dam's DVD. Actually, no. Make that Five Stars!
Fantasy baseball is improving. I am gaining ground and climbing out of the cellar in both leagues.
I think I'm going to get a 1974 Bee Gees record called Mr. Natural. There weren't any big hits on it, but it was the beginning of their move towards R&B music. I heard the title cut off of the recrods and it was a great song. By the way, I own more Bee Gees records than any other artist. In my collection of music, that's a good accomplishment.
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