A Combination of My Two Favorite Sports Teams Can Only Mean One Thing: Good Times Ahead!

For those of you who don't know me, I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS (bachelor of science, not what you were thinking) in Radio-TV-Film from TCU, and as you could probably tell from an earlier post, I'm almost as big a fan of TCU athletics as I am of my precious Chicago Cubs, so yesterday's events were hugely exciting for me.

"With the 19th pick in the first round of the First Year Player's Draft of Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs select Andrew Cashner, right handed pitcher, Texas Christian."
-Bud Selig

I didn't think that there was any chance that TCU's superstar closer would last until the 19th pick, and was hoping that he would make it to 11 when the Texas Rangers picked, but when Justin Smoak (1B from S.Carolina) was amazingly still on the board, the Rangers made the consensus best pick of the first round, and I began to hope that possibly, Cashman would hang around for the Cubbies, and he did.

ESPN projects that the junior could join the Cubbies bullpen by the end of this year, which added to Marmol and Wood (and to a lesser extent Howry and Eyre) would make a strength for the Cubbies even stronger and almost unhittable!

The second that the TCU pitcher does make the big league club I can guarentee you that I will be getting his jersey!

After the old school Maddox performance helped to stop the Cubs winning streak at 9 (despite a hell of a game from Ted Lilly) the Cubs started a new one yesterday, although it got a little scary. The Cubs opened a 4-0 lead, but it became a tie game going into the 9th. In a battle of former Japenese superstars, Saito (on his bobble head night) gave up the go ahead run on a single to Fukudome (who had also homered in the game) and despite loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth, K Dub got his NL leading 17th save as the Cubbies won 5-4 to take the first game of the four game series in LA against the Dodgers and go to 3-1 on the road trip so far (and 10-1 in the last 11, go Cubs.)

College World Series

I just wanted to take a moment to complain.

TCU is the #18 team in the Country, yet they are a 3 Seed in the Stillwater regional, meaning that the selection commitee felt that there were at least 32 teams better then them. That's crap.

So despite being the 18th best team in the Nation, they have to face off against the #16 team in the nation in the first game of the Regional as an away team.

That's crap.

Hopefully, they'll win despite the slight against them.

Game one is today at 1:00pm CST.

The Cubs meanwhile are the best team in the majors!

Other great news is that an old friend of mine has a major motion picture opening today, The Strangers. Everyone go see it.

Getting Ready For Game Two

Ted Lilly last season was 9-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 17 starts following a Cubs loss last season. He looks to get a good start towards matching that today.

Former Cardinal (BOO!) Jeff Suppan gets the start for the Brewers.

Kosuke Fukudome looks to continue his hot start as the Cubs look to find the Win Column for the first time this season.

Game time is 1:20pm CST. You can watch it if you live in Chicago or Milwalkee or have MLB.TV

Games I watched in full yesterday...

BAYLOR 2 TCU 3 F

What do you want from me? TCU is my alma mater and they were on the first ever college baseball game shown on CBS College, I couldn't help but watch this game.

Games I watched in part yesterday...

HOU 1 SD 2 F

Sure, the Padres had the best pitching staff ERA in MLB last season, but if you're an Astros fan you'd have to hope that you'd score more then 1 run in the first 2 games, and that one run getting scored thanks to a bases loaded walk.

TEX 5 SEA 4 F

For the second day in a row, the Rangers defense threatened to lose them the game, but this time the offense picked them up thanks to a 9th inning 2 run shot by Josh Hamilton. I cheered almost as loud as I did for the Fukudome 9th inning 3 run shot in the Cubs game.

Other games yesterday...

TOR 2 NYY 3 F

LAA 9 MIN 1 F

BOS 2 OAK 1 F

NYM 4 FLA 5 F

COL 2 STL 1 F

SF 2 LAD 3 F

As I watch baseball this season on MLB.TV, I'll have the opportunity to bring you, let's call them INTERESTING COMMENTARY.

Here is our first INTERESTING COMMENTARY submission of the season from Texas Ranger Color Commentator Tom Grieve.

"You know, if you could travel into the future, or travel in time, if people from the old days came into the present to see a baseball game, they'd be amazed at the stadiums, the uniforms would look different, the game itself would be played pretty much the same way, it wouldn't be a whole lot of difference, but they would be amazed at the different items you could get at the concession stand, I would think. They'd have no idea what Nachos are and they definately wouldn't expect to get a cod sandwich at the ballpark."

Well, Tom, I doubt that someone from present day would expect to get a cod sandwich at the ballpark either.

Maybe it's just me.

Here are Today's Games.

Enjoy your baseball.