cwsox

that's kind of heavy -

Yeah, I mean, that is the usual course of action

I have to agree with that. For now.

I hope Tex nominates you for pallidrome of the year, that was breath taking!

April 13 2004 Trib, sports section, last page lisiting firsts for wrigley 1970 outfield basket The Cubs had already played 10 games at home when the basket wass added to "help control littering and keep exuberant patrons from leanming onto the field" the Tribune wrote. They have a long history of trashing their own field.

I can't go because of work. Not just the work I would miss but the work I would be too tired to do on Wednesday given 7-8 hours driving round trip. I had hoped ss2k4 were going so I could ride along with him in his trunk (where I am sure he'd put me so as not to be seen with me ) which would mean I'd travel the same distance but I wouldn't be driving it all. Then maybe I might have taken the flyer. But as he can't, I can't. It will work out that the six pack I got to replace the beer I borrowed from him on opening day, I am drinking that tomorrow night!

I meant it that way but had used enough big words in my posts already today

if we sweep or take 2/3 we might start rolling up some increased numbers big time.

Maybe if you had not made his past father's days so desultory you might be panning gold now. The best birthday present my sister ever got me were tickets for a double header at Comiskey on bat day. Of course she went with me. Before you go to bed, you go online and get 2 tickets for tomorrow for Father's Day gift #1. And then you tell him in a few years you will be away at college, etc., and so these moments are precious to you when you spend them with him. If that still isn't working, play Harry Chapin's Cats in the Cradle a few times and start tearing (as in tears from your eyes, not tearing things). If that doesn't do it, blame your cheap ass Father Day presents to him in years past!

I agree that keeping the winning going will help as you say. Just had a thought - anyone know what our marketing is on the Latino/Hispanic stantions and with the Japanese community? Although it might be hard to market Mr Zero for attendance since one never kows if he is going to be in any particular game as opposed to an everyday player like Ichiro.

tell him his Father's Day is going to be quite non celebratory this year...

that is kind of funny considering you have Koch in your sig

When he did speak English to his team mates it was pretty nasty s***. DLo may well be alive today because CLee and Frank kept others from killing him.

I am going to disagree a tad there. I used to bash JR on that a lot. And then I met him accidentally in a casual situation where we talked for a long time. I came away very convinced that JR is as big of a fan as all of us are and wants to win as much as we do. (It surprised me too.) It was in his voice, in his eyes, when he talked about the Sox. The choices he makes as a fan who owns the team may be different than the ones that I might make - although I don't have access to all the information that he works from and I knwow that life is seldom what it appears. And disagreeing with business decisions is our right of course and I'm not saying that, nor that I agree by any means with everyting he has done or may do. So in short I can't view him as a businessman first anymore as if there is some huge gap between him as a businessman and as a Sox fan. There may be a slight, maybe some, gap yet I don't think it is that huge. I know YASNY said that there was a gap and I posted that I thought he captured things well, because I do. It was the sentence prior to that which one must be weighed in the balance which is why I so much liked how YASNY juxtaposed it: JR has spent the money at times. It is easy for me to spend other people's money. I am most certainly not a JR apologist (don't get me started on the 1994 season...). Disagree with him all one wants. I am just saying that he is more of a fan, far more of a fan, than most realise. Yeah, it surprised me too.

I'll agree here too.

Jugg's analysis is essentially right on. on another point: The prime benefit to winning in terms of attendance comes the year after. There is no way we can draw 3,000,000 this year even if we win it all. I am not even sure we can hold 3,000,000 with the loss of upper deck seats, maybe we can, I haven't done the math because I am not sure of our current capacity. But if are very successful on the field this year it will pay off in advance sales next year. 2000 was a wierd season. We had some of the worst weather all spring - I remember the Saturday before Memorial Day against Cleveland, big game, it rained all day solid and just at game time it stopped. The game was played with about 20,000 less in attendance because of the rain. (I of course was there, I have been rained out - but folks who were going with me bailed because of the rain, I mean it poured all day long, no one thought the game would get in.) That was not unusual that season - that was the pattern. And then beginning with Labor Day weekend our atendance dropped through the bottom. My only guess is that people need to get in a habit. For me attending is a habit. But I don't think it dawned on a lot of people that they could go to games in Septemr because they had other plans - probably picnics on the Labor Day weekend, whatever. Attendance, core attendance, is in large part a habit. And of course we started off so badly in 2001 that killed the spike in attendance we should of had. TV is a huge factor, as well as media word of mouth. In 1977 the word got out that it was just plain fun to be at Comiskey. And it was. And people showed because they wanted to be where the action is, it was the place to be. And the games on tv looked like fun times at the old ball park, again encouraging people to go. I think our own fans let us down because we gripe about the park too much. Our prices are reasonable compared to other parks, quite reasonable compared to some. Our concession prices are very inexpensive by MLB standards. The convenience of getting in and out can't be beat. The UD was never that steep. But we like to b**** and we have not helped ourselves much by being our own worst enemy. And winning isn't eveything. People should go to be with their friends and enjoy a game. That is what the Trib figured out two decades ago for their dump. It does not have to be a beer garden though, in fact I would hate it if it were, it just has to be a place where you think of going. With my friends, it is the place we meet. If that is a part of more people's lives attendance increases. I agree it is not advertised enough.

a Happy Patriots Day to you! oh, wait... that would be the wrong team still... I can't think of anything but Hit it Scotty, hit it! still wrong? sorry. Just for you: Go Bills!

Home Run of the Century - I always stand and clap for that, I have to be in my sheet before that starts because I love that moment

that is Truth

I am a tad bit surprised they are calling up from Columbus already.

why not?

this is something that I feel too

PA, that is where love trumps - in 1 Corinthians 13 - and that is God's love that trumps as I see it, not any action we can do. I really appreciated your post, thank you. In all I say, for me knowing God in Christ, Christ is the center (which is a great book by Bonhoeffer, Christ the Center). With Christ as center, as kapkomet says, all else follows. I don't understand the John citation as exclusionary as some do and that is ok because the Spirit leads us all to the one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one Church. And in God's house there are many rooms, there is not one monolithic doctrinal stance. In Christ we are free. I understand that in the whole context of what the entire Gospel of John says is my prism for looking at any one verse - and indeed the greatest commandment is to love one another. So the totality of it all being love - that keeps coming home to me. Kap, I thank you for your words, thank you. I am not so sure that is what separates us from others but it may also be a hair splitting of the most minute kind to discuss that and the greater unity is found in Christ and that's all where I need to leave it. There is no test of doctrine we take! God's grace suffices for us all! I4E, people read different things in the New Testatment (Christian Covenant) as they do with the Prime Covenant (I hate the term Old Testament). Christianity has as much diversity as Judaism. Its all good. We all need each other. No one group, be they whoever, has all the understandings of God. It is in our diversity that we begin to comprehend.

I4E, not every Christian embraces that theology. At the very least there is the passage in the epsitles of Peter and elsewhere which speak of a descent to the dead by Christ so that those who die without Christ have a chance. Hence in the creeds we confess that Jesus descended to the dead. As well, there are those who understand that as Paul argues we (especially we being Gentiles) know God through Christ. That certainly does allow for those who know God without Christ, those of the Jewish faith, as that is what was writing about in that portion of Romans. It also allows that there may be other ways by which God is known. Judgment is not mine on others, on how they know God. 1 Corinthians tells us that love trumps faith so for me as God is love, that love will triumph for all. Grace will abound. And there are those who believe that one must have a specific faith in Christ alone and everyone else is without God. I am in the second camp. That will elicit strong disagreement from some, especially as I read some of the posts in this thread. There are different ways of understanding the Christian faith, theology is vast and yet no where near as vast as God. And I4E I am not about to get into a prolonged argument with those will differ on my theological stance. The Scriptures are the source for the faith and life of the Church for me and there I stand. I have heard all of the arguments and know all of the Biblical passages relevant very well. To dispute that here will get us no where because I am convinced by Scriptures. That Christians may disagree and be members of the Church is a strength of the faith. Although I suspect I may get called a few names too based on what I have seen in this thread - but then, life is forgiveness.

anger is a place where we often need to be for a time on the road to forgiveness - we just can't live there - it is also as human and natural as can be - so it is a place we will pass through - your caveat about what we are allowed to do while angry is well phrased