On May 18, 1998, I witnessed a rare event in baseball…Mike Blowers (of all random players) hit for the Cycle at Comiskey and I was there to bare witness. At the time, Andrew mentioned the significance of the cycle: as rare as a no-hitter, only 241 cycles in baseball history (in 1998), with players like Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle being among those enshrined in the stat books.
Nine years later, while I was basking in the glory and luck of seeing a Cycle-even if it was Mike …

The last time Gavin Floyd almost threw a no-hitter this season, the White Sox hit two grand slams in the same game the next day. Tonight, the day after Gavin Floyd almost through another no-hitter, it was Carlos Gomez of the Twins, not someone from the White Sox, who set a milestone hitting. He is only the second player to hit for a reverse cycle (hitting a HR, triple, double and single in that order) since MLB expanded to divisions in 1969. It is also:
1) The Twins’ first cycle in …

The Champions League Final is the grand-daddy of European Club Football contests.
This year, the final is in Moscow and in a new development, all ticket holders attending the Champions League final are able to use their game ticket as a free, visa entry to the Russian Federation for a 72-hour period.
Don’t get too excited about the “free” 72 hour visa with ticket. The way that I calculate it…a Russian Visa is anywhere from $150-$200. A Champions League Ticket? About $1500 Euro.

I previously wrote about our favorite rooftop owner in a stalemate with Cubs on a fair rooftop rent agreement. Seems like Tom now is paying the rent to the Cubs in a new agreement announced in today’s press release.
Since we are bartering our garage for access to coveted rooftop games, we have a vested interest in this squabble over rent. Thank God the rent is paid and the Cubs won’t obstruct his view…or should I say “our” view? Remember, rent paid to …

Last night I bought 3 tickets to the Players Championship for this Friday off eBay for $40 each (face value is $75). As usual, I checked the prices on StubHub, TicketsNow and craigslist to determine the market price for grounds tickets. It seemed most people were looking for $55-65 per ticket.
Since I am going with my parents I decided to buy tickets ahead of time rather than on site. Now I need to pick up the tickets on the day of the event.

In case you ever wondered whether you could make a sporting trip out of any trip, well…it is certain that you can. We went deep into the South of Texas to visit my grandfather in Mission, Texas. The closest large city is McAllen, Texas, and it is minutes from two border towns in Mexico – Progresso and Reynosa.
Andrew had to do a bit of searching to find a game to hit while in Texas, but of course, he came up fruitful. I wrongly assumed …

Give me a city and I will find you an event “worth” going to. I cannot promise an event that is significant in sports stature or history, but I can promise you some novel promotions, a night’s worth of entertainment and some tall tale beer stories to tell your friends when you are buying a $7 brew at your next NFL game.
Nicole and I were in South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley – a rural area near the border of Mexico. The best sporting event option in the area …

While searching for Minor League Baseball in South Texas, I read a headline that reported the Cubs’ Midwest League Class A affiliate Peoria Chiefs will be hosting Chicago’s only affiliated minor league team Kane County Cougars at Wrigley Field on Tue, July 29. It is believed to be the first minor league game in Wrigley Field’s 94 year history.
If the Cubs’ sell more than 10,000 tickets, the game will count as one of their 30 night games, so that could have impact on the scheduling of a future Cubs’ …

This afternoon, Nicole and I are flying to Harlingen, TX to visit her grandfather (who lives in Mission, TX). Of course, I wanted to see if any sporting events were planned for the weekend in South Texas or Northern Mexico.
San Antonio: At first, I thought to check San Antonio. However, San Antonio is a 252 mile, 4.5 hour drive north. There is not enough time for that kind of drive.
South South Texas: My first step in searching for sporting events in an area is to logon to Ticketmaster.com and search …

The point of this blog is not to analyze player’s performance on the field, but Kerry Wood’s performance in yesterday’s Brewers / Cubs game was so poor (giving up 3 runs in the top of the 9th to lose the game 4-3) it has to be recognized. We have been through many incarnations of Kerry:
1998: Rookie Sensation – it’s amazing how a 20 strikeout performance in your 5th career start can carry you through a career.1999: Out for season with Tommy John surgery2000-2002: Averaged 28 starts per season, but …