Weekend Pictorial Review

I had a personal day to burn before the school year expires and you know what the means: a trip to Wrigley!

 The Wrigley marquee has been repainted green and gold in a nice attempt to turn the clock back to the 1930's.  The Cubs are celebrating a different decade each homestand this season.

My day didn't start at the corner of Addison and Clark though.  Say hello to Beyoncé everyone!

Yep, raccoon number two.  Thanks to those who made name suggestions: Barbara Streisand, Kathy Bates, and Bjork.  All great suggestions, but I think my wife was sold on Beyoncé.

How about some fun on the way to Wrigley?  I've only had my new ride for about three weeks and I've already suffered through my first flat tire.

 No punctures or tears, but it appears instead I threw a belt inside the tire.  How does one accomplish that feat on a straight highway? 

Who accompanied me in playing hookie for the day?  My partner in crime was my sister!

 Jane is always a great travel companion.

Ten thousand Babe Ruth "Called Shot" bobbleheads were being given away at the game today.  Even with the flat tire we were able to make it in time to snag one!  Score!

Above is a picture of Babe calling what I'm going to consume next: a Chicago style hot dog with all the fixings!  Yum!

 So, we arrived at the game about thirty minutes before first pitch, but there were plenty of bobbleheads still available.  Why so?

If you guessed miserable weather conditions you certainly wouldn't be wrong.  Forty degrees, windy, and wet.  Yuck.  My sister and I downed four hot chocolates during the course of the game in an attempt to stay warm.

How about something new at Wrigley?  I'm game!  Here's a quick shot of one of the staircases to from the concourse to the field level.  Each one featured a scorecard from a previous decade. 

The former pitcher in me favored this one the most.  Oh, and for the record, the Cubs lost 4-3 to the first place Brewers, who did not have Carlos Gomez, Aramis Ramirez, or Ryan Braun in the lineup.  Go figure.

I worked the PA system for the high school baseball doubleheader on Saturday.  Sunny and 60!  Much better than the near freezing temps I suffered through the previous day.

Then I headed off to my parents' house to help my dad with a couple of projects and was rewarded with chocolate chip cookies!  Thanks Mom!

Sunday?  Sunday started much like Friday did.

 Channing Tatum? Following the naming guidelines given in the previous post, Channing is best my wife could come up with.  This guy managed to flip the trap on its side and take out part of a rose bush.  What a party animal!  Next up, a female name which starts with the letter "D."

I don't know that I've shown off my new mode of transportation yet on the blog.

In this case, it's a two-for-one shot!  I purchased a 2014 Mazda CX-5 about three weeks ago.  It offers plenty of storage and up to 35 mpg on the highway (when the tire is not flat).  On top of my new ste of wheels is my new stand up paddleboard.  I'm pretty excited to try it out next weekend!  Another hat-tip goes out to my mom for making the straps for the roof rack.

The weekend concluded with the class of 2014's graduation ceremony.

 Another school year is almost in the books.  About two-and-a-half more weeks before finals are completed and I can enter into my summer slumber! 

Thanks for stopping by today. For those of you hungry to see something baseball card related I think I sense another edition of Pack Wars coming up before too long!

Name the Next Raccoon

Over the course of the last couple of weeks the bird feeders in the backyard have been ransacked.  My wife and I love to sit at the dinner table and watch the little peepers fly in and out, but someone or something had been increasing my maintenance schedule of the feeders.  Then one night last week when I was checking to make sure the exterior doors to the house were locked before turning-in I saw a raccoon perched atop the baffle of our shepherd's hook.  

Holy smokes!

This prompted a trip to my parents' to borrow their live trap and the immediate implementation of  Operation Raccoon Removal.

I set up the trap last night at the base of the shepherd's hook and baited it with dry cat food.  (Shhhh... don't tell the cats!)

What were the results this morning?

Jackpot!

 Everyone, meet Ashton!  Ashton, this is the blogosphere!  We're going to name each raccoon much like the meteorologists name hurricanes, but with a celebrity slant to it.

 Hmmm...  there's a little resemblance... both are a little scraggly and have shifty eyes. 

Laura and I took Ashton seven miles north to a nice wooded area with a pond this morning.

 We think Ashton, because of his small size, was part of the litter we saw roaming our neighborhood last fall.  If that's the case, then he'll be joined by another raccoon before too long.

In fact, help us name the next one!  I offered up Britney, but my wife likes Beyoncé. 

If you have a female celebrity name that starts with the letter 'B', then feel free to add it to the comments.  If my wife likes your suggestion more, then we'll use your suggestion AND I'll send a little cardboard love your way. 

Round 2 of Operation Raccoon Removal begins tonight!

Thanks for reading!

Someday I'll Reach 2,000 Posts...

... and when I do, I'll do it in style like PATP.  Congrats on Play at the Plate on logging his 2,000th post!  Now, go celebrate with him: click here!

Mmmm... Teacher Appreciation Week

The teacher's lounge has been jammed packed with sweets his week courtesy of our local Parent's Club.  But, the best sweet I've sampled came via a coworker today:

All hail the "brookie" or "slutty brownie," which is a chocolate chip cookie/Oreo/brownie dessert.  Three great items baked into one sinfully scrumptious morsel.  The picture does NOT do it justice. 

Looking for the recipe? In my opinion, totally worth spending an hour in the kitchen.

Trade Post with 2 Types of Cardboard

Dave, a reader of my humble little blog, sent me a couple of nice Cubs items in exchange for some cards of Cargo and Kong.  We both seemed pretty happy with the loot and I'm pretty excited to show my side of the deal off.

Holy Smokes!  An unused ticket to Ron Santo's induction in Cooperstown!

I have a cabinet for such items and this one is going front and center.  What an awesome piece of memorabilia! The only thing I can imagine being better is if I actually made it to Cooperstown that year to celebrate.

So, that's one piece of "cardboard."  Now let's take a look at the more traditional type of cardboard seen on this blog.

I have ripped more than my fair share of Topps Opening Day in the past, but I've never been fortunate enough to pull an autograph.

Josh Vitters is a former #1 draft pick from 2007, and he's only 24, but he's running out of time to make it in The Show.  I have an in-person auto of Vitters on a Peoria Chief card, but this certified autograph is pretty nice for a sticker.

Thanks for contacting me about a possible trade, Dave.  I couldn't be happier!

Before I sign off, I have to show off the Dave Kingman cards I sent Dave.

Five cards and four different teams. What's even better is the Upper Deck card titled "Bellbottomed Bashers."  What a crazy insert name!