Very Excited about the Upcoming Tour de France

Tour de France – so many questions, Armstrong’s comeback, 2 defending champs (Contadora and Sastre), can Levi Leipheimer and Christian VandeVelde (Chicago’s own, CVdV’s kid was baptized by my friend, Father Larry) rebound, Menchov is hot, the Schleck brothers, Cadell Evans runner-up last 2 years? Biggest question tho – can I get the Ridgewood Tap, total blue collar dive bar, to put the TDF on one of their TVs?

I am an avid biker but I started watching, and loving, the Tour de France, years before I started biking. It was part Lance Armstrong era (altho he's not my current fav), best announcers in the business - Phil and Paul, it was like taking a 3 week tour of France in my living room each July and the mystery of biking strategy (still not completely comfortable with it) and the team aspect.

Musings on Cub Relief Issues

Cubs Relief Pitching Situation is a Mess

Of course Carlos Marmol is having a bad year. At the beginning of the year, Lou and Larry Rothschild (HFHS grad), essentially told Marmol that he was not as good as Kevin Gregg when they made Gregg the closer. Turns out Gregg sucks (although he shut down the Sox in the 9th (6/26/09); even a broken clock is right twice a day (or once if digital)). So of course Marmol has to be thinking that if I am not as good as Gregg, and Gregg sucks, then I must really suck. And thus it has turned into a self fulfilling prophesy and what looks to be another mediocre season for our Cubs. Way to go Lou and Larry.

Cubs v White Sox at Harper House

Daughters are huge White Sox fans. OK with me, who needs a lifetime of Cub aggravation.

Joe Crede trade to the Twins brings their loyalty and devotion to the Sox in question - they quit referring to the Twins as the Twinks and recently heard this, “never really hated the Twins, always thought they were plucky”.

Now being asked if there is a cable channel that shows Twins games.

Sentiment that lack of J Crede brought about Sox aesthetic degradation heard from their mother/my spouse and female contingent of Flossmoor Running Club.

Friday Morning Bike Rides

Try to bike 20-35 mi on Friday mornings before work. Have to get up early, but that's ok because I get up early anyway. Love my Fri AM rides - peaceful, wind is usually nonexistent to calm and the roads are relatively clear of autos. A little tired at work, but you know what - its Friday and I can gut it out.

Route choices:

• Old Plank Trail west to Frankfort or to Hickory Creek in Mokena
• South - Park Forest to GSU to Monee, sometimes as far as the Monee Reservoir off of Pauling Rd.
• Southeast - Park Forest to Steger to Crete via the fantastic Richton and Kings Rds.
• Northwest - to Tinley trails through Oak Forest and Palos Heights. Route requires going north on the fantastic Central Ave (newly paved 2 years ago) bw Flossmoor Rd and 167th St.
• North through the underrated neighborhoods of the south side of Chicago (West Pullman Park and Roseland)and Riverdale. Scary - not at 6:30 in the morning and on a bike. May not be that scary anyway.

Pic from Friday AM bike ride, Spring 09

A Chicagoan Gets into His Ethnicity

Apparently there is some law that in Chicago that you have to make a big deal out of your ethnicity. So after a little thinking, and even less research, here is why I am proud to be Danish:

• Danes dominated the Baltic and North Sea late first, early second millenium; that’s right, regularly kicked Sweden’s butt, kept the Germanic tribes in line and used England as a vacation home.
• Danes have not allowed Germans to own ocean front land since being occupied in WWII. Forgive some of it, forget none of it, and don’t let ‘em have any of the prime real estate.
• Scuttled their navy under German occupation in WWII so ships could not be used by Nazis and got most Danish Jews to Sweden before things got bad.
• Respectable intntl table tennis teams. We (yea, I can see how this ethnicity thing is appealing, its fun to say “we” when talking about people you have nothing else in common with) play the Chinese tough, but usually lose.
• Other – best form of govmnt (constitutional monarchy), happiest people, 2nd most peaceful country (after Iceland) – source the always 100% impeccably accurate Wikipedia
• Other, part 2 - home of Nicki Sorensen, an otherwise average pro cyclist who won stage 12 of the 2009 Tour de France.
  
  So who’s up for a Danish Day Parade? Heard there is an opening in Beverly in the middle of March.