Dykstra spelled backwards is Artskyd

Today is the 10th anniversary of Harry Caray's death. Check out HomeRunDerby's article on Harry. Growing up in the 80's, when there were only 30 cable channels, exposure to the Cubs was easy via Chicago's Own: WGN Channel 9. I mean we were all watching "The Grand Prize Game" on The Bozo Show anyway. If you didn't have to turn the station so your sister could watch Nickelodeon, you were probably going to catch a Cubs game or two. You couldn't even get through a commercial break without hearing Caray's Budweiser commercials.

Movies like The Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller's Day Off were responsible for putting Chicago and Wrigley imagery in my mind. I mean the whole world knows Wrigley Field's address, doesn't it? (1060 W. Addison) Combined with the facts that the Bears were my favorite team in the 80's and that the Barons have been the White Sox's AA farm team since circa '85, I've always had Chicago on my mind.

But I didn't really begin to immerse myself into Cub Nation until I met my first college roommate. Let's just call him "Archie." Well, Archie loves the Cubbies, and slowly but surely, he got me hooked. All those lazy college afternoons watching WGN on a 13" T.V. in the dorm, hearing Harry Caray slobbering on about players' names and pointing out all the fans' signage, all the while imagining Steve Stone carefully monitoring the number of Budweisers being consumed. Because even a newcomer to Cubs broadcasts will quickly learn that "not only is Harry a Cub fan, he's a Bud Man."

All of Harry's quirks, spitting out great names like Gary Gaetti, Andres Galarraga, Jason Isringhausen, Scott Servais, and even [by the 5th inning] Mark Grace, quickly grew on me. He loved to randomly pronounce players' names backwards. "Holy Cow" was his trademark catchphrase, no matter who else used it. Concerning it, he said this: "I started in broadcasting in 1945 doing the Cardinals and saying ‘Holy Cow.’ [Legendary NY Yankee] Rizzuto was just a shortstop. ‘Holy Cow’ is mine."

He died before the season in 1998, missing seeing the Cubs get the NL Wild Card after a one-game playoff with the Giants. It seemed fitting, Harry's passing, 90 years since the last WS - really thought for a half-second there that it could happen. Then I would really join Cub Nation when I would feel the heartache in the Divisional Playoffs that year - losing to the stinkin' Braves. The Cubs heartache and joy have only increased each year since. If only he could still be here to present it to us.

The Rocket's Code Red

Speaking of Congressman Waxman & the Rocket (see below), the PintPundit has brought to my attention this humorous take on last week's exchanges on Capitol Hill, via author David Harsanyi's blog:

Clemens: You want answers?

Congressman: I think I’m entitled to them.

Clemens: You want answers?

Congressman: I want the truth!

Clemens: You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has baseballs. And those balls have to be hit by men with bats. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Mister Waxman? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for steroids and curse HGH. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that HGH, while illegal, probably sells tickets. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, sells tickets.

You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties - you want me on that mound. You need me on that mound. We use words like fastball, slider, splitfinger - we use these words as the backbone of a life spent playing a sport. You use ‘em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and falls asleep to the very SportsCenter clips that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide them! I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a bat and take a swing. Either way, I don’t give a [darn] what you think you’re entitled to!

Congressman: Did you order the HGH?

Clemens: I did the job you sent me to do-

Congressman: DID YOU ORDER THE HGH?

Clemens: YOU'RE [DAGGUM] RIGHT I DID!!

Who knew ice could go bad?

Countdown: this ice could become deadly in 22 months.

Did you know that ice has an expiration date? Well, it does. So please, don't become another statistic. Pay attention to your ice's expiration date, your life may just depend on it.

Tuna With a Heart

So I'm flipping through the telley this morning trying to find a channel that wasn't blathering about the Clemens hearing and I saw this guy named Congressman Waxman yipping on about who knows what. Then it hits me, he was the president of Schooner Tuna in 1983's Mr. Mom! Remember the "Tuna With a Heart"?

Howard Humphries or the distinguished gentleman from California?

The fellow in the left two images is the late Canadian character actor Graham Jarvis. Jarvis was best known for his steady work as a character actor on many, many television shows over the years, including the short-lived soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. More recently he portrayed one of the grandfathers on 7th Heaven (the other was the great Peter Graves). Unfortunately Jarvis lost his battle with multiple myeloma in 2003, passing away at age 72.

Anywho, I just figured I'd share a look-alike (albeit an obscure one) for my first blawg of aught eight. Enjoy. Feel free to scroll through all my past doppelganging fun here.