H is for Hank Sauer

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

H is for Hank

Hank Sauer

1917 - 2001

Hank Sauer , a 2 time all star and NL MVP of 1952 was a Cubs outfielder from 1950 to 1955.   He hit 288 homers in his 15 major league seasons.  His 7 seasons with the Cubbies yielded 198 of those round trippers which puts him 9th all time for the club.

For More A to Z Blogging click here.  

H is for How it Should Have Ended

G is for Gabby

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

G is for Gabby

Charles  Leo "Gabby" Hartnett(HOF)
1900-1972

Cubs, (NY)Giants

Gabby Hartnett hit 231 homers for the Cubs from 1922 to 1940 which puts him 7th all time with the club.  The 6 time all star and 1935 NL MVP is best remember for 1 specific homer,  The homer in the gloaming which took place 9/26 1938.  Before I get to the significance of the homer , let me explain how baseball in 1938 from the baseball we understand.

1. Until the late 60's there were no playoff series prior to the World Series.   Each year the best team in the National League would play the best team in the American League in the World Series.  The entire season was played to determine which team would win the pennant and play in the World Series.

2.  While the first MLB night game was played in 1934, night games were still not common in 1938 and not played at Wrigley Field until 1988.

The Pittsburgh Pirates led the NL for most of the 1938 season but started to unravel in September. When they came into Chicago for a 3 game series , the Cubs were only 1 1/2 games behind the Bucs.  Dizzy Dean who was traded from the Cards to the Cubs in 1938 beat the Pirates in the first game.  In the 2nd game the score was tied 5-5  as the Cubs came to bat in the 9th.  Because Wrigley had no lights the umpires decided that the 9th inning would be the last which would cause the entire game to be replayed the next day.



The Cubs were down to their last out and Hartnett was 0-2 in the account.  As twilight descended Hartnett homered into the left center bleachers and the crowd erupted.  The Cubs essentially won the pennant on that home run.

Hartnett hit all but 5 of homers for the Cubs but his walk off in 1938 put the immortal touch on an already HOF career,

For More A to Z Blogging click here.  

G is for Grover

You Tube A TO Z

G is for Grover

I grew up on Sesame Street.  I mean the television show, not the actual street.  My love for all things Muppets began watching sketches like these on PBS.  Like many sesame street sketches of it's time, it starts with a usual situation and put's an educational/wacky take on it.

For more blogging A to Z click here.

F is for Frank

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

F is for Frank

Frank "Wildfire" Schulte
1882-1949

Cubs, Pirates, Phillies and Senators

When composing a list such as this, it is fairly common to come across a player you are only vaguely familiar with.  But that is not the case with Frank Schulte, I had never heard of him.  Schulte was a contemporary of Tinker, Evers and Chance and played for the Cubs from 1904 to 1916. He was the 1911 NL MVP and (get ready for this) played in 4 World Series with the Cubs losing to the White Sox in 1906, beating the Tigers in 1907 and 1908 and lost to the Philadelphia Athleticss in 1910.  He hit .321 in those 4 World Series.  Schulte hit 91 home runs for the Cubs and only hit 1 more after he left the team in 1916.  

For More A to Z Blogging click here.  

F is for Facebook

You Tube A TO Z

F is for Facebook

I am a big fan of the work of Rhett & Link.  Their video Facebook was one of the first things I was of theirs.  While it's true that FB has changed over the years this song still works.

For more A to Z blogging click here.

E is for Ernie

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

E is for Ernie

Ernie Banks "Mr. Cub" HOF

Cubs, 

Ernie Banks broke the Cubs color barrier in 1953 and played his entire Hall of Fame career with the Cubs retiring in 1971 and being a good will ambassador for the club until his death last year.  

Banks was an 11 time all star and 2 time NL MVP.  His  512 homers was a Cubs record until Sammy Sosa broke it in 2004.  

For More A to Z Blogging click here.  

E is for Embarrasing Videos

You Tube A TO Z

E is for Embarrasing Videos

My currently  14 year old son would just assume this video was never shot.  But that didn't stop us from posting it on FB and You Tube.

For more A to Z blogging click here.

D is for Dawson

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

D is for Dawson

Andre Nolan "Hawk" Dawson

Expos, Cubs, Red Sox, Marlins

Like, Billy Williams, Andre Dawson  made his MLB  debut at the age of 21.  And like Williams He was Rookie of the  year.  But unlike Williams who debuted with the Cubs, Dawson played his first eleven seasons with the Montreal Expos (Currently: The Washington Nationals).    He came to the Cubs in 1987 in spectacular fashion hitting 49 Homers (He never hit more than 32 in a season before or since) and winning the NL MVP for a Cubs team that went 76-85.  It' hard to imagine how much worse they would have been w/o him.  Dawson played the Outfield for the Cubs from '87 to'92 and had 174 of his 438 MLB homers with the Cubs which puts him 13th all time for  the Cubbies.

For More A to Z Blogging click here.  

D is for Debate

You Tube A TO Z

D is for Debates

In 2015 and 2016 I watched a lot of the Presidential debates since I do not have broadcast television and also since I was not home during many of the debates I watches a lot of them through you-tube.  Todays video is from one of the 2007-2008 debates where Mike Huckabee scored big with many voters with this response.




For more A to Z blogging click here.

A to Z Challenge Simulpost C

YBD: Your Basic Dave: C is for Captain America: Superheroes A to Z C is for Captain America Full Name: Steve Rogers Captain America Comics #1 (1941) Notable Team Affilia...

C is for Cap

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

C is for Cap

Adrian Consrantine "Cap" Anson (HOF)
1852- 1922

Rockford, Philadephia, Chicago

Cap Anson was a first base  for the Cubs from 1876 to 1897 and manages the team 17 of those years.   Back then the Cubs were known as the "White Stockings" and  the stockings weren't the only thing white about those teams.   Anson was one of the first stars of the sport and one of it's leading racists.  As a manager he signed contracts for games against player that had african americans on them that said they could not play against Anson's club.  This of course was typical of post civil war life, but still very unsettling.

Anson hit all of his 97 Homers as a member of the White Stockings. This ties him for 23 on the Cubs all time HR list.

For More A to Z Blogging click here.  

C is for Change Bank

You Tube A TO Z

C is for Change Bank

I absolutely love these "commercials" from Saturday Night Live.  Like many things from SNL I heard these quoted before I actually saw the bits.  

For more A to Z blogging click here.

Playoff Beard Day 8

Hawks beat Bruins 6-4. 3 games remain in season.

 There are many great things I like about the early Spring.  The beginning of baseball season,  gearing up for the Blackhawks (and sometimes the  Bulls) playoff runs,  my wedding anniversary, and Easter Sunday are just a few of them.

For the past 3 years Judson University's Imago Film Festival   has become one of those great things I associate with the beginning of Spring.  I came home  just a few hours ago from the fifth and final evening of the 12th annual festival and want to relate my experience of the event.

The Mission statement for the festival states that  they showcase independent films that deals with faith issues that emphasize image and story. I attended each night of the festival this year and the 15  

official selections that were screened certainly met the missions statements criteria.  

Terrence Wandtke stated several times in festival literature and at the festival itself, that many of the years selections dealt with themes of love and loss.  He was certainly correct in that assertion, and the 4 winning films all dealt with that topic in one way or another.

My favorite film of the 4 winners,  Not the End,  won the Audience Choice award.  

The 2nd runner up as decided by the Judges was Speed Dating.

The 1st runner up was Persimmon.

'

Best in Show was the Oscar Nominated short, We can't live Without Cosmos.

$2,000.00 was divided unevenly between the winning 4 films.

I am sure you will be able to find all 4 movies on line at some point, if you have interest in viewing them - perhaps even at Imago's You Tube Channel.  However, my week at Imago reinforced my belief in the importance of the communal experience of watching movies.  I encourage any of you in the Chicago area to come to Elgin next year to experience Imago 2017 with me.  

If any of you were wondering why it took me 2 hours after coming home before I wrote this review, It is because after all that film watching I wanted to do some more.  I just finished watching my first full length feature on someone else's blog post.  From time to time someone will put a link to an entire movie from you tube on their blog. On Friday I saw a link to the movie Angel and the Badman, a 1947 John Wayne film.  I had not seen it before so have been watching it after the festival for the past 2 nights.  It is a film that deals with faith issues and emphasized image and story.  So it was a perfect post Imago activity.  Perhaps soon, I'll review it here.   Before that happens, I plan to screen the film for an audience, my family.

A to Z Challenge Simulpost B

Superheroes A to Z
B is for Beast

Full Name Hank McCoy

First Appearance X-Men #1 1963

Notable team affiliations: X-men,Avengers and Defenders

As I mentioned yesterday, I did not choose the obvious choice for a superhero that begins with the letter b.  To show how obvious it is I filmed this impromptu piece with my family.

   

Bisquick Man notwithstanding, Batman seems to be the obvious choice for superhero today.  If you know anything about me, know this - my choices are not obvious.


I like Beast because he brings humor and pathos to situations sorely in need of it.  Besides that "Oh my stars and garters" is one of the best superhero catchphrases ever.

But wait a second did my wife really guess Barney b4  she guessed man.  Let's see about that ...


nd
For more A to Z blogging click here.

B is for Billy

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

B is for Billy

Billy  Leo Williams (HOF)

Cubs, A's

Billy Williams made his d ebut with the Chicago Cubs on August 6, 1959 at the age of 21.  He was Rookie of the  year in 1961  and  a six time all star.  He played for the Cubs through the 1974 season He hit 392 of his 426  homers for the Cubs which is 3rd  all time.    He was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 1986.

For More A to Z Blogging click here.  

Playoff Beard Day 7

Crazy Uncle Dave "Pretend" voics of the Black Hawks dispenses his Hawks Nuggets

Hawks Nugget1 :  On this day in 1972 Bobby Hull scored his 604th goal as a blackhawk

Hawks Nugget 2 :  Thanks to NHL tie breaking procedures the Hawks only need 1 point to stay out of the 1st wild card spot now held by the Nashville Predators.  The only way the Preds can overtake the Hawks for the 3rd spot in the central is if they win their remaining 3 games in regulation and the Hawks drop their last 4 in regulation.  The Hawks cannot overtake Dallas  (the best they could do is lose the tie breaker) for 1st in the Central but can still catch St. Louis for 2nd in the Central.

B is for Buehrle

You Tube A TO Z

B is for Buehrle

One thing you see lots of on you tube is sports plays and commercials.    This post includes one of each.


In 2010 one of my favorite White Sox Players, Mark Buehrle  started off the season with this  phenomenal play
.








 The next year the White Sox made this epic commercial as an homage to the fantastic play using Buehrle and Sox Announcer Hawk Harrelson in cameos.



 

For more A to Z blogging click here.

A to Z Challenge Simulpost A

Today is the beginning of A to Z challenge 2016.  This is the first time I am participating from YBD as YBD hardly existed last April.  My theme is the one I planned to use at HSD this year.  The theme is comic book characters.

A is for Alfred

Full Name:  Alfred Pennyworth

Occupation:  Wayne Family Butler and aide to Batman

First Appearance:  Batman #16 (1943)

Cover from first appearance of Alfred

I chose Alfred rather than a hero for several reasons.  Antman and Atom kind of cancel each other out and I have never been a big fan of aquaman.  Alfred is what my Father-in-law used to call a secret hero, the character in a show that is the glue that holds everything together.  I am also including him here as I am not including his employer tomorrow.  Batman is one of the mainstays of comicbook lore and since I am not featuring him tomorrow, I am going out of my way to make room for other members of the "Batman Family" in my list.

For more A to Z blogging click here.

ADDED BONUS.

A few years ago my kids absolutely fell in love with the book Super Hero ABC by Bob
McLeod

Click on the image to get the book from Amazon.

As I run through the letter of the alphabet I will try to show pages from this fine book as well

A is for Aramis

Cubs Home run hitters from Aramis to Zimmerman

It is time once again for the A to Z challenge.  Last year, I went from A to Z with White Sox Home run hitters.  This year, I turn my attention to my 2nd favorite ball club, The Chicago Cubs.

Everyday in April with the exception of Sundays, I will be featuring a different Cubs player.  
All homerun info is through the 2015 season.

A is for Aramis

Aramis Ramirez

Cubs, Pirates, Brewers

Aramis Ramirez came to the Cubs from the Pirates during the 2003 season and played for the Cubs through the 2011 season.  Ramirez has hit 239 of his so far 386 homers for the Cubs.  This is 6th all time for the Cubs.  

For More A to Z Blogging click here. 

Playoff Beard Day 6 

For those of you stopping in from a to z blogging you may not know that I am posting daily pics of my playoff  beard as well as a staus on the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks beat  the WInnipeg Jets 5-4 in OT this evening.  The Hawks have 4 games remaining.  The St.  Louis Blues remain their probable 1st round playoff match up.

A is for Airplane

You Tube A TO Z

A is for Airplane

I asked my son, Spider Droid to share some of the fine points of Paper Airplane making.

Here is some footage of him teaching his method to our family 

Spider Droid turned the camera on me and walked me again through the process


I guess there's nothing more to say except the closing.

For more blogging A to Z click here.

Playoff beard Day 5

The last 4 regular season games for the Blackhawks are as follows

April 1st @ Winnipeg

April 3 vs. Boston

April 5 vs Arizona

April 7 vs. St. Louis

playoff beard day 4

The Blackhawks are 0-1 since clinching the playoffs Sunday night.  They have 5 games remaining in the regular season.

Playoff beard day 3

Hawks give no reason to smile losing to wild 4-1
going 0-5 in season series

With 5 games left to play Hawks are only 4 points ahead of Predators for 3rd spot in Central.

Playoff beard day 2

3/28/2016

The Chicago Blackhawks clinched the playoffs yesterday, so this is officially the 2nd day of my playoff beard.  The Blackhawks would play the St. Louis Blues if the playoffs began today.

At this point I plan to shave my beard when 1 of the following 2 events transpire

A) The Black Hawks win 16 2016 playoff games and win their 4th Stanley Cup in 7 years.

OR

B) They lose 4 playoff games in the same playoff series.

So the end of my playoff beard posts will contain a countdown like this,

Beard goes in 16 Wins or 4 more losses to (team they are currently playing).

So if the Hawks do end up playing the Blues and end up taking the Blues to a game 7. 

The countdown the day before the game would read

Beard goes in 13 more playoff wins or 1 more loss to the Blues.

If the Blackhawks beat the Blues in game 7 the countdown would read

Beard goes in 12 more playoff wins or 4 more losses to Next opponent

I am sure I over explained the crud out of that.  But you probably get it.  

Playoff beard day 1

The Chicago Blackhawks qualified for the NHL playoffs this evening with a win over Vancouver.  This means that thus starts my playoff beard.  I shaved this morning prior to going to church for Easter Sunday.

I do not plan until shaving again until the Hawks are finished in the playoffs.  That means until they lose a playoff series or win 16 playoff games and repeat as NHL champs whichever

 comes first until then I'm on the road to beard city.

The Blackhawks beat the Canucks 3-2 to bring their record to 44-25-7.  This gave them 95 points so far for the season.  The Colorado Avalanche, who are currently the 9th place team in the Westertn Conference do not have enough points to overtake the Hawks even if they (the Avalanche) were to win their remains 7 games.  This means that the Blackhawks will compete in the playoffs.

The Hawks still have 6 regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin.  If the playoffs began today they would play the St. Louis Blues in the opening round.  They are 2-2 against the Blues this season with 1 regular season matchup against them in April remaining on the schedule.

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal

A week from today all the fun begins at Blogging from A to Z.

This past Monday I was supposed to reveal my theme, but I did not quite get to it.  My theme this year will be Superheroes.

I will go through A to Z with 26 characters from superhero comics.  I will have 13 from the DC universe and 13 from Marvel.  I still plan on reverting back to my Home School Dad blog on May 1st so I will be simulposting all of them there.

To check out other themes for those taking the challenge click here.

See you on April 1st, it should be Super!

Simulposting from YBD

A to Z Theme Reveal Cubs Home Run Leaders

Sammy Sosa and Ryne Sandberg #1 and # 5 All time Cubs Homer keaders

Last year at this time,  I participated in Blogging from A to Z.  I will be doing so again this year.  Last year I did White Sox Home run leaders from A.J. Pierzynski to Zeke Bonura.  This year I will be featuring my seconf favorite baseball team in the 2nd city, The Chicago Cubs.  Yes, every day in April except Sundays, I will feature a home run leader of the Cubbies from Aramis Ramirez on April 1st to Heinie Zimmerman on April 30th.

Billy Williams and Ron Santo stand ready to congratulate Ernie Banks after his 400th HR

All time Cubs Home Run leaders (L to R)   Banks (2nd) , Santo (4th)  and Williams (3rd)

For more reveals head on over to Blogging from A to Z

Dave out loud A-Z theme "reveal"

For more a to z  challenge click here.

Statement by Dr. Ben Carson on Leaving the Presidential Campaign Trail

I was looking forward to voting for Ben Carson later this month in the Illinois primary.  He dropped out of the race last week.  Here is the statement he made regarding dropping out.  The entire statement can be found here.

I have lived a blessed life and achieved more success than I ever dreamed was possible. Running for President was never on my bucket list, and when I was drafted by a grassroots movement asking me to do so, it was not a decision that I made lightly and saw as an act of service. 

However, I believed that my values, life experience and common sense solutions put me in a position to help get our nation back on track for the sake of our children and grandchildren. This grueling endeavor would not have been worth it for any other reason.

When I began exploring a run for President as a private citizen detached from the political class, I had neither a political team nor a national network of wealthy donors standing by waiting to support me.

We had to build a grassroots campaign from scratch by reaching out to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible and through every means possible, resulting in indisputable success. This movement consistently outraised the entire Republican field, got onto every ballot and built a 50-state, bricks-and-mortar campaign infrastructure to share my story, values and solutions. It was an historic feat, and I’ll be forever grateful to my team and my incredible supporters, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America, on behalf of the best interests of the American people.

I hope my presence added a measure of civility to the race, raised issues that would not otherwise have been discussed and had an overall positive impact. While our political efforts must come to a close, gratefully, the grassroots movement that has given new voice to “We the People” and inspired millions will continue. 

I may be departing the campaign trail, but I will not be departing the scene.  Instead, for the rest of my life, I will continue to work tirelessly to do everything I can to save America for the next generation. 

I will be working on a number of initiatives, including serving as honorary chair of My Faith Votes, a non-profit organization dedicated to mobilizing the 25 million Evangelicals who didn't vote in the last election. The twin pillars of faith and family are under attack, and I will endeavor to strengthen our nation by preserving them both.

I have committed to not endorse a specific individual, but rather “We the People.” Though many today are making decisions based on fear and anger, I trust their judgment to logically examine the candidates and make the right decision by looking at:

whether they have demonstrated significant accomplishments over their lives and careers; 
if they have ideas that are clear and policies that are easy to find; 
how they treat their family and others, as that is how they will lead the country; 
what they have done to improve the lives of Americans; 
the people they are with, what they are saying and how they collaborate with others; 
their ethics, because what America needs is “Trickle-down ethics.” 
Conservatives should not be embarrassed by capitalism, but must couple it with compassion, to lift people out of a culture of dependency and provide ladders of opportunity for all Americans to be a part of the fabric of society.

People need to understand this is a most important election, in which we are deciding whether we allow the government to dictate our rights and take care of our needs, or whether individuals will rise up and take responsibility in an atmosphere of opportunity for all.

The bottom line is, “We the People” are the ones making the decisions; but in order to do that, we must become active and informed, not manipulated by the political classes and media.

Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to saving America for future generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation. 

Equally important, we need to understand that Republicans are not each others' enemies. We need to engage in conversation and challenge each others' positions, not fight each other. Conservatives need to unify together so that that we do not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and put another secular progressive in the White House.

Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

Work for your next position

9 to 5 by Harley Schwadron, March 02, 2016 Via @GoComics: One of the many great comics you can read for free at GoComics.com! Follow us for giveaways & giggles.



Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

Blogging from A to Z Challenge coming in April

I am going to be participating in the a to z blogging challenge in April at all 3 of my sites.





I will be revealing my 2016 theme here in 3 weeks

I am looking forward to doing it.  It will be fun and crazy.


For more information about the A to Z Challenge click  here.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge coming in April

I am going to be participating in the a to z blogging challenge in April at all 3 of my sites.





I will be revealing my 2016 theme here in 3 weeks

I am looking forward to doing it.  It will be fun and crazy.


For more information about the A to Z Challenge click  here.

News Flash: Cats Love Bacon

Two weeks ago I started posting comic strips from Go Comics each Saturday.  I call it Saturday Funnies.  The Go Comics Blog has a feature called Meet Your Creator.  The most recent installment is about Georgia Dunn the creator of Breaking Cat News.  I was really moved by the article and checked her strip out.  Here is a strip from earlier this week.

Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn, February 15, 2016 Via @GoComics: One of the many great comics you can read for free at GoComics.com! Follow us for giveaways & giggles.



Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

Beggars Can be Choosers

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, February 20, 2016 Via @GoComics: One of the many great comics you can read for free at GoComics.com! Follow us for giveaways & giggles.

What Republicans need to know if they want my vote in November

Six Word Saturday

My Six:



I'll never vote for Donald Trump.


Let me bullet point it for you.

•  Back in August of last year I ranked the 17 republican candidates for president. the Donald came in 17th.  
• The only reason why he comes in 6th now is that 11 of the candidates have since dropped out of the race.One of the 16 other candidates was a pro choice republican.  I am on the record of stating that I would never again vote for a pro-choice republican.  I would be hundreds of times more likely to vote for that candidate than Trump

• I don't hate Trump.  I just don't trust him.
• I don't trust anyones whose go to answer is I'll be great at it.
• I don't hate Trump.  I just don't respect him.
• I cant respect anyone whose answer to those who disagree with him is to deride them.
• I get very upset when any of the other candidates when trying to frame the discussion back to Republican versus Democrat state that any republican candidate would be better than Obama, Sanders or Clinton.
• It only takes watching 1 debate (and I have watched all but 1 of them) to see that Trump does not have the character to lead this country.
• When he is booed which is often. He assumes  The people booing are wrong.
• In the last debate he took a pot shot at Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who had been out of the race for some time.  When booed he attributed it to donors who back Jeb Bush.  The truth is he was attacking Graham in a debate in South Carolina, a week before the primary there.  
• I feel there are many people like me who will never vote for Trump.  
• But I am afraid there are more people who are willing to go along with who ever secures the nomination.
• I will not be among them.

For more six word saturday click here.



Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD