Baseballs that are used in the Major Leagues come from one place, Costa Rica. That’s where Rawlings has a facility that churns out thousands of baseballs in a day. And the amazing thing is that each baseball is hand-stitched. That’s incredible.

Did you also know that each baseball is rubbed with this special mud only found in a hidden spot in New Jersey?. It’s called Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud. Each team rubs them down at their own discretion. They’ve been using the stuff for a really long time. For some reason this seemed to be the best solution

Baseball is an amazing sport and it’s history and traditions just add icing to the cake.

Last year was terrible for the Chicago Cubs. From Big Z going crazy to the lack of any offense from star players. It was dreadful to watch. But it’s a new year and new “What ifs”.

They did great with the acquisitions of Garza, Wood and Peña. I like these picks. But to me there is only one person who can change the season for the Cubs. And that’s Aramis Ramirez. I said it all last season and I’m gonna say it again this year. They need a very good season from this guy. He is the teeth of this offense and has been the most clutch Cub player for a long time. He needs to find that plate discipline that seemed to disappear last year.

There was much talk about his thumb injury and much needed time off. I feel like he’s got a lot to prove. When he is on he is one of the elite RBI guys in the National League. He really picked it up in the second half of 2010. Let’s hope for a healthy 2011.

The Cubs have a real shot for the division as they do almost every year. The Brewers, Cards and Reds are going to give them some heat, but that’s good for the division that was ‘Armpit of the National League’ a couple of years ago. The Cubs have really good mix of veterans and some potentially great youngsters.

A new season always brings new hope.

It’s that time of year to get excited for the Chicago Cubs’ baseball season. I think I’ve been ready for a while now. So the other day I decided that the best thing to do was gather all the songs that own and put them in a nice little playlist. There are plenty to choose from, but I wanted this to be a top 5 list. Hear it goes…
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Ryan Theriot, what the hell, Ryan Theriot?!?!?! I do not understand what is going on here, but this dude and his agents have not talked to the Cubs about his 2010 contract which is leading to an arbitration case.

Theriot’s agents are asking for $3.4 million. The Cubs’ offer was $2.6 million. If this goes to the panel they pick one or the other. No in-betweens. Unless something miraculous goes down before the case, this is heading to what may become the Cubs first arbitration case since Mark Grace in 1993. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s good time for baseball fans, not just Cubs fans, to get together and spread the word that Andre “The Hawk” Dawson deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Why is he worthy? Rookie of the Year 1977, MVP in 1987 on the last place Cubs, he’s also one of three players to have over 400 homers and over 300 stolen bases, he has 8 gold gloves, and is in the top 3 in home runs (438) and RBI’s (1,591) from 1976 to 1996. Those are some purty good numbers if you ask me.
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This is by far one of the best baseball stories I have ever seen or heard of in my life! It is so funny. It’s so hard to believe its even true. No matter if you are a baseball fan or not, watch this video it is fantastic.
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It’s 2009 and about that time to watch the world cup of baseball, the World Baseball Classic. I’ve been jonesing for some baseball for awhile now, so having meaningful baseball in March will be purty exciting. I’m definitely all-american and will be routing for the USA team. Even though they’re roster doesn’t have the most flashy names, I think they are going to be one hell of an athletic team with some great pitching. Ted Lilly is going to be on that team and I’m know some peeps are stoked for that.

I really liked the inaugural season of the WBC. Actually, Kapnasty and I watched the American’s romp the South African team at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona that year. They only played 5 innings cause team USA was winning by more then 15 runs. At the time it was great to see the likes of Roger Clemens and ARod playing for our country. Now, I’m glad they are not on the team. There was also the fact that the USA didn’t make it passed the semi-finals. They lost to Mexico (My second favorite team). Ahh, it was still great and meaningful baseball. This year it’s going to be even better.

Well, I’m back home from a month long holiday trip that has taken me from Chicago to New Hampshire to Aruba back to Chicago. Now that I’m going to be back in the saddle of my everyday life I’d like to reflect on some of my new year resolutions I’ve been brewing up.

1. Be a good parent and provider for my family. I think this one should go without saying, but it came to mind so I’m writing it down. It’s going to be my first full year as a father and a husband. I need to balance my life so that I spend as much time as I can with my wife and daughter. It’s great that I work from home cause this allows me to do that with a bit more ease. 
2. Push my creativity as much as I can. Whether I’m working on a design project personally or for work I need to push my creative abilities as much as possible. Creativity is often scaled back for me do to my “just get it done” nature. I’m gonna push it this year. I’m going to be more demanding on myself and others when it comes to this stuff. So the guys at work better watch out cause I might be a little intense imagine me intense, haha. I’m also going to do more personal projects. Maybe some experimenting on this site. Maybe learn a new skill. I’m definitely going to be on this video montage gig for my family. I think family videos are great. My brother does them all the time. It’s a great little outlet to do something nice. In all, creativity in my life is a must have and I really want to push my abilities to the fullest.  
3. Win at Fantasy Baseball. Last year I was the best team in my divison then I lost my first playoff game. It was terrible. Should’ve done better, and I will next year.
4. Play more video games and read more books. This is always a must. I think what this really means is for me to have some time for the things I really enjoy. I have plenty of games to play and I want to get  to at least 1000 gamer points behind kapnasty or close to his score. I’m sure it won’t happen, but I want to give it a shot at least. I’m hoping to read a lot more books as well. I’ve finished Watchmen, which is a graphic novel, and I wouldn’t mind reading more novels like that. I’ve always been a fan of The Punisher, and I know there are some great war journal stories I haven’t read. Starting there shouldn’t be hard. Maybe I’ll find some more Hubert Selby to read. I love the way that dude writes. He really creeps me out. 
5. Find a bad ass band to listen to. Music has been hard to come by recently. I hope to discover new music at least every couple of months. I’ve been scowering for things I like, but maybe I’m being to critical. I need to open myself to other types of music.
6. Live a healthy life. I really need to watch what I eat, cook more, excercise. All this stuff should be a no brainer. I’m a sucker for the fixings at Chipotle. What I should really do is make rice and beans myself and make my own burrito bowls. I’ll start there and see where it goes. I need to promote a healthy living and be a good example for my little one.

Well, it looks like a new man was added to the Cubs roster. Milton Bradley is now a Chicago Cub. I will tell you right now, that there are reasons to be excited. There were some changes to make this deal happen so that means a lot of the dynamic of this ballclub will shift. You can never really predict what will happen next year but here are some things to note.

1. The most important thing is the contract. It’s a 3 year, 30-million dollar deal. This contract seems straight forward to the naked eye. But this deal is written to protect the Cubs if often injured Bradley can’t stay healthy. I checked out Cot’s Baseball Contracts (an awesome resource, btw) and they note that he’ll get $4M signing bonus, $5M in 09, $9M in 10, and if he’s healthy $12M in 11. That means 2011 may become $12M club option with $2M buyout based on Bradley’s health. That really works on the Cubs side and gives him a lot of motivation to stay healthy and play well.
    
2. The offensive production and attitude is next. I’m sure when he’s healthy he can do a lot of damage. He seems like a patient hitter who takes his walks and strikeouts but never gets cheated. He’s a switch hitter with a big plus on the left side, which the Cubs were in need of after Fukudome didn’t blossom into what they thought he would be. It will bring balance to a right handed lineup that got crushed in the postseason from a right-handed Dodger pitching staff. His attitude as a player under the big media spotlight will be crucial as well. He’s known for being a hot head, but he’s said he’s grown up from all that stuff. Let’s see how he handles it in the Windy City.
    
3. With DeRosa gone, the dynamic shifts. The super utility guy got dealt to Cleveland to free up payroll. That means Bradley needs to fill his offensive ‘production’ shoes, and newly acquired Aaron Miles will take over defensive duties (he’s been known to play 7 positions on the field). This also gives a chance for little Mike Fontenot some more playing time. He’s a left handed bat with pop. He’s a staggering 5 feet, 8 inches. If he plays as well as he did last year the Cubs lineup will have good balance from the right and left side of the plate. In limited playing time last year he hit 9 dingers, 22 doubles and 40 ribbies. He’s a key piece of the dynamic of this baseball team and that’s what Hendry is banking on to have this team balanced and ready to rock in the 09 season.

So, we shall see how this all plays out. Some believe that DeRosa and Marquis were dealt not for just Bradley. Rumors are swirling around that after the Cubs ownership deal is finalized that they will go after Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres. Gotta love baseball and all the shit that goes down. Can’t wait for the WBC (Go USA!) and I can’t wait for the next season of baseball.

The Cubs acquired Ryan Dempster’s pitching services for another 4 years. The signing has been rumored to be 52 mil for 4 years. I was kinda hesitant at first, but now that I think about it more and more this seemed to be a good deal. Demp had 17 wins last year and went 10-0 in the beginning of the season at Wrigley. His talents don’t seem like a fluke. He really improved himself in the offseason last year and I personally think that it’s something he can re-create next year. He’s definitley more valuable in the rotation. This signing obviously comes after the departure of the fan favorite Kerry Wood. It kinda helps with that pain that we’ll never see Kerry in Chicago blue anymore, but that’s the game of baseball.

In other Cubs news, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the Jake Peavy deal is out of the question. Seems like the Padres are focused on the Cubs and waiting to see if they can get a third or fourth team in on the deal. As I was writing this I just found out the the price for Peavy may be too high. We shall see. It would be the most insane, and expensive pitching staffs in baseball. You have to wonder what this offseason is going to bring. Especially when MLB has a December 1st deadline for the Cubs sold.