Spring Has Sprung 2010

[Yeti]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

Even greater than Not-Locke?

[Brownie]

On that note, didn't the Trib used to rotate their beat writers among sports/teams? I feel like Sullivan's been stuck with the Cubs for at least 5 years or so. Poor bastard.

Aye.

I distinctly recall Joey Reaves (who, one year, had as his tagline "Joseph A. Reaves".  Whatever, weirdo) and Alan Solomon (Mrs. Muskat, if I'm not mistaken, and a guy whom Reaves savages as an ignorant asshole in his book "Warsaw to Wrigley" published in the mid-to-late 90's) going back and forth with the Cubs and Sox from year to year from around 90-94.

Joey Reaves covered the Cubs for one year and then faded back into news. It was his reward for covering Poland during the fall of the Commies.

Alan Solomon and Andrew Bagnato were also beat writers for the Cubs and I believe they switched beats annually at the All-Star break. They would run dueling columns in the form of letters to each other to tell them how terrible it was on their beats (I distinctly remember one such letter advised the other writer of Jeff Torborg's gas and that the other writer should advise him not to eat Mexican food.)

Solomon was moved to the travel section  after a tiff with a female assistant managing sports editor who removed the TVs from the sports desk. Solomon was one of the guys who led the revolt against her on this, and then when the battle ended (I'm pretty sure the writers got their TVs back), Solomon sent her flowers as a gesture of friendship (or to hit on her). A complaint was filed and he wound up taking his exorbitant salary to travel with the Muskrat to exotic places on the Tribune Company's dime.

[Jon]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

Even greater than Not-Locke?

I must break you.

[Yeti]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

Even greater than Not-Locke?

I must break you.

Sexually?

[Jon]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

Even greater than Not-Locke?

I must break you.

Sexually?

***Shudder***

[Yeti]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

Even greater than Not-Locke?

I must break you.

Sexually?

***Shudder***

I'm appalled. I'm not cute? Well, fuck you, too, Bort.

[Kermit IV]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

[CT III]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

That phrase is to be used upon Jimmy Carter's death, and not before.

[Internet Apex]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

That phrase is to be used upon Jimmy Carter's death, and not before.

I'm getting impatient.

[Waco Kid]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

Probably sometime in April when Carlos Silva makes his first appearance.

[Slaky]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

Probably sometime in April when Carlos Silva makes his first appearance.

Crap, I forgot he existed for a few glorious minutes. Thanks for ruining that.

[Jon]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

Probably sometime in April when Carlos Silva makes his first appearance.

Crap, I forgot he existed for a few glorious minutes. Thanks for ruining that.

Great. Now I have to kill ANOTHER part of my higher memory functions with alcohol.

[CT III]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

Probably sometime in April when Carlos Silva makes his first appearance.

Crap, I forgot he existed for a few glorious minutes. Thanks for ruining that.

Great. Now I have to kill ANOTHER part of my higher memory functions with alcohol.

TO KITTY O'SHEA'S!

[Gilgamesh]

Damn it Yeti. Now you're link-spamming us for ACB? You are history's greatest monster.

I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'm using this before I die.

Probably sometime in April when Carlos Silva makes his first appearance.

Crap, I forgot he existed for a few glorious minutes. Thanks for ruining that.

Great. Now I have to kill ANOTHER part of my higher memory functions with alcohol.

TO KITTY O'SHEA'S!

Save your money.  Use a ballpeen hammer instead.

And Jimmy Carter Simpsons references need to be used more often and with aplomb.

[PenFoe]

Didn't really seem worthy of its own thread, but SI ranks Hendry as the 16th best GM in baseball.

16. Jim Hendry, Chicago Cubs

It's tempting to overreact to a lousy 2009 and to heavily count bad contracts doled out to players such as Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley against Hendry, but the truth is that he built a consistently successful team that had every chance to win a World Series at its peak and just didn't, through no real fault of his. The Cubs are now likely in for a hangover as the core of that team ages, but given the team's history he was right to go for it all.

They ranked my brother #1.