Hasta Lou Vista!

Wow, I'm late with this, but as they say "better late than never". Just going to set a few minutes aside this morning to pay homage to the now retired Cubs manager Lou Piniella who gave his last 4 years of managing baseball to the Cubs organization, fans, and city of Chicago.
Piniella's record with the Cubs was 316-293 and he helped the Cubs win both 2007 and 2008 NL Central titles. He came in being known for his success as a manager (and player) with an added bonus of standing up for his players and questionable calls. I captured one of these fired-up Lou moments in 2008 (Cubs vs. Marlins).

The picture below was taken in 2007 in a game against the Reds. It's obviously a flawed picture technically, but I liked it then and I like it now for it's simplicity. Just a picture of the man doing his job. Sometimes the best thing you can do as the leader or manager of the club is let the boys play. While observing play, Piniella as he was doing in this picture could be seen frequently consulting with his bench coach Alan Trammell. As it turns out, Trammell will not succeed Piniella as the next Cubs manager, as cited by multiple sources including Cubs GM Jim Hendry. I had a chance to talk to Trammell after a Cubs-Reds game in 2007 and he had nothing but good praise when speaking of Piniella. I wish both Piniella and Trammell best of luck in their future endeavors and hope that Trammell will continue to be a source of insight to whoever the Cubs decide to hire for the managing role.

This last photo was also captured during the Cubs-Reds series in September 2007 and shows the former Cub left-fielder Jacque Jones having some fun with the coach while he was giving an on-air interview. Piniella had no clue Jones was back there trying to be funny. Either way, it made for a great candid photo with Sweet Lou. 

It really was a bittersweet ending to Lou's tenure. He expected to retire soon, and even announced in July 2010 that this would be his last year managing any club. Yet he as well as the rest of us expected him to finish out the year and then move on to retirement. As with anything else in life, you can only plan so much and so far out. Lou's mother's health was not improving and thus Lou re-prioritized his responsibilities and announced that he'd be retiring effective immediately after a game against the Atlanta Braves on August 22, 2010. The Cubs played bad baseball (as was the style for them in 2010) and sent Lou out with a 16-5 loss. (As a sidenote, the Cubs lost the first game of the 2010 season against the Braves. The score? A 16-5 loss.)

Well, it's definitely sad to see him go. He did a lot for the Cubs in 2007 and 2008. He provided hope to the Cubs, fans, and Chicago when they needed it most. Lou obviously did the right thing by moving up his retirement to be with his mother, as opposed to sticking around for a ballclub that is limping to the finish line. Sometimes you don't know what the right decision is but other times it's staring you right in the face. With tears in his eyes as he waved goodbye to everyone at the last game, I think he knew deep inside that this was the best decision. Family first. The 2011 MLB season will be here before you know it should you decide to return to the game in some capacity. Farewell for now, Sweet Lou.

Special DeLEEvery to Turner Field

Derrek Lee, a beloved Cub and a leader in the clubhouse, is now an Atlanta Brave. He had a lackluster 2010 season with the Cubs, hitting .251 with 16 homeruns and 56 RBIs while playing with a nagging back injury throughout. Yet, the Braves got a steal.

The Braves traded three minor league pitchers (2 RHPs and 1 LHP) to the Cubs, none of which are considered to be top prospects. Lee, on the other hand, is capable of so much more than his 2010 numbers show, as he proved in 2005 (335 BA;46 HRs;107 RBIs) and even in 2009 (306;35;111). I must also mention that he's hitting .306 with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs over the last 10 games in August. I predict that Lee will continue this pace as a Brave, as he now has the motivation to play even better for a team that is preparing for the playoffs, unlike the Cubs who can't wait to get the season over with.

Lee will be an even bigger contributor for the Braves on the defensive side of the game, as he will most likely replace Troy Glaus who primarily plays 1B, but who is also capable of playing 3B as well. Glaus, after spending some time on the DL resting his knee, will most likely move to third while Lee takes over at first. Did I mention that Lee is a 3-time Gold Glove winner (2003, 2005, and 2007)?


Chicago fans and the organization as a whole embraced Lee, who came to Chicago in 2004 via a trade for Hee-Seop Choi (anyone remember him?). Lee did his job quietly on the field but was a respected voice in the clubhouse. Fellow teammate Ryan Dempster had this to say of Lee "And he's a better human being than he is a baseball player," after discussing Lee's stats and accomplishments. Alfonso Soriano, who plays LF for the Cubs, also noted that while the Cubs may be able to replace Lee's numbers with another player, his personality cannot be replaced and will be missed.

This trade hurts. Hurts the Cubs and Cubs fans anyway. We've lost a good player and good role model. In the last few weeks, we also traded Ted Lilly, Mike Fontentot, and Ryan Theriot to other teams, but those trades don't sting as much as this one. Lee truly gave his best in his 7 years with the Cubs on and off the field and although leaving may have been a tough decision, it was the right decision. He deserves to go to a winning team where he can get what every baseball player wants: a World Series ring. He still has enough gas left in the tank to attain that goal with the Braves, unlike the Cubs who may not even make it to the finish line of the regular season. Go get em, Derrek.

Bliss- complete happiness

The plan was to watch the beginning of the first Bears preseason game together after dinner. How fitting-Dylan had painted himself in orange with sweet potatoes to look just like a true Bears fan.

As I played with him, I thought about how this boy is my world. It was then that I noticed that the moon was directly behind him, shining bright and through our foyer window. In this moment and through perhaps only a mother's eyes, I was looking at the sun, moon, and stars all at once. Bliss.

Those who have succeeded at anything and don't mention luck are kidding themselves. -Larry King

Well said!

Don't discount being in the right place at the right time.....................and it really helps if God's on your side.

The best thing you can do is take advantage of opportunities when they're presented.

If you haven't already, read my favorite book Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. You'll be fascinated. I promise. Malcolm Gladwell, you're my hero.

My wrist just got a little prettier

I finally got a Pandora bracelet......and I LOVE it! Highly recommended to any ladies out there who enjoy jewelry with meaning. Not gonna lie-- it's not cheap. That being said, it's worth the cost because it's unique, not gaudy, and PERSONAL.

......unlike Tiffany's jewelry which isn't that great....or unique.....or cheap.......sorry, just sayin'

What I love most about the concept of Pandora's line of jewelry is that it's meant to represent your journey, your life, what's most important to you. The charms that I got today represent my son and my marriage. I was sold on it when my friend Trish explained her bracelet. Charm by charm she told me why she got each one. It's like a life story. On your wrist. Sweet.

The FIRST post!

How exciting! My very own blog. I've been blogging privately (i.e., writing in a journal) for years now, so it's a little intimidating posting my thoughts for you all to see. However, I'm gonna get over that really quickly because I know I'm going to enjoy this. I have always enjoyed writing. I loved it the day I wrote my first book in grade school about a penguin who couldn't slide. The book went on to win the young author's competition. I wish I could find that book now to show my kid someday. Anyway, my love for writing continued through highschool. I was a sports columnist for our school newspaper-- oh poor me getting to interview the cutest guys on the football team. I was also a writing tutor but mostly just re-wrote stuff for other kids because I sucked at explaining the rules of English, grammar, sentence structure, etc. That's ok. It helped me eliminate one career path I was considering: becoming a teacher just like my mom. I've never had patience for anything, so I'd make for a terrible teacher. I'm so impatient that when I went to buy my first car I was willing to buy one that wouldn't start (literally made that chug chug chug chug chug sound repeatedly when the guy turned the key in the ignition) simply because it was the right color and it was a convertible. C'mon, a 16 year old with a convertible? How cool would that have been? Anyway, not much has changed. I settled for the car I'm driving now that isn't the color I went in for because the dealership didn't have the one I wanted in stock.......the exact car I wanted was going to be in that same lot 3 weeks from the day I went in, but noooooooo I had to drive off in something other than I came in with. Embarassingly impatient. Thanks to my Dad who didn't let me buy the car that didn't start, and my husband who has great patience and discipline, have I been forced to get a little better. But let's be honest-I'm still gonna look for hidden presents throughout the house on Christmas Eve, shake the box by my ear to figure out what's inside, and then place it back EXACTLY how I found it. Ah yes, I may be impatient, but I'm not stupid. :)