Big Z and Cubs to the Playoffs

There was, I guess, no coincidence in the fact that Greg's crankiness of last week ended just as the Cubs clinched their playoff spot. They play the hated Diamondbacks in the first round, with games at Wrigley Saturday, and (if necessary) Sunday. Of course, if they lose, it will be a long period of crankiness.

The locker room interview with Big Z had him saying all the right things in a calm matter (while being doused by Cubs coach Ivan DeJesus), but once he was thanked for the interview, he turned and continued dancing.

Prit-ty Sweet

Zambrano and Rice Cereal

From last Sunday afternoon...his first try with the solid food.

But There is No Such Place as "Wrigley Fields"

So, as you probably heard the story, some couple with the last name of Fields named their son Wrigley. OK, but, there is only one Wrigley Field, so it really doesn't make sense, does it?

The last part of the widely circulating story is interesting for us:

Cubs spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall said the name may be a first. The team has no record of other children named Wrigley, although there have been some children named Zambrano and Ryne after Cubs star Carlos Zambrano and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.

Just the Cutest Boy in the Whole Wide World

You can sorta see his teeth coming in on the bottom.

Dumb Donald to be Pall Bearer

The Curse of Match Game strikes again!

Actress and comedian Brett Somers, who amused game show fans with her quips on the "Match Game" in the 1970s, has died, her son said. She was 83.

Somers died Saturday at her home in Westport of stomach and colon cancer, Adam Klugman said Monday.

Hosted by Gene Rayburn, "Match Game" was the top game show during much of the 1970s. Contestants would try to match answers to nonsense questions with a panel of celebrities; much of the humor came from the racy quips and putdowns.

Shows from the 1973-79 run, featuring regulars like Somers, Richard Dawson and Charles Nelson Reilly, are still seen on cable TV's Game Show Network.

Somers married actor Jack Klugman, the future star of the television shows "Quincy" and "The Odd Couple," in 1953. The two separated in 1974, but never divorced.

They made many television appearances as a couple. Somers appeared on several episodes of "The Odd Couple," playing the ex-wife of Klugman's character.

In the summer of 2003, she appeared in a one-woman cabaret show, "An Evening with Brett Somers," which she wrote and co-produced. She continued to perform after being diagnosed with cancer.

Her son said she was caustic, irreverent and a self-declared bohemian.

"She maintained her independence till the end, and her irreverence," Adam Klugman said.

Ugly Day at Beautiful Wrigley Field

Tania and I went to the game yesterday, leaving Zammy with Milena and hoping to enjoy the first place Cubs and Carlos Zambrano pitching. Things did not go well on the field, and I told the wife as it was imploding that the fans would be booing Carlos and that it would be ugly.

Unfortunately, I was right. From The Tribune:

"I don't accept that the fans were booing at me," a seething Zambrano said afterward. "I can't understand that. You know, I thought these were the greatest fans in baseball. But they showed me today that they just care about them, and that's not fair, because when you're struggling, you want to feel the support of the fans."No, I don't accept it. I just pointed to my head, and I will remember that because I don't want any bad outings. I know the great moments of my career will come."

"[Fans] pay to see a good show," he said. "They pay to see a good pitcher. Right now, I'm not doing too well. I just call [out to] the fans, 'I want a little support.' that's all. When you're struggling, or you have a brother who's struggling, you show him love. You don't show him you want to kick him out. That's what I ask of the fans—a little support." And not only [for] me. I go out there and try to do my best, but not everybody is like Carlos Zambrano [and can] keep his head up and keep trying to do a good job. There are people on this team who are struggling and going down and down …

"When you're booing somebody, you're booing the 25 men on this ballclub, and that's not fair. That happened before to some of my teammates, and that's not right. I think we go out there to give Cubs fans a good show and to go to the playoffs, and that's what I want. No one wants to do a bad job. … Every single player in that clubhouse wants to do a great job for the city, believe me."

I tend to agree with the sentiment about booing the home team, and I truly don't doubt his wanting to do well and working hard, but it was real dumb for Zambrano to express it in that situation. As it stands, he will likely have only one more start at Wrigley. Let's just hope that we make the payoffs, and we can make the day just a blip on the radar. Wishful thinking, huh?

(I will try to post some new pics of Zammy soon.)