Blogs

Let's throw another log on the fire and relax with some summer reading, baseball style. Fireplaces and summer seem a little incongruous unless you were out at Wrigley Field last night for the Cubs-Dodgers game, which featured a wind chill of 35.

For years, Capitol denizens have playfully suggested we’d have timely state budget deals if the legislative leaders and governor were locked in a room with no bathroom breaks.

With time running short in this legislative session, it appears the setting for just such talks has been found.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The international space station's lone toilet is broken, leaving the crew with almost nowhere to go.

Last week, the White Sox made fun of a videotape featuring Brian Anderson in an off-season workout session. Before Tuesday's game against the Indians, Anderson was the target of another prank. Something seemed odd right away in the Sox' clubhouse at Progressive Field. Back in the trainer's room, a shirtless Jim Thome was oiling up and adjusting his bandana.

The summer festival season is almost upon us, and with it comes the seemingly endless parade of nostalgia acts that bring the baby-boomers out to hear familiar old tunes while they're chomping on corn.

The lineup for Frontier Days in Arlington Heights was released today, and it perfectly sums up the suburban festival experience:

Much has been made over Democrat Barack Obama’s stated willingness to meet with leaders of hostile nations in an effort to quell turmoil.

Here’s an ABC story from last week:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4896002&page=1

Here’s a 2007 CNN piece outlining the Clinton-Obama spat on the topic:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/25/clinton.obama/index.html

Here’s one from earlier in the year regarding Bush’s feelings:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/02/29/2008-02-29_president...

However, here at Animal Farm, we think we may have stumbled across Obama’s true “rogue nation” meeting strategy …

Heading down the clubhouse after the White Sox outlasted the Indians 6-3 in 12 innings at Progressive Field Monday night, the home radio feed could be heard in the hallways. Veteran play-by-play man Tom Hamilton wasn't sounding too optimistic after the Tribe lost for the ninth time in 10 games, and he issued a warning about falling too far behind the Sox. "This is dangerous territory for the Indians,'' Hamilton said. "Chicago is a team that is starting to play with a lot of confidence.'' Hamilton has been around a long time, and he's one of the best announcers around. And this particular call is right on. The White Sox are still hitting like a last-place team, but you can just see slumping players like Orlando Cabera, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher starting to come around.

Hollywood giant Sydney Pollack, who cut his teeth as an actor and director for TV shows ranging from "The Twilight Zone" to "Ben Casey," has died of cancer at age 73, according to an AP news alert that just came over the wires here at work.

• Box Office Mojo estimates "Indiana Jones" has pulled in just around $126 million since Wednesday, with $101 million coming over the weekend. That gives Indy's silly, lethargic fourth adventure the tenth-biggest first weekend ever, and I'm expecting tomorrow's numbers will make it some kind of Memorial Day record-breaker. Hopefully all those millions of dollars were spent by moviegoers who liked the flick a whole lot better than I did.

Once upon a time, a relief pitcher could come in to start the seventh inning and finish the game. See Goose Gossage. Nowadays, everybody has their "roles" and we can't upset those roles for fear of "losing" the player or players. Last night, Carlos Marmol struck out three straight Pirates after walking the first guy in the eighth inning. The called third strike on Jose Baustista to end the eighth came on an absolutely sick slider. So this morning, I asked Lou if it's ever "tempting" to send Marmol back out there for the ninth. Of course, Marmol's role (even if he is the best reliever in baseball) is that of setup man, and Kerry Wood's "role" is that of closer. Here's what Lou answered:

It's Day Two of the "Indy" aftermath, and I have to tell you that I feel just horrible. It gives me no pleasure to tell people that I did not like "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," unlike the trolls that are bashing it on sites like AICN. Even worse is the feeling that others are disappointed in me for not liking it. My sister, who is a bona fide "Indy" fanatic, looked positively crestfallen after she looked in my direction when the movie ended. She had a big smile on her face and an enthusiastic thumbs-up, but that changed when I looked at her and just shook my head.