I mean, I know you didn't really notice, but I've basically been away for two weeks, and the last full-length post is three weeks old. That makes me sad, but it's perfectly understandable, kind of.
I've been doing three things, primarily:
1) sleeping, earlier than usual
2) following the Cubs
3) studying
Let's talk about sleeping. I refocused on it last week. I spent last Sunday overwhelmed by my first real foray into the world of test prep, and, as a result, spent last Monday working until about 2 to make up for that overwhelmed feeling. Then, well, the rest of the week, I, well, slept. I was in bed by 11:30 last Tuesday through Thursday, which is essentially unheard of for me. I was asleep before midnight, I'm sure, on Wednesday or Thursday, though I think Sports Illustrated-reading kept me up past midnight on Tuesday. Still, though, I was pretty dead come this weekend anyway, but not that dead.
Now, on following the Cubs, the sole subject of my last post. Sure, they've been infuriating, of course, but, ultimately, pretty awesome. I'm pretty excited for the postseason - excited in a "holy crap, we're in the playoffs!" kind of way, but also excited in a "Zambrano and Lilly and Hill sure match up well against Webb and Owings (?) and Doug Davis and any other no-name we might see, and Soriano has certainly shone on a big stage previously, as has Lee, as has Ramirez (I seem to remember), certainly more than Conor Jackson or Eric Byrnes or Chris Young or Stephen Drew or Mark Reynolds - gosh, are these guys really all starters for the D-Backs? - have done in their careers" kind of way, too.
I doubt I'll have a chance for a full preview [ed: Well, read on. You got one.], though I'll probably follow most games with some immediate reaction, because I'm sure there won't be much of that on the web. But let's just say that, as green as some key contributors might be on the big stage - Theriot, Geo-Soto, Hill, Dempster, Marmol, Kevin freakin' Hart, probably - this really is a veteran team loaded with guys who have been there before. (Have they won anything before? Lee has. Not Kendall, not Jones, probably Floyd, I guess not Eyre or Howry. Marquis wasn't even on the Cards' roster last year, right?)
The Phillies are probably the best team in the National League, though their scary lineup (I mean, Rollins-Utley-Howard-Burrell-holy crap) is mitigated by their equally scary pitching staff. The Padres can't hit, it seems, and the Rockies can't pitch, perhaps.
Now, we know how well it went last time around, but I've planned the meal schedule for the week around Cubs playoff games, and around 2003's "lucky meal." I won't call it the lucky meal again, but I also won't audible if game one doesn't go well. The lucky meal can't be abandoned over one shaky effort, you know.
One 'quick' additional Cubs note:
Wednesday is dollar-pint night. I'm a regular at dollar-pint night, probably hitting 10 of 13 between June and August of this year, and a few drop-bys in September. I'm a devoted consumer of one-dollar beers on a Wednesday, it should be said.
Well, last Wednesday, the Cubs were on TV. I don't even recall the result (research indicates it was a 3-2 win, and now memory dictates it was Lilly on short rest and Howry pitching the final two frames), but I recall being riveted. Often this year, I've gone out when the Cubs were on TV on Wednesday, paying attention to the game if inside, but generally ignoring if we were drinking on the patio.
So, I had had a post-work round of par-3 golf with a friend, and announced at that point that I'd not be showing up for Pints, owing to the Cubs game. Another friend, also a coworker, was not golfing, but would be drinking that night. And Thursday morning, say 10 a.m., I was asked, with a smirk, "How was the game? [chuckle chuckle]" and, let me tell you, I was a bit offended. I stewed over this.
Finally, about 3:45, I sat down at this coworker's desk. "You asked about the game, dude. The game was great. A win, and first place, and I'm happy I watched it." "Whoa, man, cool." "And you know what?" "What?" "I don't appreciate you making fun of me. Pints are fun, but I love the Cubs, man, and you've just got to understand that. I mean, I really love the Cubs. I probably love the Cubs more than some family members [ed: This may or may not be true], and it's important that you understand that." "Hey, that's cool." "And you know what? I'm not going to Pints next week either, because the Cubs are on TV again. [note: This was actually not a televised game, though I listened to Pat and Ron.] And, if they make the playoffs, I'm not going to be at Pints if they're playing."
So, as infuriating as they can be, I'm sure happy the Cubs are good this year. And I'm sure happy I get to watch them play in October.
Just for fun, let's come up with my conception of what the roster should be for round one:
Starters (4)
Zambrano
Lilly
Hill
Marquis
There's talk, perhaps, of keeping Marquis off the roster, or going with Trachsel instead of him. If need be, you'd go with Zambrano-Lilly on three days' rest for games four and five. I don't want Trachsel; I don't want Marshall.
Relievers (7)
Dempster
Wood
Marmol
Howry
Eyre
Wuertz
Hart
Arizona has one dominant lefty hitter in Tony Clark, who switch-hits. Therefore, no need to carry another lefty besides Eyre. We don't really need to adjust the staff for Stephen Drew, I don't think. Hart has been awesome, though I'd go to Marmol or Wood or Howry before I'd go to him. There's not really a long man in the group, however - that'd probably be Marquis in his non-start. I don't think it's worth keeping Marshall or Trachsel for that possibility.
Catchers (3)
Kendall
Soto
Blanco
I'm carrying three, which undoubtedly won't happen. But I'd like to be able to use Geo-Soto as a pinch hitter if Kendall starts. I would be completely unsurprised if Kendall started game one. He & Z certainly did the job on Friday night.
Infielders (5)
Lee
Theriot
DeRosa
Ramirez
Fontenot
No surprises here. Maybe Lou goes with Cedeno? I don't think his great glove outweighs his non-batness, as the regulars are all pretty good at their spots.
Outfielders (6)
Jones
Soriano
Floyd
Ward
Monroe
Matt the Bat - Murton for Certain
Now, studying. I totally dissed Jenny last Sunday, told her not to come up and everything. I'm proud to report that I've gotten quite a bit done in her absence, and I feel that I know a lot more today than I did a week ago. My mind's working in ways it's not in years, and I'm kind of enjoying the challenge of 'beating the test.' There's something a bit exciting of thinking in the abstract and using skills and theorems that I've not used in 12 years, and of looking for subject-verb agreement. I'm kind of a nerd, I think, though I'd also be a hell of an SAT prep instructor.
I've got 12 days until the test, and I'd imagine that I'll have to get some heavy-duty studying/drilling Monday or Tuesday, and Friday, which are all non-playoff days. Friday will almost certainly be a four-hour practice test night, which makes me beyond cool. Then, well, we study according to the Cubs schedule.
- - - - - - - - -
On the Northwestern Wildcats, briefly:
Obviously, my preseason prediction of, what, 8-4, is wrong. Quite wrong, really. But, at this point, I'm only one game off of what was expected.
Saturday's game against Michigan State becomes the biggest of the season, a chance for NU to either fold and drop their fourth in a row, or to build on the somewhat-positive aspects of Saturday's home loss to Michigan and come up with a road win over a better-than-we-thought Sparty team.
I've only seen bits of Sparty. I know they run the ball a lot, with Ringer and Jehuu. Saturday's game, in which Hart was absolutely bottled up, gives me confidence that NU can slow them. The insertion of my-guy #41 Davie, along with Arrington, gives me confidence that NU can slow down Kellen Davis, who is supposed to be a pretty good TE. I've got limited confidence in NU's corners, sadly, though I thought McManis played okay. The real problem is that NU's not doing a thing in terms of forcing turnovers.
Defensively, Michigan State is going to come with pressure, and lots of it. NU's job is to a) protect Bacher, which they didn't do in the final 25 minutes, and b) stay with the run, which they essentially abandoned in the second half. As well as Conteh did, I think Roberson's really fast, and I'd like to see him in the game for some option running. Of course, I'd prefer 30 carries from Sutton, but I think that might be wishful thinking.
I don't think NU will win Saturday. I hope they do.
In other news, is anyone in the Big Ten any good?
Here's my B10 power ranking, strictly off the cuff:
1) Ohio State
2) Purdue
3) Wisconsin
4) Michigan State
5) Michigan
6) Penn State
7) Illinois
8) Indiana
9) Iowa
10) Minnesota
11) Northwestern, ranked below the Gophs only because the Gophs didn't embarrass themselves against the Bucks.
I watched a bit of Illinois-Penn State at the bar on Saturday, and they ran the coolest play ever, though it didn't actually work. Still, I like coolly-developed spread option plays, so I'll briefly explain in typed form. (There's nothing else after this trope, so feel free to stop reading.)
Juice Williams in shotgun, Rashard Mendenhall to his left. Kyle Hudson motions from the right slot into the backfield, to Juice's right. Snap, fake to Mendenhall, running off right tackle. Instead, option play develops left, with Hudson. Juice pitches, intercepted by freshman receiver Arrelious Benn, who had been lined up left slot. Benn tackled after a gain of six, but it was some cool freakin' misdirection.
Really, a pretty standard option-reverse, but the fact that Mendenhall essentially became a lead blocker was cool, and the fact that, as always, it wound up in Benn's hands was also cool.
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