Inside 'The Dugout'

Inside 'The Dugout'

Disgruntled players with heads in their hands.
Their ears are assaulted by ruthless fans
who rise with a ringing chorus of boos
for the rookie on deck, ready to bat.
His shoulders are slumped and his face is pale.
Another year of damned disappointments
conveyed by teammates, with heads in their hands.

The crowd gets louder with every pitch
as the rookie remains waiting on deck.
Impatiently waiting are fans at home.
Cubdom is a tragicomical group
of fans deserving of a better fate.
Ninety-nine years of tears over a team,
(their team) whose heads are buried in their hands.

This poem was inspired by artist Norman Rockwell's piece 'The Dugout', which can be viewed here.

The assignment for this class was to write a poem based of a piece of artwork. I chose this piece of art because it is one of my favorite pieces of art (mostly because the scene provides the viewpoint of Cubs fans.)

What I tried to do here was describe what was going on in the artwork. I tried describing the looks of the players, the fans in the background and really--the main thing I tried doing here was to describe the artwork as a whole.

Later, I got a little more specific, and wrote about emotions that could be drawn from this piece. I wrote about those emotions from the viewpoint of Cubs fans. It was easy to write that because as a life-long Cubs fan, it is easy to describe and write about heartbreak.

I've always said, the Cubs have broken my heart more times than any woman...and that trend will likely continue.

Dear Mr. Hughes (and intro to my Fall '07 Poetry Portfolio)

First of all, I'd like to welcome all of you who read this blog to the first installment of poetry that will be submitted to my ENGL 382B class as my "Fall 2007 Poetry Portfolio."

The portfolio consists of 17 assignments and 21 poems overall. A lot of these poems will be new to my readers. Others I have used before, but have been re-written for this particular class. So if you think you've seen a poem before, you probably have...but now you're seeing it after being through workshop and re-written.

To my readers, be kind with your reviews but also be truthful as well. But don't be like "This sucks" and not have an explanation. If you have any questions, ask them? Something bother you? Tell me about it. A writer's job is to write for a mass audience.

Any changes that you suggest will be taken under consideration, but will not likely be used in my portfolio since I am under a deadline (that technically has yet to be determined by my instructor).

Now, for your feature presentation.

This poem Dear Mr. Hughes is an example of an emulation poem. The assignment for this piece was to emulate one of your favorite poets. Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets and wanted to write something that maybe he would appreciate.

However, this is less of an emulation and more of a response to Hughes' Dream Deferred which can be read here.

Dear Mr. Hughes

What happens to a dream
deferred by outsiders
who wish for our demise?
They try to kill our self esteem,
instead we use their hatred
to power and fuel our dreams.
What happens to a dream deferred?
we make it come true.
For dreams are not just
for those with tired eyes.

copyright Luis C. Medina 2007

Homecoming

"Baby, do you remember when?
Fireworks at Lake Michigan
Oooh, now I’m coming home again
Maybe we can start again."
--Chris Martin, Homecoming (by Kanye West)

Well folks, I'll be on my way home for Thanksgiving break and I'm excited. So far, this semester has gone very well for me. The way this year has gone, I thought this is exactly how college was supposed to be from day one.

I guess this is one of those times where I note that I've learned a valuable lesson. This lesson, of course is that nothing in life comes easy.

Anyway, I'm coming home and am scheduled to arrive sometime Sunday afternoon. I'll be here until Saturday at 4 p.m. Plenty of time to do the things I need to do.

Unfortunately, I'm going to be a busy man during my vacation. I have a 7-10 page paper to write for my JRNL 332 class (journalism law.) I have a 1,200 word paper to write for my JRNL 311 class (news writing and reporting.) I also have to put together my poetry portfolio for my ENGL 382B calss (intermediate poetry.)

I also have to go to the dealership and see if I can get my job back. I also have to help my family with preparing for Thanksgiving.

The only fun I will be having will happen Wednesday night at Merkle's with my homeboys. To quote Bryan, "I saw the forecast for Wednesday, it's going to rain!!!!" Can't wait to make it rain in Wrigleyville again!!!

Other than that, I'm booked. Oh and Friday I'll be shopping with my mother. Other than that, I'm booked.

Hope to hear from you while I'm home.

Don't forget, I do DO NOT have a lot of your numbers. So you can leave me a messgae and give me your number so I can contact you.

In conclusion: I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

--LuDo

Poetry Coming Soon & Blog Neglect

If you ever read my old blog, then you know what is coming soon. That's right, poetry!

For those of you who are new, when the semester winds down I am usually putting the finishing touches on a semesters worth of new poetry. This year is no different. If you'd like to read my old poetry, you can go here and check it out. I suggest that you do.

Everyday I'm working just a little bit harder on putting together my poetry portfolio that comes at the end of the semester. When I feel I have a finished piece, I'll post it here, at my MySpace page and on Facebook.

I've got about 15 new pieces that I've written this semester. So get ready folks, cuz here I come!


What About Blog Neglect?

I've committed one of the blogging sins, and I am sorry for it. I realize that my last post here was on October 28th and that's such a long time to not post anything. I have found myself busy ever since signing on to be the Chicago Cubs beat writer for fansite armchairgm.com.

When I'm not doing school work or at my job, I'm trying to dig up all the dirt I can on the Cubs. I'm talking trade rumors, researching potential free agent signings, taking a look at minor leaguers who could impact the '08 team, etc. I'm a busy man to say the least.

I promise I'll make a bigger effort to keep this blog up to date as much as I can. I'd think about posting my Cubs stuff here, but I doubt many people would read it. But if you're willing to read it, I'm willing to write it. So tell me if you will or not. The latest Cubs news and analysis is only a copy and paste away.

Well, that's all for tonight. Nothing major to update tonight. Well, nothing I'm willing to talk about at this moment. The time will come. This blog will be back and kicking in no time!

-LuDo

Brian Griese: Upon Further Review

Flip-flopping is generally reserved for politicians. Today, this sports fan reserves the right to flip-flop on Chicago Bears starting quarterback Brian Griese.

Last week, I said that I was wrong about Griese after the Bears come-from-behind victory against the Eagles. Granted, I also noted the Griese’s downfall such as his six interceptions in his first three games.

But after the Bears 16-7 defeat at the hands of the once lowly Detroit Lions, my initial feelings about Griese might have been correct.

So where did I go wrong last week?

Griese fits the mold for one of the lamest sports cliché’s, “he gives our team the best chance to win.”

Oops. It’s hard to give your team a chance to win when you throw four interceptions against a defense that allowed 315 passing yards to Jeff Garcia and 92 receiving yards to Ike Hilliard.

In Griese’s six starts, he has now thrown more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9).

His ability to limit mistakes, as evidenced by the 0 turnovers against Philadelphia, is one of the main reasons he is starting now.

Did I mention that three of those interceptions occurred on passes in the end zone? Yikes. Turnovers in scoring position are unacceptable. If the Bears come out with three field goals instead of three INTs, the Bears would have been in a tied ballgame.

If it was Rex Grossman out there throwing four picks, there would be a mob outside willing to toss him into Lake Michigan, along with the ball that FOX kept showing every time the Lions kicked to Devin Hester.

The Bears still have issues they need to solve before they can be contenders again.

Finally, something I was right about! But wait, there is more to come.

Their running game has been terrible….Their defense is still porous…

Cedric Benson rushed for only 50 yards on 13 carries and was held out of the end zone, yet again. Kevin Jones accounted for Detroit’s only touchdown while rushing for 105 yards on 23 carries.

A 7-2 record down the stretch would give the Bears 10 wins and maybe a spot in the playoffs. If the Bears can find a way to jump start the running game, clog the holes in the defense and Griese can limit his mistakes, the Bears may be primed to make a run after a disastrous start.

The Bears are now 3-5, and based on NFL history have only a 2% chance of making the playoffs. If they were 4-4 going into their bye, they would have a 39% chance of making the playoffs.

This season, the Bears have been outperformed on offense, defense and special teams. That’s a recipe for disaster—and a top 10 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, not a playoff run.

Confession: I Think I Was Wrong About Brian Griese

After the Chicago Bears 19-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, I’m ready to make the following confession: I was wrong about Brian Griese.

I might be ahead of myself here, but before I completely jump on the Griese bandwagon I’d be remiss if I didn’t note Griese’s six interceptions in his previous three games. But for right now, Griese fits the mold for one of the lamest sports cliché’s, “he gives our team the best chance to win.”

In the week seven win against the Eagles, Griese completed 27 of his 41 passes (65.8%) and gained 322 yards. And with no timeouts and no radio communication in his helmet, he led the Bears on a game-winning 97-yard drive that culminated with “Moose” Muhammad’s touchdown catch with nine seconds left in the game.

In addition, Griese called his own plays.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ready to put Griese in the Hall of Fame just yet. But I am suggesting that maybe he can take on Ron Turner’s job as offensive coordinator too.

At first, I was skeptical about the Griese starting. His career numbers state that he’s a good, but not great quarterback. He’s had health issues in the past, and one of my biggest issues with Griese was that he had never won a playoff game—let alone take his team to the playoffs.

With that said, that could happen in a weak NFC.

But if he does that, what does that say about the Bears coaching staff? What does that say about head coach Lovie Smith? It seemed like a quarterback controversy loomed every week and Lovie would come out to the podium and confidently say “Rex is our quarterback.”

However, Lovie wasn’t the only one.

I supported Rex Grossman. Even before he was drafted, I watched him put up big numbers in Steve Spurrier’s offense at the University of Florida. And when the Bears drafted him, I thought he was going to be great.

I’ve always thought that Grossman has some of the skills to be a—dare I say it—great quarterback, like confidence. And a rocket for an arm, to throw Favre-like lasers through tight coverage. And a feathery touch to throw a soft deep ball over defenders.

Now, he’s got nothing.

Early in his career, it was injuries that kept him from performing like the player Bears fans expected. Now, it looks like the pressure of big market expectations has gotten to Rex, and that’s a shame.

Now, in his contract year, he’s been relegated to the bench and won’t likely get a starting gig unless an injury occurs. It’s very likely, Rex’s career as a Bear is over.

As for Griese, he is now 2-2 as a starter and looks to be gaining a firm grasp of the offense. His ability to limit mistakes, as evidenced by the 0 turnovers against Philadelphia, is one of the main reasons he is starting now. And if he can keep that up, the Bears could make a run at a playoff spot.

The Bears still have issues they need to solve before they can be contenders again.

Their running game has been terrible. Cedric Benson has proven nothing to me, except that he is a serviceable number two running back who thrives against tired defenders. Their defense is still porous, evidenced by the Adrian Peterson show last week.

A 7-2 record down the stretch would give the Bears 10 wins and maybe a spot in the playoffs. If the Bears can find a way to jump start the running game, clog the holes in the defense and Griese can limit his mistakes, the Bears may be primed to make a run after a disastrous start.

Jim Hendry Interview, Cliff's Notes Edition

While doing my daily search for baseball information, I came across an MLB.com interview with Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. And rather than having readers have to read the whole thing and try to figure out what is or is not important, I've decided to highlight four things from that interview that I deem interesting.

***Note: All quotes attributed to Hendry***

1. "You want to improve and you want to change things. Even if you're the World Champions, I think you come into camp next year with four or five different guys on your roster. That's the way the game is now."
• It looks like the Cubs poor playoff performance isn't likely to affect the 25-man roster. However, this quote makes me believe that Hendry has his eye on some new blood in an attempt to better an 85-win division championship team. This year's free agent pool is quite shallow, but there are several quality players that can be had for the right price. It will take another smart off-season by the Cubs front office to bring improvements to this team. I'm interested in what players Hendry will target this winter.
2. "You can't predict somebody wants to come to your place. We've had a good track record -- people want to play here."
• I thought that this quote was important, specifically the part I put in italics. This was in response to a question asking if the Cubs were more likely to make roster changes through minor league call ups, free agency or through the trade market. I feel that Hendry's statement "people want to play here" is a good sign. I remember that under the Dusty Baker and Don Baylor eras that both of those managers were supposed to bring stars. They didn't. We'll see if the combination of Hendry's recruiting ability and Lou Piniella's managerial star power can bring in some impact players to the Northside.
3. "I'm happy with [Geovany] Soto. I think Soto has a great chance to be the catcher on Opening Day."
• For the record, I like Geo, but I'm not quite ready to give him the majority of the playing time behind the plate quite yet. Yes, he hit .389 in limited big league action this year. Yes, he hit the only home run for the Cubs this post season. Yes, he posted a .353 average with a 1.076 OPS in 110 Triple-A games in 2007. I realize all of that, but I don't want to put a lot of faith in a catcher with such a small sample size, though you have to think some of those Triple-A numbers would have to translate to the big league level. Also, I'm concerned about the health of Henry Blanco, who didn't play much in the second half and was left off of the post season roster. Free agent catchers include Jason Kendall (Cubs), Paul Lo Duca (Mets), Jorge Posada (Yankees) and Yorvit Torrealba (Rockies).
4. "I believe our payroll will go up [in 2008]. I don't know how much. If it stayed the same or close to the same, I wouldn't complain about it."
• According to Hendry, the impending sale of the Tribune Company shouldn't interfere with baseball opertations, and that's coming from the guys above him and John McDonough (e.g.Tribune executives Dennis FitzSimons and Crane Kenney.) That's a good sign, because this team needs to make improvements if they want to make the playoffs again, next year.

By posting this, I've saved the reader roughly 600-700 words. With that time, you can help Jim Hendry by outlining what the Cubs need for next year.