DB posted a link to her flickr account recently in the reader blogs.  Because I'm always hungry to post more content on GROTA, I thought I'd pick a handful of her pictures and post them again, this time on the front page for your enjoyment. (Actually, I'm doing it because they're cool and we're all fortunate to see them.  Thanks again, DB, these are great!)

Anybody who can blog has the option to do the same, if they have a Flickr or photobucket account.  When you're creating your blog, just click on the little tree picture thing (I'm so technical), paste your image URL, write up a pithy description, and save it.  A helpful note, though: try to limit the image's width to 500 pixels or below.  You can modify size by clicking on "dimensions" and keying in the left hand option to reflect the width you want it to be. Now, if you haven't zoned out already, the images:

Photo Courtesy of DB

Photo Courtesy of DB

Photo Courtesy of DB

Photo Courtesy of DB

Photo Courtesy of DB

Photo Courtesy of DB

Photo Courtesy of DB

Something that hasn't gotten too much play since the Holy Shit Carlos Zambrano No-No is that he said something along the lines of "I wish we could play at a new park all the time."  This slagging of Wrigley Field is permissable because The Big Moose is an ace who just made history, but most days fans would be up in arms about such a ... erm, reasonable statement.

I mean, no kidding.  Wrigley Field is old.  Real old.  While I think few Cub fans would advocate that they take a bulldozer to the place, we have to admit that the ballpark is in need of some serious work in order to ensure that the team will continue to play there into its second century.

If and when these renovations take place - and I basically envision them completely taking apart the upper deck and extending the clubhouses a bit - the Cubs will likely play their games in another park for minimally one year, and possibly two or three.

So, let's open it up to discussion and debate.  If the Cubs have to play outside of Wrigley, where should they go?  Would you rather see them play 2 years in the Cell, or 2 years in Milwaukee?  Is Milwaukee even possible, or is it too far away and too much of a stretch on the "Chicago" aspect of the Cubs?

And if the Cubs won their first World Series in a century in a ballpark other than Wrigley, how would you feel?  Upset?  Uncaring?

Share in the comments.

On occasion, I like to dabble in books and other literary pieces…especially when I have been without cable or Interwebs the last few days because I’ve just moved into my new apartment.

But that’s neither here nor there. No hard feelings Comcast…for now.

Anyway, a few years ago my dad gave me a book to read before I headed back to campus to start my junior year of college called Wrigleyworld and I decided to give it a reread to pass the time.

My first thoughts were that Wrigleyworld was going to be yet another book waxing poetic justice about the majesty of Wrigley Field and its powerful influence on the neighborhood and city.

FALSE.

Written by Kevin Kaduk – a former sports journalist/columnist and now editor for Big League Stew – covering the less-than-fantastic 2004 Chicago Cubs season from start to finish, “Wrigleyworld” is about the fans.

After growing up a Cubs fan in the Chicagoland area, Kaduk gives up his sports writing beat in Kansas City to move into a crappy apartment near Wrigley in order to live the dream of attending as many Cubs home game as humanly possible (with the occasional road trip for good measure).

While most writers would have focused on the players or the mystique of the Cubs, Kaduk looks around at all the stories sitting in the stands with him. He watches games from the bleachers, bars, rooftops and streets, and in doing so, tells the story of the Cubs better than anyone with press credentials ever could.

If you like the style of writing we have here at GROTA, then I’m sure you’ll like Kaduk. Here’s a little taste:

At six this morning, I entered Hi-Tops, located across from the right field entrance on Sheffield. On the stage stood a goateed Chicago shock jock and his posse. In front, a crowd of twenty-somethings, most of them wearing hard-ass black, paid close attention. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, so I craned my neck to see what I was missing.

Two men were pouring lighter fluid on their testicles.

For some reason (and Lord knows why), I wasn’t fazed. Seconds later, a flame lit, causing each man to dance around for what were presumably a few uncomfortable seconds. The crowd squirmed, the roared. A few fans with video cameras pushed closer to the stage.

The gross-out contest continued for two more steps, the details of which I am hesitant to reveal here. (However, I will tell you it involved the following: strippers, peanut butter, and vomit.) When one of the men left the stage, a swarm of questions went through my mind.

Were Opening Day tickets at stake? Would you like some aloe for, uh, your…uh, err…you know…your [points toward crotch]? What in the name of Durocher is wrong with you?

Instead, I went with a simple: “Why would you do something like that?”

“I just love life, man,” said the obviously drunk contestant, before immediately heading to the bathroom.

And, truly, what expresses a love for life more than a flaming nut sack?

-Kevin Kaduk

There are few books that have made me laugh out loud like Wrigelyworld, but I have embarrassed myself several times in public places while reading it.

From one Cubs fan to another, it’s a solid book that doesn’t take long to read and it reminds us why we love not just this team, but why we love being a fan in the first place