Steve Goodman: A Dying #Cubs Fan's Last Request #postseason #flythew

[VIDEO] A nice song by the late Steve Goodman. The response to this song caused him to write the Cubs anthem - Go Cubs Go - you may hear at Wrigley Field after Cubs victories, especially if you're actually there at a game also when you watch a TV broadcast.

Goodman unfortunately would die of cancer in September 1984, that year the Cubs faced the San Diego Padres and would lose the NLCS that year and went the full five games. Up until 1985, the NLCS was best three out of five games.

All the same this silly but somewhat sad song has a new meaning as there have been generations of Cubs fans who have been waiting for a Cubs world series. They got one and now they hope of a long time in coming world series victory.

We shall see as game 1 of the 2016 world series against another long suffering team - Cleveland Indians - will start Tuesday night.

In the meanwhile I can only hope that Mr. Goodman is smiling from the stars especially when the Cubs clinched the National League pennant!

I want to refer you to the last two posts regarding the Cubs. The first is the championship history of the Cubs which dates all the way back to the founding of the National League in 1876. Then there is another post and my history of Cubs fandom.

Chicago #Cubs championship history #postseason

I've done it for both the Bears and Black Hawks and with the latest success of the Chicago Cubs it's time to do one for them too. I started this post last year when the Cubs lost in the NLCS swept by the NY Mets. This year in the NLCS they face the LA Dodgers and have earned their spot in the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians!

Besides we expect so much from Theo Epstein who also catapulted another so-called cursed team the Boston Red Sox to several three world series titles in this century. The Red Sox before 2004 had last won it all in 1918.

As for the Cubs needless to say they last won it all in 1908, their only other title was the year before in 1907. So it'll be 108 years since the Cubs last won it all as of 2016. That's quite a title drought.

For the Red Sox their curse was as the result of them trading Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919. The curse of the bambino saw the Yankees begin their rise to success in baseball to the point where today they're a valuable sports franchise.

Now 71 years ago a man wanted to take his goat to Wrigley Field but was denied. While accounts vary how the curse came to be the Cubs still haven't won a world series since 1908 nor have they appeared in one since 1945.

So the Cubs haven't won it all in 108 years and the last world series appearance was 1945. What years have the Cubs also won the National League Championship? Keep in mind the world series as we know it has  existed since 1903 and the National League started in 1876 which predates the first world series.

So the Cubs NL pennants according to Wikipedia are 1876, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, 1886, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, & 1945. 1906 is the year of Chicago's only - so far - crosstown world series and the Chicago White Sox won their first world series that year.

In addition the  Cubs have also won division titles in 1984, 1989, 2003, 2007, 2008 & 2016. Won wild card berths in 1998 & 2015. It was a big deal in 2003 & 2015 that the Cubs were successful in advancing in the MLB playoffs although they still haven't quite sealed the deal on making the "fall classic".

Now before 1969, the AL and NL pennant winners were largely determined by who won the most games during the course of the season. Thus the two winningest teams in either league get to play in the World Series. Then in 1969 is the creation of the League Championship Series where the two division winners in each league play in a best of five until 1985 after that year best of seven.

In 1993 Major League Baseball approved the League Divison Series which is a best of five to be played before the League Championship Series. Also with the new playoff format each league has a wild card berth for the fourth ranked team. With the new playoff format each league has three division winners and one wild card with the best record who isn't a division winner.

In 2012, MLB started another round of the baseball postseason a one-game wild card playoff. In 2015 the Cubs played in the wild card playoff against the Pittsburgh Pirates which they won. And in 2016, the Cubs played against the San Francisco Giants who won the wild card playoff against NY Mets.

During the 2015 playoff run of the Cubs people kept bringing up the Steve Bartman episode of 2003 and some sports fans haven't allowed the Cubs to live down the 1969 collapse against the  NY Mets. As a Cubs fan I look forward to the day when they live down those low points once and for all!

In 2016, the Cubs have decidedly kicked the "curse of the goat". Now best wishes to the Cubs for the MLB world series! Here's the schedule for the world series against the Indians.

The Chicago Cubs are going to the World Series! #FlyTheW

A photo posted by cubs (@cubs) on Oct 22, 2016 at 7:45pm PDT

Fascinating

A series of links found on Instapundit. Different philosophies of Star Trek. Particularly political & legal philosophies. Questions about the Prime Directive, especially.

Better yet the philosophy of American when Star Trek premiered 50+ years ago. How did America go from a robust pro-liberal philosophy to a more UN-centric "moral relativism".

Then what if Star Trek was written by libertarians.

I can only image a different vision for Star Trek and different drama if someone decided to reboot the universe of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Check this video from reason which is what you see on Instapundit.

Controversy around Nate Parker

I've struck out some factual mistakes and made some corrections on August 29, 2016. My apologies for them. - Levois
 
I've been hearing about this for a while now. Nate Parker who has a movie coming out in October - The Birth of a Nation. Lately he's been mired in bad press over a past rape charge for which he had been tried and convicted acquitted.

At Instapundit we see a rebuttal to this. Basically it's that men unfortunately have often been unable to shake any charge of rape even after they were found innocent or acquitted. The rebuttal is basally we believe the victim over the accused even if it turns out the accused may not have committed the crime after all.

This is what happened to Mr. Parker and is what's happening. Unfortunately the victim is not with us to tell us her side of the story, she killed herself in 2012. Her family continues to speak for her however and seems to still believe Parker and another young man assaulted the victim.

All the same the story behind the alleged rape is as controversial as the subject of the movie. The film essentially is about a slave rebellion led by one Nat Turner.

In the comments about this I find on social media it's always emphasized that being acquitted doesn't mean it didn't happen. Which is technically true and we have one case of that look at OJ Simpson and he's in prison right now. Not for killing his ex-wife and her male friend, but for something completely different. It's an example how his life unraveled after he himself was accused of a major crime and also acquitted. He later lost a judgement in a wrongful death civil suit.

But then having to say acquitted doesn't mean it didn't happen also bothers me. Because in our system we're innocent until proven guilty. For that trial Parker wasn't proven guilty and now this case is coming back out. Someone out there isn't going to let him shake it and will believe he did something. It won't even matter if he stayed on the straight and narrow after his release acquittal.

A rare Chicago tornado

Found out Chicago had its last tornado in 2006. Why do I know about this now because on Tuesday with no rain or storms in the area a tornado touched down on Chicago's southwest side near Midway Airport. It stayed in one place and remained stationary according to reports but it's still what they call a landspout tornado.

WGN has some pictures from their camera at the Sears Willis Tower

This piece of trivia I found very fascinating and to recall I used to be terrified of tornadoes until I learned how rare these storms are especially in our city. Not sure I'd want to experience this in the sticks. All the same I'm sure there are media reports of this 2006 tornado.

I could still look but then I found this 2006 video of a tornado near Loyola University Chicago. So when this video was uploaded to YouTube I had been at Morehouse for a month already.

New ship for "Star Trek: Discovery"

[VIDEO] The new ship for a new Star Trek TV series coming in the new year. If you can't wait for that new series to premiere in 2017 then Star Trek Beyond is out in theaters now. Hopefully I'll see it during the course of the next week or so. Can't wait!

BTW, Discovery will air the series premiere on the CBS TV network and then further episodes will air on CBS's online streaming service. Which I hope they'll change if this return proves to be very successful.

The use of online streaming for TV programs have expanded as of late with such shows as Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and Fuller House have taken advantage of this medium. For a Star Trek series this is not unfamiliar territory since a new Star Trek series in the 1970s would've premeired on a new network. Also two Star Trek series aired in syndication and two others aired on a new TV network as well.

Go somewhere....

The Grand Canyon

Something I did for a little over a week. As usual the mode of transport for this trip is not an airplane but Amtrak. It's always good to see the nation roll by especially during the daylight hours. It's always sad to return home though exciting to go out of town. It's also great to be in far more familiar territory as well.

It always good to leave home for a few days and see how life is lived in another part of this nation. How do people live in such locales as Los Angeles or Las Vegas for example? I had a few days in that part of the nation and it's only a snapshot but worthwhile. Plus heading west is always a rare treat indeed.

On this trip I also went to the Grand Canyon. Been years since the first time I went and it's without a doubt a very massive and deep site. If you're not careful deadly because on the way there I learned someone recently slipped and fell to their death.

All the same the message of this post is clear. It doesn't matter if you leave your block, neighborhood, city, or state. Its always OK to go somewhere and see what's out there. You need not go as far as I had because there are sites to see in the Chicago area or even a day trip away.

Which reminds me, I've always wanted to go to Springfield for example. Also I've never allowed myself an opportunity to see St. Louis. Of course I can always visit Gary, Indiana or check out Indianapolis. Then there's Milwaukee never really had the opportunity to see what that city has to offer.

And with these place all you have to do is spend a day go down early one morning and then come back that evening. Of course you can always spend one night away from home. It's always great to see another part of the world.