Biggs' Zone

A Gamer Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

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Race to Wrigley Charity Run 2020

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On September 19, 2020

In Fitness

Completing any race has been extremely challenging this year, for obvious reasons. All the usual races I run were postponed and ultimately cancelled (i.e. Red Legs and The Flying Pig). I have always wanted to run the Race to Wrigley Charity Race but I could never arrange to make the drive to Chicago. So I was very excited when I found out I could complete the race, virtually, this year. While I won’t be finishing inside the Friendly Confines, I’m still glad to have the opportunity to participate.

The race is only a 5K and I run farther than that 5 days a week, during my lunch hour, so this is a fairly easy race for me. Since this is for charity I feel that I needed to do something to try to make this a challenge. I decided that I wasn’t going to be lazy and submit one of my normal workouts. Instead I suited up and completed the 5K on a Saturday morning.

My total run time was 35:57, which is just under a 12 minute mile. Considering some of the hills I had to tackle on the route I chose, I’d say that’s pretty good.

Breathe. Just breathe. Now reach out.

Biggs On: The Covid MLB Season

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On August 31, 2020

In Biggs On, General Cogitation, Soapbox

Covid MLB SeasonI don’t talk a lot about sports on this blog; it’s not really a genre that is common in the geek and gaming subculture. However sports is heavy on statistics and numbers, which is right up the geeks alley so I guess it’s not that far out of reach. The baseball season this year is unique because of the covid (much like everything else). I’m having a hard time deciding if the covid MLB season is even worth it. In the end, will it even mean anything?

The Pros and Cons

cardboard fans in the stands

Bernie and a Stormtrooper catching a Royals game

It does feel a bit normal to have baseball on the television again. Hearing the crack of the bat and the cheer of the crowd always makes me think of summer. However, this year the crack of the bat is met with silence. The lack of a crowd in the stands reminds us again of the state of the world right now. I do admire how the ball clubs are trying to have a little fun using cardboard cutouts and teddy bears to fill the seats for some much needed levity.

There are only 60 games this season; that’s 102 games fewer than a normal season. Initially I thought removing that many games cheapens the season. However my brother-in-law pointed out that now every game has meaning. This is true and something I hadn’t considered. Everyone watches the first 20 or 30 games of the season. Around the time of the All-Star break everyone’s interests peters out a little bit. As we approach the end the season everyone’s interest is restored, especially if your team has a shot at the playoffs.

A Cheapened Championship

However, without a full season and only 7 innings per game, a championship will feel ill-gotten and unearned. Players are getting sick and games or entire series are getting postponed. How can it feel like an earned win when you aren’t playing a team at its best. There are some teams that are so far behind their 60 games I don’t know how they are going to catch up. Will some teams only play 53 games?? That doesn’t seem fair.

As a baseball fan, I get it. We’re just glad to have some baseball to watch (or any sport for that matter). However, even if the Cubs were to win the 2020 World Series, it just won’t feel as glorious. I will feel “meh” about it. In the history books it will forever be known as the shortened, pandemic season. I also get it from a corporate perspective. Baseball is also a business and a business, just like all the other businesses in the country, has to meet certain stakeholder obligations. Honestly, this baseball season is more about the corporate bottom line and less about the fans.

After much consideration I’m still of the opinion that the 2020 MLB season should have been cancelled. At the minimum they should have at least cancelled the championship. I’m not excited about it, even with the Cubs in first place. I don’t care about the World Series. I waited 108 years for the Cubs to win, I’m content with skipping it this year. We didn’t have one during the 1994-1995 Baseball Strike, I think we can manage not having it again.

/cheers

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I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

Win or Lose the Cubs are Awesome

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On October 16, 2017

In General Cogitation

the Cubs are AwesomeI know a lot of Cubs fans are really frustrated right now as they are down 2 games in the NLCS against the Dodgers. Since the middle of the regular season it was clear that the Dodgers are going to be a tough team to beat. I do want to see the Cubs rally again and eliminate the Dodgers again; but I don’t think LA is going to let that happen twice in a row. The Dodgers are just too tough of a team, even when Kershaw was injured. I think, as Cubs fans, we are all going to have to prepare to accept an inevitable fate; the 2017 season will end in elimination. Regardless of the outcome, the fact still remains, the Cubs are awesome.

Avoid History Repeating Itself

To be honest, it’s probably better this way. The last time the Cubs won back-to-back championships, it was 108 years before we won again. Perhaps it would behoove us to avoid history repeating itself. We are no longer that “Cinderella team”. While I know Chicago wants another championship, I think there are others that want it more this time. Don’t get me wrong, I am not abandoning hope or my Cubbies. I just want to maintain some perspective. The Cubs have proved to the MLB and the world that they are a tough team. Three years in a row they won 90+ games and made it to the NLCS. Their aspirations of becoming a dynasty are fulfilled.

We have come a long way Cubs fans. We have endured a lot. Now is not the time to get greedy; otherwise we start looking like Cardinals fans. There are no more goats, black cats and curses.  We love our Cubbies and, win or lose, the Cubs are awesome!

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I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

Florence Freedom Legends Game

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On August 24, 2017

In General Cogitation

The Florence Freedom are an independent baseball team in Florence, Kentucky (obviously). If you live around Cincinnati or Florence and you have not been to the UC Health Stadium, you should check it out some day. It is an extraordinary stadium, especially for independent baseball. On August 19th I was there for the first ever Florence Freedom Legends Game. This particular Legends Game brought back players from the Reds and the Chicago Cubs. There were autograph sessions and a 7 inning baseball game. If you timed everything right you could get all of the players autographs. It was also really cool to see some of those guys get back in the batters box but the crowd was pretty small, and that is very unfortunate.

The Legends In Attendance

As I said, there were former players there from both teams; obviously I was there more for the former Cubs players than the Reds. The players that were in attendance are:

Kyle Farnswoth at Florence Freedom Legends Game

Me with one of my favorite players from the 2003 season, Kyle Farnsworth

I was lucky enough to get to see Farnsworth and Patterson play when the Cubs almost made it to the World Series back in 2003. However, I have never seen the other guys swing a bat. I think, of all the guys there, the most surprising was Lenny Harris. He still has some quick moves and he can still make the throw from 3rd to 1st.

Something else that made the game entertaining was watching these former players give each other a hard time. Lenny Harris and Bill Madlock were especially entertaining. Madlock would take up the position of 3rd base coach and give meaningless signals to the batter and Harris would try to stall the base runner until the ball was thrown to him.

Take Me Out to the …. Crowd?

The total capacity of UC Health Stadium is approximately 4,500 seats; however it seemed as though there were barely 500 people there. I was surprised by this considering the caliber of the former Reds players as well as the free autograph session. During the game, someone who works for the Florence Freedom came down by our seats and sat across the aisle from us. He commented about how they “were expecting twice as many people”. They thought that by bringing together two teams with a long rivalry would attract more fans. I certainly understand his conundrum.

On the other hand, I feel like this event lacked sufficient advertising. I only heard about it because I have a friend on Facebook that “liked” the Florence Freedom page which was advertising the game. I never saw anything about it on the local stations nor on the radio. I was even more surprised by the latter since they had two radio DJs as pitch hitters for the Reds. One of them is a DJ for a station I listen to every day, thus my confusion as to why the game was never mentioned on the air.

Granted this was the “first ever” Florence Freedom Legends Game so perhaps one of their lessons learned was to advertise more. I hope there will be a “second ever” Legends Game. I’m even considering attending a couple of Florence Freedom games as well. They are in first place in the Frontier division and UC Health Stadium really is a beautiful ball park. I highly recommend getting out there for a game and keep your eyes and ears open for next years Florence Freedom Legends Game.

(Coming Soon: A gallery of pictures from the game)

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I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win!

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On November 3, 2016

In General Cogitation

cubs-marquee-ws

I cannot believe this day has arrived. My heart has been beating out of my chest since they beat the Dodgers. It’s still beating out of my chest. I cannot imagine what its like in Chicago right now, outside Wrigley Field. It’s surreal to finally say:

The Chicago Cubs are World Series Champions!

ErnieBanksCartoon_iru49ivi_rfrqjfgjI wish Harry, Ronnie, Ernie, my grandfather and all the other players and fans that have gone before me were here to see this. I know they were watching down from above (after they beat the shit out of that billy goat).

They won it in true dramatic fashion. They came back from a 3-1 series deficit, in extra innings, after a 15 minute rain delay. It was as if God was preparing the Cubs and the fans for what was about to happen. God bless the players, the coaches and the fans. God bless the Indians and their coaches and their fans. I know they are heartbroken right now and they have my full sympathy. I hope their drought is the next one to break.

Now that I have finally given my mind some time to wind down and my heart rate to return to normal, I should try to get some sleep.

#LetsGo #FlyTheW

2016 World Series: I Don’t Believe in Curses

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On November 2, 2016

In Biggs On, General Cogitation

I Don't Believe in Curses“This one’s for the whole Magilla!For the whole kitten caboodle! For the whole bowl of wax! THIS is for ALLLL the marbles!!!” – John Candy from Rookie of the Year. This quote was never more appropriate. I’m going to start by saying, very simply, I don’t believe in curses.

I am writing this post prior to the outcome of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. I have not been very shy on social media and my blog about the baseball season this year. My apologies for that, I cannot help being just a little excited for the Cubs. You will not be regaled with anymore childhood tales as to why I root for the “lovable losers”; by now I’m sure you all know the reasons. Actually I’m going to talk about the historical significance of this game.

Curses! Foiled Again!

I swear every team that has a long drought of World Series wins and/or appearances seems to have some “alleged curse”. It’s a billy goat, the Bambino, Rocky Colavito or Black Sox; someone associated a string of bad performances to some bizarre or unpopular decision. It’s human nature to try to explain what cannot be explained. Granted superstition in sports is not that uncommon. There are literally thousands of stories out there of players and fans that perform certain pre-game rituals. It doesn’t matter if it’s a superstition, voodoo or luck, the purpose is to prepare mentally for the task that lies ahead.

Just as its human nature to explain the unexplained, we also try to control what cannot be controlled. Even as I sit here talking about the futility of curses and superstition, I am still guilty of practicing it (it’s no hypocritical, its cognitive dissonance). It’s a very powerful force within our nature to try to will something to happen when we have no influence on the outcome. A botched play or fan interference is not inflicted by a curse because it’s also human nature to make mistakes, but our psyche is very fragile.

For the Indians, it’s Pride

The historical significance of this game is the fact that the two teams with the longest period of time since a World Series Championship, are playing each other. One of these teams will finally end the drought. One of these teams will “end the curse”. 1948 was the last time the Cleveland Indians won the World Series. They are second only to the Cubs (at 108 – which I’m sure you all know by now). So, for the Indians, losing this game means they become the team that has gone the longest without winning a World Series. If I were an Indians fan, that is what would be weighing on my mind.

The Indians are a very tough team. They have very skilled pitchers. If you have been watching any of the games, Corey Kluber is a phenomenal pitcher to watch. I had no idea the Indians had that kind of power in their pitching staff. Andrew Miller is no slouch either. These guys are in it to win it and I’m very proud to be playing against such a fantastic team.

For the Cubs, it’s Principal

lgo_mlb_chicago_cubsSo 1908, as you probably heard a thousand times, is the last year the Cubs won a World Series. 1945 is the last time the Cubs were even in the World Series. It is also the fateful year when Billy Sianis inflicted his famous curse. So the 71 year drought has ended. The Cubs made it to the World Series. Unfortunately they now have the HUGE responsibility of 100 years of “cursed” history to overcome (not to mention all the Cubs fans watching and judging their every move). We have to be ready to accept the fact that we can lose tonight. “New Girl” actor, and long time Cubs fan, Jake Johnson once wrote “We can not be little children scared of a curse. We can not gasp when a player makes an error.“(that’s a great article by the way). 

This is going to be an epic end to an epic World Series. Whatever the outcome, it’s going to be hard on the losing team and the fans. We all have so much emotion riding on this game. We all need to be good sports to each other whether you’re the winner or the loser. The winning team should sympathize for the other team and fans and the losing team, and fans, should reciprocate with congratulatory remarks. A sore winner can be just as awful as a sore loser. So forget about the past and look toward the future because, as we Cubs fans always say, “there’s always next year”.

#LetsGo

minions_iconI could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

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