Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

Little Things Kill

There's very little to complain about in Cubland these days, so this will definitely sound a bit cavil.  (Especially if you're a Pirates fan - man, they're godawful.)  But I was watching the Cubs game today, and I was getting annoyed by the little things.  I mean, this is the best Cubs team I've ever seen, and I really am enjoying the heck out of this season.  I just can't stand watching when the Cubs screw up the easy plays and/or not hustle. 

Case in point: Alfonso Soriano.  I love watching him when he's hot, and when you come down to it he's the lone super-duper-star on the team.  But yesterday, he took his eye off the ball for a split-second, mid-hop I might add, and dropped the most routine of flyball outs.  This ultimately caused the Cubs to cough up the lead (temporarily).  I honestly think that even I would have had a 50% chance of making that play.  But for a major leaguer to drop it?  Without sun in his eyes?  Almost unheard of.  You might see one drop that bad in an entire season of watching baseball, and even would probably be because the guy was playing out of position.  

Then today, he had two more brain freezes.  In the first, he hit a double off the wall...which is great.  But had he even remotely hustled, it would have been a leadoff triple.  I wouldn't say that he was jogging, but he was definitely giving less than 75% effort on his way to first.  So frustrating.  A half inning later, Jack Wilson hit a weak liner to left, except he was running hard to first.  Soriano jogged over and bobbled the ball for a second, and that was all Wilson needed to make it to second.  (Aramis, of all people, benefited from a similar hustle play last week.)

And Soriano's not the only one.  I've found that Ryan Theriot routinely doesn't have his head in the game either.  Case in point, he got thrown out at third today (on a grounder) for like the 5th time this year.  That's Jacque Jones bad, and he hasn't gotten 1/100th of the crap that the much-maligned Jacque got.  I should know, I maligned Jacque very much.  Plus The Riot's been caught stealing almost as many times as he's been successful.  Rule is, if you're not successful at least 75% of the time stealing, you're actually hurting the team more than helping.  Don't steal, especially third, when you aren't positive you'll make it.

And I don't even want to get in to Zambrano's recent struggles.  Once a head case, always a head case.  I don't want to overreact on this, because he's always been prone to mid-season mini-slumps.  Ultimately, I think he'll be fine by the time September rolls around.  But how long will it be before he breaks a bone punching dry wall or busting a bat over his leg?  Talk about an avoidable injury.

All in all, I'd much rather have one Soriano giving 80% than a hundred Jack Wilsons giving 110%.  I'm not stupid.  I'm just saying it can be incredibly annoying to watch.  If one of those little plays causes a postseason series to be lost, the player in question will go down in infamy with Leon Durham, Bill Buckner, Alex Gonzalez, Fred Merkle, and the rest.  Hustling and playing smart would avoid half those problems.

Of course, the Cubs ended up doing the little things right in the 7th with the squeeze play and some smart baserunning. And, of course, they ended up sweeping the Pirates for about the ninth time this year.  And they're the best team in baseball, thirty-three games over .500 for the first time since 1945.  So I really have no right to complain in the slightest.  I'm just saying....

Stuff I Like: Sports! (not the album by Huey Lewis)

This might be the most obvious "Stuff I Like" post imaginable.  Of course I like sports, I write a freaking sports blog.  What prompts this post is the fact that the Olympics are over, and I must admit that I'm not that much of a fan and I'm glad its over.  Sure, seeing Michael Phelps win eight golds and setting eight world records in the process is awfully impressive.  But really the whole thing is just a two-week reality TV show that takes place every two years, and I honestly could care less.  Will anybody care one iota about swimming or track & field over the next 200 weeks?  No, not really.  Can anyone name who won the lesser events this year like synchronized diving to say nothing of events like handball or equestrian dressage?  Give me regular season baseball any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  In fact, here's how I rank the sports, in terms of my interest, 10 to 1 with 10 being the highest:

10. NFL - It's an incredibly close call between Football and Baseball, because I honestly can't pick a favorite between the Cubs and Bears.  It makes my brain bleed.  So I put NFL first because I'll watch pretty much any NFL game televised, and I don't watch a whole lot of complete baseball games outside of the Cubs. 

9.  MLB - Really, on a scale of 1-10, I'd give the NFL about a 35 and MLB about a 34.  I love baseball.  The only reason I don't watch every game televised is because I already spend 20 hours a week following the Cubs.  Seriously.  And now that I think about it, I only catch maybe 12 hours of football a week.  Maybe I should switch them. 

8.  College Football - As previously discussed, there's a huge gap between MLB and College Football for me, but I'd still put it 3rd on my list.  This sport has been rising fast for me.  As recently as five years ago I barely had a passing interest. (Understandable because I went to NIU).  The lack of a true champion and all the Youngstown State cupcakes that the powerhouses face always pissed me off.  But after further thought, the bowl system ain't that bad.  It makes every regular season game mean a whole lot more.  And who doesn't love rivalry week?

7.  NBA - Back in the Jordan heyday, this sport very well have been number one for me.  But the post Jordan years were such a disaster that they forced me to care a little less about basketball.  I can watch the Bulls when they're competetive (ie. close to .500), but I can't stomach when they're slogging through 15 or 20 win seasons.  I still catch a lot of the playoffs, though.  So I guess you could say I'm a bit fair weather on basketball. 

6. Golf with Tiger - Here's another sport I wouldn't dream of watching back in the old days.  When it comes to Golf, I generally only watch Majors.  And when Tiger's not playing, I tend to watch them a little less.  But Tiger is so transcendent, he demands your attention.  He's insanely good and has that Jordan magnetism.

5.  College Basketball - March madness is cool.  Final Four is must see.  Regular season is a good time waster.

4.  NHL Hockey, Golf without Tiger - Hockey looks great in HD, and the Blackhawks are really coming on strong.  I wouldn't be surprised if Hockey moves up this list in the next year or two.

3.  Olympics, Arena Football - Ah, the impetus of this exercise shows up at numero 3.  Basically, I care about the Olympics about as much as I care about Arena Football.  It's entertaining enough when its on, but I don't exactly check the box scores after its over. 

2.  College Baseball, Soccer - When it comes to Soccer, I'm a typical American.  The fact that it rates lower than the Olympics should tell you something. 

1.  Tennis, Softball, Little League WS, Bowling, Fishing, Strongest Man, Lumberjack Competitions - I've been known to land on channels showing all of these sports and hang out for a good 15-20 minutes.  But that's about it. 

Another thing that gets me about the Olympics, is that its not always the best athletes.  For one thing, some countries (USA! USA!) are overflowing with capable athletes, and other countries can barely scrape up five people that have ever seen an Olympic-sized pool, let alone swam in one.  So they "borrow" our guys.  Would it be as interesting if there were five Americans, two Chinese guys, and a German in one competition?  Maybe not, but at least the best eight guys would be duking it out.  Plus, I'm a firm believer that the true "best athletes" in the world are pretty much all in the NFL or NBA (or playing Euro Football).  If you dangle a $20 million dollars a year at guy like Devin Hester and tell him to train like hell for four years to do nothing other than "run real fast," do you think he could win a gold?  He might not beat that Lightning Bolt guy, but I'd sure as hell like to see what would happen if he'd try. 

Check that, I don't want him anywhere other than running crossing patterns for the Bears.  Actually, I don't even see the point in him doing that.  (What the hell are you thinking, Turner!?)  Send him deep.  Every play.

Till next time...

Something Positive for Bears Fans

Tonight was the third, and most important, preseason game of the season.  The Bears still lost to the Niners, making them 0-3 this year, but the starters actually found the end zone a couple of times and managed to put twenty points on the board in a single half.  Kyle Orton looked downright good, making Lovie Smith look like a genius for a day.  He hit his receivers, threaded the needle, hit some long passes, stepped up in the pocket, and threw a pair of touchdowns to Rashied Davis (who also dropped a third.)  Not that it will necessarily carry over into the season nor does it mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it does give us a tiny shred of hope that this year might not be the worst season in Bears history. 

Really, the whole starting offense did well.  Forte made some nice runs and the line was awesome,  giving Orton all day to throw.  Sure, it was San Francisco and it was the preseason.  But after last week, when I didn't think they could block a pee-wee team, this was a refreshing change.  And there was a Kevin Jones sighting.  He looked damn good.

Also, the special teams return units were stellar.  Danieal Manning had two 70-yard returns (one of which was on a reverse), Earl Bennett had a nice return, and the Bears blocked another pair of kicks.  Good game all around for everyone on special teams not named Gould or Wolfe.

 The elephant in the room that I'm avoiding is the defense.  The starters were flat out awful.  They made J.T. O'Sullivan look like Joe Montana and Alex Smith look like Steve Young.  They made Frank Gore look like, well, Frank Gore.  Just a horrible job all around by the defense.  Mike Brown didn't look so hot tonight either.  He looked like a guy that missed 48 games in the last four seasons.  I'm hoping tonight was just a blip.

Back on offense, Rex Grossman looked like shit.  As usual, I think he was trying to hard to make something out of nothing.  He scrambled around the pocket and generally looked like his deer-in-the-headlights self.  Could the Bears possibly pull a Chad Hutchinson and cut Grossman before the season starts?  He was pretty bad, and I think he'd make a lousy backup.  Maybe the Bears can give Tampa a sixth rounder and get Griese back.  (Just kidding on that.  But there will be a veteran or two available to back up Orton should he get hurt (or more likely suck.))  Hanie didn't do much tonight, either, except for the last play of the game, so I doubt he's the answer.

Anyways, that's about it from me.  The D was bad, but I'm not too worried.  The O was good, but I'm not too impressed.  Till next time.

I Can't Believe it! Cubs Win!

I had some things to do this evening, so I DVR'd tonight's game.  Once I got done with my chores, me and the fam retired to the basement, sprawled across the Cubbie blue leather couches, and watched some baseball.  Before I could really get into the game, Z was getting rocked and the Cubs were down 5-1.  DeRosa homered cutting the lead to 5-3, but inning after inning this game turned into the yucky general malaise that has plagues every game against these scrappy, dead stadium, Marlins.  I knew the Cubs were going to lose.  They got a few runners on, but no matter.  It just felt like a loss, and I started to zip through the batters, courtesy my 30-second skip.  Out...Out...Out...Commercial...Out...Out....Out...Commercial.

Then, all of a sudden, the Cubs get a few runners on with the slumping Daryle Ward up in the top of the 9th.  I suddenly got a tiny feeling that something might go right.  Three-run moon shot and the Cubs got the lead!  Family goes berserk.  I can't believe it.  My throat is gnarled.  Then Wood comes in.  Wood's numbers since coming off the DL have been good, but personally I feel he's been getting lucky with a lot of those outs as they were all seemingly hot smashes right at people.  He hasn't been the same Kerry that earned the All-Star birth.  I was just thinking today that I bet he blows his first save opportunity.  Sooner or later those rockets will catch up to him. 

Not on this night, though.  He made it interesting, with a seemingly 50-pitch walk to Ramirez before getting two strikes on but ultimately hitting the next batter.  Two on, two out.  All through the bottom of the ninth, the tension was so thick I couldn't stand it.  I had to cheat and hit FFW a few times before I had a heart attack.  0-2....strike 3, Cubs win!  Holy cow! 

I knew they'd win all along. 

Cub Road Woes Over as they Sweep Braves

You know that the Cubs have had a bad century when they do something mildly impressive and Len Kasper says "that's the first time the Cubs have done that since 1945."  Eight road wins in a row yielded that faint praise.  They also swept the season series from the Braves for the first time ever, which also doesn't sound all that impressive considering the teams have been matching up for 100 years; but apparently it is.  Strong work.

Not much analysis needs to go into this series as the Cubs simply pounded the crap out of the ball and got some pretty good pitching.  Howry still sucks, Aramis bruised his hip, and Soriano showboated his way to a face-high fastball; but that's really the only thing that went wrong for the Cubs.  So much went right that I can't even list it all. 

The Marlins are up next, and this series should be decidedly tougher.  They've got great young pitching and a nice collection of some of the best young hitters in the majors.  Did I ever mention that I hate the Marlins?  Not the players themselves, as its pretty hard to hate a dynamic young talent like Hanley Ramirez.  No, I hate their organization, their extreme lack of fans, their owners, and their stadium.  I also, of course, hate how they beat the Cubs in the 2003 NLCS but I especially hate the fact that they've won two World Series in the last eleven years.  For an expansion team (with virtually no fan support) that seemingly only tries to win once every five years to win two titles while its been a hundred years of anguish for the millions of  Cubs fans is simply ridiculous.  Sure, the Marlins have been rewarded for their "smart baseball management," but that doesn't mean I have to care.  When they win, its like that old line about "the tree falling in the forest".  Did anybody notice you won those trophies?  No.  So there.

Petulant rant over.

Nice to see that the Brewers lost today.  I've been anxiously awaiting their collapse since the Cubs swept them and Fielder smacked Parra around in the dugout.  That, of course, didn't happen to the tune of eight wins in a row.  Luckily the Cubs have kept pace.  At this point, winning the division doesn't seem quite as necessary because its looking more and more like the Wild Card will come out of the Central.  Still, I want to win it.  Don't want sneak in and win a World Series like the Marlins.  

Check that.  I don't care how the Cubs get in.  Winning the division would be nice, but the World Series is all that matters.  Stay the course.  Win it all. 

Till next time... 

Who's in Center for the Cubs?

This year, obviously, it's Jim Edmonds and Reed Johnson.  Johnson's performance, I understand.  But to say I was leery of the Edmonds signing would be bit of an understatement.  He's just crushed the ball and played great D constantly.  On Friday, after Edmonds smashed his second home run, I labeled him a Cardinal Killer, and that statement blows my mind.  Between Johnson and Edmonds, the Cubs have one of the most productive Center Fields in the league.  But it hasn't always been this way.

Since I started watching the Cubs on a daily basis, roughly 1984 or so, the Cubs have not had a regular Center Fielder.  Well, they've had a few capable Center Fielders, but they have yet to have a good one last more than three years.  In fact, Corey Patterson has logged the most games there since 1984 and that alone tells you all you need to know. 

Here's a list of the best Cubs Center Fielders since '84.  You look at this list and wonder...what the Hell happened?  For all the talk that Third Base got A.S. (After Santo), the sinkhole in Center Field has been virtually ignored by the local media.  And really, this isn't even just a "last 25 years" thing for the Cubs.  Really, since Andy Pafko in the 1940s, only Rick Monday was really any good for more than a year or two.  But I don't have the patience to go through teams that played before I was born or before I was "baseball aware."  So here's a crack at the last 25 years or so.  And remember, these are the best.

1.  Kenny Lofton - I told you this list sucked. Kenny played only a half a season for the Cubs, but this potential Hall-of-Famer was so awesome that he tops my list.  (.327 BA, .380 OBP)  If the Cubs somehow picked him up in 1993 rather than 2003 I wouldn't be writing this post. 

2.  Brian McRae - McRae was pretty solid for two seasons and he got traded half way through a lousy third.  But he hit .280 with 75 stolen bases and 35 homers in his 2.5 seasons, and that's far and a way the best body of work for a "regular" Center Fielder in the last 25 years.

3.  Bob Dernier - I like Bobby Dernier, and this is no knock on him.  But he really only had one good season for the Cubs.  He set the table for the 1984 team and stole 45 bases.  Other than that, he hit .240 for a pair of injury plagued seasons.  And he's my number three.

4.  Corey Patterson - Ugh.  By the time he left the Cubs, I hated Corey.  But for sheer counting numbers, he's number one on this list.  Most games, most homers.  He only had one and a half decent seasons, out of five with the club.  And this third overall pick in the draft was supposed to do a whole lot more.  I will say he was decent on D, at least.

5.  Jerome Walton - Everyone knows his story.  1989 Rookie of the Year; 1990 and beyond Bust of All-Time. 

6.  Dave Martinez - He had a decent year in 1987, hitting .292 with a .372 OBP.  Then he was traded for Mitch Webster, who just misses the cut on this list.

7.  Juan Pierre - His final numbers in 2006 looked like typical Juan Pierre numbers.  .292 BA, 58 steals.  But those numbers don't tell you what really happened.  He hit less than .250 until August on perhaps the biggest clusterf*ck of a team I've ever witnessed.  And he had a noodle arm.

8.  Lance Johnson - Two injury plagued years, but the veteran did his job for 120 games I guess.  I guess.  </shakes head>

9.  Jacque Jones - He mostly played right for the Cubs.  Hit a bunch of bombs there but was universally hated.  Then he shifted to Center for a half a season, lost all his power, and was generally well liked.  I didn't get it then and I don't get it now.

10.  Tuffy Rhodes - He had one good day.  Nobody will ever forget his three homers off Doc Gooden on Opening Day, 1994.  Total homers in 1994?  Eight.

Honorable mention:  Doug Dascenzo, Damon Buford, Mitch Webster, Gary Matthews Jr, Willie Wilson, Brant Brown, Felix Pie (the Future^TM)

I'm pretty confident that neither Jim Edmonds nor Reed Johnson is a long-term solution in Center for the Cubs, but as it stands now they've probably already earned their way up to number five on this list.  Unreal.

Till next time...

Bears Preseason Opener and the loss of Chris Williams

The Bears lost the preseason opener to the Chiefs tonight but the real news was the Bears revealed that Chris Williams had back surgery yesterday.  He had a herniated disc, and the Bears are lying saying that it's the easiest and most routine of all back surgeries.   I don't know what to make of all this, but his career is off to a rocky start to say the least.  Back injuries are, if anything, chronic.  There is no timetable on his return.  How many 22-year-olds with bad backs go on to long and productive NFL careers?  This has Marc Columbo written all over it.

With that and the latest news of Terrance Metcalf getting his knee scoped, I heard on Mac, Jurko, and Harry today that Fred Miller's agent was contacted by the Bears.  Yes, that Fred Miller.  It's funny, the last few days people were speculating that Ruben Brown (or LeCharles Bentley) might get a call.  But then the Bears go out and contact the worst of three unemployed veterans.  I'm not good at predicting the future, but I do know that if Fred Miller has a large role on the 2008 Bears that the team is doomed to 5 wins at best. 

As for tonight's game, neither Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman really did much.  Orton was his usual efficient, safe self.  Got some first downs, though only three points.  Rex made a pair of nice throws, though otherwise he was his usual self...tripping over his linemen's feet and making poor decisions/throws.  Caleb Hanie looked as good as both starters, though against severely inferior competition.  I can't say I'm too enthused about the quarterback situation right now.  If only there were a veteran available with a Super Bowl ring, 275 consecutive starts, and a desire to play in the NFC North.

Elsewhere on offense, Matt Forte looked decent in his first action.  Nice to see a runningback catch some balls and not dive right into his offensive line's derriere after a one-yard gain.  Garrett Wolfe showed some nice burst that was really missing from his game last year, though again it was against all backups. 

Can't complain about the O-line tonight.  St. Clair and Beekman looked good.  None of the quarterbacks got touched (when they weren't fumbling the ball, that is.)  No receiver really stood out this evening, though Mike Hass made a nice catch and rookie Kellen Davis looked awfully good for a third string.  Booker stood out as old looking, if anything.  Meet the 2008 Bears offense - adequate runners and awesome tight ends.  Who could ask for more than that?

On defense, the starters looked mostly good.  Except for the first drive, which thanks to some key third down conversions led to a touchdown.  But after that they forced several 3-and-outs in a row.  That's not much to brag about, as it was Brodie Coyle and company, but its better than a stick in the eye.

Some of the backups made plays, including rookie Craig Stelz (he looks like a player) and special teams ace Rod Wilson. 

And that's really about it.  Really, it's Williams or bust for the Bears. 

Lollapalooza 2008 Review

This past weekend, I went to the massive Lollapalooza festival in Grant Park.  Three long days and dozens of bands later, I am completely and utterly wiped out.  No matter, it was a great time.  What follows is a recap of my virtually sports-free experience.

Before I went to the show, I went over the schedule and visited the myspace page for practically every artist on the bill.  Myspace is a great, legal way to sample full songs from pretty much any artist out there.  (Has been for years, apparently.  Welcome to 2003!)  So I went over the bill, circled some "must sees" and crossed out the bands didn't immediately fall in line with my musical tastes.  It might be a bit brutal to eliminate a band after 30 seconds, but there's only so many times you can trek across Grant Park in a day, right?  On with the show.

On Friday, I decided to go to work and save my "day off" for Monday.  (This no-longer-21-year-old needs at least a day to recoup.)  So I didn't get to the festival until 3:30 or so, or just in time to see The Black Keys.  The blues-rock two-piece band from Akron, Ohio, didn't disappoint.  I enjoy their earlier albums, in particular "Rubber Factory" from 2004, but their new one really elevates them into new territory.  Produced by Danger Mouse, "Attack and Release" is like the Black Keys on steroids.  Since Gnarls Barkley was on the bill this weekend, I was hoping for a cameo.  No luck in that, but honestly they didn't need him.  Their sound was full enough.

From there, I caught some Cat Power on my way to and from the beer tent.  This indie rock veteran was a pleasing enough diversion while I waited for the next act.  Did I mention it was blistering hot on Friday?  The sun was just brutal.  A giant, dark cloud went over for a few minutes and it received a standing ovation. 

Also, AT&T was having massive problems with their cell service Friday (which is sort of ironic considering they sponsored the main stage).  I consistently averaged "one bar", sending text messages would take at least 3 or 4 tries, and often messages would go undelivered for hours.  There was no internet service, either, which means I had to wait several hours before I found out the Cubs got shut out by the Pirates.  The horror.

Anyways, next up were The Raconteurs.  Jack White's side project is one of my favorite bands on the bill, and I loved every minute of their show.  White is just a magnetic performer that completely owns the stage.  You can't help but stare at him wide-eyed during every second of his blistering guitar solos.  Every modern rock fan should make it a point to see The White Stripes or these guys at least once before they die.

Finally, Radiohead.  I'm not the world's biggest Radiohead fan, but I do like them a pretty fair amount.  I was pretty far from the stage for this one, as the place was absolutely mobbed.  Nevertheless, they put on a good show and played a healthy amount of tunes from their new album, "In Rainbows".  In my opinion, it's their best work in years. 

On Saturday, I got downtown just in time to watch The Gutter Twins at 2:30.  This is the new band featuring the former frontmen of Screaming Trees and the Afghan Whigs.  I've always dug Mark Lanegan's voice, whether it was Screaming Trees, solo, or his work with Queens of the Stone Age.  This band makes dark, melodic, raspy rock; and they were stellar live.

Next I saw parts of Devotchka and MGMT, both of whom were at the very least interesting.  Since I have nothing else to say about these guys, I'd like to point out that the weather was fantastic on Saturday.  80 and sunny with a nice breeze and zero humidity.  If only Friday and Sunday were like that.

Explosions in the Sky were next on my list.  This instrumental band is at varying times beautiful, melodic, and extremely intense.  Excellent mood music, and I definitely have to look a little deeper into their catalog.

We took a little break after this, and when we got back we immediately headed south to find a decent spot for Rage Against the Machine.  While waiting, we heard the end of Lupe Fiasco's rap set and 90s grunge wannabes The Toadies do their little revival.  Neither one was particularly inspiring.  By the time Rage started, we were packed in there like sardines.  They ripped into "Testify" and pandemonium ensued.  Rage is one of my all-time favorite bands, but during the second of Zach de la Rocha's pleas for peace I moved back to where the adults were watching the show.  They played a pretty good set, but they seemed a little too distracted by the crush up front to really get into it.  Since I just saw them eleven months ago at Alpine Valley (where they were really into it) and they were essentially playing the exact same set, we decided to cut out a little early to check out Chicago's own Wilco.  I'm not really a fan of Wilco at all, but I appreciate their musicianship and they were a little more my speed at the end of a long second day.  What can I say?  I'm old.

On Sunday, we got down bright and early in time to see The Whigs.  I had wanted to see The Blakes, too, but Metra made sure that I wouldn't.  Oh well.  I did get to see a little of What Made Milwaukee Famous, as apparently it's not beer, cheese, and brats.  They were solid.  As for The Whigs, they're a new band out of Athens, Georgia and I dig them a lot.  It's hard to classify them, as their songs are all over the map.  Southern-tinged punk garage pop rock, I guess.  Check out the tracks "Like a Vibration" and "Mission Control" to see the different ends of their spectrum.

Next there was an extended stretch of bands that I had little or no interest in.  The John Butler Trio was the most memorable of that bunch if I had to pick one.  At this point, we decided to check out Perry Farrell at the Kidzapalooza stage and I was glad we did. 

Kidzapalooza is pretty cool.  They have a bunch of tents set up with kids music-related activities, and a stage with people singing with and for kids.  If I had a ton of money to burn and...well, no I'd still probably not take my kids to a place with so many drunk hooligans.  I mean, I saw a lady pushing a stroller around during Nine Inch Nails.  I just don't get that.  But as an isolated event, Kidzapalooza was pretty cool and my kids would have enjoyed it. 

So Perry Ferrell came out and sang a few songs with the kids in School of Rock All-Stars.  (Remember that movie?  It was based on these guys.)  Perry brought out a special guest, too.  Slash, from Guns N' Roses.  And they proceeded to play four songs, including "Knocking on Heaven's Door", "The Mountain Song", and "Jane Says".  I would have never thought in a million years that I'd see Perry Farrell doing Jane's Addiction songs this weekend.  It was a nice, unexpected bonus. 

Iron and Wine and Flogging Molly were next.  I was pretty dead-ass tired at this point, and I just didn't have the patience for the former.  I like Iron and Wine, but I have to be in a certain kind of mood to enjoy their brand of mellow indie folk music.  Molly, on the other hand, was perfect.  Highly energetic, Irish-punk drinking songs.  What could be better?

The weekend catching up to me, I was hesitant to trek back to the South end (roughly a mile away) to watch Gnarls Barkley.  But I figured when would I find myself in position to see them again and said what the hell.  I'm glad I went; they were great.  The aforementioned Danger Mouse is a musical genius and Cee-Lo has an awesome voice.  They've got at least a dozen ipod-able tracks, and they played them all. 

I next found myself in a mob of wall-to-wall flesh by the Gnarls exit.  Everyone was there to see Girl Talk.  It's just a DJ spinning tunes, but he takes literally dozens of recognizable samples per song and mashes them up into an infectious dance beat that's really popular with the ladies.  So popular, in fact, that at least fifty were on stage partying their asses off.  I wasn't complaining at the site of that.

Having been zapped of all energy hours ago, I parked my ass in the beer garden and drank Stellas while I waited for Nine Inch Nails to take the stage.  I took this time to read about the Cubs fantastic win on my phone.  Go, Reed Johnson!  (There, sports thoughts!)  Then, I caught Nails.  I'd never seen NIN before, though I consistently have enjoyed their albums for going on 20 years now.  By far, they had the best sound and most elaborate light show I had seen all weekend.  Pitch perfect performance, too.  So good that you almost think that they're pulling a milli-vanilli up there and faking it.  (Doesn't appear so, but I had to throw that out there.)  At one point they played behind this electric fence and the band members faded in and out of a sea of white noise.  Being in Chicago, I couldn't help but think, "Chicken wire?"  But it was very cool and totally unique.  Aside from a 25-minute trance set that practically begged people to go check out Kanye West, Trent and company made me forget how much my feet were hurting.  Just a stellar performance all around. 

And so ends my Lollapalooza experience.  I saw a lot of good music, drank a lot of water, got a lot of sun, and generally had a great time.  I'm tired as hell, but it was an experience that I'll never forget.