Not bad for a wood bat against soft toss.

Probably from the time I was 14 or so, maybe earlier, I wanted tattoos. I was fascinated by them, both the decorative artistry and the taboo. I mean, this was 30+ years ago. I didn’t start collecting them until I was almost 30, but now I’m taking my kids to get them.

My Grandpa Mac was awesome, and damn do I miss him.

Haven’t spent much time here lately, but thought y’all would enjoy this video of our friendly feral cat, Shady. We also see Slim and Marshall on occasion, but this buddy loves to come by often for food and scritchers.

A few thoughts…

Volume up. You can hear someone say “Finish him!” right before the delivery.

Wu-Tang and RTJ. I swear I’m not a short king, but 5-11 looks short now I guess.

Do you have a hat with an octopus holding a tattoo machine? Because I do.

A few strikeouts from one of our tournaments.

This is pretty impressive to me.

Slider

Oh, @mikeflanaganfilm.com, you have done it again. The Life of Chuck was beautiful, and I loved it. My only complaint is that some asshole was chopping onions in the theater the whole time.

Hey, the pickoff throw got past the first baseman and got into the grass, get that extra base. Maybe it would have helped them to know the 1B is also a pitcher. Kid was out by 10 feet on the most perfect throw you’ll ever see.

That’s a lot of roses

Kid just tripled and hit the Wu-Tang celly.

Already a great day!

Roses looking good.

Home for the next 3 days.

New podcast episode 376 is out now! @dealtman.bsky.social from @cubsinsider.bsky.social joins us this week. Cubs sweep Sox, PCA greatness, & more. Listen where podcasts are, or watch on YouTube- www.wrigleyvillenation.com/post/podcast...

LFG, Matt Shaw is back.

Good night for the one-man Team Prove ‘Em Wrong. Set an EV PR with the first dinger against an iPitch machine using a new bat.

16 Men Out

Little kick change.

I’ve spent a lot of time looking at Ben Brown's changeup, which gets way more ride than average. That gives it very little vertical separation from his FB. Going with a kick could give him the depth he needs to make that a viable third offering.

Lance Barrett apparently didn't get the memo.

Tuesday early evening: Kid sets PR with 95.8 mph exit velo Tuesday early evening: Kid breaks bat with which he set PR Tuesday later evening: Dad files warrantee claim Tuesday later evening: Manufacturer responds positively Wednesday late evening: Manufacture processes order for replacement.

Tonight's Pirates starter is Carmen Mlodzinski, the first MLB player with that first name since former Cubs great Carmen Pignatiello in 2007-08.

New Cub Chris Flexen has been the most extreme over-the-top pitcher in baseball over the last few years, but a change to his arm slot is what got him back to the bigs.

I’m a big bat nerd, so the torpedo craze has captured my attention. I have been paying particularly close attention to Dansby Swanson this season. www.cubsinsider.com/2025/04/24/d...

Fun story with a nice tie to the project. First ever sotol, having some with fresh lemon & lime juice with a little agave syrup.

Man, troll culture is so odd. Some alt account on the other site that had just been created in March was going through and replying to stuff from me and other Cubs bloggers from many months and even years ago. And it got really personal too. So off-putting.

This place has generally been really cool, but some douchiness is inevitable. May want to proactively block this troll.

Just got my Macabre Spirits sotol with @mikeflanaganfilm.com’s debut novella, “Rare, Fine, & Limited.” Can’t wait to try both!

Escape…https://youtu.be/awvZZ3eSsg4?si=Wa2NaZJJpNYd7vWc

I looked at Dansby Swanson’s awful luck and wondered aloud whether the torpedo bat might be a factor. Predictably, FB did not deal well with the idea.

I wanted to hear a jam on the jukebox, so I hit G7 for Street Fighting Man by The Rolling Stones. Only problem is I hit G8. What song did I get instead?

Cubs are fun again, not so much the bullpen. @dealtman.bsky.social talks Wu Tang, Hip Hop Group Mt. Rushmore, Steele and more. youtu.be/sgOSMVf-OSA Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/6qScXP…

Kid’s growing up.

We’ve seen a black cat in the neighborhood for a while, very skittish and presumably feral. She started coming up to our porch door a little while back and we give her food and snacks. Named her Shady because someone said, “Guess who’s back?” one time we saw her.

Butler sent these to all of our cats. Pretty cool.

While the bullpen torpedoes the Cubs’ lead, let’s talk about those bats…

Got my first bluejay at the feeder! Peanuts are the key.

New podcast ep369 is out NOW! @dealtman.bsky.social from @cubsinsider.bsky.social joins us this week. Japan Series Recap, Spring Traing Ends, Cubs Season Predictions & more. Listen where podcasts are, watch on YouTube, or here - www.wrigleyvillenation.com/post/podcast...

We quickly moved from disappointment to excitement when it came to Ryne not making the JV team. He'll get far better development over the next 2+ months and we get to avoid the pressure of the $600 per-player fundraising goal. Yikes.

Owen Caissie taking BP on the backfields, currently shagging flies in outfield.

New phone, who dis?

Would make way more sense for a Charlotte team.

This is a local high school’s baseball clubhouse.

The only thing that would made this lopsided Clemson game better is if Dabo Swinney was coaching.