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Sunday smorgasbord: Yes, the Chicago Blackhawks lost Saturday night (June 15) to the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. No, the world did not end. Well, it hadn’t as of the time that your humble correspondent finished today’s effort and hit the correct keys to post this. Going to sleep and figuring the world still will be there in the morning (or afternoon, if some of us sleep really late).
Guess who was at The Squared Circle on Saturday? Lisa Marie Varon (left), Robbie E and Brooke Adams. Enjoying lunch and quality time together, as wrestlers often do.
* What the Hawks’s 2-1 overtime loss means (other than the best-of-series is tied 1-1) is Monday’s Game 3 will be pivotal. As the third games generally tend to be because they either give a team a 2-1 or 3-0 lead. After which Game 4 becomes pivotal. In case you hadn’t figured that out, but you probably already had. The Game 2 result also means the series will go at least five games. Where else can you get analysis like this? Mind-boggling, I know.
* Despite Saturday night’s loss to the Bruins, the Blackhawks still could sweep the best-of-seven Stanley Cups finals — if Coach Q would only use Mini-Ditka on skates. With the Hawks winning 173-0 in each game — at least. OK, not really, but being realistic is not what being a fan is all about anyway. Unless you are a fan of all-powerful mini-Ditka. In which case even the unrealistic and/or unreasonable appears to be realistic and/or reasonable. #becauseitsthecup
* Speaking of unrealistic, it’s hard to believe the Cubs are on something called a winning streak. Three in a run, whaddya know. Then again, it is against the New York Mets, whose record is even worse than the Cubs’.
* Speaking of streaks, the St. Louis Cardinals — who possess the best record in Major League Baseball (44-24) — have not lost consecutive games since April. Which is a good way to have a winning record. Someone might want to let the Cubs and White Sox front offices know about that. And all that talk about how the Cubs will be a contender in a few years? Someone might want to tell the Cardinals, who have an abundance of young, talented pitching to go with a blend of veteran and young position players who can hit and produce runs.
This is my idea of work: Posing with Lisa Marie Varon and Brooke Adams.
* Speaking of producing runs, the Cubs have a .299 on-base percentage (OBP being a key to scoring runs, rumor has it). If it’s any consolation to Cubs fans (and the guess here is that it might be slightly), the Sox have an on-base percentage of .293.
* Speaking of on-base percentages, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo improved his to .336 with three walks in five plate appearances. He went 0-for-2 to drop his batting average to .249. Meaning the folks in Cooperstown can take their time before thinking about working on a Hall of Fame plaque for him.
* Speaking of the Sox, there is this from MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. He provided this nugget via Twitter before their game Saturday night at Houston: The White Sox have a 6-17 record in first games of a series this season. They are 11-10 in the second game. Which means they now are 6-17 in the first games of a series this season and 11-11 in the second games. And no doubt some Sox fans think it’s Ken Williams’ fault the team doesn’t have more second games and fewer first games of a series this season. OK, math never was a strong subject with some of us. And logic was?
* While we’re talking a little Sox, a reminder to Jordan Danks: When you are batting .120 and manager Robin Ventura puts you in as a pinch runner, it is best not to get picked off second base (or any base) to end the game. Which was exactly what happened in the 4-3 loss to the Astros.
In tribute to Finnish goalie Tuukku Rask of the Bruins, here is Miss Finland 2010 Viivi Pumpanen, who no doubt is a hockey fan.
* Speaking of using your head, commissioner Bud Selig might want to do something to protect pitchers from line drives — such as helmet liners or a reasonable facsimile thereof — so that players like Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb (who suffered a concussion on an Eric Hosmer liner back to the mound Saturday against Kansas City) might have some form of protection. And, yes, that was a long, convuluted sentence. In that batters have all sorts of padding to guard against pitches that hit them, it would seem only reasonable. Preferably before someone is killed by a batted ball in a big-league game.
* Seattle Mariners catcher Henry Blanco, who once toiled for the Cubs. hit a grand slam in the Mariners’ 4-0 victory vs. the Oakland A’s. It was his first grand slam since 2000. He is the oldest Mariner (41 years, 290 days) to hit a grand slam. Not bad for his first game with Seattle after being acquired Friday from the Miami Marlins. Just guessing — based on his slam numbers — he won’t hit another during his big-league career. Unless he plays till he’s 54 or so.
* Random statistical note: The Cardinals have as many road victories this season (25) as the Cubs (13) and Sox (12) combined.
* For those wondering why there are photos that feature Brooke Adams (also known as Miss Tessmacher), Robin E and Lisa Marie Varon (also known as Tara), the reason is simple: because. Because Brooke and Robbie were in Chicago and lunched at The Squared Circle (2418 N. Ashland Ave.). That is the establishment owned and operated by Lisa Marie and husband/chef Lee.
* A Happy Father’s Day for all to whom that may apply.
As we have done recently (thanks to a creative fellow not affiliated with elliottharris.com — which explains the creative component), here is another Miss Finland, as we pay tribute to Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukku Rask, a Finnish fellow. Today’s Miss Finland is Viivi Pumpanen, who held the 2010 title:
Here is where we go for our daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the incredible efforts of the editorial and video departments at elliottharris.com and their broad definition of “gratuitous”):
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