Congrats to the group: 
Ok, Full Court Pressers, winter officially is over (even though Laurie and I were freezing at Wrigley on Sunday - and in an unbelievable FCP coincidence Julie B. and her husband and kids were freezing about two rows behind us) and the running season has started. I've got a race coming up that even the slowest, non-motivated, out-of-shape runners can finish. And it's six miles! Here
My artist friend Jeff Zimmerman (check out his stuff at http://www.jazim.com) has a cousin Patrick Dwyer who organizes a race every year. I'm going to get a few friends to join me in running it this year, and I want to see some of you guys out there. Get out from behind the computer and work up a sweat. We can talk sports over beers at the finish line. I'll let Pat fill you in on some details, such as they are:
"It should start at 10 a.m. on May 18 at the park on 14th and Indiana — a few blocks from the Roosevelt Red Line stop.
"The race will proceed to the lake and then people will go along the lake and cross LSD again at the Armitage bridge, and then go through the zoo to Oz park.
"There will be plenty of beverages at the end. We should all be in the park for awhile and then head to Glascott's.
"The major rule is that "cheating is allowed" — it's just an excuse to get people to the finish line.
"People definitely like the b.s. trophies I give out. I am not much of a runner, but some people get competitive. Jeff usually makes t-shirts.
"It is $30, I think. About $15 for the t-shirt, and $15 for the Lincoln Park Community Shelter. People either write me separate checks or just give me $30 cash and I forward it to the shelter. I generally pick up the tab for whatever food and drink are at the finish line."
I'll update with details as we get closer. I want to see you out there.
If I was back in NW Indiana Roman I'd love to see what kind of innovative way I could come up to cheat in that race, unfortunately I'm down here in NC and am not planning a trip back up that way until late August. I will how ever have a couple beers that evening for the occasion.
Roman responds: Cheers
Hmmmmm....for someone who purports to hate the Cubs, their fans and Wrigley Field especially, Julie sure shows up there a lot, doesn't she? I think she's really a closet Cubs fan!
Unfortunately, I will be in Vegas on the 18th or I would have loved to come out for the race. Sounds like a fun time and a good cause. I assume we will have the ability to make a cash donation even if we can't be there in person?
Roman responds: Sweet gesture. I told Pat to post a comment and answer your questions. Stay tuned.
Thanks Roman.
This is Pat.
I encourage anyone who wants to run to show up in the park just north of 14th and Indiana on Sunday May 18th at 10 a.m. That is just a few blocks from the Roosevelt Red Line. It should be a lot of fun, rain or shine. Whatever shape you may be in, it will be made up for by running along the lake. People also walk and ride bikes. "Cheating is allowed" and I even did so with some friends last year. The "commissioner's prize" goes to the most creative cheater. Those hoping for championship timing, priority seeding, and all the other accoutrements will be severely disappointed. And C.A.R.A. membership will get you nothing. And unlike a much larger, but less prestigious race, we promise not to have to call off the race for lack of water---supplied by the Chicago Park District! kidding.
Anyway, let me know by posting a comment here if you are interested. Ahead of time would be very helpful, say, by the first week of May, to get the t-shirt order in. If you don't want to get a t-shirt, or if you won't know until later, just show up.
Anne, when did I say I hated the Cubs? Wrigley's a dump, but I'll cheer for the Cubs, and always have, only not when they play the Sox. I grew up on the South Side, Honey - but my grandparents were Northsiders and crazy Cubs fans, who actually watched because they loved the game of baseball. That's why I watch too.
Roman, can I start at the finish line? I want to go, but as I've said before, if I'm running, someone's chasing me.
Sounds like fun. I have to check the Bubba activity schedules before I"m officially in. Great cause, too.
Julie, if you are married and have 2 kids, then I'm older than I thought I was!
I want the last place trophy.
If you want to make a direct donation, go to http://www.lpcsonline.org
I have volunteered there a number of times---mostly as an overnight volunteer----although it has been awhile. I can attest that it is a well run place and that the money is needed and well used. The clients are very thankful.
My apologies Julie. I must have missed all your feel good Cubs posts amidst all your negative ones. You can rest assured I will be on the look-out for them in the future!
And also for future reference, unless you're my mom or a 50+ year old waitress, please don't call me Honey.
I always enjoy the excellent shirts and beers after the race. I'll be there on the bicycle as usual.
Roman responds: Make those shirts.
also, here is a partial list of participants as of this a.m. (whether single or bringing s/o's, friends and family) who I have penciled in, whether participating or if they can only make it after: Biemer, Blough, Decio, various Dwyers, Garcha, Gray, Grunewald, Katie Joyce, Kratzer, Lillig, Lowery, McClung, McMurrough, Modrowski, muench, M. Murray, T. Murray, O'Halleran, O'Toole, Tuerk, Woods, etc. And I hope for a bunch more.
Gotcha, no more Honey. Certainly you can understand my hesitation to call myself a Cubs fan though. Unfortunately the Bozos give all of us a bad name. Plus, Wrigley is disgusting. The Cell is a much more enjoyable venue for a baseball game, and I will be there tonight.
I am a 50 year-old waitress, which entitles me to call Roman "honey."
Roman responds: I've always had a thing for waitresses.
I'm a little blown away that you were able to figure each other out..who recognized who, or..have you met before??!??!??
This almost deserves its own thread.
Can I walk?
And ... just in case; can I crawl?
Roman responds: Walk early, crawl late - but don't drive.
"Actually watch because they love the game of baseball." Yes, of course- that is what a Cub fan is. So Why do Sox fans watch?
I use to run all the time. Now I am at the age where there is no fun involved and my T-shirts come off of the clearance rack at Kohl's. I have all my charity money allocated this year, but , you know what they say, "it's not a donation, if it is not a sacrifice." So where do I send this thirty bucks to?
Who is Anne?
Patrick, I would love to help out in any way I can. My son's 2nd grade class did a community service project this year for the shelter. You can count me in for pre or post race anything, especially post race partying. I'll see if I can rustle up my cute single friend at that hour to come with me. Just let me know how I can help.
Can you be more specific as to the style of the shirt, and would you be offended if I immediately finagled it into a more flattering girl-style upon receipt?
How refreshing it is to read a little honesty about the "friendly confines." I wouldn't go so far as to call Wrigley "disgusting," but there are few if any pro parks with worse facilities. Maybe it will take another rare and more severe Illinois earthquake before the hallowed Cubs' home field is improved to the level of most other minor league parks.
Bubba's mom...your a 50 year old waitress, who leans Democratic but who went to N.D.? where did you go wrong??
I'll chase you Julie, just grab your purse as I run behind you...seriously Roman, I'm thinking about going. Give me more details.
Culzie! You actually read other posts besides your own? I'm impressed.
Don't forget, I'm also a pink-wearing Sox fan, in addition to all my other problems.
Occasionally, Notre Dame produces an independent thinker. It happens about as often as they win a national championship. I think I escaped the brain-washing because I was in grad school there-- the undergrads really have no hope. Poor things.
(The above paragraph may be helpful to people during the football season when we are inundated with posts that make excuses for why the Irish have such a bad football team.)
And I am not yet 50, but closer to it than Roman or my daughter Julie. But enough about me, Culzie. Back to you.
How did you fall to the Darkside?
"Culzie! You actually read other posts besides your own? I'm impressed."
- Bubba's Mom
HA!!!! A classic! If I were only as quick.
Culzie - I am truly flattered by your attention -- but I will respectfully decline to divulge any more details about myself, including an explanation of how I ended up on the "Darkside"....
These posts are supposed to be about sports, and our opinions about sports, with maybe the occasional detour to politics and other fresh topics. I know you are still experiencing that post-15-minutes-of-fame-rosy-afterglow thing because of your guest-blogging experience last week, but I just don't wanna talk about me. I'd rather bitch about Yankee fans and how particularly ugly male Yankee fans are. Now I truly understand what it means to have a "butta" face......
Paul:
You're right, the facilities at Wrigley are abysmal, the food is second rate, and parking is virtually non and parking is virtually non existent.
A 6.4 on the Richter Scale would reduce it to a pile of rubble.
But as much as I hate the Cubs, I still have to admit that when sitting in the stands and watching a game, the place does have a certain ambience.
Or maybe it's just all those good looking women in tight jeans, and tank tops.
And Bubba's Mom .... While I've never been a fan of Notre Dame, you're my kinda woman, so I might just convert.
Right on Momma. I'll bitch about Yankee fans with ya anytime. And being that you are my mom, I'm going to tell you a secret..... Roman's not that far off of 50.
BC, another great thread topic idea! He'll never use it......
Yankee fans - ick! The men have butta faces. The women eat too much butta. Last night during the game (given away early by the Sox), this was the sequence: Yankee gets a hit, Yankee butta face stands up, shouts, rearranges himself, beats his chest, touches his crotch again, and sits down. Kinda like a Red Wings fan with a bad 5 o'clock shadow.
I don't like going to my stadium and being surrounded by thousands of fans screaming for the other team. ( Gotta admit, this doesn't happen on the north side-even when the Cardinals are in town. Someone educate me if I'm wrong!)
Even when the Tigers or Twins come to town, their fans aren't like this -- brazen, rude, AND always touching themselves. Some fans, like the occasional Royals fan, give you sheepish looks and smile idiot smiles. But Oh, NO, not Yankee fans. They own the freakin world, don't ya know? (Bosox fans are bad too, but that's a different story.) And now they think they have a monopoly on holiness, what with the Pope celebrating Mass on second base. Intolerable!
They're fat too. Butta butts! The chants when Giambi was up were somewhat amusing, no?
I have to admit, I occassionally will read other peoples posts, especially when they have Culzie as their opener.
Dont blame me for skimming though, blame people like Edgard or Jaun who havent figured out that 8 page essays just dont grab the eye anymore in this world of sound bytes and studio clips!
I didn't hear the Giambi chants, J- enlighten me please. My observation of Giambi: a sometimes clutch-hitter, but mostly a slow, lethargic first-baseman who can't be relied on to make a routine play. Last night he had 2 chances to catch foul balls - one hit the tip of his glove and bounced out, and the other he made a half-assed effort to get. And he gets paid HOW MUCH? No matter how slow Paulie is, he makes an effort when he's on the field. You can have Giambi.
What embarrasses me most (and this will be used against me later by either Stuck, or Culz, or both) is that for this series, my stadium was 2/3 hometown fans and 1/3 Yankee butta faces, and the "guests" were louder and more intense. Does anyone else get as pissed off as I do about that?
I won't repeat it, but it rhymes with "Hair-Roids, Hair-Roids." Unfortunately, I think he's raised his BA 70 points in the last 3 days.
********Okay, here's my grand idea of the day: Let's have the 1st Annual Romie Awards Ceremony in Oz park after the race!!!! Culzie could make his acceptance speech via satellite!!! I'll bring the velvet rope (The Velvet Rope - not bad for our show, BC) and the red carpet!!! Just have to get Roman on the actual award designation, surely the statuettes have dried by now. My Momma wins for best Blog Momma!*************
*******indicates where Roman should pay attention to his own blog.
The only things more obnoxious than Yankees fans, are Sox fans talking about Yankee fans!
Culzie (note that my post starts with Culzie, so he will read it immediately, at least 3 times) -- but you looked so handsome in that pink sox hat. I guess the magic in that hat burned your scalp. Oh well.
*************Julie, great ideas for the Romie Awards**************
You should start without me, as I will be the last one over the finish line
Since you made it plural by saying "things," you can add Cubs fans talking about anything. Ohh, burn.
awww shucks!
A great - but cold - time was had by at all at Dwyerthon '08. Congrats to Katie and Dennis for winning male/female divisions.
I finished fifth or sixth, covering the 6-mile course in an unofficial 48 minutes (give or take a couple of minutes).
Several hundred dollars were raised for the Lincoln Park Homeless Shelter.
Looking forward to '09, but let's push it back to June. Man, it was windy and cold by the lake.