From the category archives:

White Sox Baseball

The DOYLES are headin’ north

by Joe Doyle on September 21, 2008

Hey friends and family – we’re coming your way!

Many of you know about our planned vacation, but for those who are just finding out I apologize on the timing. We’ve been very busy and trying to schedule everything has been kind of nightmarish. Nothing more stressful than a vacation, right?

Here’s our plans, we hope to see as many of you as possible. Please know that you’re all invited to join us at any location at any time and we encourage it! It’s going to be hard for us to travel to everyone’s home with the toddlers, we hope you understand.

09.23 Tues - leave Austin, land at O’Hare, meet Grandma jean and Grandpa Bob to get their vehicle. They’re so nice and kind to travel six hours round trip to lend us transportation. [Thanks again.] After a quick lunch with them we’re headed to Galena, IL for the Goeres family reunion.

09.24 Weds - 09.26 Fri - Hanging out in the land of Ulysses S. Grant. Lots of family fun - games, shenanigans, possibly a mountain bike morning through The Prairie Peddler. Maybe an Alpine Slide for the kids.

09.26 Fri - Drive to South Bend, IN (Granger, really) to see our good friends, the Bells. Our kids will have much fun together, and Kelly has already offered up more than we’ll need. So nice.

09.27 Sat - Drive a little farther north to St Joseph, MI to see our good friends, the Finnigans. Even more kids craziness and reacquainting with old friends. Likely a good chimenea burn that night.

09.28 Sun - A few more miles up the beautiful west Michigan coast to Allegan, MI to see Grandma Jean, Grandpa Bob, Aunt Kelly and a lot of Ashley relatives. Mom’s hosting an open house to display the toddlers Doyle, just today I realized i get to see some family I haven’t seen for years. Very exciting.

09.29 Mon - After a visit to Aunt Kelly’s work, we’ll pop over to her new house in Kalamazoo. We’re looking forward to seeing the place and her friends!

09.30 Tues - 10.01 Weds - Back in Allegan, maybe a quick mountain bike ride for the kid at Yankee Springs or Fort Custer (where Stacey and I got engaged). Looking for a bike shop that has some demos, so we’ll see.

10.01 Weds - Drive to Chicago to see Grandpa Joe and Grandma Karen. We’re staying in a great condo just two blocks from Comiskey. GO SOX!

10.02 - Thurs - Stacey’s going to take some time and have a spa day at The Silken Tent, owned by our good friend Tiffany Cannon. Then it’s Doyle Day at the condo - all the cousins are coming by, you can, too. Any of these days feel free to visit.

10.03 - Fri - More Doyles in the morning, then a mountain bike ride at Palos with Paolo, Mike and Rachel. Night-time is wide open and dedicated to seeing friends. We’ll likely start out at Dugan’s in Greek Town. If you’d like to pop by the condo before to see the kids, please feel free.

10.04 - Sat - We leave at noon, but there’s always breakfast.

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Even Obama knows that Cubs fans don’t know baseball

by Joe Doyle on August 27, 2008

Swiped from The Chicago Tribune:

Derrek Lee sees truth in Obama’s statement

By Paul Sullivan | Chicago Tribune reporter
August 27, 2008

PITTSBURGH — Barack Obama’s biggest supporter in the Cubs’ clubhouse is probably Derrek Lee, who won’t be changing his vote because of Obama’s description of Cubs fans as beautiful, beer-drinkers who don’t come to Wrigley Field for baseball.

“You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there,” Obama said in an ESPN interview. “People aren’t watching the game. It’s not serious. White Sox, that’s baseball. South Side.”

Lee hadn’t heard of Obama’s interview, but said the comment doesn’t surprise him.

“I mean, he’s right,” Lee said with a grin. “I think most of the fans there are just there to enjoy the experience, and, uh, drink beer. I mean, is that not true?”

In the immortal words of Lili Von Shtüpp, the Teutonic Titwillow:
“It’s twoo.
It’s twoo. It’s twoo.”

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Write a headline for this OBAMA pic:

by Joe Doyle on August 23, 2008

I gotta tell ya, I’m just a little sick of all this Cubs crap already. Thursday during the Bears game FOX showed Cubs fans and talked to them – they even threw Cubs standings up on the screen. Not once did they mention the White Sox playoff race.

It gets better.

After the game, I switch to the Olympics. Misty May and Kerri Walsh are in the stands for the men’s final when the camera turns to them. Dork in front? Yeah, wearing a Cubs hat.

OK, I change channel. FOX Sports North for the Twins score. Commercial - a promo for the fall post season featuring Cubs, Card, Yankees, a couple other teams - no White Sox.

Grrrr.

The blue pinstripers will always be media darlings – there reach is vast due largely in part to the first cable superstation, WGN. It’s the very reason why Delores from Des Moines and Ethel from Edwardsville are such huge fans. But it doesn’t mean it I have to be happy about it (or that the Sox should be ignored).

OK, turn off the broadcast media and go online. I click a teaser link labeled “Obama chooses running mate”. The reveal was the Cubs fan you see below, forcing himself into the frame with Obama.

Turns out is some washed-up reality star named Jonny Fairplay. Immediately I thought, “who is this whack job?” And, “why do I keep seeing Cubs fans everywhere, this sucks.” Well, they are everywhere. The Cubs are the lovable losers with national appeal.

So I turned to writing headlines to keep my mind off this barrage of red Cs. Here are just a few.

“Dude, got any papers.”
“Hey Obama - you’re a Southsider, right? Sox suck.”
“Obama backwards is amabO.”
“Do you think you’ll run with Hillary RODMAN Clinton?”
“You have no idea where this thumb has been.”
“Eeeeeehhhhhhh”
“Your security sucks”

Join me, won’t you?

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