Positive Thoughts... Positive Thoughts...

I told myself that when I sat down to write about today's game that I'd say something positive.

So here it is:

It didn't rain today!

There, I said it. It's the first game this homestand that I didn't have to bring the umbrella.

That's it. There's nothing else good that I can say about the Braves' 13-3 blowout of the Cubs. I didn't even get to stifle myself as Jessica asked yesterday, because no one hit a meaningless home run. None of the Cubs did much of anything after the third inning, at a time when one more timely hit with one out might have knocked Greg Maddux out of the game. You have to take those opportunities when you get them, because even Maddux having a bad year, won't beat himself. Today, he didn't have his best stuff but he didn't walk anybody, while Shawn Estes, matching him through five innings, started walking people in the sixth and that was basically the ballgame.

Today we got the bad version of Kyle Farnsworth, the one from last year, and even he got lucky because of a changed call; a base hit for Henry Blanco got switched to an error on Alex Gonzalez, making two of the five runs scored off Kyle unearned. Antonio you-know-who, who's reduced to garbage-time duty, came in and gave up two more hits and a home run to Blanco in the 9th, and left the field to a chorus of boos. Really, I think the Cubs simply have to eat the remaining money on his contract and just release him, and get someone else up from Iowa, someone like Rod Beck -- oops, he's busy saving games in San Diego.

Tom Goodwin had three hits today. That's sad, because he's probably going to play just well enough to convince the brass that they don't have to go out and get Kenny Lofton to play CF the rest of the year.

About the only thing we had to cheer for was Vinny Castilla, of all people, who came up in the 9th with a chance to hit for the cycle. Unfortunately, the hit he needed was a triple. He did send a fly ball to the wall in RCF, but pulled up at second, even though he had at least a chance to get to third safely. I guess maybe he didn't realize he had a shot at the cycle.

It was pretty calm and peaceful in the bleachers today; the blowout started emptying things out in the 8th inning, and though I tried all the luck I could find -- wore the same cap as yesterday, got my Super Big Gulp out of the same spigot at the 7-11 -- nothing worked.

I do think the Cubs match up pretty well with Mike Hampton tomorrow; I'd sure settle for a split of the 4-game series.

And I had told Mike on Monday that I thought the Tigers would win the series from the White Sox. Jeff one-upped me by saying they'd sweep, and sure enough, they did, winning 1-0 today. That's pretty embarrassing for the White Sox, who run around with a chip on their shoulders when they play the Cubs, but lay down against the weak teams in the league. That's a classic .500 ballclub, playing up or down to the level of their opponent.

It was the Tigers' first sweep at home since last July, and they are now 6-6 vs. the White Sox, 18-59 vs. everyone else.