BCB After Dark: Memories

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the swinging-est spot for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. So glad you could join us tonight. Tell your friends. I hope you’ve brought your own lovely beverage. Please seat yourself. The opening act will be out shortly.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Astros advanced to the American League Championship Series with a 10-1 beatdown of the White Sox, followed by a tantrum by White Sox manager Tony La Russa. Next the Braves beat the Brewers, 5-4, on a Freddie Freeman home run and advanced to the National League Championship Series. Clearly, New Milwaukee is an inferior brew to Old Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, the two teams that should have just advanced to the World Series, the Giants and the Dodgers, are going a full five games in their NL Division Series.

Last time I asked you if it was OK by you if fans cheered for both Chicago teams and by a margin of 69% to 31%, you gave permission to be a fan of both the North Side and the South Side. I wonder what the results of such a poll question would have been if it had been posted on a White Sox site instead of a Cubs site.

Tuesday night/Wednesday morning is the night that I do a light version After Dark. But I always have time for a jazz track to liven up your evening. So if you’re skipping that, now’s the time to jump. You won’t hurt my feelings.

I know from the comments that I’ve made a few Robert Glasper fans from posting his music, but until now, I haven’t posted anything from his best-known work, 2012’s Black Radio by the Robert Glasper Experiment. The main reason I haven’t done that is because while I think it’s a jazz recording, the Grammys didn’t and made it 2013 R&B Album of the Year.

Honestly, Glasper is about expanding the boundaries of jazz and while he can (and does) play straight-ahead jazz, he also loves various kinds of fusion.

So here’s Glasper along with vocalist Lalah Hathaway (the daughter of famed R&B singer Donny Hathaway) doing a cover of Sade’s “Cherish the Day” on Black Radio.

Welcome back to those who skip all that jazz.

After watching a bunch of playoff games today, I got nostalgic for the times when Cubs playoff games really mattered. So I decided to ask you what your favorite memory was from those days.

OK, not your favorite memory. That’s Game 7 of the 2016 World Series and every single Cubs fan would vote for it. So I’m going to ask you what is your favorite Cubs playoff game of 2015 and 2016 other than Game 7.

I’ve got six candidates, although you can vote “Other” and tell us your favorite in the comments.

1. 2015 Wild Card Game. Cubs 4 Pirates 0. Jake Arrieta goes into PNC and throws a complete game shutout, striking out 11. Kyle Schwarber hits a massive home run.
2. 2015 Game 4 NLDS. Cubs 6 Cardinals 4. The Cubs eliminate the Cardinals in the first ever postseason series between the two teams. Javier Báez hits a three-run home run off of John Lackey. The Cardinals tie the game in the sixth inning, but solo home runs by Anthony Rizzo and Schwarber clinch the series.
3. 2016 Game 4 NLDS Cubs 6 Giants 5. The Cubs score four runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat the Giants and win the series, 3 games to 1. The Giants used five different pitchers in this inning and the Cubs hammered all five.
4. 2016 Game 1 NLCS. Cubs 8 Dodgers 4. Miguel Montero hits the most famous pinch-hit grand slam in Cubs history in the bottom of the eighth. Everyone was still celebrating and barely noticed that Dexter Fowler also homered on the next pitch.
5. 2016 Game 6 NLCS. Cubs 5 Dodgers 0. Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman combine on a two-hit shutout to send the Cubs to their first World Series since 1945. Willson Contreras and Rizzo homer off of Clayton Kershaw.
6. 2016 Game 5 NLCS. Cubs 3, Cleveland 2. The Cubs keep their title hopes alive by staving off elimination in Game 5. Aroldis Chapman records a 2 ²⁄₃ inning save. Kris Bryant homered.

So which one of those is your favorite? Or do you have a different choice?

Thank you so much for stopping by again tonight. We can validate your parking. We’ll see you again tomorrow with a regular edition of BCB After Dark.