Cubs' opening day lineup announced

Corey Patterson, CF
Todd Walker, 2B
Nomar Garciaparra, SS
Aramis Ramirez, 3B
Jeromy Burnitz, RF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Todd Hollandsworth, LF
Michael Barrett, C
Carlos Zambrano, P

Exactly what I would expect from a Colts player

Marvin Harrison has been accused of attacking young boys simply seeking his autograph. Maybe if he was that aggressive on the football field the Colts would get to the Super Bowl.

I thought I had it rough

I thought Duerksen and Dutch were bad after we lost a soccer game in high school. At least I didn't live in Mali.

I bet he's embarrassed

It would stink to die like this.

BK unveils new sandwich

I read this morning that Burger King was set to debut a new breakfast sandwich today. This is not your average breakfast sandwich. The Enormous Omelet Sandwich contains 730 calories and 43 grams of fat. It won't kill you as fast as Hardee's Monster Thickburger which contains 1,400 calories and 107 grams of fat, but it's still pretty bad for you.

Big Ten

I just want to remind all of the Big Ten naysayers that there are three teams from the Big Ten in the Elite Eight (Obviously Purdue isn't one of them but I still have Big Ten pride). There is just one team each representing the ACC, SEC, and Big East, Pac 10, and Conference USA.

Look what I found

I may never eat chili at Wendy's again.

Bears sign another wide receiver

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -- The Bears signed free agent wide receiver Eddie Berlin to a one-year contract on Wednesday.

Berlin, who spent four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, caught 20 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown in playing all 16 games last season.

The 5-11, 195-pound Berlin also was used extensively on special teams, posting at least 10 tackles in each season. He returned 30 kickoffs for a 19.5-yard average during his first three seasons.

Berlin was a fifth-round draft pick out of Northern Iowa in 2001.

What was he thinking?!

CNN had an article about the Fox show 'House' today. Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House on the show and I was curious as to what other shows or films he has been in. Imagine my disgust when I discovered that he was in Spice World with the Spice Girls. I will never look at him the same again.

Vioxx lawsuit

A Vioxx lawsuit stems from reports of side effects including blood clots, heart attacks, and stroke. A Vioxx lawsuit attempts to recover funds related to damages suffered due to the use of Vioxx. Vioxx lawsuits fall under a category known as "products liability", claiming that the manufacturers of Vioxx (Vioxx lawsuit defendants) or their distributors, knew that the drug could cause harm. In a Vioxx lawsuit, as in any products liability suit, there must be proof that the defendants named in the Vioxx lawsuit failed to properly provide for the safety of the plaintiff, and that the person filing the Vioxx lawsuit was harmed as a result of the action or inaction of the manufacturer.

Cubs name Opening Day starter

Cubs manger Dusty Baker named Carlos Zambrano the Opening Day starter for the April 4 game against the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com. Last year Zambrano was the best pitcher on the Cubs' staff, winning 16 games with a 2.75 ERA.

Sweaty Joe Sidelined

Another Cub pitcher was injured in Spring Training. Joe Borowski suffered a hairline crack in his right wrist while fielding a comebacker in yesterday's game. The Cubs said today that he will miss 6 weeks

Spider-Man 3 Info

I read today that Thomas Haden Church will be the villian in Spider-Man 3, which is scheduled for release May 4, 2007. The filmmakers are not revealing the identity of the new villian, however. Church has been in great films such as George of the Jungle, 3000 Miles to Graceland, and Monkeybone.

Weekend Wrap

Friday night I went to a surprise party for Erv and Brad at Erv's house. We ate and played Texas Hold'em. It was decided that we would not pay for money because all of the girls were playing as well. It was also decided that the girls would play at one table and the guys at another until we got down to the last few. By the time the tables joined, one of the girls had four times the amount of the chip leader from the guys' table. I ended up in 4th place. After I went out the final 3 got tired of playing quick. They ended up just throwing all their chips in and saying whoever won the last hand won the game. Adam ended up winning, but if they would've kept playing the chip leader from the girls table would still have had chips left.

Saturday I lounged around the house and watched Ladder 49. The movie was decent but I got sick of the flashbacks. The movie begins present time but continuously uses flashbacks to fill in the story. I didn't get in the shower until around 2:30. Angie and I then headed to Nappanee to watch Meet Me in St Louis at the high school. The musical sucked because it's a badly written musical. The kids in the musical did a good job with what they were given.

Sunday we went to church and then hung out at Big Jim's where I watched most of Rocky II. I went over to Dave and Linda Barhydt's to check out their computer. Dave mentioned to Kipp that the hard drive was making a loud crunching noise and not turning on properly. I got over there and found that the slave drive was dead. The drive was leftover from his previous computer and did not have anything of value on it anyways. I took the drive out and the computer booted fine. From there I went to G&G Mattern's for supper. I then went to Larry and Nanette's to put new memory in their computer. I ordered 2 sticks of 256 MB RAM for their Dell. It was running 128 MB. The install was smooth. After that, I came home and worked out for 45 minutes while watching the World Poker Tour. As I was finishing up my workout, Kipp called and said that his dad's computer wasn't working anymore. It was locking up and his USB mouse wasn't working anymore. I doubt that me taking out the slave drive in anyway affected the OS on the master drive. The only thing that has changed is Dave trying out his new 4 GB USB drive. I have a feeling that the new drive is the reason for the lockups and the mouse issues. The only problem is that I don't know what to do about it.

Help me out

I was watching the hearing on steroids in baseball and I happened to see Henry Waxman. What animal does he remind you of? He reminds me of a fruit bat or maybe a wombat.

For Dave...

Poor Harry getting the intruder.

Tribute to Santo

Just want to let all of my loyal readers know that I will be wearing #10 this softball season in honor of Ron Santo.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

The National Institute of Cancer states that those people working with asbestos or exposed to it are at risk for Pleural Mesothelioma. 80% of people diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos. Smoking may seem like a risk factor but alone, Smoking, is a low risk factor while in conjunction with asbestos exposure the risk increases two fold. Sounds like if you were exposed to asbestos while working you should contact an attorney because you might be able to get a large cash settlement.

They're dropping like flies

Looks like the season may be over before it even started for the Cubs. They announced today that Mark Prior will be out indefinitely because of inflammation in his right elbow. Kerry Wood is also out with bursitis in his right shoulder. A pitching staff of Zambrano, Maddux, Ryan Dempster, Sergio Mitre, and Glendon Rusch doesn't sound too scary. The pitching coach says both will be ready for the regular season but I'm pretty sure I heard the same crap last year when they both missed extended periods of time.

Welding rod court case

A Madison County, Illinois jury recently awarded $1 million to a 65 year old former welder who claimed his exposure to manganese in welding fumes caused him to develop a central nervous system disorder that affects movement and coordination. Although the medical profession had known that exposure to toxic levels of manganese is a known health hazard since at least the 1830’s, this case was the first major legal victory for welders who have been battling rod makers and employers for decades over the issue of welding fume induced illnesses.

I went to see Hostage last night

I went to see Hostage with Bruce Willis last night at Showplace 16. Overall it was good with plenty of action to satisfy my needs. The ending left something to be desired though. I was waiting for a big twist when it came to revealing who the kidnappers were but it never came. There were a couple scenes where Willis was crying and I found myself wondering what he was thinking about when he was forcing himself to cry during the shoot. I finally decided that he was probably picturing Ashton Kutcher with Demi Moore.

Whaaat?

Anybody else think Purdue should've been in the NCAA tourney?

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is a potentially deadly skin disease that usually results from a drug reaction. Another form of the disease is called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, and again this usually results from a drug-related reaction. Both forms of the disease can be deadly as well as very painful and distressing. In most cases, these disorders are caused by a reaction to a drug, and one drug that has come under fire lately is the COX-2 inhibitor Bextra, which is already linked to these disorders. If you or someone you know has one of these diseases contacting a laywer would be a good idea. Lawyers help victims win lawsuits against the mean drug companies. Usually the lawsuits don't even go to court, they get settled out of court for large cash settlements.

Wood sent back to Chicago

The Cubs flew Kerry Wood to Chicago on Thursday to have his right shoulder looked at by a team doctor. Wood left Arizona one day after leaving a spring game in Mesa before the third inning of a 6-5 loss to Texas. He said he had tightness in his pitching shoulder. Wood had a MRI before he left, manager Dusty Baker told this reporter before the Cubs' exhibition game with Seattle on Thursday afternoon. Baker said Wood, scheduled to be the Cubs' opening day starter, might have to miss a spring turn.

Cubs win one and lose one

In split squad action, the Cubs beat the Royals today behind 3 innings of 3-hit ball by Glendon Rusch. Todd Hollandsworth added a triple.

The other Cubs team lost to the A's by a score of 6-4. Carlos Zambrano pitched three scoreless innings. The Cubs are now 5-2.

Nomar homers in Cubs win

Nomar Garciaparra hit a two-run homer to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 8-3 win over the Giants today. Corey Patterson added a pair of hits and drove in a run for the Cubbies. Kerry Wood pitched two scoreless innings and picked up the win.

Good news for Celebrex, Bextra, and Vioxx

While the painkillers Celebrex, Bextra, and Vioxx significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, the danger is not great enough to justify taking the drugs off the market, according to an advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration. The advisory committee voted on whether to stop sales of the drugs Friday during a third and final day of considering the risks associated with taking Cox II selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The committee recommended the FDA take certain actions to warn consumers about Celebrex, including a ban on direct marketing to consumers, a patient guide the drug, and a black box warning -- the highest level of warning that can go on a label -- which will address the cardiovascular risks of taking the medication. The article did not mention what was going to happen to all the lawsuits that are being filed against the makers of these drugs. I bet alot of lawyers were upset with this outcome.

Most of this article taken from CNN.com.

Information about COX-2 Inhibitors

COX-2 inhibitors, which include Vioxx and Celebrex have recently been found to cause nasty side effects. Side effects of these drugs include the risk of sudden heart attack, stroke or blood clots, without preexisting coronary heart disease. Many doctors are wising up to the disastrous side effects of these drugs and have stopped prescribing them. Hundreds if not thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx. If you have taken either Vioxx or Celebrex you should probably call a lawyer. I have seen several lawyers claiming that they can get large cash settlements from Merck. A report on Vioxx risks previously blocked by the FDA was published online Monday after the agency withdrew its opposition. The study found that as many as 140,000 cases of heart disease in the United States and as many as 56,000 deaths were caused by the painkiller Vioxx during the five years that it was on the market.

Cubs win first game

The Cubs won their first Spring Training game today beating the Oakland A's, 2-1. Aramis Ramirez's two-run homer gave the Cubs all the offense they would need. Zambrano started the game and pitched two scoreless innings. Nomar had a hit and was also hit by a pitch. New Cub Jeromy Burnitz was 0 for 2.

Santo denied again

Ron Santo was once again denied entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame today by the Veteran's Committee. No one from this year's ballot received enough votes to be elected into the HOF. The next vote is not until 2007.

Use your Gmail account as a file server

Engadget posted an article today outlining how to use your Gmail account has a file server. Looks like it is worth a try.

Wrigley getting more seats

CHICAGO (AP) -- After four years of negotiations, the Chicago Cubs and the city agreed on a plan to add 1,790 seats to Wrigley Field. The construction is scheduled to take place after this season and will be completed before the 2006 season. The plan to expand the bleachers calls for the Cubs to pay the city $3.1 million up front while also contributing about $250,000 toward a park at a local school. The team also will fund a $400,000 traffic signal system at an intersection that borders the northern boundary of Wrigley Field.