moatmagic4-blog

[moatmagic4-blog]

Cubs pick up Cole Hamels' option, trade Drew Smyly

Most of us wanted Cole Hamels back in a Cubs uniform for 2019, and we will have that wish granted:

Unfortunately, Jerry Crasnick spelled Drew Smyly's name wrong, but you get the idea.

Smyly was signed to a two-year deal last offseason that paid him $3 million in 2018 and was scheduled to pay him $7 million in 2019. He rehabbed with the Cubs and made one appearance for South Bend but never made it back to the majors in 2018.

Smyly's luxury tax hit for 2019 was $5 million, so exercising Hamels' option will wind up as somewhat less than a $20 million addition to the tax hit after removing Smyly's.

The removal of Smyly from the 40-man roster leaves it at 35 players. There's no word yet on the return for Smyly.

As always, we await developments.

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/11/2/18055874/cubs-pick-up-cole-hamels-option-trade-drew-smyly

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Smart style, smart tech at River North’s new Marlowe apartments

Marlowe, River North’s newest luxury apartment tower, is a boutique, full-amenity community at 169 W Huron St with smart home technology in every unit.

Marlowe apartments have fun, whimsical features that vary from unit to unit, including built-in breakfast nooks, vintage hall trees and more. Kitchens and baths have upscale, stylish finishes. Plank flooring extends through the apartments.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies showcase views of neighboring restaurants and galleries. All of the apartments have in-unit washer / dryers and smart home technology.

Studio apartments at Marlowe start at $1,991, 1-bedrooms at $2,636 and 2-bedroom, 2-baths at $3,685. Floor plans and near real-time rent and availability info are online.

Marlowe is a full-amenity community with on-site management, maintenance and leasing staff, and 24/7 door staff.

Source: http://yochicago.com/smart-style-smart-tech-at-river-norths-new-marlowe-apartments/60284/

[moatmagic4-blog]

Obsessive Kimbrel Readiness Watch: Closer-to-Be to Join Triple-A Iowa in Sacramento

The timeline for Craig Kimbrel to join the Cubs is becoming clearer:

Things have gone well enough to allow for Kimbrel to travel from Arizona and join the Cubs’ Triple-A Iowa affiliate in Sacramento for the I-Cubs’ series against the River Cats, which begins Monday. And in more good news, Kimbrel could get into game action by Tuesday. Sweeeeet!

The Cub Reporter’s Arizona Phil shared an eyes-on report on Kimbrel after watching him this week at the team’s spring training facility in Mesa. On Saturday, Phil saw Kimbrel throw 26 pitches (14 strikes) in what amounted to be a simulated game. The results were mixed (strikeout swinging, strikeout looking, a walk, a homer, and some hard contact).

On Saturday, Brett laid out a possible timeline in which Kimbrel and it’s looking like it could be in play. In essence, Kimbrel could make his I-Cubs debut on Tuesday, be given some time off, and get back on the bump on Thursday or Friday when the Triple-A squad returns home to face Round Rock. After that, he can take a day off before trying his hand at back-to-back outings, possibly on Sunday, June 23 and Monday, June 24. From there, he could take another breather before making a possible final minor-league appearance on Thursday in Iowa against Omaha. In theory, that would put Kimbrel on track to join the big-league Cubs at the end of June or early July.

This timeline would presume a best-case scenario in which Kimbrel suffers no setbacks and looks good during his ramp-up for The Show. After all, this is basically spring training for Kimbrel.

Then again, if there is one thing Cubs fans know all-too-well is being patient.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/06/16/obsessive-kimbrel-readiness-watch-closer-to-be-to-join-triple-a-iowa-in-sacramento-appearances-soon/

[moatmagic4-blog]

Sorry, but you wanted this and you voted for it

* It will never cease to amaze me that the people who were most worked up by Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios and the Tribune’s property tax assessment series ended up demanding the changes that lead directly to this result, while the folks who most strongly supported Berrios in the primary are receiving the greatest benefit from all the public pressure and his impending departure…

With all residential property reassessments now mailed out in Chicago, homeowners across the city are seeing dramatic changes in the estimated value that will be used to determine their property tax bill next year.

Improved methods of valuing single-family homes, compounded by rapidly shifting housing prices in some areas, have triggered “sticker shock” in affluent or gentrifying neighborhoods like North Center and Logan Square, where the median assessed value of residential properties was boosted by as much as 50 percent and many individual assessments rose even more.

At the same time, a number of areas with less expensive housing — such as Englewood and New City — saw nearly equal declines in the assessor’s median value estimates.

The new assessment methods were developed to address long-standing problems exposed last year by the Tribune, which found that the Cook County assessor’s office under Joseph Berrios tended to overestimate the value of single-family homes in poor or working-class neighborhoods while underestimating the value of homes in wealthier areas. Those problems put a disproportionate share of the county’s property tax burden on less affluent homeowners, whose tax bills often were inflated while others got an undeserved break.

Source: https://capitolfax.com/2018/11/08/sorry-but-you-wanted-this-and-you-voted-for-it/

[moatmagic4-blog]

Cubs vs. Red Sox Monday game threads

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Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/3/25/18279509/cubs-red-sox-sloan-park

[moatmagic4-blog]

Javy Baez Goes Oppo Again! (VIDEO)

Javy Baez went out the other way last night to the tune of a whopping 439 feet, and, although he didn’t quite match that mark tonight, he nevertheless went the other way outta spacious Marlins Park again tonight.

That’s Baez’s 6th homer on the year, and he’s been going the other way with authority a lot lately. Not ever hitter will generate a ton of power the other way, but Baez is blessed with that kind of swing and that kind of natural whip. Love to see it.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/04/17/javy-baez-goes-oppo-again-video/

[moatmagic4-blog]

“I want justice for my child. I want justice for my grandchildren”

* NPR Illinois…

Hundreds of Chicago murder cases from as far back as 2014 have DNA evidence from the crime scene: it just hasn’t been processed yet by Illinois’ Forensic Science Lab. State senators met in Chicago on Monday to find out why.

An investigative report from a Chicago TV station revealed about 750 DNA samples had been sent to the state crime lab, but were never touched. That’s led to delays in solving murder cases from as far back as 2014.

Carmia Tang of Chicago is with The Sisterhood, a gun violence advocacy group. She told the Senate Public Health committee about her son Jeremy, who was murdered in September 2017. More than a year later, the DNA in his case is still sitting in a crime lab.

“Just to know that my child wasn’t even worth processing his DNA is an insult to me as a taxpayer,” she fumed.

Representatives from the Illinois State Police, which runs the crime lab, say staff shortages and changes in how DNA samples from sexual assault cases are processed is to blame. They say Illinois’ nearly three year budget impasse also played a small role; a few private vendors that help process DNA samples no longer do business with the state. Still, gun violence advocacy groups have called that answer “unacceptable.”

* There are no quotation marks on this next passage, but if this summary is accurate, it’s the absolute height of bureaucratic blame-shifting…

Lt. Colonel Sean Cormiere, with the Division of Forensic Sciences, said the problem started in 2010, when a new law was passed that requires quicker processing of DNA for sexual assault cases.

So, the problem isn’t the backlog, the problem is the law requiring quicker processing. Right. Stick with that.

Sheesh.

* Fox 32…

Crime lab officials said it could take up to five years to reduce the current backlog of over 13,000 cases. […]

State police told Senator Patricia Van Pelt that the latest crime lab numbers statewide show an overall backlog of 13,390. Those are cases which have been at the lab for over 30 days. Three-thousand-six-hundred and ninety-one of those are waiting for DNA analysis. The others include drugs or weapons analysis.

Last Fall, when FOX 32’s Mike Flannery raised questions about the backlog, state police downplayed the problem. On Monday, they admitted that budget and hiring issues have helped create the backlog.

“We did have a period of time with the budget impasse that made it a little more challenging to get things done. Vendors did shut off. We found ways around it. We had to work very closely with vendors. Did we have any vendors that did shut us off? Yes,” said Col. Sean Cormier.

* Well at least he’s finally on record…

After answering questions from the committee for more than an hour, Cormier said he wanted to make it clear that the State Police was not trying to pass the buck.

“This is not an effort to make an excuse for where we are right now,” he said. “We are absolutely not happy with the backlog and turnaround time.”

This problem is not new. It goes back many years. It’s part of the hollowing out of Illinois government and, like every other fiscal problem, was exacerbated by the impasse.

* ABC 7…

Last month, Carmia Tang said her son Jeremy’s case has still not been processed. He was murdered in September 2017 and she said that the “The DNA may give justice.”

On Monday, she echoed those concerns to state leaders.

“It started about Jeremey and I wanted to fight for Jeremy but it’s so much bigger than that now. It’s about everybody,” Tang testified.

Reginice McBride lost her son, 36-year-old Ronald James, last year. The father of five was shot in the head during a robbery near the United Center while he was in his car.

“They told me they have the DNA from a mask a young man wore,” McBride said through tears. “I want justice for my child. I want justice for my grandchildren.”

Source: https://capitolfax.com/2018/12/04/i-want-justice-for-my-child-i-want-justice-for-my-grandchildren/

[moatmagic4-blog]

The Pistons swept the Bulls over the weekend, putting up 131 on a Sunday afternoon

After Chicago’s marathon against Atlanta to start the month, they have seemed to lost a bit of steam with only one win in their last five games. In their two losses to the Detroit Pistons in last weekend’s home-and-home, they looked to wear down in the second half each time. In these two games, the Pistons outscored the Bulls 133-91 in the second half.

On Friday, the Bulls at one time owned a 21 point lead only to lose by 8, giving up an astounding 43 points in the fourth quarter. Then Sunday - with Zach LaVine resting - it was a huge third quarter which turned the tide against the Bulls, where Detroit scored 42 in a game where the halftime deficit was only 6.

Blake Griffin, who seems to have the Bulls number this season, was exceptional in Detroit’s huge run on Sunday. He scored 17 of his 28 points in the quarter and exploited the mismatches that the Chicago defense gave him. This was a very efficient quarter for Griffin, as you can see his shot chart for the third below (via ESPN).

It’s a good representation of his overall game as he shot 10 of 14 from the field and the Pistons as a whole shot a TS% of 65.1. Griffin has become more than a one-dimensional player in his offensive game in the more recent years of his career. His three-point jumpsuit has improved significantly. He’s shooting a career-high 36.2% on 6.8 attempts per game and he showed the Bulls what happens if you don’t come out and cover him.

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Here Griffin gets the ball near the logo from Reggie Jackson. Andre Drummond, who is just getting into the Detroit half along with Griffin, goes and sets a screen on Lauri Markkanen. This forces both of the Bulls big men to defend a unique 4-5 pick and roll action. As soon as Drummond gets near Markkanen, he turns his back into a post up position and moves backward. Markkanen is caught by surprise and is essentially backed up into the post and out of the play. With Markkanen now guarding his man, Robin Lopez is forced to step up. Initially, you can see Lopez standing around the free-throw line anticipating Griffin to drive. With his limited foot speed and strength, this was a decent strategy to prevent Lopez from having to guard on the perimeter. But with Markkanen out of the play and not chasing Griffin off the three-point line, there is an ample amount space to take a jump shot. With Lopez too far away to make a decent contest, it’s a simple step in a three-pointer for Griffin.

A few possessions after, the Bulls went small with only one big out on the floor. With that big matchup against Drummond, this meant the likes of Wayne Selden, Kris Dunn, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Shaq Harrison all had to try and defend Griffin off switches. It went about as you would expect.

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On this possession, Griffin is in the corner and is matched up against Dunn. As soon as the ball is swung to Luke Kennard, Griffin does the smart thing and posts up Dunn. With Dunn trying to prevent an easy pass into the post, Kennard is forced to throw it high for Griffin to catch it. The pass moves Griffin away from his initial post up spot but he finds himself on the baseline one on one against Dunn. Selden is also a key player here. He switched onto Drummond after the initial PNR which saw the ball flipped to Kennard coming off the switch. With Selden in the paint, he’s playing like a safety and is ready to run over for help defense on drives. Griffin has his back turned towards Dunn and is looking to his left. He sees Selden, for some reason, go from underneath the basket to the low block, leaving a wide-open path on his right to drive baseline. Griffin spins to his right and goes past Dunn towards the space Selden just vacated. With Dunn on his hip, it would be hard to go for a layup near side so he decides to go underneath the basket for the reverse layup. All Dunn can do is foul Griffin and watch as the ball lands into the net for a three-point play.

Suddenly what was an eight-point Detroit lead had ballooned up to twenty-three by the time the quarter ended, turning the fourth quarter into garbage time.

The Bulls had been pretty good lately in avoiding such situations in February, where this Boylen-helmed surge had either competitive losses or outright victories, though the context of what these victories are showing are debatable. Now after a peak win over the Sixers and a strong first half on Friday against Detroit, the Bulls ended their weekend with a thud.

The Bulls get a schedule break with only 1 game over the next 5 days and that one is coming at home against the now-tanking Lakers, and then they head out on a west coast trip.

Source: https://www.blogabull.com/2019/3/11/18259530/the-pistons-swept-the-bulls-over-the-weekend-putting-up-131-on-a-sunday-afternoon

[moatmagic4-blog]

Baseball history unpacked, November 14

A wildly popular Cubs-centric look at baseball’s past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along as we review select scenes from the rich tapestry of Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball history.

Today in baseball history:

1900 - The National League rejects the American League as an equal, declaring it an outlaw league outside of the National Agreement, thus inaugurating a state of war. This follows the AL’s announcement two days ago that it has made arrangements to go into Washington, DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Two weeks later the American Association makes it a three-way battle, but that third circuit will remain a minor league. (3)

Peter Bendix of Beyond the Box Score had an excellent writeup of this situation and the evolution of the National and American leagues. Rather than duplicate that effort, I recommend the work.

1961 - John Fetzer, a passionate fan of the game, becomes the lone owner of the Tigers when he buys out the estate of Fred Knorr. After the 1983 season, the media mogul will sell the team to pizza entrepreneur Tom Monaghan. (1)

Fetzer was a radio station owner originally, and an electrical engineer by training, and is credited with a lot of innovation, especially regarding developments in broadcasting signal. He was also a spiritualist, founding the Fetzer Institute. He is largely to blame for the spread of Muzak but let’s not hold that against him.

Monaghan sells bad pizza but is otherwise a pretty decent sort by most reports.

1986 - Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon buy the World Champion Mets from the Doubleday Publishing Company for $80.75 million. In 1980, the book company had bought the franchise for a then-record $21.1 million. (1)

2011 - Mike Matheny is named to succeed Tony La Russa, who retired as the manager of the Cardinals a few days after leading the Redbirds to a world championship. The 41-year-old former minor league instructor, who served as a special assistant to general manager John Mozeliak, has no previous managerial experience. (1)

Cubs birthdays: Jim Brewer, Willie Hernandez, Kent Bottenfield, Xavier Nady. Also notable: Jim Piersall.

Sources:

Thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/11/14/18093740/baseball-history-unpacked-november-14

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Tasting the 2018 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Variants

No matter what you think of Goose Island these days, if you like beer, you’re curious about the 2018 Bourbon County variants.

“Let’s do ’em all.”

Those were the words of Goose Island brewermaster Jared Jankowski, standing in front of a room of beer media, influencers, writers, other brewers and various beer types last week explaining the thought process behind this year’s parade of Bourbon County Stout options.

This year sees the release of eight different Bourbon County stout and barleywine beers, topping last year’s number which makes this the busiest year for BCS collectors ever. It’s also perhaps the most interesting year in terms of questions we have to ask about the lineup: Why coffee barleywine and not coffee stout? Why wheatwine and no regular barleywine? Why is the most interesting beer, Midnight Orange, its own release when this year’s Proprietors is just a metric shitload of chocolate jammed into a barrel?

I don’t have those specific answers here, nor, really do I need them. I assume the answers are a mix of “there’s only so many hours of the day” plus a bit of “we just felt like it.” Which is fine. Goose is gonna do what Goose is gonna do and they’ll sell a ton of beer doing so. So basically, here’s what happened when I tried a bunch of barrel-aged stout and took some notes (all while Goose Island president Todd Ahsmann sat directly to my right and yes, I did catch him peeking at my notes at least once).

This year’s beers come to us after a nap in 4-year Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace barrels, with the exception of Reserve which hung out in barrels which held an award-winning version of Elijah Craig. There are, as every year, winners and losers, though this year doesn’t quite hit the heights of last year, nor the lows of the restrained post-infection outing.

I’ll give you my ranking of all this year’s BCS variants in a bit — but to tell you about them, I’m going to take you through them the same way Goose took us through them, starting with perhaps the most delicate and pure distillation of barrel character ever in a Bourbon County beer, which would be …

Bourbon County Wheatwine:

The first outing for the first new style in the Bourbon County line in years is a winner. And this is from a guy who generally doesn’t even like barleywines … so what made Wheatwine so much fun to sip?

For a beer that’s about 15% ABV, they managed to make a light, clean, sharp, nuanced brew that’s rich with clean caramel and butterscotch flavor but moreover just a symphony of spirit and barrel. Clear notes of vanilla, whiskey and oak in waves on top of a wash of clean wheaty goodness. I genuinely enjoyed this beer at least 5x more than I thought I would. It’s lighter in color, lighter in body but still rich with surprising flavor and just a fun new entry into the world of barrel aging.

(Wheatwine was also the first variant label to emerge from the TTB earlier this year … followed by a parade of labels both real and fake. When I asked about those fake labels after the night’s tasting, a rep told me that all the labels they submitted “were at least considered for production” … but was unable to look me in the eye when making that statement.)

Bourbon County Stout Original:

It’s not so much that the OG is back, per se, as it is that this year’s is a bit of a return to standard status from last year’s relatively wobbly base barrel-aged beer. I still think that the 2016 Original remains my favorite of recent years, that being the flag that Goose had to plant in the year they returned from their BCS infection woes. Then 2017’s was … iffy, and now in 2018 the beer is back to its rich, hearty, balanced, fudgy, chocolatey self that we know and love.

Sometimes you get a little smoke or tobacco from a BCS Original, this year gives you a good dose of lightly roasty stout + spicy bourbon with a touch of raisin as it warms and you should be pretty happy with hit. It’s a down-the-middle barrel aged stout, which shouldn’t be considered an insult since they popularized the style with just such a thing.

I am still seeing plenty of 2017 BCS on store shelves (including run of the mill convenience stores around the North Side of Chicago, should you ever wonder how accessible this beer is year-round in the city) but I would think that ’18 will move quicker.

Bourbon County Reserve:

Here’s what we said about last year’s BCS Knob Creek Reserve: “Big. Bold. Rough. Unrefined….This is old-school stout character where it couldn’t be roasty enough, couldn’t be boozy enough.” This year’s Reserve is not nearly quite so aggressive and suffers accordingly. The more restrained, balanced character of this beer will probably work for most drinkers, but if I’m comparing Reserves (which I kinda have to) I want this beer to be a graduate-level discourse in bourbon-topped insanity paired with an ass-kickingly rough stout.

This year we got a beer that spent a decent stretch of time on 10-11 year Elijah Craig barrels — which was named Whiskey of the Year last year. Did that make the beer better? The brewers spent a lot of time telling us about how great the barrels were, and how great the juice inside them was … and then served up a beer that was smooth, sticky with toffee flavor and an almost berry-like sweetness … that just made me wish for a pour of last year’s. Sorry, guys.

Distro is expected to stick mostly to Chicago and Kentucky, like last year, though some will also likely hit New York as well as perhaps the Philadelphia brewpub location as well.

Bourbon County Midnight Orange:

Now we get into the fun stuff.

Midnight Orange absolutely delivers on the expectations it promises — it is a beer that tastes like chocolate and orange. Actually, let me rephrase — it is a beer that tastes like orange, with chocolate. For the second year in a row, Goose Island has taken on a dangerous fruit-based flavor and made it work. Last year’s banana-y Proprietors remains a truly pleasurable surprise of a beer, while Midnight Orange is pleasing…but not an all star.

If you think it sounds like the Xmas treat you’ve had for years, you’re right — that’s exactly the inspiration that was described to us. The orange flavor walks right up to the level of “industrial cleanser citrus” acidity and just brushes on overwhelming — but doesn’t quite cross over into a flavor that’s irritating, offensive or otherwise bothersome. Even a touch more would have pushed it there, and the underlying chocolate notes could have stood out louder behind the trumpet-blast of Natalina Orange peel and pith.

Brewer Mike Siegel noted that this was not the first year that the orange+chocolate combination was submitted by a Goose employee as a potential variant so props to Quality Lab employee Paul Leavens and brewer Oscar [no last name given per the brewery’s press release] for getting it past the gates this year.

Is orange+chocolate primed for a trend? At this year’s GABF, New Holland was promoting a version of their Dragons Milk that was also infused with orange and chocolate — which I tried knowing full well I’d have the BCS shortly thereafter and it compared very favorably — so all we need is about one more of these and we’ve got a movement.

Bourbon County Coffee Barleywine

WTF, Goose? No traditional barleywine, no beloved coffee stout … but we get a coffee barleywine? This is this year’s Northwoods — you’re going to like it or not; I don’t see anyone truly loving this one. Divisive, interesting, and probably better on paper, coffee barleywine is a huge blast of rough coffee grounds and beans on the nose, green and raw, like tearing off the top of a bucket of Maxwell House and jamming your head right in.

That green, fruity character of the coffee extends on into the flavor itself, in an equally jarring, aggressive manner. Stout and coffee play great for a lot of reasons, pairing roast with roast and contrasting smooth chocolate with zippy espresso — whereas coffee and barleywine just get into the barrel together and beat the shit out of each other until the ref calls a draw and the judges award the match to coffee but only barely.

Jankowski called this “the most scrutinized of the variants” due to the hour-by-hour checking of the brew as it got infused with coffee through a sort of “dry beaning” technique. They put the raw beans on a flow of beer to pull the flavor straight from the bean vs dilute the beer with a cold-brew coffee extract. That gives you the strongest coffee beer I’ve had in quite some time in terms of ABV, but also pure Guatemalan accelerant.

Note the shredded cacao nibs, berry gelato, orange peel and coffee beans around the beers — Goose provided small samples of the infusion ingredients. Guess what? Raw cacao doesn’t taste great.

Bourbon County Proprietor’s

It’s a barrel-aged stout with a shitload of chocolate in it. It was … yeah, it was chocolatey.

Bourbon County Vanilla

Hot damn, does Vanilla deliver on aroma alone. Intoxicating to the point of cloying, it’s almost cake-frosting rich in smell and flavor with shredded Madagascar bean in such quantities that Siegel reported that people actually got skin rashes from working with that much ingredient.

If you can get past the vanilla bean bomb lingering in your olfactory receptors and put some of this down, you’ll find a beer that stands up to the vanilla richness to deliver some chocolate, some light roast and a touch of bourbon, all smoothed out by a waterfall of what I imagine would be a tan-and-pearl-white wave of buttercream frosting. You want pastry stout? This is the icing on the cake stout.

Finally, I’ll say this for Vanilla: There were a few empty seats around the room for the tasting, all of which had full pours of each variant sitting there all night. Vanilla was the only variant I saw a staff member sneakily grab away for themselves.

Bourbon County Bramble Rye

Not a lot of subtlety here either — this is BCS blended with berry juice, no more, no less. You like raspberry and blackberry in your stouts? Then you’ll like this one. It’s the thinnest and the lightest beer of the year thanks to the juice dilution, which makes it an easier sipper, but I imagine this is a 500ml bottle best split a couple ways because the acidity builds up on you and the base beer is pretty much washed out.

Fruited stouts are always a bit hit or miss — see Midnight Orange and last year’s bananas-foster Proprietors in the “hit” category, whereas last year’s blueberry-almond Northwoods was a big miss. This year’s berry outing isn’t quite as much of a dud as that one, but it’s on the miss side for me anyways.

The Obligatory 2018 BCS Rankings:

If I had to come back to one beer from this year’s batch, one beer that had me asking questions and wanting more and curious to see what’s going to happen with it: It’d be Wheatwine.

I know. I am pretty damn surprised by that too. Everything else fell to about the middle of the pack to me, but here’s where I think things land.

Wheatwine

Midnight Orange

Vanilla

Original

Proprietors

Reserve

Bramble Rye

Coffee Barleywine

I could honestly re-sort those last three if I came back in an hour and thought about it again — it’s that close. Reserve just doesn’t have enough going on with the spirit focus for me this year, Bramble Rye just isn’t my fruity speed and Coffee Barleywine is just nothing but internal conflict. I appreciate the experimentation of it, but I won’t be coming back to it.

One final thing: If Goose Island offers to make you a stout float with gelato, chocolate whipped cream and original BCS…you say yes. Because wow, was this good:

There you have it – another year of Bourbon County stouts are coming our way in a few weeks. Details on this year’s Proprietors Day have been released and can be found here. For $30, you get the opportunity to purchase two bottles of Prop and one bottle of Vanilla; you also get the obligatory tote bag and plastic snifter glass along with sample pours of this year’s BCS.

As always, thanks to Goose Island for throwing open their doors (of the Clybourn space this year) and letting us take a pass at these beers — they remain the most scrutinized beers of the year and I appreciate their annual willingness to let a bunch of us critics and skeptics come through and give things a go.

More From Guys Drinking Beer

About the Author

Karl

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Karl has written about food, travel and beer for Chicago Magazine, Draft Magazine, Thrillist, Time Out Chicago and more. His book, Beer Lovers Chicago, is now available via Amazon and other booksellers. If you're buying, he's likely having a porter or a pale ale.

Source: https://www.guysdrinkingbeer.com/2018-bourbon-county-stout-wheatwine-coffee-barleywine-variants-goose-island-beer/

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WILLSONNNNNNN Contreras Clears the Bases, and Javy Baez is El Mago (VIDEO)

Despite making Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda WORK in the first inning, and despite loading the bases with just one out, it looked like the Cubs might let the righty off the hook when Kyle Schwarber struck out and Willson Contreras went down 0-2.

… but then Willy saved the day:

And how about Javy Baez coming all the way around from first to score on a double to left that didn’t even make it to the corner! I literally said out loud “how the hell did he score from first on that,” but of course, I immediately know the answer.

El Mago.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/04/23/willsonnnnnnn-contreras-clears-the-bases-and-javy-baez-is-el-mago-video/

[moatmagic4-blog]

Addison Russell took questions from the media in Mesa

Addison Russell spoke to the press in Mesa today for the first time since he was suspended for 40 games under MLB’s domestic violence policy. He was suspended in October after his ex-wife Melisa Reidy posted about her experiences while married to the Cubs shortstop. That initial blog post jump started an MLB investigation into Russell’s behavior that had previously stalled in 2017.

Over the course of the offseason Reidy has been more outspoken about the abuse she experienced during her relationship with Russell in a series of interviews with ESPN, the Athletic and ultimately, Expanded Roster. These interviews have added a lot of details, some of them incredibly disturbing, to what started in June 2017 as a third party allegation by a friend of Reidy’s on Instagram.

As more details have emerged many Cubs fans have expressed shock and disappointment that Russell was tendered a non-guaranteed contract. Fans also expressed concerns about the details of that contract as well as disbelief at the Cubs' audacious plan to attempt to be “part of the solution” as Russell faces his suspension and therapy.

Friday was the first time Russell has addressed the media in person since he was placed on Administrative Leave in September.

As someone who has covered this story closely I’m not sure that I was expecting Russell’s press conference to move fans in their opinions in any significant way, but I was interested in finally hearing from Russell on the allegations, the process and what (if any) steps he’s taking to move forward. While there were a lot of questions asked of Russell over a little less than 20 minutes, the answers I’ve been searching for in this situation were nowhere to be found in Mesa.

I will not pretend to know how hard it is to face the media on a complicated issue, but as others have noted, Russell came off as monotone and his answers lacked affect. He repeated certain phrases over and over again, specifically stressing that he was “taking accountability for his actions,” “working to become a better person,” that he was “not proud of his past actions,” and that he was “sorry for his actions.”

To his credit, he stressed the impact of his actions on Melisa at least seven times, explicitly stating that she was the person most impacted by his behavior. However, it was never particularly clear what behavior he was owning up to, or even when he knew specific actions were wrong. In fact, there were very few specifics during the entire press conference beyond when he first entered therapy (two to three weeks before the 2018 season ended, which would be after he was placed on leave in September), the names of the exes who were impacted by his behavior (Melisa and Mallory, although the latter was only referenced once) and confirmation that is is currently in a relationship (which he described as “a great relationship... a loving relationship.” He characterized that relationship with terms like respect, empathy and support).

In general terms. Russell repeatedly thanked the Cubs organization and his teammates for their support. He stressed his commitment towards improvement and the process. He acknowledged the importance of communication and empathy. These points were stressed so frequently that there were numerous comments on the live feed and on social media that he sounded coached and seemed to be relying on talking points. It came off that way to me as well, even though he was not using any notes, particularly given that those talking points closely match what Theo Epstein stressed in his press conference on Tuesday:

He needs to put the work in to be a better person, a better teammate, a better father...he understands he needs to put in the work. He’s enthusiastically embraced therapy. He’ll speak to the media before player camp starts and will be happy to share with you the work he has put in.

Theo emphasized on Tuesday that the Cubs were in the equivalent of the bottom of the second inning in terms of the future of their relationship with Addison Russell. After watching his press conference today I agree that there is a long way to go in evaluating the future of this relationship. You can watch the entirety of the press conference via the Periscope feed from NBC Sports Chicago at this link, or via the tweet below:

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/2/15/18226933/addison-russell-took-questions-media-mesa-cubs

[moatmagic4-blog]

Critical Terms for Animal Studies

Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat and Burger

"Lori Gruen has created an intellectual cafe in which leading scholars offer their insight and wisdom, in incisive and stimulating entries, on topics central to animal studies, all the while incorporating intersections with feminist, postcolonial, disability, environmental, and anti-racist scholarship. Richly textured, inviting and empowering, this is a dream book for students, academics, and activists alike."

Source: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo22991992.html

[moatmagic4-blog]

Not on MLS: Uptown Grey-stone 3-Unit for sale $815,000, great condition!

Wow! 4410 N Dover asking $815,000

Owner operators and investors buyers! Contact me for this pre-MLS opportunity at 

4410 N Dover, Chicago IL 60640 asking $815,000. This is a terrific property to call home. Close to Wrigley, Target, dozens of restaurants and bars... amazing location!

Eric Rojas, Broker

Kale Realty - Lincoln Park

2447 N Ashland 

Chicago IL 60614

773-510-1597

erojas@kalerealty.com

Extra Wide Legal 3-Unit Greystone - Walk to Montrose Brown 

Gorgeous and EXTRA WIDE Grey-stone on Over-sized Lot! Ten Min Walk to Montrose Brown or Wilson Red Line on Quiet, Tree-Lined Street, Three LEGAL Units, All Individually Metered, Gut-Rehabbed to Condo Quality, Central Heat and Air, Newly Refinished Hardwood Floors, Recessed Lighting, Dishwashers, Marble Baths, Top Floor Owner's Unit Has FOUR Bedrooms with King Size Master, Stainless Steel Appliances, Wood-Burning Fireplace - Big Back Decks, Shared Coin-Op Laundry,  Separate Living and Dining Rooms, Rarely Found BIG BEDROOMS! Park Pad for One Car, Large Fenced Backyard, Can Easily Fit Up to Three Cars -  Strong Income with Room to Grow - Gross Income $56,400 Annually:

Unit G (2 Beds/1 BA) - $1000  (Lease M2M) 

Unit 1 (3 BEDS/1 BA) - $1850 (Lease Ends 5/31/2019)  

Unit 2 (4 BEDS/1 BA) - $1850 (Lease Ends 4/30/2019)

First Showings Sunday, April 7 

Listing on MLS 4/9

Top floor living room (virtually staged)

Top floor kitchen

Large bedrooms

Great bathroom!

Back decks

Exclusively listed by 

Kale Realty

2447 N Ashland

Chicago IL 60614

312-939-5253

Source: http://www.ericrojasblog.com/2019/04/not-on-mls-uptown-grey-stone-3-unit-for.html

[moatmagic4-blog]

Bears to sign running back Mike Davis

The Chicago Bears joined in on the free agency madness of Monday’s legal negotiating period, as they are expected to sign running back Mike Davis, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The contract is a two-year, $6 million deal that can rise up to $7 million with incentives.

Davis is coming off of the best year of his four-year career, rushing for 514 yards and four touchdowns on 112 carries in a crowded Seattle Seahawks backfield, resulting in an average of 4.6 yards per carry. He also caught 34 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, showing off some value as a receiver out of the backfield. He spent the past two seasons in Seattle after playing for the San Francisco 49ers the two years before. The five-foot-nine, 217-pound back is a compact and powerful runner with good contact balance and impressive ball-carrier vision.

Davis brings some talent to a Bears’ backfield that is more than likely not finished with its makeover. It is unknown exactly what else the team plans on doing at the running back position, but he serves as solid depth who could see some snaps in short-yardage situations.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2019/3/11/18260877/chicago-bears-nfl-free-agency-sign-running-back-mike-davis

[moatmagic4-blog]

One of the Manny Machado Mystery Teams Has Been Unveiled: The Padres

David Bote or Manny Machado? David Bote or Manny Machado? Hmm.

Fresh off rumors that they were considering a trade with the Cubs for the versatile (and inexpensive) Bote to play third base, the latest report out of San Diego has the Padres as legitimate suitors for the excellent (and expensive) Machado to play third base.

Kevin Acee, who had initially reported the Bote connection and later made an educated guess that Bote would be the Padres’ Opening Day third baseman, now reports that although the Padres weren’t initially involved with Machado, they swung in precisely when a bunch of other teams should have – when it came out that the White Sox’s offer was a mere seven years and $175 million. That report pissed off Machado’s agent, but, hey, if it brought some other bidders out of the woodwork, right?

And that’s the thing about a falling market, even for very pricey players – if it falls enough, mystery teams will emerge because a deal is just too good to pass up.

We’ll see if the Padres try to move quickly on Machado before the price tag gets bounced right back up, and we’ll see whether Machado wants to join a Padres club that is shy of contention, but – like the White Sox – boasts a truly impressive collection of young talent and prospects.

Even if it weren’t for the Bote angle, this is a really interesting development.

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/01/25/one-of-the-manny-machado-mystery-teams-has-been-unveiled-the-padres/

[moatmagic4-blog]

Oct. pending home sales complicate short-term housing outlook

by Andrew Morrell November 29, 2018

The latest report on pending home sales recorded in October, released today by the National Association of Realtors, showed more signs of a short-term slowdown.

NAR’s pending home sales index declined by 2.6 percent last month compared to September, but was 6.7 percent lower than Oct. 2017’s levels. Not only does this make for 10 consecutive months of year-over-year declines in pending sales, it also is the steepest decline seen since January and the lowest number of pending sales seen since mid-2014.

According to NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun, the latest pending home sales report calls into question the short-term outlook of the U.S. housing market. Pending sales usually predict actual existing home sales activity for the next month or two, and other recent data has suggested that the market has finally flatlined or even begun to decelerate.

Still, Yun and other housing economists are optimistic about next year’s overall outlook, despite signs that 2018 will end on a sour note.

“While the long-term prospects look solid, we just have to get through this short-term period of uncertainty,” Yun said in NAR’s pending home sales report.

Ruben Gonzalez, economist for Keller Williams, suggested that the recent downturn may have more to do with the gut feelings of potential homebuyers and sellers, given a slew of negative market data since mid-summer.

“The headwind of rising rates and recent stock market volatility are likely weighing on consumers’ minds despite otherwise strong economic factors that continue to support a healthy housing market,” Gonzalez said in his remarks on the pending home sales report. “We should continue to see inventory levels rise and price appreciation slow as we move toward 2019, but if economic growth and employment remain healthy, we should see only moderate declines in sales.”

Source: https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2018/11/29/oct-pending-home-sales-complicate-short-term-housing-outlook/