Termine » bouncing back from a dismal start.Adam Morga

Greetings not from Section 416, but from Car K on the 15:30 Edinburgh-to-London train. Your faithful correspondent is on a two-week holiday away from Chicago -- and its killing him. Things have gone terribly wrong, and I dont just mean the recent pair of tough losses to the Cardinals that ended the Cubs 11-game winning streak.Being away from my sweetheart, friends, regular bartenders and Chicago is always rough. But missing any of this seasons action has turned out to be tougher than Id anticipated, even if being abroad during the baseball season isnt the utter disconnection it once was.When I first studied in Ireland in the early 1980s, Id get the baseball scores a day late, via the International Herald-Tribune; and no box scores either, just line scores. As recently as 2003, I had to learn of Kerry Woods NLDS victory over the Braves via a phone message from a student. The landlady in my Oxford B&B told me Caroline rang to tell you that Chicago beat Sri Lanka. A cricket test match, I thought -- or perhaps we beat Atlanta.Nowadays, the minute I wake up six hours ahead of Chicago time, the ever-giving gift of the geek geniuses (aka the internet) lets me check the prior days score on my phone before getting out of bed. Then I read the local beat writers and columnists, the play-by-play game account, the blogs, ESPN.com and the Twitter chatter.If theres any time left in my day, I go to a museum or a play, visit my friends or do some other tourist thing that brought me across the Atlantic. Occasionally check the Twitter chatter again. Then maybe just one more time after that.And theres the rub.I cannot get chatter abroad; live conversation about the Cubs virtually doesnt exist here.Theres no one to dissect the game details with, no one to help me comprehend the bullpen injury flow chart, or the crazy roster squeezes, much less the Tommy La Stella drama (the Cubs version of the South Siders Adam-and-Drake LaRoche soap opera?).Dublin, Cork, Edinburgh and London are of course full of Americans during tourist season, and some folks who live on this side of the water do follow baseball, but that doesnt mean youll automatically connect with someone to talk Cubs baseball with the way you can in the Windy City.Brian and Peggy, whom I met at my Dublin hotel bar on Custom House Quay, are from Boston and keen to talk Red Sox, but admitted to knowing little of the Jorge Soler saga. Milwaukees Kaylie and Aaron, over a pint in a pub on the Western Road in Cork, for some inscrutable reason were more interested in talking about Packers vs. Bears than Cubs vs. Brewers.My oldest friend in Dublin did her best, but being asked. So, how are the Cubs doing this season? by a White Sox fan who emigrated back to Ireland in the 1970s wasnt gonna cut it. I despaired of finding anyone to talk Cubs with.And then it got worse.I suffered an unprecedented loss, one that obliterated my chances of randomly meeting a Cubs fan to talk about how crucial Dexter Fowler is.I lost my Cubs cap.Every year, on Opening Day, I buy a new cap for that season. This year, it was a replica 1918 cap. In a minor rainy squall, a gust of wind tore it off my noggin and deposited it in a 20-feet-below-grade front yard on Lombard Street in Dublin.Id have needed a fishing rod and reel to retrieve it, and a Twitter plea for them came up dry.So, there was no way that a fellow Cubs fan in the Easter Rising exhibit at the National Museum of Ireland might spot my cap and say. To heck with 1916, this is the year. No one in St. Patricks Cathedral would tip her own cap and say, Joe Maddon is my personal savior. I was not visibly a Cubs fan, and so it was unlikely to randomly meet any other Cubs fans who might have some insight into whether the Aroldis Chapman deal was a moral failing.I sought a new cap immediately, to no avail. The souvenir shops had plenty of Irish Drinking Team caps, complete with bottle openers built into their bills, but the only actual MLB baseball gear available on OConnell or Patrick streets was, of course, New York Yankees caps. And its not safe to assume someone in a Yankees cap will want to talk about Starlin Castro and Adam Warren.The Yankees are the Manchester United of baseball. Americans who know nothing about Premiere League football sport a Man U kit, and Europeans who dont know a double play from Abner Doubleday recognize the Yankees brand and logo. Ive seen a couple dozen people wearing Yankees caps since my Cubs chapeau pulled a La Stella, and not one was worn by someone Id feel right approaching to chat about whether Jake Arrieta will get his control back.Well see if I have any better luck in London, where perhaps the metropolis will include a few North Siders also missing the homegrown, albeit unfamiliar, feel of a 10-plus-game NL Central Division lead.With any luck, the Cubs will still be rolling along when I return, and I will surely have some fellow fans to talk about the game with in person. I kind of pity the first person I see wearing a Cubs hat on the Blue Line in from OHare. Air Max Pas Cher France .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Air Max Pas Cher .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. http://www.airmaxfrancepascher.fr/ . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Air Max Pas Cher En Ligne . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Acheter Air Max Pas Cher . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. NEW YORK -- Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning, and the New York Yankees staved off playoff elimination at the last possible moment with a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.Boston clinched the AL East title nearly 30 minutes before Teixeira connected, thanks to Torontos 3-2 loss against Baltimore. But a five-run comeback by New York in the ninth prevented its longtime rival from celebrating on the Yankee Stadium field.The Orioles victory put the Yankees on the brink of wild-card elimination following a surprising charge late this season. New York had only one infield hit and trailed 3-0 heading into the ninth, faced with the prospect of facing Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel.Kimbrel, however, gave up a leadoff single to Brett Gardner and three straight walks, the last forcing in a run. Red Sox manager John Farrell lifted Kimbrel (2-5) for Joe Kelly, who struck out Starlin Castro and retired Didi Gregorius on a foul popup. With the Yankees down to their last out, Teixeira, planning to retire after this season, launched a 99 mph fastball on an 0-1 count to right-center.James Pazos (1-0) was the winner.ORIOLES 3, BLUE JAYS 2TORONTO -- Hyun Soo Kim hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning off Roberto Osuna, and Baltimore beat Toronto to move within one game of the AL wild-card-leading Blue Jays.With Toronto ahead 2-1, Jonathan Schoop singled with one out, pinch-runner Michael Bourn stole second and Kim homered on a 3-2 pitch into the visiting bullpen in right.Osuna (3-3) has five blown save chances, including two in his last three appearances.Baltimores Mark Trumbo hit his major league-leading 46th home run, a solo drive off Jason Grilli in the eighth. Brian Duensing (1-0) got one out, and Zach Britton finished for his 47th save.TIGERS 6, INDIANS 3, 5 INNINGSDETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning, moments before the game was halted for good, and Detroit came away with a rain-shortened victory over Cleveland to keep pace with Baltimore in the AL wild-card race.Detroit trails the Orioles by one game for the ALs second wild card, and the Tigers certainly caught a break in this one. The rain was a factor throughout the evening -- there was also a delay during the third inning -- and it was certainly coming down when Detroit began its rally in the fifth.With two on and one out, Cabrera hit a line drive over the wall in right off Joseph Colon (1-3) for his 36th homer. Blaine Hardy (1-0) won in relief of Michael Fulmer.PIRATES 8, CUBS 4PITTSBURGH -- John Jaso hit for the cycle and drove in five runs in Pittsburghs victory over Chicago.Jaso tripled off reliever Pedro Strop in the seventh inning for the first cycle in the history of PNC Park and the first for the Pirates since 2004. Jasos final hit was a fly ball to center field. At first he hesitated rounding second base, but went on and the throw from Albert Almora Jr. was up the third base line.Jaso accomplisted the feat in just four at-bats. The last Pirate to hit for the cycle was Daryle Ward on May 26, 2004, in St. Louis. The last Pirates home cycle was by Jason Kendall on May 19, 2000, against the Cardinals at Three Rivers Stadium.Against Chicago starter Jake Arrieta (18-8), Jaso singled in the second inning, hit a three-run home run in the fourth and doubled in the fifth. Arrieta went five innings and allowed 10 hits and seven runs, both season highs.Pirates starter Jameson Taillon (5-4) allowed one hit and struck out four in six innings.Chicagos Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer, his 32nd of the season.RANGERS 8, BREWERS 5ARLINGTON, Texas -- Carlos Gomez hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and AL-leading Texas beat Milwaukee for its major league-best 49th come-from-behind victory.Texas (94-65) moved closer to home-field advantage with a 1 1/2-game lead over Boston for the best record in the American League.Jonathan Lucroy, the catcher traded from Milwaukee to Texas on Aug. 1, reached to start the eighth on a two-base error when the ball ricocheted off the glove of center fielder Hernan Perez. Delino DeShields came on as a pinch-runner, and after Mitch Moreland walked, he scored the tying run when Elvis Andrus greeted reliever Tyler Thornburg with a single to center.Gomez then hit a 418-foot homer to left, his 13th this season. It was the eighth in 31 games for the Brewers former two-time All-Star since joining the Rangers last month after being released by Houston. He had a three-run homer on Tuesday night, that one traveling 444 feet.Rougned Odor hit a two-run homer in the first for the Rangers, his 32nd.Jeremy Jeffress (1-0) worked the final two innings, winning for AL West champion Texas five daays after being reinstated by Major League Baseball from the restricted list following a drunken driving arrest last month and then a three-week stint in an inpatient rehab clinic.ddddddddddddCorey Knebel (1-4) was the loser.ROYALS 5, TWINS 2KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kendrys Morales and Alex Gordon keyed an eighth-inning rally and Kansas City beat Minnesota, but the Royals were still knocked out of playoff contention.The defending World Series champs were eliminated when Baltimore beat Toronto.Morales ground-rule double to right scored Jarrod Dyson, who had doubled and stole third. Gordons single scored Whit Merrifield and pinch-runner Billy Burns.Taylor Rogers (3-1), the fourth of five Twins pitchers, took the loss after allowing three runs, three hits and two walks while retiring only one of the six batters he faced.Joakim Soria (5-8) worked a scoreless eighth to pick up the victory. Wade Davis got his 27th save.METS 5, MARLINS 2MIAMI -- The Marlins walked half a block alongside a hearse carrying their ace away from Marlins Park at the start of a funeral motorcade, then peeled away with watery eyes to go back inside and play.Drained by four days of grieving Jose Fernandezs death in a boating accident, Miami didnt have much left for the New York Mets. Jay Bruce hit his 32nd home run, James Loney also homered and New York helped their NL wild-card chances by beating Miami.The Marlins loss in their home finale eliminated them from playoff contention. Despite high hopes this year, they still havent been to the postseason since 2003.Set Lugo (5-2) went 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs.Jose Urena (4-9) allowed five runs in five innings.MARINERS 12, ASTROS 4HOUSTON -- Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Seattle beat Houston to keep pressure on the other AL wild-card contenders.Canos career-best 36th home run, a drive off Doug Fister (12-13), landed in the first row of the Crawford Boxes in left field. Cano has nine homers and 25 RBI in 19 games against Houston this season.Kyle Seager added another three-run drive in the eighth, his 30th home run this season.James Paxton (6-7) allowed three runs and six hits in five innings, striking out eight.Fister gave up five runs and five hits over 1 1/3 innings in the shortest start of his big league career. George Springer and Evan Gattis homered for Houston.REDS 2, CARDINALS 1ST. LOUIS -- Adam Duvalls two-run single was all Cincinnati needed to beat St. Louis.The Reds third win in their last four games dealt a blow to the Cardinals playoff hopes. St. Louis lost ground in the race for the two NL wild cards.Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani (9-5) allowed one runner in each of the first four innings, but only once during that span did the Cardinals have anyone in scoring position. He stranded five runners, including two in the sixth, his last inning. He allowed six hits and one run.It was the fifth quality start out of six in DeSclafanis career against the Cardinals. He improved to 4-1 with a 2.13 ERA against St. Louis.Duvall drove in his 101st and 102nd RBI with his third-inning single. He has seven RBI in the series.Raisel Iglesias earned his fifth save in six opportunities with two innings of relief.DIAMONDBACKS 3, NATIONALS 0, 5 INNINGSWASHINGTON -- Shelby Miller threw five shutout innings, Jean Segura had three hits to reach 200 for the season and Arizona beat Washington Nationals a rain-shortened game.The start of the game was delayed 33 minutes by rain and was called with one out in the top of the sixth inning after waiting out a second delay of 70 minutes.The NL East-champion Nationals have lost two of three to the last-place Diamondbacks and seven of their last 11 games overall.Miller (3-12) capped an otherwise forgetful season with one of his best outings of the year, allowing five hits with one walk and striking out five to earn his first win since June 20.Gio Gonzalez (11-11), Washingtons projected No. 3 starter in the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, struggled in his final tune up before the postseason.BRAVES 12, PHILLIES 2ATLANTA -- Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer, Daniel Castro had three RBI and Dansby Swanson also drove in two runs, leading Atlanta past Philadelphia.Mike Foltynewicz (9-5) pitched two-hit ball over five innings in his first start since Sept. 12, when he left a game against Miami with a left calf contusion.The Braves won for the ninth time in their last 10 games. They have 21 victories in 34 games since Aug. 21, bouncing back from a dismal start.Adam Morgan (2-11) lasted five innings, giving up 10 hits and nine runs. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '