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* I’m giving a speech soon, so you’re on your own for a while. Please keep it Illinois-centric and be nice to each other. Thanks!

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 11:06 am

Comments

What do the Cubs have against Stephen Piscotty? Poor guy…worst trip around the bases EVER!

Comment by Dublin Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 11:21 am
Really bumming. Was gonna watch cards-cubs on this cruddy,rainy day. Cant get in my garden either. Going to enroll in Evelyn Woods and hone my reading skills a bit i guess

Comment by Blue dog dem Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 11:23 am
Between the Sox and Cards, we are reminded why it’s not a great idea to open the baseball season in cold weather parks in early April.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 11:29 am
===What do the Cubs have against Stephen Piscotty? Poor guy…worst trip around the bases EVER!===

I was watching it and man was that unbelievable! Hit in the right arm while at bat, hit in the left arm sliding into second, hit in the head sliding into home. I have never seen anything like that. Hope he’s okay.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 11:35 am
And Piscotty had just agreed to a multi-year $30 million contract !

Comment by illini Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 11:39 am
On Piscotty, Matheny stated he cleared all tests but he’ll give him some down time to rest up.

Is the Cubbies Title defense strategy beat the crap out of anyone on the other team! /s

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 11:59 am
===beat the crap out of anyone on the other team===

Lol, we decided since we’re no longer losers, there’s no need to remain lovable. Especially against the Cardinals.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:13 pm
47th

Having been to quite a cew cub/Card games in both parks (I actually like yours better don’t tell anyone) I doubt either fan base considers the other lovable.

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:20 pm
*few*

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:20 pm
Card fans used to be quite civil back in the
Whitey days.

I blame LaRussa for the development among some of his arrogance and whiny sense of entitlement.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:32 pm
It looked like Contreras totally missed catching Baez’s throw. That dude is stone cold.

Cubs fans used to be lovable until Dusty showed up. He was the ultimate arrogant, whiny, always the victim manager.

Comment by Henry Francis Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:39 pm
I’m a bit concerned that Trump is distracting people from Rauner. All my friends are so vehemently against Trump but never mention Rauner anymore. Hopefully he doesn’t get a boost out of this. It’s supposed to work the other way.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:44 pm
Hope you got a big fee.

Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:45 pm
Word. What do you expect from a vegitarian

Comment by blue dog dem Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:45 pm
BD, according to an old neighbor who worked at Ditkas until recently, LaRussa likes a good steak in a back room when he’s in town.

Shocking that LaRussa could a phony — the guy who saw nothing about roids when he was managing the A’s.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:55 pm
Cub pitchers hit Piscotty three times the last series of ‘16. Arrieta hits him yesterday–bunch of headhunters.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 12:58 pm
HF, I’m not a Dusty fan, but he can recite the alphabet upon request.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 1:02 pm
Been looking at the “Taxpayer Bargain” a bit. It basically bails the State budget out while shorting all local governmental entities in the State.

10% across the board cuts to State agencies; 5% across the board cuts to universities … for starters.

If you do a permanent property tax freeze along with the proposed pension cost shift over 5 years to the school districts, the school district will end up with less money to spend on actual teachers … that’s what they aren’t saying. They’re claiming eliminating mandates will make up the difference; I don’t see it. And the universities don’t get a phase-in; that happens all at once. That’s $750M shifted from state taxpayers to local taxpayers and college tuition.

And if the proposed Tier 3 has any level of employer match, it will cost more than the current Tier 2 system that is fully funded by just the employees. The way I see it, that is mostly $500M of new local expenses, not any cost savings like they claim. They must be expecting people to shift from Tier 1 to Tier 3; I wouldn’t count on it.

And they are reducing the local government share of revenue by 4%, another ding to local revenues.

No wonder the property tax freeze is part of the package; it looks like an intentional plan to starve local government since they won’t be able to easily raise taxes to cover the shifted expenses and lost revenue sharing.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 1:06 pm
With the Frozen Four in Chicago this week when will Illinois get a D1 hockey program? We have an original six hockey team that has been quite successful lately in bringing home the greatest trophy in all of sports.

Comment by frisbee Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 1:23 pm
+++ - frisbee - Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 1:23 pm:

With the Frozen Four in Chicago this week when will Illinois get a D1 hockey program? We have an original six hockey team that has been quite successful lately in bringing home the greatest trophy in all of sports. +++

UIC had a Div 1 hockey program way back (’80s - ’90s). It got cut to focus on basketball. As I understand it, the decision was in part a demographic thing (the UIC student body was viewed as much more of a basketball demographic than a hockey demographic)

Comment by titan Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 1:59 pm
–With the Frozen Four in Chicago this week when will Illinois get a D1 hockey program? We have an original six hockey team that has been quite successful lately in bringing home the greatest trophy in all of sports.–

I would love to see one at U of I, but the estimated start up costs have to be like $100m, once you take into account Title IX issues and having to build a suitable arena.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 2:02 pm
Lol Word. Are you sure about that? Dusty has problems with I, R and S.

Comment by Henry Francis Wednesday, Apr 5, 17 @ 2:08 pm