Bartender Banter

Contrary to popular belief, yes, TMS does remain a Cubs blog. You would think that with the Cubs playing so well, there would be numerous things to write about and plenty of inspiration for new posts, new ideas, new efforts. It's draining though, trying to maintain a blog in your spare time with wives, kids, graduate school, pending legal charges, etc. Speaking for all of the Bartenders, we applaud the rest of you bloggers, Cubs and otherwise, that maintain your sites either alone or with only one or two other writers. It's not like anyone makes money off of this stuff. It's a hobby of passion. My neighbors have surfing or remote control cars (yeah, I thought those died in the '80's too). I have a crappy sports blog. We all need/want a diversion in life. This has been our little outlet, and we greatly appreciate the dozens that have cruised our pages.

Now that all that heartfelt garbage is off my chest...

• The Cubs wrap up a series with the Reds this afternoon. If the Reds feel so strongly about their youth movement that they need to write a letter to their fans, then Dusty Baker is not the manager for them. It's difficult to see him coming back next year. I'd be curious to know what the buyout is on his contract. They need to move in the direction of the Indians or Royals, bringing in a younger, more hungry manager to fit the youthful team composition.

• It's fascinating just how great both Sabathia and Harden have been since changing teams. While Harden may not have the durability, the back end of the Cubs bullpen can make it seem as if Harden went a dominant nine. The end result can be the same as a Sabathia complete game, without the risk that the Brewers are running by having C.C. throw 120 pitches per game. What an awful bullpen the Brewers have.

• So, this is probably the last Olympics for softball. Supposedly it's because the U.S. dominates and wins the gold every time out. Well, Japan won the gold yesterday, so that theory can go right to hell. The same goes for Beach Volleyball, which the IOC has discussed shutting down due to May and Walsh's dominance. News flash, this is their last Olympics. So if you win the gold medal in consecutive Olympics, does that mean the sport needs to be dropped? By that logic, we should scrap most of the men's swimming competitions because of Phelps. What a jerk, being good and all. How could these athletes be so selfish?

• The larger discussion should be about the IOC's incompetence in assuring that international competitors are of the proper age, and that judging is not biased. As an example, if an American is diving, should an American judge be giving a score on the dive? I would think not. How is that so difficult to rectify?

• TMS has added a "Read More" link for our longer posts. Sorry we couldn't take care of that sooner. Blame the IOC.

• If you're going to a movie theater, you're allowed to whisper during the previews, but once the film starts, shut up. Just shut up! How is that so hard. Don't vocally complain about the movie while it's going on, and don't hit your armrest to express your displeasure. If you don't like the film, then leave. Again, how are these simple things so hard?

• After today's game, the Nationals will roll into town. It is absolutely necessary to sweep them or at least take two wins. I don't think anyone in the Cubs clubhouse is going to let their guard down, or at least I hope not. We all know the Cubs history of beating the better teams but letting the scrubs of the league have their way with us. We can't rely on the Pirates to stifle the Brewers in Miller Park. September is coming up fast and we need to cushion this lead going into the final two weeks of the season.