It’s Wednesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and groove out with us for a while. There’s no cover charge. Let us know if we can do anything. There are still a couple tables available. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
The Cubs today beat the Marlins, 2-1 to move to 30-20 over the first 50 games of the season. Cade Horton pitched 5 1⁄3 innings and allowed just one run. Matt Shaw went 1 for 2 with a double and a walk. That’s the subject of today’s question.
Last night I asked you which Cubs reliever was the best right now. I suspect the vote would have gone differently tonight after Daniel Palenca nailed down a save, but yesterday, 41 percent of you voted “Brad Keller” and 30 percent voted “Drew Pomeranz.” Which is unbelievable since both of those guys were minor league non-roster invitees in Spring Training and for Pomeranz, the NRI came from the Mariners organization. Palencia came in third with 16 percent.
Now it’s time to listen to music and talk about movies. You are free to skip that if you want. You won’t hurt my feelings.
George Benson is among the world’s greatest living guitarists, although he’s probably best known for his soft-rock/soul/jazz fusion hits of the seventies and early eighties. But tonight we’re featuring Benson before he became a pop superstar at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1966. He’s playing straight jazz here and showing off his considerable guitar skills. What song he’s playing isn’t listed in the video. At the end, he breaks into the Marvin Gaye hit “Ain’t That Peculiar,” which was on his current album in 1966, so I think he’s just playing a few different songs in a medley.
I don’t have a movie to talk about tonight. I usually watch a film after my wife goes to bed but this week, I’ve been so tired that I’ve been joining her 15 minutes later. That puts me about halfway through the one film I’m watching and hope to write about next week.
So tonight I’m just going to ask you for your favorite mafia movie. Obviously The Godfather and The Godfather Part 2 are the two films that cemented the mob film in the minds of the American public, but they actually date back to some of the earliest talkies with films like The Public Enemy, starring James Cagney, Scarface (1932) with Paul Muni and Little Caesar with Edward G. Robinson.
So vote for your favorite mob movie and tell us about it in the comments. I’m know that there are some good ones that I’m going to leave out.
Poll
What’s your favorite mobster movie?
0%
The Public Enemy
(0 votes)
0%
On the Waterfront
(0 votes)
0%
The Godfather Part 2
(0 votes)
0%
Scarface (1983)
(0 votes)
0%
Once Upon A Time in America
(0 votes)
0%
The Untouchables
(0 votes)
0%
Miller’s Crossing
(0 votes)
0%
Something else (Leave in comments)
(0 votes)
0 votes total
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
The Cubs top two prospects, infielder Matt Shaw and right-hander Cade Horton, are both in the majors right now and both are contributing on the field. Shaw started the season in the majors, of course, and struggled. After about a month back in Iowa, he’s been called back up and in the three games he’s played since his return, he’s 5 for 11 with three doubles, a walk and two steals. Or basically everything the Cubs hoped he’d be.
Horton started the season with a lot of questions coming off a season that ended in May last year because of injuries. He got the call after Cubs’ ace Shōta Imanaga went down with a hamstring strain. Horton made his major league debut on May 10 in relief after Brad Keller opened and has made two more starts since then. So far, he’s 2-0 with a 4.40 ERA over 14 1⁄3 innings. He’s struck out ten and walked three. He has given up three home runs, but two of those were with the wind howling out at Wrigley against the White Sox. The wind will even out for him later.
So tonight I’m going to ask you to pick your favorite child. The question is “Which one of these two rookies has you the most excited?” Both players were first-round draft picks out of college. Both are filling in at critical spots for the Cubs right now and succeeding. But which one do you think will have the brighter future? If you were going to buy a jersey of one of these two players, which one would you get?
You don’t have to base your vote on this season, although you can if you want to. Which one do you think is more likely to lead the Cubs to glory? Of course, should the Cubs win the World Series this year or in the next few years, both of these players are likely to play a huge role. But which one do you think will have the bigger impact?
Again, I’m just asking you to pick your favorite child. But don’t worry, The voting in anonymous.
Poll
Which Cubs rookie excites you the most/is your favorite?
Thank you for stopping by this evening. Please get home safely. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us next time for more BCB After Dark.