if viewed from the pages of the paper iraq is a murderous deathtrap. an endless quagmire. events happen here and there but nothing ever changes. to some extent this is true. yes random gunshots are as normal a sound as your neighbor starting his car, but on the other hand there is a ton of good going on here too. i think there are monumental changes happening in iraq, most of which are hard to discern. just like the 83 cubs.
after another rebuilding decade in the 70s the cubs changed things up and got good management and gasp! good players in the early 80s. by 84 they won the nl east and, of course, were beaten by the padres of all teams. but in 83 there were doubters. those that could not see the mild success in store for the cubs. (probably foreshadowing the mild success in store for iraq. emphasis on mild.) but one man could. one man had the vision. his name: lee elia.
april 29, 1983. cubs record 5-14. lee elia, the manager for the cubs, loses his control and goes on an extended tirade against cubs fans that is filled with obscenities. the link is below. here is your adapted scorecard:
cubs dynasty-iraq
cubs players-us soldiers
cubs fans-apathetic americans
dodgers-al qadea
cardinals-mahdi army
phillie-itis-islamofascism
quest to rebuild the cubs-quest to rebuild iraq
this really ain’t safe for small children or those that can’t find their way around a dock.
here is a webpage from chicagosports.com with a ton of analysis on this episode. though it is sadly lacking in ludicrous analogies to the global war on terrorism.
