The setting is last night at our go-to Wrigleyville bar: Sandlot. We just finished dinner at Happy Camper and found ourselves at ol’ faithful playing darts as we often have since moving into the city several years ago. After a valiant effort came up just short on the dartboard, my sister’s friend texted me with the offer of 2 free Cubs Convention tickets! My despair turned to excitement when I showed Wydo and asked if he wanted to go boots on the ground at CubsCon to get some juicy scoops or maybe talk to a couple players and get some fun quotes for the blog. It would be an early start to try arriving by 10AM today, but we were ready to make that sacrifice.
Fast-forward to this morning: I’m up at 8 and feeling solid. I text my sister’s friend to coordinate when I’ll get to her apartment to snag the passes she so sweetly offered us. She responds back right away and we are set for a 9:15am exchange 45 minutes from then. I nervously click through my multi-stop Lyft request to make sure I’ve got everything right, and am off to the races. On the drive over, texts from Wydo come in rapid succession: “I feel like hell” “Don’t wanna go at all” but finally… “I’ll go though! Not going back on my word”! I notice I haven’t received a text from sister’s friend, but I continue communicating my eta nonetheless.
I arrive at the exchange point. I text. I call. I call again. I shift uncomfortably in the backseat as I let my driver know I need to go ring the doorbell… I am not acknowledged. As I leave my Tervis (water bottle) in the back seat, I think to myself “is this guy gonna be a runner?” I trust him blindly just as I try to do with the Bears. After incurring a few minutes of wait-time fees while standing on a front stoop in Lincoln Park ringing a doorbell that might not even work – I go back to the car and make my way to Wydo’s to break the news. To no surprise, the guy texting “Don’t wanna go at all” handled the “bad” news with grace. We kicked back to watch Cubs Convention content… and it turns out that we look to have dodged a bullet!
This leads me to now. Sitting back on my couch watching the end of what has been a really fun Alabama @ Kentucky game. Grant Nelson started out the game so hot with 19 points by halftime (probably knew Wydo was getting an earful from Cakes about him being a player to watch). The final buzzer just sounded on a 102-97 win for the Tide behind 25 from Grant Nelson and 24 from Mark Sears (my dog). Kentucky put up a tough fight at home, I never felt comfortable until the Tide pulled ahead with about a minute left. That said, not really afraid of Kentucky. From the handful of games I’ve watched so far, I feel like this Bama team plays incredibly well together and is almost always able to play the game they want to – it’s been rare to see us get forced into playing a game the other team wants us to. #4 at #8 after the rough Ole Miss loss is a big win for us and I can’t wait to watch the season continue to unfold. I’m hopeful for another deep run in the tourney and think right now Bama’s as good a bet as any to take down the nets in the end. Roll Tide
Cakes
3 responses to “Cakes and Wydo’s (almost) Big Day + Bama/Kentucky reaction”
Relying heavily on key players creates risks. If someone like Grant Nelson or Mark Sears were to face injury or foul trouble, the team’s depth would be tested. Potential matchups against teams with strong defenses or contrasting styles could disrupt Alabama’s rhythm, making it challenging for them to play their game. Experience also plays a crucial role in tournament success, a relatively young roster may lack the composure and savvy that veteran teams possess, which can be vital in high stakes situations.
Well Peppers, it’s a good thing this team isn’t lacking in experience and has the depth to compete even on an off night for Sears or Nelson!! I respect the ChatGPT hustle on the response though
Peppers!!!