Archive for the ‘Episode Notes’ Category

We can’t wait for 6 PM tonight as Big Z will be taking the mound for his 5th consecutive Opening Day start, this time vs. Roy Oswalt and the ‘Stros. Carlos looked great throughout spring training, so I’m excited to see him carry it over to this new season. If he gets through 5 innings, I won’t be throwing the blue road alternate jersey beer cozy I received as a Christmas gift across the room. But we’ll see.

It took an all-nighter last night to get everything in order, but today we announced our long-awaited technological innovation on episode #499. Is it what you expected? It’s the brand new 140 Characters from Home Plate feature on our site (link at the top right of every page). We envision this as something awesome that fans can use to get and provide real-time feedback while watching the game. Since it uses Twitter, it’s easy for fans at the game, fans watching the game on TV, and fans listening at work to use. I like the way that Sheps described it in today’s episode; it’s similar to a “game thread,” but easier to use and more interactive. Big thanks to longtime listener neverbesocial for helping to plant this idea in my head awhile back.

To start interacting, just add the phrase #cubs to any Twitter message (“tweet”) and it’ll show up on the 140 Characters from Home Plate page.

Create a twitter account and try it out before or during tonight’s game!

Show schedule-wise, there will be a new episode of Cubscast on Tuesday morning that breaks down the Opener, so stay tuned for that. It will be our 500th episode and we’ll have a special guest along with the second part (download part I – mp3) of an interview we recently recorded with Len Kasper, the Cubs Play-By-Play Broadcaster. Len was extremely generous to come on the show right before the start of the season, and he had a lot of insightful and funny things to say, so check those out.

Lastly, thanks to Brad Spirrison for the nice mention of the new Twitter feature and Len Kasper interview in today’s Sun-Times.

Have a happy and safe Opening Day, and Go Cubs!

Sheps and I are happy to announce today that one of the special guests for our 500th episode will be Len Kasper, the excellent Cubs play-by-play broadcaster. We thought for roughly 5 seconds about who we’d most like to interview for this landmark episode and Len was the first person that both Sheps and I thought of.

We interviewed Len in the aftermath of the 2006 Cubs season, and it is one of my favorite episodes we’ve ever done. If there’s anything we’ve discovered from recording 497 episodes of Cubscast, it’s that there are few things more fun than discussing the highs and lows of the Cubs with people that care about the team. Both Len and his broadcast partner Bob Brenly have a genuine love for baseball and the Cubs, and it shows in the quality of their coverage each and every day.

So anyway, we’ve been compiling some questions for Len but we need your help! Please e-mail your questions to hosts@cubscast.com or add a comment to this post. The last time we interviewed Len he made it clear that no topic was off-limits, so if there’s something you’ve been eager to ask this is a great opportunity.

Our 500th episode will be available for download on Opening Day, April 6th! Tune in and tell your friends as we’ll also be previewing the upcoming season with a certain former co-host, as well as announcing a “technological breakthrough” that tech savvy Cubs fans are going to love.

As mentioned in today’s episode (mp3), we recently received an e-mail from a listener that likes a music clip we often use of a song called “Waiting For a Miracle.” The song is performed by Mark Erelli and was written by Bruce Cockburn.

An excerpt:

You stand up proud
You pretend you’re strong
In the hope that you can be
Like the ones who’ve cried
Like the ones who’ve died
Trying to set the angel in us free
And they’re waiting for a
And they’re waiting for a
And they’re waiting for a miracle…

So how come the future takes such a long, long time
When you’re waiting for a..
When you’re waiting for a..
When you’re waiting for a miracle

We get an e-mail or two every week asking about this song…something about it seems to connect in a big way with Cubs fans. We’re glad to offer our listeners a link to download the full song. Enjoy!

Download Full Song – MP3

In today’s episode of Cubscast we got to interview Alan Alop, the co-author of the new novel “The Best Team Ever” about the 1907 Chicago Cubs. But the book is much more than a historical retelling of that first ever Chicago Cubs World Series winning team. While all the baseball is real, there is also a fictionalized story that drives the narrative, taking the reader back a hundred years to a Chicago that was quite different, and much more wild, than the Windy City we know today.

We’ll be giving away a few copies of Alan’s book in the weeks to come, and you can also order it and find out more about it on the book’s website, 1907cubs.com. The book will no doubt make a great holiday gift for any fan of the Cubs, or simply any fan of great writing and fascinating novels.

If you listened to Friday’s episode (mp3) of Cubscast you heard Sneetch and I considering Cubs OF Jacque Jones for the 2007 Cubs MVP while Sheps stood by in complete shock and disbelief. Sheps then asked if we had partied with Jones last Saturday and not told him. It was a lively and memorable discussion, so please feel free to check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

One listener didn’t only decide to share her thoughts…she…well, please view her e-mail:

Dear Sheps,

Wendy
Toledo, OH

Attachments:

Amazing.

Many thanks to Wendy for her hilarious e-mail (and photos). If you ever want to e-mail us, we’d love to hear your feedback on the show and your thoughts on any topic we discuss. You can always reach us at hosts@cubscast.com.

JACQUE JONES 2007 MVP 4-EVA

We’re very excited to announce that today’s show features an interview with Len Kasper, the great Cubs’ TV play-by-play announcer. We hope everyone has a chance to tune in, the conversation covered all sorts of topics, such as:

• Personnel and front office changes
• Jim Hendry’s search for a new Cubs manager
• What worked and what didn’t for the 2006 team
• What Cubs fans can look forward to in 2007
• Funny broadcasting moments including during the 7th inning stretch

Many thanks to Len for being so kind and generous with his time, and we hope you enjoy this episode. Feel free to comment and let us know what you think. You can listen to our interview with Len and all the others we’ve conducted in our Audio Archives.