it was a magic season, they hadn't won a World Series since 1908 and hadn't played in one since 1945. 1984 seemed like the year they were finally going to break the "Billygoat" curse. There was a huge rivalry that year between the Cubs and Mets as they battled for the Division title down to the wire, that included a few bench clearing brawls.

Me and a buddy of mine always bought our Cubs tickets before the season started so we could get the best prices and a good choice of seats. We got tickets for three games that year and two of those games were with the Mets and the last one was in August. Little did we know at that time what was about to happen that season. I watched almost every game that year on WGN and the whole city and most of the state, well the northern half anyway, were caught up in Cub's fever. The first Cubs/Mets game we went to was middle season, the Cubs were playing well but few yet had much hope for a winning season, being let down by the Cubs was something Cubs fans just learned to live with, thus the famous saying "Just wait 'till next year" became popular amongst the masochistic enthusiasts. The Cubs won that game and the rivalry was just starting to heat up.

The last game we went to in August was hugely important and the Cubs won that one too, but not without a bench clearing brawl, the fans went nuts and Wrigley was packed with Mets fans who were just as excited about their team's prospects and the whole place erupted, it was a sight to behold. The Cubs went on to win the division that year and was cruising through the playoffs against the San Diego Padres when the "curse" raised it's ugly head and Leon Durham let a easy trickler go through his legs and the rest lives in Cub's infamy to this day. The Cubs had blown a 2 games to nothing lead in the division playoffs and their first chance to play in a World Series since 1945 went up in smoke.

Harry Caray was a national treasure and a toast of Chicago back then, more times than not he could be found in a local Wrigleville pub after the game sucking up some brew. A friend from Chicago told me of a great story about Harry, it was at a packed tavern, can't remember which one, Harry had just gotten himself a brew and was headed down the line of seats at the packed bar when someone bumped into him and sent his drink flying in the air. The room quieted in anticipation of Harry's response, being the revered Chicago celebrity that he was, and suddenly someone yelled "Popped it up", the place erupted in laughter. For those unaware that was one of Harry's favorite game expression with a heavy emphasis on "Popped".

At that final Cubs/Mets game my friend and i and our wives went around to the back of Wrigley Field where the players come out and get on the bus. We had a long wait but got to see the players come out one by one and hop aboard, we then passed our game brochures into the players on the bus and got several autographs including Harry's, I still have it, on the back of the brochure was a full page advertisement for Budweiser beer and of course Harry signed it right on the suds area of the mug "Holy Cow Harry Caray". Harry very much was a man of the people, that's why he was so well loved.

Another Cubs icon for decades was Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers, who would walk around the stadium during the game and cheer the Cubs on with his famous "Cubs, woo, Cubs, woo, Cubs, woo" on and on incessantly. A homeless man that became such a fixture that the Cubs made sure Woo Woo always had a season ticket. Here's a great video about Ronnie.

Ahhh, memories, just wait until next year.

During the 1970s, I went to school in the Midwest but my family was on the East Coast, so I would often visit a ballpark or two as part of the road trip. Later, I had a job that entailed a fair amount of travel, and I was able to fit in some more ballpark visits. Cheap airfares and frequent-flyer miles enabled me to visit the rest. The quest ended in August 1989 at Fenway Park, where the Tigers were playing a true doubleheader* against the Red Sox.

Before flying to Boston, I wrote Ernie Harwell, the beloved Tigers' announcer, and told him that Fenway would complete my ballpark quest. Back home, the office manager where I worked had the game on. She said that Ernie mentioned me, and commented on how hard it was to see a game in every park.

* True doubleheaders, as opposed to the split-admission variety, are very rare these days. The Tigers were on their way to 100 losses that year and weren't exactly a prime attraction.

Every year I go to Softball City in Surrey BC for a week of softball watching. My granddaughter is attending UMass at Lowell on a softball scholarship. Her team the River Hawks is in Florida right now. Yes, I love baseball, it's the game.

PowerOffHijack: New Android malware spies from 'shut down' smartphones

A new malware for Android devices is capable of making calls, sending out text messages to third parties and taking photos even after the user has apparently switched off their smartphone.

The malicious program, which was discovered by AVG security research firm, works by
hijacking the shutting down process of the mobile device.

When the user presses the phone’s power button to switch off, the malware only makes it look like the device has stopped operating.

So while the shutdown animation is being displayed and the screen goes black, the mobile device actually keeps working.

Myself, I hate cell phones, I own an old flip-phone that I only take on vehicle trips in case of an emergency, otherwise it just sits on my desk. I am fairly tech literate but have an aversion for cell phones, I don't even know how to work a smart phone.