Show that man "The Crazy"

It seems that Lin Brehmer is getting his way so far this year.

Now I'm wondering if the term "out of left field" really comes from the Cubs' past. The geography certainly lines up right.

(And I know the Rube Waddell story is accepted as fact, even if it seems a little hard to believe at times.)

The guy behind the guy

It's something as ubiquitous in baseball as Opening Day bunting and sweaty fans in the bleachers in mid-July.

And we all have Jerry Dior to thank for it.

Here's an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about the man behind Major League Baseball's logo. The most startling part is that the logo was created in the 1970s, showing a stark departure from other designs of the era.

Who would have thought that something emerging from the time of polyester, avacado green kitchen appliances and other design disasters would also produce this timeless logo?

While I'm sure that no one is going to think of this every time they see the logo, it's cool to know who made it and that it doesn't really represent anyone.

I bet that comes up in some bar trivia question in the next month or so.

The Red Sox break a nasty streak

With all the chaos in my own backyard (and the late starts on the West Coast on school nights) the Red Sox have gotten lost in the shuffle a bit.

I guess that's the price that's paid when you win two championships in four years. Luckily, the Cubs made sure I'd be able to focus on just one team going forward in the playoffs.

Nice of them.

One of the more interesting notes pieces I've read this week was this one from the Boston Globe which pointed out that the defending champs hadn't won a single game since 2001.

(Wednesday night), the Red Sox will attempt to do something that has not been done since the very early morning of Nov. 2, 2001. Shortly after midnight, Byung-Hyun Kim submarined a meatball toward Scott Brosius, who clobbered a walkoff home run to left field. The New York Yankees had defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the 2001 World Series.

And the defending World Series champions had won a playoff game. It hasn't happened since.

Sound strange? It shouldn't.

The '03 Angels and '04 Marlins join the '06 White Sox and '07 Cardinals as four teams that didn't even make the postseason after winning it all the year before.

The '02 Diamondbacks were swept by the Cardinals and the '05 Red Sox were shown the door by the White Sox in three games.

This stat impresses me on two levels.

First, it lends weight to the conventional wisdom that it's harder to repeat because you become the target for the rest of the league. Add to that all sorts of other intangibles - distractions from appearing in commercials, lack of a common goal, etc. - and it's amazing that anyone is able to succeed in the follow up year.

Secondly, I have even more respect for the Yankees teams of the 30's, 40's, 50's and early 60's that kept rolling off championships tear after year. There are stories of players being shorted during contract negotiations because the team counted playoff bonuses as found money.

Fewer teams, no wild cards and the ability to be there year in and year out?

It was a different game back then.

* For the sake of posterity:

NL
Dodgers advance past the Cubs (3-0)
Phillies advance past the Brewers (3-1)

AL
White Sox survive and play the Rays again tomorrow (Rays 2, Sox 1)
Red Sox lead Angels 2-0 with Game 3 tied 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning



(Image from: MLB.com)

Indulge your inner Beavis

Today is the 100-year anniversary of Merkle's Boner.

Heh.

Those from outside the Chicagoland area (and especially those who can remember the New York baseball Giants) must be pleased to know there's a bar that shares his name in Wrigleyville.

If you really feel like celebrating (and with the Cubs heading towards the playoffs, who wouldnt?), head over to Merkle's Bar and Grill (3516 N. Clark) tonight at 7 p.m. for a special Merkle Day celebration. Let the exorcising begin, Cubs fans.

(Image from: MediaBistro.com)

Last night for Yankee Stadium

The Yankees just tied the Orioles in the last game at Yankee Stadium - it's finally safe to say that the Bronx Bombers won't be hosting any games in October - and ESPN is trotting out the old guard to try and wrap things up in a neat little bow.

While there will certainly be a flood of short stories, poems and nostalgia pieces in the nation's magazines about what the stadium meant to everyone involved that may never end, it's hard to chalk it all up as hyperbole. After all, it is Yankee Stadium.

Other notes:

* This is a big chance for the New York media to try and bully the rest of the country into admitting that Yankee Stadium is the best stadium ever and that no others will ever come close. I'm going on record now to say that to dismiss Wrigley and Fenway out of hand like that is just plain stupid.

* I'm taking a degree of pleasure in noticing that two of the key pieces to the 2004 Red Sox championship team are having an impact on this game - Johnny Damon to give the lead to the Yankees and Kevin Millar to score the tying run - and that most of the stories I've read take time to warn fans that anyone trying to steal souvenirs will be beaten and have their birthdays taken away.

* I may be cynical, but I bet MLB's cut gets smaller if the market is flooded with memorabilia fans took themselves.

* ESPN is still trying to figure out the whole Internet thing tonight, where they don't even have the good sense that God gave lowly bloggers when it comes to live posting. Every few lines on the virtual guestbook reads "Text deleted," which I can only assume is from people jumping on to trash the Yankees or the stadium.

That means some poor intern is tasked with manually deleting such poetry as, "My favorite memory was last year in the locker room when Derek Jeter dropped the soap and A-Rod plugged his anus (with his I LOVE ESPN if you didn't know). I heard Derek now uses liquid soap because it's harder to pick up. That was the only scoring they did that year. Go Yankees."

Thank you, bw71864. Stay classy.

*As a Red Sox fan, I feel like I'm in that scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest bought the home she grew up in and knocked it to the ground. So many wonderful memories to choose from.

* So, did MLB choose the Orioles instead of the Red Sox for the last game the same way that high schools pick the crappiest teams they can find for homecoming games?

* For what it's worth - and this is where things border on sour grapes - the evening is shaping up to be the archetypical Yankee experience for all those who aren't Yankee fans. It boils down to the Yankees and their beat writers telling everyone else why every other franchise and ballpark pale in comparison to the empire that is New York. It's pretty tiresome.

Yes, the Yankees have a long history. Yes, it's been a very successful history. Yes, great players have played at Yankee Stadium, many of them in pinstripes.

They also have a solid head start on most franchises in terms of pure mileage. Give the Twins or Rangers another 50 years and I'm sure they can fill a park full of monuments as well.

It's one thing to show pride in your team. It's quite another to consistently do that by constantly pointing out how other teams fail to measure up to the Yankee standard.

* I think one of the things I'll miss most about Yankee Stadium is that it represents an era where baseball was the only game in town before the NFL assumed its position as alpha dog. I read books on the days of the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees all competing for attention in New York and the stadium was a big part of that.

It's hard not to have the images of Yankee Stadium come to mind when someone mentions baseball in the 1920s and 30s.

Some fans might not like it - a friend just e-mailed to ask if we can keep the stadium and blow up the team - but Yankee Stadium is a hallmark of our shared history, both baseball and otherwise.

Give me five years - I just might miss it.

(Image from: REUTERS)

Last call for the Hall

OK maybe not the last last call, but the Veterans Committee is considering 10 former players who have seen their ship sail on induction to date.

I'll give you a tip - don't try and untangle who played when and how they're eligible in the final few graphs. I'm sure that it is all pretty simple, but not the way the Hall of Fame outlines it in this release. Pre-War, Post-War, starting their careers prior to such and such a date? Some are up every other year, others every 5 years... It's like reading stereo instructions in German.

Still the lucky 10 are:

Dick Allen, Gil Hodges (note: I know someone's dad must be happy today), Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Al Oliver, Vada Pinson, Ron Santo, Luis Tiant, Joe Torre and Maury Wills will be considered for election by the Veterans Committee for enshrinement in 2009, with votes to be cast by Hall of Fame members this fall. Any candidate to receive 75 percent of the vote among all ballots cast will earn election to the Hall of Fame and will be enshrined on July 26, 2009. There are 64 living Hall of Famers.

Santo, huh? Never would have guessed he wasn't in the Hall. I have to think by this point, the committee is doing it just to spite the poor guy.

For what it's worth, I'm going Hodges, Oliva, Tiant if I had to pick three off the top of my head. I'd add Wills, too, but I'd like another look at his numbers before committing to that.

For those who are curious, the big list of those for consideration are:

The 21 candidates considered by the Screening Committee: Allen, Ken Boyer, Bert Campaneris, Rocky Colavito, Mike Cuellar, Steve Garvey, Hodges, Kaat, Ted Kluszewski, Mickey Lolich, Roger Maris, Lee May, Minnie Minoso, Thurman Munson, Oliva, Oliver, Pinson, Santo, Tiant, Torre and Wills.

(Image from: MLB.com)

Oh, I'm sorry... You were saying?

Sorry for the break here, but the start of the football season caught my attention for a moment there. When I neglect the baseball blog in the middle of the pennant race, I feel like someone who drifts off in a big meeting and then notices everyone staring at them.

So, I'm sorry. You were saying?

Today, I'll pass along this link of great baseball quotes, some of which I'd never seen before.

I liked the Harry Caray joke about bears on the pill, but my favorite has to be this one from Dizzy Dean, "There is a commotion in the stands. I think it has something to do with a fat lady... I've just been informed that the fat lady is the Queen of Holland."

If that happened today, there'd be endless coverage of the ensuing international chaos.

Baseball, a game of tradtion

Without launching into a long-winded diatribe - my favorite kind! - it's worth noting that today marks the 20th anniversary of the first scheduled night game at Wrigley Field.

After the first attempt to electrify Wrigley was stymied by that pesky world war in the 40s, when steel was required by the war effort and the Cubs passed on adding lighting, Chicago tried again in 1988. Opposing to the end of an era, some fans protested the addition of lights and neighbors wondered what would happen when the bleacher creatures were set loose on the area after dark.

After the first game on 8/8/88 was rained out, the first night game at Clark and Addison was completed the next day and the earth failed to spin into the sun.

It's just something worth keeping in mind when the arguments flare up over the traditions in the game that purists hold dear, be it the use of body armor at the plate or putting Spiderman's face on the bags.

For Cub fans, the lesson can also be applied to proposed changes to their favorite ballpark, from adding logos to the outfield walls to cleaning the urinals for the first time since man first walked on the moon.

Twenty years later, we have the team's manager making public comments about the need for less day games to help keep his players fresh. So much for sentimentality.

(Image from: eBay.com)

The day Kerry Wood was (nearly) unhittable

It must be a slow afternoon when most of the major baseball sites are all jumping on the same theme and making matters stranger, that it happened a decade ago.

Ten years ago, Kerry Wood made his biggest impact on the game, striking out 20 Houston Astros in the rain at Wrigley Field and giving a generation of Cubs fans false hope that their long journey towards a championship was nearly over.

I remember the minor controversy that kicked up immediately following the game because some fans felt that the rain made it more difficult for the Astros to see the ball and, even if they did, to make solid contact.

For a few years it was a record that Cubs fans felt a little uneasy boasting about, afraid of the inevitable, "Yeah... but..." that followed. Still, to strike out 20, regardless of the weather is a feat that has stood for a decade and is still talked about when discussing the Cubs and their recent history.

Moreover, it's stood to define Wood and his star-crossed career. The promise of total domination that slowly eroded over the course of two or three injury-riddled seasons seems to fit the pattern set by the franchise as each year's squad finds a way to fall short. Sometimes it's by a little and sometimes by a lot, but it's tough to deny the parallels between Wood and his team.

It's a little strange to look back at that day today and see just how babyfaced Wood was then, but still found a way to keep it all together as the game ground on. Of course, this only adds to the pressure he feels from fans today as he tries to cobble together this chapter of his career as a closer.

I know I still hold onto the memories of the 20K game when trying to rationalize why Wood should be the closer over Carlos Marmol or the other pitchers on the roster. It's hard to forget the power and utter mastery he had that day, although Wood has yet to achieve that level since.

Deep down, we know Wood can't pitch forever and that his usefulness is drawing to a close, even for the Cubs, but it's hard to let go of that one game 10 years ago.

Judging by the response of the Wrigley faithful so far this season when Wood enters in the ninth, I'm not the only one.

(Image from: SI.com)

RIP Buzzie Bavasi

Buzzie Bavasi, one of the key pieces in Branch Rickey's plan to integrate the major leagues is dead tonight at age 93.

For those who spend time reading up on baseball's history, the name is undoubtedly familiar - he plays a minor role in Michael Shapiro's Last Good Season - and his work with the Dodgers, Padres and Angels cemented his reputation as one of the best front office men in the history of the game.

From the MLB.com release is this story, which seems to capture what I've read about the man pretty effectively:

He alienated much of Southern California in 1979, not so much for his inability to re-sign free agent Nolan Ryan to a new Angels contract but for his parting words about the icon, who that season had gone 16-14: "We'll just have to find a couple of 8-7 pitchers to replace him."

After the durable Ryan notched his sixth no-hitter 11 years later, Bavasi sent him a message: "Nolan, some time ago I made it public that I made a mistake. You don't have to rub it in."

So long to the man who helped bring one sublime world championship to Brooklyn before they lost their beloved Dodgers. Condolences to his family, including Mariners' GM, Bill.

(Image from: SignOnSanDiego.com)

Lee Elia is very, very sorry

With next Tuesday being the 25th Anniversary of Lee Elia's now famous tirade - still one of my all-time favorites - apparently the former manager felt the need to do a little explaining.

Maybe he's mellowed with age, maybe it's a matter of getting a few things off his chest so he isn't remembered as a foul-mouthed lunatic or maybe Elia feels the need to make amends to some of the bleeping bleepers who finally got out and got a bleeping job for bleep's sake.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

"Lee Smith had just wild-pitched in the winning run," Elia recalled. "In those days, our locker room was all the way down the left-field line. As we got near the bullpen, I saw (Keith) Moreland and (Larry) Bowa involved with fans in the stands who had cursed them and then tossed beer. I saw that and realized we had to get them out of there before a real bad fight got going.

"So I come into the clubhouse, only a few minutes later, and my office is just a tiny space, very cramped. There are about six reporters, three from Los Angeles, and they start asking me about the bad start and how Cubs fans are reacting. Well, I just lost it—remembering how a few moments before someone was calling Moreland a fat redhead and Bowa a Pygmy shortstop. It just set me off."

Ah, to be back in the days when Wrigley Field was empty enough that the players could hear you heckle. Pygmy shortstop... that's just fantastic.

Also, totally by coincidence, Elia is selling a baseball with an audio chip that won't say what anyone wants it to say and thus, isn't much good to many people. Give the people what they want, Lee.

A cursing baseball is worth its weight in gold.

(Image from: SeattleWeekly.com)

Cubs primed for a major milestone

It's amazing how a team that seems like it's been around since time began can still find ways to sneak up on you.

With a win Wednesday night in Colorado, the Cubs will cross the threshold to 10,000 wins, dating back to their days as the Chicago White Stockings in 1876. The Cubs and Braves are the only two franchises that trace their roots back to the National Association which predated 1876, however those stats are not counted when tallying MLB records.

Ryan Dempster answered questions about the milestone, well, by acting like Dempster:

"I remember when we won 5,000," Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster said Tuesday. "What an emotional day that was. We were so excited -- we realized we still had an uphill climb to 10,000.

"To be on the verge of that -- I've been here since the first one, and to get to 10,000, it's a long, hard struggle, and I'm looking forward to it."

No word on whether or not Jamie Moyer was on the team back then, but I'm pretty sure Julio Franco was at least a bat boy for the Brooklyn Atlantics.

For the record, the Cubs won the first game they played, a 4-0 victory over Louisville (it appears to be the Louisville Grays) on April 25, 1876. For a little extra history on the side, piggybacking on the 10,000th win will be Lou Piniella's 100th win as Cubs manager.

At the end of the day Tuesday, the Giants are still at the top of the heap, with the teams you'd expect filling in the rest of those team with at least 9,000 all-time wins, just maybe in a different order:

San Francisco Giants - 10,192
Chicago Cubs - 9,999
Los Angeles Dodgers - 9,894
St. Louis Cardinals - 9,856
Atlanta Braves - 9,706
Cincinnati Reds - 9,681
Pittsburgh Pirates - 9,631
New York Yankees - 9,394

Sorry, Phillies fans, your team is still the only one to lose more than 10,000.

(Image from: SportsEcyclopedia.com)

In case you forgot what today is

"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... all I ask is that you respect me as a human being."

- Jackie Robinson - First Professional Game: 4/15/1947


(Image from: DiversityJobs.com)

Dan Bankhead exposes a blind spot in my trivia knowledge

Last night featured live trivia at one of the local bars and I headed out to embarrass myself in public lend a hand with my impressive pool of general knowledge.

You can imagine my shame as someone who runs a baseball blog and likes to center on the game's history froze up on a basic baseball question: Who was the first black pitcher in Major League Baseball? The answer, as we all know now is Dan Bankhead of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Our team went with Satchel Paige, which we knew was wrong, but no one could make a stronger case for anyone else. For the record, I voted for Don Newcombe, but had that confused as he was half of the first black pitcher/black batter combo to meet in the World Series.

For the record, here are some of the famous firsts in case the trivia master decides to get cute and ask some follow-ups next time (full list available here).

Jackie Robinson was obviously the first for a lot of things. He was the first black man to sign a contract in 1945, first minor leaguer in 1946 and obviously the first man to play pro ball in 1947.

Additionally, he was the first black man to make it to the World Series (with Bankhead) in 1947 and the first player to win the MVP award in 1949. Ernie Banks was the first black player to win back to back MVPs in 1958 and 1959.

Larry Doby has his name all over the books for following close behind Robinson and locking up some famous firsts in the American League. He was also the first player to hit a home run in the World Series for the Indians in 1948.

As for the pitchers, Bankhead was the first pitcher and the first black player to hit a home run in his first at-bat in the majors. Paige was the first pitcher in the American League and the first black pitcher in a World Series, where he pitched in relief, both in 1948.

In 1949, Newcombe won the Rookie of the Year award and he won the innaugural Cy Young Award in 1956.

Finally, Buck O'Neil was the first black coach in 1962, Frank Robinson was the first manager in 1975 (excluding the statistical burp for Banks that was mentioned here last week), Bill Lucas was the first GM in 1977 for Atlanta and Cito Gaston was the first to win a World Series in 1992 with the Blue Jays.

A full listing of the first black player for each team can be found here.

So, there you go - you can leave me a thank you in the comments section when you win a free t-shirt from Miller Lite in your trivia league next week.

(Image from: MLB.com)

Bill James thinks the Twins are dirty cheaters

I'm not the best person to ask about the Twins teams that won the World Series twice in 1987 and 1991 - my opinions are greatly colored by my own memories from watching the games as a kid and from rosy speeches given by co-workers when we lived in Minneapolis.

I guess that's why it was so shocking when I read Cameron Martin's piece at Bugs & Cranks about Bill James' suggestions that those teams might have been running on something other than team spirit and a little, old fashioned Northwoods hustle.

Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti are targeted because they had oddly sub-par seasons in 1984 before finding their form in time for the two championship seasons. I'll need to grab a copy of James' book to see if he's speculating about the rest of those Twins teams in addition to the two stars.

More from Martin:

Maybe I’ve been on Mars, but I’ve never heard Puckett’s name mentioned in the conversation about performance-enhancing drugs.

He’s become an easy target after his death, especially in light of the unflattering revelations about his personal life, e.g., he was arrested for groping a woman in the ladies’ room of a Minneapolis restaurant, but was acquited at trial. Puckett might have had his cheerful veneer pulled back after his playing days were over, but saying a guy died early because he was using PEDs? I mean, this isn’t Ken Caminiti, who was an admitted steroid user. It’s Kirby Puckett, a Hall of Famer. Who else does James think is in Cooperstown via the aid of performance-enhancing drugs?

As long as it's not Ryne Sandberg, I'll be able to continue to sleep through the night. If a guy who looks like his blood type was cheddar can be accused, who's safe anymore?

(Image from: MSN.com)

SI's virtual vault

While most fans have already found their way over by now, here's a post for the late adopters.

Sports Illustrated has gone against the grain and is offering up their old issues in digital form.. wait for it... for free!

Aside from the cheap giggles of browsing a periodical centered around sports and crammed with cigarette and alcohol ads, I've wasted a few hours at this point cross-referencing SI with critical junctures in my life.

What was going on the week I was born (not a damn thing) and the summer that followed (World Cup in 1978)? How about my first weeks of college? What about the last weeks that were a booze-soaked spiral?

It's strange to see articles I remember reading in my room during junior high school or picking out the pictures I cut and pasted to my walls.

Safe to say, if you're a red-blooded American sports fan, you'll find something after digging around for just a few minutes.

I have to say that while searchable content is great, my favorite feature are the full issues available to digitally thumb through page by page. If you have some sick time, you might want to take tomorrow off and just camp out with a cup of coffee, your laptop and your PJs.

(Image from: SI.com)

Ernie Banks has a big day

Like a few hundred other fans without the good sense to stay out of the rain, I was at Wrigley Field this morning with my cup of coffee to stand in the cold, misting rain to be there the day that Ernie Banks was rewarded for his years with the Cubs with a statue at the corner of Clark and Addison.

There was the statue, followed by a media platform with a people pen behind that for the fans to stand and cheer. Those fans hoping to actually see or hear the speeches honoring Banks should have just stayed in the bar at 10 a.m.

I had a very nice view of the back of the platform and local media personality ass. I can only imagine how awful the view would have been if I wasn't at the front near the railing.

Still, it was fun to see the TV folks being babies and stomping their feet when told they needed to walk around the crowd to get to the media pen (a distance of 50-60 feet and certainly easier than jumping the wet railing in the rain). The biggest baby of the day was Jim Rose from ABC who couldn't believe he was being asked to walk around, despite showing up late.

The audio was spotty, but we caught glimpses of the retired players through gaps between legs and the highlight had to be the glimpses we caught of Hank Aaron.

The running joke from the cheap seats was that they could just keep announcing people and we wouldn't know the difference until we got home and saw the news to learn that the corpse of Babe Ruth wasn't really dug up for the occasion.

I also learned this morning that Banks was technically the first black manager in the big leagues when he filled in for Whitey Lockman who was booted from a game against San Diego. It's always nice to know that your morning wasn't a total waste, regardless of crappy weather.

I made it home in time for the pregame ceremony and first pitch, which featured Mr. Cub, Aaron, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams and Jesse Jackson. Yeah, I'm still confused, too.

In any event, the HD for WGN looks great and should look even better in three months when the field isn't covered in fog. The photo gallery from this morning can be found here.

(Image taken for Siberian Baseball)

Bad years for Cubs fans

As I was watching rebroadcasts of old Cubs games that were playing in honor of the 10th anniversary of Harry Caray's death, I caught something in between my wife judging me and actively ignoring my overwhelmingly nerdy tendencies.

As the last game Caray announced was also Ryne Sandberg's farewell to Wrigley Field's drunken chuckleheads faithful baseball fans, the overall tone of the game was the big goodbye from the Hall of Fame second baseman. For reference, the final home game of the 1997 season was an opportunity for Sandberg to take his curtain call and was Caray's last game of the season (he didn't travel for the remaining road games). Caray died in the offseason.

During the game, the WGN booth flashed a graphic to relay how some famous Cubs did in their final game. Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams had their stats flashed across the screen.

That's the kicker - Banks retired in 1971, Santo played his last season for the White Sox and left the Cubs in 1973, while Billy Williams left the Cubs in 1974 and played out the 1975 and 1976 seasons in Oakland.

Within the course of three seasons, the Cubs saw three cornerstones of the franchise leave town or leave the game. If that won't kill the pleas to wait until next year, nothing will.

(Image from MLB.com)

What an unfortunate name

As a strange sidenote to some of the digging I did for the Harry Caray post, I came across a web site that catalogs the final resting places of famous folks from every walk of life from outlaw to statesman.

In addition to Caray, I found Cap Anson's grave here in Chicago and this poor soul.

Forget the hypothetical questions about whether certain broadcasters, junkballers or journeyman outfielders would be able to make it in the league today. How far would Anthony Suck make it in 2008?

Some things never change

Not sure if this is an indictment of baseball fans as a whole, or New York fans, who are always level-headed and fair, but I stumbled across this old image on Shorpy.com today.

It's a shopworn story, but when Fred Snodgrass passed away in 1974 at 86, his obituary mentioned his error in the 1912 World Series against the Red Sox. Read the Wikipedia page for the breakdown and try not thinking about the whole Bartman mess.

Keep this in mind when someone starts the discussion about crazy fans and how they're starting to cross the line. That line has been pretty warped for nearly 100 years now.

Secondly, between the "Snodgrass Muff" and "Merkle's Boner," what the hell was up with our language back then?

Can we just save time and keep the streak alive by adopting the phrase, "Steve Bartman's Painful Erection," and "Bill Bucker's Something About Mary Zipper Incident."

Really, Bill, how'd you get the frank below the beans?

(Image from: VideoDetective.com)