Astros at Cubs – Bear Turds in the Food Chain

[Craig]

Come for the Cub-bashing, stay for the biology lesson.

Cubs Series Preview

[Ron Brand]

Beautiful stuff, Craig. Great previews all year.

Fuck the Cubs.

[Ebby Calvin]

Fantastic stuff Craig.  Thanks for taking me out of this boardroom and into the Lamar Valley.

[austro]

Thanks for the preview, and the great story about Yellowstone. I grew up in Wyoming and Colorado, and seeing a photo like that of the Lamar Valley produces a feeling of longing that's hard to describe.

[BudGirl]

See you next spring, and we’ll see what sprouts out of this season’s shit pile.

Excellent preview. 

[geezerdonk]

outstanding

[Craig]

Fantastic stuff Craig.  Thanks for taking me out of this boardroom and into the Lamar Valley.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it.

Here's another board meeting story for you, Ebby. Once we were having a boring meeting at the Old Faithful Snowlodge, and the conference room there has a huge window on one side that overlooks Old Faithful Geyser. There weren't any clocks in the room, but I had been in the Old Faithful Visitor Center that morning, where the rangers post the daily estimated interval for eruptions. So during the meeting I kept track of time by counting the Old Faithful eruptions.

[austro]

So during the meeting I kept track of time by counting the Old Faithful eruptions.

I hope that doesn't get quoted out of context.

[Limey]

So...elk in rut = Scotsman on payday.

Got it.

[GreatBagwellsBeard]

Great job, Craig.  I'm usually a beach or city vacation guy, but now I'm adding Yellowstone in autumn to my list.

[EasTexAstro]

I hope that old elk spread many a seed so that there is a new crop of young'uns already starting to grow into their own, instead of waiting for the crap to dry before we can get more young studs.

Or does this go into the Bagwell thread?


Great story. Thank you for the story and the previews.

[jbm]

Your google suggestion led me to the nps.gov site with the wildlife safety videos.  

I don't think a "Don't get near a bison" sign suffices.  At every park entrance, they should have a big screen with those clips on a loop.  It is hard to believe some people are so stupid.  A bison can really fuck up your day. 

[JimR]

thank you for that, Craig. truly outstanding. the writing is so great here now that i have put all of my pens in storage.

[MusicMan]

the writing is so great here now that i have put all of my pens in storage.

Aren't you afraid the feathers will dry out?

[JimR]

Aren't you afraid the feathers will dry out?

good one.

[Navin R Johnson]

That was some fantastic stuff Craig.

[Craig]

Your google suggestion led me to the nps.gov site with the wildlife safety videos.  

I don't think a "Don't get near a bison" sign suffices.  At every park entrance, they should have a big screen with those clips on a loop.  It is hard to believe some people are so stupid.  A bison can really fuck up your day. 

Is that the clip where the bison gores a guy in the leg and throws him about 20 feet in the air? They used to run that video on a loop in visitor centers. Everyone is afraid of the bears, but grizzlies have only killed seven people in the entire history of the park (though two of those were this summer). Bison are a lot more dangerous because they wander all through the populated areas, up and down the roads, and they're fucking mean. People think bison are dumb and slow, but those things are FAST. There are way more injuries from bison than bears. I've seen people try to sit their kids on the back of a bison. Also, the Park Service denies it and really frowns on this, but there are secret betting pools among park employees for predicting the first bison goring each summer.

Another stupid thing people do is stray off the boardwalks in thermal areas -- the geyser basins where there is a very thin crust of earth above the boiling hot water underneath. Every year people break through the crust and get their feet and legs boiled.

A lot of people treat Yellowstone like a zoo or science exhibit, but it's an incredibly dangerous place if you ignore the rules. But the leading cause of accidental death is still car wrecks.

[Andyzipp]

A lot of people treat Yellowstone like a zoo or science exhibit, but it's an incredibly dangerous place if you ignore the rules. But the leading cause of accidental death is still car wrecks.

So where do pic-a-nic basket related injuries rank?

[Craig]

Great job, Craig.  I'm usually a beach or city vacation guy, but now I'm adding Yellowstone in autumn to my list.

Let me know when you start planning your trip. I'll point you to some good resources that will make your trip a lot more enjoyable.

[strosrays]

Those bison have an instinctive memory of almost being driven to extinction, and they know who was primarily responsible for that.  A human confronting a bison in any way, shape, or form is just asking for it.

I watched a documentary about the wolves of Yellowstone recently - maybe on NatGeo, I can't remember - and for most of it I had goosebumps; and to be honest, a few parts had me teary-eyed. A howling wolf (or wolves) is the single most haunting/compelling sound in nature.  My howling beagle (he howls at a certain kind of ambulance siren) is second.  I think I may have been a wolf in a previous life.

Thank you, Craig, for a terrific preview.  And for all your years of service, both writing the previews and serving as our editor/coordinator.  To me, you are synonymous with Series Previews - I remember the years you wrote all of them.  That is beyond my comprehension, but ever since then you are my hero.

And, oh yeah, Fuck The Cubs.

[Craig]

Those bison have an instinctive memory of almost being driven to extinction, and they know who was primarily responsible for that.  A human confronting a bison in any way, shape, or form is just asking for it.

I watched a documentary about the wolves of Yellowstone recently - maybe on NatGeo, I can't remember - and for most of it I had goosebumps; and to be honest, a few parts had me teary-eyed. A howling wolf (or wolves) is the single most haunting/compelling sound in nature.  My howling beagle (he howls at a certain kind of ambulance siren) is second.  I think I may have been a wolf in a previous life.

Thank you, Craig, for a terrific preview.  And for all your years of service, both writing the previews and serving as our editor/coordinator.  To me, you are synonymous with Series Previews - I remember the years you wrote all of them.  That is beyond my comprehension, but ever since then you are my hero.

And, oh yeah, Fuck The Cubs.

Thanks strosrays, that really means a lot.

There are several great videos about the wolf reintroduction, but my favorites are the ones that feature the Rose Creek and Druid Peak packs. Their stories are so compelling -- tragic and triumphant at the same time. But that was a long time ago and I guess those packs are gone by now.

And yeah, a long, deep wolf howl is the most haunting sound I've ever heard. And on a quiet, snowy night, when the snow is muffling every other sound ... man I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

[Limey]

I used to think I was a wolf.  But I'm alright noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

[Bench]

That was terrific Craig. 

[94CougarGrad]

Really bang-up job, Craig. An enjoyable read.

And... Fuck the Cubs.

[Mr. Happy]

All of the writers of series previews have a wonderful gift. I love reading them all.