2008 was certainly a different year. I don't think I became as disinterested in television as I've ever been, and the Writer's Strike certainly played a large role in that. 2008 was also the year that Hell's Kitchen really sucked. I also finally got a digital TV converter box in the Summer, finally seeing TV clear for the 1st time since December of '00 when I last had cable. 2008 I never got around to declaring "Year of the Food". 2005 was soft tacos (basically an unheard of concept at the time for me), 2006 was the year of the Burrito, 2007 was the year of the Torta , and 2008 still never got a pick. One in the running was trenzas , which is a Mexican version of freshly baked and braided Hot Pockets filled with meats, vegetables, sauces and cheeses. Tho I guess one restaurant purchased thing I ate more of in anything of '08, it was Wendy's double stack with cheese .

2008 was also a year where I completely ignored any new music and movies, so I couldn't tell you anything about the state of those. 2008 in sports, it started off pretty good. On March 3rd, Brett Favre had supposedly retired but returned (meh) and that day awful ex-Sox radio announcer Chris Singleton was let go and the baseball guru Steve Stone made it to the radio booth, and then for 2009 the TV booth with that jackass hick Hawk Harrelson and replacing Darrin Jackson , who goes to the radio booth with Ed Farmer . 2008 also saw the end of the worst sportswriter to ever disgrace Chicagoland, Jay Mariotti , former of the Sun-Times. We won't miss your hate-rhetoric spewing columns of garbage, dirtbag . 2008 also saw both Chicago baseball teams in the playoffs for the 1st time since 1906 , and the Cubs did another wonderful winless 1st round exit , while nobody picked the White Sox to finish higher than 3rd, ended forcing a 163rd playoff game against the Twins and won 4 elimination games (including a record 3 in a row vs. 3 different teams) but lost in the 5th. We also saw Yankee Stadium close and host the longest All Star Game in history of 15 innings , with the A.L. winning once again, but it didn't help the Rays in the World Series and we saw the Yankees over-pay 3 of the 4 Top Free Agents before Christmas. We saw a resurgence in Chicago Blackhawks Hockey for the 1st time in over a decade; as well as long-time announcer Pat Foley returning to the Hawks as well. And of course, another playoff-less Bears team . 2008 was also the year of my first Fighting Illini football and hockey home games and first attended basketball games.

2008 was the year I finally got my long-sought item (tho it wasn't exactly the same, it's close enough) which was an authentic original & clean 1980-84 San Diego Padres New Era fitted size 7 3/8ths cap (actual auction pic). Trying to find an original 1973-79 all brown & Old Athletic Gold version proved to be too difficult and too expensive; reproductions are awful , which is the same problem with the brown, Old Athletic Gold & orange 1980-84 version , and to land an authentic/never-reproduced-correctly one of those, let alone in my size and clean and under $25, was some feat. As a birthday present, I also snatched up a 1990's game-used Minor League Cla$$-A Kane County Cougars baseball home pinstriped jersey (actual auction pic), in a wearable size as well. Where to take my sports memorabilia collection from here, I don't know. Maybe a red 1991-92 Jeremy Roenick #27 Blackhawks jersey or a 1987 home White Sox Carlton Fisk #72 White Sox jersey . Tho these aren't high priority purchases, and are most likely to build my sports literature collection via cheaply using Amazon with gift cards.