FanHouse BillMurray

Bill Murray is probably one of my five most favoritestest actors of all time. Sure, at his age, he's become a touch annoying, but he's starred in so many roles that I loved as a kid and then still into "adulthood" (it doesn't technically count if you're not mature, right?) that I'm willing to give him a pass. Besides, he routinely does stuff like this: busting out his Carl Spackler at Bethpage Black during a rain delay at the US Open. <3 u, Bill.

Tom Ricketts and his family put in the winning bid to purchase the Chicago Cubs back in January, but the details of their offer have yet to be finalized four months later, and Ricketts is looking to find some other investors to help back his $900 million offer for the team. He doesn't need the help with the $850 million he's raised with a loan and selling some shares in the family business, TD Ameritrade, but if you can get it, why not?

The latest group of people he's checked in on to see if they'd like to invest in the team includes just about every local celebrity Cubs fan in Chicago. He's giving people like Bill Murray (pictured right), John Cusack and Jim Belushi a chance to earn some special privliges with the team for the low, low price of $25 million.

During the final round of the Masters, Tiger Woods hit his tee shot on the first hole so far left, it prompted CBS announcer Jim Nantz to describe it as a "comprehensive hook." Thankfully, unsuspecting patrons two fairways over -- where the ball finally came to rest -- avoided injury.

A week and 450 miles later, some poor woman minding her own business in her Lutz, Fla. front yard wasn't so lucky.

The final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was set to begin at 7:35 AM PT, but due to inclement weather, the pros are still in the clubhouse and the ams have been, in the words of CBS golf analyst Jim Nantz, "excused." Which is a nice way of saying, "Yeah, sorry about that, but this year's event is just a three-round affair for the hackers."

UPDATE: the fourth round is now postponed until Monday. Hopefully.

When it was announced that Rick Sutcliffe, fighting cancer, was well enough to resume his broadcasting career, we cheered a bit. He's always entertaining in the booth, drunk or sober, and anytime someone can win a fight with the disease it's reason to smile.

Making it all the better is the chance to hear more stories like the one he told to Bill Reiter of the Kansas City Star over the weekend. Bill Murray joined Steve Stone in the Cubs booth during a 1987 game and bet Stone a case of beer that Sutcliffe, on first, would steal second base. Stone agreed to the wager and away we go:

The pitcher was still warming up when word spreads and a fan yelled, "Hey Sut, Murray just bet Steve Stone a case of beer you'll steal second!"

Standing on first base, Sutcliffe decided: Screw it. I'm going.

Sutcliffe took off running. All 6-7 of the Red Baron hauling ass for second base just to mess with Cubs announcer Steve Stone.

"I am gone," Sutcliffe said. "He comes down and looks over. Well I'm halfway to second. I'm going, 'Ah, he got me.' Well the dummy goes to home so now I've got to get going again. But there's still a play. That's how slow I am."

The throw. The slide. He's safe.

Great story. Anyone else think Murray would be a massive improvement on Joe Morgan in the Sunday Night Baseball booth?

(H/T SportsbyBrooks)

Did you know Bill Murray is a Cubs fan? I mean, it's not like that fact has been browbeaten into our heads recently or anything. No fewer than two sports pages of NL Central teams feature stories about Murray on their baseball webpages today (the Chicago Sun-Times and the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Enquirer story features Murray taking shots at Cincy while trying to decide whether or not to fly there for this weekend's season closing three game series:

"I've never been to Cincinnati, and I was trying to keep that record intact," Murray said. "But I may have to go."

Murray hung out with the Cubs during batting practice before Thursday's game against the Florida Marlins. Murray said he's confident this is the year the Cubs will win the World Series - something they last did in 1908.

"I really feel this is going to happen," Murray said. "I feel very good about this team. I have all year."

If that's not a jinx, I don't know what is. Maybe I'm just jealous because I'm a Pirate fan and the biggest celebrities we get at games are Michael Keaton, Ben Roethlisberger, and Sidney Crosby, but celebrity fans grate on my nerves a bit and I'm never entirely sure why. I suppose Chicago should be thankful though; it could be Ben Affleck.

First thing is first: I love Bill Murray. Loved him when I posted these videos of him doing a Cubs broadcast with Steve Stone. Loved him when Wes Anderson took him from goofball comedy to a more subdued roll in Rushmore and The Royal Tennenbaums. Loved him in Ghostbusters; loved him in Scrooge.

But, Bill Murray the sports fan? Eh, I don't know if it's just when I've happened to notice, but he seemed to be around at rather um, choice times. He showed up in 2005 when Illinois' basketball team was on its run to the National Championship game. And now that the Cubs are on the verge of the playoffs? (Assuming they don't choke it away.) He's chilling with the team before batting practice.

The Cubs' No. 1 fan hung out with the team during batting practice before Thursday's game against the Florida Marlins. Murray said he's confident this is the year the Cubs will win the World Series -- something they last did in 1908.

"I really feel this is going to happen," Murray said. "I feel very good about this team. I have all year."

Wearing a Cubs cap backward, Murray had a bag of sunflower seeds tucked under his badly wrinkled shirt. He said his confidence in the Cubs went beyond cautious optimism.

"There is no time for being cautiously optimistic," he said. "That's for losers. [I'm] very optimistic. Look at how I'm dressed. Do I look cautious?"

See what I mean?

This is why YouTube is the greatest invention ever. (The wheel? Yeah right.)

Here for you are five separate clips (first one via Fark) of Bill Murray filling in for Harry Caray during a Cubs broadcast in April of 1987. Steve Stone holds his own here and basically acts as a prompt for Murray's stand-up comedy routine.

The above clip is the pregame rundown and the four after the jump are at various points throughout the game.

Drop what you're doing at once and dive in, folks. This is of far more importance than whatever else you could be doing at the moment.