As I type this the stands at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been cleared at least temporarily as storms are on the horizon. Locally, the skies look to put a damper on picnics, grilling and the White Sox-Orioles finale. However, the weather shouldn’t be a factor when the nation celebrates National Hamburger Day on Tuesday, May 28th.

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating National Cheeseburger Day when it was September 18th. Other than a reckless need for overkill, I’m not sure we needed to differentiate between the two. I love me a good burger and think it’s one of the least labor-intensive meals to create at home. Coincidentally, I’ve been on a burger quest over the past 4 months in part to prove consumers wrong that a good burger can’t be had for less than $10 (including fries). I’ve heard several people complain about the prices of burgers+ at fast food joints and burger specific chains.

I’ve noticed how expensive the simple-precooked, burger is at most ballparks. Of course, baseball fans are captive audiences and simple economics plays out. Before they moved to ABC Stadium, the Beloit Snappers, in their quaint ballpark, grilled burgers before your eyes. That meant waiting for 6-10 minutes-which nobody can spare anymore. A few iterations ago, there were a couple dedicated grills at Miller Park, but even when they brought in an outside vendor, they veered away from grilled to order.

While my findings are Chicago-specific, I’ve already found a half dozen joints that offer reasonably priced alternatives. The search continues.

Whether attending a professional game on Memorial Day weekend has ever been a tradition in your home, the weekend has always been a guidepost for fans and teams. Some believe it’s not fair to measure a team’s worth any earlier in the season than Memorial Day. Heading into today’s games, almost everyone has played 50 games, a little less than 1/3 of the 162 regular season games. Teams that are doing poorly or merely failing to live up to preseason expectations will slide the date to the All-Star break. However, most teams have to make bid roster decisions before the ASG.

I have yet to see the Phillies play in person and I’m loathe to admit it, the Phillies are one of the best teams in the game today. I have seen them play on TV a couple of times and they played to mixed reviews, but the ugly losses appear to be of the exception rather than the rule. Someone said that they’ve had the easiest schedule to date and I won’t rule that out, but with the balanced schedule, that should even itself out sooner than later.

I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by how well the AL Central has been playing to date with the obvious exception of the White Sox. Unlike 96% of the world, I’m not surprised by how poorly the Cincinnati Reds have played. They’ve been the sexy surprise pick the past four seasons and have nothing to show for it.

In the too smart for their own good category, I nominate Craig Counsell and the brain trust in Chicago. When Friday night’s game with the Cards was postponed, I wasn’t surprised that they moved Shota Imanaga’s start to Wednesday against the (much tougher) Brewers. The stated reason was the Shota could use the extra couple of days off-both in the short and long term. I accept that claim and move, but also believe they wanted their ace to pitch against the Brewers instead of the Cards.

This move is reminiscent of my youth when managers were more likely to move starters around for specific matchups. Some preferred lining up their aces and #2’s to face their equals. Others tried to take advantage of perceived edges. I’m sure they believed that they didn’t need Shota to beat the Cards and the underwhelming Miles Mikolas and that Jameson Taillon would be up to the task. Stuff happened and the Cubs lost without wasting an Imanaga start, but STL is only two games behind the Cubs.

Memorial Day also marks the unofficial beginning of Summer. Schools close and with that fewer minor league teams play midweek day games. To fans without kids that may be a good thing, I miss the midweek, early afternoon games. I’d rather leave Casa Bob earlier in the morning, attend a game in the sun, and get home for dinner-saving myself from having to lodge out of town.

I’m in the process of planning a multi-city adventure in July and for the first time in my travels, it looks like I won’t get to a day game during the adventure.