Apparently it's not a done deal as none of the players involved have officially been notified yet, according to reports. Teahen even Twittered as much.
Now, reports of Scott Podsednik and Ramon Castro filing for free agency are correct. And rumors that the Texas Rangers are throwing out feelers for Jermaine Dye have some validity. But that KC/Sox deal? Let's just wait and see.
UPDATE: Ok, NOW it's official: The Teahen-Getz-Fields deal has finally been approved by all parties. Geez, was the Red Sox-to-Yankees trade of Babe Ruth this complicated?
Teahen hit .271/.325/.408 for the Royals last season. Rumor has it Teahen has been brought in to replace soon-to-be free agent Jermaine Dye. He has hit a career a 261/.325/.514 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Ted Lilly under went arthroscopic shoulder surgery this afternoon. Depending on how the rehab goes for him he may or may not miss the start of the season next April.
Another Cubs pitcher with a surgically repaired shoulder. Stop me if you've heard this one before. Hopefully for the Cubs sake this won't be a season long issue. They can't afford to lose a pitcher of Lilly's caliber.
If you knowleged of Negro League baseball pretty much begins and ends with Satchel Paige, there's a new way to learn more about the game without having open a book.
An article by the Sun-Times Dave Hoekstra has a great profile of Carol Stream resident Scott Simkus who's created a Strat-o-Matic version of Negro League All-Stars (You GOTTA remember Strat-o-Matic baseballdoncha?). The board game is the result of 10 years of years of research by Simkus and includes stats for 103 Negro League players. Included in the game info are such "statistical" gems as the fact that Chicago American Giants pitcher Dave "Lefty" Brown spent 13 years avoiding the authorities after killing a man in New York City.
The season may have been a wash for the White Sox postseason-wise, but at least one player has something to smile about after cleaning out his locker. Third baseman Gordon Beckham has been named Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News.
The award, voted on by a panel of 338 other players, went to the Atlanta native for a standout inaugural season in which the 22-year-old batted.270 with 28 doubles, 14 home runs and 63 RBIs in 103 games. He's the ninth rookie in team history to be tabbed by TSN and the first since current manager Ozzie Guillen was awarded the prize 1985. Here's the modest Beckham speaking on his hopes for a decent season and perhaps a "couple of good games".
Chicago Public Radio's Justin Kaufmann notes that the entire Illinois congressional delegation submitted a bill on July 31 honoring White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle for his perfect game -- but it never made it out of committee. Seriously? We paid them for this? I'm all for honoring Buehrle for his achievement -- in fact, I was at the game when he was honored by the Sox -- but wasting time on this sort of thing is exactly the sort of thing that gives government a bad name.
The Little Friends of Printmaking have created a great new Cubs t-shirt -- but not one many Cubs fans are likely to be find very flattering. And since the Little Friends are based in Milwaukee, I have a feeling I know why.
The White Sox chances of making the playoffs at this point are pretty much a moot point as they are one game away from being eliminated from the American League Central Division. However, that doesn't mean they can't play the role of spoiler. And that is just what they did as they beat the Tigers 2-0.
The Sox may may play a role in whether or not the Tigers make the playoffs. Jake Peavy took the mound for the Southsiders tonight and his offense gave him just enough for the win. Peavy went seven innings and struck out eight. Gordon Beckham helped out his pitcher out with a two run homer in bottom of the sixth.
Will he or won't he? President Obama may go pitch Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics afterall (with Arne Duncan in tow). But, as everyone knows, Oprah has the last word.
Whither goest thou, White Sox? Kenny Williams is trying to figure that out.
Cubs fans disillusioned by the outcome of this season can take a look back at the 1984 team. Not that the outcome then was any better, but still...
Seattle's T.J. Houshmandzadeh says he has something to prove when the Seahawks meet the Bears this Sunday. Meanwhile, the Bears seek to establish the running game. But if wide receiver Johnny Knox continues his ascent, we can wait a little while.
Mixed martial arts star Fedor Emelianenko is coming to Chicago in November. Take appropriate action.
And you find yourself...riding a bike down Michigan Ave. Musician David Byrne talks about his cycling fixation and cruising around Chicago.
Boxer David Diaz brings it back home this Saturday.
If you're participating in the sixth annual Salmon Classic this Sunday at Northerly Island, use this as inspiration.
The Chicago Fire prepare to honor another Chicago soccer team who weren't too shabby themselves in their day.
Late Chicago Olympian Willye White has a new park named in her honor.
The Big Ten football season kicks off this Saturday and while other teams discuss strategy for their upcoming opponents, Northwestern's gridiron gang has different concerns on their mind.
The Chicago Outfit close out their 2009 season this Saturday at the Windy City Fieldhouse. Get pumped up for the contest by checking out the cool video below.
So with baseball season in Chicago officially over (OK, OK, ALMOST over, Mr. Sticker), the question now turns to who'll be standing on the field when the Cubs and White Sox start play in 2010. Free agency, arbitration, trades...you name it. Bottom line, there'll be some faces missing from the team picture on both sides of town next year.
Today we got word that White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks is shutting it down for the rest of the year due to an injured right calf muscle, which has given rise to talk of whether we've seen the last of the portly closer on the mound for the Sox for good. He's up for arbitration next year and the Sox aren't known for fighting hard to keep guys in that situation, so it could be the end of his career with the team.
If there was any chance of the White Sox making the playoffs it may have just rode off into the sunset especially after two very costly losses to teams they shouldn't even be losing to in the first place. Their woes on the West Coast continued as they went 2-4 on their latest trip and it included another 14 inning loss to the Seattle.
There have been whispers about whether or not Bobby Jenks still has it or not. He may have answered some of those questions after blowing his second save in less than a week. Jenks blew a 3-1 lead in Anaheim, which they eventually won in extras. However, it was not the case in Seattle. Jenks gave up two home runs in the bottom of the 9th, with two outs no less. It was a first for him as he had never given up back to back home runs.
You can debate the wisdom of the White Sox trying to work in a start for pitcher Jake Peavy before the season is out, but you can't debate that it's now actually going to happen.
After a rehab stint to work out kinks in his surgically repaired ankle and, later, his elbow after it was hit by a batted ball during the minor league tune-up, Peavy has been given the green light to make his White Sox debut when he takes the mound Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. at U.S. Cellular.
Ever wanted to see butt-kickin' roller babes (plus one movie star playing a roller babe) sing at Wrigley Field? Here's your chance: It's been announced that Drew Barrymore, one of the stars of the upcoming roller derby movie Whip It, will be singing the seventh-inning stretch at the Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers game on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Accompanying her will be two players from Chicago's own Windy City Rollers, Athena DeCrime and Val Capone (who also works as a vendor at Wrigley).
Back in the 1980s when the Cubs REALLY were stinking up the joint (as opposed to their current performance of dropped fly balls and lackadasical managers), the team did whatever it could to get fans into the ballpark on a consistent basis. It was the era when they sold fans on the idea of the bleachers-as-bar (Thank you, Harry Caray). And it was the era of Marla Collins.
If the name doesn't immediately conjure up an image in your mind, you probably weren't a hetrosexual male during that time. Collins was the Cubs "ballgirl", a term created during that less label-conscious time. But she wasn't merely a female version of a ballboy, dressed up in an ill-fitting full uniform. Collins had curves and the Cubs weren't afraid to use them. In her case, she was given Daisy Dukeish shorts and a tighter-than-it-probably-had-to-be jersey, all done up in Cubs pinstripes. Her hair was Farah Fawcett-perfect and guys would stand up when she sprinted to pick up foul balls or deliver a new set of baseballs to the umpire. Since the Cubs weren't really hitting them out of the park during that time, there were people wishing they would at least foul one to the backstop just to see her in, um, action. Here profile was furthen enhanced when Harry started waxing poetic about her from up in the booth, and when WGN producer Arne Harris began giving orders to his camera men to follow her motion every now and then instead of Ryne Sandberg's.
But the Collins era came to an end when she posed for Playboy and offended the Cubs' "family friendly" sensibilities (which were apparently fine when they dressed her in the shortest shorts and tightest top and positioned her nearly in the middle of the field).
The Daily News Journal of Kankakee catches up with Collins and talks about her two daughters (!) and her, let's say social interaction with some of the top ballplayers of that era. She may not have done much to help the Cubs get closer to a World Series, but she made the waiting a little less painful.
After years of anguish and many, many, many headaches in Minnesota, the White Sox played their last game in the Metrodome and came away with a rare victory. Just mention the word Metrodome to any Sox fan, player, manager, broadcaster, front office personnel, general manager or owner and their response would start with a groan and end with several expletives.
However, after years of torment in that building, the Sox left there smiling for once. Their record there indicates how miserable it has been for them, more so the last few years. They went 84-114 since 1982, losing 19 of their final 24 games there. They finished 1-8 in the Metrodome last year and finished 2-7 this year.
At any other point in the season, a Cubs/White Sox game would be a hype-lover's dream. But with the two teams at 10 1/2 and 7 games out, respectively, any fan claiming bragging rights after tomorrow's game would seem to be grabbing at straws. Yeah, sure, Ozzie Guillen is sounding like Bluto Blutarsky these days telling everyone that nothing is over until HE says it's over, ever after the team dumped two relative stars in Jim Thome and Jose Contreras And the Cubs fans, ever the optimists, will probably be encouraged to hear that the team has decided to fight it out until the end (as if they could simply walk away). But, truth be told, if there is any real venom swapped by the fans of the two teams tomorrow, as there has been in the past, it'll only be done by the clueless. Look, if you have tickets to the game, by all means go. Have a beer. Cheer for your team and congratulate the winner. But if you're expecting it to mean anything more than that, you're just as out of it as the White Sox and Cubs.
The White Sox continued their slide in Minnesota Monday night dropping their fourth straight and sixth overall on the trip. They lose 4-1 in the opener with the Twins, but the bigger news came off the field as they traded a pair of big names to contending teams.
DH Jim Thome was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers who are currently leading the National League's Western Division. The other big name dealt was Jose Contreras. He was sent to the team right behind the Dodgers, the Colorado Rockies, who are currently tied with the San Fransisco Giants for the National League Wild Card lead.
Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman have been reportedly claimed off waivers on Friday. The Cubs have 72 hours to negotiate with the teams that claimed the players before anything is definitive. The move is a sign that the Cub's front office is just as aware as their fans that the 2009 season is done for the Cubs. Harden will become a free agent during the off season, so the team will undoubtedly want players or prospects in return for the pitcher as releasing him now will result in no salary dump. Heilman has one year before free agency on his contract and would only be a small salary dump by the Cubs, who are probably looking for players in return as well for the releif pitcher.
The Cubs' Milton Bradley is not happy. So what else is new? Besides, he's now the Ricketts family's problem.
The White Sox have lost four in a row and five of their last six. The Bleacher Reporter ask if they're heading in the wrong direction. Hmmm...let me think about that one.
Don't let Jay Cutler's cool demeanor fool you. According to ESPN he's a little jittery about returning to Denver as a member of the Bears this Sunday. Elsewhere on the Bear beat, Matt Forte is looking for balance and Dusty Dvoracek is looking at a doctor this Friday.
As if running a triathlon (like the Chicago Triathlon this weekend) wasn't difficult, try throwing cold, rainy weather into the mix. Here at some tips for coping with that.
While the state debates video poker, the real thing is going on in a tournament in Arlington Heights tonight. Wanna play? Ante up here.
The Chicago Sky host a benefit this Friday to promote breast cancer awareness.
Chicago Public Radio's Justin Kaufmann talks with legendary Steve Stone about his Wikipedia entry, and gets lots of stories about Stone's time with both the Cubs and Sox -- and his 1983 Playgirl spread.
Playgirl?! Oh yes. The pictorial is online here if you're interested. I wouldn't call it safe for work, but there's no "Little Stoney" visible if that's what you're worried about. You can let Stone know what you think -- or blot it from your mind and just ask him about baseball -- on Twitter at @BaseballStone.
Yeah, we know there's still plenty of time left in the baseball season, but it's getting late, they're eight games out of first and, well... it appears that even the logo on Derrick Lee's helmet is calling it quits (via Deadspin). If that's not depressing enough, Yahoo! Sports paints a pretty dismal picture of the way the rest of their season is unfolding.
Kenny Williams shocked the world by making a last minute deal to acquire Padres ace and Cy-Young award winner Jake Peavy at the trading deadline. While it sounds all well and good it came with a catch. Peavy has been on the disabled list June after injuring his ankle while running the bases.
Peavy has had two rehab outings since he joined the Southsiders. In his first outing he was brilliant and in his second not so much. That is where the problem comes in. By all accounts his ankle has healed nicely, but due to the fact he wasn't able to do any kind of baseball activities for a good two months it has delayed his return.
It is being reported that the long awaited sale of the Cubs is finally complete. The Ricketts family, who have been front runners since negotiations began, are spending $845 Million for the team and related assets. They will have a 95% control of the team (the other 5% will be retained by the Tribune Compnay), ownership of Wrigley Field and a 25% stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
If you are wondering what this, and other Cubs stories, would sound like in a haiku, visit The Cubs in Haiku on Twitter.
On a night where runs were hard to come by, in a park notorious for keeping balls inside the park, Kevin Gregg made offense look easy. Prior to the eight inning of Monday night's game in San Diego, the Cubs and the Padres had complied a scant four hits and zero runs each. Ted Lilly made his return from the DL and pitched six strong innings - allowing four hits, no runs and keeping his pitch count to 70. The Cubs made Padres' starter Kevin Correia work a little harder to finish his six innings but ultimately scored no runs either. After seven scoreless innings, it looked like the Cubs grabbed the reigns and put themselves in position to squeak out a low scoring victory in the top of the eight inning. Derrek Lee led off the inning with a triple and Aramis Ramirez's single in the next at bat drove in Lee to score the game's first run. John Grabow and Carlos Marmol combined for a perfect second half of the eight and set the table for the closer, Gregg, to end the game.
Hernandez struck out 10 Sox batters over seven innings. Alex Rios went 1-for-6 last night in his Sox debut last night. He struck out twice as well. Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye both sat this one out. Both are healthy and were just receiving a day off. They could've used their bats in the line-up however. It was a familiar face that came back to bite the Sox in the 14th.
It might be safely said that when it comes to the gameday activities that surround Wrigley Field, most of the denizens of Wrigleyville fall into two categories: those who love living close to the buzz, the excitement, the commotion and those who would rather have hot knitting needles jammed into a body orifice than have to deal with mass of humanity that descend on the area when the Cubs are in town.
For the latter, have we got a website for you.
"Is There A Cubs Game Today?" might sound like a must-stop destination on the information superhighway for fans seeing details on that day's contest, but it's anything but a plethora of information and helpful tips. Well, scratch that second part. It IS full of helpful tips, if by "helpful tips" you mean ways to avoid the area completely.
After back-to-back 11-5 losses, the Cubs return home to Wrigley Field on Tuesday following a 4-6 road trip. The trip started with initially high hopes: the Cubs had come out strong after the All Star break and had won eight of their last seven games going into Florida. But the road trip, particularly the Colorado series, has left a bad taste in the mouth of any one who watched what took place on the field over the weekend.
The one good thing about the four game series against the Rockies over the weekend is that they managed not to get swept. Beyond the one win, it was one of the ugliest series of the year for the Cubs. It started on the wrong foot before the first pitch was even thrown as Carlos Zambrano was sent to the 15 Day DL prior to his scheduled start on Friday. Sean Marshall learned shortly before the game started that he would be the replacement starting pitcher and did not fare well on the short notice, only lasting two innings. Saturday gave the Cubs their only win of the series but even it brought bad news as Aramis Ramirez re-injured the left shoulder that kept him out of the majority of the first half of the season.
The last two games of the series were a disastrous combination of poor starting pitching, bad relief pitching and shaky defense. Tom Gorzelanny's second start with the Cubs could not have looked more different from his first. With six runs allowed in 1.1 innings pitched, the start nearly doubled Gorzelanny's ERA. Meanwhile, while the Cubs were struggling to keep the Rockies inside of Coors, the Cardinals have been playing hot and are now three games up on the Cubs. If the Cubs want to redeem themselves from this weekend, winning some games at home with Philadelphia in town would help. Since the All Star break, the Cubs are 3-7 against teams that currently have a winning record and 12-2 against losing teams. Beating the teams their supposed to beat is nice but if they want to make the playoffs they have to be able to beat other contenders as well.
The Chicago White Sox have solved the million dollar mystery. They were the ones who claimed the Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Alex Rios off waivers over the weekend. Rios was claimed on Friday afternoon, but no team had come forward until today.
Rios signed a very hefty contract last April, a seven-year $60 MM contract to be exact. This comes in addition to the large Jake Peavy contract. However, at the of the end of the season there will be some money available with Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye's contracts expiring. Rios is expected to join the club in Seattle on Tuesday.
The Southsiders take on the Mariners tonight at 9:10 p.m. CT. Gavin Floyd (9-2) will take on Luke French (2-2).
What a difference a week makes. Just last week the Sox were finishing up an abysmal 1-6 road trip that included them being swept in Minnesota. That would all be forgotten after they returned home to take on the best the American League had to offer. They took three out of four from the first place New York Yankees over the weekend then set their sites on the team with the best record in the A.L., the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The Chi Sox snapped the Halos' eight-game winning streak last night with a wild walk-off 5-4 victory. That was in spite of Jose Contreras' erratic pitching performance. Gavin Floyd, however, would fair much better tonight. Floyd went eight innings and only surrendered one run and struck out six.
In many ways, the Cubs' 2009 could be considered far from lucky. From injuries, to the bats falling asleep for nearly two months, to a shaky bullpen, it has not necessarily been a dream season. But the Cubs can consider themselves extremely lucky as far as substitute starting pitching has gone. Sean Marshall originally started the year as the fifth starter, but when Carlos Zambrano went to the DL early in the season, Randy Wells proved to be more than a suitable fill in and too good to send back to the minors once Zambrano returned. The move even worked well for Marshall, who has gone on to post the lowest ERA of any left handed reliever in the National League since being moved out of the starting rotation to make room for Wells.
The 2009 trade deadline has come and gone and a lot of big names were moved. It was a very active deadline with trades a plenty taking place. The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers both made deals to improve their respective clubs. The Twins acquired Orlando Cabrera from Oakland and the Tigers picking up Jarrod Washburn from Seattle. It appeared that the White Sox and Kenny Williams were going to stand pat with what they have.
Well if you think that is the case with Kenny Williams, think again. While everyone was looking at Roy Halladay to be the big name moved during the deadline Williams pulled off a shocker by bringing the 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy to the South side of Chicago.
The on again/off again Jake Peavy-to -White Sox deal is apparently really on this time, as reports are coming out that the Sox and the Padres have agreed to terms on a deal that would send the sought-after righthander to the South Side in exchange for four minor league pitchers: Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell. The announcement of the deal came minutes after the trading deadline had officially passed.
In May, Peavy exercised his no-trade clause and rejected a deal that had been hammered out by the Sox' Kenny Williams and the Padres. But a strained right ankle tendon sidelined him soon after that and his stock took a dip as would-be suitors lost interest. That injury may have had something to do with his new-found willingness to accept a move to the AL, where he won't have to step to the plate or run the bases.
Peavy is 6-6 this season with a 3.95 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 81 innings. He will earn $11 million in 2009, $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011, $17 million in 2012 and a $22 million option for 2013 with a $4 million buyout.
While Kevin Hart was on the mound Thursday pitching, a deal trading him to the Pittsburgh Pirates was being finalized somewhere in the Cubs' front office. According to ESPN, Hart, along with relief pitcher Jose Ascanio and minor league player Josh Harrison are part of a deal to recieve left handed pitching from Pittsburgh. The Pirates, who have been in full fire sale mode for most of the year, will send John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to the Cubs. It is a move that will add much needed left handed pitchers to the Cubs bullpen. Ever since Neal Cotts was optioned to Triple A Iowa , Sean Marshall has been the only lefty available for the Cubs in relief. Marshall has been so good as a relief pitcher, sporting a 1.31 ERA, that to use him only as a left handed specialist would be a waste at this point. Grabow and Gorzlanny are now options to go to when the Cubs need a big out against a left handed batter. With Hart gone, there is no word yet who will fill the last spot in the rotation while Ted Lilly is injured.
Outside of his few starts this season, Hart is probably best remembered by Cubs fans for his work as a call up reliever during the end of the 2007 season. In the midst of a tight divisional race with Milwaukee, Hart posted a 0.82 ERA over the last few weeks of the season to help The Cubs reach the playoffs. His last start with the Cubs was a win, 12-3 over the Houston Astros as the Cubs took three out of the four games in the series. The Cubs will start a 10 game road trip Fridayversus the Florida Marlins. Rich Harden will start while the Marlins starter is Chris Volstad.
Boy, you have one inter-team spat... Even though the Bears are denying any rift between Brian Urlacher and new QB Jay Cutler, USA Today has concluded that the team is the new Dallas Cowboys.
Can we leave the poor guy alone? A documentary is being planned on Steve Bartman and the "incident".
Speaking of the Cubs, the middle of their lineup (Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley) are heating up at just the right time.
If the Illini make it to the Rose Bowl again, they can thank... Donovan McNabb?
If you join up with the Fork In The Road biking and dining group, will you be having a well-rounded meal?
The Chicago Huddle, a weekly Bears preview and recap show, is looking for a spokesperson to open each program. Looking at the photo on the front of the video, I can't for the life of me figure out what they're looking for.
The Chicago Women In Baseball League and the Chicago Gems baseball club will take their skills to a bigger audience when they conduct and exhibition prior to the start of a Schaumburg Flyers game during Women In Baseball Day
It was looking like Buehrle would pull off the unthinkable and pitch back to back perfect games. However, it was not to be. He lost the perfect game in the sixth after walking Alexi Casilla. That is where things began to unfold for Mr. Perfect.
Perfect game been "berry berry" good to him: Fresh off his appearance on David Letterman, the White Sox Mr. Perfect Mark Buehrle gets the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated. Will Buehrle, who pitches tonight against Minnesota, fall victim to the alleged SI cover jinx or the struggling reliever Jenks? (And yes, we know that it's really pronounced Bobby JANKS.)
Turns out pitching a perfect game is a great career move. It's earned White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle a spot on David Letterman's "Top Ten List". Buehrle will shoot a clip for the Letterman's show's signature segment today in Minnesota prior to the team's game with the Twins. Joining him in high-profile spot will be outfielder Dewayne Wise, he of the game-saving catch, and third baseman Josh Fields, whose grand slam helped the cause.
Sunday was a good day for the Cubs. An afternoon 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds completed the three game series sweep while losses by the Cardinals, Astros and Brewers helped the Cubs sneak into a half game lead in the NL Central, the first on top the division since April 21st. Rich Harden pitched another strong outing, allowing one hit and one run in six innings while striking out eight. After posting a 5.47 ERA in fourteen starts before the All Star break, Harden has a 0.95 ERA in the three games since and is showing the dominant fastball/change up combination that the Cubs expected to see after trading for him mid season last year.
Harden has not been the only Cub showing signs of improvement recently. Since he was moved to the front of the line up, a formerly struggling Kosuke Fukudome is batting .333 with a .404 OBP in the lead off spot. Alfonso Soriano is hitting .429 since the Break, having a hit in all nine games he has played in. Even Milton Bradley is showing signs of improvement. He is still hitting for a lower than expected average but his .448 OBP in July is nothing to scoff at. Any player who gets on base as often as Bradley has recently is worth value. Not coincidentally, the Cubs have won 10 of their last 13, the first impressive streak in months.
In order to stay in first place, the Cubs will need more improvement and steady play from the offense. They also need to do a better job staying healthy. With the Cardinals acquiring Matt Holliday last week, making the post season became an even more difficult goal to reach. Not many rumors are surrounding the Cubs during the last week before the trade deadline. They may try to pick up a lefty reliever, and possibly an extra bat, but no big names are expected as of now. On Monday, the Cubs start a four game series in Chicago with the Astros, who are currently two games behind them in the standings.
Powered by a Josh Fields grand slam in the fourth inning that would be all Buehrle needed to complete his masterpiece. With his gem he becomes the second pitcher in Sox's history to pitch a perfect game. Charles Robertson was the first to pitch a perfect game on April 30, 1922 for the Southsiders. Buehrle's effort was almost all for nothing if not for a game-saving catch by defensive replacement DeWayne Wise.
If only the Cubs could have played the rest of the season in Washington DC. After their all too short, four game sweep over what is essentially a quadruple A baseball team in the Nationals, the Cubs had a rude awakening of what competitive baseball is like on Monday night. The world champion Philadelphia Phillies routed the Cubs 10-1 in one of the most lopsided losses of the year. The Phillies had been riding an eight game win streak coming into the series and the difference between playing them and the Nationals, who sit 27 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, was clear to the Cubs on Monday night. Raul Ibanez hit a three run home run in the first inning; during the second inning, Carlos Ruiz hit a two run home run to make a 5-0 lead as the game entered laughable territory early. Ted Lilly, coming back from a missed start due to a sore knee, gave up a season nine runs, seven of them earned, in just four innings pitched. On Tuesday, the second game of the series starts at 6:05 CT with Rich Harden (6-6) facing off against Joe Blanton (6-4).
For sure, there have been some strange moments in White Sox history, and not just the whole Black Sox Scandal thing. No, more like just...weird. The Disco Demolition riot, the anniversary of which has just passed. Former Bears all-arm-no-aim quarterback Bobby Douglass getting a brief tryout with the team in the 1970s. Hawk Harrelson coming down from the booth in 1986, making a mess as GM and then retreating back to said booth. An unpaid clown roaming the stands for decades until he was told not to show up anymore. And almostanything Bill Veeck did.
But in recent years the strangest occurance involving the South Siders had to be the night in 2002 when the Ligues showed up. You remember the Ligues...father and son duo? Shirtless? Leaping over the box seat wall to pummel 54-year-old Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa? If the South Side fans had a reputation for being brain-dead thuggish oafs, well, the actions of William Ligue, Jr and his then-15-year-old son did nothing to dispel that myth (Note: I, myself am a White Sox fan, regularly wear a shirt and have only occasionally laid into a coach of any base. And none in the last 12 years.)
The ol' reliable Deadspin sports website recently updated the saga of the Ligues by locating the younger Ligue's MySpace page, and you'll be happy to know that he appears to be just as...socially aggressive, let's say, as he and his dad were that day. According to Deadspin, he doesn't appear to regret his actions that day and, in fact, seem to be quite proud of it. And he allegedly is expecting the birth of his own child, offering the world the promise of a third generation of Ligueish behaviour at the ol' ballpark.
Buehrle was down early after surrendering his lone run of the game, but Jermaine Dye bailed him out with a two-run homer (21). The Sox are now 7-0 at home on Saturdays and 12-0 when they play on Saturday afternoon.
Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly have become the latest Cubs to be sidelined with injuries during an injury plagued 2009 campaign. Soriano, who had never been put on the disabled list before joining the Cubs, is starting to expect that all his injuries as a Cub may be more than just coincidence. Lilly is out sore knee and can be considered day to day for now. He had started 34 games in his two previous years with the Cubs and could be considered the workhorse of the staff. Frankly, it's a little scary that injuries have gotten so bad for the Cubs that even Lilly, a player known for his extreme durability through out his career, is now missing starts. Randy Wells will fill in Lilly's place for Saturday's game against the Nationals.
Before our local baseball teams get back to action, including the apparent struggle to remain mediocre, one final look back at Chicago's involvement in the Mid-Summer Classic:
The New York-based Gawker wonders if Barack Obama muffed his first All-Star Game opening pitch attempt? Here, judge for yourself.
Meanwhile, yeah, we know it was a Chicago Cub being introduces in St. Louis Cardinal country, but the reception Ted Lilly got?... Ouch.
If it's any consolation for Lilly, a team of Cubs' "all-stars", including Keith Moreland (!) beat a team of White Sox "all-stars". Nah, it's probably not any consolation.
The White Sox' Mark Buehrle no doubt felt a pinch of pride after pitching a perfect inning in front of his "home town" crowd.
The Smithsonian Institution, Baseball Hall of Fame and the Chicago History Museum apparently each have one of the signs in their archives. Hopefully the Hall of Fame gets around to adding Dunston himself one of these years.
On a beautiful Sunday in Chicago, the type of day baseball was made for, the Cubs hosted a double header with the St. Louis Cardinals and completed the four game series heading into the All-Star break. Carlos Zambrano got his first win in six starts during the day game, allowing three runs over six innings. Zambrano helped his own cause by hitting his third home run of the season. Micah Hoffpauir also hit a three run home run in the first inning off Cardinals' starter Kyle Lohse. The Cubs managed to drive in three more runs in the seventh inning off a series of errors by the Cardinals defense, culminating in a 7-3 Cubs win.
Give credit to the Sox offense for making a game out of it. Down 9-2 by the third inning the Sox offense drew closer by putting up a four spot in the bottom of the third inning. The closest they would get would be one run. They wrapped up this short home stand by going 2-1 and they are now headed to Minnesota to take on the Twins.
The Bartolo Colon mystery is over. The rather robust starting pitcher for the White Sox has resurfaced Moby Dick-like after going AWOL from his scheduled rehab stint with the Charlotte Knights,the Triple-A affiliate of the Sox. Well, to be truthful, he's not actually IN Charlotte yet. The Knights expect him to start tonight, but have pitcher Carlos Torres penciled in just in case.
Colon was supposed to report to Charlotte Tuesday to prepare for tonight's start, but failed to do so, leading to the APB that extended all the way to his home in the Dominican Republic. So why did he pull the disappearing act? Well, according to Ozzie Guillen, it might have something to do with Michael Jackson. Seriously.
For only the second time during the 2009 season, the Cubs were able to start their original projected lineup. That's right, with Aramis Ramirez's return on July 7, the Cubs were able to to start Geovany Soto, Derrick Lee, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot, Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and Milton Bradley together for only the second time this year. The only other time this season the Cubs were able to start all nine players together? Opening Day, making it a 78-game stretch in which they could not field their original lineup. Certainly this team has struggled on the field at times during those 78 games, as we have struggled to watch the, at times, painful performances of a should-be talented team. But if you need reason to hope, think of of it this way: with yesterday's 4-2 win, the Cubs are undefeated with their full lineup. Two games over .500 is not very good but only two games out of first in the division is not very bad either. They've won six out their last eight games, Aramis is back, Soriano is finally out of the leadoff spot and it looks like the sale of the team may finally go through so they may be able to make some mid-season moves. Who knows, maybe in a week they will be back to struggling on offense and consistently losing games 3-1 all over again, but maybe things are coming together. Maybe, for the first time in a long time, they've put together a streak of good fortune.
Two. That is the grand total of All-Stars representing Chi Town in Major League Baseball's 80th Midsummer Classic. Mark Buehrle will make his fourth All-Star team after starting the year off 6-0 for the Southsiders. He is 8-2 with a 3.09 ERA. He was the starter for American League in the 2005 All-Star game in Detroit. He would be the winning pitcher in that one as well.
One could make the argument that Scott Podsednik is deserving of a trip to St. Louis. Since rejoining the Southsiders on April 14 he has hit .312, .368, and .407. Not too shabby considering most of the experts in baseball believed his better days were behind him. This is no doubt a snub of Podsednik especially since he is not one of five candidates vying for the final American League roster spot.
Fresh on the heels of the mildly interesting revelation that Geovany Soto tested positive for marijuana while playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball classic this season, comes this mind-blowing follow-up: Lou Piniella admits he partook of the weed once himself.
Really? Grandpa Lou? Old Grumpy Pants? Yup, that was Brother Louie admitting that just before the start of today's White Sox/Cubs game at U.S. Cellular. He said he only did it once and it didn't do a thing for him. Why isn't that hard to believe?
Maybe it's time for the rest of the Cubs to come clean on whether reefer madness is running rampant in the clubhouse. Because, seriously, Milton Bradley has got to be on SOMETHING. I mean, forgetting how many outs there are in an inning? Classic pothead move.
Michael Phelps, you can breath easier (well, as easy as you can while inhaling and holding it). Another athlete has been busted by the pot police. This time, it's Cubs catcher Geovany Soto, who tested positive for marijuana while playing for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. There reportedly won't be any penalty imposed on Soto, who called it an "isolated incident", by MLB or the Cubs. At the very least, the news might provide a possible reason for the drop-off from his Rookie-of-the-Year numbers last season for Cubs fans.
The Chicago chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America is meeting tomorrow to figure out once and for all how they should regard players of the Steroid Era in their future Hall of Fame voting. One Delaware sports writer is urging them to "do the right thing."
When the dust clears after tonight's NBA draft, will Kirk Hinrich end up wearing a new uniform?
Local Iowa State and Duke basketball fans might have something to do next January 6.
The Fire is gearing up for its next match in the Super Liga against fellow MLS club Chivas USA Tuesday at Toyota Park.
ChicagoNow blogger Matt Olsen lists 10 Chicago sports surprises that weren't really surprises. Personally, I'd add the continually rising cost projections for hosting the Olympics.
It'll be Mark Brown (no, not this Mark Brown) instead of Gonzalo Omar Basile who will take on Fres Oquendo at "Windy City Fight Night 3" this Friday at the UIC Pavilion. On the undercard, Rita "La Guera" Figueroa has a rematch with Tammie "The Tasmanian Devil" Johnson. Man, I love nicknames.
The Chicago Machine hope to end a three-game losing streak when they take on the Washington Bayhawks this Saturday at Toyota Park in Major League Lacrosse action.
If you just can't let go of the 1985 Bears, you might have a reason to watch the Cleveland Browns a bit closer this season.
The Lou Malnati's Pizza Bronco team does a worst-to-first run in the Wilmette House women's baseball league. Meanwhile, it's the Riveters versus the Skyline and the Comets versus the Turtle Rock in Chicago Gems Women's Baseball League action at Bedford Park Fields.
There may have been fireworks going off during the late innings of Wednesday's night game in Detroit but there would be no late game dramatics for the Cubs. With the tying run on first base and a full count, Kosuke Fukudome struck out looking at a borderline pitch to end the game 5-3. The final inning of offense was thematic of the Cubs' play at the plate during the whole game: the first two batters reached base safely but no one could drive them in. In total, the Cubs had 18 base runners during the game but could only score three runs. In six of the innings they had the leadoff man reach a base and only brought two of them around to home. Here is a break down of their struggles with RISP:
2nd inning: 2 on, no outs - 0 runs scored
3rd inning: lead of double - 0 runs scored
4th inning - 2 on, no outs - 0 runs scored
5th inning - bases loaded, two outs - 0 runs scored
6th inning - bases loaded, no outs - 1 run scored
7th inning: 2 on, no out; bases loaded, 1 out - 1 run scored
9th inning: 2 on, no out - 0 runs scored
The opportunities were there for the Cubs to win, they just could not get the hits when it mattered. Despite the three game losing streak they are currently in, the offense has been more effective than it had been. They are finally getting more hits and men on base; the new struggle has been to drive in runs during RBI situations. The defense and relief pitching can still use improvements, too. Geovany Soto's error in the fifth inning ended up helping the Tigers score a crucial go ahead run while Jose Ascanio and Carlos Marmol struggles in relief appearances during the eight gave the Tigers an insurance run to their lead. With the loss, the Cubs are back at .500 with a 34-34 record - 3.5 games behind St. Louis in the NL Central.
The White Sox wrapped up their nine game road trip on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the Reds. This trip began in Milwaukee where they would take two out of three. They would return home briefly to take on their North side counter parts where they would split a rain shortened series. They would take on the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.
This series was important because on Saturday they would play the first ever regular season Civil Rights game. The Sox won a barn burner 10-8. Mark Buehrle pitched on Sunday and earned his first victory since May 19. He improves to 7-2 on the year. They were 5-3 on the trip and they return home to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Just under a week ago, the Chicago Cubs had hit one of their lowest points of the season, losing to the Chicago White Sox 4-1, the loss put the Cubs at 9-17 of their last 26 games. However, since then, the Cubs have won four straight games, their longest of the season, including a sweep of the AL Cleveland Indians.
Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto returned to familiar form both hitting over two home runs in the 4-game win stretch.
The Cubs face Atlanta to make up a rain out from their May series tomorrow, followed by a three-game series against the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers, a re-match of the 1945 World Series.
The Cubs completed a three game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 6-2 win on Sunday, marking their fourth win in a row. Randy Wells pitched 6.2 innings and gave up two runs, improving his record to 1-3. Despite Wells' 2.57 ERA in his eight starts this season, it was not until Sunday that he notched his first career victory. Unlike the previous three Cubs wins, this game had no need for late game dramatics. Geovany Soto hit a solo home run in the second inning and the Cubs held the lead for the rest of the game. Derrek Lee was able to extend his hitting streak to 18 games and Milton Bradley had two hits to put his streak at 10 games.
Starting with a make up game tomorrow in Atlanta, the Cubs will spend the next ten days on the road as they continue the five week stretch before the All Star break in which they only have one day off. If their offense continues to play like it has over the last four games, this tiring stretch of games will most definitely be easier to endue. Over the last week, Ryan Theriot is hitting .304, Bradley .333, Soto .357, and Lee has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball during June. Is this a lucky stretch or should we actually expect some improvement coming from the offense? Certainly this ten game road trip will be a test.
Now that Part I of Cubs vs. White Sox, 2009 is in the books, Chicago baseball fans get a brief respite before the madness kicks back into gear again when the two teams meet at The Cell for the rematch next weekend. Brian Livingston takes a look at the abbrebviated series and offers an intriguing way to make up for that washed-out game that was supposed to start the series.
The series seemed to lose some intensity after the rain out on Tuesday, but don't tell that to White Sox fans who were smiling from ear to ear after their team beat their North Side counterparts 4-1. This series took place during the middle of the week, which seemed to take away the atmosphere that normally surrounds this series which usually takes place on the weekend. It is unfortunate that Tuesday night's game got rained out, because it would've been nice to see a night game during the week being played between these two at Wrigley Field.
This match up is meant for the weekend because it generally makes for a better atmosphere before, during and after the games. A thought crossed my mind as to how to schedule the rained-out game. Originally it occurred to me that they could do what they did in New York. A game between the Mets and Yankees was rained out at Shea Stadium last season. They re-scheduled the game for the following weekend when they were playing the Yankees at their place. They played an afternoon game at Shea and then a night game at Yankee Stadium.
The Cubs and Sox play next weekend at U.S. Cellular; why not play an afternoon game at Wrigley then take the Red Line down to U.S. Cellular? How cool would that be to have the players ride an express train down to 35th Street after playing an afternoon game at Wrigley? It would really give new meaning to the "Subway Series". Of course both clubs would have to agree to it, and more than likely it isn't going to happen. There is an off-day in September that the two teams share, and the game will most likely be played on September 3.
It appeared that both games were going to go to the White Sox. The Sox were 4-1 winners in game one, but the Cubs would play spoiler in game two. Just like the overall series itself, the numbers between these two they were pretty evenly matched during the two game set. On the downside they'll have to wait for September to conclude this series. The all-time series is once again tied 34-34 and the Sox season record stands at 31-35, four games out of first place. The Sox head out to Cincinnati to take on the Reds this weekend, featuring the Civil Rights game on Saturday.
For the Cubs, this years' Cross Town Classic comes at an odd set of crossroads. Statistically speaking, the six games that make up the Cubs/White Sox rivalry each year are actually the most meaningless six games of the season. Games against NL Central opponents carry a larger weight in deciding which team will win the division. Inter-division games have more significance when it comes to deciding which team will win the wild card. Inter-league play has almost no meaning outside of pure wins and losses. Despite the hype and perceived significance of these games, losing in them is only a single blade sword. When a team loses within in their respected division or league, it not only gives them the loss but also gives a win to a team in their direct competition; it creates a one game swing in the standings. In the six games of the Cross Town Classic, each game is only half as important. Neither a win nor loss carry much clout, each only represents a half game swing in the standings.
They would look for Mark Buerhle to bring them to victory in game three. He would do his best bring his team a win, including hitting his first career home run. He went six innings surrendered seven hits, four earned runs and struck out five. Unfortunately he would not stick around to get the win. Buerhle gave up a season high three home runs,but the Sox would go on to win 5-4 despite his less then stellar pitching performance.
For the second straight game, Geoff Blum delivered the game winning hit for the Houston Astros against the Cubs. With two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning, Blum hit a sharp ball down the first base line, driving in Hunter Pence from second. Also, for the second straight game, the Chicago Cubs had only one solo home run to their offensive credit. Despite the Cubs' starters giving up only two runs in the 21.2 innings they pitched in the three game series, the Cubs will leave Houston with only one more win than they came in with.
Ryan Dempster delivered another strong effort by Cubs pitching, allowing one run over seven innings. In his last three starts, Dempster has pitched 20 innings and allowed only earned run, a sac fly in the first inning of today's game. His ERA has fallen by a full point during the three game span and it looks like he may be returning to last year's form.
But as enjoyable as it has been to watch the Cubs' pitching post a team ERA of 1.55 during the month of June - the best in all of baseball - it has been just as painful to watch the rest of the team hit. To put it in perspective just how bad the Cubs' offense is compared to their pitching, think about this: If the Cubs scored exactly four runs in every one of their previous 27 games, their record over that period would be 19-4 - plus four games being inconclusive as they would have resulted in a 4-4 tie. Let's say, for fun, that they split those four extra inning games and went 21-6 since May 9th. Their new record would be 37-20; good enough for the second best record in baseball and first place in the NL Central by at least four games. Instead, they have gone 13-14 during that period.
If four runs a game seems like an unreasonable number to expect, remember that they averaged 5.3 runs a game last year. We know that eventuality the pitching will cool down, no team can maintain a 1.55 ERA for too long, but will the bats ever start heating up? So far Derrek Lee seems to be the only one up to the task but it will be a long season if no one else follows suit.
He didn't leave Chicago on the best of terms (as if we expected it to end amicably), but Frank Thomas looked like he was back amongst family yesterday when he visited his old White Sox pals at The Cell yesterday prior to their 2-1 loss to the Tigers.
As the Big Hurt pressed the flesh with Ozzie Guillen (and no, the flesh being pressed wasn't his hands and Ozzie's neck), fans in the stands couldn't be blamed if they wondered if Thomas were making a return trip to the South Side. After all, the Sox' bats have been in a state of slumber lately. And the post-game news about Paul Konerko's thumb might warrant musing on the possible return of the Big Hurt.
But, nope, Thomas wasn't there for that, though he hasn't officially retired yet and he and Sox GM Kenny Williams have reportedly been chipping away at that block of ice that was formed when Thomas made negative comments about the team while playing for the Oakland A's. (The White Sox website says the two talked Wednesday and described the meeting as "cordial".) Williams allegedly wants Thomas to retire (and, one assumes, enter the Hall of Fame) as a White Sox and making nice would seem to be part of that deal.
No, Thomas, instead, was roaming foul territory Wednesday with a mike in his hand as a member of the Comcast Sports Net reporting team, conducting pre-interviews for the upcoming White Sox-Cubs interleague series where he'll serve as an on-field reporter. And yes, the irony is pretty thick: the recalcitrant, media-shunning Thomas on the other side of the camera shoving microphones in the faces of ballplayers and asking the questions.
On the other side of town, the Cubs' top pick says he was hoping they would select him all along because he admires their history...
...which, as a Tribune article states, has been well documented on film.
A golf foursome with Ben Roethlisberger, Justin Timberlake and Michael Jordan? Somebody pinch former Chicago cop Larry Giebelhausen, because he must be dreaming.
Chicago's long history of heavyweight boxing add another chapter as Frez Oquendo takes on Gonzalo Basile in a June 26 bout.
Fire fan favorite C.J. Brown looks back on 12 years with the team.
Finally, meet the man who motivated Michael Jordan to greatness (by beating him out for the last spot on their high school basketball team): Leroy Smith. (If he looks a little like Charlie Murphy, that's purely coincidental, we're sure.)
Despite dropping the afternoon game to the Tigers 5-4 and seeing just a small sample size of their manager Ozzie Guillen on the verge of a blowup the White Sox rebounded in the night cap. Their victory was fueled behind the arm of Jose Contreras who had made his return to big league action after being sent down to Triple-A Charlotte after starting off the year 0-5. He went 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts for Charlotte.
Contreras looks to have figured it out after a dismal start this season. He went eight innings and only surrendering one hit back in the first inning and that was all. His ERA drops from 8.19 to 6.45 after his impressive outing. His offense helped him out in a big way as Alexei Ramirez, Scott Podsednik and Jim Thome all hit home runs in Monday nights 6-1 win over the Tigers.
The White Sox looked to have figured it out on their last road trip going 5-1. Then they returned home to Chicago to face the bottom feeders of the American League. The Oakland A's came in with the third worst record, however they would take three out four from the Southsiders. Which included a pair of shutouts. The Sox are first in the league in being shutout.
Then came the Cleveland Indians who hold the second worst record in the American League. Yet they some how managed to take two out of three from the Sox. Today Bartolo Colon was the culprit behind the 8-4 loss to the Tribe. He surrendered four home runs to Cleveland hitters. Alexei Ramirez tried to bring the Sox back with a three run-homer in the bottom of the fifth, but the damage had already been done.
It seems as if every Carlos Zambrano start has become some sort of sight to see. Will he blow up? Will he get injured? Will he go on a seven minute tirade that climaxes with beating a Gatorade machine to death and a six game suspension? 2009 has been anything but low key for Zambrano. Friday night, the story line was already in place as Zambrano went for his 100th career win - a somewhat significant milestone in a pitcher's career. In the history of baseball, well over 500 pitchers have recorded 100 or more wins. So while it is a noteworthy achievement, it doesn't put a pitcher in any sort of elite group. But no moment is mundane with Zambrano on the mound and he won his 100th game with a flair that few pitchers have achieved before him.
So when Tony Dungy said signing Jay Cutler was risky for the Bears, did he stop to consider who the previous three or four Bears quarterbacks were?
Author Sarah Paretsky takes time off from documenting the exploits to private investigator V.I. Warshawski to discuss another dark subject: the Cubs. She compared Cubs fans to "tired women living with alcoholic men." Ouch.
If the news that Matt Hagan will trade the Shelor.com Funny Car body for a FRAM Tough Guard design on the Dodge Charger, you probably want to be at Route 66 Raceway this weekend.
After taking the first game in a four game series against the Oakland A's the White Sox have now dropped their second in a row to the A's 5-3. The offense got off on the right foot after Jermaine Dye launched a two run homer in the first inning. However that was the last time the Sox would have a lead in this game.
Starter Clayton Richard would give it right back in the top of the second inning. After three solid starts Richard had one of his poorer performances since joining the rotation. He gave up seven hits, four walks and five earned runs in five and one third innings. Three home runs by the A's were the undoing of Richard.
Ryan Dempster may have been the first to come with blows but it was Carlos Zambrano who put the fatal wounds on the Cubs' new Gatorade dispenser, according to the Chicago Tribune. Zambrano, during his outburst of crazy on May 27th, brushed aside pitching coach Larry Rothschild in the dug out and unleashed his full rage on the dispenser over a disputed call at home plate that later replays showed was correct. Ever since, the Gatorade machine has been dying a slow death of leaks and a broken shell casing. When the Cubs return to Wrigley from their current road trip, they will be greeted by an old fashioned bucket and tap style dispenser, ones that have shown over time their durability to be resistant against the onslaught of angry pitchers. In some ways, this may be a good omen for a Cubs team that is struggling to stay afloat. If, someday, the Cubs ever win it all, what could they do with a Gatorade dispenser? The customary act of dumping the Gatorade bucket over the coach's or manager's head would become impossible. They would have to drag Lou Piniella to the machine, stick his head under the fountains and press the soda tabs to give him his proper Gatorade bath; that's just no good. In order to be a champion, you must be prepared for it and now another small piece of the puzzle is in place. The Gatorade dispenser was two months old.
Continuing the Cubs recent streak of strong pitching performances, Ryan Dempster went seven innings against the Dodgers, allowing no runs and only three hits. The offense lent their support to their starter, scoring in five of the eight innings they took to the plate for a clean 7-0 win. It is the fifth game in a row for the Cubs in which they have held the opposing team to two runs or less. The strong outing was Dempsters best performance so far this year and came on the heels of his worst, a four inning, six run stint against the Pirates on Monday. Since that lost to the Pirates, the Cubs have allowed only five runs in five games; the Gatorade dispenser couldn't be happier. On Friday, the pitching allowed the Cubs to perform a feat that has eluded them all season: win with less than four runs scored. Prior to Fridays game, the Cubs had scored three or less runs in nineteen games and had lost every one of them. Thanks to yesterday's game, they are now a much more impressive 1-19 with less than four runs scored.
Tomorrow, Sean Marshall (3-3) will go for the series win against Eric Milton (1-0) on ESPN as their featured Sunday Night baseball game. Marshall started this stretch of strong pitching when the rain gods interrupted his last outing for a rare five inning victory.
The White Sox busted out the big lumber in Kansas City Friday night. Jermaine Dye got the Sox rolling in the top of first with a solo home run (13) off Royals starter Brian Bannister. They broke the game open in the sixth with six runs. Their 11-2 victory was fueled by a 17-hit on onslaught.
Sox starter Clayton Richard pitched seven strong innings giving up six hits and striking out seven. He earned his second win since joining the Sox rotation on May 18. His streak of not allowing an earned came to an end after 16 2/3 innings as the Royals Billy Butler would tag him with a solo home run in the sixth. They are going to be with out their All-Star left fielder Carlos Quentin as he has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.The move has been made retroactive to May 26.
Wipe your tears, Hawks fans. According to USA Today, the young team's gotta wear shades ('80s music reference).
Not only are Derrick Rose's academic endeavors at Memphis under scrutiny, but it looks like the grade hanky-panky extends back to high school.
So does this SAT probe mean anything for the next batch of NBA hopefuls, many of whom will be here in Chicago for the annual pre-draft camp?
Answering the cries of many Cubs fans, GM Jim Hendry says the trading of Mark De Rosa isn't the problem. Meanwhile, The Bleacher Reports thinks moving Alfonso Soriano to second is one of the answers. And if the sale of the team to the Ricketts family doesn't go through, Sam Zell says "don't worry".
So who's the most important Bear on the team right now? If you think the answer is obvious, think again.
Even with deep dish pizza and Italian beef sandwiches all over the place, Chicago is pretty average when it comes to fitness. We're 25th out of 50.
Someone found the Tampa Bay Rays 2008 AL Championship trophy in a thrift shop in Chicago. Well, not the ACTUAL trophy...
The Chicago Fire's Gonzalo Segares gets the "up-close-and-personal" treatment from Goal.com.
It sounds like a sweeps week "special report": Are playgrounds endangering our children? Watch "Not Just Fun and Games", a special investigative report...
After taking the first game of this series in convincing fashion the White Sox rolled onto victory in game two. They weren't able to pull off that elusive sweep,however. They have now won their last three series in a row, however, they always seem drop the last game of said series. Last night the Sox ran into a buzz saw in Jered Weaver.
Gavin Floyd matched Weaver all night long. Weaver was just that much better,however. He allowed only one run in eight innings of work. Floyd would pitch eight innings and surrendered three runs and that was all the Angels needed to beat the Southsiders. They were 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
And the beat(ing) goes on... With their 10-8 loss to the Pirates yesterday, the Cubs losing streak hit eight, matching their longest losing streak in the last SEVEN seasons. "It certainly can't get any worse," said catcher Geovany Soto, who apparently never heard of the numbers nine, ten or eleven, etc. Although their hitting has been taking a downward slide lately (they're batting .244 as a team, third worst in the majors), the bats woke up yesterday and pounded out 10 hits. But pitching is still a hit-or-miss proposition (no pun intended). Yesterday, starter Ryan Dempster lasted only four innings and gave up six runs, two on back-to-back bases-loaded walks. The bullpen, of course, wasn't much better with Neal Cotts dishing up a two-run homer to let Pittsburgh take the lead.
So what's the solution? Well, a lot of people, including Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan, thinks the team needs an eruption from Mount St. Lou (Pinella) to fire up the troops. At least Milton Bradley and Ted Lilly seem to think raised voices are the answer as both have had verbal run-ins with the umps lately, with Lilly being tossed from the bench during Monday's game. But if you need a dirt-kicking tantrum from Pinella to beat someone like today's Pirate starter Ian Snell (1-5, 4.88 ERA), then they've got bigger problems than anyone ever thought.
The good news is that Cubs' scored more runs on Sunday than they had in any of their previous five games; the bad news is that they only scored two. On the heels of another lackluster offensive effort, the Cubs dropped their seventh straight game and completed their winless, six game road trip in San Diego. A week ago, I wrote about how this team was managing to create wins amid a storm of injures, underperforming players and shaky relief pitching. Fittingly, the team has lost every game since then, scoring only five runs in the last six games. Have all the short comings of this team caught up to them or has this week merely been a bad stretch? If anything positive can be taken out of the last seven games, it is that the losses can be pinpointed to one single part of their team: the offense. For the most part, both the starting pitching and bullpen have done well to keep the games respectable. If the pitching can remain steady and if the bats can produce, there is a formula in place that can produce wins in the future.
While the season is still young, at some point soon this team needs prove that they can contend, if they plan on having a successful season. I've already heard the grumblings amongst fans who worry about the proverbial window closing on this batch of Cubs' players. The Cubs are a team that was built to win now. Made up of mostly veteran players, even their "young" guys are not all that young. Micah Hoffpauir and Mike Fontenot turn 29 this year, Geovany Soto is 26, every other position player is in their 30's. The starting rotation particularly is made up of veteran players. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being a veteran team; you just don't want to be an old team. But the difference between "veteran" and "old" is not distinguished by age, the only difference is that veteran teams win and old teams lose. The Cubs are hoping to be a veteran team but it won't be long before they turn old. They have a lot of money tied into the big contracts of players who are past their peak production years. Their farm system is one of the worst in baseball, only two of their players are listed in Baseball Prospectus' Top 100 Prospects : Josh Vitters and Jeff Samardzija, numbers #34 and #85, respectively. If baseball has taught us anything since the end of the Yankees' dynasty, it is that teams cannot buy a World Series title, successful teams start in the farm system. If the 2009 Cubs cannot compete, there is not much reason to believe that the 2010 team will be much better. The time for the Cubs to win is now, or maybe it was last year, this is not a team built to be competitive in three or four years. So while it may only be May, the Cubs need to break out of their slump and give the fans reason to hope for the rest of the year before it is too late. And then hope that new ownership can figure out the aging problem in the years to come.
After suffering their worst loss in team history Thursday afternoon to the Twins the Sox righted the ship by beating the Pirates Friday night 2-0 and 4-0 tonight. They rode the bat of Alexei Ramirez to victory as he would hit is second home run in two nights.
Ramirez was batting number two after it proved successful in Fridays game. He was placed there by Joey Cora who is filling in for Ozzie Guillen, who is tending to his ailing father-in-law in Venezuela. He hit a home run in the two hole Friday night, so it would only make sense to keep him there. Perhaps Ramirez relaxed a little bit with his skipper out of town.
Despite winning their first series this month the White Sox fall back on bad times losing to the Twins 20-1. Bartolo Colon was god awful lasting only two innings but only surrendering one earned run. It was his defense that failed him. Wilson Betemit who was replacing Josh Fields, the newest member of Ozzie Guillen's doghouse, committed an error that opened the flood gates in the second.
A throwing error allowed the inning to continue which allowed the Twins to have a seven run inning. The game became out of reach at this point and it only got worse from there. The bullpen didn't do any better either. The Twins scored in all but three innings. Sox relievers gave up a six spot in the sixth and a four spot in the seventh.
Ozzie Guillen returned for series finale in Toronto Monday only to see his team get swept by the red hot Blue Jays. The Sox were down 2-0 early, but came back on a two-run homer by Jim Thome in the top of the eighth. The bullpen would give the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning.
Sox reliever Octavio Dotel surrendered an RBI triple the to the Jays Alex Rios They lose 3-2 and drop their fifth straight. Ozzie Guillen has yet to go off, but if they continue down this path a Guillen rant will be soon to follow.
By the time this week's three game series with the Cardinals is over, the Cubs will be just about a quarter done with the 2009 season. And while I cannot predict what will happen during the next three games, it's safe to say that the first 40 games of the year have not gone to script. If you had talked with a Cubs fan before the season started and informed them that after six weeks of play Aaron Miles, Micah Hoffpauir and Bobby Scales will become everyday players; the team's number one starting pitcher and biggest RBI producer will both go on the DL; Derrek Lee, Milton Bradley, Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot will be fighting to stay above the Mendoza line and the bullpen will post the second worst ERA in all of the NL, you probably would have been greeted with predictions of a season full of doom and gloom. But somehow, this Cubs team has not fallen into the dark; they have found a way to win games and stay competitive in a surprisingly strong NL Central division. Despite the injuries, the slow starts and unreliability in the bullpen, the 2009 Cubs have managed to post the same record through 36 games as the 2008 team did a year ago.
On Tuesday, the team starts a short, six game road trip in St. Louis. For the Cardinals, these games have higher stakes involved than the average mid-May series. Losers of 9 out of their last 13 games, St. Louis will once again put their frequently injured, Cy Young winning pitcher Chris Carpenter on the mound for the first time since he went to the DL on April 14th. If he can pitch to form, the Cubs' hitters will have their hands full with Carpenter on Wednesday and Adam Wainwright pitching on Thursday. It may be the boost the Cardinals need to break out of their current slump. While the Cardinals are looking for a strong return from their number one starter, the Cubs are hoping to pull out a few more wins while waiting for the return of their staff ace. Carlos Zambrano is scheduled to start in San Diego on Friday after a rehab outing over the weekend. Despite a rocky 3.2 innings pitched at High-A Daytona, Zambrano says he feels ready to go and only needs to work on correcting his release point before Friday's game.
If you were looking for the results of today's Cubs-Astros game, forget it. Rain washed it out.
For his uncharacteristic helmet-throwing incident, the White Sox' Jermaine Dye gets suspended and fined, meaning he's going to miss most of their series against Toronto.
Speaking of Chicago vs. Toronto, the Fire travel to the Great White North to take on Toronto FC this weekend. Other Fire news: the team has qualified for the 2009 SuperLiga tournament and kick off their annual Community Soccer Series net week.
Meanwhile, Chicago's other pro soccer team, the Red Stars have a budding star with the free-spirited midfielder Megan Rapinoe. Elsewhere, ESPN shows the Red Stars some by singing out goaltender Caroline Jonsson as one of the standouts in the Women's Professional Soccer League's inaugural season.
Vancouver is still trying to hold its collective heads up high after being bounced by the Blackhawks. But at least they don't welch on a bet.
If you had a brand-new boat (and really, in this economy, who doesn't?), the Chicago Park District has given you two new harbors.
Yahoo! Sports has the Bears finishing 11-5 this season. Hmmm...what changed?
As long as the Arena Football League is gathering mothballs, former Rush coach Mike Hohensee figures he's better earn a buck somewhere else.
Tired of movie dates, candlelit dinners and walks along the beach? Try antigravity yoga (among other alternative and physical date ideas).
New video game upstart retail outlet Play N Trade opens a new store in the Chicago area.
Seeking to assert their masculine superiority, the baseball-playing Schaumburg Flyers will take on the Chicago Bandits, the 2008 National Pro Fastpitch champions, in a fastpitch softball game. Why am I temped to bet the house on the Bandits?
Mark Buehrle was beaten by the long ball in Cleveland Wednesday afternoon. They lost 4-0. The White Sox ace surrendered a solo home run to Indian's catcher Victor Martinez in the first inning. With the big blow coming in the fourth off Indian's DH Ryan Garko. He hit a two run homer and the Indians would later added their final tally in the fifth.
And that was all she wrote. Buehrle pitched seven strong innings and struck out six despite surrendering a pair of home runs he fell victim to a lack offense. The Sox had no answer for Cy-young Award winner Cliff Lee as they were 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. They failed to score twice with the bases loaded.
Buehrle went eight innings,giving up one hit and striking out five. He may have jinxed himself after returning to the dugout in the middle of sixth by acknowledging that he had a no-no going. After surrendering that lead-off double in the seventh he got into trouble by walking two to load the bases but would retire the side as Tiger catcher Gerald Laird would fly out to center.
If we spoke a week ago, I would've told you to start counting to 102 years. The Cubs had slipped to a 3-7 slump, including a four game slide to Cincinnati and St. Louis. However since April shifted to May, the Cubs are starting to catch fire, and currently sit three games behind St. Louis.
A major contributor to the Cubs 6-1 streak, filling in for the injured Aramis Ramirez, third basemen Mike Fontonot sits 2nd on the Cubs with the most home runs (5) behind slugger Alfonso Soriano (7). However, shortstop Ryan Theriot has strutted his stuff hitting .305 with 3 home runs, all three of them within the past two weeks.
Although the Cubs aren't putting up the monster numbers they did this time last year, they're sitting quite pretty in the early part of the season heading into the early summer.
It's do or (almost) die time tonight for the Blackhawks in their playoff series against the (boo) Vancouver Canucks.
Now that he's back in the fold, the White Sox' Scottie Pods wants his old number back. Meanwhile, manager Ozzie Guillen thinks the team has more pressing needs.
Speaking of the Sox, they hold their first Volunteer Day this Saturday. It's not too late to sign up for the event, inspired by their No. 1 fan.
Derrick Rose? Jay Cutler? Patrick Kane? Who's Chicago's most marketable athlete?
Handball fanatics, the place to be this weekend is Elgin. Yes, Elgin.
The Bulls' playoff run been berry berry good to Comcast Sports.
As if the Chicago Rush didn't have enough problems, what with their entire league collapsing, now they're accused of sticking it to one of their fans.
Look out Robert Morris College: Roosevelt University is getting back into the intercollegiate athletics action.
Fresh off their victory over Kansas City, the Chicago Force take their undefeated record to Detroit to take on the Demolition in Women's Tackle Football action.
The equally unbeaten Chicago Fire, meanwhile, face the New England Revolution at Toyota Park.
The White Sox have now lost four in a row dating back to their series with the Texas Rangers. They lost 8-7 to the Kansas City Royals in extra innings last night. This is the second series in a row they've lost. They were without Jermaine Dye and Josh Fields since the weekend, both have been nursing bumps and bruises they've suffered over the against Texas. They did make their return to the lineup last evening and provided a much needed lift, however, it becomes a moot point in a loss.
Suspect starting pitching has been their undoing in this four game skid. Since Saturday Sox starters haven't gone longer than six innings. As a result the bullpen has been overworked. Just last night five relievers were used and on top of that they went into extras. There are going to be some tired arms in that pen if this trend continues.
After taking 2 out of 3 from the Seattle Mariners the Chicago White Sox enjoy their off day in Arlington before they open up a three game series against the Texas Rangers.
In a move to spark production from their lead-off position the White Sox have sent down the struggling Jerry Owens and have recalled '05 World Series hero Scott Podsednik. The Sox currently sit at 11-10 and they are a half game behind the first place Kansas City Royals.
Mark Buehrle (3-0) will take the mound Friday night in Texas and will be opposed by Rangers right-hander Scott Feldman (1-0).
The (semi) satirical sports website Deadspin takes a look at the incident from yesterday's Cubs-Cincinnati Reds game at Wrigley Field, namely the feline that scurried onto the field and the curse-related implications of the intrusion (i.e., not making the World Series AGAIN). Nevermind the cat; isn't having Dusty Baker back in the ballpark a harbinger of bad tidings in itself?
In case you've forgotten that in between the Bulls and Blackhawks playoff runs, there's still baseball in Chicago, and Aramis Ramirez reminded us just how exciting baseball can be.
Tied 5-5 in the 11th inning on Saturday, A-Ram spanked a huge two-run shot to win the game for the big blue train, pushing the Cubs to a 7-5 record, and an NL Central Division lead cushion of a game. This was Aramis' third homer of the season, but first in the late innings (6th inning or later), A-Ram hit six go-ahead runs in the late innings last season.
The Cubs open a series today with the Reds that lasts until Thursday evening, they are then embarking on a road trip which takes them through St. Louis and Arizona before looping back to Wrigley to play the Marlins.
The White Sox got a small amount of pay back after taking three of four from the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. The South Siders took care of business after a couple close games on Thursday and Friday night. The weekend would be a different story, however, they would man handle the Rays to the tune of 8-3 on Saturday and 12-2 on Sunday.
Strong performances from Carlos Quentin and Gavin Floyd helped fuel the Sox's victory Sunday. Quentin has picked up where he left off from last season. He hit is league leading seventh home run. Floyd pitched seven strong innings with seven strike outs and improved to 2-0 on the year. They improve to 7-5 overall and they are in a three way tie for first with the Tigers and Royals.
The White Sox took their off day to visit their biggest fan, Barack Obama. Paul Konernko, Jermaine Dye and A.J. Pierzynski among others stopped by Pennsylvania Avenue to visit the first fan.
The White Sox are in town for a three game series to face the Baltimore Orioles. Jose Contreras (0-2) will take on the Brad Bergesen (0-0). Game time is 6:05pm CT.
In a rematch of the 2009 American League Division Series the White Sox took on the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday night. It was the first meeting between the two since the Rays bounced the Sox from the playoffs last October. John Danks, whose scheduled start was skipped due to a rain out in Detroit pitched six innings, surrendered two hits and struck out eight.
The Sox took the lead early in the game and they never looked back. Jermaine Dye hit a two run homer in the second and that was all they needed. They would score an insurance run in the top of the ninth. The Sox go on to win 3-2. Credit Bobby Jenks with his third save of the season.
The White Sox are now 5-4. Bartolo Colon will pitch tomorrow against James Shields. Game time is 6:38 p.m. CT.
The White Sox took on the Detroit Tigers in their first meeting of the season at Comerica Park this afternoon. It was a slug fest between the two as the Sox came out on top 10-6.
Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning. They made history as each home run was the 300th of their respective careers. They became the first teammates ever to hit century milestone home runs of at least 300 in the same game. Carlos Quentin also hit a pair of homers (3,4) as well.
The White Sox bats came alive this weekend to take the series against their rivals the Twins and win their first series of the season. However the series didn't start off favorable for the Southsiders. Former fan favorite Joe Crede made his return to the South Side. Like Most athletes who leave and come back with another team they usually give management a reminder of what they let go. Crede did just that.
He would take the third pitch he saw from Jose Contreras into the Sox bullpen in left field. They would go on to lose 12-5. Saturday and Sunday were a completely different story. The Sox would roll to an 8-0 victory on Saturday.
The White Sox wrapped up their series against the Kansas City Royals yesterday. After an impressive opening day start the White Sox dropped the next two. Royals starting pitching stymied the Sox bats only allowing one earned run through out the series. The White Sox lost 2-1 yesterday afternoon after Sox closer Bobby Jenks surrendered a two-run homer to Coco Crisp in the top of the ninth.
John Danks pitched six strong innings only giving up three hits while striking out five, but it was not enough as Danks would earn a no decision. Lack of run support from the Sox offense negated a quality start by Danks.
The Great Dewayne Wise Experiment is over. Ozzie's going with Chris Getz in the leadoff spot for tonight's game. Getz says he's ready for the change.
Bears tracks: Orlando Pace says he came here to play with a winner; Will Cutler fit in with the Bears, and if so, will he be throwing to this guy?
ESPN's much-ballyhooed (never thought I'd write that word) Chicagocentric website debuts Monday.
If you like your sports bloody and brutal (other than badminton, I mean), you probably already have your tickets to the upcoming World Extreme Cagefighting match at Allstate Arena
The Chicago area just missed out on another championship as the Chicago Mission lost in the title game of the USA Hockey Nationals.
The first-year Red Stars are looking to succeed where other Chicago soccer franchises have failed and their victory over St. Louis puts then on the right path. You can see for yourself at their home debut on April 19.
The Chicago Force kick off their 2009 season this Saturday, April 11, in Iowa vs. the Crush, before returing to North Park University for their home opener April 18 against the Wisconsin Warriors. You can hear head coach John Konecki discuss the upcoming season this Friday on AM 1240 (11 a.m.) and on WJJG-AM 1530 at 4:15 p.m.
With the dawn of a new season comes new hopes, new dreams, and new goals. For the Chicago Cubs one of the goals include winning their first World Series in 100 years. In what will likely pan out to be one of the rockiest Cubs seasons in recent memory, the Chicago Cubs will be World Series Champions in 2009.
April 6: In the Cubs opener against the Astros, Carlos Zambrano throws six shutout innings before giving up a three run homer, costing the Cubs the game as they lose their 3rd straight opening day 4-3.
April 13: After going 3-3 to start the season, Ted Lilly pitches a solid 1-run game sending the Cubs to 4-3 after defeating the Rockies to open the season in Wrigley Field.
April 23: Milton Bradley sees first stint on the disabled list as he strains his quadricep diving for an outfield ball with two outs, landing himself on the 15-day disabled list. The Cubs would win the game against Cincinnati upgrading to a 10-5 record.
April 30: After batting .203 over the first month, Kosuke Fukudome losing the center field job to Micah Hoffpauir, who goes 3 for 4 with a HR against the Marlins in his MLB debut.
May 8: Bradley returns to the Cubs lineup, goes 2 for 4 with a game-winning hit to defeat the Brewers 9-8, putting the Cubs up 3 games in the division.
The Southsiders took on a familiar face in the form of Jon Garland on Saturday at Chase Field in Arizona. They would finished the Cactus League on a positive note beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0. White Sox starters Jose Contreras and Bartolo Colon pitched a combined shutout. Contreras pitched the first four innings only giving up one hit. While Colon pitched the final five innings and earned a save for his efforts.
Carlos Quentin came back to the desert and bit the hand that once fed him. He hit a one out double in the third and would eventually score on an Alexi Ramirez single. The White Sox finished with a spring record of 16-20. While spring records are irrelevant the regular season begins Monday.
It might have been the least thrilling position battle in Chicago baseball: the fight for the starting centerfielder's job for the White Sox. While the job was expected to belong to minor league hopeful Jerry Owens, contenders Brian Anderson and Dewayne Wise hung around long enough to make it a three-horse race until the very end.
Much to the shock of Cub-dome, Kevin Gregg has been named the Cubs closer, not Carlos Marmol, says ESPN.com. Marmol, the heavy favorite going into Spring Training may have lost the job due to his dismantling in the World Baseball Classic as he gave up a game winning home run in the Dominican Republic's elimination game.
Gregg, the former Marlins set-up man went 7-8 last season with a 3.41 ERA before being traded to the Cubs. Gregg had an astounding Spring Training by not allowing a single run all month.
Marmol, meanwhile, will share the set-up job with Jeff Samardzija, a place Marmol is very familiar with, as it was his job last season.
The White Sox took on the Cubs in their final meeting of the Cactus League and it was over before it even got started. White Sox starter Clayton Richard only lasted one-third of an inning giving up seven-runs as 11 Cub batters came to the plate in the first inning. The White Sox lose 9-4.
The White Sox did make it respectable,however, as Josh Fields hit a two-run double in the fourth. Carlos Quentin had a pair of singles and Brian Anderson hit a solo home run (4) in the seventh. They drop to 12-16-1 this spring. The Cubs took the spring series 3-2.
In perhaps the largest Spring Training victory in Cubs history, the North Siders demolished the helpless Oakland A's 20-5 on Monday to win their fifth straight game against western teams.
Some of the games notable hero's were Micah Hoffpauir, Derrek Lee who slugged his first spring training homer, and Ryan Dempster who saw his first action since he squirmed out of a one run lead in the late innings earlier in the week against Seattle.
Check in next time for the Spring Training Wrap-Up!
The White Sox and Cubs hooked up in Cactus League action today. This is the fourth of five meetings between these two this spring. The Cubs took the first game with a decisive 13-0 victory, the White Sox would take the next two games 7-6 and 4-3 respectively. Victory number four would belong to the Cubs 13-2.
The White Sox ace Mark Buehrle was on the hill for the Southsiders today while the Cubs had newly named fifth starter Sean Marshall going for them. Buehrle didn't have his best stuff today. He surrendered eight earned runs on seven hits, which included a pair of home runs. He would only last 3 2/3 innings before hitting the showers.
There may not be a casino in Chicago (yet), but there is definitely some gambling going on. The city is now on the hook for $500 million to host the Olympics, part of the state's $750 million guarantee.
The Cubs want a new spring training facility in Mesa, or else they're walking. And Cubs fans want to end 100 years of misery or...they'll be back next year.
They may have been so-so as a team last season, but as humanitarians, the Bears might belong in the Super Bowl.
Two coaches from the Chicago Force are probably glad the temperatures are going to be a bit warmer this weekend. They're getting their heads shaved for charity tomorrow. Meanwhile, the women'd pro full contact football team released their 2009 schedule.
The Windy City Rollers' home teams throw elbows in their next match this Saturday night at the UIC Pavillion.
Meanwhile, if you're up for a road trip, Chicago's other roller derby queens, The Outfit, have a bout-on-wheels near Grand Rapid, MIchigan.
The White Sox were home run happy today against the San Diego Padres. Paul Konerko hit his third of the spring and went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. While Brian Anderson and Dewayne Wise hit their first home runs in the Cactus League this spring.The White Sox sent 11 batters to the plate in a six run fourth inning. They went onto destroy the Padres 15 - 4.
Gavin Floyd went four innings and gave up two hits,struck out four and surrendered two runs. With the win the White Sox climbed back to .500 this spring with a record of 8-8. They also made a few roster moves this week.
The South Siders will take on the Texas Rangers this Saturday at 3:05 p.m. CT at Camelback Ranch.
Carlos Zambrano will throw the first pitch at Wrigley Field for the 2009 season, according to the AP. In his previous four opening day starts, Zambrano has gone 0-1 with three no decisions. The Cubs, however are 2-2 on Opening Day when Big Z is on the mound.
In Spring Training news, the Cubbies are 2-4 in their past six games, including a 3-2 loss to defending World Baseball Classic Champions Japan on Thursday. Chicago sends out a split ball club to play the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners in today's double header.
I've heard of June woes, and October heartbreak, but I've never heard of spring training angst. The Cubs dropped their fifth straight game after losing to Milwaukee 2-0 on Saturday. Carlos Zambrano saw his second start in Spring Training, but allowed both Brewers' scores. Despite Zambrano striking out five of the Brew Crew's hitters, the Cubs lineup couldn't get anything going.
The loss comes after a 5-4 shootout against Los Angeles, and two straight losses to the White Sox, bringing the Cross-Town rivalry to a 2-1 Sox advantage.
The big blue train plays Texas and Kansas City at home before embarking on a road trip that includes a visit to Seattle's camp, the Dodgers, and even an exhibition game against a World Baseball Classic team.
Now that Terrell Owens has been released by the Cowboys, would he be a good fit for the Bears? And how long before he brings Kyle Orton to tears?
Speaking of Bears quarterbacks, a Sporting News blog says that Rex Grossman's eminent departure is bad news for Chicago. And while he is visiting Cincinnati, Dallas seems more than eager to welcome him there.
Sure Blackhawks defenseman James Wisniewski was as fan favorite, but Daily Herald sports blogger Tim Sassone says give his replacement, Sami Pahlsson, a chance.
Thornton High School rules the top spot in the Tribune's final boys high school basketball rankings. The highest Chicago school, De La Salle, finished third.
NBA.com writer David Aldridge gives props to Norm Van Lier and Red Kerr.
To paraphrase Douglas MacArthur, displace cheerleaders never die, they just hook up with other sports teams.
Registation may be closed, but there's still plenty of action to be had on and off the course as the annual Chiditarod runs this Saturday. Shopping carts have never seen this much action.
You would think a team that easily won their division last year would be charging full steam ahead with their fans right behind them. Then again baseball is that unique team sport that relies heavily on individual performance. The Cubs have a great looking team but will that turn into a great season?
Cubs fans have a lot of specific questions as Spring training gets underway. Namely will Derrek Lee return to form? Can Milton Bradley stay healthy and positive? With Harden's health always a question how deep is our rotation really? Peavy rubbed our faces in it this weekend. Is there still a possibility he'll wear Cubby blue? And so it goes. We'll just have to wait and see. For now I'm happy to know that it feels like Spring somewhere and the boys of summer are getting warmed up.
The Cubs defeated cross-town rivals White Sox 13-0 on Saturday afternoon, pushing their Spring Training record to 4-0 -- their best start in a decade. After spending several seasons in Double A and bouncing around the majors, Brad Snyder got the call to play outfield today -- and provided a huge boost to the Cubs' offense when he slugged a grand slam in the game.
For those of you keeping track at home, the Cubs are now 1-0 in the 2009 series against our cross-town foes, and hopefully the win percentage stays that way.
In other news:
Carlos Marmol has retracted his decision, and will now play in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic. I wish him the best of luck.
The first game of Spring Training was played today for the Chicago Cubs, as they began their 2009 journey.
Former Cubbie set-up man Jeff Samardzija got the nod. Samardzija went 1-0 last season with a 2.28 ERA, yet the Notre Dame grad doesn't have a "locked" spot on the 40-man active roster.
It's going to be a battle for who gets the set-up job this season, as Louis Vizcaino , Chad Gaudin , and Kevin Gregg are all bidding for the set-up job.
In other news...
Good news Cubs fans! Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Marmol have opted to drop out from the World Baseball Classic to instead work Spring Training for the Cubs.
By now, even kids realize there really is no such thing as "loyalty" (in the classic sense) in baseball. Gone are the days when a guy played his whole career with one team (OK, most of the time he was bound by leg-shackling contracts that ended with the whole Curt Flood saga, but you get my drift). These days, there are so many players criss-crossing the country that the contrails from the jets are beginning to look like dollar signs.
You can't blame them, of course. If some dot.com mogul wants to shell out millions for a guy who somehow managed to have that one good season last year, hey, who can blame him for not pouncing on that like a hungry lion on a wounded gazelle.
Still, there's something weird about seeing this. Joe Crede on another team? And the Minnesota Twins at that, the closest thing the White Sox have to an arch rival? ANYBODY but them, Joe.
The latest to fill the economic pinch? The sports memorabilia business. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio autographed napkins?...
Never say Dye: The White Sox right fielder hopes to stay put.
When you have a half-ton bull step on your head and you don't quit, you've earned the right to be called tough. The Toughest Cowboy competition comes to Chicago.
Lisle may have lost the Bandits, but they've gained the Red Eleven (who used to be the Gales and are not to be confused with the Red Stars, even though the two are connected. Got all that?).
The local mixed martial arts center expands its range. Now there's something for everyone...who likes to punch other people in the face.
A new book examines the "holy" (or unholy, depending on where you stand) trinity of men, sports and beer.
He might have flew a bit under the radar on the local sports scene, but they'll no doubt be a tip of the cap in the press boxes to the one-of-a-kind Larry Gross, who is mourned here in Chicago and in his native New Jersey.
As Cubs spring training opened up on Tuesday, manager Lou Piniella told Cubs.com that he's "unsure who'll be leading off come opening day." Alfonso Soriano says he's willing to give up his lead-off position in exchange for a nice middle-of-the-order position. Last season Piniella experimented with the lineup quite a bit throughout the season, but all in all, the North Siders went 69-36 with Soriano as the lead-off man.
So if Soriano doesn't bat lead-off, who will? Rumors are floating around that it could be anyone from Ryan Theriot, Kosuke Fukudome, or even newcomer Milton Bradley.
As spring training moves on, keep it right here for the latest news out of Cubs camp!
No matter how this thing with John Paxson and the Bulls shakes out, he may not be to blame for their current state. Might it be this guy?
For years now, Cubs fans have been making an Iraq-like surge and turning Milwaukee's Miller Park into "Wrigley Field North". Now the Brew Crew and Amtrak are looking to return the favor.
One blogger sees something sinister in the fact that the Cubs' pitchers and catchers report for spring training today and the calendar reads "Friday the 13th".
Is Carlos Quentin really Floyd Robinson, V 2.0? The two San Diego natives and White Sox outfield stars, separated by 40 years, recently met and compared notes.
MLB.com profiles the "father of black baseball", Negro League founder and Chicago American Giants owner Rube Foster.
It might be grabbing at straws, but a Tribune reporter says Favre's (possible) retirement will hurt the Bears. Yeah... that's it... that's what's hurting the Bears.
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. sees the Bears going after Florida WR Percy Harvin... if they know what's good for them.
No Decepticons were in sight, but a Transformer IS making an appearance at the Chicago auto show.
Whitney Young, the top high school basketball team in the state, continues its quest for the city title with a quarterfinal game Sunday against CVS at the Pavilion.
If championships are won in October, then someone forgot to tell the Cubs. Despite being one of the National League's top tier regular season teams in 2007 and 2008, they were swept each year in the first round of the playoffs. But in 2009, the Cubs will attempt something they've never done: win three straight NL Central Division Titles.
Recognizing the enormous task ahead, the Cubs went out and had one of the most active off-seasons in recent memory. After releasing relief pitcher Kerry Wood, center fielder Jim Edmonds, and trading away second baseman Mark DeRosa for three minor league pitchers, the off-season looked gloomy. But as January faded into February, things began to pick up.
Chicago vs. Tokyo in the battle for the Olympics: Might TV have the final word? If not, maybe a mural will sway the Olympic Committee.
If the Bears actually signed everyone who reportedly has expressed an interest in playing for them, think of the team! For now, throw T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Simeon Rice on the pile.
Are the Orioles fleecing the Cubs? One blogger seems to think so.
There's a movie being made about the Cubs (and no, it's not a disaster flick) and you can be in it.
While Dewayne Wise fights for a roster spot with the White Sox, the coaching staff will be watching closely.
Meanwhile, Sox PR chief Brooks Boyer explains the Obama Effect on the team's merchandising.
HBO premiers a new half-hour sports comedy on Feb. 15 called "Eastbound & Down." It stars Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express, The Foot Fist Way) as an arrogant, burned-out, former major-league pitcher named Kenny Powers, who is forced to return home to North Carolina to teach Phys Ed at the middle school he once attended. While there he plots his return to the big leagues, hits on his high-school sweetheart (who's engaged to the school principal) and does his best to impress his students. Shot in North Carolina, the series is produced by Will Ferrell (who guest stars in two episodes), Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Ben Best.
HBO is showing a preview screening event this Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Cubby Bear, 1059 W. Addison, from 7pm to 10pm. There'll be free drinks and food, DJ Timbuk2 and obviously an episode or two of the show. It's free, but you have to RSVP. Space is limited, so get there early. Sorry kids, it's 21 and over.
But wait! Tailgate has 10 pairs of VIP tickets to give away! You'll be guaranteed entry, and get some sweet shwag like middle finger foam hands and drink cozies. Just email contests @ gapersblock.com with the subject line "Eastbound" and include your full name for the guest list. We'll choose 10 entries at random to attend. UPDATE: We've got our 10 winners. Congrats, everybody!
First, there was Barack Obama in the White House. Now there's Pat Quinn in the State House. Politically speaking, White Sox Nation just keeps getting bigger.
Speaking of the Sox, as SoxFest kicks off this weekend, Ozzie Guillen says the team will try "small ball"... again. And will Joe Crede join former Sox teammate Juan Uribe in Frisco? His potential replacement, Josh Fields, is wasting no time just in case he does.
Detroit WR Mike Furrey...free agent QB Chris Simms (son of Phil)...Super Bowl starter Kurt Warner...all rumored to be on the Bears radar. Really?
Does Richard Dent REALLY need someone to go to the NFL Hall of Fame committee and plead his case?
This is THE weekend for the Windy City Rollers, as they make their UIC Pavilion debut.
But don't forget to show some love to the city's other roller derby queens, The Outfit, as they host a benefit party tonight.
You'd think getting punched in the face and crotch, sometimes at the same time, would be high on the pain scale for a UFC star. But for one Hammond, Ind., there's something more painful: being a Cubs fan.
You own the coins, the plates and even the lava lamp. Now let Barack Obama sit on your head. Well, not actually. But the White Sox are making it sort of easy with plans to unveil a new Obama commemorative cap, to salute their No. 1 and clearly most powerful fan. The team has created two designs and both have been approved by Major League Baseball. Now they only have to get The O Man himself to give it his thumbs up. No word on when the "golden" Blagojevich Cubs hat will be unveiled.
Much has been made of the role sports has played in Four-Days-From-Being-President Barack Obama's life, most notably the sport of basketball. From his days as a prep player in Hawaii, to his love of pick-up games around the country, to his penchant for picking cabinet members with a hoops background, Obama is becoming synonymous with basketball.
But in his New York Times column, writer George Vecsey makes a case for baseball as a defining factor in Obama's ascention to the White House. No, not Obama as baseball player or even avid fan, but Obama as benefitting from the social gains established by baseball before becoming a regular part of the larger society.
No surprise that Vecsey points to the Brooklyn Dodgers as the team that deserves the most credit in the sport for helping to pave the way for Obama. Yeah, it smacks of typical New York City bias, but he makes a good case for the Dodger influence on history, citing Roy Campanella, Don Newcomb and, of course, Jackie Robinson as part of the reason why the Obamas were able to make the journey from Chicago to Washington, D.C.
Basketball may be his game, but for Barack Obama, baseball's influence on his life may go far beyond his well-worn White Sox cap.
Remember when the Chicago Cardinals were the toast of the town? Neither do we. Here's some footage to show you what the big deal was.
Barack Obama is a continuation in a long like of athletically-active presidents, although we're pretty sure that list doesn't include Taft. Wait, we take that back.
Albert Belle, Dennis Rodman, A.J. Pierzinski... we're fast becoming the home for athletes that rub everyone else the wrong way. So why NOT Terrell Owens?
Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija is getting used to sudden fame...
...while fellow Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano nearly breaks a water cooler over the CTA fare increase (OK, not really).
Sox fans, the Twins are retooling for an AL Central title and just might used Joe Crede to do it.
Study of Sports analyzes the Sox-Bartolo Colon deal and raises the issue of the "S" word ("S" being steroids).
Despite a struggling economy, the Chicago Red Stars have sold 1,000 season tickets for their inaugural women's professional soccer season. Granted, season tickets are only $99, but still...
Winter cornhole league play kicks off at Joe's on Weeds Street, with proceeds benefitting the Chicago Cornhole Charity Initiatitve. Yeah, you read it right.
A Cubs fan still can't get over the loss of Mark DeRosa.
The 35th Street Review gives you 10 things to watch for in Chicago baseball, 2009. Meanwhile, the Sox Machine is looking for good relievers on the cheap.
Da Bears Blog lists the only three good things about this season's team.
Bear legend Dick Butkus (not to be confused with bupkes) announces the winners of his annual national college lineman award next Tuesday.
The local high school basketball playoff picture begins to take shape, the Derek Rose Shootout brings the best in city prep hoops under one roof and one local school hopes to derail the top team in the country.
Bulls legend Michael Jordan talks about his shoes. Well, not exactly his shoes, but THE shoe.
When they last met, the Packers beat the Bears 37-3. While the Green Bay tries to figure out how to do it again, the Bears are working on how to avoid a repeat this Monday night.
The Bleacher Report asks: What if Terrell Owens was a Bear? We answer: All hell would break loose.
The Sporting News' reaction to the Wrigley Field hockey spectacular: meh.
Meanwhile, the Hawks' Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are first and sixth, respectively, among forwards in NHL All-Star Western Conference balloting. Brian "Soup" Campbell is third in balloting for defensemen.
Bollingbrook and Whitney Young are at 10 and 15, respectively, in the rankings of the top 50 girls high school basketball teams. And on the boys side? De La Salle manages to squeak in at No. 44.
A Chicago consulting firm looks at how avatars might help in winning at online poker.
In local soccer new, the Fire's Soccer Development Academy plays in three matches while the Storm slate their own holiday appearances in the coming days.
Soup's on...and it's paying dividends for the Blackhawks
A French newspaper seems to think that the election of Barack Obama means softball will be back in the Olympics. Huh?
Are Thursday NFL games a "recipe for disaster"? Depending on when you read this, you may already have the answer.
President-elect Barack Obama wears his White Sox loyalty on his sleeve, as most people probably know by now. Not only has he thrown out the first pitch at a White Sox game (and may do it again), but he couldn't help but tweak Cubs fans with his assessment of their interest in their team and the game. This week, he took it another step when he (or someone who works for him) thought it would be funny/cute/clever to split the press corps seating assignments into a "Cubs" section and a "White Sox" section, although from this account it seems White Sox-friendly reporters got the short end of the stick. If nothing else, at least the rest of the world is learning how deep ths Cubs-vs-White Sox thing goes.
During Wednesday's 2nd of 4 nights in town, Smashing Pumpkins leader and well-known Cubs fan took time out from rocking out and rankling fans to weigh in on the return of Ditka and his role in bringing about a Bears Super Bowl win and Armageddon, his belief he can write a better song to replace Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go," and Eddie Vedder's role in the demise of the 2008 Cubs season. He also acknowledges the Sox team's recent superiority in the inevitable cross-town comparison, and Bobby Jenks' ever ballooning waist size before launching into "Disarm."
Note there's a handful of NSFW language, so use headphones in the office.
And the Cubs post-season post-mortem examination continues, with Lou Pinella blaming that old standby, the media, while Ryan Dempster says the team flatout wasn't ready. Hey guys, sorry, no do-overs.
Meanwhile, the White Sox, who seems to have come to grips with their playoff loss, work on keeping Bobby Jenks around. But did Nick Swisher phone it in for much of the season?
Four area college soccer teams have made it to the NCAA tournament.
It was bound to happen after that embarrassing loss to the Packers: The "Fire Lovie" talks are heating up. Here is one blogs' 10 reasons why he deserves the ax. Meanwhile, Fanhouse questions Lovie's assessment that the Bears receivers are "pretty good".
The Bulls' Derrick Rose sits atop most Sports Illustrated NBA writers' list of early top rookies. Naturally.
It's not the major draw it used to be, but prep football is still a big deal in Chicago. The Catholic League is gearing up for its title game, pitting Loyola Academy against De La Salle.
A disabled cyclist bikes 1,064 miles from Jacksonville, Fla. to Chicago. His final destination? Where else: Oprah.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation gets a new name.
The Chicago Outfit wants YOU... well, that is, if you're a female and don't mind getting knocked around a little. There's a recruitment Q&A tonight at 9:30
If you haven't had enough of cornhole, and really who has (OK, put your hands down), there's a Thanksgiving tournament coming up called the "Turkeyhole Classic" coming up here in Chicago. No, really.
Now that the campaigning is over, it's back to the gym for Obama.
Finally, the Trib's Mike Downey gives a glimpse of Obama's first 100 days.
DePaul offers a four-credit course on the Cubs. Wonder if it's Pass/Fail, Fail, Fail, Fail, Fail... (Sorry, couldn't help it.)
It looks like a long season for fans of UIC and Loyola men's hoops. One prediction has them finishing 6th and 7th, respectively, in the Horizon League.
The Chicago Slaughter indoor football team will host open tryouts this Sunday. The head coach? Steve "Mongo" McMichael.
OK, sorry, one more Obama item, this time a three-on-three game he took part in in Indiana. Gotta admit, for a chief executive, he's got some moves.:
The Minnesota Vikings' Bernard Berrianexpects boos when he returns to this old stomping grounds at Soldier Field this Sunday. C'mon Bears fans, don't let him down.
If his contract doesn't discourage the White Sox from resigning him, Ken Griffey Jr.'s recent knee surgery might.
Evanston remembers one of his favorite sons, former MLB pitcher Kevin Foster.
Speaking of favorite sons, new Wolves head coach Don Granato is happy to be back home as he prepared for the team's home opener Saturday night.
Remember the Cubs' "fan" who tried to auction off his loyalty on eBay? He may have found a buyer and a kindred spirit in the Boston Red Sox.
In the battle of sports radio on Chicago (well, it's actually just a two-horse race), WSCR-AM has taken the lead.
De La Salle's Mike Shaw is being touted by ESPN as the "next big thing" in Chicago high school basketball.
Even if you're not entered in this weekend Urbanathlon, you can still go down and enjoy the party.
The Windy City Rollers are holding tryouts. If you think you have what it takes (and can come up with a clever alias like "Val Capone" or "Lucy Furr"), come to a scrimmage preview on Monday. Incidentially, the WCR All-Stars made it to the national finals in Portland, Oregon.
It doesn't help that the economy is currently in or headed directly for the proverbial crapper, but the price of tickets to sporting events show no sign of coming down to meet the slightly thinner pockets of the buying public, according to an article on "Medill Reports".
Currently, the average ticket to a Cubs' game rose to $42.49 in 2008, according to the report, a 42 percent increase from 2004. And that two-parents-two-kids-at-the-game measuring stick they're always using in the yearly reports on how much a day at the ballgame will cost (officially known as the Fan Cost Index)? This season it was $251.96 for a Cubs game. And it doesn't appear likely to come down even with the "occurances" of this past season.
The Bears were the most expensive ticket in town at an average price of $88.33. The White Sox were a better baseball bargain with an average ticket price of $30.28 and an FCI of $214.61. The Blackhawks were the city's best professional sports value at $34.88, although that could change next year if the team makes the progress everyone expects.
In a weekend of extreme highs (the Bears, doing what they were supposed to do and crushing the Detroit Lions) and extreme lows (Say, did you hear what happened to the Cubs?), the accomplishments of the White Sox fall somewhere in the middle.
Yes, they managed to stay alive in their best-of-five ALDS series against the Tampa Bay Rays and need to pull another three-game winning streak out of their... hat to keep progressing in the playoffs. But they also remain one game away from forcing Juan Uribe to let his beard go back to his natural color.
Game Four kicks off today at 4:07 p.m. at The Cell with Tampa's Andy Sonnanstine (13-9, 4.38 ERA) going against the White Sox' Gavin Floyd (17-8, 3.84), who is pitching the latest "game of his life". His first was the 8-2 victory over Detroit in the make-up game that sent the Sox into the tiebreaker against the Minnesota Twins. Not bad for a guy who was considered a question mark coming into the season.
Win today and the Sox head back to Tampa Bay for the series finale on Wednesday. Lose, and well, Cubs fans won't be the only ones moaning into their beers.
Cubs and Sox fans, we are all hurting. These series aren't over, but by now every baseball fan in Chicago knows the only team to come back from losing two on the road in a best-of-five is (say it with me now) the 2001 Yankees. The Cubs have the best regular season record in the National League, the Sox put together a 3-game miracle run. How can these teams be on the verge of elimination almost before the fun's started? Well I just might have the answer. The five game series format is to blame. There isn't a major league manager or player that will defend it. If things don't turn around for our teams, there might be a whole lot of Chicagoans that join in that chorus.
Sure, they're involved in a heated playoff series. Doesn't mean that Derrek Lee and Mark DeRosa shouldn't think about their longterm future.
The Wrigley Field faithful aren't the only ones singing "Go, Cubs, Go". A "fan" in California wants them to win too, although for admittedly selfish reasons.
If the Twins had their way, it would have been double-or-nothing against the White Sox. (OK, not really, but...)
According to one writer, the Fire fans are some of the nicest around town.
Got an extra $90,000 or so lying around? You can sponsor your own triathlon.
Two more elite runners (PDF) announced for the Chicago Marathon field.
This time, no talk of curses, OK? No dusky felines or horned farm animals or bespectacled young men sitting several rows back or haunted magazine covers. No hoodoo or voodoo or hexes or incantations or spells involving animal bodyparts and plants mashed into a poultice.
Oh, the media will try to goad you into talking about those things as if they were actual factors. They'll stick cameras in your face and a tape recorder under your nose and will get you to try to say that every Cubs' pitcher's ball four and every Derek Lee strikeout is part of some cosmic plan to keep the Cubs from winning the World Series. They'll do these things because people expect them and it saves them from doing any real work ("OK, people, story ideas for the Cubs series." "The curse?" "Great, good job, let's break for lunch."). They'll write books about and get famous celebrity Cub fans to talk about it. There'll be bad songs written about it by hack songwriters trying to capitalize on it. People will burn things or bury things or wear things or bless things. Nuns will be employed at some point, I believe.
We got an interesting pitch today from the makers of Effen Vodka:
For your tailgating column, thought the following drink recipes issued by Chicago's EFFEN Vodka might be of interest.
Northsiders: Drown the curses of the Billy Goat and Bartman with a crisp, refreshing EFFEN Rooftop Rocker, an EFFEN favorite that gets fans rockin' at Clark & Addison.
Southsiders: Is it déjà vu all over again like in 2005? Raise your gobblets [sic] to toast the success of the good guys who call the The Cell home with EFFEN's Southside Breakfast.
EFFEN Rooftop Rocker
1 1/2 part EFFEN Black Cherry Vodka
1/2 part pineapple juice
1/2 part cranberry juice
Splash of Lemon/Lime Soda
Garnish with a lemon and orange.
EFFEN's Southside Breakfast
1 part EFFEN Vodka
2 part Tomato Juice
Splash of Lime
Splash of Worcestershire
Splash of Tabasco sauce
Shake ingredients with ice
The personas those drinks conjure up are interesting. So, Cubs fans like girlie drinks, and Sox fans drink to start their day? Is that the message you want to send fans of either team?
If you're sick of looking at the Minnesota Twins, no one can really blame you, especially the White Sox. The three-game debacle in the Metrodome last week is still a fresh memory, so seeing them one more time is like running into that guy you knew in high school who you didn't like anyway... again.
But this time you have to acknowledge him because this time he's standing between you and a date with the Prom Queen (or King). At 6:30 this evening, the American League Central will FINALLY decide on a champion when the Sox and Twins face off to see which one gets to go to the dance, er, the first round of the playoffs.
Yeah, sure, it shouldn't have even come down to this, the 163rd game of the season, and probaby wouldn't have had the Sox won one of those three games in Minnesota. So thank that skinny kid from Cuba for coming through with arguably the biggest hit of the season and keeping the team alive.
The White Sox will go with John Danks, who's 1-1 against Minnesota this season (in four starts) with a whopping 7.91 ERA. Not the most confidence-inducing stat line you've probably ever read. The Twins counter with Nick Blackburn (2-2 against the Sox with a 5.67 ERA) who beat the Sox 3-2 on September 24 for his 11th win of the season. BUT, Blackburn is 3-6 outdoors and has a 6.75 ERA in the month of September. Hey, you crunch your numbers when you can...
The Sox are asking all fans attending the game to wear all black in a show of solidarity, creating possibly the first all-goth fanbase for a major league baseball team. Hopefully, it won't turn into a funeral for the 2008 season.
They couldn't do this the easy way, could they? Pretty much handed the AL Central title by the Minnesota Twins who uncharacteristically lost two games at home to the lowly Kansas City Royals, the White Sox only had to win ONE game to move ahead in the division race. It was a chance they promptly muffed by losing two games in their own final three-game series to the Cleveland Indians.
So now they stand at the intersection of Postseason and Long Winter needing two wins to extend their season, today's make-up game against the Detroit Tigers and a possible tie-breaking game against the Twins at U.S. Cellular on Tuesday.
Whether we see the slick-fielding, timely-hitting White Sox we saw yesterday in a 5-1 win over the Indians (four double plays, a Paul Konerko homer and two RBI by Jermaine Dye) or the tensed-up White Sox we saw in their sweep in Minneapolis last week is anyone guess. But they have two games to determine who they really are.
So now, Sox fans, we must dwell in the Land of Hope and Luck. Hope Minnesota stumbles against the Kansas City Royals at the Metrodome in the final three games of the regular season (not bloody likely). Pray the Sox get lucky and sweep the Cleveland Indians in their three-game finale at U.S. Cellular ("luck" being a more viable commodity for the Sox than skill, as the past three games in Minneapolis proved).
In hindsight, the prospect of winning at least one game against the Twins seemed like reasonable expectation. After all, the Sox had a 1-5 record in the Dome coming into the series, meaning they at least had the capacity to win there, if not the tenacity.
These might be tickets to a game that will never happen, but for most Cubs fans, they're still dream tickets. If you're not a season ticket holder, your only chance to hold one of these puppies may by sucking up to your alderman.
Well unless you live in a sensory deprivation chamber you know the Cubs have clinched their division and are busy setting up the team they will take into the playoffs. Players like Micah Hoffpauir and Kevin Hart are still fighting for spots but successfully battling two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana was enough for Sean Marshall to earn a spot in the October bullpen.
The current series against the Mets is very likely a preview of NL first-round action so both teams are taking a good look at each other. One person who didn't care to look is Ron Santo. The Cubs legend and WGN radio broadcaster didn't make the trip, either because he still harbors resentment for the Mets, or he didn't want to burn his new toupee. I'm sure Ronnie will be wherever the Cubs are when it comes to the NLDS and any other playoff series. Even if its the Southside.
With two more games against the Mets and the last three at Milwaukee, the Boys in Blue still have a lot to say about what happens in the NL. Carlos Zambrano goes tonight. Hopefully, for all of us looking toward the post-season, we'll get the no-hitter Z, and not the inning-and-two-thirds Z that showed up last start.
Did I mention I hate the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome? Hate it, hate it, hate it. Hate its bloated name, its Michelin-Man-Taking-A-Nap appearance. Hate its garbage bag outfield wall, its plastic grass and plastic fans. Hate its non-descript, sterile, but oppressive interior. Hated their players, all of whom seemd to be 5-10, 180-pound slap-hitters. I hated that ballpark. Hate it, hate it, hate it.
When you looked at the White Sox schedule in April, didn't you know it would come down to this?
It's probably no stretch of the imagination to say that 90 percent of Sox fans were anticipating these three days in September as a showdown of sorts, a confrontation that would have season implications for the White Sox or the Twins. Or both.
It didn't matter than the Sox were supposed to be road kill this season, or that the Tigers were supposed to have clinched the AL Central a month or so ago. You knew.
This is the stuff that feeds conspiracy theories, that conjures up thoughts of rigged games and phantom calls. I mean, c'mon: slating a White Sox-Twins series so late in the season and - gasp - you mean it actually matters? Scheduling a showdown between two of the most heated rivals in the division with little more than a week to go? Who would have (ahem) thought that?
Of course it's not rigged (it isn't, right?) but you have to admit it's a perfect scenario. In the last few weeks they've both been playing hot potato with first place, with the Sox managing to hold on the longest. Even now, as Game 1 gets set to kick off, the White Sox' 2 ½ game lead is just enough to make every game a matter of (baseball) life and death.
So with that stage set, as Ozzie Guillen commands starter Javier Vasquez to "kick some butt", as we wonder why Ken Griffey Jr. is starting in centerfield instead of Dewayne Wise, as we ponder what this series would be like with Carlos Quentin in the lineup, just remember, as random as the baseball gods are, you knew it would come down to this.
As previously mentioned in Merge, bars in Wrigleyville and US Cellularburg (US Cellstonia?) are being asked to voluntarily stop serving alcohol after the 7th inning of home playoff games wherein the Cubs or Sox could clinch a series. This is some hilarious quasi-fast pitch (pun intended) being called by Hizzoner and what should bars really do? Games get out at what? 11pm, CST? So, yeah, stop serving three hours early for the sake of what, families? children? Excuse me, but last time I checked, former frat boys, duuuuuuudes, and vapid women lived in Wrigleyville. Meanwhile, on the Southside, I'm pretty sure they have vastly more important things to worry about than curbing the amount of consumption and need to be vastly more aware of the clientele and actually exacting some sort of responsibility on the employees and customers of said speakeasy.
Back to the lecture at hand, what Daley is proposing is ludicrous and would amount to a much less safe and far less controlled environment wherein people would be, indeed, "gettin' their drank on!" The only comparable notion I can I think of is the current straits that many universities find themselves flummoxed by when confronted with the problem with under-agers drinking far too much in uncontrolled circumstances at off-campus house parties.
However, instead of realizing that people like to get drunk, down, fete, dirty, krunked, what-have-you, Daley, is of the belief that people are having too much in bars -- which, in many cases, I am sure they are. Yet, attempting to curb drinking through a 7th inning cut-off would merely exacerbate the drunken throngs by tempting them to raid their own pre-purchased stockades of liquor and beer that they (the drunken crowds) already are fantasizing about while drinking until the end of the games, bar time, whatever. Within the realms of a bar at least there exists the implied notion of control, versus the unchecked beer-swilling of a person in their own (or a friend's) home.
Now here's a truly useful thing to have handy while you shop for Cubs playoff tickets: a list of seats with obstructed views. It even notes whether you can easily see one of the TV monitors from the seat.
Yes, he led the White Sox to a World Series and may return them to the playoffs this season. But when it comes to national recognition, it seems manager Ozzie Guillen is better known for other, ahem, talents, as this skit from Mad TV this past Saturday demonstrates.
The good news: Carlos Quinten's cast has been removed. The bad news: They're not rushing him back.
Ok, so Kosuke Fukudome didn't exactly set the Chicago baseball world on fire. There could be another Japanese baseball star trying to make his mark at Wrigley Field next season.
They haven't had their first match yet, but the Chicago Red Stars already look like the team to beat, thanks to three new additions to their roster.
A survey says nearly every kid plays video games. Will the Jumbotrons of today be the playing fields of tomorrow?
Apparently he wasn't punched enough the first time. A local boxing promoter is returning to action IN the ring.
In case you missed it, the Chicago Open crowned a squash champion recently.
The Chicago Storm joined the four-team Xtreme Soccer League. You know it's wild because they spell it "Xtreme".
It was an ironic move that wasn't lost on White Sox fans.
When ESPN made the necessary switch from the White Sox/Detroit Tigers waterlogged game Sunday (Game 2 of a doubleheader) to the dramatic conclusion of the Cubs/Houston Astros neutral-site game in Milwaukee, it was a microcosm of the 2008 baseball season in Chicago.
There were the White Sox, sloshing and slogging their way through a hastily arranged doubleheader on a dreary, grey, overcast slit-your-wrists kind of evening. Still, despite that depressing scenario and in front of a crowd only slightly larger than most high school graduating classes, the Sox had managed to stake a 7-0 lead, giving a national audience at least a glimpse of the kind of run-scoring ability they possess (Good thing they weren't around for their catnap against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the week). And when the lead was cut slightly to 7-2, there was some concern but nothing to cause one to throw their giant White Sox foam finger at the television in anger.
The Cubs should play all their games in Milwaukee. Congratulations to Carlos Zambrano for pitching the Cubs first no hitter since Milt Pappas just missed a perfect game in 1972. Milt told ESPN after the game he had mixed feelings but was ultimately happy for Carlos. The game was already destined for the books since it was being played on "neutral" ground due to Hurricane Ike making baseball in Houston impossible. Still, Big Z stole the show by coming back from injury with his most dominating performance of the year. The win put the Cubbies 7.5 games over the Brewers with only 14 to play; cautious optimism is starting to turn into giddiness.
This weekend ESPN will begin airing an Outside the Lines detailing the Cubs history and woes. The website we linked to on the GB homepage has a good preview. I imagine they began planning the show when the Cubbies were winning series like nobody's business. The last thing I want to hear about while the team is tanking is the last 100 years of misery. Still they did eek out two close games to take the series in St Louis. Yesterday's win came despite Wood's insistence on putting a couple guys on in the ninth just to make things exciting and shoot Ron Santo's blood pressure through the roof. With the next two days of Cubs baseball being canceled on account of hurricane, you can get your fix with some of the other features OTL put together. I like the 102 facts about Chicago baseball and the board they set up to let fans air their grievances. I love it when Chicago baseball fans get together so Cubs fans can talk about the game and history and Sox fans can talk about Cubs fans.
No, we didn't expect the Bears to beat the Colts last Sunday night either. But if they're going to build on that, there are three things they must do to beat the Carolina Panthers this Sunday.
Even if they don't win the game, the Bears are still scoring touchdowns at the bank.
Arguing over who gets the last drumstick is one thing. But a Cubs-White Sox World Series could drive one family nuts.
REALLY old school White Sox fans will mourn the death of former manager Don Gutteridge.
Current White Sox star Carlos Quentin hopes to be healthy by the playoffs. Question is: will he be playing or watching?
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Towes, the Blackhawks' Teen Titans (OK, they're not really teens but it's not far off) get some more (inter)national publicity.
From Kansas City to Chicago on a bike: Are gas prices THAT high?
The marathon gold-medalist from this year's Olympics, Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania has joined the field (pdf) of runners for the 2008 Chicago marathon. Hopefully, we'll have better weather this year.
The Sky take on the New York Liberty in their next-to-last game of their WNBA regular season.
Chicago teams finished third, fourth and fifth in the 2008 North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association Gay Softball World Series.
You're in Lisle. You're riding your bike. You have a hankering to see a play. What are you going to do?
Amidst the heart-pounding stories of untimely injuries (like that of Carlos Quintin), panic-inducing losing streaks (five and counting for the Cubs?) and too-close-for-comfort pennant races, there is a bigger question that looms for Chicago baseball fans: whom to vote for.
No, we're not talking about next year's All-Star game. That's a little too "wait'll next year" even for baseball fans. We're talking about THE election, the big one, the biggest "sporting event" in the country. The race for president.
Surprised that hardcore baseball fans in Chicago, who are engaged in nail-biting division races on both sides of town, would have time to contemplate things like budget deficits and tax gains? Well, if a presidential candidate can find time to discuss baseball, then it's only fair that a die-hard White Sox fan places the race for the White House in baseball terms.
The Chicago Sky go for their fourth win in a row, a franchise record, when they host the Seattle Storm tonight at the UIC Pavilion.
A Los Angeles resident tells about the great time he had seeing the Cubs at Wrigley Field recently. Of course, this was before their recent, ahem, troubles.
Despite their contract differences, a Sporting News writer thinks Ben Gordon and the Bulls are "destined" for each other.
The Bears' Kyle Orton says he's not the same QB he's been in the past. Thank God.
Thanks to all of the ups and downs, as well as the unpredictable twists of the current Chicago baseball season, well, it's enough to drive one to drink. A popular vodka company apparently knows that and will unveil new billboards to at least give fans an idea of WHAT to drink.
Effen Vodka is set to unveil new billboards on the south and north sides of the city to capitalize on the continuing (fingers crossed) good fortune of both the Cubs and White Sox. The Cubs-themed billboard will make reference to the supposed team curse, while the one located near U.S. Cellular field will simply bolster the South Side pride.
But when it comes to aligning themselves with a local sports team, the Bears would seem to be a natural fit for the Holland-based vodka company. After all, I can't count how many times I've heard someone yell, "Effen Rex Grossman" in the last couple of years.
Stories That Will Not Die 1: Mariotti says he's not going to Boston, which leaves only five bazillion other cities for him to tell us where he's not going. Also, the Sun-Times takes a parting shot at their one-time star columnist.
Stories That Will Not Die 2: The Wall Street Journal says Barack Obama isn't the only one down on the Wrigley Field Experience. And Sports Illustrated jumps on the pile, too. But another website turns the other cheek and tries to link White Sox-lovin' Obama with the Cubs.
Stories That Will Not Die 3: Another week, another standing: Now, Chicago is supposedly the front runner for the 2016 Olympics.
The City of Chicago has a plan to make use the most bike-friendly place in the world.
Professional squash fever: Catch it! An international pro squash tournament is headed here.
A lesson in how not to write a press release, this one involving the Bears. My favorite sentence: "The Chicago Bears tickets have many sources of power that let the team to be so."
Among upcoming events at Soldier Field: the Chicago High School Kick Off Classic this weekend.
It may not make it to the side of a milk carton, but the Chicago Fire fan club Section 8 is missing their banner.
Some people might have an opinion about who they are, but a new book of photos entitled "We Are Cubs Fans" seeks to define the loyalists visually. The obligatory Ronnie Woo Woo photo is included.
Speaking of the Cubs, Sports Illustrated joins the rest of the country in being amazed that they AND the White Sox are both in first place and may make the playoffs in the same season for the first time since 1906.
And speaking of the Sox, Fox Sports calls the acquisition of Carlos Quinten the steal of the century. OK, they call it the steal of the season. It just LOOKS like the steal of the century.
Tickets for the National Pro Fastpitch softball championships go on sale this Saturday at Judson Sports Complex in Elgin, home of the Chicago Bandits. The Bandits are one of the four teams who will be participating.
Now that the Blackhawks are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, new fans might want to read about one of the team's legends featured in a story from the Sports Illustrated vaults.
Probably no other series brings out the baseball tradition of Wrigley Field like a Cubs-St. Louis weekend clash (one of which was just concluded Sunday with a 6-2 Cubs victory). The sea of Cubby blue competing with the tsunami of Cardinal red. Cheers of support for both teams that wash over in equal waves. And Budweiser everywhere (it may be St. Louis' beer, but Harry Carey made it Wrigley's own). It's enough to make one forget the deteriorating condition of much of the ballpark.
Well, almost everyone. A student writer for the UCLA Bruin gives his thoughts on Wrigley Field and Cubs baseball. But don't let the first sentence fool you. He liked the place, he really likes it.
It's another weekend of crucial baseball in Chicago (but then aren't they all these days?), and it's one that might cause at least a little worry for the teams' respective fans.
The Cubs' cushy six-game lead over St. Louis (and their five-game lead over Milwaukee) could take a hit if they do the seemingly impossible and tank their three-game series against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. (Update: The Cubs defeated the Cardinals 3-2 in 11 innings Friday) We say "seemingly impossible" because the Cubs are a ridiculous 43-16 at home and the Cardinals are a very human 31-25 on the road. No need to do the math because it's right there. It's the Cardinals' first visit to Wrigley this season. The Brewers, meanwhile, will be taking on the Washington Nationals, who are currently stinking up the joint in the National League East
The White Sox, meanwhile, are teasing their fans more than Gypsy Rose Lee with their tenuous hold on first place (now they're in, now they're out) and a four-game series with Boston isn't helping matters any. Their half-game AL Central lead over Minnesota could crumble like a churro if the Red Sox repeat last season's dominance over the White Sox, when they outscored the South Siders 46-7 in a four-game series. Yeah, there's no Manny Ramirez to face this year, so that might figure in the White Sox favor. It's one of the few breaks they'll receive this weekend, thanks to Minnesota having to contend with lowly Kansas City.
If you've been reading Tailgate's own Zach Thomas, you know that bike racing is booming in the Chicago area. The Chicago Tribune plays catch-up.
A South Side group is getting kids as young as eight into the challenging sport of triathlons...
...while elsewhere on the South Side, another group is bringing the sport of rowing to a new, younger crowd.
The Urbanathalon is coming! Yes, it sounds like some B-movie monster, but actually it's a moderately strenuous 10-mile race, obstacle course thingy. Not too late to enter
Bring the pain: The UFC is coming to the Allstate Arena October 25. Top bout on the card is Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs. Patrick "The Predator" Cote. Anyone in UFC nicknamed "The Fluffy Bunny"?
Start saving your betting bucks now. The Arlington Million is this Saturday.
Twenty-five years ago, they installed lights in Wrigley Field. Purists howled. The world survived.
Well the Cubs (and Cubs fans) have had a crazy time the last week or so. Frustration, elation, angry princes and rogue lightning are just a few of the things we've witnessed recently. First of all, congrats to the team for sweeping their division rivals the Brewers. If you watch any sports TV at all you don't need me to tell you that the series was trumped up as October in July. We'll see. In any case, it was immensely satisfying after being so frustrated by the bullpen and lack of timely hitting since the All-Star break. I swear I'm trying not to smile when I see Prince Fielder annihilate his bat after a pop up and get tossed for yelling horse[poop] over and over, Gagne not being able to bean Edmonds in four tries and then hearing that the Brew Crew is brawling in their dugout. The bottom line is they are a good team, the Cubbies had a good series, but there is a lot of baseball still to go.
That point became painfully obvious as the team dropped the first game of each series to the Pirates and Astros. At some point the Cubs are going to have to figure out how to hit young call-ups. They did come on to win the last two games, clinching the rubber match thanks to what Reed Johnson described as his favorite moment on a baseball field. The Astros series remains to be decided, but already it's given us one of the best highlight videos of the season. Watch as Derrek Lee, um...exclaims and the guys laugh in the dugout as Lance Berkman tosses his metal chain and scurries off the field.
A few tidbits: if you haven't done so yet, check out the new West Side Rooters. You can't go wrong with Ronny Woo Woo as your Sergeant at Arms...OOF WAH!... Woody could be back tonight; maybe Mark O'Neal found the neosporin. Lastly, on a sad note, Skip Caray, son of Harry, father of Chip, passed away over the weekend. He was 69, and although he limited himself to home games, was still broadcasting this season.
The big news today is that Ken Griffey, Jr. is coming to the White Sox. Griffey had to approve the trade, which he apparently has, and might be suited up in the black, silver and white by this weekend. And might have a chance at a World Series appearance for the first time since Seattle.
The question is, of course, where he'd fit in the lineup. Mark Gonzales predicts he'll play center -- which he hasn't done for the Reds in a couple years -- to leave Germaine Dye in right. Jim Thome would stay DH, and Nick Swisher and Paul Konerko would share first base, with Swisher occasionally pulling OF duty.
First it was two alleged Cubs fans pummeling an alleged White Sox fan over his chosen team affiliation to the point of his losing an eye. Now comes word of more alleged Cubs fans being involved in another physical altercation, this time reportedly pouncing on a Milwaukee Brewers fan following Tuesday night's game at Miller Park.
The Cubs currently hold a three game lead over the Brewers in the National League Central. If this is the price of success, perhaps we should keep an ambulence handy at 1060 W. Addison.
While we here at Tailgate have been know to get a bit passionate about sports, be it baseball, football, soccer, cycling, etc., things like this serve to remind us it's all just a game.
As Chicago's two baseball teams continue their improbable dual climb to the top of the baseball food chain, they both meet the two biggest challenges to their dreams in the next four days.
The Cubs and White Sox, atop the NL Central and AL Central respectively, confront the two biggest threats to their first-place status when the Cubs facing the surging Milwaukee Brewers in Bratsville while the Sox travel to Minnesota to face the pesky Twins in the Hump Dome. Both series are four games each with the Cubs and Brewers kicking it off tonight at 7:05 p.m., while the Sox and Twins kick off their series five minutes later.
The White Sox hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Twins while the Cubs have a narrow one game lead over the Brew Crew. A stumble by one or both teams in these very important series could push them into second place where there's a good chance they could stay there for the remainder of the series. Even if you loath the team on the other side of town, the chance to see them sink in the standings makes both games must-see TV.
Start exercising your remote control fingers. There stands to be a lot of channel surfing in the next few days.
The Cubs' Peoria farm team, the Chiefs, got in a brawl with the Dayton Dragons Thursday evening — in the first inning! Both managers and 15 players were ejected from the game, and a spectator was taken to the hospital after getting hit by a baseball thrown at the Dragons' dugout by pitcher Julio Castillo (as Chicagoist said, guess we know why Castillo's still in the minors.) It was Castillo who instigated the fight, in fact, by retaliating for a hit batter by hitting not one but two batters, and threatening a third. That brought Dragons manager Donnie Scott down to talk with the umps, Chiefs manager Carmelo Martinez down to defend — and the rest is history. Here's some video:
The ejections were reversed by the league commissioner to avoid forcing the teams to use their bullpens to fill in the outfield.
You'll be able to catch the Chiefs in action -- well, playing baseball, at least -- next Tuesday when they play the Kane County Cougars at Wrigley. Tickets are still available.
In case you’ve forgotten, the Chicago Force are going for the IWFL title this Saturday at North Park University’s Holmgren Athletic Complex. Cheer them on.
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quinn got a lot of Detroit Red Wings fans ticked off when he managed to skewer the team in his resolution celebrating the outdoor game against the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field...
...But here’s guessing he’ll have an easier time getting tickets to the game than you do.
A half-game lead (as of Thursday afternoon)? Are the Cubs done for? One writer seems to think so (though he admits he’s a Sox fan but insists that has nothing to do with it… right.)...
...But never fear Cubs fans, there are enough pro-Cubby blogs to ease the pain. In fact, there’s a whole army.
The need for (man-powered) speed: The Chicago Criterium is this weekend.
On the one hand, you kinda want everyone to leave the poor guy alone. I mean, it was five years ago. And he wasn't the only guy reaching for that infamous foul ball, just the only one who actually touched it. And it's clear that the subsequent on-field incidents (a wild pitch, an error and flatout lousy pitching) had a lot more to do with the Cubs loss in the 2003 NL playoffs.
But $25,000 for one autograph? Steve Bartman, come on down.
That's what one sports collectible show is offering Bartman to sign one autograph, reportedly the most ever offered for a single signature, at their upcoming Rosemont memorabilia convention on July 31. Should he break his voluntary semi-seclusion, Bartman will be given a briefcase containing $25,000 (upon proof of identity) and the signed photograph will be auctioned to the highest bidder. The proceeds will be donated to a local charity.
You assume he's somewhere at least thinking about this. I mean, unless he enters the convention wearing a Cubs cap, Walkman and blue team sweatshirt, he should be able to walk into the place fairly safely. Heck, grow a beard and shave it off right there to assure up-to-the-minute anonymity.
We're talking 25 G's. You can buy a lot of Walkmen with that kind of money.
If the prospect of getting swept by the Arizona Diamond backs and losing their grip on first place in the NL Central weren't enough, the Cubs are now a half a mil lighter in the wallet thanks to a fine by Major League Baseball regarding their actions following the June draft. According to Sports Illustrated, the Cubs failed to report a signing to MLB offices and put a player on the field without MLB approval, earning them the $500,000 fine.
Jerome Holtzman, the Hall of Fame baseball writer who is credited with created the "save" statistic, passed away over the weekend. Holtzman spent more than 40 years writing about the Cubs and White Sox, which some might say qualifies him for sainthood. In 1999, he was named baseball's official historial by Bud Selig. More on Holtzman here.
If he didn't occasionaly move, you'd probably forget he was in the lockerroom. To say Harold Baines was quiet and soft-spoken is like saying Cecil Fielder was a little overweight. Clubhouse interviews with Baines might have consisted of 30 words, tops. Reporters and sportscasters were forced to avoid questions that could result in one-word answers at all costs, because that's what Baines would give you.
But Harold didn't really have to say anything. Like most baseball players worth their salt, he let his bat do the talking. His final career numbers: 2,866 hits, 384 homers, a .289 batting average, 1,628 RBIs (981 with the White Sox, the rest with the Baltimore Orioles), 384 homers (221 with the Sox), a six-time All-Star
From 1980-1989, Baines patrolled the outfield (mainly right) and was seranade with a soon-to-be signature call of "Har-old, Har-old", a few years before a guy with a similar first name and the last name of Washington made it big in this town. And you have to marvel a bit at the fact that Baines share a locker room for much of that time with the 190-degree personality of Ozzie Guillen.
On Sunday, the White Sox will unveil a statue honoring Baines in the center field concourse, taking its place alongside similar statues of Charles Comiskey, Minnie Minoso, Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Carlton Fisk and Billy Pierce.
At least we think it will be a statue of Baines. Harold, help us out; say a few words.
The Chicago Bandits have a chance to move into first place in the NPF when they continued their four-game series against the league-leading Philadelphia Force tonight. The Bandits beat the Force 3-1 in the series opener on Wednesday.
The 2008 Aberdeen Street Dodgeball Ninjas will host their summer tournament this Saturday at Sheridan Park. If nothing else, it should provide some interesting photos.
The Chicago Cycling Club hosts a "Baseball Nostalgia Tour", which includes stops at 10 present and former ballparks and lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern.
And speaking of baseball, an all-Cubs channel? I thought we already had that...and referred to it as the local news (said the White Sox fan with the inferiority complex).
Not to dismiss the first half of the 2008 baseball season, but for me, my battle cry has always been, “Talk to me AFTER the All-Star break.”
Countless frantic fans on both sides of town, giddy with early-season promise have, through the years, approached me with manic glee in their eyes, fully convinced that this was The Year due to the fact that either the Cubs or White Sox are in first place at the break, a sign that supersedes anything a billy goat or Shoeless Joe could conjure up.
I’ve seen it so many times I’ve lost count. Take this season, for instance, which finds the White Sox AND the Cubs in first place in their respective divisions. Or rather take 1977, the year to which this year has most often been compared. For it was 1977 which marked the last time both teams were in first place at the same time.
Here's a fun way to go to the game: On July 19, Reggies, the rock club/music complex at 2105 S. State, is throwing a Sox Tailgate Party. For $50, you get hotwings in the club, Hamms, hot dogs and whiffle ball in the parking lot, and then a ride to the game and a seat in the bleachers; it's just $20 if you've already got your ticket. If that wasn't enough, it just happens to be Mullet Night at the game, with fireworks afterward. Call 312-949-0125 for more info or to reserve your spot.
The Chicago Gems Women's Baseball Club had decidely mixed results in the recent Can-Am tournament in South Bend, Indiana, with one of two competing teams reaching the championship game.
Gems I compiled a 3-1 record in the tourney and won the right to face the Aussie Hearts (who they defeated earlier in a come-from-behind victory) in the title game. But the suffered a narrow 2-0 loss to the Hearts in the finale to finish the international competition in second place.
The Gems II squad had it a bit rougher, losing all four of their games but managing to become more competative as the tourney went on. Photo highlights of the tournament can be found here. In addition to the U.S., the field featured teams from Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Guatemala and Russia.
All members of the Gems teams return to Chicago Women's Baseball League action this Saturday as the Comets meet the Riveters at 9 a.m. while the Turtle Rocks take on the Skyline at noon. All games are played in Bedford Park.
Steve Stone joining Hawk Harrelson in the White Sox TV booth? According to the Tribune, it could happen, though the dominos have to fall in just the right way.
ESPN’s Scoop Jackson says the Bulls’ drafting of former Simeon High School star Derrick Rose evokes the memory another Simeon hoopster tabbed for greatness, Ben Wilson, whose murder 24 years ago stunned the city.
Deposed WSCR morning man Mike North says he has four deals on the table. No word on whether any of them involve dishing out extra relish.
A new online marketplace offers fans the chance to put in a bid for playoff and World Series tickets for the Cubs (provided they make it) from season ticket owners looking to dump them. Presumably the website will offer the same deal for (ahem) the White Sox.
The Chicago Rush take on the Grand Rapids Rampage (don’t you love those Arena Footbal League names?) in an AFL Divisional Round playoff game this Sunday, 2 p.m., at Allstate Arena. In other Rush news, wide receiver Donovan Morgan was named AFL Rookie of the Year
The Sky’s Sylvia Fowles is getting a bit antsy since being sidelined with a knee injury, as she reports on her WNBA blog.
White Sox catcher A.J. Piersynzki needs your help in selecting his at-bat music. Though the website lists suggestions (“Panama” by Van Halen?) , I’m sure there are more appropriate songs...right?
Also, the White Sox host the first Double Duty Classic, featuring the top high school baseball players from across the Midwest, on Monday, July 7, 2:30 p.m. The game will honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and is named for legend Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe.
If you're a fan of Chicago baseball, you might take special pride in seeing your Boys of Summer represented in the Midseason Classic, set for July 15 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. If so, get cracking: All-Star voting ends tonight at midnight.
As it stands, one Chicago team should be well represented in the game while the other will be woefully absent, despite having both teams in first place in their divisions. As of Wednesday, the Cubs have a strong possibility of having three starters in the game. Geovany Soto leads all catchers in voting, while Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome (yes, Fukudome, he of the .292 batting average and six HRs) are Nos. 1 and 3 in balloting for the starting outfield. Derek Lee is third among first basemen, Mark DeRosa is second among second basemen in votes and Ryan Theriot is third among shortstops.
He may not have had the national attention and accolades of the current Cubs, who have argueably usurped the title "America's Team" from the Dallas Cowboys, but for "Sweet Swinging" Billy Williams, his connection with the team has been no less exciting.
If you don't know many of the details of Williams' life as a Cub (and if you're a die-hard Cubs fan, you should), you can brush up on All Things Billy by picking up a copy of his book and having Williams autograph it for you at a special signing for his new biography, Billy Williams: My Sweet-Swinging Lifetime with the Cubs, July 8, 4:30-6pm at Harry Carey's Tavern, 3551 N. Sheffield, just a long foul ball from Wrigley Field. The book was written with longtime Tribune sportswriter Fred Mitchell.
Williams, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987, suffered the same unfortunate fate of his longtime teammate Ernie Banks, which is to have never made it to a World Series despite an exemplary career. But that apparently hasn't diminished his love for the game in general and his love for the Cubs in particular. Williams is still connected to the team as an executive advisor.
The book tells of Williams' early childhood, growing up in the same home state as Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey and Satchel Paige (what the heck were they putting in the water?), his days in the Negro League and his five decades in the big league. It's a must-read for any true Cubs fans. Or even a White Sox fan.
Championship football in Chicago? In June? Yup, when the Chicago Force take on the Detroit Demolition in an Independent Women’s Football League playoff game this Saturday, 3 p.m., at North Park University’s Holmgren Athletic Complex, 3225 W. Foster Ave. Incidentially, two members of the Force also compete in the Chicago Gems Women’s Baseball League…
…who are also involved in a playoff of sorts of its own, as they compete in the Can-Am Spirit of Sportsmanship Tournament in South Bend, Indiana, this Friday-Sunday. In addition to the Gems, women’s baseball teams from Canada and Australia, as well as elsewhere in the U.S., will compete. Meanwhile, action in the CWBL’s own league is on hold and will resume in Bedford Park, Ill. on July 12.
And speaking of Canada, the Chicago Bandits women’s fastpitch softball team (5-7) fell to the Great White North, posting a 1-3 record in their recent four-game series. The Bandits will try to do better against a southern foe, the Venezuelan National Team, in a similar four-game set beginning today (Thurday) at Bandits Stadium at Judson University in Elgin. Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano is slated to throw out the first pitch in today’s matchup and all games begin at 7:05 p.m.
Oil up those skates. The Windy City Rollers will hold tryouts this Saturday and Sunday, July 13. You need only attend one tryout. For exact time and location, contact the WCR. Also, the league will host their next All-Star Match-up on July 12 at The Stadium, 1909 S. Laramie in Cicero. This time, they take on the Tuscon Saddle Tramps.
Finally, North Avenue Beach Sports will host a one-day Dodgeball Tournament on July 12 at (where else?) North Avenue Beach. Go out and pound someone in the face with a.. I mean, go out and enjoy some fun, healthy competition. Contact NABS for details.
So the first half of the Great Chicago Baseball Orgy is over and the Cubs have emerged not only with early bragging rights but a firmer grip on National League Central, thanks to their three-game sweep of the White Sox. The Sox, meanwhile, saw their lead in the AL Central get cut to 1 1/2 games over the always-bothersome Minnesota Twins.
So what have we learned from this, other than Ozzie Guillen and a few other guys on the White Sox should probably zip it until after the series is over? Well, we learned that:
The Cubs will never lose another game in Wrigley Field.
The Cubs can get by just fine without Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano, but the White Sox are pretty lost without a healthy Paul Konerko and an effective Jim Thome.
There are two Jose Contreras: Good Jose and Bad Jose. Bad Jose was in the ballpark on Saturday.
Carlos Marmol is not the best closer-who's-not-a-closer as some would have you believe.
He may be the better rapper, but Guillen might not be the better manager in town.
Big rats and the smell of urine are far less scarier than Aramis Ramirez' bat.
Sox fans get a chance to exact some revenge against their pain-in-the-neck Cub fan cousins next weekend when the White Sox host the Cubs at U.S. Cellular (which USA Today says will take place on the "less pristine South Side"). Nothing less than a sweep will do for the White Sox in the three-game series and while the team does have a few home series sweeps under their belt this year, the Cubs' current play is on another planet. You've been forewarned, Sox fans: it might be another long weekend.
I suppose it makes sense that the actual participants in the annual local baseball orgy known (among other names) as the Crosstown Classic are a little blasé about the whole thing. Listen to sports talk radio or read the papers and you get the idea that baseball Armageddon is on the horizon and nothing less than the fate of the free world hangs in the balance.
But read the quotes from the likes of players like Paul Konerko, Derek Lee, Joe Crede or even Kerry Wood and you get the idea that they’re as excited by the contests as someone having a hangnail removed.
Their opinions usually run along the lines of “: “It’s just another game.” “It means more to the fans than us.” “It’ll be a lot of fun, but…” The Cubs’ Mark De Rosa said as much last week when in an interview he stated, “(I)t has to be viewed as [just] another series. I know it's not. I know it will be hyped up, and rightfully so. It's fun, it's a hot topic to talk about, and they're playing well and we're playing well. But I think it ends there. Six games hopefully won't affect the outcome of either team's division standing.”
A Major League Baseball story on the Cubs' days as a WEST Side ballclub includes some interesting bits of information, including the time in 1908 when a woman gave birth in the bleachers. Contrast that with today when...nah, too easy.
Belmont Harbor will be the launching site of a major international boating event when 84 boats from around the world compete in the 2008 Etchells World Championships. The weeklong event kicks off this Friday.
Another bout has been added to the boxing card at the Aragon Ballroom this Friday, which we told you about yesterday.
After a surprising and promising 2008 season for the Blackhawks, this weekend's NHL draft will be as important for the Hawks as the NBA draft will be for the Bulls. A hockey prospects resource site gives the lowdown.
He may not be in the Hall of Fame, but South Carolina residents are not forgetting their native son, White Sox legend Shoeless Joe Jackson and are building a museum in his honor. The organizers are hoping that the tribute helps the HOF committee forget about Jackson's role (or non-role) in the whole Black Sox scandal.
On any other team it would seem like the end of the world, or at least the end of a season.
Your marquee player, the one who leads the team in home runs and is fourth in RBI goes down with a broken hand for at least six weeks, a span in which your team faces an AL Division leading team, two of the hottest teams in baseball who are both in the thick of their own division race, and two feisty opponents from your own division, both poised to cut into your slim division lead.
But the way the Cubs have been playing lately, this may be nothing more than a blip on the radar.
When outfielder Alfonso Soriano was plunked on the hand by Atlanta pitcher Jeff Bennett at Wrigley Field Wednesday night, breaking a bone (a minimally displaced fracture of the fourth metacarpal, for the doctors in the crowd), you could hear the groans and cries of “Here we go again” all the way to Irving Park. The team has been cruising along with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, a 28-8 record at home and a 2 ½ game lead in the NL Central. So something had to go wrong…. Right?
The Skyline hopes to rebounds from a disappointing double-digit loss this Sunday when they take on the Comets in the Chicago Women's Baseball League.
The Skyline suffered a 16-0 loss to the Turtle Rocks on June 8, while the Riveters/Comets game was rained out after a half-inning of play.
On June 15, the Skyline will face the Comets at 9 a.m. while the Turtle Rocks take on the Riveters at noon. All games take place at Bedford Park in Bedford Park, Illinois. Check out the CWBL website for more details.
Even though we have two long-standing, nationally-recognized newspapers in Chicago (a rarity these days),the presence of a good ol’ fashioned newspaper war is virtually non existent. Despite the competitive nature of the local mainstream press, there hasn’t really been the makings of a good newspaper war in this town since… I dunno, the local papers battled for the best Al Capone headline?
Oh, there have been skirmishes, such as in 1984 when Rupert Murdoch bought the Sun-Times, causing legendary columnist Mike Royko to flee to the Tribune and lob verbal hand grenades on an almost-daily basis. And every now and then the Sun-Times tries to tweak the Trib on new owner Sam Zell’s threats to change the name of Wrigley Field, but the Tribune response is basically to ignore the taunts. Heck, the Trib even scored points by having one of their own win the Sun-Times’ anti-Sam Zell song contest.
But other than the recent Red Eye vs. (now defunct) Red Streak battle, it’s been pretty quiet. I mean, the battle for control of the self-absorbed hipster market isn’t that compelling.
Could they possibly be the worst first-place team in baseball right now?
The White Sox certainly have the worst record of all the first-place teams at 30-26, with a one-game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central, previously known as the Toughest Division in Baseball. They’ve only won 13 games at home this season, worst among the first place teams; they have the worst team batting average among the front-runners at .247 and are dead last in the league in batting with runners in scoring position and two outs (.177).
It would take a bit more number crunching to determine if they are, indeed, the absolute worst, analyzing the strength of opponents (are the Cubs playing Pittsburgh again any time soon?), etc. But the White Sox are making a convincing argument.
Ozzie Guillen seems to think so. How many first-place managers have you heard reach the breaking point so… um… colorfully as Guillen did after Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays which concluded with another walk-off home run? How many first place managers would call out their general manager in public about the state of the team, effectively putting the blame on their recent sub-par performance on his shoulders?
With the Cubs’ Kosuke Fukudome the latest Japanese baseball star to try to show his stuff in the West, the status of Japan’s own professional league is in shaky condition, according to a Bloomberg report. No less than former MLB manager Bobby Valentine says, “MLB is trying to kill the sport.”
The Sporting News reports on the “surprising” White Sox (surprising to them, right?) and says one of the main reasons for the unexpected surge is – who else? – Carlos Quentin.
The website Black Athlete Sports Network shows another side of Cap Anson, the legendary baseball figure who was captain-manager of the Chicago White Stockings (who later became the Cubs). Generally regarded as less-than-enlightened when it came to race, Anson was reportedly one of the first major leaguers to compete against an all-black team that was led by future Negro League founder Rube Foster.
The players have been drafted, the gloves are broken in and the hot dogs are on the grill. The Chicago Women’s Baseball League is set to kick off their inaugural season with a double header this Sunday, 10:30 a.m., at Bedford Park, 6700 S. 78th St. in Bedford Park, Ill.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Riveters vs. the Skyline at 11 a.m. The second game will feature the Comets taking on the Turtle Rocks at 2 p.m. The league is sponsored by the Chicago Gems Women's Baseball Club.
In between the games, the CWBL will host a free barbeque for fans in attendance. More info is available on this PDF.
If all of that sounds exciting to you, stop kicking yourself for trying out for any of the teams. CWBL officials say it’s not too late to participate. Teams are still looking for players to round out their rosters, so if you’re interested, drop them a line at info@chicagogems.com. Practices are held every Saturday (weather permitting) at Winnemac Park, Foster and Damen Aves.
The Cubs AND White Sox both in first place? OK, that's GOTTA be one of the Modern Signs of the Apocalypse, right after Howard Cosell rising from the grave. But that's where we find ourselves this morning after the Cubs wrapped up an 8-2 homestand with a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates and the White Sox completed a sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 13-8 victory for their fifth straight win.
Their frenzied weekends left the Sox 1 1/2 games up in the AL Central while the Cubs hold a two-game lead over St. Louis.
Enjoy it while it lasts, Chicago. Bartender, bragging rights for everyone...
In a move that has Illinois tax-payers rejoicing and the Sun Times rehashing the "Zell No!" pun for the umpteenth time, the Tribune Co. has rejected the Illinois Sports Facility Authority's proposal to purchase Wrigley Field. However, the delicate public/private dance may not be over as it seems that the body's chairman, former Gov. Jim Thompson, is undeterred by today's announcement and is still examining options to put our tax dollars to work to "respect the landmark ordinance and to keep the iconic nature and historic nature of Wrigley Field". Even if Sam Zell is willing to sell on the cheap to pay down his mountain of debt, the citizens of Illinois seem to have more pressing concerns (PDF) than nostalgia.
When Frank Thomas was unceremoniously dumped by the Toronto Blue Jays this past Saturday, it was a roster move that created ripples all the way back to Chicago. Despite the fact that it's been almost three seasons since he last wore the silver and black of the White Sox, Thomas carved out a niche in the hearts of Sox fans. Yes, he could be petulant at times, seemingly in an everlasting cycle of signing a contract and then asking the team to tear it up and offer another the following season. But hitting 448 home runs for the White Sox gave "The Big Hurt" a permanent place in White Sox lore.
But don't expect him back at U.S. Cellular in anything other than a fan capacity anytime soon. His war of words with General Manager Kenny Williams assures he won't be offered a deal other than as a beer vendor. Supposedly the Oakland A's, the team he joined after leaving the White Sox, might be interested, but they've got a surplus of young guys who need playing time.
So whether goest thou, Frank Thomas? How about Joliet?
Deny it as we might, Chicagoans do have a little chip on their shoulder about playing second fiddle to New York City in just about everything, a fact that a New Yorker will waste no time in telling you. “Sure, you have the Sears Tower, but the Empire State Building is the quintessential skyscraper. Sure you have a thriving theater scene, but everyone knows a play isn’t REALLY a hit until it makes it on Broadway. And sure your entire city burned to the ground about 137 years ago, but you’re trying to compare it to OUR great tragedy of only seven years ago?...”
Which is why the baseball events of the next few days are our rare opportunity to exact a modicum of revenge in a short amount of time. In a quirky bit of scheduling, both Chicago baseball teams will take on both New York City baseball teams in their respective leagues. The Cubs (12-6) open a short two-game series today against the Mets (10-7) while the White Sox (11-7) square off against the Yankees (10-10) in a three-game series beginning Tuesday night. Speaking of Tuesday, it will offer the rare chance for a Chicago-New York unofficial split doubleheader as the Cubs and Mets battle at 1:20 at Wrigley Field, while the White Sox and Yankees clash at 7:11 at U.S. Cellular Field.
While reading MLB Slaps Thome, I recognized an overlooked benefit of following the White Sox instead of the Cubs...drama! Since my life as a web denizen prevents watching reality TV, I typically rely on the White Sox for my dose of turmoil and tragedy. Let's examine a classic episode of The Real World: US Cellular aptly entitled "Who Is On Second?"
The White Sox began the 2007 season hoping second baseman Tadahito Iguchi would return to his 2005 performance level. Remember the go-ahead shot in game 2 of the Red Sox series? GM Kenny Williams remembered and counted on a repeat performance from the first Japanese athlete to play in a World Series. Iguchi's time with the White Sox, however, ended with a mid-season trade to the Phillies that reunited him with center fielder Aaron Rowand. For some fans, the Iguchi trade signaled the end of the 2007 season but others trusted Manager Ozzie Guillen's middle infield expertise.
The next few games will be a test for both teams, as the Sox face the A's, a perennial rival, and the Cubs take on Dusty Baker's Reds. A middling Cincinnati team shouldn't be much of a challenge, but facing their former skipper may turn a few Cubbies toward point-proving, which rarely goes well. We'll see.
I always thought waiting in line was a universally despised experience. However, I realized the fault in my belief at this Saturday's Cubs v. Astros game (Yes, a White Sox fan attended Wrigley. I explain the treason later. Promise!) On the first beautiful day of spring, I joined over 40,000 sport fans to watch professional athletes wait in elaborate lines for a piece of unpredictable, sporadic action. I understand this is not the preferred Oxford definition of baseball, but please continue reading.
As always, the game commenced with batting practice. Batting practice consists of waiting in line for a chance to wait for the perfect pitch to refine your stroke for a productive game. After batting and fielding practice, back to the end of the line for more waiting. Imagine you are Kosuke Fukudome (YouTube welcome video) and have to wait behind four other batters or Houston's (former White Sox) Carlos Lee waiting to make an error in left field. Either way, there is a whole lotta standing, sitting, and gum chewing required in baseball.
A wise man once said there is no crying in baseball (or was it a fictional character? I forget). But even without that sage advice, I doubt if you’re going to see any crying when the Chicago Gems hold open tryouts this Saturday, 9-11 a.m., for their new team that will participate in an all-women baseball league. The tryouts will be held at the BASH Sports Academy, 2617 W. Fletcher St. and focus on hitting and fielding (naturally). If you miss the tryout this Saturday there’s another one on April 20, with the league draft to follow. In addition to the Gems there are four other teams: the Comets, the Riveters, the Skyline and the intriguingly named Turtle Rocks. All games will be played in Bedford Park.
A little background: The Gems were formed by three women who lived near each other in the Lakeview neighborhood and shared a passion for baseball… playing, not just watching. After lending their talents to other area women’s baseball teams they managed to field a full Gems squad in 2005 and played their first game as a team on June 5 of that year at Loyola Park.
Of course the Gems won’t be the first all-female baseball team or league, as anyone who’s seen “A League of Their Own” can attest. And women have even competed with men on the same field, like Toni Stone of the Negro Leagues. Today, organizations such as the American Woman’s Baseball Federation is seeking to build the game nationally.
The average salary for an MLB player has now surpassed $3M! As you'd guess, the average is more than a little misleading when you consider that the entire Florida Marlins team doesn't have more than one player making the "league average" and that the league's median salary has remained roughly $1M for 3 consecutive seasons now.
When looking at only the salaries of players presently on the roster, the Sox ($109M) and Cubs ($100M) rate 4th and 8th respectively in the league. The White Sox and Cubs each have 11 players making more than the league average.
From 1989 to 1995, Cub fan 
HBO premiers a new half-hour sports comedy on Feb. 15 called "
