By Marty Gangler

Last week had its sour notes, but with an impressive sweep of the Diamondbacks over the weekend to put the Cubs back into first place, we here at the Cub Factor are going to let our guard down and make a declaration: It’s time, people. Time to hop on the Cub Train. And like the CTA, it’s on fire. (Unlike the CTA, it’s making stops all over town.)
On the other hand, the last thing you want is to board a bandwagon full of your colleagues at the office. So just throw a few of these winners out this week at the office cooler and keep your rep as a skeptic intact.
* Alfonso Soriano is going to carry this team. If the team needs be carried a short distance.
* Carlos Zambrano is really a team guy deep down. And it will take years of psychotherapy to get to that layer .
* Derrek Lee’s power is back. Too bad he left his glove behind.

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Posted on May 12, 2008

Previously:
* Pytel’s Picks: Round One
* Pytel’s Picks: Round Two
Round 3: The Conference Finals
First, here’s a brief recap of Round 2 where a lot of my predictions bit the dust:
The Western Conference was at one time referred to as the Campbell Conference, so I guess it’s fitting that neither San Jose’s Brian Campbell nor the Campbell Conference are still alive in the playoffs. The Dallas Stars shocked many observers by taking the first three games of their quarterfinal series against the San Jose Sharks, including winning the first two games in San Jose. They seemed to cruise through the series, although two games later they found their series lead had narrowed to 3-2, and it did take the Stars four overtimes to finish off the Sharks in Game 6, though the Stars dictated a lot of the play.

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Posted on May 8, 2008

By Jim Coffman

I knew I had definitely left the country when I turned on the TV and didn’t just find cricket, I found cricket in the sand. One of the British networks was televising some sort of special cricket exhibition on a beach somewhere. The bowlers were firing away at the wickets, the batters were swinging their cool flat bats and the hits were flying . . . until they plunked down unceremoniously in the sand. Guys trudged in, dug the balls out and then tossed them back to the middle of the field. I’ve seen soccer played on the beach, and touch football, and of course there is volleyball. But cricket?

Beachwood Baseball: The White Sox Report The Cub Factor

I actually attended the only college in America with an official cricket team. I have watched portions of games – it is just about impossible to watch an entire test (match) – they often lasted all weekend when I was at the ‘Ford in the 1980s. I even had a go at writing a story about cricket during my college newspaper days (also just about impossible if one hasn’t spent a lot of time learning the lingo). So I might have been the only expatriate sports fan in all of England willing to try and find something to appreciate in the midst of this undeniable sporting silliness.
Couldn’t do it. Then again everyone involved seemed to be having a grand old time and what’s the harm in that then?
The other sporting choice on television that night at a hotel on the outskirts of Heathrow was Everton versus Chelsea in Premier League soccer action. Everyone was very excited about the goings on out on the pitch and Chelsea even scored a goal (Hurrah!) before the intermission, but I couldn’t stay awake as the second half wore on. Must have been the jet lag.
My family wrapped up a long trip to Israel (with a brief stop in London) last week and while sports were entirely peripheral to the journey there were still plenty of, not “highlights” exactly but there were plenty of happenings and therefore plenty of observations.

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Posted on May 5, 2008

By Marty Gangler

Do we think Lou Piniella is stupid? Hey, he’s the one who asked. My answer: I’m not sure. You use your entire 40-man roster over the course of the season and ride the hot players when you can. So that seems pretty smart. But your closer is the third-best reliever on the team and you keep trotting out Alfonso Soriano when you should be trying to get rid of him. And those things aren’t too smart. So really, we don’t know if you are a grizzled veteran manager or a crazy old stupid coot. Personally, I think Uncle Lou isn’t stupid but he doesn’t seem to be giving his team the best chance to win.
*
Week in Review: The Cubs lost two of three to both the Brewers and Cardinals, their closest rivals. That’s stupid.
Week in Preview: The Cubs go to Cincinnati to battle Dusty Baker and his flailing Reds for three games, and then come home to host the best team in the National League – the Diamondbacks – for three more. Another bad week and the Cubs will be heading for their stupidest May ever to follow their best April in franchise history.

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Posted on May 5, 2008

By Ricky O’Donnell

After starting out the season strong, the White Sox have now dropped eight of their last 11 games. This weekend was the low point of the young season, as the Sox lost three consecutive games in Toronto, and can be swept by the Blue Jays tonight.
So instead of focusing on the negatives, like the abysmal team batting or the abundance of solo home runs, let’s talk about something more enjoyable: my trip to Toronto a few years ago.
I went to see the Sox take on the Blue Jays in Toronto with a few friends in the Summer of 2006. The Sox ended up losing on a walk-off homer in extra innings by Shea Hillenbrand, but the beginning of the game was far more exciting than the end.
Four of us arrived at the Rogers Centre about an hour before game time. One of our friends, we’ll call him Anthony (since that’s his name), had to go back to our hotel room, so he was arriving at the game by himself.
Anthony shows up at the stadium about 15 minutes before the first pitch. He comes dressed in an American flag shirt, carrying a huge American flag on a staff, and holding two signs.

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Posted on May 5, 2008

By The Beachwood Tout Division

Our staff of derelicts and drunks brings you the odds and comments you need to make the Kentucky Derby pay off for you this weekend. Odds via the Daily Racing Form.
*
Big Brown, 3-1: Don’t believe the hype. There’s no way a UPS truck can outclass a field like this.
Colonel John, 4-1: Too M*A*S*H-y.
Pyro, 6-1: Deep down we like this firestarter, but in the end too self-destructive.

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Posted on May 2, 2008