Chicago -
By The Beachwood Vs. Affairs Desk
Compare and contrast.
BP: Environmental disaster.
Big Z: Mental disaster.
BP: Beyond Petroleum.
Big Z: Beyond Reason.
BP: Owned by lying, evil corporate executives.
Big Z: Owned by lying, evil corporate executives.
BP: Leaking oil.
Big Z: Leaking brains.
Posted on June 28, 2010
By Jim Coffman
Someone give FIFA Jim Joyce’s telephone number.
Joyce’s actions in the aftermath of making one of the worst calls in the history of Major League Baseball set the standard for grace under fire. The umpire whose clearly erroneous call at first base cost Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game earlier this month showed that in the aftermath of a widely viewed screw-up, honesty and accountability make all the difference.
First, Joyce watched a recording of the call after the game and realized that Galarraga had clearly caught a throw from first baseman Miguel Cabrera and stepped on the bag in time for what should have been the 27th consecutive and final out of the game. But Joyce had ruled the base-runner safe.
Then Joyce faced the music. He not only publicly acknowledged missing the call but also didn’t hide how much it hurt to have done so. It also didn’t hurt that Galarraga also handled himself beautifully in the aftermath of the mistake, simply smiling at the incredible improbability of it all and then calmly heading back to the mound to almost immediately record the final out.
Just 24 hours after Joyce signaled safe instead of out, Tiger fans gave Joyce an ovation at a ceremony honoring Galarraga’s achievement. Joyce had been named one of the best umpires in the league in a player survey not long before the controversy. Another identical survey was taken shortly thereafter, and Joyce came out on top again.
Contrast that with the response of FIFA, the governing body of the World Cup, to the understandable outcry after horrific calls put a damper on both of its Round-of-16 showdowns on Sunday in South Africa.
Posted on June 28, 2010
By Marty Gangler
This week we here at The Cub Factor would like to help out our favorite team. They’ve had a tough week.
With this in mind we thought we’d produce a psychological screening test the Cubs should use before on all free agents or players whose contracts are up for renewal. Because, well, it’s clear they need some help in that department.
Here we go:
Posted on June 28, 2010
By Andrew Reilly
Yes, interleague baseball is stupid for many, many reasons, but I will say this: destroying the Cubs never gets old. Ever. But baseball-lite can only last for so long, and now that the Sox have feasted upon the bones of the weak and the wounded, let us get back to the business of taking down the American League.
Remember the American League? They’re the big, scary one with all the teams who aren’t in last place, who aren’t firing their pitchers, who aren’t falling apart in the face of the new mightiest team in the land. Part of me worries that the Sox, faced once more with tougher competition, will revert to the abysmal way they were before, but part of me also remembers hey, they just took out the Braves, who can legitimately lay claim to the title of “best team in baseball.”
Posted on June 28, 2010
By The Beachwood BP Disaster Response Affairs Desk
1. BP Cup vs. Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup: Making the rounds of area bars.
BP Cup: Barred from human handling by EPA.
Stanley Cup: Holds 14 cans of beer.
BP Cup: Holds 14 cans of oil.
Stanley Cup: Names of winners etched into trophy.
BP Cup: Names of losers etched into tombstones.
Stanley Cup: Named after a Lord.
BP Cup: Named after a company even the Lord hates.
Posted on June 25, 2010
By The Beachwood Fantasy Marketing Affairs Desk
“This August, 40 diehard Cubs fans will enjoy the ultimate two-day experience at Wrigley Field as part of the ‘Chicago Cubs Fantasy Camp at Wrigley Field,'” the team announced on Wednesday.
Among the activities and features:
* If you can’t get along with fellow campers, Jim Hendry will trade away your one-day contract to another team, plus offer to cover $6,000 of your $7,500 fee.
* Although this is a fantasy camp, in an effort to make it feel somewhat realistic a simulated World Series parade downtown is NOT included.
* Meet other campers pretending to be major league players, including Aramis Ramirez.
* Even though it in no way resembles what it’s like to be an actual Cub, campers will be allowed to run the bases.
* Take a turn at pretending to be a Cubs executive – look for one inch of stadium space or one game-day experience at Wrigley that hasn’t yet been sold off to a sponsor and find a way to monetize it.
Posted on June 24, 2010
By Dan O’Shea
To trade, or not to trade.
A few weeks ago, when the White Sox looked like they were about to back up the truck and trade half the team, I took a long hard look at some of the Sox players on my fantasy rosters. Would Paul Konerko’s fantasy numbers, which have been great this year, benefit from a move to a better team, or would being in a stronger lineup just mean more walks and fewer home runs and RBIs? Would Alex Rios see his RBI opportunities dwindle if the Sox start pushing minor leaguers into the lineup? Would Jake Peavy’s numbers regain their Peavy-ness if he was sent back to the National League, or is he destined for an uneven year?
I didn’t trade any of these players, and as long as the Sox keep winning, neither will General Manager Kenny Williams.
Sometimes, fantasy managers should act on assumptions about who is rumored to be trade bait, but you have to be careful, too, as both real and fantasy baseball leagues inch closer to their trading deadlines. We learned that last year, when Roy Halladay seemed all but dealt by Toronto, and then ended up not being dealt at all. Fantasy managers who acquired Halladay based on abundant rumors in the days before the trade deadline had to be disappointed that he didn’t get shipped to a winning team.
This year, the rumors have so far focused not only on Konerko and Peavy, but also Seattle SP Cliff Lee, Oakland SP Ben Sheets, Houston 1B/OF Lance Berkman and teammate OF Carlos Lee, among others. A change of scenery definitely can change a player’s fantasy numbers, but until he’s in his new uniform, trading or acquiring him in the fantasy world remains a gamble.
Posted on June 23, 2010
By Jim Coffman
When the World Cup has been held in the Americas, teams from South America have won it, and when it has been hosted by Europe, European teams have pulled it out.
The continental divide has proven nearly impossible to overcome.
When the United States hosted in 1994, Brazil emerged victorious. France hosted and won in 1998. History was put on hold in 2002, when Korea and Japan hosted the world’s biggest sporting event. There was no track record for World Cups held in Asia but not surprisingly, Brazil won again. Then it was back to normal in 2006 when Germany was the home team and Italy emerged triumphant.
This time around, the key appears to be home hemisphere advantage. The teams that have impressed in both of their first two games with the second round of preliminary pool play nearly complete have been teams that share the Southern Hemisphere with their South African hosts. In particular, Argentina, Brazil and to a lesser extent Paraguay have stormed to impressive victories. And if the level of the competition hasn’t been terribly impressive, well, consider some of the lesser lights who have given other prominent teams fits.
Posted on June 21, 2010
By Marty Gangler
After the tremendous pounding that the Cubs took after Saturday’s game – when they lost 12-0 – good ol’ Uncle Lou said “we’ve tried everything” No they haven’t. We here at the Cub Factor have a few additional suggestions for Lou:
* Fire yourself. You can say it’s for health reasons.
* Listen to Steve Stone from the get-go; if you did, Tyler Colvin would have been starting long ago, Carlos Zambrano never would have been sent to the bullpen, and Andrew Cashner would have broken camp in the Cubs bullpen, among other things.
* Stop demoting .300 hitters to make room for rookies brought in from the minors; that’s what you did to Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot. Now second base is a mess.
* Stop using pitchers as pinch-hitters. It’s not cute anymore.
* Move your veterans out of the middle of the lineup when they go into prolonged slumps. If their feelings are hurt, send them to the club psychiatrist.
* Stop acting like a damn dummy or you’ll be one.
* Make the players do shots of Moises Alou’s urine every time they commit an error. There’s still a case of it in Storage Room B.
* Fire Jim Hendry. You can always make it look like an accident.
Posted on June 21, 2010
