Chicago - A message from the station manager

WOAT

By Roger Wallenstein

The White Sox made it official on Saturday. When Jose Abreu’s bases-loaded ground ball in the damp, dusky evening at Wrigley squashed any hope of a miraculous comeback, this team became the worst in the 118-year history of the franchise to open the season. The 8-4 loss was the 27th in the ballclub’s first 36 games, surpassing the unspeakable 10-26 mark of the 1948 White Sox.
What would The Old Roman – to say nothing of Shoeless Joe, Zeke Bonura, Teddy Lyons, or Ol’ Aches and Pains – have to say about a team that has a mere five wins (they finally beat the Cubs 5-3 on Sunday) – against teams not named Kansas City here in the middle of May?
We hear how Ricky’s Boys Don’t Quit, but even quitters might have been able to eke a few more wins than these guys have at this juncture.

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Posted on May 14, 2018

The Ex-Cub Factor

By Steve Rhodes

One in an occasional series tracking the movements of those who have worn Cubbie blue.
1. Jorge Soler Is Mashing.
“Soler is now off to a great start in 2018, and the Royals control him at a low cost for the next four seasons, although there is a reasonable argument to be made that winning the trade is impossible at this juncture,” Craig Edwards writes at Fangraphs.
“After a .144/.245/.258 season with a 32 wRC+ in 110 plate appearances, Soler has authored a gigantic turnaround. In 133 plate appearances this year, the Royals right fielder is hitting .324/.436/.546 with a 166 wRC+.
“That batting line is greatly helped by a .411 BABIP; however, the 16% walk rate, a reduced 24% strikeout rate, and an ISO above .200 provide a solid base for Soler to be a productive hitter if fewer balls drop in for hits . . .
“As for how Soler has made such dramatic changes to his fortune, he lost some weight and reworked his swing. Maria Torres of the Kansas City Star discussed the change with Soler in the offseason.”

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Posted on May 10, 2018

SportsMondayTuesday: The Cubs, Captain Obvious & Contreras

By Jim Coffman

Last night I decided to take in the first few innings of the Cubs game on the radio while I sat on my front porch. The weather was perfect and baseball does so lend itself to radio – if the announcers aren’t distractingly bad, like the guys who broadcast from the South Side.
I have long been a Pat Hughes fan, although at least one of his weaknesses has become more pronounced over the last few years and it is a growing annoyance. I realize that the longtime play-by-play man needs to balance his broadcast given a decent-sized range of fans listening in, but too often he wastes time breaking down simple baseball strategy that 90 percent of Cubs fans listening on the radio don’t need him to break down. In other words, he needs to do a better job of not being Captain Obvious.

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Posted on May 8, 2018

Hillside Resident Wins National Pool Championship

By The American Poolplayers Association

A Hillside resident is $15,000 richer after a recent visit to Sin City. But his good fortune didn’t happen in the casino. Joe Gotch won the 2018 APA 8-Ball Classic Pool Championship held in late April in Las Vegas.
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Posted on May 8, 2018

Young Guns

By Roger Wallenstein

His photo graced the entire back page of the Sun-Times on Saturday. He’s been interviewed live during at least one game this spring. Every time he pitches, a graphic chronicles his exploits. He was the White Sox Pitcher of the Month in April.
In addition, there are other less-publicized factoids about 22-year-old fireballer Michael Kopech, baseball’s 10th-rated prospect. As a member of the Red Sox organization in 2015 – Kopech came over in the Chris Sale deal prior to last season – the right-hander was benched for 50 games for using one of the 134 banned substances on the MLB list. He missed time also at the start of the next season because of a broken right hand sustained in spring training, the result of an altercation with a teammate.

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Posted on May 7, 2018

TrackNotes: NBC’s Derby Day Septic Tank

By Thomas Chambers

Justify, the huge son of Scat Daddy, out of the Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic, agreeing to join a blistering pace, became the first horse since 1882’s Apollo to win the Kentucky Derby without having run a race at two-years-old.
Justify won the 144th running; Apollo the eighth.
His nearly three-length victory over Good Magic was a tremendous performance that culminated a Saturday, and weekend, that deteriorated before our very eyes into primordial slop as Louisville found itself trapped under the train tracks of heavy rain storms, which also prompted flood warnings in the area.
On another storm front, NBC Sports descended into a septic tank of a two-day broadcast that stunk of demographic research, a hungover rerun of last year’s telecast, key players out of position, embarrassing laziness and blatant disregard of horse racing as a festival to be celebrated. The conspiracy bin is full, but it would not be at all shocking if Churchill Downs Inc. had its soldiers in the pre-show production meeting. No flipping, we’ll get to it.

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Posted on May 6, 2018

Chicago Wildfire Game Highlights

Week 5 Of The American Ultimate Disc League Season

* Indianapolis AlleyCats prevail.
* Wildfire go to 1-2.
* 20 players have returned from last season.

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Posted on May 3, 2018

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