By Thomas Chambers

There was a two-year spell there, after American Pharoah’s supreme 2015 campaign, when the default babble across the land was, “This is the weakest 3-year-old crop in years.”
Which is really dense because 3-year-old Thoroughbred race horses are very much a work in progress, physically and mentally. They can go from the equivalent of a 13-year-old wunderkind to a seasoned 21-year-old success story. All in one season. It would be better to zero in to say that the threes don’t impress going into the Triple Crown.
At this point in 2019, I’ll say it. These 3-year-olds don’t move me and they might really be not much. And what was with Saturday’s Preakness?

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Posted on May 19, 2019

By Thomas Chambers

TrackNotes should really just stick to horse racing, I guess.
But so many political, corporate, social, economic, religious and even sporting institutions are bringing so much exploitation weight to bear on the back of society, it’s palpable, concerning at least, and depressing at times. Why are so many people, hiding behind so many monoliths, trying to hurt us so much?
Human sport, instead of simply playing the compelling games it has and inviting fans to enjoy them, cooks itself down, creating a new jones every year like a pusher managing the appetites and demands of the masses. It’s as institutionalized as anything around.
Now, my game is being more and more thought of as a thing that must be organized, straightened out, managed, united. Isn’t that the same as institutionalizing? If I had any faith whatsoever that the lords of the sport could behave nicely and still maintain the fiercely independent spirit, it would be stirring. But survival might hang in the balance.

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Posted on May 17, 2019

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Praying for luck is not a strategy. Plus: Fear The Deer?; St. Louis Sucks; Tommy La Stella Is Doing Mike Trout-Like Things; Missing Ben Zobrist; The Unprecedented Nature Of Kris Bryant; and White Sox Still Better Than You Think.

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Posted on May 17, 2019

By Jim Coffman

The lottery ended before it really started for the Bulls. But it could have been worse. For one thing, they could have finished eighth.
For another, while local basketball fans may feel cursed at this point, especially considering the strange coincidence that their team ended up with the seventh pick in the draft for the third straight year, at least they were put out of their misery relatively early on in the process.

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Posted on May 15, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

We knew a little bit about Harry Chappas when the diminutive rookie was slated to be the White Sox Opening Day shortstop in 1979. He had been a September call-up the season before, leap-frogging from Single-A Appleton to Comiskey Park. Then Sports Illustrated put him on its spring training cover, an honor that so far has eluded young fellows such as Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada, who have more talent in their pinky fingers than the 5-foot-5 Chappas had in his entire compact frame.
But that was the point. Chappas was an anomaly, one of the smallest major leaguers in history, a genuine curiosity. Lacking the social media of today, exposure to Chappas was limited until he reached the major leagues. This wasn’t unfortunate in his case because the kid couldn’t play. He was gone by the end of April.
Consider if today’s White Sox had no electronic media to hype the burgeoning prospects they hope will lead them to post-season bounty in the very near future. Few, if any, Sox fans would subscribe to the Charlotte Observer or Birmingham News simply to check on the progress of Dylan Cease or Luis Robert, though you would have the Sporting News. Still, without Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the social media complex, the youngsters could toil more or less in privacy without the daily scrutiny afforded by the Internet.

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Posted on May 12, 2019

By Jim Coffman, Roger Wallenstein and Steve Rhodes

Joe Ricketts remains, among other things. Plus: Roger’s Suspicious Cuba Trip; Fuck Yu; Addison Russell’s Return; Stats Cast; Are The White Sox A Wild-Card Contender?; and Derby Stewards Show More Courage Than Congress.

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Posted on May 10, 2019

‘I’m Not As Strong As Everyone Thinks I Am’

“Sunny Garcia, a legend in the surf community and a world champion in 2000, has been hospitalized after what has been reported in multiple news outlets as a suicide attempt. He remains in the intensive care unit, the World Surf League confirmed [last week],” the New York Times reports.

With heavy hearts we confirm that Sunny Garcia is in the ICU in the hospital. Sunny has always been a great champion of surfing, both in and out of the water. Our prayers are with him and his loved ones at this deeply challenging time. pic.twitter.com/re0F3l9toI

— World Surf League (@wsl) April 30, 2019

“Garcia, 49, is known as a relentless competitor with a fierce surfing style, which led to six Triple Crown of Surfing titles and the Association of Surfing Professionals world championship title in 2000. (The World Surf League was previously known as the Association of Surfing Professionals.)
” . . . in 2014, Garcia began discussing his mental health struggles.”

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Posted on May 9, 2019

By Thomas Chambers

You can’t say everybody, especially when many people grieve about a wager. But there is wholly too much indignation and victimhood after Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
And, put a lid on it. TwinSpires.com, the wagering division of Churchill Downs Inc., has said it will refund win bets on Maximum Security up to $10. It’s a damned cynical gesture to retain newbies in a land where every kid gets a trophy. Haven’t these people ever heard about a tough beat?

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Posted on May 6, 2019

By Jim Coffman

Just about everyone on the Cubs’ current roster has contributed in some significant way as the team has gone from worst to first in the NL Central the last 30 days.
But can any of them kick a football?

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Posted on May 6, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

I care not a bit what American League Player of the Month Tim Anderson does with his bat after he hits a home run. The direction, height and speed of said missile doesn’t interest me in the least. I do experience a jolt of optimism and euphoria when the ball settles into the outfield seats, but any added appreciation for a drive that lands in the last row, as opposed to the first, is lost on me. Regardless of distance, Tim’s homers are good for one run, no more, no less. And the time the ball takes to reach those seats is irrelevant as far as I’m concerned.
Tim keeps telling us that he plays for fun and that he’s not going to change. Go by most any park in this city in mid-July, and you’ll find all kinds of kids playing the game for the very same reason. You’re not alone, Tim. Sorry, pal, you’re not unique in that regard.

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Posted on May 6, 2019