By Roger Wallenstein

Last Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, televised by Fox, had the lowest ratings ever, according to Nielsen. Even worse than last year, which had been the previous low-water mark.
Last season’s World Series suffered a 23 percent drop in viewership from the year before. Attendance at major league parks last season was down 4.1 percent, and it’s lagging another 1.5 percent so far this season. Since 2007, turnstiles are clicking more than 14 percent less often.
It’s all so bleak, so depressing. Kids aren’t watching. Millennials think the game is boring. Thirty- and forty-somethings are into the NFL and cage fighting. Some old people still enjoy watching baseball, but what do they know? They even watch golf on TV.
Well, not so fast.

Read More

Posted on July 15, 2019

By Steve Rhodes

Reality check!
Plus: Player Notes (Alzolay to Zagunis).
And: Hate The Grate.

Read More

Posted on July 14, 2019

By Budweiser

The end of this year’s World Cup marks a new beginning as Budweiser becomes the first official beer sponsor of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
“Budweiser has supported the U.S. Women’s National team for three decades,” said Monica Rustgi, vice president of marketing for Budweiser. “But we realize there is so much more Budweiser can do. Becoming the official beer sponsor of the NWSL is our way of not just supporting the U.S. Women’s Team once every four years, but also supporting women’s soccer every single day.”

Read More

Posted on July 9, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

He wasn’t a close friend but certainly someone I knew, an acquaintance. When he saw me walking the concourse at the ballpark, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
“Have you seen this kid?” It wasn’t so much a question as a declaration. “He loves to play. He’s so much fun.”
That was 1985 when a 21-year-old Venezuelan prospect named Ozzie Guillen took over at shortstop at Comiskey Park and became a fixture for the next 13 seasons. He was an All-Star three times and, along with The Big Hurt, Black Jack and Carlton Fisk, the face of the franchise.

Read More

Posted on July 8, 2019

By Jim Coffman

If the Cubs want more consistent production with the bats in the second half of the season, maybe just maybe they should reconsider the utterly ridiculous lineup they used over the weekend.
In particular, the placement of the team’s two worst on-base guys in the first and second spots in the order was mind-boggling.
Yo, Joe!

Read More

Posted on July 8, 2019

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

PECOTA comes home to roost. Plus: White Sox Ovah The Hump; Bulls Surprisingly Sign Serviceable Players; Blackhawks Surprisingly Sign Serviceable Players; Soccer’s Super Sunday; and The Fire Are Back!

Read More

Posted on July 5, 2019

By Baseball For All

Chicago Baseball and Educational Academy has teamed up with Baseball for All and Illinois Girls Baseball to bring Chicago its only girls baseball camp.
CBEA president and three-time All-Star Curtis Granderson is scheduled to meet Wednesday with Baseball for All founder Justine Siegel during Granderson’s Grand Kids Foundation Baseball Camp to celebrate their partnership. Their camp is set to be held one night a week for six weeks this October and November.

Read More

Posted on July 5, 2019

By John Affleck/The Conversation

The great basketball writer Jackie MacMullan recently stood at the front of a hotel ballroom in Tampa taking questions after collecting a career achievement award from the Association for Women in Sports Media.
I was in the audience that day. Initially, the questions focused on her early days in basketball as a reporter. But then someone brought up a series of stories MacMullan had written for ESPN last summer on NBA players’ mental health problems. MacMullan called it “probably the most important thing I’ve ever done,” and a nearly 10-minute discussion followed.

Read More

Posted on July 3, 2019

By PointsBet

PointsBet, a premier global sportsbook operator, announced this week that it has entered into a 20-year partnership with Hawthorne Race Course, a Chicago-area landmark and the longest continuously run family-owned racetrack in North America.
The partnership is highlighted by the launch of a premium retail sportsbook operation, which will bring legalized sports betting to the Chicago area. PointsBet and Hawthorne Race Course will work in tandem to build a world-class, multi-faceted sports entertainment venue centrally located on the property of the historic racecourse following licensure by the Illinois Gaming Board.

Read More

Posted on July 3, 2019

By Jim Coffman

It turns out the NL Central isn’t as strong as advertised. The mediocre Cubs are still atop it, after all, tied with the Brewers for first place with a 45-39 record, the worst mark among all division leaders.
With the loss to the Reds on Sunday, the Cubs have now dropped five consecutive road series’. The loss also left them under .500 for the month of June, their first month with a losing record since May 2017.
After that game, the team seemed to push back against the notion that this is their new normal. But at some point, you have to come to grips with the fact that maybe you aren’t as good as you think you are.

Read More

Posted on July 1, 2019