By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
No. Plus: Downstate Warriors; Canada’s House of Plastic; The White Sox Are Still Playing; The Cubs’ Buzzy Bullpen; Cappy & Pokey; and The U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Has Best Week In History.
Posted on June 12, 2015
TrackNotes: American Pharoah’s Long Strange Trip
By Thomas Chambers
Triple Crown champion American Pharoah wasted no time in galloping on out of Elmont, New York, and was on the road well before noon Sunday to get back to his home base, Churchill Downs.
Looking every bit the returning hero, ‘Pharoah landed back in Louisville to greet a group of reporters.
After watching ‘Pharoah’s run-out after the wire in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, it wasn’t very surprising to hear trainer Bob Baffert talk of ‘Pharoah’s recovery from the race.
“He’s a little tired, but we’re probably more tired,” Baffert said with a grin. “He’s so tough, a couple days and he’ll be back to normal.
Posted on June 11, 2015
Coffman: It’s Not OK, Blackhawks Fans
By Jim Coffman
Hawk hangovers suck.
And a sizable portion of the fandom has a big one this morning.
I’ll leave it up to the local TV “news” cheerleaders to tell the fans it’s OK, this series Is still far from over, the Hawks trailed 2-1 against the Ducks too and look what happened there. Tune into any local newscast in the 24 hours after a Hawks loss these days and you can feel the raw determination to reassure the populace: All is not lost!
And all is not lost of course. But the Hawks lost a game they shouldn’t have in large part because they failed to cash in on enough of their scoring chances in the first period.
Posted on June 9, 2015
Try The Whitefish
By Roger Wallenstein
Mediocrity. Five lifeless syllables leaving a residue of emptiness. Ten emotionless letters that connote neither high nor low, good nor bad, elation nor sadness.
A mediocre movie review of two stars elicits no buzz, but, hey, if the theater is close by on a nondescript Monday night, maybe you’ll check it out. Two-and-a-half stars on a Yelp restaurant critique won’t create a half-hour wait. And telling your spouse that his or her spaghetti sauce is “just OK” might land you in the guest bedroom for the night.
Mediocrity is not something to be admired. We don’t strive to be mediocre. We want to be skillful, successful and confident about a job well done. Mediocrity is better than failure, but it’s close.
Posted on June 7, 2015
Left Out
By Marty Gangler
I am having a hard time remembering a season like this one for the Cubs. Sure, they’ve never had these types of young guys before, but it’s still different beyond that. And while there is no doubt that the Cubs certainly have not had too many winning seasons moving into the second week of June, they’ve had a handful over the years. I think it has to be the fact that this roster is so fluid. From day to day the only thing you can bank on is Rizzo at first and Fowler in center. And even then you aren’t sure where Rizzo will bat in the order.
There’s a second baseman who didn’t start the year at second and could be the starting shortstop, and a third baseman who looks great but could easily be moved to the outfield for the rest of the year by next week – not to mention a shortstop who could be traded, and a handful of outfielders who could be out of baseball next week, or starting every game the rest of the season. It’s kind of madness.
And now with a handful of interleague games on the way, they could bring up someone completely different from the minors to play. I’ve mentioned a flawed and unfinished roster in the past, but maybe this is just what happens with a manager like Joe Maddon? I don’t even know. Not to mention the closer role is up for grabs now. Is there even a 6th, 7th or 8th inning guy now? Does Joe even know? Is this by design? I don’t know, but I do know that this isn’t even close to the end of what is going to happen. It’s really been an interesting season.
Posted on June 7, 2015
TrackNotes: American Pharoah Thrills And Chills
By Thomas Chambers
I have learned that you are not really prepared for this.
Able to process it, understand the moment. Inured over 37 years that it will not happen. Armored against it, the disappointment. Smarty Jones did that to me.
Then it happened.
American Pharoah took a highly entertaining two minutes, 26 and three-fifths seconds to win a race, and to chisel his name on the tablets of history.
Posted on June 7, 2015
The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #54: The Exquisitely Boring Blackhawks
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
All the drama is on the ice. Plus: Extensive Bulls Coaching Search Turns Up Fred Hoiberg; Most Boring Manager In World Manages Most Boring Team; Cubs Make Kind Of Play They Never Make; How The Triple Crown Is Like The Cubs; and Get Sepp!
Posted on June 5, 2015
TrackNotes: Beatable & Bettable
By Thomas Chambers
Show me another sport where champions are determined the way they are in horse racing: by splitting the players into ages, gender, specialties and playing surfaces, and then having a motley collection of three organizations, only one of which actually counts horsemen as members, vote to see who’s best.
Then gather those voters in a cheesy Florida or California hotel ballroom, where they can drink moderately expensive Champagne and, nearly all of them, with no athletic expenditure of their own, distribute trophies among themselves and take lots of credit. I say, well done, Squire!
Posted on June 4, 2015
SportsMondayWednesday: Stanley Cup Preview
By Jim Coffman
Others will provide you with the position-by-position match-ups, the careful calibrations of which team has which advantages heading into Hawks versus Lightning and finally a prediction of what will happen.
Hold on a second, I can certainly do the prediction part. Here it is: Hawks in 6. But I then have to admit, that is my prediction because that is what I want to happen.
But beware of those delightful analysts who go on and on about what is going to happen, get it wrong and then without fail come back and do it again the next week.
Posted on June 3, 2015
Fantasy Fix: Year Of The Rookie
By Dan O’Shea
Cubs fans may feel they have the market cornered on rookie fantasy studs, what with Kris Bryant and Addison Russell in the same lineup, and Bryant already a top 40 fantasy value and Russell a near must-start at a shallow position.
However, 2015 is quickly becoming the Year of the Rookie. Fantasy team owners in recent years have become more aggressive scouting and picking up top prospects before they see much MLB playing time – often before they see any. But, this year in particular, those early birds are getting . . . lots of worms. (Sorry, trying not to break my metaphor.)
Posted on June 2, 2015