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.”

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Posted on July 1, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

Let’s all take a deep breath and let it out gently. There. That’s better. The 15-game journey, the saga that would be a reasonable yardstick from which to measure the progress of these White Sox, closed out Sunday at a soggy Grate much like it began more than two weeks ago.
Of course, we’re talking about 15 games against five teams, including three division leaders, currently boasting a .593 winning percentage. Starting with a stirring 5-4 comeback victory against the mighty Yankees and ending Sunday with a tough 4-3 win over the Twins, Rick Renteria’s outfit gave a credible account of itself by winning seven of the 15 contests.
The season now is right at its halfway point, and the Sox, standing at 39-42, are a far different ballclub than a year ago when they were 28-53 on their way to 100 losses. Sox faithful, those days are ovah!

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Posted on July 1, 2019

By Thomas Chambers

In this horse racing thing, we’ve always known it’s a double life.
You either suppress the reality of the game and go along merrily, enjoying all the horses of their different colors. Or you catch the Emerald City parade and then look behind the wizards’ curtains and see and understand the chicanery, hypocrisy and outright deceit. Either way, it is very stressful, I will attest.
We have a very deep, serious dilemma here at TrackNotes. How on earth do we square the heart-raising jubilation and tears of joy for Secretariat’s final romp against the heart-stabbing pain, disgust and tears of the other kind for what man is doing to these nonpareil creatures of this earth?

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Posted on June 30, 2019