By Steve Rhodes
Another in an occasional series about the movements of ex-Cubs.
1. Matt Szczur.
The Diamondbacks have signed Mr. Caesar to a minor-league deal and assigned him to the Triple-A Reno Aces.
Posted on December 27, 2018
The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #231: The Ryan Pace Narrative That Must End
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
Plus: Charles Leno’s Racist Fiancee; When Domestic Abuse Comes To Work; Are The Cubs The Next Blackhawks?; The Ricketts’ Are One Of America’s Worst Families; Jim Boilin’; and Rock Bottom: Population Blackhawks.
Posted on December 21, 2018
It’s Not Club Dub, Bub
By Jim Coffman
The Bears won the NFC North Division this year because their most talented and hard-working athletes, five of who were named first-team Pro Bowlers on Tuesday, have played great football for 14 games. And they won because of smart coaching from Matt Nagy, Vic Fangio, Harry Hiestand and all the rest. There was some good fortune mixed in as well.
They did not win because of chemistry.
Posted on December 19, 2018
The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #230: Bears Go For Cherry In John Hancock Bowl
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
It’s gonna really suck if they blow this game. Plus: Bulls’ Boylen Bonkers; The Bulls Aren’t Even The Worst Team In Town; One Of Us Is Dreaming Of A White Sox Christmas; Harold Gets Into Hall The Chicago Way; The Baseball Hall Of Fame Isn’t Even The Worst Hall Of Fame; Cubsland; and Is The Loyola Dream Over?
Posted on December 14, 2018
TrackNotes: Mom
By Thomas Chambers
One measure of time is B.C-slash-A.D.
In the racing game, you can carbon-date a horseplayer when he says “I SAW (horse name here)!”
It was the early 2000s, for sure, when I found the horses, for reasons I’ve shouted loudly and often.
It dawned on me that Arlington Park was a $5 train ride away, cheap (back then) to get in, and I might even be weighed down by winnings on the ride home.
“You’ve got a track right there, you should go,” my mother said.
Posted on December 14, 2018
The Ex-Cub Factor
By Steve Rhodes
One in an occasional series tracking the movements of former Cubs.
1. Luis Valbuena.
Via ESPN:
“CARACAS, Venezuela – Former major league players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo were killed in a car crash caused by highway bandits who then robbed them, officials said Friday.”
See also: Remembering Luis Valbuena, at 29:33 of The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #229.
Posted on December 11, 2018
Good For Harold
By Roger Wallenstein
As a kid my heroes were Fox, Aparicio and Miñoso. For my two sons, it was Harold. As in Baines, who was surprisingly voted into baseball’s Hall of Fame on Sunday by the 16 members of Today’s Game Era Committee, a group that was one of three begotten when the Veterans Committee was dissolved in 2010.
Twelve votes are required from committee members for admission to the Hall, and Harold garnered just that many. Cub reliever Lee Smith justifiably was a unanimous choice.
One can assume that Harold’s candidacy was bolstered by two committee members, Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Tony LaRussa, Baines’ manager for the first seven seasons of his 22-year career. But, c’mon people, as citizens of Chicago, what’s the big deal? Besides, this is more transparency than we usually get.
Posted on December 10, 2018
The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #229: Bears > Cubs
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
One loathsome family suddenly trying harder to win than the other. Plus: Remembering Luis Valbuena; The Biggest Cubs News Of The Week Happened In St. Louis; White Sox To The Rescue?; The Maddons Are Outta Here!; Holiday Bowling; Boca Raton Bowling; Bulls, Blackhawks Stinks; Stevie Sunshine Hit & Ran; and These Things About Fred Hoiberg Can All Be True At The Same Time.
Posted on December 7, 2018
The Ex-Cub Factor
By Steve Rhodes
Even in the offseason, ex-Cubs are on the move . . .
1. Eddie Butler.
Sent to the Rangers last July in the Cole Hamels trade, Butler rejected a minor-league assignment last month and just signed with the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization.
Posted on December 4, 2018
SportsMonday: Thanks, Bears
By Jim Coffman
The best way to react to the Bears’ 30-27 overtime loss to the Giants on Sunday? Mine is gratitude – gratitude for what is now 13 weeks of awesome football entertainment (this team was even entertaining during the bye week, baby!).
Yes, the Bears lost to a team they should beat four times out of five, even with a backup quarterback. And yes, we now begin to suspect that general manager Ryan Pace blew another quarterback evaluation when he signed Chase Daniel as Mitch Trubisky’s backup for 2018. At least throw a frickin’ spiral, man! (Although the one pass Daniel can make with consistency is the lofted wobbler to the amazing Tarik Cohen down the sideline. Then again I think the quarterback just fumbled again.)
Part of the gratitude is the fact that the 8-4 Bears still lead the division comfortably over a Viking (6-5-1) team that lost to the Patriots on Sunday night. And then there is the fact that the Bears aren’t the Packers, who have blown another season with Aaron Rodgers at the helm. This one is so embarrassing that the Cheeseheads just panicked and fired their 13-year head coach during the season, something they hadn’t done since 1953.
But I am most thankful that watching this Bears team is seriously fun. Matt Nagy’s inventive play-calling (and special teams coach Chris Tabor’s first potentially game-changing success!) almost enabled his team to come back and snatch a seriously unlikely victory back from the jaws of defeat Sunday afternoon.
Posted on December 3, 2018