Chicago -
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
Someone get the young man some help. Plus: Viva La World Cup!; Rarity: Home Run Derby > All-Star Game; The Good/Bad News Cubs; White Sox Reportedly Still Playing; There Is A Thing Called The Chicago Pro Hockey League, And Jonathan Toews Is Playing In It; Coach Coffman Couldn’t Be More Excited About Bears Training Camp!; and Schweinsteiger!
Posted on July 20, 2018
By Craig Anderson/The Conversation
France has been crowned football champions of the world, after beating Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling World Cup final. Les Bleus timed their run to perfection, having been unconvincing in the group stage, with narrow wins over Australia and Peru and a draw with Denmark, but stepping it up in the knockout stages, sweeping aside Argentina, Uruguay, Belgium and Croatia to lift the trophy.
France’s success was all the more impressive given that they battled through what was widely considered to be the much tougher half of the draw. But how did their route to victory compare to previous World Cup winners?
Posted on July 18, 2018
By Steve Rhodes
One in an occasional series tracking the movements of those who have worn Cubbie blue.
1. Bill Mueller.
Mueller lost his job as the Cardinals’ assistant hitting coach in the purge of manager Mike Matheny and staff. Mueller hit .295 with a .403 OBP for the Cubs in 2001 and .266/.355 in 2002. He served as the Cubs’ hitting coach under Rick Renteria in 2014, then resigned after the season when the team fired his assistant, Mike Brumley. He was then picked up by the Cardinals.
Posted on July 18, 2018
By Roger Wallenstein
Few days pass when I don’t check the agate type in the sports section under “Deals” in the Sun-Times and “Transactions” in the Tribune. I can’t pinpoint the logic behind this impulse that draws me to investigate the minutiae that no one except the people involved care about, but I rarely miss a day.
Who possibly could be interested other than the athletes themselves in the roster changes in the Frontier League, an independent circuit with no big league affiliation? The new softball coach at Oklahoma Christian? Why is this information in my daily newspaper other than to fill space?
Most days I venture no farther than the comings and goings of major league ballplayers. I never watched the reality TV show made famous by “You’re fired!” but I can understand how that might have been compelling. Perusing the deals in baseball, some perverse instinct leads me to discover who in essence has been axed, terminated, or demoted.
Posted on July 16, 2018
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
Full of surprises. Plus: Cub Factors; The Return Of Rodon!; Matt Nagy Married His High School Sweetheart, Therefore He’s A Great Guy Who Will Lead The Bears To Glory; Beasting Up The Summer League; 7-Player Trade!; and Schweinsteiger!
Posted on July 13, 2018
By Jim Coffman
Good to see Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana step up for the Cubs the last two days. But at this point I think I might be able to shut out the Giants for three innings. And these days every time I try to make an overhand throw it feels like my arm is about to fall off.
This is a San Francisco lineup, after all, that recently scored all of three runs in three days – in Coors Field.
Of course, this is a Cubs lineup that was hot, hot, hot heading into this three-game series and then proceeded to score one run in 11 innings on Monday and was shut out for six frames by retread extraordinaire Derek Holland last night. The team finally broke through for a pair in the seventh and that held up for a big win.
Bottom line is if the Cubs can split their six games this week on the West Coast heading into the All-Star break, they should be thrilled. And they are a third of the way there heading into this afternoon finale with the Giants.
Posted on July 11, 2018
By John Affleck/The Conversation
Widespread, legalized sports gambling could change the way you watch your favorite sport.
It could also soon change how the media covers sports.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court in May gave states the option to allow sports betting, it seemed like a vast, untapped well of revenue had been opened. Until then, illegal sports wagering had been an industry worth about $150 billion a year.
Since the May ruling, Delaware and New Jersey have each implemented sports gambling, with Rhode Island, West Virginia and Mississippi not far behind. All of these states will be able to tax betting. Their casinos will be able to open sportsbooks to lure customers. And leagues are lobbying for a cut of each wager, though that hasn’t yet come to pass.
Lost in all this has been the question of how the sports media will respond.
Posted on July 10, 2018
By Roger Wallenstein
What’s in a name? When it comes to big league ballparks, it could be tradition, beer, insurance, banks, and a sampling of other businesses. With the exception of tradition – more than a notable ingredient of the game – all the others contribute to the teams’ bottom lines.
For a number of reasons, I’ve tried my best not to mention the moniker at 35th and Shields in the past year-and-a-half. For one, I was used to The Cell. In fact, it was kind of apropos the way the White Sox had been playing. Watching a game from the first to ninth inning too often created feelings of being institutionalized as the losses piled up. I knew no one who used U.S. Cellular. The company meant absolutely nothing to me. But The Cell was cool and not inaccurate. I miss it.
Posted on July 9, 2018
By Steve Rhodes
The continuing problem no one talks about anymore. Plus: I Predicted The World Cup’s Final Four; Mr. Cowley; The Blackhawks Signed Some Free Agents; White Sox Waiting Game Sucks; Land Of Boz; and Cubs Factors.
Posted on July 8, 2018
By Steve Rhodes
One in an occasional series tracking the movements of those who have worn Cubbie blue.
1. Luis Valbuena.
Valbuena has appeared in 75 games for the Angels this year with starts at first, second and third. His slash line is a meager .211/.254/.355 and he may not be long for this league. In his last season with the Cubs in 2014, his OBP was a healthy .341, and Theo Epstein felt he was an underappreciated player. As recently as 2016, he hit .260 with a .357 OBP for the Astros. He’s a career 8.7 WAR player, but has -.5 WAR this year.
Posted on July 3, 2018
