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| BrendanMcKillip.com brendan mckillip's daily journal |
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daily journal
Time to Start Waiting 'Til Next Year When the Rockies won last night, the Chicago Cubs were officially eliminated from making the playoffs in any fashion. So now the countdown to next year can begin. To commemorate the event, the Chicago Tribune put together this graphic to highlight the Cubs 101-year World Series drought.  Just wait 'til next year. The Cubs will be great. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 1:21 PM | permanent link
The Fat Lady Is Singing I didn't turn the Cubs game on last night until the 5th inning. At that point the Cubs were losing (at home) to the Washington Nationals (the worst team in the league) by the score of 9 - 1. The first thought that came into my head, "It's over." And I wasn't thinking about that night's game. Though that proved to be true as well, as the Cubs limped along to lose 15 - 6.  No, I figured that if it's the end of August and your trailing the division leader by 9 games and your losing to the worst team in the majors by 8 runs in the 5th inning, then your season, for all intents and purposes, is over.The 2009 Cubs are over. They won't win the division, the Cardinals are too good and are playing too well right now. The Cubs don't stand a chance for the wild card. They are 8.5 games back in that race to teams that have played consistently better baseball all season. Lou Piniella keeps saying that the team just needs to put together a good winning streak and they'll be right back in the hunt for the division title. I'd like a little bit of whatever Piniella is smoking or drinking. Cubs haven't won more than 5 in a row all season - and that only happened once or twice. When you're 9 games out you gonna need a bigger winning streak than 5 to even make it look like a race. The Chicago Tribune published a little factoid in their print edition (I couldn't find it online) that showed what the Cubs would have to do down the stretch (and how the Cardinals would have to play) if Piniella and the boys wanted to win the division. In other words, the Trib did the math on the prospects for the remainder of the Cubs' season. The result doesn't look good. Regardless of how the Cards play, the Cubs pretty much have to play near or above .700 ball over the next six weeks. I don't think anyone who has followed the Cubs this season believe that this is possible. They've basically been a .500 club all summer. Why would things suddenly change in September? I will still watch games through to the end, but at this point I'm calling the Cubs season over. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 4:21 PM | permanent link
Cardinals Acquire Holliday Yesterday the St. Louis Cardinals sent a bunch of minor league prospects to the Oakland A's for outfielder Matt Holliday. Holliday gives the Cards another big bat and someone to slot in behind Albert Pujois in their lineup for some protection. The trade was just one of a few moves the Cards have made this season to keep their team competitive and position themselves to hold off the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs in a weak NL Central Division. What have the Cubs done to try and catch the Cards - which they are currently only 1 games behind? Nothing. They send guys to the DL. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 8:58 PM | permanent link
5 Things I Think I can take a little more time in the morning. Sleep in a little more. Have a less annoying drive. It's the little things.  The Cupola will be part of the Tranquility node that will be installed in early 2010 and will provide astronauts a unique view outside of the space station. Let�s get over it. I agree that in hindsight the trade is looking bad right now, but I grow tired of the fawning over DeRosa that still goes on in this town. The film was certainly big in a DeMille sort of way, and fun to watch � especially the parts where the film dealt with the real ins and outs of running a circus. But I can�t understand how the Academy handed the award to The Greatest Show with all its camp and non-existent plot when it had High Noon or The Quiet Man to also choose from that year. Labels: 5 Things I Think, Chicago Cubs, classic movies posted by Brendan | 12:57 PM | permanent link
Yes, the Cubs Are Crappy Too I love this quote in today's Chicago Tribune. "White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was asked why attendance was so low at the Sox-Dodgers series, and said: 'Because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans. They know we're (expletive).'"Ozzie went on to remark that the only reason people go to watch the Cubs at Wrigley Field is because "Wrigley Field is just a bar." It's a sentiment I've heard before and have always take exception to. I am a fan of the Cubs and enjoy watching their games because I was raised a Cubs fan and like watching baseball. Not because the Cubs' ballpark is essentially a beer garden or I'm stupid. And I think any Cubs / baseball fan could you tell you that this Cubs team is performing dramatically below expectations based on the team's talent. We don't need Ozzie to point that out. Labels: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox posted by Brendan | 12:21 PM | permanent link
Ozzie Tempting Fate See what happens when you mess with Cubs fans before the game . . .  You get beat Labels: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox posted by Brendan | 1:56 PM | permanent link
All the Young Talent is in Chicago  When I read earlier this week that Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg was named as one of the three Calder Trophy finalists for the 2009-09 NHL season, it reminded me that not only did Patrick Kane win the award for the outstanding rookie player in the NHL last year for the Blackhawks, but that fellow line-mate Jonathan Toews was a finalist for the trophy as well. I know that the Blackhawks have a lot of great young talent, but having three guys in two years being recognized as the tops of top says to me that the Blackhawks have a bumper crop of great players. Then it occurred to me that the Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose was just honored as the NBA�s 2008-09 Rookie of the Year and that Geovany Soto of the Chicago Cubs is the reigning National League Rookie of the Year for 2008. Plus, Chicago White Sox infielder Alexei Ramirez finished second in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year balloting in 2008. What about the Chicago Bears? Running Back Matt Forte was named one of the five finalists for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2008, and now the Bears have Jay Cutler, a Pro Bowl selection in his third season.That a lot of great young talent in pro sports in this city. If the respective players and their teams are managed well (and stick around), Chicago could be in for a number of years of competitive and exciting pro sports teams. That�s pretty exciting. Labels: Chicago, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox posted by Brendan | 11:34 AM | permanent link
Opening Day in Chicago Technically the Cubs have been playing for a week; but today is Opening Day at Wrigley, so now the season officially starts.  With the success the team has enjoyed under Lou Piniella, it's sort of uncharted territory to go into a Cubs season actually expecting big things - but that's where I know I'm, and a lot of other Cubby-faithful, are at as this season gets rolling. We expect another Division Championship. We demand winning in the Playoffs. We anticipate a World Series appearance. Should make for an exciting summer. [image taken from my favorite Cubs-centric blog - Cubby-Blue] Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 8:45 AM | permanent link
White Sox AL Central Champs  The White Sox squeezed every last ounce out of the 2008 regular season, out lasting the Minnesota Twins 1-0 to win the one game playoff and the AL Central Division crown. The White Sox certainly didn't play their best baseball of the season over the last two weeks of September, but the won when it counted. Hopefully now the Sox can extend their mini-winning streak into the post-season when they meet the Tampa Bay Devil Rays this Thursday. The Chicago Cubs are my Chicago baseball team of choice, but I can't help be excited about the success of the White Sox. I will be pulling for the Sox as long as they don't end up in the World Series with the Cubs. Then I'll be looking for them to wilt and make way for the Cubs to be World Champions. It's hard to believe that both the Cubs and the White Sox are both Division champs and in the MLB post-season. This is uncharted territory for Chicago baseball fans. But certainly is fun. Labels: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox posted by Brendan | 9:37 PM | permanent link
Cubs NL Central Champs - Again  The Chicago Cubs just clinched their second consecutive NL Central Division championship by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4. I didn't get to watch the game because I was out playing paintball, but I did make it home in time to see some of the celebrations at Wrigley Field. It was a good thing seeing all those players covered in champagne. It means the first step is complete, three more to go.  A nice way to celebrate and to prepare for the post season might be to get a hold of Eddie Vedder's new song, �Go All The Way�.Vedder wrote and recorded the new Cub anthem at the request of Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. There is an official download of the song available at the Pearl Jam website that will run you $.99, or you can get the bootleg version for free. (I've gotten both, and frankly think the $.99 is worth it.) Now lets see if the White Sox can follow suit and join the Cubs in the post-season. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 6:08 PM | permanent link
Z Throws No Hitter  Because Hurricane Ike was disrupting the Cubs-Astros series in Houston, TX, I lost all track of when and where those games were being rescheduled. I read so many different reports between Thursday and Saturday that I had no idea what MLB was doing about those games. So I was pretty shocked to see this headline pop-up this evening:Zambrano throws no-hitter for Cubs No only did the Cubs already play a rescheduled game against the Astros (the first of two game scheduled to be played in Milwaukee instead of Houston), but Carlos Zambrano pitched the first Cubs no-hitter in 36 years as Cubs rolled over the Astros 5-0. Wow. I wish I had known that the game was being played. I could have used it, and Z's fantastic performance, to wash away the disappoint of the Bears game earlier in the day. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 10:04 PM | permanent link
Cubs Beat Cardinals! I love MLB's Gameday  Cubs beat the Cardinals in 11 innings when Henry Blanco hits a single with the bases loaded. I didn't get to watch it or hear the radio call of the play, but I least "saw" it thanks to MLB Gameday. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 4:49 PM | permanent link
The Cubs Are Awesome  This season is almost too good to be true.The offense tears it up. The pitching shuts it down. And every game is exciting. I watched 3 of the 4 Cubs-Brewers games (missed this afternoon's 11-4 rout - Jim Edmonds is looking like an inspired pick-up) and it was like watching playoff baseball - I was that invested with what was going on. Based on the Cubs record away from Wrigley, I was hoping for just an even split with the Brew-crew. To have the Cubs sweep the series is almost unbelievable. But I love it. Now the Cubs can head back home to beat up on the Pirates and the Astros. And lets hope the good times continue to roll. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 9:17 PM | permanent link
Cubs Sweep White Sox I wish every game could be the Cubs versus the White Sox at Wrigley Field. The Cubs could go 162-0, Aramis Ramirez would hit 216 home runs, and Ryan Dempster would be 32-0.  And every game would end with a team of unicorns leaping over the scoreboard, farting their rainbows of victory for the Cubby faithful to bask in. Labels: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox posted by Brendan | 11:33 PM | permanent link
A Question in Need of an Answer The Chicago Sun-Times, the city�s bastion of hard news and sobering commentary, continues to ask the difficult questions: Which sports team has the hottest fans: Cubs or White Sox?  Before you vote for the obvious choice, make sure to at least review both galleries of user submitted photos. Labels: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox posted by Brendan | 8:47 PM | permanent link
I�m Just Saying . . .  I read this little factoid yesterday, but then forgot to bookmark it.Tracked it down today (luckily the Cubs won yesterday against the Padres, so it still holds true) so I could share. ESPN points out that the last time the Chicago Cubs entered the month of June with the best record in Major League Baseball was 1908 � the year they last won the World Series. Is history ready to repeat itself? Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 9:53 PM | permanent link
June Swoon in May?  I guess the fast start for the Cubs in April means the traditional Cubs June Swoon has to start earlier. How else to explain losing eight of their last eleven games, including last night�s 5 � 3 groaner against the Cincinnati Reds that wasted a strong outing from Ryan Dempster.I missed most of the game last night, so I didn�t have to suffer through the two errors that lead to the Reds 5 runs. But I did get to grind my teeth in frustration while the Cubs loaded the bases twice � TWICE � in the ninth inning and failed to produce a single run. While I appreciate Mike Fontenot�s spunk in trying to score from third on a wild pitch, you gotta make sure the ball is rolling more than 10 feet from home plate before you commit to charging. In that situation � bases loaded, Ryan Theriot probably going to get a walk, and Derrick Lee up next, all with only one out on the board � you have to be more conservative in your decisions. Here�s hoping the Cubs start to get back on track this evening when they take the field against the Reds again. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 12:25 PM | permanent link
Cubs Win #10,000  The pitching didn't help them tonight - Rich Hill looked less than stellar and Kerry Wood gave up a 2-out single followed by a 2-out triple to lose the save the opportunity - but the Cubs offesnse continued to roll as the beat the Colorado Rockies in 10 innings, 7-6, to win the franchise's 10,000th game.The Cubs are only the second MLB team to reach such a milestone (The New York/San Francisco Giants are the other). Of course 10,000 victories don't mean a whole lot when you haven't won a World Series in 100 years. Let's hope the winning ways continue through the spring and summer and late into the fall. I'd love to see the same year that the Cubs hit the 10,000 win milestone be the same year they win a penant and a World Series ring. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 11:21 PM | permanent link
Classic Cubbie T-Shirt Son and Heir Apparel is a Chicago-based online retailer selling vintage-inspired sports clothing. Most of the offerings are for the Cubs, Sox, and Bears, but they have a few items for the Brewers and some of those teams out East. And on the homepage it looks like they've got plans to add even more teams. My favorite is this one announcing the popular double-play combination for the Chicago Cubs back in the early 90's.  Labels: Chicago, Chicago Cubs, Sports posted by Brendan | 11:56 AM | permanent link
Own a Little Chicago History This is crazy cool.  I was reading through the Cubby-Blue blog, and his post today Tim Souers passes along an interesting story and information on how anyone can obtain some obscure (if tangential) Cubs memorabilia.Apparently when William Wrigley purchased the Cubs back in the 1920�s, he was looking for a new logo to adorn his team with. At the time he belonged to the Chicago Athletic Association, one of Chicago�s oldest private social clubs. The CAA used a red "C" surrounded by a blue circle as its logo. Wrigley liked the look of the logo, so he decided to adopt it for his ballclub. Fast forward almost ninety years. The CAA shuts its doors for the final time, and little store called POSH bought up the club�s remaining china and silver. What makes this notable is that the china is marked with the CAA logo � the same logo (more or less) that the Cubs use today. POSH is selling everything they obtained from the CAA, so here�s a chance to own not only some Chicago history, but a little Chicago Cub history as well. Labels: Chicago, Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 9:57 PM | permanent link
Opening Day! Hey! Hey! It's opening day here in Chicago. The weather doesn't look like it will cooperate, but maybe - just maybe - the Cubs will get their first game in today. I will be trying to follow the game from work, but considering the increasingly draconian website blocking practices of the company I work for, I'm not sure how feasible that will be. I'm not trying to get streaming video, but MLB has a nice gamecast that gives continuous pitch-by-pitch updates. It's great for quick check-ins, but doesn't distract me from doing my work.  None the less, I'm looking forward to this Cubs season. Sports Illustrated has picked them to win the NL pennant. Which means this is either going to be a fantastic season or a horrible disappointment. Either way, as long as the Cubs are fun and exciting to watch, I'll be there. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 8:59 AM | permanent link
Pie Nut Update  Following up on a story I shared last week concerning Chicago Cubs' outfielder Felix Pie and his . . . um, groin problem.Apparently young Felix's testicle was not able to untwist itself. Therefore Felix had to go under the knife for some corrective surgery. The Chicagoist untangles the whole story for us, with probably more details than I needed to know. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come for the Cubs. Labels: Chicago Cubs, oddities posted by Brendan | 10:05 PM | permanent link
Why Would You Admit That?  Looks like the Cubs are already in mid-season form - at least when it comes to player injuries.From the Chicago Cubs website: The Cubs have had a variety of injuries this spring. So far, infielder Mark DeRosa was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat, pitcher Jose Ascanio had a bruised face after getting punched in a robbery attempt, and outfielder Felix Pie missed a couple of days early because of a twisted testicle. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez remains sidelined with a sore right shoulder.Did you notice what sidelined Felix Pie? A twisted testicle. A twisted testicle. While I don't want to consider the "how it got twisted" or the "how it was un-twisted,"I can't help but wonder why the Cubbies didn't make up some other groin-like injury to report for poor Felix. It's humiliating enough that he got his nuts in a bind, but then they had to announce it to the world? Give the guy a break Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 12:52 PM | permanent link
Is That Fat Lady Warming Up?  I went to bed last night after the Cubs' half of the fifth inning. Alfonso Soriano had got on base with a little blooper single, but that was followed by a parade of three Cubs hitters who failed to do anything. Fly-outs by Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee, then Aramis Ramirez strikes out. 1-2-3 and the Cubs left another man on base and still trailed 6 - 2. It was 11pm and I had had enough. I stayed up for the whole game Wednesday night and didn't feel like losing more sleep over a team that looked like they were already sleeping on the field. Checking the scores and reports this morning, I realized I didn't miss much. Anothe Cubs loss. 8-4. Now the Cubs are down two games to nothing, and have to pull out a three-game win streak in order to keep their penant hopes alive. Maybe the hometown cookin' will help, but my confidence is a shaken. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 10:10 AM | permanent link
Figuring Out What Ails Him I�ve noticed recently that my brother-in-law appears to be out of sorts. Whether its emails to my sister admitting his fears of suburban life or angry comments left on my blog, he just doesn�t seem like the happy-go-lucky guy I know. At first I thought that being part of the McKillip family and our devilishly good looks, razor sharp wit, and affinity for cake, had started to wear him down. My sister and Patrick have been married for 12 or 13 years now. A lesser man than Patrick would have cracked long ago in the presence of my sister's glow for that many years. But then this morning I think I stumbled up on the real reason for Patrick's apparent malaise.  Yep, his beloved White Sox really didn�t deliver this year. Meanwhile, what are the McKillip Family-endorsed Chicago Cubs doing right now? That's right, they won their division and are back in the post season. Maybe next season. But look on the bright side of the situation, with TBS� goofy-ass scheduling, you can get plenty of good sleep over the next few nights while us Cubs fans stay up late to watch Piniella and the boys beat down the Diamondbacks. Labels: Chicago, Chicago Cubs, Fun posted by Brendan | 11:04 AM | permanent link
NL Central Division Champs - Chicago Cubs The Cubs victory over the Cincinati Reds finished too early for me to watch it on TV, but I saw the Cubs "clinch" the division later while watching the Padres put away the Brewers. Then I flipped over to watch some of the Cubs' clubhouse celebration on the local networks.  Good times. But I can't really get too excited until they start winning in the post-season. Division champs are good, but what everyone wants is a World Championship. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 7:44 AM | permanent link
Oh, The Shame Found this illustration on the Chicago Tribune. I thought it was a perfect way to sum up my reaction to seeing the Florida Marlins sweep the poor Cubbies.  Thanks to the Brewers' loss the Cubs moved closer to winning the division, but you don't want to see the team sliding like this as the playoffs approach. Or worse, they slide far enough to lose the division crown to the Brewers.Here's hoping Ted Lilly and the team can put things away in Cincinnati tonight. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 12:35 PM | permanent link
Piniella-Gram I like the idea, though I think the Tribune's execution of it is poor. Click on Sweet Lou to go hear the coach commenting on the Cubs' chances in the post-season.  Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 12:51 PM | permanent link
Cubs in First Place  Considering how the Chicago Cubs were playing back in April and May, seeing them in first place of the Central Division was not something I planned on seeing this summer. Yet that's where they sit now, even after losing to the Philly's yesterday 10-6.The Cubs have been the hottest team in baseball since Sweet Lou Piniella blew up during a game back at the beginning of June. Since then they have been nearly unstoppable. Honestly, I didn't start paying attention to the Cubs again until mid-July, so disgusted was I with their play during the first two months of the season. I forgot exactly when I noticed that the Cubs were playing well and moving up the standings, but I think it was after Zambrano won his tenth game and was working on becoming the National League's first 11-game winner. I know this may make me sound like a fair-weather fan, but the Cubs appeared so inept in May that I didn't feel like ruining my free time watching/listening to the Cubs lose again. I watch them plenty when they are middling team, floundering around .500. But that's not a concern now. They are playing well and generating excitement. Starting today the Cubs face a strong challenge as the NL-leading New York Mets come to Wrigley. If the Cubs can take 2 of 3 from the Mets, I think it will put the Cubs in good position as they march into the last two months of the season. Labels: Chicago Cubs posted by Brendan | 12:51 PM | permanent link
Cubby-Blue Cubby-Blue is one of the most original ideas for a blog I've seen in a long time. Tim Souers publishes his illustrations, along with a few comments, as an online journal of how he sees the current Chicago Cub season progressing. Definitely more interesting than reading another yahoo's 3,000 word rant on why the Cubs need to drop Marc Prior.  Labels: Chicago Cubs, Illustration posted by Brendan | 11:34 PM | permanent link
Act of Cubbie Kindness? My evening train ride home is always capped off with a hunt through the vast train station parking lot in search of my car. I usually have approximate knowledge of where I had parked that morning, so I will start out headed in the general direction of where I expected to find my car. The parking lot is too large to remember an exact location. I just point myself towards a vague point in the parking lot horizon and start walking. Eventually I spot my car. The process hasn�t led me astray yet. There aren�t any other �96 dark green Plymouth Neons at the Route 59 parking lot. However, this past Tuesday evening I thought I had stumbled upon a second Neon which was parking in my general parking area.  From a couple rows back I had spotted my green Neon while walking through the parking lot. But as I got closer to the vehicle I noticed that there was a tiny Chicago Cubs flag attached to the Neon�s antennae. The Neon doesn�t have a Cubs flag on it. It must be a different green Neon with paint slowly wearing off the rear bumper and a WXRT sticker in the read window, was my immediate thought.I walked up to the car and looked inside. Yep, that was the Neon that I had drive to the station that morning. And I was 99% sure there wasn�t a little flag on the antennae when I left the house that morning. Where did the Cubs flag come from? I looked around to see if other vehicles had similar flags. Maybe it was part of a guerilla marketing tactic, like when the Korean Church stuffs copies of their newspaper under everyone�s wiper blades. But I don�t see another Cubs flag anywhere. My Neon is the only car sporting a tiny little blue flag. I gave up thinking about it for the moment, got in the car, and went home. That night at dinner I asked Heather if she had snuck the flag onto the car as a surprise. She swore up and down that she did not. The kids certainly didn�t do. It�s a solid little flag. Real sturdy. Based on some searching I did on the web today at lunch, it looks like the flag goes for $6. So where did it come from? Did somebody just feel like giving the flag away as a gift and my Neon�s antennae was the closest one nearby? Is it actually a covert tracking device, silently sending back the Neon�s location via GPS relay? Have I been tagged by other drivers from the Route 59 train station because of my driving practices � they want to see where I am so they can get out of my way / block me from leaving? It�s an interesting mystery. Labels: Chicago Cubs, Fun posted by Brendan | 1:26 PM | permanent link
Zell Buys Tribune, Cubs To Be Sold One of the bigger stories in Chicago recently has been the Tribune Company and its future. The Tribune Company has been in growing financial trouble for the last few years as they have struggled to adapt to the influence of the Internet in the world of media presentation. There have been all sorts of speculation on how the company would right itself. There has been talk of everything from breaking the company up into its component parts (newspaper, TV, the Chicago Cubs, etc) for sale to a massive corporate restructuring.  In the last month the talk had focused on a sale of the company as two potential buys of the Tribune Company had emerged; Sam Zell, a Chicago multi-billionaire and real estate guru with ever more personality than money, and Los Angeles billionaires Ronald Burkle and Eli Broad. Both buyers were presenting similar deals that would take the Tribune Company private in an employee stock option plan that I didn�t completely understand. The Tribune had set a self-imposed deadline of the end of March to make a decision on the future of the company, and then spent this past weekend considering the offers on the table. Woke up this morning to see this top headline on the company�s flagship newspaper�s website: Not only had Zell managed to take over the company, the Tribune announced that at the end of the 2007 baseball season they would be putting the Chicago Cubs up for sale. The Zell announcement didn�t really surprise me. I had been following the story in different papers and he seemed to have the inside track, but the Cubs sale did catch me a little off guard. There had been growing talk of the Tribune putting the For Sale sign out in front of Wrigley Field, but I didn�t really think they would divest themselves of such a proven money maker. Shows what I know. However, I can�t say that I�m not happy to hear that the Cubs will be owned by someone new in 2008. The Tribune turned the Cubs into a highly profitable franchise, not because of the product on the baseball diamond � but despite it. Cubs fans have been teased frequently enough with the potential for greatness over the years to keep us interested and putting down cash for tickets, beer, shirts, and hats, while the Tribune kept costs down and counted the money as it rolled in. Hopefully a new owner won�t just see a cash cow but also the possibility of building a team that they can be proud of owning. A team that wins multiple Division crowns and maybe goes to the World Series more than once a century. That�s what I would like. There�s a possibility that this new owner could be Mark Cuban. He�s expressed interest in buying the Cubs before. Plus, in Dallas with the NBA�s Mavericks he�s proven that he doesn�t buy a professional team to make money, but to build a winner. Sure Cuban is outspoken and seems a bit unstable at times, but isn�t that exactly what the Cubs could use to shake off the moss of 100 years of stagnation? I think so. (And so do some other Cub Fans) Cuban and the Cubs seem like a good fit to me.On the flip side, how will Zell�s acquisition of the Tribune � a business that Zell has practically no experience in � affect that company? I have really no idea. What I do know is Zell is a shred cost-cutter and will get the company�s overhead down as quickly as possible. He might move and sell off the different portions of the company � like how the Cubs are being put up on the auction block immediately. Who knows? But it will certainly be interesting to watch. Labels: Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, News, Sports posted by Brendan | 8:45 AM | permanent link
Why Bother?  I haven't paid any attention to Spring Training this year. So while this might be known to most, it was news to me (though not surprising).From a Chicago Tribune story: MESA, Ariz. -- With Kerry Wood expected to join Mark Prior on the disabled list to start the season, the Cubs' bullpen depth is questionable.Hasn't this gone on long enough? Why do the Cubs insist on keeping these two broken down horses in the stable. Maybe they can rehabilitate themselves - someday - but I don't think it's going to happen in a Chicago Cub uniform. Whether it's bad management or a one hundred year curse, I would be shocked - shocked - to see either of these guys return to their 2003 glory. Even a shadow of what they used to have on the mound would be encouraging. Hell, if one of them could actually get to the mound in Wrigley I would consider it a success. The fact of the matter is the Cubs have been carrying these guys for years now without them contributing at all to the team and I think it's time to let them go. Steve Rosenbloom gets it right in his blog when he makes the statement that Wood and Prior are nothing but a distraction to the team. Unload these guys and lets move on. Labels: Chicago Cubs, Rant, Sports posted by Brendan | 12:52 PM | permanent link |
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