Category: Uncategorized
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A noisy news day..
The big news yesterday was supposed to center on which players were offered qualifying offers by their most recent employers. Guys like Cody Bellinger would still be free agents at the end of the day, but now the Cubs would get compensation in the form of a draft pick if Bellinger signs with a different…
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What have you done for me lately, Part 238
Earlier today, I tried talking a friend off the Cub fandom roof, or at least that’s what I thought I was doing. When my passionate Cub fan friend Cary complained remarked that Cody Bellinger gave the Cubs the pink slip, I reminded him that he could still negotiate a new deal with the team. I…
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A rose by any other name..
From what I heard on local sports talk radio this morning, the happiest people in Chicago are not Bears fans, but rather sports editors and those assigned with writing headlines. The Bears acquired a defensive lineman from Washington for some magic beans. Nobody has any idea how good Montez Sweat will be or how long…
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A postseason bonus
Because out of market papers aren’t sending their national beat writers to the World Series, fans get a heavy dose of random national writers. Most of the stories are pretty obvious and the particular authors have to put their own voices to their pieces. Believe me, it’s easier said than done. Many of the writers…
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The NFL hype machine..
There’s a fine line between promoting your product(s) and hyping garbage that passes for professional sports teams. In case you missed it, the two teams playing in this year’s World Series have a combined 174-150 regular season record. The press and MLB have been focusing on the lack of 100-game winners and a pair of…
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The World Series and choosing sides
It’s pretty easy this year if you are a fan of the Rangers or Diamondbacks, you roll with your boys. However, most baseball fans don’t root for either team, and unless you have serious money on the Series, you’re probably trying to figure on whom to root for. Extending one’s fandom beyond our favorite (and…
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Hitters have to hit, and pitchers still have to pitch, but
Not even the great betting mavens can predict when an ace will have an off day during the postseason, nor can they foresee a great offensive outburst from some career backup infielder. Stuff happens in baseball that nobody predicts, but the better managers put their teams in the best position to succeed. Certain managers have…
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Apples to apples
While the 162-game schedule is unique to MLB, it’s fair to make some comparisons with the other professional sports. We might even learn something along the way. While he wasn’t discussing the length of the season or the number of games that hockey players play within short periods of time, I appreciate Nick Foligno’s sentiments.…
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Forgive, but never forget..
Certain fanbases have a hard time forgetting especially painful moments in their collective histories. Some franchises are defined by losses more than World Series triumphs. Having spent enough time in Philadelphia, I’ve seen how Phillies fans haven’t forgotten 1964 despite having pocketed WS titles in 1980 and 2008. One would think that the Cubs 2016…
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Don’t sleep on Martin
If you avail yourself of the many baseball blogs or websites, you’ve probably seen stories suggesting “likely” scenarios for the upcoming LCS’s and World Series. Most of the stories are pretty predictable. There are only so many iterations to calculate. If you haven’t figured it out, the press will dictate the popular storylines-whether they do…
I'd rather be sitting in a ballpark. 