I'd rather be sitting in a ballpark.

Generally speaking when a team kneecaps another team the way the Cubs have done to the Reds the past two nights, it has lingering effects on the loser’s pitching staff. And while a couple Reds took one for the team, both losses will impact an already weak staff. The Cubs should be the beneficiary in…

It’s not because I am still in job-search mode, rather it’s because of the recent trade deadline. Media and fans are going to focus on those first few games or appearances(in the case of pitchers) when they gauge the success of a trade. I’m sure White Sox fans and Dodger fans have different feelings about…

The trade deadline has come and gone and 87,3% of the experts were completely wrong. Of course there will be fewer mea culpas than bags of Cracker Jacks eaten at Wrigley tonight. As I’ve been discussing with friends lately, it seems there were fewer quality major leaguers being swapped. The majority of trades were decent…

On the very day the Cubs reacquired Jeimer Candelario in a trade with the Nationals, I stumbled upon a 2013 scorecard from a Kane County Cougars-Clinton Lumberkings game. 2013 was the first of two seasons that the Low-A Cubs called Geneva, Il home. Four future major leaguers suited up for the Cougars that day-most notably…

Even when you’re old enough to not believe in Santa, there’s still an element of surprise on Christmas morning. After hearing the Cubs reacquired Jeimer Candelario in a trade with the Nationals, I hit the league site in search of other trades. The cost for the switch-hitting corner infielder was two minor leaguers of such…

The crowd heading into Neuroscience Group Field at Grand Chute, Wisconsin aka Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin. After a little bad luck and a sense of ennui, I finally made it back to a minor league game Sunday afternoon. It was an absolutely gorgeous day at the ballpark and we were treated to a…

I think most of us are sighing with relief. The Rangers went out and traded for Max Scherzer, the recipient of the 21st century Jack Morris award. I’d reference The Six shooter, Have Gun Will Travel or The Magnificent Seven, but that would be piling on. Even the most skeptical Mets fan couldn’t have seen…

I’ve decided to hold off on my post about today’s exciting minor league game I attended although I’m still upset by the pathetic bagel I got at Panera in Appleton. I went there specifically because I know what I’m getting. Which brings me to the Orioles-Yankees game I’m sort of watching on ESPN. Aren’t they…

Because we’re only days away from the official trade deadline, the importance of deals made at or right before are conflated. It’s a matter of proximity or recency bias. Historically, teams have made significant in-season moves months before the deadline that have had greater impact on pennant races (and beyond). Some trades have to be…

Ordinarily, it’s hard to get too worked up when a player announces his retirement from the game when he’s played for more than a few teams. It’s often harder to care when that player never played for your team. I think most sports fans appreciate when a player plays for one team his entire career-regardless…