The Weekend Desk Report

The Cubs are in the playoffs. Me and Jim "Coach" Coffman talk about it and you should listen:

The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #71: Kiddie Kubs Get Playoff Audition. Invited to cute play-in game. Plus: Inside Coach Coffman's Castle; The Immorality Of Daily Fantasy And Their Native Radio Announcer Advertising Tools; Jerry Reinsdorf's Pet Cemetery; The Ridiculous Resurrection Of Jay Cutler; The Bulls Are Back Dragging D-Rose's Baggage Around; and the Positive Coaching Alliance.

This is a particularly fun one; Coach is on fire. I'm reading books on the side just to keep up.

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About the Cubs' opponent, from Louisa Thomas at Grantland:

"Pittsburgh boasts one of the best outfields, best bullpens, and best rotations in the game. The Pirates have pitching talent to spare, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte. They have young players and old ones, phenoms and steady contributors, homegrown talent and one particularly fantastic international star. The front office is savvy with stats, and it's built a team that is balanced. And to show for it, the Pirates have the second-best record in baseball - and the best for most of the season, following a dismal first month and a half. But the Pirates don't have a great chance of making it into the division series, let alone playing for the World Series."

See also: The Cub-ler-Ross Model: How Pirates Fans Can Cope With Wild-Card Angst.

Although the writing device of using the five stages of grief really ought to be retired.

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Also from Grantland: Rizzo's Revenge: A New, Clutch-Driven Way To Look At Baseball's MVP Debate.

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Finally, let's acknowledge that the Bears play the Raiders on Sunday. Here's one more Grantland offering: From Marinovich To Russell To Carr: Have The Raiders Finally Found Their Quarterback?

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As you read these pieces, ask yourself why modern newspaper sports sections don't look like Grantland. Answer: The old shall not lead the new. You will never shake the complacency, arrogance and ignorance out of the kind of editors and reporters who still proudly tweet out photos of their print articles and cover designs with their archaic columns and dumbshit punny unclickable headlines.

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P.S.: This was a nice way to open the Twins' game story today from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"It took nine gloomy innings for 2016 to arrive. Chris Young limited the Twins to one run on four lousy singles, Glen Perkins gave up a pair of run-scoring hits, and playoff fever was broken at Target Field when Kansas City walked away with a 3-1 victory that leaves the Twins staring at wild-card oblivion."

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I submit to you: There is only one world-class sportswriter in Chicago.

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The Sound Opinions Weekend Listening Report: "London Calling, the double-album masterpiece by British punk band The Clash, recently celebrated its 35th anniversary. Jim and Greg pay it tribute with a Classic Album Dissection. Then they review the new albums by electronic duo Disclosure and rock icon Keith Richards."

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Weekend BeachBook

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Weekend TweetWood

Asked about post-Cabinet plans, Arne Duncan said he'll fight to keep high-stakes tests and the Common Core far from the U of C Lab Schools.

— Matt Farmer (@mifarmer) October 3, 2015

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US has been in Afghanistan so long, easy to forget it does horrific shit every single day even when not bombing hospitals.

— fire tom friedman (@firetomfriedman) October 3, 2015

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Breaking: #WhiteSox announce Robin Ventura to continue getting outmanaged in 2016.

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) October 3, 2015

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The Weekend Desk Tip Line: Blank space.

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