Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
It’s not even fun to watch out of spite anymore.
Not when you’re being fed Brent Lillibridge and Alberto Gonzalez and – still – Alfonso Soriano and Scott Feldman.
Not when a minor-league catcher starts at third and ends up on the DL because he swung too hard in the game’s final play.
Posted on April 15, 2013
By Jim Coffman
You didn’t think it was possible, did you? You didn’t think this Cub season could be even worse than you projected.
Behold! They lost on Sunday at the end of a game featuring a new sort of trifecta – the opponent scored on a passed ball, a wild pitch and a balk. The wild pitch was one of five in one inning uncorked by Cubs pitchers Edwin Jackson and Michael Bowden. A new Major League record!
Posted on April 15, 2013
By Roger Wallenstein
As kids, we watched a lot of Westerns on television. Not infrequently our father would pass through the room, gaze at the TV where the cowboys and Indians were going at it, and say, “Those Indians are so mad, they’re mad from another movie.”
Apparently former Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin is mad from another league.
The Indians had every reason to be angry, both in those outlandish films and obviously in real life. I’m not so sure about Quentin.
Posted on April 15, 2013
By Dan O’Shea
The Upton brothers – B.J. and Justin – have always been hard to value fantasy-wise.
They both have all the talent in the world, but both of them tend to be streaky in both the best and worst ways. You might not get a really great, balanced season out of either one, but you could get a great half season, or at least an outstanding month.
An outstanding week is what Justin Upton had to open the season – six home runs in his first seven games, nine runs scored and a 1.640 OPS. B.J. Upton is playing his streakiness in the other direction – three hits in his first 25 at-bats, including an 0-for-14 spell to start the season. His three stolen bases provide some solace, but for those of us who though B.J. would be the better Upton to own this season, it’s not enough.
Posted on April 9, 2013
By Steve Rhodes
Here’s the sad truth about today’s home opener: We’ve already been instructed to wait ’til next year. Or the year after that. Or, realistically, the year after that. If all the tumblers click into place. And every other franchise gets worse – or even remains stagnant.
And therein lies the problem with Theo’s Plan. Hope deferred wasn’t always hope denied for Cubs fans because we at least had until June before we could adjust our modest expectations. A few times we even had until October. These days our seasons are over before they get started.
Hope is dead. Or at least in a deep-freeze. But good luck with your new billboards, Mr. Ricketts!
Posted on April 8, 2013
By Jim Coffman
You may have noticed we take the word “ridiculous” very seriously at Beachwood Sports. There is ridiculously good and ridiculously bad and, inspired by the classic Jeff Joniak call, we keep an eye peeled for both.
And that’s what we found, in spades, over the weekend. Let’s review.
Posted on April 8, 2013
By Roger Wallenstein
I attended a recent luncheon where someone asked Al Rosen, the former third baseman for the Indians in the 1950s – he was MVP in ’53 – about the differences between the game today and his era.
“For one thing,” he began, “if a pitcher threw you a changeup, you knew the next pitch was going to be a fastball. Today they throw two or three off-speed pitches in a row.”
That certainly was Chris Sale’s pattern in his stellar performance on Opening Day a week ago. Perhaps “pattern” is the wrong description because the Royals’ hitters had little idea what pitch Sale was going to throw throughout the frigid – we sat in the shade of the upper deck – afternoon.
Posted on April 8, 2013
By Dan O’Shea
Having participated in four fantasy baseball league drafts in the last few weeks, I’ve noticed certain players getting drafted by other team owners well ahead of where I had them ranked. To a large degree, I think these owners were drafting aggressively on spring training numbers, a strategy all of us find tempting. But you need to be careful and selective about relying on spring numbers, or you will end up with a team full of minor leaguers and journeyman.
Here are a few player whose draft stock rose in recent weeks on dazzling spring training numbers, and whether I think those numbers are to be trusted:
Posted on April 4, 2013
Charity At Caray’s
“Think the daily grind of the hockey season wears down Chicago Wolves players and coaches? Think again. On March 20, the Wolves took over Harry Caray’s in Rosemont to share wine and conversation with dedicated fans, all in the name of raising funds for Chicago Wolves Charities.”
Posted on April 3, 2013
All Downhill And Despair From Here
Enjoy it now, because it’s gonna be a long season on both sides of town.
1. Our very own Cubs-fan-in-exile Dan Sheahan checks in from St. Louis:
Posted on April 2, 2013
