Sports and Entertainment

So some start up team I never heard of called the Yankees made it into the World Series.  I think it’s their first time, I’m not sure.  They’ll be playing the Phillies.  So the important question is:  Who is your pick?

I am a National League guy so I would love to see the Phils repeat.  BUT, I think the Yanks win in 6.  Comment below with your picks.  The winning prediction gets a Bozo button.

Derek Jeter loves Bozo buttons based on this picture of him diving after one.

Just a real quick shout out for White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle.  Congratulations on a perfect game.  Fun fact:  I had tickets to this game but couldn’t go due to work related issues.  Thanks a lot work! Again, I am a Cubs fan, but have to tip my hat to one of the good guys in the game.

Tim Falletti

If you watched the Cubs lose to the Dodgers last night, you witnessed evolution at it’s finest.  It wasn’t long ago when you would walk into Wrigley Field, rain or shine, and hear the amped up noise of 42,000 strong screaming for their team, win or lose.  Attendance has been steady sellouts for years with frat boys and beautiful women filling every seat for an excuse to watch some baseball and get a little tipsy.  It didn’t matter to the fans that the Cubs lost, because that is what the Cubs did:  They lost. 

When Lou Piniella took over two years ago, the Cubbie swagger changed.  The team was expected to win.  And win big.  For 100 years the Cubs have been the “Loveable Losers”, and Lou didn’t like that moniker at all.  He wanted to be a winner.  The management agreed with Lou and GM Jim Hendry went out and got himself the best team in the National League. Things were changing for the Cubs.

The fans at the ballpark changed too.  With signs that said “Believe” and “Miracle on Addison St.” and the most popular, “It’s Gonna Happen” the Wrigley Field faithful suddenly had high expectations.  They knew that the team on the field weren’t losers.  They were the best chance in 100 years for the Cubs to win the World Series.  They believed this because the media and the team told them to believe it.  They bought into Lou’s “Lovable Winner” mentalilty, and have followed it blindly like cattle. 

After a Mark Derosa two run homerun early in the game yesterday you could hear the cattle mooing and grazing loudly.   But when pitcher Ryan Dempster suddenly forgot where home plate was, and walked the bases loaded, you could feel the cattle getting restless.  Getting prodded with every pitch three feet above the strike zone.  Then came the inevitable shot to the forehead.  A grandslam to put the Dodgers up….for good.  The Wrigley Field cattle, with wide eyes and broken hearts, sat on their hands— and in silence, watched as the Cubs lost game one of the NLDS. 

It’s no longer acceptable to a Cub fan for their team to lose.  It’s not lovable.  It isn’t cute.  After waiting 100 years for a team with this caliber of talent, it is not even remotely OK for this team to lose.  Evolution has taken over, and the fans have been clamoring and wanting a winner for so long, dreaming of a day when they can hear Joe Buck say those little words, “The Cubs have won the World Series”……. that failure is not an option.

Don’t expect Cub nation to remain faithful if the Cubs go on and lose this series.  They shouldn’t have to be any longer.  They have been tormented for far too long, and have been the butt of the joke too many times.  You can only have your heart broken so many times before you can’t pick up the pieces.  100 times the hearts of Cubdom have been broken, and this might be the final time.

By the way.  Moo.

“I guess I’m back,” pitcher Carlos Zambrano said on Sunday.  “I’m a little confused right now.  It’s a great feeling, a feeling that you can’t describe.  I still can’t believe it.”

Believe it Z.  Pitching for the first time since Sept. 2, and due to Hurricane Ike was cheered on by thousands of Cubs fans at the coined Wrigley Field North a.k.a. Miller Park in Miliwaukee, Zambrano put an emphatic stop to a red hot Houston Astro team. 

This is the first no hitter thrown at Miller Park, and the Brewers weren’t even there.

To add insult to injury, the Brew Crew were swept in their day/night double header in Phili.  The Cubs now have a 7.5 game lead in the division, and their magic number is 7. 

Tim Falletti

CHICAGO- Hitters are streaky.  One moment they can be 0-50, the next they can be 50-50.  In utility man Mark Derosa’s case, he is the later.  The hottest hitter on the Cubs hit his fourth homer in as many games yesterday to lead the Cubs to a 6-1 win. This is the Cubs’ 8th straight series win.  They haven’t done that since FDR was president in 1937. The Cubs are now 80-50, the first team in the majors to hit the 80 win mark.  They are also 30 games over .500 for the first time since 1984.

Pitcher Rich Harden continued to look impressive with a career tying 11 strike outs over 7 innings.  Harden is 4-1 with the Cubs with an incredible 1.47 ERA since his July 8th trade from Oakland.  So what caused this transformation?

I don’t know,” he said. “I think definitely you have to give a lot of credit to (catcher Geovany) Soto. We’ve been working pretty well together. I’m comfortable with him behind the plate. I think a lot of it is mixing up pitches, keeping them guessing.”

Speaking of Soto, the red hot catcher also posted some history yesterday when he hit his 19th homerun tying Randy Hundley for most homeruns by a rookie catcher.  Soto seems a lock for N.L. Rookie of the Year.

 Tim Falletti

MILWAUKEE

The Chicago Cubs swept their Central division rivals the Milwaukee Brewers before a sold out crowd today, scoring an impressive 11 runs to the Brewers’ 4.  Jim Edmonds led the onslaught with a solo homerun and a grand slam, netting him 5 RBI.  This is the Cubs’ 5th consecutive win and new Cub Rich Harden’s first as a member of the club.  This is the first time the Cubs have swept a road 4 game series this year, and the first in Miller Park since 2003. 

The Brewers were less than sportsman in their defeat though.  Eric Gagne intentionally threw a pitch at Edmonds in the 8th inning, getting him ejected from the game.  Prince Fielder followed in the ninth when he argued balls and strikes. Cub fans were very vocal, chanting sweep the entire time.

The Cubs are now 5 up in the Central division race on the Brewers, and 4.5 up on the Cardinals.  The Cubs now travel home to beat up on the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

CHICAGO

According to Ken Rosenthal over at Fox Sports, the White Sox have reached a deal with the Cincinnati Reds to move Ken Griffey Jr. to the Sox.   Griffey, 36, is batting .245 this season with 15 home runs and 53 RBI. He hit career home run No. 608 Wednesday night in Houston. He is one career home run short of  Sammy Sosa for fifth place on the all-time home run list

Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, was not immediately available for comment this morning.  No word on the terms and who the White Sox have given up.  More to follow as information is released.

*UPDATE 1 - Griffey has indeed agreed to the trade, and will be headed to the southside of Chicago.  Still no word on what the Reds will receive, but Nick Massett’s name has been thrown in the mix, as well as cash considerations.

Tim Falletti

NEW YORK- Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers was asked at a Monday news conference if it was possible to hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium.  The Rangers slugger was laughed at when he said, “I think there’s a few of us up here that could, to be honest. You guys know that little opening, right where you can see the subway? Watch out.”

Hamilton didn’t hit it out of the park persay, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t come close. He hit one ball high off the Bank of America sign in right-centerfield, estimated at 502 feet. He hit another into the rightfield bleachers measured at 504. Yet another went high into “The Black” in centerfield and was estimated at 518.
Hamilton went on to hit a Home Run Derby record 28 HR’s in the first round Monday night and also went on to become the adopted son of the 53,761 hometown favorite-less fans.  Cheers for Hamilton were getting louder and louder with each perfect swing.

Hamilton didn’t even have to play the second round, and he really didn’t.  He was up by twenty by then, and took a couple of practice swings in the round to stay warm.  He hit another 4 on those swings.  But in the final round, Hamilton ran out of juice and couldn’t overcome Morneau’s six homers.  “This was his show,” Morneau said. “I got lucky he got a little tired … I think everybody here will remember Josh Hamilton hit 28 home runs more than they’ll remember I won the thing.”

His riveting performance in that first round continued a magical season for the former No. 1 overall pick whose career had seemed finished because of his repeated drug problems.

Tim Falletti

CHICAGO- We’ve come to the halfway point in the 2008 MLB season so that can only mean one thing: Sports journalists handing out there midterm grades.  Luckily for some teams, midterm grades really don’t mean much and should be taken as a wake up call to get to class more and maybe study on Friday nights instead of going out.  I too have decided to participate in the festivities, so like my professors used to say: Ready for the bad news?

A grades-

Tampa Bay Rays - Who?  Exactly.  I invite you to name the Rays’ pitching rotation.  Hell name their lineup.  Will they get to the postseason?  Will they be able to keep this up?  Doubtful.  But it’s been a great first half for these kids.

Chicago Cubs -  Right now the best team in baseball.  Even typing those words made my keyboard flame up.  Let’s see if the lovable losers can change that moniker this year to the lovable World Series champs.

Boston Red Sox-  This team expects to win it all.  Until someone dethrones them, I expect it too.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- They get an A because they aren’t even living up to their expected potential….and are still this good.

Chicago White Sox - They get an A because they are living up and exceeding what everyone thought they would do.  (Compete with the Royals for last place).  On top of their division, with the best pitching staff in baseball (on paper).

B grades-

Milwaukee Brewers - Just picking up Sabathia should have given them extra credit and put them in the A’s.  But underachieving the first half, slumping hitting on occasions, and a Chicago Cub team that is going to be hard to overtake gets them a B.  But I think a B will get them a wildcard.

Minnesota Twins - Who would have thought in the beginning of the season that the White Sox and Twins would be in the top of the division while the Tigers and Indians would be towards the bottom?  Oh yeah Twin and White Sox fans.

Philadelphia Phillies - A true World Series contender….in 2010.

St Louis Cardinals - Tony Larussa’s guys just won’t go away.  But in a tough NL Central, they need to make a move to contend.

New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, and Baltimore Orioles. - All have B’s based off the fact that they will all be fighting for a wildcard.

C grades-

Florida Marlins-  No one likes an overachiever.

New York Mets - After an ugly first half on and off the field, this team could surprise everyone and take their division with a solid second half.

Arizona Diamondbacks - In the NL West, this is the only team that looks like it can shine.

Detroit Tigers - They have a lot of studying to do if they want to pass my class.  They are teetering on a D.

D grades

Braves, Bluejays, and Rangers Royals.

F grades

Padres, Rockies, Reds, Astros, Pirates, Nationals, Giants, Dodgers.

Dropped out-

Indians and Mariners.

Tim Falletti

SEATTLE- The Seattle Mariners finally released one time slugger Richie Sexson after his two season long hitting slump.  The Mariners thought he would come out of it, but instead banged their collectives heads against the wall trying to come up with a marketing campaign to trade him.  The campaign failed.

Sexson, who was hitting .218 with a whopping 30 RBI in 74 games and was benched because of it, still can’t believe it.  He was so frustrated with the news, that he took his anger out on the wall with his bat.  Luckily he missed.

That’s not the only move the Mariners did today though.  The club also placed “ace” Erik “with a K” Bedard on the 15 day DL with stiffness in his right shoulder.  It really doesn’t matter though, because he couldn’t get out of the 5th inning anyway.  The Mariners are 18 games out of the AL West, with absolutely no chance of getting better. 

In other Mariner news, Ichiro is regretting ever signing that deal last year.