Sports
I am still bumming since learning on Friday that Len Kasper is leaving the Chicago Cubs to be the lead radio announcer for the White Sox. What I like about Len is that he is a genuine baseball guy, he isn’t a broadcaster who also does baseball, so moving from TV to radio makes sense. Of all sports baseball is best for radio.
My life experience with the Chicago Cubs has always been narrated by TV play-by-play guys: Jack Brickhouse, Harry Caray, Chip Caray, and Len Kasper. There have been a few others who have been briefly behind the mike, but these are the voices that replay in my head.
The first words are Jack’s calling another Dave Kingman home run. Most of the words are spoken by Harry, who was with me from teenager to adult. Chip is sentimental following his grandfathers death, where Len will always be part of the Cubs finally making it to and winning the World Series in 2016.
White Sox fans are getting a great baseball guy to tell them the White Sox story when baseball starts in 2021. I might try to listen to a few games, particularly when the White Sox come to Detroit and Len sits closer to Ernie Harwell’s seat. In the meantime I’ll watch for who will be next at broadcasting for the Cubs.
The dismantling of the 2016 Chicago Cubs has begun through the Cubs not making an offer to Kyle Schwarber. Unfortunately right now it seems though Kyle was a one hit wonder, but that hit will always be memorable to Cubs fans.
Last year I speculated that David Ross would be hired to manage the Cubs and wondered how well he would do. I think he has done a good job, but the issues about the Cub’s lineup persists. A team of Home Run hitters can be easily stopped by good pitching. Fortunately, this season was short enough so that their early lead held, but I don’t think they win their division if they played a full schedule.
The Chicago Cubs appear to be rounding in to their 2019 form.
Let’s play two! The Cubs have a COVID-19 double header today with the Cardinals in Wrigley. Rookie pitcher going in the first game.
Last year at this time the Chicago Cubs had no batter hitting .300 or higher, this year they have one, with another hitting .299. Slight improvement, but no real change and not surprising given the line up is the same. The problem stands, the Cubs have a lineup of sluggers not hitters and that will not get it done in the playoffs.
Forgot the strangest part about tonight’s seven inning, pandemic doubleheader, which is that the Cubs are the road team at Wrigley in game two.
Last year, about Chicago Cubs, I wrote:
The problem is not the hitting, although they could be more consistent. To me the problem is the bullpen, they are giving up too many runs in the 6 thru 9th innings. Nobody in the pen is reliable.
I could not imagine that at the same time a year later the Cubs would be playing under such strange circumstances like they will today, playing two seven inning games in a “pandemic” double-header. Yet, while the Cubs have the best record, the bullpen performance has not been much different.
The Chicago Cubs have now lost three games in a row. Normally that would not be a problem, but in a short season, it feels like they really need to win at least one game today against the Cardinals. Preferably win both.
The sunshine we have had this weekend pairs well with the first spring training games. #Cubs
