Chicago Needs to Have More Than Praise for JRW

August 25, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Monday meanderings: The Jackie Robinson West baseball team that won the U.S. Little League championship Saturday lost Sunday’s game against South Korea 8-4 for the global crown. Even so, the youngsters from Chicago have much to be proud of, including being the first all-African-American team to win the U.S. title. May the players enjoy their moment in the spotlight and all the acclaim that accompanies it. Here’s hoping their success carries over into their non-baseball lives.

Video below of Victoria’s Secret model Lily Aldridge.

* The best thing about the story of JRW and all the folks involved would be 10 or 20 or 30 years from now, when you can look back to 2014 and see how that helped lift a city for more than a moment and how that lifted the youngsters for a lifetime. And how it helped lift other youngsters, too.

* The measure of the JRW players’ accomplishments is not only what they have achieved and their prominence today but what happens going forward. So many people have proclaimed how all Chicago is behind JRW and what a wonderful thing the players have done for Chicago. The reality is there are some who do not have the same high regard for any of that. The reality is even non-tolerant whites have tolerated African-Americans as athletes, as entertainers, but not much more. What Chicago needs to do for the youngsters is to appreciate them for who they are away from the playing field. The team showed class, and that should not be a surprise.

* What Chicago needs to do is to make sure these youngsters have educational and employment opportunities as they grow older. What Chicago needs to do is to make sure they can live the life that so many have led in pursuing the “American Dream.” Unless Chicago — meaning the powers-that-be, among others — makes the effort in the real world that comes close to the effort that JRW made on the diamond, the 2014 Little League crown will lose its luster.

* And that effort that Chicago needs to make to ensure the ballplayers can lead what white America would consider “normal lives” needs to extend to the youngster who does not have baseball — or much else — in his or her life. Then Chicago can pat itself on the back for backing a bunch of youngsters whose athletic accomplishments would have been noteworthy. regardless of socio-economic background. Something says there needs to be sweeping changes before all that happens.

* Speaking of sweeping, the Cubs and White Sox finished off weekend sweeps of their series — with the Cubs prevailing 2-1 at Wrigley Field to sweep the Baltimore Orioles, while the White Sox lost 7-4 to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium to conclude being swept.

* Speaking of the Cubs, Tsuyoshi Wada allowed a seventh-inning home run (Baltimore’s only hit), as the Cubs improved to 32-33 at home. For those who might have wagered the Cubs would fare better than the Sox this season, the Cubs (58-72) are 14 games behind National League Central leader Milwaukee, while the Sox (59-71) are 13.5 behind American League Central leader Kansas City. Wondering if the tie-breaker in such bets are finishing in last place (where the Cubs are and the Sox are one game better than cellar dweller Minnesota).

* Speaking of the Sox, Chris Sale received a no-decision. On the bright (?) side, the four runs he allowed in six innings (102 pitches) were unearned, so his earned-run average improved to 2.03 (which leads the AL in ERA). So there’s that.

* In their march to the Super Bowl (OK, to the 2014 regular-season opener, if nothing else — or more), the Chicago Bears released backup quarterback Jordan Palmer. Meaning Jimmy Clausen is the second-string QB behind Jay Cutler. Meaning Clausen becomes Bears fans’ favorite QB should Cutler be injured. Or ineffective. Or fails to smile at postgame press conferences.

* Speaking of championship aspirations, the Chicago Sky lost its home game to the Atlanta Dream 92-83 to even the best-of-three series 1-1 in the WNBA’s first round. Elena Delle Donne led the Sky with 22 points. Angel McCoughtry had 39 for the Dream. Allie Quigley, winner of the WNBA’s 2014 sixth woman award, had 20 points for the Sky; Epiphanny Prince added 19 and Sylvia Fowles 14. Game 3 is Tuesday. Meaning next season begins shortly for one of the teams.

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