Trade to Arizona Ends Campana’s Run With Cubs

February 19, 2013 @ admin → No Comments

Random thoughts while wondering whether Tony Campana — traded Monday (Feb. 18) by the Chicago Cubs to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two 17-year-old pitching prospects — will steal more bases than all the Cubs combined in 2013. Well, he might if he could figure a way to manage something better than his career .306 on-base percentage.

Alana Blanchard is featured in a video below.Tony Campana is not.

* To say the Campana trade is a steal for the Cubs requires being able to see into the future with 20/20 clarity. Of course, 2020 might be the year when either Venezuelan right-hander Erick Leal or Jesus Castillo makes his big-league debut. With no guarantee that it would be with the Cubs.

* Speaking of 2020, that could be the first year when the Cubs have their own television network. Their contract with WGN expires after the 2014 season with talks involving a contract extension reportedly having started. The Cubs also have a TV deal with Comcast SportsNet — in which the team is a partner — through 2019. Expect the Cubs to see a major money increase in a new deal for the 70 WGN games. No guarantee of a World Series champion with the new deal, regardless who lands the games. If it’s any consolation (and the guess here is that it is not), the last Cubs World Series champ’s games were televised at all. Then again, that was 1908.

* The death Monday of Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss at age 80 (his teams won 10 championships) leaves Jerry Reinsdorf as the most successful active owner in sports. Reinsdorf has six NBA titles with the Bulls and one with the White Sox. Reinsdorf also might be the most successful owner in terms of making money (for those who care more about that than about winning titles).

* Speaking of the Bulls and winning titles, Derrick Rose — the Chicago Bulls recuperating star guard — participated in five-on-five practice Monday. Which means he is closer to returning to NBA competition for the first time since surgery last May on his left anterior cruciate ligament. These updates are of minimal significance — mainly because the only update that really matters is the one that says he is set to play and will play. And that might not be until next season.

* For all those who believe Rose will be a Bull for life, remember this: Michael Jordan, the most iconic player in franchise history, ended his career with the Washington Wizards.

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Because the travel budget at elliottharris.com isn’t what it should be, there is no traveling to spring training for the editorial staff in 2013. Guess we will wait till next year (how Cub-like). Consequently, video from the Cubs Convention and SoxFest will have to suffice: