Celebrating Wrigley (You Expected Celebrating Cubs?)

May 5, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Monday meanderings: Sunday night baseball on ESPN featured the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. OK, more accurately ESPN featured Wrigley Field — with a baseball game filling up some of the time. Not that you could blame ESPN, given the Cubs’ recent (OK, and not-so-recent, too) history.

Adrianne Curry as Princess Leia works even if today is not May the 4th.

* Speaking of history, the Cubs-Cardinals contest also featured throwback uniforms. Vintage 1929. That was the season the Cubs went 98-54 and went to the World Series (where they lost to the Philadelphia Athletics in five games). The Cards finished 78-74 (in fourth place — 20 games back — a season after they went to the World Series and lost in four straight to the New York Yankees). The likelihood of the Cubs going to the World Series in 2014? Well, at last look the Cubs (11-18) were on pace to finish 61-101 — if that can serve as a clue.

* Speaking of games with throwback uniforms, if they are going to have those, then they really should use the equipment — gloves, bats, catcher’s gear — of that era. Also use the old black baseball cleats. No batting helmets, no body armor or batting gloves, etc. Then everyone can have a greater appreciation for what ballplayers from bygone eras accomplished. Oh, and if anyone wants an accurate recreation of 1929, they should have played that game without lights.

* Speaking of Wrigley Field (did ESPN feature anything during its telecast that most folks didn’t already know?), that is the site for the first two games of the Cubs-White Sox interleague series starting Monday. Coming off of winning their series vs. the Cardinals, the Cubs can lay claim to a successful season (well, for the month of May, OK?) by winning Monday and Tuesday. Yes, it’s the little victories that keep the Cubs faithful happy (and yes, the happy bar is set rather low).

* Speaking of the Sox, their 4-3 victory at Cleveland that was made possible by Dayan Viciedo’s three-run, ninth-inning home run tended to minimize the fact that they struck out 15 times — 13 against starter Corey Kluber in eight innings. Jose Abreu and Jordan Danks each struck out three times in four at-bats. Abreu did hit a home run for his 34th run batted in. Danks (.077 batting average) has struck out 19 times in 39 at-bats. Viciedo (.330) has struck out 18 times in 100 at-bats. And Danks is a guy some Sox fans were clamoring for since spring training. Rather than a breath of fresh air, he is creating an uncomfortable breeze with all those whiffs.

* Today we are pleased to provide a photo of Adrianne Curry. Yes, the calendar folks around here are a little late with a “May the 4th be with you” picture. You’ll have to excuse them; they were trying to figure out when Cinco de Mayo is. They promise to get back with the information by Tuesday at the latest.

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