L.A. Story Has Sunnier Reality Than Cubs’

January 17, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

There is nothing quite like being at home — well, except perhaps for the 40-plus-degree difference and snow on the ground. Such is life when you return to the Midwest in winter from a visit to Los Angeles. And so it was Thursday on a day devoted to travel and flights of fantasy. Then again, there is no Chicago Cubs Convention this weekend in L.A. You can take your pick of which locale offers greater hope, which locale offers a greater land of illusion and delusion. Los Angeles appears to be a fairly steady 70 (degrees) and sunny; Cubs Convention offers a fairly steady 70 (victories per season with some slight variation) and sunny (for reasons best known by eternal optimists inside the convention confines).

If you scroll down (and even if you don’t), there is a video with these three lovely ladies.

* The Cubs are said to be making a serious pitch to Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. Among their selling points is they are a team on the upswing. So says new manager Rick Renteria. Indeed. The Cubs did not lose in triple digits in 2013 the way they did in 2012. Of course, finishing last in your division doesn’t leave a whole lot of downswing, does it?

* A selling point could be he has an excellent shot at being the staff ace. Not only because of his ability but because of the organization’s inability to produce a staff ace. Unless maybe Travis Wood or Jeff Samardzija is your definition of staff ace (and you can see where that got you last season).

* OK, let’s give the Cubs some credit. Maybe, just maybe, they did some super sleuthing and discovered Tanaka actually is a big fan of mascots. Well, that certainly would be a plus. Plus it would explain the presence of Clark, the team’s new kid-friendly mascot. Because the presence of providing something adult-friendly — fielding a winning ballclub — is so much more difficult.

* Let the record show the White Sox already have had a meeting with the Tanaka people. Their sales pitch? For starters, it easily could be: We’re not the Cubs.

* Cubs third base prospect Kris Bryant is expected to start the 2014 season at the Class AA level. No, not the team that plays its home games at Wrigley Field.

* If there is a bright side to Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose being out for the season with injury, it is that he won’t have to wear the all-star jersey that this year will have sleeves. ESPN NBA analyst (and former coach) George Karl offered up the theory that the league is trying to appeal to women to buy the jerseys rather than the sleeveless ones. Well, at least the all-stars won’t be wearing thong bottoms. Well, not this season at any rate.

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