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Midweek musings: With the Chicago Cubs and White Sox having no chance for postseason success in 2013 (among so many other years), they do have a chance for some offseason success. As in the possibility of Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas being voted into the Hall of Fame. They are two of the 19 first-timers on the ballot that came out Tuesday. Maddux seems a certainty for 2014 induction. Despite impressive numbers, Thomas may face a far greater challenge because he was a hitter in a steroids-fueled era.
A photo of Greg Maddux or Frank Thomas or Sammy Sosa? Nope. Hope this picture of adult actress Taylor Stevens works for you, whether you’re a Cubs or Sox fan. Or neither.
* If it’s any consolation to White Sox fans (and the guess here is that it never would be), Thomas should receive more votes than Barry Bonds or former Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa, among others.
* If it’s any consolation to baeball fans (and the guess here is that it will be), there should be inductees for 2014 — unlike 2013, when there were no players chosen by the Baseball Writers of America Association for the first time since 1996. For those planning a visit to Cooperstown, N.Y., induction will be July 27.
* Speaking of players unlikely to be Hall of Famers, the Chicago Cubs made a major offseason acquisition by obtaining catcher George Kottaras from Kanas City for cash considerations. OK, so maybe that doesn’t constitute a major acquisition. Not sure whether the cash considerations meant the Royals paid the Cubs to take Kottaras. 30. He made his big-league debut in 2008 with Boston when Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was Red Sox general manager. Kottaras has a career batting average of .214. He has thrown out 18 percent of baserunners attempting to steal a base.
* For Bears fans in need of a quick fix to the team’s recent peformances, Comcast SportsNet might have the perfect solution. CSN is scheuled to debut a Bears-themed documentary series “Bears Classic” that features memorable games from seasons past (OK, so it would be difficult to make the games from seasons future). The first episode is to air Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. Featured will be the Bears-Arizona Cardinals contest from 2006 that featured an incredible comeback in a season when the Bears reached Super Bowl XLI. Legendary broadcaster Bill Kurtis narrates the show. Chuck Garfien is the series writer/director and Willie Parker the series producer. For those who may have forgotten, this was the game that Arizona led 20-0 at halftime and the game the Bears won 24-23. The game after which Cardinals coach Dennis Green declared: “They are who we thought they were.” Featured will be interviews with players, media types and more. The program also will run Dec. 7 at 7 p.m and Dec. 11 at 11 p.m. Other episodes in the series are scheduled for December, January and September.
Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the seemingly effortless efforts of the editorial and video departments at elliottharris.com) — and a belated happy birthday to Tina Turner, who turned 74 on Tuesday:
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