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Thursday thoughts (or what passes for them in this space): Now what? Now that Joe Girardi has re-signed to be the New York Yankees manager for four more years, now what do the Chicago Cubs do in their search to fill their managerial vacancy? Not that the former Cubs catcher necessarily would have sold tickets. Or would have transformed the team into a World Series participant (we won’t even deal with the thought of being a World Series winner). But once the thought — more a delusion than anything else — of Girardi as Cubs manager surfaced, the thought of anyone else seems anti-climactic.
You were expecting Joe Girardi? Playboy Playmate Carly Lauren. Credit: Josh Ryan
* Maybe when Girardi’s new contract is up, the Cubs might go after him and have a chance (meaning they would be considerably better than a last-place team — although they still would be without a World Series title since 1908).
* Speaking of the Cubs and the World Series, condolences to the family of Andy Pafko. He died Tuesday in Michigan. He was 92. A member of the 1945 Cubs (the last team in franchise history to play in the World Series), Andy was the left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 when Bobby Thomson hit a historic home run to give the New York Giants the National League pennant. One of the joys of my job as a newspaper reporter was being able to sit down with him and Thomson at Ditka’s in downtown Chicago several years ago. Somewhere I have a tape of that interview. Merely recalling that afternoon, I have nothing but fond thoughts of the two gentlemen who later became teammates and roommates on the Milwaukee Braves.
* With their 6-1 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Cardinals won Game 5 of their National League Division Series and advanced to the NL Championship Series. The Cardinals manager is Mike Matheny, who succeeded legendary Tony LaRussa. Matheny is a former Cards catcher. Maybe the Cubs should hire a former catcher who played for them. Hello, Jody Davis?
* Speaking of the NLCS, the Cardinals’ opponent will be the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their manager is former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly. Maybe the Cubs should hire a former Yankees first baseman. Hello, Tino Martinez?
* OK, so we will leave the Cubs managerial selection to the front office. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer. After all, they did so well with their first selection (recently deposed Dave Sveum) and the teams they have fielded in their first two seasons on the job.
* Speaking of the Cardinals (well, we were a few paragraphs ago), they won with a rookie first baseman in the lineup replacing injured Allen Craig, one of the game’s top run producers (97 runs batted in in 2013 despite playing in only 134 games). Matt Adams hit a two-run home run in Game 5. Let’s be clear: Matt Adams is no Anthony Rizzo. Nothing says that quite like their 2013 statistics. Rizzo hit .233 with 23 homers and 80 RBI in 606 at-bats. Adams hit .284 with 17 homers and 51 RBI in 296 at-bats. Matt Adams is no Anthony Rizzo, all right. Something says the Cardinals are just fine with that, too.
* Thursday night football with the New York Giants playing the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Struggling Eli Manning and the 0-5 Giants vs. Jay Cutler and the 3-2 Bears. Even if the Bears prevail, Manning still will have a Super Bowl title to his name, while Cutler doesn’t. So, Cutler is no Manning. More like Dan Marino, who never won a Super Bowl championship. OK, that’s about the beginning and end of any comparisons involving Cutler and Marino — unless Cutler lands an endorsement deal with Isotoner.
A true behind-the-scenes shot of Carly Lauren. Not at Talkzone.com studios.
If this is Thursday (which certainly seems likely in that yesterday was Wednesday — provided that you are reading this on Oct. 10, 2013, or a subsequent Thursday), then it is time for another edition of “Sports & Torts” with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris on Talkzone.com at noon Thursday (Central time). If things go according to plan (which they actually do on occasion), Playboy Playmate Carly Lauren (Miss October) will be on the highly acclaimed interview show (well, it is held in such high regard in the Spada and Harris households, as well as reportedly elsewhere). Also scheduled to be part of the program are Pro Football Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Larry Allen.
And now, we interrupt this bit of self-promotion for a bit more of self-promotion:
* From our department of shameless self-promotion (not to be confused with our department of regular self-promotion or our department of shameful self-promotion), may we offer this: “Sports & Torts” is urging you and everyone else to vote at podcast.com for the Peoples Choice, Best Produced, Best Video Podcast and Best Sports Podcast. Go to podcastawards.com and type in our show name and URL. Here is the URL: http://www.talkzone.com/shows/155/1660.html.
Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the remarkable research by the editorial and video departments and to their broad definition of “gratuitous”):
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