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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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Wednesday Worries: Wrigley Field Edition

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I’m worried that….

my buddy Steve didn’t make it out of Murphy’s in time to catch the first pitch of Cubs/Giants live from Wrigley Field. I asked him to send in a picture from the game and instead got one from the bar. Not a very promising sign. Better check in again with him a little later.

this happens a lot more than we think. Couple of former prep school buddies from Winnekta go out with every intention of making it by first pitch of the Cubs game but end up conversing and carousing until the early innings in one of the many watering holes that surround Wrigley. Although, if you have ever spent 9 innings in the bleachers you understand that it’s pretty much like watching the game from a bar anyway. I once watched a Cubs/Cardinals matinee from the bleachers and after the game was over I ended up taking a 3 hour nap.  I guess that’s what you get when you combine a few too many pints of Old Style and no sun screen.

because of all the drinking that goes on in the bleachers some Cubs fans might not realize that their team lost both games of a doubleheader to the San Francisco Giants yesterday. With a record of 32-48, and a full 12 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, this could end up being a very long, hot summer on the Northside. Do the Cubs even have any tradable assets? Kerry Wood? Ryan Dempster? Maybe Carlos Pena? None of these players are going to warrant a significant amount of talent in return. It looks like Cubs fans will have to wait for the offseason when the can overpay for either Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols.

when Steve did finally get to his seats, and judging by the look of the setting sun I’ll guess bottom of the 2nd inning, he realized that the adult beverages were a lot cheaper in the bar outside the stadium.

 

 

 

PNC Park says: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled massses”

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My buddy Brownie* visited PNC Park over the weekend to watch the Pirates take on the Boston Red Sox. He sent me this view from his seats and told me that yes, those buildings in the background are in fact real and spectacular. He went on to say that the Pittsburgh skyline borders on hypnotic and that when you watch a Pirates game from the upper deck of PNC Park, you can’t help but stare at the Clemente Bridge and the tall buildings behind. He equated it to a Cowboys game at the new stadium in Dallas where fans can’t help but be distracted by the massive jumbotron hovering above the field.

*It’s true what they say, every group of friends has someone called “Brownie” and “Murph”.

I have to admit, I’m starting to develop a bit of a “fan crush” on Pittsburgh and the Pirates. The Steel City has emerged as the hippest port of call between New York and Chicago – sorry Cleveland – for young professionals in their late 20’s/early 30’s. With a strong university system, gobs of entrepreneurial spirit, and affordable housing, Pittsburgh has everything that a wayward soul with latent ambition could possibly ever need. Think about it as grittier version of Portland, Oregon.

The Pirates are quietly becoming my National League team. As a Baltimore Orioles fan, I have empathy for the plight of the Pittsburgh Pirates fan base and share their longing for a winning season. With loads of young talent, Andrew McCutchen as the centerpiece of this youth movement, and a beautiful ballpark, this is a team that should be able to turn things around, if ownership ever becomes willing to invest money in improving the quality of their on the field product.

Hopefully the great migration of “coasties” who have abandoned their studio apartments in Red Hook for a new lease on life in the Steel City will be able to go out to PNC Park and watch a winner sometime in the near future.

Monday Morning Musings

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Pop quiz hotshot. – Dennis Hopper from Speed

Bottom 11, tie score, and nobody out. Leadoff hitter doubles to deep left center. Now, runner on 2nd, still nobody out, and your two hitter coming to the plate. Perfect opportunity to sacrifice bunt the runner over to 3rd base and take your chances 1 out, number 3 & 4 hitters coming to the plate. Tie ballgame and remember you’re the home team needing only that 1 run to score to win. So what do you do?

What you shouldn’t do is have the 2 hitter swing at the first pitch and ground out sharply  to 3rd base leaving the baserunner stranded at 2nd base with 1 out. What happens next is just as ugly. 3 hitter, your hottest bat in the lineup, flies out to right field, deep enough so that if the runner were on 3rd base instead of 2nd, he would have been able to tag up and score fairly easily. But remember, the runner is still at 2nd base because the 2 batter didn’t bunt them over to 3rd with nobody out. With 1st base open, opposing team intentionally walks cleanup hitter and gets the next batter to hit into a fielder’s choice. Inning over. Tie ballgame, heading now to the top of the 12th.

The hubris of some of these American League teams. What ever happened to small ball or simply just understanding a situation. The Baltimore Orioles are not in the position – last place in the AL East for what feels like over a decade straight – where they can just potentially throw a game away because they fail to adhere to basic baseball strategy. (Editors note: the Birds would go on to win this game 5-4 over the Cincinnati Reds in the bottom of the 12th on a Derrek Lee solo jack to left field.) The only satisfactory explanation Buck Showalter could have given – and I’m sorry but I didn’t listen to his press conference after the game – was that with nobody out and Nick Markakis at the plate, he wanted to give a good hitter a chance with no strikes to move JJ Hardy, the runner on 2nd base, over to 3rd on his own. Since Markakis is a lefty, look for something low and in to drive to right field. Or take a strike after which the bunt sign is on. But to ground out to 3rd base on a first pitch with nobody out and a runner on 2nd in a tie ballgame in extra innings is inexcusable. Markakis, Showalter or whomever was responsible for this oversight can thank D Lee – he of the slider speed bat – for bailing them out in the 12th.

A Quick Trip Around the Bases (no more Orioles business I swear)

1B – You can imagine my amazement when I tuned into ESPN for Sunday Night Baseball only to find the Cleveland Indians taking on the San Francisco Giants. I could have sworn that the programmers up in Bristol would have gone at least one more week with only showing MLB games featuring either the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, or St. Louis Cardinals. But apparently they must have realized that there are in fact other baseball teams playing this season and wanted to throw a small bone to us, the disenfranchised, silent minority of fans. I’m sure we’ll be back in the Bronx for Yankees vs somebody later this week. (Bitterness over starting now. NOW.)

2B – Is it possible, I repeat possible, that Prince Fielder will be a higher valued free agent this coming winter than Albert Pujols? I know, I know, who thought the day would ever come but just think about for a second. Fielder is 4 years younger than Pujols, 27 to 31, and is putting together a MVP type season – if not for Jose Reyes – for the Milwaukee Brewers while King Albert toils on the DL for the next two months recovering from a broken wrist.*  Even if the prodigious Pujols still commands a larger contract than Fielder this offseason, he is most likely going to have to settle for a 6-7 year contract instead of the ARodesque ten year deal he was maybe hoping for during spring training.

*Wrist injuries aren’t exactly the type of injuries that baseball players typically have an easy time recover from, just ask Nomar Garciaparra.

3B – Too bad Washington, just when the Nationals were starting to play some pretty good baseball your manager Jim Riggleman decides to suddenly get up and vacate his post. Now 68 year old Davey Johnson takes over, he of ’86 Mets lore, and we are all left wondering if the Nats can leave the soap opera behind and keep their momentum rolling through the All Star break. I for one am rooting for this group because I hate to see a manager, or front office for that matter, determining the fate of a team midseason.

HR – And finally, what are the chances that the Pittsburgh Pirates can finish the season above .500? Currently the team sits at 39-38 and for a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 1992, this is a remarkable achievement. Good luck Bucs! May the power of Batman be with you!

Jim Riggleman and the Absence of Accountablilty in Washington

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Before we delve deep into the weekend sports menu, a few words on the lack of leadership in our Nation’s Capital. And no, for once I am not referring to Democrats and Republicans.

In A League of Their Own Tom Hanks famously said, “There’s no crying in baseball”. And while this is true, perhaps what he really should have said to the teary eyed Rockford Peach is that there is also no “quitting” in baseball either. It’s a lesson now former Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman clearly did not listen to when he decided to walk out on his team yesterday afternoon.

I understand wanting job security, and I get how difficult it can be to work for a boss who lacks communication skills. We’ve all been there. However, if you’re Jim Riggleman, how in the world do you give your GM an ultimatum at 1230p, manage your team to an exciting 1-0 early afternoon walkoff victory over the Seattle Mariners, and then, following the game when your GM doesn’t immediately offer to pick up your contract option for next year, you quit? What about your players in the locker room? For the first time in their young history, the Washington Nationals were actually playing some pretty good baseball – above .500 in the NL East with an outside chance at the wild card.

This morning, baseball writers are talking about how Jim Riggleman has been a good, respected baseball man who has now done permanent damage to his career in baseball. In the future, will Riggleman be able to stand before a clubhouse and espouse the virtues of accountability, commitment, and honesty? Players will not trust a man who abandoned his previous team over seemingly petulant financial reasons. We expect this behavior from professional athletes who are prone to hold out and demand respect via the restructured contract. But coaches, as leaders, must model the type discipline it takes to maintain a high level of focus and determination that a successful athlete, person must embody. With this decision to walk away from his team midseason, Jim Riggleman has failed on all accounts.

Rant over, on to a rather skimpy slate of weekend sports watching

Wimbledon, Sat: ESPN2 7a, NBC 1p Sun: NBC 2p (tape delayed)

In this the day and age of live streaming, if you’re a major network why would you ever choose to air a tape delayed sporting event? Anyone who cares is already going to know the result of the game/match that you are broadcasting. Are ratings that bad in the AM that you can’t show these matches live?

NHL Draft, Fri: Versus 7p

Speaking of poor programming choices, Friday night? Versus? See you there.

College Baseball, Fri: ESPN 7p, Sat: ESPN 2p & ESPN2 7p

This could be my choice right here. Have yet to watch much of the CWS so far, but with a lack of other solid options, feel like this could be the best bet for the weekend. Although, without a horse in this race I’ll have to choose a favorite team soon. What’s the best story remaining the in CWS? Vandy’s first ever appearance in Omaha or perhaps a Gamecock repeat?

 

view from Nationals Park courtesy of @thatmichael

Plodding Through the Previews: Cars 2

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Some folks boast a photographic memory while others claim to count cards. Me, I have a strange telekinetic ability to predict the plot of a movie based solely on the coming attraction. I will channel these talents every week in an effort to breakdown the latest summer blockbuster. With a little luck, and patience, I’ll also connect the movie to a current sports story however, this final pursuit may result in complete and abject failure.

Cars 2

The original Cars is in fact the only Pixar film which I have never seen. As we all know, Pixar movies resonate with adults just as much as kids. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that nearly half of Pixar’s entire feature film library – Up and Wall E to name a few – were explicitly made for adults. Which is probably why these movies makes so much money. Parents are just as excited to see the movie as their kids.

Yet somehow, Cars has eluded me, like my white whale. Maybe my son will grow to be a huge NASCAR fan and we will develop a mutual love and respect for the original imovie. For now at least, I know very little about the premise of the first Cars other than it was Paul Newman’s last major role before his death in 2008.

A Second by Second Breakdown

:25 – Larry the Cable Guy is back! Has he done anything significant since the first Cars? Does he still do the “you know you’re a redneck when” bit or I am thinking of Jeff Foxworthy?

:52 – My absolute favorite part of previews for animated movies, trying to guess the voices. The Italian sports car sure does sound an awful lot like either John Turturro or Luciano Pavarotti.

:58 – No guessing on this one. That is the unmistakable voice of Michael Caine clearly on loan from the set of the latest Batman film. Wouldn’t it be awesome if movies worked liked professional soccer where actors could be loaned out by bigger films to smaller projects for a fee. Speaking of The Dark Knight Rises, when can we expect a preview?

1:01 – Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York? Can someone please explain to me why she is still making the morning show rounds? I swear she has been on the Today show at least 3 times a week for the past 20 years. (Note: I don’t really think this character is voiced by Fergie. At least I don’t after my wife corrected me.)

1:13 – Well this has become totally unrealistic. Brent Mustberger doesn’t have the time to announce a grand prix race. Not with the Little League World Series on the horizon.

1:36 – Who’s the main star of this film: Owen Wilson or Larry the Cable Guy? Judging from this preview it seems as if LtCG is the main draw. But why? I thought attendance at NASCAR events was way down this year.

1:52 – I can’t believe we’re nearly two minutes into a Cars preview and “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts has yet to be prominently featured. This has to be a first. I hope somewhere Tom Cochrane is smiling.

The Plod

Lightning McQueen is a world famous racing car about to take on the best of the best in the biggest grand prix race of the year. It is soon revealed that McQueen is being targeted by an evil international consortium. Michael Cain and Sarah Ferguson believe Larry the Cable Guy is behind the plan to sabotage the big race. Owen Wilson and LtCG have a melodramatic falling out before the big race. Eventually, Larry the Cable Guy is absolved of any wrong doing and returns to save the day, and race, for his good old friend Owen Wilson. Lightning McQueen wins the race, falls for the Duchess of York, and LtCG becomes an honorary member of the British Secret Service.

Cars 2 as it relates to a Major Sports Story

I’ll go with Jack McKeon returning to manage the Florida Marlins at the ripe old age of 80. His first order of business, bench Hanley Ramirez for being late. I love old people, they just don’t care what anyone else thinks. How, you ask, does this all relate to the Cars 2 preview? Easy, Larry the Cable Guy was forced out of Lightning McQueen’s inner circle much like Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria forced McKeon to retire as manager in 2005. Now, as the big race approaches, both McQueen and Loria have regained their senses and rehired their most trusted confidants.

Easy. Right?

view from Sun Life Stadium courtesy of @joecapmarlins