Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 48 of 68)

An old guy’s perspective on all sports

Old Sport Shorts: Streaks #728

November 6, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Today marked 3600 consecutive days of my current running streak, approaching the ten year anniversary of when it started in Austin, Texas. It’s been a much cooler experience these last few years in Portland without the 100-plus degree days. It’s the first thing I do every morning, so I finished my 3.1 mile run, joined my wife for breakfast, and got the painters started. College basketball starts today and I’ll join some friends at Buffalo Wild Wings this afternoon where we are regulars. The good thing about watching sports on the West Coast is that the games start early, so I’m not wasting my evenings by the TV or missing anything when we got out.

I’m in the midst of a travel-free streak of now 23-days, but my daily routine has been constantly interrupted by contractors. There are painters in our home from 8 to 5 every day, so this means very little “me time.” It’s not like I’m working hard, but I still have to answer questions and move things around, resulting in very little privacy. Our dogs are also restless, with strangers in the house and their napping areas disrupted with tarps, paint cans, and ladders. I seek refuge in my office, but that area is about to be painted, as well. They are just going to paint the ceiling so I can avoid having to take down my prized sports memorabilia collection. In other rooms, pictures and mirrors are scattered about and my once tidy garage is littered with plants, glassware, and furniture. By next week, I should be able to continue this travel-free streak, expected to extend another 17 days. That will mean 40 straight days at home; a retirement record, and time to enjoy the sports-related memories that surround me every day.

Later this month we’ll head to Bend, Oregon with the dogs, followed by Los Angeles and Disneyworld. I just got my annual maintenance bill from the Marriott Vacation Club, a timeshare arrangement we have yet to take advantage of using. Our first experience will be Thailand in the spring, but right now I feel like I’m paying for nothing. It’s supposed to be a travel investment that will eventually pay-off, but I’m having some regrets. It will not be until my wife retires that we will have enough time to fully benefit from what is currently just a financial hassle. Our plan is to sell our residence, reinvest the proceeds, and rent. This will relieve some of the cost concerns about this “second home,” that we can utilize anywhere in the world when the time comes. Sporting events on my bucket list are a major part of my retirement travel plans.

I went to an unofficial old-timers baseball breakfast yesterday morning, if for no other reason to get away from the contractors for a few hours. It’s interesting to hear all the stories about players from the past and to share the love of baseball with others my age. Each of us collects something different in the way of memorabilia, and we often exchange gifts. I came home with a 1950’s era Luis Aparicio glove and a Chicago White Sox pin-back. I also have his autographed Louisville Slugger as part of my collection. One guy brought some old pictures of the Dodgers team as they transitioned from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. The father of a friend of my wife and I pitched for that 1955 World Series champion team by the name of Karl Spooner. He still holds the record (tied with J.R. Richard) for the most strike-outs in a Major League debut, but was credited for the loss in his last World Series appearance in a promising career hampered by injury. I was also excited that the Indiana University baseball team is coming to Seattle in March for a tournament, including a game against College World Series champion Oregon State. I will probably add that to my travel plans for next year, fulfilling another item on my list of 67 things to do before I’m 68. (See Post #642).

67 years and 3 months of continuous breathing is my most important streak of all at 24,543 days or 589,032 hours. Within this fortunate vein of longevity are all these other streaks that I often write about. To me, maintaining a streak is motivation to continue. However, I certainly wouldn’t want a streak of bad luck or a losing streak. I’ve been pretty successful at avoiding these in life. When I think of streaks, I mostly think of sports and the statisticians that keep track of these things. Even my hapless Chicago Bears have a current two-game winning streak. Here are the ten considered to be the greatest and perhaps the most unbreakable in sports history:

1. Cal Ripken Jr.

Baltimore Orioles’ legend Cal Ripken holds the record for the most consecutive games played in MLB history. His record is 2,632 games straight over a career of more than 16 years. September 6, 1995 marked the day Ripken passed the previous record of 2,130 made by Lou Gehrig. Ripken still holds the record today and is MLB’s Iron Man.

2. Doug Jarvis

Former NHL player for the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and Hartford Whalers Doug Jarvis holds the record for the most consecutive games started. Between 1975 and 1985, Jarvis started in 964 straight games. He surpassed the Garry Unger’s previous top record of 914 in the 1985-1986 season.

3. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is an especially dominate played on clay courts, and between 2005 and 2007 he won 81 consecutive games on clay. Player Guillermo Vilas held the previous record of 53 that Nadal largely passed, and no one has come close to beating his record yet.

4. UCLA Basketball

Under head coach John Wooden, the UCLA Men’s Basketball team made some impressive records. In the 1970’s, they won 88 consecutive games. They also won ten NCAA championships in Wooden’s 12 years of head coach, and hold the record for the most consecutive NCAA championship titles, winning seven in a row from 1967-1973.

5. Joe DiMaggio

New York Yankees player Joe DiMaggio holds the record for the longest hitting streak of at least one base hit in 56 straight games from May 15, 1941 to July 17, 1941. His record is still unbeaten. DiMaggio beat Willlie Keeler’s 1897 streak of 45 games, and the closest anyone has gotten to either record since was Pete Rose’s streak of 44 games in 1978.

6. Brett Favres

NFL player Brett Favres holds many NFL records, including the most consecutive starts by a player. Favres started in 297 straight games between 1992 and 2010 during his time on the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. He has also won the Associated Press NFL MVP Award three years in a row (1995-1997) and holds the record for the most career pass completions.

7. Glenn Hall

NHL player Glenn Hall, also known as Mr. Goalie, holds the record for the longest streak of games started by a goalie. During his career he started in an impressive 502 consecutive games, a record left untouched.

8. Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs hold the record for the longest World Series drought, playing 108 seasons before finally breaking it and winning in 2016. Other MLB teams have experienced long droughts as well (such as the Red Sox, 85 years before broken), but none come close to the Cubs’ record.

9. Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano retired as the World Heavyweight Champion with a record of 49 straight wins between 1952 and 1956. To end a career undefeated is an impressive feat and one envied by many athletes.

10. Oklahoma Sooners Football

Between 1953 and 1957 under head coach Bud Wilkinson, the Oklahoma Sooners won 47 games in a row and also two national championships. No team has beaten this winning streak, though University of Southern California recently game the closest with a 34 game winning streak from 2003 to 2005.

Credit TBA by Seat Geek

Retirement is not without Hassles: Un-collecting #727

November 5, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I’ve spent a lifetime collecting memories, souvenirs, keepsakes, and other tokens of remembrance. In many cases, even though I paid for them, they really have no value other than personal. They are all only worth what someone else is willing to pay, even those that might have appreciated in value. My wife collects Broadway posters & programs, Fiesta dinnerware, Limoges, signed cookbooks, silverware, jewelry, magnets, and china. She’s inherited Hummel figurines and antique crystal glassware from her mother. My mother left me a stamp collection and lots of photographs. She also collected sewing thimbles and miniatures, that inspired some of my interests in collecting, whereas my father was not a collector, disturbed by anything resembling clutter. Later in life, he put together a small collection of walking sticks, but kept them neatly organized in a corner of the house.

My neighbor growing-up collected baseball cards and coins, so I became interested in these items. Any hobby can get expensive especially if you’re collecting money, so I limited my enthusiasm to pennies. I have yet to finish a collection of Lincoln head cents dating back to 1909. In the last couple years, I’ve gone back to baseball cards as a retirement project, but I’ve tried to stay away from Hall of Fame players because they logically command the highest prices. I’ve also built collections of cuff-links, ties, and suspenders in keeping with my Dapper Dan business image that I tried to maintain while working. With any type of collecting, it’s all about supply and demand; if something is wanted and there are few in existence then the value increases. Thanks to all those moms that threw out childhood baseball card collections from the 1950’s and 60’s, prices on Mickey Mantle cards, for example, have gone through the roof. In the case of collecting pennies, worth is solely determined by the number of coins that were originally minted and current condition.

I’ve spent time in retirement organizing my collectibles and adding to them, even though I should probably be divesting. My son will be interested in some of my baseball memorabilia, but my extensive Sherm Lollar collection is probably not of interest to anyone. He was my favorite player growing up, a catcher for the Chicago White Sox in the 60’s and early 70’s. He will probably never be a Hall of Fame inductee, even though he was arguably the greatest defensive catcher in history. Cooperstown seems to be reserved for great pitchers and offensive powerhouses that often made good pitching look bad. He was my retirement foyer into collecting baseball cards again since most of his cards and memorabilia are affordable. It gave me a good sense of the variety of cards that were produced over the 17-year span of his playing career followed by several coaching stints. He touched the lives of many HOF members along the way from Yogi Berra to Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson. Who was that Masked Man? (See Post #5) and how to eventually get rid of this collection?

At this stage of life, we should be un-collecting rather than collecting, divesting rather than investing. Otherwise, my heirs are going to be stuck with a bunch of stuff that they don’t want. As I’ve learned, it’s much easier to collect things than to get rid of them. I know our family won’t be interested in items like stamps, magnets, cookbooks, photos, porcelain boxes, and even silver service. They take up a lot of space and are a dime-a-dozen on e-Bay. Ideally, we’d like to find people that value these things as much as we do, but without the joy of collecting throughout the years, they are nothing but a pile of junk. It’s a shame that in as we get older, we finally develop the financial resources to buy things we are passionate about, only to realize that they are items that nobody else wants. As they say, “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure,” well it also goes to prove that one man’s treasures are another man’s junk!

Old Sport Shorts: Rainbows #720

October 28, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I feel that my Sports fortunes changed today, so I experienced the overwhelming need to gloat or at least rejoice. I tuned into Indiana University soccer just in time to watch them win an overtime thriller over Michigan State. I had just sent a note to my college friends to remind them that the game was on and they, in turn, warned me not to watch in the interest of the team. I texted back that it was too late, I actually saw them win live, so my luck had certainly changed. I’m sure my skeptical friends were caught by surprise, especially after listening to me bitch about the misfortunes of my favorite teams, and knowing that I could could once again watch and win.

My good friend always speaks facetiously about rainbows. Seeing them in his mind’s eye is how he supposedly maintains his cool as our teams often falter. He always encourages me to “think rainbows” instead of spouting profanities, as I often do. He’s the optimistic alternative to my pessimistic ways. He follows similar teams that I do, and has watched our I.U. football consistently forget there’s a fourth quarter, our basketball team stumble the last ten years, and the University of Oregon Ducks fall short too frickin’ often; not to mention the Cubs, Mariners, White Sox, Pacers, and Trail Blazers, so there must be merit in his words. I, on the other hand, don’t see how it really matters how I react to a loss – it’s still a damn loss! Rainbows – Schmainbows!

We’ve all had to to go outside the traditional boundaries of our interest growing-up to end the losing drought of the past few years, although the Cubs brought some relief with a long-overdue World Series Crown two years ago. We put our support behind the Oregon State baseball team to celebrate a National Championship, and have had to find solace with soccer through the Portland Timbers and our Alma Mater. The problem is that Hoosier soccer has seen great success these past few years but there are few trophies to show for it. The Timbers won it all in 2015, while I.U. lost the National Championship with only one loss all year! I saw no rainbows in that! To make matters worse, despite 35 consecutive BIG Conference victories, it was the ties that cost us the hardware. How does a true competitor react to a worthless tie that only soccer sees as an appropriate way to settle a match?

The storm has apparently passed and today marked the first signs of a rainbow. The Bears, Colts, and Hoosiers all won today, and as icing on the cake, the Packers lost. I.U. won the BIG regular season trophy for the first time in eight years going a perfect 8-0. For 31 consecutive years, the team has appeared in the NCAA Tournament, and 10 straight years before that one off-year in 1986. They have not won the BIG tournament in five years, and have never won it in basketball, that finally starts again this week. I’m hoping this optimistic rainbow over my head leads to many victories in 2019. Unfortunately, the National League could not prevail in the World Series, so my Cub’s favorites were never really in serious contention. This will have to change in years to come!

Here’s to rainbows throughout the remainder of 2018 and into 2019. 2018 has been a tough year, so I’m looking forward to future prosperity in my world of sports. I don’t expect the Bears to win the Superbowl, but I’d like to see an end to the endless criticism about draft choices, and I’d like to see the Colts see a full year of benefits out of Andrew Luck. Maybe more in 2020? Furthermore, I’d like to see freshman Romeo Langford exceed all expectations at Indiana on the basketball court, and lead the team to a pot of gold. In addition, I would wish for another Hoosier NCAA soccer title, their 9th and first in 6 years. I’d like to see another I.U. football bowl bid, and back-to-back Oregon State College World Series titles. I’d also like to see the Timbers take it all, and the Cubs or White Sox back in division contention. The Ducks and Trail Blazers are not necessarily a priority for me personally, but local favorites certainly deserve success. At least, providing a fall-back if my other favorites fail. I’ve certainly seen enough rain here in the Northwest, but not enough rainbow aftermaths to make it all worthwhile. Show me the colors of the Rainbow!

Retirement Is Not Without Hassles: The Moon #711

October 21, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

This Post #711 on the 7th day of the week reminds me that Seven and Eleven are deemed to be lucky numbers, with 7 known round the world to bring the most good fortune. Eleven was certainly lucky for enabling Neil Armstrong’s famous walk on the moon, after watching the movie First Man last night. Apollo 11 safely rocketed the Mission Commander, along with Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins into history. The movie features a rare moment when the three astronauts are each totally alone in space, with Collins in Columbia, the command module, Aldrin in the lunar module Eagle, and Armstrong on the surface. All three returned to Earth as conquering heroes. In sharp contrast, Apollo 13, bearing the unluckiest number in the world, resulted in tragedy, even though it was the 7th manned mission in the Apollo space program. Perhaps they should have skipped #13 like the buttons in many elevators? The successful moon landing of Apollo 12 seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle, as Pete Conrad and Alan Bean became the third and fourth U.S. men to set foot on the moon’s surface. A total a twenty-four men, including 12 Soviets, have walked on the moon, but only the name Neil Armstrong stands out. The last two from the U.S. were Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 in 1972. As far as the future is concerned, China is now the third country to do a soft-landing on the moon with expectations of putting a crew there by 2036.

From a personal standpoint, it’s rewarding for a Hoosier like myself to note that both the first and last man to walk on the moon were Purdue University alumni. Purdue had a BIG football victory yesterday over #2 Ohio State that made me envious, as my Alma Mater Indiana once again fell short against Penn State. The unexpected upset by the “University of the Astronauts” over the perennially powerful Buckeyes was indeed out of this world! Indiana and Purdue will play Thanksgiving weekend for the Old Oaken Bucket and a potential bowl bid. With Purdue’s recent momentum, it will be a long afternoon for the Cream & Crimson faithful. Just for the record, Ohio State has won 20 straight against the Hoosiers and that steak has been anything but luck. It will be at least until the “Moon is in the Seventh House” and our country puts another man on the moon before Indiana wins another football game against The Ohio University.

Eleven days from now college basketball season starts and the 11th month begins, so I consider that to be lucky. Someday, Indiana will hopefully capture their Seventh NCAA Championship Banner. Plus, I’m Seven years into my 60th year, a sure sign of another good year. 10 was always my favorite number, so it’s also fortunate to have several lucky numbers to choose from. If I decide to play the Mega Millions game this week, it will take six lucky numbers. Last week, the Mega-ball was 7. The stars and moon will need to be in alignment for someone to win. Who’s that Lucky?

Old Sport Shorts: Post Season #707

October 17, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I could have, or rather should be watching the Cubs play today. I’ve got the Post Season Blues! My wife and I were in LA last year at this time, to watch them be painfully eliminated by the Dodgers. This year was even worse, losing the Central Division to the Brewers in a Tie-Breaker game and then falling to the Rockies in a Wildcard showdown to quickly end the season. As a result, the Brewers have claimed their Championship trophy as well as their dugout seats at Chavez Ravine, and I’m watching at home. I’m certainly glad they have afternoon games for the benefit of us retirees.

I haven’t written about sports in two weeks now since nothing positive has happened in my world, and I’m still probably in mourning. Even the always reliable I.U soccer team gave up an unprecedented three goals in a loss to Kentucky. In fact, it’s been more than two years since Notre Dame beat them 4-0 in 2016. I.U. Football got off to a good start, but sputtered badly these past couple weeks. My Chicago Bears have lost their last two games. Basketball season hasn’t officially started yet, and I would need to stretch my interests to include the Portland Timbers to find any recent promise. The only news out of the Cubs was the firing of their hitting coach, John Mallee, and consequential hiring of Anthony Iapoce – if that’s anything to get excited about?

I continue to root for the Brewers, despite my sour grapes tendencies to be a bitter loser. It’s easier to stomach since the Astros, Red Sox, and Dodgers are not among my team favorites. The Milwaukee Brewers have never won a World Series, and the franchise has been deprived since 1957, so they continue to have my sympathetic support. Also, it’s nothing new but I’m not optimistic about the I.U. Hoosier football chances against Penn State this week, although they are still on-track for a minor Bowl bid.

Regarding the top-heavy NBA, the Portland Trailblazers will probably have another underwhelming season, while the Indiana Pacers are too far away to generate any sustained interest. Despite my current pessimistic view about sports in general, I actually have high expectations for Coach Archie Miller and his much-talked about recruiting class at Indiana University, my Cream & Crimson Alma Mater. It’s only 15 short days until their exhibition debut against Southern Indiana and anticipation is running high.

To cover one more aspect of my sports interests, we’re starting to receive some wine shipments from our recent visit to Napa Valley. The one I’m anticipating the most is from the Andretti Vineyards. I had no idea the Mario and his family were in the wine business, but it makes sense with the Sonoma Raceway in his back yard. I’m adding a couple of Andretti-produced Indy 500 100-year anniversary bottles to my sports collection that already includes some Cubs wine celebrating the 2016 World Series Champions. I did enjoy going to the Portland International Speedway a few months ago, and seeing the impressive Andretti garage and hospitality set-up. Unfortunately, nephew Marco Andretti was eliminated in the very first turn of the track, a familiar curse that has plagued the family on race day. Son Michael, a current team owner, is related to one of my wife’s co-workers. Mario was great at qualifying and still holds a record with 67 poles, but experienced a lot of misfortune on Sundays. The classic announcer line was always, “Mario is slowing down!” Although he is one of my racing heroes, I once wrote this silly but short poem, that I’m sure the family wouldn’t appreciate:

Mar-i-o

Mar-i-o,
Oh Mar-i-o.
Please tell me,
It Ain’t so.

Round and round,
You’d quickly go.
Then suddenly,
You’d start to slow.

Became a fan,
In Sixty-Nine.
When your Lotus,
Ran just fine.

Granatelli’s kiss?
Is this curse true?
They took Eighty-One,
Away from you.

Bad Valve?
Or out of gas?
You had to sit,
And watch them pass.

You’ve lost a wheel,
Burned your face.
Mechanical failures,
Cost many a race.

Exhaust pipe,
Or another crash.
Indy became,
A Mario bash.

Could you win,
Another crown?
No, Mar-i-o,
“Is slowing down.”

Mar-i-o,
Oh Mar-i-o.
Please tell me,
It Ain’t so.

Johnstonwrites.com
Copyright 2013

Retirement is not without Hassles: Socrates Says #689

October 6, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I can safely say that after 67 years of life that “I know quite a bit about nothing important.” It sounds like a country song to me, so I’ll work on some rhyming lyrics. After searching for similar phrases via Wikipedia, I found “I know that I know nothing”, “The only thing I know is that I know nothing”, “I know one thing; that I know nothing” or “I know that all I know is that I do not know anything,” called the Socratic paradox, is a well-known saying that is derived from Plato’s account of the Greek philosopher Socrates. That ain’t country.

The phrase is not one that Socrates himself is ever recorded as saying, so I can begin to take credit for my own variation of the philosophical words. At this stage in life, I have many more questions than answers. I’ve also forgotten more than I remember. This I know I know! I do, however, remember knowing nothing, rather than being like some people who think they know everything. The humbler approach is more befitting of my personality. Let’s examine this lack of knowledge that I possess and will continue to accumulate.

We can safely start with ten things that I definitely don’t know:

I don’t know there’s a heaven
I don’t know there’s a God
I don’t know who will win the World Series
I don’t know there will be a tomorrow
I don’t know there’s an end to the Universe
I don’t know that our retirement funds are enough
I don’t know what our dogs are thinking
I don’t know who my birth father is
I don’t know if I can actually get two cars in my garage

Others only think they know some of these answers. Since this is a pros and cons discussion, here’s ten things on the “do know” side of the ledger:

I know that “knowledge perception” is a subject too deep for this blog
I know that I’m no Socrates
I know that I love myself and feel satisfied with my accomplishments
I know I love my wife & family and that they love me
I know that Tinker is hungry right now
I know Ohio State will come back to beat Indiana for their 24th straight
I know that it will soon start raining in Portland
I know that I’m an adopted child without answers
I know that I have a lot to learn
I know that I know nothing

All of this knowledge is mostly unimportant to anyone but me. I’m sure that my wife and family are glad that I’ve confirmed their importance in my life, but I’m pretty sure they already had that knowledge. With the exception of my birthmother, I do know that no one has the knowledge to know what I don’t. I also know that “nothing” is a relative thing, and every thing else I know is trivial with respect to life and death.

Socrates was once told by the Oracle of Delphi that he was one of the wisest men in all of Athens, and his response was to not boast or celebrate but rather try to prove the Oracle wrong. If you know? Please feel free to prove me wrong. In the meantime, I’ll continue to compare my questionable knowledge to the guy who knew nothing:

Nothing

When Socrates spoke,
They’d lend their ears.
Yet he knew nothing,
It plainly appears

He must have known,
More than he thought.
His words of wisdom,
Were widely sought.

He wisely taught,
That he knew nothing.
But people thought,
He was something.

In modern times,
I think the same.
And know as little,
My knowledge lame.

I know nothing,
And nothing more.
It closely matches,
My IQ score.

Nothing here,
And nothing there.
If it’s something I know,
Does anyone care?

Of nothing important,
I know quite a bit.
Of life and death,
I don’t know sh*t!

Old Sport Shorts: Rocky #685

October 2, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

We all know the Rocky Balboa movie-story of strength and persistence. He was down for the count, but somehow managed to ultimately fight his way to victory. The Chicago Cubs are taking on a similar role, as they battle the Rockies in the Wildcard elimination game. It’s Rocky vs. Rockies in my book, with both teams trying to rebound from devastating set-backs in the quests to claim Division Championship. There is not doubt that either squad would gladly give up that honor to get to the World Series. They both have an opportunity, with a win, to eventually face the team that won the regular season. It happened to the Brewers in 2011 when they lost to the Cardinals, who went on to win the World Series.

With that bit of optimism, let me get back to reality. The Cubs don’t have a closer, nor have they had much of an offense down the stretch. They are plagued with injury, lack of rest, and a tricky personnel issue. To make matters worse, they often fall behind early and have been forced to come-from-behind in nearly half of their victories this season. Their opponent has been hot down the stretch, winning 9 out of 10 before falling to the Dodgers in the tie-breaker. The Rockies also have Cubs closer, Wade Davis, their sole All-Star last year that they’ve failed to adequately replace. Hopefully, late innings will not be Chicago’s downfall like it was against the Brew Crew. As the game got underway at the Friendly Confines, there was little room for error by either team.

The game started in a predictable manner with runners on base, as Jon Lester was not getting the strike calls and the Rockies were hitting the ball hard. Things looked ominous after a lead-off walk to Charlie Blackman and quickly followed by a lucky break for the Cubs. The potential scoring liner by DJ LeMahieu was ruled a ground-rule double after it disappeared in the center field ivy. Lester was able to escape after giving up only one run, but the Cubs were faced with another come-from-behind effort, as has been the pattern all year long.

A leaping grab by Albert Almora on a near home run, coupled with a reversed-call on a pick-off play by the Rockies were the only Cub highlights early in the game. Both teams were successful in getting lead-off hits, while the Rockies just missed on solid shots down the first and third foul lines. Colorado seemed to be making better contact with their bats, but at least the Cubs were getting a few hits. Unfortunately, they weren’t putting them together.

After the third inning, I badly needed a glass of wine. The first third of the game was all Rockies. With a one-run lead and Wade Davis lurking in the bullpen, the Rockies continued to send Cub outfielders to the warning track. Lester’s pitches were getting absolutely crushed, including a double by Matt Holliday, but the Rockies continued to strike-out in critical situations. He was credited with eight after just five innings of work, but his teammates failed to produce even one run in support, dribbling grounders that barely cleared the pitching mound. Kyle Freeland, matched him stride-for-stride, giving up only 2 hits on five strikeouts.

A big turning point came in the bottom of the sixth when the decision was made to pull Jon Lester in favor of pinch-hitter Ian Happ. He had just allowed another double to Trevor Story but got out of trouble with his 9th strikeout against Holliday. It was a shame that his teammates had wasted his outstanding performance and that all Happ could make happen was a walk. Zobrist failed miserably in advancing the runner by striking out, and I took a walk with the dogs to cool off my temper. By the time I got back, Rizzo hit into a double play. No Hits, No Runs, No Lester.

Jesse Chavez replaced Lester in the 7th and immediately gave up a hit. It looked like Joe Maddon’s decision had backfired, but a deep fly to Kris Bryant in left by David Dahl resulted in a double-play as Ian Desmond tried to put himself in scoring position.

Albert Almora got his second hit of the night off Freeman, who was nearing the end of his evening but managed one last big out as Daniel Murphy lined to the shortstop. It was the Rockie’s turn to make a critical pitching change. Adam Ottavino got the call and proceeded to throw a wild pitch followed by a walk to Willson Contreras. For the first time, the Cubs were mounting a threat, as pinch-hitting ace Tommy LaStella stepped to the plate. He reached first on catcher’s interference. It was all up to Jason Heywood, but he struck out Might-ally. No runs. One Hit. No Clutch.

It was the top of the eighth, an Achilles Heel for the Cubs in recent games, without a legitimate closer. It was just yesterday in the 8th when the Brewers put the game away. Randy Rosario entered the game and predictably gave up a walk before facing Charlie Blackman. He surprisingly popped out to Bryant, allowing yesterday’s goat, Steve Cicek, to face LeMahieu. Hey! Hey! Double Play.

Then came the biggest stolen base in Cubs Playoff history, as Terrance Gore replaced Anthony Rizzo after a critical base-hit and promptly swiped second base. It set the stage for Javier Baez to hit a two-out RBI double and tie the score. It took former Cub Wade Davis to end the inning, shortly after he watched Baez steal third. Two Hits. One stolen base. No Rizzo.

Cubs reliever Pedro Strop then attempted his come-back from injury, hoping he could preserve the tie, and give the Cubs a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth. A single by Trevor Story, put the Rockies in scoring position after Gerardo Parra bounced out to Murphy for out number two. Ian Desmond then struck out, giving Strop his second K of the inning after three weeks of rehabilitation.

Wade Davis got the Wrigley faithful excited when he walked Willson Contreras, bringing powerful Kyle Schwarber to the plate. However, just like the “Mighty Casey,” he sadly struck out, while Jason Heywood at least made contact but grounded out to Davis. It was now up to Cole Hamels in extra innings to contain the dangerous Rockies. Dahl grounds out. Carlos Gonzalez single. Butera pops out. Valaika strikes out. No Runs. One Hit. No Wade Davis.

The Rockies next called on Sueng-Hwan Oh to pitch the bottom of the 10th. One-Two-Three. Zobrist grounds out. Bryant out to a diving Arenado. Gore strikes out. Another chance for the Rockies in the 11th, as the Cubs fail again to capitalize on a walk-off victory, and certainly can’t afford to fall behind. LeMahieu out. Arenado clean base hit. Story popped out to second. Parra walks, moving Arenado into scoring position. Desmond had already stranded two, but beat out an infield single on a Bryant mental error. Bases Loaded. Two Outs. Dahl fails to deliver. It’s getting late in Chicago, approaching the witching hour.

And so it goes…Baez walks. Almora Sacrifices. Murphy walks. Contreras cramps up then grounds into the force out. 47 games in 49 days is beginning to take its toll on the exhausted Cubbies. Baserunning interference (a hug) nearly ends the Cubs rally, and Oh is replaced by Chris Rusin. Victor Caratini hits for Cole Hamels, but fails to end it. No Cubs hits again!

To start the 12th, Justin Wilson replaces Hamels and promptly gets Gonzales, then benched for a more reliable Kyle Hendricks to handle Drew Butera. Two Outs. Two Strikes. Can of Corn to center. Cubs turn. Two quick outs and another Rockies pitching change to face Kris Bryant, who is one for five, and Scott Oberg strikes him out for the third time on the night. No Rizzo. How will the Cubs ever score?

Fortunes may be running out? Hendricks is facing “Batman and Robin,” the dynamic duo of the Rockies. Two down. Story (Robin) sneaks one through the infield. Baez with more grass stains on his jersey while attempting to run it down. Parra at the plate and puts runners at first and third. Tony Wolters, who just entered the game in the 13th, gets the third straight single with two outs. Unlucky 13 for the Cubs? Hendricks out…Jorge De La Rosa in, the Rockies all-time winning pitcher is now a Cub, trying to keep the lead at only one run.

Once again, can the Cubs possibly score more than one run? It’s all they were able to cobble together yesterday in the loss to the Brewers. Things aren’t going well for Maddon as Gore, with one career hit, stands at the plate instead of Rizzo, who gave the Cubs their only run yesterday. He almost gets away with a hit-batsman but instead, he strikes out. Baez and Almora are the last two chances to win or extend the game and the season. Too Much Swing. Strike Two. Strike Three. Almora strikes out as well, and there’s stunned silence on the North Side of Chicago. The Rockies are the second team in two nights to celebrate on sacred Cubs turf. The Rockies are this year’s Rocky!

Retirement is not without Hassles: Crush #684

October 2, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

After watching Cubs’ title hopes “crushed” yesterday, it’s time to do some “crushing” of my own. I will join my retired friends in the second step of the Wine-making Process where we extract the eventually drinkable juices from the grapes. I missed Step One, the Harvest, while we were traveling back to Indiana last week. The grapes were picked in record time this year by 25 friends and neighbors, then stored in giant tubs to begin fermentation. We’ll transfer them bucket-by-bucket today into a Press that will squeeze the good stuff out, leaving us with solid “cakes” of seeds, stems, and skin that will eventually go to the birds. The strong smell leaves a lot to be desired, and no one will have a craving for a glass of wine for a few days.

As for today, what used to take an army of people is now down to just the three of us, as the wine is transferred directly to a new 80-gallon stainless steel storage tank in the basement of my friend’s home. In the past, we’ve had to fill individual 5-gallon carboys and carefully lug them down the steps. It was an accident waiting to happen. The new procedure will save time, muscle, and mess.

Before we know it, will be sitting at Wanker’s Country Saloon, enjoying a beer and a cheeseburger while discussing the Cubs’ chances today in the elimination Wildcard Game against the Colorado Rockies. The wine will continue to ferment until it is transferred into wooden barrels periodically throughout the year. I will also be needed at some point to help prune the vines and transport them to be recycled. This is my fourth year of helping to produce about 300 bottles of wine annually. Throughout each year, I’ve been a leading contributor to its consumption, as well, and will take home another case of the 2016 until the current Walleye vintageis ready to be bottled. Crush Day here I come!

Old Sport Shorts: Division Disaster #683

October 1, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

The Cubs have gotten into the habit this year of falling behind before they can move ahead. It got them in trouble today, as the magic ran out. There was no Bote moment or two-out heroics – they just never came back. I got two messages from my die-heart-Cub-fan son today – both emojies – as the game continued to deteriorate – vomit then poop. They went predictably down to the Brewers 1-0, before Rizzo homered, one of only three Cubs hits, then fell behind again 3-1. Baez tried to set off a spark with a two-out, ninth-inning hit, but Rizzo fell short on his bid for a second long ball. As a result, the Brewers celebrated in Chicago’s house and claimed their first NL Central title since 2011. They deserved it, while my lucky Cubs socks failed to do their job.

“The Crew” finished the season strong with their 8th straight victory. They also won five out of seven games against the Cubbies, and swept the Cardinals to dominate the Division. The Cubs slowly watched it slip away, managing only 16 of 29 victories down the stretch. One more victory would have claimed the title. Instead, they’ll have to come from way behind via the Wild Card route. This time, however, they may not have a shot because they’re behind the Eight Ball.”

Drinking Champagne,

Yelich and Braun.

The Cubs look on,

Division hopes Gone.

Have the Cubs fallen behind too far this time? Can they rebound from this Division Disaster? Five years ago, fans would have been thrilled to simply have earned a Playoff spot, as would any current White Sox fan. However, this fourth playoff appearance in a row is now tainted in Bitter Brew. The Cubs get a second chance tomorrow, as the Rockies come to town, after a similar fate against the Dodgers. Jon Lester takes the mound for the Cubs seeking his 19th victory of the year. The Rockies will pack their bags and fly from L.A. to Chicago, symbolically passing over their Denver home, where both teams will start the second season by trying to forget about what happened today – tomorrow.

The Cubs will need to get more than the three hits they managed today to move forward, and chances are good that they will once again fall behind as soon as the first inning. I can only hope that they will respond as they have all year long, there will be no Wade Davis revenge, and they’ll “Fly the W” at least one more time. In the meantime, the Brewers get a day of rest and the satisfaction of taking that first positive step towards a winning their first World Series in history. They won it as the Milwaukee Braves 60 years ago with MVP Lew Burdette, along with Hall-Of-Famers Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron, Red Schoendienst, and Eddie Mathews. Will the “Comeback Cubbies” eventually earn a second chance to stop the Brewers from winning it all?

Old Sport Shorts: Wild Finish #681

September 30, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

The Magic Number is down to ONE – for two teams, as both have completed eight innings in their “last” scheduled match-ups of the season. The Cubs got a little tougher assignment, with the evil Cardinals hanging on to Playoff hopes until late yesterday. Despite their 2-1 win over the Cubs, the Giants failed to play a spoiler role against the Dodgers, and any chance for a Red Bird Wildcard flew away. However, they did also manage to gain a little sweet revenge over the rival Cubs, on top of the victory. The loss dropped the division leaders into a tie with the red-hot Brewers, who were dominant today in claiming their 9th victory in the last ten games, including a 7-game win streak.

The Brewers played better down the stretch than the Cubs, so consequently, after 162 games and 95 wins, both records are identical. As a result, they will play a tie-breaker tomorrow at Wrigley Field that will determine which team is guaranteed to play more than one game in addition to owning home-field advantage throughout the Playoffs.

After the first inning of today’s games, the Cubs had officially slipped into second place but rallied in typical comeback fashion (they trailed in 46% of their victories) to take a mid-point 8-2 lead. The Cardinals predictably narrowed the gap and then fumbled, while the Brewers extended their onslaught against the nothing-to-gain Tigers. This is why the Brewers easily gained a series sweep, while the Cubs had to somehow finish-off their closest rival. Cardinal fans were energized over a potential season-ending upset, and Cub fans were shaking their heads over a disappointing September.

Tomorrow will be a historic day in Major League baseball, as two tie-breakers will decide the Playoff fate of four teams. The Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers, and Cubs will play an extra game this year. As a show of offensive fire-power, all four teams scored double-digits in their last game of the season. There will be no eliminations tomorrow, just disappointment in finishing second and a much more difficult road to the World Series. Trophies and bonuses may also present frustration factors.

The Cubs were already tired, as evident in their stretch-fade, while injuries and personnel issues have diluted their overall chances. You can be assured that tomorrow, the Cubs will fall behind the Brewers at some point in the game, and will have to play catch-up. This has been the story all year long, and it probably won’t change in historic game number 163. Expect a Wild finish to this unprecedented Wildcard race!

Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 48 of 68)