Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 58 of 68)

An old guy’s perspective on all sports

Old Sport Shorts: Rivera #338

November 15, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

The baseball glove that I used in Little League was factory autographed by Jim Rivera of the Chicago White Sox. He passed away yesterday at age 96, the same age as my mother-in-law, who we just visited, and both of my deceased parents. They all lived in my home state of Indiana, within about a 50 mile triangle, so this partially explains why I was a nearby Chicago sports fan growing up. “Jungle Jim” was an outfielder on the 1959 “Go-Go Sox” team that lost in the World Series to the evil Los Angeles Dodgers. His teammates included Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Early Wynn, Ted Kluszewski, Jim Landis, Gary Peters, Billy Pierce, and Sherm Lollar – the heroes of my youth. (See Posts #118 and #257)

Rivera led the AL in triples with 16 in 1953 and stolen bases in 1955 with 25, both good indications of his speed and base running skills.The nickname “Jungle Jim” was given to him by a Chicago sportswriter due to his unorthodox playing style. However, he much preferred the moniker “Big Jim,” even though his given name was Manual Joseph Rivera. He was 38 when Bill Veeck’s White Sox finally won the Pennant, and sadly went 0-for-the-World-Series on legs that allowed him to play the sport at 40 years old. He didn’t make his MLB debut with the St. Louis Browns until he was 30, due in part to World War II, a boxing career, and 5 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary on an attempted rape charge. In the off season of 1950, he played in the Puerto Rican Winter League, impressing opposing manager Rogers Hornsby who brought him to Seattle in 1951 and then to the Browns, where he started his pro career.

I saw him make several game saving plays in Right Field, a position that I often played, and enjoyed imitating his head-first slides into the bases. He finished his career with the Kansas City Athletics in 1962, but his mitt model that I used bearing his autograph stamp was a fielding essential for me for many years after. I also had a Jim Landis mitt, as if I could put one on each hand.

Rivera was just a step behind my favorite hero, Sherm Lollar, who inspired me to wear #10. (See Post #5). I was never a Catcher because of my relatively weak arm usually relegated me to positions like Right Fielder or Second Baseman. I did some slow pitch softball hurling as I got older, as all these positions were simply a compromise for my ability to get on base. As a result, to have owned a catcher’s mitt like Sherm’s was never practical, but certainly now worth consideration in my growing museum collection.

Retirement is not without Hassles: Gravedigger #336

November 13, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I’ve spent the past couple of days in a retirement home, fortunately just as a guest. While my wife helps her 96-year old mother stay organized, I have spent my time reading, writing, or visiting with some of the residents. I just finished Ken Follet’s lengthy new novel, A Column of Fire, where very few of the characters, fictional or real, lived to be my age. Mary Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I, died at age 44, while her sister Elizabeth Tudor, Queen of England, made it to the ripe old age of 69. For those of you that haven’t read it, I’ll spare you the details, but most of the book sticks to the historical facts. The book ends as the Mayflower is about to set sail to the New World in 1620. One of the fictional characters in the book lives until the age of 80, about as old as people got in that era.

As I look around me, I’m still a young man here in the “activity” room. Walkers and wheelchairs are the primary mode of transportation and the majority in the room are women. The most strenuous movement in the group is the effort to shuffle cards, followed by Wii bowling, drawing, puzzling, and painting. I’m the only one using a computer, and it’s been quiet most of the afternoon. One woman just came in to join the bowling action, and will actually participate standing up, rather than sit passively like her opponent. As they are creating her Wii character, the level of conversation picked up and even the pet birds chirped louder. The room is beginning to show playful signs of life. Strike!

We’ll drive to the outskirts of Chicago later this evening, so my wife can gradually shift into business mode. I will continue to have a “vacation” from dog duty, and will try once again to get a good night’s sleep in a strange bed. During my run this morning, my I-Tunes player got stuck on the song, Gravedigger, by the Dave Matthews Band. It replayed a total of twelve times, adding to my concerns about old age.

Yesterday in this same room, I spoke for some time to a man in his early 80’s about baseball. He shared some memories about the Chicago White Sox and the 1959 World Series. Although he was about 17 years older, somehow baseball narrowed the age gap and led us to other subjects. He had lost both a wife a son a few years ago, so I felt fortunate to still have both of those treasures. I was relieved to see that his memory was still good, after less positive experiences with my father a few years ago. Everyone here at the Assisted Living Center is precious cargo, as life gets more and more fragile with each decade that passes.

I’m looking at my future, as hard as it is to think about. Although it’s exciting to be in the first year of retirement, it won’t last forever. I’m appreciative of the support staff here, doing their patient best to keep everyone comfortable and stimulated. I’m also impressed by those few here that continue to be positive and active, even though they no longer have homes of their own, have lost close family members, and have given up most of their worldly possessions. I personally try to keep the gravedigger away with daily exercise of both the mind and body, but the song continues to replay in my mind. Somehow, Dave Matthews makes the tune worth humming.

Old Sports Shorts: Sports Sunshine #334

November 12, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

It’s been a “gloomy” week of sports, starting last Sunday with the elimination of the Portland Timbers from the MLS Playoffs. Adding to the “darkness,” the inconsistent Portland Trailblazers have lost twice this week, after showing promise against the talented OKC Thunder recently. The Oregon Ducks were fortunately idle in football this week, while the Chicago Bears still can’t beat the Packers even without Aaron Rogers. Even the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers soccer team fell in the BIG tournament to Wisconsin. The IU Football team did somehow manage to snap their losing streak in a victory over Illinois, but it will be fruitless without two more wins this season. Doom and gloom.

I was so looking forward to the start of college basketball, and the Archie Miller era at IU. Instead, the team fell flat on their faces against Indiana State at home. It was their first home opener loss since 1984, and that was against formidable Louisville. Last year, after a couple of great wins that briefly extended Tom Crean’s favor with the fans, they lost to Fort Wayne. I do hope that Indiana State builds on their surprising rout of the Hoosiers – it’s been 38 years since the Larry Bird glory days for the school. It was Breton Scott who got recruiting revenge on the Hoosiers this year for Indiana State, just as his twin brother, Bryson, had in Ft. Wayne’s overtime upset last season. Great Scott! Many in-state players grow chips on their shoulders after being ignored for big school scholarships, and seem to have that one great game as an opponent. IU fans have seen this phenomenon all too frequently.

I feel like Joe Btfsplk,* the Al Capp comic character in Li’l Abner, looking up at the dark cloud that always follows him. There is still hope for a better week for me as a sports fanatic. IU soccer will still be a top seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament, while IU Football continues to hold slim hopes for post-season play. College basketball will be full of surprises, but my expectations for IU are as low as they’ve ever been. Professional sports have lost my interest, mainly because my favorites have fared so poorly in recent years. Where’s the warmth?

It’s a long time before baseball season starts in the Spring, so I’ve got to be able to find some diamonds this Winter. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long, dark, cold, rainy four months. How about a little sports sunshine for this “fair weather” fan.

*Btfsplk is spelled correctly. It’s a rude sound that Al Capp would humorously demonstrate during his public lectures. Some might refer to it as the “Bronx Cheer,” done with closed lips, tongue sticking out, and the quick expulsion of air. I think it sounds suspiciously like a fart.

Old Sport Shorts: Indy Cars #330

November 9, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I’m starting to feel a little better after a week of congestion, cough, chills, and lack of energy. So much for flu shots – it didn’t seem to work this year. However, it was “free” thanks to my wife’s company. I had a little more energy this morning so I did some vacuuming and dusting, but another dark, rainy day makes me want to go back to bed. I helped a friend out yesterday by setting up a sales call on the Portland International Speedway. It’s exciting that they are bringing back the Indy Cars next Labor Day weekend. Indy Car racing, or CART at the time, is what brought me to Portland back in 1988 through 1990. I had first been to the city in 1980, just after Mount St. Helens erupted.

The Grand Prix of Portland was called the Budweiser/G.I. Joe’s 200 that first year that I attended. Stroh’s was the inaugural sponsor in 1984 and 1985, while Texaco, Freightliner, and Mazda provided race support in subsequent years. A Stroh’s brand, Schaefer Beer, was one of the sponsors on our race cars. I remember the “Alex the Dog” commercials from that era where Alex would fetch a Stroh’s from the refrigerator for its owner. There was a lapping sound effect at the end of the spot, with the owner shouting, “Alex, you’d better be drinking your water!” I was one of our loosely formed marketing team for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers racing team that included drivers Josele Garza, Scott Atchison, Scott Pruett, Rich Vogler, and Kevin Cogan. Pancho Carter, with a co-sponsorship from Hardee’s, also joined the team, but missed the 1988 season. Other sponsors included Otter Pops, Explorer Van, and Playboy magazine. I’ve often said that when potential clients and guests came to our garage area they were well entertained with beer, burgers, frozen popsicles, and centerfolds. My role was to keep our clients happy, find additional sponsorship, and fill-in for pit duty when necessary. I was what they called a “weekend warrior,” moving from track to track throughout the season.

Danny Sullivan, driving for Penske Racing, was the race winner in that June 19, 1988 race, averaging just over 102 miles an hour. Emerson Fittipaldi won in 1989, and then Michael Andretti was in the winner’s circle the next three years straight. Other notable names like Al Unser Jr., Bobby Rahal, Alex Zanardi, Mark Blundell, Gil de Ferran, Max Papis, Cristiano da Matta, Adrian Fernandez, Sebastian Bourdais, and A.J. Allmendinger won top honors during the 24 years of the event that ended in 2007.

The race was always a part of Portland’s annual Rose Festival, but will return in 2018 as an independent event, replacing Watkins Glen on the Verizon Indy Car Series schedule. I’ll look forward to attending, and hopefully reuniting with many friends from the past. The Machinist’s Union team became Panther Racing in 1997 and continued to operate into 2014. Let’s Go Racing….

Retirement is not without Hassles: Relearning #327

November 6, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

With the Daylight Savings time shift, my morning run was not in total darkness, as had been the case during the past several weeks. I fought off the congestion and the cold, damp temperatures to complete day 3235 (8.857 years) of my running streak. I did spend two mornings on the treadmill this past week, trying to avoid the winter chill, and only ran the minimum mile at 4 a.m. on Saturday before the trip to Seattle for a baseball card show.

I had overlooked the Spanish-American War in what I’m now calling my “Retirement Study of War.” The Ken Burns documentary about the Roosevelt family reminded me of Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, and their heroic role in the “Siege of Santiago,” that eventually led to Spain’s surrender to the United States and Cuba’s independence. TR’s “war hero” status vaulted him into the Vice-Presidency, and soon made him the youngest President in history following McKinley’s assassination. However, the liberation of Cuba would come back to bite us in the future, as Communism began to spread throughout the world. It was just another reminder of U.S. history studies that I have forgotten through the years, but am relearning in my first year of retirement.

One Roosevelt led to another, as the two cousins representing opposing Political Parties controlled the Oval Office for a combined total of two decades. Neither of them lived to be as old as I am now, having died at age 60 and 63 respectively. Theodore, both young and popular, busted up monopolies, built the Panama Canal, and restored our natural resources. It was even more of a “family affair” once cousin Eleanor agreed to marry Franklin. FDR died during his record fourth term in office, leading America through the Great Depression, Prohibition, and World War II. His legacy includes the “New Deal” that focused on Relief, Recovery, and Reform.

I used our Columbia Employee store invitation yesterday to upgrade my retirement uniform. (See Post #150). I bought new jeans, new long-sleeve tops, and even a few reversible collared shirts that will give me a more “dressed-up” look, even if they’re just a step up from wearing pajamas. They also have snaps rather than buttons to aid the loss of dexterity in my fingers. Even though the shirts are flannel, As a Midwesterner, I still wasn’t ready for the plaid “lumberjack look” of the Northwest, so I settled on boring solid colors. I also bought another water-proof jacket for running, taking advantage of new technology in fabrics and design. I remembered the words of a friend, “the older we get, the more technology we need.”

The “Houston Strong” inspiration from the World Champion Astros obviously played a role in the Houston Dynamos upset of the Portland Timbers in the playoffs. I.U., my alma mater, continued their undefeated soccer season with a victory over Penn State this morning, and will face Ohio State on Friday, so I still have a reason to follow soccer at least until college basketball season gets interesting. Both Indiana and Oregon have already lost their way in football. On a more hopeful note, the Portland Trailblazers show some promise early in the season. Baseball is four months away!

I’ve eaten massive quantities of chocolate over the past week, justifying my “chocoholic” addiction with the “feed a cold” maxim. Years ago the claim was “starve a cold,” however, it’s been proven the body needs energy to fight off those nasty germs. Either way, there was a big bowl of candy bars left over from Halloween, and someone had to eat them. It’s been hard to walk by that bowl without stopping!

Old Sport Shorts: Astros #324

November 3, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

The American League (AL) Houston Astros win the World Series, putting the finishing touches on the 2017 season. The move to pick up Justin Verlander caught my attention at the end of August and made them a serious contender. The only good thing for me is that once the Cubs were eliminated, all the talk focused on the Astros last trip to the World Series in 2005 where they were swept by my White Sox. It was probably the only time in the last 12 years where the White Sox got some attention and respect. I was living in Illinois during that World Series and was able to attend two of those games at Cellular One on press credentials. Even I had forgotten that great moment in Chicago White Sox history, until the National League (NL) Astros clawed their way back into the Fall Classic, enabling them to become the first franchise in MLB history to have won a pennant in both the NL and the AL.

They were the second franchise in recent history to have weathered a storm. In 2005, just before the White Sox won the World Series at the expense of the Astros, Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans and became the ultimate driving force for the Saints to win the 2009 Super Bowl over the Colts. The 2017 Houston Astros, wearing uniform patches that read “Houston Strong,” also rallied from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey to bring their city a title, after several frustrating one-hundred-loss seasons.

I lived in Austin, Texas for 5 years and was exposed to the Astros organization through their minor league affiliate, The Round Rock Express. I would drive to Houston for games when the White Sox or Cubs were in town. The team was established in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45s and entered the National League as an expansion team. The name was changed to the Astros in 1965, reflecting Houston’s role as the control center of the U.S. Space Program, when they moved into the Astrodome.

Before the Colt .45s, Houston’s professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes, a Chicago Cubs affiliate, established in 1888. They played at Colt Stadium that eventually became the temporary home of the Colt .45s, as the Astrodome, the world’s first domed sports stadium, was being built. Fittingly, the inaugural season started with a three-game sweep of the Cubs. Once the Astrodome was completed, they discovered that grass would not grow in the new park and as a result an artificial turf called “Astro-Turf” was created. The new team won Division Titles in 1980, 1986, 1997, 1998, 1991, and 2001, and Wild Card berths in 2004, 2005, and 2015, but had never won a World Series in its 45 year history, until they beat the Dodgers in Game 7 yesterday.

The 2005 team had the “Killer B’s” – Biggio, Bagwell, Berkman, and Burke – to win the Wild Card on the last day of the season, despite being 15 games under .500. They then went on to defeat the Braves and Cardinals to eventually face the White Sox. By that time, they had abandoned the Astrodome and had been playing in their new retractable-roof park, Minute Maid, since 2000. They would stay in the American League until 2013.

The Round Rock Express was an Astros Triple-A affiliate from 2005-2010, and then switched to the Texas Rangers in 2011. Former Astro pitcher, Nolen Ryan “The Ryan Express,” bought the franchise in 2000 and built the Dell Diamond to initially house his Double-A Texas League’s Jackson Generals. He eventually got the Astros affiliation after a switch with New Orleans. Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence, and Roger Clemens are notable Express alumni that played a role on that 2005 World Series runners-up team. The Ryan family was very involved in the Austin community and founded “R Bank,” an account of mine when I worked for the Austin Business Journal. I have an Nolen Ryan autographed baseball with his picture and #34 from a game I attended. His legacy included a record seven no-hitters, 12 one-hitters, and 18 two-hitters, but never pitched a perfect game. Nolen Ryan is currently an executive advisor to Astros’ owner, Jim Crane, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. The Round Rock Express is listed by Forbes as the sixth most valuable Minor League Baseball team with a value in 2016 of $40 million.

Old Sport Shorts: World Series #321

November 1, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Once again, baseball has snuck (or sneaked) into the month of November and the entire season boils down to one game. Last year, I was in Chicago, hoping for a Cubs victory in Cleveland. This year, the champion will be determined in Los Angeles, a stadium that I visited twice this year. On the last occasion, the Cubs fell short in Game 1 and never recovered the chance to go back-to-back.

“Mr. October,” a title once claimed by Reggie Jackson, has evolved into Derek Jeter’s role as “Mr. November,” as the baseball season pushed back later and later into the year. November baseball started in 2001 with the Yankees and Diamondbacks. The game actually started on Halloween night but extra innings took it past midnight. Jeter hit the walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th. That series continued until November 4th. The 2009 series also finished on November 4th with the Yankees once again winning it all, only this time against the Phillies in 6 games. In 2010, both Game 5 and the Series went to the Giants on November 1. Finally, the last two Cubs’ victories against the Indians last year were in November. After tonight’s World Series finale and a new “Mr. November” potentially crowned, eleven November games will have been played.

Judging from all the facial hair sported by current baseball players, “Movember” came early this year. It’s typically a month-long campaign to create awareness for men’s health issues, but everyone in baseball that can grow a beard already has one. Without a doubt, regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game, I vote for Justin Turner of the Dodgers to be “Mr. Movember.”

Retirement is not without Hassles: The Numbers #310 = 4

October 22, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I had another “66” moment yesterday, as I continue to be reminded of my age. We were at Coeur de Terre winery to pick up our member shipment, and I was having a discussion with the owner. Music was playing in the background but I really didn’t notice until Nat King Cole started to sing “Route 66.” It caught me by surprise, and I pointed the coincidence out to my wife, further adding to the number of times my age number of 66 has surfaced in the past few months.(See Post #302).

In the study of numerology, the “Angel Number 66 is a message from the angels to put your faith and trust in the benevolence of the Universe as your daily needs are continually met.” Some consider it to be “a powerful number of unconditional love, healing and faith and trust in the Devine.” Others say that it “shows a double 6th sense and an ability to connect with others.” Words are converted to numbers by adding them together. A=1, B=2, C=3….J=10 or 1, K=11 or 1+1=2….Z=26 or 2+6=8. Words that add up to 66 include Discipleship, Resurrection, Spiritual Work, and Transformation. Technically, 66 breaks down to: 6+6 =12, a master number of learning spiritual lessons, and even further to 1+2=3, referring to the Trinity, meaning you’re receiving divine protection, help, and guidance. You find your personal numerology number by beginning with your full birthdate, adding the digits together after reducing them to a single digit. Mine is August 27, 1951 or 8+9+7=24 and 2+4=6. My life path is a 6 – The Nurturer. I apparently was meant to by my own boss – so retirement has given me a chance to be just that, except for my wife!

The only numbers I was worried about today was my annual property tax statement, showing that our taxes had gone up 9.2 percent when compared with last year. Our property value only went up about 3%. It’s inflation like this that concerns retirees on fixed incomes. With a working wife, our household income isn’t yet susceptible to the growing costs of staying in The Rose City. Hopefully, our dollars are going to support a retiree in the Portland area education community. The letters RCTID are on billboards all over town, and the battle cry of the Timbers Army, who we saw in action today. Rose City Till I Die will not be the case with these levels of tax increases. RCTIL is more like it – Rose City Till I Leave!

My wife and I wrapped our Portland Timbers Army scarves around our necks for the big game today. Only soccer fans sport scarves, an element of the unique tradition of this game that is universally known as futbol. I immediately spotted #66 for the Vancouver White Caps opposition; the biggest man on the pitch, Ali Ghazal. Since he really stood out, I was immediately concerned that he might be a factor, but the Timbers ultimately prevailed 2-1. Soccer is filled with chants, mysterious abbreviations, and lore. For example, the 80:00 minute mark is celebrated with the song, “You are my Sunshine.” It’s done in remembrance of the daughter of original mascot Timber Jim Serrill, who died at the tender age of 8. Currently, Timber Joey celebrates each Timber goal by sawing off a slab of log with a chainsaw. The trophy is then presented to the goal-scorer in a post-match ritual. Today’s ceremony also included the presentation of the Cascadia Cup.

The Cascadia Cup honors the rivalry between the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver White Caps. The Timbers won it in 2009, 2010, and 2012, so it’s been 5 years since the cup has been claimed by Portland. In the 2015 Championship season, the Timbers actually finished a distant last in the running for the 2-foot-tall silver cup. Honestly, I hadn’t been to a match since early in that Championship year, so this was a good game to attend. Everyone waves and twirls their scarves to honor the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” and in this particular game to “O Canada.” In other sports this tradition might be considered disrespectful, especially in lieu of the recent hubbub over kneeling or sitting during the anthem.

Caleb Porter is the successful coach of the Timbers, a fellow Indiana University grad, who played on the soccer team from 1994 to 1997. He was also an assistant coach for the Hoosiers from 2000-2005 and helped guide the school to two of their 8 NCAA Championships. Porter, himself, starred on IU’s 1994 squad that lost 1-0 to Virginia for the national title. This year, Indiana is currently the #1 team in the country, undefeated through 16 games, and allowing only 3 total goals. In fact, their scoreless-minute streak reached an incredible 922:28 minutes. The last time they were undefeated this far into the season was 10 years ago in 1997 when Porter was an IU Senior. As a fair weather fan, I typically follow soccer when the football season looks hopeless and basketball hasn’t started yet.

Retirement is not without Hassles: Old Fashioned #308

October 20, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

This afternoon’s “Leadership Meeting” went well. We’re not really sure how many participants it takes to form a “Leadership Convention,” but the most that have attended at one meeting has been six. I’m the self-proclaimed leader of organizing these weekly leadership meetings. Most of the attendees are former business leaders, but we do include a couple of current workplace leaders to remind us how good it is to be retired. It also keeps us up to date on the state of the current work environment, so we don’t get completely out of touch with the business world. We often talk about comings and goings, which include those who unfortunately pass away, as we enter the obituary stage of life – where we check the daily obituaries to make sure that we’re not in there. I mentioned to the other attendees today that a former Indianapolis business leader, a former radio station General Manager, lost his battle with cancer earlier this week at the disturbing age of 66 – my age. It makes you feel very vulnerable, and you can only joke about it, while feeling fortunate to still be alive.

I still having trouble remembering to use only one space between sentences, having the old-fashioned way of including two spaces exposed in a recent article. My wife also pointed out that I was wasting paper, shelf space, and binders to print copies of this blog. My old fashioned way of thinking does not allow me to trust the cloud, preferring to have a printed record of each of my blog posts. I’m probably also a bit vain, thinking that my son might someday want a copy of my musings. I would love to have a written diary or a record from my mom and dad, even though they did leave me an overabundance of family and personal photos. My sister has my dad’s war diary somewhere in her possession, but has yet to find it. Even though these hand-me-downs weren’t meaningful a few years ago, I’m glad I didn’t dispose of them. I feel that part of retirement is taking the time to organize family history, and to write about personal experiences, hoping they just might be interesting to others.

The Cubs have been eliminated, so that gives me less to write about. It was a great season, filled with hope about back-to-back good fortune, The Dodgers put an end to that pipe dream, but gave themselves a chance to end their own 29-year drought of not winning a World Series. The Houston Astros are currently avoiding potential elimination by the Yankees as I write. Watching baseball provides a great opportunity to multi-task, not having to totally focus on the screen. You can even many times take a nap and not miss a thing.

My wife came home and took a nap after a long week of work. It reminded me that the weekend is here. It’s still hard to believe that I no longer have to look forward to them, with the exception of spending more time with her. I didn’t even know it was Friday today until I had to dodge some neighborhood trash containers during my run this morning. Hopefully, the rain will hold off and the dogs will get a little more exercise this weekend. They are not as content as I am to hang around the house all day, and look forward to their weekend jaunts through the nearby park. Happy weekend everyone who’s not retired!

Old Sport Shorts: Cubs Win #307

October 19, 2017 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

The Cubs won their first game against the Dodgers last night, hopefully it won’t be the last in their quest for back-to-back Championships. Javier Baez was the hero, clubbing two home runs, to go along with Jake Arrieta’s stellar pitching performance. They get to play another, but still badly in a hole. I thought it was interesting that the announcers talked about the fact that Arrieta had just tied “Three-Fingers” Brown for the most Cubs post season victories. (See Post #2). I think it was an unfair comparison. Mordecai “Three Fingers” Brown pitched for the 1906-1908 Cubs, losing their first World Series to the White Sox and then rebounding with back-to-back titles against the Tigers. That was the last time that the Cubbies found the magic to win consecutive titles, with last year finally ending an 108-year drought of just winning one. Back then, there was only the regular season and the World Series, not the Wildcard, League Championship series, and World Series that count towards post-season stats.

It’s not easy to go back-to-back. The Yankees hold most of the records here winning 5 straight 1949-1953, 4 straight from 1936-1939, 3 straight from 1998-2000, and two straight 1927-28 & 1961-62. The last National League team to do it was the Cincinnati Reds 1975-76, and the only other team to win 3 straight was the Oakland Athletics 1972-74. Besides the Cubs, the only other two time winners were the Philadelphia Athletics 1910-11 & 1929-30, the Boston Red Sox 1915-16, New York Giants 1921-22, and the Toronto Blue Jays 1992-93. Only 8 baseball clubs in history have done it! The odds are against the Cubs, as they face elimination tonight. The Cubs, by the way, have now won five consecutive elimination games!

It was not a convincing victory against the Dodgers last night, but it was a start. Arrietta gave them seven strong innings, holding LA to just one homer. Puig was not a long ball threat for once against Cub pitching, but Turner has continued to be a problem. Cubs relief pitching is giving up twice as many runs as starters, and that’s why the champagne is on ice in the Dodgers’ locker room. Not to mention, 26 Dodger walks in the first four games. It’s the Cubs job to keep the corks from popping. At any rate, it was good to avoid the sweep and to Fly The “W” one last time. Can we keep it flying?