Monthly Archives: May 2012
Trading Starlin Castro
English: Starlin Castro of the Chicago Cubs waits to bat in 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Rumors that Theo Epstein and the Cubs were shopping Starlin Castro in a trade swirled amid a USA Today report that the club is shopping everyone on the roster with the exception of Jeff Samardzija.
My initial reaction to this article was shock, because I don’t think Theo Epstein would be that foolish to trade a shortstop that is the only legitimate bat in the lineup and represent the very player that Epstein should be building around.
At 22 years old and under team control until 2017, trading Castro should not even be a consideration for a team that needs more players of his ilk to contend in the National League Central division. Trading him for a bundle of prospects would further alienate a fan base that’s grown tired of waiting til next year.
Having made his ML debut just over two years ago Castro has already eclipsed 400 career hits while hitting over .300. Far from a finished product he has started to drive in more runs, he is tied with Boston’s Mike Aviles for the lead among shortstops in runs batted in with 32, and is on pace to steal over thirty bases which would eclipse his career high of 22 set last season.
His defense is a work in progress as he has been prone to errant throws and mental lapses, but that’s just par for the course in the developing of a 22- year old in pro sports.
The closest thing the Cubs have to an untouchable, if there is such a thing in pro sports today, is the All-Star shortstop that should be patrolling the left side of the Cubs infield for the next decade and will be a fixture in the line-up when the Cubs are back on top.
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here.
NFL Guru talks Bears and the State of the Pro Football
English: Matt Forté of the Chicago Bears (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This morning on my radio show, The Wake-up Call, on sportstownchicago.com I was joined by Russell Baxter, NFL writer/researcher with contributions to Athlon sports, NFL Magazine, FootballPros.com, NationalFootballAuthority.com NFL.com, and ThePostGame.com in addition to his work on his website at www.profootballguru.com.
I had Russell on to put his brain to work which is a veritable encyclopedia of all things NFL.
Rusell and I chatted about the Bears, the NFC North race, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the evolution of the running back position, and you can’t talk about the NFL without mentioning Tim Tebow.
A sampling of the Bears related questions I asked Russell included:
What should Bears fans expect to see from Cutler and Marshall this season?
It’s been awhile since Mike Tice has run an offense, so what type of scheme should we see this fall and how do you envision him and Jeremy Bates co-existing?
There was no player in the NFL that was a greater percent of his team’s offense besides Matt Forte last year, so what are they do to if he holds for any amount of time?
Is Michael Bush capable of being an every down back in the event of a Forte holdout?
How much will Bears first round pick, Shea McClellin help a Bears pass rush that was tied for 30th in the NFL in adjusted sack rate at 5.2%
To hear Russell’s answers to these questions and more, click here for the podcast.
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here.
American League East: State of the Division
Buck Showalter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The American League East was considered by many to be the best division in baseball. Heading into the season with the Yankees and Red Sox fielding All-Star lineups and the Rays employing the divisions best Manager, Joe Maddon, and the division’s best pitching rotation, the East figured to have two playoff contenders in the expanded wildcard playoff format this season.
What nobody failed to mention is that the Baltimore Orioles may be one of the two teams to earn a post-season berth. Tied for first place with the Rays and playing inspired ball under Manager Buck Showalter has Orioles fans optimistic that this isn’t a flash in the pan start to the year.
With budding stars in Adam Jones and Matt Wieters carrying a line-up which also features JJ Hardy, Chris Davis, and Nick Markakis, the Orioles believe they can compete with the big boys of the division into September.
The Yankees are in third place, but will not be counted out from making a run at the division just yet. Mark Teixeira is starting to get hot and display his All-Star bat. Derek Jeter leads the AL in hits. Curtis Granderson is mashing homeruns, and they have the best second baseman in baseball, Robinson Cano, ready to explode once the weather warms up. Alex Rodriguez lurks in the line-up and if he stays healthy and gets hot, the line-up will be a nightmare for opposing pitchers to deal with.
Speaking of pitchers, CC Sabathia continues to be the team’s unquestioned ace and have Andy Pettitte throwing well after coming out of his retirement, which has helped offset the season-ending injury to starter Michael Pineda, whom they acquired for Jesus Montero in the offseason from Seattle.
Injuries have hurt the club more than any other team in the division the first two months of the year. The aforementioned injury to Pineda was a huge blow to a young power arm that was counted on for close to 200 innings of work.
The biggest blow was the loss of Mariano Rivera to a torn ACL and meniscus while shagging fly balls in the outfield during batting practice. The games best closer was replaced by All-Star set-up man David Robertson who immediately landed on the disabled list as well. Thankfully for the Yankees they have former closer for the Rays and Braves, Raphael Soriano to fill the void until Robertson gets back.
The Yankees have to be on the minds of the Orioles who will have to contend with the Bronx Bombers this summer to maintain their lofty perch in the best division in baseball.
The division has flipped upside-down when the Rays and Orioles brought up the rear in the AL East with the Yankees and Red Sox dueling to determine who would win the division and who would have to settle for the wild card berth.
This year sees the Red Sox playing 500 ball and having to yet again deal with off-the-field controversies. Last year it was pitchers eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse during games. This year its players clashing with Bobby Valentine as manager, he even questioned long-time Sox third baseman, Kevin Youkilis’ toughness and Josh Beckett golfing days after his start was skipped because of injury.
Fans in Boston have to be second guessing themselves for running two-time World Series Manager Terry Francona out of town this off-season. The Red Sox have the talent and pedigree to win 90-plus games in the league, but for the reasons mentioned above, it doesn’t seem likely that the team will see post-season action this year.
Canada’s only baseball team is the forgotten team in the division with the upstart Orioles stealing headlines, the darling Rays easy to root for, and the mainstays in New York and Boston having rapid fan bases.
Jose Bautista is the team’s best player having hit a plethora of homeruns the last two seasons, but he is hitting only .224. The Jays have gotten a nice year from Edwin Encarnacion and with one of the game’s best young players, Brett Lawrie, in the fold the Jays have two pieces to build around Bautista moving forward.
However, the Jays have been trying to build a team since they traded Roy Halladay to Philadelphia three years ago, and are not a prime destination for free agents. The next season and a half will be telling for fans as they will either need to trade Bautista to rebuild or give him the necessary protection in the lineup, and a few more arms in the rotation and bullpen to compete with the big dogs south of the border.
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here
Baseball’s Early Award Winners
Josh Hamilton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
With the quarter pole of the Major League Baseball season having been passed this week and Memorial Day on the horizon let’s take a look at my award winners at this point of the season.
Predictions sure to be debated and not necessarily an indication of the award winners come the end of the regular season, but let’s take a look at the best hitters and pitchers who figure to be in the conversation come October.
National League MVP: Matt Kemp
Despite missing time on the disabled list with a hamstring injury last year’s runner-up to Ryan Braun in MVP voting played like a man angry he was not elected as the league’s most valuable player in a season in which he almost won the Triple Crown and just missing going off for a 40 homerun/40 stolen base campaign.
Hitting .359 with 12 hr’s with 28 RBI and 29 runs scored the Dodgers Center fielder will look to make up for missed time when he comes off the DL June 1st.
Second Place: Carlos Beltran
Leads the NL with 14 homeruns and is second to Andre Ethier of the Dodgers in RBI with 38 while carrying a batting average of .292 for the reigning World Series Champion Cardinals. Beltran has stayed healthy while providing more than adequate numbers replacing Albert Pujols’ power numbers in the middle of the St. Louis lineup.
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton
Leads all of baseball with his 19 hr’s and 50 RBI and trails his teammate, Ian Kinsler for the ML lead in runs scored with 36. Oh and he’s hitting .378, three points behind Paul Konerko for the league lead and trails Derek Jeter for the lead in hits by two with 62. He’s doing all this for a team in first place by six games. A Triple Crown watch will be going well into the summer for Mr. Hamilton.
Second Place: Adam Jones
The Orioles Center fielder has come into his own this season for the surprising Orioles, who own the best record in the American League. Jones has 14 hr’s, 31 RBI, 33 runs scores, and has swiped seven bags while hitting .310 and playing Gold Glove defense at a premium position. The slugger is rumored to be close to signing an extension with the Orioles after his hot start.
Last season’s winner has picked up right where his 2011 season left off. 4-2 on the year, and his two losses came in which his team gave him 2 total runs of support. Owner of a nifty 1.97 ERA and tied for the league lead with a 0.90 WHIP for the NL West leading Dodgers gives Kershaw the slight edge over Cole Hamels and Brandon Beachy.
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
Last season’s AL MVP and Cy Young winner leads both leagues with 75 strikeouts and nearly thew his third career no-hitter two starts ago, coming a mere two outs away from pitching immortality with a third no-no. His 0.81 WHIP is best among starters and has limited opposing batters to a .172 batting average against his arsenal of pitches. Verlander beats out Jered Weaver and the resurgent Jake Peavy
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here. And read more of Patrick’s blogs here.
Memorial Day Standings
With Memorial Day a few days away and backyard bbq’s and pool parties about to be set off in full bloom this weekend, let’s take a minute to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to help make the United States the greatest country in the world.
Memorial Day is also the unofficial day when baseball teams realize they are who they are, not to steal from Denny Green’s famous postgame rant in a Monday Night loss to the Chicago Bears years ago, but sometimes teams are not who we thought they are.
Take a peek at the top of the standings across Major League Baseball and you will see five of the six division leaders are not the team that won the division a year ago.
The biggest surprise has to be the Baltimore Orioles who entered Saturday as owners of the best record in the American League. They are one up on the Tampa Bay Rays, four and a half on the New York Yankees, and six and a half on the cellar dwelling Boston Red Sox.
Will they maintain their hot start into the dog days of summer?
Who knows, but Buck Showalter has his team playing as good as they have in a long time.
The American League Central sees the Cleveland Indians two and a half games on top of the Chicago White Sox and five games on everybody’s preseason darling, the Detroit Tigers.
It will be interesting to see if Cleveland acquires a bat or another arm to keep the Sox and Tigers in their rear-view mirror in the AL Central standings. Much like the Orioles, many don’t think they will be in first place at the end of the season, let alone the All-Star break.
However, I beg to differ because this division will beat up each other because I don’t see a complete team dominating in the summer and putting some distance between the other teams in the division. This could be a three team race well into September.
The American League West is the only division to have last year’s winner atop the standings. The Texas Rangers are poised for a third straight trip to the World Series and will look to win their first title behind Josh Hamilton, who is the front runner for the Most Valuable Player award, and a lineup that strikes fear into even the best of pitchers.
Jered Weaver can attest to that. The Angels starter gave up eight runs in three and a third innings of work in a start vs. the Rangers after yielding only one earned run in his previous 21 innings of work, including tossing a no-hitter.
The Rangers own a six game lead on the Athletics but could see a run by the Angels who are six and a half games back after a sluggish start.
The National League East sees the Washington Nationals leading the Atlanta Braves by two games. Inspired by their Manager Davey Johnson and teenage sensation, Bryce Harper and flame throwing Steven Strasburg, the Nationals are turning their immense potential into wins. Leading the NL in ERA, the Nationals are a fun team to root for behind the ageless Davey Johnson.
The Nationals have a slew of questions to answer if they are to keep their place atop the standings in the East.
Does Harper start playing like a 19- year old?
What happens when Strasburg hits his innings mark? He is only allowed 160 after Tommy John surgery ended his rookie season two years ago.
How will injured stars Ryan Zimmerman , Jayson Werth, and Michael Morse fit in the lineup and will they stay healthy?
Who closes? The team has adopted a closer- by- committee approach but have All-Star set-up man Tyler Clippard ready to step into the ninth inning.
The NL Central leaders are Joey Votto’s Cincinnati Reds who head into Memorial Day weekend with a half game lead over the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals recently lost their All-Star first baseman, Lance Berkman for eight to ten weeks after he required knee surgery and are already playing without Allan Craig and his .373 batting average as he nurses a hamstring injury.
Can the Reds put some room between themselves and the Red Birds while they deal with injuries?
With stars like Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce they figure to score enough runs to keep their fifth ranked pitching staff in games. The biggest question is how recently promoted Cuban flame- thrower, Aroldis Chapman handles closing duties.
So far the early results are good as he is yet to give up a single run all season while striking out 43 batters in 24.1 innings.
The NL West boasts the team with the best record in all of baseball and very well could have the MVP, CY Young award winner, and Manager of the year all on the same team. Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, and Don Mattingly have the Dodgers comfortably in first pace and have done so with a dominating home field advantage.
Winners of 19 of the teams 24 home games have given Vin Scully’s Dodgers a six and a half game lead on the San Francisco Giants. A balanced attack that sees the LA squad second in ERA and second in batting average, the Dodgers seem poised for a return to the playoffs.
Of the six teams currently in first place the Rangers and Dodgers are the only two teams I see atop the standings come October.
Meaning the fun is just beginning!
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here. And read more of Patrick’s blogs here.
Bears Cornerback DJ Moore Covers all my Questions
English: Moore during warmups (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This morning I was joined by DJ Moore a rising fourth year cornerback for the Chicago Bears on my show, the Wake Up Call on www.sportstownchicago.comfor an extended interview on a wide range of topics.
I tried to pick the brain of the former All- American from Vanderbilt about the mindset he takes with him in the offseason as he trains his mind and body in anticipation of a grueling 16 game regular season, four game preseason schedule, as well as training camp and organized team activities, which start this week.
I asked DJ what it’s like to be in the same huddle with stars such as Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, and Charles Tillman. He said he didn’t allow himself to get star struck and said it was confirmation that he belongs in the league after questioning whether he belonged in the league after being a fourth round pick despite being a two-time All-Sec performer and All-American in 2008.
We talked about the toughest receiver he has had to cover in his career, the addition of Brandon Marshall, his advice to young football players, his unique pre-game ritual, and much more.
DJ is a laid back cat from South Carolina and the interview matched his demeanor until I asked him his thoughts on the Saints alleged bounty program.
To listen to the intriguing comments DJ made regarding the Saints bounty program and the entire interview with DJ from The Wake up Call with Patrick Schmidt, click here
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here.
The Sports Corner
With a décor fitting of an upscale restaurant The Sports Corner does not look like your typical sports bar from the outside. That’s just fine with the people at the Sports Corner, located at 952 W. Addison Street in Chicago, because people have been piling in since the location was revamped a few years ago.
Offering plenty of outdoor seating to soak up the sun on a glorious Chicago summer day patrons can sip on a frosty cold beer before they make it across the street to Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, for an afternoon matinee.
You don’t need to have tickets to the game to come to the Sports Corner however, because the atmosphere outside the park on game days is electric and you can watch on one of the many televisions inside the bar while you sample their everyday specials and every Wednesday is trivia night. During trivia night you can take advantage of $10 domestic pitchers, $15 import pitchers, and $5 Ketel cocktails.
To learn more about The Sports Corner Bar & Grill, schedule a private party, or peruse their everyday specials, visit their website here.
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake Up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here. And read more of Patrick’s blogs here.
The Cubby Bear
The Cubby Bear (Photo credit: voteprime)
The next time you’re taking in a Cubs game at Wrigley Field you need to step into The Cubby Bear for their daily specials and live music. Live music emanates out of this establishment right next to the historic ballpark that’s home to the Cubs and has live music playing nearly every Friday and Saturday night.
The musical acts range from local bands playing original work to cover bands to the likes of George Clinton who just played the venue May 10th to Ziggy Marley who will bring is act to 1059 W. Addison July 2nd.
If live music isn’t your thing, then have no fear, because the Cubby Bear has a menu that will make everybody’s stomach growl and mouth salivate.
For starters you need to try their award winning bacon wings that you can drown in ranch or bleu cheese dressing if you can’t take the heat. The appetizers don’t stop with the wings as they offer mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese bites, nachos, and more.
The appetizers are enough to fill you up, but be sure to leave room for their variety of mouth watering burgers. I recommend the half- pound cheddar bacon burger with the Cubby Bear garlic fries. In addition to the variety of burgers, this Cubs fan hangout features, sausages, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, bbq pork, Italian beef, and the best smoked brisket you’ll find in Illinois.
Whether you’re stopping in before, after, or during the Cubs game, scheduling a private party, or just want to see some of the best live music in the city, then the Cubby Bear is the place to be. You can also check out their Lincolnshire location at 21661 N. Milwaukee for the same great food and hospitality at their Chicago location.
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and former football player from Chicago and is the host of “The Wake Up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here. And read more of Patrick’s blogs here.
Chicago’s “All-City” Pitching Staff
Matt Garza (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In my blog Friday I wrote about the “All-City Lineup” today I will compile a five man starting rotation and a six man bullpen.
Starters
Ryan Dempster – The number one starter for the team despite not recording a win. Not entirely his fault though as he sports a dazzling 1.74 era and a whip of 0.97. Hitters are hitting a meager .196 off him and carries 4:1 k/BB ratio. The Cubs opening day starter should have four wins on his resume this year if not for absolutely no run support.
Jake Peavy – Reverting to the form he displayed during his Cy Young campaign in 2007 as a member of the San Diego Padres and looking like the pitcher White Sox General Mangers Ken Williams once traded four pitchers for. 4-1 with a 2.65 era and more importantly has gone atleast six innings of seven of his eight starts.
Matt Garza – In his second season as a Cub, Garza has pitched better than his 2-1 record would suggest. His 2.58 era has kept the Cubs in many games while the offense tried to give him some run support. Garza is plagued by the similar anemic offense that has yet to give Dempster much support when he is on the mound, and could easily have twice as many wins as he currently has if not for a lack of support.
Jeff Samardzija – The former All- American wide receiver for Notre Dame has found a home in the starting rotation after working out of the bullpen the last few years. He is tied for the team lead with four wins and strikes out more than one batter per inning with a nifty era of 3.00. His future is bright and is one of the hardest throwing starters in the entire National League.
Chris Sale – Tied for the team lead with Peavy at four and an era under three for the young lefty earns him a spot on the “All-City” staff. While the Sox aren’t sure if he is a starter or a closer, the rotation needed a lefty to round out the staff and Sale gets the nod over Paul Maholm of the Cubs. Sale has a high ceiling if he can stay healthy.
The Bullpen
James Russell and Raphael Dolis – The Cubs have had a great deal of problems finding a reliable arm to turn to in late inning pressure situations, and while each has had their down moments, they also represent the two best the Cubs have to offer. Russell has a 1.06 era and hitters are batting only .208 off of Dolis thus far on the season.
Nate Jones, Jesse Crain, and Matt Thornton- The rookie Jones has been a pleasant surprise to the Sox and his 1.37 era is evident of that. Crain has just nine innings under his belt this season but hitters are hitting below the Mendoza Line off his pitches, so he earns the spot. The final set-up man job goes to Matt Thornton despite his three blown saves out of necessity and the lack of quality arms to choose from.
The Closer
Addison Reed- Young and inexperienced, but has a lot of talent in his arm and has the ability to strike a hitter out which is essential to success as a late inning reliever, especially a closer. Reed is a perfect four for four in save chances this season and could be a good one for a long time on the Southside.
The bullpen on both sides of town has had it’s fair share of turnover, but combined into one super pen, it actually looks pretty solid on paper. Let me know what you think and how yours would look.
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard sports fan and former football player from Chicago. Patrick is a fan of the Cubs, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks and is an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake Up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here.
Baseball’s Civil War in Chicago
For as long as there has been two professional baseball teams playing in Chicago the two sides have despised each other that would make the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s proud.
As the City of broad shoulders prepares for another Civil War between the Cubs and Sox, I have already grown tired of the sophomoric and ignorant stereotypes that both fan bases throw back and forth at each other.
I have often found it humorous for one to be a fan of both teams, and I have yet to wrap my brain around having two favorite teams in any sports. However, is it possible to be a Cubs or Sox fan and not have the urge to throw the same tired insults at the other team, their fans, and their ballpark?
Denigrating one team does not make your team superior, it makes you look foolish.
I am a Cubs fan and support them through good times and bad. In many ways it is a marriage and as many times as I get disappointed or angry with the team, I always come back to them and believe that next year is right around the corner.
I am as loyal as they come concerning the supporting of my team. This is something that many Chicagoans pride themselves on. This trait is what makes Chicago fans the greatest in the world. This is not a biased opinion.
This fact is backed by my viewing Yankee fans boo Derek Jeter, Philadelphia fans boo Santa Claus, Los Angeles fans lose a football franchise on more than one occasion, and countless other cities struggle to fill their stadiums and arenas. Have you seen the empty seats in Miami during Heat games and the thousands of empty seats in Atlanta during the Braves decade of dominance in the ‘90’s?
This series brings out the worst in Chicago fans and a sample of what you will hear in any bar this weekend will go like this:
Cub fan: “The White Sox fans don’t care about their team and that’s why they can’t sell out their stadium.”
Sox fan: “Sox fans are just smarter and we don’t support a bad team unlike Cub fans who just go to Wrigley to get drunk. They don’t even pay attention to the game.”
Cubs fan: “At least our park is a historical monument and full of history and beauty unlike that monstrosity named after a phone company.”
Sox fan: “Well our park is clean and you don’t have to worry about concrete falling on your head or walking a mile to use the bathroom.”
Cubs fan: “No but the umpires and first base coaches need to worry about being assaulted.”
Sox fan: “Well your announcers are awful. All Ron Santo did was moan and groan. He was just a fan in the booth.”
Cubs fan: “Have you heard Hawk Harrelson?!”
Sox fan: “At least we won a World Series.”
Cubs fan: “That’s right; you have now won as many as you’ve thrown in the last 100 years.”
Tell me how many times you have heard this exact conversation?
I am willing to bet the answer is far too many.
My plea for Cubs and Sox fans this weekend is that we all get along. I pray no fights break in or around the stadium. The past few years have seen an increase in hostility, aggression, and drunken belligerence. Let us remember this is the city that brought us affable and players who personified class in guys like Ernie Banks, Luke Appling, Ron Santo, Minnie Minoso, Ryne Sandberg, and the man in the White Sox dugout this weekend, Robin Ventura among many others.
For three days I urge the fans of both sides to represent the best the city has to offer and not act like Albert Belle and Milton Bradley.
I am rooting for three well played competitive games and if the Cubs lose Friday afternoon, you better believe I will have my Cubs gear on for Saturday night’s game under the lights.
You will not see me bashing the White Sox if they beat the Cubs in every game this year, sure I will be disappointed, but more than if the Cardinals came into town and swept the series. That is the team’s real rival. I would think the best White Sox fans would agree in the same vein agree that they are more concerned with gaining ground on Detroit and Cleveland in the standings.
I am concerned about the fans on both allegiances that do not recognize this fact and have a distorted sense of reality. These are the fans that participate in conversations like the one I wrote about earlier and get tossed out of games and bars for engaging in buffoonery.
Both have great fans but it is the clowns to the left and jokers to the right who ruin it for the true fans.
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is a diehard sports fan and former football player from Chicago. Patrick has been a fan of the Cubs, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks from birth and is an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake Up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here.
