Songs for Opening Day: 'Centerfield'

The Chicago Cubs opened their 2022 season today at home in Wrigley Field.  Definitely a pretty crummy day for it.  Out here in the burbs we have 41 degrees and a light rain.  And, the only way to see the game on TV is to pay their crummy Marque cable station.  So, I will pull for the Cubs, but won't see many games.

Anyway, good ol' Bob Stroud had his Ten at Ten on baseball for some reason.

1.  CENTERFIELD--  John Fogerty

2.  GLORY DAYS--  Bruce Springsteen

3.  PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT--  Meatloaf

4.  MRS.  ROBINSON--  Simon & Garfunkel

5.  WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE--  Billy Joel

6.  THE BOYS OF SUMMER--  Don Henley

7.  NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE--  Steam  White Sox organist Nancy Faust started this.

8.  BACK WHEN MY HAIR WAS SHORT--  Gunhill Road

9.  YOUR LOVE--  The Outfield

10.  GO CUBS GO--  Steve Goodman

It will repeat tonight at 10 PM, CDST.

Thanks, Bob.  Pretty good lineup.  I'm In the Mood for Some Baseball Been Very Good to Me.  --RoadBall

Name That Tune(from the above songs):  "Baseball Season's On the Way.  Well You Better Get Ready For A Brand New Day."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Go Cubs Go"

And, Yet Another Futile Effort on the Part of the Bad / Sad Sox

Now down two games to nothing in a best of five series.  The season should be over tomorrow night.  Everything I feared the Six would do, is exactly what they're doing.  

Then there is that Craig Kembrel. Sure hope that arm-hanger is gone by next year.  He comes in with the Sox down by a run and then suddenly they are down my five runs.

The Astros take advantage of every mistake the Sox make.  In one inning the Sox walked three straight Astros and two scored to tie it.

And, I didn't like the fact that the game was televised just on the MLB network which we don't get.

Well, one good thing about a quick out for the Sox is that it frees up time for me.  With them gone, I don't HAVE to watch or listen to any more baseball games.  Plus, I won't have to buy stuff that I would had the Sox won the World Series.

--RoadSad

Well, the Bad Sox/Sad Sox Showed Up Yesterday

Watched the entire game at a local watering hole and it was hard.  Sox pitcher Lynn didn't have his stuff and the Sox couldn't buy a hit there in the first six innings.

Of course, par of the problem was me putting the whammy on them by writing about them in this blog.  I guess I have to then take part of the blame.

But, at least the Sox got their act together at the end of the season and won five games in a row before losing the last one.  It reminds me of 2005, when the Sox won the World Series where they won five games in a row at the end of the season and then went through the playoff with a 11-1 run.

It was kind of bad that they were not threatened by any of the other Central Division AL teams and won so easily.

Well.  Good Luck Today.  --RoadSox

So, Which White Sox Team Will Show Up Today (A Sox Fan Worries)

In just a little bit, the Chicago White Sox will be starting their playoff game against the Houston Astros.

And, the big question is, which Sox team are we going to see.  Is it going to be the good one or the bad one.  If it is the bad one, it will be three and done.  And, there is no way of knowing which we will be getting until after the game gets underway.

The Sox can be unbelievably impressive at times and such a waste at others.  They can beat a team by ten runs and then lose the next four games by one run each.  Their pitching can be brilliant or I can't watch.  Relief is even a bigger question, especially with the Hendricks and Kimbrel.  Either brilliant or like throwing gas on the fire.

Now, I know I just put a whammy on the team by writing about it, but I just had too.

One thing I know, is that perhaps the team should be renamed the Chicago Hispanic Sox (sure are a lot of Hispanic names) or the Chicago Gold Chains (it seems most of the players always have those gold chains out bouncing around).

Plus, more than a few of the players require an interpreter when they speak to the media.  Looks like if you have been in the U.S. for several or more years, you ought to learn how to speak the language especially with how much money you're earning.

Any, just a few thoughts before the playoffs begin.

Go You White Sox and Bring It Back to Comiskey Park.  --RoadSox

About That Almost Perfect Game I Saw Back in '83-- Part 5: Blew My Top

Sad to say, but, BUT, this would have only been the ninth perfect game in Major League Baseball.  That is pretty impressive after all those years and all those games.  But NO, I didn't get to see a perfect game.  I would have been more than happy to "settle" for a no-hitter.  But, alas, poor me, I didn't even get that.  I only has a one-hitter.

BECAUSE, the next guy up grounded out to first base.

End of game.

And, the Sox ended up losing 6-0 anyway.

Now, I've seen a lot of White Sox games in my time and definitely have seen them lose a lot of times.  One more loss, no big deal.  But, this one hurt.

I was furious.  I was angry.  I was mad.

But, when Jerry Hairston hit that single, two White Sox fans behind me jumped up and started high-fiving and cheering and what-not.  I saw red, jumped turn around and started jawing loudly and unpleasantly with them.  They looked shocked.

"I'm yelling, "You idiots, you fools.  Don't you know what just happened?"

"Yeah!" they replied.  "The White Sox got a hit."

"Did you know there have only been a few perfect games in the history of MLB and you were about to see one?" I yelled.

Thankfully they shut up and sat down because if they had continued I think I would have gotten into my  first-ever fight at a baseball game.

To read the whole story, go to labels and click on perfect game.

Still Steams Me To Think About It.  --RoadStillMadAfterAllTheseYears

About That Almost Perfect Game I Saw Back in '83-- Part 5: Bottom of the 9th, Two Outs, Then....

Here we go, bottom of the ninth inning now, just three outs to go to you-know-what.  I am now a HUGE Milt Wilcox fan.  I could almost taste seeing the eighth perfect game in MLB history.  And I was going to BE THERE!!  Oh boy.  Come on Milt,

Did I say, THREE Outs?

First up for my White Sox was  Carlton Fisk who flew out.  White Sox manager Tony LaRussa (who is now back with the Sox as manager) then put in a pinch hitter, Mike Squires, who grounded out to first.

ONE OUT TO GO!!!

Then, LaRussa puts in his wildcard, Jerry Hairston.  Jerry Hairston was a pinch hitter's pinch hitter.  This made up a huge part of his career.

Wilcox threw a waist-high fast ball and Hairston did what he got paid for and slashed a ball that landed  a few feet in front of Chet Lemon in center field.

You probably could feel the disappointment in Detroit, but it was definitely that way with most all of Comiskey Park.

All, that is, except for two White Sox fan clowns sitting behind me.

And, Then....  --RoadCry

TEENAGERS AND CATS:  Even if you tell jokes as well as Jay Leno, neither your cat nor your teen will crack a smile.

About That Almost Perfect Game I Saw Back in '83-- Part 4: Do You Mention a Perfect Game During It

Back in April of 1983, I was at old Comiskey Park in Chicago on a very cool night and watching the White Sox play the Detroit Tigers.  A buddy and I had bought a White Sox twenty ticket plan and got tickets to twenty Sox games throughout the season.  The best thing about the plan was that we were guaranteed seats at the1983 All Star game which was played at Comiskey.  I think we paid around $100 each for the plan.

As usual, my buddy and I had parked in Bridgeport, just to the west of Comiskey and stopped at a bar for some food and drinks before walking to the park.  We got to our seats and settled in for some Friday night baseball.

Milt Wilcox was pitching for Detroit and the White Sox batters were being set down with regularity while Detroit was building up to a 6-0 lead.  As a matter of fact, by the end of the seventh inning the Sox had not gotten a hit or walk, nor had any reached on an error.  Could this be that rarest of the rare?

Of course, neither my Buddy or I said anything about it.  In baseball you just don't talk about no-hitters or perfect games while they ae underway.  It just isn't done by real fans.  It is especially true with announcers.  

Dan Holmes, a big Tiger fan, said that before Wilcox pitched to the Sox in the 8th inning, that the screen on his TV back in Detroit where he was watching the game ran the line score and announcer George Kell said:  "The Tigers have 13 hits tonight -- 13 more than the White Sox."

--RoadCox

TEENAGERS AND CATS:  You rarely see a cat walking outside of the house with an adult human being, and it can be safely said that no teenager in his or her right mind wants to be seen in public with his or her parents.

About That Almost Perfect Game I Saw Back in 1983-- Part 3: That Hairston Family

The other major player in this story is the White Sox player Jerry Hairston who pinch hit the single with two outs in the ninth.

In a career spanning 14 years, spent mostly with the Sox, he batted .258.  He was at his best in the year when he had 126 at bats, had 37 hits (one of which was The Hit) and batted .294.  Most of his career he was a pinch hitter, and what a pinch hitter.

On April 15, 1983, Jerry Hairston  broke a perfect game bid by Milt Wilcox of the Detroit Tigers, when he got a single with two outs in the ninth inning.  (Still hurts to think about it.)

***********************************

FROM A BASEBALL FAMILY

The Hairston family is one of only three families in Major League Baseball to have three generations of players.  The other two are the Boone family and the Bell family.

Jerry Hairston is the son of Sam Hairston, a Negro League and Major League player.  He played part of one season with the Chicago White Sox in 1951.

He is the brother of another MLB player, Johnny Hairston  He played one season for the Chicago Cubs in 1969.  (Ouch, I remember that year all too well.)

Jerry Hairston is also the father of Jerry Hairston, Jr., who played 16 years in the Majors and Scott Hairston who played  11 years in the majors.

That's What I call a MLB Family.  --RoadDog

About That Almost Perfect Game I Saw Back in 1983-- Part 2

Milt Wilcox pitched for  16 years in the Majors and had a 119-113 record with a 4.07 ERA.  In 1983, he posted an 11-10 record with 3.97 ERA.  By far, his best year inn the majors was with Detroit he following year, 1984, when he was 17-8 with a 4.00 ERA.

I see in Wikipedia that his birthday is April 20, 1950, so this near perfect game was a nice birthday gift for him.

Wikipedia has this to say about that near perfect game:

On April 15, 1983, Wilcox came within one out of a perfect game, when White Sox batter Jerry Hairston, Sr., singled off him in the ninth inning.  The perfect game would have been the first no-hitter by a Tiger since Jim Bunning  in 1958.

So, Milt Wilcox had a very journeyman career.

And, on April 15, here he was, on the thresh hold of a baseball pitcher's perfection and there I was, freezing and watching him right there in old Comiskey Park.

--RoadDog

About That Almost Perfect Game That I Saw at Comiskey Park in 1983-- Part 1

In 1983, a buddy of mine and I bought a special White Sox ticket package where we got to see 20 games during the season, plus were guaranteed tickets to the 1983 All-Star game which was held at Comiskey and also we had tickets to any post season games (and that turned out to be a real good buy because the Sox did go to the playoffs before they broke my heart, but that is another story).

Anyway, Wednesday I was thinking about that game for some reason earlier in the day while I was online and I did a search and found a great account of the game.  "Remembering Milt Wilcox's Near-Perfect  Game in 1983" by Dan Holmes in Vintage Detroit Collection.  That sure brought the memories back to an April freezing night some 38 years earlier.

As a matter of fact, this magical game was on April 15, 1983.  Carlos Rodon's was on April 14, 2021.

Coincidence?

Yep, this was another near-perfect game and back then it was for Detroit pitcher Milt Wilcox against my beloved Sox.  From the 7th inning on, I became a big Detroit fan, especially for a guy named Milt.

--RoadMilt

Carlos Rodon's No-Hitter Last Night: 'One Shoelace Away From Perfection'

Good ol' frigid Comiskey Park (sorry, it will always be Comiskey Park for me) in April.  One place that is not good to be for night games in April and May because it is soooooo COLD!!  And I know, having been there many times over the years in April and May.

It was kind of strange because yesterday I was thinking about another near perfect game in which I was in attendance at Comiskey, and that one was back to 1983.  I was thinking about it during the morning and even went to a site about the game.  Of course, this was way before Carlos Rodon took the mound yesterday.

And, like 1983, it was a perfect game going into the 9th inning.  Last night, Rodon had one out in the 9th when he hit a Cleveland Indians' foot which put him on first and ruined the perfect game, but at least he still had a no hitter going.  He then got the next two outs to preserve his first no-hitter.

Sadly, though, in 1983, Detroit Tiger Milt Wilcox had a perfect game with two outs in the 9th, when it was all ruined by a White Sox pinch hitter.  The single ruined not only the perfect game, but the no hitter.  I am a huge White Sox fan, but not when I am about to see baseball history being made.

White Sox announcer Steve Stone, himself a former major league pitcher summed it up perfect with these words: "One Shoelace away from perfection."

--RoadSox

Well, At Least I Now Have More Free Time With Cubs and Sox Quick Bow-Outs

And, there were thoughts of a Crosstown Chicago World Series for a moment, but, NO!!

And, after all, this is always going to be an asterisk season.  The season of no fans, seven inning double headers and the designated hitter for the National League.  

But who would have figured we'd ever have BOTH the Sox and Cubs participating in baseball playoffs the same year?  WOW!!!

And, now, the two teams Liz and I pull for are gone from the playoffs and that would be the Chicago White Sox who lost to the Oakland A's 2 games to 1 and Cubs who went 0-2 against the Marlins.

But, at least that opens up a lot of free time for us as  we now really don't care who wins what (except for the Yankees and I always pull against them).  This means no have-to-go-to-a-bar games.  If a game is on, maybe I'll watch it.  

At one point I almost wasn't going to watch any games because of MLB backing BLM as much as they did, but it wasn't too bad.

I do hope the National League will keep the designated hitter if they ever get back to regular baseball.  It is a lot more fun to see someone who is dangerous with a bat and not just going to pop it up in the infield or strike out.  I don't have a problem with some pitchers batting like Carlos Zambrano who can hit, but most of the time it is just pathetic.

The White Sox did show a lot of promise.

Oh Well, Here's for Next Year.  --RoadBall

Chicago Cubs Success Breeds Haters, But Not Me

From the July 4, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Paul Sullivan.

It was probably inevitable, but the success of the Cubbies has brought about the haters.  Now, not just certain White Sox fans or Cardinal fans,  but people across the nation.

Data from Twitter suggests that the Cubs are now second only to the New York Yankees in the hatred in the hearts of folks.  The Yankees are the most-hated baseball team in 28 states while the Cubs are a distant second with 8.

I have always disliked the Yankees.  Why, I don't even like the name.  But they have been a bane to my White Sox for too many years to list.  If I was at a Sox game against the Yankees and the Yankee pitcher was throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter, I would seriously have to consider whether I'd be pulling for him.  Well, I would pull for him, but only after much soul searching.

Some Cub-hating states are obvious, like Wisconsin (the Brewers) and Missouri (the Cardinals).  But other states not keen on the North Siders are Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Nevada, Wyoming and South Dakota.  South Dakota?

Other "hateable" teams are Dodgers (5 states), Cardinals and Mets (4 apiece) and Red Sox (1).

I am not a Cubs hater.  As a matter of fact I am a big Cub fan unless they play the White Sox.

Well, at LEAST They Are Not As HATED As the New England Patriots.  --RoadHateYankees

Baseball is Back, But You Sure Couldn't Tell By the Weather

**  Both the Sox and Cubs started the season 2-0.  The last time they did that was in 1951, when Liz and I were born.  Cubs are 3-0 so far and Sox are 3-1.

Right now, the Sox are losing their home opener 5-1.  OUCH!!

**  It is going to be hard to live with the Cubs fans this year with all of this hoopla around them.

**  The Sox home opener today and the weather is miserable.  High forecast at 38 degrees, windy, with light snow and rain showers in the afternoon.  This morning we had fairly heavy snow here with about a half inch on the ground, but not on anything I might have to clear off.

Northwest winds at 20 to 30 mph.  Chance of precipitation 70%.

**  Lin Braehmer, Mr. Ultimate Cub Fan, even was nice enough to mention the Sox home opener on his morning show on WXRT.  He even did a Sox-related Three for Free where he played snippets of three songs somehow related to the Sox.  I recognized the first one, knew the second and had no idea on the last one.

1.  Thunderstruck--  AC/DC
2.  Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye--  Steam
3.  Southside--  Moby

**  Monday he will be broadcasting live from Wrigleyville before the Cub home opener from 1-7.  Always a good time, even if they are for the Cubs.

**  Actually, I am a Cubs fan, UNLESS they play Da Sox.

**  The Sox, besides this rotten weather, had a fire early this morning in a storage room.

Play Ball!!  --RoadSox

Not Saying Baseball Players Are Paid Too Much, But...-- Part 2: And the Rest of the Story

From the April 1, 2015, Chicago Tribune "The List: Money ball: 2015 baseball payrolls."

The approximate 2015 average salary projects to be a record $4.25 million according to an AP study.

Here are the Top Ten teams and highest paid player (rounded off)

1.  DODGERS--  $272,789.040 // Clayton Kershaw, $31 million

2.  YANKEES--  $219,282,196 //  CC Sabathia $ $24 million

3.  RED SOX--  $187,407,202 //  Hanley Ramirez $20 million

4.  TIGERS--  $173,813,750 //  Justin Verlander $29 million

5.  GIANTS--  $172,672,111  //  Matt Cain $21 million

6.  NATIONALS--  $164,920,505 //  Jayson Werth $22 million

7.  ANGELS--  $150,933,083  //  Josh Hamilton $$25 million

8.  RANGERS--  $142,140,873  //  Prince Fielder $24 million

9.  PHILLIES-- $135,827,500  //  Ryan Howard $$25 million

10.  BLUE JAYS--  $122,506,600  //  Jose Reyes, $22 million

And You Wonder Why It Is So Expensive to Go Out to the Old Ball Game.  --RoadDog


YOU MIGHT BE A YANKEE IF:  You would wear pink or an applique sweater.

Not Saying Baseball Players Are Paid Too Much, But...-- Part 1: Sox and Cubs

Reflecting on the 2-4 White Sox and whatever the Cubs record is, I think 3-2.

The $10 million+ Club of the Sox:

Jose Abreau--  $11,330,000
John Danks--  $13 million
David Robertson--  $11,500,000
Melky Cabrera--  $14 million
Adam LaRoche--  $12,500,000

Lowest Paid Sox player--  Micah Johnson with $507,500

Cubs salaries

John Lester--  $26 million
Miguel Monteo--  $12 million
Edwin Jackson--  $13 million
Jason Hamel--  $10 million

Lowest-paid--  Dallas Beeler with $508,000.

I seem to remember back in the 1960s when Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale held out for $100,000 each.  This is  lot, but wait until you see tomorrow's numbers.

Oh Well.  --RoadDog

Not Only White Sox, But American League Too

Not only am I big White Sox fan (since 1965) , but I also back the American League in the All Star game and normally during the World Series (unless the Yankees, Cubs, Brewers, or Cards are in it).

It was nice to see the AL win for the 13th time in a row, especially since that gives them home field advantage in the World Series.

I can remember, though, when it was the National League winning year after year, that is until 1983 when it was played at Comiskey Park, and I was at the game!!! Now, that was a really good time.

Go You American League!! --RoadDog

Two First Place Baseball Teams

Well, here it is the beginning of September, the last month of the season, and Chicago has a clear rarity, two FIRST PLACE MLB teams: the Sox and the Cubs.

I am a Cub fan UNLESS they play the SOX. Of the two, I'd have to say the Cubs are the better team and personally I doubt that the Sox will get to the World Series to play the Cubs (that is, if the curse doesn't kick in). After watching Tampa Bay and the Boston these past two weekends, they are easily better than the Sox.

BUT, We Can Hope, Anyway. Go Sox, Go Cubs. --RoadDog

Chicago Cubs Ripping Off Fans

The December 1st Chicago Tribune sports section headlined it "Holy Cash Cow!" What would ol' Harry Caray say? Only the really rich can afford to see the Cubs anymore. And, if you're not wealthy. you can take out a second mortgage, or sell your second-born.

The Cubs HIKED ticket prices a whole lot. I mean, a whole-a-whole-a whole lot. Prices for the 2008 season went up between 12 to 23 percent!!! But, management says they have signed expensive players and up-graded the playing surface. That's their excuse anyway.

Prices for an infield field box are $33, infield club box $50, upper deck infield box $26, upper deck reserved outfield $10 (more my price), and the bleachers will set you back $22. And, that's if you can get them.

Wait a minute, those prices are for the six value games!! Then there are 25 "regular" games and then there are another 50 "premium" games!!!!!

They just don't miss a shot at parting you from your hard-earned buck. As you might guess, the "regular" and "premium" games are considerably more.

Prices. Premium, regular, value:

Club box infield-- 80, 70, 50
Field box infield-- 66, 58, 33
Terrace box infield 52, 44, 26
Upper deck box infield 52, 44, 26
Terrace Reserved infield 36, 28,16
Upper deck reserved infield 22, 16, 11
Upper deck reserved outfield 20, 16, 10
bleachers 45, 36, 22

Let's see, family of four at a regular game in Terrace reserved infield: $112. Parking probably $20. That's $132 and we haven't even begun talking about souvenirs and food.

Ridiculous. Looks like another year without seeing a Cubs game in person.

But, I haven't been out to Wrigley but about twice since they got lights. I kind of doubt that I'll ever see another game in person at this rate.

To read about the Cubs in the good old days, read the entry below.

Gonna Get Along Without You Now. --RoadDog

Let's Go Out to the Ballpark--Wrigley Field, That Is

Gone are the days when Liz and I, back in the 70s and early 80s would, on a great summer day, get up and say, "What do we want to do today? Hey, why not go see the Cubs play." We'd drive over to Evanston, park in the General Finance Corporation lots by Dyche Stadium (now Ryan Field), home of Northwestern University's football games. (You remember GFC's Friendly Bob Adams who was anxious to give you a loan.)

Liz worked at GFC for awhile before becoming a teacher. Her dad, Amby, worked there from 1964 to 1981.

We'd then catch the El at Central Avenue and take it to the "Friendly Confines" which were truly friendly back then. You never had a problem getting a ticket, even on the day of the game (except, as we found out once, when the dastardly Cardinals were in town). Other than the Cardinals, there was rarely a sell-out. And, we could get a good seat for around $5 and drink reasonably-priced beer. Food was also reasonable. Now those were the days. We thought they'd never end. We'd sing and dance...Oops, sorry Thelma Hopkins, that's your song.

I've been keeping a written journal since 1978, and found an entry from May of 1981 saying that they'd raised the price of a cup of beer to the astronomical high of $1.50. My comment was, "I can't drink here anymore."  Too expensive,

I doubt that we had too many beautiful people in the park as people liked the Cubs in Chicago, but it wasn't the place to go to see and be seen. Of course, not cell phones either, and you never saw people get a phone call and start waving madly at the camera.

Sitting in the bleachers was around $3. And they were crazy back then as well.

Those Were the Days, My Friend. We Thought They'd Never End. --RoadDog