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"

Those Who Left Us in 2021: Marsden, Lasorda, Spector, King and Spinks

From the December 26, 2021, Chicago Tribune "Influential figures lost in 2021" by Bernard McGhee, AO.

This is in no way a complete list, but I will give some names.

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JANUARY

**  GERRY MARSDEN, 78,  ---    Lead singer of the 60s group Gerry and the Pacemakers who had such hits as "Ferry Cross the Mersey: and "You'll  Never Walk Alone."  Part of the British Invasion.  Died January 3.

Some of that great British Invasion music that got me hooked on pop music.  That's had a huge impact on my life.

**  TOMMY LASORDA, 93--  Baseball Hall of Fame Manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles.  Died January 7.

Love my baseball still, but especially back in the 60s to 80s.

**  PHIL SPECTOR, 81--  The eccentric and revolutionary music producer who developed the "Wall of Sound" method.  Died January 16.

Great music, but a horrible person.

**  HANK AARON, 86

He endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record.  One of my all-time favorite players.  "Hammerin' Hank."  Died January 22.

**  LARRY KING, 87--  TV announcer whose "Larry King Show" set the standards for many years.  (I didn't watch him though).  Died January 23.

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FEBRUARY

**  LEON SPINKS, 67--  Won Olympic Gold and then beat Muhammed Ali to win the heavyweight boxing title.  Died February 5.

--RoadDog

Around Here: Good Things About Eliminations, Flu Shot, Raking Pine Straw and Lawn Tractor Problems

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

Well, one good thing about the Sox being eliminated from the playoffs (and the Brewers were also eliminated last night), I no longer have to make a special effort to watch any of the playoff games anymore.  I will watch parts of them as I get a chance to, but not all the games.  Plus, had the Sox gone to the World Series and won, there is a considerable savings on souvenirs of the event.

I got my regular flu shot for the second straight year,  I didn't get them for many years as I taught school and was around so many kids that I had built up quite an immunity, but the last several years I had been really sick with the flu for a couple weeks at a shot, so, hey, I'll take the shot.

Put up some more Halloween lights.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15

I did a lot of pine straw raking (free mulch) around the east and west pine islands and picked up a whole lot of limbs and sticks in the arboretum area in preparation of cutting the grass.  Sadly, I couldn't get the lawn tractor started and will have to have it worked on again.  It is now 28years old and perhaps even a John Deere doesn't run forever.  This is the third problem this year so it may be time to get another one.

--RoadDog

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 Last Week-- Part 1: Storms and That Field of Dreams Game

Monday and Tuesday, we finally had rain, unfortunately several times in the form of storms.  Monday there were tornado warnings in the area and then a real bad one went through Tuesday, but with no tornadoes, but a lot of tree destruction.  Kevin and Kelly were without electricity from Tuesday night to Saturday.  On Wednesday, I did a Firebird Cruise on Pioneer Road and finally had to get off it because of all of the places where work crews were removing topple trees and big tree limbs from the road.  Plus, one stretch was nothing but little twigs and branches.

But, at least we got rain which was badly needed.

TUESDAY AUGUST 10

Donovan's in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, for trivia.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11

Firebird Cruise

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 12

Finally had to cut the grass because of all the rain.  

I had to make a choice tonight.  Whether to go see the band at Antioch, Illinois' It's Thursday as I originally planned, or go to Stucky's in Johnsburg and see Jim Sieg play music and host a jam.  But, today was also the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees playing where the "Field of Dreams" movie was shot.

Well, either way, I'd get my music, but at Stucky's I could also watch the game.  So, Stucky's it was.

And, I am sure glad I did.  Besides all the corn (and them walking out of the corn like in the movie), WOW.  What a game.  The Sox went up 1-0 in the 1st, then fell behind 1-3 in the top of the 3rd before scoring 4 runs in the bottom of that inning to go up 5-3.  They added two more in the 4th to go up 7-3.

The Yankees scored once in the 6th and things were looking good until the 9th, when the Yankees scored 4 times to take a 7-8 lead over the Sox.  I tell you, we were downfallen.

Then Tim Anderson hit that walk-off homerun and a 9-8 win!!  Eight home runs were hit in the game.

Wow!  --RoadDog

LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE, LAW OF COMMERCIAL MARKETING STRATEGY:  As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.  Boy do I agree with this one.  I look at it this way.  If I like it, they will take it away from me.

Last Week-- Part 3: Cubs-Sox Game, Stucky's, Parish Fest and Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive

FRIDAY, AUGUST 6

Decided to go to Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes to watch the afternoon White Sox-Cubs game.  Also knew that buddy Coz would be there and he is a huge Sox fan.  And, this was one unbelievable game.  

The Sox had a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th with the Cubs at bat.  We were thinking Sox victory, but no.  Former Cub reliever  Craig Kimbrel, he with the funny right hand posture when he pitches, blew it and the score was 4-4.  But the Sox scored 4 times in the 10th and held on for an 8-6 victory.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7

We went to Stucky's in Johnsburg for  the $1 draft pints.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8

I went to Parish Fest in Johnsburg and enjoyed Die Musikmeisters Oompah band and had some great food.  Later, Liz and I went to McHenry and I went over to the Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive salute to the Greatest Generation at Veterans Park.  I enjoyed Bill's Little Big Band playing all those great songs from WW II.

I wrote about both of these events in more detail in my RoadDog's RoadLog Blog.

--RoadDog

LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE, THE COFFEE LAW:  As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

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.)

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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

Deaths of Big MLB Stars Recently: Seaver, Ford, Gibson, Brock, Beckert and Morgan

One thing about baseball today, where players seem to change teams every few years (and of course with all the many teams we now have) I really don't know the names of many of today's stars.  But not so in the past.

Everyone of the names, except Whitey Ford, were players I really knew from the 1960s.  I became interested in baseball about 1963 and Ford was just about done by then.

But, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock (so sad that the Cubs traded him) and Joe Morgan were features in my love of baseball back then.  Man, were they good, but they have all died within the past couple months.

Earlier this year, another big-time player from  back then died and that was Al Kaline of the Tigers.  Of interest, I found out his salary in 1959 when he hit .327 and that was $31,000.

Also, one player for the 1960s Cubs that I really liked, Glenn Beckert (1965-1973) died.

These three White Sox players have also died this year:

Ed Farmer (1979-1981)

Jay Johnstone  ((9171-1972)

Claudell Washington (1978-1980)

Childhood Memories.  --RoadDog

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

WLS Top 40 for November 10, 1969-- Part 6: "Suspicious Minds"

15.  LOVE WILL FIND A WAY--  Jackie DeShannon        #40   I don't remember this one., but it grows on you and I'm surprised it didn't do better.   Follow up to her biggest hit, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart."

14.  NA NA HEY HEY--  Steam     #1   Dig the single cover which had the lads sitting where?  As a White Sox fan, I definitely love this song.  Thanks Nancy Faust.   Their only Top 40 song.

13.  SMILE A LITTLE SMILE--  Flying Machine      #5   Almost a gag me song, but some redeeming parts.

12.  BABY I'M FOR REAL--  Originals     #14  Now, here is some great SOUL.  I don't remember it, but can almost hear Herb Kent, the Cool Gent, introducing this Dusty.   Formed in Detroit in 1966.

11.  SUSPICIOUS MINDS--    Elvis Presley      #1   Probably my favorite Elvis song.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "He'll Never Love You The Way That I Love You."  Answer below.  --RoadDog


Na Na Hey Hey, Goodbye"

This Should Be a Sports Axiom: Save Some of Your Runs

After the last couple months, I would have to put these two likely axioms in play for sports.

Blowing Out Your Opponents Just Means That You'll Be Losing Some Close Games in the Future.

The Chicago Cubs blew out the Pittsburgh Pirates three straight games in September as they were fighting for a post season berth.  The scores were 17-8, 14-1 and 16-6.  Sure, we enjoyed those.  And they even won the next game, beating Cincinnati 8-2.

BUT:  Then came the nine game losing streak with five straight games lost by just one run.

4-2, 3-2 (10 innings), 5-4 (10 innings), 2-1, 9-8 and 3-2.  Cubs out of playoffs.

And, the St. Louis Cardinals blew Atlanta out in that one NLDS game and then lost four straight to the Nationals to bow out of the World Series.

Moral to the Story:  Save some of those runs.

Ain't It the Truth.  --RoadScore

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

JSIS: Thank Goodness, No Marchado-- Cubs TV?-- Zion's Blowout-- Smollet's Bust

JSIS--  Just Some Interesting Stuff.

1.  THANK GOODNESS, NO MARCHADO--  I was so happy to see that he signed with the Padres.  That's all we need, another overpaid, underperforming player in Chicago and especially on my White Sox.

2.  CUBS TV--  The rich get richer.  No way I'll pay for or buy this travesty.

3.  ZION'S BLOWOUT--  Hope he's ok,   but I don't much like one-and-done college players or their teams.  I used to be a huge Duke fan, but now I pull against them.  Shame on Coach K for doing the Kentucky thing.  Sure loved Virginia Tech's win over Duke this week.

4.  SMOLLET'S BUST--  Trying to play those Black and Gay cards.  I'm getting more than a bit perturbed by these.

--RoadDog