Play Ball!

John R. Hall

Now my Kitties can win 29 straight and still finish below .500!!!

My Dream World Series:

Red Sox vs. Cardinals (Sox win)

Probable boring series:

Yankees and Braves (who cares who wins)

Paul Cooke

Strikes and balls

I'm glad the games will continue. I really thought it was the year for the BoSox.

I have been a solid Mariner fan for years but the way things have been going lately I may jump on the A's bandwagon. I would love to see them take out the Yankees.

Dream World Series: Mariners vs. D-Backs

Not so Probable boring series: Twins vs. Houston

keith

Who cares

The thought of these greedy, pompus SOB'S striking is disgusting ( both sides). They just keep sucking the consumers dry. So I did what I felt was justified, Took my $ and went elsewhere.With the exception of not exposing my son to the love of the game of baseball I could care less if they ever play another game again. There are some good minor league teams in CT. Thats were my $ is going to be. Good by and good luck.

Joannie

You Did the Right Thing!

I can't believe all the people I hear complaining that these guys are greedy, and then turning around and BUYING TICKETS TO SEE THEM PLAY. Vote with your dollars.

Choice #1: If you don't think the Major Leagues are worth the money, then don't pay it. And, if you can't do without your baseball, that's okay. There's plenty of great minor league and local baseball around, and most of the time it's more exciting than MLB, anyway.

Choice #2: If you think the ticket prices of MLB are worth it, and you feel you are getting enjoyment that is worth the price, then have a great time at the game, but don't whine that they are getting paid too much, because YOU are the one who is choosing to pay them that much.

Mad Dog

I agree with ya

what a bunch of pathetic Prima Donna's. they are so spoiled rotten and they don't even realize it....Mad Dog

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

keith

they have lost touch

with reality. They should certainly be compensated for being 1 of the 600 best ball players in the world. However thay did not invent the game itself. No more than the CEO of coca-cola recieving 20 million annually in compensation. Now if they are compensated for performance then that is a different story. Then you let the dollars fall were they belong. Last time I checked most of the rest of us are not gaurenteed anything much. That feels much better thank you.

heatboy

Certainly, I'm glad..........

there is not going to be a stike. I have been a Yankee fan since I was six. When I was a kid, we lived in the middle of the NY/Philly market and my dad had the ole' antenna turned towards New York. You see, we received channels 2,5,7,9,11 as opposed to 3,6,10 from Philladelphia. My first baseball game was watching "The Mick" while sitting there with my Mickey Mantle glove that my Mom bought me since she bought all of the boxes of greeting cards I needed to sell to get that glove. I think she still has some left(G). Sorry, I get involved with the memories!

That being said, I agree with the assertions of greed on both sides. It insults my intelligence when the players say they are concerned about the future players, but I wonder who is worth $20 million to act in a movie? Can you hit a Randy Johnson slider of a Curt Shilling 97 MPH fastball?

Warm Regards,

heatboy / climatecadvanced.com

"Expert in Silent Warmth"

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

[Deleted User]

Lets go yanks

One more world series under the belt.Move thru minny then oakland.Then who knows.....I hear thay might put boston in the central division........Got alot of rain here in Ct after yanks swept boston (and Pedro)Just woundering if it was rain or tears........

Jackchips

Tears, never

You don't know us Red Sox fans if you even thought those were tears. No fan knows baseball better and accepts reality of fate with more sincerety. We may not have created the saying "Wait till next year" but it is our anthem. We will not give up until mathematically eliminated, curse the curse and then----Wait-------oh you know.

DanHolohan

Cubs fans can give you guys a run for your money

21 major events that have occurred since the Chicago Cubs last laid claim to a World Series championship:

1. Radio was invented; Cubs fans got to hear their team lose.

2. TV was invented; Cubs fans got to see their team lose.

3. Baseball added 14 teams; Cubs fans get to see and hear their team lose to more clubs.

4. George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays.

5. Haley's comet passed the Earth. Twice.

6. Harry Caray was born....and died. Incredible, but true.

7. The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league.

8. Man landed on the moon, as have several home runs given up by Cubs pitchers.

9. Sixteen U.S. presidents were elected.

10. There were 11 amendments added to the Constitution.

11. Prohibition was created and repealed.

12. The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered and became the subject of major motion pictures, the latest giving Cubs fans hope that something that finishes on the bottom can come out on top.

13. Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League.

14. Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team's future World Series pennants. Those flag poles have since rusted and been taken down.

15. A combination of 40 Summer and Winter Olympics have been held.

16. Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown; several thanked Cubs pitchers.

17. Bell-bottoms came in style, went out of style and came back in style; disco did the same.

18. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins have all won the World Series.

19. The Cubs played 14,153 regular-season games; they lost the majority of them.

20. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma and New Mexico were admitted to the Union.

21. The United States fought in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Unlike the Cubs, the US lost in only one of them.

DanHolohan

And don't forget the wise words of Professor Royko!

October 5, 1993
Three Ex-Cubs Assure Spurning of Atlanta


The experts have spoken. The Atlanta Braves are the best of the playoff teams. The bookies have made them the favorites to get to the World Series and win it. Some sports pundits already talk of them as one of the great teams of all time.
The experts just never learn.
As always, they ignore that strange, mysterious, and almost-always fatal malady known as the Ex-Cubs Factor.
Regular readers of this column know about the Ex-Cubs Factor. But bear with me as I explain it to newcomers.
Twelve years ago, a Chicago sports nut named Ron Berler stumbled across an amazing statistic.
Since 1946, 13 teams had entered the World Series with three or more ex-Cubs on their roster.
Twelve of these 13 teams lost.
Berler theorized that it was a virus. Three or more ex-Cubs could infect an entire team with the will to lose, no matter how skillful that team might appear.
When Berler revealed his findings, the sports experts sneered and scoffed. Stupid and meaningless, they snickered. No scientific basis, they hooted.
Then came 1990, and they were still sneering, scoffing, and making their mindless predictions.
That was the year about 99 percent of the experts declared that the Oakland A's could not possibly lose the World Series.
Even before the games began, they hailed the A's as one of the greatest teams—maybe the greatest—in the history of the game.
As the Washington Post's resident baseball genius put it: "Let's make this short and sweet. The baseball season is over. Nobody's going to beat the Oakland A's."
As Ben Bentley, the Chicago sports savant, said: "Could the Oakland Athletics be the greatest in baseball history?"
Yes, cried the experts: the greatest, a dynasty, a team of immortals. They could win while yawning.
But out there were two lonely voices: Berler and this writer.
We warned of the Ex-Cubs Factor. We pointed out that the A's had foolishly defied the terrible virus by signing a third ex-Cub. And before that World Series began, Berler publicly stated: "As good as they are, they will lose. And they can blame their own arrogance for ignoring history."
So what happened? Not only did the A's lose, it was world-class humiliation. Four straight defeats. One of sports' all-time flopperoos.
That made it 13 out of 14 teams with three or more ex-Cubs to collapse in the World Series since World War II.
The A's haven't been the same since. Once it struck, the ex-Cub virus burrowed into the fiber of the franchise. In only three years they have gone from a dynasty to limping mediocrity. Sources say their hot dogs don't even taste as good as they once did.
Have the experts learned anything? Of course not. As the late Mayor Richard J. Daley once said: "Duh experts—what do dey know?"
The sports experts are now hailing the Atlanta Braves as the super-team of this era.
On Sunday, Dave Kindred, columnist for the Sporting News, wrote: ". . . Atlanta has become baseball's best team since the Yankees of Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra . . . the NL's best team since the Brooklyn Dodgers of Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, and Pee Wee Reese."
He may be right. They have thunderous hitters, overwhelming pitchers, and a seamless defense.
But they also have the dreaded virus. Of the four teams in the playoffs, only the Braves are afflicted by the Ex-Cubs Factor. Only the Braves have three former Cubs.
They are Greg Maddux, the superb pitcher, Damon Berryhill, the reliable catcher, and . . .
Even a bleacher creature would be hard-pressed to name the third ex-Cub.
But Berler, the virus discoverer, knows. "I have it all in my computer," he says.
A relief pitcher named Jay Howell. Although he has been in the major leagues for 14 years, he's not a big name, not a big star, no flashy stats. A solid journeyman. Probably good to his family, a nice neighbor, a patriot; and he doesn't kick little dogs.
But he is one of the three skeletons in the Atlanta closet. He has a sordid past.
For a brief time in 1981, when he was a mere lad, he was a Cub. He pitched in only 10 games, a total of 22 innings, and wasn't very good.
But as Berler says: "That is all it takes. He is a genuine, bona fide, star-crossed ex-Cub, the poor guy. He is a carrier. It always comes back to your roots. Once a Cub, always a Cub."
Berler, who is a free-lance writer and teacher, recently interviewed Maddux, who chose to become an Atlanta Brave multimillionaire, rather than a Chicago Cubs multimillionaire, because he wanted to play on a winning team.
"I told him: 'You think you're leaving a loser? Ha! You are a loser. And you're going to infect your 24 teammates.'"
He explained the Ex-Cubs Factor to Maddux. And the star pitcher responded by shouting: "I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't believe it!"
So if the Braves defeat the Phillies and make it to the World Series, bet on the Braves at your own peril.
But this puts a Chicagoan such as myself—a devout Cubs fan—in a difficult position.
Those who are true fans of the White Sox or Cubs loathe the other team. This crosstown rivalry takes precedent over city pride. So if the Sox play the Braves, I must root for the Braves. It is the only decent thing a Cubs fan can do. Sox fans, being dedicated haters, will understand.
It will be the first time I will be cheering for a virus.

[Editors' note: The Philadelphia Phillies and the virus beat the Braves, four games to two, in the playoffs.]

DanHolohan

And don't forget the wise words of Professor Royko!

October 5, 1993
Three Ex-Cubs Assure Spurning of Atlanta


The experts have spoken. The Atlanta Braves are the best of the playoff teams. The bookies have made them the favorites to get to the World Series and win it. Some sports pundits already talk of them as one of the great teams of all time.

The experts just never learn.

As always, they ignore that strange, mysterious, and almost-always fatal malady known as the Ex-Cubs Factor.

Regular readers of this column know about the Ex-Cubs Factor. But bear with me as I explain it to newcomers.

Twelve years ago, a Chicago sports nut named Ron Berler stumbled across an amazing statistic.

Since 1946, 13 teams had entered the World Series with three or more ex-Cubs on their roster.

Twelve of these 13 teams lost.

Berler theorized that it was a virus. Three or more ex-Cubs could infect an entire team with the will to lose, no matter how skillful that team might appear.

When Berler revealed his findings, the sports experts sneered and scoffed. Stupid and meaningless, they snickered. No scientific basis, they hooted.

Then came 1990, and they were still sneering, scoffing, and making their mindless predictions.

That was the year about 99 percent of the experts declared that the Oakland A's could not possibly lose the World Series.

Even before the games began, they hailed the A's as one of the greatest teams—maybe the greatest—in the history of the game.

As the Washington Post's resident baseball genius put it: "Let's make this short and sweet. The baseball season is over. Nobody's going to beat the Oakland A's."

As Ben Bentley, the Chicago sports savant, said: "Could the Oakland Athletics be the greatest in baseball history?"

Yes, cried the experts: the greatest, a dynasty, a team of immortals. They could win while yawning.

But out there were two lonely voices: Berler and this writer.

We warned of the Ex-Cubs Factor. We pointed out that the A's had foolishly defied the terrible virus by signing a third ex-Cub. And before that World Series began, Berler publicly stated: "As good as they are, they will lose. And they can blame their own arrogance for ignoring history."

So what happened? Not only did the A's lose, it was world-class humiliation. Four straight defeats. One of sports' all-time flopperoos.

That made it 13 out of 14 teams with three or more ex-Cubs to collapse in the World Series since World War II.

The A's haven't been the same since. Once it struck, the ex-Cub virus burrowed into the fiber of the franchise. In only three years they have gone from a dynasty to limping mediocrity. Sources say their hot dogs don't even taste as good as they once did.

Have the experts learned anything? Of course not. As the late Mayor Richard J. Daley once said: "Duh experts—what do dey know?"

The sports experts are now hailing the Atlanta Braves as the super-team of this era.

On Sunday, Dave Kindred, columnist for the Sporting News, wrote: ". . . Atlanta has become baseball's best team since the Yankees of Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra . . . the NL's best team since the Brooklyn Dodgers of Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, and Pee Wee Reese."

He may be right. They have thunderous hitters, overwhelming pitchers, and a seamless defense.

But they also have the dreaded virus. Of the four teams in the playoffs, only the Braves are afflicted by the Ex-Cubs Factor. Only the Braves have three former Cubs.

They are Greg Maddux, the superb pitcher, Damon Berryhill, the reliable catcher, and . . .

Even a bleacher creature would be hard-pressed to name the third ex-Cub.

But Berler, the virus discoverer, knows. "I have it all in my computer," he says.

A relief pitcher named Jay Howell. Although he has been in the major leagues for 14 years, he's not a big name, not a big star, no flashy stats. A solid journeyman. Probably good to his family, a nice neighbor, a patriot; and he doesn't kick little dogs.

But he is one of the three skeletons in the Atlanta closet. He has a sordid past.

For a brief time in 1981, when he was a mere lad, he was a Cub. He pitched in only 10 games, a total of 22 innings, and wasn't very good.

But as Berler says: "That is all it takes. He is a genuine, bona fide, star-crossed ex-Cub, the poor guy. He is a carrier. It always comes back to your roots. Once a Cub, always a Cub."

Berler, who is a free-lance writer and teacher, recently interviewed Maddux, who chose to become an Atlanta Brave multimillionaire, rather than a Chicago Cubs multimillionaire, because he wanted to play on a winning team.

"I told him: 'You think you're leaving a loser? Ha! You are a loser. And you're going to infect your 24 teammates.'"

He explained the Ex-Cubs Factor to Maddux. And the star pitcher responded by shouting: "I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't believe it!"

So if the Braves defeat the Phillies and make it to the World Series, bet on the Braves at your own peril.

But this puts a Chicagoan such as myself—a devout Cubs fan—in a difficult position.

Those who are true fans of the White Sox or Cubs loathe the other team. This crosstown rivalry takes precedent over city pride. So if the Sox play the Braves, I must root for the Braves. It is the only decent thing a Cubs fan can do. Sox fans, being dedicated haters, will understand.

It will be the first time I will be cheering for a virus.

[Editors' note: The Philadelphia Phillies and the virus beat the Braves, four games to two, in the playoffs.]

steve gates

Try racing

Winston Cup style. No strikes. You want a raise,win. They always take time to sign autographs. And you can drive just like they do at Bristol on any freeway. And for us country folks it's like The Glen or Sears Point.

Earthfire

curse

Besides the ex cubs factor they had on other problem to deal with that year. Philly . There are two things that philly teams do very well. They are spoilers of the first order, the will play brilliantly and even beat "better" teams and then they will fall all over themselves if they come up against a team that the little leagers down the street can beat. An unbeatable combination, the Phillies curse and the ex cub factor .

DanHolohan

No

and neither can our Yankees, hb!

DanHolohan

Well said!