Windy in Chicago - Cubs didn’t renew Lester - we need pitching - along w/Brock & mgr Alex, I say bring back Jon, veterans like him can be bought at a bargain price - he’s said he wants to stay in Chicago tho & why not - he’s played his career in the game’s two most historic stadiums - 19-5 on their curse-breaking 2016 WS champs.....gotta feeling he’ll move on tho - mayb Oak, where he had a brief cup of coffee in 2014......Sox fans appreciate both he and David Ross

& ChiSox - 34 years after being fired by Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, can they hit full potential in the return of Tony LaRussa, 76 - many feel team is poised in 2021 to hit-then-surpass its 2020 form 

....w/a realistic chance of the 99 wins ChiSox had under Tony in 1983 - most in MLB that year, the 2nd-most ever in their long history & still is today, matched only by their memorable 2005 WS champs

but of course there’s no such thing as a guaranteed rate in baseball

So some of you may have seen the story of Jon Lester buying Miller Lite at four bars in Chicago over the weekend. As coot noted in another thread he assumed they were here in Wrigleyville which makes sense. One freebie per person. I haven't tracked down which bars the offer was for and I am kind of confused because the governor basically shut down everything as of midnight Thursday night.

At any rate, his tab was $25,637.90 including tip. 3,466 beers given away. If you do the math, that would make each beer $7.40. That's expensive even for this neighborhood. That's almost downtown, Gold Coast tourist prices.

He must be a good tipper. 😉 😀 

Okay, just saw on the ticker thing on your TV that ESPN says he spent $47k.

We need to get to the bottom of this! It could change the cost per bottle.

Now I saw it was $31k. Hmm... 🤔 

Watching a documentary on the 1967 season. Boy would I have loved to be a kid watching that season. As a baseball junkie I knew all about it but it is neat seeing it all again. The great HOFers from the 60s, the kind of "dead ball" era for the times with all of the great pitching, the last day of the season for the A.L. pennant, what a year.

The number of great players from that era is amazing. And sadly we lost a couple of them this year.

But the '67 World Series was something. If you were a Cards fan then, you had two amazing consecutive seasons. One ended great, one didn't.

Say your prayers / positive thoughts for Tommy Lasorda:

https://sports.yahoo.com/dodgers-icon-hall-of-famer-tommy-lasorda-hospitalized-in-icu-213038545.html

@lee  Yes, those were great years to be a Cards fan.  Also add in 1964, one of the greatest comebacks ever (or if you are Phillies fan, one of the greatest collapses).  On top of that for me, my high school basketball team won state in 1964 and 1967 - yes, the Pekin Chinks (now the Dragons, for obvious reasons).    

“Cheating ba****ds, they don’t belong on the ballot”

that’s what the experts are saying about the HOF ballots of Roger Clemens & Barry Bonds

”they both bailed in 2007, we’ve had no trouble since”

”Bonds hit 54 HR in his last season - it was all PEDs, it had to be”

”Clemens had numerous CGs past 40 years old - we know now what a physical impossibility that is, younger Ps today are beat after 6 IP”

“Clemens had a 1.87 ERA while pitching 211 IP in 2005.....At Age 43?!?!?! That Is Not Possible W/Out Drugs!! The HOF doesn’t glorify druggies.....”

& all the rest of their ‘expertise’ BS

David Ortiz & Alex Rodriguez will encounter the same thing next year, their 1st year of eligibility

makes a sham & a political think tank out of the HOF imo -

it’s not the purpose of the HOF - its purpose is immortalizing the game’s greatest, heroes to millions regardless of  the Hall’s/MLB’s off-field hangups

Last example, fans of the game know drugs played no part in Bonds’ top notch peerless defense (seven Gold Glove awards)

after all this time, enshrinement would just be an insult to these great players -

Charley Hustle informed the Hall what it can do w/its plaques, that he no more needs enshrinement to validate his playing career than the man on the moon - I applaud that

I know I am in the minority but I really have no moral issue with the PED guys getting in. Athletes have been trying to get an edge any way they could forever. The thing with those guys that I don't like are the ones that show no contrition. ARod admitted to it and pretty much apologized. Pettite said he took it to rehab. Believe it if you'd like. 

I DO NOT want Schilling to get in. Could a player be more polarizing than him? Who canned him for inappropriate comments, FOX? Unfortunately for me, he is at 70% going into his last year of eligibility. Chances are, he's in. I hope Omar Vizquel moves up. Already over 50%. This might sound like blasphemy but I think he was on the same plane as Ozzie Smith. Omar was a way more rounded player. i.e. He could hit.

Regarding the first timers, I don't think any of them get in. A few good players (Torii Hunter, Buehrle) on the ballot but not HOF worthy. How the hell did Nick Swisher and LaTroy Hawkins get on the ballot.

Posted by: @sang

@lee  Yes, those were great years to be a Cards fan.  Also add in 1964, one of the greatest comebacks ever (or if you are Phillies fan, one of the greatest collapses).  On top of that for me, my high school basketball team won state in 1964 and 1967 - yes, the Pekin Chinks (now the Dragons, for obvious reasons).    

The '64 Series was another great one. A seven gamer. Six HOFers in it, what a time that must have been. And who knew Busch only had a capacity of about 30,000. I had no idea.

Another thing about that '64 Series. The game times ranged from 2 hours 16 minutes to 2 hours 42 minutes. Can you imagine that today? And Major League Baseball wonders why kids don't care about baseball like they once did...

One of my earliest sports memories was Cards 3B Ken Boyer reaching into the stands to make the catch & the final out of one of the games in the 1964 WS - his brother Clete was NY’s 3B

then mgr Johnny Keane jumped ship to NY after the series

But yeah, hadn’t known that, just 30G capacity at Busch Stadium 

Cards lost another very good player yesterday in Lindy McDaniel. He was one of those guys that went from being a decent starter to a good reliever. Kind of rare for the times. He certainly wasn't Eckersley but he was good. Too bad he wasn't on that 1964 team.

Well, the Cardinals didn't move into the Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis that you remember until 1966.  They played at Sportsmans Park before then - although they changed the name to Busch Stadium in 1953.  My uncle was a big Cardinals fan, and I got to see a game with him at the old Sportsman Park.... The newest Busch Stadium is from 2006.

https://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/ballparks/sportsmans-park/

In 1964 I was 8 at the time of the World Series.  I got into my first 100 square pool for 10 cents a square at my uncle's house.  I remember that I won, because Ken Boyer hit a grand slam to beat the Yankees 4-3....... 😀 

Theo Epstein steps down as president of the Cubs. Jed Hoyer now. Interesting. Haven't heard why. My first thought was that it'll give the Chicago media something to focus instead of how bad the Bears are. 😊 

He had 1 year left - getting out while the getting is good...... 🙂 

I am just surmising here but I think there is(are) something(s) that we may never know about this. Renteria & Cooper getting canned was pretty much out there. I'd be upset about it if I were a Sux fan but nobody asks me.

Who knows with the Flubs? The media will have a few months to talk our ears off about it here.

Like Lester he’s worked at the two greatest sports venues ever, Fenway & Wrigley

Wonder if he’s stepping down just to let this covid mess sort itself out, then he’ll start listening to offers

But yeah Renteria & Cooper left ChiSox in damn good shape for their successors - they’ll be expected to produce pronto, immediately.....guaranteed rate

At least Cora is back in the fold but we still need pitching 

could all be moot w/covid on the loose & running amok again - it’s a Huge albatross hanging over sports

NHL/NBA unlikely this season unless another hastily-scheduled summer/fall asterisk season

......w/empty stadiums, photoshopped fans & canned cheering, it’s all got a forced/artificially manufactured/plastic aftermarket made-for-TV feel to it - competition is still there yes, no doubt - still not the real thing tho (imo)

I haven't heard the details but what a dork. Will he ever play again?

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-robinson-cano-will-be-suspended-for-2021-after-another-positive-ped-test-203503987.html

Compelling stat in an mlb.com article about HOF inductions pertaining to pitchers

Clayton Kershaw has 25 career CG & 15 shutouts

Bob Gibson had 28 CG & 13 shutouts

IN 1968 ALONE

So standards are different now - among active Ps Stephen would be the best bet - people like Greinke, Sherzer, Verlander etc, who would have been borderline at best b4, stand pretty good chances now, w/Price & Porcello w/outside shots where they wouldn’t’ve been in the mix in the day of Gibson Koufax Marichal et al

RIP Dick Allen. I have read scuttlebutt about he should be a HOFer. He was a wonderful player but I don't think a Hall of Famer. Apparently a wonderful guy.

https://sports.yahoo.com/dick-allen-fearsome-hitter-7-205839569.html

1972 AL MVP, & he should’ve been NL MVP in 1966 too when as Richie Allen he had even better #s (.317, 40 HR, 110 RBI) - seems he went by that name early in his career - RIP to a great ballplayer 

Did anyone read this? Interesting. I have a lot of thoughts. Mostly I think it is way past due. The thing I feel will get really murky is looking at stats. Are we to believe the numbers? I read something the other day and it basically said they could "cobble together" stats from old box scores. Not sure I want to believe those "facts". Josh Gibson only hit 238 homers?!?! But a long overdo gesture nonetheless.

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-finally-recognizes-negro-leagues-with-major-league-status-181639563.html

Satchel Paige - possibly the greatest pitcher of all time!  I wish we had a time machine so that we could see him in recent eras!  https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/12/18/satchel-paige-negro-leagues/

Yep - sept 25 1965 - Satchel, 59, three shutout innings vs Sox - one of the greats, & can’t forget Luis Tiant Sr either - overlooked b/c of his son, but a 22 year career & this lefty also was one of the greats - right there w/Paige

nice gesture - as much a ceremonial/superficial thing than anything, but it’s the thought that counts

Indians fans, however, wish the moralists would just go away, There Never Has Been Anything Racist About Chief Wahoo Or The Indians -

ask Braves fans, they do the tomahawk chop but no one is ‘offended’ by it, heck Jimmy Carter used to do it at Braves games

@stephen

There are still a bunch of colleges that have Native American nicknames. An example: I am from Michigan. Eastern Michigan was always known as the Hurons. They changed it. Northern Michigan is the Chippewas. They've kept it. No idea if there is a "correct" answer. I suppose if that many people are upset about it maybe it is necessary to make changes. 

What’s worse - ditching the name & mascot that generations have loved & cheered for

...or becoming the Cleveland Baseball Team

Will never understand why the moralists don’t, in turn, understand that teams chose Indians, Braves, Redskins, Apaches, Aztecs, also Rebels etc - Out Of Respect For Their Strength & Fighting Spirit

not as a putdown or a racist statement - what fools

The Sox are my team, the Indians were my dad’s (mine too) - The Tribe, Let’s Go Indians

My thoughts on the teams with Native American names and mascots:  Has anybody consulted the Tribal leaders on their thoughts and opinions?  How do they feel on this?

Sometimes, well-meaning white folk DO take it upon themselves to be offended for those that they fear might be slighted.

If a single Native American has a problem or issue with these teams - I'm all for changing things.  "Red Skin" certainly sounds like a slur.  "Chiefs"?  I'm not sure.  "Braves"?  Is that honoring a heroic warrior or is that misappropriation of a culture?  I can see where a group of (mostly caucasion) folks doing a "Tomahawk Chop" - be they Atlantans or college students in Tallahassee could be an afront to Native Americans. 

Suppose that there was a team called the "Uppity Negroes"?  

"The times, they are a-changing"

 - B. Dylan