Odds & Ends

I have a few odds and ends – items that were not long enough to be a full column (at least 900 words or so by my count) – so I’ll just throw them out there:

• In case anyone hasn’t seen the new Family Guy DVD, there’s a section where Stewie is in Wrigley Field. It’s downright hilarious, and you can watch that clip here at thatvideosite.com. It’s highly recommended viewing, and only takes about 15 seconds.

• A lot of the backchannel conversation I’ve had the last few weeks revolved around FOX, and their playoff broadcasting. Three specifics: Tim McCarver was at his absolute worst once again, I thought, and my favorite was when he mentioned that Geoff Blum was a “sociologist major.” The study of sociologists, eh Tim? Other people pointed out that Joe Buck’s call of Podsednik’s homerun in Game 2 was quite timid. One correspondent asked me if I could imagine Vin Scully introducing Scooter the animated baseball. (Um, no.) I have no idea what FOX is even trying to with their broadcasts anymore. Are they trying to be hip? Are they catering to any old whim of their sponsors, regardless of the torturous interplay between gimmicks? Are they simply inhumane?
  
  
• While many of us agreed that Joe Buck’s final call of the Series was good, up until that point FOX would have struggled to get a C-, and only because their cameramen are always on top of things, even if their producers are not. Why do they continue to subject us to this crap? Everything from the AOL runningman to the K-zone to all sorts of other crap just sucks the life out of a baseball broadcast. In fact, during the playoffs I found myself restless to the point that I would channel-surf during commercials, which I hardly ever do during baseball games. I blame FOX for encouraging short attention spans in their broadcasts, and it only got worse for the World Series.
  
  
• Consensus was that Bob Brenly did a good job as a national broadcaster with Thom Brenneman & Steve Lyons. That is a good 3-man crew, right there, made better by contrast to Tim McCarver. Thom & Bob have particularly good rapport, don’t they? So here is what I propose: can we trade Bob Brenly even up for Mark Grace? Len Kasper & Mark Grace could be spectacularly funny together as well as giving us great baseball analysis, and Bob & Thom already have history together with the Diamondbacks and have naturally complementing cadence. Is this not a complete win-win for everyone? Is there somewhere I can start an e-mail campaign?
  
  
• Part of me was upset that it ended up a sweep. I had been looking forward to driving down to Houston to see if I could find a way into Minute Maid Park, but the only day I could have made it was Thursday. Yeah, didn’t happen. Of course, being down so many games it probably wouldn’t have been an over the top experience anyway. Now the best I can hope for is for a Longhorns national championship game. Not that I’m rooting for them, or against them, I just want to be witness to some kind of sports spectacle this year.
  
  
• Bonus points to Mac, Jurko & Harry, with Bruce Levine sitting in for Mac, for their discussion on Jeannie Zelasko’s figure last Thursday. Hope you heard it. Also, Mac’s column in the Northwest Indiana Times segues into my next topic, as Mac’s central point is this: “The White Sox redefined "team" every step along the way.”
  
  
• A lot of the chatter after the White Sox sweep has revolved around the concept of chemistry, and I’ve been doing a little thinking about it. In the case of the White Sox, it seems clear that they won without any bona fide superstars, or hall of famers, or whatnot. It also seems clear that they really wanted to win, enjoyed playing with each other, and thus wanted to win for each other. Yet, many people point out that plenty of teams have won over the years without this sort of chemistry.
  
  While that might be true, it hasn’t been true the last 5 years. The White Sox, Red Sox, Marlins, Angels and Diamondbacks all had exactly this sort of chemistry to a major extent, perhaps best realized in the White Sox. They all had a unique composite team personality. I wonder if those of us that appreciate this sort of baseball will look back in a few more years and see the last 5 years as a sort of World Series golden age (from a general perspective of course, not from a Cubs-fan perspective.)
  
  
• So long, Jeromy Burnitz! I had heard unofficial word from unofficial sources that he was certain to be gone almost immediately after the regular season ended, but now that rumor is a fact. Now he’s gone, without ever really taking on the identity of a Cub; a few years from now, he’ll be the trivia footnote of who replaced Sammy Sosa in right field. Like everyone, I appreciated his defense and unassuming manner, and his hustle, but he was also a very streaky hitter who did not knock in enough runs. That leaves us to wait and see who will be next in right field, as we wish Burnitz all the best somewhere else.
  
  
• Scott Williams was a no-brainer to keep, but Todd Walker was a bit of a question mark to some. Still, I also thought Walker was a cinch to keep. He fields fine, he hits very well, and if there is ever a lineup around him that is producing, I think he’ll thrive on that energy. Some people are speculating that the Cubs might have exercised their option on him in order to use him as trade bait, but if they do, I’ll be extremely disappointed. If they do not plan to have man second base, they should have released him and let him go after more money elsewhere. He’s pretty well underpaid as a Cub, and took less money to come to Chicago. That’s why I expect he’ll be at second in 2006 – the Cubs wouldn’t do that, would they? – but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
  
  
• Thanks to KJM for his bonus coverage of the White Sox parade last Friday. He put up some spectacular photos in the Eye of the Beerholder, if you missed them. Which brings me to a question: considering a Cubs World Series championship parade, is it more appropriate to say, “what it would be like if the Cubs win” or “what it will be like when the Cubs win” ? I used to always favor the latter, inasmuch as this is what being a Cubs optimist commits me to saying. But now, after a White Sox win, and a Red Sox win, I wonder if it doesn’t just invite eye-rolling.
  
  Screw it: the ticker tape parade when the Cubs win is going to be spectacular!