Drinking The White Sox Kool Aid

It's hot.

As I was walking from the North Face store, beads of sweat were dripping from my face. I thought to myself: "Self, I could go for some Kool-Aid right about now." Typically, kool-aid is the summer drink for kids -- and some adults -- during those blistering summer days. I would come home, mix a pitcher of the cherry goodness with about three extra cups of sugar. It was delicious.

But who knew that the White Sox would bring heat of their own this summer and make baseball relevant in Chicago? The Southsiders have been on a tear as of late and are producing some interesting subplots for this season:

Are Epstein And Hoyer Above Reproach?

The alternate title of this post is: Two Smart Guys Argue With One Other Guy:



Paul Sullivan of the Tribune strikes me as somewhat of a troll. As I noted on the Cubs Den article that brought this video to my attention, the Cubs front office is not above reproach, but if you are going to criticize them, DON'T DO SO LIKE AN IGNORANT FAN WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE SPORT AND BUSINESS OF BASEBALL, SULLY.

A Glove Slap To Kerry Wood

Good Things On The Horizon For Cubs Hitters?

My latest work at FanGraphs suggests more than a few Cubs hitters should be doing MUCH better than they presently are. Namely: Ian Stewart, Geovany Soto, and — surprise! — Darwin Barney. Of course, caveats abound.

The bad news is that Starlin Castro may need to change his approach in order to stay successful. His .366 BABIP is carrying too much of the weight of his production.

Bob Brenly And Stats

Weird, right?

I don't always agree with Chicago Cubs announcer Bob Brenly — and here's another instance where I don't: My FanGraphs piece entitled, "Bob Brenly: You Were a Good Hitter."

Since time forever, Chicago Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly has joked good-humor’dly about how terrible a hitter he was. For years, I had just taken him at his word, assumed that Bob Brenly was the worst worst hitter ever — a hitter whose home runs came on windy days, whose singles bounced ten times before leaving the infield, and whose walks came only on failed beanings.

But that is simply not true. Recently Mr. Brenly remarked he wanted to see an advanced stat that said he was a good hitter. I’ll give him three.

I've really enjoyed Len Kasper and Bob Brenly taking new stats to the people. It's time Cubs fans started enjoying the insight that management now has.

Baseball In Englewood, Cookoffs, And Helping Youths

I had the pleasure of meeting a new friend (we'll call him Greg) and he told me he coaches baseball in Englewood for the organization called Play for Life International.

(from the website):

PFLI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses sports to engage and empower at-risk youth . For us, it’s not just about winning, it’s about empowerment: the power to live a positive lifestyle, the power to treat others with respect, and the power to make responsible choices. Every day, we’re reminding these kids that they’re not victims of circumstances – they’re contenders.

Then, I received this story that made me almost choke on my Big League Chew trying to hold back the tears:

Last week, one of the 12 year olds in our baseball program was attacked and beaten by a group of adults. He still came to baseball a few days later and went about his daily normal daily activities. This is a fact of life growing up in Englewood. In any city, instances like this will happen occasionally, but it's unacceptable that this is an inevitability for the youth in our program.

You have the opportunity to prevent it. Play for Life works with Englewood youth from ages 5-18 to help provide them with the skills to get into college and get some of the opportunities that most of us take for granted. We provide a place for them to go after school and on the weekends. A place where they can participate in a team activity. A place where they can get support for their schoolwork, so that they aren't stuck in Englewood.

If that's not enough for you to support this cause, there is a "Best of the Ball Park" cookoff!!!

Play for Life's fundraiser is tonight at the Newberry Library, 6:30-10:30PM.

You can donate and buy the ticket here.

Donations cover equipment, league fees, transportation, food, umpires, and a few part time coaches. I would also like to encourage you to invite your friends, co-workers and spread the word to this event as every additional ticket sale provides significant returns to the kids.

VIDEO: Blackhawks Beat Coyotes In OT

Seriously, that Blackhawks-Coyotes game was nuts.

We had opened our windows because the weather — although stormy — was pleasant. When Patrick Kane shot that game-tying goal, the neighborhood erupted. It was a magnificent game, and I feel like I may need to go to a sports bar on Tuesday night just to watch with a crowd.

Here's video highlights in case you missed it / went to bed at a normal hour: