A Tale of Two Teams and a Grandson

My grandson Leo Joseph entered the world (at nine pounds, twelve ounces and 21-1/4 inches long, which already has his parents arguing football or baseball) early enough yesterday to witness—if the TV was on in his mom’s hospital room—the White Sox beat up on the Cubs, 4-0, at Wrigley Field. It was a good thing the mercury reached 85 very muggy degrees; otherwise, Carlos Rodon might’ve pitched longer than five innings with a chance to set the MLB strikeout record. As it was, Rodon fanned eleven Cubs, while four Sox relievers notched another six, for a total of seventeen on the day. God, did the North Siders look pathetic. Once upon a time, that futility would’ve filled me with joy, but things change, or we do over time. It wasn’t like Rodon was facing the Yankees, which he will for the Field of Dreams game come Thursday. The only hitter in the Cubs’ lineup who could be considered a true major-league ballplayer was catcher Willson Contreras, and he struck out four times. That’s called frustration, and the Cubs would be smart to trade Contreras because he’s going to get a lot more frustrated next year and the year after and…. I’m not gloating here because what goes around comes around, or already did. These Cubs could be the White Sox of 2017 or 2018. The North Siders are undergoing their second rebuild in the last ten years. That’s a joke, and a bad one played on fans. I don’t care about the drunkards or pickup artists who occupy the bleachers, but there are serious Cubs’ fans who deserve better. You think Tom Ricketts is going to lower ticket prices to better reflect the Triple-A talent he’s trotting out on the field? Don’t hold your breath. But the team is proceeding with plans to open a sports’ book next door to the ballpark, ostensibly to better serve the fans. Fleece them is more like it.