Cubby-Blue

Anthony Rizzo ain't going anywhere.

I mean, we all knew the Cubs would pick up Anthony Rizzo's 2021 option, but still...
The only thing certain during these weird-ass times is a lack of certainty.
Around here, my wife set up a Covid-proof front door candy dispenser - a tube going thru the mail slot we can slide mini Snickers through.
But no idea if any kids will actually be going around trick or treating.
Usually on Halloween, the doorbell rings for the 50th time and I'm eye-rolling.
This year?
I'll be SO HAPPY if someone comes to the door just for normalcy. 

Anyway, the Cubs also declined on Daniel Descalso, duh, but Jon Lester's a way different thing.
The Cubs declined his option ($25 mil), but Lester says he still wants to be a Cub.
You love him, I love him, Theo loves him.
The Cubs will still pay him a $10 mil buyout, but he also "could return on a lesser deal". 
He's a proud man, and a straight shooter - I bet if he feels he can still contribute, he'll be back. 

I have no idea how many Rizzo paintings I've done over the years, but I really really like this one. 
I've been asking people - if you go to Wrigley, would you rather see a 400 foot homer or a spectacular defensive play?
I'm all in on defense, and Rizzo's just so SO good with that glove, a joy to watch.
I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY THAT RIZZO WILL STILL BE OVER THERE AT FIRST BASE!
 
So nice to have good news.
Go Cubs.

The White Sox hired a new manager. Trick or treat.

Well, a giant laugh for everyone but White Sox fans.
I mean, I loved the Cubs/Cardinals rivalry with Tony La Russa at the Redbird helm.
But that was before pitch framing, the Bat Flip, and $12 dollar beers.

I know he's a smart guy, but I always thought his best in-game asset was getting under the skin of the umps, and they always seemed to, you know, let something go the Cardinals' way later. 
He also drove Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella crazy, which made for fabulous entertainment.

The one thing I saw in The Athletic's story about this that makes sense is... with Tony being such good buddies with Jerry Reinsdorf, perhaps Jerry will really open his wallet to help his friend win. 
I mean, it appears there will be so much talent available from teams just... letting players go because money is so tight in the time of Covid.
If you're Reinsdorf, you've surely got money to fill any holes. 
Either way, despite all the laughing going on now, you and I both know the White Sox are going to be really good. 
I just hope that... I'll never forget the time in '05 when I took my family to the Gale Street Inn for overpriced ribs in their spectacularly ugly dining room, and I elbowed my way to the bar. The tvs had the Cubs on and suddenly EVERYBODY around me complained, saying, "HEY! Change it to the Sox, man. Nobody cares about the Cubs any more."
I mean, I don't think that'll happen as radically as back then, but still.. definitely a disturbance in the Force.

Okay gotta run.

Expect sporadic posting and... Go Cubs!

Dodgers win pennant! Hopefully that's all we remember from the Covid Season.

Rays manager Kevin Cash had you, me and the entire country FREAKING OUT about pulling Blake Snell after he gave up a single in the 6th.
The Rays were up 1-0 on Randy Arozarena's 1st inning homer, then basically we watched a bunch of strikeouts.
Snell had had his way with the Dodgers all night giving up only one hit, and then on only his 73rd pitch, #9 batter Austin Barnes hits a single and Cash pulls him.
Twitter is a mean place, and if you looked last night it was just so bad for Cash. 
Noah Syndergaard, in a polite tweet, said "So who gets to pull the manager? #WorldSeries".
Because then Cash brings in Nick Anderson, and in a couple minutes he gives up a double to Mookie Betts, Barnes moves to 3rd. Wild pitch, Barnes scores and Betts to third. Corey Seager hits a grounder to first, Betts scores from third and now it's 2-1 Dodgers.

People are SEETHING about the Cash move...
I watch til the end. 
Mookie hits an insurance homer, and the Rays... none of 'em can touch Julio Urias for the rest of the game and it ends Dodgers 3 Rays 1. 
But THE STORY is Kevin Cash and his bad move.
Then, right before I turn off the tube, some talking head says hey, remember when they pulled Justin Turner from the game in the 8th?
It was because he tested positive for Covid!
What? Crazy.
I go to bed.
Wake up and now THE STORY is Justin Turner.
I just googled "World Series" and here's a screenshot of the "top stories":

I was imagining headlines like, "Dodgers win, nobody wants Cash back!" or "CASH WASN'T MONEY!" or something like that. 
Instead, it's Turner's positive test.
And now that story's gonna hang around until testing's over, and we have to hope that nobody who was on the field comes down with it.
We don't need to remember this season because of something Covid-awful.

I guessed wrong and did a painting of Mookie last night:

I figured he'd steal the show and he did kinda with his bat and base running - when he went home on the grounder to first... really breathtaking.

And what now?
Just looking at the Dodgers and all their weapons compared to the Cubs... The Dodgers get to look at each of the upcoming seasons like they're gonna win the World Series, while the Cubs have to hope they get in the playoffs and "anything can happen".
That's a big difference, but such is life.

Lastly, they gave the World Series MVP to Corey Seager.
But in a perverse sort of "Time Magazine's Person of the Year" way, I'd give that MVP to Covid.

Dodgers over Rays 3 games to 2: the 2020 baseball season could end tonight.

You want to say well, there's a guy like Randy Arozarena who shows up every World Series. 
Somebody you never heard of who becomes a hero.
But that's not really true in this case.
Those guys are more like the Game 4 hero, Brett Phillips, with the Big Hit that wins a game. 
Arozarena has had an impossibly awesome, sustained performance throughout the 2020 playoffs.
In 19 post season games, he's got 27 hits and 9 of 'em went over the fence. 
He's slashing .370/.439/.808.
Out of everything I've seen during this series, he'll be the guy to watch next season just to see if this is really real.
I remember thinking Kyle Schwarber was gonna be THE #1 Beast of All Baseball, which... I mean he's awesome but that didn't happen.
Yet.

Anyway, as kind of expected the Dodgers are a win away from sewing up this year's championship, and while the Rays have surprised again and again, I figure that's how it'll turn out.
After all, the Dodgers players cost about 3 times what the Rays do. 

There's all kindsa stuff going on - confusing stuff with the pandemic and is Theo staying thru his contract and how many core guys are gonna get traded and will fans be able to pack Wrigley again... a tornado of crap to ponder. But as far as baseball things go, there are only a couple that really interest me right now.
The first is completely selfish, but we got a message from Hulu saying they couldn't come to terms with Sinclair.
This quote from here:
“While we offered Hulu a deal consistent with terms agreed to by other distributors, the streaming service refused to accept these fair and market-based terms,” Barry Faber, Sinclair’s president of distribution and network relations, said in a statement sent to Bloomberg. “It is unfortunate that Hulu has chosen to take away some of the most popular programming on TV from millions of subscribers, particularly given that Hulu has promised its subscribers that it has live sports.”
Barry sounds pleasant, doesn't he?
When robot lawyers speak like that, I always think they're banging on a trashcan. 

So I'll have to do this "where am I gonna watch the Cubs" thing all over again, which pisses me off.

And the other thing that's WAY more interesting is the Commish Rob Manfred thinking about limiting shifts.
I'm so not a fan of the shift, and here's what I'd suggest...
"A shift is defined as when three infielders are on the same side of second base."
(That's out of the same linked article above.)
Instead of limiting it, I'd reward the batter for beating it.
One extra base for either him or, if someone's on base move that guy up one more.
Say Anthony Rizzo's up and the shift is on, he lays down a bunt towards third.
Instead of a single, he moves to second. 
Or if KB was on first, Rizzo would get the single but KB moves to third. 
Don't you think that'd have managers thinking twice about using it?
And conversely if you're a batter, would you not work to become more skilled at going the other way?
Poke holes in it, please - I'm not the best at thinking things all the way through.

Okay, tonight is Bears vs Rams on MNF. 
Bear down.

Oh and I forgot to mention... I think "Arozarena" is maybe the coolest, most lyrical baseball name I've ever heard. 
For sure someone's going to write this headline: "Arozarena by any other name..."

Tony La Russa and the White Sox rumors? Just in time for Halloween.

No time to write today, but this Tony La Russa rumor - being seriously considered for the White Sox manager - is just crazy. 
Here's something from Bob Nightengale titled, "Tony La Russa heavy favorite to be White Sox manager".
WHAT?

"...And the nightmare continues for the Astros" HAHAHAHA!

Did you watch last night?
I have some kind of natural, built-in revulsion for the vast majority of national baseball announcers because none of them are as good as our guys in Chicago. 
So I can't remember who they were last night, but they kept saying, "And the nightmare continues for the Astros."
They should have been saying, "The AMAZING gloves and SUPER CLUTCH bats of the Tampa Bay Rays are completely shutting down the Astros."
And honestly I wouldn't wish anything bad health-wise on anyone, but the yips?
For anyone on the Astros?
I am SO ENJOYING watching José Altuve squat in his own puddle of errors over there at 2nd base.
Because, not close to sorry, I just don't believe his World Series HEY DON'T TEAR MY JERSEY OFF BECAUSE IT'S EMBARRASSING story, when it's very possible there was a buzzer under that jersey. 
And if the Rays can hold on to keep the Astros out of the World Series, it would be one of the top Gifts from Baseball Gods of all time.
They're up 3 games to nothin', so I expect that'll happen.
Here's what Dusty Baker has to say: "We really have our backs up against the wall. It's a steep mountain to climb, but it's not impossible. We have to tighten our belts and put our big boy pants on and come out."
HAHAHAHAHA!
You know there's Trouble in Karma Land when your manager puts on a cliché clinic like that.
Anyway, that's all.
Just... enjoying the series and becoming a Rays fan.