Sox ready for their close-up
While the Cubs get an All-Star break, the White Sox get their star turn on ESPN
The Cubs are getting an unexpected All-Star break this weekend while the White Sox finally are getting their long-awaited star turn.
These are just two of the unintended side effects of restarting baseball without a bubble during a pandemic. We’re all day-by-day in 2020, or sometimes hour-byhour. The postponement of the Cardinals-Cubs series in St. Louis after three new Cardinals — including two players— tested positive for COVID-19 gave the Cubs an opportunity to take a deep breath.
They surely could use one after an intense start to the shortened season that included a six-game win streak and a perfect record in terms of player testing. I’m not sure whether Cubs management is prouder of the 10-3 record or the zero positives, but considering the obstacles they’ve faced in accomplishing both, it’s an impressive daily double.
By the time the Cubs return to action Tuesday in Cleveland, they should be refreshed mentally and physically. They have a significant advantage over the Cardinals now
in the National League Central, if only because St. Louis will have 55 games in 49 days if they’re able to play Monday against the Pirates.
It doesn’t matter if the outbreak was due to a lack of following protocols or just some bad luck. Either way, it’s likely to hurt the Cardinals’ chances. The Cubs can empathize with their friends on the Cardinals, but deep down they know their chance to win the division has been greatly enhanced. Those are the breaks.
Meanwhile, the decision by MLB to cash in the Cubs-Cardinals series left ESPN with a gaping hole in its Sunday night showcase. The White Sox were only too happy to step in for a last-minute cameo appearances, sort of like Buddy Hackett showing up on “The Tonight Show” at a moment’s notice after an A-list actress bailed on Johnny Carson.
Buddy always killed it. Will the Sox kill it too?
Of course, part of the reason ESPN opted for the White Sox-Indians game can be attributed to the fact Shane Bieber, baseball’s hottest pitcher, will be on the mound for the Indians.
Still, any chance to strut their stuff before a national TV audience should be enough motivation for these Sox. Now just make sure Eloy Jimenez stays out of the netting.
No matter which team is yours, this is a great time to celebrate baseball in Chicago — even if we must do it from a safe distance, with masks on and while watching it on TV. It reminds me a lot of the summer of 1977, when both the Cubs and White Sox were in first place with distinctive characters who made the game fun. Hopefully this season will include a better ending, as both teams faded by the end of summer.
There’s a genuine feeling of watching history unfold on the South Side. The talking heads on the Sox Zoom warn that this is just the start of many years of sustained success, so please don’t expect the moon in 2020.
Too late. It’s moon or bust, Sox. With the expanded playoffs and all the talent on hand, there’s no excuse for missing October’s party. General manager Rick Hahn needs to bring up a starter to replace the injured Carlos Rodon and stop fooling around with bullpen days such as Saturday’s 7-1 loss to Cleveland.
On the North Side, the Bad News Cubs have changed the rules of acceptable dugout demeanor. Act like an adult? Not when they can chant and clap like their Little League days.
Whether it’s the residual effect of winning, or it’s actually helping them win, this is the chicken or the egg debate. Since the Cubs have yet to experience a losing streak, we don’t know if they can keep it up during hard times. All we know is it’s great watching grown-ups pretend they’re kids again.
The pandemic already has changed the way we consume baseball. It’s not a passive venture by any means, not after four months of watching Netflix or COVID-19 updates. You’re not only rooting for your team or your favorite players, but for the very survival of the sport.
We don’t know if this season will last and that’s now part of the daily narrative, like the Sammy Sosa-Mark McGwire home run race in 1998.
“It’s an extraordinary season,” Sox broadcaster Steve Stone said during Saturday’s telecast, referring to MLB’s herculean efforts to keep the season going in spite of two outbreaks and subsequent postponements.
An extraordinary season deserves some drama, and we’re getting our fill here in Chicago from Jimenez, Luis Robert, Kyle Hendricks, Javier Baez and even Craig Kimbrel. There’s nothing dull about the Cubs or Sox, and you don’t need fake crowd noise to make it more dramatic.
There’s still a long way to go, but where would you rather be right now than in Chicago in early August, watching two contenders — not to mention the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup playoffs?
Maybe it’s not as good as it gets. But it sure beats April.