Happy Friday Chicago!
It seems like last week’s newsletter may have ruffled some feathers. Unfortunately, a high school football teammate of mine expressed his displeasure over my Caleb Williams’ painted nails take.
He pointed out to me that, when I was 15, I mocked him for how he expressed himself on the gridiron.
This guy is something else. I wish you all knew him. He is like an almanac for my own life, but not even his. I tell someone over beers at 28 years old that I love sushi, and he’ll come shouting from the other side of the table saying that isn’t true because I said sushi was gross in the 6th grade.
Some people black out drunk enough that they begin forgetting things. This man gets blacked out drunk and remembers a pinky promise I made to him during in-school detention.
To clear things up, I’m a good friend, which is why I endlessly mocked him for showing up to the first day of high school football “training camp” with a horse collar, a visor, and wristbands.
We were all barely fitting into our shoulder pads and he looked like he was dressing up as Julius Peppers for Halloween. Also, bear in mind, he would “quit” football every year, only to come back after the brutal summer workouts were over. In that respect, he was truly ahead of his time. Missing out on training camp just to make a triumphant return, just like his visor-wearing, NFL counterparts.
I didn’t expect as a grown adult to have my positions on things be cross checked with my childhood positions on things, but it appears that’s a new concern I’ll have to get through. I hope I won your trust over, and you know that I was correct on the above issue.
I’ll have to worry about that cross-checking, along with the fact that I called everything and everyone “gay” on public forums like Facebook for a few years of my life, for the foreseeable future.
What I won’t have to worry about is the things I most worried about as a child, such as El Nino and La Nina (not sure what the concern was there), quicksand (this has been an overplayed internet topic, but it truly was a focal point of every millennial’s childhood for some reason), and whether I’d get a job with hair down to my shoulders (God figured this one out for me on his own).
What I still do worry about, that I also worried about as a child, is whether the Bulls would ever win a championship again, with my first conscious memory of watching them being the 1999-2000 season. That worry exacerbates every passing winter.
I’m also still worried about that volcano that’s supposed to erupt in Yellowstone at some point. But I’m going to move on quickly here, as I don’t want to have to tell my boss that work didn’t get done Monday because I was thinking about volcanoes erupting.
For some reason, a reoccurring theme of this newsletter has become the aging process, but I just can’t help it with the daily reminders that I’m faced with.
For instance, I am playing hooky today and hitting the Cubs game (I’m a grown man and requested PTO a month and a half ago). Everything at Wrigley Field is now digitized, but it doesn’t feel right to not take out $100+ in cash prior to hitting the ball game. What also doesn’t feel right is that they force you to use an app to access your tickets.
I’ve never had a problem with this app before, but now they’re telling me that I need to download the latest version of the app to access the tickets. But, to download the latest version of the app, I have to update the operating system on my phone.
And, guess what? I don’t want to fucking update my phone! And I don’t think I have the storage for it, anyhow.
As I’m going through this tonight, I texted someone that the whole process was a “pain in my fucking ass.” And then I looked up in the mirror, and my face started turning into my father’s right before my eyes.
Nevertheless, I punched the mirror in my bathroom and am typing this with bloody knuckles.
What makes it worse is the regular reminders I’ve been sending to others going to the game with me about “dressing warm.” Dude, they know! What is happening to me?
Before I begin yammering about 401Ks and memorizing the presidents in chronological order, I need to do something rebellious to reverse the aging process.
There is a nail parlor down the street…
We’ve got a long to get into. Let’s go.
What a week it has been for Cubs baseball. Against all odds, the Cubs got in three home games against the Rockies this week in that miserable weather, and thank the lord they did.
The Cubs crowds in April may be my favorite of them all. They most resemble the fanbase of yesteryear, when the team wasn’t a must-see on a visit to Chicago and tickets (not on an app!) cost five bucks at the window.
They also most resemble football crowds, sports fans that are going to stay at the game no matter how bad the weather gets, and sneakily enjoy their experience the worse the elements get throughout.
It feels like a badge of honor to go to a gross April game and stick it out for nine innings. And, it makes entering that warm — not overpacked — bar afterward that much better.
Part of me believes the crowd being equally scattered and raucous at this time in the season is actually more of a home-field advantage than the 40,000-plus crowds of July are.
A few things that stood out to me, outside of the baseball being played this past week.
The fans chanting “Cody, Cody, Cody!” as Bellinger laced a home run into the right field scoreboard was just awesome.
The day before, Shōta Imanaga took a no-hit bid into the 6th inning, and received a proper standing ovation on his way out of the ball game.
Cubs fans also answered the 2016 call, which is to say they appropriately greeted Kris Bryant as a Rockie and reminded him of better times, yet again.
After they seemed to be on the verge of a 0-3 start on Sunday, the Cubs have now rattled off four straight wins. These are all-important wins — and why it was so crucial to get those games in this week — due to the forthcoming schedule.
The Dodgers are now coming into town this weekend. After that, it’s at the Padres, Mariners, and Diamondbacks on a road trip. The Astros come to town later in the month, too. The Red Sox aren’t supposed to be great, but they’ve gotten off to a hot start. They’re on the schedule. The Marlins and Mets are also slated in April, and though they’ve both gotten off to awful starts, each has more talent than their record would lead you to believe.
If the Cubs were around .500 come May, I’d consider that a win. And that’s why, for the third time, it was necessary to sweep the Rockies. Though they almost made an improbable comeback Wednesday night, that is one terrible, terrible team.
But we’ll take the wins!
Christopher Morel — remember when David Ross said it would be “tough to get him everyday at-bats” — is one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He’s slashing .375/.423/.708 thus far.
He’s been putrid in the field, but I’ve convinced myself that he’s just a bit in his head and will level out to being just a bad third baseman over the course of the season. And we can deal with bad, particularly if he keeps hitting and Nick Madrigal keeps playing a solid third base when Morel isn’t out there.
I love that Craig Counsell is… well, let me stop. I love everything Counsell is doing, and I think he could start Morel at pitcher and I’d call him a genius. But one specific thing I love is how he’s immediately giving guys struggling the chance to hit or field through it early on, particularly in blow outs.
For instance, throwing Yency Almonte and Jose Cuas out there to eat innings and see what you got in them is better than wasting your best relievers ahead of a series against the Dodgers.
Seiya Suzuki continues to get absolutely screwed on two things, the first being strike calls. He was one of the biggest victims of bad strike calls last year — the statistics bear it out — and it has continued early this year. I’m one more poor call away from labeling it racism.
He also has been hitting the hell out of the ball — regularly above 100 mph in exit velocity — in nearly every at bat. And while his numbers are great, they feel like they should be better.
At the beginning of the season, he was +8000 to win the NL MVP. Even with being on the wrong side of bad luck, after the first series, that number dropped all the way to +5000 — which is stunning.
I don’t necessarily foresee an MVP in his future — disclaimer: I did bet on it — but man has he been good. He’s slashing .333/.379/.593 and, like Morel, already has two home runs.
My main concern remains the catcher position. The Cubs have plenty of ways to work around positional deficiencies elsewhere, but at catcher, it wouldn’t be the craziest thing if Yan Gomes regressed at the plate this year. He’ll still be a great catcher, but I don’t think it’s fair to rely on guy turning 37 in three months to continue delivering clutch hits like he did last year.
He had a solid .723 OPS last year, but is hitless this year so far.
That leaves it up to Miguel Amaya to step up, and I was happy to see him get in on the rally action the other day with a blooper into center field. But he has 3 hits in 13 plate appearances, and his time to impress is running out.
The pitching would be the other concern, but it doesn’t seem like Steele will be out long.
Javier Assad now has a sub-3 ERA in over 150 major league innings pitched.
Plus, even with the caveats being the wind and the opponent, Imanaga looked great in his first start.
I love Kyle Hendricks nonchalant demeanor as much as the next guy, but man did Imanaga’s demeanor fire me up on Tuesday. Fist pumps, jumps off the mound, the whole thing. It was opening day at Wrigley Field and he responded accordingly.
I mean, I can’t get enough of this guy. After his “Hey Chicago, What Do You Say, The Cubs Are Going to Win Today” remarks in broken english at his presser, the guy came out to Chelsea Dagger for his first start, which he decided to do after going to a Blackhawks game earlier this year.
The vibes are good right now, and the future is bright. The 21-year-old outfielder Owen Caissie is slashing .450/.522/.600 in Iowa.
My tune could change by Monday, so for now, I’ll enjoy this feeling. Let’s take two this weekend, huh?
I don’t mean to start this section every week with a sad anecdote. But I was somewhat enjoying a close 1-1 White Sox game tonight, then I cleaned a few things up around the apartment and showered. I sat back down. 10-1 Royals.
Alas, this may turn into a Garret Crochet update blog, and we may have to change the banner art above.
Not a single player on the Sox is hitting .300 this season, outside of everyone’s favorite player Braden Shewmake. (Admittedly, Robert Jr. and Moncada have been fine at the plate).
There’s no good reason to go to a Sox game this April, but this picture from the fourth inning of the Braves series opener depressed me.
This is not meant to begin a pissing contest over attendance numbers this early in the season, but instead reflects a completely apathetic fanbase.
Poor John Schriffen (Jason Benetti’s replacement) had to wait until the 5th game to introduce a catchphrase he had undoubtedly thought about all offseason.
“SOUTH SIDE, STAND UP!” didn’t hit like he probably imagined it would, as the Sox improved to 1-4 on the year.
But Crochet did make one of the best lineups in baseball look silly this week. Through two games, his stats are incredible. He has a 1.38 ERA and 0.692 WHIP in 13 innings, but perhaps more impressive, he has 16 strike outs to just one walk thus far.
The Bulls would need to win five of their last six games to complete the road to .500, and win all six to surpass .500. It’s not in the cards this year, ladies and gentlemen.
It feels like the Bulls have had many chances to get back to that mark. But they have not had an even amount of wins and losses since they were 2-2, and have only gone into a game one game below .500 on two occasions over the last few months.
The Bulls look bipolar — they lose to the Wizards, beat the Timberwolves, and then lose to the Nets. But what they really are is exactly what their record says they are: about the 20th best team in a league with 30 teams.
They are 18th in offensive rating, 19th in defensive rating and are 36-40.
I would say they have nothing to show for this year. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have made that untrue, however. We are still winding down the second season in a row where the Bulls are in the widely-considered worst place to be in by NBA standards, particularly because they are not what you’d call an up and comer.
They do have the chance, still, to hit their over/under on wins. They need to go 2-4 the rest of the way to achieve that.
I bet that, so will be paying close attention. Who am I kidding, I’d be paying close attention anyway. The win total, and whether they or the Hawks will be hosting the 9-10 play-in game, are the two THINGS TO WATCH the rest of the way.
My breakdown of the Bulls in the preseason unfortunately ended up being about dead on.
The Bulls over/under win total this year is 37.5. They won 40 last year with an awful close-game record, which should return to the mean. What I also don’t think people truly realize about this Bulls team is that they’re all in. This isn’t a team that’s going to tear things down or fire their coach midseason. For better or worse, they’re going for “it,” whatever it is to them.
I think the Bulls will probably win anywhere from 40-43 games this year. And that, my friends, makes them an OVER.
They may not reach 40, but they still will likely hit that over.
At least Javonte Green is signed through the rest of the season.
Sigh.
LETS GO BULLS!
Thank you for reading another edition of Still Gotta Come Through Chicago. Comment, share with friends, and I’ll see you next week.
Remember that never once, in history, has someone been wrong about mentioning bringing an extra layer to a game at Wrigley.
I am obviously not in the April Cubs crowd you referenced, but I love it so much. Was at a bar last Thursday watching Sweet 16 games, and there was one guy, by himself, at the bar watching the one computer monitor sized screen with the Cubs opening day game on it. I was watching him watch in about the 4th inning, and he was visibly distraught when Justin Steele threw a ball on an 0-1 count. Going to be a long 162 games for that man.
FIVE JAVONTE GREENS OUT THERE! BRING ON THE HAWKS! THEN THE SIXERS (with a healthy Embiid)! THEN THE CELTICS! THEN THE BUCKS! THEN THE CLIPS/NUGGETS/THUNDER/TWOLVES! LETS GO BULLS! hearing rumors that Lonzo made 5 free throws in a row in his driveway in LA.
No doubt your childhood friend is none other than Johnny! He could have been really good if he committed to it. Now lets discuss what would possibly make you punch the image in the mirror because it looked like your dad!?!? Also, you failed to mention that the answer to your digital tickets was to call your dad and have him fix the problem.
I, too, am all about the game that no one else wants to stay at but we stay because we brought our drinking gloves.(although did I hear beers at Wrigley are $14 this year?!?!?!)
I am excited about the Cubs but really only because of Counsell. Can't believe we couldn't figure the catching out or first base.
Sox fans, at least you are consistent. You are all so passionate about your team until it is time to go to a game. You don't want the team to leave Bridgeport but you won't go to a game there. You want to beat up Cubs fans in Wrigleyville but you don't want to mix with the animals on the way to, outside of or in whatever you now call that stadium. Time to STFU!
No Bears draft talk? Come on! I hate the previews of them getting another WR at NO.9. HAVE TO go Offensive Tackle or DEnd with that pick. Complete the team.