I decided at an early age to consume sports from a gambling perspective.
The decision was easy.
As a young teen, I watched Chicagoans in the 1970s cheer loudly for the Bears and Cubs with few rewards to show for their loyalty.
Generations of fans would be frustrated and heartbroken by the on-field results of their favorite sports teams in the Windy City.
The off-field moves and transactions by greedy ownership and misguided management contributed to the failing seasons.
The Bears did not strike gold until the mid-1980s.
Dedicated Bears fans, the largest and most avid bloc of fans in the city, childishly relive the 1985 NFL season and the silly Super Bowl shuffle video to this day.
Hard to believe, it has been 37 years since the late Buddy Ryan's dominating defense ruled the league.
The sorry Bears are favored to lose 10 or more games this season.
The Cubs famously won the World Series in 2016, ending the longest championship drought (108 years) in North American professional sports.
The Cubs magically transformed from lovable losers to national heroes and now quickly back to also-rans.
Not long ago, the Cubs were on the top of the baseball world and today, the team is in the cellar of the National League Central looking up at the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates, a franchise that once suffered through 20 consecutive losing seasons (1993-2012).
It's hard to listen to Cub player-turned-manager David Ross explain his team's odyssey.
Ross recently confessed to giving his young hitters some tough at-bats over the next two months, instead of inserting a more capable pinch-hitter, or allowing his young relievers to wiggle out of high-leverage situations when the game otherwise would dictate a pitching change.
It's called learning on the job and it's the dirty little secret of rebuilding teams.
The following strategy is employed by many professional sports teams: Intentionally field non-competitive teams to save resources and take advantage of league rules that benefit losers.
A year ago, the Cubs traded away Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez and replaced the trio of 2016 World Series stars with marginal big-leaguers Rafael Ortega, Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel.
And yet to take a family of four to Wrigley Field this season with parking fees, four hot dogs, four soft drinks, two beers and a pair of souvenir hats costs more than $360, according to Team Marketing Report, a company which disseminates sports marketing information.
Only the Boston Red Sox charge more to attend a game.
The Ricketts family bought the Cubs from the Tribune Corporation in 2009 for the bargain price of $845 million.
Forbes now values the Cub franchise at $3.8 billion, fourth-highest in Major League Baseball behind only the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox, in that order.
Hard to argue with the Ricketts' shrewd investment, but I refuse to contribute directly to the team's bottom line.
I refuse to pay $40 for an outfield bleacher seat or absorb the obnoxious price of $75 for a close-up parking spot at Wrigley Field.
Last Friday night, I attended an independent league baseball game in Whiting, Indiana.
There was no big-league talent on the field, but the college-aged players gave maximum effort in a competitive game.
The Northwest Indiana Oilmen, with a six-run eighth inning, defeated the Crestwood Panthers, 8-4.
I watched two pitchers dominate the game for the first six innings until the offenses woke up to produce some late-night fireworks, which included a long two-run home run and a triple to the right-centerfield gap.
The pregame national anthem and seventh-inning rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" produced the same enthusiasm, albeit on a smaller scale, as songs heard at Wrigley Field or Guaranteed Rate Field.
I enjoyed a night of baseball and satisfied my appetite for a live sporting event at the right price point.
Admission was free after I secured complimentary tickets a few days earlier at the annual Pierogi Fest, a Polish-themed food festival.
A priceless night, if you will.
It's no coincidence "miser" rhymes with "wiser."
BIRD'S LAST WORDS.....Sue Bird yesterday expressed gratitude to a sellout crowd of 18,000-plus at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle after the 41-year-old point guard played her final regular-season home game of a 21-year WNBA career.
Bird's single best piece of advice to young players interested in basketball applies to every person on planet Earth: "Your health is all you have...protect it."
Interestingly, the retiring Bird may not appear in a home playoff game later this month because the WNBA instituted a quirky playoff format for its quarterfinal round which begins Wednesday, August 17.
Higher-seeded teams will open the Best-of-3 series with a pair of home games with the lower-seeded teams only hosting a decisive Game 3, if necessary.
Bizarre.
MONDAY'S BEST BET.....Play UNDER 8 runs (-115) in the San Francisco Giants-San Diego Padres game.
Wood versus Snell.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PT.
Petco Park is the most pitcher-friendly park in Major League Baseball.
Veteran lefty Alex Wood looked great in his last start against the Padres on July 10, allowing only three singles over seven shutout innings in a 12-0 win over the Padres in San Diego.
Love the quick pace at which Wood works.
Like Wood, Blake Snell also dominated the opponent he will face tonight by striking out 11 San Francisco hitters in six innings of one-run, three-hit baseball on July 8 in a 6-3 home win.
The Giants and Padres have played 10 times this season.
In those 10 meetings, the losing team has scored two or fewer runs eight times.
Three of the 10 meetings ended with scores of 2-1.
Over their past four games, the new-look Padres have managed only seven runs, 21 hits and no home runs.
The decision was easy.
As a young teen, I watched Chicagoans in the 1970s cheer loudly for the Bears and Cubs with few rewards to show for their loyalty.
Generations of fans would be frustrated and heartbroken by the on-field results of their favorite sports teams in the Windy City.
The off-field moves and transactions by greedy ownership and misguided management contributed to the failing seasons.
The Bears did not strike gold until the mid-1980s.
Dedicated Bears fans, the largest and most avid bloc of fans in the city, childishly relive the 1985 NFL season and the silly Super Bowl shuffle video to this day.
Hard to believe, it has been 37 years since the late Buddy Ryan's dominating defense ruled the league.
The sorry Bears are favored to lose 10 or more games this season.
The Cubs famously won the World Series in 2016, ending the longest championship drought (108 years) in North American professional sports.
The Cubs magically transformed from lovable losers to national heroes and now quickly back to also-rans.
Not long ago, the Cubs were on the top of the baseball world and today, the team is in the cellar of the National League Central looking up at the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates, a franchise that once suffered through 20 consecutive losing seasons (1993-2012).
It's hard to listen to Cub player-turned-manager David Ross explain his team's odyssey.
Ross recently confessed to giving his young hitters some tough at-bats over the next two months, instead of inserting a more capable pinch-hitter, or allowing his young relievers to wiggle out of high-leverage situations when the game otherwise would dictate a pitching change.
It's called learning on the job and it's the dirty little secret of rebuilding teams.
The following strategy is employed by many professional sports teams: Intentionally field non-competitive teams to save resources and take advantage of league rules that benefit losers.
A year ago, the Cubs traded away Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez and replaced the trio of 2016 World Series stars with marginal big-leaguers Rafael Ortega, Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel.
And yet to take a family of four to Wrigley Field this season with parking fees, four hot dogs, four soft drinks, two beers and a pair of souvenir hats costs more than $360, according to Team Marketing Report, a company which disseminates sports marketing information.
Only the Boston Red Sox charge more to attend a game.
The Ricketts family bought the Cubs from the Tribune Corporation in 2009 for the bargain price of $845 million.
Forbes now values the Cub franchise at $3.8 billion, fourth-highest in Major League Baseball behind only the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox, in that order.
Hard to argue with the Ricketts' shrewd investment, but I refuse to contribute directly to the team's bottom line.
I refuse to pay $40 for an outfield bleacher seat or absorb the obnoxious price of $75 for a close-up parking spot at Wrigley Field.
Last Friday night, I attended an independent league baseball game in Whiting, Indiana.
There was no big-league talent on the field, but the college-aged players gave maximum effort in a competitive game.
The Northwest Indiana Oilmen, with a six-run eighth inning, defeated the Crestwood Panthers, 8-4.
I watched two pitchers dominate the game for the first six innings until the offenses woke up to produce some late-night fireworks, which included a long two-run home run and a triple to the right-centerfield gap.
The pregame national anthem and seventh-inning rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" produced the same enthusiasm, albeit on a smaller scale, as songs heard at Wrigley Field or Guaranteed Rate Field.
I enjoyed a night of baseball and satisfied my appetite for a live sporting event at the right price point.
Admission was free after I secured complimentary tickets a few days earlier at the annual Pierogi Fest, a Polish-themed food festival.
A priceless night, if you will.
It's no coincidence "miser" rhymes with "wiser."
BIRD'S LAST WORDS.....Sue Bird yesterday expressed gratitude to a sellout crowd of 18,000-plus at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle after the 41-year-old point guard played her final regular-season home game of a 21-year WNBA career.
Bird's single best piece of advice to young players interested in basketball applies to every person on planet Earth: "Your health is all you have...protect it."
Interestingly, the retiring Bird may not appear in a home playoff game later this month because the WNBA instituted a quirky playoff format for its quarterfinal round which begins Wednesday, August 17.
Higher-seeded teams will open the Best-of-3 series with a pair of home games with the lower-seeded teams only hosting a decisive Game 3, if necessary.
Bizarre.
MONDAY'S BEST BET.....Play UNDER 8 runs (-115) in the San Francisco Giants-San Diego Padres game.
Wood versus Snell.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PT.
Petco Park is the most pitcher-friendly park in Major League Baseball.
Veteran lefty Alex Wood looked great in his last start against the Padres on July 10, allowing only three singles over seven shutout innings in a 12-0 win over the Padres in San Diego.
Love the quick pace at which Wood works.
Like Wood, Blake Snell also dominated the opponent he will face tonight by striking out 11 San Francisco hitters in six innings of one-run, three-hit baseball on July 8 in a 6-3 home win.
The Giants and Padres have played 10 times this season.
In those 10 meetings, the losing team has scored two or fewer runs eight times.
Three of the 10 meetings ended with scores of 2-1.
Over their past four games, the new-look Padres have managed only seven runs, 21 hits and no home runs.
Last edited:
