42 Comments - Grandson of Man - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 11:47 am: Very nice Bears game yesterday, with the offensive line blocking well, defense playing as well as usual and the back-up QB doing a very good job. Not nice to watch Trubisky get hurt, as the team is winning. Hoping it’s not too serious. - Blue Dog Dem - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 11:53 am: Best wishes to Joe Maddon - Drake Mallard - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 11:57 am: I second blue dog Best of luck to Maddon. Hope the White Sox sign him. - City Zen - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 11:58 am: Congrats to Tim Anderson for being the first White Sox since 1936 to win the MLB batting title. All while being only one year older than the Ballpark in Arlington, which hosted its last game yesterday. - Wensicia - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:00 pm: If Maddon has to go, so should Epstein. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:05 pm: The Boston Red Sox, for whom begat Theo Epstein, won 4 World Series since 2004. In those 4 World Series, the Boston Red Sox had 3 different skippers. Tito Francona (2) John Farrell (1) Alex Cora (1) Francona, who should never have to buy a drink or meal in Boston was replaced after winning two rings. The ball club won two more after dismissing the man who led the franchise on the field to its greatest heights since 1918. I’m forever grateful to every ballplayer, coach, and manager Joe Maddon for breaking the drought. However, you can’t have a September Swoon, with the expanded roster, with the depleted talent and manage the ball club in-game as Maddon did. Joe hasta go, but I’ll never be able to repay him as a fan for his gift he gave “me”. Chicago forever owes Maddon. Theo? Theo gets 2 years with a new skipper, then all bets are off. - 47th Ward - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:08 pm: ===If Maddon has to go, so should Epstein.=== If only life was fair. The Cubs won in 2016 and then let their lead-off hitter and closer go. Those two key positions were never adequately replaced. That’s on Theo, not Joe. But no manager is going to get $5-6 million in this era of analytics. The computers make all of the decisions now, and the hitters only care about launch angles and exit velocity. If they valued “hitters” in the major leagues, no defense would ever use the shift because it would be too easy to beat. Baseball is a different game and managers like Maddon aren’t as valuable as they used to be. Your starter gets you to the 5th or 6th, then you use the bullpen where every batter gets his own pitcher until it’s time for the closer. Sabermetrics killed baseball. It’s all math these days, and I never cared for math. - RNUG - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:13 pm: Mrs RNUG is a Red Sox fan. As -OW- points out, we’ve see this play before. Should have kept Joe Madden and replaced Theo Epstein. - Pick a Name - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:20 pm: As a Cardinal fan, I want to thank Maddon for doing everything possible to help the Cardinals win the NLC - RNUG - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:26 pm: The International RT-66 Mother Road Festival lucked out on the weather. While our neighbors to the north got hammered, Springfield was mostly spared. Parade came off Friday night; didn’t rain until later overnight. A bit of rain early Saturday but quit and had a gorgeous day with perfect temperature for the actual car show. Sunday morning got rained on but I always skip it in favor of church. SJ-R gave it good coverage but I have to question the estimate on the number of cars in the parade. The organizers claimed, I think, 2,200 based on pre-registrations and collected donations to Crime Stoppers. I spent 3 hours in the line-up area watching the cars roll in and walking around looking at them. By my rough estimate of multiplying number of times by depth of cars, it was quite a bit smaller. Still a nice showing but I think the threat of rain kept some people away from the parade. - Beef sandwich - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:32 pm: Happy Belated Birthday to Cook County Commissioner and Mayor of McCook Jeff Tobolski. - Responsa - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:41 pm: I will miss Joe Madden. Oh wait. No I won’t. I am a White Sox fan. - Just Another Anon - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:44 pm: If the White Sox boot Renteria for Maddon (again….), Ricky may actually lose his mind. @Beef Sandwich I hear the feds had an extra special present for Jeff. - Candy Dogood - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:48 pm: Sometimes I wonder if the Germans have a specific term for the Schadenfreude that I feel watching the progression of a federal investigation into whatever they’re investigating those elected officials, et al., for. Like Staatsbeamteschadenfreude or öffentlicherschadenfreude, you know, some fun combination noun. It’d be nice to have a word that could accurately express my joy. - Responsa - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 12:50 pm: ==If the White Sox boot Renteria for Maddon (again….),== There is no need to worry about that. Joe ain’t no White Sox kind of guy. - Anyone Remember - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:01 pm: Cubs fans. Who replaces Maddon? Where does Maddon end up? (His name was mentioned in SF yesterday as a replacement of Bochy - after all, he was the only person to beat Bochy in a NL playoff series.) - Pat - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:01 pm: Anyone hearing anything about the teamster contract - Cheryl44 - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:08 pm: Thank you Adam Kinzinger. - Bogey Golfer - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:18 pm: The last-minute scratch of Roquon Smith could be problematic when betting on sports becomes legal. Will pro sports be required to post injuries a certain time period prior to the start of the game? - Anon For Now - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:19 pm: Not a cubs fan but how do GMs (seem to) avoid the boot? Looking at Bowman for Hawks, Theo for Cubs, and (cannot stress this one enough) the Gar/Paxon flaming tire yard fire combo at the Bulls? - SSL - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:26 pm: I won’t miss Joe. He barely stayed out of the way in 2016 when the Cubs won. He would have been gone sooner if his bonehead moves in game 7 had not been overcome. Supposed can’t miss prospects that he had for five years have not reached their potential. Is that on the coaching or the GM? I’m sure the players will miss the pajama parties, but they’ll get over it. Somewhere, Wordslinger is smiling today. I say that with respect. - revvedup - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:26 pm: 1. Da Bears! 2. German words: Politicsherüberprüftekstatish! 3. Cubs: Say it ain’t so, Joe. 4. Politics in Illinois generally: “I like to get some sleep before I travel, but if you got a warrant, I guess you’re gonna come in” - LizPhairTax - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:28 pm: What’s up with Roquan? - Anonymous - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:28 pm: Rand corporation has a study that says stand your ground laws cause an increase of 6.8% in homicide over duty to retreat states. If Illinois has a duty to retreat law we could reduce homicides without taking anyone’s guns. - BC - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:37 pm: == Not a cubs fan but how do GMs (seem to) avoid the boot? Looking at Bowman…Theo..Gar/Pax == Legit point, but I wouldn’t throw Theo in that group. He won a championship, the others have not. (Dale Tallon was the main architect of the Hawks three-championship core, not Bowman.) - Grandson of Man - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:52 pm: “his bonehead moves in game 7 had not been overcome“ Thought of Dusty Baker after Maddon may have overused Chapman. If they would have lost because of this, a worn-out closer, Maddon would have been the biggest goat in Cubs history. - Stones - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:54 pm: Not a Cubs fan but I have to say Maddon should not have been let go. I’ll take on managing my WS any day of the week. In my opinion, Girardi is the most logical replacement. - Da Big Bad Wolf - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:55 pm: Bye Sterigenics. https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190930/sterigenics-closing-its-doors-in-willowbrook-amid-cancer-uproar - G'Kar - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 1:58 pm: I notice a poster the other day used my home town of Henry, IL as an example. I wonder if I know him? I wonder how many of us actually know each other in real life, but not on the blog? Thank you Clint Hurdle for breaking the Pirates losing string a few seasons ago. You deserved a better front office. - Ducky LaMoore - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 2:00 pm: Ausmus out in Anaheim. Madden was in the Angels org for more than 20 years. Look for him to go there. - Anonymous - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 2:40 pm: Cubs were fortunate in ‘16, the Indians were missing their best hitter and their number 2 and 3 starters and they still took it deep into game 7. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 2:43 pm: ===Cubs were fortunate in ‘16=== Fortunate, not fortunate, the cubs won. That’s all that matters. - someonehastosayit - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 3:27 pm: ===Thank you Adam Kinzinger.=== Any chance other Illinois Republicans grow a spine? - RNUG - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 3:29 pm: == If Illinois has a duty to retreat law we could reduce homicides without taking anyone’s guns. == Say what? Todd can correct me, but as I understand it Illinois does not have a Stand Your Ground law. And the courts, mostly, treat Illinois as a “duty to retreat” state. The only major exception to that is when you have nowhere to retreat. - Blue Dog Dem - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 3:42 pm: Love them 3 appointments to work comp board. We ought to see some real relief on new rates. - Blue Dog Dem - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 5:04 pm: RNUG. Sounds great. Exhausted by wedding but i attribute that to latest round of chemo. Question. What happens in the future to collectibles when we go fossil fuel less? I worry about NASCAR and IRL as well. - Streator Curmudgeon - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 5:10 pm: ===Thank you Adam Kinzinger.=== ===Any chance other Illinois Republicans grow a spine?=== Kinzinger has been balancing on the fence, doesn’t want to do anything to wreck his chances at the White House in the future, so I’m wondering if he has a crystal ball on this? - Blue Dog Dem - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 5:12 pm: Thank you Nancy Pelosi. - RNUG - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 5:36 pm: - Blue Dog Dem -, I expect it will be a long, long time before oil / gasoline will not be available. Pure electric can work in town but nog long distance, still have to solve the battery storage / recharge problem that has been there for 120 - 130 years. Battery technology has only improved incrementally over that time period while gas and diesel engines improved expodentially. Plus there is an issue of mining enough of the rare earth metals involved in producing electric motors, etc. That said, there are already people in the OEM and aftermarket industry that are working on retrofit kits. Porsche will be happy to electrify your old Porsche, but the factory conversions now are ridiculously expensive. However, the hot rod spirit is alive, and drivelines from wrecked Prius and other hybrid and electric models are finding their way into classics. - revvedup - Monday, Sep 30, 19 @ 6:26 pm: To the stand your ground posters…Illinois is NOT a “duty to retreat” State; Illinois Appellate courts have ruled on this more than once. People v. Nash, 972 NE 2d 224 - Ill: Appellate Court, 1st Dist., 4th Div. 2012…In re TW, 888 NE 2d 148 - Ill: Appellate Court, 4th Dist. 2008. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 1, 19 @ 10:06 am: This is the first thing that popped up on Google. Illinois is a stand your ground state, though nothing has been passed in the legislature. https://www.kostlaw.com/can-stand-ground-illinois/ - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 1, 19 @ 10:07 am: Illinois is a stand your ground state: https://www.kostlaw.com/can-stand-ground-illinois/ Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.