Cubs and Cardinals

 I've been fortunate to enjoy my two favorite professional sports rivalries in the last six months. In January it was the Bears and Packers for the NFC Championship. Much less was on the line on this first Saturday in June, but the Cubs and Cardinals faced each other for the second time in the 2011 MLB season.

The rivalry between these two teams is very competitive, but very friendly and good-natured among these two Midwest cities. Whether the game is in Wrigley Field or Busch Stadium, each provide a great venue to one of the best rivalries in Major League Baseball.

 With these two teams within hours of one another, there are many fans of these teams that are also friends. Much like the Bears - Packers rivalry, the Cubs and Cardinals enjoy the game together while providing good-natured ribbing among the two.

 Situated behind home plate is a statue of August A Busch Jr, the CEO of the Cardinal organization once the Brewery took control in 1953. Under Busch's lead the Cardinals won six championships.

Not only were the Cardinals hosting the Cubs, but former students of mine and I turned the afternoon game into a Bachelor Party. Although the groom married six weeks ago, we celebrated it in St. Louis, much as we did years ago for another former member of the Iowa Video Staff. On that Saturday, it was one of the last Saturday's of July and the Cubs were once again in St. Louis, but at old Busch Stadium. Temperatures reached the lower 100s that day, and when the plans were made for this outing, we were hoping for cooler June temperatures. However that wasn't the case in Missouri.

 Although the temperatures reached the middle 90s, it was still a beautiful day for baseball in Busch Stadium.

 Many baseball teams have dissolved lifelong relationships with local powerful radio stations, switching to either all-sports stations or those on the FM frequency. For the first season in seemingly forever the Minnesota Twins no longer call WCCO home. The Chicago Cubs continue to broadcast on WGN in Chicago. And the St. Louis Cardinals severed their relationship with long time flagship station KMOX within the last six years. But financial situations at that St. Louis all-sports station prompted the Cardinals to be returned home to KMOX in 2011.

 Perhaps the most popular free agent of the 2012 class, Albert Pujols is synonymous with the St. Louis Cardinals. Both sides could not come to a compromise on a contract before this year's spring training and speculation swirls with where one of the great hitters will land in 2012. Of course the Cubs have shown interest in Albert....more on that later.

 St. Louis has a proud history of great baseball players. Those Cardinals are honored on two outfield walls of new Busch Stadium. This is in Left Field, with an additional wall honoring those is higher up in Center Field.

Extra inning baseball is always a treat, especially on a beautiful summer day with two of the great rivals...unless your time is on the losing end. In the 12th inning, Cardinal soon to be free agent, Albert Pujols ended the game with two out with a solo home run. The same was said on the following game, game three of the series with Albert hitting another solo HR in the 10th.

Former Hawkeye DB turned 3rd Base Coach

When Iowa Football speaks of those who make it to the next level, the NFL is the league most will consider. But out of the last 20 years an All-Big Ten Defensive Back has made his way into the coaching ranks of Major League Baseball. Recruited to play two sports as a Hawkeye from New Jersey, Bo Porter excelled in baseball following his college career. After bouncing around the minor leagues with a couple of opportunities in the majors, Porter has found success as a coach.

Porter spent five years in the Marlins organization and was elevated to third base coach by manager Fredi Gonzalez. Bo joined the Diamondbacks prior to the 2010 season, but has managerial aspirations. He was most recently rumored as a replacement for Gonzalez at Florida, and has had other interviews. The time is near when Porter will be the manager of a Major League Club, and while in St. Louis for a three-game series, he sought the advice of Cardinal manager, Tony LaRussa.

Part of Bo's responsibility is throwing Batting Practice before games. In St. Louis, BP was taken inside Busch Stadium on this warm afternoon. Hitting Coach, Jack Howell oversees the session. Howell is a native of Arizona, and the barbs were being tossed between the ex-Hawkeye Football player and the fan of the Arizona Wildcats. The Hawkeyes and Wildcats meet again in 2010 after the Hawkeyes won the 2009 battle in Kinnick Stadium.

Howell utilizes video with all of his hitters. A video coordinator travels with the team and takes in all the different angles shown of home plate. The Arizona hitting coach will spend time after innings looking at some pitches and swings, but will rarely try to fix anything in-game. Typically he utilizes the video to check on location of pitches, or noticing anything that may be out of place in a player's swing. However he will sit down with the hitters after the game if he observes anything needing work.

Without a doubt Porter will be calling the shots soon at the Major League level. At the end of the season there will be many more openings, and it will be no surprise to anyone to see Bo sitting in the dugout was the team's Manger.

Ryne Sandberg Day

(Thanks Blogger for bringing in the picture correctly.)

The date June 23, 1984 is memorable to many Chicago Cub fans who are of my age or older. It is on that day the nation was introduced to first-year Cub and future Hall of Famer, Ryne Sandberg.

The day before the Cardinals entered Wrigley Field for an important mid-season series. McGee, Coleman, Smith were among the notable names who were led by manager Whitey Herzog. The Cubs were proving they would be a contender for the NL East title and winning the series over their rival from the south would go a long way for the Cubs to be playing meaningful October baseball in close to forty years.

On this Friday the Cubs had a battle on their hands in game 1 of the series. And it was won on late heroics by Leon Durham with a home run that sent the Cubs to victory. But Cub fans had to temper their enthusiasm as they still had to win at least one more game to make that statement.

It was on the 23rd of June that my dad and I planned to take a bus trip into Chicago for our one game a year at Wrigley Field. It was an early departure from Cedar Rapids as game time had been changed to accomodate a national tv audience. While waiting to board the bus we were asking who the starting pitchers would be for that day's game. We found out from the local paper the Cubs would send Steve Trout to the mound, while the Cardinals would counter with unknown Ralph Citarella.

The game started out as nothing like the day before. Trout was getting knocked around early and getting the Cubs into an early deficit. Some of those who travelled with us were Cardinal fans and my dad was getting tired of hearing them "chirp," so he took a walk around the Friendly Confines. After two innings the Cubs trailed 7-1, and it seemed to be a long day.

Looking up at the manual scoreboard in center field I could tell that NBC had two blowouts as the Dodgers were beating the Braves 10-2. As the backup game, the fans at home were being treated to Bob Costas and Tony Kubek describe what appeared to be a Cardinal victory. The only excitement so far that day for Cub fans was the fight that broke out in the bleachers among fans of both teams. But as the game neared the ninth, things started to turn.

With the Cubs down by one and two outs in the ninth, Costas and Kubek has already given the player of the game to St. Louis centerfielder, Willie McGee. In the game McGee had hit for the cycle, and NBC was running into other programming. They knew the game would end soon as the Redbird closer Bruce Sutter was in to close it out, and with two outs and an unknown Ryne Sandberg coming to the plate, it would be a matter of a couple of pitches to end the game. But Sandberg faced the former Cub and sent one into the left field stands sending the game to extra innings.

In the tenth, the Cardinals fought back with two runs and the end seemed to be near again as the Cubs still had to face Sutter in the tenth and the second baseman couldn't hit two off the future Hall of Famer. But with a man on, Sandberg did the unthinkable and belted another one into the stands sending the game to the 11th.

The 11th inning would be the last one as recent recall from triple A Iowa, Dave Owen drove in the winning run and the Wrigley crowd was alive. The roar didn't seem to end, and a tv interview with Sandberg was barely audible over the Wrigley Field PA. Fans didn't want to leave as we knew we saw something special, something that would make this season memorable.

That ticket stub is something I have kept and I had the opportunity for it to be signed by Sandberg who is now the manager for triple A Iowa. It was a priviledge to be at Wrigley Field on such an historic day, with my father who had seen his amount of heartbreak from the men in blue.

Opening Night!

Fenway Park 2000 prior to a game with Toronto.

The start of the 2010 Major League Baseball Season gives hope to every fan, young and old. Whether you cheer for the defending champions New York Yankees or the Chicago Cubs who haven't won a World Title since 1908, today all fans can say, "this will be the year." From Kansas City to Pittsburgh Spring brings hope.

Force fed to us by ESPN comes a long-time rivalry to open the season in Fenway Park, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. And as the curtain opens on the season here comes my prediction for the 2010 season:

Amercian League:                                 National League

• East--New York Yankees              East--Philadelphia Phillies
• Central--Chicago White Sox           Central--St. Louis Cardinals
• West--L.A. Angels of Anaheim       West--San Francisco Giants
• WCard--Detroit Tigers                    WCard--Chicago Cubs

ALCS: Yankees over Tigers                      NLCS: Cardinals over Cubs
World Series Champion: St. Louis Cardinals

General thoughts: The Yankees will continue their championship ways. I don't feel the Red Sox have done enough to win the East, or win the Wild Card. Look for the Rays to finish second in the division. Since the Twins have lost their closer, Joe Nathan, for the year, they will lose close games down the stretch. The White Sox have the talent to win the division, it will come down to whether or not they have the winning mentality to take it. Jim Leyland will find a way for the Tigers to be successful. In the West, the Angels may have obstacles along the way, but will find themselves atop the division at the end of the year. As long as the Mariners have Milton Bradley, success will escape them.
In the National League East, the Phillies continue to be the dominant team. Bobby Cox's Atlanta Braves team will play hard for him in his last year, but they don't have the talent to match up with the Phillies. The Mets will struggle along with the Marlins and Nationals. The Cardinals will be tough to beat in the Central, but this Cubs team will be better than many expect. It will be a two team race down the stretch, with the Cardinals winning it in the last five days. The San Francisco Giants have a underrated manager and played strong down the stretch in 2009.
The Yankees are the best in the American League while the best playoff series will be in the National League. The Cubs finally find a way to win a post-season series, but will lose to the Cardinals in six. In what will be one of the better World Series in years, the Cardinals will win it at home in 7.

View of the Green Monster from RF.

 

Sittin in the Principal's Office

A few remaining items that needed to be addressed...Please see adjacent picture. This was taken downtown Chicago after Saturday's Cub - Cardinal game. There should be a rule that if you are legal to drink alcohol, it should be against the law to dress head to toe in authentic game gear....What hasn't been publicized from Tuesday night's All-Star game in St. Louis is the reaction of the crowd to a pre-game tribute video. According to eyewitnesses, the video featured every living President, in descending order (most recent first) praising volunteers who were being honored for their contributions to their local MLB city. The loudest applause went to George H.W. Bush....This stat found by my wife on twitter--Apollo 11 blasted into history 2day w/ an onboard computer that had 36k of memory. An iPhone has 932,000 x more memory). Wow....And this just released on twitter, ESPN College Football and Basketball announcer, Ron Franklin will retire following the 2010 NIT Basketball Championship. He had a voice which shouted college football, but I'll also remember his negative comments to sideline reporter, Holly Rowe at the Notre Dame - Purdue game a few years back....And one other item that needs to be addressed...

Cubs - Cardinals...The Weekend.

The Cubs and Cardinals playing at Wrigley Field was the purpose behind a road trip to the Windy City. Tickets to a make up game as well as tickets for a regularly scheduled game found Matthew and Dana taking in two games in the best baseball rivalry in the game.

Dana has the car loaded and is ready for the 3 1/2 hour drive.

Prior to Saturday's game, the two stopped by one of Wrigleyville's best attractions, Harry Caray's Tavern, a previous Night Out on the Town.

Dana and Matt joined two friends for Saturday's game. Next to Dana is David "Big D" Blaker, the Video Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin. Sporting the Iowa, Outback Bowl t-shirt is Greg Dils, former co-worker of Dana's. This was Big D's first trip to Wrigley Field.

Matt and Dana laugh off a couple of obnoxious Cardinal fans. Many from St. Louis found their way to Wrigley Field, but as an announcer on WGN pointed out, Moonshine Sales end after the 7th inning and the fans dressed in red only had to brush four of their teeth.

After Saturday's victory we headed to Merkle's Bar, the tavern on Clark known for it's Iowa flavor.

But before heading back downtown, Matt and Dana stop for a similar picture Matthew had with Colin earlier this year.

A beautiful night in Chicago. Hotel Sax were the accomodations for the weekend which was located adjacent to the Chicago River. A night with low humidity and temps hovering in the mid 60s allowed for a great walk up and down the city streets.

Dana and Matthew headed back to Wrigley to use tickets from a game earlier in the season that was called on account of rain. These seats were located behind home plate with a great view of the historic ballpark. Another Cub - Cardinal game and another Cub victory.

Ryne Sandberg Day

On this day in 1984 my dad and I sat in Wrigley Field to witness one of the most memorable games in Chicago Cubs history. The Cubs down numerous times throughout the game to the Cardinals (7-1 after 4 and 9-3 through 6 1/2) fought back. Down one in the bottom of the ninth and with former Cub and current St. Louis closer Bruce Sutter came in for the save. Ryne Sandberg, 3 of 4 on the day hit a game-homer to force extra innings. The NBC announcing crew of Bob Costas and Tony Kubek, unknown to us, had already given away the player of the game honors in the 10th to Cardinal outfielder Lonnie McGee who had hit for the cycle. But with one on and two out, Ryne Sandberg stepped to the plate to hit his second game-tying home run and force an 11th inning. The Cubs won it in the bottom of the 11th and I can still remember my dad's excited face as this Cubs game propelled them to a National League East title. At one time during the day (down 7-1) he became so disgusted with the Cubs that he went for a walk around Wrigley Field. But he sat next to me as the Cubs fought back and made this the most memorable trip we had to the Friendly Confines.

Cubs - Cardinals

I know I am late with these photos, but I was without internet access over the weekend (those pictures to follow). I have been told that the new edition of Busch Stadium is one of the nicer ballparks around. Some have said it is nicer than Chicago's Wrigley Field. Busch is one of the newer ballparks that tries to give fans a feel of an old-time stadium. Each of these stadiums have their own characteristics, and this new park in St. Louis has some advantages that many of the others do not have. This is my second visit to the Cardinal's ballpark, first since writing this blog. This has the feel of old Busch with nicer amenities and great sight lines. While Wrigley Field has its own problems, it is Wrigley Field. It is the original and it is hard to pass up a trip to the Friendly Confines to sit and watch a game.

Shannon's is the place to congregate before and after a Cardinals game. This is a previous "Night Out on the Town." Following this Cubs - Cardinals game, the owner and namesake, Mike Shannon carried on the postgame show in the front lounge. Shannon who has made more of a mark as radio voice of the Cardinals for over 30 years, also played for St. Louis.

A beautiful night for the best rivalry in the National League, if not all of baseball.

Big Mac Land, best known as a landing spot for former Cardinal hitter Mark McGwire's home runs, is also where current all-star Albert Pujols connected on one to knock out the "I" in Big Mac. This came in the first inning off Sean Marshall.

Fireworks go off at the conclusion of a Cardinals sweep of the Cubs.

Play Ball

Opening Day in Major League Baseball. The Cubs are in first place, for today, and all fans dream of post-season baseball in their parks. Starting today I will post photos I have taken of ballparks where teams are opening at home.

Busch Stadium, home of the Stl Cardinals. Colin and I took friend Scott to see the Brewers play during the 2008 season. Today the Cardinals lost to the Pirates 6-4.

PetCo Park, home of the San Diego Padres. These seats were courtesy of Nate Kaeding. The Padres opened up against the Dodgers and dropped the season opener, 4-1.


The Ballpark at Arlington. This has been a few years, but one of the rare afternoon games of the Texas Rangers. Cleveland was the opening opponent and lost to the Rangers 8-1.

The Metrodome. The final year that it will host the Minnesota Twins. Of course the above picture was taken during the Iowa - Minnesota game of 2008, but my trips to see the Twins pre-dates affordable digital cameras. The Twins dropped its last home indoor opener to Seattle, 6-1.

Night Out on the Town

A week ago we celebrated a restaurant chain started by one of Chicago's famous broadcasting personalities. Tonight we'll go to the baseball rival of this franchise in St. Louis and the fine dining restaurant named Mike Shannon's Steak and Seafood.

The picture shown here is of the current spot located just outside of Busch Stadium. My wife and I were able to eat at the former location two blocks further away from the stadium, but the spot to be nonetheless. This current location has been here since the opening of the new stadium and recently the St. Louis I-Club held their annual function here this past May. An opportunity that allowed me to see the new place.

Just as the name suggests, steaks and seafood are the specialty. Quite honestly, I think this was the best steak I have ever had. Shannon's has been awarded many honors for their fine cuts of steak and various selection of seafood. While it may be a little pricey, you will definitley be rewarded with a great meal.

Shannon's overlooks Busch Stadium and has an outdoor beer garden with televisions all around and grills serving up ballpark fare. The night we were there for the I-Club outing, we were able to convince the staff to turn their TVs onto the Chicago Cubs game. However they did not subscribe to MLB's Direct TV package.