Turk's Take

As July draws to a close, sports fans anticipate the opening of NFL training camps. This year is no different, for the most part.

Finally, 2020 is starting to resemble previous years. As NFL training camps are set to open, MLB is about to start its 2020 season. And in addition to football and baseball, the NBA will resume their 2019-20 season on July 30. Meanwhile, the NHL will scrap the remainder of their 2019-20 regular season and jump right into the Stanley Cup playoffs, which will begin August 1. 

For months, the Wuhan Virus has successfully socially distanced sports from fans. Now, we will finally get to see live baseball instead of MLB Network reruns of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, which is always pleasing. Nonetheless, the abbreviated 2020 season is set to start July 22, with the World Champion Washington Nationals hosting the New York Yankees, hopefully this season’s champs.

Personally, I’m looking forward to baseball’s return. Back in March when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred broke the news that the start of the season would be delayed, I planned on filling the void, not knowing how long it would last, by purchasing MLB The Show for my PlayStation. I planned to play the Yankees’ season as if it was actually happening. But like the real season, my season also failed to get underway. 

When we finally received word that the  season would start, I felt unmoved. It seemed too awkward that the start of the season would coincide with the beginning of the Dog Days of Summer. It didn’t help matters that the league revealed game changes that would be implemented for the season, changes such as the use of a universal designated hitter and extra innings beginning with a runner on second base, which is akin to college football’s artificial overtime rules. 

I tend to pay little or no attention to preseason games in any sport. Still feeling ambivalent toward an abridged baseball season, I watched an exhibition game on ESPN earlier this week. It took a few innings, but I eventually began to enjoy the game. I was able to ignore the empty stadium, the absence of crowd noise and the voice of Karl Ravage. 

Baseball is back and I’m excited. Unfortunately, with the fluidity of the virus and the influence of overbearing and overzealous politicians, we don’t know how long the season will last, or if fans will eventually be allowed to attend games. Heck, we may not even see a proper end to the season, so much for championship 28.  

At least the lockdowns spared us from enduring damp, dark, 38-degree games in April. And we avoided the summer sideshow which is the All-Star break.

I hope that my interest in the season doesn’t begin to wane after a few weeks. I fear that seeing seats populated with cardboard cutouts instead of fans will make the background look too sterile and ridiculous that I’ll go back to watching Family Guy reruns. But then again, seeing cardboard fans really wouldn’t be much different than watching a game from Dodger Stadium.

I watched the Yankees again the next day. After a few innings the scene started to remind me of the adult-league baseball games that I used to enjoy covering and writing about as a sports writer. Those guys loved to play and it showed. The games were well played, competitive and exciting. And usually, the only spectators were the players’ parents, wives or girlfriends. 

The return of baseball, even its bastardized version, will be a welcomed distraction. But if watching a game being played in an empty ballpark becomes too much of an obstacle to overcome, just imagine that you are watching an adult-league game being played in Tampa or Oakland. It’s still baseball, baseball without professional players and $12 beers.

A new day is afoot in our nation’s capital. Yes, the swamp creatures still lurk beneath the surface. And, politics is still a slimy business. And we still have a constitutional republic. But there is a new name in town, so to speak.

Actually an old name has left town, which is fitting for a city like D.C. People often come to town as a new name and leave as an old one. But let’s put term limits aside for now.

Monday morning the Washington football team, or the NFL franchise that represents the city, officially retired the team’s name and mascot amid ongoing and increasing pressure. 

The often maligned franchise, and more maligned owner Dan Snyder, has been under pressure for years to change the team’s name. Now this is nothing new for the Washington football team formerly known as the Redskins or other sports franchises, like MLB’s Cleveland Indians, who also have been asked to change their team’s “offensive” nickname. Of all owners, the ornery Snyder has been one of the most vocal and stubborn of the bunch.

In the past outrage from some Native American groups, and many non-native groups and individuals have pounded a continuous drum beat, pardon the pun, in Washington. I say some groups of Native Americans because some tribes sanction the use native names and imagery. The Seminole Nation has publicly declared support for the school’s use of the name.

The Washington ownership group opened up to the idea exploring a name change a few weeks ago amid the country’s fragile racial condition following protests after the death of George Floyd. I’m surprised Snyder moved quickly after years of resistance, but now seems to be the most opportune time for the change. 

Beyond today’s national climate and the usual protest pressure, three minority owners of the franchise, Robert Rothman, Dwight Schar and Fredrick W. Smith, were reportedly unhappy dealing with Snyder over the issue and were trying to unload their interests in the team. Also,

government officials have threatened to block the team from an eventual return to the city.  

According to Adweek, companies such as FedEx, Nike and Pepsi have been asked by investors to cut ties with the team unless the name is changed. FedEx holds the naming rights to Washington’s stadium in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Nike has pulled Redskins merchandise from their website. 

Organizations base their names on many factors, colors, geography, history, or to honor a person, a group, or an idea, just to name a few. It doesn’t make sense that an owner of a team would voluntarily adopt a name that has either a negative connotation or negative denotation. But what was acceptable then may not be now. 

Changing team names and mascots has become a trend, especially with colleges and universities. Professional franchises are now continuing the trend. Washington won’t be the next team to change names. The Cleveland Indians announced that they are also considering a change. 

Meanwhile, other franchises with suggestive names aren’t interested in an identity change  Reports suggest that the Atlanta Braves – the Braves was the original name of the Washington football team when they were known as the Boston Braves in 1932. Also, the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, a team with arguably the coolest logo in sports, have also rejected a name change.

Now with the Redskins in retirement, although it feels more like they’ve been placed in the witness protection program, we wait and see what the new name will be. 

Different name ideas include the Monuments, Red Tails, RedHawks, and Red Tailed Hawks. We must remember that we are dealing with Mr. Snyder. It’s not a coincidence that, according to a report in Monday’s New York Post, Snyder favors the nickname Warriors.  

Since Warriors and warrior imagery can be, and has been, associated with Native Americans, it looks like Snyder intends to stick it to the woke, politically correct crowd. 

Regardless of the new name, the issue of offensive team names, or perceived offensive names, can go beyond the usual mascot culprits, New York Pinstripers anyone. If change can happen in Washington, anything is possible.

Caddyshack is one of the most hilarious movies of all time. The film is loaded with so many funny scenes that it’s hard to pick a favorite. Needing some comic relief during the lockdown, I watched the movie, again. One iconic scene brought to mind the current state of baseball.

How does a movie about golf make me think about baseball? Allow me a moment. 

During the movie’s climax, the protagonist, a young caddie named Danny Noonan, studies an approach to a crucial putt. The putt will either win or lose the big round. As he meanders, digesting the intricacies of the shot, the antagonist, Judge Elihu Smaiuls, an arrogant, narcissistic, elitist, goofball played to perfection by the late, great Ted Knight, taunts Noonan, sarcastically asking him, in a drawn out manner, “Well, ………. we’re waiting.”  

That one line reminded me of the latest labor struggle between MLB’s millionaires and billionaires. Spoiler alert, Noonan sunk the putt.

As the country works to get back up after being dusted by life’s latest 102-mile fastball up around the head, MLB keeps stumbling as it returns to the batter’s box. 

MLB has experienced eight work stoppages in its history. Four of those stoppages have occurred during the season. However, all of those stoppages occurred directly from conflicts between management and labor. As we all know, this season has been delayed because of the Coronavirus. 

Originally, when the stoppage was announced on March 12th, putting an end to those edge-of-your-seat spring training games, the delay was only supposed to be a couple weeks. Now as mid-June races toward July, the start of the season is as hard to see as a Sid Finch fastball, and just as believable as the existence of the Mets fictional hurler. 

The owners hoped to begin an abbreviated season in mid-July.  As fans we have sat in our houses inventing multiple ways to pass time while the curve flattens, both sides have taken turns proposing and rejecting each others’ offers. Since I want everyone to keep reading, I’ll spare everyone the details of the talks. 

As of today, there are only a few important things that we need to keep in mind about this bench-clearing brawl. As I mentioned earlier, the issue of compensation is paramount. In addition to the number of dollars involved, the number of games, and how the players will be paid for said games, compounds the dollar dilemma, further delaying the season’s start. 

Last week, the owners presented their most recent proposal. It called for a 72-game season, with the players receiving 70% of their salaries for the regular season, and 80% if the season is completed. On Saturday, the players association declined that offer. In addition, they added that a new proposal one would not be forthcoming.

So here we are, waiting, waiting for baseball. Waiting for basketball. Waiting for hockey. Waiting for life to look like it did back when Andy Reid hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.  To their credit, the NBA is set to resume workouts July 9 and the NHL is set to return to camp July 10. After all, who doesn’t love August hockey? And basketball is played during the summer Olympics. Personally, I prefer August baseball. But as the days pass, the idea of a 2020 season remains out of sight. 

Normally when a lockout or strike occurs, the ensuing circus receives countless hours of media  attention, forcing fans to watch countless hours of SportsCenter. Not this time. No. This time a different contest is afoot, a more serious game. 

In this game, constant anxiety about the virus, frequent outbursts of civic unrest, a confused economy and political powderkegs are batting one, two, three and four in the nation’s batting order. The bickering between the wealthy players and even wealthier owners rounds out the bottom.

The desert highway out of Covid-19 hell meanders around obstacles and heads toward what we all hope will be a normal life. The journey is long but we occasionally arrive at an oasis. The sports world passed such at a place, Hobe Sound, Fla., Sunday.

Resembling nothing close to a desert, clouds and rain marred the greens and sand traps of Medalist Golf Club. Ignoring the conditions, golf greats Tiger Wood and Phil Mickelson teamed with NFL G.O.A.T Tom Brady and near  G.O.A.T.  Peyton Manning participated in The Match: Charity Champions at Medalist Golf Club.

Organizers of the event hoped to raise $10 million for COVID-19 relief. The foursome ended the day raising $20 million in aid, while providing some true competitive play.

I’m not the biggest Tiger Woods fan; however, there was something therapeutic seeing Tiger, clad in his signature red shirt, in real time. Once on the greens, Woods and Manning ended 3 up for the win. The match play format was used for the day. Funny, no matter the sport, I always get a thrill watching a Manning best Brady.

Last weekend marked a strange Memorial Day weekend, especially in sports. Usually the first official weekend of summer features baseball, NBA and NHL playoff action, the men and women’s NCAA lacrosse championships, tennis, the Indy 500, and, of course, a professional golf event. Instead we received a watered down slate of activity.

The eruption of Covid-19 and the accompanying hysterical response has caused all sorts of chaos. It’s no question that safety trumps the extra-curricular pleasures of life. Sports fans continue to display patience as we wait to see who, if anyone, will lift the Stanley Cup. Yankees fans wait to see if Gerrit Cole starts to earn his $324 million. And fans and nonfans alike wait to see if football returns on time, if at all.

NASCAR resumed its season on May 17. Drivers raced around a South Carolina track devoid of fans. Fans and caddies were absent Sunday, which is fine. I admit, I do miss the occasional shouts of “Baba Booey,” code for the name of a talk show host, as a player tees off. However, I don’t miss every putt accompanied with a yell of, “get in the hole!”

The match wasn’t an official event, not that it mattered. The competitive nature of the participants won the day, as one would expect. The players also displayed their less serious sides, embracing humor, intentional or not.  Good natured fun, wardrobe malfunctions, like Brady splitting his pants, and the playful taunting and commentary of Charles Barkley added color to what was otherwise a bleak day. Mic’d up participants and cart cams added a dash of whimsy to a greater quality of golf than normally seen at events such as the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

As lockdown restrictions continue to loosen around the country, in some places more than in others, the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball formulate legitimate plans to restore the natural order of the sports world that we enjoy at this time of year. 

But for at least one day, a few Greek Gods of their respective sports interrupted the mayhem of that dogs us all, playing for a cause other than their own. It wasn’t an event in the sense of today’s ESPN, hype-driven world of eight-hour pregame festivities that have the feel of an amusement park act. No. Instead what unfolded was the type of event to which we could relate, four guys having fun, playing a round of golf on a Sunday afternoon.

The calendar tells me it’s May. The weather outside mimics a gloomy, rainy March afternoon. And as I flip over to the MLB network the television guide lists an interleague game between the Reds and the Red Sox. Oh, wait, … it’s a repeat, … a repeat from 1975. 

Thanks to the outbreak of the Wuhan Virus, this is the 2020 baseball season which we have been dealt, a spring, and soon to be summer, with no baseball. And how have we marked the void? We talk about the game eventually returning. We engage in endless debates about who was the greatest player of all time. We delve into fantasy matchups between the ‘27 Yankees and the ‘04 Red Sox. And we watch a constant loop of Eight Men Out, all four Bad News Bears movies, 42, 61, and the Lou Gehrig Story. 

We wait through what seems to be a never-ending pitching change or extra-long Super Bowl halftime. As the Wuhan Virus disrupts everyday life, it disrupts the sports world to a level we never could never have imagined back on Super Bowl Sunday. 

I admit it. I didn’t miss sports as much as I thought I would, at first. Sure, the replacement of March Madness with actual madness stole that month. And it would have been a treat to watch the young Rangers battle for an NHL Stanley Cup playoff spot. But most of all, the delay of the baseball season leaves a cavity that only so many episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Big Bang Theory can fill.  

I’m not trying to downplay the virus’s seriousness, its deadly consequences, or the accompanying sorrow. But after weeks of stay at home orders, commerce in limbo, wearing a mask to walk the dog and the constant reminders of social distancing, the days have become as agitating as fish and guests after three days. Now is the time for sports, baseball, in particular, to return. And it looks like it will. … Sort of.

The overlords of our national pastime hope to start a shortened season by July 4. I defy anyone to suggest a more American way to help restore everyday life than by combining fireworks and fork balls. But don’t get too excited. The plan still has to be approved by the players. And as always, issues, issues such as the payment of services rendered will put the game’s return in peril. 

Assuming both sides agree to a game plan, play will proceed with precaution. Games will start with no fans in the stands. The reality of having fans attend games, at this time, presents a quagmire for baseball.  I just hope MLB doesn’t utilize CGI technology and add fans to the stands, as the South Korean Baseball League does. That idea is simply bush league. The only benefit of virtual crowds is that at least now the Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay Rays will have the appearance of large crowds.

Also, MLB Commissioner Rob Manford will finally get his way when the National League starts play with the designated hitter in place. You know, it will be a change that’s being implemented because of the season’s unique circumstances. But, in the end, it will act as a backdoor way of making the DH a part of the National League’s new normal. The American League’s use of the DH was originally just a three-year experiment. 

Along with use the universal designated hitter, nearly all of the proposed changes will impact the players the most. It’s the players that will really feel like they entered The Twilight Zone when they run on the field, maintaining a distance of six feet at all times. Gone will be spitting, high fives, nearly all of the media, home plate meetings after walk-off wins, and the use of training room staples such as steam rooms, cold tubs and hydrotherapy pools. Clubhouses will resemble a scene out of the movie Major League. Of all of the changes, I can’t wait to see umpires controll spitting, a purly natural act for ballplayers. Upon violation, will they get two warnings and then an ejection?

I can go on and pick apart more of the oddities that we may see. But I won’t.  We will have to wait and see how new dugout etiquette, prohibiting players from touching their face when giving signs, and the reduction in time to challenge plays, a win for the home team, indeed, will affect the game. Besides, we’re still not sure what changes will be adopted by the time we finally get to watch baseball. Yes, watch baseball exclusively on our iPads and 70” HD TVs. And don’t be fooled, television revenue is the major reason why we are even talking about an abridged Major League season. …  Ha, owners. 

Yes, we will wait, and then we will come, Ray. We may not be going to Iowa. We will reluctantly forgo reserved seats and bleachers for easy chairs and couches. We may not love the product we see. The essence of the game will be compromised. But, we’ll still watch. We won’t feel as if we were, “dipped in magic waters,” as Terence Mann quipped in Field of Dreams. But we won’t have to wait anymore. “… Oh, people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”

 

Please bring back our sports.

Thursday’s NFL Draft concludes one of the dullest times of the NFL year. The time between the Super Bowl and tomorrow is one of absence, recycled storylines and rampant speculation.

In other words, we suffer from football withdrawal.

Yeah, we have the NFL Combine in early March. But really, watching guys running, jumping and lifting weights doesn’t offer as much excitement as watching guys practicing in shorts and shoulder pads at the start of training camp.

While the Combine is an occurrence, the draft is an event, sort of like Christmas. For a few weeks, we study the draftees, ponder our team’s needs, and compile our wish lists. Then finally, on the last Thursday in April, we see if Santa delivers. Plus, it means that Mel Kiper will go back to being irrelevant for the next 10 months.

This year I’m especially interested in the draft since the New York Giants hold the second overall pick. I haven’t been so excited about a draft since my wedding day.

Let me explain. That day the Giants traded their number one pick, Philip Rivers, to San Diego for Mr. Eli Manning. All of our lives were changed forever.

Today, the media slaps us around for weeks with draft predictions. If you’re like me, reading another mock draft becomes as exciting as reading an obituary.

Putting my bias aside, my wish this year is that the Giants select fellow Penn Stater, running back Saquon Barkley, with their first pick, the second overall. He’s a player that could make an impact on the first day that he opens the playbook.

Because the shelf life of an NFL running back seems to decrease yearly, teams hesitate to place a high dollar value on the position. But Barkley is worth the risk.

People talk about Barkley as a “once-in-a-generation player”. With his 6-foot, 233-pound frame and dynamic playmaking ability Barkley electrified the Penn State attack, running the ball, catching the ball and returning kicks.

In his three years at Penn State, Barkley ran for 3,843 yards, had 1,195 yards receiving, compiled 5,538 all-purpose yards and scored 53 touchdowns. Not only was his play outstanding, he brings a solid, old-school approach to the game.

Barkley resisted the current trend of college players with high draft potential foregoing play in their school’s bowl game. Instead, he took the field against Washington in last year’s Fiesta Bowl and ran for 137 yards and scored two touchdowns.

I just hope that the Cleveland Browns, who hold the overall number one pick, act like the Browns and look past Barkley. Let them take one of the possible franchise quarterbacks, instead, or anyone else.

While the media has gushed about this draft’s quarterback class numerous experts, and non-experts, are not enamored by any of them. The group includes 2017 Heisman Trophy winner, Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Rosen (UCLA), and Josh Allen (Wyoming).

Mayfield is considered risky despite his Heisman season. His second-half meltdown in January’s Rose Bowl, where he led Oklahoma to 31 first-half points and only 10 second-half points, is hard to ignore.

Georgia topped the Sooners, 54-48, in double overtime. His throat-slashing gesture during the game, while things were going his way, is not something that scouts look for in a leader. He strikes me as Johnny Manziel 2.0.

Darnold, after playing a sensational game against Penn State in the USC’s come from behind victory in the 2018 Rose Bowl, failed to show much consistency last season. He has the potential to be a interception machine.

Rosen isn’t ready for the big city. He has talent, but he is rather touchy, a trait that is a liability in New York.

Although scouts love Allen’s arm, it takes more than a potent extremity to succeed in the NFL. Part of his appeal could be that teams are smitten with the possibility of finding another small-school treasure like North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.

Consider that the Giants are not as desperate for a quarterback as they were in 2004.

Manning will be 38-years old when the season starts, but he still isn’t, as my dad would say, “tired iron”. He can still play, regardless of what Ben McAdoo thought. It was only prior to last season that the Giants were considered a Super Bowl contender, with Manning throwing to Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall.

No doubt, Manning struggled throughout 2017. However, in the short run, new Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and new general manager Dave Gettleman still believe in Manning. Plus, the Giants still have last year’s third-round pick Davis Webb, who is as NFL tested as this draft’s big four, holding a clipboard.

If Cleveland somehow decides to buck their infamous draft history and take Barkley at number one, the Giants need not fret.

Forget the quarterbacks. Do they upgrade and take North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb, Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson or Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey? Taking offensive lineman this high isn’t such a bad idea considering that the Giants offensive line has been horrid the last few seasons.

If the Giants don’t find any one player that they like as much as Barkley, a draft-day trade would be in the team’s best interests. Organizations are always willing to listen to trade offers.

The Bills, with the 12th and 22nd pick, could use a quarterback. Throw in next year’s first round pick and the Giants could be on their way to replicating Jimmy Johnson’s football algorithm that brought the Cowboys three Super Bowl titles in four years.

The number of draft-day scenarios make a person’s head hurt. But remember, even if you don’t get everything, or anything, on your list, the draft is still a wonderful experience. After all, it’s not hard to enjoy listening to the gathered crowd boo commissioner Roger Goodell each time he steps up to the podium.

I don’t have many personal rules, but the few I do have, I usually break. Take for example my Memorial Day Rule, which restricts me attending baseball games until Memorial Day weekend. I do this because April and May weather usually sucks in Chicago. However, Wednesday, I broke that rule: I went to a White Sox game.

It really wasn’t such a hard decision. I drove past Guaranteed Rate Field Sunday and I thought to myself how much I like going to games there. So, with that motivation in mind, I took advantage of a rare nice day and I headed to the game. Plus, it was Dollar Dog Day.

One of the perks about living in Chicago is that we have two baseball teams, the Cubs on the North Side and the Sox on the South Side. Since both teams are usually not in town at the same time, there’s almost always a game.

Although I consider myself more of a Cubs fan, I do like the Sox. I follow them and root for them, unless of course they playing the Yankees. I especially root for them when they play the Red Sox. I enjoy going to The Rate to watch the Sox just as much I like going to a Cubs game at Wrigley.

When I first moved to Chicago, I made sure that I went to both teams opening days. This was before I adopted the Memorial Day Rule. The rule was instituted right after I froze at both games.

Both venues are great. I’ve never had a bad time at either one. But for me, I prefer going to The Rate as opposed to Wrigley. Despite Wrigley’s iconic stature, The Rate provides a better baseball experience.

Here are the top ten reasons why games are better on the South Side

10. Restrooms

Let’s start with creature comforts. I’ll just say that the restrooms at The Rate are modern, spacious and plentiful.

9. Parking

I take the train to both parks.  So this one really isn’t an issue for me. But parking is important, and can affect me.

Suppose I’m meeting someone that is coming in from the suburbs and they have my ticket. They can hop off of the Interstate and pull into one of The Rate’s eight parking lots. They’re not huge, but they have them right next to the park.

Wrigley doesn’t really have parking. It actually does, very little. Usually commuters need to scour Wrigleyville for a lot that fits about nine cars.

8. Food

People love to eat at baseball games. The food at a Sox game is just better. Plus there are more choices.

7. Dollar Dog Days

Just having Dollar Dog Days more than once in a century is a plus. The number of dog days may vary at The Rate, but at least they have them.

6. Dog Day (Canines)

Yes, dogs. Once or twice each season the White Sox welcome you to bring your dog to the park. As a dog lover I love this promotion. I don’t know of any such day at Wrigley.  Score another for the south side.

5. Fireworks

The White Sox love fireworks. They have them for holidays. They have them after homeruns and they have them after games. Throughout summer fans enjoy full post-game displays.  The Cubs play too many day games to have fireworks.

4. Elvis Night

Of all the White Sox promotions, and they have cool ones, nothing is more entertaining than Elvis Night.

The evening begins with Elvis impersonators parachuting into The Rate. During the game guests are entertained by Elvis music, Elvis trivia, Elvis fun facts and fans dressed like Elvis. After the game, an Elvis sings, dances and entertains fans along side Vegas Showgirls.

It still can’t compare to Disco Demolition Night.

Google it.

3. Location

The Rate is closer to my house. Yeah, I know this is selfish of me, but I like convenience.

Both venues are easily accessible via public transportation. The CTA Redline takes me a block away from both. It takes me about five minutes to get to a Sox game and 20 to 25 minutes to get to a Cubs game. Besides, the train going south is usually less crowded.

2. Ushers

This is another selfish reason. The ushers at both parks are friendly and helpful, more helpful at Wrigley. And that’s the problem.

Ushers at Wrigley are mostly older folks. The Rate employs a large number of millennials. At Wrigley, ushers take their job seriously, … too seriously.

When looking for your seat at Wrigley, the ushers are there to greet you and show you the way. But don’t try to creep up a few rows for a better seat; they will snag you.

Millennials, being millennials, are more self-absorbed. If you happen to pass one of them on the way to your self directed upgraded, you can see them looking at their phones.

Before I get to number one, let me note that ticket price gets an honorable mention.

Going to a Cubs game has growing more costly since they won the World Series in 2016. Naturally, the demand for tickets has increased along the price.

The Sox won their last World Series in 2005.

Today, the team is rebuilding, and seats are abundant. Just head to a ticket window, buy a seven dollar upper-deck seat and move to a spot about 20 rows behind either dugout.

You may have to wander the halls for an inning or two, but it’s worth it.

1. Obstructions

Built in 1915, Wrigley is old. But it has seen its share of upgrades, including a complete set of current renovations.  Of the millions of dollars spent on bringing Wrigley into the 21st Century, nothing has been done to remove those steel poles that hold up the structure’s upper deck and roof.

I know that aside from completely rebuilding Wrigley the poles have to stay. But really, no one has figured out a way remove these nuisances?

Moon landings, virtual reality and artificial intelligence and still engineers can’t figure an out a way to remove the poles?

Open in 1990 and recently renovated, the Rate doesn’t have a bad seat.

I’m not sure about the upper deck.

Let me start by saying that I’m not panicking.

I know that we are only a little over a week into the new season. I know that there is plenty of time left in the season. And I know that hitting starts, stops, slumps and shoots through the stratosphere, especially with teams that are home run heavy. Which brings me to my point.

The Yankees offense is scary. They’re called the Bronx Bombers for a reason. We all know it.

For decades the Yankees offense has been built around the home run. From Babe Ruth, through Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson and Alex Rodriguez to the current crop of Baby Bombers (now toddler bombers), slugging’s sexy in the South Bronx.  Twenty-seven World Championships proves that the strategy works.

Not only is the Yankees offense scary good, it could be scary bad. We witnessed the scary bad this past weekend.

The Baltimore Orioles visited the Bronx and left taking three of four games. Two of those games went to extra innings. Baltimore won both as the Yankees wasted numerous opportunities to finish the games.

Losing a home series in the beginning of April is bad, but not horrible.

Catcher Gary Sanchez played in two games before leaving Friday’s game with a leg cramp and a .063 batting average. I know. It’s early.

Aaron Judge made out a little better. He went 5 for 17. Unfortunately, he went missing when it came to hitting in the clutch. In Sunday’s game, with the Yankees trailing 8-7, no outs and the bases loaded, Judge bounced into a 1-2-5 double play. No, I don’t think he’s the next Joe Charboneau. It’s early.

For as bad as Judge and Sanchez played, they looked like all-stars compared to newest Bomber Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton ended Sunday’s game with one of his eight series strikeouts. He registered five whiffs Sunday alone. All told he went 2 for 19. But I’m not concerned. He will start smashing the ball soon.

Yeah, … it’s early.

The Yankees entered the 2018 season with few weak spots. One area that wasn’t short on talent and didn’t raise cause for concern was the bullpen.

Heading into the 2018 campaign, experts pointed to the bullpen as possibly one of the best in baseball history.

And why not?

Last season the Yankees possessed one of the elite bullpens in baseball. They had the third-lowest ERA (3.34); the lowest average against (.204); and the highest strike out rate (29.1 percent).

Closer Aroldis Chapman led the unit. Although manager Joe Girardi demoted Chapman in August after a stretch in which he allowed a run in four consecutive outings, two runs in three of those games. Chapman soon reclaimed his spot and converted 22 of 26 saves.

Former Yankee David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, both of whom were acquired from the White Sox during the season, followed Chapman at the top of the group. Chad Green, Adam Warren and Chasen Shereve rounded out the troop.

Aside from Chapman, others in the relief core also failed then manager Joe Girardi. Dellin Betances was one of those pitchers. He received another F in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Toronto.

Betances entered the game in the seventh inning with the score tied, 3-3. After holding the Blue Jays scoreless in the seventh, Betances allowed Yangervis Solarte to open the eighth inning with home run.

The following day Kahnle surrendered a home run to Justin Smoak in the seventh inning, pulling the Jays to within one run, 4-3. In the eighth, this time with Robertson on the mound, Smoak blasted a grand slam. And the Jays won 7-4.

Fast forward to last night. Masahiro Tanaka left the game in the seventh inning with one out, a man on first and the Yankees training 2-1. Call in Green, who probably wished that he had called out, after yielding three runs to the Orioles. Eventually the Orioles won, 5-2.

Now, the Yankees stand with a record of 4-3. In those three defeats, the bullpen has allowed 16 of the 26 runs.

So, who gets the blame?

Who else? Of course it’s neophyte manager Aaron Boone. He’s to blame.

Yes, baseball wizards and members of the New York media are already jumping all over Boone. They blame his inexperience; this is his first year ever managing anything.  They refer to him as clueless, the same way that they used to refer to Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre as Clueless Joe. But now they are comparing him to Girardi. During his tenure as Yankees skipper, Girardi often received media criticism for his lack of bullpen acumen.

I don’t know about anyone else but I see a trend here. From Torre to Boone, Yankees managers can’t manage a bullpen. It’s a good thing that the Yankees are in the American League and don’t have to deal with double switches.

In reality, both Torre and Girardi won more games than they lost with bullpen moves. I have faith in Boone to figure out everything.

Yeah, it’s going to take time for him to gain experience, in all aspects of managing. All new managers deserve some time to adjust. Unfortunately, time is not a luxury that one gets in New York.