It’s a tough time to be a fan of the Chicago Cubs or White Sox, a couple of teams that have tried our patience all season long.
For different reasons, they seem intent on doing likewise in the final month of the regular season.
The Cubs refuse to lay down and play dead like everyone expects after watching them the first four months, posting a remarkable, come-from-behind, 14-10 win over the Pirates on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
They’re toying with their fans’ emotions, teasing them with visions of what this lineup should’ve been doing since the start of the season, and remaining in a wild-card race where mediocrity is rewarded.
The Cubs’ huge comeback Wednesday while sweeping the hapless Pirates had Marquee Sports Network host Cole Wright waving his broom afterward on the postgame show and loudly proclaiming it “the biggest win” of the season.
It was hard to argue with him, though the Cubs are still only two games over .500, so “big” is relative. Either way, they’ve somehow managed to start hitting, and all at the same time, against the likes of the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins and Pirates. The Cubs have scored a combined 64 runs and batted .332 over their last seven games, going 6-1.
It’s been a good month since dealing Christopher Morel and watching Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya finally develop.
But too little, too late?
The lack of tough competition in the last month means the Cubs should remain on the periphery of the race, and a three-game weekend in Washington against the rebuilding Nats awaits. Manager Craig Counsell on Sunday discounted the relatively weak schedule, which is what any manager is supposed to say to avoid looking overconfident.
Remember that last September former manager David Ross made a glaring mistake by grousing about a stretch run loss to the lowly Pirates, and was forced to backtrack when the Pirates took umbrage at his honest assessment.
The Cubs collapsed after that, leading to the firing of Ross and the hiring of Counsell, whose reputation for getting the Milwaukee Brewers to play well down the stretch was renowned. This is Counsell’s opportunity to show he can do the same in Chicago after a four-month snooze.
The Sox, meanwhile, have been playing dead since the opening week of the season, or perhaps even going back to the spring training decision to deal Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres. Manager Pedro Grifol complained about the analytics giving the Sox a 0.0% chance of making the playoffs, setting the stage for the implosion that followed.
Since there is nothing unusual about the team’s bottom-feeding ways, Sox fans have mostly made peace with the possibility this will be the worst season ever and probably will be remembered as that forever.
The change from Grifol to Grady Sizemore in the manager’s seat hasn’t given the Sox the typical “new manager bump” some teams briefly experience after a firing, like the ’22 Sox after the switch from Tony La Russa to Miguel Cairo. Thoughts of ace Garrett Crochet being shut down in September have made the future even more grim, so the best Sox fans can do now is pray for rain, which would mean a rare day without an “L” attached to it, like Tuesday.
What goes around comes around with the Sox. Before firing manager Don Gutteridge entering the final month of their franchise-worst 106-loss season in 1970, White Sox owner John Allyn jettisoned general manager Ed Short and replaced him with promotions director Stu Holcomb.
That would be akin to Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf hiring senior vice-president, chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer to replace current GM Chris Getz. But it was 1970, and no one was too bothered by the strange decision.
“The first thing we need is an image,” Allyn told the Tribune after the move. “We have that in Holcomb. He knows athletes, and he knows public relations. I’m not saying he is a baseball expert, but he will be surrounded by a number of those who are.”
Boyer is not a baseball expert either. I’m not sure he’s an expert on anything but selling milkshakes, really. But he’s familiar with marketing very bad Sox teams, and he’s surrounded by a number of Sox executives who also think they are experts. Maybe Boyer is the perfect candidate to step in and bring this floundering franchise exactly what it needs — a new image for the Sox’s run to immortality.
Boyer’s last big Sox marketing campaign, “Change the Game,” was centered around former shortstop Tim Anderson, who declared in a 2019 Adidas ad: “The game’s boring, watch me change it.” Anderson was dumped by Getz last winter and is now out of baseball, yet the Sox are more boring than ever.
The ’24 White Sox, who were at 101 losses before Wednesday’s doubleheader with the Texas Rangers, could break the 1970 franchise record this week. The next stop on the Magical Misery Tour is the 2003 Detroit Tigers’ American League record of 119 losses, before the ultimate prize — the New York 1962 Mets’ all-time record of 120 losses.
The only real solution for the Sox at this point is to admit things are at an all-time low and market the team thusly.
A “Countdown to 120” T-shirt giveaway would be a surefire hit, while a “Sell the Team” Day would be a perfect way to promote freedom of speech while ensuring a nice crowd at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney recently subjected himself to a dunk tank for Cubs Charities. Imagine the lines for a “Dunk Jerry” tank in left field on “Sell the Team” Day. Sox Charities would make a fortune.
The only reason left to watch the Sox down the stretch is to see if they can make history. Boyer must do everything he can to ensure it’s must-see baseball, even for the wrong reasons.
No one said there would be days like these.
But since they’re here, at least make them memorable.
