Epstein blames Chicago bars and nightlife for past failures

Anyone that has been to the city of Chicago knows that there is a bustling nightlife there. Apparently new Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein knows it as well.

Epstein has credited the local bars and nightlife for ruining the careers of players of Cubs past. He also blamed it for the team’s inability to win. I’m sure the billy goat, black cat, and Leon Durham might have something to say about it. Epstein is trying to change the culture there and bring a title to the Cubs and end the long suffering curse, just like in Boston.

Epstein says he’s not going to tolerate Cubs players hanging out into the wee hours of the night.

“It’s been a factor in ruining some careers,” the team president said. “And I’m sure it’s been an impediment to the Cubs in winning. … The approach we’re going to have is the opposite of laissez faire. We’re not just going to say, ‘Oh, that’s the way it is. This is Chicago. Boys will be boys. I’m sure they’re going to get enough sleep and I’m sure they’ll show up the next day ready to play.’


“That’s a failure on the organization’s part. We have to take a very proactive approach in setting a high standard.” 


Sheriff Epstein will be laying down the law. Hey at least outfielder Reed Johnson has his back.

“It’s important for young players to recognize that you need to get your sleep,” veteran outfielder Reed Johnson said. “This is your career. This is what you do for a livelihood. You need to treat it that way, especially in our park. You don’t have that extra 10 hours when you wake up in the morning to get ready for that 7 o’clock night game.


“You’ve got to be able to get into that routine. … I know I’m in bed probably by 9, 10 o’clock at night to get ready for that day game.”

“If you do it year after year after year, it’s definitely going to catch up with you,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to nip that in the bud and get it under control. It’s the best thing, not only for the player’s career but for the team as well. We’re going to need everybody at their best to put up as many wins as we can get.”

For Epsteins sake he better hope this translates into more wins or some of the players who are having their “off field activities” taken away from them will be grumbling saying it doesn’t make a difference if their out partying or getting a good night’s sleep. 

Matt Garza Has His 2008 AL Championship Ring Stolen

When someone gets a championship ring of any kind the person that has it normally guards it with his/her life. They’re pretty hard to come by and they don’t get handed out like Halloween candy.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza is finding out just how valuable those rings are. Garza was victimized in a robbery in which his 2008 American League Championship ring was stolen.

Sheriff’s detectives are investigating a burglary at the Fresno County home of Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza, a theft that included his 2008 American League championship ring earned while playing with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The ring is valued at $30,000, the Sheriff’s Office said. The burglary happened between the afternoon of Jan. 26 and late Tuesday morning. Garza’s name is engraved inside the ring, which has several white diamonds and one yellow diamond.

Hopefully this story has a good ending. 

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/31/2704859/local-sports-briefs-30000-ring.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/31/2704859/local-sports-briefs-30000-ring.html#storylink=cpy

 

Porcello Might Be Trade Bait

According to reports over the past few weeks, the Cubs may be looking to part with starting pitcher Matt Garza who went 10-10 with a 3.32 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 2011.

Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that in return for Garza, the Cubs will more than likely want young starting pitching in return which seems to be the case with any potential trade.

Earlier in the week, it was rumored that the Detroit Tigers could be interested in acquiring the 28-year-old right-hander who does have a history of pitching in the American League Central. The Tigers too also have some young pitching in the farm system including Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner.

But could the Tigers trade an arm already in the rotation?

Jason A. Churchill of ESPN believes that there is a possibility that the Tigers use Rick Porcello as bait to land Garza.

Porcello and Garza are different types of pitchers in their own right however Porcello would fit the bill in terms of what the Cubs are looking for in return.

No More Old Style At Cubs Games?

It looks like Chicago Cubs fans will have something else to worry about. No, their World Series-less streak isn’t coming to an end, but the well may run dry on Old Style beer being served at Wrigley Field.

According to a published report, billionaire C. Dean Metropoulos fired off a memo to senior staffers shortly after he bought Pabst last year that he wanted to “exit the Cubs deal” in favor of spending more to market Old Style Light.



Pabst’s chief marketing officer Bryan Crowley declined to acknowledge the memo exists as the Chicago Tribune first reported this summer. However, he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that a contract is set to expire after this season between the Cubs and the company, which also makes Old Milwaukee and Schlitz.

Old Style has been served at Wrigley Field for 61 years so after hearing the rumor about the beer no longer being served there Cubs fans aren’t taking it lightly.

“It’s history, this field and this beer,” said Fred Kist, a 59-year-old suburban Chicago resident who grew up an Ernie Banks home run away from the park. “Wrigley Field will lose something by losing Old Style.”

“I went from vendor to vendor until I found Old Style,” said Pete McCarty of Mobile, Ala., who attended his first Cubs game last week. “To me, that’s Wrigley Field.”

“Not acceptable,” said Jennifer Miller.

The question is now what do the Cubs sell if Old Style isn’t available. 

 

Cuban Is Open To Owning The Mets

The New York Mets are in a bit of financial turmoil due to their dealings with the well known schemer Bernie Madoff. More specifically the Wilpon family, that owns the Mets may be forced to fork over $300 million from the money they made with Madoff, even though they say they were victims in his Ponzi scheme.

They’re looking for a savior and that man might be Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Cuban has stated he’s willing to listen to buying part of the Mets franchise if the price is right. The Wilpons are looking to sell 20 to 25 percent of the team. Cuban has said he won’t bid on a Major League Baseball team because of the process he went through trying to purchase the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers. Forbes estimates that Cuban is worth $2.3 billion. So you know he has the money to buy in.

I think Cuban would be a good baseball owner and maybe good for the game. Look what he did for the Mavericks. They were toiling with the dregs of the NBA before he took over and made it into a competitive franchise, and competed for a championship. I think he possibly could’ve made either the Cubs or Rangers a yearly World Series contender if he was given the shot to own either one of them. He goes all out to make his team relevant and I have no doubt he would do the same in baseball. I feel the old blood owners didn’t want to approve any ownership bids by Cuban because they simply don’t like him. Maybee he’s too brash and too open to the public (remeber the Dairy Queen stunt). Some of the long time baseball guys don’t like that kind of person. Also I think he had enough in the bank to become another George Steinbrenner. That might be a stretch, but think about every big name star that’s on the trade block or going to free agency and the Mavericks always show up on the list. He wouldn’t be afraid to throw his money around.

“If they want to sit down and sell me on it, I can be a willing buyer and a willing customer,” Cuban said before his Mavericks crushed the Knicks, 113-97 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. “But I’m not going to be a bidder on anything.”

“For any baseball team, I’m not going to chase after it,” Cuban said. “If someone sees me as a potential owner, I’ll take their call and discuss a deal. I’m not going to get into a bidding situation ever again. I’m not going to be in a situation where I make the proposal and they just go through with it.



“Obviously, I feel like I’d be a good team owner in baseball, but I’m not going to go through the same process I did with the Rangers and the Cubs.”

“We had a limit on what we could spend. You take a small part of something that makes a ton of money, if the price is right, no matter who you are. But I don’t know the specifics of it, so I couldn’t say.”


The desire to run a baseball team is still there. He just doesn’t want to jump through hoops of bull to do it. I don’t blame him.