Miles: Cubs, Sox could have done more to honor Ernie, Minnie
We won't go as far to say that the Cubs and the White Sox whiffed on their combined attempt to honor the memories of Ernie Banks and Minnie Minoso.
But instead of hitting a home run, the two Chicago teams settled for a double.
After Cubs Hall of Famer Banks and White Sox legend Minnie Minoso died last winter, we suggested that the two teams get together and do something really special for their two interleague series this season.
The Cubs and Sox play three games this weekend and three more next month at U.S. Cellular Field.
In recent years, the two teams have played for something called the Crosstown Cup. The Cup at one time was sponsored by an oil company that caused a disastrous spill.
Many may think that playing for any kind of "cup" during the regular season is pointless, but as long as the Cubs and Sox are doing this, we thought it might be a nice idea to name theirs in honor of Ernie and Minnie.
The Banks-Minoso Cup has a nice ring to it.
And even if the Cubs and Sox wanted to go for a cash grab and put a corporate sponsor's name on their cup, they still could have kept Banks-Minoso a part of it, such as the Banks-Minoso Cup presented by XYZ Corp.
But the two teams decided to go in a different direction. Or as one Cubs official put it, they're "not pursuing at the moment for a variety of reasons." Let's hope money isn't one of those reasons. White Sox marketing chief Brooks Boyer did not respond to an email I sent him.
Instead, the Cubs will honor Ernie and Minnie by wearing throwback uniforms for each of their series. On Sunday, the Cubs will wear No. 14 from 1958 in honor of Ernie. The White Sox will wear uniforms from the same era. On Aug. 14, the White Sox will wear throwback uniforms with Minnie Minoso's retired No. 9 from the 1950s, while the Cubs will wear throwback uniforms from the same era.
It's all very nice, but it's not what it could have been.
Joe's cool:
Despite a crushing ninth-inning loss to the Cardinals Wednesday night, Cubs manager Joe Maddon kept his cool.
Instead of hanging his head or railing about Pedro Strop giving up a game-winning homer to Jhonny Peralta, Maddon talked about how well his club played and what a good game it was.
"For me, what I've always tried to do is analyze exactly what did happen out there," Maddon said. "Sometimes you get too emotional and you go knee-jerk, and all of a sudden you get upset about the wrong things. For me, looking at that game, it's so hard to find fault. We really played extremely well. Came from behind and put ourselves in position to win that game.
"Yeah, we did lose the game. Absolutely that matters. But the positive side is if we can continue to play that way, Stropie's going to make the pitch. The line drives (the Cubs hit) are going to fall."
If the players pick up on Maddon keeping his cool in key situations, they may keep theirs in a key spot or two down the line.
Wrigley rocking:
Wrigley Field was jumping Wednesday night for Cubs-Cardinals. It will be so again this weekend when the White Sox travel from South Side to North Side.
Maddon has yet to experience the Chicago rivalry, in which the Cubs are perceived as the "more popular" team and the Sox and their fans sometimes feel slighted.
"I know that there's definitely a rivalry," Maddon said. "I didn't realize that they felt like they were the second team in town. That's the first I've heard of that. I just look at it as a really cool thing.
"I talked about the Angels and the Dodgers. I talked about the Yankees and the Mets. Your collegiate days. You can all identify with your high-school memories. There are always these solid, traditional rivalries. They're wonderful. I love it. I'm looking forward to it. I really am."
Maddon seemed especially impressed with the Wrigley atmosphere Wednesday on a chilly, misty night.
"The fans were there, the fans were fabulous, the ballpark's fabulous," he said. "In spite of the mist, you don't even care about that. In spite of the fact that you need a parka in July, you don't even care. Just keep playing. It's a unique situation. It's pretty fantastic."
Cubs-White Sox scouting report
Cubs vs. White Sox at Wrigley Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet and WGN Friday; ABC 7 and WGN Saturday; ABC 7 and Comcast SportsNet Sunday
Radio: WBBM 780-AM and WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Kyle Hendricks (4-4) vs. Carlos Rodon (3-2) Friday at 3:05 p.m.; Jon Lester (4-7) vs. Chris Sale (7-4) Saturday at 3:05 p.m.; Jake Arrieta (9-5) vs. Jose Quintana (4-7) Sunday at 1:20 p.m.
About the Cubs: The Cubs had an off-day Thursday to recover from Wednesday night's ninth-inning loss to the Cardinals. Even with the loss, the Cubs (46-38) entered Thursday holding the second wild-card spot in the National League. All-star Anthony Rizzo has a line of .296/.408/.546 with 16 home runs and 48 RBI. The Cubs' other all-star, Kris Bryant, is at .275/.381/.478 with 12 homers and 50 RBI. The Cubs need Starlin Castro to get going. He is 2-for-23 on the current homestand. The Cubs ranked 11th Thursday in the NL in runs scored, eighth in on-base percentage and seventh in homers. Their team ERA of 3.36 was fifth.
About the White Sox: They won 3 of 4 vs. the Cubs last season and have won 9 of their last 13 at Wrigley Field. Left fielder Melky Cabrera is hitting well since moving to the No. 3 spot in the lineup. Cabrera has an eight-game hitting streak and is batting .379 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI over the stretch. Jose Abreu has an 11-game hitting streak. Reliever Scott Carroll was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte after Thursday's win vs. Toronto. Matt Albers is expected to be activated off the disabled list Friday.
Next for the Cubs: Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, July 17-19
Next for the White Sox: Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field, July 17-19
- Bruce Miles and Scot Gregor