North: Maddon is a mad scientist
The Chicago Cubs' good fortune continued Sunday night as they defeated the Seattle Mariners 7-6 in 12 innings at Wrigley Field.
The mad scientist, aka manager Joe Maddon, made some unorthodox moves, and they worked.
Jon Lester, a starting pitcher, bunted as a pinch hitter (yes, you read that right), driving in Jason Heyward with the winning run. We call that a gutsy move … sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, like the other day with Aroldis Chapman and the blown save.
Maddon obviously is unafraid to make those crazy calls.
Ventura taking heat:
I'm hearing more and more people complain about White Sox manager Robin Ventura. As the Sox's season winds down, I'll be eager to see how the team performs and if Ventura will be brought back if the Sox finish over .500.
Baseball insiders seem to think Ventura makes this team better than it really is, so it will be interesting to see what happens down the stretch.
Of course, the recent Chris Sale situation of destroying the throwback uniforms might have stemmed from underlying issues. Rumor has it Sale and Ventura don't always see eye to eye, but I doubt that falls more on Ventura.
Sale is a bit of off center, but of course that's part of why he is a great pitcher.
Golf gives the unpredictable:
The PGA Championship over the weekend at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, continued the pattern set this year and was won by another first-time major winner, 37-year-old Jimmy Walker.
The game of golf is built for the independent contractor, unlike basketball, which usually only has three or four real contenders, and the NFL, which usually only has about six or seven potential winners, with a dark horse thrown in every so often.
Golf is different.
One minute Jordan Spieth was the main man, then Jason Day, yet the majors alluded them both this year.
It's one of the things I love about golf; stars sometimes take a back seat to a relative unknown.
Cleveland's championship fever:
The city of Cleveland finally seems to be on a roll … starting with LeBron James and the Cavaliers winning their first NBA championship.
Then the city hosted the Republican National Convention, and now it seems its baseball team is going for it in a serious attempt to win the World Series.
Can a baseball team be propelled by the success of another franchise in town? I doubt it, but it sure seems like the Indians are feeding off the success of the world-champion Cavs, giving Cleveland a bit of a strut.
Program notes:
Follow me on Twitter @north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.
• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.