The Penalty Box: Sports Shorts
August 16, 2022 at 10:47 p.m.
The Penalty Box: Sports Shorts
By Roger Grossman-
So today, we’ll try to get in as much as we can about as many things as we have space for.
Serena Williams announced last week that she was planning to retire from competitive tennis after the US Open.
It’s not that she’s lost her competitive fire.
It’s not that she can no longer compete with the new generation of tennis players.
She wants to have a second baby.
When I read that, I thought to myself “that’s what makes women athletes different than men.”
They train the same, their goals are the same and their desires are the same. Yet inside, for a majority of them, there is an internal yearning to do something that has nothing to do with sports and competition and has everything to do with raising a child.
I am not a fan of Serena’s, but I appreciate her position and wish her well in motherhood.
While I and other fans of the Cubs passed through the whole range of emotions last summer when the stars of the 2016 World Series team were traded away, today is a good time to look at how that turned out for those players and their new teams.
Javier Baez signed a big deal with Detroit. Through 100 games, he’s batting .224 with 11 home runs and 44 runs batted in. He’s certainly been the face of this year’s team—both he and the team are huge disappointments.
Kris Bryant signed an equally big contract with the Rockies. Because of injury, he’s only played in 42 games this season. His current ailment is plantar fasciitis and a bone bruise in his left foot, which has kept him out for more than a month. In 160 at-bats, he’s batting .306 with 5 homers and 14 batted in.
Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo, however, have been really good for their new teams.
Schwarber leads the National League with 34 home runs. He’s only batting .211, but the Phillies are thrilled with his production given that he hasn’t had a lot of help in their lineup.
And Rizzo has been an absolute star in the Bronx. He’s only batting .227, but he has 27 dingers and has driven in 67 on a team that, frankly, should be in the World Series. Of course, his play at first base has been exceptional and he’s a proven leader off the field.
Just think how much better the Cubs would be if they had Rizzo and Schwarber in their lineup.
The LIV Golf Tour is a farse.
A bunch of LIV golfers who took the bait like bluegills on redworms in the weeds in the heart of the summer sued the PGA for the right to play in both the LIV events and in the PGA’s end-of-summer postseason tournaments.
A judge told them to go hit golf balls.
Are those guys, including Phil Mickelson, so stupid and self-absorbed that they really thought they could have their caviar and eat cake too? They took the LIV’s money, and now they want to play for championships.
Sorry, boys. You made your choice, and the judge sent you to your room without supper.
A lot of professional sports leagues and some colleges have gone to digital ticketing for their events.
MLB, for example, uses digital ticketing exclusively at its ball parks. That means they don’t use paper tickets anymore. You must have a smart phone or be with someone who has a smart phone to enter.
Some high schools are doing that too, and that’s fine if digital ticketing is an option and not exclusive. Not everyone has a smart phone, and a significant percentage of those who attend high school sporting events these days are older fans who may or may not have smart phones and don’t need to worry about downloading apps.
As long as printed tickets are still available for those who need it, it’s a good thing.
And for fans of the visiting team, being able to go to your opponents’ website and buy your tickets in advance is a great thing—no lines at the ticket window!
Some other random thoughts, including some non-sports related things:
The Bears are going to be terrible again.
Road course races are like watching cars drive through round-abouts in Warsaw on Fridays—a lot of movement but not much action.
Why isn’t there grape or banana ice cream?
Every American household should have access to a space near their home where there is a campfire pit. There is nothing quite like a cool, calm evening with only the sounds of the crackling fire and good conversation with friends to break up the night.
See you at Fisher Field Friday night!
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So today, we’ll try to get in as much as we can about as many things as we have space for.
Serena Williams announced last week that she was planning to retire from competitive tennis after the US Open.
It’s not that she’s lost her competitive fire.
It’s not that she can no longer compete with the new generation of tennis players.
She wants to have a second baby.
When I read that, I thought to myself “that’s what makes women athletes different than men.”
They train the same, their goals are the same and their desires are the same. Yet inside, for a majority of them, there is an internal yearning to do something that has nothing to do with sports and competition and has everything to do with raising a child.
I am not a fan of Serena’s, but I appreciate her position and wish her well in motherhood.
While I and other fans of the Cubs passed through the whole range of emotions last summer when the stars of the 2016 World Series team were traded away, today is a good time to look at how that turned out for those players and their new teams.
Javier Baez signed a big deal with Detroit. Through 100 games, he’s batting .224 with 11 home runs and 44 runs batted in. He’s certainly been the face of this year’s team—both he and the team are huge disappointments.
Kris Bryant signed an equally big contract with the Rockies. Because of injury, he’s only played in 42 games this season. His current ailment is plantar fasciitis and a bone bruise in his left foot, which has kept him out for more than a month. In 160 at-bats, he’s batting .306 with 5 homers and 14 batted in.
Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo, however, have been really good for their new teams.
Schwarber leads the National League with 34 home runs. He’s only batting .211, but the Phillies are thrilled with his production given that he hasn’t had a lot of help in their lineup.
And Rizzo has been an absolute star in the Bronx. He’s only batting .227, but he has 27 dingers and has driven in 67 on a team that, frankly, should be in the World Series. Of course, his play at first base has been exceptional and he’s a proven leader off the field.
Just think how much better the Cubs would be if they had Rizzo and Schwarber in their lineup.
The LIV Golf Tour is a farse.
A bunch of LIV golfers who took the bait like bluegills on redworms in the weeds in the heart of the summer sued the PGA for the right to play in both the LIV events and in the PGA’s end-of-summer postseason tournaments.
A judge told them to go hit golf balls.
Are those guys, including Phil Mickelson, so stupid and self-absorbed that they really thought they could have their caviar and eat cake too? They took the LIV’s money, and now they want to play for championships.
Sorry, boys. You made your choice, and the judge sent you to your room without supper.
A lot of professional sports leagues and some colleges have gone to digital ticketing for their events.
MLB, for example, uses digital ticketing exclusively at its ball parks. That means they don’t use paper tickets anymore. You must have a smart phone or be with someone who has a smart phone to enter.
Some high schools are doing that too, and that’s fine if digital ticketing is an option and not exclusive. Not everyone has a smart phone, and a significant percentage of those who attend high school sporting events these days are older fans who may or may not have smart phones and don’t need to worry about downloading apps.
As long as printed tickets are still available for those who need it, it’s a good thing.
And for fans of the visiting team, being able to go to your opponents’ website and buy your tickets in advance is a great thing—no lines at the ticket window!
Some other random thoughts, including some non-sports related things:
The Bears are going to be terrible again.
Road course races are like watching cars drive through round-abouts in Warsaw on Fridays—a lot of movement but not much action.
Why isn’t there grape or banana ice cream?
Every American household should have access to a space near their home where there is a campfire pit. There is nothing quite like a cool, calm evening with only the sounds of the crackling fire and good conversation with friends to break up the night.
See you at Fisher Field Friday night!
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