The Penalty Box: Taking The Bus To Wrigley
June 14, 2022 at 11:06 p.m.
The Penalty Box: Taking The Bus To Wrigley
By Roger Grossman-
I enjoy going there so much. Frankly, I am glad we live where we live, because if I lived any closer, I would spend way too much time and way too much money there.
The bus trip is fun because we, as a radio station group, and me, as an announcer on those radio stations, get a unique opportunity to spend some time with our listeners. Most days, we talk at you, and you listen and laugh and tap your fingers on the steering wheel to your favorite song.
But the bus trip allows me to ask questions of those who go. It’s a way to find out what a small cross-section of the listenership as a whole likes, what you don’t like and how we can best serve you.
But the best part of the trip is near the beginning when I ask how many are making their first journey to see Wrigley Field. There is always at least one person—maybe they are 10 years old or maybe they have never been there their entire lives.
That place is special. It just is.
And while some people have made Wrigley Field a target of their mocking and scoffing over the years (including some sports writers based in Boston, by the way), Wrigley is unmatched.
I mean, if you have to stare at something for three hours, would you rather have the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field or a plain, green wall that’s 37-feet high?
Right, me too.
There are still spaces available to be reserved on our trip, so go to www.1073wrsw.com and save your spots as soon as possible.
Some other, random thoughts this week:
I am still trying to wrap my head around the concept that some of the best golfers in the world have broken away from the PGA Tour to join a tour backed by the government of Saudi Arabia.
The face of this exodus is Phil Mickelson.
Phil has always been popular among golf fans because he goes about playing golf in the same way guys do at every public and private course in America—let’s go have fun and see what happens.
The safe play was never ever his first choice. He pulled driver leading by two shots with two holes to play when conventional wisdom said to hit a 3 wood and keep it in the middle of the fairway.
And we LOVED him for it. While Tiger was Tiger, Phil was Phil—equally entertaining but for a totally different reason.
Mickelson, in fact, is the anti-Tiger.
He was fun-loving and cool while Tiger was intense and demanding.
Which, for the record, is why Tiger has won a lot more tournaments than Phil has.
But what has happened with Mickelson in the last few months has been troubling and conflicting in our hearts. This Phil Mickelson that we have been watching and listening to as he attempts to overthrow the PGA Tour has been very cold, very calculating and very uncool.
He was always the “people’s champion”, but we stand with our mouths hanging wide open as we hear him shrug off human rights violations by the country that is bankrolling this new LIV Tour. And he did it while admitting that the whole point is the money.
The Saudi tour is promising major payouts, and up to 20 PGA players have defected to it.
I don’t know how to interpret all of this, but I want the old Phil Mickelson back.
Tony LaRussa intentionally walked a Dodger on a 1-2 count ahead of Max Muncy, who promptly walked to the plate and hit a pitch almost to the McCormick Place. Then Muncy barked at LaRussa for most of the last 90 feet of his trip around the bases.
White Sox fans, you ready for a change yet?
You should be.
Quarterback CJ Carr has committed to Notre Dame in 2024.
His parents are Michigan people. His grandfather is Lloyd Carr, former UM coach. He had every reason to choose that school up north, but he chose the Irish instead.
If you are looking for a big recruiting score for ND’s new coach, here is a pretty big one.
But let’s see if some Wolverine booster shows up with his check book and changes the kid’s mind.
That’s legal now, you know.
Mike Woodson continues to put his own thumbprint on the IU Basketball program in his attempt to return the Hoosiers to glory.
Unfortunately, his most recent move was to pull the Hoosiers out of the Crossroads Classic and matchups against Notre Dame and Butler.
Instead, they will go back to hosting a lame, holiday showcase where they can get two easy wins against teams that probably won’t make the NCAA tournament, and then boast of their dominance
Whatever.
I enjoy going there so much. Frankly, I am glad we live where we live, because if I lived any closer, I would spend way too much time and way too much money there.
The bus trip is fun because we, as a radio station group, and me, as an announcer on those radio stations, get a unique opportunity to spend some time with our listeners. Most days, we talk at you, and you listen and laugh and tap your fingers on the steering wheel to your favorite song.
But the bus trip allows me to ask questions of those who go. It’s a way to find out what a small cross-section of the listenership as a whole likes, what you don’t like and how we can best serve you.
But the best part of the trip is near the beginning when I ask how many are making their first journey to see Wrigley Field. There is always at least one person—maybe they are 10 years old or maybe they have never been there their entire lives.
That place is special. It just is.
And while some people have made Wrigley Field a target of their mocking and scoffing over the years (including some sports writers based in Boston, by the way), Wrigley is unmatched.
I mean, if you have to stare at something for three hours, would you rather have the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field or a plain, green wall that’s 37-feet high?
Right, me too.
There are still spaces available to be reserved on our trip, so go to www.1073wrsw.com and save your spots as soon as possible.
Some other, random thoughts this week:
I am still trying to wrap my head around the concept that some of the best golfers in the world have broken away from the PGA Tour to join a tour backed by the government of Saudi Arabia.
The face of this exodus is Phil Mickelson.
Phil has always been popular among golf fans because he goes about playing golf in the same way guys do at every public and private course in America—let’s go have fun and see what happens.
The safe play was never ever his first choice. He pulled driver leading by two shots with two holes to play when conventional wisdom said to hit a 3 wood and keep it in the middle of the fairway.
And we LOVED him for it. While Tiger was Tiger, Phil was Phil—equally entertaining but for a totally different reason.
Mickelson, in fact, is the anti-Tiger.
He was fun-loving and cool while Tiger was intense and demanding.
Which, for the record, is why Tiger has won a lot more tournaments than Phil has.
But what has happened with Mickelson in the last few months has been troubling and conflicting in our hearts. This Phil Mickelson that we have been watching and listening to as he attempts to overthrow the PGA Tour has been very cold, very calculating and very uncool.
He was always the “people’s champion”, but we stand with our mouths hanging wide open as we hear him shrug off human rights violations by the country that is bankrolling this new LIV Tour. And he did it while admitting that the whole point is the money.
The Saudi tour is promising major payouts, and up to 20 PGA players have defected to it.
I don’t know how to interpret all of this, but I want the old Phil Mickelson back.
Tony LaRussa intentionally walked a Dodger on a 1-2 count ahead of Max Muncy, who promptly walked to the plate and hit a pitch almost to the McCormick Place. Then Muncy barked at LaRussa for most of the last 90 feet of his trip around the bases.
White Sox fans, you ready for a change yet?
You should be.
Quarterback CJ Carr has committed to Notre Dame in 2024.
His parents are Michigan people. His grandfather is Lloyd Carr, former UM coach. He had every reason to choose that school up north, but he chose the Irish instead.
If you are looking for a big recruiting score for ND’s new coach, here is a pretty big one.
But let’s see if some Wolverine booster shows up with his check book and changes the kid’s mind.
That’s legal now, you know.
Mike Woodson continues to put his own thumbprint on the IU Basketball program in his attempt to return the Hoosiers to glory.
Unfortunately, his most recent move was to pull the Hoosiers out of the Crossroads Classic and matchups against Notre Dame and Butler.
Instead, they will go back to hosting a lame, holiday showcase where they can get two easy wins against teams that probably won’t make the NCAA tournament, and then boast of their dominance
Whatever.
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