Cubs Live
by Michael Howe @troughchicago Spring training is a special tradition in my family. My father worked for the Chicago Tribune for 42 years, and was given tickets to spring training games at HoHoKam Park as a retirement gift. That was the beginning of all this. The year was 1999 and the Cubs were coming off what is still one of my favorite years of Cubs baseball. We didn't have a superteam. It was more like a bunch of castoffs and misfits that somehow made it work. Rod Beck stared in with the waving arm. Grace squeezed the pop up and the Cubs were in the playoffs for the first time since 1989! The Cubbies wouldn't win a single game against the braves, despite an outstanding pitching performance from Kevin Tapani. So my father, my older brother, and I set off for the maiden voyage to Mesa in 1999. We were there to see the team's new acquisition, Jon Lieber. It would only be later that we would realize that Jim Hendry couldn't general manage his way out of a paper bag, but this was a good trade. At our first game at HoHoKam we watched the Cubbies pound "the South Side Pigs", as my brother fondly refers to them. Julio Zuleta clubbed a home run off the scoreboard, and a tradition was born. Almost 20 years later, the Cubs have a trophy, a tremendous new facility, and the super team that we had been wishing for since Leon Durham and the Gatorade on his glove broke our hearts in 1984. I've missed only one year since then. Players have come and gone. My father passed away in 2010, and one of my fondest last memories of him was our trip to Mesa that year. The tradition is alive. The valley changes a little, but come late February and March it all feels pretty familiar. What's there to say about a spring training baseball game on the last weekend in February? It means that the season isn't far away. It probably means that you're in shorts and flip flops, instead of long johns and snow boots (not this year, but a t shirt and jeans will do). It means you will have no idea who #96 playing shortstop is. Our first game at Sloan Park was pretty terrific. We saw Anthony Rizzo and Wilson Contreras go back-to-back. We saw Eddie Butler start a game, which we hope we don't see during the year because that means something's gone horribly wrong. But my favorite moment of the day was provided by this gentleman and his choice of headwear...... That's right folks, this guy felt the need to pull out the old "Titties 2" hat, a clever play on the Titlest 1 brand of golf balls. My friends and I marveled at the bravery and stupidity of this man. It's a pretty bold stance to take in public. I'm pretty sure that a #metoo moment happened sometime last weekend for him. I can only imagine the success rate he might have had chatting up a woman on the Sloan park lawn while wearing this hat. Game #2 was took us to Scottsdale Stadium to see the Cubs face an actual pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, and a formidible spring lineup including Andrew McCutchen, Evan Longoria, Buster Posey, and Hunter Pence. Jen Ho Tseng took the hill for the Cubs, and I hope I never write that sentence again this year. Mad Bum didn't fair too well, proving that spring training means jack shit to veteran pitchers. Ian Happ hit a home run and is starting to make me believe that he might actually stick in a center field platoon with Albert Almora. Beyond that, the game deteriorated into guys with no names on their jerseys and people with names like Chesny Young taking the field. Charcer Burks got a few at bats, and I guess he's some kind of prospect? He didn't really impress much. Pretty much nothing to see here, but I did get some sweet photos of new base coaches Brian Butterfield and Will Venable. After the game in Scottsdale we were headed for a special dinner at the one and only "Don and Charlie's". If you plan on going to Mesa, you will want to eat here. The ribs don't disappoint, and you might just run into a player or two. Many years ago, I met both Willy Mays and Muhammad Ali in the lobby on separate occasions. There are no pictures of the food or the restaurant, because I'm not a millennial turd that takes pictures of his food for other people to look at. Prior to the meal, we stopped by another must-see in the Scottsdale area, Gilligans. If you ever wondered what it would feel like to hit a trashy junior college bar in Arizona, then this is your place. The crown jewel of this paradise is a bar built for a midget bartender and the one and only "Wheel of Booze". Prior to the 2016 season, I wandered into Gilligans on a pretty dead Sunday evening to see our very own first baseman, Anthony Rizzo, spinning the wheel multiple times. A legend was born, and when I asked Rizzo if we were gonna win it all that year he replied "We better!". He did not play in the next day's game. It was back to Mesa and Sloan Park for our third and final game. Tyler Chatwood started for the Cubs, and looked pretty average. Again, as long as his arm is still attached to his body I don't really care about a veteran pitcher's results in spring training. We saw some drills before the game at the Cubs' monstrous practice facility. Here's Carl Edwards not giving up a home run to Bryce Harper. It's nice that the Cubs let their fans watch the team practice prior to the games, and I'm sure that even some adult man babies who wait around with sharpies get autographs from time-to-time. We made our way from the lawn... All the way down to "the queen's seats" (for you Naked Gun fans) of Sloan Park and watched the Cubs battle back to a triumphant tie! Taylor Davis was in the middle of the rally. He might be in the middle of the hotly contested back up catcher race with Chris Gimenez, who also saw a lot of at bats when we were there. Gimenez did convince the really good Japanese guy to come here, so he probably has the edge, sorry Taylor.
From a baseball perspective, there's not much to report. No one got hurt. Javy made some slick defensive plays. Ian Happ could be more of a factor this season. The backup catcher role is up for grabs maybe? Dillon Maples, who actually might be trying to win a bullpen spot, had shaky command in the only appearance I saw. The Cubs are going to be good this year. Chesny, Jen Ho, Charcer, and #75 will not be a part of it. But maybe they got some of the big league guys to buy some meals in Scottsdale. And I will leave you with a picture that is worth a thousand words. I mean seriously, how in the hell does this guy travel on a plane?
1 Comment
Man with a White Hat
3/2/2018 06:28:33 pm
Any idea where I can get one of this Titties hats?
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Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
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