Shank On The Sox-Cubs Series

After taking nearly a week off from his last grueling column, Shank gets around to cover this weekend's series at Fenway Park. A decent column, largely bereft of the usual Shank staples of negative remarks, personal attacks and the usual stuff that make his columns unpleasant to read.

Can the Cubs stay here a few more days? If this really is a 2017 World Series preview (a lofty goal for the teetering Local Nine, I’ll admit), the Cracker Jack-eating baseball world should be very happy.

“This is good for the industry,’’ Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Saturday after a 7-4 win over the Red Sox. “This has been playoff-like baseball with two really good teams playing the game properly.’’
...
It’s all true. The series has lived up to its billing. And for two days, all the rage has been sucked out of Fenway.

Strange days, indeed.

Nice to have 'the rage' sucked out of this column, isn't it?

Finally Telling The Truth

I'm sure this is an inadvertent disclosure...

CHICAGO — The white-hot Cleveland Indians thrashed the Cubs again Saturday night, this time by a score of 7-2. The Tribe holds a three-games-to-one lead and has a chance to win its first World Series in 68 years Sunday night at Wrigley Field.

So I ask you, Baseball America . . . while acknowledging that this is not yet over . . . if the low-payroll, underdog, no-name Tribe wins the 112th World Series, is the lasting narrative one of the Indians winning or the Cubs losing?

I am a flip-flopper on this one. I feel strongly both ways. Stay with me and play along if you like:

I have better ways to waste my time...

Cubs Tweets, By Dan Shaughnessy

Killing time until that next riveting World Series column:

The Cubs have been shut out in four of their last eight games.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 29, 2016

Joe West at second base tonight. Inching closer to where he can do real damage. On tap for Homeplate if there's a Game 6

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 30, 2016

Woodstock Watch

Let the clichés commence!

Wrigley Field turns into Woodstock

CHICAGO — The Cleveland Indians clearly did not get the memo about their role in this Cub-centric World Series. The Sons of Terry Francona are supposed to be mere props in the nationwide coronation of the Chicago Cubs.

They are not. Tito’s Tribe got an RBI single from Coco Crisp and stuffed the Cubs, 1-0, Friday, giving Cleveland a 2-1 lead in the 112th World Series.

“That’s a heck of a win,’’ said Francona, who made multiple moves and emptied his bench. “That was agonizing. We needed to win that game in nine because we used so many guys . . . We don’t worry too much about outside expectations. What’s important is how we feel about ourselves. We want to be one run better and that’s about as true-to-form as you can get.’’

It was the first World Series game played at Wrigley Field in 71 years and there was a Woodstock-like feel around the ballpark all day and night. We even had (Kyle) Hendricks facing (Carlos) Santana to start the game. Wrigleyville could have been Max Yasgur’s farm.

Shank sure loves reliving past events, doesn't he?

More clichés and the paint-by-numbers Shank walk down memory lane ensue from there.

Captain Obvious Has A Twitter Account

You don't say?

Wrigley will be busier in four hours pic.twitter.com/7BiQP0oNYn

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 28, 2016

Swing And A Miss

That would be this blogger not noticing Shank's latest column until ten minutes ago:

CLEVELAND — Ever-agitated Red Sox manager John McNamara said it best for longtime losers when he walked into a press conference after his team’s hideous Game 6 collapse against the Mets (The Bill Buckner Game) and announced, “I don’t know nothing about history and I don’t want to hear about choking or any of that crap.’’

That was 30 years ago and Mac has been hearing about it ever since.

This is the weight the Chicago Cubs carried into Progressive Field Wednesday night. The Cubbies were smothered by the surprising Cleveland Indians in Game 1, and given their history, the Cubbies could ill afford to fall behind two games to none.

Familiar Complaint

Harkening back to those Red sox / Yankees games...

Baseball is killing itself with this pace. 297 pitches through seven innnings. We are almost three and a half hours old. Awful

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 27, 2016

Trying To Have It Both Ways

It doesn't take long for Shank to jump from one bandwagon to another:

CLEVELAND — Cubs, Cubs, Cubs. This World Series is about the Billy Goat Curse, Steve Bartman, Wrigley Field, Theo Epstein, Jon Lester, Back To The Future II, 108 years, and dozens of essays by high-minded intellectuals explaining what a life-changing moment it will be when the lovable losers from the North Side finally win the World Series.

Swell.

But all of this leaves the needy folks of Cleveland asking, “What about us?’’

This crap, from the same guy who was telling Red Sox fans two short weeks ago they have to root for the Cubs.

Listen up folks; there is actually a second team in this 112th World Series and the Cleveland Indians won’t be mere props in the Cubs’ inexorable march to the crown. The Tribe made this abundantly clear Tuesday night, thrashing the Cubs, 6-0, to take the first game of the World Series. Cleveland’s No. 9 batter, Roberto Perez, who hit three homers all season, hit two in his first Series game and Terry Francona improved his Fall Classic record to a preposterous 9-0. Cleveland has now won eight of nine in this postseason (four shutouts), shredding your Red Sox, the Blue Jays and now the Cubs — big payroll, star-laden teams, all favored to beat Cleveland easily.

So when does the national narrative become about the Indians? Fact is, if not for the presence of the Cubs, the Indians would be the ones posing as sentimental favorites in the Fall Classic.

Remember - this is the same city Shank took a major league shit on a year and a half ago, and now pretends to like the city. He's utterly shameless.

Rewriting History, Part II

My co-blogger notes in the post below the many times Shank has trashed a Red Sox player, manager or general manager as they were ending their tenure in Boston, only to have their careers resuscitated in Chicago or Cleveland. Shank's world class hypocrisy tour continues today as we await Game 1 of the 2016 World Series.

CLEVELAND — Theo and Tito.

Theirs are names from “Sesame Street,’’ or perhaps a couple of characters for a children’s book series: “Theo and Tito Go to the Zoo.’’ “Theo and Tito Say, ‘Goodnight, Moon.’ ’’

When I read a Shank column, I often think I'm reading a children's book.

But they are neither muppets nor fiction. Theo Epstein and Terry “Tito” Francona are the men who in 2004 brought Boston its first baseball championship in 86 years. Then they did it again in 2007.

Theo and Tito were together on Yawkey Way for eight years, winning an average of 93 games per season, making the playoffs five times, and filling Fenway for every game of every season. When they left after the chicken-and-beer collapse of 2011 — Theo voluntarily, Tito being pushed — it was like the breakup of Boston’s baseball Beatles.

Shank should have written them a thank you letter for the chicken & beer fiasco - he got about ten columns out of it.

Theo and Tito were together on Yawkey Way for eight years, winning an average of 93 games per season, making the playoffs five times, and filling Fenway for every game of every season. When they left after the chicken-and-beer collapse of 2011 — Theo voluntarily, Tito being pushed — it was like the breakup of Boston’s baseball Beatles.

Now they are on opposite sides of two “other” long-suffering franchises in the 112th World Series, which starts Tuesday night at Progressive Field. The Chicago Cubs, led by general manager Theo Epstein, have not won a World Series since 1908 and have not even participated in the Fall Classic since 1945. The Cleveland Indians, managed by Terry Francona, have not won a World Series since 1948. We have two plagued ball clubs led by a pair of curse-busting bosses.

Something has to give.

Dan Shaughnessy - Master of the Obvious.