The Cubs Are Human!

Giants - Cubs Series

The Chicago Cubs had taken five in a row from the Giants and finally the Orange and Black responded by winning the final two games of the year series thanks to a gutty performance by Peavy in the second game and another outstanding effort by Bumgarner on Thursday.

By the end of the final game of the series good news on the injury list was coming in when it was felt that Crawford would be back soon along with Blanco and it is even questionable if Duffy was even injured at all since he was back at full strength Thursday.  Then we hear that Pagan is due back soon and we have to wonder what's to get excited about.  All these  players were playing for the Giants when the Cubs swept them. It wasn't until Perez, Adrianza and Tomlinson all River Cats a month ago led the Giants with their steller play to win the two final games of the series.  The word is out to those injured,  'Take your Time'!

Perez played second  base in the first game of the Cubs series because Crawford was injured.  Perez had played the infield for Fresno when he first became a Giant farmhand.  The team was hoping that he could play both the outfield and infield and be a super utility player.  Unfortunately he made too many errors playing shortstop so he became an outfielder full time. 

This is only a rumor.   Bumgarner had made it known that he wants to participate in the 2016 All Star Game Home Run Derby but only if Mike Cain agrees to be his pitcher.

I mentioned in my last post that I thought Arizona could sneak in and take the NL West title.  I had said this a  couple of months ago and then the DBacks started on a long losing streak.  Since I made the comment last Sunday the Diamondbacks lost four in a row to St. Louis.  I guess I jinxed them.

Red Sox Blame

Pablo is having a horrible season for the Red Sox who were hoping that the ex-Giant would lead the Boston team back into the playoffs.  The last we looked he  is batting a little over .250 and has been terrible in the field.  He hasn't been traded yet.  The Boston manager would have been fired by now but he ended up with a heart problem so he is out for the season.  Don't  expect him back next year. The General Manger has been fired and his job taken by the Detroit GM whose  team has won two more games then the Sox this year.  We read now that the television voice of the team has also been fired and will not be back next  year.  Don Orsillo has been the TV voice of the team since 2001.

In another media note Kate Longworth worked for CSBA for a few years  mainly covering the Oakland A's and Raiders.  She now does pre and post game interviews for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  She is a graduate of the University of Arizona

The  2024 Olympics

The Los Angeles bid for 2024 Olympics is based primarily on the fact that they have all the venues within their county.  In 1984 Orange County was included but not this time.  The Opening ceremonies and track and  field events are planned for the Coliseum which does not even have a  track.  $300,000 of the proposed $4.66 billion will be spent upgrading the Coliseum   What a joke!  It would be cheaper to tear down and start over.  At  least a billion in today's money is needed to bring the current almost one hundred year old structure up to date.

Money will be  spent to upgrade the transit system.  In other words they want people attending the Olympics to pay for a new subway line.  There are thousand of yellow school district buses already bought by tax payers that can be used during the summer weeks to  transport people around during the games from July 19 -August 4, 2024. The school districts could use the money.  Money is also going to be used to upgrade hotels of which  there are  50,000 rooms in quality hotels with a 13 mile radius of the Coliseum.  Isn't that the job of Hilton and Marriot etc to upgrade their own hotels since they will be profiting plenty for charging up to $5,000. a night for a room.  The cronies are already lined up at city hall waiting for their payoffs.  I don't think the USA has a chance to host these games which I doubt very much will ever be played.