In the Spring, The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox are on a mission. Their missions are a different approach this season. The Cubs have been at the top of this season’s National League Central Division race with their northern brethren, the Milwaukee Brewers. They are likely on the way for a showdown the rest of the season and which team’s pitching holds up through the last week of the regular season will prevail in the race. The Chicago White Sox are in full mode to recover. Through Monday in this week’s rained out game with Washington, the Sox were 12-29, in last place in the American League Central (see page 8) and nine games behind fourth place Detroit in the American League Central. The White Sox finished 61-101 last year and the bad record was still better than last place Kansas City Royals, 56-106. That was difficult to believe, considering the .500 record, 81-81, is the barometer for average. Through Monday Kansas City had improved to 25-18 and making the most of its improvements.
The Cubs through Monday’s 2-0 defeat at Atlanta this week was 24-18 and Milwaukee was 24-17. The Cubs will continue to play Atlanta and Pittsburgh next week in search of victories.
•Spring sports will continue to include the Preakness Horse Race, the Indy .500, PGA Golf Tournament, and women’s golf. The Balmoral Race will be in June, and high school sports will continue through June 8.
•High schools, which once held only boys track and girls softball in Spring, now have 12 sports in the Spring: Girls badminton, girls lacrosse, boys lacrosse girls soccer, girls softball, boys tennis, girls field and track, boys field and track, boys volleyball, girls water polo, and boys water polo. It is a true, full, explosion of high school Spring sports and healthy for the students over the last generation, or a little more time. Sports fans tied into Major League Baseball, or, other major sports do well to support, watch, and become fans of high school sports. They are entertaining, fun to watch, and offers a sense of community in our extended neighborhoods. Is the best of both worlds?
•Time once was that the major sports were dominant and prevailing and doubt cast for minor league baseball. That was more than 30 years ago when bringing the Kane County Cougars to Class A baseball wanted to see if there was support the Midwest League in Kane County for minor league baseball. It was a success. Now there are four minor league teams.