Ryne Sandberg was deserving of the recent tribute to his accomplishments with the Chicago Cubs by recent unveiling of his statue in front of Wrigley Field at Clark and Addison in Chicago. Other former players are so honored, including Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams.
Their talents came at a time when the revival of the Cubs took place, mainly in the 1960s and 1970s. The Cubs more than 100 years ago were among the dominant teams in Major League Baseball. The Chicago White have stellar players over the 124 years, as well as the Cubs, including Luis Aparicio and Nelson Fox.
Both the Sox and Cubs could use the assistance of those fine players of past seasons. Both Chicago teams are at or near the bottom of their divisions and are under .500., the basic watershed between success and failure. See page 8 for the standings through Monday this week.
The grandstand managers and armchair quarterbacks may offer solutions to the problems of the Cubs and Sox, however, even the failures of both teams boil down to one facet: Lack of a strong pitching staffs. If one pitcher performs well for seven innings and makes an exit, after six or seven innings, the next pitcher must perform well to hold the lead. That fact makes MLB a team game, with one player helping a teammate. Solid pitching is the first and best path to success for nearly all baseball teams. Simple solutions, however, easier said than done. Good, young, pitching is the best path to success. If the Cubs and Sox take aim at good pitching it will lift them above .500 and into leadership contention.
•Baseball starts in early years such as the Aurora Boys Baseball (ABB) all-star games and playoffs. The Summer passion for Aurora Boys Baseball is obvious and for most players fun to be participants.
•Fall football practice for high school teams can start on or after Monday, Aug. 12. The first game for teams can start on or after Thursday, Aug. 29. Other Fall sports start at approximately the same time often, a few days earlier, especially individual sports.
•Colleges will start their first football games as early as Thursday, Aug. 29, or, as late as Saturday, Sept. 7. The Fall season of college football teams offers excitement following a leisurely Summer season with various activities.
•Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for their championship in the National Basketball Association and to the Florida Panthers for their championship in the National Hockey League (NHL). Hope will Spring eternal for teams in the next seasons. It is nearly a full-time job for the profession athlete today. Success, mainly through television contracts has allowed participants to make their jobs full-time. Many decades ago players in all sports commonly had to have part-time jobs as well as full-time sports participation.
•The National Football League will begin its preseason games Thursday, Aug. 1 with the Hall of Fame game, Houston at Chicago, at 7 p.m.. and there is new enthusiasm and new hopes for success this year.
•Olympic Games this Summer will be Friday, July 26 through Sunday, Aug. 11 in Paris, France and a few other sites for 78 full sports from aerobic gymnastics and archery to water polo and wrestling and nearly everything in between. Team sports to individuals provide a look at well-conditioned athletes.