Answering some of the mail:
I have been a faithful Cub fan since the Brock-Broglio trade, but I can’t take it anymore. I’ve decided I can’t follow this team anymore. Since my wife and I will be moving to Atlanta, we hope to adopt the Braves as our new team.–Gig Sineni, Brookfield, Wis.
It’s a free country, and good fortune to both of you. But I doubt you will be missed. During the 10-game homestand just concluded, the Cubs (who have been out of it since Opening Day) drew seven crowds in excess of 30,000, two of more than 39,000. Last week, a woman said to me she didn’t care whether they win or lose. She just loves the Cubs.
I didn’t ask why but have long believed that Wrigley Field, which is wonderfully located, is as much the attraction as the players. It reminds me of the Cubs’ advertising campaigns in the 1940s and ’50s, when Philip K. Wrigley was running the club. The thrust of the message was: “Come out and have a picnic at beautiful Wrigley Field.”
With all the talk of regional realignment, I wonder if anyone has considered requiring each organization to build its team by recruiting its players from only its surrounding region. It could destroy the current free agency/mercenary system, but it would increase the team’s local/regional fan base.–Dave Schabes, Chicago
Never heard of this one before, but the warm-weather locales such as California and Texas generally produce the largest number of major-league players. Anyway, baseball’s appeal has been national, not local. What you should do is attend the next owners meeting (Sept. 17-18 in Atlanta) and express yourself. I doubt anyone would listen, but it still may be a nice trip.
You are way off base on your contention Robin Ventura’s return will propel the White Sox past Cleveland. It’s a preposterous assumption. You say because of the Sox’s poor play during the first half, the Indians should have a much wider lead than they currently enjoy, but you have forgotten that over the same time period the Indians have had as many as three starters on the DL. Robin Ventura will be far from enough.–Joel Schneider, Highland Park
The postmark on your letter is July 28, which is significant because it was written before the Sox sent Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin to the Giants in their so-called give-up deal. So, like Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, you are saying the Sox have little or no chance to catch Cleveland.
This confirms Reinsdorf’s original statement that 80 percent of Sox fans approved the deal, an estimate he has since lowered to 50 percent. I am sure he will be pleased to know you have come out of the closet. As Whitey Herzog once said, baseball is the most unpredictable of all sports.
I am curious to see what would happen if the Sox won their division–without their best starter and relief pitcher. As for the statement that Reinsdorf & Co. treat their players like “garbage,” this is difficult to understand, considering the Sox opened the season with baseball’s third-highest payroll.
I’m in the public relations business and unable to understand Jerry Reinsdorf’s statement that anybody who thinks the Sox could catch Cleveland is “crazy.” Even if he believes it, he made a terrible mistake in saying so.–Leo Floros, Mt. Prospect
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Reinsdorf, in effect, has since said he’s the one who is crazy, that he’s suffering from “foot-in-mouth” disease. When you deal with the press daily, as he does, he should realize it’s like walking in a mine field. No matter how careful you are, you’re going to step on one.
What do you think of the Cubs’ deal with the Mets? I think the general manager (Ed Lynch) hornswoggled the Mets. In one quick move, he traded Mel Rojas and Brian McRae, two million-dollar players, for Lance Johnson, who I think is outstanding. How did he do it?–James Hoffmeister, Chicago
I don’t know. But, as you say, it appears to be an outstanding deal, especially because neither McRae nor Rojas seemed to have much market value. Birdie Tebbetts, the former big-league manager, repeatedly said if every general manager or field manager saw every player every day, there’d be no deals.