The Stonecipher Report

R.I.P., Ronnie the Cubbie…

Longtime Third-Baseman, Announcer, and Team Symbol Santo Dies at 70

Posted by Michael Sweeney

Dec. 4, 2010

They used to refer to him – on the TV and radio broadcasts – as "The Coach" (due to his emeritus status and cheering on of his old team) but, to me, he was always what he truly was to the ’69-era Cubs team: "The Captain"…

Beloved Cubs player, announcer, and all-around icon Ron Santo passed away at the age of 70 this week. The man who played for 14 seasons with juvenile diabetes (9 as an All-Star; 5 earning Gold Gloves for his defense at third base; and with 4 placings in the top 10 for year-end MVP voting) – and who eventually lost both of his legs below the knees to the disease – had long battled health problems that occasionally kept him out of the Cubs radio booth during his service there over the last 20 years. He succumbed to bladder cancer in Arizona.

A Few Quick Baseball Thoughts…

Sun-Times’ "50 Best Cubs" and "Sox" Lists Good Pre-Season Fun…Even if Opinions (Of Course!) May Vary

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Mar. 10, 2010

Ah, it’s been another couple of pleasant-temp – if grey, foggy, and a bit wet at times – days around here in the Capital of the Middle of America…helping to remind me, now more than ever, that baseball season (and the warmth of spring and summer) are well on their way.

Another pleasant reminder of the imminent return of the best 6 months of every year were the pieces that the Chicago Sun-Times ran – this past Friday and the one before – listing, explaining, picturing, and ranking their choices for the "50 Best" Cubs and White Sox players of all-time. (Here are links to the newspaper’s pieces: From 3-05, the Cubs piece – a lead article on the process and the top choice and a gallery of all 50 spots on the list; and, from 2-26, the Sox lead article and gallery…)

Oh. My. God. NFL RedZone…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Oct. 18, 2009

A quick non-politics-related post here…it’s late on Sunday afternoon as I write this, and my (pretty decent; currently second-place) Fantasy Football team is behind its opponent (because he has Tom Brady and Maurice Jones-Drew well into the 30-plus-point range of FF scoring) – but my discovery today that hit me like a jolt of extra-caffeinated (hell, extra-cocained) coffee was the NFL RedZone channel on my cable system.

I’d heard of it, but understood it to be an extra-fee feature. On the other hand, I already pay Comcast a ton to be able to get just about every available channel on my system, so…when I curiously looked into it today, there it was up in the upper reaches of my available channels – the Fantasy Football promised land…

The ’09 Cubs (Finally) Reach the (Less-Than-Thrilling) End of the Road…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Oct. 6, 2009

Considering how cool – and windy and even rainy – it had been here in Chicago the end of last week, I made sure I was overly prepared on Sunday. My old friend Frank – the head guy over at Time Out Chicago magazine – invited me to join him and his verging-on-6-year-old son Nick at the final Cubs game of the season. Thanks to Frank’s planning, generosity, and (no doubt) patience and acceptance, I’ve been able to catch 4, 5, maybe a half-dozen games with him this season…this disappointing, winning-record, but second-place (and a DISTANT second behind the (damned) Cards at that) season…

Reaction in Chicago to Missing Out on the 2016 Olympics? Mixed – at Best…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Oct. 2, 2009

The day that the news broke that Chicago would NOT be getting the 2016 Olympic Games – with the city being (somewhat shockingly) eliminated from competition among the four finalists in the first round of voting, before the Games were eventually awarded to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – was a grey, drizzly, significantly-colder-than-seasonal day here in the Capital of the Middle of America. One thought of the Games – even the summer Games – being held here, rather than in sunny, smooth, often-clothing-optional Rio, and, well, you can certainly perhaps better understand the International Olympic Committee’s decision…

Sosa? More Like “So-so” Now…

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

June 27, 2009

It was a bit of no-surprise, "Well, finally!" sports news that hit last week – before getting buried by the troika of heavy-burning Gov. Sanford foreign affair / Farrah Fawcett long-anticipated R.I.P. / "King of Pop" completely unexpected death headlines. In fact, the semi-perfect (accidental and incidental) timing meant that, in most places, the word that former Cub Sammy Sosa had allegedly tested positive for some performance-enhancing drug (PED) – likely steroids – several seasons back faded away pretty quickly.

…But not here in Chicago – not where he had long patrolled right field and blasted out crowd-pleasing homers (on his way to 6th place on the all-time list, at 609 total home runs) for the Cubbies...

Radio, Radio (Same Cubs, Different Day)

Poste By:  Mike Rodbard

June 3, 2009

The Cubs entered June play the same way they left May.

Limp and limping.

No Crying in Baseball

Posted by: Mike Rodbard

May 16, 2009

Well, Cubs fans, your trusted scribe comes to you today from the nation's capital, thanks to the day job with blues man Lonnie Brooks.

And like most road trips, I do what the players tend to do (albeit in a less than swanky hotel suite): I'm watching a movie, A League of Their Own. Seems appropriate since I won't be anywhere near the Friendly Confines this weekend.

Manny Being a Man

Posted By: Z.Z. Rudin

May 10, 2009

Oh, I’m sorry, were you worried about the integrity of the game?

Were you frightened for the sanctity of the exalted Hall of Fame?

You couldn’t possibly be torn up about stars falling from grace, teaching our children to cheat to get ahead or that six out of the top 17 all-time home run leaders have been linked to steroid use, could you?

If you are, I’ve got a surprise, whiplash lesson for you: There are no morals in sports.

Manny Mayhem - The Roster Move the Cubs Needed

Posted by: Mike Rodbard

May 7, 2009

It seems that the Cubs have just bolstered their lineup considerably.

Manny Ramirez has been suspended.

That's right. The star slugger of the Los Angeles Dodgers has tested positive for a banned substance and is out for nearly 2 months.