Mid-Week Multi-Media Madness

Wednesday blog ramblings along with some video and radio stuff.

I didn’t go to Surprise to see the Cubs play yesterday as I had some work to do and the game was broadcast on MLB network, so I DVR’d the game and watched at my convenience. Surprise Stadium is anything but convenient for me as I’m located at the KCUBS broadcasting tower east of Hohokam, over 65 miles one way from here to Surprise.

It’s always interesting if not frustrating listening to the other team’s announcers like yesterday’s Royals crew. Hey at least these guys are better than the White Sox announcers, who shall remain nameless here.

The Royals announcers started to talk about pronunciations of names beginning with Cubs Jim Adduci, which is pronounced Ah-due-see. Then they talked about Royals first baseman Kila Ka’aihue and how they had said it wrong for a while. Ka’aihue didn’t play against the Cubs when they were at Hohokam so I didn’t have to attempt it. However, after doing PA last spring when the Cubs played the Japan National team in the WBC a few tough names here and there are no big deal. Not that I say them all perfectly but I do find out the proper pronunciation before hand, like Monday with the Indian’s Chris Gimenez. One would think the Spanish G sounds like an H (as in Gila) and the second syllable being (en) but in his case the name is pronounced Jim-ah-nez…you just never know until you find out.

Yesterday another Cubs game finished in a tie score, (5-5 vs the KC Royals) the second tie game in the last three days for the Cubs. 13 of 15 Cactus League teams have a tie on their record this spring with the White Sox leading the league with 4. Why all the ties? Part of this has to do with teams limiting the extra innings they will play, usually only one extra frame. Teams get the work in and don’t want to tax a pitching staff more than needed as they build up arm strength during spring. I remember a spring game years ago back at old Hohokam Park that went 11 or 12 innings…teams just don’t do that anymore.

Last week was spring break for most schools and the Cubs for whatever reason really got hosed by the Cactus League schedule makers. We had only ONE game at Hohokam between the 13th and 20th – a sold out Tuesday game against the Rangers on the 16th. It’s been mentioned to me up in the booth (not by the Cubs) during spring break games that I should make a public service announcement “Ladies, flashing or dropping of bikini tops in the outfield berm area is expressly prohibited”…No doubt an attempted experiment in the use of reverse psychology.

I ran across this interesting article on former Cub Hee-Soep Choi over at FANGRAPHS.

Last Friday afternoon I was on WGN radio’s Garry Meier show talking Cubs spring training, you can listen to it by scrolling down to “Latest Uncut Podcasts” where it has my name. Garry also had an opportunity to talk with some of the players at Cubs Convention, some of you may have seen this video but if not it’s interesting…Garry kind of catches the guys off guard with his first question asking them, “How many of you guys are on steroids right now?”. About 5:46 seconds into the video Ryan Dempster does his Harry Caray impersonation, and later we find out the Micah Hoffpauir’s favorite movie is The Notebook, he was kidding…I think.

Monday morning on WGEM radio out of Quincy, IL the “SportsCenter” guys Josh Houchins and Matt Schuckman and I talked some Cubs baseball. 

The Cubs are out in Surprise again today this time playing the Texas Rangers, I’ll be manning the KCUBS broadcast tower offices here in Mesa.