Ronnie the collie attended the Illinois Senate vs House softball game.

Click here to see who he met at the game.

http://colliediary.blogspot.com

The Sporting News' Sean Deveney writes that the Chicago Cubs may have thrown the 1918 World Series, which they lost 4 games to 2 to Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox. His source is a newly discovered affidavit that Chicago White Sox ace Eddie Cicotte provided to the Cook County, Illinois grand jury during the investigation over the 1919 World Series. Cicotte's affidavit states that the White Sox received their inspiration from the previous year's series.

As an admitted fixer, Cicotte is hardly the most credible source. He also did not, apparently, purport to have personal knowledge of the matter. There remains no competent evidence that the Cubs threw the 1918 World Series. In contrast, there is an abundance of evidence against the 1919 White Sox. (See Eliot Asinof, Eight Men Out.) If the 1918 Cubs had thrown the World Series, it is likely that someone involved would have admitted the fix at some point. As it is, there are nothing more than rumors, as this 2005 article by Timothy Gay in USA Today notes. Something that big does not stay a rumor if it is real.

If you are throwing a World Series, do your top two pitchers pitch 50 innings in 6 games and allow only 6 earned runs? That's what the Cubs' Hippo Vaughn and Lefty Tyler did in the 1918 series. In contrast, the White Sox' top two pitchers--Cicotte and Lefty Williams--were both in on the fix in 1919. In Game 1, Cicotte didn't throw 4 innings before allowing 6 runs.

The discovery of Cicotte's affidavit is interesting, but it does not mean much in answering the question of the legitimacy of the 1918 Series.

In the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine, its 10th anniversary issue, Gene Wojciechowski revisits Game Six of the 2003 NLCS. In it, he quotes Paul Rathje, stadium operations director at the time, as blaming Moises Alou's jumping up and down for Bartman's infamy: "If [Moises] Alou had just jogged back to his position, Steve Bartman would have sat down and watched the rest of the game. Nobody would have ever known about him."

That is patently untrue.

Bartman, irrespective of Alou's reaction, still interfered with the play, and his interference was caught on national television.

That said, what I wrote initially holds true. Verbally and physically abusing him was much, much worse than anything Bartman did to interfere with the play.

The photo is accompanied by a nice photo showing at least six other fans reaching for the ball, two of them within striking distance over the wall.

Wojciechowski closes with a nice comment from Ryne Sandberg. "I would have liked to have met him [at his 2005 Hall of Fame induction]. I would have shaken his hand and thanked him for being a Cubs fan."

If you were ever wondering which Cubs' player has the most career at-bats in a Cubs' uniform without a hit, wonder no more, as Cubnut at The Cub Reporter has your answer.

One of the great moments in Cubs' broadcasting history: Bill Murray fills in for Harry Caray on April 17, 2007, as the Montreal Expos visit Wrigley Field.

Going through the list of Cubs' catchers who have caught Steve Trachsel that Phil Bencomo at Cub Town compiled brings back some memories. I really don't remember Tyler Houston catching that many games. And Brian Dorsett? If they weren't in Cubs' uniforms a decade apart, I would have confused him with Brian Dayett.

Only a few weeks ago, George Steinbrenner fired his strength and conditioning coach due to concern over some of the Yankee pitchers were having hamstring injuries. So with that said who is holding Larry Rothschild accountable for the way "his" pitchers have been performing, specially the bullpen? You constantly hear that the pitching coach can not be on the mound pitching for the players. However, it's not working. I am curious to know what the records are for starting pitchers and bullpen since Larry Rothschild took over? How many months total have his pitchers been on the IR during his watch compared to the other MLB teams?

I love reading "where are they now" stories regarding former Chicago Cubs players.

Here is a recent article regarding Cubs pitcher Glen Hobbie:

Quote from article:

Read entire article here

Related link:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hobbigl01.shtml

Attention, Cubs fans – new book on the 1908 season is just out. (I know because I wrote it). It’s called Crazy ’08 – How a cast of cranks, rogues, boneheads and magnates created the greatest year in baseball history (HarperCollins, $24.95; foreword by Robert Creamer). The Chicago Tribune reviewed it warmly on March 18, and Sports Illustrated liked it, too (the March Madness cover). Go to crazy08.com for more.

Ya gotta love what a Google news alert will deliver to you.

I just found an article about life in Oak Park (a Chicago suburb just west of the city) 100 years ago that mentioned the Cubbies!

Oak Park's century of progress
1907 was a different time, but diversity was still an issue
By DOUG DEUCHLER

sample from article:

You can read the entire article here:

'Transmission' at The Cub Reporter has an excellently researched article on the failed 1992 Greg Maddux negotiations:

The people are going to get to decide the all-time Gold Glove team, reports the AP. "The ballot will be unveiled at Times Square in New York on Tuesday morning." Out of all the Gold Glove winners, the ballot has been reduced to 50 players made up of 18 outfielders, 6 players at each infield position, 5 catchers, and 3 pitchers. We'll be able to vote at a Rawlings web site.

I'm sure Ryne Sandberg (9 Gold Gloves) and Greg Maddux (16) will be on the ballot. Ron Santo (5) and Andre Dawson (8) would seem to have a chance of being on the ballot as well.

In fan balloting, players in big markets and players who played more recently tend to have big advantages. That means Sandberg will likely have an advantage over Bill Mazeroski (from all we know, the deserving winner), Frank White, and Roberto Alomar.

He says I'm welcome to share his photos. Enjoy!

As much as I have fun reading about the history of the Cubs and their Curse, I have difficulty accepting the twists to the story that emerge from a Mike Downey column in the Tribune today. Per Downey, the "curse" may really have started in 1908 when the owner of the Cubs, a man named Murphy, was not invited to a party. Huh? Are you kidding. Downey is really shilling as a publicity man for Harry Caray's in this piece, announcing they will hold a seance involving the 1908 Cubbies and Mr. Murphy. Anything for customers, right? Even playing games with the honored tradition of the Billy Goat. (Now if they could just improve the food at Harry Caray's maybe they would not have to depend on gimmickry.)

See: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/col...