In this business, there's nothing better than a good, old-fashioned newspaper war. And after the events of the last few weeks, Chicago is lucky enough to still have a front-row seat to one of the oldest and bitterest rivalries in the country.
Years from now, no one will care that Gordon Beckham was fifth in the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year voting. He deserved to be runner-up, though in the scheme of things, you can ask teammate Alexei Ramirez how much that honor is treasured two years into your big-league career.
It was the kind of question that deserved a little more thought, especially from a general manager who enjoyed watching his starting rotation dominate during the 2005 postseason.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry used to face a barrage of questions this time of year centering on all the big names he'd be interested in adding during the offseason. This time, he's facing a steady stream of questions about the one name everyone knows he must subtract.
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez was making his way across the infield at Yankee Stadium, clutching the gold-plated World Series trophy and looking as if he had no intention of letting go.
NEW YORK -- Minutes after the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies to win their first World Series since 2000, general manager Brian Cashman was detailing the virtues of manager Joe Girardi.
Chris De Luca: Sure, the New York Yankees' 27th World Series championship will go down as one more trip down memory lane for Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. It means a long-awaited ring for baseball's all-time highest- paid player, Alex Rodriguez.
Chris De Luca: There was no World Series game Tuesday, just a workout before the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees resume play with Game 6 tonight. But that didn't mean there was no entertainment. All you need is a microphone, Yankee Stadium as the backdrop and Pedro Martinez live and on stage.
Chris De Luca: Even the Serbian cab driver who swears he has been following baseball for only one week had an opinion on Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel's World Series rotation.
Facing Phillies closer Brad Lidge, Alex Rodriguez doubled to the left-field wall, breaking a 4-4 tie and helping send the Yankees to a 7-4 victory that sucked the chilly air out of Citizens Bank Park.
Now that Tom Ricketts has control of the Cubs and Wrigley Field, he has plans to make immediate upgrades to the ballpark that turns 100 years old in 2014. Enough upgrades, he hopes, that Major League Baseball will agree to hold the 2014 All-Star Game at Wrigley.
PHILADELPHIA -- It's time. After an October that seemed to include at least one botched call by umpires per game, instant replay needs to become as much a part of the postseason as bunting and frigid weather.
PHILADELPHIA -- After breaking out of his postseason slump by driving in 12 runs during the first two rounds of the playoffs, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been silent in the first two games of the World Series, going 0-for-8 with six strikeouts.
Tom Ricketts and his family have been introduced as the ninth owners of the Cubs. Ricketts is a bona-fide Cubs fan, not a corporate entity hiding inside a neo-Gothic tower on Michigan Avenue. He likes to drink beer and sit in the bleachers. He knows the pain of 2003 and the disappointment of 2007, ‘08 and — especially — ’09.
NEW YORK -- At least his Mohawk still looked sharp. Nick Swisher always has craved attention, but he was getting the wrong kind of scrutiny Thursday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Chris De Luca: Wearing a sharp black suit and shiny dress shoes, Ozzie Guillen stepped onto the Yankee Stadium field Wednesday, and there was an immediate chain reaction of hugs, handshakes and laughs.
At 11 a.m. Friday, Tom Ricketts and his family will be introduced as the ninth owners of the Cubs. Ricketts is a bona-fide fan, not a corporate entity hiding inside a neo-Gothic tower on Michigan Avenue. He likes to drink beer and sit in the bleachers. He knows the pain of 2003 and the disappointment of 2007, 2008 and -- especially -- 2009.
This is the blueprint the White Sox hoped -- and needed -- to follow: Win a World Series one year to end a frustrating dry spell, then return to the same stage the next October. It's easier said than done, but here are the Philadelphia Phillies facing the last team to pull off the feat, the New York Yankees.
