The End of an Era

Baseball is a game of tradition. Baseball relies on its history to tell the full story of a game that has been passed down from generation to generation. Baseball, unlike the other major sports in America, celebrates its past and on a daily basis reflects on players and games from yesteryear in order to gauge how good today's players and teams actually are. For instance, take this season's version of the Chicago Cubs. Every time the Cubs win a game or lead in another contest or toss another inning of scoreless ball, the first inclination is to find out how the most recent achievement stacks up with the best in the storied history of the organization.

A mixture of players from the Cubs farm system and a few of the bigger names of Lou Piniella's squad will take the field today against the San Diego Padres in the last Hall of Fame game at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York. While the game is meaningless in the win-loss column, it is a part of the game that will unfortunately soon be forgotten.

Today is not about a game but the game itself. It does not matter which teams wins or loses, it does not matter which reliever picks up a save or which slugger hits a home run. It is about celebrating America's Pastime just outside of the Halls in which the biggest names of the game are enshrined to honor the same game we all played on a sandlot as a kid.

For one day in the middle of what could be a special season for the Chicago Cubs, take a chance to enjoy the game of baseball....the greatest game ever.

Jim (Tinley Park)

They should probably play the HOF game at the end of Spring training. To play it in the middle of June

is drag.

JimK

At about 1:40 CDT, the Hall of Fame Game was rained out. And we were going to see whom the Cubs have been hiding in Phoenix at Fitch Park.

eric

Thank God the rain delay is over and I dont have to watch this garbage on Maury Povich anymore.

JimK

Good News and Bad News: Say Yea!! Our Cubs get a PASS for their 7 wins and 3 losses in the seventh, 10 game sequence/grading period of the season. Boo!! The tradition of an MLB exhibition game at The Hall of Fame ends today.

The seventh 10 game sequence featured Supporting Actors in Leading Roles--proves that the Cubs are a Team, and that the meek can inherit the earth. Drumroll...And the Show Offs are: Power legends Dome and DeRosa led with 2 HR and Dome led with 10 runs scored. Dome, Johnson and Edmonds led with 7 RBI's. DeRo and Edmonds led with 11 Hits--joined by DLee.

Former Off-Broadway actors, Dempster and Marquis, were Broadway Show Offs too--each winning 2 against no losses and combining to give up only 16 Hits in 27 IP. They were joined by Lilly in stirring comeback performances at 2-0.

And the No Shows were: Z gets a rare thumbs down for not playing Zoro in 2 performances where he had only a loss and gave up 21 Hits and 9 Runs in 14 IP. He is joined by Howry who had to fall off the stage and get back on to steal a bow intended for someone else (a win in relief). He gave up 7 Hits and 4 Runs in 3 IP.

At 45-25 (64%) the Cubs are on a trajectory to win 104 games. For the 7 grading periods, the Cubs grades are: 2 High Pass, 3 Pass, 1 Kiss Your Sister (5-5) and 1 Fail. We can all remember when "Kiss Your Sister" was as good as it got for most of the season (and your sister threatened to tell mom and dad). And we likely should remember that reaching 90 + wins is more realistic than reaching 100 + wins.