CCO Feedback

One of our regular readers and contributors to the site, Jim Kneisley, sent me an email recently with a view of the current state of professional sports teams and their players. For fans of professional sports, this could be a thought-provoking topic ...

In honor of the 61st Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, here is a first hand account from someone who was fortunate enough to have had the privilege of meeting one of the game's biggest legends. I would like to thank Jim Kneisley for taking the time to share this story with all of us.

During the spring of 1947, Duke Penn and I, along with several of our fourth and fifth grade classmates enjoyed pick up games of baseball during recess, lunch hour and after school back home in La Porte, Indiana. Duke and I along with Ron Davis were standout ball players at the time. At eleven years old, Duke was a year older than both Ron and myself. Of the three of us, he was the best ballplayer. He was one of my three or four best boyhood friends, and he was African American.

Should the Cubs trade several prospects for Brian Roberts? Should they trade for Marlon Byrd of the Texas Rangers? The short answer to both of them is a resounding no.

It's Friday and time for the latest from the CCO Feedback column. Raul Barraza does not like the idea of possibly renaming the old ballpark at 1060 West Addison....

I never thought I would see the day Wrigley Field was anything other than Wrigley Field, but Sam Zell is looking to selling the naming rights. He's a businessman and has every right to maximize his return on his investment but as a Cubs fan and baseball fan, this makes me feel worse than the words "Steve Bartman."

The CCO Feedback column returns for a Tuesday afternoon edition. Here is an article from one of the Faithful, Raul Barraza, with his thoughts on Kerry Wood and his role in the upcoming season.

I'm going to come out and say it, I'm a huge Kerry Wood fan. I have nothing but respect for him. I became a Cub fan around his MLB debut and planned my day so I was free to see him pitch. Most fans remember the '98 season for Sosa's homeruns, but I bet most got interested in the '98 Cubs the moment Wood struck out his twentieth Astro batter. The potential for greatness was there but it was not meant to be.

The CCO Feedback column is back. Over the next couple of days we will run another article from one of the Faithful, but today is Jim Kneisley's turn and I appreciate the time he took to share a few very cool stories....

When Neil says he's a history buff and that I've lived long enough to see most of it, you smile. When he asks for a little Chicago history and especially about the Cubs, you wonder if you can separate matters of possible interest from an ego trip. I've decided it is worth a try in a few numbered paragraphs.

With the sale of our beloved team drifting slowly toward a new owner I have often pondered what I would do if I possessed the power of ownership? It's a dream question that I am sure many of us have fantasized about. Think about it, you're the owner of the CUBS! Anyway, this is my punch list.

Anybody who is a fan of the Ramones probably has this song on his Ipod. For me, when I'm watching the Cubs, it is a way of life. I admit, while watching the game on TV or listening to the radio, I am a nervous wreck. For the most part, I will only watch when the Cubs are hitting. When they are in the field, I will watch until an opposing batter reaches base. I will then either walk out of the room or turn the channel. As the game goes on, I get even more nervous.

In 1969 the New York Mets stunned the baseball world and broke the hearts of Chicago Cubs' fans worldwide by winning the World Series. The Mets began the 1969 season in a less than stellar way with a record of two games under .500 at the end of May. During the middle of August the Mets were 9.5 games and in third place behind the Cubs and Cardinals. But the Cubs went 8-17 in September and the Mets won 38 of their final 49 games and finished with a 100-62 record. Can history repeat itself only to tilt itself in the Cubs favor? As we head toward July, the Cubs find themselves close to being in a double digit hole behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Cubs on the field during the first 3 months of the 2007 season. Teammates fighting, sloppy base running, bullpen blow ups, and inconsistent line ups, is the bad baseball behind us?

When the White Sox won the 2005 World Series thoughts quickly turned to the Cubs about winning the 2006 crown. After all, Boston won it 2004, then the White Sox, so 2006 had to be the Cubs turn. As we all know, it wasn't. The 2005 title that was won by the White Sox was a very bitter pill to swallow. For me, it was a nightmare.