Column: City Series and Dick Allen's Hall of Fame induction highlight a great Chicago baseball weekend
The Cubs took the series with a 5-4 win over the White Sox in Sunday's finale, while Allen's widow, Willa Allen, delivered an emotional speech honoring the former Sox slugger at the Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Here are the best and worst from the City Series and Dick Allen's posthumous induction into the Hall:
Best dressed: The Sox bring out the all-black caps from the 1950s and early '60s for Hall of Fame weekend. The cap features a diagonal white 'SOX' logo with red trim, and is the one they wore during the 'Go-Go Sox' era from 1951 to 1963. Hopefully the Sox bring it back again. It's the best retro idea they've had in years.
Worst pitching move: Cubs third baseman Jon Berti pitching in the ninth inning of Friday's Sox rout. Using Berti to save the bullpen is both tired and repetitive, especially with an eight-man relief staff. Manager Craig Counsell should be able to find at least one reliever to suck it up for one inning of mop-up duty.
Worst cutaway: CHSN showing Sox vice president of marketing Brooks Boyer cheering in the stands Sunday after Andrew Benintendi's three-run, eighth-inning home run pulled the Sox to within one run. Even Marquee Sports Network wouldn't be so bold as to focus on Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney cheering in the stands at one of their games. The men in charge of the telecasts should stay off the telecasts.
Best performance: Cade Horton's 6 1/3 shutout innings in Saturday's 6-1 Cubs victory provided a huge lift for a team that had lost four or five and watched Shota Imanaga implode in Friday's loss. Had the Cubs lost the series, panic no doubt would've ensued before the big three-game showdown in Milwaukee, which begins Monday.
Worst news leak: Bulls coach Billy Donovan's contract extension being announced by ESPN before the series finale, over a month after reports that it basically was a done deal. No terms were announced and no one was made available for comment. Making an important personnel decision and not explaining why is a classic Reinsdorfian maneuver.
Best interview: Sox starter Adrian Houser tearing up after Friday's win during his postgame media session, thinking about his infant daughter getting to see him pitch for the first time. A class act, Houser did the job he came here to do, and should soon be rewarded with a trade to a contender.
Worst managerial take: Sox manager Will Venable on the trade rumors affecting players: 'I hope people don't want to leave here. With what these guys have built and that clubhouse and how they get along, the type of baseball that we're playing, this is a place that people want to be.' Yes, but the Sox aren't going to be truly competitive for at least a year or two, so any veteran should relish a chance to be traded to a contender this week.
Worst baserunning. Lenyn Sosa, take a bow. Sosa was thrown out at third Sunday after Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner baited him by letting an infield fly rule popup drop. Instead of staying put, Sosa gets nailed at third, squelching a potential rally. 'Not a real good baserunning play by Sosa,' CHSN's Steve Stone says in obvious disgust. 'A little bit of a mental error there where he didn't see the call being made,' Venable said, adding 'we have to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out a better way to coach that.' Sosa might also need to look in a mirror.
Best monster truck impression: Hoerner kept a rundown going Sunday after being picked off first, before Ian Happ's big collision at third with Colson Montgomery brought home the eventual winning run on an interference call. Wise guys called it Happ's biggest hit of the season.
Best line: MLB Network's Harold Reynolds on Allen's Hall of Fame plaque: 'Just missing the cigarette.' Reynolds was referring to the classic Sports Illustrated cover with Allen juggling baseballs in the Sox dugout while a heater dangled from his mouth.
Best tweet: In what was labeled 'an ode to Dick Allen,' a White Sox social media post showed Jonathan Cannon, Grant Taylor and Sean Burke juggling baseballs in the dugout.
Worst programming decision: How does CHSN virtually ignore Allen's induction into the Hall of Fame? They had all year to put together a short documentary on the man who helped save the franchise from moving in 1972. It would've been great viewing before or after Sunday's game. Someone dropped the ball.
Worst hit by pitch: Cubs closer Daniel Palencia plunking Luis Robert Jr. in the arm in the ninth inning Sunday might have put Sox general manager Chris Getz into therapy with four days left before the trade deadline. The oft-injured outfielder sat through minor soreness in the first two games before talking Venable into letting him DH on Sunday.
Best scene: The concourse all weekend was filled with fans of both teams enjoying the food and conversation. It was as good an advertisement for coming out to the ballpark as anyone could've written, and reminded us once again that Sox Park comes alive when it's full and energized. With the Sox playing a better brand of baseball since the All-Star break, it'll be interesting to see if it pays any dividends at the box office with the Philadelphia Phillies coming to town Monday.
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