Column: Comings (All-Star Game) and goings (NASCAR) as Chicago's summer reminds us why we never leave

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

This is what we call the 'Oh, right …' time of year in Chicago.
When we're shivering or shoveling in early to mid-January, we always ask ourselves why we live in this godforsaken town instead of moving to a state where icicles don't form on your eyebrows.
Then six months later, on a beautiful summer night at a ballpark, we say to ourselves, 'Oh, right … this is why.'
With the Chicago Bears starting training camp, the Cubs at home against the Kansas City Royals in the heat of a pennant race and the White Sox on a rare three-game winning streak, Monday was one of those days that reminds us why we never can leave.
While we await the next heat dome, here are some other observations on the world of sports.
The buzz surrounding the Cubs hosting the 2027 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field was muted in Atlanta with no announcement last week. But one still is expected soon, and the game should return to Chicago for the first time since 2003 at what is now called Rate Field.
MLB officials have been in town to plan logistics at Wrigley, and there still are things to work out, including where to put the media overflow for an event that's many times bigger, in terms of media and fans, than the one the Cubs hosted back in 1990. Bloggers and social media influencers are now part of the mediasphere, for better or (mostly) worse.
Wrigley's press box has been renovated, but it's still one of the smallest in baseball, and getting up and back involves walking up and down ramps and into fan gridlock. The local media are used to it, but out-of-town media hate the setup. One idea under consideration is putting some media on the rooftops across the street, most of which the Cubs own. But that would take away some of the revenue the Cubs are depending on.
Players also are accustomed to leaving the ballpark after being pulled from the All-Star Game and conducting brief interviews outside the clubhouses. That would be a security nightmare at Wrigley, with almost no space outside the two clubhouses. It might be 'inside baseball' that fans don't care about, but it figures to be an interesting puzzle for MLB to solve.
I hate to agree with President Donald Trump, but Commanders is indeed a bad name for the football team in Washington. Still, changing the name back to Redskins, as Trump is insisting, probably would be a nonstarter for the NFL.
A look at the history of Native American imagery and names in sportsMaybe it's time for team owner Josh Harris to compromise and meet Trump halfway. A fine nickname would be the Washington Rednecks, which keeps half of the original name and also pays homage to an underrepresented segment of Americans who have yet to have a team named for them.
According to Merriam-Webster, a redneck is 'a white member of the Southern rural laboring class' or 'a person whose behavior and opinions are similar to those attributed to rednecks.' Sure, it might not help lure free agents to Washington, but it should appease the only person who matters in this world, our stable genius president himself. In the words of the genius: 'GET IT DONE!'
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is an eternal optimist. Last week at the All-Star Game in Atlanta, he told the Baseball Writers' Association of America the sport is 'really thriving' in 2025.
'The product on the field is the best product that we have put out there in a very long time,' Manfred said. 'I don't think it's because we've changed the product, I think it's because we've restored the product to what it was for a very long time. It's action-filled, it's athletic, it is not so dependent on a home run or a strikeout, and I think our fans have responded positively to that restoration.'
That night, the All-Star Game featured one of the wackiest endings ever: the American League rallying from a 6-0 deficit to tie it in the ninth, only to lose on a swing-off — a mini Home Run Derby starring ex-Cub Kyle Schwarber. Baseball was back, thanks to the Schwarbombs!
Unfortunately for Manfred, the All-Star Game ratings were still abysmal, down 3% from 2024 with 7.19 million viewers. It was the second-smallest viewer turnout behind 2022, when 7.01 million tuned in. Maybe Manfred patted himself on the back too soon?
The stars were much bigger and had more national appeal in the 1970s and '80s. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are the only current stars who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the baseball legends of the late 20th century.
It's redundant to call ESPN personality Pat McAfee clueless, so sorry if we're repeating ourselves. The former NFL punter for some reason was chosen to emcee the MLB All-Star media day news conference, where the two starting pitchers and managers were introduced. McAfee proceeded to embarrass himself by congratulating AL starter Tarik Skubal for 'saving the city of Detroit.' Skubal, naturally, credited his teammates for the Tigers' resurgence.
He's an elite pitcher and the favorite to win a second straight AL Cy Young Award. But the Tigers entered Monday's game with a 15-5 record in the 20 games Skubal has started and a 45-35 record in their other 80 games. The rest of the players might have helped 'save Detroit' just a bit in those 45 wins, since Skubal was on the bench watching.
Besides, if any team can be credited with 'saving Detroit,' it's the Lions, not the Tigers. Perhaps McAfee should stick to ruining ESPN's 'College GameDay' telecasts and leave baseball to people who understand baseball.
Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet doesn't empathize with his former team, the White Sox, who are on pace for a third consecutive season of 100-plus losses. He knows what they're going through, but he doesn't feel sorry for their plight as he chases a playoff berth with the Red Sox.
'They're professional baseball players too,' Crochet said. 'Somebody has got to win the game. I can't really empathize with every team that's losing because that means that we're winning.'
As the old saying goes, there's no empathy in baseball.
'A bunch of average Joes.' That's what Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy called his team after completing a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. He added that it's a 'bunch of guys nobody has ever heard of,' which is also accurate.
And just like that, Murphy has set the stage for a sizzling race between the One Percenters from Chicago and the Average Joes from Milwaukee. Murphy would make a great marketing executive.
NASCAR told the city of Chicago it won't schedule the Chicago Street Race in 2026, pausing the event after three years with a goal of returning in 2027 with a race that 'further enhances the experience for residents and visitors alike.'
Sure thing. We'll be waiting for that call. But if no one answers, that's just us ghosting you.