I went to the Cubs loss yesterday with Mahoney because New Amsterdam Craig is the man and he hooks it up all the time. Always has been a good guy that Craig. We love him here at CarlsBlogs.com
He gave us tickets and we went yesterday for about a dozen beers. It’s one of my favorite days of the year. We always try to hit one early Cubs game together every season to set the tone. This goes back maybe 12 or 13 years now.
Yesterday was our first game together and we noticed something I have not seen before. Some said it’s always been this way. Others agree with me. Personally I’ve never noticed that there’s an empty statue well in Gallagher Way
Specifically the one closest to Clark Street:
Mahoney told me it was for the 2016 World Series 10 reunion next year. He said he was friends with the sculptor from high school and they were planning on multiple faces and bodies in one beautiful commemoration.
My beef with that is two fold:
- 10 years is too soon
- That’s not enough space
And I also want more than 1 World Series Championship to commemorate. So you can’t put it under the marquee sign – that’s already chaos. The Draft Kings sportsbook is a monstrosity that takes over the fight field corner of Sheffield/Addison
There’s basically no room to do a good statue for 2016 which brings us back to the well.
I think 10 years is way too soon.
And then consider – who is on good terms with the Cubs from the 2016 team?
- Lester played for the Cardinals
- Arrieta was mislead in free agency after winning a championship then he got released in 2022
- Rizzo didn’t get an extension, then got traded
- Bryant and Baez both traded and still active
- Willson Contreras is currently playing for the Cardinals
- Heyward was just here for the Padres and he was 7-68 in his postseason career as a Cub
- David Ross got lured into managing only to be fired later
- They let Kyle Hendricks finish his career in LA
- Addison Russell got run out of town
- Almora got released
- Schwarber got non tendered
- Dexter Fowler couldn’t get a contract – played for the Cardinals
- Joe Maddon got fired
- Miguel Montero got DFA’d the next year
- Juliana Zobrist ___________________ howareyou
It would really just be Pedro Strop, Trevor Cahill and Travis Wood signing autographs and having a couple drinks with the fans. I don’t know who else from that crew has the time and relationship to honor a 10 year anniversary mid season next year.
Which brings me back to some players before Theo’s era for a statue:
- Mark Grace – needed more postseason success for a statue
- Sammy Sosa – just got allowed back in the dugout so probably no statue for the time being
- Kerry Wood – only if you do it with Mark Prior and that would never happen because it should never happen. But if you’re talking Woody then you need Prior right next to him.
- Kerry Wood is much more significant than Mark Prior but they’re a packaged deal and you can’t tell me otherwise
- Aramis Ramirez – you can’t be serious
- Derek Lee – I still talk about that 2005 season but No Shot
- Zambrano? He has a 42 WAR and everybody loved him but also… No Shot
- Evers? Tinker? Chance? 3 finger? Stan Hack? Hack Wilson? Cap Anson or Hippo Vaughn?
- No Shot
So then I’m wondering if there’s no body from before Theo’s era, maybe it’s Theo himself?
START BUILDING TOM