Kritik und Lob » ve won so many matches, thats what gives

Every year since the Major League Baseball strike of 1994, Wrigley Field Section 416 seatmates Old Style, Rich and I have taken a minor league road trip.Chicago is perfectly situated for such travel. Its right in the heart of the Class A Midwest League and some independent leagues, and Triple-A Iowa and Indianapolis bring Pacific Coast and International League teams pretty close too.We divide our tasks: I drive, Rich puts together the playlist, and Old Style scouts out food at and around the ballparks and hotels. The slower pace and smaller crowds of minor league ball are a perfect summer tonic, a palate-cleanser from the intensity of Wrigley Field.Midwest League ball is especially sweet, as three great seats along the dugout or behind home plate can usually be had for less than the price of one ticket at Wrigley. The food, often served up by local charity or benevolent association volunteers, is excellent. And the craft beer selection always outdoes Wrigley.Pro-tip: When at any park in Iowa-Quad Cities, Clinton, Burlington or Des Moines -- just get the pork sandwich. The cooks of that fair state know their swine. Torn between the pulled barbecue and breaded tenderloin options? Hell, get one of them in the first inning and the other one in the fifth. They have defibrillators handy.Beyond the culinary pleasures, a minor league road trip is a form of time travel. You go back to the past, and project yourself into the future.You go to see the Cubs Class A or Double-A or Triple-A teams so that one day you can turn to someone at Wrigley or your local bar and say, I saw that guy play when he was in the minors.We can say that about Matt Szczur, Cubs backup outfielder. We saw him play for Peoria back in 2011, but my only firm memory is trying to figure out how to pronounce his name. Now it rolls off the tongue: Hail Caesar, king of the Cubs 2016 pinch hitters.Stars Javier Baez and Jorge Soler were playing for the Iowa Cubs when we drove all the way to Omaha to see them (and eat barbecue) in 2014. The Storm Chasers struck out Baez three times, and Soler came in as a pinch hitter late in the game. He hit a ball so hard that the crack of the bat silenced the whole crowd. It was foul by 10 feet, but, as Cubs radio voice Pat Hughes would say, Looooooong gone!Had it been hit at Wrigley, it would have broken the window of some guys SUV parked behind the firehouse on Waveland Avenue.As we drove home over the plains the next day, the word came in over sports talk radio: Baez had been called up to The Show. We argued in the car over the wisdom of that move, but no longer do. Soler, who might turn out to be an injury-prone bust, is still a question mark, but Baez is looking stellar wherever Joe Maddon plays him defensively, as well as solid at the plate.Now, theyre two more guys we can say we saw them way back when.Great minor league parks also transport you back to the games past. Before television came to dominate our entertainment time, minor leagues covered the American landscape; B, C, and D-level leagues could be found all over the country, as well as industrial leagues and less formal town ball and sandlot games. Most of that is gone, but you can still get a taste of it.In minor league parks, the pace of everything except the game itself is even slower and more relaxed. Pretty much every seat is a good seat, and children play on the outfield berms. Sure, some guys show up to impress business clients just like at Wrigley, but its mostly families and dedicated fans.This was our first trip to South Bend, and Four Winds Field was impressive, as was the team logo. Old Style loved their sterner version of the Chicago Cubs bear. Hes coming to eat, not play like a little soft cubbie.The teams Hall of Fame -- on the concourse behind home plate, with plaques modeled on those at Cooperstown -- was outstanding. They didnt just feature the sort of player you see commemorated at most minor league or spring training parks, the guys who played there and then went on to notable major league careers.No, the South Bend Cubs also feature players from the South Bend Blue Sox of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. It was a pleasure to learn about Betsy Jochum, who struck out only 10 times in 400 at-bats in 1946 -- or Jean Faut, who threw four no-hitters (including two perfect games) while batting .290 for her career. The team also recognizes local connections to the Negro Leagues, enshrining Lafayette Dusty Riddle, who organized barnstorming Negro League ball in South Bend and was also the first African-American cop in town.That respect for history even extends to the parks gift shop, a converted historic synagogue. You can buy souvenirs under an homage to the Sistine Chapels Creation of Adam, with God handing his creation a baseball under the eternally blessed words: Play ball.We probably wont brag about seeing anyone who played that day, as our trip coincided with the All-Star break and top prospect Eloy Jimenez was in San Diego for the Futures Game. But we did see the South Bend Cubs beat the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 10-6.Yet Ill surely remember the first baseman, Tyler Alamo, even if he never makes the bigs.Wonder if hell ever play in the Texas League?Discount Nike Air Max 1 . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Fake Nike Air Max 1 . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. https://www.cheapairmax1store.com/ . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Nike Air Max 1 2022 . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Nike Air Max 1 2021 . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup.BORDEAUX, France -- Theyre Europes most successful soccer nations. Theyre arguably the form teams at this European Championship. Theyre the two countries that almost always rise to the occasion in major tournaments.Germany vs. Italy: Its a game fit for a final.Except one of them wont even get past the quarterfinal stage at Euro 2016.The continental heavyweights -- owners of eight World Cups and four European Championships between them -- collide in Bordeaux on Saturday in a match that stands out for many reasons.Firstly, theres the skewed history of their meetings in major tournaments. Germany and Italy have played each other eight times at the highest level and, bizarrely, the Germans havent recorded a single victory.We still have a score to settle with the Italians, Germany goalkeeping coach Andreas Koepke said.Then theres the nations current standing in soccer. Germany came into Euro 2016 as the world champion and, to many people, the tournament favorite. Italy arrived with what many back home were saying was the worst team in years.The Germans have largely lived up to their billing, conceding no goals in four matches and hitting their stride with a 3-0 win over Slovakia in the round of 16. The Italians have silenced the critics with arguably the best two displays of any team so far, 2-0 wins over highly fancied rivals Belgium (in the group stage) and then Spain (in the round of 16).Im not singing with the choir that wrote us off (after a 0-0) against Poland and is now branding us absolute favorites after the win over Slovakia, Germany coach Joachim Loew.Theyre not the Italians that we normally know, Loew added. Theyre not only focused on defense but they play very, very well going forward. So ... I believe well have a very interesting, highly charged game on Saturday.While Italy is battle-hardened after a tougher-than-average group stage and tthen a match against defending champion Spain, theres a sense that Euro 2016 really starts here for Germany.ddddddddddddLoews side strolled through its group and Slovakia didnt prove to be a real test.The Italians certainly will be.Loew had his biggest disappointment as Germany coach when his team lost 2-1 to Italy in the Euro 2012 semifinals. He was assistant manager to Juergen Klinsmann when Italy beat Germany in extra time in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup that Germany hosted.Germanys barren run against the Azzurri in major tournaments started with a 0-0 draw at the 1962 World Cup.You dont prepare a game saying we won the one before, well win the next one, Italy midfielder Alessandro Florenzi said. We went to work immediately after Spain, we watched the video and tried to find weaknesses in a team that doesnt have many.The facts speak for themselves, theyre world champions, theyve won so many matches, thats what gives them confidence.Italys chances of continuing its impressive streak in this fixture are being undermined by a midfield crisis. Already without Claudio Marchisio, Marco Verratti and Riccardo Montolivo because of pre-tournament injuries, Italy coach Antonio Conte is without the suspended Thiago Motta and Antonio Candreva (groin), while Daniele De Rossi (thigh) is a doubt.As for Germany, left back Jonas Hector has had a cold this week but is expected to be OK for Saturday.This could be Contes last game in charge of Italy before he takes over as manager of Chelsea in the English Premier League. He has given tactical masterclasses against Belgium and Spain, and another might be needed against a Germany side that has a point to prove.We have no Italy-trauma, Loew saidThe world is just about to find out. ' ' '