The arrival of spring brings new flowers, leaves on the trees, and warm weather, but for many people it means one thing: baseball season reappears. For the Riverside-Brookfield community, 2008 could not have been much better.
In 2008, the varsity Bulldogs advanced all the way to the sectional championship, an unlikely run that many did not predict. There they lost to Glenbard South, but finished the season at 23-13. The team could not have asked for a better season.
Baseball season is now just beginning for the Bulldogs, with tryouts for varsity squad on March 2nd. The team could be ready to add on last year’s run. They could do it because the team is led by several seniors that have experience and started on last year’s 23-13 team.
On the professional level, both Cubs and Sox fans should be pretty pleased with their teams. The Cubs finished with the best record in the National League and appeared to be poised for a World Series run, though they struggled late and lost in the Division Series to the Dodgers.
The White Sox made an exciting and unexpected run to win their division. They finished tied with the pesky Twins for first place at the end of the season. The Sox and Twins faced off in a one-game playoff at US Cellular Field, where the White Sox won and advanced to the playoffs, though they too could not advance past the first round after talks of an all-Chicago World Series.
Making the playoffs is achievement enough for both Chicago teams; in fact the last time both the Cubs and Sox both made the playoffs in the same year was in 1906.
Both teams have just begun Spring Training in Arizona with hopes of making the playoffs again and getting to the World Series. It is definitely a possibility for the both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, who have made deals that could have them in position to both make postseason runs. The Chicago Cubs added switch-hitting outfielder Milton Bradley and White Sox acquired Bartolo Colon, possibly a solid addition to the rotation, if his health holds up.
Baseball as a whole has been on a decline lately, and the reason for this is the ever present use of performance-enhancing drugs. One of the marquis players in the league, Alex Rodriguez, has admitted to having used such drugs, causing even more speculation that many other players have used steroids as well. It is hard to trust that anybody is definitely clean. With the home run leader, Barry Bonds, always in steroid discussions, the game is obviously no longer clean, but for Riverside and Brookfield, baseball has never been better. The community just hopes that 2009 is a repeat of last year. Maybe even better.
--Submitted by Charlie Morrissey, Staff Reporter |
