Red Sox-Cubs Series fantasy remains just that

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By HUBERT MIZELL

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 16, 2001

My midsummer Cubs-Red Sox fantasy, based on encouraging early season baseball returns plus a twitch of frivolity, exuding hope of a World Series coming in the same delirious October to both Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, is in September traction.

At least, in Chicago, they have Sammy Sosa hammering and hopping, with wild-card possibilities not yet flat-lining. Dismay at Wrigley is but a fraction of the sickening pall at Fenway.

Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette could be New England's least-adored decisionmaker since Harry H. Frazee or Benedict Arnold. In recent seasons, D.D. seemed to sneer and all but cheer when dispensing Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn, both hugely productive and immensely popular in Boston.

Eventually, the GM went for a bailout, ballooning the Red Sox payroll to $110-million, spending like a plastic prince to employ Pedro Martinez and bring in Manny Ramirez.

Beantown dreamers, a forever-frustrated bunch, ventured into predictable mind-wandering, figuring '01 might at last be the year the Sox shucked the three-quarter-century "Curse of the Bambino." Overtaking the dominating Yankees. Chances looked promising in July, but the Duquetters slipped worse than Nasdaq.

Boston lost 10 straight, 14 of 20. Jimy Williams, a good guy and solid baseball manager, was terminated as a foundering GM sought to blame others. Martinez and Manny Ramirez became disgruntled. Pedro is gone with an injury. It would be an ailing, useless summer for shortstop Nomar Garciaparra.

Word is, the franchise will be sold. One set of potential buyers swears Duquette would be sacked faster than George Steinbrenner ever dumped Billy Martin. It's an ugly, shameful scenario featuring a GM who should do the decent thing, resign and move to Greenland.

It was fun for a while. But now, in Chicago and Boston, eyes must turn toward pro football. In search of possibilities. ... Oh, my, I almost forgot, all they have are the Bears and Patriots. So, feel fortunate Tampa Bay, with Rays crumblings, you do have the Buccaneers.

UPPERCUTS: A football arm of Herculean note, Dan Fouts, speaks without reservation about Peyton Manning, saying the Colts launcher has "got it all -- size, strength and mobility ... he's such a student of the game ... very quick with his (pass) release ... skill in his genes; his dad (Archie) was such a great player." ... Mia Hamm, soccer's ultimate female icon, may evolve from pitch to putt in her early 30s, trying professional golf. As a part-time practitioner, with obvious hand-eye skills and raw athletic power, she already shoots in the low 80s. ... Latest episode of it makes me feel older: Willie Wood, a Hall of Fame safety in Green Bay's indelible '60s when Vince Lombardi coached the Packers to wins in the first two Super Bowls, has a grandson playing cornerback at the University of Colorado. ... Jerry Ball, 305 pounds of rough as a superb Lions nose tackle in the '80s, has (no surprise) gone into the food biz as operator of a San Antonio seafood eatery. READER'S SHOUT: E-mail from Sherm Kelley of Brooksville says, "After watching the Bucs struggle to beat a truly poor Cowboys team, it's clear why Chris Mortensen of ESPN says Tony Dungy occupies the NFL's hottest coaching seat.

"Brad Johnson is the best quarterback they've had, Warrick Dunn is an adequate runner, Mike Alstott has always been overrated, Keyshawn Johnson cannot seem to get on a hot streak and Tampa Bay's offensive line is maybe among the league's half-dozen poorest. And a couple of those fellows are getting old.

"We all want our Bucs to excel. Reaching the NFC Championship Game at a minimum. Their defense is still good enough to win the Super Bowl but offensive shortcomings will, I fear, again keep Tony's crew from being among the elite.

"It might also get a good coach fired."

JABS: Seven NFL franchises have women in VP-and-higher positions, the Bucs not among them. Georgia Frontiere (Rams) and Denise DeBartolo York (49ers) are owners who inherited teams, Bengals executive VP Katie Blackburn, Chargers CFO Jeanne Bonk, Dolphins senior VP Jill Strafaci, Houston Texans VP/general counsel Suzie Thomas and Raiders chief executive Amy Trask. ... Would it not be fitting, with NASCAR's incredible increase of revenues, to create an imposing memorial park at Daytona Beach headquarters, akin to the glory granite of Yankee Stadium's garden of greats, honoring stock car racing's ultimate giants, living and dead? Keeping it at an extremely high level. I would begin with Bill France Sr., Fireball Roberts, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. ... Mike Peterson was a dandy linebacker for the Florida Gators, but his younger brother, Adrian, had some academic problems and went from the Gainesville suburb Alachua to Georgia Southern, where the running back has gained 100-plus yards for an NCAA record 33 consecutive games.

Whatever happened to Morganna?

- To reach Hubert Mizell, e-mail mmizell02@earthlink.net or mail to P.O. Box 725, Nellysford, VA 22958.

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