Cubs Corner: 2021 Cubs on the Move, Sosa’s HOF Bid, More

Cubs Corner: 2021 Cubs on the Move

Even with all of the uncertainty surrounding the 2021 Chicago Cubs, one thing is for certain: The Cubs are on the move – literally. As of yesterday at 10:00 AM Central time, that big orange Kenworth from Midway Moving and Storage rolled away from Midway’s facility, with its nose pointed southwest, as it heads to Mesa for Spring Training. If all goes well, players will be there soon as well.

In my (much) younger days, I drove trucks and worked for a lot of moving agents, often needing help from them to load and unload. I’d done some work with Midway back in the day, and I can ensure you, that the Cubs’ baseball equipment is in good hands, as it makes the nearly 1,800 mile trip across the country.

Yesterday, I reached out to Jerry Siegel, President of Midway Moving and Storage, so I could give you folks an inside view of this process.

Driven by Vince Holland, a seasoned, 25-year vet at Midway, the truck, driver, and crew arrived at Wrigley Field on Wednesday morning to start the arduous task of loading. Due to DOT log hour restrictions, Mr. Holland was forced to stay home on Wednesday night, but departed for Mesa at 10:00 AM yesterday morning (2/4/2021).

Despite snowy conditions throughout the midwest and much of the country, Mr. Siegel said that he had no doubt his driver and the equipment would be sitting in Mesa, Arizona on Sunday morning. In the trucking industry, steady wins the race. Mr. Siegel informed me that Mr. Holland would drive roughly 500 miles per day, so as to stay within the legal limits set forth by the US Department of Transportation.

Side note: For any veteran (OK…old school) driver, the log hours restrictions are not only ever-changing but a real pain in the … um… rump to deal with… With electronic logs, the days of “fudging the books” or running two sets of logs are over. Stuck in traffic for five hours due to an accident? Guess what, you just lost the ability to drive half of your hours that day. Flat tire? Well, that hour at Petro waiting on a tire change just cost you another 60 miles of progress that day. It’s not an easy job, so tip your cap to these guys.

Safe travels, Mr. Holland.

Cubs Corner: Sosa and His Bid for MLB’s HOF

When it comes to certain baseball topics and debates, some things never get old. After a year that saw no one inducted into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame, another opportunity has passed for former Cubs slugger, Sammy Sosa.

Who could possibly forget the home run race of 1998, featuring Sosa and Mark McGwire at the end of it all? Likewise, who could forget the infamy of the MLB steroid scandal that went along with that race?

Like many, I too am torn over the whole scenario. MLB needed a boost, and guys like Sosa and McGwire drew fans like crazy, but was it all a fraud? This was a great storyline that was, unfortunately, (chemically) scripted like a WWE match.

The Cubs have demanded an apology and an admission of guilt from Sosa. Sosa maintains his innocence. The result? The Cubs have severed all ties with one of the most exciting Cubs players ever.

Meanwhile, Sosa continues his bid for admission into Cooperstown, but the time is ticking quickly, and it’s not ticking in Sosa’s favor. Still considered an outcast by some members of the BBWAA when it comes to the voting, Sosa now has just one more shot to be voted into the Hall of Fame. After next year’s balloting, it’s over… forever.

Will Sosa get the break he needs, or will he be locked out of Cooperstown for eternity?

Cubs Corner: Cubbie Birthdays

Happy belated birthday to ex-Cubs:

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