More Tribune Meltdowns

Sometimes when we read about the previous day's game in the Tribune, we wonder if the reporter was covering a different game. Yesterday first-base umpire Dale Scott made two umpiring errors in the fifth inning that led to four Twins runs. Without those four runs, the Twins don't win that game. Tribune reporter Mark Gonzalez doesn't even mention the first of those errors, and he doesn't get to the second error until the sixth paragraph of his story. Instead he characterizes the ugly inning as a "meltdown" by Sox pitcher Javier Vazquez. It's hardly a meltdown if the umpire gives the opposing team two extra hits and two extra outs.

Vazquez (4-2) didn't earn either of his two losses this year. He should be 6-0. As much as the Tribune loves a meltdown (see their North Side team), Vazquez is not meltdown material.

The All-Seeing Corporate Eye

Of 14 Cubs games that will be broadcast on WGN in September, 10 of them are day games. WGN is leaving most of the Cubs' September night games to WCIU and Comcast Sportsnet. What does this mean? It means that some suit in the Tribune Tower predicted months ago that viewers would be more interested in prime-time sitcoms than in the Cubs in September. Hmm. So some suit at the Tribune predicted months ago that the Cubs were going to field a loser this year.

I can't take credit for this clever analysis of WGN's scheduling choices. It comes from Tribune reporter Paul Sullivan, who uttered it during an interview last week on The Score.