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June 30, 2005
Say it ain't so
It's kind of a sad week for Chicago institutions. First, Demon Dogs gets whacked, and now Joe Borowski. The Cubs pitcher who was instrumental in them winning the 2003 division title was cut yesterday. To be fair, he wasn't spectacular this season, but you hate to see a guy like that go.
He was a closer of the Millennium Falcon style: Dusty Baker and all the Cub fans would be watching like Han Solo, mumbling "come on baby, hold together." For that 2003 season, he held together. This was a guy who a year prior to that was hurling for the Monterey Sultans in the Mexican League. That, friends, was perseverence.
My favorite Borowksi memory has nothing to do with his pitching, though. I was riding the Red Line with a friend after a White Sox game, when one of the people who ride the train a little too much started to talk to us. We talked about baseball, and the Cubs, and the White Sox. He tells us how he likes many of the Cub players, "especially that Polock." Yes, he said, "I love that Polock." I knew he wasn't talking about Antonio Alfonseca. For some reason, whenever I think about Borowski, that's what sticks out.
So, happy trails to you, Joe. I hope you catch on somewhere and make other homeless guys on the El admire your tenacity. I sure did.
Posted by oz115 at June 30, 2005 08:32 AM
Comments
Don't worry. There's a couple dozen more soft-tossing middle relievers out there just waiting to catch lightning in a bottle and have one great year as a closer, only to plummet back to mediocrity afterward.
Closer = easiest job in baseball.
Posted by: Pete at July 1, 2005 08:54 AM