Final Project: Results of Chicago Tribune's April 2009 Baseball Coverage

Results of data colleced from the Chicago Tribune's sports section via their website

Introduction:
Beginning on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009, I began collecting and recording stories from the online version of the Chicago Tribune’s sports section, in an effort to compare the company’s coverage of the White Sox and Cubs. Considering the recent financial struggles of the Chicago Tribune, and the subsequent sale of the Chicago Cubs imminent, I was curious as to how the Tribune’s coverage of the two teams would differ at the outset of the 2009 season. Growing up a White Sox fan, I’ve always felt as though the coverage has been unbalanced, if not biased toward the Cubs – and probably rightfully so. But as the Tribune sits on the threshold of a new era of ownership, I thought it would be interesting to track how – if at all – coverage of Chicago’s baseball teams would change. And, with both teams entering the 2009 season as champions of their divisions, and both having high hopes for the upcoming year, I considered it an intriguing matter as to how the Tribune would handle its coverage; not only initially, but throughout the month of April as well.

(Data collected from the Chicago Tribune’s online sports section from April 7th – April 26th. Stories considered to be “headlines” are bolded.)

A: "Headline Story"; B: Additional Stories

April 7th
Cubs: 3
- “Cubs, Big Z beat Astros in season Opener”
- “Cubs follow script in Opening Day win”
- “Ryan Dempster hopes Cubs fans can enjoy ride”
Sox: 1
- “White Sox’s goal: Have each starting pitcher work 200 innings”

April 8th
Cubs: 3
- “Astros trip Cubs 3-2 in 10 innings”
- “Soto’s shoulder a nagging concern for Cubs”
- “Lee disputes that his age is a cause for concern”
Sox: 4
- “Thome’s homer powers White Sox in Opener”
- “Sox need big boppers’ pop”
- “For most part, ‘new guys’ paid off for Sox”

April 9th
Cubs: 5
- “Cubs beat Astros 11-6”
- “Lilly yanked after homerun derby”
- “Cubs adding Spanish radio broadcasts”
- “Cubs catcher Soto thinks soreness no big deal”
- “Cubs third in 2009 baseball salaries”
Sox: 4
- “White Sox blanked 2-0”
- “Royals pitcher targets Quentin”
- “Buehrle hesitant to change offseason routine”
- “Wise to leadoff – for now”

April 10th
Cubs: 0
Sox: 1
- “Crede has fond Sox memories”

April 11th
Cubs: 4
- “Brewers rally to beat Cubs”
- “Koyie Hill offers mea culpa on spike”
- “Soto doubtful for Cubs Brewers series”
- “Harden shows skeptics with sharp outing”
Sox: 2
- “White Sox fall to Twins 12-5”
- “Lillibridge latest leadoff hitter for White Sox”

April 12th
Cubs: 3
- “Rain Threatens Cubs Opener”
- “Bradley leaves game with leg injury”
- “ESPN’s Steve Phillips apologizes to Cubs’ Piniella”
Sox: 3
- “Sox put away Twins 6-1”
- “Sox begin 10 game trip”
- “White Sox will try to rest catcher Pierzynski”

April 13th
Cubs: 3
- “Cubs wait out rainy weather”
- “Cubs host Colorado”
- “Cubs beat Brewers 8-5”
Sox: 2
- “White Sox begin 10-game trip”
- “Series Matchup: White Sox at Detroit Tigers”

April 14th
Cubs: 4
- “Ted Lilly brilliant as Cubs blank Rockies 4-0”
- “A day of firsts on Cubs’ first home game of season”
- “Cubs exercise caution with Milton Bradley’s groin injury”
- “Cubs’ Piniella tinkers with lineup”
Sox: 4
- “White Sox 10, Tigers 6”
- “Wise separates shoulder, Owens recalled”
- “White Sox Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko hit 300th career homeruns”
- “Sox’s Floyd struggles with control, happy to get win”

April 15th
Cubs: 3
- “Cubs warm to Wrigley climate change”
- “Cubs relievers learning Piniella life lessons”
- “Bradley working hard to change ways”
Sox: 2
- “White Sox give Anderson shot in center field”
- “Sox shuffle rotation after postponement”

April 16th
Cubs: 1
- “Ramirez back in Cubs’ lineup to face Cards”
Sox: 0

April 17th
Cubs: 4
- “Cubs starter likes Blackhawks in Cup Finals”
- “Suspension for Cubs’ Bradley?”
- “Cubs hear nothing on Bradley’s status”
- “Starters, relievers, hitters and fielders all sloppy in loss”
Sox: 2
- “Sox hold off Rays 3-2”
- “Guillen still smarts of playoff losses to TB”

April 18th
Cubs: 3
- “Cubs rally to top Cardinals 8-7”
- “Cubs’ Milton Bradley suspended for 2 games”
- “Zambrano’s explanation: ‘Things happen’”
Sox: 2
- “Grand slam sinks Sox”
- “Guillen won’t overuse his starters so early”

April 19th
Cubs: 2
- “Ramirez’s walk-off HR wins it for Cubs in 11 innings”
- “Cubs’ Bradley to appeal on matter of ‘principle’”
Sox: 2
- “Konerko has 3 RBIs in White Sox’s 8-3 win”
- “Dye’s 1,000th RBI”

April 20th
Cubs: 2
- “Sunday Night’s Cubs-Cardinals game postponed”
- “Piniella vs. La Russa”
Sox: 2
- “Sox’s Floyd allows two runs over seven innings”
- “Ozzie vs. Nick Swisher”
Both: 1
- “Phil Rogers’ rankings: Cubs at 4, White Sox at 10”

April 21st
Cubs: 2
- “What we know about Cubs after 11 games”
- “Hoffpauir grateful for string of at-bats”
Sox: 3
- “White Sox meet President Obama”
- “Returning to mound isn’t enough for White Sox Contreras”
- “Nix to start minor-league rehab stint”

April 22nd
Cubs: 1
- “Harden, Ramirez star in Cubs’ 7-2 victory”
Sox: 1
- “Contreras wild as White Sox fall 10-3”

April 23rd
Cubs: 3
- “Piniella lays down the law to Bradley”
- “Reds blank Cubs 3-0”
- “Samardzija called up, Vizcaino likely to be cut”
Sox: 2
- “Sox dump Orioles 8-2”
- “Contreras in rotation”

April 24th
Cubs: 2
- “Milton Bradley breaks silence after Cubs’ loss”
- “Bradley not close to coming back”
Sox: 2
- “Colon flops in 6-2 Sox loss”
- “Up next: Sox-Jays”

April 25th
Cubs: 3
- “Cubs’ Carlos Marmol out with knee sprain”
- “Cubs’ Ramirez out for today’s game”
- “Cardinals edge Cubs 4-3”
Sox: 0

April 26th
Cubs: 2
- “Cubs have scored just 1 earned run in 4-game skid”
- “Marmol: Knee sprain”
Sox: 2
- “White Sox crush Blue Jays”
- “Slump? Slam for Alexei”

Cubs Final Total: 53
Headlines: 5

Sox Final Total: 41
Headlines: 2

Mutual: 1 (4/20)

2008 Archive Results
Cubs: 184
Sox: 107

(Note: Graphs included in hard-copy)

Source used for attendance rankings (used in hard-copy):
ESPN

Sources used for recent Television ratings (used in hard-copy):
Chicago Sun-Times
Comcast Sportsnet Chicago

Poll Voters....

So I didn't get a chance to do this earlier, but figured it'd be a decent idea to put up my project proposal and approach to what I'm trying to do - just so you don't think I'm some paranoid freak Sox fan looking for reasons to complain.

On the other hand, if you already see me as a paranoid freak Sox fan looking for reasons to complain, or just flat out don't feel like reading...carry on.

Considering the financial struggles of the Chicago Tribune, and the subsequent sale of the Chicago Cubs imminent, I would like to examine and compare the paper’s coverage of the White Sox and Cubs beginning with the 2009 season. Over the years, I’ve felt as though the coverage has been unbalanced, if not biased toward the Cubs – and probably rightfully so. But as the Tribune enters a new era of ownership, I’m curious as to how the paper will approach each team at the outset of the 2009 season. By following the Tribune’s day-to-day coverage of the Cubs and Sox throughout the month of April, I should be able to gather a solid amount of empirical evidence; either on the side of biased coverage, or on the side of fair and balanced coverage. With both teams coming into the new season as Division champions, it will be interesting to follow the initial reports, but also how coverage develops throughout the month.

Additionally, I’d like to sift through the Tribune’s online archives from last April in attempt to gather how much coverage both teams received a year ago, especially in comparison to now.

To further support or refute my findings, I will also be including other statistics not necessarily tied directly to the Tribune’s coverage, but rather to each team’s popularity in Chicago. By tracking T.V. ratings, merchandise sales, and attendance figures from past years, I think it will be beneficial to see how the Sox and Cubs stack against each other. (I assume the Cubs will lead in most of these – the question is by how much?)

Yankees, Royalty pwned by The Onion

About 2 weeks ago, I made a post about the empty seats at the "new" Yankee Stadium. Charging $2,500 per seat (what a joke) will do that sort of thing.

Today the Onion has an article slamming the Yankees on the same subject: "Slashed Ticket Prices Allow Lesser Nobility to Attend Yankees Games."

"The Yankees, much like the city they play in, have never cared about the size of your fortune, so long as you have one," said Hal Steinbrenner, the team's managing general partner. "Sure, we'd prefer to have the Queen Herself in the dugout seats, but if that's not possible, we'll take whoever we can get until the economy gets back on its feet."

Well played Onion. Well played indeed.

Just L-i-v-i-n the dream

With Big Z out after straining his hamstring, the Cubs called up an infielder by the name of Bobby Scales to take his spot on the roster.

Bobby Scales? Who?

Scales has spent the last 11 years (!) in the minors without ever getting a call to the Show. Now, he's getting a shot with the Northsiders. Here's an ESPN article about it.

''It's everything you hope for when you play professional baseball,'' Scales said, according to Chicago-area media reports. ''Some of us late bloomers have to wait longer than others, but I made it.''

And, making his debut last night against the Giants when he started at second base, Scales collected his first big league hit in the 5th inning. Pretty sweet.

Bench the Missile? Naa...

White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez has started the season, well...terribly. But honestly, I'm not worried. And even if I was worried, there aren't many options the Sox have readily available to replace him. Here's the column I did for class today:

"Just a season after finishing second in Rookie of the Year balloting, White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez has stumbled through the first month of 2009.

The 27 year old Cuban import, who has moved from second base to his more natural position at shortstop, entered Monday night’s game against the Royals batting a mere .210.

Despite his struggles at the plate, however, Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen has elected to stick with Ramirez. And, with no better options immediately available, Guillen’s vote of confidence is undoubtedly the best decision for the time being.

“I wish I had better at-bats from him,” Guillen said. “I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself. He tries to do too much.”

Ramirez, who showed surprising power in his rookie season, has hit only one home run while scattering 10 RBIs in 23 games so far this year. However, through the same number of games last season, Ramirez’s numbers were even more dismal - a problem many attested to the weather.

In 2008, Ramirez entered the month of June hitting .234. Then on June 1, boom! He collected three hits. And most importantly, once he started hitting, he didn’t stop.

Over the course of the final four months of 2008, “The Cuban Missile” belted 19 homers, drove in 70 runs, and began to show flashes of brilliance in the field. He was clutch in the heat of his first ever pennant race, most memorably hitting a grand-slam on September 29th in a victory over the Detroit Tigers to keep the Sox’s playoff hopes alive.

The fact is, there simply isn’t anyone within the White Sox organization with Ramirez’s talent – or resume – to warrant replacing him at starting shortstop in the near future. Consider the options.

Jayson Nix has the potential to be a good utility player, but with just 59 career at bats at the Major League Level, he isn’t yet fit for a starting role. And, while reports rank him as an above-average fielder, he isn’t equipped with the range or the arm that Ramirez has shown in his short career.

Another replacement being tossed around is offseason acquisition Brent Lillibridge. Although drafted as a shortstop, the speedy Lillibridge has looked overmatched in 17 games this season, hitting a meek .179 in 46 plat appearances. Like Nix, Lillibridge seems better suited for a utility role, one in which the Sox can utilize his speed on the bases and his versatility in the field. But a starting shortstop, he is not.

Finally, first round pick Gordon Beckham, who has received rave reviews during his short time at Double-A Birmingham, is still considered a time away from the Big Leagues. He has done well in his first professional season, hitting .302 in 86 at-bats. But at just 22 years old, the White Sox appear devoted to developing Beckham slowly – a fact that rules him out of contention for now.

With their options so slim, the White Sox unquestionably have to continue penciling Ramirez’s name into the lineup on a daily basis. The expectations for Ramirez were certainly high entering the 2009 campaign, and a shaky first month shouldn’t change that.

He might be pressing, as Guillen asserted. Or, the chilly April conditions might be affecting the native Cuban more than he lets on. One thing is for certain, though. After showing star-potential in his first season in 2008, giving up on Ramirez just one month into the 2009 season would be a massive mistake."

A-Rod is....

....a long list of things. But here's a new one...

In class, we talked about the new book by the SI writer who broke the A-Rod steroid story a few months ago. Here's an article about it.

Steroids this, Madonna that, yadda yadda yadda. But the part that got me in this article is the very last line:

The 255-page book also chronicles A-Rod's off-the-field escapades: his poker habit; his divorce from his wife, Cynthia; the relationship with Madonna, and dalliances with out-of-town floozies.

He was even hated at Hooters, where he tipped the minimum 15%, the book says.

Not only do we get a shout out to floozies, but it also slams A-Rod for being cheap?!

The ridiculousness of this whole situation is awesome on so many levels.

Edit: And now that I think about it, the author really must have done some hardcore investigative reporting. Hitting up the local Hooters restaurants to find out how much A-Rod tipped? She really knows how to cut to the core!

Note to self: Stay on Selena Roberts' good side.

A Melting Pot...

First, the newest issue of Sports Illustrated has a cover story on Royals starting pitcher Zach Greinke, who has been nothing short of unhittable so far this season. He's 4-0 with 36 K's...and has yet to allow an earned run. (This after not allowing a run in his final 14 innings of 2008...!). Here's a preview:

In 2007, when third baseman Alex Gordon was a rookie, he struggled terribly at the start. Before Gordon's seventh game, Greinke pulled his teammate into the video room and showed him a clip. It was of Greinke hitting his home run. "In case you forgot," Greinke said, "this is what a home run looks like." Gordon hit his first big league homer that night.

It's a great article, and if you have 10 minutes, check it out.

Also, Brewers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo is ridiculous. Not only did he dominate the Pirates earlier today (the 11 win Pirates, mind you) with 8 shutout innings and 11 K's, he also homered - the game's only run. Gallardo earned the 1-0 victory, but the real important thing (obviously) is that he raised his batting average to .333 with his second bomb of the season....