So Luis Gonzalez wants to finish up his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The team that defines his career.   A nice thought to be sure.  The fans love him and that love is returned.  It’s a genuine relationship.

Let’s all hope that’s as far as it goes.

Look, I’m a sentimental guy.  I cried during Field of Dreams (I still get weepy when Ray Liotta tells Burt Lancaster “hey rookie, you were good”).  Gonzo finishing up his career with the D-backs is a warm and fuzzy finish.

But I’m also a practical guy.  And this wish of his just doesn’t pass the test.  It’s just not practical.  Not for a team with a tight budget and high expectations coming off a failed season.  They have to be lean, mean and lacking any and all pleasantries.  Another season like last and a big heaping help of doubt creeps in.

And the truth is this…there is nowhere to put him.  Where’s he going to play?  Who does he displace?  With Eric Byrnes as your fourth outfielder, barring a trade, where does Gonzo get his at bats?  If you’re going to have a fifth outfielder, you need one who can play multiple positions, who brings speed to the table and can be a defensive replacement in the late innings.

And that isn’t Gonzo.  He’s a left handed bat who would be a good clubhouse guy.  And that’s it.  And that’s not enough.  

If the Diamondbacks actually pursue this they would be bowing down to the Casual Baseball Fan.  The CBF was miffed when Gonzo wasn’t invited back.  The CBF was thrilled when the somersaulting Byrnes was vastly overpaid (how did that one work out?).   The CBF would love to have Gonzo back and that’s what scares me.  If the D-backs sense that this move puts butts in seats or eyeballs on the TV, then they might buy into it.

Make him a coach.  A broadcaster.  Build a statue.  Retire his number.  Change the name of the team to the Gonzo’s for all I care.  He deserves all of it.  His legacy is secure. 

But come September I’d much rather have a warm baseball team than a warm heart.

I miss the Arizona Cardinals.  My Sunday just isn’t the same without them.

(sigh)

I just swept and vacuumed the floor.  I googled a recipe for cooking prime rib.    I fixed a window screen.  I’m helping my daughter with her piano lessons.  I might even help The-Decision-Maker give the puppies a bath.  I’ve been far more productive than any red blooded American male has a right to be on a Sunday.

Because I miss the Arizona Cardinals.

Oh don’t get me wrong.  I’m watching football.  Right now it’s the Colts and Packers.  Later I’ll watch the Red Sox/Rays.  But the Cardinals have become far more relevant and compelling than I could have ever imagined.  And my Sunday feels empty without them.

It wasn’t always like this.  In the past, the bye week was a respite…for all of us.  The team needed a break from football and I needed a break from the team.  They would use phrases like “we’ve got to figure some things out,” and “the break comes at a really good time for us.”   I would use phrases like, “Thank God, now I can watch some decent football.”

The bye week for the Cardinals used to be like that moment where you and your girlfriend decided to see other people.  You were free to do whatever you wanted with whomever you wanted.  Good times.

It gave those of us who can’t afford the Direct TV package a one week window to watch something other than Cardinals football.  Real NFL football with real NFL teams.  It was a gift.

But now I’m hooked and I need my fix.

I miss Kurt Warner.  Will he toss the boneheaded pick or complete the spectacular throw?  Larry Fitzgerald’s circus catches.  Ken Whisenhunt’s decision making - sometimes daring sometimes silly - but always fascinating.  I miss a team that has as good a chance, if not a better chance, as any of its predecessors to be a factor in November and December.  To be a playoff team.

They’ll be back next weekend.  I’ve already got the couch time reserved.  But in the meantime, the Colts and the Packers just ain’t doing it for me…..I got to go fold the laundry.

I miss the Cardinals.

It was a BUY or SELL edition of The 620 Sportsline. Like most investors these days, Burnsy is selling on quite a few things, including tickets to this Sunday’s game at University of Phoenix Stadium. According to Burnsy, Cowboy fans can gladly take the inflated ticket price of a Week Six game in the NFL, especially when there are several others going on at the same time - all available on the Direct TV NFL package and in HD, no less.

SELL: Cards-Cowboys tickets

ASU could be Rudy Carpenter-less this Saturday against USC. Is that really as bad as some people make it out to be? Burnsy is SELLING when it comes to Carpenter. After all, has he ever really delivered on the big stage for ASU before? That and he has below average arm-strength. Holds the ball way too long. Drama queen. Keeps his helmet on slightly more than Manny Ramirez. Likes to pick fights he knows he won’t have to finish- i.e. with a defensive lineman twice his size, and with an offensive lineman twice his size very close by.

Sell: Rudy Carpenter

We could be closer to the dream World Series matchup: Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers heading to Fenway to take on the Red Sox. It’s the perfect storyline, almost out of a movie. Which is exactly why it won’t happen. So, who will be the 2008 NY Giants, the team that robbed us (the Phoenix population in the very literal sense) of Brett Favre vs. the undefeated Patriots. Burnsy says the upstart Rays have the best chance of ending the dream WS. WGN color analyst Bob Brenly joined him and agrees with that assessment, although he still expects a Bos-LA WS match-up. Hope he’s correct.

Buy: The dream World Series ruined

 

 Bob Brenly [10:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (147)