NPR’s Scott Simon and sports reporter Michele Steele talk about the possible divine intervention on behalf of Chicago baseball.
Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And speaking of the pope, now it’s time for sports.
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SIMON: Major League baseball – last call for the playoffs. Ah, but the pope’s already involved. While college football gets a presidential visit. Michele Steele joins us now. She works the Steele Cut Substack on sports and economics. Michele, thanks so much for being with us.
MICHELE STEELE: You bet, Scott.
SIMON: The Cubs and the White Sox – both clinched playoff spots this week, on the same day, reporters aboard the papal plane ask Chicago’s holiest son and White Sox fan Pope Leo…
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The Chicago White Sox made the playoffs. Two years ago, they were – just had the worst record in baseball’s history…
POPE LEO XIV: Two years in a row.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Some players call it a miracle. Do you have anything to do with that?
LEO XIV: No comment.
(LAUGHTER)
LEO XIV: Great things happen in Chicago.
SIMON: Well, papal help or otherwise, only the fourth time both Chicago teams have made the playoffs. How did this year’s playoffs shape up to you?
STEELE: Yeah, Scott, I should say that I’m told no comment is a very Augustinian way of saying, obviously, yes.
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SIMON: All right.
STEELE: The White Sox are blessed as the first team in history to follow back-to-back 100-loss seasons…
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: …By making the postseason. My goodness. They’d love to have a little more divine intervention on the South Side because they’re in a neck-and-neck battle for the division in the AL Central with Cleveland. If they can do that, the Sox get the two-seed and a bye, and they can rest a few of their pitchers finally. But you asked me how it’s shaping up. Look, the Dodgers are loaded again.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: The Brewers have the one-seed in the National League. On the AL side, the Astros can clinch the division today if they can beat the A’s and the Rangers lose to the Twins. Lots of contenders here, Scott, so Pope Leo is going to have to work overtime to get an all-Chicago fantasy world series.
SIMON: Oh, my gosh. Oh, I’m not sure I’d survive that.
STEELE: (Laughter).
SIMON: College football – top-ranked Texas Longhorns traveled to Knoxville to face the No. 14 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. A high-stakes game but, I gather, also low-tech.
STEELE: Yeah. He’s going to the game in Knoxville and…
SIMON: This is – President Trump’s going to the game in Knoxville.
STEELE: Trump’s going to the game. Exactly. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said this week presidential security actually requires them to cut all radio headset communication whenever the president moves. You don’t get a heads-up. The coms just go dead.
So, you know, imagine being the head coach of the University of Texas football team. You need to get a play call out in the fourth quarter of a nail-biter, and suddenly, you’re reduced to hand signals because the president decided to leave early, which is, honestly, a little bit likely. You know, we’ve all been on Zoom calls when the Wi-Fi cuts out. It’s a little bit bigger stakes for this when you have playoff implications and rankings and all that on the line.
Now, here’s what the University of Tennessee is doing to encourage people to get there early to get through the security protocols – half-price concessions on alcohol. And to that, I say, amazing plan – fans drinking for hours before kickoff. Scott, what could possibly go wrong?
SIMON: Oh, that’ll help. Yeah. That’ll help. Yeah.
STEELE: Yeah.
SIMON: Great decorum. Listen, I have to ask you quickly. Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon took over the team last year when her father died. She’s been on the Colts sideline. People liked it last year. This year, Colt fans are wondering, is the owner too hands-on? What’s happening?
STEELE: Well, they liked it last year when they were winning. They had a nice little win streak to start the season. But this year, the team’s on a nine-game skid dating back to last year, and suddenly, you know, every camera shot of her pacing the sideline and taking notes has started to cause some fans to wonder – I think, understandably – what is all of this notetaking doing – prompting her to do about the team?
I spoke to a former team executive from my Substack who told me, it doesn’t necessarily hurt. But he doesn’t think it helps. The sideline is chaotic enough for the people who actually do need to be down there, without worrying about ownership being around. Either way, the Colts play Houston Sunday, and if they lose again, Scott, I promise you, the story won’t be about the headset. It’s going to be about what is she going to do about this team and the GM’s job security, as well.
SIMON: Well, Michele Steele, thanks so much for being with us.
STEELE: Talk to you soon.
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