シカゴトリビューン誌のスポーツコーナーで、ビリーがライターのポール・サリヴァンのピンチヒッターを勤めたそうで、それが大反響を呼んでいるとのこと。ビリー宛にシカゴ・カブス（球団）に関する質問・投書が殺到したそうで、コチラのページにそれらの投書とビリーのコメントがまとめられています。「スマッシング・パンプキンズという素晴らしいバンドの采配をしたあなたに、カブスを占って欲しい」など野球に関することからバンドに関わることまでいろいろと寄せられているようです。
下記に原文紹介
Billy Corgan on the Cubs
Cubs fan and former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan pinch hits for Tribune beat writer Paul Sullivan this week.
September 20, 2005, 1:30 PM CDT
Billy, I have to know what your take is on the perplexing “talent” of Corey Patterson. I feel today’s athletes play under a great deal of pressure, which, at times, inhibits their development and/or performance. Having said that, the best still manage to succeed. Corey has been given a solid opportunity with the Cubs, but still hasn’t delivered. In fact, he seems to have digressed. Should the Cubs throw in the towel? — Chris Naugle, Eugene, Ore.
when I think of corey patterson, the name that keeps ringing in my head is that of lou brock, the legendary lead-off man and base stealer that the cubs gave up on once upon a time … if you are old enough to remember, he tortured the cubs (and a few other teams!) for many, many years … obviously, corey patterson has the God-given talent, I don’t believe that is the question that needs to be answered … what I want to know is if there is anybody on the planet who can get through to this young man and explain to him the opportunity he is throwing away? If I ran the cubs, I would go out of my way to hire someone that could personally work with corey to develop ALL his skills in a balanced manner … someone with the credentials of a lou brock or a rickey henderson … if that didn’t work, then I would ship him off … as of right now, he is worth so little in a trade that I think it still is worth taking the risk to try to turn the corner, because corey patterson playing to his full potential is a very dangerous man … but, umm, don’t hold your breath!
Hi, Billy…I love your music. The free concert you and the Pumpkins did in Minneapolis a few years back is a great memory. I have been a Cubs fan my whole life and find it impossible to root for the White Sox. Do you agree with me or will you be pulling for the Sox come October? — Andy Moll, Sartell, Minn.
as a citizen of the great city of Chicago, I find it impossible to root against the White Sox … first of all, the White Sox organization has been much more consistent, in my lifetime at least, at putting a winning ballclub on the field … secondly, they do play in the ‘other’ league, so their success does not hurt the cubbies in any way … and lastly, what would be more glorious than a subway series between the northsiders and the southsiders? … personally, I find the sox haters lame, and once it goes beyond good-natured fun, have no use for it … cubs fans that hate on the sox strike me as insecure, you know, the same types that shout (at age 43, with beer in hand) “left field sucks” … now, hating on the cardinals, that is an entirely different business!!
Hi, Billy, let’s not beat around the bush. When will the Tribune Company step up and increase the Cubs’ payroll to around $120 million, which is where it should be? — Bill Groleau, Grafton, Wis.
my pat line about the cubs and payroll is that the amount of merchandise (hats, t-shirts, etc) the cubs would sell off a world series championship would more than cover for a big payroll … I mean really, people all over the world would want that t-shirt! (Chicago Cubs, world Series Champs, 200?) … that said, payroll does not necessarily equal success, and modern baseball seems to dictate smarts over raw power … I believe jim hendry is trying to build a team that has a chance EVERY year … there are times, though, where I scratch my head and say we should have a better player at certain positions, and, honestly, for not a lot more money than we are paying the guy that is out there … that puzzles me…
Billy, with the Pumpkins, you had a strong band chemistry but also moments of what critics may label as dysfunctional band behavior. My related question is how would you rate this to Cubs team chemistry and what elements of dysfunctionality do you see? Specifically, do you think the Sammy Sosa exodus bled into this season corrupting the team’s chemistry with each other, the media and fans? — Sandeep Basran, Lake Forest
this team has no fire!!! sammy was not the problem, steve stone was not the problem, steve bartman was not the problem … I lay a lot of blame at the feet of dusty baker for not being more strict about fundamentals, which I think would give the team a stronger day-to-day identity … what brand of baseball do the cubs play, one might ask? umm, hit a home run (cross your fingers, somebody might be on base), and overpower your opponent with starting pitching … just don’t let ‘em get to that middle relief, or god forbid somebody can’t hit us a home run … we don’t know how to win playing any other way, nor does there seem to be any discipline — or ramifications if somebody can’t adjust … blaming corey patterson makes him just another convenient scapegoat in a long line of them, but the team overall does not play with a consistent vision … look no further than their record against the cardinals this year … against the division winner (and hated rival), they played winning baseball all year, because they got up for those games … why does it take a strong opponent for the team to play strong? nobody in the clubhouse driving the team to be its best every day … and I don’t want to hear ‘it’s a long season, man’ … tell it to a guy digging a ditch out on I-90 …
Billy, If you were making up the Cubs’ 2006 roster from scratch, who would be the first player you would select and why? — Will Sawitz, Grayslake
the cubs need a legitimate, everyday player, a butt-kickin’ winner like jeff kent or craig biggio … somebody who is going to get in a teammates’ face when they try to pull an 0-2 pitch for the 200th time in the season and tell them how to play baseball … somebody that has the support of most of the clubhouse … somebody with a big, diamond-covered, world series ring on their finger …
What are the chances of the Cubs getting a new stadium? Would the Tribune Co. build a new stadium for the Cubs across the street form Wrigley and keep the current Wrigley as a museum (a la Steinbrenner’s plan)? All they would have to do is buy out several city blocks of the North Side and they have plenty of money to accomplish this task. — Kurt Bray, Severn, Md.
I believe that if the tribune company ever tries to close down wrigley field that you will have a protest from every corner of the globe … wrigley field should never, ever be closed! EVER!!! … the smart thing to do would be to tear down the existing stands (in foul territory), and rebuild those with better boxes to generate more luxury type revenue (see fenway park), and also deal with the dangerous, crumbling concrete … aesthetically, of course, we would lose the outside look and feel of the old ballpark, which is important of course, but nowhere near as important as the field, the ivy-covered walls, the scoreboard, and the surrounding buildings in the neighborhood … that link to the past has everything to do with the traditional strong support of the cubs fans … win, or lose … that should never be underestimated by the cubs brass … wrigley field represents something even more important than any individual player … not even winning can change that …
Billy , do you think the Cubs will re-sign Ryan Dempster or will they be big-spenders and go after Billy Wagner? As a follow-up question, will you and the Pumpkins get back together? As a fan of both, many thanks … — Patrick Madden, Boulder, Col.
the cubs I think will keep dempster … why would they spend big money on a closer now? A sub-500 team, a strong closer on the ballclub right now who is still young, and still growing into the role … signing him also gives them the option of trading him if he gets real hot and they go south … which is always a possibility …
I would just like to nominate Matt Murton for the position of leadoff hitter for the Cubs in 2006. He makes good contact, is faster than average, gets on base a lot, what more do you need? Sure, he isn’t “prototypical,” but who cares? If he can get the job done, and I have a feeling he can, why not? — Nigel Armstrong, Dryden, Ontario
praying for a lead-off hitter, a true, blue, real lead-off hitter does not make one appear … remember kenny lofton, the center fielder who coalesced the 2003 cubs into true contenders … he is a real lead-off hitter … david eckstein gets on base if he has to crawl … it takes a certain type of player, and there is a reason you need them … matt murton is not going to be that guy over the course of a 162 game season … and for a leftfielder, especially in wrigley, I think you would want more home runs in the bat …
Billy, all I read is that the Cubs do not intend to pursue Nomar for next year. Are they crazy? I say he is a must-sign with incentives in his contract. Your thoughts on this please. — Larry Evans, Warrenton, Va.
when nomar came to the cubs, I thought ‘finally, a legitimate all-star still in his prime’ … I could not remember a similar acquisition since andre dawson … I like nomar, as I think most cub fans do, but I don’t see the cubs taking a chance on him, even with incentives, because of the question of his durability … at this point, he seems a better fit on an up-and-coming ballclub that would want him for leadership and the chance that, like ken griffey, he can have a big year without major injury … if I had a magic wand though, I would wave it so he could remain a cub and be healthy, because I like him that much …
Earlier this year, Todd Wellemeyer complained about the song played over the Wrigley PA before the Cubs come out on the field, “Jump” by Van Halen. I agree they need a new song. Why keep playing a song from “1984”? That season sucked. How about something like “Desire” by U2 or “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder? — Karl Bauer, Urbana
how about playing songs by chicago artists!!! every city I go to plays songs by their local artists … the theme song for the boston red sox is ‘dirty water’, a song by the 60’s group The Standells about the River Charles (and other sundry goings-on) … it is absolutely criminal how bad the music is that is played at wrigley field … discounting myself from this idea, how about nine innings worth of chicago blues, Cheap Trick, Styx, etc … instead we get passe hits and out of touch classics …
What was it like to sing, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the seventh inning of Game 7 of the 2003 playoffs? Talk about rough crowd! — Dave Judson, Evanston
singing that night was heart-wrenching, because I wanted the cubs to win so bad!!! they grab you around the end of the sixth to go up there, so when I got to the top, the organist called me in and explained to me that since Fox was broadcasting the game, they had disconnected the speaker that was in the booth (to hear the music being played), and nobody could figure out how to hook it back up … then I was led into the booth behind the Fox team, and waited for an eternity while the cubs continued to melt down … finally, the inning ended, and I went to sing, and couldn’t hear the organ at all!!! it sounded like the music was across waveland avenue … it was like singing at a funeral … a moment I will never forget, nor honestly care to remember …
Copyright ｩ 2005, The Chicago Tribune
