Christina Kahrl weighs in on baseball season - 6321 - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News

Christina Kahrl, executive editor for Baseball Prospectus, wouldn't be surprised if the Chicago Cubs contend this season in the National League's Central Division title, perhaps into September. However, don't expect the team's 103-year drought to end this season, she added.

"Because of [the] relative depth in their lineup, rotation, and bullpen, they'll contend, perhaps into September if the [Cincinnati] Reds don't run away from a four-team pack that includes the [Milwaukee] Brewers and [St. Louis] Cardinals," Kahrl said. "If the Reds don't run on ahead, nobody in the division wins 90, which means deadline deals can make all the difference."

But things look a lot more optimistic on the South Side of Chicago, she said.

"They're a stronger contender in the AL Central, a stronger bet to win 90 or more than the [Detroit] Tigers or [Minnesota] Twins, and my pick to win the division," she said. "The White Sox have got a real shot at it, because this team enjoys many of the same strengths—deep rotation, good defense, and a good amount of power to exploit [U.S. Cellular Field's] homer-happy tendencies."

Kahrl, 43, who lives in Rogers Park, has been dating her partner of the last two years, Charley Wanamaker. Also, Kahrl is one of the city's smartest baseball minds—not just one of the few transgender sportswriters in the nation.

"While the [Boston] Red Sox and [Philadelphia] Phillies seem like the going-away favorites to win their leagues' respective pennants, this should be a great season because of the competitive balance. There are at least three contenders in each division, four in most," said Kahrl, who predicted that the division races will be the most exciting storyline of the 2011 season, especially for the NL Wild Card and the New York Yankees' pitching rotation."

Wrigley Field is, of course, located steps away from the heart of Lakeview's Boystown area and its fabled bars, such as Roscoe's, Sidetrack, Scarlett and others. So that begs the question, how big a part of the LGBT community is baseball?

"More than you'd think," Kahrl said. "There's something funny about the number of gay or lesbian folks I meet where one partner or the other will confide that they really love sports, but their partner doesn't. The beauty of baseball is its approachability, that you can enjoy it on any level: seriously, like a stathead or a really engaged fan, or casually, rooting for the hometown nine in a matter-of-fact way, or just enjoy it as an excuse to have a beer in the sun at the park with friends, or cause to strike up a conversation in your favorite hoodie."

Baseball definitely does cross boundaries, gay and straight.

"The game is something that pulls people together, and reminds us of what we hold in common—as Chicagoans and Americans, but also, more basically, as people. It's a source of simple pleasure, and something you can engage people across any social boundary without having to worry about giving offense."

When asked when there will be an openly gay active major leaguer, Kahrl responded, "By 2025."

Still, the Cubs are catering to the LGBT community, with the inaugural Pride Day At Wrigley later this season in conjunction with the annual Gay Softball World Series—and the Cubs will be donating to six LGBT-related charities from that game.

"It's a reflection that there are teams in baseball that [understand] that there are baseball fans in every community, and that any way they can support people who love baseball, or baseball-ish entertainments like softball, is good for baseball as a whole."

Equality Illinois (EI) is holding a special baseball event on March 31 at Sluggers in Lakeview from 6-9 p.m. Kahrl is among the guest speakers. Plus, both the White Sox and the Cubs are donating all sorts of things, including tickets and memorabilia.

"I think it's great that we pulled this together, sort of on the fly, but I guess I see it as a little bit of cultural diplomacy," Kahrl said. "Boystown and Wrigleyville are neighbors within Lakeview, yet sometimes it seems like those few blocks between Clark and Halsted on Addison are worlds apart. I'd rather we make a point of highlighting that we're all Chicagoans, the baseball season is a huge part of what defines our city and our neighborhoods, and let's enjoy the start of that together. The fact that the Sox and Cubs were so responsive was sort of a wakeup call that we should have been doing this sort of thing already, so my hope is that this is something we can do every year."

Also, the event, of course, is being held at a straight bar.

"I think the cultural diplomacy element is important," Kahrl said. "I don't want this to be something self-segregating, where we just go to the same venues in the gayborhood. This is our city, this is our game, these are our teams. All the more reason to cross a few self-imposed geographic boundaries and highlight what we hold in common."

Kahrl said the EI event likely will attract fans of both Chicago teams, fierce and casual followers, along with Baseball Prospectus readers, members of the Society for American Baseball Research, and others.

Former White Sox Minnie Minoso also will attend.

"You can quote Malamud or Lardner or Kinsella or Bill James, and you can still enjoy the game on the same level with someone who has never read a word by any of them. Enjoying baseball—enjoying sports—is a social activity," Kahrl said.

In addition, Windy City Times will present Pride Day at Wrigley Field Sunday, Sept. 4, at 1:20 p.m., when the Chicago Cubs take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The sales of tickets for the Labor Day weekend game will benefit six local LGBT and AIDS charities.

Pride Day is presented in partnership with the national gay softball world series taking place through Sept. 3 in the Windy City. Thousands of athletes will be in Chicago as part of the annual North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association (NAGAAA) world series tournament. (Purchase tickets at http://www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com/WrigleyPride.)

Kahrl traveled to Arizona for spring training this year, watching 13 games in 13 days. She will attend at least 60 games during the regular-season, with stops at eight or more stadiums.

—Best part of spring training: "The intimacy of the parks, the more relaxed attitude in the conversations and comments from players after games."

—Worst part of spring training: "Is there such a thing? Baseball every day, an escape from a chilly Chicago spring [and] hiking up Camelback during my downtime. Not that I'm going to go looking for one, but I don't think there is a 'worst part.'"

—Opening day: "It's when we really get down to business. When the games and box scores mean something, and [it] kicks off six months of everyday happiness."

—Favorite stadium: Wrigley Field. I miss Old Comiskey [Park] a lot, I even miss old County Stadium in Milwaukee, but definitely Wrigley."

—The 2011 edition of the Baseball Prospectus is the annual season preview, now in its the 16th edition of the New York Times bestseller. "It comes out in February every year, and features team, player, and manager evaluations, projections, Kevin Goldstein's top 100 prospects, and more. I'm fond of the chapters I wrote, and I can out myself and confess to writing both the Sox and Cubs chapters this year."

Predictions

Christina Kahrl and longtime baseball fan/WCT writer Ross Forman peer into the crystal ball for their predictions on the 2011 season:

AL Cy Young Award:

CK: Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

RF: CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

NL Cy Young Award:

CK: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

RF: Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins

AL MVP:

CK: Adrian Gonzalez, Boston

RF: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

NL MVP: