Flying Solo

While it's been fun writing on this blog, it seems that many have fallen by the wayside. So, as not to be the only writer left, I've gone my own way and started my own blog. Feel free to check it out (link below). Should be interesting and will cover more than just sports. Happy New Year!

Cheers,

The Cure

http://ruminationsofamedstudent.blogspot.com/

Blog Resurrection

To all those out there that actually read this blog, I'm sorry. I know that there haven't been any posts for pretty much the last 2 months. I dish out 40% of the blame to medical school business, another 27.5% to laziness, and the other 72% to the fact that all the other writers on this blog gave up on writing (of course, bringing us to a complete 100%). Anyway, now that the great gods of science have found it suitable to give me a few minutes to myself again, I have decided to once again take up my airing of grievances (Hey... it was just Festivus so deal with the reference) in regards to Chicago sports. So, here goes:

1. The Blackhawks: Where do I begin? The Hawks are.... how do you say in French... Rolling. Their 24-9-3 record has them tied for 1st in the Western Conference with San Jose and they are 7-3 in their last 10 games. Though, what has to most staggering, after an offseason that brought in Marion Hossa, John Madden and other offensive stars, is the continued brilliance of the Hawks defense. They lead the league with only 74 goals given up (which is 1 better than the Eastern Conference Devils and 11 better than the next Western Conference team), are 2nd in PK percentage (87%), Cristobol Huet is 4th in GAA (2.05), and Antti Niemi has been making the most of his playing time by posting 4 shut outs in only 9 games played (tied for the league lead). The one area the Hawks are struggling is on the PP, converting only 18.8% of their chances (good for 14th in the league). It'll be important to get this percentage up as the season progresses and they enter the postseason, but for the time being, I can accept the just plain domination that they dishing out and the continuous stream of W's.

2. The Bears: I'm pretty sure that the combination of the Titanic and Tiger Woods' popularity didn't sink as fast as the Bears have in recent weeks. They enter this week 2-8 in their last 10, beating only the lowly Browns and Rams. Their issues are numerous and wide spread. Offensively, the line needs incredulous amounts of work in general, Cutler needs a QB coach to reemphasize the fundamentals (e.g. throwing the ball away, looking off defenders, and not throwing off your back foot), and Matt Forte needs to refind that killer, hole-hitting instinct that made him great last season (He's had one 100 yard game this season and the Bears are dead last in rush yards/game this season in the league). The only upside has been the development of Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashadu, and Earl Bennett as WRs (maybe this is a sign to finally move Devin Hester by to KR full time). Defensively, things are just as bad. Injuries galore and just overall sloppy play have hurt the Bears. They are usually good to drafting defensive talent in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft but the Cutler trade has someone depleted their selection numbers, so it will be interesting to see what they do in the offseason. Overall, the Bears need a firey coach who will scream at them when wrong and celebrate with them when right. Someone who is old school and doesn't put up with any shit. It's time for the Lovie train to pull into the station and the Bears to go in a new direction. I love Mike Singletary to replace (love the no-nonsense attitude and that he still wears a stopwatch around his neck during games) but we'll see if what happens.

3. The Bulls: Like it wasn't excruciating enough to write about the Bears, now I have to write about the Bulls. They started the season 4-2 and looked promising. Unfortunately, since then, they are 6-15 and dropping faster than it took to write out the public option in the new Healthcare bill. John Salmons has been shooting the ball atrociously and the defense has been lackluster (that's the nicest way I can put it). They have currently lost 8 straight on the road. Joakim Noah put it best when he said that the team "definitely have a lot of soul searching to do." There has been no fire in this team all year. It looks like they just go out there and play flat every game, which is just plain not going to win you games. Del Negro hasn't done anything to demonstrate that he has any idea how to coach, especially after allowing the Bulls to blow their 35 point lead to Sacramento and lose by 4. After watching all this, I say, much like the Bears, its time to clean house. Get rid of Del Negro and a number of the players. Keep Rose, Noah, Gibson, James Johnson, and Kirk and just start over. There was a very interesting articles on ESPN.com recently regarding how the Blackhawks are slowly overtaking the Bulls for popularity in Chicago (article).

Ok, that's enough for now. I'll get to some winter meeting deals and such in regards to the White Sox and Cubbies sometimes in the next day or 2. Have a great holidays to all those out there in internet land.

Illini: No surprises here

So I lied. Sorry. I stated earlier that I was done writing about the Illini. This year's awful play is just another chapter in the UofI manifesto on how to completely underachieve. With that being said, I actually chose to spend some of my free time this weekend watching today's game. Thus, I saw some things that I thought were worthy of a post and therefore, here I type. I obviously didn't expect much as they were facing a Purdue team that came off a win against OSU last week. The Illini ended up keeping it somewhat close scorewise, but really never seemed much of a threat to the Boilermakers, falling 24-14. Here are some of my thoughts regarding the game.

The Zooker- Zook showed a REALLY short leash for the first time in his Illinois tenure. Matt Eller missed a field goal, next thing you know Derek Dimke is in there kicking. Juice threw a pick, in came redshirt freshman Jacob Charest. It was really amazing to see him try to switch things up on the fly and light a fire under the ass of his players. Too bad that none of those changes really made a difference.

Juice Williams- I'm not sure I've ever seen someone fall off the horse like this guy. It eerily reminds me of Ryan Leaf's transition to the NFL and his absolute loss of ability. Juice is playing with absolutely no confidence, making bad reads, and when he does make a good read, he is hesitating to make the throws. All around bad play. At this point, I almost think that they should use him like they did Eddie McGee today as more of an athlete than a QB and let Charest get some experience.

Jacob Charest- The kid really didn't impress me today. That's not to say that he was bad, just really not impressive. He had 1 really good throw to Hubie Graham (who was wide open, but it was still a nice throw) in which he stepped into his throw and put some zip on the ball. The rest of his passes seemed very hesistant. He didn't really step into any of these throws and hence couldn't really muster any zip on the ball. I think that given some actual offseason work with the 1st team and more development of fundamentals, he could be a really good player.

Mikel LeShoure- I called it right at the beginning of the season (in my post after the Mizzou game). He is a VERY good runner. He runs hard, finished runs, and doesn't allow himself to be arm tackled. This was especially seen on a 4th-and-1 when he was hit in the backfield, bounced in back out to the left, absorbed a hit at the original line of scrimmage, and then dragged the tackler for a 3 yard gain and 1st down. Nice. The problem is, he needs to get the ball enough times to show this potential. Zook somewhat shook his RB by committee and gave LeShoure 15 touches today (he should have had more) on which he gained 122 yards. The kid can play, plain and simple. Give him the touches and stop messing around with the committee thing.

TEs (Hubie Graham and Michael Hoomanawanui)- Welcome back. The insertion of a new QB finally allowed someone to actually see you guys running around on the field. I thought from day 1 of the season that the TEs would be key to take some pressure off of Benn and be able to work the middle of the field. They were forgotten in the abysmal play of Juice but found by Charest today (since TEs are a new QBs best friend).

Offense- Seriously, no more penalties. The Illini got called for multiple holding penalties on their linemen, as well as a bunch of illegal substitution penalties on the receivers/backs. I'm not sure how many times, but I'd estimate it was about 5 or 6 drives that after penalties, they'd end up with a 2nd down and 15-20+ yards to go. You're not going to be successful if you keep shooting yourself in the foot.

Defense- A better job of tackling today (not too many people leading with the crest of the helmet but actually wrapping and tackling) but really nobody did anything special or worth mentioning. They couldn't force any turnovers, which is not surprising since they were able to muster almost no pressure on Purdue QB Joey Elliott.

Money Talk

There is not a whole lot to be upset about right now as a Blackhawks' fan. It was only a couple years ago that we were the laughing stock of sports. The Blackhawks were all but guaranteed a losing season, did not show their home games on TV and were voted by Forbes Magazine as the worst franchise in all of sports. So after almost running to the Stanley Cup last year and starting this year 5-2-1, I am feeling pretty good. But all is not right.

What's not right? Money. Plain and simple.

First big example: The goaltending. Christobal Huet was obviously overpaid. We found that out last year when the goalie that we were trying to get rid of (Khabibulin) stepped up and took us deep into the playoffs. But we couldn't keep the Bulin Wall because we had already spent too much money of Huet. We can't pour half our salary cap between the pipes. Not with Toews and Kane expecting big pay days. Fair Enough, I can live with that decision. But beginning the year, Huet has looked like he is playing with his eyes closed. It's not the number of goals (which is bad), it's the type of goals being scored. Soft, easy, unmistakeable. On the other hand, Huet's back-up, Antti Niemi, has shown the ability to get in the way of a few pucks and remains undefeated. Yet Huet remains the guy. Why? Because he is making the money. You have to play who you pay.

Second Example: Jack Skille has racked up more frequent flyer miles than Airline employees going between Rockford and Chicago (Ok, I know thats not far enough to fly, but you get the point). Because his salary is higher than most AHL players, the Hawks have been resistant to keeping him on the roster. He was our first round pick in 2005 and has played like it recently. He fits perfectly with the mold of the team and the 4th line. Yet, Skille is back in Rockford waiting for the next phone call.

As a Hawks fan, I say put the best team on the ice. This team is young and ready to take over the NHL. Play the goalie who can see the puck. Put the best offensive players on the depth chart. As Vancouver comes to town this Wednesday, I look for the Hawks to come out resilient and attacking Luongo.

On a side note, would it have not made sense to have Bachelorette, Jillian Harris, shoot the puck during the Vancouver game, as she is from Vancouver, rather than this past Saturday. Also, I thought even the women in Canada were good at hockey. She seemed to be a bit out of practice (to be nice). At least Ed looked to enjoy being famous...

Hawks are Getting Hot

I guess of all the contributing writers to this blog, I seem to be the only one that still remembers it exists (not sure how many people actually read this, so for all I know, I'm just talking to myself). With that being said, sit back, relax, and enjoy some savory words from the Cure.

Since my last Blackhawks post, Joel Quinneville and the rest of the Blackhawks staff must have said something right because the Hawks have been on a tear. They are 4-1-0 in their last 5 games, out shooting their opponents 165-96 and are 15/17 in penalty kills. The one aspect that is still lacking though is power play goals (they are 3/17). Sharp, Keith, and Barker each had 2 G, while Campbell had 5 A and Toews had 1 G and 4 A.

Antti Niemi (2-0-0) has looked great in this stretch, playing with confidence and making good plays with the puck when it is dumped behind the net. Cristobal Huet, while sporting a 2-1-0 record in the past 5 games, still does not appear to be comfortable in the crease. He seems to always be early to drop into the butterfly, making him vulnerable up top. In my opinion, you need to play the hot goalie. In this instance, the Hawks should start Niemi for the time being and have Huet play 1 of every 3-4 games. I know this seems like a waste since he is being paid as much as he is, but are the Hawks more worried about winning or making sure to play their top paid players? Go with Niemi. Hopefully Huet will come around.

This stretch has included some pretty memorable games, such as the win against the Avalanche in which it took 9 rounds in the shootout for Andrew Ladd to burry home the winning goal. Also, there was the 6-5 OT win against the flames in which the Blackhawks overcame a 5-0 deficiet, the largest in NHL history. Though, there have also been negative memories, such as the 4-3 loss to the Stars in which the decisive goal came off a dump in that ricocheted off the board and bounced past Huet.

If nothing else, this 5 game stretch has sure proven how entertaining the Hawks will be the remainder of the season. Hopefully though, the exciting will be from goal scoring and not digging ourselves out of 5-0 holes.

Still a Thorn in Our Side

The Blackhawks lost their U.S. debut today, falling to the despised Detroit Red Wings 3-2. The Hawks started playing loose and fast. They did a good job of chasing down and controlling the puck in the 1st period, going into the first intermission tied at 0. Then, in the 2nd, Patrick Sharp took a beautiful pass from Kris Versteeg to put the Hawks ahead 1-0. They then had an opportunity to really make a statement when they had a 5 on 3 power play for 1:53. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize. Later that same period, the good passing and offensive pressure started to fold and lead to 3 straight Red Wing goals. The first was a Lidstrom shot that deflected off of John Madden's skate, the second a wrister from Kris Draper, and the third a Johan Franzen tap in after the puck had squeaked through Cristobal Huet's legs. The Hawks then pressed in the 3rd period and ended up with a Versteeg goal at the 10:24 mark. Further, they had a great chance to tie it up after a stupid holding penalty on Kronwall at the 18:24 mark and pulling Huet gave them a 6-4 advantage. But, they could not put the puck in the back of the net and fell 3-2.

The Hawks again out shot their opponent 34-23 but went only 1-5 on the power play. Their inability to take advantage of the extra man has been a major problem to this point and needs to be remedied for them to be considered a strong power in the West. Also, Huet did an okay job at best in net. Nothing, not a single stop or upice pass or anything, in his 2 games (0-1-1) has really wowed me to this point, making me wonder whether it was justified to pay him $5.6 million this year. Hopefully, he'll turn that around and not allow 3 goals/game as he has done thus far. Now with a 1-1-1 record, the Hawks will look to regroup and prepare for their home opener at the United Center this Saturday against the Avalanche. GO HAWKS!

The Chicago Round Up

There was too much Chicago sporting going on today to limit this post to just one topic

Blackhawks: CHI 4 - FL 0
After losing the season open by means of a shootout, the Hawks came back with a vengeance in day two and picked up 2 points with a 4-0 shut out of the Panthers. They looked fast to the puck and were relentless on defense. They also took advantage of power plays, going 3/5 after going 0/3 in the opener. Antti Niemi, in only his 3rd ever start, stopped 23 shots and looked comfortable on the ice. Major kudos go out to Seabrook for being physical all game long, Jon Madden for helping down and stealing a lot of pucks from behind, and the entire 4th line for just plain outplaying the 4th line of the Panthers. Campbell, Kane, Byfuglien, and Sharp each scored a goal.

Cubs: CHI 5 - ARI 0
The Cubs got a great outing from Randy Wells (7 IP, 3H, OR, 10K) and some good offensive production from Geovany Soto (2-2, 2B, 2BB, 2 RBIs) to beat the Diamondbacks.

White Sox: CHI 5 - DET 1
The White Sox got a good outing from 'Sweaty' Freddy Garcia, who spread 6 H and 1 R over 7 IP. He also struck out 7 while only walking 1. Carlos Quentin went 2-3 with a 2B and HR. Tigers pitching hurt itself by walking 9 over the coarse of the game and allowing the White Sox to steal 6 bases.

Illini: UofI 17 - PSU 35
The Illini kept it close in the first half, going to the locker room down 7-3. But in the 2nd half, it was all Nittany Lions. They scored 28 2nd half points (21 in the 4th quarter) and amassed 338 total rushing yards, allowing 2, 100-yard rushers (Royster and Green). Juice Williams did pass Kurt Kittner as the Illini's career leader in total yards (9,126). But this was overshadowed by 'Boo's' that rained down up on the field early and often.

Chicago Wolves: CHI 2 - MIL 3
The Wolves opened the 2009-2010 campaign with a 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Admirals. They are trying to bounce back to their 2007-2008 Calder Cup champion ways, after a 38-37 campaign last year.

Looking Ahead:
Here's to hoping that the Bears can dominate tomorrow against the Lions and the White Sox can close the season by spoiling it for the Tigers (Danks vs. Verlander at 12:05 CST).

And so it begins...

Rough day in Chicago to say the least. No Olympics and then the Hawks blow three separate leads. But all is not lost. Here is what I saw from todays game.

The offense is as explosive as last year and we still are waiting for Marian Hossa. The Hawks managed to put up 55 shots on net, an astounding number for the first game of the season. The amount of shots just speaks volumes about how well the Panther goaltender, Tomas Vokoun, played. He was an absolute wall. That said, three goals found the back of the net, which on any given night should be enough to win a game.

So why did we fail to hold a 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 lead? Because we left our defensive abilities in Chicago. Maybe the defense was worried about getting the 2016 Olympics or had trouble adjusting their sleep cycle to Finland. Whatever it was, we played one-way hockey tonight. Despite having 55 shots on goal, it felt to me that the puck was always in front of the Hawks net. And after giving up two leads, the defense had a chance to redeem itself by holding on for the win. But again, with 2:21 left in the game, Seabrook dribbles the puck, rather than clearing, gets tangled between a Hawks line change and next thing you know the Panthers have tied the game. Two, less than enthusiastic, shoot out save attempts later and the Hawks get one point and an overtime loss.

What should we look for tomorrow:

1. Big 33 in front of the net. Buff is an immovable object in front and we need him there all day tomorrow to beat what looks like a hot goaltender.

2. A better defensive effort. Nough said.

3. The first appearance of the Hawks W Flag!

Goals Today:
Sharp (1)
Kane (1)
Byfuglien (1)

Not Meant To Be

Sorry Chicago, it was not in the cards for us. Stand up and be proud of your city because we deserve all of the attention we received over the past few months. We were a final 4 city across the entire world for the most prestigious sporting event in history. Not too shabby.

ILLINI: The Bad and the Ugly (There is little good here)

Like a dog chasing his tail, you'd think that I'd finally give up on Illini football (even this early in the season is acceptable to many Illini fans) because of the way that they constantly disappoint me. But clearly, I like the feeling of failure and with such, continue to punish myself by watching the on-field calamity and atrocious overall play. Where to begin this week is like asking where to start fixing healthcare. With that being said, let's jump in:

The Offense:
Much like the title of these players, this part of the team is just plain offensive right now. There is little being done right and few Attayboys to go around:

1. Juice Williams needs to elevate his play and the people around him.
Juice is a natural leader and needs to play like one. The first thing that was quite obvious to me while watching the game was Juice's flat footed delivery. I'm not sure if it is a result of the quad injury or what, but he didn't look comfortable in the pocket and barely even stepped into his throws. It is therefore not surprising when his throws are low, off target, and or intercepted because he didn't put enough velocity on the ball. Futhermore, he needs to stop locking onto receivers and staring them down, making it easy for defenders to intercept passes. If the arm isn't there, then he needs to take it upon himself to put the running game in order and work the option/triple option look in order to open the field for his receivers. He didn't do that and his backs payed for it. He looked slow, again maybe because of the quad injury but if that's the case, then get him off the field.

2. WRs need to do their job.
This one doesn't need to be explained too much. Job #1, catch the ball. Then look downfield for more. Especially Fayson. Kudos to Duvualt for a sweet catch in the 3rd. Too bad he was out of bounds at the time. Also, kudos to Rejus Benn. His stats weren't great (4 catches for 33 yards) but he played with his head. He made some good catches on poorly thrown balls and drew a pass interference penalty on an underthrown ball (which he also nearly caught). The guy is a stud and I hope he stays another year. But, if he doesn't, some NFL team is getting a REALLY good WR.

3. RBs need to show more vision.
Dufrene and Ford both need to do a better job of seeing the holes and busting through them. Too many times, they were cause running east/west instead of north/south and picking up needed yards to give them 2nd and magangable and 3rd and short situations. Furthermore, both of these backs seems so afraid to absorb a hit or try to run through someone. The only RB that has shown me fire when running and willing to really fight for yards is LeShoure. It'd be nice for him to clean up his off the field issues that cost him playing time in the game against Illinois State.

4. Attaboy to the O-line for doing a pretty good job protecting Juice from one of the, if not the, best defensive line country. Gibson, Latamore, etc. are monsters. It would have been nice to have more open holes, but the matchup wasn't even close.

Defense:
1. Commit to stopping the run.
The Illini should know that the Buckeyes like to run. They have a run happy QB in Pryor and 2 very good tailbacks in Saine and Herron. To go along with this, it was also raining and absolutely down pouring at certain parts of the game. With such condition and a conservative coach in Tressel, you knew that they were going to run. But the Illini refused to bring that 8th or even 9th guy into the box. Thus, the Buckeyes amassed 135 run yards and 0 pass yards in 1st half. 0 pass yards! This is not a fault of the players (see below for their troubles) but the coaching staff who needs to dial up a better scheme based on the weather.

2. Don't just lead with helmet.
This goes to everyone but especially the LBs and secondary (i.e. Hardeman, Wilson, Bellamy, I. Thomas). Too many times, I saw them lunging and just trying to knock a player over. NO, NO, NO, NO! This is one of the first things they teach you in pre-high school football. WRAP AND TACKLE. Put too arms around him and pull him too the ground. Instead, with good RBs like OSU has, they would absorb the hit or just spin off of them and get ~8 yards per carry. With numbers like that, there is no need to throw the ball. This is such a simple thing that is a major problem for more than 1 Illini player.

3. No stupid penalties.
Too many times, the Illini crush their own momentum with penalties. Be it holding, false start, or other things that are avoidable if they would just pay attention to the game and think. The one that was the worst today was committed by Sanni, who made a late hit on one of the OSU tailbacks when he was already out of bounds. Use your head! That was an extra 15 yards tacked onto an already. I hope that Zook and Co. make them run this week for that. They deserve it.

4. Attaboy to Clay Nurse, DE. He played great. He is a big guy who put pressure on Pryor. He did have a facemask penalty, but I can overlook that since he made some good plays not falling for Pryor jukes and moves.

Special Teams:
No complaints. They played pretty good, except for the continued awefulness of Santella's punting. I just will never be a fan of this guy. Sorry. Attaboy to Jeff Cumberland for recovering a fumble and downing a punt inside 5 yard line. Nice hustle and having a nose for the ball. Now if only Juice could acutally put to use your huge size (6'5'') and quickness on the offensive side of the ball.

Overall: We suck. Many improvements need to be made, and perhaps the first and foremost is pulling Juice. I hate to say that cause I really thought that this would be the breakout year. I don't know if he is hurt or what, but if he doesn't produce, at least give McGee a shot.

The Big Ten: Can We Compete?

I really can't write anything here about the Illini today since they played Illinois State yesterday. It was a completely one-sided affair in which the Red Bird players looked more like high school players than Division I athletes. So, I turn my attention instead to the Big Ten as a whole and a question that continues to plague one of the most storied conferences in all of college football. Can they win big games against other conferences' marquee schools? Most these days would say no.

We had an opportunity to see this mentality shift a little bit yesterday. Michigan played Notre Dame, who annually receives a Top 5 or Top 10 recruiting class. Purdue played Oregon, who has shown some real talent of recent in their spread offense with Dennis Dixon, Jonathon Stewart, and now Jeremiah Masoli. And the big one, Ohio State played USC, who has pretty much been a perennial contender for the national championship for the last 9 years.

Michigan, even in their supposed 'rebuilding' period, looked very good. They played tough defense and made good open field tackles. Tate Forcier is also the real deal. The kid looked poised and led that team like he'd been there for 3 years. The Wolverines 38-34 win was a big one, helping to reestablish themselves within the conference. But Notre Dame's lack success of recent years has to make people wonder whether they could really be able to play with the heavy hitters in other conferences.

Purdue looked sharp at points yesterday. Ralph Bolden did a little bit of everything for the Boilermakers, carrying the ball 29 times for 123 yards and 2 TDs, as well as caught 3 passes for 52 yards and 1 TD. But the Boilermakers kept shooting themselves in the foot. Joey Elliot threw an INT that was returned for a touchdown, there was a fumble returned for a TDnd the Ducks blocked a Purdue PAT. All real bad mental mistakes. Purdue couldn't boiler up enough and lost 38-36. While Oregon is not a ranked team, a win here could have done some good reputation-wise in terms of the Big Ten's ability to play against the spread offense and the Pac-10.

The big let down of them all though was Ohio State. They came out in the beginning and played some really inspired looking football. The defense came ready to play and held USC to 5 offensive yards in the 1st quarter. They were pressuing Matt Barkley and made good open field tackles. They only reason that the score was tied 7-7 was because of a Tyrelle Pryor INT that was returned to the OSU 5 yard line and later punched into the endzone. The defense really came to play in the 1st half. In the third quarter, they looked a little gassed, and in the fourth quarter, they just could not stop Joe McKnight and Damian Willaims. The two main things that came to mind in the 4th was (1) On 4th -and-1, why is there no LB right over the center to stop Barkley from easily picking up the 1st down? and (2) Why continue to give the ball to Boom Herron and take it out of Pryor's hands? I felt that the OSU offensive coordinator should have done more to roll Pryor out of the pocket and give him the option to either tuck it and run or throw it. This is not to say that Herron is a bad RB. He just wasn't able to shake the defenders or really push the pile like the 6'6'', 240 Pryor can. This loss is REALLY disheartening to any Big Ten fan and only gives that nay-sayers more ammunition to put down the conference.

Overall, I can't say that I can argue with any of the experts, etc. that the Big Ten is just not as good as the Pac-10, SEC, or certain other conferences. I am a firm believer in the old homage 'believe what I do, not what I say'. And the fact of the matter is that the Big Ten has not proven themselves to be in the same league as the rest. Until a team goes out there and is able to defeat one of these perenially contenders, the Big Ten will continue be in their shadow and not garner the respect that they deserve.

On a side note, I think that Matt Barkley definitely has the talent to develop into a top QB. But I think all the acclaim he has received to this point is ridiculous. He stats from yesterday's game were not good (15-31, 195 yards, 1 INT) and the final drive was at least half running plays. The few times he did throw, they were short crossing routes or slants in which the receiver did most of the work. People need to get off their knees and realize that just because this kid starts at USC does not mean that he is that good at this point (especially since its likely that 4 of the 5 starting linemen for the Trojans are projected 1st and 2nd round draft picks and he has Joe McKnight in the backfield who is compared to Reggie Bush).

I-L-L ... We-Still-Suck

Well, I'm sure that I'm gonna be opening up a firestorm of college football blogging here by writing about the Illini (as we have representatives from Northwestern and Michigan who write on the blog). But, after the 37-9 beat down that they sustained from the Missouri Tigers today, I feel the need to go on an Elie aka The Miracle Worker-style tirade. First off, it appeared that as soon as Rejus Benn went back to the locker room due to the ankle injury that the rest of the team just threw in the towel. While he is a big part of the offense and a key player, YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP LIKE THAT. Nobody was willing to fight or make a play themselves to change the game. They all wanted someone else to do. This kind of pansy attitude doesn't fly in smashmouth Big Ten football.

Where to begin is pretty much the hardest part since 98% of the team played worse that the Buffalo Grove Bison 10-year old league. Guys who did have a good showing:

1) Mikel LeShoure: The guy had 38 yards on 10 carries and 1 TD and added 41 yards through the air on only 3 catches. I know that the running stats are essentially the same Troy Pollard (5 carries for 38 yards), but his style of running was a lot more physical and bruising than any of the other backs. He actually put his head down and plowed into potential tacklers in order to gain the extra yard or two. There was none of this east-west, run sideways to get around the tackler bullshit. He took his licks and kept on trucking, which is the way that Big Ten running should be. Zook needs to appreciate this on film and give him 15-20 carries per game and stop messing around with spreading out the carries to different people.

2) The O-line: The offensive line was atrocious last year, giving up 25 sacks over the course of the season. But they seemed to do a good job in the offseason in really bringing the unit together as one. They looked really good in the first half, giving Juice Williams lots of time and space to stay in the pocket to deliver the ball. The line did eventually surrender 3 sacks in the game, but this came later once Williams felt the need to start scrambling more in order to make something happen on offense. Overall, I thought they looked much improved and hopefully will continue to give Juice time to throw and open up lanes for whoever lines up in the backfield.

3) Jarred Fayson: Had 4 receptions for 50 yards today. What I was impressed with the most was how he caught the ball with his hands and ran good routes (he even had some nice blocks on screen and some others downfield). Unfortunately, Juice was not delivering a good ball today, which makes it hard to put up any kind of decent numbers. I think Fayson should be a pretty decent contributor across from Benn this year and will hopefully bring a winning mentality from Florida with him to the Illini.

Guys who played poorly:
1) Juice Williams: It really sucks to put him here because he's now in his 4th year of starting games, so you'd think that he'd be ready to play. Not only did Juice look antsy in the pocket (is there such a thing as giving a guy too much time in the pocket?), but he threw a lot of balls low. Thus, his receivers had to go to the ground to get it, negating any opportunity for YAC. And what throws he did complete seemed to be mainly simple and safe out routes to the sidelines. I'm not sure whether is was the play calls coming in from upstairs or whether Juice was just not making the correct reads, but the offense only existed outside the hashmarks today. Not sure why the TE's (Hoomanawanui had 1 catch) weren't utilized more after they were such a large part of the offense last year. If you want to run out routes with your receivers thats fine, but then have the TEs settle down over the middle or have them run seam routes or something. Also, there were no throws down the field, which didn't help to keep the safeties back and allowed them to come up and help with run defense. Overall, a really poor game by Juice (both physically and planning wise). Not sure if it's the coaches fault (play calling) or his (making reads) but if he's going to collapse back to how he played his freshman year, please bring in Eddie McGee and give him the reps.

2) Jeff Cumberland, Chris Duvault, A.J. Jenkins and the rest of the WRs: Wow. That's all I really can say. I saw more drops of catch-able balls this game than I have in a long time. It looked less like college receivers and more like kids that should be lined up in front of the garage and taught to catch with their hands like most parents do with their 8 year old kids. These drops stifled drives and didn't allowed Juice to establish any kind of rhythm what so ever (not to say that Juice was really helping his cause either). And Cumberland committed the worse sin of all by not securing the ball and fumbling it back to Missouri on one of the drives. These guys really need to just get back to basics and CATCH THE DAMN BALL . It's not hard. Don't think about juking this guy or that guy. And don't shy away from contact. Catch the ball, secure it, turn upfield, and stiff arm the corner defender. That's it.

3) The entire Illini secondary: This one is gonna be broken into 2 parts since I have separate beefs with each part:

a) Cornerbacks- Play up toward the line. Even jam the receiver you are responsible for from time to time. But instead, you give them a solid 7-10 yard cushion each time. What does that mean? That leads to a lot of hitch routes in front of you and slant routes in which even if you get there on time, the WR has shielded the ball from you with his body and you can't break up the pass. CHANGE IT UP. Give different looks so that they offense doesn't know what to expect.

b) Safeties- Good god. (1) READ YOUR PLAYBOOK. There were 2 or 3 long plays for Missouri that was a result of blown coverage by the safeties. KNOW YOUR COVERAGE AREAS. It's really not that hard. (2) LEARN TO TACKLES WITH YOUR ARMS AND BODY. I'm so sick of watching them dive with their helmet or shoulder pads and try to cut the legs out from under a RB or WR. Seriously, learn to wrap and tackle and actually use that mentality in the game. They teach it to you from the beginning for a reason. (3) STOP GLOATING. The Illini were already down big and I watch Bo Flowers, Donsay Hardeman, and Travon Bellamy celebrate after breaking up a pass or making a tackle (most of which, again were cutting the legs out from under someone). ARE YOU SERIOUS? You are losing. Get over yourself and your nothing accomplisment and get your ass back to the huddle or at least in formation since you can't do shit against the hurry-up offense.

These guys (both (a) and (b)) need to really get it going or no matter how many points the offense eventually puts up, the Illini are going to lose everygame this season because we don't know how to defend the pass.

4) Matt Eller: You have the cushiest job on the field. You play a position that scores a lot of points, is barely on the field, and is not even allowed to get hit for fear of penalty. You are the kicker. What you should kick after this game though is your own ass. How do you miss a PAT? It's a chip shot after making a 24 yard FG earlier. I know that in the grand scheme of things the single point doesn't matter. But what does matter is focus and by missing a PAT, it demonstrates to me that his head probably wasn't in the game due to the score at that time and he didn't really care if he made it or missed it. That sucks and if that was his attitude, Zook should find a new kicker fast.

The commentators at the end of the game said it best, the Illini better figure their shit out really quickly and hope that Benn isn't that hurt because if they have a poor showing like today any time over the next few weeks, they will be out of the Big Ten race before Big Ten play even begins. Let's not relapse into oblivion like a few years ago guys. It's already embarassing enough that we are the only Big Ten team to lose in Week 1.

Waving the White Flag - Follow Up

Well, it didn't take that long for someone to make a move on a White Sox player. Thome was just sent to the Dodgers. Not really sure where they plan to play him, but he's a big left handed bat off the bench and more importantly, the Dodgers don't allow the Giants to pick up him up. Thanks for the couple years of service Mr. Incredible. You'll be missed on the South Side.

Waving the White Flag

Not to sound too fatalistic or pessimistic, but it appears that the White Sox are throwing in the proverbial towel as of today. A memo was sent to numerous team indicating that certain veterans were on the market before Monday's midnight deadline (by which players must be added in order to qualify for the postseason roster). The most likely people to be moved are Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, and Scott Linebrink. Dye is essentially a goner anyway due to the pickup of Alex Rios off waivers a few weeks back. This makes me pretty sad because he has been a guy who just goes out there and works hard everyday. Unfortunately, Dye is in his 14th major league season with his best days behind him. His last 4 years have looked like this statistically (BA/HR/RBI):
2006 - .315/44/120
2007 - .254/28/78
2008 - .292/34/96
2009 - .262/25 /72
I personally really like the guy. His is an uber-professional who goes out and plays the game hard. And in spite of all the media attention brought on by the city of Chicago, he doesn't go shooting his mouth off like so many other players out there (e.g. Milton Bradley). As a fan, I will really miss the guy but definitely understand the importance of bringing in other young talent (Rios is only 28) to go with Beckham, Ramirez, Getz, etc.

I have also been a really big fan of Thome throughout his career (even while with the Tribe) because, again, he is a professional. Further, he looks like Mr. Incredible. He was brought in for his power which has slowly decline (2006-2009 HRs: 42/35/34/23), not surprising with the fact that the guy is in his 19th major league season. He's obviously a future Hall of Fame-er but he was definitely a guy that needed to go (we can't have our DH hitting in the .240's or /.250's if he isnt hitting 40 HRs).

Linebrink, the final guy considered on the block, has never been one of my favorites. He's just never really impressed me with his stuff, which has never really been the same since he left San Diego in 2006. His K:BB ratio this year is barely over 2 and he is giving up, on average, over a hit per inning. I'm really hoping that he gets taken by someone since he's technically on the payroll until 2011 and it'd be nice to get his $10.5 million remaining off the books.

By losing these 3 guys, the White Sox wipe off $35 million off the books. Combine this with the $10 million that they won't be paying Jose Contreras, that leaves a lot of money that Kenny Williams can hopefully use to find an everyday CF for the top of the order and hopefully another guy for in the bullpen. Also, they'll need that money to try and keep Danks, Dotel, and Beckham here for a while.

The White Sox have currently lost 4 in a row and 8 of their last 9 games. While, I agree that it is looking grim as they stand 6 games back of Detroit, there is still 5 more weeks of baseball. They have a tough stretch ahead with 4 against the Red Sox and 3 against they Mariners and Angels. But they also have 6 more games against Detroit, 5 more against Minnesota, and 3 against the Indians and Royals. I feel like it might have been a little too early to bow out of the race now, but clearly Kenny Williams is looking towards the future and sees high hopes. It sucks to watch it end like this when they had some really good runs during the year. Hopefully, they can at least finish a respectable .500 for the season and re-gear for next year.

tonight's white sox game vs red sox

Jose Contreras should be deported and burn in hell

Brett Favre

I hope Brett Favre gets ripped in half in his first snap. Outside linebacker coming on a blitz from the weak side and BOOM! Brett Favre is the best retired torso in football

Da Bears: A Preseason Look

Well, August is here, and while baseball is just starting to get interesting (with the post-season looming and both teams contending for their respective divisions), I have to say that my mind is already turning to those fall Sundays when we sit back and watch the pigskin fly. The Monsters of the Midway have made some pretty gutsy moves this offseason, placing the focus for the first time in team history on the offense rather than the defense.

Key Additions:
1. Jay Cutler, QB - The Bears really lucked out with this. Cutler was the guy in Denver and it should have stayed that way. Fortunately for the Bears, new coach Josh McDaniels tooled around with Matt Cassel, pissed off Cutler, and sort of forced Denver's hand in dealing their star QB. I'm not really sure where to even begin describing Cutler. He is the first really good quarterback the Bears have had since Sid Luckman in the '40s and '50s (McMahon and Harbough were ok, but not of Cutler or Luckman's caliber). Cutler has a cannon for an arm and is very elusive in the pocket. He's a smart player but sometimes can try to force throws. Also, due to the elusiveness, he has a tendency to get happy feet in the pocket, which affects his throws. Overall, this firms up a position that has for so long evaded the Bears (just look at any member of their QB carousel over the past ~12 years) and really allows them to finally attempt to open up the passing game.

2. Orlando Pace, LT - The guy is HUGE (6'7'', 325 lbs.) and is a very good player (7 time Pro-Bowler, 4 time First Team All-Pro selection, 6 time All-NFC). He was hurt in the 2007 season and release by the Rams to save $6 million on their cap space. I know that the guy is probably past his prime, but his physical gifts are undeniable and he can still play at a high level. This signing was huge (like Pace) in order to protect Cutler's backside. This should also hopefully give Chris Williams sometime to develop and hopefully slide over to the LT spot when Pace vacates it.

3. Frank Omiyale/Kevin Shaffer, OT - Omiyale is someone who showed great promise while in Carolina filling in for Jordan Gross. He's still young and has a lot of upside and will push Josh Beekman to stay at the top of his game at LG. On the other hand, Kevin Shaffer is a known entity who has spent time with both the Falcons and Browns. What I like the most is his durability (started every game in for the past 5 season except 1). These guys should be key to suring up the line, especially Shaffer at RT, to give Forte holes to run through.

4. Pisa Tinoisamoa, OLB - This guy has a proven track record of being a good tackler and leading his team in tackles. After injuries in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, he returned to form with 104 tackles and 3 sacks in the 2008 campaign. Signing Tinoisamoa finally ends the long search for who to plug into the strong side LB spot. Nick Roach, Hunter Hillenmeyer, and company just have not been getting it done the last few years. Now, pairing Tinoisamoa with Urlacher and Briggs, once again gives the Bears a very smart and capable second level that is able to shoot the gaps and bring runners down for losses on run plays, as well as cover a lot of ground when the opposing team decides to pass.

Key Losses:
1. Mike Brown, FS - When he was healthy, he was a big hitter and feared safety. Unfortunately, he just couldn't stay healthy. This is for sure the biggest loss because of the heart and soul that he brought to the defense. His passion for the game will most definitely be missed and hopefully someone else will step into that role quickly for the D.

2. 18th Overall Pick - This wasn't really much of a loss because the Bears are AWFUL at drafting in the first round. Here are the last 16 years of first round picks:

• Alonzo Spellman – (1992)
• Curtis Conway – (1993)
• John Thierry – (1994)
• Rashaan Salaam – (1995)
• Walt Harris – (1996)
• Curtis Enis – (1998)
• Cade McNown – (1999)
• Brian Urlacher – (2000)
• David Terrell – (2001)
• Marc Colombo – (2002)
• Michael Haynes – (2003)
• Rex Grossman – (2003)
• Tommie Harris – (2004)
• Cedric Benson – (2005)
• Greg Olsen – (2007)
• Chris Williams – (2008)

Outside of Urlacher and Greg Olsen, the Bears haven't had much luck. Chris Williams is still a question mark in terms of whether he was a bust or not. And yes, I know that I have Tommie Harris left in there too. He had a good year in 2007 with 8 sacks and really was a disruption. I just want to see if he can regain this form after knee surgery before I put him in the success category.

3. Kyle Orton/Rex Grossman, QB - These were major losses (especially Orton) for team chemistry purposes. A lot of the guys really believed in Orton and bought into him being the guy in charge in Chicago. His departure saddened and shocked a lot of the players. Also, by losing both guys in one offseason, you lose the 2 guys who know the offensive system the best. So, there is always a question as to how quickly the new guy is going to be able to grasp the system. Well, I think it's safe to say that Cutler is learning quickly and will be just fine by opening kickoff of Week 1.

4. John Tait/John St. Clair, OT - These guys are well known players in the league and are good at what they do. Unfortunately, both are definitely getting older and have passed their prime. These are key losses because anytime you change out established players for some younger talent (i.e. Beekman and Williams), there is always the chance that the line may fall apart. While this is a possibility, it's a necessary gamble in order to infuse some youth into the group.

Players Who Need to Step Up:
1. Matt Forte, RB - I know you're asking yourself why Forte is on this last after how well he played last year. He's here because he really can't afford to have much of a sophomore slump this year. The line is rejuvenated and the Bears finally have someone who can heave the rock. Thus, it's going to be more critical than ever that Forte succeed in order to set up play action and keep the defense honest. And, as we all know, Adrian Peterson (not the good one) is still the backup, so there isn't much to replace Forte with is he doesn't produce.

2. Devin Hester/Earl Bennett, WR - If someone threw a pea in the air, I'd bet that Jay Cutler could hit it with a football from 35 yards away. With that kind of accuracy, you can only hope that there are people on the other end that are going to be able to actually pull in those passes. Hester and Bennett are both going to need to elevate their game in order to legitimize the passing game so that defenses don't stack 8 in the box against Forte. The hope is that Bennett can use his history with Cutler from Vanderbilt to establish a repoire early and make him into more of a possesion receiver. That way, defenses will have to gamble at times with coverage or commit 2 players to cover Bennett, which would open up routes down the field for Hester to exploit when he has single coverage in front of him. The load on these guys will be eased somewhat by Ron Turner's love of TEs and RBs in his passing attack. Greg Olsen and Forte will see a lot of balls come their way as well, but Hester and Bennett are still going to have to pull their weight in order for Turner's system to function properly.

3. Chris Williams, RT - Now that he's supposedly completely healed from a herniated disc and has been around the system for a year, it's time that he steps up and protects Cutler's front side. This guy was very highly touted coming out of Vanderbilt and will hopefully live up to that reputation. He's production will be key to not only protecting Cutler and giving him time to throw, but also to opening up holes on the right side and sealing out DEs so that Forte can get to the 2nd level.

Impressions from the 1st PreSeason Game:
- Al Afalava is everywhere. He reminds me a lot of a young Mike Brown in the sense that he is able to read and react very quickly on both passing and running plays. I want to venture a guess that it was about 5 or 6 plays in a row that his name was called on defense as being part of the stop. This is great news since the Bears could use as much help as they can at the safety position. The coaches seem high on this guy and so am I.

- The 1st team defense looked pretty good. The LB trio looked pretty good with Tinoisamoa knifing through the line to make some tackles and Briggs commanding the weakside. Vasher seemed a little bit lost out there and hopefully will shake out the cobwebs before real action starts. Definitely need to get more QB pressure but overall a good start for the 1st preseason game.

- Cutler looked nervous. I know that he only played a few series, but he just didn't look like he ever got into a game rhythm. He had a few nice passes and threw that one pick (He likes to take chances and heave the ball down the field and I'm okay with that). He nearly threw a second INT when he got some pocket happy feet and threw it right at a defender. In all, I don't think there was enough to really assess his play on. He only got 1 actual series with all of his 1st string lineman, in addition to the fact that Olsen and Forte (most likely, his 2 biggest targets this year) didn't play.

- Hester sort of looked like an actual receiver. He ran some good routes and got himself into open space, exactly what a receiver should do. While I'm excited by this, I was sort of sad to not see the crazy dekes or jukes to make guys miss in the open field like he used to do. But I guess I'm just going to have to deal with that.

- Garrett Wolfe should be the 2nd string back. Behind 2nd and 3rd string lineman, the guy just kept trucking. He made some people miss and just straight up ploughed through others. He might not be the 'freak athlete' that Adrian Peterson is ( so the coaches say) or have the experience of Kevin Jones, but he's a damn good, downhill runner who keeps his legs moving. Here's to hoping he moves up the depth chart soon.

- Henry Melton, a DE that was just drafted a few months back, was allowed to return a kickoff during the game. I love it. The guy wanted a chance to show off his moves and Lovie gave it to him. This is the kind of stuff that keeps players happy and the morale in the clubhouse up. It was fun for the fans to watch and probably hilarious for the players on the sidelines.

Year predictions:
The Bears have a tough road ahead. They have non-conference games against the Steelers and @Ravens, as well as the @Falcons, Cardinals, @49ers, and Eagles on the docket. None of these will be an easy feat. Also, Green Bay and Minnesota will be no easy victories either. I think that by the time the regular season starts, the offense will be clicking and the defense will be figuring it out. My main worries are defensive related. They are (1) the ability for the front 4 to get pressure on the QB and (2) the ability for the CBs and safeties to maintain good coverage. I think that it will be a very entertaining season with a lot of scoring.

The Cure predicts an optimistic 10-6 record for the Bears this season and that they will make the playoffs.

Beer Showers Bring Police Hours

2 days ago, the Cubs were once again embarassed in front to the whole league. And no, this has nothing to do with someone taunting them regarding their 100 year world series drought. This was much worse. John Macchione of Bartlett decided to take his frustrations for the Cubs losing ways out on the Phillies (who were in the midst of whomping the Cubs) by pouring a cup of beer on center fielder Shane Victorino while he was catching a fly ball. This stunt ended up leading to the temporary detainment of the wrong person, and inevitably, Mr. Macchione was discovered to be the perpetrator and turned himself into police. This is just another example of why I despise certain Cubs fans. Don't get me wrong though. I think Wrigley is a great venue for sports (possibly the best) and I really don't mind rooting for the Cubs except during the Crosstown Classic. And most fans are into the game, know the players, know the situations, and pay attention. But then, there are bozos like John Macchione who don't really pay attention to the game. Instead, they are consumed in their own heads with getting wasted, sitting in the sun (I know that this was a night game but you catch my drift. They aren't there for the baseball), and just overall acting a fool . It's fans like this that bring embarassment not only to a team, but also to baseball in general. This guy is a clown and I hope gets prosecuted to the fullest for something that is ridiculous. (Much like those 2 hillbilly White Sox fans who attacked Tom Gamboa of the Royals in 2002. This was a despicable act, made even worse by the fact that they attacked him from behind). You wouldn't go to a bar and pour beer on a random stranger, so why is it suddenly permissible to do so at a professional sporting event. Not to mention, this is a totally huge waste of beer. If this had happened in hockey or football, the player probably would have jumped into the stands and beaten the crap out of the fan (potentially even basketball too, but probably only if it's Ron Artest at the Palace in Auburn Hills). Unfortunately, the fans are removed enough from the players' proximity in baseball to make this a possibility. Overall, I think this not only makes the Cubs look bad, but the city of Chicago and Major League Baseball looks like fools too. Maybe sometime soon, the decency and respect that we once held for such a great game will return and we'll be able to enjoy one of this country's great past times without incident.

The Life and Times of Mark Buehrle Addendum

Just another point to add to the post below regarding what Mark Buehrle has already accomplished.

5. Tonight against the Twins, he pitched the first 5 2/3 innings perfectly. Combine this with the perfect game against the Ray and the previous game against the Orioles, he retired 45 batters in a row, setting a new major league record. He surpassed San Francisco's Jim Barr (1972) and teammate Bobby Jenks (2007) who retired 41 in a row.

The Life and Times of Mark Buehrle

In the wake of Mark Buehrle's perfect game last week, I felt obliged to look back (and subsequently ahead) at his career. Buehrle broke into the league in 2000 with the White Sox after being drafted by the team in the 38th round of the 1998 draft. He was initially used out of the pen but got a few spot starts. He was plugged into the rotation in 2001 and has been a mainstay every since, winning at least 10 games and hurling over 200 innings each year. Further, 2006 was the only year that he had a losing record (12-13) and struck out less than 115 batters (98). Buehrle has never been a power pitcher but has utilized his 'hurry up' approach, great pitch location, and good sequencing to baffle hitters for the past 10 seasons. He has also had quite a number memorable moments in his career:

1. He threw a no-hitter against the Rangers in 2007 in which he faced the minimum 27 batters. His only blemish was a walk to Sammy Sosa in the 5th inning, whom he proceeded to pick off of first base.

2. Reaching a little further back, Buehrle was involved in one of the fastest games every during a 2005 game against Ryan Franklin of the Mariners. The game lasted a mere 1 hour 39 minutes with Buehrle giving up only 3 hits (all to Ichiro) in the complete game effort (Sox won 2-1).

3. Also in 2005, during the World Series run, Buehrle was apart of the 4 consecutive complete games thrown by Sox pitchers (Buehrle, Garland, Garcia, and Contreras) in the ALCS. More specifically, the game he pitched is the now infamous one in which Pierzynski was called safe at first after a dropped third strike.

4. Obviously, Buehrle's perfect game last week against the Tampa Bay Rays (only the 18th perfect game all-time). His stat line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 116 PC (76 strikes).

Looking forward, I see bright things in Mark Buehrle's future. He is most definitely one of the star faces of the franchise, so I don't see him going to any other clubs (which is a rarity these days to find someone drafted, come up through the system, and remain with the same ball club their entire career). I think that his smooth deliver, capacity to work quickly, and reliance on location (not power) will allow him to remain in the league for many years to come. Also, he's a smart player and will continue to use his head to evolve his sequences and locations to keep hitters off target. He currently has 133 career wins in 10 years of work (9 as a starter). I think that I can safely say that he can easily amass 250 wins in his career and personally believe that it's not that much of a stretch to say that he could win 300 games (just think ~15 wins the next 10 years). What I can say for certain is that I'm excited to have someone of his calibur on the South side and am excited to watch how the rest of career pans out.

A Mid-Summer's Night Conundrum

It is halfway through the 2009 Major League Baseball season and the Chicago Cubs are 3.5 games back from the N.L. Central leading St. Louis Cardinals. The bright side here is that the Cubs are in easy striking distance of a third straight division title; however, no one saw this season going like this.

The Cubs were the heavy favorites to run away with the N.L. central at the start of the year (see my season preview). They had the pitching, the hitting, 2 straight division titles and a very weak division. Just another lesson to us Cubs fans that nothing is a sure thing. With that said here is a Mid-Season review and a preview of what is to come for the Northsiders

1. INJURIES

If someone decides to write a book about this club, I am pretty sure this would be the biggest chapter. The original opening day starting lineup (including the 5 starting pitchers and entire bullpen) has been completely healthy for a total of two games. 2!! No team will be as advertised when that is the case. The second half of the season begins today with Aramis Ramirez and Rich Harden back in the lineup, but Ryan Dempster and Geovany Soto still sidelined with injuries. If this team has any hope of winning the division, everyone has to get healthy and stay healthy.

2. Bring some Lumber, PLEASE!

Where are the runs?? This is a team that lead the majors last year in runs scored with 855 (5.3 Runs/game). At the halfway point, the Cubs are currently 15th in runs scored with 355 (4.1 Runs/game). That is more than a full run less per game. I believe in the mantra of pitching wins championships as much as anyone, but hitting gets you to the postseason. Over a 162 game span, pitching will fluctuate, but between eight guys a game, a team should consistently be scoring runs. The addition of Aramis off the DL should help, but something is not clicking right. I do not see the Cubs being major players in the trade market, so the hitting is going to have to come from within. Let's score some runs!

3. The Million Dollar Questions

And what I mean by that is, what do you do about your high priced players? Milton Bradley, Kosuke Fukudome and even Alfonso Soriano are struggling, but are the investment of the franchise. While Jake Fox, Micah Hoffpauir and Sam Fuld have added a nice spark to the lineup for nothing more than minor league dollars. So what does Lou do? I think he needs to bench some of these contracts and let the kids play a little. Personally, I am fine with a Fox, Fuld, Hoffpauir outfield. At least when they hit a soft groundball or a lazy fly, they hustle their asses off to first base. I want to see a message sent that says, "If you don't want play hard, then you won't play." Despite the big money, stars hate sitting on the bench and not getting the glory. Just check out rivals to the south. Tony La Russa gets the most out of every player he is given. And when asked how he keeps such discipline on his teams by John Miller of ESPN, he replied, "It's pretty simple. I don't have a lot of rules, but the ones I have I enforce. If you don't play hard, you don't play." Sounds logical to me....

4. Take it one series at a time

The Cubs have a lot of expectations for this year. Coming off a second straight division championship with that lingering World Series-less streak, the pressure is always high on the Northside. The Cubs need to win one series at a time. If they concentrate on winning each 3- and 4-game set, they will be right back where they were last year (meaning the playoffs, not in Dodger Hell). This team is still loaded with talent and they played awful baseball in the first half of the season. Still, they are only 3.5 games back of first. I expect to see the Cubs hoisting another division crown when this is all said and done.

On a side note: I am worried about St.Louis pursuing the Holiday talent (Roy Halladay and Matt Holliday), so keep an eye on that and hope they are not wearing Cardinal red come August. I already had to deal with Mark DeRosa donning that insidious jersey and could not take anymore talent heading that way.

Prediction: Cubs win the N.L. Central with a 89-73 record.

All-Star Hodge Podge

The MLB All-Star game is once again upon us and felt obliged to make a post about it (maybe its just cause I got out of work early today, who really knows).

A little History: Many don't know, but the All-Star game's origin is right here in Chicago. The idea for the All-Star game came from Arch Ward, the sports editor for the Chicago Tribune, as an attraction for the 1933 World's Fair, which was being held in Chicago. The game was played at Comiskey Park and was supposed to be a one-time thing. But, the event proved to be so popular that it was incorporated as an annual event on the baseball calendar.

More recently: Anyway, for those of you non-diehard baseball fans, you may be interested in knowing that the American League is currently on a 11 year winning streak (not counting of course the infamous 2002 debacle in which the game ended in a 7-7 tie). While many are awed by this streak, you don't have to look that far back to be impressed that the National League won every All-Star game from 1963 to 1982 except for the 1971 game in Detroit (thats 19 games in 20 years). Also, since that 2002 disaster, the All-Star game now means something (Remember the '03 slogan: This one counts!) as the winning league gets home-field advantage in the World Series. Can the National League finally right the ship and bring the home-field advantage back? We'll find out.

The Derby and the Game: Prince Fielder won the Home Run Derby last night, blasting one of his 23 homeruns an estimated 503 feet. The real question though is: can he hit one in the game itself? According to MLB.com, only 3 players since the inception of the Home Run Derby in 1985 have won the Derby AND hit a home run in the actual All-Star game. They were Cal Ripken Jr. (1991), Frank Thomas (1995), and Garret Anderson (2003) (Interesting note: Ripken and Anderson also went on to win the All-Star MVP Award those years as well). Fielder is coming off the bench and will replaced Albert Pujols who is getting the start at first base. Depending how long, Charlie Manuel plays Pujols, I'd guess that Fielder should get maybe 2 ABs to add his name to this spot in history. I'd say that the matchups that favor him hitting one out of the park are against Mariano Rivera (given up 5 HR in 37 IP) and Mark Beurhle (17 HR in 118 IP). He'll have no chance against Joe Nathan (2 HR in 34.1 IP), Zack Grienke (4HR in 127 IP), or Andrew Bailey (3 HR in 51.2 IP). Should be interesting to see how this one plays out.

The Cure's prediction: AL beats the NL for the 12th straight time 5-3.

The unfairness of the American judicial system

It's no lie. I'm a huge Michael Vick fan. I have been since the Sugar Bowl against Florida State where Virginia Tech's offensive line sat on lawn chairs and let the entire FSU defense try to kill Michael Vick and yet they still couldn't get him. Probably one of my favorite childhood college football moments.

With that said, I'm obviously not condoning what he did. He did a horrific thing to those dogs and should have paid the price. Here's what I don't get. 23 months of jail time including house arrest?

Brett Myers was seen outside a club in NYC beating up his wife and dragging her down the street. Penalty...he pitched his next start but he is Brett Myers which is penalty enough. The sports landscape is filled with DUIs, spouse abuse, battery, accepting bribes, you name it.

Take the most recent example of Dante Stallworth. He got drunk and hit and killed a pedestrian walking in the street. He paid a settlement to the family and got 30 days in jail. Today he was released after DAY 24. I mean seriously 24 days for vehicular homicide and a DUI.

I just don't get it. Evidently killing a man driving drunk is 1/25 of the crime as financing a dog fighting ring.

It just doesn't make sense to me.

And nobody seems to care.

Shirts v Skins

When has it become a blasphemy to play shirts vs skins? When it is all shirts how can you possibly distinguish who is on your team especially when either: a. you've played with everyone on every team so you can't remember who is on your team that particular game. b. when you don't know everybody and they all look the same because they're all 5'9 and white.

All i'm saying is i don't understand why the other team gets so riled up when you're like let's be skins and it's like satan just popped out of your mouth reaching for their souls.

One negative may be the excess sweat of the shirtless team but it always seems that the people who don't want to play skins are hairless, 6-packed men who don't sweat...ever.

Just take your shirt off and let's play

White Sox Mid Season Round Up

Yesterday, the White Sox completed what is mathematically the halfway point in the season. Thus far, its been a pretty tumultuous year for the Sox, as they have been forced to battle pretty much every type of setback possible. They have struggled through injuries, inconsistent pitching, poor fielding, and offensive dry spells that make the Sahara Dessert look like a tropical resort. Even in light of all these issues, the Sox have hung in there and have really been firing on all cylinders of late. They are currently 42-20, only 2 1/2 games back of the Tigers. Here's a closer look at the what has worked and what has not.

The Good:
1) The Pitching - Oh boy has the pitching been good. The Sox staff currently boasts a 3.97 ERA, which is 2nd best in the AL and 7th best in the league. They also have the 3rd best BAA in the AL (.253), the 5th fewest walks (263) in the league, and allowed the 7th fewest earned runs (319) in the league. All of this speaks to how the staff is making other teams really work for and earn their runs. The guys who have shined the brightest are Mark Buerhle (8-2), Jon Danks (7-6), and Gavin Floyd (6-6). All 3 have double digit quality starts (10/10/11) and respectable ERAs (3.09/3.76/4.33). Further, the reemergence of Jose Contreras after his short stint in the minors is definitely a good sign. In addition, the bullpen has been solid and all the way around. Dotel, Carassco, Linebrink, Jenks, and Thornton all have ERAs under 3.35 (Thornton and Linebrink are under 2.8) and K/BB ratios around 2.5-3:1 (Jenk's ratio is almost 5:1). Clearly, the Sox pitching is once again dominating.

2) Gordon Beckham and Scott Podsednik- Both of these guys started off slow but have really come on to give the White Sox lineup some added pop at at both the top and bottom. Beckham didn't get his first hit until his 13th AB, but what I was most impressed about was that he went up to the plate swinging the bat. Further, much of his contact was good solid contact but just hit right at a fielder. More recently, he has been on a tear, raising his average 80 points in just over a week. He went 8-11 in the series against the Tribe, hitting 1 HR and driving in 5. He continues to demonstrate his amazing abilities by dominating in the pros after great displays in high school, college, and the minors. On the other side of the coin, Scott Podsednik has really revitalized his career again with the Sox. He's currently hitting .311 and has swiped 12 bases. While it would be nice to see him swipe some more bases and have a higher OBP, you can't argue with the fact that he is starting to get on track and get on base for those hitters behind him (namely Dye and Thome). Also, he's been using a variety of different maneuvers to get on base (normal swing, bunt, and even a slap hit while slide stepping in the box) and has really started to use his speed to his advantage again (now that he's finally completely healthy). This more cerebral approach to the game will surely help the Sox going forward. ASIDE: Jermaine Dye has also been a big force for the White Sox this year hitting .291 with 20 HRs and 51 RBIs. Though, I chose to speak here about Beckham and Podsednik since they are both having breakout/turnaround type years.


The Bad:
1) Bartolo Colon/Clayton Richard - Let me start by saying, yes, Contreras was bad at the beginning of the year. But he seems to have righted the ship for now, hence why he goes under 'The Good'. Though, depending on how he pitches from here on out, he could very well wind up back here. Anyway, The Bartolo Colon Experiment seemed promising this year since it was a veteran who we hoped could simply eat some innings as the 5th man in the rotation and pitch for a .500 record. Early reports looked favorable, as he had a good spring. Unfortunately, that was the end of that. Colon started 11 games and ended up with a 3-6 record. Batters hit .284 against him and he gave up 12 HR in only 55 innings. What's worse is that he made it only 3 times at least 6 innings and 3 times he didnt even make it out of the 5th. This was a disaster that was not made any better by plugging in Richard. Richard is now 3-2 after 11 games started and seems to have obtained a case of Bartolo Colon-itis as 5 of his 11 starts have resulted in his exiting before the end of the 5th inning (3 of his last 4 starts have gone this way). The worst though is his susceptibility to walking people (1.83:1 Strikeout-to-walk ratio).

2) Fielding - The White Sox have committed the 6th most errors (59) in the league. This is just plain unacceptable as it gives the opposing team extra outs with which to work. Wilson Betemit turned out to be a total bust offensively and only hurt the sox by committing 5 errors in only 13 games this year. Add to this mistakes by Beckham (5 in 26 games) and Alexei Ramirex (10 in 76 games), and the Sox just continue to shoot themselves in the foot. I think that the most worrisome part is that 1 of every 3 errors came from players on the left side of the infield (Beckham and Betemit at 3rd base and Ramirez at shortstop). With a predominantly right handed league where balls are constantly pulled to the left side, this becomes a major problem. Hopefully, for the sake of all White Sox fans, these are just growing pains (with Beckham having just been called up and this being Alexei's first full season at SS).


The Ugly:
1) 20-1 Loss vs. Minnesota - The Sox were helpless in this game as Colon lasted only 2 innings and gave up 8 runs. Lance Broadway and Jimmy Gobble couldn't stop the hemorrhaging either as each gave up 6 runs. The only bright spot was D.J. Carassco coming in for 2 2/3 innings of work who gave up only 1 hit.

2) 6-5 Loss vs. Cubs - The Sox looked like they were going to steal 2 from the Cubs at Wrigley. Unfortunately, they wasted a 7 inning, 5 hit, 1 ER outing by Gavin Floyd and gave up 5 runs in the 8th and 9th to lose to the dreaded crosstown rivals.


Looking Ahead:
I think that the White Sox have a good chance to make a run at the Division crown. They are only 2 1/2 games out right now and are showing that they can put the hitting and pitching together (e.g. 7 game win streak). Getting Carlos Quentin back at some point would only add some more pop to their lineup. The question though is where to put him with Podsednik playing well and currently playing Left field. The most likely change is to put Quentin back in Left and move Pods to Center. We'll see though. Also, the pitching needs to remain solid and the hitting must continue at all parts of the lineup (especially the production from the bottom) in order for the Sox to muster enough runs to support their pitching. The Sox must take advantage and beat the teams that they should (e.g. 6 games left against KC and 9 left against the Tribe). If they do all that, they've got a chance.

Prediction:
The Sox will finish either 1st or 2nd in the division and with a record of 86-76. In either event, it should be a tight race and fun one to watch come the end of September.

Chi-Town Craziness

While it may have appeared like any other cool, overcast summer day in Chicago yesterday, in actuality, there was a tornado. And by tornado, I mean enough sporting news to cause Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz to get a headache. Here is the run down with a little commentary interspersed:

1) Da Bulls - Yesterday, the Ben Gordon era officially came to an end, as he signed a 5 year, $55 million dollar deal with our nemeses, the Detroit Pistons. I have mixed feelings about this deal because when Ben is on, he is lights out. BUT, on that same note, when he is struggling, he becomes like the black hole of basketball (once the ball goes into him, there's no coming out). And, whether he is on or not, he is always a defensive liability. I think that this is going to work out alright for the Bulls in the long run though because while Gordon is an excellent shooter, the other players on the floor with him basically gave up on shooting come the 4th quarter, as they expected him to take every shot. That kind of offense just becomes way to predictable and easy to stop. This will force the Bulls to play a much more team oriented sort of basketball and will only be helped by the continued development of Noah in the post or the signing of another low post presence. Add in the continued development of Derrick Rose, continued good play of John Salmons, and hopeful return of a healthy Luol Deng, and I think we've got a great nucleus to a team.

In terms of Detroit, I think they made a couple of ballsy moves. In Gordon, they get a great shooter who can come off the bench. I'm just not that convinced that he is going to mesh well with Stuckey and especially Hamilton (and who is going to run the point if they decided to put Hamilton and Gordon on the floor together since they both love to shoot?). Also, they signed Charlie Villanueva yesterday. I think that he'll be good for 12/6 per game next year, but there is no way that he is going to be able to match the intensity and defense that Rasheed Wallace has given them in the past.

2) Da Hawks - I can't really sugar coat this one. I'm without a doubt most excited about this part of what happened yesterday. The Blackhawks unfortunately could not come to terms with Marty Havlat or Nicolai Khabibulin. Havlat is still a free agent, while Khabibulin was snatched up by the Edmonton Oilers. While its tough to see these guys go (especially since they were such significant contributors last year), it is exciting to see the Blackhawks again be aggressive in the offseason (as they were last year when they brought in Brian Campbell) and sign Marian Hossa to a 12 year, $62 million dollar deal. This gives the Hawks a veteran who is a proven scorer and all around professional. What I like about this deal most is that while the Red Wings sat Datsyuk and other key players during games 4 and 5 of the conference championship last year, it was Hossa who stepped up. Also, his hustle for the puck is relentless at all times when he is on the ice. Overall, I think that this is a phenomenal pick up and proves to the other players and the fans that the management is serious about bringing Lord Stanley's Cup back to the Chi. In terms of the Bulin Wall, it's sad to see him go but it is also time for Cristobol Huet to step up and show us what we're paying him for. He had a great couple of seasons prior to this last one, and I hope that he can return to that form (Side note: It's not fair to blast him for the poor tending in the playoffs. If he had continued to split time with Khabibulin, then yes, you could expect more. But he essentially sat all the last 1/3 of the regular season and all of the playoffs.)

3) Da Sox - They just continue to win. Next post will be on them, so check back for that.

YAO-ZER!

Today, the Houston Rockets found out that Yao Ming's hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone of his left foot pretty much hasn't healed at all since it occurred on May 8th. With this in mind, many options are on the table (placing a pin, bone grafting, realigning the entire foot) but all come with a serious chance that he will miss at least the beginning of next season, if not the entire season (as was hinted at by team physician Tom Clanton). This is crushing news for the Rockets as they were hoping to put the final touches on an already top tier roster in order to have a team capable of making a serious run at the title next year. I was really curious to see what moves they would make especially with so many big name players already having been on the move this offseason (it's like 'GMs Gone Wild' thus far). Anyway, the Rockets are going to have to make a major decision relatively soon as to whether they are going to stay committed to Yao or attempt to bring in a new superstar (If Yao's carrer is over, the Rockets could attempt to collect forced-retirement relief from the league, which would help defray the cost of the rest of his contract). If it were me, here's what I'd do:

1) First, whether Yao returns or not, get rid of Tracy McGrady. He costs way too much ($23 million) for a guy who is seemingly always hurt and is already going to miss half of next season due to microfracture surgery on his knee. Even if the only offer you get for him is a free bowl of soup, give him away.
2) Don't give up on Yao. There are enough options left on the table to fix his foot that you have to give it a shot because he is a game changer. Also, he's only 28 now but even as his age advances, he's 7'6''. With that kind of height, he'll be able to shoot over the top and can adapt his game as he loses some of his quickness.
3) Go out and get someone who can play the 5 but won't cost you an arm and a leg. Specifically, I'm looking at Glen 'Big Baby' Davis who is a restricted free agent and demonstrated this past post season that he can flat out play. He is a good free throw shooter and can finish around the basket. Or, if they really want to take a chance, they could sign 34 year old Rasheed Wallace. Wallace is not the producer he once was but he doesn't need to be with the talent around him. He is still a fiery player who can play both inside and outside.

Overall, the Rockets already have a good nucleus with Artest, Scolar, Alston, Wafer, Landry, and Battier. They just need (1) someone to plug into center who will fight for boards and (2) not allow Artest to become the first option on offense. I think the Rockets have the potential to be a solid, but not dominating team, without Yao. It sure will be interesting to see what happens.

Finding a silver lining

As I am gearing up to depart for South America tomorrow (sorry to all my fans, but you will have to endure a month without me), I realize how much I will enjoy/regret a month without consistent access to sporting news. It seems every time the Cubs win a couple games, and draw us back in, they then proceed to get shutout by a lowly team like the Braves. I am very excited not to have to witness the NBA draft coverage, but I do hope the Bulls take advantage of two first round picks in bolstering the wing position and if possible, finding a big man. I am interested to see how the month preceding the Bears training camp plays out, and how much more attention can be paid to Cutler's influence on the team (and also whether or not Angelo will take a chance on Plaxico). I'm a little sad I won't get to see the finals of Wimbledon, but then again looking out from the top of the Andes is pretty cool on its own. No matter what happens in the next month, I know I will sucked back into it all upon my return, so I guess the only thing to say is happy June, enjoy the Fourth of July, and let's get some runs!!

Props to Jose Contreras

I would just like to give major props to Jose Contreras. He started off the year with 5 starts that were Major League 3 worthy. After being sent down to the minors he has pitched two fantastic games.

I believe in the 2 starts it is 16 innings, 0 runs, 5 hits.

It just goes to show how a player who goes to the minors can rejuvenate their career if only for a year with the right attitude.

I can only hope he continues his pace

What I think the Cubs should do

As the cubs are struggling to score runs ever since the injury of aramis ramirez, the only move that they have made is bringing in Ryan Freel. While the Cubs starting pitching is well above average, their shaky bullpen leaves the late innings an adventure for all cubs fan, especially when the score is a 1 or 2 run game. I believe the Cubs are 6-11 in 1-run games this season.

So what should the cubs do? I think they need to get a big time hitter. With the Milton Bradley experience not working, I think the Cubs should get Adam Dunn, no relation to the Summer Catch star Ryan Dunn.

He's hitting .263, 17 HR, 45 RBIs this year. He has hit 40 HRs every year since 2004. And while his average is low and strike outs high, he is soooo good at Wrigley and against the Cubs.


A problem is that he plays Left Field which is already taken. But i'm sure he could move to Right and take over for the horrendous milton bradley. He can also play some first base as Derrek lee gets up in age. Or dare I say, Alfonson Soriano to second and adam dunn to left.

The line-up with Soriano at second could be:
1. Soriano 2B
2. Fukudome CF
3. D Lee 1B
4. A-Ram 3B
5. Dunn LF
6. Bradley RF
7. Soto C
8. Theriot SS
9. Pitcher

Pretty good, huh?