I was listening to the Score (WSCR, 670 AM) sports radio on my way to lunch today, and the focus seems to be on the White Sox, as it should be, and on the Bears, also as it should be, since the NFL preseason has begun and hope springs eternal.
As I listened, I thought about what I would prefer to hear discussion about, and it has everything to do with my personal likes and dislikes and much less to do with what is "hot" at the moment.
I always prefer discussion of the Cubs. I don't care what time of the year it is. It can be the dead of winter and the Bears could be in the Super Bowl, and I'd probably still prefer to hear talk about what the Cubs are doing in their offseason.
After the Cubs, my next favorite topic is the Bulls. I am always interested in what they are doing, and how they are doing and again, it doesn't matter whether it's basketball season or hockey season.
The next topic I look forward to hearing addressed on sports radio is the White Sox. I am not one of those Cubs fans who HATES the White Sox; I want them to win generally. My dream World Series is a Cubs/Sox matchup, with the Cubs winning, of course. Plus I am a baseball fan and like to hear baseball topics discussed.
After those three, I'm probably going to be split between the Bears and Black Hawks. If the Hawks are in the playoffs, as they were this year, I'd much rather hear hockey talk. If the Bears are hot, I'd much rather hear football talk.
Fortunately we have two sports talk radio stations (the Score and WMVP ESPN1000), so if I'm not getting what I want on one of them, I can flip to the other.
(And thank God that I no longer have to listen to Mike North...)
******
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Chicago Baseball
From the "Not-really-breaking News" department:
The Chisox are still in the hunt for a division title, but the Twins are currently in front by 4 games with two more left to play in their series with the Sox in Minnesota. Could they use a big left-handed bat? It appears so...and it is also painfully obvious that they had that guy in Jim Thome but didn't want to pay him.
They need to take the next two, I think, in order to get back in the race. Some have said that if they leave this series 4 down, they're okay, but I think losing the series would do more harm than where they are in the standings.
The Cubs, on the other hand, are still losing. Another 1-0 loss last night to the Padres, exposing their lack of hitting. Yes the Pads have good pitching (Jon Garland was the guy last night; he was a guy I sorta hoped the Cubs would take a look at in the offseason last year) but still.
Apparently Atlanta is looking to do a waiver deal for Derrick Lee. Lee does not want to leave Chicago, or so I thought...so would he waive his no-trade rights to go to first place Atlanta? Perhaps... I don't know what good it would do for the Cubs unless they get salary relief and plan on using that relief for the betterment of the team instead of just making the new owner's bottom line look better.
*****
The Chisox are still in the hunt for a division title, but the Twins are currently in front by 4 games with two more left to play in their series with the Sox in Minnesota. Could they use a big left-handed bat? It appears so...and it is also painfully obvious that they had that guy in Jim Thome but didn't want to pay him.
They need to take the next two, I think, in order to get back in the race. Some have said that if they leave this series 4 down, they're okay, but I think losing the series would do more harm than where they are in the standings.
The Cubs, on the other hand, are still losing. Another 1-0 loss last night to the Padres, exposing their lack of hitting. Yes the Pads have good pitching (Jon Garland was the guy last night; he was a guy I sorta hoped the Cubs would take a look at in the offseason last year) but still.
Apparently Atlanta is looking to do a waiver deal for Derrick Lee. Lee does not want to leave Chicago, or so I thought...so would he waive his no-trade rights to go to first place Atlanta? Perhaps... I don't know what good it would do for the Cubs unless they get salary relief and plan on using that relief for the betterment of the team instead of just making the new owner's bottom line look better.
*****
Monday, August 9, 2010
New Bulls -since I last wrote...
The Bulls have pretty much completed their roster by signing two last role players: Kurt Thomas and Keith Bogans.
I don't know much about Bogans, just that he's going to be the backup two guard. I think he's a decent three point shooter but not a lights-out type. He's got good size and good defensive skills, I'm told.
Thomas is a journeyman post player, a good rebounder and a guy who can give some mintues at either center or power forward. He's a little older, so his minutes will probably be limited, but he's a good bench guy.
This leaves their team looking like this:
Starting five: Rose, Brewer Deng, Boozer, Noah
Backup guards: Watkins, Bogans
Backup front court players: Gibson, Thomas, Asik, James Johnson
Swing man: Korver
I imagine there will be a couple guys on the inactive portion of the roster, perhaps Chris Richard and John Lucas. But there you have it: Our 2010/2011 Bulls.
*****
I don't know much about Bogans, just that he's going to be the backup two guard. I think he's a decent three point shooter but not a lights-out type. He's got good size and good defensive skills, I'm told.
Thomas is a journeyman post player, a good rebounder and a guy who can give some mintues at either center or power forward. He's a little older, so his minutes will probably be limited, but he's a good bench guy.
This leaves their team looking like this:
Starting five: Rose, Brewer Deng, Boozer, Noah
Backup guards: Watkins, Bogans
Backup front court players: Gibson, Thomas, Asik, James Johnson
Swing man: Korver
I imagine there will be a couple guys on the inactive portion of the roster, perhaps Chris Richard and John Lucas. But there you have it: Our 2010/2011 Bulls.
*****
Changes in Chicago Baseball...
...were few and not very inspiring...
The Cubs did complete one deadline deal, sending Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot and cash to the Dodgers for infielder Blake DeWitt and (I believe) two minor league arms. This deal made the starting rotation weaker, but didn't affect the everyday lineup very much, since DeWitt steps in where Theriot stepped out. Theriot was a fan favorite, with his attitude and his work ethic, and Lilly has been a solid starter for 3 1/2 years. When they signed him to a 4 year, 44 million dollar contract, I thought he was overpaid, but it turned out that Lilly has been worth every dollar of his deal, unlike a certain other Cub righthanded starting pitcher.
The White Sox dealt rookie Daniel Hudson to the AZ Diamondbacks for Edwin Jackson. Jackson has a ton of talent but hasn't had much success this year. His first start for the Chisox looked good, so maybe he can turn it around and help them stay in first place.
Though I didn't really expect deals for any of the bigger names on the Cubs, there were no pleasant surprises and Derrick Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva, and Alfonso Soriano are still all Cubs. And Adam Dunn is NOT a Chisox.
Meanwhile, the Cubs continue to lose, and the Sox had a rough weekend against a (suddenly) hot Baltimore team that just changed their manager, hiring Buck Showalter and trying to change their fortunes for the future. The Sox hold their lead by 1/2 game over the Twins with a big series coming up against them.
Go Sox!
*****
The Cubs did complete one deadline deal, sending Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot and cash to the Dodgers for infielder Blake DeWitt and (I believe) two minor league arms. This deal made the starting rotation weaker, but didn't affect the everyday lineup very much, since DeWitt steps in where Theriot stepped out. Theriot was a fan favorite, with his attitude and his work ethic, and Lilly has been a solid starter for 3 1/2 years. When they signed him to a 4 year, 44 million dollar contract, I thought he was overpaid, but it turned out that Lilly has been worth every dollar of his deal, unlike a certain other Cub righthanded starting pitcher.
The White Sox dealt rookie Daniel Hudson to the AZ Diamondbacks for Edwin Jackson. Jackson has a ton of talent but hasn't had much success this year. His first start for the Chisox looked good, so maybe he can turn it around and help them stay in first place.
Though I didn't really expect deals for any of the bigger names on the Cubs, there were no pleasant surprises and Derrick Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva, and Alfonso Soriano are still all Cubs. And Adam Dunn is NOT a Chisox.
Meanwhile, the Cubs continue to lose, and the Sox had a rough weekend against a (suddenly) hot Baltimore team that just changed their manager, hiring Buck Showalter and trying to change their fortunes for the future. The Sox hold their lead by 1/2 game over the Twins with a big series coming up against them.
Go Sox!
*****
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