The loss of Minnie Minoso and Ernie Banks made me think about some of the encounters I've had with athletes over the years, notably Ron Santo. At one time I was an autograph seeker. I'd get various players to sign whatever I might have on me -- a notebook, a program, a baseball card, etc. I never obtained too many really good ones until I started going to spring training in Mesa.
There, I met a man from Cooperstown, New York, named Niles Curtis. Mr. Curtis was a huge Cubs fan, and we kept in touch for many years until his death. His wife rarely went to the games in Arizona, and usually Mr. Curtis was by himself.
I met him at Fitch Park, where I was one of a small group watching prospects in the Cubs Accelerated Program (CAPS) work out on the fields there. I knew my Cubs baseball back then, and Mr. Curtis knew a lot more. He had some inside info about various prospects, what their strengths were, what they were working on, how their college or high school careers went...that sort of thing. We were all watching a prospect named Kevin Orie, a tall, lanky kid who looked comfortable at short. Orie had a brief stint as a Cubs third bagger, moved to second, then disappeared after he was traded.
Anyway, later on a trip Mr. Curtis and I were watching the workouts at Ho Ho Kam park (the old park) before a spring training game. The team would let people in to watch in the morning for free, kick everyone out around eleven, then reopen to ticketholders. So this was before they kicked us out. We were just sitting, watching, and over to my left I spotted my boyhood idol, Ron Santo, sitting in the stands with a uniformed coach.
I said something to Mr. Curtis about Santo, about wanting his autograph, but not wanting to bother him. Mr. Curtis said, "Go on over and talk to him! Mr. Santo's a real gentleman, and he'll be happy to sign an autograph for you."
So I did. I walked over, and somehow lost my voice. I was standing in the presence of my IDOL! The man who inspired me as a baseball player, made me want to be a third baseman! I didn't know what to say! I held out the program I had purchased, and said something like, "Would you sign your autograph for me?"
Mr. Santo said, "Sure!" He took the program and signed.
I wandered away, having completely ignored the man next to him. I looked back, saw them deep in conversation, and made my way back to my seat. I sat down and Mr. Curtis looked at my program. "Did you get Jimmy Piersall to sign as well?" he asked me.
Oh! That's who the uniformed man was. Jimmy Piersall, the infamous subject of Fear Strikes Out, and the radio partner of Harry Caray back in their Sox broadcast days, was working as a minor league outfield instructor for the Cubs that year (and a few other years). He was sitting next to Santo, talking about baseball, and I walk up like a dummy and totally ignore him! Am I a moron, or what?
I never did get Jimmy Piersall's autograph. I think that if I was going to get it, it would have been on that day. Any other day and who knows what Piersall mood you'd run into?
In a future post, I'd like to write about my two encounters with Harry Caray himself. One was in spring training and the other...well that's a story for it's own blog post. Till then...
*****
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Busy Chicago Winter...
So a lot has been happening in Chitown sports. I don't have time to do much in-depth writing about anything in particular, so I'm just going to touch on the high points:
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- Bears go 5-11, fire Emery, Trestman, Kromer, and every other coach. They turn around and hire John Fox, fresh off a playoff appearance with the Broncos after being in the Super Bowl last year. Fox has hired good coordinators (a d- coordinator from the 49'ers who's supposed to be great, and the o- coordinator from Denver who seems pretty good too) and a bunch of decent position coaches. Chicagoans are giddy about having a REAL head coach who knows how to run an NFL franchise. Oh, and they hired a young fresh GM named Ryan Pace, who seems to not be threatened by making strong hires like Fox.
- Cubs already had announced Joe Maddon as their field manager, and then they turned around and grabbed Jon Lester, the top free agent pitcher. They made a few other signings as well, including Jason Hamel (who was traded with Samarzidja for the A's top prospects last summer) and a catcher (name escapes me) from the D-backs. Then they traded for Dexter Fowler, a high OBP guy from Houston and a switch-hitting CF.
- The White Sox made headlines by trading for Samarzidja, getting him from the A's for a package of prospects. They also signed Adam LaRoche and a closer named Robertson. They should get significantly better next year.
- The Bulls were doing great but seem to have hit a wall, with injuries slowing Noah and Mike Dunleavy, and with Jimmy Butler coming back down to Earth after a pretty incredible start to the season. Taj, Derek and Hinrich have also missed a few games (as has Butler) due to injuries and illness. The best thing has been Pau Gasol, who has been absolutely outstanding at the PF for the Bulls.
- The Black Hawks look a little inconsistent, but they're coming off their All Star break, and they should look better into the second part of the season. Their rookie, Tavo Taravinin (I know I butchered that spelling) has received some valuable experience, as has rookie goalie Scott Darling. Kane and Toews are doing great, and Sharp is back from an injury. Versteeg is out currently, but should be back sometimes soon.
- Ernie Banks died at age 83. Was there a better person to represent Chicago baseball, indeed, Chicago sports? Incredible player, and as nice a guy as you'd want to meet, by all accounts. He's one of the players I never had a chance to get an autograph. He was never down in Arizona for spring training. (I got Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and Ron Santo down in Mesa, and got guys like Hundley, Beckert, Kessinger, and many others at my one and only Cubs Convention.)
*****
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Cubs have a new manager!
Yes, they hired a high-profile manager who has brought a similar team to the World Series -- Joe Maddon. It looks like a sensible hire. Here's a guy with credentials who has worked with a young team full of top prospects -- which looks like what the Cubs will be next year.
We saw the start of the influx of new talent last year with Soler and Baez and Alacantra to go along with players like Castro and Castillo and Rizzo. This year should see more of the same -- Kris Bryant and Almora and maybe others. I know I'm forgetting some prospects, probably pitchers, but it looks like a pretty good crop already.
What struck me about the hiring was the lack of hesitation in getting it done. And now the hiring of Ricky Renteria, who did a very good job in my opinion but was a low-profile sort of hiring in 2014, makes more sense. My own unfounded suspicion is that management knew all along that Maddon would be available and they'd get a fair shot at him. So if last year's hire wasn't going to be Joe Girardi, it was bound to be a low-profile type. Like Renteria.
Best of luck to Ricky Renteria, by the way, who as I said, I feel did a very good job of handling his young team and deserves another shot somewhere. Under other circumstances I'd say he should have stayed here. But under THESE circumstances -- a win-now-or-in-the-near-future situation for the Cubs, who haven't won in 105 years or something like that, the sure (or surer) thing managerial hire of Maddon makes all the sense in the world.
*****
We saw the start of the influx of new talent last year with Soler and Baez and Alacantra to go along with players like Castro and Castillo and Rizzo. This year should see more of the same -- Kris Bryant and Almora and maybe others. I know I'm forgetting some prospects, probably pitchers, but it looks like a pretty good crop already.
What struck me about the hiring was the lack of hesitation in getting it done. And now the hiring of Ricky Renteria, who did a very good job in my opinion but was a low-profile sort of hiring in 2014, makes more sense. My own unfounded suspicion is that management knew all along that Maddon would be available and they'd get a fair shot at him. So if last year's hire wasn't going to be Joe Girardi, it was bound to be a low-profile type. Like Renteria.
Best of luck to Ricky Renteria, by the way, who as I said, I feel did a very good job of handling his young team and deserves another shot somewhere. Under other circumstances I'd say he should have stayed here. But under THESE circumstances -- a win-now-or-in-the-near-future situation for the Cubs, who haven't won in 105 years or something like that, the sure (or surer) thing managerial hire of Maddon makes all the sense in the world.
*****
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
How 'bout them Cubbies?
I admit, I lost interest. We don't go to games anymore; it's too expensive for a family of four. Parking's a nightmare around Wrigley and frankly, this "stripping it down to the bone" philosophy of Epstein's and Hoyer's has worn thin. Minor league product, major league prices.
But even *I* am starting to get back interested in the team, with the kids coming up and looking...well, talented! No one knows if Castro, Rizzo, Alcantara, Baez, Soler, Szczur, and the pitchers like Arrieta and Turner and Wada and Hendrix and Doubront will actually be productive major leaguers, but they have some talent and it's on display right now.
And Kris Bryant isn't even here yet, and won't be coming up this year, apparently.
There should be one more very high draft pick, then a drift back toward the middle as the major league team actually performs like a major league team next year with the kids sinking or swimming.
Looks like maybe we're gonna see some swimming. Not everyone, probably, but enough. Hopefully it pays off.
*****
If you want to read a book about one family's strategies when vacationing for a week at Disney World, feel free to check out my title , Doing Disney: How To Spend A Week At Disney's Florida Resort It's available on Amazon for $2.99. I tried to write it for families who get to spend a week in the World every year or two and want to maximize their time in the parks and in the area. It doesn't try to be comprehensive, but I think you might find a few helpful tidbits within its electronic pages...
Thanks!
*****
But even *I* am starting to get back interested in the team, with the kids coming up and looking...well, talented! No one knows if Castro, Rizzo, Alcantara, Baez, Soler, Szczur, and the pitchers like Arrieta and Turner and Wada and Hendrix and Doubront will actually be productive major leaguers, but they have some talent and it's on display right now.
And Kris Bryant isn't even here yet, and won't be coming up this year, apparently.
There should be one more very high draft pick, then a drift back toward the middle as the major league team actually performs like a major league team next year with the kids sinking or swimming.
Looks like maybe we're gonna see some swimming. Not everyone, probably, but enough. Hopefully it pays off.
*****
If you want to read a book about one family's strategies when vacationing for a week at Disney World, feel free to check out my title , Doing Disney: How To Spend A Week At Disney's Florida Resort It's available on Amazon for $2.99. I tried to write it for families who get to spend a week in the World every year or two and want to maximize their time in the parks and in the area. It doesn't try to be comprehensive, but I think you might find a few helpful tidbits within its electronic pages...
Thanks!
*****
Monday, June 9, 2014
So what's going on?
Maybe a blog titled "Chitown Sports Ramblings" should occasionally have a post expressing an opinion about, oh, I don't know, Chicago sports?
Well, I did have that one about the Hawks about a month ago. And one about the Bulls in April. And then there were the ones about the Bulls in March and January.
But not too much on any sort of regular basis. And I don't see that changing (the 'regular basis' thing).
I thought that maybe I'd put up a couple of thoughts in short form about potential future topics for me to post about, all the while hoping that maybe someone will see and buy the anthology QUANTUM ZOO that my short SF story will be part of, to be released on June 17th. So here goes:
The Black Hawks need a jolt, perhaps, but no major changes. Everyone always complains about the lack of a second line center to go with superstar Patrick Kane (and apparently Andrew Shaw is NOT that guy). They don't appear to have a good candidate in their system, but maybe it will turn out that they DO have someone and we're just not aware of him yet. Barring that, a trade may make sense - if it brings a quality player and doesn't sacrifice something vital to the Hawks' future. What's vital to the Hawks' future? That's another good question.
The Cubs have shown some signs of life, winning 5 of their last 6 versus the Mets and Marlins. The promise of Anthony Rizzo is becoming more apparent, and Starlin Castro has looked better this year than last (even if consistency is still a problem). But the big issue is the pitching, which has been pretty good. Jeff Samardzija has pitched like an ace most of the time. He's just about in the prime of his career. The Cubs have indicated that they'd give big money to players that made sense for the big picture. So what about Samardzija doesn't fit? They talk like they want to deal him before the deadline, along with Jason Hamel, who has also been pretty good. But why? I'm not sure this makes sense to me.
Sox hit the jackpot with Jose Abreu, or so it seems so far. Made a good signing with Adam Eaton, and they've improved themselves up the middle. Their pitching has been up and down, but they're hovering around .500. Is that what they are, a .500 team? Or can they be better? I think they can make a nice run. I don't know if they're a division champ, but I think they can be a wild card contender. They may need to acquire a pitcher, however. Maybe the Cubs have someone that will make sense for them.
The Bulls have two picks in the first round of the draft, and apparently they've made an offer to Minnesota for Kevin Love. I'm not sure Love is a HUGE upgrade over Taj Gibson, who is reported to be part of the package offered to Minnesota, along with Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikolai Mirotich (spelling?) and possible draft picks. But he's DIFFERENT. Love, Noah and Rose to go with...who at shooting guard and who at small forward? A resigned Deng? Anthony? A draft pick or a free agent? I just don't know.
And finally, the Bears: A nice draft and a nice free agent season put them in the thick of things in their division. They've improved their defense and not made any significant downgrades (except backup quarterback) to their offense. Should be a nice year.
Perhaps I'll get time to write a bit more in depth in the near future on some of these topics. Thank you for reading!
*****
In the meantime, feel free to check out my title , Doing Disney: How To Spend A Week At Disney's Florida Resort It's available on Amazon for $2.99.
Thanks!
*****
Well, I did have that one about the Hawks about a month ago. And one about the Bulls in April. And then there were the ones about the Bulls in March and January.
But not too much on any sort of regular basis. And I don't see that changing (the 'regular basis' thing).
I thought that maybe I'd put up a couple of thoughts in short form about potential future topics for me to post about, all the while hoping that maybe someone will see and buy the anthology QUANTUM ZOO that my short SF story will be part of, to be released on June 17th. So here goes:
The Black Hawks need a jolt, perhaps, but no major changes. Everyone always complains about the lack of a second line center to go with superstar Patrick Kane (and apparently Andrew Shaw is NOT that guy). They don't appear to have a good candidate in their system, but maybe it will turn out that they DO have someone and we're just not aware of him yet. Barring that, a trade may make sense - if it brings a quality player and doesn't sacrifice something vital to the Hawks' future. What's vital to the Hawks' future? That's another good question.
The Cubs have shown some signs of life, winning 5 of their last 6 versus the Mets and Marlins. The promise of Anthony Rizzo is becoming more apparent, and Starlin Castro has looked better this year than last (even if consistency is still a problem). But the big issue is the pitching, which has been pretty good. Jeff Samardzija has pitched like an ace most of the time. He's just about in the prime of his career. The Cubs have indicated that they'd give big money to players that made sense for the big picture. So what about Samardzija doesn't fit? They talk like they want to deal him before the deadline, along with Jason Hamel, who has also been pretty good. But why? I'm not sure this makes sense to me.
Sox hit the jackpot with Jose Abreu, or so it seems so far. Made a good signing with Adam Eaton, and they've improved themselves up the middle. Their pitching has been up and down, but they're hovering around .500. Is that what they are, a .500 team? Or can they be better? I think they can make a nice run. I don't know if they're a division champ, but I think they can be a wild card contender. They may need to acquire a pitcher, however. Maybe the Cubs have someone that will make sense for them.
The Bulls have two picks in the first round of the draft, and apparently they've made an offer to Minnesota for Kevin Love. I'm not sure Love is a HUGE upgrade over Taj Gibson, who is reported to be part of the package offered to Minnesota, along with Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikolai Mirotich (spelling?) and possible draft picks. But he's DIFFERENT. Love, Noah and Rose to go with...who at shooting guard and who at small forward? A resigned Deng? Anthony? A draft pick or a free agent? I just don't know.
And finally, the Bears: A nice draft and a nice free agent season put them in the thick of things in their division. They've improved their defense and not made any significant downgrades (except backup quarterback) to their offense. Should be a nice year.
Perhaps I'll get time to write a bit more in depth in the near future on some of these topics. Thank you for reading!
*****
In the meantime, feel free to check out my title , Doing Disney: How To Spend A Week At Disney's Florida Resort It's available on Amazon for $2.99.
Thanks!
*****
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Arrow pointing up or down?
Bulls:
Derrick Rose is back and looks to be pretty well recovered from his torn ACL from the 2011/2012 season playoffs. Dunleavy is probably an upgrade from both Kyle Korver and the Italian guy from last year (I can't even remember his name). Hinrich moving to the second unit is an upgrade from Nate Robinson, though Robinson was outstanding offensively last year, better than Hinrich likely will be. Marcus Teague is a year better, and the frontcourt rotation of Noah, Boozer, Gibson and Nazr Mohammed should be similar to what it was last year. Jimmy Butler was a revelation in the playoffs and should be solid at the two guard. Undefeated in preseason.
The arrow is pointing up.
Bears:
Cutler and Briggs both injured. Melton already out for the year. Peppers looking like his age might be catching up with him. Tillman still looking good but fighting injuries. Defense in general has gone the wrong direction. O line looks improved, running game should continue to be solid. Tight end is a 100% improvement. But...Cutler out for minimum 4 weeks.
Arrow pointing down.
Black Hawks:
All the stars back and healthy. Some role players gone (I always liked Dave Bolland) but there are others to step in and take their places. Corey Crawford locked up, hopefully he continues to perform. Looking good so far.
Arrow pointing flat. How can it go up from a Stanley Cup Championship?!?!
White Sox:
Konerko a shadow of his former self, and may be gone. Relatively young arms like Danks and Floyd and Quintana and Chris Sale are average to very good, but a couple (Danks and Floyd) are injury prone. Defense was horrid last year. Will it improve? How?
Arrow pointing down.
Cubs:
Figuring things out with their young "stars" - are they really star major leaguers or are they run-of-the-mill guys? (I'm talking about Castro and Rizzo.) Young stud prospects are still at least one season away. Pitching is rough after Samarzidja and Travis Wood. Edwin Jackson is an expensive journeyman. Scott Baker might help. Ryan Sweeney and Nate Schuerholz at least give them a little something in the outfield. There will be a new manager, but we don't know who yet.
For 2014, arrow pointing down.
For 2015, arrow starts to point upward, we hope.
*****
Derrick Rose is back and looks to be pretty well recovered from his torn ACL from the 2011/2012 season playoffs. Dunleavy is probably an upgrade from both Kyle Korver and the Italian guy from last year (I can't even remember his name). Hinrich moving to the second unit is an upgrade from Nate Robinson, though Robinson was outstanding offensively last year, better than Hinrich likely will be. Marcus Teague is a year better, and the frontcourt rotation of Noah, Boozer, Gibson and Nazr Mohammed should be similar to what it was last year. Jimmy Butler was a revelation in the playoffs and should be solid at the two guard. Undefeated in preseason.
The arrow is pointing up.
Bears:
Cutler and Briggs both injured. Melton already out for the year. Peppers looking like his age might be catching up with him. Tillman still looking good but fighting injuries. Defense in general has gone the wrong direction. O line looks improved, running game should continue to be solid. Tight end is a 100% improvement. But...Cutler out for minimum 4 weeks.
Arrow pointing down.
Black Hawks:
All the stars back and healthy. Some role players gone (I always liked Dave Bolland) but there are others to step in and take their places. Corey Crawford locked up, hopefully he continues to perform. Looking good so far.
Arrow pointing flat. How can it go up from a Stanley Cup Championship?!?!
White Sox:
Konerko a shadow of his former self, and may be gone. Relatively young arms like Danks and Floyd and Quintana and Chris Sale are average to very good, but a couple (Danks and Floyd) are injury prone. Defense was horrid last year. Will it improve? How?
Arrow pointing down.
Cubs:
Figuring things out with their young "stars" - are they really star major leaguers or are they run-of-the-mill guys? (I'm talking about Castro and Rizzo.) Young stud prospects are still at least one season away. Pitching is rough after Samarzidja and Travis Wood. Edwin Jackson is an expensive journeyman. Scott Baker might help. Ryan Sweeney and Nate Schuerholz at least give them a little something in the outfield. There will be a new manager, but we don't know who yet.
For 2014, arrow pointing down.
For 2015, arrow starts to point upward, we hope.
*****
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Baseball Trading Deadline...
So here we are at the All Star Break, and both the Cubs and White Sox are about 14 games out, thought the Cubs have the better record.
Both teams are sellers as we approach the deadline for non-waiver deals. Both teams have a few chips. The Sox have Alex Rios and Jake Peavy, both of who they would love to more. The Cubs have Matt Garza, who may be the best available pitcher in baseball, if not for the fact that he is a free agent at the end of the year.
Others could go as well. I've read that the Sox wouldn't mind moving Alexi Ramirez and of course they'd let Adam Dunn go at the drop of a hat, if there was a taker. They've already moved lefty reliever Matt Thornton to the BoSox. The Cubs have already moved Scott Feldman, and I would guess they would consider trading Edwin Jackson for the right amount of prospects. Likewise with David DeJesus, Kevin Gregg, and Nate Schuerholz, if the deals make sense. Like Dunn, the Cubs also would move Soriano provided they don't have to eat every last bite of his contract, and Carlos Marmol.
Here's how I feel about trade deadline deals. There are a couple of reasons to make trades. First, you want salary relief. (See Alfonso Soriano.) Second, you have a young player coming up the ladder who you want to make playing time for. Third, you can get players who likely can help you in the future.
As a Cubs fan, I've seen too many of the "salary dump" types of deals where the players coming back are little more than minor league roster filler, no matter how management tried to spin them. That was a different management team. This year it's different. It seems perhaps the Cubs have people in place who can actually evaluate talent.
Still, I wouldn't trade a guy like Kevin Gregg for nothing. Cash in on him, yes. He's been really good as closer since being signed off the major league scrap heap, and if someone wants to give the team one of those players who can help you in the future, not just minor league filler but a true prospect, by all means deal him. But to trade him for this year's version of Micah Bowie, I don't think I'd do it. First, he doesn't cost much. Second, there is no young player pushing for innings in the closer role. Third, he is helping the team win a few games.
See, I feel these two teams still have an obligation to their fans to try to put a major league quality product on the field. This obligation will continue unless they slash ticket prices to minor league levels or something not much more than that. If someone tells me that they are "building for the future but sacrificing the present", I will tell them that I don't feel I should pay premium prices for an admittedly inferior product, especially one that is inferior by design. I'm all for getting better, but I still don't have to spend my money on bad baseball.
Right now Kevin Gregg makes the Cubs a little better. If they can get a real prospect for him go for it. But don't deal him just to be trading him, and have some B-level prospect come back to the organization in return. I feel the same way about Schuerholz, Scott Hairston and others. They are major leaguers and I'd like to see them stay around.
Unless they bring back real prospects in return, as we all expect Matt Garza to do. Maybe not that quality of prospect, but still - guys with a major league future.
Let's see what happens now...
*****
Both teams are sellers as we approach the deadline for non-waiver deals. Both teams have a few chips. The Sox have Alex Rios and Jake Peavy, both of who they would love to more. The Cubs have Matt Garza, who may be the best available pitcher in baseball, if not for the fact that he is a free agent at the end of the year.
Others could go as well. I've read that the Sox wouldn't mind moving Alexi Ramirez and of course they'd let Adam Dunn go at the drop of a hat, if there was a taker. They've already moved lefty reliever Matt Thornton to the BoSox. The Cubs have already moved Scott Feldman, and I would guess they would consider trading Edwin Jackson for the right amount of prospects. Likewise with David DeJesus, Kevin Gregg, and Nate Schuerholz, if the deals make sense. Like Dunn, the Cubs also would move Soriano provided they don't have to eat every last bite of his contract, and Carlos Marmol.
Here's how I feel about trade deadline deals. There are a couple of reasons to make trades. First, you want salary relief. (See Alfonso Soriano.) Second, you have a young player coming up the ladder who you want to make playing time for. Third, you can get players who likely can help you in the future.
As a Cubs fan, I've seen too many of the "salary dump" types of deals where the players coming back are little more than minor league roster filler, no matter how management tried to spin them. That was a different management team. This year it's different. It seems perhaps the Cubs have people in place who can actually evaluate talent.
Still, I wouldn't trade a guy like Kevin Gregg for nothing. Cash in on him, yes. He's been really good as closer since being signed off the major league scrap heap, and if someone wants to give the team one of those players who can help you in the future, not just minor league filler but a true prospect, by all means deal him. But to trade him for this year's version of Micah Bowie, I don't think I'd do it. First, he doesn't cost much. Second, there is no young player pushing for innings in the closer role. Third, he is helping the team win a few games.
See, I feel these two teams still have an obligation to their fans to try to put a major league quality product on the field. This obligation will continue unless they slash ticket prices to minor league levels or something not much more than that. If someone tells me that they are "building for the future but sacrificing the present", I will tell them that I don't feel I should pay premium prices for an admittedly inferior product, especially one that is inferior by design. I'm all for getting better, but I still don't have to spend my money on bad baseball.
Right now Kevin Gregg makes the Cubs a little better. If they can get a real prospect for him go for it. But don't deal him just to be trading him, and have some B-level prospect come back to the organization in return. I feel the same way about Schuerholz, Scott Hairston and others. They are major leaguers and I'd like to see them stay around.
Unless they bring back real prospects in return, as we all expect Matt Garza to do. Maybe not that quality of prospect, but still - guys with a major league future.
Let's see what happens now...
*****
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Who are these guys?
Admittedly, I haven't been following along during this Cubs' offseason as carefully as I have in years past, but when they read off the lineup card, I'm surprised by how little I know about most players on the Cubs.
I know a few of them were there last year, guys like Valbuena (the third baseman) and Camp (the pitcher), but most of their bullpen and some of their rotation and even the free agents - I don't know much about them.
So, what do they have, going forward? Who's a part of this team when they're actually trying to be good again? I'd guess Castro, Rizzo, Samardzija, maybe Castillo (the catcher), maybe Barney, maybe Travis Wood and Jeff Russell. DeJesus, Schuerholz (sp?), Ian Stewart and Scott Hairston are probably elsewhere as soon as next year. We can only hope that Marmol and maybe even Soriano are elsewhere as well. And Edwin Jackson got a sizable contract but he's not untradable either.
To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure about Castro and Rizzo. We have to see what Rizzo can do for an entire season. And Castro so far looks better at short, but as late as the end of last year, there was discussion as to whether that was his position or not. (No questions about Castro's hitting.) Soler and Baez are coming, but can they be counted upon to be impact players? We've seen Josh Vitters and Ryan Harvey and a score of others come through and not make any impact. We've seen players like McGehee and Hinske be given up on by the Cubs and go on to have relatively (compared to other Cubs prospects) productive careers elsewhere. I know it's a new regime in charge of everything, including player development, but so far I haven't seen anything to inspire a ton of confidence in this team's player development.
To tell you the truth, as a Cubs fan for over 40 years, I'm really tired of watching, investing time and emotion in the Cubs, and ... of just WAITING TILL NEXT YEAR...
*****
I know a few of them were there last year, guys like Valbuena (the third baseman) and Camp (the pitcher), but most of their bullpen and some of their rotation and even the free agents - I don't know much about them.
So, what do they have, going forward? Who's a part of this team when they're actually trying to be good again? I'd guess Castro, Rizzo, Samardzija, maybe Castillo (the catcher), maybe Barney, maybe Travis Wood and Jeff Russell. DeJesus, Schuerholz (sp?), Ian Stewart and Scott Hairston are probably elsewhere as soon as next year. We can only hope that Marmol and maybe even Soriano are elsewhere as well. And Edwin Jackson got a sizable contract but he's not untradable either.
To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure about Castro and Rizzo. We have to see what Rizzo can do for an entire season. And Castro so far looks better at short, but as late as the end of last year, there was discussion as to whether that was his position or not. (No questions about Castro's hitting.) Soler and Baez are coming, but can they be counted upon to be impact players? We've seen Josh Vitters and Ryan Harvey and a score of others come through and not make any impact. We've seen players like McGehee and Hinske be given up on by the Cubs and go on to have relatively (compared to other Cubs prospects) productive careers elsewhere. I know it's a new regime in charge of everything, including player development, but so far I haven't seen anything to inspire a ton of confidence in this team's player development.
To tell you the truth, as a Cubs fan for over 40 years, I'm really tired of watching, investing time and emotion in the Cubs, and ... of just WAITING TILL NEXT YEAR...
*****
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Chicago Sports Bits
Just a few notes that have struck me as 2013 takes over...
The Bears, despite finishing 10-6, didn't make the playoffs and promptly fired coach Lovie Smith. Their coaching search has extended to 13 different names, including 7 current NFL offensive coordinators. Lovie was a decent coach, but did not seem to have the ability to develop a consistent offense, and it was definitely time to move in a different direction.
The Cubs signed Edwin Jackson, a guy who seems to have been on most of the teams in MLB, to a relatively long term contract. Four years, I think...and something around 52 million total, if I recall correctly.
The White Sox said goodbye to A.J. Pierzynski, their long time catcher and one of the few holdovers from their 2005 world championship team. A.J. was looking for a big money committment and the Sox have a younger player, Tyler Flowers, who is ready and needs the opportunity. As long as A.J. was here, he wasn't going to get it. He may flop, but that's the way of the world. Out goes the old, in comes the new. Can't wait till it is too late...
The Black Hawks will apparently have a few games to play this season, since the strike appears to be settled. By this time, however, are there enough people left who care?
And finally, the Bulls have held their own without Derrick Rose, going something like 19-12 up until today. Apparently it projects to a 49 win season without Rose, who is coming back soon. Guys like Gibson and Jimmy Butler are stepping up their game a little, which is a very good thing. Hinrich and Nate Robinson will be an upgrade in the backcourt over last year's C.J. Watson/John Lucas tandem, and though Kyle Korver was better overall, I think this Belinelli kid seems to be getting a little more comfortable and he too can be a three point threat.
Have a happy new year!!!
*****
The Bears, despite finishing 10-6, didn't make the playoffs and promptly fired coach Lovie Smith. Their coaching search has extended to 13 different names, including 7 current NFL offensive coordinators. Lovie was a decent coach, but did not seem to have the ability to develop a consistent offense, and it was definitely time to move in a different direction.
The Cubs signed Edwin Jackson, a guy who seems to have been on most of the teams in MLB, to a relatively long term contract. Four years, I think...and something around 52 million total, if I recall correctly.
The White Sox said goodbye to A.J. Pierzynski, their long time catcher and one of the few holdovers from their 2005 world championship team. A.J. was looking for a big money committment and the Sox have a younger player, Tyler Flowers, who is ready and needs the opportunity. As long as A.J. was here, he wasn't going to get it. He may flop, but that's the way of the world. Out goes the old, in comes the new. Can't wait till it is too late...
The Black Hawks will apparently have a few games to play this season, since the strike appears to be settled. By this time, however, are there enough people left who care?
And finally, the Bulls have held their own without Derrick Rose, going something like 19-12 up until today. Apparently it projects to a 49 win season without Rose, who is coming back soon. Guys like Gibson and Jimmy Butler are stepping up their game a little, which is a very good thing. Hinrich and Nate Robinson will be an upgrade in the backcourt over last year's C.J. Watson/John Lucas tandem, and though Kyle Korver was better overall, I think this Belinelli kid seems to be getting a little more comfortable and he too can be a three point threat.
Have a happy new year!!!
*****
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Almost 3 months...
A lot can happen in 3 months. And maybe it did. But I didn't blog about any of it. So here goes:
*****
- The Cubs are still terrible. Actually they were approaching respectable when the trade deadline showed up and several Cubs found themselves in new locations. Gone are Soto, Baker, Maholm, Reed Johnson, and Ryan Dempster. Marlon Byrd was gone a long time ago. In return we got...well, no one for the major league roster. Since then they've only won 2 or 3 games. Those guys were replaced by names like Castillo and Clevenger, Brett Johnson, Josh Vitters, Anthony Rizzo, Tony Campana, and a host of minor league arms vying for a major league tryout. No one on the pitching staff to get too excited about. But Rizzo is showing a major league bat. There's always next year. In the Cubs' case, though, it's looking like "next year" is two or three years away at the minimum.
- The White Sox are in first place, hanging in there against a good Detroit team. Starting pitching, namely Peavy, Quintana and Chris Sale, have been very good. Floyd and Humber, not as good. Danks, injured. Rios is having a great year. Dunn is having a very good year. I hope they can hang in there.
- The Bears look more loaded than I can ever remember on offense, with Forte and Bush in the backfield, Cutler at QB and Brandon Marshall and rookie Alshawn Jeffrey (sp?) looking solid at wide receivers. Their defense looks solid, Brian Urlacher's health notwithstanding. Special teams should be fine. It could be a fun season.
- Lastly, the Bulls had to remake their bench, saying goodbye to CJ Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, and Omer Asik, replacing them with Kirk Hinrich (hello again!), Vlad Radmonanov (sp again?), Nazr Mohammed, rookie Marcus Teague, and a bigger role for Jimmy Butler. I actually like this bunch better. Mohammed is a long time NBA backup who won't make dumb mistakes and who can score at least a little bit. Vlad can shoot threes, and Hinrich will be an upgrade at point until D. Rose comes back. He's better than Watson at defense and at running the offense. And everyone says Butler is ready for the much bigger role. He looked it to me, last year.
*****
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Chitown Sports Update
I haven't been very good about updating this blog, so if you're depending on it for your
Chicago sports news, you've been disappointed and are ill-informed.
But what the heck? I thought I'd throw out these totally obvious factoids just to have something to post.
*****
Chicago sports news, you've been disappointed and are ill-informed.
But what the heck? I thought I'd throw out these totally obvious factoids just to have something to post.
- The Cubs suck. Oh, they've won three in a row, but they aren't good. I understand that they're building for the future, but c'mon. They should be able to score a few runs on occasion. During their 12 game losing streak, it seemed that they couldn't buy a run or a hit.
- The White Sox are good. I suspected that they might be. It all hinged on their pitching, and Danks, Floyd and Peavy are quality major leaguers. Humber was pretty good last year, and their fifth starter has been solid, from what I've seen and heard. (Can't think of his name.) Everyone seemed to think that because Dunn and Rios were bad last year, they'd be equally bad this year. They haven't been. Getting them to play to their major league averages is like adding two solid free agents. And that's why I thought they'd be better than a lot of people were saying they'd be before the season started.
- The Bulls were exposed in the playoffs. They really didn't have anyone who could back up Derrick Rose, and it showed. Rose was injured much of the year and while Watson, John Lucas III and Mike James did decent jobs, and at times way better than decent, their lack of postseason exposure (especially Lucas) showed. When Noah went down, they were cooked. I didn't understand why Thibs didn't go with Boozer and Gibson instead of starting Asik, but it is what it is. 5 and out. Wait till next year...and they probably won't be all that good since Rose won't be there to start the season (probably out till December) and Deng may not be there to start the season either. If I were the Bulls, I'd probably try to build for the following season and not worry about next year. Let Boozer play a lot, hope he's better in the fourth quarter, and you're one year closer to the end of his contract. (And who knows? Maybe he lives up to it finally, next year.)
- The Black Hawks were a disappointment. They just couldn't get it going in the playoffs and were 6 and out (I think it was). Goaltending has been a problem since Niemi was allowed to leave. Hope for better things next year. They have the horses (if Hossa can come back from that horrific hit in the playoffs)...
- The Bears look to have had an excellent off-season, with their new GM Phil Emery addressing the weakness at wide receiver and picking up some help in the draft for the defense. They didn't do much with the O-line, but maybe they figure with Tice moving to offensive coordinator, this group will suit the playbook...or maybe it's the opposite and the playbook will suit this group. Either way, as long as they get Forte back, Cutler should have some weapons and I'm looking forward to watching them next year.
*****
Monday, April 16, 2012
Cubs' 2012 Hopes Dashed...;-)
Remember the movie Back To The Future 2? Marty, Doc Brown and Marty's girlfriend go forward in time to see what they can do about Marty's kids, and arrive in 2012. He notices an electronic billboard proclaiming that the Cubs Win The World Series!!!
Well, here we are in 2012. Still no WS titles, and none likely this year.
We'd like to hope that the team, with their new management in the front office and on the field, are headed finally in the right direction. But it's hard to see evidence of it right now. All we can hope for is that Marlon Byrd starts playing really well and gets dealt for something of value, opening up CF for Brett Jackson.
Pitching has been a bright spot in the early season, except for Sunday's 10-3 shellacking by the Cardinals. Garza, Dempster, and Samarzidja have all looked pretty good, and Volstad hasn't been bad. Paul Maholm was apparently strong enough to keep Wells in the minors, but I think that was more about who had the options and who might be dealt down the road. Probably won't be Maholm, but perhaps Garza or Dempster could bring value back to this team.
I suppose stranger things have happened than a team like this winning it all. But I'm not holding my breath.
*****
Well, here we are in 2012. Still no WS titles, and none likely this year.
We'd like to hope that the team, with their new management in the front office and on the field, are headed finally in the right direction. But it's hard to see evidence of it right now. All we can hope for is that Marlon Byrd starts playing really well and gets dealt for something of value, opening up CF for Brett Jackson.
Pitching has been a bright spot in the early season, except for Sunday's 10-3 shellacking by the Cardinals. Garza, Dempster, and Samarzidja have all looked pretty good, and Volstad hasn't been bad. Paul Maholm was apparently strong enough to keep Wells in the minors, but I think that was more about who had the options and who might be dealt down the road. Probably won't be Maholm, but perhaps Garza or Dempster could bring value back to this team.
I suppose stranger things have happened than a team like this winning it all. But I'm not holding my breath.
*****
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wells not good enough?
The Cubs announced that Randy Wells didn't make their starting rotation, and they shipped him to the minors since he has one option left.
I hope this says good things about the rotation, because I liked Wells. I thought he was a pretty solid starter in his time here. Last year he was hurt, and when he came back he looked like he needed some time to get back into the swing of things, but once he did, again I thought he was maybe their best, most consistent starter toward the end of the year.
Could it mean that they're going to actively try to deal Garza this year? It would seen to me that Wells would have some value to other teams looking for starters, and could have been dealt, but the fact that they've kept him - well, could it mean something more? Could he be in reserve for a potential deal of Garza? (I doubt that they could move Dempster if they tried but who knows? Maybe he'll go...)
Anyway, the Cubs' starting rotation looks to be Garza, Dempster, Volstad, Samarzidja, and someone not named Randy Wells or Rodrigo Lopez. (I can't come up with that fifth guy's name at the moment...) Keeping my fingers crossed...
*****
I hope this says good things about the rotation, because I liked Wells. I thought he was a pretty solid starter in his time here. Last year he was hurt, and when he came back he looked like he needed some time to get back into the swing of things, but once he did, again I thought he was maybe their best, most consistent starter toward the end of the year.
Could it mean that they're going to actively try to deal Garza this year? It would seen to me that Wells would have some value to other teams looking for starters, and could have been dealt, but the fact that they've kept him - well, could it mean something more? Could he be in reserve for a potential deal of Garza? (I doubt that they could move Dempster if they tried but who knows? Maybe he'll go...)
Anyway, the Cubs' starting rotation looks to be Garza, Dempster, Volstad, Samarzidja, and someone not named Randy Wells or Rodrigo Lopez. (I can't come up with that fifth guy's name at the moment...) Keeping my fingers crossed...
*****
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Cubs bring in Theo Epstein to head baseball operations...
So, Cubs nation is beside itself with enthusiasm about the team's hiring of Theo Epstein away from the Red Sox. Epstein comes aboard as team president in charge of baseball operations, and will apparently hire a couple of guys from the Padres organization, GM Jed Hoyer and an assistant GM, both of whom have worked with him in Boston.
Theo has a big job ahead of him. He has to turn around the direction of this entire franchise. Even when they were winning, it felt like a fluke. It felt like the team was an injury or a bad year by a player or two away from falling from being competitive to being...well, being what they were last year. Almost a joke.
And that was pretty close to the truth.
I'm taking this whole thing with a grain of salt. I'm old enough to remember the enthusiasm around the hiring of Andy MacPhail, who, like Epstein, helped to build winners with the Twins. MacPhail was unable to get it done here, and his successor, Jim Hendry, did good things, but also created a mess with some of the big contracts he gave out. Whether that was his fault or he acted on a directive from higher-ups, he'll get the blame.
Where Hendry's regime, and Ed Lynch's and MacPhail's tenures before him, failed, in my humble opinion, was in their player development. Either they've failed with their player evaluation or they've failed with their development process, but for some reason the Cubs have not produced impact major leaguers at the positions.
(Yes, it's possible that Starlin Castro might be an impact player. But at 21, it's hard to not see the flaws in his game. Yes, he might correct them, but apparently he was allowed to develop with these flaws through his years in the Cubs' instructional system.)
Castro notwithstanding, there just haven't been enough impact players, either pitchers or hitters. With respect to hitters, "not enough" means virtually none until Castro.
Until Epstein corrects this, any success the team has is going to feel like a fluke again.
Theo addressed this as an idea, that a team would have solid prospects coming through the system at every position, so that they would never have to sign a free agent out of desperation. That seems like a solid goal to me, the kind of goal that would put this team on a course to win a whole lot more than it loses. If they are competitive every year, if they are almost always in the hunt for a playoff spot, and are actually in the playoffs 7 out of every 10 years, eventually, just by things falling their way, they'll probably get to and probably even WIN a World Series.
I am talking about "in my lifetime". I'd really love to see that.
So....guarded optimism from this corner. And a lot of wishful thinking...
Theo has a big job ahead of him. He has to turn around the direction of this entire franchise. Even when they were winning, it felt like a fluke. It felt like the team was an injury or a bad year by a player or two away from falling from being competitive to being...well, being what they were last year. Almost a joke.
And that was pretty close to the truth.
I'm taking this whole thing with a grain of salt. I'm old enough to remember the enthusiasm around the hiring of Andy MacPhail, who, like Epstein, helped to build winners with the Twins. MacPhail was unable to get it done here, and his successor, Jim Hendry, did good things, but also created a mess with some of the big contracts he gave out. Whether that was his fault or he acted on a directive from higher-ups, he'll get the blame.
Where Hendry's regime, and Ed Lynch's and MacPhail's tenures before him, failed, in my humble opinion, was in their player development. Either they've failed with their player evaluation or they've failed with their development process, but for some reason the Cubs have not produced impact major leaguers at the positions.
(Yes, it's possible that Starlin Castro might be an impact player. But at 21, it's hard to not see the flaws in his game. Yes, he might correct them, but apparently he was allowed to develop with these flaws through his years in the Cubs' instructional system.)
Castro notwithstanding, there just haven't been enough impact players, either pitchers or hitters. With respect to hitters, "not enough" means virtually none until Castro.
Until Epstein corrects this, any success the team has is going to feel like a fluke again.
Theo addressed this as an idea, that a team would have solid prospects coming through the system at every position, so that they would never have to sign a free agent out of desperation. That seems like a solid goal to me, the kind of goal that would put this team on a course to win a whole lot more than it loses. If they are competitive every year, if they are almost always in the hunt for a playoff spot, and are actually in the playoffs 7 out of every 10 years, eventually, just by things falling their way, they'll probably get to and probably even WIN a World Series.
I am talking about "in my lifetime". I'd really love to see that.
So....guarded optimism from this corner. And a lot of wishful thinking...
Monday, August 1, 2011
Cubs Farm System Inadequate?
Let me rant a bit more about the Cubs' minor leagues. I continue to hear people on talk radio, both callers and hosts, suggesting that the Cubs' minor leagues is in good shape and is the one bright spot in this organization.
I disagree.
If I understand correctly, the top non-pitching prospects in the system include DJ LeMahieu, Ryan Flaherty, Brett Jackson, Matt Sczur, Welington Castillo, Reggie Golden and the draft pick from this year (Jose Baez?). Already in the majors are young players Tyler Colvin, Starlin Castro, Darwin Barney, and Tony Campana.
Aside from Castro, who, as a shortstop, hits really well with outstanding range and a great arm and who MIGHT be a really good player (he currently looks pretty good), no one screams out "future all-star" from that crew.
No I don't know what Baez, Golden or Sczur will do as they move up the ladder. Maybe they'll make quantum leaps as they move up and go from good to really good to great. Perhaps one or all of them becomes the major league star whose production has so far eluded the Cubs. But you just can't count on it.
Knowing that the Cubs have few outstanding, impact-type players in their system, what did they do this year? They drafted a high school player.
Drafting these youngsters is all well and good. But for this team, at this time, it sort of smacks of self-preservation. Why would I say this? After all, if you want to show production, you might be inclined to draft a college player who is really good. Picking as high as the Cubs picked this year, there should have been one or two of those types available. There usually are.
So why do I say that drafting from high school could be from self-preservation? Because you cannot evaluate these kids for at least 3 or 4 years, not really. So you can't say that the pick is a failure. Again.
All you have to do is look at Josh Vitters. Baseball America touted him as the best prep hitter in that draft. But he isn't showing much in the minors; certainly not enough to count on him in the majors next year. He looked good his first couple years in rookie, short season, low-A ball, wherever he played. But now, several years later, it's sort of looking like another busted pick.
Will the HS kid be Josh Vitters or will he be Joe Mauer? You don't know. The time frame for evaluating a HS player is longer than it is for an older college player. So you can't say Tim Wilken failed again.
Wilken's picks so far in the first round are underwhelming. Colvin showed flashes in the majors, but he's a flawed player anyway. Since then, we don't know about the pitcher he took from the college ranks last year (Hayden Simpson) or any others. So far it's not inspiring me as a somewhat casual watcher of the Cubs' farm system.
So it's a couple more years before we can really evaluate the latest first rounder of the Cubs. A couple more years before we can really evaluate the 2011 draft, and evaluate Tim Wilken.
Oh well.
*****
I disagree.
If I understand correctly, the top non-pitching prospects in the system include DJ LeMahieu, Ryan Flaherty, Brett Jackson, Matt Sczur, Welington Castillo, Reggie Golden and the draft pick from this year (Jose Baez?). Already in the majors are young players Tyler Colvin, Starlin Castro, Darwin Barney, and Tony Campana.
Aside from Castro, who, as a shortstop, hits really well with outstanding range and a great arm and who MIGHT be a really good player (he currently looks pretty good), no one screams out "future all-star" from that crew.
No I don't know what Baez, Golden or Sczur will do as they move up the ladder. Maybe they'll make quantum leaps as they move up and go from good to really good to great. Perhaps one or all of them becomes the major league star whose production has so far eluded the Cubs. But you just can't count on it.
Knowing that the Cubs have few outstanding, impact-type players in their system, what did they do this year? They drafted a high school player.
Drafting these youngsters is all well and good. But for this team, at this time, it sort of smacks of self-preservation. Why would I say this? After all, if you want to show production, you might be inclined to draft a college player who is really good. Picking as high as the Cubs picked this year, there should have been one or two of those types available. There usually are.
So why do I say that drafting from high school could be from self-preservation? Because you cannot evaluate these kids for at least 3 or 4 years, not really. So you can't say that the pick is a failure. Again.
All you have to do is look at Josh Vitters. Baseball America touted him as the best prep hitter in that draft. But he isn't showing much in the minors; certainly not enough to count on him in the majors next year. He looked good his first couple years in rookie, short season, low-A ball, wherever he played. But now, several years later, it's sort of looking like another busted pick.
Will the HS kid be Josh Vitters or will he be Joe Mauer? You don't know. The time frame for evaluating a HS player is longer than it is for an older college player. So you can't say Tim Wilken failed again.
Wilken's picks so far in the first round are underwhelming. Colvin showed flashes in the majors, but he's a flawed player anyway. Since then, we don't know about the pitcher he took from the college ranks last year (Hayden Simpson) or any others. So far it's not inspiring me as a somewhat casual watcher of the Cubs' farm system.
So it's a couple more years before we can really evaluate the latest first rounder of the Cubs. A couple more years before we can really evaluate the 2011 draft, and evaluate Tim Wilken.
Oh well.
*****
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Cubs and Bulls
The Cubs open the season on April 1st against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's one of those years when a lot of us don't expect much from our team. And perhaps that bodes well for the Cubs - it's in years like this that no one is expecting much that the Cubs tend to do better.
The key for them is their pitchers. I mean, we know what we're getting with Dempster and with Randy Wells. I feel that both of them will do what they are capable of. Wells could be one of the better 4th starters in the league, and Dempster, while he is the opening day pitcher, is really more of a middle of the rotation type on a really good team.
That's where Dempster may end up, because there are two higher end talents in this rotation - Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza. Both have the arms and the "stuff" to be top of the rotation types. Ideally they would be one and two in a good rotation. If they pitch up to their capabilities, and keep their heads in the game, they'll help make up a very good rotation.
The fifth starter appears to be Andrew Cashner, a young guy who was a number 1 draft pick of the Cubs only a few years back. He's got "stuff" and talent, too, and could pitch like a top of the rotation guy. Trouble is, as a virtual rookie, he is a question mark and could easily go the other way, too. In that case, I do believe the Cubs have options with several young players who showed that they could pitch in the majors last year.
The Cubs' bullpen should be okay, with Marmol, Wood and Marshall holding down the back end, and Samarzidja, Grabow and one other (Looper? Wellemayer?) filling out the pen. Bullpens are always a bit of a crapshoot, but the Cubs look solid enough there. Offensively, there are questions. But if Soriano can come back toward his career norms, Ramirez can bounce back in a contract year, and Pena can do something other than what he did last year and play good defense, they should be fine. I'm good with Soto, Castro, Colvin and Barney/Baker (at second), and Byrd in CF for now. Should be okay. We'll see what happens.
*****
The Bulls got beat by the Sixers, then dominated the T-wolves last night. Boozer had a great game without Noah on the floor, and after the game, Rose mentioned (in response to a question from a reporter) that he notices Boozer to be more aggressive when Noah isn't on the floor. It's a dilemma that the Bulls will need to figure out. We know Boozer isn't the greatest defensive power forward; he needs to be solid on the offensive end. It'd be nice if the Bulls could work it out over the course of the next couple weeks, before the playoffs. Noah, though, looks like he might be out for another couple games.
Maybe the answer is to play Noah with the second unit? Or Boozer with the second unit? Start him, play him for 3 minutes, sit him for Gibson, then bring him back in when Noah goes out. Play him with Thomas or Asik. Gibson is better defensively, but does not offer the offensive weapons that Boozer offers. The Bulls back in the Jordan years always used to try to establish the post game right off the bat, whether it was Cartwright or Longley starting. Maybe the reverse needs to be done. Pull Noah after a few minutes, and establish Boozer in the post right away. Then bring Noah in with the second unit. I don't know...
Anyway, it looks like the Bulls stand a real chance of going far in the playoffs. I'm totally rooting for them!!!
*****
The key for them is their pitchers. I mean, we know what we're getting with Dempster and with Randy Wells. I feel that both of them will do what they are capable of. Wells could be one of the better 4th starters in the league, and Dempster, while he is the opening day pitcher, is really more of a middle of the rotation type on a really good team.
That's where Dempster may end up, because there are two higher end talents in this rotation - Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza. Both have the arms and the "stuff" to be top of the rotation types. Ideally they would be one and two in a good rotation. If they pitch up to their capabilities, and keep their heads in the game, they'll help make up a very good rotation.
The fifth starter appears to be Andrew Cashner, a young guy who was a number 1 draft pick of the Cubs only a few years back. He's got "stuff" and talent, too, and could pitch like a top of the rotation guy. Trouble is, as a virtual rookie, he is a question mark and could easily go the other way, too. In that case, I do believe the Cubs have options with several young players who showed that they could pitch in the majors last year.
The Cubs' bullpen should be okay, with Marmol, Wood and Marshall holding down the back end, and Samarzidja, Grabow and one other (Looper? Wellemayer?) filling out the pen. Bullpens are always a bit of a crapshoot, but the Cubs look solid enough there. Offensively, there are questions. But if Soriano can come back toward his career norms, Ramirez can bounce back in a contract year, and Pena can do something other than what he did last year and play good defense, they should be fine. I'm good with Soto, Castro, Colvin and Barney/Baker (at second), and Byrd in CF for now. Should be okay. We'll see what happens.
*****
The Bulls got beat by the Sixers, then dominated the T-wolves last night. Boozer had a great game without Noah on the floor, and after the game, Rose mentioned (in response to a question from a reporter) that he notices Boozer to be more aggressive when Noah isn't on the floor. It's a dilemma that the Bulls will need to figure out. We know Boozer isn't the greatest defensive power forward; he needs to be solid on the offensive end. It'd be nice if the Bulls could work it out over the course of the next couple weeks, before the playoffs. Noah, though, looks like he might be out for another couple games.
Maybe the answer is to play Noah with the second unit? Or Boozer with the second unit? Start him, play him for 3 minutes, sit him for Gibson, then bring him back in when Noah goes out. Play him with Thomas or Asik. Gibson is better defensively, but does not offer the offensive weapons that Boozer offers. The Bulls back in the Jordan years always used to try to establish the post game right off the bat, whether it was Cartwright or Longley starting. Maybe the reverse needs to be done. Pull Noah after a few minutes, and establish Boozer in the post right away. Then bring Noah in with the second unit. I don't know...
Anyway, it looks like the Bulls stand a real chance of going far in the playoffs. I'm totally rooting for them!!!
*****
Friday, March 4, 2011
Cubs this spring...
The Cubs are fighting in the dugout already, and making errors in droves this spring. We knew that this wasn't a good defensive team last year, but we didn't think we'd be getting significantly worse. Hopefully these early spring errors are just a matter of getting in the groove, so to speak, and things smooth out as the team progresses toward the regular season.
I'm trying to get excited about the baseball season, but aside from it being a harbinger of good weather here in the North, I can't find much to get worked up about for the Cubs. I mean, what's to get excited about? Matt Garza? A solid addition, but I can't see him as a significant improvement over what we had going into last season. Last year it was Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Wells and Silva. This year it's Z, Demp, Garza, Wells and either Silva or a young arm. Garza tons better than Lilly? Not until he proves it on the mound for me.
Upgrade at second? Last year it was Fontenot and Baker. This year it's DeWitt and Baker. At short? Last year it was Theriot. This year, Castro. First? Lee vs Pena. I was more excited about Lee's possibilities last year, coming off an excellent season, than I am about Pena's this year, coming off a relatively poor season.
The only bright spot might be the bullpen, where Wood and Marmol anchor a relief corps that may include Todd Wellemayer and Braden Looper, or may include a bunch of young arms. We don't know yet.
At least Sox fans have Adam Dunn to get excited about.
*****
I'm trying to get excited about the baseball season, but aside from it being a harbinger of good weather here in the North, I can't find much to get worked up about for the Cubs. I mean, what's to get excited about? Matt Garza? A solid addition, but I can't see him as a significant improvement over what we had going into last season. Last year it was Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Wells and Silva. This year it's Z, Demp, Garza, Wells and either Silva or a young arm. Garza tons better than Lilly? Not until he proves it on the mound for me.
Upgrade at second? Last year it was Fontenot and Baker. This year it's DeWitt and Baker. At short? Last year it was Theriot. This year, Castro. First? Lee vs Pena. I was more excited about Lee's possibilities last year, coming off an excellent season, than I am about Pena's this year, coming off a relatively poor season.
The only bright spot might be the bullpen, where Wood and Marmol anchor a relief corps that may include Todd Wellemayer and Braden Looper, or may include a bunch of young arms. We don't know yet.
At least Sox fans have Adam Dunn to get excited about.
*****
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Suggested Trade...Soriano for Young...
This isn't my idea; I've seen it proposed by Phil Rogers in the Trib and by some bulletin board posters.
Texas deals disgruntled 2nd baseman Michael Young to the Cubs for left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who would DH for them.
Young has 3 years at 16 million a year left on his contract. Soriano has 4 years at 18 million a year left on his deal.
I don't know if it's possible, but what if the Cubs paid half of that last year, and made up the difference between their deals for the next three years (that would be sending Texas 15 million dollars) and threw in a couple of decent prospects, say, Jay Jackson and Chris Carpenter? (I'd suggest a position player, but other than Brett Jackson, who they'll need if they deal Soriano, the Cubs aren't stacked with position player prospects...) Were I the Cubs, I'd be happy to get out from under Soriano and save 9 million dollars in 2014 and happy to get Brett Jackson an opportunity and happy to get a guy like Young to take over at second base for them.
One of the biggest problems with Soriano is that he blocks a young talented player and at some point the Cubs will have to relegate him to the bench. Or maybe not - Jackson plays CF, and Marlon Byrd is signed only through 2012. Byrd might be easier to move than Soriano, but if ever there seemed to be a deal where it might actually be possible to move Soriano, this is the one.
We'll see what happens...
*****
Texas deals disgruntled 2nd baseman Michael Young to the Cubs for left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who would DH for them.
Young has 3 years at 16 million a year left on his contract. Soriano has 4 years at 18 million a year left on his deal.
I don't know if it's possible, but what if the Cubs paid half of that last year, and made up the difference between their deals for the next three years (that would be sending Texas 15 million dollars) and threw in a couple of decent prospects, say, Jay Jackson and Chris Carpenter? (I'd suggest a position player, but other than Brett Jackson, who they'll need if they deal Soriano, the Cubs aren't stacked with position player prospects...) Were I the Cubs, I'd be happy to get out from under Soriano and save 9 million dollars in 2014 and happy to get Brett Jackson an opportunity and happy to get a guy like Young to take over at second base for them.
One of the biggest problems with Soriano is that he blocks a young talented player and at some point the Cubs will have to relegate him to the bench. Or maybe not - Jackson plays CF, and Marlon Byrd is signed only through 2012. Byrd might be easier to move than Soriano, but if ever there seemed to be a deal where it might actually be possible to move Soriano, this is the one.
We'll see what happens...
*****
Santo's replacement
I think I'll do these in two separate posts.
The Cubs announced that Keith Moreland would take Ron Santo's spot as analyst for WGN radio broadcasts of team games.
I was sort of pulling for Dave Otto; I like his low key style and I find his analysis fairly insightful. I've heard Moreland a few times and I think he did a pretty good job, so I can certainly live with him.
Moreland played right field on that 1984 Cubs team that almost went to the World Series. (We Cubs fans have to put up with an awful lot of "almost's"...) He was a good hitter, not as good in the field, as was noted in a line in the great Steve Goodman song "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request": "Watch Keith Moreland drop a routine fly ball..."
But he was a fan favorite, and a colorful personality.
Looking forward to hearing how he does with Pat Hughes.
*****
The Cubs announced that Keith Moreland would take Ron Santo's spot as analyst for WGN radio broadcasts of team games.
I was sort of pulling for Dave Otto; I like his low key style and I find his analysis fairly insightful. I've heard Moreland a few times and I think he did a pretty good job, so I can certainly live with him.
Moreland played right field on that 1984 Cubs team that almost went to the World Series. (We Cubs fans have to put up with an awful lot of "almost's"...) He was a good hitter, not as good in the field, as was noted in a line in the great Steve Goodman song "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request": "Watch Keith Moreland drop a routine fly ball..."
But he was a fan favorite, and a colorful personality.
Looking forward to hearing how he does with Pat Hughes.
*****
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Pitchers and catchers...
Some of my favorite words in pro sports are "pitchers and catchers report..." and it's coming up. I don't know the exact dates for either Chicago team but I think it must be sometime in the upcoming week.
So for the Sox, they have some solid pitchers coming. Their candidates for their rotation are John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle, and Jake Peavy, if he's ready. Chris Sale has apparently been working all winter to get a chance to start. So the Sox appear to be set with some combination of those six. Their bullpen is in a little more flux. They did sign the guy from the Twins (can't recall his name) and they still have Thornton and Sergio Santos, but Bobby Jenks is gone and their closer role is a little up in the air.
On the north side, the Cubs will go to camp with Zambrano and Matt Garza at the top of their rotation. Ryan Dempster slots in next, with Randy Wells, Carlos Silva and a couple of youngsters out of the group of arms that gave them starts last year competing for the back of the rotation. Their bullpen is a little more settled, with Marmol returning in his role as closer and many of the same names as last year.
Pierzynski and Soto return to backstop their respective team's rotation.
*****
So for the Sox, they have some solid pitchers coming. Their candidates for their rotation are John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle, and Jake Peavy, if he's ready. Chris Sale has apparently been working all winter to get a chance to start. So the Sox appear to be set with some combination of those six. Their bullpen is in a little more flux. They did sign the guy from the Twins (can't recall his name) and they still have Thornton and Sergio Santos, but Bobby Jenks is gone and their closer role is a little up in the air.
On the north side, the Cubs will go to camp with Zambrano and Matt Garza at the top of their rotation. Ryan Dempster slots in next, with Randy Wells, Carlos Silva and a couple of youngsters out of the group of arms that gave them starts last year competing for the back of the rotation. Their bullpen is a little more settled, with Marmol returning in his role as closer and many of the same names as last year.
Pierzynski and Soto return to backstop their respective team's rotation.
*****
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