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...
*****
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Bulls and Bears
Not Wall Street, we're talking State Street here.
The Bulls currently have the best record in the NBA and they're doing it without Derrick Rose at the moment. And without Rip Hamilton (but that's been the case all year). They haven't always won in dominant fashion, but they have been winning. It's again great to be a Bulls fan.
And the Bears - what is all this? They get the wideout they so desperately need, even if he does have some off-field issues. And they didn't overpay for him. They've filled holes, signed their own players when it made sense, let a few go when it made sense, and generally have looked like a team that's actually trying to win something next year! Gotta love it.
And we have a new start with Theo Epstein on the north side, and with Robin Ventura managing the south-siders. And the Hawks are in the playoffs, or so it looks, and they might be the team that NO ONE wants to play this year.
Right now, it's OK to be a Chicago sports fan!
*****
The Bulls currently have the best record in the NBA and they're doing it without Derrick Rose at the moment. And without Rip Hamilton (but that's been the case all year). They haven't always won in dominant fashion, but they have been winning. It's again great to be a Bulls fan.
And the Bears - what is all this? They get the wideout they so desperately need, even if he does have some off-field issues. And they didn't overpay for him. They've filled holes, signed their own players when it made sense, let a few go when it made sense, and generally have looked like a team that's actually trying to win something next year! Gotta love it.
And we have a new start with Theo Epstein on the north side, and with Robin Ventura managing the south-siders. And the Hawks are in the playoffs, or so it looks, and they might be the team that NO ONE wants to play this year.
Right now, it's OK to be a Chicago sports fan!
*****
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Loyola Ramblers' Basketball
It's been a long time since I updated this blog, but what the heck? Far as I can tell no one is reading it anyway.
There's plenty of Chicago sports news to write about, but the thing that I was thinking about today was how bad Loyola basketball has been for a number of years. Oh, there were a few years here and there where they were respectable in their division, but I don't think they've been to the NCAA tourney since the 1980's. They are in the Horizon League, which you would think would be a winnable league once in a while. Sure, there's Butler, which has been to the final four twice (I think) but the other teams range from up and down to usually consistent and respectable to more bad than good.
The last category (more bad than good) fits the Ramblers. I haven't really followed their recruiting or anything in a long time, but the last time I recall them being in the tourney they had guys like Alfredrick Hughes, Carl Golston, Andre Battle, Andre Moore, and Greg Williams among others. Tim Nolan and Gerry Mundt were on that team, as was Dan Burich (if I recall correctly).
Hughes was an anomoly - a star whose rise was unpredictable. Golston and Moore were transfers from bigger programs, and the others were solid role players. You can't go out recruiting looking for the next Hughes. You have to do it bit by bit.
If I were running Loyola's recruiting, I'd be looking for fundamentally sound players from smaller programs. I'd also be looking at the lesser lights on the big time high school programs. I'd build with strong shooters. Guys who seem to have a knack for rebounding and positioning. Guys who can shoot free throws. Ball handlers who aren't flashy but don't turn it over.
You get five or six guys like that and you're going to start winning games. Because now, from what I've seen when I have paid attention, they tend to beat themselves a lot with bad choices. Basketball skills aside, they need to find high basketball-IQ guys first.
The Alfredrick Hughes will come eventually, and will probably be as much of a surprise as Hughes himself was back in the 1980's.
*****
There's plenty of Chicago sports news to write about, but the thing that I was thinking about today was how bad Loyola basketball has been for a number of years. Oh, there were a few years here and there where they were respectable in their division, but I don't think they've been to the NCAA tourney since the 1980's. They are in the Horizon League, which you would think would be a winnable league once in a while. Sure, there's Butler, which has been to the final four twice (I think) but the other teams range from up and down to usually consistent and respectable to more bad than good.
The last category (more bad than good) fits the Ramblers. I haven't really followed their recruiting or anything in a long time, but the last time I recall them being in the tourney they had guys like Alfredrick Hughes, Carl Golston, Andre Battle, Andre Moore, and Greg Williams among others. Tim Nolan and Gerry Mundt were on that team, as was Dan Burich (if I recall correctly).
Hughes was an anomoly - a star whose rise was unpredictable. Golston and Moore were transfers from bigger programs, and the others were solid role players. You can't go out recruiting looking for the next Hughes. You have to do it bit by bit.
If I were running Loyola's recruiting, I'd be looking for fundamentally sound players from smaller programs. I'd also be looking at the lesser lights on the big time high school programs. I'd build with strong shooters. Guys who seem to have a knack for rebounding and positioning. Guys who can shoot free throws. Ball handlers who aren't flashy but don't turn it over.
You get five or six guys like that and you're going to start winning games. Because now, from what I've seen when I have paid attention, they tend to beat themselves a lot with bad choices. Basketball skills aside, they need to find high basketball-IQ guys first.
The Alfredrick Hughes will come eventually, and will probably be as much of a surprise as Hughes himself was back in the 1980's.
*****
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
No Basketball????
So the pro basketball season is slipping away. I imagine that eventually the morons...er, ah, the advisors of the players' union and the owners will come to an agreement, probably in time to get the Christmas Day games played. Meanwhile a lot of people are losing.
Not just the players, though they're losing plenty of money as they worry about whether the average salary should be 5 million or 7 million a year. Not just the owners, who probably have similar issues...they're just maybe not going to rake in quite as many hundreds of millions. And I won't talk about the fans who pay the bill, because at least we're not forking over money - we may come out ahead financially!!!
But what about all those peripheral folks - ticket sellers, concession operators, security guards, ushers, parking attendants, guys who support the media, the media itself, and the rest of the people who make sure that games go on as planned without a hitch? They're losing big time. And many of THEM can NOT afford to lose that money.
What about the businesses that depend on games for their own business? Mostly bar owners, but restauranteurs and sporting goods store owners and many others. They're probably losing revenue also.
Who's winning? Well, maybe hockey. More people might tune into a Black Hawks game now that D Rose and the Bulls aren't on the tube. So that might be a silver lining for someone else.
And let's not forget the real winners, the guys who get paid no matter how long this goes on...those advisors and attorneys who are picking holes in each side's arguments and proposals. They're winning big time!!!
Good for them, I guess...
*****
Not just the players, though they're losing plenty of money as they worry about whether the average salary should be 5 million or 7 million a year. Not just the owners, who probably have similar issues...they're just maybe not going to rake in quite as many hundreds of millions. And I won't talk about the fans who pay the bill, because at least we're not forking over money - we may come out ahead financially!!!
But what about all those peripheral folks - ticket sellers, concession operators, security guards, ushers, parking attendants, guys who support the media, the media itself, and the rest of the people who make sure that games go on as planned without a hitch? They're losing big time. And many of THEM can NOT afford to lose that money.
What about the businesses that depend on games for their own business? Mostly bar owners, but restauranteurs and sporting goods store owners and many others. They're probably losing revenue also.
Who's winning? Well, maybe hockey. More people might tune into a Black Hawks game now that D Rose and the Bulls aren't on the tube. So that might be a silver lining for someone else.
And let's not forget the real winners, the guys who get paid no matter how long this goes on...those advisors and attorneys who are picking holes in each side's arguments and proposals. They're winning big time!!!
Good for them, I guess...
*****
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, July 21, 2011
Disgusted with the Cubs
Been a while since I've posted here. Part of that was the hangover from the Bulls' championship run. Part was the fact that the Hawks were out early, although the team that oustered them went on to the league finals (only to lose to Boston). And part was the lackluster performance of our baseball teams.
The Cubs have fallen apart. My preseason prediction was that they should be very competitive in the division. On paper, they looked to have a good rotation, a solid bullpen, a decent bench and a reasonably good everyday lineup.
It hasn't worked out that way. Starters have been injured, veterans look like they're disinterested, and the bullpen has been inconsistent bordering on ineffective. Quade looks lost as a manager, and Hendry and the new owner, Tom Ricketts, just keep spewing out the same "We'll be fine" type of lines.
They're not fine. And in my opinion, it all goes back to their farm system. I listen to callers on talk radio suggesting that one of the bright spots of this organization is their farm system. Well, I disagree. It's a lowlight. It's underwhelming. There is not a single guy in that system that doesn't have a question mark attached to his future status.
You can say that's true of all systems, and it is. But for the Cubs, there really is no one name that you say, "this guy has a chance to be a Hall-of-Fame quality major league star." Starlin Castro is the sole bright spot, and many experts seem to think he won't end up as a shortstop in the majors.
Darwin Barney, you say? Nice player. I like him. But he's a middle of the road ballplayer. Hard worker, grind-it-out type. Every team needs some guys like him. But he's not an impact player. If Barney goes down, the Cubs replace him with, well, any number of names.
Brett Jackson? Big question marks. Josh Vitters? Ditto. Tyler Colvin? Regressed significantly after his harrowing injury last year. No guys that make you the fan go, "Now THERE'S an impact player."
So why is this significant now? It's significant because they NEVER have developed an impact position player in the last 20 or maybe 30 years. Dunston and Grace were good quality major leaguers, but they aren't Hall-of-Fame quality stars. This failure has caused them to dive into free agency, overpaying for guys like Soriano and Fukudome and others. They've done okay with trades, getting ARam and DLee in their prime, but that prime is passed now. And ARam, Dempster, Zambrano, Soriano and Fukudome cause this team to not be able to spend money on free agents NOW, when they need new blood. The Cubs are destined to be mediocre or worse for a couple years because of it.
Tom Ricketts had better be careful or he'll lose a generation of Cubs fans. My kids don't care if they watch or now right now. A lot of that comes from me, since I don't really care if I watch this team either.
I hope this team can find some direction in the next few months, and start going in that direction.
*****
The Cubs have fallen apart. My preseason prediction was that they should be very competitive in the division. On paper, they looked to have a good rotation, a solid bullpen, a decent bench and a reasonably good everyday lineup.
It hasn't worked out that way. Starters have been injured, veterans look like they're disinterested, and the bullpen has been inconsistent bordering on ineffective. Quade looks lost as a manager, and Hendry and the new owner, Tom Ricketts, just keep spewing out the same "We'll be fine" type of lines.
They're not fine. And in my opinion, it all goes back to their farm system. I listen to callers on talk radio suggesting that one of the bright spots of this organization is their farm system. Well, I disagree. It's a lowlight. It's underwhelming. There is not a single guy in that system that doesn't have a question mark attached to his future status.
You can say that's true of all systems, and it is. But for the Cubs, there really is no one name that you say, "this guy has a chance to be a Hall-of-Fame quality major league star." Starlin Castro is the sole bright spot, and many experts seem to think he won't end up as a shortstop in the majors.
Darwin Barney, you say? Nice player. I like him. But he's a middle of the road ballplayer. Hard worker, grind-it-out type. Every team needs some guys like him. But he's not an impact player. If Barney goes down, the Cubs replace him with, well, any number of names.
Brett Jackson? Big question marks. Josh Vitters? Ditto. Tyler Colvin? Regressed significantly after his harrowing injury last year. No guys that make you the fan go, "Now THERE'S an impact player."
So why is this significant now? It's significant because they NEVER have developed an impact position player in the last 20 or maybe 30 years. Dunston and Grace were good quality major leaguers, but they aren't Hall-of-Fame quality stars. This failure has caused them to dive into free agency, overpaying for guys like Soriano and Fukudome and others. They've done okay with trades, getting ARam and DLee in their prime, but that prime is passed now. And ARam, Dempster, Zambrano, Soriano and Fukudome cause this team to not be able to spend money on free agents NOW, when they need new blood. The Cubs are destined to be mediocre or worse for a couple years because of it.
Tom Ricketts had better be careful or he'll lose a generation of Cubs fans. My kids don't care if they watch or now right now. A lot of that comes from me, since I don't really care if I watch this team either.
I hope this team can find some direction in the next few months, and start going in that direction.
*****
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