I have seldomly looked forward to an All-Star game so much as I am this year. As I wrote to a friend the other day, I am really enjoying this baseball season. I'm fascinated by the Josh Hamilton story and the Chipper Jones chase. Edinson Volquez' ungodly low ERA. The Rich Harden trade. The Rays, A's, and Marlins overachieving. And much more. It's been just a joy to be a baseball fan so far this year.
What about this...what if Josh Hamilton led off for the AL and the NL pitcher was Edinson Volquez? That would be fitting. Either way...I'm rooting for Josh Hamilton in the HR derby and expect big things from him. The avenues he's had recently to share his testimony have been amazing.
People wondered if the Rich Harden move was reactionary. Not a chance. Anyone who thinks that those few days (between the Sabathia move and the Cubs' trade) were enough to put together something that monumental doesn't know much about the way it works. The Cubs have coveted Harden for a long time now, and have been scouting him for weeks. It just all came together last Tuesday.
And me? I've been clamoring for a true number two starter for a long time. The day they signed Lilly...I said he wasn't a legitimate number two. He's a perfect three or four. Then the next signing was Jason Marquis and I realize they DID plan on using Lilly as the two behind Zambrano. Last year he went out and won 15 games and proved me wrong. And still...this year the way the rotation was constructed...I wanted a number two starter. I've said it since day one. The Cubs have done all this without the benefit of an imposing starting rotation. And now they have one. I didn't want to go toward the playoffs with the rotation as it was.
Harden has long been one of my favorite non-Cubs. But people say this is the second coming of the Mark Prior fiasco. Hey I welcome that!! To have a second chance at a Mark Prior-type talent is a dream. And he's that kind of pitcher. Every year I would follow his success because I knew he had a chance to be truly great. I would always put him on my fantasy team at the beginning of the season thinking "this" was the year he would put it all together. And he still hasn't. But to think that he's a Cub is still very exciting. And you absolutely have to make that trade. Harden's arm may fall off tomorrow. And I still make that trade. You have to. The Cubs may or may not win it all, but if you have any bullets remaining at the end, something's wrong.
And they STILL didn't have to give up anything. About a week and a half before the trade, I asked Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus (before he went on the air with us) if the Cubs had a chance at Harden. "Oh heavens no," he replied quickly. "Billy's going to ask the world for him." So in my mind when I did hear the Cubs were pursuing him, I thought the Cubs would have to package Felix Pie, Rich Hill, Donnie Veal, and Ronny Cedeno to even get Billy talking! When in reality, the Cubs kept ALL their top prospects!!! Even Tyler Colvin, Jeff Samardzija, AND Josh Vitters. Unbelievable.
Eric Patterson? A guy with decent speed and no position. He wasn't going to contribute for a long long time. Sean Gallagher? He probably could've been a good one but he wasn't going to be a difference maker this year. Josh Donaldson? Draft a couple more good hitting catchers next year. And Matt Murton? A one-tool player. And the fact that "Billy" threw in Chad Gaudin is almost too much to take at this point.
What do I want from here? A left handed power hitter? Another front line starter? No. I want two things. I want one more setup guy. And I want a proven playoff role player. I know the Cub bullpen has been good, but if you can go out and get a Brian Fuentes or Scott Downs, you have to. That bullpen needs to be a little deeper I think. A month ago the Cub bullpen was the strength of the team. Now? Marmol is lost out there. Howry still hasn't got it right. Wuertz just got sent down. Cotts hasn't been consistent yet this year. Hart's been up and down between Iowa and Chicago. Scott Eyre is on the DL, and Wood is always one pitch from being there. Jose Ascanio isn't the answer, and John Lieber wasn't brought here for short relief. Chad Gaudin will help. But get me another guaranteed eighth inning guy who can also close in an emergeny before you start talking playoffs.
And the proven role player? I don't think the Cubs need to make a big splash for a center fielder or some such. If they do add another hitter, find someone who has done if before in October. Why? Because Soriano and Ramirez went oh for everything last October. This year feels different, sure. But if you're going to add anything on offense, find someone who is consistent but not flashy. Who has been to the postseason and performed well. Because if the big hitters start to gag on it again this Fall, I want to know there's someone else there to pick them up.
This is as vested as I've ever been in the result of the All Star game. I still haven't decided how I feel about the event deciding home field advantage in the World Series, but since it is that way...it's high time for the NL to end the drought. As I've said many times, I've never been a "this is our year" kind of Cub fan. But then again they've never had the best record in the majors at the All Star break in my life. So while I'm not convinced that this is our year, I sure wouldn't mind the National League winning the All-Star game in case the Cubs do get to the World Series. As differently as they play at Wrigley, I sure would feel a lot better--if they get that far--about starting the Fall Classic there.
And so that's why I don't want Kosuke Fukudome playing in my All Star game. That's everything that's wrong with the All Star voting. A bunch of simpletons voting for a .280 hitter with 7 HRs and 30 RBIs. And yet...in a potentially very important starting lineup...there he is. No thanks. He's not an All Star. Neither is Marmol. Six weeks ago he was. Six weeks ago he was by far the most important player on the Cubs team. Now? I don't want him even sniffing that mound at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night.
Anyway, here's to a 9-5 National League win.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Rose or Beasley?
Rose or Beasley?
As you might imagine, I’ve been asked that a couple (dozen) times the last month or so. And at the risk of sounding entirely clichéd, it’s a good problem to have. I’ll admit I only half paid attention to the NBA draft lottery. But that didn’t stop be from still picturing Michael Beasley in a Bull uniform even before they won the thing.
During the actual college basketball regular season, Michael Beasley stood above them all. Dick Vitale proudly and loudly proclaimed him the best player in college basketball hands down—no small feat considering Beasley forced Dickie V to glance outside the ACC for a brief moment.
And I loved watching him play. I found him to be must-see television. I would try to make it a point to tune in every time I saw that K-State was going to be on. The guy went off for 44 points against Baylor in the
They told me he was 6’10. I couldn’t believe how smooth he was. Even when the ball was knocked away from him, his ability to keep his composure was uncanny. He would collect the ball, and somehow get up a respectable shot amidst the chaos. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a college player with the ability to get a ball up on the rim with a good chance to go in with the kind of ease with which Beasley did regularly. Then he would step out and drain a three the next possession.
His length was evident. He was a superb rebounder. His numbers screamed prototypical power forward. But his play goes beyond that. He can be at the top of the paint, suddenly lean in, and seemingly have a gimme short-shot. And he could handle the ball.
All the mock drafts had Beasley at the top. The Miami Heat would take him once they won the lottery. And I was sold. He was the next great big man in the NBA. A pure scorer and a dominant rebounder.
Now he’s measuring out at 6’7. What? He’s not a thundering 6’10 inside presence? You mean he’s two inches shorter than the Bulls’ small forward (Luol Deng)?
For how long have we been saying that the Bulls just need that one legitimate inside scoring presence? It’s been the missing piece every since John Paxson assembled this group! They’ve got all the other parts. Including a big crop of above-average perimeter players.
You don’t need Derrick Rose! You can find a great guard rotation out of what you have. Seriously. The last thing the Bulls need is another guard. What’s wrong with Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon, Thabo Sefalosha, Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon, JamesOn Curry and company? You’re going to throw another guard into that mix when you’ve needed a big man so desperately? And now that big man has fallen right into your lap in the form of a lucky ping pong ball.
Beasley is the perfect answer to many a Bulls fan’s prayers for the better part of a decade. Like I said, he’s must-see TV. He’s a star in the making. He looks like a star. He talks like one. He walks like one. Seriously…watch him walk up and down the court. He’s a star. He’s got great swagger.
And is the fact that Derrick Rose is a
I’ve heard that Derrick Rose is “Jason Kidd with a jump shot.” What’s Jason Kidd ever won? I’ve heard that Derrick Rose is the next Chris Paul. The next Deron Williams. I like both those guys fine enough, but what championships do they have?
Then again…they say Michael Beasley projects as a Carmelo Anthony type in the NBA. When put in those terms, he becomes slightly less impressive. Carmelo won at
So back to Rose…they say you need one of “that kind” of dynamic point guard to win in today’s NBA. That’s funny…can you name the point guards on the two teams in the NBA finals?? They were distant role players at best. Especially the one on the winning team.
And then there’s Kirk Hinrich. Kirk is my second favorite Bull in history (next to Hersey Hawkins out of Bradley). I’m a huge fan. I have a Kirk Hinrich bobblehead. I have a Kirk Hinrich j-shirt. I think he’s a terrific representative of Bulls’ basketball and an overachieving player.
That said, he had a perfectly horrific season last year. He had a huge game against the Pacers one night. Other than that he did next to nothing right.
But two years ago he was fantastic. I still think he’s a special player. He’s the captain, and I think if the Bulls do return to glory, Hinrich needs to be a big part of that. I shudder to think of Hinrich in another uniform.
So yeah, that does factor in to my opinion. Drafting Rose removes Kirk from the quarterback position, and I don’t like that at all. Not even a little.
I guess you could move Kirk over to shooting guard. He’s always been kind of a combo guard anyway. And when he gets his confidence, he can be a reliable shooter. He’s a scrappy defender as well. Then you could bring Larry Hughes and Thabo off the bench and cancel Ben Gordon from your plans.
That would work. They say Rose is a good finisher. That’s something the Bulls need from the guard position. When I saw
So maybe he could bring some purpose to the offense.
Because the Bulls’ roster was so impressive on paper that everyone picked them to win the East last year. And yes, it is an imposing roster on paper. But it translated into a miserable season. So maybe a true point guard with good size who can bring some direction to the offense is exactly what was missing all along.
Still…how in the world do you pass up Michael Beasley?
Beasley will have an immediate offensive impact and likely win rookie of the year. But Rose? Combine him with an already-established roster and you could be on the threshold of some major winnings.
Seems like Pax has made up his mind. And I don’t think its Mr. Beasley. Rose seems like the wise choice. Beasley seems like the very un-Bull-like home run.
So please Pax, do the mature thing and draft Derrick Rose. And if you screw up and draft Michael Beasley, I’ll be the first to jump for joy.
Friday, June 20, 2008
MLB ALL STARS 2008
Here are the most deserving major leaguers for the first half of 2008. Eight position players along with 10 pitchers. Starting pitchers bolded.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
C Brian McCann
1B Lance Berkman
2B Chase Utley
SS Hanley Ramirez
3B Chipper Jones
OF Ryan Ludwick
OF Nate McClouth
OF Ryan Braun
Edinson Volquez
Tim Lincecum
Brandon Webb
Carlos Zambrano
Ryan Dempster
Cole Hamels
Ben Sheets
Carlos Marmol
Brad Lidge
Kerry Wood
AMERICAN LEAGUE
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Carlos Guillen
3B Alex Rodriguez
OF Grady Sizemore
OF Josh Hamilton
OF Carlos Quentin
Cliff Lee
Roy Halladay
Shawn Marcum
Ervin Santana
Joe Saunders
Felix Hernandez
Francisco Rodriguez
Mariano Rivera
Jonathan Papelbon
George Sherrill
Monday, May 12, 2008
MLB Power Rankings - 5.12.8
With just over a month in the books, time for our first in-season Power Rankings of 2008.
1). Diamondbacks (23-15) - We think we knew they would be good. We didn't know they could run away in that deep division.
2). Marlins (23-14) - Dan Uggla is on pace to hit 48 HRs.
3). A's (23-16) - As much as we wanted to pick them to win that division, we're glad we didn't because surely this can't last.
4). Cardinals (23-16) - It's official. Dave Duncan is a magician.
5). Cubs (22-15) - Cubs streak immediately after Marty Brennaman spewed his wisdom across the airwaves? 7-1.
6). Red Sox (24-16) - Just 2-9 in domes this year. That doesn't bode well in that division.
7). Rays (21-16) - Bet you didn't know that Troy Percival had a 1.93 ERA with 9 saves.
8). Braves (19-18) - Chipper Jones: .406 / 10 HRs / 30 RBIs / 1.146 OPS. Staggering.
9). Angels (22-17) - Probably didn't think they would have this kind of battle on their hands with Oakland.
10). Twins (19-17) - Power outage. Joe Mauer = 0 HRs.
11). Phillies (21-18) - Here's something we didn't expect. Brad Lidge - 0 ERs in 17 IP.
12). White Sox (18-19) - Carlos Quentin is shining in a year of drastic underachieving by AL position players so far...
13). Dodgers (19-18) - Sliding a bit after just having won 10 of 11.
14). Orioles (19-19) - Nick Markakis leads them in batting average at a whopping .267.
15). Indians (19-18) - Travis Hafner's only 30, but on an apparent decline (3 HRs, .210).
16). Mets (19-16) - Johan Santana is on pace to walk 55 for first time in his career.
17). Rangers (18-21) - Quietly just won 9 of 11. No one noticed.
18). Yankees (19-19) - The Farns has practically matched Joba pitch for pitch so far.
19). Astros (21-17) - Roy Oswalt's previous worst ERA? 3.49 (2004). So far in '08? 5.33.
20). Royals (16-21) - Zach Greinke - 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA.
21). Brewers (18-19) - Check out these ERAs: Dave Bush - 6.98. Eric Gagne - 6.89. Carlos Villanueva - 6.46. Manny Parra - 5.79.
22). Pirates (18-20) - We thought the rotation would be much better. Gorzelanny hasn't impressed at all.
23). Tigers (16-22) - What's worse than a 2-10 start? Winning 2 of 9 in most recent stretch.
24). Blue Jays (17-22) - Vernon Wells destroys hand. Bet they wish they had Reed Johnson now...
25). Giants (16-22) - Barry Zito's career batting average against? .236. This year? .329.
26). Nationals (15-23) - And to think they started 3-0 and had a giant lead in their fourth game.
27). Rockies (15-23) - What was that about last fall not being a flash in the pan? Glad we didn't buy in...
28). Mariners (15-24) - We could've sworn J.J. Putz was going to win the Cy Young.
29). Padres (14-24) - Horrible. Not even Mark Prior can save them now.
30). Reds (15-23) - Just downright shocking that the Dusty / Corey Patterson / Jerry Hairston / Paul Bako conglomeration isn't working out. Who could have ever known?
1). Diamondbacks (23-15) - We think we knew they would be good. We didn't know they could run away in that deep division.
2). Marlins (23-14) - Dan Uggla is on pace to hit 48 HRs.
3). A's (23-16) - As much as we wanted to pick them to win that division, we're glad we didn't because surely this can't last.
4). Cardinals (23-16) - It's official. Dave Duncan is a magician.
5). Cubs (22-15) - Cubs streak immediately after Marty Brennaman spewed his wisdom across the airwaves? 7-1.
6). Red Sox (24-16) - Just 2-9 in domes this year. That doesn't bode well in that division.
7). Rays (21-16) - Bet you didn't know that Troy Percival had a 1.93 ERA with 9 saves.
8). Braves (19-18) - Chipper Jones: .406 / 10 HRs / 30 RBIs / 1.146 OPS. Staggering.
9). Angels (22-17) - Probably didn't think they would have this kind of battle on their hands with Oakland.
10). Twins (19-17) - Power outage. Joe Mauer = 0 HRs.
11). Phillies (21-18) - Here's something we didn't expect. Brad Lidge - 0 ERs in 17 IP.
12). White Sox (18-19) - Carlos Quentin is shining in a year of drastic underachieving by AL position players so far...
13). Dodgers (19-18) - Sliding a bit after just having won 10 of 11.
14). Orioles (19-19) - Nick Markakis leads them in batting average at a whopping .267.
15). Indians (19-18) - Travis Hafner's only 30, but on an apparent decline (3 HRs, .210).
16). Mets (19-16) - Johan Santana is on pace to walk 55 for first time in his career.
17). Rangers (18-21) - Quietly just won 9 of 11. No one noticed.
18). Yankees (19-19) - The Farns has practically matched Joba pitch for pitch so far.
19). Astros (21-17) - Roy Oswalt's previous worst ERA? 3.49 (2004). So far in '08? 5.33.
20). Royals (16-21) - Zach Greinke - 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA.
21). Brewers (18-19) - Check out these ERAs: Dave Bush - 6.98. Eric Gagne - 6.89. Carlos Villanueva - 6.46. Manny Parra - 5.79.
22). Pirates (18-20) - We thought the rotation would be much better. Gorzelanny hasn't impressed at all.
23). Tigers (16-22) - What's worse than a 2-10 start? Winning 2 of 9 in most recent stretch.
24). Blue Jays (17-22) - Vernon Wells destroys hand. Bet they wish they had Reed Johnson now...
25). Giants (16-22) - Barry Zito's career batting average against? .236. This year? .329.
26). Nationals (15-23) - And to think they started 3-0 and had a giant lead in their fourth game.
27). Rockies (15-23) - What was that about last fall not being a flash in the pan? Glad we didn't buy in...
28). Mariners (15-24) - We could've sworn J.J. Putz was going to win the Cy Young.
29). Padres (14-24) - Horrible. Not even Mark Prior can save them now.
30). Reds (15-23) - Just downright shocking that the Dusty / Corey Patterson / Jerry Hairston / Paul Bako conglomeration isn't working out. Who could have ever known?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
CHICAGO BEARS - OFFSEASON 2008
---written at beginning of offseason---
Laurence Holmes (from 670 The Score) emailed me the other day with a three-step plan for fixing the Bears. While on the surface it may appear that it takes more than three steps to fix a 7-9 team, it's not really that far-fetched.
Coming off the 13-3/Super Bowl year in 2006, I knew things would get tougher for the Bears. When I first saw the 2007 schedule, I predicted 10-6--based solely on the toughness of the schedule itself. Add on top of that the unrecoverable losses of Mike Brown and Dusty Dvoracek for the season, as well as injuries to Tommie Harris, Nathan Vasher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Greg Olsen, Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, and many others...in actuality a 7-9 mark sounds about right. And that's what they ended up with.
But that aside, 7-9 really isn't that much different than 10-6. It's a dropped pass here and a first down there.
And just as the 2006 team probably wasn't as good as 13-3 would indicate. The 2007 season wasn't as bad as 7-9 showed. So in those terms, you're not that far away from a 10-6 2008 campaign. And that sounds pretty good right now. That might win the division in 2008.
"We don't have a quarterback, we don't have a running back!!!" Bears' fans couldn't wait to replace Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson this offseason. I have a better plan. Replace everything BUT your QB and your RB.
The offensive line was embarrasingly pourous. Fred Miller (class of Baylor '96) is my favorite player on the Bears. But I couldn't stand his play this year. Yuck. When he wasn't false starting, he was leaky. Get rid of him. The QB and the RB didn't have a chance this year with that kind of offensive line play. No time to throw and no room to run. I think the jury's still out on Rex and Cedric. Fix the line first. THEN see if you need to complain about your skill players.
And while you're at it, get some WRs who will fight for the ball and help out your QB. I love Muhsin Muhammed, but he's no longer fit to line up with a first team offense. And Bernard Berrian will make the highlight reel a half dozen times a year. But he won't fight for the catches you have to have to keep your offense on the field when it matters most. Fix the receivers and line. THEN complain about Rex and Cedric.
The three steps that Laurence mentioned were: 1). Sign Alan Faneca. 2). Draft one of the highly touted left tackles so you can move John Tait back where he belongs. 3). Sign Michael Turner.
I think Michael Turner kind of played himself out of the limelight after LT went down in the playoffs. (But I know what he meant...Turner's a Chicago kid ready for his own gig). But I do like the first two steps. Overhaul the O-line. With just two changes, you can affect the entire unit because moving Tait back to the right side is a big deal at this point in his career.
The Bears didn't sign Tait to play on the left side. He's done a respectable job over there, but drafting a left tackle would essentially cure both sides of the line. Then, if you're lucky enough to land Faneca on top of that, then you are talking dominance. Faneca would be a very un-Bear-like move, but it's fun about which to think.
And so very quickly--with just a couple tweaks--the offense begins to have a chance at success. Rex might be able to actually focus on what he needs to do. The running game might actually be able to set up the passing game from time to time. That was non-existent in 2007. And yes, improve the receivers. No, don't go get a number one (when was the last time the Bears had an actual number one WR anyway??? Not in my lifetime). But go get a veteran who can continue to mentor Devin Hester, and can help out his quarterback. Something tells me Marty Booker might be available this offseason. Sign him.
What's more...the tight end position can only continue to improve. I was listening to Mike and Mike late last summer, and they had on John Clayton. They asked him about what he was the most impressed from all the NFL training camps. His answer? The Bears offense. He said the early chemistry between Grossman and Greg Olsen was eye-popping. He expected huge things. So did I. A pass-catching TE would change everything.
Unfortunately, Olsen got hurt at the beginning of the season. And by the time he came back, Rex was in and out of the lineup. They never even got close to using Olsen correctly. But now...as a healthy sophomore...Olsen could transform that offense with his big play capability. I think people underestimated the impact of not having him at full strength last year.
And yes, I do want to focus almost primarily on the offense. I know the defense was particularly embarrasing at times (see the Minnesota game[s]) last year. But this is one time I think you can expect better things if players get healthy. No I won't count on Mike Brown this year. That's one I'll give up. But the Bears defensive unit wasn't healthy and together for one single game last year. I think just a little better luck on that side of the ball this year will cause that squad to return to near-2006 status.
Like I said, a play here and a play there and the Bears were a winning team last year. They needed ONE more first down against the Giants at home late in the year to beat the eventual Super Bowl champions. They were one (improbable) Ryan Longwell field goal away from forcing overtime at home with Minnesota. They were only blown out once. The Dallas Sunday night game. Every other game was extremely winnable. And that leads me to believe that they're closer than the Chicago media would like to believe... Here's to another genius draft from Jerry Angelo.
Laurence Holmes (from 670 The Score) emailed me the other day with a three-step plan for fixing the Bears. While on the surface it may appear that it takes more than three steps to fix a 7-9 team, it's not really that far-fetched.
Coming off the 13-3/Super Bowl year in 2006, I knew things would get tougher for the Bears. When I first saw the 2007 schedule, I predicted 10-6--based solely on the toughness of the schedule itself. Add on top of that the unrecoverable losses of Mike Brown and Dusty Dvoracek for the season, as well as injuries to Tommie Harris, Nathan Vasher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Greg Olsen, Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, and many others...in actuality a 7-9 mark sounds about right. And that's what they ended up with.
But that aside, 7-9 really isn't that much different than 10-6. It's a dropped pass here and a first down there.
And just as the 2006 team probably wasn't as good as 13-3 would indicate. The 2007 season wasn't as bad as 7-9 showed. So in those terms, you're not that far away from a 10-6 2008 campaign. And that sounds pretty good right now. That might win the division in 2008.
"We don't have a quarterback, we don't have a running back!!!" Bears' fans couldn't wait to replace Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson this offseason. I have a better plan. Replace everything BUT your QB and your RB.
The offensive line was embarrasingly pourous. Fred Miller (class of Baylor '96) is my favorite player on the Bears. But I couldn't stand his play this year. Yuck. When he wasn't false starting, he was leaky. Get rid of him. The QB and the RB didn't have a chance this year with that kind of offensive line play. No time to throw and no room to run. I think the jury's still out on Rex and Cedric. Fix the line first. THEN see if you need to complain about your skill players.
And while you're at it, get some WRs who will fight for the ball and help out your QB. I love Muhsin Muhammed, but he's no longer fit to line up with a first team offense. And Bernard Berrian will make the highlight reel a half dozen times a year. But he won't fight for the catches you have to have to keep your offense on the field when it matters most. Fix the receivers and line. THEN complain about Rex and Cedric.
The three steps that Laurence mentioned were: 1). Sign Alan Faneca. 2). Draft one of the highly touted left tackles so you can move John Tait back where he belongs. 3). Sign Michael Turner.
I think Michael Turner kind of played himself out of the limelight after LT went down in the playoffs. (But I know what he meant...Turner's a Chicago kid ready for his own gig). But I do like the first two steps. Overhaul the O-line. With just two changes, you can affect the entire unit because moving Tait back to the right side is a big deal at this point in his career.
The Bears didn't sign Tait to play on the left side. He's done a respectable job over there, but drafting a left tackle would essentially cure both sides of the line. Then, if you're lucky enough to land Faneca on top of that, then you are talking dominance. Faneca would be a very un-Bear-like move, but it's fun about which to think.
And so very quickly--with just a couple tweaks--the offense begins to have a chance at success. Rex might be able to actually focus on what he needs to do. The running game might actually be able to set up the passing game from time to time. That was non-existent in 2007. And yes, improve the receivers. No, don't go get a number one (when was the last time the Bears had an actual number one WR anyway??? Not in my lifetime). But go get a veteran who can continue to mentor Devin Hester, and can help out his quarterback. Something tells me Marty Booker might be available this offseason. Sign him.
What's more...the tight end position can only continue to improve. I was listening to Mike and Mike late last summer, and they had on John Clayton. They asked him about what he was the most impressed from all the NFL training camps. His answer? The Bears offense. He said the early chemistry between Grossman and Greg Olsen was eye-popping. He expected huge things. So did I. A pass-catching TE would change everything.
Unfortunately, Olsen got hurt at the beginning of the season. And by the time he came back, Rex was in and out of the lineup. They never even got close to using Olsen correctly. But now...as a healthy sophomore...Olsen could transform that offense with his big play capability. I think people underestimated the impact of not having him at full strength last year.
And yes, I do want to focus almost primarily on the offense. I know the defense was particularly embarrasing at times (see the Minnesota game[s]) last year. But this is one time I think you can expect better things if players get healthy. No I won't count on Mike Brown this year. That's one I'll give up. But the Bears defensive unit wasn't healthy and together for one single game last year. I think just a little better luck on that side of the ball this year will cause that squad to return to near-2006 status.
Like I said, a play here and a play there and the Bears were a winning team last year. They needed ONE more first down against the Giants at home late in the year to beat the eventual Super Bowl champions. They were one (improbable) Ryan Longwell field goal away from forcing overtime at home with Minnesota. They were only blown out once. The Dallas Sunday night game. Every other game was extremely winnable. And that leads me to believe that they're closer than the Chicago media would like to believe... Here's to another genius draft from Jerry Angelo.
Monday, April 21, 2008
San Jose Sharks Logo
I remember when the Sharks first unveiled their logo as an expansion team. I loved it. I immediately thought it was one of the best logos in all of sports.
Now they've tweaked it. And managed to make it even more awesome. They really preserved the spirit of the original image, but updated it dramatically. It's great.
Obviously I'm a lifelong Blackhawk fan, but they're not in the playoffs this year. The Sharks have their game seven in the first round of the NHL playoffs tomorrow night. Here's to them advancing and eventually giving J.R. a shot at his first cup this year. That would be very satisfying....
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
CHICAGO BULLS. '07-'08 POSTMORTEM
Welp, the Bulls end their season tomorrow night. Wow. Couldn't come soonly enough. And that's strange for me to admit. I love the Bulls and still realy like the NBA. They won (and scored 151 points) last night, but lost the game before that. So that means that even if the Bulls beat the Raptors tomorrow, they will have gone the entire season without having won three games in a row. That is downright humiliating. Especially in the East. Yuck.
I've never been more at a loss as to what happened to a team in my life. The Bulls have been known as a good, young, hard-working, overachieving team over the past three years--building toward something special. Two offseasons ago they added Ben Wallace to their young and talented core. That was a nice piece. They went out and turned in a reasonably good regular season last year, but looked most impressive in sweeping the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, then chasing the Pistons to six games in the second round.
So...this past offseason. A little addition by subtraction by getting rid of P.J. Brown, Mike Sweetney, and Malik Allen, etc. Replace those names with big men Joe Smith, Joakim Noah, and Aaron Gray, and you get worlds better. Instantly.
Smith was a former number one overall pick, and brought experience and maturity to the team. Beyond that, by signing he promptly became the only legitimate offensive threat down low for the Bulls--something they lacked the previous year. So you filled that hole.
And as for Noah and Gray...I blogged last year about John Paxson's brilliant plan to build a team of winners and successful college basketball players (see Duhon, Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Thomas, etc.) And he only added to that last offseason.
Joakim Noah was a guy I loved to watch play in college, and a dream get at number nine in the 2007 draft. After he won his first National Championship at Florida two years ago, he was instantly projected as the number one overall pick in the draft. He instead returned to school, and shared more of the load last year with Al Horford and company. So his stock fell a little. And the Bulls basically got a top-of-the-draft caliber guy at number nine. I remember after Florida's first championship, my basketball-fan-friend Matt wrote to me, "This Noah kid is something else. What an atypical athlete. His speed and ball handling skills at his size are amazing." So to be able to add a piece like that to the mix was to good to be true.
And then Aaron Gray. After Pitt's 2006 NCAA run, Gray was projected to be a lottery pick in that summer's draft. But like Noah, he elected to return for his junior season. He ended up having a bit of a down year, and fell all the way down to the Bulls in the second round! You talk about a dream draft. One guy who would have been the top pick and another who would have been a lottery selection. You can't fault Paxson's ability to draft, no matter what.
So here the Bulls were...young, still on the rise, playoff-tested at last, very very deep, and they had finally plugged some holes. They were ready. More than one preseason publication picked them to represent the East in the NBA finals. A Bulls/Suns finals seemed to be a popular prediction. And why not? There was absolutely no reason to believe the Bulls weren't poised to take that next step after the playoff success they tasted the year before.
But the problem was, the season began and the Bulls were bad. A bad basketball team. Very bad. Like...they probably turned in their worst season in franchise history. Oh there were years with fewer wins, but even the post-Jordan era was less embarrasing than this year's squad.
I remember in the lean years after Jordan...you knew the Bulls would be horrible. But I still hung in there. I still loved to listen to them every night and cherish every win. (Part of that was probably because John Paxson was doing the radio color. To this day he's the best color guy I've ever heard in any sport in any medium. I learned more about basketball in two or three years of listening to Pax do the Bulls games than any other source in my life. He was a natural. As good of a GM as he is, he was better at radio. And I hated to see him go.) But still, you could lock in and follow the team. And believe.
But this year? This year just tasted bad. Oh I still tried to listen to almost every game, and I caught them every time they were on TV. But there was nothing of which to grab ahold. I kind of went through the motions in my Bulls' fanship this year. I'm nothing if not loyal to my favorite teams, so I don't fear fairweatherness in this case. I actually can't quite put my finger on it. It was bad. Very very bad.
Even about a month ago...when the Bulls were part of the cluster of teams hovering around the eight seed--about 2 games out. It still looked like they were the most likely to get it. With the talent on the roster, you had to figure a five or six game winning streak was around the corner at any time. Even Greg from The Zone on 950 (no Bulls fan himself, to say the least) picked the Bulls to emerge and separate themselves from the mediocrity. But it flat out never got any better. Not even a little bit.
There were no offseason losses. Nobody got old. Nobody is past their prime. There were no key injuries (until later in the season with Gordon and Deng). Simply put, it boils down to this. The Bulls were good at basketball in 2006-07. Then they added some key pieces. Then the Bulls were bad at basketball in 2007-2008. It's as simple as that.
I almost equate it to the Colts or somebody for this upcoming year. They had a good year last year but lost in the playoffs. They're returning all their key pieces for 2008. What if they show up for this upcoming season and are just bad??? Not going to happen, but it's almost as inexplicable to that to me. (OK maybe an NFL team is a bad example because of the "parity" on which the NFL prides itself...and the playoff turnover in that league. And yeah, the Colts actually have won a championship recently...) But still...the Bulls were on the rise. All signs pointed to the best being yet to come.
People who blame John Paxson for this mess are absolute fools. Paxson did everything to make sure this roster was in sparkling condition for a run this year. His ONLY mistake was not coming down to actually coach the team after Scott Skiles was relieved of his duties on Christmas Eve. I still believe with all my heart that if Pax had taken over at that point, the Bulls would have been the five or six seed in the East.
Instead he inserted lame-duck interim coach Jim Boylan, and it spiraled from there.
I love Kirk Hinrich. But he was brutal this year. I was really hoping he could lead this franchise back to greatness. I wanted it to happen with this core. I love Deng and Duhon and Gordon, and Nocioni. But it didn't happen. The window has passed. It's over.
Please keep Hinrich. That's all I ask. Anything more than that would be greedy on my point at this point. But keep Kirk.
The Bulls have consistently been in the NBA lottery in the past few years. Partly because of picks they earned themselves, but more recently because of Paxson's GM wizardry in prying lottery picks from others.
So here we are...in the lottery again. And NBAdraft dot net has the Bulls taking Russell Westbrook. Really? Another guard? Let's see...you have Hinrich, Duhon, Gordon, Thabo Sefalosha, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown, JamesOn Curry, and others. But then again, they're kind of deep at every position by this time. I guess I don't care what they do in the draft really. I just need it to get better. And fast.
But either way...for now I still trust Paxson, and will do so until I'm given a real reason why I shouldn't.
I've never been more at a loss as to what happened to a team in my life. The Bulls have been known as a good, young, hard-working, overachieving team over the past three years--building toward something special. Two offseasons ago they added Ben Wallace to their young and talented core. That was a nice piece. They went out and turned in a reasonably good regular season last year, but looked most impressive in sweeping the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, then chasing the Pistons to six games in the second round.
So...this past offseason. A little addition by subtraction by getting rid of P.J. Brown, Mike Sweetney, and Malik Allen, etc. Replace those names with big men Joe Smith, Joakim Noah, and Aaron Gray, and you get worlds better. Instantly.
Smith was a former number one overall pick, and brought experience and maturity to the team. Beyond that, by signing he promptly became the only legitimate offensive threat down low for the Bulls--something they lacked the previous year. So you filled that hole.
And as for Noah and Gray...I blogged last year about John Paxson's brilliant plan to build a team of winners and successful college basketball players (see Duhon, Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Thomas, etc.) And he only added to that last offseason.
Joakim Noah was a guy I loved to watch play in college, and a dream get at number nine in the 2007 draft. After he won his first National Championship at Florida two years ago, he was instantly projected as the number one overall pick in the draft. He instead returned to school, and shared more of the load last year with Al Horford and company. So his stock fell a little. And the Bulls basically got a top-of-the-draft caliber guy at number nine. I remember after Florida's first championship, my basketball-fan-friend Matt wrote to me, "This Noah kid is something else. What an atypical athlete. His speed and ball handling skills at his size are amazing." So to be able to add a piece like that to the mix was to good to be true.
And then Aaron Gray. After Pitt's 2006 NCAA run, Gray was projected to be a lottery pick in that summer's draft. But like Noah, he elected to return for his junior season. He ended up having a bit of a down year, and fell all the way down to the Bulls in the second round! You talk about a dream draft. One guy who would have been the top pick and another who would have been a lottery selection. You can't fault Paxson's ability to draft, no matter what.
So here the Bulls were...young, still on the rise, playoff-tested at last, very very deep, and they had finally plugged some holes. They were ready. More than one preseason publication picked them to represent the East in the NBA finals. A Bulls/Suns finals seemed to be a popular prediction. And why not? There was absolutely no reason to believe the Bulls weren't poised to take that next step after the playoff success they tasted the year before.
But the problem was, the season began and the Bulls were bad. A bad basketball team. Very bad. Like...they probably turned in their worst season in franchise history. Oh there were years with fewer wins, but even the post-Jordan era was less embarrasing than this year's squad.
I remember in the lean years after Jordan...you knew the Bulls would be horrible. But I still hung in there. I still loved to listen to them every night and cherish every win. (Part of that was probably because John Paxson was doing the radio color. To this day he's the best color guy I've ever heard in any sport in any medium. I learned more about basketball in two or three years of listening to Pax do the Bulls games than any other source in my life. He was a natural. As good of a GM as he is, he was better at radio. And I hated to see him go.) But still, you could lock in and follow the team. And believe.
But this year? This year just tasted bad. Oh I still tried to listen to almost every game, and I caught them every time they were on TV. But there was nothing of which to grab ahold. I kind of went through the motions in my Bulls' fanship this year. I'm nothing if not loyal to my favorite teams, so I don't fear fairweatherness in this case. I actually can't quite put my finger on it. It was bad. Very very bad.
Even about a month ago...when the Bulls were part of the cluster of teams hovering around the eight seed--about 2 games out. It still looked like they were the most likely to get it. With the talent on the roster, you had to figure a five or six game winning streak was around the corner at any time. Even Greg from The Zone on 950 (no Bulls fan himself, to say the least) picked the Bulls to emerge and separate themselves from the mediocrity. But it flat out never got any better. Not even a little bit.
There were no offseason losses. Nobody got old. Nobody is past their prime. There were no key injuries (until later in the season with Gordon and Deng). Simply put, it boils down to this. The Bulls were good at basketball in 2006-07. Then they added some key pieces. Then the Bulls were bad at basketball in 2007-2008. It's as simple as that.
I almost equate it to the Colts or somebody for this upcoming year. They had a good year last year but lost in the playoffs. They're returning all their key pieces for 2008. What if they show up for this upcoming season and are just bad??? Not going to happen, but it's almost as inexplicable to that to me. (OK maybe an NFL team is a bad example because of the "parity" on which the NFL prides itself...and the playoff turnover in that league. And yeah, the Colts actually have won a championship recently...) But still...the Bulls were on the rise. All signs pointed to the best being yet to come.
People who blame John Paxson for this mess are absolute fools. Paxson did everything to make sure this roster was in sparkling condition for a run this year. His ONLY mistake was not coming down to actually coach the team after Scott Skiles was relieved of his duties on Christmas Eve. I still believe with all my heart that if Pax had taken over at that point, the Bulls would have been the five or six seed in the East.
Instead he inserted lame-duck interim coach Jim Boylan, and it spiraled from there.
I love Kirk Hinrich. But he was brutal this year. I was really hoping he could lead this franchise back to greatness. I wanted it to happen with this core. I love Deng and Duhon and Gordon, and Nocioni. But it didn't happen. The window has passed. It's over.
Please keep Hinrich. That's all I ask. Anything more than that would be greedy on my point at this point. But keep Kirk.
The Bulls have consistently been in the NBA lottery in the past few years. Partly because of picks they earned themselves, but more recently because of Paxson's GM wizardry in prying lottery picks from others.
So here we are...in the lottery again. And NBAdraft dot net has the Bulls taking Russell Westbrook. Really? Another guard? Let's see...you have Hinrich, Duhon, Gordon, Thabo Sefalosha, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown, JamesOn Curry, and others. But then again, they're kind of deep at every position by this time. I guess I don't care what they do in the draft really. I just need it to get better. And fast.
But either way...for now I still trust Paxson, and will do so until I'm given a real reason why I shouldn't.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)