Busy Times For Bulls and Blackhawks

June 2, 2017

One year ago the Chicago Bulls traded Derrick Rose to the Knicks. The team was now Jimmy Butler’s. This lasted all of one year. In a stunning move the Bulls traded this prima donna to the Timberwolves to reunite with former coach Tom Thibodeau. Not that Jimmy is bad player, he’s just not as good as he thinks he is. He is not a player who takes over and wins a game. Just to be fair, there are only a handful who could have done it with the teammates he had. He’s not Michael, Wilt, Magic, Shaq etc. He is definitely not Lebron, which is why the Bulls are not close to a championship with or without Butler...

There wasn’t much of a market for Butler, so the Bulls took the best offer. The goal is to get young players, develop them, add a few tweaks and maybe in a couple years become competitive. The players they received from the Timberwolves were both lottery picks and have big upsides. Point guard Kris Dunn was the 5^th pick last year and is a work in progress.  Zach Levine was averaging near 20 points per game (39% on 3-pointers) until he came up with a torn ACL.  Being only 22 years old he should be able to come back from this.  I love the draft pick, Lauri Markanen, a 20 year old freshman out of Arizona. Seven feet, shot 42% on 3-pointers and is very athletic. These are the type of players Coach Hoiberg needs for his up tempo offense. The big question is can the Bulls develop these players?

The only downside for the Bulls, even though he said I didn’t want to play for a rebuild Dwayne Wade stays and steals close to the tune of $24 million. The other regret is aside from Lopez, Nikola Mirotic and the rest of garbage return for another year.

Scotty Bowman was pissed. The Blackhawks had been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs two years in a row. He vowed there would be major changes.  What he could do aside from firing an assistant coach? Well he kept to his word with two gutsy blockbuster deals. The “bread man” 30 goal scorer Arteni Panarin was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets to reacquire Brandon Saad. The reasoning is Saad is a better all-around player, while Panarin is more one dimensional. Toews now has his left winger. I think the Hawks believe Kane can make goal scorers with other line mates, maybe Schmatlz. The Hawks also gave up Tyler Motte and received goaltender Anton Forsberg.

The second trade Niklas Hjalmarsson to Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Connor Murphy and Laurant Dauphin, a forward I don’t know much about. Once again, I think the Hawks wanted a more versatile defenseman and they’ve always coveted Murphy. These players are young and add speed and size, something that was lacking in this year’s playoffs.  Next up, get T.J. Oshie 

American and National League Updates

 June 20, 2017

Although it is still early in the season there is much to talk about with both leagues having something special going on.

In the American League, the Yankees started out like a ball of fire. The lineup is stacked with great hitting. Ellsbury, Sanchez, Castro and Holliday. Add MVP candidate Aaron Judge and you get tons of runs. He might be only the second player since 1967 (Miguel Cabrera 2012) to win the Triple Crown. He leads in all three categories. However, the pitching is suspect and they have been caught by Boston.The Red Sox not only have great hitters, they also have the pitching to win this division, which I and others predicted when the season started.

The Minnesota Twins got off to an awfully good start. The major reason is last year the pitching ERA  was 5.09. They have cut that down to about 3.00 Starters Santana and Berrios have ERA's under 2.75. They rely on Mauer, Sano and Dozier to provide offense and the bullpen has improved. Last weekend the lead was down to two games.  After leading the division for most of the year the bubble may have burst..They got swept in a four game series with the Indians and are now two games out. The Indians are playing like they want to go back to the World Series (unlike their National League opponent). They are clearly the class of this division and should win it easily, just like many thought. The Twins? Third place at best.

I thought Texas was going to repeat in the West Division and Houston would challenge  if they got off to a good start. Well, the Astros are playing .657 baseball and lapping the field. The offense is powered by Altuve, Correa, Beltre and Springer. The pitching staff led by Keuchel (who I think is better than Kershaw or Sale) with a 1.87 ERA is leading a staff who’s aggregate ERA is 3.65. No one will catch them even with Keuchel currently on the DL.

In the National League, one of the biggest surprises is that the Cubs are trailing a rebuilding Brewers team. This won’t last. The Cubs aren’t playing well but will still win the division. Many figured they would once again run and hide from the competition. At this point they are just mediocre at best. An 87-75 record is all it will take to win this division.

In the East Division Washington is running away. Some people thought the Mets might challenge but injuries have really hurt their team. Washington can go far in the post season. They have three of the top ten hitters in the league Murphy, Harper and Zimmerman who is near the top in home runs and RBI. They also have top three real good starters, Scherzer, Strasburg and Gonzalez. What they desperately need to make a run for the World Series is a closer. Just ask the Giants.

The craziest of all the divisions is the NL West. Everyone knew the Dodgers would be good. As of this writings writing this they are in a dog fight but not with the Giants.Instead perennial losers, the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks are playing at a .639 and .629 clip.The Dodgers are at .629. How is this happening? The Rockies have three primary run producers, Arenado, Gonzales and Blackmon. The pitching staff has a is 4.13 ERA,  excellent at Coors Field. The Diamondbacks hitting comes from Lamb, Drury ,Peralta and one of the top hitters in the game, Goldschmidt. The staff is led by Greinke, T. J. McFarland 1.74 and Robbie Ray 2.78. Problem maybe Rodney as a closer. He has 20 saves however, his ERA is 4.23. Playing on the west coast I don’t watch many Dodger games. I do know, they have great pitching .Led by Kershaw, Wood and McCarthy and an excellent  bullpen Baez and Jansen, the team ERA is a meager 3.38. Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig have combined for 24 homers and 75 RBI. Their best offensive player is rookie Cody Bellinger. He hit 21 homers in 51 games, fastest in major league history. Right now he has 22 home runs and 49 RBI. Therefore, the Dodgers will win the division. Colorado and Arizona would be wild cards if the season ended today.

NHL/NBA Wrap-Up & Baseball

June 6, 2017

A lot has happened since we last looked at the world of sports:

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their second straight Stanley Cup with a scintillating game six victory, scoring the game winning goal with about two minutes left in regulation.  Unlike the Chicago Blackhawks their stars showed up. The Nashville Predators did put up a good fight, demonstrating that playoff hockey may be the most exciting of all sports
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What wasn’t so exciting was the NBA Finals. Two years ago the Warriors won. Last year the Cavaliers came back after losing three of the first four games. The Warriors obtained the second best player, Kevin Durant to improve an already great team that shoots 3-pointers like lay ups. That said, they routed the Cavaliers, Durant averaging 30 points per game. These teams will probably meet again next year, while other teams play just to make it to the playoffs.

Chicago Cubs – By now fans should realize 2016 is in the past. This a little better than average team in a terrible National League. There only 5 teams with records over .500. First off, the Milwaukee Brewers will not last. The Dodgers and this year’s surprises Colorado and Arizona are playing .600 baseball.  The Senators are running away in their division, however they are in desperate need for closer. David Roberson? The Cubs should still win their lousy division and won’t even need to win 90 games. They say once you reach the playoffs anything can happen. However, when playing good teams, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Rockies the Cubs have been awful, which does not bode well for the post season. 

Chicago “loyalty trumps winning” White Sox – I was in Cleveland last weekend. I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the home where they filmed A Christmas Story and a beautiful ballpark, Progressive Field. The only bad thing I saw was the White Sox. Surprisingly, they did win the game I went to. They tried to give the game away, having multiple runners thrown out running the bases. Manager, Rick Renteria, went away from the safety to a squeeze bunt with the batter popping into a double play. Why can’t major league players bunt? This isn't just a White Sox problem. Bunting has become a lost art. Maybe they should saw the bats in half and make them try bunting in batting practice?  After playing 38 games on the road (14-24) versus 22 at home they return for a 4 game home stand and then go back on the road? Kudos for drafting a good looking third baseman. Can’t wait for 2019.

June 2 Triple Play

June 2, 2017

Well sports fans, there’s a lot going on. Let’s take a look.

The Stanley Cup finals are taking place. To this point the series of Pittsburgh vs. Nashville lacks the drama of the earlier playoff series. Pittsburgh has totally out played, you may say out classed Nashville. The Penguins were playing at home, I don’t think it matters. The Predators are good and should be better next year. However, the Penguins are loaded with talent and have veteran experience. Even if Nashville goes to on to win on their home ice (that’s a big if) Pittsburgh still win this series. They won’t lose at home.

The NBA playoffs for the most part have been awful. Before the season started everyone was waiting for the Golden State Warriors to meet the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams were a combined 24-1 in the previous rounds.  The Warriors destroyed the Cavs in game one. They seem more talented than last year’s team with the addition of Kevin Durant. That being said they should win this series. However, despite the first game, the Warriors are still going up against LeBron James. Last year down 3-1, he led the Cavaliers back to win the championship. I’m hoping this gets interesting

We still have Baseball.

Chicago Cubs – Just saw St. Louis Cardinals misplay a couple of fly balls helping the Cubs snap a six game losing streak. I predicted close to a 100 wins when the season started. They should still win their division with about 90 wins. Right now the team ahead of them, Milwaukee, will not maintain their current pace. When you win the World Series everything seems to go right. Timely hits are in abundance, remarkable starting pitching, a weak hitting shortstop with 26 home runs etc. Theo has to make some moves to strengthen this team. They should add a quality starter. The pitching has been shaky. Arrieta is pitching like he did in Baltimore, Hendricks has not been the same and how long can you count on Lackey? They may have to trade someone on the current roster to add a quality starter.  Imagine what the Cubs could get for either Biez or Russell? The one that stays is your shortstop. By the way, losing three straight to the Dodgers is okay. Losing to the Padres is unacceptable. Kyle Schwarber from lead off man to platoon player. Is next move Iowa? 

Chicago “loyalty trumps winning” White Sox – Currently the Sox are where I thought they would be. Playing inconsistent baseball four games under .500. Although I’m all for the rebuild, there are questions on the way they’re going about it. They received two position players and five pitchers in the winter trades. On the north side they fielded a team then added pitching. Many pitching prospects don’t pan out. In future moves, get some position players. In the upcoming draft, please no pitchers. Signing the 19 year old Cuban Robert was a great move. Why start him out in the Dominican Republic League instead of A ball where he could work his way up and be ready for 2019? On the field they’ve had some thrilling victories and some excruciating loses. Pinch hitting the awful Frazier who strikes out with man on third with one out. Why does he still play? In Anaheim a safety squeeze that was so obvious the base runer was at least 5 feet away when the catcher already had the ball. Renteria said the players didn’t execute when he should have took the blame for a bad move.  He still has a long way to go to be worse than Robin Ventura. The Sox did bring up a pitching prospect Tyler Danish, who was a little nervous but shook it off to throw 5 scoreless innings. They immediately sent him back down. They have inserted a lefty reliever to fill in the staff until another bad pitcher comes off the DL. Two problems. He only lasted 4 innings in first outing and the bullpen’s only other lefty is the terrible Dan Jennings.