Monstrosities of the Midway

 December 7, 2022

I have been on hiatus as writing about the Bears’ flaws has become very difficult. The games give me a sense of déjà vu. Quarterback Justin Fields has rejuvenated the Bears’ offense, putting up multiple points that fans have not seen in years. The porous defense gives up more, with opponents averaging 34.6 points in the five previous games.  The Bears get the ball at the end with the game in reach, but can’t get over the hump. Throw in a few special teams mistakes and that’s how you lose six straight games.

Opposing quarterbacks are having no problem throwing against the Bears. There is no pass rush and they have all day to find open receivers. Even injured Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, put up 28 points. The Bears went their third straight game without a sack and had no quarterback hits. It would be hard for any team, no matter how good an offense, to overcome this defense.

The only reason to watch the Bears is Justin Fields. He is a prolific runner with blazing speed. Against the Packers he avoided getting sacked. With protection he completed 20-25 passes for 254 yards. In the closing minutes he was intercepted twice. On the first, much of the blame should go to wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. The second was inconsequential as it came with the Bears trailing by nine with under a minute left. Offensive coach Luke Getsy gets a lot of credit for Fields' growth. Now if only he can stop making questionable play calls. More play-action, roll-outs and less David Montgomery.  

The Bears won’t win another game this year. With the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills next up, things will get ugly. The Bears are miles away from being mediocre, let alone good. The Bears have close to $123 million in salary cap space. Some of this should be spent in free-agency on a bona-fide number one receiver. You may like the Bears to revamp the offensive line but there are more pressing needs on defense. The most pressing need is improving the front four. Getting a good pass rush makes other players' jobs easier. It will be very interesting to see what GM Ryan Poles will do with the number two or three overall pick.

Worse Than I Thought

 November 15, 2022

The Detroit Lions are supposed to be the antidote for struggling teams. They have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. With the Bears offense clicking, I thought the Bears would win this game. The Bears scored 30 points, yet lost the game 31-30. The Lions have won two road games since December 2020, both against the Bears. This loss was a total team effort. They committed nine penalties for 86 yards, many on crucial plays, one negating an interception. Even the usually consistent kicker, Cairo Santos, missed
an extra point. He also had a kick-off go out of bounds, plus a five yard penalty, giving the Lions the ball at their 45 yard line. One positive is they now stand to have the third pick in the draft.

Once again Justin Fields was spectacular and is worth watching. He led the team with 147 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns. On the first, he broke tackles and barreled into the end zone. The second one he eluded defenders and used his blazing speed for a 67 yard touchdown. The only problem is, a lot of these runs are predicated by breakdowns in pass protection and receivers not getting open.

The Bears are a predominately running team and lead the league in rushing yardage. That being said, Fields only got off passes 20 times completing 12 for 167 yards. These are pedestrian numbers however, when he gets time and moves in the pocket, he is pretty good. Being a young QB, he is going to make mistakes. An ill-advised pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

Fields has started to form a connection with tight end Cole Kmet. He had the most targets and four receptions for74 yards including two touchdowns. It was also nice to see Khalil Herbert get more carries than David Montgomery. Montgomery will have a new home next year. Darnell Mooney also had four catches. It would be nice to add a couple of play making receivers.

The defense again was awful. The pass rush was non-existent making it easy for Lions QB Jarred Goff. They made Goff look like Peyton Manning in his prime. Goff completed 19 of 36 passes for 236 yards with no interceptions and, for the second game in a row, the Bears had no turnovers. It didn’t matter what the distance was as they converted tons of third downs. Bear penalties also contributed to extending Lions scoring drives. Jack Sanborn, who started the year on the taxi squad led the Bears with 12 tackles and their only two sacks. With the exception of Sanborn, Jaylon Johnson, Eddie Jackson and rookies Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon no other defensive players could start on other teams. 

I feel sorry for head coach Matt Eberflus. It’s hard to win games with the talent deficient roster put together by GM Ryan Poles. I’ve criticized Poles for not doing anything to improve the offense. I don’t think he envisioned Fields to be this good. He’s gutted the defense and replaced starters with second tier players. When the season started the four highest salaries were dumped and he didn’t use the savings in free-agency. The Roquan Smith situation became a fiasco. They said they weren’t going to be able to agree on the terms of a new contract. For the Bears, it all comes down to money which Poles should know is why he got the job. He has so much work to do, so I think the Bears will suck for a couple more years by which time fans will be calling for his ouster.

The Growth of Justin Fields

 

November 8, 2022

 

The Bears lost to the Miami Dolphins 35-32 last Sunday at Soldier Field. Disregard the won and lost record. Fields has started to put things together and it seems we have found the quarterback of the future. In all my years of watching the Bears I’ve never been so excited about a Bears quarterback. I can’t remember the last time the Bears scored four touchdowns two weeks in row. 

Fields is the primary reason the Bears‘ offense is on a roll. He ran the ball 15 times for a record 178 yards. The only downside is the Bears called a quarterback run only about 8 times. Fields picked up a majority of his yards on scrambles.  Fields showed off his elusiveness and speed which was fun to watch. His passing numbers weren’t great as Fields was 17-28 for 123 yards.

 Fields’ results are the fault of receivers who can’t get open or catch passes. Just imagine how good he could be if he had some help. The Bears had a couple of chances in the closing minutes to tie the game or take the lead. They would have been in field goal range if the ref doesn’t blow a pass interference call. The game ended when Bear receiver Equanimeous St. Brown dropped a pass right in his hands which, if caught, gives the Bears a first down. This game was also a coming out party for tight end Cole Kmet. He had five catches, two for touchdowns. He also ran the ball once for eight yards and picked up a first down on a direct snap.

 The defense is a joke. Miami scored on four out of five possessions to start the game. The only time they didn’t score was on a missed field goal. There was no pressure on Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and he had all the time world to hit wide receivers Tyrek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Most every quarterback can look good with no pressure, and good offenses will run up multiple points. The only positive is that rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn replacing Roquan Smith had seven tackles.

The Bears defense is so bad that they can’t win a game when scoring 30 points per game. This is okay this year however, they need to fix their talent deviancies heading into next year. In the meantime watching Fields continue to grow should be exciting.  

Back to Earth

 October 31, 2022

The Bear defense gave up 42 points yesterday. The first thing the Bears did to address this problem was trade their best defensive player, Roquan Smith. I have the sneaking feeling the Bears didn’t want to pay him.  This is just the latest of many bad moves by first time GM Ryan Poles. The Bears gave up touchdowns on the Dallas Cowboys first four possessions. However, the Bears were able to score enough to tighten up the game but ultimately got blown away 49-29

If you’re looking for a silver lining it is the improvement of QB Justin Fields. He had his best quarterback rating of 120.0. He was 17-23 for 151 yards. He also gained 60 yards on eight carries. Down 28-7, Fields engineered two touchdown drives. With a Cairo Santos field goal in between, the Bears were within five points. The Cowboys increased their lead to 12. The Bears tried to come back when David Montgomery fumbled. Fields' only mistake was not touching down Micah Parsons who got up and rumbled 36 yards into the end zone. This is not the first the Bears failed to play until they heard the whistle. Down 20 points the Bears went to their ground game. This was a big mistake as the offense was having a good game and you need to pass the ball when you are trailing by a lot.

The defense was atrocious as Dallas pounded them on the ground and in the air. They applied no pressure on Dallas QB Dak Prescott who went 21-27 for 250 yards. Running back Tony Pollard gained 131 yards averaging 9.4 yards per carry. This led to easy third down conversions A big part of the problems is this is the worst tackling team I’ve ever seen.. The defense hasn’t been very good and yesterday was their worst performance of the year.

The Bears have played five of eight road games. The return for two games against Miami and Detroit. They aren’t any good but neither are the Bears. I still can’t get my head around the Roquan Smith trade. Poles is all in on his plans to build this team from the ground up.  So he better be on target with free-agent signings and in the draft.

Upsets are Fun

 October 27, 2022

The Bears faced off against Bill Belichick and his New England Patriots Monday night. Prime time hasn’t been good for the Bears. Not only do they lose, they often embarrass themselves before a national audience. The Bears got off to a good start and scored on the first two possessions for a 10-0 lead. The Patriots replaced QB Mac Jones for rookie Bailey Zappe who had been outstanding in previous weeks. In a little over three minutes later, the Bears trailed 14-10. All I could think was the Bears will be embarrassed once again. However, to my surprise, the Bears flipped the switch from previous games. They dominated in all phases of the game and crushed the Patriots 33-14 in a stunning upset.

Kudos go to Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff for taking full advantage of a mini-break in the schedule. They were able to talk with all players and came up with a great game plan. The execution was almost flawless.

Justin Fields may have had the best game of his career. The Bears showed what they should have done all year long. Fields showed how good he can be in a moving pocket. This allowed time for receivers to get open for some long gains. Fields was 13-21 for 179 yards. The Bears dominated the running game, racking up 243 yards. With designed quarterback runs and his scrambling ability, Fields led the way with 82 yards. My favorite play of the evening was with a third and fourteen yards to go, Fields escaped pressure and ran for 20 yards. The Bears also finally realized a quarterback sneak can get you first down in short yardage.

The defense was fantastic. After the Patriots got their touchdowns in the first half, they didn’t come close the rest of the game. Though I have been critical of GM Ryan Poles, his first two picks, Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon
have been really good and should get better. Each had an interception as did Roquan Smith. The Patriots were held to 260 yards and converted only 5 of 10 third down opportunities.

When the season started I thought Cairo Santos could be their most valuable player. He was named Special Teams player of the week. He went 4-4 on field goals. He is now 11-11 and has a streak of 17 dating back to last year. Dante Pettis was installed as the new punt returner.  He almost bobbled one away but did have a 27 yard return.

I couldn’t remember the last time the Bears scored 33 points. Therefore, I looked it up and in 2020 the Bears scored 40 points against a pitiful Jacksonville Jaguars team. Monday showed a glimmer of light and if Fields keeps getting better this could be a more exciting season than I thought.. Let’s see how they do against a sack-happy Dallas Cowboys.

Just Pathetic

 

October 14, 2022

 

Bears QB, Justin Fields, had the best half of his career as a Bears rally fell short against the much more talented Minnesota Vikings. Therefore, I thought the Bears could pull out a victory against a bad (1-4) Washington Commanders team.  Velus Jones Jr. fumbled a punt to thwart any comeback against the N.Y. Giants two weeks ago. He did it again against the Commanders, which cost the Bears the lead and eventually the game, 12-7. The Bears still had ample opportunities to win this game.

The Bears not only reached the red zone three times, but had first and goal from the Washington 6-yard line three times without scoring. Justin Fields was 14/27 for 190 yards. I would venture to say he got hit on at least 20 of his attempts. Fields also racked up 88 rushing yards. However, he made some crucial mistakes which have to be cleaned up. On the first drive, he had a pass tipped and was intercepted. On the second drive, he missed a wide-open Ryan Griffin in the end zone. So far I am not enamored with Luke Getsy’s play calls. On three roll-outs avoiding pressure, Fields was able to make completions downfield. What is confusing is all other plays had Fields in the pocket where he was a dead duck.  Fields was moving gingerly, getting up after the offensive line failed to protect him. He will probably end up injured. Getsy also has to be more creative near the goal line. How about an option play? A quick hitter to a sitting down receiver? When you only need a yard, why not try a quarterback sneak?

Trailing in the fourth quarter, the Bears turned to their running game. When you do this you take time off the board and if you don’t, you decrease the chance of winning. Sure enough, the Bears turned the ball over with 2:43 left in the game. The defense, which was pretty good, got the ball back. Washington coach Ron Rivera helped by going for a field goal that missed, instead of pinning the Bears deep in their territory. The Bears had life and a Fields’ run gave them first goal at the 6 yard line. Dante Pettis got his hands on a pass but couldn’t corral it. A pass to Darnell Mooney was a bit underthrown and he didn’t make the end zone. Game over.   

 

Future Looks Bleak

 

October 3, 2022

The Bears blew a golden opportunity to start their season with three victories in four games. The New York Giants, mediocre at best and riddled with injuries, beat the Bears 20-12. There were not many positives in this game. The Bears looked dazed and confused.

I used to always complain about Matt Nagy’s team offense never scoring 20 points. Take away the Houston game and the Bears are averaging 10 points per game. Quarterback Justin Fields was better but still not good enough. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 174 yards. He was sacked six times and I imagine he got hit on almost all of his passing attempts. The offensive line gets most of the blame. However, the fact that the receivers don’t get open is a bigger problem as Fields holds on to the ball too long. GM Ryan Poles made no attempt to improve one of the worst offenses in the league. Fields isn’t given much of a chance with Darnell Mooney being the only competent receiver.

New offensive play caller Luke Getsy said he would tailor his plays to Fields strengths. However, there were no roll-outs, bootlegs or play-action passes. Fields sets up in the pocket and gets pressure on almost every play. The play calling in the red zone left a lot to be desired as the Bears settled for four measly field goals from replacement kicker Michael Badgley. It’s time to get more creative when in position to score.

The defense looked out of sorts in the first half. They bit on a faked hand off to Saquon Barkley.  Giants quarterback Daniel Jones rolled out and with no one near him, ran 21 yards for the TD. The Bears got fooled by this play repeatedly and Jones scored a second touchdown from eight yards out. The defense continued their trend of not giving up a touchdown all year in the second half.  It’s too bad they didn’t make in game adjustments. Before you get excited, the Bears gave up 262 rushing yards on only 44 runs. The defense was supposed to be Coach Matt Eberflus forte, yet they rank near the bottom of the league in stopping the run.

The Bears offense will need to greatly improve. Even the best defense in the league can’t win games for teams with no offense.  The Bears will have trouble getting any victories on the road. Three of the next four games are on the road. 

No Big Deal Bears Beat Texans

 

September 26, 2022

Two of the worst in football paired off Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. Cairo Santos kicked three fields, one with no time left and the Bears beat the Houston Texans, 23-20. There were some good performances, albeit against a very bad team.

Once again the passing game was non-existent. Fields seems to be regressing as things keep getting worse and worse. Fields completed seven passes in only 17 attempts. He was sacked 5 times and threw two interceptions. I thought new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was going to fix this. With David Montgomery out, the Bears featured Khalil Herbert, who gained 157yards on 20 carries. He also scored the Bears’ lone two touchdowns.

The Bear defense was pretty good, although they were helped by the ineptitude of Houston’s offense. The Bears came up with two interceptions that basically won this game. When Texas was inside the ten yard line, Kindle Vildor tipped a pass that Eddie Jackson picked off. There were other plays that stood out. Late in the third quarter, the Texans had a third and one from the Bears two yard line. Roquan Smith got in the backfield and tackled Texans running back Dameon Pierce for a three yard loss and Houston had to settle for a tying field goal. After Fields threw his second interception, the Texans were in Bears territory. Defensive tackle Justin Jones came up with the only Bears sack for a loss of eight yards. Linebacker Nick Marrow followed, tackling running back Pharaoh Brown for a five yard loss forcing the Texans to punt. On the Texans final drive, lineman Angelo Blackson tipped a pass into the hands of Smith, who returned it 18 yards to set up the winning field goal.

One of the proposed reasons the Bears didn’t extend an offer to Roquan Smith is that they wanted to see how he played in a new system. Sixteen tackles and one interception says it all. We’ll see if they cough up the money to re-sign him. David Montgomery is in the last year of his rookie contract and there has been no talk of an extension. This may be his last season as a Bear with Herbert becoming the running back of the future.

Next up is another bad team, the New York Giants. I believe the Bears may have trouble on the road however, a win is possible.

Reality Check

 

September 20, 2022

Things started out rosy for the Bears on Sunday night. The Bears made the Green Bay Packers settle for a field goal on their opening possession. The Bears countered with a touchdown and led 7-3. I was feeling good when things got ugly. The Packers scored three touchdowns and held the Bears to three total yards in the quarter. Each team added a field goal in the second half as the Packers once again beat the Bears 27-10.

 Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could have had a monster game as he hit on most of his passes .However, the Packers won the game running the ball, gaining 203 yards on the ground. Packer running backs were bouncing off would-be tacklers all night. Tackling continues to be a problem that needs to be fixed.

 Bear running backs were not the problem on offense. Both David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert were  spectacular. When trailing by multiple points you need to have a passing game. The Bears is non-existent. Fields was sacked three times and was being pressured consistently. Even the best quarterbacks need protection to succeed. You need a passing game to win, which does not bode well for the Bears.

The Bears did have a chance to make this game interesting. With 8:07 remaining, the Bears had a fourth and goal from two feet. The proper call is a quarterback sneak. For some strange reason Fields is in the shot gun formation. Fields failed to run for the score and instead of being one touchdown down, they 
stayed 14 points behind. These short distance plays have been problematic for years. I have yet to hear an explanation for this call.

 The Packers are probably the best team the Bears face all year. They also have the best quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who makes players surrounding him better. No one else wins this division until he retires. By that time the Bears may be competitive.

Bears Shine in the Rain

 

September 12, 2022

The Chicago Bears pulled of a stunning upset over the San Francisco 49ers winning their home opener 19-10. This was a game of two halves in which the Bears came from behind to win. I know it’s only one win but a win is a win.

 The 49ers scored on their first second half possession to go in front 10-0. Bear fans may have been thinking here we go again. However, for the first time in years the coaching staff made halftime adjustments. The Bears only had 68 yards and QB Justin Fields couldn’t complete a downfield pass in the first. Fields had to be better for the Bears to have a chance. His first touchdown pass was a thing of beauty as he broke tackles, reversed fields and found wide receiver Dante Pettis wide open and with a key block from wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown scampered 30 yards into the end zone.

The 49ers committed 12 penalties many resulting in first downs. They committed three third down penalties aiding the Bears next touchdown, an eighteen yard pass to Brown and suddenly the Bears were up 13-10. The Bears later cashed in on a turnover. This short drive ended with Khalil Herbert scoring from five yards out and 19-10 lead.

Another thing we haven’t seen recently is good clock management. The only disconcerting things was Cairo Santos missing 2 point after attempts. David Montgomery averaged 1.5 yards per carry. I don’t how much longer he can be the featured back.

The defense was pretty good in the first half. San Francisco had good field position throughout the first half and the Bears held them to seven points. They staved off disaster causing a fumble at their 10 yard line. The 49ers moved the ball but couldn’t put up any points. It was nice to see the Bears make defense adjustments as well. They starting putting pressure on QB Trey Lance and disguised there defense to confuse the second year QB. This led to a fourth quarter interception by Eddie Jackson, his first since 2019. His return set up the offense for their final score. The defense and poor field conditions shut out the 49ers after the early third period field goal.

This should be a good boost for the Bears. It will take a while to see if they might be better than most thought. Their next game is prime time Sunday in Green Bay against the Packers. The Bears usually embarrass themselves in front of national audiences. The Packers will be seeing red or should I say loaded for bear after getting crushed by Minnesota in their opener.    

Bad News Chicago Bears

 

September 7, 2022It 

After an excruciating play-off loss and three mind numbing seasons, the Bears have pushed the reset button. Since it worked so well in the past, the Bears hired first time GM Ryan Poles and rookie coach Matt Eberflus. One of the most distressing things is Poles is content with Bears being lousy not only this year but next year as well. His roster consists of 10 players who were let go by other teams. Poles filled the roster with second tier players on one or two year contracts.

The Bears have been one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL. With the exception of center Lucas Patrick, Poles did nothing to improve the offense. Justin Fields has all the attributes you need to be a good quarterback, however, he needs some help. New offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said his offense will be focused around the strengths of Fields. One problem that crops up is- who is he going to pass to? The Bears have only one proven receiver, Darnell Mooney.  Tight end Cole Kmet should get some targets. The other big problem is with the porous offensive line, Fields may be running for his life. To show what the Bears think of running back David Montgomery, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, there are no signs that they will re-sign him.

Eberflus is supposed to be a defensive genius and will have to be for the Bears defense to be any good. The Defense will now have four lineman and three linebackers. Robert Quinn will anchor the front four. Trevis Gipson had some good moments last year. Unknowns Al-Quadin Mohammed and Dominique Robinson will be the other two starters. Roquan Smith and Mathew Adams will surround middle linebacker Nicholas Morrow. Eddie Jackson and first pick Jaquan Brisker will start at safety. Brisker has looked pretty good so far. The starting Cornerbacks are Jaylon Johnson and second pick Kyler Gordon. I don’t know how good this defense will be. Eberflus’ goal is to make them respectable.

The Bears special teams is solidified by kicker Cairo Santos. Santos may turn out to be their MVP. Third pick Velus Jones JR. vs. the 49ers front four led by Nick Bosa could make it a rough day for Fields. They were the third best defense last season. The second game is NBC’s game of the week. This does not bode well as the Bears are usually embarrassed on national TV. Their opponents are the Packers in Green Bay so the Bears start 0-2.  The Bears are no shoe-ins when they have weaker opponents. 6-11 sounds right.  

It Can't Get Much Worse

 

August 29, 2022

Losing series to the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks the White Sox (63-65) are five games back of the Cleveland Guardians. For all intents and purposes the season is all but over. The Sox have been one of the most disappointing teams of my lifetime. Sox fans have a right to be angry including yours truly. What went wrong? Here’s hoping I can answer that.

What was supposed a powerhouse team, the Sox are 27^th   in Home Runs. They have played 50 games by two or less runs. If they were in the middle of the pack, they would be 5 games up in first. This team doesn’t walk either. Most balls in play are ground ball outs.

The Sox are the worst defensive team in baseball. Their fielding percentage would be even worse if not for gift hits by scorekeepers. This what you get when you have first basemen playing the outfield or playing Eloy Jimenez in left. The only players above average are Luis Robert in center, Josh Harrison at second and Yoan Moncada at third.

The Sox at the top of the league in runners thrown out on the bases. Third base coach Joel McEwing sends runners home with no chance of scoring. Tony LaRussa likes his aggressiveness I like aggressiveness but these are this just stupid decisions. Sox runners also never seem to look at defensive positioning affecting their decision making on the base paths.

Sox come out flat and with no fire. This is a direct reflection on curmudgeon manager Tony LaRussa. He   continues to make mistakes. The only time his seems to have fire is in confrontations with reporters in post-game press conferences.

The Chicago Cubs (55-73) have been out of contention since April. However, there is reason for optimism on the North Siders. Since August 5^th   the Cubs are 13-10. Playing well the rest of the year should build confidence heading into next year.

Cub starting pitching has been very good in this stretch. Justin Steele has become one the best left-handers in baseball and should anchor this rotation for yours to come. He will be joined by Keegan Thompson and both can be better next year. Drew Smyly has been surprisingly outstanding and may be pitching himself to be in next year’s rotation. Free agent signee, Marcus Stroman has been a major disappointment and Kyle Hendricks is out for the year. Many pitchers are getting the chance to audition for jobs in 2023. President Jed Hoyer promised the Cubs would be signing free agents. However, the pitching is slim pickings.

The Cubs have to lock up All-Star Ian Happ and shortstop Nico Hoerner and dip into free agency. There is one free agent player who could make your team an instant contender. However, I don’t the Cubs will be in the Aaron Judge sweepstakes. The more intriguing possibility is getting Boston shortstop Xander. Boggaerts and moving Hoerner to second base. The Cubs have many other needs but I don’t think there is very good crop of free agents. The Cubs have a stacked farm system with many players auditioning to see if they can make the team next year Don’t be surprised if the Cubs resign Willson Contreras. This may make fans happy but doesn’t make the team better.

Chicago Baseball Blues

 

July 9, 2022

The White Sox (39-42) are in third place and trail first place Minnesota by six games. I haven’t seen anything to convince me they will win the division. The Sox were supposed to run away and easily win the division. So what happened?

The Sox didn’t start hitting until June. They then started putting up runs in bunches, but this didn’t translate into wins. The problem is they have no power. Home runs exponentially increase the chance of winning games. Jose Abreu leads the team with a mere 10 home runs. One nice thing is Josh Harrison has started hitting, which keeps Leury Garcia out of the line-up. Catchers, Reese McGuire and Seby Zavala, are much better than Yasmani Grandal. Knowing Tony LaRussa, Grandal will be in the line-up when he comes off the IL. They should trade Grandal. As P.T. Barnum said, there is a sucker born every minute. 

Dylan Cease has become an elite starter and is worth the price of admission. The other starters have been woefully inconsistent. However, Johnny Cueto is a big upgrade from Dallas Keuchel.

The Sox have also had major injuries but none have hurt as much as injuries in the bullpen. Things seemed to be going smoothly until Aaron Bummer went on the disabled list for the second time and they lost closer Liam Hendriks. The Sox lost two games scoring nine runs and coughed up late leads big and small.

The biggest problem is this is the worst defensive team in baseball. Physical errors, double plays not turned, miscommunication in the outfield and pop-ups dropping between three players. Players are often playing out of position, especially right with two first basemen and Garcia. Dylan Cease had a start where he gave up 6 runs, all unearned.

Tony LaRussa continues to make bad moves leading to Sox losses. The most egregious was his walking Trea Turner with 1-2 count. This move went national and not one person thought this was a good move. When a reporter asked about the move LaRussa’s arrogance came out. His response was, “Are you really asking me that question?” He then went on a rant spewing inaccuracies about what Turner hits with two strikes. The number he should have known is that lefties were hitting .364 against Bennett Sousa. Left handed Max Muncy followed with a three run homer. LaRussa should be fired but like his team, both are going nowhere.

The Cubs (34-48) are playing worse than their low expectations. Despite that, they are seventh in average attendance with the second highest ticket prices. It costs a family of four over $329.00 to attend a game. With the assets surrounding Wrigley, the Ricketts family is making tons of money. With all that money it’s time to loosen up the purse strings and let Jed Hoyer go to work on prime free agents.

Hoyer’s plans to flip players on one year contracts has flopped. Only closer David Robertson has any value to other teams. Because he is 37 years old he'll probably be traded. Also likely to be traded is their best offensive player, catcher, Willson Contreras. The Cubs offense has been crippled by injuries. Nico Hoerner came back and is hitting .304. Nick Madrigal was projected to be the second baseman but he has been on the IL most of the year and was bad when he did play. The Cubs called up Christopher Morel who can play multiple positions which helps when looking for free agents. The other key loss was key free-agent signee Seiya Suzuki.  He has shown some flashes but lost at bats could cripple his development. In the remaining games he can get invaluable experience and put it all together next year.

If there is a positive it is the future of a promising starting rotation. Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson as rookie starters have their ups and downs and should be even better next year.  Caleb Kilian had a couple of starts and showed he has major league stuff. Add a healthy Marcus Stroman and you have a nice starting four.  I also think it’s time to move on regarding Kyle Hendricks. You can probably get a nice return. Then you get a quality free-agent starter.

The Rebuild Begins Despite Jed Hoyer's Rebuild Denial

 

May 24, 2022

The Chicago Cubs (17-24) are playing as expected. There are a lot of holes that need to be filled. It may take some time, but President Jed Hoyer has done a good job stocking the minors. In the coming months, you may be seeing the future Cubs. Inconsistency has been a major problem.

Hoyer’s biggest free agent signing was Japanese superstar Seiya Suzuki. He lit the world on fire at the start of season and was April’s rookie of the month. He has since fallen on hard times. Pitchers make adjustments and word spread on how to get him out. He is also seeing pitches he’s never encountered. A good example is the ease in which White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito got him out with his deadly change-up. Good hitters adjust and figure out how pitchers are trying to get them out. Being a rookie, it sometimes takes till the end of this or the next season to become acclimated to major league pitching. One thing he has that many rookies don’t, is a great knowledge of the strike zone.  I hate to be a downer but I can only think of two players, Ichiro Suzuki and currently Shohei Ohtani who have had success after playing in Japan.

What was unexpected was the Cubs relievers having more success than the starters. Kyle Hendricks is no longer an elite starter. Although he can be good at times, he has had as many awful starts. He has struggled and put the Cubs behind the eight ball. Hoyer should deal him before you can’t get a big return. Hoyer’s other free agent was pitcher Marcus Stroman who is battling illnesses and his starts have been inconsistent. Drew Smyly had a couple of good starts before coming off the rails, while the jury is still out on Wade Miley. The future lies with Justin Steele. He keeps getting better in his first year as starter and should be the ace of the staff next year. The Cubs do have some reinforcements in Iowa. It shouldn’t be long before the Cubs call up 25 year old Caleb Kilian, who is 2-1 with a 1.31 era.  Next year Keegan Thompson needs to be stretched to join the rotation. 

The Cubs bullpen has been outstanding. They have excellent set-up men for rejuvenated closer David Robertson, who has 6 saves and 1.78 era. Set-up men Keegan Thompson, Rowan Wick and Scott Effross have a combined 1.58 era. Chris Martin, Jesse Chavez are two more reliable set-up men.

The Cubs scored 21 runs against the Pirates, otherwise the offense has been as pathetic as the White Sox. The best hitter on the team is catcher Willson Contreras. Right now he is a little banged up and Yan Gomes is catching. Gomes is not part of the future so I’m wondering why recently called up Brandon Hughes is not catching. The Yankees are looking for catching and could land Contreras at the trade deadline. It may not end up being the Yankees, but he’s almost certain to be gone.  The Cubs have much of the season without their double play combination most of the year. Shortstop Nico Hoerner and second baseman Nick Madrigal were expected to be table setters but have been out most of the season and David Bote’s career is in jeopardy. I didn’t expect first baseman Frank Schwindel to be the hitter he was last year but not as bad as .226. Only an injury kept him from being sent down. Third baseman Patrick Wisdom has nine homers in only 126 at-bats.  He also has struck out a whopping 56 times. Ian Happ in leftfield is having a typical Ian Happ season. His numbers are never overwhelming but he is one of the Cubs most consistent hitters.

One of the Cubs main objectives should be to get younger. Therefore, it was good to bring up Christopher Morel. Morel will turn 23 in June and is filling a hole at second base. When Nick Madrigal comes back, Manager David Ross has to realize that Morel is a better option in centerfield than Jason Heyward. It will be interesting to see if the players Hoyer got in last year’s blockbuster trades pan out.

The Underachieving White Sos

 

May 24, 2022

The labor strife between players and owners shortened spring training. Many early games were postponed or played in frigid temperatures. Despite this many teams have played ¼ of the season. This includes the White Sox and Cubs whose seasons can be described with one word, BRUTAL!

The White Sox (21-20) have not looked like a team capable of reaching the World Series. They trail Minnesota by four games. There is plenty of time left so it’s not time to panic. They are a tad over .500 despite a nine game losing streak. A double header sweep of the Yankees has cushioned the blow of a bad start.

Like last year, the Sox have been besieged by injuries. Before the season started Garrett Crochet needed Tommy John surgery and is out for the year. There number one starter from last year, Lance Lynn also came up with a sore arm and isn’t projected to back until June. Yoan Moncada missed the first 27 games and still is trying to get back to the player he was in 2019. The season started with pitcher Lucas Gioito got hurt after 4 innings in the opener and missed two starts. A. J. Pollock, Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez  all got hurt running to first. Pollock went the 10 day IL, Robert missed 7games and Jimenez is out until sometime in June.   Finally Andrew Vaugh was having a good year until he was hit by a pitch causing him to miss 12 games and is just getting back in the groove.

Like last year the White Sox are one of the worst defensive team. It’s not only errors but there are a lot plays that should be made that are ruled hits or not completing sure double plays. Winning becomes more difficult when your opponents are getting four outs per inning In a loss, Cleveland aided by two errors scored six runs to tie the game in the ninth and won the game in the tenth. Tony LaRussa said they didn’t lose because of the defense.

The Sox have had many managers including the confused Terry Bevington and the comatose Robin Ventura. No one has been worse than LaRussa. Managers don’t win or lose games however most know what to do to give their team the best chance at winning. LaRussa makes many bad decisions that figure into games. Now I could write a three page blog and it still wouldn’t cover his blunders. I will give you a couple and move on. When a team slumping at the plate managers like to shake up the line-up. However, anyone who would put Leury Garcia in the third spot has to have the head examined.  In a tie game the opposing pitcher is struggling. With runners on first and second, LaRussa calls for a bunt. Taking the bat out the hands of their best hitter the Guardians walk Tim Anderson.

The best thing the Sox have going for them is starting pitching. Dylan Cease has developed into an elite starter. He had one hiccup against the Yankees. He is 4-1 with a 3.09 era and leads the league in strikeouts. Michael Kopeck last pitched seven scoreless against the Yankees and his 1.24 era is the second best in the league. When healthy Giolito can be really good No one has a change up like his.GM Rick Hahn made a great move signing Johnny Cueto.  He’s had two starts of six innings and has not been scored upon. When Lynn comes the Sox don’t have to start Dallas Keuchel. The bullpen has been shaky but maybe turning the corner as they stronger and the weather gets warmer.

The biggest problem is the White Sox aren’t hitting. Three players in the line-up have averages below .100 . Tim Anderson. Robert and Vaughn are the only hitters having decent years. Jose Abreu is hitting .214 but has always been a warm weather hitter. Yasmani Grandal is hitting below.200.  without the walks.  LaRussa keeps him in the heart of the line-up. Can anyone explain the fascination with Garcia ?    

Exciting Bulls Relevant Again

 

April 29, 2022

In the first round of the playoffs, led by Demar DeRozan’s 41 points, the Bulls upset the Milwaukee Bucks in game two. The Bulls had wrestled home court advantage with this road win. Later it was learned that all-star Kris Middleton was injured and would not return. This actually helped the Bucks, as they inserted Bobby Portis to join Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounm up front. The Bulls were completely
outsized. This, combined with poor perimeter shooting gave the Bulls no chance. Giannis is going to dominate most games, but it was arch enemy Grayson Allen’s sharpshooting that doomed the Bulls as they were blown out in the last three games. However, gaining experience in the playoffs is a big positive.

The loss in the playoffs shouldn’t overshadow the fine season. The Bulls improved, posting 46 wins, compared to 31 wins last year, and were a 6 seed in the playoffs. If they don’t get beset by injuries, they win 50 games and they get a 1 or 2 seed. The future looks bright and I’m confident that President of Basketball Operations, Arturas Karnisovas, will fortify this team in the off season.

The Bulls immediately get better as forward Patrick Williams becomes a starter. Lonzo Bell should eventually heal from his injury to facilitate their offense. Rookie Ayo Dosunmu was better than expected and should improve. Alex Caruso will be the leader of a tenacious defense. Center Nicola Vucevic was inconsistent most of the year. He is a terrific post-up player, the problem is he spends the majority of
possessions on the outside where his shooting is dismal. You wouldn’t get much in a trade so he stays.

DeMar DeRozen posted the best scoring average in his career. Late game heroics and clutch fourth quarter scoring propelled the Bulls to many victories. However, I cringe every time he brings the ball up court. He is not very good and you know that the play call is for him to dribble to his deadly mid- range shot. The problem here is that he is not a three point shooter, so he can’t pull up or step back. He often gets double teamed because he doesn’t get rid of the ball. Add to that he turns the ball over multiple times. The Bulls desperately need a lights out 3 point shooter and I would trade DeRozen in a heartbeat for that type of player.

The biggest question is do you sign Zach LaVine to a max contract? LaVine is a prolific scorer and improved his defense. His ball handling still leaves much to be desired and he commits multiple turnovers. He, for the most part, disappeared in the playoffs. There are other issues surrounding LaVine. Due to injury, he sat out two games, but selfishly participated in the all-star game. He likely will be having surgery to repair his leg and knee injuries. It would prudent for Karnasovas to see who else is available to replace LaVine before giving him a max contract.

Bears Angst

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April 22, 2022

The NFL season opened March 16 and the Bears' new regime went to work. Allen Robinson signed with the Rams. I know he was hurt most of last year but my guess is he will flourish with the Rams with Matt Stafford as his quarterback. The same day they released nose tackle Eddie Goldman. The next move was the trade of the oft injured Khalil Mack. It’s no coincidence that these three were the highest paid players on the roster.

 By trading Mack, new GM Ryan Poles pretty much signaled the Bears wouldn't be competitive in the two years left on Mack's contract. In this era, there have been many instances of teams going from worst to first (Cincinnati Bengals) but the Bears think they have to rebuild first. I hate the fact that the Bears hired another GM who is in training.  The Bears freed up money, though they weren’t going to spend in the first wave of free agency. This is where they may have acquired a playmaker to help out quarterback Justin Fields. Poles messed up his first foray by signing defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi who failed his physical.

Coach Matt Eberflus and Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams have their work cut out for them. The Bear defense returns only four starters from last year. Trevis Gipson, a 2020 draft pick, looked good last year and should one of the starting Defensive Ends..

Here is who the Bears have added on defense:

Linebacker Nicholas Morrow – Coming off his best year with the Raiders. Signed a one year prove-it deal for $3 million.

Defensive Tackle Justin Jones - Signed for $12 million over two years. More affordable than Ogunjobii but a marginal player at best. 

Defensive End Al-Quadin Muhammad - Though no Khalil Mack, he is a solid option to help out on the pass rush.

It would be amazing if Eberflus and Williams can get the defense to rank in the top 15 in the league. This is easier said than done. Poles primary focus should be locking up the Bears best defensive player, Roquan Smith.

Where Poles has failed more is on the offensive side of the ball. Fields will be wasted until he gets some playmakers. What Poles doesn’t realize is having a proficient offense with a 15^th ranked defense probably gets you in the playoffs.

The Bears ranked last in the league in sacks allowed. Last year’s first pick, Teven Jenkins, was injured for most of the year. Drafted as a Left Tackle and basically in his first year, the Bears have him playing Right Tackle. Larry Borom will be on the left .The Bears signed former Green Bay Packer Lucas Patrick to replace Sam Mustipher at Center. He may join veteran Cody Whitehair at guard.

The Bears did sign a couple of receivers but are still looking for wide receivers in the draft:

Byron Pringle – Despite being the fourth option on the Chiefs, he is coming off a breakout season. He is signed for only one year. He is perfect for the Bears as his base salary is only $4million to 6 with incentives.

Equanimeous St. Brown – Signed for less than $1million, he is basically a depth option.

It’s never a good sign when you sign players to one or two year contracts. These are stop gap players. Even if they have great years, other teams will offer more than the Bears. To that end, Poles said he likes to build through the draft. This will be hard to do with only six picks, none in the first. I guess Virginia McCaskey will continue to be pissed off while George Halas is spinning in his grave.

After Five Years Bulls End Playoff Drought

 April 15, 2022

In the two years since the Bulls hired Arturas Karnisovas (AK) as President of Basketball Operations, Zach LaVine and Coby White are the only two players left on the roster he inherited. Karnisovas has done a great job putting together a competitive Bulls team without a rebuild. In his first year, trying to make the playoffs, he traded for all-star center Nicolas Vucevic. That may have worked if Zach LaVine wasn’t out of the line-up for the last 14 games.

After a year of watching, AK went to work. He signed 24 year old point guard Lonzo Ball to run the offense. Forward DeMar DeRozan was signed to ease the burden on LaVine to score points. A move that was under the radar was adding Alex Caruso, whose defensive tenacity made him a favorite of Bulls fans. The Bulls did not have a first round pick however, they found first round talent when they drafted Ayo Dosunmu in the second round.

I felt the team would be better, hoping they could play .500, be a 7-10 seed and in the play in round of the playoffs. The team ended up ten games over .500 and secured the number 6 seed in the playoffs. They exceeded my expectations and normally I would have been extremely satisfied.

The Bulls started the season on fire and had the best record in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan is having the best season of his career. He hit a couple of game winning baskets with the clock expiring. He was also Mr. Clutch and was among the leaders in points scored in the fourth quarter. Many of the wins were predicated by the defense. I was dreaming of what could have been a 50 victory season with a high playoff seed. Disaster struck as Ball and Caruso, their best defensive players, got injured in the same week. Both were expected to be out for six weeks. Caruso is back but has been playing hurt and Ball will not return until next year. It didn’t help that LaVine has been playing with an injury as well.

The Bulls have been struggling ever since, especially against the top seeds. The only thing the Bulls have going for them is Caruso and LaVine have had time to heal. Budding star Patrick Williams is also ready to go full bore. Vucevic needs to be more consistent. In the first two close games against the Milwaukee Bucks he put up 20 points. With all this going for them, the Bulls still probably don’t win one game, let alone the series.

With AK in charge, I am excited regarding the future. I’m sure he will be active to improve this team to compete with the upper echelon. For continued success, you have to avoid injuries and with the continued improvement on the part of their young core.

Baseball is Back

 

April 7, 2022

After weeks of acrimonious negotiations, baseball finally has a collective bargaining agreement. The major disagreements between billionaire owners and millionaire players were about money. Baseball is a multi-billion dollar industry so there should plenty of money for both sides. After the previous agreement ran out the owners locked out the players and didn’t come to the negotiating table until a month later. I think all along owners wanted a late start where they could deduct money on a per game basis. They wanted the players to agree to 16 teams making the playoffs, getting TV money to broadcast mediocre teams. A 16 team playoff format dilutes the importance of the 162 game season. Thankfully the players countered and the owners accepted a 12 team format.

Last season the only chance the Sox would have had against the Astros, was home-field advantage. Outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert each played less than half a season. Catcher Yasmani Grandal, was the hottest hitter on the team when he got injured and missed a month. However, the most crucial injury was to catalyst shortstop Tim Anderson. He only played 123 games and was in and out all of September. Without these injuries, they probably would have had home field advantage.

So the key for the upcoming season is to stay healthy. Things were going smoothly this preseason and then the injury bug popped up. Reliever Garrett Crochet is going to have Tommy John surgery leaving Aaron Bummer as the only lefty in the bullpen. Lance Lynn has a knee injury that requires surgery and will out approximately 8 weeks. I expect Dylan Cease to have a break out year and Lucas Giolito can be very good. After that it’s a crapshoot. Dallas Keuchel needs to turn things around from his worst year and they need about 150 innings from Michael Kopech The Sox did sign free-agent reliever Kendall Graveman another link to all-star closer Liam Hendriks.

The White Sox have one of the best line-ups in baseball and score plenty of runs. They added one time all-star and contact hitter Josh Harrison to fill the hole at second base. The Sox traded reliever Craig Kimbrel for right fielder A.J. Pollock. I prefer seeing Andrew Vaughn playing right field. He is capable of having a monster season.

Cubs President Jed Hoyer said the Cubs have the resources to sign free agents. He signed mediocre pitcher Wade Miley, not exactly the monster move their fans were looking for. Hoyer then was able to persuade Marcus Stroman, one of the best free-agent pitchers available. Hoyer has to be commended for signing a 5-tool outfielder Seiya Suzuki from Japan. It may take some time but once he gets acclimated, he will a cornerstone of the rebuild. Suzuki will lay right field with Jason Heyward moving to center. It is time for the Cubs to eat his contract. They have to find out about 27 year olds Clint Frazier and Michael Hermosillo.

Second year players, first baseman Frank Schwindel and third baseman are both 29 years old. In only 328 at bats Wisdom hit 28 homers. He will probably hit at least 30 this year. Problem is, he struck out 187 times. Schwindel hit .342 with 13 homers 

The offense may put up runs but maybe not enough to cover pitching deficiencies. Kyle Hendricks had a few hiccups last year. He has to regain the form that made him elite. Marcus Stroman is an excellent number two.  Wade Miley was supposed but three but he is currently injured. I would venture to guess that next up are Alec Mills and Justin Steele. The Cubs will have to monitor Steele so as not to overwork him in his first year. In two years he will be their number one. Keegan Thompson may slide into Miley’s spot. This is much better than trotting out Jake Arrieta. The starters can be very good but the bullpen is full of questions. It will be a bullpen by committee with no definitive closer.