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.   

Memorial Day Update

May 26, 2017

Memorial Day is always a good time to look back at the baseball season. With a quarter of the season over, you can predict some things that will occur. Two of the best teams in baseball are Washington and Houston. Washington with solid pitching and a strong line up featuring Murphy, Harper and Zimmerman who are all in the top ten in average. They can also hit with power. Houston, with outstanding pitching and potential MVP candidate Altuve, have gotten off to a red hot start. However, another good team in that division, Texas, still has a chance to challenge them or be a wild card.

The rest of the good teams are in the A.L. East. Baltimore, a surprising Yankee team and Boston with Price back from injury. This is where one wild card team comes from. Any of these teams could go deep into the post season and I expect two will get there. 

On the local scene…

The Chicago Cubs- Nothing like games against Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and a lousy San Francisco team to turn your season around. There are a number of bad teams including those in their division that will enable the Cubs to make the playoffs.  Now they go out west to play the Dodgers. A good team followed by a bad team, San Diego. (If you want to know how bad they are, they lost 2 of 3 to the White Sox). There are still some question marks. Although Arrieta’s last game was okay, Lestor and Hendricks remain the only reliable starters. They also must keep everybody healthy. They are not the same team when Bryant or Rizzo are out. Russell has to hit better. How is Schwarber working out as a lead off hitter? With Haap in center what happens to Almora?

The Chicago “loyalty trumps winning” White Sox- It only takes one word to describe this team, bad. Considering this a rebuilding year, this was to be expected. With Quintana's poor start, the team's best trade bait is going down in value. They continue to play Frazier, making sure no other team would make an offer for him. Who is going to want anybody else on this team?  Maybe someone desperate for relief pitching will want Robertson. You probably won’t get much in return. Without any call ups from the minors there is not much reason to watch. Someone tell the manager a bunt with a man on third usually only works if it is unsuspected.  A safety squeeze has a worse chance of working. Kudos for signing Cuban phenom, Robert. I can’t wait for 2019.  

NHL NBA Playoffs

May 19, 2017

Switching gears from baseball, let’s talk about NHL and NBA playoffs.

Although I fully expected the Blackhawks to to still be playing, the NHL finals have been great theater. The series between the Anaheim Ducks and those Blackhawk beating Nashville Predators is tied at two games apiece. There have been two overtimes, one goal and two goal margins. Anaheim was one of the best teams during the regular season and won their division. Nashville was an 8 seed who proved it’s not how you start or play during the season but how you finish. While I don’t know who’s going win this series, I have seen what I believe is the next great young player, Filip Forsberg of Nashville.

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The Ottawa Senators had a great season finishing in second place in the tough Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference. They are up against the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins knocked out the team who had the most points during the regular season, once again illustrating the "it's not how you start" adage. This series has also been extremely entertaining. While I am not too familiar with Ottawa you get a chance to see one of the greatest players of all-time, Pittsburgh's Sydney Crosby. All but one of the games has been decided by more than one goal. Ottawa does have a stingy defense led by Erik Karlson and goalie Craig Anderson, leading the series 2-1.  If Pittsburgh wins tonight they will regain home ice advantage. I don’t know who wins this series.
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You may think comparatively the NBA playoffs are ho hum. However, you great to watch, in my opinion, the second best player of all-time, LeBron James, The Cavaliers should cruise past the Celtics (who would have not made it this far, if not for injury to Rajon Rando of the Chicago Bulls).

The San Antonio Spurs are a good team and may win a game or two. However, with or without Tony Parker and a healthy Kahwi Leonard they will succumb to the Golden State Warriors and their superior talent. The team can put up tons of points. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and arguably the second best player in the league, Kevin Durant are prolific scorers. What makes them extra special is they play great defense. How else does a team overcome a twenty point halftime deficit?

 The finals for the 3^rd straight year will be Golden State versus Cleveland. The Warriors won the first and the Cavaliers the second, The Warriors added Durant the Cavaliers still have LeBron. I have no idea who comes out on top but it should be fun to watch.

Baseball Report May 5-12

May 12, 2017

With baseball being my favorite sport and because it is a long season I will publish weekly updates. Before I get to Chicago team woes, there a couple of things happening that are interesting. The Yankees, Orioles, Astros and Nationals seem to be the strongest teams. The biggest surprise among those are the Yankees. Another thing I’ve never seen is a pitcher get hit by line drives from consecutive batters in a White Sox-Orioles game.

Chicago Cubs – Things are not going as smoothly as last year. In fact, things are a bit rocky. When I last posted things seem to be heading in the right direction. Then they get swept by the Yankees (no shame there) and lose 2 out of 3 to a hot Rockies team who lead their division. I don’t think the Rockies will continue at this pace, but the Cubs just caught them at the wrong time. With Arrieta’s problems, the team is down to two dependable starters. One topic of conversation was centered on if the Cubs could afford to re-sign him.  With the way things are going they might not want to bring him back at all. The hitting is not as good as it was last year. Rizzo, Russell and Zobrist are all well below their norm. Although Russell hit in the .240’s last year, the homers and runs batted in made that acceptable. Without them .240 is just bad. When Baez and Solar came up many thought they would be good if not great players. Well Solar is gone (in a great trade) and Baez has been a liability. His bat was always suspect and the defense is not as good.  All those who were enamored with Schwarber are finding that maybe he’s not as great as they thought. The lead off experiment is not working out as well as expected. One of the hardest things in sports it to win back to back championships. However, with the busters in the N.L. Central the Cubs should turn things around and win this division. After that it’s a crapshoot. Last thing, is with a team 17-17 how many of those wins are due to Madden’s managing?

The Chicago “loyalty trumps winning” White Sox were 15-12 on my last post. They are now owners of a 5 game losing streak and have a 15-17 record. There are many reasons. The first is they played the Orioles who may be the best team in baseball (just wait Cub fans you get them on the road In July). That team has great pitching, defense and power. Last year they hit over 250 homers. Next up a hot Minnesota team won 2, and lucky for the Sox the other scheduled game was a rainout. However, the main reason this has changed is they are a bad team. Only 2 batters are showing consistency. There are seven guys who are automatic outs. When Frazier is out of the line-up, Davidson is a better option. I still don’t know if he is the long term answer at third. He like the rest of the team strikes out too often. Injuries have the Sox using 2 pitchers that haven’t won a game and should be not on a major league roster. With the second baseman hitting close to .200, they should call up Moncado. According to G.M. Rick Hahn this won’t happen because he needs more seasoning. However, the major league experience could be more beneficial and much better than playing Saladino at second base. It also may be time to try some of the minor league pitching. Once again this won’t happen, they need more time. However, they would be just as good as the other minor leaguers they are starting now.

Early Season Observations of Chicago Baseball

May 5, 2017

With the Blackhawks season behind us, the Bears D- draft and the Bulls sticking with the status quo (Mirotic coming back ugh), we turn to baseball. Although it is a small sample size there are still things to talk about.

Before the year started we had some questions surrounding the Cubs. Will Heyward hit? At the present time, his average is .263, much better than last year. The nice thing is he is tied with Rizzo for the club lead in RBI.

Wade Davis looks unbelievable and healthy. The jury is still out on Kendrick having the same success as last year. Which brings me to your leadoff man. I always thought he should bat in a friendlier spot to drive in runs. He has struck out in 36% of his at bats and has an average of.189. So I don’t know where in the line- up he should be. Maybe he’s just not that good but hits a few long home runs.

I mentioned this a small sample size and things could change. The middle relief has gotten better than earlier in the season when they lost four in a row. However, the starters, especially Arrieta has been shaky. But not to fret. After the losing streak they get to play Milwaukee, Cincinnati to get back on track. You can’t start every year 25-6. They will still run away with this division The Nationals look like the best challenge in the Cubs quest to reach the World Series.

 The Chicago “loyalty trumps winning” White Sox are off to a surprisingly good start. Even with injuries to many pitchers, including the supposed ace Rodon. They are at the top of the league rankings in ERA, for starters and bullpens.  Still the hitting is suspect. One of the biggest problems last year was Abreu’s 3 month slump. Right now he’s on fire and can carry an offense. As usual they have the worst designated hitter against right handed pitchers. Dunn, LaRoche and now Asche .091. Davidson fares better against lefties but the majority of pitchers are right handed. Anyway he should be starting at third. Frazier is 5 years older and not a part of a future team that is rebuilding. Also as usual, center field is a problem L. Garcia is not the answer.

It’s time to bring some minor leaguers, especially Moncada. Hahn said he’s not ready. Your current second baseman is hitting .213. I think he’s ready. Burdi should be in the bullpen. !8 strike outs in last 10 innings. Robertson is starting to go bad and should be traded as part of rebuilding. One last thing I really like is hustle. Everybody runs hard on ground balls. Asche didn’t run out a dropped third strike and Renteria took him out.  

Being early things will change. The Cubs will be very good. The best the White Sox can hope for is not to suck.

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