Baseball Postseason 2017

October 5, 2017

It’s time for baseball’s post season. There are some really good teams vying to win this year and some juicy match-ups. So, here are recaps with my predictions as we approach the first pitch between the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros. If you like pitchers’ duels, you’ll love the first game between Sale for Boston and Verlander for Houston. Good pitching will be a theme throughout the postseason. Who wins this series? Both teams have a lot of firepower in their lineups. Bogarts and Betts lead the Red Sox attack. Houston has this year’s batting champ, Altuve, Springer and all-star shortstop Correa. The availability and the performance of David Price is a key for Boston. If the games are close, the Boston bullpen is okay with their lock down closer, Kimbrel. Houston’s hopes hinge on starters Keuchel and McCullers and their closer, Giles, who had 34 saves. These teams seem to be evenly matched. However, Houston seems to be just a tad better. Houston in 5.

The Cleveland Indians were the best team in baseball when the season ended. They can score, play great defense, have great starting pitching and the best bullpen in baseball. That’s how you win an unbelievable 22 games in a row. Their manager is so confident his team is so good he can set up his rotation so his number 1 starter pitches game 5 if needed. I have one problem with this plan. If you are not going to start your best pitcher in game 2 (Kluber) why not start your number 2 (Curasco)? Instead, number 3 Bauer with 4.17 era in game 1. The Yankees can hit and if you’re Cleveland you don’t want to lose game one. However, Cleveland can score a ton of runs against suspect Yankee pitching. Therefore, Cleveland in 3.

AL awards:

MVP: Lindor, Cleveland; Cy Young: Kluber, Cleveland; Rookie: Judge, New York; Manager: Paul Molitor, Minnesota

L.A. Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers won over 100 games and Arizona finished over 20 games behind. Therefore, most people would think this series would be a cakewalk for the Dodgers. However, the last time they met, the Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers in a 3 game series. The Dodgers won’t let that happen again. The Diamondbacks’ best starter Greinke is unable to open the series (he got lit up in a start against Colorado). Therefore, the Dodgers have an advantage. The Diamondbacks do have some great hitters like Paul Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez. But the pitching doesn’t match up. The Dodgers are no slouches at the plate with Turner, Seager and Bellinger. The old adage ‘good pitching beats good hitting’ will hold true. Kershaw and Co. take this in 4 games.

The most intriguing series is Cubs vs Washington Nationals. These are two good, evenly matched teams. Here are the reasons I think the Cubs win this series: Each team has great starting pitching. Scherzer is questionable for Washington, Arrieta for the Cubs. However, the Cubs have 3 other top tier pitchers, which is all you need for a best of 5 first round series. The Nationals have some great hitting with Zimmerman and Murphy. What may really hurt them is Bryce Harper, who may be their best player, may not have his timing back while hitting in the middle of the lineup. The Cubs can counter with Bryant and Rizzo. Ken Harrelson always says ‘it’s not what you hit, it’s when you hit.’ The Cubs have multiple players hit in the clutch, pulling out wins in late innings.  Think back to last year’s playoffs. The Cubs were the hottest team after the all-star break including 15 wins out their last 19 games. The Nationals coasted and haven’t had a meaningful game since May. Finally, close games may be decided by the bullpens. Although the Nationals’ bullpen has  improved with trades, the Cubs have Strop, Edwards, Montgomery and the best closer in baseball, Wade Davis. Cubs in 5.

NL Awards:

MVP: Goldschmidt, Arizona; Cy Young Kershaw, L. A.; Rookie: Bellinger ,L.A.; Manager: Counsel, Milwaukee

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National TV Disaster

September 29, 2017

There was so much bad I don’t where to start.  The defense, thought to be the strength of the team, struggled against both the run and pass. Granted, the Packers are led by the great Aaron Rodgers.  He creates havoc for most teams. That being said, let’s start from the beginning to the bitter end.

Packers take the opening kickoff shredding through the Bears defense via pass and rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown. Fault of this score rests solely on the defense. Even with two linemen out and injuries forcing them to play reserve running backs, the Packers gained significant yards running throughout the game.  Packers 7, Bears 0. In the very next series, Mr. Slow gets sacked and fumbles. This is a bad play call. During the week Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the Bears were going to start the game with a long pass. This is exactly what they did. Knowing this, the Packers were in the Bears backfield before Glennon could set up. He is too slow to step up or roll out away from the rush and his reads are too slow. Hang on to the ball, take the sack and you get to run another play. Three plays later Packers 14 Bears 0. Next possession the Bears move the ball inside Packers 30 yard line. Then the dumbness that defines the Bears creeps in. With miscommunication on the snap, the ball hits Glennon in the knees. Fumble number two. Scoring chance down the drain. As usual against the Packers, there is the obligatory man wide open downfield for a 50 yard gain. This happens every time Bears play the Packers. No one is even close when Jordy Nelson is tackled after a long completion, but not before it is first and goal. Packers 21, Bears 0. The Bears finally have a good looking scoring drive to close the half. Packers 21, Bears 7.

The Bears received the kickoff to start the second half. If they scored it could have been a one possession game. The Bears tried a no huddle offense that was laughable. It seemed every time Cohen would have a good gain there would be a holding penalty to lose good field position. So they were forced to try a 43 yard field goal. For most kickers this is automatic.  Not with Connor Barth. If he’s not within 40 yards, he’s just awful. Field advantage goes to Packers. The Packers then go 63 yards capped by Jordy Nelson’s first touchdown. Packers 28, Bears 7.  The Packers get the ball back after Glennon’s second interception, with a pass that just sailed over everybody with no Bear in sight. Six plays later Packers' Nelson scores his second touchdown to complete a great game for someone’s fantasy team. Packers 35, Bears 7.

You would think being down 21 points before the last of Glennon’s 4 turnovers, they would give the second pick in the draft some game experience. Yet Glennon trots back on the field. Who else is thinking dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb? That’s one dumb for every turn over. When they get the ball down 28 points after Glennon’s second interception, Trubisky surely replaces Glennon now. But nope. Glennon goes back to play while Bear fans are pulling their hair out.

They run the ball, kill the clock and score a meaningless touchdown. I guess Trubisky isn’t ready to hand off?  Coach Fox says they will evaluate everything and make changes. Can he fire himself? Trubisky should start next game, but don’t bet on it.

The Bears are now 1-3. I was wrong when I predicted 0-4. However, I still am thinking a final record of 5-11. If Trubisky does start and is as good I think he will be, then maybe I move to 6-10.

Bears Game 3 Surprise

September 25, 2017

I thought it would have to be a cold day in hell before the Bears would beat the Steelers. Nor did I think that things would be different on a scorching hot day in Chicago. In my wildest dreams I never envisioned Bears 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 17. The Bears took control early, then hung on for this highly unlikely victory. This may be the high point in a season full of low points. But the blueprint for success was evident.

I have said the Bears defense will keep the team competitive. The defense was outstanding. This is a Pittsburgh team with multiple play makers. The Bears held them to 300 total yards. The Steelers ground game generated only 60 yards. The number is only that high because Le’Veon Bell broke off a couple of big plays but for the most part he had only short gains. Ben Roethisberger, who has had multiple games with 300 yards passing only had 235. The pass rush had good pressure, forcing him be off the mark. They also had 3 sacks, one which resulted in a fumble recovery.  A turnover!

The strong part of the Bears offense is the running. In the previous two games they had to abandon the run because they fell behind. This week when they grabbed a lead they didn’t have to rely on their quarterback and their mason crew receivers. The combination of Howard and Cohen plus great offensive line play led by a returning Kyle Long was the key to winning this game. The play of the game for me was Massie recovering a Cohen fumble, otherwise Pittsburgh gets great field position.

There is room for improvement.  They would not have needed overtime if not for the dumb. I think dumb will become a recurring theme this season. Marcus Cooper fumbling at the one yard line, loafing into the end zone.  He claims he thought he had crossed the goal line. More likely he was thinking about his celebration. The Bears got lucky to get another down. I’m not an expert but I do know if a team has possession of the ball and it rolls out of the end zone it is not a safety. This was followed by a dumb penalty with the ball at the 1 yard line. The Bears get what turns out to be a badly needed field goal but lose 4 points in the process.  Marcus Cooper's defensive holding penalty on a third down goal line stand, and holding on a great kickoff return by Cohen were also costly.  Before we pounce all over Cooper, he was targeted nine times and gave up only one reception. What will always be dumb is starting the wrong quarterback. Glennon completed 15 passes for 101 yards, less than seven yards per. Take away the one good pass he threw for 17 yards to Miller and the average drops to an even 6. Of course he also threw an interception and when he gets sacked it’s for 9 or 10 yards. The team's trust in his ability shows when on second down with seven or more yards for a first down they run the ball. Luckily, the running game saved the day.

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The biggest problem with the win is that it stunts the growth of Trubisky. Meanwhile this good feel probably won’t even last a whole week. Green Bay is Thursday.

Bears Game 2

September 18, 2017

Bears Game 2 Dumb & Dumber

Bad players and bad coaching make a lethal combination. Both were on full display in the Bears 29-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When your team is bereft of talent, you have to minimize mistakes to have any chance of winning. Just like old times this team makes dumb mistakes.

Tarik Cohen, the only positive in game 1, made his first rookie blunder. With Tampa ready to down a punt, he thought he could surprise them by picking it up.  Trying to field a rolling punt is very tricky. He didn’t. Thirteen yard scoring drive.

When the defense wasn’t playing bad they committed three dumb holding calls.  In all three cases they came on third down prolonging Tampa Bay drives. However, I will cut them some slack. They were good stopping the run until the fourth quarter when they were gassed. Two scoring drives started at the 13 and 35 yard line and a third on a pick six. One problem is they only had 2 sacks and provided little pressure on the quarterback. They did force a fumble for their first take-away but they gave up four. If you lose turnover battles you tend to lose those games.

Speaking of turnovers, let’s talk about the offense. Mike Glennon did his best Jay Cutler impersonation with 2 interceptions and a fumble. On the fumble the rush was right in front of him and with no mobility he couldn’t get out of the pocket to throw the ball away. Under pressure he made a terrible throw for his first interception.  Like oil and water, Glennon and pressure don’t go well together. The pick six interception came when Glennon didn’t take his eyes off who he was throwing to and they picked off his slow delivery. This was under no pressure. Let’s just say he is bad in all conditions. The Buccaneers also had seen the tapes on Cohen and shut down the run, daring Glennon to pass. Rest assured he’s not going to go deep. Finally even when he’s on target his receivers have a case of the dropsies. Josh Bellamy must be something on special teams because he sucks as a receiver.  

John Fox has got to go. You’re down 26 points, ball on your 46, less than two minutes to go in the half and you punt for field position?  I don’t know if you win either of these games with Trubisky. This was a time to get some experience. Although with the depleted line he might have got hurt. Too bad Glennon didn’t. Fox made excuses for him and let everybody know Glennon will remain the starter.  After they get slaughtered by the Steelers and Packers, Trubisky starts game five. They still might not win but they have a better chance. He also gets experience so he will be really good when they are ready to win.  If that doesn’t happen in the near future, Ryan Pace should be fired.

Bears: Game One

September 12, 2017

Falcons 23 Bears 17

A loss is a loss is a loss. This could have been a win if not for a couple of glitches. But, the Bear defense should make them competitive in most games.

The front seven were as good as expected. They held the Falcons to 54 yards rushing.  Aikeem Hicks was outstanding in stopping the run and had two sacks. However, he also got penalized for roughing the passer, which extended a Falcons scoring drive that resulted in a field goal. The Falcons, who may be the best offense in the NFL, had three drives ending with field goals, one on a first and goal. The secondary had a good game for the most part. Julio Jones was held to 4 catches for 66 yards. The back breaker came on third down and three at the Falcons’ 8 yard line. An 88 yard touchdown pass to Austin Hooper with no defenders in sight. I had a flashback to last year’s Aaron Rodgers pass to a wide open Jordy Nelson that set up the winning field goal. Missed communication, confusion and a scrambled Jerrell Freeman have been the reasons for this to happen. There was only one other play that went for long yardage due to a flurry of missed tackles. Overall defense gets a B+.

On offense, a star was born. Tarik Cohen was electric.  Five rushes for 66 yards, 8 receptions for47 yards and 3 punt returns for 45 yards. This could really boost an anemic offense. After years of watching the turn over machine Jay Cutler, Mike Glennon goes turn over free. Aside from that he had a very pedestrian game. One of his criticisms is he can’t throw deep. That’s okay because the Bears don’t have a receiver who can get open deep. With protection he was good underneath. However, Glennon is slow slow, slow. If there is pressure, he just stands in the pocket and gets sacked. This put the Bears in deep holes. Other quarterbacks are at least able to get out of the pocket and throw it out of bounds which is not intentional grounding. This gets worse by the fact he’s slow going over his reads and his passes get out slow. What’s going to happen is he will feel pressure and not being able to get free will throw interceptions. The fact that he can’t move is probably the biggest reason they lost. With first and goal at the five yard line, you need a mobile quarterback to buy time until someone gets open. I don’t know how the game would have gone if they played their best quarterback. But, Trubisky gives you a much better chance of succeeding in that goal line situation.  Offense gets a B (add Glennon, C-).

It’s been pointed out me that I predicted the Bears to go 5-12 when they play 16 games so my revised pick is 5-11. Watching the first game, Tarik Cohen and the eventual starting of Trubisky makes me think that I am under estimating. That may be, but it will be close.

P.S. My apologies to Paul Sullivan. He was right as the Cubs have floundered to make their lead shrink to two games, there is a pennant race.         

Bits and Pieces

September 8, 2017

Bits and Pieces

Last time I posted a Bears blog without a prediction on what their record would be. I keep thinking about last year; predicted a modest 4-12 and they were unbelievably worse. This year, 5-11.  I hope I’m wrong.  Even if they win 6 games (unlikely) thank goodness dumb Fox will be gone.

I see where the Bears promoted Trubisky to second on the depth chart.  Fox says he earned it. It would have been a travesty if the number 2 overall pick was inactive. With what I’ve seen of Glennon, it makes me wonder why Trubisky is not the starting quarterback. I dread the first 4 games after which they will probably be 0-4. Trubisky should start game 5.  They still may not win however, this would be the right move. The problem is the Bears don’t make many right moves…

On the baseball front the Cubs are stumbling their way to division title. Even when they lose 3 straight to the lousy Braves and Pirates, no team gains on them. As of this post, the Brewers are in third. Cub fans who are not pleased with the way they are playing would normally be ecstatic with their position if they hadn’t won a World Series. Sportswriter Paul Sullivan  is trying to keep himself interested by talking about a pennant race when there is none. I’d rather watch paint dry than read his ridiculous column.

When one of the White Sox top prospects are pitching they are more exciting to watch  Although they languish in last place they continue to make progress. They finally released Derek Holland and James Shields should be next. I hope they hang on to Abreu through the rebuild. Once again he is approaching 30 Home Runs and 100 RBI while hitting around .300.  Things will get better next year and really good in 2019.  Don’t worry about Moncada, he’ll come around when he’s completely healthy.

Bears Outlook 2017

September 1, 2017

Although the final roster is not set, there are only 9 days until the season opener. So, it’s time to talk football and our focus will be on the Chicago Bears.

First the good news. The defense looks pretty good. The front three, Aikeem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Mitch Unrein can be a force against the run and pressure the quarterback. Danny Trevathan should also be ready to go. With Jerrell Freeman, Willie Young and what should be an improved Leonard Floyd, this gives the Bears four solid linebackers. The secondary is an unknown. Alabama rookie Eddie Jackson looks good. The rest of the secondary are other team castoffs. They have been solid if not spectacular in the past. Although the first string defense has only given up 1 touchdown in pre-season, there have been no interceptions or fumble recoveries. To be really good they have to greatly improve on takeaways.  Last year they forced only eleven turn-overs. They need to stay healthy. Last year they were decimated by injuries and the depth is not good.

On the other hand, aside from Jordan Howard, the offense leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn’t matter how good your defense is if you can’t score any points. Your highest paid free agent, quarterback Mike Glennon has only started 14 games. He hasn’t shown anything and gets to start over quarterback of the future, Mitchell Trubisky (but more on that later). Even with a good quarterback who’s going to catch passes? You have seventh overall pick Kevin Smith who qualifies as a bust. The other receivers are busters. Randall Wright and Markus Wheaton (currently injured) are the next two options. Suffice it to say they were not on any fantasy list.

The Bears continually make me scratch my head at what the hell they’re doing. I will hop on the band wagon about their decision to start Trubisky in the final exhibition game. When he got knocked out of bounds on a late hit you could hear the sigh of relief when he got up. Going into last off season the biggest need for the Bears was in the defense secondary. If injured Cam Meredith is your top receiver that issue should have been addressed as well. So, in need of multiple players the Bears unnecessarily trade some draft picks to move up to take a backup quarterback. After signing a tight end in free agency their second pick is a tight end who is third on the depth chart. Not until the 4^th round do they pick up a defensive back. I don’t know what other people think. I believe your top draft pick should be an impact starter. Your high second pick should at least be on the cusp of starting. Let’s face it. The Bears are going to be lousy and could have drafted a future quarterback in 2018.

The brutal schedule could make this a long season. The first game is against Atlanta. Not even the best defense stops Matt Ryan and the Falcons. Game 2 recalls nightmares of last year’s game against Tampa,  chasing James Winston all over and then he throws TD pass with Tracy Porter falling down, loss number 2. Game three against Pittsburgh another prolific offense, loss number 3. Game 4 Rodgers and the Packers make loss number 4 to start the season. Being a Bear fan, I hope that maybe they can scratch out a win. Maybe Tampa or Green Bay. It’s a long shot for sure but if they lose all four, Trubisky starts game 5 and beats Minnesota on a Monday night.