Just One More Thing

November 5, 2019

I inadvertently deleted this juicy takeaway from Bears Eagles game. Rather than edit the column, here is the juicy take away I missed.

The defense should have gotten some rest at halftime. However, the Eagles took the second half kickoff 75 yards. The drive was capped off with former Bear running back, Jordan Howard, running 13 yards untouched for a touchdown. On the day, Howard had 19 carries for 82 yards. Howard’s downturn last year was due to Nagy not knowing how to install a running game into hiss pass happy offense. He still hasn’t figured it out. The return on the Howard trade was an inconsequential sixth round pick. Unbelievable!

Speaking of former Chicago athletes, I recently watched the Detroit Pistons Derrick Rose. The Bulls did not pursue Rose and bring him back as a free agent. Rose at age 31 and healthy is better than any guard on the Bulls roster.  John Paxon and Gar Forman should leave town and take Nagy with them.

Bears Getting Tougher to Watch as Playoff Hopes Slip Away

November 4, 2019

The Chicago Bears were historically bad, losing their fourth straight game to the beatable Philadelphia Eagles, 22-14. In what was one of the most hyped seasons, the Bears have collapsed. I can’t see them winning many more games and they could finish 5-11. The two more wins ensure that beleaguered coach Matt Nagy will be back next year. This may sound like a broken record but General Manager Ryan Pace should take most of the blame.

The Bear defense has gone from great to good. As opposed to last year, you don’t see takeaways or wreaking havoc on quarterbacks. For most of the year I’ve blamed the bumbling offense keeping the defense on the field, to the point of exhaustion. However, the Eagles carved up the defense on their first possession with a long, time consuming drive. This was aided by stupid, off-sides penalties on the Bears. The Bears did hold them to a field goal as they would on another drive. Meanwhile, the offense was keeping the defense on the field with multiple three and outs. The Eagles lone, first half touchdown came when Eagle tight end Zach Ertz ran into cornerback Kyle Fuller getting open for a touchdown reception. Fuller argued for a penalty, but nine times out of ten this isn’t called.

David Montgomery has looked good with a fullback in front in a two back formation. Why does Nagy more often line up Montgomery as a single back where he gains one to three yards? Has Matt Nagy given up developing quarterback Mitch Trubisky? He shows no confidence in him or his offense. Not running another play prior to Eddy Pineiro’s missed field goal; not trying two point conversions; not going for a first down on a fourth down and six yards to go at the Eagles 44 yard line. Why can’t Nagy see that Trubisky is terrible from the pocket? He rolls out and completes a 53 yard pass to Taylor Gabriel and this play is never called again. The Bears did score twice in the red zone, albeit with the obligatory call of Tarik Cohen up the middle losing a yard. With a grand total of 14 points Nagy’s offense has now scored less than 20 points for the 14^th time in 25 games.

I think it’s safe to say Trubisky is a bust. Pace first round picks have been pathetic. 2015 Kevin White (out of football), Leonard Floyd who shows up once in a while, and 2018 regressing Roquan Smith. Add his hiring of Nagy and he should be launched, but it’ not going to happen. The only positive to all of this is the Bears will have a soft schedule next year.

Washington Nationals are World Champions

October 31, 2019

The Washington Nationals were only the sixth wild-card team to win the World Series. It doesn’t get better than a seven game series packed with drama and heroics. The Astros had the home field advantage although that didn’t matter because for the first time in history neither team won a home game.

The Nationals being champs shouldn’t be a big surprise. After starting out 19-31, the Nationals were one of the hottest teams in baseball going 74-38 the rest of the way. They were playing extremely well heading into the playoffs. How they got through to the World Series is worth taking a look at.

In the wild-card game against the Milwaukee Brewers they were trailing 3-1 heading to the eighth inning. The Brewers brought in their premier closer Josh Hader. Hader was having trouble and loaded the bases.  In what would be the first of many 2 out runs, Juan Soto singles home two runs. When the Brewers right fielder overruns the ball, the Nationals get the go-ahead run and win 4-3.,

The Dodgers were the overwhelming favorites to represent the National League in the World Series. Both teams have great starting pitching. The Nationals staved off elimination in game 4 behind Max Scherzer. In the decisive game five, the Nationals were down 3-1 in the eighth. Back to back home runs from Anthony Rendon and Soto tied the game. The Nationals won the game on Howie Kendrick’s grand slam in the 10^th inning.

The Astros Gerrit Cole hadn’t lost a game since May. Things were looking bright when Astros scored two runs in the first inning. Scherzer would grind through five scoreless innings while the Nationals went to work on Cole.  He gave a solo homer to Ryan Zimmerman and Soto took over. He would hit tying home run and a three run double. The Astros would score two runs but would fall short, losing 5-4 in the opener.

In game two, the Astros Justin Verlander gave up two runs in the first inning. The Astros responded with a 2-run homer from Alex Bregman. Stephen Strasburg would go on to pitch 5 more innings of no-run ball. Things turned bad for Verlander in the seventh inning.  Kurt Suzuki led off with a homer giving the Nationals a 3-2 lead. Verlander walked the next batter and was taken out. The floodgates opened with key hits and sloppy defense. Nationals win 12-3. Verlander would later lose game 6, making him 0-6 in World Series starts.

The Astros went to D.C. for the next three games. In game three, Zack Greinke pitches into the fifth inning allowing one run in an Astros 4-1 victory. With all the all-star pitchers, Astros game four starter, rookie Jose Urquidy. was the best pitcher in the series up to this point. With only seven previous starts, he pitched five scoreless innings. Bregman had a grand slam as the Astros won 8-1. In game five, Gerrit Cole pitches like his old self, keeping the National hitters at bay in a 7-1 Astros victory. They go back to Houston with the Astros up 3 games to 2.

In game six, Strasburg dominates going 8.2 innings allowing only 2 runs. Series standouts Soto and Rendon homer as the Nationals win 7-2 forcing a game seven. In game seven the pitching matchup is Scherzer for the Nationals and Greinke for the Astros. In one of his best performance of the year, Greinke takes a one-hitter into the seventh inning. Meanwhile, the Astros have only two runs leaving multiple runners on base. Once again the Nationals come back from a 2 run deficit. Rendon continued his hot hitting and led off the 7^th with a homer. When Greinke walks Soto he is lifted from the game. The next batter Howie Kendrick, hits one off the right foul pole for a 3-2 Nationals lead. Scherzer is relieved in the 6^th by Patrick Corbin who got pounded in game 3. He was near perfect in 3 innings. Due to timely hitting by Adam Eaton and Soto the Nationals extended their lead to 6-2. That is the way it ended.

The Nationals had some great performances from their stars who showed up big time. Free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon will become one of the highest players in the game. He hit .319 with 34 homers and a major league leading 126 RBI. Juan Soto is only 21 and looks a little like Tony Oliva. Adam Eaton and Howie Kendrick made major contributions. But make no mistake, the pitching is what makes this team great. Scherzer and World Series MVP Strasburg went 9-0 in the post season

It's All Over

October 28, 2019

The Bears dominated the Los Angles Chargers yesterday. They outgained them in rushing and passing yardage, totaling over 300 yards for the first time this year. They also ran 77 plays to the Chargers 42 and controlled the ball for 38 minutes. However, the Bears lost in the most important category, points scored, and lost 17-16. It was the 13^th time in 24 games that offensive guru Matt Nagy’s team has failed to score 20 points. The fat lady is warmed up and ready to sing as the Bears death roll spiral continues, with their third consecutive loss

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General Manager Ryan Pace has made two colossal mistakes that will define his tenure. He hired Nagy to invigorate the offense and develop quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Nagy is 0 for 2. His play calling has been idiotic and on this past Sunday, perhaps cowardly.  It’s as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard. The Bears were in the red zone 4 times without scoring a touchdown. The first time, they were settling for a field goal. With the ghost of Cody Parkey enveloping Soldier Field, Eddy Pineiro’s kick hit the upright.

The Bears had 12 plays inside the 10 yard line and didn’t score a touchdown. Contrary to prior play calling gaffes, Nagy tried to run the ball rather than pass.  David Montgomery had a good game, but if you take away the 55 yard run he averaged only 3 yards per carry. He and the Bears have never been good in short yard situations. I mentioned cowardice when I referenced Nagy’s play calling. In these situations he got scared and lost trust in Trubisky. With the ball at the six yard line he called two runs for little or no gain. Then an incomplete Trubisky pass that was poorly thrown and the Bears settled for 3 points. At the end of the half, with the ball at the four yard line, they ran the ball twice for no gain. The next play, Trubisky throws an uncatchable ball out of the end zone. The Bears luckily get a pass interference call and have the ball at the one yard with 29 seconds remaining and no timeouts. You can get 3 passes into the end zone with the time left. Against the Washington Redskins I saw Trubisky complete a one yard touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel. I can’t believe in that billboard playbook Nagy carries he doesn’t have a play for this situation.  He calls a run for no gain and they have to scramble to get the clock stopped with one second left. They settle for another field goal.

Pace’s other colossal mistake was moving up in the draft to pick Mitch Trubisky as the second overall pick.  He had only 13 starts in his senior year at North Carolina. As a Junior, he couldn’t start over a quarterback who was not even drafted and was let go by a team in the Canadian League. He has played a part in Bear losses and Sunday was no different.  With the Bears clinging to a six point lead he makes a horrible read and throws an easy interception. Trubisky can’t seem to read the field. He only looks at the primary receiver. Many times he throws into multiple coverage when someone else has to be open. If Nagy is using the Kansas City Chiefs offense, he should also have a check down receiver who can gain yards after the catch. The Chargers miss the field goal and the Bears still lead 16-10. The Bears get the ball back and without being touched, Trubisky clumsily fumbles. I heard that before he went to the sideline he had to find his hand warmers on a 58-degree day. The Chargers capitalize on the turnover and take a 17-16 lead.

With less than 2 minutes left, the Bears had a chance for a game winning field goal. With 41 seconds left Nagy decides for Trubisky to take a knee and call a timeout with 4 seconds left. He would later lamely explain why they didn’t run another play. I guess he forgot about Parkey’s miss from the same distance last year. A gain of three yards moves Pineiro closer. If the kick is from 38 yards it goes between the uprights before veering wide to the left.

The honeymoon between Nagy and the Chicago media is over. In a contentious interview, Nagy barked at reporters who questioned his play calling.  He correctly pointed out that you don’t risk a pass. About not running for a few extra yards he replied you may fumble or lose a couple of yards. The coward had no faith the team could advance the ball couple of yards. He concluded by yelling “I did not consider a pass and I did not consider a run”. What a jerk. Problem is he and Trubisky are here to stay.

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Bulls Preview

October 23, 2019

The Bulls open up their season tonight against the Charlotte Hornets. The loyalty the ownership has to management rubs me the wrong way. John Paxon was hired in 2003. He hired Gar Forman to be his General Manager, while his new title is President of Basketball Operations. In 16 years they haven’t won a damn thing. Aside from a couple of good years with a healthy Derrick Rose, they have been awful.

The only good coach they hired was Tom Thibodeau who was unceremoniously dumped over physiological differences.  His replacement, Fred Hoiberg didn’t tank well enough and was let go in mid- season last year. They hired pre-historic assistant Jim Boylen over Fred Flintstone. Instead of making him an interim coach they gave him a two-year contract. No proper search for a new coach was even considered.  Boylen proceeded to guide them to a 17-41 record. He is old school with his game planning. He says he wants his players to take the ball to the rim and get free throws. This is the antitheses of modern day basketball.  The trend is spreading the floor for open 3-pointers and playing good defense. In a recent interview he said “I don’t evaluate whether we won or lost. I evaluate how they play.” If you play well you win if not you lose, it’s that simple.

All is not doom and gloom. The Bulls have some talent and may compete despite their coach. Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine could be all-stars. Otto Porter is an upgrade at small forward. Wendall Carter Jr. needs to stay out of foul trouble and should be more productive. The new point guard is free-agent Tomas Satoransky, who I haven’t seen enough of to make any assessment.

I thought the Bulls were done with Kris Dunn. However, it looks like he’s in charge of what looks to be terrible bench. The most notable free-agent in that unit is middle of the road, Thaddeus Young whose name is a big contradiction to his age. Eventually, first round pick guard Coby White should move up to be a starter. What I’ve seen of him looks pretty good although, it’s only pre-season. When you have the seventh pick in the draft you don’t get game changers. Like Carter last year, the Bulls top pick is not in the opening night starting line-up.

 What the Bulls truly need is a player who makes everyone else better, someone who is a level above their best players. I’m wondering if the Bulls could have pulled off Khalil Mack type trade for second pick Ja Morant, by offering the first round pick this and next year. If that’s not good enough, sweeten the pot any way you can. Offer any player or two except Markkanen and LaVine.

I do expect the Bulls to be better. They should win 28-38 games, miss the playoffs and get a lousy draft pick. I hope I’m wrong but my gut tells me I’m not.

Bears Lay an Egg and Destroy Playoff Hopes

October 21, 2019

Sunday afternoon was a great day. I was sitting in a Soldier Field sky box to celebrate my godson/nephew’s 40^th birthday. Surrounded by family and friends, these are the days I live for. Not even the Bears sour play could diminish what a wonderful day this was. 

If I had watched this game at home, I would have gone berserk. It was a must win game against an undermanned New Orleans Saints team. This was the Bears worst performance in Coach Matt Nagy’s tenure. In one of my very first posts, I wrote that Nagy was a bad choice. He was hired because he was the first interviewee to say yes to a low ball offer. 

Never in the future do I want to read any reference to Nagy receiving Coach of the Year honors. Without the defense he's a .500 coach at best. He was supposed to develop quarterback Mitch Trubisky who has regressed from last year. He continues to run a pass happy offense with an inconsistent (or bad, take your pick) QB. Trubisky is a good passer for six or fewer yards, unless he needs that distance on third down. He woefully missed wide open receivers downfield. Trubisky threw a career high 54 passes against the Saints. He did pad his stats during garbage time against a second string defense. Take away the points the Bear score  without defensive help and you will see how anemic Nagy's offense has been.. 

Nagy has talked about improving the running game. He has had 23 games and still can’t figure it out. They ran the ball seven times for a measly 17 yards. There was a stretch in the first half where he called passes on 23 of 28 plays. The running game is very vanilla with no misdirection plays. The offensive line can't open any holes. When the game is close like the first half was, you can’t give up the running game. It didn’t help when Anthony Miller fumbled, leading to a Saints TD and a 9-0 Saints lead.

The lone highlight for the Bears was Cordarrelle Patterson’s 102 yard kickoff return to cut the lead to two points. With the offense so bad, I don’t care if kickoffs are in the end zone, he should return them. The teams traded field goals and things went downhill from there. On the Bears first possession of the second half, running back David Montgomery fumbled leading to a Saints touchdown. With the lead 19-10, that pretty much sealed the Bears fate. Thanks partially to a terrible offense, the defense caved in.

The Bears had multiple 3 and out possessions. By the end of the third quarter the Saints had the ball 30 minutes, the Bears 15. The pass rush was slowed down, recording only one sack. The secondary was exhausted, giving up huge pass receptions. Would they be better under former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio? New defensive coach Chuck Pagano is said to be more aggressive than Fangio. So, if the down lineman aren’t getting to the quarterback, why not send in another pass rusher? Things couldn’t have been worse. The Bears offense may waste a good defense even with Akiem Hicks injured.

There are ten games left and no answers for the offensive problems. In a season that began with Super Bowl expectations, the Bears probably miss out on the playoffs.  Nagy is signed for three more years and I see no evidence that he will ever be a good coach. The Bears traded away next year’s first round pick in the trade for Mack. Therefore, they can’t replace Trubisky until the 2021 draft. I think in my next post, we’ll get away from Chicago sports and look at the World Series, which should be very good viewing.

Here Come the Hawks

October 17, 2019

The Chicago Blackhawks opened their season with the same advertising slogan they have used in the past few years. “One Goal” was a reference to winning the Stanley Cup. This season the Hawks one goal should be to make the post season. This won’t be easy considering they play in the same division as the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues.

The Hawks offense returns mostly intact from last year. Hall-of-Famers Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews are still in their prime. Youngsters Alex Debrincat and Dylan Strome ae budding stars who can score goals. Andrew Shaw returns to round out the second line and there are a myriad of options to be the third winger with Kane and Debrincat. In a perfect world, it would be nice to see first round draft pick, 18-year old Kirby Dach, be that person.

The most pleasant surprise of the young season is the play of the third line. Brandon Saad, David Kampf and newcomer Dominik Kabalik have had many scoring chances and have scored some goals. More important is that they are excellent forecheckers and they also take pressure off the defense with puck possession. Led by Saad, they move the puck into the offensive zone which is a better scheme than the dump and run.

Last year’s defense was one of the worst in the NHL. Hawks General Manager Stan Bowman made some trades to correct this problem. The first defensive pairing is the Hawks best defenseman, Connor Murphy with their worst defenseman, Eric Gustafson. However, Gustafson can move the puck up ice and is an integral part of the power play. He has to improve his defense.  Former Carolina Panthers 28-year old veteran Calvin de Haan is paired with Duncan Keith. While Keith may not be the player he was two years ago, he’s still pretty good. He is still able to move the puck out of the Hawks zone.The third unit has former Pittsburgh Penguin, 22-year old Olli Maatta, with Walter Brennan a.k.a. Brent Seabrook. Seabrook is no better than a seventh defenseman or a healthy scratch. He has been an albatross for the last three years. I don’t understand why he hasn’t been replaced by top prospect Adam Boqvist.  The Hawks also added Vezina Cup finalist, goalie Robin Lehner. With Corey Crawford, this could be the best goalie tandem in hockey.

 The Hawks lost their first game in Prague, 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers.  They came home and traded goals with the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately, the Sharks got the last goal to beat the Hawks, 5-4. Therefore, the improved defense let in 9 goals in two games. Problems resurfaced from early last season: horrendous penalty killing, losing puck possession time and not being able to clear the puck out of their zone. The next game, with Lehner in goal, the Hawks blew a 2-0 lead and lost in overtime 3-2. In what was reminiscent of the playoff run last year, the Hawks beat the high scoring Edmonton Oilers 3-1. The Oilers got their lone goal on a 6-on 4 power play with less than two minutes to play. This was one of the best games I’ve seen in years. The Hawks have now given up only 3 goals in the last 6 periods. This is a formula for success.