The Stupidity of Baseball

July 24, 2020

After much bickering the owners and players agreed to a 60 game schedule. Although I was not overjoyed, I figured 60 is better than no games. In a short season this would have made each game more important than one in 162 game regular season.

Leave it to the stupidity of the MLB to render the 60 game season meaningless. The playoffs have been expanded from 10 to 16 teams. What differentiated baseball from other pro leagues is not over half of the teams make the playoffs. In this new scenario, you can play less than .500 and make the post season.

 I am pretty sure that TV playoff money had something to do with this decision. Let us hope this format is gone in a non-pandemic year.

 I heard there was concern regarding three men in close quarters during an at bat. With all the rule changes and safety being a priority, why didn’t baseball try out a robotic umpire to call balls and strikes?

Play Ball

July 19, 2020

It will be like playing in a post season atmosphere from the start. The young White Sox only have three players with this experience. Nevertheless, the talent is good enough for them to compete. What they need is a good start, to instill some confidence. For the first time in years, the Sox should play meaningful games in September.

The best news in recent days was Yoan Moncada returning after testing positive for the coronavirus.He was asymptomatic so he shouldn’t miss a lot of time. Although overshadowed by the major league batting leader, shortstop Tim Anderson, and A.L. RBI leader, first baseman Jose Abreu, he is probably their best offensive player. Moncada finished third in the batting title race and led the Sox in on-base and slugging percentage.

Eloy Jimenez was on fire when the season ended and is poised for an MVP type season. Another player to watch is five-tool rookie centerfielder Luis Robert. The Sox also added Edwin Encarnacion to DH and  catcher Yasmani Grandal. He is not only good offensively, but will help young pitchers with his framing of pitches and defense.  The Sox should have plenty of offensive firepower, even more when Moncada returns.

The Sox also look good on the pitching front. All-Star Lucas Giolito leads the staff. The number two starter is consistent and former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel. With a year under his belt, Dylan Cease could have a break-out season. In his last four starts, he gave up only 7 runs. Reynaldo Lopez has tremendous stuff and at times was unhittable. Other times he was awful. Gio Gonzalez is an above average number five starter. Former ace Carlos Rodon may replace Lopez if he can’t get it together. Rodon and top prospects Dane Dunning and Jimmy Lambert can be significant contributors if the starters don’t go six innings at the start of the season. When the starters go six innings, they can hand off the lead to Steve Cishek for the seventh, Aaron Bummer in the eighth and close it out with Alex Colome in the ninth. A good bullpen will be needed for success in a short season.

The Sox may win 35 games however, with tough competition not make it to the post season. But this will be a great springboard for 2021.

In contrast to the White Sox, the Cubs have an experienced core group when it comes to playing important games August and September. This might be the last hurrah for this group. With many question marks, the one thing the Cubs need is to avoid injuries. In past years injuries to Kris Bryant and Javier Baez have debilitated this team.

One of the first moves Manager David Ross did was inserting Kris Bryant to lead off. Bryant has a great on base percentage and should provide many RBI opportunities for Anthony Rizzo and Baez. With the designated hitter and not the pitcher hitting ahead of him, Bryant should have better success driving in runs. The problem I have with Ross is he wants to go righty followed by lefty and has Jason Heyward hitting fourth. Heyward has never hit like the Cubs expected when they signed him to a long term contract. With .264 batting average he could be a rally killer. However, he doesn’t have many other options if he wants to construct his batting order this way.

In Bryant and Baez, the Cubs have one of the best left sides of the infield in the game. Anthony Rizzo is in the upper echelon of first basemen.  They seem to be leaning toward Jason Kipnis at second base. In his past three years his averages have been .232, .230 and.245. The Cubs would be better served with Nico Hoerner or David Bote.

Even with Heyward batting fourth, the top of the line-up is loaded and will produce a lot of runs. Kyle Schwarber keeps getting better and better. In 2017 his average was .211.  Last year it was up to .250. He had his best home run output with 38. If he continues to improve, he could be very dangerous. Right now he would probably be a better option at number four in the line-up. His defense has also improved. However, it seems he will mostly be the designated hitter. If so the outfield leaves a lot to be desired.  According to my Cub consultant, Ian Happ will be in left field. He has to hit better than .264. He hit 24 homers in 2017. Last year he hit only 11. In centerfield you have Albert Almora Jr. His average in 2017 was .298. In 2018 it dipped to .286. Last year was a disaster at .236 with no power. With Heyward in right, the outfield defense is fine but you need more offensive production. I know hindsight is 20/20, but if you knew the National League was going to adopt the designated hitter, resigning Nick Castellanos would have been  a good idea.

In past years the strength of this team was the pitching.  They do have one of the best pitchers in Yu Darvish. He is a joy to watch as batters flail at his assortment of pitches. If he opts out, the Cubs are in deep doo-doo. Opening day starter, Kyle Hendricks, has been pretty good since being acquired in 2015. I don’t think he is an elite pitcher. Jon Lester over the course of a full season is just mediocre, as attested to his 13 wins and 4.48 ERA. The hope for the Cubs is that in a short season he can amp it up and give them quality starts. With Jose Quintana sidelined the rest of the rotation is a crapshoot. Tyler Chatwood, who has never lived up to expectations is your number 4 starter. Because he is out of options, Alec Mills is your number five. From what I know he doesn’t get me excited. Eventually you may see Cub Colin Rea or Adbert Alzolay crack the rotation.

 What may hinder the Cubs most is a suspect bullpen. The primary set-up men are Kyle Ryan and Rowan Wick. Neither has pitched a full major league season. To assist these two, the Cubs acquired former Milwaukee reliever Jeremy Jeffress who will try to bounce back from a 5.02 ERA. Even if the set-up men do their jobs, the closer remains Craig Kimbrel who once was an elite closer. Kimbrel has fallen on hard times in the past couple of years. There must have been a reason he was available until June when the Cubs were desperate for a closer. He saved thirteen games but will be remembered for blown saves. In a pivotal series in the second to last weekend, he took two loses to the Cardinals practically ending any Cubs hopes for post season play. I don’t think I can live with a closer who comes in for one inning and has 6.58 ERA. He also gave up 9 homers in 20 innings.

Since the Dodgers are going to run away with their division, the wild card will come from the other two. If the Cubs can grind their way to 32 wins they should be a wild card.    

Are You Ready for Pandemic Baseball

July 14, 2020

With the coronavirus wreaking havoc on the country, Major League Baseball will attempt to play a 60 game schedule with playoffs starting in October. When baseball shut down in early March, the plan was to start the season at the end of May. They may have thought the virus would be somewhat under control and they could have a season before the second wave. The problem is, the first wave is still here with no end in sight. After much bickering, the owners imposed the 60 game season, starting July 23.

In order to have a season they prepared a safety protocol plan that includes constant player testing. The major hiccup is that it takes too much time to get the results. Therefore, the possibility exists that while waiting for results you may have an asymptomatic player on the field. But the games have to be played. If there is an uptick of COVID-19 infections, it could derail the season.

When the season starts, you will notice some changes. The National League will adopt the designated hitter. Although some fans don’t like it, this was bound to happen. I don’t believe the league will ever revert back to pitchers batting. To speed up the game, relief pitchers have to face a minimum of three batters. Managers don’t like this because it makes their jobs harder. No longer can they manage the late innings making multiple changes from batter to batter. I’ve seen managers use four pitchers for one inning. Television stations will hate it because of the loss of commercial time each time a pitching change is made. Fans should embrace this new rule. If you like bunts, you’ll love extra innings. With a runner starting on second, managers will call for a bunt more often than not to move the runner to third. Hence, he can score on a sacrifice fly, infield hit, etc. Hopefully, when the game goes back to a full season they will discontinue this awful new change.

The NBA and NHL are ready to start. Why leagues are practicing in Florida with the most coronavirus cases in the country, is beyond me. Both sports have many players have already caught the virus. Being a contact sport, there is no point in returning as more cases are sure to pop up. The NBA plans to resume with 16 teams with best records. The excluded are talking about playing each other. If you love bad basketball this is for you. The NHL is insane, having 24 teams in the playoff. The top four will play for seeding while all the other teams will play best of five series to advance. For Chicago fans, this will give a chance to see all the inadequacies of the Blackhawks playing a vastly superior Edmonton Oilers team on their home ice. I’d be surprised if the Hawks won one game. Football, whose camps open in late July will also battle outbreaks of COVID-19..

On Deck: White Sox and Cub Outlooks        

Sorry About That

Some corrections need to be made. The Dh will be in both leagues which will infuriate the baseball purists. All fans should be furious about starting extra innings with a runner on second base. I hope this is only a temporary rule hange. Once you have a regular season of 140 pluss games, it sould be removed.

June 23, 2020

Still waiting for baseball to get its act together. Commissioner Rob Manfred met with player rep Tony Clark and said they had a framework to start the season. Owners had agreed to pay 100% of pro-rated salaries for a 60 game season. The player proposal was for a 70 game season. Negotiations once again stalled. I was wondering why no one came up with a compromise of 65 games. It seems now, the owners will impose a 60 game season, which will infuriate many players. A fear of a second wave of the coronavirus may lead to no playoff games. As of now, the first wave is still going strong. Chances are, some players will get the virus and the season will be ruined. The Philadelphia Phillies recently announced that 5 players had contracted the virus and closed their spring training facility. Even if they get started, I see no point of playing, especially if there are no playoffs. They should just start over next spring with a plan in place.

While this was going on, the owners made a proposal to the players regarding rule changes. Much to the chagrin of baseball purists, the National League would adopt the designated hitter. This will eventually occur during the hostile negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement at the end of the 2021 season. The second rule change was to start extra innings with a runner on second base. This would infuriate baseball fans. This is not for major league or even minor leagues where they have this rule. The final point was to increase the playoffs from 10 to 16 teams. What distinguishes baseball from other professional sports is that the regular season schedule has meaning. The NFL has recently added another tier of playoffs. In the NBA and NHL, it is hard to miss the playoffs when half of the team are included. Thankfully, the players emphatically voted against these changes. There were also rumors of two other dreadful rule changes. Players taken out of games could return. For example, if you are pinch run for, you can wait for your at bat to come up or pinch hit at any time. If they want to be like little leagues, why not make sure every player plays two innings in the field and gets one at-bat. The other rumor is games that go deep into extra innings would end up as a tie game.

The NFL is going full bore, thinking they will get their season going amidst the virus. I foresee problems with safety protocols and players becoming infected. I don’t expect them to wear masks and there is no social distancing. The NBA and NHL should stop teasing fans with mock playoffs. Training is going on in Florida, which has one the nation’s biggest problems with COVID-19. Take a step back, scrap the playoffs and figure out what to do next.  

No Fans Allowed

May 29, 2020

Baseball seemed to be on the cusp of returning. The owners proposed an 82 game regional schedule, starting July 4. The playoffs would increase to seven teams from each league, which was likely to be the plan in the future. There is also a plan in place for safety protocols, among them are bench players wearing masks and massive testing. No fans will be allowed for quite some time, probably not until next season. However, the problem that has plagued the league in the past leaves the season in doubt. It’s all about the money.

It sickens me that billionaire owners and millionaire players can’t get their acts together when millions of Americans are unemployed and families struggling trying to put food on the table. The blame should go to both parties. The owners can afford the losses that are sure to accrue. They did originally offer the players prorated contracts for games played. When it became evident fans, a major point in revenue, would not be allowed, they changed to a form of revenue sharing. The players are adamant in getting what they signed for. At this point negotiations have stalled. They must reach an agreement to start the season, knowing that when the pandemic is more under control things will return to normal. The return of baseball can be a morale booster and will bring a sense of normalcy this country desperately needs. Owners and players, WAKE UP!

It looks as if the NHL is ready to resume sometime in August. The good news for Hawk fans is they will be part of 24 teams vying for the Stanley Cup. It’s hard to believe there are teams worse than the Hawks that won’t be involved. However, don’t get too excited as the Hawks will probably be gone after their best of five match-up with the Edmonton Oilers. You can watch on TV.

Basketball is moving slower than other leagues. Facilities in Florida are open for players to work out. All games may shift to Florida or other areas that are bouncing back from the coronavirus. I haven’t heard of many plans to start up. I imagine the NBA will start with some playoff schedule. I have no idea when this will occur. There will be no fans allowed.

Football looks like it may be safe to open the season on time or be delayed by just a couple of weeks. The determination will be based on when they can start training camps. Then Bear fans can watch the competition between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles for the starting quarterback position. Regardless of who wins the job, with Matt Nagy making the calls you’re looking at an 8-8 season.

Bears Draft Grade B This would be an A if they could draft a new coach

April 27, 2020

Prior to the 2018 season the Bears traded for Khalil Mack, one of the top defensemen in the NFL, ceding two first round draft picks. This may seem to be a high price to pay. However, this did prevent general manager Ryan Pace from picking another number one draft bust. You have to give Pace credit for his picks in subsequent rounds.  Defensive lineman Eddie Goldman and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair were second round picks. Eddie Jackson and Jordan Howard were fourth round picks. All four have been selected to play in a Pro-Bowl. The problem is that somehow his moves left the Bears without a third and fourth round pick.

In the 2020 draft the Bears chose Cole Kmet to be the tenth tight end on the roster. There is a feel good angle to this pick. Growing up in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, he has always been a Bears fan. This was a dream come true. He was a standout baseball and football player in high school and decided to play football at Notre Dame. He is very athletic and the best tight end in the draft. I guarantee he will be better than Pace’s last tight end pick, Adam Shaheen. He was a second round pick in the same year they drafted quarterback Mitch Trubisky in the first round. That could be one of the worst drafts in Bear history. Among the sea of tight ends is free agent Jimmy Graham, once a premiere player. However, he is 33 years old and there may not be much more left in his tank. Kmet should get plenty of playing time this year and is probably the tight end of the future.

Pace was smart enough to know that before his next pick the cornerback they needed would be available. Unlike many rookies, Jaylon Johnson should be able to start immediately. He was a first team All-Pac 12 selection and an All-American in his junior season. The reason he was available in the second round was due to injuries. He played most of last year with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and had surgery. The Bears feel he’ll recover in time especially if the season’s start is delayed. He also had two labrum injuries in his left shoulder that were successfully repaired.

Now that free-agency and the draft are over, what is there left to do? The defense can return to 2018 form with Robert Quinn replacing Leonard Floyd at outside linebacker and players staying healthy e.g. Akiem Hicks. It would be nice to acquire another safety.

I have a different slant on the Bear quarterback situation. Many are assuming Nick Foles will be the starter. Presently, I think this is Trubisky’s job to lose. The Bear brass see no reason to extend Trubisky’s contract and guarantee a fifth year. Unless he has a remarkable turn-around, this is his last year as a Bear. If Foles is the quarterback this year and next, it will be important for Pace to draft a franchise QB in the first round whom Foles can mentor. The Bears are in need of a speedy receiver. They did choose a speedster, Darnell Moody out of Tulane. However, he is 5’10”, 175 lbs. and was the 26^th receiver selected. If the Bears hadn’t frittered their way out of round three and four they could have gotten a much better prospect.

SPORTS Yes They Still Exist

April 9, 2020

The world of sports may have stopped but there has been news looking forward. Golf’s Masters Tournament has been rescheduled for November. Wimbledon tennis has been canceled, so I’ll just have to settle for the movie

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The NFL is looking to start up in September or October. The Bears starting quarterback should be Nick Foles. He is already familiar with Coach Matt Nagy’s offense and so is the rest of the league because he calls pass plays 70-80% of the time. In the second game, Charles Leno Jr. misses his block and Foles gets sacked and injured. Mitch Trubisky replaces him and has MVP season leading the Bears to the watered down NFL Playoffs. Fairy tales can come true…

Baseball is looking at a 100 game season, which is good news for the Cubs. A decreased schedule could be a benefit for the aging Jon Lester. Jose Quintana may also rebound after faltering last September. He went winless and had an ERA over 11.00. That figure may not indicate how bad he was, however 38 hits in 18 innings does. Games being only seven innings is another option being discussed. This could lessen the appearances of Craig Kimbrel. You can’t have a one inning closer with a 6.58 ERA. He gave up nine home runs in just a little bit over 20 innings.

The biggest problem could be that MLB is looking at playing games at neutral sites. Therefore, the Cubs don’t get the advantage they have at Wrigley Field. You can take solace that they probably won’t have a September collapse.

Though the shortened season may stunt the growth of top prospects Luis Robert and Mick Madrigal, the White Sox   have enough talent to contend. In a short season you can’t have too much pitching.  Michael Kopech should be ready to go and Carlos Rodon will return batting sometime in August. The line-up is filled with speed and power. They have the major league leader in average in Tim Anderson. Yoan Moncada will be in the conversation when talking about the best third basemen. These two also possess blazing speed. Jose Abreu, who hit 33 home runs and  led the league with 123 RBI is joined with power hitting free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal and DH Edwin Encarnacion.  I believe Eloy Jimenez will put up MVP type stats.

The NHL and NBA are looking to resume the season. They may not finish the season and start with the playoffs.  With no fans, the major reason for continuing is TV money.  The play will probably look sub-par.  As usual the Blackhawks and Bulls won’t be involved. They should cancel the season. That would make it extra special when the games return.

When the Blackhawks return, they will have the dilemma that Corey Crawford is a free-agent. The Hawks should coax Tony Esposito and Murray Bannerman out of retirement to share the goaltending duties. Training camp will start by getting players in shape, skating from the defensive zone to center ice to practice dumping the puck. Scrimmage fools the Hawks that this a good strategy because their defense can’t clear the zone. In the regular season, more often than not, they turn the puck over. Skating and passing to get into the offensive end and winning scrums and making good passes to get out of their own end should be their top priorities.

The Bulls have hired Arturas Karnisovas, well respected General Manager of the Denver Nuggets to replace John Paxson as Vice-President of Basketball Operations. It’s about time. The most pleasant surprise is that a Reinsdorf owned team went outside the organization for a replacement. His first order of business will be hiring a GM to be his right-hand man. The next move is firing Coach Jim Boylen.  Anyone not in a coma would be a better option. Next move is to open talks with the teams who have the top three picks in the draft. Hold on to Coby White and Lauri Markkanen and offer them your first round pick plus any four players on the roster. I’m not sure if teams would make this trade but it’s worth try. Does Phil Jackson want to coach again?