Playoffs for the Cubs and welcome to Chicago Eloy

March 22, 2019

Opening day is right around the corner, so it’s time to make some observations about the upcoming season for Chicago’s boys of summer.

PECOTA, sometimes referred to as the Baseball Prospectus, predicts the win totals of each team. They pegged the Chicago Cubs to win only 81 games. If I were a betting man, I would take the over. After all, this was a team that won 95 games las year despite injuries. All-star third baseman Kris Bryant’s injury caused him to miss 60 games. Closer Brandon Morrow had 22 first -half saves but missed the whole second half of the season. His replacement Pedro Strop, was also injured, missing the last 2 weeks of the season. Without the injuries, the Cubs would have added a few more wins and wouldn’t have been caught by the Milwaukee Brewers in the last weekend of the season.

If the Cubs avoid injuries, chances are they will make the post season. Other teams in the division supposedly got better with trades and free agents. The Cubs didn’t make any major moves but are better off than last year. The starting pitching staff will have a rejuvenated Cole Hamels to start the season. Yu Darvish seems to be ready to go. No other team in the National League has a better 1-5 rotation. Morrow will be out until May. Last year, Strop filled and did excellent job in the closer role. The Cubs play great defense, which greatly helps out the pitchers. The outfield is led by Gold Glove recipient Jason Heyward, who makes difficult plays look easy. The corner infielders Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are very good and whether at shortstop or second base Javier Baez is spectacular. Wilson Contreras is probably the best defensive catcher in baseball

Last year, the Cubs Achilles heel was the offensive inconsistency. They would score nine runs and the next game score one or no runs. This seemed to occur more often after Bryant’s injury, Healthy, Bryant looks ready to return to form. Batting behind him is the steady Rizzo, followed by MVP runner-up .Baez. Center fielder, Albert Almora is great defensively and should be more consistent as a lead-off hitter.

NL Centrai                       East                       West

CUBS                         Washington            Los Angeles

Milwaukee               New York                Colorado

St. Louis                   Philadelphia             Arizona

Cincinnati                Atlanta                      San Diego

Pittsburgh               Miami                        San Francisco

The buzz surrounding the White Sox is the contract agreement with  top prospect Eloy Jimenez Most observers thought he would start the season at AAA and the Sox would call him up at the end of April to add a seventh year of contract control. Instead they signed him to a six year contract for $43 million, with team options for two more years. This is one of the best moves they have made in ages. If he is as  good as projected this will turn out to be a bargain. Not since Hall of Famer Frank Thomas have I have been this excited about a rookie. He will play left field, unseating Nicky Delmonico. Delmonico came up from AAA as a third baseman, converted to left field. The Sox should put him back at third base and move Yoan Moncada back to second base to replace the woeful Yolmer Sanchez.

I thought I was seeing improvement when last August the Sox had a won -lost record of 17-11. They were the only team that had a winning record against the Boston Red Sox (4-2). They followed that up going 8-20 in September, losing their last 5 games to reach 100 losses.,

After winning only 62 games, the rebuild has to show signs of life. I am not saying they will be competitive, they just have to better- something of a balance between the last two months of 2018. Fans should hope the three young starting pitchers Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito show improvement.  With the addition of Dylan Cease and next year Michael Kopech, this could make up a nice five- man rotation.  Here are some other reasons to watch this year:

 -To see if Jimenez is as good as advertised

 -Yoan Moncada showed flashes of skills befitting a number one prospect I am expecting big things       from him this year.

- It would be nice to see Jose Abreu stay healthy and return to the dangerous hitter he was prior to        last year

- Daniel Palka , with really good exit velocity, led all rookies with 27 home runs and should improve.

-Shortstop Tim Anderson improved his fielding toward the end of last year and hit 20 home runs and    stole 20 bases I expect him to increase each total to 25

 -The bullpen, the source of many woes last year, should be much better with the additions of Alex         Colome and Kelvin Herrera

- It should be only a matter of time before manager Ricky Renteria stops using Nate Jones

- The Sox did not get Manny Machado but got his brother-in-law Yonder Alonso a 20- home run           hitter who can rotate with Abreu between first base and designated hitter.

Trying to be as positive I can, I am hoping the Sox can win 76 games, I think by September you’ll have more clues as to the future of this team. In the category of some things never change…

Al Central                        East                      West

Cleveland                  Boston                   Houston

Minnesota                 New York               Oakland

WHITE SOX            Tampa Bay            Seattle

Kansas City               Toronto                   Anaheim/Los Angeles

Detroit                       Baltimore                Texas

Opening Day is Not Far Away

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March 2, 2019

With the dismal seasons the Chicago Blackhawks and Bulls are having I’m glad baseball is back. This is the time of year when hope springs eternal. I have positive vibes for both the Cubs and White Sox. I can’t wait for spring training exhibitions games to end. Then I’ll be able to see if my optimism is well-founded.

I have been telling people that if the White Sox signed Manny Machado I would fall off my chair. However, they once again operated like a small-market team. It was well known that Machado wanted $300 million for 10 years. The Sox cockamamie offer was $250 million for eight years with bonuses, which if achieved would net the difference.

Machado wanted the guaranteed money. If the Sox really wanted Machado, they should have offered the contract that he was looking for. Instead they thought the signing of his brother-in-law Yonder Alonso and good friend Jon Jay would entice him to sign.

However, one thing you can bet on in professional sports is that it’s all about the money. So when the San Diego Padres offered what he was looking for, Machado signed on the dotted line. It would have been nice to see Machado in hitter-friendly Sox Park (I hate the name Guaranteed Rate Field) and he’ll probably adjust to the spacious Petco Park.

Although there are a couple of decent pitchers who are free agents, the White Sox should stay
the course of the rebuild. This year the three starters should develop and make this team better. Next year you add Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease, who are probably better then free agent pitchers still not signed. In 2020 the White Sox should be contenders for the World Series.

The big news surrounding the Cubs is next year’s launch of their own network. Is anybody bothered by the fact that they are working with ultra-right Sinclair Broadcast Network to help with distribution? I’m really not sure how this works. No matter the cost, most Cub fans in my community would gladly fork over the money to watch their beloved Cubbies. Will it be sold to cable companies increasing the cost to cable subscribers? They also need to come up with winter programming. Will it be replays of Cub games or highlights of the 2016 season ad 
nauseam?

Addison Russell was booed in his first appearance in a Cub uniform. This will probably occur when he returns from a 40-game suspension. Why do the Cubs insist on keeping a wife abuser on the roster? He’s not better at shortstop than Javier Baez. If Russell does return, Baez moves to second base. The previous second baseman is probably better offensively than Russell.

Kris Bryant has stop carping about slow free agency. He should concentrate on returning to form. If he does, then in 3 years when is a free agent he will become one the highest paid players.

Extra Innings – Baseball is trying implement rules to speed up the games. One of the beauties of baseball,  it’s the only sport with no clock. Therefore, the 20 second clock for pitchers to throw is ridiculous. This will never come to pass based on initial player reaction. Managers don’t like the proposal of relievers pitching to a minimum of three batters. This causes them to think more about match-ups, not strictly based on the carbon copy righty-lefty strategy, so this will never happen.

Most games last approx. 3 hours and change. This will not change with the proliferation of strikeouts. The replay system has to be revamped so it doesn’t take forever to make a call. For me the way baseball is currently being played is fine by me. The only change I like is the designated hitter in both leagues

Two Division Loses Make Playoffs Unlikely for the Blackhawks

February 22, 2019 

Following the NHL all-star break, I thought Jonathan Toews was off his rocker when in an interview he talked about making the playoffs. There are still many games left on the schedule. The Blackhawks had sunk to the NHL abyss and showed no signs that they could make a run. Lo and behold, with a mixture of young and experienced players they have been one of the league’s hottest teams. The hot streak has positioned them to compete for the eighth and final playoff spot.

New coach Jeremy Colliton started out looking to be a bad choice. After getting to know his team, he has made some extremely good moves. For the past couple of years the Hawks have been searching for someone to energize Toews. By putting MVP candidate Patrick Kane on his wing, Toews has 28 goals, one short of his career high. With the acquisition of 24-year-old Drake Caggiula as the third winger, this could be one of the most dynamic lines in hockey. 

Winger Alex Debrincat is blossoming into a star. As a first-year player he had 28 goals.With 21 games games remaining, he already has 33 goals. Nick Schmaltz was a talented player but not a goal scorer. General Manager Stan Bowman traded him for two players. Dylan Strome is young and is playing exceptionally well and unlike Schmaltz, scores goals. Brandon Saad is playing like they thought he would and has started to get going with 21 goals.

Colliton’s replacing Duncan Keith with Erik Gustafsson has turned the worst power play to the number one unit since 2019. Plus/minus is a good barometer of player evaluation. So although Gustafsson has sparked the power play,he has to work on his defense as he is a -9. Brent Seabrook is washed up. He can no longer push people from the crease and is frequently out of position; he is -7. His longtime partner Keith has improved as of late. Playing a little less the monster minutes he used to in the past, he now has a + 5 rating. I have been really critical of General Manager Bowman for his trades, especially the trading of Niklas Hjalmarsson for Connor Murphy. I was wrong, as in his second year he leads the team with a +11 rating. The Hawks have stockpiled young defensemen (too many to mention) who get better with every game. Rookie Collin Delia and veteran Cam Ward for the most part have been solid in goal. 

I wrote this all on Thursday, being extremely optimistic going into the weekend. However, two excruciating losses on home ice have diminished my enthusiasm. Against the Colorado Avalanche, the Hawks overcame three one-goal leads, eventually succumbing 5-3. Sunday they erased a 3-goal lead. I thought the momentum had swung their way but a stupid too many men on the ice penalty, compounded by a tripping penalty 28 seconds later, gave the Dallas Stars a five-on-three  they scored the go-ahead goal. What made matters worse, with a little more than four minutes left to play, Dallas gave the Hawks a four-minute power play. Having converting earlier I thought they could at least one maybe two goals. Even when they pulled the goalie to give them six-on-four they didn’t score. 

So as is stands, the Hawks are five points back of the eighth spot fighting multiple teams to make the playoffs. The two goalies have done an admirable job but you don’t win many games giving up four or more goals which has been the case as of late. Maybe it’s time to see if Corey Crawford can put a spark into this team. Making the playoffs will be a tough go. They will have to get back to playing the way they were before last weekend. I’m not real confident they will do so. 

Bulls Rebuild Will Take Time & Patience

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Barry

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February 5, 2019

 I have finally found the energy to talk about the moribund Chicago Bulls. There are reasons why this one-time proud team is one of the worst in the NBA.

In 2015, the Bulls front office wonks, John Paxon and Gar Forman, couldn’t wait to fire Tom Thibodeau and hire golden boy Fred Hoiberg to coach the 2016 Bulls.  Hoiberg’s vision was a fast-paced offensive team. You never heard a word about defense, where Thibodeau excelled. The biggest problem for Hoiberg was he didn’t have the right players for his system. His best player was Jimmy Butler, who slowed things down going one-on-one against defenders. The wonks further impeded Hoiberg inserting his offense by acquiring aging veterans Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Instead of installing an offense that suited his players, he tried to fit square pegs into round holes. Problems arose after a game in which the Bulls blew a late 10-point lead against the Atlanta Hawks  Butler took on the role of prima donna and attached himself to Wade and publicly criticized the young players, never mentioning Wade not getting back to defend anyone. Rondo responded objecting to their throwing players under the bus. All three were fined for their comments. The rest of the year Hoiberg debated about playing Rondo. Finally realizing they were better with him in the lineup, miraculously they made the playoffs. Playing against the heavily favored Boston Celtics, Rondo led the Bulls to two straight road wins. However, he got hurt and without him the team lost four straight, three on their home court.

Changes were in order and the Bulls promised a rebuild, letting Rondo and Wade go and trading Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return the Bulls got former coveted first-round pick Kris Dunn, who had a disappointing season. An injured Zach LaVine was supposed to be the key to the trade. I hadn’t seen him play, although I knew he won the slam dunk competition. What turned out best was seventh overall pick forward Lauri Markkanen. The wonks told Hoiberg they would not be concerned with wins. They just asked them to compete with the young core. What they did, despite trying to lose, was wind up seventh in the draft, not a real game-changer.

This year, maybe winning mattered more as they dismissed Hoiberg early in the season. Due to injuries he never had the chance to coach the players they traded Butler for. By not waiting until the end of the season or having someone in mind, the Bulls quickly replaced him with Neanderthal military man Jim Boylen. He rants and raves up off the bench and has grueling practices mid-season despite injuries to many players. He’s more like a college coach who failed when he was. The crux of the problem is they named their coach for the rest of this year and next. Making him an interim would have given the Bulls a better idea if he is the right fit. His team continues to lose, most often getting blown out.

This team is in desperate need of help. First-round draft pick Wendell Carter Jr. is only 19 years old and looked good until his injury. No matter how good he is, big post men are not as important as they once were. Kris Dunn was playing well until last year’s injury. He is good at penetrating and passing but can’t shoot 3-pointers. In the current NBA, you need a point guard who can shoot 3-pointers, the best being Golden State’s Steph Curry. There are other point guards who have this ability. Some people think LaVine shoots too much, but the only other person on the floor who can score is Markkanen.

The players may turn out to be very good, but not the stars needed to win. One star makes you competitive, two win championships. The Bulls had this in Pippen and Jordan. Recently, it has been the Golden State Warriors’ Curry and Kevin Durant, Miami’s LeBron James and Dywane Wade, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and David Robinson, the list goes on and on. Even In my earlier years following basketball it was the L.A. Lakers Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain winning championships. The franchise player in in this year’s draft will be Zion Williamson of Duke. Believe it or not, there are teams with worse records than the Bulls who have a better chance of getting the first pick. Maybe there is a point guard out there who can shoot 3-pointers. Derrick Rose?

NFL Playoffs: The Thrill is Gone

January 15, 2019

There is nothing better in professional sports than the post-season playoffs. You don’t need a rooting interest to enjoy these games. In hockey, there is nothing more exhilarating than an overtime game. The tension mounts when every rush up the ice could result in the winning goal. This is real hockey. No three-on-three or shootouts.

Basketball has had its share of dynasties. The Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls. The current dynasty is the Golden State Warriors, by far the team of the decade. Although they did lose a championship series to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, they have won two in a row and three of the last four titles. Last year the Houston Rockets got close, extending their series to seven games. The Warriors are a lot of fun to watch.

  

In baseball, a great Boston Red Sox team was the major story of the past season, coasting to a World Series victory. However, the Milwaukee Brewers played a seven-game series before succumbing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in seven games. In 2017, the Astros defeated the Dodgers in seven games. These games are my personal favorites.

Amidst all the excitement, the real reason for this post is I’m watching the NFL playoffs with a heavy heart.  There are no Chicago Bears to watch. Cody Parkey has ruined my season. I was watching what turned out to be a weekend of football mismatches. The Kansas City Chiefs scored early and often in crushing the Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs have probably the best offense in football and in this game the defense was particularly good, or maybe it was the Colt offense play calling. The L. A. Chargers hadn’t lost a road game all year. However, they got annihilated by the New England Patriots, who don’t lose on their home field.  I can’t predict a winner of what should be a close game.Another non-competitive and boring game was the L. A. Rams beating the Dallas Cowboys.  The game was not as close as the final score. The best game of the weekend saw the New Orleans Saints overcome a 14-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Dream is Over

January 7, 2019

The Chicago Bears had an excellent season, finishing 12-4. This was the third-best record in the conference, netting them home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But a heart-breaking, gut- wrenching and mind-numbing 16-15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles put a pall on the entire season. General Manager Ryan Pace has done a great job putting this team together with one exception. After unceremoniously dumping Robbie Gould, last year’s kicker Connor Barth was let go before the season ended. Spending big money, Pace signed Cody Parkey, who ranked among the worst kickers this season. His missed a 43-yard attempt for a field goal to win the game hitting the left upright, then the crossbar before bouncing back onto the playing field, knocking the Bears out of the playoffs. I thought they would make a run to the Super Bowl, but my worst nightmare came true when I saw Parkey coming out to try and kick the winning field goal.

Although Parkey was the main culprit, he is not the only reason why the Bears lost. The defense was great all year. On their first possession, the Eagles marched down the field deep into Bears’ territory.  Doing what they had done all year, the defense forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal. With two interceptions, one in the end zone, those were the only three points the Eagles could muster in the first half. However, things changed after the intermission. Trailing 9-3, the Eagles were trying to mount a comeback. On a third down incomplete pass, safety Adrian Amos was penalized for a helmet-to- helmet hit, so the Eagles retained possession. On the next play the Bears committed another penalty for too many men on the field. Two plays later, cornerback Prince Amukamara was penalized for pass interference at the Bears’ 10-yard line. Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide-open backup tight end Dallas Goedert. Maybe he was wide open because the Bears only had 10 men on the field. With about six minutes remaining, the Bears had the ball at their 22-yard line. On a three-and-out, which consisted of a two-yard loss and quarterback sack, punter Pat O’Donnell got off a terrible kick, giving the Eagles a short field to attempt a game-winning touchdown drive. People have been talking about how great the Bears were in stopping the Eagles three consecutive times on a first- and-goal at the Bears’ two-yard line. That means absolutely nothing when your opponent scores on fourth down. The crux of the matter is the Bears couldn’t get enough pressure on Foles to keep the Eagles from getting to the two-yard line. They did stop the two-point conversion, giving them a chance to win

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Before you give Matt Nagy the coach of the year award, consider this: The Bears scored 15 points. Two weeks earlier in San Francisco the Bears scored 14 points. If you take away defensive scores, you’ll notice in many games the offense didn’t score 20 points. This is your offensive genius?  Against the Eagles, the Bears had good field possession for 2½ quarters and came away with three field goals. If you are close enough to be in Cody Parkey’s range you need to score some touchdowns. To Nagy’s credit, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is getting better. On a go-ahead scoring drive, he completed a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Josh Bellamy and a 22-yard touchdown to wide receiver Allen Robinson (10 receptions, 143 yards). In the closing minutes to put the Bears in field goal range he made two big throws to Robinson. The reason he only needed two throws was a terrific kickoff return by Tarik Cohen. Question to Matt Nagy: In the biggest game of the year, why wasn’t Cohen in on all the other kickoffs?

The Bears are a young team that should get better. Hopefully the offense improves and everyone stays healthy. Who knows if it might have been different with safety Eddie Jackson and nickel back Bryce Callahan helping in the coverage of Eagle receivers? With a tougher first place schedule can the Bears get back to the playoffs? Here’s hoping the Bears get another chance to compete for the Super Bowl. The outstanding 1985 Super Bowl champs never appeared in another.

About The Chicago Bears...

January 1, 2019

The Chicago Bears capped a spectacular season with an impressive 24-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. A Vikings, win would have earned them a spot in the playoffs with the first game against the Bears. The Bears’ win ensured them that they wouldn’t have to play a third game against the Vikings this season right after losing to them.

I don’t think anyone predicted the Bears would win 12 games this year. After hiring Coach Matt Nagy, he and General Manager Ryan Pace said to temper expectations. Nagy was brought in to develop quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Pace signed free agents on offense to assist Nagy’s efforts to revitalize the offense. Toward the end of the exhibition season, they traded for All-Pro defenseman Khalil Mack. . All of a sudden, expectations were raised, although still most thought they wouldn’t go 12-4. Adding Mack to a good defense made this an elite defense, which is the biggest reason for the Bear’s turnaround from worst to first.

The defense had another great game against the Vikings. While the Bears’ offense was clicking, the Vikings went three-and- out on their first five possessions. The defense would give up only 10 points. The defensive line caused Viking’s quarterback Kirk Cousins to have a terrible afternoon. The defensive pressure on the quarterback is part of the reason the Bears lead the league in interceptions.

In a hostile environment against one of the league’s premiere defenses, Mitch Trubisky had one of his best performances. His numbers may look pedestrian (18-26 163 yards); however, he was error- free and good when he needed to be. The Vikings are the best team in preventing opponents’ third-down conversions at 28 percent. Yet, the Bears were 8 for 14. Trubisky completed seven passes for first downs and ran for another. On the ground, the Bears had their best rushing game of the year. Running back Jordan Howard looks like he has regained his old form with 21 carries for 109 yards, including two first-half barreling touchdowns. This accounted for 13 points as woeful kicker Cody Parkey, who barely made his first extra point, kicked his second attempt off the goal post. After the Vikings cut the lead to 13-10, the Bears took nine minutes off the clock and Tarik Cohen ran it in for a 3- yard touchdown. Instead of sending Parkey in for the extra point, Nagy decided to go for two. He is excellent in these situations as the Bears converted on a pass to reserve linebacker Nick Kwiatktski.

 The Vikings’ offense floundered the rest of the game, causing heated conversations between Cousins and his receivers on the sidelines. The Bears tacked on a field goal for good measure. The focus of the offense has been the progress of Trubisky, but kudos go to the offensive line for giving him the protection he needs. The offensive performance bodes well for the playoffs.

When the Bears beat Minnesota on a Sunday night in a game for first place, I started to think playoffs. After beating the L.A. Rams on a Sunday night, I was thinking maybe they could make a run in the playoffs. The Bears open up at home, where they are 7-1, against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. Under backup quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, the Eagles have a three- game winning streak that propelled them into the playoffs. Not to worry: the Bears are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Eagles have not faced a defense like the Bears. The Bears who, won’t need Trubisky to be great, but just efficient. I think the Eagles don’t score more than 13 points