Bears Angst

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April 22, 2022

The NFL season opened March 16 and the Bears' new regime went to work. Allen Robinson signed with the Rams. I know he was hurt most of last year but my guess is he will flourish with the Rams with Matt Stafford as his quarterback. The same day they released nose tackle Eddie Goldman. The next move was the trade of the oft injured Khalil Mack. It’s no coincidence that these three were the highest paid players on the roster.

 By trading Mack, new GM Ryan Poles pretty much signaled the Bears wouldn't be competitive in the two years left on Mack's contract. In this era, there have been many instances of teams going from worst to first (Cincinnati Bengals) but the Bears think they have to rebuild first. I hate the fact that the Bears hired another GM who is in training.  The Bears freed up money, though they weren’t going to spend in the first wave of free agency. This is where they may have acquired a playmaker to help out quarterback Justin Fields. Poles messed up his first foray by signing defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi who failed his physical.

Coach Matt Eberflus and Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams have their work cut out for them. The Bear defense returns only four starters from last year. Trevis Gipson, a 2020 draft pick, looked good last year and should one of the starting Defensive Ends..

Here is who the Bears have added on defense:

Linebacker Nicholas Morrow – Coming off his best year with the Raiders. Signed a one year prove-it deal for $3 million.

Defensive Tackle Justin Jones - Signed for $12 million over two years. More affordable than Ogunjobii but a marginal player at best. 

Defensive End Al-Quadin Muhammad - Though no Khalil Mack, he is a solid option to help out on the pass rush.

It would be amazing if Eberflus and Williams can get the defense to rank in the top 15 in the league. This is easier said than done. Poles primary focus should be locking up the Bears best defensive player, Roquan Smith.

Where Poles has failed more is on the offensive side of the ball. Fields will be wasted until he gets some playmakers. What Poles doesn’t realize is having a proficient offense with a 15^th ranked defense probably gets you in the playoffs.

The Bears ranked last in the league in sacks allowed. Last year’s first pick, Teven Jenkins, was injured for most of the year. Drafted as a Left Tackle and basically in his first year, the Bears have him playing Right Tackle. Larry Borom will be on the left .The Bears signed former Green Bay Packer Lucas Patrick to replace Sam Mustipher at Center. He may join veteran Cody Whitehair at guard.

The Bears did sign a couple of receivers but are still looking for wide receivers in the draft:

Byron Pringle – Despite being the fourth option on the Chiefs, he is coming off a breakout season. He is signed for only one year. He is perfect for the Bears as his base salary is only $4million to 6 with incentives.

Equanimeous St. Brown – Signed for less than $1million, he is basically a depth option.

It’s never a good sign when you sign players to one or two year contracts. These are stop gap players. Even if they have great years, other teams will offer more than the Bears. To that end, Poles said he likes to build through the draft. This will be hard to do with only six picks, none in the first. I guess Virginia McCaskey will continue to be pissed off while George Halas is spinning in his grave.

After Five Years Bulls End Playoff Drought

 April 15, 2022

In the two years since the Bulls hired Arturas Karnisovas (AK) as President of Basketball Operations, Zach LaVine and Coby White are the only two players left on the roster he inherited. Karnisovas has done a great job putting together a competitive Bulls team without a rebuild. In his first year, trying to make the playoffs, he traded for all-star center Nicolas Vucevic. That may have worked if Zach LaVine wasn’t out of the line-up for the last 14 games.

After a year of watching, AK went to work. He signed 24 year old point guard Lonzo Ball to run the offense. Forward DeMar DeRozan was signed to ease the burden on LaVine to score points. A move that was under the radar was adding Alex Caruso, whose defensive tenacity made him a favorite of Bulls fans. The Bulls did not have a first round pick however, they found first round talent when they drafted Ayo Dosunmu in the second round.

I felt the team would be better, hoping they could play .500, be a 7-10 seed and in the play in round of the playoffs. The team ended up ten games over .500 and secured the number 6 seed in the playoffs. They exceeded my expectations and normally I would have been extremely satisfied.

The Bulls started the season on fire and had the best record in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan is having the best season of his career. He hit a couple of game winning baskets with the clock expiring. He was also Mr. Clutch and was among the leaders in points scored in the fourth quarter. Many of the wins were predicated by the defense. I was dreaming of what could have been a 50 victory season with a high playoff seed. Disaster struck as Ball and Caruso, their best defensive players, got injured in the same week. Both were expected to be out for six weeks. Caruso is back but has been playing hurt and Ball will not return until next year. It didn’t help that LaVine has been playing with an injury as well.

The Bulls have been struggling ever since, especially against the top seeds. The only thing the Bulls have going for them is Caruso and LaVine have had time to heal. Budding star Patrick Williams is also ready to go full bore. Vucevic needs to be more consistent. In the first two close games against the Milwaukee Bucks he put up 20 points. With all this going for them, the Bulls still probably don’t win one game, let alone the series.

With AK in charge, I am excited regarding the future. I’m sure he will be active to improve this team to compete with the upper echelon. For continued success, you have to avoid injuries and with the continued improvement on the part of their young core.

Baseball is Back

 

April 7, 2022

After weeks of acrimonious negotiations, baseball finally has a collective bargaining agreement. The major disagreements between billionaire owners and millionaire players were about money. Baseball is a multi-billion dollar industry so there should plenty of money for both sides. After the previous agreement ran out the owners locked out the players and didn’t come to the negotiating table until a month later. I think all along owners wanted a late start where they could deduct money on a per game basis. They wanted the players to agree to 16 teams making the playoffs, getting TV money to broadcast mediocre teams. A 16 team playoff format dilutes the importance of the 162 game season. Thankfully the players countered and the owners accepted a 12 team format.

Last season the only chance the Sox would have had against the Astros, was home-field advantage. Outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert each played less than half a season. Catcher Yasmani Grandal, was the hottest hitter on the team when he got injured and missed a month. However, the most crucial injury was to catalyst shortstop Tim Anderson. He only played 123 games and was in and out all of September. Without these injuries, they probably would have had home field advantage.

So the key for the upcoming season is to stay healthy. Things were going smoothly this preseason and then the injury bug popped up. Reliever Garrett Crochet is going to have Tommy John surgery leaving Aaron Bummer as the only lefty in the bullpen. Lance Lynn has a knee injury that requires surgery and will out approximately 8 weeks. I expect Dylan Cease to have a break out year and Lucas Giolito can be very good. After that it’s a crapshoot. Dallas Keuchel needs to turn things around from his worst year and they need about 150 innings from Michael Kopech The Sox did sign free-agent reliever Kendall Graveman another link to all-star closer Liam Hendriks.

The White Sox have one of the best line-ups in baseball and score plenty of runs. They added one time all-star and contact hitter Josh Harrison to fill the hole at second base. The Sox traded reliever Craig Kimbrel for right fielder A.J. Pollock. I prefer seeing Andrew Vaughn playing right field. He is capable of having a monster season.

Cubs President Jed Hoyer said the Cubs have the resources to sign free agents. He signed mediocre pitcher Wade Miley, not exactly the monster move their fans were looking for. Hoyer then was able to persuade Marcus Stroman, one of the best free-agent pitchers available. Hoyer has to be commended for signing a 5-tool outfielder Seiya Suzuki from Japan. It may take some time but once he gets acclimated, he will a cornerstone of the rebuild. Suzuki will lay right field with Jason Heyward moving to center. It is time for the Cubs to eat his contract. They have to find out about 27 year olds Clint Frazier and Michael Hermosillo.

Second year players, first baseman Frank Schwindel and third baseman are both 29 years old. In only 328 at bats Wisdom hit 28 homers. He will probably hit at least 30 this year. Problem is, he struck out 187 times. Schwindel hit .342 with 13 homers 

The offense may put up runs but maybe not enough to cover pitching deficiencies. Kyle Hendricks had a few hiccups last year. He has to regain the form that made him elite. Marcus Stroman is an excellent number two.  Wade Miley was supposed but three but he is currently injured. I would venture to guess that next up are Alec Mills and Justin Steele. The Cubs will have to monitor Steele so as not to overwork him in his first year. In two years he will be their number one. Keegan Thompson may slide into Miley’s spot. This is much better than trotting out Jake Arrieta. The starters can be very good but the bullpen is full of questions. It will be a bullpen by committee with no definitive closer.                 

Final Four & Other Stuff

 

March 31, 2022

There are four teams left standing in the NCAA tourney. All the teams are no strangers when it comes to competing for championships. The Cinderella team of the tourney, Saint Peter’s Peacocks, upset Purdue to become the first #15 seed to make it to the elite eight. North Carolina, who beat #1Baylor, blew out the Peacocks to advance to the final four. They will face arch-rival Duke with legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski who is in his last year as their coach. 

The other game features Villanova vs. Kansas. This is the only game so far with a #1 against a #2. Kansas, with excellent coach Bill Self, is favored. However, he has no national championship banners. His counterpart, Jay Wright, has won two at Villanova.

I see that former Bears GM Ryan Pace was hired by the Atlanta Falcons. I wonder what impressed them: his bad first round draft picks or his mismanagement of the salary cap? His job title is “Senior Personnel Executive,” meaning he won’t he won’t be making big decisions.

I also saw former Bears coach Matt Nagy got a job. My feeling here is that his former boss, Kansas City’s coach, felt bad that he was unemployed. Nagy is going from head coach to Senior Assistant/Quarterbacks Coach. Kansas City doesn’t really need a QB coach with Patrick Mahomes. Like Pace, Nagy will not be making any decisions. Both their careers are spiraling downward.

Chicago still has a hockey team. The Blackhawks are having a hard
time getting rid of the stain from covering up a sexual abuse case. On the ice they are one of the worst teams in the NHL. Former disgraced GM Stan Bowman kept trying to upgrade his defense, paying no attention to the offense. The Hawks have been shut-out 6 times and average less than three goals per game. Bowman’s assistant Kyle Davidson was named interim GM as the Hawks went searching for their next GM. Rather than get fresh eyes on the team they gave the job to Davidson. His first move in rebuilding the Hawks was trading the team’s third best offensive player, Brandon Hagel, for draft picks. What makes this even more stupid is that Hagel is only 23 years old. From the looks of it, the picks will not be high enough and it will take a couple of years before they are ready. This will be my last time talking about the Hawks until they are relevant again.
 

Major Upsets Make for an Exciting Tournament

 

March 24, 2022

After the Super Bowl, there is lull in sports. The games in the too long seasons of basketball and hockey droll on. Animosity between owners and players delayed spring training. However, that is all about to change. We are in the throes of “March Madness” and baseball and the golf’s Masters begin the same week as the NCAA final. The NBA playoffs start the following week and the NFL draft is April 28-30.

The NCAA tournament continues to the best of all post season playoffs. One bad performance and your season is over. As usual, there are many close games and a lot of upsets. The Cinderella team this year is Saint Peters College in the East bracket. . This small Jesuit College from Jersey City, ranked #15 upset #2 powerhouse Kentucky. They then knocked off Murray State to reach the Sweet 16. In the same bracket,   #1 seed Baylor erased a 25 point deficit in the final 10 minutes to send the game to OT. At this point I and I’m sure many others thought Baylor would take care of business and advance. However, the Tar Heels dominated the OT and sent Baylor packing.

Gonzaga fans must be smacking their lips knowing they won’t have to face Baylor or Kentucky to advance to the second straight finals appearance. Although they struggled in the first two games, they should take care of Arkansas and either Duke or Texas Tech to reach the final four.

Over in the South things are running more true to form, although #1 seed Arizona needed OT to beat #9 TCU. The Cinderella team in this bracket is #11 seed Michigan. They beat Colorado State and then upset #3 Tennessee. This upset was due in large part to Tennessee’s lack of 3 point shooting. In this day and age you can’t win if you can’t make 3 point shots.

In the Midwest Kansas by far is the best team and next play #4 Providence. In the lower half the brackets there were other major upsets Kansa should have an easy time as both #2^nd #3 seeds were upset.  #10 Miami who knocked off #2 Auburn after upsetting USC. #11 Iowa State beat #3 Wisconsin after beating #6 LSU.

After this writing, instead of smacking their lips ahead are now licking their wounds after being ousted by Arkansas. Arizona, another #1 seed was knocked out by Houston. Games like these are  what makes this tournament great. 

Super Bowl Caps Off a Terrific Postseason

 February 15, 2022

The NFL postseason was the best I have witnessed in my lifetime.* Most games were won by three points or less, with many game winning plays occurring in the last two minutes. What also made this special was the slew of upsets. The Cincinnati Bengals scratched and clawed their way to the AFC championship game. Things were going according to plan as the Kansas City Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first 3 possessions. The Bengals defense allowed only three points the rest of the way and upset the heavily favored Chiefs by three.  The Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers matchup never materialized, as both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers were both upset in their opening games.

The usually anti-climactic Super Bowl was as compelling as the previous games, with the L.A. Rams scoring a touchdown with a minute and half remaining to beat the Bengals by three points.  The game was dominated by defense as neither team reached 315 total yards. The Bengals scored only two touchdowns. The first on a trick play with running back Joe Mixon hitting wide receiver Mark Higgins. Higgins scored another touchdown that shouldn’t have counted. He turned the head around of safety Jalen Ramsey with a face mask penalty that wasn’t called. The best defensive player Aaron Donald and the Rams defense was able to keep Joe Burrow in check for most of the game.

Matt Stafford must be thanking his lucky stars that he was traded to the Rams. He is a good quarterback who had no support with the Detroit Lions. The Rams first touchdown was scored by Odell Beckham Jr. an excellent pick up in November. Stafford also has the best wide receiver in the NFL Cooper Kupp, who had 8 catches for 93 yards including two touchdowns for which he received received MVP honors.

All in all this was real compelling Super Bowl with some really good ads. My favorites include, Anna Kendrick for Rocket Mortgage and Barbie’s dream house. The Doritos ad with the animals, the Manning brothers with Terry Bradshaw for Lays and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus with Salma Hayek for BMW electric car. 

 *I must admit my favorite playoffs was when the Bears won their lone Super Bowl.

When the Dust Settled: Super Bow Pits L.A. Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

January 31, 2022

The NFL playoffs continued to be wildly entertaining. Two scintillating games
decided who would face off in the Super Bowl. Like last week, both games were decided in the closing minutes, with another upset thrown in for good measure. 

In Kansas City, the Chiefs were heavily favored to beat the Cincinnati Bengals. Things seemed to be going as planned as the Chiefs scored on their first three possessions. At the end of first half, the Chiefs had a first and goal from the one yard line after a pass interference penalty. However, they came away with no points. They left enough time for the Bengals quarterback to lead the Bengals on a touchdown drive to close the half.

Last week, the 49ers shut down Aaron Rodgers and the Packer offense. The Bengals did the same to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. The Bengals had a field goal to start the second half. Seconds later Mahomes was intercepted leading to a short touchdown drive. The Bengals then converted a two point conversion tying the score. They would take their first lead on a 52 yard field goal by rookie kicker Evan McPherson with a little over six minutes remaining. A Chiefs field goal with no time remaining, tied the score sending the game to overtime. This was their only points in the half. 

After winning the overtime coin flip most people thought the Chiefs would pull this one out. This was not to be, as Mahomes was picked off for the second time early in the OT. Another McPherson field goal punched the Bengals’ ticket to the Super Bowl.

 Not to be outdone, the L.A. Rams trailed the San Francisco 49ers 17-7 entering the fourth quarter. The 49ers’ big guns had built this lead. Jimmy Garoppolo connected on touchdown passes to wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who had 98 total yards, and tight end George Kittle.

The staunch Ram defense pitched a shut-out in the fourth quarter and their offense came alive. The NFL’s top receiver Cooper Kupp caught his second touchdown pass and a Matt Gay field goal tied the score at 17. While Rams QB Matt Stafford heated up, the 49ers’ offense struggled. Stafford led another long drive leading to another Gay field goal with less than two minutes to go for a 20-17 lead. A San Francisco comeback ended in three plays with an interception. 

So it’s the upstart Bengals, playing the Rams on their home field in the Super Bowl. This is the second straight year the game is being played on one of the participants’ home field. The Rams are slight favorites to win. All of my predictions have been wrong in both rounds. Therefore, because I want the Bengals to win I’m picking the Rams. Let’s hope this isn’t a snoozer like last year.