My Side of the World

Research In Motion Missed The Boat

2011-01-11T23:40:00.002-06:00

Let me start of by saying that I am not a tech blogger. There are thousands of people who can and will do it better than me. I've only written on technology post and that was way back in 2010 on what I hoped the iPad would be. Last week at CES in Las Vegas, Research In Motion (RIM from now on) has inspired the second.
A few months ago, RIM let it be known to the world that like most electronics manufacturers, they were going to help mark 2011 at the year of the tablet, and introduce their version, called Playbook. For those that don't know, RIM is the maker of the hugely popular Blackberry line of phones.
With the Playbook, they were entering the realm that is currently ruled by Apple and their aforementioned iPad. Apple was not the first one to the party, but they have taken tablets to a new height after the iPad launched in 2010. RIM wants a piece of that still developing pie. And quite frankly, they way that BB phones are popular amongst business crowds and early twenty-somethings, well if RIM can design something like that, they have a huge head start.
The BB operating system is old and very outdated, unfortunately, and RIM knows this, buying a company called QNX Software Systems and using them to develop the QNX platform that will be the basis of the Playbook and future BB's as well.
Now, for me, and I'm sure countless others, is that I want my tablet to run like a cellphone without the ability to make calls. A laptop, but more portable. The ability to compose emails, check my calendar, send messages to friends, etc. is what I want from that experience. Anyone who has used a BB in the past 5 years knows that there is nothing better to communicate with friends then BB messenger. The ability to send a message, know when someone read it, someone is composing a message is an unbelievable convenience when trying to get a group of friends to one place. In fact, the ability to create groups of friends from BB messenger as well is priceless. Right there is where RIM missed the boat. By a mile.
In order to use BB messenger, you Playbook has to be tethered to you BB via something that RIM is calling Bridge. Basically you have to merge the two via Bluetooth and viola, BB messenger on your Playbook. Which defeats the purpose of a tablet from RIM to me.
I can almost see why RIM would do that. If the Playbook didn't have 3G capabilities, then yeah of course you're going to need to tether your BB to it to surf the Internet while in your car. Except it does have a 3G radio. In fact, I'm not entirely sure they will make a version with just wifi. So honestly, that decision makes zero sense. If I'm sitting in a park with my BB, why would I "bridge" my BB to my Playbook? I'm in a park, I want to use my tablet just like my cellphone. I don't want to have to bring both, just to communicate otherwise I'll just use the BB without having to lug around an extra device.

Sweet Lou Finishes His Career

2010-08-22T13:55:00.002-05:00

After earlier this season announcing that he would retire at the end of the season, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella has stepped up that timetable, opting instead to make the August 22nd home game versus the Atlanta Braves his last game.
Piniella's mother has been sick of late and he has opted to leave the Cubs to head home to Tampa to be there with her.

While Piniella was never able to get the Cubs out of the first round in either of his postseason appearances, having a world-class manager in the dugout for the Cubs gave the team playoff aspirations every season because of his style. Sweet Lou will be missed.

I'll Explain Why The D-Lee Trade Was A Good Thing

2010-08-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I love about the social media generation we live in currently is that instead of turning on a sports talk radio station and listen to a host ramble on about why this trade was bad, or belittle their callers as morons, I can turn to twitter and find out what fans are saying about a trade as it happens. Shockingly, most of the reactions regarding the Derrek Lee trade were Cubs fans calling it a dumb move. I can't figure out why.

Sure, there are Cubs fans who love Lee. I mean absolutely love him. I'm sure they feel like GM Jim Hendry is trading away all of their best players and getting nothing in return. Here's the thing, though. At the end of the season, the Cubs would have gotten absolutely nothing for him. Nothing. Nada. Zero. And in this case, something (3 pitching prospects) is always better than nothing.

Cubs fans hate the word prospects because it always means wait till next year. And that seems to be the refrain every year. However, if any Cubs fan thought the Cubs were still in it this year, being 21 games under .500 and playing poorly since the beginning of June, I got news for you. Were not.

So, you have a pending FA in Lee. As of right now, Lee is tracking to be a Type B FA, meaning you get one extra draft pick somewhere between 30 and 60 usually in the 2011 draft. That's on two conditions however: 1. Another team must sign Lee. And with him turning 35 and coming off a very down year, is no guarantee. 2. He has to turn down arbitration, which he would be stupid to do, seeing as no team will give him a one year deal at $9.6 million, the lowest his salary could go via arbitration. Do you want to pay a 35 year-old 1B with back problems and had a terrible, terrible year $9.6 million? Didn't think so. No, moving Lee now was a great idea, one that Hendry should be applauded for. Maybe next time, I'll explain why the Lily and Theriot deal makes sense as well.

Well, Derrek Lee Is Now A Former Cub

2010-08-18T17:26:00.000-05:00

Today, after sleeping on it for the night, Derrek Lee has now accepted a trade to the Atlanta Braves to have another shot at the playoffs instead of a shot at last place. The Chicago Cubs have acquired three prospects in exchange for Lee, righties Robinson Lopez, 19, and Tyrelle Harris, 23, and lefty Jeffrey Lorick, 22. Following the trade, GM Jim Hendry has said that 1B Micah Hoffpauir will be called up to take Lee's place on the roster. Hopefully just there.

At this point in the season, the Cubs should be trying to see what they have for next season. Part of that is seeing where the pieces they have can fit for next season. Right now, barring a trade and anyone taking most of Kosuke Fukudome off their hands, they have $14.5 million tied up in a 4th outfielder with the emergence of Tyler Colvin. But that doesn't have to be the case.

Right now the Cubs can take the time and chance to throw Colvin at 1B for the remainder of the season and not Xavier Nady or Hoffpauir. Using either of them for the rest of the season at this point doesn't make any sense. Neither one of them really fit into the future plans of the Cubs and right now that is where the Cubs need to be looking. The Future (Two words Cubs fans seemingly always hear).

Playing Colvin there gives you an idea of exactly what you need to pursue this offseason if you plan on pursuing anything. With 41 games left to play, the Cubs can get a very good idea if Colvin can play 1B or not for 2011. If he can't, no big deal, stick him in RF for 2011 and go after a 1B. If he can play 1B, then you have the option of going after a 1B or RF for next season, which gives you a bit more flexibility in what you need instead of just forcing you to just go after one.

At 1B this offseason, the best option is Carlos Pena and Adam Dunn. They both are left-handed hitters, a premium the Cubs definitely could use. After that, there really isn't much of anything else for the Cubs to get as a FA. Maybe through trade, but it's hard to see them getting someone like Adrian Gonzalez without blowing up the farm system. OF is a bit brighter outlook, however. The prize of this offseason is Carl Crawford. Crawford has typically played LF for the Tampa Bay Rays and with an albatross contract in LF, he won't be playing there. But he has played some CF in his career and undoubtedly could probably play it everyday if he wanted to. Of course, that would mean displacing Marlon Byrd, but then again, Byrd has played RF and also could play there everyday. What could stop the Cubs from going after Crawford? The $15-18 million payday he will not doubt get offered by the New York Yankees. And with Fukudome, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano's huge contracts on the team, there is very, very little chance that the Cubs will be willing to go that high again.

Wished I'd Taken The Summer Off From The Cubs Instead

2010-08-17T19:51:00.002-05:00

After a long break, I'm back to put finger to keypad to talk about what should be my favorite subject, The Chicago Cubs. Sadly, these days it's actually the least favorite thing for me to talk about. Even more so than Brett Favre. Though I could write a little about that jackass too.

Nope, this one is about the dismal and disappointing 2010 Cubs season. There really are other words that I could use, but since the biggest disappoint on this team in 2010 begins with a D, (I'm looking at you D-Lee) those will be suffice. Sure, he's not the only problem, but with Lee in a contract year, it wouldn't be surprising for him to have a monster year. That didn't happen. He'll tell you the back only bothers him on defense if anything, which funnily enough was Carlos Zambrano's blowup was all about, it's hard to believe that it doesn't hurt when swinging the bat as well. Enough about the .251 hitting 1B. I wish he hadn't rejected a trade to the Anaheim Angels. At least we could have gotten something for him.

Really, the blame on the season should fall onto the players, especially since their poor play this season is the real culprit. Ultimately, it will fall onto manager Lou Pinella and GM Jim Hendry. Unfortunately only one of them won't be back next season.

With Lou proclaiming that he was retiring after this season, and really so would I and I'm only 30, not a 104 like Lou, Cubs fans were hoping that they could get a clean start for the 2011 season. However, new owner Tom Ricketts has opted for Hendry to come back for the 2011 season, probably because they didn't want to pay him to sit on his ass for 2011 and 2012, like they have for this season so far. No, Hendry will be back for 2011 and the rebuilding of the Cubs will be in his hands. Sure, the Cubs will call it a reloading or something of that nature, but make no mistake about it, it will be a rebuilding, especially if most Cubs fans get their wish and they name Ryne Sandberg the manager for 2011.

Hendry has overseen the complete disaster of the Cubs since taking over in 2002. Sure, he made some great moves in 2003 to get the Cubs closer than they have been in a long time, but the bad contracts he has handed out since them has put them right where they are. The 2010 opening day payroll was $144 million. They have $103 million committed to 9 players. 9. Let that sink in for a second..... Ready for more? Of those 9 players, 5 have no-trade clauses and one will be a 10 and 5 player, which gives him a no-trade clause. The Cubs also have 7 players coming up for arbitration. Including Geovanny Soto, Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall and all of them will get some hefty raises, I would imagine. Could easily put their payroll at $115 to $120 million range. And that doesn't give you a 2B, 1B or any new bullpen help. Even if Hendry is able to move some bad contracts, ie Zambrano and Kosuke Fukudome, they'll be eating some salary in those deals, and doesn't help reestablish their payroll to manageable levels.

Which leads to the manager. If the Cubs hire Sandberg instead of an established manager, that could be the sing that rebuilding is taking effect, especially if the Cubs trim the payroll. Honestly, I have no problem with that. Getting the payroll down is exactly what the Cubs need to do. Sure, we would all love to see the Cubs get back to a deep playoff run, but chances are with Sandberg in the dugout, there will be growing pains, and not a lot of big free agents will jump at the chance to play for a rebuilding team, unless you throw big money and no-trade clauses in the contracts, which is what has us in this spot to begin with. Cubs fans need to be prepared for a bit longer of a playoff dry spell than just these past 2 years.

Cubs Just Keep Teasing

2010-06-01T14:45:00.000-05:00

Just when you think they will start to turn it around, the Chicago Cubs prove that they don't look to be contenders in the NL Central. And with the Cincinnati Reds looking to stick around and battle it out with the St. Louis Cardinals, is it time to shed some payroll?

Last week, Ken Rosenthal of foxsports.com reported that Ryan Dempster has agreed to defer $3 million of his salary this season to help the Cubs acquire some help for the 2010 season. Very nice gesture by Dempster, except that Hendry didn't use it to get any relief pitchers, the biggest offseason weakness that every Cubs fan could see. Instead, right now the Cubs are only to get pitchers like Bobby Howry, who was jettisoned last week by the Arizona Diamondbacks for sucking. Howry had a 10.67 ERA in 14 and a third innings. Sure, he's been better than that since coming to the Cubs, but his K/9 rate is way, way down this year, and that's a number you don't want to see decrease if you're a reliever. Of course, he's still better than John Grabow, but really, who isn't?

Grabow is one of those rare lefties who doesn't get lefties out. Grabow for his career has a better batting average against righties than lefties, .265 vs .261. But instead of going after anyone else this offseason to help get lefties out, GM Jim Hendry resigned Grabow to a 2-year deal in the offseason, including a $2.1 million dollar raise for 2011 and Grabow has rewarded Hendry with 9.43 ERA in 20 innings so far and a .356 batting average against. Way to go Jim.

As for shedding payroll, Hendry's first order of business should be shipping out Carlos Silva. Yes, he's been the best starter on this team. Isn't that precisely the reason you should move him? To get value for him while you still can? Silva is owed $25 million for 2010 and 2011, including a $2 million buyout. Send him and the $9million that the Seattle Mariners are giving you and try to find someone willing to take him off your hands. Is it tough to do? Sure it is. It's going to get tougher once Silva starts regressing to the bad Silva of the past couple years.

Who else can the Cubs move. Well, therein lies the problem. Hendry gives out no-trade clauses like they're going out of style. They have 7 players with no-trade clauses, including the most disappointing players of the 2010 season, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. That leaves the previously mentioned Dempster and CF Marlon Byrd as their best marketable pieces, and both have big contracts for a team to take on, Dempster being owed $27 million for 2011 and 2012 and Byrd $12 million for 2011 and 2010 because of a back-loaded contract.

As for Ramirez and Lee, they are both in contract years, so it's a bit surprising to see them perform so poorly. Except that Lee is turning 35 this season and the most comparable player to lee after last season was Kent Hrbek who faded, quickly after turning 33. Does not bode well for a recovery for Lee. Ramirez is another story. Ramirez turns 32 towards the end of June and before this season hasn't shown much of a downtrend before getting hurt last season. Even after he came back from the injury, he hadn't slowed down that much, hitting .304 with a .496 slugging, with the .496 SLG even with his career numbers. A .496 OPS in 2010 is not getting it done. His thumb has been bothering him lately, though that can't be the excuse for the whole season. A scary thought? Most comparable player through 31 years old for Aramis? Scott Rolen, who has had poor power output up until his rebound this season. If Ramirez doesn't improve, I would bet he will not opt out and the Cubs will be on the hook for at least $16.6 million more. Cubs fans might want them to take a look at top 3B prospect Josh Vitters, but the 21 year-old isn't quite ready, hitting only .234 in AA after being called up, including .125 is his last 10 games.

Is This The Real Cubs Team?

2010-05-23T18:01:00.002-05:00

After taking two out of three from the Texas Rangers, the Chicago Cubs have now won 6 of their last 8 games and are now 3 games away from the .500 mark. Have they finally put it together?

In all honesty, they still have room for improvement, which is what makes this run a bit scary. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez have been missing in action for the majority of this season, including this current run and they have been winning. And on top of that, their top paid pitcher, and supposed Ace is still in the bullpen. What's been the spark?

Since making his MLB debut on May 7th, Starlin Castro and the Cubs have gone 8-8. However, the Cubs have been 6-0 in the games where he's hitting 2nd in the order. He's also 10-25 hitting in the two spot. Maybe the Cubs have found the guy who should be hitting behind Ryan Theriot. Now, to find someone else to hit 3rd that's not named Lee.

Time To Launch Pinella?

2010-05-14T18:41:00.002-05:00

With the Chicago Cubs losing their 4th straight game to the Pittsburgh Pirates is 2 weeks, you have to wonder at what point is this season going to be lost? And if it's already starting to reach that point, is it time to make a change in the manager's office?

While I agree that the blame for this years team falls squarely on the shoulders of GM Jim Hendry and the players that actually play on the field, we all know that Hedry is not going to fire himself at this point, that decision will have to come from either President Crane Kenney or owner Tom Ricketts. Almost always the manager gets fired first to try and spark a team, because quite frankly, when a team fires a GM, the new GM almost always wants to hire his guy to be the manager. So, firing Hendry would in essence also be firing Lou Pinella anyway. So why not just can Pinella to try and spark the team?

Sure, more than likely it won't spark the team, but just a couple years ago Colorado fired Clint Hurdle and interim manager Jim tracy took over the team, lead them back to a wild card and a World Series berth. Why not try the same here? Honestly, what do you have to lose? The "veteran leadership" on this team is the reason why this team has the record it does. Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Ted Lily and Carlos Zambrano have performed poorly up to this point. Lily had the excuse that he's still coming back from surgery and Zambrano could blame his move to the bullpen for his latest under-performing, but what about Lee and Ramirez? Especially since Lee is in his walk year and Ramirez in a possible walk year? Maybe the way to show them they need to play better is the ultimate example of being responsible for the actions on the field and launch Lou.

Cubs Look To Youth To Spark Team

2010-05-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

In 1998, the Chicago Cubs called up prized pitching prospect Kerry Wood to help jump-start the team. On May 6th, Wood, only 20 years old, struck out 20 Houston Astros on his way to winning the rookie of the year and helping the Cubs to the Wild-Card in that 1998 season. On May 7th, 12 years and a day after that lights out pitching performance, the Cubs called up another 20 year-old top prospect, this time SS Starlin Castro to hopefully help spark the offense. Spark the offense he did.

Castro tagged a 3-run homer in his first Major League AB and followed that up with a bases loaded triple in his 3rd AB to help push the Cubs to a 14-7 victory against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Castro's 6 RBI set a MLB record for most in a major league debut and helped make Cubs fans wonder 1. Why he wasn't up sooner? and 2. Can he play 3B as well?

The celebration of the debut of Castro would be short lived as Castro didn't get 6 more RBIs in his second game, just a meager double as the Cubs fell to the Reds 14-2 Saturday night. The 14-2 loss is a bit decieving, as it was 3-2 until the 7th inning. At that point, the Reds blew it wide open against the awful Cubs bullpen, scoring 11 runs in two innings.

Sunday was the final chance for the Cubs to salvage a bit of the road trip after getting swept in Pittsburgh and get some revenge against Mike Leake, who shut down the Cubs pretty well in his debut on April 11th. The Cubs finally got to Leake in 7th as Tyler Colvin hit a 2-run homer in the top of the 7th to help erase a 2-run defecit and stake Ryan Dempster to a 3-2 lead. The lead wouldn't last long as in the bottom of the 7th, the Reds had runners on 1st and 3rd, 2 outs and Cubs killer Joey Votto coming to the plate. Sean Marshall was ready to go in the bullpen and Lou Pinella headed to mound to talk to Ryan Dempster and see if he wanted to continue. Despite having thrown a 111 pitches to that point, Dempster convinced Pinella to keep him in a Dempster rewarded Lou by giving up a 3-run homer to Votto, sending the Cubs back home with a 1-5 road trip and the Marlins coming to town Monday night.

Dempster after the game said to lay the blame on him, not Lou as Dempster had convinced him that he was ready to get Votto. Thing is, Pinella is the manager and he needs to make those decisions, because ultimately, he's the one responsible for this team and this season if it continues to head South like it is. Something tells me that Lou won't be finishing this season as the man in charge.

And With That, Back To Reality

2010-04-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

After the weekend depantsing of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs are back to where they were before. Bad bullpen, terrible hitting and now, Lou Pinella is blowing up at the media. What a mess April has been.

After Wednesday's loss to the Washington Nationals that put the Cubs losing streak at 2, George Castle asked Sweet Lou why he didn't bunt with Mike Fontenot, Pinella replied with “Bunting what? With a left-hand hitter up?…What kind of baseball are you playing? Really, what kind of baseball do you play?” Well Lou, of course George Castle nor I are Major League managers, however, being down only one, with a runner on second and nobody out, does it matter if he's a lefty? I mean sure, a left-handed hitter can pull the ball to the right side of the infield to move the runner over. But were talking about good hitters. Not Mike Fontenot. Is anyone surprised that Fontenot popped it weakly? Neither was I.

So of course, the media starts speculating that maybe Lou wasn't really mad at the question, just that he was trying to quickly light a fire under this Cubs team to get them to starting hitting like they do in Milwaukee. So how do the Cubs respond to Lou? Well, the offense put together 5 runs on Thursday. Except that 4 of them came off one swing and after they were already down 13-1.

Ted Lily had a great first start coming off the DL in Milwaukee, throwing 6 innings without giving up a run. He made up for that on Thursday, giving up 6 in 5 innings, including 2 homers to Adam LaRoche and one to Chris Snyder. Kosuke Fukudome answered with a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th, but it was too little, too late as the Cubs bullpen one-upped Lily by giving up 7 runs in the 7th alone. Sure 4 of them were unearned on an error by Aramis Ramirez, but does that really matter when the Cubs aren't scoring anyway. Coincidentally enough, those 4 runs that Aramis help contribute to the Diamondback final line? Only 2 less than he's scored all season. Good to see you're helping someone score A-Ram.

Great Weekend For Chicago Sports Fans

2010-04-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

With lots of sports on the docket this weekend, fans of all Chicago teams had to be feeling good Sunday night.

After getting their brains beat in by the lowly New York Mets, the Cubs limped into Milwaukee and Wrigley North hoping to salvage what was left of their road trip. They came into the series facing a Brewers team that had just lit up the Pirates for 36 runs in 3 games, including a 20-0 beat down on Thursday. With Carlos Zambrano being sent to the bullpen to help bridge the gap to Carlos Marmol and make way for Ted Lily to come off the DL, it seemed to be a recipe for a shootout. Except it was only a one sided affair as the Cubs brought their offense out of winter hibernation to sweep the Brewers in remarkable fashion. 8-1, 5-1 and 12-2 were the final outcomes, with the Cubs starting pitching leading the way. Ryan Dempster, Ted Lily and Randy Wells gave up a total of 3 runs in 20 innings of work, allowing only 20 baserunners. Keeping runners off base will help you win a lot of ballgames, especially against a team that many consider to be the best offensive team in the NL Central. The Washington National come to town next for 3 games and it could help the Cubs get a few games above .500.

Meanwhile, the Madhouse on Madison was rocking on Saturday afternoon as the Blackhawks and Nashville Predators played game 5 of their series. The series was split 2 games a each when the puck dropped and after an early goal by the Predators, the Blackhawks scored 3 straight goals to give for a 3-1 lead. Nashville got one back with about 4:30 left in the second and all the momentum shifted to the Predators as they scored 2 more goals to give themselves a 4-3 lead. With the Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi pulled to get an extra attacker, Marian Hossa hit Dan Hamhuis from the side near the Predators net, shoving him hard into the boards and earning himself 5 minute major. With that penalty, it looked like the game was over, but the Blackhawks pulled their goalie again and Patrick Kane stuffed in a Jonathan Toews rebound to tie it with 13.6 seconds left in the game. And 10 seconds after his penalty expired, Hossa was there to send a Brent Sopel shot into the back of the net for the OT game winner.

Celebration gave way to fear that Hossa would have to miss game 6 in Nashville on Monday because of a potential suspension for his Boarding Major, but NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell ruled that the hit didn't warrant any further action and Hossa will be on the ice when the Blackhawks try to send the Predators to the golf courses.

The southsiders got late game heroics on Friday and Saturday, winning both games with walk-off homers in the bottom half of the 9th. White Sox outfielders Andruw Jones and Alex Rios did the honors on Friday and Saturday, respectively, with Saturday's coming after a fan help gift the Seattle Mariners a run in the top half of the 9th. Casey Kotchman hit a shot down the RF line and a Sox fan who obviously wasn't paying attention to the game, reached down to pick up the ball and after being scolded by the people around him, dropped the ball. It was too late, however as thirdbase umpire Fieldin Culbreth ruled that Jack Wilson would have scored regardless and awarded him home. Ozzie Guillen came out to argue and was rewarded with an early shower for his efforts. Paul Konerko hit a homer in the 9th to bring it to 4-3 and with 2 outs and a runner on, Rios deposited a David Aardsma fastball into LF for the win. Konerko ended up getting the game winning homer on Sunday afternoon, but it was only in the 8th instead of in the 9th to give the Sox a 3-2 win and a sweep of their own over the Mariners. The White Sox are off Monday to help them recover from the last minute victories this weekend.

The Chicago Bulls played this weekend as well and won one of their two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but I don't follow basketball anymore and can't offer up anything interesting, nor relevant for what transpired. But, um, congrats on not getting sweeped?

Where Do They Go Now?

2010-04-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

After starting the season 2-4 and then coming home and taking 2 out of 3 from the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs were set up to make a nice run, with upcoming series' against the 1-8 Houston Astros and the lowly New York Mets. Unfortunately, the bullpen grew soft and the bats softer.

After taking the first game against the Astros 7-2, the Cubs have followed that up with 3 straight losses, 2 to the now 3-9 Astros and losing game 1 to the Mets. Speculation in New York was that Jerry Manuel's Mets were playing to help him keep his job and if they keep playing the Cubs all season, he may get a contract extension instead. The Cubs are going to need some help to get their offense going, but there is none coming.

Some teams struggle with their offense through April as main parts of their offense recover from offseason or spring training injuries. The Cubs were fortunate as Alfonso Soriano was deemed healthy in spring training and their was no major injuries to the Cubs regulars besides Ted Lily. That hasn't stopped Cubs hitters from starting off poorly, however. Kosuke Fukudome, Marlon Byrd and Soriano are the only regulars who are hitting above .270 right now. Ryan Theriot is 5th on the team in batting average at .222, everyone else is worse. With nobody coming of the DL to give them a boost, the Cubs are going to need Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto and Derrek Lee to get hot for the offense to turn it around. The sooner the better.

Good Pitching Takes You Halfway

2010-04-10T15:23:00.000-05:00

With a rotation of two aces in Jake Peavy and Mark Buehrle, two up and comers John Danks and Gavin Floyd, Chicago White Sox fans think they have what it takes to make a run at the division title and a run in the playoffs like 2005. But pitching only takes you so far.

With their typical everyday lineup in today's game against the Minnesota Twins, the White Sox got the pitching they needed, this time with Freddy Garcia going 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Of course, walking 5 isn't going to help you in most games, but this time it didn't hurt that much.

What did hurt is that they only managed 6 hits and scored one run. What's scary is that of those 6 hits, 3 were extra base hits and they still only scored 1 run. A 1-8 performance with runners in scoring position will not win you many games, no matter how many runs your starter gives up. In fact, after today's game, the lineup for the White Sox is hitting a combined .186. Going into today's game entirely, the White Sox are hitting only .185 as a team, 2nd to last in the majors. Even the Astros, who have scored 6 runs in 4 games are hitting better. Slugging .304 as a team is going to get you blown out of a lot of games. Of course, it's only 5 games, White Sox fans shouldn't be panicking yet, right?

Can Cubs Come Home .500?

2010-04-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

If only this Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Marmol could show up every time they pitch, the Chicago Cubs might be contenders for a title. If only...

Big Z rebounds from the putrid start on Monday versus the Atlanta Braves with a good start today vs the Cincinnati Reds. Z went 7 innings, striking out nine and walking two. He did give up one big blast in the 3rd to Brandon Phillips to give the Reds a 3-0 lead and in the past, that might have been the breaking point for Z. Zambrano settled down and held the Reds scoreless from that point on. Zambrano lowered his ERA from 54 to 11.88, still double digits like I said, but a lot lower than even I expected.

Kosuke Fukudome, Alfonso Soriano and Jeff Baker all hit their 1st homers of the season today as well to power the Cubs, with Baker's coming in the 8th off 97 year-old Arthur Rhodes to give the Cubs the 4-3 lead. John Grabow pitched an uneventful 8th except for a Derek Lee leaping grab to end it and Carlos Marmol struck out the side in the 9th, without putting anyone on too, to close out the win for Zambrano.

Geovanny Soto is still struggling at the plate, going 0-3 with two strikeouts. I anticipate Koyie Hill and his monstrous .167 batting average to get the start on Sunday. Marlon Byrd continues to struggle despite having two homers, going 0-3 and dropping his batting average to .133. I guess it can't be all sunshine.

Panic Setting In?

2010-04-10T03:07:00.001-05:00

After 4 games into the season, I wonder Chicago fan base is more troubled so far, Cubs or White Sox fans.

For Cubs fan, a young inexperienced bullpen has led to a few unfortunate outcomes. Sure, Carlos Zambrano started of the season with a stinker on opening day. He only gave up half of the runs that the Atlanta Braves scored that day, though and after the Cubs scored 5 to bring it back to 8-5, the young ones in the bullpen blew it up real good, allowing 8 more runs. Friday night, it happened again, this time Esmailin Caridad was the culprit, giving up a Grand Slam in his set up role after loading the bases on two walks and a hit. A very Carlos Marmol like performance. That ruined the stellar pitching performance from Carlos Silva. And really, who expected to ever hear those words, at all this season. Of course, he left after 71 pitches with "soreness" and well, it sounds like Rich Harden all over again, so I guess that's comforting.

The bullpen isn't the only problem. The lack of offense from key players to start the season has caused manager Lou Pinella to start some bench guys. Geovanny Soto got his second day off in a row because he isn't hitting. Koyie Hill is only at .167 after his 0-3 game with 2 k's, so I'm not sure who Lou plans on putting behind the plate tomorrow. Of course, Ryan Theriot broke out of his 0-fer, going 2-5 to raise his average to .125 and Derek Lee hit a solo homer in the 9th to draw the Cubs to 5-4. After the homer, the Cubs had managed to load the bases with 2 outs, only to have Chad Tracy check-swing a ball back to Reds closer Francisco Cordero for the easy out.

Zambrano takes the mound Saturday to redeem his poor first start and I'm confident that he will lower his ERA after this game. It'll still be double digits after the game, but just not in the fifties.

Cubs Get On The Board

2010-04-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

After two games of futility, the Chicago Cubs finally get on the board with a win in 2010. And the heroes aren't the usual suspects.

Randy Wells pitched six strong innings, scattering 6 hit and 2 walks during the effort, leaving with a 2-0 lead. The lead came via homeruns from rookie Tyler Colvin, his first career round-tripper and newcomer Marlon Byrd, his second of the season. The two homers was all the bullpen needed as they shut down the Braves over the final 3 innings to help get Wells the first win on the season. Carlos Marmol, walked one and gave up a hit in the 9th, but struck out 2, including Melky Cabrera to close it out. That will probably be the norm for Marmol as 1-2-3 innings aren't his strong suits. A win is a win, however, and the Cubs head to Cincinnati on a high they hope to continue in the Queen City.

Sunshine isn't all there was today as Ryan Theriot continued his hit less start to the season, going 0-4 with two strikeouts, making him 0-11 to start the season. The Cubs only mustered 4 hits for the game, so Theriot wasn't the only one who had it rough. The Cubs can't continue to be futile when they come to the plate as 2-0 victories will be hard to come by all season with the young and inexperienced bullpen.

Tiger Woods Actually Golfs This Weekend

2010-04-08T02:28:00.000-05:00

At 1:42 PM ET on Thursday, the golf world gets to stop wondering just what kind of golf game Tiger Woods will have when he starts playing again and will be able to find out by watching. That's the time that Tiger is due to tee off with his playing partners. I wish I could say that will be the end of the Tiger talk, but it won't be.

This weekend will be the start of a new topic of discussion for Tiger. If he fails to win the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, or even do well, the topic will change to 'Is Tiger Woods too distracted to win?'

To me, I don't care what Tiger did off the golf course. It was wrong for him to cheat on his wife and have all those infidelities. Tiger is not my friend however, nor most of the people of this world. What happens off the golf course is really not any of our concern, just like what Jesse James does for kicks isn't either. Tiger Woods shouldn't be a role model, that's not an athlete's job. The role models for the youth of the world should be teachers, doctors, firefighters and their parents. People who go out everyday and actually try to affect the lives of the young people.

I for one hope that Tiger wins the tournament. Not because I'm a Tiger fan. I hope he wins because I want the stories to start being about golf and nothing else.

Opening Day is Here: NL Central and NL Preview

2010-04-05T18:45:00.000-05:00

Following the 4 hour marathon game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees last night, baseball opening day is finally here again. After a long offseason of major stars being traded, including Cy Young award winners being traded on the same day in separate trades, today is the day where everyone starts off with the same record and same hopes and dreams. For some teams, the dreams will fade slowly and for others, much, much quicker. Today I will be previewing the National League Central in depth and National League overall.

National League Central:

Chicago Cubs (83-78 in 2009)

The Cubs come into the 2010 season with high hopes after falling short during the 2009 season, a season in which injuries to key players derailed their season, not to mention distractions from players who no longer play for the team. When your biggest offseason acquisition has been a brand new hitting coach, you can tell that the moves made weren't on a grand scale. 11 of the 25 players on the opening day roster are players that were not on the roster at the beginning of the 2009 season. The biggest of those names are Marlon Byrd, who was signed to replace the unhappy Milton Bradley. Bradley was signed by GM Jim Hendry before the 2009 season didn't have the season that most Cubs fans had. The season wasn't horrible, but Cubs fans had it in their head that he would hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. I've chronicled it in a previous post, but between April 28th and Sept 4th, Bradley put up a .284/.402./443 line. Pretty good for anybody. He rubbed Cubs fans and players wrong and was dealt for another poisonous contract in Carlos Silva, the #4 starter currently for the Cubs. The Cubs are going to rely on Silva to help get them to the postseason this year and anytime you have to rely on Silva for anything, you're in for a world of hurt.

Cincinnati Reds (78-84)

Any team that has to rely on Dusty "Arm Injuries Galore" Baker as your manager is just waiting for disaster. The Reds did go out and makes some moves to help improve their defenses, namely making a deal for Scott Rolen last season and then picking up Orlando Cabrera in the offseason to help shore up the left-side of the infield. And with Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto on the right-side, they have the makings of a very good defensive infield and a good hitting infield too. They will have to rely on Jay Bruce to finally have that breakout season that everyone seems to be predicting every year to help carry the team at certain points, but the questions with any Dusty Baker team will always be pitching. Besides the fact that Edison Volquez is out for most of the year after having Tommy John surgery last season, you have to look at what Dusty did to Aaron Harang. In 2008, on two days rest, Dusty had Harang come in during an extra inning game to pitch in relief. Not for just one inning. But for 4 innings and threw 63 pitches. And then 3 days later trotted him out again for his regular start. Now, I know that the extra inning game was probably Harang's day to throw on the side. But throwing on the side is not the same as pitching in a game. And after that fateful game, Harang was 4-11, gave up 25 homers in a 105 and 2/3 innings and had an ERA of 5.88. He followed up that stretch with a 6-14 season in 2009 with a 4.21 ERA. And until Dusty is out of Cincy, a return to the playoffs are unlikely.

Houston Astros (74-88)

The Astros finished the 2009 season in 5th place in the Central and I don't see how they believe that the moves they've made this offseason makes them any better. Especially when you have to consider their ace Roy Oswalt is getting older. As a matter of fact, their second best pitcher, Wandy Rodriquez, is only a year younger than Oswalt at 30. Sure, they signed Brett Myers to be their number 3 starter, but all you're doing is adding another injury prone pitcher to the rotation. That would be like expecting Carlos Silva to be reliable in your rotation all season. Wait... During 3 consecutive years, Oswalt finished in the top 4 of Cy Young voting. Since the end of th 2006 season, the last of those 3 years, Oswalt has declined in innings pitched, increased in walk rate and increased in ERA. Not great indicators for someone getting older. They did improve their bullpen by picking up Matt Lidstorm in a trade from the Florida Marlins and did sign Brandon Lyon as well, but when your offense consists of Carlos Lee, a DH playing LF and Lance Berkman, getting older and playing 1B, well, you're going to have problems scoring runs for the bullpen to save. They Astros do have two very good young outfielders in Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, but Bourn is going to need to cut down on the strikeouts, especially if he's not going to be a 20-hr guy. And he won't.

Milwaukee Brewers (80-82)

Milwaukee comes into 2010 as the most improved team in the Central. That doesn't mean they are they best team, but they did do a lot to help get themselves in a position to make a run at the Central title. They traded disappointing SS JJ Hardy to the Minnesota Twins for equally disappointing, but younger CF Carlos Gomez. Gomez was once the center piece of the Johan Santana trade and at 23, still has years to improve. But much like Bourn from the Astros, needs to cut down on the strikeouts from a non-power guy. The Brewers have some guys who can thump in their lineup, namely 1B Prince Fielder and LF Ryan Braun. Fielder and Braun had OPS+ of 168 and 148, respectively. League Average is 100. Casey McGehee also had a good offensive season as well and if Rickie weeks can rebound, they have a good young nucleus. The problem for them will be pitching. After Yovani Gallardo, they have a whole lot of suck in the rotation. They signed Randy Wolf in the offseason and he's not a bad 4th starter. (Unlike Carlos Silva) However, Wolf has to be the #2 on this team that's not a good proposition. Their closer and setup man are a combined 79 years old and that doesn't instill a lot of confidence towards the end of the season when their medicare kicks in.

Pittsburgh Pirates (62-99)

A rainout against the Cubs kept the Pirates from losing 100 games last year, not sure if they will be able to say that again this year. Sure, they've picked up some relievers that will be worth something once midseason comes, but if that's all your team aspires for before opening day even gets here, well, I guess I'm wasting my time writing (typing) about them. The non-tendered Matt Capps, which is a surprising move. They could have kept him for the 2010 season and then added him to the list of relievers that the New York Yankees could swing a deal for in July. But instead, they get nothing for him except salary relief. Which is something the Pirates need with their payroll slowly climbing towards $35 million. Really sad when a team other than the Florida Marlins have the lowest payroll in baseball. The lone bright spot for the Pirates? Waiting for Pedro Alvarez to get to the team in May or June, I would guess.

St. Louis Cardinals (91-71)

The top team in the Central for 2009 looks to return to the top in 2010. The Cardinals had a mostly quiet offseason. After trading for Matt Holliday during the 2009 season, most of the offseason was spent hoping that the team would resign him and provide protection for Albert Pujols. Holliday put up a sick .353/.419/.604 split after being traded to the Cardinals. Providing that kind of protection for the best hitter in all of baseball Makes him worth the $120 million he was signed for. The Cardinals also signed Brad Penny to replace Joel Pineiro in the rotation. And while Pineiro's numbers will be hard to replace, pitching coach Dave Duncan can take just about any pitcher and turn them into someone useful (including Carlos Silva). They also signed Felipe Lopez to be a utility infielder and he would be a better 2B than most of the teams in the Central will throw out there (ahem, Cubs). Add to that returning pitchers Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and closer Ryan Franklin and that makes them a tough team to face. That doesn't include the rest of the offense, which includes 23 year-old CF Colby Rasmus. Their offense will easily take them to the division title this year.

Predicted Central Finish

1. Cardinals
2. Brewers
3. Cubs
4. Astros
5. Reds
6. Pirates

Elsewhere in the National League, the East is going to be a battle between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. The Braves have a solid, but not spectacular lineup and Jason Heyward looks like the real deal at 20. But the Phillies have MVP's at two spots in their infield, a potential MVP candidate at first and not to mention a couple of pretty good hitting outfielders. Oh and they added a former Cy Young winner in Roy Halladay to their rotation.

The west is going to be a 3-way battle all season. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants are all capable of taking over the division and sprinting out to a lead. The more likely scenario is that all 3 teams will battle going down the stretch. And considering how strong the NL East is with the Braves and Phillies, the West might only get one team in the playoffs, which will be disappointing two the two other teams.

NL East

1. Phillies
2. Braves
3. Marlins
4. Mets
5. Nationals

NL West

1. Giants
2. Rockies
3. Dodgers
4. Diamondback
5. Padres

NL Wildcard

1. Braves
2. Rockies
3. Brewers
4. Dodgers
5. Mets

NL MVP: Matt Holliday
NL Cy Young: Chris Carpenter
NL Rookie of the Year: Stephen Strasburg

UFC 109's Nightmare Aftermath

2010-02-07T13:39:00.000-06:00

UFC 109 was last night and after the fights, they have to leave the UFC reeling a little bit. While the Main Event fight pretty much went as expected, the co-main event and one under card fight had to have had a ripple effect for upcoming UFC cards.

The ageless Randy Couture took on an equally ancient Mark Coleman last night in the main event and the fight really went about as expected. The more athletic Couture rammed Coleman up against the cage for most of the 1st round. The 2nd started the same before Couture got the take-down and eventually worked to Coleman's back before sinking in a rear-naked choke to put Coleman to sleep, literally. In fact the only time when Coleman actually fought back was after Tito Ortiz was talking trash, walking past the Octagon as Coleman was doing a post-fight interview. Coleman started getting animated and called Tito a 'douchebag' and challenged him to fight that won't ever happen, at least not in the UFC.

Everything before that fight is what may cause the UFC some issues. Coming into the Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen fight, Dana White said that the winner was in line for a title shot. Now, Sonnen was on a two fight win streak during the second go around in his UFC career thus far, but other than Yushin Okami, no big fights. The proclamation was more for Marquardt, since Marquardt vs Dan Henderson was the fight the UFC really wanted. But Henderson left because he wanted the next shot, not another fight before he got his shot. So the UFC scheduled Sonnen as a tune-up for Marquardt. A funny thing happened on the way through the tune-up and unfortunately for the UFC and Marquardt, Sonnen won a three round unanimous decision victory. It wasn't in dominate fashion and Sonnen doesn't really have the pedigree to earn a title shot at this point, but with Henderson gone and Marquardt losing, after Vitor Belfort challenges Anderson Silva, the UFC really doesn't have anyone else in the Middleweight division worthy of a shot at this point.

The other fight that causes some issues in their title picture future was the Mike Swick and Paulo Thiago fight. Originally scheduled as a rematch of Josh Koscheck vs Paulo Thiago, the UFC viewed the fight as a way for Koscheck to avenge his most recent loss Thiago and put himself in line for a rematch with Georges St. Pierre, this time with a title on the line. Koscheck got hurt and Swick filled in for him, trying to rebound from a #1 contender match vs Dan Hardy, presumably to get back on the right track towards a title shot of his own. Swick was no match for Thiago and succumbed to a Brabo choke in the 2nd round of the matchup. With a second loss in a row, Swick falls further out of title contention and now needs to rebound in his next fight before he finds himself out of a UFC contract. Meanwhile, Thiago still isn't ready for a title shot and as of now, the UFC has no one else ready to step in once St. Pierre defeats Dan Hardy in March. Will the UFC let Koscheck get his title shot without facing Thiago?

iPad Thoughts

2010-02-01T21:15:00.000-06:00

After the Apple announcement of their upcoming iPad device, I wanted to take a couple of days to think about what was unveiled and how the device could fit my lifestyle.

Honestly, when I first hear that Apple was working on a tablet device, I was starting to get intrigued about the possibilities. I'm not an Apple fanboy by any means and don't own a single one of their devices. I've been interested in getting an iPod touch a time or two but never pulled the trigger.

The announcement has been been received with mixed reactions. Some people love it, lots hate it. I've been on the fence since reading about it.

For me, I subscribe to four magazines presently. I know that there are digital subscriptions for most magazines and that they come in a pdf type format. In a device like an iPad, I'd be hoping for something that would allow for digital delivery of my magazines to my device when they are ready from the publishers. To go along with that, interactive table of contents to click and go directly to the article you're looking for. An advertisement that links directly to products website. And with lower subscription rates than regular print prices would be the grand idea. Can the iPad deliver these things? Time will tell since Apple hasn't revealed much of the functions of the iPad besides it being a larger iPod Touch with an iBooks app.

On top of that, my father gets newspapers delivered to the home everyday and another that's delivered three or four times a week. If Apple can make a device that would be easy enough for him to use and automatically update in the morning with new newspapers for him to read, that would be the ultimate device to get more people involved.

The problem as of now for Apple and the iPad is something that's been beaten to death over the past few days. The lack of Flash and multitasking. These are both things that Apple could easily solve with an update. For the commuter that travels to work for an hour or so on train, the iPad could be the device to make their commute much more manageable. Imagine being able to download your morning paper to your device for the ride in. Sure, most info can be found on newspaper websites but if people believe that newspapers will all continue to be free to read online, they're not seeing the path being blazed by Wall Street Journal. Some people also like the newspaper format when it comes to articles and local flavor. The websites of newspapers don't have the same feel. And with a device that could play your music while you read the paper on the way to work, it'd be one less device to carry. However, as it's currently constructed, the iPad might not be able to do this. Without multitasking, the abilities of the iPad are limited and especially when a lightweight netbook could do the same. If you add multitasking, well then you have 3G capable device that you can listen to music, chat on AIM and read a newspaper/magazine for under 2 pounds. Add some VOIP apps and you have an inexpensive cellphone as well for $30 a month. Not possible as constructed, but possible in the summer maybe with an iPhone OS upgrade. The Flash thing is a problem that Adobe and Apple will never seem to work out, as of now. Apple wants to steer people to HTML5, which, along with Google, is something they are trying to pioneer. Meanwhile, thousands of websites implement flash for videos to be played directly on your device of choice and not compatible with most mobile devices, which the iPad falls under. Cleaning up that situation helps take the device a longer way to appeal to a bigger crowd.

I'm looking forward to stores getting demos so I can take a look at one up close. Being able to actually get your hands on one to put it through the paces is more valuable than anything the press can provide. And without details as to what Apple plans on doing with magazines and not just ebooks, the iPad is an incomplete right now.

Pitchers and Catchers

2010-01-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

Februrary 17th is fast approaching and that's the day Chicago Cubs pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. For the first time since the conclusion of the 2003 season(which I'm replaying here), I'm not excited to see the date approach.

For the past few years, the pitchers and catchers reporting date was the renewal of Cubs optimism. The season starts with everyone starting off at 0-0 and tied for 1st. The chances that you can win a division title and more is still there. The 2010 Cubs don't have that same feel to it.

In 2009, the lineup was improved by the addition of Milton Bradley to play in RF and help provide some left-handed power that was sorely missing from the 2008 division series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Through injuries and a mysterious loss of power, Bradley never won over the fans in Chicago and was shipped out this past offseason. His production was replaced with newcomer Marlon Byrd, expected to provide a bigger lift than the 2009 Bradley did. That's been the only major move this offseason. however. Sure, they also picked up Xavier Nady, but he's coming off his second Tommy John surgery and no one knows what to expect from him. The Cubs also picked up Carlos Silva is exchange for Milton Bradley but he's just a warm body to throw out to lose ever 5th day.

Worse for the Cubs, is what they lost this offseason. Their close from 2009 Kevin Gregg is moving on to greener pasture. Rich Harden has signed with the Texas Rangers on a one year deal. Bradley is gone to Seattle to help Cliff Lee win a Cy Young and they traded Aaron Miles and Jake Fox to Oakland. Miles and Fox were nothing but bench/role players, but with a weak bench to begin with, well that's not going to help much.

Where is the leadoff hitter they desperately needed last season? Who are the Cubs going to rely on after Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lily? Who is going to setup Carlos Marmol? Who is going play 2nd? All those questions weren't answered this offseason and will leave the Cubs looking at a 3rd place finish. Not a great way to end the Lou Pinella/Jim Hendry era.

Chicago Cubs Offseason

2010-01-01T22:43:00.000-06:00

With 2010 already upon us and the countdown to Spring Training already begun, it's time to take a look at the Chicago Cubs offseason so far. And it's a lack of moves that is utterly surprising.

Best move of the offseason:

Undoubtedly, the best move so far this offseason for the Cubs has been the signing of a new hitting coach, Rudy Jamarillo. Jamarillo comes to the Cubs as the former hitting coach of the Texas Rangers. With the Rangers, he helped tutor Mark Teixeira, Josh Hamilton and Mark DeRosa amongst others. Current Cubs Alfonso Soriano and newly signed Marlon Byrd were his students and had a few of their best years while playing there. Sadly, Mark Bradley was also a student of his and had his career year in 2008, the season that got him a 3 year/$30 million dollar deal from the Cubs. More om him later.

Jamarillo is being tasked with the job of trying to turn around the Cubs in 2009 and shape them back into the very good hitting team they were in 2008. One of the projects has to be Geovany Soto. Soto, who was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2008, had a major production drop off in 2009. In 2008, Soto hit .285/.364/.504 with 23 homers, but that dropped to .218/.321/.381 and only 11 homers in 2009. And Jamarillo will be tasked with bringing back that 2008 Soto, which hopefully is the real thing. One thing that the 09 Cubs did better than the 09 Rangers was get on-base, so hopefully Jamarillo doesn't change everyone's ability to draw walks.

Worst move of the offseason:

This is something that most, if not all Cubs fans would disagree with me on, but I believe it was trading Milton Bradley. Besides the fact that we got a terrible, overpaid pitcher in return for Bradley, we got rid of a player who will more than likely have a monstrous rebound season. We it be as great as his 08 season? Probably not. But it probably will be in line with his 03-07 seasons, .289/.380/.470 which are numbers that Byrd, basically his replacement, would be hard pressed to put up. Want more evidence that Bradley will put up those numbers? Between April 28th and September 4th this past season, Bradley's line was .284/.402./443, not far off from those numbers. Sure, Bradley was a malcontent and abrasive. Sure he rubbed Cubs fans the wrong way. He wasn't the cause of the Cubs terrible offensive season, just the scapegoat.

Worst non-move of the offseason:

As painfull as it is for me to say, not moving Derek Lee after the bounce back 09 season will probably prove to be a move the Cubs and GM Jim Hendry will regret. When Aramis Ramirez went down with a separated Shoulder in early May, Lee himself came through and showed how valuable he was. Lee put up a .325/.404/.580 line with 12 homers in 44 games. He alone couldn't carry the team in those games, as the Cubs went 21-23 in those 44 games. And with Lee's contract up at the end of the 2010 season, the Cubs will be at a crossroads. A poor season by Lee would prevent the Cubs from getting anything of value at the trading deadline. A great season might cause the Cubs to overpay for Lee if they plan on keeping him for 3 or 4 more years. Trading him this offseason might have netted the Cubs with a younger first basemen or pieces to use to make a deal for a first basemen who might be on the market, like Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres.

Without picking up a second baseman at this point in the offseason, it hard for me to look at this Cubs team and see great things from it. There are still second basemen out there like Orlando Hudson that can be had, but with budget constraints because of bad contracts handed out by Hendry, the likelihood of them acquiring someone like Hudson seems remote. More than likely we'll have to settle for a combination of Mike Fontenot/Jeff Baker or a cast off such as Luis Castillo to fill that hole. And that makes the Cubs a 2nd place team again. A shopping list of a setup man, center fielder, leadoff hitter and second basemen has netted a 3rd choice center fielder so far this offseason. With the money to spend in the market is getting smaller, anything short of postseason might ultimately cost Hendry his job.

What This Weekend's Bears Game Mean

2009-12-31T15:21:00.001-06:00

Despite having nothing left to play for, the Chicago Bears go into this weekends game against the Detroit Lions with a lot of questions that can be answered.

For Starters, a great game by Jay Cutler will not erase the pain from the 2009 season, but it will go a long way to helping build the fans confidence in him for 2010. Does it matter to Cutler if the fans have confidence in him? Not really, since Cutler has made it clear that he plays for the team and not the fans. But we still follow the team and going into 2009 we had high hopes for the season despite the lack of talent at the receiver position. The season proved that position is due for an upgrade in 2010.

A bad game for Cutler against the lowly Lions might also seal the fate of Bears GM Jerry Angelo, along with coach Lovie Smith. Angelo might be on the firing line for investing in Cutler without the much needed pieces around him. This doesn't mean the deal for Cutler was a bust. it does mean, however, that making this deal with a lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball would be a waste of draft picks, especially considering that the Cutler trade will now give the Denver Broncos a pick in the top 15 or possibly top 10. Couple that with the horrible Gaines Adams trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now the Bears have zero picks till the 3rd round. Granted, Angelo has had a lackluster track record in the early rounds since coming to the Bears, but losing a high pick for a bust isn't a great sign.

As for Lovie, Bears fan have gotten tired of the poor decisions made by him, not only in game management, but in also his choice of coaches. Firing Ron Rivera after making it all the way to the Super Bowl in 2006 was the beginning of his bad mismanagement. Promoting Bob Babich to the position of Defensive Coordinator only to take it back this season and running the defense himself instead. Lovie was a great D coach in both Tampa under Dungy and St. Louis under Mike Martz, but being a head coach and D coach this season has proved to be too much for him to handle. Hiring Rod Marinelli to be the defensive line coach hasn't panned out yet since the pass rush and run defense hasn't improved yet, but with only a year of teaching, I don't know if you can properly grade him. Ron Turner is a non-factor for 2010 since he will undoubtedly be fired after the 09 season, but he's proven that his play-calling leaves a lot to be desired, especially since at this point in the season the fans know we don't have a top flight wideout and yet he insists on calling plays that rely on someone to make a play. Not to mention calling running plays that have proven time and time again to not work with the bad offensive line in front of Matt Forte.

What to look forward to in 2010? If it turns out to be an uncapped year because of a lack of Collective Bargaining Agreement, there might be a lot of changes on the Bears roster. An uncapped year would allow the Bears to cut ties with Nathan Vasher, who's contract extension has proved to be useless. Whether from injuries or getting older, Vasher has proven that he's not even as suitable for a Nickel back spot on this roster, let alone the #1 DB like he's being paid. Olin Kreutz might be another casualty of an uncapped year, though his days as a Bear might be over regardless. Kruetz hasn't handled a higher octane offense this season, mishandling shotgun snaps routinely. He's also forced bad exchanges with Cutler, proving that not all the fumbled snaps were Rex Grossman's fault while in town. Could Devin Hester be included? He got a contract extension before the 2008 season, with the belief that he will still be the best return man in football and grow to be the #1 WR on this team. Unfortunately, he's grow into neither. In fact, he's no longer dangerous on punt returns, averaging less than 10 yards a return and not meshing with Cutler on offense.

What's out there? Well, the most intriguing name might be Brandon Marshall, Jay Cutler's former #1 target in Denver. Unfortunately, he's going to cost a lot. Dante Stallworth might get released from the Cleveland Browns this offseason, but he's not exactly the most reliable of characters and he might still get suspended for a portion of the 2010 season, once he gets out of jail. But the Bears biggest needs are on the O-Line. And without high draft picks, the Bears will have to rebuild through free agency, which is always tougher to do. And sadly, none of the options out there will knock your socks off and the ones that would be good fits will most certainly be resigned by their teams.

Cubs Suspend Bradley

2009-09-20T19:00:00.001-05:00

After a disappointing first season with the Chicago Cubs, the team confirmed reports that they have suspended OF Malcontent Bradley for the rest of the season. Bradley, who has a history of obnoxious behavior, has been a bust after signing a 3 year, $30 million dollar deal this past offseason. I would imagine that Bradley is excited by the news, as he's been booed since getting ejected and suspended after his first Wrigley Field AB.

In an interview with the Arlington Height Daily Herald, Bradley reportedly said, "You understand why they haven't won in 100 years here." He went on to say that his first season in Chicago, "its just not a positive enviroment. I need a healthy, enjoyable environment. ...Its just negativity."

The thing is Milton, when you're signed to provide power from the leftside of the plate, bring stability to the lineup and play a decent RF, you'll get that positive environment. When you hit .257, only hit 10 homers and muff the most basic of fly balls, chances are you're going to get booed, even if you're playing RF at a family picnic. If Bradley doesn't want to be here, it's in Hendry's best interest to move him. But with the terrible season he had, Hendry has no leverage in any trade talks and might have to unload him for a bat boy, who might play RF better than Bradley anyway.

From Bad to Worse

2009-09-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

According to Chicago Tribune, in a response to a question about Brian Urlacher's wrist injury, he replied through text message, (no doubt with just one hand, which texts messages are hard to type that way) "Season's over."And while he certainly meant that as his status for the season, it's sadly a reflection on what the results might be for the Chicago Bears as well.

While one game does not make a season, the inept playcalling from the offensive mind of Ron Turner, who undoubtledly wanted to show off his shiny new toy in the backfield, forgot about the shiny new toy from last year Matt Forte for most of the 1st half. And when they did run in the second half, the Green Bay Packers defense was quick to greet him mostly in the backfield. Running for 55 yards on 25 carries, Forte was mostly a mystery in the offense from the get-go. Zero catches from you're top reciever from last year isn't going to get a whole lot done, not when the Bears are trotting out wideouts who don't seem to complete their routes. And while we hope that Cutler will get better (he has to, right?) without anyone besides Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark to throw to (and they're not immune from bad play either; Olsen with a drop and Clark stopped running in the endzone), it's going to be hard for the Bears to do anything if they don't get Forte involved.

The Defense however, has been the heart and soul of this team since Lovie Smith rode into town and declared that they will beat the Packers. The once great defense has take some hits recently though and last night only exemplified and shown that it might not be the strength it once was. Nathan Vasher looked dreadful on the touchdown to Greg Jennings, but when you have 8 in the box to stop the run, that leaves single coverage on the outside and Vasher doesn't play corner like he did a couple of years ago when he got his payday. And now you have lost arguably the leader on defense, possibly for the season with a wrist injury. Urlacher isn't the stud from 2004 anymore, but he's still one of the top 5 or 10 middle linebackers in the game and will be sorely missed. This is the time when Lance Briggs, coming off a Pro Bowl year after getting his big contract, will need to step up and be the leader that the Bears are paying him to be. And even then, I'm not sure it will even be enough.