Chicago At A Glance

In 2013 the Bears debuted a prolific offense and a worst in franchise history defense. This year We still have many of the weapons we had last year with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery on offense and what many would consider a revamped defense with the biggest plash being the addition of former Viking Jared Allen who only seems to be able to get sacks when he plays against the Bears.Allen hasn't had a sack thus far through five games.

With the offense we got to see through Josh Mccown that anyone with an arm can run this offense and win. With Cutler we see the antithesis of that notion. While the defense as revamped as it is has played better all the off season efforts will bear out that it was to build a team who would be lucky if they make it to 8-8. Prime example: The Bears should've not only beaten a poor Carolina team but the Packers as well. They truly got lucky in wins versus the 49ers and the Jets both prime time road games. And there's no reason why they should have lost to Buffalo whether or not The Bills are a better team this year.
In the Carolina game the Bears at one point had a 14 point lead trimmed to 7 by halftime. The score 21-14. The Bears were then outscored 17-3 in the second half and did more to help the Panthers defense than their own.

Back up QB Jimmy Claussen is waiting in the wings. He probably will never see the field this year if Jay stays healthy. But it's also possible this is Mel Tuckers last year in Chicago and Chicago fans will have tuned out and turned to basketball to see a revamped Bulls team and whether or not they are as good as advertised. If they are it makes the Central division one of the toughest in the league with Chicago, Indiana and Cleveland possibly being the top three teams in the east beating up on each other without having to worry about beating the Heat. If that doesn't pan out it's back to baseball season which touches on my gag reflex a bit with the destruction of Wrigley Field and another 90 loss season. I predict either during 2015 when the rookies aren't doing as well as expected there will be reunion with Theo Epstein and Terry Francona.

The Bears are looking pretty pathetic. Now it's time to look forward to basketball season. Cutler seems to like throwing to the other team than his own teammates. That big contract they signed him to last year isn't looking so good. The sad thing is that the offense is one which anyone with a decent arm can throw like a pro. I reference Josh Mccown. It's like we're waiting for him to go down to injury as usual and to let this years back up Claussen take over.

Speaking of injury I think we'll see another one with Derrick Rose if Thibs has his usual way of over playing his players. At least he has more weapons around him around him. Taller players who are good shooter. Dunleavy, McDermott, and this Mirotic kid from Spain. I'd bet that's why they got Pau Gasol. To play along side his country man. But if they play Rose a ton of minutes like they did last year right away I can already hear you yelling, "pussy."

It should never be a day of fanfare because a gay football player gets drafted into the NFL. What if he didn’t get drafted would we be saying it was because he was gay and the league is still homophobic? Hardly, considering the number of straight (that we know of) players who didn’t get drafted or didn’t get calls asking them to sign with a team. Allegedly there were tweets one of them from a Miami Dolphins player of disgust that ESPN would show Michael Sam and his partner enjoying his exciting moment. The lot of us who watch the draft usually watch to see who our own teams are drafting. Unless you fervently follow college football the draft is pretty boring to watch.

How far Manziel fell shouldn’t be that much news either. Aaron Rodgers didn’t get picked high in the draft the year he came out of Cal. Look at what he’s doing now. Tearing out Bears fans hearts every year. I believe “Johnny Football” will have a successful career with a young and up and coming team in Cleveland. Not the pretty pick as far as places to play but it is in one of the toughest divisions in the AFC. If you’re a bit of old school like myself and my friend Bob you like to see the Browns competitive. At least when the two of us get together to watch football. Donald Sterling was right about one thing, the media does its best to stir things up. Journalism school tells you to report the news not make it. And certainly not make it up, create storylines as you go along.

In a society that seems increasingly bored and in need of ways to take people away from their hand held devices unless it is to make some regrettable comment and then delete your account the very minute it hits the airwaves.

Now the Rams are known for two firsts in football history, the first black player and now the first gay player. The poor guy hasn’t played a minute yet for the team and people cannot get enough of it whichever side of it you’re on. So if he either doesn’t make the team or doesn’t have a stellar career is it back the old way of thinking as with black players, it was because he was gay. Let’s give the man kudos for getting this far and getting an education in the process. So if he walked away from football tomorrow he would still be better off than many of us who cannot bounce a ball or run through a hole where a big fellow like Michael Sam will be waiting for us.

Being that I’m from Chicago I wish nothing good for any ST. Louis sports figures. Same for Michael Sam. And I hope to never see Johnny Manziel beat the Bears but both of these individuals as well as many of the other stars who were signed or drafted to teams will be good for the sport once we get past the hype.

Godfrey!  My man!  I am so happy with what the Browns did.  Everyone is so focused on Manziel, they do not realize the genius of our new GM.  He wanted Gilbert, the best corner in the draft all along.  We lost some close games (like to NE) late last year, where the corner opposite Joe Haden got burned late.  We have a young defense, but really only one starting corner back.  Thus, our GM felt we could get Gilbert later than 4, and we landed Buffalo's first and 5th round picks next year.  So, in summary, here is what the Browns left the first round of the draft with last night:

1. Buffalo's 2015 First and Fifth round picks.

2. The best CB in the draft.

3. Johnny Manziel.

4.  Now, we lost our 3rd round pick this year to the Vikings (but we have two third rounders this year, so we have one other anyways.)  We lost our only fifth round pick this year to PHI.

Still, one hell of a first round I think for Cleveland.  Now we have Brian Hoyer and Manziel.  Plus, we have Vince Young, Tyler Thigpan, and Alex Tanney, who will battle for the third roster spot.  Two will be cut, one kept.  That is so much better than Brandon Weedon and Jason Campbell, with an injured Brian Hoyer.

Now, add Ben Tate at running back, Andrew Hawkins as a free agent wide receiver, and Nate Burleson as a free agent wide receiver.  We are in business with Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon already...  I love it.

Bob Sass, Browns fan.

The NBA Missed Their Chance For Real Change. So they caught Donald Sterling with his pants down if you will. Think of the issue like a drug dealer in the sense that you caught the one who was dumb enough to get caught but you didn’t treat the overlying problem which is that his attitude is pervasive across sports. Now had they caught a room full of owners using the same language then you have something. A lot of people rushed to judgment needing to punish someone now. How stupid is it for these over paid, over priced players to just toss their allegiance aside and say they won’t play for a bigot. Well if you toss your allegiance aside you are also cast aside the allegiance the fans have for the team/players. Who are the Golden State Warriors the clippers opponent for their first round playoff series that they can decide that they want to wade into the quagmire and make a stupid decision to rip off the fans who paid good money to see this series and who are the ones who will most likely stand with you at such a difficult time. Had the Clipper season ended without a playoff berth then I say have at Sterling. But please don’t act like you’ve accomplished something. At most you forced the like minded to go underground.

Certainly they had to throw the book at Sterling because he is an all around jack ass but please do not act like he’s the only one. To do so would be insulting to fans of all major league sports especially the ones where there is an overwhelming presence of African American players. Sterling has been making his comments for years and would explain why the Clippers have been bad for so long. What took the league so long and the other leagues to do something? Investigate something? It sucks in this day and age that two people cannot have a conversation without fear of it being recorded but this is the world we live in. The world of the open mic. People shouldn’t have to fear their words will get out even when they spew the most vile things we could imagine. And remember this possibly started from others in either Sterling’s inner circle or others (owners and their inner circle) in the league who complained about his mistress having black people on her online account.

This is also a case of “strap hangers.” People who want to be around because someone knows someone famous. Believe me Michael Jordan probably had the same conversation with his wife at one time not to bring people around like that. Sterling just got specific with his demands. This happens with every team in every league people want to be seen and it helps to be seen with a pretty girl whether or not you’re a married man as in Magic Johnsons case. Now why go after Magic Johnson when he’s probably the most famous Laker of them all? The Lakers play in the same building as the Clippers.

Please don’t think this is the end of the situation because as I’ve said they haven’t done anything until the expose the entire and all of the other leagues. Every petty accusation. Every slip of the tongue. Every back room dealing whether it not it had to do with the sport. This is bigger than Sterling and one should question the owners of all their favorite teams. It wasn’t but a couple of years ago the Ricketts family who own the Cubs were alleged to have made a controversial if not racist political commercial about Barak Obama. Nothing came of that because it was the elder statesman of the family who supposedly has no stake in the Cubs. That was quickly swept under the table because the actual owners separated themselves from their father views/actions. So let’s stop kidding ourselves and really get at the heart of the matter. Racism does exist but let’s not make Donald Sterling a poster boy or an example and think he’s alone.

Several years into a rebuilding process that has brought us many future stars we have yet to see any of those stars on the field. We’ve heard how good they are and how good they will be. In the meantime the major league club hasn’t had a winning season or any sort of improvement. We’ve had two managers fired, Quade and Sveum because of Starlin Castro’s lack of focus.

We’re on our third manager in this process and my question is when do the owners get tired of 60 win seasons and start firing some of Theo Epstein’s people if not Epstein himself?

The Cubs want to build up the ball park and certainly have some stars to build around. If you’re a Cub fan or know someone who is they are always at the ready with, “in my lifetime.” I’d like to see them win it all, see some of these stars they’re talking about, this new way of thinking they’re talking about. “In my lifetime.”

Will Rich Renteria become the third manager fired in the Epstein regime knowing that no matter how many free agent signings and mid season trades are made you can’t put lipstick on a pig and make it pretty. Is the Chicago Cubs managing position the great black hole it seems to be where if you cannot win here there goes your career? But even when they were owned by The Tribune Company it was the same thing. Hire a new manager to some fanfare and then saddle him with third rate talent. Not so much in the Jim Hendry era. The team opened up the wallet and let him have free reign to trade and sign whoever he wanted including much maligned Alphonso Soriano. Dare I say that though Epstein ended Bostons long run without a series win that Hendry was a better judge of talent?

There were some lean years with Hendry but still came as close as any other Cubs team to a World Series since the 1984 team which included current Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg. Cub fans not ones to hold back their feelings will not continue to buy into The Epstein regime belief of “it will come.” With the Ricketts family’s grand ideas for the park but a lot of stink on the field, before Renteria goes the way of Mik Quade and Dale Sveum will they get sick of what they’re seeing and make it clear that regardless of pedigree no one is immune to walking papers.

No one’s thinking about the Chicago Cubs. Die harder’s or otherwise. The curse. How long it’s been since 1908, 1945 or that it could be another hundred years. For all we care they should’ve moved out to Rosemont like the owners threatened. You want to see the tourist attraction of a ball park buy a post card at a hotel gift shop.

No one cares that they’ll win just fifty games and Wrigleyville will be a ghost town by June. Who’ll be traded at the deadline since it wont be the Ricketts or Theo Epstein. Ticket prices will be about .50 by mid season. Rich Renteria will have a meltdown worse than anything Lou Piniella or Lee Elia could ever produce since his will be in Spanish. They still wont trade Starlin Castro no matter how many managers he will have gotten fired. Anthony Rizzo won’t hit any better than the .240 he hit in 2013 no matter who the hitting coach is.

Starting pitching has improved. Again trade fodder for the ever growing pool of talent in the minors because this is the level of talent they have on the field. Three games in and I’m already bored. I’ll be able to hear the booing from the ball park blocks away opening weekend because they can’t score runs against Philly pitching. The forecast calls for rain the entire weekend. Perhaps mercifully the entire series will be rained out.

After one hell of a winter in Chicago fans have little patience as well as the nonsense chatter over the plans for gaudy renovations of the ball park. We are more focused on filling the many pot holes left by the polar vortex. Expectations are so low we’ll forget there’s a north side ball club and wish that football season comes right after basketball season or that the Blackhawks go deep into the playoffs again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                Baseball season has become a bad word in Chicago. We have two baseball teams that finished in last place last season but people still choose to trumpet their loyalties. The White Sox were sold out on opening day and that’s probably the most fans they will see all season win or lose. Were the Cubs a European team they wouldn’t he heard of outside of the neighborhood. And still they would draw nothing but laughter. I’d bet moving to Rosemont isn’t sounding so bad right now. Perhaps the Ricketts family should wait until there really is a major league ball club for Wrigley Field before they do any of those renovations.

                Now to the case of challenges to umpire rulings, call me old fashioned but it seems to me the league is still trying to become the NFL. First with interleague play which has lost its intended effect in my mind. It should’ve been a limited experience between the American and National leagues. Eventually it was lauded for the rebirth of rivalries such as the Cubs and White Sox. No more would they be exhibition games between the two teams. They would count against a teams win-loss record. Interleague and manager challenges are a case of not stopping when one is ahead with the aforementioned series played home and away the same week. Extra rounds in the playoffs for undeserving teams. As if MLB needs more money.

                With the introduction of manager’s challenges, I’m not one to complain about the length of games. With the lack of quality programming on television I can tolerate a nearly four hour game. But it’s reason to build massive screens in the outfield like Cubs are planning. After a while there’ll be no reason for umpires. The once romantic idea that human error is a natural part of the game has gone by the way of technology. Whatever happened to the idea that you play well enough the umpires don’t figure in the outcome.

                Sports like life is ever changing in ways we do and do not like to be sure. There are still people who hate lights at Wrigley Field. But the clubs don’t play well enough to keep the umpires out of it. Again why they’ll win only fifty games in 2014.