What Now Cubs?
Outside Ananlysis 6/30/15
They embarked on an ambitious plan to rebuild not only the team but the stadium. They've done both but have given fans little to rejoice over. Sure a winning record will bring bring the boys to the yard but eventually excuses over a team that has played little time together on the top level will get played out if they miss the playoffs AGAIN. There is a great future for these youngsters but with an effort that was mainly focused on putting together a glut of position players and a manager who has seen the big stage with the Devil Rays and has yet to blow up like many a manager would have by this point on the merry go round, the talk now is about a need for pitching. The Cubs acquired the top free agent pitcher and have put together a quality pitching staff but where I see the trouble is with a team that is about the long ball and that's all. The pitching isn't the problem though it has been lately but when this team has leads they don't have the arms to hold it. Then the trouble of youth comes into play in that they are making a lot of errors including Starlin Castro who has caused a manager or two to lose their jobs and is still dealing with his attention deficit. The Cubs are four games over .500 though they were up to their high water mark of nine games over before they split with the Dodgers and slept walked their way through ST. Louis. What can they do now? They have no strengths that anyone can look at and say they would pick this team to win a one game playoff. Again it's wait until next year. By then the entire ball park will have been rebuilt and perhaps they will take off like the Cardinals have done this year. That team isn't even in the Major Leagues anymore. A league of their own for real. If you're in Chicago this is an annoying refrain unless you're a Blackhawks fan then you wonder when the baseball teams will follow their lead? After all their President & CEO John McDonough worked with the Cubs before joining the hockey club and look where they are now.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
If you remember, I wanted
them to draft Beasley not Rose. Beasley did not become the player I expected
him to become. Thus, it appears Rose was the better pick. But since Rose's
injury, I have lost faith in him. His first step is not as fast, he doesn't
have a jump shot, and he can't stay healthy. For three years we have waited for
him to be healthy, and at this point, there cannot be any excuses. I agree,
trade Rose for whatever you can get. Keep Butler. The Bulls are starting to
Age, and I hope they keep the coach. He is NOT the problem. I understand he
plays like 8 players a lot, but the Bulls need depth for him to utilize the
bench. The Bulls would not have made the playoffs even in the weak East unless
he played his better players. And honestly, does he play them more than the
other teams? maybe the Spurs, but they are quite old. But the Spurs run has
come to an end, and they will go through some years of rebuilding now.
Honestly, I am surprised the
Bulls beat Cleveland twice. Where they should have won was game 4 in Chicago,
they BLEW that. Had they gone up 3-1, they still would have lost. Cleveland is
better, and I am not a CAVs fan, Browns, Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks. Those are
my teams...
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Bears Pick Like They Mean It. Outside Analysis May 5 2015
The Bears picked pretty much as they did in 2014 but with a serious intent to win. Once again I tout Chicago as the capitol of the sports world right now though the Cubs are doing their best to ruin the party. But to focus on the Bears and the city's new stars. All of the talking heads say the Bears will not make the playoffs in 2015 but they are going ahead as if they plan to compete. The "Administration" at Halas Hall knows that they have quite a task ahead with the murderous schedule. The Bears face Green Bay twice including a Thanksgiving day date and some honor of Brett Favre. An upgraded Detroit team twice. Arizona, Seattle and Denver to name a few. An 8-8 result is the best guess for the Bears especially inserting a new defense. I say don't count them out.
Still there was a question of why a quarterback wasn't drafted. Never mind the chatter of a trade of Cutler and let's not get me started again with the trade of Brandon Marshall. I like the idea of drafting a rb in the fourth round and a two running back system. While I am not a Matt Forte fan at all and would rather see another back in the backfield it is certainly better than the Kadeem Carey pick last year. Among a number of bad picks including the David Fales pick who should have gotten the start when Cutler was benched.
All of the trade Cutler talk has been conjecture. There was also word of Martellus Bennett being traded and avoiding training camp unless he gets a new contract. Again conjecture. "The Administration" has been quiet over the city which put the other city teams on the front page. Bulls and Black Hawks in the playoffs and of course baseball season.
John Fox's Bears can be better than Lovie Smith's teams. A complete purge of years of bad moves which in the end make the Bears a better team. Cutlers contract makes him hard to move but there's hardly anyone to replace him. Face it Chicago he's our man. I'm not complaining. I don't put the failures of past years on him. The man has many failings but a career year still. Questioning the Brandon Marshall pick is more about the cohesion of a very successful receiving core and needing to have an equal to Alshon Jeffery. That cohesion will be at the core of this offense.
The draft certainly put the Bears towards a cohesion they can win with but needing to put young players into a play now mode might bring out the ogre again in Cutler. Walking away from his OC on national TV. That'll get him traded faster. But he's not your problem. They keep changing coaches for a reason. That reason isn't totally on Cutler. Chicago isn't unlike any other corporation. Leaks and the like. Who might be traded Who might not be back. Who wants a new contract. Since no one has lit up twitter with any substantive content no one knows what the new Bears will be like. The future is bright for this team. They drafted like they meant it.
Still there was a question of why a quarterback wasn't drafted. Never mind the chatter of a trade of Cutler and let's not get me started again with the trade of Brandon Marshall. I like the idea of drafting a rb in the fourth round and a two running back system. While I am not a Matt Forte fan at all and would rather see another back in the backfield it is certainly better than the Kadeem Carey pick last year. Among a number of bad picks including the David Fales pick who should have gotten the start when Cutler was benched.
All of the trade Cutler talk has been conjecture. There was also word of Martellus Bennett being traded and avoiding training camp unless he gets a new contract. Again conjecture. "The Administration" has been quiet over the city which put the other city teams on the front page. Bulls and Black Hawks in the playoffs and of course baseball season.
John Fox's Bears can be better than Lovie Smith's teams. A complete purge of years of bad moves which in the end make the Bears a better team. Cutlers contract makes him hard to move but there's hardly anyone to replace him. Face it Chicago he's our man. I'm not complaining. I don't put the failures of past years on him. The man has many failings but a career year still. Questioning the Brandon Marshall pick is more about the cohesion of a very successful receiving core and needing to have an equal to Alshon Jeffery. That cohesion will be at the core of this offense.
The draft certainly put the Bears towards a cohesion they can win with but needing to put young players into a play now mode might bring out the ogre again in Cutler. Walking away from his OC on national TV. That'll get him traded faster. But he's not your problem. They keep changing coaches for a reason. That reason isn't totally on Cutler. Chicago isn't unlike any other corporation. Leaks and the like. Who might be traded Who might not be back. Who wants a new contract. Since no one has lit up twitter with any substantive content no one knows what the new Bears will be like. The future is bright for this team. They drafted like they meant it.
Monday, April 27, 2015
It’s been nearly thirty days and the Chicago Cubs are 10-7.
Not a great record for a team with high expectations. But once again it is the
first month of the baseball season. Some teams get off to a fast start and
fizzle and some get off to a slow start like the White Sox where it might take
another brawl with the Kansas City Royals for them to turn it around.
Chicago could be considered the sports mecca of the U.S.
right now with the draft being in town this Thursday. So the plight of both
teams could be taken off the front page of the newspaper. Let’s not forget the
Blackhawks and the Bulls advancing to the second round of their respective
playoffs.
But this is baseball season and with the Cubs having called
up two of their biggest named prospects the plight of the Cubs could over
shadow it all.
Kris Bryant will hit and I wouldn’t be surprised that he
hits nearly twenty home runs in this his first season in the MLB. Starlin
Castro and Anthony Rizzo are hitting like the all stars we’ve prayed they would
be. Addison Russell will start to hit like expected though I’m not sure he’ll
hit twenty homeruns this season. With the new playoff format the Cubs could
turn into the National League version of the Royals. And that could start of a
long run of successive seasons in the playoffs for this team. But there is
always the ever present St. Louis Cardinals who right now are two games up on
the Cubs in the division. By the middle of may that could change. What might
spur that is the fact Manager Joe Maddon is doing something an old Cardinals
Manager used to do, bat the pitcher in the 8th spot. Does that make
a difference? I’d say it does. This team is hitting. They have a lineup of
hitters. Patient hitters. Hitters who can draw walks and hit for power. What
does all this mean if they don’t gel as a team? Most of these guys are playing
together for the first time though we all know it takes just one good season to
create a special season. Just ask the White Sox and Colorado Rockies.
It’s been nearly thirty days and by no means have things
been settled but this a season about five years in the making. Mid season
trades of veteran players to build up a top rated minor league system. While I
wasn’t a fan of bringing up Kris Bryant early it seems as in the case of
Addison Russell necessity won out. I personally am not sold on Joe Maddon being
the savior for this team though he’s said all of the right things. I don’t
think it even required a change in manager to be doing what the Cubs are doing
right. I would predict they could be could be ten games over .500 this time
next moth. Or they could be around .500 and stay there the rest of the season.
I don’t think this team has the hype of the Washington Nationals a few years
ago or the Cubs during the Dusty Baker or Lou Pinella years. With Maddon’s
history in the American League and him treating this team like an American
League team it is possible to repeat what he did in Tampa Bay. Point being that
anything can happen with this team but a last place finish isn’t one of them.
Considering this is only a synopsis of the first thirty
days of the baseball season and to an extent everyone is still in first place.
Still thinking the key to the post season lies in a late season series in St.
Louis that is if the Cubs want to win the division as is everyone’s
desire. An 84 win season will get them
somewhere but not the National League Central Champion. A division which this
season is about middle of the pack in strength and I think 84 wins are a stretch
for this Cubs Team.
I don’t think this team can out hit its pitching
considering they haven’t played together long. And with their interleague
opponents the American League Central including Kansas City.
They have had some
signature wins particularly inside the division in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati
and Colorado. But the league is wide open in the early going.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Two Weeks In Spring
I don’t understand the fuss over sending Kris Bryant to the
minors to start the season. The Cubs already have a third baseman in
Mike Olt. They don’t need him to hit like Bryant but they need solid
defense at the hot corner. Last year Olt started the spring well and
struggled during the season. If that happens again I’m still not sure
Bryant is the one to put at that spot. I’ve heard of struggles in spring
training at the hot corner but that Bryant did well in the outfield. So
a couple of weeks of outfield training won’t hurt. The Cubs do have a
glut of outfielders as well as well as infielders like they went out and
collected as many position players as they could. They’re starting the
season with three catchers for goodness sake. I’m sure one of them will
be traded.
Someone might not be too happy if Bryant takes his spot. But this year is all about winning so someone will have to suck it up because this could be the next biggest superstar on a Chicago baseball team since Sammy Sosa (Sorry Paul Konerko I’m a Cub fan). Unfortunately he is persona non grata with the Cubs.
The numbers he put up in the minors and in spring training would say that he deserves to be with the team opening day. What would he be opening to? Half the ball park is missing because of construction. Think how much money they’re losing because of that. And what if the team starts out with a losing record the first couple of weeks with the weather up and down and swirling around? What if he strikes out a ton of times his first time facing major league pitching and he starts to hear the boos, and the media is all over him? If he thinks they were annoying before always asking about where he thinks he should start the season let’s see how he handles questions about errors if they pile up or strike outs if they pile up.
It isn’t easy being a Cub fan or player. Though it might be easier than some other large markets and we have a manager that can distract from any troubles the team is facing. But then again he hasn’t been in Chicago long himself. One thing that hangs over Cub fans like an interminable dark cloud is a century of fruitless expectation. This isn’t even the best team the Cubs have fielded over that time and any championship will have to go through St. Louis though for once we can happily say there would be the Yankees waiting no matter who wins. Kris Bryant could be the best thing that happens all season and fans with tickets want to see that something special which is why there is such an uproar every time Derrick Rose goes down.
There’s always some controversy with this team even after several consecutive losing seasons. Regardless of having possibly the best hitter in the league on this team or having the best minor league prospects in baseball they cannot get out of the shadow of the fact they haven’t won anything yet. Need I say anything about the Sports Illustrated cover with Jon Lester on the cover? As they say anything is a story until something else happens. Let’s see where this team is at the All Star break. If they do win it all and Kris Bryant plays any role I can see the cover of the first book written about it called, “Two Weeks In Spring.”
Godfrey Logan Outside Analysis 4/2/15
Someone might not be too happy if Bryant takes his spot. But this year is all about winning so someone will have to suck it up because this could be the next biggest superstar on a Chicago baseball team since Sammy Sosa (Sorry Paul Konerko I’m a Cub fan). Unfortunately he is persona non grata with the Cubs.
The numbers he put up in the minors and in spring training would say that he deserves to be with the team opening day. What would he be opening to? Half the ball park is missing because of construction. Think how much money they’re losing because of that. And what if the team starts out with a losing record the first couple of weeks with the weather up and down and swirling around? What if he strikes out a ton of times his first time facing major league pitching and he starts to hear the boos, and the media is all over him? If he thinks they were annoying before always asking about where he thinks he should start the season let’s see how he handles questions about errors if they pile up or strike outs if they pile up.
It isn’t easy being a Cub fan or player. Though it might be easier than some other large markets and we have a manager that can distract from any troubles the team is facing. But then again he hasn’t been in Chicago long himself. One thing that hangs over Cub fans like an interminable dark cloud is a century of fruitless expectation. This isn’t even the best team the Cubs have fielded over that time and any championship will have to go through St. Louis though for once we can happily say there would be the Yankees waiting no matter who wins. Kris Bryant could be the best thing that happens all season and fans with tickets want to see that something special which is why there is such an uproar every time Derrick Rose goes down.
There’s always some controversy with this team even after several consecutive losing seasons. Regardless of having possibly the best hitter in the league on this team or having the best minor league prospects in baseball they cannot get out of the shadow of the fact they haven’t won anything yet. Need I say anything about the Sports Illustrated cover with Jon Lester on the cover? As they say anything is a story until something else happens. Let’s see where this team is at the All Star break. If they do win it all and Kris Bryant plays any role I can see the cover of the first book written about it called, “Two Weeks In Spring.”
Godfrey Logan Outside Analysis 4/2/15
When In Doubt Call His Mother
Can’t say I’m excited as a fan of the Bears for their signing
of former 49er Ray McDonald. If he’s good enough to be signed by the
Bears why isn’t he still in ‘Frisco? Because he’s under investigation
for sexual assault and possible domestic abuse charges. Some would bring
up the fact that we had three seasons of Brandon Marshall.
Brandon Marshall in my view at the very least did none of the things he’d been accused of in the past while he was here and made a point of addressing mental health issues. Personal issues and bringing to the light a disease many people struggle with.
Neither Brian Urlacher the modern day version of Dick Butkus, nor Lance Briggs were angels off the field either. Does anyone remember Tank Johnson being released from the Bears after a supposed DUI not long after losing a friend in a night club shooting? The Bears let go of him quickly.
Now they bring in Ray McDonald after talking to his parents as if he is a college recruit. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio vouched for him as well but if you’re any of the women in either case you’re hardly singing the praises of the Bears for signing a possible wife beater and sexual deviant. It’s possible that McDonald might not even play the entire season for the Bears. Granted it is a one year contract therefore the Bears can jettison his as quickly as need be. My question is why take him on in the first place?
The Bears are going through a switch from their traditional 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense so it’s only natural to bring in players with some familiarity to the system. But when it is up to the Commissioner and the law whether or not a player sees the field with allegations like this hanging over his head why would you call his parents? As well as the current lawsuit for defamation against his former Fiancée. This young man is bringing with him more baggage than I have ever seen of any player to don the uniform.
Rumors are that McDonalds signing received the blessing of team Matriarch Virginia McCaskey much to the chagrin of many women’s/victims groups. I join in sharing their chagrin. This is akin to signing Ray Rice for a season. Although there is no alleged security tape that can cause league wide revulsion there is some sort of recording allegedly made by McDonald himself of him and his accuser having sex.
This might be a case of he said, she said. If the recording ever comes out whatever she said might not bode well for McDonald and I would hate for the Bears to be looking at a Super Bowl run when all of this comes down. What if this goes on into the next season and the Bears have decided to sign him to a longer contract? What do the Bears do then?
It easy enough to be a Monday morning quarterback but I cannot remember a time in Chicago where there was a player so reviled the rest of the league is flat out afraid of him. Maybe Albert Bell or Milton Bradley. In this case it isn’t the rest of the league that is afraid of him it is women. Considering Chicago is a city where women do love their teams it matters not that he paid for his own ticket to plead with a team to sign him. This is something that should be allowed to go through the courts before he sets foot on the field again.
Chicago has a thriving night life which is what most fans were afraid of with Marshall. Do we have to worry about the same thing with Ray McDonald?
Godfrey Logan Outside Analysis 3/27/15
Brandon Marshall in my view at the very least did none of the things he’d been accused of in the past while he was here and made a point of addressing mental health issues. Personal issues and bringing to the light a disease many people struggle with.
Neither Brian Urlacher the modern day version of Dick Butkus, nor Lance Briggs were angels off the field either. Does anyone remember Tank Johnson being released from the Bears after a supposed DUI not long after losing a friend in a night club shooting? The Bears let go of him quickly.
Now they bring in Ray McDonald after talking to his parents as if he is a college recruit. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio vouched for him as well but if you’re any of the women in either case you’re hardly singing the praises of the Bears for signing a possible wife beater and sexual deviant. It’s possible that McDonald might not even play the entire season for the Bears. Granted it is a one year contract therefore the Bears can jettison his as quickly as need be. My question is why take him on in the first place?
The Bears are going through a switch from their traditional 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense so it’s only natural to bring in players with some familiarity to the system. But when it is up to the Commissioner and the law whether or not a player sees the field with allegations like this hanging over his head why would you call his parents? As well as the current lawsuit for defamation against his former Fiancée. This young man is bringing with him more baggage than I have ever seen of any player to don the uniform.
Rumors are that McDonalds signing received the blessing of team Matriarch Virginia McCaskey much to the chagrin of many women’s/victims groups. I join in sharing their chagrin. This is akin to signing Ray Rice for a season. Although there is no alleged security tape that can cause league wide revulsion there is some sort of recording allegedly made by McDonald himself of him and his accuser having sex.
This might be a case of he said, she said. If the recording ever comes out whatever she said might not bode well for McDonald and I would hate for the Bears to be looking at a Super Bowl run when all of this comes down. What if this goes on into the next season and the Bears have decided to sign him to a longer contract? What do the Bears do then?
It easy enough to be a Monday morning quarterback but I cannot remember a time in Chicago where there was a player so reviled the rest of the league is flat out afraid of him. Maybe Albert Bell or Milton Bradley. In this case it isn’t the rest of the league that is afraid of him it is women. Considering Chicago is a city where women do love their teams it matters not that he paid for his own ticket to plead with a team to sign him. This is something that should be allowed to go through the courts before he sets foot on the field again.
Chicago has a thriving night life which is what most fans were afraid of with Marshall. Do we have to worry about the same thing with Ray McDonald?
Godfrey Logan Outside Analysis 3/27/15
My Man Thibs
If The Bulls and Tom Thibodeau part ways at the end of this
season it’ll be such a shame. Hardly like watching Jordan walk away from
the team and end up in a Wizards uniform. It’d be like letting your
best friend go for no good reason at all. It wouldn’t make sense. I’ve
heard that he can be a little rough on his players in the amount of
playing time they get or don’t get depending on who he likes to have on
the court in the 4th quarter. But I’d rather be a player who gets a ton
of minutes than a player who hardly ever gets into the game.
There has been gossip about a rift between him and management. I’m sure that can be said about Phil Jackson when he was here and while Thibs has no championship rings the two of them have one thing in common, winning. You can almost put any set pf players on front of Tom Thibodeau and he’ll find a way to win. When Derrick Rose went down last season the city of Chicago basically gave up all hope for the team doing anything special. Boy were we wrong when we ended up doing even better than expected.
I don’t know why regular season success hasn’t translated to success in the post season but for the 2012-2013 season where the Bulls lost in the conference semifinals to the Miami Heat. It isn’t for lack of effort or heart. There are a ton of teams who haven’t had nearly as much success and the fans of Chicago aren’t screaming for his head as much as they’re screaming to put hometown boy Derrick Rose to pasture. Which coach do you know wants to keep answering the same questions over and over about one of your players. Although it seems his defensive veneer has cracked with the Bulls losing a number of games that they were in or should’ve won because of said defense giving up 100 or more points something the hasn’t done very often in the five year Thibs has been here.
I’ve always felt like the front office in recent years have tried to win on the cheap which is not an easy thing to do. Considering the Bulls did nothing at the trade deadline and now have key players injured, the Bulls have nothing to put in place to assure the continuity of a winning team. When Jimmy Butler went down we did nothing. With Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose out their replacements are Aaron Brooks and Kirk Hinrich? While Brooks has played well this year this is not a squad that will win you any games in the playoffs. So why the questioning of Tom Thibodeau ? If the Bulls wanted to win and win now give him the talent to win with. Perhaps that’s why the Bulls and Thibs should part ways. Which would be sad because he would get snatched up right away and given the players to win with.
Godfrey Logan Outside Analysis 3/10/15
There has been gossip about a rift between him and management. I’m sure that can be said about Phil Jackson when he was here and while Thibs has no championship rings the two of them have one thing in common, winning. You can almost put any set pf players on front of Tom Thibodeau and he’ll find a way to win. When Derrick Rose went down last season the city of Chicago basically gave up all hope for the team doing anything special. Boy were we wrong when we ended up doing even better than expected.
I don’t know why regular season success hasn’t translated to success in the post season but for the 2012-2013 season where the Bulls lost in the conference semifinals to the Miami Heat. It isn’t for lack of effort or heart. There are a ton of teams who haven’t had nearly as much success and the fans of Chicago aren’t screaming for his head as much as they’re screaming to put hometown boy Derrick Rose to pasture. Which coach do you know wants to keep answering the same questions over and over about one of your players. Although it seems his defensive veneer has cracked with the Bulls losing a number of games that they were in or should’ve won because of said defense giving up 100 or more points something the hasn’t done very often in the five year Thibs has been here.
I’ve always felt like the front office in recent years have tried to win on the cheap which is not an easy thing to do. Considering the Bulls did nothing at the trade deadline and now have key players injured, the Bulls have nothing to put in place to assure the continuity of a winning team. When Jimmy Butler went down we did nothing. With Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose out their replacements are Aaron Brooks and Kirk Hinrich? While Brooks has played well this year this is not a squad that will win you any games in the playoffs. So why the questioning of Tom Thibodeau ? If the Bulls wanted to win and win now give him the talent to win with. Perhaps that’s why the Bulls and Thibs should part ways. Which would be sad because he would get snatched up right away and given the players to win with.
Godfrey Logan Outside Analysis 3/10/15
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