Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

Bears Shopping Season about to Begin

The NFL Free Agency signing period officially begins this Friday.  Are the Bears gonna be buyers?  Shortly after the season wrapped, Jerry Angelo said that the Bears had no major holes to fill and that he didn't expect to be in the bidding for any of the marquee guys.  But this week the Sun-Times reports that the Bears will be taking a long hard look at Antwaan Randle El, and possibly a few others.  That's great news, if I do say so myself.  As previously discussed, Randle El would be a great addition to this franchise.  By no means is he the best receiver in the league, and he's not even the best receiver on the Steelers (see Ward, Hines).  But he IS a gamebreaker.  The Bears clearly need a guy on offense that can make plays.  Slot him along side Muhammed, Bradley, and Berrian, and all of a sudden the much-maligned receiving corps looks like one of the deepest in the league.  No joke.  So open your checkbook, Jerry. 

A few other guys are worth taking a look at, specifically at Kicker.  Both Adam Vinatieri and Mike Vanderjagt are available, and both would represent a massive upgrade over Robbie Gould.  (I love ya under 45 yards, Robbie, but a trip to GNC for some “vitamins” might not be a bad idea.)  Who wouldn't want Vinatieri?  He's only won like three Super Bowls with his right leg.  (Which is why I expect him to resign with New England.)  Vanderjagt?  Nah, he's an idiot.  Actually, the market for kickers is unusually deep this year.  Ryan Longwell and Joe Nedney are both available, and I think both would easily beat out Gould if given the chance. 

The Bears could also use another Cornerback to light a fire under Peanut Tillman's ass.  I'm not sure if they should break the bank on a Charles Woodson or Ty Law or anything, but there is some quality available.  Will Allen of the Giants looks pretty good to me, and restricted free agent Ricky Manning, Jr. (Carolina) might be a steal if given the opportunity to sign.  Elsewhere in the secondary, Angelo might want to take a look at Chris Hope of the Steelers.  Mike Brown's time on the training table is starting to concern me, and Mike Green is not the answer.  (If he IS the answer, I don't want to know the question.)

The usual suspects are available at QB this year, Frerotte, Couch, etc, so if Angelo's looking for a veteran backup, he might well be stuck with the one he's got.  Jeff Blake.  Speaking of Bears free agents, they don't have many.  Hunter Hillenmeyer and Terrance Metcalf are the big “names”, and they aren't likely to draw a lot of interest from other teams.  I would think Hillenmeyer is coming back, unless Angelo's got another linebacker up his sleeve.  Metcalf, probably not after the Garza extension.  And while we're on the subject of “not coming back”, it looks like former first-rounder Michael Haynes has played his last game in navy and orange.  He just wasn't good enough to beat out Adewale Ogunleye or Alex Brown.  Or Ian Scott.  Or Tank Johnson, Alfonso Boone...you get the idea.  The success of the defense this year really saved Angelo some wrath in regards to Haynes doing his best John Thierry impression.  Expect him to be released or traded. 

Finally, since I mentioned Tank Johnson, Angelo finally spoke to the media about Tank's altercation outside a night club a few weeks ago.  It doesn't sound like he's going anywhere.  Angelo said, “He's going to learn another lesson the hard way. But we like Tank. He's a good kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”  Yep, that sounds just like the guy who reportedly said, "You ain't the only one with a Glock. If it wasn't for your gun and your badge, I'd kick your ass."  Yep.  A standup guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Happy hunting this offseason.  Go Bears!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Welcome to the Chicago Cubs Virtual Waiting Room!

Tickets for 2006 home games are on sale now.

I've been staring at that for about an hour now.  Thirty seconds...refresh.  Same thing.  Ugh, is there anything more frustrating that buying tickets online on the day that tickets go on sale?  Anything? Anything at all?  I suppose it could be worse.  I could be freezing my ass off at Clark and Addison right now.  Or making my fingertips bleed by hitting redial on the phone several thousand times.  But this still suckss. 

To make matters worse, Perry got in after about 2 minutes of waiting.  What a lucky bastard.  Check that, a lucky Sox fan bastard.  Geez.  When he was having the Virtual Waiting Room blues last week, when Sox tickets went on sale, I was thinking that maybe my luck as a Cubs fan would change.  All the bandwagon fans at Wrigley might have been attracted to the gleam of the World Series trophy on the South Side.  No dice.  While I'm sure that more than a few people have shit-canned their “We Got Wood” shirts in favor of good guy black, the Cubs will still sell out Wrigley regularly this season.  It'll take more than Dusty Baker and a few late season collapses to kill the Cubs popularity in this town.  If ninety-seven championship-free seasons didn't hurt ticket sales, a ninety-eighth will obviously have minimal effect.  So instead of three million tickets sold this year, look for 2.5 million.  At this rate, obtaining tickets in 2045 should a breeze.  Wish me luck.

Update: Around noon, it became incredibly easy to get tickets.  I guess people got pissed off and logged off.  Oh well, my gain.  I got tickets to four games within a half hour.  Oh, happy day.

Update (2/25/06):  Brewers tickets went on sale today.  I logged in and got four primo seats to a Cubs-Brewers game.  They use the same tickets.com software that the Cubs use. Total time spent online?  Three minutes, with no waiting.  A little easier than the Cubs experience, don't you think?

Mark My Words

Cubs fans are abuzz about Mark Prior and his shoulder.  Will Carroll dropped this bombshell in his report for the excellent Baseball Prospectus the other day:

"You can't have spring training anymore without pitcher problems or at least rumors of said problems. Those usually start with the Cubs, and this year is no different. Reliable sources -- the same ones that tipped us early to Mark Prior's Achilles problem -- now tell us that Prior is having shoulder problems. The Cubs deny this and point to Prior's work on the mound. Prior was doing towel drills on Saturday, but this is the same type of work he was doing last year when there was a problem. According to our best sources in Mesa, Prior looks 'weak and sick.' Until he throws, we just won't know, though I'd like to believe Larry Rothschild."

It's interesting how the local papers are reporting this.  Check out this tasty nugget from Paul Sullivan at the Tribune:

"And because anyone with access to a Web site can pretend to be a journalist, they often do. Prior said he feels good and expects to be throwing off a mound within the next few days."

As a true hack with access to a web site, I'm not offended by this.  But Will Carroll shouldn't be lumped in with the rest of us idiots.  I've been reading Carroll's work for several years now, and I've come to trust him as a reliable source.  His specialty is in player conditioning and injuries.  He's written for slate, espn.com, mlb.com, has two books published, and has contributed to several others.  He's not some hack.  He's been burned a few times with some less-than-100%-accurate insider reports, but for the most part his stories are dead-on, balls accurate.

The Sun-Times gives a different view of the whole situation. They acknowledge the spottiness of some of Carroll's previous reports, but they also point out the Cubs less than stellar reputation for being truthful about injuries. 

"Keep in mind, the Cubs are the ones who tried to conceal Prior's elbow pain in spring training 2004 by saying his slow progress was entirely because of an Achilles tendon problem."

Gee, I wonder which of these two media companies owns the Cubs? 

The less optimistic Cubs bloggers out there would like to remind you that single-game tickets go on sale this Friday, and that TribCo is hiding information that might hurt sales.  Does one man make a difference on sales?  Well, yes.  What are the chances of the Cubs making the playoffs without a healthy Mark Prior?  Pretty slim.  So the hopes of an entire season may well rest on his shoulder.

So what's the real story?  Frankly, I don't know.  Nobody does, really, other than Mr. Prior himself.  What I do know is he hasn't been throwing a baseball, and that he's behind schedule.  The Cubs say he'll be ready by opening day, but until I see him actually pitching every five days, I'll just have to take their word for it.  And hope that the tickets I buy this Friday aren't to watch another sub-.500 team.

Bulls, Tank in Trouble

Seems like Tank Johnson is fond of his gun, and he doesn't care who knows about it.  "You ain't the only one with a Glock. If it wasn't for your gun and your badge, I'd kick your ass," he was reported saying to a police officer when his limo was getting ticketed outside a night club the other night.  A struggle ensued and mace made an appearance.  Tank was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest.  This isn't his first incident while a member of the Bears either, as he's still on parole from a previous altercation.  (not to mention he had a few "character issues" in college as well.)  I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up serving time.  But if he doesn't, what do the Bears do with him?  Usually the McCaskey family doesn't put up with such shenanigans and you can bet your ass that if he were a less significant player, he'd be cut in a heartbeat.  He's pretty good, though.  Not a "starter", but he plays a significant amount as the first tackle off the bench in the Bears' defensive line rotation.  He'd probably start on half the teams in the league but here's he's stuck behind pro-bowler Tommie Harris.  And despite the reserve role, Tank did have five sacks this past season.  So they can't just cut him.  My guess is old Tank just had his second strike.  One more, and he'll find himself in the unemployment line with Terrell Owens. 

As for the Bulls, they just wrapped up a 2-5 Western Conference road trip.  Friggin ugly.  Ben Gordon gave a Kobe-like performance (on the court, that is) for the first several games of said trip, prompting Sam Smith of the Trib write, "Trade him now!"  I love Ben Gordon, but it's not the worst idea in the world to trade him while his value is at it's highest.  So who should they put together a package for, Sam?  Kevin Garnett?  Paul Pierce?  Get this, old Sam wants to trade Gordon for Ray "He got Game" Allen.  What a jackass.  Thanks, Sam, for the reminder on why I shouldn't read your columns. 

As for this recent road trip, the Bulls were in all but one of their five losses.  They just couldn't seem to seal the deal, though, which has been a recurring problem for, oh, eight years now.  If I've seen it once, I've seen it a hundred times.  The Bulls come out of the gate as flat as can be, and go down by double digits.  They come back behind a tremendous run, yet one or two bone-headed plays at the end of regulation and they walk out of the building with slumped shoulders.  Or sometimes they vary playbook and start the game with a big run before blowing it in the second half.  That's not much fun to watch either.  Whichever game they play, the outcome is usually the same.  Six of their next seven games are at the United Center, and if they have any hopes of sneaking into the playoffs this year, they better go on a run starting tonight. 

The Dead Zone

There hasn't been a lot to write about lately as we're in the midst of the biggest sports dead zone of the year.  The Super Bowl is over, Spring Training is still a few weeks away, pro basketball and hockey are in the middle of their seemingly endless regular seasons, and March Madness is still a month away.  We've got the Winter Olympics this year (starting tonight!), but I honestly don't care all that much.  (Same goes for the Summer Olympics.)  It's not that I don't have national pride, it's that I simply can't get too jazzed up over a three-week vacation from real sports every four years. 

Part of the reason I can get so caught up in professional team sports, (like NFL and MLB), is that I can follow the my favorite team year-round.  I can check out the box scores, analyze the stats, and follow news items on team progress nearly every day.  It's even easier when you live in the vicinity of the team that you follow.  You can listen to sports radio or talk to co-workers and friends daily about the ongoings of your favorite team.  It's more than a hobby, it's a lifestyle.  The Olympics are, at best, a cute diversion.  Don't get me wrong, I'll watch a few events, and I might even get some moderate enjoyment from them.  Eight guys skiing down a mountain to determine who's fastest, well, that tugs at the very core of human competition.  People have been staging such rudimentary personal tests of ability since the dawn of time.  Even cavemen, provided they had skis. 

But when it comes to how much personal enjoyment I gain from watching these events, downhill skiing just doesn't compare to my local professional teams.  As hard as NBC and Bob Costas try, I simply don't have the personal investment in Olympic sports.  And I never will.  (Unless, of course, one of my kids becomes an Olympian.)  I need the day-in, day-out rigamarole that comes with following the Chicago Cubs.  I need stats.  I'm simply not satisfied with a sport where there's only one number to shoot for.  33.7.  That's how many seconds it took to ski down a mountain.  That's great!  Where's my BA, HR, 2B, 3B, RBI, OBP, SLG, OPS, WS, RCAA, VORP, BABIP, etc, etc, etc.  And don't even get me started on the subjectively scored olympic events.  This figure skater earned a 9.7 and that one earned a 9.6.  Why?  Well, the second skater's footwork on their crossover lunge was slightly inferior, that's why.  Huh?  Who cares.

And finally, I frankly don't believe that most Olympians are "the best athletes in the world."  The best athletes in the world are playing big-time professional sports for large quantities of cash, thank you very much.  If someone offered Michael Vick eighty million dollars to dedicate himself to becoming the world's fastest man, I imagine he'd go down in history as one of the best sprinters of all-time.  Olympians are offered four years of rigorous training for a single event that lasts 15 seconds.  And maybe a few hundred grand in endorsements if they manage to win the gold.  You wake up with a blister on your toe on the morning of your race?  Too bad.  Your life was wasted.  And it gets worse as the events become less marquee.  You don't think if Brian Urlacher dedicated himself, he couldn't win a competition like the hammer throw?  Ha!  These guys not only have the raw tools such as speed and strength, but they have the talent and coordination to put them all together and excel at the highest levels of professional sports.  Whether it's football, soccer, boxing, or whatever; the best athletes in the world are playing professional sports.  (Notice I didn't say that ALL professional athletes are the best athletes in the world.  Not when decided non-athletes like John Kruk or your average placekicker are earning a living.) 

At this point, you may have gathered that I'm not a huge fan of the Olympics.  How right you are.  But I'm still going to watch the opening ceremony tonight and root like hell for the gool ol' US of A.  USA! USA! USA! And in ten days I'll get on with the rest of my life, starting with Spring Training.  See you then.

Re-cap! Re-cap! Re-cap!

Well, that was interesting.  Sort of.  The game was very evenly matched, and if anything Seattle outplayed Pittsburgh all day.  Yet Pittsburgh still won, 21-10.  How did that happen?  Well, it all boiled down to a few plays.  Third and long, Roethlisberger bomb across the field to Hines Ward at the two.  Willie Parker, 75-yard touchdown run.  Antwaan Randle-El touchdown pass to Ward.  Throw in the fact that Seattle blew several chances throughout the game, (although I think that pass interference call in the end zone was BS), and that's that. 

The funny thing is, as I was watching the game, I realized that the only thing I cared about was that the beer stayed cold and the wings stayed hot.  I really didn't care who won at all.  A few weeks ago, I was casually rooting for Pittsburgh.  Then, since most of the prognosticators were taking Pittsburgh, and Pitt was favored by four, I started slightly pulling for Seattle.  But I really didn't care.  I was far more concerned with the numbers 7-0 or 5-9 to come up so I could win some cash on the squares.  Missed out on that, too.

I'm ready for baseball.  Bring on Spring Training!

Da Super Bowl

I've already given reasons why to root for the various teams, and an ever so brief preview of the big game.  Consider this take two.

This is Super Bowl XL, or Super Bowl Extra-Large.  Get it?  Ha!  This makes me the 3,000,000th person to make the Extra Large reference.  That and today's Trib gets me a coupon for 50 cents off at Dunkin Donuts.   Seriously, though, the media is starting to annoy me.  Right now we're getting inundated with articles that rip on columnists for writing stock stories.  It's getting to the point where articles mocking articles about hometown boy Jerome Bettis are outnumbering the articles about hometown boy Jerome Bettis.  And articles that rip people for ripping on Detroit are surpassing articles that rip on Detroit.  Consider this the first article ripping the articles that rip on articles that rip Detroit.  You suck.

As for the game, I think I'm going back on my original prediction.  I earlier tossed off a one liner that Pittsburgh would win it all.  After watching the championship games, though, and listening to a few weeks of hype, I'm going to reverse my prediction.  I like Seattle in this one.  Their D is solid enough to contain Roethlisberger, and I think Bettis will pass out before he hits 50 yards on the day.  I also like Hasselbeck and Alexander.  Watching Alexander cut back in the championship game was amazing. He routinely was turning nothing into 15 yard gains.  With Darrell Jackson now healthy, the receiving corps will shine for Hasselbeck.  I'm going to be conservative with my pick, and say Seattle 27, Pittsburgh 17.  But it wouldn't surprise me if it was a blowout.

Bears Roundtable, take 1

We're going to try something different here on Chicago Sports Blogs so bear with us while we work out the kinks.  Perry and I are going to do a roundtable discussion of various aspects of Chicago sports.  I know, we're not exactly inventing plutonium here as the concept has been done before.  The Sportswriters on TV started doing this 20 years ago, then Sports Radio took the idea and ran with it.  Nowadays, PTI does it, Around the Horn does it, newspapers do it, bloggers do it.  Everyone does it.  But Perry and I are going to put a twist on it.  We're not going to shout over each other to make our points!  Lets see how it goes...
 
MikeJ:  The topic of this roundtable is going to be the 2005 Bears and what needs to be done for 2006.  As fun as the regular season was, the way it ended in the playoffs was like getting de-pants in a crowded high school cafeteria.  Not good.  So Perry, what should be Jerry Angelo's first order of business this offseason? 

Perry:  It was more like asking a girl out for prom going to pick her up, only to find out she was out dancing with Steve Smith. Sheesh.

Ok - First order of business for the Bears should be on offense. I can't make up my mind if I'd rather see another wideout or if a prime time tight end might help more. A tight end would be a great addition. Especially if you consider we might end up playing the majority of next season with either Orton or a third string quartberback. Do you really think Grossman can stay healthy? The smart money says no. If we could add someone who can block and catch and basically be our version of Antonio Gates would be spectacular.  So I'm pushing for drafting a  big time tight end. Maybe the kid from UCLA. I'm not sure. If you want to talk about free agency, I've got a name in mind that would have immediate impact...

MikeJ:  Tight End?  We've already got a Pro Bowler in Desmond Clark!  No, seriously.  Ah, who am I kidding, Tight End has been a weakness for this team since Emery Moorehead left.  Dominique Bird from USC looks pretty good, but then again any fifth option with a shred of talent would look good in that offense.  He's got a cool name, though. ('80s hoops, anyone?) The real question is, if we had a legit Tight End, would Ron Turner know how to use him?  Don't answer that. 

I'm with you on Grossman.  He's looked pretty solid in limited opportunity, but I won't believe he can stay healthy until he actually does.  It sure is nice to have Orton backing him up, and not the Steve Stenstrom flavor of the week.  Sure Kyle hit a wall at the end of the season, all rookies do.  But I'm confident that he can be a more than capable backup next year, and even start a dozen games in a row after Grossman's inevitable injury.  Elsewhere on offense, what do you want to do with Cedric Benson?  And I'll bite, who's your Free Agent acquisition?

Perry:  My free agent acquisition (which I've written about already) is Randle El. I think our team is pretty good. We are lacking in skill at a small number of positions. We need a tight end, some more depth at safety, a shut down corner, and finally a return man. The special teams crew would dramatically increase their ability to keep us in a game or maybe even win a game or two if we had someone explosive returning kicks. Besides, Randle El is the perfect guy for this city. He grew up here, went to school in Indiana, and he played quarterback. Everyone knows the most beloved player on any Bears team is the third string quarterback. Don't you want to see him under center during the preseason? I bet he out guns both Orton and Grossman. I look forward to Lovie admonishing the media for neglecting to mention Randle took the ball under center during garbage time...

MikeJ:  I'm all for signing Randle El.  He's not a game breaking WR like Steve Smith, but he's proven to be an excellent number two man.  (His name? Number Two.)  And he can return punts.  But here's a question.  Is he really any better than Mark Bradley or Bernard Berrian?  We won't really know until we see him lining up in the same system, with the same QB.  Moose certainly didn't look the same without his buddy Jake Delhomme. 

As for Cedric Benson, I'd like to see a full-blown competition between him and Thomas Jones in camp.  I think we've seen the best that Jones can offer, but we haven't seen the best of Benson yet.  Don't get me wrong, we can win with Jones.  But Benson is still a mystery.  He was a force in college, and the Bears gave him a lot of money.  I hope the Bears don't trade him before they see what he can do.  Priest Holmes, anyone? 

Perry: There is no way in hell Randle El isn't better than both Bradley AND Berrian. Especially because he doesn't need to play as the #2 receiver. He can play the slot receiver. More importantly he stands a good chance at scoring at least 5 times on special teams. Did I also mention that could end up playing QB for us before the year is over?

As for Cedric, I didn't mean to ignore him. I'll leave that to the brilliant minds of Lovie Smith and Ron Turner. I expect Angelo to stand by his man. That means it's an open competition whether you like it not. His ass is still on the line as a GM. He needs to prove he can draft an impact player on offense. Hell, an impact player, period. Cedric might be the guy, but I doubt it. He is a clear headcase. He didn't show up to camp on time, and as a result they threw him into Bears jail. That's the same jail they threw Kyle Orton in when they let him only run 25% of the plays in the playbook.

MikeJ:  If the Bears sign Randle El and he starts a game at QB, then Angelo and Smith should be fired on the spot because that means the season will be over and they've clearly lost their minds.  Watch the game Sunday, and you tell me that Randle El is such a gamebreaker that he'd even make Kyle Orton look good.  Not happening.  Speaking of Orton, he was given the same playbook as Grossman.  He just didn't execute as well and he didn't take as many chances.  He always checked down to the second or third option. 

Elsewhere, I wouldn't mind seeing some more youth on the offensive line.  They did a really good job this year, and they didn't miss a beat when Garza and St. Clair came in as injury replacements.  But a couple of those guys are getting old.  I'm looking at you, Ruben Brown and Fred Miller. 

On defense, I echo your earlier remarks about needing additions at Safety and Corner.  One more injury, and I'm moving Mike Brown into the Kerry Wood Hall of Fame.  And Peanut Tillman is an enigma.  At times, he looks like the best corner in the league.  The rest of the time he looks like Chris Thompson slipping on a banana peal.  Another corner would, at the very least, light a fire under his ass.  I also wouldn't mind another linebacker to replace Hillenmeyer.  He's solid, but nothing special. 

Perry: Wow, that's a lot of changes for a team with the best defense in the league.   Time to start wrapping this up.  Where should I begin? Let's start with everyone's favorite, Randle El. The thing about Randle El is that he is a playmaker. Most of those plays actually score. He can do everything. Run, pass, and throw if need be. I'm not saying he should be our quarterback - but I dare you to tell me he wouldn't make the other 2 guys sweat. Just think about that for a second. Do you think there are any other division winning teams this year that have a quarterback situation so uncertain that it makes Randle El viable as an option? It would be great to see someone as athletic as he is join our team. He fits our mold. Besides, he's 26 years old and a Cubs fan. That should make you happy.

As far as the O-Line goes, I expect a late 4th round pick in that category. Anytime you can get a big young gun on the O-Line, jump at the chance. Especially if he has to protect fragile QBs his entire career in Chicago. I would expect a draft or a free agent pick up that actually is allowed to touch the football. You know, someone who can score points. It's clearly our deficiency. I'm sticking to a big play tight end who can block and catch across the middle AND a slot receiver. We need someone that will make us regret giving Moose 13 million. It might also light a fire under the rest of those guys on offense. Speaking of offense, how crazy is it that I think we need a wideout in our run-first game plan? Where is Ron Turner in this conversation? If I am to believe it's a run first offense next year (as it was this year), then forget the wideout. In fact, I have something crazy for you. Trade Thomas Jones away and force Cedric to be the man. You want balls of steel. There they are. Trade Thomas Jones now, and get a few picks and maybe a player who can help in the other categories we have been covering in this thread.

I know it sounds crazy, but Cedric Benson is supposed to be the franchise, right? Prove it. Put your money where your mouth is.  Hah!

MikeJ:  I'll keep my money away from my mouth, thank you very much.  Jones and Benson (and Peterson) are all under contract for next year.  Whichever one that DOESN'T get the opportunity to break out should be the one that's traded (after the season of course.)  You can never have too much depth in the backfield.  (Look at Green Bay this year.)  And you wonder why we're talking "pass" so much in Ron Turner's run-first offense?  Quite simply it's because the passing game was so anemic this year, it would seem to be the most obvious need.  The fact is there AREN'T a lot of glaring needs for this team.  Sure they could use an upgrade in places, everyone can.  But the fact is this team isn't far away from contending for a Super Bowl next season.  If Angelo plays his cards right, and the team stays reasonably healthy, we'll get there.  Go Bears!