Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

NFC North Offseason News and the Poison Pill

Other than preparing for the draft, there's not much to talk about with the Bears these days.  Tank Johnson got hurt working out, had surgery, and is out four-to-six months.  Four months is the start of training camp.  Six months is the start of the season .  The Trib thinks it might be a full year.  We'll see.  The only other news is that the Bears released their preseason schedule.  Yeah, a big who cares.  There is some interesting news elsewhere in the division, though.

The Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks have gone and gotten themselves into a doozy of a pissing match, it seems.  First, the Vikings signed restricted free agent Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson to an offer sheet.  They put a clause in the contract that guarantees Hutchinson will be the highest paid lineman on the team.  With future Hall of Famer Walter Jones already making $7.5 million, the Seahawks couldn't possibly match that offer.  So they responded with an offer of their own for Vikings wideout Nate Burleson. 

First off, they offered Burleson $49 million over seven seasons.  Yes, that Nate Burleson.  The Vikings had offered $6 million over two.  It's a severely back-loaded deal and Burleson will be lucky to actually see even half of that, as the first four years only call for $15 million total.  The rest of the money was just to scare the Vikings away.  What's that you say?  The Vikings shouldn't be scared because this is the NFL and contracts aren't guaranteed?  Right you are.  Except the Seahawks put a clause in the contract stating if Burleson were to play five or more games in the state of Minnesota, the full $49 million would be guaranteed.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it!  They put an additional clause guaranteeing the money if his average salary is higher than the team's starting running back, which in this case is Chester Taylor making only $4 million a year.  What a bunch of bastards!  Paul Tagliabue is pissed.  Teams are going to start playing dirty pool like this to steal restricted free agents, and that shit ain't right.  Tags has got to act fast and nip this in the bud before it gets out of control.

Not much else going on in the division.  Favre is still taking his time on the crapper, and Javon Walker still refuses to play with him.  The Packers are looking for a trade.  I'd take him in a heartbeat, but I highly, highly doubt the Pack will deal him within the division.  The Lions?  Well, they still hate Matt Millen, think the new coach is a little nuts, and they know the new offensive coordinator is nuts.  But hey, they've got two new Quarterbacks, so things are looking up.

Till next time.....Go Bears!!!

2006 Cubs Preview

Yesterday, the Trib's Mike Downey went on record saying the Cubs will finish in last place this year.  That's a little extreme, isn't it?  It's not like I have visions of ticker tape dancing in my head, but it's going to take an awful lot of convincing to get me to believe the Cubs will be worse than both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.  The only way that possibly happens is if Prior and Wood miss the entire year, and Lee or Ramirez miss a significant stretch.  I don't want to say they're too good, but they're certainly good enough to at least hover around .500.  With a little luck, they could be even better.  Let's take a look at the Cubs lineup and give an optimistic yet reasonable prediction for 2006, along with whether or not the team has been upgraded, downgraded or stayed the same.  (This is my preferred lineup, Lord knows what Dusty will do.)

CF:  Juan Pierre - Even if he repeats last season's down year, he's still a huge upgrade over Patterson and a legitimate leadoff man.  His range his good but his arm is weak.  Look for a .305/.350/.350 from Juan with 60+ steals. 

2B:  Jerry Hairston, Jr. - Todd Walker - I'd prefer Walker, but Hairston is pretty solid.  After a down year due to injury and uncomfortable supersubbing, Hairston is healthy and going into the season with the knowledge that second base is his job to lose.  .280/.350/.400 with speed and solid D would satisfy me.  UPDATE (4/1/2006): Todd Walker, my choice all along, has won the job at second base (for now).  How about that?  Shocked the hell out of me.  Look for .300/.360/.450 with 20 HRs and 65 RBIs.  Hairston will get his starts when Dusty needs defense or speed, but it won't be a traditional righty-lefty platoon.  How progressive and un-Dusty like.  If Dusty balances the playing time right, this is an upgrade from last year. 

1B:  Derrek Lee - No problems here.  I don't expect another MVP campaign, but I would think .300/.390/.580, 40 HRs, 110 RBIs is a reasonable prediction.  Slight downgrade, but still great.

3B:  Aramis Ramirez - Aramis is healthy and absolutely tore up Spring Training.  Entering his age 27 season, I expect a big, big year.  .320/.385/.620 with 45 HRs and 125 RBIs.  Just stay healthy and he's a lock to rock!  Upgrade.

LF:  Matt Murton - This rookie had a big spring, himself.  Since he was brought up to the majors last summer, he simply hasn't stopped hitting.  His LF defense is merely adequate, but I actually expect Dusty to exhibit a little patience with Murton.  With Marquis Grissom retiring, he doesn't have a veteran option other than John Mabry, and he's not really a "proven" veteran in Dusty's mind.  Plus Mabry's a butcher in the field.  So it's Murton's job to lose.  .290/.345/.480 with 22 HRs and 85 RBIs.  Big upgrade over Holly/Dubois/Lawton/Murton.

RF:  Jacque Jones - I've discussed Jacque's positives and negatives in painstaking detail already.  Let's hope for a .270/.320/.440, 25 HRs, 70 RBIs.  In other words, Jeromy Burnitz.  Equal.

C:  Michael Barrett - Lots of people are predicting a big Fantasy year for Michael Barrett.  Let's assume the best.  .285/.320/.400, 20 HRs, 60 RBIs.  I'll take it.  Moderate upgrade.

SS.  Ronny Cedeno/Neifi Perez - Unfortunately, I expect Perez to supplant Cedeno by week three, if not sooner.  And Neifi's gonna have a bad year if he starts.  Last year was one hot month surrounded by five shite months, so his overall numbers looked adequate.  Take away the hot month, though, and his year looks like any of his previous three years. .236/.270/.320.  Oh well, at least he plays great defense.  I could live with him hitting 8th (or 9th when Zambrano pitches.)  If Cedeno gets a legitimate shot, I don't expect him to fair a whole lot better.  .250/.300/.350.  Downgrade.

Bench - Walker, Mabry, Pagan, Perez/Cedeno,  Blanco, Theriot.  Massive upgrade over Hollandsworth/Dubois, Hairston, Macias, Blanco, and a rotating cast of scrubs.  Big upgrade.

Starting Pitching. 
Zambrano - Great.  Durable. Fit. Due for a big year.  18-6, 3.20 ERA
Maddux - Looking good this spring and in great shape.  16-12, 3.90 ERA
Rusch - eh... 8-12, 4.65 ERA
Marshall - probably won't last but I'm hoping for the best.  Nevertheless, I'll go with a record of 1-3 and 5.40 ERA before demotion.
Williams -  12-10, 4.10 ERA.  I expect him to enter the rotation and remain there for most of the year. 
Wood, Prior, and Miller are set to contribute at some point, but who knows when.  My cousin Jim is having crazy delusions that Wood will start by early May and end up having a great season. Let's hope he's right.  And let's hope Prior learns how to pitch when "something doesn't feel right."  And let's hope Miller takes Rusch's spot.  Overall, this is a downgrade over last year's lousy rotation.  But there is some hope for an upgrade if Wood, Prior and the Easter Bunny make a contribution. 

Bullpen:  Big upgrade here.  Dempster, Eyre, Howry, Williamson, Weurtz, Ohman, Novoa/Koronka/Hill easily beat Dempster, Hawkins, Weurtz, Ohman, Novoa and a bunch of scrubs. 

I'll look at the rest of the NL Central later this weekend, and I'll give my predictions for final standings then.  Till then, Go Cubs!!!

UPDATE (4/1/2006):  The Cubs traded John Koronka to Texas in a three-way deal for reserve infielder Freddie Bynum from Oakland.  He can't hit much, but he's super fast and can play any position.  His walk rate ain't terrible either.  Think Jose Macias with speed and a little patience.  This move sends Theriot to the minors. 

For Sale?

The Wall Street Journal had a column today about troubles at the Tribune Company, and it went as far as suggesting selling the Cubs might be in the company's best interests.  The Cubs, as we all know, are a cash cow for TribCo.  They spent $21 million to buy the team back in 1981, and now the team is estimated to be worth more than $500 million.  How much money the team actually brings in annually is disputed, and ten accountants would likely give you ten different answers.  (I believe the official number lies somewhere in the $50 million range, but I could be wrong about that.)  Doesn't matter anyways, as the Cubs hide their profits in other creative ways such as the Wrigley Premium Tickets scandal.  They have first dibs on WGN TV and Radio, and they could be selling these rights for $1 for all we know.  God bless Corporate America. 

I'm not sure if selling the team would help the Trib, anyways.  The theory is sell the Cubs for $500 million, then use that money to dig the rest of the company out of the hole.  Would it help, though?  Here's an idea, keep the Cubs and shrink down other areas, like the print division.  Newspaper circulation is dropping like a stone across the country, especially among young people.  I read the papers every day.  Online, that is.  By the time a physical paper crosses my path, it's largely old news.  I don't need to look at yesterday's box score because I a) watched the game (or the mlb.com gamecast), b) read the game summary last night, and c) read a blog about it this morning.  I know what happened and I know how it happened.  If anything, I want you to provide insight as to why it happened.  And that's where the papers are often lacking, especially in this town.  Shock columnists like Jay Mariotti rarely provoke thought.  They simply take shot after shot, spewing negativity the whole time without providing any constructive criticism.  The occasional witty one-liner is about all I get from these guys, and that's about as useful as a bowl of Fruit Loops.  Pure sugar.

It's not just the Sports section, either.  National news and World news is downright laughable.  I've got CNN for that, so don't even try.  The papers, if they are to survive, should focus on local news and deeper analysis with outsider commentary.  Mike Kiley can't very well write what he really thinks of Neifi Perez if he wants to maintain a cordial working relationship with the team.  The moment he writes something bad, his interviews would dry up. 

Listen, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that bloggers are better writers than newspaper journalists.  They're not.  It's not even close.  There's a sea of crap out there, and for every good writer there's two-dozen hacks like me, if not more.  One thing the blogs do have, though, is unfiltered immediacy.  More and more mainstream media outlets are experimenting with blogs on their web sites these days, and I applaud them for their efforts.  Now take off the reins and let them run wild.  No space limitations, no worrying about what some lawyer might think, just use your talents and write, dammit.  I've developed a new found respect lately for writers like Buster Olney.  Before he started his blog at ESPN.com, I thought he was a stuffy, old school beat writer, incapable of little more than lazy, superficial analysis.  You know, like Phil Rogers.  Boy, was I wrong.  His insights on the steroid scandal and day-to-day articles about life as a beat writer are pure gold.  I'm looking at his more traditional articles in a new light now, and I've really come to enjoy his work.  That's what the papers need to survive.  Unfiltered immediacy. 

Where was I?  Oh yeah, the Tribune selling the Cubs.  That's where this whole post started before I went into a huge tangent about how to save the newspaper business.  (See what happens when you give an undisciplined fool such as myself access to a web site?)  I just realized that I never actually gave my opinion on the sale of the team as a Cubs fan.  Of course I'd love for them to sell the team.  Sell, sell, sell!  Sell to a maverick billionaire that cares more about team success than team profits.  For some reason, I can't see Dennis FitzSimons tearing up at a victory rally the way Jerry Reinsdorf did after Konerko handed him the final-out-ball at the White Sox ticker-tape parade.  So sell the team to someone who gives a damn.  You've had your 25 years.  Give someone else a turn to right the ship.

Grissom calls it a career and the Cubs make a trade

As recently as a few days ago, Dusty Baker was licking his chops at the prospect of 39-year-old Marquis Grissom stealing at-bats from Matt Murton and being the primary pinch hitter off the bench.  Luckily, Marquis recognized his wiltering abilities and undying need keep the couch from hitting the ceiling, and called it a career.  In essence, Grissom saved the Cubs from Grissom.  Grissom felt the youngster Angel Pagan outplayed him this spring, and he kindly stepped aside to make room for the kid.  In my mind, there wasn't much of a decision to make.  If Grissom was a few years younger, sure, I wouldn't mind having him around.  But he was awful last year and showed absolutely nothing this spring.  Baker's been raving about his veteran presence all spring and Grissom was a mortal lock to make the squad.  So with that, I thank you for your contribution to the ballclub.  You fell on the grenade.  You saved me the indignity of using you as my daily whipping post.  Good move.  Now I'm going to have to find someone else to boo.

In other news, the Cubs traded Todd Wellemeyer to the Marlins for a couple of long-shot prospects.  Both are 24 and have yet to pass single-A ball, and one is coming off Tommy John surgery to boot.  Pretty much a dump job as Todd was out of minor league options and unlikely to make the big-league club.  Might as well get something for him, so all-in-all it was a good move.  I remember Todd's major league debut, as he struck out the side and got the Save in the 17th inning of a 4-2 victory over Milwaukee back in 2003.  That was pretty much his lone career highlight for the boys in blue.  Like many a failed prospects before him, he's got a lively fastball but little control.  Good luck to you on the Marlins, Welly.  May all your fastballs be lively.

The Fifth Man

Thanks to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, there's a lot of questions that need to be answered about the Cubs rotation for the start of the season.  After Zambrano and Maddux, I think Glendon Rusch and Jerome Williams are pretty well set in stone.  Then there's the fifth man.  Luckly, there's a number of off-days in April, and the fifth rotation slot will only come into play once (on April 15th), and then not again until April 25th.  There's talk of Kerry Wood being available by the end of April, but let's just say I'm pessimistic about the chances of that actually happening.  So lets look at the candidates for that fifth slot:

Rich Hill - A lefthander that pitched 23 (mostly terrible) innings in the bigs last season.  He's kind of old (26) for a prospect, but anyone that's seen his 12-6 curve falls in love with his potential.  He's had a rough spring, as evidenced by his 6.92 ERA.  Still, he dominated in AA and AAA last year with 182 strikeouts in 122 innings. 

Sean Marshall - Right now, he's the fan favorite.  He's a tall drink of water, only 23 years old, left-handed, and he's yet to pitch an inning above AA.  I've seen him in preseason a few times, and he's looked great.  (The numbers back it up, too. 10 scoreless innings, 8 strikeouts, 6 walks).  He's a rather highly regarded prospect in the Cubs system but the knock on him is that he's often injured and has never pitched more than 96 innings in a single season. 

Angel Guzman - We've been hearing about this guy for years, it seems, but he's still only 24 years old.  A really skinny kid that reminds many of a young Pedro Martinez.  Him pitching for the Cubs, of course, has forced him to the DL numerous times over the past three seasons.  He only pitched 18 innings last year, but Baker still included him in the mix when he listed the candidates for that last spot.  He's been pretty solid this spring with 11 innings of 4.09 ball, but lots of walks.  Interestingly, Marshall, Guzman, and David Aardsma combined for nine innings of no-hit ball Saturday against Oakland.  John Koronka gave up a hit in the 10th and the Cubs ended up winning in the bottom half of that inning, 1-0. 

Jae-Kuk Ryu - Another well-regarded prospect in the Cubs system.  The Cubs have brought him along slowly, and you may remember him as the guy that killed an osprey a few years back.  He pitched pretty well last season at AA, though he's had a shaky spring, mostly out of the pen. 

So what we've got here is a plethora of prospects.  Every one of them is among the elite in the Cubs farm system (which in my opinion isn't saying much), and every one of them has some flaws to overlook.  Who would I choose?  Based on spring performance, I'd have to go with Marshall.  But that career-high of 96 innings really gives me pause.  What if he does good and the Cubs end up keeping him in the rotation for the rest of the season?  He could rack up over 200 innings and his arm would probably turn to sawdust.  So based on that, I'll go with Rich Hill.  Yes, he's struggled this spring, but in my opinion it's his last friggin chance.  If he can't make a decent go of it now, he probably never will.  Save the other guys for a brighter day. 

Does Zoom deserve a post?

I was listening to the Score this afternoon, and Boers and Bernstein were having a lengthy debate about Jerry Azumah.  (Azumah announced his retirement today.)  The debate wasn't about his status in Bears history or anything he accomplished, but whether he deserved to have a press conference announcing his retirement and how newsworthy the event was.  I thought the whole thing was kind of rude and it belittled Azumah, but they did have a point.  They asked an honest question that few listeners, if any, could answer, "How many Bears players have had press conferences announcing their retirement?"  They proceeded to rattle off some names of likely candidates, without knowing themselves if the players actually called press conferences or not.  It was kind of a worthless discussion, because nobody cares about the relevance of press conferences except the media members forced to attend.  But I digress....

The answer is there probably hasn't been a Bears retirement press conference since the last of the '85 Bears retired with the team.  These days, players usually retire with a team other than the one that made them famous.  Press conferences need not apply.  And don't forget the Bears haven't had many beloved players in the last dozen years, let alone players that retired in good standing with the team.  Most have been released, traded, or left via free agency. 

Boers and Bernstein agreed that the only current Bears player worthy of a retirement press conference is Urlacher.  And maybe Kreutz.  I agree that those are the most accomplished, longest-tenured Bears, but you don't think there'd be a press conference if Grossman, Moose, Ogunleye, Mike Brown, or any other twenty-something starter unexpectedly called it quits?  Of course there would.  It's 2006.  Teams hold press conferences to schedule press conferences. 

So what's Zoom's standing in Bears history?  He was a solid player for seven years on a team that made the playoffs twice.  He found his true calling as a kick returner a bit late in his career (Thanks for all the Leon Johnson, Jauron!), but nevertheless turned in a Pro Bowl performance in that role.  As the star running back at a DIII college, I always felt the Bears should have tried to work him into the offense a bit.  He was a bit undersized, though, so that was never going to happen. 

So have a nice retirement, Zoom.  When we're watching Chris Thompson doing the slip-n-slide next year as the primary nickelback, you'll be sorely missed. 

SoriaNO!

Phil Rogers of the Tribune thinks the Cubs need to acquire Alfonso Soriano to save their season.  Phil Rogers is on crack.  Ok, that's a cheap shot and entirely unfair.  Phil Rogers is misguided.  How about that? 

First of all, Soriano is terrible on defense.  Defensive statistics are kind of sketchy, and everyone has their own system that they believe in.  I'm not sure if I trust any of the systems completely, but I do know that if the three most respected systems agree that you're terrible, you're terrible.  Soriano is terrible, and in fact is worse than Walker, the guy the Cubs are trying to replace because his defense is so bad. 

Second, while he has decent power and lots of speed, his stats aren't quite as good as they look on the surface.  His walk rate is very low, and the quantity of outs he creates is almost Patterson-like.  Plus, he was aided massively by his home ballpark in Arlington the last two years.  Wrigley can be good for hitters, but over the past few years it's been rather neutral if not pitcher-friendly. 

Third, he's kind of a punk.  Yes, Bowden is a terrible GM that should have found out if Soriano was willing to move to the outfield before trading for him.  But still, if your team wants you to play outfield, you play outfield.  Don't sit on the bench like a punk.  You're being paid too much money to sulk.

Finally, and most importantly, he makes too much damn money.  He's owed $10 million dollars this year! 

Ok, you might be thinking I'm 100% against the acquisition of Alfonso Soriano.  Not so.  If he could be had without giving up a top 10 prospect, and Washington is willing to pick up half his salary, I'd make the deal.  Despite what I said, he'd still be a marginal upgrade over Walker, Hairston, or Perez.  His power and speed combo is that impressive.  He's just not worth $10 million dollars.  I'd rather save that money to acquire somebody who could make a bigger difference. 

Griese Signs

The Bears signed Quarterback Brian Griese to a five-year deal, the amount of which was not disclosed.  Unless they gave him $50 million dollars, it was a great signing for the Bears.  (I'm going to assume for now that the Bears didn't offer him $50 million.)  I didn't think the Bears had much of a chance to sign Griese, with their undying commitment to Rex Grossman and Griese looking for an opportunity to start.  The press release didn't say, but I'm assuming it's gonna be an open competition for the starting job.  Backups don't get five year deals. Perry has been telling me for weeks that Jerry Angelo wasn't happy with the Quarterback position, and I was insisting that the Bears were happy with Grossman and Orton.  I guess I was wrong.  Grossman still might develop into something special, but it's far from a guarantee.  One thing I do know is I'm feeling a whole lot better about our chances next season with three capable Quarterbacks on the roster. 

So what's to like about Griese?  Well, he's got more yards, more touchdowns, and a higher career passer rating than any Quarterback in Bears history.  Yes, that says more about the Bears ineptitude than it does Griese, but still.  Another thing is he's a sprite 31 years old,  which is prime for most Quarterbacks.  A lot of QBs take five or six years before they really understand how to play the position in the NFL, and then have a nice run of successful years in their early to mid-30s.  Guys like Rich Gannon, Brad Johnson, Steve Beurelein, and Chris Chandler come to mind.  Last year he was doing great with Tampa (5-1 start) before tearing his ACL.  (He should be ready by the start of training camp.) 

Anything not to like?  Well, he's coming off that ACL.  His career won-loss record isn't the greatest.  (39-33, which nevertheless is far better than the Bears record over the past 8 years).  And Denver gave up on him after a few well-publicized incidents with grandpa's cough medicine.  He's got a DUI, a few drunken fights with teammates, an incident where he fell down drunk in his driveway, and yet another where he claimed he tripped over his dog on the stairs.  So yeah, he's a lush.  I haven't heard any stories in several years, though, so perhaps he's grown up and dried out.  The Chicago Bears organization doesn't usually sign guys with such a questionable history, so I'm going to assume that they've done a full background check and are happy with the results. 

As you can probably tell, I'm pretty excited about this signing.  It signifies to me that the Bears are serious about winning next year.  At the very least, this lights a fire under Grossman's ass.  Best case scenario is the Bears win a Super Bowl.  Worst case is Griese falls off the wagon, Grossman gets hurt, and we look at another 10 weeks of Orton.  Not bad.  That's what you call hedging your bets.  And it only took Angelo four years to figure it out. 

Bears dip into Free Agency pool

The Bears made their first free agency signing on Friday by inking DB Dante Wesley, formerly of Carolina, to a two-year deal.  ChicagoBears.com says he a special teams standout, and I guess I have no choice but to take their word for it.  There isn't much to say about this signing, other than the fact that it's a warm body to take the place of "gunner" Daven Holly or Chris "single coverage on Steve Smith" Thompson.  Welcome to Chicago, Dante.  Oh, and the Bears are still $19 million under the cap.  They must be waiting for Colts to release Peyton Manning or something.

In internal free agency news, the Bears re-signed a few of their own guys recently.  Two weeks ago, Terrence Metcalf re-upped for six years, $12.5 million.  My first reaction to that deal was "Holy Crap!  That's a lotta years of Metcalf!"  I guess the Bears coaches are higher on him than the fans are, which admittedly is ok.  I remember five years ago, the Bears gave Jerry Azumah a big, long contract that I thought was crazy at the time, but he really grew into an elite kick returner and a solid corner.  (Speaking of Zoom, and since we're catching up on old news, the latest on him is that his latest hip injury will probably force him into retirement.  What a shame.)  The Bears also resigned TE John Gilmore to a two-year deal.  He had only one catch in 2005, though it was for a touchdown.  Kind of a surprising move.  Like all the Tight Ends on the current roster, he never showed me much.  Perhaps the Bears aren't targeting a Tight End in the draft after all.  Unless they draft one and cut Desmond Clark, which is certainly a possibility.

Elsewhere, I heard a rumor that Brian Griese was scheduled to visit Halas Hall this weekend, and I'd be all for him joining the team (provided he leaves his dog in Tampa).  He's a pretty good QB, and if given the chance, it wouldn't surprise me to see him beat out both Grossman and Orton for the starting job.  But since Grossman is the Bears' guy, Griese's visit will probably end up like last year's Kurt Warner and Brad Johnson visits:  contract-free.  The Bears will make it clear that Griese will be competing for second string, and he'll likely move on to a place where he has a chance to start.  Why are the Bears so afraid of giving Grossman competition?  I don't know if Grossman is the man or not.  He looked pretty good in the playoff game, but he still has just nine career games under his belt.  Make him earn the starting job.  If he's that good, beating out Brian Griese won't be a problem.

Bonds Update

Bud Selig was in the booth last night at the WBC and I was almost positive that he would get nothing but softball questions from Jon Miller about how great the WBC has turned out.  No doubt about it, that's how the interview started.  After a few minutes, though, Miller turned the conversation to Bonds.  Selig, of course, gave the standard "we're very concerned and we're still trying to figure out the right course of action" type of non-answer that you would expect from Bud.  ESPN's ever-present news crawl at the bottom of the screen, however, told a different story.  Two high-ranking MLB officials confirmed that no matter what is discovered about Barry Bonds' past history with steroids, he will likely not receive any suspension or penalty unless he's indicted for perjury or tax evasion.  That's the killer right there.  I finally read the SI book excerpt, and there really wasn't a whole lot of new information.  A lot of the most damaging stuff, from a steroid point of view, had already been revealed to the press through the BALCO investigations and other exposés.  The biggest problem Bonds has now isn't getting suspended from MLB, and it isn't having an asterisk put next to all of his records.  It's the IRS.  Remember, they brought down Al Capone!

When Pete Rose had all his problems with gambling, Major League Baseball did little more than ban him from the game.  They couldn't bring charges against him or anything, and the law didn't have enough evidence to prosecute him in court either.  But he did end up serving time for tax evasion.  Like Bonds, Rose collected money from memorabilia shows and forgot to include it on his tax returns.  He got caught, and served five months.  "Game of Shadows" contends that Bonds gave his mistress $80 grand under-the-table to purchase a house, and that he told her it was money he got from memorabilia shows that he wanted to disappear.  I was talking to a lawyer friend the other night and he was talking about Barry's tax problems.  I was thinking that Bonds is so rich, he should just be able to write a check and buy his way out of this problem with ease.  Too bad the law doesn't work that way.  Once you cheat, that's it, you're guilty.  You can't buy your way out of it.  On top of tax evasion, Bonds might get some heat for lying under oath in the BALCO case.  If the events portrayed in "Game of Shadows" are true, everything Bonds said under oath is a lie.  You can't play dumb and lie under oath like that.  Rapper Lil' Kim got busted for that last year and served time. 

So MLB won't punish him for the steroid use, and I whole-heartedly agree with that move.  The best course of action for MLB, in regards to Bonds and steroids, was perfectly outlined by Buster Olney of ESPN.   In case you don't have ESPN Insider access, here's a snippet.

 A much better strategy for Selig, I think, would be to come out and admit that baseball, as an institution, completely botched the steroid issue. A mea culpa. [...]

And this is what Selig could say, roughly: "This problem blossomed on my watch and although I feel good about the efforts we have made to clean this thing up in recent years, there were terrible mistakes made along the way -- I made mistakes, and Don [Fehr] has come here to tell you that he made mistakes. [...] It is clear that we didn't ask enough questions, and we didn't ask the right questions, and this problem grew into extraordinary proportions that none of us imagined.

"We wish we could go back and reconstruct exactly what happened and when it happened, who did what steroid in what year, and how it affected the game, but the reality is that we can't. We don't have the means to determine how steroids affected baseball, precisely, in the 1990s, or in the early part of this decade. We wish we could, but we can't, because we weren't testing players, and we lack definitive proof. [...]

"What we can do is dedicate ourselves to cleaning up the game as much as possible now and in the future, ensuring the competition has as much integrity as possible[...]

Coudn't have said it better myself. 

That said, if Bonds is busted for cheating on his taxes, look for a hefty suspension.  Get that dirty, cheatin, bastard out of my past time!

Rocket Man and the WBC

No matter the outcome, the World Baseball Classic has been an unqualified success.  My first post about the WBC concentrated on the flaws of the tournament while overlooking the positives.  I have come full circle on the issue.  It's been better than I possibly could have imagined, and I think virtually every viewer (and participant) would agree with me.  Some players have said this experience has been better than the World Series.  The next WBC is scheduled for three years from now, and then they will move onto a four-year schedule.  (The first break is only three years to move away from the Winter Olympics.) 

The team that's impressed me most, of course, is the Koreans.  They've gone undefeated in the tournament so far, and I never would have guessed that.  They've had some great pitching, timely hitting, and they play perhaps the most fundamentally sound defense that I've ever seen.  Japan is extremely tight on D as well.  I've heard stories about how hard they train and how many reps they do in order to play such fundamentally sound ball.  I know a team that could really benefit from this type of training regimen. 

As I'm writing this post, USA is losing to Mexico, 2-1.  If they lose tonight, it's over for States.  I'll be disappointed if they lose, but as Eric Neel of ESPN pointed out, a loss wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing in the world for the future of this tournament.  That said, in regards to timing, the Americans have had a decided disadvantage in this series.  (Thankfully the umps have leveled the playing field.)  Korea, Japan, and Cuba are all in the middle of their regular seasons right now, and they've all suspended play for this tournament.  A lot of the Caribbean players are just coming off the Caribbean World Series as well. Point being these players are in mid-season form, unlike USA who entered the tournament in Spring Training mode. The only way to solve this problem would be to delay the tournament to a two week break, mid-season.  I'd be a big fan of that, as well as ditching the pitch counts and slaughter rules.  Another problem for USA is the roster.  I don't know who thought Matt Holliday and Gary Majewski (Ma-who?) were the best choices to represent our country, but I suspect you'll see a little more star power next time around.

Speaking of star power, I had a brilliant idea while watching the game tonight.  Michael Barrett has been Roger Clemens' personal catcher in this tournament, and announcer Jon Miller talked about how great they've worked together.  I wonder if Barrett can convince free agent Clemens to join the Cubs up on the North Side this year?  It wouldn't seem logical, but neither did Clemens signing with Toronto a few years ago.  Since he wasn't offered arbitration, he won't be able to sign with the Astros until May 1st.  (I've also heard rumors of him signing with the Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox.)  But why not the Cubs?  They are in pretty dire straits right now with Wood and Prior, and Clemens would be just the ticket.   They've got money to spend, a great fan base, and did I mention they've got money to spend?   He would instantly become the Cubs second best (if not THE best) starter on the staff, and I would feel a whole lot better about the Cubs chances this season.  Think it could happen?  Let's start sending positive vibes towards Barrett, Clemens, and Jim Hendry.

By the way, USA just lost 2-1.  Wow.  Cuba, Domincan Republic, Japan, and Korea make up the final four.  Go Korea!

What's on Second

The only position up for grabs in Mesa this spring is at second base, where Neifi Perez and Jerry Hairston Jr. are trying to unseat the incumbent Todd Walker.  Walker is clearly the best hitter of the trio, but it appears he has worn out his welcome with the Cubs.  First it was his inability to turn the double play, but more and more lately it has been his mouth that's gotten him in hot water.  Accusing your manager and GM of lying will do that to you.  Walker should know better, though.  The Cubs never lie.

The latest rumor has Walker heading to Baltimore, aka The Land of Misfit Cubs.  First Sammy, then Corey, now Walk.  (Not to mention the aborted Tejada/Prior swap.)  If Walker is sent to Baltimoire, the Baltimore Sun has the Cubs receiving Luis Matos in return.  Luis is a decent fourth outfielder, but he'd be nothing more than a barely adequate stopgap in case Murton falters.  Or perhaps Hendry wants to platoon him with Jacque Jones?  I wish.  In short, I wouldn't do this trade.  We've got enough crappy outfielders on this team, and I really don't see much sense in trading your best second basemen. 

That's right.  The worst part of this whole deal is that it leaves us with Hairston and Perez to man second.  If Hairston were to get 150 starts, I could probably be convinced that he'd do a decent job.  He's not a bad hitter, and his defense is actually quite solid.  But with Baker in charge, that ain't happening.  It's Neifi's job to lose.  Remember, he "saved our butts" last year, according to Baker.  Yeah, without him they might have been in 4th place!  Wait a minute....

The Daily WTF

Gee, never saw that one coming.  Come on, man.  Why do we punish ourselves?  Every year, we fool ourselves into thinking things will be different.  But it will never be different.  These are the Cubs.  Any time they get something good going, fate squashes them like a bug under a fat man's shoe. 

So did the Cubs lie to us?  Or did this really just come up today?   The shitstorm about Prior's shoulder hit the web two weeks ago, and the Cubs denied, denied, denied.  Mainstream media was feasting on the Internet writers, saying we're all hacks (mostly true -- especially in my case) and that we couldn't report a story if it bit us in the ass.  I'd like to think that the Cubs are telling the truth, but a small part of me feels that his shoulder has been hurt all along, and that the Cubs simply delayed the news to kill the earlier story.  We'll see how serious this injury is soon enough.

With Prior out, let's take a look at what the Cubs projected rotation would look like if the season started today:  Zambrano, Maddux, Rusch, Williams, Hill.  With a juggernaut like that, I don't see how we can win less than 100 games!  Oops, I meant lose.  No, I'm not giving up on the season yet.  But if Prior and Wood....awe Hell, forget it.  I don't even want to finish that thought.  This team pains me too much.

Oh, and to add salt to my wounds, Derrek Lee bruised his shoulder diving for a foul ball in the WBC.  He'll probably be fine, but he's seeing a specialist right now, which is what we all do when we bruise our shoulders.  Right?

Alternate Titles for this Post:

1)  Never saw that coming

2)  Prior to joining the Cubs, he's never been hurt

3)  Wood and Prior fall apart like the Blues Mobile

4)  Same Shit, Different Year

5)  So much for 2006

Bears Watching Other Teams Spend Money

So much for Randle El.  The Bears offered Antwaan Randle El $18 million over 6 years to come and play for his home town team.  Instead, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder swooped in with his bags of money and acquired Antwaan's services for $31 million over seven years.  It was a no brainer for Antwaan.  I'd say that was a lot of money for a kick returner/slot receiver, but you know what?  That's what it took.  The Bears were left standing at the alter, once again.  Better to overspend and get your guy than spend nothing and get no one.  $20 million under the cap?  You do know that you can't take it with you, right?  They had damn-well better get a top notch cornerback, or this offseason will be a disaster. 

Other teams are spending money.  Aside from Randle El, the Skins also picked up Brandon Lloyd in a trade.  The Arizona Cardinals signed Edgerrin James.  Mike Anderson went to Baltimore.  The Saints are making a run at Drew Brees.  Both the Vikings and the Browns have signed like five guys already.  Speaking of the Vikings, this headline made me laugh for a second, even though I knew there was no possibility of the Hutchinson in question being Chad.  Back to Edgerrin James a minute.  This guy has been on my fantasy like six times in his seven year career.  He's a rock.  Now he's going to the most bush league franchise in the NFL.  Time to see if he's for real or he's a product of the system.  They haven't had a good running back since, since...Ottis Anderson?  Enjoy your contract, Edgerrin, and the 17 fans that might buy your Arizona jersey.

You know, I'm still pissed about Randle El.  He was the chosen one.  Daaa!!!!

Following Up

Just to follow up on a few posts from earlier this week....

Mike Mulligan of the Sun-Times thinks the additional cap space given to the NFL means that the Bears will be less likely to sign a marquee free agent.  Even though the Bears will be as much as 20 million dollars under the cap, he just doesn't see this organization getting into a bidding war with newly cap-flexible teams.  More buyers, higher prices.  With the Bears miserly history, he's probably right.  What a buzzkill.

The USA is wrapping up round one of the WBC against South Africa.  Derrek Lee of the Cubs smashed a two-run Homer and a two-run double as USA leads 14-0.  How this game is going is hardly surprising, as South Africa has nary a big leaguer on their roster.  USA did lose to Canada, though, and what an embarassment that was.  It wasn't that surprising, though.  Canada has some good hitters, and if they ran into a pitcher on an off day, in this case Dontrelle Willis, they certainly proved that they could light him up.  More proof as to why the World Series is a seven game series, if you ask me. 

Finally, with all the Bonds hubaboo, check out this pictorial.  Think he started using PEDs in the late 90s?  Nah.  It amazes me that some people, mostly Giants fans, are still defending him.  Saying that it's all a grand conspiracy.  What a joke.  Keith Olbermann made a great point on the radio the other day.  If Bonds has ANY shred of credibility, he will sue the crap out of these authors, the publisher, Sports Illustrated, etc.  And he'll win.  If he doesn't sue, and chooses to ignore it, well, he's done.  He might as well say, "I'm not here to talk about the past."  He will have lost all credibility.  Period. 

Enjoy your weekend!