Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

Bears vs. Browns - Meaningless

The Bears closed out the preseason with a nice 20-7 victory over the Browns, supposedly only the second time the Bears have ever won in the city of Cleveland in 17 tries (including preseason).  That's pretty shocking, really. 

Unfortunately, that's the most interesting thing I can say about this game.  (Thank God for the DVR on this one, I never would have made it if I had to sit through commercials.)  Both teams limited their starters to just a handful of plays in an attempt to stay healthy for the opener next week.  Well, it worked for the most part unless your name is Mark Bradley.  Some other thoughts:

• Grossman looked pretty damn good, but who cares?  It was Cleveland.  The Browns started former Bear 5th stringer Daven Holly at corner and ten other no-names on D.  Better to look good than bad, though, I suppose; and he did.  Now carry it over into the regular season.
• Griese played one series and had zero pass protection.  Lovie wisely removed him, no sense getting Griese hurt when he'll likely be starting by week 4. 
• All camp there's been a battle at Wide Receiver, and I think Rashied Davis' lack of playing time tonight assures his spot on the roster.  If not starting, certainly in the slot.  As for the rest...Ariese Currie dropped a Grossman TD, but made a few other nice catches and I think he earned the fifth spot.  Justin Gage, I'm not so sure.  His best chance to stick is if Bradley starts the season on the Injured List.
• Lightning Round:
• Starting Defense looked great, but again, it was the Browns.  Big deal.
• Devin Hester - the next Dante Hall.
• The Bears have a Tight End.  Who knew?
• P.J. Pope - If he didn't earn a spot on the roster, he certainly earned one on the practice squad.  Ditka said it best, though, when he said some team will pick him up.  Good luck, P.J. 
• Michael Haynes - the season-ending injury to Dvoracek opened the door for him to stay.  Still a major bustout for a first-round pick, though.
• JD Runnels - promising looking fullback.  I wouldn't be surprised if he surpasses the mediocre Jason McKie and starts by week 6.  Too bad about the injury to Bryan Johnson.  He never got a chance to do squat here.

That's about all I have to say about the "meaningless" football game tonight.  I'm preseasoned out, let's get going with the real games.  GO BEARS!!!!!!!

Girardi coming home to the Cubs?

After watching the Cardinals complete an embarrassing sweep of the Cubs last night, it's clear that I should stop paying attention to the 2006 version of the Chicago National League ballclub.  With that in mind, let's start looking at managerial candidates to replace Dusty Baker.  First up?  Joe Girardi.

Joe Girardi is currently employed by the Florida Marlins.  Girardi, in his first year as skipper, has done an outstanding job with the young Marlins this season.  After dumping most of their players this past offseason, most prognosticators projected Florida would lose 110+ games.  To everyone's surprise, the Marlins are just four games below .500 at this point and only four games out of the wild card in the weak National League.  (If only the Cubs were that good.)  They've certainly got a lot of young talent down there, but their success speaks just as much to Girardi's leadership.  He runs a very tight ship, and he stresses fundamentals.  He works daily with his players and he's an excellent teacher.  He even enforces a "no facial hair" policy like the Yankees, lest his team look like unprofessional fools.  Some might consider him a hard ass, but if you ask me that's exactly what the Cubs need.

Girardi does have his flaws, of course, and only a die-hard Marlins fan would be able to detail them for you.  Since they don't really have any fans, I'm going to do my best with what I learned watching a half-dozen Marlins games this year.  What stood out?  He's rather green.  His team seemed very well prepared, but he did screw up a few times with his in-game decisions.  I recall one game early in the season where his team had a 3-0 lead, and the middle reliever was struggling mightily.  He slowly loaded the bases yet Girardi didn't have anyone warming up.  Next pitch, two-run double.  He then decided to get somebody ready but it was too late.  Before he could bring in a new pitcher, a three-run homer was hit and the game was all but lost.  I noticed a few other moves that were just as questionable as well, though the details escape me.  So he's not perfect, nobody is.  But every day brings a new game, and he's learning on the job. 

Now, if Girardi is already employed by the Marlins, how can he come to Chicago?  Well, I was getting to that.  For some reason, it appears the Marlins front office wants him out.  A few weeks ago, Girardi reportedly got in a shouting match with owner Jeffry Loria after Loria was heckling the umpire from his front-row seats.  Girardi told him to shut up and it's been downhill ever since.  The situation has come to a head and now the NY Post is saying Loria "does not endorse" the return of Girardi for next season, and Buster Olney of ESPN is echoing the sentiment.  Fine by me, their loss is the Cubs gain.  If he's let go by the Marlins, he should catapult directly to the top of Hendry's managerial wish list. 

Assuming that A) Baker is let go, and B) Girardi is let go; how realistic are the chances of the Cubs hiring Girardi?  Pretty good, I'd say.  I'm quite certain that Girardi would receive multiple offers to manage, but the Cubs have to be the most intriguing team for him.  He's a Peoria native, went to Northwestern and grew up a Cubs fan.  Then, after a fine career that included two stints with the Cubs, and two with the World Champion Yankees, I would think his preferred destination would be a job with either of those two organizations.  Since Joe Torre doesn't appear to be going anywhere any time soon, the Cubs job is his.  The Tribune would probably love the good PR that came with the move as well.  Tribune too cheap, you say?  Not when it comes to managers.  No, they don't sign marquee free agents to play the field but they will spend money to put a popular man in the dugout. (see Dusty Baker and Don Baylor, though please ignore their results).  And with all the big spenders presently happy with their managers, the Cubs should be able to win any bidding war for Girardi's services. 

A month ago, I would have laughed if you suggested that Girardi would be available in the offseason.  I thought there's simply no way the Marlins would let him go.  But now it appears he's on his way out in Florida, and the Cubs have to find a way to bring him home to Chicago.

Bears vs. Cardinals: It's not looking good

Time is running out on Rex Grossman.  Grossman was much, much better this week in the 23-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and he actually resembled a professional Quarterback at times.  However, he STILL hasn't led the team to a single touchdown in 16 possessions, he threw another interception, and his total offensive output is only two field goals (which were scored in the three quarters Friday night.)  That's simply unacceptable.  How many more chances is this guy going to get?  Lovie Smith still refuses to acknowledge that there's even a quarterback controversy, and it says here he's simply being pig-headed about the issue.  Brian Griese clearly has earned the job, but the Bears will not acknowledge it.  It's not fair.  Not fair to Griese, not fair to the other 44 members of the team.  Lovie has sent a message that the starters earn their jobs at every position but one.  (well, two if you count Benson -- but I digress.)

In defense of Lovie, it IS still the preseason and the games they are losing will not count in the final standings.  All I can say is that the Bears must be operating on the stand that "we know what Brian Griese can do," and they want to see what they have in Grossman.  Remember when they signed Jeff George late in the 2004 season, and we were stuck watching Chad Hutchinson flail away at QB?  The fans were screaming for George yet Smith wouldn't put him in, stating simply "we know what Jeff George can do."  I always thought was a BS excuse, personally.  After watching training camp a few weeks ago and watching Grossman put Kyle Orton to shame in drills allows me to trust Lovie a little more.  When Lovie says Orton's third despite him not getting a legitimate chance at playing time this preseason, I'm trusting that Lovie saw the same thing from Orton that I saw, and that his place on the depth chart was determined in practice.  They probably have been seeing a strong effort from Grossman in practice that at least matches what Griese's been doing.  But it's time to translate that to the games.  I still believe that if Grossman's struggles extend into the first game of the regular season, Griese will get the job by week two.  At least that's what I hope. 

Elsewhere, this was a very sloppy game played by both teams.  In the second quarter, there was a comical sequence of six false starts over an eight-play span.  It looked like the teams decided to line up nine drunk frat boys and expected them to perform up to professional standards. 

Moose was a bright spot on offense, but he was pretty much by himself out there.  Despite the return of Thomas Jones, the Bears simply haven't gotten the running game going yet.  Perhaps a change at Quarterback would ignite the running game?

The starting Defense didn't look too hot either.  They would routinely shut them down on first and second down before giving up a first down on third and long.  I'm going to chalk this one up to the Bears not wanting to show too much on defense, as they will be playing Arizona during the regular season. 

Beyond that, Arizona looked pretty damn good.  New acquisition Edgerinn James didn't do much, but you know he'll be fine once the season starts.  And they've still got two Pro Bowl receivers in Bolden and Fitzgerald.  But what impressed me most was the play of Matt Leinart.  He clearly outplayed Grossman and his professional experience consists of less than two weeks.  What does that tell you?  Yeah.  Time for a new Quarterback.

Bears Preseason Update: Benson Walks Out

It's been confirmed that Cedric Benson decided to pull a Sammy Sosa and walk out on his team during last Friday's exhibition game.  Benson maintains that he was at the stadium but in the trainers room watching it on TV, though his teammates have ratted him out and said he wasn't there.  Whatever the case, this isn't young Cedric's finest hour. 

So let me get this straight, we've got one running back that skips "voluntary" workouts and another that walks out on games (albeit games where he did not dress.)  Wonderful.  What kind of ship are you running, Lovie? 

I'd say this maneuver probably puts Jones back at number one on the depth chart.  It's been a long time coming.  As for Benson, I'm not sure what to think.  Does he think that because he's the starting tailback that he can start acting like a prima donna and skip out on games?  Or is he simply a 23-year-old that made a mistake?  We'll found out soon enough. 

What Lovie needs to do, besides crack down on his players, of course, is insert Jones as the starter and let Benson compete fair and square.  Neither one of these punks should get the job handed to him, while Jones should rate a slight edge for the good work he did last season.  If Benson starts outperforming Jones, give him the ball more.  If he doesn't, give it to him less.  I'm sick of this messing around and neither of these guys has a single carry yet this preseason. 

What I really want to know is, where's all the classy guys in this league?  Where's the next Walter Payton? 

Cubs Trade Neifi: Party at my place

Yesterday, the Cubs traded Neifi Perez to the Detroit Tigers for single-A catcher Chris Robinson.  Wow.  I've never been one of Neifi's biggest fans, and in fact, some might think that I'm a Neifi basher.  Well, those people are right.  But really, Neifi sucking has little to do with Neifi.  Neifi's a solid backup shortstop that's good with the glove but lousy at the plate.  By all reports, he's a great guy in the clubhouse and his teammates loved him.  Check out this glowing eulogy of his departure. 

Dusty Baker continually misused Neifi, and he's the one who should be blamed for Neifi's lack of success.  Neifi should never, ever, bat second, and he should never start more than once per week; even if the starting shortstop is injured.  If the starter is injured (Nomar, anyone?), that's when you go out and acquire someone else to start.  It's that simple.  And when Neifi doesn't start, Baker often used him as the first bat off the bench.  That's ridiculous.  There's a famous study going around that suggests Neifi is the worst hitter of all time.   That's a little exaggerated and unfair, as the worst hitters of all time don't last in the majors long enough to accumulate so much sucktitude.  But as far as everyday players that have lasted 10+ years in the majors, Neifi is the worst hitter among them.  And that's the guy Jim Hendry rewarded with a two-year contract this offseason.  Brilliant move by Hendry.

On the bright side, this may be Trader Jim's shrewdest move since he became GM.  Getting the Tigers to take the last year of Neifi's contract.  Despite all the negatives I listed about Neifi, I bet Jim Leyland will use him right.  With Polanco out, he'll probably start for the last six weeks of the season.  But I bet dollars to doughnuts he doesn't bat higher than 9th in Leyland's lineup.  Then next year he'll be little more than a defensive replacement.  Which is what he should have been all along. 

I don't want to waste any more words on Neifi Perez. He's gone.  Time to move on and perhaps do a keg-stand.  Later!

Bears-Bolts Recap

The Bears pretty much destroyed the San Diego Chargers Friday night by a score of 24-3.  Well, at least the Bears' Defense and Special Teams did.  The Offense, much to my chagrin, remained stagnant.  Here's what I saw:

• Rex Grossman played a little better this week, but overall was still rather shoddy.  He didn't lead the team on any scoring drives and he threw an interception in the end zone.  He did complete a few more passes, though, and at this rate by Week 12 he'll throw for 300 yards.  I'm looking forward to it. 
• Brian Griese again looked pretty good.  With two possessions, he lead the team to one score with a sweet touchdown pass to Justin Gage.  I'm still in Rex's corner, but my patience is wearing thin.  I'm with Jay Mariotti when he says Rex has the rest of the preseason and the first regular season game to work things out.  If he can't get the offense moving by then, go with Griese.  As we've seen over the past 15 years, playoff opportunities don't come often enough to let the next (potential) Rick Mirer hold back this elite defense. 
• Speaking of defense, they were pretty great.  Urlacher's interception return for a Touchdown was especially nice.  Other than the missed tackle by Chris Harris that allowed a 33-yard scamper by NIU's Michael Turner, which led to the field goal, the Bears held them down all game.  Great pressure by the line, good tackling...just a much improved performance over last week.  Nice to see.
• Special Teams were solid as well.  Rashied Davis had a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, and Devin Hester secured punt returning duties with another nice return.  They're ready for the season to begin. 

That's pretty much it.  Two more preseason games to go and it'll be time to start hitting for real.  Defense and Special Teams are ready, but the offense still has a few kinks to work out.  They're running out of time.  Let's get it going.

Cubs Update: Baker's still managing!

He's still managing!  He's making moves!  - Steve Lyons on Dusty Baker

He managed that 18-inning game like it was game 7 of the World Series.  - Phil Rogers on Dusty Baker

He's still managing.  That's what Dusty Baker apologists like to say.  He hasn't given up.  You know what I say to that?  Who f--king cares?  He's got 4 million reasons to keep managing, and he'll keep managing until Jim Hendry says he doesn't have to do it anymore.  Besides, if he were managing like it was the 7th game of the World Series, he'd have made a dumb move to lose the game.  Dave Veres, anyone? 

With the Cubs recent stretch of not-horrible play, I'm starting to get a sense that Hendry might offer Baker a one or two-year extension.  Six weeks ago it looked like he wouldn't make it past the All-Star Break, and now we're talking extension.  Unbelievable. 

Look, it's not Dusty's fault that the Cubs have such a bad record.  It really isn't.  But he is NOT a part of the solution, so he must go.  Every time I see Neifi in the starting lineup and batting second, I get physically ill.  Every time I see him double-switch a good hitter out of a close game, I want to throw myself in front of a train.  Every time I read a quote from Dusty about how the players don't need to practice fundamentals and that his job is not to teach, I want to set myself on fire.  Enough already, enough. 

Impressions from Bears Preseason, Game 1

The Bears lost to San Francisco Friday night in the first exhibition game of the 2006 season.  In preseason, though, it really isn't about winning or losing, it's about how you play the game.  So how did they play, you ask?  Well, not great. 

First and foremost, exactly what the Bears had hoped wouldn't happen, happened.  Rex Grossman played poorly and Brian Griese was lights out.  If there wasn't a Quarterback controversy before, there certainly is one now.  I personally wouldn't pull Grossman just yet, but I would let it be known that he's on a short leash.  Grossman played bad, but not Chad Hutchinson bad.  He didn't play his way out of a job with this performance.  Not to make excuses, but he was playing without his Pro Bowl Center and with his third string Running Back.  He just didn't look comfortable back there.  And Griese, well, Griese was awesome.  He picked apart the 49ers second-string secondary the way a former Pro Bowl Quarterback should.  His 41-yard bullet to Rashied Davis for a Touchdown was especially impressive. 

I think Rex knows that Lovie and the Bears aren't married to him.  In fact, the Bears at present owe more money and years to Brian Griese.  So they're not going to stick with Rex if they feel Griese gives them a better chance to win.  They know Griese is very good, they don't know how good Grossman can be.  They'll stick with Grossman just long enough to find out.  If Grossman continues to struggle, Griese will start by week three.  Book it. 

Other thoughts from the game:

• Rashied Davis looked great.  The former Arena Football two-way player played Cornerback and Special Teams last year but this year has converted to Receiver.  Smart move, as he caught everything within reach and showed nice breakaway speed.  He's the leading candidate for the 5th WR position, if not higher on the depth chart.
• The other WRs looked OK.  Moose, Berrian each had a catch, and Bradley showed a couple of nice moves.  He did fumble once, but I can overlook that if it doesn't become a Bobby Wade-like pattern.
• Orton looked like Orton, even against the third stringers.  One nice pass, a lot of poor ones. 
• PJ Pope showed some nice moves, but I don't think he'll stick unless Benson's shoulder doesn't heal.
• The Defense looked average.  They kind of played "bend but don't break" defense.  Give up a few first downs, toughen up in the red zone. 
• The Bears have some decent depth in the secondary now.  Behind Vasher and Tilliman, they've got Dante Wesley, Ricky Manning, Jr., Danieal Manning, and a few others.  Collectively, a much better group than the bozos that got burned by Steve Smith last January.
• Niner QB Alex Smith looked much improved over last season.  He was horrible last year, by far the worst QB in football.  Don't put him on your Fantasy Draft cheat sheets just yet, though, as Norv Turner's offense looked rather gimmicky with a QB rollout every other play.  If they keep that up, they won't go anywhere during the regular season.
• Third Rounder Devin Hester had a nice kick return, and an amazing but ill-advised punt return.  On the punt return, he fielded it at the five, already a no-no, then ran the width of the field back through the end zone before turning on the jets and ending up at the 30.  Fun to watch, but I'm sure Special Teams coach Dave Toub gave him an earful.

That's about it.  Despite the loss, it was fun to watch football again.  Till next time....Go Bears!

A Trip to Bears Training Camp

On Tuesday morning, I trekked down I-57 to Bourbonnais, Illinois to watch the Bears practice up close and in person.  It really wasn't as far as I thought, and we made it there in a little over an hour.  This was my first trip ever to Bears training camp, and I'm extremely glad I went.  First off, it's free.  Free parking, free entry to watch practice.  Of course, they make you walk through the Bears Pro Shop on your way to and from the field, and there's a plethora of ways to spend money, but you don't have to spend a dime to have a good time.  That's huge.  Second, it's the Bears!  The ironic thing about professional football is that ninety percent of football fans never get an opportunity to actually see their favorite team play in person.  That's crazy, if you think about it.  I personally have only been to five games in my life and I consider myself a die-hard.  So just seeing them is pretty cool.  Beyond that, the Bears have a real nice operation going on down there.  Activities for kids, autographs, fun for the whole family.

As for the practice itself, I learned one thing.  Kyle Orton is firmly entrenched as the third string quarterback.  The bearded one is simply not an accurate thrower.  Comparing him to Grossman is like night and day.  (Griese had the morning off so I didn't get to see him throw.)  Grossman would hit his receivers in the paws, perfectly in stride.  Orton, if his receivers were even in reach, consistently had to speed up or slow down to make a reception.  Orton threw one pick to Hillenmeyer that simply defied logic.  A receiver wasn't within 10 yards of Hunter.  So yeah, Orton's going to do an awful lot of sitting this season (hopefully).  Remember when I wrote up a camp preview wanting to give Orton a legitimate shot at the starting job, along with the other two guys?  Well, forget that.  Had I not witnessed Orton's performance in person, I might have hemmed and hawed about his lack of opportunity.  Trust me, his place on the bench is well earned. 

After practice the players walked by a throng of autograph seekers on their way to the locker room.  I didn't get anything signed, I just stood back a few feet and let the kids gobble up all the signatures.  It was pretty cool, as nearly every starter stopped to sign for a while.  Some of those guys are real monsters, too.  Fred Miller, for example, is a beast.  6 foot 7, 320 pounds of solid muscle.  I was trying to imagine Olin Kreutz breaking his jaw, and the two of them rolling around on the floor of a gun club.  It was probably like King Kong versus Godzilla.  It was also cool to see some of these guys personalities come out in front of the kids, too.  Tank Johnson and Tommie Harris were pretty funny, and John Tait seemed like a (giant) gentleman.  Ron Turner was surprisingly chatty as well. 

One thing funny after the autograph session, as we were spending money in the Pro Shop (lot's of cool stuff available, by the way), my cousin spotted Robbie Gould walking through and perusing the merchandise.  He, of course, was not a monster lineman but a regular-sized kicker.  Short his helmet and uniform he was completely unrecognizable, and nobody said a word.  Pretty funny.

And that sums up my thoughts of attending Bears Training Camp.  Fun for the whole family.  I'll be back tomorrow with thoughts on the first preseason game, this Friday against San Fran.  Till then...

Riding the Wave to Back to Back Cubs Games

On Sunday, I was at Wrigley to watch the Cubs down the Pirates, 6-1.  Then Tuesday I took a road trip up to Milwaukee to see the Cubs beat the Brewers, 6-3.  This brings the Cubs record to 5-2 when I'm in the building this year, and if I ever needed an excuse to see more games...that's it.  Here's some thoughts on both games. 

• Rich Hill was awesome for his second straight start.  Yes, one could scoff and say, "it was just the Pirates, Hill proved long ago that he can dominate AAA hitters."  But still, there were more than a few major leaguers on that roster, including pair of legitimate All-Stars.  Hill must be allowed to stay in the rotation for the rest of the season.  If Dusty pulls him for any reason other than injury, he's to receive fifty lashes with a wet noodle. 
• I saw The Wave first-hand and no, I didn't participate.  We don't do The Wave at Wrigley.  We leave that to the San Diegos of the world.  However, if twenty-five thousand people collectively decide that doing the Wave is going enhance their enjoyment of the game, who am I to piss in their Wheaties.  I watched the people do it.  They had fun.  Don't make a big deal out of it.  (But stop them from doing it again.)
• Miller Park is a really nice place to see a ballgame.  The roof was open, so I didn't get the dome experience, but everything else about that park was first rate.  The food was awesome (had a Brat and the Gorman Thomas pork sandwich).   The sight lines, parking, and stadium exhibits(statues) were nice.  I also liked the little league stadium in the parking lot for kids to play in before the game, that was really cool  The in-game entertainment wasn't obnoxious, and the Sausage Race lived up to it's billing.  Plus they've got Leinenkugel on tap, and who doesn't love Leinenkugel?  It's probably the best non-Wrigley stadium that I've ever been to. 
• That said, their fans need help.  The fans that were there seemed jovial and respectful, it's just that there simply weren't that many of them.  Cubs fans easily outnumbered the Brew Crew, and that's just embarrassing.  Where are you?  I just got finished telling you how great the stadium is, and the team isn't that bad either.  There's some good young talent up dere, and a nice place to see it.  Stop crying in your High Lifes about Bud Selig, 20 years of misery, etc, and go support your team. 
• That said, some of the Cubs fans that travel are embarrassing.  By the end of the game, they were too drunk to sit.  I saw this one guy in the parking lot wearing nothing but tiny Cubs jogging shorts, a sideways painters hat, and an Old Style in his left hand.  He looked like Will Farrell about two-seconds before "we're going streaking!"  Of course, those shorts came down and we were looking at his hairy ass.  Didn't see that one coming.  I will now stick hot pokers in my eyes in an attempt to eradicate the image. 
• As for the game, it was technically over after the first inning.  Ohka was pitching batting practice, and the Cubs responded with smash after smash until the score read five-nothing.  Marmol was ok, but he still needs to simply settle down and throw strikes.  He's got 47 walks in 63 innings, at least twice as many as an effective big leaguer should have.  But he's sadly the Cubs best option at this point, so they have to keep running him out there for the rest of 2006.  In 2007, though, you'll probably have to travel to Iowa to see him pitch.

That's it for me.  I also made another trip in between baseball games to Bourbonnais, Illinois.  I'll be back with a full report on that tomorrow.  See ya!