Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

The Sixth Pick? For Briggs?

The Redskins have apparently offered to swap first round picks with the Bears for the rights to Lance Briggs.  The Bears would give up, (in addition to Briggs), the 31st pick and pick up the 6th overall pick in the draft.  In the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, "DO IT!! NOW!!!"

Bears Sign a Trio

The Bears made a few moves this weekend, re-signing Ruben Brown and adding on a pair of defenders.

I'm very happy that they were able to keep Brown.  A one year, $2.2 million deal is a no-brainer for the Pro Bowl guard.  They still need to draft a lineman or two, but the line in 2007 is going look exactly like the line that started the Super Bowl, and continuity is key in the trenches.  When I think of Brown, I can't help but think of him pulling out and bulldozing a path for Thomas Jones on fourth down in the playoff game against Seattle.  A perfect play, etched in memory forever. 

On the other side of the trench, the Bears signed former Niner Anthony Adams to a four-year deal.  I don't know much about this Defensive Tackle, other than what I read in the Pasquarelli article announcing the deal.  ESPN had him ranked the 25th best free agent available this offseason, so he's probably on par with an Ian Scott or Alfonso Boone, both of whom are goners. (Well, I suppose they may re-sign Scott, but it doesn't seem likely with Adams in the fold.)  Nevertheless, he should fit the scheme nicely and the Bears shouldn't suffer much of a dropoff while Tank is suspended. 

The other signing, I think, is Tyrone Carter, a Safety from Pittsburgh.  The reason I say "I think" is because the blurb I saw about his signing in the Pasquarelli article earlier is now gone.  Did Pasquarelli jump the gun with this news and ESPN took it down?  I know what I saw.  Oh well, if the Bears DID sign Carter, then he'll be expected to fill the Todd Johnson role on the team (now that Johnson is with the Rams).  If they DIDN'T sign Carter, well, then they still need to get someone to fill that role.  I guess we'll know if they got the guy sooner or later.  Right?

Bear Down.

UPDATE (3/27/2006):  They did NOT sign Carter.  ESPN screwed up, as noted at the tail-end of this story.

Felix Pie: Should he stay or should he go?

Felix Pie is tearing it up in Spring Training for the Cubs.  Pronounced Pee-Ay, the Cubs number one prospect, is a 22-year old, five-tool center fielder from the Dominican.  This spring, he's hitting .354 while supporting a .404 OBP and playing excellent defense.  It would seem like a no brainer that the Center Fielder of the Future should be the Center Fielder of Today.  Slide Alfonso Soriano to Right and Jacque Jones out of town.  Seems too simple.  Or is it?

Corey Patterson alert!  Corey Patterson alert!

You hate to hang that saddle on the kid, but the similarities are astounding.  The five tool player with a sweet swing, fast wheels, but questionable plate discipline is the most recent example of a prospect that was rushed to the show before he was ready.  Is Pie ready?  Consider:

• He's the best defensive center fielder on the 40-man roster right now.  The combo of him in Center with Soriano in Right is probably worth 3-5 wins this season defensively alone. 
• He has had far more success in the minor leagues than Corey Patterson ever had.  Corey tore it up in A-ball, was mediocre in AA, and struggled in AAA.  Yet he still climbed the ladder at light speed to sit on Don Baylor's bench at age 20.  I don't want to say he was ruined, but damn it, he was ruined.  Let him have some success in the minors.  Giving such a raw player one at-bat per week is criminal.  Pie has not been nearly as rushed.  Taking on one league per year, he's had at least moderate success at every level.  Finally up to AAA last season after recovering from an injury, he proceeded to have a strong second half. 

However, as a wise human spider once said, "with great power comes great responsibility."  There's this:

• As much as I rag on Jones, his projections at the plate for 2007 dwarf those of Pie.  He's good for another 28-30 HRs and 80 RBIs against righties alone.  (Literally alone.) 
• Pie's lofty spring average is almost entirely comprised of singles.  One double, one triple, 15 singles.  That's it.  Singles hitters tend to be less lucky when the season starts.  It's the guys that can consistently drive doubles into the gaps (if not over the fence) that end up being the best hitters in the game.  He's forecasted at having that sort of power in the bigs eventually, but he's not there yet. 
• There's still that plate discipline issue.  His walk rate isn't as bad as Patterson's, but it's still not much to look at.  Most projections have Pie around .270/.313/.350 this year.  That's barely better than Neifi.  (And this is our number one prospect?!)  Well, I think he'll be better than Neifi, but he won't come within sniffing distance of Jones in '07 so they'll probably be better served sticking with Jacque. 

So that's that.  Send Pie back to AAA, and if he hits like a banshee for two months, bring him up then.  Just don't bring him up to sit him.  Once he's up, he starts.  Every day.  Until then, stick with Jones. 

Bears Trade for Archuleta

The Bears made a trade today with the Redskins for Safety Adam Archuleta.  The Safety position was probably the the most overlooked question mark heading into this offseason, with all the Briggs, Jones, Rivera, and Lovie stuff going on; and it's nice to see an early resolution before the draft.  With Mike Brown's failing health and Todd Johnson departing, it's clear the Bears needed help at Safety.  Should they have looked to the draft for a third year in a row?  I'm glad they didn't.  Danieal Manning and Chris Harris are solid, and Manning in particular might eventually amount to something special.  But a third young player in the secondary is a recipe for disaster.  Time for a veteran.

So now the question:  is Adam Archuleta the right guy?  Absolutely.  He's a hard-hitting six-year vet that played under Lovie Smith for the Rams, so he already knows the Bears scheme inside and out.  That knowledge alone is a huge step up from the greenies.  Plus, the man can hit.  He's like Gary Fencik if Gary Fencik played today and wasn't allowed to clothesline people any more.  He's a good run stuffer, too. 

What I'm trying to figure out now, is, does this mean the end for Mike Brown?  Personally, I'd give Brown one more chance.  Not only was he a great player, but he was the heart of the defense.  (Well, Urlacher's the heart, but Brown was like a main artery or something.)  Like Mark Prior and Kerry would for the Cubs, I wouldn't exactly count on Mike Brown next season, but I wouldn't release him either.  The thought of Brown and Archuleta wrecking havoc over the middle with the Mannings in on the nickel is a dream of happy days. 

Jerry Angelo just took one step towards taking the Bears back to the Super Bowl, and I applaud him.  Bear Down.

Tank Sent to the Clink

Tank Johnson was sentenced to four months in jail today for violating his probation a few months ago.  Tank's no angel, but it seems a bit excessive to me.  Yes, he had a few guns in the house without the proper permits, but it's not like he bought them off the streets from a crack dealer.  He purchased them legally in Arizona and he possesses the proper permits for that state.  So this was an oversight.

It was also an oversight when he went to a nightclub one day after his house was raided.  He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when his friend/bodyguard was shot and killed.  He had every right to be out clubbing less than 24 hours after the raid.

Oh, and last year, when he threatened to kick the cop's ass?  That wasn't his fault, either.  Tank's just unlucky, that's all.

OK, I'll come out and say it:  the dude's a thug.  Lock him up.  Scare his ass straight.  Let me see, four months....  That brings us to August, just in time to play a few preseason games.  It's a good thing he won't miss any professional football and he'll get a chance to earn his seven-figure salary.  I mean, you wouldn't want to really PUNISH the guy.

What a joke.

Vacation's Over: Did I miss anything?

I'm back. 

March 18, 1995.  Basketball icon Michael Jordan returns to the Chicago Bulls with a (somewhat pompous) two-word press release.

I'm back.

March 11, 2007.  "Idiot with an Internet connection" returns from a seven-day trip to Mexico with an (extremely pompous) two-word declaration.

Did I miss anything? 

• Lance Briggs has vowed to never play for the Bears again.  "Trade me or remove the franchise tag," Lance (more or less) said.  You see, Lance's feelings are hurt.  He just doesn't understand why the Bears would want to hold on to one their best player's rights for (at least) one more season.  Seven million dollars?  An insult.  You know, it turns out the NFL is not all puppies and fresh-cut daisies.  In fact, the NFL is a God-damned business, after all.  Who knew?  Cry me a river, Lance.
• Thomas Jones has been traded to the Jets, clearing the way for Cedric Benson to start earning his paycheck.  For Jones, the Bears get to move up 26 spots in the second round of April's draft.  It doesn't sound like much, but it's a pretty big jump (according to Jimmy Johnson's chart.)  It's the equivalent of obtaining a 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounder; or so Jimmy says.  I don't know about this one.  In fact, nobody knows, nor will anybody know about this one till at least 2008.  It all depends on how Benson and the Bears do.  If the Bears make the Super Bowl next year, then it was a fine trade.  If Benson does awesome, regardless of the team's performance, then it was certainly justifiable.  If Benson blows (either figuratively or a knee), while Jones pulls a Marshall Faulk, then it may turn out to be one of the worst trades in franchise history.  (It'll be awfully hard to top the Rick Mirer debacle.)  What I do know is my two-year-old won't be able to wear his Thomas Jones jersey next season.  He's outgrown it.
• The Cubs have had an up and down spring.  They started out horrible and sloppy, like 2006 all over again.  Then Lou lit a fire under their ass and they started playing smart baseball and proceeded to win a few games.  This is something ol' toothpick never did.  Of course, that lasted about three days and then they started losing again.  So Lou blew up, again.  Get used to the roller coaster, Cubs fans.
• The race for fifth starter is starting to heat up.  It looks like Z, Lilly, Marquis and Hill have sewn up one through four.  Prior, Miller, Cotts, and Guzman are the four horsemen competing for the five spot.  Prior, sadly, looks about as effective as Mike Sirotka out there.  He's throwing nothing but heat; heat being what they call "BP" these days.  It doesn't look good.  What IS looking good, Mister Kotter, is Angel Guzman's heat.  Could this kid finally make good on his 2004 promise?  Stranger things have happened.
• The Bulls are 8-3 since the All-Star Break.  I haven't written about them in eons, but I've been keeping up with the day-to-day drama of Chicago's NBA team.  The highlights from the Gordon-Redd game last week were amazing, and I wish I could have seen it live.  Well, actually no, I don't.  Did I mention it was 82 and sunny every day in Cabo, without a hint of humidity?  Basket-what?  Another cerveza, por favor!

Turns out I didn't miss much.  Adios, amigos!