Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

The Super Bowl and The Boss

Last year around this time I gave some predictions on what Tom Petty might perform at halftime of the Super Bowl.  This year, Bruce Springsteen is playing and I have to say -- I don't get it.  Sure, I think he's a perfectly fine choice and understand why he was picked, and I appreciate his musical legacy.  But I never understood the obsession some people have with The Boss.  As a music obsessed person myself, my life has always had a soundtrack.  If I'm not actually listening to something, I'm hearing something in the foggy depths of my noggin.  Some background tune to go along with my inner monologue.  Since I'm thinking about Bruce at the moment, perhaps not ironically that song right now is "The River".  Pretty decent track, like a lot of Springsteen songs.  But I just can't get that nagging feeling out of my head that he's one of the most overrated artists of all time. 

Don't get me wrong, I like Springsteen.  I actually own his Greatest Hits and Born in the U.S.A.  Yeah, that makes me one of those guys -- stereotypical casual listener.  Those two albums are more than enough to satisfy any and all Bruce cravings I might have.  When I read about people seeing Bruce 50 or 60 times, though, and I hear them pontificate about how sublime the version of song X  he played at venue X in New Jersey in 1982 was ... my brow furrows and I wrinkle my nose like somebody cut one.  Really?  I just don't get it.  To me, he's a decent songwriter fronting a good bar band.  That's it.  To each his own, I guess.

I suppose here is where a Bruce disciple would say, "you have to see him live to understand."  That may be true, but every time I see a review of his concerts, they show a setlist and I recognize maybe five songs out of a three hour show.  I'm a casual fan, and if I'm paying money to see Bruce I want to hear the hits.  Two and a half hours of deep cuts wouldn't convert me. 

I guess I can appreciate the fanaticism.  There's a few artists/bands that I've seen 8 or 10 times, and when I see them I want to hear anything but the hits.  And yeah, I fully acknowledge that Bruce's live shows are a hundred times more fulfilling than the fifth time you've seen an Ozzy show (someone I've happened to see probably a dozen times now).  Ozzy has recorded probably 150 songs in his 40 year career, yet he picks 13 songs out of a pool of maybe 15 every summer on Ozzfest.  </snore>  I'd give my pinky toe to hear "Diary of a Madman" in its entirety.

Anyways, prediction time.  I think Pittsburgh is going to win the game, though its a close call and I'll be rooting for Arizona.  The Cardinals Cinderella Story can't continue for a fourth straight week, can it?  Pittsburgh's defense is too good.  Why am I rooting for the Cardinals?  Fresh blood.  The most downtrodden of downtrodden NFL franchises can use a break.  That said, if they end up winning then the Cubs will lose another peer in their lonely little class of lifetime losers.  First the Red Sox, then the White Sox...now the Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals?  The only other losers to keep the Cubs company would be the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. Maybe I should be rooting for the Steelers. 

Oh, and for Bruce -- "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," some random deep cut and that new song about walking on dreams.  Done and done.

Cubs Acquire Heilman; Blogger Underwhelmed

The Cubs traded Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson to Seatle yesterday for Aaron Heilman.  Heilman is a former top prospect of the Mets, and he's had some success in the pen.  Last year he was pretty terrible, though, and he's 30 years old.  Let's just say he's not exactly a hot property.  He wants to start, and I think he's got a bit of upside.  But I wouldn't expect him to be much better than Marquis.  The chances of him pulling a Dempster are low.

Cedeno was pretty great in the minors but mostly terrible in the majors, so I'm not exactly crying over his departure.  He's still somewhat young and he does have a small chance to end up being a solid contributor -- but I doubt it.  He's 4A.

Olson, on the other hand, is a loss.  He was "supposedly" one of the pieces they acquired to be part of the Peavy package.  I just wrote about him last week (he came in the Pie deal).  Talented young lefty, huge upside.  But now that he's gone and Heilman's here.  I'd say the Peavy talks are deader than dead.  Unless the Padres want Rich Hill or something, and I don't think they're that dumb.

So now the rotation looks like this:

Zambrano
Dempster
Lilly
Harden
Marshall/Heilman/Gaudin/?

Harden's health is always a concern, so I guess its OK that they're stockpiling average arms.  I just prefer they sell the farm and go after the Cy Young candidate.

Pie is toast. Now what?

The Cubs traded Felix Pie to Baltimore today for a pair of young pitchers, Garrett Olson and Henry Williamson.  Baltimore, where ex-Cubs go to die!  The Felix Pie experiment is over before it ever really started.  Sure, he had 260 ABs over two years with the big club; but he never really had an extended shot at being a regular in the majors.  I don't blame the Cubs for his lack of playing time, because he certainly didn't look like a major league hitter -- especially in 2007.   The Cubs just didn't have the patience to work a prospect into the lineup with a division title at stake.  In Lou's world, you either make plays or you don't play.  It's that simple.  That said, he consistently raked in the minors and a change of scenery (and more playing time) might do him some good.  Good luck, Felix.

So what did they get?  Williamson is a long way from the majors and is a longshot at best.  Olson is a 25-year-old lefty with some upside.  Going into 2008 he was Baltimore's sixth rated prospect (by John Sickels).  He had a pretty lousy year, though, so the shine on his star has diminished somewhat.  Still, it often takes young, talented lefties a year or two in the bigs to figure things out.  See Gavin Floyd.  Maybe the Cubs will get lucky with this one, but I have to say its not very likely.

I now have a few questions:

1.  How big of a bust is Felix Pie?  He's gotta be worse than Corey Patterson, right?  Corey at least held the CF job for a few seasons (if miserably) and he did have that hot first half in 2003.  Pie really never made a mark with the big club.  Solid D, good baserunner, but only had a handful of big hits in his Cubs career (if that).  He's probably the biggest Cubs bust of the decade, considering what was expected of him and what he accomplished in the minors.  He's neck-and-neck with Hee Seop Choi.

2.  What could they have gotten for Pie a year ago?  He was one of the top prospects in baseball and the centerpiece of every Cubs rumor for the last four years.  Brian Roberts?  CC Sabathia?  Johan Santana?  Not that it really matters, but its interesting to see how little they got in return for their former prized posession.

3.  What's next?  Rumor has it that Olson was one of the guys the Padres wanted in exchange for Peavy.  Was this move a precursor to Peavy coming here?  If so, then fire the cannons!

Elsewhere, I'm coming around on the Milton Bradley signing.  Before he signed, I mentioned that I wasn't a fan of the potential move at all.  Too much injury history, too much asshole.  But the more I think about it, the more I like it.  He's an incredible hitter, and he's incredibly passionate about the game.  After the last two October debacles, maybe the Cubs could use someone in the dugout to keep them on their toes when things go wrong.  A crazy guy to keep everybody else in check.  He's just got to stay healthy.  Yeah, I drank the kool-aid.

And that's it.  Till next time.

What if NFL did BCS instead of playoffs?

The AFC and NFC Championship Games are tomorrow and the winners, of course, will match up in Super Bowl XLIII in two weeks.  NFL Playoffs are pretty much the epitome of sports entertainment, and I don't want to change a thing. 

However, what if they decided to chuck the whole thing and go with the college format?  Most sports fans (and players, and coaches, and analysts) are screaming far and wide for the NCAA to adopt a playoff system, but there are a few holdouts who like college the way it is.  The main reason being the importance of the regular season being higher and a generally satisfying matchup of elite teams in the final game.  It's hard to argue with either point, as the regular season is a smidge better in college, and there are never teams that finished 9-7 or 9-6-1 in the BCS Championship game -- like there will be in the Super Bowl this year.  Sure, people argue about who should be #1 and #2 and in that final game, but everybody agrees that the the two teams that get the nod are "elite" and at least among the very top teams in the country.  

I'm sure this has been done before, but I'm going to do it anyways.  Let's look at the BCS NFL Playoffs:

BCS Super Bowl:
NY Giants vs. Tennessee Titans

Nice matchup.  Both teams were clearly the best in the regular season, and they have the record to show for it.  Tennessee really outplayed Baltimore (outside of a few turnovers) in their first round loss, and the Giants were basically hamstrung by the loss of Plexico Burress.  But why should that keep them out of the championship game?  Let the regular season mean something!

Fiesta, Rose, Orange, Sugar Bowls
Indy vs. Pittsburgh
San Diego vs. Miami
Carolina vs. Atlanta
Arizona vs. Minnesota

Capital One Bowl, Gator Bowl, Cotton Bowl
Philly vs. Baltimore
Dallas vs. New England
Bears vs. NY Jets

I added a few of the top non-playoff teams because NCAA takes half of D-I and puts them in 34 bowls so I made my NFL postseason a similar size.  Notice the preseason #1 and #2 ended up meeting in a crap bowl - Dallas vs. New England.  But these are pretty good matchups, every one of them, and I'd watch them all.  (But then again, I'd watch Oakland vs. Detroit because I'd watch ANY NFL matchup.)  Kind of funny that the two #6 seeds who are still alive in the real playoffs yet relegated to one of the junky third-tier bowls.  But really, every game outside the Super Bowl would be an exhibition game.  Winning these games wouldn't be much better than winning the Hall of Fame game.  Here's your crappy trophy, now scram. 

What if Pittsburgh beat the snot out of Indy?  Wouldn't they have a right to the throne?  What if Tennessee barely beat the Giants, while the Giants got creamed by Philly in the season finale.  Doesn't Philly deserve a chance at being a Cinderella story?  And really, who wants to see the Bears or Jets anymore?  That has GMAC Bowl written all over it, and only gamblers would tune in.

This is all a long way of saying I'm happy the way it is, and anyone who prefers BCS is on crack.  Look at all the great and meaningful playoff games we would have missed.  There's no reason for the regular season to be more compelling than the postseason.  It's like eating a fancy steak dinner and having a jello pudding cup for dessert.  Sure, I guess it's fine, but I want a nice peice of cheesecake with some cherries and chocolate sauce.

Crazy Weekend in NFL Reminds Me of What Could Have Been

With all the upsets this weekend, I was reminded of the crappy Bears season and how they were 11 seconds away from 10-6 and the sixth seed.  And with the fourth and sixth seeds advancing to the NFC Championship Game, the following has nver been more true: All you've got to do is get there and anything can happen.  Arizona has proven that you can look like complete dog crap for five weeks yet still win a few playoff games and host the NFC Championship Game.  Crazy NFL.

So could the Bears have done what Philadelphia has done (which would have been their path had the Bears beat the Texans.)?  I highly, highly doubt it.  They might have been able to get past Tavaris and the Vikings, but I just can't see them beating the Giants at the Meadowlands.  Their pass rush on D and the steamroller that is Brandon Jacobs on O would have made mince meat of the Bears.  (And this was the losing team, I might add.)  Then there's the Quarterback.

The more I watch these playoffs, the less I appreciate Kyle Orton.  Every playoff team, except the Vikings, has a better QB that can sling it down field accurately.  Roethlisberger, Rivers, McNabb, Manning, Delhomme, Warner, Flacco, and Collins.  The only guy on that list that Orton was better than overall this year was Flacco (and maybe Delhomme).  But both of those guys can throw deep on occasion, and that's critical to the success of an offense.  My goodness, Flacco has an absolute rocket on his shoulder.  And both Roethlisberger and Rivers today had throws today that almost brought a tear to my eye.  Our guy just can't do that.  He ain't within ten miles.

Oh well, interesting games next week.  I like Arizona over Philly in the NFC Championship Game.  I didn't think Arizona would beat Atlanta, and I didn't think they had a chance against Carolina.  But I've changed my tune.  Larry Fitzgerald is an unstoppable force, and if Boldin is healthy (and Asante Samuel is hurt), I can't see Philly keeping up with that passing game four time zones away.  They've been winning, but they just haven't impressed me all that much.

I'm picking Pittsburgh over Baltimore because I think Baltimore's luck will run out at Heinz Field.  They had no business being in that Tennessee game -- they were just dog ass tired on D and completely anemic on O.  But once Chris Johnson was knocked out of the close game the entire dynamics of the game changed.  They made like three plays all day on offense yet still won the game.  Tennessee's turnovers obviously helped them, and I don't see the Steelers making the same mistakes.

Pittsburgh vs Arizona in the Super Bowl.  Sounds good to me. 

Top Albums of 2008

This might be a few days late but who's counting?  Here's my top albums for 2008.  Rather than rank everything and do a simple "top ten", I'm just going to throw a bunch of albums into three bins.  Also, I'm going to list these alphabetically because sometimes I want Fuji Apples and sometimes I want Red Delicious.  I just can't pick a favorite.

Albums that will stay in the rotation

The Black Keys - Attack and Release
This two-piece from Ohio took a major step forward in 2008 with their latest, Danger Mouse-produced effort.  "Psychotic Girl" is my favorite track.  The addition of banjo, bass, and a haunting choir adds a whole new dimension to their classic blues-rock sound. 

Coldplay - Viva La Vida
This might be Coldplay's worst album, but its still pretty damn good.  And please note that Codplay's "worst" is like saying the movie "Casino" is worse than "Goodfellas".  The bar is extremely high.  "Violet Hill", the first single, echoes "Welcome to the Machine" era Pink Floyd.

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
I couldn't get the bassline for "I Will Possess Your Heart" out of my head for like three months this summer.   It's just that awesome.  Death Cab is a band for which the videos really add a lot.  In addition to the afforementioned IWPYH video, the song "Cath" had a particularly interesting clip.  It turned a good song into a great one for me.

Metallica - Death Magnetic
Old school Metallica is back, and I listened to this album as much as anything this year.  The lyrics might be dumb, but the riff for "All Nightmare Long" is classic Metalli-crunch and will never die.

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Jack White is my favorite musician of the 2000s, and this is another solid entry into his canon.  A couple of tracks miss the mark but the majority of this album is great.  The single "Salute Your Solution" is a great place to start, but also the more mellow tracks like "These Stones will Shout" are just classic White.

Radiohead - In Rainbows
I know this album came out in November 2007 but the summer of 2008 was all about Radiohead.  Headlining Lollapalooza, every track seemed to have its moment in the sun.  Tracks like "Reckoner" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" hit that nerve that raise the hair on the back of your neck.

Albums that are good but might not last

Eagles of Death Metal - Heart On
I haven't given this album my full attention yet, and it's certainly not as good as their previous album, "Death By Sexy"; but I heard enough of this album to make me want to listen to it more.  While we're here, 2006's DBS is a good old-fashioned, devil-horn raisin, head-banging rock party.  If you haven't heard it yet, I highly recommend checking it out. 

Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
What to say that hasn't already been said by writers far better than me.  While it definitely wasn't worth the wait, there are four or five excellent tracks here.  ("Raid N' Bedouins," "Shackler's Revenge", "I.R.S."), four or five mediocre tracks, and another four complete duds.  I just can't do power ballads anymore, and I can't figure out why this couldn't have come out ten years ago.  DeRogatis put it best when he called this album the "Godfather III of Rock."

The Gutter Twins - Saternalia
I need to listen to this album more from the Lolla band.  The first 5 or 6 tracks are amazing but the album kind of loses its way in the 2nd half (outside of the track "Each to Each", which is as good as anything on the first half of the album).  Discs that tail out tend to lose my interest in the long run.

The Whigs - Mission Control
A solid band from Athens, Georgia, and yet another band I saw at Lolla.  (There's a lot of Lolla on this list, I failed to mention above that I saw The Black Keys and The Raconteurs at Lolla as well.)  I'm not sure if there are any classics here, but the whole album is pretty solid.  "Like a Vibration," which reminds me of Social Distortion, is my favorite track.

Weezer - Red Album
Best Weezer album since Green, but it still pales in comparison to Blue & Pinkerton.  Which is OK.  To make a "good" album 14 years in is an accomplishment for anybody.

Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch
Tom Petty's first, aborted, band -- reborn.  A few tracks sound like Petty outtakes, but songs like "Crystal River" take classic Petty into directions he's never been.  I'll probably still be listening to this when I'm 50, but not as often as at least five other Petty records. 

Albums that need further attention

Beck - Modern Guilt
For some reason, I never got into Beck.  I like just about everything I've ever heard, but his catalog has so far eluded me.  I have made it a point to give this one a fair shot. 

Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop & Roll
50s rockabilly Green Day side project.  I like what I heard but haven't really gone back to it.

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
Infectious dance record that reminds me of a modern-day "Paul's Boutique."  Dozens of samples weaved together make up each song, and you have to admire a guy who can mash up Metallica's One with Karen Carpenter and Little Wayne.

The Killers - Day & Age
"Hot Fuss" might be one of my top 10 albums of the decade, and "Sam's Town" really grew on me.  But my first impressions of this one are weak.  Because I like the other two so much, though, I will give it a few more chances.

Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
"Sex on Fire" is one of my favorite tracks of the year.

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
Another lolla band who is/was awesome live, but this is a rather mediocre entry in Rezner's catalog.  I like it enough while I'm listening to it, but ten minutes after the fact I can't recall a single riff or lyric.  That's usually a bad sign.

Robert Plant & Allison Krauss - Raising Sand
I can't say I'm a huge bluegrass fan, but this album is very pleasant background music for while I'm working.

Slipknot - All Hope is Gone
"Psychosocial" is perhaps the best song for headbanging in twenty years.  Or at least since Pantera broke up.

Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha
I like their 2006 album, "Road to Rouen", quite a bit and I need to give this a few more listens.

And there you go.  I can't wait to see what's in store for 2009!

Cubs Trade DeRosa

I like that the Cubs made a few moves yesterday, even though the moves themselves are a bit...curious.  They obviously aren't content to sit back and hope the same roster will cruise to the playoffs with 97 wins again, and that's by far the most encouraging thing I get from these moves.  Standing pat never works.  But if you ask me point blank, DeRosa is the type of guy you should be acquiring, not trading away. 

First off, the Cubs signed Aaron Miles from St. Louis.  He's a jack-of-all-trades type that can play anywhere.  He hits for average and gets on base, but he has no power to speak of.  Think "older, more versatile, more expensive, Ryan Theriot."  I heard about this before the DeRosa trade and I instantly assumed that DeRosa was a goner.  Otherwise, there's no point in having Miles around.

The DeRosa news came next.  So who did they get?  Peavy?  Uh, not quite.  They got 3 minor league arms from the Indians.  Not even particularly strong minor league arms.  A trio of grade C prospects.  Might be OK some day, might not.  (Probably 80% of grade C prospects never make the majors.)  Turns out the trade was a straight salary dump.  I really like DeRosa.  I was down on his signing, and I even ragged on him a few times (wrongly) for being anti-clutch.  But he was for the most part a great guy to have on the team, and he had two good-to-great years here.  Aramis goes down for a few days?  Start him at 3rd.  Soriano limping?  Start him in left.  Fukudome struggling?  Start him in right.  Otherwise, plant him at second and reap the rewards.  Solid hitter, capable defender, smart baserunner.  No lip. Head always in the game. 

There's also a cost-cutting move on the table in the form of a Jason Marquis trade.  He's going to Colorodo for cash and Luis Vizcaino, an average middle reliever coming off a down year at Coors.  Marquis was one of my biggest whipping boys but I've got to finally give him some props.  For a fifth starter, he wasn't that bad.  Two out of three games he'd give you a solid effort, and he'd always play solid defense, lay down a good bunt, and even pinch run when needed.  He was good for a dozen wins a year, and you really can't expect much more from a fifth starter.  Finding a solid one is often easier said than done.  Hopefully Sean Marshall or, gasp, Rich Hill can take the job next year (or Peavy!).

It is assumed that they will use this new-found savings and sign Milton Bradley to a 3-year deal.  Yes, Milton has certainly got game, and he's exactly the type of hitter that the Cubs need.  Switch hitter, high OBP, high AVG, decent pop.  But I'm not so high on his signing.  First and foremost, he gets injured a lot.  He's only played as many as 120 games twice in his eight-year career.  Second, he's a major-league asshole.  If he plays 140 games and hits like he did in Texas last year, then you can put up with a few headaches.  But I'm not overly optimistic.

So after looking at the lineup, is Bradley and Fontenot/Miles going to be much better than DeRosa and Fontenot/Fukudome/Johnson would be?  I don't know, we'll have to wait and see.  But it seems like a push.  Unless one of two things happen:

• The Cubs acquire Jake Peavy
• The Cubs acquire Brian Roberts

Basically, the two most over-analyzed non-trades of the 20-aughts.  Sure, it's great if Peavy or Roberts show up.  But otherwise this is a push at best.  We'll see.

I do know one thing, I now have two reasons to pay attention to Cleveland this year.  DeRosa and Woodie.  Good luck, gentlemen.