ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

I figured I better get this idea posted on my blog before a million more people start to do something like it. There are a few of you out there that are doing mock drafts on your blog. The difference with our mock draft is that I'm getting the top bloggers in each NFL city to draft for their team. Right here. Online.

I have a short list of people I already think would be game for this cross blogdom draft - but I don't claim to know them all. So if you are an NFL blogger and you think you have got what it takes to draft for your team, and write a quick little ditty up explaining yourself - then email us here. Or leave a comment. Whatever you do, just don't sit there. Think about it:

Why do you care what I think the Bengals should draft? You don't.

Technically, you shouldn't even care what I think the Bears should draft (that's why MikeJ is drafting for the Bears)

We're going to do it online, and we're going to do it here on ChicagoSportsBlogs.com. I'm hosting and you are all invited.

I'll have more details on what our rules are as well as how this is going to run. We're calling it the "Who the hell is Mel Kiper"  NFL Mock Draft. And trust me, it's going to be awesome.

Now go forth and spread the word!!

I have no idea if anyone out there actually understands what RSS is. I am going to assume you do. If not, then I can recommend going to Google and doing a search for "RSS". Go figure. Anyway - take note all you sports geeks. It's time to update your RSS for the main site. This means that if you used to subscribe to http://www.chicagosplogs.com/mainfeed.aspx you should move to this: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Chicagosportsblogs
Or you could use one of these fancy chicklets that we will start to sprinkle all over the site. You should take note - I haven't upgraded our personal RSS feeds. In fact, if you are able to read this and you haven't changed a thing - then my redirects from the old site have worked. You don't have to do anything in this case. The specific sports categories are goint to get redirected this week (as soon as I figure out how to do that) So hang tight

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Like I said before, hang tight. We have some more surprises in store...

It was inevitable. Big Frank just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The opening of spring training brought out the sour puss in him. That, in turn, brought out Kenny Williams’ dark side. If you really need background, go to the dailysouthtown.com and catch up. Let’s review some of his comments, shall we:

 

Arvia: On a personal side, I can understand hurt feelings. On a business side, can you see where the Sox are coming from?

Thomas: No, I can't — because it was about health. They knew. My doctor told them I would be healthy this year. If they had given me a physical or blah, blah, blah, then you could have made that assumption — "He's not going to be back next year." I'm fine. I feel great. I'm on schedule.

I could go on and on for days on this subject. Frank continues to made some comments about how his “star” shined brighter than Carlton Fisks when he was with the White Sox. He also claims that if the Sox restructured his deal by throwing $1 million more on top of the $3.5 buyout he would have stayed around. “It wasn’t even about the money” – yea sure it wasn’t. Poor Frank. We hurt his ego, disrespected him, and destroyed his pride. It’s always a pride thing. You need more proof? Check out how Frank tried to clear the air about his previous comments on Jim Thome:

They brought up this situation about Jimmy, and Jimmy's a great friend of mine, I love him to death, I've got great respect for him, he's a great, great player.

But what I've done for that organization over the last 16 years, I deserved a little better respect than that. You take care of your own before you do things like that, and I just really felt the White Sox have never really taken care of their own like they should — and I'm talking from me to Ozzie to Carlton — year in and year out, it always happens.

Well, I guess Kenny said “enough is enough”. I wonder if bringing up Carlton Fisk and Ozzie over and over again was the straw that broke Kenny’s back? Kenny unloaded here. It has been all over the papers and talk radio. “He’s an idiot”. That’s a real quote. Wow. I never expected Kenny to blow his stack like this. I knew Mr. Williams had a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to the Big Hurt, but I never expected him to act on it like this. Most people are siding with Kenny. I have to say, I’m one of those people. Enough is enough already.

We have a new season to start. The Sox don’t need verbal scuffles with ex-players to distract them. If anything, we expect those distractions from our very own Ozzie Guillen, not our GM. It’s amazing to see Oz stay out of this one. I guess there isn’t much of a story here with Big Frank as far as his playing goes. He won’t be doing any playing until after spring training. He can’t even run. That doesn’t surprise me, and it doesn’t sell papers. Talking smack does. Deep down, I wish Kenny would have taken the high road one more time. He is the executive after all. I agree with everything Kenny said in response to Big Frank’s comments. I just don’t know if it was the right thing to do.

Update: I just was informed of a sports report on ESPN Radio 1000 here in Chicago. It seems Frank is backtracking on his comments. He claims to have been misquoted….boy I bet he didn’t expect the guy in the suit and tie to lash out like that. Backtracking might be the only thing Frank will be able to do this year on that bum ankle – here is to hoping I’m right.

No - I don't mean a trade. What I mean is that my big move from chicagosplogs.com to this fancy new home of chicagosportsblogs.com is almost complete. I have been working hard this week to get this thing moved. The only thing that is left is to migrate the redirects. I might have to do a little bit of coding to those RSS feeds to work...ok enough of the geek speak.

If you have landed on this page by accident then you won't know that I have decided to change the name of my blog from SportsBlogs:I want to win -- to Non Compete. I think this name change stems from two things:

1. The White Sox won the world series. That doesn't mean I'm finished. I want another championship. I want tons more. And I would a few in football, hockey, and basketball as well. The thing is, the pressure has been eased a bit since the White Sox win. A parade down LaSalle will do that to you.

2. I feel that with the exception of a magically Sox season we haven't been competing very well in this town. Thus, Non Compete. It's time we bring our A-game again.

Besides, the name has dual meaning to me since I'm forced to sign a non-compete at pretty much every job I take. So, read into that what you will.

Hang around this season - the new software has some great features, we have a massive redesign on the way and an even bigger event plant in the next few weeks...Trust me. It's going to be big.

Good Times

He probably sent you one too. Especially if, like me, you are a registered member of WhiteSox.com.

In case you aren't - go and sign up. Then come back for my coverage of the World Champion White Sox. Spring is in the air...

How awesome is that? I can't wait to start second guessing Kenny all the way back to the World Series.

Again.

:)

 

There aren't many options out there right now for the sports fan. At least not the pro-sports fan. You could buy into the machine that is the Olympics, or stay up late at night to enjoy some great college basketball. I always loved it when Utah was on at 11pm here in Chicago. Sweet. Of course with my trusty Tivo, I could just record lumber jacking events or the Pro-Bowl. I think it's a tie between these two events for most boring. Actually, I'll take the guys with the chainsaws over the NFL guys who are running at 75%. Considering there isn't anything going on in sports-land, I think it's time to start a rant. Let's begin on some random rants shall we?

1. Ozzie wasn't at the White House. And it sounds like only a handful of the players made it due to the snow. I waited to comment on this on purpose, because I didn't want to detract from the event. Besides, it's always about politics in this town. The fact remains - Ozzie should have been there. That goes for all of the players. No excuses. I don't care if you don't like the Prez or what - I don't even care if you married a hot girl and were on your honeymoon. Take her with you. Laziness is not an excuse. The snow, on the other hand, is.
2. Speaking of laziness - how about the Bears players who didn't go to the Pro-Bowl. I'm sorry fellas, but if I have to hear about you guys getting mad at not being voted into the NFL's version of the Hula Bowl next year, I'm going to be pissed. I know that Mike Brown was hurt. Fine. What about Urlacher and Kreutz? It's a meaningless game, yes, but you gotta remember it's still an honor. Come on guys. Go to the game.
3. Tank was arrested. I think MJ has it covered.
4. The only thing about the Olympics I care to watch is the hockey. Let's hope Celi and the rest of Team US agree and give us reason to not 30 second skip our way thru games.

That's it! Let's hope I can get my act together and redirect the site this weekend....It's not like there is anything in the sports world keeping me busy.

Back in 5.

Add me to the list of people buzz-killed this morning. I expected better from this year's Super Bowl. I expected a closer game that would have avoided all the yellow flags. Nerves can only explain away a handful of the early plays that almost put me to sleep. The rest will have to stick. Congrats to the Steelers on their 5th franchise Super Bowl. Congrats also go out to the Bus. He was a classy guy and a great running back. I'm glad he announced his retirement on national TV instead of waiting to confer with his agents. (take the hint Favre)

Meanwhile, there are a lot of depressed people in Seattle this morning. This time it's not just the rain. I wanted to cheer one of them up, a buddy of mine who is a good fan of this team from the Pacific Northwest. I sent him an email resembling this list - I'll clean in up for the rest of you sad fans in Seattle today. I hope it cheers you up. If not, then I hope it cheers the Steelers fans up.

Dear Seattle Seahawks fans:

Your team made it to the promise land - and lost on a trick play. Let's try to cheer you up shall we?

1. That was a touchdown in the first quarter. Jackson didn't push off any more than any other wideout in this league. The call was crap. They stole that touchdown.

2. The Big Ben TD, was NOT a TD. Another blown call. Why even have instant replay?! Seriously. What where they looking at in the booth?

3. That head ref was annoying me all night. Even Madden called it - when he slaps his hands together for a holding call. I almost thought he was calling a personal foul. Isn't it a downward motion instead of rock-solid slap? Whatever. Either way, I watched him throw that little yellow flag way too much last night.

4. Seattle led in time of possession and they moved the ball way better than the Steelers - that is until they got into the Red Zone. Then they choked. Why didn't they keep throwing to Jackson?

5. Your tight end seems to drop the easy balls and catches only the tough ones. He probably could have had another TD if he didn't drop it.

6. Mike Holmgren did a horrible job coaching. With time running out, I caught him asking Hasselback if he had a play. WHAT? Aren't you supposed to GIVE him a play?

7. When it's 3rd and 2 - and you have the league MVP at running back - you run the football.

8. It took the Bears' next 3rd string quarterback to beat you on a trick play.

9. The amount of millionaires in the Seattle area is astounding thanks to Paul Allen and his minions. Why couldn't they afford a flight to Detroit? There is no excuse for being outnumbered 10-1 in the stands. Part of your home field advantage was the strength of that cheering section.

10. Seattle's defense was playing very well - except for 2 big plays. That was the difference.

It was a strong showing. A good effort. I expected Hasselback to step up like he had in the previous game to lead a charge. It just didn't get going in time. Better luck next year.

Yours Truly,

ChicagoSportsBlogs.com

We are hours away from SuperBowl XL. There is no time like the present to get my pick in for this year's winner. I really have mixed feelings about this SB. I will admit to paying little attention or respect to the Mike Holmgren led Seattle Seahawks. Shame on me for that. They are the NFC champs. I'm from an NFC city. They play good football. No, they play great football. So while I sit here and watch the Eastern Sports Network promote the Patriots (coach B is on the broadcast team and Tom Brady is flipping the coin.)  I wonder if the NFL agrees with my assesment on Seahawks football. Nevermind that New England isn't in the Superbowl this year, the NFL got them there anyway. There is no escaping the fact that the true golden boy of this league has a full head of hair.

Then there is the Steelers and Coach Cowher. I love this team. They play the game the way it's supposed to be played. They hit hard, and they run the football. I guess I am so enamored with the team from Pittsburgh because I find similarities with our own Bears team. They have a young QB, and a strong running game and an exceptional group of defenders. We are probably a few years away from matching this team's success. Actually, it's probably the lack of experience in our coaching staff that stands out as the main difference between the Bears and the Steelers. 

Now that I am done kissing everyone's ass, I need to pick a winner in this game. I expect this to be a great game. Actually, I am praying this game is good enough that we don't talk about the commercials all day tomorrow. I don't expect it to be a low scoring affair. I think both these teams can put points on the board. I give the edge to the Seahawks on offense. They have a quarterback that, if he can take a deep breathe and count on his running back, will win the MVP if the 'Hawks win. I give the edge to the Steelers on both special teams and on defense. That means the intangibles are heading the Steelers way. I don't know if Big Ben has it in him to overcome the Seahawks. I don't think he can bring this team back if they fall behind. Not because of lack of skill - but lack of experience. But we all know it won't matter because DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Steelers win this game 27-21. Good luck to everyone out there. Make it a big game.

 

I've been busy these past few days updating the site and attempting to fix some bugs. It hasn't been fun. I've had my head in the debugger for hours. A debugger, for all you non-dorks, is like an x-ray machine for the website. When something broke on Carson Palmer, the doctors sent him to the MRI room. That's pretty much what I've been doing with the site. Sitting in the MRI room. Wasting time. Avoiding the horrible media week coverage of the SuperBowl. Eventually, I tore away from the fantastic stories about Detroit and Jerome Bettis and I contributed to MikeJ's RoundTable. It's something we are giving a shot. Like he said, we aren't the first and we definitely won't be the last.

Go read the round table on MikeJ's blog. I think it's pretty good. I gotta run back into the MRI room. Enjoy SuperBowl weekend, and remember that it's not kosher to blast people with your stank farts at half time. You might want to lay off on those hot wings. You're a guest for Christ's sake.

 

A few of you have noticed that the site has been having some problems. I have been trying to do my best to use this lull in sports (between the end of the Bears season and the beginning of the baseball season) to repair the site and to finally migrate it over to it's new domain: http://www.chicagosportsblogs.com I swear I'll have this done soon. Especially since the spammers are back, and probably causing some of the problems we are having. Not to mention my current host is in the middle of a migration of its server farm. Talk about perfect storm. So hold tight during these technical difficulties. You should still be able to subscribe via the RSS feed without any problems. If you do run into any issues you want to let us know about, drop some feedback. Over and out!