Blackhawks season wrap-up, postseason preview

The defending champion Chicago Blackhawks wild season has come to an end. Thanks to the Minnesota Wild, the Hawks have the opportunity to defend the Stanley Cup because of the Wild’s 5-3 win over Dallas this past Sunday. There could not have been a better way to sum up the Hawks’ regular season roller coaster ride than the way it finished on Sunday.



Fans are going to have high expectations for their team the year following a championship. However, this year was different for the Blackhawks. Following the Stanley Cup championship, it was a matter of days before they had to unload contracts in order to maintain the NHL’s salary cap. Dustin Byfuglien, a key player in the Hawks playoff run last year, was sent to Atlanta, and his presence was missed dearly. Big Buff leads all blueliners in goals this year, and that’s not surprising because of how many game-winning goals the guy scored throughout the playoffs last year. On top of that, he was selected to his first All-Star Game.



Shortly after Byfuglien was traded to Atlanta, Andrew Ladd followed. The two-time Stanley Cup champion was nothing more than a role player for last year’s Blackhawks. This year, he was the captain of the Thrashers. In a salary-capped sport, it’s nearly impossible to replace two players of their caliber when a team has a core set of guys occupying the majority of the team’s cap.

On top of losing key role players from last year’s championship team, the Blackhawks could not remain healthy throughout the entire season. Hossa, Toews, Kane, Sharp, Bolland, Brouwer, and even Coach Q had to miss games due to injuries or illnesses. Only Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith were able to play all 82 games in the regular season. However, the Hawks managed to squeak their way into the postseason and give themselves a chance to bring home Lord Stanley’s Cup for the second straight year. It’s just a matter of time until we find out whether or not the Hawks will be back-to-back champions.

This Wednesday the Blackhawks begin the Western Conference Quarterfinals against Bobby Lou (Roberto Luongo) and the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks held the NHL’s best record this year, however, the Blackhawks were fortunate enough to bounce the ‘Nucks from the Western Conference Semifinals the past two years. This year’s Blackhawks team is nowhere near the same team as last year’s, but if they are 100% healthy throughout the playoffs they have a chance to make another run. Dave Bolland and Troy Brouwer’s return from injuries for the opening round is key for the team to prevail. My optimistic instinct is to say these two guys will be ready for playoff hockey, and will do what they have to in order to raise the Cup another year.



If the Hawks are healthy, they will win the series with Vancouver in six games. If, and when the Hawks beat Vancouver, they have all the momentum and are the team to beat in the Western Conference.

History will be made.

My 2011 MLB Predictions

AL East
1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Rays
4. Orioles
5. Blue Jays

AL Central
1. White Sox
2. Twins
3. Tigers
4. Indians
5. Royals

AL West
1. Rangers
2. A’s
3. Angels
4. Mariners

AL Wildcard
1. Twins
2. Yankees
3. A’s
4. Tigers

NL East
1. Phillies
2. Braves
3. Marlins
4. Mets
5. Nationals

NL Central
1. Reds
2. Cardinals
3. Cubs
4. Brewers
5. Astros
6. Pirates

NL West
1. Rockies
2. Giants
3. Dodgers
4. Padres
5. Diamondbacks

NL Wildcard
1. Giants
2. Cardinals
3. Braves
4. Cubs

Key Points:

AL East: Obviously, the Red Sox and Yankees dominate the division because of their endless cash flow, but Buck Showalter will improve his Orioles throughout the entire season, just like he did immediately after succeeding Juan Samuel last season. Once the O’s establish a pitching staff in years to come, watch out for them to contend for the wildcard.

AL Central: The White Sox, 100 percent healthy, have the best all-around team on paper in the division. And that is coming from a lifelong Cubs fan. But watch out for Ron Gardenhire’s Twinkies as they continue to have, arguably, the best return-on-investment in the MLB year after year.

AL West: Even though defense wins championships, it’s hard for me to pick against the Rangers’ lethal offense to lead them to a pennant, however, don’t sleep on the A’s. They have the chance to give Texas a run for their money.

NL East: Yes, the Phillies lost Jayson Werth to the Nationals, and Chase Utley is likely to begin the season on the DL, but their offense is still as productive as any other team in their division. Not to mention their acquisition of Cliff Lee to improve what is already a starting rotation full of aces (Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels). THE best starting rotation in the MLB.

NL Central: As a lifelong Cubs fan, I can’t help but be optimistic, however, over the years I’ve become more realistic. If certain Cubs players can earn their enormous paycheck and, for the most part, stay healthy, the Cubs have a chance to contend for the division. Hopefully Mike Quade can find a way to play Tyler Colvin nearly everyday. But, with Wainwright out for the season and Pujols’ future in St. Louis up in the air, the Reds are going to win the pennant, and the Cardinals are going to miss out on the playoffs. This will result in Albert Pujols signing with the Cubs in 2012. See, there’s my optimism.

NL West: The Rockies have a young, fun team to watch. They are a team full of ballplayers and guys that want to win. They will take the division, and the defending World Series champion Giants will nab the Wildcard.

World Series Prediction:
Philly over Boston. Like I said, defense wins championships. The Phillies’ staff is too much to handle, containing three of the top 15 starters in the MLB.

Los Bulls - Xmas edition

It has been quite some time since I last blogged. But, the sports world is as busy as ever, and my Bulls are currently playing at Madison Square Garden for the Christmas day game against the Knicks. The Bulls are without Joakim Noah because of thumb surgery, and the Knicks are a completely different team than last year with the addition of Amare Stoudamire.

This game did not start out as it was originally thought to. First off, NYK are sporting some gross looking green jerseys. I understand it is Christmas, but there is no need to wear green uniforms. Between the Knicks' greens the Bulls' red, The Garden is living up to its name, except the hardwood looks like a Christmas Tree.

Like I said before, Joakim Noah is out because of thumb surgery. His presence will be missed over the next two months, and of course, it seems like this surgery occurred right as him and The Boozman, Carlos Boozer, just started to get on the same page. However, unfortunate incidents do happen, and the Bulls will have to move forward and not dwell on the unfortunate injury to their enthusiastic big man. Now, it is time for everyone to step up in order to fill Joakim's void. This is Carlos Boozer's chance to dominate, as all of us Bulls fans hope he would do when coming to Chicago.

Boozer has been tearing it up since he came back from his broken hand. And it has not stopped on Christmas Day. The Boozman has 15 points and 9 boards at the half, as the Bulls lead Amare and the Knicks by 2, 54-52.

Go Bulls! Merry Christmas!

It's time for Cubs and Sweet Lou to part ways.

The 2010 MLB season is approaching the All-Star break, and my beloved Cubbies are playing terrible. Yes, Chicago fans recently celebrated a Stanley Cup championship, but when does winning ever get old? When it comes to baseball, [north side] Chicago fans have seen more losing than winning since, most likely, birth. As a fan that nearly bleeds Cubby-blue, I've experienced many memories watching the Cubs, both good and bad.

Lately, I've only witnessed Cubs baseball that I never wanted to see - a bunch of overpaid, underachieving baseball players with no sense of urgency or knack for winning. Our lineup was constructed to hit the ball, and the Cubs lack offense when it matters most. Forget about the bullpen. If the offensive lineup could produce, half of the problem would be solved.

The money that is invested into these players is absurd. All of these problems resort back to Jim Hendry and the idiotic contracts given to the our "star" players. The number one priority on Mr. Ricket's to-do list this coming off-season should be to fire Jim Hendry. He has single handedly run this organization into the ground, and it is going to take some time to fix this mess.

Aside from the Cubs GM, what is the team's second biggest problem? Lou Piniella. Oh, Lou. What should be done with you? I think it's time to hang 'em up. It's apparent that you do not care anymore. Just retire. Or in better words, resign. Sooner rather than later.

The organization needs to completely clean house, so begin with whoever you can. Sweet Lou is not helping the team win. I respect what he has done though out his career, but I think it's about time to call it quits...preferably before, or at, the All-Star break.

On that note, the second coming of Ryne Sandberg should begin immediately after Lou's resignation. Ryne has been coaching in the Cubs farm system for several years, and coaching a team like the current Cubs will be a challenge, but a learning experience for a new coach like Ryne-o.

I've heard people mention Joe Torre, but if that is the case, it is not going to work. If Joe were to coach the Cubs, he would come in next year, and by then, Sandberg has first priority. However, if Sandberg is not ready when Lou's tenure in Chicago ends, who else could take over the team at such a terrible time?

The answer: Bob Brenly. At this point in time, no one knows the team better than Bob Brenly. Tune in to any WGN broadcast and chances are that you'll hear Bob Brenly second guess one of Lou Piniella's coaching decisions. And you know what? More times than not, Bob Brenly is the one correct, and Lou is wrong.

If there's one person other than Ryne Sandberg that should coach this team, it is Bob Brenly. He's affiliated with the organization and he owns the thing that all Cub fans have dreamed of - a World Series ring.

After the GM and manager are replaced, it's time to completely rebuild the team. Aside from Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin and Carlos Marmol, every other player needs to be traded or released as soon as possible. It is pathic. There is nothing else to be said about this team other than pathetic.

I said it last year before the trade deadline; Derek Lee should have been traded for something while he was still worth something. Now, he's nothing more than nearly every other scrub on the roster.

Carlos Silva has been everything that I thought he wouldn't be following the Milton Bradley trade. So before he turns into Carlos Zambrano, trade him while he's worth something.

Speaking of Zambrano, he showed how much his team mates mean to him. The Cubs are better off releasing him. We are paying him to fail, and fail miserably. What good is he doing for the team? He used to be that spark for the team, and now he's a bomb waiting to burst at any time.

This team is going no where fast. The time has come to completely rebuild the team. Like I said, keep the young stars: Castro, Colvin and Marmol. The rest should be history.

On that note, Cubs baseball has become a depressing nightmare.

Get used to looking at the L flag, people. We have another five years of disappointing baseball ahead of us.