I know I'm a little late, but I still need to give my take on the Bears' draft picks this year. As everyone probably knows, we did not have a first round draft pick or a second round one, either. The Bears haven't had a first round draft pick for two years and, personally, I never thought they did a good job with it anyways.
They didn't make a pick until the third round this year, and I think, finally, they did a good job with their first pick of the draft. Major Wright, the U of Florida safety. A good safety. I loved this pick. When I hear Major Wright, I think of the 2009 National Championship game. Sam Bradford through a deep pass to Iglesias, I believe that was the receiver. Major Wright came flying in and popped the receiver. As Chris Berman would say, "he got jacked up!" Every since that hit, I never forgot who Major Wright is. He's extremely quick, tough and has the potential to be the next quality, starting safety for the Bears. If the pick was on a letter grade scale, I'd say it was an A-.
Corey Wootton, the defensive end from Northwestern, was the Bears fourth round selection. In my mind, this is the Bears' so-called "Corey Wootton experiment." But, unlike Oakland's Jamarcus Russel experiment, Wootton was selected in the fourth round, not the first. Before Wootton tore apart his knee, he was a potential first round draft pick. If he can stay healthy, he has the chance of being a solid defensive end. The Bears no long have Alex Brown so they are in need of a replacement. Hopefully he works out. If not, it's not the end of the world. He was only a fourth round pick.
Their fifth round pick was Kansas State's cornerback, Joshua Moore. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, but I know nothing about this guy. He went to school in Manhattan, a couple hours away from my home away from home, Lawrence. We'll see what he can do.
The Bears sixth round pick was a great fairy tale selection. Dan LeFevour, the Naperville native, was Central Michigan's quarterback, and a very good one, as well. If Jay Cutler does not pan out, LeFevour will get a chance to show what he can do. If LeFevour gets significant playing time, it's not going to happen for another three or four years or if Jay Cutler gets injured. For now, he's riding the pine for his hometown, childhood team. You have to feel for the guy and think about it in personal terms. What if you got drafted by your hometown team in your favorite sport of all time? Awesome.
Under the Bears' draft day circumstances, I think they did a good job. Watch out for Major Wright and Wootton. These guys can be good.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Don't forget about Dirk
I've posted previously regarding the Bulls and the 2010 free agency market. I would love to add either Bosh, Boozer, Johnson, Wade or Ray Allen (depending on who else we sign) to our roster. I've always thought that Dirk Nowitzki, who is also a free agent this summer, will sign with Dallas and most likely, remain a Maverick for his entire career.
The Mavs lost to the Spurs by ten points Thursday night, ousting them from this year's post season. Once again, Dallas disappointed those who follow them. This is no where near as bad of a loss as when they lost to Golden State (8 seed) in 2007, but still pretty disappointing, considering the trade for Caron Butler prior to this year's trade deadline.
I thought the addition of Caron was a great one. It finally gave Dirk Nowitzki another potential All-Star to their starting lineup. The Mavs didn't perform, once again, and had an early exit from the playoffs. Dirk is a championship-talent player and deserves to advance deeper in the post season than he has. Mark Cuban has proved year after year that no matter what additions he makes to his roster, he still can not produce a championship contending team.
Here's where the Bulls come into play. What if Dirk signed with the Bulls? The team's starting lineup would consist of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Dirk Nowitzki, Joakim Noah and a shooting guard, maybe Kirk or another free agent/trade. Dirk would provide Derrick Rose with the scorer he has been looking for since Ben Gordon departed to Detroit. He is the best shooting seven-footer to ever play the game, and with his size and skill, the Bulls can contend for a championship. His ability away from the basket is unbelievable. He hits shot after shot and can put a team on his back at any time.
Gar Foreman should definitely consider Dirk and not assume he'll always be a Maverick, because as we all know, the NBA is a business more than it is anything else. D-Rose, Kirk, Deng, Dirk and Joakim is a championship caliber starting lineup. Yes, very diverse, but very talented.
My Most Wanted Power Forward Free Agents:
1. Dirk Nowitzki
2. Chris Bosh
3. Carlos Boozer
My Most Wanted Shooting-Guard Free Agents:
1. Dwayne Wade
2. Joe Johnson
3. Ray Allen
The Mavs lost to the Spurs by ten points Thursday night, ousting them from this year's post season. Once again, Dallas disappointed those who follow them. This is no where near as bad of a loss as when they lost to Golden State (8 seed) in 2007, but still pretty disappointing, considering the trade for Caron Butler prior to this year's trade deadline.
I thought the addition of Caron was a great one. It finally gave Dirk Nowitzki another potential All-Star to their starting lineup. The Mavs didn't perform, once again, and had an early exit from the playoffs. Dirk is a championship-talent player and deserves to advance deeper in the post season than he has. Mark Cuban has proved year after year that no matter what additions he makes to his roster, he still can not produce a championship contending team.
Here's where the Bulls come into play. What if Dirk signed with the Bulls? The team's starting lineup would consist of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Dirk Nowitzki, Joakim Noah and a shooting guard, maybe Kirk or another free agent/trade. Dirk would provide Derrick Rose with the scorer he has been looking for since Ben Gordon departed to Detroit. He is the best shooting seven-footer to ever play the game, and with his size and skill, the Bulls can contend for a championship. His ability away from the basket is unbelievable. He hits shot after shot and can put a team on his back at any time.
Gar Foreman should definitely consider Dirk and not assume he'll always be a Maverick, because as we all know, the NBA is a business more than it is anything else. D-Rose, Kirk, Deng, Dirk and Joakim is a championship caliber starting lineup. Yes, very diverse, but very talented.
My Most Wanted Power Forward Free Agents:
1. Dirk Nowitzki
2. Chris Bosh
3. Carlos Boozer
My Most Wanted Shooting-Guard Free Agents:
1. Dwayne Wade
2. Joe Johnson
3. Ray Allen
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Hawks oust Preds
First round vs. Nashville
After a couple of early scares to start the post season, the Blackhawks were VICTORIOUS! and sent the Nashville Predators home packing after defeating them four games to two, in the seven-game series.
Obviously, I am ecstatic. The Hawks move on to the conference semifinals and are scheduled to play the Vancouver Canucks - they have one of the best goalies in the world, right now, in Roberto Luongo. He, along with Toews, Seabrook and Keith won the gold medal in this year's Olympics.
The opening round series between the Hawks and the Preds was crazier than I would have hoped for. It was a little stressful seeing the Hawks go down 1-0 in the series, and then 2-1. However, I never once thought it was over. Hockey is quite the sport, and anything can happen with one change in momentum. We witnessed that this past series vs. Nashville.
Through the first four games of the Nashville series, the Hawks won two games in which Niemi recorded the no-no, and they lost two games, both resulting with four goals against. Game five was quite different from the trends we saw in the first four games.
With a 3-1 lead going into the third period of game five, I was pretty comfortable but still wanted to see another puck hit the back of the twine behind Pekka Rinne. This didn't happen before the Preds were able to score two goals, tying the game at three. With just minutes left in game five, with a score of 3-3, Nashville trickled a goal past Niemi to take the lead, 4-3. I'm not going to lie - I was pretty depressed at this time. We gave up a two-goal-lead in the third period lead of game five, with the series tied, waiting to head to Nashville for game six. We couldn't afford to lose that game; it just couldn't happen.
Thankfully, it didn't. One of my good friends, Brian Bakal, text messaged me with a minute-and-a-half left in the third period saying, "this one's over." Brian, just like I told you Saturday, I'm going to tell you again; a hockey game is never over until the clock strikes 00:00.
However, with minimal time left in the third period with the Hawks trailing 4-3, Hossa wrecked Hamhuis, Nashville's defender, and went to the box for a five-minute penalty.
Five-minute penalty?! What have I said throughout the playoffs? We need to stay out of the box in order to win games! However, once again I was wong...thank the lord! While the Hawks were shorthanded, Toews broke out of the zone, heading towards Pekka. With less than a minute left, Patty Kane tapped one in the net and tied the game up at four.
Wow! That was unbelievable. As soon as I saw Kaner do his patented arm-slash while sliding on the ice with one knee, I couldn't help but smile ear-to-ear, jumping up and down, giving high-fives to my fellow Blackhawk fans.
The Hawks tied the game, and I knew it was a short-handed goal, but lost in all the joy, I forgot Hossa was serving the five-minute penalty - not two minutes. The Hawks had to go to OT and kill a five-minute penalty, in addition to attempt to win the game. Like my father said over the phone, "I may have a heart attack before overtime is over!"
The Hawks killed the five minute penalty in OT, and shortly after, Hossa skated out of the box and flicked in a rebound for the game winning goal. Yes! The game winning goal! What a way to score your first playoff goal with the team that signed you for the next 12 years. While writing this, I still smile ear-to-ear, because I have never seen a game like game five. I went nuts - absolutely nuts.
Going into overtime, I thought to myself, "if we lose this game, we lose the series." We didn't lose, and as you know, we proceeded to win the series.
Conference Semifinals vs. Vancouver
In my previous post, I preached about the Hawks needing to stay out of the penalty box and preventing shorthanded situations. I still think this is going have to happen in order for us to win, especially against Vancouver. Like I said, they have one of the best goaltenders in the world. If we allow him to heat up, we could be in for some trouble.
Did you see Luongo's ridiculous glove save in game six against the Kings? If you didn't, check it out. It is absolutely ridiculous!
If we stay out the box we will avoid shorthanded situations, hopefully creating power-play opportunities. The Canucks offense is very solid behind the Sedin twins and Kesler (Patrick Kane's Team USA teammate in this year's Olympics). The Hawks have not been a team that struggles to score against Luongo. We ousted them from last year's playoffs in six games, and I vividly remember putting up seven goals against him this year. If we stay on the ice and out of the penalty box, the scoring opportunities will come; I am not worried about that.
Like I continue to say, we need to avoid penalties. Cooler heads will prevail. As I think back to last year's postseason series against the Canucks, one thing continuously comes to mind. The series was very physical and filled with fights. Andrew Ladd broke Ryan Kesler's nose in a game and the two have gone back-and-forth on the ice, dropping the gloves, and via media. Expect a few scrounges between those two. I assume that this series is going to be as physical, if not more, than last year's. It should be great hockey and fantastic TV entertainment. As long as the Hawks stay poised, we should oust the Canucks, again, and make our way to the Conference Finals.
On to my next point - Antti Niemi. This man has played outstanding hockey. Yes, a few goals have gone in that probably shouldn't have, but numbers do not lie. Niemi has a 92 percent save percentage, and obviously, two shut-outs. That is all I need to say about him. His postseason stats speak for himself and until Niemi's game tumbles, I'm not saying anything else. Huet can enjoy the show on the bench and get used to that, because Niemi has proved that he is playing for the Cup, as well as future years in a Hawks uniform. Keep in mind, he is only a rookie.
Overall, the Nashville series was nerve-wrecking, yet amazing. The Hawks came out on top and now have to play Roberto Luongo and the Canucks. Hossa popped his 2010 playoff cherry with the game-winning goal in game five, Kaner is heating up, along with Toews, and Sharp continues to fire shots on net. Seabrook is laying guys out with his body, Keith is playing great, and Brent Sopel has no fear of taking shots to the face as he has attempted to block as many slap-shots from the point as possible. These guys aren't messing around. They want to win the Stanley Cup, and this year could very possibly be the year. Let me quote Barry Melrose after the Hawks game five victory; "They are a team of destiny." Take that however you please, but if the Hawks continue to play like they are, it's going to be hard to take them down.
Take the next step to the Cup and send the Canucks home packing. Go Hawks!
Related Links
Luongo's glove-save vs. Kings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMockQnE9jE
Hawks/Canucks brawl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCCR0PcT4_E
After a couple of early scares to start the post season, the Blackhawks were VICTORIOUS! and sent the Nashville Predators home packing after defeating them four games to two, in the seven-game series.
Obviously, I am ecstatic. The Hawks move on to the conference semifinals and are scheduled to play the Vancouver Canucks - they have one of the best goalies in the world, right now, in Roberto Luongo. He, along with Toews, Seabrook and Keith won the gold medal in this year's Olympics.
The opening round series between the Hawks and the Preds was crazier than I would have hoped for. It was a little stressful seeing the Hawks go down 1-0 in the series, and then 2-1. However, I never once thought it was over. Hockey is quite the sport, and anything can happen with one change in momentum. We witnessed that this past series vs. Nashville.
Through the first four games of the Nashville series, the Hawks won two games in which Niemi recorded the no-no, and they lost two games, both resulting with four goals against. Game five was quite different from the trends we saw in the first four games.
With a 3-1 lead going into the third period of game five, I was pretty comfortable but still wanted to see another puck hit the back of the twine behind Pekka Rinne. This didn't happen before the Preds were able to score two goals, tying the game at three. With just minutes left in game five, with a score of 3-3, Nashville trickled a goal past Niemi to take the lead, 4-3. I'm not going to lie - I was pretty depressed at this time. We gave up a two-goal-lead in the third period lead of game five, with the series tied, waiting to head to Nashville for game six. We couldn't afford to lose that game; it just couldn't happen.
Thankfully, it didn't. One of my good friends, Brian Bakal, text messaged me with a minute-and-a-half left in the third period saying, "this one's over." Brian, just like I told you Saturday, I'm going to tell you again; a hockey game is never over until the clock strikes 00:00.
However, with minimal time left in the third period with the Hawks trailing 4-3, Hossa wrecked Hamhuis, Nashville's defender, and went to the box for a five-minute penalty.
Five-minute penalty?! What have I said throughout the playoffs? We need to stay out of the box in order to win games! However, once again I was wong...thank the lord! While the Hawks were shorthanded, Toews broke out of the zone, heading towards Pekka. With less than a minute left, Patty Kane tapped one in the net and tied the game up at four.
Wow! That was unbelievable. As soon as I saw Kaner do his patented arm-slash while sliding on the ice with one knee, I couldn't help but smile ear-to-ear, jumping up and down, giving high-fives to my fellow Blackhawk fans.
The Hawks tied the game, and I knew it was a short-handed goal, but lost in all the joy, I forgot Hossa was serving the five-minute penalty - not two minutes. The Hawks had to go to OT and kill a five-minute penalty, in addition to attempt to win the game. Like my father said over the phone, "I may have a heart attack before overtime is over!"
The Hawks killed the five minute penalty in OT, and shortly after, Hossa skated out of the box and flicked in a rebound for the game winning goal. Yes! The game winning goal! What a way to score your first playoff goal with the team that signed you for the next 12 years. While writing this, I still smile ear-to-ear, because I have never seen a game like game five. I went nuts - absolutely nuts.
Going into overtime, I thought to myself, "if we lose this game, we lose the series." We didn't lose, and as you know, we proceeded to win the series.
Conference Semifinals vs. Vancouver
In my previous post, I preached about the Hawks needing to stay out of the penalty box and preventing shorthanded situations. I still think this is going have to happen in order for us to win, especially against Vancouver. Like I said, they have one of the best goaltenders in the world. If we allow him to heat up, we could be in for some trouble.
Did you see Luongo's ridiculous glove save in game six against the Kings? If you didn't, check it out. It is absolutely ridiculous!
If we stay out the box we will avoid shorthanded situations, hopefully creating power-play opportunities. The Canucks offense is very solid behind the Sedin twins and Kesler (Patrick Kane's Team USA teammate in this year's Olympics). The Hawks have not been a team that struggles to score against Luongo. We ousted them from last year's playoffs in six games, and I vividly remember putting up seven goals against him this year. If we stay on the ice and out of the penalty box, the scoring opportunities will come; I am not worried about that.
Like I continue to say, we need to avoid penalties. Cooler heads will prevail. As I think back to last year's postseason series against the Canucks, one thing continuously comes to mind. The series was very physical and filled with fights. Andrew Ladd broke Ryan Kesler's nose in a game and the two have gone back-and-forth on the ice, dropping the gloves, and via media. Expect a few scrounges between those two. I assume that this series is going to be as physical, if not more, than last year's. It should be great hockey and fantastic TV entertainment. As long as the Hawks stay poised, we should oust the Canucks, again, and make our way to the Conference Finals.
On to my next point - Antti Niemi. This man has played outstanding hockey. Yes, a few goals have gone in that probably shouldn't have, but numbers do not lie. Niemi has a 92 percent save percentage, and obviously, two shut-outs. That is all I need to say about him. His postseason stats speak for himself and until Niemi's game tumbles, I'm not saying anything else. Huet can enjoy the show on the bench and get used to that, because Niemi has proved that he is playing for the Cup, as well as future years in a Hawks uniform. Keep in mind, he is only a rookie.
Overall, the Nashville series was nerve-wrecking, yet amazing. The Hawks came out on top and now have to play Roberto Luongo and the Canucks. Hossa popped his 2010 playoff cherry with the game-winning goal in game five, Kaner is heating up, along with Toews, and Sharp continues to fire shots on net. Seabrook is laying guys out with his body, Keith is playing great, and Brent Sopel has no fear of taking shots to the face as he has attempted to block as many slap-shots from the point as possible. These guys aren't messing around. They want to win the Stanley Cup, and this year could very possibly be the year. Let me quote Barry Melrose after the Hawks game five victory; "They are a team of destiny." Take that however you please, but if the Hawks continue to play like they are, it's going to be hard to take them down.
Take the next step to the Cup and send the Canucks home packing. Go Hawks!
Related Links
Luongo's glove-save vs. Kings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMockQnE9jE
Hawks/Canucks brawl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCCR0PcT4_E
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Big Z to the 'pen
Wait, did I really just read that? No. Wait, Yes, I did. Carlos Zambrano is no longer a starter; he is a relief pitcher...for the time being. The Cubs' bullpen is brutal. They've already blown four of seven save opportunities and have proved that they can't close out games once the starter departs from the game.
Carlos Zambrano is our supposed set-up guy temporarily. Or maybe for a long duration, maybe the entire season. Hendry needs to make a move for a set-up reliever because our ace can not come out of the pen all year. Yes, we do have Lilly coming back very soon, but we still lose Carlos. Even though he shows signs of failure quite often, he still has the potential to throw a gem, and he will do that periodically throughout the year.
Lou said it's going to help his maturity. Ok, fair enough - Yes, it's going to help him mature, if he can handle his new role. But he can not stay in the bullpen for a long time. We need him as a starter. Hopefully this is the right move because right now, we need all the help we can get.
Hopefully Lilly comes back and deals, otherwise, this unfortunate season (thus far) is only going to get worse.
Carlos Zambrano is our supposed set-up guy temporarily. Or maybe for a long duration, maybe the entire season. Hendry needs to make a move for a set-up reliever because our ace can not come out of the pen all year. Yes, we do have Lilly coming back very soon, but we still lose Carlos. Even though he shows signs of failure quite often, he still has the potential to throw a gem, and he will do that periodically throughout the year.
Lou said it's going to help his maturity. Ok, fair enough - Yes, it's going to help him mature, if he can handle his new role. But he can not stay in the bullpen for a long time. We need him as a starter. Hopefully this is the right move because right now, we need all the help we can get.
Hopefully Lilly comes back and deals, otherwise, this unfortunate season (thus far) is only going to get worse.
"O-VER RA-TED!!" Hawks need to stop playing around
Say it aint so!! Halfway through last night's third period of the Blackhawks, Predators game, I heard the Nashville crowd chanting "O-VER RA-TED!" Of course, it made me think sad, depressing thoughts. Are the Preds' fans right? Are the Chicago faithful going to be disappointed, once again?
Not yet. The Hawks are only down two games to one in a best of seven series. They can win in Nashvile on Thursday and then go back to Chicago for game five Saturday, with the series tied 2-2. Momentum affects hockey, a lot. The Hawks need to regain that momentum and take over like we know they can.
First, we need to stay out of the penalty box. We are not going to win when we get stupid penalties and leave ourselves in short-handed situations. If we stay out of the box, we won't have to play short-handed, and hopefully Nashville will be the one's committing unnecessary penalties. We showed poise in game two - Steve Sullivan, the ex-Hawk, went after Versteeg and Steeger stayed calm. Even though Versteeg was issued a penalty (why? I still don't know), cooler heads prevailed and we scored shortly after.
I will admit, I am a little nervous going into game four, but once it starts, I'll be at the edge of my seat with all the confidence in the world for the Hawks waiting for the Hawks to light the lamp, resulting in a game five at the UC with the series tied at two. If we go down 3-1, I don't know what I'll think. I still wont count them out because they are capable of exploding, but it's going to be very, very stressful.
Let's bounce back, boys. The Hawks are one of the best teams in the league rostering Olympians all over the ice. They have the skill to win, but they need to play smart and stay patient; it is a long game and anything can happen within a span of second Make sure we don't hear the "O-VER RA-TED" chants for the rest of the playoffs and get past Nashville to get closer to the Cup.
***(check out the Melrose, Barnaby break down of the Hawks linked at the top of the page)***
Not yet. The Hawks are only down two games to one in a best of seven series. They can win in Nashvile on Thursday and then go back to Chicago for game five Saturday, with the series tied 2-2. Momentum affects hockey, a lot. The Hawks need to regain that momentum and take over like we know they can.
First, we need to stay out of the penalty box. We are not going to win when we get stupid penalties and leave ourselves in short-handed situations. If we stay out of the box, we won't have to play short-handed, and hopefully Nashville will be the one's committing unnecessary penalties. We showed poise in game two - Steve Sullivan, the ex-Hawk, went after Versteeg and Steeger stayed calm. Even though Versteeg was issued a penalty (why? I still don't know), cooler heads prevailed and we scored shortly after.
I will admit, I am a little nervous going into game four, but once it starts, I'll be at the edge of my seat with all the confidence in the world for the Hawks waiting for the Hawks to light the lamp, resulting in a game five at the UC with the series tied at two. If we go down 3-1, I don't know what I'll think. I still wont count them out because they are capable of exploding, but it's going to be very, very stressful.
Let's bounce back, boys. The Hawks are one of the best teams in the league rostering Olympians all over the ice. They have the skill to win, but they need to play smart and stay patient; it is a long game and anything can happen within a span of second Make sure we don't hear the "O-VER RA-TED" chants for the rest of the playoffs and get past Nashville to get closer to the Cup.
***(check out the Melrose, Barnaby break down of the Hawks linked at the top of the page)***
Just wait 'til summer - Los Bulls
Yes, we all know the Bulls beat out the Raptors for the Eastern Conference's 8th seed. They now have to face the Cavaliers in a seven game series. They're already down 2-0 in the series and have proved that even when they give their best fight, they still lost by ten.
As the season neared the end, I was skeptical whether or not I wanted to see the Bulls in the playoffs. I have always been a Bulls fan and the excitement of rooting for your team in the playoffs doesn't really get much better - especially if you're winning. The Bulls aren't winning. There is a chance that they don't get swept, but the likelihood of them winning four before the Cavs win two is nearly impossible. Their is one benefit out of their playoff birth. Guys like D-Rose, Taj Gibson and Jo' Noah are getting playoff experience - something they will need next year (hopefully) after they add a max contract player, or two, to their squad.
These guys are playing for the present and not thinking about the future...yet. The respect they earn around the league and among each other for reaching the post season has to be important to them. Especially for the Bulls; After D-Rose, Jo', Taj, Kirk and Luol, their bench is a group of scrubs. I like Ronald "Flip" Murray; he can stay and come off the bench next year. But, Chris Richards? Janero Pargo? C'Mon this guy was in Europe last year. Joe Alexander, the West Va star, doesn't even dress. Acie Law isn't going to do much for us.
Aside from playoff experience and self-moral, are the playoffs worth the Bulls' time or should they have taken the lottery pick? The guys I'm looking to keep on the roster from this year's team consists of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich, Flip Murray and Luol Deng-It. Dump everyone else!
If we want to realistically contend for a championship, we need to bring in a two-guard and a four; ideally, D-Wade and Bosh. But that's not going to happen. D-Wade's "heart is in Miami." He's staying. Why wouldn't he? South Beach is paradise. As much as I'd love Bosh, I think we need to sign two guys this summer, and if we sign Bosh I doubt we can sign a decent two-guard. But what about something like Bosh and Jesus Shuttlesworth, formerly known as Ray Allen? 1. D-Rose 2. Ray 3. Luol 4. Bosh 5. Joakim. That could be solid. My (somewhat) realistis/ideal signings would consist of Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer. But, it seems as if Johnson is everything, but a Knick.
Basically, this all depends on Lebron James. If he wins a championship this year, he's staying in Cleveland. What if he doesn't? How far do the Cavs have to go to keep Lebron in his hometown? If he leaves, where will he go? New York, probably. LAC - can him and Kobe share a city? Ehhh...
Why not the Bulls? I know Joakim Noah is hater, but how can you say no if Lebron wants to come to Chi-town? Lebron can play any position on the court if he really has to. D-Rose leads at the point. Joakim Noah stays at the five. If the Bulls get rid of Deng, Lebron plays the three. But, if Luol stays, Lebron can absolutely play the four. Not only can he play the four, but he can go down as the best power forward to ever play the game. He can get to the rack whenever he wants and his shot gets better every game. There is no limit to his range. He's 6-8, 250 pounds of straight muscle. He can jump higher than any man on the court. With D-Rose running the point looking for the dime, Lebron can run the floor with D-Rose better than any one else in the league.
Overall, if we can not get Lebron, I'll be happy with Johnson-Boozer signings.
Going back to D-Rose - he is nasty! I have a friend, you know who you are and will remain anonymous, who thinks Rajon Rondo is better than D-Rose. I think he is absolutely crazy!! D-Rose has no one around him that can shoot. He is running the point and playing the shooting guard position. Rajon has three, maybe four future Hall of Fame players in his starting line-up (Garnett, Ray Allen, The Truth, Rasheed-maybe, he has been awful this year). Sorry Ticket Stub/Big Baby - no love for you. Put D-Rose in that line-up and quite frankly, they contend for a championship better than with Rondo. When the management finally brings in some talent to put around D-Rose, he will finally be able to play the true point guard position. He's very quick and shifts his way to the rim and scores quite often. He does it all one his own. I've heard criticisms for being hesitant to shoot, rather look for the pass. He's a point guard! He's been doing it his entire life. Yes, he had proved that he can score, but as a point guard, often times, he's going to look to dish the ball to an open teammate. Joe Johnson's shot would be a wicked combo with D-Rose's skill at the point. Add Carlos Boozer at the four and the Bulls have four potential All-Stars in their starting lineup. With guys like D-Rose, Johnson, Boozer and Noah, even Luol Deng will get better. He'll see more open shots, and hopefully be able to make them. A bench consisting of Captain Kirk, Taj, James Johnson, Flip Murray and someone else (maybe Hakim Warrick, my boy from 'Cuse, or another free agent) is one that will satisfy me, for sure - as long as the Bulls add two guys like Johnson and Boozer. That is a championship contending team.
Give D-Rose an All-Star caliber shooter, and he will lead his team to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Related Links
"Wade professes desire to stay in Miami"
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=5101041
"Lebron James & Joakim Noah talking trash"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz8oqxIh0JU
As the season neared the end, I was skeptical whether or not I wanted to see the Bulls in the playoffs. I have always been a Bulls fan and the excitement of rooting for your team in the playoffs doesn't really get much better - especially if you're winning. The Bulls aren't winning. There is a chance that they don't get swept, but the likelihood of them winning four before the Cavs win two is nearly impossible. Their is one benefit out of their playoff birth. Guys like D-Rose, Taj Gibson and Jo' Noah are getting playoff experience - something they will need next year (hopefully) after they add a max contract player, or two, to their squad.
These guys are playing for the present and not thinking about the future...yet. The respect they earn around the league and among each other for reaching the post season has to be important to them. Especially for the Bulls; After D-Rose, Jo', Taj, Kirk and Luol, their bench is a group of scrubs. I like Ronald "Flip" Murray; he can stay and come off the bench next year. But, Chris Richards? Janero Pargo? C'Mon this guy was in Europe last year. Joe Alexander, the West Va star, doesn't even dress. Acie Law isn't going to do much for us.
Aside from playoff experience and self-moral, are the playoffs worth the Bulls' time or should they have taken the lottery pick? The guys I'm looking to keep on the roster from this year's team consists of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich, Flip Murray and Luol Deng-It. Dump everyone else!
If we want to realistically contend for a championship, we need to bring in a two-guard and a four; ideally, D-Wade and Bosh. But that's not going to happen. D-Wade's "heart is in Miami." He's staying. Why wouldn't he? South Beach is paradise. As much as I'd love Bosh, I think we need to sign two guys this summer, and if we sign Bosh I doubt we can sign a decent two-guard. But what about something like Bosh and Jesus Shuttlesworth, formerly known as Ray Allen? 1. D-Rose 2. Ray 3. Luol 4. Bosh 5. Joakim. That could be solid. My (somewhat) realistis/ideal signings would consist of Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer. But, it seems as if Johnson is everything, but a Knick.
Basically, this all depends on Lebron James. If he wins a championship this year, he's staying in Cleveland. What if he doesn't? How far do the Cavs have to go to keep Lebron in his hometown? If he leaves, where will he go? New York, probably. LAC - can him and Kobe share a city? Ehhh...
Why not the Bulls? I know Joakim Noah is hater, but how can you say no if Lebron wants to come to Chi-town? Lebron can play any position on the court if he really has to. D-Rose leads at the point. Joakim Noah stays at the five. If the Bulls get rid of Deng, Lebron plays the three. But, if Luol stays, Lebron can absolutely play the four. Not only can he play the four, but he can go down as the best power forward to ever play the game. He can get to the rack whenever he wants and his shot gets better every game. There is no limit to his range. He's 6-8, 250 pounds of straight muscle. He can jump higher than any man on the court. With D-Rose running the point looking for the dime, Lebron can run the floor with D-Rose better than any one else in the league.
Overall, if we can not get Lebron, I'll be happy with Johnson-Boozer signings.
Going back to D-Rose - he is nasty! I have a friend, you know who you are and will remain anonymous, who thinks Rajon Rondo is better than D-Rose. I think he is absolutely crazy!! D-Rose has no one around him that can shoot. He is running the point and playing the shooting guard position. Rajon has three, maybe four future Hall of Fame players in his starting line-up (Garnett, Ray Allen, The Truth, Rasheed-maybe, he has been awful this year). Sorry Ticket Stub/Big Baby - no love for you. Put D-Rose in that line-up and quite frankly, they contend for a championship better than with Rondo. When the management finally brings in some talent to put around D-Rose, he will finally be able to play the true point guard position. He's very quick and shifts his way to the rim and scores quite often. He does it all one his own. I've heard criticisms for being hesitant to shoot, rather look for the pass. He's a point guard! He's been doing it his entire life. Yes, he had proved that he can score, but as a point guard, often times, he's going to look to dish the ball to an open teammate. Joe Johnson's shot would be a wicked combo with D-Rose's skill at the point. Add Carlos Boozer at the four and the Bulls have four potential All-Stars in their starting lineup. With guys like D-Rose, Johnson, Boozer and Noah, even Luol Deng will get better. He'll see more open shots, and hopefully be able to make them. A bench consisting of Captain Kirk, Taj, James Johnson, Flip Murray and someone else (maybe Hakim Warrick, my boy from 'Cuse, or another free agent) is one that will satisfy me, for sure - as long as the Bulls add two guys like Johnson and Boozer. That is a championship contending team.
Give D-Rose an All-Star caliber shooter, and he will lead his team to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Related Links
"Wade professes desire to stay in Miami"
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=5101041
"Lebron James & Joakim Noah talking trash"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz8oqxIh0JU
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Cubs thru 4/18
Spring is upon us; the sun is shining, the temperature is rising and baseball is here. Wrigley’s ivy will soon be green, and with time, baseballs will be flying onto Waveland Ave. at a rapid pace.
The Cubs have played nearly 10% of their regular season schedule, and their loyal fans have witnessed some new trends, as well as some old. After their first 12 games, they have a record of five wins and seven losses.
Sitting in my apartment on Opening Day, I couldn’t have been any happier seeing the 3-0 score in favor of the Cubs after the top half of the first inning. Marlon Byrd, the Cubs’ off-season acquisition from Texas, hit a two-run dinger in his first at-bat in Cubby blue. But being a Cubs fan for 20 years, I knew not to get too far ahead of myself; they still need to play the field and record 27 outs before the game is over. The new, thinner Carlos Zambrano of 2010 proceeded to serve up meatballs to the Atlanta Braves lineup, giving up six earned runs before recording the third out in the first inning. Last year, Carlos stopped doing his abdominal workouts before the season ended and his performance reflected it. He came to Spring Training 15 pounds lighter, weighing 260 pounds. He was on a mission to bring a World Series Championship to the north side of Chicago; however, a minor speed bump came in his first start of the season, losing the opener 16-5.
C’mon! Next year is finally here and this is how it starts? Following the Opening Day debacle, I immediately called my pops and told him, “I’m not getting my hopes up this season. I’ve been heartbroken too many times by the Cubbies, so the least I expect all year, hopefully, the happier I am after 162 games.” We’ve all seen it too many times – it doesn’t matter how many games we win during the regular season, we are still prone to getting swept in the first round of the playoffs; just like in 2008 when the Cubs won 97 games and got embarrassed by Man-Ram and the Dodgers.
It was good to see Z bounce back the following start and pitch a solid seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits, including nine strike outs. I was watching the game’s sixth and seventh innings and Carlos was dealing. His fastball looked untouchable and he had that swagger that screams, “you can’t hit me!”
As I mentioned earlier, Marlon Byrd was the Cubs’ most valuable (hopefully) off-season acquisition from Texas. The Rangers’ hitting coach from last year, Rudy Jaramillo, followed Byrd and signed a three-year, 2.42 million-dollar contract. Hendry signed him with hopes to put the pop back in the Cubs’ bats like we all know they have. I can’t be disappointed with Byrd’s production thus far, batting .244 with three home runs and nine RBI’s. He’s well on pace to beat Milton Bradley’s stats from last year (.257 BA, 12 HR, 40 RBI). Have fun with him, Seattle. Ha!
Rudy is doing his job so far. I’m really not one who should judge a hitting coach due to the fact that I probably don’t know half of the information I need to know - but from a fans perspective, here is my judgment. Byrd is producing, as I said; Fukudome has showed signs of life, batting .306 with a dinger and six RBI’s. It looks as if he is showing the patience he had when he first signed with the Cubs in ’08. I’m not too worried about Soriano. Being that he is from the south (way south of the United States), it’s going to take time for him to heat up. Right now, the temperature is a little chilly for him. I suspect that he will show progress by June, at the latest early-July, his bones will start heating up, along with the temperature, and Fonsy will show that he still has the ability to put the team on his back for a month’s span; hopefully, he can produce throughout the entire season and stay off the DL. He’s no longer the leadoff hitter, so he does not have as much responsibility to start the merry-go-round and come up with base hits with no one on base. His lack of hustle will hopefully not affect the team as much, since he is no longer the leadoff hitter. If he is not getting base hits or jacking the ball out of the park, he needs to be hitting deep sacrifice flies in order for the team’s scoring chances to increase – something a leadoff is not expected to do as often.
Aramis is Aramis. He’s going to produce as long as he stays healthy. He’s shown early signs of his ability to whack the ball into the bleachers with one swing of the bat, and just like Soriano, Rami will heat up as the summer months progress.
Of all the Cubs’ position players, their biggest downfall is the second base platoon of Mike Fontenot and Jeff Baker. I like what Lou has been doing with the two players this season, splitting their starts at second base. Fontenot has appeared in ten games, batting .321 with an RBI; Baker has played in seven games, batting .313 with two dingers and three RBI’s. Fontenot has proven that whether he’s an everyday or bench player, his offensive production is going to be very similar. (2007 season: 86 games, 3 HR, 29 RBI; 2008 season: 119 games, .305 BA, 9 HR, 40 RBI; 2009 season: 135 games, .236 BA, 9 HR, 43 RBI). Until the Cubs find an everyday second baseman, Lou will have to make due with the Fontenot-Baker platoon.
D-Lee is always reliable at first. He’s a solid three hitter in the batting order and has quite the glove over at first base. As long as he keeps his strike out numbers down this year, he should be good to go (2007, 2008, 2009: 114, 119, 109). But when will the Derrick Lee era come to an end? Is it time to trade him while he is valuable and bring in a new, young talent to occupy first?
Ryan Theriot, this year’s leadoff hitter depending on our opponents starter, has had some good days and then some bad days so far this season, batting .235 with 4 stolen bases, 4 RBI’s and 3 base on balls. On the defensive side of the ball, he has great range. However, his arm strength…is weak. He gets to more balls in the hole than not, but he lacks the ability to make a deep or off-balanced throw from the shortstop position. This leads me to my next point: Starlin Castro. Castro, the 20-year old shortstop from Cuba, played with the team during Spring Training, and showed signs of future success in the MLB; so far this year in the minors, Castro is batting .357 with ten RBI’s, four stolen bases, and five extra base hits, in his first nine games with the AA Tennessee squad. Lou has said that Starlin will be in the majors at some point this season, but he does not want to rush the decision because it will be worth it in the long run.
The day Starlin Castro joins the team will hopefully be the day The-Riot changes to the Cubs’ everyday second baseman, and Starlin takes over the starting shortstop duties.
Going back to Rudy Jaramillo, he must’ve either forgot about Geovany Soto or was oblivious to his sophomore slump (.218 BA, 11 HR, 47 RBI, and 77 strike outs) last season. Geo didn’t start the season ideally, only having one hit in 11 at-bats the first two series of the season. He, along with Big Z, came to Spring Training with a smaller waste band, on a mission to go back to his rookie ways (.285 BA, 23 HR, 86 RBI) in 2008, when he won the Rookie of the Year Award. Geo has showed signs of life since his one for 11 skid to start the season. As long as he does not start getting high again, thus, preventing the munchies, he should keep off the 40 pounds he lost and increase his production on the field. I’d love to see him finishing the year with a .300 BA, 25-30 HR, and 85-90 RBI.
It does not matter how many runs our offense scores or how many scoreless innings our starters pitch, if the bullpen does not do its job, the Cubs will not win.
Ryan Dempster’s April 18 start vs. Houston was a gem. He went 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball, and left the game, hoping for a win, with two outs and runners on first and second. Carlos Marmol, our “go-to-guy,” came in for relief and proceeded to serve Jeff Keppinger a slider that did not break as much as it should have, and Keppinger lined it to center; one run scored and Dempster was charged with an earned run. Marmol went back to close out the ninth with a 2-1 lead; he gave up a second run, the first charged to him, and the Astros tied the game at two. The Cubs ended up losing the game 3-2 in ten innings, and Dempster’s gem went down as a no decision.
For years, our bullpen has been the reason for many losses and has never been able to be established as a reliable relief system. As bad as Marmol can look one day, with the power of short-term memory, he can come back the next and look unbelievable. He proved this when he closed out the April 14 game against the Brewers. With a 7-6 lead going into the ninth inning, Marmol struck out the side (Corey Hart, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder) and earned his third save of the season. Sean Marshall has pitched well in relief. Yes, he has given un-opportune runs at times, but his command has looked great. He has the strength to throw in long-relief situations and has been developed this ability over the last few years with the Cubs. If an injury ever occurs in the starting rotation, I would love to see Marshall earn the fifth spot in the rotation. I can’t help but to yell, “give him the cheese!” every time he faces a batter with two strikes. His curveball is nasty!
Carlos Silva has yet to disappoint me this year, with a record of 1-0 and a 0.69 ERA. I did not expect much out of him being that the Cubs did trade him for Milton Bradley – I was expecting another fat, head-case, Venezuelan pitcher with less skill than Carlos Zambrano. If Carlos “TONS of pitching” Silva doesn’t continue on the path in which he is headed, like I previously said, give Marshall the opportunity to prove himself. The big man even legged out a double while driving in a run against Houston. We’ll see how he pans out; so far he has and those who bleed Cubby blue have nothing to complain about.
Randy Wells is a stud. He is the next (healthy) Chris Carpenter and has said that is whom he models his game after. I look forward to watching him pitch for the next several years in a Cubs uniform (hopefully).
Neal Cotts is finally off the squad. He should have stayed on the south side rather than single handedly lose the North-siders numerous games throughout the years by dishing up meatballs for the hitters to blast onto Waveland and Sheffield. Jeff Samardzija should take off his fitted cap and make his way to Bourbonnais for Chicago Bears workouts. After the Cubs drafted him in 2007, I thought he’d work his way to being a solid reliever, and maybe even a decent starter in years to come. I was wrong. He belongs on the football field, because he certainly no longer belongs in an MLB clubhouse.
Before the start of the 2010 season, I heard great things about Esmailin Caridad. He has been nothing short of bad this season, giving up four runs in 2.2 innings and having an ERA of 13.50. He is young and he has talent. I am not going to jump on his case just yet, but over the next couple of months he needs to find his command and sit hitters down, like we are expecting him to do.
From what I’ve seen so far, I do not see us earning a playoff birth. However, as our offense has shown, they have the ability to put runs up at will. When Ted Lilly returns to our rotation, we have arguably one of the best starting rotations in baseball (Zambrano, Dempster, Wells, Lilly, Silva). It is up to our bullpen. If our starters leave the game with a lead, the bullpen needs to get the job done and end the game with the lead. That is what they are getting paid to do. We have the talent, we just need to prove it.
Go Cubs Go!
The Cubs have played nearly 10% of their regular season schedule, and their loyal fans have witnessed some new trends, as well as some old. After their first 12 games, they have a record of five wins and seven losses.
Sitting in my apartment on Opening Day, I couldn’t have been any happier seeing the 3-0 score in favor of the Cubs after the top half of the first inning. Marlon Byrd, the Cubs’ off-season acquisition from Texas, hit a two-run dinger in his first at-bat in Cubby blue. But being a Cubs fan for 20 years, I knew not to get too far ahead of myself; they still need to play the field and record 27 outs before the game is over. The new, thinner Carlos Zambrano of 2010 proceeded to serve up meatballs to the Atlanta Braves lineup, giving up six earned runs before recording the third out in the first inning. Last year, Carlos stopped doing his abdominal workouts before the season ended and his performance reflected it. He came to Spring Training 15 pounds lighter, weighing 260 pounds. He was on a mission to bring a World Series Championship to the north side of Chicago; however, a minor speed bump came in his first start of the season, losing the opener 16-5.
C’mon! Next year is finally here and this is how it starts? Following the Opening Day debacle, I immediately called my pops and told him, “I’m not getting my hopes up this season. I’ve been heartbroken too many times by the Cubbies, so the least I expect all year, hopefully, the happier I am after 162 games.” We’ve all seen it too many times – it doesn’t matter how many games we win during the regular season, we are still prone to getting swept in the first round of the playoffs; just like in 2008 when the Cubs won 97 games and got embarrassed by Man-Ram and the Dodgers.
It was good to see Z bounce back the following start and pitch a solid seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits, including nine strike outs. I was watching the game’s sixth and seventh innings and Carlos was dealing. His fastball looked untouchable and he had that swagger that screams, “you can’t hit me!”
As I mentioned earlier, Marlon Byrd was the Cubs’ most valuable (hopefully) off-season acquisition from Texas. The Rangers’ hitting coach from last year, Rudy Jaramillo, followed Byrd and signed a three-year, 2.42 million-dollar contract. Hendry signed him with hopes to put the pop back in the Cubs’ bats like we all know they have. I can’t be disappointed with Byrd’s production thus far, batting .244 with three home runs and nine RBI’s. He’s well on pace to beat Milton Bradley’s stats from last year (.257 BA, 12 HR, 40 RBI). Have fun with him, Seattle. Ha!
Rudy is doing his job so far. I’m really not one who should judge a hitting coach due to the fact that I probably don’t know half of the information I need to know - but from a fans perspective, here is my judgment. Byrd is producing, as I said; Fukudome has showed signs of life, batting .306 with a dinger and six RBI’s. It looks as if he is showing the patience he had when he first signed with the Cubs in ’08. I’m not too worried about Soriano. Being that he is from the south (way south of the United States), it’s going to take time for him to heat up. Right now, the temperature is a little chilly for him. I suspect that he will show progress by June, at the latest early-July, his bones will start heating up, along with the temperature, and Fonsy will show that he still has the ability to put the team on his back for a month’s span; hopefully, he can produce throughout the entire season and stay off the DL. He’s no longer the leadoff hitter, so he does not have as much responsibility to start the merry-go-round and come up with base hits with no one on base. His lack of hustle will hopefully not affect the team as much, since he is no longer the leadoff hitter. If he is not getting base hits or jacking the ball out of the park, he needs to be hitting deep sacrifice flies in order for the team’s scoring chances to increase – something a leadoff is not expected to do as often.
Aramis is Aramis. He’s going to produce as long as he stays healthy. He’s shown early signs of his ability to whack the ball into the bleachers with one swing of the bat, and just like Soriano, Rami will heat up as the summer months progress.
Of all the Cubs’ position players, their biggest downfall is the second base platoon of Mike Fontenot and Jeff Baker. I like what Lou has been doing with the two players this season, splitting their starts at second base. Fontenot has appeared in ten games, batting .321 with an RBI; Baker has played in seven games, batting .313 with two dingers and three RBI’s. Fontenot has proven that whether he’s an everyday or bench player, his offensive production is going to be very similar. (2007 season: 86 games, 3 HR, 29 RBI; 2008 season: 119 games, .305 BA, 9 HR, 40 RBI; 2009 season: 135 games, .236 BA, 9 HR, 43 RBI). Until the Cubs find an everyday second baseman, Lou will have to make due with the Fontenot-Baker platoon.
D-Lee is always reliable at first. He’s a solid three hitter in the batting order and has quite the glove over at first base. As long as he keeps his strike out numbers down this year, he should be good to go (2007, 2008, 2009: 114, 119, 109). But when will the Derrick Lee era come to an end? Is it time to trade him while he is valuable and bring in a new, young talent to occupy first?
Ryan Theriot, this year’s leadoff hitter depending on our opponents starter, has had some good days and then some bad days so far this season, batting .235 with 4 stolen bases, 4 RBI’s and 3 base on balls. On the defensive side of the ball, he has great range. However, his arm strength…is weak. He gets to more balls in the hole than not, but he lacks the ability to make a deep or off-balanced throw from the shortstop position. This leads me to my next point: Starlin Castro. Castro, the 20-year old shortstop from Cuba, played with the team during Spring Training, and showed signs of future success in the MLB; so far this year in the minors, Castro is batting .357 with ten RBI’s, four stolen bases, and five extra base hits, in his first nine games with the AA Tennessee squad. Lou has said that Starlin will be in the majors at some point this season, but he does not want to rush the decision because it will be worth it in the long run.
The day Starlin Castro joins the team will hopefully be the day The-Riot changes to the Cubs’ everyday second baseman, and Starlin takes over the starting shortstop duties.
Going back to Rudy Jaramillo, he must’ve either forgot about Geovany Soto or was oblivious to his sophomore slump (.218 BA, 11 HR, 47 RBI, and 77 strike outs) last season. Geo didn’t start the season ideally, only having one hit in 11 at-bats the first two series of the season. He, along with Big Z, came to Spring Training with a smaller waste band, on a mission to go back to his rookie ways (.285 BA, 23 HR, 86 RBI) in 2008, when he won the Rookie of the Year Award. Geo has showed signs of life since his one for 11 skid to start the season. As long as he does not start getting high again, thus, preventing the munchies, he should keep off the 40 pounds he lost and increase his production on the field. I’d love to see him finishing the year with a .300 BA, 25-30 HR, and 85-90 RBI.
It does not matter how many runs our offense scores or how many scoreless innings our starters pitch, if the bullpen does not do its job, the Cubs will not win.
Ryan Dempster’s April 18 start vs. Houston was a gem. He went 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball, and left the game, hoping for a win, with two outs and runners on first and second. Carlos Marmol, our “go-to-guy,” came in for relief and proceeded to serve Jeff Keppinger a slider that did not break as much as it should have, and Keppinger lined it to center; one run scored and Dempster was charged with an earned run. Marmol went back to close out the ninth with a 2-1 lead; he gave up a second run, the first charged to him, and the Astros tied the game at two. The Cubs ended up losing the game 3-2 in ten innings, and Dempster’s gem went down as a no decision.
For years, our bullpen has been the reason for many losses and has never been able to be established as a reliable relief system. As bad as Marmol can look one day, with the power of short-term memory, he can come back the next and look unbelievable. He proved this when he closed out the April 14 game against the Brewers. With a 7-6 lead going into the ninth inning, Marmol struck out the side (Corey Hart, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder) and earned his third save of the season. Sean Marshall has pitched well in relief. Yes, he has given un-opportune runs at times, but his command has looked great. He has the strength to throw in long-relief situations and has been developed this ability over the last few years with the Cubs. If an injury ever occurs in the starting rotation, I would love to see Marshall earn the fifth spot in the rotation. I can’t help but to yell, “give him the cheese!” every time he faces a batter with two strikes. His curveball is nasty!
Carlos Silva has yet to disappoint me this year, with a record of 1-0 and a 0.69 ERA. I did not expect much out of him being that the Cubs did trade him for Milton Bradley – I was expecting another fat, head-case, Venezuelan pitcher with less skill than Carlos Zambrano. If Carlos “TONS of pitching” Silva doesn’t continue on the path in which he is headed, like I previously said, give Marshall the opportunity to prove himself. The big man even legged out a double while driving in a run against Houston. We’ll see how he pans out; so far he has and those who bleed Cubby blue have nothing to complain about.
Randy Wells is a stud. He is the next (healthy) Chris Carpenter and has said that is whom he models his game after. I look forward to watching him pitch for the next several years in a Cubs uniform (hopefully).
Neal Cotts is finally off the squad. He should have stayed on the south side rather than single handedly lose the North-siders numerous games throughout the years by dishing up meatballs for the hitters to blast onto Waveland and Sheffield. Jeff Samardzija should take off his fitted cap and make his way to Bourbonnais for Chicago Bears workouts. After the Cubs drafted him in 2007, I thought he’d work his way to being a solid reliever, and maybe even a decent starter in years to come. I was wrong. He belongs on the football field, because he certainly no longer belongs in an MLB clubhouse.
Before the start of the 2010 season, I heard great things about Esmailin Caridad. He has been nothing short of bad this season, giving up four runs in 2.2 innings and having an ERA of 13.50. He is young and he has talent. I am not going to jump on his case just yet, but over the next couple of months he needs to find his command and sit hitters down, like we are expecting him to do.
From what I’ve seen so far, I do not see us earning a playoff birth. However, as our offense has shown, they have the ability to put runs up at will. When Ted Lilly returns to our rotation, we have arguably one of the best starting rotations in baseball (Zambrano, Dempster, Wells, Lilly, Silva). It is up to our bullpen. If our starters leave the game with a lead, the bullpen needs to get the job done and end the game with the lead. That is what they are getting paid to do. We have the talent, we just need to prove it.
Go Cubs Go!
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