This is the lazy time of year when a baseball fan’s thoughts turn to warm spring days, the sound of hide slapping leather and the SWACK of hard hit ball whistling over distant fence. It is this time of year when every team is #1 and every team can win the World Series.
All they need to do is to get “this guy” or dump “that guy” and all will be well.
Like many people all over the world, I have been a baseball fan since I was a kid. My love for the game has not been diminished by the fact that I did very little to contribute to it. Or, to be more clear, I was once asked by a coach if I knew which team I was playing for. Let’s just say I was not burdened by scouts as a teen and leave it at that.
Javier Vazquez has moved to Atlanta and Kenny got more than the box of rancid pine tar we all thought he would, so this was a very good trade. Add in the facts that he got one of the top prospects in baseball today, the move freed up salary space and there are a lot more free agents than there are teams, and deals can be had.
The Cubs signed Chad Fox. He’s 38, prone to injuries and was completely out of baseball in 2006 and 07. Although I am not a member of the Wrigleyville fraternity, I think I can speak on their behalf and say; “There’s more to come, right?” In fairness, the Cubs did resign Dempster and Hendry is known for working the back rooms as hard as any GM in the business. I am sure that things will improve for them.
No, really, I do believe that.
Anyway, since most of the print media has missed today’s headlines, I will turn to our very own Niteowl for a look at what is going on around MLB.
The Atlanta Braves showed again they are intent on improving their starting pitching corps by making an offer to A.J. Burnett. The offer is a four year deal that would pay Burnett $16 million a year. The Braves have been trying to trade for Jake Peavy but those talks have apparently ended. If Burnett is signed it would give the Braves a starting rotation of Tim Hudson, A.J. Burnett, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurjjens and possibly rookie Tommy Hanson as the fifth starter. The Yankees reportedly will make an offer to Burnett now that the Braves have made their offer.
Hot Stove News
Sportscity.com has a list of the Top 50 Free Agents and only one player on the list has signed with a new team as Edgar Renteria has signed with the San Francisco Giants. That shows how little has been done on the free agent front so far this offseason. None of the big names have been signed yet as the teams play the wait and see game. They are hoping that they can find some bargains once the biggest names have been signed.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WHOLE LIST.
C.C. Sabathia would probably sign with the Giants if they made an offer similar to what the Yankees have offered. Sabathia grew up 30 miles from San Francisco but whether he would give a hometown discount to the Giants remains to be seen. The Dodgers are interested in signing three veteran pitchers. They are Randy Johnson, Andy Pettite and Trevor Hoffman who would bring a veteran presence to a young pitching staff. Johnson may not have been happy playing in New York for the Yankees but I can’t recall him having any problems with Joe Torre. Pettite is not wanting to take a pay cut if he signs with Yankees so he is hoping the Dodgers will offer more money.
Shonda Schilling has said that her husband Curt is leaning toward retirement before the start of the 2009 season. Their son Gehrig will be entering high school next year and they would like to spend their last four years together instead of Schilling playing another season. Khalil Greene has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals while the San Diego Padres will receive Mark Worrell and a player to be chosen from a list of three players.
Before Thursday only 7 of 171 free agents have signed contracts. There should be more activity next week at the winter meetings but to have only seven players signed since the November 11th opening of the signing season has to be a sign of moderation by a majority of the major league clubs. Yankees had the highest average salary in 2008 paying $6.86 million average per player while the Cubs were next paying $4.68 million average per player.
MLB.com lists Jeff Samardzija as No.50 on their Top 50 Prospects lists. The list only shows No.11- No.50 with the Top 10 players scheduled to be listed later today.
Since the weather outside is frightful, and the bloggers are delightful ....sorry, I’ll stop now. You can join Nite in taking a look at the state of the MLB by CLICKING HERE TO JOIN THE FUN!
I have tried to stay away from the whole Charlie Weis thing except for the occasional jab, mostly because it just seemed too easy. But, Notre Dame’s announcement that he is getting to coach there for another year based on his recruiting success is just too much for me to take.
One more year of this bloated, self absorbed, destroyer of talent is 24 months too many. I have a better chance of riding a winner at the Kentucky Derby than Weis does of winning any meaningful games. He had one of the easiest schedules in the NCAA this year and tanked. Next year he gets an even easier schedule, all he is missing is the Girl Scouts on October 10, and this will be used to show his improvement?
Charlie Weis is good for one thing and one thing only, making excuses for Charlie Weis. After that it is a long, steep, slope to find anything else. Maybe he is kind to kittens, but I doubt it. His ego has its own area code and there is no way he would allow anything else to intrude.
Simply put, all the time is “me time” for Charlie Weis.
I am not alone here on this one. Even the Trib and the Times agree.
First, Rick Morrissey from the Tribune weighs in (allusion intended, for you 3 remaining Weis fans);
Any explanation for Notre Dame’s decision to allow Charlie Weis to continue coaching would have been better than the one the school offered for public consumption Wednesday: that he’s the right man for the job.
Attributing it to the gloomy state of the economy, the political unrest in a breakaway republic somewhere or the long-term weather forecast in Poor Richard’s Almanac would have been better. Anything but the notion that Weis is uniquely qualified to coach the Irish.
This is a bad match, like Rosie O’Donnell leading quiet time in a kindergarten class. Why not just admit it and move on?
Greg Couch from the Sun Times is just as clear;
Nobody believes in Charlie Weis anymore. Hold out hope for him, maybe. But truly, deep-down, believe he’ll get Notre Dame ‘’there’’?
Well, Swarbrick believes. At least, he says he does. And while I always believe that Notre Dame football is run by some mysterious power brokers, Swarbrick, still new to the job, said the decision was his.
The school announced Wednesday that it will not fire Weis. It was the wrong decision. Weis needed to go. A leader must have followers, but Weis has none.
Everyone seems to be giving props to Notre Dame’s AD Jack Swarbick for agreeing to meet or talk with each individual reporter one at a time. That must have been a hell of an afternoon for him. He inherited Weis and a very tough job. I don’t know if money was the issue or if he truly believes that Weis can get the program headed back to respectability. Maybe there is a glimmer of both. But, while he may exude class and dignity and be able to deal with tough situations like men used too, it doesn’t excuse his decision. Unless, of course, it is his dream to turn Touchdwon Jesus into the Medicated Messiah.
Face it, until Charlie Weis is wearing a paper hat and asking how you want your fries done, no college football player at Notre Dame will have a chance of advancing.
Our very own DUI Attorney (every web site should have one) has already started a thread, so CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE MELEE!
The kid doesn’t chew tobacco, smoke, drink, curse, or chase broads. I don’t see how he can possibly make it. - Richie Ashburn
Sure, the legendary Mr. Ashburn was referring to a baseball player in the late 50’s, but the basic idea hasn’t really changed through the years no matter the sport. We like our athletes to be tough, to be rugged, hard partying anachronisms that are fun to watch even if you don’t want one in your home. From the 30’s when the manly men hung with dames to the 50’s and 60’s when they got hot with broads to the modern pimps and hos mentality (quick, imagine Jim Thome using that phrase and then try not to laugh), we have not exactly asked our children’s role models to hold the bar very high.
And yet, in our continuing social schizophrenia, we want these self same people to be avid church members, idealized citizens and the kind of people we would want to testify on our behalf should the need arise.
Sadly, it has become more and more common to only read about indiscretions, infidelities, incarcerations and all other sorts of “ins” that make you wonder if there is anyone left to cheer.
Rick Telander, of the Chicago Sun Times, is here to tell you there is one you can cheer for and not worry about your daughter’s chastity while you do.
There are some guards in the NBA like, off the top of my head—Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Plaxico Burress (oops, sorry, he’s a wideout)—who are kind of, what shall we call it, self-centered and incorrigible?
Then there is a fellow like Derrick Rose.
The 20-year-old Rose doesn’t watch ‘’SportsCenter,’’ doesn’t groove to the image of himself, doesn’t trash talk during games, doesn’t do much to draw attention to himself other than play spectacularly (on the) court and try to win as much as he can.
What is he thinking? Oh, I forgot, he is thinking about basketball and how to become one of the all time greats. Rick goes on to make a quick comparison / contrast to the current state of sports’ exhibitionism.
In this era of celebration over the slightest dominance and egomania after the slimmest success, Rose stands out as an old-fashioned disciple of hard-working integrity.
Show guys up and gloat?
‘’No I wouldn’t want anybody doing that to me,’’ he says. ‘’So I wouldn’t do that to somebody.’’
Ah yes, where is that from again? Oh yeah, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Rose is just using the modern verbiage.
Even so, as has been noted up here, there are still things to be learned and skills to be honed before the statues are erected. Nevertheless, as Rick notes here, the learning curve may not be as steep as some of us feared.
But he ain’t perfect. He’s a rookie, ya’ll.
Before the game Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said Rose needs to get back on defense better.
How would we know if Rose was doing that or not in this contest?
‘’You’ll see me call a timeout in the first few minutes, veins bulging, screaming like a madman,’’ the coach replied.
- AND -
You ask him what he needs to work on and he quickly replies, ‘’Everything.’’
What he doesn’t need to work on is humility.
‘’My biggest thing is winning games,’’ he says. ‘’Winning games will get me noticed.’’
Welcome to Chicago Mr. Rose, I think you’re going to be fine.
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE gives a lot of page space to one Carl F. Rohlberg so that he can opine why Chicago deserves the Olympics. He sites the usual suspects; we deserve it, we have a pretty skyline and so on. He even goes so far as to say that the City will reap financial rewards from it but, like the planning committee, offers no real evidence to back that up.
However he, at least, was creative enough to come up with a new reason I hadn’t heard before; REVENGE!
There are many reasons why Chicago deserves the nod but none more than the fact that it would bring justice that’s been due since 1904. In 1904 Chicago won the bid and then had it taken away because planners felt St Louis would be a better site since it was having a World’s Fair and the two events would make it more spectacular. It didn’t work, but even if it did, Chicago was robbed of being host. It’s time for payback!
Carl, you seem like a nice guy who loves this City. I’ve got news for you, all of us here do too. It is because we do that we look at the train wreck that Atlanta is still dealing with, the ‘wink and ignore’ policies of the IOC when it comes to human rights violations and so on. We don’t see newfound prosperity or fame when we look at these things. Contrariwise, we see only more waste, more tourist sites that residents can ill afford and more neighborhoods getting ignored “for the good of the City.”
In Atlanta, thanks to the Olympics, the average entry level worker needs to work for 3 weeks just to pay one month’s rent. In Beijing, people were simply moved from their ancestral homes to God knows where for the “good of the country.”
Whatever the Olympics were, or were at least perceived to be, they have become a megalith that leaves nothing but destruction in their wake. And that destruction is continually heaped upon those who can least afford to deal with it.
This is not some fun PR event that will grace our shores for a day or so. It is a festering wound that will grow and ooze all over the City for years and disrupt the normal flow of everything for very little reward, if any at all.
And, given the current state of the economy, all that pretty private funding that was “promised” is sure to be a lot tighter now. Which means that people like me, not you Carl since you moved to the burbs, will have to pay for this nightmare.
If you want to watch our pretty skyline on TV, check out the NFL games when they are in town or any national broadcast of MLB. They all do a great job of showing how pretty this City is and can be. We don’t need the Olympics.
Tyrone Briggs has started a thread that is well on its way to becoming legendary, so CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
It’s fun being delusional. When someone calls you up and says “The sky is blue, the grass is green and deer are playing in the woods.” you can say “No, the sky is orange, the grass is teal and there are little fishies nibbling apples off the trees.”
See, much more fun.
Of course, there is a little problem with delusional people like that. They don’t realize they are delusional and act as though what they see is real. That can lead to tragic consequences.
Yesterday’s Bears’ game would be Example “A” in my book.
With first down and inches to go for a score, the Bears got stuffed on 4 consecutive plays. Actually, to be more accurate, they got stuffed on the same play formation 4 times. This vivid example of Einstein’s insanity principle (people who repeat the same action expecting different results) is the kind of thing that makes football fans cringe.
To add insult to injury, Gus Ferotte - another quarterback the Bears make look good in spite of himself - immediately followed with a 99 yard completion to, former Bear, Bernard Berrian for a touchdown that gave the Vikings a 3 point lead. A lead they never relinquished.
Oh joy.
Naturally, since this was early in the game, it was the whole reason the Bears lost. You don’t believe me? That’s okay, let’s ask Lovie.
“It’s amazing what a shift in momentum can do,” said coach Lovie Smith, whose team has now lost three of its last four games.
You might also be asking yourself why the Bears didn’t just take the field goal when the goal line stand had failed three times and give themselves a touchdown lead. Why didn’t they? You may ask and I may ask, but Lovie never considered it.
Larry Mayer, of ChicagoBears.com, takes a look at the situation.
With the ball just inches from the goal line, Smith never considered sending Robbie Gould on the field for a chip shot field goal that would have given the Bears a 10-3 lead.
“We felt like we needed a touchdown in that situation,” Smith said. “You’ve got to be able to get it in from there. If you don’t get it in from there, you probably don’t deserve to win.”
Ah, I get it, it’s the players’ fault. That must be one frigging big bus to throw an entire offense under.
Even so, the Bears had the Vikings on the goal line going the other way. This is exactly the kind of situation where that vaunted Bears’ defense should shine. Did they crowd the line to stuff the run? Did they run a blitz to try for the safety and get the ball back? Did they jam the receivers and force short yardage situations?
Of course not, you big silly. This is the Babich led Bears we are talking about. Thanks to our new pal Larry, we find out exactly what they did.
With the Bears in a three-deep zone on the play, cornerback Charles Tillman reacted to a pump fake and moved forward to cover a tight end while Berrian slipped past him into the clear.
“It was a good read on their part,” Tillman said. “It was zone coverage and I had Bernard and whoever the tight end was. I chose to take No. 2 and he threw it to No. 1. No excuses. It was a good play on their part. It was a good game plan. It was a good call and great offensive execution.”
That’s right, the defense was in a zone. The kind of thing many NFL fans refer to as the “bend, don’t break, defense.” That’s a great defense if you are up by 21 in the fourth quarter since it can give your offense a rest and eat up tons of clock. Sadly, this was the second quarter and .... oh hell, you know what happened.