The last few weeks have seen an uptick in the amount of emails I receive with questions. I am including stuff from Twitter and Facebook in that total. But no matter which venue they use to respond they all start by reading what’s here first. As a courtesy I have corrected spelling where required. Otherwise what you see is what I got.

Oh, and since we don’t usually do the whole “mail bag” thing I am only using the author’s first name.

Ready? Okay, here we go.

Why did the Cubs wait so long to call up Rizzo? We would be in contention now if not for that boneheaded move.
- Fajyaz

Well, first off, it wasn’t boneheaded. Rizzo got called up last year and was horrible. The powers that be in Wrigley wanted him to get 500 consecutive at bats against the best pitching they could find before tossing him to the wolves. Also, his option year came into play as well. While what may happen in 2017 seems like a helluva long way away, it needs to be considered if you’re building a team for the long haul, which is what the Cubs are trying to do. As to the rest, keep in mind that of their first 25 losses 19 were caused by the bullpen. Unless Rizzo knows how to throw a breaking ball there’s nothing he could have done about that.

Can you explain the White Sox this year?
- Leroy

I assume you’re concerned about their continued success. Some of it is easy to explain; Dunn, Rios & Peavy are all having bounce back years. That being said, the annual soap opera between Guillen and Williams was taking a toll. Anyone not named Tony Franco would have been an improvement. And, the fact is, Ventura seems to be gaining more and more control in the clubhouse. And while he’s the anti-Ozzie when it comes to demeanor he’s almost identical inn baseball acumen. That means players respect him and look forward to coming to the park each day. It is true that many of the players like Ozzie but they were all tired of the circus. It’s no fun going to work when your bosses do nothing but whine like little girls.

I think that with the addition of Marshall and the subtraction of Angelo the Bears should be a lock to win the Super Bowl. What do you think?
- Thomas

I think you need to share whatever it is you’re smoking with the class. Okay, seriously, are the Bears better with Marshall? Absolutely. But not that much unless Forte is back there for balance. More importantly, I’ve seen nothing to indicate that the offensive line is going to be markedly better. Every report I’ve heard or read comes down to Cutler having more weapons and being able to get rid of the ball in 3 seconds or less. That puts the entire offense on one guy and tho matter what, that is a recipe for disaster. Assuming no one gets killed playing behind that line I can see the Bears making the playoffs and getting destroyed in the second round.

The Bulls may have to write off this season to get Rose healthy but I think they should be in the running for the title every year thereafter.
- Arnie

Maybe. They need another scoring guard to compliment Rose. And it wouldn’t hurt my heart to see them get another big guy as well. Their core is solid. Noah and Asik work well together and fill in the gaps in each others games. Boozer has got to go. As does The Ripper. Teague gets a pass this year so it might work in his favor. Normally I’m not that thrilled with the 29th pick but I got to see him two days ago. He is impressive. No matter what they’ll need some veteran help that isn’t injured every other game.

I think he Bulls should trade Noah for Bosh.
- Carol

I think bunnies should fly and my farts should be legal currency. Never going to happen.

What the ***k happened to the Hawks?
- Martha

Two things. They had a GM who was a great talent evaluator but a lousy negotiator. They replaced him with a lawyer who thinks Brian Boitano played for the Canucks. This will only get worse before it gets better.

Can you see Dempster or Garza going to the Sox this year?
- Ojibwe

Garza? No. The Cubs’ price for him is far too high. They want three to five top prospects minimum. Dempster,on the other hand, might be the deal of the century. He is an ex-Cub this year no matter what. A nice package of Humber and a couple of minor leaguers should make the deal worth making. And Dempster wants to stay in Chicago if at all possible.

Will you be doing another recipe book this year?
- Pfc. Michael

You betcha.

Do the Marlins regret hiring Ozzie?
- Juan

Not just him. Except for Zambrano and Buehrle that whole team is a mess. They are a shining example of why fantasy league teams should stay just that, fantasies. 10 or so guys all trying to put the “I” in team never works. Still, they’re not that far out of it. If they can pull it together after the break they could make the second half interesting.

My mom says you were a bit of a baller back in the day.
- CeCe

Only off the court.

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