It's playoff season in Chicago, and wouldn't you guess, I'm not paying attention. I'll probably have a post up focusing on the Hawks and Bulls' playoff runs before the end of the week, it's just been something that's slipped right by me as of late.
I've been more interested in the Bears lately, as usual. Things got really frenzied after the Jay Cutler trade, and now it seems as if things are all settling down and we're almost used to having a great quarterback. Although things have predictably settled down, I expect them to heat back up after the draft. I can't see the Bears going into next season without a wide receiver who has some decent experience in the NFL, the big question is how good of a receiver will he be. Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison are still out there, the question with them is will the Bears be willing to pay the price tag they're asking for. I think Harrison is the least likely to be signed, as he's reportedly asking for a much larger sum than most teams reasonably should be expected to grant a receiver his age. Torry Holt's also getting up there in years, but he should come a bit cheaper than Harrison and I wouldn't be surprised if the Bears signed him short-term. This also brings up the question, though, of how many more big moves are the Bears and Jerry Angelo willing to make. They've upgraded some key positions in big ways, but are they going to stop there or go deeper into their cap space to stabilize one more position? One last note on this, Braylon Edwards is still a possibility as is Anquan Boldin, but one seriously has to wonder if the Bears have enough left to trade to make a serious move on either of them. I don't know that trading our second round pick would be a great move, and the question of whether or not anyone would be of interest in a player to player trade is probably know.
I will say this, if Angelo has enough in him for one more big trade Anquan Boldin would be a magnificent addition to the team. If he could pull it off, there is no doubt in my mind we would be thinking Superbowl. Like I said, I don't know if we have the firepower to do that. If it meant giving up our second round pick in addition to a player, I'd almost certainly go for it. I know this is wishful thinking, but I can't help but think of a team with Cutler under center; a solid line featuring Garza, Pace, and Olin Kreutz; Hester and Boldin at wideout and Olsen at tight end; Matt Forte at halfback; our D-line players returning to prime form; a linebacking corps that contains Briggs and Urlacher; and a special teams unit that is one of the best in the league. Adding to the wishes, could you imagine if Hester and Danieal Manning became the return threats we know they can be? A situation like that would make me ecstatic.
That's enough day-dreaming for now, though. There are still a lot of detractors here in Chicago, and rightfully so with our history, but I don't know how much of a right they have to criticize the team now. You look at my perfect scenario and take out all the things that are just wishing: a prime form D-line and return game and Anquan Boldin at wideout, and this still looks like a very solid team. Of our seven losses last season, five were lost by a margin of 2-7 points, and three by a margin of 3 or less. If we can just replicate the defensive season we had last year in terms of points allowed we should, by all rights, have a better year and should make the playoffs, and with a solidified offense I don't think that's wishful thinking at all.
The big question to me is the secondary. Many analysts are saying that if the defensive line can generate better pressure we should see a better secondary, and I'm inclined to agree. However, I can't discount the absence of Mike Brown at safety, or the fact that our corners have struggled in pass coverage. Hopefully, though, new line coach Rod Marinelli is having as big an impact as they say he is, and our line will generate enough pressure to make our secondary more of a threat. We do have to remember that the cover-2 system does rely on consistent pass rushing, and that in that system when the pass rush is consistent interceptions ideally do follow. Our secondary may not be the best in the league, but they have shown that they can generate a decent number of takeaways. If we can return to a high turnover ratio this season, we should be a force to be reckoned with.
Finally, the NFL schedule has been released. The Bears have the easiest schedule in the league. Second and third easiest, the Vikings and Packers. In fact, just assuming the substitution of a .500 team in place of the win less Lions rockets the teams up to 24th, 35th, and 27th. To really get a feel of how the schedules will work out, you have to analyze them. I've decided to do so not all at once, but over the course of the next month. I'll do it team by team and hopefully do one team per day. Always save the best for last, so we'll go with the losingest division in the AFC, the West. I'm actually predicting a good year for most West teams, so why are they the losingest? Very simply, because I'm predicting history, I'm predicting that lightning strikes twice. For the second year in a row, I say a team will go win less and this year that team will be the Raiders. This is not the year for new head coaches to be successful, and Tom Cable is no exception. They have a great deal of rebuilding to do, and I don't see them making very many strides in the off-season. That, combined with getting swept in the division and having games against such standout teams as the Eagles, Giants, Ravens, and Steelers and other teams that I don't think will fall to them given the circumstances, leads me to make this bold prediction. The Raiders will be the new worst team in the NFL, and Tom Cable will be fired on principle.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Nick Adenhart, 1986-2009
Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed last night by a drunk driver, just hours after pitching the best game of his Major League career.
Nick Adenhart has consistently been ranked as a top prospect in the MLB since he was drafted by the Angels in 2004, being ranked higher each year than the last. He was the Angels' top prospect heading into the 2009 season.
Adenhart's only win in the MLB came against the White Sox, as he pitched five and two-thirds innings and gave up four earned runs in a 10-7 Anaheim home win. His final game was a no-decision in which he pitched a shutout through six innings, gave up seven hits and three walks, and struck out five hitters. His career ended with a 1-0 record and a 6.0 ERA and nine strikeouts through four games. He was one of the most promising pitchers in the Major League, and he will be missed. My thoughts go out to his friends and family.
Nick Adenhart has consistently been ranked as a top prospect in the MLB since he was drafted by the Angels in 2004, being ranked higher each year than the last. He was the Angels' top prospect heading into the 2009 season.
Adenhart's only win in the MLB came against the White Sox, as he pitched five and two-thirds innings and gave up four earned runs in a 10-7 Anaheim home win. His final game was a no-decision in which he pitched a shutout through six innings, gave up seven hits and three walks, and struck out five hitters. His career ended with a 1-0 record and a 6.0 ERA and nine strikeouts through four games. He was one of the most promising pitchers in the Major League, and he will be missed. My thoughts go out to his friends and family.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Opening Day
It's baseball season again, and you know what that means, more games I can't watch because network TV's selection sucks. Worse than with the Bulls or Blackhawks, with baseball I have to deal with not only the lack of White Sox games, but the overabundance of Cubs games. I didn't get to catch the Sox opener, but it looked like a pretty decent game. Buhrle didn't have the greatest game: five innings, six hits, two runs, three strikeouts and a three-six-oh ERA. The bullpen had a better night with five strikeouts and one hit in four innings. If we can stay that strong from the pen the rest of the season we'll be in great shape.
As far as hitting, our new leadoff man had a less than stellar start. Dewayne Wise had three strikeouts in four at bats, which just puts more doubt on a position that was a big worry for us heading into the season. Other than that, the batting was decent. Dye, Fields, and Thome stood out, and Chris Getz had a pair of hits. We're not leaving too many people one base, especially in scoring position, which has plagued us in the past. One problem is the number of RBI's, we had only four with three of them coming on Thome's three-run blast. A win is a win and having hitters come up big in the clutch is good, but you'd like to see some better production. My fear is that if you rely on the big bats constantly, as soon as they get quiet you go on a slide, as has happened to the south siders in the past. The rest of the division seems to be struggling, thankfully, although the Twins faced one of the league leading pitchers in ERA so far. It's still hard to shake that feeling like we may be retreading old ground, though.
On the north side, the Cubs are doing a better job of getting runners in the old fashioned way. They got a few less hits in their opener than the Sox, but their scoring was more consistent and came in the form of RBI's rather than homers. Zambrano was even more impressive, finishing with a 1.50 ERA. Their hitting was also very consistent.
Watching their second game right now, Dempster is looking very impressive, pitching a shut-out through four. The Cubs are in the lead, but they haven't capitalized on certain opportunities. It looks like they left a few runners on base last night, and they're having some similar hitting problems tonight. Soriano has struck out in his first two at bats (what did I say?), and although Lee has driven a run in, they've failed to capitalize on some good scoring opportunities which they'll regret if their pitching doesn't hold up for the rest of the game.
Overall, I haven't seen anything from either team that's going to make me change my predictions. The Cubs' division looks pretty devoid of competition for the top spot, and the biggest threat against the Sox still seems to be the Twins. Similar to last year, the AL Central will most likely come down to which team gets the better of the other in their season series, the Sox or the Twins. Pitching is solid as always for the south siders and the hitters can definitely go long, but how they play when the long ball isn't there will be a key factor. The NL Central looks to be a lock for the Cubs. Their pitching looks terrific, except for Kevin Gregg who had a nine point oh ERA in the one inning he pitched. Their hitting is going to be what makes or break them, with consistency being the biggest question. As they say, though, and as Cubs fans know all too well (I LOVE rubbing it in), the beginning part of the season can be deceiving. Nothing is for sure this early in the season, but I feel confident in my predictions. Will this finally be the year we get a cross-town World Series? At this point, nobody can predict anything that far down the road, except that if it did happen, the Sox would win.
As far as hitting, our new leadoff man had a less than stellar start. Dewayne Wise had three strikeouts in four at bats, which just puts more doubt on a position that was a big worry for us heading into the season. Other than that, the batting was decent. Dye, Fields, and Thome stood out, and Chris Getz had a pair of hits. We're not leaving too many people one base, especially in scoring position, which has plagued us in the past. One problem is the number of RBI's, we had only four with three of them coming on Thome's three-run blast. A win is a win and having hitters come up big in the clutch is good, but you'd like to see some better production. My fear is that if you rely on the big bats constantly, as soon as they get quiet you go on a slide, as has happened to the south siders in the past. The rest of the division seems to be struggling, thankfully, although the Twins faced one of the league leading pitchers in ERA so far. It's still hard to shake that feeling like we may be retreading old ground, though.
On the north side, the Cubs are doing a better job of getting runners in the old fashioned way. They got a few less hits in their opener than the Sox, but their scoring was more consistent and came in the form of RBI's rather than homers. Zambrano was even more impressive, finishing with a 1.50 ERA. Their hitting was also very consistent.
Watching their second game right now, Dempster is looking very impressive, pitching a shut-out through four. The Cubs are in the lead, but they haven't capitalized on certain opportunities. It looks like they left a few runners on base last night, and they're having some similar hitting problems tonight. Soriano has struck out in his first two at bats (what did I say?), and although Lee has driven a run in, they've failed to capitalize on some good scoring opportunities which they'll regret if their pitching doesn't hold up for the rest of the game.
Overall, I haven't seen anything from either team that's going to make me change my predictions. The Cubs' division looks pretty devoid of competition for the top spot, and the biggest threat against the Sox still seems to be the Twins. Similar to last year, the AL Central will most likely come down to which team gets the better of the other in their season series, the Sox or the Twins. Pitching is solid as always for the south siders and the hitters can definitely go long, but how they play when the long ball isn't there will be a key factor. The NL Central looks to be a lock for the Cubs. Their pitching looks terrific, except for Kevin Gregg who had a nine point oh ERA in the one inning he pitched. Their hitting is going to be what makes or break them, with consistency being the biggest question. As they say, though, and as Cubs fans know all too well (I LOVE rubbing it in), the beginning part of the season can be deceiving. Nothing is for sure this early in the season, but I feel confident in my predictions. Will this finally be the year we get a cross-town World Series? At this point, nobody can predict anything that far down the road, except that if it did happen, the Sox would win.
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