The Bears won - squeaked by, actually. But it's tough when you're missing 4 defensive starters.
I'm tired of Bears talk, though, so let's move on for now.
Police raided the home of the Bears’ nose tackle Thursday morning and left with six guns and a 26-year-old in cuffs. The raid was originally described as drug-related, some marijuana was discovered in the house. Johnson’s friend, who was at Johnson’s house at the time of the raid, has been charged with felony possession of the sticky-icky.
First off, when we say guns, we’re not just talking some hunting rifles here. The Tank had himself quite an arsenal.
(From the
The weapons taken from Johnson's home were three rifles, a military-style AR-15, a .308
"There was a lot of ammunition in the house, some of the weapons I know where loaded," said Gurnee Police Chief Robert Jones....
Johnson has been charged with six counts of unlawful possession of a weapon. Apparently, he does not have a Firearm Owner Identification (FOI) Card.
This is one of my favorite parts of the story: if he had simply picked up a card and paid the minimal fee, there wouldn’t even be an issue! And don’t let anyone tell you that getting an FOI is difficult. I know for a fact that a 20-year old that hasn’t touched a gun since his Cub Scout days was able to get one in under an hour.
But there’s so much more to this story. For instance:
(Again, courtesy of the News-Sun)
The defensive lineman had six pit bulls locked in cages in his back yard with neighbors reporting the police were called several times due to animal cruelty issues....
Can you imagine the parties this guy must throw? Can you imagine the guest list?
Not only did the Bears MNF win secure a first-round playoff bye, but it saw the return of the Rexiest man in Chicago. No, he didn't play a fantastic game, nor was he even "great." But he was not bad. This is the most important thing for Grossman and even for the rest of the team to remember during the remaining three games this year.
This is gambling – and while the theory may make sense – I'm reserving judgment until all the deals are done.A fantastic report in today's Sun-Times has White Sox's GM Kenny Williams stating that starter Brandon McCarthy would start the season in Triple-A.
Yeah, right.
Kudos to Williams for throwing a bone to the media, regardless of how ludicrous it might be. I can only imagine the Sun-Times editors reading over the report and laughing out loud as they decided whether or not to include it in the paper.
The bottom line is this: McCarthy is a major league starter at this point in his career. Is he as good as anyone else in the White Sox rotation? Impossible to know, because he hasn't gotten his chance. But everyone in Chicago knows that as the off-season wears on and fewer "top-tier" free agents are available, the other GMs will start to sweat. And they will get anxious. And they will be forced to jump at something.
And Williams will be there, with that half smug/half knowing smile and a big juicy worm dangling on his hook.
The official baseball off-season is upon us, and there is a lot of action happening in almost every major city - except Chicago.
Ok, so there has been a lot of movement on the North Side, as the Cubs have signed one of the biggest deals in baseball history with 31 year old Alfonso Soriano. I'm sure many of you wanted RCS to comment a little more on this happening... but in reality it is what it is: Jim Hendry wanted a big name free-agent to bring the "magic" back to Wrigley Field and the Cubs, and he might have overpaid slightly for it.
But let me ask you this: If I told you the Cubs would be paying $18 million a year for a player whose game relies on speed when he is 37, 38 and 39 years old? Is that something you might be interested in?
And what if I were to tell you that the Cubs were taking a player who's played one sub-par year in the outfield, and are seriously considering him as the team's starting center fielder? Is that something you might be interested in?
***
The White Sox have re-signed Scott Podsednik to a 1-year deal and the South Side holds it's breath waiting for the inevitable sign (from the heavens?) that will somehow help this make sense.
***
If you remember way back when… we at RCS claimed we would not comment on a Bears' quarterback controversy until there actually was one.
Our official comment: Three INT's per game does not equal Super Bowl.
First, answer these questions for me:
What are the top teams playing for?
If you don't make the title game, then what is there? ***
Long ago the bowls were able to facilitate the great rivalries of the game. The Big 10 and Pac 10 would meet in the granddaddy of them all to determine the best 10-team conference. SEC champions all played in New Orleans, where they were free to get in drunken fights each year and provide hours of entertainment that would cap of a perfect New Year's Day. Now the bowls have taken to picking teams like school children on a playground.
"Pick us; we have money and fans, and fans with money!"
"Pick us, the overachieving underdog that could be this year's feel good story!"
"Pick us because we look better on national TV!"
Teams knew that if they won their conference, they would go to this bowl. Win that game, and you might be in the running for a national title. The destination and results were clear. And all the major bowl games meant something! They weren't TV attractions where broadcasters had to spend weeks digging for story angles. It was their best against our best.
But the BCS has taken the most important games of the football season and rendered them all but worthless. And now that there is a separate "National Title Game," it has taken any and all emphasis away from the different major bowls.
All we care about now is who's #1 and #2 – and the BCS can't even get that right. At least before, the decision came down to coaches and writers. Now we rely on computers. And I'm willing to bet that none of the computers used have even watched a single game this year – Not one!
It really is quite simple – the "people in charge of college football" need to decide what "they" want.
If "they" want an argue-free national champion every year, then stop with the silly formulas and just do a flippin' playoff! I mean, let's be serious here, the whole point of the BCS is to pit #1 vs. #2 for the title. If this is what they really wanted, wouldn't a playoff system have been the only course of action? I would have loved to be in that meeting.
"We want the two best teams to play against each other for the title."
"So a playoff system then?"
"No, that's too complicated and we don't want there to be any arguments. We'll just develop a system that combines the polls with rankings based on different computer formulas that can take into account strength of schedule, margin of victory and style points."
"It's perfect!"
But if "they" want to continue the traditions that have made college football unique from every other sport, there is another option, and honestly I wouldn't be opposed to it. To some it may seem like a step back, but I like to think it's more of a "rebirth."
They could axe the BCS all together, and reinstate all the conference ties to the bowl games. Allow for the conference winners to play each other, throw in some at-large bids based on where people are ranked, and then when the dust settles, the pollsters will release their final rankings.
Are there problems with this system? Of course, that's why everyone wanted to change it originally. But this would be a way to keep the tradition of the bowl games alive and give each conference their own specific postseason goal back.
And if you're the best team in the country, and play like it throughout the year and in your bowl game, then I'm willing to bet you'd end up at the top of the polls when all was said and done.
Today while I was diligently working, or reading some sports Web site (I don't remember), I overheard midday host Mike Murphy on Chicago's very own AM 670, The Score, comparing Barry Zito to Rich Hill, using only their fastball mph.
This is a perfect case of conventional baseball "wisdom" getting in the way of an actual thought process…
Don’t get caught up comparing fastballs. Hill throws 92 and Zito will top out at about 88, and that’s it. There's not much more to it.
Here’s a better way to compare the two:
The real problem with Zito is that the book is out on him, so to speak. Everyone in baseball knows that Zito is a “nibbler.” He will continuously throw junk around the strike zone, just begging hitters to take a swing. The teams that do well against him simply wait him out – eventually making him come after them with one in the zone, or walking them. Unless his control is absolutely perfect, a patient team can get to him by the 5th inning or so (see 2006 ALCS game 1, or most of his starts against the Yankees).
As for Hill, it’s hard to say exactly what type of pitcher he’ll be. This is both a positive and negative for the Cubs, as their opponents won’t know how to approach him, at least not yet. On the other hand, will Hill and the Cubs know exactly how he wants to attack the opponent’s hitters?
But all in all, you can’t just look at fastball mph. You have to look at reliability, consistency and repertoire –
Ideally, you’d want a pitcher who can go out every few days and give you a quality start every time. In order to do this, you need to have some variety – can you back up your fastball with something off-speed? What if you can’t locate your fastball one day, do you have something else to throw for strikes?
Speaking of throwing strikes, how about control? I don't care if you throw 105, if you can't put the ball on a corner consistently, you're less than a year in the Big Leagues away from being useless.
Bottom Line: Unless they've mastered the cutter, and can throw it multiple ways (see Mariano Rivera), you can't brand a pitcher on one pitch. Even then, people will eventually figure you out and force you to rely on something else (see Esteban Loaiza).
Sorry for the lack of interest shown by anyone working at RCS, but we're still trying to figure out what happened with the White Sox...
Just kidding. Actually we've been stuck in a state of shock over the fact that the Bears have perhaps the best team in the NFL...
Again, just kidding. Anyone from Chicago knew how good the Bears would be. Just like they're supposed to be this good every year....
All kidding aside, there's lots going on in Chicago sports, and while we probably won't stay on top of it all, we'll try from here on out to give you something to browse through while you're stuck at work.
Eventually, we'll hire a techie to program a "boss" button for the site...
I've taken a little time off from the heartburn currently known as Chicago sports, and instead have found a national issue that needed a little more attention.
Boston slugger David Ortiz has admitted that he was recently hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat. He has since been sent home by the former playoff contenders for further tests. While Papi's absence and the subsequent repercussions have been reported thoroughly by the Eastern Seaboard Programming Network, no one has really looked into what might be causing the problem.
I was mulling this over when I accidentally pulled up a Web page on human growth hormone (HGH). It was quite an interesting read, and I thought I could share some of the highlights with you:
The side effects of HGH can vary based on a person's dosage and length of use. Long term abuse, the kind we might see in, say, a professional athlete looking to gain and maintain an edge, can lead to possibly deadly side effects, including heart palpitations aka an irregular heartbeat.
This is merely a coincidence though, as we cannot possibly suggest that a slugger who went from hitting 20 home runs in 2002 to 47 in 2005. A 27 home run difference in 3 years has been done before, and in fact it pales in comparison to some other sluggers of the modern era. Mark McGwire's production jumped by 31 HRs between the '95 and '98 seasons. Slammin' Sammy Sosa increased his home run production by 30 from '97 to '98. And who can forget the great Brady Anderson, who was able to crush 50 HRs in '96 after hitting just 16 in 1995.
Among those still playing, Jason Giambi jumped from 20 HRs in '97 to 43 in the 2000 season. Gary Sheffield found his swing again in 2000, jumping 23 HRs from the '97 season. And then there is the greatest home run hitter of our time, Barry Bonds, who went from 39 dingers in 1999 to a record 73 in 2001.
Besides, Ortiz has already stated that dehydration and sleeplessness caused by stress are the reasons for his current health issues. It is interesting to read the other side effects of an abundance of growth hormone though…
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is also a possible side effect of growth hormone abuse. Hypoglycemia can produce a variety of symptoms including heart palpitations, anxiety and excessive sweating.
Additionally, excessive growth hormone can lead to a shut down of the pituitary gland. This often overlooked and ever important gland controls the body's water regulation among other things.
RCS would like to wish Big Papi the speediest of recoveries, because a person's health is nothing to joke about, regardless of what the problems are or how they came about.
- Raise your hand if you had to turn off the Sox game early last night. Don't worry, you're not alone. Something about watching Jose Contreras tossed around like a plastic sex-doll is just not very appealing.
- The Cubs found a diamond in the rough yesterday in the form of Ryan O'Malley. RCS can only imagine Baker's delight knowing he has yet another young arm to overuse and career to wreck.
- Sophomore Evan Sharply has officially been named the backup QB at Notre Dame. Head coach Charlie Weiss is not dismissing froshies Zach Frazer and Demetrius Jones, though. Supposedly either one can overtake Sharply by showing some improved "mental skills." Is this a knock on the Sharp one, or a backhanded compliment to the young ones?
- The Chicago Fire routed Kansas City 3-0 in MLS action last night. We're not really sure what else to say…
What a week!!
The White Sox returned to form for the first time since the All Star break, going a combined 5-1 vs. the Yankees and Tigers. RCS realizes that everyone knows this already, we just like the way it looks on paper.
The Cubs season is still over, but they have had some terrific games. The Z-Man returned to form against the Astros this week, and Rich Hill is beginning to take the next step in what could be a pretty damn good career. But here's a thought:
Is it worth it to have your ace constantly throwing 100+ pitches in games that don't really matter?
Yes, he is a Cy Young contender, but is this personal award worth more than a possible playoff run in the next year or two? RCS isn't a huge fan of pitch counts and honestly, we feel pitchers are becoming bigger babies every day, but you have to take Z-Man in context. This is a guy who was forced to be the staff workhorse for multiple years. He's also logged extra innings this year in the disaster formerly known as the World Baseball Classic. Yes, he's a beast, but it has to eventually take a toll.
On another note, RCS refuses to comment on any Bears QB controversy or competition until after the 3rd preseason game. We are happy to see that Thomas Jones is back practicing again, though.
Now for some Major Predictions that are sure to upset people from both coasts…
1. The Boston Red Sox are finished. They will not make the playoffs, and the entire country will be forced to suffer through an entire winter of bitching by people with goofy accents. RCS can't wait for the first hour-long segment on what the Red Sox need to do in the offseason, courtesy of the Booyah Network.
2. USC's football team will not win the Pac 10 this year. There is also a very real chance they lose their first 2 games this year. No, we're not kidding.
3. Dusty Baker will coach the Cubs next year. There is no way the Tribune suits would let a lame duck manager make decisions that could harm the clubs future. It just doesn't make sense.
4. The Blackhawks' season will begin, and no one will care…
While it may be a little early to jump to conclusions, one cannot help but notice that as soon as RCS gives props to Carlos Zambrano, the Z-Man goes out and gets lit up by a minor league squad. And no, I'm not kidding, the Pirates really are a minor league team these days, with the exception of Jason Bay, who RCS thinks would like pretty good in black or even blue stripes...
Huge series begins tonight on the South Side of town, with the Evil Empire (read: Yankees) in town for a set. Not to mention that the division-leading Tigers (read: extreme over-achievers) will be coming in right behind them for the weekend. These next six games are the most important the Sox will have the rest of the season. This is their opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the season, whether it be for a playoff run, or a spiral into mediocrity.
And just in case we're on to something, RCS wants to give props to Chien-Ming Wang and the rest of the Yankees for really coming together at the right time. They look damn good.
It's been a while, friends, and I do apologize for my absence. I have to keep this semi-brief, as I'm forced to blog from work while no one is looking. All thanks to crappy Comcast internet service. I'm saving a special blog all about Comcast and their crappy service for a lull in the sporting world. But now, without further ado:
• You've probably realized that RCS has added a new member to its ranks. He's a Cubs fan and specializes in Notre Dame football. He'll also be providing updates on various sports-related events from across the Pond in London starting within the next month. And, as you've noticed, he's a big fan of YouTube.
• For anyone that doesn't think ND football belongs on a Chicago sports blog: too bad, you're stuck with it.
• The White Sox have become a team fighting for their playoff lives, and RCS is definitely not thinking as positive as a month ago…
• Brandon McCarthy needs to be moved to the rotation. He's well-rested, and will pump some new life into the Sox rotation. If every other team in the league wants him for their rotation, maybe they should give him a shot since they've been able to acquire some new arms in the pen to take his place.
• Did the Sox need to make a big move at the deadline? No, probably not. Would a big move have added some new life to the team? Very possible, although it's tough to balance current team chemistry and the need for a jolt.
• The bottom line: the pitching staff as a whole needs to step it up. They are and always will be the backbone of the team. It's time for them to start acting like it.
• The Cubs have officially given up on the season, which is probably the smart thing to do at 20 games below .500.
• Trading away Greg Maddux was a great move. Cubs receive a quality shortstop (at least in the field) and all they had to give up was a old bad pitcher. Now, we know Maddux isn't bad per say, but he hasn't been very good since the month of May. And let's be honest, he's not getting any younger…
• Things are on the rise at Clark and Addison, the young pitchers just need a little time to mature. And holy crap, Carlos Zambrano has become possibly the best arm in the majors. At the very least, I'm sure he's the most intimidating – honestly, what batter will want to crowd the plate with the Z-man staring you down. He'll brush one across your eyebrows at 95mph, and then freeze you with a hooking slide-ball across the outside corner. Scary.
• And while I'm not a fan of showing up batters and fist pumping and yelling on the mound, it is nice to see someone on the North Side excited about playing the game.
The Cubs put a whooping on the White Sox pitchers yesterday, scoring 15 runs on 20 hits!! Who cares that they gave up 11 themselves, they never trailed after the first inning. But this could very well be a case where a win is really a loss...
What this victory does for the Cubs is give Dusty Baker and Jim Hendry a chance to hold their heads up and say "See, this team really is good!" followed shortly by "I did a good job!" Had the Cubs been swept by their South Side nemesis, Baker could have been gone this morning. A losing record is bad, but fans won't stand for getting romped by the South Siders. Unfortunately, Cubs fans and maybe even management were left with a feeling of hope after avoiding the three-game sweep. "We can hang with anyone!" Now that's just silly.
Unfortunately, you can't let a manager go after a win, and you can't boot your GM at this point either. Who cares that the team is 21 games below .500. Who cares that your "closer" (who the GM handed the manager, and the manager continues to use) has blown 5 of his last 10 save opportunities. Who cares that the team misses signs, refuses to play fundamentally and constantly swings at the first pitch.
None of that matters, because they beat the Sox, hit a bunch of home runs, and made the crowd happy.
Yes, they won the game. In fact, they pounded the Sox and their usually stellar staff. But in this case, the Cubs' one step forward is really just two big steps back.
Apparently karma wanted to get in on the party.
In a year when everyone and everything has been beating the Cubs, it was only a matter of time before abstract ideas started getting in on the fun. So it really should not have been a surprise when A.J. Pierzynski smashed a poor excuse for a breaking ball over the right field wall for a game-winning 3-run homer in the 9th inning today. The same A.J. that had been booed and jeered by anyone in Cubby blue since getting sucker punched by Cubs catcher Michael Barrett for apparently making a great play.
Karma is a bitch.
A few other notes from today's game:
- I know it didn't matter in the end, but my God, Brian Anderson, go learn how to get a bunt down! You can't even hit .200, at least you should be good for a sacrifice bunt every now and then.
- The lack of hope in Wrigleyville is ridiculously low, as evidenced by the mass of people leaving after "closer" Ryan Dempster watched the Cubs lead and his pitch to Pierzynski fly out of the ballpark. It was as if the Cubs fans didn't even think their team should bother batting in the bottom of the ninth. To them, it was a lost cause.
- Cubs manager Dusty Baker goes with Dempster in the 9th despite blowing 4 of his last 9 save opportunities. Dempster blows save. The Cubs will begin accepting managerial resumes shortly
