Sexy Rexy Report: As of right now there will be no more Sexy Rexy Report as he has been benched. Griese will now be the quarterback for the Bears. I have to agree with the Chicago Bears Daily Blog that putting Griese in right now isn't the right thing. He won't make the line block better, he can't make recievers catch the ball. He might help Benson some if he can complete more passes and make the offense potent, but thats a big if. I'm not sure Grossman is the long term answer for the Bears, but I know Griese isn't.
Key Matchup: Bear's D vs. Lion's O. The Bears defense is pretty banged up. Tillman and Vasher are out for sure. Harris and Briggs are both hurt but may play Sunday, and Archuleta has a broken hand but has been practicing. The Lion's offense has been playing pretty well. Kitna is the league leader with 980 pass yards. The defense has been playing well though, and I don't think Kitna will have such luck this weekend.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
This Dream is Real
Just one quick word. CUBS WIN!! Ok, that's two. Two very powerful words that every Cubs fan has been waiting to hear all season.
With a 6-0 victory over Cincinnati and the Brewer's 6-3 loss to San Diego, the Cubs clinched the NL Central Division last night. Chicago is playing in October.
"These kids deserve it," manager Lou Piniella said. "They really let loose. I mean, let loose. It's good to see. They let loose a lot of emotion."
If the players let out all that emotion, just imagine what Cubs fans all over the country are feeling. I can tell you that as a fan, I could not be more excited. The Cubs in the playoffs is something that occurs in my dreams. But when I woke up this morning, the dream did not fade away to simply a fond memory. The dream is real and the Cubs are still playing. Hallelujah!
With a 6-0 victory over Cincinnati and the Brewer's 6-3 loss to San Diego, the Cubs clinched the NL Central Division last night. Chicago is playing in October.
"These kids deserve it," manager Lou Piniella said. "They really let loose. I mean, let loose. It's good to see. They let loose a lot of emotion."
If the players let out all that emotion, just imagine what Cubs fans all over the country are feeling. I can tell you that as a fan, I could not be more excited. The Cubs in the playoffs is something that occurs in my dreams. But when I woke up this morning, the dream did not fade away to simply a fond memory. The dream is real and the Cubs are still playing. Hallelujah!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Making it with Broadway
Let’s pretend that you are Lance Broadway. It is a Thursday night in Chicago at the end of September. You are playing for the Chicago White Sox and it is your first Major League career start. How would you like it to go?
I think it went exactly how Lance Broadway would have wanted it to go, if not better. This 24-year-old had a reason to smile after the White Sox 10-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Why should he have been so happy? Well I don’t know… maybe because this right-handed pitcher had six shutout innings in his first Major League start. Broadway barely ran into any trouble, but when he did, like in the 2nd inning, for instance when he had two runners on base and no out, he immediately got out of trouble by striking out the next three batters.
He pitched just 97 pitches over the course of those six remarkable innings, striking out eight Royals and allowing just two hits. Not too bad, huh? I think not. And for those of you who are interested in an even more impressive fact, those eight strikeouts were the most any White Sox pitcher has made in his first start since 1988.
Lance Broadway, who came from Texas Christian University, was the White Sox top pick in 2005 and the White Sox plan on him being a big contribution to the team in the following seasons.
Broadway’s shutout was the 2nd straight by the White Sox pitchers. The previous one came from Jon Garland on Wednesday. In the last 9 games, the South Siders’ pitching staff has a record of 6-3 with an ERA of 2.79.
Since the White Sox season is nearing a close very quickly, predictions for next year? I have a feeling that the Sox’s pitching will do just fine, if they continue from where they left off (especially if its anything like what they have shown over the last few weeks!)
Au Revoir, Gopher
Thank goodness the Cubs are getting out of Florida. Yesterday marked the last game of the three game series with the Marlins sweeping Chicago. Today, the Cubbies are flying to Cincinnati to try to get on a winning streak before they, hopefully, start playoff games. Fans can only pray that they play better in Ohio than they did in Florida.
There was one good thing about watching the game yesterday. Bill Murray.
The funny man who stars in classic movies such as Caddyshack, What About Bob, and Groundhog Day was there in Florida rooting on the Cubbies. This might have been the one thing that got me excited while watching the game. My love for Bill Murray overshadowed my love for the Cubs. Until the sixth inning at least.
After Marlins third basemen Cabrera made a throwing error to second base, it opened the door to a three-run inning. Soriano then came up big with an RBI double that pulled the Cubs within one. But this would be the closest they would get to victory. In the seventh, Jacque Jones struck out with bases loaded and Theriot grounded out into a double play that ended the eighth inning. Is this how a championship team plays?
"It happens," losing pitcher Steve Trachsel said. "It's not like we didn't try. They're going to say what they're going to say, no matter what. We can't worry about that. We have three more games to worry about."
At least fans could count on San Diego. The Padres won 9-5 last night and the Cubs still are holding on to a two game lead in the NL Central. Hopefully the Cubs can clinch their three remaining games in Cincinnati and fans can be relieved. Somewhat. We’ve still got the playoffs to sweat through. One game at a time. One, slow, painful, worrisome game at a time.
There was one good thing about watching the game yesterday. Bill Murray.
The funny man who stars in classic movies such as Caddyshack, What About Bob, and Groundhog Day was there in Florida rooting on the Cubbies. This might have been the one thing that got me excited while watching the game. My love for Bill Murray overshadowed my love for the Cubs. Until the sixth inning at least.
After Marlins third basemen Cabrera made a throwing error to second base, it opened the door to a three-run inning. Soriano then came up big with an RBI double that pulled the Cubs within one. But this would be the closest they would get to victory. In the seventh, Jacque Jones struck out with bases loaded and Theriot grounded out into a double play that ended the eighth inning. Is this how a championship team plays?
"It happens," losing pitcher Steve Trachsel said. "It's not like we didn't try. They're going to say what they're going to say, no matter what. We can't worry about that. We have three more games to worry about."
At least fans could count on San Diego. The Padres won 9-5 last night and the Cubs still are holding on to a two game lead in the NL Central. Hopefully the Cubs can clinch their three remaining games in Cincinnati and fans can be relieved. Somewhat. We’ve still got the playoffs to sweat through. One game at a time. One, slow, painful, worrisome game at a time.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
One Ugly Inning
Ok, so the Cubs didn’t get the job done on Wednesday but St. Louis came through with a helping hand. While Chicago fell to Florida 7-4, The Cardinals came alive to defeat Milwaukee 7-3. Luckily for the Cubs, they still hold a two game lead in the NL Central. However, if they don’t start using their bats, the lead might slip away as well as the hope of making the playoffs. Some might consider the fan support the reason for the loss. Going from the huge fan base at Wrigley to a lesser Cub-friendly crowd in Florida could have been a reason for the loss. Manager Lou Piniella disagrees.
"Look, you're a professional, you have to adjust," Piniella said. "Whether there are 50,000 people in the ballpark or 5,000. I don't see that as an excuse. We didn't make any excuses. We just didn't hit tonight."
That’s right Lou. The Cubs didn’t hit and pitcher Ted Lilly struggled. Well, he had one bad inning that made a huge impact on the rest of the game. Lilly made one bad pitch that cost him. Two Marlin’s started with back-to-back singles, with the third hitter hitting a popup to right field that ended up dropping in front of Murton to load the bases. Another popup that deflected off the glove of DeRosa allowed the first run to score. By the end of the inning, Florida was up 4-0.
"That's one of the things you can't do — give up a big inning — and I did that, “ Lilly said.
At least he knows he did wrong. Of course, the blame doesn’t lay with him completely. The Cubs failed to make clutch hits which is something they have to work on if they’re planning on making the playoffs.
Speaking of playoffs, in anticipation of the Cubs returning to Chicago to continue the race toward the big show, Wrigley Field is undergoing some maintenance. The famous field has begun the process of re-sodding. It began Tuesday and is expected to be completed by Friday night.
Why the need for new grass?
Several players from Pittsburgh as well as the team’s manager criticized Wrigley’s outfield for having holes. This is most likely due to the two concerts by the Police during the summer.
"It's basically the whole outfield, some of the places around home plate and a patch in front of the mound," said Mark McGuire, executive vice president, business operations. "Our feeling is we wanted the field in good condition, and the best thing was to do it for the playoffs," McGuire said.
So the field is being prepared, the fans are more than ready, and now all that has to happen is for the Cubs to win these last couple of games. Easier said than done.
"Look, you're a professional, you have to adjust," Piniella said. "Whether there are 50,000 people in the ballpark or 5,000. I don't see that as an excuse. We didn't make any excuses. We just didn't hit tonight."
That’s right Lou. The Cubs didn’t hit and pitcher Ted Lilly struggled. Well, he had one bad inning that made a huge impact on the rest of the game. Lilly made one bad pitch that cost him. Two Marlin’s started with back-to-back singles, with the third hitter hitting a popup to right field that ended up dropping in front of Murton to load the bases. Another popup that deflected off the glove of DeRosa allowed the first run to score. By the end of the inning, Florida was up 4-0.
"That's one of the things you can't do — give up a big inning — and I did that, “ Lilly said.
At least he knows he did wrong. Of course, the blame doesn’t lay with him completely. The Cubs failed to make clutch hits which is something they have to work on if they’re planning on making the playoffs.
Speaking of playoffs, in anticipation of the Cubs returning to Chicago to continue the race toward the big show, Wrigley Field is undergoing some maintenance. The famous field has begun the process of re-sodding. It began Tuesday and is expected to be completed by Friday night.
Why the need for new grass?
Several players from Pittsburgh as well as the team’s manager criticized Wrigley’s outfield for having holes. This is most likely due to the two concerts by the Police during the summer.
"It's basically the whole outfield, some of the places around home plate and a patch in front of the mound," said Mark McGuire, executive vice president, business operations. "Our feeling is we wanted the field in good condition, and the best thing was to do it for the playoffs," McGuire said.
So the field is being prepared, the fans are more than ready, and now all that has to happen is for the Cubs to win these last couple of games. Easier said than done.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
NFC North
The Bears play in the NFC North, a conference that hasn't been that great as of late, but is starting to turn things around. Here's a rundown, as of week 4, of the NFC North.
1. Green Bay Packers (3-0) - Brett Favre is back to a version close to his former self, except of course that he looks like a geriatric. Of course I'm just jealous because he's a badass, and the Bears have nothing at QB. Their running game isn't that great, but their passing game is close to the top in the league. They beat the Chargers, who beat the Bears, but if the Bears can get healthy I think the Bears will beat them.
2. Detroit Lions (2-1) - I can't think of a team I hate more than the Detroit Lions. This team ruined the career of Barry Sanders. Anyways the Bears play them this Sunday and I'm a little worried with Griese not having played a game in a while and with the defense having so many injuries. But the Lions got pounded by the Eagles last week, and their two wins came against the Raiders and the Vikings (who they beat in O.T.). They aren't as good as their record or that loud mouthed bitch Jon Kitna would have you believe.
3. Chicago Bears (1-2) - Started off shaky, but they'll get their act together. They're just suffering from Super Bowl loser syndrome (where they should be good since they have pretty much the same team as last year, but every one keeps getting hurt. Just look at the Steelers last year.)
4. Minnesota Vikings (1-2) - Vikings fans seem to think very highly of their team, which is good because I don't believe anyone else does. It seems the Vikings are destined to be bad again this year. Believe it or not, their QBs have looked almost as bad as Grossman, but to be fair they've gone against the leagues best defenses those games. The Falcons, Lions, and Chiefs. Nevermind, those teams suck.
My Rookie of the Year
If I was a rookie, I would want to be like Josh Fields and have a season like he is having. This 24-year-old has had a pretty extraordinary season for the White Sox. He has also had a very impressive week. Just how impressive you might ask? Well the rookie was hitting .525 (11-for-21) and had three homers and six RBIs. So did all that hard work pay off? Yes, yes it did. Just when it couldn’t get any better, (or at least we thought it couldn’t) he was named AL player of the week.
Here’s some impressive rookie stats:
He has had 91 career hits, 88 of them being in 2007. He also has 23 home runs under his belt, including the 22 he has hit in 2007. This year he has 65 RBIs and 67 total career RBIs.
Biography and some extra information:
Prior to the 2004 season, Fields was named First-Team All- American, was rated as the draft’s Second-Best Collegiate Athlete and Third-Best Power Hitter among college player by Baseball America.
Not only did he play baseball for Oklahoma State, but he was also the quarterback of the Cowboys football team (which he also has impressive stats in).
He married his wife Ashleigh in 2006. So sorry for all you ladies who were hoping he was still single! I didn’t mean to burst your bubble.
In 2007, he was ranked No. 2 Prospect and the Best Power Hitter for the White Sox by Baseball America.
For those of you who didn’t know…This former Oklahoma State Cowboy whose MLB debut was on 9/13/2006, was brought up this year to replace Joe Crede, who was out with an injury. Well guess what? Joe Crede is coming back next season And there is actual talk of trying Fields out in right field next season. Why not? I think he will be a big contribution to the White Sox next year and for years to come. Well whatever they decided to do with Fields, I’m pretty sure we can count on him being in the lineup for the White Sox next season.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
How Predicta-Bull
When "Big" Ben Wallace was signed by the Bulls in 2006 for 60 MILLION DOLLARS, the entire country had high hopes for Chicago to do well and go far in the playoffs. How did the season end? The Bulls finished 49 and 33; this was good enough to get the 5th seed in the Eastern playoffs. They were then defeated in the Eastern Conference semi-finals by Detroit. That was an improvement from the year before when the Bulls were defeated in the first round by Washington. With this information at hand, along with the recent player additions, there will be even more improvement in Chicago. 'Improvement' has been the word to describe the Bulls over the past 3 or 4 years. Impatience is beginning to settle a little more in Chicago, and fans are beginning to demand AT LEAST an Eastern Conference Championship. Now let me first say that the Bulls are completely capable of achieving the Eastern Conference title. But because of that one missing piece, it will be a difficult road to get there.Hoopsworld.com put out an article predicting the ups and downs of the 2007-2008 season for the Chicago Bulls. High hopes are always going to be in store for the Bulls. A true Bull fan, such as myself, already knows that the Bulls will live up to the hype as they did last year, regardless that they fell just short of the Eastern Conference finals. Whenever the Bulls lost last season, I would really be upset. I admit that there were many games that they should have won, particularly the one involving that last second game winning 3-pointer put up by the Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa. That one really pissed me off. But then I just said to hell with it because I knew most teams in the East wouldn't even come that close to beating Phoenix.
Chicago always found a way to bounce back. After blowing the 2 seed in the playoffs last year, the Bulls were on the brink of another first round failure, but this time it would be against the defending champions, the Miami Heat. I remember that my buddies and I called the sweep, but even we had trouble believing ourselves. Then it happened, and we almost pissed our pants.
So I made a list of three things about the Bulls that no one can ever forget:
1. The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls were the best team in NBA history. The 72 and 10 record speaks for itself.
2. The Chicago Bulls had the privilege of possessing basketball's greatest legacy, Michael Jordan.
3. Don't fuck with Toni Kukoc. We will be remembered as a Chicago Bull and not as a Milwaukee 'Suck'.
So let's get some things straight about this upcoming season. Yes, the Bulls will be one of the best teams in the East. No, they will not be as good as the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. Yes, there is a very good possibility that the Bulls could win the East. No, the Bulls still don't have a scoring big man. Yes, the Bulls will do better than last season. No, the road to the top still won't be easy.
To all the Bulls fans out there, please understand the No's I have mentioned. I want the Bulls to kick some ass and take some names too, but for the love of God, show some patience and have a little more faith.
Griese
It seems I was wrong. Reports are that Brian Griese will be the starter this week against the Lions. I hope he wins, not for his sake but because I hate the Lions.
War Makes Strange Allies
In the regular season, you would never find a Cubs fan rooting for the Atlanta Braves let alone the dreaded St. Louis Cardinals. However, drastic times call for drastic measures. Take for instance the Pirates vs. Cubs game this past Sunday at Wrigley Field.
It wasn’t a close game by any means. The Cubs defeated the Pirates 8-0 with Zambrano reaching a career high of 17 victories. But the fans weren’t paying any attention to the game at hand; they were more focused on the scoreboard. When the number 4 went up signifying that Atlanta was beating Milwaukee, the stadium broke into cheers. With every bit of news out of Atlanta, the fans began doing the “tomahawk chop” as an acknowledgment to the Braves. It would seem that it was forgotten that the Cubs faced the Braves the last two times they made the playoffs. And we all know how that turned out. Not good.
If cheering for Atlanta seems strange, rooting for the Cardinals is just plain bizarre. It seems like Cubs fans everywhere can put their hatred for St. Louis aside for at least the three games against the Brewers. Cardinals catcher Gary Bennett was saying Monday how he was talking to his dad about the situation.
“I was driving up today and talking to my dad at work. He goes, 'All those Cub fans I've been fighting with all year are my best friends now.' "
Hey, what can you do? When it’s this close, strange things can happen. However, I wouldn’t expect both teams’ fans to become best friends any time soon. Especially when the Cards don’t come through for the Cubs. Last night, Milwaukee crushed St. Louis 13-5. Ok, so Chicago is still 3 games up but COME ON ST. LOUIS!
And what’s coming up for the Cubs? They start their three game series against Florida tonight and on Friday head to Cincinnati. While they are so close, they still have a long way to go. Manager Piniella knows that this thing is not in the bag.
“But let me tell you this: We've still got some work to do. This is a tough little trip to South Florida and then to Cincinnati, two teams that are playing well and scoring runs. "We've got to take care of business. I am excited. I'll be more excited if and when we clinch. We're in a good position, but again, there's baseball to be played."
I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch but if anyone has any Cubs playoff tickets available, contact me. I just have a feeling…
It wasn’t a close game by any means. The Cubs defeated the Pirates 8-0 with Zambrano reaching a career high of 17 victories. But the fans weren’t paying any attention to the game at hand; they were more focused on the scoreboard. When the number 4 went up signifying that Atlanta was beating Milwaukee, the stadium broke into cheers. With every bit of news out of Atlanta, the fans began doing the “tomahawk chop” as an acknowledgment to the Braves. It would seem that it was forgotten that the Cubs faced the Braves the last two times they made the playoffs. And we all know how that turned out. Not good.
If cheering for Atlanta seems strange, rooting for the Cardinals is just plain bizarre. It seems like Cubs fans everywhere can put their hatred for St. Louis aside for at least the three games against the Brewers. Cardinals catcher Gary Bennett was saying Monday how he was talking to his dad about the situation.
“I was driving up today and talking to my dad at work. He goes, 'All those Cub fans I've been fighting with all year are my best friends now.' "
Hey, what can you do? When it’s this close, strange things can happen. However, I wouldn’t expect both teams’ fans to become best friends any time soon. Especially when the Cards don’t come through for the Cubs. Last night, Milwaukee crushed St. Louis 13-5. Ok, so Chicago is still 3 games up but COME ON ST. LOUIS!
And what’s coming up for the Cubs? They start their three game series against Florida tonight and on Friday head to Cincinnati. While they are so close, they still have a long way to go. Manager Piniella knows that this thing is not in the bag.
“But let me tell you this: We've still got some work to do. This is a tough little trip to South Florida and then to Cincinnati, two teams that are playing well and scoring runs. "We've got to take care of business. I am excited. I'll be more excited if and when we clinch. We're in a good position, but again, there's baseball to be played."
I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch but if anyone has any Cubs playoff tickets available, contact me. I just have a feeling…
Monday, September 24, 2007
Ouch
Sexy Rexy Report: 3 interceptions and no touchdowns. 15 for 32 for 195 yards. Let's compare that with the unquestionably the best quarterback in the game right now, Tom Brady (doesn't have the highest stats in the league, but is going to win another Super Bowl). Brady was 23 for 29 for 311 yards. There is a quite a bit of speculation that Sexy Rexy will lose his job, but I'll venture to say that he will start next week.
The Good: Urlacher had two sacks. Oh, and it looks like we're going to be getting a high draft pick this year.
The Bad: Grossman, but that's a given. The Cowboys put up over 400 yards of offense. The Bear's defense is better than that, but they are on the field way too often. They also didn't force turnovers. Hester looked totally lost out there returning the ball.
The Ugly: Injuries. Tommie Haris, Lance Briggs, and Nate Vasher all left the game injured. It hasn't been reported whether they will be available to play on Sunday. Anyways, most people are hoping Griese gets to start this week. That might fix us for a little while, but he isn't the quarterback we need. I don't believe we have the quarterback we need. None of them are the caliber of quarterback you want to base a franchise around.
The Good: Urlacher had two sacks. Oh, and it looks like we're going to be getting a high draft pick this year.
The Bad: Grossman, but that's a given. The Cowboys put up over 400 yards of offense. The Bear's defense is better than that, but they are on the field way too often. They also didn't force turnovers. Hester looked totally lost out there returning the ball.
The Ugly: Injuries. Tommie Haris, Lance Briggs, and Nate Vasher all left the game injured. It hasn't been reported whether they will be available to play on Sunday. Anyways, most people are hoping Griese gets to start this week. That might fix us for a little while, but he isn't the quarterback we need. I don't believe we have the quarterback we need. None of them are the caliber of quarterback you want to base a franchise around.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sox conquer Santana
It was a Chicago White Sox victory Friday night, thanks to Josh Fields and yes, once again Jim Thome. Thome had one home run, while the rookie, Fields, added two homers in the victory against the Minnesota Twins. The Sox did an overall good job offensively, especially considering last Thursday’s game against the Royals where their bats were a little cold.
On Friday night the Sox faced Johan Santana, which wasn’t an easy task since Santana is considered to be one of the best pitchers in the league. Josh Fields stated it pretty well when he said, “"Honestly, against that guy, you just close your eyes and swing.” Well that puts it pretty bluntly don’t you think? Close your eyes and just pray that you make contact. So Santana wasn’t any easy obstacle to overcome, but the Sox did it. As a matter of fact, the last time the Sox won against Santana was in April of 2006. (Which I should probably mention that the Sox were also #1 in the AL Central at that time) So it wasn’t any easy task and it doesn’t happen often.
So how did Buehrle do? Well not too bad I might say. He picked up his 10th victory, which also made this the seventh straight season that Buehrle will ended the season with a double-digit winning record.
Any finally it came down to Bobby Jenks, who received his 39th save this season with a perfect 9th inning.
The win put the Sox back in 4th place in the AL Central.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)