Griese Chicken Report: Griese played a decent game last Sunday against the packers. The Vikings are 30th overall on pass defense this year allowing an average 266.8 yards per game on the pass. If Berian decides to catch the ball this week, Griese ought to have a stand out game. His tight ends are playing excellent, and Olsen has showed that he can be a serious problem to defenses. Jeff at Da' Bears Blog puts it best. Griese needs to throw the ball to the flats. Throwing the ball in the flats will exploit a week secondary, and open up the opportunity to go deep.
Key Matchup: Bears Running Backs vs. Vikings Defense. The Vikings run defense is first in the NFL allowing only 62 rushing yards a game. The Bears running game has been poor at best this season. They're only averaging 82.6 running yards a game. They need to pick it up this week to give Griese a chance to pick apart the Vikings pass defense.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
2008 Already?
Although I'm ready for spring training and the beginning of a new Cubs season, I can wait a little while. Football is in full swing and it will be good to get my mind off of baseball, if only for the winter. Of course, baseball is hardly over but as a Cubs fan whose team is down and out, there is no reason to celebrate every Rockie victory or cheer when the Indians defeated the Yankees. Ok, that last one deserves at least a round of applause.
The 2007 season was one of ups and downs for the Cubs. But that season is over and fans are looking toward the future. The '08 Cubs schedule was released this week and if you want to check it out, go here. The Cubs are starting off at Wrigley against the Brewers and it will be the first time to start off at home since 2001. Not that this really matters of course, but maybe they can start a little magic at the beginning of the season rather than at the end.
Time Out.
You might be wondering why there is a picture of a handsome movie star at the beginning of this post. Well, I came across a video of Ben Affleck (yes, the hunk from Pearl Harbor) saying he was supporting the Cubs. A die-hard Boston fan rooting for the Cubs. I guess it's not unheard of but it made me admire the man even more. Ok, not admire but oogle at anyway. A girl can dream, can't she?
Time In.
Will next season be better than the '07 season? Will the Cubs even make it into the playoffs? Yes and yes. The Cubs are a good team. They now remember what it's like to be in the playoffs. But they'll also remember being swept in the NLDS. I think next year will be it for the Cubs. They may not win the World Series but they'll get there. All fans can do now is recover from this season, watch some football, and wait for March 2008 when the Cubs begin their march to the big show.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Something to look forward to….
The Chicago White Sox have recently declared their tentative 2008 season schedule.
Here’s a brief overview:
The Chicago White Sox will open their 2008 season at Cleveland. First game against Cleveland, sound familiar? It’s because it is very familiar. This will be the fourth season in a row that the Sox will start their regular season against the Indians. After that, the White Sox will travel to Detriot and play a series against the Tigers before they will finally head home. F.Y.I: This will be the first time since 2004 that they will open their season on the road.
The White Sox will play the U.S. Cellular season opener against Minnesota . This will take place on April 7th.
But most importantly, when will the Cross-Town Classic be? Well the White Sox will play at Wrigley Field from June 20th to the 22nd. Then the White Sox will have their turn at home-field advantage when this infamous dual will be hosted at U.S. Cellular Field from June 27th to the 29th. Both of these legendary series match-ups will be on the weekend. This rival is what I look forward to every year and I know a lot of people do too, so I know I will be looking forward to June coming real soon!!
Some other home games of interest are when the White Sox will host the Yankees, which is always a popular one. This will occur on at the end of April, starting on the 22nd. Another exciting series hosted at home will be against the Red Sox, which will be August 8th through the 11th.
The White Sox will end their regular season at home on September 28th against Cleveland. (They will start with them and end with them) But that will not be the end of the 2008 season for the Sox. We will not have a repeat of this year!
Bringing in a Royal Treatment
So what does Buddy Bell have in common with the Chicago White Sox?
Well to start, Buddy Bell, the former Kansas City Royal coach, was recently hired by the White Sox as the director of Minor League Instruction. Bell officially declared that he would be leaving the Royals on August 1st of this year. This transition to the Minor League world will become effective for Bell as of November 1, 2007.
Bell who took over as the Royals manager in 2005, was actually a candidate for the job to become the White Sox manager in 2003, although we all know that he was beat out by Ozzie. Bell has, however, held this position with the Chicago White Sox before. He was the director of Minor League Instruction in 1991, and remained there until 1993.
Ozzie is of course excited about this new change and welcomes Bell, “He did a lot of great stuff for baseball. I think he's a great baseball man, an unbelievably great man in baseball." Like I stated before, Ozzie is trying to take the team in a new “direction.” (Which I think is needed after this disappointing 2007 season). Hopefully this new “direction” will lead to a more promising 2008 season.
**chicagowhitesox.com
Injury Report
The Bears have been plagued by injuries this season, and these injuries have contributed to the poor performance seen this season. Thank God Lance Briggs is healthy again. Chicago Bears Daily Blog explains just how important he has become to the defense. Dallas and Detroit ran up the score with out Briggs. Bernard Berrian is out with a toe injury. He did not practice on Wednesday. I would be embarrassed if i was him. He has dropped a lot of passes, and to be out with a toe injury is weak sauce. Tommie Harris did not practice Wednesday because of a knee injury, but he hasn't been practicing much lately because of injuries. It's fine though because he has been playing in games. Neither Tillman or Vasher practiced Wednesday. Tillman has an ankle injury, and Vasher has a groin injury. It will be nice to get both of these guys back. They make a hell of a defensive back pair. It's a lot harder for teams to run or pass when they're in. The line and the linebackers can run more stunts and run defenses designed to stop the run when they have competent guys to stop the pass behind them.
Cuban Invades
"If all this goes down ... if you cut any part of my body, you can see Mavs blood and you can see Cubbies blood coming out." --Mark Cuban
Now, does that really make sense? Can a person have two different types of blood in their body? I grew up thinking Jane had AB positive and John had B negative and that they could never bleed two different types. Apparently this is not the case with Mark Cuban.
Mr. Cuban currently owns the Dallas Mavericks and is looking to make another major purchase. You got it, he wants the Cubs all to himself. He made it to a Cubs game last month and has said that the experience has made him a Cubs fan. Wow, just one game. And he's not even from Chicago. I'm not saying that you have to be from Chicago to be a Cubs fan (I'm not) but when you are promoting yourself as the No. 1 Die Hard Fan and you're from Pittsburgh, it looks a little silly. Insert blood quote.
I don't know if Cuban would be the best choice to own the team. He is known for bugging officials and creating scenes at the Mavericks games. Would he be any different in Chicago?
"Everybody thinks I'm going to be on the sidelines, in the dugout, jumping up and down. That's not where I'll be," he said on the Mike North Morning Show on radio station WSCR. "When I went to the Cubs game a couple weeks ago, I sat in the bleachers, and I'll have a seat marked out for me and my friends. We'll be out in the right-field bleachers -- that's the best place to watch a game."
Ok, ok. So, he won't be all in Piniella's face or screwing with the umpires. So he says. Can we trust this rowdy Pittsburgh native who bleeds Mav blood and now Cubbie blood? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. The sale of the team isn't expected to be completed until 2008, so we have some time. And it's not like he's the only one wanting to buy the Chicago team. Maybe he'll buy them and maybe he'll get outbid. Will he still bleed Cubbie blood if he loses the team?
This has nothing to do with Mark Cuban or anyone who is wanting to buy the Cubs but I had to give it to you. It's the Aquafina commercial with Lou Piniella that aired during the Cubs/D'backs series and it's quite comical.
Now, does that really make sense? Can a person have two different types of blood in their body? I grew up thinking Jane had AB positive and John had B negative and that they could never bleed two different types. Apparently this is not the case with Mark Cuban.
Mr. Cuban currently owns the Dallas Mavericks and is looking to make another major purchase. You got it, he wants the Cubs all to himself. He made it to a Cubs game last month and has said that the experience has made him a Cubs fan. Wow, just one game. And he's not even from Chicago. I'm not saying that you have to be from Chicago to be a Cubs fan (I'm not) but when you are promoting yourself as the No. 1 Die Hard Fan and you're from Pittsburgh, it looks a little silly. Insert blood quote.
I don't know if Cuban would be the best choice to own the team. He is known for bugging officials and creating scenes at the Mavericks games. Would he be any different in Chicago?
"Everybody thinks I'm going to be on the sidelines, in the dugout, jumping up and down. That's not where I'll be," he said on the Mike North Morning Show on radio station WSCR. "When I went to the Cubs game a couple weeks ago, I sat in the bleachers, and I'll have a seat marked out for me and my friends. We'll be out in the right-field bleachers -- that's the best place to watch a game."
Ok, ok. So, he won't be all in Piniella's face or screwing with the umpires. So he says. Can we trust this rowdy Pittsburgh native who bleeds Mav blood and now Cubbie blood? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. The sale of the team isn't expected to be completed until 2008, so we have some time. And it's not like he's the only one wanting to buy the Chicago team. Maybe he'll buy them and maybe he'll get outbid. Will he still bleed Cubbie blood if he loses the team?
This has nothing to do with Mark Cuban or anyone who is wanting to buy the Cubs but I had to give it to you. It's the Aquafina commercial with Lou Piniella that aired during the Cubs/D'backs series and it's quite comical.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
A miracle
Griese Chicken Report: Enough to win. While 15 of 25 for 214 yards with 2 TDs and 1 pick aren't Pro Bowl numbers, they were enough to beat the packers. No that's not a mistake, I refuse to capitalize the p in packers anymore since coming in undefeated they got beat by a team that lost the Lions. The Bears lost to the fucking Lions, and the only thing worse than losing to the Lions is losing to a team that lost to the Lions. Anyways, Griese didn't make any terrible mistakes which is the reason they brought him in, so he did his job.
The Good: We beat the packers. Any time we beat the packers it's a good day for Chicago. It's Wednesday night and I'm still happy. As ChiTownBluesFan at Mega Bears writes, we finally got Olsen involved in the offense, and he looked like he could be a big part in the offense. Also Clark is a key TE, because he can block, so defenses don't suspect him of catching passes, but he does that very well.
The Bad: The offense was slow in the first half, and the defense was getting pounded by the run. But since we won, I can't bitch much.
The Ugly: The packers showed they had absolutely no balls and wouldn't kick off to Hester. It's an odd situation. You have to have huge balls to go on national tv and show that you have a slit in the front. The packers kick off team is now collectively Hester's bitch. And so is Mike McCarthy for allowing his players to play scared.
New Directions
Both coaches, Razor Shines and Art Kusnyer, are off the Chicago White Sox major league coaching staff for the 2008 season. Shines, the White Sox third-base coach was recently let go when his contract wasn’t renewed. Ozzie Guillen said that he simply just wants to go in a new direction with his coaching staff. Guillen stated, “I don't think he's the right guy for that situation…. It's just time we have different ideas for next year.” Guillen assures the public that it wasn’t because Shines wasn’t doing his job “I don't have any complaints about Razor Shines whatsoever…. Razor did a tremendous job, and I have a lot of respect for him as a baseball man.” So who will become Shines’ replacement? Guillen and the Sox aren’t sure yet, however they are looking for a multitasker who can work on both base running and possible offensive situations.
On the other hand, Art Kusnyer is not completely shunned for the Chicago White Sox. He was just simply reassigned within the Sox organization. So he will still be working with the White Sox, it will just be with the Minor Leaguers. This might have been difficult to hear, especially since Kusnyer has held his position for the last 11 years. There are plenty of candidates willing to take over Kusnyer’s previous job, four of them being current minor league pitching coaches. These four possible candidates are Juan Nieves , Richard Dotson, and Curt Hasler , and Omer Munoz (who by the way, has worked with the White Sox in the past.)
These two position changes were the only two within the White Sox coaching staff for the upcoming 2008 season. Maybe these changes were exactly what the White Sox needed in order to make the 2008 season a successful one. Let’s all hope so!
*chicagowhitesox.com
Three Teams. Two Losses. One Sad Girl.
The last couple of days have been, well, intense. I have been laying in my bed, stuffing my face with Oatmeal Cream Pies, watching Jerry Springer, and wondering if anything in my life matters any more. Don't judge me. You would be doing the same thing if 2 out of your 3 teams lost this past week. The Cubs didn't just lose, they are now done for the year. Purdue didn't just lose, they practically got ran over by Ohio State. Luckily, the Colts pulled through (as usual) and kept me from doing something terrible like breaking up with my boyfriend or kicking my dog.
The Cubs lost the series to Arizona in just three games, none of which were close nail biters. I was mad. I am mad. But then I think to myself about how the Cubs started off slow and how they picked up the pace and started winning. Then, to everyone's surprise, how they actually made it to the playoffs. So they didn't make it any further than three games into the first series, but how many teams didn't even make it that far? I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm not upset the Cubs aren't playing anymore this season, but I'm also going to say that they had a good year.
I love the Cubs and I love Purdue. And my love isn't something that can just evaporate. I'm in it for the long haul. Next season, the Cubs are going to remember how it feels to be a winning team who made it into the playoffs. They are not going to disappoint. I've only lost one team...the Boilermakers are 6-1 and in prime position to do something great. I hope. Look, I can't go back to eating Oatmeal Cream Pies for every meal, it's just not healthy. Or attractive.
GO BOILERS!
The Cubs lost the series to Arizona in just three games, none of which were close nail biters. I was mad. I am mad. But then I think to myself about how the Cubs started off slow and how they picked up the pace and started winning. Then, to everyone's surprise, how they actually made it to the playoffs. So they didn't make it any further than three games into the first series, but how many teams didn't even make it that far? I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm not upset the Cubs aren't playing anymore this season, but I'm also going to say that they had a good year.
I love the Cubs and I love Purdue. And my love isn't something that can just evaporate. I'm in it for the long haul. Next season, the Cubs are going to remember how it feels to be a winning team who made it into the playoffs. They are not going to disappoint. I've only lost one team...the Boilermakers are 6-1 and in prime position to do something great. I hope. Look, I can't go back to eating Oatmeal Cream Pies for every meal, it's just not healthy. Or attractive.
GO BOILERS!
Preseason Game 1 against Milwaukee
Well the Bulls lost, but it's only preseason. Besides, the only reason why they lost was because Scott Skiles reached to the bottom of the bench in the final 4:29. Despite the loss, the Bulls showed some major bright spots in the game.
Tyrus Thomas got the starting power forward position, and rookie Thomas
Gardner replaced Ben Gordon, who did not even play, in the starting line-up. Ben Wallace scored the first two points for Bulls. Wallace finished the quarter with 6 points, 2 of which came from a dunk. Noah came in as Wallace's replacement and within 51 seconds, Noah had his first dunk which was then followed by a block on Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut. Passing in the first quarter was very solid for the Bulls. 7 of the 9 first quarter field goals came off of assists. Nocioni seemed healthy during his time of play. He scored 5 first quarter points from off the bench, including a 3-pointer.
The bench did a pretty good job of staying with Milwaukee in the 2nd quarter. Chris Duhon shot a pair of 3-pointers, and rookie JamesOn Curry even got into the mix by knocking down his first 3-pointer. Chicago trailed at the end of the half, 47-46.
In the start of the 3rd quarter, Chicago wasted no time to score 7 unanswered points. Thomas's offense began to finally shine a little. 6 of his 8 points came in the 3rd quarter. Luol Deng ended his playing time in the third quarter. He finished the game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in about 19 minutes of play.
Andres Nocioni, finished with a team high 13 points, and rookie Aaron Gray, who finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds, carried the offensive load for Bulls in the fourth quarter. In the final 4:29, the Milwaukee Bucks went on a 12-3 run and capped off the game with a 93-88 victory over Chicago.
Milwaukee rookie forward Yi Jialian had a sub-par performance, only finishing with 3 points and fouling out in 15 minutes of play. In comparison, Chicago rookie Joakim Noah finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block.
Chicago shot a disappointing 60% from the charity stripe. So obviously they are picking up where they left off last year in that area. Rookie Joseph Blair shot 1 for 6 from the free throw line.
Other Bulls players who did not play due to injury were Thabo Sefolosha, Joe Smith, and Adrian Griffin.
All in all, the Bulls had a decent game with many flashes of goodness. With Joseph Cage already being waived by the Bulls, the competition continues for the final spots on the roster. The next preseason game is Friday, October 12, against the Dallas Mavericks in Chicago.
Tyrus Thomas got the starting power forward position, and rookie Thomas
Gardner replaced Ben Gordon, who did not even play, in the starting line-up. Ben Wallace scored the first two points for Bulls. Wallace finished the quarter with 6 points, 2 of which came from a dunk. Noah came in as Wallace's replacement and within 51 seconds, Noah had his first dunk which was then followed by a block on Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut. Passing in the first quarter was very solid for the Bulls. 7 of the 9 first quarter field goals came off of assists. Nocioni seemed healthy during his time of play. He scored 5 first quarter points from off the bench, including a 3-pointer.The bench did a pretty good job of staying with Milwaukee in the 2nd quarter. Chris Duhon shot a pair of 3-pointers, and rookie JamesOn Curry even got into the mix by knocking down his first 3-pointer. Chicago trailed at the end of the half, 47-46.
In the start of the 3rd quarter, Chicago wasted no time to score 7 unanswered points. Thomas's offense began to finally shine a little. 6 of his 8 points came in the 3rd quarter. Luol Deng ended his playing time in the third quarter. He finished the game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in about 19 minutes of play.
Andres Nocioni, finished with a team high 13 points, and rookie Aaron Gray, who finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds, carried the offensive load for Bulls in the fourth quarter. In the final 4:29, the Milwaukee Bucks went on a 12-3 run and capped off the game with a 93-88 victory over Chicago.
Milwaukee rookie forward Yi Jialian had a sub-par performance, only finishing with 3 points and fouling out in 15 minutes of play. In comparison, Chicago rookie Joakim Noah finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block.
Chicago shot a disappointing 60% from the charity stripe. So obviously they are picking up where they left off last year in that area. Rookie Joseph Blair shot 1 for 6 from the free throw line.
Other Bulls players who did not play due to injury were Thabo Sefolosha, Joe Smith, and Adrian Griffin.
All in all, the Bulls had a decent game with many flashes of goodness. With Joseph Cage already being waived by the Bulls, the competition continues for the final spots on the roster. The next preseason game is Friday, October 12, against the Dallas Mavericks in Chicago.
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