Chicago Bears Monthly Look-Ahead
By Steven Suarez
Jay Cutler and the Bears opened the new NFL picks season with an emphatic win over the Atlanta Falcons. They’ll look to keep the good times rolling over the next few weeks even though some powerhouses stand in their way.
Chicago fans could not have asked for much more from their team in Week 1 of the 2011/12 NFL season.
The Bears jumped on the Falcons from the get-go, racing to a 16-3 halftime lead and finishing up strong in a 30-12 beatdown of a team that went 13-3 last season.
QB Jay Cutler threw for 312 yards and two TDs, but the day belonged to running back Matt Forte, who accumulated 158 total yards on offense. That included a 56-yard reception that he took to the house.
Reliable kicker Robbie Gould was money on all three of his field goals and the Bears also were able to keep a potent Atlanta offense at bay. Brian Urlacher returned a fumble for another Chicago touchdown in the victory.
One week down, 15 to go
In a division that features the defending Super Bowl champs (Green Bay Packers) and an up-and-coming team (Detroit Lions), the Bears needed a good start to their season and did well to manage a Week 1 W, over a very strong team no less.
Up this weekend though will be a daunting trip to the Big Easy to take on the explosive New Orleans Saints.
For their Week 2 road game, Chicago is the clear underdog in the eyes of the top sportsbooks , listed as high as 8-point pups.
The Saints showed in their Week 1 loss to the Packers that they will be able to hang with anyone offensively, with QB Drew Brees making some phenomenal plays down the stretch to keep his team in it.
Getting out of New Orleans with another win would be a huge coup for the Bears, but perhaps it’s not as far-fetched as people may think. Lovie Smith’s crew did tie for second in the NFL last season with an admirable 6-2 road record.
Storied rivals take to the gridiron in the Windy City
After the Saints comes another enormous obstacle for the Bears as they must try to contain Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at home in Week 3 in what will be a rematch of the 2010 NFC Championship Game.
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will surely try to come up with a viable game-plan to slow Green Bay down, but Rodgers has quickly become one of the NFL’s elite players and has plenty of weapons at his disposal on offense, so we wish Marinelli the best of luck with that venture.
Playing such a key divisional game at Soldier Field will be a significant advantage for the Bears, knowing that they won this corresponding matchup last season in a close 20-17 outcome, thanks in large part to a mistake-filled performance from the reigning champions.
The Bears then get a slight reprieve in Week 4 when they will host the Carolina Panthers as the favorites in the football odds. The Panthers have handed the reigns to Cam Newton and he came through with a record-breaking outing in his professional debut against the Arizona Cardinals.
Two easier matchups on the horizon in Week 4 and 5
Still, in terms of NFL picks this is a game that the Bears really should win. Look for their stingy defense to pressure Newton into making mistakes from the beginning and from there Jay Cutler should take care of business versus a susceptible Panthers defensive unit.
In Week 5 another tricky divisional game is on the schedule, this time a road game against the Detroit Lions.
Detroit could very well be a contender in the NFC North this season as evident by an impressive 27-20 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. So long as Matthew Stafford stays healthy, the Lions will score plenty of points.
If last season is anything to go by then the Bears may be the NFL pick here, given they won both games over the Lions in 2010. However, the two meetings were decided by a combined total of only nine points and Detroit seems to be much-improved now.
As evident, the next couple of weeks (@ NO, vs. GB) are going to be a huge test for the Bears – they’ll be fortunate to win even one of those games – but they then have four winnable games (vs. CAR, @ DET, vs. MIN, @ TB) before their BYE in Week 8.
There’s no doubt it was an ideal start for Lovie Smith’s gang in Week 1, but we’ll see what this team is really made of over the next month.
| Comments: 6 |
 Tags: Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears |
Bears Fans Need To Be Patient [As Usual]
Anyone who is in favor of an 18-game regular season schedule (with just two preseason games) cannot be a Bears fan. After watching the first half of this past weekend’s game, I feel like we should reverse the salaries of Patrick Mannelly ($850,200) and Chris Williams ($5,955,200) and move Mike Tice to the offensive line instead of having him yelling at them on the sidelines.
The Bears simply look awful after two games and this is the best proof to keep the season as it is as of now, or just eliminate one of the preseason games and leave me with a glimmer of hope the regular season will not be a heated battle for last place with the Detroit Lions.
The only nice thing to come out of the field day and the 3.5 sacks Williams allowed in the first half is the public show of camaraderie. The Chicago Bears team rallied around Williams, pledging their support and sealing that declaration with the dried blood of Cutler. Martz and the boys have been saying the game did not truly represent Williams’ growth and capacity to start at the all-too-important left end of the line.
I do not necessarily buy the PR campaign, but I also do not feel like one dreadful performance is enough to write off the entire season. So let’s give Williams one more chance this Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals.
I would also like to the see the Bears defense put a hurting on Matt Leinart and give Brian Urlacher a chance for a couple of picks on errant throws over the middle of the field (maybe he is like a struggling basketball player and just a needs a couple of easy layups to get back on his game). Of course why write out my entire wish list or even pretend I believe more than one can come true at a time (I keep dreaming about a Mike Brown-like figure emerging at strong safety in Week 2 and returning a late fourth quarter interception to re-energize the faithful and make us believe we can actually take the division this season, well that and Chicago Bears tickets for the Packers game in Week 3).
First, lets give Williams a chance to protect Cutler’s blindside, see a few more nice runs from scrimmage from Forte, and watch the thing of beauty I believe a Cutler-Knox relationship can be.
| Comments: 8 |
|
Chicago Bears: Who Has the Best Fantasy Value in 2010?
What Chicago Bears player has the most draft value? Well Chicago has a quarterback in a new system with a line many people doubt. The Bears have an interesting running back platoon with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, but you can only draft a single back at a time. The wide receivers have yet to establish a concrete hierarchy. The tight ends have traditionally not fared well in a Mike Martz system, but he has been praising this group as the best he has ever seen. Then there is a defense with as many questions as the offense.
So, who would I feel most comfortable picking if my league went all MLB and forced me to take at least one Chicago Bears player? No, the answer is not kicker Robbie Gould (he has struggled from 40-49 yards throughout his career and that is a trend I cannot ignore). I think I have to go with Johnny Knox.
Knox is still listed behind Earl Bennett on the depth chart, but it is only a matter of preseason snaps until he gets the nod, right? He already appeared to be Cutler’s favorite target against the Chargers (well for the two series that first group was on the field). I am beginning to believe in this wide receiving group (at least Knox and Devin Aromashodu).
Picking a receiver means I am picking the best aspect of a Martz offense (more completions) without risking the worst (interceptions). I am still convinced Olsen is going to take a fantasy hit and I think Forte and Taylor are eventually going to be splitting time pretty equally by midseason. There are too many quarterbacks playing in passing friendly systems to take a chance on the guy with the most picks last season.
| Comments: 7 |
|
The Chicago Bears Coaching Staff Living in Neverland
So, while I am happy to have a distraction from the Cubs dreadful summer and the White Sox oh so painfully losing control of the AL Central to the second-half king Minnesota Twins, I am not excited to here the overarching strategy coming out of the Chicago Bears camp.
Perhaps the scariest plan is to try and construct a Mike Martz offense. We moved Chris Williams over to left tackle, which is a drastic improvement over Orlando Pace, but the team still has a pair of lumbering guards. I neither foresee Jay Cutler having the time to wait and throw those slow-developing routes nor Matt Forte able to find a hole to run through.
The Bears also lack the personnel to catch any of these throws consistently. Johnny Knox and Devin Aaromashodu might be promising pieces for the future, but in the present they are far from ideal. This means Earl “Plodding Possession Receiver” Bennett and overmatched Devin Hester are likely to see a great deal of time on the field dropping passes and falling a yard short on third and long. The best starting receiver appears to be tight end Greg Olsen, but tight ends often find themselves in the midst of a reception in a Martz offense, so yeah, that’s great news.
The second scariest rumor I am hearing is the plan, apparently approved by Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli, to remain true to the classic Cover-2 and use just a four-man rush to pressure quarterbacks. The optimistic version of this strategy goes like this: Sack master Julius Peppers will force a double team on the right side of the line, allowing left defensive end Tommy Harris to find a gap and flatten quarterbacks or force poor throws.
The cynical version is as such: Peppers pulls his Houdini act ala 2004, letting the opposing quarterback camp out in the pocket and notice the Bears free safety is looking at daisies.
I expect this to be Lovie Smith’s last season as head coach (and Jerry Angelo’s last as general manager). Though, I am looking forward to welcoming Bill Cowher as the 2011 Chicago Bears head coach. Of course, despite my bitching moaning, I will be in search of Chicago Bears tickets because I am a Bears’ football addict.
| Comments: 3 |
|
Brandon Phillips Speaks The Truth: Cardinals Are Bitches
The Cubs season has gone south, and dragged my interest in baseball down with it. Thank god the Bears and Bulls are on the horizon, but for now we can take solace in this ridiculously awesome comment from Brandon Phillips of the Reds:
I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear – I hate the Cardinals.
Well he’s obviously my new favorite Cincinnati Red. And he is right on target. They are a bunch of whiny bitches and I’m glad someone is finally saying what we’ve all been thinking. Unfortunately the Cubs are kind of bitches too, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Oh by the way, a bench-clearing brawl between the Reds and Cardinals erupted after Phillips and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina started jawing in Tuesday night’s game. Nice work Brandon.
| Comments: 2 |
Tags: Brandon Phillips, Cardinals Are Bitches, St. Louis Cardinals |
Never In A Million Years [Our Childhood Stars Are Better Than Your Childhood Stars Edition]
| Comments: - |
|
Silva Leaves Game and Lilly Leaves Town
Monday Carlos Silva left the game in the first inning due to an abnormal heart beat. Reportedly, Lou Piniella noticed Silva’s heart was beating and immediately called the emergency medical team since the Zombie Cubs have a strict no show of life policy.
Ok, so that might be in bad taste (I sincerely hope Silva the best, perhaps a trade to a contender), but the Cubs are once again tormenting us after a promising start to the second half. I at least thought this team would revel in the role of the spoiler, but after kicking pennant-race time off with a 6-3 start the team plummeted back down to Earth. They have gone 1-6 in the last seven games, including dropping a series against the Oswalt-less Houston Astros.
Monday also marked the day the Cubs traded Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Blake DeWitt and pitchers Kyle Smit, and Brett Wallach. While, yes, I am glad to see the front office accepting the team’s fate and start unloading some salary for some prospects, I am not thrilled we made the trade with the Dodgers and that we apparently only got a future setup man in return.
In case you have forgotten, the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Cubs in perhaps the most promising season the Cubs have had in the 21st century. I, like every good Chicago Catholic, still have a little animosity directed toward the Dodgers. I hoped the Cubs front office would have the good sense to let those feelings linger too, especially given what we received in return.
Am I really supposed to be excited to have Chicago Cubs tickets to see any of these three players take the field? Blake DeWitt cannot run, field, or hit. Technically I do not know how he even registers as a baseball player. He is on the cusp of setting a career mark at the plate, but surpassing a .264 batting average is hardly worth bragging about. He is basically a 24-year-old prospect who never lived up to expectations. Some might say he is 24 and could still turn his career around, but he grew up in Florida, so he has had plenty of time to develop. Only players from cold weather states and Canada develop into anything after a disappointing into their mid-20s.
I call this the Canadian Effect. The theory contends that since these players had fewer seasonable months to play baseball, they both had fewer months to reach their potential and have a longer timeline with which to develop and they have had fewer reps to tear their tendons and wear down their joints. Playing in Florida as a kid, DeWitt has had plenty of time to hone his skills and slowly injure his body irreparably.
The other two prospects the Cubs acquired are Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit. Wallach has the baseball lineage (father Tim Wallach played 16 years of major league baseball at third base with five All Star seasons) but does not have the fastball to make it as a starter or even a reliever. Chances are, if Wallach ever sees time in the big leagues, he will post career pitching stats worse than his father’s, who threw two innings and escaped with a 4.50 ERA.
Smit is a player Keith Law believes could actually be a serviceable middle reliever. Apparently he throws strikes and has a good sinker and slider. I know this move is far more financially motivated than talent motivated, but it feels wrong to lose the team leader in ERA (among starters) and stolen bases to find a setup man for Carlos Marmol.
| Comments: - |
Tags: Carlos Silva, Ted Lilly |
Uppin’ the Ante for Antti Niemi
On Saturday the Blackhawks and Antti Niemi received the arbitrator’s decision to award Niemi $2.75 million for the 2010-11 season if the Hawks resign their restricted free agent. It is widely thought that the Blackhawks pursued a salary of closer to $2 million while Niemi and his agent Bill Zito were pushing for closer to $3 million. While the salary is not the worst case scenario for the Blackhawks, it’s far from the best. For now, the Hawks have 48 hours, presumably until sometime on Monday morning, to make a decision on whether to resign Niemi or let him become an unrestricted free agent.
Rumors also began to circulate that the Hawks have come to an agreement with veteran netminder Marty Turco on a one year deal for $1.5 million in case Niemi leaves. With various sites reporting that the Hawks are either just below the cap or currently over the cap, a move to sign either one of these netminders requires moving Cristobal Huet’s ghastly contract. While I’m far less knowledgeable about the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement than the NBA’s (which is saying something since they are both rather confusing), it appears that Huet is eligible to be placed on waivers and thus, optioned to Rockford. I’d like to believe he would probably clear waivers since whichever team picked him up would have to pay the full amount of his terrible contract for the next two years (Did Jim Hendry sign this guy?). Now if Huet doesn’t raise a fuss and goes down to Rockford this is obviously a huge benefit to the Blackhawks’ salary cap woes. Yet, the salary cap woes are only one part of the equation.
While the Blackhawks fortunes rose steadily through last season, culminating in their Stanley Cup victory, the organization slumped further and further into debt. Rocky Wirtz admitted that the Blackhawks simply ran out of cash several times during last season and had to be bailed out by the other Wirtz family businesses. While a 20% increase in average ticket prices will certainly help the team’s financial bottom line, I find it hard to believe Rocky Wirtz would be too eager to pay the entire salary cap amount next year plus Huet’s $5.625 million contract in Rockford.
There is one out for the Blackhawks. If a player that is waived, clears waivers, and is sent down to the minors refuses to show up to the minor-league team, the NHL squad can treat this as insubordination and grounds for withholding the player’s salary. So don’t be surprised if John McDonough, the man who invented the Beanie Babies idea at Wrigley, concocts some soap-opera storyline where Huet refuses the indignity of being assigned to Rockford and lashes out publicly in broken English, or even better yet, a rant all in French (a refusal to speak the language of those who betrayed him). And behind the scenes the Blackhawks organization tells him they’ll pay him $2 million a year off the books to drive a truck for their liquor distributorship and take a few years off of hockey until his contract runs out.
I’d love to hear StevieY’s thoughts on this matter. That is, if he’s still alive, or if he isn’t too busy taking his talents to South Beach or East Lansing as the case may be.
| Comments: - |
Tags: Antti Niemi, Chicago Blackhawks, Cristobal Huet |
Getting to know Omer Asik
Stacey King: "A sick dunk from Asik."
There is plenty of tape of the Bulls’ new additions including Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, CJ Watson and Kurt Thomas. We generally have an idea of what each of these players will bring to the court this upcoming season. This is not the case with Bulls import, Omer Asik.
Asik, whom the Bulls picked up from the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft, hails from Turkey. He played the majority of his games for Fenerbache Ulker and had some considerable success (mostly shot blocking) in Euroleague contests. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see Asik play against some higher level competition in August and September when he suits up for the Turkish National Team at the World Championships in Turkey.
Until then, head on over to NBAPlaybook.com for a detailed analysis of Asik’s strengths and considerable weaknesses with supporting video evidence. Looks like he has some ability to finish at the rim, but I agree with the assessment that he looks pretty weak. Some sites have him at 7′0″ but in truth, he probably is closer to 6′11″. And at that height and 230 lbs he’s going to be pushed around a lot in the NBA. Yet, if all he does is keep someone else from getting a clean shot at a rebound, I’ll trust Taj or Joakim to come away with any deflections that he can’t pull down himself.
| Comments: 1 |
Tags: Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik |
Playing a Little Dirty Diplomacy
In the last couple of weeks I have seen a whole lot of attention paid to a front I forgot existed, team diplomacy. The Bulls and White Sox have added two stars as “team ambassadors.”
As far as I understand it, Scottie Pippen and Frank Thomas are being paid to represent their prospective teams as a public figure, attending games (for free), signing autographs, and occasionally writing something nice about the franchise. I would like to go Billy Beane and take this generic public relations move and turn it into an actual tactical advantage for the team on the field, or court, of play.
The Chicago Bulls are set to embark on a season with a much different and more difficult road in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks are a real threat to take the division, The Boston Celtics refuse to show their collective age, the Orlando Magic are hell bent on winning (luxury tax be damned!), and the Miami Heat were the overwhelming Vegas favorites before they started adding those quality pieces to an already fearsome threesome. How would the Bulls turn a seemingly innocuous position into a game changer?
The Bulls find a way to pry Delonte West from his new team, the Minnesota Timerbwolves, and make him the team ambassador.
This is working under the assumption LeBron can do nothing but shut down whenever he sees the former teammate who broke an unspoken rumor- do not sleep with your friend’s mom. We could send him to big games and let him stalk the King ala Stephen Marbury 2009, lurking in the stands. This might result in some fines, but it would disrupt the Miami Thrice and open up the Eastern Conference to teams without three stars entering their prime.
Imagine buying Bulls tickets to see LeBron choke as West stares at him from courtside seats. The fans would be chanting unmentionable insults and Derrick Rose would drive by Dwayne Wade and dunk on a defensively ineffective Bosh in the circle. It would be great and it would be a divisive move announcing to the NBA the Bulls are ready to win big without Jordan.
| Comments: 2 |
|
Joakim Noah Has Strange Rehab Strategy
This photo is from back in March when Noah was recovering from Plantar Fascitis. I’m sure he was just asking for directions to a local eatery, right?
h/t: Deadspin
| Comments: 2 |
Tags: Bongs, Head Shop, Joakim Noah |
Be Whichever Michael Jordan You Want To Be In NBA 2k11
We found out a few months ago that Michael Jordan would not only be on the cover of the new NBA 2k11, but that you could in fact play with him in the game. Hopefully that would erase all the bad childhood memories of not being able to play with him in NBA Jam. Apparently things are about to get even awesomer though (yeah I made up the word awesomer for this special occasion). I’m not much of a video game guy, but the fact that you can be 10 different MJs from different stages of his career is blowing my mind. Check it out:
Now, Argent has unveiled the next surprise, which is that the game will have a mode called the “Jordan Challenge.” The mode allows fans to play with 10 different versions of Jordan that are authentic to that moment….
The games that fans can play with different versions of Jordan include all of the following:
-April 20, 1986 (Game 2 of the 1st round of the playoffs against the Celtics when Jordan scored 63)
-March 28, 1990 (regular season game against the Cavs when Jordan scored 69)
-June 3, 1992 (Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs versus the Trail Blazers when Jordan scored 35 in the first half)
- March 28, 1995 (Jordan returns to the game and scores 55 against the Knicks)
-June 11, 1997 (the famous Jordan “flu game”)
- June 14, 1998 (the day of his last game in a Bulls uniform as his last second shot gives the Bulls its sixth title under his reign).
In each game, gamers are charged with different goals, including matching Jordan’s point totals and shooting percentage.
If you hit six three pointers in a row like Jordan did against the Trail Blazers in 1992, the virtual Jordan will shrug just like he did in real life on that night.
Two of the 10 challenges don’t have specific dates tied to it.
You can play the 1991 Finals version of Jordan as well as play a game in 1990 style vs. Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks, where gamers are challenged with holding Wilkins to 25 points or fewer.
That is only 8 versions and they say there will be 10. I’m thinking “The Shot” against Cleveland and maybe some AA ball with the White Sox affiliate the Barons. Just kidding on the last one, but sick!
h/t: BDL
| Comments: 2 |
Tags: Filthy, Michael Jordan, NBA 2k11 |
Cubs And Bulls Go In Two Different Directions
Today two Chicago franchises continued to take small steps in opposite directions. No, I am not writing about the White Sox and the Cubs, but the Bulls and Cubs. The Chicago Bulls continued their summer of baby steps by adding C.J. Watson via a side-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors. The Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced he intends to retire after this season, when his contract ends.
The Bulls added another strong, but small piece to their puzzle. Once again, it is not as glamorous as hosting the LeBron-Bosh-Rose combo 41 nights a season at the United Center, but it added a tough defender and good outside shooter to back up Derrick Rose.
The Bulls can hardly be deemed the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, but the pundits can give us a tiny victory and speculate a Central Division championship, and, thus, a guaranteed top four seed in the Eastern portion of the postseason.
Not to brag, but now we have our long, athletic two-guard to stop the opposition from simply catching the ball near the paint and shooting over us (I liked Captain Kirk, but that killed me). We have a backup point to come in and play enough defense to hold a lead or play really small ball and pop three pointers from the corner. We have a low post scorer to bully his way into the paint (at least until we play a team with the Lakers’ collective front court length). And we have a point guard already a master at penetration, learning to extend his jump shot to the three point line.
I am excited to see the Chicago Bulls play next season, especially with the NBA lockout looming the season after.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs made it clear it is time to dismantle the team. When the manager throws in the towel, it is obvious the team is a lost cause. Most of the time, the front office will start to publicly debase the manager of an underperforming team, eventually leading to a firing, since it is cheaper to cut a manager than a multi-millionaire picking at daisies in the outfield (or being sent to anger management sessions).
Piniella was never lying when he had no answer for reporters searching for some deep, dark baseball secret to inexplicable losses. He honestly had no all-encompassing answer for the Cubs underwhelming performance in 2009 and so far through a little more than the first half of this 2010 season.
Piniella manned up and made it clear the Cubs front office needs to begin searching for a new manager who can get through to these players, all while keeping his job until the contract ends. His move was actually quite genius. Now the Cubs cannot fire him without massive fallout from the fans.
One would argue the team’s difficulty selling Cubs tickets is already a sign of revolt in a city and a part of the city so well noted for grinning and bearing it, selling out Wrigley Field, even when a less than acceptable team took the field every beautiful day game.
This is an undeniably flare fired above the sports media and even the most oblivious fans holding out for a sensational second half that the Chicago Cubs as we know them are coming to an end. This is, or at least should be, Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin’s team.
| Comments: 1 |
Tags: CJ Watson, Lou Piniella |
White Sox Baseball: These Grinders/Kids Can Play?
To be honest, I can’t remember what the White Sox ad campaign was for this 2010 season. I vaguely remember some black and white commercials but I couldn’t tell if they were a tribute to the passing of Michael Jackson or actually plugging the new Sox roster. No matter the clever slogans, it really didn’t matter for the first two-and-a-half months of the season as the Sox were bad. Hitting? Not good, but we expected little. Relief Pitching? Average, and we wondered how long Matt Thornton could survive. Starting Pitching? That was the truly distressing part, as it had been labeled our strength from the start of the season.
Well as painful as those first months were, those memories are distant ones now. The Sox have been the hottest team in baseball for the last month or so as they made their climb atop the AL Central standings, and they have been playing thoroughly entertaining baseball during that stretch (I’ve blocked the last Twins loss out of my memory entirely. Let’s just say, I was not entertained.)
The bats have come alive with Paul Konerko and Alex Rios being the lone constants throughout the season. In almost every game the Sox have a different bat heating up. And in the past month it seems as if every bat in the lineup has been clicking. Alexei Ramirez (.362 BA in July), Omar Vizquel (.333), Juan Pierre (.305) all have consistently populated the base paths. Carlos Quentin (.305, with 6 of his 11 hits in the month as home runs) when healthy, is terrifying to opposing pitchers. And Andruw Jones, while a shadow of what he once was, still puts together tough at-bats (.350 OBP in July, with a healthy mix of patience and power).
Heck, even Brent Lillibridge has gotten into the act, giving some rest to the Sox infielders and giving Ozzie a good bat off the bench in late innings (.423 BA overall in limited at-bats ).
While all those numbers are encouraging, the best news is that Gordon Beckham appears to have gotten his groove back. He’s hitting .421 for the month of July and it looks like the three games off that Ozzie gave him at the start of July helped him get on track. Since June 22nd, he’s raised his batting average forty-two points and has halved his strikeout rates from previous months. This boost from Ramirez and Beckham means that opposing pitchers have no room to relax in the Sox lineup.
I don’t even know where to start with the Sox pitching staff. From Buehrle and Garcia doing their thing, to Floyd and Danks hitting their strides, it’s been fun to watch. Ozzie seems to have found his guys in the bullpen (I’m still holding out hope that Linebrink finds himself, if not for us, then to be used in a trade). Ignoring the question mark that is Bobby Jenks, the only glaring question is whether Daniel Hudson can fill the 5th starter slot and not deplete the bullpen while he’s at it.
Last night, Hudson proved that he has the stuff to stay in the starting rotation. He started the game with a grotesque 11.25 ERA from his start against the Royals where the Sox bats saved him. And he left the game with 2 outs in the seventh inning with a runner on first, having lowered that ERA to 5.06. He allowed one run early on and then settled down, scattering five hits and striking out six (including all three swinging in the second inning). Those numbers would’ve been even better had he not fallen victim to a tight strike zone. One at-bat, in particular, saw Jack Wilson, the Mariners’ ninth batter, get the full benefit of Hudson’s tiny strike zone. Here’s hoping Hudson can keep it up down the stretch for the Sox.
| Comments: - |
Tags: Daniel Hudson, Gordon Beckham, Ozzie Guillen |
Perhaps The Bulls Biggest Improvement This Year Will Come From Within [Derrick Rose Taking The Next Step Edition]
Blah blah blah free agents blah blah blah. What about what we already have? The most electric young point guard in the league, Derrick Rose, has two facets of his game that need to improve drastically: 3-point shooting and defense. There were rumors that he was in an LA gym with Tyreke Evans and trainer Rob McClanaghan working out 8 hours a day on all kinds of things. It appears the rumors are true:
h/t: Docksquad Sports
| Comments: 2 |
Tags: Derrick Rose |
About
Sports news, rumors, videos, stories and other tidbits with a Chicago slant. Please email us any stories, links, pictures, videos or advertising inquiries by clicking on the tabs above.
Download our new iPhone app now!
Loading ...
