Things are not looking good in the Chi nowadays. No team, aside from maybe the Blackhawks, playing good ball, and none of them really have bright futures either. Hers a breakdown, with a few solutions here an there, for the four big teams in Chicago, the Bears, Cubs, Bulls and Sox.
The Bulls: John Paxson and Scott Skiles really have to take a step back and look at the team objectively. The team, as presently constructed, need to be evaluated. Is the core of Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon a championship calibur one? Are they at the height of their developmental process or do they still have room to grow? The answer to both questions is no. The Bulls have some intriguing prospects and some pretty good players, but collectively they dont have what it takes to raise another banner in the UC. Ben Gordon is too small and too defensively deficient to start. Kirk Hinrich is too ordinary and has been around long enough to learn how to stay out of foul trouble. Luol Deng, despite his sudden rise to superstar status(which i think is utterly ridiculous), is a good player and fun to root for, but he doesnt have that much more room to grow. He can get better, but only a little better. Ben Wallace is all but washed up. Can he grab rebounds, yes, but a team so reliant on outside shooting can not afford to have an offensive zero on the floor in case they go on cold streaks. Tyrus Thomas is athletic and entertaining, but i would take LaMarcus Aldridge back in a heartbeat. Thomas has work ethic problems and no offensive game to speak of. Put backs dont count. Chris Duhon is a backup, and the same goes for guys like Andres Nocioni and Joe Smith. The player with the most upside on the Bulls is Thabo Sefolsha, but Skiles doesn't seem willing to play him.
The Bulls need to do whatever they can to bring in Kobe. Nobody is untouchable. Bulls fans are scared to mention Kobe and MJ in the same breath, i am not. The Bulls, if unchanged, are just a a nice team that could do some damage in the playoffs, perhaps win a series or two. With Kobe, they can get some rings. Give away Deng and Gordon, i dont care.
The Cubs: This team has some major holes. The outfield, Alfonso Soriano included, is bad. I think Soriano is a below average baseball player and does little to help his team. Solo home runs are nice, but whether you drive yourself in or someone else drives you in, its just on run. His OBP sucks and so does his effort. The LSU guys, Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot, despite their strong starts, are not starters. Theriot can take up a bench spot on my team any day, but Fontenot isnt big league material. Felix Pie doesnt appear to be ready. A piece of ice in hell has a better chance of staying frozen than Pie has of hitting a curveball. A platoon of Murton/Jones could work for me in right, but i wouldnt mind seeing Murton traded for a shortstop like Johnny Peralta, which SI says is a real possibility. The pitching staff is in decent shape, but i dont know if Marquis will be a Cub come opening day. He was left off the playoff roster and that may have soured his realtionship with the Cubs and more importantly Lou Piniella, who by the way is just an ok manager at this point. The Cubs need to get an oufielder or two, a decent shortsop, some bullpen help and find a way to fortify the back end of their rotation. There are some in hous options, like Ronny Cedeno, Sean Marshall, Mark Prior, Kevin Hart, Tyler Colvin and and a few others, but some of those might not be ready for full time play in the bigs. Jim Hendry has a lot of work to do.
The White Sox: This team is in big trouble. They play in a very good division and dont have much young talent in their farm system.I like Josh Fields and the return of Joe Crede should be of some help, but the offense is very old and very, very slow. They already have kissed Erstad goodbye and will probably do the same to the oft-injured Podsednik, and in doing so will wave goodbye to two of the biggest "grinders" in Sox history. Good Riddance. But in doing so, they open the door for the biggest grinder in tyhe history of sports, Aaron Rowand, known in Chicago as Superman. The Sox, like the Cubs also will need a new shortstop if they let go of the big bellied Juan Uribe. The guy has underperformed his entire carreer and after playing in both the Cell and Coors field, thats saying something. As many offensive problems as the Sox have, they have a lot more in the pitching department. The bullpen, aside form Bobby Jenks, needs a complete overhall. A few guys had some nice second halves last year, but in reality they need to start from scratch. The rotation is also in trouble. Jon Garland might be their best trade chip, and considering the poor free agent class of SP's, he could be used to acquire a few prospects and some major league ready players. Jose Contreras is a liabilty, and neither Gavin Floyd or Jon Danks impressed last year. Perhaps Lance Broadway, who had a nice outing to finish off the season, might be the answer. Like i said, the free agent class is thin, so the Sox will likely go into the '08 season with some question marks at the back of their rotation. The good news is that Beuhrle is a good pitcher and Javier Vasquez had a very good season. Even if things go relatively well on the south side in '08, its hard to envision them finishing ahead of Cleveland, Detroit or even the Minnesota Twins.
Chicago Bears: This team is in some serious trouble. The thing with the Bears is that there isnt just one thing that needs to be fixed, there are multiple issues that will need to be addressed, and most likely they will go into '08 with at least one hole unplugged. On defense, there are several issues. First off, the safeties stink. Adam Archuletta is not an NFL starter anymore, period. On the other hand, Danieal manning is an excellent athlete that has all the tools to be a solid safety. Perhaps with another season under his bel, he could at least be adequate come '08. The linebacking core is not without question either. Brian Urlacher's back problems are well documented and the Bears likely will not be able to retain Lance Briggs. The Bears think that Jamar Williams can replace him, but thats wishful thinking. Lance Briggs is an all-pro outside linebacker and the Bears will sorely miss him. The reason the Bears will not be able to resign Briggs is Tommie Harris. Harris is invaluable. He is top five defensive tackle in this league and already has supplanted Brian Urlacher as the most valuable player on the defense. Mark Anderson, who had a fabulous rookie year, hasnt been able to handle full time duty. It appears that he is at his best when used as a pass rushing specialist, like the Packers use KGB. Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown are both solid players that can play the run and pass well, but neither can do either one spectacularly. The big question mark is who will play alongside Tommie Harris. Darwin Walker is a fabulous pass rusher, but when he, Harris, and Anderson are on at the same time, the other team will be able to run easily against the Bears. thats where Dusty Dvoracek comes in. Can he stay health? His first two season have ended with him on the IR, and the Bears would do well to find an adequate, run-stuffing backup for Dvoracek.
On offense, the Bears have endless question marks and holes. Quarterback, reciever, running back and O-Line. That about sums up all of their weaknesses. The only position the Bears are set at is at tight end, where Olsen and Clark do a good job complementing eachother. The Bears will most likely give both Grossman and Orton looks in the second half, but i have a feeling neither will ever end up being (decent)starting QB's in the league. This is it for Benson. He has eight games left to prove he can play at this level. He appears to be slower than last year and isnt finishing off his runs as well as he has in the past. His lack of visible passion is also concerning. He needs to show the Bears something in these final two months of the season. If he doesnt, hello Michael Turner. The recieving core also needs work. Bernard Berrian broke out last year and is having a decent season, numberswise that is. He has dropped too many balls and the Bears may not want to resign him, but they may not have a choice. If they dont resign Berrian, you could be looking at a WR group consisting of Rashied Davis, Devin Hester, Mike Hass, Mark Bradley and a very old and slow Muhsin Muhammad next year. Speakin of old, check out the offensive line. The starters are all above thirty, and what makes it worse is that they have no competent youngsters waiting in the wings. Josh Beekman hasnt been sighted yet, and John St. Clair hopefully wont be sighted. The O-Line, starting with Ruben Brown and Fred Miller, needs an overhaul.
Thats about it. If you didnt know better, you would think these teams have been bad forever, but what makes it even worse is that the Cubs, Bears and Bulls are all coming off seasons in which they made the playoffs and the White Sox are just two years removed from a World Series victory.
I don't understand why everyone is so down on the Cubs this offseason. The got swept from the playoffs, but still won 19 more games that last year and finished first in the division as opposed to last in 2006. Also, if everyone will remember, the Cubs late season slump started with the injury of Soriano, so the thought that he does not help this team is ludicrous. A side note on Soriano being an inadequate outfielder, i believe he finished the season tied for the lead in outfield assists with 19.
Are you crazy? Soriano not being a good outfielder?
yep, crazy. He led the league in assists. Our pitching coach is our biggest problem. Rothschild has not done well with Woody and Prior. Injuries to the pitchers and Lee/Ramirez have hurt. I look forward to the 08 team with Soto catching. We definitely could use a CF and having Murton in RF may not cut it. The jury is still out on him. Theirot beat out Cedeno at SS and Fontenot beat out Cedeno and DeRosa at 2b. DeRosa is a super sub! Not sure he was the best pick up, but I'll still take him. Our young pitchers are going to be great! Hill, Marshall, Guzman, Wuertz, Samardija, and Hart give us hope for the near future! Rothschild will also have to go in order to better use our bullpen. Dempster is not the answer at the closer spot. Wood should be resigned to take that spot. Not sure Dempster is a quality starter either. Go Cubbies!
Wow I wonder which Chicago baseball team this blogger is a fan of??? Soriano is a below average outfielder?? Really? Eighteen outfield assists and he's below average? And Piniella is just an "ok" manager at this point? If you actually watched the games, minus the first game of the playoffs, you would see that Piniella made great decisions. But you make no mention of the lunatic in the White Sox's dugout, who despite a terrible season, got an extension.
Lou Piniella was probably the Cubs best free agent pick up of last season! There is no way the Cubs make the turn around from last to first without him. He is absolutely one of the best around.
The Bulls should do anything they can to get rid of the two Bens, Wallace and Gordon. Gordon can only hit from the outside (when he's on.) He certainly and can't handle the ball or drive to the basket without turning the ball over. Wallace is just a waste....of time and money.
The Cubs...They need a new Center Fielder, Right Fielder and Shortstop. Play DeRosa at second, Soto behind the dish. Starters, Zambrano and Lilly for sure. Rich Hill needs to find some "passion" now, he pitches without it. So that's 3 good starters. I think they should take a look at Dempster as the 4th starter and maybe the sinker balling rookie as the 5th. In the bullpen, get rid of Weurtz and Ohlman for sure. So...we go and make 5 or 6 good pick-ups in the off season...we should be right back in there.
The Bears....just look at Angelo's draft pick records. PATHETIC!
Blackhawks....Looking good...Looking fast and young
Last edited by the_chiguy on November 6th at 9:27 AM.
I have to agree on some of what you say on the Bulls, but have some disagreement on other comments. Yeah it is time to get Gordon out because he doesn't get that he is a great 6th man, but can't start because of defensive liabibilities. What is even worst is that Paxson and Skiles don't see it. Thabo starting would take some of the pressure off Hinrich and Deng as he is big, excellent slasher and shooter, besides big "D." Thomas needs some more time to decide as the "D" is his best attribute. I think Noah may be the answer. Ben is hurt right now, but excellent defense and who is suppose to replace him?
I didn't like the Rowand trade when it was made because it certainly made us older. Danks and Broadway and Floyd give us youth in pitching and deserve a year to figure it out. Still need a centerfielder and help in the bullpen. Garland should be available along with Konerko for added youth. I would like us to go after Crawford and Kazmir from the Devil Rays.
I think Bensen was always a bad choice, remember that interview after he was picked.... O line is old , Grossman was not given a fair evaluation(McMahon would have slugged Mariotti if he said those things about him), we could have had Peterson if we wanted to give up Briggs(I did suggest it...), need a great safety NOW. It could be worst, we could be Oakland....
Last edited by veniceknite on November 6th at 10:46 AM.
Elgato, Gymexpress and CubsFan, you all saying that a player's fielding ability correlates to throwing ability, which it absolutely does not. Alfonso Soriano gets run on alot and does a good job throwing a lot of those runners out, but his fielding and decision making are often horrible. He rarely hits the cutoff man and often holds on to the ball too long before getting it back in. He also takes horrible angles time and time again and almost never times his jumps correctly. Can he throw guys out, yes. Can he field his position well, no.
GymExpress- Rothschild had very little, if any, to do with Wood and Priors's injuries. Wood has always been destined to end up on the DL. His mechanics have been horrible and he was overworked terribly even before arriving to to the bigs. Prior on the other hand, is a completely different story. Coming out of college, Prior was said to be one of the most mechanically sound pitchers to ever reach the bigs and his injuries were completely unexpected and almost unpreventable.
As far as your ideas about 2nd base and SS, you are very mistaken. Theriot did beat out Cedeno at SS, but thats not saying much. Theriot is an average fielding SS and a below average hitter. He finished with a poor OBP despite his great start. Fontenot on the other hand, didnt beat out anybody. Have you taken a look at his numbers. His fielding was clearly inadequate and his bat was far worse. He hit well upon arrival, but once the tape got around, he couldnt hit the broad side of a barn. If i am not mistaken, he finished with an average around .200 and an OBP under .30
. Derosa outplayed him by a long, long, long shot.
What makes you think Marshall, Guzman, Wuertz, Samrdja and Hart will be great. Good, decent, solid, maybe. Marshall had a nice half season, Guzman pitched less than ten games, Wuertz was just decent and Samardja hasnt even pitched professionaly for a year now.
Wood should be resigned to play closer? Looks like you are just one of a long list of Cubs fans more concerned with the welfare of their favorite players than with the welfare of the team.
I myself am a huge Cubs fan, but that doesnt mean i have to be blind to my team's shortcomings, which are numerous. the Cubs have a long way to go, and judging from today's move of Dempster to the rotation, Jim Hendry has only cemented the idea in my mind that he is one of the poorest talent evaluaters in the business.
Cubsfan, if given the choice, i would much rather have Guillen running my team than Piniella. Lou's best days are behind him. He struggles to execute a double switch, completely misused Sean Marshall and stuck with Dempster way too long.Guillen has no personal attachment to any of his players. I####uy dogs it or plays poorly, he gets benched. Thats the type of managing i like to see. Guillen is a hard-#### that will get in your face, and he has brought a championship to the south siders, something which bothers me every day as a Cubs fan. There are ten managers in the game right now i would rather have than Piniella. He was hired strictly because of name, just like Soriano was signed because of his name. Hendry has no idea how to evaluate talent and values the wrong statistics in players. Soriano for 17 Million per. I wouldnt give him ten. There are easily ten better leadoff hitters than Soriano who make far less money than he does. Reyes, Ramirez, Ichiro, Pedroia, Damon, Figgins/Willits, Rollins, Tavares, Young and thats just some of them.
I have, and will continue, to fail to understand why Cubs fans dont demand excellence from their franchise. The Cubs have an escellent fan base, an endless amount of money and a great facility, yet they are always placed in the hands of thos eincapable of running a successful baseball franchise. You give the Cubs to Billy Beane, Art Moreno, Kenny Williams, Theo Epstein or JP Riccardi and they would be perennial contendors, not perennial punchlines.
I dont believe Pinella is bad manager having brought the Cubs from last to first. We all can second guess after the fact but it takes guts to make a decision and stand by it. This team was dead last year and was brought back to life with key additions INCLUDING soriano. I agree that a solo HR to lead off the game or after the pitcher ended the previous inning is not the greatest help to the team. He was hurt but like they did with Sosa, the Cubs will not allow him to run wild like he used to with the Yankees and Nationals, so his speed at the top of the order is not that relevant. When he got hurt in August the team played just below 500 after having a june and july to remember so he is important. I see holes in SS, 2B and RF. Despite what a lot of people say i dont see PIE as a bad choice for CF. He has great defense which is what you need in CF, he has holes for sure with his bat, but you need to develop that in the big leagues now. When he goes to AAA he hits everyone, so there is nothing for him down there; with bats like LEE, RAMIREZ, SORIANO and hopefully Soto (26 HR in minors) the cubs have enough bats to let Pie develop and maybe hit 8th. If the Cubs dont think he can hit then they should trade him NOW and not wait like they did with Corey Patterson. Maybe send him and Murton to Minn for Santana, or make a package with them to see if the twins bite, if not let him play and stop sending him down. Unfortunally Prior and Wood have only spent Cubs money that could've gone to other players. they are injured every year, Pay big money only to see them in the DL for most o
EM, Pineilla didnt take the Cubs from first to last. The CUbs werent taken by anybody. You cant look at it that way. It wuld be a completely different story if they were the same tam, but Piniella joined a team that just went under massive reconstruction. They added Lilly, Marquis, Hill(for a full season), Marmol(in the pen), Lee(Only played a 1/4 of a season last year), Derosa, Kendall, Soto and Soriano. Dont let anybody tell you otherwise, this team underperformed. A team with that much talent shouldnt have to stumble into the playoffs and then fall straight on its face in the playoffs.
I wouldnt mind seeing the Cubs bring in Lofton to help bring Pie along. Pie was being mentored last year by Soriano. That is absolutely the last thing a developing player should be doing. Soriano is one of the most baseball un-intelligent players in the game. he is a bad baserunner and has horrible plate discipline. Noty only would Lofton not demand a long term deal, but he would bring speed and leadership and could help Pie turn into a real big leaguer.
Yeah Lofton did great when he was with the Cubs and with other teams but a player can be mentored but only he can learn and apply things. Pie has worked with Dernier (at least i've read) and he was very good (I never saw him play, but that's what's been said on the articles) and he workd in spring training with brett butler about bunting skills and running and i saw him look lost at the plate when he was called to bunt on important situations. You are right, I dont think Soriano has the skills to be teaching anyone about the outfield but it helps him stay relaxed in the big leagues to have a person who talks his same language and embraces him into the team. I will like to see the Cubs be more agressive, stealing bases and hit and running. A No. 2 bat is critical in that team if they want to go anywhere and a closer should be the top priorities.
Im not as concerned with bunting and stealing bases as i am with getting 1 and 2 hitters that make consistent, good contact and get on base at a strong clip. Soriano doesnt do either of those very well and Theriot only does one with moderate success. I wouldnt mind seeing Derosa hit a little more at the two hole, but i think the Cubs would be wise to go outside the organization for their top of the order hitters. If the Cubs could get two steaady OBP guys, their lineup could be very strong. Lee, Ramirez, Derosa, Soto and Soriano all have good power strokes and would be really good 3-8. The Devil Rays are supposedly looking for young pitching in exchange for Carl Crawford. If the Cubs are willing to part with Rich Hill and another prospect or two, they could probably get a deal done. They could then trade one of their extra outfielders and allow Pie to take his time learning in right field or sign one of the lower level free agents like Milton Bradley to fill in at right. But your right, Pie does need to get a chance to play in the bigs. Like you said, he has had very impressive numbers at AAA and he needs to get regular AB's at the proffesional level.
First of all, Lou Pinnella did not make a bad move taking Zambrano out and putting in Marmol the first playoff game. Zambrano has never been a nine inning pitcher and Marmol was one of the best, if not THE best setup pitcher in the majors this year. He was also replacing a pitcher with an ERA over 4.00 with a pitcher that had an ERA just over 1.00. It worked the whole second half of the season, so there was no reason to think it would not work that time. Anybody can manage a game better after it's over, and I think thats what a lot of people have been doing. Now for the changes I would make for next year. Put Matt Murton in right field and leave him alone. He was the teams' leading hitter in 2005 and was yanked out of the lineup prematurely. Leave him alone and he will hit. Forget Pie and Cedeno, they both have had several chances and just freeze in the big leagues. Get a real center fielder, Tori Hunter or Aaron Rowan and another shortstop. Don't even think about AROD, he's a team killer. Put Wood as the closer and sign Prior to an incentive laden contract and stick with Hill and Marshall. They had solid years and should continue to progress. Zambrano and Lilly will be fine. The middle relief is good and Soto looks like the real thing behind the plate and at bat. I hope Soriano takes the time to learn Wrigley, I can't count the number of balls that hit off the ivy that should have been caught.
First of all, if anybody has a reason to be upset for the removal of Zambrano, they should wonder why he didnt do it an inning earlier, which would have been much smarter. Piniella went into the game planning to pull him after five or six innings, and in the top of the fifth the Cubs had the bags juiced but Lou let Zambrano bat, despite having one of the best pinch hitters in the game on the bench. The fact that he brought in Marmol didnt bother me, the fact that he let Zambrano face Webb with the bags juiced did.
Murton wasnt yanked because of his hitting ability, he was yanked because he is a bad fielder and lacks baseball accumen. I like his bat, and so do a lot of other teams, so i would try using him as trade bait.
Pie hasnt really had several chances. He got one stretch where he had daily AB's and started well and then cooled off. He has tore apart the minors at every level and needs to be given a long hard look, or at least some semi-regular starts.
Cedeno would be an upgrade over Theriot. Theriot is just another guy, while Cedeno has more upside. Cedeno was thrust into full time action too early by Dusty Baker. He is superior in the field and offers more pop than Theriot.
I like the idea of offering Prior an incentive laden deal, but i dont know if giving Wood the closer job is smart. he hasnt stayed healthy and its about time the Cubs cut the cord with him.
At least somebody agrees with me about Soriano's pathetic defense. He threw people out, but he allowed way too many extra base hits on balls that should have been caught.
I am college kid out of chicago and love Chicago sports aka a huge homer. My writing may contradict this, but i do care and know about sports outside of Chicago, although I may never blog about it.
