Both of Chicago's baseball teams and its much balleyhooed football team have acquired quality players but have misused them recently.  Here are the players and ways they are being missused.

The Chicago Cubs have missused Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley

First and foremost, both players were signed to massive contracts, both in years and dollars, unneccessarily.  The Cubs reportedly outbid the second highest team for Soriano by $40 million, and Bradley was given a 3-year contract despite playing on 7 teams in 9 seasons.  Both of these are inexcusible errors on the part of GM Jim Hendry.  In addition, manager Lou Piniella waited far too long to pull Soriano out of the leadoff spot.  Piniella and Soriano were indeed the only Chicago residents heading into 2009 who believed Soriano was the best canididate for leading off for the Cubs.  When the calender turned June and Soriano's On-Base Percentage had yet to turn into anything close to respectable, why was he still there? 

The Chicago Bears have missussed Devin Hester

First, I fully endorse the idea of using Hester as a wide reciever.  A player that fast and talented is too good to not have the ball in his hands.  However, expecting Hester to learn the WR position at this stage of his career requires patience, and frankly, Hester clearly lacks the, umm intelect, to make this work.  But that's even the worst of the Bear's crimes.  They have now decided to put Danieal Manning back as the kick returner full time!  Hester, through his first two seasons, was almost inarguably on pace to become the greatest kick returner of all times.  The Bears are asking Hester to stop doing something he was great at, and putting him in a position where he's barely mediocre!  What's next, Tom Brady on the punt block team?  It was obvious last season that Hester was having trouble handling both duties when for the first time in his career he failed to score a touchdown on a kick or punt return.  Hester should be a part time WR, learning a maximum of 10 or so routes and a couple "gadget plays."  The rest of his time should be spent practicing what he's actually good at.

The Chicago White Sox have missused Alexis Rios

I love the Sox's acquistion of Alex Rios, a supreme defender in CF and bona fide threat for power and speed.  He's a tremendous upgrade over what the White Sox had previously used in CF this season: DeWane Wise, Brian Anderson, Jerry Owens, and Scott Podsednik.  So why has Rios sat on the bench 3 times in the last week while Podsednik continues to play?  It's rather bizarre.  Rios, RF Jermaine Dye, and LF Carlos Quentin are all better baseball players than Scott Podsednik, a decent leadoff man who is a liability in the field and on the basepaths (despite his plus speed, Podsednik is notorious for baserunning blunders).  It makes no sense to set a better baseball player on the bench just because Podsednik is an experienced leadoff hitter.  By putting Rios in CF and in the leadoff spot every day, the White Sox add more power, speed, better defense, and smarter play to the lineup, keep Dye's and Quentin's power bats in the lineup.  Podsednik should be used to give the other three OFs a periodical rest, not the other way around.