ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

I swore off baseball this year after the Sox crapped the bed against the Twins last week. I'm getting a lot of shit from White Sox-Nation about that. I'm even getting it from our very own MJ. "Fair weather fan, like all White Sox fans." Yea, I'm afraid I don't have the stomach to sit through this team's struggles anymore. That magic number was stuck on 5 for a week. It was pathetic that we couldn't get a win in Minnesota. Listen, I understand that their stadium is crap, but you can't use that as an excuse. We looked like we had it figured out that last game up in the garbage-bag, but we blew a 5 run lead instead!

Wha?

So I had that glass of vodka Ozzie recommended and said to myself, Good night Irene. Those little piranha got us again. Good luck to them. What else could I do? Tip my cap and chalk this season up to a bit of overachieving and a ton of what could have been! Does that makes me less of a fan? In some people's eyes, for sure. But I am tired. I'm so VERY tired of having to watch a team stumble in the last 2 weeks that I don't know if I can muster the energy to watch these last two games of the season....but I couldn't help myself...

 I was stuck in class last night when I noticed the score go up on the game-cast. It's hard not to get excited when this happens:

The Cuban Missile strikes again! I couldn't believe it. There is a slim bit of hope on the horizon for this team. The Twins are back in Chicago for a do-or-die playoff game tonight. I guess I've got just enough energy to lift my fat ass back onto the bandwagon. Good luck to Johnny Danks. He goes on 3 days of rest and faces the Twin's Blackburn....the same Blackburn that Ozzie threw under the bus when he beat us last week in Minnesota. Ugh, lets hope it doesn't bite us ALL in the ass.

I haven't posted anything about the White Sox for weeks. You know why? Because the world is going to hell, I was close to losing my job, and well, shit my house is a mess. But you know what? I want to to vent a little, and I'm going to take it out on the White Sox.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!

We had a 6-1 lead in tonight's game against the Twins in that God-forsaken garbage bag of a stadium and we blew it. The Sox have nothing left. I am so disappointed in this team. I know that no one expected us to win the division, myself included, but this is completely out of hand. We had a GREAT chance at winning this division because our pitching was 1000% better than ANYONE expected this season.

The offense has been HORRIBLE, and if it wasn't for Quentin we would probably be buried in 4th place like all the pre-season predictions. This team is not balanced. We can't run the bases, our defense had to be the WORST I've seen of any Sox team in recent memory and our "big boppers" have been no bigger than a rabbit turd. If anything it was a struggle the entire season. It's true what they say: good pitching always beats good hitting. I would have settled for mediocre hitting on the South Side. Am I taking this sweep hard? You damn right I am. The White Sox make too many excuses for why they can't beat a Twins team that will most likely get swept in the first round of the playoffs this year. The Twins aren't that good of a team. They have speed, which is important when you play on slabs of concrete, and some timely hitting. Shit, they have solid hitting...who am I crapping. They have guys who make contact, and GOOD contact. Not this little "duck snort" bullshit I've been forced to endure from the likes of Thome, Konerko, and Swisher. Dirty 30? How about Pathetic Pauly, or Hit-it To-Me on the first pitch?

We wasted 2 good outings by Buehrle, and Floyd. Vasquez is a lost cause, so that first game isn't a surprise. He is a mental midget. The Rex Grossman of the team if you will. 

Carlos Gomez beat us tonight? Seriously? He went 4-4 tonight. We just lost this division because no one on our staff knew how to get Carlos Gomez out.

Great. Nice work guys. I can't handle it anymore. So much for October basball. The Royals are heading to the garbage bag next and they won't throw Grienke. The only pitcher they have who could beat the Twins, and he sits. Why? Because the Royals want to save him for next year? What a bunch of crap. The Sox on the other hand come home and face the Cleve. Oh! And guess what? Cliff Lee, this year's (so they say) Cy Young Award winner is pitching the third game against us. 

I need a drink.

I was getting comfortable and I wasn't alone. The radio guys in this town started taking about magic numbers yesterday. I think it is a bad thing to talk about magic numbers when you are still in the double digit range. But I guess you have to forgive the sports media in this town. It has only been 100 years since both the White Sox and the Cubs have been this close to making the playoffs.They're excited, but they might be counting those proverbial chickens before they hatch. My biggest fear is that both teams lay an egg. The Cubs are struggling as of late with an abysmal 2-8 record in their last 10and the White Sox are just as bad at 4-6. Both teams avoided the June swoon, but this might turn into the September to remember - for all the wrong reasons. I'm afraid of a collapse.

Not so much for the Cubbies. They are in one of those slumps you just shake off. You know what they say! It's always better to slump now rather than in October. The White Sox went through the exact same thing in 2005 and that turned out ok. The Cubs should still make the playoffs. They have great pitching, great defense and they eventually will realize that Derek Lee needs to be moved down in the order. The White Sox on the other hand, are hurting both mentally and physically. Ozzie has started to tag players as if they were specemens who belong in storage. It started with Joe Crede. Guillen has no confidence in Crede because of his bad back. It doesn't seem to be stable even after surgery. The amount of errors the traditionally solid fielding Crede committed skyrocketed this year. That was the first sign. The fact he couldn't get out of his rehab stint in a week was the second. Ozzie tag: Broken. Next we saw Carlos Quentin crack his wrist against his bat. I don't believe that story for a second, but it doesn't matter. Quentin was the engine that drove the White Sox this year. He of Lego-like-hair and tremendous power at the plate was a young version of Paul Konerko! He still leads the league in home runs! He was in the running for MVP. You don't lose an MVP and sleep walk into the playoffs. That's not going to happen. The injury to Quentin just quickens the pace of this wilting team's offense. Ozzie Tag: Cracked. And then there was last night's injury....

The White Sox are home this week hosting the troublesome Blue Jays. I say that without confidence because I spent the morning trying to find the Sox's current record against the Jays this season. It isn't as easy as it sounds. You'd think one of these sports blogger-type-geeks would get to writing an easy to use stat searching interface. Maybe this is something Google would like to do. They like data, they like simple searches, and they have tons of cash. Maybe I'll just do it. But I digress...

I seem to recall the Sox got swept in their previous meeting with the Blue Jays while visiting Toronto. A quick glance at the bottom of this awesome head-to-head page from CBS Sportsline proves my memory isn't failing me. The Blue Jays have the White Sox's number. That number would be 6-0. The Toronto Blue Jays are undefeated against the White Sox this year. If you take a look at the right column of this head to head page you'll notice that the Blue Jays have us beat on every pitching stat known to man. That explains the majority of the reasons why the Sox just can't get a grip on the Jays. It actually gets worse when you dig deeper and examine what the White Sox record is against the AL East. The Sox are 13-22 against the AL East this year. That doesn't bode well for us if we get matched up against this year's Cinderella, the Rays.

I missed the first game yesterday afternoon as I was running around getting the house ready for our new addition. Javi Vasquez dropped another game in which he had 5 strike outs. He only gave up 2 runs, but that was enough for the Jays to win the game 3-1. I feel bad for Javi. The team just can't score when he pitches. The second game of the double header was a complete joke. Not only did the Sox pitching explode, but we sustained yet another injury. This time it was the hot hitting Paul Konerko. Pauly was actually lifting himself out of that season-long slump. He was batting something like .350 since August 1st. That is a complete turn around from the pathetic start he had. And then his knee gave out on him. Pauly slipped on the grass last night and strained his MCL. Ozzie gets to put Konerko on the shelf next to his other power hitter. Ozzie Tag: Done. I hate to say it, but this could be it for Pauly as a White Sox player. Even if he doesn't get cut or traded, he doesn't start next year. You just get the feeling that Konerko is breaking down right before our eyes. It's like that weird Black and White face progression trick in the Michael Jackson video. Pauly started off a baby, and ended up a shriveled up old prune. The Sox lost the night cap, thanks to rookie pitcher Clayton Richards, 8-1. This kid isn't ready and we're in the middle of a playoff race. What the hell is Ozzie doing? I'm hoping he takes Richards and put's him on the shelf too, this time with the tag:Half Baked.

The Sox attempt to reverse this 2 game losing streak tonight against the Jays. Maybe tonight we'll see some changes in the line up. I'll be back later today with how I would fill out the lineup card tonight.

Go-Go-White Sox!

Time to shake the rust off kids! It's football time. There is going to be a lot to talk about and analyze this season and I'm going to start with the pre-season questions I need answered before I will be comfortable with this team. None of this should be new to any of you, but you can consider this as an airing of grievances.

1.  Can Kyle Orton carry the offense? I don't see how else to put this, but we have some problems on offense. There is no question that the offensive line is going to suck. The receivers are anything but spectacular, and the running game is left to Kevin Jones, a former Lions running back who was cut because of knee issues and a 2nd round pick out of Tulane. If we are going to be successful on offense, it starts with the cliche, the quarterback. We need an EPIC performance from Orton. Not only because I've been waiting my entire life to see a competent quarterback in a Bears uniform (my apologies to Hardbaugh and McMahon) but there are no other options. We need a quarterback that has the ability to overcome the pass rush of an opposing team's defense just as much as the inept play calling. Ron Turner is not your friend Kyle. Listen to the play he calls, and then call your own play when you know it will just end in a 2 yard gain when we need 7. This is a lot to ask of a quarterback. It isn't realistic to expect Orton to do what quarterbacks like Brett Favre have done recently - win with no help. Shit, win with true obsticles! Nope, I don't think Kyle has that special quality to overcome the ineptness of his organization.But like Lovie says, Kyle is our quarterback. That will have to do.
2. Is the defense as bad as it looked in the preseason? Only time will tell, but it doesn't look good. First, the face of the franchise held us hostage for more money AFTER he had neck surgery in the offseason. We gave it to him because not only does Urlacher play his balls off, but we don't really have that much stability on defense. Who would have taken his spot? I didn't see the Bears draft a middle linebacker this year. Regardless of the team politics, the linebackers are probably the healthiest and best part of our defense. Hillenmeyer, Urlacher, and Briggs are great together. Hillenmeyer is underappreciated in the group, but he does a solid job on the outside. Briggs is our best linebacker. I base this simply on the number of plays he makes, his health, and his his age. Besides, Urlacher plays so damn hard he has to be wearing down. No one can keep up the pace he has been on. The back problems were an early indication of this. Now he has a neck issue. Briggs has to prove that the big money he got was warranted. The defensive line is still anchored by Tommie Harris. Harris is an amazing talent, but he has to stay healthy for the defense to be relevant. That initial push up the middle has to come from Tommie Harris. The game planning people make for the Bears includes heavy double teams for Tommie Harris. Off the edge we have Ogunleye, and opposite him the forgotten Alex Brown. Brown has solidified his position as a starter, reclaiming the job from Marc Anderson who proved to be a freak 2 seasons ago with all those sacks. The more I look at the line, the more my confidence increases that what we saw this preseason wasn't the real D. Then again, remember what Frank Gore did against the first team. It wasn't pretty.
3. Can Matt Forte be a difference maker? I vote yes. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, and he seems to always be falling foward. He actually gains yards on the ground! This is important for a Bears team that cut the ineffective Cedric Benson in the offseason. Benson had a lot of problems off the field, but even bigger problems on it. He just wasn't that good. I don't know if it was the play calling or his motivation or both. If it was the play calling, then Matt Forte is going to look just as bad. I guess the reason why I think it won't matter is because he has the ability to be creative, regardless of the horrible calls. This is something Cedric Benson was never able to pull off. I'm expecting big things from Forte, and like the defense back in Orton's rookie season, I think Forte is going to be real reason we win games.
4. Will Ron Turner finally figure out how to run an offense? No. Next question.

I rushed home tonight. Bears games will do that to a man in this town. Even for preseason games. Tonight's game was against the 49ers. Aaaah the Niners! They should have been an easy victory for us. But alas, the Bears lost this meaningless game 37-30. Don't let the score fool you. As I write this sentence, Hanie unloaded a hail mary that was actually caught to bring the Bears within 7 points. Too bad there is no more time on the clock.

There are some interesting comparisons between the beloved Bear and the Niners. Both teams are struggling to figure out which way is up. Both have quarterback issues. The 49ers, like the Bears, have decided to go away from their highly drafted (first round) QB. Alex Smith is the west coast version of Rex Grossman. Ok, that's not fair. Grossman is worse. Tonight proved that point. Smith and Grossman have amounted to pretty much nothing. (all you Grossman lovers who want to remind me that Alex Smith NEVER ONCE sniffed a Superbowl should just shut the F up already. Grossman COST US the Superbowl win.) Smith's best year was when Norv Turner was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers. Today, the offensive coordinator/ hired gun Mike Martz is in San Francisco and he wants no part of Alex Smith. It's so bad in Niners land that JT O'Sullivan is going to be named their starting quarterback. Remember him? O'Sullivan was once a Bears quarterback. He never really got a chance here, so I guess we shouldn't be too bitter if he turns out to be the next Tony Romo. (slow down, I know...)

The Bears looked like a completely different team when Grossman was at the helm. A bad team. Orton won this job with ease as far as I am concerned. I can't believe that this was even a true competition after watching Orton hit Davis for 2 nice touchdowns tonight. If you wanted to get picky, that first touchdown was all Rashied. Orton stepped into the pocket while feeling the rush (good), but he threw that pass into triple coverage (bad). I guess we'll have to take it.

So the good news is that Orton showed his potential tonight. The line held up much better, and Matt Forte actually moves FORWARD when he runs. I can't tell you the last time I saw a Bears quarterback actually gain 7 yards on a single carry. Neil Anderson maybe? Forte is going to be great, if we don't get him killed out there. He is another night and day difference when compared to last year's pathetic running back, Cedric Benson. So what did we learn from this preseason game against the Niners? Here is the list of takeaways:

• Alex Smith and Rex Grossman have to be traded. Their careers are over in each respective city. Perhaps we should do a "change of scenery" trade and swap the two for each other. (This is actually a CDub idea, I can't take credit)
• Orton isn't bad. He actually has a good looking arm on the short routes. Since that is all Ron Turner calls, we might as well go with Orton.
• Forte is an upgrade at running back. A dramatic upgrade. He needs to stay healthy. I consider him the only true bright spot on this offense
• Our offensive line is old. It shows. We need to plan accordingly.
• Rashied Davis is the best wide receiver on this team. Davis and Hester should start with Booker. We actually may be able to make some plays with these guys. (if we can protect Orton)
• The defense isn't as good as we think. Did you see the Pam Oliver, sideline interview of old # 54? He told the nation that the Bears defense just SUCKED tonight. And that was against the Niners and JT O'Freaking-Sullivan! If the defense is this bad, we are in serious, serious trouble this year.
• It is confirmed, no one is going to kick to Devin Hester
• Hanie came back down to earth tonight, but then again he still looked better than Grossman
• So Norv Turner made Alex Smith look good (even with a career best 16 TDs and 16 INTs) and Ron Turner made Grossman look like, well...me. What would happen if we swapped Turners?
• Does anyone have any idea why it took so long for Troy Aikman to find Wrigley field?

That does it for me. My nice extended summer break is over. It's time to get ready for football (both Northwestern and Bears) So Bear Down and spread the word.

I'm getting messages from SarahN about the Sox trading for Horatio Ramirez from the Royals tonight. The Royals continue to be a sort of breeding ground for Kenny Williams' plan-Bs. I'm not sure what they traded to get this guy, and I'm not sure I want to know. The Sox were doing fine thanks to DJ Carrasco who came in for Jose Contreras.

Contreras blew an achilles tendon and is most likely done for the remainder of the season. I'm not sure if this would have made a difference to the White Sox, IF they made the playoffs because Contreras was already falling apart enough to be left off of the playoff roster. More news on these White Sox developments as I get the info...

[Update]

It seems that Boone Logan and Josh Fields have been sent down. This means a couple of things. Uribe is handling third until Crede comes back. So Fields is odd man out. I guess keeping Wise and Anderson on the roster is a must, considering we have two old, and slow outfielders covering center and right. (sorry JD, but you aren't moving as well as you used to. Same goes for you Jr.) Logan has been sent down because his ERA has jumped over 5. He got himself into a jam today against the Red Sox. Entering the game with a 1-1 score, and not being able to get an out before they come and get you is BAD TIMES. The Red Sox pounded Logan and as a result the White Sox are now staring UP at the Twins.

Go-Go-White Sox!

I braved the humid Chicago summer night last night to see the White Sox scratch and crawl back into the game. I was seriously about to leave my seats behind SoxMan as the Tigers built a 6-1 lead. I wondered outloud if I was witnessing the withering of the Sox live and in person. The summer swoon is something I have been waiting for. The Sox have been an on again, off again team. The recent losses to both the Royals and the Twins last week had me confirming my worst fears. The Sox are done.

And then Kyle Farnsworth steps on the mound. I am happy to report that I didn't give up on the Sox on Tuesday night. I was anxious to see some fireworks, but the way that Robertson was pitching I'd have to wait till next July 4th. But then there's Kyle Farnsworth. This guy is a Tigers pitcher for the second time, and he just can't get over the hump in Chicago. The Sox tore him apart. Alexai Ramirez's homer to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs was amazing. Unexpected, but still great. 

I'm running out of steam here tonight, so here are a few random thoughts from the past 2 Sox games this week. (this includes tonight's win against the Tigers)

• Konerko woke up and brought his .212 batting average up to the plate in the bottom of the 6th and instead of striking out, he actually hit a 2 run home run! Sox down 1 at this point. I'm watching fireworks, finally, and the Tigers are watching their 6-1 lead slip through their fingers. 
• I don't like Uribe at 3rd. He can't hit, and he doesn't have any range . He plays entirely too far back, as if he is still playing short stop when in fact he is covering 3rd base while Crede recovers. I say this knowing full well that the 3 runs that scored because he couldn't get a few throws to first in time were cancelled out by some great, late inning heroics with his glove. He has this ability to rescue himself just as the thought creeps into your mind, that he just SUCKS.
• Griffey had a rough first game. He went 0-4 while I was still at the game. The standing ovation was nice. That's the closest I have ever been to a Hall of Famer. I hope he gets comfortable with the park soon.
• Carlos Quentin is a man amongst boys.
• I was disappointed that Gavin Floyd only went 4 innings.
• Ozzie was suspended for 2 games and it showed a little bit with some of the moved NOT made.
• I was not happy to see us not win the game in the bottom of the 9th. We had a runner in scoring position and all we needed was a single to bring him in. Little stuff like that needs to change, and fast.

That's it. I'm tired. I didn't get to bed until 1 am last night, and I'm doing that again tonight. Bad times, but it's all because I know both of my readers are really anxious to read what I think of the White Sox.

Another White Sox winner tonight. Thank you Danks and Jenks!

Go-Go-White-Sox!

So much for the early reports. Brett Favre was traded tonight to the Jets. This flies in the face of the early reports this morning of a trade to the Bucs. Sorry Goose, but you still need to sift through 8 quarterbacks in Tampa Bay! ESPN has been going insane with this report. I had to stop writing my White Sox  post. (sorry White Sox fans, but I needed to take a breather)  The Jets?! J-E-T-, Jets, Jets Jets!

Wow.

So what does this mean for the Packers and for the Jets?

Well, for the Packers the circus is over. We don't know what they got for the 38 year old quarterback but if anything they got piece of mind. Business as usual isn't really possible with the coverage this story has received over the past 2 weeks, but at least Aaron Rodgers can start to pick up the pieces of his fragmented confidence. Let's just hope he doesn't do it against the Bears. On a side note, I recommend the trash talking members of the Bears D start with taunts that remind Rodgers that Favre is his "daddy". Just a suggestion. If the Packers got the first round pick they were rumored to be demanding of the Bucs but from the Jets, then the Packers are smarter than they look.

As for the Jets, they have 2 quarterbacks that are known commodities. In other words, they shouldn't really be evaluating what they have. There isn't a quarterback controversey in Jets-land, is there? Chad Pennington still has only one good arm. Clemens is a 3rd year guy that reminds me too much of our 2 starting quarterbacks, Orton and Sexy Rexy. There is potential there, but also danger. He's only played in 10 games but he throws a lot more picks than touchdowns. Hey, they've got Erik Ainge from Tennessee (rookie)!

The Jets could use a veteran like Favre. It's a good fit regardless of the soap opera questions ESPN keeps asking its analysts. Things like, how Favre will adapt to playing and living in New Jersey. "He can still hunt in New Jersey! They have some nice areas to live in too. He won't have to live in New York" Huh?! A dude who makes that much money shouldn't be worrying about his comfort level. He can turn New Jersey into San Diego with the bag of cash they Jets are going to give him. Great reporting by ESPN. Simply. Crap.

Hold it for a second...now Chris Mortensen is reporting that there is still drama?!?!

He claims Brett is still leaning towards the Bucs?! Holy Shit. This guy is a one man wrecking crew. He is going to toy with the Jets and the Bucs? The Jets are putting the trade in, but he is more comfortable with the Bucs? I can't handle it any longer. I fully expect the Jets and the Bucs to be strung along like the Packers when I wake up in the morning. If anything, this is going to help the Bears....right?

Come back tomorrow for how this trade to the Jets/Bucs impacts the Bears. I promise it will be interesting watercooler chatter.

BEAR DOWN

I'm slowly increasing my focus on hockey in Chicago. The Blackhawks are doing a lot of crazy things. (un-Wirtz like) The latest craziness involved signing Scotty Bowman as a senior advisor to Dale Tallon. Huh? Bowman, ye of Red Wing fame? Yes, you read that right. Bowman is the king of hockey. He pretty much restored the Detroit prestige and crushed my hopes of ever being safe in the United Center when the Red Wings come to Chicago. 

It's actually one of my favorite stories to tell. I was at a Hawks game with my brother one year. This was awhile ago. Probably '94? Not sure, but that doesn't matter. The point is that the Red Wings and the Hawks were always a great rivalry, and not just on the ice. The fans took it to another level back in those days. (not sure if they do any more) If you sat in the upper deck, with the die-hards, you saw a ton of fan fights. I remember one Red Wings fan sitting there screaming at this Hawks fan after the Wings took a 3-2 lead. The Hawks fan was a father of 2, and he decided to bring his 2 boys to the game. It was a fun experience, to be sure...especially when the Red Wings fan proceeded to instigate a fight with pops. It was pretty awful for those 2 kids to see daddy get his ass beat. Anyway, I am rambling...

The point is that the Hawks are making all the right moves during this offseason. Bowman is just the icing on the cake. I will always equate him with winning hockey, and Detroit. Maybe he can help us forget his years in Detroit by building a new dynasty at the United Center.

It might finally be ok to pull out that old Hawks hat...

I was awoken from my train-sleep by MJ's txt message. It was a simple txt message. "Fox is reporting Sox got junior from Reds". I was surprised. This wasn't the move I expected Kenny Williams to make at this year's deadline. I was hoping for a pitcher. I'm always hoping for a pitcher. If you were a betting man, you'd say an extra arm is exactly what the White Sox need. You would have been right on that bet. It's pretty simple. Contreras, Linebrink, and Jenks have either seen the DL or are currently sitting on it. Javi Vazquez hasn't exactly been himself either. Buehrle and Gavin Floyd (nice win yesterday GF) have carried the team since the All-Star break. Danks hasn't been bad, but I just watched him throw a meatball  to Morneau to give up another 4 run lead in Minnesota. (God I hate the Twins) So yea....I think we needed an arm.

That's not to say I don't like KGJ. Junior is a Hall of Famer. He is the most prolific, and most likely CLEAN home run hitter I have seen in my lifetime. He is a stand up guy, who doesn't come with any baggage. Well, he travels to Chicago with empty bags that both the White Sox and the Reds have to fill with cash thanks to an ENORMOUS contract.  The Sox gave up Masset and Richar for KGJ. That's the preverbial "sack of baseballs". Then again, Griffey is 38 years old and there is no place to put him.

You have to ask, does this move make any sense for the White Sox? Does it solidify our position as the team to beat in the AL Central? The answer is resounding NO. I don't understand this move. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. I am sort of indifferent to it. I think my pal Zorio summed it up best when he sent this gem out on our daily email thread:

Kenny Williams was infatuated with Griffey 2-3 years ago and tried to trade for him then. Dude has fallen off considerably since then (substance free). The Reds took him out of everyday centerfield for a reason- because he's in his late 30s. I think it's much ado about nothing. Limited downside, and I s'pose only good can come of it. Williams' mental masturbation becomes reality and he can claim that he "made moves" to improve the ballclub. Griffey can still hit, but he does strike out a lot more- it'll be interesting if Guillen sticks him into front of Dye in the batting order.

And there it is, yet another attempt by Kenny Williams to show he is "active" and still a mad genious. I agree with assesment completely. I don't think we have anywhere to put Griffey. He will most likely do exactly what Z described above. He plays some DH, and maybe center field and Konerko's time is split with Swisher at first. So I'll leave you with a question Sox fans:

Which old man pick up is going to be more important down the stretch? The Cub's Jim Edmonds or the Sox and Ken Griffey Jr. ??

You decide. (and yea, Edmonds just hit another home run as you were reading this)

GO-GO-WHITE SOX!

Summer vacation is over. I am back and full of stories from Bourbonnais, IL. I drove down to Bears training camp this morning with my lovely wife. I was giddy. This was my first trip down to training camp. I didn't know what to expect. The first thing that had me worried was the drive. Summertime in Chicago means construction time. This year is no exception, but I have to say I was surprised to see that the trip only took one and half hours from the north burbs. I can't say enough about how easy it is to get down there, and from the size of the crowds today, I am preaching to the choir. (Just go, take the kids and have a good time)

There are a lot of questions about the Bears this season. I came to camp prepared with a cooler filled with G2, some fresh rope sausage from St. Louis, and a camera. I couldn't get answers to every question on my list , but here are my notes:

• What are we doing with the quarterback position?

Suffering. That's what. I sat around and watched all four quarterbacks practice and do drills. Orton, Grossman, Hanie and Nick Hill (from SIU) all took some practice snaps. I saw them throw a few deep balls and a ton of quick outs. Surprised? I didn't think so. Orton and Grossman aren't that different. I saw each of them miss the mark a few times in various drills. I even saw one broken play before the ball even snapped. That was when Grossman was under center. I'm guessing from the heckling in the crowd, Grossman must have fumbled the snap. He fumbles the snap even in practice. With no rush. What a freaking joke. I got close enough to get some good pictures. Check them out here.

• Who looked good? 
  

Believe it or not, Nick Hill looked good. I saw him taking some throws early in the afternoon and he did well. He seems pretty big (listed at 6'3) and he had some nice zip on the ball. He did miss one of the tight ends on a curl pattern, but over all I think he impressed me the most. That is to say, I didn't notice the other QBs, unless they made a mistake. I think Hill might have a chance to make the team, but let's see what he does in game this preseason.

• Ok, cut the crap. How was Hester? 

Hester was Hester. He was running around as if he was a newly minted millionaire...wait, he IS a newly minted millionaire. This was Hester's first real practice, with a contract and a magically healed, contract-itis caused, hamstring. If this guy had a leg problem, I'm M. Olympia. He was unbelievably fast. I saw him return kicks and it was amazing, even without hitting, how he was able to weave his way forward for 50-60 yards. This guy is the only bright spot on offense. He took some reps as a wideout too. He ran some decent routes and made an especially amazing catch while falling backwards on a tight in-pattern. It was the highlight of the day. The bottom line is that Hester is healthy, fast, and seems to be ready to put the work in to become a great wide receiver. Now all we need is a quarterback, left tackle, and a run game.

•  So, is there a run game?

I'm not sure. I didn't get a chance to see the running backs do much of anything. There was a drill they were doing on the side of one field that wasn't especially fun to watch. They basically went after a tackling dummy. Now that I think about it, it was a "chip" drill. This is probably something they expect rookie running back Matt Forte to handle since the line is weak on the backside. That just reeks of wins doesn't it? Speaking of Forte, I didn't get a chance to see him run. This pissed me off to no end because I am high on Forte and would have loved to see him tear into our defense. But, I can tell you he is bigger than you think.

Ok kids, I gotta head to work. Part II of this write up will hit the wire later tonight. We'll talk about the facilities and the other side of the ball - the defense.

BEAR DOWN!

The Bears are done hibernating. Finally. The Halas Hall braintrust has actually signed a veteran running back to support rookie Matt Forte in the backfield. Kevin Jones signed a 1 year contract for a little over $600k. This is a great move, if I do say so myself. I had to look up the contract details on ESPN, here. The [Bears] website never has contract details (I've pointed this out in the past). So let's get to it. Why am I so high on Kevin Jones? Is it because I miss a different running back named Jones?! (Thomas) Nope, that isn't it. It's simply because this is a no lose deal for the Bears. It is pure upside. What is the worst thing that happens? Jones isn't fully healed from his recent injury problems? That is what cost him his job in Detroit. If he isn't healthy, we wasted $600k and are left with Forte anyway.

The bottom line is that Matt Forte isn't going to be able to carry the entire load for us this season. The coaching staff wasn't planning on starting Forte this year. The running back out of Tulane was supposed to be the spark that the now departed Cedric Benson needed to do his job. Thomas Jones was that spark a few years ago, and it isn't far fetched to believe that Forte would have pushed Benson to a level of play we haven't seen from the laggard. But Benson is now gone, and the Bears needed depth at the position that defines the franchise. Going into training camp with Peterson, Wolfe, and Forte would have been irresponsible.

Kevin Jones comes to Chicago and plans to prove to the league that he is healthy. He gets the chance to stick it to his old team twice this season. If he is healthy, he may get that chance every year. He is excited to be a Bear, and he has worked hard to get himself back into shape. Unlike Benson I get the feeling that Jones just loves playing football. We're not going to win the division because of this move. Then again, if another disgruntled NFC North player wants to get revenge on his old team, Chicago is more than willing to help.

Go BEARS!

I'm pretty exhausted tonight. No idea why. Probably because work has been a pain in the balls, and there just aren't enough hours in the day to finish all the things on my ever growing To-Do list...

At least the Sox won (again) tonight against the Royals. 7-6. We stole this game. I watched the first 2 innings before basically giving up. It is only because I saw Javi strikeout 10 batters and still lose the game against the A's last week. I couldn't stand watch him lose to the Royals. Javi is struggling and it is starting to worry me. 6 runs in 5 and 2/3rds? Yuck.

Some points I just want to quickly make as I fall asleep at the keyboard tonight:

1. First, are there any Royals Bloggers out there? Turns out there are. And some pretty damn good ones. Like this one from our old pals at the SB Nation. This site clearly has way more traffic than our little blog here in Chicago. The comments section is interesting only because they stopped talking about the game after about 10 posts. Nice.

2. Pauly is back. You know how I know? He struck out 4 times tonight. 

3. I never got an All-Start snub rant up. You know why? Laziness, perhaps? No. Actually. I really don't care if we get snubbed. I'd rather get snubbed and win the division. We're playing some pretty good baseball. Our pitching is great and while we are relying on the home run a bit too much (what else is new Sox fans?) this team is making great progress. Give me a playoff run and I'll get over the All-Star game. Remember, you don't get a ring for going to the All-Star game. If you are really jonesing for a snub article, the fine young men at the Sox blog at MVN have one here.

4. There seems to have been a clubhouse "discussion" in tonight's game between Cabrera and JD. Hawk and DJ were speculating that it had something to with Cabrera's base running while JD was up. I'm not sure what this is all about. I'm waiting for Comcast to start talking Sox baseball...which leads me to # 5:

5. I hate Comcast. They had both the Cubs and the Sox on this freaking network and they buried the Sox game on Comcast Plus (ch 668 for you DTV'ers) When the White Sox game ends, DTV yanks the chord on the KC feed and forces us to jump to the main Comcast SportsNet channel. Of course, they're still talking Cubs and I'm going insane trying to figure out why Cabrera is starting static on a FIRST PLACE TEAM. Great clubhouse guy. Nice teamwork.

6. The Red Sox swept the Twins. They smoked them today 18-5. Brutal. Thank god someone took them behind the woodshed. The timing for the White Sox is great and as a result I'd like to send out a big thank you to the BoSox. 

One more thing:

Q - our All-Star outfielder saved our asses again. He hit 2 home runs. 

We still have to talk about who should be our closer while Bobby Jenks is on the DL, but I'll save that for tomorrow's post.

And if you are curious, Konerko just struck out again. (just kidding Pauly...)

Go-Go-White Sox!

Buster Olney just reported on ESPN's Baseball Tonight that C.C. Sabathia is now a Brewer. I know a lot of Cubs fans where praying that the Cy Young Award winner would come to the north side, but he is instead heading further north to Milwaukee. This isn't good news for the Cubs. While they handled the Cardinals this past weekend (with ease) I'm not so sure the Cardinals are who they should be worrying about. The Brewers pulled off a deal sending nothing but position players to Cleveland. (at least that's what I thought I heard Olney say)

They're not playing for next year. This much is clear. I guess when the White Sox buried the Cleve last week, it opened the doors for the trade.

 More to come....