Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Manny Era
The Month with Manny has officially begun as he joined the team in Cleveland Tuesday night. Although he didn't get a chance to hit, you knew he was in the building with the constant camera shots on him on the railing of the dugout. He did appear in the on-deck circle but was quickly sent back after an AJ Pierzynski game winning shot in the ninth. If Manny is the difference maker and the missing component that will put this team in the postseason, then let Manny be Manny. He is a player with October experience and comes up huge in tight spots. As the WGN ads said quickly after his acquisition, it's "Time to Manny Up." Also, let's not forget to mention Edwin Jackson's gem to extend the team's winning streak to 2. He became the first Sox pitcher since Floyd Bannister to strike out ten or more in his first three starts as a member of the team. It will be an interesting month as the team will play 16 of their final 22 games at home.
All Systems Go
After throwing twenty-six interceptions last year in Ron Turner’s ball-control offense, quarterback Jay Cutler and the Bears needed an answer for this season and they needed it rather quickly. The man they needed and were looking for was Mike Martz. Martz was brought in this year to replace the aforementioned Ron Turner. It’s not that Turner’s offense was predictable and traditional; it’s more the fact that Martz’s offense is unpredictable and non-traditional. Martz has more of a high-risk, high-reward approach to the game. Martz says, “We want to play fast and keep the defense on their heels.” According to breakout receiver Devin Aromashodu, Mike likes to keep the offense on their heels as well, “There’s a lot of flexibility in the offense. He puts a lot of pressure on us giving us a lot of plays so we’re prepared during the season.”
Mike Martz is best known for his days in St. Louis, where he turned Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, Marshall Faulk, and Isaac Bruce into the “Greatest Show on Turf.” He coached the Rams to four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl. He was also the offensive coordinator in 1999 when the Rams won the Super Bowl. The Bears organization hopes he can do the same with Cutler, the two-headed backfield of Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, Johnny Knox, and Devin Aromashodu. The Jay Cutler Bears fans saw last year looked uncomfortable and far more inaccurate than he has ever looked in his five year career. With Martz holding high standards and demanding fundamental excellence, this may be where Cutler and Martz butt heads. Tight end Dez Clark knows of the offensive coordinator’s expectations. He said, “He has high standards and he’s going to push you. He leaves it up to you to get it done.” Clark, however, calls Martz “the best teacher I’ve ever had.”
Jay Cutler has had a tough task with Martz being the third offensive coordinator he has had in the last three years. He claims to have a very good grasp on Martz’s system. Cutler sums it up this way, “You can see that Mike’s system works. If we do what we’re supposed to do, the ball’s going to be moved down the field efficiently.” That seems easier said than done though with what appears to be a very shaky offensive line in the first two games of the preseason. Martz isn’t worried about the offensive line though. He says, “From what we see out of these guys in practice everyday, I think they’ll be just fine.” The offensive line as a whole has high praises as well for their newly acquired coordinator. Locker-room leader and thirteen year veteran Olin Kreutz says, “He’s as good as it gets. He’s the best I’ve been around at teaching his system. He coaches every position, knows what he’s talking about.”
Mike Martz appears to be looked at as so much more than an offensive coordinator. He takes on the role of coach, mentor, and teacher as well. The praise for him as those titles and as a person could not be higher. With praise however, there comes expectations. Hopefully, the Bears can turn it around with an offensive mastermind at the helm and Cutler can be molded into the quarterback Martz saw prior to coming here. If he throws twenty-six interceptions again, though, the offense won’t be the only ones on their heels. Martz isn’t worried saying Cutler “has such a good grasp on what’s going on with us on offense” even going as far to call him “brilliant.” Since Martz has been in control of the offense, you can see the excitement in the locker room and on the sidelines. What a difference a year makes and what a difference a coordinator makes.
Mike Martz is best known for his days in St. Louis, where he turned Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, Marshall Faulk, and Isaac Bruce into the “Greatest Show on Turf.” He coached the Rams to four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl. He was also the offensive coordinator in 1999 when the Rams won the Super Bowl. The Bears organization hopes he can do the same with Cutler, the two-headed backfield of Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, Johnny Knox, and Devin Aromashodu. The Jay Cutler Bears fans saw last year looked uncomfortable and far more inaccurate than he has ever looked in his five year career. With Martz holding high standards and demanding fundamental excellence, this may be where Cutler and Martz butt heads. Tight end Dez Clark knows of the offensive coordinator’s expectations. He said, “He has high standards and he’s going to push you. He leaves it up to you to get it done.” Clark, however, calls Martz “the best teacher I’ve ever had.”
Jay Cutler has had a tough task with Martz being the third offensive coordinator he has had in the last three years. He claims to have a very good grasp on Martz’s system. Cutler sums it up this way, “You can see that Mike’s system works. If we do what we’re supposed to do, the ball’s going to be moved down the field efficiently.” That seems easier said than done though with what appears to be a very shaky offensive line in the first two games of the preseason. Martz isn’t worried about the offensive line though. He says, “From what we see out of these guys in practice everyday, I think they’ll be just fine.” The offensive line as a whole has high praises as well for their newly acquired coordinator. Locker-room leader and thirteen year veteran Olin Kreutz says, “He’s as good as it gets. He’s the best I’ve been around at teaching his system. He coaches every position, knows what he’s talking about.”
Mike Martz appears to be looked at as so much more than an offensive coordinator. He takes on the role of coach, mentor, and teacher as well. The praise for him as those titles and as a person could not be higher. With praise however, there comes expectations. Hopefully, the Bears can turn it around with an offensive mastermind at the helm and Cutler can be molded into the quarterback Martz saw prior to coming here. If he throws twenty-six interceptions again, though, the offense won’t be the only ones on their heels. Martz isn’t worried saying Cutler “has such a good grasp on what’s going on with us on offense” even going as far to call him “brilliant.” Since Martz has been in control of the offense, you can see the excitement in the locker room and on the sidelines. What a difference a year makes and what a difference a coordinator makes.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Last Call times two
Live remote from Joliet Catholic in a few hours. We're going to preview the first game of the season happening tomorrow against Montini. Bears, White Sox, and airing of the grievances to follow. Tune in and listen to groundbreaking radio.
Grin and Bear It
The atmosphere around Soldier Field Saturday night had a regular season feel to it. The grills and fans were fired up and ready to go for the 2010 Chicago Bears season. Fathers and sons were playing catch attempting to do their best Cutler to Knox impressions. One of the things missing from that scene was the collapsing pocket around them.
The Raiders and Jason Campbell won the coin toss and wouldn’t waste any time getting to work. A false start put the Raiders in the first of two successfully converted third and long situations on the opening drive. Campbell answered back by completing a twenty-four yard pass to Michael Bush. The Raiders would take advantage of the very loose coverage by the Bears secondary and marched eighty-one yards on ten plays in six and a half minutes to take a 7-0 lead. Jason Campbell completed all five passes on the drive for a total of eighty-nine yards. If that weren’t bad enough, the Bears would lose Brian Urlacher to a strained left calf on the fourth play of the game.
Now, the moment Soldier Field had been waiting for. They wanted their questions about the offensive line answered and they wanted to see their quarterback play more than one series in the new Mike Martz system. The answer awaiting them was not the one they wanted to see or hear. The Bears would go three and out and Cutler would also get sacked twice for a total loss of twenty yards. Oakland would soon find themselves very deep in Chicago territory, but an ill-advised throw by Campbell would find the hands of Charles Tillman. Although the Bears were deep in their own zone and trailing by ten, that didn’t discourage the fans from attempting to put some life back into their team. Matt Forte would take the first play from scrimmage following Tillman’s interception eighty-nine yards to the endzone to put the Bears within four. A botched snap by emergency long snapper Dez Clark, however, would keep the score at 10-6 at the end of one.
The scoring would come to a halt for a good portion of the second quarter as the Raiders appeared to be stifled by the Bears defense. With the Bears trailing 13-6, Martz and the offense decided to go for it on fourth and seven from the Oakland twenty-two. A gutsy call would prove to be successful as Cutler would improvise a bit and find an open Johnny Knox on the left side of the field for a twenty-two yard touchdown, which would be followed by a Chester Taylor run to complete a two point conversion and give the Bears their first lead of the game. One final attempt by the Bears before the half would prove to be unsuccessful as Chris Williams allowed Kamerion Wimbley to continue his career day by letting him get to Cutler two more times bringing his sack total to four for the day. When asked about Chris Williams’ performance after the game, Coach Lovie Smith would go on to say, “Not good enough. Chris is a better player than that.” Smith would go on to a utter a phrase similar to one he repeated practically every week for the 2006 season when referring to a certain quarterback. “Chris Williams is our left tackle.”
With an unimpressive display of protecting Cutler looming over them, the offense would take the field first in the second half. Rookie quarterback Dan Lefevour led the charge, or should I say led the lack of charge. Things quickly went awry as forrmer Northwestern Wildcat Eric Peterman muffed a punt resulting in an Oakland touchdown when linebacker Slade Norris recovered the loose ball in the endzone, putting Oakland up 20-14. The wind had been knocked out of the Bears’ collective sails at this point. Kyle Boller would do nothing more than hand the ball off to Michael Bennett and run very simple short rollout routes to chip away slowly at the Bears defense. There was nothing difficult or complicated about the Raiders play calling the entire game, but the lack of a secondary and the ability of Campbell and Boller to spread the ball out was enough to keep the Bears on the go constantly. Boller would scamper two yards into the end zone before the end of the third to put Oakland up 27-14.
A Swayze Waters field goal halfway through the fourth would begin sending fans to the exits shaking their heads wondering what else this season could possibly hold for them. It’s a good thing they left, though, because what would follow was just more reason to shake their head. Dez Clark would botch another snap and Slade Norris would again find himself in Brad Maynard’s face resulting in an Oakland safety, which would put them up 32-17.
The Bears left the stadium dejected as did the fans. The preseason is the time to answer questions going into the season and work out the kinks with a chance to compete for the ultimate prize. The secondary seems to be lost and is as loose as it has been in recent memory. The special teams were anything but special. The offensive line was downright offensive for lack of a better word. Olin Kreutz said, “We have a lot to improve on. There’s little things we have to learn playing together.” Mike Martz’s offense doesn’t appear to be set in 100%. According to Cutler, though, “You can see that Mike’s system works. If we do what we’re supposed to do, the ball’s going to be moved down the field very efficiently.” It seems that concept is easier said than done after the first two preseason games. The first string will play into the third quarter next week as the Bears welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Soldier Field. If there is a bright side, the Bears will not be seeing any more of the AFC West the rest of the way.
The Raiders and Jason Campbell won the coin toss and wouldn’t waste any time getting to work. A false start put the Raiders in the first of two successfully converted third and long situations on the opening drive. Campbell answered back by completing a twenty-four yard pass to Michael Bush. The Raiders would take advantage of the very loose coverage by the Bears secondary and marched eighty-one yards on ten plays in six and a half minutes to take a 7-0 lead. Jason Campbell completed all five passes on the drive for a total of eighty-nine yards. If that weren’t bad enough, the Bears would lose Brian Urlacher to a strained left calf on the fourth play of the game.
Now, the moment Soldier Field had been waiting for. They wanted their questions about the offensive line answered and they wanted to see their quarterback play more than one series in the new Mike Martz system. The answer awaiting them was not the one they wanted to see or hear. The Bears would go three and out and Cutler would also get sacked twice for a total loss of twenty yards. Oakland would soon find themselves very deep in Chicago territory, but an ill-advised throw by Campbell would find the hands of Charles Tillman. Although the Bears were deep in their own zone and trailing by ten, that didn’t discourage the fans from attempting to put some life back into their team. Matt Forte would take the first play from scrimmage following Tillman’s interception eighty-nine yards to the endzone to put the Bears within four. A botched snap by emergency long snapper Dez Clark, however, would keep the score at 10-6 at the end of one.
The scoring would come to a halt for a good portion of the second quarter as the Raiders appeared to be stifled by the Bears defense. With the Bears trailing 13-6, Martz and the offense decided to go for it on fourth and seven from the Oakland twenty-two. A gutsy call would prove to be successful as Cutler would improvise a bit and find an open Johnny Knox on the left side of the field for a twenty-two yard touchdown, which would be followed by a Chester Taylor run to complete a two point conversion and give the Bears their first lead of the game. One final attempt by the Bears before the half would prove to be unsuccessful as Chris Williams allowed Kamerion Wimbley to continue his career day by letting him get to Cutler two more times bringing his sack total to four for the day. When asked about Chris Williams’ performance after the game, Coach Lovie Smith would go on to say, “Not good enough. Chris is a better player than that.” Smith would go on to a utter a phrase similar to one he repeated practically every week for the 2006 season when referring to a certain quarterback. “Chris Williams is our left tackle.”
With an unimpressive display of protecting Cutler looming over them, the offense would take the field first in the second half. Rookie quarterback Dan Lefevour led the charge, or should I say led the lack of charge. Things quickly went awry as forrmer Northwestern Wildcat Eric Peterman muffed a punt resulting in an Oakland touchdown when linebacker Slade Norris recovered the loose ball in the endzone, putting Oakland up 20-14. The wind had been knocked out of the Bears’ collective sails at this point. Kyle Boller would do nothing more than hand the ball off to Michael Bennett and run very simple short rollout routes to chip away slowly at the Bears defense. There was nothing difficult or complicated about the Raiders play calling the entire game, but the lack of a secondary and the ability of Campbell and Boller to spread the ball out was enough to keep the Bears on the go constantly. Boller would scamper two yards into the end zone before the end of the third to put Oakland up 27-14.
A Swayze Waters field goal halfway through the fourth would begin sending fans to the exits shaking their heads wondering what else this season could possibly hold for them. It’s a good thing they left, though, because what would follow was just more reason to shake their head. Dez Clark would botch another snap and Slade Norris would again find himself in Brad Maynard’s face resulting in an Oakland safety, which would put them up 32-17.
The Bears left the stadium dejected as did the fans. The preseason is the time to answer questions going into the season and work out the kinks with a chance to compete for the ultimate prize. The secondary seems to be lost and is as loose as it has been in recent memory. The special teams were anything but special. The offensive line was downright offensive for lack of a better word. Olin Kreutz said, “We have a lot to improve on. There’s little things we have to learn playing together.” Mike Martz’s offense doesn’t appear to be set in 100%. According to Cutler, though, “You can see that Mike’s system works. If we do what we’re supposed to do, the ball’s going to be moved down the field very efficiently.” It seems that concept is easier said than done after the first two preseason games. The first string will play into the third quarter next week as the Bears welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Soldier Field. If there is a bright side, the Bears will not be seeing any more of the AFC West the rest of the way.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Making A Lot Out of Nothing
There seems to be some controversy surrounding the White Sox/Royals rain delay last night. Joe West is once again involved. What do you think? Email us your thoughts at lastcallsports@gmail.com Don't forget you will get a double dose of your favorite groundbreaking trio this Thursday August 26th. Once from 10:30-12:30 and then again at our usual spot from 7 to 9 PM only on sportstownchicago.com
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Top 5
Doing the top 5 NFL players on tonight's show. Get em in people. lastcallsports@gmail.com Also, tune in for a live remote announcement.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Wildcat Pride
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois has never been known as a school that people attend for a chance at winning a national football title or college basketball championship. For example, the school has never made it to a college bowl game in three straight years in its 128 year existence. It has also never been a part of March Madness. Most students go there for the chance at becoming a doctor, lawyer, dentist, etc. There is one man there, however, who is making athletes think twice about which Big Ten school they would like to attend. His name is Pat Fitzgerald.
Pat Fitzgerald played linebacker on the Northwestern squad from 1993-1996 and recorded nearly 300 tackles, forced five fumbles, and grabbed three interceptions. More importantly, he was the leader of a defense that led the nation in scoring and would eventually end up in the 1995 Rose Bowl. That storybook 1995 season would warrant him the honors of Sports Illustrated and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and also the Bronko Nagurski award given to the nation’s top defensive player. Did I forget to mention he broke his leg in the second to last game of the season? So Fitzgerald is no stranger to being a leader on the sidelines or to overcoming adversity. After Randy Walker’s sudden death in the summer of 2006, the Wildcats Athletic Department wouldn’t have to look far to name Walker’s successor. One of their own was waiting in the wings to put on that headset and lead this team back to the Promised Land.
Since Fitzgerald’s hiring in 2006, the Wildcats have gone 27-23 with two Bowl games under their belt. One of those Bowl games was a New Year’s Day game, which was their first since Fitzgerald was a player in 1997. Due to Fitzgerald’s almost instant success as head coach, the school and Fitzgerald agreed to a contract that would keep Fitzgerald there until 2015. His team’s “November to remember” added to the list of reasons why Fitzgerald belongs on the sidelines as a head coach. In November of 2009, the team handed fourth ranked Iowa their first loss of the season, defeated their in-state rival Illinois, and then returned to Ryan Field to defeat number sixteen Wisconsin in the season finale.
It was no surprise on Northwestern’s annual Media Day that players new and old had nothing but positive things to say about their fearless leader:
Sophomore tailback Arby Fields: “I love playing for Coach Fitzgerald. He’s a fiery guy, relates to us a lot. He’s everything you want in a head coach.”
Senior defensive lineman Corbin Bryant: “He gives everybody a chance to compete.”
Senior linebacker Quentin Davie: “I like his intensity. He wants to be here every day, every morning at 6 AM. He was one of those players that knew every play that was coming at him and I try to take that approach to the game and study as well as he did.”
One usually associates a player being the future of a franchise. If there was ever a team whose coach was the future of the franchise, I would nominate Pat Fitzgerald as that man. His passion and intensity for the Northwestern Wildcats is unbridled. The school has now become a top spot for high school students to look at. The team has thirteen verbal commitments for next year and Fitzgerald has yet to even personally meet them. With an accelerated recruiting program and rising success in the past few seasons, the Wildcats don’t plan to go away anytime soon. As Fitzgerald put it, “Success breeds recruiting success.” Pat Fitzgerald is determined to put Northwestern athletics back on the map and plans to keep them at the top of the Big Ten and is unfazed by realignment. Fitzgerald has the heart of a wildcat and Evanston is the perfect place to exude that pride.
Pat Fitzgerald played linebacker on the Northwestern squad from 1993-1996 and recorded nearly 300 tackles, forced five fumbles, and grabbed three interceptions. More importantly, he was the leader of a defense that led the nation in scoring and would eventually end up in the 1995 Rose Bowl. That storybook 1995 season would warrant him the honors of Sports Illustrated and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and also the Bronko Nagurski award given to the nation’s top defensive player. Did I forget to mention he broke his leg in the second to last game of the season? So Fitzgerald is no stranger to being a leader on the sidelines or to overcoming adversity. After Randy Walker’s sudden death in the summer of 2006, the Wildcats Athletic Department wouldn’t have to look far to name Walker’s successor. One of their own was waiting in the wings to put on that headset and lead this team back to the Promised Land.
Since Fitzgerald’s hiring in 2006, the Wildcats have gone 27-23 with two Bowl games under their belt. One of those Bowl games was a New Year’s Day game, which was their first since Fitzgerald was a player in 1997. Due to Fitzgerald’s almost instant success as head coach, the school and Fitzgerald agreed to a contract that would keep Fitzgerald there until 2015. His team’s “November to remember” added to the list of reasons why Fitzgerald belongs on the sidelines as a head coach. In November of 2009, the team handed fourth ranked Iowa their first loss of the season, defeated their in-state rival Illinois, and then returned to Ryan Field to defeat number sixteen Wisconsin in the season finale.
It was no surprise on Northwestern’s annual Media Day that players new and old had nothing but positive things to say about their fearless leader:
Sophomore tailback Arby Fields: “I love playing for Coach Fitzgerald. He’s a fiery guy, relates to us a lot. He’s everything you want in a head coach.”
Senior defensive lineman Corbin Bryant: “He gives everybody a chance to compete.”
Senior linebacker Quentin Davie: “I like his intensity. He wants to be here every day, every morning at 6 AM. He was one of those players that knew every play that was coming at him and I try to take that approach to the game and study as well as he did.”
One usually associates a player being the future of a franchise. If there was ever a team whose coach was the future of the franchise, I would nominate Pat Fitzgerald as that man. His passion and intensity for the Northwestern Wildcats is unbridled. The school has now become a top spot for high school students to look at. The team has thirteen verbal commitments for next year and Fitzgerald has yet to even personally meet them. With an accelerated recruiting program and rising success in the past few seasons, the Wildcats don’t plan to go away anytime soon. As Fitzgerald put it, “Success breeds recruiting success.” Pat Fitzgerald is determined to put Northwestern athletics back on the map and plans to keep them at the top of the Big Ten and is unfazed by realignment. Fitzgerald has the heart of a wildcat and Evanston is the perfect place to exude that pride.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Bear Down
The long awaited debut of the Mike Martz Chicago Bears offense took place Saturday in beautiful San Diego, California. Cutler only took 8 snaps, but completed both passes he threw to Johnnie Knox for forty-seven yards. So, was that enough of a real-game situation for the Bears to adapt? This guy thinks no.
The preseason is as much of a real game situation you're going to get before the games start counting for something. Should the starters have played the whole game? Absolutely not. I would've had them out there for the first quarter to be honest. For an offense this complex and for reports coming out of camp that there are still a couple guys who still need work learning the offense, I would have given the first string more than one series on the field. But, I suppose that's why I'm writing this and not calling plays on the sideline.
The offensive line still looked subpar, which will continue to be the Bears thorn in their side. Adjustments should have been made in the offseason, but other than shuffling a few guys, there was nothing done. One improvement that needs to be made ASAP is the back's coverage of Cutler on the blitz. Forte completely missed a block whch resulted in Cutler getting smothered. Your first priority when not running the ball as a running back should be to protect your quarterback and make sure he stays on his feet. He can move the ball downfield from his back looking up at the sky.
The injuries were probably as unanticipated as anything. Four Bears had to leave the game and three of them will be missing this week's match against Oakland. Backup quarterback Caleb Hanie sprained a joint in his throwing shoulder following a sack. Rookie safety Major Wright fractured his finger and will undergo surgery Tuesday. Safety Craig Steltz sprained his ankle covering a kickoff. None are ruled out for the season opener September 12th against Detroit. There is time to work out their issues, but the Bears have a full plate in front of them. I don't think the Bears fans will have any trouble holding back how they feel on Saturday night. This town is hungry for a winner. More importantly, this town is impatient especially when they don't see instant results.
The preseason is as much of a real game situation you're going to get before the games start counting for something. Should the starters have played the whole game? Absolutely not. I would've had them out there for the first quarter to be honest. For an offense this complex and for reports coming out of camp that there are still a couple guys who still need work learning the offense, I would have given the first string more than one series on the field. But, I suppose that's why I'm writing this and not calling plays on the sideline.
The offensive line still looked subpar, which will continue to be the Bears thorn in their side. Adjustments should have been made in the offseason, but other than shuffling a few guys, there was nothing done. One improvement that needs to be made ASAP is the back's coverage of Cutler on the blitz. Forte completely missed a block whch resulted in Cutler getting smothered. Your first priority when not running the ball as a running back should be to protect your quarterback and make sure he stays on his feet. He can move the ball downfield from his back looking up at the sky.
The injuries were probably as unanticipated as anything. Four Bears had to leave the game and three of them will be missing this week's match against Oakland. Backup quarterback Caleb Hanie sprained a joint in his throwing shoulder following a sack. Rookie safety Major Wright fractured his finger and will undergo surgery Tuesday. Safety Craig Steltz sprained his ankle covering a kickoff. None are ruled out for the season opener September 12th against Detroit. There is time to work out their issues, but the Bears have a full plate in front of them. I don't think the Bears fans will have any trouble holding back how they feel on Saturday night. This town is hungry for a winner. More importantly, this town is impatient especially when they don't see instant results.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Top 5
We will be doing a Top 5 list of current MLB players on tomorrow's show. Get your lists in before the show. lastcallsports@gmail.com We are on from 7 to 9 only on sportstownchicago.com Do it to it.
Dog Days
So the whole Dog Days of August saying has hit the South Side as they came home off a horrendous four game series with Baltimore in which they lost three. Scoring ten runs in four games off a team with an ERA above five is unacceptable for ANY team, let alone a team in the hunt for a division crown. One would have to think Kenny Williams is hitting the phones and intensely searching the waiver wire for someone to put this team back on top and back on top for good. The Sox find themselves a game out of first after getting shellacked by Minnesota in the series opener. Big Game Freddie Garcia displayed why this city was in question after signing him to a deal. We'll see if the Sox can salvage the series and more importantly salvage first place as they send Floyd and Danks to the mound today and tomorrow. The road doesn't get any easier for the Pale Hose as they still have series with Detroit, another with Minnesota at Target Field, and against the World Champion New York Yankees. Tune in tomorrow and we will hopefully be discussing the first place Chicago White Sox.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Return of Big Z
Do Cubs fans actually care that their "ace" is making his ever so dramatic return to the rotation tonight? I guess the Cubs really have no choice since they traded Lilly and shelved Silva. They're limiting him to 80 pitches, so I predict he goes 4 innings and gives up five earned runs. No meltdown, but he will be visibly shaken. If he does well, maybe the Cubs can use his last starts of the season as a showcase as to why some other team would want his ridiculous contract. Sorry Cubs fans, maybe next year, eh?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Joliet a Bear to Handle for Schaumburg
The Schaumburg Flyers were hoping Santa Claus would bring them a victory against the Joliet Jackhammers as they took the field Monday night kicking off a three-game set. All spirits were high as the Christmas in July promotion got the night underway. Unfortunately, the Grinch would show up and make his presence felt as starting pitcher Alain Quijano struggled to find the plate. Joliet came into the game losing their last three to the Flyers at Alexian Field and hitting just .212 against Schaumburg this season with one home run and eight RBI’s in three games. By the looks of things, the Jackhammers were saving up all their hits and runs for this evening’s matchup.
The Jackhammers got off to a quick start as Quijano would walk two and give up a two-run double to Freddie Thon in the top half of the first. That was all the Jackhammers would need to rattle Quijano. On the other side of the field, Bear Bay (5-4, 3.56 ERA) didn’t need much to get settled in. One of the only bright spots on the evening was Josh Burrus’ solo shot over the center field scoreboard in the second, which cut the lead to 2-1.
The score remained that way until the top of the fifth as Thon would hit his second double in as many at-bats and drive in his third run of the night. Quijano would depart after 4 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs, five hits, and walking a season high seven batters. After an encouraging strikeout to get out of a bases loaded jam left by Quijano, Matt Elliott and the bullpen appeared to have a shot at keeping the game close. Just as fast as the defense got off the field, though, they would come back on just as quick as Bay needed only eight pitches to retire the Flyers in order in their half of the fifth. The bullpen needed to work overtime tonight and it wasn’t pretty. The Jackhammer offense would not let up on the bullpen as the Flyers relievers would pitch a combined 4 1/3 innings surrendering twelve hits and nine earned runs. The middle of the Jackhammers lineup would go a combined 8-for-13 accounting for nine runs batted in and seven runs scored. Brad Correll belted his first of two home runs in the 6th, a three run shot off Elliott, which would make the score six to one. Thon would contribute their offensive success to “coming in off a long road trip, no batting practice, and just swinging the bats.”
Flyers fans were getting restless and not even the dollar hot dogs could make them happy. Bay continued to cruise, going the distance striking out six and giving up just five hits, the lone big blow being a solo home run by Burrus in the second. “I worked in my bullpen between starts and stayed straighter to the plate. Being able to work on your stuff between starts is a huge thing,” Bay said. The series resumes Tuesday with righty Brett Harker ( 3-7, 5.54 ERA) taking on Joliet’s Ross Stout (5-6, 5.09 ERA).
The Jackhammers got off to a quick start as Quijano would walk two and give up a two-run double to Freddie Thon in the top half of the first. That was all the Jackhammers would need to rattle Quijano. On the other side of the field, Bear Bay (5-4, 3.56 ERA) didn’t need much to get settled in. One of the only bright spots on the evening was Josh Burrus’ solo shot over the center field scoreboard in the second, which cut the lead to 2-1.
The score remained that way until the top of the fifth as Thon would hit his second double in as many at-bats and drive in his third run of the night. Quijano would depart after 4 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs, five hits, and walking a season high seven batters. After an encouraging strikeout to get out of a bases loaded jam left by Quijano, Matt Elliott and the bullpen appeared to have a shot at keeping the game close. Just as fast as the defense got off the field, though, they would come back on just as quick as Bay needed only eight pitches to retire the Flyers in order in their half of the fifth. The bullpen needed to work overtime tonight and it wasn’t pretty. The Jackhammer offense would not let up on the bullpen as the Flyers relievers would pitch a combined 4 1/3 innings surrendering twelve hits and nine earned runs. The middle of the Jackhammers lineup would go a combined 8-for-13 accounting for nine runs batted in and seven runs scored. Brad Correll belted his first of two home runs in the 6th, a three run shot off Elliott, which would make the score six to one. Thon would contribute their offensive success to “coming in off a long road trip, no batting practice, and just swinging the bats.”
Flyers fans were getting restless and not even the dollar hot dogs could make them happy. Bay continued to cruise, going the distance striking out six and giving up just five hits, the lone big blow being a solo home run by Burrus in the second. “I worked in my bullpen between starts and stayed straighter to the plate. Being able to work on your stuff between starts is a huge thing,” Bay said. The series resumes Tuesday with righty Brett Harker ( 3-7, 5.54 ERA) taking on Joliet’s Ross Stout (5-6, 5.09 ERA).
Monday, August 2, 2010
Trade Dudline
Well, the deadline passed and it is uncertain what exactly went down on the South Side and the Cubs dumped some salary and acquired Blake DeWitt and two prospects for Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot.
Rumors were swirling about the Edwin Jackson acquisition by the White Sox and they turned out to be just that. Adam Dunn is still a National, Adam LaRoche is still a Diamondback, and Manny is still....Manny. Jackson will make his debut against his former squad tomorrow in a day-night doubleheader as the Sox will try to expand their one game lead on Minnesota. Something tells me if Kenny wants to make a waiver move, Kenny will make a waiver claim a la Alex Rios of last year.
The Cubs have thrown in the proverbial towel on this disappointing season as they dealt Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers for Blake DeWitt, who went 3 for 4 in his debut in Cubbie Blue.I don't think Hendry has anything up his sleeve as far as making a drastic move to attempt to make an almost impossible comeback at this point. The only dramatic comeback Cubs fans may witness is having Hendry as a GM next year.
But, what else can you say at this point. Only time will tell. Tune in to Last Call Sports this Thursday as we will cover it all for you. Niemi getting told no, Sox, Cubs, a couple Bears injuries at training camp, and of course Airing of the Grievances.
Rumors were swirling about the Edwin Jackson acquisition by the White Sox and they turned out to be just that. Adam Dunn is still a National, Adam LaRoche is still a Diamondback, and Manny is still....Manny. Jackson will make his debut against his former squad tomorrow in a day-night doubleheader as the Sox will try to expand their one game lead on Minnesota. Something tells me if Kenny wants to make a waiver move, Kenny will make a waiver claim a la Alex Rios of last year.
The Cubs have thrown in the proverbial towel on this disappointing season as they dealt Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers for Blake DeWitt, who went 3 for 4 in his debut in Cubbie Blue.I don't think Hendry has anything up his sleeve as far as making a drastic move to attempt to make an almost impossible comeback at this point. The only dramatic comeback Cubs fans may witness is having Hendry as a GM next year.
But, what else can you say at this point. Only time will tell. Tune in to Last Call Sports this Thursday as we will cover it all for you. Niemi getting told no, Sox, Cubs, a couple Bears injuries at training camp, and of course Airing of the Grievances.
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