Rex won't change!

Rex looked horrible last night against the Colts. Same old issues- small hands and poor vision due to vertically challenged frame. Excuses were pulled from a Twilight Zone script i.e. sweat on forearms and wrong cleats.

Bears fans have no choice but to expect this. Its just a matter of timing for the good vs. bad Rex to show up. Glimpses of Namath and impersonations of Harbaugh. Griese looked great and was obviously out to avenge his int of last week.

The Lovie administration has committed to Rex and he is our man. Divorce is not an option and Lovie has committed to Rex for better or worse. The Bears season will become a roulette wheel of good Rex on red and bad Rex on black.

bex : start, assist, goal

In his third game for the L.A. Galaxy, this game billed as his First Start in America, David Beckham played 60m of generally non descript soccer against D.C. United in SuperLiga play- except for the goal on a free kick from 25 yards out. It was good to see him play real minutes in a game- he has played only 15 or so minutes in two previous games. That lack of playing time really showed against D.C. Although his passes were generally on target, they never seemed dangerous from my vantage point on the T.V. He looked strained attempting to connect with his teamates. However, this is completely due to his layoff.

There was the one act of brilliance. When Bex is lining up for a free kick, one should watch- it may go awary, but it could be a curling good-guy curling away from a flat footed goalie. Nice goal. He had a later assist on a Landon Donavan semi breakaway. However, bex's pass forward to donovan was mispalyed by a defender whom played the ball and not the man. But he did hustle and was one the ground many times in collisions with D.C. players. Good start.

It was an important win for L.A. as well. American soccer teams, like most soccer teams around the world, are in several concurrent competitions. L.A., for example, are currently in the MLS and hope to qualify for the MLS playoffs. However, they need to finish in the top eight and are nowhere close as I write. They have already been eliminated in the U.S. Open Cup*, a competition that is open to all soccer teams in America. This cup competition is a fixture in countries across the world, but American readers may well liked it to the NCAA basketball tournement for soccer: giants and minnows, strange matchups, upsets, etc... L.A. did not qualify for the Champions League, a competition they once won in which the champions of various leagues in the area play each other ina knock out competition. So- badly in the league, out of the cup, and not involved in the Champions league- but they STILL have a chnace @ glory- the SuperLiga.

The SuperLiga is the product of Mexican Soccer going again to that holy cash cow of wealth, the U.S.A., to stage games featuring Mexican teams. The SuperLiga features four top Mexican and four top MLS teams. Last nite L.A. played D.C. in the semifinals and won 2-0, so although L.A. is having a pretty miserable season in the league, they may still look to Bex'x first season as a trohpy winner season.

As big a deal is being made about Beckham in other cities- 35- 50k crowds in New England, New York and D.C. for his showing, the stands last nite in L.A. were pretty empty. MLS camera men have been instructed to mininmize the showing of empty seats in the football stadiums the league has been playing in for years, but the pregame show showed lots of nothing. The stadium seemed somewhat filled in later shots, but there was no overflow. And Mexican television is still making a big deal- the SuperLiga commercials hyping the game kept stating in Spanish that "Beckham is slated to play a whole half". Funny, but I guess they payed lots for the rites so, may as well sell it.
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*=and the Chicago Fire beat the Galaxy last year for the 2006 cup.

Two Brite Spots

Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks tied a major league record by recording his 41st straight out yesterday in the Sox 0-6 loss to Seattle. In a down season, two outstanding pitching achievements seem to be the teams hi-lites this season. In April, starter Mark Burelue threw a no hitter. Now, with the season running out of promise, another Sox star lets us still celebrate the team.

Jenks has had a good year after a rough start. Although he may not be Dennis Eckersly c. 1990, he has become better and more dependable all the time. He was deservedly the only All Star from the team, and has a brite future on the team.

His streak is incredible. 41 outs in a row is like throwing a perfect game and a half- there's no room for error. It was exciting to watch/listen to each of the last six outs. Kudo's to Ozzy for pitching jenks in a non save situation so that the home crowd @ comisky could see the record. We appreciate being appreciated. Now, with Cleveland, Detroit, and Minnesota all struggling, it would be nice if the team could emulate their All Star and sting to-gether a winning streak.

What If!

Now that Bonds the vilified had broken Hank's record his place in history is up to the scribes. Imagine if Bonds, already one of the greatest players of any generation, hadn't taken steroids.

Even with his surly demeanor, he would be greeted and yes cheered as the greatest player of his generation. Of course, he wouldn't have the record, but by my estimate he would have close to 600 clean homers. The irony is he could have achieved this with his old physique and probably wouldn't have missed those games due to weightlifting related knee problems.

He would be the antithesis of Sosa and Mcgwire. He would still be a complete player without the bulk, and in the end the hero. He went on the juice because of his jealously of Sosa and Mcgwire, but could have won over the writers and the fans while maintaining clean numbers.

Steroids make good players great, great players incredible and make the best seem inhuman. As Bonds was already the best, he became God like in his numbers. He got the record, but will never be able to deny the tainted sample. If only he had been able to resist the temptation, fate would have still have made him the greatest. What if?

Mission Impossible?

With Ramirez now out, the Cubs are playing with only 1 legitimate big leaguer - Derek Lee. The triple A guys are great additions for giving the studs days off, but to maintain a push towards the playoffs with all of them will be impossible.

They are still in strong contention with Milwaukee all but giving them the division. The absence of power numbers is very difficult to figure out, but the bottom line is its not there and way too many LOB. During the July run, they were moving runners w/out hitting hr's.

Pie is still honestly a couple years away from being great, and Murton will never be better than he is now. I've got to give Jones credit, now that the trade pressure is off he is performing.

The rest of the season will have to continue to be like this. Desperately clinging to playoff hopes while hoping Fonzie comes back strong in Sept. Remember that all they have to do is make the playoffs and its a whole new ball game from there.

As I finish writing this the Cubs are up 10-1 on the Rockies and the scrubs pounding the ball while D. Lee is 0-3.

Pie coming back for some more pie!

There appears to be mass confusion over at Clark & Addison. Now Pie is back in the lineup. Let's hope that Cedeno is sent down so fast that he doesn't have time to pack!

Let's Celebrate History in our Lifetime

I don't remember Hank hitting 715 in 1974, but I will never forget Bonds breaking the record last night. It really was a great moment when Hank showed up on the video screen.

It might be wishful thinking, but I hope now that this record has been broken, we can stop talking about steroids and baseball. Every era has its issues. Our will forever be remembered as the steroids era. So what!?!?!? Baseball endures. That's why it is such a great game. World wars and segregation couldn't bring down baseball, steroids certainly won't either.

Finally, I encourage all you baseball fans to take time out from your bitterness towards Bonds and appreciate history being made. Something like this may never happen again in our lifetime.

When to say when

It’s common knowledge the Sox season is over, yet 51 games are still left after today’s win against the Tigers. It’s very hard to give up hope in the team when so many games are left. In addition, this uninspiring team has finally begun to show a little in the way of winning games. They are 9-4 in their last 13 and the sweep of the Tigers brings them to within ten games out. It may not be ’51 or ’64 or ’78 or ’95; but who knew this early in those years what magic was in store.

But ,the stress is on “magic”.

Pretty much that is what it will take. Despite the recent upturn, they have sucked all year. The past two weeks could easily have been the high point of the season. They are chasing not just one team in the division, but Detroit, Cleveland AND Minnesota. It would take slumps by all three teams ahead of the Sox for them to have a chance.

But, still:

Both Cleveland and Detroit have hit upon hard times lately. Good teams that are winning sometimes unaccountably go bad: witness the Sox’s second half last year. All three teams could conceivably go under. And, of those 51 games, the Sox have six each with Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota. A superhot Sox club could take the majority of these games and possibly push those teams to bad runs.

However:

Too many of this teams parts are gone to make a serious run. Crede is gone. Podsednik and Erstad are too injury prone and can’t be counted on. And management has given up on the team by trading Tadahito Iguchi and Rob Macoviak in trade deadline deals. And the team is starting 3-4 rookies on the field each game, usually including Josh Fields @ third, Jerry Owens in center and Danny Richar @ second. This is clearly a team that is playing for 2008 or 2009.

On the other hand:

That early team was not winning. For whatever reason, the team stocked with rookies is playing looser and getting results. Fields and Owens have played well, and Richard shows promise. The team was really not ripped apart, either. Both Iguchi and Mackovik were losses, but reports of John Garland, Javier Vasquez, and Paul Konerko being moved proved false. Although one eye is to ‘08, the other is still concentrating on ‘07. And the players who were so terrible in the first half-- specifically Konerko and Dye-- are now hitting up a storm. It may just be the worst of times for the hitting is over, and the new mix of payers has ignited the offense as a whole. Whatever the outcome, a strong finish will bde well for next year.

But, seriously then, the bullpen?

…………no comment. But being a lifelong Sox fan, to think I’d surrender any season with 51 games left and the team ten out* is crazy.

*=since written, they have fallen to 11.5 out.

Something Old, something New, somthing formerly Yellow and Blue

As delusional as someone thinking the Sox can make the playoffs this year, one could say the same thing about the Fire. Yet, in the space of a few weeks, the Fire vibe seems to have completely changed. The addition of Chatomec Blanco and Paulo Wanchope have turned the offense from totally dead to possibly super.

In much the same way the Sox offensive could not do anything the entire first half of the year, the Fire featured the invisible O. It seemed they were lucky to score and ties were reasons for joy. To compare the Fire’s situation w/ another local team, the Bulls: the offense seemed to need a star go to scorer. Unlike the Bulls, the Fire are able to get such a player from another league- in this case the Mexican league. The ungainly hunchbacklooking of a player has had a great start.

Blanco’s first game with the Fire was an exhibition against Celtic of Scotland. In America for a preseason tour, Celtic is one of the most successful European sides. Many European teams now send their teams to sell the ‘teams brand name’ in America, especially for a 3-4 game preseason tour. The past several years have seen likes of such giants as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and now Celtic. There were many Celtic fans there - I’m used to hearing lots of Spanish and Polish accents in a Fire crowd- this was the first time I heard lots of Irish voices*. Although a little rusty, Celtic played well.

However, it was Blanco who was the center of attention to see what he could do- and very soon he was the center of attention because of what he as doing. A back heel pass here. A stop, switch feet, then short pass there. And he’s also a bull: his goal in the first half was due to his pushing his way through a Celtic defender before the shot.

The ball went constantly to Blanco, and it was great to see him play it out to the other players. The other major MLS signing this year, David Beckham, is famous for long seeking passes that amaze when they reach the players foot perfectly in stride; Blanco specializes in the dinky soft curving short ball- that amaze when they reach the players foot perfectly in stride. Both players make their teamates better with their dangerous play- thank God since the Fire really needed this. The skill level on offense has risen tremendously.

And the fans! By the 55th minute, they had seen enough. After a flurry in the Celtic area keyed by a soft Blanco pass- and after a spectacular back heel pass that led to another chance- and then after yet another impressive Blanco pass - Fire fans responded with two O’s in five minutes. He was taken out soon after, and with him went the fire offense. They tied 1-1.

Blanco’s next game was against F.C. Toronto. The last visit to Canada resulted in a 0-4 humiliation. But that was before Blanco. With passes crisper, runs run hard, and touches with that “touch of arrogance” that only a team playing with confidence has, the fire won 3-0. Blanco played a great role in the first goal with his perfect pass to Ivan Guerreo. Again, his presence makes the difference.

Saturday marked Blanco’s first MLS regular season home game, and it was a nice 20k+ crowd. Not only was it a filled stadium, but it was very Mexican flavored. As the Celtic crowd was flavored with brogues, this crowd featured Club America jerseys- the Mexican team that had retired Blanco’s # 10 last month. A nice touch was the split Fire/America jerseys, reminiscent of the split Mexico national team/Mexican team jerseys. Chants of “Chatomec” and “Burro”. Lots of Spanish.

Although he played well, the magic of the last two games was only in in flashes. I expected fireworks, because not only was Blanco on the field, but oft injured forward Chris Rolfe was back and Paulo Wanchope, the Fire’s newest signing, made his debut. Wanchope, who has played most of his career in England, was a star for costa Rica in last years World Cup. After a rocky relationship w/ his coach in Japan, he comes to the Fire to hopefully create a strong and fleet presence forward. With Blanco, Wanchope, and Rolfe playing on top, and the full return of midfielder Justin Mapp from national team duties, the Fire’s most glaring hole- the offense- hopefully will transform into its strength.
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*=they’re very popular in Ireland.

Rose to 7 yr old - I've seen more of Dimaggio's Cock than Marilyn

Gregg Doyel has a priceless article about Pete Rose swearing to 7 year olds and telling them how he saw Joe Dimaggio's cock. Priceless.

Too Good to be True?

The 2007 Baseball season on the northside was lining up so well. It really looked like 'It's Gonna Happen'. There appeared to be a harmonic convergences in the air.

Weak Division- check
Cardinals having a down season - check
New manager - check
Biggest offseason free agent signing - check
More than you could have expected from Lilly and Marquis - check
Young callups playing great ball - check
Milwaukee fading - check
Big Z back to form - check

Cubs fans were even allowing themselves to get a little puffy-chested, and then BAM! Soriano is out for at least 2 weeks, more like four. I hate to say it, but this could be the beginning of the end for the 'Season of Destiny'. Let's hope not, but as a Cubs fan, I was getting a little uncomfortable feeling so comfortable.

I should have known better.

Sweet, Sweet Lou!

Over the hill, washed up, senile dementia- these were some of the words used to describe Lou during the first two months of the season. But here we are in first place!

It has been 4 years since we were here. Think about that for a while. First place and the Cubs! Even the most speculative look at the rest of the season must include the playoffs.

Say what you will about Lou, but he got us here and its his team. After one of the roughest starts for any team in his coaching career, he turned the ship and then held it for home. The excitment to come in the next 2 months will once again prove the old DCS addage Cub city, Cub state, Cub nation!

Ainge and Doc still in charge

Let's not hand the Celtics the Eastern Conference championship yet. Though Garnett joins Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, Mensa members Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers are still running the show.

My best estimate is severe improvement the first year and a mid-round playoff exit. These are three palyers all 30 years old who are used to being in charge. Not enough balls to go around. As Denver is finding out, talent and chemistry don't always go together.

The end result is more season ticket holders for Boston and another team that should consider the CBA in Minnesota. Ainge has proven an innate ability for miscalculation and Doc just wants a paycheck. This experiment