Every draft choice is a question mark. For every Tim Duncan there's a Greg Oden. This isn't a slight to the teams that have the misfortune of investing a high draft pick on a bust, but more of an acknowledgement of the volatility of draft picks. The NBA Draft isn't simply about ranking the best college basketball players and picking according to that rank, but about projecting what 19 and 20 year olds will be able to do against the greatest athletes in the world when they mature a few years down the line, mentally and physically. This is an impossible task of course, especially when you consider that there is a finite amount of information available to the decision makers of the 30 NBA franchises, and so many unknowns, like future injury or maturity issues down the line, to name a few.
Gar Forman and John Paxson have been fairly successful at this process, famously using their #1 draft pick to nab Derrick Rose ahead of Marcus Beasley, but even more importantly they've been able to find important contributors without needing a number 1 pick. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah was the 9th overall pick. Major contributors Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler were drafted 26th and 30th, respectively.
The situation is especially dire for the Bulls this time around though; with Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose getting older, this is a team that needs to gather the pieces necessary to win as soon as possible. So with free agency (and an attempt to acquire Carmelo Anthony) looming, the Bulls needed to figure out what to do with the 16th and 19th pick in a loaded draft. It's no secret that the defensive-minded Bulls desperately need to add shooting, and keeping in mind that they're trying to clear cap space for Carmelo Anthony it was rumored that Chicago was trying to consolidate those two picks (and save money) by trading up for a higher pick that would allow them to acquire a knockdown shooter. The names that kept coming up were Canadian Nick Stauskas and Creighton star Doug McDermott.
For once a draft rumor seemed to actually play out exactly as expected, or so it seemed. Chicago traded the 16th and 19th pick to Denver to move up to the 11th pick and the rights to Doug McDermott. But for some reason, that wasn't the end of it. The Bulls also included next year's second year pick AND took on Anthony Randolph and his contract. Unfortunately this negates the value of consolidating picks; the Bulls only save about $300k in cap space after trading the valuable 16th and 19th picks, and by taking on Anthony Randolph in the deal they have even less cap space, which translates to less money they can offer Carmelo. Dumping Randolph's contract to create more room for Melo is difficult as well, as he can only be traded in 1 for 1 deals (i.e. not in a sign and trade with the Knicks).
So I suppose it's fair to go on about how GarPax didn't get nearly the amount of value they should have out of the 16th and 19th picks. Some have argued that they basically used those two picks to replace Mike Dunleavy Jr. (a sharp-shooting SF who may be traded to clear more cap space for Carmelo). Those are fair arguments, however I think it's more important that the Bulls think less about value and more about getting the right players.
Yes, the NBA Draft is volatile, and not every high pick is guaranteed to be a solid NBA player. The trick is to find the right guys among a minefield of busts, like Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler for example. Bill Simmons at Grantland investigated what would have happened if the last 19 drafts were done knowing what we know now here. It's an entertaining read; an opportunity to take a stroll down draft bust memory lane (and also a chance to wonder what it would be like to get paid to invest hours redrafting the last 19 drafts, but I digress). The obvious lesson gleaned from the article is that only a few players from each draft will have productive NBA careers. These players don't have to be top 5 picks, rather, they can be found at any point in the draft. The catch is that general managers have to select the right guys. The "value" of the 16th and 19th pick is irrelevant once the draft is complete, the only thing to worry about is whether or not your team got a guy who can have a productive career. GarPax gave up quite a bit for McDermott because they're more confident in what he can do for the Bulls than the lottery tickets that the later first round (and next year's second round) picks represented to them. And it's hard to blame them.
Doug McDermott can shoot. The Bulls need shooting. I realize that highly entertaining video is edited, but McDermott scored the 5th most points in college basketball history. To do this he obviously wasn't just hitting the 3 ball, he has serious post skills and is a willing passer which will make him a matchup nightmare, especially if he's coming off the bench and dominating other team's 2nd units (which will likely be the plan if Carmelo decides to come to Chicago). McDermott was a coach's son and seems to be an all around good guy, which plays into the Bulls consistent desire for high character players. Scoff at that concept if you want, but having a tight locker room isn't overrated (see last year's Pacers team). He was also a 4 year player which gave him time to develop his game. This means he'll be more ready to contribute immediately than some of the younger players who scouts say might have more promise a few years down the road.
McDermott is not going to be on the All Defensive team, but his defensive shortcomings have been blown way out of proportion; honestly Bulls fans shouldn't be worrying about it with rim protectors Noah and Gibson being able to erase a lot of mistakes McDermott might make, not to mention Thibs' ability to teach defensive technique and scheme his defense around his personnel. Tom Thibodeau has worked with McDermott before, and if Doug was going to be too much of a defensive liability the Bulls would certainly not be giving up as much as they did for him.
I realize this take is a lot more optimistic than most, I just think it's evident that Doug McDermott is a perfect fit for a team starved for scoring; he'll be able to stretch the floor and create more lanes and opportunities for Derrick Rose (and obviously the attention that Rose draws will give McDermott a lot of open looks). Obviously losing a bit of cap space for Melo is a drag, but the Bulls weren't going to be able to offer Anthony a max contract anyways, and the team is clearly stronger with McDermott; if Carmelo truly wants to win it's abundantly clear that Chicago is his best option. I'm not as concerned with the fact that the Bulls gave up a couple of picks for McDermott; if Doug can be a major contributor on a team with championship aspirations, nobody is going to talk about a a few late round picks.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Taking Inventory
My most recent post? July 23rd, 2012. Almost two years ago. The post before that was entitled "Why Rip Hamilton Gets Me Excited for the 2011-2012 Bulls." While I'm still trying to decide if it's more disappointing that I haven't posted for 2 years or that there was a moment that I was excited about Rip Hamilton being a member of the Chicago basketball team, I am certain that a lot has happened in these last two years in the world of sports. The Blackhawks won another Stanley Cup in 2013 with a fairly impressive 17 second stretch, Derrick Rose's knees did their best Glass Joe impression twice, Chicago baseball continued to underwhelm, and the Bears gained a new coach while saying goodbye to one of their franchise's greatest players in Brian Urlacher. Oh, and Bartolo Colon even got a hit!
I'd like to get back to using this venue to share my thoughts and opinions about the happenings in the sports world in a more consistent manner, and to do that I think it's best to asses where the major Chicago teams are at right now. Let's start with the teams that are currently playing actual games:
The Chicago White Sox
I am always guilty of being overly optimistic about my favorite team in all of sports. At the beginning of the year I kept trying to remind myself that with the extra wild card team, a weak AL Central division with Detroit's key contributors like Cabrera and Verlander getting older, that the Sox could potentially sneak into the playoffs. I'm happy to report that generally the performance of the southsiders has helped me maintain my optimism: Chris Sale continues to be a leading Cy Young candidate, Jose Abreu has crushed all expectations (along with several poorly located pitches) with his prolific all-fields power stroke, Adam Eaton has been a welcome addition as a catalyst at the top of the order, and Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham have shown significant improvements at the plate so far this year.
Of course Sale, Abreu, and Eaton have already spent time on the DL, the bullpen was awful to start the year, the Erik Johnson experiment did not work, which has led to far too many starts from the likes of Andre Rienzo, Scott Carroll, and Hector Noesi, not to mention that Danks has mixed in a couple of solid starts with some significant implosions. This team will likely hover around .500 all year, which means they won't be too far out of a playoff spot, but it's unrealistic to think they can overcome Det, KC, Cle in their own division, to to mention Anaheim and a number of teams in the AL East competing for Wild Card spots.
The good news is that GM Rick Hahn has shown that he can bring in good young talent in Abreu and Eaton, not to mention Avisail Garcia coming back next year when he gets healthy, new #3 overall draft choice Carlos Rodon, and more prospects in the minors than Sox fans are used to. Lots of holes can be filled through free agency as well when Adam Dunn's massive contract is off the books at the end of this year. There is a lot to be excited about when considering the future of the White Sox, although it's probably best for my own sanity to not get too excited this year.
The Cubbies
The Cubs have a ton of young talent and should be ready to compete in a few years. So what if that last sentence could have been copied and pasted from any number of years when describing the Cubs, this time it's true damnit!
Gratuitous Cubs vibing aside, Wrigleyville should be excited that Rizzo has seemed to figure out left-handed pitching this year (slashing a robust .328/.432/.582 this year against lefties versus .189/.282/.342 last year), and the fact that Kris Bryant's dominance of the high minors might force a call up before the Cubs can avoid his Super 2 status (giving the Cubs an extra year of control over Bryant before he hits arbitration) is a good problem to have, especially since the Cubs shouldn't have to worry about operating like a small market team.
The list of exciting Cubs prospects is endless, but the issue will be if Theo and Jed can cobble together a pitching staff when the time is right. The plan is supposed to be to sign impact free agents (likely pitchers) to pair with the elite prospects when the young'uns are ready to perform on the big stage. This is easier said than done, and the plan is also reliant on the development of young prospects. If I'm a Cubs fan, I'm certainly more in a "show me" state of mind rather than just blindly believing that the Cubs will be WS contenders in 2016.
The Hawks
What a great team. The core of Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, and Sharp are locked up, which means this team will be a Stanley Cup contender for a long time, which is very exciting. Every team dreams of having a fairly young core locked up for a while so their window of competing for the Cup stays open for an extended period of time, and the Hawks have exactly that.
Many fans have talked about how the Hawks getting bounced by the LA Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals was one of their most devastating moments as a sports fan. Sorry, but I don't see it. The Kings were a great hockey team, and it was evident to anyone watching that the Western Conference Finals was the de-facto Stanley Cup Finals. These were clearly the two best teams in the league. So Hawks fans were treated to brilliant hockey on both sides for 7 games, and it's ok to tip your cap to a great team. If this series were played 100 times the Hawks probably would have won it about 45 times. Sure it hurts to be on the losing side, but the bottom line is that the Hawks have won 2 cups in the last 4 years even after losing this one. It reminds me of the clashes between Magic Johnson's Lakers versus Larry Legend's Celtics. Both great teams, but somebody was gonna lose. I think Hawks fans should hold up their heads high and be proud of the fact that their team contributed to some of the greatest Stanley Cup games ever played. And let's get it next year.
Da Bears
It's about time they figured it out. Success in the modern-day NFL is predicated on two important factors:
1) Can your offense throw the ball in key situations?
2) Can your defense disrupt the other team's passing game?
Long gone are the days when teams would run the ball and play tough defense; the rules won't allow for tough defense anymore and it's easier to pick up large chunks of yardage through the air than on the ground. Lovie Smith was a fantastic defensive coach. The Bears had a great defense. It didn't matter. The Bears couldn't keep score with the high-paced offenses that were still able to put up points against the Bears staunch defense, and the defensive-minded team was in a lot of trouble anytime they were playing from a deficit.
Phil Emery has finally put the focus in the right spots, bringing in an offensive minded coach in Mark Trestman, providing Cutler with a lot of playmakers who can catch the ball (Marshall, Jeffery, Forte, Bennett), and pass protection, revamping the offensive line last offseason. This year, Emery revamped their defensive line and drafted a cornerback with their first pick, giving the Bears 3 solid corners. It's clear they're preparing to face teams like Green Bay and Detroit; they want to pressure their elite QBs while trying to lock down on the weapons those types of teams possess. It's the right approach, and I'm confident it will lead to a playoff appearance this year (hopefully this isn't like my Rip Hamilton optimism).
The Chicago Bulls
Even though the NBA season just ended, right now the Bulls are the most interesting they've been since Derrick's knee gave out on him again 10 games into this past season. The decisions the Bulls will be making will probably be discussed in more detail in a future post, but the cliff notes are as follows: GMs Gar Forman and John Paxon have been stressing that they want flexibility with their players and their contracts so that they can have a lot of options on how to construct their team moving forward. All of the flexibility has led to the accumulation of these assets:
-The Bulls have the #16 and #19 picks in a loaded 2014 draft
-Bulls draft pick Nikola Mirotic is dominating play in Europe and could come over to play with the Bulls as a stretch 4 if his buyout and NBA contract are agreed upon (or he could be traded)
-They have a future Kings pick and the ability to swap places with Cleveland's pick down the line
All of these assets are important because both Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony are available (Love via trade, Carmelo is a FA but could be had in a sign and trade with the Knicks). SG Aaron Afflalo from Orlando is also a potential trade target for the Bulls to pair with DRose in the backcourt. GarPax needs to figure out how they can use these assets to construct the best team possible. Do they think they'll be best served by dealing a lot of assets for Kevin Love, dumping a lot of salary for Carmelo Anthony, or consolidating their 2 1st round picks into a higher pick for a more elite shooter and then bringing over Mirotic. It looks like the Bulls are focused on trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony, but it will be fascinating to see how this team looks next year, especially since they could certainly be the Paper Champions with the best looking roster going into the beginning of next year if they can make a starting 5 like Rose/Afflalo/Butler/Anthony/Noah happen.
I'd like to get back to using this venue to share my thoughts and opinions about the happenings in the sports world in a more consistent manner, and to do that I think it's best to asses where the major Chicago teams are at right now. Let's start with the teams that are currently playing actual games:
The Chicago White Sox
I am always guilty of being overly optimistic about my favorite team in all of sports. At the beginning of the year I kept trying to remind myself that with the extra wild card team, a weak AL Central division with Detroit's key contributors like Cabrera and Verlander getting older, that the Sox could potentially sneak into the playoffs. I'm happy to report that generally the performance of the southsiders has helped me maintain my optimism: Chris Sale continues to be a leading Cy Young candidate, Jose Abreu has crushed all expectations (along with several poorly located pitches) with his prolific all-fields power stroke, Adam Eaton has been a welcome addition as a catalyst at the top of the order, and Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham have shown significant improvements at the plate so far this year.
Of course Sale, Abreu, and Eaton have already spent time on the DL, the bullpen was awful to start the year, the Erik Johnson experiment did not work, which has led to far too many starts from the likes of Andre Rienzo, Scott Carroll, and Hector Noesi, not to mention that Danks has mixed in a couple of solid starts with some significant implosions. This team will likely hover around .500 all year, which means they won't be too far out of a playoff spot, but it's unrealistic to think they can overcome Det, KC, Cle in their own division, to to mention Anaheim and a number of teams in the AL East competing for Wild Card spots.
The good news is that GM Rick Hahn has shown that he can bring in good young talent in Abreu and Eaton, not to mention Avisail Garcia coming back next year when he gets healthy, new #3 overall draft choice Carlos Rodon, and more prospects in the minors than Sox fans are used to. Lots of holes can be filled through free agency as well when Adam Dunn's massive contract is off the books at the end of this year. There is a lot to be excited about when considering the future of the White Sox, although it's probably best for my own sanity to not get too excited this year.
The Cubbies
The Cubs have a ton of young talent and should be ready to compete in a few years. So what if that last sentence could have been copied and pasted from any number of years when describing the Cubs, this time it's true damnit!
Gratuitous Cubs vibing aside, Wrigleyville should be excited that Rizzo has seemed to figure out left-handed pitching this year (slashing a robust .328/.432/.582 this year against lefties versus .189/.282/.342 last year), and the fact that Kris Bryant's dominance of the high minors might force a call up before the Cubs can avoid his Super 2 status (giving the Cubs an extra year of control over Bryant before he hits arbitration) is a good problem to have, especially since the Cubs shouldn't have to worry about operating like a small market team.
The list of exciting Cubs prospects is endless, but the issue will be if Theo and Jed can cobble together a pitching staff when the time is right. The plan is supposed to be to sign impact free agents (likely pitchers) to pair with the elite prospects when the young'uns are ready to perform on the big stage. This is easier said than done, and the plan is also reliant on the development of young prospects. If I'm a Cubs fan, I'm certainly more in a "show me" state of mind rather than just blindly believing that the Cubs will be WS contenders in 2016.
The Hawks
What a great team. The core of Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, and Sharp are locked up, which means this team will be a Stanley Cup contender for a long time, which is very exciting. Every team dreams of having a fairly young core locked up for a while so their window of competing for the Cup stays open for an extended period of time, and the Hawks have exactly that.
Many fans have talked about how the Hawks getting bounced by the LA Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals was one of their most devastating moments as a sports fan. Sorry, but I don't see it. The Kings were a great hockey team, and it was evident to anyone watching that the Western Conference Finals was the de-facto Stanley Cup Finals. These were clearly the two best teams in the league. So Hawks fans were treated to brilliant hockey on both sides for 7 games, and it's ok to tip your cap to a great team. If this series were played 100 times the Hawks probably would have won it about 45 times. Sure it hurts to be on the losing side, but the bottom line is that the Hawks have won 2 cups in the last 4 years even after losing this one. It reminds me of the clashes between Magic Johnson's Lakers versus Larry Legend's Celtics. Both great teams, but somebody was gonna lose. I think Hawks fans should hold up their heads high and be proud of the fact that their team contributed to some of the greatest Stanley Cup games ever played. And let's get it next year.
Da Bears
It's about time they figured it out. Success in the modern-day NFL is predicated on two important factors:
1) Can your offense throw the ball in key situations?
2) Can your defense disrupt the other team's passing game?
Long gone are the days when teams would run the ball and play tough defense; the rules won't allow for tough defense anymore and it's easier to pick up large chunks of yardage through the air than on the ground. Lovie Smith was a fantastic defensive coach. The Bears had a great defense. It didn't matter. The Bears couldn't keep score with the high-paced offenses that were still able to put up points against the Bears staunch defense, and the defensive-minded team was in a lot of trouble anytime they were playing from a deficit.
Phil Emery has finally put the focus in the right spots, bringing in an offensive minded coach in Mark Trestman, providing Cutler with a lot of playmakers who can catch the ball (Marshall, Jeffery, Forte, Bennett), and pass protection, revamping the offensive line last offseason. This year, Emery revamped their defensive line and drafted a cornerback with their first pick, giving the Bears 3 solid corners. It's clear they're preparing to face teams like Green Bay and Detroit; they want to pressure their elite QBs while trying to lock down on the weapons those types of teams possess. It's the right approach, and I'm confident it will lead to a playoff appearance this year (hopefully this isn't like my Rip Hamilton optimism).
The Chicago Bulls
Even though the NBA season just ended, right now the Bulls are the most interesting they've been since Derrick's knee gave out on him again 10 games into this past season. The decisions the Bulls will be making will probably be discussed in more detail in a future post, but the cliff notes are as follows: GMs Gar Forman and John Paxon have been stressing that they want flexibility with their players and their contracts so that they can have a lot of options on how to construct their team moving forward. All of the flexibility has led to the accumulation of these assets:
-The Bulls have the #16 and #19 picks in a loaded 2014 draft
-Bulls draft pick Nikola Mirotic is dominating play in Europe and could come over to play with the Bulls as a stretch 4 if his buyout and NBA contract are agreed upon (or he could be traded)
-They have a future Kings pick and the ability to swap places with Cleveland's pick down the line
All of these assets are important because both Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony are available (Love via trade, Carmelo is a FA but could be had in a sign and trade with the Knicks). SG Aaron Afflalo from Orlando is also a potential trade target for the Bulls to pair with DRose in the backcourt. GarPax needs to figure out how they can use these assets to construct the best team possible. Do they think they'll be best served by dealing a lot of assets for Kevin Love, dumping a lot of salary for Carmelo Anthony, or consolidating their 2 1st round picks into a higher pick for a more elite shooter and then bringing over Mirotic. It looks like the Bulls are focused on trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony, but it will be fascinating to see how this team looks next year, especially since they could certainly be the Paper Champions with the best looking roster going into the beginning of next year if they can make a starting 5 like Rose/Afflalo/Butler/Anthony/Noah happen.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Happy Buehrle Perfecto Day!
On the radio this morning I was reminded that 3 years ago today, on July 23, 2009, Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game. It was just a quick reminder of a great event in White Sox history, yet thousands of memories came rushing to my mind. A lot of the memories were totally useless trivia, tidbits that are only fascinating to an avid sports fan. Here's what I remembered in that fleeting moment (before I looked up any of the facts, scout's honor):
-Buehrle shut down the Rays, who ranked close to the top of the league in OBP and runs scored in the majors in 2009.
-Ramon Castro, and not A.J. Pierzynski caught the perfecto.
-Castro and Buehrle had worked together so few times that Castro wasn't even aware that Buehrle had a curveball in his repertoire.
-Josh Fields hit a grand slam early on in the game giving Buehrle a nice cushion of run support. Sort of a mundane fact unless you're a White Sox fan who is familiar with how highly-touted Fields was as a prospect in the Sox farm system, and then how awfully he performed during his brief time with the major league club.
-There were many close calls that almost broke up the perfect game even before the 9th inning, including a couple of shots that landed just foul of the left field line, and more than a couple of 3 ball counts.
-Alexei Ramirez fielded a grounder and fired it to Josh Fields for the final out. Fields, normally a third baseman was only manning first base to give Paulie a day of "rest" as the team's designated hitter.
-Dewayne Wise made "the Catch" as Sox fans have dubbed it (hopefully Willy Mays gets some royalties) when Gabe Kapler led of the 9th with a shot to left center that would have cleared the fence for a home run. The perfect game, no-hitter, and shutout should have been wiped away if not for Wise (who was playing very shallow to take away any cheap bloopers). Dewayne took a perfect route to the wall, and soared over the fence at absolute maximum speed. He caught the ball, but the impact of a 200 lb man hitting the wall at full speed (full speed for Dewayne Wise is different than full speed for me or you. Unless Dewayne is reading my blog, in which case, hi Dewayne!) caused the ball to come out of his glove's webbing. As Wise stumbled to the ground he reached out and secured the precariously bobbling pill by trapping it with his glove and bare hand, then somersaulted forward and landed on his feet with the ball still somehow safe and sound in his throwing hand, as if he was a gymnast who had the whole thing planned out, then he stuck the landing.
Maybe the fact that I remember this much detail about a regular season game is a waste of the limited memory capacity that I possess, but I was more struck by the non-baseball details I remember so vividly about this game. Here's some of the other details that really stick with me regarding Buehrle's perfecto:
-I didn't watch a minute of the game live. It was a day game, and although I had the day off, and there are few things I love more than relaxing and watching a baseball game, I was more excited about spending the time at the Lincoln Park zoo with Kate, who I had recently started dating at the time.
-While I always enjoy the zoo, I remember Kate being exceptionally annoyed with me. I generally check baseball scores in public too often, but Kate could tell that on this particular day I was much more distracted by the scores on my cellphone than usual. Whenever Kate asked what was up, being the superstitious jackass that I am, I continued to respond, "I can't tell you right now."
(side note: I'm very superstitious, but nothing is worse than when I'm watching a sporting event. When things don't go well for my team, for some reason I feel like if I change the spot I'm sitting in, or whether or not the game is recording, or whether or not I have a drink, I can change the outcome of a game. My unhinged behavior becomes even more concentrated during a no-hitter or perfect game in progress, probably because it's such a helpless feeling to watch a potentially historic event that could come to a screeching halt on any pitch. So, yes, I'm all for the not talking about a no-no superstition, and I'll take it to the next level if I have to.)
-I remember receiving texts from my dad, my brother, my college friends, my high school friends, some of whom I hadn't talked to in years. Perhaps they were all persuaded by Hawk Harrelson who prior to the start of the 9th inning exclaimed, "Call your sons! Call your daughters! Call your friends! Call your neighbors! Mark Buehrle has a perfect game going into the 9th!" I don't think Sox fans needed any nudging, since I received almost all of my texts in the 6th or 7th innings and then everyone got quiet and superstitious like me. I also remember taking the opportunity to catch up with my brother and my dad and some of those friends I hadn't talked to in a while after the game ended. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the grind of our everyday lives, but sports has a way of bringing people together, whether it's people you see or talk to everyday like my family members, or friends that I haven't talked to in far too long.
-I remember watching the replay of the game with my roommates, discussing where we were and what we were doing when Dewayne made "the Catch," reciting our favorite Hawkisms from the game, and debating the proper superstition protocol of no-hitters (when it's ok to text someone, how often announcers should alert the viewing audience as to what is happening, etc.)
All of these non-baseball moments remain as vivid and real to me now as they were when they happened. While the normal grind of a baseball regular season can get monotonous, baseball is great because something special or historic can happen any day, any at-bat, or any pitch. When something as special as the 18th perfect game happens out of the blue, it's memorable for sports fans, of course. But for me, these special moments act as a time capsule; I can remember what I was doing with my life at the time, where I lived, who was important to me, what I enjoyed doing in my spare time, the list goes on. If you asked me what was happening in my life in 2009, I'd have no idea because it's hard to place myself with a number. But if you ask me what I was doing when Buehrle threw his perfecto, everything immediately comes into focus, and someday when I'm old and gray, memories like these will be my most valuable just because I'll be able to remember who I was and what I've become since then.
Fast forward to present day, that girlfriend of mine who was so annoyed with my constant checking of the Sox score at the zoo still feels that way on a regular basis, as I'll be marrying her in 3 months. Thank goodness she's a Sox fan too otherwise I'm not sure how she'd be able to put up with my superstitions/quirks/oddities. While my former roommates have all graduated from college and all have different jobs/professions than they had in 2009, somethings never change, and I still talk about baseball, the White Sox, Hawkisms and other such things on a regular basis with those guys. Recently I remember texting back and forth with my brother and my dad during Phil Humber's perfect game (I was listening to Farmio and DJ on the radio on my way to a wedding gig for that one, but that's for another blog), and while the communication during the perfecto has remained the same, now my brother is also engaged and living in Aurora while my dad's role in newspaper business has taken several different forms over the last 3 years.
With all of the specific details I remember about Buehrle's actual game, it wasn't just the game itself that made me smile when I reflected on the events of July 23, 2009. It makes me happy to remember what life was like 3 years ago with such brilliant specificity. It makes me feel so blessed to think about all of the great things that have happened in my life in the 3 years since. Sure, it was just a regular season game in the middle of the summer, but the beautiful thing about baseball is that a game that should have been just like any other has the power to bring friends and family together, while also being so significant that I can time mentally jump in the Delorean and travel back to that day any time I wish. On July 23, 2009, Mark Buehrle was perfect. And thanks to Mark, Dewayne, and all of my friends, family, and loved ones, I'll always remember that day with perfect clarity.
-Buehrle shut down the Rays, who ranked close to the top of the league in OBP and runs scored in the majors in 2009.
-Ramon Castro, and not A.J. Pierzynski caught the perfecto.
-Castro and Buehrle had worked together so few times that Castro wasn't even aware that Buehrle had a curveball in his repertoire.
-Josh Fields hit a grand slam early on in the game giving Buehrle a nice cushion of run support. Sort of a mundane fact unless you're a White Sox fan who is familiar with how highly-touted Fields was as a prospect in the Sox farm system, and then how awfully he performed during his brief time with the major league club.
-There were many close calls that almost broke up the perfect game even before the 9th inning, including a couple of shots that landed just foul of the left field line, and more than a couple of 3 ball counts.
-Alexei Ramirez fielded a grounder and fired it to Josh Fields for the final out. Fields, normally a third baseman was only manning first base to give Paulie a day of "rest" as the team's designated hitter.
-Dewayne Wise made "the Catch" as Sox fans have dubbed it (hopefully Willy Mays gets some royalties) when Gabe Kapler led of the 9th with a shot to left center that would have cleared the fence for a home run. The perfect game, no-hitter, and shutout should have been wiped away if not for Wise (who was playing very shallow to take away any cheap bloopers). Dewayne took a perfect route to the wall, and soared over the fence at absolute maximum speed. He caught the ball, but the impact of a 200 lb man hitting the wall at full speed (full speed for Dewayne Wise is different than full speed for me or you. Unless Dewayne is reading my blog, in which case, hi Dewayne!) caused the ball to come out of his glove's webbing. As Wise stumbled to the ground he reached out and secured the precariously bobbling pill by trapping it with his glove and bare hand, then somersaulted forward and landed on his feet with the ball still somehow safe and sound in his throwing hand, as if he was a gymnast who had the whole thing planned out, then he stuck the landing.
Maybe the fact that I remember this much detail about a regular season game is a waste of the limited memory capacity that I possess, but I was more struck by the non-baseball details I remember so vividly about this game. Here's some of the other details that really stick with me regarding Buehrle's perfecto:
-I didn't watch a minute of the game live. It was a day game, and although I had the day off, and there are few things I love more than relaxing and watching a baseball game, I was more excited about spending the time at the Lincoln Park zoo with Kate, who I had recently started dating at the time.
-While I always enjoy the zoo, I remember Kate being exceptionally annoyed with me. I generally check baseball scores in public too often, but Kate could tell that on this particular day I was much more distracted by the scores on my cellphone than usual. Whenever Kate asked what was up, being the superstitious jackass that I am, I continued to respond, "I can't tell you right now."
(side note: I'm very superstitious, but nothing is worse than when I'm watching a sporting event. When things don't go well for my team, for some reason I feel like if I change the spot I'm sitting in, or whether or not the game is recording, or whether or not I have a drink, I can change the outcome of a game. My unhinged behavior becomes even more concentrated during a no-hitter or perfect game in progress, probably because it's such a helpless feeling to watch a potentially historic event that could come to a screeching halt on any pitch. So, yes, I'm all for the not talking about a no-no superstition, and I'll take it to the next level if I have to.)
-I remember receiving texts from my dad, my brother, my college friends, my high school friends, some of whom I hadn't talked to in years. Perhaps they were all persuaded by Hawk Harrelson who prior to the start of the 9th inning exclaimed, "Call your sons! Call your daughters! Call your friends! Call your neighbors! Mark Buehrle has a perfect game going into the 9th!" I don't think Sox fans needed any nudging, since I received almost all of my texts in the 6th or 7th innings and then everyone got quiet and superstitious like me. I also remember taking the opportunity to catch up with my brother and my dad and some of those friends I hadn't talked to in a while after the game ended. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the grind of our everyday lives, but sports has a way of bringing people together, whether it's people you see or talk to everyday like my family members, or friends that I haven't talked to in far too long.
-I remember watching the replay of the game with my roommates, discussing where we were and what we were doing when Dewayne made "the Catch," reciting our favorite Hawkisms from the game, and debating the proper superstition protocol of no-hitters (when it's ok to text someone, how often announcers should alert the viewing audience as to what is happening, etc.)
All of these non-baseball moments remain as vivid and real to me now as they were when they happened. While the normal grind of a baseball regular season can get monotonous, baseball is great because something special or historic can happen any day, any at-bat, or any pitch. When something as special as the 18th perfect game happens out of the blue, it's memorable for sports fans, of course. But for me, these special moments act as a time capsule; I can remember what I was doing with my life at the time, where I lived, who was important to me, what I enjoyed doing in my spare time, the list goes on. If you asked me what was happening in my life in 2009, I'd have no idea because it's hard to place myself with a number. But if you ask me what I was doing when Buehrle threw his perfecto, everything immediately comes into focus, and someday when I'm old and gray, memories like these will be my most valuable just because I'll be able to remember who I was and what I've become since then.
Fast forward to present day, that girlfriend of mine who was so annoyed with my constant checking of the Sox score at the zoo still feels that way on a regular basis, as I'll be marrying her in 3 months. Thank goodness she's a Sox fan too otherwise I'm not sure how she'd be able to put up with my superstitions/quirks/oddities. While my former roommates have all graduated from college and all have different jobs/professions than they had in 2009, somethings never change, and I still talk about baseball, the White Sox, Hawkisms and other such things on a regular basis with those guys. Recently I remember texting back and forth with my brother and my dad during Phil Humber's perfect game (I was listening to Farmio and DJ on the radio on my way to a wedding gig for that one, but that's for another blog), and while the communication during the perfecto has remained the same, now my brother is also engaged and living in Aurora while my dad's role in newspaper business has taken several different forms over the last 3 years.
With all of the specific details I remember about Buehrle's actual game, it wasn't just the game itself that made me smile when I reflected on the events of July 23, 2009. It makes me happy to remember what life was like 3 years ago with such brilliant specificity. It makes me feel so blessed to think about all of the great things that have happened in my life in the 3 years since. Sure, it was just a regular season game in the middle of the summer, but the beautiful thing about baseball is that a game that should have been just like any other has the power to bring friends and family together, while also being so significant that I can time mentally jump in the Delorean and travel back to that day any time I wish. On July 23, 2009, Mark Buehrle was perfect. And thanks to Mark, Dewayne, and all of my friends, family, and loved ones, I'll always remember that day with perfect clarity.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Why Rip Hamilton Gets Me Excited for the 2011-12 Bulls
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| The Bulls better let Rip wear his headband. I'm serious. |
When Detroit amnestied Rip Hamilton though, he became an inexpensive option that didn't require the Bulls to trade anyone. Sure, there are reasons Rip comes at a discount: at 33, he's on the wrong side of his peak years, and due to his age he doesn't have the same explosiveness and athleticism he had in his championship season with the Pistons in 2004. As Rip's quickness has waned, so has his shooting accuracy in recent years. But Bulls fans who point at these truths as the primary reason the Bulls can't catch up to the Miami Heat this year are using flawed logic; Hamilton's impact at the SG position shouldn't be graded against the stud shooting guards in the NBA, but rather against the Bulls' SG situation last year. No disrespect to Keith Bogans, who is a solid veteran defender, but the way Hamilton compliments the rest of the Bulls starting 5 really opens up a lot of possibilities on both ends of the floor for the Bulls. Here's how I see Rip impacting the Bulls:
1) Rip's presence will allow the Bulls to be one of the best fast-break teams in the league. Chicago's best offense has been their solid defense under Thibodeau; they force turnovers, then get easy buckets in transition. They were great at this last year, but Rip can take this to another level. Bogans isn't nearly as quick or as conditioned as Rip, and he's not nearly as good of a finisher in the open floor as Hamilton is. This is not a knock on Bogans, this just happens to be one of Hamilton's strengths. Now Derrick has someone who can almost keep up with him on the break. Don't forget the Bulls can also run with Deng, someone who can finish at the rim or spot up at the 3 point line in transition, and Noah, who is without a doubt the best center in the NBA on the fast break. The LA Clippers might be Lob City, but if everything breaks right (pun intended), the Bulls could become Layup City.
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| "A competent coach? This is weird..." |
3) Matchups. Many teams tried to guard Derrick Rose with someone bigger than their point guard, and they'd hide their small PG defender on Bogans. This won't work with Hamilton, because he can dominate smaller defenders with his above average post game. Hopefully Rip can teach Derrick some of his post moves as well, so Bulls fans can hear Stacy King exclaiming "mouse in the house!" in their sleep.
4) Conditioning. I realize that the players in the NBA are world class athletes, but Rip Hamilton has always been known for his insane conditioning, ala Ray Allen. The benefits of Hamilton's work ethic are two-fold: obviously he doesn't tire out when running around picks all game, but more importantly, he's tiring out the poor opposition who's trying to chase him all around the court. Compare this to last year when players like Dwayne Wade would take a break on the defensive end of the floor standing near Keith Bogans, now players like Wade will have to try to be productive on the offensive end while relentlessly chasing Hamilton around picks on the other end of the floor.
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| "Here's my ring, show 'em yours Scal" |
Other than Rip Hamilton's impact there are a couple of other things that I think will work in the Bulls' favor this year. The first is Carlos Boozer. Last year was an absolute worst case scenario for Booze; literally everything went wrong, and yet the Bulls still got to the conference finals. I like how Bill Simmons' summed up the difference between Boozer last year compared to this year when he wrote:
"There were real reasons why [Boozer] stunk last year (new team, new situation, injured in training camp, not in the best shape, just never got it going, lost confidence) and real reasons why he'll shine this season (motivated and hungry, a 20/10 guy when healthy, better chemistry with Rose). He's too good to stink twice."
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| "King James ain't got sh#t on the White Mamba!" |
Sure I'm probably riding optimistically high since the season is finally about to start, but it's fun and exciting to root for a team with great chemistry that's hellbent on winning, and I'm going to continue to expect big things from this group until they finally give me reason not to.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Ozzie Takes His Talents (and sacrifice bunts) to South Beach
August 31st, 2011. The White Sox still have about 30 games left on the schedule, and despite being 5 games behind the Detroit Tigers they were still very much in the AL Central race, thanks to a couple of head-to-head series with Detroit still on the docket. After Detroit won their game against the Royals earlier in the day, the Sox looked to keep pace by beating the Twins. With the tying run coming to the plate in the 9th inning, Ozzie Guillen pinch hit for Brent Lillibridge with Adam Dunn, and essentially made it clear that he had no intention, or desire to continue managing for the White Sox anymore.
It probably sounds like I'm being overly dramatic about one managerial decision, or that I'm a tunnel visioned fan who's looking for a person or moment to blame for a disappointing White Sox season (which is partially true). But this one decision, for a number of reasons, made it clear that Ozzie Guillen was no longer managing with the same competitive savvy he displayed in 2005. All good things must come to an end, and with everything that culminated into this one pinch hit decision, it became evident that it was time for Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox to part ways.
I don't want to sound like I'm dumping on Ozzie too much, because I still think he's a fantastic manager who's baseball knowledge and intuition is often overlooked because of his outlandish sound bytes. Here's why I still believe Ozzie is one of the top managers in the game today:
1) Ozzie is honest and blunt. He will let his players know how he feels and what their roles are, good or bad. It's important for direct communication to be open between players and coaches, and despite the fact that Ozzie's Spanglish is sometimes hard to understand, Ozzie made sure his players knew what was expected of them. It seems simple enough, but baseball players are creatures of habit who need to understand their roles, and how they're supposed to be utilized, and with Ozzie there was never any doubt.
2) Ozzie manages a pitching staff better than just about any manager in the game. His starting pitchers respect him because he always gives them a shot to earn a W. And Ozzie doesn't manage according to the save statistic. He knows who his best bullpen arms are, and he brings them in for the high leverage situations regardless of whether or not it will earn his "closer" a save. This was even evident as recently as this past year, when Ozzie did a masterful job of matching up his bullpen aces (Sale and Santos) in a manner that gave his team the best chance to win, instead of trying to pile up a bunch of saves for one player. Many managers are afraid to think outside the box and manage outside of the save rule.
3) Ozzie normally does a great job of keeping his teams loose and relaxed. He likes to have fun with the players, fans, and really anyone in the same room with him; he's kind of a fun loving guy. He also alleviated a lot of pressure from the 2005 World Championship team with his seemingly random rants and colorful sound bytes. Sure, Ozzie genuinely does like to complain about the god-awful facilities at Wrigley Field, or the double-standard that MLB presents by offering Japanese players interpreters, but not providing the same service for Latino players. But Ozzie's news-worthy rants served the purpose of taking the attention off of his players too. With a team that didn't feature a lot of vocal players (think Konerko, Dye, etc.) Ozzie assumed the role of the voice of the clubhouse so that his players didn't have to, and a lot of Ozzie's outbursts happened right around a losing streak to take the attention off of his teams recent failures. People assume Guillen is just a talkative guy who likes to randomly run his mouth, but the man is intelligent and knows what he's doing.
So where did Ozzie's relationship with the White Sox go wrong? Well, before we go back to August 31st, lets go back one month earlier, on July 30th. At this point in the season the Sox were barely staying afloat in the AL Central due in part to some issues in the back end of the bullpen in April (Matt Thorton couldn't close out games, and Juan Pierre forgot how to catch routine fly balls), but the biggest thing holding the White Sox back were historically bad performances from Alex Rios and Adam Dunn. The Sox were having a hard time overcoming getting absolutely nothing from two players who make over $10 million annually and were expected to be major run producers. Normally the front office (ahem...Kenny Williams) would be to blame for allocating such huge resources to players who not only don't produce, but come close to breaking MLB records of futility (Dunn would've had the lowest BA in history, but he ended up not getting enough ABs to qualify).
Kenny Williams saw that those two gaping holes in his lineup were killing the Sox chances at the post-season, and came out and made this statement on July 30th:
“We’re here to put the best players out there, who are going to fight the hardest, bust their tail the hardest, regardless of contract size, regardless of their history in the game, just play to win from here on out. That wasn’t a direct message at him, he is obviously the one most affected right now, but there may be others at any given time.”
The most important part of the statement is when Kenny says "regardless of contract size." This is essentially freeing Ozzie from the handcuffs of feeling like he has to start Dunn and Rios every day because they're making so much money. It's rare for front office types to admit their mistakes, swallow their pride and bench $25 million in salary, but Kenny did it in an attempt to save the White Sox season and to allow Ozzie to play Alejandro De Aza (freshly called up from AAA Charlotte) over Rios, and also to allow other hotter bats (like Lillibridge) to get some time in at DH while Dunn rides the bench.
It turns out that despite Dunn and Rios' hitting woes, the Sox had other solid options, as De Aza hit a home run in his first game with the southsiders, and provided an immediate spark with a quick bat, electric base running, and a sparkling glove, clearly out-performing Rios in every aspect of the game. Regardless of solid numbers in Charlotte against lefties and righties, Ozzie insisted on platooning De Aza, starting him only against northpaws while Rios continued to start in CF, play miserable defense, and hit weak ground balls to the shortstop. In addition to De Aza, Dayan Viciedo spent the first 5 months of the 2011 season absolutely mashing AAA pitching in Charlotte, and yet when he got called up to the majors he still found himself on the bench far too often while Adam Dunn continued to get at bats after 4 months of drawing standing ovations from an anxious US Cellular crowd for not striking out. This apathetic approach Ozzie had to setting his lineups was not something Sox fans were used to, Ozzie always preaches accountability, and was never shy about trying different lineups in the past to try to jump start the team. For some reason, Ozzie seemed resigned to watch the team continue to fail as opposed to trying to be proactive with his lineups to try to breathe some life into his team.
The last straw came on August 31st. Brent Lillibridge came to the plate against Joe Nathan, representing the tying run. Sox fans felt good, not only because Lillibridge had the hottest bat in the lineup and had homered earlier that afternoon, but also because "the Crusher" had homered off of Nathan in his only career at-bat against him less than a month earlier. Instead of allowing Brent to try to work his magic once again, Ozzie called for the discombobulated lefty, big Adam Dunn. I'm sure nobody was more surprised at the decision than Dunn. He gave Sox fans hope by working a 3-1 count, then, as he had done 156 times previously that season, he swung through two belt high fastballs right down the middle, and grabbed some bench. As if Dunn's confidence wasn't shaken enough, Ozzie brought him out once again in front of a huge crowd in a must win game, setting up what was certain failure based on what had happened that year. Kenny gave Ozzie the leeway to bench Dunn if he wanted, and Ozzie chose to further expose Dunn's miserable season in the most important moment of a must win game, essentially holding up a middle finger to Kenny Williams and Sox fans everywhere.
What was frustrating to me as a White Sox fan (and a fan of Ozzie) is that I know Guillen is capable of being a very creative, innovative manager, and his competitive spirit has never allowed him to get lazy and stick with something that didn't work. For example, in 2005 Ozzie realized that he had issues with the back end of the bullpen when Shingo Takatsu and Dustin Hermanson didn't provide the consistency the Sox needed. The 2005 version of Ozzie wasn't afraid to call up an unproven rookie in Bobby Jenks, and when Jenks proved that he could produce, Ozzie trusted him to get the most important outs of the 2005 regular season, and eventually the final out securing the White Sox first World Series victory in 85 years. It was a combination of competitiveness, intuition, and sheer guts that allowed Ozzie to make bold moves like that, and unfortunately that version of Ozzie did not exist in 2011. There were options and opportunities for Guillen to try different lineups and bench certain players while giving more playing time to players like De Aza who earned the playing time with their production, and Ozzie did nothing. Pinch hitting Dunn for Lillibridge is the most glaring example of Ozzie not having the balls to do the unconventional thing that gave his team the best chance to win.
I still maintain that Ozzie is a great manager, and I have no doubt Miami will rejuvenate him, and baseball is a better sport with Guillen's fiery spirit and fantastic sound bytes around. And of course I will always appreciate the major role he played in bringing Chicago the only World Series victory any of us have seen in our lifetimes. But the relationship between Ozzie had grown stale, and sadly it's time to move on.
It probably sounds like I'm being overly dramatic about one managerial decision, or that I'm a tunnel visioned fan who's looking for a person or moment to blame for a disappointing White Sox season (which is partially true). But this one decision, for a number of reasons, made it clear that Ozzie Guillen was no longer managing with the same competitive savvy he displayed in 2005. All good things must come to an end, and with everything that culminated into this one pinch hit decision, it became evident that it was time for Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox to part ways.
I don't want to sound like I'm dumping on Ozzie too much, because I still think he's a fantastic manager who's baseball knowledge and intuition is often overlooked because of his outlandish sound bytes. Here's why I still believe Ozzie is one of the top managers in the game today:
1) Ozzie is honest and blunt. He will let his players know how he feels and what their roles are, good or bad. It's important for direct communication to be open between players and coaches, and despite the fact that Ozzie's Spanglish is sometimes hard to understand, Ozzie made sure his players knew what was expected of them. It seems simple enough, but baseball players are creatures of habit who need to understand their roles, and how they're supposed to be utilized, and with Ozzie there was never any doubt.
2) Ozzie manages a pitching staff better than just about any manager in the game. His starting pitchers respect him because he always gives them a shot to earn a W. And Ozzie doesn't manage according to the save statistic. He knows who his best bullpen arms are, and he brings them in for the high leverage situations regardless of whether or not it will earn his "closer" a save. This was even evident as recently as this past year, when Ozzie did a masterful job of matching up his bullpen aces (Sale and Santos) in a manner that gave his team the best chance to win, instead of trying to pile up a bunch of saves for one player. Many managers are afraid to think outside the box and manage outside of the save rule.
3) Ozzie normally does a great job of keeping his teams loose and relaxed. He likes to have fun with the players, fans, and really anyone in the same room with him; he's kind of a fun loving guy. He also alleviated a lot of pressure from the 2005 World Championship team with his seemingly random rants and colorful sound bytes. Sure, Ozzie genuinely does like to complain about the god-awful facilities at Wrigley Field, or the double-standard that MLB presents by offering Japanese players interpreters, but not providing the same service for Latino players. But Ozzie's news-worthy rants served the purpose of taking the attention off of his players too. With a team that didn't feature a lot of vocal players (think Konerko, Dye, etc.) Ozzie assumed the role of the voice of the clubhouse so that his players didn't have to, and a lot of Ozzie's outbursts happened right around a losing streak to take the attention off of his teams recent failures. People assume Guillen is just a talkative guy who likes to randomly run his mouth, but the man is intelligent and knows what he's doing.
So where did Ozzie's relationship with the White Sox go wrong? Well, before we go back to August 31st, lets go back one month earlier, on July 30th. At this point in the season the Sox were barely staying afloat in the AL Central due in part to some issues in the back end of the bullpen in April (Matt Thorton couldn't close out games, and Juan Pierre forgot how to catch routine fly balls), but the biggest thing holding the White Sox back were historically bad performances from Alex Rios and Adam Dunn. The Sox were having a hard time overcoming getting absolutely nothing from two players who make over $10 million annually and were expected to be major run producers. Normally the front office (ahem...Kenny Williams) would be to blame for allocating such huge resources to players who not only don't produce, but come close to breaking MLB records of futility (Dunn would've had the lowest BA in history, but he ended up not getting enough ABs to qualify).
Kenny Williams saw that those two gaping holes in his lineup were killing the Sox chances at the post-season, and came out and made this statement on July 30th:
“We’re here to put the best players out there, who are going to fight the hardest, bust their tail the hardest, regardless of contract size, regardless of their history in the game, just play to win from here on out. That wasn’t a direct message at him, he is obviously the one most affected right now, but there may be others at any given time.”
The most important part of the statement is when Kenny says "regardless of contract size." This is essentially freeing Ozzie from the handcuffs of feeling like he has to start Dunn and Rios every day because they're making so much money. It's rare for front office types to admit their mistakes, swallow their pride and bench $25 million in salary, but Kenny did it in an attempt to save the White Sox season and to allow Ozzie to play Alejandro De Aza (freshly called up from AAA Charlotte) over Rios, and also to allow other hotter bats (like Lillibridge) to get some time in at DH while Dunn rides the bench.
It turns out that despite Dunn and Rios' hitting woes, the Sox had other solid options, as De Aza hit a home run in his first game with the southsiders, and provided an immediate spark with a quick bat, electric base running, and a sparkling glove, clearly out-performing Rios in every aspect of the game. Regardless of solid numbers in Charlotte against lefties and righties, Ozzie insisted on platooning De Aza, starting him only against northpaws while Rios continued to start in CF, play miserable defense, and hit weak ground balls to the shortstop. In addition to De Aza, Dayan Viciedo spent the first 5 months of the 2011 season absolutely mashing AAA pitching in Charlotte, and yet when he got called up to the majors he still found himself on the bench far too often while Adam Dunn continued to get at bats after 4 months of drawing standing ovations from an anxious US Cellular crowd for not striking out. This apathetic approach Ozzie had to setting his lineups was not something Sox fans were used to, Ozzie always preaches accountability, and was never shy about trying different lineups in the past to try to jump start the team. For some reason, Ozzie seemed resigned to watch the team continue to fail as opposed to trying to be proactive with his lineups to try to breathe some life into his team.
The last straw came on August 31st. Brent Lillibridge came to the plate against Joe Nathan, representing the tying run. Sox fans felt good, not only because Lillibridge had the hottest bat in the lineup and had homered earlier that afternoon, but also because "the Crusher" had homered off of Nathan in his only career at-bat against him less than a month earlier. Instead of allowing Brent to try to work his magic once again, Ozzie called for the discombobulated lefty, big Adam Dunn. I'm sure nobody was more surprised at the decision than Dunn. He gave Sox fans hope by working a 3-1 count, then, as he had done 156 times previously that season, he swung through two belt high fastballs right down the middle, and grabbed some bench. As if Dunn's confidence wasn't shaken enough, Ozzie brought him out once again in front of a huge crowd in a must win game, setting up what was certain failure based on what had happened that year. Kenny gave Ozzie the leeway to bench Dunn if he wanted, and Ozzie chose to further expose Dunn's miserable season in the most important moment of a must win game, essentially holding up a middle finger to Kenny Williams and Sox fans everywhere.
What was frustrating to me as a White Sox fan (and a fan of Ozzie) is that I know Guillen is capable of being a very creative, innovative manager, and his competitive spirit has never allowed him to get lazy and stick with something that didn't work. For example, in 2005 Ozzie realized that he had issues with the back end of the bullpen when Shingo Takatsu and Dustin Hermanson didn't provide the consistency the Sox needed. The 2005 version of Ozzie wasn't afraid to call up an unproven rookie in Bobby Jenks, and when Jenks proved that he could produce, Ozzie trusted him to get the most important outs of the 2005 regular season, and eventually the final out securing the White Sox first World Series victory in 85 years. It was a combination of competitiveness, intuition, and sheer guts that allowed Ozzie to make bold moves like that, and unfortunately that version of Ozzie did not exist in 2011. There were options and opportunities for Guillen to try different lineups and bench certain players while giving more playing time to players like De Aza who earned the playing time with their production, and Ozzie did nothing. Pinch hitting Dunn for Lillibridge is the most glaring example of Ozzie not having the balls to do the unconventional thing that gave his team the best chance to win.
I still maintain that Ozzie is a great manager, and I have no doubt Miami will rejuvenate him, and baseball is a better sport with Guillen's fiery spirit and fantastic sound bytes around. And of course I will always appreciate the major role he played in bringing Chicago the only World Series victory any of us have seen in our lifetimes. But the relationship between Ozzie had grown stale, and sadly it's time to move on.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Oversaturation: OK For Sports, Not So Good for Sports Coverage
I really liked Cee Lo Green's Forget You. I'm not the only one, based on the 13 million hits the video has; and the video itself is especially entertaining with the Cee Lo and Gary Coleman love-child lip-syncing and acting out large portions of the song. The first time I heard the tune it stuck in my head because it was catchy, but in a good way, not in that annoying, "Lamb Chops" song kind of way. Somewhere between the 30th and 863rd time I heard the song though, my feelings changed. It was too much of the same, and I didn't care anymore. There was nothing new to the song, and the Cee Lo Coleman love-child didn't learn to juggle fire in the video or anything like that, so I became indifferent. It's not that I suddenly think the song is bad, I just don't care to hear about it any more.
It's rare that I experience this sort of apathy when it involves one of my favorite Chicago sports teams, but this is the way I've felt about the Bears for the past couple of weeks. It's not just that it's still the preseason for football; this stoic, passive feeling towards football will oftentimes strike me in the middle of a football season. Don't get me wrong, football is one of my favorite sports, and Sundays and Monday nights are always something to look forward to every week. Even the analysis on Mondays and Tuesdays are something I look forward too. But with one game a week, I can't stay interested in what's happening from Wednesday to Saturday during a football season (which is good because I certainly don't have the time anyways). That said, I most definitely can't make myself rehash the actions of millionaire athletes when the games don't even matter.
I felt compelled to write about my apathy (which is ironic enough) after the Bears lost to the NY Giants last Monday. For the next week, there was non-stop radio/blog/internet coverage about Roy Williams dropping a ball that got knocked out of his hands in the first quarter, and generally not showing enough effort. I'm not going to defend Roy Williams when he's sarcastic with the media, or for his failures in the earlier stages of his career, however I'm not gonna buy into the idea that one or two plays in meaningless games have any effect on the potential for Williams' season. First of all, Roy has been around the league for a few years, and there aren't any veterans who play all out in the preseason, because the most important thing is for players to stay healthy. Second, Roy Williams only makes $1.5 million on a one year contract; he's expendable. If he's not good or doesn't show enough effort, the Bears can cut his ass without any real financial repercussions (I wish the Sox could say the same about Alex Rios). But third and most importantly, a receiver having a bad game in preseason should not be the topic leading off every Chicago sports conversation for a week straight. We have two baseball teams in this city playing actual games, the one on the south side has an outside chance at the playoffs (I'm still holding onto a glimmer of hope for the White Sox), and the northsiders just fired their GM and will be rebuilding their front office soon. There's more than enough to talk about outside of football in this city.
Therein lies the issue with sports coverage pertaining to football. We live in the information age, where anyone can learn or find out whatever they want in an instant. Thanks to all of the access we have to any kind of information we want, our society has developed an issue with oversaturation, which has led to this information actually affected our society negatively. Oversaturation has manifested itself in a lot of different aspects of our life. Sometimes its hearing the same song too many damn times (sorry Cee Lo), but an even better example is the insane number of 24 hour news outlets we have in the US. Sure the news is important, but I don't think anyone is crazy enough to believe that there's enough worthy news stories to fill a 24 hour network. And I'm not just talking about one 24 hour news network, we've got FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, among others, and that's not even touching the surface of podcasts, or internet sites/blogs like Huffington Post.
So what happens when you need to fill 24 hours of news and you don't have enough stories? Well, you report extensively on things that aren't important. You can create storylines within stories that don't necessarily exist. You can serve up bold editorial comments/opinions on issues that serve as a way not to enlighten consumers and better our society, but more to make it interesting for the viewers so they keep coming back.
There is enough of an interest in sports that 'around the clock' sports networks can be easily supported; ESPN or sports radio are the best examples of this. These networks don't always have the same oversaturation issues as news networks though, because there's a lot of sports, and they have a responsibility to report on all the action. With baseball oversaturation is a non-issue because there really are enough games to support a 24 hour network during the baseball season. Remember, there's 162 games a year for 30 teams, which usually means about 6 games a week for 6 months. There's always a new game/story to talk about with baseball, because the games are happening every single day. This is one of the things I love about baseball, the large sample size allows you to find out who the really good teams/players are without worrying about whether it was a fluke.
Football is different. We have an avalanche of games on Sunday, then those games are talked about, dissected, analyzed, re-dissected, regurgitated, and analyzed once more, and then Wednesday rolls around and the networks essentially rinse, and repeat. Despite the fewer number of games, any network will admit that they spend the majority of their time/resources on football because it's the most popular sport in America, and that seems pretty fair for a business in a capitalist society. It is obviously flawed though, when football, a sport that has 16 games a year gets more coverage than baseball, a game that has 162 games a year. There's just not enough to talk about every week because there's not enough games. So sports fans end up enduring analysts griping for days/weeks at a time about how Roy Williams dropped a pass in a game that didn't count. This is not an indictment on football, I still love the game, right up there with baseball and basketball, there's just far too much analysis for me, and I know that the 2 weeks before the Super Bowl happens are gonna annoy the crap out of me like they do every year, with so much analyzing and predicting without anything actually happening for 2 weeks.
I can promise you every Sunday my DVR will be fired up and I'll be genuinely excited to watch my Bears play. I'll even read Gregg Easterbrook's TMQ (Tuesday Morning Quarterback) article on ESPN on Tuesday. But as for the entire preseason coverage and rehashing of the week's games on Wednesday through Saturday, I think Cee Lo summed up my thoughts when he said "Forget you and f@#$ you too."
It's rare that I experience this sort of apathy when it involves one of my favorite Chicago sports teams, but this is the way I've felt about the Bears for the past couple of weeks. It's not just that it's still the preseason for football; this stoic, passive feeling towards football will oftentimes strike me in the middle of a football season. Don't get me wrong, football is one of my favorite sports, and Sundays and Monday nights are always something to look forward to every week. Even the analysis on Mondays and Tuesdays are something I look forward too. But with one game a week, I can't stay interested in what's happening from Wednesday to Saturday during a football season (which is good because I certainly don't have the time anyways). That said, I most definitely can't make myself rehash the actions of millionaire athletes when the games don't even matter.
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| Don't look at me like that Roy, just catch the damn ball. |
Therein lies the issue with sports coverage pertaining to football. We live in the information age, where anyone can learn or find out whatever they want in an instant. Thanks to all of the access we have to any kind of information we want, our society has developed an issue with oversaturation, which has led to this information actually affected our society negatively. Oversaturation has manifested itself in a lot of different aspects of our life. Sometimes its hearing the same song too many damn times (sorry Cee Lo), but an even better example is the insane number of 24 hour news outlets we have in the US. Sure the news is important, but I don't think anyone is crazy enough to believe that there's enough worthy news stories to fill a 24 hour network. And I'm not just talking about one 24 hour news network, we've got FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, among others, and that's not even touching the surface of podcasts, or internet sites/blogs like Huffington Post.
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| Maybe I'm not "camera friendly." Maybe I do "eat my own dandruff" |
There is enough of an interest in sports that 'around the clock' sports networks can be easily supported; ESPN or sports radio are the best examples of this. These networks don't always have the same oversaturation issues as news networks though, because there's a lot of sports, and they have a responsibility to report on all the action. With baseball oversaturation is a non-issue because there really are enough games to support a 24 hour network during the baseball season. Remember, there's 162 games a year for 30 teams, which usually means about 6 games a week for 6 months. There's always a new game/story to talk about with baseball, because the games are happening every single day. This is one of the things I love about baseball, the large sample size allows you to find out who the really good teams/players are without worrying about whether it was a fluke.
Football is different. We have an avalanche of games on Sunday, then those games are talked about, dissected, analyzed, re-dissected, regurgitated, and analyzed once more, and then Wednesday rolls around and the networks essentially rinse, and repeat. Despite the fewer number of games, any network will admit that they spend the majority of their time/resources on football because it's the most popular sport in America, and that seems pretty fair for a business in a capitalist society. It is obviously flawed though, when football, a sport that has 16 games a year gets more coverage than baseball, a game that has 162 games a year. There's just not enough to talk about every week because there's not enough games. So sports fans end up enduring analysts griping for days/weeks at a time about how Roy Williams dropped a pass in a game that didn't count. This is not an indictment on football, I still love the game, right up there with baseball and basketball, there's just far too much analysis for me, and I know that the 2 weeks before the Super Bowl happens are gonna annoy the crap out of me like they do every year, with so much analyzing and predicting without anything actually happening for 2 weeks.
I can promise you every Sunday my DVR will be fired up and I'll be genuinely excited to watch my Bears play. I'll even read Gregg Easterbrook's TMQ (Tuesday Morning Quarterback) article on ESPN on Tuesday. But as for the entire preseason coverage and rehashing of the week's games on Wednesday through Saturday, I think Cee Lo summed up my thoughts when he said "Forget you and f@#$ you too."
Sunday, July 31, 2011
"Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (I die a little)... So Long Olin Kreutz
After 13 years of snapping the ball for the Chicago Bears offense, Olin Kreutz is considering retirement after rejecting the Bears 1 year offer of $4 million ($2 million less than he made last year). Olin wasn't just a consistent starting center for the Bears, he was also the offensive line playcaller, and the primary leader of the team's offense over the past decade. He was respected and revered in the Bears locker room for his leadership abilities and his overall toughness, playing in more games (183) than any Bear in history not named Walter Payton (184), and the move obviously didn't go over extremely well in the Bears locker room. Bears safety and prolific tweeter Chris Harris summed up the overall feeling among Kreutz's former teammates by tweeting "Olin Kreutz departure won't sit well in the locker room for a few days #realtalk" and "In my 7 yr NFL career Olin Kreutz is the toughest player I have EVER played with #PERIOD"I think a lot of Bears fans will share similar sentiments, fans have always loved Olin because as Bears guard stated, "He stands for what a Chicago Bear is. Tough. Hard-nosed football player. He made his teammates better." Bears fans love those tough players who will grind it out and play through pain, and this same rationale contributes to the reason that Jay Cutler is generally disliked in Chicago after he wouldn't play through a torn ligament in the NFC Championship game last year. The problem with this rationale is that it overlooks the talent of the player in question. I've always loved Kreutz because he's consistent and fans, coaches, and front office workers have known what to expect from Olin for the last decade. The problem is that the 34 year-old Kreutz has 13 years of NFL mileage on him, and he's not getting any younger or quicker, and primary goals of the Chicago Bears shouldn't be to be the most loyal team in the league, but to win as many championships as possible.
There are times when a player's performance and contributions to a franchise cannot be overlooked, and those players need to be rewarded even if their skills are declining. A couple examples of this idea working out in the proper manner are Derek Jeter's most recent large contract, or more locally, the White Sox continuing to reward Paul Konerko for what he's done for the Sox franchise (fortunately Paulie continues to produce regardless of age). One example of this concept being completely mismanaged is the way Frank Thomas and the White Sox parted ways. Unfortunately Olin Kreutz does not reside in the class of the 3 athletes I mentioned. I will always appreciate Olin's consistency and toughness that he brought to the Bears franchise for 13 years, however his shortcomings shouldn't be overlooked, and the certainly shouldn't cloud the judgement of the front office and prompt them to reward Olin with a crippling franchise. While Jerry Angelo and the Bears front office make a lot of questionable decisions, cutting ties with Olin was not one of them.
Olin was ranked 33rd last year in terms of efficiency among NFL centers according to profootballtalk.com (meaning a backup performed better than he did). Olin called the shots for a historically bad offensive line that allowed their quarterback to get sacked 9 times in a half against the Giants. The offensive line that was supposed to protect Jay Cutler allowed Cutler to get sacked 52 times in 15 games, and the beating that Jay took contributed to his injury that directly affected the Bears exit from the season in the NFC Championship Game against the Packers. Kreutz also allegedly complained about snapping the ball out of a shotgun formation during his tenure with the Bears, limiting their playcalling ability. The Bears never won a Superbowl with Olin manning center and acting as the locker room leader. With all of these things in mind, it was time for the Bears and Kreutz to part ways, and while I wish Olin the best, I was happy to see the Bears agree to terms with former Seahawks center Chris Spencer.
This whole scenario made me question what it takes for a player to essentially gain tenure; what does a player need to do to earn a comfortable contract and the right to play until he decides to hang it up, even if he's a bit past his prime? To me it boils down to a combination of 3 factors:
1. Performance - Obviously a player's performance is paramount to how that player should be received and respected, and it's no different than any profession; if you're reliably good at your job over a long period of time, you will be respected and should be rewarded. Frank Thomas is a great example of this factor, he turned in 16 phenomenal years with the Chicago White Sox and is one of 8 players with 500 career home runs and a career batting average over .300, and he's the 11th player to win back to back MVPs. His performance, among other contributions to the franchise, should have earned him the right to play with the White Sox however long he wanted, at a reasonable salary. Unfortunately things didn't go this way with Thomas, as he and GM Kenny Williams exchanged harsh words before the Big Hurt left for the Oakland A's, and when Thomas said he didn't like how his 16-year run with the Sox ended, Williams fired back by calling Thomas an "idiot." Thomas naturally went on to finish 4th in the AL MVP voting in 2006 with Oakland, but fortunately relations between Frank and the Sox have been mended, as the White Sox unveiled a statue in honor of the Big Hurt on Sunday, but because there never should have been those issues with the performance that Thomas brought to the south side for 16 years.
2. Contribution to the Franchise- This one is a little more vague, but still pretty easy to calculate with a little thought. If you ask yourself "How would this franchise be affected if the player in question never played for this franchise?" and you determine that the franchise would be drastically affected, it's probably a good indicator. For example, Paul Konerko has been the face of the Sox franchise for a decade now as a consistent leader (similar to Kreutz), but Paulie has also backed it up with his performance, and has led the Bears to a World Series and multiple divisional championships/playoff appearances.
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| 2 Guys in the 3k hit club. Glad I found this pic. |
When you factor in Jeter's performance (3,000 hits, 5 Gold Gloves, one of the most clutch performers in the history of the game), his contribution to the franchise (the captain and face of the Yankees for the last 15 years, in addition to being a model citizen and role model), in addition to the 5 championships, the Yankees did the right thing by overpaying to keep Jeter; the man earned it. Olin Kreutz has meant a lot to the Bears for the last 13 years. However, he hasn't brought any championships to Chicago, and the performance has been not been up to par the last few years. Meatloaf once sang "2 out of 3 ain't bad," but 1 out of 3 won't cut it Olin. Bears fans wish you the best in the future and appreciate your contributions, but it's time to move on.
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