richard Kagan's Chicago Bears fan blog

The Chicago Bears are 0-3 this pre-season.  Not that a record in pre-season means the regular season, but since they have not played well in the pre-season, one can make some assumptions:  The Bears will likely have a sub.500 season.

They won't make the playoffs.  That likely means say goodbye to Lovie Smith and GM Jerry Angelo.  The Bears need a Bill Cowher type coach to turn this team around.  I don't know if he is a screamer.  But they need someone to put some life in them.  Not fear.  They need a coach who sees what potential is not being utilized.  The seaon hasn't started yet but I will say it, The Bears are already underperforming.  They get this promising QB with a Jim Thorpe type arm, a guy who can zip the ball.  Elway had a great arm.  It is wierd that Cutler, who was to be the next Elway in Denver, can't bring out what he has in him.  I think it is a confidence factor and he doesn't seem suited for this team.

Continue reading "Bears Still In Hibernation"

Perhaps the Chicago White Sox will look back on their season and say that their 4-3 road win against the Indians was a big one.

Credit catcher A. J. Pierzynski with coming up with a clutch three run HR in the top of the 9th to break a 1-1 tie.  The Sox held on to top Cleveland 4-3.  Edwin Jackson pitched into the 9th to notch his 3rd win with Chicago since arriving from Arizona in a late summer trade.  The win puts the Sox 4 games behind first place Minnesota in the AL Central. 

In the top of the 9th, Alex Rios and Carlos Quinton walked and I had the thought that walking batters is going to come back to haunt you.  A.J. Pierzynski made sure of that.  He took an 0-1 pitch deep to right and Chicago took the lead.  Manny Ramirez was on deck when A. J. hit paydirt.  The Manny show will have to wait another day.  This was a big win on the road in the midst of a pennant race.  Jackson pitched strongly until the 9th inning when he got in a jam and gave up a 2 out single to which made the score 4-3 Sox.  Bobby Jenks gave up a base-hit and got the third out with the winning run in scoring position.  The Indians made it interesting in the 9th inning but the White Sox held on.

Continue reading "Pierzynski's HR downs Tribe, 4-3"

The White Sox pounded out 21 hits and scored 10 runs.  It could have been more like 15 runs, if the Sox made their hits count.  But backed by Alex Rios' strong night at the plate, going 5 for 6, including a home run, the Sox were able to withstand a 9th inning meltdown by closer Bobby Jenks. 

Jenks, it appears, has lost it.  He gave up 3 runs, 2 of them earned and the Indians tied it 6-6 in the last of fhe 9th.  But the Sox scored 4 runs in the top of the 11th to pull ahead 10-6.  The lineup is producing hits.  The Sox don't need a hit machine in Manny Ramirez, they need a closer.  Any takers?  It's going to be a wild stretch drive for the Sox...if they can get some outs, they might have a chance.

Continue reading "Jenks is Jinxed But Sox Prevail, 10-6 over Indians"

Manny Ramirez, who electrified the city of Los Angeles while a member of the Dodgers, was claimed off waivers and will be heading to the Chicago White Sox.  While this addition is going to add plenty of buzz in Chicagoland, and will make the lineup of the White Sox formidable, time will tell if this is the answer that Chicago needs.

It says here, that the Sox need relief pitching. You can't homer your way to the post-season.  But you can pitch your way into it.  And, the Sox sorely need a revamped BP.  Two pitcher are on the DL, and the closer, Bobby Jenks, has been shaky of late.  Jenks has talent.  But like all closers, he walks a tightrope and sometimes falls. 

Like in basketball, there was only one Michael Jordan.  In the relief pitching world, there is only one Mariano Rivera, and the NY Yankees have him.  Rivera is almost lights out every time he approaches the mound.  Sometimes he gets hit, but it is as rare as getting hit by lightning, perish the thought.

Continue reading "Manny Headed to ChiSox"

It's getting toward crunch time and the Chicago White Sox wasted scoring chances only to fall 2-1 to the NY Yankees in Chicago before a sold-out crowd.  It was a picture perfect day for baseball and Gavin Floyd pitched well but not well enough for the win, in giving up 2 runs.  Rookie pitcher Ivan Nova did him better, going 5 2/3 innings while allowing a Juan Pierre single to drive in Gordon Beckham. 

The Sox hitters were shut down today and they just couldn't put the hits together when they needed them.  The Sox had the bases loaded with two outs in the 6th inning but failed to score.  Other opportunitiess were also wasted.  Good teams take advantage of their opportunities and the Sox failed to do that today.  Their loss was the 9th in their last 14 games.

Continue reading "Sox Lose A Tough Game, 2-1 to Yanks"

The Chicago White Sox scored in bunches to put away the New York Yankees 9-4 on Friday night in Chicago.  The Sox put up two 4 run innings to take control of the game.

The White Sox came out early and scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by A.J. Pierzynski's double which scored two runs.  The Sox also got a nice performance from pitcher Freddy Garcia (11-5) who kept the Yanks off balance all night.  Garcia went 7 innings and ate up some innings.  The bullpen has been battered, and reliever E. Threets possibly re-injured himself and had to be taken out of the game.  Both Matt Thornton and JJ Putz are on the DL.

The Sox needed this win badly.  Tomorrow they face C.C. Sabathia, one of the best starting pitchers in the league.

Continue reading "ChiSox Top Yanks, 9-4"

Cubs' manager Lou Piniella, cited the health of his ailing mother as the reason he left the Cubs organization on Sunday, a month or so before the end of the season.  Cub fans heading the park didn't know for sure that this was his last game until an improvised ceremony with Braves Manager Bobby Cox at home plate signalled that something was up. 

Yes, this would be Lou's last game ---and his impressive achievements were announced the the crowd. 

It has been a tough couple of days for Cubs fans.  Team favorite Derrick Lee was now playing for the Braves, and has a chance to make the playoffs at the end of his career.  The Cubs are 23 games under .500, not the way the team imagined it would be in Arizona during Spring training.  But Piniella took some time off earlier in the month to see his Mom, and her situation has not improved, necessiting Piniella's quick departure.  Mike Quade was named interim manager for the rest of the season.  Allan Trammell, the bench coach, was not in consideration as interim manager.

Continue reading "Goodbye Lou, Piniella Retires Earlier Than Planned"

Annti Niemi is pounding the pavement looking for a goaltending job.  This development is old news but I felt this merits a comment.  Hockey must be a tough business.  This position is possibly the most important for a team in the playoffs.  The big question for the 'Hawks going into the playoffs was who would start in goal in the playoffs, Niemi or Huet.  Niemi finished strong in the regular season to earn the shot and he ran with it. 

I am not going to spout statistics here.  I am giving my gut reaction.  I thought Niemi was great in the playoffs, possibly winning a game or two by himself. He made saves that took away goals.  He came up huge in big situatons.  He was hard to score on close in, and made key saves against the Flyers in the 6th game.  A goal might have changed the complexion of the game, but Niemi came through.  Now he is a victim of the "Hawks messed up salary cap. 

Continue reading "Goalie Annti Niemi Out Of Job"

Well, it wasn't J.J. Putz's fault, he wasn't in the game. It was Matt Thornton, who owns a blazing fastball, who pitched the bottom of the 10th and Jim Thome hit one a mile to send the Sox to a heart-breaking loss, 7-6.  Thome hit a 2 run homer in the last of the 10th inning to give Minnesota a 4 game cushion in the AL central.  Time is running out on the Sox.

The Sox battled back from a 4-0 deficit, to go up 6-5 on a Ramirez RBI to set up the late dramatics.  That's the rub, the Sox have been losing in the late innings on walk-off Home runs.  That kind of loss takes something out of a team.

They've been playing Just under .500 ball for a month now and it is catching up to them.  Plus, they are 4-9 vs. the Twins, and that can't happen if you are trying to beat a team you have trouble beating.  The Twins have the Sox's number, it is simple as that.  Konerko hit his 30th, Mark Kotsay hit his 8th HR, as he has continued to hit for extra bases.  The Sox have made the hits, they just can't get the outs when they need 'em. 

Continue reading "Thome's Blast Sinks Sox in 10, 7-6"

Where is Bobby Jenks when you need him?  The Chicago White Sox lost two tough games to Detroit, both in the late innings over the weekend, to fall 3 games behind the hot Minnesota Twins.  The Twins are a good team.  You have to play well to beat them, and the Sox haven't figured out how to do it against them.  Their upcoming series will be telling.

But the losses against the Tigers were tough to take.  Leading 2-1 in top of the 9th, J.J. Putz grooved one to a hitter who belted a two run blast to sink the ChiSox, 3-2.  Then yesterday, leading 7-5 going into the 7th, the bullpen folded and gave up 8 runs in 3 innings.  The Sox lost that game, 13-8.  That was a game Chicago really needed.  Trailing 5-4 in the last of the 6th, Alexei Ramirez hit a two out single to drive in Andruw Jones.  Then Paul Konerko connected on the first pitch he saw to drive a 2 run Homer.  The Sox had a 7-5 lead and it looked good, until the bullpen couldn't get anyone out.  They made the Tigers lineup look like Murderers Row, or the BoSox when they are hitting on all cylinders.

Continue reading "Bullpen Falters, Sox Drop 3 Games Behind Minnesota"