Chicago & Illini Sports: 03/01/2007

Saturday, March 31, 2007

BIGGEST DEAL?

Reports of the biggest deal ever to involve the Chicago Cubs franchise have lit up Internet sites across the Midwest. Sources say the story will break tomorrow at a press conference in Chicago.

Can’t the Chicago Bulls have a good old blowout as they make their stretch run for a high seed in the NBA playoffs? Their 112-108 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Chicago today killed an opportunity to supplant Cleveland as a No. 2 seed.

Now the Bulls are holding a ticket for a No. 5 seed, which, if that holds up, means the Bulls probably will be in a bracket with Miami and Detroit—instead of with Orlando and Toronto.

The Bulls wasted two magnificent performances—Ben Gordon’s 37 points and rookie Tyrus Thomas’s career-high 27 points.

The spoiler was, of course, King James. LeBron simply took over the game at the end and in the overtime period. He was, in a word, unstoppable, scoring 39 points from all over the court.

Still, Thomas’s development in the last two weeks or so has been exciting. Today he thrilled the home crowd as a dunkmaster. If he can continue the improvement of his short jump shooting, there is no telling how good the Bulls can become.

Friday, March 30, 2007

The race is on.

For dominance in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference of the NBA.

At the beginning of the season, the Bulls had high hopes of upgrading last year’s game.
They brought in strongman Ben Wallace and drafted a collegian with great promise, Tyrus Thomas.

Now, at the end of the season, they are still in the ballgame. Not at the top. But close to it. The main thing, however, is that they have sent out messages that they are not to be taken lightly. They have shown, as they did again in beating Detroit 83-81 yesterday, that they can play with the big boys.

At various times, when they have lost and when they have won, they have stunk up the place. But with eight games to go in the regular season, here they are, challenging for titles and top seeds, sparked by the athletic Thomas, buoyed by a four-game winning streak.

The Bulls, Cavaliers, and Pistons, all lined up at the beginning of the end.

The race is on.

And the Bulls are in it.

Whose Business Is It Anyway?

Once again, the Chicago Cubs are on the business pages. Not because of a contract dispute. Not because of a DUI or other dumb off-field personal mistake. Not because of a new marketing venture.

It’s worse, possibly.

Tribune Co., which owns the Cubs, may sell its properties.

Zillionaire Chicago-based businessman Sam Zell is in the late stages of putting together a deal to take over Tribune Co. (You can only be a zillionaire if you are a billionaire and your last name starts with Z.)

The deal looked done until two Los Angeles billionaires, Eli Broad and Ron Burkle—the killer B’s—raised the ante. (You can only be a billionaire if you are a millionaire and your last name starts with B.)

Of course, either winning group could resell the Cubs to some other group. The mind boggles at the makeup of such groups of rich but crazy and frustrated Cub fans. So we won’t go there at this anxious moment. Except to say that Harry Caray would somehow get involved (the new team could be renamed the Chicago Angels, you know).

At this time, let’s just get one thing settled: Carlos Zambrano’s contract. He wants a five-year deal. Give him seven years and two percent off the concession income.

Oops. With Zambrano tied up in a long-term deal, the value of the Cubs just shot up. Tribune Co. is worth even more now.

Back to the business pages.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Okay, the Chicago Cubs’s Opening Day roster is set.

Some things we like:

Ryan Theriot made the team.
Alfonso Soriano looks like a terrific hitter.
Jacque Jones seems ready for a big year.
Derrek Lee appears to be fully recovered from his wrist injury.
The infield defense is outstanding.

Today’s game against Arizona fits the prototype (six to eight runs and 11-15 hits) that the Cubs will need to adopt to be successful—Cubs won 7-4 with 15 hits.

Some things we don’t like:

The best reliever in camp, Rocky Cherry, didn’t make the cut.
The best fielding center fielder, Felix Pie, didn’t make the cut.
Probably the second best all-around player, Ryan Theriot, isn’t in the starting lineup. (Lee is the best all-around Cub.)
The outfield defense leaves a lot to be desired.
We still have no reliable closer.

Overall, the starting pitching is likely to be better than last year’s unit. That's not saying too much, however. That group was decimated by injuries. As a result, we got a good look at many of the top Cub pitching prospects earlier than expected, including Sean Marshall, Juan Mateo, Carlos Marmol, and Ryan O’Malley.

Where will the Cubs finish in the division? First place, of course. With Soriano and Lee producing runs that did not exist last year, the Cubs could record an extra 30 wins. Let’s see, that works out to a final record of 96-66.

Do those numbers sound familiar?

Some sports media people just can’t let go of the situations with the Chicago Cubs’s two dinged up high profile pitchers, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.

The Cubs announced yesterday that Wood is headed for the disabled list and Prior to AAA Iowa. The news is bad—but could be worse.

Some in the sports media keep stirring the pot of controversy by asking fans what the Cubs should do with Wood and Prior. This question is an insinuation that the two pitchers are hopeless in their efforts to return to the major league team.

So what should the Cubs do?

Keep doing what they’re doing to get these guys healthy. Limit their pitching and observe the results. And when they’re ready, that is, when their arms are no longer sore, bring them up.

It’s that simple.

It’s goofy to give up on these potential greats. The sports media people are suggesting that Wood and Prior are laggards. Nothing is further from the truth. Both have worked their butts off in the offseason and have faithfully followed the plans laid out by Cub general manager Jim Hendry, manager Lou Piniella, and the coaches.

The Cubs are also following recommendations of the medical staff. Which is what they should do. We’re not dealing with mental problems. We don’t need shrinks—or ill-informed sports media people--to muddy the waters.

Look at the glass as half full and support the pitchers’s efforts. These guys are going to be needed. A lot.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Early questions about the Chicago Cubs—and the answers.

Kerry Wood—Would his arm woes heal? No. May start season on the disabled list. We admire his grit, but we’ve got bad vibes about him.

Mark Prior—Same question as that for Wood. His sore arm seemed to get better. Don’t write him off yet.

Alfonso Soriano—Would he show signs of being ready to repeat his great season of last year? Yep. Solid at the plate. A threat every time he comes up. But a little inconsistent in playing center.

Mark DeRosa—Would he clearly claim rights to second base? Nope. Proved to be an excellent fielder but just an average hitter. Highlight of the spring was his sensational defense subbing for Aramis Ramirez at third.

Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis—Would either or both earn spots on the starting pitching staff? Both made it; showing potential to win 13-15 games apiece.

Neal Cotts--Would he secure a spot as a starter or a reliever? He was ineffective; entered last week on the bubble.

Wade Miller—Would he show signs of reverting to his best years? Yep. Hold your breath on him. He could turn out to be the surprise of the year.

Ryan Theriot—Would he challenge for second base? Yep, and also played at short, third, and right field. His .375 batting average caught manager Lou Piniella’s attention. Probably will start as a reserve. But we expect him to get a lot of playing time.

Felix Pie and Eric Patterson—Would either or both top prospects make the cut this season? Neither one did it in spite of some good play. Too bad, but expect to see both make it in the near future.

??????—Would some surprise prospect make the major league team? Reliever Rocky Cherry, ERA 1.74, 10 innings, 15 strikeouts, seems to fit the bill.

The Chicago Bulls might be only a foot away from winning the Eastern Conference title in the NBA.

Andres Nocioni’s gimpy foot, that is.

Nocioni is the heart and soul of the team. A versatile bundle of energy, he can shift the Bulls to another gear. If he can get back on the floor. Of course, he insists he can. But what else would you expect the fiery sparkplug to say.

With the regular season winding down to the last 10 games, Nocioni has several weeks to recover from his irksome foot condition. However, he is likely to miss the remaining gut-check games against the Cavaliers (one game) and Pistons (2 games).

The Bulls need to establish a positive mindset going into the playoffs. Victories over their two division rivals would help.

But the return of Nocioni would do wonders.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

There’s a new Chicago Cub hero to talk about—infielder Ronny Cedeno.

Yep, same guy who stunk up the place last season and same guy who we have been trying to send to the Uruguayan League since spring camp opened. The proposed deal was Cedeno for a magnificent milk-producing goat named Homer (see earlier posts about Homer).

But we’ve got egg all over our face for dissing Cedeno. He’s had a solid--not great but admirable—camp, and we suggest you forget everything we said about him. In probably his best Cactus League game today, he hit a walkoff 3-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Cubs a 13-10 victory. He’s batting .315 and can play second and shortstop. Probably made the cut today.

Manager Lou Piniella must have loved the Cubs’s clutch hitting in this game. Other Cubs who had two-out RBI hits were Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Matt Murton, and Ryan Theriot.

In more moves to practice flexibility, Piniella had Theriot in right, Mark DeRosa at second and third, and Angel Pagan in center.

Big pitching decisions coming up in the next two days, and no solid closer in sight. Might as well give Theriot a shot on the mound. He can’t be worse than Ryan Dempster.

Best strategy: Let the starters go for complete games. Regardless of the pitch count!

The proposed trade of Lance Briggs of the Chicago Bears to the Washington Redskins is a stinker for the Bears.

The sixth pick in the draft for one of the top five linebackers in the league? C’mon, who would agreed to that unbelievable trade? Or why?

The gurus have said there are a few very good players among the top five picks. But these are still basically college kids.

Briggs, on the other hand, is one of the Bears’s six irreplaceable players, along with Mike Brown, Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher, Olin Kruetz, and Robbie Gould. We wouldn’t trade Briggs for two No. 1’s.

So, what to do about Briggs. Give him the multiyear contract he wants. Give him Urlacher money and massage his ego. Tell him the Bears want him to end his career in Chicago. Ask him whether he thinks he’s worth more than a sixth pick in the draft.

If he still wants to leave the Bears, put him down for the season and wait for a better offer.

Let him pout in front of his TV as his teammates struggle to get back to the Super Bowl. Suggest he try Arena Football.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Illini spring football camp begins tomorrow.

How good will the Illini be this season? One online reporter puts it this way: In Zook, we trust. Cool.

With the start of camp, some Illini fans are speculating online which players will have breakout years. Some choices:

Offense—running back Rashard Mendenhall, “This kid is gonna have a 1,000 plus rushing season.”

Defense--Derek Walker, “This guy will be our top pass rusher.”

“Agree with Walker on d; on offense, go with Juice.”

Offense--Rashard Mendenhall. “Should be up for the Doak Walker running back award by his senior year if not this year.”

Defense--Vontae Davis. Should be up for All America honors this year.”

Great choices. But by the time the season begins, everyone will be talking about Arrelious Benn.

Are you ready for some football?

So far, ya gotta love Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

One of his goals this spring was to determine the amount of flexibility in the position players. And was he ever pleasantly surprised.

Flexibility, thy name is the Chicago Cubs. Every position has a solid backup. Some have three or four backups.

And the pitching? Sounds like the man had an actual plan. Listen to this summary:

“Our starting pitchers are in the final phase. This time through the rotation, they'll all be stretched out to where they're ready to go six innings or so at the start of the season. Our bullpen, we're going through the back-to-back phase in games.

"There are not too many decisions to be made. Very few actually. We're ready to go. These guys have worked hard this spring and one thing we've done OK is rest our players. We've been picking and choosing, and getting everybody playing time, trying to keep everybody as fresh as we can.”

The variety of lineups has been, well, cool. Every day different people playing different positions. This is a team that, possibly, Cub fans can take seriously. Some observers outside the organization have even mentioned the possibility of a Cub Central Division title. Without giggling.

Today’s 8-7 victory could be the prototype Cub win, six to eight runs and about 12 to 15 hits a game. Depending on the lefty or righty opposing pitcher, Piniella has got an option of batting Jacque Jones second or fifth, rotating with Matt Murton. Nice choice.

Another nice problem: How are you going to keep Ryan Theriot out of the lineup? Fortunately, Piniella has got four or five positions to choose from.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Illini basketball fans apparently have decided the main question to debate until next season begins is: Who will be the starting point guard, veteran Chester Frazier or freshman Demetri McCamey?

The answer is Frazier.

Frazier is a faster and better ballhandler. McCamey is a better shooter, and someone is going to have to reproduce Rich McBride’s points. If Frazier doesn’t play point guard, the better option is Trent Meacham. And pray that Quinton Watkins signs up.

Perhaps the more crucial questions are: Will Jamar Smith return, and if he does, will he be the sensational freshman Jamar or the floundering sophomore Jamar?

Actually, every player on the team, returning and incoming, is questionable. Ouch!

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella started his game of musical chairs again. This time second baseman Mark DeRosa played third, and reserve shortstop Ronny Cedeno played second. (Is there anybody on this team who can’t play second base?) When the music stopped, everyone was seated!

Both DeRosa and Cedeno made remarkable plays in the field. DeRosa especially made some Ron Santo type gems, which makes one wonder if the cannon attached to his shoulder could qualify him for the pitching staff.

Newly acquired hurler Ted Lilly pitched six scoreless innings. No matter that many of his offerings were crushed. They still fell victim to superlative Cub fielding. Outfielders Jacque Jones and Alfonso Soriano, in particular, made excellent catches.

But all was not rosy. The offense scored only two runs. And a big disappointment was the performance of reliever Kerry Wood, who gave up a decisive home run. Big decision coming on him.

The main enigma, however, was what to do with Cliff Floyd? He played as the designated hitter in this game and accounted for both of the team’s two runs, with a tremendous home run and a walk with the bases loaded. Just use him as a pinch hitter since he’s too much of a liability in the field.

When will the game of musical chairs end? Maestro Piniella says Thursday.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

A question that keeps coming up among Chicago Cub fans is why General Manager Jim Hendry acquired outfielder Cliff Floyd and second baseman Mark DeRosa.

Hendry has said he wanted more power in the lineup and felt that Floyd could provide that while sharing left field with Matt Murton, who is more of a high average hitter than a slugger like Floyd. The logic is impeccable, but platooning rarely works. All you usually get is two unhappy players. There’s plenty of power in this year’s lineup. We say stick with Murton in left.

DeRosa is a different case. The Cubs ended last season with a minor league call-up, Ryan Theriot, at second base. This guy hit the bejabbers out of the ball, and excited fans. Who wasn’t waiting for spring training to see if Theriot was for real. Hendry, that’s who. Hence, the DeRosa acquisition.

Okay, the logic is also faultless. Why take a chance on a rookie?

We all know now.

Theriot is a rising star and has been told by manager Lou Piniella that he has made the team. Great! But at what position? Well, that’s still to be determined. In the meantime, Piniella has told Theriot to start practicing with gloves for second, short, third, and right field. And now DeRosa has picked up a right fielder’s glove, and the right fielder, Jacque Jones, is trying out at center field. And the center fielder, Alfonso Soriano, is a veteran second baseman.

What are we playing—baseball or musical chairs?

Now a key question is: Is the best center fielder, rookie Felix Pie, even going to make the cut? It will be a shame if he’s still standing when the music stops.

The pressure is building in the Chicago Cubs training camp. The competition has been fierce for the infield and outfield positions.

And now the final pitching cuts are causing some steam.

The problem (a nice one) is that Wade Miller, Kerry Wood, and Mark Prior are showing glimpses of the the form that ranked them among the most high profile pitchers in baseball.

Can it be that all three will return to the high points in their careers? All three are exuding confidence—and throwing strikes—as if they are getting ready to reclaim their once dominant postures.

Their superlative performances recently have surprised fans and management alike. Manager Lou Piniella is so baffled he’s trying to curb their enthusiasm about being ready on Opening Day. He, of course, is drooling at the prospect of having the services of the Big Three, but he wants to be extra cautious to maximize their healthy return whenever that may be.

So the pressure is rising, and push may come to shove.

But who will be shoving the hardest?

Friday, March 23, 2007

The post below deals in part with who could play second base for the Chicago Cubs this season.
This one explores the question: Who should bat second?

As of this time, it is expected that Alfonso Soriano will lead off. He apparently loves the feeling of homering in the first inning?
But he’s unlikely to do that very often. He probably will open with lots of singles and doubles, however. So who should hit second?

Our previously mentioned favorite is Derrek Lee, followed by Aramis Ramirez, the power groupies. But manager Lou Piniella seems to favor newly acquired second baseman Mark DeRosa.

Big mistake.

With Soriano on base, you want a high percentage hitter. That’s not DeRosa, who is just a journeyman hitter. He’ll hopefully bat around .285.

Next to Lee, the next best hitter, the man most likely to set the plate, is the tenacious redhead. Matt Murton.
With two .300 hitters like Soriano and Murton in front of Lee and Ramirez, betcha the Cubs would lead the league in first-inning scoring.

It’s the weirdest situation, and so we’re not surprised that it’s happening in the Chicago Cubs spring training camp.

It’s about Alfonso Soriano, an accomplished second baseman. He’s learning how to play center field. Fine. Flexibility never hurts.

But he’s being trained by a rookie center fielder, who happens to be an accomplished center fielder! Yep, Felix Pie, perhaps the crown jewel in the Cubs’s system, is teaching the veteran Soriano the ins and outs of playing center field, a position that demands the highest defensive skills. That sure makes a lot of sense.

Why are the Cubs doing the Soriano?

Because of the team’s alleged second base opening.

Huh? Why do the Cubs have a second base opening? After several failures at the position last season, the Cubs gave the position to rising star Ryan Theriot. And he hasn’t stopped hitting over .300 ever since.

But the Cubs’s brass liked Mark DeRosa and added him to their bag of winter acquisitions. DeRosa is a second baseman. The Cubs want him to play second. Hence they’re doing the Soriano.

As of this post, however, Theriot is batting. 385, about 100 points higher than DeRosa.

About doing the Soriano: Can’t management find a veteran outfield coach to help him instead of relying on a rookie who may not even make the club?

Thursday, March 22, 2007

2007 Illinois Football Schedule

Sept. 1 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, Mo.)

Sept. 8 Western Illinois

Sept. 15 at Syracuse

Sept. 22 at Indiana

Sept. 29 Penn State (Foundation Day)

Oct. 6 Wisconsin (Dad¹s Day)

Oct. 13 at Iowa

Oct. 20 Michigan (Varsity I Day)

Oct. 27 Ball State (Homecoming)

Nov. 3 at Minnesota

Nov. 10 at Ohio State

Nov. 17 Northwestern (Senior Day)

Ball State? What happened to our patsy of 2006--Michigan State?
Looks like our best chances for wins are Missouri, Western, Indiana, Ball State, Minnesota, and Northwestern. Of course, if all our top recruits turn into impact players, we'll go undefeated.

A visitor comments:

We don't play Purdue and Michigan State, both weak last year. We need
six wins for a bowl game. Western and Ball State should be solid, and
Northwestern at home. Indiana is getting better and Iowa Penn State
Michigan and Ohio State will be tough. We need to beat Syracuse and Indiana on
The road. If we are really on the upswing we should win at least two games
out of the Penn State Michigan Ohio State Iowa Minnesota cluster.

It's impossible to get excited about next year's Illini basketball team because we just don't know how much the returning veterans will improve and how good the recruits will be.

Chester Frazier may be as good as he's going to be. Demetri McCamey won't replace Frazier as the point guard. He'll be more like Luther Head. Quinton Watkins, if he confirms with Illinois, also will be more of a Luther Head type. We'll at least have a two-headed attack.

The two new big guys might be okay as upperclassmen, but probably won't do much next year. How good will Richard Semrau be? How much will Brian Carlwell improve? Will Jamar Smith play and, if he does, will he still be in his horrendous shooting slump? The questions are mind-boggling!

Got a feeling that next season's team will do the same thing as this year's team did: drive us nuts.

Final notes about this season. I like the way Bruce Weber did not bow to any kind of pressure to use Carlwell in the last few games.

I like the way Weber tried to keep in daily contact with Smith after the accident.

I hope Weber has next year's team better schooled on dealing with full-court pressure. The unraveling against VT was painful to watch. It was the first time this season Weber was outcoached.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Illini hoops. It began as a root and ended as a hoot.

Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther apparently cheered wildly for the Illini during the opening game loss to Virginia Tech in the NCAA tournament. But he went ballistic over some of the less than sterling plays of the Illini. At one point, he began banging on a table and dissing senior forward Warren Carter for a bad pass.

Guenther later apologized to Carter for his excessive rooting and personal outburst. Carter, in a classy response, said no offense was taken and used the opportunity to respond to thank Guenther for strongly supporting him during his career at Illinois.

Something sweet.

Finally.

The Chicago Cubs are getting closer to the final roster cuts to 25.

Barring injuries, the 13 position players could be:

Michael Barrett, Henry Blanco, Derrek Lee, Mark DeRosa, Cesar Izturis, Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Theriot, Matt Murton, Cliff Floyd, Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie, Jacque Jones, and Daryle Ward.

The 12-man pitching corps could include:

Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill, Angel Guzman, Wade Miller, Michael Wuertz, Ryan Dempster, Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Rocky Cherry, and one of….
…Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Will Ohman, Roberto Novoa, or Neal Cotts.

  Now, here is the 25-man roster on Opening Day in 2006:

Michael Barrett, Henry Blanco, Ronny Cedeno, Jerry Hairston Jr., Derrek Lee, Neifi Perez, Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Theriot, Todd Walker, Jacque Jones, John Mabry, Matt Murton, Angel Pagan, Juan Pierre.
Ryan Dempster, Scott Eyre, Bob Howry, Greg Maddux, Sean Marshall, Will Ohman, Glendon Rusch, Jerome Williams, Scott Williamson, Carlos Zambrano, and Michael Wuertz.

So, gone for 2007 are Ronny Cedeno (probably), Jerry Hairston Jr., Neifi Perez, Todd Walker, John Mabry, Juan Pierre, Greg Maddux, Sean Marshall, Glendon Rusch, Jerome Williams, Scott Williamson, and possibly Will Ohman.

New to the 2007 opening roster are Mark DeRosa, Cesar Izturis, Cliff Floyd, Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie, Daryle Ward, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill, Angel Guzman, Wade Miller, Rocky Cherry, and one of….
…Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Roberto Novoa, or Neal Cotts.

Looks like upgrades at second base, shortstop, center field, and pitching (slightly).
Good enough for 20-30 more wins?

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Whew! The Chicago Cubs are back from the laughable land of the Cubbies. Maybe our accusation yesterday that they had reverted to the lovable losers persona, with an awful shutout, two-hit performance, hit a nerve.

The Cubs responded to our challenge by taking batting practice against the Brewers and Mariners yesterday, blasting a total of 27 runs and 35 hits in two victories. With the probable pitching staff, however, the Cubs will have to average about 10 runs a game to stay competitive.

We like the way manager Lou Piniella is developing rising star Ryan Theriot. Theriot played second base and banged out four hits yesterday. But Piniella plans to get his money’s worth out of Theriot and has given him gloves for shortstop, third base, and right field as well. (Wonder if he can pitch?)

On the other hand, we’re confused as to why Jacque Jones played center field in a lineup that had Felix Pie in right. Pie is a natural center fielder, and Jones played right field all last year. So this move is a puzzlement. Second baseman Mark DeRosa also has been used in right field. (Wonder if he can pitch?)

Is there some award for a team that uses the most players in different positions in a season? Like Most Flexible Team?

Has the Cliff Floyd-in-left field experiment ended yet?

Good idea to give Michael Wuertz and Rocky Cherry slots in the reliever corps. Wuertz was pretty successful for the Cubs last season. Cherry has been a sweet surprise this spring. Non-roster invitee pitcher Les Walrond has been effective as well. Maybe he’s ready. Was 10-5 at AAA Iowa last year.

Does the tiresome media bombardment with questions about the statuses of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior sound familiar? Like the weekly—or daily—inquiries Bears coach Lovie Smith had to endure about beleaguered quarterback Rex Grossman? This is a nonstory right now. The two high profile pitchers obviously are not ready. We’ll find out when they are pretty quickly. Let it go for awhile.

Looks like the Cubs will be sprinkling quite a few players of interest around their minor league teams this year. Such position players include Eric Patterson, Casey McGehee, Jake Fox, Ty Colvin, and Chris Walker.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon, like us, has a blog.

We don’t have anything to worry about with our musings. Very few people visit our space. That’s okay. We exist mainly to help the local and IIlini coaches and general managers solve their teams’s problems.

But Gordon should know that his excellent blog attracts a large number of visitors, including players or other representatives from all the other teams in the NBA.

So you can imagine our horror when we noticed a recent Gordon blog in which he said: “Our schedule over the next couple of games is favorable – we play Memphis, the Clippers, Denver, Indiana and Portland – so we really want to capitalize on this and make sure that we don’t drop games that we feel we should win.”

Ouch! Red alert. Bulletin board material. Five bulletin boards. In one sentence!

Now we know why the Grizzlies subdued the Bulls.

Puleeeez, Ben, no more predictions of victories on your blog. Let us other bloggers do the dirty work. Watch us rip apart Bulls’s opponents--after, of course, the Bulls win.

Just don’t make it harder for the Bulls to win.

Just when you think the North Side team may be turning from the Cubbies into The Chicago Cubs, a more serious and interesting team than the traditional one, they come up with a clunker like yesterday’s 4-0 loss.

Sure, it’s spring training, and we should lighten up. Still, only two hits! And even a game with Carlos Zambrano wielding a bat. Oh well, still about two weeks to get some of the kinks out.

Most of the kinks, of course, are in the pitching game.

Kerry Wood and Mark Prior missing Opening Day. What a disaster!

Ryan Dempster still the closer. What a debacle!

No upward movement from the promising M squad—Mateo, Marshall, Marmol, and O’Malley. How demoralizing!

Forced to depend on Neal Cotts, Will Ohman, and Roberto Novoa? Despicable!

Questionable Wade Miller and Angel Guzman? Ouch! Dead team walking?

And you thought 66-96 was bad.

The Cubbies are back!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

NBA basketball. It’s easy to figure out.

Pick the home team to win regardless of its opponent.

How else can you explain the last-place Memphis Grizzlies’s 104-103 home victory over the red-hot, playoff-bound Chicago Bulls last night?

Here’s the way Bulls’s coach Scott Skiles puts it: It’s all a matter of proper mental approach. Hmmm. Does that mean, to win, the Bulls should recall the fact that they beat the Grizzlies by 45 points in Chicago? And pretend they’re playing in Chicago again?

Guess the Bulls didn’t get the message.

And it’s so easy to figure out.

Yesterday we discussed the Chicago Cubs’s second-base problem that really isn’t a problem. Just pencil in Alfonso Soriano at the position.

That move focuses attention on the outfield. Who plays where? The best fielder of the candidates is Felix Pie. Pencil him into center field. Let’s see if he can hit his weight.

Regarding left field, Matt Murton is an excellent hitter (and may turn out to be a terrific hitter following his .297 rookie year). Murton also showed last year that he’s pretty good on defense as well. Cliff Floyd may outslug Murton, but who will ring up more total bases? My money is on Murton. Floyd will be a liability in the field. Pencil in Murton.

About right field, the main candidates are Jacque Jones, Mark DeRosa, or Floyd. They would all put up similar numbers. We’d start Jones. He has a weak arm, but came on strong as a batter in the second half of the year. Might be ready for a breakout year following a 27 homer, 81 RBI, and .285 season in 2006.

As for the lineup, one possibility is:

Soriano
Pie (he’d get some good pitches in front of…)
Lee
Ramirez
Jones
Murton
Barrett
Izturis

But our preference is:

Soriano
Lee (this would ensure that Soriano gets good pitches—he might not if followed by Pie)
Ramirez
Jones
Murton
Barrett
Pie
Izturis

So, you start with power at the top, and bring up the plate-setters the second time around.

And just think of the hitting potential when Carlos Zambrano is playing!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Big question shaping up for manager Lou Piniella of the Chicago Cubs:

Play Felix Pie in center and Alfonso Soriano at second or play Soriano in center and Mark DeRosa at second?

If Piniello places a high value on defense, as he says he does, it’s got to be the first option.

It’s hard to predict who the Chicago Bulls will draft after the season. And, considering it probably won’t be a lottery pick, the pick might not matter that much.

As you may recall, the Bulls get the right to switch first-round picks with the New York Knicks. That was part of the Eddy Curry deal. At the time, Bulls’s officials figured that the Knicks would falter, and the Bulls would get a high lottery pick.

Doesn’t look as if that’s going to happen.

The Knicks have played much better than expected and might even squeeze into the playoffs. Curses!

Now, mock drafts have the Bulls using the Knicks’s pick to choose from 14th to 18th. The experts believe the Bulls are looking for a post area scorer. Three possible picks the Bulls might consider, according to the gurus, are 7-0 Jason Smith, power forward/ center, from Colorado State; Aaron Gray, 7-1 center, from Pittsburgh; and Tyler Hansbrough, 6-9 power forward from North Carolina. Smith, a junior, and Hansbrough, a sophomore, may not come out this season.

But with a more experienced Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa, a rapidly improving Luol Deng, and a healthy Andres Nocioni, there will be little playing time for a rookie.

So as for who the Bulls draft, doesn’t matter (although we wouldn’t mind seeing Alando Tucker of Wisconsin added to the roster).

Friday, March 16, 2007

Chicago Bear bites. Tank Johnson got the word yesterday. A couple months of jail time for violating terms of a probation decree. Seems like he got off pretty easy. He deserved it, however. No person should be above the law, including celebrities. Johnson, with continued team support, should get through the difficult times.

Kudos to the Chicago Tribune for covering the story on the front page and not on the sports pages.

Lance Briggs, the unhappy camper. Doesn’t like being “it.” Wants to be “the man.” Wants to be traded if he’s not “the man.” What rubbish. Send him back to high school or college, where he can be “the man.”

Otherwise, Jerry Angelo, open the treasure chest and pay him Brian Urlacher money. In truth, he’s worth it. Urlacher won’t care. Briggs can’t be replaced, and the Bears will not be as good as they were last season without him.

The Fighting IIlini basketball team can now put away its dancing shoes.

Wonder if they can still get into the NIT?

Illinois’s 54-52 first-round exit from the Big Dance, courtesy of Virginia Tech, was an excruci…er, tough, end to a murder…er, hard, season. We remember saying after the first few games that this team is going to drive us nuts.

Did it? Let’s take the glass half-full approach. The team won 23 games with a decimated roster that faced one calamity after another, and a number of games against some good teams.

Talentwise, this team did not compare well with most recent Illinois basketball teams. Still, there were 23 wins that climaxed with the thrilling overtime victory against Indiana in the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

So, in the end, give ‘em a pat on the back for trying their hardest.

And look forward to next season—no Greg Oden, no Alando Tucker, no Carl Landry—with Chester Frazier as an injury-free junior, a more confident Calvin Brock and Trent Meacham, an even better Shaun Pruitt. And, possibly, a more effective Brian Randle if he practices shooting three-pointers every day between now and the opening of next season (at least 5,000).

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Following are excerpts from the 14th annual assessment of the NCAA tournament by a shrewd basketball analyst, Alan Reifman. Alan also is a relative and a professor at Texas Tech. As indicated below, Alan runs a few blogs of his own that you might also find interesting.

Enjoy the tournament and good luck on your brackets (for those of you
who enter such contests). I invite you to visit my basketball-oriented
websites:

The Hot Hand (also discusses other sports)
http://thehothand.blogspot.com/

Retrospective page on 1968 UCLA-Houston Game of the Century
http://gameofthecentury.blogspot.com/

Chart of men's college programs' post-season progress since 2001
http://www.hs.ttu.edu/research/reifman/collegehoopsdata.htm

Sincerely,
Alan

**********************************************************
Alan Reifman, Ph. D., Associate Professor
Dept of Human Dev't and Family Studies
College of Human Sciences
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-1162
(806) 742-3000
http://www.hs.ttu.edu/hdfs/Faculty/reifman.htm

SOUTH

We'll start with the South regional, headed by
Ohio
State. The Buckeyes' 7-foot center Greg Oden is the other frosh
sensation of the year, along with Durant. I heard one media
commentator
say of Oden that he just plays defense and rebounds. While such a
comparison is admittedly premature, my first response was that the same
thing could have been said about Bill Russell (for the record, I
subsequently found other people who made the same connection).

Oden's offense isn't all that lacking, either, with him averaging 15.3
ppg and shooting 61.4% from the field. Frosh guard Mike Conley, Jr.,
also starts for the Buckeyes; for you track and field fans who may be
wondering, he is indeed the son of the former world-class long and
triple jumper.

Memphis, riding a 22-game winning streak, is the No. 2 seed here. That
the Tigers are only in the moderately difficult Conference USA leads to
some skepticism about their chances. As one media commentator -- it
may
have been Rick Majerus -- contended, Memphis has "high-SEC" caliber
talent, but doesn't get sufficiently challenged in conference play and
thus doesn't develop as a team to the utmost. Coach John Calipari, who
guided UMass to the 1996 Final Four, will try to join a select group of
coaches who've taken two different schools there. Last year, Memphis
made the Elite Eight, losing to UCLA.

The third seed is Texas A&M, who just a few years ago was 0-16 in Big
12
play before the arrival of coach Billy Gillispie. The Aggies first
emerged as a nationally competitive squad a year ago, losing a tight
contest to Final Four-bound LSU in the NCAA second round, and A&M
returned most, if not all, of its top talent this season.

Senior guard Acie Law IV has a history of making big shots, including a
game-winner at Kansas. Still, A&M can lack sharpness, as was exhibited
in the second half of the Aggies' home loss against Texas Tech, where
an
early second-half 11-point A&M lead vanished, and in a conference
tournament loss to Oklahoma State.

No. 4 seed Virginia was a pleasant surprise this year, under
second-year
coach Dave Leitao, formerly of DePaul. No. 5 Tennessee is also guided
by a second-year coach, the voluble and colorful (literally) Bruce
Pearl. To express his support for the Lady Vols when they hosted Duke,
Pearl joined with student rooters and painted his chest light orange,
with a white "V" (joining others who would have the O, L, and S). Lady
Vol coach Pat Summitt reciprocated at the men's game against Florida (a
Tennessee win) by dressing as a cheerleader and leading the crowd in
the
singing of the school song, "Rocky Top." See the following links for
photos of Pearl and Summitt's escapades.

http://msn.foxsports.com/wcbk/story/6398446

http://utladyvols.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/022807aaa.html

Louisville, coached by Rick Pitino, the only person to coach THREE
different schools to the Final Four, is seeded sixth. As in 2005, I
think the Cardinals may be undervalued. After a somewhat shaky first
half of the season, Louisville improved in the second half, including a
win at Pitt (although the Panthers avenged that loss in the Big East
tournament). Top Cardinal players include Kansas transfer David
Padgett, a 6-11 F-C, and junior forward Juan Palacios, who was on the
2005 Final Four team.

As my "dark horse" pick, I would keep an eye on 11th-seeded Stanford,
which owns wins over Virginia, Texas Tech, Washington State, USC, and
UCLA. Some of you may recall the tall Collins twins (Jason and Jarron)
in Stanford's past; now the Cardinal has the Lopez twins, Brook and
Robin, each 7-feet.

EAST

Having faced a mass exodus from his 2005 NCAA championship squad, coach
Roy Williams has his current North Carolina outfit in the East
regional's pole position, as the Tar Heels seek to hoist the trophy
again two years later with an almost entirely new cast of characters.
Among UNC's top seven players, as listed in the aforementioned special
USA Today section, only one is beyond the sophomore year, senior
forward
Reyshawn Terry, who hits on 43% of his three-point attempts.

Leading the Tar Heel youth movement -- the "Baby Blue," if you will --
is soph forward Tyler Hansbrough, "one of the nation's top inside
threats," according to USA Today. Fellow forward Brandan Wright has
also recent positive reviews for his inaugural college season.

The second and third seeds in this region, Georgetown and Washington
State, respectively, share some major similarities. First, each team
has followed a family succession plan in the coaching position.

Washington State's first-year coach, Tony Bennett, took over from his
father Dick, who after retiring from Wisconsin, came back to coach
three
years with WSU. And the younger Bennett didn't leave his heart
anywhere
but on the court, winning Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors. Some of you
may recall the elder Bennett's Wisconsin teams that were notorious for
playing low-scoring games. Sure enough, Washington State finished with
the best scoring defense in the Pac-10.

At Georgetown, current coach John Thompson III was not the immediate
successor to the elder coach Thompson (Craig Esherick coached the Hoyas
in between). However, like the young Bennett, the young Thompson has
revivified his father's passion for defense. The Hoyas had the
fifth-best scoring defense in the nation (56.5 ppg).

Unlike the elder Bennett's Badger squads, however, the son's WSU team
will never be accused of boring play. A major reason for this is the
Cougars' junior guard Derrick Low, a free spirit from Hawaii. A
Honolulu Star-Bulletin article from February quoted the dean of active
Pac-10 coaches on the importance of Low to the Cougars:

"The one guy they could not afford to lose would be Low," said Lute
Olson, the legendary coach of the Arizona Wildcats. "I think Low is to
them what Steve Nash is to the Suns."

http://starbulletin.com/2007/02/09/sports/story05.html

The aforementioned Doug Gottlieb, however, has identified WSU as a
possible upset victim, to No. 14 seed Oral Roberts. ORU defeated
Kansas
in Lawrence early in the season.

Seeded fourth in this region are the youthful Texas Longhorns, to whom
I
alluded above. Frosh Kevin Durant, whose versatile shooting range
reminds me of another Kevin -- the NBA's Garnett -- is widely expected
to turn pro after this one season. I hadn't watched much Horns' action
early in the season, so my first real exposure to Durant occurred when
UT came to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech (I did not attend, but watched
on TV).

Durant registered 37 points and 23 rebounds, surely one of the greatest
individual performances in Big 12 history, as the Longhorns were
victorious. In his own inimitable style, Tech coach Bob Knight praised
Durant after the game. I'll leave it to each of you to read the
article
with Knight's post-game comments.

http://media.www.dailytoreador.com/media/storage/paper870/news/2007/02/0
1/Sports/Durant.Texas.Stampede.Past.Red.Raiders-2690563.shtml

Frosh guard D.J. Augustin has also made a big impact. The "veteran" of
UT's main rotation is sophomore guard A.J. Abrams. As someone pointed
out, the Texas basketball program has something special going with
players who go by their first two initials, with the second one J. You
may recall guard T.J. Ford from a few years ago, and P.J. Tucker, who
left early for the NBA last year. Imagine if Tucker and LaMarcus
Aldridge had stayed for the Horns this season! Still, and perhaps it's
my Michigan background, I have visions of the frosh-dominated Longhorns
making a big run.

The No. 5 seed here is USC, which gave UCLA all it could handle in
their
Pac-10 regular-season match-ups. The Trojans, with a new campus-area
arena and a relatively new coach in Tim Floyd, seem to be on the rise,
although USC's implosion in the conference tournament final against
Oregon may have stalled things for now.

Texas Tech is the 10th seed here and will open up against No. 7 Boston
College and ACC Player of the Year Jared Dudley. Over the years, I'm
sure there have been many teams that, on a game-to-game basis, are like
Forrest Gump's "Box of Chocolates;" you never know what you're going to
get.

This year's Red Raiders are exactly like that -- they own two wins over
Texas A&M and one over Kansas, but have also lost to three teams not
even in the RPI (a statistical evaluation tool) top 100. The clearest
way I can convey the flavor of Texas Tech's season is that on February
17, Kansas throttled Nebraska 92-39; Texas Tech had beaten the team
that
scored 92 and lost to the one that scored 39.

For those who have followed the Red Raiders in recent years, the
offensive attack is nothing new. Playing out of Knight's motion
offense, junior Martin Zeno will drive to the hoop, and senior Jarrius
(Jay) Jackson (and others) will shoot a lot of threes. In fact, Tech
has consistently been among the nation's top five or so teams in 3PT%,
in the low 40-percent range.

Tech has two big senior forwards who like to shoot from outside, Jon
Plefka and Darryl Dora. One or both will have to complement the
smaller
players with some points for the Red Raiders to make any noise.

WEST

No. 1 seed Kansas is led by the sophomore trio of Brandon Rush, Mario
Chalmers, and Julian Wright. After a cold stretch in January, during
which the Jayhawks barely beat Iowa State and Missouri and lost at
Texas
Tech, KU has lost only once. In that game, the Jayhawks looked to be
comfortably ahead of visiting Texas A&M, only to have the Aggies close
out the game on a 17-4 run and win the game, 69-66. KU has shown
resilience of late, coming back from a 22-point deficit against Texas
to
win the Big 12 tournament final. Having lost in the first round of the
NCAA tournament the last two years, the Jayhawks will be out to prove
something.

The aforementioned first-round loss in the Pac-10 tournament, along
with
a loss at Washington late in the regular season, are presumably what
cost last year's national runner-up, UCLA, a regional top seed. The
Bruins thus come in as the No. 2 team in the West. Observers laud the
Bruins' guard trio of Arron Afflalo, Darren Collison, and Josh Shipp,
as
well as their rebounding strength with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and
Lorenzo Mata. Afflalo was, in fact, just selected as a first-team
All-American by the Sporting News.

http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031207aac.html

One commentator on some radio or TV show (whose identity I've
forgotten)
contended, however, that UCLA is not all that strong in the halfcourt
offense and needs to be able to run off of steals and defensive
rebounds
to score points. As seen in last year's national semifinal win over
LSU, the Bruins can elevate their defense to where it is positively
stifling.

Assuming UCLA dismisses No. 15 seed Weber State, and No. 10 Gonzaga
upsets No. 7 Indiana, a rematch of last year's UCLA-Gonzaga battle will
take place. Micah Downs, who was part of the same Kansas recruiting
class with Rush and company, left KU after a short time and was able to
start playing for Gonzaga midway through the current season.

No. 3 seed Pitt had a strong Big East campaign, losing in the
conference
tournament final to Georgetown. No. 4 is Southern Illinois, from the
Missouri Valley Conference, No. 5 is Virginia Tech, which beat Duke and
North Carolina during ACC play, No. 6 is Duke, and No. 8 is Kentucky.
Who would have ever imagined that Southern Illinois would be a higher
seed in an NCAA region than Duke and Kentucky?

Illinois is seeded 12th in this region. My relative Warren Silver's
blog is an excellent place to read up on the Illini:

http://chicago-illini-sports.blogspot.com

MIDWEST

Florida is the No. 1 seed here. As I alluded to, the Gators are led by
6-11 junior Joakim Noah, the son of former tennis great Yannick Noah.
Complementing Noah's inside play (62.1 fg%, 8.1 rpg) are a group of
other scorers, including three-point specialist Lee Humphrey (45.5%
from
behind the arc). At one point during SEC league play, Humphrey was
shooting around 70% on three-point attempts, prompting me to conduct a
statistical analysis of his shooting on my Hot Hand website:

http://thehothand.blogspot.com/2007/01/this-past-saturday-senior-guard-l
ee.html

USA Today's special March Madness preview section, which I look at
every
year, cites Florida's scoring depth, urging this year's Gator opponents
to, "Watch out for Al Horford. He had six double-doubles in the last
10
games of the regular season."

The Gators did experience a cold spell late in the regular season, but
they also did a year ago, and that didn't stop them. Florida will be
going for a "double-double" of sorts: two straight men's NCAA hoops
titles, which hasn't been done since Duke in 1990-91 and 1991-92; and
winning the basketball national title in the same academic year as the
Gator football team won its (mythical) national title.

Seeded second is Wisconsin, a school that for the better part of a
decade has been establishing itself as a top basketball program. With
a
Final Four appearance in 2000 under former coach Dick Bennett --
remember that name! -- and an Elite Eight appearance in 2005 under
Bennett's successor Bo Ryan, the Badgers are hoping to continue the
trend this year. Seniors Alando Tucker (20.1 ppg) and Kammron Taylor
lead this year's edition.

Outside of two recent setbacks to Ohio State, Wisconsin has only two
losses going back to late November. There seems to be a perennial
skepticism about whether the leading Big Ten teams are really that
good,
as they don't always accumulate impressive wins out of conference (the
Badgers' best non-conference wins are over Marquette and Pittsburgh).
Yet, the Big Ten places teams in the Final Four with respectable
frequency (including two in 2005). If we find out that, in retrospect,
the Big Ten was a house of cards this year, Wisconsin could be whisked
out of the tournament earlier than expected.

The third seed is Oregon, which romped through the Pac-10 tournament
(aided in part by UCLA's first-round elimination at the hands of Cal).
The Ducks' Bryce Taylor put on a hot-shooting exhibit in the final
against USC, which I also cited on my Hot Hand page:

http://thehothand.blogspot.com/2007/03/as-mens-basketball-conference.htm
l

Every year, my friend Gregg in Los Angeles registers a semi-long shot
pick, his most recent major success being his identification in 2005 of
Louisville, a No. 4 seed in its region, which made the Final Four.
This
year, he has tabbed Notre Dame, the No. 6 seed in this region.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Notes about two Illini hoops recruits in state tournament action:

Excerpts from a story in Tuesday's Springfield State Journal Register:

Veteran Lincoln HS coach Neil Alexander, who was Brian Cook's coach in high school, talks about Bill Cole in a very favorable light, and in fact says that Cole might be better at the same age than Cook was. Also quoted is Cole's coach at Richwoods, Mike Ellis. Nice to see Ellis' comment about Cole leading his team in going for loose balls.

Cole, the 6-foot-9 senior power forward , comes in averaging 18.9 points and 9.1 rebounds.

“I saw the potential (in Cole) as a freshman,” Ellis said. “He was 6-6 and could dribble, pass and shoot it. With his knowledge of the game and his toughness, we can’t ask for anything more. He’s 6-9 and leads the team in going for loose balls.”

Cole had 23 points and 12 rebounds against Washington in a game played before a sold-out crowd of 5,000 at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse. Ellis said Cole’s biggest asset is his youth combined with the level of his talent. He turned 17 years old earlier this year.

“He can shoot it, post strong and can handle it,” Alexander said of Cole. “He reminds me of Brian at that age, and he might be a bit better.”

The other Illini recruit in action last night was St. Joseph guard Demetri McCamey, against Chicago Simeon, whose leader is All-Everything Derrick Rose. Simeon defeated St. Joseph 75-61. The verbal action was hot and heavy between Rose and McCamey, with Rose getting a technical foul for some choice words to McCamey. Rose was plagued with fouls and scored 12 points while playing about half the game. McCamey made a few statements of his own, scoring 23 points , including 5 of 6 three-pointers.

Chicago Simeon will defend its reign as state champs. It could give the Illini a good game.

This Illinois basketball season differed significantly from other seasons. It mainly was a year of lessons. But not lessons on the court. Not lessons in the classroom.

Lessons in life.

The season started ominously when guard Rich McBride was arrested on a DUI charge. He got off lucky. Not because he was allowed to stay on the team. Not because he got suspended from four meaningless games. But because he didn’t kill himself while driving. Or, even luckier, because he didn’t kill anyone else and ruin someone else’s family.

Then the physical injuries started piling up, including center Shaun Pruitt’s hand problems and guard Chester Frazier’s feet problems. The level of adversity reached abnormal levels. A lesser team might have been demoralized. But to their credit, the Illini pulled together and found ways to win in the face of these challenges, Coach Bruce Weber call the team “resilient.”

What happened next was unbelievable.

Guard Jamar Smith was charged with DUI after his car skidded across a local street and rammed a tree. Center Brian Carlwell was a passenger. Both players suffered concussions. Again, luckily, no one was killed.

Smith was kicked off the team. His future remains uncertain. Carlwell has been recovering from his more severe concussion for weeks.

When the Illini look back at this season, they should not focus on their selection to the NCAA tournament. Neither the way they play nor how high they go. Instead, they should reflect on the lessons in life. Only in that way can they make this season a season worth remembering and a truly educational experience.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

A visitor comments on Illini basketball:

In watching the assorted experts on ESPN, I see that Illinois is
getting a little love in the NCAA tournament. I think they can win a couple of
games, but only if they make shots. If the guards continue to go 3-18 and turn
the ball over, we will be massacred. We have the defense and rebounding to
keep the game at half court, which is to our advantage.

Meacham and McBride must find their shooting touch or else. The rest of the team has to work too
hard to score and the free throw shooting will be fatal in a close game. We get a break in playing in a Big 10 arena.

I note that Illinois is recruiting
bigtime scorers from downstate high schools for the next two years. The team
desperately needs a shooting guard. McCamey apparently is a Sergio
McClain type who plays well but is not a consistent scorer. Maybe the kid from
California can help.

Bill Cole's Peoria Richwoods team is still alive in the state AA tournament. He scored 23 points in the last tournament game.

And the 7-footer from Riverton finished second in the class A slam dunk
contest, whatever that signifies. Possibly they can help next year without red
shirting.

Everytime the Illinois basketball team plays, we wonder who’s going to provide the scoring. We don’t know how much will come from Warren Carter or Shaun Pruitt or Rich McBride or any of the supporting cast. Do you feel the uncertainty here? So, why should the Illini have any hope of beating 5-seeded Virginia Tech on Friday in the first round of the Big Dance?

Because while you can’t always bring your offense, you can always bring your defense.

And the Illini are good at defense. Very good.

Coach Bruce Weber has cooked up a swarming, switching, helping defense that stifled most teams. Pruitt, McBride, Brian Randle, Chester Frazier, and Calvin Brock are all sticky-type players who play great defense.

The payoff? Opponents held to under 65 points a game numerous times. Illinois staying in games with a chance to win at the end.

Among Division 1 teams, Illinois ranked 6th in the nation in scoring defense. In 34 games, the Illini held opponents to 1,943 points, or an average of 57.1 points per game.

So if the Illini can bring along their defense, they should do well. Very well.

Monday, March 12, 2007

El Toro is still on the rampage for the Chicago Cubs. We think that his double, triple, and .400 batting average today assures him a place on the Opening Day roster. Whew! Glad that question is settled.

We mentioned yeterday how the second base position had a wealth of good candidates. Another place where the players all look solid is catcher. That’s because Jake Fox is on fire. Looks like he could jump to Iowa AAA from West Tenn—or to the major league team if Michael Barrett or Henry Blanco gets injured.

Fox is a non-roster invitee, which means he’s ticketed to the minors. Are there any other non-roster invitees who could make the big club this year?

It’s doubtful, but there are still almost 30 Cactus League games to go for someone to stand out. The most impressive prospects so far are:

Pitcher Carmen Pignatiello
Pitcher Les Walrond
Infielder Eric Patterson
Outfielder Ty Colvin

Manager Lou Piniella said he is thinking of taking 13 position players to open the season. The reserves would be Blanco, Cliff Floyd, Ryan Theriot, Angel Pagan, and Daryle Ward. That means the most likely players to be cut or reassigned to the minors are:

Infielder Ronny Cedeno
Infielder Scott Moore
Outfielder Buck Coats
Outfielder Felix Pie

The Illinois-Virginia Tech game could be a dandy—or not. Illinois has played tough against Ohio State and Wisconsin and defeated Indiana twice. But VT has beaten North Carolina twice and Duke.

Because Illinois has a better inside game than VT, the Techies will probably adopt the Penn State model on defense. That is, VT will pack in the post area and dare Illinois to beat it from the perimeter. It didn’t work for Penn State as guard Chester Frazier put on a three-point shooting clinic.

But it could work for VT since Frazier and Rich McBride are like a box of chocolates: You never know what…

Frazier and McBride, however, can play key roles if they can penetrate and dish off to Shaun Pruitt or Warren Carter.

And If they can’t do so, we can turn our attention to the recruits who will help shape the team next season.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

NCAA tournament: We got the one we wanted.

By the numbers:

First, congrats to the Fighting Illini, coach Bruce Weber, and the other coaches.

Second, the Illini are a No. 12 seed, and 12’s have defeated 5’s many times in recent years.

Third, VT has been beaten by Southern Illinois, so we like Illinois’s chances if the guards can get the ball inside to Shaun Pruitt and Warren Carter.

Fourth, talk about a possible storyline for Illinois basketball fans: Illinois vs. Southern Illinois in Round 2.

Fifth, how about this possible storyline in the next round: Illinois vs. Kansas.

Looks like the selection committee knows its hoops history.

Go Illini!

Chicago Cubs bites. Manager Lou Piniella sees a lot of competition across the training camp roster. The most competitive position is at second base. His best second baseman, Alfonso Soriano, is presently giving center field a whirl, and one of the team’s new highly paid acquisitions, Mark DeRosa, is feeling the heat of two of the brightest young stars in the Cub universe, Ryan Theriot and Eric Patterson. Nice problem!

Speaking of problems, there’s former Cub hero Sammy Sosa. He’s playing for the Texas Rangers now in a comeback bid. Sammy was a fan favorite for his slugging and hustle for the North Siders for many years—until he made an unceremonious exit from the dugout before the last game of the 2004 season had finished. Harsh words and a smashed radio of Sosa’s cemented the break between Sosa and the Cubs.

Some fans are willing to forget. And some are not.

Numerous fans argue that any reconciliation between the Cubs and Sosa must await resolution of the questions linking Sosa to the use of steroids. Sosa was questioned by Congress two years ago on the issue and has maintained his innocence of any allegations. No evidence implicating him in any use of illegal drugs has been developed.

So, where does Sosa rank in Cub lore?

With the tainted and the tarnished. And the legends.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Anybody ready for some ridiculous baseball stats? There are lots of them around, like these:

Chicago Cubs Training Camp Batting Averages for selected players*:

Derrek Lee: .550
Michael Barrett: .500
Cesar Izturis: .500
Felix Pie: .391
Aramis Ramirez: .353
Matt Murton: .316
Jacque Jones: .294
Alfonso Soriano: .250

Meaningless stats, but we like them anyway.

* through March 9

The Illinois express got as far as the Wisconsin border and then got ousted 53-41 from the Big Ten tournament today by the Badgers.

The Illini used up a great deal of their tournament energy supply in last night’s thrilling overtime victory against Indiana. Playing in their third day in a row, the Illini found that their tank had no gas left against Wisconsin. Fatigue, partly in the form of 15 turnovers, was a definite problem for Illinois. Only Warren Carter, who scored 14 points, finished in double figures.

Of course, Wisconsin has been a top-five team nationally and may have won even if Illinois had a full tank of ethanol-laden gas.

The Illini now will offer their 23-11 season record to the NCAA Selection Committee for consideration. The Illini also can point to their tenacious defense, which was ranked in the top 10 nationally.

The factors that go into selecting teams on the bubble, like Illinois and Purdue, are, however, mind-boggling. Be glad you’re not on the committee. The committee will announce its decisions and the brackets tomorrow on the single most-watched sports TV show on the air.

One thing is clear about postseason play for the Illini: It’s not over.

If the Illini get rejected from the NCAA’s Big Dance—we think they will get a bid—they will be invited to play in a traditional tournament for the best teams shunned for the Big Dance. It’s the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and ends up with a moderate amount of fanfare, with a Final Four playing in New York City.

Okay, you can start crossing your fingers, toes, and eyes whenever you wish.

And hope Illinois gets to meet up with either Wisconsin or Ohio State one more time.

Friday, March 09, 2007

The Fighting IIlini basketball team finally can get out its dancing shoes.

The team’s gut-check 58-54 overtime victory over Indiana tonight pretty much assures a bid to the NCAA tournament. The official invitations go out Sunday. The triumph over the Hoosiers occurred in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament in the United Center in Chicago.

Indiana and Illinois stood toe to toe in this slugfest, which ended tied at 50 in regulation time. Illinois’s Trent Meacham, Shaun Pruitt, and Warren Carter hit crucial free throws in the overtime period. The win was the 18th straight Illini victory in the United Center. The Illini play Wisconsin there tomorrow.

Leading scorers for Illinois were Carter, with 17 points, and Pruitt, with 16. But everyone who played made key contributions to the victory, the team’s biggest win of the season. “It was a real fistfight,” said coach Bruce Weber. “The team again showed its resilience.”

Resilience. That’s a good thing to have.

Go Illini!

With less than a fourth of the regular NBA season remaining, the Chicago Bulls are headed into the playoffs. That was the goal of the Ben Wallace deal. Although Wallace’s intensity level is inconsistent, he is a man among boys when he wants to be. He’s no doubt waiting for the playoffs to strut his real stuff.

And the Bulls will need his real stuff to go deep into the playoffs.

The Bulls had hoped to win at least 50 games, but that looks unlikely. No big deal.
The Bulls had hoped to win the Central Division title. Could happen but, if not, no big deal.
The Bulls had hoped to win the Eastern Conference title. Could happen.
The Bulls had hoped to win the NBA title. Looks unlikely—but could happen.

Why?

Because the Bulls have become dangerous. No team can take them lightly. The team has chemistry, and coach Scott Skiles has done wonders in blending his veterans and young players. Much of the team’s success comes from the rapid, surprising development of Luol Deng and Ben Gordon. They are not going to make us forget Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but they are very good.

The veterans, particularly Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni, and Malik Allen, form a solid, dependable core.

The major disappointment is that key rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha failed to become impact players. Both have shown early flashes of wondrous athleticism. But so did Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. So, when the playoffs begin, don’t expect to see much of Thomas or Sefolosha.

But get ready to see a lot of the big man in the middle.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Illinois kept its hopes alive for a NCAA bid by sweating out a 66-60 victory over feisty Penn State today in the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Illini play Indiana in the next round tomorrow evening. The tournament is being held in the United Center in Chicago.

The United Center has been a friendly court for Illinois, but Penn State jumped out to a 13-2 lead. Then Illinois went on a 14-1 run to take the lead and grabbed a 27-22 advantage at halftime. The Illini never relinquished the lead.

The second half saw a blistering three-point shooting duel between Mike Walker of PSU and Chester Frazier of the Illini. Walker hit six of his seven threes, and the generally low-scoring Frazier buried four of his five. Frazier scored 21 points, his career high. Also scoring in double figures were Warren Carter, with 19, and Brian Randle, with 11.

Today’s game differed from the typical Illinois game in that Shaun Pruitt and Rich McBride usually are major scorers. Today, Pruitt was held to eight points and the long-range leader McBride, to three.

Many basketball insiders believe the Illini need to beat Indiana to clinch an invitation to the Big Dance. Indiana had a first-round bye.

Sweet!

Felix Pie seems to be making moves that would answer some of the remaining questions about the Chicago Cubs’s Opening Day roster.

The top prospect is showing than he can play center field better than anyone else on the roster. And he appears to be benefiting from the advice of batting instructor Gerald Perry.

Sweet!

That means the way is open for Alfonso Soriano to return to his favored position at second base.

And how about having Soriano and Sweet Pie at the top of the order?

That could solve another concern of manager Sweet Lou Piniella, who says he is thinking of using Ryan Theriot as the team’s only reserve infielder. With Soriano at second, Mark DeRosa can become another utility infielder.

For the first time, Sweet Lou has given a well-deserved vote of confidence to Theriot. And has revealed, finally, that he is ready to jettison Ronny Cedeno.

Sweet!

It was a tough week for Illinois head football coach Ron Zook.

A week in which the action occurred off the field. Two of his football players, wide receivers Jody Ellis and Derrick McPhearson, were arrested and charged with possession of stolen property and obstruction of justice.

Zook kicked both players off the team.

And then came the hard part.

Calling the players’s parents. And apologizing. Apologizing for failing to carry out a promise he makes to all the families of his recruits: I will try to watch out for them. I will consider them my own kids. I will stay close to them. I will offer a shoulder for them to lean on. I will warn them of potential problems.

And he did that. Warned all the team members to avoid trouble during a big weekend party on campus.
He reminded them that “in 5 or 10 seconds, you can make a bad decision, and it can ruin your life.”

The two players had a lifeboat in Zook. It’s sad that they didn’t use it.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Here’s another look back on the Illini hoopsters, this time when we handed out grades at the exam period at Illinois in December. (Final grades appear in parentheses.)

Shaun Pruitt—Grade: A (A)
Warren Carter—Grade: A (B)
Brian Randle—Grade: A- (C)
Jamar Smith—Grade: B+ (D)
Rich McBride—Grade: B (B-)
Calvin Brock—Grade: B (C)
Chester Frazier—Grade: B (B-)
Trent Meacham—Grade: C (C-)
Marcus Arnold—Grade: C (C-)
Brian Carlwell—Grade: C (C-)
C.J. Jackson—Grade: D (D)

So what does this mean for the Illini prospects? Illinois can go deep into the Big Dance if:

Pruitt continues to develop rapidly (He did.)
Carter can stay out of foul trouble (He mostly did.)
Randle can shut down the opponent’s best player (Sometimes he did.)
Smith can become consistent in his long-range bombing (He didn’t, the biggest blow to postseason advancement.)
McBride can become a consistent, major scorer (He didn’t.)
Carlwell can become an all-around contributor and raise his grade to an A (He didn’t.)
The others keep playing at their current levels (They didn’t, unfortunately.)

Doable? Yes. (Nope.)

The most important improvements indicated above: Carlwell and Randle. It is crucial that coach Bruce Weber find more minutes for Carlwell. Let him make his mistakes in conference play, just so he’s ready to dance. (Never happened. Randle, who had to deal with a sore groin, got worse and was horrible on offense. Carlwell may be ready today for frat house dances, but definitely not for the Big Dance.)

On Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006, we dealt with a question about the Illini hoopsters. Now, let’s review our thoughts from the advantage of hindsight. Current comments appear in parentheses.

The success of former Illini Deron Williams with the Utah Jazz in the NBA has triggered this question among Illini fans: Which of the current players have a good chance to play in the NBA?

Among the seniors, none has a good chance. (Nothing changed here.) Rich McBride is too slow and unathletic. The big guards of the NBA will shut him down. (Still feel the same. A big disappointment here.)

Warren Carter’s future depends on his development this year. He has some NBA tools in his defensive game. His shooting needs improvement. (He did not develop enough to attract NBA attention. Had a good college career, however.)

Marcus Arnold does not have any NBA tools. (Still the case. Another major disappointment.)

Among the others: Calvin Brock—maybe, if he develops a consistent three-point shot. (He didn’t do it this year.)

Trent Meacham—possibly, if he shows a three-point shot. Odds are against him. (Should have stayed at Dayton. Seems to be in over his head.) But he’s going to be a terrific player for Illinois. (Probably won’t be.)

Jamar Smith—if he continues to find space to get his deadly jumper off, he could be a pretty good NBA player. (Never found the space—or the basket. Near-tragic car accident muddied his basketball future, but it appears unlikely that he is a NBA prospect. Biggest disappointment of all for the best long-range shooter as a rookie in the Big Ten.)

Chester Frazier—yes, yes, if he continues to develop as he has so far. (Nope, never did develop to where he needs to be. However, he played injured a lot and played his heart out. He’ll have a credible college career.)

Shaun Pruitt—yes, four years of Bruce Weber’s training can open the door for this strong, mobile player. (Definitely on an NBA track. Showed tremendous development.)

Brian Randle—maybe, but he’s got to sharpen his shooting skills. (Nope, never lived up to great promise. A good college defender, but his best overall game ended in high school.)

Brian Carlwell—same comment as for Pruitt. (Unfortunately, he did not get enough playing time to develop his skills very much. A wasted year and iffy for the NBA.)

Rich Semrau—maybe. (Missed the season because of a chest injury.)

C. J. Jackson—probably not, but he might be a good reserve for the Illini. (Just didn’t catch on and, for all practical purposes, missed the entire season. Probably should transfer out.)

Best chance: Pruitt. (Still looks this way. Can’t wait to see him next season.)

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Apparently not all the Chicago Bears are still hibernating.

Two Bears, in particular, running back Thomas Jones and linebacker Lance Briggs, keep dreaming of piles of money being spread across their living rooms—but just out of each man’s reach. With such nightmares, it’s easy to see why they can’t sleep.

So Jones demanded a trade, and the Bears wasted little time in accommodating his wish. He’s off to the New York Jets, who gave the Bears the 37th pick in the draft in return for their leading rusher. The Bears, however, get rid of a malcontent. The Bears can’t stand malcontents, and unhappy players, either.

So how does this affect the Bears’s offense?

Possibly makes it better.

By trading Jones, the Bears automatically convert running back Cedric Benson from a malcontent to a happy camper. They also promote the capable Adrian Peterson to the backup.

In addition, in perhaps the most positive ramification, the Bears can now make Hurryin’ Devin Hester a full-fledged running back/wide receiver. If the Bears can successfully integrate Hester into the offense, the Jones deal can be a stroke of genius.

The Briggs problem is more of a problem than was the Jones problem. The Bears have no one who could smoothly replace Briggs, who doesn’t like the fact that the Bears have tagged him as the it player.

Unfortunately, Briggs is caught up in the work of the accountants. The number crunchers have got to figure out clever ways of maximizing the team’s money. Briggs is out of his league here. We suggest he resume his hibernation and let go of his complaint now. Or the Bears surely will let go of him.

It came so quickly. First, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, caught up in the team’s widespread popularity, called it “the Cubbies.”

Bad idea. Sounds cute, but it conjures up another widely held view of the team, the lovable losers. Everyone in baseball feels sorry for this hapless outfit, now fighting a 99-year-old failure to win a World Series. The Cubbies will extend the streak. Maybe the Chicago Cubs can break it.

Second—after only four games in the Cactus League—Embarrassed Lou read his team the riot act. That’s an unwritten law that says produce for the Cubs or sell produce for someone else.

Piniella seemed stunned at the magnitude of the challenge. He observed:

“We’ve got some work to do.”

“This is no push-button operation.”

“Let me tell you this—there’s a job at hand.”

We disagree that getting the Cubs on the winning track is no push-button operation. Just push the right buttons. Lots of them. And, please, get serious. No more references to “the Cubbies.”

Monday, March 05, 2007

Another visitor checks in:

I'd like to see a record of the score of all the Illinois losses with 4
minutes left in the game. I bet we were ahead or tied in virtually
every game.

The team lacks playmakers and any consistent offensive skills.
McBride and Randle have regressed and so has Frazier. Pruitt and Carter are the
only consistent contributors.

I don't think Illinois belongs in the NCAA tournament. If the Big 10 gets five bids, I'd vote for Ohio State,
Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State, and Purdue. I'd even lean toward Michigan if we get a 6th bid.

Illinois would be better off in the NIT, maybe with a couple of home games and a chance to get to New York City for the NIT Final Four. That's better than a 10th seed and a first round defeat 1,000
miles from Champaign.

Comments from a visitor:

I wanted to write you before Lovie Smith's new contract becomes real old news. I was kind of surprised that the Chicago Bears agreed pretty much to his terms. With all the news about Ron Rivera's job interviews and his firing, nobody mentioned that the Bears still have an experienced head coach on their staff in Ron Turner. Because of that, I wouldn't have been surprised if Smitty and the team didn't come to terms. I didn't e-mail you earlier because you mentioned in one of your postings that you didn't like to write about coaches' contracts. If you figured that Smitty would sign, you were right...again.

Aren't the SIU Salukis the best college basketball team in the state? They have been ranked in the top 25 for a while now. Aren't Jamal Tatum and Randal Falker better than anybody on the Illini? Warren Carter has made great strides, but I don't see him as a go-to guy. Shaun Pruitt might be the best Illini player now, but he's a long way from being a finished product. If the Illini get into the NCAA's, I see them as a one-and-done team. I see SIU winning at least one tournament game. I'm not sure the selection committee will take six teams from the Big Ten.

Da Blog: Many good points from the wise visitor from cyberspace. Hadn’t thought about Ron Turner, but he probably could have done the job. Might have been able to help Rex Grossman more than any of the other coaches.

Yes, SIU is the best major college basketball team in the state (although Chicago Simeon high school may even be better than the Salukis). We’re going to go out on a limb here and predict that Illinois will win the Big Ten Tournament. Here’s why: Typically, this tournament is important only to the bubble teams, and Illinois is one of those teams. So you can figure that Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Indiana couldn’t care less about this tournament and will be one-and-done.
You also know that Penn State, Minnesota, and Northwestern are pathetic and will go down quickly.

So in one bracket, MSU beats NU, Illinois beats Penn State, MSU beats Wisconsin, Illinois beats Indiana,
and Illinois beats MSU.

In the other bracket, Michigan beats Minnesota and OSU, and Purdue beats Iowa and Michigan.

Illinois, playing in the United Center, where it rarely loses in its home away from home, defeats Purdue to win the tournament.

In the NCAA tourney, both the Illini and Salukis will win one game. Hope that either one or both get a No. 12 seed. The 12 seed almost always beats the 5 seed.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Tale of two prospects.

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella hasn’t had much to cheer about in Cactus League competition. The new Cubs, like the old Cubs, have been plagued by errors and failures to advance runners.

One player that Piniella has noticed, however, is pitching prospect Clay Rapada. What he liked was the way the rookie followed Piniella’s instructions to go out there and throw fastballs for strikes.

Rapada turned in a striking performance.

He brought tears to Piniella’s eyes. The rookie faced six batters, giving up three home runs and permitting five runs. As Rapada came off the mound, Piniella and other coaches slapped him on the back and offered congratulations for his unforgettable debut.

Causing frowns in the Cub dugout, however, was another unforgettable debut. That of rookie pitcher Jeff Samardzija (let’s call him Zija). He threw one perfect inning. One fastball was clocked at 97 mph and one slider, at 96 mph.

But he broke two of the opposing team’s bats. Piniella quickly pulled him over to the end of the dugout and asked him if he knew who was going to have to pay for those bats. Zija looked baffled.

Piniella said he had to fine the rookie $200 per broken bat.

Man, thought Piniella, rookies can drive you batty.

Are you kidding?

You may have noticed that Ronny Cedeno is still with the Chicago Cubs. We thought a trade of Cedeno for three goats to the Uricubs in the Uruguayan League was a done deal. Apparently not.

The hangup is not that the foreign team wants more from the Cubs.

It’s that the Uricubs do not want to give up one of the goats the Cubs want in the trade. The goat in question is named Homer. It got that name because of the magnificent job it does in helping maintain the outfield of the Uricubs.

Because of Homer’s insatiable appetite, the grass is short and slippery. The Uricubs are built around Homer—that is, all its players are trained to hit liners to the outfield. It’s no coincidence that the Uricubs lead the league in inside-the-park home runs.

The Cubs made a counter proposal: Cedeno for Homer straight up. Deal or no deal?

No deal.

The Uricubs have offered to substitute three additional goats for Homer. But why are the Uricubs playing hardball? Insiders are telling us that the real reason the Cubs want Homer is because he is the leading producer of goat’s milk in the country’s ballparks and that the Cubs want to corner the goat’s milk concession at MLB parks.

The Cubs know they must get rid of the inept Cedeno but are still fighting to get Homer.

Sounds like the Cubs are stuck on the horns of a dilemma.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Illinois’s regular season ended today with a disappointing 60-53 loss in Iowa City. The game was an exciting struggle to the last minute. Tony Freeman, a graduate of St. Joseph in the Chicago burbs, hit two clutch bombs to claim the victory for the Hawkeyes. Shaun Pruitt scored 20 points to lead the Illini.

So where does that leave the Illini in regards to qualifying for the NCAA tournament? Deal or no deal?

Eveybody’s got an opinion. Some say they’re in, pointing to coach Bruce Weber’s minimal requirement of 9-7 in the conference (did that) and 21 wins in the season (did that—21-10).

Others aren’t so sure, pointing out that Illinois beat only one ranked team—Indiana, and that was at home.

There are more opportunities, however. There’s the Big Ten Conference Tournament, which begins Thursday in the United Center in Chicago. The Illini like to play in the United Center. They rarely lose in this place. Winning one or two games in this tournament could be the deciding factor.

Then again, our guess is that the Illini will have to nervously wait for the bids to go out on Selection Sunday, a week from tomorrow.

Could be a worthwhile wait. Or not.

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella may have to rethink one of his experiments with Cub pitching.

Piniella wants Cub pitchers to reduce the pitch count per batter by throwing more fastballs for strikes. That is, throw a fastball for a strike on 0-2, 1-2, or 2-2 pitch counts. Said Piniella: “Long pitch counts make your infielders less attentive so they aren’t going to make as many good plays behind you.”

Now that the Cubs have played two games, let’s see if the new approach is working.

The team lost its first two games, giving up 11 hits in the opening 9-2 loss and 13 hits in a 9-6 defeat.

Some Cubs were willing, anonymously, of course, to share some observations. One said the plan worked. He said he definitely was more attentive in the field.

“How come?”

“Because the hitters wasted little time in taking advantage of the increased number of fastballs thrown for strikes. They were pummeling those strikes. One rocket after another. Zoom, zoom, zoom. You could get killed out there if you weren’t ready for those blasts. Also, hitters were coming up to the plate at a much faster rate.”

“How much faster?”

“About 2 minutes faster per player. Man, every time you looked up, there was a new batter in he box.”

Another Cub said the plan failed. He felt that he was less attentive in the field than normally.

“How come?’

“The innings are longer when you’re in the field. If I didn’t have my ipod, I’d go nuts.”

“Huh?”

“It seems like a lot more opposing batters get hits when our pitchers throw up those juicy looking fastballs for strikes. All you see is runner after runner rounding third base on the way home.

“The game takes much longer now. Maybe 30 minutes longer. I get to listen to three or four full songs. Sometimes I switch over to the news to catch up with world events.”

“The Cub pitchers can’t be too happy with the new plan. We noticed there are three Cub pitchers with ERA’s of more than 70.5.”

“Actually, Lou feels they’re doing a great job. He wants to see even higher ERA’s.”

“How come?”

“Then he knows they’re throwing strikes.”

Friday, March 02, 2007

The new-look Chicago Cubs played their first exhibition game yesterday and looked just like the old Cubs. They lost 9-2.

And they lost in the same old way—three errors. A big surprise to us was that one error was made by Ronny Cedeno. How come he’s still on the team? Did the deal with the Uruguayan League fall through (Cedeno for three goats)?

New manager Sweet Lou Piniella was bitter about the way the Cubs lost. You could tell by the way he was shaking his head, rubbing his hand across his mouth, and kicking sand in front of the dugout.

Wonder how soon it will take for traditional-school Piniella to emerge and replace new-school Piniella? Hope it won’t be too long.

One clue will be when Lou starts to get surly with the two sweetest guys on the team—Rocky Cherry and Felix Pie.

But rest assured, Piniella’s traditional-school alter ego will appear (the office pools are already in full swing). The old Piniella is crusty by nature—second in this category only to Felix Pie. And he is committed to winning, not just a division title or a league title, but the whole bowl of rocky cherries—the World Series.

His problem is that he only has the Cubs to work with. So we know one thing he’ll need for sure: more sand.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber says he can’t figure out which Big Ten teams—other than Ohio State and Wisconsin--will get NCAA bids. Normally, we would be more than happy and eager to sort out things like this.

But not this time. We admit it: We don’t have a clue. We’ve followed so many speculative options on this subject, our brain is frazzled.

And believe us, we are just sick about our inability to even venture some guesses. Because this is our job. Because we are devoting our life 24/7 to the fans, to the coaches, to the NCAA selectors. That’s why this confession is so shameful, irresponsible, and humiliating.

The middle of the Big Ten Conference is so muddled with wide-ranging possibilities that we will try to get past the next 24 hours by occupying our time with other worthwhile pursuits. Like reading Illini online fan forums. They’re good for a lot of laughs.

So don’t worry about any attempt here to pour more coal on the fire. Once again, we apologize for our surrender.

But just so you don’t leave this musing empty-handed, we will offer a prediction: The Cubs will lose today.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Chicago Bears President Ted Phillips opened the cash box to get his general manager and head coach back on track. Now the team has to plug a few holes in the roster, and that will require spending some extra bucks as well.

The main routes to upgrade the roster are through free agency, which begins tomorrow; or the draft, which is about two months away.

The Bears get the 31st pick in the draft, which limits their chance of plugging any hole with an impact player. Even though the Bears have made excellent picks in recent drafts, it’s hard to see any draftee for 2007-08 winning a starting spot. Rookies are like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get.

Which means: Focus on the free agents to fill the team’s major needs.

If the Bears have a chance to get safety Adam Archuleta or lineman Eric Steinbach, pay the price and get them. Also, pick up qb Brad Johnson as insurance. Even if he doesn’t play, he could tutor Rex Grossman.

The Bears are thisclose to winning the Super Bowl. Give Lovie a chance.

The Chicago Bulls are pinpointing one of their apparent problems as the regular season nears the three-quarter stage.

This problem, common throughout the country, is an energy shortage.

We’ve seen many games in which the Bulls enter the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead only to run out of gas and lose.

We see a simple solution. All we need to do is use our heads and band together.

You mean?

Correct. Use headbands!

We don’t know what it is about headbands, but it seems that all but one team allow them. That’s the Bulls, of course. Maybe headbands prevent sweat from running over the eyes and increase the player’s ability to snare more rebounds.

We do know this: Ben Wallace certainly would be reenergized.

And headbands are cheap.

Worth a try? Even though they are a stretch.

Chicago & Illini Sports