Chicago & Illini Sports

Okay, so that’s the way it’s going to be.

The Chicago Cubs are a bunch of singles hitters. C’mon, admit it. And the sooner the better if the Cubs are going to win this World Series thing.

Because then manager Lou Piniella can make some key lineup changes and play small ball, which has produced some exciting games.

The lineup changes? Let Derrek Lee bat second; Aramis Ramirez, third; Cliff Floyd, cleanup; and Ryan Theriot fifth.

Other good ideas? Don’t wait for home runs. They’re not coming this year. Try to steal bases no matter which “slugger” is batting. Call for bunts every time after a Cub reaches first base with no outs.

It’s pretty clear that the division race is a three-horse race and that the Cubs won’t clinch it until the last week. Once the playoffs begin, Sean Marshall goes to the already strong bullpen. Cub pitching should make the difference.

Cubs win the division by a nose over the Cardinals and go on to triumph in the World Series.

It’s gonna happen!

posted by Warren @ 9:02 AM

Are you ready for some Illinois football?

If you’re a pessimist, you probably think Illinois will finish 3-9, with wins over Western Illinois, Ball State, and Northwestern.

If you’re an optimist, you probably see a 6-6 finish, with wins over Western, Syracuse, Indiana, Ball State, Minnesota, and Northwestern.

If you’re a surrealist, you probably see at least a 9-3 finish, with wins over Missouri, Western, Syracuse, Indiana, Penn State, Michigan, Ball State, Minnesota, and Northwestern.

We’re in with the sure realist crowd.

posted by Warren @ 8:27 AM

Oh my! Another snatcher!

As in victories snatched from the jaws of defeat. Like the Chicago Cubs’s 5-1 comebacker over the San Francisco Giants yesterday.

If a game ever looked like a sure loss, it was this game. Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum had limited the Cubs to a couple of hits through eight innings and was sailing along smoothly while throwing 95 mile an hour fastballs and protecting a 1-0 Giants lead going into the ninth inning.

But then:
Ryan The Riot led off the inning with a double,
Jacque Jones singled,
Derrek Lee singled in a run,
Aramis Ramirez walked,
Cliff Floyd singled in two runs, and
Jason Kendall singled in two runs. Bam! Over! It was a snatcher.

Other recent snatchers:

June 25 Cubs beat Rockies 10-9 on Soriano single
June 29 Cubs beat Brewers 6-5 on Ramirez homer
July 16 Cubs beat Giants 3-2 on Ramirez double.

posted by Warren @ 5:37 PM

The Chicago Cubs may stumble here and there, but it’s still gonna happen.

The Brewers are in meltdown mode and have lost their best pitcher, Ben Sheets.

The Cardinals are a threat, but the Cubs have their number this year.

The Cubs have three quality starters and three quality relievers, and their rivals don’t.

It’s weird, but the Cubs at times appear to be a one-man team. That is, one player gets hot and seemingly carries the whole team for a while and then another player takes the lead, and so on.

So far, the team has benefited from separate hot streaks by Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Mike Fontenot, and Jacque Jones.

That leaves September for Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee for October.

Sounds like a plan to us.

posted by Warren @ 10:33 AM

Why does Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith have a double standard when it comes to quarterbacks?
Smith has always argued that he wants competition. But apparently not at the qb position.

We figured that he might have given Brian Griese some encouragement after yesterday’s 27-24 exhibition victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Once again, the crafty veteran Griese clearly outplayed the struggling Rex Grossman. Griese again looked poised and threw crisp, accurate passes. Grossman looked flustered and seemed to lack focus. Griese is consistent. And Rex isn’t. But Smith gave no indication that Griese had challenged Grossman for the starting job.

Some other observations:

Was anyone else bothered by the unbearable babble of the ESPN broadcasters?

Dusty Dvoracek looks like an upgrade over Tank Johnson.

The game was played at a fast, intense pace. Can Tommie Harris’s repaired knee take the stress?

Still no pass rush. Peyton Manning had tons of time to throw. Where were Alex Brown and Adawale Ogunleye?

Nice plays by the Bear Mannings—Danieal (great kickoff return) and Ricky (good strip of a ball). Smith should give Ricky a chance to return a kick. He might be pleasantly surprised.

Looks like the conversion of Devin Hester to wide receiver is going to pay off big.

Other possible weakness besides the lack of a consistent pass rush:
Pass protection for Rex was admittedly lacking. Is the age of the offensive linemen starting to show?

posted by Warren @ 10:10 AM

New/old red flag for the Chicago Cubs:

Derrek Lee’s lack of a major contribution. Ouch!

C’mon Derrek, get back to where you belong.

posted by Warren @ 6:31 PM

The Chicago Bears briefly revealed parts of their new offensive arsenal in beating Houston 20-19 last week.

As expected, wide receiver Devin Hester sparkled on a couple of plays, and that was a night for him. Similarly, Bernard Berrian, Mark Bradley, and Greg Olsen got showcased for a little while. An impressive start.

Two nagging thoughts at this time:

The starting offensive line was unimpressive. This is disturbing, considering it’s a group of battle-tested veterans. It is crucial that the line gives the Bear quarterbacks time to throw. If it does, this team should average 30 point a game.

Back to the future. How come the starting quarterback looked like the No.3 quarterback? It’s still early, you say. But didn’t Rex look immobile?

We just can’t help it, but didn’t Brian Griese look the best of the three? Here we go again!

posted by Warren @ 6:18 PM

Every Chicago Bears fan talks about the return off Tommie Harris and Mike Brown from injuries. And rightly so.

But don’t forget about Mark Bradley. Bradley now seems fully recovered from injuries that have limited his participation. Bradley is a speedster who makes acrobatic catches. Paired with Bernard Berrian, Bradley will form part of a dynamic duo that will drive defenses batty. Don’t be surprised if Bradley beats out Muhsin Muhammad as a starter.

Other players in the high-powered passing attack include Devin Hester and Rashied Davis, as well as Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. Have the Bears ever assembled as good a receiving corps as this one? Don’t think so.

One consequence of this arsenal is that Cedric Benson may be used mostly in the red zone. At other times, he probably will be used to block defenders trying to reach Rex Grossman. Start working on your blocking techniques, Cedric.

Another improvement of the team that lost to the Colts in the Super Bowl is the upgrading of the defensive line. You have to believe that Darwin Walker and Tommie Harris, with a developing Dusty Dvoracek, represent a definite plus over the 2006-07 interior. Another upgrade will be Alex Brown beating out Adewale Ogunleye and pairing with Mark Anderson at defensive end.

And then there’s the well-kept secret about the running back corps. Sure everyone knows about Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe. But we’d like to see the Bears unleash a defensive player who has shown flashes of brilliance running back interceptions: Ricky Manning Jr. This guy is a fabulous runner who may have greater skills on offense than on defense. Ron Turner, develop some running plays for Ricky, please. Or at the least, let the guy return some punts or kickoffs.

Rex Grossman riding shotgun. What a great idea.

Anyone see any weaknesses in this team? We don't.

posted by Warren @ 10:38 AM

Time ran out on Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry as the main trading deadline expired yesterday.

Hendry unwisely chose to stand pat.

Now what do the Cubs do in their traditionally futile quest for the big prize?

First, and foremost, recognize that they’ve got a heck of a ballclub and a terrific manager.

Keep the swagger. Expect to win most of their remaining games.

Other things to do list:

Forget about the Mike Fontenot experiment. Install Mark DeRosa at second and keep him there.

Forget about platooning Cliff Floyd and Angel Pagan in right. Right now, they each have only four home runs. Give the job to Pagan fulltime.

Forget about the Jacque Jones in center field experiment. Call up Felix Pie from Iowa and give him center for the duration. A winning team is always solid defensively up the middle.

Keep your fingers, eyes, and toes crossed that:

Kerry Wood can pitch effectively again.
Carlos Marmol becomes a star.
Derrek Lee finds a power supply.
Carlos Zambrano keeps his gas tank full.
The Riot continues to develop as another Ryne Sandberg.

Is all this too much to ask?

Final suggestion: Shoot for the division title. The other playoff door, the wild card entrance, is going to be clogged by at least five other teams.

posted by Warren @ 7:36 AM