As of today, the White Sox are five and a half games out of the American League Wild Card race. There's only one week left to play, so they're pretty much done for the season. No playoffs this year, no undescribable joy will wash over the city of Chicago, just another post-season that will most likely end up in another Yankee championship. For those of you who decided not to watch last year's World Series (and there were a bunch of you, considering it was the lowest rated championship series ever) I hope this is what you wanted: Derek Jeter and A-Rod hoisting up the silver trophy, smiles spread across their faces like cream cheese, and the city of New York getting what they've had 28 times already. Yep, makes me want to puke too. But I'm sure you'll all still watch.
After another season of east-coast writers blathering on and on about the Yankees and Red Sox (seriously, if I have to hear anymore about Bill Simmons' love for the Red Sox, I may just put my fist through a computer) I wonder where the heart of the baseball loving world is. No one wanted to watch the White Sox and Astros (2 teams that never grace that stage) yet all I hear from everyone outside of New York is "I'm so sick of the Yankees." Maybe it's the fact that they win all of the time, or that they get the most press, or that no matter what happens Derek Jeter can do no wrong. Maybe it was the plethora of ESPN segments documenting, in minute detail, the slump of A-Rod, or the fact that he graced the cover of SI as soon as he crawled out of it. Maybe it's Steinbrenner and his "I don't care how many babies die as long as we win" attitude. Maybe it's the weekly paycheck you have to fork over just to see a game in that garbage dump known as Yankee Stadium. Or maybe it's the fact that every time you turned around in the 90's, New York was winning a championship. Whichever your reason, make sure you're aware of this: whatever team you support, you do so selfishly, without any thought to the good of baseball. You want to watch Desperate Housewives instead of an amazing World Series? That's fine, but get used to seeing the Yankees winning it every other year. Eat up Jeter like he's a french silk pie, becuase that's all you're going to have to eat for a long time.
You see, baseball wants the Yankees to win, and they'll do anything to make sure that the kids from the Bronx are in the playoffs every year. It's about money people, money from ratings, and with the Yankees comes those ratings. And the fat man gets richer. How much money did Steinbrenner and Bud Selig make off of last years playoffs? I couldn't say, but I bet they'll make twices as much this year. Good for them, they don't have enough as it is. Right?
My point is to show how futile an effort it is for any team to think that they can build a dynasty unless they're stationed in New York. Baseball doesn't want it, and what baseball doesn't want baseball doesn't get. Everyone outside of Houston and half of Chicago played their part in exacerbating this problem last post season. You sat on your couches and watched Big Brother 412 and not two deserving teams on baseball's grandest stage. You gave up on the game because your team wasn't involved. Selfish and damning. Good job people, I hope you fucking loooove A-Rod then.
So now I wonder: are there any true baseball fans left. When defining the true fans of a sport (and not a team) we have to consider how dedicated the people are to viewing and participating in all things pertaining to that sport. A true baseball fan watches every inning of the game he's viewing, unless his wife tells him otherwise. A true baseball fan watches that late west-coast game until he can't keep his eyes open. A true fan watches the playoffs all the way through, no matter who wins. And so, as a result of the television ratings of last year's World Series (one that didn't involve the Red Sox or Yankees) I've come to the conclusion that there are hardly any true fans left in this country. That, seriously, makes me want to cry. We all know that the players no longer play for the love of the game and we, as fans, berate them for their greediness and lack of morality. But we're all just the same as them. Only we're not millionaires, so what's our excuse? As soon as it becomes obvious that our team isn't going to win it all, we stop watching. Or, in other words, we stop filling the pockets of baseball's brass. That's when the phone call is made to Bud, "Give Steinbrenner more cash, and make sure his boys win." Excuse me while I go relieve my stomach cramps.
So the Yankees it is. Dark blue skies with pinstriped clouds, and Jeter's chiseled mug on every billboard like the face of Big Brother. He's watching you, and pretty soon, you'll have no other choice but to watch him.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Gross Inequities
Rex Grossman is the new Terrell Owens. No, he's not riding a stationary bike, doing sit ups in his driveway, or lambasting his teammates through the media. But it seems that everywhere you look, on every ESPN segment and in every Sportsline article, Rex Grossman is being mentioned. I play a lot of fantasy football and I'm a verocious reader of everything pertaining to the game. And every day this week, on every fantasy football website, there has been an article discussing the heroics of the Bears' signal caller. So as Owens recovers from surgery and his team sits through their bye week, Rex Grossman, after 2 great games, is on the tip of everyone's tongue; normally a spot reserved for the enigmatic TO.
In the opinion of most, Grossman's torrid start should be considered an aberration and not an early glimpse of a Manningesque future. He's always hurt and has never had a game like he had in week 2. The doubters repeat the stale mantra of "we haven't seen enough" but I say, we've seen plenty. Yes, the first two games were against Green Bay and Detroit (2 defenses that no one is playing on their fantasy team) but there is a larger sample from which we can use to make an educated guess as to whether or not Grossman is for real. Two years ago, in his first season as a starter, the kid from Florida (a product of the Spurrier quarterback factory in Gainesville) broke his leg during a touchdown run in Minnesota. His season was over, but he showed flashes of competence. He was nimble in the pocket, made good decisions, and had a bazooka connected to his neck. I remember liking Rex. Then came the pre-season last year, and another injury that held him out for most of the season. What a savage ballet the Bears performed under Kyle Orton, barely keeping our heads above the water in every game he started, and we pined for someone more accurate - someone with moxy. Then, in a frigid December game at Soldier Field, Lovie made the half time call for the recently healed Grossman. The city was buzzing as he stepped on the field, and number 8 delivered. On his first pass play, Rex fired a 25 yard strike to Muhsin Muhammad. The crowd erupted, and everyone in my apartment flew off the couch in excitement, and if you looked closely you could actually see smoke trailing the ball in slow motion instant replay. All right, now we have a QB. He showed his poise in the playoffs, putting up 21 points against a tough Carolina defense - 21 points which, in almost every other game that season, would have been enough to win the game - but the prevailing mindset of everyone inolved in the pro game was "we haven't seen enough."
Fast forward to this week. Rex's numbers after 2 games: 38 for 53, 551 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception. And again, the pundits spew forth the same milk toast analysis, citing his inexperience and injury history. Listen, both of his injuries were nasty, bone breaking injuries, not a long series of hamstring issues, or finger issues, or shoulder problems that just wouldn't go away. No, they were freak incidents that caused catastrophic damage to his body. Steve McNair is injury prone, DeShaun Foster is injury prone, even Terrell Owens is injury prone. Rex Grossman is not injury prone, he's just had bad luck. So all of the talk about "he needs to stay healthy" seems extremely reduntant at this point. Of course he has to stay healthy, but so does every other quarterback.
Eric Karabell is a fantasy sports analyst for ESPN. I read his articles a lot, and I used to actually take his advice, but the past few years have taught me about how stretched his knowledge of sports is. I'm not implying that he's misinformed or just plain stupid about sports, but he's asked to know so much about so many different sports, that you can't call him an expert on any given fantasy game. This became blatantly obvious this year, when he picked the Bears to miss out on even a wild card birth in the NFC. In arguably the weakest division in football, in a watered down NFC, Karabell thought the team with the best defense in all of football last year wasn't going to make it to the playoffs. And he's still down on the Bears, picking the Vikings to win this week. He's also hopped on the Grossman bashing bandwagon. What all of this tells me is that he's never seen Grossman play. I truly believe this is the case. Because Grossman has shown that he's extremely intelligent and he's shown that he's a leader. He has the physical tools (a cannon for an arm and good legs) and he has the swagger you need as an NFL quarterback. And it even looks like he has solid weapons around him. For years, we in Chicago have waited for this moment, and we watched in awe as it actually happened. We saw a kid become a man. Too bad no one else in the country did.
In the opinion of most, Grossman's torrid start should be considered an aberration and not an early glimpse of a Manningesque future. He's always hurt and has never had a game like he had in week 2. The doubters repeat the stale mantra of "we haven't seen enough" but I say, we've seen plenty. Yes, the first two games were against Green Bay and Detroit (2 defenses that no one is playing on their fantasy team) but there is a larger sample from which we can use to make an educated guess as to whether or not Grossman is for real. Two years ago, in his first season as a starter, the kid from Florida (a product of the Spurrier quarterback factory in Gainesville) broke his leg during a touchdown run in Minnesota. His season was over, but he showed flashes of competence. He was nimble in the pocket, made good decisions, and had a bazooka connected to his neck. I remember liking Rex. Then came the pre-season last year, and another injury that held him out for most of the season. What a savage ballet the Bears performed under Kyle Orton, barely keeping our heads above the water in every game he started, and we pined for someone more accurate - someone with moxy. Then, in a frigid December game at Soldier Field, Lovie made the half time call for the recently healed Grossman. The city was buzzing as he stepped on the field, and number 8 delivered. On his first pass play, Rex fired a 25 yard strike to Muhsin Muhammad. The crowd erupted, and everyone in my apartment flew off the couch in excitement, and if you looked closely you could actually see smoke trailing the ball in slow motion instant replay. All right, now we have a QB. He showed his poise in the playoffs, putting up 21 points against a tough Carolina defense - 21 points which, in almost every other game that season, would have been enough to win the game - but the prevailing mindset of everyone inolved in the pro game was "we haven't seen enough."
Fast forward to this week. Rex's numbers after 2 games: 38 for 53, 551 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception. And again, the pundits spew forth the same milk toast analysis, citing his inexperience and injury history. Listen, both of his injuries were nasty, bone breaking injuries, not a long series of hamstring issues, or finger issues, or shoulder problems that just wouldn't go away. No, they were freak incidents that caused catastrophic damage to his body. Steve McNair is injury prone, DeShaun Foster is injury prone, even Terrell Owens is injury prone. Rex Grossman is not injury prone, he's just had bad luck. So all of the talk about "he needs to stay healthy" seems extremely reduntant at this point. Of course he has to stay healthy, but so does every other quarterback.
Eric Karabell is a fantasy sports analyst for ESPN. I read his articles a lot, and I used to actually take his advice, but the past few years have taught me about how stretched his knowledge of sports is. I'm not implying that he's misinformed or just plain stupid about sports, but he's asked to know so much about so many different sports, that you can't call him an expert on any given fantasy game. This became blatantly obvious this year, when he picked the Bears to miss out on even a wild card birth in the NFC. In arguably the weakest division in football, in a watered down NFC, Karabell thought the team with the best defense in all of football last year wasn't going to make it to the playoffs. And he's still down on the Bears, picking the Vikings to win this week. He's also hopped on the Grossman bashing bandwagon. What all of this tells me is that he's never seen Grossman play. I truly believe this is the case. Because Grossman has shown that he's extremely intelligent and he's shown that he's a leader. He has the physical tools (a cannon for an arm and good legs) and he has the swagger you need as an NFL quarterback. And it even looks like he has solid weapons around him. For years, we in Chicago have waited for this moment, and we watched in awe as it actually happened. We saw a kid become a man. Too bad no one else in the country did.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
The Great Dame
Let me start off by saying this, Brady Quinn of Notre Dame has not looked sharp in his first 2 games. He doesn't look like the same QB who threw for over 3,900 yards and 32 TD's last year. What he does look like is a Notre Dame quarterback (the most high profile position on one of the most high profiled programs in the country) who has heard too many people tell him he's going to win the Heisman Trophy this year. He looks like a kid trying too hard to match his previous season. He looks like he's on the verge crumbling under the enormous pressure.
At least that's how I felt in the first quarter of the Penn State game this afternoon.
Then NBC shows you a shot of Charlie Weiss on the sidelines, arms folded across his chest, his face both calm and serious, and you think, "everything is going to be all right." And sure enough, it is. If anything can stop the astounding weight of Heisman hype (which includes preseason covers of both Sports Illustrated and ESPN the magazine) from crushing Brady Quinn, it's the flabby arms of Weiss. Has there ever been a coach in the college game that has exuded more confidence than the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator? I'll say this now, if Notre Dame doesn't win 3 or 4 championships during Weiss's tenure, it will be a huge underachievement. Lou Holtz was a legend, but you always felt he was walking a fine line between genius and insanity. With Bob Davie, there was no doubt it was insanity. And Tyrone Willingham, although smart and extremely competent, just doesn't have the game day mind to bring a program to the top level. But with coach Weiss, you get a feeling of security that only your beloved mother can otherwise provide. You know he's under control at all times, you know that he's always thinking 10 plays ahead, and you're confident in the system of the mad genius. Yes, he's mad, but in a good way.
And just as we were all ready to write Brady Quinn off, the Irish QB, suddenly glowing in a confidence similar to that which constantly hovers over his coach, shows everyone why he's the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. His maturation in his senior season is to be expected, considering his intelligence, and the fact that God created his body and arm out of the perfect quarterback cast. But would he really be at the top of everyone's player of the year list if it wasn't for Weiss? Possibly, but I don't think Brady Quinn would've been able to handle the Heisman pressure under Tyrone "Best Coach Between Sunday and Friday" Willingham. So as I watched Quinn struggle through the first quarter, I began to wonder where the stud of 2005 had gone. Then he found Samardzija in the back of the endzone, and NBC flashed a shot of a smiling coach Weiss, his arms thrust skyward, and I found myself breathing a long awaited, stress aleviating, sigh of relief. The golden boy is back...and he brought his coach with him.
At least that's how I felt in the first quarter of the Penn State game this afternoon.
Then NBC shows you a shot of Charlie Weiss on the sidelines, arms folded across his chest, his face both calm and serious, and you think, "everything is going to be all right." And sure enough, it is. If anything can stop the astounding weight of Heisman hype (which includes preseason covers of both Sports Illustrated and ESPN the magazine) from crushing Brady Quinn, it's the flabby arms of Weiss. Has there ever been a coach in the college game that has exuded more confidence than the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator? I'll say this now, if Notre Dame doesn't win 3 or 4 championships during Weiss's tenure, it will be a huge underachievement. Lou Holtz was a legend, but you always felt he was walking a fine line between genius and insanity. With Bob Davie, there was no doubt it was insanity. And Tyrone Willingham, although smart and extremely competent, just doesn't have the game day mind to bring a program to the top level. But with coach Weiss, you get a feeling of security that only your beloved mother can otherwise provide. You know he's under control at all times, you know that he's always thinking 10 plays ahead, and you're confident in the system of the mad genius. Yes, he's mad, but in a good way.
And just as we were all ready to write Brady Quinn off, the Irish QB, suddenly glowing in a confidence similar to that which constantly hovers over his coach, shows everyone why he's the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. His maturation in his senior season is to be expected, considering his intelligence, and the fact that God created his body and arm out of the perfect quarterback cast. But would he really be at the top of everyone's player of the year list if it wasn't for Weiss? Possibly, but I don't think Brady Quinn would've been able to handle the Heisman pressure under Tyrone "Best Coach Between Sunday and Friday" Willingham. So as I watched Quinn struggle through the first quarter, I began to wonder where the stud of 2005 had gone. Then he found Samardzija in the back of the endzone, and NBC flashed a shot of a smiling coach Weiss, his arms thrust skyward, and I found myself breathing a long awaited, stress aleviating, sigh of relief. The golden boy is back...and he brought his coach with him.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Where's the Lovie?
As I scope the vast array of NFL pundits making their bold predictions for this season, I'm beginning to wonder how the Bears aren't on anyone's radar. Let's quickly rehash last year's season: Grossman goes down in the preseason, Orton steps in; Orton is awful, but the defense keeps the season alive; Grossman returns in week 15 against the Falcons and everyone starts talking Super Bowl; Bears win the division, beat Favre to a pulp; Panthers come to town for a playoff game and Steve Smith crushes the hopes of Chicagoans who haven't had a playoff victory to cheer for since the Clinton administration (weren't those the days). Then comes the draft, and while I'm not that happy with the results, I must (absolutely must) believe that Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith know more about football than I do. So, as I watched the Bears pass on potential offensive playmakers, trade down out of their 1st round slot, and pick up a guy they probably could've had a round or two later, I told myself "They know what they're doing." Well, what they did was strengthen a defense which is returning all 11 of their starters. Now the #1 defense from last year has depth. Scary!
But everyone is hung up on the offense, and rightly so. The receivers are inexperienced, the quarterback is unproven, and no one knows who will get the bulk of the running carries this year. Yet no one talks about the offensive line. Does anyone remember that Thomas Jones ran for over 13,000 yards last year with almost no passing game to compliment him? And if you think that was based solely on Jones' talent, ala Barry Sanders, you're fooling yourself. And since when is having 2 good running backs a problem? The Panthers worked that formula all of last season, same with the Dolphins, Broncos, and the World Champion Steelers. It's a great, smart way of keeping your running backs healthy. Just ask the Packers what it means to your team when you lose your top RB (or 2 in their case). It's not a problem, it's a luxury. Enjoy it.
The biggest question revolves around the passing game. Again, whichever quarterback plays will be well protected by the offensive line. But which quarterback will it be? Does it matter? In what year did the Bears change to a high-octane, score 42 points a game, football team? Maybe in 2010 it'll happen but to my knowledge, the offense wants to grind the ball on the ground and use the passing game as a compliment. So neither QB is expected to carry a full load, they just have to be decent. Remember this: Kyle Orton, in his rookie season, with the accuracy of my half-blind grandmother, won 10 games. 10 GAMES! How? Becuase of the running game and defense, both of which will be just as good as last year. So why is everyone hung up on Grossman and Griese? Either one will be better than Orton was, so what's the worry? 150 yards and a touchdown is all that's asked of a Bears quarterback. Are we all so sure that Grossman, after a few preseason games, won't be able to put up those mediocre numbers? And the receivers will be just fine. Anyone who was paying attention last year saw Mark Bradley coming out of his shell, looking like a future star, until a leg injury ended his season. He'll be back at full strength before you know it and will be a productive #2 receiver opposite Muhammad.
Let's also not forget that, in the middle of the Patriots dynasty, a warm weather team called the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. Before that, it was the Baltimore Ravens. Quick, name one player on either of those offenses. Ha, I knew it. You'll be lucky to remember Brad Johnson. The reason those teams won was because of their defenses. Quick, name 10 players from those 2 defenses. Not that hard is it? What Tampa and Baltimore had on defense is the same as what the Bears have now. So if they can do it, why can't we? Most of the pieces are in place for a deep run in the playoffs, no matter what you think of the passing game. Yes, there are holes in the lineup and a few injuries, but what team doesn't have those. What if Shaun Alexander goes down in week 1, or Steve Smith misses all of the season with hamstring problems, are those teams still going to be picked by the "experts" to go to the Super Bowl? I doubt it. Outside of Brian Urlacher, what single player do the Bears rely on like those teams do (and Briggs could come close to Urlacher's production if he needed to step into the middle linebacker spot)? One bad cut, late hit, or awkward landing destroys a lot of teams in this league, but not the Bears.
And yes, I am a Bears fan, so I'm biased. But come on, where's the love?
But everyone is hung up on the offense, and rightly so. The receivers are inexperienced, the quarterback is unproven, and no one knows who will get the bulk of the running carries this year. Yet no one talks about the offensive line. Does anyone remember that Thomas Jones ran for over 13,000 yards last year with almost no passing game to compliment him? And if you think that was based solely on Jones' talent, ala Barry Sanders, you're fooling yourself. And since when is having 2 good running backs a problem? The Panthers worked that formula all of last season, same with the Dolphins, Broncos, and the World Champion Steelers. It's a great, smart way of keeping your running backs healthy. Just ask the Packers what it means to your team when you lose your top RB (or 2 in their case). It's not a problem, it's a luxury. Enjoy it.
The biggest question revolves around the passing game. Again, whichever quarterback plays will be well protected by the offensive line. But which quarterback will it be? Does it matter? In what year did the Bears change to a high-octane, score 42 points a game, football team? Maybe in 2010 it'll happen but to my knowledge, the offense wants to grind the ball on the ground and use the passing game as a compliment. So neither QB is expected to carry a full load, they just have to be decent. Remember this: Kyle Orton, in his rookie season, with the accuracy of my half-blind grandmother, won 10 games. 10 GAMES! How? Becuase of the running game and defense, both of which will be just as good as last year. So why is everyone hung up on Grossman and Griese? Either one will be better than Orton was, so what's the worry? 150 yards and a touchdown is all that's asked of a Bears quarterback. Are we all so sure that Grossman, after a few preseason games, won't be able to put up those mediocre numbers? And the receivers will be just fine. Anyone who was paying attention last year saw Mark Bradley coming out of his shell, looking like a future star, until a leg injury ended his season. He'll be back at full strength before you know it and will be a productive #2 receiver opposite Muhammad.
Let's also not forget that, in the middle of the Patriots dynasty, a warm weather team called the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. Before that, it was the Baltimore Ravens. Quick, name one player on either of those offenses. Ha, I knew it. You'll be lucky to remember Brad Johnson. The reason those teams won was because of their defenses. Quick, name 10 players from those 2 defenses. Not that hard is it? What Tampa and Baltimore had on defense is the same as what the Bears have now. So if they can do it, why can't we? Most of the pieces are in place for a deep run in the playoffs, no matter what you think of the passing game. Yes, there are holes in the lineup and a few injuries, but what team doesn't have those. What if Shaun Alexander goes down in week 1, or Steve Smith misses all of the season with hamstring problems, are those teams still going to be picked by the "experts" to go to the Super Bowl? I doubt it. Outside of Brian Urlacher, what single player do the Bears rely on like those teams do (and Briggs could come close to Urlacher's production if he needed to step into the middle linebacker spot)? One bad cut, late hit, or awkward landing destroys a lot of teams in this league, but not the Bears.
And yes, I am a Bears fan, so I'm biased. But come on, where's the love?
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