Anthony Rizzo has a very particular set of skills, skills that he acquired over a very long career. On Friday night, those skills made Anthony Rizzo a nightmare for the San Diego Padres.
Despite riding a 0-for-19 streak entering Friday’s series opener and then going hitless in his first two at-bats, Rizzo showed that he’s not completely helpless. We saw the good old fashioned Rizzo in his second at-bat, when he worked a nine-pitch plate appearance before grounding out.
In the fifth, Rizzo finally snapped his 0-for-21 hitless streak, lining a hard single to right-center field over the shift. Although Rizzo made an out, he was able to break up a double play at second and that led to a bad throw, putting Albert Almora Jr. at second with two outs. Kris Bryant then tied the game with a double.
Rizzo also made a couple slick plays on defense, which has been the norm for him but during the rough stretch at the plate he seemed to carry the struggles to the field too. Anyway, we saw vintage Rizzo once again, as he drove a double down the left-field line in the seventh.
Then, with two outs in the ninth and the Padres looking to take the game, Rizzo rescued the Cubs with a game-tying double in the left-center field gap that scored Jason Heyward from first base.
Earlier in the game Rizzo was caught on camera answering the phone in the dugout and well it was too good not to do this.
What I do have is a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. pic.twitter.com/HVyDV4V44c
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good and Javier Baez has been both this year. That was the story once again Friday night, when a bouncer down the line in the 10th hit the third-base bag, allowing Baez to reach on an infield single.
The great thing was Baez may have duped the Padres into thinking he wasn’t going to try and steal second base, as he slowly headed back to first after his infield single. He was shaking his leg, with a grimace on his face.
Then, on the very next pitch Baez took off to second. That was the good and then the lucky came as the Padres committed two errors on the play.
Obviously Baez keeping an eye on the play and turning on the jets as he approached third base helped out too, as he scored the game-winning run all the way from first.
Also, you can’t walk away from this game without giving Anthony Rizzo some love.
He had a 0-for-21 streak after his second at-bat tonight, but then he lined a single to right-center, drove a double down the left-field line and in the ninth inning with two outs, Rizzo tied the game off closer Brad Hand with an RBI-double to left-center field.
Rizzo also made some great plays over at first base. So, hopefully this is a step in the right direction for him.
Yet, even with Rizzo having a down season the Cubs are now in a virtual tie with the Milwaukee Brewers with two days left before the All-Star break.
Javier Baez began the top of the second inning with a long drive down the right-field line against the San Diego Padres and it actually should have been called his 19th home run of the season.
The play was reviewed and somehow the call still ended up being wrong.
It’s pretty clear on the replays that a Padres fan, standing behind the yellow line, had the ball bounce off him and back on the field. Hell, even the Padres announcers thought it should have been a home run.
Luckily, the Cubs followed up with two walks and Ian Happ came through with a two-run single later in the inning.
It’s getting kind of tough to justify instant replay in MLB when there have been several calls the end up incorrect anyway.
The UNLV men’s basketball team will face Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic Opener on December 22nd, tournament officials announced on Wednesday.
Hawaii will host the game at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu and it will be televised on ESPNU. The team that prevails will face the winner of Indiana State-Colorado. Hawaii will be participating in the Diamond Head Classic for the 10th straight season, while UNLV is making its first appearance since 2009.
Last season, UNLV won 20 games for the first time in four years. UNLV will return seven players that suited up last season and has the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the Mountain West.
A year ago today the Chicago Cubs traded for White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana and before you go out and say it was a terrible trade, consider this.
Tomorrow is the 1-year anniversary of the Jose Quintana trade. Since then, Quintana has made 32 starts with a 3.86 ERA (3.99 FIP), a 24.2% strikeout rate, and an 8.6% walk rate.
He's still just 29 and the Cubs have for 2.5 more years on the (relatively) cheap.
Quintana also played a big role in leading the Cubs to a division title in the second half of the season, giving the team a shot at another World Series championship. Obviously that goal fell short, as the Cubs were ousted in the NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And although Quintana hasn’t been as consistent in 2018, as he has throughout his career, he’s still been pretty damn good. His track record also suggests he’ll return to form in the second half.
Also, the struggles have really been exaggerated for Quintana this season.
Anyway, because Quintana’s starts haven’t all gone smoothly there’s the perception he hasn’t been good, which again is false. That doesn’t stop the criticism, but Willson Contreras isn’t here for that bullshit.
Check out this awesome response by Contreras on Instagram to the NBC Sports Chicago account that asked about Quintana.
Carmelo Anthony’s 2017-18 season in Oklahoma City was a disaster, and he’s been not-so-steadily declining ever since he won the scoring title back in 2013. He turns 35 this upcoming season and the Thunder are desperately trying to unload him via trade after he opted into his $28M player option.
Renowned NBA insider Marc Stein suggests that the Bulls could very well be the team to take on that salary.
A trade that could send Carmelo Anthony to Chicago — with Cristiano Feliciano going to Oklahoma City — is now at least mathematically feasible. Check out a series of tweets from @albertnahmad for the full salary-cap explanation
My thinking (however flawed): You don’t withdraw a $1.7M QO to a player you like (Nwaba) unless you need that specific cap room for something planned. Doing it takes Bulls to $20M. Who’s dumping expiring $20M? Nobody. But Melo makes $28M and Felicio $8M…https://t.co/xRVORCbiWZ
Thunder would get cheaper alternative to a Carmelo stretch (particularly if no buyout), realize $100M in luxury tax savings in 2018-19, and could trade Felicio (then 2/$16M) into what’ll be tons of cap room around NBA next summer or stretch if not (likely wouldn’t stretch now).
Having Carmelo Anthony around this young Bulls group wouldn’t do them any good, but that’s not the point. By staying below the salary cap, the Bulls could buyout Anthony’s contract, just like they did this past season with Dwyane Wade’s deal, without having to exercise the stretch provision (which means Melo’s money comes off the books entirely after this season.)
In order to agree to this, the Bulls would likely want the Thunder to do more than just take on Cristiano Felicio’s bad contract. The Thunder could sweeten the deal with a 1st-round pick.
Due to the NBA’s strange rule that doesn’t allow teams to trade their own 1st-round picks in consecutive seasons, and the fact that the Thunder have already traded their 2020 1st-rounder to the Magic, the best pick they have to trade to the Bulls is their 2022 1st-rounder.
Considering where the Bulls currently stand, why not use their surplus of cap space to not only add a future pick (one that could end up being in the high lottery) but also get rid of their worst contract in Cristiano Felicio’s? Taking on Melo’s salary and buying him out costs the Bulls nothing for the summer of 2019 and beyond, retaining Felicio does.
It might be four years too late, and he likely won’t ever play a game for the Bulls, but the Bulls should finally pull the trigger and “add” Carmelo Anthony.
No player epitomized the Vegas Golden Knights mentality during their improbable playoff run this past season more than goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. “Flower” became a fan favorite despite battling early season injury. Now, as the NHL offseason continues on, the Golden Knights can breathe easy knowing the goal is tended. With one year remaining on his contract, Fleury signed a three-year extension Friday morning which will take him through the 2021-22 season — pure flower power.
Fleury faced the media Friday afternoon, and — in typical ‘Flower’ fashion — was all smiles and jokes. Whether it was when someone’s phone chimed in with an AOL’s patented “You’ve got mail,” or when his own phone went off with a flash flood warning, the Golden Misfit commanded the room and kept it laughing and loose — much like he did with the Knights this season.
“I guess you guys will be stuck with me a little bit longer,” Fleury said in a Twitter video announcing the move. “I just signed a three-year extension. I’m really excited about it. My family and I really love Vegas — the organization, my teammates. I feel very blessed to keep playing in front of you guys for a few more years so thanks for the support. Thanks to my team for trusting me, and I’ll see you guys in September.”
It’s hard not to like Fleury. While he has 404 career wins in 737 games between Pittsburgh (691 games) and Vegas (46) — the 11th most career wins in NHL history — it’s his spirit and smile that keeps Golden Knights fans falling in love with the Quebec-born goaltender. He is the Michael Jordan of Las Vegas sports now as the most popular face in town.
As the face of the Golden Knights, especially with the departure of James Neal, Fleury has been all over town. He’s been spotted everywhere, from a No Doubt concert, UFC events, and he’s even made an appearance on one of Las Vegas’s most popular TV show, “Pawn Stars.”
In an offseason that saw a few of the most popular “Golden Misfits” sail for greener pastures (or just more green in their wallet), fans were concerned Fleury wouldn’t be around after next year. With “Wild Bill” Karlsson scheduled for arbitration, nerves began to creep. Then, on Friday the 13th — a day linked to another goalie-mask wearing behemoth — Fleury took to social media.
The 33-year-old goalie announced the move in a short video posted by the Golden Knights’ Twitter page.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 13, 2018
Fleury came the the Golden Knights thanks to a bit of good fortune. The Pittsburgh Pengiuns left him available during the expansion draft and the VGK selected the three-time Stanley Cup winner . He won 29 games in 2017-18, including his 400th career victory. He registered a 2.24 goals-against average and a save percentage of .927, the best statistical regular season of his career. The salary average of roughly $7 million per year will put Fleury into the top five highest paid goalies in the NHL.
While most Golden Knights fans celebrated, there was still pessimism from some. Fleury’s age when the contract ends was one question mark, as he’ll hit 38 years old in 2022.
Yikes. Love Fleury but that is awful. He'll be 38 when that expires. https://t.co/GTsd0ggDFp
Continuity is everything so keeping Fleury in goal, and maintaining that clubhouse leadership is just as valuable as anything he can do on the ice, which is plenty. Whether he’s giving opponents fits with his athletic play in the net, or giving them wet willies, “Flower” will never have to buy a drink in Vegas ever again.
For lifelong Vegas sports fans, he’s the first pro sports icon the city has ever had. Sure Derek Carr and the Raiders will be here in a few years, but Fleury has the market cornered for city’s local legend. Keeping here is a fine gesture to the fans who cheered the Knights on all season, selling out T-Mobile Arena night in and night out.
The Nevada State Flower will remain a Golden Knight for four more years — perfectly fitting the announcement came on Friday the 13th, a day long linked to a goalie’s mask. Heck, even Jason Vorhees is probably celebrating to move today, and, why not? No better place than Sin City for this Golden Misfit who will finish his career as a Golden Knight.
One thing about Chicago Bears players over the years? They always seem to be equal part entertainers as they are football players. Dick Butkus went into acting after his career ended. Steve McMichael became a professional wrestler. Spice Adams is an enjoyable comedian for Bears.com. So in that longstanding tradition, we’re calling the shot now. Kyle Long will be the next Bear to have a bright entertainment career after football.
The guy is a laugh a minute. He’s a riot on Twitter and seems to always deliver in interviews, be they radio or television. That was on display yet again when he joined NFL Total Access to talk about the state of his recovery from offseason surgeries, the Bears and the new offense being installed by head coach Matt Nagy.
Long freely admitted that he feels this team being assembled is the best he’s ever played on. For the first time, he’s confident they can truly make a run at the playoffs, something he’s yet to experience as a professional. However, he saved his absolute best comments for when the subject of his new quarterback came up.
Kyle Long likens Trubisky to a child finally off training wheels
Long by nature is a fan of his quarterbacks because that’s how it’s been bred in him as an offensive lineman. By that same token, he tends to know what his QB is thinking. So when he was asked to describe how Mitch Trubisky looks in the new offense, his answer was insightful and hilarious all at the same time.
“I’d say they took his training wheels off this spring. I can only envision a 3-year-old Mitch Trubisky riding around on training wheels being pissed off because he wants to go over the jumps and he wants to do all the tricks like the big kids are doing. Because that’s who Mitch is. He’s a kid, but he can roll with the big guys. That’s when he’s going to do this (season), and be able to have some freedom and creativity. We really respect that about coach Nagy. He’s really letting (Trubisky) fly his freak flag.”
It’s quite a vivid description that any man who had a normal childhood can understand. Anyone with eyes could see how constrained Trubisky was under John Fox and Dowell Loggains last season. He was hardly allowed to throw the ball at times, as little as 10 passes in one game. Much of it had to do with the ultra-conservative nature of Fox and the deathly fear of a rookie QB turning it over all the time.
He never understood that this is how young quarterbacks learn. They have to make mistakes. The worst thing a coach can do is teach him not to be aggressive, not willing to take risks. Quarterbacks like that don’t thrive in this league. It’s this perhaps more than other reasons that GM Ryan Pace chose to dismiss Fox in favor of Nagy.
Leave it to Long to find the perfect description of how Trubisky must feel about it.
Before I begin, I want to welcome all of you back to our Bears Mailbag. We’d gone on a little hiatus given the lull in NFL activity the last couple of months. But now that training camp is approaching quickly, it’s a good time to start up again!
No lengthy preamble this week — let’s dive right in to the Mailbag. A big thank you to everyone who submitted questions! As always, we appreciate the participation. And if you want to continue the discussion about anything below, hit me up on Twitter: @DhruvKoul.
What’s your sleeper trade that the Bears will make by opening day
The Bears did a very good job improving the talent at a lot of key positions this offseason. They upgraded the weaponry for quarterback Mitch Trubisky, adding playmakers Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller, and Trey Burton to the mix. They fortified their offensive line with the selection of Iowa OL James Daniels, who is sure to start from Day 1. And they upgraded their linebacking corps, taking arguably the best defensive player in the draft in ILB Roquan Smith, whom many have compared to Na’Vorro Bowman and even Lance Briggs.
But the biggest area of concern right now is the same biggest area of concern the Bears began the offseason with: EDGE depth. Leonard Floyd is coming off an injury and has yet to prove he’s an elite EDGE rusher given his draft pedigree (though I do think he’s a good overall OLB who covers very well). They parted ways with multiple veterans in the offseason, too. They added Aaron Lynch in free agency in hopes that his bundle of talent will shine again under Vic Fangio. They also added Kylie Fitts in the sixth round of the draft, and while he has talent, he has injury concerns. Other youngsters that could help, such as Isaiah Irving and Elijah Norris, are still very much unproven.
So I would certainly imagine the Bears are still scouring the market for EDGE help, in any form. Of course, a lot can and will change between now and Week 1 when the Bears take on Green Bay at Lambeau Field. Teams will trim their rosters from 90 to 53, so many veterans and promising players that didn’t quite make the cut will be available. So expect some acquisitions at that time.
But since you asked for trade, I’m going to say Shaq Lawson from the Buffalo Bills. There were rumors that the Bears were interested in Shane Ray of the Denver Broncos, but those rumors have cooled, even with Denver’s selection of Bradley Chubb in the first round of the draft. Lawson has an injury history and, for myriad reasons, has not broken out in Buffalo the way Rex Ryan believed he would.
I don’t believe Lawson is a perfect fit for the Bears, but he has talent and I liked him coming out of Clemson. SM Insider Erik Lambert recently detailed how the Bears could approach this and attempt to land the former first-rounder. In my opinion, it’s certainly worth a late-round offer to secure his services. If he’s cut and the Bears can get him for just money? That’s even better. But the Bears need talent and depth at EDGE in the worst way to have any chance of making noise this season. Lawson would be a step in the right direction.
Aside from the obvious starters, which players are you most excited to see play in preseason?
We all know how big this preseason is for the Bears — I don’t have to go back and rehash how much has changed since the end of the John Fox era on New Year’s Day.
Obviously, Mitch Trubisky is the most important player on the team. He has to make strides this preseason and hit the ground running as best as possible by Week 1 in this offense. If he’s not getting it done, the Bears are in trouble. Of course, the other starters and projected starters, as you mentioned, are important to watch, too.
That said, there are many players I’m interested in watching as they compete for playing time and even roster spots. A few names to watch, in no particular order:
Chase Daniel / Tyler Bray (QB)
Bilal Nichols / Jonathan Bullard / Roy Robertson-Harris (DL)
You’ll notice some of the names are projected starters already, such as Lynch, Daniels, Bullard, and Miller. But I’m still excited to see how they perform and watch them for their continued development.
Also, why am I excited to watch the backup QBs? Because a team’s fate can change in an instant if the starting QB goes down. I want to know that the backup is at least competent. Daniel has backed up Drew Brees and Alex Smith now during his career, and comes recommended from former coaches for his preparation. Hopefully he can play, if needed, too. But let’s hope we never have to find out.
Any chance the Bears pursue outside pass rush options via trade or claiming waived players? If so, any insight on possible outside rush help that may hit free agency? Have a great day!
See my response to the first question above on Shaq Lawson. There will certainly be players that can help the Bears after final cuts, given that 32 teams will be going from 90 players to 53, and then forming practice squads afterwards.
You can bet that the Bears will be going after EDGE players. It remains to be seen who all is available at the time, however.
What about Mitch Trubisky's game inspires you? Not stats. Not scheme. Not weapons. Just him. What does he do well?
— When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong (@BMADFTS) July 13, 2018
I figured @BMADFTS might ask this question in the Mailbag one day. For some background: We’ve had quite a few interactions on Twitter about the NFL, though I forget what started it all. It seems we actually share similar opinions on many players, so it seems we look for/at many of the same things.
However, when it comes to the topic of Mitch Trubisky, we’ve never agreed. He is not a believer in Mitch and hasn’t been since the beginning, whereas I’m optimistic that Trubisky will be a good quarterback (though I readily admit we need to see significant progress this year). I know you asked about Trubisky’s skill-set only and what I think he does well. So here goes:
This is well documented and a pretty obvious first point for many, but to me, his best skill is his mobility and accuracy on the move. The Bears have decent but not elite tackles, and so his ability to escape is important, which also marries well with his ability to throw on the move. And I seriously think his moving accuracy is elite already. He showed quite a few snippets of it in his debut against Minnesota and then again against Baltimore. It baffled me that the Bears didn’t make this a focus point in their game-planning often or creatively enough. Moving on …
Trubisky got great praise pre-draft for his overall accuracy. While I didn’t think it was always spectacular (he had some trouble throwing to his left this year, and usually it was a matter of not having his feet set), I wasn’t too concerned about it. He made plenty of Aaron Rodgers-esque throws throughout the year that eased my concerns. His TD to Dion Sims against Baltimore, third-down conversion to Kendall Wright to get into game-winning FG range against Baltimore, and his should-have-been TD to Zach Miller in New Orleans come to mind, among others. And while footwork is not easy to improve, it can be done.
He has the arm strength to make every NFL throw, and as the season wore on, I noticed he also got much better at going through his progressions, anticipating throws, and throwing receivers open, something I really wanted to see after his college tape. His back-shoulder throw to Markus Wheaton at Ford Field on 3rd-and-18 late in the game is an example that sticks well in my head.
One underrated aspect is his leadership — from all accounts and media reports, the players genuinely like, respect, and enjoy playing with Trubisky. It might not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but that extra excitement and juice in the huddle can make a difference over the course of a game and season. I’m not sure I always saw that with Jay Cutler, and this is coming from someone who loves and adores Jay Cutler (see my Twitter timeline, you’ll know).
Trubisky could stand to be a bit more aware in the pocket and perhaps make quicker decisions. But I truly wonder how much of that was coaching last year. John Fox was so ridiculously conservative that I wouldn’t be surprised if they beat caution into his brain to the point of insanity. The most egregious example is this sack he took against the Packers at Soldier Field (picture courtesy of NBC Sports Chicago).
Trubisky has two open receivers — Dontrelle Inman deep (the yellow arrow defender’s hips are in an advantageous position for the Bears but Trubisky isn’t set to throw deep), and Josh Bellamy circled in red. This could be an easy completion to Bellamy, but he sees Davon House lurking (also in red) and surprisingly decides to hang on to the ball and take the sack. It’s absolutely and unjustifiably a bad decision, but it’s so egregious that I can’t help but wonder if Trubisky was gun shy because of his coach; especially given what had happened already with the Fox challenge to turn 1st-and-Goal at the 1 into a touchback.
It’s things like this that I hope to get answered quickly this year, and truly believe Matt Nagy will help Trubisky put things together. I saw enough over the course of the year to believe Trubisky has talent worth being developed, and while it was a frustrating 12 starts, I felt better about him as a QB than I did when they took him on draft night. That’s what I was hoping for.
Player evaluation is subjective and I can completely understand if the concerns I bring up that I’m “okay with” for now are big red flags for you. That’s the beauty of us getting to watch it play out together as fans. And while I agree that some, if not many, of Trubisky’s face-value improvements this year will have a lot to do with scheme, Trubisky has enough to improve skills-wise that scheme won’t make all the difference.
I’m not expecting Trubisky to be ‘elite’ this year, whatever that really means. Hell, I’m not even expecting him to be in the top 12. But if he’s even average in Year 2 and Year 1 of the Matt Nagy era, the Bears have a good enough defense and good enough playmakers (if healthy) to contend for the playoffs, and perhaps even make it. And for his development in subsequent years, success can bring about improvements automatically.
Last year the NFL Network did their record predictions for every team. The Chicago Bears, much to the dismay of fans, were projected to go 5-11. People thought they were crazy. Then the Bears finished 5-11. So perhaps it’s important to take these picks a little more seriously in 2018. With training camp just a week away, they finally arrived.
What’s different about this year? Well, the good news is there’s a bit more optimism. Or bias. It depends on how one looks at it. The two men doing the predicting this year were none other than Adam Rank and James Jones. For those who aren’t caught up, Rank is a proud Bears fan. Jones is a former receiver for the Green Bay Packers.
So needless to say this had a chance to get ugly. Unsurprisingly Rank had no shame is flaunting his Bears colors. He has the team finishing 14-2, dominating the NFC and likely ending up with homefield advantage in the playoffs. Wishful thinking? Maybe. Jones was a little more reserved, having the Bears finish 8-8 but outside the playoffs.
The most fascinating part isn’t their differing records though. It was their agreement on one thing the Bears would do.
Chicago Bears predicted to sweep the Vikings in 2018
The Minnesota Vikings finished 13-3 last season, boasting the #1 defense in the NFL. They went to the NFC championship game. Then this offseason they added quarterback Kirk Cousins, a Pro Bowler, to the mix. Not only are they current favorites to win the division, they are widely believed to be the team that will dethrone the Eagles in the NFC to reach the Super Bowl.
So when Rank and Jones both predicted the Bears would sweep them this year, it came as a tremendous shock. The Bears haven’t swept an NFC North opponent since the Lions way back in 2012. If they were to somehow pull this off, it would be up there with sweeping the eventual 13-3 Packers way back in 2007.
Can they do it? The Bears are certainly an improved team and they always play the Vikings close at Soldier Field. So that could be a win for sure. The hard part is the trip up to Minnesota. Chicago hasn’t won in that dome since January 1st of 2012, going 0-6 since then. It will take a monumental effort from coaches to players to pull off.
If they do, it will hands down be the highlight of the 2018 season.
