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Blackhawks’ GM Stan Bowman Keeps Fans Guessing

By
Tony Gianares
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Blackhawks’ GM Stan Bowman held a Pre-Draft press conference on Thursday. Many fans, like myself, were expecting some type of significant news on Corey Crawford, the team’s plans for the 2018 NHL Draft, and offseason priorities. Instead, StanBo gave us more of the same status quo BS that we have been fed since the end of an embarrassing 2017-18 regular season.

One of the biggest unknown’s on the team heading into the 2018-19 season is Corey Crawford and I wrote an article all about it. Will he be able to play? We still have no idea after the press conference, but Bowman did mention the Crawford topic.

Stan Bowman Talks About the 2018 Offseason

Stan Bowman touched base on many topics, but only shared minimal info about all of them. Over the past few seasons, the biggest problem for the Blackhawks has been their lack of cap space. This season, that is not the case. The NHL salary cap increase will help the Blackhawks’ salary cap issues.

The $4.5 million salary cap increase could not have come at a better time. There will be approximately $12 million in cap space this offseason for the Blackhawks to use. They need to sign at least one Top 4 defenseman this offseason if they even want to think about having a successful season.

I listed some of my favorite free agent targets for the Blackhawks in one of my previous articles. Defense should be at the top of the team’s priority list. Free agency officially begins July 1st.

Stan Bowman Talks About NHL Draft Plans

Bowman talked about the NHL Draft and the possibility of making a splash. It is Smokescreen Season in the NHL in regards to the NHL Draft, so it can be hard to gauge how truthful he is being.

Take it for what it’s worth because he also said the Blackhawks are inquiring about moving up in the draft. Bowman gave a little insight to what the Blackhawks have been working on recently.

The 2018 NHL Draft starts on Friday, June 22nd and concludes on Saturday, June 23rd. As of right now, it seems like the Blackhawks are planning on taking the best available player with the 8th overall pick.

Keeping their options open is not necessarily a bad thing, as there are many holes in the Blackhawks’ current roster. Many fans have known about this draft strategy for months though, so there is nothing new here.

Addressing Team Needs

Everyone knows that the Blackhawks’ defense was a joke last season. They gave up the 8th most goals in the 2017-18 season and were one of the biggest reasons for the failed season. Bowman commented on the team’s current defensive situation.

Besides the stats, the team’s top defensemen are growing old at a rapid rate. The NHL Draft could be a way to instantly upgrade the team’s defense at an affordable price. There are a number of prospects, including some elite defensemen, that the Blackhawks have in their sights and I wrote about all of them in a previous article.

This year’s NHL Draft could end up being one of the most important drafts in the organization’s recent history. Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville’s jobs are on the line. They have to hit on their top draft picks this year. If you are invested in the Blackhawks as much as I am, you do not want to miss the 2018 NHL Draft.

You can catch the 1st Round of the draft on NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), fuboTV, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app at 6:30 pm CST on Friday, June 22nd. Rounds 2-7 will be on the NHL Network starting at 10 am CST on Saturday, June 23rd. Make sure to check your local cable providers. This will be must-see tv for all hockey fans.

The Bulls Used Their 22nd Pick On Chandler Hutchison

By
Patrick Mooney
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I asked nicely John.

You did not listen.

The Bulls reportedly promised Chandler Hutchinson they would draft him at 22 over a month ago. He shut down his workouts and he skipped the combine. Way to hide your hand fellas!

The 6’7 wing does have a 7’1 wingspan and a decent sized frame, but this pick has such little upside. I can’t see straight I’m so mad.

He’s 22 years old already. He shot a pedestrian 35.3% percent from three over his collegiate career. Boise State played four high majors all of last season.

His size and length are his strengths, yet he plays primarily below the rim and played in a zone defense throughout college. So we haven’t yet seen if his lack of athleticism can translate into success against legitimate competition because the competition he played against in college was so bad. We have no clue if his size/length combo will help him excel defensively because he hasn’t really guarded anybody 1-on-1 in five years.

The Bulls had a chance here to go young with upside or go old and polished. They did, neither? Fantastic!

Bulls Draft Wendell Carter Jr. And Fans Freak Out, Rightfully So

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Bulls have selected Wendell Carter Jr. out of Duke with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and fans are pissed.

They should be too.

This is nothing against Carter and I’m sure every Bulls fan hopes he becomes a star one day, but right now this pick screams boring. Again, Carter might end up being a good, solid pro, but the expectations and projections for him doesn’t give Bulls fans much confidence that he’ll be an elite player on a championship team.

And that’s what this is all about. The Bulls started their rebuild last draft season in hopes of building a roster that could some day compete for titles. They couldn’t even tank correctly and ended up with the seventh pick.

It’s pretty simple math. You have a higher rate of success hitting on draft picks higher in the lottery. The Bulls failed to accomplish that and the result is Wendell Carter Jr.

Mo Bamba had fallen past the fifth pick and despite reports of the Bulls trying to trade up for the Texas center, the Orlando Magic took him with the sixth pick.

You can say whatever you want about Bears GM Ryan Pace, but at least he was aggressive when trading up for Mitch Trubisky two years ago. That was his guy and he went for it.

The Bulls on the other hand? They once again played it safe and Bulls fans are pissed.

It goes on and on and on.

Here’s the thing, I get not taking Michael Porter Jr. because his back injury is pretty serious and there are obviously concerns about his health. That’s why he’s slipping in the draft. Yet, how about not playing it safe? Make a fucking bold move for once.

Right now, best case scenario with this core is what? Maybe some 50-win seasons, a 3-5 seed in the East in a couple years? That’s the reality of it and you can’t change my mind otherwise.

Now, if the Bulls have a plan to go out and trade for superstar like Kawhi Leonard, or have plans to go out and sign a big free agent in the next few years, then OK, I like the direction.

If this is the core the Bulls are trying to win with, though, then it’s just the mid-2000s all over again. Maybe they win a series or two in the playoffs, but that’s the ceiling.

Welcome back to basketball hell, Bulls fans.

A Key Stat That All Prior Chicago Bears Playoff Teams Share

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

A Chicago Bears playoff run. That is the dream of every fan going into 2018. No surprise. It’s something they haven’t seen for almost a decade now. Amidst that drought, they’ve had to endure arguably the hardest run of seasons in Chicago football history. One teaming with a caliber of play they’d never seen before, and not in a good way. Thus they cling to the hope that maybe, just maybe this year can be different.

So the question gets asked over and over. How can they do it? What must they do to reach the postseason? There are plenty of answers. Score more points. Force more turnovers. Control the clock better. Get off the field more consistently on third down. Yes, all of these things matter. Yet at the end of the day, there’s one answer:  win more games.

That sounds too simple though. So here’s an interesting stat I dug up looking back over the Bears’ history during the Super Bowl era. Dating back to 1977, Chicago has never made the playoffs without posting at least one three-game winning streak during the course of the season.

Chicago Bears haven’t escaped losing season since fulfilling that stat

Okay, it may sound a little convoluted but sometimes that’s just how things are in the NFL. If Bears fans really want to feel where the state of their team is, they merely need to follow this stat. From 2014 through 2017, the Bears have not once managed a three-game win streak. For those who don’t care to do the calculations, that’s a span of 64 games without being able to win three-in-a-row.

The last time they accomplished this feat? It was in 2013, the last season they didn’t have a losing record. It came during the first three games of the Marc Trestman tenure, culminating in a 40-23 rout of the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

The Bears came close to finally pulling it off last season. Sadly their best chance ended in failure with a 20-12 loss to the Saints in New Orleans right before the bye week. Most would agree that was the game that killed their momentum, sparked by the disastrously bad call by refs to overturn an obvious touchdown by tight end Zach Miller.

Thus the question arises. Do the 2018 Bears have a three-game win streak in them? It sounds like such a modest achievement compared to what other teams have done lately. Still, the saying goes you have to learn to crawl before you can walk. If they can find a trio of wins somewhere in that schedule, it can be considered them taking their first step as a big boy team again.

From there, as history shows, anything is possible.

Michael Kopech Discusses His Latest Start While Chris Getz Weighs In

By
Matt Enuco
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Michael Kopech is still in the minor leagues after a slew of promotions in the White Sox farm system hit the airwaves today. Kopech discussed his latest start on Wednesday after the game.

He finished after the fifth inning allowing three runs — two earned — with six strikeouts and four walks. Kopech certainly struggled with his command again, but he fought through early adversity and showed some Moxey.

Director of Player Development Chris Getz added a few thoughts on Kopech on Thursday afternoon.

And by at “some point” Getz is considered to have meant this season.

Syncing up the body is key for all pitchers. Lucas Giolito is going through a similar struggle right now where Giolito tends to let his shoulders fly open before his bottom half is anchored. Kopech has a more linear delivery and bigger body where Giolito is wiry and loose. Still, the premise holds that both pitchers have to synch their deliveries.

As for when we can expect Kopech to the bigs? My guess is that once he strings together a few dominant performances of the kind we saw earlier in the season, he could be bumped soon thereafter. I’ve been saying it since the beginning of the season that White Sox brass want to see him respond to adversity before pushing him through, and the past month has witnessed that moment. Now, Kopech has to emerge from his trouble and get back to dealing.

The Top 5 Free Agent Signings In Cubs History

By
Gus
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After the Cubs big series win over the LA Dodgers yesterday, I was doing my usual check in on Twitter.com to get my daily entertainment reading ignorant tweets from Cubs fans finding anything to complain about. However, since the Cubs won, I knew there wouldn’t be very many Cubs fans bitching so I chose to focus on the tweets which had a positive spin to them.

  • One focused on how great Jason Heyward has been this season.
  • Another broke down Kyle Schwarber’s swing.
  • And the best one I saw set the Cubs recent walk-off win to Pat Benetar’s “We Belong.”

Although not nearly as entertaining as Pat Benetar, one tweet caught my eye. The tweet stated that yesterday’s winning pitcher, Jon Lester, would go down as the best free agent signing in Cubs history. Now, anytime you say someone will the best to do anything in history, I immediately hesitate because history goes so far back. However, since we were discussing free agency (which has only been around since 1976), my wheels began to turn.

At first I thought, “As great as he’s been, there’s no way Jon Lester could be the greatest Cubs free agent signing in history right?” I mean, the Cubs have signed some pretty great ballplayers in the past forty years that there has to be at least one player better than Lester.

To get some perspective, I jumped in a group text with some of my fellow Cubs brethren and posed the question. Immediately, names began to get thrown out: Derrek Lee, Sammy Sosa, Jake Arrieta, and so on…and so on….and so on. As much as I love those players, I had to remind the squad that we were talking about free agent signings and not trades which drew the response of, “Well shit, I can’t remember who the Cubs signed as free agents.”

So I popped an Old Style and put together my list of who I think are the best free agent signings in Cubs history.

Feel free to fight me if you disagree.

in Game Seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on November 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

5. Ben Zobrist

On December 9th, 2015, the Cubs signed utility infielder Ben Zobrist to a 4-year, $56 million dollar deal. Zobrist won the World Series in 2015 with the Kansas City Royals and was about as consistent of a baseball player as you would find. The 13-year vet would be brought into Chicago not only for his rock-solid approach to the game, but he’d also serve as a very important presence in a VERY young Cubs clubhouse. His vet moves were front and center early on when he brought his Royals World Series ring into the Cubs clubhouse to give the team a taste of what they would eventually accomplish later on that season.

Zobrist will never receive praise for his offensive numbers (even though they’re pretty damn solid) but he will forever be cemented in Cubs history as the guy who drove in the game winning run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Add to that, he was named MVP of the 2016 World Series and it’s just simply impossible to leave him off this list.

CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 15: Ryan Dempster #46 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning on June 15, 2012 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

4. Ryan Dempster

I’ll admit, I wanted to leave Dempster off this list simply for the fact that he does one of the worst Harry Caray impersonations ever. Like, it’s literally the worst thing I’ve ever heard. However, as a free agent signing, Dempster put together quite the career on the North Side of Chicago.

The Reds released Dempster after the 2003 season when he had Tommy John surgery. He got knocked around pretty good during his two years in Cincinnati going 8-12 with an ERA north of six but he Cubs took a shot on him the next season when they signed him to a one-year contract. That risky one-year contract turned into nine years as a Cub. Dempster eventually took over the closer job, and in three seasons, he totaled 87 saves. 2008 was the peak of his Cubs career when he returned to the rotation and won 17 games on a team that won back-to-back division titles.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that I may or may not have added him to this list because he was partially responsible for the Cubs landing Kyle Hendricks as well.

At least I’m honest.

3. Moises Alou

If you can erase the memory of Alou screaming like a baby after the notorious Bartman incident, he was actually a pretty solid free-agent signing. Alou came to the Cubs in December 2001 after helping the Marlins win the World Series four years earlier. The 35-year-old left fielder signed a three-year, $27 million dollar contract with the Cubs and immediately gave all-time Cubs great, Sammy Sosa, some much needed protection in the lineup.

If you erase the 2002 season where he was pretty much hurt the entire year, Alou shined as a Cub. The 2003 team won the NL Central and Alou flourished hitting behind Sosa (.280 with 22 homers, 35 doubles and 91 RBIs.)

He finished 14th in MVP voting in 2004, which usually tends to happen when you smack 39 home runs and collect 106 RBIs. The notorious hand-pisser is definitely an all-time great who unfortunately will only be remembered for flipping out on Steve Bartman.

2. Andre Dawson

I’ll be honest. When I first heard the best free agent in history question, Andre Dawson was the first one to come to mind and I could have sworn up and down that he was the answer to the question. In addition to being one of my top three favorite Cubs in history, he had one of the coolest free agent signing stories in history.

After the 1986 season, the three-time All-Star and 1977 Rookie of the year was desperate to get out of Montreal because the articifial surface was destroying his knees. So Dawson and his agent showed up unannounced at the Cubs’ spring training facility in search of a contract.

The Cubs had already spent a good chunk of change going into the 1987 season but that didn’t stop Dawson’s agent. In a ballsy move, the agent offered the Cubs a blank contract to fill in for what they thought Dawson was worth (or at least what they could afford.)

The Cubs GM filled in $500,000 and got every pennies worth. In 1987, Dawson hit 49 home runs with 137 RBIs and was named the NL Most Valuable Player despite playing on a last-place Cubs team. The future Hall of Famer had one of the greatest melt downs in Cubs history finished his career slashing .285/.327/.507 and to this day is still one of the Cubs all-time greats.

(He also deserves his number to be retired, I’m just saying.)

1. Jon Lester

So as it turns out, the tweet saying that Jon Lester would go down as the greatest free agent signing was correct. When you look at the impact that Lester has had during his time with the Cubs and the role he has played in the clubhouse, there is not another free agent in Cubs history that comes close to what Lester has accomplished.

Lester joined the Cubs on December 10, 2014 when he signed a 6-year, $155 million dollar deal. At that point, the Cubs were on a streak of five straight losing seasons and were in desperate need of an ace for their staff. What became known as the “Jon Lester sweepstakes” turned out to be the biggest free agent signing in Cubs history.

Lester was a dominant left-handed pitcher who had a track record of success. In Boston, he had been lights out in the World Series, where he was  3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in three starts, helping the Red Sox win two championships.

Lester’s first year with the Cubs was up and down but since he became a Cub, he has been the ace everyone thought he would be.

Everyone knows the role he played in Game 7 of the World Series when he came in as a relief pitcher to help the Cubs win their first championship in over a century but like Zobrist, who I’ve mentioned earlier, people underestimate the role he played in changing the entire culture of the Chicago Cubs.

Yes, Theo Epstein was a huge part of the culture shift away from the “lovable losers” but you have to have your key guys buy into that philosophy as well. Lester just signed a $155 million dollar contract, he didn’t have to buy into shit if he didn’t want to because the man would be getting paid regardless but that’s not the type of guy Lester is. He is a true blue-collar workhorse who shows up to work each day, doesn’t complain, and is the leader by example that every team needs.

Now that he’s officially halfway through his contract, Lester is still dealing. As of today, he’s 9-2 with a measly 2.10 ERA and is all but confirmed to land a spot on this year’s All-Star team. He currently ranks in the top five in the NL in wins, WAR, WHIP, and ERA and is poised to put up his best season as a Chicago Cub.

________________________________________________________________________

All five of these free agents changed the history of the Chicago Cubs but when you look at the impact left on the organization, Jon Lester takes the cake. He will undoubtedly go down in Cubs history as one of the greatest left handed pitchers in team history and I hope his resurgence this year will result in another Cubs run at a World Series championship.

White Sox Farm Makes Moves, Promotes 16 Total Prospects

By
Emmet McClain
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Well, we knew promotions were going to come sooner than later, but 16 all at once? That’s insane. Right about now is a prime period to move prospects. The first half of the minor leagues is officially in the books, giving teams more leeway to promote their top prospects.

Another factor is the fact that slowly but surely, teams are being eliminated from the College World Series. Once the tournament wraps up for good, players who were drafted by the White Sox (i.e. Nick Madrigal) will be allowed to sign and officially join the White Sox farm system. Consequentially, space needs to be made in the lower levels, hence all of the promotions.

So let’s talk about the biggest prospects and when we can likely see them in Chicago.

Eloy Jimenez

One of the most talked about prospects all year long, Jimenez is known for his ++ power and hit tools. After dominating Double-A pitching to the tune of a .317/.368/.556 slash line, he finally got the call to Charlotte. For the past month and a half, fans seemed to be literally begging the White Sox to promote him. Well they finally got their wish. Now at the highest level of the minors, fans can see the light at the end of the tunnel. If Jimenez continues to hit at Charlotte like he has everywhere else, he could be up soon after the trade deadline. Worst case scenario is a September call up.

Dylan Cease, Luis Basabe

So Birmingham loses Eloy only to have Cease and Basabe join them. Not bad. Both Cease and Basabe have been absolute studs this year. Basabe especially deserves praise for his improvement from last year. In 2017 he batted .221/.320/.320. Fast forward to 2018 and he has improved his line to .266/.370/.502. He looks to be a hell of a utility outfielder on a great team, but could easily be an everyday player on a mediocre team as well. Being just 21 years old, Basabe still has his work cut out for him. A true 5-tool player, he should start next year in Double-A. If all goes according to plan, he could reach Charlotte in 2019 with the possibility of a September call up, and then make the 25 man roster early in 2020.

Dylan Cease has been everything you could possibly ask for since the trade from the North Side to the South Side. Last season the coaching staff took it slow with Cease as he continued his progression back from Tommy John surgery. He entered this year with no restrictions and has looked like a true ace while on the mound. In 2018 at High-A Winston-Salem, he posted a 2.89 ERA, is struck out 10.30/9, and had a record of 9-2. He is hitting 100mph on the gun in the 7th inning, his curveball is an absolute hammer, and he is even effectively using his changeup on a consistent basis. He is a prospect I would keep a very close eye on while he is in Birmingham. His stuff is so electric he could dominate Double-A too. Especially with Birmingham being a pitchers park. While it might be too soon to say he could end up in Charlotte by year’s end, it is definitely not out of the question completely. If he does end the year in Charlotte, he could be in Chicago by next year’s All-Star break. If not, then a September call up in 2019 is more than likely.

Luis Robert

Ever since he signed with the White Sox, fans have been salivating to watch him play. He finished last year playing overseas, and began this year with a few nagging injuries. Now fully healthy, he basically went through a rehab stint at Low-A Kannapolis. It was clear from the beginning that he was not being challenged, so he has officially been promoted to Winston-Salem where he will take Luis Basabe’s spot in the outfield. Besides Dylan Cease, Robert is the other prospect that every fan should (and probably will) have their eyes on. Scouts have said that he might be the best White Sox prospect of them all. Yes that includes Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez. His speed/power combination is second to none. Once he starts getting consistent at-bats, we should see him light the minor leagues on fire.

These are just the biggest names that got promoted today, but there are 12 others that also got bumped up including Seby Zavala, Joel Booker, Alex Call, and Bernardo Flores. One sleeper prospect to watch is Tyler Johnson, a relief pitcher who just got promoted to Winston-Salem. In 27 IP in Low-A he supported a 1.33 ERA, a RIDICULOUS 15.33 K/9, and was 5-0. He is another prospect that should fly through the minors. Depth, depth, and more depth. The White Sox have more than any team in baseball. This is just more proof of that.

It won’t be long until we see these guys performing on the South Side. For now, all we can do is be patient. And trust me, it will be more than worth the wait.

Shark On The Silver Screen: Who Would Play Who In Jerry Tarkanian Biopic?

By
Kevin Fiddler
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With word leaking out of some production circles here in Sin City regarding a possible biopic series in the works about former UNLV basketball coaching legend, Jerry Tarkanian, Sin City Sports Mockery takes a look at the potential characters who could possibly be featured in the film as well as the actors and actresses who are best suited to portray them.

While Las Vegas’s favorite towel-chomping “Shark” passed away four years ago, his legacy lives on as the city’s most beloved Runnin’ Rebel, on and off the basketball court. This makes the film an extremely sensitive topic here in the Vegas Valley. Despite the recent decline in UNLV Basketball’s popularity here in town, this “Shark” means far more to Vegas than Steven Spielberg’s summer blockbuster-inventing “Jaws.”

Jerry Tarkanian

While Jerry’s son Danny Tarkanian said he prefers popular character actor, Paul Giamatti, to play the role, the looks don’t seem to jive. Whoever plays the slightly-bald, lispy legend has to look the part and still command the respect Tark always garnered from his players. For an older Tark, I — for one — would go with Jonathan Banks, who played Mike Ehrmantraut on the Emmy Award-winning TV show, “Breaking Bad.” Problem is, he is too old at this point to play a “young Tark” in a biopic. To play the younger role, I’d go with Oscar Isaac (with a balding hairline, of course). It wouldn’t be the first time his perfectly round bald head reminded us of Tark. I’ve had this discussion between myself and more than a few other diehard Rebel fans last season at the Thomas & Mack.

RUNNERS-UP: John Malkovich, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (rocked the bald dome in “50/50”), Stanley Tucci, Corey Stoll.

Lois Tarkanian

The rock to the Tark’s towel was his wife, Dr. Lois Tarkanian. This family matriarch continues to keep the family together today, even after his passing. For this lead role, there may be no better actress than Diane Lane to play this part. Her rugged beauty and strong on-screen presence would make for an excellent portrayal of a woman who, despite her husband’s large shadow, stands on her own. Lois is currently a city councilwoman here in Vegas, and has a Master of Arts in speech pathology and a doctorate in leadership and human behavior. Prior to serving on the city council, she served for 12 years as a member of the Clark County Board of School Trustees.

RUNNERS-UP: Catherine Keener, Marissa Tomei, Jennifer Lawrence (with dark hair).

Robert Maxson

As far as antagonists go, the NCAA as an organization will always take the cake, but there was no one individual more tied to Jerry Tarkanian than former UNLV president, Bob Maxson. British actor Hugh Laurie, of “House” fame, would make for a perfect “bad guy” in this story. UNLV’s president from 1984 until 1994 was constantly playing the foil to Tark’s heroic reputation here in town. Their relationship came to a tilt in 1990, when Maxson fired UNLV athletic director and longtime Tark supporter, Brad Rothermel, and replaced him with Dennis Finfrock, who passed away from Parkinson’s in 2009. Finfrock immediately became known as Maxson’s bulldog, leading to Tark’s firing in 1992. Maxson was allegedly an “academics guy” and was hostile towards athletics in general, explaining why — under his watch — UNLV athletics, especially basketball, football, and baseball, all faltered, never returning to its prior glory.

RUNNERS-UP: William Atherton (first two Die Hard films), Chris Cooper, James Woods, Iwan Rheon (only because of his role as ultimate doucher executioner, Ramsey Bolton, of Game of Thrones fame).

Cedric Dempsey/Other NCAA Presidents

No coach in NCAA history took on the NC-Double-Assholes more than Tark. In fact, his 30-year battle with the most hated governing body in sports began when Tark was still at Long Beach State, where he wrote a periodic op-ed column for the Long Beach Press Telegram. After Tark wrote a column about how the NCAA goes after the small schools but not the large ones, then-NCAA president Warren Brown alluded to the impending NCAA attack by stating, “What does Tark think, Long Beach is a big school?” Thus began Tark’s life-long battle with the NCAA that led to him winning a $2.5 million settlement in 1998. Because films often combine characters to tighten the narrative (see Jonah Hill’s character in “Moneyball”), Brown should be combined with fellow NCAA presidents during Tark’s career, Dick Schultz and Cedric Dempsey. To play the combo and to come across as sinister as the NCAA was towards Tark, Bradley Cooper is the choice to channel his scumbaggish performance from “Wedding Crashers” as his character works to undermine Tark’s success while protecting the image of such “integrity-driven” coaches like Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins and John Calipari. Note the sarcasm.

RUNNERS-UP: Patrick Dempsey, J.K. Simmons, Aaron Eckhart

Other important characters of note: Longtime Tark assistant Tim Grgurich (Blake Jenner); Larry Johnson (Tequan Richmond); Stacey Augmon (Aldis Hodge); Freddy Banks (Tristan Wilds); Armon Gilliam (Kofi Siriboe).

However this series production plays out, one thing is for sure: There has been better “David vs Goliath” story in college athletics than Tark taking on the NCAA for as long as he did. Some believe he is the catalyst for today’s college athletes as they seek fair treatment while bringing in millions for their schools. Should be fun to see who Hollywood deems worthy.

Yoan Moncada Deserves His Fair Share Of Criticism

By
Matt Enuco
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White Sox offseason needs are already a concern.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images North America via Zimbio

Yoan Moncada has not lived up to the enormous expectations White Sox fans have placed on him. He is second in the league in strikeouts this season and recently took home another dubious honor with the most errors by a second baseman in the majors. But that doesn’t mean he won’t become who the White Sox expect him to be.

Still, let’s put this into context. Nine errors is not something to cast him out into the wilderness of busted prospects for. Nor is his 35.9 percent k-rate worth dwelling on as the funnel of his tornadic plummet towards disaster.

Moncada just turned 23 years old and is taking a beating at the highest level of baseball. What started out as a patient approach at the plate has turned into a passive absurdity for the switch-hitting slugger. With a walk-rate of nine percent to pair with his impressively bad strikeout rate, and leading the league in errors at second base, Moncada deserves his fair share of criticism.

Still, before Moncada reached the big leagues there was plenty of concern about his ability to play in the middle of the infield. Most of those reservations swirled around his ability to turn the double play, but his deficiencies around the bag have become a problem at the position generally. Moncada has the talent to play second base, but my concern is more about where his head is at.

Similar to Carson Fulmer (and no, I’m not rigidly equating Moncada to Fulmer), Moncada’s woes are more psychological than physical. You can see it in the way he saunters back to the dugout after striking out and in his lackadaisical energy in the field.

To put it simply, he’s not having fun. He got ran on a bad strike-three call on Wednesday and, in my opinion, allowed a runner to advance on a passed ball on an attempted steal by not backing up.

But no one takes failure as a cause for enjoyment and asking Moncada to put on a happy face while his season spirals out of control is disingenuous. I’d rather see him attack the flaws in his game and learn how to pick himself out of this rut.

And if he doesn’t — as it appears he hasn’t — he deserves the criticism from the fanbase and the media. You learn by failing and this season is an inflection point for YoYo. Success doesn’t come easy in the big leagues and no one is going to feel bad for you while you’re slumping. There are plenty of other players in the minor leagues dying for the opportunity to take his position and at some point — not this season or next season — the organization will have to make a change if he doesn’t get his act together.

Every player — except for Mike Trout — goes through this lull in performance and big leaguers separate themselves by their ability to solve problems. Whether tweaking a stance, finding a new hand slot, loading earlier in the swing or jumping into the box during bullpen sessions to track pitches, Moncada has to do something different than what he’s doing now. And this comes with maturity and reps.

I’m confident he will get there, but he deserves every lick of criticism while he continues to mope around the field.

If the Bears Make One Shocking Cut, This Is the Name to Watch

By
Erik Lambert
-
chicago bears

There are still months to go before the Chicago Bears roster begins to take its true shape. One of the most difficult jobs for new head coach Matt Nagy will be trimming the fat down from 90 players to the league-mandated 53 for the regular season. By now most people likely have their assumptions about who will or won’t make the final cut.

However, it’s important to remember that this isn’t John Fox anymore. Players people would assume are safe might not be in the eyes of Nagy. One mustn’t forget even Jordan Howard was under heavy trade speculation for a considerable stretch. So it’s unwise to feel names that were untouchable under Fox would be so under his replacement.

The question is would any player fit that description. There aren’t many standouts in that regard. Most of the bigger names are quite secure in their current positions. Big free agent and draft names were added less to replace them and more to plug holes elsewhere. However, there may be one notable name that may not be as safe as he or others might think.

Jonathan Bullard should not relax with his Chicago Bears roster status

The Bears have had some rough luck with third round picks over the past 14 years. After peaking in 2003 and 2004 with the likes of Lance Briggs and Bernard Berrian, they’ve gone through a string of average-to-bad selections in that range. Includes are notorious misses like Juaquin Iglesias and Brandon Hardin. It was hoped that Jonathan Bullard might be a step in the right direction.

All things considered, he hasn’t been a bad pick but he hasn’t reached his full potential as many hoped. In two seasons he has just two sacks and 44 total tackles. Granted, he hasn’t gotten a ton of sustained playing time during that span but he hasn’t made many impact plays. This might explain why former undrafted free agent Roy Robertson-Harris is favored to win the starting job.

Something to remember here is that the Bears carried four defensive ends on the roster. Akiem Hick is, of course, a lock. Robertson-Harris looks the same and now fifth round draft pick Bilal Nichols can be considered safe as well. That’s three slots filled already. This means Bullard will have to battle seven other players in order to maintain his spot.

Sure he should be considered the favorite, but far crazier things have happened. He’s not protected by his draft status anymore. If he wants to stay in navy blue, he’ll have to earn it in the eyes of the new coaching staff.

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