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The Cubs May Be Following In Footsteps of the 2005 White Sox

By
Erik Lambert
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Credit: Chicago Tribune

Boy it’s a good thing the 2016 Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Just try to imagine how fans would feel if they’d lost that series to Cleveland proceeded to have the years they’re having right now. Depression and suicide rates would skyrocket. Nothing indicated just how far this team has fallen than watching the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team they owned last year, drill them for double digit runs in the first inning on July 9th.

It was a stark reminder of how fast the turnover in professional baseball can be. Making the playoffs two-straight years is hard enough, let alone winning back-to-back World Series. Keep in mind it hasn’t happened since the Yankees did in 2000. That year they won their third-straight. Since then there hasn’t been a repeat winner for 16 years. Based on how the Cubs are playing, that streak is more than safe.

The Cubs are 43-45 with the All-Star break mercifully two days away. Hopes are they can somehow snap out of this inconsistent funk they’ve been in the past few months. Then again it might be fair to say this isn’t the same team that finished last November on top. In fact they’re starting to resemble another former champion in this city.

2016 Chicago Cubs in danger of mirroring the 2005 White Sox

People still have fond memories of that 2005 Chicago White Sox team. From the epic string of tight victories down the stretch to their dominant run through the postseason, it was a treat to watch them work. A lot of people felt that this was a roster locked and loaded to win at least one more. Then reality set in. The Sox not only failed to repeat in 2006, they didn’t even make the playoffs. Their biggest highlight wasn’t a win but a brawl.

The Sox didn’t make it back to the playoffs until 2008 and by then the roster wasn’t recognizable to the one from three seasons ago. They were promptly brushed aside by the Tampa Bay Rays in four games and haven’t reached the postseason since. Cubs fans have to be afraid that their team is in position to do the same.

They have loads of young talent but an inability to maintain their edge or their pitching leads to missed opportunities. By the time they figure it out it’s too late. The window is closed. Chicago has seen this a lot before. Not only the Sox but the 1985 Bears might be the biggest example. A great team undone because they couldn’t maintain the formula.

To be fair championship hangovers are a common theme in most major sports. Oftentimes a team gets over their disappointment and are right back in the thick of it not too long later. The Blackhawks fell out of relevance for two years following their 2010 Stanley Cup before surging back in 2013 for another. People forget the mighty New England Patriots didn’t make the playoffs in 2002 after winning their first title in 2001.

The 2017 Cubs aren’t out of it yet, but even if they are it’s not a doomsday scenario. They still have loads of young talent in place with a genius in Theo Epstein running the show. Smart money says they’ll rebound in due time.

Jon Lester Ends Cubs Shitty First Half With The Shittiest Start Of 2017

By
Aldo Soto
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Jon Lester was lucky to get anyone out in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, when he gave up 10 fucking runs before getting three outs.

After already allowing five runs, Lester gave up a Francisco Cervelli grand slam and then Andrew McCutchen hit a home run. Kris Bryant was charged with an error that loaded the bases, but after that Lester gave up a double, single, walk, walk and then the back-to-back home runs. He only got the two outs thanks to a great play by Bryant to get Cervelli in his first at-bat and then the Pirates pitcher Chad Kuhl had a sac-bunt.

Jon Lester fucking sucked.

One of the worst starts in MLB history.

Because of the error, Lester was only charged with four earned runs, so his ERA only went up to 4.25, somehow still not as bad as Jake Arrieta.

The Cubs suck right now. It doesn’t mean they’ll suck after the break too, but right now they blow.

Watch Mitch Trubisky Hometown React With Shock to Bears Drafting Him

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky hometown

The Mitch Trubisky hometown of Mentor, Ohio went into NFL draft weekend with plenty of expectations. They knew their local hero was getting selected early. All the experts indicated that would be the case. The big question was when and by whom. There were plenty of suitors discussed. Of course the nearby Cleveland Browns were the favorite. They were followed closely by the 49ers, Jets and Bills.

Over the past few months people have worked hard to gauge reaction of Chicago Bears fans when the team took him #2 overall. Multiple quotes and videos have shown everybody from the fans to the media were stunned by the move. Nobody, not even other teams around the league saw it coming. A testament to the misdirection campaign put forth by GM Ryan Pace.

So one can imagine the reaction by the hometown fans in Mentor when Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick.

Mitch Trubisky hometown gives mixed reaction

First off, it’s not exactly an explosion of enthusiasm. Sure there’s plenty of loud cheers but watch the crowd upon the initial announcement. There are wide smiles but also a generous mix of stunned silence and surprise looks. It’s safe to say that a portion of the crowd were taken aback when the Bears made their bold move to get him.

That of course was hammered home by Jeff Cassella, the athletic director of Trubisky’s own Mentor High School. He no doubt was involved to a small degree informing teams about who they’d be getting in the young QB and what he accomplished in school. So for him to express that clear surprise when he was more in the loop, imagine how other people felt.

David Ross Is Coming Back To Play Baseball

By
Aldo Soto
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Had enough of David Ross? Well, too bad because he’s coming back to play baseball.

On Saturday, former Chicago White Sox player Adam LaRoche actually broke the news. Ross, who helped the Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series, will be making a return to the baseball diamond. Don’t get your hopes up too high, though, as Ross was added to the Kansas Stars roster, not the Cubs.

Here’s the Facebook post that broke the news on the addition of Ross to the Kansas Stars.

The Wichita Eagle also reported the Ross addition to the Kansas squad.

David Ross, who last fall helped the Chicago Cubs win their first championship since 1908, was added to the roster on Saturday according to a team source. Ross, 40, homered in the Cubs’ Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians last November before retiring.

You’ve never heard of the Kansas Stars? Neither did I, but after a quick Google search I found out it’s one of the teams that plays in the National Baseball Congress World Series. The Kansas Stars were established last year, with ex-MLB players like Roger Clemens, Ben Sheets, Nate Robertson, Dan Uggla, J.D. Drew and Jason Marquis just to name a few. Basically what Ice Cube’s Big3 is to former NBA players is what this Kansas Stars team is for former MLB players.

The National Baseball Congress itself is an organization based in Wichita, Kansas, made up of 17 amateur and semi-amateur teams that’s been running since 1934.

Anyway, as the Facebook post above says, Ross will be on the field on July 29, for the NBC World Series.

The funny part is that this is supposed to be a fun league for college players to play in the summer and now you have guys like Roger Clemens trying to relive their glory days and if it’s Clemens, he’s probably throwing at your head.

Well, good luck Ross, at least you won’t be the oldest player on the team. You can see the entire roster for the Kansas Starts in the link below.

MLB Team Announced – Kansas Stars

How Mitch Trubisky Was Born and Bred To Prove Doubters Wrong

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky

People want to focus on Mitch Trubisky the man when it comes to his NFL future. After all that’s ultimately who’s going to decide the outcome of his career. Sure the Chicago Bears must do everything possible to help, but he’ll only get as much out of it as he puts in. Tom Brady isn’t great because he’s the most talented. He’s great because nobody will ever outwork him. The same went for Peyton Manning and other all-timers. That being said, what about the Mitch Trubisky Ohio lineage?

Bloodlines are a pretty amazing thing in professional sports. Not only do certain families produce great athletes, but so do certain regions of a country. Most people think Ohio is known best for producing great astronauts. That is true, but it’s also a state that has delivered some truly amazing quarterbacks. Not just run-of-the-mill great ones either.

Quarterbacks whom experts never gave a chance to succeed in the NFL but did it anyway. It’s a lineage that goes back almost 60 years and one that Trubisky is lining up to join.

Mitch Trubisky Ohio lineage starts with Len Dawson

Poor Len Dawson of Alliance, Ohio was always fighting against expectations. He was coming out of what was viewed as a lower tier school at Purdue in 1957. Even though he was a fifth overall pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers barely gave him a chance before pulling the plug. It didn’t help people thought he was too small to begin with at 6’0″. Then the Steelers traded for future Hall of Famer Bobby Layne in 1958.

Seeing the writing on the wall, he was traded to Cleveland. There too he was relegated to backup duty behind a veteran starter. By the time he became a free agent in 1960, most viewed him as a major bust. So he had to take a major career risk to get back in the game. He signed on with the Dallas Texans of the upstart American Football League. Like him, nobody gave that league a chance.

Also like him, they endured. The Texans soon moved to Kansas City where they became the Chiefs. Dawson finally had a team ready to invest in him and they were rewarded. He’d reach six Pro Bowls, win three AFL championships and lead them to victory in Super Bowl IV.

Roger Staubach

A native of Cincinnati, Roger Thomas Staubach was the personification of Americana. A young man who was contrasting in so many ways. Prone to following rules like the son of a military man would be expected to. Yet also so fluid and unpredictable on the field. He was something different in an era of football entrenched in traditional values.

Even though he was a star at Navy, winning the Heisman in 1963, people still had doubts about his future. They knew he’d be serving in the military. So it would be years before he ever got to the NFL. That’s why he was a lowly 10th round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1964. Belief was that Staubach wouldn’t amount to much in pro football once his tours were over.

After braving the dangers of Vietnam, he returned to civilian life at the age of 27. That’s is pretty old for an NFL rookie. Not only that, he had to spend two years battling for the starting job. By 1971 his career was at a crossroads. The Cowboys had to make a decision. Go with their proven man Craig Morton or give Staubach his chance. They chose the latter. He responded with two Super Bowl championships and six Pro Bowls. All within a short nine-season span.

Ben Roethlisberger

Believe it or not, even “Big” Ben Roethlisberger had his fair share of critics when he came into the league. Coming out of Lima, there was no doubt about his physical skill. He was remarkably athletic for a guy who was 6’5″. That wasn’t the problem. It was two issues that came up during his time in college. His playing style and the schools’ background.

Roethlisberger developed a reputation for playing “backyard” football at Miami of Ohio. In other words he relied solely on his physical ability to make plays rather than operating within a system. There was no way he’d get away with that sort of play in the NFL. As for the school, it wasn’t known for producing top tier talent. Since 1945, only one of its previous 71 players drafted had gone to a Pro Bowl.

Those were big reasons why he was the third quarterback selected in the 2004 draft. In fact the Pittsburgh Steelers were the only team to work him out privately. Indeed the freelance problems cropped up at times, but Roethlisberger found a way to make it work. As most great ones do. Two Super Bowl titles and five Pro Bowls later, it’s safe to say the doubters were nitpicking on that one.

Trubisky

Thus we come back to the next Ohio product. Mitch Trubisky is encountering his own doubters. Much of that due to things out of his control just like those mentioned above. He only started 13 games in college. Conventional wisdom says that’s not nearly enough. Not to get him ready for the massive increase in speed and complexity that is college to the NFL. The man himself disputes this, believing people are shortchanging the work he’s put in.

“It’s pretty obvious I only started 13 games, but I played in 30,” Trubisky said. “I think there’s a lot of things you can look at besides playing experience. I do have a lot of experience around the game, being at North Carolina for four years. I guarantee I’ve watched as much tape if not more than all the other quarterbacks going through this process. I’ve seen a lot of ball. I’m a student of the game. I’m a quick learner. The experience thing does hold some weight but I’ve been around the game long enough, I know enough and I definitely know enough, and I’ve shown what I can do last year and I will be successful at the next level.”

Above anything else a player must be confident in himself if he’s going to succeed at this. Especially if he plans to tackle the crater-infested landscape that is the Bears quarterback history. Then again, it almost seems like this challenge was made for him. Ohio QBs need something to fight against in order to reach their absolute best. Perhaps fate has drawn both him and the city of Chicago together.

Ian Happ And Kyle Schwarber Hit Back-to-Back Home Runs

By
Aldo Soto
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Down 1-0? No problem, Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber to the rescue!

And then Kyle Schwarber’s bomb.

That strut though!

Summer League Update: Bulls Don’t Know How To Spell Their Own Player’s Name

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Bulls are finding new and interesting ways to be incompetent and they wasted no time in the Summer League. No, it doesn’t have to do with Kris Dunn fouling everyone, or Cameron Payne still being bad at basketball, no, this is about not knowing how to spell your first-round pick’s player’s name.

Lauri Markkanen, welcome to the Bulls.

No way! Can’t be true? Oh wait, we are talking about the Bulls. You bet it’s true.

Off to a great start, Bulls.

Anthony Rizzo Joins Two Hall Of Famers On Exclusive Cubs List

By
Aldo Soto
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anthony rizzo
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 5: Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs receives a throw from Addison Russell #27 in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on July 5, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Anthony Rizzo may not be an All-Star this year, but he’s still the same dangerous hitter in the middle of the order that he’s been since he made his Chicago Cubs debut. On Friday, Rizzo joined Ron Santo and Billy Williams on an exclusive list in Cubs history.

Rizzo hit his 20th home run of the season against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Friday’s 6-1 Cubs win. The two-run laser in the fourth inning marked the fifth straight year in which Rizzo’s hit at least 20 homers. All that before the age of 28, and that has only been accomplished by two other players in Cubs history, Santo and Williams, who are both in the Hall Of Fame.

Solid company to be with.

Although Rizzo’s batting average is down from previous seasons, currently at .264, the first baseman has actually improved his on-base percentage. We’re in the era of baseball that high strikeout totals are the norm, but despite that Rizzo is about to accomplish something that hasn’t been done on the Cubs since 1970.

Incredible. Power, patience and a great knowledge of the strike zone.

Rizzo’s also on pace to hit about 38 home runs this season, which would be a career high. His current high water mark in homers has been 32, which Rizzo reached in 2014 and 2016.

Enjoy it Cubs fans, we’re seeing an all-time Cubs great right now. Oh, and you know that first stat with Santo and Williams that Rizzo joined? Well, there’s this other guy across the diamond that’s going to do it too.

Two all-time greats on the same team. Don’t take it for granted despite the overall struggles of the team this first half.

Dan Hampton Says How Many Rings He’d Have With Cutler At QB

By
Erik Lambert
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dan hampton

Dan Hampton has always been a big supporter of Jay Cutler. This isn’t a surprise. The man has always admired football players who are tough like he was. If nothing else, Cutler proved beyond a doubt during his career that he’s resilient to the mental and physical beatings of the NFL. Something former Hampton teammate Jim McMahon couldn’t match.

While no animosity exists between the two, it’s hard not to say Hampton is a little resentful of McMahon. Not for being a bad player. He wasn’t. More for not being available enough. The common trend throughout McMahon’s prime NFL run was health. From 1984 through 1988, considered the peak years of that great Bears roster, McMahon missed 39 starts with various injuries.

That’s really a shame too because he was an astonishing 36-5 during that stretch. Suffice to say when the Bears got any sort of reasonable production at quarterback, they won. To have only one Super Bowl ring to show for it? That’s tough to swallow.

Dan Hampton still dreams about having Cutler in the ’80s

During an appearance at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Hampton talked about his career and of course the iconic ’85 Bears. During the course of this Q&A the discussion came around to the quarterback situation and his thoughts on Cutler. For the second time in month he gave the former Bears QB a tip of the cap. This time by saying exactly how many rings he’d have if Cutler had been under center for those teams.

It’s easy to brush such things off for some, but it’s hard not to think about. Imagine it. Think about Cutler having Walter Payton in the backfield. Think about him having Jimbo Covert at left tackle, Jay Hilgenberg at center and the speedy Willie Gault at wide receiver. It truly is difficult not to see the tantalizing possibilities. He certainly never had anything near that level of talent during his run from 2009 to 2016.

At the same time it’s also fun to imagine how he would’ve handled Mike Ditka as head coach. Cutler was never a guy who enjoyed being criticized and jerked around. It’s hard to imagine him being able to withstand the fury of Da Coach over a long period. Certainly not with the same backbone that McMahon did.

All in all it’s a fun idea that is left to the imagination and computer simulations. Perhaps Hampton will soon start wondering what his team could’ve done with Mitch Trubisky.

The Back Of Jon Lester’s Rookie Card Will Literally Make You Laugh Out Loud

By
Gus
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BOSTON - JUNE 27: Jon Lester #62 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch against the New York Mets on June 27, 2006 at Fenway Park in Boston Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jon Lester

Cubs ace Jon Lester has built quite a professional resume during his 12-year MLB career. He’s a four-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion, an NLCS MVP, and he also has thrown a no-hitter back in 2008. Unfortunately, even with all those sparkling accolades Lester has to show, most fans forget about the awards and think of one thing when they hear the name Jon Lester.

The yips.

The yips by definition is “The loss of fine motor skills in athletes. The condition occurs suddenly and without apparent explanation usually in mature athletes with years of experience. It is poorly understood and has no known treatment or therapy.” The yips are prevalent in all major sports and Lester’s struggles have been so well documented, I don’t think I have to re-tell a story that has been told well already.

So here’s the gist.

Sometime around 2011, Lester developed a case of the yips when it came to throwing the ball to first base. There was no real reason behind it but the numbers show you that something was going on when it came time to throw the ball to first.

Lester made 70 throws to first base in 2011, but that sunk to five in 2012 and seven in 2013. He did not attempt a single pickoff in 2014. In 2015, Lester airmailed a few balls to first base on attempted pickoffs before he just decided that it would be easier to throw his entire damn glove to first base.

Earlier this year, he finally found someway to get the ball to first base to execute a successful pickoff attempt against the Cardinals Tommy Pham.

So where am I going with all this?

The irony of Lester being such a circus throwing to first base is the fact that when he came into the league in 2006, he was actually KNOWN for his ability to pick runners off first base. Here’s a look at the back of his 2006 Bowman Chrome rookie card.

From 2006-2011, Lester was credited with 24 pickoffs, which may include cases where the runner was safe on an error and also includes pickoff caught stealing plays. From 2012 (a year after the yips set it) until now, Lester is credited with only three pickoffs. (Note: these numbers reflect successful pickoffs, not attempts.)

That’s crazy.

I, for one, don’t give a shit if he doesn’t pick anyone off base for the rest of his Cubs career especially now that the cannon-armed Willson Contreras is now his full-time catcher. As long has he keeps pumping strikes and throwing that nasty cutter, I can live with the fact a million dollar athlete can’t make a 40-foot throw to first base.

Tomorrow, Lester will have another shot at picking off a runner in 2017 as he’s set to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates for his last start before the All-Star break.

 

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