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1984 Joe Maddon Is Exactly The Same As Joe Maddon In 2017

By
Aldo Soto
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Have you ever wondered if Joe Maddon’s philosophy on managing a baseball team has changed?

In 1984, Maddon was the manager for the Peoria Chiefs, and believe it or not 33 years later he’s exactly the same. He’ll get mad and yell at umpires, but have you ever seen Maddon get angry at his players? Behind closed doors? Hell, even Lovie Smith and Fred Hoiberg have reportedly gone off in locker rooms. But Maddon?

Nope.

Here’s a clip from 1984.

And this compares that to some audio taken from Maddon’s interview on Tuesday on 670 The Score.

Hasn’t changed at all and he’s been successful during his entire career doing it his way.

LaTroy Hawkins Calls White Sox Tommy Kahnle ‘The Worst Teammate I’ve Ever Had’

By
Matt Eastman
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White Sox relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle delivers to the Tigers in the ninth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday, April 6, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

LaTroy Hawkins was one of those guys you would see trot out of the bullpen and be like, “holy shit, he’s still in the majors?”

In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.

That’s A LOT of teammates.

So, it’s fair to say LaTroy has a pretty good working knowledge of what it takes to be a good ‘locker room guy’ aka teammate.

During his debut as a color analyst on Fox Sports North, alongside play-by-play man Dick Bremer, Hawkins had a memorable Tuesday night in the booth when the Twins took on Colorado.

During a break in the action, FSN reporter Marney Gellner and Hawkins had an exchange regarding his playing days in Colorado.

The Twitter account MLB Inside Dinger posted video of the conversation on Twitter.

“I can’t believe they didn’t tell you about the fight that I got into in 2014 with one of my teammates, Tommy Kahnle,” Hawkins said. “I’m surprised they didn’t tell you about that.”

“Tommy Kahnle?” Bremer said. “The guy who’s now with the White Sox? That guy?”

Yeah, that one. Kahnle is a fourth-year reliever who’s in his second season in Chicago.

“Well, it was just good natured, right?” Bremer asked.

“No,” Hawkins said. “One of the worst teammates I’ve ever had in my life, by far. And I’ve had a lot of teammates.”

Image result for that escalated quickly gif

When the White Sox called up Tommy Kahnle in the first week of the season, pitching coach Don Cooper declared the right-handed reliever had an arm that “doesn’t belong in the minor leagues.”

And boy, has he been right.

Kahnle has posted a 1.80 ERA (15 IP) in the process of striking out 27 and walking only 4 (0.80 WHIP). Routinely hitting 98 MPH on the gun, he’s been a vital weapon out of the pen for Chicago.

Kahnle would have been a rookie back in 2014 when the supposed “fight” took place. If anyone has any further info on this please hit us up at info@sportsmockery.com.

Rick Renteria And The White Sox Are Finally Following The Plan To Suck

By
Aldo Soto
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Don’t get it confused, the Chicago White Sox are trying to be bad in 2017. Their 13-9 start meant absolutely nothing but we’re now in the middle of May and the White Sox appear to be getting it together. Finally.

Remember that ridiculous stretch to begin the season by the starting rotation? To be fair, the White Sox still have the second best ERA in the American League at 3.65. What hasn’t helped out? The offense.

Through 37 games the White Sox have scored 155 runs, which ranks 25th in MLB and third worst in the AL. So, not scoring a lot of runs and the team isn’t getting Cy Young pitching every game anymore. You know what’s making them suck even more? The manager! This has been extremely evident during the previous two games against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

In Monday night’s 5-3 loss, Rick Renteria inexplicably left starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey in the game after it was obvious he had nothing left. The White Sox had a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning, when Pelfrey walked two batters in a row before giving up a game-tying three-run home run. Pelfrey was finished. He had nothing left in the tank and the best player in the world was due up at the plate. So, of course you take him out right? Nope. Renteria kept Pelfrey to face Mike Trout and Mike Trout launched a home run to give the Angels a 4-3 lead, eventually leading to a 5-3 win.

It was bad that Pelfrey pitched to Kole Calhoun and even worse he was still in the game to face Trout, but Renteria’s reasoning was bad.

Via the Chicago Tribune:

In one of his more candid postgame interviews, Renteria said he should have gone with lefty reliever Dan Jennings against Calhoun and accepted the blame for trying to get Pelfrey through five innings.

“Bottom line today is I went against the team concept and did something for the player, and it bit us in the butt,” Renteria said.

“These guys have been playing very, very hard. There is no way to clean that up, no way to make an excuse. None whatsoever. Everybody should be extremely upset. I’m upset. Tomorrow is another day.”

Renteria wanted Pelfrey to qualify for the win, by getting through five innings. Brutal. Normally you have to worry about players being selfish and not the managers, but that was just stupid and at the end Pelfrey got the loss and the White Sox got the loss. But again, the plan to lose is working.

And then there was last night’s game.

Once again, the White Sox showed some fight, coming back from three-run deficits twice against the Angels. That included a three-run rally to tie the game at five in the ninth inning. Melky Cabrera, Jose Abreu, Avisail Garcia and Todd Frazier all got hits to start the ninth inning. Frazier’s bizarre two-run, infield double tied the game.

At this point the White Sox were perfectly set up to get the lead. Willy Garcia pinch ran for Frazier and represented the go-ahead run at second base with NO OUTS! Three shots to get him in and what does Renteria decide? Time to bunt.

Tm Anderson shows bunt and pulls his bat back on the first two pitches he sees with a runner at second base an nobody out. On the third pitch Anderson bunts right back to the pitcher, who had a shot at throwing Garcia out at third but was able to get Anderson at first base. Two things here. One, WHY ARE YOU BUNTING?!?! Two, Anderson would’ve been safe at first base if he didn’t look back at the play instead of just running to first base. Anyway, him being out or safe at first wouldn’t have mattered anyway because the White Sox BUNTED AGAIN!

Omar Narvaez walked, putting runners at first and third with only one out. Tyler Saladino came up and bunted. Garcia was tagged out at home plate for the second out of the inning.

Leury Garcia grounded out to end the inning.

Despite the missed opportunity, the White Sox took the lead in the 11th inning, as Anderson hit a solo home run. But in the bottom half of the inning, the players were ready to fulfill the plan. Lose.

There’s a good chance that Cabrera doesn’t get to this ball no matter what, but falling down beforehand obviously decreases those chances.

Here’s how the Angels tied the game.

And, well the following is just funny. The White Sox were going to lose regardless if Garcia caught this or not, but it’s still hilarious.

Embrace the tank, White Sox fans.

The Facts Say Mitch Trubisky Will Play In 2017

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky 2017

Bears fans and the national media think they have the Mitch Trubisky 2017 plan figured out at quarterback. It’s quite simple. Mike Glennon starts. The top draft pick sits on the bench, observes and learns. Certainly an approach that makes logical sense. The young #2 overall pick is allowed to learn the offensive scheme without having to take the normally accompanied hits. That’s what having a smart veteran like Glennon is for.

Easy, right? Problem is things just never seem to work out that way. Almost every team has said over the past several years that their plan is for the rookie to sit. The NFL though is a fickle beast that demands instant gratification more than ever before. If fans aren’t going to see their team win, then they want to see the young players play.

It’s one or the other. Very rarely do teams stick to that original plan. Is Chicago any different? Sure they expressed patience with the Cubs during their down period before the epic rise to glory in 2015 and 2016. Then again they had over 100 years to learn the value of patience. Bears fans might not quite be there yet.

Mitch Trubisky 2017 plan almost certain to change

There are so many variables that go into this situation. Glennon could easily get injured at some point this season, for starter. Don’t forget this little nugget. No Bears quarterback has managed to start a full 16 game schedule since 2009. That’s eight years and counting. Is Glennon really prepared to end that streak?

Not likely. Then there is the fact that history no longer supports the idea of highly drafted rookies sitting. Andy Benoit of the MMQB explained why this is the case in his recent in-depth article on the subject.

“Every year we see NFL teams draft an unready quarterback in the first or second round, with the intention of having him learn from the bench as a rookie. The Bears (Mitchell Trubisky), the Texans (Deshaun Watson) and especially the Chiefs (Pat Mahomes) will toy with this idea in 2017. It’s a logical and admirable approach…The only problem: that never happens anymore.

Literally. It … does … not … happen. Since 2006, no team that drafted a quarterback in the first two rounds sat him for the entirety of his rookie season and then saw him become a long-term franchise quarterback. In fact, only two QBs in that time who sat out their entire rookie seasons have even gone on to start at least 48 games: Colin Kaepernick, with the 49ers, and Chad Henne, with the Dolphins.”

Part of the problem lay with the league itself. Rule changes to the practice schedule have really handcuffed what teams are able to do in terms of getting their young players enough reps. It’s a big reason the college and pro games are growing further apart in terms of quarterback preparation. It also might be why greats like Brady and Brees are able to hang on for much longer than previous generations.

We’re talking about practice

Teams don’t trust they can develop a young talent to that same level under the current collective bargaining agreement. Something Benoit went on to explain.

“But the bigger issue is time. In 2011, the current collective bargaining agreement significantly reduced practice hours, both during the season and and during the offseason. Naturally, it’s the backup players’ reps that disappear. There’s barely enough time for the first-teamers to practice. Which means the only way to evaluate a QB and let him learn kinetically is to put him with your first team. And voila! There’s your new starting quarterback.

Eventually, something will give. Stylistically, the NFL and college games are drifting farther and farther apart. Incoming NFL quarterbacks are less prepared each year. With fewer chances for them to practice, young quarterbacks must continue to learn under the fire of live games. This diminishes the NFL’s product and can help ruin careers.”

It seems the Bears coaches are well aware of this fact. Word out of minicamps is they’re trying to get creative in as many ways as possible in order to get Trubisky extra reps in practice. No doubt they’re trying to exhaust every alternative to putting him out on the field earlier than he should. After all it’s clear despite his talent that he still has a lot to learn about the pro style of game. Even with simple things like taking snaps under center.

Yet reality won’t change. Until the rule book is tweaked, all signs point to Trubisky getting on the field at some point in 2017. Even if the Bears are doing fairly well too. It’s not crazy to think the team may wish to get him going despite a decent record. For example the New York Giants were 5-4 in 2004 when they decided to bench Kurt Warner for Eli Manning. The Denver Broncos were 7-4 in 2006 when they benched Jake Plummer for Jay Cutler.

The urge to get the kid onto the field is very real in this league, even at the cost of possibly making the playoffs. It won’t be any different for Trubisky. It’s just a matter of where and when.

Joe Maddon Gets Career Win Number 1,000

By
Gus
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Last night, Cubs manager Joe Maddon celebrated his 1,000th win as a professional manager when the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 9-5 at Wrigley Field. During his 14-year managerial career, Maddon has accumulated 27 wins with the Anaheim Angles, 754 with the Tampa Bay Rays, and 219 wins with the Chicago Cubs.

With last night’s win, Maddon became the eighth active manager to reach the 1,000 win plateau and just the fifth Cubs manager in the past 30 years to surpass the 200 win total with the team.

Maddon has rightfully built a reputation as being a “outside the box” thinker and I’d dare you to find another manager that would make some of the crazy decisions that we’ve seen throughout his career.

Maddon himself acknowledges that he’s a bit crazy.

Honestly, I could care less about his wins in Anaheim and Tampa Bay because I’m a Cubs fan so I thought I’d look at some of Maddon’s crazier managerial decisions during his time with the Chicago Cubs.

Pro Football Focus Illustrates Big Reason This Bears Team Is Disrespected

By
Erik Lambert
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bears 2016 draft

People love to dump on the Bears 2017 draft class. This despite none of its five members having played a single snap in the NFL yet. One would think GM Ryan Pace earned some credibility. Especially after the first impression his Bears 2016 draft made. The trio of Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair and Jordan Howard were outstanding as rookies. Better than most fans had dared to hope.

As it turns out one of the prominent media outlets going today in Pro Football Focus agrees. They were big supporters almost from the start and have since grown in their admiration. Over the past couple days PFF has released a series of interesting stat snippets regarding what players were able to accomplish in 2016. As it turns out Floyd, Whitehair and Howard featured quite prominently.

Chicago fans might be fascinated to find out what was said, and intrigued about what this means for this coming season.

Bears 2016 draft was a PFF fever dream

It took a little longer than expected for him to get on track, but once Floyd was healthy by midseason he was an absolute terror. Most Bears fans won’t ever forget his first trip up to Lambeau Field when he sacked Aaron Rodgers twice. Not to mention forcing a fumble and scoring a touchdown. In a five-game span he delivered 6.5 sacks. If not for a pair of ill-timed concussions there’s no telling how strong his finish might’ve been. Now he’s back for a second year, reportedly 20 lbs heavier too. Not a welcome thought for the quarterbacks who’ll have to deal with him.

The story behind Whitehair is wild. A left tackle out of Kansas Stat, the Bears drafted him after trading down not once but twice in the second round. Initially the plan was to play him at left guard. Then Hroniss Grasu tore his ACL, leaving the center position in dire straits. So the team chose to shift Whitehair into that spot, this despite him never playing it before. Not only did he become the highest-rated second round pick on PFF, but also the sixth-ranked center in the entire NFL. One could argue he deserved a nod to the Pro Bowl for what he accomplish with zero prior experience.

Something that immediately stuck out with Jordan Howard on his college tape was his vision. Few backs in the draft were better at locating the open hole. Combined with his acceleration and decisiveness, he was so good at slipping through the line of scrimmage before defenses could seal it off. Throw in his big body and considerable power and the guy was a headache in every sense. It’s hard to run between the tackles in this modern NFL. Aside from good blocking it takes someone with eyes and strength to make it work. Howard has both.

Gift that keeps on giving

This more than anything explains why Pace felt so comfortable being aggressive in this most recent draft. He gave up extra picks to acquire both quarterback Mitch Trubisky and safety Eddie Jackson. The general idea is the 2016 class will be the backbone of the team moving forward while his aggressive moves this year pinpoint top talent for key positions like quarterback and safety.

The scariest part is the 2016 class may not be done providing. Expectations are still high for the likes of Jonathan Bullard and Nick Kwiatkoski. Both are expected to see significant playing time this year and flashed lots of potential as rookies. If they start to blossom? Oh dear. Not to mention other players who are getting overlooked as well.

People continue to disregard how much good health played into that 3-13 debacle last season. It’s hard to win football games in the NFL when half the best players on the roster aren’t playing. The Bears recognized this more than any team. It’s why they’ve invested so much time and money towards find methods to help curb the problem. They know if they succeed, this team is ready to show people it’s gotten way more disrespect than it deserves.

Facebook Believes Jay Cutler Was Better Than Troy Aikman and It’s Hilarious

By
Erik Lambert
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jay cutler troy aikman

Apparently the Jay Cutler Troy Aikman debate started up without anybody having reason for it. The former Bears quarterback appears headed for retirement. Already he has a deal with FOX to become one of their next broadcasters during NFL games. This after getting lukewarm interest from teams around the league in terms of signing him.

In that context it’s somewhat similar to Aikman. The Hall of Famer left the league a bit earlier than expected, mostly because he was tired of taking the hits. He quickly transitioned to the broadcast booth where he’s been ever since. So sure they share that much in common at least. Well apparently somebody on Facebook wanted to raise the stakes.

According to NFL Trash Talkers (who are probably Packer fans), when one lines up the stat lines of Cutler and Aikman, an incredible truth is brought to life.

The Jay Cutler Troy Aikman debate has legs?

From a pure statistical point of view Cutler seems to be superior to Aikman in every notable category. That includes touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating. He also had just 500 fewer passing yards despite playing 26 fewer games.

Of course as with all things football it’s never a wise idea to rely solely on the numbers. Here’s something to consider. In their careers Cutler averaged four more passes per game (32 to 28) than Aikman. He threw 146 interceptions in those 139 games. Aikman had 141 in 165 games. Last but not least is the rule book. NFL rules in the 1990s weren’t nearly as skewed towards the quarterback position as they are today.

So in essence this supposed superiority Cutler has over Aikman doesn’t account for the fact he threw the ball more often, turned it over more often and had a set of rules designed to make sure he had success. A benefit Aikman never enjoyed. To say nothing of the fact that Aikman wasn’t in an offense designed to feature him as a passer. Those Dallas teams were classic power running and play good defense units. His job was to manage games.

This isn’t even venturing into the leadership and character angles. Numerous accounts over the years state that Cutler, while intelligent could be a frustrating teammate and poor leader. On the other hand nobody said that about Aikman. He was firm and demanding but the likes of Emmett Smith and Michael Irvin said he was the main man and everybody knew it.

At the end of the day Aikman has three rings. Cutler has one playoff win. So no to this shallow and halfhearted attempt at stirring up controversy.

Ian Happ Hits A Home Run In His Wrigley Field Debut

By
Aldo Soto
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It’s been a great few days for Chicago Cubs rookie Ian Happ. He got called up to the show and started against the St. Louis Cardinals, hit his first MLB home run and on Tuesday night he started in center field and hit another home run in his Wrigley Field debut.

Big assist to the wind on this, but Happ is more than happy to take it.

Kyle Schwarber Hit A 462-Foot Home Run And It Was Beautiful

By
Aldo Soto
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So, Kyle Schwarber hasn’t hit like most expected he would to begin the 2017 season, but on Tuesday night he demolished a pitch for a 462-foot home run against the Cincinnati Reds.

The monster dinger snapped an 0-for-17 streak for Schwarber.

That was Schwarber’s sixth home run of the season.

The Greatest Bears Turnaround Ever Came With a Worse Roster than This

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears turnaround

The greatest Chicago Bears turnaround in franchise history remains a treasured memory for many fans. Back in 2001 hopes weren’t high for the season. The team was in the middle of another transition period and were coming off a frustrating 5-11 finish the year before. Expectations were for incremental improvement at best. Maybe a .500 mark if they’re lucky.

Instead what people got was four months of utter lunacy that featured miracle moments mixed with a classic Chicago-style of physical football. It was beautiful and reinvigorated the city after years of disappointment in the 1990s. The Bears finished 13-3 and won the division title. An eight-game swing that didn’t need a star quarterback to accomplish.

So it begs the question. If that team could pull it off, why can’t this 2017 group? Maybe 13-3 is asking a bit much but not a playoff push, right? In fact no it isn’t. If one were to seriously compare the two rosters up against each other they might be shocked at how favorably this new squad measures up.

Biggest Chicago Bears turnaround came with an average roster

QB: 

  • Jim Miller vs. Mike Glennon
  • Advantage – 2017

Of course Miller remains a local fan favorite as the man who directed that unlikely run 16 years ago, but look at his numbers. It’s easy to see why Glennon can be ranked higher. Miller had his best season in 2001 with 2,299 yards passing and 13 touchdowns.

RB: 

  • Anthony Thomas vs. Jordan Howard
  • Advantage – 2017

Both players were tremendous in their rookie seasons. Thomas got 1,183 yards and won Rookie of the Year. Howard got 1,313 yards and reached the Pro Bowl. So why is Howard better? He got more yards on fewer carriers (252 to 278) and was also a better receiver.

WR:

  • Marty Booker/Dez White/David Terrell vs. Kevin White/Cameron Meredith/Markus Wheaton
  • Advantage – 2017

We can just go ahead and say both units don’t inspire a ton of confidence. Booker was pretty much a one-man show in 2001 while White and Terrell were backup dancers. The 2017 crop wins for two reasons, more talent and a deeper group.

TE:

  • Fred Baxter/John Davis/Scott Dragos vs. Zach Miller/Dion Sims/Adam Shaheen
  • Advantage – 2017

This really isn’t a hard one to argue. The tight ends were barely used at all beyond blocking during the 2001 season. This 2017 group has far more experienced with being used as receivers, in addition to being faster and more athletic as well.

OL:

  • Blake Brockermeyer/James Williams/Olin Kreutz/Chris Vallarial/Rex Tucker vs. Charles Leno/Josh Sitton/Cody Whitehair/Kyle Long/Bobby Massie
  • Advantage – Draw

Both offensive lines have two Pro Bowlers in them. Kreutz and Williams for one while Sitton and Long for the other. The remaining three of each consist of solid blockers in their own right such as Tucker or Whitehair. Both groups are/were really good, therefor no winner emerges.

DL:

  • Ted Washington/Keith Traylor vs. Akiem Hicks/Eddie Goldman
  • Advantage – 2001

Hicks and Goldman have the potential to reach the same level of Washington and Traylor, but aren’t there yet. Hicks might be, but Goldman has been beset by far too many injuries. The Bears defense back then was suffocating against the run, and it was because of those two.

EDGES:

  • Bryan Robinson/Phillip Daniels vs. Leonard Floyd/Pernell McPhee
  • Advantage – 2017

How the 2001 Bears rushed the pass was geared more around heavy blitzing that pure four-man rushes. Still, Robinson and Daniels were decent at their jobs. That said Floyd and McPhee are simply a more dynamic pairing as the second half of last season showed.

LB:

  • Brian Urlacher/Rosevelt Colvin vs. Danny Trevathan/Jerrell Freeman
  • Advantage – 2001

No contest. Even in that second year Brian Urlacher was emerging as a superstar. Colvin had 10.5 sacks as the extra pass rusher while also being a solid all-around tackler. Trevathan and Freeman are effective enough, but aren’t at that same level.

DB:

  • Mike Brown/Walt Harris/R.W. McQuarters/Tony Parrish vs.  Prince Amukamara/Marcus Cooper/Quintin Demps/Adrian Amos
  • Advantage – 2001

Brown was an All-Pro for the first time that season, eventually becoming the best safety the Bears have had this side of the milennium. Harris made the Pro Bowl a few years after leaving Chicago. McQuarters and Parrish were serviceable. The 2017 group is almost all new.

Head Coach:

  • John Fox vs. Dick Jauron
  • Advantage – 2017

Fox went to two Super Bowls and won a number of division titles over his 14 previous years as a head coach. The 2001 run was in fact the only playoff appearance Jauron ever made in 10 seasons at the job. Pure domination here.

Offensive Coordinator:

  • Dowell Loggains vs. John Shoop
  • Advantage – 2017

There are some veteran Bears fans who continue to hate John Shoop with a fiery passion to this day. The mans’ conservative nature is legendary. Easy to understand since his offense never ranked higher than 26th in three seasons. Loggains topped that in his first try.

Defensive Coordinator:

  • Vic Fangio vs. Greg Blache
  • Advantage – Draw

In this case Fangio and Blache can’t be separated. The two men share a legacy of proven excellent as play callers on defense. In fact their first two years at the job weren’t that great, though Fangio has a slight edge in that department. Even so, this one is a draw.

So for those keeping track the 2017 Bears roster hold the advantage in seven areas. The 2001 teams took home three while the remaining ones were declared draws. Still, even if those three were given to the ’01 team they’d still be behind 7-6. The point of all this being there is no reason to think this team that Ryan Pace has spent three years building can’t defy the doubters.

All it takes is hard work, effort, and a bit of good luck. The first two shouldn’t be a problem. So this season will be about taking advantage of the fortunate bounces if and when they arrive. There is enough talent to make it happen. Now they just need to do it.

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