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Keith Law Says Cubs Are Showing Interest In Zack Greinke

By
Sean Sears
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The Cubs pitchers have looked like completely different guys compared to the 2016 club that lead the league in ERA and sported one of the best BABIP’s baseball has ever seen. The 2017 Cubs pitching staff, while still one of the top 10 leaders in team ERA at 3.83, are still in need of more arms to add to their club.

With Brett Anderson imploded while sequentially landing on the DL and Jake Arrieta sporting a 5.44 ERA in eight starts this season, the Cubs pitching has gone from a strength to a major concern.

Currently at 18-19, the Cubs are 3.5 back in the division, and have already called upon young starts like Eddie Butler and Rob Zastryzny so far this season, but it’s unlikely either of those arms solve the Cubs pitching crisis. However, one name that could possibly alleviate the Cubs pitching issues would be Zack Greinke – an arm that the Cubs apparently have been heavily scouting since Spring Training.

According to Keith Law, who spoke on Buster Olney’s Baseball Tonight podcast, Law reports that the Cubs have shown a serious interest in the 33-year-old former Cy Young winner.

“I’d heard specifically they were scouting Zack Greinke pretty heavily in spring training; more than just ordinary spring training coverage. And that that was part of a plan to go out and scout pitchers with multiple years of control remaining and potential to be a one or two starter in their rotation.”

Greinke is coming off a lackluster debut season in Arizona ending 2016 with a 4.37 ERA and the worst HR/FB rate of his career, however he is having himself a nice bounce-back season thus far in 2017. Registering a 2.79 ERA and encouraging 10.10 K/9, Greinke looks to be back to form, making him an excellent trade candidate for the Cubs.

Now, Greinke is only on year two of his massive six-year $206.5 million deal that has him making roughly $31 million per year. The Diamondbacks look like they could be a team in the playoff hunt with their 22-18 record, but if Arizona starts to slide, the club might be more likely to move Greinke while also absorbing some of his owned money.

Regardless, it is nothing more than a rumor, but a deal between the Diamondbacks and Cubs could make more sense as the trade deadline approaches.

College Student Publicly Apologizes For Wearing “Offensive And Hurtful” Blackhawks Jersey

By
Sports Mockery
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In the midst of all the controversy surrounding Native American mascots and their use for team-oriented sports, here’s a whopper of a story. A recent report indicates Cody Albrecht, a Blackhawks fan and student at Bethel Universtiy, recently issued a formal apology to his class, and professor, after choosing to wear an official Blackhawks jersey to class.

The class titled “Social Perspectives, Human Worth and Social Action,” is an exploration of culture, power and oppression in America according to the course description. The instructor of the course, James Jacobs is apparently Native American.

Jacobs took his frustration to Facebook after Albrecht reportedly offered to turn the jersey inside out during class while sensing growing hostility in the room.

“So your college professor is a Native American. A Native American who has spoken multiple times about the offensiveness of Indian Mascots. Yet you come to class with an Indian mascot sprawled across your shirt… Bold move sir.”

The post has since been deleted.

A week later, Albrecht issued a formal apology, after meeting with the Social Work department, to the class and Professor Jacobs. He reportedly declined to comment on the incident citing “the reconciliation that has been done” between himself, the professor and the class according to The College Fix.

The coverage of this story has led to mixed emotions from the students at the school. One of them reportedly called it “public shaming” and others questioned if the report was actually real due to the exotic nature of the story.

The spotlight on Native American logos in professional sports has revolved around the “racist” nature of the illustrations and names. The Chicago Blackhawks logo was originally created in 1926 and featured the head of a Native American from the very beginning.

Chicago Blackhawks logo 1926

What has changed? Now that the official logo has been around for roughly 100 years, it sounds like a perfect time to become offended with it. (insert joke here)

The actual Blackhawks name is derived from a military unit anyway.

In all seriousness, if it’s offensive to the majority of Native Americans then the Blackhawks should do something about it. If not, then students shouldn’t be forced to issue public apologies for wearing the jerseys of their favorite team.

Shame on you Professor Jacobs.

Joe Maddon Shits All Over The Idea That Kyle Schwarber Shouldn’t Be The Cubs Leadoff Hitter

By
Aldo Soto
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So, the Chicago Cubs are under .500, and pretty much every aspect of the team is struggling right now outside of the bullpen, which was also pretty bad earlier in the year. Anyway, Joe Maddon doesn’t seem worried about it and that includes the latest criticism of the World Series-winning manager, who decided that Kyle Schwarber would be the team’s leadoff hitter in 2017.

The numbers have been putrid.

Through 35 games, Schwarber has a slash line of .179/.313/.343, with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He just hasn’t taken off like most expected. Yeah, no one thought Schwarber would be a .300 hitter, but the .313 OBP? Bad, but obviously low because of the batting average.

However, Maddon is looking beyond the numbers. Schwarber’s been making hard contact, but not getting the results. The OBP is low, but so far in May he’s walked at least one time in 7-of-11 games. That includes drawing a walk in six straight. Yet, the power and hits haven’t been there.

In the morning, our guy Adam Nissen broke down why despite those terrible numbers, Schwarber should still be the Cube leadoff hitter. Maddon addressed the topic once again on 670 The Score, during his weekly segment on Tuesday and took a page out of the Philadelphia 76ers book.

Trust the process.

“I think he looks great and that’s what I’m talking about results vs. process. He, to me looks very good at the plate right now. He’s one of our three best hitters arguably among him KB and Rizz. Just because he’s hitting leadoff, I mean for whatever reason that’s sticking in people’s minds and really it’s about process. He’s getting his walks, he’s seeing a lot of pitches and he’s coming up at good times. So, actually it’s going to payoff for us. I love what he’s doing right now and I think he looks very good.”

(Joe Maddon)

So yes, the hitting results haven’t been there, but Schwarber is still doing what you want from a leadoff hitter. Schwarber is ranked seventh overall in MLB in pitches seen per plate appearance at 4.40 and leads the Cubs with 24 walks this season.

But it’s May 16, and the idea of Schwarber not leading off for the Cubs doesn’t exist in Maddon’s mind.

“Everybody’s stuck in what they knew growing up, or what their daddies told them and that’s fine, but if we had Rickey Henderson I promise you he’d be leading off right now, but we don’t have him. We’re not a team speed kind of a team. We don’t steal a lot of bases, so I’m looking for a guy to get on base often and come up more often that could do some damage and that’s exactly who (Schwarber) is.”

(Joe Maddon)

Maddon went on, discussing that Schwarber’s low batting average right now is actually a good thing because the power hitter should trend upward after a slow start. Oh and a different option as the leadoff hitter for this team? Don’t count on it. Schwarber is going to be the guy.

“For me it makes all the sense in the world. Furthermore, who would you then put in his spot that you would love better coming up more often than he does? I really don’t know who that guy is. So, based on our composition and what we have, I like it, not a little bit but a lot, and the fact that he’s struggled batting average wise to this point is a good thing because he’s going to come back to what he’s capable of doing very soon.”

(Joe Maddon)

There’s also this to take into account. Yeah, Schwarber reached almost a legend status last year when he came back for the World Series and was great, but he hasn’t even played one full MLB season yet. He’s 24-years-old and played less than two years in the minors. At the MLB level, Schwarber only has 438 plate appearances.

There’s always the same cycle for every young hitter. Schwarber hit the cover off the ball his rookie season, came back for the World Series and was still good. Now, the league has adjusted to him, so he has to make adjustments himself. The good thing is, he’s seeing a lot pitches, he’s walking and he’s still young. As of late, Schwarber has been driving the ball to left field too. The results will come.

Trust the process.

You can listen to the entire Joe Maddon interview on 670 The Score here.

Ed Olczyk’s Name Hits Coaching Rumor Mill Again

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Every so often Ed Olczyk’s name is tossed around in coaching rumors and it is happening again. The latest would be for a position in Buffalo, as mentioned on Hockey Night In Canada a couple weeks ago. Elliote Friedman of Sportsnet in Canada mentioned it in his latest “30 Thoughts” column, along with some other spots.

Olczyk has mentioned that he would like to coach again as recently as 2014 when he told the Chicago Sun-Times, ‘‘There is still an emptiness,’’ he says. ‘‘There are very few people who know my desires and my feelings of where I am and where I want to get to, but there’s certainly an aspiration there. So if it would present itself, that’s where I would want to go. It might not happen. Who knows? What I wanted to do back in ’03 is where I’d like to go if I got the opportunity.’’

If you’re unaware, Olczyk coached the Pittsburgh Penguins back in the early 2000s. His first team in 2003-2004, burdened with financial restraints, finished last in the NHL with a 23-47-8-4 record. They were 12-5-3-0 in the last 20 games and Olczyk felt his team learned a lot from him.

Olczyk returned in 2005-2006 after a lockout the previous season. This time around, expectations were high with Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux. Poorly allocated money to other players led to a bad start and his eventual firing.

No one knows what kind of coach Olczyk may have become as a coach but he is now considered one of the best analysts in hockey. He has even said himself that “At the end of the day, I’m a coach by trade who happens to have a microphone.”

Friedman tossed out the opening in Rockford as a possible landing spot for Olczyk. This may not be crazy because it would give him the opportunity to stay with the organization he dearly loves.

It sure sounds like Edzo has some unfinished business in his mind and would consider coaching again if he felt it was the right fit.

Monster Trade Proposed Between Cubs And White Sox

By
Sports Mockery
-

With the Chicago baseball season now in full swing, the main surprise appears to be the lack-luster start for the defending world champion Cubs. Currently sitting at 18-19, fourth in the NL Central, fans are starting to wonder what needs to be done to get the team back on track.

Scot Gregor, from The Daily Herald, appears to have his answer. In a recent article Gregor broke down a huge trade proposal between the two Chicago clubs that would send the media into a frenzy.

Brace yourself.

“The Chicago White Sox send starting pitcher Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs for the man without a position, Kyle Schwarber. Straight-up deal.”

We warned you to brace yourself.

Before flying off the handle cursing every God you can think of, read Gregor’s reasoning.

“Quintana is an established high-end starter, and even though he has struggled a bit early (2-5, 4.38 ERA), you can mark down the 28-year-old lefty for a fifth straight season with 200 or more innings pitched and an ERA well south of 4.00.

Equally enticing, Quintana is under club control through the 2020 season at a total cost of only $36 million.

He is a valuable trade chip, and Sox general manager Rick Hahn already has turned down several offers he believed were substandard for a player of Quintana’s quality.”

Seems to make sense. Quintana finds himself in a very similar situation that the White Sox had with Chris Sale last season. He’s a big trade asset that could and should be moved, it’s all about maximizing his value for Hahn.

So… what would the White Sox get in return? Schwarber, of course.

“As for Schwarber, a wildly popular player for the defending World Series champions, would the Cubs even consider trading him?

At the beginning of the season, I’d say the answer was a resounding no.

Six weeks in, you’d have to assume Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has adjusted the answer to a definite maybe.

Epstein has to realize the rotation needs help. Through Sunday’s play, Cubs starters had the 20th-highest ERA (4.47) in the major leagues.”

Arguably one of the most popular players on the Cubs with unlimited potential, how could you trade him before he even plays a full MLB season? That’s worth thinking about. If Schwarber develops into the next Barry Bonds, Epstein will never hear the end of it… especially if he’s doing it on the South Side.

Gregor seems to think this is a very fair trade, and makes a lot of sense for both clubs.

“Quintana instantly helps bring that number down, and he also gives the Cubs insurance in the event Jake Arrieta and/or John Lackey move on at the end of the current season.

As for Schwarber, he fills a hole at DH the White Sox were unable to plug with Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche and, yes, Cody Asche, who was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte on Sunday after batting .105 with 1 home run, 4 RBI and 21 strikeouts in 57 at-bats.”

Most Cubs fans are going to immediately push this deal off the table because of the unlimited potential attached to Schwarber’s image. I mean, how many other guys had a baseball put in a glass case after crushing it onto an outfield sign almost 500 feet away?

In a down season this year, Schwarber is batting a modest .179 with almost as many strikeouts as walks. Moving him would definitely indicate some panic on the North Side. For the White Sox, it appears to simply be a matter of time for Quintana.

Coming off a World Series championship, with a core of young talent, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs pushing the panic button a mere 40ish games into the season.

Then again, if it makes sense Mr. Epstein would likely know better than any of us. What do you think?

 [poll id=”62″]

Here’s Why The Cubs Should Keep Kyle Schwarber As Their Leadoff Hitter

By
Gus
-

No other player has been under more scrutiny during the Cubs rough start than Kyle Schwarber. The 2016 World Series hero was poised to take Chicago by storm going into the 2017 season and had every single Cubs fan foaming at the mouth with the thought they’d finally get to see him play a full season with the club and continue to murder baseballs like we’ve become so accustomed to.

What gave Cubs fans an even bigger baseball boner was the fact that Joe Maddon announced mid-February that the burly left fielder would be hitting leadoff for one of the most dangerous offenses in Major League baseball.

And Cubs fans lost their shit.

Going against all conventional wisdom, Maddon would put a 235-pound former high school linebacker at the top of his lineup but despite his lack of speed and “looking” like most leadoff hitters, Schwarber’s high OBP paired with the fact he has the potential to hit a bomb in every at-bat was too much for Maddon to pass up.

Maddon’s theory was simple regarding the move to the leadoff spot for Schwarber and centered around the idea of Schwarber protecting the hitters behind him because Maddon sees him as one of the team’s better hitters.

“There’s pause involved there, because if you don’t want to pitch to him, then the guys coming up behind are really pretty interesting. It’s formidable, so it’s uncomfortable from the other side.”

While the theory of using Schwarber as a leadoff to get more at-bats and protect the sluggers behind him is a great idea on paper, the theory is falling apart in practice.

With the Cubs sitting at 18-19 as of today, the media is losing their mind trying to analyze every single aspect of the Cubs playing below .500 baseball. At the forefront of the issues is whether or not Kyle Schwarber should stay in the one-hole moving forward in the 2017 season.

I’ll lay out the basic arguments for both sides and eventually give my insight as to what should happen with Schwarber.

Jordan Howard Still Has One Big Regret About His 2016 Season

By
Erik Lambert
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jordan howard

Jordan Howard already strikes as a young man who is never satisfied with being good. He’ll settle for nothing less than being great. That is the best explanation for his rise to stardom with the Chicago Bears. It’s how he overcame his first college football program being disbanded. It’s how he went from being a fifth round pick in the draft to the starting running back and went to the Pro Bowl his first year.

All the while he never seemed to lose that humble attitude. Perhaps it’s because he was forced to grow up faster than most youth. This due to the tragic fact he lost his father to Pulmonary Fibrosis. Since then he’s championed charity drives to help combat the disease while also seeking to take care of his mother.

Rushing for 1,313 yards in his first season is a great way to start. Many already think Howard is the next big star in this city, and Chicago Magazine agrees.

Jordan Howard admits one big regret about 2016

Their annual prestigious of up-and-coming power players in the city was released. It featured loads of influential names with valued jobs. It included playwright Ike Holter, music producer Peter Cottontale, and Cook County commissioner Bridget Gainer. Only one athlete made the list, and that was Howard. They feel his pull around town is only going to get stronger.

During their interview with him they talked about his goals with the team and off the field. However, just as things were wrapping up they talked about how good he’d done as a rookie in 2016. The running back couldn’t let that pass without offering one gripe about how it all played out.

“Looking back at the three games before he earned the starting running back role last year (a year in which he wound up being selected for the Pro Bowl), Howard says, “I feel like if I would’ve been playing a little bit earlier on in the season, I might have made a bigger impact in some of those games.” He’ll get his chance in 2017.”

Competitive drive unceasing

No doubt Howard is still a bit salty over not being the starter from the beginning last year. Hindsight is 20/20 of course. It’s easy to say that now, but at the time it looked like Jeremy Langford was well-position to take over for Matt Forte as the next man up. Then again it became apparent who the most productive runner was in the preseason. Howard had 173 yards and a touchdown. Langford had 79 yards and a touchdown.

It took three weeks for the coaches to wise up. By that time the Bears were 0-3 and lost any sort of momentum they had from a strong finish in the preseason. Maybe if Howard had played from the start they could’ve gotten one or even two of those games and things would’ve been different. Or maybe it would’ve just robbed the Bears of getting their chance to land Mitch Trubisky in draft.

Either way it’s welcome to hear that Jordan Howard is no less competitive now than he’s been since he arrived last year.

 

Cubs No. 1 Prospect Eloy Jimenez Returns From Injury And Hits A Mammoth Home Run

By
Aldo Soto
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So, it’s been kind of weird for the Chicago Cubs this past week, as we’ve seen more positive results from prospects than anything else. Ian Happ hit his first MLB home run on Saturday and on Monday night more good news arrived. Cubs No. 1 prospect Eloy Jimenez was assigned to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans over the weekend, returning from a bone bruise on his right shoulder and in his third game the 20-year-old hammered a no-doubt home run.

Since joining Myrtle Beach a few days ago, Jimenez has recorded a hit in each of his three games, going 5-for-11, with three RBIs, and his long home run on Monday. It’s not just great Jimenez is back, he hasn’t missed a beat from 2016, when he was named Chicago Cubs Minor League Player of the Year.

His first home run in 2017, was a beauty.

Jimenez is ranked as the 10th best prospect on MLB.com. He’s still only 20-years-old, so expect him to possibly stay at Myrtle Beach for the entire season. Although, the way Jimenez has started, he could easily prove he’s ready for Double-A. More rockets off his bat and he may very well be on the move up again.

Amazingly The National Buzz At Bears Minicamp Isn’t About Trubisky

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears training camp battle

Rookie Chicago Bears minicamp have concluded. For the first time in what feels like years, people noticed a rather large contingent of national media outlets represents at the event. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. For the first time in 35 years, the Bears used a top five draft pick to grab a quarterback. Not only that but they created a whole bunch of controversy by trading up from #3 to #2 overall to do it.

Mitch Trubisky will face the same pressures of being a top pick many other quarterbacks have. Some handled it, some didn’t. Whether he does will be told by time. Nonetheless people wanted to get their first looks at him in a Bears uniform. To see him throw, take snaps under center and just sort of command the field. Early reports are he responded well.

He was not, however, the most impressive person on display during those practices. As it so happens it was the man Trubisky was often throwing to in tight end Adam Shaheen. The buzz around him has really picked up of late, not just locally but nation-wide.

The Adam Shaheen Bears minicamp hype is real

Peter King of the MMQB is one of the latest to mention the name. In recent article, the veteran reporter mentioned that while Trubisky may be the more important long-term name to watch, the one who could catch people by surprise in 2017 is the Bears’ second round pick.

“I think one of the most interesting storylines of the summer camp season is going to be at Bears camp—and not necessarily how quickly Mitchell Trubisky can start a game. (I expect Mike Glennon to get a fair shot at keeping the quarterback job for the year.) But it’s the Division II tight end, Adam Shaheen. He’s 6-6 and 277 pounds, and the book on him coming out of Ashland (Ohio) College was that he’s nimble.”

 

Indeed the young man know as “Baby Gronk” caught a lot of people by surprise when his name was called last month. He’d only just recently broken out onto upper draft boards in the media. He was a phantom name people knew about but hadn’t seen much of. Then he performed at the scouting combine. What they saw was a man who weighed 278 lbs running like he could be a wide receiver.

Throw in the that 6’6″ frame and yeah, it’s easy to understand why GM Ryan Pace felt so comfortable taking him in the second round. This despite the fact he made his name at Ashland University, a Divisional II program. Then again something like that hasn’t stopped many players from having great NFL careers. It comes down to whether he puts in the work and effort to be the best.

He went from basketball player to a second round pick in a span of three years. So that is something to take note of moving forward.

MLB Insider Names White Sox Favorites To Sign Cuban OF Prospect Luis Robert

By
Sean Sears
-

Luis Robert is the top International prospect in baseball, and the White Sox are absolutely drooling at the idea of adding the talented 19-year-old to their roster. To add a player with Robert’s level of talent alongside Tim Anderson and No. 1 prospect Yoan Moncada would accelerate the rebuilding process and easily make the White Sox one of the better teams in the American league by next season.

Rich Hahn and the White Sox have been the rumored favorites to sign Robert for what feels like forever, with even MLB.com listed the South-Siders as the clear leaders to land the services of the young Cuban outfielder. However, other teams like St. Louis, San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, and even Oakland have had their name attached to phenom. The White Sox’ roster including current Cubans Jose Abreu and Moncada, who was a teammate with Robert on the Cuban national team, giving them a serious upper hand against their competition.

While all those teams are still in the hunt, reportedly both the Cardinals and Padres are expected to make a massive push, the White Sox seem to be the team to watch according to FanRag Sports Jon Heyman. The MLB insider spent some time on 670 the Score’s Mully & Hanley show, saying that Robert’s will command ‘over $20 million’ and the White Sox are ready with a blank check.

While $20+ million is a lot of quiche to offer a kid who’s never played pro ball before, but when he is being referred to as the ‘best player on the planet’ people tend to see money as an afterthought. According to Scout.com, one American League scout truly believes Robert is the best player on this planet, better than anyone in the MLB and even in the same realm as Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani – a dude who can throw 100 mph and also hit 22 home runs in 2016.

“Ohtani is the best international player out there and he’s a different animal because he would be the ace of a staff and he can hit,” a National League international scouting director said. “But Robert is up there. He’s a five-tool guy that can be in the big leagues soon. He has to be No. 2 behind Ohtani. He’s that good.”

The White Sox are expected to shed at least $27 million next season with the likely departure of Todd Frazier and Melky Cabrera, and you might as well toss in closer David Robertson and Jose Quintana into that mix as well. So that gives the White Sox nearly $82 million in cap space to dedicate to Robert. Now, they can’t just offer him $82 million, with International spending limits and such, but that is a massive cushion the White Sox have to use to their advantage.

The White Sox are looking like a team that will have money to spend, with a roster that would cater well to Luis Robert that should be infused with more elite talent over the next few seasons, Rick Hahn and the White Sox are starting to look like a future powerhouse club in the American League.

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