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Kyle Schwarber’s New Campaign Will Make You Love Him Even More

By
Gus
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Chicago Cubs' Kyle Schwarber juggles during the team's photo day Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Kyle Schwarber appears to be the next Cubs superstar that is using his fame for a great cause off the field. Anthony Rizzo has taken the lead for the Chicago Cubs when it comes to dedicating time and energy into non-baseball causes with his endless work on childhood cancer research and now Schwarber has selected his cause. Wednesday night he launched his “Neighborhood Heroes” project that recognizes first responders and honor their heroism, courage and devotion to duty.

Schwarber invited 45 police officers, veterans, and firefighters to Wednesday night’s 7-5 win over his “hometown” Cincinnati Reds. Schwarber grew up about an hour north of Cincinnati in Middletown, OH and is directly tied to the “Neighborhood Heroes” campaign that he began. His father, sister, and cousin all have served as first responders in addition to his mother being a nurse so the personal connection to the cause is strong for the Cubs leadoff hitter.

Schwarber addressed the group before the game Wednesday and said he wanted to start Neighborhood Heroes simply to recognize them for their service.

“I just wanted to do something special for you guys — you deserve it,” Schwarber told the group.

So next time you’re bashing Schwarber because he doesn’t hit a 462-foot bomb in every at-bat like you’d like him to, remember he’s a 24-year-old kid who has enough respect to honor those who put their lives on the line everyday for people like you and me. It’d be easy for Schwarber to get caught up in all the hype that surrounds him but his focus has always been on the team’s success and now he’s shining a light on those who we often take for granted.

One of the veterans recognized Schwarber’s character is a rarity with young, popular athletes these days.

“To come to 2017, and have a player like Mr. Schwarber reach out to the veterans, it means a lot.”

Tip of the cap to you Kyle, well done.

Kerry Wood And Ryan Dempster Are Filling In For Jim Deshaies As Cubs Color Analysts

By
Aldo Soto
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Here’s a treat for fans, especially for Friday’s Chicago Cubs game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Kerry Wood is going to be the color analyst on CSN, filling in for Jim Deshaies when the Cubs welcome the Brewers for a weekend series. On Saturday, Ryan Dempster will sit next to Len Kasper for the TV broadcast.

Wood was in the booth during Wednesday night’s game, preparing for his big moment.

I don’t know which umpiring crew is going to be in Chicago for the series, but for the first time maybe ever I hope Joe West is the home plate ump on Friday. Wood hasn’t been shy when it comes to blasting the ump on twitter in the past.

West actually has a pretty good strike zone, but we all know he tries to make the game about himself whenever he gets the chance. So, yeah I kinda want to listen to Wood attempt to hold it in and then unleash a rant on Joe West if he’s up to his usual antics.

But in all seriousness, this might be a window into the future for Cubs fans. Wood has been an analyst before for WGN Radio and he’s loved by the fan base. I believe there’s a good chance that Wood will eventually be the color guy on TV, so this will be some good practice. That’s still several years down the road, though, as Kasper and JD both extended their contracts with the Cubs prior to this season.

As far as Dempster goes, he seems like a good dude, but just don’t do the Harry Caray schtick. 

Both Friday and Saturday games will be on CSN Chicago, starting at 1:20 p.m.

Man Dies After Falling Over Railing At Wrigley Field

By
Aldo Soto
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According to the Chicago Tribune, a man died after falling over a railing at Wrigley Field and hitting his head on Tuesday night.

Via the Chicago Tribune:

Richard E. Garrity, of Wheaton, was pronounced dead at 3:33 p.m. Wednesday at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office

Garrity fell over a railing about 11 p.m. Tuesday night, causing him to suffer head trauma, according to Chicago police. He was taken by private ambulance to the hospital at that time, police said.

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday to determine the cause and manner of his death.

The Chicago Cubs began a 10-game home stand, starting a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. The Cubs won 9-5, as the game ended at about 10:17 p.m.

Garrity, 42, was of the 2300 block of Embden Lane, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Kyle Schwarber Broke The Budweiser Sign At Wrigley Field

By
Aldo Soto
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I’m honestly surprised this hadn’t already happened.

During the 2015 NLDS, Kyle Schwarber hit a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals that landed on top of the right field video board that has the Budweiser sign on it. During batting practice on Wednesday before the Chicago Cubs game against the Cincinnati Reds, Schwarber hit another blast toward the sign and this time he broke it.

During the broadcast on WGN, Len Kasper explained why the “Bud” in the Budweiser sign wasn’t lighting up. The reason is because of Kyle Schwarber.

The legend continues.

Vic Fangio Believes This Bears Defender Is Primed For a Breakout

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears
Nam Y. Huh/AP

Seems the Vic Fangio Jonathan Bullard narrative just took a shift. Most Chicago Bears fans are focused on what the newest influx of free agents and draft picks are going to do to help the team. That’s understandable. Especially coming off a 3-13 season. Then again there are ways a team improves that sometimes people tend to overlook. A big one being the natural development of young players still on the roster. That includes the 2016 third round pick.

Bullard didn’t contribute quite like many hoped in his rookie season. This despite coming in with a lot of buzz about his mixture of size, burst and quickness. To be fair that’s often normal for rookies. Not everybody goes the way of Jordan Howard, rocketing out of the gate to a Pro Bowl in his first try. Most typically take at least a year to get things clicking.

Fangio understands this reality well. A man known for his blunt honesty, he was limited in any sort of praise for Bullard last season. That seems to be changing.

Vic Fangio Jonathan Bullard project is showing results

“Well Jon didn’t play a whole lot last year,” Fangio said. “And hopefully he’s ready — you always look for a lot of improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. I think he’s better prepared now to play in the trenches of the NFL than he was last year. He’s gotten a little bit bigger. I think his mentality — he understands more of what’s expected of him playing in the NFL, in the trenches. I don’t think he was quite ready for that last year, both physically or mentally, emotionally I think he’s more ready. We’re hopeful that he does well.”

There’s reason to think this will be the case for Bullard. Typically players make their biggest leap in the second year. Towards the end of 2016 there were flashes that the young defensive lineman was starting to pick things up. He made a couple nice plays including a tackle for loss against Washington where his technique and strength both showed up.

If he’s indeed bigger and stronger than last year and maintained that burst and quickness that made him so dangerous at Florida? There is no doubt he can fill that final spot on the defensive line next to Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman. This could give the Bears one of the more intriguing and dynamic front sevens in the NFL. If nothing else that would ease the concerns people have over the secondary.

At the same time it would further validate the incredible job GM Ryan Pace did with that 2016 draft. Bullard has worked tirelessly all offseason, getting help from former Bears Pro Bowl alternate Alex Brown. All he requires at this point is an opportunity to show what he’s learned. Health permitting, that chance looms ever closer.

Can We All Shut Up About The Jimmy Butler Celtics Trade? It’s Not Happening

By
Matt Peck
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nba insider reveals real reason celtics didnt want jimmy butler

Before you start throwing trade proposals out there, let me stop you. Before you start talking about how a Jimmy Butler trade benefits both the Bulls and Celtics, stop yourself. To prevent anyone from wasting precious time, shut up. Shut up right now.

I’ve got news for you, folks. In case you’re completely clueless and haven’t figured it out yet, the Jimmy Butler trade ship has sailed. I’m not sure where it’s going, exactly. I don’t know because Gar Forman and John Paxson don’t know either. But it’s certainly not headed for Boston. It’s probably not headed to Los Angeles or Philadelphia or Phoenix either. Come to think of it, the “ship has sailed” metaphor is a poor choice in this scenario. The Jimmy Butler ship is actually staying right here in one of Chicago’s lakeside harbors. Right next to Dwyane Wade’s yacht and Rajon Rondo’s catamaran. (Doesn’t Rondo seem like he’d be a catamaran guy? A more complex sea-craft for a more complex individual.)

Anyway, back to the point at hand. On Tuesday night, the Celtics won the jackpot of the 2017 NBA draft lottery. As Danny Ainge’s crew prepares for battle against LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, they’ve added the #1 overall pick in next month’s draft to their promising young core. Does any NBA team’s future look brighter than this bunch in Boston? Paul Pierce says no.

Somehow They Manage

Imagine how madly jealous Gar and Paxson must be of Pierce’s old bosses in Boston. It was just five years ago that Pierce – along with Rondo, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen – was giving the aging Celtics one last deep playoff run. They lost to Miami in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, and were ousted in the first round the following season. That was the final season for that Celtics superteam. It took Ainge just four years to find an excellent young coach, provide Brad Stevens with a talented young core and get back to the conference finals. Oh, and he stockpiled extra lottery picks while doing so. Talk about retooling! ‘Sup, GarPax?

When you compare all of that positive change and managerial success to what GarPax have “accomplished” since 2012, it’s laughably depressing. And if you’re one of those misguided Bulls fans thinking the front office can finally steer their ship in a clear direction by trading Butler to Boston for that #1 overall pick, wake up. Because you’re dreaming.

New Year, Same Deal

Let’s think back to the Butler-Celtics trade rumors and reports from last year. Both at the 2016 trade deadline and leading up to the draft last summer, reports from Chicago and Boston said Butler talks never got very far. Why? Because Ainge wasn’t willing to include Brooklyn’s 2017 1st round pick without a protection clause attached to it. Following that logic, why on earth would he be willing to include it in a package for Butler now that he knows it’s the #1 pick?

Whatever the Celtics offered a year ago, it wasn’t good enough for Forman and Paxson to deal their best player and commit to a full-scale rebuild. We got a refresher course on this front office’s fear of rebuilding at their end-of-season press conference. They didn’t say Jimmy is untouchable, and they will listen to all offers. But what they did say is that they know just how valuable Butler is, and that they won’t trade him just to trade him. Unless GarPax are 110% certain that Boston is sending them a package of picks and players of equal or greater value to their star, the trade won’t happen.

If the trade offers at this year’s deadline were nowhere “remotely close” – as Paxson said – to being enough to pry Jimmy away, in what world do those offers from Boston get richer this summer? The Brooklyn pick is off the table. The Celtics have another likely lottery pick from Brooklyn in 2018, but Markelle Fultz isn’t in the 2018 draft. He’s in this one. There’s also no guarantees about how high the 2018 pick will be if you’re talking about a Butler trade that happens before this draft next month. Do the Bulls value that 2018 Brooklyn pick as highly as the #1 overall in 2017? Of course not.

Are the Bulls still interested in some of Boston’s role players? Names like Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley were thrown around as potential trade pieces last year. A) The two sides reportedly couldn’t agree on which players the Bulls would get in return for Butler. B) Do the Celtics value those role players more than they did a year ago, as they’ve contributed to this season’s deep playoff run? C) Do the Bulls still want those same pieces, or do they want different ones? Jae Crowder looks a lot less valuable than he did a year ago. He’s a decent player, but he appears to have hit his ceiling this season while Butler is still getting better.

Speaking of getting better, some might argue that Butler’s marked improvement this season – his third straight All Star appearance and first as a starter – would be enough to entice Boston to increase their offer from a year ago. Not so fast. Yes, Butler improved. But he’s also a year older and his team-friendly “max” contract (signed before the huge cap spike) has two years remaining, not three. To me, those two factors cancel out Butler’s improvement if you’re talking about his value now compared to a year ago.

Are we starting to see the bigger picture yet? The Bulls won’t trade Jimmy without getting a massive haul in return. The Celtics and Ainge appear dead set on holding that #1 overall pick, and their offer from last year is unlikely to be sweetened. We’ve reached the dead end. For many of the same reasons trade talks stalled last year, they will again. That is, if the talks even start at all. The Celtics might decide they’ve already progressed this much without Butler, so who needs him? Stay the course, add two more lottery pick players and eventually have a talented young roster that’s good enough to dethrone an aging LeBron sometime in the next few seasons.

I didn’t even need to mention the Celtics’ potential interest in Paul George or impending free agent Gordon Hayward. Sure, those are factors that make a Butler-Celtics trade less likely, but the minuscule likelihood is the same if you remove those factors. This is about the Bulls and Celtics not being compatible trade partners.

Are we all on the same page now? Good. Then let’s talk about something else for the next month. Because if I hear one more Butler-Celtics trade proposal I’m going to get in my ship and sail away from you fools.

Wait. Nevermind. I don’t have a ship. Darn it.

…Maybe Rondo will let me hide out in his catamaran for a while instead. Whatever must be done to get some peace and quiet away from this nonsense.

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.

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