It's Only Going To Get Worse From Here

Chicago sports fans, there is no worse time to be a Chicago sports fan than right now.  The Cubs just lost 100+ games, the White Sox completely collapsed down the stretch and missed the playoffs they surely should have been in, the Bulls lost Derrick Rose to a torn ACL, lost to an 8 seed in the playoffs, and had their team basically ripped away, and the Bears are going to completely choke away a 7-1 start and miss the playoffs.

Oh but wait, there's more.  The Green Bay Packers just won a Super Bowl 2 years ago, the Miami Heat won a title last year, and the St. Louis Cardinals won a title last year.  All 3 are in good positon to win more in the next few years while Chicago sports teams flounder.  Hope you enjoy the taunting from fans of the biggest Chicago sports rivals.

I warned you that the Bulls weren't a championship caliber team even when they had the best record in the NBA in back to back seasons.  Obviously last season ended when Derrick Rose went down but if you think Rose is the difference between winning a title and losing to a lowly 8 seed in the playoffs then you're an idiot.  As I've mentioned before, Jerry Reinsdorf is one of the cheapest owners in sports especially when it comes to the Bulls.  When Derrick's contract runs out in 5 years, expect him to bolt for LA when he realizes that Bulls management won't pay for a winner and are using him as their cash-cow.  Derrick Rose owes nothing to the city of Chicago and he's always said he wants to win.  As soon as Rose leaves Chicago, this is when we will hit rock bottom.

The Cubs are Chicago's hope.  They're still a few years off from contending but they are really building a great minor league system and already have good major league pieces in Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro.  As soon as Javier Baez, Albert Almora, and Jorge Soler develop, the Cubs are sitting on a pile of cash and will start spending.  At this point, the Cubs will be World Series contenders for a long period of time and should win at least one during this time.  Of course, that's still a long ways off.  So we have to sit through the Bears and Bulls in the mean time.  Enjoy Chicago.

Jerry Reinsdorf: Put Up Or Shut Up

"Thanks for your money"

Since 2001, there have been seven teams that have never paid the luxury tax.  Those teams?  The Charlotte Bobcats, the Golden State Warriors (now under new ownership), the Los Angeles Clippers, the New Orleans Hornets (now under new ownership), the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Washington Wizards, and the Chicago Bulls.  Yes, that's right the Chicago Bulls who have been top 3 in attendance every year since Michael Jordan has been in the league even during the tough rebuilding years when the Bulls were the Baby Bulls and are in the 3rd biggest market in the NBA have never paid the luxury tax.  Since Michael Jordan retired after the Bulls 1998 championship the Bulls have won just 3 playoff series (Detroit in 2007 and Indiana and Atlanta in 2011).

Now I'm a personal Bulls boycott because quite frankly, I'm sick of supporting an organization that doesn't care about the fans.  This doesn't mean I'm going to stop supporting the Bulls, but I'm just not going to go to any Bulls games or buy any Bulls gear until they prove that they are committed to winning and care about the fans.  There's no reason for Jerry Reinsdorf to change his cheap ways when the United Center continues to sell out year after year.  This is one of the negatives about being a great sports town like Chicago is.  For years the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs have taken advantage of the fact that Chicago sports fans will show up to their stadiums whether they win or lose.  Lately both of these teams have began to change their ways but the Bulls continue to not spend any money.  The Bulls have two major free agent signings since Michael Jordan left Chicago, Carlos Boozer and Ben Wallace.  In today's NBA, you win by having stars and the Bulls have yet to understand this.  They've have chances to add stars in the last seven or so years but John Paxson has been too scared to pull a trigger and Jerry Reinsdorf has shown the inability to pay the luxury tax despite saying to KC Johnson that he would pay the luxury tax for a winner.  Put up or shut up Jerry.

Now the Chicago Bulls organization are selling you on a "2014 plan" saying that's why they blew up their team this offseason.  Remember the last time the Bulls went all-in for a major free agent?  They ended up with Carlos Boozer in 2010.  This is just another excuse for the Bulls to sell hope and dreams to their fan-base when in reality they're just trying to save money.

Start Caleb Hanie's 2012-2013 NBA Predictions!

The Miami Heat will be celebrating another NBA title in 12-13

The NBA is dead as we know it.  Players are being babies dictating where they want to go (Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Chris Paul) because they know in today's NBA, superteams are the only teams that have a chance at winning a title but don't tell this to cheapass Jerry Reinsdorf or John "Pussy" Paxson because they have yet to realize this.  With the Oklahoma City Thunder trading James Harden to the Rockets, it leaves the Lakers and the Heat as the only two teams who even have a prayer at winning an NBA Championship this season and this is sad.

Really, there's no point in picking the top 8 seeds in the East and West because the regular season doesn't matter.  The only thing that matters is the Miami Heat will win the NBA Championship over the Los Angeles Lakers in 6.  Kevin Durant will win the NBA MVP and Anthony Davis will win the NBA Rookie of the Year.  

2012 NFL Predictions

---Jeff reserves the right to make changes to these predictions up until the beginning of the season--

NFC East
1) Philadelphia Eagles
2) New York Giants*
3) Dallas Cowboys
4) Washington Redskins

NFC South
1) Atlanta Falcons
2) New Orleans Saints
3) Tampa Bay Bucs
4) Carolina Panthers

NFC North
1) Green Bay Packers
2) Chicago Bears (Assuming Forte shows up for the season and he and Jay Cutler stay healthy!)*
3) Detroit Lions
4) Minnesota Vikings

NFC West
1) San Francisco 49ers
2) Arizona Cardinals
3) Seattle Seahawks
4) St. Louis Rams

AFC East
1) New England Patriots
2) New York Jets
3) Buffalo Bills
4) Miami Dolphins

AFC South
1) Houston Texans
2) Tennessee Titans
3) Jacksonville Jaguars
4) Indianapolis Colts

AFC North
1) Baltimore Ravens
2) Pittsburgh Steelers*
3) Cincinnati Bengals
4) Cleveland Browns

AFC West
1) Denver Broncos
2) San Diego Chargers*
3) Oakland Raiders
4) Kansas City Chiefs

*Wild Card

Playoffs:

NFC
1) Green Bay Packers
2) Atlanta Falcons
3) San Francisco 49ers
4) Philadelphia Eagles
5) Chicago Bears
6) New York Giants

Wild Card
49ers defeat Giants
Bears defeat Eagles

Divisional
Packers defeat Bears
Falcons defeat 49ers

NFC Championship
Packers defeat Falcons

AFC
1) New England Patriots
2) Baltimore Ravens
3) Houston Texans
4) Denver Broncos
5) Pittsburgh Steelers
6) San Diego Chargers

Wild Card
Texans defeat Chargers
Steelers defeat Broncos

Divisional
Patriots defeat Steelers
Ravens defeat Texans

AFC Championship
Patriots defeat Ravens

SUPER BOWL
Packers defeat Patriots

2012 Chicago Cubs Preview: Starting Rotation

Matt Garza tries to build on a solid 2011 season as a Cub.

For the first time since 2009, there's actually optimism around the Chicago Cubs.  Unlike 2009, it's obvious the Cubs aren't going to make the playoffs this season but unlike the last few seasons, the Cubs actually have a plan moving forward and while the results won't be seen right away, you know they're just a few years away from competing for a title again and hopefully competing for longer than a two year window.  Unfortunately, we can't fast forward to 2014 but this Cubs season should still be exciting because the Cubs have some nice young talent that could be key pieces moving forward such as Starlin Castro, Brett Jackson, and Anthony Rizzo.  Today we will look at the Cubs starting rotation for this upcoming season which is really the weak-point the Cubs have in terms of prospects and for the most part, Major League talent.

The Cubs rotation will start out like this in 2012:

Ryan Dempster will start on opening day opposite Stephen Strasburg.  Dempster had a really poor 2011 opening it up with a 6 run, 4 walk, 6 inning performance in a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates and finishing off the season with a 9 run, 4 walk, 5.2 inning performance in a loss to the San Diego Padres.  In between that, Dempster wasn't very good either finishing the year with a 4.41 ERA.  This is the last year of Dempster's contract so there's a chance he could be on the move in July but he has a no trade clause blocking trades and he seems to love it in Chicago so odds are he'll finish the year as a Cub.  I can't wait until he's no longer on this team though.  Seems like a good character guy but outside of a fluke 2008 season which ended with a horrendous playoff appearance in game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers , he's been a rather garbage pitcher.  I do think Dempster will improve slightly in 2012 but Dale Sveum's first minor bad move as Cubs manager is naming Dempster the opening day starter over Matt Garza.      

Matt Garza was awesome last year for the Cubs and stats really don't do him justice at all.  He finished with a 3.83 ERA but Garza pitched much better than this.  Garza posted a career high number of strikeouts and despite concerns over his attitude he seemed like a great clubhouse guy for much of last season earning him a title as a fan favorite in Chicago.  One of the few concerns from Matt Garza last year was his fielding.  Garza committed 11 errors last season, most of them silly, and had a fielding percentage of an abysmal .788%.  There were some talks of Garza being traded in the offseason and for the right deal, I'd still consider doing it but he could be a valuable piece moving forward as the Cubs continue to get better and put better pitching around him.

Jeff Samardzija has had a really bumpy road in his three seasons as a major leaguer.  In 2008, Samardzija came onto the scene as a reliever in late July and actually did a really good job and became a pretty popular Cub in Chicago and even got his own Sports Illustrated article that year.  In 2009 however, Shark really dropped off finishing the year with a dismal 7.53 ERA and the struggles continued in 2010 as he was bounced up and down from Iowa to Chicago.  Last year, Shark had an expanded role in a weak bullpen and he made the most out of his opportunity having a fantastic year in a season where nobody really stepped up in the bullpen.  This year, Shark will be put to a bigger test as he starts the season in the starting rotation for the first time in his career.  Shark has started ten times before and really hasn't had much success but he had a really good Spring and the Cubs are hoping this carries over to the regular season.  In a year where the Cubs aren't expected to do much, why not give Shark an opportunity to be a starting rotation piece for the future if he succeeds?  If Shark doesn't succeed, he proved last year he could be a valuable reliever.

Chris Volstad came over from the Miami Marlins in the Carlos Zambrano deal and is a tall righty (6'8!!!) who is still just 25 years old.  Volstad had a nice rookie season with the Marlins coming up in early July but in years since, hitters and teams have seemed to adjust to him well and he hasn't adjusted yet.  There's still time for Volstad to adjust and maybe a change of scenery will do him well.  Up until his last Spring Training start, he's been more than excellent in Spring Training so hopefully he carries this over to the regular season.

Paul Maholm is a left-handed pitcher who signed as a free agent this offseason coming from the Pittsburgh Pirates where he spent his previous seven MLB seasons.  Maholm wasn't anything special in Pittsburgh but put together numerous solid seasons.  Being 29 years old and turning 30 in June, Maholm is more than likely a place-filler until the Cubs can draft, sign, or acquire younger pitching talent for the future.  Paul is probably really upset that he doesn't have to face the Cubs anymore because he put up a 1.53 ERA in 3 starts against the Cubs last season.  

The Cubs rotation is going to need to improve in the next few years to have the Cubs contending for titles but for right now, it's a solid, fairly young rotation that has room to get better.  If one of the starters struggles, you'll have Randy Wells and Travis Wood in AAA waiting in the wings.  Wood is a solid, young starter who was acquired in the Sean Marshall trade with the Reds who really struggled in Spring Training causing him to start the season in AAA.  Randy Wells has been just terrible ever since his solid 2009 season and probably should have been cut last season.  Tomorrow we'll look at the Cubs bullpen and hitters for this upcoming season.

Really Early MLB Predictions for 2012--National League

The Reds will be celebrating an NL Central title this season.

This offseason isn't over but I think it's a good time to give you my early predictions for the 2012 MLB season after the Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder to a nine year deal today.  Let's start with the National League Central which has lost 2 of it's best hitters in the last month and has seen the Cubs hiring a top 5 GM in baseball.

1) Cincinnati Reds
Last year I was down on the Reds going into the season but they've done a great job at upgrading their team this offseason.  Outside of the Miami Marlins, I think the Reds have put together the best offseason of any team.  They have arguably the deepest bullpen in baseball with the signing of Ryan Madson, the trade of Sean Marshall for Travis Wood, and Aroldis Chapman coming back.  The Reds have the best offense in the NL Central in my opinion with Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Brandon Phillips.  The Reds do have some major holes though especially at starting pitching.  Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos are great at the top of the rotation but after that you have a ton of question marks in Homer Bailey, Bronson Arroyo, and Mike Leake.  If the Reds want to do anything in the postseason, they're going to need to upgrade their rotation by the trade deadline but I still have the Reds as the kings of the NL Central.

2) St. Louis Cardinals
The defending World Series champions had an amazing run at the end of the season last year but four months after winning it all, they look like a completely different team.  Gone is Albert Pujols a top 5 hitter in baseball and their team leader, gone is Tony La Russa a top 5 manager in baseball and a guy that got the most out of all his teams, gone is Dave Duncan who was the best pitching coach in baseball and turned a ton of nobodies into above-average starters or higher.   New manager Mike Matheny still has a team with a solid offense but a ton of question marks.  Will Matt Holiday recover from a less than stellar postseason?  Will David Freese carry his great World Series performance over to this season?  Will Lance Berkman prove last season was not just a fluke?  Can Carlos Beltran be what Lance Berkman was last year?   The Cardinals rotation looks good on paper but can Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter stay healthy and will Kyle Loshe or Jamie Garcia step up again to be their solid number three starter?

3) Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have had a very tough offseason.  First they found out Ryan Braun was going to be suspended 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance and then they lost Prince Fielder to the Detroit Tigers.  If the Brewers want to make the playoffs again this season, they're going to need to get off to a good start in the first 50 games when Braun is out and I don't think they'll get off to that good start.  Aramis Ramirez had a pretty good offensive season last year but his poor baserunning and poor fielding almost outweighs anything he does at the plate.  The Brewers rotation looks pretty good on paper but I'm not that big of a fan of Zach Grineke who I thought was just average last season.  I really like Shawn Marcum but he's shown the inability to stay healthy throughout his career.

4) Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are a tough team to gauge.  They were an above-average team last season before Jerry Meals made that horrible call at home plate in Atlanta.  After that, the Pirates slid back to the team they've looked like for the last two decades.  The Pirates really didn't do anything to improve themselves this offseason as usual and if they want to succeed this season, they'll have to improve from within which I don't think is likely.

5) Chicago Cubs
The Cubs won't be good this season but they'll be much more exciting than last season because they actually have a plan moving forward.  Oh and Mike Quade isn't the manager anymore.  Theo Epstein has come in and hasn't made the big moves like signing Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder but has made the smart moves.  Trading Andrew Cashner for Anthony Rizzo, one of the best young first base prospects in baseball, is a much smarter move than signing a Prince Fielder for 9 years.  Rizzo won't start the year on the Cubs but will be up probably before July.

6) Houston Astros
Last year in the NL Central for this terrible team and good riddance.  The Astros are actually in much better shape this year than they were last year but this isn't say much at all.