Chicago -
By Jim Coffman
As the NBA finals came to an end Sunday night, one question in particular demanded an answer: How does it all impact the Bulls?!
The short answer is: Not much. NBA teams operate in realm of the possible, and it will be simply impossible for the Bulls to build a roster similar to the one that enabled the Spurs to so thoroughly dominate the Miami Heat in a way we can only dream about.
Posted on June 16, 2014
By Roger Wallenstein
You tell a six-year-old, playing his first season of tee ball, to play second base, and the kid most likely will run out to his position straddling the bag in the middle of the infield. The fledgling infielder, he of the concrete mind, figures second base means second base. Same with first and third. For the little newbies, telling them to play a base means just that – go right to the base, put your hands on your knees, and get ready to field a ground ball.
Of course, the coach/parent proceeds to direct the little guys exactly where to position themselves, correcting the silly – but logical to a six-year-old – notion that the basemen play directly on each base. In the best of Little League worlds, this is done with sensitivity and love rather than, “Where the hell do you think you’re playing?!?”
This positioning of players, beginning at a tender age, is a transient concept. In the very early days of the game, fair and foul territory hadn’t been defined, so players would position themselves willy-nilly wherever they thought the ball was likely to be hit. But the genuine inventor of the rules, Alexander Cartwright, introduced in 1845 a field shaped like a diamond – as opposed to a square – along with the idea of foul lines so that just one player, the catcher, resided outside of fair territory.
Posted on June 16, 2014
By Steve Rhodes, Jim Coffman, Thomas Chambers and J.J. Tindall
The most interesting thing about the White Sox is that they’re interesting. Plus: The shocking NBA Finals, the inauspicious opening of the World Cup, the horse racing world post-Chrome, and our exclusive report inside Chicago’s bid to host the 2015 NFL Draft.
Posted on June 13, 2014
Another Beachwood Special Report
Speculation is growing that next year’s NFL draft will be held in Chicago.
The Beachwood has obtained a copy of the bid Rahm Emanuel has filed with the NFL. Here are the highlights:
* $1 million pledged to media effort led by David Axelrod to convince Chicagoans they should feel better about themselves because a bunch of rich guys are coming here to party.
* Talking points already distributed to local TV news reporters, including these suggested questions to visitors: “How do you like Chicago? Do you like Chicago? What’s your favorite thing to do in Chicago? Do you like the restaurants in Chicago? Howzabout being in Chicago?”
* Gift bags will include VIP passes to Alinea and the Admiral.
Posted on June 12, 2014
Destroying Hopes And Dreams, Though, ‘Totally Within Realm Of Possibility’
Also from Jurgen Klinsmann:
* Cubs rebuilding plan “not realistic.”
* Defeating Rahm Emanuel “not realistic.”
* Preventing climate change “not realistic.”
* Destroying hopes and dreams “totally within realm of possibility.”
Posted on June 12, 2014
By Dan O’Shea
The major league debut of Gregory Polanco against the Cubs on Tuesday night caused a run to the waiver wire in many fantasy baseball leagues, even by teams with no immediate need for an outfielder.
How can a newbie cause so much fuss? Look no further than last year’s in-season debut of Yasiel Puig – or the debuts in recent weeks of George Springer, Jon Singleton and Oscar Taveras. Puig was last year’s overnight sensation, while Springer was this spring’s, with 12 HRs and 35 RBIs in just 47 games. Singleton already has a grand slam to his credit in just a week of service.
Polanco was 63% owned in Yahoo! leagues as of Tuesday night, so there’s still a little time to get in on the action.
So, who’s next? Here are a few possibilities if you want to start the bidding before they get to The Show:
Posted on June 10, 2014
By Jim Coffman
No rational person believes that LeBron James was at fault for the cramps that tormented him at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, a game his Miami Heat lost 110-95 to the Spurs last Thursday.
It was the work of the poster child for irrational sports commentary, Skip Bayless – and the response to it – that perhaps best illustrated just how ridiculous criticism of James was on Friday.
So why do so many headlines this morning say something along the lines of “LeBron answers critics with powerful performance in Heat bounce-back victory (98-96) Sunday?”
Posted on June 9, 2014
By Roger Wallenstein
This was supposed to be fun.
The idea of blowing Saturday’s 5-0 eighth-inning lead with Chris Sale headed for another masterpiece wasn’t part of the new plan. The package wasn’t advertised to include Jose Abreu swinging and missing pitches in the dirt as he struck out four times. After taking two of three at Dodger Stadium earlier in the week, certainly a split of the six games played in Los Angeles and Anaheim wasn’t asking too much.
Apparently it was. Toss in Sunday’s 4-2 limp effort, concluding the three-game sweep at the hands of the Angels, and one can’t blame Sox fans for thinking, “Is that all there is?”
Three games doesn’t make a season, so all the clichés – “You have to have a short memory” and “Play them one at a time” – now are required.
Posted on June 9, 2014
By Thomas Chambers
With California Chrome, jockey Victor Espinoza, trainer Art Sherman and owners Steve Coburn and Perry Martin attempting to become the 12th group in history to win American Thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown, there is going to be a lot of attention paid to the game this weekend.
Some of it will the kind horse racing does not want, but the kind it most certainly needs and deserves as the result of its behavior.
This Belmont weekend could very well be a monumental crossroads for the very future of racing in America – a California Chrome win or not.
Posted on June 7, 2014
By Steve Rhodes and Jim Coffman
Plus: How the White Sox are out-rebuilding Theo.
And: The Bears report for OTAs.
That’s really all we say about that.
Posted on June 6, 2014
