Chicago -
By Jim Coffman
Isn’t there a trustee or someone at DePaul who can speak up and try to stop to the unbelievably ill-advised hiring of Dave Leitao as the school’s new men’s basketball coach?
Just when you thought a team that had finished last in its conference a half dozen times in a row before skyrocketing all the way to seventh this past season couldn’t be a bigger joke, the school’s athletic department has announced it will re-introduce Leitao on Monday afternoon.
Posted on March 30, 2015
The most thankless parts of a fantasy advisor’s job – and the most boring aspects of drafting a team – are ranking catchers and closers. Both positions are shallow in fantasy value. Beyond the obvious – catchers being a limited source of power, and RPs being the only source of saves – there is little strategy involved in drafting them (unless it’s in trying to guess which closer’s team will be good enough – but not too good – to hand him the most save opportunities).
Anyway, if you really need to know:
Posted on March 27, 2015
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
Where Javy Baez stays up and Kris Bryant goes down. Plus: Coach in Vegas; Our Elite Neighbors; We Hate Christian Laettner; McDonald McPunditry; Daft Town Chicago; Bulls’ Secret Plan Coming To Fruition; Blackhawks’ Secret Plan Not Coming To Fruition; DePaul’s Third Strike; and The Chicago Fire Did Something This Week. (With Show Notes)
Posted on March 27, 2015
By Roger Wallenstein
We were barely out of the parking lot, and she was on her cell talking to a friend back in Chicago.
“We lost to the Cubs,” my wife lamented. “I can’t stand losing to the Cubs.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I explained after she got off the phone. “These games are meaningless. They don’t count.”
This was of little consolation on a day when Camelback Ranch – I don’t get it; I thought ranches were for horses and cowboys – was filled to capacity by the announced crowd of 13,101, of whom probably two-thirds were decked out in Cubbie blue. With two outs in the ninth and a three run-lead, the victory-starved, giddy Cub fans were on their feet chanting, “Let’s Go Cubs.” It could have been an October pennant-clincher. Did I mention that the game was meaningless?
Posted on March 24, 2015
By Jim Coffman
They almost pulled it off.
The NCAA almost rigged the tournament well enough to completely shut out teams from non-power conferences from the Sweet 16. That way they keep the teams from the prime money-making major conferences front and center in the national sports fan consciousness for another year.
Posted on March 23, 2015
By Steve Rhodes
Kubs still Klass Klowns. Plus: Shout Outs to Tony Snell, Russell Wilson.
Posted on March 22, 2015
1. Clayton Kershaw, LAD.
Stat categories in which he tied or set career bests in 2014: Wins, complete games, shutouts, ERA, WHIP. Only his 239 strikeouts, most since 2011’s career-high 248, didn’t make that cut. The thing is: He’ll do it all over again. Interesting 2014 stat: 27 games started, fewest since his rookie year, due to early injury.
Posted on March 18, 2015
By Jim Coffman
The status of college basketball in the state of Illinois at this point begs a Princess Bride reference: “Inconceivable!”
That’s what Vizzini said when informed that the Dread Pirate Roberts had bested both his swordsman and his giant.
With the NCCA tournament brackets out, we’re similarly flummoxed: How can it be that for a second consecutive year, Illinois has failed to qualify a single team for the Dance at the same time that scores of Illinois kids are starring for all sorts of non-Illinois tournament teams?
Posted on March 16, 2015
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
Bigger jerk than Cutler? Plus: NFL Free Agency Gone Wild; The Bears’ Trinity; Blackhawks Stand On Heads; Illinois Basketball FAIL; and The Chicago Fire Did Something This Week.
Posted on March 13, 2015
It will surprise no one when I rank Mike Trout, OF, LAA, as the No. 1 overall fantasy baseball player in a few weeks, so even fewer people will be surprised that he’s the top fantasy OF:
1. Mike Trout, LAA.
Makes a fantasy adviser’s job easy: Won the 2014 AL MVP, as expected, with 36 HRs, 11 RBI, 16 SBs, 115 runs, .287. Can’t ask for mush more, though a boost in SBs and average would be nice. Interesting 2014 stat: .377 OBP 55-point drop from 2013’s insane .432.
2. Andrew McCutchen, PIT.
2013/2014 stat comparison: HRs – 21/25, RBI – 84/83, doubles – 38/38, average – .317/.314. Biggest difference was in games played – 157/146, suggesting growth if he stays healthy this year. Interesting 2014 stat: 16 SBs. Can he do 30/20 HRs/SBs this year?
3. Giancarlo Stanton, MIA.
Matched career-high 37 HRs, exploded for career-high 105 RBI. Hit a surprising .288 and got a whopper contract with a young team that should score more this year. Still only 25. Interesting 2014 stat: 13 SBs. We knew about the power. This one was a shocker.
Posted on March 12, 2015
