By Marty Gangler

Um, guys, what’s going on with this bullpen?
The Week In Review: The Cubs went 4-3 for the week taking two of three from the Cards and splitting four games with the Phils. Four of seven would normally be fine, but somehow it felt worse because 1) It’s the Cubs, which makes everything feel worse, and 2) They either blew leads in all the losses or came storming back to tie it up only to lose the leads again. There is clearly no quit in this team at the plate but those were three punch-in-the face losses.
The Week in Preview: The Cubbies get a day off Monday before heading to Pittsburgh for four against the Buccos and then three back home against the Cards. It’s Division Week!

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Posted on September 13, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

Ted Williams is credited with the proclamation that “the hardest single thing to do in sport is to hit a baseball,” which makes sense since Teddy Ballgame was arguably more skillful at it than anyone who has ever lived.
Most probably Williams’ comment was intended to boost his already substantial ego, although as far as anyone knows he never had to elude a charging 300-pound lineman while trying to throw a pinpoint pass to a downfield receiver. Nor did the venerable Williams ever have to sink a three-point buzzer-beater while being guarded by a 6-10 defender.
But Williams had a point. Hitting a baseball clearly is an acquired skill that few of us have mastered. The same could be said of fielding a hard-hit ground ball, as the White Sox too often demonstrate.

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Posted on September 13, 2015

By Jim Coffman

Including: The Coming Meatball Explosion. Plus: The Normalization Of The Cubs; White Sox Reportedly Still Playing; The Chicago Fire Did Something This Week; The Chicago Sky Head To The Playoffs.

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Posted on September 11, 2015

By Dan O’Shea

Week 1 of the fantasy football slate is upon us. Thus far, it’s all been guesswork, and we’re about to start getting some answers. So, what are the questions?
Here are a few, with my own prediction of what the answers will be:
* How long will it take second-teamer Johnny Manziel to win the starting job?
Six weeks.
* With his starting RB suspended, how many passes will Ben Roethlisberger throw?
48.
* Who will be the leading rusher in the NFL after four weeks of play?
Adrian Peterson.

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Posted on September 9, 2015

By Jim Coffman

Bears fans have just about done it. They have just about made it through an entire preseason without playing the sucker.
The call went out before the exhibition season even started: don’t do it this time people, don’t let baseless optimism creep in no matter how inevitable it seems. You’ve been deceived before but this time memories of recent past failures are seared into your brain.
This time you won’t be fooled again and you won’t tell yourself any sort of fairy tale of Jay Cutler finally figuring it out and young defenders playing surprisingly well and a great coaching staff organizing surprisingly successful stretches of football.
It is not happening.

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Posted on September 8, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Here is an e-mail exchange I had with Beachwood grand poobah Steve Rhodes on Labor Day. It’s just another homage to the great and powerful Joe Maddon.
Rhodes: Before the season, I was really eager to see Joe Maddon’s lineups. Then I was befuddled. Then amazed. Then perturbed. Then amused. Then baffled. I’m giving up. Start Kris Bryant at catcher if you want, Joe. It doesn’t seem to matter.

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Posted on September 7, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

So this is what it was supposed to look like. Now I get it.
Heading out for the week for three games against the Twins followed by another trio in Kansas City, Robin Ventura’s bedraggled crew appeared poised to return home with its collective tail between its legs. The only positive aspect was that no one would be watching because of the Cubs and the start of the football season.
And after dropping the first two to the Twins including a limp 3-0 shutout on Wednesday, Jeff Samardzija fell right into his August doldrums on Thursday in his initial September start. Given a 1-0 lead, Samardzija served up a waist-high fastball to Twins’ rookie outfielder Eddie Rosario in the third inning with the bases loaded. The kid deposited the offering high into the right center-field stands. Here we go again!

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Posted on September 7, 2015

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Infield, outfield, starting pitching, relief pitching. Plus: I Hate John Fox; The Secret Seven-TE Spread; Fangio’s Folly; Rappin’ Roger Goodell; Rah! Rah! Sis-Boom-Bah Humbug; and The White Sox, Fire And Sky Reportedly Did Things This Week.

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Posted on September 4, 2015

By Reuters Staff

Sony Pictures Entertainment executives altered the script of its forthcoming movie Concussion, about football-related brain trauma, to avoid antagonizing the National Football League, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Citing e-mails between Sony studio executives that were leaked by hackers last year, the Times said marketing plans for the movie were positioned to focus on the story of a whistleblower, rather than a condemnation of the sport.

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Posted on September 3, 2015

By Dan O’Shea

I started to write this column with the point that Kirk Cousins, QB, WAS, would make a nice late-round draft pick or early waiver wire pick-up, largely based in the probability that Washington would turn to him as a starter at some point this season after giving up on Robert Griffin III.
Well, it happened sooner than I thought – before the fourth pre-season game. Cousins has been named the starter, and has some potential to prove himself a fantasy bargain. He’s not a fantasy starter yet, and probably not even a QB-2 in many leagues, but his stock could rise quickly.
That leaves me thinking, who are some other backups who are worth a bottom bench spot even if it’s not yet clear how much they will play?
Here are three of the obvious ones:

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Posted on September 2, 2015