Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
There is no joy in Wrigleyville,
for mighty Jason Heyward, pinch hitting for Addison Russell, struck out.
You know who they missed in that moment? Tommy La Stella.
@ESPNChiCubs might as well grab a random fan out of the stands
— Bears Cubs Bulls (@BFvsCOD1908) October 19, 2016
Posted on October 19, 2016
By Eric Emery
Imagine, for a moment, that a person exists at the intersection of Venn diagrams “Trump Hater,” “Chicago Bears Fan Troll” and “AFC Bournemouth Supporter.” That person just had a pretty damn good week.
That person is me.
Through my elation, however, I uncovered an unpleasant truth: People are on edge. And it seems that saying “Chill Out!” won’t do the trick. In many people’s minds, there is a lot at stake in this election. And the Bears gave up a 13-point lead at home to a very, very, very pedestrian Jaguars team. Oh, and the Cubs are 1-1 in the National League Championship Series, having dropped a game to the Dodgers at Wrigley to lose home-field advantage. So, frankly, nobody is going to chill out until 2017.
We certainly cannot look to English football for great guidance, because that scene isn’t one to utter the words “Serenity Now.” But, for once, I believe English football is calmer than the U.S. populace. So perhaps a few key pieces of advice will at least incrementally improve the mood here at home.
Posted on October 18, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
John Fox on the hot seat, y’all.
“The remaining fans wanted the Bears to hear it Sunday, jeering as loud as they could after having very little to cheer about on the field. But there weren’t enough fans left at Soldier Field for it to matter,” Adam Jahns writes for the Sun-Times. “The apathy is real. The Bears are bad. Everyone knows it.”
And how. And now Fox is the focus:
“Add it all up, and the rest of the season becomes a true measure of who John Fox is as a coach. He hasn’t delivered a Year 2 turnaround, as he did with the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. In Chicago, his narrative has changed completely – to one of failure.”
Posted on October 17, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
Is the magic man with the Midas touch managing tight?
Sure seems that way!
After sitting Jason Heyward against Madison Bumgarner in the Giants series in a game the Cubs seemed a bit wigged out about, Joe Maddon let Heyward bat against Clayton Kershaw with two on Sunday night in the only shot the team had at breaking through against the Dodgers ace.
Hey Joe, try to not let the pressure exceed the pleasure!
Posted on October 17, 2016
By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes
Happy Yom Cub-pur. Plus: Dodger Dogs, The Dusty Baker Show, L.A.’s Leftorium, The Suddenly Crowded Grandpa Rossy Bandwagon, The Bears Are Connor Barth’s Team Now, The Derrick Rose Trial Gets Uglier And Uglier, Meet The Bulls’ New Folk Hero, And Blackhawks Blues.
Posted on October 14, 2016
By Dan O’Shea
Random observations on the fantasy implications of a week in which Jay Cutler faded even further from fantasy relevance than usual.
Brian Hoyer’s latest moment of fantasy stardom. If someone’s talking about someone named Hoyer in Chicago this month, you might assume it’s Jed Hoyer, GM of the NLDS-winning Cubs. But Bears QB Brian Hoyer is also having a good fall, having compiled a series of fantasy-worthy starts in place of Jay Cutler, the most recent a 397-yard outing in Week 5. He’s in the top three or four in QB fantasy points in most formats the last three weeks. Looks like he will start again against JAC this weekend, and arguably should keep the starting job the rest of the way. He’s got a history of being streaky, and he’s not much of a deep passer, but he’s plays quick (sometimes meaning more plays, more chances), and usually avoids negative points.
Posted on October 14, 2016
By Carl Mohrbacher
Well, that was fun while it lasted.
Oh who am I kidding. This hasn’t been fun and it hasn’t lasted all that long.
That said, there’s plenty to discuss.
It seems in the absence of a compelling season, we’ve got a quarterback controversy to sort out here in Chicago.
Since Jay Cutler’s thumb wasn’t entirely severed from the rest of his throwing hand, it stands to reason that:
Posted on October 13, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
In three bullpen games in a row, the weird held.
Here’s why.
*
Here’s how it felt, though.
To the ninth. Moore is done after 8 IP. 1 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 10 K’s.
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) October 12, 2016
Posted on October 12, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
Don’t look now, but the Cubs’ offense is cold again in the playoffs – except for the pitchers, who are providing the power. Good thing, too, because Jake Arrieta’s 3-run homer last night may temporarily helps us forget that he’s become a true concern going forward (as is Hector Rondon).
Meanwhile, Joe Maddon – at least temporarily – lost his Midas touch with a series of moves he’s getting uncharacteristically roasted for today. (Though some of the criticism is way off-base: Mike Mulligan sounded like he just arrived on Earth this morning complaining on The Score that Maddon should just stick with a winning lineup. Have you watched the Cubs at all this year, Mully?)
Anyway, this is how we get to a Game 5 at Wrigley on Thursday: The Giants win tonight and we’re back to Lester-Cueto, and let’s face it, as good as Lester was in Game 1, Cueto was actually better. Thank God for Javy Baez!
Now, to the best Twitter commentary from Game 3 and looking ahead to tonight’s game:
Posted on October 11, 2016
By Steve Rhodes
The popular narrative among the sports punditry seems to be that Hoyer may have put up 397 yards – without an interception – on Sunday, but Jay Cutler would have won that game because he would have thrown Alshon Jeffery a jump ball in the waning minutes instead of attempt another pass to Cam Meredith.
Please.
Did Hoyer make the wrong choice on fourth down with the game on the line? Seems so. But would the Bears have been in a position to win if Cutler had played? Not necessarily; it’s hard to believe he would have avoided at least one meaningful turnover. Am I saying Hoyer is a better quarterback than Cutler? No – not at all. But Cutler is not the answer any more than Hoyer is, and that, as I have written, is the real quarterback controversy.
On the other hand, Hoyer has a 108.5 QB rating on the season and it’s just possible that we have a Trestman-McCown kind of mindmeld going on here with offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who is suddenly smart again. Meanwhile, Vic Fangio is no longer a genius.
To the Twitters:
Posted on October 10, 2016
