Another Beachwood Special Report

“The United Center signage that greeted Carmelo Anthony featured the All-Star free agent in his preferred headband, an item typically banned by the Bulls,” the Tribune reports.
“The post-dinner conversation between Anthony, Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, among others, flowed freely and lingered long into a spectacular Chicago night
“Yes, the Bulls did everything they could in their lengthy Tuesday pitch to Anthony, leaving no detail uncovered.”
Tru dat. In fact, the Beachwood has learned that the Bulls package included these perks:
* Unlimited free passes to new Star Wars museum.
* Mayor’s Office will arrange CNN documentary about you.
* There’s always a spot for your kids at Payton Prep.

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Posted on July 3, 2014

By Dan O’Shea

Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has been ignored long enough. It took his second consecutive near no-hitter to get the fantasy baseball world to notice him, and even with a bump in pick-ups following his Monday night gem against the Red Sox, Arrieta remains available in about 35% of Yahoo! leagues.
It’s a bit of a mystery. Arrieta did miss the first month of the season with a shoulder injury, but since coming back, he’s 5-1 with 74 strikeouts in 64 innings, a 1.80 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He’s won four straight games, going at least seven innings in all four, with no fewer than nine strikeouts in each outing.
Meanwhile, his teammate Jeff Samarzdija is sitting at 2-7, and owned in 90% of Yahoo! leagues. Much was made early on of The Shark’s lack of run support, but the honest truth is that he hasn’t had much fantasy value over the last month, with an ERA of 5.45 during that span.

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Posted on July 2, 2014

A Very Special World Cup Preview

Let me tell you something, brother.
He’s been a soccer fan for many weeks.
Plus: Products to boycott.

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Posted on July 1, 2014

By Steve Rhodes

Whoa, whoa, whoa!
“I said the other day, if we want to win 15 in a row, we’d definitely be open to it,” Theo Epstein said of holding on to Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.
If the Cubs won the next 15, they’d be 49-46. You’d be looking at one of those 83-win seasons Theo hates so much.
Of course, Theo knows this team isn’t capable of winning 15 in a row. And it’s not like an 83-win season thrills us. But it just goes to show how warped this whole thing is.

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Posted on June 30, 2014

By Jim Coffman

Allow me to be one of the many pointing out to baseball that it probably shouldn’t look back at this point because soccer is gaining.
I’m not sure I know anyone who would rather watch a mediocre, routine-yet-endless regular-season major league baseball game instead of a routine, coming-in-comfortably-under-two-hours World Cup soccer game.
Now sure, you can try to argue that the World Cup happens only once every four years, and that if this was baseball’s World Series going up against it in the ratings, it would be different . . . except you would stop arguing that pretty quickly, wouldn’t you? Because what ails major league baseball ails major league post-season baseball even more, i.e., the inability of players and teams to play anything close to crisp, pleasingly paced contests even when they aren’t a slugfest.

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Posted on June 30, 2014

By Roger Wallenstein

There’s the popular baseball story about Rickey Henderson, the game’s all-time best leadoff man, being reunited with John Olerud when Henderson joined the 1999 New York Mets. Henderson, who was all about himself, said some pretty goofy things during his 25-year career but none quite as revealing as when he saw Olerud, a fine first baseman and hitter in his own right, wearing a batting helmet in the field.
Rickey asked Olerud about the helmet, and his teammate disclosed that he needed the protection because of a childhood aneurysm. “I knew a guy when I was with Toronto who did the same thing,” Rickey allegedly said.
“That was me, Rickey,” said Olerud. “That was me.”
The story’s validity has since been challenged, but the veracity is not as important as what it represents. Henderson was famous for a number of skills in his Hall of Fame career – he scored more runs and stole more bases than anyone in history – but no one ever accused him of being “good in the clubhouse.”

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Posted on June 29, 2014

By Steve Rhodes and Jim Coffman

The U.S. backs into the next round by losing just one of three, unlike a bunch of other teams going home. Plus: The Bulls’ Puzzling Draft Day & This Week In The Sky.

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Posted on June 27, 2014

By Major League Soccer

The USMNT finish Group G against European powerhouse Germany. What lineup do Jesse Marsch and Matt Doyle expect? How will Jurgen Klinsmann change his tactics? And who do the experts pick to advance?

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Posted on June 26, 2014

By Dan O’Shea

This year was supposed to be the Year of the Speedster, otherwise known as Reds rookie outfielder Billy Hamilton, whose minor league stolen base numbers were so alarming that some fantasy experts had him ranked inside the overall top 50 players.
So, how is Hamilton faring?

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Posted on June 24, 2014

By Jim Coffman

The US Soccer mindset coming into this World Cup was to play for the future. At this point it couldn’t be clearer that they need to play for right now.
After defeating Ghana and tying Portugal 2-2 yesterday, the US needs a win or a draw versus Germany to automatically go through to the elimination round. Or they could lose and still go through as long as Portugal or Ghana don’t beat the other AND make up an overall goal-differential deficit to the US on Thursday.

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Posted on June 23, 2014