By Dan O’Shea

The Upton brothers – B.J. and Justin – have always been hard to value fantasy-wise.
They both have all the talent in the world, but both of them tend to be streaky in both the best and worst ways. You might not get a really great, balanced season out of either one, but you could get a great half season, or at least an outstanding month.
An outstanding week is what Justin Upton had to open the season – six home runs in his first seven games, nine runs scored and a 1.640 OPS. B.J. Upton is playing his streakiness in the other direction – three hits in his first 25 at-bats, including an 0-for-14 spell to start the season. His three stolen bases provide some solace, but for those of us who though B.J. would be the better Upton to own this season, it’s not enough.

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Posted on April 9, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

Here’s the sad truth about today’s home opener: We’ve already been instructed to wait ’til next year. Or the year after that. Or, realistically, the year after that. If all the tumblers click into place. And every other franchise gets worse – or even remains stagnant.
And therein lies the problem with Theo’s Plan. Hope deferred wasn’t always hope denied for Cubs fans because we at least had until June before we could adjust our modest expectations. A few times we even had until October. These days our seasons are over before they get started.
Hope is dead. Or at least in a deep-freeze. But good luck with your new billboards, Mr. Ricketts!

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Posted on April 8, 2013

By Jim Coffman

You may have noticed we take the word “ridiculous” very seriously at Beachwood Sports. There is ridiculously good and ridiculously bad and, inspired by the classic Jeff Joniak call, we keep an eye peeled for both.
And that’s what we found, in spades, over the weekend. Let’s review.

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Posted on April 8, 2013

By Roger Wallenstein

I attended a recent luncheon where someone asked Al Rosen, the former third baseman for the Indians in the 1950s – he was MVP in ’53 – about the differences between the game today and his era.
“For one thing,” he began, “if a pitcher threw you a changeup, you knew the next pitch was going to be a fastball. Today they throw two or three off-speed pitches in a row.”
That certainly was Chris Sale’s pattern in his stellar performance on Opening Day a week ago. Perhaps “pattern” is the wrong description because the Royals’ hitters had little idea what pitch Sale was going to throw throughout the frigid – we sat in the shade of the upper deck – afternoon.

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Posted on April 8, 2013

By Dan O’Shea

Having participated in four fantasy baseball league drafts in the last few weeks, I’ve noticed certain players getting drafted by other team owners well ahead of where I had them ranked. To a large degree, I think these owners were drafting aggressively on spring training numbers, a strategy all of us find tempting. But you need to be careful and selective about relying on spring numbers, or you will end up with a team full of minor leaguers and journeyman.
Here are a few player whose draft stock rose in recent weeks on dazzling spring training numbers, and whether I think those numbers are to be trusted:

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Posted on April 4, 2013

Charity At Caray’s

“Think the daily grind of the hockey season wears down Chicago Wolves players and coaches? Think again. On March 20, the Wolves took over Harry Caray’s in Rosemont to share wine and conversation with dedicated fans, all in the name of raising funds for Chicago Wolves Charities.”

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Posted on April 3, 2013

All Downhill And Despair From Here

Enjoy it now, because it’s gonna be a long season on both sides of town.
1. Our very own Cubs-fan-in-exile Dan Sheahan checks in from St. Louis:

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Posted on April 2, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

The Cubs are gonna stink again this season and it’s not alright.
There is absolutely no guarantee that Theo’s rebuild will quadruple lap the rest of the league’s franchises in, say, oh, 2016, justifying our continued pain, and there is absolutely no excuse for the most profitable team in baseball owned by one of America’s richest families one year away from another huge jackpot to not try to win a the major league level on a parallel track to reshaping the farm system.
And a Jumbotron doesn’t make things better, it makes things worse.
The desecration of sport’s most uniquely special franchise, intimately tied to its uniquely special ballpark, is nearly complete.

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Posted on April 1, 2013

By Roger Wallenstein

The last few crystals from that pile of snow in my backyard were making a valiant attempt over the weekend to hold on until Chris Sale’s first scheduled pitch on Opening Day this afternoon on the South Side.
On Friday, winter’s final vestige appeared to be a cinch to survive the beginning of the baseball season. The seasons’ transition grabbed my attention as spring made an appearance the past couple of days. By Sunday, however, the crystals were gone, and our prospects for a comfortable opener appeared possible.
Still, the forecast predicts “unseasonably cold” temperatures today. Let’s face it, our city is just plain cold at the beginning of April; the word “unseasonably” is neither necessary nor accurate.

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Posted on April 1, 2013

By Jim Coffman

Happiness is Stacey King describing a replay of a big Bulls dunk. And the home team threw down just enough of those and dropped in just enough three-pointers to squeak by the Pistons 95-94 on Sunday night.
It was a victory that is admissible as powerful evidence on my side in an argument I have too damn frequently: The pro game, even between mediocre teams in the midst of a long and grinding season, is far more enjoyable to watch for true basketball lovers than the college game even at tournament time.

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Posted on April 1, 2013