By Dan O’Shea

I was starting to wonder what I was going to write about when fantasy baseball had played itself out. With football and basketball both in lockout mode, I was facing the distinct possibility that I’d have to learn how fantasy NASCAR works. No one wants that.
So I was as glad as anyone that the NFL lockout ended, and we will have fantasy football after all (as well as the real thing, of course). You may find yourself with a little less time to plan your draft this year, so let’s get to it:

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Posted on August 3, 2011

By Jim Coffman

Two years ago, I would have been delighted to hear the Bears had dumped Olin Kreutz. I had watched the Williamses (huge Viking linemen Pat and Kevin) and other physical defensive tackles cave in the interior of the Bear line way too many times. It seemed as though Kreutz, who at that point had played in the NFL for more than a decade, simply couldn’t hold the point any more against powerful foes.
But last year was different. Amid reports he was healthier than he had been in a while, Kreutz seemed to have found more ways to use veteran guile to at least achieve stalemates against his strongest foes. The Bear offensive line was a train wreck early on but after the disaster against the Giants (almost a dozen sacks allowed) in the middle of the season, the team finally found a combination at guard and tackle that wasn’t a mess. Kreutz then led the way back to some semblance of respectability and the playoffs.

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Posted on August 1, 2011

By Marty Gangler

The Cubs are the worst team in baseball.
Sure, the Orioles and Astros have fewer wins. They also have – or at least had right up to the trade deadline on Sunday – players that playoff teams coveted.
The Astros dealt Hunter Pence and Jason Bourne and the Orioles moved Koji Uehara and even ex-Cub Derrick Lee.
The Cubs gave away Kosuke Fukudome to the Indians to make room for Tyler Colvin and otherwise stood pat.
See what I mean?

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Posted on August 1, 2011

By Roger Wallenstein

So long, Edwin. We hardly knew ye!
Three days short of his one-year anniversary as a member of the White Sox, Edwin Jackson was dispatched to the Blue Jays last Wednesday. In turn, the Jays dealt Edwin to the Cardinals, Jackson’s sixth team in his nine years in the big leagues.
Luckily, Jackson has long been accustomed to moving around since his father was a military man. Edwin actually was born in Germany, although he attended the same high school in Columbus, Georgia, as Frank Thomas.
So what’s wrong with this guy? He gets swapped almost as often as Big Papi spits on his batting gloves.

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Posted on August 1, 2011

By Carl Mohrbacher

Three in a row! How ’bout them Cubbies?!
-Seymour, Hoffman Estates IL
Here are some other things that take four months to accomplish:
* A Syfy original movie can be written, cast, filmed, edited, debuted and rerun.
* Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger can have two consecutive whirlwind relationships*.
* In an effort to turn her life around, a single mother can complete a gun repair course from ICS.

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Posted on July 28, 2011

By Dan O’Shea

There was a time when I would have encouraged my opponents in fantasy leagues to trade or drop the likes of Alex Rios, Adam Dunn and Gordon Beckham from their fantasy squads, the better for me to pick them up just in time for them to get hot in the second half.
But, like a lot of White Sox fans, I’ve stopped believing any of these guys will ever get going. That is not necessarily the case with everyone who had a bad first half. Some of those July cast-offs can still manage to deliver some value in August and Septembers.
Here are a handful of guys with lousy first half numbers who I would gladly scoop up from the wire or trade for if their owners have grown tired of them:

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Posted on July 27, 2011

Baseball’s Black Heritage

“From the cheerful, optimistic greatness of Ernie Banks, through the quiet, ferocious intensity of Andre Dawson, to the unpredictable volatility of Milton Bradley, African-American players have helped make baseball history within the ‘Friendly Confines’ of historic Wrigley Field for nearly 60 years. Here is a retrospective of the men who have worn Cubbie Blues since 1953.”

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Posted on July 26, 2011

By Jim Coffman

Remember earlier this season when various media voices declared that the Cubs were really in trouble this time, that fans had finally had enough and reduced attendance would force all sorts of changes in the way the team did business?
At the time, a few people tried to point out that the wet spring weather was the primary culprit but they were shouted down by those who were convinced Cubs fans had reached a breaking point.
Upon further review . . . it was the weather.

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Posted on July 25, 2011

By Roger Wallenstein

A number of theories and suggestions have been made to explain the inconsistencies of the White Sox this season. However, as yet, I’m not aware that anyone has said that maybe our guys – with the possible exception of A.J. Pierzynski – are just too nice and friendly.
Just within the Central Division – the one that counts most for the Sox – is it unreasonable to question the goodwill and lovey-dovey exchanges between the Sox and the opposition?
It’s no secret that Ozzie and Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, fellow countrymen, are close. In addition, the accolades and plaudits flow freely from Chicago to the Twin Cities about all the fundamentals that the Twins do better than anyone else.
Jim Thome wears a Twins uniform, but he was very popular in the White Sox clubhouse and remains pals with Paulie and others. And, of course, Gordon Beckham let the world know that he and the Royals’ Chris Getz – another former teammate – remain buddies by his infamous message scrawled in the Cell’s infield dirt a few weeks ago.
Oh, how times have changed.

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Posted on July 25, 2011

By Marty Gangler

I had a conversation with a friend recently about this year’s Cubs squad and he called them unintentionally comedic. To which I responded, there is nothing funny about this team at all.
*
Then again, a lot of people find Jay Leno funny, so to each his own,
*
I’ll concede this: Maybe the Cubs are sad clown kind of funny.

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Posted on July 25, 2011