Top Ten Chicago Sports

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2009-06-08T07:38:00.000-05:00

Top Ten goofiest looking Chicago athletes

2009-06-05T02:00:00.003-05:00

BY MIKE JACOBSEN

Over a period of just a few, short months, Chicago sports fans have been subjected to an endless amount of buzz and excitement surrounding our beloved franchises. The Bulls and Hawks both made strides in the playoffs, the Bears finally have (gasp) a quarterback, and the Cubs and Sox are still in the hunt.

As I have absorbed the sports media coverage of the past 60 days or so, I realized something...there are some ugly dudes playing pro sports in this town!

In turn, I have compiled a list of the top ten goofiest looking characters that are currently playing professional sports in Chicago.

10. Greg Olsen

I truly respect Olsen as a football player and think that he can and will be a valuable asset to the Chicago Bears organization for many years to come (especially when he learns to block).

Yet, this doesn’t hide the fact that the former member of the U’s very own “7th Floor Crew” looks like a caveman. With his distinctive low brow ridge and overall Homo erectus like features, I don’t know if I should be cheering for him, or if I should be trying to have him save me a bunch of money on my car insurance.

9. Brian Campbell

No “goofiest looking list” would ever be complete without installing at least one ginger into the mix….enter Brian Campbell.

I don’t believe that I am alone in saying that Campbell had a pretty uneventful season and thus far, hasn’t really lived up to his eight year, $56.8 million contract.

8. Patrick Nyarko

Due to their recent success, I have to give the Chicago Fire some much needed love. They are currently 5-1-6 and sit atop the Eastern Conference of the MLS with 21 points.

As I was watching the Fire snatch a victory from Chivas U.S.A. this past Thursday, I noticed Patrick Nyarko, a native of Ghana, on the field and instantly knew he'd be a great addition to this list.

7. Craig Steltz

In my humble opinion, Steltz appears to be an odd combination of Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.

It’s not too often that one sees grimy, rather lengthy hair like this on an NFL player. But Steltz apparently feels that the Seattle grunge look works for him.

I’m thinking he should reconsider.

6. Adrian Peterson

Despite a solid college career at Georgia Southern University, Adrian Peterson’s skills as a starting tailback never really translated to the NFL. Fortunately, Peterson has been a pivotal part of our special teams for several years.

His ability to both block and tackle is what makes him an excellent resource for Dave Toub and the rest of the Bears coaching staff.

I love Adrian, but how can you not look at him and think Whoopi Goldberg?

5. Bobby Jenks

Someone needs to inform Jenks that the “grab ass era” that was once established by Nick Swisher and Toby Hall is long gone.

It’s time for him to quit dying that ridiculous goatee of his and grow up. I am aware of the fact that you look like an adult version of Eric Cartman from South Park, but take a razor to that thing already Bobby!

4. Alexei Ramirez

The first word that comes to mind when I see a picture of Alexei Ramirez is antelope.

Yes, I said it….antelope.

I am not sure exactly why, but it’s probably because of Ramirez’s slender frame and caved in face. Seriously, will somebody feed this man a cheeseburger?

Alexei needs to go on the “Bartolo Colon Diet,” and maybe then he will be able to put some meat on those bones.

3. Kirk Hinrich

After turning down the role of Spock in the recently released Star Trek prequel, Kirk admitted that he was still holding out for the starring role in the Keebler Elf biopic.

All jokes aside, I am an advocate of Kirk Hinrich being a part of the Bulls plans heading into the upcoming 2009-10 season. I don’t want to delve into this topic too much (because I could write three pages about this), but his versatility and leadership are something that will be missed once it’s gone.

2. Carlos Marmol

Carlos, Carlos, Carlos……. for whatever reason, MOST Cubs fans still love you to death (except for when you play in the WBC) and continue to put their faith in you.

But let’s face it my man, you aren’t going to be walking down a runway anytime soon.

I don’t know if it’s the Obama ears or what, but more often than not, you seem to leave me with a feeling of uneasiness when you approach the mound these days. Get your control back and throw the ball over the plate, son!

1. Joakim Noah

This is a big surprise, huh?

Yes, I have anointed Joakim Noah (a.k.a. “Sideshow Bob”) the goofiest looking character in Chicago sports, but I think that many Bulls fans would concur that he earned our respect during the Celtics playoff series.

And afterward he could hold his head high knowing that with Brian Scalabrine (a.k.a. Jackie Moon) on the court, he'd look like David Beckham in comparison.

Top Ten Chicago sports scandals

2009-06-04T02:00:00.001-05:00

The city of Chicago has been featured prominently in the sports media world as of late thanks to NCAA infractions purportedly committed by Derrick Rose.

It's not the first time the city has been home to one of sport's most salacious scandals. No surprise when you take into account the long histories of its franchises.

So without further ado, here are the Top Ten Chicago sports scandals.

10. The Blowup Dolls

Have inflatable dolls ever created this big of a controversy?

The Sox were in the midst of a miserable road trip, playing up in Toronto, when the team needed a slump buster.

The solution? A pair of rubber dolls surrounded by strategically placed bats with a sigm that read 'You've Got to Push' hanging around one of their necks.

Think Ozzie Guillen had anything to do with that?

9. The Tank

Former Bears defensive lineman Tank Johnson was arrested by federal agents in 2006 after they searched his home and found a weapons cache that would make Rambo blush and marijuana. And that's just a taste of this guys laundry list of offenses during his stay in the Chi.

8. Albert Belle’s Disappearing Bat

Before Belle brought his muscle bound persona to the South Side, he was involved in what has to be considered one of the strangest tales in league history.

During a game against the Sox in 1994, then skipper Gene LaMont requested the umpires check Belle's bat for signs of tampering. Nothing was found, but the bat was confiscated and was to be sent to league offices for further investigation.

Belle's teammate Jason Grimsley decided to hoist himself up into an overhead crawlspace in the visitor locker room, shimmy through a narrow passage and lower himself into the adjacent umpire's locker room. There he switched Belle's bat with one of teammate Paul Sorrento's bats, only to have the umpires notice the change.

In his 2002 book, former Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel noted that they had to use Sorrento's bat because 'all of Albert's bats were corked'.

7. Tragedy at Ditka's

This one is going back a ways and has probably slipped from the memories of those old enough to remember it.

But on New Years Eve in 1964, an assortment of Chicago Bears players gathered at a bowling alley owned by the one and only, Mike Ditka. At some point in the night, a fight ensued between Bears players and patrons of the alley, resulting in the death of former Redskin Tony Parilli.

6. Blago's Bargaining Chip

This yarn combines the two attributes Chicago is notorious for: the Cubs and shady politics.

Blago's exploits have also been well documented and the feds are still trying to sort through the details. But according to the federal complaint, in a tapped phone conversation, Blago said that in order for the Cubs to secure IFA financing for the sale of Wrigley Field, they needed to "fire all those (expletive) people, get 'em the (expletive) out of there, and get us some editorial support."

5. Cubs = Ticket Scalpers

For years getting a ticket to Wrigley has progressively become more and more of an arduous challenge. And when you find out that the Cubs were running a shady ticket scheme, it should be no surprise the fans went absolutely balistic.

The Cubs had ownership in Wrigley Field Premium Tickets; an outfit provided with face-value Cubs tickets that they in turn, sold for a higher price to the fans.

Only in Chicago.

4. M. Jeff's Night Out in Atlantic City

The night before a playoff game against the New York Knicks in 1993, Jordan created a media firestorm by being spotted at an Atlantic City casino. That alone wouldn't have been so bad until you combined it with the fact Jordan admitted to dropping $57,000 on gambling debts earlier that same season.

3. Sammy’s Corked Bat

The curious case of Sammy Sosa and the source of his power at the plate came more into focus on a June day in 2002 when he was caught using a corked bat against the Rays.

He claimed to only have the bat in his possession for batting practice to give the fans a show but nobody bought it.

2. Derrick Rose

This is so fresh in the minds of Chicago sports fans that I won't rehash the stories of alleged cheating on the SAT or grade fixing.

But the truth is, regardless of what else comes from this scandal, the perception of Rose won't change much. He's a professional athelte now and a hired gun when he was in Memphis. This entire situation is more indicative of the serious issues surrounding NCAA basketball that nobody wants to acknowledge exist.

Might not be that way for much longer.

1. Black Sox

The Black Sox are perhaps the most notorious team in the history of baseball for all the wrong reasons. Shoeless Joe Jackson and the rest of the pale hose cohorts fixed the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

They're responsible for the biggest black eye this city has ever had to endure and will remain the first reference anyone makes when the topic of gambling in sports arises.

Top Ten Chicago sports figures we'd like to see on Man vs. Wild

2009-06-03T02:00:00.001-05:00

If you didn't get a chance to see it, Will Ferrel appeared on Man vs. Wild last night on the Discovery Channel. He was put to the test in the elements along side Mother Nature's usual whipping boy, show host Bear Grylls.

An epic adventure for sure.

So it got us to thinking, what Chicago athletes would we like to see on the show? Here are the Top Ten we came up with...

10. Virginia McCaskey

Cruel?

Yes. But oh, so worth it.

9. Kevin Garnett

As much as I’d like to see this happen, I just don’t think Kevin Garnett would ever come back.

You’d probably find him a year later living amongst a pack of wolves, making some young pup cry using his patented death stare for not boxing out.

8. Patrick Kane

With that scraggly playoff beard he was sporting by the time reached the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference finals, Kane sure looked the part of someone stranded on a deserted island.

But then again, he also looked like he just walked off the stage at his high school graduation.

7. Mark Prior

Chicago's former golden boy wouldn't last a second in the wild. Unfortunately for him, Mother Nature doesn't have an injured reserve.

6. Mark Buehrle

I'm not sure if anyone from Chicago is more suited to be featured on this show than Mark Buehrle. He's just backwoods enough that I think he'd actually enjoy it and you know he'd wouldn't slow up Bear at all.

His quick smells like burnt toast.

5. Joakim Noah

I can see the previews now:

This is Joakim Noah, and we doing it big, all day, all night out in Siberia this Tuesday on Man vs. Wild.

4. Devin Hester

Our boy D-Hest, aka The Windy City Flyer, would be even more lost than little old Virginia out in the elements.

Thank goodness he's fast, or, at least he used to be. Paul Konerko, on the other hand, would be straight meat for anything faster than a snapping turtle.

3. Milton Bradley

It would be interesting to see who Bradley would blame when the only person around him would be himself.

No reporters to bash, no umpires to criticize and nobody else to point a finger at.

What would he do then?

2. Lou Piniella

'What can I say? We'll eat some bugs in the morning, and then we'll see.'

Classic Lou. It'd be a peek into what Lou looks like on holiday in the offseason. I'm picturing a limitless supply of Tommy Bahama shirts and some dark sunglasses so he can check out the 'scenery'.

1. Mike Ditka

Envisioning Da Coach roaming around the middle of nowhere out in Africa has to put a smile on your face.

While I’m not sure if he’d don the vintage 80’s Bears sweater vest, I know his stache alone could keep a horde of tribesmen warm for months at a time.

Top Ten Most Disappointing Chicago Rookie of the Years

2009-06-02T06:53:00.004-05:00

BY JIMMY GREENFIELD

Only 27 athletes have won the Rookie of the Year honors in a Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls or Blackhawks uniform, and actually that's not true. I'm factoring in the immortal Terry Dischinger, who was the 1962-63 ROY for the NBA's Chicago Zephyrs.

But over the last 12 months, three players -- Patrick Kane, Geovany Soto and Derrick Rose -- won the award. That's unprecedented in these parts, but if form holds at least one of them will be a bust. And I think Cubs fans fear who it's going to be.

Don't forget to check out our new home over at ChicagoNow.

10. Ken Hubbs

Beyond Ken Hubbs, the rest of this list consists of players who had disappointing careers by virtue of how their careers in Chicago played out. With Hubbs, who died in a 1964 plane crash after his sophomore season, it's disappointment over what he and all of baseball missed out on.

9. Geovany Soto

Too soon? Not if you're a Cubs fan and you're wondering if we've got another Rick Wilkins on our hands. One homer and a .216 average in June after a season hitting .285 with 23 homers and 86 RBIs is plenty to be nervous about.

8. Tommie Agee

Had a very nice career after hitting 22 homers and 86 RBIs for the White Sox in 1966...yet none of it with the White Sox. His numbers dropped from .273, 22 homers and 86 RBIs to .234, 14 and 52 his second year, after which he was traded to the Mets. Two years later, he hit 26 homers for the Amazin' Mets.

7. Anthony Thomas

Nice enough player who won the award in what must have been a very down year in the NFL.

Thomas gained 1,183 yards on 278 carries and scored seven touchdowns, which all proved to be career-highs. He last played in the NFL in 2007 with Buffalo.

6. Wally Chambers

The 1973 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year had some good years after winning the award, just not enough. He was off to Tampa Bay by 1978 and out of football a year later.

5. Dwight Smith

Yes, I know Smith wasn't the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year. But I couldn't find ten legitimate disappointments and Smith should have been ROY ahead of Jerome Walton. Smith hit for a better average, had more homers, RBIs, fewer strikeouts and more WALKS than Walton (more on him later).

But after that stellar rookie year he never became a starter in the Major Leagues, and despite rebounding to hit. 300 in 1993, he was nothing more than a bit player on some crappy Cubs teams.

4. Kerry Wood

Honestly, I don't have the energy to relive this. Wood was great in 1998, then he was never close to being great again, though he was sometimes very good. And now he's gone.

3. Mark Carrier

He went to the Pro Bowl two years in a row after winning the 1990 Defensive ROY award but that was a classic case of getting by on reputation. He led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1990 but over the next six seasons he totaled 10 picks despite missing only a handful of games and he never came close to the 122 tackles his rookie year.

You say teams wouldn't throw his way? Bull. Great players find a way to make great plays and Carrier, though he was a leader on the field, never lived up to his great rookie year.

2. Ron Kittle

Sure, Kittle hit 32 homers in his second year but he never came close to the 100 RBIs he hit during his 1983 rookie year, plus his average dropped to .215, .230 and .218 in the three years following it.

Kittle's bummer of a career is even sadder when you consider what a legend he could have become with his blue-collar background and winning personality.

1. Jerome Walton

What happened? Walton won the 1989 NL ROY and hit .364 in the NL playoffs but then saw his steals drop from 24 to 14 to 7 to 1. His average dropped from .293 to .263 to .219 to a mind-blowing .127 in 1992, his last year with the Cubs.

So what happened? The Cubs happened.

Top Ten Michael Jordan low-lights

2009-06-01T02:00:00.002-05:00

On the rare occasion someone actually reaches the kind of iconic status Michael Jordan has, it's not unusual to see their lesser moments of the past slowly fade away.

But every once in awhile, it's not a bad thing to take a trip down memory lane and that's what we're doing here today. Please understand that I worship at the altar of M. Jeff and this list isn't intended to try and tarnish the legacy he created.

So with that out of the way, here are the Top Ten Michael Jordan low-lights.

10. Cross by Allen Iverson

Jordan left the game with compound fractures in both ankles thanks to a fresh faced Iverson straight out of Georgetown.

M. Jeff was one of the league's best defenders, but even he couldn't slow down the Answer.

9. Drafting Adam Morrison

Morrison was a scoring machine for Gonzaga and seemed to be destined for great things in the Association. He's never fulfilled that prophecy and has spent more time in the trainer's room than the court.

8. Missed Dunk at the 2002 All Star Game

The man who made a name for himself with high flying, tongue wagging dunks couldn't throw one down on a breakaway at the 2002 All Star game. This was during the comeback years, making it a little more understandable.

But I think we all knew that it was over after this.

7. The Cigar Cutter

Jordan nearly severed his finger shortly after the Bulls took home the 1998 title. Some feel that this was the final straw before he retired from the game for a second time.

6. Gambling Accusations

It's no secret anymore that Jordan loved to gamble.

Every one in awhile someone will bring up that rumor that goes something like, Jordan didn't actually retire from basketball in 1993, he was actually suspended for gambling.

There's no evidence to support that claim, but I wouldn't be so shocked if it was true.

5. Knocking Out Steve Kerr

Come on Mike.

Steve Kerr?

But you've got to give Kerr credit for not backing down because Mike was yoked at the time.

4. The Comeback Part Deux

The city of Chicago stunned when they heard Mike was coming back to the NBA, but in Wizards uniform. All eyes were upon the Wizards with Mike in the lineup, but it was easy to see fairly early on that he wasn't the same.

I usually tend to try and forget those years.

3. Retiring from the NBA

You just won your third consecutive title. You were the greatest player and the most famous person on the planet.

Why leave?

2.The Baseball Experiment

This thing had disaster written all over it from the word go.

Jordan just wasn't meant to be a baseball player and everyone knew it. But the people came out in droves to watch him play and it's not everyday you get to see the man, the myth, the legend whiffing on a high heater.

Lesson learned: don't quit your day job.

1. Drafting Kwame Brown

Let's just put it out there and get it over with: Michael Jordan isn't cut out to be a general manager in the NBA.

At this point, you could make a very strong argument that Kwame Brown is the biggest bust ever to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft.

Jordan couldn't resist the tremendous upside potential of the high school star and paid dearly for it. Brown has jumped from team to team and Jordan will always have this one hanging over his head.

Top Ten players we DON'T want the Bulls to draft

2009-05-29T02:00:00.003-05:00

On June 25, at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, the NBA will trot out its newest crop of young talent for all to see.

The Chicago Bulls have the 16th and 26th picks and after falling in a gut-wrenching seven game series against the Boston Celtics, fans have high hopes for the upcoming year. This draft is crucial to the team's plans for the remainder of the off-season.

So we decided to give new general manager Gar Forman a little help with the Top Ten players we DON'T want the Bulls to draft.

10. Terrence Williams - Louisville

There's just too many question marks surrounding Williams for the Bulls to risk a first round pick on him.

9. Jrue Holiday - UCLA

Depending on which mock draft you look at, Holiday is either a lottery or top 25 pick. With such a wide margin of differing opinions, you can't have much confidence in a kid who many feel came out too early.

The Bulls aren't in the position to take on a project and that's exactly what you'd be getting in Holiday.

8. Omri Casspi - Israel

The Bulls have failed miserably at drafting international players (outside of a certain Croatian) and taking a stab at this Israeli export is the worst mistake they could possibly make.

7. Patrick Mills - St. Mary's

There's no possible chance the Bulls would take Mills at 16, but if Lawson and Flynn are off the board and Mills is available at 26, watch out. Mills may be the choice.

He's undersized, from a small program and too much of a shoot first PG that would remind us too much of Ben Gordon.

6. Ty Lawson - UNC

Simply because Dick Vitale has a unspeakable man-crush on you does not mean that you're destined for great things in the NBA. But Lawson did show some mettle while toughing it out in the NCAA Tournament, so we will give him props for that.

But as for whether or not he'd be a solid complimentary player to Derrick Rose, we'll lean towards negative.

5. Gerald Henderson - Duke

At best, Henderson will enter the NBA and eventually become a poor man's version of Richard Jefferson. His athleticism cannot be questioned, but please do not confuse that with NBA potential.

There were plenty of opportunities for Henderson to excel with Duke when they were in desperate need of a consistent scoring threat and he failed to deliver. But I will say that there's an excellent chance Henderson enters the Slam Dunk contest this season and wrestles away the title from Nate Robinson.

4. B.J. Mullens - Ohio State

It's very easy to fall in love with size and the Bulls certainly are a perfect example of just that. The Jerry Krause dream of having twin towers in Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler backfired louder than your uncle's old El Camino.

Mullens is nothing special and never will be. He failed to really dominate in either high school or the collegiate ranks and just fits the bill of being a monumental bust.

3. Jonny Flynn - Syracuse

The local media was all abuzz when it was revealed the Bulls brought Flynn in for a private workout. Some were puzzled, including Flynn himself, about why the Bulls would do such a thing
considering the fact he's a potential lottery pick and the Bulls are way up at the 16th overall pick.

First and foremost, I truly hope the Bulls aren't considering moving up to get Flynn. But if he falls to them at 16, why waste two consecutive first round picks on a point guard when you've had a quagmire at the position for a couple years now?

2. Chase Budinger - Arizona

The thought of Chase Budinger in a Chicago Bulls uniform is too much for me to stand. But it makes so much sense from a Paxson point of view that it keeps me up at night.

There's nothing to like about this converted volleyball player out of Arizona. Sure, he can jump out of the gym but just ask Harold Miner how well that worked out for him.

Unfair comparison sure, but Budinger is not what this team needs and it's a very rare occasion when you should honestly consider taking a Wildcat in the draft.

1. Tyler Hansbrough - UNC

I'll resist the temptation of comparing Hansbrough to Mark Madsen like so many often do. What frightens me is that he fits the mold of what the Bulls have consistently looked for in the draft since John Paxson took over.

He's got the big time program pedigree, a motor that supposedly never quits and the team first mentality Paxson drools over. With new GM Gar Forman at the helm, hopefully this team can stray from its M.O. and do something different.

Top Ten Chicago wildcards

2009-05-28T02:00:00.004-05:00

Chicago is home to some of the most intense and unpredictable sports personalities in the country. You never know what they're capable of until one day they go berserk and take a bat to a Gatorade machine (more on that later).

So with that in mind, here are the Top Ten Chicago wildcards.

And don't forget to check out our new home at ChicagoNow.

10. Tommie Harris

The oft injured Bears defensive tackle is always capable of delivering a colorful quote inside the locker room. After attending the Brian Urlacher school of contempt for the media, the student has officially surpassed the teacher.

9. Adam Burish

Chicago's very own version of Rocky at the Icecapades.

But Burish is no joke when it comes to dropping the gloves and squaring off guys twice his size. He's the lone bruiser for the Hawks despite not fitting the mold in any single way.

8. Olin Kreutz

Squaring up on Fred Miller is something not too many sane individuals would attempt. But Kreutz is literally eight different kinds of crazy and has the respect and fear of teammates and foes alike.

7. Bobby Jenks

Jenks solidified his position on this list after publicly admitting that he intentionally threw behind Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler on a recent road trip.

If you do some digging, you'll find that Jenks certainly possesses quite the colorful past. Wildcard is definitely a moniker that suits him.

6. Tyrus Thomas

Ty-Riser really started to sell his brand of crazy to the fans of Chicago this past season. He was always quick to commit an out of control foul once frustration set in against an opponent.

I have a feeling Tyrus has only scratched the surface in this regard.

5. A.J. Pierzynski

AJ seems to invite trouble wherever he goes. But the Sox love him for it and so too do the fans. Who could ever forget the time he got sucker punched by Michael Barrett or his dropped third strike miracle during their World Series run.

4. Lou Piniella

The North Side skipper is legendary for his temper tantrums on and off the field. Whether he's tossing second base into the outfield or kicking dirt on an ornery umpire, Sweet Lou is always good for some unintentional comedy during the season.

3. Ozzie Guillen

We've already chronicled some of Ozzie's most epic rants here at TTCS. But Ozzie hasn't slowed down much in recent years and I'm sure by the end of his run we'll have plenty of ammo for a second go around.

2. Carlos Zambrano

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you Exhibit A.

1. Milton Bradley

Note to Milton: If you really want us to believe you're not crazy, stop acting like it. You can't come to Chicago, proclaim your misunderstood sense of sanity, and proceed to act like a raving lunatic.

For more on Bradley, check out our Top Ten Milton Bradley Meltdowns, Moments and Quotes.

Top Ten Blackhawks who need to step up tonight

2009-05-27T02:00:00.004-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to announce that we are officially joining ChicagoNow, 'a network of blogs connecting passionate experts on a wide range of uniquely Chicago topics'.

TAKE ME THERE NOW!

Now that that's taken care of, onto today's list.

Tonight could be the last game of the season for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Despite the fact that they've exceeded every expectation, this city demands the Hawks win up in Detroit tonight against the Red Wings.

But in order to do so, they'll need some top notch performances from their best players.

Here are the Top Ten Blackhawks who need to step up tonight.

10. Martin Havlat

After logging only eight minutes of ice time in Game 4, it'd be unfair for us to expect too much from Havlat tonight.

He redeemed himself this season after being labeled injury prone by fans and media alike since he signed with the Hawks. But a vicious hit like the one he took in Game 4 would do damage to anyone and the fact that Havlat can still find the arena is enough to prove his toughness.

9. Andrew Ladd

The man who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He's not very flashy and doesn't really do any one thing better than most. But Ladd has been a crucial piece of this playoff puzzle and they'll need a solid outing from him to slow down the Red Wings.

8. Kris Versteeg

This guy needs to take his head out of his you-know-what and stop putting the Hawks in horrific positions with the stupid penalties he's been committing as of late.

7. Joel Quenneville

Somehow, some way, Quenneville will need to get his young team ready for a game that carries enormous pressure on each of their shoulders.

Throw in the fact that they're playing up in the Joe and Quenneville certainly has his work cut out for him. Hopefully that little $10,000 rampage he went on about the referees plays to our advantage.

6. Patrick Sharp

The 27-year-old right winger has always come up big when the Hawks need it most in the playoffs thus far. No reason why that trend shouldn't continue tonight in the biggest game of the season.

5. Patrick Kane

Kane has flat out disappeared against the Red Wings and it's time the little man stepped up to the plate and delivered a performance like his hat-trick against the Canucks.

If he can just understand that not every pass has to be perfect and just play like he can, Kane could be the key to the Hawks making a comeback in this series.

4. Dustin Byfuglien

Big Bad Buff needs to wreak havoc in front of the very mediocre Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood tonight.

He needs to frustrate, anger, tempt, twist, pull, prod and take up space so that his linemates can get quality shots on goal.

3. Brian Campbell

As Campbell goes, so too do the Hawks.

If he's effective bringing up the puck for the Hawks without losing control, this team has proved how dangerous they can be. But if Campbell looks hesitant and gives up the puck inside the neutral zone tonight, get ready for a very ugly end to the season.

2. Jonathan Toews

Toews goal in Game 4 was the lone bright spot for the Hawks on Sunday, but he still finished -1 overall.

The young captain needs to find the back of the net early to take the pressure off of this team and set the tone.

1. Cristobal Huet

Whether it's fair or not, Huet could very well end up being the man people blame for the Hawks demise in the Western Conference Finals.

Being charged with the task of stopping one of the most efficient offenses in the NHL is something that should not be ignored. But I'm not here to defend Huet and I'm sure he probably wouldn't want me to.

For the Hawks to have ANY chance against the Wings tonight, Huet is going to have to stand on his head while humming along to Chelsea Dagger.

Top Ten reasons we're joining ChicagoNow

2009-05-26T11:26:00.005-05:00

10. Oversight

Our new bosses actually have rules for us to follow.

Who knew that yanking photos from other blogs doesn’t make it okay for you to use them on your blog?

9. Networking

This move is the equivalent of joining a blog version of Facebook.

Though we probably won’t post naked or embarrassing photos of ourselves.

8. Profile Pics

Now you’ll actually get to see our ugly mugs.

You poor, poor souls.

7. Sweet New Design

You’ll have to take our word for it, but the new site is something that needs to be seen to be believed.

6. Fame

Ha!

Not so much.

5. Disagreements

You can’t put two sports fans in a room and expect them to agree on everything unless they’re of the, “I regurgitate every opinion ESPN tells me to” variety.

So that’s what we want over at our new home with ChicagoNow.

If you got something to say, if you disagree, if you agree, if you think we’re idiots, TELL US! We’ll respond to as many comments as possible.

4. Credibility

Combining credibility and blogs together in a sentence usually results in rounds of laughter or Buzz Bissinger foaming at the mouth while spewing obscenities.

3. Our Friendly Neighborhood Stalker

ChicagoNow henchman Jimmy Greenfield has been on us like a madman trying to make sure we’re apart of this thing.

Jimmy, let’s just say I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy who can give you a great price on a hair piece.

See what I’m saying?

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Click here to read the Top Ten reasons why Cubs fans shouldn't panic.

Top Ten reasons why Cubs fans shouldn’t panic

2009-05-26T00:28:00.001-05:00

Look, I like Jim Hendry. He’s one of the better general managers in baseball. After the Cubs won 66 games in 2006, they won 85 and 97 respectively the last two seasons, with a lot of credit going to the moves that Hendry made (the Fukudome signing aside).

But so far, Hendry’s busy offseason hasn’t gone according to plan. While you can’t lay all the blame on him, considering how bad the Cubs’ hitting has been and all the injuries they’ve had to deal with, he deserves his fair share.

With all that said though, it’s only May 26. There’s plenty of time to turn things around. Cubs fans might be panicking right now, but here are 10 reasons why they shouldn’t be.

10. 2007 season

On June 2nd of that year, the Cubs’ record was 22-31. The team was a mess, Lou Piniella was wondering just what he had gotten himself into, and everyone pretty much wrote them off. This Cubs team is a lot better than the ’07 one. It’s a veteran group that understands divisions aren’t decided in April/May.

9. Return of Aramis Ramirez

Who knows when Ramirez will come back, but boy have the Cubs missed his bat in the lineup. At the beginning of the year, Cubs fans knew the one guy they could ill afford to lose for an extended period of time was Ramirez. When he does return, hopefully sometime around the All-Star break, it’s not likely you’ll see the Cubs go through another six-game stretch where they score a total of five runs, like they did this past week.

8. A little adversity might not be a bad thing

Last season, on their way to 97 wins, the Cubs faced no real adversity from April to September. They led the division from early May on, and had only three losing streaks of three games or more. The pressure of going into the playoffs as heavy favorites clearly got to the Cubs, and we saw what happened against the Dodgers.. Being tested this early in the season and having to fight through the dreaded “underachievers” label in May might not turn out to be a bad thing in the end.

7. Lou Piniella

Other than his three years in Tampa Bay, where he was put into an impossible situation, Piniella has won everywhere he has been. He won’t panic or get too worked up about one bad stretch in May, because he knows he’s got a veteran team that is accustomed to dealing with high expectations. But at the same time, Piniella won’t be afraid to start getting on guys who aren’t producing. I just have a hard time seeing a pretty talented team managed by one of the game’s best not figuring things out eventually.

6. Derrek Lee, Milton Bradley and Geovany Soto should all start to hit

If they don’t, well, then the Cubs are in real trouble. Lee has picked it up of late, raising his batting average over .50 points in the last two weeks. Soto, who came into spring training way out of shape, doesn’t figure to keep struggling when you consider that he hit .285 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI last year. As far as Bradley, I hated the signing at the time, so you can imagine what my feelings are right now. Still, Bradley won’t keep hitting under .200 all season. And don’t forget about Mike Fontenot. He showed last season, albeit in a utility role, that he is a solid hitter, so his .208 average should start to rise.

5. Starting pitching

Before last night’s disaster, Cubs starters had the sixth best ERA in the National League at 4.11. While Ryan Dempster hasn’t been nearly as good as last year, he’s still been solid (with the exception of last night), as has Ted Lilly and Sean Marshall. Randy Wells has also had three great starts. The key will be if Carlos Zambrano can start pitching like he did for the first four months of last season. It might not be one of the league’s top rotations anymore, but it’s still good enough for the Cubs to stay in contention all summer.

4. No dominant team in the NL Central

This is shaping up to be a three-team race between the Cardinals, Brewers and Cubs (the Reds don’t have much staying power). The Cardinals and Brewers both have some major flaws, just like the Cubs. Outside of Yovani Gallardo, the Brewers starting pitching is very weak, and Rickie Weeks is out for the year with a wrist injury. The Cardinals are a solid team, better than the Brewers, but their lineup after Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick is questionable, and Chris Carpenter is more unreliable than Zambrano or Rich Harden. It will take more than the 85 wins with which the Cubs won the division with in ’07, but it’s not like the teams in front of the Cubs are clearly superior.

3. Everything that could go wrong has already gone wrong

Even when the Cubs were 21-14 before their road trip from hell, they weren’t playing very good baseball. You figured that the baseball gods wouldn’t be as kind to them this year, and they haven’t been. Ramirez, Zambrano, Lee, Harden and Bradley have all missed time due to injury. Breaks that the Cubs got last year haven’t gone their way so far this season (the Cubs are 2-7 in one-run games). The lineup has been a mess, with Fukudome the only regular hitting over .300. And yet where do the Cubs sit this morning? One game below .500, five games out of first. Not bad when you consider all that has gone wrong.

2. The hitters should come around eventually

Like Lou Piniella said after last Saturday’s game when asked about the team’s offensive struggles: “We’ll get out of this. We’ve done it before. Are we the best offensive team in the National League? Absolutely not. Are we down at the absolute bottom? No. We’ve got to basically find our medium somewhere, and we will. It’s just a question of when and how soon.” After leading the National League in runs scored, batting average and on-base percentage last season, the Cubs rank in the bottom five in the NL in all those categories this year.

1. Who cares?

Didn’t we learn our lesson last fall? Cubs fans put their heart and soul into the team for six months, only to have it all end in four days in October. What’s the point of ever again getting too high or too low during the regular season if you’re a Cubs fan? You know the team is just going to disappoint you in the end anyway. Panic if Jay Cutler fails to meet expectations or if Derrick Rose tears his ACL playing in a pickup game over the summer. But don’t waste time and energy worrying about the state of the Cubs. It’s just not worth it.

Top Ten reasons soccer will not succeed in the US

2009-05-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

I wrote this highly-debated post about a year ago and the people from Unprofessional Foul.com strongly disagreed, to the point where they wrote a post on their site titled "Fish Meet Barrel," totally bashing my concepts. Needless to say, they had some good arguments and made me realize that people do actually care about US Soccer. (Since the "roast" I have visited the site on numerous accounts). Needless to say, this might be one of my favorite pieces I have ever done, simply because of the responses the site received. While I still agree with many of the statements I made a year ago, some arguments can be modified. Regardless, feel free to agree, disagree, make fun of soccer, whatever, enjoy your Memorial Day as well as your Champions League Final later on this week.

Alright. So here is attempt number two in informing readers a little more about soccer. The first try, “Top Ten Chicago athletes that should have been soccer players” was liked by an astounding one person (my Mom). But with the European Cup, the Winter Olympics of soccer, kicking off this weekend and the rest of the TTCS group lacking any soccer knowledge that runs deeper than the most recent version of “FIFA” on PS3, it is only fitting to write about the one thing the rest of the World loves, and the US hates. Below are ten reasons why US soccer will never succeed.

Courtesy of: http://evilvince.com/wp-images/Donovan&BeasleyBlog.jpg

10. No big-name American stars
One would think that with all the time and money we've spent making this game as popular as it is for youths that one of these kids could actually figure out how to beat the average European. There's no one that deserves any mentioning on a top 50 players in the world list, maybe even top 100. Other than goalie Tim Howard, who has played well in England, I would have to give Arlington Heights native Brian McBride honors as most successful American thus far. He's a forward who scored 40 goals in four-and-a-half years for England’s Fulham. Not bad, but a forward’s job is to score. Cristiano Ronaldo had those numbers in this season alone. Freddy Adu is a bust and Landon Donovan, who is probably the most recognized American in MLS, cried himself to sleep every night in his two brief stints with a German club.

9. Politics
Unlike any other sport where true talent typically prevails, (pending personal issues like run-ins with the law) soccer is a game often based on politics. While this is a difficult topic to discuss without stepping on toes, we see plenty examples at all levels. Colleges have the same clubs always represented among their recruits. While that may speak volumes for the club, these colleges have kids from “C” and “D” teams even going to respectable soccer schools, while many top-talent players on lesser-known club teams are going to less-than-average college programs. The worst part about this is that the squad with this lesser-known talent may be the state's best. But since the club he plays for is not premiere, in the scout’s eye, neither is the player.

Courtesy of:http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/writers/jonah_freedman/06/06/usa.summer/p1_us_mexico_0606.jpg

8. Few big international games
US soccer has to qualify for the World Cup in a group that contains quite possibly the weakest international squads. (CONCACAF) Mexico is the only real opponent they face. Because they have racked up so many wins, the US has gone into the last two World Cups with very high rankings on the world’s list, (Top 15 in 2002, Top 10 in 2006) adding to the mockery when they are destroyed by the likes of the Czech and Ghana in the previous WC. But with Mexico being the biggest rivalry, and America in general not having any problem what so ever with the country, it is difficult to truly make a rivalry out of the two. Soccer fans that hate the Mexican national team remind me of parents of U-10 teams that hate a particular area of Illinois because their son cannot beat the local team. It's so petty it sounds ridiculous.

7. The game is too slow
Soccer is like watching two teams in hockey play shorthanded on a power play, at the same time. Defense is the key aspect, offense is rarely existent, and scoring is abysmal. The only way to make the game more exciting would be to do one or more of the following: a. Put less players on the field. b. Shrink the area they play on. c. Make the goals bigger. None of these can be done because it takes away from the games’ tradition. Tradition will be the downfall to anything that could possibly make the game more exciting or interesting in Americas eyes. If these rules were changed, foreigners would not come to play in America and those from the US would not stick around. While some may find that dumb, we are the ones with the problem. The World has been playing this game for more than a century without any significant rule changes and they love the way it’s played.

Courtesy of:http://njmg.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/04/landon_donovan_the_associated_press.jpg

6. MLS is a joke
Major League Soccer is in a better position than it was five years ago, but even at its peak, (right now,) it is a mockery of the beautiful game. The league is so infatuated with drawing crowds, it doesn’t realize how demeaning it is to bring in an English powerhouse to play its’ all star game. Think about it, a league vs. a team (one). What's embarrassing about this other than the obvious is that often these large European teams do not play their stars, the team they play is not in season and is often out of shape. Futhermore, the MLS allstars don’t look any better than their opponent. The MLS has won all three games against the world teams but in the last two against Celtic and Chelsea, they looked awful. The MLS has even become less of a feeder for the national team. The US National Team took on England last week in a friendly (exhibition) in England. Only one member of the starting lineup currently plays in the US, Rico Clark. Clark also committed the foul that led to John Terry’s header-goal off a free kick.

5. Too much structure
While in the majority of sports, structure is the key to a successful player. But in the states, it is all we see. While structure is good, when it is added to someone's raw ability, typically we take away from his creativity. People appreciate the sport so much in other countries because it can be played anywhere, anytime, by whomever. We do not see kids getting together to play sports like our parents and grandparents did 30, 40, 50 years ago. Instead, we see soccer moms taking their son or daughter to practice. From there the team breaks up into drill groups and switch from station-to-station every ten minutes until the two hours are up. By no means is that wrong, but you won’t get the creativity out of a structured practice that you would be getting at the park with friends, something that is so common in Europe or South America.

Courtesy of: http://www.sunrisefl.gov/images/upload/SoccerComplexAerial_MH2.jpg

4. Athletes head to other sports
This was the main topic of the last soccer post, and in reality, this is what will make or break the sport in America. An athlete overseas plays soccer because he does not really have a choice. Soccer is what they do. The US has baseball and football, which our grandparents were raised on. Basketball is the American version of a game that can be played whenever and wherever. Hockey is back, which will surely attract some kids to the sport. The immersion of lacrosse and even Nascar becoming America‘s most viewed sport is just killing the soccer talent pool. America could be much better represented if athlete’s first choice was soccer.

3. Most important moment?
US soccer’s most defining moment was when Brandi Chastain ripped off her jersey after hitting the game-winning penalty kick in the 1999 Women’s World Cup final. No matter how much evolution, sports will remain a “guy’s thing.” But if this is so, then how can the male-dominated hobby known as “sports” allow a woman’s doing to remain the biggest event in one of “their” things? The answer: they can’t. The typical male sports fan will not allow soccer in his life until at the very least, a man can top Chastain’s doing. Not to worry though women, at work we discussed what sporting event we would go back in time to see. Our very own Fred Church said he would have chosen this game. "Not for the game, but for the girl takin' her shirt off." That's Freddy bein' Freddy.

courtesy of: http://web.syr.edu/~jdott/kid.jpg

2. Soccer’s a thinking game
In a country where scoring is key, speed is everything and action is a must, to the typical American, soccer just does not cut the mustard. What people don't realize is that soccer is all of that and often better, we just have to look at the game in a different way. But here in lies the problem; the American is too dumb to comprehend good soccer. Every pass has a purpose. Every movement made is done for a reason. But we don’t see that. Nevermind football, soccer is the ultimate chess match. Scoring a goal is like knocking out the queen. It does not happen often, but that one move is so important that it changes the entire pace of a game. Euros see that. We cannot, because we would rather watch all the action that happens before the knockout. American sport's fans would rather watch the eight-year-old kid who is just learning how to play, taking out whatever pieces he can with reckless abandon, not having any idea as to what the repercussions could be for the particular move.

1. Because we don’t need it to
As stated earlier, all Europe and South America have is soccer. Sure, there are the rare basketball exceptions, but that has been very recent in the evolution of sports. The States on the other hand, do not need another sport. It is clear; we would rather watch cars go around an oval than watch people kick a ball. And the numbers aren't even close. While this should not be a sign for soccer as a whole to give up in the US, this is just a gesture to maybe not be so offended when Jim Rome refers to Demarcus Beasley as a “field fairy” or when soccer gets a 30-second clip on SportsCenter on an hour-long show. The soccer-ites in America needs to realize it is not a piece of the puzzle, and never will be because of this: American soccer is a vicious cycle of good players not playing in the States because no one is watching and fans not watching because there are no good players... This is the ultimate downfall.

Top Ten Chicago baseball mid-season acquisitions

2009-05-22T00:07:00.003-05:00

Yesterday’s on-again, off-again, on-again, officially off-again trade by the White Sox for San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy got us thinking: who are the best players who have ever arrived in the Windy City during the baseball season? Here’s what we came up with.

10. Keith Foulke and Bobby Howry

When the White Sox acquired these two relief pitchers - along with four other minor leaguers - in July 1997 as part of the White Flag Trade, it was seen as a weak return for what the team gave up (Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernandez). But in 2000, when the Sox went on to win the division, Foulke and Howry were the team’s two best relievers, throwing a combined 159 innings and saving 41 games.

9. Dennis Eckersley

Known more for his time in the bullpen with Oakland, Eckersley was a key starter for the 1984 division winning Cubs. He won 10 games for the team after being traded from Boston in June of that season. The man the Cubs sent to the Red Sox? None other than Fenway-legend Bill Buckner.

8. Freddy Garcia

While Garcia wasn’t great with the White Sox, his presence on the 2005 World Series team made it worth it for the team to deal Jeremy Reed and Miguel Olivo to Seattle in June 2004. Garcia was 14-8 in the ’05 regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs before being dealt to Philadelphia after the following season.

7. Nomar Garciaparra

The acquisition of the former All-Star shortstop at the 2004 trade deadline was supposed to elevate the Cubs to World Series contender. Instead, the team that dealt him - Boston - wound up winning the title that season. Garciaparra’s Cubs career was filled with injury, and the best player the team got out of that deal was probably outfielder Matt Murton.

6. Jose Contreras

Nobody knows how old the righty is, but White Sox fans know his productivity since his acquisition in 2004. Contreras won double-digit games for the South Siders every year from 2005 through ’07, though that’s come to a streaking halt; he won only seven last year and has a goose egg in the W column thus far in ’09.

5. Rich Harden

The Cubs response to Milwaukee’s trade for CC Sabathia turned out to be a good move. Harden was 5-1 with 1.77 ERA down the stretch for the 2008 Cubs, helping them to a division title. The Cubs didn’t even give up that much, sending Sean Gallagher and Murton to the A’s for the starting pitcher.

4. Carl Everett

White Sox GM Kenny Williams thought Everett was so nice he traded for him twice. The first time was in July of 2003, and then after leaving as a free agent to the Expos, again in July of ’04. Everett was a key hitter for Sox in 2005, driving in 87 runs that season for the eventual champions.

3. Ken Griffey, Jr.

The Kid wasn’t great on the South Side, but almost anytime a squad can bring in a guy who’ll one day have a plaque in Cooperstown, it’s a good deal. Brought in on at the 2008 trade deadline, Griffey hit only three homers for the Sox, but made an impact in the one-game AL Central playoff, throwing out a runner at home plate to preserve the 1-0 Chicago win.

2. Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton

The Cubs acquired a 25-year old and future All-Star third basemen, as well as the best leadoff hitter of the generation, for the steep price of...Jose Hernandez and Bobby Hill. In July of 2003, GM Jim Hendry pulled off the heist of the decade, helping the Cubs on their way to their first division title in 14 years. Ramirez has fulfilled all expectations during his time with the Cubs, while Lofton was a key player in the ’03 playoff run.

1. Rick Sutcliffe

It would be tough to argue that any player in baseball season has been a better mid-season pickup than the Red Baron. Acquired from the Indians in June of 1984, Sutcliffe went 16-1 that year with an ERA of 2.69, winning the NL Cy Young Award and leading the Cubs to the post-season. He went on to pitch seven more years on the North Side, though none came as close to being as dominant as his ’84 campaign.

Top Ten summertime sports in Chicago

2009-05-21T02:00:00.002-05:00

With Memorial Day coming up this weekend and the ridiculous weather heading our way, throngs of Chicagoans will be out celebrating their much deserved three day weekend.

They're loading up on brats and burgers, chips and dip, beer and ice...the perfect fixings for any backyard BBQ.

But in between eating food and soaking up the sun, there's plenty of summertime sports the city of Chicago will play to fill in the gaps.

10. Kickball

Following on the coat tails of dodgeball's remarkable comeback, kickball is creeping back into the consciousness of Chicagoans.

Chances are, you haven't laced 'em up for a kickball game since middle school. The rules remain the same so all you have to do is bring a strong boot and the rest will take care of itself.

9. Roller Hockey

I'm sure roller hockey is going to be even more popular this year due to the success of the Chicago Blackhawks as of late.

8. Bocce Ball

Bocce Ball has enjoyed a steady comeback in recent years. For some time in the late it was getting trounced by lawn darts in sales.

But after a handful of unfortunate incidents, lawn darts perished while bocce ball hung tough.

7. Hillbilly Horseshoes/Ladder Golf

Just like bags, we're not really sure what the official name is for this game. But you're definitely going to need some room and you're definitely going to need some practice.

6. Horseshoes

Finding a watering hole or buddy who's got a horseshoe pit at their disposal is a rarity these days.

Tossing shoes is a national pastime and won't ever lose its place amongst the best sports of the summertime.

5. Washers

Washers definitely falls under the much tougher than it looks category of rec sports. You wouldn't think tossing a metal washer in a box would be much of a challenge.

But they're ultra portable and you you'll find sets of washers at backyard BBQ's all over the city.

4. 21

Everyone has their own version of this driveway basketball classic. Unlimited tips, three tips and you're out, tipped on zero and you're out, etc. Games can turn into epic battles that last for hours.

I've definitely rolled my fair share of ankles cherry picking down low while some poor sap takes ball.

3. Sand Volleyball

Three words: North Avenue Beach.

Summertime in the city at its absolute best. There's a stretch of sand volleyball courts filled to the brim with players throughout the season. What better way to enjoy a hot Saturday than playing some volleyball in the sun and taking a dive in the lake immediately afterward. Not to mention the great 'scenery' all around.

Good times.

2. Bags, Bag-O, Cornhole

The perfect summertime sport. I swear that if they made this an Olympic event, I'd try out in a heartbeat.

Casual enough where you can easily sip on a cold one and talk some trash to your opponent at the same time, bags is equal parts skill and strategy.

The TTCS crew will take on any challenger.

1. Softball

Sixteen-inch softball is practically a religion in Chicago.

The lake front has been witness to some of the great softball sluggers and squads of all time. And standing in the outfield on gamenight is an experience that everyone should have at least once.

Top Ten Bears under the most pressure

2009-05-20T00:56:00.004-05:00

Even though their season opener is almost four months away, there is no such thing as an offseason in this city when you’re talking about the Bears. And because of some guy named Cutler, who we’ve been told is a pretty good quarterback, the excitement level going into this season is the highest it has been this decade.

On paper, the Bears look a lot better than last year’s 9-7 team. But there are still a lot of questions marks, questions that will need answers if the Bears want to have the kind of season that people are anticipating. With the first day of organized team activities starting today, here are 10 guys who are under the most pressure to perform.

10. Adewale Ogunleye

The Bears had only 28 sacks last year, which tied for 22nd in the league. Ogunleye had a career low five sacks, and there were too many games where he hardly got within five feet of opposing quarterbacks. There’s a reason why the majority of experts say that a pass rushing defensive end is the most critical component in a top defense. Having a great pass rusher makes it a lot easier for your secondary, and it doesn’t require you to blitz your linebackers and safeties as much. With Mark Anderson having fallen off the map, and Alex Brown never being known as a pass rusher, Ogunleye needs to produce for the Bears’ defense to get back to the level they once were at.

9. Whoever plays free safety

With Mike Brown gone, someone from a pool of Craig Steltz, Josh Bullocks and Danieal Manning needs to fill his shoes at the free safety position. That’s hardly an intimidating trio, and when you consider that starting strong safety Kevin Payne is still very much unproven, the Bears better hope that letting Brown go, not drafting a safety until the sixth round, and trading away Chris Harris two years ago don’t all come back to haunt them.

8. Chris Williams

The Bears need to find out what they have in Williams, their first-round pick from a year ago who missed most of last season with a back injury. They apparently felt confident enough in him to not re-sign John St. Clair and to not lose sleep over John Tait’s retirement. Williams doesn’t need to be a star, just a consistent performer at right tackle.

7. Jerry Angelo

Yes, Angelo finally broke free from his ultra-conservative approach and acquired the franchise quarterback that the Bears had been missing since, well ever. No matter how Jay Cutler turns out, Angelo needs to be commended for giving the Bears a chance to become an elite team and giving the city something to get excited about. And signing Orlando Pace, who Scout.com ranks as the league’s 7th best offensive tackle (when healthy), was a great move as well.

But what about the receiving position? Does Angelo really feel confident going into next season with Earl Bennett, who has zero career catches, as his number two receiver? Torry Holt would have fit in perfectly with the team, but Angelo didn’t show much interest in him. Anquan Boldin, Braylon Edwards, and Plaxico Burress are all available in a trade, but again Angelo doesn’t appear to be intrigued by any of them.

6. Nathan Vasher

Is Vasher the player that made the Pro Bowl in 2005 and intercepted eight passes or is he the guy who, due to injuries, has played a total of 12 games these last two years? No one is really sure right now. He’s clearly on the hot seat, in serious danger of losing his starting spot to Corey Graham. It appears the Bears are giving him one more chance to prove he can get back to being the playmaker that he was his first three years. Two years ago, Vasher and Charles Tillman were considered one of the top five cornerback tandems in the NFL. Tillman has kept up his end of the bargain, so now it’s up to Vasher to bounce back.

5. Devin Hester

Remember back in training camp last year when Hester held out for two days, not happy with his $445,000 salary? It scared Bears fans to think what life would be like without Hester returning kickoffs and punts, after he had taken back 13 kicks for scores his first two years in the league. Now, after watching Hester look totally lost last year on his returns and eventually being replaced on kickoff duties by Manning, Bears fans are more concerned with whether Hester can develop into that number one receiver Cutler desperately needs. He showed signs last season, but on every other team in the league, Hester would be no better than a number two, and on more than half the teams, a number three.

4. Tommie Harris

After Jay Cutler, you could make a reasonable argument that Harris is more important to the Bears than any other player. When he was playing at an all-pro level in 05’ and 06’, the Bears were the best defense in the league. Although Harris has a combined 13 sacks these last two years, his impact has been minimal at best. It’s time for Harris to prove that he can stay healthy for an entire season and justify his $40 million dollar contract. If he can regain the form that once had people touting him as one of the game’s most dominant defensive players, it would take a lot of pressure off the rest of the defense.

3. Lovie Smith

This offseason, Smith has axed defensive coaches like Donald Trump has fired people on The Apprentice. Now, with Smith taking over the play-calling duties on defense, we will find out how much Bob Babich really was to blame for the unit’s performance the last two years. People quickly forget that Smith is a combined 42-26 these last four years despite having so much instability at the quarterback position. With very high expectations this season, anything less than a division championship may not be enough to save Smith’s job.

2. Brian Urlacher

It’s pretty simple really for Urlacher: make plays. Last season, Urlacher had zero sacks, a career-low 93 tackles, zero forced fumbles and two interceptions. That won’t cut it from a guy who has better than a 50/50 shot of making it to Canton. It’s probably unrealistic to expect Urlacher to get back to his NFL Defensive Player of the Year award level from 2005. But as a point of reference, compare him to Ray Lewis, who is four years older. Lewis found his fountain of youth last season, and proved that even at 34 he is still one of the game’s best middle linebackers. Urlacher needs to follow a similar path.

1. Jay Cutler

Expect Cutler to face more pressure in this town than any athlete since Michael Jordan. How will Cutler handle the scrutiny that comes with that? We won’t know for a while, but you know how Bears fans are: a couple bad games from Cutler early in the season and the Rick Mirer comparisons will begin. Cutler makes everyone around him better: Matt Forte won’t be seeing nine guys in the box anymore, Hester and Greg Olsen should both make more big plays downfield, and the defense will get more rest, when you consider that the Bears had the third-highest percentage of three-and-outs in the league last year.

Top Ten Chicago photo-ops

2009-05-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Often times games, seasons or careers can be captured by one singular moment. And it isn't often that we actually get that moment on camera. However, over the last 25 years there have been a good amount of memorable images that Chicago fans will never forget. While there is one individual athlete (with the initials M-J) who graced the city for a 20-year span, I tried to not let his 50-plus game winners overshadow some of the other glamorous memories.

10. Hester's kick return

http://www.fulcrumgallery.com/

Yes, the Bears lost. Yes, they didn't look good. But for about 10 seconds, the Super Bowl was looking good for Chicago, as Devin Hester did the unthinkable (the usual), and took one to the house on the opening kick.

9. Sosa celebrates McGwire's 62nd home run

http://www.mlb.com/

I am more than aware that this is more Mark McGwire's "moment" than Sosa's. However, that summer was the most captivating year of baseball that there has been in a long time. While steroids will now shame us for ever getting excited about what those two "accomplished," there was no reason to not be swept away by what they were doing at the time.

8. Perry's spike in end zone

http://www.si.com

This was the icing on the cake for what many called the greatest football team of all-time. It is funny to think that William Perry actually has more Super Bowl touchdowns than Walter Payton.

7. Shot on Ehlo

www.nba.com

While many feel he was a standout before this, "The Shot" is what put Jordan on the map as we know him today. Colleague Eli told me an interesting story he heard about this game a few days ago. Many do not realize Ehlo had had the game of his life, scoring 25+ points. Before the inbound the announcer said something along the lines of "regardless of the outcome to this game, Craig Ehlo is going to remember this game for the rest of his life." He certainly is.

6. Jordan crying with trophy

http://sports.espn.go.com

After winning their third straight NBA title, Jordan sheds tears after thinking about his Dad.

5. Barrett punching AJ

http://www.crosstownclassic.com/

Without a doubt, when Michael Barrett jacked AJ Pierzynski in the face after a play at the plate, it marked the highlight of the 14-year interleague rivalry between the Sox and the Cubs. Northside fans (and the rest of baseball for that matter) rejoiced after witnessing something that many had wanted to do before.

4. Payton's goal line dive

This isn't necessarily a particular moment, but more of a signature way Sweetness found the endzone when they were within the two.

3. White Sox World Series celebration

To some, this concluded the greatest sports day of his or her life, as Chicago witnessed its first title since 1998. Reinsdorf would call this win the greatest of his seven championships.

2. Alou vs. Bartman

www.georgehernandez.com

Who would have thought that a lazy tailing foul ball would lead to what it did. Steve Bartman is folklore and the Cubs still don't have a World Series within the century. While Alou would later admit he never would have been able to actually get the ball, there is no denying that Bartman will forever be the cities' most hated headphones and glasses-wearing Cubs fan to date.

1. Jordan's last shot

http://blacksportsonline.com

The last shot of the greatest basketball player to ever touch a ball. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Top Ten Chicago rivalries

2009-05-18T00:01:00.003-05:00

These Western Conference Finals got us thinking: Chicago sports is loaded with fierce rivalries, but which is the most heated? This list caused some disagreement amongst the staff (Ha! Staff.) so feel free to voice your opinion below.

10. Illinois-Northwestern

Chicago sports pretty much revolves around the pro teams, but Illinois-Northwestern is as good as it gets for the colleges. In football, the two teams have played the last 63 years for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, which was retired this year. From now on, the Land of Lincoln Trophy will be what's at stake. In basketball, of course, this is usually a mismatch. There have still been some exciting moments though, including Illinois' improbable road comeback last season that ended any chance the Wildcats had at making the tournament.

9. Bears-Vikings

In recent years, Bears-Vikings has produced perhaps the most competitive games in the NFC North. If Brett Favre winds up in Minnesota next season, this rivalry has the potential to jump a few spots up this list.

8. Illinois-Indiana

Enjoy Indiana while they're down, Illini fans. It won't take Tom Crean many more years to turn that program around. As far as the rivalry goes, I'm told Lou Henson and Bobby Knight used to get into it back in the day, but the Eric Gordon saga took it to another level. With solid recruiting classes coming in for both teams in the next few years, expect this rivalry to only get more intense.

7. Bulls-Knicks

In the 90's, there wasn't a more perfect foil for MJ and Co. than the Knicks. These teams produced a bunch of great games, but the two moments that stick out in my mind are Hugh Hollins' phantom foul call on Scottie Pippen in 1994 playoffs, and, of course, the Charles Smith Game.

6. Bulls-Pistons

These teams produced some of the roughest and toughest games around in the late 80's. We forget it now, but even MJ had to pay his dues, losing three times to Detroit in the playoffs before finally conquering the Pistons in 1991, en route to his first NBA title.

5. Sox-Twins

This has been a flat out war for the last decade. Only twice in the 00's has a team other than one of these two taken the AL Central. Tensions may have reached an all-time high last season when the two teams slugged it out in September, culminating with a Sox victory in Game 163.

4. Cubs-Sox

This is where the debate gets interesting. More than one TTCS'er placed Cubs-Sox in the top spot on their ballot. If rivalries are about the fans, it's tough to top the venom that Cubs-Sox brings out. But I'm putting this at No. 4 because nothing has ever really been on the line. Six games in the middle of the summer just don't really mean that much. Now if they ever played for a World Series.....

3. Cubs-Cardinals

I recently asked a kid at school what baseball team he roots for and this was his response: "Well I had to choose a team, so I went with the Cubs".

I explained to him why that was a bad choice, why the Sox are waaaaaaay cooler, and then he looked at me like I had three heads.

"Well, it was Cubs or Cardinals."

Oh.

We're so head over heels here for the Cubs and Sox that sometimes we forget just how big Cubs-Cardinals is elsewhere. Of all the rivalries on this list, Cubs-Cards might have the widest national appeal.

2. Blackhawks-Red Wings

Upon declaring I was putting this in the two hole, the most common response was, "where would you have put it this time last year?". It's a valid argument, but I honestly still think that 'Hawks-Wings would have come in second. This rivalry has everything you look for: history (two Original Six teams), passionate fan-bases that don't like each other (Detroit suuuucks!), and - hey now - two pretty damn talented teams (currently).

1. Bears-Packers

Obvs. You know this thing is real when 'Beat the Packers' was the first of Lovie Smith's three goals after becoming Bears head coach.

Agree? Disagree? Let's hear it.

Top Ten Chicago connections remaining in NBA Playoffs

2009-05-15T00:09:00.005-05:00

The Bulls season may have ended, but Chicago’s connection to post-season hoops has not. Here are ten ways - some more direct than others - that the Windy City is still alive in the NBA Playoffs.

10. Michael Jordan’s shadow

Since he was in high school, LeBron James has been hailed the next Michael Jordan. This year, while winning his first MVP award, the comparisons continued. But until you win an NBA championship, the best a player can do is become the next Charles Barkley. I’m guessing LBJ knows which team MJ and the Bulls beat for their first title, knowing he may do the same.

9. Never-used backups

On the Nuggets roster is Steven Hunter, who played at DePaul before bouncing around several NBA teams. The Rockets have Brian Cook, who was Big 10 Player of the Year at Illinois before going pro. And Boston has Chicago-native Tony Allen, whose most note-worthy accomplishment this post-season was bricking two jumpers in Game 6 of Bulls-Celtics which helped the Bulls comeback to tie it in regulation. There is one native who is making an impact off the bench…

8. Shannon Brown

Not only is he a former Bull, but the Lakers backup point guard was also the 2003 Illinois Mr. Basketball during his senior year at Proviso East. In the 2009 Playoffs, he’s averaging seven points in 16 minutes a game, providing nice energy off the LA bench. He wasn’t good enough to play for Jim Boylan last season though.

7. Doug Collins

How would the Bulls have done in 2008-09 if Jerry Reinsdorf had decided to pull the trigger and hire Collins for his second term as head coach? That’s a question that will never be answered. The question that does have an answer is who is the best basketball analyst out there, and it’s Doug Collins on TNT.

6. Ben Wallace

Big Ben signed with the Bulls in the summer of 2006, was a disappointment for a season and a half, then traded to Cleveland in February 2008. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year is now a role guy on the Cavaliers, playing 11 minutes a game, averaging two rebounds a game during the post-season. Those stats aren’t great, but then again, the Cavs haven’t had a full 48-minute game yet during the playoffs.

5. Aftermath of Bulls-Celtics

It ended nearly two weeks ago, but the seven-game classic is still resonating in the playoffs. Rajon Rondo punching Brad Miller in the face and throwing Kirk Hinrich into the scorers table started a run of flagrant fouls in other series’. The length, including all the overtimes, has fatigued Boston at times versus Orlando. And more squads are going to the small lineup that the Bulls used for several key stretches in round one.

4. JR Smith

He never played a game for the Bulls, but Denver’s sixth man was actually on the team for about a week in the summer of 2006. After signing Ben Wallace, the Bulls traded center Tyson Chandler to the Hornets for PJ Brown and Smith. Because the team already had Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon and the recently drafted Thabo Sefelosha in the backcourt, they cut Smith. He signed with the Nuggets and is now averaging 16 points a game during Denver’s playoff run.

3. Ron Artest

The 2002 trade the sent Artest, Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie to the Pacers for Jalen Rose, Travis Best and a draft pick changed NBA history. It meant the man who wound up going into the stands to fight a fan was wearing an Indiana uniform and not a Chicago one, and it also set the Bulls back a good four years in their re-building plan. Now with the Rockets, Artest has developed into an all-around player, adding some scoring ability to go along with the tenacious defense he’s brought since he came into the league.

2. Doc Rivers

The head coach of the Celtics was born and raised in Chicago, attending Proviso East before starring at Marquette. He then went on to play 13 years in the NBA before becoming a coach. His Boston squad won the NBA Title last season and despite missing their best player, sort of Chicago-native Kevin Garnett, they are within one win of heading back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

1. Phil Jackson

No matter how long he coaches the Lakers, no matter how many Finals he appears in with LA, he’ll always be a Bull. The Zen Master is still running the triangle offense, though it’s isn’t having as much success as some expected, considering the Lakers are now starring Game 7 in the face versus the Rockets. Maybe it’s me, but I say the offense doesn’t work as well without Michael and Scottie.

Top Ten commercials featuring the 1985 Chicago Bears

2009-05-14T02:00:00.001-05:00

They were the most popular team in Chicago history. Perhaps the most dominant defense in NFL history. And even the greatest single season team of all time.

In 1985, the Bears were the toast of the city and had plenty of endorsement opportunities coming their way. The original intent of this list was to present the ten best commercials from only 1985, which proved to be impossible.

Most of these commercials do qualify under the original guidelines, but the rest were shot shortly after that magical season.

Here are the Top Ten commercials featuring the 1985 Chicago Bears.

10. Jim McMahon - Gotcha

How many of you forgot about Gotcha, the precursor to modern day paintball?

I know I did, but it didn't take me long to remember that it was absolute garbage.

9. Mike Ditka & Dick Butkus - Protector Rust Proofing

Is this the best mustache duo in commercial history?

8. Walter Payton - KangaROOS

I highly doubt that in present day, Walter Payton would be rocking KangaROOS.

He'd be more of the Nike kind of pitch man, starring in the same commercials that LaDanian Tomlinson is in these days. But back in the 80's, ROOs were no joke and Payton rocked a headband with their logo that any Bears fan would recognize in an instant.

7. The Fridge - McDonald's

Can you imagine what that man would do to a buffet line?

6. McDonald's Playoff Payoff

It was nice to see the B-List stars of the 85 Bears get a little face time.

Who knew this little vocal ensemble was just a tune up for their masterpiece, The Super Bowl Shuffle.

5. Jimmy Mac and the Fridge - Coke

I have absolutely no doubt that the Fridge could still pound a six pack of beer that fast.

That both amazes me and frightens me at the same time.

4. Dan Hampton - Walker Mufflers

Hampton looks like he's ready for the sequel to Tango and Cash.

3. The Fridge - GI Joe

'You better watch out Cobra, The Fridge is coming through'

Classic.

2. Steve McMichael and The Fridge - Tire America

Would you look at the size of those shorts?

They make the NBA players of the 70's and 80's look like they were straight outta Compton.

1. Jimmy Mac - Honda

Ah yes, the Punky QB at his finest.

Between the ridiculous 80's ensembles and the fact that he actually took his shirt off to hawk a scooter make this an instant classic.

Was he really that cool?

Top Ten Chicago sidekicks

2009-05-13T02:06:00.011-05:00

The hardest part about coming up with a list like this is defining roles. Take this year's Blackhawks, for example. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Towes are more 1a and 1b than leading man and supporting actor. For this this list, we're looking for guys that were clearly Robin to another star's Batman. Below are 10 guys we think fit the criteria.

10. Henry Rodriguez

From Moises Alou to Rondell White, it seemed like the Cubs were in an eternal search in the 90's to find the perfect compliment to Sammy Sosa. Rodriguez arguably filled the role better than anyone during his two and a half years on the North Side. He was never better in Cubbie blue than in 1999, when he hit .304/.381 with 26 homers and 87 RBI.

9. Steve Larmer

On the powerhouse 'Hawks teams of the early 90's, Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios established themselves as the alpha dogs. It was Larmer, though, who provided another pivotal option. He was at his best in 1991, when he finished with 44 goals and 57 assists.

8. Ted Lilly

Carlos Zambrano has received all the headlines in Wrigleyville the last few seasons, but Lilly has been arguably even more dependable. Lilly has pitched over 200 innings in both seasons as a Cub and averaged has averaged 16 wins and an ERA under 4.00 a year. He's the definition of solid but unspectacular.

7. Luther Head

Deron Williams and Dee Brown shared the marquee during their time in Champaigne, but Head was just as valuable to the Illini. He was the 2005 team's best defender, and developed into a three-point sniper during his time at Illinois.

6. Jermaine Dye

Dye always seems to be the forgotten hero of the White Sox. In 2005, despite winning World Series MVP, he played second fiddle to Paul Konerko on offense. Even last year, when he was spectacular at age 34- OPS'ing .885 and hitting 34 homers - Dye was overshadowed by Carlos Quentin.

5. Tex Winter

Phil Jackson gets all the credit for managing egos and making his players read books during the championship years, but where would he be without Winter? Winter's legendary triangle offense was as big a reason as any MJ and Co. won six titles.

4. Robin Ventura

Frank Thomas is perhaps the most underrated hitter of 90's. The Big Hurt couldn't have put up those insane numbers without Ventura though, the slick fielding third baseman who gave the Sox a second potent bat in the lineup. Ventura's best year on the Sox may have been 1996, when he won the Gold Glove, OPS'd .888, and finished with 34 homers and 105 RBI.

3. Lance Briggs

At this point, it's probably foolish to consider Briggs a sidekick. Though teammate Brian Urlacher has the bigger profile, Briggs has unquestionably been the more productive player the last two seasons.

2. Buddy Ryan

The picture tells the whole story. How many other assistant coaches can you think of that were carried off the field after a championship? What Tex Winter was to the 90's Bulls, Ryan was the '85 Bears.

1. Scottie Pippen

When we came up the idea for this list, we knew Pip was No. 1, we just needed to think of nine more guys. One of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, one of the league's greatest defensive forwards ever, and the perfect compliment to MJ, Scottie Pippen was everything and more you could ever hope for from a sidekick.

Top Ten reasons to be both a Cubs and White Sox fan

2009-05-12T01:30:00.004-05:00

It’s never easy for me to talk baseball with someone for the first time, because eventually I’ll get asked the dreaded question: “so are you a Cubs or Sox fan?” When I quietly reply “both,” usually the person will just look at me strangely, as if I just admitted to being a follower of Satan. Then, one of two things inevitably happens: they’ll lecture me about how you have to pick a side, or they’ll go “oh” and quickly change the subject.

Meanwhile, tonight I’ll be equally as interested in how Clayton Richard does in his first start of the season as I will be with which Cub hitters will pick up the slack for Aramis Ramirez.

10. Broadcasters

Cubs fans hate Hawk because he’s a homer/complainer/know-it-all. Sox fans don’t like Len and Bob because they work for the Cubs and they’re not Hawk. In reality, both announcing crews are great in their own way. Hawk is entertaining, brutally honest, and his catch phrases, all 50 or so of them, never get old. Steve Stone knows the game of baseball inside and out, and serves as the perfect compliment to Hawk. Len and Bob are as solid as they come, and know how to let the game come to them without forcing it.

9. Enjoy both ballparks

Wrigley has the ambiance and tradition, while the Cell has convenience and comfort. Plus, if you go to both ballparks frequently enough, you can decide for yourself which team has the better fans, and not go by what Barack Obama thinks. Although there’s nothing like seeing the Cubs win a day game at Wrigley, I’d give the advantage overall to the Cell for three main reasons: you actually have room to move around, the food is a lot better, and parking is way easier.

8. Crosstown Classic World Series

While there’s zero likelihood it will happen this year, or probably any year for that matter, what if it did? To die hard Sox fans, losing to the Cubs would seem like the end of the world. There’d be no getting over it. Same goes for Cubs fans if they lost to the Sox. For someone like me, I’m covered either way. In fact, the big party would be the day both teams clinch spots in the World Series, because then I can’t lose. If I had to pick a side, I’d root slightly for the Cubs, but only because the Sox won it all just four years ago.

7. Screw loyalty

Why should I keep cheering for a team if they continually suck? So I’m a bigger bandwagon jumper than a lot of current Blackhawks “fans.” You know how many Sox or Cubs players I’ve ever spoken a word to or have gotten within 50 feet of in my lifetime? Zero, which is probably the same answer for most of you reading this. I have no connections or close affiliations with either team, so I don’t owe it to one particular team to remain loyal through the down times. At the end of the day, a good percentage of these same players we root for care more about how much money they make than what name is on the front of their jersey.

6. No jealousy

It had to be very painful for Cubs fans to see the Sox go on their magical 11-1 run through the playoffs in 2005, just like it would be for Sox fans if the Cubs ever break their 101-year curse. At the moment, Sox fans are able to laugh at Cubs fans because they have something the Cubs don’t, a recent championship. When the Sox lost in the ALDS to the Rays last fall, South Siders could at least take great pleasure in the Cubs’ complete collapse against the Dodgers. Rooting for both teams totally eliminates the jealousy factor.

5. Managers

Having Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella manage in the same city is awesome. There hasn’t been a better combination in Chicago since Jordan and Pippen. If I could sit down and meet any two current sports figures in Chicago, players included, I might choose these two, Guillen for sure. The day the Cubs signed Piniella, they became serious contenders. The day the Sox signed Guillen, they became relevant and fun to watch again.

4. Have something to watch in the summer

From the end of the NBA Finals the first week in June to the start of the NFL season in early September, there’s nothing going on in that three month window besides baseball. So if the Cubs were 10 games out already by the time school let’s out, it’s going to be a pretty boring and depressing summer sports wise for Cubs fans. It makes for a lot more interesting summer overall when your baseball team is in contention, and, last year obviously being an exception, that’s usually only been the case for one of the two teams. The Cubs were all but eliminated from contention by summer in 2005 and 2006, the Sox in 2003 and 2007.

3. Root for good stories on both sides

So far, most of the surprises on both sides of town haven’t been good, when you consider Geovany Soto, Milton Bradley, and Alexei Ramirez’s batting averages, all the Cubs’ injuries, and the fact that Scott Podsednik has started eight games in the outfield for the Sox. But last year, there were a bunch of great stories for both teams, the big two being the emergence of Carlos Quentin and Ryan Dempster. However, many Cubs fans wouldn’t appreciate or even acknowledge how great Quentin was before he got injured, because they were too caught up in all the “this is the year” talk, and also were jealous that Kenny Williams stole him from Arizona while Jim Hendy shelled out big money for Kosuke Fukudome. Likewise, a lot of Sox fans didn’t cheer for Dempster because he came out of nowhere to give the Cubs one of the best rotations in baseball, while the Sox staff was terrible the last two months and almost cost them the division.

2. Double your chances

Okay, this one is pretty simple, even though I suck at math. If you root for two teams instead of one, you have a better chance each day of seeing at least one of them win a ballgame. Let’s say the Sox lose a tough game, like last week’s extra-innings loss to the Royals for example. Sox fans are going to be pissed off the rest of that night, and probably still thinking about it until the next day’s game. But if the Cubs were to win on that day, well, you may get over the Sox quicker, and therefore have second thoughts about emailing Guillen (ozzieguillen13@hotmail.com) to tell him how much his team sucks.

1. Lack of success in Chicago sports

Since the Bulls dynasty ended in 1998, other than the White Sox World Series title, the Bears' trip to the Super Bowl and the Cubs’ 2008 regular season, there hasn’t been much to get excited about from any of the city’s five professional sports teams. That’s a shame too, because Chicago is a huge sports market with some of the greatest fans in the world. We’ve suffered through so many bad seasons here, that when we finally saw both teams reach the postseason last year for the first time since 1906, I was on cloud nine (unfortunately that feeling lasted all of five days). May I remind you also that the Cubs haven’t won a World Series in 101 years, and up until 2005, the Sox had gone 88 years without one. Not that you probably needed the reminder.

Top Ten reasons to keep watching Chicago baseball

2009-05-10T22:13:00.003-05:00

To put it simply, Chicago baseball has been difficult to watch right now. The Cubs were supposed to run away with the poor NL Central and while the Sox expectations were not high, the sporadic hitting has made it frustrating to pay attention. But it's times like these that separate the real fans from the phonies. Real fans are going to pay attention while fake fans are going to continue to file into Wrigley. (BOOM... ROASTED!) But there are a ton of reasons why you the fan should continue to watch, Below are the top 10.

10. Cub Milestones
Both Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly are shooting for their 100th wins of their career. Big Z is on 99 while Lilly is not too far behind with 95. Both TV announcing crews do a great job honoring marks like that, making the games that much more fun to watch.

9. Gordon Beckham
Beckham will most likely be up in the bigs by mid-June, and he is surely the most anticipated prospect to be called up for the Sox in the last 10 years. Where he will play is interesting also, as he has ties to play third, short, second and even played a little center in spring training. How sick would it be if he created an Evan Longoria-like spark and didn't miss a beat in the move to the bigs?

8. Slumping stars
Derek Lee and Alexei Ramirez have been downright pitiful this season. Neither are hitting over .210, and both need to succeed if the team is going to win. Both have been rightfully benched. Alexei should turn it around within the next few weeks while a veteran like Lee just needs to find his stroke. Regardless, these make for interesting story lines, as Ramirez and D-Lee are key components for their respective teams.

7. Carlos Quentin

Quentin went into the season with something to prove after the should-have-been MVP broke his hand. And Carlos hasn't let himself down. While his average has dipped to .245, his on-base is .352. He had an early lead on the home run title but Carlos Pena has just been on a tear (yay for fantasy baseball). If he can up up the average there is no doubt we will see numbers similar to his 2008.

6. Pitching
There are so many interesting story lines with the pitching for both teams. Buehrle has been awesome while Floyd and Danks have both looked good too (Danks needs to turn things around though), but the senior citizen duo of Colon and Contreras have been subpar. Meanwhile on the North side, the big four have done enough, but Zambrano and Dempster have not lived up to expectations. Oh, and both bullpens have been disastrous.

5. What else you going to do?
Alright, the Hawks are still playing, so it's hard to make this argument, but they play once every three days. And all ESPN talks about is Manny, A-Rod and Brett Favre so by default I have steered clear of that.

4. Milton Bradley
This might be unfair because I have never met Bradley (or any major leaguer for that matter), but he is out of his mind. All of the fan's fears have come true, almost as if he is trying to be an idiot. It's only a matter of time before he does something even more ludicrous than he has already done and I want to be there when it happens.

3. Two explosive managers

The only good thing about both teams not playing well is the fact that the likelihood of a manager rant escalates. And as we have said a million times before, Ozzie and Lou are baseball's two greatest "ranters." We're coming up on the one-year anniversary of Guillen throwing Ken Williams under the bus for lack of offense. I'd just settle for another blowup doll incident at this point.

2. Red Line series
Now the games don't start until mid-June, but it's never too early to start discussing Chicago baseball's most anticipated regular-season games. Last year was one of the more memorable six-game sets, with the Cubs taking the first three at Wrigley followed by a Sox sweep at the Cell. While you cannot ever expect another Michael Barrett punch, something outlandish along those lines would make for interesting contests.

1. It's May
As long as you can the games back to a minimum, come August, if you're playing good ball, that's all that matters. The Sox are three games out in a division led by the Royals while the Cubs -the most talented team in MLB on paper- are 2.5 games out and should turn it around. Almost anybody can win both divisions, and even if both teams were 10+ games out right now, I wouldn't be worried.

Top Ten reasons Brett Favre to the Vikings would be good for the Bears

2009-05-08T00:15:00.006-05:00

Rumor has it that Brett Favre is out for revenge. Even though reports came out yesterday that he’s going to say retired, chances are he’ll change his mind by next week. John Madden’s man-crush was supposedly talking with the Minnesota Vikings about joining their team so he can get back at his old team, the Green Bay Packers, who told him to go away last summer. Which team benefits most from this? Da Bears. Here are ten reasons why Bears fans should be excited about the possibility of having #4 back in the division.

10. May lead to less rushing from Vikings

Adrian Peterson is a running back, probably the best in the NFL. If the Vikings and coach Brad Childress were smart, he’d get the ball to AP 30 times a game. Brett Favre is a quarterback whose best seasons were a decade ago. If the Vikings and coach Childress were smart, he’d throw the ball as little as possible. Thankfully Childress isn’t smart and signing Farve is sure to make Minnesota a pass-happy team.

9. Confused Packer fans

Imagine Derek Jeter suiting up for the Red Sox or Tyler Hansbrough slapping the floor at Cameron Indoor wearing Duke blue. That’s what it will be like if Favre plays for the Vikings. Green Bay fans won’t know if they should root for their favorite team or the greatest player in their franchise’s history. This may not help the Bears directly, but it will be hilarious watching the Cheese-heads argue with themselves about where their loyalty lies.

8. Takes pressure off Jay Cutler

Having Brett Favre back in the NFC North immediately takes the spotlight off the Bears new signal-caller. All preview stories on the division will lead with the Favre, with the second story being Green Bay’s reaction to Favre. The Bears biggest trade in decades will be pushed to the back, which means Cutler should be able to learn the offense and adjust to his new teammates without the pressure of intense media scrutiny.

7. Wasted draft picks

In the 2006 Draft, the Vikings took QB Tarvaris Jackson in the second round. A couple years later, they took another quarterback, John David Booty, in the fifth round. Then over the winter, Minnesota traded a fourth round pick for yet a third quarterback, Sage Rosenfels. That’s a lot of draft picks to use for a position that will end up going to a player that will turn 40 in October.

6. Interceptions

If you thought Rex Grossman was irritating throwing picks, take a peek at #4. No player threw more interceptions than Favre’s 22 in 2008, and only once since 2004 has he thrown more touchdowns than interceptions. That’s good news for opposing defenses, bad news for Minnesota wideouts Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin.

5. He’s bad in cold weather

In four December games last year with the Jets, Favre threw a grand total of two touchdowns and eight interceptions; New York went 1-3. The year before, in a December game at Solider Field, Favre threw for only 153 yards and tossed another two interceptions. Call it a coincidence, but the Vikings visit to Chicago in 2009 is on the Monday night of December 28. Better pack your gloves Brett.

4. Makes NFC North must-see

The Bears trade for Cutler was the biggest NFL story of the off-season. The Lions drafting Matt Stafford #1 and giving him the biggest signing bonus in league history was pretty important too. Then you add Favre returning to the Vikigs, creating an Aaron Rodgers vs. Brett Favre / apprentice vs. teacher battle, and the black and blue division got a lot more interesting than it was when 2008 ended.

3. Brett vs. Lovie

People have this perception that Favre dominated the Bears over his career in green and gold. But since Loive Smith’s hiring in 2004, the Bears were 6-2 against Favre’s Packers. One of those losses was the 2006 season finale on New Years Eve, where the Chicago defense rested in the second half and Rex Grossman refused to prepare because he had to figure out where to party. Lovie may not be the most popular coach these days, but his ability to consistently beat the Favre counts for something.

2. Age

Of the eight division winning quarterbacks in 2008, only one - Kurt Warner - was over the age of 35. Favre is 39, set to reach the four-decade mark in October. Combine the age with the wear and tear of playing in 291 consecutive regular season and playoff games, and Brett Favre is John McCain old in football terms. If he has a season like Warner’s ‘08, the Bears are screwed. But if he acts like McCain in ’08, well, we all know how that turned out.

1. Gives us our enemy back

We might not like to admit it, but Bears fans kinda missed Favre last year. We missed the way he used to throw that bullet pass between two defenders for a Green Bay touchdown and follow it up by missing a wide open receiver and throwing a pick. We missed that little smirk of his when he would take a big hit and pretend like it didn’t hurt him. So having him back in the division will be good. Plus it buys some more time to build up hatred of Aaron Rodgers.

Top Ten 2005 White Sox that should return to the South Side

2009-05-07T02:00:00.003-05:00

NOTE: TODAY MARKS OUR 300TH TOP TEN LIST SINCE WE BEGAN THIS SITE. CONGRATS TO THE ENTIRE TTCS CREW AND A BIG THANKS TO ALL OF OUR READERS BECAUSE WITHOUT YOU, WE'D BE NOTHING.

On to today's list.

Watching Scott Podsednik return to the White Sox really brought back some fond memories from 2005. And to everyone's surprise, he's actually been productive since making his debut on May 1.

So it got us thinking. With the Sox seemingly bogged down in mediocrity, who else from that 2005 squad could help them right now?

10. Shingo Takatsu

Two reasons:
1. The gong
2. The Frisbee pitch

9. Freddy Garcia

If Jose Contreras can’t break out of the funk he’s found himself in since the team broke camp, it’ll be sayonara to the prehistoric Cuban.

Sweaty Freddy could be had on the cheap and could fill the spot nicely if he can prove that his shoulder has healed from reconstructive surgery.

8. Luis Vizciano

Every bullpen in the bigs needs help in the bullpen, regardless of what the stats say. Vizciano may not be great, but he's serviceable and might feel good making a return to the South Side after being released by the Cubs in late April.

7. Geoff Blum

The sparsely used Blum is remembered only for his game-winning home run against the Houston Astros in extra innings in the World Series.

Not a bad way to be remembered in one of the greatest sports cities in the world.

He's now a reserve third baseman for the Astros and could be a stopgap until the Sox ultimately decide what to do at that position if Josh Fields fails.

6. Frank Thomas

Why not?

You're talking about one of the greatest, NON-STEROID sluggers in the history of baseball. The Big Hurt is lounging at home, still waiting for a phone call from a potential MLB franchise willing to sign him.

Should he get a call from the Sox?

5. Willie Harris

It's frightening to think that Fast Willie would actually be an upgrade over our current center field options.

He wouldn't be tough to pry away from the Nationals, a team that rarely finds time for him in the lineup.

4. Joe Crede

It's painful to see Crede rocking a Twins jersey these days. The Sox are scuffling along right now with a project in Josh Fields and miss the solid glove work Crede provided on a full time basis since 2003.

But the reality is Joe Crede will never be the player he could have been. Back problems are a death sentence for professional athletes and Crede is on his way down that path.

3. Brandon McCarthy

Sox fans were appalled when Kenny Williams traded away a kid that was once thought to be the future ace of the staff. In 2005 he performed at a level well beyond his years and seemed destined to be the next big thing.

He's since had his struggles since donning the Texas Rangers uniform but is off to a hot start in 2009 that includes a win over the White Sox this past Saturday.

2. Jon Garland

Garland, believe it or not, has been the model of consistency during his time in the bigs and would be a welcome addition to a Sox staff lacking just that.

He's made at least 32 starts for seven consecutive seasons and fell just short of recording his fifth consecutive season with 200+ innings pitched.

1. Aaron Rowand

Sox fans clamored for their 2005 starting center fielder when he left Philadelphia as a free agent, but the money didn't make sense and Rowand ended up with the Giants.

Rowand would be the perfect fit at this team's most glaring positional weakness in center field. He's a great clubhouse presence and would immediately bring a gold glove and above average bat back to the South Side.

Top Ten notable White Sox stats

2009-05-06T01:10:00.021-05:00

Today marks what should be the one month anniversary of the start of the 2009 White Sox season. Mother Nature ended up delaying it by a day, but I post every Wednesday not every Thursday, so deal with it. Here are ten notable Sox stats through the first month of the season.

10. 3.23
Mike MacDougal's WHIP

We were shocked when MacDougal made the Sox' opening day roster, but at least the damage was limited to only five games. Small sample size, sure, but a major league pitcher almost has to try to allow to allow more than three walks plus hits per inning.

MacDougal has to be much more comfortable now that he's in Washington, where he should fit right in with a whole slew of terrible relievers.

9. .288/.342/.379
Chris Getz's triple slash hitting stats

Two questions dogged the Sox in Spring Training: a) who's going to play center field (more on that in a sec...), and b) who's going to hit leadoff? While the Sox are a world away from solving the first problem, it didn't take long to figure out the second.

Most expected Getz to be able to hit major league pitching eventually, but it's a bit of a surprise that he figured it out so quickly. Getz had just seven career major league at-bats heading into this season, but has already proven himself to be a capable hitter atop the order.

8. .293/.381/.500 (in AA)
Gordon Beckham's triple slash hitting stats

To all those already clamoring for Becks in Chicago, please stop. The kid is going to be a great pro, but the Sox don't want to risk it by rushing him. You'll find Beckham in AAA midway through this season, and in the majors by 2010.

As for Ozzie Guillen's recent declaration that Beckham is shortstop, well, we urge him to look at another stat: errors. Beckham has seven of them in just 24 games. Sure, errors isn't the best way to measure a defender since it doesn't account for range, but few thought Beckham would be able to stick at short even when the Sox drafted him. I wonder if he could play center field.

Oh yeah: Tyler Flowers (.314/.444/.571) and Brandon Allen (.284/.343/.474) are holding their own in Birmingham, too.

7. 18
Gavin Floyd's walks (in 34.1 innings)

Control has been the biggest reason why Floyd's ERA is 6.2 right now. He's had two straight up terrible outings: a seven walk performance against the Tigers and a five walk performance against the Blue Jays. His WHIP, while not MacDougal like, still isn't pretty at 1.75.

6. .105
AJ's runners thrown out percentage

It's no secret that AJP struggles behind the plate. When the Sox signed him, a friend of mine wondered if the Sox thought people were only trying to steal the pitcher's mound. But even by his standards, Pierzynski has been awful this year at throwing out runners.

So far, he's 2-for-19 on the year.

5. 24
John Danks' age

If not for Danks' last two starts, this stat would have been his immaculate ERA or WHIP. But, alas, Danks was pumbled his last two outings. It's important to remember that the Sox' best pitcher is only 24, though. We'll give him a pass for what happened in Texas (aka Coors of the AL), but he gets no excuses against the lifeless Mariners.

4. 8 homers, .516 slugging
Carlos Quentin's power numbers

So much for last season's wrist injury draining Q!'s power. While it'd be nice if he could raise that batting average 20 or so points (don't put it past him), the Sox have to be pleased with what Quentin has given them the first month.

3. .255
Alexei Ramirez's on-base percentage

We knew Alexei's OBP would always be batting average dependant, so maybe his BA - .211 - should be the stat here. But .255 is too ugly a number to pass up. It's, dare I say, Uribe-like.

I'm really not all that concerned, though: as the weather starts to get warmer, so should Che's bat.

2. .238/.288/.167
The batting averages of the three center fielders (Wise, Anderson, Lillibridge)

Dewayne Wise is simply not an everyday major league center fielder (let alone a leadoff hitter). Brent Lillibridge is a bench player at best, and is better suited in the infield than in center anyway. The middle number there belongs to Brian Anderson - and hey! - it's actually not so bad. But for now, BA is on the 15-day DL with a strained oblique.

1. 3.5
Games back of the division leading Royals

Call me crazy, but I'm still pretty optimistic about these Sox. Alexei won't be this bad forever, and neither will Floyd. No one on the offense is really outperforming expectations, either. This is still a team with productive, championship ring wearing players throughout the roster. And though they've now lost four in a row, 3.5 games is a hardly a division death sentence in the first week of May.

*
Brett Favre to the Vikings!? At TUP.