WGBK Sports

It first started months after the Civil War when President Andrew Johnson had the Brooklyn Atlantic at the White House after they won a baseball game on the White House lawn in 1865. Then, it continued when Calvin Coolidge invited the Washington Senators to the White House in 1925, the year after they won the World Series. And its continued for the next 87 years with the president administrations of  Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton all inviting championship teams to the White House for celebration.

Now, it’s the Obama administration that has taken over that duty. Most recently, one of the teams honored was the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. While most of the Bruins were at the White House being honored, their start goalie Tim Thomas sat at home not willing to join his team. Because of his difference in political opinion from Obama, Thomas refused to go to the White House with his teammates.

According to the Big Government website, Thomas is a devout member of the Tea Party movement, and a staunch Republican. Now given that Obama is a Democrat, the fact that he doesn’t like Obama is understandable. What I don’t understand at all, though, is why in the world Thomas would refuse to go to the White House. The fact that he didn’t show up is beyond disrespectful to both Obama and his teammates, and, in my opinion, completely unprofessional.

First, to sort things out, it is not Obama who invites the teams, it is the Office of the President which is separate from Obama himself and the Democratic party. Next, while this country was built on political protests and right to free speech, to protest an act completely separate from the political realm just makes Thomas look ignorant. No matter who it is, the president has always welcomed the championship team to the White House; it is a part of winning and it comes with the honor of being a champion.

Refusing to go to the White House because of “political differences” is nothing new in the past few years. It made big news a while back when Obama hosted NASCAR drivers in the White House. Drivers such as Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart didn’t attend because of their difference in viewpoint with the president. Here in Chicago, Dan Hampton made news when he didn’t visit Obama with the rest of the 1985 Bears because of the same reasons at the NASCAR drivers. Also, James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t visit President Bush in the White House after his 2006 Super Bowl win, and then President Obama after his 2009 Super Bowl win.

All of those men, while trying to make a political statement, make themselves look stupid and downright selfish. In situations like these, politics take a back seat. You have all the right in the world to make a political statement, but like the saying goes, “there’s a time and a place.” You go, accept the honor, take a bow, and support your teammates, because ultimately, you wouldn’t be there without them. You might not like the guy, but you can be a gentleman about it and accept the high honor that he is giving you. Ditching your coaches and teammates speaks a  whole lot about who you really are.

Since the Civil War, teams have had the honor of visiting with the President of the United States. And as we know, Sports is defined by its history so by not joining your team at the White House, all you’re doing is disrespecting it.

SOURCE: fromthesportscave.com

By:Ben Wittenstein

The walking boot has become vogue around the Berto Center lately. Players like Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson have been seen wearing the dreaded mark of injury this year. Furthermore, C.J Watson and Rip Hamilton have had their fair share of injury issues this year as well.

Yet, with their MVP sidelined for the last 3 games, and a big chunk of the “Bench Mob” being bitten by the injury bug, the Bulls are 14-3 and in first place in the East.

In the past 2 years, injuries have been no stranger to the Bulls. Last year, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missed games because of injuries. And yet, with all the injury trouble, the Bulls were still able to get to the Eastern Conference finals.

This year, it’s Rose, Watson and Hamilton who’ve been affected and we’ve seen how well the team been playing in their absence.

While it’s tough to say that injuries are good for the Bulls, it has become a blessing in disguise. For example, last year, if Noah didn’t get injured, the Bulls never would have seen how well Kurt Thomas could play. Remember how quickly “Big Sexy” became a householdname? Before Noah’s injury, Thomas was a bench warmer; probably bound to play minimal minutes all season. But he became a force down low in Noah’s absence. And when the playoffs rolled around, he was able to give Noah and the injured Boozer some rest without Thibodeau worrying about a decline in productiveness on the court.

This year, with Rose and Watson on the bench, John Lucas III has become the new “Big Sexy”. When Rose was out against Washington, Lucas started;  he scored 25 points and passed for 8 assists. He played with the same prowess when he scored 16 points in Atlanta. He never could have shown Chicago his potential without Watson and Rose suffering injuries.

And other players are seeing their offensive production rise in the absence of Rose. Boozer is averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds in the 3 games that Rose has missed; his shooting percentage is also up to 56 percent. Noah, who has been recently criticized for not playing with energy, has come out of his shell in the last 3 games, averaging 8 points and 9 rebounds a game, a far fetch from his previous 6 points and 6 rebounds a game average this season.

Now, I’m not trying to say that playing without Rose is a good thing; the Bulls are obviously better with the MVP than without.  But, with Rose and Watson out, it has given an opportunity to Lucas that might become valuable come playoff time when the Bulls will need to win games with a deep bench; it happened last year, and it looks like it’s happening this year.

With new players emerging, and old players improving, it’s good to know that, while the Bulls may lean on Derrick Rose to win games, they don’t always have to.

SOURCE: Fromthesportscave.com

By: Ben Wittenstein

From: Fromthesportscave.com

In the past few years, the Eastern Conference has gotten a bit of a make-over. With the addition of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, and Tyson Chandler to name a few, the East has seen an influx of stars. Now that there is an increase in competitive teams, the race for the top seed will be strenuous. Let’s take a look at how the playoff picture will unfold for the East.

8. Philadelphia 76ers

Andrew Iguodala looks to push the 76ers into the playoffs

Lead by veterans Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand, this is a 76ers team that has been middle of the road for quite some time. Finishing with the 7th seed in the East last year, they have an interesting mix of young (Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, and rookie Nikola Vucevic) and old (Iguodala, Brand, and Tony Battie) players that should make for an intriguing experiment. Though, I don’t expect them to improve much this year due to minimal off-season acquisitions.

7. Indiana Pacer

The Pacers made some noise in the shortened off-season by acquiring forward David West, who should be able to help them in a somewhat anemic front court. With Danny Granger and Darren Collison slowly becoming big time players for the Pacers, this once laughable team is becoming a tough competitor. Their speed can wear teams down towards the end of the game, and if they start hitting their shots, they’re hard to stop. With their 7’2 center Roy Hibbert holding court down low, their size is evident, and it can give some teams trouble. Don’t count the Pacers out just yet.

6. Orlando Magic

The Magic are trying to give Dwight Howard a reason to stay

Looking past the whole Dwight Howard trade rumors for a second, the Magic still look like a tough team to beat in the East. They still are a perimeter team with Hedo Turkolu, J.J Reddick and Jameer Nelson. Obviously, they will be solid down low with Dwight Howard and new addition, Glen Davis from the Boston Celtics; Davis gives the Magic even more of a defensive presence down low. Now, the reason they are placed so low is because it is hard to look past the Dwight Howard trade rumors. While they have died down in the past couple weeks, people are still talking about Howard going to their favorite team; Howard himself still hasn’t rebuked his trade request. Depending on how much effort Howard gives the Magic this year, that is how well the Magic will do. In this case, I’m deciding to take the more cautious route here.

5. Atlanta Hawks

Even after the loss of Jamal Crawford, this Hawks team is still a solid team offensively. Guys like Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Josh Smith have enough offensive power to be able to carry team most of the season. They like to play an up-tempo game, and are tough to beat in transition. And by getting some assistance from Jeff Teague, Kirk Hinrich, Marvin Williams, and newly acquired Tracy Macgrady, this Hawks teams is going to be a sleeper in the East this year. All they need is for head coach Larry Drew to teach them some defense and they’re in good shape.

4. Boston Celtics

They’re trying to make it one more season…

While this may very well be their final run as a true contender for a couple of years, I don’t see this Celtics team having enough left in the tank to make it through this shortened season. While having only a 66 game season does seem like an advantage, the fact that they have to play them in such a condensed amount of time is going to work to their disadvantage. With less time for players like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to rest their aging bodies, this season will take even a bigger toll on them then most. By game 50, this team will surly be feeling the effects, and just in time for the part of the season where winning is crucial. Luckily for them though, they do have enough pure talent, and Rajon Rondo, on their team to win most of their games. They will have enough to able to latch on to the 4th seed in the East and get to the playoffs just before the gas gauge hits ‘E.’

3. New York Knicks

A new Big 3?

Having Stoudemire and Anthony on one team is good enough. But to add Chandler to that mix is pure genius. Now, not only do you have one of the best front courts in the NBA, but you add some defense to an otherwise defensively incompetent team. And now by filling their shallow front court with Mike Bibby and Baron Davis, they actually have a solid team. Throw Tony Douglas, and Landry Fields in there and you have one of the best teams in the East. Their obvious offensive power can carry them for the most part. But because this is the Eastern Conference, defense does matter. Adding Chandler is a good step, but Mike D’Antonio is going to need to start preaching the defense to these guys if they want to bring a championship home to New York.

2. Chicago Bulls

It’s going to be tough to stop the MVP this year

Not surprisingly, the Bulls didn’t make a huge splash in the free agent market. Why should they? The old saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ certainly applies here. The Bulls were the best team in the East last year with the MVP and Coach of the Year. Along with that, they were one of the top 3 defenses in the league with chemistry most teams would die for. This year, however, the team motto is ‘Beat the Heat.’ The only way they can do that is to add another scoring threat who can play some defense. By adding Rip Hamilton, that’s exactly what the Bulls get. Already, through his only preseason game, you can tell that Rip is fitting in well with the team; he is running the floor with Rose, and racking up the assists. The Bulls hope that with the addition of Hamilton they can leap-frog themselves over the Heat into the NBA championship, and with the team the have right now, that might be possible.

1. Miami Heat

…While they are just beginning

2.0. That’s how most people are coining this season for the Heat. While last years season was a little bumpy for them, overall it was mostly a success. The Heat wouldn’t call it that, however. Anything short of a championship for them is a failure. Now they have realized that having the Big Three alone is not going to get them to a championship. This is manifesting itself in the signing of Eddy Curry, and Shane Battier who is a huge threat from the perimeter. Along with Mario Chamlers, and rookie Norris Cole, the Heat now have a solid court around King James, and look to finish their 2.0 season number 1.

This is what I belive the playoffs will look like for the East:

1st Round

Heat-76ers—->Heat

Bulls- Pacer—->Bulls

Knicks-Magic-> Knicks

Celtics-Hawks-> Hawks

East Semi-Finals

Bulls-Knicks—->Bulls

Heat-Hawks—-> Heat

East Finals

Bulls-Heat—->Bulls

-By: Ben Wittenstein

The December to Remember event isn’t just a cheesy Lexus campaign to get you to buy a car for a Christmas present; it is the month this year when the NBA goes crazy. It is when free agents are looking for new teams, and teams are looking for new free agents. Oh yeah, it also takes place all in a matter of 3 weeks.

Here in Chicago, fans are having a fit about the knowledge that the Bulls are a sleeper team in the competition to get Dwight Howard. While that’s all fine and dandy, just look at the team the Bulls have now. They are the still same team that won 62 games last year while having to deal with Jokaim Noah being out half the season, and Carlos Boozer being out for a couple of months. This is the same team that was 2nd in the league in points given up (91.3), the #1 seed in the East, and had four other potential starters on their bench. To say the least, this team is pretty good to begin with. It is almost like people have forgotten how good this Bulls team really is just because of their four losses against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals (one of which was in OT, another was only by a three-pointer).

My point is, this team doesn’t need fixing. Inside the locker room, they have great chemistry which then translates onto the court. Taking away from that chemistry could seriously hurt the team. It may sound crazy, but one of the reasons the Bulls are so good is that they enjoy playing with each other; they come to work willing to play well, not only for coach Thibodeau, but for each other. And when a team plays for each other, there is almost nothing (or nobody) that can break that.

The Bulls are almost perfect just the way they are. And just like Dwayne Wade and tons of other NBA analysts have said, the Bulls need a shooting guard to complete the puzzle.

There are many names that are floating out there that the Bulls can attempt to snatch up. Names like Rip Hamilton, Courtney Lee, Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, and Nick Young. While any of these guys would be good for the Bulls to pick up, there is one more that plenty of people are over looking.

Captain Kirk Hinrich.

Now bare with me on this one. Hinrich left the Bulls last year much to the dismay of many Bulls fans; he was traded to make cap-room for the Lebronathon back in July. And the past year, he really hasn’t been doing to bad. First in Washington, he averaged a little over 11 points a game with a little more than 3 assists. Then he got shipped to Atlanta where his average dipped a bit to a little under 9 points a game. But on a team with Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford, and Joe Johnson, I’m surprised he got that many points a game. Defensively, he was one of the few guys that ever gave Dwayne Wade trouble, and was good enough to annoy Rajon Rondo to the point where Rondo had to throw him to create space during the 2008 playoffs. On the offensive side, he’s a good enough guard to be able to handle the ball while Rose works without the ball. And when Rose is taking a breather, Hinrich can be the man to be at the point and run the offense.

The one setback is that he had shoulder surgery a while back and is expected to miss the first month of the season for rehab. But for a team that was just able to win 62 games without their star center for 31 of those games, I don’t think that will be a problem. In fact, having Hinrich injured might decrease his trade value only helping the Bulls take him off the Hawks’ hands.

Because the Hawks are crunched for cash, plucking Hinrich and his $8 million contract out of Atlanta can be easy. Just give them Pargo, Bogans, and Lucas, whose combined contracts equal $4 million. Throw in a first round pick and C.J Watson and you’ve just taken around $3 million off their hands and given them a quick fix to their PG position with Watson.

The Bulls only need to move around a small amount of the puzzle to get the full picture, tearing out the heart of it will only jumble it up more.

The last problem the Bulls might have with Hinrich is that now with Derrick Rose as their captain, he might need to be called something different; Lieutenant perhaps?

But, really, when your winning champions, it doesn’t matter.

(Fromthesportscave.com)

-By Ben Kraus

It became official Sunday night that the Alabama Crimson Tide would get their second shot at the unbeaten Tigers of LSU for the national title. If there is one thing we know about college football, it is that it is unpredictable.

If you happened to have been in Las Vegas at the beginning of this college football season and decided to take the 61 cents you had left over in change from the gift shop and place a bet that the Tide and Bayou Bengals would play a rematch for the national title, you are probably sitting on a lot more money than you expected to win when you made that bet.

A couple of weeks ago, this was not quite as far-fetched, though, as arguments of “the two best teams should play for the title” emerged.

I personally do not want to see this game but that is an opinion and whether or not the BCS made the best move is debatable to the end.

People who have a strong opinion can be sorted into three categories.

Those who think the best two teams should play and settle it on the field.
Those who think representatives in the big game should come from different leagues to see a clash of regions or conferences.
And those who just don’t want to see the rematch, they want to see someone else get a shot at the unflappable Tigers.

Personally, I fall into the third group but that is irrelevant as each case has a point.

The Best Two Teams
The best team should win the national title right? If that is what you believe then a rematch is just for you as it is debatable, but in the end there are more arguments in favor of Alabama and LSU from a talent standpoint.

Each of these teams will be sending myriad players to the NFL because of how deep they are what with the kind of talent they can recruit.

Saban and Miles are the best at molding really good players into players who will win him a national title and consequently, they have the best talent to take them places. The Tide have Heisman hopeful Trent Richardson and the LSU speed on offense has been pretty damn good. This game could be a shootout or a defensive slugfest again.

Should be fun regardless of what you wanted to happen.

The Teams that Play Should Represent Different Regions/Conferences
Most teams have their rivalries within their conference or their respective areas. They hate each other to no end. But, that is what is so special about college football: you get to play them once a year for bragging rights. Then after that, during the bowl season, generally you become a fan of your conference to represent you well and show people what you had to put up with this entire year.

It is also quite fun to debate who is the best conference year in and year out and the Bowl Season is one of those times where we get to let loose on that.

Who will win the National Title? or How many BCS wins will [your conference] win?

I feel the first one is a question that we always sparks our interest. I can’t count the amount of arguments I’ve had over who is a better conference.

One of the best indicators is national titles. Well that question has already been answered because of the matchup.

I agree the SEC is the best conference but why not give a shot to another team to knock the “S-E-C!” off of its throne?

The third and final category is, as mentioned, my category but I urge you to consider what you want before taking a stand on what should have happened.

“I just don’t want to see a rematch”
Personally, I do like to watch the best two teams go at it for the title. But I also like to see different styles go at it.

Yes Alabama pounds it inside more with Richardson and LSU has a lot of speed outside with guys like Rueben Randle.

But, Alabama’s Marquis Maze is plenty speedy (not to mention Richardson can run, too) and if you don’t think Spencer Ware (and the other three top-notch running backs) of LSU don’t run hard, you are sorely mistaken.

Suffice it to say, these teams are a lot more alike than you might like to believe.

LSU knows how to score and so can Oklahoma State. I would love to see the Cowboys’ Brandon Weeden get into head-games with LSU safety Eric Reid. I would love to see Justin Blackmon go toe-to-toe with one of the best secondaries in all of college football. If you don’t believe in the talent that is there, you are obviously not watching college football.

If you are like me, you are not quite as happy as others with how the BCS standings turned out but you can’t deny we will be watching one hell of a football game on January 9th.

You also can’t deny that to some this may be an exciting game but also a snoozer as we have already seen this “Game of the Century” and may have been ready to witness a different one.

The Bears can make the playoffs without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

Ben Wittenstein-Fiction. Without their field general the Bears offense is running on a treadmill; doing a lot of work and not going anywhere. With Hanie, you get someone who needs to learn the complex Martz offense almost from scratch, and has mediocre receivers at best. Without Forte, the Bears lose the one asset that could have taken them to the playoffs. Marion Barber is good, but he doesn’t have the skill of Forte. Without two of the Bears best offensive players, the team’s future looks bleak.

Ethan Spalding- Fact. They still have a chance. Has it been decreased? Yes, greatly. But it’s not as if they have a tough schedule from here on out. They will face the Seahawks and Vikings, both of whom they should beat. They also face the Broncos, who are also beatable (and even if Tebow is an NFL QB the Bears defense is probably the best set up to stop the “Tebow-Cat”). They almost assuredly will lose to the Packers, but even in that game there is a chance if the Packers decide to call it a season and rest for the playoffs. Now, do I expect them to make the playoffs? Probably not. But they can still make it.

Ben Kraus- Fiction. Had Caleb Hanie started this year and taken all the time he needed to spend with his offense, I would say yes. Not because of getting acclimated to being the starter but because of the effect it has on others around him. Cutler is supposed to be the guy who is bringing success to this organization but instead he is on the sidelines. Mentally, that can be taxing to players who may not have full trust in this new kid. Marion Barber on the other hand will be a fine replacement. He is a bruiser as opposed to an open field guy who gets in space but picking up four or five yards on first down will help but I don’t think the rest of the team believes in Hanie enough (also because he hasn’t necessarily been impressive on the field).

Declan Garvey-Fact: Believe it or not, statistically speaking the Bears chances of playing into January actually increased Week 13. Though they played an abysmal game against an even more abysmal Kansas City Chiefs squad, the Cowboys, Giants, Falcons and Lions also lost. Additionally, the Bears lost to an AFC team, which plays to their advantage if the race comes down to a tiebreaker. Granted, the Bears loss looked a lot worse than those other teams’, but I cannot see a team with this much to lose sit still for the remainder of the season. With Mike Martz most likely wanting to pad his resume before he departs for the NCAA next season, who knows what tricks he has left up his sleeve?

Tim Tebow will be the Broncos QB for years to come.

Ben Wittenstein-Fact. Tebow has had enough luck to get him through this season as a starter alone. And with the fan support that he gets, along with fact that he will improve over the offseason, the Broncos have their franchise QB.

Ethan Spalding- Fiction. He’s been successful so far, but I still doubt that his skillset will translate to long-term success. Has he played well so far? Yes. He’s actually been borderline elite according to some quarterback metrics. But I just can’t imagine the option will stick around once NFL teams get an offseason to adjust.

Ben Kraus- Fact. I know Tebow is facing weak opponents but he started out being pretty shaky and “finding ways to win” against them and now he is just flat-out winning. The Broncos defense on Sunday, against a mediocre Vikings team, is what needs some work, at least as of now. Tebow got to start in a great place: against weaker teams. He is now working his way up and if this trend continues, he can only get better.

Declan Garvey-Fact: If the Broncos were not 7-5, in line for the fourth seed in the AFC, my answer would be reversed. Why? Because if the Broncos struggled this season, not only would they lose faith in the magical Tim Tebow, but they would also be in possession of a higher draft pick. If the Broncos had a chance to draft an Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, Lance Jones, or heck, even Robert Griffin III (they seem to like his style). But I do not see any of these ‘elite’ picks falling to the Broncos pick in the mid-20’s. And beyond next year, if they are ‘too successful’ for a low draft pick, I see no reason for them to be unhappy with Tebow as their starter in the first place.

The Packers will go undefeated.

Ben Wittenstein-Fact. They have to easy of a schedule. They play an Oakland team who just got embarrassed by the Dolphins, and can’t buy an offensive touchdown if they were free. They then go up against the measly KC Chiefs. The same Chiefs team who had trouble beating a Bears team without their best offensive weapons, and needed a miracle Hail Mary tip-catch to win. Then they play the same Bears team that just lost to those Chiefs. After, they go up against the very overrated Lions who still have secondary issues. And when going against a team that just went 60 yards in 56 seconds to beat the NY Giants, you’re not going to win.

Ethan Spalding- Fiction. The odds are against them. Even if they can be theoretically predicted to win 90% of the games they play in (a pretty arbitrary guess of their talent level), rough calculations say that their chances of winning seven more in a row are about 40%. Is this math perfect? Absolutely not. And there’s certainly a chance they do go undefeated. But I’ll take the more probable outcome for now.

Ben Kraus- Fiction. I truly do believe the MVP-to-be could take this team to an undefeated season. The talent on offense and the defense stepping up enough to provide for their offense is evidence enough for me. But, head coach Mike McCarthy said first and foremost he wants to win the NFC North, then some playoff games, then a Super Bowl. If he has to take some guys out to get prepped for the playoffs and ensure safety of his players, then so be-it and that is what will get done and I feel the Bears/Lions, fighting for playoff spots, will jump on that opportunity.

Declan Garvey-Fiction: This question almost became irrelevant today against the reeling New York Football Giants. Not only will the Pack be up against much steeper competition in the playoffs, but if they played like they did today, they could lose to pretty much any team out there (Don’t get your hopes up Colts fans). Greg Jennings only caught half of the balls thrown his way, and tight end Jermichael Finley didn’t perform much better, only hauling in 55%. Aside from the poor receiver play down the stretch, the secondary of the Packers looked worn down and flat-out slow: if you can’t stay in front of bowling ball Jake Ballard, who can you stop? Williams and Woodson got beat deep several times, and a team with a more experienced and skilled defense will not allow Rodgers to atone for defensive mistakes so easily.

Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL.

Ethan Spalding- Fact. I don’t think this is even debatable, so I won’t debate it.

Ben Wittenstein- Fact. There is no one on the gridiron that can pass with such accuracy so that the ball is un-catchable for the defender AND the wide receiver is in no danger of getting jacked up after catching it. Oh yeah, you might want to check out his Touchdown-Interception ratio as well.

Ben Kraus- Fact. The best quarterback would be the one you want on your team. Personally, a huge Drew Brees fan, I love to watch Brees as he is exciting and a motivator for his team and he gets work done. But he also has trouble with turnovers and as my fellow writers have pointed out, no one slings it quite like Rogers, throwing with precision, timing and the ability to make plays that no one expects. If I am a coach saying who can make my team better just by playing his game, it’s Aaron Rogers.

Declan Garvey-Indisputable Fact: Watching Aaron Rodgers play, it’s all I can do to stop from drooling. While his skill is unbelievable, I would argue it’s his mental capacity that truly sets him apart from the rest of the pack. There are quarterbacks (Cam Newton, Michael Vick) in this league who are more physically blessed than the soon to be MVP. But his composure and decision-making with or without pressure puts the rest of the league to shame, and makes Caleb Hanie look like a small frightened rodent. So sure, he might not have the strongest arm, or the quickest feet, but anytime your completion percentage is higher on plays you are being blitzed (i.e. Aaron Rodgers last season), you are pretty damn good.

By: Ben Wittenstein

There’s nothing to write about.

There’s nothing to say.

As a Chicago sports fan, life seems pretty dull right now. So dull, in fact, that it would be a big waste of time to write about it. It just isn’t worth someone’s time to sit down and put all those bad thoughts about the Chicago sports world onto paper.

Nobody would read it. If someone did take the time to construct a well written piece about how bad Chicago sports are, nobody would care. Because it is already information that people know. And that’s the sad part. The same problems, similar glitches, identical hiccups are present every year for the same teams.

The Chicago Cubs are the epitome of this. They haven’t given Chicago writers anything good to write about for 103 years. They seem to have indistinguishable issues every year. They can’t finish, they don’t give enough effort (Soriano), they are poorly coached (Piniella), and they can’t win a world series. We are all tired of dealing with their constant “winning impaired” issues.

There have been some bright spots, don’t get me wrong. The Chicago Bulls showed the City of Chicago that they can be an international icon for us. But it’s as if the Chicago sport’s gods (The same ones that put the curse on the Cubs, and installed the Bears O-Line) went to a quick-lunch and came back only to realize that they forgot to mess with the Bulls. So, the gods initiated a lockout for the whole NBA to squander a season that might have been THE season for the Bulls. With Derrick Rose in his prime, and the chemistry and skill evident, this Bulls season could have helped take all our minds off the rest of Chicago sports.

Because that didn’t happen, we are stuck with what we’ve got.

It’s only week 5 of the NFL season, and writers are already worn out finding every little thing that is wrong with the Bears (Which is a lot). It doesn’t take a genius to know that Jay Cutler doesn’t have any blocking, or a decent offensive line coach to help improve that blocking. Nor does it take a mastermind to figure out that Cutler will never play up to his potential if he doesn’t have quality receivers to pass to and an offensive coordinator who thinks of Cutler as a god. Unfortunately, the Bears haven’t been blessed with those types of people; they are stuck with Mike Martz, Lovie Smith, and Jerry Angelo: The Three Stooges of Chicago sports.

Writers are almost at their breaking point if they have to talk about the White Sox. There was an opportunity to raise hope, but Kenny Williams had to go ruin it by hiring Robin Ventura as their new manager. The inexperienced, unaccredited, former player has Williams’ hands on his shoulders trying to lead him out of the dark forest. And if someone has to write one more thing about Adam Dunn’s .159 batting average this year, they might scream.

All of us have finally come to the point where we are all worn out. With the Blackhawks starting their season, we can hopefully find some refuge in their play. Other than that, it’s getting dull. There is only so much that we, as Chicago sports fans, can take.

Yes, last year was a good year for Chicago. The Bulls were 2 games away from getting to the NBA championship, and the Bears were one game away. But that’s all last year was: Last year.  We were ranked the #1 city in America for sports in 2006 and 2010 by The Sporting News. This year, they were ranked #4 after Dallas, Boston, and Philadelphia. We are quickly falling in America’s eyes.

Hopefully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel but right now, Chicago sports are in the middle of that tunnel, and the light seems as far away as ever.

As someone searching for a positive in a sea of negatives, finding something good to say is challenging. So as of now, there’s nothing to say.

There’s just nothing to say.

(Source: fromthesportscave.com)

By: Ben Wittenstein

 There has been a growing outrage by sports fans on the fact that players, while making millions of dollars, always want more money to play a game that the fans would gladly play for free. Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant all showed that they are willing to do just that in order to play the game that they love.

August 30th was the scheduled night of the pick-up game in Baltimore. James, Anthony, Paul, and Durant all showed up to play a friendly summer league game against each other. The small Morgan State gymnasium only has 4,500 seats. Last night, there was not one empty space. Thousands of fans showed up, waiting in excess of 3-4 hours to get through the one entrance into the gym. Thousands of fans went through metal detectors, and paid $40 to get in to a small, cramped gym to watch their favorite players play a game that might not be played this winter.

Lebron walked into the Morgan State gym wearing a shirt with the words “Basketball never stops,” prominently written on the front. Unfortunately, this winter, that statement might become a lie. Because of the ongoing lockout, NBA fans may be deprived of the basketball that they so desperately want to watch. And unlike the NFL lockout, where people were picking sides of either the players or owners, fans should only side with the players this time around.

A big reason that the lockout is going to take a while is because of concern about recent figures, showing that 17 out of the 30 teams have lost money in the past years. While this is a legitimate concern for anyone that is involved in the NBA, this was not the fault of the players.

The owners need to see that they are the ones responsible for this whole mess.

The NBA has gotten extraordinarily popular over the past 5-10 years, going from a national sport, to a sport played in more than 50 countries. This popularity has mostly been from the international recognition of the NBA’s superstars. Just recently, we have seen Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant going over to China and being treated like superstars. The players make the money for the league, and they have been getting compensated for it.

Not to say the NFL players don’t have the same issue. But the difference for the NBA is that, because of the owners’ stupidity, the league has been losing $300 million annually for at least the past 3 years. This was in no way a fault of the players. In fact, it will be the players that probably will suffer the most when the new bargaining agreement gets done.

The owners are going to want to take away a big portion of the players’ salaries to help pay for their failing business’(NBA D-League, NBATV, etc.). A business, I remind you, that has skyrocketed in popularity and revenue, making due to the players they are willing to short change.

The New Orleans Hornets aren’t suffering financially because of Chris Paul’s amazing ball handling; the Sacramento Kings aren’t losing money because of Tyreke Evans. They are failing because of the poor business decisions by George Sinn and the Maloof brothers.

And being in a small market is no excuse.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz both have sold out most games last season, while being in the smallest markets in the NBA.

While the NBA does need the players to survive, the players don’t need the NBA.

As we have seen, all you need is 4 NBA superstars and you can sell out a gymnasium in 5 minutes. NBA players are going overseas and receiving boat loads of money playing for European teams. The players will do fine, NBA or no NBA. The players have shown that they can make money using their basketball skills whenever they want. They have shown that they want to play because they love the game.

Us fans, we love the game too. Watching a measly scrimmage between Lebron and Durant had us salivating for more. All we can do now is sit on the couch watching summer league highlights on ESPN and observing all the phenomenal action we’re going to miss this year.

(Source: fromthesportscave.com)

Posted By: Ethan “Balls” Spalding

The start of June marks a lot of things. School is finally out, days get longer, and summer comes into full swing. It also marks a moment when one can begin to analyze where the talent lies in the MLB. That said, there are always a few guys who make you say “what the bleep?” when looking at the league leaders.

First off, let us set some ground rules for this post:
1. Player must be in the top ten in a stat, and qualified to lead in that stat. In other words, we will not be counting that minor league call up who went two for three in one game for the batting average category.

2. Player must have some fluke-y characteristics. That means guys like Mike Stanton will not be considered just because they haven’t “been there before.”

3. Player may not be a player that has had lots of success in the past, but is aging. Guys like David Ortiz will be disregarded.

4. The stats looked at will be Wins, ERA, Saves, Homeruns, Average and RBIs. Today’s stats will be understandable by all readers.

And, without further ado, here is your June edition of [insert title here], pitchers edition:

ERA: Jair Jurrjens, ATL: With an ERA of 1.51, Jurrjens has looked legit thus far. Virtually no one has touched him, and he has but one loss on the season.  However, his peripherals suggest for major regression. First and foremost, his BABIP is only .262. Though this is not ridiculously low, it is .40 below his career average, and, bluntly, hits will begin to fall sooner or later. On top of this, an astounding87.8% of runners he allows on base have been stranded. This number, 13% higher than his career average, will come down to earth, and his ERA will rise.  As these numbers normalize, expect an ERA near his xFIP of 3.49, which, while no means bad, is no 1.51.

Wins: Kevin Correia, PIT: Who’d a thunk it? A Pirates pitcher is leading the league in wins. Digest that for a moment: a team which, just last year, saw Ross Ohlendorf go 1-11 despite a decent ERA of 4.07, has the major league wins leader. Combine that with the fact that Correia has only allowed a .265 BABIP, and you have a guy who is going to come to Earth soon.

Saves: Chris Perez, CLE: Saves are one of the poorest stats to judge pitchers by, and, undoubtedly, you will see some outliers. But Perez’s 14 are not just the benefit of a bad stat, but, also, incredible luck. Despite a 2.61 ERA, his peripherals reflect a pitcher who would be lucky to be in the Major Leagues. So why the low ERA? Not a single fly ball he has allowed has gone out of the ballpark. There is not a pitcher in the world who can sustain that rate, especially when half the pitches he throws go for fly balls. The Indians will begin to experience the hard way what it’s like to have a bad closer, and the faster he’s taken out of the closer role, the better.

(Source: fromthesportscave.com)

 

19 years is a long time. 19 years ago, the average price of a movie ticket was $4.15. The average price of gas was $1.35. George H. W. Bush was president and the Cubs still hadn’t won the World Series. 1992 was also the year the Shaquille O’Neal was drafted 1st overall by the Orlando Magic.

Coming out of LSU, Shaq was a big man. Standing at 7’1, 325 pounds, he towered above just about everyone who was in the NBA at that time. His height gave him dominance. His height gave him his legacy, but in the end, it was his height that ended his career. And what a career he had. He averaged 23.7 points per game, and 10.9 rebounds per game. He was a dominant force in the paint for the past 15 years. A new strategy was created just for him: the “Hack-A-Shaq.” There were very few big men that could defend him, let alone stop him completely. In his prime, no one really could stop him; He was unstoppable.

Shaq was a great player. He was maybe even top 10 to ever play the game, but let’s fast forward 14 years from 1992. It is now the year 2006, and after playing for Orlando, and then winning his 3 championships in Los Angeles, Shaq has now landed in Miami with up-and-coming star Dwayne Wade. The two have formed an unstoppable team along with aging stars like Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton. They end up winning the 2005-2006 NBA championship. After this season, Shaq never averages more than 18 points per game for the rest of his career. He turns into the Shaq that has been so familiar to us for the past 6 seasons. He is plagued with injuries, slowing down, and not producing on the court.

It all started at the beginning of the 2006-2007 season. Shaq goes down with a left knee injury that keeps him out 35 games. In his absence, the Heat clearly struggled without him on the court. He did make it to the playoffs that season, but was not a big factor, considering that they were swept by the Chicago Bulls. He started out the 2007-2008 season averaging the lowest amount of points that he has ever averaged. Also, at one point, he fouled out of 5 consecutive games. He also doesn’t get picked to the all-star game for the first time in 14 years. This was when it looked like it was becoming a tradition to have Shaq play in the all-star game. His career then started to nosedive out of control.

From 2006-2011, Shaq averaged 17.3, 14.2, 12.9, 17.8, 12.0, and 9.2 points per game, respectively. He was certainly not getting any better. He was constantly getting injured and not able to contribute to the teams he was on. He was becoming slower, which hurt his defensive ability in the paint that once put him on the All-Defensive 2nd team 3 times in his career. He never played more than 40 games after his 2006 championship win. In fact, it almost got to a point where teams were trading for him just so they could bring something to their fans and boost their attendance.

My generation of people mostly saw Shaq as a player that was incapable of playing a complete NBA season, never being a threat to any team. His height was a big reason he had so many injuries. His body type was too big for his bones and ligaments to handle. Being 7’1 and putting on 325 pounds of weight on your ankles and knees almost every night for 19 years takes a huge toll on your body. And it showed. Almost every season that Shaq played, he was injured. From 2006-2011 alone he had 6 injuries. In 2009 he had to have thumb surgery after hitting it against Glen Davis. Shaq missed 45 games this season due to an assortment of ailments to his right leg including knee, calf, hip, and Achilles injuries.

He had a great career, which he should have ended after winning his 4th ring in 2006, when he was 34 years old. This sad spiral that we have all watched him go down has been hard. After watching him win 3 championships in a row with Kobe, and controlling the NBA with Wade, it is hard to see him sit on the bench with a busted knee or broken hand and not play. It will definitely hurt his legacy when it is looked back at in 10 or 15 years. People that are 12-22 years old remember Jordan as one of the greatest players that ever played. He did not try to push his career to the max, if he had tried and maybe played another 3 years while being plagued by injuries and not being a threat, would we still consider Shaq as the best player to ever play? Probably not.

Shaq pushed his limits too far. He overworked his body to the point where after sitting out 30 games, during his comeback game he hurt his ankle and had to be out the rest of the season. Being 39 years old and trying to keep up with the Derrick Rose’s or the Lebrons James’ of the NBA will kill you. This is not the legacy that Shaq wants to be known for. He should have quit while he was ahead.

Now, Shaq has the time to go to the Bahamas, relax and think about all he has done for the NBA and for himself in the past 19 years. Let’s just hope he forget the last 5.

(Source: fromthesportscave.com)