Bears Sign Coach Rod Marinelli

According to chicagobears.com, the Bears have signed Rod Marinelli to act as an Assistant to the head coach as well as a D-Line coach. A welcome addition, if you ask me. Maybe he can light a fire under the DT's and get some pass rush next season.

Sox/M. Young Rumor Shot Down

Kenny Williams wasted no time debunking this rumor with an E-Mail to the Tribune.

Saturday Morning Baseball News

Both the Cubs and the White Sox are in the news this morning. ESPN Radio's Bruce Levine (via MLBTR) says the White Sox are looking for a top of the order hitter, and reportedly eyeing Texas Rangers SS Michael Young. Young isn't cheap (roughly $60M owed over the next 5 years) but is worth it offensively. He has a career batting average of .300 with a career OBP of .346. That's not great for a leadoff man, but he is speedy enough to get the job done at the top of the lineup. What scares some teams is Young's defense. He has the range, but is wild with his throws from time to time. The Rangers reportedly asked for Jermaine Dye and SP Aaron Poreda, but the Sox balked at Poreda. The Rangers still like Dye, so maybe a deal can be worked out.

The Cubs reportedly have been checking out Mariners RP Aaron Heilman (previously the Mets closer). I'm not a big fan of his, personally, but he was very good in 2007. His struggles are well documented in 2008. MLBTR suspects that Ronny Cedeno would be a good fit for him. Personally I wonder if the Mariners would rather have Mike Fontenot.

Baseball Tidbits

Just minor news today...

For the Cubs, the Daily Herald believes a new owner may up the payroll to allow Hendry to bring in Jake Peavy. Still not too keen on that idea...The Cubs have other holes to fill (such as 2nd base, now that DeRosa's gone.)
Also, the SunTimes says Milton Bradley's 3rd year becomes a club option if he is seriously hurt in the 2009 season. Smart move by the Cubs.

For the White Sox, SI says they're in on Freddy Garcia. They will have competition however, as the Mets and Rangers are as well. He would be a good low-risk, high-reward option one would think.

Milton Bradley Deal Finalized

Per espn.com (hat-tip MLBTradeRumors)Milton Bradley's 3 year, $30M deal with the Cubs was finalized today. I'm still not sure how I feel about this. If Bradley can play 140 games a year, it's a good deal. History says he can't do this, however. In fact, only once in his nine year career (with LA in 2004) has Bradley ever been on the field for 140 games, topping out at 141.

He had a huge year last season, but I'm still not sure it warrented a contract as big as the one he received. If the 30 year old switch hitter can give us the type of ball he played last season with Texas for a month's worth of games more, this will be Hendry's best move of the off-season.

Pedro to the South Side?

No link...no news...no story at all...just a blogger's "what if?" scenario. It doesn't take a well-educated fan to realize the Sox need another arm, and Kenny Williams isn't going to be going after a Derek Lowe. So just what if Pedro was offered a one year contract to the south side? I'm not sure how much it would take...considering MetsBlog has said Pedro Martinez recently turned down a one-year, $7M offer from an unspecified AL team. One would have to think it was a team that most likely wouldn't be in contention, because Pedro's not going to get that sort of deal elsewhere I don't believe. Maybe a 1 year, $6M deal with Innings Pitched incentives to boost it up to $7M or $8M? I think Pedro would be a good fit on the South Side, and it may be his best shot at winning another ring and getting the money he wants if he doesn't return to New York. Comments?

Peavy Talks back on?

According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times, the Jake Peavy talks will likely resume for the Cubs. After shedding Jason Marquis' contract, the Cubs are now supposedly looking for a dominant pitcher to take his place.

Here's my take on this. We've got good in-house options for this role. Jeff Samardzija would like to start. Sean Marshall has proven he can start (he through 6 innings of perfect baseball in Cincinnati 15 months ago, I believe). If we go after Peavy, it's more than likely going to cost us A-baller 3rd Baseman Josh Vitters. We selected Vitters in the draft with the #3 pick in 2007, dubbed as the best hitter in the class. He should be ready to play about the time Aramis Ramirez's contract is up. I just don't see the need to have four pitchers on the staff that are all #1 or 2 starters. Yes, of course it would be nice to have a rotation of Peavy, Zambrano, Dempster, Harden and Lilly, but, is it worth mortgaging your future? Instead of trading the future for a guy who was injured and saw his velocity drop last season, I'd rather get a the 2nd Baseman we've been trying to get for over a year now (Brian Roberts, Orioles) and keep our very best prospects to ourselves.

DB, DL, and now LB Coaches all Gone

On Dec. 30, Bears GM Jerry Angelo said, "If change is needed to be made, changes will be made." We read ya loud and clear, Jerry. As of today, all three of the defensive coaches under Defensive Coordinator Bob Babich are off the team.

The day after Angelo's press conference, Defensive Backs coach Steve Wilks was shown the door. This was expected by several, as the Bears defensive backfield was horrible this season. I have never seen such a high success rate for opponents on 3rd and long than what the Bears competition showed me this season.

Less than a week after Wilks' departure, Defensive Line coach Brick Haley could apparently see the writing on the wall. On Jan. 5 he sent in his resignation so he could become the Defensive Line coach at LSU. I can't place so much of the blame on the DL solely on him, but Tommie Harris underperformed this season, and the Bears never really established another Nose Tackle to play alongside him. Apparently Lovie Smith and Angelo believe the former coach of the worst team in NFL history can fix this DL, as Rod Marinelli has already been formally offered a contract to become the next DL Coach of the Bears.

Now on to the most recent firing. Lloyd Lee was fired today, making all three areas of defense without coaches. Lee was upset, but classy in his departure, saying, "It is what it is. I'm not going to really get into a lot of detail. You don't go to the playoffs and I guess this is what happens." I have no idea who we might get to fill this role, but I'm sure options are out there.

So the question remains...How long does Bob Babich keep the Defensive Coordinator tag to his name? Will he be let go as well? Several think so. Will he be demoted to LB coach (the position he held prior to receiving the DC job)? It's a possibility. All we know is this defense would not have won us any playoff games in the first place, so it's best to shed the old armor, don a new outfit, and go out to battle again in 2009.

Marquis traded to the Rockies

In a deal that's been pending for a few days, SP Jason Marquis was dealt from the Cubs to the Rockies for RP Luis Vizcaino. I like this deal for one reason alone -- it sheds some pay roll. The Cubs did have to throw an extra $875k in, though. Vizcaino is no better at relieving than Marquis is starting, so I don't know what kind of role he will have.

I'M BACK!

Alright sports fans who are no long here, I have not made a post in 5 months, to the day! But I am back, and better than ever. I completed up my collegiate career over the last few months, rested and ready to get back in the game! I would love to see this website grow, but for now, I'm going to focus on getting my old readers back, and picking up some new ones in the process. On to sports we go!

Orton named Starter for Pre-Season Opener

According to an article on Yahoo! Sports, Bears QB Kyle Orton will start the first pre-season game for the Chicago Bears. Lovie says that Rex Grossman will get just as many snaps with the first team, and the roles will be reversed in the next pre-season game.

Bulls New Schedule Released!

Per NBA.com, here's the new Bulls schedule for the upcoming season.

Some interesting games, to me:

October 28: Season and Home Opener Vs. Milwaukee and Ex-Coach Scott Skiles
October 30: Road Opener @ defending NBA Champs Boston
December 26: Day-After-Christmas game against Michael Beasley and the Heat @ Miami
February 12, 2009: Home game against Beasley and the Heat.


ESPN will be televising 4 Bulls games.
TNT will be televising 6 Bulls games.

Eyre Designated, Wood Returns

Early today, Scott Eyre was DFA'd in order to make room for Kerry Wood. Eyre may be a waiver-wire deal, as he drew interest from several teams in the last week before the trade deadline.

In Wood's return, he pitched a scoreless 8th inning today, giving up one hit, no walks and no K's. I suspect he'll be closing again asap.

Lack of posts

Hey readers...first off, thank you for coming to my site to get your Chicago Sports News on a semi-daily basis. I appreciate your reads, and when I start getting comments I will appreciate them as well. That being said, I have recently started my internship and it keeps me busy for about 14 hours a day. This will go on for 3 more weeks, but after that everything calms down for me a little. I will still post as often as I can, but the nice balance of every-other-day posts may be skewed. Stick with me, and if you have any suggestions of remedies to this problem, I'm more than happy to listen. I'm going to try to get a friend of mine to make some posts when he's available, so maybe that will help. Again, thanks for reading guys and gals, and stick with me.

Bears first depth chart released

This from the Sun-Times:


Offense

WR--Rashied Davis/Devin Hester, Mike Hass, Brandon Rideau, Ryan Grice-Mullen
LT--John St. Clair, Cody Balogh, (Chris Williams)
LG--Terrence Metcalf, Anthony Oakley, Ryan Poles
C--Olin Kreutz, Josh Beekman, Anthony OakleyRG--Roberto Garza, Tyler Reed, Chester Adams
RT--John Tait, Kirk Barton
TE--Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis, Fontel Mines, Marcus Stone
WR--Marty Booker/Brandon Lloyd, Mark Bradley, Earl Bennett, Marcus Monk
QB--Rex Grossman/Kyle Orton, Caleb Hanie
RB--Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe, P.J. Pope, (Kevin Jones)
FB--Jason McKie, Lousaka Polite

Defense

LE--Adewale Ogunleye, Dan Bazuin, Joe Clermond, Nick Osborn
DT--Tommie Harris, Israel Idonije, Marcus Harrison
NT--Anthony Adams, Matt Toeaina, (Dusty Dvoracek)
RE--Alex Brown, Mark Anderson, Ervin Baldwin
WLB--Lance Briggs, Jamar Williams, Joey LaRocque
MLB--Brian Urlacher, Nick Roach, Rod Wilson
SLB--Hunter Hillenmeyer, Darrell McClover, Michael Okwo
LCB--Charles Tillman, Corey Graham, Zack Bowman, Leslie Majors
RCB--Nathan Vasher, Trumaine McBride, Ricky Manning Jr., Trey Brown
SS--Brandon McGowan, Kevin Payne, Leonard Peters
FS--Mike Brown, Danieal Manning, Craig Steltz, Josh Gattis

Reaction to Griffey deal.

As I promised, I will give a reaction to EVERY deadline deal that happened for both Chicago teams. Unfortunately, that means only one reaction. In the near-future, I may try to break down every 'near-deal' that didn't occur. But for now...

White Sox Get: OF Ken Griffey Jr.

Reds Get: RHP Nick Masset, 2B Danny Michar

Okay, so on the outside it doesn't seem like the Sox gave up a whole lot for Griffey, but I personally am a big fan of Nick Masset. I believe his stuff is more than capable at being more than productive at the major league level. Danny Michar is only batting .230 on the major league level this season, but given the fact that Juan Uribe is still on the team I'm not sure the White Sox needed to get rid of another middle-infielder.

As for Griffey, I personally think this was a move by Kenny Williams FOR Kenny Williams, not for Ozzie Guillen. Griffey can't play center on an everyday basis anymore, and his BA is only .245. Jr. will definitely get butts in the seats, but I'm just not sure the return was worth the price. It's no secret that KW and Ozzie haven't always gotten along, but when Ozzie asked for help I'm not sure he meant another outfielder.

Scotty Bowman Joins Blackhawks!

Scotty Bowman, Hall of Fame Coach and former coach of the Red Wings, Canadians, and Penguins, has joined the Blackhawks as Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations. Nice news on the Hockey front. Several posts today, use the search bar at the top of the screen and type in a specific team name if you're only interested in those posts!

Masset, Richar to Reds for Griffey

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, RHP Nick Masset and 2nd baseman Danny Richar are going to Cincinnati for Ken Griffey Jr. I'll have my analysis' of every Chicago trade either today or tomorrow.

Sox - Lannan Debunked, Joel Hanrahan a Possibility?

Bill Ladson of MLB Pro Blog debunked the John Lannan rumor, but now says Joel Hanrahan is a possibility...when will it end???

White Sox after Will Ohman?

According to Dave O'Brien, the White Sox are interesting in Atlanta Lefty RP Will Ohman. Kenny Williams is making a lot of noise on Deal Day in a season in which he said not expect many changes...

Sox like Lannan?

According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Sox are interested in Nationals SP John Lannan. Lannan would be a nice, attainable acquisition for any team right now. His record is only 6-10, but in 19 starts he's got an ERA @ 3.33. Those are more than respectable numbers. He's only given up more than 4 runs in an outing twice this season (5 against Pittsburgh on May 2, 6 against Atlanta on April 12), and I would think a couple nice prospects could net him. Only problem, the Sox prospect bank is running dry.

Bears considering Favre?

It's not a wacky baseball rumor, but it sounds just as absurd. Vaughn McClure of ChicagoSports.com sees the Bears acquiring Brett Favre as a possibility. His gunslinging mentality would fit in well in Chicago, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is a bizzare situation, and one that this blogger doesn't see coming to fruition.

White Sox - Huston Street update

Buster Olney says there's a "1% chance" that the A's make any moves today. Looks like Huston Street won't be one of Ozzie's Boys after all. This still doesn't mean Kenny Williams isn't looking for another deal.

White Sox targeting Street?

Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times has an article up discussing the White Sox desire to add Huston Street to their bullpen. This would be a solid move by the South Siders, depending on who the would give up. Cowley thinks the Sox may not have the prospects that Beane will covet, but remember with the acquisition of Ken Griffey Jr. this morning, Kenny Williams may have transactions involving big leaguers in mind.

Cubs eyeing more Lefties

Yesterday we noted that the Cubs were checking in on Raul Ibanez. Today Scott Miller of CBSsports.com says the Cubs are also looking into the possible acquisition of David DeJesus and Brian Giles. Let's compare:

David DeJesus: .301 BA, 10 HR, 55 RBI, 51 R, 9 SB

Brian Giles: .293 BA, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 47 R, 1 SB

Raul Ibanez: .279 BA, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 50 R, 1 SB

DeJesus has the best numbers this year, Raul Ibanez has the most power, and Brian Giles is the most consistent. If the Cubs acquired any of these players they would be paying probably more than the worth. I understand the need of a lefty bat, but with Fontenot playing well in spot duty and Daryle Ward still serviceable, I just don't think it will be worth the prospects.

Griffey deal official!

Per Ken Rosenthal, via mlbtraderumors.com, Griffey accepted the deal. Looks like Griff will get a chance to play in a world series after all! It is still unknown what the Reds will get in return for Jr., but some cash is being tossed around one way or another, as the deal is pending commissioner approval (meaning more than $1M is being transacted as well). We'll hear more from Kenny Williams today I believe.

Griffey to South Side!?!?

Out of nowhere, a deal has apparently been made to send Ken Griffey Jr. from Cincinnati to the White Sox. I'm flat out shocked! Not only does Griffey have nowhere to play unless another deal is made (Dye, Quentin and Swisher currently in outfield) but the fact that there were no rumblings of this deal until...well...it occurred amazes me. If Griffey accepts the trade (he has the right to veto it with the 10-5 clause) Kenny Williams must have another trick up his sleeve, but I just don't see him moving any of the outfielders. It is not yet known who the Reds would get in return, and remember this deal is not yet official.