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.

Baseball Tidbits

Several rumors up today with the trade deadline coming up. Let's go over what we've got.

WHITE SOX

-- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star says the rangers have inquired about P Nick Masset. Not sure what the Rangers would be willing to part with, but it's an interesting inquiry.

-- ESPN's Jason Stark has said that the White Sox are willing to give up SS Orlando Cabrera for the right pitcher. With Toronto looking for a SS, maybe AJ Burnett fits in to Ozzie's plans? Just speculation...


CUBS

-- Jason Stark also says the Cubs and Ms are talking about a Raul Ibanez deal. The Ms are apparently asking for Felix Pie and another player. Depending on the player, I'm a huge fan of that deal! Put him in right field, Kosuke Fukudome in Center and Soriano in Left, giving rest to them with Jim Edmonds and Reed Johnson when its needed. I just don't see Felix Pie ever figuring it out to the point where he "reaches his potential"...

-- Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus says the Dodgers have had passing discussions on RP Scott Eyre and SS Ronny Cedeno. With Eyre being a lefty he'll probably command a bit more, and I don't see a deal getting done with the Dodgers.

Luol Deng Inked!

According to everybody, this article from Rick Gano specifically, Luol Deng has agreed to a 6 year deal that can be worth up to $80M, $71M guaranteed. This deal is based solely on potential, as Deng's numbers haven't reflected this sort of money, in my opinion. But as a fan of Duke and the Bulls, I see where the speculation of his future stardom comes from. More speculation is that Ben Gordon may be involved in a sign-and-trade deal as he's not happy and the numbers between his agent and the Bulls aren't close.

Bears Camp: Days 3 and 4

More training camp videos...Enjoy!

Day 3:





Day 4:

Baseball Tidbits

-- Jeff Samardzija was called up by the Cubs. We've been monitoring his progress, and he showed he's got the potential to be above average in this league with a 1-2-3 9th inning save against the Marlins today. Jon Lieber and Scott Eyre may be dealt if Lou thinks Jeff can stay in the majors.

-- Buster Olney says the White Sox are looking for relief help. They need it, and it is slim pickin's out right now. I expect to hear their name mentioned more often in the Brian Fuentes sweepstakes, but I don't see him being a huge lift to the club.

Hester Inked!

Bears KR/WR Devin Hester signed a four year contract extension today, worth reportedly up to $40M. According to David Haugh of Chicagosports.com, Hester's deal includes $15M in guaranteed money and escalators that could hit $10M for the last year of the contract. I mentioned in the past I thought it was only a matter of time...BEAR DOWN!

Brewers tie Cubs for 1st place

Eventually we all knew it would happen. The Cubs would go in a mini-slump and they would be caught. However, up until a couple of weeks ago we assumed it would be the Cardinals that would catch them. Low and behold, the Brew-Crew has caught the Cubbies and they are in a tie for 1st place. I fully expect the Cubs to work their way out of their offensive struggles, but we might have another few days of gloom in the near-future. Let's just hope Milwaukee can't gain multiple games on us...

Hester Realizes Ramifications, Caves to Bears.

According to the Sun-Times Brad Biggs, Devin Hester has caved and showed up early this morning at Bears camp. Hester may have planned this all along, thinking that the stun he put on GM Jerry Angelo would be enough to get his point across. That may have worked. Or, he may have not realized when he threatened to hold out the season that he would have been discredited this season and he would not become an unrestricted free agent until the year after he's supposed to (which would be forever considering the CBA screw-ups). Either way, he's back and I expect a new deal to surface for him soon. I believe getting Chris Williams signed and in camp was top priority for the Bears over the last week, and now that that deal has been done, Hester is the focus. In my opinion, you can expect about the middle of what the Bears are wanting to give him and what he wants...let's say something like 5 years, $25M with $14M in guaranteed? Just a guess.

Bears Camp Videos

On a slow news day, I browsed around and found some youtube videos of Day 1 and Day 2 of Bears Minicamp.

Day one:



Day two:




From what I've seen, Kyle Orton is the better QB, Forte is quicker and more explosive than Benson ever thought about being, and we have no #1 (and maybe no #2) WR.

Chris Williams Inked!

According to John Clayton at ESPN, the Bears reached an agreement with first round pick Chris Williams this afternoon. The deal is reportedly 5 years/$16M. This was a great deal for the Bears; you're talking about signing a guy that gave up less than 5 sacks in 4 years on an SEC team (2 sacks given up, I believe). The Bears have now reached agreements will all 48 or so of their 2008 draft picks. Good job, Chicago!

Hester Holdout

Rick Gano, an AP Sports Writer, has an article up on Yahoo! Sports discussing the developing story of Devin Hester's holdout. Hester's upset about his contract, and rightfully so (he's due to make only $445,000 this season) but the holdout comes a bit as a surprise. A deal will get done, and Hester will be in camp in the next week or so (my opinion), but I'm still kind of shocked he's not there now.

Dye's knee feeling better?

Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald has an article up today that discusses the condition of Jermaine Dye's ailing knee. It was deemed as nothing more than a bruise, and gave his trainer a lot of credit for getting his knee back to normal in a short period of time.

Cubs to call up Jeff Samardzija?

According to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald, there's a "better than even chance" that the Cubs call up AAA pitcher Jeff Samardzija in September. It's not a terrible idea, he has a 4-1 record with a 3.13 ERA since he's been with the Iowa club. He'd probably be in long relief unless two starters went down. Sean Marshall would be the first to move from the bullpen to the rotation. Let's hope it doesn't come down to that.

Wood not going on DL after all

Earlier in the week, it was speculated that Kerry Wood would go on the DL to nurse his finger blister. Now Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Sun-Times says Wood will be spared from that trip. It wouldn't have made a huge difference anyway, as a 15-day stint on the DL could have been backdated far enough to allow the Cub's Closer to return on Sunday. With a new treatment Kerry is using on his blister, there are hopes that he can pitch as early as tomorrow.

Sox Minor-Leaguer Fields trade bait?

Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times has an article up discussing the likelihood of the Sox dealing Josh Shields, the minor league 3rd baseman that could be the future for the Sox at the Hot Corner. According to the article, if Shields isn't included in any deal, no starting pitcher will be acquired by the Sox that's any better the Contreras. It's arguable that there's none available better than Jose anyway. So the question: Do you mortgage your future to win in '08? We'll soon find out.

Soriano back tomorrow

According to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald, Alfonso Soriano will be back in the starting line-up tomorrow for the Cubbies. He's needed badly, the offense has been sputtering lately. I assume Soriano will be placed back at the top of the Cubs line-up batting leadoff.

Soriano's Rehab, Wood on DL?

According to several reports, Alfonso Soriano will report to the Iowa Cubs for another rehab start tomorrow. Also, Kerry Wood will be placed on the DL due to his blister. The Cubs need Soriano back badly, and Wood's injury is one that the Cubs were hoping not to see this season. Let's hope it's only his blister, and not arm fatigue/trouble.

White Sox looking for Pitching?

According to Danny Knobler at CBSsports, this is this case. Kind of surprising that the South Side would be looking for starters, their starters have been the best in baseball. But surplus is a problem every team wishes they had at the SP position. Kenny Williams has been looking for help in the bullpen recently, anyways. Previously, Huston Street and John Rauch have been mentioned.

Urlacher Extended?

According to several reports, Brian Urlacher has signed a contract extension to give him another year and another $18M. This is good news for the Bears, keep your players happy. An arthritic back and neck surgery has some skeptical, but I think this is a solid move by the Bears. With Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris under contract, the Bears defense can be above average for years to come.

Deng Done?

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, if Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls can't reach an agreement before Deng goes to join the Great Britain National Team (2 weeks away), Deng will not negotiate with the Bulls anymore. He will be with the Bulls for the 2008-09 season regardless, but this budding superstar needs to stay in Chicago. Deng is an emense talent, no doubt about it. Pax should do whatever it takes to get this deal done.

White Sox looking for Bullpen Help?

Two separate articles, Jon Heyman's SI.com article and Bill Ladson's MLB.com article, have the White Sox linked to both A's closer Huston Street and Nationals closer John Rauch. Apparently there's reason to be concerned when you hear about the health status of closer Bobby Jenks, however I believe Kenny Williams has quietly been looking for relief help since the beginning of June.

Ozuna inked by Dodgers

According to Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, the Dodgers have signed former White Sox utility man Pablo Ozuna. Ozuna is an upgrade over the Dodgers' current utility players, but probably won't find a starting job in LA.

Ozuna a Free Agent

According to a blog from the Chicago Tribune, Pablo Ozuna is now a free agent. I'm still amazed that Ozuna got the option and Juan Uribe is still with the club.

Cubs RP, SS Rumors

The Daily Herald's own Bruce Miles has some interesting tidbits up on the Cubs and previously mentioned possible acquisitions.

Khalil Greene, SS, Padres -- Miles says the Cubs have no interest in Greene now. Not sure why they would, Theriot and Cedeno are both better options, in my opinion.

Brian Fuentes, RP, Rockies -- The Cubs need a lefty, and Hendry has asked about Fuentes. I know the Cubs need another lefty, but I want no part of this guy. His stuff is okay, but there are at least 12 other teams eyeing him, and the price will just be too high.

Kevin Jones Inked!

According to ESPN, Free Agent RB Kevin Jones has signed a one year, $605,000M deal with the Bears. I really think this was the best signing the Bears could have made at the RB position. Jones has experience and is a very shifty back. He should compliment Forte well, and teach him a thing or two about running at the NFL level. This was, in my opinion, a great signing by the Bears. They got a RB with experience that can catch the ball out of the backfield, and lets us breathe a sigh of relief coming into the 2008-09 season.

Gordon Gone, Deng Back?

According to Martin Johnson of the NY Sun, Ben Gordon may be done in Chicago and Luol Deng will be brought back. It's frustrating that Gordon wasn't shopped at the deadline last season, but little can be done about that now. With both having down years in the '07-'08 season, their demands have most likely dropped a bit. Johnson also talks about Emeka Okafor in his article as being a sign-and-trade possibility. I wonder if there's a chance of a Gordon-for-Okafor swap? We'll see...

Kevin Jones to Bears or Steelers on Tuesday

According to TBO.com, FA Running Back Kevin Jones (formerly of the Detroit Lions) will sign with either the Bears or the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, per his agent. I noted over a month ago that I thought bringing him in would be a good move. He's a very talented back with a lengthy injury history. As it stands currently, rookie Matt Forte will be our starting RB. It's worked out in the past, but it's more than risky to rely on a rookie RB.

Bears interested in Chris Simms?

According to the Tampa Tribune, the Bears are interesting in bringing in Bucs' QB Chris Simms. It's a decent idea, if it's true. Tampa Bay couldn't be asking for a lot for the 5th string -- that's right, fifth! -- QB on the roster, and the Bears are obviously near the bottom of the league in QB production. The only question I have: Is Simms any better than Orton or Grossman? I'm doubting it, considering Simms would have to learn an entirely new system than he's ran in Tampa, and he's not exactly been successful there.

Bonds not welcome on South Side

Per Joe Cowley at the Sun-Times today, Ozzie Guillen reportedly said "Barry can't play for my team," when asked about the possibility. Sounds like Ozzie doesn't want any part of the circus that would follow him, and quite honestly I agree with him. The Sox have enough power in their line-up...they could use some speed and a high average guy, however.

Good day for Cubs Harden, Sox' Konerko

Maybe when Kenny Williams said he had no intentions on making any sort of major move before the trade deadline, Konerko's health was the reason why. Paulie K. had a big day today for the South Siders, going 4-4 with a HR and 2 RBI. Konerko had been 2-15 since coming off the DL. Maybe he has what it takes to keep the Sox ahead of the Twins, who have just refused to lose lately.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry had a different approach when it came to acquisitions: Go out and get the best pitcher available. After missing out on CC Sabathia the attention was turned towards Rich Harden. Harden showed he was worth the prospects. In 5-1/3 innings today, Harden gave up 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 10 without allowing a run. He got a no-decision, as Carlos Marmol continued his control problems and gave up runs late in the game. The Cubs did, of course, win in extra innings.

Both GMs are doing everything in their power to get their teams to the playoffs, and though both are using different strategies they're both doing an excellent job at keeping their respective teams in the driver's seat. Excellent jobs by excellent guys!

Brian Fuentes not coming to Chicago?

Brian Fuentes recently did a Q&A with Ken Rosenthal, and he said without saying that he does not want to play for the Cubbies. He says he'd prefer to play in the West Coast, but wants to go anywhere that he can close. Neither of those places fits the Cubs, obviously. He's been linked to the Cubs in the past, as the Cubs are looking for a left specialist out of the pen. As far as I know, Fuentes does not have a no-trade clause of any sort, but if he has it his way he'll be in Cali.

Nocioni to New Jersey?

A report out of the NJ Star-Ledger claims that the Nets will pursue available free agents such as Andres Nocioni of the Bulls. With us passing on Michael Beasley, I'm not sure why the Bulls would trade the high-energy Argentine unless it helped us immediately. I can see Noc being a the type of player that would be a wonderful sidekick to...let's say...LeBron James in 2010?

Maybe the Bulls could work out a Noc for Krstic deal? I'm not sure the Bulls would be getting enough there. Any NBA fans that have any input?

Favre an Option?

Okay, we know now that Brett Favre wants to come back, and the Packers don't really want him back. I understand this from the Packers' point-of-view in the sense that they have committed to Aaron Rodgers and have tried to move forward. What I don't understand is how Green Bay's Exec.'s can honestly think this is the best thing for the franchise! Brett Favre, at 38 years of age, is twice the quarterback that Aaron Rodgers is ever going to become.

With that out of the way, we move on to Favre saying he wants an outright release from the Packers. This is more than interesting with the Train Wreck of QB's we plan on trotting out there next year. Favre likes the North, the NFC-N is a division he could almost win on his own, and the Bears need a QB. I will say I could never see Favre in any uniform other than the Packers' green and gold, but then, I never saw him asking for a release, either...

New Banner

A quick shoutout to a guy known as DarrellScott3, the man who created both the old banner and the updated one that was added tonight. He's a regular poster over at the Sports Refuge message board and is crazy-good with his banners, sigs, av's, whatever you need. For more of his work you can click here.

Guillen at it again

Ozzie Guillen had a difficult decision to make when Konerko showed he was ready to come back to the big league club, thus ending his DL stint. He could cut Juan Uribe (or trade him for a hill of beans if he could find a suitor) or he could DFA Pablo Ozuna. We know that he chose the latter of the two options, and Jose Contreras was upset about it.
Ozzie showed sound judgment by mentioning that the Sox have one SS, 3B and 2B on the team, and Uribe can start all three positions. His judgment was not so sound when he said "[bleep] Jose Contreras..." And in typical Ozzie fashion, he followed that up with, "If some of the players didn't like the move, well, it's easy to do. Just tell Ozuna to stay here and get them to get the [bleep] out of here and go to the minor leagues.''

Good ole' Ozzie...

Cubs Counter-Punch Milwaukee, Pick up Rich Harden

In a lightning quick counter-move, the Cubs picked up Oakland SP Rich Harden in a 6 player deal around 5:30 on Tuesday. After the news on Sunday that CC Sabathia had been traded to the Brewers, there was talk that the Cubs could be caught by the Brew-Crew in the near future. The Cubs did everything in their power to solidify the "#1 team in the NL" title by trading OF Matt Murton, IF/OF Eric Patterson, prospect Catcher Josh Donaldson, and the centerpiece of the deal, SP Sean Gallagher. The Cubs also picked up RHP Chad Gaudin in the deal, who is far from a throw-in type player.

This was an excellent move by the North Siders, one that I thought would be a better idea than CC in the first place. The Cubs now have that 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation; and don't forget, Ryan Dempster is in the All-Star game as well.


On the year, Rich Harden has terrific numbers. He's 5-1 with nearly a 3-1 K/BB ratio. His ERA is an impressive 2.34. He has his red flags, however. He's had several different injuries over the last couple years (Obliques, rotator cuff, strained elbow) that have kept him from the 200+ innings that teams want from Aces. Harden has a fastball that consistently hits mid-90's on the gun, and his out pitch is a nearly-unhittable slider.

Chad Gaudin is a long reliever with starter capabilities. He's worked mainly out of the bullpen this year and it has hurt his numbers a little. Don't be fooled, though; this guy has nasty stuff. His 4-seamer hits low-to-mid 90's, he throws a hard-sinking 2-seam fastball, and his slider and changeup can be filthy when thrown in the right situation.

I believe this was an excellent trade for the Cubs. Murton was as good as gone to one team or another, and Eric Patterson would not have made this team in the next 2-3 years anyway. Gallagher was a tough pill to swallow, as he's shown tremendous growth this season and probably has a ceiling of 2nd or 3rd pitcher in a good rotation. However, given what Milwaukee gave for Sabathia, the Cubs did a better job solidifying an already-above-average starting rotation.

Konerko back; Ozuna DFA'd

According to the White Sox website, Paul Konerko is back with the big league club and Pablo Ozuna has been designated for assignment. Bringing Paulie K. back came as no surprise, but sending Ozuna down instead of doing something with Juan Uribe is questionable. With a few teams looking for shortstop help (Dodgers, Orioles), perhaps Kenny Williams was trying to show other teams he still values Uribe as a major league producer.

Cubs Sign Andrew Cashner!

The Cubs signed their first round pick from last month's draft for a $1.53M bonus today. Cashner was the first reliever taken off the board in the draft. He's a big reliever (6'6) from Texas Christian who can regularly hit the upper-90's on the gun. There's a chance he can be pitching in the Majors before this season is over.

I found a nice bio of him on Another Cubs Blog.net.

Way to go, Cubbies!

Cubs pressing for Rich Harden

As speculated in previous threads, the Cubs are officially after Rich Harden of the Oakland A's, and apparently have been for a month. Harden should be much more attainable than Sabathia based on performance alone, but A's GM Billy Beane is in a tough spot with his current situation. The A's were supposed to be rebuilding and not 5.5 games out of the AL-West lead. I can't imagine Beane thinks this team has what it takes to go on a tear and win the division, but Oakland has surprised teams in the past when it comes to August and September. Sean Gallagher and Sean Marshall have proven to be more than serviceable, which might help the Cubs at the end of the day. I can't imagine any deal for Harden wouldn't include Gallagher, Ronny Cedeno and Eric Patterson for starters. It will be interesting to see how things fold out over the next 3 weeks, but with Milwaukee's acquisition of Sabathia, you can bet the Cubs will be on the prowl.

Performance of the Week

This week's POTW award goes to none other than rookie catcher Geovany Soto. Soto had a great week, going 10/27 (.370) with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs and 6 runs scored. On top of all that, he was named as a starter on the all-star team, the first ever rookie catcher to start for the National League in the Mid-Summer Classic! Congrats Geovany Soto, you've done the best over the last week!

Weekend Review

Hey sports fans. Not much on the ole' news front for Chicago Sports, so instead of making several minor posts I thought I would just make one large post discussing the intricacy's of each team. If I get some positive feedback on this, I might make it a weekly deal...we'll see.

CUBS

-- The Cubbies had a pretty decent weekend, taking 2 of 3 from the rival Cardinals in St. Louis. Ramirez got back on track, going 3 for 8 in his last two games. The Cubs had a chance to sweep them, but Kerry Wood failed to close the door on Saturday, blowing a 2-run 9th inning lead. The Cubs are currently 4 games up on St. Louis in the division, and still bolster the best record in the National League.

-- All of the trade talk has subsided a bit for the North Siders. C. C. Sabathia is about to be traded to Milwaukee (bad news for the rest of the NL-Central) and AJ Burnett is being rumored in deals with the Yankees.

-- The Cubs are sending 7 players to the All-Star game, a franchise record. These players are (starters) Alfonso Soriano (LF), Kosuke Fukudome (CF) and Geovany Soto (C). Soto will be the first rookie catcher to ever start a game for the NL. Fukudome and Soto are thought to be front runners for the ROY award.


WHITE SOX

-- The White Sox won on Sunday, splitting a four-game series with Oakland. Chicago remains 1 game up on Minnesota, who is 18-3 in their last 21 games and yet to lose in July.

-- Most of the trade chatter is staying away from the South Side; we mentioned in a previous post that Kenny Williams says he doesn't expect big moves. Juan Uribe has been mentioned in trade talks involving the Orioles, and I'd expect KW would move him for anything he could get in return.

-- The White Sox got both Joe Crede and Carlos Quentin in the Mid-Summer Classic, and Jermaine Dye is on the final Internet ballot. It seems kind of strange that the White Sox have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, yet not a single South Side pitcher will be represented in New York.


BULLS

-- Del Harris, Bernie Bickerstaff and Bob Ociepka have been hired as Assistant Coaches to VDN. Pete Myers also kept his job as Asst. Coach.

-- The Bulls will play in the Summer League and their roster is headlined by Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and #1 overall selection Derrick Rose.

-- Rose was formally introduced last Monday.

-- Season Tickets are now on sale!


BEARS

-- Very little news here. Larry Meyer discusses how the Bears missed 4 extra-point attempts in the 1940 title game against the Redskins that the Bears won 73-0. The last one apparently came on a pass play after the referees asked the Bears not to kick anymore footballs because the 'Skins were down to their last one.


BLACKHAWKS

The only thing I have for you here is Yahoo! Sports team report. Sorry guys, just not much news.


FIRE

-- The Fire tied their last game with Columbus, 2-2. They are currently Fourth in the Eastern Division, 1 point behind 3rd place D.C. United

Cedeno an option for the 'Jays?

According to Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays are willing to part with AJ Burnett for Shortstop help. with Ryan Theriot being one of Lou's favorites and Ronny Cedeno nothing more than a bench player, you'd have to think the two teams would talk about the issue at least.

I'm not willing to give up Eric Patterson or Sean Gallagher, but I wonder if a Cedeno, Matt Murton & Sean Marshall for AJ and one of the Jays better AA players (Scott Campbell? Probably will take a little more). It's all just speculation right now, but a deal may be in the works considering the Cubs and 'Jays current needs and assets.

Forte Signs 4-year Deal!

According to a report out of chicagobears.com, the Bears have signed 2nd round pick Matt Forte (RB -- Tulane) to a 4-year deal! Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The Bears have 11 of their 12 draft picks signed -- all but 1st round pick Chris Williams (T - Vandy) -- and are closer to getting their picks signed than any other team in football. Bear Down!

Blackhawks sign Brian Campbell

Woo-Hoo! Blackhawks News!!

Earlier today the Blackhawks signed the best free-agent defensemen available in this year's free agent class. Brian Campbell got the richest contract in Blackhawks history, signing an 8-year, $57.12MM deal.

The 'Hawks also signed goalie Cristobal Huet to a 4-year deal worth $5.626MM/year.

Gammons on Cubs, White Sox

Peter Gammons latest article deals largely with the happenings in the Windy City. In order to make it easier to browse for fans of either team, I'll separate the rumors.


WHITE SOX

-- Several White Sox players spoke out on the Maple bat issue. It seems like they like the Maple bats and think regulating them is a much better solution than eliminating them completely...and it's hard to disagree with that logic.

-- Jerry Reinsdorf is really upset over the Dave Wilder scandal.

-- Kenny Williams says barring any unforeseen injuries, he's not going to make any moves before the trade deadline. He notes that his 12th man can hit 98 mph on the gun, and says the depth of his pitchers leaves the Sox in "pretty good shape".

-- The health of the Sox has been unbelievable this year. Only one start has been made by anyone outside of their original starting five. The Sox have lost only 125 days on the DL, and most of those are with minuscule injuries. To compare, the Cardinals, Yankees and Marlins have lost over 700 days on the DL.


CUBS

-- Zambrano threw 60 pitches in the bullpen on Sunday, and said he felt so good he could've pitched that night.

-- Soriano is making good on his prediction to be back on the team before the All-Star Break, and team doctors have said he is "the fastest healer they have ever seen".

-- Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild really like Sean Gallagher. Although the Cubs are expected to get starting pitching help, they don't want to give up Gallagher in a deal.

-- The Cubs don't think they'll have enough to get C.C. Sabathia.

-- Rich Harden is being monitored by the Cubs. I personally think this is a better idea than Sabathia anyway.

-- The Padres like Matt Murton, and SP Randy Wolf makes sense for the Cubbies, so there may be a swap between the two teams soon.

WR Bennett, DT Harrison, CB Bowman inked!

Larry Meyer has the scoop for us today, telling us that 3rd round picks Earl Bennett and Marcus Harrison along with 5th round pick Zackary Bowman have all signed four-year deals today. Great job by the Bears, who typically are one of the better teams in terms of getting their rookies signed. The only two draft picks that remain unsigned are 1st round pick Chris Williams (OT - Vandy) and 2nd round choice Matt Forte (RB - Tulane).

Bears have a deal in place with 3rd round pick?

Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears will sign DT Marcus Harrison within the next 24 hours. Harrison is an intriguing player. There was no doubt that he had 1st round talent, but he had an ACL injury in March of '07 and was arrested for possession of marijuana last August, so his drop in the draft was expected.

I'm interested in seeing Harrison work. If he has straightened up, we could have one of the best defensive lines in football with Tommie Harris, Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, Alex Brown and others.

Performance of the Week

Congratulations to Mark Buehrle, the first Pitcher to ever win the POTW Award here at ChiSportsNews. In the last week, Buehrle has made two starts, is 2-0, has only 7 K's, but has an ERA of 0.60, and a WHIP of 0.93. He's only walked two batters in those two starts, which cover 15 combined innings. Congrats Mark Buehrle, you've done the best over the last week!

Turnabout's Fair Play

The White Sox swept the Cubs out of the South Side on a game that was interesting to say the least. With some very questionable calls in the first couple innings, Sweet Lou was arguing with the 1st base umpire when ejected by the home plate umpire (who was 20 feet away from the conversation) and the White Sox went on to roll, 5-1. Congrats to the Sox, who regained that Chicago Swagger (while taking it away from the Cubbies) with a counter-attack-like sweep on the North Sider's.

The Cubs are needing Soriano and Zambrano back badly. Two pitchers started in this series that weren't on the opening day roster (Marshall, Gallagher) for the Cubs, and Zambrano would've been scheduled to pitch in both series'. Carlos Quentin raked in The Cell like Aramis Ramirez did at Wrigley. The Cubs have lost 5 of 6, and the White Sox are rolling once again. The Sox need to be paying attention to the Twins, however...as do the Cubs to the Cardinals of St. Louis.

As Promised...Introducing Derrick Rose and Sonny Weems!

DERRICK ROSE



SONNY WEEMS

More Sabathia

Ken Rosenthal says that any team that trades for him will "gain an exclusive window to sign him long-term before he reaches free agency." That makes things very interesting, and acquiring him much more tantelizing. The Cubs are front runners to acquire him, along with the Rays and Brewers. The Rays probably have the most talent in the minors, but the Indians would probably prefer to trade him to the National League. Sabathia is sporting a sub-2.00 ERA in his last FOURTEEN starts. Think about that stuff in the National League...

Kenny Williams happy with Roster

KW sees no reason to change the White Sox' roster at the moment, saying he hasn't assigned scouts to any team to watch any potential player that may be traded. Some Sox fans think another burner (Juan Pierre, maybe?) should maybe be looked at, as the South Siders really lack speed. But KW is content with Dewayne Wise, and it's hard to argue with that.

Draft Awards

Here they are...my draft awards.

BIGGEST WINNERS:

3. Deborah Ledford
Deb is the proud single mother of Brook and Robin Lopez. Congrats to her; she not only raised two boys alone, but raised them right and now has to Professional Basketball playing Sons (one 'Sun').

2. Miami Heat
Picking Michael Beasley was the right pick for Pat Riley (though admittedly, I never thought he would do it.) It all worked out in the end for Pat, who ended up getting Mario Chalmers and Darnell Jackson in the 2nd round....both guys were picked too late.

1. New Jersey Nets
What didn't the Nets do? They traded away Richard Jefferson and his bloated contract for Yi Jianlian (smart move), then went out and grabbed the aforementioned Brook Lopez (10th pick), a strong PF in Ryan Anderson (21st pick), and STOLE Chris Douglas-Roberts with the 4oth pick. They may have picked up 3 starters in a 5-hour stretch.


BIGGEST LOSERS:

3. Denver Nuggets
It's not so much that Denver didn't have any picks in the draft...it's just that when it happens two years in a row -- something's wrong.

2. Knicks' fans
There's a decent chance that Danilo Gallinari will work out for you guys. hahahahahahah

1. Mario Chalmers & Chris Douglas-Roberts
Being labeled the potential "steals of the draft" meant you got drafted WAY too low. Keep your heads up, guys...you'll have solid NBA Careers.

BEST NAME DRAFTED:

Ante Tomic - Utah Jazz
How awesome will it be to see someone with "A.Tomic" sewn into the back of his jersey? Marketing Genius!

BEST DRESSED:

O.J. Mayo - Memphis Grizzlies:
Should've gone to Miami -- where his style would fit. He'll struggle starting off in Memphis (just a hunch).

JOAKIM NOAH AWARD (Worst Hair):

Robin Lopez -- Phoenix Suns
Poor Robin...the hat didn't even fit.

BEST MOVE:

Pat Riley -- Miami Heat
Getting Mario Chalmers after passing on O.J. Mayo and every other PG he could've had, Riley made a great move. He got a PG that can start alongside D-Wade and Beasley in the 2nd round.

ISIAH THOMAS AWARD (Worst Pick):

Isiah Th....I mean...whoever is running ship in NYC these days.
After watching all these international stars flounder instead of flourish, the Knicks picked Gallinari over 20 guys that could've made a bigger impact. Come one guys...by now you have to know there's more Darko's than Dirk's in draft.






MORE TO COME...

Bulls take Rose #1, Weems #39

As almost expected, the Bulls took Derrick Rose #1 overall in the draft, to the delight of several Chicago fans. Rose instantly upgrades our backcourt, making Hinrich expandable. They went for a high-flying dunker in Sonny Weems (F-Ark.) with their 2nd pick. I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed. With Chris Douglas-Roberts (unexplicably) still on the board, and the impending contract dispute with Ben Gordon, I really thought the Bulls should take him.

Sonny Weems won the NCAA Dunk Contest last season as a Razorback, and is another Tyrus Thomas-like player with a bit more range. He's known for defense and dunks, which will help a player like Rose with his development.

Overall, a solid draft for the Bulls. Tomorrow I will have some awards for the draft, along with YouTube vids posted for the drafted players.

2008 NBA Mock Draft

(EDIT) As soon as I say "trades are doubtful", one emerges. Here's Mock Version 1.1

Here it is, my first ever NBA Mock draft. One round, complete with trades. The only way I will change this is if some sort of trade happens at least 2 hours before the draft begins, which is doubtful. So with no further adieu...

#1 - Chicago Bulls -- Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis
The Bulls get their guy in PG Derrick Rose. Rose's leadership and drive-and-dish abilities will instantly help the Bulls spot-up shooters such as Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon, and will help cutters like Tyrus Thomas and Luol Deng.

#2 - Miami Heat -- O.J. Mayo, PG, USC
The Heat shock the world to the delight of the T-Wolves and take OJ Mayo with the #2 pick. Contemplating trading down, they eventually came to the conclusion that Mayo would be gone before the 4th overall pick regardless and take their player here.

#3 - Minnesota Timberwolves -- Michael Beasley, SF, Kansas State
Happiest team in the draft, the Wolves get the Rookie of the Year front runner with the #3 overall pick. Beasley instantly makes the Wolves a playoff contender.

#4 - Seattle Supersonics -- PICK TRADED to Milwaukee for #8 pick, Mo Williams, Future 2nd round pick.

#4 - Milwaukee Bucks -- Jarryd Bayless, PG, Arizona
The Bucks trade up to take the PG they want, fearing no PGs will be left by the #8 pick.

#5 - Memphis Grizzlies -- Kevin Love, PF/C, UCLA
Memphis needs a big man, and the decision comes down to Love or Brook Lopez

#6 - New York Knicks -- Eric Gordon, PG/SG, Indiana
The Knicks missed out on Mayo and Bayless, but take the big name over the speedy Westbrook. Gordon is ready for the NY Lifestyle.

#7 - Los Angeles Clippers -- Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA
The Clippers get the perfect PG for their system. Westbrook can run past a defense and has a good 3-point shot.

#8 - Seattle Supersonics (via trade with Milwaukee) -- Brook Lopez, C, Stanford
Lopez falls a bit further than some thought, but finds a (temporary) home in Seattle. Some think Lopez should go #5 to Memphis.

#9 - Charlotte Bobcats -- D.J. Augustine, PG, Texas
The Bobcats reach a little with a PG that they feel can be the PG of the future for them. Risky gamble that could pay off.

#10 - New Jersey Nets -- Danilo Gallinari, SF, International
The Nets love this guy, and they need to start looking for replacements for their aging vet's.

#11 - Indiana Pacers -- Anthony Randolph, SF/PF, LSU

#12 - Sacramento Kings -- Joe Alexander, SF/PF, West Virginia

#13 - Portland Trailblazers -- PICK TRADED to New Jersey Nets along with 2nd round pick for Richard Jefferson

#13 - New Jersey Nets -- Brandon Rush, SG/SF, Kansas

#14 - Golden State Warriors -- Kosta Koufas, C, Ohio State

#15 - Pheonix Suns -- Jason Thompson, C, Rider

#16 - Philidelphia 76ers -- Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas

#17 - Indiana Pacers (Via Toronto in Jermaine O'Neal deal) -- Robin Lopez, C, Stanford

#18 - Washington Wizards -- DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M

#19 - Cleveland Cavaliers -- Marreese Speights, PF/C, Florida

#20 - Denver Nuggets -- JaVale McGee, C, Nevada

#21 - New Jersey Nets -- Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown

#22 - Orlando Magic -- Donte Green, SG, Syracuse

#23 - Utah Jazz -- Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG/SF, Memphis

#24 - Seattle Supersonics -- J.J. Hickson, PF, N.C. State

#25 - Houston Rockets -- Courtney Lee, SG/SF, Western Kentucky

#26 - San Antonio Spurs -- Mario Chalmers, PG/SG, Kansas

#27 - Charlotte Hornets -- Ryan Anderson, PF, California

#28 - Memphis Grizzlies -- Alexis Ajinca, C, International

#29 - Detroit Pistons -- Bill Walker, SF, Kansas St.

#30 - Boston Celtics -- DeVon Hardin, C, California

Uribe: "He Gone!"

According to Joe Cowley at the Sun-Times, Juan Uribe or Pablo Ozuna is going to be seen off the big-league team as soon as Paulie K. comes off the DL, and with DeWayne Wise playing better than both of them, Ozzie's got a tough call to make. Uribe's .215 average isn't quite cutting it, and Ozuna's a bit more versatile. Maybe they can get a little bit for him on the market, but it's not very likely.

Leiber to retire?

Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune has caught up with Jon Lieber recently and learned where Lieber has decided retirement is still a possibility, and he'll reevaluate in October. It's a shame that Lieber has been used so sparingly out of the bullpen; he started out great in long relief. However, anyone that's thinking about retirement every day is someone who sounds like he's spending his last days in baseball.

Appologies...

For the 11 people who have viewed the blog, I apologize for the lack of posting over the last two days. Monday night I lost Internet access and just recently regained it. Some time today I will have a full first round mock draft, as well as any updates I can find. Thanks for sticking with me!

Performance of the Week

Every Monday I am going to attempt to give out an award for the best performance of the week. In this inaugural post, the POTW Award goes to none other than...Jermaine Dye! Dye has been simply raking in over the last week. His stat line reads 10/24 (.417 avg.), 7 Runs, 5 HRs, and 13 RBIs. That's a good month for a lot of players. Congrats Jermaine, you've done the best over the last week.


Honorable Mention: Aramis Ramirez, for his performance solely against the White Sox. (6/15, 4 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI)

Cubs Sweep Sox

In the first interleague series of the year between the two teams, the Cubs swept the White Sox convincingly; coming from behind in the first two games, and winning tonight 7-1. Aramis Ramirez hit is fourth homerun of the series (the most homeruns hit against the Sox by any player this year) and the Cubs went on to roll. AJ Pierzynski's hitting streak ended at 15 games as he went o-4 tonight. The White Sox' lead in the AL-Central has been cut to 1 1/2 games with the Twins winning tonight. It will be interesting to see the series next weekend, as bad blood has flared in the last few years between the two teams; the most recent incident occured with AJ and Michael Barrett last season.

White Sox @ Cubs

Two games into the series, and the Cubs are 2-0 against their cross-town rivals. Both wins have been of the come-from-behind variety for the North Siders, who refuse to lose at home. The White Sox very well may get their revenge, however, as the Cubs travel to the South Side next Friday for another weekend series.

Big Z Update

Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano has gone on the 15-day DL, retroactive to his last start, according to the AP and Yahoo! Sports. The Cubs dodged a bullet after an MRI revealed only a minor right shoulder strain. Things could've been much worse for Big Z. With Zambrano only gone for 2 starts and Marquis and Lilly "getting right", it will be interesting to see if the Cubs go for broke and try to bring in a guy like C.C. Sebathia.

Zambrano to miss one start

Updating a previous item, Carlos Zambrano will miss his next start for the Cubs. Cubs fans, let's hope this is the extent of the injury. We've been accustomed to shoulder issues in the past, and it has typically not worked out too well.

Tommie Harris signs 4-year extension!

Per chicagobears.com, Tommie Harris signed a 4-year, $40MM contract extension today, making him the highest paid DT in football. This comes as a great sense of relief to all of us Bears fans, as we now have the best DT in football locked up through 2012. Now, time to get started on Devin Hester!

Zambrano to be sidelined?

Yahoo! Sports, in there game review of the Cubs/Rays game on Wendesday, June 18, talked a bit about Zambrano's current status. For those that didn't get to see the game last night, Zambrano left with 2 outs in the 7th with "shoulder discomfort". An MRI is schedule for sometime today, Thursday, and the outcomes will be posted.

This is disturbing stuff for the Cubbies, who a week ago were sitting high on the hog, enjoying their health and record. Now two superstars have gone down in a week (Soriano being the other) and there's some reason for concern in the locker room. The Cubs offense can't get going, they're still making silly mistakes on defense, and their best pitcher might be on the shelf for a while.

If there's any amount of time missed by Zambrano, you can bet phones will be ringing for previously mentioned starters such as C.C. Sebathia and A.J. Burnett.

Ozzie Guillen Poking Fun @ Lou Piniella?

Greg Couch of the Sun-Times has some interesting stuff for us today. An interview with White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen turned into a pissing match with one party not represented.

Says Guillen: "'Lou Piniella does two things better than me,'' Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said before Tuesday night's game against Pittsburgh. ''Managing and eating.''
...and later...
''It took them three weeks to find a [body] double for Piniella,'' Guillen said. ''For mine, you just go to a model agency.''

Of course we all know the Windy City Showdown is coming up, and with the White Sox long ball nowhere near as prominant as a week ago, some South Siders are worrying. Sounds like you can add Ozzie to that list, who would rather poke fun at Sweet Lou's weight than answer the baseball questions.

Murton Up, Patterson Down

Paul Sullivan of Chicagosports.com has reported that the Cubs have called up Matt Murton and sent Eric Patterson down. This could be, as Lou suggests, because the Cubs called up to left-handed players when Soriano went down. Or it could be, as the rest of the universe suggests, because the Cubs are attempting to trade Murton, hoping to maximize his value by calling him up for a month or so.

Konerko on the DL

This year has been strange enough for Paulie K., but yesterday something happened to him that he had never experienced...a trip to the disabled list. Scot Gregor reports from the Daily Herald that Konerko will take his first ever trip to the DL for a strained oblique muscle he suffered while batting in the indoor cages at the Sox home field. 15 days should be about it, and they're not going to miss his lackluster production.

Who To Take?

BEASLEY VS. ROSE

With the first overall pick in the draft, the Chicago Bulls can put themselves on the fast track to the finals if they make the right pick. Assuming they don't trade the pick, they've got two can't-miss prospects to choose from, however both players would play at solidified or crowded positions on the Bulls current roster. Let's start by going over the current players.

PG - Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon, JamesOn Curry
SG - Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon, Thabo Sefolosha, Shannon Brown
SF - Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni, Demetris Nichols
PF - Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas, Cedric Simmons
C - Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray

Now of course, you can only have 12 players on an active roster, and the Bulls will add two in the draft. That would put this current total at 17, meaning five would have to be cut, no re-signed, put on IR, or some other trick GM's can use to keep players under their control without having them on the active roster. Speculation of the five that would not be on the roster at the start of the season would be Chris Duhon (not re-signed), Shannon Brown (cut), Demetris Nichols (not re-signed), Cedric Simmons (cut), and one other player. This other player could be JamesOn Curry, who saw very little playing time in his rookie year, but it's just as likely someone is placed on the inactive list.

So now the question is, do you add Derrick Rose to a backcourt with Hinrich, Curry, Gordon, Hughes and Sefolosha? Or do you add Michael Beasley to a frontcourt with Deng, Nocioni, Gooden, Thomas, Noah and Gray?

Beasley was 3rd in the nation in scoring @ 26.7 points/game and was first in the nation in rebounding at 12.6 rebounds/game. Those numbers are hard to overlook, especially considering he was a freshman in a tough conference (Big 12). He's a complete player, who has range out to the 3-point line, and can be lethal with his back to the basket. He has the ability to finish with either hand. His range and skills would allow him to play either the SF or the PF positions, and he's the early favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors, regardless of where he gets drafted.

Rose was a freshman point guard for the NCAA Championship runner-up Memphis Tigers. Some think his best skills weren't showcased in the talent-loaded line-up Memphis put on the floor on a nightly basis. He can be a game-changer with his ability to drive and finish or drive and kick. He's a freakish athlete with a ton of upside.

Both players also have some red flags, as most 19 year old's do. Rose can get carried away and turnover prone at times, and isn't a great outside shooter. Beasley's not known for his defense and won't always show up in a big game situation (see NCAA Tournament game against SoCal).

Weighing all the positives and negatives against both players, you can see how tough of a call this is going to be for VDN and Co. Given the way the NBA is going right now with young guns such as Chris Paul, Deron Williams et al. my vote will go to Derrick Rose for the Bulls pick. He won't be as polished coming out of the gate, but I think will have the better overall career. He's got the big men he can toss the 'oop to (anyone else pictuing Rose-to-Tyrus?) and the shooters around him that can help make him a star. Hinrich or Gordon one will be traded, the other will play in the SG spot with Hughes. DR's ability to create and make the players around him better can't be overlooked here, and the Bulls will be back in the playoffs next season with this pick.

More AJ Burnett

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has more for us this morning. A quote from AJ himself:
''As of right now I'm a Blue Jay, and I'm going to pitch to the best of my ability as long as I'm part of this club,'' he said. ''But if something were to happen and I'd have the opportunity to go to a place where baseball is breakfast, lunch and dinner, that would be awesome.
''Right now my focus is with this club, but if something like that were to happen, I'd accept it with open arms.''

Burnett seems ready to get out, and has been pitching decent lately. However, the Jays are only 6 games out of the wild card race, and it's too early for any GM to give up on his team just yet.

Cubs scouting their own loss?

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has said that the Cubs may have actually gained something out of a loss last night, as they were keeping a close eye on Blue Jays starter AJ Burnett. Burnett is due $12MM a year through 2010, and the Jays will most likely be shopping him hard. There's probably better deals to be made by the Cubs for that price, but they wouldn't have to give up as many prospects.

Loaiza not released after all...

According to the AP on ESPN.com, Esteban Loaiza was not in fact released, but is headed to the DL with shoulder inflammation. I guess Kenny Williams didn't want to send him packing when he's get 3 innings under his belt for the White Sox.

Sox Serious about Lofton?

Jason Stark of ESPN has heard that the White Sox have put in the most serious bid for Kenny Lofton, but he balked at the idea of only getting paid $1 - 2 MM. It'd be nice to see Lofton back in a big league uniform...maybe an incentive-laden deal could get him in? Comments?

Scott Podsednik seeing Cubbie Blue?

Troy Renck of the Denver Post had an interesting tidbit of information today. Now that Ryan Spilborghs has been promoted up to the bigs, someone has to be sent down, shipped out, or just cut completely. Renck noted that the Cubs have been putting together a list of available left-handed hitting OF's, and Scott Podsednik may be on that list. Podsednik is only batting .222 in 90 at bats this season, but Cubs fans may look back to 2005 when he was a fixture on the South Side. He'd be relatively cheap, and could be productive. It would be another low-risk, high-reward type of acquisition, but one has to wonder how many of those type of players we can have in one outfield.

Loaiza to be released by Sox

Esteban Loaiza will be released today, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Loaiza signed with the White Sox just a few days ago, but had virtually no speed on his fastball in his 3 innings of work in a Sox uniform. Adam Russell, LRP, will be called up to take his place. Russell is currently 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA this season in Charlotte.

Cubs ink Ben Broussard

According to ESPN 1000 Radio, via mlbtraderumors.com, the Cubs have signed IF/OF Ben Broussard to a minor league deal. Broussard had batted .159 in 26 games with Texas earlier this season. Though the Cubs weren't thought to be in the mix for Broussard 24 hours ago, but the injury to Alfonso Soriano may have prompted Jim Hendry to find some LF help. Personally, I'm not sure playing Broussard is a better idea than pulling Felix Pie back up and giving him some more time. It will be interesting, however, to see the Cubs OF on days Fukudome gets off over the next month. There's a strong chance that on those days the Cubs will start 3 outfielders that weren't on the opening day roster (Reed Johnson, Broussard, Jim Edmonds).

VDN's Press Conference

Here it is, compliments of Bulls.com

http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/press_conf/pc08_bulls_delnegro_080611.asx

Bears rollin' with Bentley?

Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that LeCharles Bentley (cut by the Browns on Tuesday) has deemed himself "healthy, ready to play, ready to return to his Pro Bowl level," and could clear the lane for rookie RB Matt Forte and make his transition to NFL starter a much smoother ride. Several teams will be interested in Bentley, who hasn't played a down in two years due to three different injuries. Schefter notes that "Arizona, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Oakland and Pittsburgh" will all be interested parties.

Urlacher's Unexpected Appearance

Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Sun-Times has a good article up today that speaks of positive news in Bear Nation (something we've not heard too much of in quite some time). First off, Brian Urlacher showed up to the OTA's yesterday, a move that was more than unexpected due to the contract disputes between him and the team. This was thought to be done as a "goodwill gesture" from Urlacher, possibly trying to open up the lines of communication. This appears to be a very smart move by Brian; taking the high road when it's possible.

Alex Brown had a great quote about Urlacher. When he was asked what it meant to have Urlacher in camp, he responded, ''It's like [asking] what does it mean to have gas in the car?'' Brown said. ''It ain't going to go unless the gas is in the car. He's the man, and it's great to have him out here.''

Also good news reported by Mulligan, player's agent Drew Rosenhaus (who represents Tommie Harris) showed his face around Halas Hall last yesterday, presumably to discuss an extension for the big DT.

Soriano to miss up to 6 weeks.

After an inside pitch hit Soriano in Wednesday night's game against the Braves., an X-Ray showed a broken bone in his left hand. This is a huge hit for the Cubs, as they lose not only their leadoff man and left fielder, but their homerun leader and a guy with 40 rbi's early in this season. This was not an intentional beaning; Soriano was down in the count and the pitch simply got away from Jeff Bennett. Soriano's expected to be out for 6 weeks. This really hurts the Cubs chances of moving way up on the NL-C while Albert Pujols is out, as Soriano's expected time off is twice as long. A speedy recovery is wished and prayed for Soriano, a typically quick healer.