Midwestern Banter

CHICAGO — Another draft is in the books, and amazingly Chicago Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo stuck to his plan of addressing his team’s most dire needs.

 

With an offense ranked 27^th in the league last season, Angelo finally realized that the most glaring problems weren’t at quarterback or running back, but the offensive line. So with the 14^th overall pick, the Bears selected Vanderbilt offensive tackle, Chris Williams. At 6-foot-6, 315 pounds, Williams should be able to help provide Rex Grossman the protection he needs to get the ball down the field.  The team added two more linemen – Chester Adams (Georgia) and Kirk Barton (Ohio State) — in the seventh round counting the most offensive linemen the Bears have taken in a single draft since current center Olin Kreutz was picked up in 1998.

 

And despite confusing a number of fans by not using one of their 11 remaining picks to jump up and select Chicago Area native and former Fighting Illini running back Rashard Mendenhall, the Bears used the 44^th overall pick to take what looks like an exciting playmaker in Tulane running back Matt Forte. He will no doubt create competition for Cedric Benson.

 

“I felt like our running game was one of the weak spots on our football team,” Angelo told the team’s website. “He gives us a big back, a three-down back. He’s got enough speed to get to the outside and he has the ability to make people miss at the second level. Those are two areas where we could really never find any consistency, which made us an easy team to defend from my perspective.”

 

Angelo also finally admitted that perhaps Benson didn’t turn out to be the back the Bears thought they drafted in 2005.

 

“Maybe he’s not the featured back we thought he’d be. He played well as a complementary back with Thomas [Jones]. When we thought we were starting to see a little something [last season], then he breaks his ankle. I felt that we needed to make sure that we protected that position.”

 

Now with four running backs on the roster, surely the Bears can find a combination that will help balance out the offense. But perhaps the best offensive pickup in terms of skill players came on Day 2 when the Bears gave Grossman another weapon in Vanderbilt receiver Earl Bennett.  

 

With little help at quarterback, Bennett became the SEC’s all-time leading receiver in just three years, and has drawn comparisons to Hines Ward.  Just when the Bears seemed to have thrown away any chance of having an air attack in 2008, they added a playmaker to complement Marty Booker, Brandon Lloyd, the still unproven Mike Haas, and assuming he can learn the offense, deep threat Devin Hester. This is all assuming the line gives Grossman time to throw.

 

“If you watch the tape, he comes up big every game,” Bears’ director of college scouting Greg Gabriel told the team’s website. “He was their go-to-guy. Everybody knew that’s who they were going to throw to … yet he still came up with big catches.”

 

Despite Angelo declaring a need for more competition at the quarterback position, and expressing the desire to carry up to four next season, the Bears exhausted 12 picks without drafting a signal caller. But with added protection on the line, they might not be in horrible shape. Top prospects that could make their way onto the Bears roster as free agents are Colorado State quarterback Caleb Hanie, and Southern Illinois University product Nick Hill. A lot of experts seem to think both have a future in the NFL. They are both worth a shot. Still not convinced? Last I checked, a former Eastern Illinois University standout isn’t doing too badly for himself after joining the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent.

 

*Other notable picks that might turn into positive additions include defensive tackle Marcus Harrison (Arkansas), speedy and hard-hitting safety Craig Steltz (LSU), 6-foot-7 tight end Kellen Davis (Michigan State), and 6-4 wide receiver Marcus Monk (Arkansas).

 

 

CHICAGO — This is your year Cubbies. No, really. Ronny Cedeno said so.

 

As much as Uncle Lou hated to hear it, Cedeno uttered the two words that no team should even think about in April: World Series.

 

This is the team’s best start since 1995 (finished with a record of 73-71), and much congratulations should be given to the Northsiders for picking up win No. 10,000. As much as the franchise loves to hang onto the Loveable Loser tag, it is only the second franchise in Major League Baseball history to accomplish the feat.

 

That’s right. Despite 26 World Championships, not even the New York Yankees have reached 10K.

 

Where were we … Oh yeah, the World Series.

 

The Cubs have won two in 101 years with this representing the 100^th anniversary of the last time they celebrated a title. Twenty-two different teams have claimed titles since 1908, and 25 franchises have at least made an appearance since 1945 – the last time the Cubs showed up for the party. In fact, of the current 30 Major League Baseball teams, only three have never made it to the Series. The Tampa Bay Rays have only been in the league since 1998, and the Seattle Mariners have made it without a trip in its 31 years in the league. An argument could be made for the Washington Nationals – formerly known as the Montreal Expos – who were well on their way with an All-Star lineup in 1994. And the Texas Rangers won the Series in 1924 as the Washington Senators.

 

So maybe this is your year. Everyone else seems to think so. The bleachers are rowdier than ever, and the Cubs currently have a 1.5 game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central.

 

They also currently lead the National League in runs scored (135), hits (226), and batting average (.284), and are second in RBI (125) and total bases (363). They have arguably been one of the hottest teams in baseball winning nine of their last 10 games.

 

Ironically, the streak came following a freak injury by Alfonso Soriano.  The Cubs are hands down a much better team with Reed Johnson in the lineup as the leadoff hitter, but don’t tell Lou. He has already confirmed that as soon as Soriano is healthy, he will be back in left field and batting at the top of the lineup.

 

Are you serious? Why would you tinker with a lineup that has shocked the baseball world and made you the hottest topic since Barry Bonds. You’ve even managed to help Bears fans forget about the whining Brian Urlacher – the “underappreciated” Brian Urlacher — who wants to redo his contract for more money, but can’t decide whether to take off for Italy or Mexico before reporting to Bourbonnais. I’m sure once he decides, you can go to FoxSports.com to find out the details.

 

Maybe Marty Brennaman was right in saying that the Cubs would find a way to “screw this whole thing up.”

 

Do you think it was coincidence that just as Soriano was seen in Colorado doing running drills and playing long toss, the Cubs streak came to an end with a 4-2 loss? I remember a time when teams used to only dream of having a guy like Soriano in the lineup. Now the NL Central should be looking forward to his return. Reed Johnson might have been one of the most expendable guys on the Blue Jays roster, but he is the spark that lit a fire under this Cubs team. The stats speak for themselves:

 

 

			Player			G		AB		R		H		2B		3B		HR		RBI		TB		BB		SO		SB		CS		OBP		SLG		AVG
			Reed Johnson			18		61		9		19		3		0		0		9		22		5		5		1		2		.394		.361		.311
			Alonso Soriano			13		57		7		10		1		0		2		5		17		4		11		2		0		.230		.298		.175

 

 

The bottom line, Cubs fans, is that if Lou follows through with his plans to reorder the lineup that got his team to the top of the division, you can forget about a World Series and start looking like a new manager. Piniella will be driven out of the Windy City faster than Dusty Baker.

 

 

BOSTON — From outsourcing jobs to creating debt in China, the United States has single-handedly benefited the economies of countries across the globe.

 

It happened again on Monday to the tune of $150,000. But rather than complain about “giving away money” while many Americans are struggling to pay bills, the latest such event is deserving of a celebration.

 

Instead of an uproar of hatred over positively contributing to the welfare of other nations, Kenyan runner Robert Cheruiyot was greeted by cheers of encouragement from spectators lining the streets of Wellesley and Newton.

 

After risking his life for months in order to train in the middle of the tribal violence that consumes his country, Cheruiyot won his third straight Boston Marathon and became only the fourth runner in the history of the event to ever win four titles. He finish the 26.2 mile race in two hours, seven minutes, 46 seconds (just short of the 2:07:14 course record he set in 2006), and did it with virtually no competition.

 

“This was the hardest,” Cheruiyot told the Boston Globe. “Boston is not a very easy course, it’s very difficult. [But] I enjoy running the hills.”

 

“It’s very difficult when you’re running alone here in Boston,” he continued. ”You need company.”

 

Cheruiyot finished one minute, 18 seconds ahead of second place finisher Abderrahime Bouramdane. And if that doesn’t impress you, consider the fact that despite starting 30 minutes after the women, Cheruiyot passed all but four women runners en route to picking up his $150,000 check.

 

Yes, you heard correctly — $150,000. That’s mere pocket change for most pro athletes, but hands down more than the average person makes in a two-year span. Now he can take his third check in as many years back to his family in Kenya which he comfortably supports on the equivalent of $350 a month. I’m sure he won’t have many financial woes to contend with anytime soon. But his main concern now turns to the Beijing Olympics this summer.

 

Meanwhile, the obesity rate in the United States continues to rise and a predominately lazy population could only dream of running five miles. Never mind a marathon. The chances might be small, but think of the extra cash a relatively average person could make by simply staying in shape.

 

Fitness levels of the sedentary aside, the U.S. Olympic committee might be screwing itself over as a result of scheduling conflicts.

 

This year, with eight months separating the events, the men were given an option of participating in both the Marathon Trials and Track Trials. The women, on the other hand, did not have the same luxury. With the women’s Track and Field Trials coming up in June in Eugene, Ore., the women not only had to choose between running in either the distance Track Trials and the Marathon Trials, but were also forced out of any possibility of running the 112th Boston Marathon.

 

The women’s Marathon Trials were held this past Sunday, a day before Boston, preventing favorites such as Deena Kastor and Blake Russell from taking a stab at the $150,000 purse (the Marathon Trials prize is considerably less at $50,000). Jen Rhines and Katie McGregor, who also have top-five marathon qualifying times, chose to sit out of both events in order to focus on the 5000 and 10,000 meter runs in Eugene. Not only does the scheduling conflict prevent the U.S. Olympic committee from putting its best runners on the course at the Olympic Games, it takes away from the drama and excitement of seeing the best possible race in all respective events. The end result was the closest finish in the history of the women’s Boston Marathon. It was an exciting finish. But seeing the names left off of the list begs the question of whether we saw the best race on Monday.

 

This is not fair to the fans or the athletes, and adds fuel to the argument that we are not necessarily seeing the best athletes in the world compete at the Olympics.

 

 

*Kastor (2:29:35) finished first in the Olympic Marathon Trials and will be joined this summer by Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (2:30:19) and Russell (2:32:40) who finished second and third respectively. Zoila Gomez placed fourth and will be an alternate on the U.S. women’s marathon team.

 

  

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays front office appears to be as impatient as a collegiate Athletic Director.

 

Win or go home..or at least somewhere besides here.

 

That’s the message Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi delivered to future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. The longtime Chicago White Sox first baseman turned Designated Hitter is officially out of the Blue Jays organization.

 

After being told he would be taken out of the lineup and, at least temporarily, inserted as a part-time player, Thomas resorted to similar antics that drove him out of Chicago. Rather than working with management and finding his way out of an early season slump (.167 average, 3 homers, 11 RBIs), he agreed that the best option was to part ways with the Toronto franchise on Sunday.

 

“I’m angry,” Thomas told the Toronto Star. “I know I can help this team. My career isn’t going to end like this.”

 

Jays manager John Gibbons contends that sitting the slumping Thomas was the only option if his team has any chance of keeping pace with perennial AL East powers Boston and New York. Toronto (10-9) is currently 2.5 games out of first place behind Boston (13-7) and Baltimore (11-8), and a half game ahead of the mediocre Yankees (10-10).

 

Thomas, however, thinks there were other motives behind his release — like helping pay for renovations made to Rogers Centre. The 39-year old slugger needed only 304 more at bats (1,000 total plate appearance between the 2007-08 seasons) to qualify his contract agreement that would have guaranteed a $10 million salary for next season.

 

“When I talked to Frank, the one thing I mentioned to him was that, ‘Your role will probably be diminished and, just knowing you, I don’t think you’re going to be happy in that role,’ ” Ricciardi told MLB.com. “He said he wouldn’t be happy in that role, so he thought the best bet was just to move on.”

 

After a similar start last season, Thomas led the team with 26 homers and 95 RBIs. In a young season in which the Blue Jays are in the mix, you still have to wonder if money played into the decision to bench the DH.

 

Thomas isn’t the only AL East DH that is off to a bad start. In fact, he currently has better numbers than Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Ortiz has started the season a disappointing 12-for-75 with 2 home runs, 12 RBIs, and 15 strike outs. His .160 average, .267 on base percentage, and .240 slugging percentage are also lower than the former Blue Jay. But Boston has yet to show any signs of releasing Big Pappy.

 

If Ricciardi and Gibbons were afraid of Thomas turning into a clubhouse poison, their best bet is to stay on the good side of recent acquisition Scott Rolen. The primary reason Rolen is in Toronto is because he couldn’t get along with the management of his two former employers.

 

Despite winning Gold Gloves and Rookie of the Year honors in Philadelphia, the third-baseman had frequent spats with the Phillies skipper and demanded a trade. And his tenure in St. Louis under Tony LaRussa ended in similar fashion. All it took was being benched during the 2006 playoffs in an effort to rest an injury to jumpstart controversy in the Cardinals dugout.

 

Now that Rolen is finally back from his latest rehab assignment, get ready for sparks to fly in Toronto. And as for talks of picking up Barry Bonds, forget about it. If Ricciardi goes through with the rumors, get ready for the Blue Jays to be the most negatively publicized club this year. The Steinbrenners might actually have some competition in 2008. Be on the lookout for reports of a Frank Thomas jersey buried underneath Rogers Centre.