The White Sox were finally able to pull off a deal to get Jake Peavy to Chicago.  The trade sent Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter, and Adam Russell to San Diego for the former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy.  On the surface this deal seems like a great move for the Sox but it may not work out too well in the end.  Currently Peavy sits on the DL and could return by late August according to various reports.  If the Sox don’t lose too much ground before then they can really do some damage with what would be the best rotation in the AL Central.

Based on some initial reactions from fans, it seems the approval of the trade is 50/50.  There are concerns that Peavy will not be able to dominate AL hitters like he did in the NL while pitching in a pitchers friendly park.  Second, it’s rumored that he may be a long way off from returning from the DL.  There also appear to be concerns over his durability, which is surprising considering he has on average started over 30 games his last 6 seasons with a low of 27.  Generally, he is in a healthy condition.

Overall, the Sox made a pretty good deal here considering who they gave up to bring a Cy Young winner to the team.  If he ends up not pitching at all this year or not pitching well due to the injury, the White Sox can look forward to having him healthy next season and benefiting from a big time rotation.

Time will tell if this deal was beneficial for the White Sox.  There was some potential with Clayton Richard, but Jake Peavy is a Cy Young winner with great talent at only 28 years old.  If he can’t help the team this year, the future will determine whether or not this deal was worth making or not.  His numbers may not be the same now that he will be pitching in the AL, but he still ads an element that the Sox needed in their rotation and on their team as a whole.

The big day is finally right around the corner.  Tomorrow, July 31, the Bears report for their first practice of the long anticipated training camp.  With training camp come numerous questions that surround the Bears team this year.  Here are a few things to look out for this training camp:

1. Jay Cutler. This one is a no brainer.  Every single Bears fan has been itching to see him in full practice.  We know he can play ball, but is he going to be able to lead this offense to a playoff caliber?  Even with the lack of receivers, he still has some weapons in Matt Forte and Greg Olsen.   Cutler and Olsen have already developed a good relationship, and hopefully that continues onto the field.  If so, we could see Greg playing in the pro bowl this year.  The other question, will Cutler be able to get a lot out of the Bears inexperienced receivers?  A good quarterback can get good production out of mediocre receivers and the Bears are going to need that for success.  Devin Hester should be in for a decent year but more important is to also get production from the 2 and 3 receivers.  If Cutler can get these young guys going, us fans are in for a treat this season.
2. Defensive Line. A key to the Bears defensive success is the defensive line.  Last season, there were countless third and longs that were converted simply because the Bears could not produce a good pass rush.  This off-season they have brought in Rod Marinelli to coach the D-line.  The success on defense starts with the line and hopefully Marinelli can get them moving in the right direction.  Tommie Harris is another important factor.  If healthy, he can be an absolute monster.  The problem is at time he doesn’t seem to be giving a full effort.  This season, he needs to get down to business and cause havoc in those trenches so our LBs and secondary can have it a bit easier.  Similarly, the ends need to be more of a dominant force.  Alex Brown led the team with 6 sacks last season and Ogunleye totaled 5.  Both of them need to be getting to the quarterback more to take pressure off the rest of the defense.
3. Brian Urlacher. How is Brian Urlacher going to perform this season?  It has been reported that he is close to the best shape of his career, but how much of that is simply a product of the “Bears PR Machine?”  Regardless, Urlacher needs to perform at a high level this season and the defense performance highly depends on it.  If Urlacher can get back to pro bowl form and the defensive line improves, this defense will be tough to beat.
4. Secondary. With Tillman already expected to miss some training camp action at the least, the Bears secondary is even weaker than previously advertised.  Nathan Vasher needs to stay healthy and get back to his old ballhawk form, otherwise it is time to place him on the bench and let some of the younger players get some time.  The safety position is where I feel the Bears are weakest.  Kevin Payne is serviceable, but he needs to learn to wrap up a ball carrier and not go for the knockout hit each time.  Daniel Manning is slated to start training camp at free safety.  He has great athletic ability, but that does not make up for his lack of skill and instincts at the safety position.  They also plan to move him to the nickel position and move Steltz to free safety on passing downs.  I like Steltz but have too many memories of him getting run over by running backs, both last season and at LSU.  If he is going to be in on passing downs, he needs to display good instincts and a nose for the ball otherwise teams will pick him apart.  Last season the Bears ranked 30th in pass yards allowed.  If that doesn’t improve they will be in for a very long season.
5. Offensive Line. With the addition of Orlando Pace, the Bears definitely improved the line this year.  If he can stay healthy and Chris Williams succeeds on the other side, this line should be more than enough to open holes for Forte and protect Cutler.  Josh Beekman will battle Frank Omiyale for the left guard spot.  Who is the answer here?  Beekman started all 16 games last season but he really needs to step up his game or he risks losing his job.  The left guard options are not ideal, but the rest of the line should be solid enough to hold up and do its job well overall.

Of course there are other areas to focus on in training camp, but those previous 5 are worth keeping an eye on as well.

Also, keep an eye on the potential rift between Urlacher and Cutler.  Matt Williams at Blog Chicago Sports thinks that it is no big deal if the two stars hate each other.  Personally, I disagree and feel that they need to get along in order to bring success to the team.  Matt says as long as the Bears can win, who cares if they don’t play nice.  Very true.  But, I don’t think winning will come easily if the two are at odds with each other.  They need to get their act together and do what is best for the team.  Get along, play hard, and win.  It is a team effort out there after all.

The NFC North division is wide open right now, and it really does seem like the Bears have the best chance at winning it.  They have the quarterback, the running game, and a defense that plays good enough to win ball games.  No other team in the division has all of those key areas figured out.  The Packers will be lucky to play any good defense this year with the switch to the 3-4 and the Vikings QB situation is reminiscent of the Bears in years past.

Good luck to the Bears in camp.  Let’s hope the injury bug stays away so we can hit the ground running with all our starters on the field.  Bear down!

White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle just wrote himself into the history books by throwing the 18th perfect game in baseball history.  I was only able to catch the last 3 innings of his work but could easily tell he had some of the best stuff any pitcher has brought to the mound.  He was in complete control and dominating hitters like it was nothing.

This has big implications for Mark.  Currently, he is sitting on 132 career wins at age 30.  He will unlikely reach the coveted 300 wins that the Hall of Fame tends to look for.  However, with a world series ring, a no hitter, and  a perfect game under his belt, he is as good a candidate as anyone if he can keep winning.

Also, he should be taking Dewayne Wise out for dinner tonight after Wise robbed Gabe Kapler of a home run to keep the perfect game.  Maybe he should buy him some hitting lessons as well.  It was a great catch indeed, but I thought hawk needed to settle down after calling it the greatest catch he had ever seen.  Luckily, he did and eventually called it the greatest catch under the circumstances.  I can’t disagree with Hawk on that one.

Today was a fine display of pitching dominance.  Congrats to Buehrle.

Although he is entering the season as the Bears primary receiver, Devin Hester is especially excited and eager to return kicks.  Most importantly, he is looking to bounce back from his 2008 season where he failed to return any kicks back for touchdowns.

According to a recent article on ChicagoBears.com, Hester is going to try to benefit from more experienced special teams blockers this season.  Also, he is striving to focus on more north/south running.

Running north might be the most important thing for Hester to focus on this season in the return game.  Last season, it was obvious he was trying to break a long return each time by cutting sideways too often and dancing all over the field, only to lose 3 yards and or fumble the ball.  According to the article, Devin agrees that more northbound running is the key, but let’s see if he can stick to that game plan.  I certainly don’t expect him to break a touchdown on each return as I would rather see him pick up a few yards each time, and maybe then find some space in the open field.

In other Bears news, training camp is 10 days away.  I have never in my life been this excited for a Bears season to begin.  There is just such a great buzz surrounding the team, almost all due to the Jay Cutler acquisition.  This is a big season for sure.  The fans have high expectations, and jobs may be on the line if the Bears fail to live up to the expectations.

Although it was only against the Nationals, a four game sweep is impressive no matter what.  For the Cubs, this series sweep couldn’t come at a better time as they now sit in second place in the division.

The Cubs played some pretty good baseball this weekend, with good pitching and timely hitting leading the easy sweep of the Nats.  Maybe more importantly though is Alfonoso Soriano hitting homeruns on both Saturday and Sunday.  If his bat is finally starting to heat up, this Cubs team is going to roll like none other, especially with Derek Lee in the groove that he is in.

Today, Jake Fox went 3 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBIs.  He really needs to be in the lineup more often, even though his defense can be a bit shaky.  Maybe he could get some games in at right field with Milton Bradley struggling.

Again, it may only be against the Nationals, but a 4 game series sweep was the perfect way to start the second half of the season.  Next up is a 3 game series in Philadelphia and then back to Chicago for a nice 7 game homestand against the Reds and Astros.  The Phillies should be a good test to see how the Cubs pitching can hold up against a very strong offense.

The All-Star break is finally here.  Meanwhile, both Chicago baseball teams are struggling to play good consistent ball and take control of their respective divisions.  The Cubs and Sox have both clearly underperformed this season, but they are both in position to make a run in the second half of the season.

I just don’t see it happening for either team though.  If the Cubs can get their offense rolling, they should be able to capture the division because it is so weak.  However, I fear that their offensive struggles will continue for the remainder of the season.  Analysts keep saying that it will turn around, but I think that is just blind hope.  The struggles could very easily continue.  As far as the Sox are concerned, they just need to play more consistent baseball, starting with their starting rotation.  Floyd and Danks have been under performing a bit, and Contreras is shaky at best.  Contreras has had some good starts recently, but over the course of the remaining season he will continue to struggle.

Mid-Season Awards

MVP: Jermaine Dye.

Jermaine Dye is hitting .302, with 20 homers and 55 RBIs.  How he didn’t make the All-Star roster just goes to show how ridiculous the voting is, especially when Josh Hamilton got in with his .243 average, 6 home runs and 24 RBIs.  Dye has been on a roll all season long, and is one of few bright spots that the Sox offense has this season.

Cy Young: Ted Lilly

As Matt Williams wrote at Blog Chicago Sports, Mark Buehrle has the edge in the win loss stat (9-3 vs 9-6), but Lilly has the numbers in most other categories.  Ted Lilly has the advantage in strikeouts, walks, ERA, WHIP, and BAA.  Lilly is holding batters to a .242 average compared to Buehrle’s .260.  Also, each pitcher has started 18 games, with Lilly earning 14 quality starts and Buehrle only 11.  Arguments will be made for Buehrle, but looking at the numbers, you can’t argue against Lilly.

Rookie of the Year: Randy Wells

This one is a no brainer.  Wells has simply been great for the Cubs this year, posting a 2.72 ERA, a 4-4 record, and a WHIP of 1.12.  The win-loss record is deceiving though.  In Wells’ first two starts he did not allow a run and did not factor into the decision due to a lack of Cub hitting.  In his next two starts, he allowed a combined 5 runs (all earned) in a combined 14 innings.  Early on he just wasn’t getting the run support from the Cubs offense.  If the offense was able to get him some support, he could easily have a 6-2 record or even better.

Most Improved Player: Paul Konerko

After a disappointing season last year, Konerko has turned it around and is again a serious offensive threat.  He is batting .302, with 16 long balls and 60 RBIs.  He is only 3 RBIs away from passing his 2008 total of 62.

Coach of the Year: None

Lou Piniella does not have a shot at this award, especially after leaving Soriano in the lead off spot well after his struggles were beyond embarassing.  Ozzie Guillen also does not deserve consideration simply because when his team is struggling he feels it is more important to be criticizing other ball parks and teams.  That’s definitely great managing.

As the Cubs struggles continue, so have the hitting troubles of Alfonso Soriano .  As of now he is batting .231, with 14 homers and 32 RBIs.  What is with this lack of production?  Well, among other things, maybe Soriano is older than his listed 33 years of age.  Keep in mind he is from the Domincan Republic, the same country that Vlad Guerrero and Miguel Tejada are from.  If you recall, Vlad and Miggy were caught a few years back for shaving years off their ages.  This is actually pretty common among Domincan.

Perhaps Soriano is a bit older than 33, maybe as old as 35 or 36.  Players at age 35 and 36 can still be quite effective, evidenced by Miguel Tejada at age 35.  However, Soriano could have been affected differently by the aging process and his skills might have started to deteriorate at an accelerated pace.

Again, this is pure speculation, but it is definitely something that could prove to be true since it is such a common theme among the Domincan players.  I do feel his struggles at the plate have a lot more to do with other factors, but a false younger age could have a legitimate effect as well.

The Blachhawks took a big step forward today by signing veteran winger Marian Hossa to a 12 year deal.  He became an unrestricted free agent today and the Hawks were quick to grab him before he could get away.  A 4 time all star, Hossa scored 40 goals and added 31 assists this past season.

This is a great move for the hawks.  As we could see from last season, the Hawks are right among the top teams in the NHL and are extremely close to winning it all.  Hossa gives the Hawks a much needed veteran presence as they gear up for another playoff push.  Also, he has the elite talent to help the Hawks make the final jump and bring home a Stanley Cup.

Another exciting year for Blackhawks hockey is clearly on the horizon.  This year however they won’t be coming up short.  Go Hawks!