Top Ten things you'll never hear Chicago coaches say

Chicago is home to a diverse group of professional coaches. We are lucky to have Ozzie Guillen’s colorfulness and Lou Piniella’s bluntness, while not so fortunate to have Lovie Smith’s dryness and Vinny Del Negro’s cluelessness.

I would greatly enjoy chatting with Guillen or Piniella, but I wouldn’t be nearly as keen about talking with Smith or Del Negro. All I would probably find out from those two is that the Bears went 9-7 last year and that Derrick Rose is really good.

With all that said, here are 10 things you’ll never hear our town’s head coaches say. Because Ozzie is the face of the Sox, and because without him they would be a pretty boring team, he dominates this list.

Ozzie Guillen

10.“Alexei, did you drink your Slim-Fast today?”

Lovie Smith
9. (Responding to a reporter’s critical question) “That’s a bunch of …….. You’re an … ….”

Joel Quenneville

8. “All this coverage we’re getting is starting to be a bit too much."

Lou Piniella
7. “Division championships are all that really matter in this town anyway.”

Vinny Del Negro
6. “Joakim, why didn’t you take the open 12-footer?”

Ozzie
5. “The inside back page of the Sun-Times just isn’t the same anymore.”

Lovie
4. “We need Ron Rivera back.”

Ozzie
3. “Why can’t we play the Cubs more than six times every season?”

Vinny
2. “This Bulls job is just a stepping stone for me.”

Ozzie
1. “Hey Bartolo, go easy on the salad. And give that treadmill a break.”

Top Ten stats the Sox need to improve in 2009

A week ago Eli came up with a fine list explaining 10 stats the Cubs need to improve on. And if there are ten things that the Northsiders need to work on, there must be at least 25 stats the Sox need to improve. So I spent a few hours scanning good ole' Baseball-Reference for some interesting numbers. Below are ten of the most glaring.

10. Alexei's slow start, finish



While his April's .121 batting average can be chalked up to having never played in cold conditions and overall inexperience, there is really no excuse for his .211 average in September, a month they really needed him. An interesting number however was his eight base on balls in the final month of the year; nearly half of his season's walk. While it isn't necessary to have a huge April, it would be nice if Alexei could at least double last season's first month to get himself and the team on the right foot.

9. Jim Thome's batting average



I don't mind when the power hitters strike out a whole lot, because after all, they are power hitters. They go big or go home. While it is not imperative, improving on last season's .245 average could go a long way for the team. Even if it was just ten points. While there are so many other ways he makes up for it (.362 OBP, 34 homers, 90 RBI, 93 runs), his hitting could play a large role in the success of the team.

8. Team errors



Though a little less than 1/5 of those errors were because of Joe Crede, who is now in Minnesota, last year's 108 errors ranked 3rd highest in the AL. If not for Texas' 132 errors, the team would probably need to start going to some of their own Sox Academy sessions over the summer. Joey Cora has been working with the infielders this season to shore up some of the problems.

7. Paul Konerko's offensive numbers



Last season was simply horrendous for Paulie, who is maybe the most beloved Sox player of this decade. For the majority of the year, he looked like a power hitter who lost his ability to drive the ball (kind of a problem, no?). If not for returning from injury and having a vastly improved August and September, his .240 average with 22 homers and 62 RBI would have all been significantly lower. Not to mention he probably would have been written off all together by the fans. Let's hope this preseason power continues.

6. Gavin Floyd's homers allowed



While it isn't as bad as Ted Lilly's 32 homers allowed last year, Floyd's 30 is nothing to be proud of. The team cannot afford the former fourth overall pick to relapse. While he still won 17 games including two near no-hitters, if he can cut that number down to even 20, we would see drastic improvements in his stats.

5. Team batting average



I realize team batting average can be overrated, especially when Tampa finished last season with the second lowest average in the AL. But they found other ways to manufacture runs. The Sox finished with a .263 average, good for 11th in AL, only three points higher than the Rays. There need to be more people on base for their plethora of bashers to drive in.

4. Scott Linebrink's second half ERA



For the first half of last year, Scott Linebrink was everything and more of what they asked for when they paid him big bucks to be a middle reliever. His 2.37 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in the first half last year was phenomenal. But his numbers after the break were an entire acronym of the first half, almost entirely because of injury (9.72 in only eight innings). The Sox need him healthy as well as unstoppable in order to compete.

3. Baserunning



The Sox need to know their role when it comes to stealing bases. People like to say that they're not a base stealing team because of the power. But that isn't necessarily true. They were towards the bottom in attempts, yes. But they were also second-to-last with 67 safely-stolen bags. And were right at the AL average of bases stolen (League average was 35, they were caught 34 times). All these numbers total an AL-worst 66% safe attempts. This tells me one of two things. They should either totally stop running, or bring in somebody who can fill Ozzie's knack for trying to move his guys (preferably not named Jerry Owens) from base to base.

2. Blown leads



In all the time I spent looking for stats, this was the most interesting number I found. Last year the southsiders were 64-14 when leading before the 6th, 68-9 when leading before the 7th, 72-7 when leading before the 8th and 78-2 when leading before the 9th. That is a lot of information to digest, but it says that if they can get to the 7th inning with a lead, chances are pretty good they'll win. The problem comes most often in the 6th, which isn't that hard to believe (typically a starter is tailing off and the strong relievers aren't going to come in until later innings). But if they can eliminate that mid-game slump in the 6th, chances are good.

1. Leadoff hitters on-base percentage



Orlando Cabrera led off 128 games last season, and while a .281 average is not horrendous, for a leadoff hitter it's subpar. Then to throw in that his OBP was a mere .334, it is easy to see where some of their run-production problems occurred. To add to this stat however, the only other player on the team to start in the 1-slot more than three times last season was Nick Swisher. I think we all know how that turned out.

Top Ten challenges the Bulls have faced this season

No team, from the eventual NBA champs to the ones praying on lottery ping-pong balls, has a smooth trip through an 82 game NBA season. It seems though that the Bulls have faced more hurdles than normal. Here are the ten toughest of those challenges.

10: Fan expectations

After the failures of 2007-08, when the Bulls were picked by many to win the Eastern Conference and ended up winning only 33 games, the expectations were lowered this year. Yet there’s always pressure on millionaires playing a game, especially ones for a team that is second in the NBA in home attendance. Add in call-in radio shows, newspaper columnists and blogs like this one, and it’s no surprise fans have affected the team’s play.

9: Inconsistent inside play

Outside of Eddy Curry’s 16 points per game in 2004-05, the Bulls haven’t been able to find consistent points in the paint since Scottie and Mike were finishing at the rim in the late ‘90s. That trend continued for much of this season, as Ty-Rise Thomas, Joakim Noah, Drew Gooden and Aaron Gray struggled to put the ball in the hoop. Winning games is hard enough with the other nine of these challenges, but even tougher when the supposed strength of your team- scoring points- has long stretches of ineffectiveness.

8: Tougher Eastern Conference

It’s still not as good as it’s Western counterpart, but the Eastern Conference continues to get stronger. Cleveland has the league’s best record, Orlando is a legit threat, D-Wade is having an amazing year in Miami, Atlanta has the league’s best collection of young talent, and oh yeah, Boston has a nice championship ring on its finger. The Bulls are somewhere in the middle of the pack, but will have a long climb to the top.

7: Larry Hughes

Hughes was so disruptive that he essentially became the 2009 version of Tim Thomas, who in 2005 was told by the Bulls to stay at home and not disturb the team. Eventually GM John Paxson found a team to take Hughes, trading him to the New York Knicks for, of course, Tim Thomas.

6: Limited depth

The short bench the Bulls have used for much of the season is connected to another entry on the list- see #2- but also due to a lack of quality players. Guards Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon each rank among the top 14 in the league in minutes played, which could be an issue down the stretch of the season if they begin to fatigue.

5: Major roster shakeup mid-season

On February 18, the Bulls swapped Andres Nocioni and Drew Gooden to the Sacramento Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons. The next day, Hughes was sent to the Knicks for Thomas and two injured bodies, while Thabo Sefelosha moved to Oklahoma City for a draft pick. Those deals could have caused big problems for the Bulls, but Miller and Salmons have been great additions and the team is 12-8 since the trades were made.

4: GM rumors

In the days following the trades, reports came out that Paxson was planning on resigning from his role as GM following the season. The rumors, which did not come from a Chicago reporter, claimed that Pax was stressed out from the job and wanted to spend more time with his family. Paxson denied that he was on his way out, saying he’s committed to bringing another title to the Bulls. But it’s hard to imagine that the talk didn’t disrupt the team’s concentration.

3: Rookie point guard

Even the best of rookie points, and that’s exactly what #1 pick Derrick Rose is, struggle with the transition to the NBA. Rose has done quite well, but he’s still committing nearly three turnovers a game and is completely clueless on defense. Nobody else on the roster could have done a better job running the team, and it’s clear Rose is going to be an All-Star for the next decade. Still, there is room for improvement.

2: Injuries

First it was Hughes, who before he was banished was out with a dislocated shoulder. Then Kirk Hinrich missed three months and 31 games after surgery on his thumb. Now Loul Deng is riding the bench in street clothes because of a stress fracture in his leg. There hasn’t been too many games this season that the Bulls have had a full compliment of players to work with.

1: Vinny Del Negro

Not only is Del Negro a rookie head coach, but he’s a rookie coach in any capacity. VDN has never called plays or motivated players or filed a scouting report or done anything a coach has to do. He’s gotten better as the season has moved along, but silly things like removing Rose and having Thabo Sefelosha throw an last second in-bounds pass in a February game versus Miami and benching Tyrus early in the year without a viable backup has cost the Bulls games. It’s strange to say that a team’s own head coach has been the biggest challenge to overcome, but that’s exactly the case for the 2008-09 Bulls.

Top Ten Cubs/Sox Players Who May Be Busts in 2009

There are some high expectations for the 2009 baseball season in Chicago. The Cubs have been tabbed to repeat as NL Central division champs and bring back another loaded roster.

The Sox - picked to finish dead last in some publications - figure to be a squad that will only go as far as their starting rotation takes them.

But with the good there also comes the bad. And with that in mind, we took a look at who we think could potentially be the biggest bust on both sides of town.

Here are the Top Ten candidates:

10. Carlos Quentin

If it wasn't for a self inflicted wrist injury, Quentin very well could have finished 2008 as the American League MVP.

An injury like that may come off as insignificant, but don't forget how long it took Derek Lee to bounce back after hurting his wrist. Some would actually argue that he never recovered and lost his power because of it.

The hardest thing to do in baseball is to produce at a high level year after year. Can Quentin repeat his stellar 2008 season?

9. Carlos Marmol

If Marmol's meltdown in the World Baseball Classic was any indication, tough days may be ahead for their prized relief man.

There's no denying the kid is absolutely filthy when on top of his game, consistently making established big leaguers look foolish at the plate. But there have been moments where Marmol has struggled to stay out of the zone, a problem that leads to nothing but trouble.

8. Ryan Dempster

Raise your hand if you thought Dempster would finish a sparkling 17-6 in his first full season as a starter since 2002.

Many thought he'd be decent, even good. But nobody could have predicted a 14-3 record at Wrigley.

But remember, it's a lot easier to exceed expectations when they're low as opposed to when they're high. Dempster has all the makings of a player destined to fall face first back to earth in 2009.

Raise your hand if you'd be surprised.

7. Jim Thome

Can Big Jim deliver another 30+ HR season for the Sox in what will be his 19th season?

Thome's defied the odds for a couple years now but we all know that can't continue forever.

6. Jose Contreras

I have no idea how Contreras is even on the field already. After so many pundits declared his ACL injury a 'career killer', I was ready to say my farewell to the Cuban and let him go sign up for an AARP card.

Yet, I can't shake the feeling that what we're seeing is an illusion. The pounding a pitcher's body takes during a full season is brutal, making the idea of Contreras breaking down only seem inevitable.

5. Rich Harden

I half expect the Cubs to borrow the car the Vatican uses to cart the Pope around in for their oft-injured right-hander. Imagine if they brought him out to the mound in that thing.

The guy has all the potential in the world, but Cubs fans should know better than anyone the danger in placing your trust in an injury prone pitcher.

4. Milton Bradley

We've chronicled Bradley's checkered past at length here at TTCS, so we'll stay away from that stuff.

Bradley is coming off of a career year with the Rangers and with the constant pressure from Cubs fans and Chicago media, delivering comparable numbers will be a hefty challenge.

One that Bradley may not be up to.

3. Josh Fields

Chicago is notorious for falling in love with its highly touted prospects. Guys like Joe Borchard and Corey Patterson make Cubs and Sox fans cringe merely at the mention of their names.

Fields is next in line for the Sox after the team let go of fan favorite Joe Crede.

His number was called last season but struggled to get in any rhythm at the plate; the one place where he's known to be comfortable. It could get ugly quick on the South Side.

2. Paul Konerko

Since 2004, Konerko's stats have declined and potentially hit rock bottom in 2008.

Konerko's biggest strength was his ability to get around on the fastball and yank it down the left field line into the pen. But with a rash of injuries, most notably one to his wrist, Paulie 'Walnuts' is a shell of his former self.

1. Kosuke Fukudome

Fukudome's fall from grace in the eyes of Chicago may only be comparable to that of the insufferable Cade McNown.

While we haven't reached those proportions just yet, Fukudome has become a thorn in the side of Lou Piniella and Cubs fans everywhere.

Will he be able to bounce back from the second half collapse of 2008?

Watching the WBC certainly did nothing to allay those fears and 2009 may end up with Fukudome on a plane back to Japan.

TTCS r-r-rewind: Top ten guys the Bears wish they had back

I'm out this week too, so I decided to bring back one of Matt's lists that originally ran on September 11, 2008. Let the Jerry Angelo bashing begin!

10. Muhsin Muhammad - Carolina Panthers

Moooooose.

Too bad this week's game wasn't being played in Soldier Field because I have a very strong feeling the fans would let the boo-birds and a host of expletives fly.

He spent most of his time berating his quarterback and dropping passes that hit him in the chest. Moose did help the Bears get to a Super Bowl and they helped get him a fat contract he didn't deserve.

9. Walt Harris - San Francisco 49ers

Who would have thought that the Bears' first round, thirteenth overall pick in 1996 would still be playing in the NFL?

The Bears have one of the best combinations at the cornerback position in football, but Harris would be a welcome addition to the unit. He had four picks and made the Pro Bowl last year. And two years ago he snagged an astounding eight picks. All of this despite being almost 60.

8. Bobby Wade - Minnesota Vikings

How sad is it that Bobby Wade's stats from 2007 (647 yds, 3 TD) are better than any single receiver the Bears have on their roster this year?

Sad enough that he's on this list.

7. Chris Harris - Carolina Panthers

The Bears rid themselves of Harris' services the year after going to the Super Bowl. The thinking was that with a healthy Mike Brown in the fold - with Danieal Manning, Adam Archuleta and Ricky Manning Jr. - Harris was expendable.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Mike Brown got hurt.

And you know the rest.

The guy hits like a ton of bricks and is solid in coverage for the Panthers. You'll see what I'm talking about on Sunday.

6. Brendon Ayanbadejo - Baltimore Ravens

It's a rare occasion when a special teams player has such an impact on a team, but Ayenbadejo did just that.

He was the heart and soul of that unit and was a huge reason why Devin Hester always seemed to have lanes the size of Mac trucks. He'll definitely be missed in 2008, but you can't fault a guy for leaving to get a paycheck.

5. Bernard Berrian - Minnesota Vikings

The only legitimate deep threat the Bears had is now up in Minnesota dealing with the same caliber of quarterback play he dealt with for so long in Chicago.

Again, I think the Bears were right to not pay him that kind of money but I can't blame him for taking it. I just smile knowing that he's stuck with Tavaris Jackson.

4. Tank Johnson - Dallas Cowboys

Look, Tank was an absolute moron with the Bears and Jerry Angelo had to cut ties with him for his indiscretions off the field.

But since then he's turned into a force to be reckoned with in Dallas and I can only imagine how sweet it would be to have him lining up next to Tommie Harris.

His performance on HBO's Hard Knocks was epic.

3. Bobby Engram - Seattle Seahawks

I know what you're thinking.

How in the hell is Bobby Engram higher up on this list than Berrian?

Well, first of all, Berrian just left so the wound is just too fresh.

And second, Engram has been very solid for the Seahawks and was very solid during his time with the Bears too. In both 1998 and 1999 he had over 900 yds and four TD. And last year with the 'Hawks he lit it up to the tune of 1,147 yds and 6 TD.

He'd quickly become Kyle Orton's favorite target.

2. Marc Colombo - Dallas Cowboys

The biggest, fattest and ugliest thing Boston College has ever produced was labeled a bust by most when the Bears released him in 2005. He was injured for the majority of his time spent in Chicago and ended up catching on with the Dallas Cowboys.

Since then he's become a reliable offensive tackle that is an everyday starter for one of the best teams in football.

And considering this team is paper thin at that position, Colombo would look ridiculously good in a Bears uniform.

Not to mention the fact he's got a 79 player ranking in Madden 08.

1. Thomas Jones - New York Jets

If you listen to current Bears players talk about what the departure of Thomas Jones meant to this club, you'll start to understand how valuable he truly was. This is not an indictment on Matt Forte because you won't find a bigger fan of him than me. But Jones could have been something special here for a long time.

"Honestly, more than I am frustrated that Cedric Benson didn't pan out here, I am more frustrated that a guy like Thomas Jones, who was our best offensive weapon for the years that he was here, was traded and let go,'' Briggs said. "Because the guy, Thomas Jones, he was a great, great leader for the Bears. He was a fiery leader. He was a guy that when he got out on the field there were no biases to who he went to and told, `Hey, we need to get this done.'

"He went out and he played hard every day and even when we didn't win our league, the guy gave his whole heart and soul. He was our best offensive player every year that he was here. That was more frustrating, that he's not with us today."

How can you argue with that?

Well said Mr. Briggs, well said.

Top Ten all-time worst Chicago trades

For every Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice or Derrek Lee for Hee-Seop Choi swap, seemingly there have been two really bad trades made by Chicago teams. Here are 10 of the worst.

10. Bears trade Chris Harris to Carolina for a fifth-round draft pick (2007) With the Bears having a surplus at safety after acquiring Adam Archuleta and having Mike Brown return to health, Harris was deemed expendable just a month before the start of the season. In his last two seasons, Harris has forced a league-high 10 fumbles, and has turned into a solid starter for one of the best secondaries in football. You think the Bears wouldn’t mind having Harris back, considering that Craig Steltz is penciled in right now as the starter at free safety?

9. Sox trade Keith Foulke, Mark Johnson and cash to Oakland for Billy Koch (2002) One of only three bad moves I can think of off the top of my head that Kenny Williams has made (the others being trading for Nick Swisher and Todd Ritchie). After saving 44 games the previous year with the A’s, Koch had only a combined 19 saves and a 5.61 ERA during his year and a half with the Sox. Foulke became one of the best closers in baseball for the next couple years, and led the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2004.

8. Bulls trade Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer to Indiana for Jalen Rose and Travis Best (2002) Before Artest became a psycho, not to mention close to a 20-point per game scorer and one of the best defenders in the NBA, he was showing signs of becoming a good player for the Bulls. Miller averaged a solid 14 points and eight rebounds in his seven seasons after leaving the Bulls. Rose did average over 22 points per game in his one full season in Chicago, but he shot only 39% from the field and the team took an ever bigger step backwards in its rebuilding plan.

7. Bears trade Thomas Jones to the Jets (2007) All the Bears got out of this deal was a swap of second round draft picks, which the Bears would go on to use to select Dan Bazuin. With Cedric Benson coming on at the end of the 2006 season, Jerry Angelo felt like the Bears had their running back of the future, and that the rift between Jones and Benson was hurting the team. Benson turned out to be a huge bust, and was gone after the next season. Jones made the Pro Bowl last season, finishing first in the AFC in rushing yards with over 1300.

6. Cubs trade Rafael Palmeiro and Jamie Moyer to Texas for Mitch Williams (1988) In Palmeiro’s last year with the Cubs, he hit .307, finishing second in the league in batting average. Some Chicago sports media people hinted at a relationship between Palmeiro and the wife of Ryne Sandberg when Palmeiro was with the Cubs. They credit these rumors as the reason that Palmeiro was traded. Moyer is still pitching today, and has won at least 13 games in all but one year dating back to 1996. The “Wild Thing” helped the Cubs win their division in 1989, but was gone after one more season.

5. Bears trade first-round pick (#11 overall) to Seattle for Rick Mirer (1997) The former number two overall draft pick from Notre Dame was thought to be the Bears long-term answer at the quarterback position. Instead, Mirer played sparingly, throwing for a total of 420 yards, 0 TD and 6 INT, and was gone after only one season. Without their first-round pick, the Bears used their second-round pick on USC tight end John Allred. Tony Gonzalez, one of the best tight ends in league history, was selected number 13 overall by Kansas City in that same draft.

4. Blackhawks trade Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield to the Bruins for Pit Martin and Jack Norris (1967) The Blackhawks provided Boston with the ammunition to become a superpower for years to come, and got very little in return. Esposito blossomed into the greatest scorer of his day, winning two MVP awards, making six consecutive all-star teams and leading the Bruins to a pair of Stanley Cups. This trade changed the balance of power in the NHL at the time, and it took the Hawks quite a while to recover from this colossal mistake.

3. Bulls trade Elton Brand to the Clippers for Tyson Chandler (2001) When you have a guy who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds his first two years in the league, you don’t trade him for a 7-footer straight out of high school, no matter how much “potential” you think he might have. Chandler, who reportedly got smoked in several one-on-one scrimmages against fellow high schooler and number one pick Kwame Brown in the weeks leading up to the draft, failed to average double figure points or rebounds in any of his five seasons with the Bulls. David Falk, the agent for Brand, said it perfectly: “Anybody who says Jerry Krause can’t build a team, I take issue with. He’s done an unbelievable job building the Clippers.”

2. Sox trade Sammy Sosa and Ken Patterson to the Cubs for George Bell (only if you’re a Sox fan of course) 1992 Sosa was perceived as an immature, free-swinging, undeveloped player when the Sox gave up on him after he hit only a combined .218 his two seasons on the South Side. We all know what Sosa did as a Cub, becoming the first player to hit 60 home runs in three different seasons. No slugger ever has hit as many homers in a five-year period as Sosa did in the run that began with his magical duel with Mark McGwire in 1998. Bell had one decent year with the Sox before being released the very next season and then announcing his retirement. At the time of the trade, Bell said he was insulted at being traded for a player as unproven as Sosa.

1. Cubs trade Lou Brock to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio (1964) Brock was a young outfielder who hit just .260 his first two years with the Cubs. Broglio had won 70 games over the previous five seasons with St. Louis, but went just 7-19 in two-plus seasons with the Cubs. Meanwhile, Brock would go on to lead the NL in stolen bases eight times and bat over .300 nine times, before being elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985. When this trade went down, just about everybody who followed baseball felt that it was Cardinals officials who were delusional. This was the opening sentence in the Chicago Daily News the day after the trade: “Thank you, thank you, oh, you lovely St. Louis Cardinals. Nice doing business with you. Please call again any time."