YOWSA!! The Chicago White just pulled into the fast lane and passed a few MLB teams this week as they have clearly stated their intentions to play deep into October this year. After hiring TONY "just one more" La RUSSA to lead the ball club, the Sox obtained power pitcher LANCE LYNN in a trade with the Texas Rangers and re-signed right fielder ADAM EATON, a free agent from the Washington Nationals.
Lynn is a 'give me the ball' type of pitcher who rarely starts less than 30 games in a season and has a 3-1 strikeout/walk ratio while winning 60% of his decisions. Eaton will fill a hole in right field that was created when they booted the overpaid and disappointing Nomar Mazara.
Eaton is just an average fielder but with a lifetime batting average of .282 and a guy who works the count and sees a lot of pitches, the left hander should be an excellent #2 man in the lineup and he'll probably platoon with ADAM ENGEL. The Sox still need a back-up catcher but they're looking good. Six starters and a very nice bullpen.
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On the other side of Chicago, the Cubs aren't hiding the fact that they're dumping salary in anticipation of a total rebuild next year by releasing one of their best defensive players in ALBERT ALMORA, who also hit .270 on an offensively challenged team and only made 3 million.
They followed that by dumping outfield mutt KYLE SCHWARBER and his $8 million dollar salary but no worries.....Mr. Schwarber is going to sign somewhere and make a whole bunch of money.
Combine these two transactions with the earlier parting of JON LESTER and they've already saved $25 million dollars. Now all they have to do is figure out what to do with BAEZ, BRYANT & RIZZO, who all become free agents in 2021. Any bets on who goes first in a trade? I'll take Bryant.
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Hopefully, the 4th quarter collapse of the BEARS will seal the deal as far as the futures of both GM ADAM PACE and head coach MATT NAGY, who have dragged this franchise down and taken the 'juice' out of this football town. Nagy's incompetence is shown to you every Sunday but here's a quick reminder of Pace's repeated draft day/free agent signings that have doomed the immediate future for the Bears.
MITCH TRUBISKY (you knew that he was going to be 1st)
ADAM SHAHEEN
HIRANIS GRASU
LEONARD FLOYD
JIMMY GRAHAM (world's slowest tight end)
TREY BURTON
ROBERT QUINN
NICK FOLES
KEVIN WHITE
COACH JOHN FOX
COACH MATT NAGY
and on and on and on and on.............
Failure to draft even one offensive or defensive lineman with a first round pick. EVER.
"I plan on drafting a quarterback EVERY year because you never know." He's only drafted one and you know that mistake by now.
ADIOS, JERKOFF
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BIG TEN basketball is the real deal and they're demolishing the ACC in their annual crossover tournament and ILLINOIS also looks like the real deal after crushing DUKE, despite a hiccup last week against Baylor.
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NO OHIO STATE in the BIG TEN championship football game? Falling short of six wins because of covid cancellations, the buckeyes either have to find a replacement game by Saturday or keep their fingers crossed that the league changes the rules....quickly.
It would be a shame for them to be eliminated by Michigan's carelessness.
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Are the BULLS going to be competitive? They certainly have the right coach in BILLY DONOVAN, who made his bones in the coaching world by blending good basketball players into team players without a superstar...and that's exactly the situation he has now. Good luck.
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JOAKIM NOAH announced his retirement. I thought he quit years ago but good luck to him.
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Godspeed to DICK ALLEN, who turned the south side on it's head with excitement for three years back in the 70's and won the MVP in 1972 with .308 and leading the AL with 37 homers, 113 rbi's and 99 walks. His on base was .420 and slugging was .603 while swinging a 40 ounce bat. Simply put, he was awesome. RIP, my friend.
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Which brings to the part where we say our final good-byes to sports legends who passed in 2020. Soccer superstar DIEGO MARADONA died recently and he was one of the greatest. We say adios to him and:
DON LARSEN
CHRIS DOLMAN
HENRI RICHARD
BOB ARMSTRONG
PAT PATTERSON
TONY FERNANDEZ
KOBE BRYANT
ROAD WARRIOR ANIMAL
ROCKY JOHNSON (the Rock's dad)
TAVARIS JACKSON
KAMALA
WES UNSELD (no, this is MY rebound)
JOE MORGAN
BOB GIBSON
LOU BROCK
GALE SAYERS
TOM SEAVER
MICKEY WRIGHT
AL KALINE
This list gets longer & longer for me every year but just typing their names brings back good memories for me.
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That's it for now. Enjoy the weather today & tomorrow !!
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