Today's Links

• Some ideas for Chicago Bears reality shows. The comments have the best ones. Anger Management Counseling starring Olin Kreutz is a show I would definitely tune into.
  
• Looks like the FBI wants to have a little chat with our favorite person, Sam Zell, for his connection to the Blago scandal.
  
• It's the Thursday Dick Joke Jamboroo. We already know the outcome of the Bears game, but it's still a good read.
• Derrick Rose may make the all-star team, but it sure doesn't look like he'll be a starter.
  
• KSK does a running back tandem nickname thing. My favorite was "Westbrook and Buckhalter". Nickname? Questionable and Doubtful.
• Looks like there might be some medical issues with Woody that are holding up his deal with the Indians.
• The Bears took care of business in an overtime thriller last night against the Saints. Not to be too nitpicky, but getting outscored 17-3 in the second half wasn't exactly "thrilling".
  

Today's Links

• If the Cubs get Peavy, are they going to look to deal big Z? (The source is totally unreliable)
  
• God explains Week 14 of the NFL season.
• It looks like Kerry Wood is going to be a Cleveland Indian. I'm glad we don't have to face him now that he'll be in the American League. I'll be cheering for you Kerry.
• Did the Tribune disrespect Ron Santo? No wonder this guy can't get respect from the Veteran's Committee, his hometown paper doesn't even respect him!
• Some quick hits about the Bears from WCG.
• Personally, I think Kobe Bryant should not be compared to Michael Jordan. Kobe should be Kobe, not the next Michael. That being said, MJ was way better than Kobe is, and this guy proves it with all kinds of crazy metrics and statistical analyses.
  
• So apparently the Peavy deal is done. No wait, my bad, it's not even close. This is why I refuse to write anything extensive about the Peavy story until it is a done deal.
• Bulls beat the Knicks in a shootout. Well both teams shot a lot, not many went in. Either way Bulls win.
  

Today's Links

• So much for all that Wood to Cincy talk, apparently Jocketty has put the kibosh on any offers to Woody.
• A bunch of minor moves have occurred in baseball the past week. Most don't affect the Chicago teams.
• Thursday Dick Joke Jamboroo time. Ignore the Chargers-Raiders stuff, we all knew the Raiders were going to get steamrolled anyways.
• Why did this kid from USC jack Blake Griffin in the nuts? Not cool, man.
  
• The only way Al Jefferson will pay on his lost bets is if you can take him in a fight. Needless to say, Sebastian Telfair is not getting paid.
• Chicago Bulls are the 3rd most valuable franchise behind the Knicks and Lakers. Again. Can't argue with that big market money.
• Looks like writing off the Vikings was a little premature. Some good lawyering has gotten the Williams out of their suspensions....for now.
  

Hey Kerry, Remember That Time I Ruined Your Arm And Your Career? We All Had A Good Laugh; Anyways Want To Play For Me Again?

Remember 2003? Ahh, we all remember the good old days, when our good 'ole skipper Dusty would shred our pitchers' arms to no end by leaving them in too long and running up their pitch counts. I wrote a wonderful ode to Dusty's amazing ability to manage his pitchers here. Well apparently now that Woody is out as the Cubs closer, Dusty wants him to come play in Cincy:

"We have a closer already in [ Francisco] Cordero, who we have under contract for a few more years," Baker told the newspaper. "But somebody can use Kerry Wood. I am going to call him. I like Kerry Wood as a person, not just as a ballplayer, but as a person. I will give him a call and see what's up."

If you like him so much as a person, how come you let him pitch all those innings and basically ruined his career?

The Kerry Wood Saga Isn't Quite Over....Ok, Now It Is

If you have been paying attention to arbitration news in Major League Baseball, you may have heard that the Cubs had the option to offer Kerry Wood and Bobby Howry arbitration by midnight tonight. Well the Cubs chose not to offer that to him, but what does it all mean?

Basically, major league teams can offer arbitration to certain free agents by 12/1 (yesterday) and then those players have until 12/7 to accept. Since the Cubs declined to offer Wood or Howry arbitration, you might be asking "Who cares?" Well it matters. In baseball, when a marquee free agent leaves, the team that he leaves is rewarded with high draft picks. The team only gets those picks, however, if they make an effort to resign the free agent. That "effort" is satisfied only by offering the free agent arbitration. What this means is that the player and the team sit down in front of an arbitrator and that arbitrator decides what that player's value is in terms of salary. The team is then bound by that salary amount, if the player chooses to accept it.

In terms of Bobby Howry, there was never a question that they would offer him arbitration, since whatever amount an arbitrator decided on would be more than they would be willing to spend on a washed up reliever.

Kerry Wood is a different story. The Cubs in this situation decided that an arbitrator would have determined that Wood was worth 9 million or more. They feel that they do not want to pay that much, as evidenced by their earlier decision not to offer Wood a contract. Even though the 9 million one year deal is probably far below the multi-year deal that Wood could get on the open market, Hendry still felt Wood might take it anyways since he has a clear preference to stay in Chicago.

Thus the Cubs did not offer Woody arbitration and will get no compensation draft picks. This seems reasonable, seeing as that 9 million is a huge chunk of money and could cut into Hendry's ability to trade for Peavy or acquire a left-handed bat in the outfield. It is not as cut and dry as that, however. Since Hendry went out and acquired Kevin Gregg, he is going to be on the hook for about 5-6 million for Gregg. So essentially what this means is that the difference here is only about 3-4 million. I do not know the market for left-handed bats as well as Hendry, but 3 million does not seem like a good enough reason to give up 2 high compensation picks or take a huge downgrade in the bullpen from Wood to Gregg.

All in all, I give the handling of this entire situation a B-. If 3-4 million is the difference between getting a power left-handed bat or not getting one, then so be it. We can only wait and see what happens but I find that hard to believe 3 million will be the difference and it seems the Cubs would be far better off with 2 compensation picks (if Kerry refused the offer) or having Wood over Gregg (if he accepted and thus Hendry did not need to deal for Gregg at all).

Today's Links

• Cubs won't offer salary arbitration to Kerry Wood or Bob Howry. That means neither will return and Cubs fans will miss them. Well, one of them.
• Dusty Dvoracek is out for the season with a ruptured right biceps. Uh, ouch.
• Weis tells a recruit that he is returning as Notre Dame's coach. Then points out the window, asks "what's that" and steals kid's brownie.
• Northwestern advances to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Soccer Tournament. Little cold for soccer, no?
• White Sox and Reds talking trade involving Jermaine Dye. "Hey what about that Griffey guy?"
• 'Rak-key? Hawks are trying to get Obama to attend the Winter Classic between the Hawks and Wings. I'll take his spot if he turns it down!

A True Kerry Wood Eulogy

On Thursday we found out that Kerry Wood would not be back next year. I wrote about the sadness I felt about it but I don't think I was truly able to capture the essence of how Cubs fans are feeling. Fortunately for us, a commentor on Shysterball has eloquently put the whole thing in context:

I am a die-hard Cub fan, I was raised that way by my father. I was only 7 in '84, I remember that team well but didn't experience the heartbreak that many fans old enough to process the disappointment probably did.

In '89, I was fully along for the ride, we even went on our first family vacation ever (to Cincinnati) to catch the Cubs on the road (I got to see Jerome Walton extend that hitting streak in person, it was awesome). But I did not experience the heartbreak others did in the playoff failure of '89 because I was dealing with the loss of my father, who had passed away in late September.

The years between '89-'98 were long, the Cubs did not put up much of a fight. But when Kerry Wood struck out 20 Astros in May of '98 things changed. He provided the hope of the future for myself and many other fans like me. The loss to Atlanta in '98 was only mildly disappointing, as we knew we were outclassed by that Braves team, but the future was bright.

I went down to Mesa, AZ in '99 for Spring Training to see Kerry and the Cubs get ready to build on the success of '98, and I was there to see the last pitch he'd throw before Tommy John surgery. There would be many more trips to the DL in the future and things did not go so well between '98-'03.

But in '03 he was healthy again, and along with Mark Prior the Cubs were a force unlike any I had seen in Cubbie-blue. Against the Braves in the first round, the Cubs went 2-0 in Woody's starts and he went on to win Game 3 in Florida in the NLCS. Game 7 was a heartbreaker, Kerry was gassed, but he was doing everything he could to win, even smoking a HR to the bleachers in left.

After that season, the Cubs went downhill and Kerry continued to visit the DL. I thought he was going to retire mid-season in '07 but he magically turned a corner with that arm and came back, finishing in the post-season once again and becoming the closer the following year.

Kerry Wood is my age, and my fanboy ramblings about him are unsettling, even to me. But he has been a part of 4(!) Cubs teams who have made the post-season. He has consistently professed his love for my city and our fans. He has taken the injuries he has suffered to heart, saying in the past that he "owes" something to the Cubs and trying to make up for lost time.

I own three jerseys, the Cubs road, home, & alternate, and all of them have "Wood 34" on the back. I will miss him.

I don't know about owning 3 jerseys, but he will be missed.

The Door? It's Over There Kerry (But We'll Miss You)

Earlier I reported that the Cubs have acquired Kevin Gregg from the Marlins for a minor leaguer. Well apparently that isn't all that Jim Hendry was up to today:

Hendry met this week with Wood and his agent, Pat Rooney, and told him the Cubs were going in a different direction.

"I think we all feel that Kerry is certainly deserving of a three- or four-year contract," Hendry said. "He's done everything this organization has asked for the last 14 years, been a warrior the last couple of years. He's come back and health-wise stood the test of time, taken the ball every day we needed, and had no hang-ups, except for (missing one month with a blister injury).

"We're just in a situation, as Kerry fully understands, that that length of deal, for the kind of salary he'd command right now, is not our first priority. We certainly have to finish our rotation, we have offensive situations to address, and by having the prominence that (Carlos) Marmol now brings to the table, it certainly doesn't come before the other needs we have. We felt it was time Kerry goes out and does what's best for him and his family, and gets a huge multi-year deal if possible."

Cubs fans everywhere are very conflicted about this. I know I personally have mixed feelings. After having a phenomenal early career (that 20 strikeout game will always stand in my memory as one of the greatest games ever pitched), Wood was given a 4 year $44 million dollar deal. The 2003 season, while ending bitterly, was a great year for Woody. He had his dominant stuff and it was a very fun summer. Shortly after that contract was signed, however, he went to the DL where he would spend a majority of the time on that 4 year deal. As a Cubs fan it was very frustrating.

When Woody was finally up for a new contract and somewhat healthy again (reborn as a reliever), he took a significant amount less than his market value to stay and play for the Cubs. Perhaps it was a sense of owing the franchise something or maybe he just really loved Chicago. Either way it was a class move by him. Also throughout his time in Chicago he has been nothing less than a perfect citizen. He has hosted charity events and given back to the community in ways that few athletes have.

In the end, I think, it is sad to see him go. While I will always associate him with the dynamic injury duo (Prior and Wood) and of course his tragic slip in a hot tub that cost him 6 weeks, the truth is I will always love and appreciate him for what he did in this city on and off the field. Good Luck Kerry!

Cubs Acquire Kevin Gregg (And Other Chicago Acquisitions)

The Cubs have acquired Kevin Gregg, the Marlins closer, for unnamed players Jose Ceda (Thanks to Judd for the useless update that it was Jose Ceda). This could mean a number of things, two of which are:

• The Cubs intend on re-signing Wood and made this move in order to flip Gregg in some kind of deal with the Padres. Now that Hoffman is gone, the Pads are in need of a closer.

• The Cubs don't intend to re-sign Wood, and this was done to add some depth to the bullpen.

Or maybe it's neither of those things. Stay tuned.
***UPDATE: The White Sox dealt Nick Swisher to the Yankees.
Also, the Bulls acquired Lindsey Hunter to back up Rose at the point.

Today's Links

• Cubs to play home opener at new Yankee Stadium next year? That'd be pretty sweet if you ask me.
  
• The Jordan v. Magic one-on-one pay-per-view that never happened. That would have been sweet.
• Stories about Philly fans acting like complete shitheads. Some are funny, most are awful, all are worth the read.
• More Ben Gordon please? Coach Vinnie seems to want to see some more of him too.
  
• What's worse better, sports bloggers or political bloggers? They both suck for so many different reasons.
• Video montage of coaches/players swearing and acting like fools. Enjoy.
• Will Kerry Wood be back next year?
• Bulls roster cuts.
  
• Coach Ditka alters the path of history again. At least by this crazy fan's twisted logic. I kind of agree.

Ben Sheets Career Arc=Kerry Wood's Career Arc....Except for Woody's 4 year $44 Million Deal

Rumors and Rants has written an article comparing Kerry Wood's career to Ben Sheets career so far. It is an interesting analysis and can be read here. The main statistical camparisons are interesting to see though:

Keep in mind that Sheets is currently in his eighth year, while Wood is
in his 10th
-Wood’s career record is 76-61. Sheets is 86-82.
-Wood has 11 career complete games and 5 shutouts. Sheets has 18 complete games and 4 shutouts (3 of which have come this year).
-Wood’s career ERA is 3.66. Sheets’ is 3.71.
-Wood’s career WHIP is 1.25. Sheets comes in at 1.20.
-Wood’s highest single-season strikeout total was 266 in 2003. Sheets’s
best mark was 264 in 2004.
-Sheets has allowed 159 career home runs. Wood has given up 131.
-Wood is clearly the less hittable of the two, as batters hit just .215 off him, as compared to .255 for Sheets. But Wood has also issued 576walks, compared to just 311 for Sheets.
-And Sheets, in two fewer seasons has run up a total of 1,425.2 innings pitched, compared to 1,214 for Wood.
-After Wood’s fifth season (2003) he has not topped 200 innings. Since Sheets’ fourth season (2004), he has not logged more than 200 innings either. He was on pace to do so this year (196) but now it seems unclear as to whether or not he’ll get that chance.

The only thing missing from this is Woody's 4 year 44 million dollar deal. Oh and the fact the Wood became a dominant closer. Will Sheets follow suit and sign a huge contract, then bust, then come back as a closer? We'll see.

Today's Links

• Bears beg Fred Miller to come back. You think he'll bring his gun?
• Cubs win again. When is it ok to start liking Jim Edmonds? I'm still uncomfortable with it but he made his case today. Oh and doesn't if feel like Blanco has come through in all 4 clutch situations he's gotten playing time?
• Come on Kerry Wood, your back hurts now? It's a never-ending saga with this guy.
  
• Gordon says its not likely he's coming back. Sure seems like it, but isn't he stuck here if no one else makes him an offer? I wonder if he knows that.
• Sox win. Twins win too. Whatever, is there anyone who really thinks the person who wins the Central will get anywhere in the playoffs against the Angels or even the surprise Rays?

Today's Links

• Cuban went to Kerry Wood's charity event last night? Maybe Cuban buying the Cubs is really legit.
• Are the Bulls doomed to mediocrity by signing Deng and Gordon long-term?
• No more tailgating during Bears games? They can't be serious.
• Are you serious? The Cubs are wrecking the ball. They average 5.3 runs/game. No joke. Yesterday was no exception.
• So I guess the Bulls are looking to sign a 7'2" Iranian guy. Interesting...
• Sox win to stay in first...Twins win to stay 1 behind. It's going to be interesting down the stretch, thats for sure.
• Favre to the Jets. Good riddance. I hope this ends horribly.
  

Today's Links

• See you later Scott Eyre. You had your ups and downs but all in all it was a good run. Maybe they should have designated Howry instead.
• I love when Arenas blogs. He is a normal person like you and me, for instance, how often do you wonder "How many sharks should I put in my shark tank?"
• Cubs pummel 'Stros. A few quick notes: Howry sucks, thank god Woody is back, and boy can this team hit.
• Now Favre wants to be a Bear? This has to stop.
• No, No, No. I hope my comments about the Bears O-line didn't jinx them. Down goes Metcalf.
• Wow. Swisher puts the Sox back in the mix with one HUGE swing. Will I ever get to bed at a reasonable hour again?
  
  
  
  

Today's Links

• Luol Deng is a really great guy. An interesting article about Luol having nothing to do with basketball (via Truehoop).
  
• Ozzie admits to ordering his pitchers to hit people. I'm not sure how that is "news".
• Woody's ready to go. We could use him.
• I guess I'm just into Ozzie today. Ozzie's Top Ten Greatest Quotes.
• Ok, so the Bears need to fix the Offensive line, right? So they draft a lineman in the first round, right? So....he's hurt now. So the line is shuffling around and guys are playing out of position. Does it really matter whether Grossman or Orton are quarterback if the line is going to give up 7 sacks a game?
• What a hook! I wonder what Prince was upset about. Not enough cheeseburgers in the clubhouse? Cecil called and pissed him off? The wheels are coming off in Milwaukee (deja vu?), and we will be able to point to last week's sweep as a turning point for the Brew Crew.
• Activities during the rain delay: 1) Go to basement to avoid tornado; 2) Find throwback Obama jersey online; 3) watched "Martin" on rain delay theater. After all that, Cubs lose anyways and I am exhausted.