The San Diego Padres trimmed down their roster today and one of their players recieved a pleasant surprise. A player that we've been rooting for since he started his Nutrisystem Campaign. A player that just two years ago hit one of the most memorable walk off home runs in Philidelphia Phillies history. A player that loves the game as much as he loves hunting, red heads with "Daisy Duke" shorts on, the Confederate flag, Ford trucks, Hemi's, four wheelers, Kodiak chew tobaccoo, shotguns, Busch Lite, camoflage, George Strait and Jerry Springer.
The eight year veteran was released by the Chicago Bears this afternoon; meaning they are fully willing to roll the dice on Mark Anderson in hopes that he returns to his rookie form. They will also be leaning heavily on Israel Idonije, who has seesawed back and forth between defensive tackle and defensive end the past few seasons under coach Lovie Smith.
I don't quite understand why the Bears have released one of the most durable and dependable guys on that roster?
Sure he has never been able to rack up sacks like Jared Allen or Dwight Freeney and has yet to become the elite defensive end Chicago thought they were getting; but are the Bears better off starting Mark Anderson's corpse and Israel Idonije?
It's unbelievable, isn't it? Here we are, less than a week away from opening day in Major League Baseball, and I wanna talk about playoffs. No, not the kind of playoffs that are actually coming up anytime soon (i.e. NBA or NHL), but baseball playoffs. As that first pitch draws nearer and nearer, I am starting to get that itch. I can't wait for the "Touch 'Em All" and "Web Gem" segments to start rolling and the hot dogs to start grilling. In preparation for the season, I have done very little in terms of researching what is going on around the league or what teams/players are poised to perform well. The thing I have done, however, is to do to a little bit of listening to some talk on potential rule changes.
As anyone who knows us could tell you, we love our podcasts and we especially love us some Bill Simmons and his B.S. Report. As of late, there has been some discussion of these possible rule changes and it has got me to thinking. I would LOVE to see MLB change up it's alignment and make the playoffs both longer and more interesting.
Recently, the commissioner implemented a new committee to meet and begin thinking "outside the box" in regards to possible changes to the league. One rumor that has been floating around (you'll see the pun in a moment) is that of "floating" divisions (see, there ya go). So what would that mean?
The Bulls are taking on the Suns tonight in a pivotal game with playoff implications and at the same time they are battling with Chris Bosh and the Raptors for the eighth spot in the East. The Bulls are now only a half game behind Toronto and trying to prove that their 23.2 percent chance of making the playoffs (as given by John Hollinger in his Playoff Odds article) is a farce (for those that care the Raptors have a 78.1 percent chance, not good for Chicago).
Now I realize I just wrote that I want this team to tank, and hard; but since that post came out the Bulls are 2-0 (can anyone say reverse jinx?).
The only problem is, I didn't want it to be a reverse jinx! With every win, tanking to seal a Lottery Pick turns into a distant mirage that will never be reached. Under Rose the Bulls are 3-0 against the Suns and they are going to have to keep that streak alive tonight if they want to continue to play past mid April.
Which is something D-Rose wants to have happen.
Derrick Rose told ESPNChicago.com after this morning's shootaround that, "We're still going to make it. You can't think about stuff like [not making the playoffs]. In my mind, we'll be making the eighth spot. We'll be playing LeBron [James] -- playing Cleveland. The closer we get, the [more] I'm going to think that."
Whoa there young fella. I know you are being a leader, but lets take a look at a few things before we go making promises.
The Raptors have a much easier schedule coming up. They are playing the Clippers, 76ers, Warriors, Pistons and Knicks (as well as playing the Bulls, Celtics, Cav's and Hawks).
The Bulls are playing the Suns tonight, the wicked hot Bobcats (twice), Salmons and the rejuvenated Bucks, the Cav's, Raptors, and the Celtics.
Listen I want the Bulls to do good just as much as the next fella, but again what is this playoff birth going to bring to this team?
For those of you that argue experience, you might want to leave this site.
None of these players are going to gain experience from getting their asses kicked by Cleveland. The Bulls are 2-5 against LeBron James and company under Vinny Del Negro, giving up 100.1 points per game and 29 points to LeBron. Add in the fact that a lot of the guys on the team have some sort of nagging injury that would be better off without an extra four games.
Listen, I love Rose's enthusiasm. I love his determination. Hell I love the kid to death. I have ever since I went down to Peoria to watch him as a senior at Simeon High School. But D, you'd be better off working on that jump shot with some coaches instead of watching LeBron James dunk on Kirk and the rest of your team for four straight games.
There's a new guy in town this week. The Iowa Hawkeye's new head basketball coach: Fran McCaffery. Be sure to stop by our sister site, Meet Me On Melrose, to hear our thoughts on him. He comes to Iowa after five straight winning seasons at Siena, including four straight 20-win seasons, three straight conference championships and three straight NCAA appearances - some things the Hawkeyes have, well, not even thought about over the last three years. If you couldn't tell, we have taken a liking to the guy. Check out our reasoning here. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts or comments. Since the other site requires a membership (it's free), feel free to leave comments here if you don't want to sign up on the other site (again, it's free so it doesn't hurt to take 5 minutes and do it).
