Welcome to the second edition of WCR. With this weekly synopsis of all things Chicago Sports, I will supply you with the biggest stories and wildest events highlighting the sporting events of the greatest sports city in the world.
We will start this edition off with Da Bears, and more specifically, Da Draft. Jerry Angelo appeared to (finally) understand the philosophies of good drafting early on, and with only 5 picks in the draft it would be hard to mess up what started at a good thing, right? Wrong. JA proved again that he is simply overwhelmed with the happenings of the draft, but fortunately this time it worked out in the Bears favor.
After the hot start in the draft for the Bears (which actually involved trading up, something unique to Chicago fans) Angelo made his mark with his 3rd round and 5th round picks by drafting guys that will either not make the team or have no definite role on the team. That is, unless Head Coach Lovie Smith needs another pup in his infamous dog house.
Enough of this rambling. On to the Picks!
Round 1: Pick 29 — Gabe Carimi – OT – Wisconsin
Round 2: Pick 53 — Stephen Paea – DT – Oregon State
Round 3: Pick 93 — Chris Conte – SS – California
Round 5: Pick 160 — Nathan Enderle – QB – Idaho
Round 6: Pick 195 — J.T. Thomas – OLB – West Virginia
Quick Synopsis: After the Bears grabbed Carimi and Paea in the first two rounds, I really could’ve cared less how the rest of the draft went. But when Chicago selected Conte in the 3rd round (a player they probably could’ve gotten in the 5th or 6th round) I was scratching my head. Maybe the Bears loved Conte and was afraid he wouldn’t be available with their next pick, 160 overall, but he most likely would’ve been. Better talent was on the board in my opinion. But where I became simple furious was when we drafted Enderle. He was described by draft guru Todd McShay as a “poor man’s Jay Cutler.” Well, we’ve got a rich man’s Jay Cutler, the man himself. Just a wasted pick. I don’t know enough about JT Thomas do make an accurate assessment, but I’m assuming he was a better pick than the previous two, if nothing else because it was late enough in the draft that a “miss” just doesn’t matter.
Pretty big news all across the board for the Bulls. On Saturday, CJ Watson congratulated Rose on winning the MVP Award. Awesome, right? Well, Rose says it hasn’t happened. We’ll just continue playing the waiting game until the inevitable happens.
On Sunday morning, a member of the Bulls officially won an award. Tom Thibadeau won the NBA Coach of the Year award, capping off an incredible rookie season as a Head Coach. On behalf of WCR and all both of my readers, congratulations Coach Thibs! Let’s dance!
Carlos Boozer sat out practice again yesterday with turf toe. If Boozer isn’t at 100%, he doesn’t need to play. Quite simply, Boozer at 60% is not better or as effective as Asik/Gibson at 100%. At least for the first few games, we should rest Boozer, and drop the Turkish Hammer.
We will be talking all things Bulls/Hawks in ChiCitySports‘ forum. Here is the series thread, give it a look!
The Cubs are fighting to get back to .500 on the season, and currently sit at 12-14 after a recent two-game win streak. The team’s two biggest problems are arguably starting pitching and offensive power, but Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano have supplied plenty of both recently. Sori leads the Majors in Homers, while Garza leads the Majors in strikeouts. Garza also brough his ERA down to a shade under 4.0 yesterday, which is quite the accomplishment for a Cubs starter these days. With Garza’s strong performance yesterday, he set a Cubs record for Strikeouts in the month of April, just beating out this guy.
Tday the Cubs look to win their first series since beating the Padres twice out of three opportunities in Mid-April. Go Cubs Go!
The White Sox continue to struggle, however have jumped over a Minnesota team in the standings who also figured to compete for a division title. I’m not sure anyone believes the Indians and Royals will continue to stay atop the division for the entire season, but as of late I’m not sure too many teams have played better than they have. Sox fans have to hope that Philip Humber doesn’t continue leading the team in ERA if they are going to compete.
The White Sox look to end a recent 4-game skid today against the Orioles and right this sinking ship. Go Go White Sox!
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This day in Chicago History:
White Sox Herm McFarland hits the first grand slam in American League history in a game which features the Detroit Tigers committing 12 errors. May 1, 1901
Thread to have Read:
There is a lot of interesting debate in this thread on CCS: Castro For Braun. Several fans have various opinions about which player they would rather have, if this fictitious trade was offered. Give it a look, and let us know what you think.
Final Rambling:
The one argument in baseball I cannot stand is “we cannot trade Player X because of all his potential! His ceiling is so high!” Please, give me a break. There are very few players, specifically in baseball, that you do not know what you have by the time they are in AAA ball/ready to come into the majors. Potential is nothing but unmet expectations, and if the opportunity arises where you could get a proven vet, with a proven track record, for a player whom has not played a full season, and you hear more about “potential” than results, you make that trade. Nine times out of 10, it will work out in your favor.
Any comments, questions, cussin’s or discussions? Leave ‘em in the comments. Let me know how to make it better.
Enjoy Chicago, Enjoy Sports.
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