670 SCORE SEARCH IS RIGGED

I don't know how many many of you listen to 670 The Score, but they are currently holding a competition where an ametuer tries out to win their own show on the radio station.  Let me preface this by saying I did not try out, but they have recently posted the top 10 finalists, out of over 1,000 auditions, on their website...and OH MY GOD.  I am all for equal rights, but the two women on there are just the worst.  The first one offers knows absolutely nothing about sports, and the second one states that the NBA Finals were a great matchip between LeBron James and Kevin DUMANT!  And these two are in the top ten!?  Which producers are they sleeping with?  I also listened to several of the auditions of the guys, and they were pretty bad as well...

IT'S HARD TO HATE ADAM DUNN

Adam Dunn has underperformed greatly during the year and a half he has been in Chicago.  Even though his power numbers have increased dramatically this year, his average is still only .215, about .30 points below his career average.  And his OPS is significantly down as well.  But with all that being said, I did feel bad for him last year, and then now he gives up his at-bats in an All-Star game to Billy Butler, the hometown player?  He either needs to be a jerk so it's easier to hate him, or he needs to start hitting better, so I can like him...you choose Adam.

RIZZO CONTINUES TO IMPRESS

Anthony Rizzo had another two hits today, including his second home run since being called up, and he continues to impress Cubs fans.  However, the interesting thing will be to see what happens when MLB pitchers find a flaw in his swing or learn how to pitch to him, and if Rizzo can make the necessary adjustments to continue to pound pitchers.  Otherwise, he may just become another hot prospect who has a couple months of glory only to evolve into an average MLB hitter (see Gordon Beckham)...

SOX MISS TWO EXTRA POINTS

The White Sox put up 19 runs today against the team with the best record in the majors, and Chris Sale was dominating again.   That was easily the highest output of the season for the Sox, but maybe they should have saved it for a Gavin Floyd start where you may need 19 runs to win.  Also, no official word yet on what Jake Peavy would do in order to have 19 runs of support in a month!

SOX MAKE HUGE MISTAKE

It was announced today that the White Sox will have Chris Sale skip his next scheduled start on Sunday in order to be eligible to pitch in the All-Star game. This is absolutely ridiculous!  You are fighting for a division title and you are going to have your best starter skip a start for an exhibition game!?  And it's not as though the Sox have many other good starters in the rotation right now.  Sale will likely have several other opportunities to pitch in an All-Star game in the future, and it's not like you're in last place.  Every game matters at this point.  If I were part of the White Sox front-office, I would explain to Sale that we need him to pitch on Sunday, and if I was Chris Sale, I would realize that pitching for the team that pays my salary is much more important than potentially pitching one innings of a meaningless game. 

MLB ALL-STARS ANNOUNCED

Today, the MLB All-Stars were announced, and the playeres representing Chicago will be Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, Chris Sale, Starlin Castro, and Bryan LaHair.  I personally don't think a guy hitting .210 (Dunn) or a guy that hit cleanup most of the year, but only has 28 RBIs with a .284 average (LaHair) should be considered All-Stars.  On a side note, I am happy Chris Sale made it, as it is well deserved, but I am begging the White Sox to have him pitch July 8th which would make him ineligible to pitch during the All-Star game.  He will throw more innings this year than in any year in his life, and I think it will be much better for him to get some rest (and maybe eat a lot to put some weight on that body) than pitching in the game. 

UPDATE: Apparently, Jake Peavy has been selected as one of the five players eligible for the final position on the All-Star team.  Because he is always one pitch away from ending his career, see above for whether I think he should pitch in the game.

OMER ASIK GETS OFFER FROM ROCKETS

Today, Omer Asik was unofficially offered a 3-year/$25 million offer from the Houston Rockets.  The Bulls will have three days until July 14th to match the offer, and is they spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it, I may puke.  Let's face it, Asik was a servicable third-string center, but to pay him $25 million over the next three years would be crazy!  The last year of the deal is worth close to $15 million, and just running the numbers in my head...I would say...(still thinking)...he's worth a third of that.

BRUNEY SENT TO DL. SOX HOLDING OPEN AUDITIONS FOR BULLPEN

Brian Bruney was put on the DL today, and in addition to the release of Will Ohamn a couple days ago, the White Sox are forced to add more rookie pitchers to their already young bullpen.  Leyson Septimo is the latest addition, and if you're ever heard of him, you should win some sort of prize.  Jesse Crain is also complaining about shoulder stiffness, so if anyone has any friends who want to pitch for the White Sox, I would have them give Kenny a call.

BULLS SELECT TEAGUE...MAKES NO DIFFERENCE

The Bulls selected Kentucky guard Marquis Teague with the 29th selection in tonight's draft, and to be honest, I don't really care.  Let's be honest, no one that was around when the Bulls selected in the first round was going to be a difference maker anytime soon, but hopefully Teague can develop into a good back-up point guard in the near future.  Of course when you're playing behind Derrick Rose, you're never really a back-up for long because he gets injured more than Kenny from South Park.

OHMAN DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT

In a shocking development, Will Ohman was designated for assignment today, which begs the question, who are the Sox going to have mop up those late innings of blowout games or fail to get lefties out?  You think about that while I try to figure out how Ohman even had a job for this long...

LEBRON JAMES SHOULD BE AN NBA REF

Let me preface this by saying that I, in no way, believe that the fix was in or that it would have even mattered tonight with the Heat dominating the game.  However, the NBA could save a lot of money by just having LeBron ref his own games.  Tonight, I counted three calls he got that he should not have, including pursuading the refs to change the call against Fisher to a flagrant foul, when it clearly was not.  That was the only way to foul LeBron when he outweighs Fisher by about 75 pounds without giving him a three point play.  I understand superstars get special treatment, however, I really thought Durant would get the benefit of the calls troughout the series as well given that he is the second best player in the NBA, but that was not the case.  It's a shame people are going to be talking about the refs all summer instead of th NBA champs.

CAMPANA FEELS DISREPECTED BY PEAVY

Peavy stated to the media yesterday that he was dissapointed in the Sox second straight loss to the Cubs, claiming that these are the teams you need to beat.  Tony Campana for the Cubs then responded that he felt disrepected and that every team in the major leagues can win on any given day.  While I understand what Campana was saying, if he really wanted to feel disrespected, he should open up the newspaper, look at the Cubs record, and then realize that he's not even a good enough player to play everyday on a team with that record...

ARE THE NBA FINALS RIGGED?

Let me be clear about this...NO THEY ARE NOT!  It's ridiculous to think that David Stern would instruct referees to intentionally call fouls on Kevuin Durant in this series as some conspiracy theorists (or idoiots) are suggesting.  The NBA would rather have Durant and James going back and forth, scoring 50 points apiece and putting on a show instead of having the talents of the second best player in the NBA on the bench for part of the game due to foul trouble.  Other people are pointing to the free throw attempt advantage the Heat have had throughout the playoffs and the fact that LeBron is never in foul trouble as indicators the playoffs are fixed.  First, LeBron is never in foul trouble because he is an excellent defender and has more talent than everybody else so he does not need to foul.  Was Jordan ever in fould trouble?  Also, the Heat shoot more free throws because LeBron and Wade attacked the basket ferociously all the time.  With that being said, I hope LeBron doesn't score another point in this series...

GREAT GAME FOR THE CUBS

The Cubs accomplished some very significant goals today against the Sox, and absolutely zero of them involved beating the White Sox.  More importantly, Soriano had two hits, including a home run, and Garza notched a quality start and a win.  These are two players Theo would like to trade in the near future, albeit for very different reasons.  While it would be great to get Soriano's contract off the books, Garza may actually be able to attract some young talent in return.  It would also be nice for Kenny not mortgage the future before the trade deadline in hopes of chasing a mirage that is the World Series this year.

IS GAVIN FLOYD PITCHING TONIGHT?

For those of you watching the Cubs/Sox game tonight, it may look eerily to many games Gavin Floyd has pitched this year, with Zach Stewart doing his best Floyd impression and giving up four home runs in 5 2/3 innings.  I guess this is another guy the sox can cross of their list of potential starters to help the rotation.  I would have rather had Scottie Pippen stay out there after the ceremonial first pitch and start the game for the Sox.

TWO BLACKHAWKS GET EXTENSIONS

The Blackhawks announced today that they signed Bollig and Smith to two year extensions.  In celebration of this, I'm sure Kane is going out to get wasted somewhere in the city tonight...

QUINTANA MAY BE MORE THAN A BAND-AID

White Sox starterJose Quintana pitched another quality game today although the Sox couldn't get him a win.  Quintana set a career high in innings today and also lowered his ERA to 1.53 with the Sox this year.  This is a very good sign as the Sox desperately need starting pitching with only Peavy and Sale having quality seasons, and very few available trade moves with the limited budget the Sox have.  If only the Sox had a previous top draft pick that should start pitching like he can (ahem Gavin...)

SOX FADING IN CENTRAL. SAVIOR IS ON THE WAY

For those of you that haven't heard, Brent Morel is aiming for the beginning of the second half to return to the White Sox lineup.  For thos of you that also haven't read my previous blogs, or don't own a television and have never watched a White Sox game, Brent Morel is not a good baseball player.  So unless, you believe a mediocre defensive thrid baseman who can't hit will help this team, the Sox better hope Kenny makes a move in the next six weeks.

I ACTUALLY FEEL A LITTLE SORRY FOR SORIANO

I think we can all agree that the contract that Soriano signed with the Cubs guaranteed him way too much money.  But, your analysis of a player cannot logically be based on what he is being paid.  Just like with Brian Campbell with the Blackhawks, you can't blame a player for making too much money.  If you're looking for someone to blame for these contracts, you have to look to the general manager who offered the contract.  Anyone of us in the same situation would have accepted those contracts if they were offered to us.  Regarding Soriano's play yesterday, yes, theoretically, every player should always hustle all the way to first base.  However, a line drive that you think is caught is different than a ground ball or fly ball that is still in play.  Once a player believes the ball has been caught, he is going to stop running, and that is exactly what happened here.

RYAN DEMPSTER IS WEARING THE WRONG UNIFORM

Ryan Dempster has been the most consistent pitcher in the Cubs this year, and he is finally starting to get some credit, and by that I mean wins, for his efforts.  I was beginning to think he was sleeping with every other player's wife given the lack of run support he was receiving the first two months of the season.  Now, it's time for Theo to have him give back his uniform and trade him for some prospects.  Let's face it, he is only signed through this year, and the Cubs aren't going to be contending anytime soon, so trade him and get at least one decent prospect in return.  Honestly, what's the difference between the Cubs win 70 or 60 games this year. 

STARLIN CASTRO HAS TROUBLE COUNTING

In what seems to be happening too often, Starlin Castro had a  mental error yesterday and failed to attempt to turn a double play because he thought the force at second base was the final out of the inning (which as it turns out, Major League Baseball allows the hitting team three outs before they have to take the field EVERY inning).  These mental errors seem to continue occuring for Castro, who in my opinion, sometimes seems very disinterested in the field.  Coming from a guy who hated to play defense on the basketball court and just loved to score, I can understand how he feels, but the question is, will the new Cubs management feel the same way???

(Spolier Alert:  I don't think they will...)

GAVIN FLOYD MAY NOT WIN THE CY YOUNG

Gavin Floyd is not exactly fooling hitters this year.  He got hit so hard again today, I am beginning to think they may need to make him start wearing those masks that Tee Ball pitchers wear in order to protect themselves.  Maybe the Sox should just start putting the ball on a tee for opposing players when it's Floyd's turn to pitch and play with an extra infielder...

KERRY WOOD IS DONE

Rumor has it, Kerry Wood is set to retire anytime now (and by rumor, I mean his wife is putting it on her Facebook account).  Has there ever been a better example/mascot for a fan base?  Kerry Wood had the talent to be a top 5 pitcher in the league for 10 years, but instead, was derailed by injuries and never really reached his potential, never even reaching 15 victories in a season.  How many times have the Cubs had the talent to compete for a World Series, but instead, never reached our potential??  (Google Alex Gonzales 2003 NLCS if you need an example...)

CUBS/SOX GETTING UGLY

Jeff Samardzija hit Paul Konerko in the face today, and just a few innings later, Jose Quintana threw behind in what some people are calling retaliation.  Here's my thoughts as I know you are dying to hear:  No, there is no way Samardzija threw at Konerko on purpose.  I don't care if he says he would never do that to Konerko, but if you are going to throw at someone, it is going to be fastball, not only because it hurts more (this according to science), but also because you will have much better control of the ball.  However, Quintana still had to retaliate if for nothing else, to earn the rerspect of his teammates.  Quintana risked losing everyone in the clubhouse if the Whitesox' best player gets hit in the face, and no one pays for it from the Cubs.  So, in conclusion, I have no problem with anything that was done, and I better stop typing because Spellcheck is getting tired.

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH CHRIS SALE?

I was actually kind of excited going into this season to see how Chris Sale would do as a starter.  And I didn't think he did that bad, for a month...before he was sent back to the bullpen for some unclear reason.  Now Ventura is stating that he will remain in the bullpen as the closer for this season.  My confusion is if he is the closer, why did he pitch the 8th inning last night instead of saving him for the 9th (durng which he gave up 3 runs), and why did Cooper then say today that the move is just for the time being? 

P.S. I still hate Morel and firmly believe that he is the fourth best 3rd baseman, all around, on the team (after Escobar, Lillibridge, and Ventura.)

IS THE KERRY WOOD EXPERIMENT OVER YET?

While many Cubs fans were happy to see Kerry Wood re-signed this offseason, I was confused.  I understand people love him, but what is his purpose on this team.  The Cubs are probably 2-3 years away from contending, so why wouldn't you be testing the young arms in the minors to see who may be able to help in a couple years, instead of signing a guy who is about done with his career, got hurt again this year, and isn't all that effective when he is pitching?  I would rather have Kenny Powers pitching for the Cubs...or Rod Beck!  Too soon? 

(In my defense, a dead Rod Beck might be better than Kerry Wood at this point)

DERRICK ROSE INJURED

I know from the title you probably think this is a re-post from one of the previous 19 times he was injured this year, but in fact, Rose tore his ACL in the closing minutes of today's game.  Many people will argue that Rose should not have been in the game at that point, but does it really matter?  Did you really think that he could make it through two straight months of playoffs without getting injured given his history this year?  So all those individuals who purchased John Lucas III jerseys after the Bulls beat the heat in February, bring them back out of the closet.  In a related story, the Miami Heat just clinched a bye to the NBA Finals...

MORRIS CLAIBORNE "BLEW OFF" WONDERLIC TEST

In case you didn't hear, and with all this draft coverage how could you not, Claiborne scored a 4 on the Wonderlic test.  And you case you need that put into reference, the average score is a 21...and my dog got a 6!  So now Claiborne claims he blew off the test, which is probably the same thing I would say if I couldn't even get my name right on the test.  And even if he did blow it off because, according to him, "it wouldn't affect my draft status," that makes you sound even more arrogant and problematic that you would blow off a part of your evaluation process.  I guess the moral of the story is...I don't know, I couldn't care less about him so I didn't want to waste my time coming up with a moral.  It's great that he went to Dallas though because if he sucks down there, that will kill two birds with one stone.

BEARS DRAFT SHEA MCCLELLIN!!!

In case you don't know, those excalimation points in the title are sarcastic, or maybe not, we'll see in three years.  My point being that every sports radio station and television show will spend the next week (yes it's only a week although it feels like a year) breaking down every selection of the 2012 NFL draft, and the bottom line is we porbably won't know for a couple years if the selection was any good.  Draft "experts" spend all this time discussing the pro and cons of every player and why he will either be the best player on the team or a bust, and no one really knows for sure.  So let's give it a couple years before we break down the 2012 draft.  P.S. Is anyone else sick of hearing the language used by scouts ("footbal sense," "ball hawk,"long, gliding strides," etc.)?

THE 76ERS WANT TO FACE THE BULLS

There has been a lot made over the last couple days about Evan Turner making comments that the Philadelphia 76ers would rather face the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs as opposed to the Heat, and I only have one thing to say about that...Who can blame them?  Even though the Heat are the second seed, they are the odds on favorite to win the Eastern Conference and probably the best team in the playoffs.  In the end, it doesn't really matter who they play, the 76ers will probably be done in about 5 games regardless of who they play.  I just think it may have had more of an impact if someone better than Turner made these comments, you know, someone who may actually have a role in the series. 

BRENT MOREL IS THE BEST #2 HITTER IN BASEBALL

I'm lying of course. It was always my understanding that the best hitters were supposed to hit near the top of the lineup. It was also my understanding thet the two hitter was supposed to be a solid contact hitter who gets on base a lot. Well, in case you were wondering, Morel is neither of those. He has currently struck out 15 times in 34 at-bats, not the best ratio unless your Adam Dunn, and his on base percentage is .167, also not good unless your a pitcher (and a poor hitting pitcher). Robin Ventura's justification for batting him second is that he's a good bunter, which is like starting a pitcher because he has a great pick-off move to second base.

HOSSA GETS ROCKED BY TORRES- UPDATE

By now, everyone has seen the hit on Marian Hossa that was sickening. Probably the part that made me throw up the most was Raffi Torres' claim that it was just a "hockey play," and the commissioner's claim that everything coming from the fans is just a misperception. How anyone could see this as anything but a dirty hit from a dirty thug boggles my mind. In fact, check out this link showing the Coyotes' announcers call of the play (Note: You may want to puke after listening to it). It's no wonder Phoenix can't get any fans and is in danger of being relocated in the next year or two...

NEW CUBS MANAGEMENT - SAME OLD TRICKS

It's good to know that the new Cubs management is pulling the same BS as the former management. Kerry Wood was sent back to Chicago yesterday due to an ailing right shoulder, which originally popped up during spring training. At that time, Cubs management was asked whether Wood was injured, and they responded no. I was hoping things would change, however, it looks like going forward management will continually be questioned given the precedent they have set for being less than honest.