Chip Shots
A Sports Blog
A Sports Blog
Chip Shots
Quick Shots: Cowley Keeps Taking Shots
- Back in the 70's, the late William Safire was a speech writer for Vice-President Spiro Agnew. In a memorable speech to the California State Republican convention, Safire wrote the memorable line "nattering nabobs of negativism" which Agnew delivered to rousing applause. Those are perfect words to describe the Sun-Times Joe Cowley, who this morning ripped the White Sox, asking if the funeral at Soxfest should be open or closed casket. He went on to take several shots at Sox GM Kenny Williams, mostly because Cowley is an Ozzie Guillen symbiont. Last year, Cowley was crowing how the Sox had the division in the bag. That was of course before they went into the bag.
- Ever since Cowley has become a columnist, he has developed a warped perspective. Most of that is his jaundiced eye toward Kenny Williams. Look, I know the Sox chances of winning the division are slim and none and slim just left town, but in baseball, anything is possible. It's a long season and stranger things have happened. Don't urinate on my hope in January, okay? Cowley is almost as annoying as a former columnist who used to work for the Tribune, until they found out he was a fraud and ran him out of town. Perhaps you've heard of him: Skip Clueless.
- While other GMs and other scouts are hot and heavy at
the Senior Bowl, the Chicago Bears can't figure out who their new GM will be.
The problem is not only the GM, but the scouting system. Since many of
the current scouting staff were in on the bad decisions made by
defrocked GM Jerry Angelo, they probably should be run out too. But it
is almost too late to do that, so you can expect who takes over won't
have an impact this year. Which will probably buy Lovie Smith even more
time. Call it the Bears circle of life.
- Greg Schiano was hired by Tampa Bay as their new head coach. What were they smoking? Sure, he turned Rutgers around, but Rutgers plays in the Big East, a soft conference that he's never even won. That, and he's a poor game manager. He's a huge dropoff from Chip Kelly, who the Bucs earlier tried to romance. And, he's leaving his recruits high and dry less than a week before national signing day. And, the cherry on the sundae is his only foray into the NFL was a two year stretch with the Bears under Stuttering Dave Wannstedt. That isn't a pedigree by any stretch of the imagination. Hide the sharp objects from Mike Sherman, who finished second.
- The Chicago Bulls learned a little something the other night in their loss against the Pacers. Being without Taj Gibson against decent to good teams really hurts. Sure, you can beat Charlotte or Washington, but Indiana has some decent front court talent and it showed Wednesday night. The Bulls should have it a lot easier at home tonight against Milwaukee who is without oft injured center Andrew Bogut, who is out with a broken ankle.
- It's NHL all-star weekend. Hopefully, that means several Chicago Blackhawk players can rest up and get healthy in a hurry. The Hawks went from first in the west to sixth thanks to a couple of losses to Nashville. Stan Bowman needs to find a second or third line center and a third line defenseman quickly before the horse exits the barn.
- Nike founder Phil Knight electrified the crowd at the JoePa memorial love in yesterday by pointing the finger of blame directly at the school's administration for not doing more. While I think people have been harsh about JoePa's role in the Sandusky case, he could have more too. It's sad when a family uses a memorial service as a way to rub tarn-x on a tarnished legacy.
- Milwaukee Brewer fans, already robbed of Prince Fielder, are whining about Ryan Braun not participating in their fan fest on Sunday. If they really understood that Braun can't attend on advice of his lawyers, they'd be in a better mood. Of course, that leave the big draw as the moody and taciturn Zack Grienke.
Tigers Fatten Up With Fielder
A week ago there was word that Tiger DH and perennial Sox killer Victor Martinez blew out his knee and would be out for the entire 2012 season. This gave a faint glimmer of hope to White Sox fans, who understand that it will take a perfect storm for them to compete for and win a division title this year. The perfect storm ended yesterday when it was announced that the Tigers had made a hefty arrangement with slugger Prince Fielder for nine years and $214 million dollars.Fielder brings more to the table than just a Big Mac and super sized fries. He's the youngest player to ever hit fifty homers and his numbers throughout his career in Milwaukee have been the model of consistency. Short of an Adam Dunn like year of horrors, the addition of Fielder puts the Tigers not just in the conversation to win the division, but in the conversation to make it to the world series. They, along with the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers and Angels are probably the elite teams in the AL. After that there is a pretty big drop off to the "number two but trying harder" tier which includes Tampa Bay, Toronto and possibly the Indians and White Sox. The "thanks for coming tier" includes such punching bags as Kansas City, Baltimore, Oakland, Seattle and sadly, Minnesota.
By signing the big boy, the Tigers clearly achieved separation on the rest of the division, which in many cases is going backwards not forward. The White Sox enter 2012 trying to comprehend life without Ozzie Guillen, Mark Buehrle and Carlos Quentin, while the Twinkies move forward without Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan.
The Sox are still hoping that something may change their outlook, which would have to be huge years from Dunn and Rios, continued excellence from Captain Paul Konerko and a healthy and rejuvenated Jake Peavy. But with the Fielder signing, even if all of those elements came together, it still probably wouldn't be enough to knock off Detroit. Of course, a lot of people were saying the same thing when the Sox signed Adam Dunn prior to last season.
The beauty of baseball is that it is played over a 162 game schedule and no one, no matter how smart, no matter how statistically entrenched, no matter how knowledgeable can predict things with total accuracy. I'm going with that for now.
Quick Shots: Memo To Ozzie, Man Up, Shut Up and Move On
- The exit of Ozzie Guillen from his employ as manager of the Chicago White Sox was supposed to be the end of all the noise, noise, noise, noise coming from 35th and Shields. That seems not to be the case. First, it was Jake Peavy spouting off on the Score, claiming Ozzie had quit on the team. Then, Ozzie's tweets from Venezuela, saying when he got back in the country he was going to kill people with the truth. Finally, there was the statement from White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, saying Ozzie leaving early was at Reinsdorf's urging. And, on and on. Then this morning, Ozzie's personal spokesperson Joe Cowley printed some ripe Ozzie quotes in the Sun-Times this morning including a subtile shot at White Sox GM Kenny Williams. Can we all just shut up and get on with our lives, please?
- Bears running back Matt Forte's decision to play in the Pro Bowl just after recovering from a sprained MCL basically says he wants to show his wares for other teams, even though he could be franchised and continue to be a part of the Bears. He could also be re-signed by the new GM. Forte would be best advised to sit it out, rest his knee and prepare for next year.
- The Bears still continue to interview GM candidates with the list down to two. The leader in the club house is said to be Phil Emery, who worked for the Bears in the late part of the 90's and the early part of the 00's. He eventually left and moved onto Altalnta and Kansas City. This is a case of the "devil you know" Jason Licht works for arguably the most successful organization in the NFL, the New England Patriots. Licht has been director of scouting, but has had little or no access to the Pats draft room over the years. Besides, if Licht can't bring Bill Belicheck with him, what's the point?
- A couple of broadcasting greats have been given their credentials to the big pressbox in the sky. Jim Irwin, who did Packer games for years and was royalty in Wisconsin has passed at the age of 77. Former Phillies broadcaster Andy Musser has also passed away at 74. Although you won't find it in any of the obits, Musser was the TV voice of the Bulls from 1973-1976.
- In a pretty intense interview in the Indy paper, Peyton Manning is hinting he may do what everyone that lives in Indianapolis wishes they could do: Leave. Peyton says the atmosphere in the Colts complex is "not good for healing" and because he is there all the time rehabbing, he has seen several of his coaches cleaning out their offices. The Colts have until March to make a decision on Manning. If they decide to keep him, a $28 million bonus kicks in. Most of the pundits are split on what will happen, but Colts owner Jim Irsay is no stranger to controversy or hard feelings by fans. If anyone had the sack to let Manning go, Irsay could do it. After all, his father moved a team out of Baltimore in the middle of the night, so what's cutting a franchise quarterback.
- So, Jay Cutler is an expectant father. Here's hoping it drives his play on the field.
Quick Shots: Big Game 46. Yawn.
- It usually true that the league championship games are far more intriguing and interesting than the Super Bowl itself and it will be hard to top the two games played yesterday. New England hanging on as Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff did a reverse Scott Norwood and the New York Giants winning in overtime thanks to Kyle Williams inability to hang on to the football. You know if you are a fan, that no game comes down to one play and opportunities are lost and won on both sides throughout the course of the game. But, there sure was some exciting, if not poorly played football yesterday.
- Chip Kelly apparently has reversed his field on taking over the Tampa Bay Bucs and will be staying at Oregon. College coaches rarely go on to do well in the NFL and in most cases, vice versa. For every Jimmy Johnson, there are two Nick Sabans or Dennis Ericksons who just can't make it at the pro level. It's a different type of game. And while you might point to Jim Harbaugh as someone successful on both levels, realize Harbaugh was a fairly successful pro player as well as the son of a coach.
- Another college coach who resisted the overtures of bright lights and big money of the pro game was the late Joe Paterno, who was famously spurned opportunities with the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.
- Give Adam Dunn some credit. Despite having one of the worst seasons in modern baseball history, he will show up at the upcoming Soxfest this weekend. Given the heat he must be feeling from fans, it says a lot about his character to walk into what could be a hornet's nest. Rumor has it he's dropped 30 pounds and drastically changed his off season routine.
- Speaking of the Sox, GM Kenny Williams has to be feeling a little blue this morning after his son Kyle muffed a punt and fumbled a punt return for the 49ers in their loss to the Giants in the NFC Championship game. I sure Ozzie Guillen is warming up his Twitter right now.
- After losing their first eight road games, the Milwaukee Bucks have won two in a row, including a win last night over the Miami Heat.
- The Chicago Bulls won the other night against Charlotte with four players out of the lineup. They appear to be that good.
- How tight are the standings in the Western Conference of the NHL? The Chicago Blackhawks lost to Nashville Saturday night 5-2 and went from being the top team in the conference to the fifth best team in the conference.
- What a whirlwind it's been for Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. His son Michael, drowned in a frozen lake a couple of weeks ago, the Packers lost the NFC Divisional game to the Giants and now, Philbin has been named head coach of the Dolphins. Part of the reason he was hired was how he carried himself during the interview while he was grieving for his son. Before you get too excited Dolphin fans, know that head coach Mike McCarthy calls a lot of the Packers plays.
- Teams are lining up to talk to Payton Manning if he is cut loose by the Indianapolis Colts. I always wanted to own a Corvette, but if it was up on blocks and needed an engine replacement, I doubt I'd be interested.
Triumph Compunded By Tragedy Will Be JoePa's Twin Legacy
Joe Paterno passed away this morning, I think of a broken heart. When everything you have ever worked for, for what defines you, for what you will be remembered for crumbles down around you in a period of days, you lose heart, you lose fight and you lose the will to go on. Today, Joe Paterno lost that fight.For all of the tributes from former players and coaches that honor his memory and extoll his virtue, there will be those who will never forgive him for the perception that he enabled a child molester to roam free even though he was aware it was going on. Whatever he knew or didn't know will now go to his grave.
I would prefer to remember Joe Paterno as I did prior to the events of November 9th, as a great coach, dedicated to his players and university who ran a clean program and gave generously back to his community. In that respect, he defined what a coach was.
But even great men can have feet of clay and it was his inaction in a time that called for action that most likely will be the headline of his legacy. All of the good that he did will equally be balanced with the good he did not do in not being more forceful in taking down his former assistant and and serial child molester Jerry Sandusky. Whether it be his generation, his comprehension of the events or his just not wanting to get involved is irrelevant. By his own admission, he could and should have done more.
That said, the bile and vitriol coming from corners of the Internet are shocking and appalling. People wishing his a painful end, people hoping he go to hell and the most shocking and sickening of all, the guy who wished he "was raped three times daily by a horned monster with a penis made of thorns." How sad it is to know that I share oxygen with these people.
To act as if Paterno was the molester himself is misguided. To put him on an equal platform with Sandusky is wrong. To spew such venomous things about a man who made a poor judgement call is unconscionable.
And so, at a time where in a normal situation we would be celebrating the life and legacy of a man dedicated to his players and his university, we debate the legacy. Is it a legacy of accomplishment or is it a legacy of something gone horribly wrong?
History, not bloggers and not talk show syncopates will answer the question in time.
Butkus D. Dogg's Friday Fearless Forecast (Week 21)
Hello again. For those of you that live in the upper Midwest, you know how cold it is outside. Even the Fat Dog slept under the covers last night. You would think any entity with that much body fat wouldn't get cold, but apparently he was. Even the Bald Guy wore an extra layer to work this morning and he certainly has adipose to stay plenty warm. Why do you think I sleep next to him? Sorry, Bald Guy. Love you.Last week, I was 2-2. My bowl record was a mediocre 21-13, so overall I am 144-58 on the year. It's been a good year, but lately I've been in a slump. Let's hope I can run the table on my last three picks.
As always, we're going straight up. Here's how championship weekend breaks down:
- Baltimore at New England: It's a battle of defense vs. offense and as the saying goes "defense wins championships." True, but so do quarterbacks. And I'll take Tom Brady over Joe Flacco any day. Take New England.
- New York Giants at San Francisco: According to the experts, including this one, neither one of these teams should be here. The Niners were very impressive against the Saints while the Giants went to Green Bay and knocked off the almighty Packers. This could be a low scoring game, but I think in the end, Eli Manning is on a roll and the Giants have a slight edge. Take New York.
Quick Shots: Tice, Tice, Baby
- There's a lot of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth in Bears nation because offensive coordinator elect Bullwinkle J. Tice is going to interview for the head coaching job in Oakland. I think it's not a big deal He was a decent if unspectacular head coach in Minnesota for lousy ownership and probably deserves another chance. If he leaves, I'm sure Lovie can find someone to run the offense. Personally, I think they should have talked to Jeremy Bates, but they apparently have a grudge. Clyde Christiansen is now available, so finding Tice's replacement wouldn't be that hard.
- The bigger hole the Bears need to fill right now is GM. Monday, they interviewed a guy from New England who has never even been in the draft room. Someday, I hope George McCaskey turns into Rocky Wirtz and realizes that he needs someone other than Ted Phillips to make important football decisions. This whole situation has been botched from moment one when Phillips announced whoever took over had to take Lovie. You've already seen in Oakland and Indy what new GMs should be able to do.
- The Blackhawks looked rejuvenated last night against Buffalo. Let's hope they can keep it that way. Stan Bowman, please find some defensemen who actually can clear a zone.
- Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy said yesterday that his team suffered from poor tackling all year. Huh? You went 15-2 for crying out loud. Sounds like he's throwing defensive coordinator Dom Capers under the bus. The biggest reason the Packers lost Sunday was because their receivers coated their hands with butter prior to the game.
- Now that his season is over, perhaps we could hear less about Tim Tebow. Please.
- If you haven't been watching "Justified" on FX, you are missing out. Ditto "Southland" on TNT. It's the best cop show since "Hill Street Blues."
JoePa Speaks
I know I'm a couple of days jumping on the pile on the JoePa interview in the Washington Post, but I found it a fascinating read. One of the key things I saw was that when Mike McQuery went to JoePa to report the 2002 incident involving Jerry Sandusky, he left out a lot of the graphic description in deference to Paterno's age and standing. Now, I don't know if you are buying it, but I am and here's why: My Dad is a couple years older than JoePa and while I can discuss things with him, there is a certain line I don't cross with him. I do not use profanity (because he doesn't) and I do not use sexual euphemisms. My father is no shrinking violet, he served his country in Europe at 19, and knows all those words, but he raised me to not be crude in his presence. So, I get where McQuery was coming from.
If you drink what JoePa is serving, he claims he had issues with the whole thing and turned it over to people that he felt could better handle it. I believe that this is true and I think somewhere between Tim Curley, Gary Schultz and Graham Spanier, the ball was dropped. The fascinating component of this whole story is why didn't Curley, Schultz and Spanier act and report Sandusky to the police. My guess is that they knew ten years ago the repercussions the scandal would have on the university and they wanted to keep it in house. That said, continuing to allow Sandusky any involvement with the university was horrible judgment on their part.
I think in JoePa's case, he did what he thought was right and correct in terms of university policy. He phoned his superiors and reported the incident. What he didn't do is follow up or use his power within the university to demand Sandusky be brought up on criminal charges. He could have, probably should have but didn't, and in not doing so, brought himself down in November.
There is also a great deal of conjecture about the Penn State board of trustees. If, as the new President of the university, Rodney Erickson asserts, he is an employee working for the trustees. If that is the case, did former President Spanier report the incident to the trustees? If he did and they didn't act, then that is not only a huge moral lapse, it's a huge financial liability.
I think at the end of the day, while JoePa had a role in all of this, he probably had less of a role than any of the principles. I think his age, his generational values and his desire to act according to policy worked against him in this situation. How he will be judged in the future will be a topic of much debate.
Two other quick notes: First, while I understand some of the Penn State alums are not happy with how the JoePa deal was handled or how the search for a new coach was handled, I think it was a good thing for Penn State to clean house. After forty-five years of a singular philosophy, I think it may have been time to change some things. That said, Franco Harris needs to stop making an ass of himself and ruining his own legacy by acting like a spoiled child.
Second, it is easy for overly testosterone driven sports talk hosts to regale us of what they would have done. But the truth of is none of them were there, nobody had any idea this was going on and all the woulda shoulda coulda talk is speculation and gum flapping at this point. The legal process will decide who did what to whom and who knew what when. Saying you hope someone dies is over the line. And I hope that listeners respond by turning off their radios and realizing that no matter how repulsive this situation is, there are more civil ways to present discourse.
There Is No Joy In Cheeseland, Mighty Rodgers Has Struck Out
As a Bears fan living in Wisconsin, I can't tell you how happy I am today. No more Super Bowl predictions, no more reports of Aaron Rodgers walking across Lake Michigan, no more nominations for Mike McCarthy as the next pope. Just silence. The noise has dimmed and the Packer euphoria of the last year has been replaced by shock and anger. That's right, anger. Because when you get right down to it, Packer fans are just like Bears fans: When they win, they are happy and when they lose, they are searching for answers why. The difference is Bears fans do not have the lofty expectations that Packer fans do.
Besides, if the Bears crap out Chicago fans still have the Blackhawks, Bulls, White Sox (and in the cases of masochists the Cubs) to fawn over, follow and be let down by. For hard core Green Bay fans, the packers are it. Sure, those closer to the southern part of the state have the Brewers and five or six still acknowledge the Bucks, but when the Packers are expected to get to the Super Bowl and don't, Cheese nation gets curdled pretty quickly.
Last year was special because the expectations weren't there. Then the Packers backed into the playoffs, beat the Bears and went on to shock the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Aaron Rodgers eclipsed Brett Favre as a matinee idol and kids everywhere were trying to grow their hair like Michael Boulton to emulate Clay Matthews.
The Packers started out 13-0 this year and images of running the table were all over Wisconsin. When they finally lost their first game to Kansas City, the cry was "it's okay, we want to win championships not regular season games." Now that they have no chance to repeat, they've turned on the team like a bunch of Honey Badgers eating their young. Welcome to my world, kids.
And so, as the Giants prepare to fly out to San Francisco for the NFC Championship, the Packers get ready to do something no one around these parts thought they would be doing: making tee times. Perhaps they have a friend on the Bears they would like to play with.
Butkus D. Dogg's Friday Fearless Forecast
Hello again. Last week I was 3-1, missing only the Steelers-Broncos game which most of you probably picked incorrectly. That Tim Tebow is really something, especially with his constant talk about God. Remember, God spelled backwards is Dog. Just sayin'We're down to the elite eight in the NFL and we have three weeks left of our picks. This season has really flown by. Monday was the end of the college football season as Alabama beat LSU in the B
Mama was so happy when Alabama won, she was shouting and the Fat Dog jumped on me yelling "Woll Tide, Woll Tide." Not cool, Fat Dog.
We got snow yesterday. I'm hoping to get the Fat Dog to go outside. Nobody would find him for days. As big and white as he is, people would think he was a snow drift.
I'm 121-43 on the year and we'll add the bowl picks next week to see how far I've fallen.
Here's this weeks picks. Let's roll like the Tide...
- New Orleans vs. San Francisco: How did the best game of the weekend wind up in the Saturay afternoon slot? At least it will give the Bald Guy something to look forward tomorrow. The Niners have been the league's best story and this game will be like what would have happened if LSU or Alabama played Oklahoma State: The league's best defense against arguably the league's best offense. I think, in the final analysis, the Saints ability to score quickly will overtake the Niners ability to stop them. Take New Orleans.
- Denver vs. New England: This is where the Godly Tebow meets a devil named Belichick And unless Tebow plans on selling his soul, the devil wins this round. Take New England.
- Houston vs. Baltimore: The Ravens defense is pretty suffocating. The Texans offense is pretty good, especially Arain Foster. I think the Ravens bend but don't break. Take Baltimore.
- New York Giants vs. Green Bay: This is a tough week for the Packers as they learned offensive coordinator Joe Philbin's son Michael drowned on Monday. Still, that won't distract them and while the Giants defense may rattle Aaron Rodgers, the Packers offense can crank out the needed margin. Take Green Bay.
