Bulls Looking Better; Not So for Cubs, White Sox

July 14, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Monday meanderings: The Chicago White Sox bullpen. Again. Need we say more? Probably not if you’re a Sox fan. John Danks exited after seven innings and 114 pitches with a one-run lead Sunday at Cleveland. The Indians won 3-2 on a two-run home run in the eighth. The Sox (45-51) are 10.5 games behind division leader Detroit and tied for last place.

Video below of Germany’s Micaela Schaefer. Credit: WENN.com

* Meanwhile, the Cubs didn’t have to worry about a late-inning bullpen collapse. Starter Travis Wood gave up seven runs in six innings (three runs in the second and four in the third) and exited after 104 pitches as his earned-run average floated to 4.96 in a 10-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. The Cubs (40-54) are 12 games behind division leader Milwaukee and in last place.

* For some reason, some in the media refer to the All-Star break as the halfway point in the season. Not being exceptionally gifted at math (which is why some folks ended up in journalism), that would mean the Cubs would play 188 and the Sox 192. Thankfully, it’s a 162-game season. Meaning the Sox are on pace to go 76-86 lose and the Cubs 69-93. So no 100-loss seasons this year. Comforting, isn’t it?

* Nothing speaks to the state of Chicago baseball quite like Comcast SportsNet leading its Sunday night “SportsNet Central” with considerable coverage of the Bulls. Guard Kirk Hinrich re-signs in a two-year deal. A three-year deal for European forward Nikola Mirotic. All on the heels of Pau Gasol’s deal Saturday. Gee, the team might need to raise ticket prices to make up for its expenditures on ink to sign contracts.

* Meanwhile, former Bulls forward Luol Deng signs a two-year deal with Miami. Anyone expecting him to replace LeBron James might want to rethink that. Just a little. OK, maybe a lot.

* Speaking of the Bulls, their NBA Summer League team defeated Denver with rookie Doug McDermott and second-year player Tony Snell impressing, the Bulls look like they could win the title. Of the NBA Summer League.

* Speaking of the Summer League, wondering how many media members would be attending if the games were held somewhere other than Las Vegas. Anybody? Anybody? Hello.

* Speaking of the Cubs (as we were a couple of paragraphs or so ago), Arismendy Alcantara is proof that Theo Epstein’s rebuilding plan is working wonderfully. OK, maybe merely that some Cubs minor leaguers are better than some of the players on the big-league roster. He is batting .391 in 23 at-bats. He hit his first homer Sunday. His biggest problem is the Cubs figuring out whether he should play second base or center field (and not because anyone on the team at either position has shown they are future Hall of Famers).

* Soccer’s World Cup ended Sunday with Germany beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time. Whatever that means — other than a whole lot of folks once again will become ardent soccer (or at least World Cup) fans in approximately three years and 10 or so months.

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