Cubs, White Sox Make Way for Bulls, Bears

October 2, 2012 @ admin → No Comments

Random thoughts while wondering who the Chicago Cubs will select with the No. 2 pick in baseball’s annual draft (and whether that player will be on the team’s roster — or even alive — when the Cubs win a World Series):

For the record, Jaime Edmondson's pick for the Monday night game was Dallas.

* Monday (Oct. 1) was NBA media day. Which meant there were a lot of unfamiliar faces present at the Chicago Bulls’ gathering at the Berto Center in Deerfield, Ill. Not so much with media members as with members of the team’s roster. Unless, of course, you can identify Marco Belinelli, Marko Jaric and Kyrylo Fesenko (among others) without looking at their jersey number and/or name on the back of the jersey.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose at media day on Oct. 1, 2012

* For those interested (and even for those disinterested), Belinelli is No. 8, Jaric 14, Fresenko 44.

* The Bulls announced they have given coach Tom Thibodeau a four-year contract extension. Which guarantees continuity. And also he will be around when Derrick Rose returns from offseason anterior cruciate ligament surgery and rehabilitation. Whenever that is. “Soon” seems the operative word — whenever that is. “Not soon enough” would seem more like it for fans dreaming of a postseason run.

* The Chicago Bears’ 34-18 Monday night victory over the host Dallas Cowboys means the Bears (3-1) will go into their Week 6 bye week with a winning record. And their Week 5 game at Jacksonville is about as close as it will get to having two consecutive bye weeks.

* If the goal for the White Sox was to surprise people with how well the team could do for most of the season and then surprise people with how poorly the team could do down the stretch, then the front office can pat itself on the back. Of course, those folks run the risk that some fans actually will expect the team to be better in 2013 and if it isn’t, even more fans will show up at U.S. Cellular Field. Not that a more successful team necessarily will draw more folks to the ballpark.

* If the goal for the Cubs was to lose 100 games or more this season so that 90 or 95 will seem like progress, then the front office can pat itself on the back. Of course, those folks run the risk that some fans won’t be back at Wrigley Field any time soon. Fortunately for the Cubs, Wrigley is the drawing card with a winning team not necessary to attrack tourists.

* The Sox’ 11-0 victory at Cleveland on Monday (Oct. 1) either gives hope for the future or shows how well the team can perform when the pressure is off. Or maybe merely how bad the Indians can be.

* The Cubs’ 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros marked Starlin Castro appearing in his 160th game this season. He could become the Cubs’ first shortstop to play all 162 games in a season. The question — other than perhaps trying to catch Anthony Rizzo for the team batting title (Castro trails .288 to .284) for not taking a game off: Why?

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Some video from Bulls media day:

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As long as we’re going to run Bulls-related video, we might as have something from the Luvabulls auditions, don’t you think? And even if you don’t think: