How Low Can You Go? Bulls Fall to Wizards

April 3, 2013 @ admin → No Comments

Midweek musings: OK, maybe now some folks on Facebook will reconsider that post Monday quoting Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau about Derrick Rose returning to play Tuesday on the road against the Washington Wizards. Yes, that was an April Fool’s joke. Rose still is not returning from offseason anterior-cruciate ligament surgery. And the Wizards turned the Bulls into April fools with a 90-86 victory over the visitors. A reminder to Bulls fans: The Bulls beat the Miami Heat a week ago. Someone should remind the Bulls.

This photo of Mariela Henderson/Stephy C can serve as consolation to Bulls fans.

* Thibodeau on Rose’s return: “To me, it’s whenever he’s ready he’s coming back. Whether it’s tomorrow or the next day, five game from now, 10 games from now, the playoffs, next year, it doesn’t matter. When he’s ready, he comes back.” This has been a recording. OK, maybe not. But it might as well be.

* As if losing to the Wizards isn’t painful enough for the Bulls, reserve forward Taj Gibson apparently re-injured his knee and could miss significant time. Assuming anything the Bulls have left in the regular season amounts to something of significance.

* The likelihood of the Chicago Cubs winning the National League Central this season vs. Derrick Rose returning this season. Compare and contrast. OK, don’t bother.

* Do sane people really think that top-flight Chicago-area basketball talent will opt to go to Northwestern rather than to Duke because Chris Collins is the Wildcats’ coach? Something says Collins will have to prove himself first.

* Speaking of delusional thoughts, anyone expecting Brian Urlacher to return to the Chicago Bears — no matter how much the McCaskey family may have an emotional attachment to the middle linebacker — really needs to seek professional help.

* Still speaking of delusional, the perfect way for Urlacher to end his career is to sign a one-game contract with the Bears. Whether it’s this season or whenever.

* Speaking of perfect opportunities, Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish had a perfect game for 26 batters against the Houston Astros. Meaning he was one batter away from baseball immortality (or what passes for such) before Marwin Gonzalez — who? — singled to center through Darvish’s legs. Well, there went the best chance for Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski, formerly of the White Sox, making the Hall of Fame. He could have been the first to catch perfect games in consecutive seasons (he was behind the plate in 2012 for Philip Humber’s masterpiece for the Sox). Ron Hassey remains the only player to catch two perfect games (Len Barker in 1981 and Dennis Martinez in 1991).

* Speaking of the White Sox and Rangers, they will play Aug. 24 game at U.S. Cellular Field in the annual “Civil Rights Game.” Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said, “The majority of people in this country were probably not alive when [Martin Luther] King was killed [1968] and certainly were not alive when Jackie Robinson came into the game [1947], just like the majority of people weren’t alive for the Holocaust. We just can’t have people forgetting what went on if we’re going to get to a country where we truly have an equal opportunity for everybody.”

***

The Los Angeles Lakers retired the jersey of center Shaquille O’Neal on Tuesday night.