JEFF'S CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG - MID-YEAR GRADES ON OUR CHICAGO BASEBALL TEAMS!
A TRUE CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG, FROM A TRUE CHICAGO SPORTS FAN!
I'm back from vacation, andI feel very rested now, folks! I'm ready for the Second Half of the Baseball Season for both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. Here are my mid-year grades -
The Chicago White Sox - Grade - D
The Sox have left their fans and the baseball experts baffled. Riddled with one of the poorest offenses in baseball, the Sox are now 13 games out of first place. Pre-season polls had the Sox definitely contending for their division with the wild card as a definite fall back.
They've had to face their share of injuries to key players: Scott Podsednik, Joe Crede and Jim Thome. Nevertheless, with one week having passed in June, the talk shows all but wrote off the Sox and continue to do so. It's hard to fathom with a solid pitching staff, one of the best closers in the game and a line-up that on paper was always difficult to face.
The question is who's to blame? Is it Kenny Williams who knew that Podsednik is always a risk to get hurt and that Joe Crede's back has been bothering him for nearly two years? What about that bullpen that should have been better than what it has showed? Does any of the blame reside in the managerial style of Ozzie Guillen, especially when in mid-June it looked as though this team lost its spark?
It will be interesting to see how the Sox perform in the second half and how if at all they can correct the ship for 2008. The signing of Mark Buehrle should provide a strong foundation for a much improved 2008 Chicago White Sox Team.
The Chicago Cubs - Grade C+
The Cubs find themselves in the thick of a mid-summer division race trailing the Brewers by 4.5 games and that would normally require a higher grade but after spending nearly 300 million and playing in arguably the easiest division in baseball, the Cubs haven't lived up to expectations. The only trouble with this scenario is that the Cubs still have several major questions to answer. Who will be the closer when Ryan Dempster comes back as Carlos Marmol has looked pretty darn good the last couple of weeks? Who will be the catcher to handle this pitching staff and hit at least .250? Is this starting staff good enough against division rivals down the stretch? How do you get Mark DeRosa, Ryan Theriot, and Mark Fontenot in the lineup at the same time? Will Derrek Lee begin to hit for power and if not can the Cubs win playing small ball?
The bullpen has been better but the Cubs probably need another lefty arm that can get left-handed hitters out. Will Dempster be able to stay solid with the oblique injury as well as knowing that Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry are breathing down his neck? What will happen to Felix Pie who was brought up to stay but hardly plays now and is used primarily for defense? How do you fit in Angel Pagan who has shown some terrific offensive spark? Will the front office pull the trigger on a trade that can make this club a serious contender down the stretch?
Lou Piniella has a much better understanding of what this team is capable of and regardless of what happens this year I think the Cubs will be positioned very well for 2008. Of course, there will be things to address, namely the status of Carlos Zambrano, but it sure looks like the Cubs have a nice mix of young and veteran players to be strong for the next couple of years. In the meantime, it will be an exciting second half for the Cubs and fans as they pursue a playoff berth.
How do YOU think the Cubs and the White Sox will finish out 2007? Let me know!
YOUR DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO SPORTS EDITOR,
JEFF ARDITO
