This is the fourth and final installment of my preview and it's on the players that are to come in the near future, as the team is getting older and older. For the first time in what seems like years, the Cubs farm system has players that are going to be able to come up and help them either in the near future or in a couple years down the road. The system was somewhat depleted in the trade for Garza, but the cupboard isn't bare.
Brett Jackson is probably the most well-known of the Cubs prospects. He is an outfield prospect that was the Cubs first round draft pick two years ago and he might be a staple in the Cubs lineup next year, if not even the end of this year. He played in his first full season last year and split time between Single A and Double A. He isn't one to hit for power, but he hits for a decent average and has some speed, swiping 30 bags last year.
With the trade of Chris Archer, Trey McNutt is the teams' top pitching prospect. Like Jackson, McNutt went through Single and Double A last season. In 25 starts between the two levels, he went 10-1 with a 2.48 ERA and held hitters to a .2217 average. He has an impressive K/BB numbers in 132/37.
Josh Vitters has been talked about for what seems like a decade as a replacement for third baseman Aramis Ramirez. One thing that has been a knock on Vitters is his fielding, as he is known for committing errors. His power may not be there yet, but he can hit for average and drives in runs fairly easily. He is coming off of a season-ending broken finger so how he comes back from that could be key.
After McNutt, three other pitchers look like they might be ready to make an impact on the major league level soon: Chris Carpenter, Jay Jackson and Hayden Simpson. While Carpenter has been used mainly as a starter, many think his place in the majors will be in the bullpen. What's nice about Carpenter is that he has about a 2:1 K/BB ratio. Jackson struggled in his first full year at Triple-A, but he has shown that he has the stuff to pitch at a high level. Like many of the Cubs pitchers, he has an impressive K:BB ratio. Simpson was a bit of a shock when the Cubs took him in the first round last year, especially since he was an unknown while pitching at Division-II Southern Arkansas. If he can put up numbers like he did there last year (13-1, 1.81 ERA, 131 K, 35 BB), the pick might not look so bad.
The last two are a couple more outfield prospects the team drafted last season, Reggie Golden and Matt Szczur. Golden finished his high school career with 36 home runs, 156 RBIs and 146 runs. Szczur was persuaded by the Cubs to forego an NFL career and play baseball.
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cubs Preview Part 3: Pitchers
Now this is where the post gets a little long. I'll of course break it up into starters and bullpen guys to make it easier for everybody. Some of the guys might be fluctuating between the two so let's do this!
Rotation
The Cubs have a solid top three in Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano. After a club-record six consecutive Opening Day starts, Zambrano is not slated to be the Opening Day starter, Dempster is. And with his performance over the last three years, he has earned it. Three years ago, the Cubs made Dempster a starting pitcher for the second time in his career. Between the 2004-2007 seasons, Dempster was used primarily as a reliever, saving over 24 games three years in a row. Despite his 15-12 record a season ago, it is easy to say that he was the most consistent pitcher the team had the entire season. His 208 strikeouts were good for seventh overall in the National League. If the Cubs can continue to get 4.8 runs or more per game in Dempster's games, that win total can climb even higher.
The Cubs are hoping that Carlos Zambrano's days of angry tirades are behind him. If that is true, that has yet to be seen, but if he resembles the player that came back from a suspension at the end of last season, he may be the 'Big Z' Cubs fans have been looking for these past couple years. Over the last month and a half of the 2010 season, Zambrano went 8-0, giving up two runs or less in all 11 starts he made. The talent has always been there with Big Z. What has driven everyone crazy though, has been Zambrano's personality. If he is able to control himself, he is capable of great things. But until he can do that for an entire season, he will just be another player who never fulfilled his potential.
Matt Garza came over in a trade with the Rays on January 8th. Garza is a player who has pitched against some of the best players in the game, while in the AL East. In fact, he earned ALCS MVP honors in 2008, a year the Rays went to the World Series. Last season saw Garza put up some of the best numbers of his career, picking up a career-best 15 wins. His 3.91 ERA was the second-lowest in his career (of starting at least 20 games). He also struck out 150 batters. What can be troubling for the Cubs is that he gave up the most home runs in his career, 28, in 2010.
Despite what the incumbent fourth and fifth starters Randy Wells and Carlos Silva may think, they are not guaranteed spots in the 2011 rotation. They are fighting at least three others, Braden Looper, Andrew Cashner and James Russell, for those last two spots. Wells regressed in his sophomore campaign by going 8-14, compared to his 12-10 record his rookie campaign. His ERA went up almost a run and a half too. The Cubs hope that a third-year bounce back is in place. Silva started out the season amazingly. Starting the season 5-0, it looked as if Silva could be a diamond in the rough. Unfortunately, he went 5-6 the rest of the season. He is another hot-head and has already had an incident in the third spring training game where he had an argument with a teammate in the dugout.
Cashner, Looper and Russell are each good enough to be used as swingmen between the lineup and the bullpen. Looper was a life-long reliever until the Cardinals converted him into a starter in 2007 and he has started at least 30 games every year since. He didn't play last season, however. Cashner made his name as a closer in college at TCU, but was drafted to be as a starter by the Cubs. However, when he made his debut with the team last season, he was sent to the bullpen. Because of his power arm, he has the ability to be a top of the rotation guy or a closer.
Bullpen
The 2011 bullpen is highlighted by Carlos Marmol and the return of Kerry Wood. In his first season as a full-time closer, Marmol racked up 38 saves in 43 opportunities. He has some of the nastiest stuff people have seen in the sport and that is something that he has used to his advantage. His 16 K/9 IP is a ridiculous stat. Last season he had 138 strikeouts and also finished with a league-high 70 games finished.
Kerry Wood returns to the Cubs two years years after leaving as a free agent. He split last season, playing with both the Yankees and Indians at some points of the year. Wood returns to a city he has loved since day one and that was highlighted by the lesser deal he took to come back. He comes back as a setup man and the role seems to suit him as he gets older. The Cubs just need him to be a stable force at the back of their bullpen and who knows, if Marmol gets injured or starts to struggle, the team knows they have a player who has excelled in the closer role in the past.
For the first three or four years of Sean Marshall's career, the Cubs saw him as a starter. Unfortunately, he never panned out in that role and has been a key member of the bullpen the last two years. Last year, he was the main setup man for Marmol and that role fit him perfectly. 2010 saw him put up the best numbers of his career, as he had career-lows in ERA (2.65), strikeouts (90), batting average against (.210) and held left-handers to a .196 average.
The rest of the bullpen will be made up of those who don't make the rotation and youngsters. So the bullpen might also include Russell, Cashner, Silva, Wells and Casey Coleman. This is essentially a make it or break it year for Jeff Samardzija, who the Cubs gave a big contract to get him from going to the NFL. He hasn't lived up to expectations thus far.
Rotation
The Cubs have a solid top three in Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano. After a club-record six consecutive Opening Day starts, Zambrano is not slated to be the Opening Day starter, Dempster is. And with his performance over the last three years, he has earned it. Three years ago, the Cubs made Dempster a starting pitcher for the second time in his career. Between the 2004-2007 seasons, Dempster was used primarily as a reliever, saving over 24 games three years in a row. Despite his 15-12 record a season ago, it is easy to say that he was the most consistent pitcher the team had the entire season. His 208 strikeouts were good for seventh overall in the National League. If the Cubs can continue to get 4.8 runs or more per game in Dempster's games, that win total can climb even higher.
The Cubs are hoping that Carlos Zambrano's days of angry tirades are behind him. If that is true, that has yet to be seen, but if he resembles the player that came back from a suspension at the end of last season, he may be the 'Big Z' Cubs fans have been looking for these past couple years. Over the last month and a half of the 2010 season, Zambrano went 8-0, giving up two runs or less in all 11 starts he made. The talent has always been there with Big Z. What has driven everyone crazy though, has been Zambrano's personality. If he is able to control himself, he is capable of great things. But until he can do that for an entire season, he will just be another player who never fulfilled his potential.
Matt Garza came over in a trade with the Rays on January 8th. Garza is a player who has pitched against some of the best players in the game, while in the AL East. In fact, he earned ALCS MVP honors in 2008, a year the Rays went to the World Series. Last season saw Garza put up some of the best numbers of his career, picking up a career-best 15 wins. His 3.91 ERA was the second-lowest in his career (of starting at least 20 games). He also struck out 150 batters. What can be troubling for the Cubs is that he gave up the most home runs in his career, 28, in 2010.
Despite what the incumbent fourth and fifth starters Randy Wells and Carlos Silva may think, they are not guaranteed spots in the 2011 rotation. They are fighting at least three others, Braden Looper, Andrew Cashner and James Russell, for those last two spots. Wells regressed in his sophomore campaign by going 8-14, compared to his 12-10 record his rookie campaign. His ERA went up almost a run and a half too. The Cubs hope that a third-year bounce back is in place. Silva started out the season amazingly. Starting the season 5-0, it looked as if Silva could be a diamond in the rough. Unfortunately, he went 5-6 the rest of the season. He is another hot-head and has already had an incident in the third spring training game where he had an argument with a teammate in the dugout.
Cashner, Looper and Russell are each good enough to be used as swingmen between the lineup and the bullpen. Looper was a life-long reliever until the Cardinals converted him into a starter in 2007 and he has started at least 30 games every year since. He didn't play last season, however. Cashner made his name as a closer in college at TCU, but was drafted to be as a starter by the Cubs. However, when he made his debut with the team last season, he was sent to the bullpen. Because of his power arm, he has the ability to be a top of the rotation guy or a closer.
Bullpen
The 2011 bullpen is highlighted by Carlos Marmol and the return of Kerry Wood. In his first season as a full-time closer, Marmol racked up 38 saves in 43 opportunities. He has some of the nastiest stuff people have seen in the sport and that is something that he has used to his advantage. His 16 K/9 IP is a ridiculous stat. Last season he had 138 strikeouts and also finished with a league-high 70 games finished.
Kerry Wood returns to the Cubs two years years after leaving as a free agent. He split last season, playing with both the Yankees and Indians at some points of the year. Wood returns to a city he has loved since day one and that was highlighted by the lesser deal he took to come back. He comes back as a setup man and the role seems to suit him as he gets older. The Cubs just need him to be a stable force at the back of their bullpen and who knows, if Marmol gets injured or starts to struggle, the team knows they have a player who has excelled in the closer role in the past.
For the first three or four years of Sean Marshall's career, the Cubs saw him as a starter. Unfortunately, he never panned out in that role and has been a key member of the bullpen the last two years. Last year, he was the main setup man for Marmol and that role fit him perfectly. 2010 saw him put up the best numbers of his career, as he had career-lows in ERA (2.65), strikeouts (90), batting average against (.210) and held left-handers to a .196 average.
The rest of the bullpen will be made up of those who don't make the rotation and youngsters. So the bullpen might also include Russell, Cashner, Silva, Wells and Casey Coleman. This is essentially a make it or break it year for Jeff Samardzija, who the Cubs gave a big contract to get him from going to the NFL. He hasn't lived up to expectations thus far.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Cubs Preview Part 2: Outfield
The Cubs bring back four outfielders from last year's squad that saw extensive playing time. The fifth outfielder spot is still up for grabs and it looks like it will be a tossup between two or three players, unless Mike Quade keeps six outfielders.
It'd be very easy to say that Alfonso Soriano hasn't lived up to the eight-year $136 million contract he signed in November of 2006. And those people would be right. It seems like he has had more struggles and more injuries than humanly possible. But unfortunately for Cubs fans, he is still around for three more years. If he is not injured and not struggling at the plate, he has the opportunity to be one of the most feared hitters in the game. Now fielding, that's another issue...The crazy part about Soriano is no matter how many home runs he hits, he struggles to put up big RBI numbers. In fact in all his seasons in the majors, he has gone over 100 RBI just once, in 2005. Not even when he hit a career-high 46 home runs did he get to 100 runs batted in. He has come close numerous times, but hasn't been able to get over the hump.
Unlike Soriano, who has not played up to his contract, Marlon Byrd, last year's big signee, arguably did more than that last year in his first season as a Cub. While his power numbers dropped slightly, his average rose 10 points. In fact, really the only big difference was the drop in power numbers. Byrd, however, is not looked upon to be one of the teams' big boppers and that will continue so even more this season with Carlos Pena's arrival. What will be interesting to see is if he can build on a year that saw him earn his first All-Star nod. How will working with Victor Conte effect him?
Kosuke Fukudome enters the fourth and final year of yet another ridiculous contract GM Jim Hendry has handed out. He has had an up-and-down three years so far and that is what has bothered Cubs fans. With such a big contract (4 yrs/$48 mil.) and a great track record in Japan, Fukudome's game suits a player well for a lead-off spot, but his .193 average in that spot has caused managers to flip flop him around. While he had the most home runs he has had a major leaguer (13), his hit, RBI and walk totals were the lowest of his career. And while he doesn't strike out TOO much, he has yet to have a season where he has walked more than he has struck out.
Fukudome better watch out tho, because if he even starts to struggle, he will lose his starting spot to youngster Tyler Colvin, who can play both corner outfield spots, as well as first base. Colvin had a heck of a rookie season last year, slugging 20 home runs and having a .500 slugging percentage in 358 at-bats. If he doesn't steal the job this year, it is easy to see Colvin grabbing the right field job for the foreseeable future and being a fixture in the Cubs lineup for years to come. He will also most likely serve as a backup to Carlos Pena at first, a position Colvin played in college at Clemson.
Reed Johnson, a former Cub and Fernando Perez, a player who came over in the Matt Garza trade, will compete for the fifth outfielder spot. This would essentially be Perez's rookie season, as he only played in 41 games with the Rays. Quade has said that Perez is the fastest player in camp. Johnson played for the Cubs in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He was with the Dodgers last year, where he saw action in 102 games. While never a power hitter, he brings stability to the lineup and the locker room.
It'd be very easy to say that Alfonso Soriano hasn't lived up to the eight-year $136 million contract he signed in November of 2006. And those people would be right. It seems like he has had more struggles and more injuries than humanly possible. But unfortunately for Cubs fans, he is still around for three more years. If he is not injured and not struggling at the plate, he has the opportunity to be one of the most feared hitters in the game. Now fielding, that's another issue...The crazy part about Soriano is no matter how many home runs he hits, he struggles to put up big RBI numbers. In fact in all his seasons in the majors, he has gone over 100 RBI just once, in 2005. Not even when he hit a career-high 46 home runs did he get to 100 runs batted in. He has come close numerous times, but hasn't been able to get over the hump.
Unlike Soriano, who has not played up to his contract, Marlon Byrd, last year's big signee, arguably did more than that last year in his first season as a Cub. While his power numbers dropped slightly, his average rose 10 points. In fact, really the only big difference was the drop in power numbers. Byrd, however, is not looked upon to be one of the teams' big boppers and that will continue so even more this season with Carlos Pena's arrival. What will be interesting to see is if he can build on a year that saw him earn his first All-Star nod. How will working with Victor Conte effect him?
Kosuke Fukudome enters the fourth and final year of yet another ridiculous contract GM Jim Hendry has handed out. He has had an up-and-down three years so far and that is what has bothered Cubs fans. With such a big contract (4 yrs/$48 mil.) and a great track record in Japan, Fukudome's game suits a player well for a lead-off spot, but his .193 average in that spot has caused managers to flip flop him around. While he had the most home runs he has had a major leaguer (13), his hit, RBI and walk totals were the lowest of his career. And while he doesn't strike out TOO much, he has yet to have a season where he has walked more than he has struck out.
Fukudome better watch out tho, because if he even starts to struggle, he will lose his starting spot to youngster Tyler Colvin, who can play both corner outfield spots, as well as first base. Colvin had a heck of a rookie season last year, slugging 20 home runs and having a .500 slugging percentage in 358 at-bats. If he doesn't steal the job this year, it is easy to see Colvin grabbing the right field job for the foreseeable future and being a fixture in the Cubs lineup for years to come. He will also most likely serve as a backup to Carlos Pena at first, a position Colvin played in college at Clemson.
Reed Johnson, a former Cub and Fernando Perez, a player who came over in the Matt Garza trade, will compete for the fifth outfielder spot. This would essentially be Perez's rookie season, as he only played in 41 games with the Rays. Quade has said that Perez is the fastest player in camp. Johnson played for the Cubs in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He was with the Dodgers last year, where he saw action in 102 games. While never a power hitter, he brings stability to the lineup and the locker room.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Cubs Preview Part 1: Infield
Well, it's that time of year again ladies and gentlemen. Baseball season is just around the corner and you can just feel spring coming up (well outside of the cold of course). So that means one thing...let's check out how our favorite teams are going to do! For this preview I'm going to break it up into four separate ones: infield, outfield, pitching and prospects.
Catcher: Geovany Soto broke out onto the scene three years ago, when he was named NL Rookie of the Year after having a monster first season as a major league starter. While he hasn't put up those ridiculous numbers since, last season was a step back in that direction after a tough sophomore campaign. He got his average back up to .280 last year. Although his power numbers (17 HR, 53 RBI) haven't gotten back to the levels of his rookie year, the power bats the team has put around him doesn't put the pressure on him to put up huge numbers again. The Cubs have multiple possibilities for Soto's backup, as they added Max Ramirez off waivers this winter. He is added to the already full stable of backstops including Wellington Castillo and Koyie Hill.
First Base: The Cubs signed Carlos Pena to a one-year $10 million contract in the offseason. The team is hoping that Pena has a bounce back year after hitting for only a .196 average last year. Now while Pena has never been one to hit for a great average, his power is something that intrigues teams. In the last four years he has hit 28 or more home runs, including three consecutive years between 31-46. One thing that could scare the team is the lack of a true backup. Tyler Colvin, who is now an outfielder, will be one of the backups, having played the position in college.
Second Base: Second base might be one of the weaker spots on the team, as neither of the candidates for the position (Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt) jump out at you as a star player. DeWitt looks like he will be the starter and Baker a utility guy who can play three of four infield positions. DeWitt came over in a trade-deadline deal last season and hit .250 in 184 at bats with the Cubs.
Shortstop: With the emergence of Starlin Castro, the shortstop position is set for years to come. Yes, his defense needs some work (27 errors last season), but the possibility to improve is so great, the team is willing to put up with his growing pains. It's so easy to forget that Castro turns just 21 years old this spring. In his first season, 125 games played, he hit .300 with three home runs, 41 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases, all while fluctuating between where he was slotted in the lineup. With his speed, he is more suited to be a top of the lineup type of guy, but what manager Mike Quade does with him should be interesting.
Third base: A familiar face returns to man the hot corner: Aramis Ramirez. He will be hoping to get over injuries that have bugged him in the past and use his strong second half of last season to propel him to a normal Aramis Ramirez season. When healthy, Ramirez has been a feared hitter, who can hit around 30 home runs and well over 100 runs batted in. And outside of last season, his average has hovered around .300 as a Cub. He is the perfect middle of the order player who also can provide some verteran leadership for some of the younger players. However, if the Cubs are to be successful, he is going to have to avoid injuries. If he does, watch out NL.
As you can see, there is quite a lot of talent in the infield this year. Injuries will play a big role, especially with Ramirez. If everyone can stay healthy and Castro doesn't experience a sophomore slump, could be good times.
Catcher: Geovany Soto broke out onto the scene three years ago, when he was named NL Rookie of the Year after having a monster first season as a major league starter. While he hasn't put up those ridiculous numbers since, last season was a step back in that direction after a tough sophomore campaign. He got his average back up to .280 last year. Although his power numbers (17 HR, 53 RBI) haven't gotten back to the levels of his rookie year, the power bats the team has put around him doesn't put the pressure on him to put up huge numbers again. The Cubs have multiple possibilities for Soto's backup, as they added Max Ramirez off waivers this winter. He is added to the already full stable of backstops including Wellington Castillo and Koyie Hill.
First Base: The Cubs signed Carlos Pena to a one-year $10 million contract in the offseason. The team is hoping that Pena has a bounce back year after hitting for only a .196 average last year. Now while Pena has never been one to hit for a great average, his power is something that intrigues teams. In the last four years he has hit 28 or more home runs, including three consecutive years between 31-46. One thing that could scare the team is the lack of a true backup. Tyler Colvin, who is now an outfielder, will be one of the backups, having played the position in college.
Second Base: Second base might be one of the weaker spots on the team, as neither of the candidates for the position (Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt) jump out at you as a star player. DeWitt looks like he will be the starter and Baker a utility guy who can play three of four infield positions. DeWitt came over in a trade-deadline deal last season and hit .250 in 184 at bats with the Cubs.
Shortstop: With the emergence of Starlin Castro, the shortstop position is set for years to come. Yes, his defense needs some work (27 errors last season), but the possibility to improve is so great, the team is willing to put up with his growing pains. It's so easy to forget that Castro turns just 21 years old this spring. In his first season, 125 games played, he hit .300 with three home runs, 41 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases, all while fluctuating between where he was slotted in the lineup. With his speed, he is more suited to be a top of the lineup type of guy, but what manager Mike Quade does with him should be interesting.
Third base: A familiar face returns to man the hot corner: Aramis Ramirez. He will be hoping to get over injuries that have bugged him in the past and use his strong second half of last season to propel him to a normal Aramis Ramirez season. When healthy, Ramirez has been a feared hitter, who can hit around 30 home runs and well over 100 runs batted in. And outside of last season, his average has hovered around .300 as a Cub. He is the perfect middle of the order player who also can provide some verteran leadership for some of the younger players. However, if the Cubs are to be successful, he is going to have to avoid injuries. If he does, watch out NL.
As you can see, there is quite a lot of talent in the infield this year. Injuries will play a big role, especially with Ramirez. If everyone can stay healthy and Castro doesn't experience a sophomore slump, could be good times.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Lacrosse Catching on in Chicago, Suburbs
A Glenbrook South player battles an opponent from Hathaway Brown for possession (Photo by Fred Dial)
In a sport dominated by schools on the East Coast, schools in the Midwest are starting to show that they are forces to be reckoned with. The sport of lacrosse has become so popular in the state of Illinois that the Illinois High School Association has approved a Lacrosse State Series starting in the 2010-2011 school year.
To do that, there needs to be a total of 60 boys and 40 girls teams by February of next year. Both the girls and boys have met those figures already and with the rapid growth of the sport, it is safe to say that the number of schools will only go up.
Lacrosse originated with the Native Americans of the United States and Canada, mainly among the Huron and Iroquois Tribes. In many societies/tribes, the ball sport was often part of religious ritual, played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, develop strong, virile men and prepare for war. Legend tells of games with more than 100 players from different tribes taking turns to play.
It could be played on a field many miles in length and width; sometimes the game could last for days. Early lacrosse balls were made of deerskin, clay, stone and sometimes wood.
In the United States, lacrosse had primarily been a regional sport centered in and around Colorado, Florida, upstate New York, Texas, and mid-Atlantic states. In recent years, its popularity has started to spread south to Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and Florida, as well as the Midwest. The sport has gained increasing visibility in the media, with a growth of college, high school, and youth programs throughout the country. According to a 2006 New York Times article, the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship has the highest attendance of any NCAA Championship, outdrawing even the Final Four of men's basketball.
The sport of boys lacrosse first originated in the state of Illinois in 1988, when the first title game was held between Lake Forest and Evanston High Schools, with Lake Forest winning. It has grown from a mere seven schools to over 60, including schools in the inner city, such as Harlan and Collins Academies.
New Trier High School and Loyola Academy have been the two most successful programs in boys lacrosse, having played in 13 and 17 of the 21 championship games, respectively. Loyola has won the most titles, winning eight of the 17, including five against the rival Trevians, but new Trier has had the ramblers’ number recently, as they have defeated Loyola in the title game in each of the past four years.
“The competitiveness of Illinois high school lacrosse has risen in recent years, said Jamie Considine, an Illinois High School Lacrosse Association administrator said. “We now have lots of players going on to play Division I, II, and III college lacrosse. We have expanded the number of All-Americans from one to six annually to account for the increase in numbers and talent.”
Girls lacrosse, while not as popular yet in Illinois as the boys game, is only entering its 12th year of competition in the state of Illinois. Seven schools first started the Illinois High School Women’s Lacrosse Association in 1998: Loyola, New Trier, Regina Dominican, Lane Tech, Glenbrook South and Lake Forest.
Like their male counterparts, Loyola and New Trier, along with Lake Forest, have been the most successful teams, with Loyola being in every single of the 12 championship games.
“We are all excited because I feel this will give lacrosse more of a seal of approval,” said Loyola girls lacrosse coach John Dwyer. “Because it will now be an IHSA sport, more schools will start programs and that only makes the level of play in Illinois better.”
With the new Championship Series, there will be a new quirk in the seeding that there wasn’t before. The boys game has two divisions, A and B, where the top teams are in the A division and the rest are in the B division.
With the inception of the new playoff series, this will no longer be the case. All schools will play in one class. The girls game, however, does not have multiple classes and is seeded. The Championship Series will do what they do with the rest of their sports: break schools up into regionals and sectionals, based on location. Not all coaches are thrilled about this.
“I have a bad feeling that the Championship games won’t feature the best two teams in the state anymore,” said Dwyer, who has been Loyola’s coach for eight years. “In the past it had been that we would face New Trier or Lake Forest in either the semifinals or finals. With this new system, we will face them in the second or third round. So it might end up that the best team in the state is done after one or two games.”
But as Dwyer later added, it doesn’t matter what the name on the trophy is, it’s all the same. You can never take away the feeling of a championship.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Why the loss of Ted Lilly might be as bad as thought
From an outsiders perspective, losing a pitcher who has arguably been your top starter for the past three years can be a bad thing. And while in most cases I would agree, I think the loss of Ted Lilly won’t be as bad as some may think.
One could argue that Lilly has been the most consistent Cubs pitcher since he came over from the Blue Jays three years ago. His 44 wins in that time frame, along with over 500 strikeouts and 3.67 ERA, has led the team since his arrival. His recovery from surgery won’t be as rough for the Cubs as many think, because both Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelaany have both looked solid this spring. Now spring may not be the best measuring stick on how an athlete will perform, it can show glimpses of what is to become.
With a relatively easy schedule for the first month of the season, the Cubs should be able to handle the absence of a pitcher they envision to be their No.2 in the rotation. If they can weather the storm without him, the Cubs may be in for a nice start to a season which can be based on hope.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
