I think to do my first blog, I am going to list something I like, and then something I don't like, maybe to give the readers a taste of what to expect from my blog posts in the near future.
I LIKE the Chicago Cubs.
I DON'T LIKE when a team underachieves so bad that my first thought about attending a game in September is "oh well, it's only 5 bucks" instead of "I hope this is the team that makes a run deep in the playoffs"
I LIKE honesty from management.
I DON'T LIKE when a team makes moves and acquires players at the trade deadline, and then the hour or two before newly acquired players have to be on a team to be elgible for the postseason, you go and get rid of as many guys as teams would take. I am talking about the White Sox, who got rid of Thome and Jose Contreras (reports said they were trying to ship Jermaine Dye somewhere else as well). Now getting rid of Contreras is fine, but getting rid of guys just to save a little bit of money is like giving the old Cubs motto to your fans, "There's always next year." The Cubs also tried to get in on some of this action, not making as much noise at the trade deadline as the Peavy acquistion, but tried to get rid of some players, and then could not come to terms with the teams trying to acquire Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman, respectively.
I LIKE good quarterback play.
I DON'T LIKE when the media uses attitude problems as a guy's weakness. Jay Cutler is an absolute beast. 23 for 34 passing, with 265 yards and two touchdowns in the last two preseason games, but when the Bears traded for him, people in the media like Tony Dungy questioned how much the Bears gave up for a guy who demanded a trade out of Denver. The Bears gave up multiple 1st round picks for a 26 year old who has already been to a Pro-Bowl, and has a career completion percentage of 62.5%. So far, the critics have been put to shame by Cutler's performance in the preseason, and I believe, based on what I have seen so far, (although in preseason action only with the Bears,) will continue to eat their words into the regular season. For a team that has never had a good quarterback in my lifetime, or anyone's lifetime who wasn't around for Sid Luckman in the 40's for that matter, I can't wait to have a known commodity like Cutler lead the Bears for what I can only hope is a long, fruitful relationship between Cutler and the Bears.
I LIKE Fantasy Football.
I DON'T LIKE people who think they know a lot about Fantasy Football, but in reality don't know nearly enough to be able to hold an even slightly knowledgeable fantasy discussion. This could be applied to all sports, not just the stat-heavy fantasy leagues, but when you talk about Fantasy Football, you have to numbers or reasons to back up your argument other than "Player X is garbage, Player Y is much better." This is not a valid argument, you have to state why that player is better, it would be like me saying all Packers are bad in fantasy because they play for a team I don't like. Also, this is the first year in some time where picking a running back in the first and second round is not a sure thing, because of the rise in number of teams splitting carries and goalline backs in the NFL, only the elite runners see the bulk of their team's carries. Where, on the other hand, the number of elite WRs and QBs can each be counted on one hand. So a pick outside the top 5, towards the end of the round, could see you taking an elite WR and an elite QB over a top 10 player in a very deep position, running back.
In closing, I think about what a difference a year has made here in Chicago. Last year at this time, the Cubs were cruising through the final full month of the regular season, gearing up for what everyone thought would be something special in October, while the Bears were picked by many to be worse than the Lions, and the only people who thought the Bears would do anything were Bear players themselves. Where now, this year, the Cubs have all but eliminated themselves from postseason play and the Bears are favored by most, nationally as well as locally, to win a very good, deep NFC North.
Oh what a difference a year makes.
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