Catching Hell: Reexamining the Legacy of Bartman

Like any good Cubs fan, I remember exactly where I was when Game 6 happened. I spent most of the 2nd half of the game arguing on the phone with Sam. I don't remember about what about (probably communication issues. Rest assured, we have all that worked out now!) But at the same time I was watching the game closely (in my defense, I'm pretty sure she was too.) After the collapse, me and my roommates went to the back porch of our apartment, which overlooked tennis courts across the alley, and threw beer bottles (root beer bottles for me) across the alley to watch them explode on the tennis courts below. I remember being pissed a little at Bartman, but more so at Alex Gonzalez the next day, and Dave Veres and Mark Guthrie (both of whom, I was shocked to find out in the research for this, weren't terrible all season long. I remember them both being awful in the postseason at least.) (Also, neither of them pitched in Game 6. It was Kyle Farnsworth and Mike Remlinger, both of whom only gave up 1 hit. But there were a few intentional walks in there, too. Guthrie didn't even pitch in Game 7.)

But I do remember having discussions later where I blasted Bartman, and the fans in the area for not getting out of the way. If Alou had any chance at all, isn't that more important than catching a pop foul? I like to think I would have had the presence of mind to get out of the way, but there's no way to ever know.

I think the reason Bartman became the scapegoat to the extent that he did is because he was a fan. I couldn't have came in and pitched lights out relief for Mark Prior in the 8th inning. I couldn't even have turned the double play Alex Gonzalez botched. But if I was in the stands, I could have gotten out of the way of a foul ball. Apart from a Jeffrey Maier type moment, that's basically all a baseball fan can do at a game.

The Catching Hell filmmaker, Alex Gibney, spends the majority of his 2 hour documentary trying to deflect blame from Bartman, but I thought the most interesting part of the documentary was when Gibney uses video editing techniques to remove everyone else from the play, and it's probably the strongest evidence I've ever seen that suggests Alou would have made the play. And maybe if there are 2 outs, Gonzalez has an easier time with Miguel Cabrera's ground ball.

If I was doing a blame game for Game 6, and I'm being totally honest...yeah, I'd give Bartman a few percentage points. Not more than Gonzalez, or Prior, or Dusty Baker, or even Sammy Sosa and Aramis Ramirez (a combined 0-6). And I think Bartman has received thousands of times as much crap as he deserved for his part in the loss. Obviously the fans around him were out of control, not to mention the media afterwards.

But I still wish I could see what would have happened had Moises had a chance to catch that ball.

(also, a giant fuck you to Bartman's so called "friends" who blatantly ditched him after the play. I can't say definitively I wouldn't have reached for a foul ball, but I can say I would never do that.)

So it's Chitown Sports' Turn to Pile on Jim Hendry

So you would think that having the summer off would allow for more blogging time, but the whole "not-having-a-laptop" thing negates that advantage. But I'm typing this on a new one, where the keyboard is almost entirely on the left side of the computer, so expect at least 20% more typos in this the coming posts.

I know I'm not breaking any new ground in suggesting that Jim Hendry has been part of the problem in Cubs land for a while now. I just want to add my two cents.

It seems like Hendry has gotten a free pass from Cubs fans for two things: rebuilding the minor league system, and the Aramis and Derrek trades. I'll start with the minor leagues.

For years it feels like I've been hearing "The minor league system is getting better." "Just wait until (so-and-so) comes up." Yet I can name on one hand the number of home-grown Hendry prospects have lived up to the hype in a Cubs uniform (Soto, Castro, Marmol...maybe Angel Guzman gets a pass). Otherwise, the prospects that come up always manage to underwhelm. Matt Murton. Ryan Theriot. Micah Hoffpauir.

Maybe you can argue that expectations should never be that high with these guys to begin with, but it's hard to tell since so often their way is blocked by overpriced veterans Hendry stupidly signed or traded for (you need names? Really? Fukudome, Soriano, Milton fucking Bradley, even Jacque Jones. I think I was the only person in Chicago who liked Jacque Jones.)

If we have this talent in the minors, where are the power hitting outfielders? I believe the last one's name was Corey Patterson. Front line starters? The last one was Big Z. Corner infielders? Hee Seop Choi?

I guess we haven't needed corner infielders much, since Hendry did pull off two of the biggest heists in the last decade with the Aramis and Derrek trades. I'll give him credit for Nomar, too, since although Nomar didn't do a whole lot in a Cubs uni, he didn't cost them a whole heck of a lot, either.

The problem is that almost every trade since then has been a loss for the Cubs. Juan Pierre. Greg Maddux for Caeser Izturis. Theriot and Ted Lilly for Blake Dewitt (Hendry apparently loves weak hitting Dodger infielders). Mark DeRosa for nothing. I know some of these trades (like Derrek last year) are designed to give a veteran another postseason chance, but it's an indictment of Hendry that we're in that situation in the first place.

The Cubs aren't getting better until there are changes up top, and we start running the club with some sort of long term plan. That can't happen with Hendry. He has to go.

Credit Where Credit is Due- Cubs/Giants Game 4

This is the first time I've done a credit post for baseball. It's kind of cheap, since baseball is a sport where the exact amount of credit can be assigned at the end of the game scientifically. I know you can theoretically do it for basketball, too, but I've touched on before the differences between the two sports statistically. Anyways, I'm going to try to give out credit on my own before looking at the WPA (win probability added) for each player.

Marcus Mateo- 35%

You might think about going right to Geo, but I know I said to my friend when Mateo came in, "here comes 4 or 5 runs". I did not expect 5 strong innings of 2-hit ball (both the inning he came in) with 6 strikeouts. Nice to be pleasantly surprised by the bullpen for once.

Geo- 25%

Every time a pinch-hitter came up I said "Where's Geo?" Quade chose to hit with Reed Johnson, Lou Montanez, and Jeff Baker before Geo in situations where the game could have potentially been over with one swing (and that's why Quade will not be receiving any credit here.)

The rest of the bullpen- 20%

Marshall, Samardzija, Russell, and Marmol stepped up big, too. Which is extra important when your starting pitcher can't last an 2 innings.

Aramis- 15%

Aramis is batting .360 with 5 home runs in his last 10 games. If he can stay this hot for awhile, maybe we can win more than 2 games in a row.

Darwin Barney- 5%

Huge clutch hit to keep it alive for Soto. 2-6 isn't bad in your 2nd game back.

No Credit-

Quade- Why save your only power hitter left on the bench until last when 1 swing can end the game? Oh, because you are a moron.

Big Z- I wonder if "back spasms" is code for "I hurt my pride on my (shoulda been) 2 error play.

Carlos Pena- Carlos has been great lately, but 0-5 will land you here.

Grantland Day 2: Wrigley and LA Noire

I don't know if this is going to be an everyday thing or not yet, but I'd like to keep avoiding talking about the Cubs for as long as possible. So I'm going to do a quick review of my favorite and least favorite article of the day (and maybe comment on other articles if the mood strikes me.) I love the side notes, by the way. I wish I could do that and stop relying on parentheses so much.
Best: Press X for Beer Bottle by Tom Bissell

I could relate to being a teacher who doesn't have enough time to play video games anymore, and I'm about halfway through the game in question (LA Noire) right now. As an RPG fan, I've always been more interested in a game's storyline than it's actual gameplay. That's not to say a game doesn't have to be fun to play in between the cut scenes, just that if I don't care what's going on in the story, I'm probably not going to care. The story doesn't have to be super-intricate and detailed, though. One of the best games I've played this year is Donkey Kong Country Returns, which isn't exactly A Tale of Two Cities (Some punk-ass masks stole his bananas. He wants them back.) But if a game has an interesting story I care about, I'm more inclined to stick with it.

I'm right in the middle of the game right, now, where Bissell suggest the plot slows down, and every single suspect is lying to you about every single question (seriously, I don't remember the last time "truth" was the correct answer.) I have faith LA Noire will tie it all together at the end.

I can't believe he didn't mention the best-laid story in a video game in recent memory during this column: Portal 2. Portal 2 didn't have a draggy middle section, it stays interesting from start to finish, and keeps the momentum and urgency going the whole time. If every other game could plot stories half as well as Portal 2, and be 1/3 as funny, there'd be a lot more worthwhile video games on the market.

Worst: Wrigley Is Wrigley, and Nothing Else Is.

I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate fans like this. This is why Cubs fans have such a terrible reputation for being terrible bandwagon fans who are more concerned with getting drunk than watching a good team. Because you write stupid drivel like this. You are the type of fan I have to hear talk about Lincoln Park bars while Marmol gives me a heart attack by walking people in the 9th.

I listened to the game he went to for this article on the radio, and remember being pissed right along with Pat Hughes (who of course classily registered his disgust by announcing each Pirate run in his disapproving-father tone.) Yes, Eggers, there are plenty of Cubs fans who actually care about the outcome of games, but we were all pushed out right around 2003 by ticket brokers and yuppies. Right around the same time you stopped being able to actually live in the buildings across the street from Wrigley. And we were pushed out because of crap like this, how Wrigley is a temple, a place that's about more than baseball.

I'm going to say something sacrilegious for a Cubs fan here. I'm not going to be as upset as most on the day (which will happen in my lifetime) where the Cubs put up a new, bigger stadium in the suburbs somewhere and stop playing home games at Wrigley. I don't think they'll tear the thing down, more than likely it'll become some sort of landmark/museum. But there's money to be made, and if it brings the Cubs closer to winning a world series, then I'm all for it.

So I Guess I Have to Write About the Cubs Now?

"The problem wasn't Pujols, the problem was [Theriot's] at-bat. We should have known better than this. We are playing like a Triple-A team. This is embarrassing. Embarrassing for the team and the owners. Embarrassing for the fans. Embarrassing, that's the word for this team."

"We should know that Ryan Theriot is not a good fastball hitter, we should know that as a team. We should play better here. We stink. That's all I've got to say." -Big Z

Let's start by getting this out of the way: he's not wrong about any of this. They should be embarrassed, the way they're playing right now. But there are way more problems than Marmol having a bad week. Here are some basic numbers for you:

The Cubs are 9th in the NL in OPS but 4th to last in Home Runs, with 40. They're ahead of the Mets and Astros, who both suck, and the Padres, who play in the most spacious pitchers park in the game.

The Cubs are dead last in the league (and all of baseball) in ERA at 4.75. And before Big Z starts pointing fingers at the bullpen, he should know the Cubs are also last in quality starts, with 20 out of a possible 57 (that's really bad, non-baseball-fans)

Also, while it's not a great stat to use as a pure metric, the Cubs are tied for last in fielding percentage as well (.978)

So we have enough blame to go around before I even get to Mike Quade (and I'll get to Mike Quade in a minute). But let me get back to Zambrano. You say "We should know Theriot is not a good fastball hitter." Maybe, but you should also know that your closer is not a good fastball pitcher. But when he has his slider working, it's one of the best in the game. It hasn't been working in two games in the past week, and he's blown two saves. In between that he appeared in two games and struck out 5 of the 9 batters he faced. His ERA before this week was 1.17, and he hadn't allowed an earned run since April 20th before last Tuesday. Marmol is not the problem.

The problems start with Mike Quade. I'm sick and tired of Zambrano being allowed to run around being an asshole without anyone putting him in his place. I know Michael Barrett tried, but he was traded a few weeks later. A real team with a real manager would have put a stop to this by now. I don't even want him traded necessarily (which I know is impossible due to his no-trade clause), I just want someone to put their foot up his ass every time he opens up his mouth to say something stupid. That's the manager's job, and he's not doing it.

And while we're at it, what the hell was Tyler Colvin doing practically playing center field on that hit? Did they really think there was no chance Theriot could turn on a Marmol slider? And why is Soriano, our only power source before he got hurt, consistently batting 6th or lower in the batting order and being protected by Koyie Fucking Hill? And why, as I'm typing this, is Carlos Pena getting picked off of first on a single because he rounded first but the runners in front of him both held? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY FUCKING PROBLEMS WITH THE CUBS RIGHT NOW?!?!?!?

Sorry, lost it there for a second. To answer your unasked question, Big Z, the Cubs are playing like a triple-A team because they're managed like a triple-A team. It's like there's a different agenda with the lineups and bullpen decisions, but there's not, and you're somehow 6th in baseball in payroll but getting swept by teams like the Astros. It's pretty ridiculous. I'm about to live in a world where the Packers, Heat, and Canucks are all champions in their respective sports at the same time. At least give me something to root for, here.

How About Them Coconuts? 4/1

I decided the roundup posts needed a more creative name, so in honor of Joakim Noah's second job choice, we're going to call it How About Them Coconuts from here on out.

Bulls

Wanted to pass along the following exchange between Ethan (posing as Piet, for some reason) and KC Johnson:

"I read your article about Carlos Boozer's declining offensive
production. I am far more concerned with what seems to be his blatant
lack of effort on the defensive end. He doesn't move his feet to keep
defensive position. He swats at the ball as his man drives past and
then players behind him are forced to foul. Everyone else has bought
into a team defensive scheme predicated on working hard. We see him
yelling and communicating, but it really seems he's unwilling to try
harder. Does Coach T get on him about this? -- Piet, Chicago

It's always dangerous to question players' effort. I think it's fair
to call Boozer a poor defender and unfair to question his effort. I
also think he has battled conditioning issues all season with the
preseason injury and the two sprained ankles. Those aren't excuses for
him. He needs to defend better. And remember when he repeatedly got
beat downcourt by Kris Humphries at New Jersey in early January,
Thibodeau benched him for the fourth quarter. I think it will be very
interesting to see the big-man rotation come playoff time, when
defense is at a premium."

It sounds a little like KC is suggesting TT would pull Boozer in the same situation in the playoffs. Don't see it happening. I love what TT has done in 95% of aspects of the game, but I still worry about the frontcourt rotations, especially in crunch time. It's become clea at the end of games (I'm talking final 2 minutes here) it's going to be all Derrick, all the time. In situations like that, unless Boozer has a clear mismatch, I'd rather see Taj in there for defensive/rebounding/screening purposes. If Boozer is in the game, they need to be more courageous about actually going to him in the last two minutes. Which brings me to the #1 thing I'm worried about for when the playoffs come around: Our over-reliance on Derrick at the end of the game. Everything I've been reading lately has been about how Derrick is the extent of our offense, which isn't true. Boozer can create his own shots, Deng can create his own shots, and the Fredo curl play is very effective when run properly. The Bulls need to get into the habit now of using all these options at the end of games, so good defensive teams (like, say, the Celtics) can't cheat on Derrick.

Also, as much as I like TBN, if Fredo is going to be on the floor in crunch time, I want him getting a few more minutes during the rest of the game. If he's going to be asked to hit clutch shots, I want him a little more warmed up than he sometimes is in the 4th quarter.

Also, ha, the Pistons retired Vinny Johnson's #15? That's like if the Bulls retired BJ Armstrong's number. (I realize BJ's # is already retired in honor of Bob Love, but still, that's the closest equivalent I can think of.)

Blackhawks

I have very little to say about the Hawks right now. At this point I'd consider it a decent season if they get past the first round. Especially since it looks like they're going to be the 8 seed and play Vancouver in the first round. They need to get some things straightened out in the offseason, but I'm going to have to read up on free agents and whatnot to figure out exactly what that is (other than getting rid of Thomas Kopecky. I'm sick of watching him fuck up. He sucks.)

Cubs

I wanted to write a Cubs season preview, but didn't have time this week, and won't probably have time until sometime next week, so I'll make my predictions here, and hopefully flesh them out further at a later date.

I think the Cubs are going to be around .500 this year. They could be really good if Soriano and Ramirez and Pena hit like they're capable of and Zambrano avoids any more mental breakdowns and Randy Wells reverts to rookie form and Kerry Wood stays healthy to set The Usher up and Matt Garza doesn't continue his horrible spring. As my students learned during the probability unit, the more ands you have in a problem, the lower your chances are. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised (like I was with the Bears this season,) but I still think they're going to get worse before they get better (and will need to rid themselves of a couple really bad contracts, too.)

Bears

I think of all big time non-golf-or-Nascar related sports events, the one I care the least about is the NFL draft. I just don't have the time to care that much when there are so many other exciting things going on in other sports. I got nothing for ya, Bears. Draft an offensive lineman from a decent college (but not too decent, so that he's an egotistical jackass.)

Fire

I just started trying to be a MLS fan last year, and when I watched the first Fire game this year, I recognized about 3 players. Is there always this much turnover? Or is it because the Fire had so many players that probably could have been in better leagues? Either way, it's a little frustrating, and is making me less excited about them.

Random Notes- 3/3

Bulls

I'm sure if any game this season called for a blame game, it was last night. However, I didn't get to see most of it, and while I could dole out some blame for the last two minutes (even then there's plenty to go around,) but it might not be very accurate (although judging from Al Horford's 31 and 16, I'm guessing Noah deserves a good chunk.) If someone wants to write one up, be my guest.

Anyways, I'm looking for the Bulls to bounce back by beating both Florida teams over the weekend. The Bulls have been stepping up lately when the competition amps up, so hopefully they'll come to play Friday and Sunday, then stop taking nights off the rest of the way.

Hawks

On the flip side, the Hawks are playing as good as they've played all year, and I'm ready to declare the Stanley Cup hangover officially over. I love this picture of Toews as Judge Dredd. Ever since I semi-blasted him, he has taken the team on his back, and there's no reason the Hawks can't get a home playoff series in the first round. And frankly I'm not scared of the Canucks if that's the 2nd round opponent. There would be a ridiculous amount of pressure on them to finally get past the Hawks, while the Hawks have nothing to lose at this point. Most fans have already written this season off, and about when that happened, they started playing loose again. Either way it's finally all coming together, right in the nick of time.

Cubs

I don't care what Mike Wilbon says, I'm not "encouraged" by the fact that the Cubs are fighting in the dugout 4 days into spring training.

Look, I'm not trying to judge the Quade era on 4 spring training games. But to me, there seems to be 3 main jobs as a manager-
1. Don't run your players into stupid outs on the basepaths.
2. Don't leave your pitchers in too long (or take them out in the 6th inning of a tie playoff game in anticipation of a game 4 they didn't even make it to, you fucking moron.)
3. Keep your team from hating each other.

There's something to be said for fighting due to over-competitiveness. But I don't like the finger-pointing happening on March 2nd. That's a sign that your team isn't on the same page, and not working for the same goals. Quade, please get control of your team.

The Silva-for-Bradley trade was officially a win when Silva won his first game last year. I still blame Hendry a little, though, for the retarded Bradley signing in the first place, necessitating a trade for a guy who made 12.75 mil to add 1.8 wins above replacement, yet think he's entitled to a starting job without earning it.

Bears

Not much to say here, but hat tip to Tommie Harris, who went out with a little class. I always liked Tommie, and was rooting for him to succeed. It's the NFL, though, and you can't under perform your contract without consequences. Good job on Tommie for understanding that and being a professional.

Random Notes From Around Chicago

If anyone wants to add the White Sox on to these types of posts, be my guest...

Bulls

The problem with west coast night games is that I only get to watch the first half at best. So while I gather that the problem with the Warriors game was turnovers, and the problem with the Blazers game is we let Aldridge drop 42, I don't feel like I really have the ability to analyze the little things that can be the difference between wins and losses.

I did notice a disturbing trend in both games, however. Both teams defended the Derrick-Kurt/Taj pick and roll by all out double-teaming Rose and making him give it up. If you have two solid defenders, this can work. The obvious counter-attack is to have 3 guys who all can shoot in the corners and top of the key, so the other 3 defenders can't guard everyone. Of course, the Bulls really only have 1 reliable spot-up shooter (Korver) so they need to be creative. I've seen Boozer make some nice plays in the 4-on-3 that results, but this worries me long-term if more teams start to copy it.

(While we're talking xs and 0s, Kurt Thomas has twice been late on the help for the pick-and-roll. While Kurt has been better lately, this is clearly the time to bring in Taj, TT.)

Bears

I know we paid a lot of money for not a lot of yards from Chester Taylor, but I hope he's back next year. (Note: all Bears notes for the offseason are working off the assumption that there is a next year.) He wasn't the 2nd coming of Thomas Jones, but he made Matt Forte markedly better by spelling him here and there, and finding the hole when it was there. All problems with running backs this year should be addressed to the offensive line, who didn't open up a lot of holes for either running back.

Cubs

Ethan texted me last week saying "why didn't the Cubs sign Vlad?" The reasons were too myriad for me to reply in a text, so I'll explain here:

1. The Cubs already have 36.4 million invested in the outfield (and only 3.4 million of that is our two good outfielders,Marlon Byrd and Tyler Colvin)
2. Adding outfielders means less at-bats for Colvin (it shouldn't but it will) which is entirely counter-productive at this point. If Colvin, Geovany Soto, and Starlin Castro get less than 500 at-bats this year, I will be seriously disappointed in Mike Quade (While we're at it, please find 300 for Darwin Barney, somewhere.)
3. The Cubs are not a top NL contender this year, nor would they be with Vlad in the outfield. The Cubs are somewhere in between being halfway competitive and rebuilding. It confuses me why they are trying to rebuild on the fly (like I talked about last time) but it's clearly the direction they're going in.
4. Colvin's better defense might make up for Vlad's offense, considering how old and slow Vlad is. He belongs in the American League at this point in his career.

There's probably more, but that's enough for now.

(Since I'm kicking Ethan while he's down, I'm typing this while watching the Bulls-Jazz game, and Andrei Kirilenko is seriously owning Luol Deng's shit right now. Two straight easy buckets on him with little resistance then a blocked shot on the other end...)

Hawks

I'm not pressing the panic button just yet, like everyone else is, but man, they need to start playing motivated. I still don't think the Hawks will miss the playoffs, but I'd love if they started playing like it was a possibility. The NHL playoffs seem to be the biggest crapshoot out there, but it's not like they're even one point out in 9th place anymore. They're 11th. And 3 points back. It's time to start trying, boys, or I'm on the Stanley Cup Hangover bandwagon.

(Sam, as Gordon Hayward checks in for the Jazz: "Hayward's on the Jazz? I just assumed he was on the Pacers..." Take a bow, Larry Bird. If you're a white, American, halfway decent college player, you're automatically assumed to be on the Pacers.)

Fire

I'm excited to see the Portland Timbers play, just because it's always fun to see soccer in regions that support it, and Portland is going to support the hell out of it. I'll stop short of saying the Sounders-Timbers rivalry will make people care about the MLS, but it'll be interesting if you care about soccer.

(CSN, screw you for putting stupid clips of nut-shots in the corner of the screen. They put a promo for the stupid new Adam Sandler movie, and it's literally just people getting hit in the nuts. I'm trying to watch a basketball game here, not America's Funniest Home Videos.)

Some Weekend Notes for All the Other Chicago Teams

Blackhawks: Wanted to do a Credit post for the Hawks-Wings game today, but I didn't get to see the first half of it so it'd be a little inaccurate. The main points would have been:
1. Crawford is absolutely on fire right now, that game could have easily been a much higher scoring affair had Corey not been shutting the door left and right.
2. It's nice to see the 3rd and 4th lines contributing close to what they were last year. We still don't have the depth on offense like last year, but I like that when we're firing on all cylinders like today we can compete with anyone in the NHL. More effort like that, please, so we can move up into the top 4 in the Western Conference.

The Hawks are 2nd in the conference behind Vancouver in goal differential, which implies they've been a little unlucky so far this year, and the law of averages should work in our favor soon. (Hockey, like baseball and basketball, has shown that goal differential is a better indicator of future success than current W-L record.)

Bulls: I don't always agree with Bill Simmons, but I wanted to highlight this portion of his chat column from yesterday because I'm with him 100% on this one:

Bowgren (Chicago)

Why won't Denver just make a deal with Chicago? Melo would sign there, they could get Gibson, Korver, and that Charlotte futures pick. Is that not a good deal at this point?

Bill Simmons

(2:17 PM)

This is heresy... but I don't know if that's a great deal for Chicago. The Rose/Melo alpha dog dynamic worries me and Deng has been quietly having a huge year for them (he's playing like 40 MPG), he doesn't need the ball and he's one of their best defenders. I also wouldn't give up Gibson. And that Charlotte pick could be a really good one. I like the Bulls' nucleus, I think there are easier ways for them to add a big chess piece without blowing it up for Carmelo.

Bill Simmons

(2:18 PM)

If I'm Chicago, I am not thinking about any move right now that betrays their identity: Which is that it's Derrick Rose's team. Every move they make should be to make his supporting cast better. They don't need Carmelo, as weird as that sounds.

Agree completely, and also why I don't want a JR Smith/OJ Mayo trade this season. I think all the Bulls really need to go from one of the best teams in the East to the same level as the Heat and Celtics is health and time playing together. We'll get there. The Bulls might need to lose to one of those teams in the playoffs this year (hopefully in the Eastern Conference Finals at least), but if I was a neutral fan and could have any NBA roster with the chance to win for the next 5 years, I'd pick either the Bulls or the Thunder. Be patient and let it come together. That said, I still reserve the right to nitpick TT's rotations for the rest of the season.

Cubs: I would love to know what the idea behind what the Cubs are doing right now. Are they rebuilding and looking toward the future, or playing to win now? It seems like they want it both ways, giving up prospects for Matt Garza then turning around and trading Gorzellany. Either stock up on prospects and aim for 2014-15, when the Phillies don't look quite so invincible, or go into the season with a halfway decent rotation and see if you can make a playoff run and hope to get lucky (a la the Giants), but I guess the Cubs would rather come in 3rd in the NL Central for the next 3 years...

Fire: I couldn't help but notice, looking at the draft results, that 5 of the first 8 picks in the draft were from the University of Akron. Now there's a lot I don't know about soccer, but this seems really fishy to me. It could be that someone's playing a big practical joke, since half the top 10 picks look like made up names to me, anyway. Perry Kitchen? Zac MacMath? CJ Sapong? Come on now. The Fire drafted someone named Jalil Anibaba from University of North Carolina. Um...Good.