Your Random Cubs Post: Sammy Sosa vs. Alfonso Soriano

It's Sunday.  I should be solely focused on football, beer and grilled meats.  However, last night's Yankees-Angels classic ALCS late-night, extra-inning showdown got me to thinking about the Cubs.

Specifically, Alfonso Soriano.  It all started from a Twitter post from sports blog(ger) Souvenir City (@SouvenirCity for those of you keeping up on the Twittersphere.) that read, "Why would you ever throw Vlad or Soriano a strike? Aren't they Sammy Sosa but 8 years later? #ishouldbeanadvancescout" during the Yanks-Angels game.

It was the reference to Soriano that got me thinking, "@SouvenirCity #Cubs fans in 2002: "Remember when Sosa was a 30-30 guy?" Cubs fans in 2009: "Remember when Soriano was a 30-30 guy?" Hmmmm..."

It's like in Ace Ventura realizes Finkle is Einhorn and Einhorn is Finkle.  Without that whole kissing a dude thing.

Terrell Owens Wants To Get BALCO'd Up With Rodney Harrison's Help

And you thought Milton Bradley was a distraction.  Not too long after not catching a damn ball, and catching flak because of it, Terrell Owens went to the Twittersphere and launched an onslaught against analyst Rodney Harrison.

The most humorous, in my humble opinion, is the one above.  If anything, though, the next two carry the most punch.

 

 

In baseball, it seems as if there is no worse crime than getting supplemental help from steroids.  In football, it's clearly a joke.  If a baseball player were to do this, there would be an full-blown investigation on everything and anything that goes through and into said player's system.

And another thing -- baseball people consider steroid usage as cheating the game.  A lot of football folks feel that T.O. cheats teh game with the way he has treated his teammates (see: Quarterbacks) in his time in the NFL.

So, which is more punishable in the fan's court?

Boston Is The Sports City Of The 2000s, I Can Live With That. But Dallas? The 90s. Eh.

Sometimes I wish BFeldt found time out of his busy schedule to write a post here once in a while, because he makes some great points via his Twitter account.  In today's tweet, @BFeldt questions ESPN's search skills in finding the sports city of this decade.

"Boston wins best sports decade because of hair? Give me a break ESPN, how hard did you look for that advantage"

Answer: They looked down the hall, waved at Peter Gammons and penned up something real quickly.

So, who deserves it?  Well, I'll leave the door for Mr. Feldt to return to TBDS and let him throw down his two cents.  I'm more bothered why Chicago didn't get the sports city of the 1990s.

The argument for champion Dallas?

The Cowboys captured three Super Bowls, the Stars took the Cup in 1999 and the Rangers even won three division titles. But the Mavs were mostly a bad joke.

The argument for Chicago?

I thought you'd never ask.

The six championships by the Chicago Bulls trump the city of Dallas' accomplishments all by themselves.  In the two seasons in which they didn't have the G.O.A.T. full-time, they still made the playoffs.  Let's add some individual numbers with Michael Jordan's five MVPs and countless points scored, rebounds grabbed, steals snatched and assists dished.

In 1993 the White Sox won the AL West and the Cubs won the Wild Card in 1998.  However, individual accomplishments drove fans (and media attention) to the ballpark.  Sammy Sosa hit 332 homers in the 1990s, including 66 in '98 to win the MVP and help save baseball.  Frank Thomas hit at least .305 in every year except one in the decade and hit 301 jacks in the decade.  If not for The Big Hurt and his efforts, there would not be a team on the South Side.  The Blackhawks made 8 playoff appearances in the 90s, including a Stanley Cup appearance.

The biggest joke of the decade in Chicago was the mismanagement of the Bears, who still found a way to make three playoff appearances in spite of the McCaskey family and Dave Wannstedt.

Apparently, the Cowboys, Lakers, Dodgers, Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots don't get enough coverage on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNews, ESPNClassic or ESPN The Ocho.  I guess that's why they've launched a hyperlocal site for Boston and will do so for Dallas and Los Angeles before the year is up.

Oh, Missy You Tease

Well, I'm hooked. All signs point to a new recruit coming in, but who knows what it could be.

Pat Summitt or Geno Auriema as an assistant? Candace Parker forgoing the WNBA for one more year of eligibility at Southern Illinois?

Too bad former coach Dana Eikenberg isn't on Twitter. It seems like she has fallen off the face of the earth since Mario Moccia announced her resignation once upon an April afternoon.

(via @SIUCoachTiber)

Good Morning And Welcome To Twitter

Welcome to the Twittersphere, Chris Lowery.

Yeah, I made up the word Twittersphere. When it gets big, I want credit for it.

To be honest, I didn't think Coach Lowery would be jumping on board. I had mentioned it in a conversation we had a few weeks ago and he mentioned he wouldn't want to do it if someone else had to do it for him (see Kiffin, Lane).

What's next for Coach Lowery? A spot on The Big Dead Sidebar? Only if he wants it.
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In more coaching stuff floating around the web, AOL's Fanhouse names Lowery as an up-and-comer in its Top-25 coaches poll. Former Saluki head coaches Matt Painter (14) and Bruce Weber (19) are in the "solid as a rock" catergory. "The System" still stands strong.

As a Carolina homer, I won't argue against Roy Williams at the top spot ... and as someone who respects what Tom Izzo has done in his coaching career, I have no beef with that either.

Never have been a fan of Bob Huggins (West Virginia) or Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) and am wondering where Dana Altman ranks on the list for averaging 23 wins the last 10 years or so.

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In other Twitter news:

• Shaq wants Kobe to win title No. 4
  
• SIU coach Missy Tiber wants you to holler at a player if you see 'em in the streets (in much better terminology, obviously)
• Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter (via Leitch)

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Think that's enough for you good folks this morning.