Saluki Softball Loses An Ace

Photo Credit: Edyta B

Nikki Waters was darn near unhittable when she stepped into the circle. She went 15-2 overall and was a perfect 9-0 against Missouri Valley Conference competition.

However, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that Waters is transferring to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to be closer to home.

That's a big blow to one of the Valley's best pitching staffs. SIU was already slated to lose lefty Katie McNamara to graduation. But don't fret Saluki Nation, head coach Kerri Blaylock is one of the best recruiters in the country and will likely have a resolution to this situation before you could blink twice.

Jake Peavy Couldn't Come Soon Enough, Could He?

Bartolo Colon's uninspiring line read as follows:

2.0 IP 7 H 8 R 1 ER 2 BB 1 K 2 HR 7 DCE*

*DCE denotes Double Cheeseburgers Eaten.

Hat Tip: Deadspin, Yahoo!

Cubs-Cards Round III Game III: At Least I'm Not The Only One That's Pissed Off Edition

The weather isn't the only thing heating up in the Midwest. Someone check Cubs manager Lou Piniella's temperature, because I'm pretty sure Mount Piniella is about to erupt.

Apparently, prior to being "razzled" by some St. Louisans on his lonely walk back to the Hilton at the Ballpark which is a stone's throw from the new Busch Stadium, Piniella had an unpleasant conversation with the team's traveling secratary. (For the record, you can find stones at the landfill that is supposed to be Ballpark Village if you'd like. I digress.)

Sweet Uncle Lou does this from time-to-time to deflect some eyes, ears and thoughts away from the team when they're playing bad. But a rift with the traveling secretary should be the least of the team's concerns.

And I know it's three hours til game time, so here are a list of things that should be concerning Piniella:

1. Milton Bradley's .193 batting average
2. The Mini-Me Midget Committee at third base
3. The fact that Aaron Miles and Kevin Gregg are still on the roster
4. Rich Harden's (lack of) velocity
5. The after-effects of eating a large Imo's pizza

No. 6 on that list would be Adam "Jesus" Wainwright, who is due for a breakout game ... unfortunately for Cubs fans, his next start is against the boys in blue.

Prediction: Wainwright's good for seven shutout innings as the Cards complete the sweep.

Now That! Is What I call Pessimism, Vol. 100.

Where Art Thou Josh Vitters?

All this Jake Peavy madness has me thinking about Chicago Cubs top hitting prospect Josh Vitters, the former center piece of a Peavy-to-the-North Side deal that would have been going to San Diego.

Actually I had thinking about Vitters long before Pursuing Peavy Pt. II started. ... It actually began when Aramis Ramirez injured himself in Milwaukee and I realized the Cubs were stuck with Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles as platoon mates at third base. So when I finished throwing up in my mouth a little, I did what any self-loathing Cubs fan would do: Check up on Vitters' progress.

And even though he is only in Single-A, he is torturing opposing pitching. Vitters is batting .360 with 7 homers and 21 ribbies and a batting-average driven .389 on-base percentage. The Peoria Chiefs third sacker is slugging .581 with an OPS of .970.

Vitters is coming off a 12-for-19 week against the Beloit Snappers. Fontenot has 13 hits since April 25.

You can see why the Padres insisted he was part of the deal and why the Cubs were not so willing to deal him.

Unfortunately, Vitters isn't getting the call and Cubdom will be stuck with Fontenot and Miles ... who have combined to hit .208 and a .284 OBP.

Then there is Jake Fox, who can play first, third, left, right and be an emergency catcher and is currently tearing through the Pacific Coast League like an inland hurricane with a .431 average, .513 on-base percentage, .954 slugging percentage and an absolutely sickening (in a good way) 1.467 OPS.

Meanwhile, expect Lou Piniella to do some line-up shuffling as the Cubs try to not get swept by the arch rival Cardinals.

Take that Northside

If this Jake Peavy deal goes down I'll have full analysis later.

Jake Peavy To The White Sox? Pardon Me While I Scream In Rage

San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy was the Brian Roberts of the 2008-09 offseason for the Chicago Cubs and their fans.

He was the carrot dangled in front of a fandom that had just seen its team bow out of the NLDS without a fight for the second straight season. Peavy was rumored to be singing "Go Cubs Go" and packing his bags for a trip to Chicago and North Side vendors were tailoring No. 44 jerseys with Cubbie blue pinstripes ... not shirts that mentioned a St. Louis lawn care expert.

And Peavy still might be headed to Chicago ... but instead he might be heading to the South Side.

Grumblings last night turned into confirmed reports that the Padres and White Sox had agreed to a deal for the 2007 NL Cy Young award winner.

If Peavy waves his no-trade clause, it will say one thing about both of Chicago's general managers.

It would bring major props to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who was much maligned this offseason for failing to get a lead-off man, centerfielder while also failing to get rid of the team's old, slow softball sloth-like players.

As for Jim Hendry, it would confirm what I've written here many times: A major disappointment. After getting an extension this offseason, he allowed popular players that actually were part of the team's 97-win core walk. Bye-bye Henry Blanco and Kerry Wood in exchange for absolutely nothing but frustration. Hendry would go on to trade the oh-so-versatile Mark DeRosa for minor elague pitchers that were once rumored to head to San Diego for Peavy but now are toiling in the minor leagues without much fan fare.

In exchange for three of its most popular and most productive players, Hendry brought in Paul Bako, Kevin Gregg and Aaron Miles. Bako is no longer with the team, while Gregg and Miles make their case on a daily basis to join Bako in the unemployment line.

If this trade does go through, expect a good chunk of Cubs fans to leap off various tall buildings while there will be celebrations in the projects. I'll also expect a letter of resignation on the desk of Tom Ricketts, Sam Zell or whoever is running that joint.

So, Jake ... for the love of Cubdom ... Just Say No!

Mocking The NBA Draft, Vol. 1.5

In Vol. 1 of Mocking The NBA Draft, I previewed what the teams that were simply not good enough to make the playoffs. Hence, their appearance in the draft lottery selection show. But what about the teams that will be looking to tweak its collective rosters.

15. Detroit Pistons - Gerald Henderson, Duke. Rebuilding projects are all the rage in Detroit these days, so add the Pistons backcourt to the list. But unlike the fledgling auto industry, reloading a talented backcourt shouldn't be hard. And that should start with the explosiveness Henderson could provide.

16. Chicago Bulls - DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh. If only so I can write a blog similar to this Deadspin Deleted Scene:
"he goes up to da hottest chick on the floor she was like a mily cyrus clone an he be like heyyy shawwwtyyy u lookin dammnnn fine momma an i was like shiit son dat takes some nerve but hes blair and he the tank he gets wat he wants and he be bangin and blangin wid that girl an she was prob like oooh dejuan you so sexii and he was like yeah i am trick...."

17. Philadelphia 76ers - Jrue Holliday, UCLA. The Sixers have more athleticism than you can shake a stick at. Enter Holliday, who is a project of a point guard but should fit in with the ultra-athletic Sixers if he can learn to properly execute alley-oops to Andre Iguodala or Thaddeus Young.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves - Patrick Mills, Saint Mary's. The last time the Timberpups had a legit point guard, he kind of looked like an alien. The point guard before that acts like one now. Mills might be the safest pick in the draft outside of Blake Griffin. Which now means he will bust quicker than a stand-in on set of the "Jizz In My Pants" video.

19. Atlanta Hawks - Jeff Teague, Wake Forest. The Hawks are as desperate for a point guard as I am for a date on Friday night. Oops, my back space button doesn't work. The Hawks have passed on Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo and Rodney Stuckey. Yet, all I think about is how Teague should have been a Saluki.

20. Utah Jazz - Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina. Scrappy. Tough. Hard working. White. Yep, sounds like a Jerry Sloan pick right here.

21. New Orleans Hornets - Toney Doughlas, Florida State. Saw this online ad in N'Orleans: "Seeking backcourt mate fond of scoring and sharing." Sounds like CP3 is asking for some help.

22. Dallas Mavericks - Darren Collison, UCLA. With the Jason Kidd Era coming to an end sooner rather than later, the Mavs are going to need a heady point guard to lead their offense. Question is: Does Collison have a Twitter account?

23. Sacramento Kings - Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech. I had no idea who this guy was, but a couple of friends say he's got potential. I won't even bother to Google him because he ain't going to my team.

24. Portland Trail Blazers - Chase Buddinger, Arizona. He's got golden, curly blonde hair and a background that includes a penchant for playing volleyball. Buddinger isn't in the mold of your everyday Jail Blazer ... and that's why he fits.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder - B.J. Mullens, Ohio State. Rapper Cam'ron seems to be more fond of the Buckeye State than the former Buckeye that will be drafted in this spot. Too bad Mullens will spend more time in the D-League than the pros in 2009-10.

26. Chicago Bulls - Terrance Williams, Louisville. Williams has all the talent, athleticism and skills in the world ... but all that and $1.50 can get you Sunday's paper. The Bulls should prepare themselves for a world without Ben Gordon. At least Williams won't pout when he's coming off the bench next year.

27. Memphis Grizzlies - Taj Gibson, Southern California. Gibson and former Trojan teammate O.J. Mayo will be reunited as the Grizzlies still search for someone that can rebound missed baskets, a key element in what is called "defense" in basketball. Tim Floyd will pay for that ticket.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves - DaJuan Summers, Georgetown. If you give the Timberwolves enough draft picks, they will either pick someone who is worth a damn ... or trade it to the Lakers. Let's see what Kevin McHale has up his sleeve this time around.

29. Los Angeles Lakers - Dante Cunningham, Villanova. The Lakers could lose Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, turning their second biggest strength (frontcourt presence) into a weakness. Doesn't matter who they pick here as long as Kobe Bryant still takes the court 82 times a season.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers - Dionte Christmas, Temple. Because once LeBron leaves Cleveland for New York, Cavs fans are going to be begging for Christmas presents year round.

Report: Gar Forman To Replace John Paxson As Bulls GM

The John Paxson Era was good, bad and ugly. But in the end, he should be fondly remembered if only because he rescued a franchise that was mired in a waist-high pile of doo-doo at the tailspin of the Jerry Krause regime.

Sure, Pax butchered the Ben Wallace deal and sent out Tyson Chandler, who would go on and flourish with Chris Paul in New Orleans. But there wasn't a Bulls fan out there that wasn't going to boo that trade. Until of course Wallace made a big stink about hairstyles, headbands and Chicago traffic.

What Paxson did best was draft. Kirk Hinrich hasn't been spectacular, but he has been a solid role player. Ben Gordon should get paid handsomely for his scoring efforts and before the back-to-back disappointing and injury-plagued years, Luol Deng was a budding NBA star.

The jury is still out on Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. You know who the jury is not on: Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay. Wouldn't any of those guys look really good running the break with Derrick Rose?

I digress onto the news of the day.

Gar Forman, he of the scouting background and player development, has some mighty wide shoes to fill. As the new general manager, Forman will need to spearhead contract talks with Gordon while trying to build around Rose, Noah and vets such as John Salmons and Brad Miller. And he'll have two first round picks (Nos. 16 & 26) to work with as the Bulls should either use the picks to acquire a starting-five caliber player or to strengthen bench depth.

But moments after the conclusion of tomorrow morning's scheduled press confernce, I expect Forman to call the Los Angeles Clippers and inquire about Marcus Camby or Chris Kaman.

But as soon as someone mentions Zach Randolph, hang up the phone and run away.

And in the name of Air Jordan, if Kobe Bryant's name comes up in a trade offer accept it immediately!

John Paxson Turns Over Bulls role to Forman [Chicago Sun-Times]

Cubs, Cards And The Return Of Carp

Long story short, the Cubs are screwed.

If all they could muster off Joel Piniero was three hits, then an offense in which Mike Fontenot is the best option at third base will make Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright look like Bob Gibson and Dizzy Dean.

Sure, Carp is coming off an extended stay in the DL Hotel and hasn't done any minor league rehab ... but he's Chris Carpenter. A former Cy Young award winner who owns a career mark of 7-3 against the Cubs with a 3.08 earned run average, 1.14 WHIP and a 5.69-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in more than 96 innings of work.

And even though he will be making his return to the rotation, I wouldn't be shocked if the Cubs went hitless in St. Louis.

As for Game 3 of this series, the Cubs will have to deal with Wainwright, who has surprisingly struggled this season. Well, except against the Cubs, where Waino already has a win against the Cubs -- thanks in part to Larry Vanover's extended strikezone.

The Cubs will counter with Sean Marshall.

Yep, St. Louis is supposed to be real nice this time of year. But not for the Cubs.

Mocking The NBA Draft, Vol. 1

A long time ago, in a blogosphere far, far away, a young, up-and-coming sports blogger provided his thoughts on the upcoming NBA Draft. That post of insight and comedic relief helped springboard The Big Dead Sidebar, so I figure I'd bring back one of my favorite segments.

Void if without sarcasm.

1. Los Angeles Clippers - Blake Griffin, Oklahoma. It's all over but the crying. The consensus No. 1 pick will go from potential star to probable bust once he puts on a Clippers jersey. The good news, kid: You're going to L.A. The bad news: You're not playing with Kobe. Enjoy playing in front of Penny Marshall and 1,700 of her closest friends.

2. Memphis Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet, UConn. The people in Memphis are convinced Mike Conley Jr. is the point guard of the future. I'm convinced their spending more time on Beale Street than paying attention to their basketball team. At least Thabeet will provide a defensive presence to a team that last year couldn't grab a rebound if it was served to them on a platter.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder - Ricky Rubio, Spain. Think Rubio is regretting declaring for the NBA Draft? It will be a tough transition to go from a cultural gold mine like Spain to ... well ... Oklahoma. Ouch!

4. Sacramento Kings - James Harden, Arizona State. Poor Sacramento, they went from being on the verge of drafting Blake Griffin to draft lottery afterthought in a matter of moments. It's hard to write up something about a team that hasn't been relevant since Vlade Divac skipped town.

5. Washington Wizards - Jordan Hill, Arizona. The Wiz could have done a Bulls-like leap up the Eastern Conference standings had they landed the No. 1 pick and Blake Griffin. Instead, they will have to settle for the 6-foot-9-inch frontcourt thunder. How long before Hill and Agent Zero are exchanging love stories about Lute Olson?

6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Tyreke Evans, Memphis. Evans is versatile enough to fill one of the T-Wolves' two biggest holes, whether it be at point guard or at small forward. Too bad this pick will end up being traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Brian Scalabrene.

7. Golden State Warriors - Brandon Jennings, Greece. The Warriors have about $20 million locked up in their backcourt. Unfortunately, about $9 million will go to the albatross that is Jamal Crawford. Eh, screw it. It's time to bring back NellieBall by running four guard offenses on the road to respectability.

8. New York Knicks - Stephen Curry, Davidson. Step one in conning LeBron James into signing with the Knicks is by drafting his sharp-shooting, media darling of a pal. Besides, this move has been speculated before, so, it makes too much sense. And since it makes sense in the first place, expect the Knicks to go completely off the board with this one, probably drafting some Eurotrash.

9. Toronto Raptors - DeMar DeRozan, Southern California. The Raptors haven't had a legit shooting guard since Tracy McGrady wasn't a brittle boy and Vinsanity didn't play himself out of Canada. So it's time to draft DeRozan, who will say good bye to Song Girls and hello to Canadian League Football!

10. Milwaukee Bucks - Jonny Flynn, Syracuse. If I was TBDS NBA scribe Jeff, who would I want? A point guard that can distribute and play defense, and as I look down the Bucks roster, that guy does not exisist. Welcome to Milwaukee, Mr. Flynn, enjoy beer, brats and beerbrats.

11. New Jersey Nets - Earl Clark, Louisville. The Other Lopez Twin needs a frontcourt friend, preferably one that speaks English and isn't bad at basketball. Clark fits the bill here as a runner-jumper athletic specimen that Devin Harris can throw some alley-oops to.

12. Charlotte Bobcats - Wayne Ellington, North Carolina. You know what the Bobcats really need? A shooting guard. ... And another Tar Heel product. Ellington will save a buck or two in moving expenses thanks to fellow UNCers Larry Brown and Michael Jordan.

13. Indiana Pacers - Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth. He slayed the Dukies and he came close to doing the same to UCLA. Maynor single-handedly put VCU on the map and helped parlay that success into Anthony Grant's first big job. He will fit in well with the Pacers, who haven't had a real point guard since the Mark Jackson Era.

14. Phoenix Suns - Ty Lawson, North Carolina. Sad, but true: Steve Nash isn't going to play forever. And the Suns really do need an heir apparent at the point, and unless the Suns have chryogenically frozen a Steve Nash clone, the choice here is the former Baby Blue Blur.

Stay tuned to The Big Dead Sidebar for more insight and draft projections as we get closer to that time. Besides, we're still in the first round of the NBA Playoffs right? That means there is plenty of time for the draft board to shuffle.