Hawks in Uphill Climb

The Chicago Blackhawks have been challenged before in this postseason. Every game that they needed to win, Chicago has come through with the victory.

In Round 1 against Calgary, they faced a Game 5 with the series tied at two. In Round 2 against Vancouver, they faced the same situation and won on the road. They also were down 2-1 in the series and had a big comeback win at home in Game 4.

Now in the Western Conference Finals, the Blackhawks face the biggest test of them all. They are down two-nothing against the defending champion Red Wings, with the series headed back to Chicago. They need to hold serve at home because even being down 3-1 going back to Detroit does not sound very promising. Something that should annoy fans is that the Hawks have been right there with the Wings in the first two games. Yes, they lost 5-2 in Game 1, but that game was tied at two almost midway through the final period.

The issue is, out of the seven goals Detroit has scored (not counting the empty-netter), more than half of them have come off of Chicago turnovers. You cannot do that against a team as skilled as the Red Wings are. The turnovers have led to odd-man rushes, most noticably in the overtime period last night. A three-on-one break should not develop against you in overtime. There was another three-on-one in Game 1 of the Vancouver series that occurred in the final two minutes and was the game-winning goal for the Canucks.

The Blackhawks like to push the tempo and that is fine. Yet you have to be careful with the puck because the Wings will make you pay for a mistake. The other problem the first two games has been that so many Hawks have tried to make one-on-one plays, or sometimes, one-on-three. Most of the Hawks players are skilled offensively, but you have to move the puck around against Detroit. You cannot beat Nikolas Lindstrom and the Detroit "D" single-handedly.

Game 3 is Friday and Game 4 is Sunday. There are two days off right now to get better and come through with a pair of wins at home. Chicago has been right there with the Wings, but it is only the final score that matters in the end. The Blackhawks need to limit their mistakes and move the puck. If not, Detroit will be on their way to another Stanley Cup Final.

Cubs, Cards To Battle For NL Central Supremacy, Best Lawn Bragging Rights

When the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals take to the green grass of Busch Stadium Jr., no one will care about offensive t-shirts. Unless they work for ballpark security, of course.

The Cubs and Cards renew the National League's best rivalry in what looks to be the most winnable division in all of baseball. The injury-riddled Cubs find themselves at 21-15, a game ahead of the injury-plagued Cardinals (21-17), but two games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers ... who have their own injury concerns now that Rickie Weeks is gone and Craig Counsell will assume the everyday responsibilities that come with being a full-time second baseman.

Seems like the NL Central job market is deep in lawn care specialists and doctors.

Defacto ace Theodore Roosevelt Lilly takes the bump against Joel Piniero in Game 1, and Ryan Dempster and his fancy glove trick will meet the return of Chris Carpenter in Game 2. In what will likely be the rubber match of this series, Sean Marshall (on extended rest) will square off against Cy Wainwright.

The pessimist Cubs fan in me sees the Cardinals winning two-of-three while. The Cubs fan that watched the Cards get swept by the Brew Crew over the weekend sees the Cubs winning two-of-three.

My bookie says take the under in runs scored.

I don't know who to listen to.

A-Rod's Already Famous, So Now He's Hooking Up With Kate Hudson

Now, back to your regularly scheduled blogging.

Finally, those cringe-inspiring pictures of Yankees star Alex Rodriguez are starting to make sense.

Don't you remember when you were a kid and you had your first crush? You probably spent more time in front of the mirror trying to figure out the right words to convey your feelings to her than actually speaking to her. Heck, I still have that problem now.

But when you're making upward of $27 million a year, picking up starlets is as easy as hitting a Kevin Gregg fastball.

And A-Rod exemplifies it with his recent home run that came off of the playing field.

Sources of the NY Post revealed that it looks as if the slugging third sacker might be socking it to the beautiful and talented Kate Hudson.

Our source said a bartender at the Southwestern joint at 85th Street "was asking patrons not to go in the back room around 1 a.m. because A-Rod and Kate Hudson were back there making out."

One staffer at the restaurant confirmed to Page Six the two were there celebrating the Yanks' win against the Minnesota Twins.

"Yes, they were here together," the server told us, although she did not witness any lip-lock herself.

Another source said the two were spotted over the weekend outside the glamorous 15 Central Park West, where A-Rod rents an apartment.

Let me get this straight:

• Derek Jeter - every hot girl in the world.
• Nick Swisher - former model.
• A-Rod - Kate Hudson.

Maybe I need to take a road trip to the Bay Area and schedule an appointment with Dr. Barry and change my career path.

A-Rod And Kate Hudson Spotted Together In Manhattan [NY Post]

A month in a half in: NL West edition

I promised to pump out a few season-so-far recaps for each division a week or so ago but was side tracked by improving the site's features.

Back to the grind with an NL West breakdown:

The Los Angeles Dodgers were my pick to click in this division and so far things are looking good despite left fielder Manny Ramirez' suspension.

The Dodgers (27-13) have hovered around .500 since ManRam's departure but it hasn't mattered as they still hold a 6.5 game lead on the San Francisco Giants. The Giants are the only team in the division with a record above .500 (19-18).

Things shouldn't change any time soon either.

The Dodgers are shaky with first baseman James Loney hurting and struggling along with Ramirez being gone until July but every other team in this division has too many questions.

Really, there is only one other possible contender, the Giants, and they simply don't have the offense needed to win a division.

My guess is that Los Angeles wins this comfortably and could challenge for a pennant if Ramirez comes back focused on winning and brushing aside the b.s. from earlier in the season.

UPDATE: That Journalism Degree Is Already Worth Something: TBDS Makes Deadspin, Other National Sites

UPDATE: So this thing is picking up a little bit of steam as it has been picked up by The Huffington Post and NBCChicago.com. For the record, my pops saw it and had no idea what The Big Dead Sidebar was.

If anything, this just means we have to have another TBDS Day (or Night) At The Park very soon.

It's been a little more than one week since yours truly accepted an empty diploma holder signifying the end of my five-year stint at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

I currently hold a degree in journalism, as long as those credits clear and the university doesn't lose my mailing address, I'll have the thing in no time. But that degree is already starting to open doors ... or at least Internet windows.

Take it away, Deadspin:

Irked by the loathsome "Zambrano mows my lawn" shirt found on one Cardinals fan a couple weeks ago, the Wrigley faithful come back with their own interpretation. Yes, Albert Pujols, one of the MLB's best players and most kind-hearted human beings, is also apparently mowing lawns for some Chicago area residents. This shirt was spotted by members of the Big Dead Sidebar blogging outfit while they strolled Wrigleyville during the Astros series.

Yep, we made Deadspin with that post.

Does that makes up better than you? Maybe. Does it mean you should take us a little more seriously? Maybe. Does it mean you should read this blog religiously? Definitely!

Now it's time for me to find a job.

Midwesterners Sure Do Love Their Lawn Mowin' T-Shirts [Deadspin]
Cubs Vendors Adopt Stupid, Racist Shirt [NBC Chicago]
Cubs Vendors Selling 'Pujols Mows My Lawn' Shirt [The Huffington Post]

Crazy Uncle Milton Would Have Made Sure Judgement Day Came Soon For The Miz

It has been a long time since I cared about wrestling. A lot has changed since then. A black guy is the president of the U.S.A., the Bears have a Pro Bowl quarterback, I need two hands to count the number of girls I've kissed. Unfortunately, the Cubs have still yet to win a World Series.

Enter stage left Alfonso Soriano.

The Cubs' slugging left fielder attended Sunday night's World Wrestling Entertainment (used to be called World Wrestling Federation before the World Wildlife Fund got into the fray) at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., and was greeted by someone named "The Miz." A character with that moniker sounds like some type of cross-dressing hooker you would find on the other side of the tracks.

Not that I would know anything about that. I digress.

Anyway, after a brief introduction The Miz went on a roasting session of the spectating Soriano, which rated only slightly higher than something a White Sox fan with an elementary education would spew.

Surely there was one Cub that would not stand for such a verbal thrashing, and thankfully for the WWE, he was not in attendance. And that would have been Milton Bradley.

Could you have imagined what would have happened had Crazy Uncle Milton been rolling with Fonzie at this event? Steel chairs and cookie sheets would have been a-flying, tables would have been smashed, baseball bats would have been shoved in unthinkable orafaces and then broken pieces of the bat would have been used to slash the Miz's throat in a fit of rage only seen by the likes of Major League umpires.

And all Vince McMahon would be able to do is watch helplessly and think "This isn't part of the script."

Report from WWE's Judgement Day 2009 [Wrestling-edge.com]

News, Notes & Quotes From The Inaugural TBDS Day At The Park

I'm on my way to Carbondale to return to an apartment that will have power, but will also a fridge that desperately needs to be cleaned out.

While I'm driving, here is some crap I put together after a day at the ballpark.

News:

The Cubs lost. Big deal, right? Well, kind of. Losing to Brian Moehler is a bit embarassing ... mostly because he is bad. I'm convinced the Astros 3-4-5 hitters are aruably the best in the National League. Once each part of the Berkman-Lee-Tejada triumverate gets its act together, the 'Stros will be making NL pitchers miserable.

I'm also convinced the Astros marketing team, which coined that whole "Killer Bs" business in the 1990s is actually in charge of player personnel.

Biggio, Bagwell, Bell, Berry and others have been replaced by Berkman, Blum, Bourn and Byrdak.

How long until they try to swing a deal for Emilio Bonafacio or talk Darin Erstad into putting a "B" before Erstad.

Notes:

This has got to happen again. Hopefully when the money is more free-flowing and the wind isn't blowing off Lake Michigan. Possibly in the bleachers. Probably in a stadium that is not Wrigley Field. I feel as if a TBDS nationwide tour could be something that is in the making.

TBDS World Tour, coming soon(?)

Quotes:

"If I had to choose between one night with the girl of my dreams or a Cubs World Series championship ... can I have both? Seriously, I might take the girl. I think I can parlay one night into much more more, I think I'm that damn good." - Me and the great debate.

I'll encourage M.J. Hartwig to provide his two cents eventually.

Game One Isn't One for the Ages

The Chicago Blackhawks first return to the Western Conference Finals in 14 years began with a horrendous third period in Game 1 against the Detroit Red Wings, resulting in a 5-2 loss to the rivals from Detroit.

For 40 minutes, it looked like the Blackhawks were going to challenge the Red Wings for a win at famous Joe Louis Arena as the Hawks only found themselves down by 1 after the second intermission. This was despite several point-blank scoring chances that the Red Wings found themselves before getting turned away by some sensational saves by Nikolai Khabibulin. The Hawks then tied the game on a Power Play very early in the 3rd period and it looked like they were becoming the aggressor again after that goal as they were the ones forcing the puck in Detroit's end and not the other way around.

However all of that turned sour as Brent Seabrook continued his struggles from the Vancouver series with a bad first game in the Conference Finals as his turnover in his own zone led to the go-ahead (and eventual game-winning) goal midway through the 3rd period.

It was frustrating to see the Hawks fail to capitalize on the momentum that they had from the game-tying goal by Kris Versteeg as Detroit dominated the final 14 minutes of the game. The game looked eerily similar to Game 1 of the Semifinals when the Blackhawks were down 3-0 to Vancouver before knotting that game up at three apiece. They seemed content just to be tied as Vancouver came back and turned a Blackhawks turnover in the offensive zone into the eventual game-winner; almost like a carbon copy of what happened today.

There is some room for hope for Hawk fans, however. They were down 1-0 in the last series against the Canucks before playing their best all-around game in that series a couple nights later in British Columbia.

All season long, it seems like this Blackhawks team has done a great job playing with their backs against the wall and overcoming adversity. For the team that does not have home ice advantage, all you want to do is gain a split in the first two games of the series. All this game means is that the game on Tuesday night becomes that much more important. If the Blackhawks can shore up their turnovers, they will have a great shot to even this series up heading back to Chicago.

Make no doubt about it, the Red Wings showed off their experience today in a big way. But Chris Osgood played way over his head at certain times today and with as talented and skillful the Blackhawks offensive attack is, he will not be as fortunate in later games in this series. The Hawks have had two impressive Game 2's so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let's hope that trend continues on Tuesday night.

The National League Central Has Cornered The Market On Landscaping, Offensive T-Shirts

In early May, Joe Sports Fan revealed that the St. Louis marketplace, with its "Zambrano Mows My Lawn" t-shirt, was looking to make a move on the offensive paraphernalia market which is primarily owned by the Chicago Cubs.

Well, while randomly wandering around Wrigleyville after the Cubs' 6-5 loss to the Houston Astros, myself and TBDS co-founder Matt Hartwig came across a classy (and by classy I mean equally racist) Chicago response during the inaugural TBDS Day At The Park.

My response: "Horry Kow" another offensive shirt!

How long until "Lee Picks My Cotton" and "LaRussa Is My Designated Driver" t-shirts come out?

Seriously, what's next? Ponder that while I go hide in shame.

Chicago Baseball Week In Review: Five Things I Know About The Chicago Cubs

At 21-15, the Chicago Cubs are 1.5 games out of first place in the National League Central, which should not come as a shock to anyone. What is shocking about the start of the season is that the team has yet to play its best baseball, let alone good baseball.

We're a little past the one-fifth mark of the season, and there are 10 things that are standing out.

1. The Top Of The Order Is Producing. If the Cubs had anything resembling a strong heart of the order, they would be running away with the division. Instead, Derrek Lee has left his big stick in 2005. Milton Bradley has brought his baggage, but lost his bat. And Geovany Soto lost his love for hitting the ball over the wall when Hank White was (inexplicably) not brought back.

The average slash stats for Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome are as follows: .302 BA/.387 OBP/.921 OPS

2. Ted Lilly Is The Rotation's Ace. When it is all said and done, GM Jim Hendry's best signing might have been his most fabled. EKG machine, Ted Lilly, yadda, yadda, yadda ... but in his third year of the four-year $40 million deal, Lilly is still producing. He currently owns a 5-2 record and 3.27 ERA, but more importantly he isn't allowing the team-high nine gopher balls to plague him. Mostly because of his excellent 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (38 K, 9BB) and 1.05 WHIP.

3. Ryan Dempster Was Not Worth A $48 million extension. Don't let that distraction game he plays with his glove fool you, Derek Lowe would have been a much better bargain at that same price. Wouldn't D-Lowe's sinkerball and 5-1 record look good at Wrigley Field?

4. The Jury Is Still Out On Milton Bradley, But For How Much Longer? Of Crazy Uncle Milton's 15 hits, five of them are of the extra-base variety (including four home runs). And even though he has shown signs of breaking out of his early season slump, Bobby Abreu (.293 BA, .383 OBP) and Adam Dunn (.292/.432/1.024 OPS/11 HR/30 RBI ) are making Hendry look foolish for shelling out a three-year $30 million contract to a glorified designated hitter.

5. Angel Guzman Is The New Carlos Marmol. The former prized prospect is emerging out of the bullpen almost in the same way Marmol did in 2007. Guzman has a 3.32 ERA, but has shown flashes of brilliance of late as he currently sports a 0.95 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings. If the Cubs can have another reliever emerge from the suckfest that is the Cubs bullpen, manager Lou Piniella could avoid burning out Guzman like he did Marmol.

Other observations:

• Derrek Lee (.696 OPS) shouldn't be batting in the middle of the order.
• Kevin Gregg is bad.
  
• Ryan Theriot (.851 OPS in 2009) has swaggerjacked Mike Fontenot's (.909 OPS in 2008) moniker of "Lil' Babe Ruth."
• Reed Johnson is good for a highlight-reel catch, but not much else (.236 BA/.317 OBP/.291 SLG).
• Ryan Freel is on the team, and he supposedly likes casual encounters.

So how are the Cubs going to regain the "Cubbie Swagger" that jolted the team to a 97 win season last year? I don't know, but maybe Manny Ramirez's Miami-based doctor might