Griffey Jr. To Sox; Good Move? **UPDATE**

After flirting with the idea of bringing a man with one of the sweetest swings in the history of baseball for a few years, Kenny Williams has finally landed Ken Griffey Jr., pending his approval. While the deal awaits a thumbs up or down from Jr., a few things can already be concluded from this unexpected move.

A: Enjoy your vacation, Paulie.
B: Aaron Poreda, Jack Egbert or Lance Broadway will be leaving the system.
C: Kenny is convinced Jose Contreras will be able to regain his form for the playoff push and thereafter.

Contreras threw off the mound for the second day in a row on Wednesday, and Sun-Times beat reporter Joe Cowley said he's heard Contreras has been able to throw all of his pitches well.

Are you stunned as I am with this move? It's been pretty obvious that Konerko is thinking way too much in his at-bats, and the weight of the whole situation for him is negating what progress he has been able to make at the plate. Paulie has been hitting the ball pretty hard as of late, but unfortunately right at the defense.

Contreras' health is going to be a major cog in the White Sox wheel if they are to hold off Minnesota and win their third division title in eight years. The starting rotation has not been as reliable recently as they were in the first couple months, and the same can be said for the bullpen.

Boone Logan has had some issues, and Linebrink doesn't appear to be heading back to the squad until mid-August. That leaves alot of responsibility on Matt Thornton, D.J. Carrasco, and Octavio Dotel to get the job done.

As for Griffey, there's no way he can be expected to play everyday centerfield. Not a chance. Could you imagine how horrible it would be to have Griffey blow out his knee two weeks in? This move will undoubtedly lead to even more playing time for BA. In Konerko's vacated position, it looks like it will be split between Nick Swisher and...Jim Thome. Yikes.

Jimmy has played first base 4 times since arriving in 06', and has yet to this year.

That will change.

This move is definitely an upgrade over Konerko. While Griffey is only batting .245, he has 15 HR's, 53 RBI's, and would be bringing along a 12 game hitting streak. Two things that worry me: his durability at 38 years of age, and who the Sox will be giving up.

UPDATE: The Sox will be trading 2B Danny Richar and LRP Nick Masset, and will not have to touch any of the pitching prospects I listed.

This is an even better trade for the Sox. Richar wasn't going to be coming up anytime soon with Alexei playing the he has, and Masset hasn't been doing much of anything lately.

Jamar Smith: Too Much Drinky

From Stalkingerinandrews

Jamar Smith turned himself in at the Champaign County Jail early Tuesday afternoon on a warrant for his arrest stemming from a petition to revoke his probation.

Such a waste.

Jamar Smith showed a lot of promise at Illinois, leading the Big Ten in 3-point shooting as a freshman. Now, he’s just a douchebag. What kind of a man (and I use the term loosely) leaves his “friend” to die in a car after a crash? Another female student had to call an ambulance to come rescue Brian Carlwell, but this was after Smith drove the car back to his apartment complex.

Whaaaat? You crash, your “friend” is badly injured, but you drive home and leave him in the car? What a piece of crap!

But, I’m venting on an old story. Jamar Smith violated his probation by drinking alcohol over the weekend. Doesn’t almost killing someone, let alone a teammate and supposed friend, open your eyes?

Doesn’t the threat of losing a promising basketball career make you look at the straight and narrow?

Smith is a crucial part of Illinois' prospects for the next two seasons. The coaching staff and teammates consider him to be the team's best player, and his shooting prowess was sorely missed as Illinois struggled to a 16-19 record last season. If Smith is not allowed to return to the team, the Illini figure to be in for a struggle once again.

So you not only tank your career, but an entire team’s season, just to have a few drinks on the weekend. Brilliant. Technically, he’s not off the team yet, but I fully expect it to happen by the weekend.

Actually, I think I want him off the team. If he’s not going to show any respect or remorse towards the U of I and his teammates, maybe he shouldn’t be there. Even Champaign area fans don’t want him on the team anymore. Good luck, Jamar, and have a nice time in jail, where they will be scoring you by the 3’s.

Not So Much

Fucking Awful.

Fuck the Twins.

PS: I hate them.

Deng, Bulls agree on 6-year deal

Bulls forward Luol Deng can breathe a sigh of relief. It's likely that Deng just became the richest Dinka to ever live, as the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson is reporting that Deng agreed to a 6-year contract worth up to $80M late Tuesday night.

General manager John Paxson will confirm Wednesday that the Bulls have reached agreement on a six-year deal with restricted free agent Luol Deng.

The deal, first reported by the Tribune and ESPN.com's Marc Stein, is worth a guaranteed $71 million, according to sources. Incentives could push the contract's value to $80 million, sources said.

Deng, 23, rejected a five-year, $57.5 million extension in October and then joined in the season-long funk and malaise that shrouded the Bulls' underwhelming 2007-08 season.

So with right around $8M left without going into the forbidden land of the luxury tax, the Bulls now have the task of figuring out what to do with guard Ben Gordon.


A lot of talk is going on - including Ben's threats that he might jump on the overseas bandwagon and play in Europe - but it appears that the Bulls will most likely try some sort of sign-and-trade with the streaky shooting guard.

Gordon appears to believe he deserves money equal to what Deng received, but not only would that put the Bulls over the cap, they'd be locking up a lot of money that could be used in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes. $80M to Ben Gordon would be a big mistake, there are plenty of undersized guards out there at a much lower price.

The question is, where could Gordon go in a sign-and-trade? Right now your guess is as good as anyone, but I'd be willing to be bet that if they do make a deal, a center will be coming back to the Bulls way.

If they don't trade Gordon, the Bulls can tender a one-year $6.4M deal that would allow Gordon to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2008-09 season. This is not something that's advantageous for either Gordon or the Bulls, but it may be the last resort if they fail to trade him.

All things Gordon aside, with Deng locked in for the long haul, the starting lineup is a promising combination of youthful explosiveness and veteran talent, and hopefully will only get better with pieces added before the start of the season.

G Derrick Rose
G Kirk Hinrich
F Luol Deng
F Tyrus Thomas
C Joakim Noah

Can't We Just Get Along?

The scene: Huntley, IL. A seemingly innocent birthday party on a Saturday afternoon. Two year olds are playing, their parents and friends - avid Cubs fans with a few White Sox fans mixed in - are boozing like there's no tomorrow.

You know what pisses me off? Sesame Street. Fuck that stupid Big Bird. If you're a bird, why don't you go fucking fly somewhere? Take snuffle-whatever-the-fuck with you. I'm sooo pissed off right now. Oh look, the Cubs' game is on.

Damnit though, I'm still pissed. Either I'm kicking Big Bird ass, or I'm settling for a Sox fan. Hey, look at this guy..Hey you..you a Sox fan?! Hey Maciej and Blogusaw, this guy likes Sesame Street and the Sox!! Come here you prick!

HUNTLEY, Ill. - McHenry County authorities say three Chicago Cubs fans face felony battery charges after allegedly beating a Chicago White Sox fan so badly he lost his right eye.

The men are accused of beating 32-year-old Robert Steele of Gurnee during a 2-year-old girl's Sesame Street-themed birthday party.

Police said Monday the men were drinking alcohol at the July 19th party and taunting Steele.

They say Steele was kicked in the head and his nose was broken. He stayed several days at an Elgin hospital.

Thirty-one-year-old Jaroslaw Czapla, 37-year-old Boguslaw Czapla and 33-year-old Maciej Trojnar face mob action and aggravated battery charges.

Jaroslaw Czapla's number is unlisted. There were no listings for Boguslaw Czapla or Trojnar.

When I think Key Division Match-Ups, I Think Munson Vs. Big Ern

That's right, both the Cubs and White Sox have a huge four game series on the road with the teams that are nipping on their heels.

I would take the time to expand more on each series, but I have too much actual work to do (and by work, I mean read other people blogs). So, I'll go the lazy route and let Phil Rogers take care of the Cubs-Brewers series. For the White Sox-Twins, I give you Scott Merkin.

Hester Set To Return?

That's what the Chicago Sun-Times and WSCR 670 the Score are reporting this morning. After holding out for two days, Hester showed up to Olivet Nazarene University this morning. He still has a physical pending, but show be fine to return to practice this afternoon at 3pm.

This is a win-win for both Hester and the Bears.

For Hester, a chance to get in quickly to learn the offense down pat. If I had a dollar for every time Mushin Muhammad had to literally grab him and set him in position like a parent does with their child convincing them they can get out of the time out chair soon, I would be drinking a couple free cases of Miller Lite. Hester has to get lots of reps doing catching drills so that Grossman or Orton can hit him on the fly routes with the confidence he can turn the play into 6 if it's open. I do not like the idea of sending him over the middle; that can be for those old asses Booker and Brandon Lloyd. Hester should only be running fly, slant and out patterns.

On top of that, it shows respect to Bears management and more importantly coaches and teammates that's he committed to getting better and ready for the upcoming season.

For the Bears, it's one less distraction off the field they have to have put in their face everyday after grueling two-a-days. No one wants to be there, and after running gassers no one wants to hear the same stupid fucking questions that the players have no conrol over.

Do you want Devin Here?
-Yes

Is Devin important to the team?
-Yes

Does Devin like eggs?
-Yes

It's all the same line of questioning in order to get your stupid fucking 12 second actuality (also known as quote, or sot for you tv types).

It appears that Hester is willing to wait as long as it takes to get a deal done, but if I'm Jerry Angelo, I do not pull a similar situation that John Paxson recently faced with Luol and BG.

They blew because of the looming contract deals they didn't get. The last thing the Bears need is for Hester to start muffling catches and punt returns.

Get this deal done as soon as possible. Let the Windy City Flyer focus on what he does best: being rediculous.