Favor-a-Bull Things A-Brewin'

Bulls basketball is exciting again, sort of. Rose and Noah are fun to watch, but the Bulls are still locked in this basketball purgatory. However, the organization is doing good things to get the Bulls on the path to winning. For now, Bulls fans have to play the wait-and-see game. The GM (s) have traded away Salmons for two expiring contracts as well as the laugh-a-bull play of cry baby Tyrus Thomas for two more expiring contacts. This gives the Bulls about $18-21 million in salary cap space room and puts them in a great position to sign at least one max contact in one of the greatest free agent classes of all in time in any sport. There’s still a long ways to go with many scenarios yet to be played out, but I all ready consider this season to be a success due solely to these transactions. Making the playoffs would just be a bonus to an otherwise forgettable season. Oh, and you can just forget about getting Lebron too cuz it ain’t happenin’. There’s an outside shot that the Bulls could land D-Wade, mostly because he hails from Chicago, but again it’s very improbable. There’s some talk that Chris Bosh may just sign with the Heat and he and Wade will try to run the table in Miami. Where do the Bulls go from there? Next in the free agent line are over-the-hill, second tier players. I’m really happy with what the Bulls have done thus far, but they’re going to have to make this team more appealing if money alone can’t get a top tier player in a Bulls jersey.
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The Big Hurt

The Big Hurt retires after eighteen pain-inflicting seasons. It was slightly unfortunate that he didn’t finish his illustrious career in a White Sox uniform, but it was nice to see him announce his retirement in Chicago and have his number 35 retired as well and see things come full-circle. He won back-to-back MVP’s in ’93 and the shortened ’94 season and was cheated in more than one way out of another one on 2000. We all know what happened in ’94 and it was just too bad especially for Big Frank who was on pace to break the single-season runs scored record in the AL held by none other than the Great Bambino George Herman Ruth set at 177 in 1921. Not to mention that he had a shot at the Triple Crown! His retirement makes me feel old as he was my first favorite player as a kid. I didn’t have posters of Mickey Mouse or Big Bird, but a monstrous poster of Big Frank putting one out of Comiskey. When we played swift in the parking lot behind our building and mimicked players’ batting stances I always became a little more intense and flared my nostrils and swung a little harder when I pretended to dig in as Frank Thomas. But I digress. Big Frank will undoubtedly be enshrined in Cooperstown. The question is, will he be a first ballot Hall of Famer? Now to me, obviously I’m hoping that he is as he deserves it in my humble opinion, but it doesn’t matter much either way. I understand that it’s prestigious to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but it’s not like there is a separate wing in the Hall recognizing such players. For Frank Thomas, it’s probable, but it’s all up to the writers in the problematic voting process. There’s a lot of egos to get past in that gauntlet, egos that simply refuse to vote for anybody in their first year of eligibility. There’s also people that may not vote for a guy who spent half of his years hitting in the designated hitter position, even though it’s an every day position. DH is a position in baseball just like all the others; it may not be an on-field position, but a position nonetheless. Position, (that one was just for good measure). Yet again, I digress. So here’s to you, Big Frank. Thanks for your hard work, the memories (my favorite being that when you hoisted Robin Ventura over your shoulder after a game winner), and the unbounded joy you’ve bestowed upon us. I hope that you decide to stay in baseball some how some way.
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MLB Predictions

With most key free agents getting contracts, with the exception of a few like Johnny Damon, and teams avoiding arbitration, I've decided to post my predictions maybe a little early because April can't come soon enough.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox (94-68)
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals

AL East

New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays

AL West

Seattle Mariners
Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Oakland Athletics

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs (90-72 and miss the playoffs)
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros
Pittsburg Pirates

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies
New York Metropolitans
Florida Marlins
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres


Divisional Series

NYY vs. CWS (CWS in 5)
BOS vs. SEA (BOS in 4)
PHI vs. COL (PHI in 4)
STL vs. LAD (STL in 4)

ALCS

CWS vs. BOS (CWS in 7)

NLCS

PHI vs. STL (STL in 6)

World Series

CWS vs. STL (CWS in 6)