CSF

Maybe it wasn't that thread, but I do remember seeing one where some of the Twins fans were giving some HOF love to Big Frank.

I saw that thread too. I was rather surprised and pleased. B) Meanwhile, on the Cubs board, the same question was posed. Naturally, most of the numbnuts on that board clearly started following baseball when McGwire & Sosa "saved" the sport. :rolly

Sweet. This team is gonna have a little swagger added to it. Welcome to Chi-Town A.J.

Sox are offering 2 yrs $4 million, Iguchi wants 2 yrs $4.6 million. This according to the Score.

This thread is great. I wish I had Photoshop.

Little bit of news on Smith's plan for the offense (take it for what it's worth): From the Sun-Times: Bears dump Shea, system \ Bears dump Shea, system January 5, 2005 BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter Ultimately, F was the highest grade Lovie Smith could give Terry Shea. Two days after the Bears' 5-11 season ground to a halt with the team at the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category, they fired their offensive coordinator with two years left on his contract. While the news was no surprise given the lack of support Shea received a day earlier, it is interesting that Smith is ready to dump the system, too, after vehemently defending the scheme as much as the man operating it during the season. "We're going in a different direction that entails quite a bit,'' Smith said. "I would like to see us become more of a running team. I said all along, I would like to be a run-first team. That's what we'll do.'' That means Smith will look outside of the Don Coryell offensive family tree that is used in St.Louis, where Smith came from, and in Kansas City, where Shea worked as quarterbacks coach. Smith had not worked previously with Shea but hired him after Rams coach Mike Martz put out feelers for people with a background in the scheme. Smith sold the offense to general manager Jerry Angelo, whom he informed of his decision along with club president Ted Phillips before lowering the boom on Shea. While things started with promise -- the Bears ranked 12th in total yards after Week 3 -- that third game in Minnesota is when quarterback Rex Grossman was lost with a season-ending knee injury. The offense hit a freefall starting with backup quarterback Jonathan Quinn, whom Shea backed, and never came out of it. In fairness, Grossman wasn't the only injury. The Bears used five starting guards and four tackles. With the club floundering three weeks ago, Shea made the PR blunder of giving himself a B grade in self-evaluation and said it couldn't be higher because the team had not scored enough points. When asked what grade he would give Shea, Smith said the highest grade possible. "You ask questions like that during the course of the season, we were a group together and you kind of go with everything then,'' Smith said. "After the season, you really sit back and evaluate everything that happened. Every coach had full support as we were going through the season. After the season, we were 5-11, and that isn't good enough.'' Perhaps the greatest problem was that Shea simplified the scheme only once, in rookie Craig Krenzel's first two starts against San Francisco and the New York Giants. Sources said Krenzel occasionally would forget elements of the call at the line of scrimmage, and it got so bad that Smith met with Shea after the embarrassing 21-7 loss on Thanksgiving at Dallas to find out what was going on. The offense set franchise records for sacks allowed (66) -- Shea stuck with seven-step drops while using a patchwork line -- and third-down efficiency (25.1 percent). Much of the blame for a record 124 penalties goes to the offense, too. Reached by phone in the hotel room he has lived in this season, Shea said he had no comment. "It's not a happy day when you're dealing with a good man and a good coach like Terry,'' Smith said. "But I'd like to see the offense go in a different direction.'' Smith did not set any boundaries to his search, refusing to say if he preferred someone he has worked with or someone with experience calling plays in the NFL. He was interested in the Minnesota Vikings' Scott Linehan last year. Linehan's deal is up, but he already has been rumored to be a possibility in New England and Baltimore. "There's a bottom line,'' Smith said. "You have to get a profit, and I just don't think we made enough progress this year. I know there are injuries involved and different things. I had to feel comfortable as we make our run this coming season that we could go in the right direction and the direction that I would like.'' I'm a little bummed out with this. I was really looking forward to a vertical passing game from this team for a change. The "3 yards and a cloud of dust" mentality hasn't been working too well.

Yup. Zach Zaidman said they should be calling a press conference for later today to announce it. They said the Bears are committed to this style of offense, so they may look at someone from either the Rams or Chiefs coaching staff. But yeah, looks to be official.

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE SCORE According to Zach Zaidman, the Bears are going to fire Terry Shea today.

Boggs made it in with 90% of the vote. Sandberg just made it by 6 votes. Congrats to both.

STATE OF THE BEARS Shea's future left twisting He gets no vote of confidence from his bosses By David Haugh Tribune staff reporter January 3, 2005, 11:03 PM CST Given the chance Monday at Halas Hall to cast a vote of confidence for Bears offensive coordinator Terry Shea, general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith abstained. Nobody had to take a poll to figure out what that portended. "Is Terry Shea's future secure? Terry's part of our staff like [defensive coordinator] Ron Rivera and all the rest of the coaches right now," Smith said. "Right now, I expect every [assistant coach] to be back." By saying "right now," Smith reserved wiggle room if the Bears fire Shea in the week ahead with two years left on his contract. Offensive ineptitude was the No. 1 reason for the Bears' 5-11 record this season. And in tone and content, Smith's comments represented a significant shift from the public support he gave Shea three weeks ago in musing, "What's the highest grade you can give him?" Angelo, showing the strain of a third straight losing season, followed Smith to the podium and left Shea's future twisting just as perilously in the wind. "Lovie's responsible for his staff," Angelo said when the issue of Shea came up. "Lovie and I will talk through everything each and every year about every phase and asset of our program." Asked if he saw enough positives despite the poor offensive showing to warrant Shea's return, Angelo bristled. "That's a loaded question," he said. "We'll answer that when we talk, and those talks will start this afternoon and carry on." To many, that was a long way of saying no. Smith planned to begin a series of meetings with individual staff members Monday, a day that began with the head coach saying goodbye to his team. Players raced out of their parking lot following Smith's farewell. Wide receiver David Terrell was in such a hurry that he ran over a reflector bordering the driveway. Angelo sounded in just as big a rush to fix a Bears offense that finished last in the league in seven of 11 categories: yards per game, yards per play, passing yards per game, sacks per game, first downs per game, third-down efficiency and scoring. "We were abysmal on offense," Angelo said. "There are reasons for that. We have tough questions to ask ourselves, and we have to do it objectively and not emotionally." Minutes later, Angelo's emotion overflowed as he addressed how likely it is the Bears will find their answers during the free-agency period that begins March 1. "I don't want to look at free agency as this hope … sometimes free agency is false hope," Angelo said. "We've got a good nucleus right here. I want to focus on the development of our players. I'm tired of going into free agency. I'm tired of looking for Mr. Goodbar. The intensity in Angelo's voice began to increase. "We've got a good football team here," he said. "We've got to make this team work. I'm not going to sit here and say we need this player, that player, left tackle, we need wide receivers. Why do we need coaches? Why do we need general managers? … We need to focus on the development of this team, and that's what we're going to do." In putting the onus on the coaching staff to develop the talent he believes exists on the roster, Angelo for the first time contradicted Smith, who earlier had suggested the coaches faced limitations within the roster. Smith spoke of needing more "offensive firepower" and mentioned that the problems went beyond injuries, subtly indicting either the players or the play-calling—or both. "Our coaching staff did the best job they really could," Smith said. "I don't think you can say, 'Hey, we didn't do well, it's the scheme.' It's how we played the scheme at times. You look at that and you look at personnel. Any scheme will work if you believe in it and have personnel to do it." In Angelo's mind, the Bears do. He holds the coaching staff responsible for figuring out ways to bring that personnel closer to its potential. "It's fixing the problem, it's not about blame," Angelo said. "It's about being right, it always has been. It's a team effort. It's not one person's fault. There's accountability in any organization. That's the way businesses are run. There's certainly going to be accountability in this organization as well. That's part of my responsibility, and I'm going to do my due diligence." Copyright © 2005, The Chicago Tribune

This season's misfit toys By Jim Caple Page 2 Forget "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men." The sweetest words at this most joyous time of year are: "I included the receipt." The problem with the Christmas season is pretending to appreciate all those gifts you receive but for which you don't have the slightest desire. The Cream? Dammit! I specifically asked for the Clear! We've all received our share of unwanted ties, sweater vests and Jim Carrey DVDs but unfortunately, even when friends and relatives go the extra distance for fans, their gifts often miss the mark. Just consider the following returns made to the exchange department at the Major League Baseball official merchandise store: Moises Alou signature model baseball glove. The leather has a damp feel and my fingers take on this rather unpleasant odor whenever I wear it. "Who's Your Daddy?" and "1918" T-shirts. They're completely out of style, no matter what the salesman on the street claimed. Curt Schilling replica socks. I can't get the blood stains out no matter how many times I wash them. Alex Rodriguez replica Yankees jersey. Turns out, it doesn't really fit, after all. Do you have anything with "Beltran" or "Johnson" on the back? Kevin Brown fitted cap. Too small. No room for the cerebral cortex, medulla oblongata or brain stem. 2004 editions of "Total Baseball," the "Baseball Encyclopedia," the Neft and Cohen "Encyclopedia of Baseball" and "The Sporting News Record Book." Woefully inaccurate. For some reason, they all list George Sisler as holding the all-time record for hits in a season. Barry Bonds bobblehead doll. Keeps toppling over from being top-heavy. Authentic Hiram Bithorn Stadium boxseat. All the dust covering it aggravates my asthma. Montreal Expos fitted cap. Actually, I don't want to return it. But I misplaced it somewhere and was wondering whether anyone found it anywhere. Fred McGriff "500th Home Run" commemorative T-shirt. Maybe it will fit better next year once I lose 30 pounds. Trot Nixon batting helmet. My fingers keep sticking to it. Ceramic model of Wrigley Field. Cracks in the foundation. Atlanta Braves division championship T-shirt. I already have 12 just like it in my closet. Kansas City Royals season highlight video. Something must be wrong -- the tape was blank. Dodgers replica jersey. Meant to give it to someone but changed my mind. Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball video game. Keeps breaking. Jason Giambi replica belt. Doesn't fit -- the pants still keep falling down. Washington Nationals fitted cap. There isn't anyplace I could wear it. Rally Monkey lucky foot. Stopped working. "Moneyball" by Michael Lewis. Waiting for the updated version after the 2005 season to see if the ending comes out any different. David Ortiz model baseball shoes. Too big to fill. Pedro Martinez replica Mets jersey. Far too expensive. And finally ... On second thought, I'll keep that Washington Nationals cap. Maybe I will be able to wear it, anyway. Oh, and one last thought for all those fans who didn't get quite what they wanted: Don't worry. There's always 2005. Happy New Year. Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com

Who will have the biggest impact on Chicago sports in 2005? Prior and Wood. :headshake

What Magglio does at this point is irrelevant to me. If he signs with the Cubs, so be it. I appreciated his effort in a Sox uniform; didn't like the comments about the Sox afterwards, but what's done is done I guess. Like the Sox, I've moved on. I wish him luck and hope he is able to play again.

They should just go ahead and change their name to the New York Mercenaries.

And his 10 game suspension is over.

He couldn't hold a candle to Boers & Bernstein.

I have no opinion on this move.

I like the Jets. I think Herm Edwards is one of the most underrated coaches in the NFL. BTW, isn't BeGood also a Knicks fan?

Per ESPN News. No big loss (except to AnthraxFan93)

A small blurb in Phil Rogers weekly column:

Welcome to Soxtalk.

:banghead Oh well. Come on, Alex!

I haven't respected a single word by Couch ever since that hatchet article he wrote about Frank before spring training. Just like Mariotti, he wants you to spend through the nose to bring in the Pavanos, Beltrans, Drews, & Renterias no matter the cost. Ask the Mets how they've felt the past couple of years bringing in all the big time free agents and how they're records have reflected it (and yet, still didn't learn their lesson this year). While I think Cowley's article on CLee was somewhat off-base, you have to give some creedence to team chemistry. As much as I hate Minnesota, they have always been somewhat of a tight, cohesive unit. Hard to believe, so were the Yankees when they first started winning World Series championships with guys like O'Neill, Tino Martinez, & Scott Brosius providing leadership. Then Steinbrenner got greedy and wanted all of the "big name stars", and hasn't won a championship since those 3 guys left town. Just because you don't bring in the most expensive guy doesn't mean you're settling for something lower. I hope the Sox can bring in an Eckstein or a Cora, someone who's not a star, but can do the little things needed for those W's. Screw Couch, DeLuca, & Mariotti. They're all nitwits. :fyou

You know some of you, I just don't get. Yes, the Sox lost two 30 HR/100RBI & .300 RH power hitters. But in turn, they finally get consistent speed and defense at the top of the order, another live arm in the 'pen that was desperately needed in 2004, another player in the Sean Lowe (very underrated) mold, and finally a little stability at the 5th starter slot, with playoff experience no less. Plus, KW still has money left over to play with to make a bid for an Eckstein (grinder), Cora, or Pierzynski (not likely, but until he signs elsewhere, he's still a candidate). And it's not even Soxfest yet! There's still time for more moves. Let the man do his job.

Per ESPN. 2 yr contract, I think.