Still Gotta Come Through Chicago
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ChicagstillgottacomethroughOOOOOOOO!
No bad social distancing jokes will be made here. I hope everyone is doing well, and that you aren’t either 1. sick with the coronavirus or 2. a new alcoholic because of the coronavirus.
Either way, let’s take 20 to B.S. on this Monday morning.
There could not be a better time to get a bored family member or friend to subscribe to the newsletter. You got plenty of time, send a few texts, would ya?
Follow on Twitter at @stillgottaChi
Today we’ve got:
-The pre-introduction: What are you watching?
-Trivia
-Introduction: Ryan Pace, you could’ve had us
-The post-introduction: When will we have sports again? A breakdown
-The Bears got their man(?)
-Michael Jordan’s Double Nickel at Madison Square Garden
-Quarantine Take of the Week
Lots of comment opportunities in today’s edition. Remember, to comment, hit the button on the right — pictured below — at the bottom of the newsletter.
What are you watching?
I know you watched the Tiger King. So did I. If Kevin Durant just would’ve waited until that documentary series came out to leave Oklahoma, I think things would’ve gone over a little more smoothly than they did.
Why do you want to leave Oklahoma, Kevin?
… did you see Tiger King?
(Now consider the fact that the Thunder have been consistently more talented than the Bulls for almost the entire past decade.)
But really, I think that sports networks have missed out for years on playing older games. Live sports is a major money maker because it’s live — in other words, we’re into it because we don’t know what’s going to happen. But you can’t convince me that some of these classic games that have been on are any worse of a programming idea than what usually plays on a day with less-than-good live sports options.
The NBC Chicago team has killed this. Watching the ‘96 Bulls games on real television with great quality has been phenomenal. Even the commercials add to it. I’ve watched a ton of classic games on YouTube, but there’s just something magical about the games being played on television as if they were going on right now. We’re all experiencing it together, noticing things about the players that we never had before.
For our older readers, someone please explain in the comments how the viewing experience was without the score being constantly shown at the bottom. The Miami Heat will hit a three and I’ll get on the edge of my seat like things are getting close and then the score icon pops up at the bottom and the Bulls are up 23. Did you count the score in your head? If you weren’t paying close attention, what did you do? Did you get in arguments with friends over what the score was during the time that it wasn’t being shown?
The thing I don’t get: they clearly had the technology to show the score throughout. The networks just didn’t find it necessary, I guess. Who was the first person to sit in a meeting and say, ‘Guys, what do we think about keeping the score on the bottom at all times?’
It just baffles me that in a close game there’s a chance that you just didn’t know the score.
Jordan’s got the ball, he dribbles it up…
Guys seriously are we winning or losing?
The 1996 Bulls were so fun to watch. There’s a lot to like about ‘90s basketball and there’s a lot to not like. Somehow there’s this narrative that it’s a binary choice between which you like more — today’s NBA or the ‘90s. There’s things to like about each, and there’s things that suck about each.
I can definitely do without the unathletic 7-footer getting 35 minutes a game just to plot around in the paint and grab a rebound here or there.
But there’s also no doubt that there’s a special intensity to these games that seems almost lost in today’s NBA.
Never make the mistake, though, of viewing the ‘90s just through the Bulls. The ‘96 Bulls were a future-facing team, whether they were trying to be or not. They had a plethora of lengthy, athletic ball handlers who could guard multiple positions. And they had the best basketball player of all time, a player that transcended the game himself. They’re not necessarily a representation of the ‘90s NBA — they were an outlier.
Either way, watching these older games has been fantastic. I’ve watched every ‘96 playoff game, a few games from the Hawks dynasty run, and a bunch of older baseball games (including Kerry Wood’s 20-strike out game, which we’ll focus on next week). I’ve also loved the old NCAA tournament games and highlights that CBS and ESPN have been showing. It’s such a loss that we missed out on that this year, but it’s such an unbelievable experience every year that you forget some of the moments.
I’ve had too many “I remember that guy!”s to count over these past two weeks.
What is the best oldie you’ve watched during quarantine? Specifically, what’s something you noticed that you never realized before?
I think Dennis Rodman may be the worst offensive player I’ve ever seen.
Leave a comment and let us know.
Trivia
Of the Cubs top 10 single season leaders for strikeouts per nine innings pitched, nine of them are from the last 25 years. Five players make up those nine seasons. Who are they?
(Answer at the end of the newsletter)
If you get three of these, you’re good. If you get four, you’re fantastic. If you get five, you cheated.
Ryan Pace, you could’ve had us
Ryan Pace had a chance to win back all of Chicagoland this offseason. Finding the right quarterback is a large part of how general managers are judged, whether that’s fair or not. He has not (yet) found the right quarterback, and the specific way in which he failed at finding the right quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft will haunt him and Bears fans for a long time. But looking for a better option this offseason was the first step that many GMs never take — admitting their mistake and moving on.
Part of the reason a lot of these guys are successful is because they have the utmost confidence in their abilities. They’ve presumably worked extremely hard to get where they’re at, so believing in themselves and the methods they use to arrive at a decision is something that is engrained in them. The hubris that coincides with that is often a GM’s downfall, however. They just can’t believe that they made a mistake or they can’t let anyone know that they believe they made a mistake.
By aggressively searching for another option at quarterback this season, Pace has admitted that his decision to draft Mitch Trubisky second overall has not worked out. And that’s okay, because he’s built a good enough team around him that the Bears have still been relatively competitive over the past two years with Trubisky running the offense.
We’ll get to the Nick Foles acquisition later, and whether or not that was the right move — based on both Foles as a player and the terms of the deal. But I personally gained a lot of respect for Pace for even looking into a trade for Andy Dalton, Cam Newton or Foles, all three moves that the Bears had reportedly explored.
But then he turns around and gives Jimmy Graham $9 million guaranteed. The deal is 2 years for $16 million, but for more than one reason I doubt Graham will get all of that money. Still, who were you bidding against? This is reminiscent of the Bulls signing Jabari Parker to a $20 million deal in 2018. Like, it’s not just that neither of these players are particularly good — the first thing you should consider when giving a professional athlete a shit ton of money — it’s also that there’s no chance that anyone else was bidding against you.
Pace’s Jimmy Graham problem is the same as his Trubisky problem. He sees a whole in the roster, becomes fixated with one player to fill that role, and then sees ghosts chasing after that same player who could potentially steal them from him. It kind of reminds me of a global pandemic breaking out and immediately worrying that you won’t be able to wipe your ass, then loading up on toilet paper, which would not be lacking during such a situation if it wasn’t for people believing that it was going to be lacking.
If the Bears ordered pizza for the front office during a meeting, and it wasn’t enough, Pace would run up and grab six slices of the veggie pizza thinking it would all be gone soon. For a seemingly smart guy, he makes odd decisions here and there that have no logistical backing.
It’s the same reason why he throws draft picks around to get the exact guy he wants in the draft. The draft is a crap shoot, simply put. But Pace thinks he’s smart enough to know exactly who is going to pan out. Confirmation bias takes the keys from there, and Pace rides along, throwing valuable picks out the window on the way. There’s a reason why the Patriots trade back so often in the draft. They understand that even though they have some of the smartest people in football making draft selections, there’s probably a 40/60, 50/50 chance that the player won’t pan out. Having more picks increases your odds, then, of securing good players. Having less does the opposite.
When the Bears didn’t go after Greg Olsen in free agency, I understood it. He’s still productive, but he’s had some some injury issues the past few years and is probably on his last legs. He got a one-year deal with the Seahawks for less guaranteed money than Graham did, yet had more receptions and more yards last year in two fewer games. Oh, and one had Aaron Rodgers looking to throw the ball to him, the other had Kyle Allen.
Heck, even Jason Witten — who’s damn near 40 — had a far better year than Graham did in 2019. And he had just been retired. His new deal from Oakland? One year, $4 million.
Eric Ebron, who is 26, got 2 years, $12 million from the Steelers. All of these guys come with question marks, but none more than Graham, and they all got far less money. And money is a bit of an issue for the Bears, if you hadn’t noticed. The Bears now almost have more tight ends on their roster than you could count on your two hands, but we’re not even sure if a single one of them is worth a shit.
You could’ve been back in Chicago’s good graces, Ryan. Then you pissed it away.
When will we have sports again?
As the big man Dr. Fauci said, the virus makes the rules — we don’t. So anyone just firing off the hip about when sports are going to start back up again really has no clue what the hell they’re talking about.
I don’t believe this will happen solely because I think there will be the Civil War Pt. 2 if they try to cancel the season. Like, legitimately people coming out of their houses with guns rioting because the administration is trying to tell them they’re not going to play football. I just can’t see a scenario where that happens. Maybe the Big Ten cancels their season, but somehow, someway, the South is going to play football this fall. I’m willing to guarantee that.
The issue with college football is that if the schools are closed then the players can’t work out and practice. If the players can’t work out and practice, I don’t know how you play games as scheduled. But, again, I just can’t see the people of Alabama going easy into the night after being told that the only thing they live for is being taken away from them because of the coronavirus.
The two sides came to an agreement that would allow baseball in 2020 to move forward just so as:
There’s no governmental edicts on mass gatherings that would prevent teams from playing in their home stadiums;
There’s no travel restrictions in the United States or Canada;
That there’s, after talking with health experts and the union, no concern that playing will expose players, staff or fans to health risks.
Again, the virus will make the rules here. Then the government will. Then the MLB can. In a lot of ways, it doesn’t really matter what the leagues want to do. If there’s governmental guidelines in place, professional sports leagues aren’t going to defy those, unless they’re the UFC.
The players salaries for this season will be prorated, as will their bonuses and incentive clauses. They will, however, get a full year of service time regardless of how the schedule plays out.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has the ability to move games to neutral sites where the coronavirus is less of a concern and to play games without fans in attendance.
Aside from the fact that this all sucks and baseball would make this quarantine 1,000x better right now, there is something exciting to consider — a shortened MLB season could be the most fun one of our lifetimes.
I personally love how long the MLB season is and how you can count on your favorite team playing virtually every single day. Having said that, if the season was significantly shortened it could make for an electric year. It could be an absolute shit show — not great teams could get hot and make a run, great teams could have a couple bad series and miss the playoffs altogether. But how fun would it be turning on the Cubs or the Sox every night knowing that them winning or losing that game could be a breaking point in their season?
Players wouldn’t have to rest as much, I assume, and I don’t think they’d want to. Pitchers wouldn’t burn out. Now, the reverse could be true and everyone may be out of shape and one or two injuries could tank a team’s season even if it’s not for long. But having all of our sports return at around the same time and having them all be incredibly high-stakes would be amazing.
It also might be extremely stressful and this could all completely backfire on me. Craig Kimbrel may blow three saves and effectively blow the Cubs season, but hey, he already did that last year and at least his contract will be worth less if its prorated.
It’s possible that the owners say F U to the league, and tell them that they’re finishing the season come hell or high water — that they don’t care if they have to compete with football or significantly mess up next year’s timeline.
But you could see why the league would not want to jack up the next few seasons just to salvage this one.
Either way, leagues are going to have to get creative. These stadiums have schedules planned years in advance, and moving the season back isn’t even close to simple. Maybe the NBA will move next year’s start date back to Christmas like they did in the lockout year. Maybe they will change Christmas to opening day for basketball permanently.
It’s also not as easy as just starting the playoffs with the standings as is. The NBA needs to find away to at least play a few regular season games before kicking off the playoffs, which will further complicate the problem. Jumping right back into the playoffs would be a recipe for disaster, and I think the league recognizes that.
The league has vowed to play the full schedule next year, so this would mean that if they continued the regular season to some effect in 2020, players that competed in the Stanley Cup Final would get about a month off before starting up again in late fall (the start of the season would be pushed back a month).
The issue for both the NBA and the NHL is still each other — many of them share arenas. As for whether or not the Bulls or Blackhawks will make the playoffs just because shit has been mixed up, I wouldn’t hang your hat on it.
The Bears got their man(?)
The Bears have a starting quarterback that isn’t Mitch Trubisky. I want to start there. Whoever thinks the Bears are going to pay Nick Foles $16 million+ to be a back up or to “compete” or “push” Mitch is out of their minds. That is a job for Tyrod Taylor or Jake Fromm. Someone who doesn’t cost a lot and is probably as good as Mitch already or at least close to it.
A Super Bowl MVP, making that kind of money — who you gave a 4th round pick up for — is not coming through Chicago to teach Mitch poise in the pocket and share preseason reps with him. It just ain’t happening. If it did happen, it will be the last significant move Ryan Pace ever makes as a decision maker in the NFL.
Now that that is out of the way: What do we think? We’ve all had a little while to digest the move. Here’s what I think: It’s alright. Could they have made a better move? I don’t know the answer to that question. That will probably be answered on the field in the coming season. What I do know is that Nick Foles, when doubted, has always risen to the occasion. Weirdly enough, if Foles had a good year with Jacksonville last year, I’d almost be less excited.
He was an afterthought back up, then he threw for 27 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a season with the Eagles. Then he bounced around again and almost retired. Then Carson Wentz blows out his knee and he takes the Eagles on one of the best runs in NFL modern history, out-dueling Tom friggin Brady in the Super Bowl.
We know he’s capable. He struggled last year, but the Jaguars are terrible. He’s worked with Nagy before, though, and I think that’s like 80% of what Pace looks at when he’s trying to bring someone in.
He turned 31 in January, so it’s not as if age is an issue. He’s experienced. He’s played incredible on the big stage. He’s smart. Those last three items are everything that Mitch doesn’t have, and that’s the biggest thing to focus on here.
He’s making a lot of money, and the Bears probably shouldn’t have had to give up that much for him, even though a 4th rounder may not seem like a lot. The Jaguars had no intention of keeping him around, but once Pace sets his eyes on someone… you know the rest. The Bears have an out after 2021 on his contract, so chances are they’ll probably end up paying him around $35 million, unless he’s so good that they decide to recommit to him.
I’m just glad we have a competent QB on the roster. Is Foles a middle-of-the-pack to back-half QB? No doubt. But that’s so much better than what the Bears have had, and just having that could open up the offense. If it doesn’t, Nagy needs to go.
The $16 million they’re paying him in 2020 seems like a lot, but that’s what a decent QB costs in the NFL. Considering QB salaries around the league, it’s really a pretty reasonable deal now that the Jaguars ate the dead money. If you want a good QB in the NFL, you have to pay one. The only other way is to draft one, and Pace failed at that.
As for the other options, Cam Newton would’ve been a lot cheaper and the Bears could’ve signed him as a free agent. But is anyone confident that Newton’s body is in a state that will allow him to be a good quarterback moving forward? I’m not. Clearly the Panthers — and Ron Rivera, now the Redskins coach — who know more than any of us, don’t think so.
For anyone arguing for Cam by screaming “He’s an MVP!”, just stop it. It was half a decade ago, and he hasn’t played nearly as well since. An outlier year in 2015 does not get you anywhere in 2020, especially with multiple nagging injuries.
As for Andy Dalton, I just can’t muster up the energy to make a passionate argument about wanting him over Nick Foles. But if there’s ever a time to get in a heated argument over who’s a better QB, Foles or Dalton, I guess quarantine would be the time.
When the Bears got Foles, I was ecstatic. I’m not totally sure why. It could’ve been because I was under quarantine. It also could be because it means that the Trubisky chatter is all but over. Either way, the Bears upgraded, and I can’t be mad at that.
Until they signed Jimmy Graham.
What did you think of the Foles signing? If you didn’t like it, who would you rather have? Leave a comment and let’s discuss.
Michael Jordan’s Double Nickel at Madison Square Garden
Saturday was the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan’s 55-point game in New York, a feat accomplished just 10 days after he announced his return to the NBA. Bear in mind, Jordan’s goal a mere two months prior was still to make the MLB.
The 45 days that led to MJ’s comeback are outlined in a great piece from Jack Silverstein here.
The labor issues between the MLB and the MLBPA forced Jordan to return to basketball. He was talented enough that he switched his sporting profession and a week and a half later dropped 55 points on the defending Eastern Conference champions.
If you watch the highlights from this game, you can tell — despite the incredible performance — that MJ is still finding his footing. He looks a little less explosive and has a little worse handle than usual. The Knicks game was his fifth contest after the “I’m Back” announcement. He had played pretty well, all things considered, before that. But he had experienced a couple really tough shooting nights — 7 for 28 against the Pacers in Game 1 back and 7 for 23 in Game 3 back against the Magic.
Dare I say — after spending a year looking like a basketball player in a baseball uniform — he looked like a baseball player in a basketball uniform. He was still one of the best players in the league at, say, 75% of his powers. But make no mistake, he wouldn’t return to true pre-baseball MJ heights until the ‘95-’96 season.
Before Jordan returned, the Bulls had won three games in a row, getting them to just three games above .500. The last 17 games were no time to ease Jordan back into the mix of things. The Bulls were in a playoff race. In other words, these games mattered — big time.
Jordan went 21 for 37 shooting that night at MSG in a game the Bulls probably should have lost. You probably remember the final play that sealed a 113-111 victory. Jordan drives, the defense collapses, and instead of going for 57, he dumps it off to Bill Wennington for a wide open dunk underneath the basket.
The only reason Wennington — who averaged 13 minutes per game that season — was on the floor was because Toni Kukoc, Will Perdue, and Luc Longley had all fouled out of the game. If forced to go to overtime, it would’ve been a tall task for the Bulls to pull out a win.
“Every New Yorker was there when Bobby Thomson hit his home run to win the pennant, when Bill Buckner let the ball go through his legs in Game 6, when Roger Maris got No. 61, when the Rangers finally got the Stanley Cup. So they’ll say. And now they’ll say they were there the night Michael went for the double nickels in the Garden. And Jordan isn’t even theirs, though he everyone’s, really. If his comeback has meant anything, it is that.” —Chicago Tribune, Bernie Lincicome, March 29, 1995
So many look in retrospect at the Bulls six championships and view them as if they were inevitable. In reality, they were far from that. Had there never been a baseball strike, Jordan may have still returned to the NBA. But would the Bulls have won three more championships? No chance. Too much was hanging in the balance.
Instead, Jordan returned to the NBA, saved the Bulls, and in some ways, saved the NBA.
“He reminds of something,” David Stern said. “He reminds us how we want our sports to be. He is back to expanding the possibilities.”
Because that feeling of inevitability that overrides Jordan’s career, some of his accomplishments are glossed over. Just Jordan being Jordan. But consider — I mean really, consider — that he scored 55 points and led his team to victory over a far better Knicks team just 10 days after he returned from a year and a half hiatus, when he was not playing basketball. All over the age of 30.
As Jordan was on his way to eclipsing 50 points for the 34th time of his career, Knicks fans were high-fiving in the stands, according to that night’s announcer, Hubie Brown.
In the game prior, he had hit a buzzer beater to beat the Hawks, capping off a 32-point night. Those two nights were Jordan’s official “I’m Back” moments. He could say he was back all he wanted, but until he proved it, basketball fans would remain unsure.
With the Knicks and Hawks wins, the formerly below-average Bulls team would go on to win 12 of their last 14 games. At 28-30 two days into March, the Bulls finished 47-35 with the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.
After a loss to the Magic in the ECSF, Jordan spent the offseason dedicating himself to becoming the “23” version of MJ again and making Space Jam. The rest is history.
Quarantine Takes
A friend texted in a group chat this week about how Chad Kelly — better known as Swag Kelly — should’ve been drafted ahead of Mitch Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft. The disclaimer attached to the comment was what really got me thinking, though.
I am so quarantine brained… he said, before actually comparing Trubisky and Swag Kelly.
Now, feel free to discuss that topic in the comments as well. But what I want to do is feature a Quarantine Take of the Week here every Monday moving forward. What’s the weirdest sports argument or take you’ve had develop in the past couple of weeks? Shoot me a text, email, or comment on the newsletter and we’ll look to feature the good ones.
Trivia answer
The Cubs best strikeouts-per-nine seasons ever:
1. Kerry Wood,1998, 12.582 strike outs per 9 innings
2. Yu Darvish, 2019, 11.535
3. Kerry Wood, 2003, 11.346
4. Mark Prior, 2002, 11.340
5. Kerry Wood, 2001, 11.203
6. Rich Harden, 2009, 10.915 !!!
7. Bruce Sutter, 1977, 10.817 (not a part of the trivia answer)
8. Travis Wood, 2015, 10.550 !!!
9. Mark Prior, 2004, 10.542
10. Mark Prior, 2003, 10.434
Remember, to comment, hit the button on the right at the bottom of the newsletter.
It feels so good to be back! Hope you guys enjoyed — we won’t miss a week again. While other newsletters are scrambling for content, the SGCTC community is primed to take over. Let’s do this. For the love of god, send someone the newsletter today — maybe we can brighten their lives, even if it’s just for a little while:
Ideas? Questions? Shoot them my way. And remember, STILL GOTTA COME THROUGH CHICAGO!
Have a great week and stay safe out there, appreciate y’all.
*Warning* *Warning*Hot take Alert:
I have been enjoying the Quarantine life. What's happening right now with the virus is horrible and pretty dang scary, but I would be lying to your face if I said I wasn't enjoying myself. Having no sports Blows with a capital B, but to be 100% honest I'd rather watch re-runs of the Bulls dynasty than anything today's NBA produces. The news of the MLB was devastating and it made me cry :(. But with the reruns of the cubs WS run and historical games like Kerry Woods 20 strikeout game, I have been pretty entertained. When I think about it, I'd rather watch these re-runs than watch the cubs blow late-game leads game after game only to end the season in 3rd place after another incredibly disappointing season. Fuck Tom Ricketts. With the re-runs airing and the release of MLB the show, I am pretty content right now. I have been able to watch all the shows and movies that I have been putting aside and have enjoyed every second of it (#FreeJoeExotic). But the best part of all this has been not having to drive a combined 60 miles to work every day and having to fake laugh at every single thing my lame ass wannabe comedian coworkers say to me. I miss hitting the town on the weekends and rippin my boys e-cigs (Shout out Zack and Duff), But it's probably for the best.
After re-reading what I have just wrote above, I am not even sure if I believe half of the things I just said. I do know for hundo percent that the re-runs will get old, I will start to cry abut baseball again, I will run out of shows to watch, my PS4 will break from overuse and I will soon start to develop muscle atrophy from laying around all day. I could probably do this for another month *tops* before I start to lose my mind and die.
Stay safe out derr yall.
The "Double Nickels" Game could almost be the biggest reason why Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA Player ever. To not have played competitive basketball for 22 months and come into the NBA and throw 55 points at the best defensive team in the NBA is absolutely unbelievable. Lebron would have to have set the stage for his comeback. A couple of months of conditioning plus some relaxed play time and maybe recruiting a plyer or two to join him. Jordan was the most mentally strong and fiercest competitor I have ever seen!