Tuesday, July 28, 2009

July 24 Show - Is perfect Buerhle a Hall of Famer?

One day after his perfect game, we discuss Mark Buerhle's chances at the Hall of Fame.

And, we know Buehrle's nasty, but we give out two Dude's Nasty awards.

PLAY NOW

Thursday, July 23, 2009

July 24 Show Preview: Buehrle's perfect - is he a Hall of Famer?

Friday - 12:30 p.m. - www.roosevelt.edu/wrbc/

Mark Buehrle's thrown a perfect game, and he threw a no-hitter in April 2007.

Should the steady lefty be in the Hall of Fame?

We'll also preview the Sox-Detroit four-game series, which suddenly features two teams tied atop the AL Central and kicks off at 12 p.m. CST on Friday with a doubleheader.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

TIME CHANGE

The show will now be airing at 12:30 p.m. on Fridays.

Tune in Friday afternoons.

www.roosevelt.edu/wrbc/

July 17 Show Preview

12:30 p.m. - Friday - www.roosevelt.edu/wrbc/

On tap tomorrow afternoon...

- Should the All-Star Game determine home-field advantage?

- Cubs and Sox second-half previews: How many wins does each need to make the playoffs?










The health of Carlos Quentin is a big question mark for the Sox.



- The Hawks "re-assign" former GM Dale Tallon - fair or unfair?

- The British Open: Tom Watson, Tiger Woods or the field?

- Is there an Answer for the Bulls in the backcourt?

What do you want to hear on WRBC?

What do you want to hear on WRBC? More sports?

Complete a survey here:

www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RvUF0bohCI_2foED_2bpfSSwVw_3d_3d

Monday, July 13, 2009

Is 87 heaven?

If the Cubs and Sox each win 87 games, would they make the playoffs?

The Sox would have to go 42-32 after the All-Star break to hit that number, while the Cubs would have to go 44-32.

We'll talk about what each team needs to do and how many games they need to win to make the playoffs Thursday at 6 p.m. at http://roosevelt.edu/wrbc/.

Cubs and Sox second-half previews

Both the Cubs and the Sox sit just 3.5 games behind their respective division leaders, despite having a rather mediocre first half.

But as average as each has been, they both have a realistic shot at the playoffs.

Check out their second-half previews below, and tune in Thursday as we predict if either will make the playoffs and talk about possible trade scenarios for each.

Can mediocre Cubs get hot?

There might not be a more frustrating team in baseball than the Cubs – and they appropriately sit at 43-43 after a mediocre first half. But they do only sit 3.5 games behind the first-place Cardinals, though they are behind the Brewers and tied with Houston, who is 44-44. So that N.L. Central race is tight.

But with Aramis Ramirez returning, the Cubs have to feel like they have enough firepower to win the division. The key, of course, will be having guys like Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto start hitting; the Cubs were the worst hitting team in the National League with runners in scoring position in the first half. The bullpen is also a question mark.

The second-half schedule isn’t very easy, as the Cubs get to play Washington seven times but do have to deal with both Philadelphia series. They also have a nine-game road trip through Florida, Cincinnati and Colorado.

September will likely decide the Cubs’ fate, as they travel to New York to face the Mets, then host Cincinnati and Milwaukee and travel to St. Louis, Milwaukee and San Francisco, the last series being a four-game series. They do get to finish with six home games against Pittsburgh and Arizona, which could be a big boost.

Eighty-eight wins should win the N.L. Central, and the Cubs would have to go 45-31 to get there. That’s a lot to ask for, though the division champ might be able to win a game or two less.

Tough second-half schedule awaits Sox

And so we’re at the halfway point of the season – though the Sox have played 88 games and are past the 81-game mark.

The Sox are 45-43, 3.5 games behind the 48-39 Tigers and .5 games ahead of the 44-43 Twins.

So how many games will it take to win the A.L. Central? 90? 89, like last year, when the Sox beat the Twins in Game 163?

Ninety wins would certainly seem a lock to get a team into the playoffs. The Tigers would have to go 42-33 to get there, certainly a possible scenario. The Sox would have to go 45-29, which isn’t likely; the Twins would have to go 46-29.

Eighty-eight wins should put the Sox in great shape – just like it did last year, when they won 88 games and then beat the Twins in the tiebreaker. They would still have to go 43-31 to do that, but if Carlos Quentin comes back and is a reliable guy in the middle of the order, the Sox could get to that 88-win mark. Such a mark seems possible when you look at the Sox record over their last 25 games – 16-9 – but the Sox’ schedule is brutal after the All-Star break. They face the Yankees seven times – four at home – and Boston eight times. One late August and early September stretch takes them to Boston for four games, to New York for three, to Minnesota for three (the final three Sox games at the Metrodome unless they meet in the ALCS), to Wrigley for that make-up game on September 3, then four at home versus Boston. Doesn’t get much tougher than that. If the Sox can come out of that 15-game stretch 7-8 or 8-7, they should be fine. And something tells me the Sox will play well on that trip.

Then, of course, they travel to L.A. for three with the Angels and up to Seattle for three just after that stretch. And they finish the season with three games at Detroit, though they have played well at Comerica Park.

But remember, the Tigers also have a difficult schedule. They start the second half in New York, and still have to travel to Texas, go to Boston for four, play Tampa Bay seven times, host Toronto for four and go to L.A for three with the Angels.

The Twins have a more favorable schedule, having already finished with the Yankees and the Red Sox. But they do play Texas nine times, including six times at Texas, and
go to Toronto for four.

I think the Sox will have an over-.500 record after the break, but that 20-game stretch is brutal. Ninety wins – thanks to a 45-29 mark in the second half - probably isn’t going to happen. But if the Sox can still be in the race when they head to Detroit for that final series, they’ll take it.

Sox schedule

Thursday, July 9, 2009

July 9 show - Bulls going to trade for Boozer?

Now with music included - Part II includes songs

Would the Bulls be smart to trade away Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas and get Carlos Boozer?

Time to take Clayton Richard out of the rotation?

What's the most bizarre Cubs injury of the last five years?

Part I

Part II

June 25: The NBA Draft edition

The June 25 show is up...listen below

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

July 9 Preview

Lot to talk about tonight...we'll get into...

- Kenny Williams' comments on attendance at U.S. Cellular Field

- possible All-Star snubs from the Sox and Cubs

- the Sox' trade scenarios

- Steve McNair's death

- all the trades in the NBA

- are the Blackhawks the favorite in the Western Conference?

- LeBron being dunked on

6 p.m. - http://www.roosevelt.edu/wrbc/

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

July 2.....thoughts

No show this Thursday, as I'll be enjoying the long weekend.

But I have a few thoughts on Ben Gordon leaving the Bulls, other free agents and the A.L. Central...

1. I still think the Bulls will be okay without Gordon, though the news he was set to sign with Detroit did make me a little more nervous than I thought it would. But this leaves the Bulls with plenty of money to offer guys like Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh next summer, when both will be free agents. I've said the last few weeks I was okay with Gordon leaving, and I'll stick with that.

2. The Pistons also signed Charlie Villanueva, giving them two young guys to rebuild around. But really, how good can the Pistons be with those two? They're quality guys but definitely not studs, and they're still looking up at Cleveland, Orlando and Boston. Granted, Cleveland could drop off big-time if LeBron leaves next summer, and Boston is getting older, but I don't see Detroit building a championship team around Villanueva and Gordon. They're a better team than they were 24 hours ago, but the two signings aren't moves that make a team get to the Finals.

3. I wouldn't mind the Bulls going after Trevor Ariza, who has said he's leaning toward leaving the Lakers. If he's not looking for huge amounts of money, he'd give the Bulls another guard - and a well-sized guard, something the Bulls have lacked. He's also a decent defender who could guard guys like Ray Allen and Ben Gordon. It's okay if the Bulls don't pursue him, but for the right price, he'd work. You might be able to bring him off the bench if Dwyane Wade signed with the Bulls next year, though you'd probably have to trade Kirk Hinrich.

4. People can bash the A.L. Central, and yes, it's probably one of the worst divisions in baseball. But it's not much worse than most divisions. The Tigers have a nearly identical record as the Angels, and while the Rangers are probably better than the Twins and Sox right now, each of those teams is better than Seattle. And bear in mind that the Tigers and Twins have winning records agains the A.L. West, while the Angels, Rangers and Mariners have losing records versus the Central. The N.L. Central doesn't have any teams running away from anyone, and Detroit, the Sox and the Twins are comparable to Milwaukee, St. Louis and the Cubs. Cincinnati has been okay, but remember, the Sox went to Milwaukee and Cincinnati and won two of three from both the Brewers and the Reds - and they did it without a DH. The N.L. East is also pretty average, with the Phillies struggling and falling to just a few games over .500, the Marlins two games over .500 and the Mets a game under .500. At least one of them will likely start playing better, but that division isn't much better than the A.L. Central. Of course, the Dodgers have been clearly better than anyone in the A.L. Central - and just about everyone in baseball - but the Rockies and Giants, though they've played well as of late, aren't much better than the Sox and Twins, if at all. The A.L. Central can compete with just about anyone that isn't named the Dodgers and isn't in the A.L. East race. And remember, the Sox have played well the last two weeks, and Minnesota always starts playing well in the middle of summer. The Indians are awful, and the Royals are struggling again, but Pittsburgh is likely to struggle after trading away proven players, and the Nationals are brutal, meaning there are other very bad teams in other divisions. By the time August rolls around, don't be surprised if you have three solid teams in the Tigers, Twins and Sox in the A.L. Central race.