The Beast

Good trade in that they got Lynn and got better. Crappy trade in that Dunning was dealt with several years of control. Good trade because Lynn is needed more than Dinning, who didn’t look amazing last year. Good, not great. Hopefully the Sox spend more money to bring in another starter and players worth a shit (not Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Encarnacion, etc.)

Who would you hire if you were George and Virginia for coach, GM and team president?

I wish I understood why they just took one year flyers on players instead of signing them to multi year deals. Eaton is a poor man’s version in right field. What happened to the days where you would have someone like Dye or Ordonez manning RF for most of the year? Instead they sign a platoon guy? What the fuck? Hopefully Anderson gives it back to him if he’s a little b**** in the clubhouse. I used to like Eaton before all of the Frazier/La Roche crap. If he is in decline I hope this isn’t another one of the deals where he is DFA’d before the year is up. He also better not get fucking hurt and instead have a good year.

I appreciate this post, thanks for making the points that you did. The next GM has a lot of work to do to get under the cap and field a competitive team. Leno, Massie and Graham have to go. If they have to let Hicks go they really need a replacement to make up for the loss of production and intangibles. I’m also wondering how you rid yourself of Foles and if they cut him, how much they would have to pay him in dead money. Fuller, Skrine, Trevathan and Quinn would be on my chop block list (if this were Madden) but realistically all of them don’t have deals that are movable. Losing Patterson is one thing but losing Robinson is going to suck. I couldn’t get over the approach that Pagano took in the second half today with giving up the yardage it did with soft coverage. That 96 yard drive sucked. Giving up that amount of points sucked. Nagy’s call and Trubisky’s fumble sucked. Robinson having a mental mistake and Montgomery not getting the first down sucked. I get more upset with Pace even if I thought Nagy was a bone head today. Since NFL coaching contracts are guaranteed (I think) and the pandemic is going to hurt teams financially, I can’t see them making a move in season and I think it is more likely the Bears move on from Pace instead of Nagy and the new GM will decide Nagy’s fate. But if they fire Nagy and Pace, I hope they move on from Phillips if it were possible. I just don’t think Bears ownership can get out of their own way and will screw up whatever decision they decide to do. It would be great if they could go with John Dorsey and have him draft like he did in Cleveland and Kansas City, but that might be a pipe dream.

No problem, I’ve known about his anxiety for quite a while, please see below: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailyherald.com/amp-article/20140608/sports/140608612/

I posted it so that people could see another side of Len, both musically and with his personal life with his mental health struggle. Say what you want about the song, but it is kind of cool that it was produced and released during the start of the pandemic and it is also cool that Len wrote it. Thanks for sharing the podcast link, I’ll listen to it today on my run. I am with you in Len being the play guy play guy on the radio being a significant upgrade in the booth. Some people, like yourself, are radio only for their own reasons and circumstances. I’m a Bernstein/Spiegel/Rahimi guy at the score but I can appreciate Holmes’ and the morning show’s work and the jabs at Parkins on the afternoon show. I figured I would share the song because it shows another side of Len with his music talent and his mental health that he lives life with. Kasper was with the Cubs for 16 years and obviously wanted to do radio so he pitched the move to the White Sox. I don’t think the move is a FU to the Cubs or their fans, instead it might have more to do with staying in Chicago and seeing an upgrade opportunity in the booth on the south side, which is also occurring during a change in broadcast partner. The Cubs clearly did not offer him the radio play by play job during his tenure there and maybe another major league club did offer him something but he had his sights set on one or a few teams. All of this is why I am thinking he is making a move at the age he is at and the point of career he is at now.

Matt Spiegel pointed out that Len wrote this song in his 40s. Matt and Len are in a band, Sonic45 together and produced “Pills.” Take a listen.

There’s no question that a 50/50 senate would bring moderation back to the senate and force leaders to compromise. What you have said about knowing who McConnell is is key because we have seen what he will do with a Democratic president. If they get 50/50 I bet my sweet bippy that McConnell says “get Joe on the phone” more often. I do not see a 50/50 split as something that will lead to radical shifts in policies because there simply won’t be the votes. The Democrats could learn a thing or two from Bill Clinton in the GA races with respect to how to appeal to a larger mass of voters and in the right way. And...Pelosi isn’t wrong when she said she’s good at counting votes. They need to have the votes which is why progressive and far right policies won’t stand, moderation prevails (sometimes). I definitely want to know your thoughts on his post. I see a lot of validity in his reasoning.

Shit. He must have been a COVID economy casualty too. That really sucks for Rongey and I hope something opens up for him soon.

Really? She’s aiight. I’ve got a crush on the senator from New York. ?

After hearing the press conference today and listening to 670, this. Listen to this, add in “SOX WIN...SOX WIN!!” and tell me you don’t get fired up. https://twitter.com/southsideordie/status/1334939117440864257?s=20 What if he wanted to do radio and if that was his dream all along? Spiegel just turned 50 and he mentioned how doing things he wanted to do were important to Len. Would Andy Masur be contractually allowed to do 20-25 games while employed by WGN? I don’t see why not when the Score hosts do things like this all of the time. Exactly. I can’t understand people who just think he’s a boring nerdy white guy. We have another boring nerdy white guy in the TV booth and he is outstanding. What people also haven’t mentioned is that they haven’t had a top notch radio broadcast since Rooney and Farmer. I don’t always listen to the radio but now that Kasper is on it I just may, especially during key moments in the games. It certainly will give me what I want for a different perspective and a more enjoyable experience. Also, Len isn’t dumb either, I definitely think he’s going to educate people on statistics when it is necessary just like Benetti does. Yes.

Thought I would share this piece Kasper wrote in 2014 about the human side of Len: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailyherald.com/amp-article/20140608/sports/140608612/

Marquee must suck to work for, maybe he got sick of the ties, the politics or working for Ricketts. He’s also 49, so maybe he wanted a change of scenery to do something different with a different ball club. He could have gotten more money, but maybe he just wanted to call a World Series game.

Dude, his last name is Benetti. Exactly, Farmio and DJ were okay and Masur and DJ were kind of awkward together when I listened in last year. I would even go so far to get rid of DJ if he doesn’t pair well with Kasper. The radio booth hasn’t been great since Rooney and Farmer. Agreed. Although when I read Kasper was moving to radio play by play I wondered if he would miss TV play by play, but maybe this is a new challenge he seeks. He was one of the few bright spots in the Cubs broadcasting lineup and I am thrilled he is in the White Sox both. Having him and Benetti at play by play is awesome. Now if they could lure some Cubs players like Quintana that would kick ass.

Even if you are a right leaning moderate, wouldn’t Biden keep the progressive wing in check if they controlled the senate too?

I guess I fault Pace more than Nagy since I think coaching can only do so much. If anything I blame Nagy for his offensive play calling over everything. Sure Mitch never developed to be better under Nagy, but Nagy can’t read the defense for Mitch. His scheme might be better if he had better personnel that actually clicked instead of failed together. That offensive line is horrendous. What I was asking you to do is evaluate the cap, what specific players to trade and what they would get in return, how much teams will expect to lose in revenue this year and figure out a feasible plan. I appreciate your posts and believe they are fair so I thought I might like to see an off season list which would change depending on the rest of the season. I acknowledge your point about Pace’s and Nagy’s strengths and shortcomings, but I guess we will see what becomes of them. Lastly, your analysis is much better than the joke of analysis I usually hear from Score callers and Facebook overreactions, thanks for that.

If my memory is correct, didn’t Trump win with a thinner margin with fewer states in 2016 than Biden won in terms of states and votes this time around? If so, getting insurance through Arizona was key and is a good sign going forward if it trends purple. And yet the progressives I read on Facebook and even here have nothing to say on the matter except for taking a crap on the ACA and promoting M4A with no plan as to how to get the plan through Congress and into law. I guess they have accepted that it will take a different president and a vastly different ideological Congress. What could the Trumplican Party possibly do by then?

And now Biden is supporting the $980 billion bipartisan bill. Can a deal be had? What’s another $200-$300 billion in direct payments for those who need it most?

I’m glad Hahn took out the trash.

That’s exactly what I thought when I started reading. He better write Ted Phillips and get George McCaskey on the phone! Nagy can take the blame in the end but I still think the players have to play. Let’s see that elite defense they were supposed to be what people believed them to be. The offense has never been consistently good over the last 30 years and it is completely short sighted of some fans to focus on just the quarterback. It’s just lazy analysis, people need to look at everything collectively. I’m sure Virginia can be persuaded to do that again after it hasn’t worked since Pace took over. I guess I don’t see a favorable outcome if they rip everything up and start over again (again). Maybe it’s fair to say that the Bears franchise, as constructed now, in the past and in the future can’t have sustained success. I am for trading pieces and changing up the roster, I just don’t see a complete overhaul happening. I could be wrong. We’ll see. Side note: Let’s say they gave you the keys to the car for an offseason, what would you specifically do?

I didn’t realize the sky was falling. Who do you want to see coaching this team? How are 1 through 6 Nagy’s problem? The dude was signed to a five year deal. Why not get rid of the asshole who made the wrong moves, bring in another GM and have that GM evaluate what to do with Nagy? Remember how cash strapped teams will be and how they would be paying Nagy to go away. I’m just thinking of this more than one way rather than just firing Nagy. If I remember correctly, they have all but their fourth round pick next year. If they did a fire sale does the cap matter or do they have dead money?

I agree with you on Trubisky’s fumble and the massive face mask not called, I can’t necessarily fault him for that turnover. The offensive line is garbage and I don’t think Trubisky is as bad as Bears fans make him to be. I don’t know what they expect from their quarterback, it seems like some of them expect Mahomes or Manning in his prime out there. I thought some foolish Bears fans thought this was an elite and championship level defense. Where the hell were they last night? I am talking about firing Pace and giving Nagy one year, something that Angelo did with Jauron, Emery did with Smith and other teams have done per Danny Parkins. There is no question that they will have cap issues (what team won’t after this year?) but they will have draft capital. I wonder if it is possible for them to fire Pace and have the new GM consult with Nagy, who could be someone that could run his offense with capable players. I don’t think Andy Reid could win with the team as it is constructed. Rodgers is good but it is embarrassing how bad the defense was last night. They were already down two scores before the first interception. Quinn and Trevathan are on Pace, no doubt. Someone noted that but I still think Jackson’s production is way down this year. He and Mack don’t look like themselves out there. You have to keep Foles and draft a quarterback because you are stuck with Foles’ contract. I hope the reverse happens and they keep Nagy and fire Pace, but maybe it hinges on if they win out or not. The ownership group just can’t get out of their own way either with how bad the scouting and general managers have been.

Why is employer based insurance not sustainable? Sure it kind of sucks that people have to stay at their jobs for insurance and benefits to have them, but I don’t understand how health insurance as it is now isn’t sustainable. What I don’t understand is how some concessions on policy and a move toward the middle doesn’t deliver some ideas that progressives want. I always thought of Obamacare as that kind of compromise. What do people from those wings of the party want to see though? The progressives I know have been really quiet lately unlike they were in the primaries.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-cb-chicago-bears-10-thoughts-brad-biggs-20201130-k4qril2s6bdlnkwb4gvuybxpsm-story.html #3 and #5 in Biggs’ column are very good suggestions and questions to consider. These are questions for Pace. The other suggestion is keeping Nagy and letting Pace go and it is a discussion between Brad Biggs and Ross Tucker. I’m on my phone or I would quote it all like how it should be sourced properly. ”1. Do you feel you gave the coaching staff enough to work with on offense to play winning football this season or were there some parts you maybe couldn’t get because of a shortage of draft picks, certainly high ones, and perhaps budget or cap issues? 2. How do you account for the performance of Nick Foles? As the fallback plan for Mitch Trubisky and for a guy that was a Super Bowl MVP, has his play been perhaps the greatest surprise? 3. Your primary moves on the offensive line were signing two veterans to minimum, one-year deals, replacing the position coach and drafting two guys in the seventh round. In retrospect, and I realize there have been some injuries, why hasn’t that worked? 4. What struggles on offense this season did you envision being possible? It can’t be a complete surprise based off of what happened in 2019. 5. What are contributing factors to the precipitous decline of the offense from 2018 that perhaps you could have caught beforehand?“