Step In The Right Direction

Last night's Cubs game saw the team play its best baseball of the season, in my opinion.  Ryan Dempster was simply dominant, going 8 strong shutout innings.  He's pitched pretty well all year, but has been prone to giving up an ill-timed homer here and there, resulting in his 3-4 record thus far.  But last night was exactly the type of outing the Cubs envisioned when he was given that big extension a year or so ago.  He got great defense behind him, and Derrek Lee provided all the offense Dempster would need, going 3-3 with a 2 run homer in the 8th following a run-scoring single in the 6th.  Even more impressively, his outing came against the Dodgers, one of the hottest teams in baseball.  It's the third straight win for the Cubs, as they climbed back to within 2 of the .500 mark, and are only four games out in the Central at this still-early stage of the season.  Keep it going, boys - this weekend is huge, with the Cards coming to town and a chance to really make this a wide-open race.


I never thought this Phil Jackson thing had any legs; this guy already did so much in Chicago, why would he come back? He's also getting pretty old, I gotta believe he only has another year or two in him before he decides to step down.  I mean, he's already a legend, with his 10 rings.  The Bulls have to be looking for somebody who'll hopefully coach a little more long-term than that.  I'd love for them to grab the Boston assistant Thibodeau, but he's probably going to go somewhere very quickly after the Celtics are eliminated, whenever that may be. Expect the Bulls to drag this out for quite a while.  35 days til free agency


Meanwhile, the whole city is awaiting Saturday night, when the Stanley Cup Finals will open at the United Center, with the Blackhawks taking on the Philadelphia Flyers.  What a run they've had - it took a shootout victory on the last Sunday of the regular season to even get into the tournament, and then they came back from the dead against the Bruins and advanced to the Finals by finishing off the miracle Canadiens.  It will probably be a tough series, but I think the Hawks have what it takes.  They've learned a lot about themselves this spring, and I think they realize the enormity of this opportunity and what they have to do to seize it.  Look for a rough, physical series, but the Hawks' superior talent on offense will rise above whatever Philly can throw at us to pepper Michael Leighton, who hasn't faced an offense like ours in these playoffs yet. 


Predicton: Hawks in 6, but I'd love for them to do it in 5 and win on home ice