Big Z and the Cubs avoid salary arbitration by agreeing on a one year deal worth $12.4 million. Now the question becomes, can they lock him up long term or will that question hang over the Cubs all season? Note to Jim Hendry - SIGN HIM.

After not offering Ron Rivera a contract extension to stay with the Bears, they moved quickly to select Bob Babich as Rivera’s replacement. Babich was promoted from within. He’s served the last 4 years as the linebackers coach for the Bears. He also has a history with Lovie Smith. He was the linebackers coach with the Rams when Smith was the defensive coordinator, and he also coached with Smith at the University of Tulsa.

It makes sense that Lovie would bring in one of “his guys”. I don’t know much about Babich, other than he’s coached the strongest part of the Bears defense for the past 4 years. Of course, having Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs makes that job easier, but it could also be said that he helped those players blossom into the perennial Pro Bowlers that they are now. I think good things are in store for the Bears defense under Babich. I want them to retain their scoring mentality. I think they will, that’s at the heart of Lovie Smith’s defensive philosophy.

The Bears have “decided to go in a different direction with the defensive coordinator’s position,” says Bears head coach Lovie Smith. With Rivera not coming back, the Bears will lose the coordinator that guided them to 3 years of great defensive football.

I suspect that there were philosophical differences between Smith and Rivera. They both took the high road (as would be expected) about the situation, both claiming that they were moving in different directions. Rivera is obviously interested in becoming a head coach, he has interviewed for 8 head coaching opportunities in the last 2 years. It would make sense that Lovie Smith, in trying to create a sustainable defensive plan would want someone in place that will remain with the team.

Rivera took the job as the linebackers coach for the San Diego Chargers late Monday. This is an obvious step down. Why make the move? Obviously no other team in their right mind would hire him for anything other than a head coach, knowing that he’s inline for that position anyway. They know he’d be leaving at the first chance he gets. It’s a smart move for the Chargers. They get his expertise, but they also have a defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell who has also been inline for some head coaching positions. It could be risky for the Chargers, but they have 2 of the up and coming defensive minds in the NFL. If one of them leaves, the other can fill in. If they both bounce, the Chargers defense could be in trouble.

As for the Bears, it will be interesting to see who Lovie brings in to fill the position. I’m sure it will be someone with similar coaching lineage as Smith. Someone who knows the Tampa Two defense.

So the Chicago Cubs ahve sold their soul. The storied ivy on the outfield walls will now be joined by advertisements. For the first time the Wrigley Field outfield walls will have advertising on it. The doors in left and right fields will “feature” Under Armor ads. Under Armor will also recieve premium access to signage behind homeplate. Alfonso Soriano will also join in the “fun” by wearing apparel from Under Armor this season.

“The Cubs are committed to finding alternative and creative revenue streams,” claims Cubs marketing and sales director Jay Blunk. So let me get this straight. Wrigley Field is consistently sold out (literally in this case), ticket prices rise every year, the Cubs have the sweetest TV deal in MLB. And they need to generate more money? The Chicago Cubs are a money printing organization. I understand you need to make business decisions. But there are some things that are sacred. The ivy and walls of Wrigley Field would fall into that category.

I hope that more Cubs fans will feel the same way I do, and put some pressure on the organization to remove these signs.

Here at Vigilante Sports, we’ll be putting together previews for the upcoming Major League Baseball season. Our intention is to get some other writers involved. If you’re a fan of a team, or you know someone who can string a few words together and is passionate about their favorite team, we want to hear from you.

Post a comment below if you’d like to contribute to the previews, and we’ll email you back with the details.

The previews will run through the month of March as spring training gets into full swing, and the baseball season approaches.

Tuesday, the Cubs made some news. They traded Jae Kuk Ryu to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for outfielder Andrew Lopez and right-handed pitcher Gregor Reinhard. This is great news. I know nothing of the two scrubs from the Devil Rays farm system. Hopefully they’ll turn out to be something, but Ryu was just brutal. I was at the lone game Ryu started last year. I think he sprained his neck watching home run balls fly out of Wrigley Field. He looked lost on the mound all year. Great job by Jim Hendry to get something for this kid before he was found out to be totally incapable.

In other Cubs news Carlos Zambrano has said that he wants some of the Cubs money. That Jim Hendry and the Cubs have spent wildly this off season to shore up some of the holes in their lineup and pitching staff, and he wants his. He’s in a contract year, and would like to get his deal done before spring training starts. Z has also said that if he doesn’t get a contract that he’s not going to negotiate during the year, he’ll just test the free agent market. Every other team in Major League Baseball is licking their chops. Carlos Zambrano is one of the top pitchers in baseball. He’s proven to be able to stay healthy and give his team quality innings. Oh yeah, and he’s got great stuff. Even back when there was all the hoopla about Prior and Wood, Zambrano was still the best pitcher on the staff. There are very few pitching rotations that wouldn’t have him as the number one starter.

Note to Jim Hendry. Don’t let this guy get away. Greg Maddux started out with the Cubs, even won a Cy Young with the Cubs. They didn’t sign him. He only became one of the best 2 or 3 pitchers of the last 20 years. Zambrano could be in that league. So if you’re going to tie up $300 million with the guys you’ve already signed this off season, you might as well pony up the additional $90 million that it’ll take to lock up Zambrano long term or the rest just won’t even matter.

UPDATE: The Cubs and Zambrano agree to a one year deal.

I know I’m a little late getting to the party. I first came across Moneyball by Michael Lewis in the summer of 2004. My soon-to-be brother in-law was having a bachelor weekend, his friends and family all gathered to play sports, eat, and relax. His best men, Tom and Steve (also his brother) were talking about a book they had both read that they thought Brit just had to read. It was Moneyball. Tom and Steve both thought it was a revolutionary book about how a baseball team should or could be run.

For those who haven’t read this book, I would encourage you to read it. If you’re a baseball fan, a business person, or someone who is interested in a good story this book is for you. Lewis masterfully tells the tale of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s. The author was given unprecedented access to the sports equivalent of the holiest of holies, the baseball clubhouse. He remarked that players and staff alike made him feel at home and assisted him whenever they could.

This book talks about the traditional baseball approach to scouting, drafting, trading and all other things about running a baseball team, and then contrasts it with how Beane and the Oakland A’s were now running that small market baseball team. Because the A’s were a small market team without a surplus of money, efficiencies needed to be found. That’s where Beane would make his mark.

Beane who was once the most promising prospect in the New York Mets farm system knew about talent, and he knew what traditional baseball men were looking for. From the time he was a high school student he had been involved with Major League Baseball. He knew the system. He was a five-tool (speed, hit for average, hit for power, arm strength, fielding ability) can’t miss prospect. The problem was, he missed. He never became the All Star player that all of the baseball guys thought he would. He had his own problems, and demons. The book delves deep into who Billy Beane is and why he decided to take on traditional baseball.

His thought was to remove the subjectivity of traditional baseball and replace it with statistics. To make the statistics tell the story of a ball player, rather than some scout who has strong biases for and against the way a player looks, talks, and plays. Bill James supplied Billy Beane along with a handful of other statistics people the ammunition to start a revolution. The statistical analysis of baseball that James did laid the groundwork for sabermetrics which James himself defined as “the search for objective knowledge about baseball.”

The logic that Bill James and his contemporaries applied to baseball, and the statistics that they uncovered with their research changed the way I view baseball. I realized that I, like the old baseball cronies, let my perceptions cloud my judgment about a particular baseball player. This has specific application in fantasy baseball.

Daniel Okrent, known as the father of rotisserie baseball, has of course created a monster. Now some 28 years after the first rotisserie baseball league, fantasy baseball is doing huge business and has spawned fantasy sports of all kinds. Fantasy baseball, sabermetrics and the internet have created the perfect storm for baseball fans. Fans can instantly research and analyze data about a particular player, or team by typing in some simple search terms.

It’s not quite that easy for the general manager of a professional baseball team. Billy Beane has his methodology of paying for the attributes of a player that he deems important. Basically what he thinks is important is how can he win more baseball games. He and his staff, including his assistant GM Paul DePodesta (who served as the GM for the Dodgers from February 2005 to October of 2005), did research to find out what it was statistically that won baseball games. They needed to quantify that. They determined that on base percentage was a huge factor in how many runs a team was able to score. That principle, along with a bevy of other statistics geared towards getting on base rather than creating an out, would guide Beane and the A’s in all of their personnel decisions.

This book chronicles draft picks, and trades in a way that normal everyday baseball fans never get to see. We see Beane berating a scout who hasn’t done his homework, and masterfully navigates other general managers to get the players he wants without going over budget. In the book, we see not only a new methodology to running a baseball team, but we see a man, Beane, in his element. For all of the tools he had on the field, his skills in the general manager’s chair trump all others.

I enjoyed reading this book so much, I didn’t want to finish it. It was well written and fascinating. I will definitely pick up Lewis’ book about football (The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game).  I would love to hear if any of you have read Moneyball or The Blind Side. Tell me what you thought. Did it affect your view of baseball?

Well, that’s not exactly what I was wanting in the Super Bowl. So, everyone knows that the Colts smoked the Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI. Now let’s look at how and why.

• Time of possession. The Bears defense was tired. They retreated. And the Colts dominated them. I commend the Bears defense. They weren’t given a lot to work with. But the held the Colts offense to field goals.
• Turnovers. 5 turnovers in the Super Bowl. Not good. Rex Grossman responsible for 3 turnovers. That qualifies as a bad game. He needed to NOT have a bad game, for the Bears to win.
• Bears offense. They couldn’t run the ball, they couldn’t convert third downs and Rex Grossman’s inability to hit wide open receivers with a strong pass did them in. Grossman’s rainbow that was picked off by Bob Sanders is inexcusable. Bernard Berrian was wide open. That was an easy gain of 30 yards, if not a touchdown. I’m not even asking that Rex hit him in stride, just don’t leave it 10 yards short. I’m sure Bob Sanders eyes got really wide when he saw that gift floating down the field.
• Bears defenseBears couldn’t stop the run or the pass. The Bears defense did limit the Colts to few big passing plays. The biggest being blown coverage Reggie Wayne touchdown. But they couldn’t stop the run, especially late (when they knew it was coming). They had been on the field an awfully long time. Hard to fault the defensive unit, but they didn’t play great. They looked tentative, and tired. Not a good combination.

So who’s to blame. Well, I think that might be a lengthy discussion. But, in short, Rex Grossman, and Ron Turner, and Ron Rivera. I guess I’d have to throw Lovie in there too, if both of his coordinators are to blame. Just poor play by the Bears on Sunday. They got dominated. The game was nowhere near as close as the score. As for me, bitter disappointment.

The good news. Pitchers and catchers report in 10 days.

I have to go with the Bears right? Yes. I definitely do. They are definitely capable of winning this game. And I’ll tell you why.

• The Bears will create turnovers - This is what the Colts are afraid of, the Bears picking off Peyton Manning, or stripping the ball from them.
• The Bears will win the battle of special teams - Devin Hester and Robbie Gould trump even the experience of Adam Vinatieri.
• The Bears are not afraid of the Colts - Even though all of the prognosticators are picking the Colts to win Super Bowl XLI, the Bears have been nothing but confident. They have a swagger. I’m sure the Colts are confident as well, but seeing the Bears come out they way they did against the Saints tells me that they know they’re going to win.

I’m not that confident. I think that the Bears will win, I think it’ll be close. Probably come down to a field goal to win it. In the end, the Bears hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Bears 24, Colts 21
MVP - Thomas Jones

Today it’s the match ups that get all the pub. This is the sexy part of the game. Can the Bears defense contain the Colts prolific offense? Let’s take a look, shall we?

Chicago Bears defense

Defensive Line: Legal trouble notwithstanding, the Bears D-Line showed up in the NFC Championship game against the Saints. Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Ian Scott, Alfonso Boone, Israel Idonije, and Mark Anderson were a force. This is a unit that has taken some time to get back on it’s feet after the loss of former Pro-Bowler Tommie Harris. For the Super Bowl, they’ll be facing a smaller line, 2 good running backs, and of course, Peyton Manning. Manning has proved very difficult to sack in his career. The Bears defense doesn’t necessarily sack Manning to be effective against the pass. They just need to make him uncomfortable. Move him out of the pocket, make him hurry his throws, stuff like that. I don’t anticipate the Bears getting a sack on Sunday, but they definitely need to get pressure.

Linebackers: Cream of the crop. Everyone’s favorite, Brian Urlacher is the boss and leader of the defense, but he’s got some guys that play on either side of him that are top notch as well. Lance Briggs has been brilliant this year. He made it to the Pro Bowl in his contract year. Not to bad for him, hopefully the Bears brass will be wise enough to make salary room to keep this guy. On the other side is Hunter Hillenmeyer, who to me doesn’t get enough credit. He will never be the best linebacker, and probably will never go to the Pro Bowl. He is capable and allows Urlacher and Briggs the opportunity to shine. Back to the man in the middle, Urlacher. Here is why he’s so amazing. He is fast enough to shift to the outside to cover Reggie Bush, and he’s powerful enough to stuff the run as well. The linebacking corp of the Bears is a strong point of their defense. They will play well on Sunday.

Secondary: The Bears secondary is strong at corner, but saftey might cause some headaches in the Super Bowl. Of course the Bears are going up against the Colts high-powered offense. In the NFC Championship they faced the Saints’ top-rated passing attack. They won the game, but unfortunately they didn’t really stop the Saints through the air. The Bears defense has been opportunistic all year. They are coached to not just create turnovers, but to score. That is their goal. They were successful this year. They need to be against Peyton Manning and the Colts. Manning will probably select a member of the Bears secondary, and pick on him all day. It will probably be Charles “Peanut” Tillman on the outside and Todd Johnson in the middle of the field. Peanut has been up and down. He can get beat deep, but as of late, he’s really picked up his game. Manning should be careful about picking on Peanut, if he’s on Peanut will pick him off a couple times.

Indianapolis offense

Offensive Line: The Colts offensive line is a little under-sized, but they also are very effective. They are anchored by Jeff Saturday, Ryan Diem, and their best offensive lineman, Tarik Glenn. Glenn is a solid blocker. They all are good run and pass blockers. No one really stands out as a great player but they haven’t allowed many sacks of Peyton Manning and they have paved the way for Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai this year. So they’re doing something right.

Wide Receivers: Possibly the deepest WR corps in the league. Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison are both capable of dropping 150 yards and 3 TDs on a defense every game. Of course they have the best QB in the game throwing it to them, but they also make him look good on some plays. Not only do they have the marquee guys, but they also can hit you with Dallas Clark, who has moved from a TE/H-back position into a quality number 3 receiver. They have weapons. They can all catch the ball, and they know how to sit in open spots in the zone. It will be hard for the Bears D to match up here.

Running Backs: The Colts sport a pretty tough running back tandem similar to the Bears. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes provide the running attack. Neither one seems to have the upside that Jones and Benson have (hard to tell with Addai, he might be the real deal), but they are solid, and they do what they need to do. Both guys can catch the ball out of the backfield, which is something that the Colts like to do. The Colts offense keeps the defense off guard. They are able to audible and change the play at the line.

Quarterback: Well, now that he’s won the AFC Championship, people are saying that the pressure is off. I don’t buy it. Dan Marino played in a Super Bowl, didn’t win and it haunted him his whole career. This game is bigger than any AFC Championship game. It’s the Super Bowl. And Manning knows it. The key for Manning is turnovers. If he can hold onto the ball. The Colts could pound the Bears on Sunday. If he plays like he has in the playoffs so far, they Colts might be in trouble. Tony Dungy and the Colts will most definitely lean on Manning to win the game for them. If he can handle it, they look good, if not… the Colts can look really bad.

How do you think the battle between the Bears defense and the Colts offense will shake out?

Next we will look at how the Bears defense compares to the Colts offense.