manxlilac1-blog

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Anderson near return as White Sox host Marlins

Back at Guaranteed Rate Field after struggling through a 2-8 road trip out of the All-Star break, the Chicago White Sox could use some comfort.

It appears to be coming -- in doses, anyway.

While shortstop Tim Anderson remains on the injured list with a high right ankle sprain he sustained on June 25, the White Sox expect to put Anderson through an extensive workout before Monday night's interleague game against the Miami Marlins, which begins a season-long, 10-game homestand.

"He's doing very, very well," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said on Sunday. "We're going to put him heavily through the wringer on Monday at home, with everything -- running the bases, hitting, obviously all the fielding that he's doing -- (being) seen. We'll evaluate it, and hopefully we're in a position where he'll be out on (rehab assignment)."

Anderson ran the bases before each game of Chicago's weekend series at Tampa Bay after recently beginning fielding and hitting drills. The White Sox would welcome his return, to be sure. Anderson was hitting .317 with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and 15 stolen bases before the injury.

"He really takes a lot of joy in competing and having that edge for us on the field," Renteria said. "It's like anybody who loves to play the game."

Miami was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game weekend series to start a six-game road trip. Although the Dodgers routed the Marlins 9-0 in Sunday's series finale, Miami touted its resilience in the middle game. Trailing 6-0 on Saturday, the Marlins tied it before late bullpen struggles ultimately put things out of reach.

"That's the kind of team we are," Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson said. "We're not gonna take any innings off. We're gonna keep fighting until the end."

Right-hander Ivan Nova (4-9, 5.86 ERA) is set to start for the White Sox, making his first appearance at Guaranteed Rate Field since defeating the Chicago Cubs on July 7 for his first home victory of the season. Nova is 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in two starts covering 10 2/3 innings since, but Chicago can take solace in his sterling career numbers against the Marlins.

Nova enters Monday's game with 4-0 record and 0.98 ERA in four starts against Miami, scattering three runs and 13 hits in 27 2/3 innings. It will be his first appearance against the Marlins this season.

Righty Trevor Richards (3-11, 4.24 ERA) will get the call for Miami as he seeks his first victory since June 2, having lost six of his last seven starts. Richards, who was born in Aviston, Ill., a small community in southwestern Illinois about 35 miles east of St. Louis, hasn't faced the White Sox in his career.

Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas is day-to-day after sustaining a right shoulder strain and leaving in the fifth inning of Saturday's loss to the Dodgers.

He was out of the lineup Sunday in what Miami manager Don Mattingly called a precautionary move.

"He's all right today," Mattingly said Sunday. "We're just giving him a day to let this thing settle down. I think he'll be fine. We'll see how it goes."

--Field Level Media

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/anderson-near-return-white-sox-host-marlins-041912139--mlb.html?src=rss

[manxlilac1-blog]

Red Sox acquire RHP Cashner from Orioles

The Boston Red Sox made a move to shore up their rotation Saturday, trading two minor leaguers to the Baltimore Orioles for right-hander Andrew Cashner and cash considerations.

Cashner is 9-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 17 starts this season. The 32-year-old right-hander has been on a roll, allowing just five earned runs in his past five starts, spanning 32 innings. He is holding left-handers to a .182 average and one home run in 193 plate appearances.

The Red Sox announced he will start Tuesday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.

He slots into Boston's problematic fifth spot in the rotation behind Chris Sale, David Price, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rick Porcello. Starter Nathan Eovaldi is expected to return in about a week, according to general manager Dave Dombrowski, but he will join the back end of the bullpen after being out since April 17 because of surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow.

Cashner has a career record of 55-82 with a 4.00 ERA in 10 seasons in the majors. A 2008 first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs, he has pitched for the Cubs (2010-11), the San Diego Padres (2012-2016), the Miami Marlins (2016), the Texas Rangers (2017) and the Orioles (2018-19).

Cashner is set to be a free agent after this season, although he does have a $10 million team option that will automatically vest for 2020 if he throws 187 innings this season. He is sitting at 96 1/3 innings.

The Orioles received two 17-year-olds in the trade -- infielder Noelberth Romero and outfielder Elio Prado, both of whom made their professional debut this season in the rookie level Dominican Summer League.

Romero was hitting .264 with two home runs in 29 games. Prado was batting. 303 with three home runs and nine stolen bases in 33 games.

--Field Level Media

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-acquire-rhp-cashner-223640150.html?src=rss

[manxlilac1-blog]

I’m Dying: How the Cardinals Lost Last Night

In addition to news, Bleacher Nation publishes both rumor and opinion, as well as information reported by other sources. Information on Bleacher Nation may contain errors or inaccuracies, though we try to avoid them. Links to content and the quotation of material from other news sources are not the responsibility of Bleacher Nation. Photos used are the property of Bleacher Nation, are used under a license with Getty Images, are used with permission, are fair use, or are believed to be in the public domain. Legitimate requests to remove copyrighted photos not in the public domain will be honored promptly. Comments by third parties are neither sponsored or endorsed by Bleacher Nation.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/06/16/im-dying-how-the-cardinals-lost-last-night/

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Sweet deal: Blommer Chocolate lines up $750M buyer

After three generations of family ownership, Blommer Chocolate will sell its cocoa manufacturing empire—including its famously fragrant downtown Chicago factory—to a Japanese company for $750 million.

On Monday, Fuji Oil Holding announced its plan to purchase Blommer and all of its business entities. As for the future of the company’s sweet-smelling facility at 600 W. Kinzie Street, a statement from Fuji indicated its intention to keep operating the Chicago location—at least for the time being.

When pressed by the Chicago Tribune if the Fulton River District factory will stay open, Blommer leadership issued a statement of their own saying “Fuji is buying Blommer because they like what we have built. They like our plant footprint, our people, the deep customer relationships we have developed and the global brand equity in the Blommer name.”

Founded in 1939, Blommer operates five manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada, and China and is the third largest industrial chocolate producer in the world. It supplies numerous name brand confectionery companies.

Blommer’s sale to Fuji Oil Holding is expected to close in 30 to 60 days, according to Crain’s. Reports that the company was looking to sell had first surfaced in August.

Source: https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/11/20/18105285/blommer-chocolate-factory-sale-fuji-oil

[manxlilac1-blog]

Wrigley Field construction update: December 1

BCB’s David Sameshima visited Wrigley Field on a rainy Saturday afternoon and sent me this report:

I visited the ballpark midday. Earlier in the morning, some rather heavy rainstorms passed through the area. The rain had stopped when I arrived, but a light rain started to fall.

There was little construction activity visible from the street, but there was work still taking place inside. It was been a while since my last visit (November 3), so some of the things I noticed may have been covered in previous construction reports.

The Taco Bell was still open, as of Saturday, December 1. I saw that there are new structures being built on the upper deck patio, that is over the marquee. It appears that there will be two structures, one on each side of the marquee.

A temporary loading zone has been created on the south side of Addison Street, near the Sheffield Avenue corner. This is for the businesses opening in the new Addison & Clark development, across from Wrigley Field. Due to Addison Street being reduced down to two lanes, due to the Wrigley Field construction fences out in the street, there is no curb lane for stopping in front of the Addison & Clark development.

A Do-Rite Donut shop is scheduled to open on Tuesday, December 4. The Harley-Davidson store looks to be close to opening. Due to my limited time, I didn’t have a chance to walk around the Addison & Clark development to check the status of the other businesses. I did hear that the 7-Eleven is close to opening. There will actually be two 7-Elevens in the development, one on Addison, and one on Clark.

The Gallagher Way ice rink was closed due to the rain, and the entire plaza was closed off to the public. Only the businesses in the Cubs Office Building were open.

We’ll have more photos here later in the week.

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/12/2/18122156/wrigley-field-construction-update-december-1

[manxlilac1-blog]

MLBits: Mariners Complete Two Big Deals, Roberts Extension, Rizzo v. Hosmer, Portland’s Ballpark, Votto, Bauer, More

Although they might’ve otherwise snuck into a Lukewarm Stove, some official deals need reporting …

The Mets acquisition of Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz is finally complete (that was a long one!). Cano and Diaz will head to New York along with $20M, while Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn and Jarred Kelenic will head out to Seattle to witness an epic teardown from the inside:

Speaking of the teardown, that’s not the only Mariners deal we need to report. Also official: Seattle will send reliever Juan Nicasio, shortstop Jean Segura, and reliever James Pazos (reported later) to Philadelphia for Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford. If no money is exchanging hands in this deal, the Mariners will be sending roughly $67.5M worth of commitments to the Phillies while taking on just $36M in return (all back-of-the-napkin calculations), which sure looks like a bit of a salary dump … of a pretty darn good player in Segura. And that’s just not a good look.

Don’t get me wrong: as bad as it is for the sport as a whole, tearing down and tanking is still a good way to win in the future. HOWEVER, a big(ish) market team like the Mariners should NEVER prioritize money over returns. If anything, that should be their biggest advantage (i.e. cover as much money as you can to get the best possible return, i.e. buying prospects). Shame.

Earlier today, we discussed another potential Mariners deal, wherein they’d attach Dee Gordon and/or Kyle Seager to someone like Mitch Haniger – potentially to the Cubs or Cardinals, even.

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts has agreed to a four-year extension – adding three new years to his current deal – with the Dodgers. And despite the two World Series losses, that feels like a good decision for everyone involved. Just don’t tell Joe Maddon’s son:

I’m not particularly familiar with Tom Shieber, but the investigation he lays out to identify this otherwise never-before-seen image of a baseball game from the early 20th century is downright impressive:

Sunday’s notes at FanGraphs are full with plenty of interesting conversations and tidbits, including the public’s general disgust with Bill Madden’s choice to include Placido Polanco’s name on his Hall of Fame ballot (people love to be “different”). But one little fact I found particularly interesting and surprising was about one of our favorite Chicago Cubs: “Anthony Rizzo is 29 years old, broke into the big leagues in 2011, and has 635 RBIs. Eric Hosmer is 29 years old, broke into the big leagues in 2011, and has 635 RBIs.”

Relatedly, I found these two graphs rather interesting, as well (NOTE: Not for any particular reason, other than just how good and relatively consistent Anthony Rizzo has been over the past several years, even compared to other (historically) good players like Eric Hosmer):

And yet … Anthony Rizzo is probably not the hitter Joey Votto has been throughout his career (and Rizzo has been VERY good):

According to ESPN (further detailed here at FanGraphs): “A group seeking to lure a Major League Baseball team to Portland announced that it has signed an agreement in principle to develop a 45-acre waterfront site.” The deal was announced on Thursday and was revealed alongside artist rendering of a new ballpark. According to FanGraphs, the site could be the destination of one of the long-anticipated expansion teams *or* it could serve as an alternative for a team to move (the Diamondbacks, Mariners, and Angels are/have all recently dealt with stadium disputes). My guess is an expansion team, but either way. If you get a chance check out the renderings at FanGraphs, because the stadium concept and details look really cool.

And finally … this poor guy never stood a chance:

… which is probably why he fell down!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I KNOW. I KNOW. I’LL BE HERE ALL WEEK.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2018/12/03/mlbits-mariners-complete-two-big-deals-roberts-extension-rizzo-v-hosmer-portlands-ballpark-votto-bauer-more/

[manxlilac1-blog]

It's draft day!

It’s draft day!

After unfortunate lottery luck in May, the Chicago Bulls, owner of the NBA’s fourth worst record during the regular season, will pick seventh in the NBA draft tonight. The Bulls also have a second round pick, ordered at No. 38 overall.

Let’s go through the formalities of how and where you can watch tonight:

Time: 6:30 p.m. CDT

Network: ESPN

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

The Bulls picking seventh is a bummer considering everything fans had to endure this season in terms of sloppy play, patchwork rosters, and losses. The superstar talent is at the very top of the draft in Zion Williamson and Ja Morant and the Bulls won’t be able to draft either.

However, this is the third year in a row the Bulls have picked seventh in the draft. The last two seventh picks have been Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. which are working out so far for the Bulls. So this spot doesn’t disqualify them from finding a good player by any means.

Point guard is the most striking positional need for the Bulls right now. North Carolina point guard Coby White’s name has been attached to the Bulls in what seems like 90 percent of mock drafts to this point. The Bulls have also expressed interest in Vanderbilt lead guard Darius Garland although it would probably require trading up in the draft to land his services.

If the Bulls choose to get their point guard by a means other than the draft, there are other guys on their radar. Chicago Tribune writer K.C. Johnson reports the Bulls are intrigued by high-energy Texas center Jaxson Hayes. Virginia wing De’Andre Hunter, Duke three-point specialist Cam Reddish, and Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver (if he falls) are other possibilities for the Bulls at No. 7.

Moving up or down in the draft remain possibilities for the Bulls as well.

Since draft lottery day on May 14, BlogaBull.com has provided some great content that should be reviewed again immediately to prepare you for the draft.

Source: https://www.blogabull.com/2019/6/20/18692991/chicago-bulls-nba-draft-rumors-primer-and-open-thread

[manxlilac1-blog]

More AFL takeaways: Vlad Jr. ready as ever as he waits to be called up

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- I'm writing this as I head home from my week of scouting the Arizona Fall League, which was particularly loaded with high-end talent this year. I filed my first dispatch from Arizona earlier in the week; here's a longer report on players of note whom I saw in the 10 games I watched while in the desert.

This postseason is full of difference-making young stars. Which are ready to dominate the playoffs?

Choosing a top performer from across the minors is usually tough, but one sweet-swinging Blue Jay soared above the rest. Plus, other standout minor league stars and the best 2018 draft pick debuts.

Forrest Whitley and Vlad Guerrero Jr. are two of the best prospects in baseball. What's the latest on both from the Arizona Fall League?

2 Related

I caught three games from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is so clearly the best player here -- one of the best in the history of the Arizona Fall League -- that he seems to be on cruise control. He's so far ahead of the pitchers he's facing that he seems like he's bored and isn't showing his normal, disciplined approach at the plate, instead swinging earlier in the count and often swinging for the fences to try to create some highlight moments for the crowds (who cheer every time he's up, regardless of the ballpark).

Of course, the story the Toronto Blue Jays front office is peddling is that he's here to work on his defense at third base and that that's why they didn't call him up in September or sooner, even though his bat has been ready since May or so. They're technically correct -- his defense at third is poor, and given his sheer size, it's more likely to get worse than better -- but a few weeks in the AFL isn't going to make any difference, and there's no sign right now that he's any better at third than he was in the spring. He has a plus arm, and his hands are fine, but moving that sheer bulk quickly enough for third is difficult, and he's going to end up somewhere else -- maybe right field, most likely first base or DH. The physical comparables for him are relatively few, and the only one who stayed at third, Miguel Cabrera, wasn't this big at 19 and was a well below-average defender at third base once he did get huge.

That said, Vlad is clearly having fun in Arizona, making the best of the situation. I saw him catch a throw from the shortstop to complete a 6-5 double play. Then he immediately threw up his hands to celebrate the good play and darted off the field. He's bouncing around and laughing during batting practice. He's still animated and runs hard when he puts the ball in play. My guess is he just knows he's too good for the league, so he's relaxing and enjoying it, rather than sulking and mailing it in. I do wish I'd gotten to see more of the real Vlad, but I'm not the least bit worried that I didn't.

Source: http://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/25036769/mlb-vladimir-guerrero-jr-bat-looks-ready-ever-prospect-showcase

[manxlilac1-blog]

Road Woes, No More Murphy, Contreras OK With Whiffs, Trade Chips, and Other Bullets

I am not TRYING to listen to this first date sitting next to me at the coffee shop. Truly, I am trying to focus on my work. But they are loudly falling in love with each other instantly. Good for them.

Hey, so the Cubs haven’t won on the road in a while, eh? May 29 in Houston, to be precise, as part of a series loss. Some of that is a natural product of playing some really good teams in places where it’s hard to win, but it also feels like some of it is a little bigger than that. Right now, the Cubs are 13 games over at home, and 5 games under on the road. With five more games on this road trip – the latter four of which going through Los Angeles – that number may not improve.

Speaking of that trip to Los Angeles, the Dodgers look like they’ll be without Corey Seager, who strained his hamstring last night.

We were SO CLOSE to an all-time moment, if this tag had reached Daniel Murphy’s face:

By the way, thank the Good Lord above that today should be the last time we see Daniel Murphy this season (no trades!). He continues to just kill the Cubs. Every game. Every at bat. Every pitch. It’s brutal.

This is a picture of a player losing his helmet. Would’ve guessed minor league game, but Kris Bryant is in the background, so I’m not sure who or where this was:

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Interesting aside in Ken Rosenthal’s latest: part of the reason for Willson Contreras’s success this year is becoming less afraid of striking out. In other words … maybe not sacrificing power for contact? Hmm. Sounds familiar …

On the year, Contreras’s strikeout rate is up 5.7 percentage points … but his ISO is up 110(!) points, and his slugging is up 139(!) points! So, yeah. It’s working.

This is a fantastic read, but it’s so hard not to see Tyson Miller, Brailyn Marquez, and Riley Thompson discussed as possible midseason trade chips and instantly clench:

Remember Eloy Jimenez? Yeah, he still hits it really, really, really far:

A bit of a controversial take in the Bears world:

Rumors and draft talk among the Bulls items of note:

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/06/12/road-woes-no-more-murphy-contreras-ok-with-whiffs-trade-chips-and-other-bullets/

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HotBoy Rosay drops new video for “Big Cap”

You won’t find another city like Detroit, the music is authentic and speaks for itself. Rap artist HotBoy Rosay gives a public service announcement in his latest video for “Big Cap”. Whats understood doesn’t have to be explained, but if you need more clarification pop off with HotBoy Rosay for details below.

Source: https://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2018/10/hotboy-rosay-drops-new-video-for-big-cap.html/

[manxlilac1-blog]

Halloween In China?

Countries in the East do not have Halloween, but they do celebrate something similar. Just as the Western festival focuses on ghosts and ghouls, the Eastern celebration is about the departed spirits of the underworld, also known as The Feast of the Hungry Ghosts. It is celebrated in July in China, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries.

The Chinese believe that during this two-week period, the gates of the underworld open and hungry ghosts are free to wander the Earth seeking food and maybe even revenge if they were wronged. These ghosts are referred to as “hungry” because they had once been people who died from unnatural causes or had not been given a proper burial by their family members.

The story goes that these souls are angered by their abandonment and seek to punish the living. Wandering spirits are unleashed from the gates of hell and return to earth to search for their loved ones and maybe even to seek revenge if they had been wronged. That could keep you up at night!

Unlike children here in the U.S. who go out in costume ‘hungry’ for treats, children in the East, are advised to return home early and not to wander around alone at night because they might be possessed by the wandering, unhappy ghosts.

In reaction to these roaming hungry ghosts, the Chinese celebrate The Feasts of the Hungry Ghosts to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. This is an attempt to make the angry spirits feel welcome and to subdue their antagonistic feelings. The living people also offer food to appease the spirits and ward off bad luck; they offer prayers and burn joss sticks. At night in Singapore, it is a common sight to see entertaining ‘wayang’ shows and concerts performed on outdoor stages in some neighborhoods, hoping to please the wandering ghosts.

Happy Halloween!

Posted By: tcm007 on October 31, 2018

Source: http://tcm007.com/halloween-in-china/

[manxlilac1-blog]

A Penthouse with 360 Degree Views Directly Down the River: 333 N. Canal in the Near West Side

This 3-bedroom penthouse at Riverbend at 333 N. Canal on the Near West Side recently came on the market.

Riverbend was built in 2002 and has 148 units and a parking garage.

This building was built, literally, at the bend of the River.

For years, Wolf Point sat undeveloped across from Riverbend, but now there are two buildings and a third super skyscraper that will go up to complete that project.

This unit is one of two penthouses on the 37th floor.

It has 12 foot ceilings and 360 degree skyline, lake and river views. You can see many of Chicago’s iconic buildings including the Willis Tower and the new Vista.

The eat-in kitchen has dark cabinets with quartzite counter tops and integrated Thermador and Bosch appliances.

The master suite has a marble bath with separate vanities and a large shower along with a walk-in closet.

It has central air and washer/dryer in the unit. It also comes with one car garage parking and the option to buy two more spaces at $40,000 each.

But the unique feature about this penthouse are the two private verandas that measure 60×20 and 40×12 which have stunning city views.

Given that they are covered, you could actually use these even in inclement weather or on scorching heat searing days.

With Wolf Point now a “known” issue, and these fabulous views and terraces, will this sell quickly?

Jennifer Mills at Jameson Sotheby’s has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #3702: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 4163 square feet, penthouse

The CCRD has been “down” two days in a row

Sold in December 2011 for $1.589 million (according to Redfin)

Currently listed at $2.499 million (includes 1-car garage)

2 car parking also available for $40,000 each

Assessments of $2547 a month (includes gas, doorman, cable, Internet, exercise room, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger and snow removal)

Taxes of $27,852

Central Air

Washer/Dryer in the unit

Bedroom #1: 19×17

Bedroom #2: 15×17

Bedroom #3: 15×14

Gallery: 9×26

Terrace: 60×20

Terrace #2: 40×12

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 at 5:15 am and is filed under Near West Side. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://cribchatter.com/?p=25902

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Cubs Sign Slugging Outfielder Zach Borenstein to a Minor League Deal

Do you like your flyer minor league singings to have huge power and huge walk rates? Well, good news!

The Cubs have signed outfielder Zach Borenstein to a minor league deal, making them the second team to take a crack at Borenstein after his prospect days with the Diamondbacks. The Mets were that team last year, and Borenstein, who bats from the left, did rake at AAA (.248/.357/.477), and was an organizational All-Star.

But there were two big buts last year that prevented him from ever getting a look with their big league club: (1) his 31.8% strikeout rate was terrifying for a guy seeing AAA action for the fifth season; and (2) the Mets’ AAA club played last year in very, very hitter-friendly Las Vegas.

Back with the Diamondbacks, Borenstein, now 28, was long one of those “ooh, he’s got the tools, but he’s gonna need more power” guys. He was right next to Mitch Haniger, and similarly-described, in a 2016 FanGraphs system evaluation as players to note: “Borenstein had a great year in Double-A, though time is running out for him to develop the game power his corner outfield profile requires for viability at the big league level.”

The good news is that Borenstein, who is not a fly-ball hitter, did add considerable power the last few years, but again, there are the two big caveats: (1) it came at the expense of a 30-ish% strikeout rate that just doesn’t translate to the bigs; and (2) he was playing those years in Reno, one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the PCL.

Interestingly, Borenstein seems to be one of those guys who hits a lot of ground balls, and very few fly balls, but also a lot of line drives – and thus he sports a crazy hit HR/FB ratio (nearly 29.0% the last two years!). You can tell that the guy hits the ball very hard, and sometimes, you just roll the dice on a guy like that because maybe something in his approach and swing clicks in a new organization, the strikeouts fall, and you just found a cheap source of power.

Borenstein also played on Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic in 2017, posting a .606 OPS in his six games. He also has historically crushed righties, while faring only so-so against fellow lefties.

Fun fact: Borenstein was drafted by the Angels, who traded him to the Diamondbacks back in 2014 for a package that included … Tony Campana! Campana, of course, was a former Cubs outfielder, who was traded to the Diamondbacks in a deal that netted the Cubs current pitching prospect Erick Leal.

(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/01/15/cubs-sign-slugging-outfielder-zach-borenstein-to-a-minor-league-deal/

[manxlilac1-blog]

White Sox Claim Ian Clarkin Off Waivers From Cubs

The White Sox announced that they’ve claimed left-hander Ian Clarkin off waivers from the Cubs. It’s a quick turnaround move by the ChiSox, who only last week lost Clarkin on waivers to the Cubs.

Clarkin, 24 in February, was the No. 33 pick by the Yankees in the 2013 draft but went from the Yanks to the Sox in the 2017 David Robertson/Tommy Kahnle swap. The 2018 season was an ugly one for Clarkin, however, as he was hit hard in 68 Double-A innings. In 18 appearances (10 starts) at that level he posted a 4.98 ERA and averaged just 4.6 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9.

It remains to be seen if he’ll stick on the 40-man roster throughout the winter this time around, but the White Sox have now acquired Clarkin from outside their organization on two separate occasions, so they clearly see plenty to like in the former first-rounder.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/11/white-sox-claim-ian-clarkin-off-waivers-from-cubs.html

[manxlilac1-blog]

Your feel-good story of the day

* I noticed this group over the weekend…

In these turbulent political times, what America needs now is some non-partisan pizza.

A non-profit group called Pizza to the Polls is doling out the dough, sending steaming hot pies to polling places with long lines.

Their reasoning: Long lines and hungry voters aren’t a good recipe for democracy.

* I decided to test their system and I tweeted at them when I saw this post…

* They said they were already on it…

Their website indicates they’ve sent pies to 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave., which is the Welles Park early voting site.

Source: https://capitolfax.com/2018/11/05/your-feel-good-story-of-the-day-2/

[manxlilac1-blog]

Packers add three key defensive players, release longtime OLB Nick Perry

Adrian Amos is taking his talents to Green Bay, Wisconsin.

After four years with the Chicago Bears, the free agent safety is heading up north to join deep-seated NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Amos’ addition is a strategic move, as the Packers have yet to find a suitable replacement for safety Ha-Ha Clinton Dix, who they offloaded to the Washington Redskins last year.

The 25-year-old had an arguably productive final season in Chicago. Amos registered 73 tackles, nine pass breakups, two interceptions, two tackles for losses and one fumble recovery.

Rapoport also revealed Tuesday that Green Bay is also planning on signing ex-Baltimore Ravens edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to Mike Pettine’s defense.

At 27 years old, Smith rejuvenates an uninspiring defense, one Pettine and company desperately need to strengthen if they want to challenge the Bears for the divisional title next season.

Smith tallied 8.5 sacks in his final season with the Ravens.

In a final move to jump start an indomitable return to winning ways, the Packers are also expected to sign former Redskins OLB Preston Smith, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

The 26-year-old has started every game the last four seasons in Washington, securing 29 tackles for loss and 24.5 sacks during his time at FedEx Field. Last year, Smith had 53 total tackles, four sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.

The Green Bay Packers are making quite a statement in this year's NFL free agency window. (Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Outside linebacker Nick Perry’s future at Lambeau Field has remained a mystery. On Tuesday, the Packers front office made it official. After seven years in Wisconsin, the former first-round pick was informed he was released by the team, Demovsky also revealed.

Perry was selected 28th overall in the 2012 NFL draft out of USC. Following an electric 2016 season in which he recorded 11 sacks, the Packers agreed to a five-year, $60 million contract extension. Last year, Perry only registered 1.5 sacks, and his season was cut short because of a knee sprain. Offloading Perry would create an $11.1 million dead cap his and $3,337,500 in new cap space for the Packers to bring in new talent.

More from Yahoo Sports:

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/packers-add-three-key-defensive-players-getting-safety-adrian-amos-pass-rusher-za-darius-smith-and-olb-preston-smith-145631997.html?src=rss

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Cubs Relief Target Joakim Soria Going to the A’s

Outbid by the A’s! It’s all over, people! Get to your fallout shelters!

I kid, of course, but that’ll be the takeaway from folks who were already deeply concerned and/or dubious about the Cubs’ ability to spend to support a team that otherwise looks like it could be very competitive in a loaded division in 2019. A reported Cubs relief target, Joakim Soria, is off to the A’s:

Soria seems a good bet to be a very effective reliever over the next couple years, so $7.5 million or so per year is not a substantial investment. The relief market remains loaded, even after Soria and Andrew Miller (to the Cardinals) have signed, so it’s not as if the Cubs can’t still find very useful relievers.

But … you know … they’ve gotta do it at some point.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2018/12/21/cubs-relief-target-joakim-soria-going-to-the-as/