Author Archive

LeBron James to Change His Number Next Year?

Posted: 13th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in NBA
Michael Jordan watched the Miami Heat play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night as two of the game's premier players (and potential free agents in nine short months) played. After Dwyane Wade's Heat lost to LeBron James' Cavs, TNT's Craig Sager spoke with James about the presence of Jordan at the game. James, a student of the game who's respectful of the history of the NBA (and shoe contracts), instantly began talking ...

Atlanta Shopping Javy Vazquez: Should the Cubs Pick Up the Phone?

Posted: 13th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in MLB
The Atlanta Braves and starting pitcher Tim Hudson agreed to a three-year, $28 million contract extension on Thursday. Hudson originally joined the Braves in a trade in December of 2005, and signed a four-year, $47 million extension that would take him from 2006 through this past season. But Tommy John Surgery derailed the Braves' plans for him to be their ace in 2008 and 2009, so the team had to go shopping ...

NHL Western Conference Power Rankings

Posted: 12th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in NHL
We're nearing the quarter season mark and the intrigue in the NHL's Western Conference is fantastic. The Phoenix Coyotes have come out of nowhere to be a good team, while the Detroit Red Wings have fallen from the heights of the Finals to being an injury-plagued roster making waiver claims. There are headlines and whispers floating all over the Western Conference, but print doesn't win games. Players do. So, as we approach the ...

Chicago Cubs: Winter Reality Check

Posted: 12th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in MLB
It's the middle of November, so there's a ton of speculation flying around the web about baseball players moving addresses before the 2010 season. For teams like the disappointing Chicago Cubs, the final out of the World Series means the beginning of a new hope. But, this winter, that hope needs to be tempered with a strong dose of reality. There are some writers on Bleacher Report that think names like John ...

Cristobal Huet: The Fall and Rise of the Chicago Blackhawks Netminder

Posted: 12th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in NHL
It seems like yesterday that many Blackhawks fans, including yours truly, were calling for the Hawks to make a permanent change at the top of their goalie depth chart. Cristobal Huet went through a terrible stretch in the middle of October, and many of the issues that lost him the starting goalie job to Nikolai Khabibulin last season became glaring holes teams were taking advantage of regularly this year. Huet did not ...

Blackhawks-Avalanche: Chicago Beats Colorado In Shootout (Again)

Posted: 12th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in NHL
The ChicagoáBlackhawks and ColoradoáAvalanche are both first place teams, and their team statistics would lead you to believe theyÆre a fairly evenly matched pair of teams. But numbers on paper havenÆt told the story about how evenlyáthese two teams are; in all three games theyÆve played in the early going this season, theyÆve ended in a shootout. In the Hawks home opener, the longest shootout in franchise history ended with Andrew Ladd ...

Should the Chicago Bears Consider Larry Johnson?

Posted: 10th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in NFL
The Chicago Bears have a lot of problems, but would adding another one actually help fix something? That sounds like I'm advocating two wrongs making a right, but in this case it might be crazy and a good idea. Let's back up and look at the Bears. They're sitting at 4-4 and haven't looked very good in three weeks. They have a miserable, hard schedule coming up, starting Thursday night in San ...

Should The Chicago Bears Consider Larry Johnson?

Posted: 10th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in NFL
The Chicago Bears have a lot of problems, but would adding another one actually help fix something? That sounds like I'm advocating two wrongs making a right, but in this case it might be crazy and a good idea. Let's back up and look at the Bears. They're sitting at 4-4 and haven't looked very good in three weeks. They have a miserable, hard schedule coming up, starting Thursday night in San ...

Milton Bradley Moving? Chicago Cubs Heating Up the Hot Stove

Posted: 10th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in MLB
Early rumors flying out of the winter GM meetings in Chicago are all over the board concerning free agents, trades, and declining profits. But the most consistent noise on Monday was surrounding Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley. Bradley? Consistent noise? Really? The Hot Stove features one rumor being reported by a number of sources and it appears to have some legs to it. Three teams would be involved, with three players changing ...

Chicago Blackhawks: Return Of The King

Posted: 10th November 2009 by TAB BAMFORD in NHL
There shouldnÆt be any question about Jonathan ToewsÆ value to the Chicago Blackhawks after Monday night. It appeared all of the BlackhawksÆ ills were cured by the return of their captain, even without Dave Bolland in the lineup, as the Hawks played perhaps their most complete game of the season. The Los Angeles Kings came in with one of the best offenses in the NHL, and the Hawks had struggled to put ...