Chicago Spending Trend; Not a Midwest Thing

I'm noticing a trend in the state of Illinois. The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears are becoming much too similar in management affairs. The teams aren't winning, and have been massive disappointments so far. I know the Bears are still technically have a chance at making the playoffs, but the team was so highly touted that anything short of a dominating season leaves me, as a fan, upset. 

In recent years the Chicago Cubs have tried to bolster their team by adding players such as Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Milton Bradley, Nomar Garciaparra, and Kosuke Fukudome. The Cubs have gone out of their way to spend money and lots of it.

How did the splurging of the wallet work for the Cubs? Not well. Alfonso Soriano's numbers have not been up to snuff while with the Cubs, Bradley was a year long headache, Fukudome hasn't produced, Garciaparra didn't stick around and Lee had one very solid season. Lee has easily been the best transaction of the listed players, he's steady at first base and his bat isn't to shabby either. But all in all, the money that has been spent in the Cubs organization hasn't directly correlated into winning games, pennants, or championships.

Now let's look at the Bears recent transactions. First and for most, I'm aware the season is only at the halfway point and it takes longer for football players (especially quarterbacks) to sync with a new offense or defense.

With that said, Jay Cutler has been a pretty big disappointment thus far in the season. With a league leading 17 interceptions, Culter has not provided the Bears organization anything they had hoped for. They loved his big arm, his longest pass so far this season 68 yards. They loved his football instincts yet, he's been sacked 19 times this year for a loss of 115 yards. In 2006 with the Broncos Cutler was sacked 27 times for a loss of 153 yards. Which brings me to my next point.

Orlando Pace. Pace who is a shoe-in Hall of Famer came to Chicago to help protect Cutler. But Pace is 34 years old and has clearly lost a step. The Bears once again made a big move that backfired in a bigger way. Some are even saying he needs to be put his rear end on a bench and get out of the game. All I know is Pace isn't playing as good in Chicago as he did on a sluggish St. Louis Squad.

How about Gaines Adams? The bust of a draft pick that the Bears traded away a second round draft pick for. Adams has barely stepped foot on the field and lines up at a position filled with average to good ball players. With Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown and Mark Anderson the Bears can hardly find time to place Adams on the field. Yet, we traded away a pick that could have helped fill holes at other positions. When making this trade did the front office forget that we have like two draft picks left in the next 10 years. This was a bone head move that I didn't like.

Defensively their have been some changes. Head coach Lovie Smith once again went to St. Louis to pick up an ex-Ram in Pisa Tinoisamoa. Tino has fought off injuries all season and has been pretty much a complete waste player for the Bears. Instead last year starter Hunter Hillenmeyer and guys like Jamar Williams have been getting some reps.

When Tino and Brian Urlacher went down, Lovie Smith made it clear to all Bears fans that the linebacker position was the deepest position on their team. They felt like their third-stringers could come out a play with their defense and still give them a good chance of winning. That makes me ask this, if the position was so deep why did you bother spending the money to bring in another linebacker, yet leave the receiver position as thin as government bread?

It's a routine that I'm seeing too much of in the Windy City. If we're not winning or want to get better we'll buy a football/baseball team. Instead of taking the time to coach up their youth and get them playing they go buy guys like Pace, Cutler, Bradly and Fukudome.

While ending this I just want to remind the likes of Jerry Angelo that this is Chicago. Yes, you're in a large market in the Midwest, I understand that. But, us Midwestern folk do things a little different then the people in Boston and New York. We believe in working hard to obtain our goals and never giving up. So Mr. Angelo I must ask, do you have inside you the same morals, ethics, and values as the fan base you portray your team too? If so you should have kept Orton, Grossman, Thomas Jones, and others who worked so hard to keep the Bears relevant. For a guy who says he likes to "reward the players within our organization for their hard work" you do a pretty bad job of showing it.

We, as fans, work hard all week and all we want to do is watch our beloved Bears. Without us your organization is nothing. If you want to continue to try to "buy" a team and a championship you can. But you better look on relocating, because theirs no for an organization like that in the Midwest.