Blackhawks defense woeful, plus why are there so many excuses for mediocre Chicago sports?

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I haven’t talked much about the Blackhawks or Chicago sports in general as much recently, but I’ll do a little catching up.  I’ll start with the Blackhawks. Last night’s performance was disgusting.  

Shots fired!  A lot of them!

The Hawks allowed 33 shots in the second period alone in their 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The 33 shots are the most since the NHL started recording shots on goal as an official stat since the 1997-98 season.  I knew I couldn’t remember a worse looking period from the Hawks.  Rather than focus in on all six Lightning goals, I’ll just hone in on the one that made me the maddest, the second one.  

Talk about your passive resistance...

Anthony Cirelli put the Lightning up 2-1 at 4:22 off the second period when he finally stuffed the puck past Cam Ward after spending about a half hour in the crease poking at it. It finally paid off on the 27th attempt.  (Just an estimate)  I’m not a meatball fan, and I really don’t like chippy or dirty hockey, but the fact that Cirelli had that long and that many whacks at the puck without being knocked on his can is ridiculous.  The Hawks defense is both passive and slow.  Stan Bowman needs to upgrade it or the Hawks need to find somebody who can.

How many shots can Corey and Cam Ward off?

Cam Ward was actually good in the nets despite giving up five goals.  As I’ve mentioned before, if Corey Crawford is Corey Crawford, goaltending isn’t the Hawks problem, defense is. Here are some other things that jump out at me about the Hawks:

Things to ponder

Jonathan Toews is off to a nice start but looks quite a bit slower than he was during his prime.  That contact extension Stan Bowman signed Brent Seabrook to is looking ugly.  Trading Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad is looking even uglier.  Those last two moves were terrible for a team with little margin of error.

On the plus side, Alex DeBrincat is a real NHL scorer.  The Hawks also have some young players on defense so there is room for growth.  Lots of room for growth.

Here's something that might give Joe Maddon a sense of urgency

Joe Girardi has taken himself out of consideration for various MLB managerial jobs.  He looks like the Cubs manager in waiting to me.  Cubs baseball honcho, Theo Epstein, has indicated he would like to see more of a sense of urgency on the part of the Cubs.  I believe Girardi could instill that.

Not so Great Expectations

Some Cubs fans might wonder how the team could let Joe Maddon go after he managed the team to their first championship in 108 years.  To me, that’s a loser’s mentality.  You look ahead, not backward.  Some White Sox fans said the same thing when the Sox let Ozzie Guillen go.  They wondered about the Sox and Guillen parting ways after he managed them to their first World Series win in 88 years.  It’s a shame the baseball bar is that low in Chicago.

Does that come with a side of class?

The Cubs are looking to add some offense this offseason.  Manny Machado is one of the big names out there.  I have to say, I hope the Cubs don’t sign him.  Between the dirty play, not hustling and crotch grabbing, I can do without him.  It seems like for $300-400 million, it wouldn’t be too much to expect a little class.

Machado is a fantastic third baseman and an okay shortstop, but the fact he chooses to play his second best position also is indicative of a “ me first “ballplayer.  I know players want to have fun, but I would like guys that think the best way to have fun is to win.

Reggie Theus 2.0?

The Bulls are off to a 0-2 start.  Of course, they really haven’t had their A team together yet.  I will say that Zach Levine could easily fill the role of top scorer on a bad team.  The Bulls made the unusual decision a few years ago to build around coach, Fred Hoiberg.  There’s a reason why that route is seldom taken, it doesn’t work.

This really isn't 1985 for Bears fans

Finally, a quick word on the Bears. They sit at 3-3, which is not terrible.  What rankles me is some fans say they are only a few plays form being 5-1 or 6-0.  Get back to me when the Bears make those plays.  Otherwise, that seems like excuses for a team not quite ready to win.