Unfortunately, our attempts at global domination have fallen short. Way short. Then both of us grew up, took big boy jobs and scrapped the world domination via sports blog chit-chat.

And while Hartwig has retired from the blogosphere, I’m still chugging along. As is this blog.

With that being said, I’d like to say thanks to this blog’s fanbase. I appreciate you all the same, but bless the Saluki fans for really putting me on the map and trusting me as a source for analysis and news.

I’d also like to give a shoutout to the contributors we’ve had over the years.

Johnny Sole. Jon Iaccino. Stile Smith. Brian Feldt. Jeff Engelhardt. Mike Carter.

Here’s hoping I didn’t forget anyone.

(Though I probably did.)

So, how will we celebrate another year of this blog’s existence?

Well, if it was up to me…

And if you’re note already doing so, follow this fine blog’s editor on Twitter @lcm1986.

Leave it to the White Sox to allow a player no longer on team payroll to steal headlines during spring training.

Believe it or not, there’s a lot to talk about in White Sox camp.

Where should Adam Dunn hit in the line-up?

What to make of Jake Peavy’s comeback trail?

How many new stories about Carl Yastrzemski will Hawk Harrelson dig out of his past?

Yet, for whatever reason, the early part of spring training makes us all want to go back to Bobby Jenks vs. Ozzie Guillen.

It all began with a quote in a Phil Rogers piece in the Chicago Tribune. It’s not rare that Rogers’ column has a high irritability rate. But it isn’t often that it comes from something said by someone other than Rogers.

Behold:

“A lot of the stuff with Ozzie (Guillen) and the front office gets old,” Jenks said. “It has been a problem for a long time. It was a problem before last year. … It’s going to be nice for me to see how things are done here.”

Sounds innocent enough, right?

More than that, it’s truthful.

Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams have never seen eye-to-eye, but they’ve always found a way to work through it. Whether it’s in regard to where to draft Ozzie’s kids or how to construct a baseball team, Williams and Guillen seem to be at polar opposites of the spectrum.

And that can be a good thing. One of the wonderful things about baseball is that there are multiple ways to do things the right way. There is no one correct way to build a champion. In fact, the Guillen/Williams hybrid of power bats to go along with power arms and a hint of team-speed and fundamentally sound small-ball resulted in the White Sox’s 2005 World Series title.

So with that being said, you’d think this would just be another step away from being a part of an Ozzie Guillen soundbite?

Of course not.

Among the highlights:

“I’m very sad; I’m not even mad about it because I’m very sad about the way he thinks about us,” Guillen said. “Am I going to say anything bad about him? I’m not going to waste my time. He’s not part of my program.”

Except Guillen continued to waste his time on someone he just said wasn’t worth his time.

“Too bad that all the stuff we had between me and Kenny interrupted his career because he did a lot of bad things last year,” Guillen added, referring to White Sox general manager Ken Williams. “We lied for him, we protected him. I’m the first manager in the history of baseball to give a guy a week off to take care of his kids when his father-in-law was sick. It was even his wife. But it was out of respect I have for his family. I sent him home because he had to babysit his kids because his father-in-law was sick. I don’t think any manager is doing that.”

Guillen, who constantly preaches about the importance of putting family first, comes off as a bit hypocritical with that statement.

Considering that Guillen is the one who calls the shots, if he didn’t see it fit for Jenks to take time off, he easily could have told the rotund righty that he couldn’t afford to lose his closer for a week in the midst of a pennant push for a situation that didn’t require immediate attention.

The White Sox have enough on their plate as far as the upcoming baseball season is concerned. If anything, maybe it’s possible that Guillen is shooting off at the mouth in regard to the Jenks situation as a distraction to what really is going on in the clubhouse.

That could be the kind of magic trick that could allow the White Sox to gel during spring training.

Or it could just be Ozzie Being Ozzie.

I’m leaning toward the latter, not the former.

One that’s been broken by guys like Mark Prior, Jay Cutler, Rex Grossman and those of the ilk, but nevertheless we come back strong year after year.

So while everyone else cozies up to their favorite special someone before sneaking off in the night to go see their side piece, TBDS has compiled a list of things we love about our beloved Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox and Salukis.

Bulls

Three years into his NBA career, I can honestly say that it’s time to throw out the qualifiers when describing Derrick Rose. Over the past few years, it’s been easy to promote the Chicago native as the best young point guard in basketball.

It’s time to can it.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Rose is the best point guard in basketball. Period. End of sentence. Beginning of argument.

At age 22, Rose is leading his team by being a scorer (24.7 points) and distributor (8.1 assists) and the numbers he has posted are simply unheard of from a point guard.

There is only one player in the entire NBA that is leading his team in points and assists.

His name?

Derrick Rose.

Aren’t you glad he’s on our side?

Blackhawks

The 2010-11 season has been rough sledding for the Blackhawks, but hey, we’ll always have June 9, 2010 to look back on.

White Sox

Like any baseball team, the Chicago White Sox have their fair share of questions to answer as we embark on the 2011 baseball season. Who’s going to be the closer? Will Gavin Floyd show up before June 1? Can Juan Pierre break the single-season record for outs made?

All of that takes a back seat when Sox fans look at the heart of their order. Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin will strike fear in the heart of opposing pitching staffs starting in April, no matter what order you put them in.

That assumes everyone’s healthy and plays to their potential.

Last season, that quartet combined to hit 124 home runs, drive in 389 RBIs and slug at a .514 clip.

With Dunn’s addition to the line-up, I hope Jerry Reinsdorf bought fireworks in bulk for the scoreboard out beyond center field.

Cubs

Quick. Of the 10 guys projected to be in the starting rotation on the Cubs and White Sox, who has the most wins over the last three years? If you guessed Ryan Dempster, you’re either a really good guesser or properly know how to use baseball-reference.com.

Dempster is 43-27 with a .614 winning percentage that bests Mark Buerhle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Carlos Zambrano and newcomer Matt Garza.

That’s why I’m excited about the 2011 Cubs.

The top three of the Cubs’ starting rotation can hang with the best of ‘em in the NL Central and truly is no slouch compared to the rest of the league if you do a little bit of number crunching. With Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood ready to slam the door at a moment’s notice, Cub starters are primed for good seasons as long as they can go seven innings.

Bears

Devin Hester’s route running is suspect. His Football IQ leaves much to be desired. But there is no denying he is the most exciting player on the Bears.

Salukis

Carlton Fay is a beacon of light in what is turning out to be a rather dull season for the Southern Illinois University basketball team.

Sure, it took four years, but the light went on over Fays’ head this season. He entered the year in the best shape of his basketball career, more focused than he had in previous campaigns and the level of consistency has been there for a good chunk of the season.

The way he’s played this year makes it that much more disappointing to know that he and his SIU teammates will need a miracle to make a NCAA Tournament to avoid being the first Saluki to go four years without a tournament in a mighty long time.

Two teams.

Two different directions.

Lucky us, huh?[picappgallerysingle id="9638113"]

We’ll start with the White Sox, who had a pretty good year despite Ozzie Guillen’s failed rotating DH experiment.

Guillen’s designated hitters didn’t do much hitting as they combined to post a disastrous .247/.332/.396/.728 line in 2010.

Still, the White Sox found themselves in the thick of the American League Central Division race for much of the summer.

The White Sox’s season stalled when the Minnesota Twins really revved their engines. Ron Gardenhire won the AL’s Manager of the Year award as his Twinkies won at a .630 clip in August and September, opening up an insurmountable lead in the division while the Pale Hose hovered around .500 in those two crucial months.

So, what’s in store for 2011?

More dingers.

Last season, the White Sox socked 177 home runs — ranking fourth in the American League. That number could skyrocket with the addition of Adam Dunn, who has averaged 40 homers and 100 RBIs over the past six seasons. His value as a ballplayer is also on the up-tick because he won’t be asked to spend ample time as a defensive liability.

Dunn’s comparables through age 30 include the likes of Barry Bonds, Harmon Killebrew and Reggie Jackson. Needless to say, the Southsiders are acquiring quite the force in the middle of the line-up.

Now, if they can only ship Oney Guillen to a land where Twitter doesn’t exist.

[picappgallerysingle id="1470668"]

Kerry Wood is so popular in Wrigleyville, Cubs fans actually were pulling for the Yankees just to see their one-time star get that much closer to a ring. Unfortunately, The Artist Formerly Known As Kid K fell short of his quest for a World Series because the Texas Rangers ousted the Yanks in the American League Championship Series.

Wood returns to the Cubs after a two-year hiatus to anchor the back-end of the bullpen, thus, shortening the bridge to closer Carlos Marmol.

That, my friends, is your 2010 highlight as far as the Cubs are concerned.

The past year was mired in a whole lot of trash as far as the Northsiders were concerned. General Manager Jim Hendry put together a roster so inept, manager Lou Piniella announced his retirement effective at year’s end only to call it quits in mid-August amidst family health issues in Florida.

It was a sad ending for a proud man who will go down as one of the best managers in Cubs history.

After three straight winning years, only Mike Quade’s 24-13 run to end the season spared the Cubs a 90-loss season. Quade’s success as an interim manager helped him shed the interim tag and win the full-time job everyone assumed Ryne Sandberg would get.

As far as 2011 is concerned, the youth movement should be in full swing despite the addition of a veteran like Wood. The move likely pushes Andrew Cashner into the starting rotation, where he could join vets Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano, as well as a youngster such as Casey Coleman or Jeff Samardzija.

Randy Wells is an enigma after a solid rookie season and a not-so-hot sophomore campaign.

The wild card could be Matt Garza, who the Cubs are hot after, but might not have the pieces to pry him away from the Tampa Bay Rays.

If it’s any consolation to Cubs fans, at least we won’t have to boo Ryno when the Cubs get off to a slow start.

Good luck to Carlos Pena, in that regard.

Dear Santa,

I have a confession to make.

I haven’t really been a good boy this year.

Shocking, I know.

Between the Tony La Russa DUI jokes, using Jim Hendry’s weight as a punchline and taking countless jabs at Creighton fans, I probably don’t deserve any Christmas presents.

But let’s be clear here, I haven’t completely been a bad boy.

I’ve attempted to help the Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls and Salukis with some sage advice this past year.

As you could tell by the banner hanging in the United Center rafters, Blackhawks didn’t need my assistance.

Alas, I will not be selfish with my Christmas requests. Instead, I ask of you, Mr. Claus, to help those in need.

Please give the gift of a shooter’s touch to Gene Teague’s free throw attempts. The SIU center is among the conference leaders in attempted shots from the charity stripe, but he only hits 55 percent of those makes. Mr. Teague is very deserving of this gift, based on the hard work he does on the hardwood and the classroom.

At 11.1 points per game, he leads the Salukis in scoring. Please see if you can help Mr. Teague in his quest to help the Salukis get back to the NCAA Tournament sooner, rather than later.

Santa, please give Andrew Cashner a set of preseason instructional sessions with Greg Maddux. With Kerry Wood returning to the Cubs bullpen, Mr. Cashner will likely be slotted in the starting rotation. He already possesses a plus fastball and a serviceable breaking pitch, but Mr. Cashner could use a bit of assistance.

If he could spend the rest of the winter and the early part of spring learning from Mr. Maddux, one of the five greatest pitchers in the history of the game, Mr. Cashner could surely learn a lot about pitching. Thus, making the 2010 baseball season worthwhile.

Considering that Kenny Williams did all his Christmas shopping in November, the best gift to give the White Sox is a supportive fan base that goes to U.S. Cellular Field for all 81 home dates. The American League Central has never been more winnable with the power bats assembled by Williams in the offseason, coupled with the lack of moves by the defending AL Central champion Minnesota Twins.

Santa, Jake Peavy is on line one with a Christmas wish of his own.

For the Bulls, all I want is a shooting guard to replace Keith Bogans in the starting line-up. In a perfect world, Santa, you would be able to build one with Bogans’ defensive skill, Kyle Korver’s 3-point shot and Ronnie Brewer’s athleticism, size and length.

If it’s not possible, I would also accept Stephen Jackson or Carmelo Anthony wearing a Bulls uniform instead.

Santa, the Blackhawks have been really good this year, but it hasn’t been enough to be at the same level the team played at last summer when they raised the Stanley Cup. All I ask of you is to give Corey Crawford the ability to duplicate Antti Niemi’s second half.

From January 1 on, Niemi went 17-5 with a 90.4 save percentage.

That’ll work from here on out.

As for the Bears, they’ve been unexpectedly good this year. It’s as if Lovie Smith, Mike Martz and Jay Cutler want extra gifts under their tree.

I’m not sure what else you could get them, other than an offensive line. But since Jerry Angelo says they don’t grow on trees or in vineyards, they might be tough to come by. Hopefully, you have some spare offensive linemen in stock or could assign some elves to build a serviceable left tackle.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day and hope you make a special stop by my house.

A gift-wrapped special somebody (read: Reese Witherspoon) would be greatly appreciated on this wonderful holiday.

Sincerely,

Luis
Editor/Co-founder, The Big Dead Sidebar

In sports, there are winners and losers.

And as we wake up on a bitter Monday morning in Chicago, it can be said that no one won the weekend like Chicago sports fans.

Chicago Bears

All the outrage Chicago sports fans have when Derrick Rose doesn’t get superstar treatment — and we’ll get to that later — might have been subsided with Ndamukong Suh’s forearm shiver during the fourth quarter of the Bears’ 24-20 win against the Lions.

Referee Ed Hochuli flagged Suh for unnecessary roughness as he extended his right arm while chasing Bears quarterback Jay Cutler from behind.

And that’s where the argument should end.

Naturally, it didn’t.

What needs to be said — and clearly — is that Suh was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Not roughing the passer, but unnecessary roughness.

It didn’t matter if Cutler was a passer, a runner or a blocker — hands to the head is a penalty.

What is so difficult to understand?

As pictured in a rather fuzzy screen shot, it’s clear that Suh’s right hand is extended and making contact with the back of Cutler’s head.

So, what are we arguing again?

Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose isn’t getting superstar calls, but he’s making superstar shots.

Isn’t that all that matters?

Nothing warmed my heart like watching Rose bury a game-tying three after finally being on the right side of a clutch Brad Miller missed free throw.

Rose is averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, shooting 35.7 percent from the 3-point line and 46.2 percent from the field. And if he isn’t getting MVP votes, then the NBA needs to find a new way to select its Most Valuable Player.

D-Rose’s stats favor comparably to LeBron James who is averaging 24 points, 7.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds, shooting 29.6 from the 3-point stripe and 45.8 percent from the field.

[picappgallerysingle id="10310018"]

The Blackhawks wrapped up a Sunday Funday with a thrilling and important 4-2 win against the Calgary Flames.

Chicago’s power play pushed the team to victory as the Hawks scored three of their four goals while on the man advantage. Actually, one of the goals came with a two-man edge. It was a much-needed boost after being blanked by the Vancouver Canucks on Friday and watching star Patrick Kane go down early against the Flames.

Chicago White Sox

Death to Ozzie Ball?

Not quite.

While many paid their respects to small ball, most know the idea of Ozzie Ball as a bunch of sacrifice bunts, hitting to the opposite field and watching small guys whizzing around the bases was a complete and total myth.

Ozzie Ball is, and always has been, watching big boppers launch balls out of U.S. Cellular Field.

Signing Adam Dunn only gets the White Sox that much closer to the formula that helped the team win the 2005 World Series.

The South Siders have ranked in the top four in home runs five of the last six seasons, ranking first in 2006 (a 90-win season) and 2008 (89-win year with AL Central title).

Credit GM Kenny Williams for adding a younger version of Jim Thome, whose offense was clearly the missing link in what was otherwise a successful year for the White Sox.

And like Thome, Dunn’s worth will be amplified because Williams likely took away all of Dunn’s baseball gloves upon signing the slugger. Dunn’s value skyrockets as long as he’s not asked to shag fly balls as a corner outfielder or scoop low throws at first base.

Dunn’s offense, despite a massive amount of strikeouts, will be welcome on the South Side after the DH-by-committee failed miserably to the tune of a .247/.332/.396/.728 line generally reserved for utility infielders — not for a position created for the sole purpose of hitting a baseball.

Chicago Cubs

Cubs fans can claim a victory after this weekend knowing GM Jim Hendry has yet to hand out a single no-trade clause.

Though, apparently, Hendry’s evil sweatervest-wearing twin brother Mike Rizzo, is handing out Alfonso Soriano-esque contracts to Jayson Werth.

Rizzo realizes Werth isn’t bringing Ryan Howard, Chase Utley or Roy Halladay with him, right?

I’ll never understand why mainstream media blasts members of the blogosphere for pulling turds out of a toilet and calling it a good idea when they themselves are getting paid salary to do so.

So, here we are with Phil Rogers’ grand plan for a swap of this great city’s baseball GMs in what could be the biggest waste of column space in the history of baseball writers.

For starters, White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf (the man who was willing to allow the Marlins to talk to Guillen if they would give up the aforementioned outfielder-first baseman Morrison) should swap general manager Ken Williams to the Cubs for Jim Hendry.

Other than the no-trade clause Hendry likely gave himself after receiving an extension after the 2008 season, what else could be the hold up in a GM swap?

Probably the fact that Williams put together a World Series-winning team in 2005 and Hendry has put together a squad that has lost nine straight playoff games dating back to 2003 and fielded a team that nearly lost 90 games despite a $145 million payroll.

OK, other than that, what’s stopping Reinsdorf and Tom Ricketts from making a crosstown swap?

It’s a shame Rogers is not as connected as he makes himself out to be, because if he was, he would probably have the answer to that question, thus, sparing the faithful readers of everything Hot Stove 583 words of nonsense.

Consider that, as the White Sox’s GM the steady Hendry immediately would end the organizational dysfunction that has arisen from the Williams-Guillen feud, which has arisen out of the unusual level of nepotism allowed under Reinsdorf.

Because nothing cures organizational dysfunction than locking up a designated hitter to play left field into his age 38 season. Enjoy Adam Dunn shagging fly balls in left field during the 2018 campaign.

Williams would do what Cubs fans criticize owner Tom Ricketts and Hendry for not doing — shaking things up. Plus, he could be the buffer for Mike Quade that he was to Guillen in 2004 — holding organizational high ground — and given the surplus of young talent Hendry and his staff have collected, Williams could have a blast trading a fresh supply of minimum-salary talent for veterans on the verge of free agency.

If the Cubs had a surplus of young talent, why would any general manager want to trade young, inexpensive, talented players  that will be under team control for the foreseeable future for old guys on the brink of free agency?

I could smoke a pound of Geovany Soto’s finest and still realize that’s a terrible idea.

With the GM deal complete, the second step to a new and improved offseason for both Chicago teams is one mind-blowing mother of a trade — specifically, the Cubs sending Carlos Zambrano, Kosuke Fukudome, Jeff Samdardzija, Geovany Soto, Randy Wells and Chris Archer to the White Sox for Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, Mark Teahen, Scott Linebrink and Tyler Flowers.

Rogers fails to mention what makes this deal mind-blowing is the fact that both GMs would rather blow their minds out than live with the repercussions of that deal.

This 11-player swap not only would awaken the senses on both sides of town but also accomplish myriad purposes for Chicago’s teams.

I thought the point of making trades was to make your team better, not awaken senses.

The cash is essentially a wash, with an estimated $35 million going from the Cubs to the White Sox and $32 million going the other way. No-trade clauses could be an issue, but let’s be honest — what member of the Cubs would be desperate to stay on the North Side, and vice versa?

How about Zambrano, for starters? Put aside the notion that he would even waive his no-trade protection to join Ozzie Guillen and look at some cold, hard numbers.

Zambrano’s numbers in interleague play are as follows: 8-8 record, 1.49 WHIP 4.82 ERA in 26 games (22 starts).

Hendry will give up his Krispy Kreme diet before Big Z, or any National League pitcher with any common sense and the ability to use Baseball-reference.com’s splits page, waves his no-trade clause to go to the AL.

Summarizing the benefits for the teams:

This is exactly how Tiger Woods’ lawyers divvy up the weekends for his friends with benefits at golf courses around the globe.

The Cubs, unlikely to overtake the Cardinals in 2011, could allow Peavy to take his time recovering from surgery to repair his detached lat and have him in shape to help them win a year from now.

Last I checked, the Reds won the NL Central last season, not the Cardinals. Secondly, the Cubs did pretty well against the Cardinals without the likes of Teahen, Peavy, Flowers, Linebrink or Floyd.

They could make the clubhouse more pleasant for everyone without Zambrano,

Rogers apparently put so much stock in Todd Ricketts’ “Undercover Boss” episode that he actually believes the Cubs care enough about their employees working environment to actually make changes. Isn’t that adorable?

and they could add a third-base option

A bad one at that.

to allow Aramis Ramirez to move to first base as Josh Vitters and Marquez Smith take aim at being long-term answers at third. They would add a needed bullpen veteran and spare themselves the disappointment of seeing Soto never again reach his 2008 level.

Because nothing is more disappointing than the fact that Soto made less money than Koyie Frickin’ Hill in 2010 and was far more productive. Sorry, Geo, you’ve got to go.

The Sox would get healthy arms in Zambrano, Wells and Samdardzija who could help them compete against the Twins in 2011, with the ultimate upside that the well chronicled Guillen-Zambrano friendship could help Big Z become the force he was before his 2007 contract extension.

Nothing makes more sense to Phil Rogers than trading a guy who is a lock to make 30 starts per season, one of the team’s top pitching prospects and two other warm bodies for one who he doesn’t even think will be worth starting until 2012 and another who didn’t show up until June last season.

Seems like a fair trade to me.

They would add a left-handed bat in Fukudome,

Allow me to break up one of the most poorly constructed sentences in the history of sports journalism to remind you that Rogers believes it’s only natural that Hendry’s first move upon arriving to the South Side is to get more left-handed. Of course, his second move will be to give everyone who is left-handed extensions with no-trade clauses.

who they coveted before 2008 when they felt he was a perfect fit for center/right field at U.S. Cellular Field (and at worst would be a platoon player for one year), a potential Clayton Richard/Daniel Hudson/John Ely replacement in Archer (expendable because the Cubs project Andrew Cashner and their Chris Carpenter as better prospects) and would move unwanted contracts (Teahen and Linebrink) and a receding prospect (Flowers) for a catcher to replace A.J. Pierzynski.They would be out from under the Teahen and Linebrink contracts.

You think I’m kidding, right?

Dear God, I hope you’re kidding.

Maybe. But conventional wisdom has produced one championship combined since 1917.

And yet, you want to trade away the GM who put that team together.

This plan is crazy, for sure,

Crazy? No. Crazy is letting Todd Ricketts draw out a football field in a baseball stadium. Crazy is a girl in Carterville who found it enjoyable that her cats watched us make out. Crazy is a jam by Gnarles Barkley.

but no crazier than letting either Chicago team continue on its current path.

Phil, your plan isn’t crazy, it’s flat out dumb.

Finally, Matt Hartwig has returned to The Big Dead Sidebar.

It’s been quite a lengthy hiatus for Matty Ice as his return to the blogosphere coincides with the period between the end of the postseason and the start of the Hot Stove schedule.

Last year, Hartwig provided the Chicago White Sox’s blue print for offseason success, including the acquisition of J.J. Putz.

One year later, we’ll see what he has in store to propel the White Sox past the Minnesota Twins.

Who’s worthy of arbitration?

A.J. Pierzynski? (Type A) YES
Paul Konerko? (Type A) YES
Manny Ramirez? (Type A) NO
J.J. Putz (Type B) YES

Would you pick up Ramon Castro’s $1.2 million option for 2011, or buy him out for $200,000?

Smart move to do this.

To be cut or kept under club control? That is thy question.

One-year contract for John Danks?

If not, what would you pay to extend him?

The whole Jon Lester based deal didn’t pan out last year so going year to year is fine.

Would you tender a contract to Bobby Jenks?

I’d be open to bringing him back at a discount but that’s not usually how these things play out. For all the knocks he received last year he wasn’t THAT bad, just not worth his arbitration number this year.

One more try at this guy at a reasonable arbitration number is fine by me. Just don’t put all your eggs in his basket because the basket can and will break at times.

Would you tender a contract to Tony Pena?

Pena can’t be worth the money despite showing some signs of life as as a starter late in the season. Makes that whole Brandon Allen deal look turrible now.

Free Agency

Which of the following impending White Sox free agents would you attempt to re-sign, and at what price?

Paul Konerko - See if he accepts arbitration first but go three years with a vesting option for a fourth for 3 years and 36 million. His presence is still valuable to this team in addition to his production.

A.J. Pierzynski — If A.J. doesn’t accept arbitration I have a hard time believing he’ll find suitors on the open market because he’s a type-A free agent. I wouldn’t go anymore than one year.

J.J. Putz — Two years at 8 or 9 million seems fair.

Manny Ramirez — Not sure why you’d bring back Manny unless he starts taking “stuff” again. His OBP is an asset but he won’t be worth the money/potential mid-season headaches because his power seems zapped.

Omar Vizquel – ONE MORE YEAR, SAME PRICE! Can’t expect him to duplicate offensive production but he’ll provide a decent safety net defensively.

Andruw Jones – No. We don’t need any more hackers here.

Freddy Garcia — Another incentive laden deal is fine by me but why anything more than that? He’s a junkballer at this point.

Mark Kotsay – No…Too “Unlucky”

Free Agency Part II

Name three (or more) free agents you’d consider, and at what price.

*Adam Dunn — I’d offer him something in the range of 3 years and 35 million to be our DH but Kenny doesn’t usually splurge on FA’s. While I’d love this I still think it’s rather unrealistic.

*Scott Downs/Jason Frasor – Either one would be an asset as long as they don’t get offered arbitration. I’d go with the Putz deal as reference.

Trade Idea: A wild card Kenny Williams move would be Chone Figgins. He had a down year and appeared disinterested on a bad Seattle team. He would be an asset as a number two hitter in the lineup that provides great defense at the hot corner and decent OBP. Sending Scott Linebrink/Mark Teahen over to the Mariners for payroll reasons is a good start. Sending Brent Morel, Eduardo Escobar and Tyler Flowers would be typical K-Will as well.

Opening Day Line-up

If everything works out the way I want it to my club would look like this:

LF – Juan Pierre
3B – Chone Figgins
1B – Paul Konerko
CF – Alex Rios
SS – Alexei Ramirez
2B – Gordon Beckham
RF – Carlos Quentin
C – A.J Pierzynski
DH – Dayan Viciedo

Omar Vizquel, Ramon Castro, Brent Lillibridge, and Alejandro De Aza make up your bench.

SP – John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, Jake Peavy
RP – Jason Frasor, Sergio Santos, Matt Thornton, J.J. Putz, Scott Downs, Freddy Garcia, Jhonny Nunez

(Yes, that means closer by committee)

I think Figgins would give us an ideal No. 2 hitter and allow Ramirez to drop down in the order to pad his RBI numbers.

You need to hope that TCQ can piece together a full season because the RF market is pretty bare (realistically speaking).

While I like the idea of Chris Sale as a potential closer, it’s wasteful to give him a ceiling at this point so he’ll start the season starting in Triple-A, giving the White Sox an opportunity to trade a starter (Danks/Floyd/Jackson) for a right fielder during the season.

Election Day is one of those things that makes America great.

Like Apple Pie, baseball, 20-inch rims and deep-fried anything, voting has a unique place in what makes America what it is today.

And today, I will be taking part in a little bit of Americana.

By not voting.

Wait, what?

Vote or Die would mean a lot more if it came from O.J. Simpson, Ray Lewis or Donte Stallworth.

Instead, it’s a message sent from P. Diddy as he is fed grapes by curvy young women dying for a private audition.

Yes, voting is a right. You’re absolutely correct when you say voting is a privilege.

But it’s not a necessity, well, not for me at least.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t vote. In fact, I encourage anyone eligible to vote to go out and do so.

There’s an old popular adage from voters who say, “You can’t complain if you didn’t go out and vote.” And in all honesty, that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you went out and voted for an idiot who is running your city, state or country into the ground, there’s probably going to be a lot to complain about.

Being a voter is a lot like being a sports fan.

As a voter, you invest in a candidate. But you can’t vote for him or her. You can’t tell them what to do once they’re in Washington. You voted for them and all you can do is sit around and watch them work.

As a fan, you invest in a team and you have no control on what they do on the field. You can’t swing the bat for Alfonso Soriano. You can’t shoot Joakim Noah’s free throws. You can’t protect for Jay Cutler. (On second thought, maybe you can’t be worse than one of the five clowns currently taking up space on the Bears roster.) All you can do as a fan is cheer your little heart out and hope that Bobby Jenks doesn’t hang a breaking ball with Joe Mauer at the plate.

I’m of the opinion that just because I didn’t have a direct hand in what takes place at Clark and Addison doesn’t mean I can’t be critical of it.

And that’s exactly how I feel about this election.

This my first time in my history in which I will withhold a vote. And before you judge me, put down your flaming pitchforks and consider what I have to say in my defense.

With this election in Illinois, I feel as if I’m not electing someone to represent me, my beliefs or ideals. All that got thrown out the window when I realized that politicians view me — a Puerto Rican — as just another Latino that will fall in line with every other Latino on American soil.

Nothing makes me feel more represented as an individual like being typecast because politicians and TV pundits are too lazy to differentiate between Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans, Dominicans, Venezuelans and others.

Now that I’ve rudely awakened you from one political dream, we’ll move on with my argument.

Voting should be something you partake in because you actively back a candidate who will bring positive change to your life. Truth be told, most Americans aren’t intelligent enough to decipher between the crap tossed to them by either party.

I’m not sure if there is a less intelligent voter than someone who votes strictly upon party lines without seriously looking into a candidate’s background. If you have a single iota of political thought, you’ll think twice before voting exactly how your precinct captain wants you to today.

And if you’re voting for the lesser of two evils, stop right there and re-think your position.

You’re telling me that there isn’t a viable candidate running for a political office of importance?

Say it ain’t so.

Unfortunately, it is.

Alexi Giannoulias goofed with his family bank — and I’m supposed to trust him as my senator? Of course, I am. He’s young and hip and everyone likes him.

Yeah, everyone in the Portland Trail Blazers organization liked Greg Oden a little more than Kevin Durant coming out of college and we see how that’s working out there.

OK, so the vote goes to Mark Kirk. Until, of course, you realize he lied about his military history. And while Republicans are quick to brush it off as a minor misstep, this is the same group that wanted Bill Clinton’s head on a platter when he wasn’t forthcoming about getting a quickie on the side with Monica Lewinsky.

Because, really, who wants to admit to getting some from that?

I simply can’t take Republicans seriously when a good chunk of them think being misleading about your military history is easier to move on from than being misleading about your sexual encounters.

Knowing Giannoulias or Kirk will take the senate seat that once belonged to Barack Obama gives me the same feeling I had knowing that Micah Hoffpauir was coming up from Iowa to take Derrek Lee’s roster spot after he was traded to the Atlanta Braves.

Let’s move on to Bill Brady, who has a radio ad that cites editorials from several newspapers that show he has the backing from several of the state’s bigger broadsheets. That is until you look into the ad and realize that the newspapers are own by the same company and they’re running the same editorial.

The Southern sure does love it some Bill Brady. So does the Bloomington Pantagraph. As does the Belleville News-Democrat.

Why their endorsements mean absolutely diddly squat to Chicagoans is beyond me. It’s a waste of advertising dollars on Brady’s part, in my humble opinion.

Then there’s Robert Dold, who’s advertising campaign reminds you that he’s not to be confused with Robert Dole.

“Dold with a D, not an E!”

I can’t get that out of my mind quick enough. I’d rather listen to LaRoux’s “Bulletproof” on loop than hear that little Dold jingle again.

At least this election gives me the opportunity to remind voters how silly the extremes of each party are.

Hardcore Republicans have been good for a chuckle this political season. You’ve got to love the push by the G.O.P. to vote for the sake of change this year. While it’s an intriguing strategy, it is the same mindset employed by the Democrats two years ago. A mindset that was widely panned by conservatives.

How stupid do Republicans look in 2010 when they say vote for change when in 2008 they were mocking everyone who went out and voted for change’s sake?

And do we really want to go back to George W. Bush’s policies?

Democrats aren’t free from criticism though. But I’ll be a bit nicer because they haven’t been completely hypocritical in their ways.

Things have been slow to change, you’ll admit it now. And I’m glad that things are progressing, even if it is at a slower rate. But you can’t come out and declare swift changes and upheavals when you know slow should replace swift and the upheavals are more like shuffling of a deck of cards.

You can be as outraged as you want because of my political indifference that has led to me not casting a vote. But hey, you can’t blame me when the next crook is in office.

I would not be surprised if Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Edgar Renteria and Brian Wilson wake up with stiff backs tomorrow morning because those four just carried several former Chicago Cubs and White Sox to a championship.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 3-1 on Monday, clinching the Giants’ first World Series since moving to the Bay Area. And with the victory, the following former Chicago baseball players are World Series champions:

• Juan Uribe
• Aaron Rowand
• Andres Torres
• Mark DeRosa
• Mike Fontenot

All of the aforementioned ballplayers were either played or were property of either the Cubs or White Sox at one time or another. Also, all were on the active 25-man roster in the World Series.

Then there was Todd Wellemeyer, the former Cub who made 11 starts and posted a 3-5 record for the Giants this season. Wellemeyer was designated for assignment in August and became a free agent.

My lasting memories of Mark DeRosa’s Cubs career are as follows:

• The ball he booted in Game 2 of the 2008 NLDS against the Dodgers
• The inning-ending double play he grounded into in Game 3 of the 2007 NLDS against the Diamondbacks
• The fact that he set the world record for most standing ovations for a former Cub at Wrigley Field

Then there’s Mike Fontenot, who OPSed .909 in 2008, was given a head start on winning the full-time starting job in 2009 when DeRosa was dealt to Cleveland only to lose out on playing time to the great Aaron Miles.

Fontenot was traded to the Giants in August for Evan Crawford, who had 124 strikeouts in 2010 splitting time between the Cubs and Giants A-ball affiliates — which would be awesome if he was a pitcher and not an outfielder.

Knowing two mediocre at best former Cubs second basemen will soon own World Series rings while Ryne Sandberg, the greatest second baseman in baseball history, has none is rather bothersome to my baseball soul.

Then there are the former White Sox.

Of all the former Chicago ballplayers, Uribe did the most to earn the ring. He hit 24 homers and played solid defense at second, third and shortstop. It’s like the Giants had a Dominican DeRosa out there.

Rowand hit .230 this year and has OPSed .723 since joining the Giants. His defining moment of this World Series was unleashing a Dave Chappelle as Black Howard Dean “BYAH!” after Renteria’s three-run homer. Still, White Sox fans are still ticked he was traded for Jim Thome.

Yet, Rowand and Uribe have two more rings than Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo.

If baseball has taught me anything, it’s that life just isn’t fair sometimes.