The Blackhawks ranked 25th in the NHL in penalty killing last season. They weren't nearly good enough in that area of the game -- especially considering they had ranked second in that department during their 2009-2010 Stanley Cup run.

I expected the Hawks to tweak their blue line this offseason. They needed a little less finesse and a little more physicality. To achieve that aim, the Blackhawks traded Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers last week. On Thursday, they signed a replacement -- veteran Steve Montador.

Montador played with Buffalo the last two seasons. He posted a career-best 21 assists and 26 points last year. He was also a career-best plus-16 in 73 games. This is a guy who will get down and block shots. He's No. 4 in the picture above. As you can see, he's blocking Dave Bolland's attempt during a 2010 game at the United Center. Last year, Montador led the Sabres with 136 blocked shots and saw extensive time on the penalty kill. He's also a right-handed shot. Montador joins Brent Seabrook as the only two right-handed shots on the Blackhawk defense.

The Blackhawks traded a seventh-round pick for Montador Wednesday. The defenseman was set to become an unrestricted free agent Friday, so the Hawks had about a 48-hour window to negotiate a contract. The two sides agreed on a four-year deal worth $11 million Thursday afternoon.

Montador is going to be 32 this year, so I think four years is a little hefty. But the average salary -- at $2.75 million per season -- is fair. If Montador can help the Hawks get their penalty-killing unit back into the upper echelon of the league, it will be worth it.

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams had some words for the media today at the annual Double Duty Classic youth baseball event held at U.S. Cellular Field.

In particular, I found this comment interesting:

"We are licking our wounds too much,'' Williams said. "At some point you have to say to hell with it and whatever you've done to this point in the season you have to wipe it away and get after it. We have a chance to still win this thing. The individual numbers may not be what they are accustomed to but we still have a chance to collectively have a celebration at the end of the year. And I'd like the focus to be on that and less on the individual numbers. But it's hard to look up at that scoreboard and see numbers you're not used to seeing when you're a player who has achieved a lot in this league. I get that. But what I get also is it's time. It's time to wipe that away because we're better than this.''

Even the Sox wins have been ugly lately, with Wednesday's 3-2 victory in Colorado no exception. The offense has been struggling the last two weeks. The Sox have scored three runs or less in nine of their last 13 contests. They've been fortunate to scrape out a couple 3-2 wins and a 3-0 win during that stretch. Believe it or not, they are somehow only four games out of first in the American League Central race.

But Williams' comment suggests the Sox are once again giving into pressure. Whenever the Sox offense struggles -- and it struggles frequently -- we hear about hitters who are "pressing." We hear about hitters who are "trying to do too much." Now, we're hearing about professional athletes who are "licking their wounds."

My question is this: Where is all this pressure coming from? The White Sox have gotta be the most tightly-wound team in all of baseball. The minute something goes wrong, they go into full meltdown mode and stop hitting. Why?

The pressure can't be coming from the media. Chicago may not be Kansas City, but it isn't New York, Philadelphia or Boston either. There isn't *that much* scrutiny, especially since a good deal of the media attention is wasted on the Cubs.

The pressure can't be coming from the fans. The Sox play before a half-empty stadium most nights. Most of the fans want either the manager or the hitting coach fired. The fans have dumped on Adam Dunn and his .173 average quite a bit, but the rest of the players aren't catching that much heat from the fans.

So why so much pressure? It has to be either self-induced, or it is coming from somewhere within the organization. These guys just need to lighten up and let their talents take over. The White Sox make things so hard on themselves. Their 39-42 record is essentially a self-inflicted wound. Apparently, they're licking it now. They need to stop that.

I was reading today that Cubs manager-for-now Mike Quade has been chosen to be a coach on the National League All-Star team. Quade is taking the place of Jim Riggleman, who recently resigned as manager of the Washington Nationals.

Of all the managers in the National League, why did San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy chose Quade to join him on the bench for the Midsummer Classic? After all Quade is in his first season, and he has guided a really bad Cubbie roster to a really bad 32-47 record.

I can think of only one possible explanation: Bochy thought that by selecting Quade, he was fulfilling the requirement that every MLB team be represented in the All-Star Game. It's genius! Now Bochy doesn't have to select any of the crummy Cubbie players to actually play in the game! Awesome!

OK, that's not really true, but that's all I got on this one. If I were Bochy, I think I'd pick anybody besides Quade. Yes, even 80-year-old Jack McKeon. Hell, if McKeon were dead, I'd still take his corpse over Quade.

Bochy had better be careful. Quade might tell him to send Koyie Hill up to pinch hit with All-Star Game on the line.

If you're a hockey fan in Chicago, this will make your skin crawl: The Wolves have signed an affiliation agreement with the most hated team in the NHL -- the Vancouver Canucks.

Wow. I've always had a secondary rooting interest in the Wolves. Without a doubt, the Blackhawks are my main focus during hockey season, but I like the sport enough that I have no problem turning the Wolves game on when the Hawks aren't playing. All things considered, the Wolves have always run a classy organization. Their ticket prices are fair, and they've won four championships during their 17 years of existence. There's never been any reason not to like them.

Until now.

I realize the Wolves' hand was forced to some extent. The Wolves had been affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers since they joined the AHL in 2001. The Thrashers are moving to Winnipeg next season, which displaces the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The Moose had been the Canucks' AHL affiliate, but now they are moving to St. John's, Newfoundland. Geographically, it makes zero sense for the Canucks to keep the Moose -- or whatever they're going to be called now -- as their affiliate, so all this set the wheels of change in motion.

But here's the thing: the Wolves have a great reputation in the hockey world. They take care of their players. The atmosphere around their team is a positive one. Surely, any number of NHL teams would have liked to partner with the Wolves. For some reason, the Wolves decided the Canucks were the best option.

That's going to make it difficult for me as a Blackhawk fan to continue to support them. I loathe Vancouver. Loathe their GM, loathe their coach, loathe their team and loathe their rioting, heathen fans. I can't in good conscience cheer for Vancouver Canucks prospects. For that matter, can anybody in the United States cheer for Vancouver prospects?

After all, Vancouver was loudly booed at the NHL draft in St. Paul, Minn. That's right. The Canucks were booed AT THE DRAFT. Everybody hates Vancouver. Nobody respects them.

When the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate (Rockford) comes to Chicago to play the Wolves, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Allstate Arena is full of fans cheering for the visiting Ice Hogs.

The Wolves are really about family entertainment, and I'm sure moms and dads and kiddies will still be out there cheering for them. However, I think the hockey fans in this metropolitan area are going to pause before plunking down any of their hard-earned dollars to cheer for an organization affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks. That just stinks.

The Beacon-News is pleased to announce its players of the year and All-Area teams for baseball, softball and girls soccer.

Our Baseball Player of the Year is Aurora Christian junior Bobby Kuntzendorf (pictured). The lefty compiled a 9-1 record this season with a sparkling 1.26 ERA. He wasn't bad in center field or at the plate either, as his .711 slugging percentage shows.

Our Softball Player of the Year is Batavia sophomore Katie Ryan, who surprised even herself by tying a state record with 18 home runs on the season. Her .455 batting average wasn't half bad either.

Finally, our Girls Soccer Player of the Year is Kaneland senior Emily Heimerdinger, who had a brilliant four-year career. She had 33 goals and 19 assists in 24 games this year. No one else around here came close to matching those figures.

Follow the links to see the rest of our All-Area teams. Congratulations to all the local athletes who received recognition.

Baseball

Softball

Girls soccer

Following the latest White Sox debacle, an embarrassing 6-3 loss to the woeful Cubs, the South Siders are now 13-21 against sub-.500 teams this season.

Here's the sad tale of the tape:
vs. Baltimore: 1-3
vs. Cubs: 0-1
vs. Kansas City: 1-1
vs. L.A. Angels: 2-4
vs. L.A. Dodgers: 2-1
vs. Minnesota: 0-4
vs. Oakland: 6-4
vs. Toronto: 1-3
Total: 13-21

When you can't beat bad teams, you are a bad team. It's really that simple.

I was surprised Sun-Times columnist Joe Cowley called this week's Sox homestand against the Cubs and Washington Nationals a "bye week."

I agree with Cowley's point that the Cubs have nothing left to look forward to this season other than this crosstown series. The Cubs are as done as done can be for 2011. But I've been watching the Sox on a day-to-day basis for much too long to ever believe games against losing teams are automatic wins. Not with this group of players. The Sox clearly aren't as talented as we all thought they were at the start of the season.

Among all statistics, the won-loss record lies the least.

So sayeth Yahoo! Sports.

Everyone knows Dayan Viciedo is ready. Everyone. BRING. HIM. UP.

White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle forgot to throw a shutout Thursday. He forgot he was facing the second coming of Tom Seaver (yeah right!) in Minnesota right-hander Nick Blackburn.

Buehrle had the gall to give up a solo home run to Michael Cuddyer in the second inning, and that cost him a 1-0 loss to the last-place Twins. Not that we should be surprised. Like most Sox fans, I said, "Game over," the moment Cuddyer's ball cleared the fence.

The Sox always roll over and die against the Twins, even when half the Minnesota roster is on the disabled list. Then, manager Ozzie Guillen talks about how Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire "gets the most out of his players," even though Gardenhire's record is pretty similar to Cubs skipper Mike Quade's this year. I'm pretty sure Guillen took Gardy and the Twinkies out for some Dairy Queen after the game Thursday.

Here are 10 facts that show why the Sox are pretenders:

1. The Sox are 7-28 in their last 35 meetings with Minnesota.
2. The Sox are 6-11 against the "weak" AL Central this year.
3. The Sox are 38-51 against the "weak" AL Central since Opening Day 2010.
4. The Sox are a combined 1-9 against their two biggest rivals (DET, MIN) this year.
5. The Sox have scored three runs in their four games against Minnesota this year, all losses.
6. The Sox have been shut out seven times already this season.
7. The Sox have scored one run or less 15 times already this season.
8. The Sox have scored two runs or less 25 times already this season.
9. The Sox are now third in the league in GIDPs with 64. And that's third with a bullet.
10. The Sox are 33-37. Of all the stats in the world, the won-loss record lies least.

White Sox postgame show host Chris Rongey has assured all of us repeatedly that none of this is the coaching staff's fault. Guillen, Greg Walker, Joey Cora and others are all doing one helluva job. We can't fire any of them. They are all outstanding. This is the players' fault.

OK, I can see that point of view. That means it is time to start firing the players. We'll start with Juan Pierre. It's an idea we've suggested on this blog before. And why not throw Pierre overboard? He's hitting .208 in June. Forget about his overall batting average. His slugging percentage is below .300. He won't come close to duplicating his 68 stolen-base season from a year ago, and his defense in left field has been among the league's worst.

Last year, at least Pierre was a two-tool player. He stole bases and made routine plays in left field. This year, he's down to zero tools. Yet, there he is everyday, leading off and playing left field. It's asinine that the worst player on the team gets the most plate appearances of anybody on the roster. Especially when you have another option waiting for an opportunity in Triple-A.

GM Kenny Williams says Dayan Viciedo is ready. I believe him. It's time to cut Pierre and give Viciedo his shot. The Sox are getting zero production out of two of their three outfielders (Alex Rios stinks too), and they have A.J. Pierzynski batting fifth. So, that means there's a hole in the outfield and there's a hole in the No. 5 spot in the order.

I nominate Viciedo to bat fifth and play right field. Move Carlos Quentin back to left field where he belongs. Bench Rios and put Brent Lillibridge in center field. Move Alexei Ramirez to the leadoff spot, but for goodness sake, don't ask him to take pitches and work counts. That's not what he does. Drop Pierzynski down to the eight-spot where he belongs.

Here's my new lineup:
Ramirez, SS
Lillibridge, CF
Quentin, LF
Konerko, 1B
Viciedo, RF
Dunn, DH
Beckham, 2B
Pierzynski, C
Morel, 3B

What's the harm in shaking things up? Are the Sox satisfied with 33-37? Guillen is delusional if he likes the current mix. Of course, odds are he probably is delusional, so what can you do?

Coming into Wednesday night's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I felt the first goal would be huge. I wrote as much on this blog Tuesday night.

Boston got the first goal -- and it was huge. The Bruins went on to beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 and capture their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

We also stated Tuesday night that Boston netminder Tim Thomas -- not the overrated Roberto Luongo -- was the best goaltender in this series. Thomas proved that by notching a 37-save shutout and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, which goes to the MVP of the playoffs.

Patrice Bergeron -- who had his finger bitten by Vancouver goof Alexandre Burrows earlier in this series -- got that crucial first goal at 14:37 of the first period. He went on to add another goal on a partial short-handed break at 17:35 of the second period. Brad Marchand scored the other two Boston goals, including an empty-netter.

As for Luongo? Well, he joins LeBron James on the list of athletes with a questionable postseason resume. The Vancouver goaltender basically kicked two of the four Boston goals into his own net. But don't worry, Canucks fans, Luongo still has 11 years remaining on the 12-year contract he signed with you guys last offseason. Good luck with that.

Luongo isn't the only Canuck wearing the goat horns. How about the Sedin twins? Daniel and Henrik had a combined five points in the seven games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Both were -4 in the decisive Game 7. Daniel Sedin said his team was going to win Wednesday, then backtracked off those statements before the game began.

Daniel, Mark Messier you are not.

I have to say, both the NBA finals and the Stanley Cup Finals ended in satisfying fashion. Both the Miami Heat and the Vancouver Canucks got what was coming to them. It just goes to show you that arrogance and hubris rarely pay.

The Vancouver Canucks will host the Boston Bruins Wednesday in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That this series has gone seven games isn't the least bit surprising.

After all, the NHL produces more Game 7s than any of the other professional sports leagues. The Stanley Cup Finals have gone the distance in six of the past 10 years.

But the way these two teams got here is completely baffling. The Bruins have outscored the Canucks 19-8 through six games of this series. Knowing that, you'd think Boston was already holding its parade with the Cup. Not so.

The home team has won every game in this series, with the Canucks picking up three victories by 1-0, 3-2 and 1-0 margins. The Bruins, on the other hand, have rolled by scores of 8-1, 4-0 and 5-2.

So, Vancouver has won its three games by a combined score of 5-2. Boston has won its three games by a combined score of 17-3.

How do we explain this? Well, look no further than Vancouver's nutjob goalie, Roberto Luongo. Some folks actually believe this guy is the best goalie in the league. That's hysterical. He's not even the best goalie in this series -- that would be Boston's Tim Thomas.

Here's the thing about Luongo: He's just fine when he's in the cozy confines of Vancouver, playing in front of a group of fans who think he is greater than he actually is. He's stopped 95 of 97 shots in his three home games, a .979 save percentage.

On the road -- in the hostile environs of Boston -- Luongo has crapped his jammies every single time. He has a save percentage of .773, 51 saves on 66 shots. He's been pulled in two of the three games at Boston, and in the third game, he gave up eight goals. In Game 6, he gave up a Stanley Cup Finals record three goals in 3:04 in the first period. Boston added a fourth tally on backup Cory Schneider, making it four goals in 4:14.

If Game 7 were being played in Boston, there is no question in my mind the Bruins would win. None at all. But this game is being played in Vancouver, where "Bobby Lu" will have his security blankie and glass of warm milk.

The Canucks are likely to win this game for just that reason. However, the Bruins have a shot if they can get that first goal. Vancouver has only one weakness and that is its goaltender. The way to beat the Canucks is to get inside Luongo's head and make him think about it.

Score first, make the Vancouver crowd tense -- and therefore make Luongo tense. That's the recipe for victory the Bruins must follow if they hope to upset the Canucks and raise the Cup Wednesday night.

Premature celebration is all the rage down in South Beach. Nice ad, guys. Raise another banner ... for chronic narcissism and incredible stupidity.

While I was off this weekend, the Kaneland Knights won the Class 3A state baseball championship with an 11-3 win over Oak Forest Saturday at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.

In case you were wondering, the last team from The Beacon-News coverage area to capture a state baseball title was Aurora Central Catholic, which brought home the Class A championship back in 1983.

We haven't had a team accomplish anything like this in awhile. Hats off to Kaneland. Helluva run, fellas. Congratulations.

It has been a long time since a high school from The Beacon-News coverage area has played for a state championship in baseball.

In fact, it hasn't happened since 1996 when Waubonsie Valley brought home the second-place trophy. Saturday morning, the Kaneland Knights (25-10) have their shot when they take on Oak Forest (35-4) at 11 a.m.

Kaneland overcame a rocky start Friday to defeat Waterloo 8-2 in the Class 3A state semifinals at Silver Cross Field in Joliet. The Knights trailed 2-0 after three innings before erupting for four runs in the top of the fourth. They then put the game away with four more in the top of the sixth.

Ace right-hander Bobby Thorson was tough with a lead. After Kaneland went in front, he retired the next 11 men he faced. He allowed only four hits to pick up the win.

When you look at the Kaneland box score, you see that it was a team effort. First baseman Sam Komel was the biggest hitting star, going 3-for-4 with a two-run single. But everyone contributed one through nine. Literally. Every single Kaneland starter had at least one run scored or one RBI in the contest.

The Knights have now won 12 consecutive games. Remarkable, since they had a stretch where they lost six out of seven from April 29 through May 10. We'll see if they've got one more win in them tomorrow....

June 9, 2010. A day that will not soon be forgotten around here:

Last night, we talked about how Cubs left-hander Doug Davis is lucky he's still in ****ing baseball. After some more thought, I decided it might be fun to compile of list of players who are lucky to still be hanging around the league.

So, today I went through the rosters of all 30 teams and picked one guy from each franchise who is damn lucky to still be pulling an MLB paycheck. Below you'll find the fruits of my labor:

Arizona -- Aaron Heilman, the right-handed reliever was done two years ago when he was with the Cubs. He's still hanging on despite an 8.84 ERA. Somehow, he has a 4-0 record though.

Atlanta -- Scott Linebrink, the right-handed reliever hasn't been good since 2008, but he's still collecting a $5.5 million paycheck. All thanks to the White Sox.

Baltimore -- Mark Reynolds, not many guys can hit .198 one year, then come back and hit .192 the next year and still keep an everyday job. This guy is running a racket.

Boston -- Dan Wheeler, the right-handed reliever takes about 10 hours in between pitches. Given that he puts so much thought and contemplation into each offering, you would think he'd have better than a 7.31 ERA.

Cubs -- Doug Davis, the left-hander has made five starts this year and lost them all. You mean they ain't released you yet?

White Sox -- Mark Teahen, the Royals were just going to non-tender this guy during the 2009 offseason. Then, the White Sox inexplicably traded for him and gave him $4.5 million per year to warm the bench. That's the very definition of lucky to be in ****in' baseball.

Cincinnati -- Edgar Renteria, the veteran shortstop has sucked for several seasons. But he had a couple of big hits for the Giants in the postseason last year, so the Reds took a flyer on him despite limited range and a .230 average.

Colorado -- Jason Giambi, the game is a lot harder without PEDs. Giambi is hitting .227 with six homers. He lucked into a three-homer game earlier this year. He's done.

Detroit -- Ryan Raburn, the man pictured above would have been sent back to Toledo a long time ago if he didn't get to face White Sox pitching. Nine of his 44 career homers are against Chicago. So are 39 of his 176 RBIs. This .208 hitter is a bum vs. all other teams.

Florida -- Wes Helms, this crappy third baseman was the apple of Bruce Levine's eye for years. He always wanted the Sox to dump Joe Crede and trade for Helms. I think Levine should stick to talking about his beloved Cubbies. Helms is hitting .228 with no homers this year.

Houston -- Jason Michaels, the much-travelled outfielder is hitting .146 with one home run this season. That home run was off the aforementioned Cubbie, Doug Davis, so it barely counts.

Kansas City -- Vin Mazzaro, the pitcher gave up 14 runs in one game against the Indians and owns a 17.47 ERA for the season. Won't be long until this guy is selling insurance. Or practicing print journalism.

L.A. Angels -- Russell Branyan, the slugger has played for about 15 teams. And we use the term slugger loosely, since Branyan has only one home run this season. He's already been released once this year, by Arizona. Only a matter of time before Mike Scioscia comes to his senses.

L.A. Dodgers -- James Loney, my good friend and former colleague Chris Pummer loves this guy. And I say that tongue planted firmly in cheek. Chris said Loney is the Dodgers' version of Brian Anderson. I don't know. Loney is hitting. 242. Anderson could *never* get above .230. But Loney stills sucks.

Milwaukee -- Mark Kotsay, a .257 average, no home runs, a chronically-bad back. Kotsay stays in baseball because he's a "good teammate" and he "plays the game the right way." Sure, he plays the right way. He just doesn't play very well.

Minnesota -- Matt Capps, the closer for now is 8-for-13 in save opportunities this year for the Twins. He's the second coming of Joe Borowski with that mediocre fastball and flat slider. On some level, you gotta admire a guy like this for sticking around so long when he's got nothing stuff-wise. But he's still damn lucky to be in baseball.

N.Y. Mets -- Chris Capuano, the left-handed starter was a bum when he was with the Brewers. He's a bum now, too. Despite playing in a pitcher's paradise of a ballpark, he's 4-6 with a 4.86 ERA. Goes to show you can stick around for a long time if you throw the ball with your left hand.

N.Y. Yankees -- Andruw Jones, once a five-tool player with the Braves, he is now an all-or-nothing (and mostly nothing) slugger. Batting .215 with four homers in a part-time role this season.

Oakland -- Brian Fuentes, a left-handed reliever who was killing my fantasy team earlier this year. I cut him after about loss No. 5. He's 1-7 with a 4.05 ERA. I guess that ERA isn't so bad, but it's quite a trick for a reliever to have seven losses the second week of June.

Philadelphia -- Ross Gload, remember when meathead Sox fans believed "Gloadie" would be an ideal replacement at first base for Paul Konerko? "Gloadie" was going to hit 30 homers and knock in 100 if the Sox would just give him a shot. Yeah, right. He's still in the league though. Somehow.

Pittsburgh -- Brandon Wood, the long-time top prospect was given every opportunity to succeed with the Angels. He blew every single chance he got. Now, he's been exiled to Pittsburgh, where he's hitting a robust .191. Next stop for Wood? Probably the Newark Bears of the Independent League.

San Diego -- Eric Patterson, Corey's little brother is batting .165 for a bad team. I guess all that speed isn't coming in so handy, huh? I can just hear Lou Brown now, "You should hit the ball on the ground and be legging them out." Little guys who think they are power hitters tend to not last long.

San Francisco -- Aaron Rowand, the 2005 White Sox hero would be out of baseball if not for one thing: He's got a guaranteed $13.5 million coming to him this year. In addition to millions of dollars, he has The Fire and The Passion.

Seattle -- Jack Cust, the erstwhile designated hitter has only one tool -- he hits for power. Ehhh....well, he used to hit for power. Only two home runs this season to go along with that customary .225 batting average. I guess he's better than Milton Bradley. The Mariners have played better since they cut that idiot.

Tampa Bay -- Felipe Lopez, the utility man seems to play for three or four different teams every season. He's always getting traded. OK, he's only played for nine teams in 11 big-league campaigns. But every team this guy plays for can't seem to wait to get him out of their clubhouse.

Texas -- Endy Chavez, the veteran outfielder was, in fact, out of baseball last year. He somehow got back in and is hitting .400 for the Rangers. His luck will run out soon enough, I'm sure.

Toronto -- Jayson Nix, he's batting .196 for the Blue Jays. Hawk Harrelson always told us that Nix "had a lot of talent." We're still waiting to see exactly what that talent is. It certainly does not involve hitting or fielding a baseball. About the only thing Nix does worse than hit is field. Other than that, he's great.

Washington -- Rick Ankiel, it just hasn't been the same since he left the Cardinals. He's batting .197 with only one homer this year. I guess it was kind of a cute story when Ankiel failed as a pitcher, then reinvented himself as an outfielder. But the party is over now. He can't hit a lick.

I hope you enjoyed this sampling of bad players. Please feel free to add your own.

There's a famous Earl Weaver rant out there where the former Baltimore Orioles manager proclaims that Terry Crowley is "lucky he's in ****ing baseball."

I was thinking today about players who are lucky they are still in "****ing baseball," and the first name that came to mind was Cubs pitcher Doug Davis. This guy was washed-up two years ago when the Arizona Diamondbacks let him go after a 9-14 season.

Only the Cubs would employ a pitcher like Davis at this stage of his career. The erstwhile left-hander has started five games for the North Siders and he has lost all five. The latest debacle came Tuesday night, when Davis failed to make it out of the fifth inning in an 8-2 loss to Cincinnati.

In addition to an 0-5 record, Davis has a 6.38 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. That's terrible. In Tuesday's game, the Cubs used four pitchers: Davis, Rodrigo Lopez, John Grabow and Jeff Samardzija. Shouldn't these dudes be pitching for Iowa? Or somewhere in the Independent League?

No wonder the Cubs have lost eight in a row. No wonder Carlos Zambrano called the Cubs a "Triple-A" team. I don't think anybody can disagree with that.

Through the years, I've noticed most high school baseball games are lost, moreso than they are won.

One team goofs up. The other team plays solid fundamental ball and prevails. Such was the case in Kaneland's 8-3 victory over Peoria Notre Dame Monday in the Rock Island Class 3A Super-Sectional.

Knights' left-hander Drew Peters was a surprise starter, and he got the win by firing six innings of three-run ball. He only fanned three, but he didn't need to strike anybody out the way his defense was playing.

Kaneland right fielder Jake Razo (pictured) made a diving catch and doubled a guy off first. Center fielder Joe Camiliere made a spectacular catch on the warning track. Catcher Tyler Heinle picked a guy off and threw another guy out trying to steal.

That's good defensive execution. If a high school team does that, it generally wins. That's especially true when the opposition -- Notre Dame, in this case -- commits five errors and allows three unearned runs. The Knights also made the Irish pay for three walks and two hit batsmen as they scored all eight of their runs over the first four innings.

Kaneland (23-10) didn't need to do anything spectacular to win this game. It just played solid ball and let Notre Dame choke under the pressure.

With the win, the Knights advance to the Class 3A semifinals for the first time in school history. They'll play at noon on Friday against Waterloo at Silver Cross Field in Joliet. Be sure to check beaconnewsonline.com/sports for more coverage throughout the week.

A lot of people in Chicago still want quarterback Jay Cutler dead because he was unable to play through a sprained knee in the Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game last January.

I am not one of those people.

If an athlete says, "I can't play, I'm hurt," I can live with that. There is no reason for a player to go out there at less than 100 percent and perform badly due to injury. If you can't get it done, get off the field and allow a healthy teammate to take your place.

White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy is the polar opposite of Cutler. He's always tries to pitch through pain to the detriment of his team, and it drives me freakin' crazy.

The latest example of that came Sunday afternoon. Peavy retired the first nine men he faced against the Detroit Tigers, then strained his groin covering first base on a grounder to the right side of the infield during the fourth inning.

Peavy stayed in the game and promptly gave up six runs during that fourth inning -- including a grand slam to the immortal Ryan Raburn -- in a 7-3 White Sox loss. Then, he blamed the injury for his failure.

''If I had been healthy, I can promise you that wouldn't have happened,'' Peavy said. ''Today would have been a fun day to be out there and a good day for us to win a series.''

Instead, it was a rotten day because Peavy couldn't admit to himself that he was too hurt to pitch.

Hey, Jake! I don't need "fire and passion" and "Chicago tough" and all that other baloney. The object is to win games, and if you can't get it done physically, then don't stay out there and blow the game. Your teammates are on the varsity, too. If you're injured, step aside and let someone else have the ball. Sox relievers gave up only one run over five innings Sunday. I'll bet one of them could have held the Tigers to fewer than six runs during that fourth inning.

Instead, Peavy "wanted to be out there with the boys" and got his ass totally kicked. Now, he's likely headed back to the disabled list because he refuses to exercise the appropriate amount of caution.

This act is getting old. The White Sox don't need any superheroes out there. Funny thing is, when you try to be a hero, you oftentimes turn yourself into the goat.

The Kaneland Knights are the last spring sports team standing in The Beacon-News coverage area after their 6-3 victory over Marmion Saturday morning in the Rochelle Class 3A Sectional championship game.

The Knights are in uncharted territory. They had never won a regional title in school history before, let alone a sectional title. The victory advances them to Monday's super-sectional game at Augustana College in Rock Island, where they will take on Peoria Notre Dame at 5 p.m.

Bobby Thorson pitched five innings to earn Saturday's win. He also hit a two-run homer that snapped a 3-3 tie and put Kaneland ahead to stay.

As for Monday's opponent, we don't know too much about Peoria Notre Dame. Kaneland sent a couple scouts to the Irish's game on Saturday. Notre Dame beat Washington 4-1 in the Galesburg Sectional. This is the deepest the Irish have gone in the state playoffs since they lost to Aurora Central in the 1981 Class A finals. So, this will be a new experience for both clubs.

The Knights are in decent shape pitching-wise. They won't be able to throw their ace, Thorson, but No. 2 starter Kyle Davidson (5-0) will work on regular rest. Drew Peters worked two innings of relief against Marmion, but he should be available if Davidson runs into any trouble.

We'll see if Kaneland can pull this off. I don't believe we've had a team reach the state baseball finals in my eight years at The Beacon-News. Baseball hasn't been our best sport in this area recently, but the guys out in Maple Park will try to change that this upcoming week.

It is now guaranteed that one Beacon-News area baseball team will advance to the super-sectional round in the Class 3A playoffs this year.

Marmion Academy will play Kaneland in the Rochelle Sectional championship at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, and hey, somebody's gonna win and advance to next Monday's Rock Island Super-Sectional.

The Cadets punched their ticket to the sectional final with a 2-1 win over host Rochelle on Thursday afternoon. I was a little surprised this game was so close. The Hubs entered with an unimpressive 10-19 record, so I figured Marmion (21-8) would just roll over them.

Not quite.

Rochelle had runners on the corners with two outs in the top of the seventh inning before Cadets' ace Tim Tarter struck out Rochelle's Eric Duthie to escape the jam and secure the victory.

Tarter, the UIC-bound left-hander, tossed a complete-game four-hitter to improve his record to 10-0.

Marmion will use its No. 2 starter, Tyler Friel, in Saturday's matchup with Kaneland. Friel may not be unbeaten, but he's no slouch -- having limited opposing batters to a .150 batting average this season.

The Knights will throw their ace, Bobby Thorson. It will be interesting to see how Thorson responds, because he had to pitch the seventh inning in Kaneland's 7-4 win over Marian Central on Wednesday. He only threw 18 pitches to earn the save, but you never know.

Marmion catcher Kyle Kozak (pictured) delivered the go-ahead single in Thursday's win, and he had some interesting words when Jim Owczarski asked him about facing Thorson on Saturday.

"We'll be fine. We'll hit him," Kozak said. "The Daily Herald loves him. I think he's a little bit overrated. We'll come out and we'll hit him. We'll hit him."

I love it. Nothing like a little trash talk to get the juices flowing before a big game. We'll see who gets the last laugh between these two quality local teams on Saturday.

Our congratulations go out to the Kaneland baseball team on its 7-4 victory over Marian Central Catholic Wednesday at the Rochelle Class 3A Sectional.

The Knights scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning to erase a 3-1 deficit. Bobby Thorson's three-run homer was the big blow in the comeback.

But what was really amusing was the quote reporter Jim Owczarski got out of veteran Marian coach Gregg Wikierak.

"We left so many guys on base and we just didn't get the big hit," Wikierak said. "We put ourselves in a very good position to come out on top but the doors fell off in the end, whatever the saying is for that. It was kind of ugly."

The doors fell off? That reminds me of a certain commercial...

I always hate it when my door falls off like that.

When you think of the toughest places for visiting teams to win in the American League, Fenway Park in Boston comes to mind almost immediately.

Rightfully so, because the Red Sox are 225-128 at home since 2007. That will pencil out to a .637 winning percentage.

Despite those gaudy statistics, it's evident the White Sox are not the least bit intimidated. The South Siders completed a three-game sweep of Boston with a 7-4 victory Wednesday afternoon at Fenway.

Paul Konerko hit a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning and a two-run homer in the ninth to salt away the win. Brent Lillibridge added an RBI double and a solo home run to back Sox starter Gavin Floyd (6-5), who settled down to earn the victory after giving up three runs in the second inning.

With the win, the Sox have now won seven games in a row at Fenway Park dating back to 2009. They swept the Red Sox in Boston last year also. All total, the Sox are 13-2 in their last 15 games with Boston.

A lot of people believe the Red Sox are the team to beat in the American League this year. I can see why -- Boston has a loaded lineup.

But for whatever reason, the White Sox just own the Red Sox. It's one of those things in baseball you just can't explain.