Say What?

It would be wrong of me to call sportswriters morons for several reasons, so let me just say they can be moronic when they put their minds to it.  The other day, a columnist in the Sun-Times took a look at the Bulls’ roster now that they’ve traded Jimmy Butler in a rebuild and decided “the roster is still too talented.”  Over at the Tribune, a self-proclaimed purveyor of snark says the White Sox are winning too much and thanks James Shields for doing his bit to change that.  Har-de-har-har.

These self-proclaimed general managers never say how long the losing should go on before fans can expect relief, and they really don’t have any suggestions as to who’d be a good steal in the third round.  No, they just prescribe losing now (just like they prescribed the kind of mega deals that quickly turn toxic and make rebuilds necessary).  The problem, of course, is that losing takes root and refuses to stop.  I’ve already mentioned the Pirates going through a 20-year stretch under .500, and you have to wonder if the Philadelphia 76ers want to join them.

The 76ers haven’t made the NBA playoff five years and counting, during which time they’ve posted seasons of 34, 19, 18, 10 (!!) and 28 wins.  Oh, but the draft choices, right?  I mean, look at how the 2016 draft class nearly led to a tripling of wins in just one season.  Too bad they started from a base of 10.

Rebuilding is a sign of failure, pure and simple.  The longer the rebuild, the bigger the failure it’s been.  Just ask the fans in Pittsburgh.  Or how about the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL, with their six straight losing seasons?  The Phillies have joined the 76ers with five straight losing years, and, barring a true miracle, they’re a lead-pipe cinch for number six come October.  All this losing which guarantees all this new talent, and yet the losing continues.

What do you say, oh sportswriters, other than the dumb stuff?