Where Are They Now?
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jan 26, 2006 2:45PM
Quite a few formerly high profile Chicago sports figures have sudeenly found themselves in new locations, or rumors abound that they might soon land elsewhere.
Wednesday saw Frank Thomas offically sign with the Oakland A's, agreeing to a 1-year, $500,000 deal that could earn him up to $2.6 million with performance bonuses. Chicagoist hopes to see Thomas put up some productive numbers for the A's, athough it'll be wierd to see him in gold and green. His first visit to Chicago as a visitor will be when the WHite Sox host the A's May 22-24.
Thomas wasn't the only one lining up a new gig this week. Former Bears head coach Dick Jauron was hired as head coach for the Buffalo Bills. Yeah, we don't get it either. He didn't exactly have a stellar career with the Bears and he went 1-4 as interim head coach for the Detroit Lions after Steve Mariucci got the axe. Yet Hall fo Fame former Bills coach, and now Bills GM Marv Levy thought he was the best man for the job.
Of course, he could have made an even bigger blunder and hired former Bears Offensive Coordinator Joon Shoop as coach. That'd be plain silly talk, wouldn't it? Tell that to Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders. While he hasn't yet settled on a new head coach, the fact that Shoop is mentioned for any position over waterboy makes Chicagoist think all that hair gel has affected his reasoning ability. Following his dismissal from the Bears, Shoop landed in Tampa as quarterbacks coach, the same position he filled for the Raiders this past season. He remained on staff when Norv Turner was fired and interviewed last week for the head coaching job. Hope Raiders Nation likes him. We may have bitched about his play calling--they might eat him!
Meanwhile, Sammy Sosa is also still looking for a job for 2006. He disappointed in '05 with The Orioles when he hit jusr .221 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs in 108 games. He's been talking to the Nationals about signing with them, but he wants a guaranteed major league deal and they're so far only offering a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Might we see him play in Japan next season? Has some offers on the table from a couple of teams, but then Japan's known for its fascination with oversized monsters with big heads.