Through four starts, Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks is getting tattooed like a drunken sailor. Look no further than the cartoonish ERA — 12.71 — of the last member of the 2016 World Series team who’s still around.
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the site formerly known as Twitter, we asked if it’s time for “the Professor” to be pulled from the rotation.
“It’s time for ‘the phantom’ to appear,” @KurtisArndt commented. “If Kyle’s next start goes south, he’ll suddenly have an issue that allows for an injured-list stint and rehab assignment.”
But @hollyplus5 was more patient, writing, “Wait ’til next year.”
Next, we asked voters if they wish former White Sox star Tim Anderson — now with the Marlins — were still on the South Side.
“No,” @DeyoSahler offered. “He’s playing bad — I suppose he’d fit in — but still.”
“He deserved better than the Sox,” was @ChiTownSports’ take.
Last, we asked how certain you are that Caleb Williams is the best quarterback in next week’s NFL draft. Might he actually be a sure thing?
“Even a blind squirrel gets a nut every 100 years,” @Jmcdonnell1962 enthused.
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks is 0-2 with a 12.71 ERA. Is it time to pull him from the rotation?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Saturday’s paper.
Q1: Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks is 0-2 with a 12.71 ERA. Is it time to pull him from the rotation?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) April 18, 2024
Upshot: Hendricks seems almost certain to get another couple of looks, but don’t expect it to be allowed to go on like this for long. There are only so many 88 mph fastballs one can watch fly over the outfield fence before all reasonable hope is lost.
Poll No. 2: Former White Sox star Tim Anderson is at Wrigley Field this week with his new team, the Marlins. Do you wish the Sox had kept him?
Q2: Former White Sox star Tim Anderson is at Wrigley Field this weekend with his new team, the Marlins. Do you wish the Sox had kept him?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) April 18, 2024
Upshot: Anderson hasn’t hit any better for his new team than he did for his old one in 2023. It’s probably just as well he’s figuring things out someplace else.
Poll No. 3: How certain are you that Caleb Williams is the best quarterback in next week’s draft?
Q3: How certain are you that Caleb Williams is the best quarterback in next week’s NFL draft?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) April 18, 2024
Upshot: The reality is, none of us is truly certain at all about how things will shake out with this QB class. Believe it or not, not all the best QBs through the years have gone No. 1 overall. As a matter of fact, there once was a skinny kid from Michigan taken in the sixth round by the Patriots … what, you already knew about that one? Fine, never mind.