Monday, April 13, 2026
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Eloy Jimenez Tearing It Up Tonight

By
Brad Squires
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Surely all White Sox fans are anxiously waiting for the call-up of Eloy Jimenez. It just seems this young man isn’t challenged down in the minors anymore.

The smoothness Eloy shows when he swings the bat will make him a lock to be called up very soon and Sox fans cannot wait!

3-5 with a double and two home runs is super impressive in any game. It’s just a matter of time before White Sox fans get to see it at Guaranteed Rate Field.

How the Bears Took a Page From the Bill Belichick Guide Book

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

John Fox had a simple guideline when he coached the Chicago Bears. When the weather was relatively nice outside, the team would practice outside. If it rained or snowed during the day, then the team would move indoors. The reasoning behind it was an effort to avoid major injuries brought about by field-related conditions. Sounds logical, right? The thing is it didn’t do much.

The Bears were still one of the most injured teams in the NFL during that three-year span. His protection plans did next to nothing. So would Matt Nagy continue that policy regardless? The simple answer is no. One of his first declarations up reaching Bourbonnais was that the team would experience a heavy dose of physical practices.

His reasoning is he wants to callous the players’ bodies against the rigors of an NFL season. That can’t happen without putting them through a true grind in camp. However, that’s not the only change Nagy would implement. The other came in his decision to alter their policy towards inclement weather.

Chicago Bears new practice policy has a whiff of Bill Belichick to it

When news came down that rain would be in the forecast for the first day of training camp practices, most assumed the Bears would move indoors. In a big twist, that wasn’t the case. The team moved out to the practice fields and went about their routines, often in the middle of a heavy downpour. When asked about the decision afterward, Nagy offered his reasoning.

“I think it’s important to do that. You don’t want to have that mentality where you just always try to have perfect weather,” Matt Nagy said. “That’s not realistic. Whether it’s the wind, which can be just as bad as the rain, rain, snow, I mean, we’re in Chicago, so that’s something we need to take into account. And we’re going to be playing in other bad weather areas so it comes and goes. In the summertime, you like have your first practice and have the sun, but it didn’t happen and that’s OK.”

This is a rather refreshing approach. One that doesn’t seem like the norm these days. Why do teams have those nice indoor facilities if they won’t use them? Mostly they’re there for convenience. It comes down to the given head coach in charge. It turns out that Nagy has taken a page out of the book of another prominent head coach.

None other than Bill Belichick himself.

The New England Patriots play the majority of their games each year on the east coast. This means they encounter every form of weather imaginable from blistering heat to rainstorms and fierce blizzards. If any team should have the right to an indoor facility, it’s them. Belichick won’t have any of it though. He views the weather as a poor excuse to not practice where his team will end up playing almost all their games every year.

“What mental side of it? We practice in it and whatever we practice in, I’m sure we at some point play in it. We’ve practiced in everything this year — hot, cold, windy, still, day, night, rain. Whatever it is, it is.”

It’s hard to argue with the results. The Patriots are every bit as good in bad weather games as they are in perfect weather. One can’t deny that being able to practice in those conditions prepares them well for the eventuality of playing in them. Nagy deserves major props for recognizing this benefit. Something Fox and Marc Trestman before him never quite grasped.

Despite Youth, Matt Nagy Has an Old School Stance on Practice

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy
via Rich Campbell

Matt Nagy was hired for a variety of reasons. He’s intelligent, creative and aggressive as an offensive play caller. He brings experience on how to play and coach quarterbacks. His leadership qualities and ability to motivate stand out right away. One of the biggest benefits though, at least from the standpoint of his QB Mitch Trubisky, is he’s young.

Nagy arrived in Chicago at the age of 39-years old. That makes him the youngest head coach the Bears have hired since Jim Dooley (38) back in 1968. He was promoted to replace the legendary George Halas himself. Fans can only hope Nagy’s tenure goes better. Dooley lasted just four years and went 20-36 during that stretch.

Nagy seems to have a plan on how he wants to go about this. It starts with his first training camp as head coach. The past two coaches in John Fox and Marc Trestman have run things in vastly different ways. Trestman stressed practicing at an up-tempo pace. Fox preferred a hands-off approach to give the players room to breathe.

It seems Nagy has a certain method in mind, and it may surprise some people.

Matt Nagy wants to toughen his players up through physical practices

The NFL made a somewhat controversial change to the practice designs during the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement. It limited the number of practices a team could hold, particularly in pads. Several coaches complained this was a mistake. Football is a violent game and the body can’t be expected to withstand it without being toughened up to its elements.

Since that rule change went into effect, the number of injuries across the league have spiked significantly. Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio admitted the rule is a problem and is hoping for a solution. Nagy has at least one idea in mind:  more physical practices.

“The biggest thing going into this is just keeping a pulse of the players with regards to their health, their legs, their bodies,” Nagy said. “We’re going to have a physical camp. There’s going to be some live action that goes on. The guys know that. We told them that going into the offseason and going into the summertime that it’s going to be physical. We need to callous our team a little bit.”

Considering Nagy’s youth, it’s surprising to see he carries this sort of old school mentality. Then again he was groomed by guys like Andy Reid and Doug Plank during his long climb to the top. Those guys understand how taxing the game can be on the body. Plank was a hard-hitting safety for the Bears. Reid was an offensive line guy. The body will break down quickly unless it’s allowed to grow accustomed to the physicality.

That’s what the hard practices are meant to accomplish.

In a strange way, the NFL did more harm than good with the rule change. While they limited the physicality in practices to help curb injuries, they didn’t do the same in games. Thus the injuries spiked. It was a gross oversight that needs to be addressed in the next CBA.Until then Nagy plans to prepare his players for it as best he can’t, all the while weeding out those who just aren’t built for what it will take to win.

Golden Knights Reach Trademark Agreement With U.S. Army

By
Kevin Smith
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It’s hard to believe any fans went to Vegas Golden Knights games this season expecting a parachute expedition and were shocked a hockey game broke out, but in this day in age, who knows? The U.S. Army sure did. However, any potential confusion has been nipped in the bud as the Golden Knights and the U.S. Army entered into a trademark agreement Thursday morning. 

The U.S. Army parachuters, also referred to as “Golden Knights,” and the Vegas pro hockey team Golden Knights have agreed to share the trademark for the team name, as announced by owner Bill Foley. Both “teams” have agreed to use their respective name and there will be no dispute over the name from either side. The “co-existence agreement” allows the VGK to file for trademark rights, while still allowing Army to use the “Golden Knights” moniker.

The U.S. Army had an issue with the Vegas team’s name at the beginning of the season, and some feared if they took it to court, the Vegas Golden Knights would have to change their name and logo. Basically anything with “Knight” in it would be a distant memory, just like the Atlanta Thrashers.

Foley, being the genius that he is, was able to work his magic and use his West Point-rooted Army blood to keep the name that the Las Vegas valley has grown to love. It also helps he is a graduate of West Point and is the biggest donor to its athletic program. Foley once gave a $15 million donation, and his name is on its athletic center, which opened in 2007.

“We are pleased that we have agreed to coexist regarding the use of the ‘Golden Knights’ mark and name,” Foley said in a statement.

It was no secret that when Foley was trying to decide a name for the new Las Vegas expansion team, he wanted to tie in his Army roots. There wasn’t a significant chance they would lose the trademark battle, but it would be an embarrassment if they had to change the name after the first year.

“The filing to withdraw the opposition removes the final barrier for the Golden Knights trademark application,” said Josh Gerben of Gerben Law, a trademark firm based in Washington, told ESPN. “The trademark will now register in about 60 days.”

Some fans were concerned. Some weren’t. The success the Golden Knights experienced this past season surely had to play a role in the agreement staying cordial. If the U.S. Army attacked the darling of the sports world, imagine the backlash. It’s good for all parties this deal was facilitated and everyone can move on. Perhaps even bring the U.S. Army into the VGK fold.

Maybe we could have a few airborne members join the Flying Elvises and add to the already epic Golden Knights pregame.

So breath easy, Vegas Golden Knights fans. There’s no need to throw out all that VGK swag. In fact, it’s time to head over to The Armory to snag another hat and Golden Knights puck because the logo, name, all of it, are here to stay.

 

 

Atlanta Braves Could Be An Interesting Trade Partner With The White Sox

By
Matt Enuco
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white-sox-trade-deadline-ripple-effect
The Atlanta Braves might be an interesting trade partner with the White Sox as the deadline approaches.

With the trade deadline approaching and the White Sox bottoming out in the second year of a full tear-down, trades have become scarce. What is left to deal might be untouchable in Jose Abreu, or unmarketable after a wave of injuries. Yet, there is still room for speculation.

Mark Bowman of ESPN fired the first salvo in a proposed trade with the Atlanta Braves and after close examination, the deal sounds better than expected.

What the White Sox are Getting

Max Fried, Alex Jackson and Rio Ruiz appear to be virtually irrelevant in every way until you recognize who Fried is. Fried was drafted nine spots before Lucas Giolito in the 2012 first round and was a classmate of Giolito’s at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles. And in two abbreviated seasons with the Braves he has a career 3.86 earned run average in 46 2/3 innings pitched — hardly enough to base a true conclusion off of.

Still, Fried is a power southpaw with quality secondary pitches. His curveball has ranked among the best in minor-league baseball and his changeup is currently a show-me pitch. Based on scouting reports, Fried appears to be a mid-rotation lefty, pairing well with Carlos Rodon near the top of the rotation (assuming he continues the dominant stretch he is currently on).

The best part is that he is a plug-and-play option that immediately balances the rotation. Southpaws are always valuable prospects and grabbing a player nearly polished is less risky than grabbing a lottery ticket at the bottom of the minors. Rest assured, the Braves are one of the best organizations to trade with given their track record of drafting and developing players.

The other two players are sweeteners with high upside. Jackson is a flexible player that is slated as a catcher/right fielder. Based on that profile it seems he has a strong arm, but his bat is a downright abomination. He was a former first-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2014 and he’s only 22 years old, but his career batting average is .237 with rough power numbers.

While Jackson has only reached Triple-A, Ruiz has seen time in the big leagues and seems to profile as a corner infielder. With a .199 batting average in the show in 2017, it seems he’s a defensive replacement rather than a slugging infielder. However, he has shown the ability to hit for average in minors, albeit at a .270 clip in 2018.

What the White Sox are Giving Up

This is where it begins to sting a little. Joakim Soria has been a dependable bullpen contributor with a 2.75 ERA in 36 innings pitched. He does a great job of limiting walks while demonstrating the ability to miss bats. But he isn’t the part that stings.

Matt Davidson would hurt a little bit — less from an impact on the lineup. Where Davidson will be missed is by the fanbase and curiosity on whether the White Sox would be selling low in his development.

Davidson is 27 years old and is working through his second big-league season. There’s no question he has massive power potential, but White Sox brass have to determine whether he fits into the long-term plan. Of course, if the White Sox played the Royals every day, there would be unanimous applause for Davidson given his ability to torture Royals pitching. Of the 14 home runs Davidson has hit this season, seven of them have come against the Royals. Meanwhile, he is in one prodigious power drought.

And what the White Sox give up in Davidson they can replace with Daniel Palka. Perhaps this is isn’t a one-to-one comparison, but Palka has the athleticism to help out at first base and when Avisail Garcia returns (whether he is eventually traded or not) Palka immediately becomes a bench player — similar to Davidson.

There are endless variables that could play out in several scenarios. Will the White Sox wait to see what kind of offers come on Abreu and hold Davidson as a backup plan? What if they jettison Davidson and trade Abreu later, are they positioned well enough to find someone to cover first every day? Is Palka that guy?

Who knows. Lots of things can happen in the next week and a half, but for now, given that Palka has more years of team control and similar power/contact ability, selling Davidson for a big-league ready southpaw is something to seriously consider.

Mitch Trubisky Sounded Out For Blood at First Camp Conference

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky

Mitch Trubisky was the center of attention from the moment he was drafted by the Chicago Bears. He represented the first quarterback they’d taken in the top five since way back in 1982 when they picked Jim McMahon. GM Ryan Pace made a clear statement with this that he felt the North Carolina product was equipped to carry the team out of the gutter and back into the spotlight.

Things didn’t start well. Trubisky, despite having a good training camp and strong preseason was relegated to backup behind veteran Mike Glennon. After an ugly 1-3 start, the pressure became too much and head coach John Fox finally put the rookie in. Trubisky flashed much of his potential in his first start, but it soon became clear he was working with less than ideal circumstances.

Not only was his group of wide receivers lacking in talent and banged up, but the offensive system he had to run was often basic and had little imagination. As a result, he threw just seven touchdowns to seven interceptions in 12 games. Nobody was surprised when Fox and his staff were fired after the season ended.

A lot has changed since then, and it’s becoming more and more evident that the Bears quarterback is like a rabid dog on a leash. Just waiting to be cut loose.

Mitch Trubisky is dying to show the doubters how wrong they were

Appearing at his first press conference for the 2018 Bears training camp, Trubisky seemed relaxed and confident. When he spoke, however, there seemed to be something else present. Almost a bubbling fury hidden deep beneath the surface. That would explain his answer in regards to all the negative perceptions the national media continue to have about him.

Trubisky sounds like a man hell-bent on making each and every one of them eat their words.

“I’m tired of all the doubts. I’m tired of waiting. I’m tired of the critics. I just want to play.”

This is undoubtedly spurred on by Trubisky’s knowledge of his circumstances. Not only does he have an array of new weapons at wide receiver including former Pro Bowler Allen Robinson, he also has a new head coach in Matt Nagy who understands how to see the game through the eyes of the quarterback. That alone though is not enough for Trubisky.

He’s so driven to make 2018 a success that he’s basically shut down every other facet of his social life. It’s all football all the time for him. No outside noise is permitted.

“I go Zero Dark 10 on the social media and articles.”

It’s actually a bit scary how focused he sounds. Love or hate him, Jay Cutler never once gave off that sort of vibe during his long tenure in Chicago. Bears fans aren’t sure how to react to what Trubisky is saying and doing. All they say is it sounds like he’s done everything possible to have success this year. It’s just a matter of lighting the fuse on the rocket.

Cubs Trade For Pitcher Jesse Chavez

By
Patrick Mooney
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2018 has been the year of early trades in baseball. We’re still 11 days away from the non-waiver trade deadline, yet Manny Machado, Brad Hand, Kelvin Herrera and Alex Colome have already been traded.

Now the Cubs have gotten in on the fun.

 

The move came out of nowhere, but with Brandon Morrow on the DL and all four of Steve Cishek, Carl Edwards Jr, Pedro Strop, and Justin Wilson throwing tonight with a double header on Saturday and no off days until next Monday, the Cubs could certainly use an extra arm.

The 34-year-old Chavez, a free agent at season’s end, has exactly what the Cubs need right now: a rubber arm. He’s thrown 56.1 innings in just 30 games.

He’s put up respectable numbers this season, currently boasting a 3.51 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and 8 Ks per 9 innings, but things get even better when you dig a little deeper.

The Cubs are likely to make another move or two before July comes to an end. For now, it’s exciting to see them acting quickly to improve the club

The Most Likely Explanation for the Roquan Smith Contract Impasse

By
Erik Lambert
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roquan smith

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace looked like a man who knew exactly what was coming when he and head coach Matt Nagy sat down for their first press conference of training camp. The biggest news by far was the fact that prized 1st round draft pick Roquan Smith had not reported to camp. The reason for this being a continued standoff on his rookie contract.

Pace didn’t seem perturbed by the issue. He insisted this is something that tends to happen a lot around the league. He’s not wrong. Several 1st rounders from other teams remain unsigned as well. He called the situation a process that they’re continuing to work through and he remains optimistic the deal will get done and Smith will report in the near future.

Mitch Trubisky also took a long time to sort out as well last year. He didn’t get his contract signed until the day training camp began. So it’s probably not wise to panic on the Smith situation just yet. That being said, it’s fair to ask the question. What exactly could be holding things up?

Roquan Smith impasse likely centered around money structure

The thing about NFL contracts is they’re long and complicated. What makes it even more so is they’re not all the same, even thanks to the rookie wage scale. For example, contracts for players take in the top five of the 1st round are different for those taken between #6 and #10. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explained how this impacts Smith.

“So what’s the issue? The renewed wrestling match over offset language, as one league source explained it to PFT, is more of a problem at the very top of round one. At the bottom of the top 10 (Smith was No. 8), the impasse comes more from issues like the language that voids future guaranteed money and the structure of roster bonuses paid in future years.”

In other words, Smith’s agent is trying to arrange the language of the deal in such a way that the guaranteed money and roster bonuses benefit his client the most. Pace and the Bears front office, in turn, are trying to resist giving too much ground in order to benefit the team. Pace has never shown a willingness to bend in these situations, which would explain why things continue to move slowly.

The good news is this is not something that’s likely to result in a long holdout. Smith doesn’t seem the type of player who will take such a firm stance on what is a rather modest amount of money compared to what he should be able to make on his next contract. Odds are the matter should be settled in the next few days.

Golden Knights Dominate ‘Best of Las Vegas’ Awards

By
Kevin Fiddler
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Every year, Las Vegas Weekly — a local weekly alternative newspaper — releases its “Best of Las Vegas” awards. Decided by writers and local voters alike, the awards are the recognition of the best Las Vegas has to offer. This year, the Golden Knights dominated the sports awards, winning six of the 12 honors.

The Golden Knights, along with WNBA rookie sensation and All-Star A’Ja Wilson, the Las Vegas 51s and UNLV athletics, will be honored tonight in the Las Vegas Weekly ‘Best of Las Vegas’ Awards at the Encore Beach Club. While it might not be an ESPY (after the Golden Knights were inexplicably left out despite being the year’s best sports story), the award is by locals for locals.

Also winning awards were members of the Las Vegas Lights Football Club, two prep sports winners and the Westgate Sports Book.

Given out every year by Las Vegas Weekly and Greenspun Media Group, the award recognizes the Vegas Valley’s most noteworthy food, arts and entertainment, nightlife and more.

Readers overwhelmingly chose the Golden Knights as the “Best Vegas Team,” while the Vegas icon Marc-André Fleury took home the award for “Best Vegas Athlete.” Fleury has been a local celebrity since he took over the net for the VGK. He had been spotted all over Vegas. Whether he’s walking the red carpet with (soon-to-be Las Vegas) Raiders owner Mark Davis for the premiere of Gwen Stefani’s new residency at Planet Hollywood, or sitting ringside for UFC 226, Fleury is the city’s first major league sports icon.

‘Wild Bill’ Karlsson took home the award for “Instant Star,” and there’s no question why. The Thor-like forward captured the hearts of a great deal of Golden Knights fans with his blonde locks and Swedish temperament. His hair flip gif is a thing of beauty that would make even Zoolander himself easily turn left.

Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, general manager George McPhee and Knights head coach Gerard Gallant won “Best Record-Smashing Triumvirate,” and Nate Schmidt won “Best Defensive Stopper (On Ice).” All in all, the awards are proof the Golden Knights fever has permeated throughout Sin City. If it wasn’t already obvious when you see the amount of gear fans wear around town, these awards only bolster that image.

Hell, even the Golden Knights practice facility, City National Arena, took home an very Vegas-ish award for “Best Place For Your Kids To Skate While You Drink.” Seems legit. Love to see that parking lot when open skate ends.

A surefire Rookie of the Year winner, Wilson was honored for “Best Paint Presence,” and why not? The gifted center has become the darling of the WNBA and one of the most outspoken voices on wage equality in the WNBA.

The Las Vegas 51s garnered the award for “Best Value,” UNLV football’s starting QB Armani Rogers won “Best Future Star,” Women’s basketball player Brook Johnson won “Best Court Leader,” UNLV golfer Shintaro Ban won “Best College Athlete,” local Alex Honnold won “Best Outdoor Sports Star,” and Las Vegas Lights captain Joel Adrián Huiqui won “Best Defensive Stopper (Grass).”

Local legend and Centennial girls basketball team head coach Karen Weitz netted “Best Coaching Legend” and Liberty High School swingman Julian Strawther took “Best Future Star.” Westgate Las Vegas Superbook won “Best Sports Book.”

Other non-sports categories include Best Taco Shop, Music Venue, Outdoor Escape and Cannabis Strain. Maybe next year, Sin City Mockery can snag an honor for “Most Whiskeys Consumed In One Sitting By A Sports Writing Staff.” Until then, congratulations to the winners.

Developing NFL Situation Could Greatly Impact Chicago Bears

By
Erik Lambert
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jordan howard

The Chicago Bears have no notable contract issues to worry about in the imminent future save for nose tackle Eddie Goldman and safety Adrian Amos. Neither would classify as paramount situations. It’s a rare situation for a team to be in and one they hope to remain for some time longer. However, there is something on the horizon that could develop into a serious issue.

One of the biggest contract standoffs in the NFL as of now is that between the Pittsburgh Steelers and star running back Le’Veon Bell. After failing to reach a long-term agreement last year, it was hoped the two sides could find that common ground this time. They failed. Despite receiving a five-year offer worth $70 million, Bell refused.

He contended that the Steelers were trying to pay him as a running back while it’s his belief he should be paid like an offensive weapon. Especially since he accounts for 30% of the Steelers offense. Now expectations are he’ll be a free agent in 2019. The interesting part is he likely won’t be the last case to encounter this problem.

Jordan Howard could become a big contract issue for Chicago Bears

Several star running backs are slated for big paydays in the near future. David Johnson and Todd Gurley will be up not long after Bell for their own deals. The same goes for Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott. Dan Graziano of ESPN believes teams are going to balk at paying big money to these backs, despite their obvious talent, creating some contentious contract negotiations.

“Le’Veon Bell’s situation isn’t going to be the last difficult running back contract over the next couple of years. Running back is a weird position. Because of the rookie wage scale and the relative stagnation of veteran running back salaries, a back taken in the top five or 10 picks of the draft these days instantly becomes one of the highest-paid backs in the league.

Teams aren’t getting bargains on backs taken that high the way they are with quarterbacks and pass-rushers on their rookie deals. This is why the Cowboys are going to have a problem when Elliott’s rookie deal ends.”

As of today, the highest-paid running back on a long-term deal is Devonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons. He signed a five-year deal with $41.25 million last year. That averages out to $8.25 million per season. Keep in mind that Jimmy Garoppolo, who started just seven games in his career, received a deal that will pay him $27.5 million per year by San Francisco. Julio Jones, who had less than 300 yards more and scored five fewer touchdowns than Freeman last season, is earning $14.25 million per year.

One can understand why running backs feel.

They seem a bit cheated in these money negotiations. They have to endure more physical punishment and feel they should be compensated for it. Howard is another in that group. He’s already entering Year 3 of his four-year rookie contract. He’s gone over 1,200 yards from scrimmage two-straight years with 16 touchdowns in that span. Undoubtedly the workhorse of the Bears offense.

He’s been doing that making less than $700,000 a year to this point. Anybody would like to be rewarded for such hard work with a lucrative new deal. The problem is will GM Ryan Pace be willing to even approach the likely asking price some of these other backs are or will demand? It’s hard to imagine that happening, which creates fascinating situation to watch.

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