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Jose Abreu Will Be The American League’s Starting First Baseman In The All-Star Game

By
Emmet McClain
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Jose Abreu, White Sox

This shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone who follows the White Sox, but Jose Abreu has officially been named the starting first baseman for the American League. Even with his current slump, he is still far and away the best first baseman in the A.L. So far he is slashing .259/.316/.450. All of those would actually be career lows, so it is a little ironic to see him get the start when he has been even better in years past. Even with career lows thus far, he still has 27 doubles, 50 RBI, and 12 home runs. Being asked to carry the offensive load on a young, rebuilding team is a tough assignment for any player, but Abreu has handled it perfectly and without any complaints.

The official title of All-Star starting first baseman might put a little more trade value on him, but I have made my thoughts known that the White Sox would be foolish to trade such a great player and fantastic clubhouse presence. They would have to be blown away by any offer for him.

For now, White Sox fans can take pride in knowing they will be represented in the All-Star game. If all goes according to plan, that should be a regularity for the next 8-10 years.

Cubs Have A Couple First-Timers Named As All-Star Starters

By
Aldo Soto
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Although Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo aren’t all-stars this season, it doesn’t mean the Chicago Cubs won’t be well represented at the 2018 MLB All-Star Game.

On Sunday night, Willson Contreras and Javier Baez were named to the National League all-star squad as starters.

First-time all-star appearances for Contreras and Baez.

Jon Lester was also named to his fifth all-star team.

Here’s the starting outfield for the National League All-Star team.

And the rest of the National League.

Oh and as a reminder, the winner of the All-Star Game no longer earn home-field advantage for their league in the World Series. That stupid rule was changed after 2016.

VIDEO: Joey Votto’s Boner Leads To Cubs Walk-Off Win

By
Aldo Soto
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David Bote worked a full count with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 10th inning and then drew a walk-off walk, giving the Chicago Cubs a 6-5 win and a 7-1 home stand before heading out to the west coast.

It wasn’t possible without Joey Votto’s big boner the play before.

After squandering a bases-loaded chance in the ninth, the Cubs once again put pressure on the Reds in extras, as Willson Contreras walked to start the 10th and moved to second on a wild pitch. Victor Caratini struck out and then Ian Happ was intentionally walked.

That brought up Addison Russell to the plate and what should have been the second out of the inning, turned into the Cubs having the bases loaded with one out. Why?

Well, on a routine ground ball to Votto, the Reds’ first baseman took the ball out of his glove before stepping on first base for the out, bobbled the ball and that led to a review.

Russell was correctly called safe and then Bote won it.

Joey Votto was just making sure everyone knew who he was after what happened a few days ago. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You’d be surprised to know that after the victory the Cubs improved to 51-36, just one game off their 2016 pace.

The Bulls Weren’t Ready For LeBron To Leave The East

By
Joey Gelman
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Lebron Haters letter congratulations
Surrounded by his Cavaliers teammates, Lebron James admires his Finals MVP trophy after defeating the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 last night. (Photo: Getty Images)

For the past 15 years, the Eastern Conference had the luxury of simply treading water in their sub-par playoff runs, waiting for LeBron James’ tenure in Cleveland to end. While many Eastern Conference teams made the playoffs including the Bulls, these teams would have been on the outside looking in if they played in the Western Conference. That reality announced itself over the last 8 years, with James going to every NBA Finals in that span, with the Western Conference Finals being better theater each year than the Finals themselves.


Well Eastern Conference GM’s, the day is finally here. LeBron has left and taken his talents to LA where he will join a Lakers team that will try to make a run at the Warriors, Rockets, Jazz and more. So since he’s gone are you ready to compete for a title?

This question is one the Bulls need to answer, and need to answer right now. As much as fans never give the Bulls’ front office the benefit of the doubt, they had to see this coming right? Finally, LeBron James is gone, so with that logic, the Bulls should be ready to compete in 2018 correct?

Unfortunately, they are not.

As we look at the state of the Bulls, while their future has some promise with the trio of Markkanen, Dunn and now a handsomely paid LaVine, this rebuild should not be in year two but in fact should already be in year 4, where they would be the talk of the league, alongside Boston and Philadelphia as a young and exciting contender.

Just as the Bulls were 5 years too late in signing Dwyane Wade, so too are they behind the eight ball in being ready for a post-LeBron Eastern Conference.

While Bulls fans can play the ‘coulda woulda shoulda’ game daily, there is merit to the idea that when the Bulls hired Fred Hoiberg, they should have cleaned house and started to rebuild, knowing that at 29 years old, LeBron would not be at his peak for much longer post 2018, let alone would he be staying in Cleveland for the remainder of his career, by understanding the outlook of the Cavaliers for 2018-2019 and beyond.

Knowing this, the Bulls had the ability to rid themselves of Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and more, and if they deemed necessary to rebuild, trade away Jimmy Butler, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, which they inevitably did. And if the Bulls wanted to keep Butler, they could have realized the career arc of LeBron, and built a young core to be ready to compete now, when LeBron would be out of their way.

LeBron has a home in LA and his business ventures are in LA, yet the Bulls didn’t project his potential move out of their conference after 2017-2018.

Now that the Bulls have officially committed to the rebuild the pressure begins now. But, even without LeBron, the Bulls made their path towards the top of the Eastern Conference harder because of their lack of preparation. Philadelphia and Boston began their rebuilds on the correct timeline, and now are the premier contenders to square off against the best of the West in the Finals. They both developed their own, and ‘star-hunted’ as the Sixers like to say when acquiring elite talent.

Because of these teams, the Bulls suddenly cannot just ascend to the top as they continue to grow; they now have to somehow take down the Celtics and 76ers just to reach the Finals. John, Gar, was this in your plans?

The Bulls seemed to be so out of touch with the rest of the league that by the time they deemed it necessary to rebuild for post-LeBron, two teams already beat them to it, and could be contenders for the next decade. Do you want to be the Indiana Pacers who from 1994-2004, reached the Eastern Conference Finals six out of ten seasons but could only get over the hump once (lost to Lakers in 2000 Finals) thanks to the Bulls, Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Nets and Pistons getting in their way?

Those Pacer teams were constantly chasing, and that’s what the Bulls appear to be doing right now. Could they strike gold with their young core and build towards a championship, of course they could. But history is not on the Bulls’ side.

Because the Bulls are playing catch up, they HAVE to get this rebuild right. As the Bulls enter the 2018-2019 season with eyes on the future, they must also realize they that they need to be leaders in building to contend for championships, instead of staying the status quo by simply competing in a watered-down East. They’ve done that for the last 2 decades, telling themselves playoff appearances, not championships are good enough.

The Bulls can’t just keep waiting for the best players of the Eastern Conference to jump to the West; they have to go on the offensive. And with the Bulls already missing their first portion of their contending window, they have their work cut out for them in the post-LeBron era.

Kris Bryant Puts His DL Stint Hilariously Into Perspective

By
Gus
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Rest easy Cubs fans: Kris Bryant appears to be close to returning to the team. According to multiple outlets, the star third baseman will be headed to AA Tennessee today to begin a rehab assignment for his sore left shoulder that has had him on the DL for the past fourteen games.

Bryant will more than likely join the Cubs in San Francisco as the team opens up a three-game set against the Giants starting tomorrow. Bryant hasn’t played since June 22nd and up until that point, he had a pretty solid 2018. His overall numbers were right where they historically have been but the major concern was his power numbers. Through June 22, Bryant only hit nine home runs compared to the 16 he hit through the same date last season. It’s nice to know that his left shoulder issues were the cause of that power drop and the team caught the injury when they did to avoid further damage.

He was on the field again this morning taking some BP before today’s game and from everything I’ve read, the shoulder looks much better.

This is the first time since joining the Cubs in 2015 that Bryant has gone on the disabled list and I’m blown away by the amount of fans that paint him as soft or act like he’s on the DL every other week. Mind you, these are probably the same fans who called him soft after he took a 98 mph fastball to the face so I take a lot of those comments with a grain of salt but c’mon.

He’s been one of the few constants in the Cubs lineup and some fans have taken his consistency for granted rather than appreciate just how freakishly good he is. It’s easy to take him for granted because he makes hitting a baseball look extremely easy which is the result of the endless hours he has put in throughout his career to perfecting his craft.

Now that he has been forced to step away from the game that he loves for the first time in his career, it seems to have impacted him more than you may think. He recently described his shoulder rehab as ‘boring’ and admitted that missing time with his teammates has “refueled” some of that excitement to get back on the field. He also shared that this was the longest he’s ever gone without playing baseball since he was a youngster back in Las Vegas but that “break” from baseball had nothing to do with injuries.

It had to do with Mom.

It’s unconfirmed to this point as to why a young Kris Bryant was grounded, but if I had to guess why, I’d go with the following:

  1. He did all of his AND his brother’s chores around the house.
  2. He volunteered at a local food shelter without his mom’s permission.
  3. He donated his weekly allowance to a less fortunate classmate.

In all seriousness, it’ll be good to get KB back in the Cubs lineup right before the All-Star break and get him back in the swing of things. I think it goes without saying, but Bryant’s bat is a big part of the Cubs offense and for them to continue to play good baseball in the second half, he has to get back healthy and spraying the baseball all over the field.

I know Cubs fans are excited to see him settle back into that two-hole in the lineup as we’ve become so accustomed to seeing.

Well, most Cubs fans are excited to see KB back.

Please Cubs fans, don’t be that guy.

 

Cubs Call Up New Reliever, Place Anthony Bass On DL

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Cubs made a few moves Sunday, as Kris Bryant and Brian Duensing were sent out on a rehab assignment with the Tennessee Smokies. The other big news was that the team placed right-handed relief pitcher Anthony Bass on the 10-day disabled list with an illness.

It’s a bit of a hit to the bullpen, as Bass has been surprisingly great since joining the Cubs on June 11. He’s only allowed one earned run in 14.1 innings (0.63 ERA) striking out 14 and walking one.

Hopefully he gets better and he’ll have the all-star break to recover if he still needs the extra time.

Replacing him in the bullpen is 24-year-old James Norwood. He was picked in the seventh round by the Cubs in the 2014 MLB Draft out of Saint Louis.

Norwood has a 3.84 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 201.2 innings down in the minors. His 2017 season was a roller coaster, as he pitched well at Myrtle Beach, recording a 2.31 ERA in 27 games before he was promoted to Double-A. That’s where he struggled, posting a 5.30 ERA in 14 games.

However, Norwood seemingly put the struggles behind him because to start the 2018 season, the righty was great again with a 2.48 ERA in 25 relief appearances. Two weeks ago, the Cubs promoted Norwood to Triple-A and he continued his success in Iowa.

In 5.1 innings with the Iowa Cubs, Norwood struck out eight, walked one, allowed three hits and no runs in four appearances.

Norwood pitched in one game this past spring training with the Cubs.

Why Ryan Nall Is the Spitting Image of a Six-Time Pro Bowler

By
Erik Lambert
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ryan nall

It’s never a bad sign when there’s a lively debate among Chicago Bears fans about who the best undrafted free agent the team signed is. This typically means there was more than a couple who stood out for various reasons as potential talents that can turn into something more than a training camp body. Several think LSU corner Kevin Toliver is the obvious choice. However, there is a sizable backing for Oregon State running back Ryan Nall too.

Early glances might lead to questions why. Nall’s numbers in college were decent but hardly worldbeating. Then you start to dig into the tape and you realize the young man has game. He’s big and strong, able to run through tackles and keep his feet. Then all of sudden he’ll uncork a 75 yards touchdown where he’s pulling away from defensive backs.

Guys that big shouldn’t move like that. I tried to think about where I’d seen such a rare commodity before. It took some digging but then the solution smacked me in the face. Nall mirrors the style of play in some striking ways to former six-time Pro Bowl fullback Mike Alstott. Yes, that is not a misprint.

Sure they’re not exactly the same but when pushing the numbers and the tape together, it’s impossible not to see parallels.

Mike Alstott college numbers
  • 6’1 
  • 248 lbs
  • 5.6 yards per carry
  • 11.6 yards per reception
  • Touchdown per every 17.54 touches
Ryan Nall college numbers
  • 6’2
  • 237 lbs
  • 5.8 yards per carry
  • 10.1 yards per reception
  • Touchdown per every 15.75 touches

The numbers are actually closer than one might expect. Alstott was a bit thicker coming out of Purdue but Nall isn’t that far behind and is actually taller. He also averaged more yards per carry and touchdowns per touch. Adding to this idea is what Pro Football Focus had to say about him when they were trying to convey how underrated he is. Their description of his game was almost a mirror of what Alstott was all about.

“Ryan Nall’s skillset will appeal to different styles of football minds. Old-school football guys like New York Giants general manager David Gettleman likely see a power runner who can grind out tough yards and potentially be one-half of a running back tandem when paired with a smaller, shiftier back. Young offensive-minded head coaches like the San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay likely see a fullback/H-back they can use to exploit mismatches in the passing game.”

The interesting note there is the idea of pairing Nall with a smaller, shiftier back. That’s exactly what helped make Alstott a legend in Tampa Bay. His career didn’t take off until 1997, the same year the Buccaneers drafted a young man named Warrick Dunn. Small? Yes. Shifty? Bingo. He was a nightmare trying to tackle in the open field. When paired with the thunderous Alstott, it became too much for defenses to handle.

Nall can be something like that for the Bears. Now, this is not to say he’ll have the same career as Alstott. It’s to say he offers them a skillset similar to him. If he makes the roster and Jordan Howard gets hurt, they’ll have him locked and loaded to pair with Tarik Cohen. One could venture to say the running game would barely miss a beat.

Also, remember Alstott was a second round pick. If the Bears got somebody even 75% as good as an undrafted free agent? That’s theft of the highest degree.

Cubs Send Kris Bryant Out On Rehab Assignment

By
Aldo Soto
-

Kris Bryant is getting closer to coming back, but before he officially returns to the Chicago Cubs from his shoulder injury the star third baseman will head out on a rehab assignment.

Bryant has not played since being in the lineup against the Cincinnati Reds on June 22. He missed the next two games that weekend and was then placed on the disabled list with left shoulder inflammation. The Cubs thought he’d be ready to return this past week after the 10-day period came and went, but Bryant still felt some discomfort in the middle of the week.

On Saturday, Bryant fielded ground balls at Wrigley Field and also took batting practice for the second straight day.

After being out of game action for more than two weeks, the Cubs have decided to send Bryant out on a rehab assignment.

Left-handed relief pitcher Brian Duensing will also go on a rehab assignment, joining Bryant in Tennessee with the team’s Double-A affiliate.

The Cubs haven’t set a definite timetable for Bryant.

Via the Chicago Tribune.

“We did not decide or determine how many (at-bats),” Maddon said. “I want to leave that up to him. Basically (it’s) how do you feel? Are you seeing the ball well? Does your shoulder feel good? Those kind of things.”

Bryant was off to a great start in 2018, posting a 1.023 OPS through May 19. However, during the last month it was obvious Bryant wasn’t the same and it now makes sense that his shoulder injury had something to do with it.

In the month of June, Bryant had a .706 OPS in 75 at-bats, with one home run, one triple, three doubles and six walks. You could tell Bryant was pressing, as he struck out 27 times in 84 plate appearances after striking out 25 times in 125 plate appearances in May.

Overall, Bryant has a slash line of .280/.383/.481, with nine home runs, 20 doubles, three triples and 36 RBIs in 264 plate appearances.

The Cubs have gone 7-5 since Bryant last played. They’ll be on the road against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres to finish off play before the all-star break.

The Chicago Bulls Front Office Deserves Some Credit

By
Brandon Fryer
-

The front office of the Chicago Bulls has done an impressive job so far this NBA offseason. They had two glaring needs in a frontcourt complement to Lauri Markkanen and wing help. John Paxson and Gar Forman accomplished that by drafting Wendall Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchinson. Their next job was to retain the services of Zach LaVine.

At the beginning of the negotiation process, the Bulls and LaVine were far apart on agreeing on a deal. It was reported that LaVine’s camp was looking for $20 million or more per year and the Bulls were looking at between $14 to $16 million per year. The front office of the Bulls wanted other NBA teams to set the market for LaVine since he was a restricted free agent. On Friday night, the Sacramento Kings and LaVine agreed to an offer sheet of four years, $78 million deal.

That did not scare the Bulls away, as they matched the offer within the next few hours. Some fans might start to criticize the front office for giving a player who only played 24 games, that much money. However, the deal for Zach is actually not that bad.

Analyzing The Deal

One major thing to point out about Zach LaVine’s deal that it is team-friendly to the Bulls, regarding LaVine’s injury history.

The Bulls learned from their previous injury history with Jay Williams and Derrick Rose, to name a few, that an injury clause has to be in place in order to fork up some much-guaranteed money. Since the new TV deal, the NBA salary cap has risen. This upcoming season cap is projected to be at $101.8 million.

LaVine is scheduled to make $19.5 million per year, which is less per year than the likes of Otto Porter, Serge Ibaka, Allen Crabbe, Ryan Anderson, Chandler Parson and others. The reason why Zach has the edge over those names mentioned are that they either in or past their prime and LaVine still has not reached his potential yet.

Front Office Banking On Potential

Before his injury, LaVine was a two-time NBA slam dunk champion, averaging 19 points per game, shooting 46% from the field, and 36% from the three-point line. Returning from his ACL injury with the Bulls, he averaged 16.7 points per game and dropped a season-high 35 points against his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

LaVine is still only 23-years-old and his game is not even polished yet. He is uber-athletic and one area he can work hard on and improve at is on the defensive end. The front office of the Bulls believes that LaVine is a future All-Star and one of the core pieces of this current Bulls team. If he does begin to live up to his potential, this deal could end up being a steal.

The Summer Of 2019

The Bulls now have their current young core in place with Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine. Even with LaVine’s deal, the Bulls still have enough cap space to make a run at some big name free agents in 2019.

The Bulls will be projected to have nearly $45 million next summer to throw at names like Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and more. The Bulls are in a prime position to make some noise this upcoming season and gear themselves to the top tier of the East by next season.

We’ve Learned That White Sox Right Fielder Daniel Palka Is A Fan Of 108ing

By
Matt Enuco
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Section 108 used to just be a sliver of seats behind the right-field foul pole at Guaranteed Rate Field, but now it is a verb with a growing fanbase. (photo: screenshot from Daniel Palka's twitter feed.)

So, this has become a thing. A group of diehard White Sox fans from section 108 at Guaranteed Rate Field has turned their twitter handle into a verb. What has become known as “108ing” — snapping photos of delicious brews around ballparks far and wide — is quickly becoming a social media phenomenon. And we fully endorse this behavior (responsibly of course).

Although the band of 108 brothers (and sisters) has been hidden in anonymity for years, the trend and idea has been flushed out of the gutters and into popularity.

And we can now add White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka to the 108-base.

It didn’t end there. Palka spent quite a few tweets on the subject, tossing in a few GIFs to 108ers that might have tickled their fancies.

Well, it seems Palka has quite a sense of humor. I bet he is a fun guy to throw a few back with, and when the White Sox win the World Series I wouldn’t be surprised to see Palka pull a Mike-Napoli and go shirtless at the bar. Which, quite frankly, would suck for all of the single guys at the bar.

I mean…Legend! Palka already has a cultish following in a brief period of major-league success, but winning a World Series and then racing through town sans shirt while ripping heaters would put him in another echelon of diety.

Let’s Palka, baby!

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