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Forgotten Cubs Free Agent Signing Could Be Back Sooner Than Expected

By
Aldo Soto
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The Chicago Cubs had a lot of work to do in the offseason to re-stock their entire pitching staff and so far the results are mixed. The additions of Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek have boosted the bullpen, while Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood have been frustrating through the first two months. Yet, there’s another free agent signing that you might have forgotten about who could play a role down the stretch.

The Cubs took a chance on left-handed starter Drew Smyly, signing him to a two-year contract worth $10 million, with the expectation to see him pitch until 2019. Of course there was optimism that Smyly could return as soon as the end of the 2018 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, but that’s always been the best case scenario.

Well, it turns out there’s a better case.

Smyly threw his second live batting practice against Cubs hitters Friday at Wrigley Field and there’s even more optimism that he could come back much sooner than first expected.

Via NBC Sports Chicago.

“I’ve still got a few more live BPs, and I’ll start doing some sim games in Arizona. Hopefully by early July, somewhere right around there, I can start a rehab assignment,” Smyly said. “I’m sure it’ll be like a whole month of building up. I just need innings, I need to go compete and face some hitters, but I look forward to it. It’s going to be a fun time when I’m pitching every five days.

Smyly has been both a starting pitcher and reliever throughout his career and could easily be compared to Mike Montgomery. Smyly has a 3.97 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 85 starts, while putting up a 2.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 71 appearances out of the bullpen.

The Cubs starting rotation doesn’t really have much room for another arm, even with Darvish on the DL, Montgomery has filled in and done a great job. Tyler Chatwood has struggled with his control, but because of that you can’t picture him being relegated to the bullpen.

However, you can never have too many arms with a bullpen that has already been heavily used through the first two weeks of June. Smyly, who is capable of pitching multiple innings in relief, could be yet another weapon for Joe Maddon late in the season.

But again, let’s be cautious because getting back from Tommy John surgery isn’t easy. The signs are great, though, and if the Cubs can get anything from Smyly in 2018, then it’d be a major win for both sides.

David Nwaba Is Looking To Get Paid

By
Patrick Mooney
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A year ago today, most Bulls fans probably thought David Nwaba was a made up person.

However, he is in fact a real person, and he actually had a pretty productive year off the bench for the Bulls last season.

The 25-year-old second-year guard averaged 8 points a game on 47.8% shooting in 23.5 minutes over 70 games, 21 of which he started. He’s a restricted free agent this offseason and it doesn’t look as if he’s planning on simply taking the Bulls best offer.

While Nwaba was a pleasant surprise, especially defensively, he comes with strong limitations. He’s an undersized wing who can’t shoot at all from deep and he also doesn’t handle the ball well.

He’d be worth a short-term investment, but the Bulls would be making a mistake by giving him a Cristiano Felicio-esque long-term deal.

The tax-payer mid-level exception is $5.5M. A two-year deal at that salary plus a team option for a third year seems ideal for Nwaba. If a team gives him an offer sheet of three years at the full mid-level exception, which is $9M a year, I’d hope the Bulls tell him “Adios!”

Bears Fans Have No Idea How Deep a Coaching Tree Matt Nagy Comes From

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy

A favorite analogy in this situation would be an iceberg. Most people only see what’s on the surface. They don’t realize that most of the berg is hidden beneath the ocean waters. This fits the description of the coaching tree Matt Nagy just came from. Chicago Bears fans think they have an idea of its depth when in reality they have no clue.

By this point, the story is common knowledge. Nagy was hired as an assistant by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008. He’d just retired as a quarterback from the Arena League and was going into real estate. He took the job and since then became a protege of then-Eagles head coach Andy Reid. Nagy followed him to Kansas City, taking over as Chiefs quarterbacks coach. He soon became offensive coordinator in 2016.

Two years later he’s running the show in Chicago. He becomes the latest in a long line of former Reid assistants to get their own team. The common trend has been success. John Harbaugh and Doug Pederson have Super Bowl rings. Ron Rivera went to a Super Bowl. Brad Childress, Sean McDermott, and Leslie Frazier led their teams to the playoffs.

The amazing part is the depth of this tree only starts with Reid.

Matt Nagy comes from roots that go back much further than Andy Reid

Make no mistake. Nagy is a direct project of Reid himself. However, this overlooks the place Reid came from. How he was able to become a great coach. Many of the lessons he’s taught other coaches were passed from some pretty spectacular NFL coaching legacies. It begins with Mike Holmgren.

Most Bears fans know the name well. Holmgren turned the Green Bay Packers into a powerhouse during the 1990s, winning a Super Bowl in the process. Reid was his offensive line and quarterbacks coach from 1992 to 1998. Holmgren also produced some future stud head coaches including Jon Gruden who won a championship in 2002 with Tampa Bay.

Yet it goes even deeper than that. Holmgren was a personal project of another coach. Some may have heard of him. His name was Bill Walsh. Considered by many to be one of the greatest in NFL history, the architect of the San Francisco 49ers dynasty hired Holmgren as an assistant in 1986.

One could stop right there and be blown away. Amazingly it still goes even deeper. Walsh himself was raised into the NFL coaching ranks by Cleveland Browns patriarch Paul Brown. The seven-time champion is considered by many to still be the benchmark by which other coaches are measured.

So to review, the coaching line that Nagy comes from features two all-time greats in Brown and Walsh. A Super Bowl champion in Holmgren and of course Reid himself, who is no slouch. This should set the level of expectation for him and this Bears team just a little bit higher moving forward. It’s quite the legacy to live up to.

The Next Two Days Feel More Important Than They Should

By
Patrick Mooney
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The Cubs stole the series opener from Milwaukee last night in exhilarating fashion, climbing back into first place in the process

While watching every pitch in June like it’s do or die is as bad for your health as a candy only diet, we’re all guilty of it. Games like these are what make sports fun, wins like last night are what make sports the absolute F***ing best. Regardless of how the next two days play out, the Cubs will be at worst tied in the lost column with the Brewers. That’s a pretty cool feeling.

The reason these next two games still feel so important isn’t about the standings as much as it is about who’ll be pitching for the Cubs.

Yu Darvish is scheduled to throw a bullpen session tomorrow, but he still may be weeks away from a return. That should allow both Chatwood and Montgomery another 3-4 turns through the rotation before Darvish comes back and gives one of them the boot.

The results so far give us an easy answer. Despite Tyler Chatwood’s ERA, he’s literally walking a batter an inning. He’s walked five or more batters in eight out of his twelve starts while averaging less than five innings a start. Mike Montgomery on the other hand has allowed just two earned runs in 17.2 innings through three starts.

Throughout his career, Mike Montgomery has a lower BB%, lower WHIP and lower xFIP as a starter than as a reliever. Through 212.2 career innings as a starter, his ERA is 3.94. Combine all of those numbers with his elite groundball tendencies and you have a damn fine #5 starter.

The kicker is, there’s no bullpen for Tyler Chatwood, a guy with command issues that severe in the bullpen would be disastrous. There are no minor league options left for him, so he can’t go to Iowa to work things out. I applauded Theo for the 3 year- $38M contract given to Chatwood this offseason because all of the upside signs were there. Age, stuff, far worse numbers at home pitching in the arcade park that is Coors Field.

But so far it hasn’t been great, and the peripheral numbers suggest it will get worse before it gets better. Tyler Chatwood has the physical tools to clean up his mess and stay in the rotation, but if he keeps on walking one out of every five batters he faces while Montgomery keeps chugging out quality starts, we might be seeing a press release that reads “Tyler Chatwood to the DL with back spams” by the time Darvish is ready to return.

 

 

Cubs Are Back In First Place After Beating Brewers In Extra Innings

By
Aldo Soto
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The Milwaukee Brewers were 21-0 this season when left-handed reliever Josh Hader appeared in a game. After Monday night the Chicago Cubs made that record go to 21-1 and also jumped into first place in the Central Division with a 7-2 win in 11 innings.

It looked like another awful performance by the offense, as the Brewers had a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. Hader came in the seventh and looked great as usual striking out two. Yet, in the eighth he no longer was the invincible pitcher he has been all season long.

It started with a Ben Zobrist walk, as he pinch-hit for Jose Quintana. The key play came on a an Albert Almora Jr. fly ball to left-center. It was caught in front of the warning track and that’s when Zobrist tagged up to second. The throw was in plenty of time, but the Brewers misplayed it and Zobrist got in safely.

Then the hottest hitter in the Cubs lineup, Jason Heyward, delivered once again.

That was only the third hit Hader has allowed against a left-handed hitter this season.

The game went into extra innings and in the 11th the Cubs broke it wide open, starting with this monster home run by Anthony Rizzo.

After that the Cubs scored four more times, as Zobrist and Almora hit back-to-back RBI-singles and then Heyward smoked a two-run double to left-center field.

The Cubs are back in first place and feels so good.

Time For Bears Fans to Call Out NFL Top 100 For Trash It Is

By
Erik Lambert
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jordan howard

Look, we all know the NFL Network series “Top 100” is nothing more than filler for the offseason until actual football starts up again. It’s mindless television meant to distract us as we go through withdrawal. Yet I still can’t seem to conceal my rage at how utterly awful the program is. No, seriously. It’s complete garbage.

Is this mainly because I’m upset that it’s to #21 in the countdown and there’s still not a single Bear on it? Yes. Not ashamed to admit it. However, I have a right to voice this indignation because if anybody deserves to be on that damn list, it’s Jordan Howard. Here he is. A 23-year old who has established himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL.

He went to the Pro Bowl in 2016 as a rookie. Last year he went over 1,000 yards despite playing in what was easily the best elementary school offense I’ve ever seen. He saw more eight-man boxes last year than blades of grass on Soldier Field. What does this guy have to do to get some respect in this league?

Jordan Howard had to suffer in silence as unworthy names made the list

Look I know there will be other running backs ahead of him just because they garner more spotlight. Ezekiel Elliott. Todd Gurley. Leonard Fournette. Kareem Hunt. They either play for flashier teams or were in the playoffs last year. That’s fine. So somebody has to explain this to me. I’ll wait.

Carlos Hyde? CARLOS HYDE!? Really? On what planet does that work? Hyde had 938 yards rushing and eight touchdowns in 2017. Howard had 1,122 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. Hyde played in a top tier offense under Kyle Shanahan. Howard played in that Idiot’s Guide to Offense last year. He still outproduced Hyde on both counts. Yet Hyde gets the nods among the top 100 players in the NFL.

That’s a damn travesty.

Never mind the fact that Case Keenum ranked 51st for what amounts to one good year of production during which he was mostly carried by the best defense in football. I used to feel jealous that no Bears ever made this list and now I’m starting to realize something. Know what, NFL? Keep it. Mr. Howard don’t need no stinking list.

He’ll be glad to take your money, your rushing titles and eventually your Lombardi trophy as well. Maybe then he’ll finally get some long-overdue attention.

White Sox News & Notes, Or At Least The Stuff Worth Talking About

By
Robert Dean
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Beating Chris Sale was sweet. I don’t care how much they like to call him a “gamer,” or whatever, but straight up, that dude is a douche. The whole cutting up the jerseys thing is like one chromosome away from being that kid on YouTube who freaks out and shoves the remote up his ass.

The White Sox are better off with him in the rearview mirror, 100 MPH fastball, included. We’ve got a guy coming up named Michael Kopech.

Winning the series against the Red Sox was a moral victory, because fuck the Red Sox, that’s why. 2018 is a bizarro world, being a Yankee fan is more socially acceptable, and means you’re not a poser. Liking the Red Sox has evolved into just one long cringe.

The White Sox have mostly been dog turds this whole season. We knew that going into the entire thing. While some folks have embraced the new guys, other fans have been crybaby assholes, but I wouldn’t expect anything less.

Side note: if one more of you nerds tries to put gas on the whole “White Sox to Vegas” thing, I’ll fight you by the swings. Stop that nonsense. The White Sox aren’t leaving Chicago. They’re rebuilding the team to be competitive and finally be a franchise people support. Stop that garbage. They’re not going anywhere.

ANYHOW…

Yoan Moncada is playing as we expected. He’s well on his way to becoming a well-rounded, infielder who anchors his position, so long as he can stay focused. But, let’s be honest, how badass would you be if the hopes of one of the oldest teams in baseball resting on your back? He’s getting there. Chill out. He’s only 23. What were you like at his age? While you were still puking after too much cheap tequila after getting rejected, this kid is smashing home runs around the league.

Where the hell did Reynaldo Lopez come from? That dude is pitching like a madman. If a man was looking to make a statement with a scream and a fist pump, it’s that guy. His 2-4 record may not be exemplary, but know, Lopez is fighting to make sure his name is on the White Sox roster once they reach contender status.

Also, yeah, Dylan Covey is emerging and is looking good, but cool your jets, Twitter. The kid can deal, but let’s not dub him an All-Star just yet. Winning games is cool, though.

Remember when I said Nate Jones could be trade bait? Call me Miss Cleo because other team blogs are starting to mumble about trading for our righty reliever. I ain’t saying I got a crystal ball, but I called that one.

Look at the White Sox pulling this class act move. If this doesn’t make you a little weepy, you’re probably a monster.

Seven game homestand coming up. Let’s get some wins. I’ll be there this week. Hit me up @Robert_Dean – maybe we’ll make awkward small talk.

Andy Reid Explains Why Matt Nagy Is His Personal Favorite

By
Erik Lambert
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When it comes to grooming future head coaches in the NFL, few have been better over the past two decades than Andy Reid. Hopefully he’ll win a Super Bowl sooner or later, but if that can’t be his legacy then this should. His cast of former underlings has already done great things in the NFL. Doug Pederson just won the Super Bowl in Philadelphia. John Harbaugh did that six years ago in Baltimore. Ron Rivera went to one in 2015.

If that’s not enough reason to be excited about the arrival of Matt Nagy in Chicago, what else could be? Reid even went so far as to say Nagy was one of his favorites when the Bears made the hire, getting a little choked up. The two had been together since 2008. That year Reid, then coach of the Eagles gave Nagy a shot an assistant coach.

It was a godsend for the young man. Nagy had just retired as a quarterback in the Arena League, failing to crack the NFL. He was about to go into the business of real estate. In fact he had a job all lined up and was about to begin when a longtime friend working under Reid arrived with the opportunity.

The rest is history as they say.

Andy Reid got a chance to expand on his Nagy comments

With the minicamps all but over, there’s a long period of inactivity before training camp. This gave Andy Reid a chance to talk further about Nagy both as a coach and a person. He appeared on Monday for the McNeil & Parkins Show on 670 The Score. He offered a bit of humor at first but insisted that if Bears fans give Nagy time the payoff will be huge.

“He’s going to go undefeated this year. No, I’m joking. Listen, just be patient and I know good things will happen. We’re not in a 100-yard dash here. Give him time and you’re going to have a good football team for a long time. He’s tremendous. Listen, if it happens this year, it happens. But I guarantee you it will happen.”

It’s a fair point. Reid didn’t get off to a fast start in his first opportunity as a head coach. The Eagles improved by just a couple games, 3-13 to 5-11 with only modest improvements on offense. The next year? Philadelphia went 11-5 and made the playoffs. They would go on to make the playoffs six times in seven years including a Super Bowl berth in 2004.

The real source of Nagy’s success will be his leadership and offensive mind

Reid lauded Nagy as a leader from the outset back in January. What he didn’t have a chance to talk up was just how good an offensive mind the 39-year old is. Reid explained that he does not hand over control of his offense willingly. He has to trust the person has a complete understanding of the system before even considering it.

He didn’t hold back in his praise for the job Nagy did in Kansas City, nor the job he expects him to do in Chicago.

“Matt’s as good of an offensive mind as there is. He’s got a real good feel for it. Listen, it takes a lot for me to just turn things over like that. There’s got to be a foundation built there before I do that, and I was able to do that with (Eagles coach Doug Pederson) and Matt. I think what the fans there are going to get is a potentially explosive offense.”

Nagy took over playcalling during the 2017 season for the Chiefs. They responded with the 5th ranked offense in the NFL. Their highest ranking by far of the Reid era. Alex Smith averaged 269.5 passing yards per game, by far his career-high. Nagy kept things balanced but early on it became clear he was always looking for the big play. Kansas City tied for second in the league last year for plays of 25 yards or more at 39.

For context, the Bears were second-to-last with 13. Fans might think it will be different this year, but Reid is insisting they have no idea yet how different. They should sit back and enjoy the fireworks. The winning part? That will come, sooner or later.

BREAKING: Las Vegas 51s Secure ‘Aviators’ Domains For Potential Name Change

By
Kevin Fiddler
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The Las Vegas 51s appear to have begun making final decisions on their new moniker, no longer linking the team to unidentified flying objects or aliens. Their new name, which will coincide with a new stadium in Downtown Summerlin, looks as if it could be the Las Vegas Aviators, according to multiple reports this afternoon.

First reported by detroithockey.net along with sportslogos.net, a lawyer with the Howard Hughes Corp. — which owns the 51s franchise as well as the new ballpark — has filed for 16 domains related to the Aviators name as well as the Twitter handle, @LVAviators. The team could not confirm a decision on the name, only going on record that it is a “contender.”

“Aviators is among the names with the most submissions and we think its a contender,” Las Vegas 51s Media Relations Director Jim Gemma told Sin City Sports Mockery. “We moved to protect it in order to make sure it remained an option rather than fall prey to cyber-squatters.”

The name makes sense for Hughes Corp., as its founder — Howard Hughes — was one of the world’s most recognizable aviators. The 2004 Hughes biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio was even titled, “The Aviator.” Of the 16 domain names, the trend seems to confirm Aviators in some form or another. Some of the geographical indicators include Las Vegas Aviators, Vegas Aviators, Summerlin Aviators, Nevada Aviators and Downtown Summerlin Aviators were also reserved.

News of a potential name change came in April, with the team asking the community for its own suggestions. Names included quality suggestions like the Atomics and the Rat Pack, while many fans seemed to giggle at others, such as “Baseball McBaseball Face.” While keeping with the theme of Vegas was important, it is also a brand owned by a local corporation looking to continue building its notoriety in Downtown Summerlin.

The 51s moniker was instituted in 2001 from its original name, the Las Vegas Stars, after the team switched affiliates from the San Diego Padres to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers were not pleased with the facilities at Cashman Field, the team’s current home, and pulled out in 2008. The Toronto Blue Jays took over until 2010, when Mandalay Baseball Properties sold the team to the Summerlin Las Vegas Baseball Club LLC, a joint venture of Howard Hughes Corp. and Play Ball Owners Group.

The stadium itself broke ground this past February in the lot immediately next door to City National Arena, the practice facility for the city’s darling major league sports team, the Vegas Golden Knights. The project will cost an estimated $150 million, $90 million of which is earmarked for the stadium itself. It will join Hughes Corp’s already growing development in the Summerlin area.

While a name change and construction on a new home seem to be nearing a solution, the parent organization for the the Las Vegas 51s/Aviators in 2019 has not been decided. The New York Mets, the current parent club, announced it would be moving its triple-A franchise to Syracuse in 2019. With a new stadium in tow and a renewed faith in Las Vegas pro sports teams, it won’t be hard to find a taker.

Frontrunners for a parent club include the Oakland A’s and the Arizona Diamondbacks. There looks to be quite a bit of organizational movement this offseason, which started when questions arose whether or not the Nolan Ryan-run Round Rock Express would switch affiliates from the Texas Rangers to the Houston Astros. The Diamondbacks are already in Reno, but a shorter flight between their top minor league affiliate and Chase Field in Arizona may be a deciding factor.

Of course, Oakland seems like it’d be a good fit, considering the Las Vegas Raiders open up their first season in Sin City come 2020. The park itself could be constructed in a manner allowing for expansion, if Las Vegas were able to eventually woo a Major League team here to town. Stealing two Oakland teams in less than a decade would not make Bay Area fans very happy but, hey, they still have the Golden State Warriors.

Let’s try not to offend some Oakland-area Raiders fans. They’re still a tad salty the Raiders are leaving town again, this time for the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Whatever comes of this, the new name should garner plenty of positive reactions as it isn’t something strange, it fits with the city’s iconic aviation hero, and it has plenty of corporate partnerships written all over it. Too bad Cosmo, the Jar Jar Binks-looking Las Vegas 51s mascot, can’t come along for the ride. We definitely don’t need a mascot resembling Howard Hughes in his unfortunate final years. I think I’d settle for Launchpad McQuack instead.

REPORT: Wrigley Field Might Be Hosting A College Football Bowl Game

By
Aldo Soto
-
Wrigley Field

A couple weeks ago we found out that college football would once again return to Wrigley Field, as Northwestern will play Wisconsin at the friendly confines in 2020. Now, there’s a report that signals more college football at the corner of Clark and Addison.

According to Brett McMurphy, a college football insider who used to work at ESPN and CBS Sports, Wrigley Field is a lock to host one of the new bowl games that the NCAA has recommended to add for the 2020 season.

Via the Chicago Sun-Times.

The NCAA’s competition committee recommended the addition of three new bowl games for the 2020 season, which means there would be a record 43 bowls and 65 percent of the 130 FBS schools will make it to a bowl game.

Wrigley Field along with Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, are “near locks” to be a part of the 2020 bowl game landscape, according to McMurphy.

The Chicago bowl will pin a Big Ten team against an ACC opponent, according to McMurphy, who also reported that the Big Ten is expected to cut ties with the San Francisco Bowl after 2019.

First of all, I won’t complain about more college football in December and early January, but as time goes on getting to a bowl game means less and less. But hey, more games, more revenue for the players, right? I mean schools and the NCAA.

Anyway, here’s McMurphy’s full post.

Before you go on and complain about how having football at Wrigley Field is a disaster because of what happened between Northwestern and Illinois a few years ago, know this new detail.

Back in 2010, Northwestern and Illinois were forced to play going toward one end zone because there simply wasn’t enough room inside Wrigley Field. Tough look, but with the new renovations that problem has been solved.

Oh by the way, for that Northwestern game against Wisconsin in 2020, fans will maybe get to see the top QB in the 2017 class.

In case you missed it, the Wildcats announced the addition of Clemson transfer Hunter Johnson on Monday.

Huge get for Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern football.

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