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New Bears Rookie Jersey Numbers and Who Wore Them Before

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears rookie jersey numbers

The Chicago Bears rookie jersey numbers for 2018 have been officially handed out. This may not seem like breaking news stuff but it’s always interesting to see which directions the players wish to go. To put it another way, which legacies are they taking on. By this point, almost every number has seen at least one good player in Chicago. There’s a reason they have more retired than any franchise in the NFL.

So yeah. A number might mean a little more in Chicago than it would elsewhere. Remember how bent out of shape people got when Jerrell Freeman decided to wear #50? It’s interesting to see if any rookies took on such a colossal challenge living up to a similar number. There were certainly some surprises.

Roquan Smith – #58

Having worn #3 at Georgia, it’s a nice twist that Smith was able to secure #58. For those math junkies out there:  8-5=3. Interestingly enough the linebacker tradition at that number is already strong. Wilber Marshall, member of the famed 1985 Bears and three-time Pro Bowler donned that digit during his run in Chicago. Not long after he left it was taken over by guard Chris Villarial who was a reliable starter for several years from 1996 to 2003.

James Daniels – #68

It’s curious why Daniels didn’t go with his college number of #78. Nobody on the current roster was occupying it. Regardless he still managed to secure a good one in #68. The most productive wearer was defensive tackle Jim Osborne way back in the 1970s. He was never a star but he was a good player for a long time, helping the team to emerge from a 14-year playoff drought. It was rather sad he retired one year before the Bears won a title.

Anthony Miller – #17

People are already getting on Anthony Miller about choosing #17. That’s because the best receiver the Bears have drafted in decades wore it in Alshon Jeffery. People are still sore about him leaving for Philadelphia. It seems Miller is aware of this and didn’t waste time addressing the situation.

Truth be told Jeffery isn’t even close to the best Bears player to wear that number though. That would be safety Richie Petitbon, four-time Pro Bowler and member of the 1963 NFL championship team.

Joel Iyiegbuniwe – #45

This number is what one might call dormant. While several players over the past couple decades have worn it for a short time, none of them did anything with the opportunity. The last man to do so was safety Gary Fencik. He was, of course, the leader of the Bears secondary in the 1980s, member of their Super Bowl team. Still beloved to this day. Joel Iyiegbuniwe certainly has a lot to live up to.

Bilal Nichols – #98

The recently departed Mitch Unrein surrenders his #98 to Nichols moving forward. Unrein was never a remarkable player but he was a solid, dependable one for three years. That has pretty much been the legacy of this jersey over the years. The best was Bryan Robinson. His claims to fame were his blocked field goal during the Walter Payton game in 1999 and being part of the 13-3 team in 2001. Good player.

Kylie Fitts – #49

Of all the Bears draft picks this year, sixth rounder Kylie Fitts is entering the most uncharted territory. It’s not a number that has produced much of anything in Bears history. The most notable player to wear it was defensive back David Tate. As a rookie in 1988 he delivered four interceptions while helping the Bears reach the NFC championship. After that? He disappeared. Not much to live up to. By that same token, there isn’t much pressure on Fitts.

Javon Wims – #83

The #83 has a fascinating history in Chicago. It’s seen great heights and spectacular lows over the years. David Terrell, one of the biggest busts in franchise history wore it. On the other hand, Willie Gault proudly donned it in the 1980s while winning a ring. Even Martellus Bennett claimed a Pro Bowl wearing it. So it’s not a cursed number by any sense, which is good news for Wims. Hopefully he can come in on the brighter side of it.

Consistency Making All The Difference In Carson Fulmer’s Performance

By
Brad Squires
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Carson Fulmer outings have been looked forward to by many White Sox fans this year. Just as Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, Fulmer is a young and talented pitcher that excites many fans going forward with operation rebuild.

Can Fulmer Hang With Elite Prospects? 

In spring training this year Fulmer struggled mightily, with Fulmer getting rocked over his five Cactus League starts. Fulmer threw 10.2 innings and allowed an 11.81ERA in those five starts. It had plenty of fans wondering what Fulmer’s future would be on the South Side. Perhaps a bullpen arm? Or could he pull it together and be a quality starter?

The Sox selected Fulmer in the first round, with the eighth overall selection in the 2015 MLB draft, hoping that he could be a strong rotational piece for the future. Fulmer made eight appearances out of the bullpen for the Sox in 2016 that showed an 8.49 ERA.

Five of his seven 2017 appearances on the South Side were starts, with the first a disaster in a start against the Minnesota Twins. The last four starts for Fulmer at the end of the season showed a lot more promise. Fulmer only allowed three runs in 17.1 innings of work. It seems once Carson is able to get into his groove and calm down he can be a quality starter.

With Consistency Comes Improvement

In 5 starts this year in the Major Leagues, Carson, has a 2-1 record with a 4.32 ERA. His last two outings have been impressive, as the 24-year-old has thrown 13.0 innings pitched allowing only 7 hits, 2 earned runs and striking out 6. Composure is the key for Carson and White Sox fans need to remember this young man is only 24.

Pitching Coach, Don Cooper said this about Carson:

“To write a guy off after a couple(of appearances), you’ve got to have a little patience. I’m not patient for a lot of things in life, but with pitching, I find myself more patient because it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. I had guys years and years ago that were not ready to give what everybody wanted them to do right from the get-go. Not everybody grabs a brass ring the first time around the merry go round. As a matter of fact, it’s the exception to the rule.”

One thing is for sure, Carson needs to show White Sox fans and management that he can keep the level of pitching he’s displayed over the last two starts up. With Giolito and Lopez already making their mark on the Major League roster, Fulmer needs to stay motivated and hungry if he plans on staying a starter in the future.

With the likes of Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, Dane Dunning and Alec Hansen, all right-handed pitchers in the top 100 prospects according to MLB.com, Fulmer has some stiff competition. Consistency and composure are what Fulmer will need to ensure he can keep his spot in the starting rotation for the White Sox.

An Old Friend Could Help Out The Blackhawks Once Again

By
John Romando
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The Blackhawks defense could be called many things this past season. Atrocious. Lackadaisical. Slow. Old.

In other words, fans of the Blackhawks believe that the current core of Blackhawks’ defenders are trash. But there is an old adage that you may or may not have heard and it goes like this: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Now I know what you’re saying: there’s no way anyone would want to trade for Brent Seabrook. Believe it or not, this actually may not be true. There is one man, who has deep ties to the Chicago Blackhawks, who is very much in the market for a veteran defenseman. That man’s name is Dale Tallon.

For those of you that don’t know, Tallon was the Blackhawks GM from 2005-2009. In many ways, he was the one responsible for the dynasty the Blackhawks became having drafted the likes of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, while also signing guys such as Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp. His history with the Blackhawks is both personal and extensive.

Why now bring up this potential Brent Seabrook trade partner? Well recently, thanks to some great work by the Sun-Sentinel’s Matthew DeFranks, Tallon made some revealing comments about the Florida Panthers season in regards to his back line:

“Probably inexperience cost us. We’re looking for that not to happen. It takes somebody with a little more experience, that’s been through the playoffs before, that maybe helps us in the last minute of a period or important situations in games and giving some confidence to our younger guys knowing that there’s somebody in the locker room that’s been through it before.”

While this may be hard to believe, Tallon’s quote perfectly describes Seabrook. For as bad as we all believe him to be at this time, Seabrook is still a three-time Stanley Cup champion who has repeatedly helped the Blackhawks in important moments throughout regular seasons and in deep Stanley Cup playoff runs.

The question now becomes: what kind of offer would it take to get Seabrook completely off the books. This is where the most crucial piece of the Tallon-Blackhawks history comes into play. Back in 2011, the Blackhawks were able to execute a great salary dump with another older defenseman by the name of Brian Campbell. At the time, Campbell was making $7.14 million a year and had five years left on his contract that included a full no-movement trade clause. It felt almost impossible for us to get rid of him. Sounding familiar yet? In 2011, we were able to trade Campbell with the Tallon-led Florida Panthers in exchange for winger Rotislav Olesz. Olesz had a cap hit of $3.125 million. If lightning were to strike twice, this would need to be the deal that gets it done:

Blackhawks receive:

W Jamie McGinn ($3.33 million cap hit)

Panthers receive:

D Brent Seabrook ($6.875 million cap hit)

69th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (Blackhawks 3rd round selection)

One thing working against the Blackhawks favor in comparison to 2011 is that Campbell was coming off of a six-goal, 22 assist year with a +/- of +28, while Seabrook is coming off of a seven-goal, 19 assist year with a +/- of -3. This is why the Hawks need to add a top 70 draft pick to Seabrook,  as a way to sweeten the deal. Also, the loss of the third would not sting as bad considering they own the Washington Capitals third round pick for this year as well.

A move like this would allow for the Blackhawks to pursue at least one of the big FAs such as John Carlson or Evander Kane. It would also allow for whoever we draft with the #8 pick, hopefully, Noah Dobson or Evan Bouchard, to immediately step into the Hawks backline and inject even more youthful energy to the veteran core we have.

ESPN’s Monday Night Football Has Its New Analyst

By
Aldo Soto
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It turns out that if you want to be a network’s lead analyst all you have to do is play for the Dallas Cowboys. According to several reports, Jason Witten is officially retiring after a 15-year career with the Cowboys and he will join ESPN to be the analyst for Monday Night Football.

Todd Archer broke the news early Thursday morning.

Witten had himself quite a career even if it was painful to watch him run during the last couple years.

So, Witten replaces Jon Gruden and is now the third ex-Cowboy to currently be the number one analyst on a network, joining Troy Aikman on Fox and Tony Romo on CBS.

Other former players that were rumored to be in the mix for the MNF job were quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.

REPORT: Cubs Could Be Looking To Trade For An Outfielder

By
Aldo Soto
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It’s been a brutal season for Ian Happ, who had so much promise coming out of spring training, getting praise from Theo Epstein and winning the leadoff job for the Chicago Cubs. A month in and the Cubs could be looking to trade for someone to take over his roster spot.

Bruce Levine is using Happ’s early-season struggles as the premise for his latest article that suggests the Cubs may be out there trying to trade for a backup outfielder. 

Happ began the season as the starting center fielder, but ever since his home run on the very first pitch of the year he’s been awful. Not only is Happ striking out 46.2% of the time, he’s been terrible in the outfield.

Albert Almora Jr. has taken over in center, while Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber have secured the other outfield playing time. Happ is still getting a start here and there, but the numbers aren’t getting better and his defense keeps regressing.

Because of that, Levine says the following.

Via 670 The Score.

A two-pronged issue may have the Cubs making a deal for a veteran outfielder in the near future.

With the continued struggles of outfielder Ian Happ, the front office may have no choice but to trade for a player who can back up all three outfield position, as the organization’s minor league depth presents few options.

As for their options on the trade market and waiver market, the Cubs would be looking to make a low-profile move by assessing extra outfielders on non-contending clubs. Outfielder Peter Bourjos was the team’s last player cut in spring training. He recently signed a minor league deal with the Braves. A player like Bourjos with speed and the ability to play all three outfield spots is what the Cubs are seeking.

“A player like Bourjos with speed and the ability to play all three outfield spots is what the Cubs are seeking.”

Hard pass. However, I guess we can go over some possibilities.

For one, there’s Peter Bourjos. He had a pretty good spring training with the Cubs, prior to being cut a few days before Opening Day. Bourjos signed with the Atlanta Braves, but was pretty bad himself, going 3-for-25 and released after playing in 18 games.

The thing is though, the Cubs could have signed him to a minor-league deal if they really wanted to because as Levine said, the Braves brought him back this week on a minor-league deal.

Anyway, there aren’t very many speedy, fifth outfielder guys available, but two of them happen to be in the AL Central and they’re both former Cubs. Both on last year’s team as a matter of fact.

So, Jon Jay is probably enjoying some BBQ in Kansas City because the baseball for the Royals has been agonizing. He’s currently batting .266 with a .347 OBP in 109 at bats. Joe Maddon really loved playing him last year, so he’d be on board if this is something the Cubs are seriously pursuing.

There’s also Leonys Martin, who played in 15 games with the Cubs last year after he was traded to Chicago by the Seattle Mariners. He’s the ideal fifth outfielder guy, who can actually play defense and can run. He currently has a .792 OPS with the Detroit Tigers.

Last year Martin also did this, which was awesome.

And for any of these guys, the Cubs aren’t going to be giving up much of anything, so that’s nothing to be worried about.

What should be a little worrisome is if the Cubs do end up making a move because that means Happ hasn’t gotten any better and was sent down to Triple-A.

How close are they to actually demoting Happ like they did with Kyle Schwarber last June? The Cubs aren’t at that stage…yet.

Via The Athletic.

If the Cubs could send Kyle Schwarber back to the minors for a breather – eight months after his legendary World Series performance – then Ian Happ shouldn’t feel untouchable.

But at this point in the season, manager Joe Maddon says the Cubs aren’t looking at Triple-A Iowa as the next stop for Happ, who’s striking out 45 percent of the time and losing at-bats to emerging center fielder Albert Almora Jr.

“I’m not even talking about that with Theo or anybody yet,” Maddon said Wednesday at Wrigley Field. “It’s my job to really incorporate him.”

We’ll see what happens, but Levine doesn’t make shit up, so the Cubs may just be looking at all their options if Happ continues to struggle.

NFL Execs Agree, Chicago’s Second Pick Was Better Than Detroit’s First

By
Erik Lambert
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james daniels

Chicago Bears 2018 draft is earning widespread praise from media everywhere. It’s felt that GM Ryan Pace may have conducted his best seven-round run to date. He filled almost every immediate need and didn’t make any “reach” picks. In prior drafts, Pace had a reputation for going big on physical talent but not so much proven production. This time around it was the complete opposite.

Most of the hype surrounds two picks in particular. The first of course is their top overall selection, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith. While not playing what many consider a premium position, the general consensus is the Bears got a stud and leader to man the middle of their front seven for the next decade.

The other is wide receiver, Anthony Miller. An ultra-productive phenom from Memphis, he’s drawn mouthwatering comparisons to names like Antonio Brown, Steve Smith and Percy Harvin. His quickness, athleticism, route running and sheer desire are hard to miss. He could end up being one of the best picks the Bears have ever had at that position.

Yet some top execs around the league think another pick is being widely overlooked.

Biggest steal of the Chicago Bears 2018 draft was James Daniels

Mike Sando of ESPN asked around the league regarding the drafts each others’ teams had. A number of GMs and executives liked what the Bears did, but their biggest praise wasn’t reserved for Smith or Miller. Instead, they took greater notice of second round pick James Daniels, the center from Iowa whom they feel went way later than he should’ve.

“Beyond the top pick, multiple evaluators said they preferred second-round Bears center James Daniels to the centers Detroit and Cincinnati selected in the first round, Frank Ragnow and Billy Price.”

Anytime the Bears are viewed to have made a better pick than Detroit, it’s a good day. Yet for their second round choice to be rated better than the Lions’ first rounder? That’s a slice of cake with sprinkles on top. Indeed it was a genuine surprise Daniels fell as far as he did. Todd McShay had him ranked as the 18th best prospect in the draft. For the Bears to get him at #39. That’s a great value.

Daniels is expected to start right away. It’s only a matter of where. Some feel he’s destined to play center but the Bears seem reluctant to move Cody Whitehair out of that spot. At least for the time being. Until then Daniels will work at left guard, something he did during his run at Iowa. So it’s not anything new to him.

Seby Zavala Is Challenging Zack Collins For White Sox Catcher Of The Future

By
Emmet McClain
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If you were to ask most White Sox fans who they think will be the man behind the plate in a few years time, they would probably say Zack Collins. And they very well could be right. After all, the White Sox did make him a Top 10 pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. Coming out of Miami, Collins was a player known for his plus power and robust OBP. The main flaw that came with him was his defense, as scouts around the league seemed to agree that he would never be a catcher in the Big Leagues. Collins seemed to take those words personally, and as a result he worked on his defense and saw it vastly improve in 2017.

In 2018, Collins got off to a horrible start behind the plate (2-37…woof) but has really turned it on since then.

While it is nice to see Collins break out of his slump the past week, another catching prospect on the Birmingham Barons has been lighting it up from the start of the season.

His name is Seby Zavala.

Wait, who?

I thought the same thing when I first started taking notice of his season. Myself, like most White Sox fans, paid attention only to Zack Collins, as it basically seemed like a lock that he would be catching for the South Side by roughly 2019.

So here’s a little scouting report on Zavala for you.

The 5’11, 215 pound 24-year-old was drafted in the 12th round by the White Sox in 2015. Currently the 21st overall prospect in the organization, his tools haven’t gotten much love from scouts.

Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45 (according to his profile on MLB.com)

Well, Zavala doesn’t seem to care much about what scouts think of his tools. Through the first month of his season down in Birmingham, he is slashing .315/.411/.616 with a 1.028 OPS. These are the type of numbers that White Sox fans were expecting Collins to have. Now, I’m not saying Collins is a bust by any means, but Zavala has definitely emerged as legit competition for Collins.

Has this just been a hot streak to start the year for Zavala, or is he someone that has just taken a little longer to bloom? That remains to be seen. Maybe one day both Collins and Zavala will be on the South Side together as a platoon catching system. Or maybe one of them will become a DH. Another good problem for Rick Hahn and Co. to have. On a championship team, talent will only get you so far. You need to have depth as well. If Zavala can keep doing what he’s been doing, then that is just another bag of riches to add to the White Sox’s treasure trove of prospects.

 

VIDEO: Mark Buehrle Enjoying His Retirement, Drinking Beer And Watching The White Sox

By
Aldo Soto
-

The Chicago White Sox played a quick two-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals and Mark Buehrle was in attendance. 

Even if you’re not a White Sox fan, how can you not like Buehrle. He pretty much accomplished everything you can as a starting pitcher, having a perfect game, no-hitter, multiple gold gloves and a World Series ring to his name. 

He got his big money in free agency after leaving the White Sox, but it’s all good. White Sox fans adore him, the media loves him and players do as well. When you think about it, Buehrle has one of the best all-around baseball lives in recent memory. 

Now, he can just go out and hunt, travel around in his RV, drink more beer and watch some baseball like he did Tuesday night.

But even he can’t stay off his phone at the ballpark.

It’s Pretty Obvious What The Cubs Should Do To Get Yu Darvish On Track

By
Aldo Soto
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There’s no hiding it. Yu Darvish hasn’t been very good through his first six starts with the Chicago Cubs. On Wednesday he couldn’t get through the fifth inning for the fourth time already this year. If only Darvish could pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers every time. Anyway, it’s pretty obvious what the Cubs should do to get Darvish back on track.

It doesn’t matter how you or anyone else views it. They’ve done it before with Jon Lester having his personal catcher in David Ross. I was shocked when the Cubs decided to start the season with Victor Caratini as the backup catcher instead of the veteran Chris Gimenez.

Well, it’s time to make that switch for Darvish. It’s apparent that he and Willson Contreras just aren’t in sync during games. Gimenez is not only a close friend to Darvish, but he’s also the pitcher’s favorite catcher going back to their Texas Rangers days.

Right now it doesn’t matter if Caratini gets buried in Triple-A. The Cubs have to do everything possible to get Darvish back to normal.

Make him comfortable. If the Cubs did it for Lester, then they can do it for Darvish. Plus, having a veteran like Gimenez in the dugout could help Contreras out too, as he still has to polish things up behind the plate.

And no, Gimenez isn’t magically going to make Darvish good again, but the idea is he can help. Darvish’s command has been bad the whole year and that has to change to get back in the right direction.

Is it ideal to sit on May 2, demanding Chris Gimenez to be called up? No, but it’s an easy move the Cubs can make and really what’s the argument against it? Taking playing time away from Caratini? He was barely playing anyway and the only reason he’s played as much as he has is because Anthony Rizzo was out for 10 days.

Bring up Gimenez, Get it done.

Shane Ray’s Path To Chicago Just Got A Huge Boost

By
Chris Burhans
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Shane Ray was selected with the 23rd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Since then, he’s recorded 84 tackles, 13 sacks, one pass deflection and one forced fumble. Considering Ray has only started 15 total games, that stat line is pretty impressive.

Whether you’re impressed or not, recent news out of Denver indicates that the Broncos have decided to decline Ray’s fifth-year option. Reasons for this are associated with Shaq Barrett, an emerging young pass rusher for Denver, and the presence of Von Miller. Combine that reasoning with Bradley Chubb, Denver’s 2018 first round selection, and Ray quickly becomes the odd man out. There are other rumors of off-the-field concerns and locker room attitude, but the main reasoning Denver declined Ray’s option is because they won’t be able to afford him and the other defensive stars they already have.

Enter Chicago.

The Bears have a glaring hole in their depth chart and it’s clearly edge rusher. Chicago hasn’t had a player with double digit sacks since 2014 and they recently lost Pernell McPhee, Willie Young and Lamarr Houston making the position extremely thin. Players like Leonard Floyd, Aaron Lynch and Kyle Fits could help out, but potential is the stumbling block – none of these guys are proven.

Back to Ray. He’s only 24 years-old, will likely enter the prime of his career during his next contract and could be available to Chicago now for the right price. Should Ryan Pace look to unload a 2019 third-round pick to land him? Don’t answer that just yet.

If you remember, back in 2015 many people thought Chicago would be the team to draft Ray. There were SEVERAL mock drafts with the Bears pegged to take Ray with the seventh overall pick. Here’s an in-depth article Bleacher Report did analyzing how “intriguing” Ray’s fit in Chicago was, at the time.

Unfortunately, things turned out different. The Bears drafted Kevin White and Ray fell all the way to #23 for the Broncos. Some attribute this to his pre-draft association with marijuana because he was picked up for possession just days before the event. The fall wasn’t an indication of his talent level on the field.

It has been rumored for a few months now that Denver wants to trade Ray. It would make sense if they declined his fifth-year option, trading him gets them something in return before he hits free agency (other than the compensatory pick). However, negotiating that trade is tricky because most new teams will want to nail down an extension with Ray to avoid “renting” him until the 2019 free agency period. These moving pieces make the deal slightly harder and make the destination that much more important in the long-term for Ray.

The average age of a player on the Bears is 25.3 years old, roughly the age of Ray at the start of next season. Chicago has a young franchise quarterback, a brand new head coach already making waves around the league and a young defense still coming together to contribute years of future dominance. Add Ray in with Leonard Floyd, Roquan Smith, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson and Akiem Hicks and Chicago’s defense just took another gigantic step toward relevance. These reasons, among others, make the Bears a perfect destination for Ray’s next contract.

In a recent interview, following the NFL Draft, Pace indicated “he wouldn’t rule out” trading for a defensive end / outside linebacker or re-signing Willie Young / Lamarr Houston to fill the gigantic need. If he can trade a 3rd round pick to get a promising young pass rusher, about to enter his prime, Pace could have this team in a position to compete for a playoff spot next season.

If Chicago limps into the season, and doesn’t address the need at defensive end / edge, you mine as well start mocking all the top outside linebackers to the Bears for the 2019 Draft now.

With the sixth most cap space in football, they can surely afford to acquire Ray. Did we mention there’s a discounted 7th rounder playing left tackle?

Tick tock Mr. Pace, put the final stamp on this tremendous off-season by grabbing Shane Ray … like right now. It could be the difference between immediate playoff relevance and another year of waiting for Chicago fans.

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