Albert Almora Jr. talked his way into the lineup Saturday against the Atlanta Braves after missing a few games because of an illness and so far it’s paid off for the Chicago Cubs. Almora hit his first home run of the season in the first inning that tied things up at one.
Almora’s home run came after he made a great recovery in the top of the first inning, making a sprawling catch on a ball that was knocked down by the wind.
The Bulls’ draft position looks a lot more clear after a pair of coin tosses from Friday.
Bulls win tiebreaker drawing with Kings. Bulls slot 6th, Kings slot 7th heading into May 15 draft lottery. Both own 5.3% chance at No. 1 pick and 18.25% chance at moving into top 3.
So the pick the Bulls acquired from New Orleans for Nikola Mirotic ends up at #22. The last time the Bulls drafted in that slot, they ended up with this guy:
Bobby Portis is an above average NBA player. Probably couldn’t crack the starting lineup on a contender, but he has a lot of traits that winning teams covet. Hopefully the Bulls can capitalize once again with the #22 pick.
As far as their tiebreaker win over the Kings, the new lottery rules eliminate the Bulls from drafting 4th or 5th.If they don’t fall into the top 3, they will likely draft 6th. If a team a team that finished between 7th and 14th this season falls into the top three of the lottery, the Bulls will slide down to the 7th pick. If two teams from the 7th-14th fall in the top 3 the Bulls will end up 8th, and if all of the top three picks are from teams that finished between 7th and 14th, the Bulls will draft 9th. The odds of two or three teams from the 7th-14th range landing in the top 3 is astronomically low, so the Bulls have essentially locked up a top 7 pick.
In summary, if neither the Bulls, nor any team from Nos. 7-14, move into top-3 after May 15 draft lottery, the Bulls will draft 6th and 22nd in June.
So, there ya go. This is what 55 losses in an 82 game season has led to. It wasn’t ideal, but the Bulls still have a fighters chance of getting a top-3 pick and will draft no worse than 7th, which is the same spot that they were able to draft a player in 2017 that appears destined to be an all-star.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the most electric player in baseball, Javier Baez. He’s begun his fifth season as a member of the Chicago Cubs on a goddamn tear and currently leads the team in home runs and RBIs. He opened up 2018 at Wrigley with a bang (pun intended) and blasted four home runs in two days against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Off the field, Baez is hitting it out of the park as well. He’s expecting his first child in July and recently we learned that he’ll also be a husband in the near future.
Sierra Santos first reported the story about Baez proposing to his long time girlfriend, Irmarie Marquez, and I have to say that it’s the first thing that has ever been associated with Javier Baez that has NOT been electric.
Baez popped the question on April 4th during the team’s off day before the Cubs began their series in Milwaukee the next day. The couple went to a birthday dinner at Mastro’s to celebrate Marquez turning another year older. When they got home that night, Baez pulled the three-carat ring out as the two laid in bed.
“He acted normal, then he showed me the ring and it was then he got nervous,” said Irmarie, who was shocked.
I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed at how human Javy’s proposal was. In my head, I envisioned him sliding head first into the room and pulling the ring out of his back pocket as he tagged his now fiance on hand.
As far as the game and if it will be played, Joe Maddon believes it will get in.
Maddon: "We should be able to play today. It’s always about precipitation. It’s not about the elements." Infield currently covered as groundscrew workers using blowers in attempt to dry area in shallow left field.
The Chicago Cubs offense has been hit or miss through the first two weeks of the season and Joe Maddon is looking for some sort of spark, as he’s made one big lineup change for Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves.
The Cubs were shutout for the third time this season on Friday, losing 4-0, and dropping to 6-7 on the year. On Saturday, the Cubs have Javier Baez batting second in the order, starting in that spot for the first time since 2016, when he did it once.
Baez has hit second in his career, but 52 of his 53 starts came during his rookie season, when he made his MLB debut in August of 2014.
It may seem as a desperate move by Maddon, but it makes sense as the Cubs continue to play without Anthony Rizzo in the middle of the order.
The Cubs are facing left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb and as we know Baez is great against lefties. Baez has a career slash line of .285/.343/.497, against left-handed pitching and is 4-for-6, with a home run against Newcomb.
For the fans screaming about Albert Almora Jr., he was originally in Friday’s lineup, but was scratched because of illness. He must still not be feeling well, as he would definitely be in the lineup against a lefty.
Almora hasn’t been feeling well since the Pirates series, but did play through the illness on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 in the Cubs 13-5 win over Pittsburgh.
So, hopefully he feels better soon.
Also, Rizzo should be back Monday, when the Cubs start a series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Rizzo is currently on the disabled list because of back tightness.
One of the things that are often misunderstood about football players is how much they love the game. Most of them anyway. They live and breath it 24/7, 365 days a year. Akiem Hicks is one of those types. He doesn’t just play it on the field or watch it at home either. The Chicago Bears defensive end is also a huge player of Madden as well.
So much in fact that he enjoys challenging his teammates from time to time. This became the case for newly re-signed cornerback Prince Amukamara. The two got together for an online gaming session on April 11th. Hicks, of course, chose the Bears while Amukamara elected to go with the Atlanta Falcons. One would think the cornerback had the edge with Atlanta reaching the playoffs each of the past two years.
Hicks proceeded to inform him that was not the case. By the time the game was winding down, it was clear Amukamara hadn’t known what he’d gotten into. Amidst a 27-6 beatdown, the corner decided to depart the game early. That would prove to be a mistake.
Akiem Hicks proves he’s merciless to both teammates and opponents
Further proof that few people can match Hicks for his intensity and his competitiveness. To utterly whip your own teammate in a video game and then call him out for quitting on social media where you have thousands of followers? That’s ice cold. One can only imagine how many other members of the Bears roster he’s done this too. It would be fun to know if quarterback Mitch Trubisky is among that number. That feels like a rivalry people would pay to see.
Either way, Amukamara now knows that it’s probably best to steer clear of public appearances for a while. One can only imagine the heat he’ll get from other guys in the locker room over this.
A Los Angeles Dodgers fan was carried off on a stretcher during Friday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
The scary situation began in the top of the eighth inning, when a man wearing a Dodgers hat sitting a few rows behind home plate, started to rub his head. The Los Angeles broadcast went to commercial as the third out was made and after coming back from the break fans watching at home saw the man sitting motionless in his seat.
A woman who was with the man at the game checked for his pulse and then more fans in the section became increasingly concerned. Ballpark security arrived and moments later paramedics showed up.
The Dodgers fan was eventually carried off on a stretcher.
The Dodgers broadcast did not bring up the incident and as of this posting the team has not provided an update.
It was already discussed in a previous article whether the Dez Bryant to Bears idea held merit. Conclusions were it did. Thanks to the exit of Cam Meredith, a still healthy salary cap and more open-minded head coach in Matt Nagy it’s not something that could be dismissed. Yet one question lingers amidst this. Do the Bears even want Bryant?
That’s hard to answer. They certainly won’t say publicly. So it’s left to speculation. Bryant is not the star receiver he was from 2012 to 2014 when he was almost unstoppable. The past couple seasons have been marred by steady regression and injury. It doesn’t look like he has the same explosion he used. Not good for a receiver who was never that fast to begin with.
Even so at age 29, there’s a chance he has some gas left in the tank. Maybe if he went to a team that didn’t need him to be the #1 guy, he could rekindle some of that old magic. Chicago now qualifies in that regard after signing Allen Robinson. Yet he’s not the player who is already making a pitch for this to happen.
Danny Trevathan wants Dez Bryant to Bears
One would think an offensive player or coach would be making the first initial push for Bryant in Chicago. Instead, that honor goes to, of all people, linebacker Danny Trevathan. He took to Twitter after the Bryant news dropped and quickly hit him up to ignore other options and don the navy blue and orange.
This looked like a pipe dream at first. Bryant made it clear his first desire was to find a team within the NFC East so he’d have a chance to play the Cowboys twice. This is not the first case of a player wanting revenge for a perceived slight. Sadly for him, interest needs to be mutual in these situations. Initial feelers from the rest of the division? Not great.
More on Dez Bryant: The #Redskins, per a league source, “have not discussed [him] at all” and have no desire to explore signing him. I’m also told the #Giants are not interested – neither are the #Eagles. So Dez’s goal of remaining in the NFC East appears to be a pipe dream. https://t.co/svOW357u9W
On the one hand, this means Bryant won’t get his wish to play Dallas twice in 2018. At least not without a playoff run. On the other, this opens the door for the Bears to make a run at him if they are anywhere near as interested as Trevathan seems to be.
Fans didn’t mourn the departure of Cameron Meredith too long. The Chicago Bears signed Bennie Fowler to fill the void left by the former undrafted free agent. It seems rather fitting since Fowler too went undrafted to the Denver Broncos back in 2014. Unlike Meredith though, he never really got his chance to shine.
Meredith took advantage of injuries in 2015 and 2016 to the Bears roster to get more playing time. As a result, he thrived two years ago for 888 yards on 97 pass targets. To date, Fowler has never seen more than 56 in a season. That was last year, resulting in 350 yards and three touchdowns. Most of his career was playing a depth role behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
Former Broncos' WR Bennie Fowler is signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, per source.
Unfortunately, he may have to continue that job in Chicago behind Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel. Right now he’s in competition for the third slot on the depth chart. That’s around where he was a season ago. The good news is he’ll be in a much more open offense than the one Denver has. Maybe that can help him continue his upward career trend.
Chicago Bears signed Bennie Fowler for depth and opportunity
Common sense says Fowler is nothing more than an extra body with experience. Somebody who can stop the Bears receiving corps from being so top heavy. It in no way should deter Ryan Pace from targeting a receiver early in the draft. So what exactly are they getting in Fowler? According to someone who’s watched him for years, the equivalent of old, reliable pickup truck.
Quick scouting report from smart Broncos fan @SportsBoss: Fowler plays slot (which Bears don't have with Robinson/Gabriel), has great size, good but not potentially what he could be in RZ, does drop passes from time to time, very good blocker.
Fowler is not a burner but he’s not slow. He has enough juice to find separation and is actually quite good in the open field after the catch. He shows quality vision to find the open lanes or the open areas of coverage. His bigger 6’1″, 217-lbs frame is also a benefit. Chicago is going to run the football a lot with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. Having Fowler out there could lead to some big plays.
Bennie Fowler isn't anything fancy but he's reliable and shows underrated after-the-catch ability. He's also a solid red zone threat. #Bearspic.twitter.com/d6JEgOQRxg
Given the injury problems the Bears have had at wide receiver, adding someone like Fowler makes plenty of sense. He may not have the ceiling that Meredith did but he’s a better fit for the offense, cheaper and comes with a clean injury history. One of the most underrated aspects of an NFL player is reliability. Bennie Fowler is reliable. Anything beyond that in 2018 will be gravy for this team.
Left: Prince Harry's fiance Meghan Markle spotted with a White Sox cap on. Right: Eazy E of N.W.A appropriated the White Sox logo to hip-hop culture.
The Chicago White Sox’s logo is one of the most recognizable sports emblems around. Despite a history of revisions, the Southsiders helped drive the hip-hop fashion in the early 90’s and just this morning, a Royal (albeit an in-law to be) was spotted donning a Sox cap.
Megan Markle Spotted with a White Sox cap on. (photo credit/unkown)
British Royalty tend to be fashion cult leaders with every seam measured down to the button. Rap culture falls at the opposite end of the spectrum having risen from irreverent and revolutionary beginnings – more iconoclastic than iconic.
Shakeia Taylor of Fangraphshelps explain how the White Sox found themselves at the intersection of cross-cultural fashion.
“The relationship between baseball and hip-hop is particularly deep in Chicago. Jay-Z has his Yankees cap, but 90s rap videos were all about the White Sox fitted. It became a symbol of the culture at a time when rap was going mainstream and rappers from both coasts were gaining popularity. The design and color scheme of the cap are simple, yet timeless.”
Taylor goes on to explain the genesis of the logo from Chuck Comiskey’s (White Sox founding owner’s grandson) 1948 design that hues very close to the New York Yankees insignia. By 1975 the badge had fizzled out of favor and new White Sox owner Bill Veeck dumped the Old English logo.
Believe it or not, Jerry Reinsdorf plays a role in this story as he hired Rob Gallas in 1989 who rebranded the diagonal Old English S-O-X motif. But it wasn’t wit and wisdom alone that vaulted the White Sox to the top of hip-hop culture. The logo earned a boost from the surrounding community, Taylor writes.
“For many years, the White Sox were associated with the white ethnic working-class neighborhoods in the area surrounding Bridgeport, Comiskey’s neighborhood. In the period during which Gallas took on the task of revamping the uniforms, Chicago’s South Side had become increasingly African-American and Latino.”
While researching the White Sox’s uniform revision, Gallas picked the brain of a few designers and was tipped off that black and silver would be big hits in the 90’s. Much like the Los Angeles Raiders of that decade, the White Sox saw their apparel rocket to the top of merchandise sales.
Taylor helps explain this phenomenon:
“Sports apparel was traditionally worn by fans, but the White Sox cap became a huge part of the urban lifestyle associated with rappers of the day. In 1991, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube, members of the rap group N.W.A., wore White Sox hats, officially marking a cultural shift and cultivating newfound significance for the White Sox cap among N.W.A.’s audience.”
Yup, N.W.A, the forefathers of hip-hop spawned a cultural uprising while rocking a White Sox cap. Ice Cube sheds more light on the decision to rock a Sox cap, saying “Chicago changed their colors to black and white. It was perfect for us.”
Chance the Rapper might be the most recent artist to adopt the White Sox logo and riff off the iconic logo, but the organization has a strong history among hip-hop royalty…and the Royals.
We know you have a lot going on, but you're welcome at our ballpark any time! We've got your gear picked out! pic.twitter.com/qBCqrihvdf
