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White Sox Check In On Yelich

By
Matt Enuco
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Christian Yelich is the object of desire for the White Sox.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America via Zimbio

It’s official. The White Sox have checked in on Christian Yelich. As rookie general manager Derek Jeter guts the Marlins major-league roster, Yelich is the lone player left from a roster that underachieved.

That Rick Hahn has checked in on Yelich is not surprising. With a deep reservoir of talent and versatility, the young outfield is a desirable trade chip. And at first blush, the Marlins might be willing to take a small return considering the deals they’ve brokered for Dee Gorden, Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna.

Stanton was a salary dump, Gordon wasn’t overwhelmingly valuable on the trade market and Ozuna fetched a solid return. In fact, besides Yelich, Ozuna might be the most profitable return the Marlins gather this season.

Let’s put it bluntly: The White Sox want Yelich if they can swipe him at their price. He just signed a seven-year extension worth approximately $49.5 million with a club option for 2022. The most he could earn is $15 million in the final year of his contract and he is squarely within the winning window for the South Siders. But this is precisely why the Marlins want to hold onto him and will raise the price in any deal for the youngsters.

The White Sox could wait it out but it seems likely that if Jeter wanted to dump Yelich he would do it soon, and it might be a savvy move on his part given Yelich’s cryptic messages after each trade.

After Stanton was traded and it became obvious the Marlins were in a scorch-the-earth firesale Yelich tweeted…

No one wants to be the veteran player on a team embarking on a new rebuild and Yelich is no different. But it doesn’t seem likely the White Sox would overpay for Yelich now and he probably won’t be available in the future.

Don’t Underestimate the Fallout of a Chicago Bears Loss to Cleveland

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

Sure John Fox is gone. Everybody can pretty much guess that. The guy is 13-33 with two games left in his third season. Too many times he’s mismanaged games for one reason or another. There’s no denying he finds a way to get his team to play hard, but too often they don’t play smart and that’s been his downfall with the Chicago Bears.

So here things stand. They are 4-10, out of the playoffs for the seventh-straight season and hurtling towards a great unknown. All fans have to cling to at this point is the prospects of an exciting young roster led by quarterback Mitch Trubisky and a developing defense. The man who built this foundation, GM Ryan Pace, appears to have the green light to go after another coach.

The problem is he isn’t in the clear yet either. Most would like to pass off the final two games as meaningless. That’s certainly true from a postseason standpoint. However, people cannot overlook this upcoming matchup with the Browns. More may be riding on it than people realize.

Chicago Bears failures fall at feet of Ryan Pace too

To this point it’s fair to say Pace has done his job fairly well for the Bears. He’s drafted good players, especially over the past two years. Sure he’s made some mistakes but it’s clear he’s grown. At the same time there is an inescapable reality to this situation. The Bears are still 13-33. He’s the general manager. That record is as much his to bear as it is Fox’s. He drafted Kevin White. He signed Mike Glennon and Markus Wheaton.

Pace may have the edge over Fox for safety, but the margin is not as wide as people think. So try to imagine what happens if this Bears team falls to the 0-14 Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field. Just think about it. Falling to a team that has one victory since the start of the 2016 season. The humiliation would know no bounds, and everybody knows the Bears ownership doesn’t like being humiliated.

Don’t forget the last time George McCaskey made a significant change to his team, he fired both the head coach and the GM. He may have promised to be patient when Pace took over, but enduring the most difficult stretch arguably in Bears history might be just too much. Suffice to say Pace better hope Trubisky can deliver on his declaration they won’t be the team that falls to Cleveland.

John Fox Faces an Eerie Situation Going Into the Browns Game

By
Erik Lambert
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john fox
Credit: USA Today

People still aren’t certain whether or not the Chicago Bears will ultimately fire John Fox. Despite the prospect of him not finishing any better than 6-10, there is a prevailing concern he will find a way to compel ownership to let him have the last year of his contract. Of course this is one of the nightmare scenarios for fans who have long since had enough of the Fox Era.

What will it take to be assured that he’s 100% not coming back? Well in this case one must merely look at recent history. Fox is of course connected to fellow coach Mike McCoy. The two spent years together in Carolina and Denver. McCoy eventually became head coach of the San Diego Chargers. He had a brief good run but began to struggle after the first couple seasons.

The 2016 season was his final stand. It looked like he just might rescue his job with a strong run leading into and out of the bye week. Then a series of heartrendingly narrow defeats did him in, and most agree it was the loss to the 0-14 Cleveland Browns on Christmas Eve that put the final nail in the coffin.

John Fox is facing the exact same situation as McCoy last year

This is where the creep factor dials up. Fast forward to this week and it’s literally the same setup. It will be Christmas Eve against the 0-14 Browns. Fox is 0-7 in games where the Bears are favored to win too. Just in case the initial picture wasn’t horrifying enough. The last time these two teams met in preseason Chicago was soundly beaten and Mitch Trubisky struggled mightily. This matchup may be under real conditions, but it’s just as meaningless.

This is the quintessential lose-lose situation for the Bears. If they win nobody care because they were supposed to. If they lose it’s one of the biggest embarrassments of the 2017 season and in recent franchise history. If the Packers and Eagles losses were bad, this would be the final kick to the groin. The setup is almost too perfect.

Not that anybody would be surprised by this point.

Super Bowl Champ Exec Thinks the Bears Got Their Guy in Mitch Trubisky

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky

Mitch Trubisky is the focal point of the Chicago Bears looking towards 2018. For the first time in years there is a growing sense that the franchise has something worth building around. It’s a question of whether they can do it without blowing their opportunity as they’ve done in the past few attempts.

GM Ryan Pace threw his lot in with Trubisky when he traded up from #3 to #2 to get him, a move that stirred a lot of controversy at the time. It means a lot when somebody is willing to bet his job on a single shake of the dice like that. So is Pace onto something? That depends on who you ask, but at least one man sees hope.

Former scout and Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandy remains one of the most respected talent evaluators in the NFL media today. He’s seen his fair share of great quarterbacks over the years including Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. So his assessment of Trubisky might be worth hearing. Though he doesn’t see the Bears QB in the same class as other young guns in the league to this point, he does believe there’s plenty of potential.

Gil Brandt isn’t ready to go all-in on Mitch Trubisky but sees possibility

 

“Trubisky, 23, is athletic and has a quick release. I don’t think he’ll be the kind of quarterback who can carry a team to the Super Bowl by himself, but he should be able to get you to the playoffs. I have some concern about his field presence, but he throws with good velocity and has above-average speed. The bottom line is, he’s won three games with a Bears team that basically has no pass-catchers to speak of. Trubisky is an ascending player whose best football is ahead of him.”

Brandt ranked Trubisky as the ninth-best young quarterback for a team to build around just below Jameis Winston. People shouldn’t be scared away by the comment regarding his being able to carry a team or not. The fact is that’s impossible to answer for three reasons. Trubisky is a rookie, he has no legitimate receiving weapons and his offensive coaching to this point has been Grade C at best.

Until those factors change, it may not be wise to say Trubisky can or can’t carry a team. Nobody thought Tom Brady could carry a team when he first started out either. The point her is the Bears have themselves what at least could be a good quarterback with the potential for a great one.

Surprising Chicago Bears Defender Viewed as a Top Pro Bowl Snub

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

The Chicago Bears didn’t get any main Pro Bowl nods again in 2017, but they did manage to lock up four alternates. Akiem Hicks, Jordan Howard, Kyle Long and Tarik Cohen hold those honors. It’s a small consolation for what has been another difficult year but it’s also a sign that this team could be headed in the right direction.

At the same time some people are upset that certain other players didn’t get proper recognition for their efforts. Kyle Fuller has turned in by far the best season of his career, going toe to toe with some of the best receiver in the game and rarely giving up anything. Danny Trevathan has missed four games but still has almost 80 tackles with two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Rookie safety Eddie Jackson might be the biggest. He’s been tremendous for the team this year with 55 tackles, two interceptions, three recovered fumbles, a forced fumble and two defensive touchdowns. However, there may be another name that isn’t getting the recognition he deserves.

Adrian Amos is the Bears defender who needs more love

It’s so easy to forget about Adrian Amos. He didn’t even begin the 2017 season as the Bears starting safety. Only after Quintin Demps went down did he get the chance. Now he’s been absent the past couple games due to a hamstring issue. Even so Pro Football Focus listed him as one of their biggest Pro Bowl snubs.

 

Do they have an argument? As it turns out they might. Amos only played 11 games to this point. He has 54 tackles with an interception, two forced fumbles, a recovered fumbles and a defensive touchdown. Those are solid numbers considering the time he’s missed. While it’s not enough to get him Pro Bowl recognition, it could be enough to secure him a long-term contract.

Demps went down on Injured Reserve earlier in the year. He’ll also be 33-years old in 2018. Having Amos step up and play so well could convince the Bears to move forward with him starting next to Jackson. It would be quite the comeback story after getting benched this year.

Yu Darvish Shits On Rumor That He’s Agreed To Deal With Cubs, Rumor Turns Out To Be Wrong

By
Aldo Soto
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I love when athletes mix it up on social media. Whether it’s Kevin Durant having fake accounts, or Yu Darvish documenting his free agency. It’s kind of been a boring offseason in MLB so far, but on Thursday there was a huge rumor posted that soon became the laughing stock of baseball Twitter.

So, Barstool Carl, co-host of Red Line Radio, and Cubs contributor for Barstool Sports, thought he had the biggest free agency scoop of the offseason. He tweeted out on Thursday that a deal was done between the Cubs and Yu Darvish after being checked by team doctors.

That was immediately met with some skepticism and then a few Cubs reporters weighed in.

However, Carl stood by his sources.

Then, it got really good, as Darvish, who earlier this week disputed a Japanese report that he’d be deciding where to sign before Christmas, directly addressed this supposed done deal with the Cubs.

But again, Carl wasn’t backing down.

Looks like that has been deleted. Then, the other foot dropped.

What a rollercoaster ride of emotions on another wise uneventful Thursday.

FWIW, I think the Cubs do end up signing Darvish eventually. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!

REPORT: Players Named In Cubs Trade Talks For Manny Machado

By
Aldo Soto
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Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this week the hot stove turned up a notch with a new report that the Chicago Cubs were involved in trade talks with the Baltimore Orioles for Manny Machado. At first it was reported that the Orioles were interested in fan-favorite Javier Baez, but the latest news reveals more details of the trade conversations between the Cubs and Orioles.

According to Orioles beat reporter Roch Kubatko of MASN, the two teams discussed the following players in a possible swap for Machado.

Via Kubatko:

I’ve heard that the Cubs’ discussions with the Orioles included shortstop Addison Russell, center fielder Albert Almora Jr. and left-hander Mike Montgomery. The Orioles aren’t going to come away from a trade with the only pitcher being Montgomery, though they’d gladly take him as a needed southpaw.

To be clear, the conversation or proposed deal wasn’t Russell, Almora Jr. and Montgomery for Machado, simply that those players were talked about during the process according to Kubatko. The starting point of a trade in the mind of the Orioles (this is me speculating) was probably Russell or Almora and Montgomery plus another one of the Cubs top pitching prospect. Obviously it was’t all three because if it was Baltimore would be stupid not to make the trade. Machado hasn’t been traded, so that specific 3-for-1 wasn’t ever on the table.

I think we can all agree that while Montgomery has been great in his role as a swing man for the Cubs, they’d be more than willing to trade him in a deal for Machado. But for all of you panicking about the Cubs trading a young player like Addison Russell that isn’t going to be happening. As a matter of fact, it appears as though the Orioles aren’t trading Machado at least for now.

It’s pretty simple here. The Orioles have completely overvalued Machado’s value in the trade market and the obvious reason is that he’ll be a free agent after the 2018 season. Machado is going to field offers in free agency, so any team that trades for him isn’t guaranteed to re-sign him. For that reason alone, a team like the Cubs isn’t going to be trading up to four years of control of a young player like Russell or Baez and Almora according to the recent report by Kubatko.

Not really sure I get what the Orioles are doing because I doubt the offers are going to get better at the trade deadline for a three-month rental of Machado compared to the offers they’re receiving now.

Anyway, for those freaking out about losing Russell or Baez, those worries should be gone now.

Kane Is Approaching Milestones But May Never Top Team Scoring Thrones

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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As Patrick Kane sits one goal away from 300 in his career, a lot of Blackhawks scoring lists have been popping up. Many fans and analysts feel that Kane will go down as the greatest Blackhawks player ever, but he might not even end up holding any major team scoring records.

It’s not a prerequisite that a GOAT must have these records but proves how unfair it is to compare different eras when discussing statistics. With that, it is fun to look at the ridiculous scoring numbers put up from the late 60s through the 80s.

If you haven’t seen any of the lists, eleven years into his career Kane is 305 goals behind the team’s all-time leader Bobby Hull (604). A number that only took The Golden Jet 15 seasons to reach with the Blackhawks. That’s an average of 40 goals per season for Hull compared to Kane’s average of just over 29.

Kane’s body of work is quite impressive but don’t forget about the 303 WHA goals Hull scored. Between the NHL and WHA he netted 913 goals in 23 professional hockey seasons. While Kane will never come close to that kind of total, it just proves how much different the game was back then.

He may not catch Hull in goals but he can probably catch up to Stan Mikita in assists and points…correct?

Not so fast. Kane does have a slightly better chance at catching Mikita. Stosh amassed 926 assists in 22 seasons and Kane is more than halfway there through 10+ seasons. As one of the best facilitators in the NHL, he is fast approaching the 500 assists milestone with 487 in his career. If he ever had a consistent center to play with he would most likely have a lot more.

Mikita’s team points record of 1,467 is no sure thing either and is still the 14th best total in NHL history. To put that in perspective, only one active player has more than that (Jagr 1,921) and the next closest active player Patrick Marleau (1,101) is more than 350 points away.

At first glance you would say, “Sure. He can break those records” but Hull and Mikita were putting up bigger numbers in the prime of their careers and didn’t taper off much near the end.

Patrick Kane would have to continue at this pace for approximately eleven more seasons just to catch The Golden Jet and Stosh’s Blackhawks records. There are so many variables that could impact his career trajectory. Age, injury and if Kane will even be with the organization that long are a few.

When your grandfather tells you how much better Hull was than Kane you can turn the tables on him and say, “Times were different, grandpa.”

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and musings. 

Denzel Valentine Is Either High As F**k Or A Wizard

By
Matthew Milakovich
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Riding “high” on the confidence that comes along with a 7-game win streak, Bulls forward Denzel Valentine had some um… interesting words to say about the Bulls’ recent success. Apparently Valentine thinks the Bulls are one of the best teams in the East.

Per NBC Sports Chicago:

Of course, Valentine is a confident kid and offered up this gem about where this team sits with its winning streak.

 

“I just think, with our whole team back now, I think we’re one of the best teams in the East because of our matchups,” Valentine said.

 

“We have a lot of guys who can do a lot of things. I know we started off bad, but I think we’re one of the better teams in the East.”

What is he thinking?

On one hand, this 7-game win streak is the longest by the Bulls since the 2014 season. On the other, pretty sure on any given night this Bulls team could get blown out by the Flint Tropics…. Just sayin’…

Nothing wrong with a guy being confident, but come on… one of the best in the East?

Also, let’s not forget to mention that his comments are misguided to begin with, considering that the teams best player in Zach LaVine isn’t even back yet. So no, the whole team is not back now Denzel.

However, if Valentine is right and the Bulls somehow make the playoffs thus ensuring an even longer stretch of never winning another title and floundering in mediocrity– I will be totally confident in saying that the guy is an exceptional fortune teller– possibly even a fucking wizard.

Cheers.

 

The Bears Head Coach Solution Is Set To Fall Into Their Laps

By
Erik Lambert
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bears head coach

From the start of December the Chicago Bears head coach problem was clear. John Fox had blown any remaining chances to keep the job. Poorly managed games and a below-average offense doomed him to a third-straight losing season. Barring a monumental twist by Bears management, he’ll be shown the door come January 1st. After that it’s a matter of finding the next man in charge.

Rumors are already circulating about which direction they may go. Persistent ones involve former Titans and Rams head coach Jeff Fisher. Others claim they might try to lure Jim Harbaugh from Michigan. Then there’s the prevailing belief they’ll want to target a young offensive mind, similar to what the Los Angeles Rams did with Sean McVay.

This of course comes with a great degree of risk. Not every young coach can be expected to do what McVay has. It’s never a wise decision to directly copy the exactly same plan of another team. It rarely works as well the second time. So what to do?

Well what if the Bears were able to get the best of both worlds?

Bears head coach problem could be solved by Bill O’Brien

In essence the Bears want an offensive coach who can help develop Mitch Trubisky. At the same time they’d like to minimize the risk of inexperience. Well as it turns out the football gods may drop their answer right in their laps. According to the MMQB there is a growing belief that the Houston Texans and head coach Bill O’Brien are set to part ways this off-season.

“It’s seeming less and less likely that the Texans’ football hierarchy will return intact in 2018. That’s the final year of coach Bill O’Brien’s deal, and it’s hard to imagine the team would go into it with that unresolved and the relationship between coaching and scouting what it is now. If he’s available, there’s little question that O’Brien would vault to the top of many teams’ lists.”

O’Brien comes with a ton to offer. He’s been a head coach since 2012 when he took over at Penn State then became the Texans head man in 2014. During that time his team has made the playoffs twice while posting three-straight winning seasons. This year is the lone exception due in large part to a ridiculous string of injuries to top players.

One of the biggest selling points for O’Brien is his play calling prowess

If anybody needs to know why O’Brien could be perfect for the Bears, just look at his track record. The man is a wizard when he has an actual quarterback to work with. In 2011, his lone year as an offensive coordinator, he got Tom Brady to throw for the most yards (5,238) and second-most touchdowns (39) of his career. He got a 95.3 quarterback rating from Ryan Fitzpatrick and a playoff run from Brian Hoyer.

People just need to watch his work with Deshaun Watson earlier this season for an idea of what he can do. O’Brien not only understands how to attack in situations, he can mold an offense that best fits what the quarterback can do.

O’Brien has also proven he can assemble a strong defensive coaching staff to handle things on that side of the ball. To top it off he’s only 48-years old. There is plenty of prime years left for him. Getting a chance to pair a top play caller like him with Mitch might be too good to pass up. He’s well-respected in NFL circles and is known maintaining an air of discipline with his players.

There’s no reason to think the Bears couldn’t lure him in were he to become available.

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