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Albert Almora Jr. Made Another Hard Catch Look Ridiculously Easy

By
Aldo Soto
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I’m pretty sure you can make the argument that the Chicago Cubs have the best defensive right fielder, second baseman and center fielder in the National League. Albert Almora Jr. made another hard catch look easy on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Corey Seager smoked a ball to center with an exit velocity of 105 mph, but Almora raced back and made the catch on the warning track. Consider Almora is dealing with the wind, a hard hit ball and a wall of bricks behind him and this play is a lot more difficult than it looks.

Another gold glove play.

Almora is going be very special for the Cubs.

Every Bears Pick In 2017 Draft Has Produced An Interesting QB

By
Erik Lambert
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Every Chicago Bears draft pick in 2017 has a story to tell. From #3 all the way to #221. Each has produced at least one memorable moment on the field. That’s a big reason why people consider every pick in the draft important. For the simple reason that there is no telling what kind of talent it could end up producing.

As it turns out they all have a rather amazing connection to the quarterback position. Given how important it figures to play for the Bears this year, odds are at least one of those picks will be used on one. So wouldn’t it be at least a little interesting to learn who the best quarterbacks ever produced by all seven of their picks are?

That is what this article will cover. Be prepared for a few surprises and a welcome dash of hope that maybe, just maybe, the Bears can get it right this time.

Bulls First Round Playoff Matchup Is Official

By
Aldo Soto
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In what was one of the most embarrassing games of the 2016-17 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls secured a playoff berth with a 112-73 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The same Nets who a day earlier announced that almost half their team wasn’t going to play. It was a pathetic game, but begrudgingly the Bulls are in the playoffs and their first round matchup is set.

We can all joke around and say the Cleveland Cavaliers were scared of the Bulls because they didn’t care about the last game of the season and lost to the Toronto Raptors, as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love all sat out Wednesday night’s game. With the loss, the Cavaliers enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed and will face the Indiana Pacers, who beat the Atlanta Hawks to lock up the seventh seed. Meanwhile, the Bulls are matched up against the Boston Celtics.

The Bulls were 2-2 against the Celtics in the regular season, winning both home games and losing both road games against Boston. The first three games were close, all decided by seven points or less and there was even some controversy when Marcus Smart was called for a shooting foul on Jimmy Butler in the closing seconds of their game on Feb. 16. Butler knocked down two free throws and the Bulls won 104-103.

And then there was that ugly 100-80 loss in Boston back in March.

I wish I was more excited about the Bulls being in the playoffs, but really how can you be after witnessing them play for 82 games? Maybe we’ll get a Jimmy Butler game where he goes off for 40+ points, or Dwyane Wade goes off once, but other than that I don’t have any expectations for a playoff run.

This doesn’t matter because none of the players from these series are still around, but it’s an interesting fact heading into the playoffs.

The other thing that blows is that Gar Forman and John Paxson can add a playoff appearance as a reason to never change things and continue to not actually be held accountable for their failures. Plus, Jerry Reinsdorf gets more playoff money.

Fans will get fired up, but the Bulls are going to lose in five games and then this miserable season will finally be over.

Yes, it’s that sad and you know it’s true. This franchise is still stuck in basketball hell. The Bulls have six titles, a trip to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed shouldn’t come with a lot of praise.

Kyle Schwarber A Perfect Fit Leading Off

By
David Holmes
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Early on during Spring Training, Cubs manager Joe Maddon announced that Kyle Schwarber would take over the leadoff hitter role from recently departed and now current Cardinal Dexter Fowler. While this may seem like a classic paradoxical move by the Chicago skipper, Maddon isn’t the first to reimagine the leadoff role.

When looking around the majors it doesn’t take long to find other teams moving away from the archetypal leadoff man. The Cleveland Indians relied on Carlos Santana and his career .365 OBP to man the leadoff role for most of 2016. The Dodgers have utilized Logan Forsythe in their leadoff position, and Houston’s George Springer and Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon spent a majority of their time leading off for their respective teams.

When looking at how the Cubs roster is constructed one would assume that super-utility man Ben Zobrist would be the ideal candidate to take over the leadoff role. He’s an equally talented switch-hitter and has the ability to frustrate opposing pitchers by laying off on the close pitches.

However, in a subtly brilliant move by Maddon, he decided to put Schwarber in the leadoff position and elected to keep Zobrist batting fifth in the lineup. By putting Schwarber in the leadoff role, he will see far more at-bats than he would if he were slotted fifth or sixth in the lineup. He’ll also have the benefit of having two of the best hitters in baseball for protection right behind him, with reigning MVP Kris Bryant batting second, and All-Star Anthony Rizzo batting third.

As the regular season has gotten underway it is obvious Schwarber has the traits needed to be successful at the top of the lineup. He has a particular knack for frustrating opposing pitchers by trusting his eyes and avoiding swinging at questionable pitches on the edge of the strike zone. Which forces the pitcher to actually pitch to get him out instead of around him, especially with Bryant and Rizzo looming. This leads to more favorable pitches where his trademark power can come into play and change a game in an instant.

It’s early, but Kyle Schwarber seems to be more than comfortable in the leadoff role. He has already drawn a walk six times in seven games, which is good for an impressive 17.6% walk rate. His uncanny plate discipline goes even further. If a ball is within the strike zone Schwarber makes contact at an impressive 85% when he decides to swing the bat. As per usual when he swings the bat good things usually happen. On the season he his batting .222/.382/.519 which is more than good enough for the leadoff role.

The added bonus with Schwarber is his power, and ability to hit moonshot home runs at a moment’s notice. So far he’s connected on two this season. The first being a three-run laser against the Cardinals.

His second home run was another monster off the scoreboard in Milwaukee.

If Kyle Schwarber can keep up his early success in the leadoff role, it should go a long way in helping the Cubs field the most dynamic offense in baseball. The rest of MLB better watch out.  

The 2016 Cubs World Series Rings Are Badass

By
Aldo Soto
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When you’ve been waiting for 108 years you go all out and that’s exactly what the Ricketts did for the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series rings.

These are amazing.

And guess what, you could get your hand on one of them too if you have some extra spare change. Well, close enough to the real thing.

And the Cubs gave out a total of…..1,908 rings.

So beautiful.

And then David Ross threw out the first pitch to none other than his good friend Jon Lester.

Chicago Restaurant Hilariously Trolls Predators Fans Before Series With Blackhawks

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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The Nashville Predators have been trying to “get the red out” of their stadium for years but haven’t succeeded. Blackhawks fans swarm the stadium in a sea of red and make their presence known.

Unlike Bridgestone Arena, a River North restaurant, Club Lago, has rolled out the welcome mat for the Predators fans. Sort of.

All Preds fans are asked to do is wipe their feet as they come in. The only catch is that there’s a Predators jersey on the mat.

Classic troll job by Club Lago. At least they’re not telling people they can’t come in. That would be very uncool.

Sports Mockery 2017 Stanley Cup Playoff Staff Predictions

By
Matt Barbato
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Members of the Chicago Blackhawks pose for pictures as they celebrate after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series on Monday, June 15, 2015, in Chicago. The Blackhawks defeated the Lightning 2-0 to win the series 4-2. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Finally, at long last the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs have arrived and will begin Wednesday night.

It’s been a winding and surprisingly great regular season for the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks overcame a bumpy acclimation period for some of their new youngsters and managed to finish atop the Western Conference with 109 points. Their 50-23-9 record was also good for the second-best regular-season in franchise history. Who would’ve saw that coming?

But of course, the Blackhawks aren’t judged by regular-season accomplishments and accolades. The real season stretches from mid-April to hopefully June. The Hawks are in a great spot to win their fourth Stanley Cup in eight seasons, an incredible feat during the NHL’s ridiculously stingy salary cap era.

However, the road won’t be easy. They’ll first have to get past the emerging Nashville Predators and then another Central Division rival before battling the top team out of the Pacific just to get to the Stanley Cup Final. Who knows who will be awaiting them if they get there.

Will the Blackhawks make it four Stanley Cups in eight years? The Sports Mockery staff gave their playoff picks below:

Matt Zawaski

Quarterfinals

Blackhawks over Predators
Blues over Wild
Flames over Ducks
Oilers over Sharks

Rangers over Canadiens
Bruins over Senators
Capitals over Maple Leafs
Penguins over Blue Jackets

Semifinals

Blackhawks over Blues
Oilers over Flames
Rangers over Bruins
Capitals over Penguins

Conference Finals

Blackhawks over Oilers
Capitals over Penguins

Stanley Cup Final Prediction

Blackhawks over Capitals

Yes call me a homer. This Blackhawks team has a ton of talent and depth. One could argue this is one of the better teams the Blackhawks have brought to the playoffs. The play of rookies will be the big question mark but with leadership like Toews, Seabrook and yes Tootoo I think the rookies will be able to perform.

My dark horse if you will is the Oilers. Any hockey fan can tell you a hot goalie can carry you far in the playoffs and the Oilers have just that. So you combine that with McJesus or McDavid and you got yourself something special.

Ovi finally has the supporting cast he needs to get him past the Penguins and I think they’ll get to the big show but fall short to the deeper, more experienced Blackhawks.

Marc-Louis Paprzyca

Quarterfinals

Blackhawks over Predators
Blues over Wild
Ducks over Flames
Sharks over Oilers

Canadiens over Rangers
Bruins over Senators
Capitals over Maple Leafs
Blue Jackets over Penguins

Semifinals

Blackhawks over Blues
Sharks over Ducks

Canadiens over Bruins
Capitals over Blue Jackets

Conference Finals

Blackhawks over Sharks

Capitals over Canadiens

Stanley Cup Final Prediction

Blackhawks over Capitals

Canada plays strong in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Oilers take the Sharks to 7 games but experience gets them. Maple Leafs look strong but they go through the Capitals buzzsaw. Canadiens make it to the conference final but ultimately lose to the Capitals.

In an all-time great SCF the Blackhawks and Capitals go all seven games. It’s a fairly high-scoring yet great goaltending series. Crawford and Holtby battle for the Conn Smythe but Crow edges him out in game 7. He finally shuts up people who don’t think he’s elite and Blackhawks party in Chicago all summer.

Matt Barbato

Quarterfinals

Blackhawks over Predators
Wild over Blues
Ducks over Flames
Sharks over Oilers

Rangers over Canadiens
Bruins over Senators
Capitals over Maple Leafs
Penguins over Blue Jackets

Semifinals

Blackhawks over Wild
Ducks over Sharks

Rangers over Bruins
Capitals over Blue Jackets

Conference Finals

Blackhawks over Ducks

Capitals over Rangers

Stanley Cup Final

Capitals over Blackhawks

It’s been a bizarre year in sports where a bunch of teams and athletes have ended long championship droughts (from the Cubs to Sergio Garcia at The Masters). I think the theme continues with the Capitals, who are clearly the best team in hockey.

They’ll have to earn it, however. The silly NHL playoff rules will guarantee Washington faces either the second or third-best team in the Eastern Conference in the semifinal. Watch out for the Rangers, who could be dangerous and spoil Washington’s run.

As for the West, I think the Blackhawks have one of the easier roads in recent years to the final. Their first-round matchup with Nashville could be their most challenging, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Predators tripped them up in the first round. The Blues are red-hot, but Minnesota will edge them out. Nobody in the Pacific is overly threatening and Connor McDavid could carry Edmonton to the Western Conference final by himself.

The Hawks are 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final during this incredible dynasty, but they’ll run into the deeper team with the better goaltender this time. Cross another drought off the list.

Brian Foran

Quarterfinals

Blackhawks over Predators
Blues over Wild
Ducks over Flames
Sharks over Oilers

Rangers over Canadiens
Bruins over Senators
Capitals over Maple Leafs
Penguins over Blue Jackets

Semifinals

Blackhawks over Blues
Ducks over Sharks
Rangers over Bruins
Capitals over Penguins

Conference Finals

Blackhawks over Ducks
Capitals over Penguins

Stanley Cup Final Prediction

Capitals over Blackhawks

I hate to be the rain cloud lingering over every ecstatic Blackhawk fan’s parade but I don’t see round 1’s matchup against the Nashville Predators being the cake walk most others are nonchalantly viewing it as.

Nashville is a deep and dangerous team with a top line capable of carving up just about any defensive pairing in the NHL. The Pred’s top-4 defenseman are just about as stable and offensively dangerous as any in the league, as well. While I don’t think Nashville possesses the depth to pose a serious threat to the Blackhawks, the longevity and tumultuousness of the series depends on the performance of goaltender Pekka Rinne and whether or not forwards Calle Jarnkrok and perennial thorn in the Blackhawks’ side Colin Wilson are able to play. Both are dealing with lower body injuries and, as of Wednesday morning, have yet to resume skating for the Preds.

If Wilson and Jarnkrok draw back into the lineup for Nashville, I see Blackhawks prevailing in a hard-fought 6. If not, I have the Blackhawks in an easy 5 games. I feel like the Blackhawks are always hindered by rising stars – exp. Robby Fabbri, Jonathan Drouin – during the playoffs so keep a particular eye on Nashville’s Kevin Fiala during this series.

In a wider spectrum, I indeed have the Blackhawks reaching the final – knocking off St. Louis in round 2 before prevailing over Anaheim in a brutal 7 game gauntlet. What’s left of the battered Blackhawks will meet the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final where I see Ovechkin, Backstrom, Holtby and Co. finally breaking through and taking down the Blackhawks in what would be another epic 7 game series.

Bears Considered The Best Home For Gifted But Polarizing QB

By
Erik Lambert
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bears draft chad kelly

Would the Bears draft Chad Kelly? Now there is a question only the diehard fanatics continue to debate these days. Late last year the Ole Miss standout was considered among the top quarterbacks that would be available in the 2017 NFL draft. Over the past few months though he’s endured a string of bad luck combined with his own bad decisions.

Chad is the nephew of Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly of Buffalo Bills fame. He most definitely shares the same bloodlines as he arguably has the best arm in the class. That’s not a joke. The young man not only can throw the ball a long way, he can do it with often remarkable accuracy. Need an idea? Just watch this throw against Alabama.

Or this one against Georgia.

For all the love that Deshaun Watson gets for vanquishing the Crimson Tide in the national championship, it’s easy to forget Kelly has beaten them twice over the past two years. In 2015 he threw for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns. Doing that in a smaller conference is pretty impressive. Doing in the SEC against wall-to-wall NFL talent? That’s exciting. So…

WATCH: Cubs Release Teaser Video Showing World Series Rings

By
Gus
-

As of today, nobody had any idea what the 2016 World Series Championship rings would look like. The only details released was the fact that there would be 108 diamonds embedded into the ring to symbolize the amount of years between World Series Championships. The ring is valued around $70,000 dollars and was the creation of the Cubs front office and a few players (Rizzo and Heyward).

About two hours ago, the Cubs released a quick teaser video giving fans a quick glimpse at the rings that the team will receive tonight before they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And I emphasize the word quick.

Check it out.

 

Here’s How Cubs Players Will Show Off Their World Series Rings

By
Gus
-

Before tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, members of the Chicago Cubs will get their 2016 World Series championship rings. These will be the first World Series rings that most of the players will receive but a few players (Lackey, Lester, Zobrist) will be able to add the 2016 ring to their collection.

Nobody has officially seen the rings yet but a few players were asked to give their input into the design of the ring. The only real detail that has been released regarding the ring is the fact that it’ll have 108 diamonds to represent the years since the team last won a World Series championship.

If you do that math in your head, 108 diamonds has to equate to one expensive ass piece of jewelry. Just how expensive you ask?

$70,000.

That’s right folks. The 2016 Chicago Cubs have the option to walk around during a regular afternoon with a piece of jewelry that is worth more than most of our yearly salaries.

If I own a $70,000 piece of jewelry, there’s not a shot in hell that I’m ever wearing it out in public. I’m assuming the ring is going to absolutely huge to compensate for the 108 diamonds and it has to be shiny as hell which is the equivalent to a neon sign pointing at you saying, “ROB ME.”

That’s just me.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN asked some of the players if they would wear the rings out in public and some of their answers were pretty funny.

Albert Almora Jr. is going to use it to get in good with his wife.

“Maybe date night with the wife, make her feel special, bring it out then.”

Kyle Schwarber and C.J. Edwards plan to keep it locked away somewhere safe. The only difference between the two is Schwarber is willing to wear it every now and then for special events while Edwards says he’ll never wear it.

“It goes to my house locked up in a safe that can’t be broken.”

Kris Bryant, the modest one, has to see what it looks like first.

“It depends on how shiny it is.”

World Series MVP Ben Zobrist already has a ring so he should probably explain to KB how rings work.

“I think that’s kind of the point of wearing a World Series ring. It’s going to be obvious it’s something special.”

Hector Rondon plans to use the ring to probably help him get a free meal.

“Maybe out to a restaurant, but it depends on the restaurant.”

Javier Baez, hands down the flashiest guy on the team, had the exact answer you’d expect when he was asked if he would wear his ring.

“I am going to wear it every day to the field for the sure,” Baez said. “I like white gold, and I think it is white, so hopefully it matches everything.”

My favorite answer from the team comes from Jake Arrieta who had no shame is sharing the exact purpose of him wearing a $70,000 piece of jewelry.

“When I have a suit on and want to rub it in some people’s face.”

I’m really hoping that Jake is wearing a suit around any White Sox or Cardinal fans in the very near future.

 

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