Chicago Blackhawks fans shouldn’t need much assistance to get hyped for another Stanley Cup run. In case you do, this video will get your blood pumping.
Winning never gets old but as Toews says in the video, “the only way it does get better is if we win four.” Follow that up with highlights of Kane, Toews and Crawford and you’re ready for the playoffs to start.
Prepare to be hyped!
https://instagram.com/p/BSwmv5-BsdG/
When Theo Epstein began the Cubs rebuild during the winter of 2011, one of his highest priorities was to attempt to acquire what he called “pillar” players. These would be players that Epstein believed would help him change the culture of the “lovable losers” through the way they played the game of baseball and conducted themselves off the field. Obviously, these players would have great baseball skill but Epstein emphasized that his pillar players must also have outstanding character as well. In a perfect world, Epstein believed he needed to have at least four pillar players before the Cubs could contend for a World Series championship and as he looked at the Cubs 2011 roster he had a grand total of zero.
Fast forward three years.
By July of 2014, Epstein believed he had accomplished his goal of acquiring four pillar players. He traded for Anthony Rizzo in 2012, drafted Kris Bryant in 2013, and acquired Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell in 2014 via the draft and a trade respectively.
Of the three pillars, Schwarber’s story has to be the most interesting due to the fact he was the only one compared to arguably the greatest baseball player in history, Babe Ruth.
Patrick Mooney, Cubs beat writer for CSN, wrote a great article yesterday discussing the discovery of Kyle Schwarber by renowned baseball scout Tom Zielinski, who tragically passed away this past winter.
Zielinski was the Cubs top Midwest scout since 2001 and he is the man that is credited with finding Kyle Schwarber during his time as Indiana University. Zielinski was attending the Purdue-IU game where Schwarber was a junior for the Hoosiers and on May 4, 2014, Zielinski made a bold comparison in his scouting report on Schwarber that is still legendary in the Cubs front office today.
“Squint your eyes and imagine a grainy film of Babe Ruth hitting a ball in the stands at Yankee Stadium. I swear I saw that reenacted today as the ball flew out over the 2nd fence in RF.”
Theo Epstein trusted Zielinski so when he read the report on Schwarber, Epstein had to see him live and in person. Nine days later, Epstein traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to see if Zielinski’s words on Schwarber held any truth.
Not only did Schwarber deliver, he hit one of the longest home runs in Louisville’s Jim Patterson stadium’s history as his Hoosiers went on to defeat the Louisville Cardinals 7-2.
Here’s the bomb Theo saw live and in person.
It was shots like this that led Zielinski to say,
“I felt like I was watching Babe Ruth saunter to the plate, call his shot and then he went on to hit a home run. And then as he trotted around the bases, I felt like I was watching Babe Ruth’s trot.”
Look, I’m not jumping on board with the Schwarber/Ruth comparison because the guy hasn’t even played a full MLB season yet. However, the similarities are pretty hard to ignore:
Ruth was 6’2″, Schwarber is 6’0.
Ruth weighed 216 lbs, Schwarber is 235.
Ruth debuted at the age of 19, Schwarber was 22.
Through two seasons, Ruth played in 47 games, Schwarber played in 71.
Both of their first seasons were abbreviated.
Both have a huge left handed bat and let’s be honest, they kind of look the same as well.
The Schwarber/Ruth comparison is pretty easy to see for the reasons mentioned above but there are also statistics that link the two players.
Among those with 40 or more at-bats, Schwarber and Ruth are tied for fourth on the all-time postseason list with a .744 slugging percentage. Those slugging percentages are elevated from the fact Schwarber already has five postseason home runs compared to Ruth’s 15 (although Ruth made 10 postseason appearances compared to Schwarber’s two). It’s also ironic that both men allegedly called their shot before they stepped to the plate and took one out at Wrigley.
Yes, I said allegedly.
Schwarber has a long way to go to fulfill the comparison between he and Ruth but so far, he’s off to a great start. Cubs fans would not be lucky enough to have Schwarber on their team if it wasn’t for Stan Zielinski so when the team gets their championship rings tonight at Wrigley, Zielinski should be remembered as a part of the championship process.
The final comparison (and the only one I’m really concerned about) between Ruth and Schwarber is the number of rings:
Ruth – 7
Schwarber – 1
Although I’m hoping Schwarber’s number will be changing again this November.
It sounds utterly insane to think about. The Chicago Bears draft Myles Garrett. There is just no way. It’s impossible this day and age that a talent of that caliber somehow falls from his rightful place at #1 overall to #3. Yet fans were involuntarily thrust into that dream state when Adam Schefter of ESPN dropped a bomb on social media.
According to his sources, the Cleveland Browns are holding an internal wrestling match in regards to what they want to do with the top pick. The front office wants to go with Garrett. However, head coach Hue Jackson believes they must take this opportunity to get a top quarterback. Preferably Ohio-native Mitch Trubisky, whom he reportedly loves.
Just had an NFL exec tell me, "Don't be surprised if Myles Garrett isn't the No. 1 pick." Exec convinced a QB is in discussion at No. 1.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2017
Cleveland has not made up its mind at No. 1, per source. Split opinions. Some like Myles Garrett, some like Mitchell Trubisky. We will see.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2017
This centers around the fear that Trubisky will be long gone by the time the Browns pick again at #12 overall. This would indicate they don’t like the other quarterbacks in the class. Also given their own weak state at the position, it can’t be surprising that this argument is taking place. It would be a Browns thing to do, passing up a proven talent for a major gamble on a quarterback.
Many great NFL players have their own fascinating draft journeys. Some not so smooth as others. So imagine this. A Charles Tillman Cleveland Browns uniform? Sounds utterly ridiculous. What many Chicago Bears fans will be stunned to know is that back in 2003 it almost became a sobering reality for the future Pro Bowl cornerback.
In an interview with the Bears team website, Tillman recounted how things went for him leading up to the draft. Though he’d enjoyed a productive career at Louisiana-Lafayette, the initial belief was that he’d go somewhere in the third round. History will note that Chicago ended up taking him with the third pick of the second round (#35).
The crazier part is the fact that Tillman was certain the Browns would be the team making that pick.
“I honestly thought I was going to be selected by the Browns because they’re the ones who did the most in-depth background work on me. They sent their security guy to my school. He talked to my teachers. He talked to numerous people at the places I’d hang on. He even talked to my landlord at my apartment. So I just assumed I was going to Cleveland. I knew anything was possible, but the Browns were doing the most work so I felt that I might be a Cleveland Brown.”
What stunned him even more was the fact that Chicago had not met with him at all prior to the draft. Apparently the Bears were that sold on his ability. Turns out the scouts got their bonus pay for that one. Tillman, a Chicago native, became a fan favorite for the next decade. Quite possibly the best corner in franchise history who made an art out of forcing turnovers. By the time he was gone he’d delivered 36 interceptions and 42 forced fumbles. He actually changed the way the game was played because of his unique talents.
It’s impossible to see him in any other uniform besides Bears navy blue. One can only imagine how his career might’ve turned out in Cleveland. The Browns were to begin a slow death spiral starting in 2003. During that time all the way up to present day they haven’t made the playoffs once. Lovie Smith never would’ve been his head coach and helped polish his skill for the takeaway.
It’s possible “Peanut” might’ve been just a blip on the radar in Cleveland. Another talented young player so woefully mishandled by one of the worst organizations in football. Thankfully that didn’t come to pass. Tillman forged an outstanding career in his hometown and should be in consideration for the Hall of Fame down the road.
Still, it’s fascinating to think about. Cleveland would be up on the board again at pick #52 in the second round of 2003. Did they have Tillman pegged as their guy before the Bears swiped him? It’s a definite possibility, and a horrifying one at that. The 2000s never would’ve been the same without him stalking ball carriers with that trademark Peanut Punch.
Hockey fans knew that there would be some fallout after the the NHL decided their players would not participate in the 2018 Olympics. It turns out that not only NHL players have a problem with the decision. The fallout has reached the Russian players in the KHL and it will cost the Blackhawks a top prospect
Maxim Shalunov was a fourth-round draft pick by the Blackhawks in 2011 and spent some time with the Rockford IceHogs in 2013-2014. He didn’t quite adjust to the pro game and went back to Russia to play in the KHL. There, he has been a rising star the last two seasons with 18g 12a in 2015-2016 and 19g 18a in 2016-2017. His success this past season led to him being named to the all-star team.
There had been reports that Shalunov had interest and could have joined the Blackhawks as early as this postseason. That was laid to rest a month ago but new news dashes any hopes of him joining the organization for at least one more year.
Most people would think that a player would never pass up the chance to play in the NHL but Russian players have a great sense of national pride. On Tuesday afternoon, the AFP news in Moscow reported that Shalunov’s agent Shumi Babayev stated his player has cut off talks to come to the NHL because of the Olympic decision.
Shalunov has represented Russia twice in the U18 and U20 championships while earning bronze in both. Though, he has never played for the national team at the World Championships or Olympics. According to Babayev, a spot on the Olympic stage for Russia would be a “life’s dream” for his client Shalunov.
Once again the NHL’s stinginess is hurting the product and the fans. It has always been believed that the NHL has the greatest collection of hockey players in the world but that isn’t completely true. Babayev represents another player, Anton Burdasov, who has also cut talks off. He would have come over as an undrafted free agent, not unlike Artemi Panarin came to the Blackhawks.
The NHL’s actions are depriving fans of potentially great players who are coveted by many teams. It’s a shame that a league that is so concerned about its product, denies itself the opportunity to better the game and grow the game. Maybe Gary Bettman is happy always being the fourth largest sport.
Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks stats, information and musings.
Send your thanks to Gary Bettman and his iron fist for depriving Hawks fans of the opportunity of experiencing yet another young star. https://t.co/e0kz8VCODy
— Brian Foran (@BForanNHL) April 11, 2017
The Bears Garett Bolles interest shouldn’t be a surprise.Nobody can ever say GM Ryan Pace is not a creature of habit. Over the past two drafts during his time in Chicago, the first two rounds have gone pretty much the same way. Take a premier athlete at a skill position in the first round, take a lineman in the second round. It was true in 2015 (Kevin White/Eddie Goldman) and again in 2016 (Leonard Floyd/Cody Whitehair).
It’s hard to argue with the results. Goldman and Floyd are two of the best players on the defense. Whitehair had an outstanding rookie season as their starting center. Thanks to Pace’s efforts the Bears offensive line in particular has become a team strength. Whitehair, Josh Sitton and Kyle Long form perhaps the best interior trio of blockers in the NFL.
Most experts agree the only thing missing for it to become elite is a top offensive tackle. While Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie were a serviceable pair last year, neither even rank in the top 10 at their respective positions. That would explain the Bears’ interest in Bolles.
Utah left tackle Garett Bolles is visiting the @ChicagoBears today, per a source.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 11, 2017
Most will say the offensive tackle class for 2017 is weak. That’s not necessarily true. It’s not deep. There is a difference between the two. In fact there are three tackles in this class that can be considered starter quality. Garett Bolles of Utah is one of them. A late riser on draft boards following the 2016 season. Part of the reason is because it took him awhile to get his life straightened out.
Bolles got into a lot of trouble as a teenager with everything from drugs, to cutting classes and encounters with the laws. He was suspended or kicked out of five different schools. Not until he was taken in by a foster family and found religion did his personal life find peace. He started college late, rediscovered his ability for football and rapidly rose up the ranks until he was starting at Utah as one of the best left tackles in the country.
The words of his former Snow College coach Kyle Whittingham still ring true.
“He’s got the whole package. He’s got the height, the length, the feet, the hips, he’s flexible, he can bend, he’s strong, he’s athletic. He lacks nothing.”
So why isn’t he higher on boards? Well aside from his past, he’s also raw. Bolles has just one season of starting experience at the FBS level. There are plenty of fundamental issues to work through. He’s also a bit light for an NFL tackle at 297 lbs. He’ll have to add some weight. Lastly, he’ll be turning 25-years old in May. Such things can’t be so easily ignored. At least in terms of first round consideration.
This would mean the Bears are likely eyeing him for their #36 pick in the second. So why the interest?
Well, he’s good.
Garett Bolles comes in at the top, @nfldraftscout comparison: Joe Staley. Gets a 6.99 grade (top of round 2) +athleticism and nasty: pic.twitter.com/afhH3bCTd3
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) April 5, 2017
This is why I like Utah's OT Garett Bolles. #Utes #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/NwpzRQ5v0s
— Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) February 20, 2017
Not only is Bolles arguably the most athletic pass protector in this draft, he also might be one of the meanest. He has a nasty streak that can often set the tone for games that intimidate pass rushers. At 6’5″ he boasts 34-inch arms. Everything about him says he’s got a bright future in the NFL. All a team has to do is look past his slight age and weight concerns.
For what it’s worth, Bears fans shouldn’t have a problem. These are the same exact issues raised about a young man named Kyle Long when he came out of Oregon in 2013. Not very experienced. An iffy background pockmarked by legal issues. Older than average draft prospects. Seems that worked out just fine after three Pro Bowls. He’s still just 28-years old. At the end of the day it’s not going to be a huge deal.
Health permitting Bolles should end up being a standout tackle for 7-10 years in the NFL. Imagine an offensive line that featured him, Sitton, Whitehair and Long. The possibilities would be limitless for their offense, especially if they ever end up finding a quarterback. In this context it’s perfectly understandable why the Bears are interested. Elite offensive lines tend to take a team far in this league.
The Chicago Bulls blew a golden opportunity last week to solidify their postseason berth in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Bulls lost back-to-back games against two of the worst teams in the NBA, in the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Despite those two horrible losses, the Bulls enter the final regular-season game against the Nets on Wednesday a win away from locking up a playoff spot.
Well, if they lose at home against the 20-61 Nets, then the Bulls definitely don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. However, the Nets are basically handing over the playoffs to the Bulls.
On Tuesday, the Nets released their injury report and guess what, they’re resting their best players.
Injury Report for tom. at Chicago: Booker (rest), Lin (rest), Lopez (rest), Acy (ankle), Harris (shoulder) & Kilpatrick (hamstring) are out.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 11, 2017
Brook Lopez, Jeremy Lin, Sean Kilpatrick, Trevor Booker and Joe Harris are five of Brooklyn’s top seven scorers this season. Lopez, Lin and Kilpatrick are averaging 20.5, 14.5 and 13.1 points per game, respectively. So, there’s no way the Bulls lose now, right?
Well, wouldn’t it be so Bulls if they somehow did lose and missed the playoffs? Also, what a big middle finger to the Miami Heat by the Nets. Miami is tied with Chicago, but would be left out of the playoffs because of a tie breaker. Yet, the Nets have essentially packed their bags for the offseason and are asking to be blown out by the Bulls.
However, Heat fans can’t be pissed off because their team has had the entire season to win more games and avoid this scenario. For the Bulls, there’s a chance they end up being the No. 7 seed because they also have the tie breaker over the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are 41-40, and play against the Atlanta Hawks at home on Wednesday. The Heat host the Washington Wizards and if they win and the Bulls lose, Miami will be in the playoffs.
If the Bulls win, which they really have zero excuse not to, they could end up playing the Cleveland Cavaliers, who appear to have no interest in being the one seed in the East. The Boston Celtics are the Bulls’ other possible first round matchup as well.
No way the Bulls blow this. (Watch them blow this)
Holiday uniforms are nothing new in sports, but MLB is taking it to the next level for the 2017 season. Last year, the special uniforms were only worn on the specific date of a holiday, but MLB teams will now feature the unique uniforms throughout each respective holiday weekend.
The uniforms will be worn for Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Fourth Of July. Uniforms for the All-Star Game that will be played in Miami were also revealed. The special uniforms will be worn on Saturday and Sunday for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, while Memorial Day uniforms will be featured Saturday-Monday and the Fourth Of July uniforms will be worn Saturday-Tuesday.
You can check out more details and what’s changed here at sportslogos.net.
So, which do you like better, this year’s versions or last year’s?
Throughout the first five games of the season (two have been postponed), the White Sox sit at 2-3, good for fourth in the A.L. Central. Aside from an offensive outburst that saw the team put up 11 runs, the offense has been predictably mediocre. Two of the biggest surprises have been the slow start of Tim Anderson, and the torrid start of Avisail Garcia. After a rare rough outing on Opening Day for Jose Quintana, he settled in nicely his last start, only giving up 2 runs, but of course he got zero run support and fell to 0-2.
Now, the White Sox hit the road for the first time, in what should be a very tough test as they visit the reigning A.L. Champion Cleveland Indians.
Game 1 @ 3:10 p.m. — James Shields (1-0) vs. Carlos Carrasco (1-0)
Game 2 @ 5:10 p.m. — Derek Holland (0-1) vs. Danny Salazar (0-0)
Game 3 @ 5:10 p.m. — Miguel Gonzalez (1-0) vs. Josh Tomlin (0-1)
Avi has come out of the gates firing. He currently leads the A.L. in batting average, hitting an incredible .474. It will be interesting to see whether he can keep up his hot start over the next few days. The optimists will say that Avi is finally developing into the player we all thought he could be. The pessimists will say this is just a fluke hot streak.
Time will tell, but it should be noted that he already has 1000+ plate appearances in the MLB. At this point, we pretty much know what we are getting with Avi, and he should cool off in the near future, though I’d definitely love to be wrong.
Now that both Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are fully healthy for the Indians, it will definitely be tough to pull out a series win here. Edwin Encarnacion and Francisco Lindor should wreck havoc on the back end of the White Sox rotation, and overall the pitching matchups just do not work in the White Sox favor here. A series against one of, if not the best teams in the A.L. without a Quintana appearance is going to be a tough one to win.
If Miguel Gonzalez can put together a decent start in the finale against the very average Josh Tomlin, the White Sox might be able to salvage a game. That’s about as good as it should get for the South Siders.
Indians take series 2-1.
Back in 2009, the Chicago Cubs were sold to the Ricketts’ family for approximately $845 million, which is a record an MLB franchise. At the time, the Ricketts’ were criticized for overpaying for the Cubs, who at the time had no clear path to a winning future. Well, less than a decade has passed and the Cubs’ value has more than tripled.
After a 2016 World Series title victory that snapped the longest championship drought in American sports history, Forbes listed the Cubs as the fourth most valuable franchise in MLB. Coming in at No. 1 is once again the New York Yankees, who are valued at a jaw-dropping $3.7 billion.
Here’s the top-five in the Forbes list, with the Cubs ranking fourth at $2.675 billion.
So yeah, nice little investment for the Ricketts’ family. Since the acquisition of the Cubs, Wrigley Field and a share of CSN Chicago, Forbes projects the value of the franchise increasing by more than 180 percent.
So many thought Tom Ricketts was crazy for buying Cubs for $845M in July 2009.
Investment is up more than 180%, factoring for inflation.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 11, 2017
During the previous seven years the Ricketts have renovated Wrigley Field and before their banner raising night during their home opener on Monday the new Park at Wrigley was unveiled. Couple the business side with the baseball operations led by Theo Epstein and the Cubs are now the envy of MLB, featuring two of the most popular players in the sport in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.
It’s no surprise the value has increased as much as it have and that’s not going to stop anytime soon because there are more renovations and features coming to and around Wrigley Field.
According to Forbes, the average MLB franchise is worth $1.54 billion, up 19 percent from last year. The Chicago White Sox are valued at $1.35 billion, ranking 15th in MLB.
You can see the entire list here.
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