Thursday, April 9, 2026
✶ Untold Chicago Stories ✶ Amazon Music
Home Blog Page 3118

This Ugly List of Bears Drafted Safeties Explains The Jamal Adams Buzz

By
Erik Lambert
-
bears drafted safeties
(Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune)

Has anybody really bothered to understand why the hype has been so stick for the Chicago Bears to draft a safety with the #3 overall pick? The arguments against it are well known. Defensive backs are never supposed to go that high. It will also be expensive for that position. All valid points. That being said those same people don’t have a keen understanding of the recent history of Bears drafted safeties.

The last time Chicago brought aboard a future stud was all the way back in 2000. That was one of their better drafts of the new millenium. Brian Urlacher was taken in the first round, a future Hall of Famer. Their second round pick was a kid named Mike Brown out of Nebraska. He became an instant success for the Bears. In his first three seasons alone he had nine interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.

Since his departure in 2009 though, the team has gone through a remarkable dry spell. Since 2001 they’ve drafted 16 safeties. None of them made a lasting impact on the roster. Perhaps a review of the long list will jog some memories. Brace yourselves.

Bears drafted safeties since 2001

  • Bobby Gray
  • Todd Johnson
  • Alfonso Marshall
  • Rod Wilson
  • Chris Harris
  • Danieal Manning
  • Kevin Payne
  • Craig Steltz
  • Al Afalava
  • Major Wright
  • Chris Conte
  • Brandon Hardin
  • Brock Vereen
  • Adrian Amos
  • Deon Bush
  • DeAndre Houston-Carson

Nobody would blame you for throwing up a little in your mouth after reading this list. The avalanche of sadness is apparent with each subsequent name. The only two who actually managed to make something of themselves in Chicago were Chris Harris and Danieal Manning. Harris had one standout year in 2010 but was otherwise average. Manning was an okay safety but added some pop as a kick returner.

Tired of the same, old song and dance

None of them were dependable starters long-term, much less above-average studs. They were also a group haunted by some of the more heartbreaking Bears moments in recent history. Perhaps no player helped illustrate that more than Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers star quarterback has twice burned Bears safeties deep in the waning moments of a game to snatch heartbreaking victories.

It’s one of those cases where everybody in the stadium knew Rodgers was going to take a shot. Yet it didn’t matter. He knew his receivers were that much better than the Bears safeties and each time he was exactly right. It’s something fans are getting sick and tired of seeing happen. Hence the ever growing chorus of cries for the team to stopping messing around. Find the best safety in the draft and get him.

This more than anything explains the ongoing rush of mock drafts stating they will take LSU standout Jamal Adams. Several analysts including Mel Kiper and former scout Bucky Brooks state he’s the most complete safety in draft. The fact this class is one of the best in years only enhances that standing. Adams not only has physical talent, but is also widely lauded for his instinct and leadership qualities. All things the Bears defense can use.

Get To Know The Bears’ Draft Prospects: The “Other” Quarterbacks

By
Dhruv Koul
-

Last week, I wrote about some of the Chicago Bears’ potential draft targets (not including quarterbacks) that they may select with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft later this month.

What we do know is that the Bears will target a quarterback at some point in the draft. They have to. After getting rid of their entire regular season quarterback room from last year, Chicago has signed Mike Glennon to be their starter for 2017, and Mark Sanchez to be a mentor-type backup. Yeah, Connor Shaw is there, but they still really need their young guy for the future.

Much has been written and debated about the top four quarterbacks in this year’s draft: Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, and DeShone Kizer. There is no consensus on who the best prospect is and where they might be drafted. But the sentiment seems to be that all of them will be gone by the time the Bears pick in the second round (assuming they don’t go QB in the first round).

That said, if that’s the case, the Bears will likely target some of the “other” quarterbacks in this draft class – guys who are longer-term development projects but could become starters down the road. And the Bears will very likely target one of these prospects in the middle-to-later rounds to maximize value.

So, who exactly are these “other” guys that might become the future at quarterback for the Chicago Bears? Let’s explore.

It’s Crazy How Detailed The Bears Are Getting To Stop Injury Woes

By
Erik Lambert
-
bears 2016 injury report

The Chicago Bears 2016 injury report was almost comical. It genuinely felt like half the roster occupied it at one point in time. Not just the typical bumps, bruises, sprains and strains either. Significant ailments that in many cases were season-ending in nature. People loved to blame head coach John Fox for the 3-13 debacle the year became. The thing is it’s hard to win in the NFL when 21 players end the season on injured reserve.

That’s not even counting the other guys who were playing hurt. The regime believes this team is capable of competing for the playoffs after hanging tough in so many tight games. They just didn’t have the manpower to finish most of them. So the obvious question comes up. What can they do to correct this problem and keep more of their players on the field in 2017?

Ensuring the Bears 2016 injury report never repeats

Turn out anything and everything they can think of. GM Ryan Pace is nothing if not a man who learns from his mistakes. He and others have gone into painstaking detailed study about how they might be able to prevent a repeat of what happened last season. Already they’ve begun to institute some interesting changes, starting with the practice schedule according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Bears will not practice against another NFL team during camp, the way they did in coach John Fox’s first two years.

“If you travel to work against somebody, you’re uprooting, you’re getting out of routine, you’re getting out of your recovery system, you are traveling,” Fox said at the NFL owners meeting this week. ”And that’s proven to be a little hazardous to your health, albeit part of football.

“If you don’t have to do it, avoid it, even to that point.”

In camp, the Bears will have a softer practice every third day. Fox said injuries are starting to catch up with the collective-bargaining agreement that limits in-house workouts, as well as NCAA rules that cap the weekly hours of college players.

It doesn’t end there though. They go even deeper into the exploration. Everything is on the table from the equipment the players use to the equipment the trainers use on the players. More than ever the utilization of computers and data is becoming prevalent. No tool is going unused to ensure they’ve done everything in their power.

In their meetings, the Bears discussed ways to cut down on high ankle sprains. They examined the benefit of tape, no tape, different support devices and even shoe technology.

“There are a lot of different things we’re looking at to educate our players and hopefully turn the tide,” Fox said.

The Bears have learned to streamline data, too, and hope it will help shape their practices. When Pace arrived, the Bears began wearing Catapult sensors, which monitored players’ physical states during practice.

It’s worth noting that six teams who finished among the bottom 12 in fewest players injured were the playoffs. Two of them (surprise, surprise) were the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. The Super Bowl participants. Often it’s not the coaching or the sheer talent differences that decide the outcome of playoff vs. non-playoff teams. It’s which ones are able to stay healthy when it matters.

For two-straight years the Bears have failed in that endeavor. Something clearly has to change. One can’t just sit back and blame it on luck. If they are going to keep losing, they’d rather do it knowing they were at least close to full strength doing so. Otherwise they’ll be left with nothing but questions of what-if.

5 Reasons Why the Cubs Will Repeat As World Series Champs

By
David Holmes
-

In 2016 the Chicago Cubs did something that eluded the North Side for 108 long years, they finally won a World Series. The longtime Cubs fan motto of “Wait ‘Till Next Year” no longer applies to the franchise. Instead the Cubs have their eyes set on becoming the first team to win back-to-back World Series since the 1999-2001 New York Yankees.

Here are five reasons the Cubs can repeat as champions.

5.) A Full Season of Kyle Schwarber

You can make the argument that there wasn’t a more valuable player to the Cubs’ World Series run than Kyle Schwarber. After missing all but two games in the regular-season, due to a torn ACL, Schwarber’s presence in the lineup shifted the momentum in the Cubs favor on their way to winning the World Series.

Now, fully healthy, Schwarber is set to play in his first full season as a Cub and is expected to have a sizable impact. As a rookie in 2015, he impressed in only 69 games by hitting for .246/.355/.487 while adding 16 home runs and 43 RBI’s. This season Schwarber will start the season as the primary left fielder and will be replacing Dexter Fowler as the lead-off hitter.

Having a trio of Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo at the top of your lineup will be enough to strike fear into every pitcher in baseball.

4.) Jason Heyward Bounces Back

Last offseason, the Chicago Cubs signed Jason Heyward to a massive eight-year, $184 million dollar contract. His defense was as advertised — he was one of the best defensive players in the game last year. He led the National League outfielders in defensive runs saved with 18 and collected his fourth Gold Glove.

However, his offense suffered the worst season of his career. Heyward posted career lows in AVG and OPS with .230 and .631 respectively, and as a result, he was only worth 1.5 WAR which was also a career low. Heyward has worked hard over the offseason with Cubs hitting coach John Mallee to revamp his swing and he should return to his career averages in 2017.

3.) A Loaded Bullpen

When Aroldis Chapman joined the Cubs in July he was the crown jewel of a dominant bullpen that led the Cubs to a World Series victory. Since then he returned to the Yankees on a massive contract, but the Cubs have made some additions of their of own and could be even scarier in 2017.

The Cubs biggest bullpen addition came as a result of trading Jorge Soler to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Wade Davis. Over the past three seasons, Davis was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He sported an ERA of 1.18 and a FIP of just 1.86 while converting 47 saves. Davis’ biggest issue is his health, and if he can stay healthy the Cubs should enjoy having another dominant closer on the roster. The Cubs also added Koji Uehara, and now have the last three pitchers to record the final out in the World Series in Davis, Uehara, and Mike Montgomery.

2.) Best Rotation in Baseball

As good as Chicago was at scoring runs in 2016, they were equally dominant in preventing them. Led by the best rotation in baseball and their MLB-best 3.15 ERA the Cubs starters were a major reason the team ended up as the last team standing.

Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks finished second and third respectively in the Cy Young voting last season, but the Cubs number three pitcher Jake Arrieta is the name to keep an eye on entering 2017. The 2015 Cy Young winner is entering this season looking for a long term deal, and whether that is with Chicago or someone else in free agency, Arrieta should have a strong year.

1.) Deep Roster

The Cubs are a deep, talented team and have the advantage of youth on their side. The Cubs dynamic core is almost entirely on the right side of 30. In fact, the entire infield of Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Wilson Contreras are all under the age of 28 with super-utility man Ben Zobrist the only exception. Along with Zobrist, Jon Lester and John Lackey are the elder statesmen of the team and they provide the veteran leadership necessary to guide a young team’s quest for a repeat.

As good as the 103-win North Sider’s were in 2016, this year’s team has the potential to be even better.

Woman Tells Bears TE Dion Sims That She’s Having His Daughter On Instagram

By
Aldo Soto
-
dion sims

You know that classic April Fools’ Day joke about a guy getting a call saying, congrats you’re going to be a father, but it’s a just a joke. Well, it turns out that Chicago Bears tight end Dion Sims has been hearing that call a lot and has been ignoring it because he woke up on Sunday to an Instagram post, blasting him for ignoring his baby momma.

Sims signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Bears this offseason, a huge step in his career. Well, he’s reached another milestone as an NFL player, he officially has some baby momma drama. The woman, Mimi, informed Sims that she’s having his daughter through an Instagram post, which puts the Bears player on blast for ignoring her.

Here’s what the caption says.

_mimibad: “how could i tell everybody but you, congrats DION SIMS your having another little girl. @mia80h not going to air out our personal business but I just thought you should know. Hopefully within time you take care of your responsibilities, since you want to ignore what’s going on. And as for anybody who wants to comment ignorant shit you know nothing about this situation so keep your negative comments to yourself. Congrats again baby daddy & thank you for this blessing.”

Since the post she’s put her Instagram account on private.

Most relatable meme ever.

But anyway, congrats Dion?

h/t: total pro sports

During The Rebuild, There Might Not Be Anyone More Valuable Than Don Cooper

By
Matt Spiewak
-

Any White Sox fan, who has followed the team over the past decade, knows just how important pitching coach Don Cooper is to this team. Cooper has worked in the White Sox organization since 1988, he worked his way up through the minor league system, finally replacing Nardi Contreras as the White Sox pitching coach in 2002.  Since being promoted, ‘Coop’ has worked tirelessly with his staff, turning a number of pitchers into stars, and it’s safe to say the White Sox don’t win the World Series in ’05 without him.

Cooper’s legacy in respected by everyone in the league and the pitchers that work with him know that they have one of the best in the business. That being said, just how great is Don Cooper?

We all know that he has help produce some incredible pitchers. Mark Buehrle, Jose Quintana and Chris Sale are just a handful of names. What really shows how great Cooper is when he turns pitchers careers right side up and helps them produce more than they were brought in to do.

Matt Thornton

Thornton spent eight years with Cooper from 2006-2013. From the bullpen, he had his career low WHIP of 1.00 in his second year with the team. Just two years later in 2010, he had a WHIP of 1.01.

Now, how does that compare to before he came to Don Cooper?

In his two seasons with Seattle from 2004-2005, Thornton had a WHIP of 1.68 both seasons. In his first year with the Sox, that number dropped to 1.24. Not only did Cooper help Thornton lower his WHIP, his BAA (Batting Average Against) and ERA also dropped when he came to the White Sox. In 2005, he had an ERA of 5.21. The next year, which was the first one with the Sox, he had an ERA of 3.33. The same pattern happened with his BAA, as it dropped from .248 to .229 as he entered his first year with the team.

Matt Latos

Now, before you begin to go back because you think that I am crazy, hear me out. The initial reason the Sox signed Latos was because they needed a back-end pitcher who could at least keep the team in the ball game.

Latos had a record of 6-2 in 2016 with Chicago, which was his first winning season since 2013. His ERA of 4.42 was the best since 2014. Given he took a turn for the worst towards this middle of summer in 2016, the only reason that he made this list was because he had a comeback year.

This is one of the most compelling reasons that Don Cooper is so great. He can turn anyone’s career around, even if it means that they only get half a season out of him, that short time could be full of quality pitching.

Bobby Jenks

The closer who was famous for fiddling with his hat and shirt when pitching in the 9th inning of the World Series actually declined as soon as he left the White Sox and Cooper’s tutelage.

His ERA with Chicago through six seasons was 3.38. In 2011, he was signed by Boston and had his worst season ever. This included an ERA of 6.32 and a BAA of .328. Coincidence? I think not.

Miguel Gonzalez

Much like Latos, Gonzalez was a last minute signing by Rick Hahn at the start of the 2016 season. He was just supposed to be a guy that could fill in as the No. 4 or 5 spot in the rotation, but the way he pitched made it seem that he was arguably one of the best on the team.

His 2015 season in Baltimore, however, was not a highlight year. He held a 4.91 ERA and a 1.4 WHIP. Then, he came to Chicago and worked with Cooper. That season, he rebounded and put up great numbers. His ERA and WHIP dropped to 3.73 and 1.24. He is projected have another superb season this year, with Cooper helping him along the way.

James Shields

Hold back the yelling, at least for a second. Don’t get me wrong, Shields wasn’t the best pitcher in the MLB last season, far from it actually; however, that was mainly because of his time in San Diego.

The Sox traded for Shields in a middle of his slump, and in baseball, that takes time to get out of. Fortunately, Cooper reminded Shields how to throw a baseball. In his first three games with the Sox, he gave up 21 earned runs in 8.2 innings.

How does this show that Don Cooper is incredible? It’s what he did after his first three games. His next two games, he gave up only four earned runs in 11.2 innings. Then July came. He had an incredible 1.78 RA and only gave up seven earned runs in five games.

Did I mention that he shut out the soon-to-be World Series champions Chicago Cubs?

Jessie Crain

For a short time, the duo of Chris Sale and Jessie Crain in the bullpen was one of the best in the league. Crain spent 10 seasons in the MLB, playing for the Twins who had originally drafted him as a shortstop, but decided to move him to the relief.

In Minnesota, Crain had a ERA of 3.58, which is pretty respectable. Then he came to the Sox, and you can probably guess what happened to him after he shook hands with Cooper.

In his three years with the White Sox, Crain posted a spectacular 1.93 ERA and in 2011, his first year with Chicago, he tallied up his career high 70 strikeouts. In fact, he got so good that in his final season, in the 36.2 innings that he pitched, he allowed 0 home runs. It once again shows how brilliant Cooper is at his job.

Coop Deserves A Lot Of The Credit

All White Sox fans love Cooper. Not only is he great at what he does, but he wants to stay there. Through the firing of Ozzie Guillen and Robin Ventura, he has denied any thought in wanting to be the manager of the team. He likes where he is and he is great at it. He is a wizard. Even John Danks, the John Danks in his prime, once said, “Coop deserves most of the credit for where I am today“.

Cooper is truely spectacular at what he does and how he has contributed to this organization. It is simply incredible.

It’s pretty safe to say that Cooper is legendary. Whenever a pitcher joins the White Sox, they are excited and eager to learn from the pitching coach. He has turned around the careers of so many players, and has started the careers of many more. You can sure that the boat load of new pitching prospects Chicago has acquired will get the best pitching coach in the league.

The 2017 Cubs Hype Video That You’ve Been Waiting For Is Here

By
Aldo Soto
-

The Chicago Blackhawks have been great, but if you’re not a hockey fan it’s been a long winter. The Bears were terrible and now they have Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez at the top of their QB depth chart. The Bulls have been teasing fans all year long and are pretty much the most hated franchise in the city right now. If you’re a Cubs fan, this is what you’ve been waiting for. Yeah, not exactly the wait we went through, but nonetheless baseball is back.

The World Series champs begin the 2017 season against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday night on ESPN. Joe Maddon is sticking with Javier Baez at second base, at least for the opener, while putting Ben Zobrist out in right field. The top of the order is the scariest thing in baseball and it will be unleashed tonight.

Doesn’t it feel great starting a new season with no stress at all? I mean, yeah, I’ll still yell at the TV tonight when Jon Lester gets screwed out of a strike three call, but the Cubs are World Series champions. Be honest, even when Theo Epstein taking over in 2011, you knew a title wasn’t a guarantee. Now, it happened and the Cubs are still poised to be great for at least another five years.

It’s a great time to be a Cubs fan and even better now because baseball is back.

Goosebumps all over.

White Sox Opening Series Preview: Jacob May, Cody Asche Get Their Opportunity

By
Emmet McClain
-

Baseball is officially back ladies and gentlemen. For Chicago, the North Siders get things kicked off tonight in a division tilt with the St. Louis Cardinals. The White Sox will follow up tomorrow afternoon, as they kick off the season at home against division rival Detroit.

Weather Forecast

Game 1- High of 52 with high chances of rain. (Potential cancelation).

Game 2- High of 53, cloudy

Game 3- High of 46, potential thunderstorms

In other words, Chicago baseball in April.

Probable Pitchers

Game 1- Jose Quintana vs. Justin Verlander

Game 2- James Shields vs. Jordan Zimmermann

Game 3- Derek Holland vs. Daniel Norris

Lineup (Game 1)

2B- Saladino

SS- Anderson

LF- Cabrera

1B- Abreu

3B- Frazier

DH- Asche

RF- A. Garcia

C- Navarez

CF- May

SP- Quintana

Player to Watch- Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson had a very productive rookie year for the White Sox. Rick Hahn certainly was pleased, and rewarded Tim with a contract extension that can keep him in Chicago until his 30’s. Entering his first full season for the White Sox, all eyes should be on him as he looks to take the next step forward. Short stop is currently one of the most talented positions in all of baseball. Francisco Lindor, Troy Tulowitzki, Addison Russell, and Carlos Correa are just a few names to throw out there. Last year Tim went under the radar for the most part, but this year he will start to make noise and put himself in the discussion as one of the better young short stops in the league. Expect him to come out of the gates firing on all cylinders.

Bottom Line

After what should be an exciting pitcher’s duel in game 1, expect more runs to be put on the board in games 2 and 3. It could be a long season for James Shields if he cannot rebound from his awful 2016. Derek Holland is more of an unknown than not at this point, but his career ERA at Guaranteed Rate Field is 7.20 in three starts. Take that for what it’s worth. On the other side, Detroit may have found a solid young pitcher in Daniel Norris. The 23-year-old had 10 starts last year to the tune of a 3.04 ERA.

Series Prediction

Quintana will best Verlander in a low scoring affair to get the win on Opening Day, but the White Sox lack of quality pitching depth will show in games 2 and 3. White Sox start the season 1-2.

 

The Cubs And White Sox 2017 Season Preview

By
Sean Sears
-

Well, it’s finally here! Opening Day is upon us Chicago, with the Cubs beginning their journey back to the World Series Sunday night against the Cardinals, while the White Sox start year one of their rebuild Monday afternoon.

The writers at Sports Mockery are excited to do it all again this season, and we decided to share the staff’s thoughts on the new season! So I asked our staff these four questions:

1. Team Record, where they finish in division (if playoffs, how far)

2. The most improved/surprising player or a bold predictions 

3. Any players win major awards

4. A quick blurb on the team 

Adam Nissan – Cubs Staff Writer

Cubs Record: 109-53

Most Improved Player: Willson Contreras

Kyle Hendricks wins Cy Young Award

Adam on the Cubs in 2017 – “Crazy to think the 2017 team will top what happened in 2016 but they will. Repeat in 2017. Book it”

Adam on the White Sox – “0-162.”

Dhruv Koul – Sports Mockery Columnist

Cubs 

1. 96-66 (1st in division, lose in NLCS to Nationals)

2. Albert Almora – takes over fully as starting CF by June

3. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Willson Contreras, and Javy Baez all hit 25+ home runs

Dhruv on the Cubs – “The Cubs are the best team in baseball, hands down, but it’s too hard to repeat in the MLB. I think the Cardinals give them a good chase in the division, so Joe Maddon can’t rest everybody like he did last year. So I think they run out of gas in the NLCS.”

White Sox

1. 71-91, finish last in the AL Central

2. Todd Frazier traded before Jose Quintana

3. Tim Anderson wins a Gold Glove award

Dhruv on the White Sox – “The White Sox will suck this year and next. I expect them to be a damn solid team by 2019, however.”

Marc-Louis Papryca – Blackhawks Staff Writer

Cubs 

1. Cubs 101-61 Central Division Champions Win World Series

2. Jason Heyward hits .275 with 25 HR

3. No major awards. Russel, Rizzo and Heyward win gold gloves. Rizzo and Bryant win silver sluggers.

Marc on the Cubs – “Cubs continue to have fun and delight fans while winning.”

White Sox 

1. White Sox 81-81 Third in division

2. Jose Abreu has a season like his rookie year and subsequently gets traded for prospects.

3. No major awards.

Marc on the White Sox – “Sox show signs of moving in a positive direction but are years away from doing anything.”

 

Emmet McClain – White Sox Staff Writer

White Sox

1. 68 wins for the Sox, last in central
2. Tim Anderson surprise/breakout player, cements himself in discussion with rest of young stud shortstops
3. Yoan Moncada 2nd in AL rookie of the year.
Emmet on the White Sox – “Sox will be very bad but entertaining as they bring up young prospects throughout the year. Fans know it’s a rebuild, should stay patient. Robert potential signing and Quintana trade could be season highlights.”

Doug Schwamb – White Sox Writer

White Sox 

  1. 72-90 Fifth in the A.L Central
  2. 2. Bold Prediction : Tyler Saladino and his mustache will continue his success from last season.
  3. Biggest Surprise of the Season: No awards but Tim Anderson will hit 25 home runs, steal 30 bases, and make an all star appearance.

Doug on the White Sox – “The White Sox are in the midst of a rebuild, but there’s a lot to look forward to. The upcoming prospects will make the rebuilding process a whole lot easier, and there are s few players in the Majors that can help this team contend in the future. Players such as Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, and Nate Jones.”

Cubs 

  1. Cubs record: 90-72. 1st in the division. Reach the World Series, but get outplayed by the Red Sox.
  2. Biggest Suprise of the Season: Schwarber gets more than 30 appearances behind the plate.
  3. Biggest Prediction: Heyward has a comeback season and hits 25 HR and 100 RBI.

Doug on the Cubs – “The Cubs will only win 90 games, but still manages to win the division. The reason being is because Joe will rest his guys a lot more, and expect him to keep making changes to the rotation of seven rather than five.”

 

And finally, here is my thoughts on both teams, but you can hear my entire thoughts on both the Cubs and White Sox on the most recent episode of the 312 podcast.

Sean Sears – Staff Writer

Cubs 

  1. 98-64, 1st in the central, beat Boston in the World Series (I really wanted to pick the Dodgers but go Cubs)
  2. Surprise player: Last year I picked Kyle Hendricks, so this year I’m going with Addison Russell solidifying his place as a top-five shortstop this season
  3. Bold prediction: Jason Heyward ends the year as the Cubs leadoff hitter, also Russell, Rizzo, and Heyward win gold glove

My thoughts on the Cubs – “What more can you say about the team everyone thinks is the best in baseball? Whether or not the Cubs win it all again in 2017, they are going to have more fun than anyone else this season, and I can’t wait to watch them do it.” 

White Sox

  1. 70-92, 4th in the division, no playoffs
  2. Surprise player: Leury Garcia, if he can find playing time, he’s going to score some runs.
  3. None, but Carlos Rodon does prove he can be a staff ace when healthy

My thoughts on the White Sox – “The Sox, while rebuilding, still have a decent amount of talent on the major league roster, enough to keep them from actually tanking. Which means making deals for Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson, etc. are going to be crucial for the Sox to continue to find success while attempting to rebuild.”

Cubs Opening Day Lineup Vs. Cardinals Has One Surprise

By
Aldo Soto
-

Well, well, well, look who’s starting at second base for the defending World Series champions. Joe Maddon said he was going to have one little quirk in the lineup and in reality it’s what fans want most of the time. So, for Opening Day the Chicago Cubs open up against the St. Louis Cardinals and Javier Baez will be starting at second base.

That means Ben Zobrist will go back to right field, while Jason Heyward starts in center field. We already knew the top three hitters coming into the season and it’s still scary for opposing pitchers. Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo up in the first inning. Oh baby!

Also, Maddon will be going back to batting the pitcher eighth, but the surprise, maybe not that much, is that Baez is in the nine hole. That will change when Albert Almora Jr. is starting, I assume.

So, for the first game of the season, there’s no Almoea or Jon Jay. Obviously, Maddon has as much flexibility as ever before, so expect different looks throughout the year in the lineup.

Ahh, baseball is back. Finally. Let’s go!

1...3,1173,1183,119...3,199Page 3,118 of 3,199

Subscribe to our Newsletter

✶ An Unfiltered Voice For Chicago Sports Fans ✶

Chicago Sports News

About Us

© Sports Mockery, Inc. 2026