Friday, November 13, 2026
EDGE is live. Chicago fans can now access and explore the beta.
Home Blog Page 3166

Moncada, White Sox Have Career Day Against Slumping Tigers

By
Emmet McClain
-

What a game for the White Sox. Today they beat up on the slumping Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, as they belted out 25 runs en route to a 17-7 win. The box score is a sight to see.

The players leading the way for the White Sox will excite fans even more. Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, and Avi Garcia all had field days for the club.

Tim Anderson

What a turnaround it has been for Tim Anderson. After a horrendous start to the year, he has rebounded in tremendous fashion. A three-hit game today gives him 8 multi-hit games in his last 10. In his last 38 games he is batting .315 with 7 home runs and 11 doubles.

Yoan Moncada

Yoan had arguably his best game of his short MLB career today. His final line for the day ended up being 4-5 with a home run, stolen base, and 2 walks. He is the first player under 23 to reach base 6 times in one game since Mike Trout did it in 2013. It seems like Moncada is finally starting to adjust to MLB pitching and is able to wait for his pitch and drive it for hits. His ability to take walks is incredibly encouraging as well. If he can continue his recent hot streak and end the season strong, it should do wonders for his confidence going into his first full season next year.

Jose Abreu

Jose Abreu got on base 5 times for the White Sox as well, but not like he usually does. Instead of him belting doubles, home runs, (and recently triples) Abreu settled for 4 singles and a hit-by-pitch with 2 RBI’s. For whatever reason, it seems like Abreu is consistently undervalued across the league. It wouldn’t be shocking if Abreu were to win the A.L. Silver Slugger award at the First Base position. Even though he is on the wrong side of 30, he has proven every year that he is a star in this league. Expect him to see this rebuild through until its completion. Even if he is the future DH.

Avisail Garcia

What more can we say about Avi this year? All the kid (yes, he’s still just 25 years old) has done is hit. While he has sacrificed some power for average, he is still just 3 RBI away from a career high of 70. Today, he had five hits, and SEVEN RBI for the White Sox. If he puts up similar numbers next year, the White Sox will have a pretty important decision to make. However, it would be a great problem for Rick Hahn and the rest of the front office to have.

A Record Day

With the White Sox scoring a whopping 17 runs today, you would think the entire team was hitting bombs. Wrong. Of the 25 hits the White Sox had today, 21(!) of them were singles. That ties a club record. It was just one of those days where almost everything was clicking offensively for the White Sox.

Probably the most exciting thing about the White Sox big day was the top of the order. Anderson, Moncada, Abreu, and Garcia batted 1-4 in today’s lineup. That could very well be the 1-4 three years from now when the team should be good enough to compete. Today offered a glimpse of what things can be like in the not-so-distant future.

Moving On Up (Or Back?)

Over the last month, the White Sox have a record of 18-19. Essentially .500 baseball. Now, with just a few weeks left in the season, they hold just a single game lead over Detroit for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft. While this might greatly upset some of the fans, it is important to know that this draft is going to be a 1-in-10 year draft when it comes to talent. Especially at the top. If the White Sox slip to No. 4 overall, they are still guaranteed to get one of either Brady Singer, Jared Kelenic, Bryce Turang or Kumar Rocker. All four of which have the talent to become the face of a franchise in the near future. So enjoy the rest of the season, White Sox fans. Today was a great day for the rebuild. And next season we will see even more days like today.

Signs Hint Bears Promote from Within If They Fire John Fox

By
Erik Lambert
-
vic fangio and dowell loggains

Will the Chicago Bears fire John Fox at the end of the season? That is going to be one of the hottest questions asked in the coming weeks. Already the subject is heating up after the Bears fell to the Atlanta Falcons in week one. Looking ahead their schedule is not going to let up. Tampa Bay next week, who were 9-7 last year. Pittsburgh and then Green Bay, both conference championship participants.

Chicago could easily be 0-4 before the first quarter of the season is even finished. At that point the “Fire Fox” chants will be deafening. The Bears head coach is now 9-24 running what is his third franchise since 2002. Despite his past success there comes a certain point where enough is enough and changes are needed.

The big question for many isn’t whether he’ll be canned though. It’s who will replace him. Many people are having fantasies of Jim Harbaugh or Sean Payton. Truth be told neither is likely at this point. In fact there’s reason to believe the Bears may already have someone in mind.

Why Vic Fangio and Dowell Loggains are prime options if Bears fire John Fox

One thing about Bears GM Ryan Pace is he’s proven himself as a man who wants to build from within. He’s shown that with how often he’s rewarded players like Kyle Long, Tracey Porter, Eric Kush, Willie Young, Charles Leno and Akiem Hicks with new deals. Is it that big a stretch to think he might do the same on the coaching staff?

After all, the Bears are in a rare position to where they have some quality assistants on the staff. None more so than their two coordinators. Here’s a breakdown of what each brings to the table and why they could be the heirs to Fox’s throne.

Vic Fangio

Pros:

  • Wealth of experience
  • Players love him
  • Knows how to make adjustments
  • Strong coaching tree
  • Personality fits the city
  • Has somebody to take his place

Fangio has been the most popular coach on the Bears staff since he arrived and for good reason. His defensive unit consistent outperforms the other two. Despite limited talent in both 2015 and 2016 they finished ranked in the top 15. Players have gone on record saying they consider him a “genius” with his attention to detail and ability to adjust to what he has. Much of this is intelligence but also his vast array of experience.

Fangio has been an NFL coach since 1986 and a defensive coordinator since 1995. He’s had success everywhere he’s been in that 31-year span. During that time he’s also learn from other successful coaches including Jim Mora Sr., Jim Harbaugh and Jon Harbaugh. Not only this but he also has the sort of personality Chicago loves. He’s honest, blunt and doesn’t BS anybody.

Last but not least, were he to get the job the Bears have the equally experienced Ed Donnatell ready to take over at defensive coordinator.

Cons:

  • Old (59)
  • Personality may not fit the organization
  • Defensive guy with a conservative nature
  • Been passed over a lot

Age is always a factor in any coaching hire or player signing. For Fangio it certainly feels like his window is closing. He’ll be 60-years old next year, which puts an immediate cap on his staying power with the Bears. Sure there are exceptions like Dick LeBeau who’s coached to his 80s but by and large most tend to wind down by their mid-60s.

Fangio is also a defensive guy as pointed out earlier. His coaching style, while effective for his side of the ball, can be called conservative. Is he really equipped to develop a young quarterback like Trubisky? Then there’s the issue of not already being a head coach. One could say Fangio should’ve been one by now, having successfully coordinated for 22 years now. Why has nobody hired him? Maybe he just doesn’t come across as a guy who can run a franchise.

Dowell Loggains

Pros:

  • Young (36)
  • System already installed
  • Adept play caller
  • Features a scheme that fits Mitch Trubisky
  • Gets most out of what he has

Where age was an issue for Fangio, it most definitely isn’t for Dowell Loggains. He would become one of the youngest head coaches in the NFL were he hired. If he’s successful that would mean the Bears have their guy for the next couple decades if they wished. Beyond that it all becomes about stability.

Chicago has a young quarterback now. Mitch Trubisky is their future. He has the talent to become the first true franchise quarterback they’ve had since Jim McMahon. Promoting Loggains would maintain scheme stability as Trubisky continues to develop. Something teams like Tampa Bay and Tennessee have done with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.

Loggains has shown himself to be personable, intelligent and able on the play calling front. He managed to produce a top 15 offense in 2016 despite two of his quarterbacks going down with injuries. His scheme, which features a passing attack built around timing and precision, is a perfect fit for what Trubisky does. It’s why they drafted him.

Cons:

  • Been coaching for less than a decade
  • Comes from a meh coaching tree
  • Pass-happy

At the same time that youth mentioned before brings up a couple issues. Loggains has only been coaching since 2008 in the NFL. So he’s only been at the job for nine years, and a coordinator for three of them. People laud Adam Gase for being a young upstart but he’d been coaching since 2000 before getting his shot with Miami in 2016.

Not only that but Loggains also comes from a rather pedestrian coaching true. The head coaches he’s worked for in the NFL include Jeff Fisher, Mike Munchak, Mike Pettine and now John Fox. Not the most inspiring group. History shows successful head coaches tend to have learned from other successful head coaches. Mike Ditka studied under Tom Landry, lest we forget.

This last part is a bit of a nitpick, but Loggains does have a tendency to pass the ball too much. For example his running backs were averaging 6.6 yards per carry and ran it 19 times. Conversely they threw the ball 40 times at just four yards per pass. It makes one wonder if Loggains understands how to craft a game plan around what his team does best.

White Sox Prospect Predicted To Appear On MLB Pipeline’s Top-10 Prospects List One Year From Now

By
Matt Enuco
-
White Sox prospect lands on Jim Callis predictive top-10 prospects list.
MLB.com

Predicting elite prospects is a fickle business fraught with variables known and unknown. Determining who will contribute at the major-league level is hard enough before prospects reach the majors and casting out projections a year in advance is equivalent to flying blind. Prospects mature at different rates and some take nose dives while others tap a well of talent.

Jim Callis of MLBPipeline.com has always processed his projections through a pragmatic lens and in last season’s edition of this list he read the tarot cards fairly well. Callis and his band of scouting gurus nailed four of the top-10 prospects a year out.

Eloy Jimenez was on that sexy list as the No. 7 prospect and after an impressive season capped off with several postseason all-star honors, he is poised to add wonder to the White Sox roster very soon. In fact, if it were up to him he would already be in the majors, a rousing combination of confidence and pragmatism given his gaudy second half of the season.

But Jimenez is suspiciously absent from Callis’ latest prediction. Could be that Jimenez is ready to make the jump to the big leagues or that the tide of talent behind him is swelling, and this is good news for the White Sox as Callis named one of their prized prospects in the top three.

Luis Robert did not earn postseason accolades with all-star teams and such, but Callis believes he will be the No. 3 prospect in the minors.

Robert is a young 20 years old and slashed .310/.491/.536 in the Dominican Summer League. His season was shortened by procedural rules for international prospects and riddled with pesky injuries. On July 4th, nearly one month after debuting with the DSL White Sox, Robert suffered a minor meniscus injury that sidelined him for approximately two weeks. Shortly after his return he rolled his ankle on the bases on Aug. 7th and missed another two weeks.

Fears that the White Sox acquired an injury-prone player have not been wiped away yet, but Robert’s appearance on MLB pipeline’s top-10 list and a full winter of baseball ahead of him will give White Sox fans hope.

As Cuban prospects flee the island, elite prospects are becoming an endangered species for the communist nation. And as diplomatic relationships once warmed by the Obama administration now chill in the Trump era a deluge of prospects could flood Major League Baseball.

Robert is one of the last elite prospects from Cuba and the White Sox went all-in on his talent. They signed him for a $26 million signing bonus, a figure they will almost double after league luxury taxes are applied. He is likely to spend the fall and winter playing in the Dominican Republic and likely to land in the United States at Spring Training. Where he goes from there depends on how he flexes his mettle.

Josh Bellamy Could Be the Answer To Bears Receiver Woes

By
Erik Lambert
-
josh bellamy

There are a ton of Chicago Bears fans who just can’t understand why Josh Bellamy is still on the roster. All he’s doing is eating up a valuable spot that can be used elsewhere. In truth most of this hatred stems from Bellamy’s unfortunate tendency to drop passes. While a problem, it’s probably the one thing that has kept him from becoming a starter on this offense.

Yes, you read that correctly. Bellamy is a good football player. Nobody wants to admit it though because it’s easier to say he’s bad due to one flaw in his game. Truth be told the details tell a far different story. For starters he’s excellent on special teams. In 2015 alone he made 10 tackles in the third phase and another six last year, also forcing two fumbles.

He also stepped up big last year on offense. With injuries and suspensions slamming the receiver position in November, Bellamy was the one who helped provide a spark. In a three-game stretch against the Titans, 49ers and Lions he made 11 catches for 179 yards. They beat San Francisco and should’ve won the other two games.

True to form he was at it again in the opener against Atlanta.

Josh Bellamy haters need to look at the whole picture

Here’s something to keep in mind. People dog piled on Bellamy after the game for not catching that pass in the end zone. However, if they’d watched the replays they’d know that the supposed drop was created by a blatant holding penalty that wasn’t called. On the play Bellamy runs his route into the end zone and makes brief contact with Falcons corner Robert Alford. From there he breaks left towards the sideline. As he’s doing this it’s clear as day that Alford grabs hold of his arm and shoulder pads.

This messes up the timing of the route, resulting in Bellamy being unable to locate the ball in time to catch it.

Some may view that as an excuse but it’s a valid one. Also nobody has bothered to point out the Bears wouldn’t even have been in that position were it not for Bellamy. The offense lost wide receiver Kevin White during their second-to-last drive of the game. This forced Bellamy onto the field. Just two plays later Chicago faced a 3rd and 5 from the Atlanta 25-yard line. Glennon found Bellamy for a six-yard gain and a first down. On the next play Tarik Cohen took in 19 yards for the touchdown.

His biggest play though came on the next drive

Also have people already forgotten what Bellamy did on the final drive? He delivered two key catches that amassed 21 of the 82 yards they needed to get in position for a touchdown to win the game. None were more clutch than a 4th and 3 they faced at the Atlanta 42. Bellamy faced man coverage, got off the jam immediately and popped wide open for a 14-yard catch.

What nobody noticed is who he did it against. That would be Desmond Trufant, the Falcons’ Pro Bowl cornerback.

Seeing something like that, it becomes easier to understand why offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains didn’t seem too panicked following news of the White injury.

“When Kevin went down, those last two series, I think we threw 25 straight passes in those two two-minute drills to get us down there, and those guys responded.”

Bellamy was the one who led the way. Look there’s no denying the guy has the occasional dropped pass. That is frustrating for fans. They want consistency. The bottom line is though he does something other guys on the roster can’t. He gets open. If nothing else he’s proven he can do that consistently regardless of who he’s lined up against. For a receiver-starved team that is a valuable commodity.

Maybe it’s time to give the guy a chance.

What Is Rick Renteria’s Future With The White Sox?

By
Matt Enuco
-
Rick Renteria's future with the White Sox is all but certain.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North Americ via zombie

The first season of a rebuilding-Chicago White Sox squad is drawing to a close. Twenty-Two Triple-A players have made appearances on the major-league roster as the White Sox purged a glut of talent that was not worth the sum of its pieces.

Stage one of rebuilding will close with the season. There may be a few lingering deals to be made but Rick Hahn will shift to developing talent already in the system and watching the free-agent market. Besides tying up loose ends on players, White Sox brass will also ponder what Rick Renteria’s future is with the organization.

Jon Heyman wrote in late August that he believed Renteria’s job was safe and there is scant evidence to disagree. Renteria is bilingual and by all accounts meshes very well with his players. He can be emotional at times but his players appear to respect him, eruptions notwithstanding. But the players don’t make the decisions and there are three reasons White Sox brass should renew Renteria’s contract.

He has not lost them games. I can already hear the gasps. I know pressure to win was scarce considering the state of affairs with the roster. I know that Renteria intractably bunted ignoring feeble statistics against the practice. And I know he was booted from a host of games this season. But he didn’t make any glaring mistakes that made one wonder if he understood the game of baseball.

He approached every game with energy and optimism despite hemorrhaging veterans. The raging calls to stop Yoan Moncada and others from bunting are nonsense. Regardless of which side of the argument you fall on the value of bunting is undeniable. Cody Bellinger was wise and humble enough to lay a bunt down against the shift on Monday and earn himself a base hit.

And if getting tossed from games for defending his players is evidence of managerial misconduct than Bobby Cox, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa should be escorted out of the Hall of Fame. Even if Renteria was run for arguing balls and strikes at least the dugout knows he has their backs. The postgame lesson is a burden Renteria must bear and should address as the roster matures.

The second reason Renteria will rule the dugout next season is his bilingual strength. The White Sox have a lengthy history with Latin players and adding Moncada, Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez furthers that legacy. Jose Abreu is still navigating the language barrier in America and if the manager can connect with his players on not only a lingual level but a cultural one as well, the dividends should be robust. And while it is easy to focus on the marquee names in the farm system the reality is that there are a host of other Latin prospects that could contribute and might need a language cushion – Micker Adolfo is one such prospect that comes to mind.

And the final reason the White Sox won’t dismiss Renteria is that it is foolish to switch skippers in the middle of a transitional period. Ricky knows his guys and with a clubhouse thrust into turmoil, guys rally behind their singular experience. Introducing a new manager would create a culture shock that could risk the solidarity forged this season.

Ricky was harshly booted from the Cubs organization when Joe Maddon became available in 2015. Since taking over another rebuilding team the possibility of being jettisoned for the latest guru indeed weighs heavily on his mind — there is no way that it doesn’t.

Renteria might look for a lengthier deal considering the tumultuous seasons ahead for the White Sox. It is reasonable to believe that White Sox brass and Renteria could work out a two-year deal and address his future in 2019 as the White Sox youngsters begin sketching their major-league identity. This would be a wise move since both skipper and deckhands will mature together.

Amazon Unveils Loony Commercial for Bears vs. Packers TNF Game

By
Erik Lambert
-

A Bears vs. Packers Thursday Night Football game seems to have become an NFL tradition of late. They met on Thanksgiving night (a Thursday) in 2015. Last year they had their first meeting to unveil the color rush uniforms. True to form the league is going back to that well again with the two teams meeting on Thursday, September 28th in Green Bay.

Something new about this event is who might be seeing it. For the first time Amazon is going to stream the a prime-time game on their service, Amazon Prime. This is the next step for the worldwide conglomerate in the football arena after breaking ground with their hit series, “All or Nothing.”

So of course they decided to promote the event with a commercial. Only thing is their first attempt is a rather unusual and ill-fated attempt at comedy for one of the most enduring rivalries in professional sports.

Certainly not the most conventional way to hype up what should be an entertaining game. The Bears have two weeks in between before that trip to Wisconsin. They will face Tampa Bay this weekend before returning home for a game against Pittsburgh. There’s little question they have to win one of them. If they go to Green Bay 0-3, odds are their seasons ends that night at the hands of Aaron Rodgers.

Again.

Maybe Amazon will get a better idea of the magnitude this clash will represent by then. Practice makes perfect. Either that or use all that money to find somebody who does it better.

Tarik Cohen Played a Savage Prank During His Draft Party

By
Erik Lambert
-
running back tarik cohen
Credit: Chicago Tribune

New Chicago Bears budding star running back Tarik Cohen is the talk of the football world. His electric performance against the Atlanta Falcons that featured 150+ yards of total offense and a touchdown was too much fun to watch. Not that this was a surprise to people who have watched him for some time. Bears coaches and teammates saw it every day in practice.

Friends and family have seen it for years during his time in high school and then college at North Carolina A&T. They knew he was special, regardless of his 5’6″ size. It’s hard to argue that fact at this point. However, there is something else about Cohen that makes him so magnetic. He’s actually quite the character.

Already he’s established himself as a many of many nicknames from “Human Joystick” to “Chicken Salad.” He admitted to almost screaming like a girl when his hero Tyrann Mathieu direct messaged him on Twitter. The stories about the guy are equal parts plentiful and entertaining. None more so than what happened the day he got drafted.

Running back Tarik Cohen has been an absolute genius prankster

By now most people know what happened. In the fourth round of the NFL draft the Bears used their second of two picks to secure Cohen. It came as a surprise to many and a disappointment to others. For the always cool under pressure back though, he just couldn’t resist having a little fun and the expense of his fans.

In an interview with HBCU Gameday’s “Beyond the Yard” series, he admitted to hatching a little prank on everybody.

“I kept picking up my phone, acting like I was getting the call and just messing with everybody in the crowd. When I did get the call, it was a wonderful moment, probably the best moment in my life so far.”

Wow. That is not cool, Tarik. Okay admittedly that’s hilarious but it’s still kind of mean. Nonetheless he no doubt kept people on their toes with that decision. Eventually they were allowed to celebrate for real. One can only imagine their reaction when Cohen sliced up the defending NFC champions on opening day.

Based on early reactions from them, the city of Chicago hasn’t seen anything yet.

Debrincat Dominates In Leading Blackhawks Prospects To Tournament Championship

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
-

On the way to winning the Traverse City Prospect Championship, one Blackhawks player stole the show. His name is Alex Debrincat (de-BRINK-it) and if you haven’t heard his name yet, what’s wrong with you?

Seriously though, he’s a stud and proved it again during the tournament. The Blackhawks 2016 second-round pick showed a lot of versatility on his way to scoring 5 goals and 1 assist in 4 games for the Blackhawks prospects. One of those goals was the overtime game winning goal to clinch the championship.

Debrincat. who takes a lot of heat for being on the smaller side (5’7″ 165 lbs), even showed a willingness to drop the gloves during the tournament. A fight in which he battled hard and never gave up.

The highly-touted Blackhawks prospect is coming off an OHL season in which he tore the league up and was named the league’s most outstanding player. The first since Stan Mikita in 1958-1959. He recorded 128 points (65 goals and 63 assists) for his third straight one hundred point season in the OHL.

Debrincat has an impressive resume but is still not a guarantee to make the Blackhawks opening roster. He is definitely making a case for himself and it will be interesting to see if he ends up in Chicago or Rockford come October.

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

 

 

Moncada, Others All-Stars While Heralded Names Noticeably Remiss

By
Matt Enuco
-
White Sox Moncada an all-star while others miss out.
Brian Davidson/Getty Images North America via Zimbio

Yoan Moncada my be batting below the Mendoza line in the majors but he is an All-Star in Triple-A. Baseball America released their Triple-A classification all-stars on Monday and Moncada can call himself an all star.

Eloy Jimenez was named to the High-A all-star team — no surprise given his gaudy numbers in the second half of the season — and Michael Kopech rounded out the all-star contingent at Double-A.

A few names were noticeably absent from Baseball America’s all-star rosters. For the first time, B.A. ran an all-Dominican Summer League (DSL) team and Luis Robert was not on it. Besides landing headlines with quick home runs he also landed on the D.L. twice. Yet, the Cuban slugger slashed .310/.491/.536 with a 1.027 OPS in 28 contests. Robert appears healthy but his forays onto the D.L. indeed played a factor in missing the all-star team.

That Alec Hansen couldn’t find a roster spot either speaks to the depth around the league and within the White Sox organization specifically. Hansen led the minors with 191 strike outs and posted a sparkling 2.71 earned run average between A and High-A. He fired 131 innings at both A levels and earned a brief introduction to Double-A at the end of the season.

Despite contending for their respective league championships, Kannapolis and Great Falls couldn’t muster a single all-star. Craig Dedelow and Anthony Villa earned postseason honors in the Pioneer League as a consolation if they can’t close the league title.

 

Aaron Rodgers Declares Brian Urlacher the Best He’s Played Against

By
Erik Lambert
-
aaron rodgers brian urlacher

People never really have gotten a grasp on the Aaron Rodgers Brian Urlacher relationship. Mostly because the two superstars were and still are prone to keeping their personal feelings close to the vest. Eventually people assumed the two were classic rivals. They hated each other and would do everything in their power to make the other look bad on Sundays.

Of course that oversimplifying the reality. Sure the two wanted to win desperately when they squared off. That’s just the nature of the sport. However, fans never understood the level of respect that developed between the two. How high does it go? Urlacher retired in 2013. Four years later here in 2017, Rodgers still views him as the best defender he’s ever played across from.

A fact he revealed during an interview with veteran sports personality Dan Patrick on his radio show.

Aaron Rodgers Brian Urlacher are all about the R-E-S-P-E-C-T

It’s hard to argue with that. In the five seasons they played against each other from 2008 to 2012, Rodgers managed to top 300 yards passing just once in 10 games. In the eight games since Urlacher retired he’s managed to do it four times. That is a stat befitting the void the future Hall of Fame linebacker left behind. A void the Bears still haven’t been able to fill half a decade later.

Meanwhile Rodgers is no doubt happy he’s gone. No player in the division or even the rest of the NFC has approached that level of mastery at reading what’s going to happen save for his the frequent matchups with Seattle. It’s proof positive that being physically gifted is one thing, but the best in the NFL are often the smartest. A trait that Urlacher never got nearly enough credit for.

1...3,1653,1663,167...3,362Page 3,166 of 3,362

Subscribe to our Newsletter

✶ An Unfiltered Voice For Chicago Sports Fans ✶

Chicago Sports News

About Us

© Sports Mockery, Inc. 2026