Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman (31) tackles Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Dillon Thieneman got the start for the Chicago Bears‘ defense last Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. That wasn’t a surprise. The 1st round pick is trying to learn Dennis Allen’s scheme as quickly as possible. The best way to do that is to get some live game reps. He played 14 in total—enough for two series. What was surprising was that his name was never called at any point. Some may take that as a bad sign. The rookie wasn’t making plays. However, there is another way to look at it.
Were the Browns avoiding him?
It sounds crazy for a preseason game. Yet when you go back to look at some of the tape, you notice signs that the Browns avoided throwing the ball his way.
Dillon Thieneman (#31) wanted Watson to throw this dig so bad lmao. Look at how quickly he erases that window, forces Watson underneath pic.twitter.com/5gbZKnwSC0
The Bears clearly deployed Thieneman with a plan. They used his speed to maximum effect, keeping him deep on passing downs while moving him outside on run plays if runners reached the edge. It is puzzling that Cleveland never tested him. He is a rookie after all. One would think their coaches would allow their veteran quarterback to take a shot or two his way. Yet the Browns seemed to avoid him for the most part.
Dillon Thieneman showcased why the Bears drafted him.
One of the primary issues they had last season was that when they weren’t taking the ball away, they left a lot of throwing windows open too long. That was because they lacked much speed at safety. Kevin Byard was in his 30s and had lost a step. Jaquan Brisker was never known for great range in the first place. That is why the team spent its largest free-agent contract and top draft pick on the position. They wanted to get faster. Thieneman showcased some of that in the win over Cleveland. He took what could’ve been big plays and turned them into manageable ones.
Fans probably want to see more dynamic plays. Where are the interceptions and such? Asking that of a rookie at this stage is unfair. Dillon Thieneman is playing in a defense that is notoriously complex. Allen himself said it’s a lot to digest. The goal right now is getting the rookie acclimated without overwhelming him. Aside from some unfortunate run-ins with Colston Loveland in camp, he’s looked the part. As we saw last season, the Bears are confident in their approach. If Thieneman sticks to the plan, he should improve considerably as the season progresses.
Dillon Thieneman lined up against Colston Loveland
Caleb lasered it in but Cam Lewis delivers a big hit.
Thienemen is not perturbed by the heavy workload. He’s putting in all the time necessary. There hasn’t been an instance throughout camp where it looked like he was lost. His only true down moments came when he had to cover a likely future All-Pro tight end. That can be forgiven. Otherwise, he has stuck his nose into every play and kept himself in the right position. This is the sort of stuff you see from rookies.
First comes the search for consistency. Once that comes, the confidence soon follows. When both combine, that is usually when the big plays start happening. Maybe they’ll come later this season. Maybe they will wait until next year. The objective remains unchanged. Get Thieneman as much experience as possible. It at least looks like opponents respect his capability, if not his reputation just yet.
Bears rookie defensive tackle Jayden Loving applied pressure on Shedeur Sanders, leading to an interception.
Jordan Van Den Berg has been the talk of Chicago Bears training camp, going from third-string rookie to running with the starters in just two weeks. The 6th round pick carried that over to the preseason opener, where he had three quarterback pressures in limited playing time. However, it sounds like he isn’t the only rookie defensive tackle making noise at Halas Hall. Many forget the Bears also added Wake Forest’s Jayden Loving as an undrafted free agent shortly after the draft. His final season saw him collect 2.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss. Scouts saw quickness, explosion, and understated power.
It seems that has carried over into training camp. Loving has been winning his share of drills lately. He gave 2nd round pick Logan Jones all he could handle in 1-on-1s during Tuesday’s practice, resulting in the center taking a swing at him. This comes after an overlooked performance against Cleveland last weekend. Loving delivered a pressure that led to an interception and also batted down another pass. For someone who only got 17 reps, that was pretty solid work.
Winners from the #Bears’ preseason debut before I get to the All-22 in a few days:
• Jamree Kromah • Beanie Bishop • Malik Muhammad • Jayden Loving • Case Keenum • Kaden Davis • Maurice Alexander • Ruben Hyppolite
Not exactly a Cubs-Sox brawl, but a little pileup ensues in OL/DL 1-on-1s after Logan Jones took a swing at Jayden Loving. Loving beat him on back-to-back reps and Jones was frustrated.
Coaches mostly just laughed. Both sides hugged it out a few seconds later.
Jayden Loving continues a trend of solid undrafted work.
While the Bears haven’t scored any outright stars on the college free agent market, they’ve done a consistently good job at identifying players who can contribute at a high level. Jack Sanborn became a starter at linebacker in 2022. Tyson Bagent has emerged as one of the NFL’s top backup quarterbacks. Josh Blackwell is a special teams ace. Theo Benedet started multiple games at left tackle last season, and Jahdae Walker made one of the pivotal touchdown catches. This is why it’s important to pay attention when undrafted rookies start to stand out.
Jayden Loving follows a blueprint the Bears laid out before the offseason began. They wanted to get quicker and more explosive up the middle. Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett couldn’t offer that. It is why they signed Neville Gallimore in free agency and drafted Van Den Berg. Loving was one last attempt to give the position as many options as possible. Let training camp sort it out. The rookie isn’t backing down from the competition. Chicago’s depth is significantly better than last season.
Loving faces a tough situation.
The Bears carried four defensive tackles on the main roster last season. With Dexter and Jarrett assured spots, it comes down to Loving, Van Den Berg, Gallimore, and James Lynch competing for the final two. Given where things stand, Van Den Berg isn’t going anywhere. That leaves one remaining. Would the Bears be willing to gamble on having two rookies as backups? Probably not. So, unless they decide to carry five defensive tackles this year, it is a safe assumption that Gallimore or Lynch gets that spot.
Now, Loving still has time to state his case. Two preseason games remain, as do two joint practices. If he keeps making noise over the next two weeks, the Bears may have no choice but to find room for him. At worst, he is a shoo-in for the practice squad after final cuts. Chicago will keep him around to develop and likely have opportunities to call him up to the main roster if they need another body.
Apr 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia (left) and brother Justin Ishbia in attendance against the Portland Trail Blazers during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
It appears future Chicago White Sox owner Justin Ishbia’s push for a new stadium has taken another step forward after Amtrak received nearly $700 million in federal funding to relocate its maintenance operations from the South Loop’s 14th Street rail yard.
The development comes months after reports surfaced that Ishbia was exploring the purchase of the 47-acre rail yard, further signaling a potential shift away from the White Sox longtime home in Bridgeport.
According to the Chicago Business Journal, Ishbia is investing $125 million to purchase Union Pacific’s Canal Yard through Canal Edge, an entity he controls. The project, which includes the development of a “purpose-built maintenance facility,” is expected to begin this fall and take roughly 18 months.
Ishbia’s investment, combined with $696 million in federal funding, will help pay for the project and improvements to Amtrak’s South Branch Bridge, effectively clearing the way for the railroad to relocate from its current 14th Street site and allow Ishbia to take control of it.
So, how does that factor into the White Sox’s stadium plans?
The White Sox previously expressed interest in a 62-acre site in the South Loop known as The 78. However, the Chicago Fire announced plans last June to build a soccer stadium on the property. While the White Sox have publicly maintained that their focus remains on The 78, Ishbia now appears to be exploring whether Amtrak’s 14th Street rail yard could provide an alternative location for a new stadium.
The 47-acre site sits along the river just south of Roosevelt Road and directly across from The 78.
In April, reports surfaced that Ishbia was pursuing the purchase of the property, with Crain’s Chicago Business first reporting on the potential deal. At the time, Ishbia’s private equity firm, Shore Capital Partners, told the Chicago Sun-Times that it was exploring the development of a potential health care facility and medical innovation hub in partnership with Northwestern Medicine.
The site has also been part of discussions surrounding Amtrak’s plans to relocate its operations. In April, the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois Chicago hosted an Amtrak presentation outlining the railroad’s plans for the 14th Street rail yard. According to the presentation, Amtrak has been seeking to leave the site because of limited space and challenges associated with modernization.
Under the plan, Amtrak would move its operations to Canal Street, with a target of beginning operations at the new facility as early as this fall. That relocation now appears to be moving forward, potentially opening up one of the largest remaining parcels in the South Loop for Ishbia to consider as he weighs the White Sox long-term home.
The Canal Rail Yard sits close to Rate Field, and while there is no guarantee the White Sox will build a stadium on the 14th Street site, Amtrak’s move onto Rate Field’s turf suggests that the team does not plan to stay there for the long haul.
Chicago Cubs star and National League MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong put the Cubs on his back once again, hitting two home runs, including the walk-off home run in the 10th inning on Monday night against the White Sox. Wrigley Field erupted as Crow-Armstrong rounded the bases for his 30th home run of the year, making the 24-year-old the first player in Cubs history to have two straight 30/30 seasons. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Crow-Armstrong is having a truly amazing 2026 season.
White Sox analyst Ozzie Guillen gave PCA the ultimate compliment after his four-hit performance at Wrigley Field, which included the 10th-inning dagger against rookie Hagen Smith. On CHSN’s postgame coverage, Chuck Garfien brought up an interaction that Guillen had with Crow-Armstrong earlier this season when the Cubs played on the South Side. The outfielder was getting some practice in the batting cage when Guillen approached him.
“I said, I like you so much as a player, I hate you. And he said, that’s what I like to hear.”
PCA leads MLB with an incredible 8.2 fWAR so far this season, ahead of Shohei Ohtani, who is in second place with a combined 7.0 fWAR between his hitting and pitching. Crow-Armstrong hasn’t only been one of the top hitters in the game this year, ranking third with a 154 wRC+, but he’s also MLB’s No. 1 defensive player.
He wants to be in the big moment; he lives for it, and Guillen knows just how special PCA is.
“As a fan of baseball, unfortunately he doesn’t play for the White Sox, but as a fan of baseball that kid, I would pay a ticket to watch that kid play.” -Ozzie Guillen
By the way, Pete Crow-Armstrong is the new betting favorite to win the 2026 National League MVP on DraftKings. The center fielder is currently at -155, while Shohei Ohtani is at +125.
Bears left tackles Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie go through warmups before the first padded practice of training camp.
For the past three weeks, the Chicago Bears‘ left tackle competition seemed relatively clear. It was mostly a three-way battle between Braxton Jones, former 3rd round pick Kiran Amegadjie, and former Browns top 10 pick Jedrick Wills. After Jones suffered a knee injury just over a week ago, Wills and Amegadjie suddenly had a golden opportunity in the preseason opener to seize control. If one of them could put up a strong showing, they might overtake Jones as the leading candidate for the job.
It didn’t go well. Amegadjie started the game, but allowed three pressures in 24 snaps. Wills wasn’t much better. He only allowed one pressure, but it was an ugly sack in which a backup edge rusher blew right past him. They were equally dismal in the ground game. Apparently, that performance was all head coach Ben Johnson needed to see. He revealed on Tuesday that significant changes were coming to the tackle spots. Jones would get starter reps now that he is back. Theo Benedet, who’d been unmentioned for weeks, is now firmly in the mix. Amegadjie and Wills? They’ve been banished to logging reps at right tackle.
Significant change in the #Bears left tackle competition:
Ben Johnson says Braxton Jones will be with the first team at LT today. Theo Benedet with the twos.
Sounds like Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie will move over to the right side now.
Something similar happened last year. The left tackle competition looked like it was going a certain way, with Jones and Ozzy Trapilo the primary competitors. Then the rookie was shifted back to right tackle after the preseason opener. Coaches felt he wasn’t ready yet. Jones continued forward against Benedet, eventually claiming the starting job. Is history repeating itself? It looks that way. Wills and Amegadjie blew their best opportunity. Benedet isn’t likely to make up enough ground to catch Jones unless the latter gets hurt again.
Much of this depends on Trapilo’s health status. The former 2nd round pick tore his patellar tendon in January. Projections had him out at least until midseason and probably longer. So you can imagine the shock when he was activated off the PUP list and resumed practicing this week. That gives him a solid month of work to get his body and confidence ready. If he progresses as coaches hope, he could reclaim his starting job on opening day. If it takes some time, Jones is now the heavy favorite.
One thing hasn’t changed.
That is Coach Johnson’s high standards for the position. Other coaches might’ve just looked at their options and picked the one they feel has the best chance to grow into a front-line starter. Johnson won’t do that. The Chicago Bears head coach has high standards for that position and will not make such a critical decision on a whim. He wants somebody to step up and seize it. Otherwise, don’t expect to hold the job long. If there is one takeaway from the past year, it’s that Johnson won’t rest until he’s found his guy.
It looked like Trapilo was securing that spot before he got hurt. There are reasons to think it is still his for the taking. However, if he struggles this season whenever he returns, it might compel the Bears to stop dance around the problem. They will go into 2027 fully intent on locking that position down, be it through free agency or, more likely, the 1st round of the draft.
Aug 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable (1) before the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
At this point in the season, there are no moral victories for the Chicago White Sox, especially with Crosstown bragging rights on the line in front of a raucous crowd of more than 40,000 at Wrigley Field.
Still, Monday’s 7-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs in extra innings offered another reminder that this 2026 White Sox team can go toe-to-toe with anyone, while simultaneously exposing some of the flaws that could ultimately stand between them and a deep postseason run.
The White Sox had no business being in position to win the game, let alone push it to extra innings. They fell behind 2-0 after just five pitches on back-to-back home runs from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, were outhit 14-4, and committed two errors, one of which directly led to a run.
But the White Sox bats have proved all season that they are never more than one swing away from getting back into a game, and Monday was no different. Miguel Vargas snapped a hitless start with the White Sox’s first hit of the game, lining a single after a leadoff walk to Munetaka Murakami. Randal Grichuk then followed by launching a three-run homer 404 feet to center field off a Shota Imanaga splitter, flipping a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
The White Sox offense would not record another hit until the eighth inning, and by then, the Cubs had already retaken the lead thanks to a throwing error by Vargas in the fifth, which allowed two runs to score.
But once again, all it took was a leadoff walk from Murakami to spark the White Sox offense. Andrew Benintendi was called upon to pinch-hit for Grichuk one batter later and picked up right where Grichuk left off, sending the first pitch he saw from Cubs reliever Ryan Zeferjahn into the right-field basket for a go-ahead two-run homer.
The White Sox clearly embraced the playoff-like atmosphere, another trait they have shown time and time again this season. The bigger the stage and the tougher the opponent, the more this young team seems to rise to the occasion.
But unfortunately, the game also exposed some of this team’s warts, serving as a reminder that the White Sox still have work to do if they want to be viewed as a legitimate MLB contender rather than simply a fun underdog story.
Luis Castillo was chased from the game after 4.2 innings, after allowing four runs on eight hits, in a start where the White Sox desperately needed some length. With an already taxed bullpen and an opener scheduled for Tuesday, Chicago could ill afford another abbreviated outing, especially from a pitcher acquired at the trade deadline specifically to help solve that problem.
The White Sox rotation has now failed to have a starter reach the sixth inning in four consecutive games, a stretch that also included an opener against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, leaving several high leverage arms unavailable for Monday.
That put the bullpen in a difficult spot late in the game, with rookie Hagen Smith, who has fewer than five innings of major league experience, being thrust into the 10th inning and tasked with navigating the top of the Cubs’ lineup with the winning run in scoring position.
The already daunting challenge became even tougher when Will Venable elected to have Smith pitch to Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had already collected three hits on the night and continued to make his case as an MVP candidate.
Rather than bypassing PCA, Venable instead opted to roll the dice on a lefty-lefty matchup, avoiding the potential double-play opportunity with Seiya Suzuki waiting on deck. The gamble backfired almost immediately. Smith hung a slider, and Crow-Armstrong launched it 391 feet down the right-field line for a walk-off homer, the first run Smith has allowed in his young major league career.
Venable stood behind the decision after the game, saying he preferred the matchup with Crow-Armstrong and would have intentionally walked Suzuki had Smith recorded the out. While it’s easy to play armchair manager after the fact, the move is one of several questionable decisions Venable has made in tight games this season.
There is no denying Venable has done an excellent job at the helm this season. He has established a clear winning culture, navigated playing time in a deep lineup without allowing veteran egos to become an issue, and kept the team afloat despite persistent shortcomings in the starting rotation. But at the same time, some of his inexperience as a manager has shown.
He has consistently leaned on favorable matchups, which is fine to an extent, but at some point, especially in the postseason, the man-analytics have to take over. There is no excuse to pitch to PCA in that situation just because there is a lefty on the mound, especially a rookie. Crow-Armstrong’s OPS against left-handers is .906 on the year, and he lives for the big moments.
All of this could have been avoided if Jordan Hicks had done his job and locked down the save in the ninth inning. While Hicks shoulders the bulk of the blame after issuing a pair of costly walks, the White Sox ABS challenge issues this season loomed large on Tuesday.
The club’s 46.7% success rate on challenges is the third-worst mark in the MLB. It’s not just that the White Sox lose challenges; they often use them up early in games. That approach is partly rooted in the White Sox’s philosophy of being aggressive and using every tool at their disposal, with the thinking that another opportunity to challenge might not come later in the game. But that approach has burned them time and time again, and Monday was no different.
Hicks dotted the corner in a full count to Ian Happ in the ninth, in what should have been the second out of the inning. The only problem was, the pitch was called a ball, and the White Sox entered the ninth with just one challenge, a challenge that was burned on the previous at-bat.
As a result, the Cubs’ win probability saw a 13% swing and put the tying run in scoring position.
Ultimately, Monday’s loss felt less like a missed opportunity and more like a warning shot. The White Sox showed they have enough firepower, resilience, and toughness to hang with one of the better teams in baseball, but they also exposed the margins that can separate a contender from a team that simply makes the postseason.
The talent is there, but the White Sox are running out of time to clean up the mistakes that could ultimately cost them when the stakes get even higher.
Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken shake hands after a preseason game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bears have had a steady parade of cool, calm, collected head coaches over the past 30 years, for better or worse. Matt Eberflus, Marc Trestman, Lovie Smith, Dick Jauron, and Dave Wannstedt were all different versions of the same person. They didn’t operate with fire. They preferred to coach through steadiness. It took all of one press conference to realize Ben Johnson was not about that. His personality screamed “alpha” from the moment he walked through those doors at Halas Hall.
This is a man who loved the game down to his bones. He demands excellence from both his players and himself. He has a vision for what his football team should be. Violent, tough, physical, and aggressive were the words used the most often. It was taking the team back to the identity it held for decades in the 20th century. His reasoning for this is incredibly simple. Johnson refuses to let other teams dictate how his players feel. He wants the Bears to be in their heads. Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times got the description in an interview.
Ben Johnson has a lot in common with Roman emperors.
“We want to be feared,” Johnson told the Sun-Times, every word edging closer toward the tone his players hear in practice. “We want shutouts on defense. We want blowouts on offense. That’s the mentality that we’re trying to embrace. It’s not, ‘Are we going to win?’ It’s, ‘How much are we going to win by?’ That’s what we live by.”
He’s accelerating. This would be a terrible time to interrupt him.
“That’s how I grew up: We were dominant in youth league, we were dominant in middle school, we were dominant in high school, and that’s what I believe in,” he continued. “Hell, I still remember lining up and running ‘I Right 24 Sweep Dive’ 10 times in a row. Everyone knew what we were doing, and we were just, ‘Boom, boom, boom.’
“It was hard-nosed, mountain football in North Carolina, and that is my backbone more so than any flashy offensive play there could ever be. It’s fundamentals, technique, effort. Those are the pillars of what we want to be about. It’s a differentiator at this level. Every team talks about it, but I don’t know that every team is about it.”
.@BaldyNFL likes when Bears head coach Ben Johnson publicly shares lofty goals.
"He's sending a message to the whole team — what we're capable of doing is much greater than maybe what's in your mind," Baldinger says.
The Bears’ head coach understands football at its core.
Teams that are more physical and more disciplined almost always win more games. He saw proof of concept in his younger days as a player. Then he watched it work with the Detroit Lions under Dan Campbell. That experience cemented the mentality he would bring to Chicago. If you think the emperor comparison is a little over the top, here is a quote from Caligula.
“Let them hate me, so long as they fear me.”
Ben Johnson seems to relish his enemies’ hatred. We saw that from how he has treated the Green Bay Packers and their fans. Hating something is always the first emotion. Next will come fear as he continues finding ways to beat them. The same thing happened to the Bears with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Hate turned to fear as it settled in that both were very good at what they did. When you make opponents fear you, half the battle is already won. Johnson knows this.
It isn’t just about the opponent, though.
A certain mentality is bred when instilling this vision. One thing players love is proving they have the mental and physical advantage over another team. It is so intoxicating. Once you’ve accomplished that a few times during a season, confidence grows. Suddenly, the players no longer want to win. They expect to win, and are willing to play harder than ever to make sure the feeling never goes away. It worked for George Halas. It worked for Mike Ditka. Why shouldn’t it work for Johnson?
This goes back to the Roman analogy. For those not schooled in history, the Roman legions were the greatest soldiers in the ancient world. Their conditioning, discipline, and tactics were on the cutting edge of warfare for centuries. That is why emperors became so feared. Other nations knew those men wielded the legions as his weapon. Johnson is building this franchise with the same image: discipline, conditioning, tactics, and controlled violence.
Aug 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) gestures to the fans after his walk-off two-run home run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the tenth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Pete Crow-Armstrong became the first player in Chicago Cubs history to have back-to-back seasons of at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, and the 2026 National League MVP contender could not have picked a better time to accomplish the feat. The star center fielder began Monday’s series opener against the White Sox with a home run on the very first pitch from Luis Castillo, and in the 10th inning, with both teams tied at five, Crow-Armstrong ended it by slugging a Hagen Smith slider over the right-field wall at Wrigley Field.
Home runs No. 29 and 30 cemented Crow-Armstrong not only in Cubs history, but he also joined yet another elite club in all of MLB history.
The 24-year-old is now the 10th player in MLB history to go 30/30 in consecutive seasons, joining the company of Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, and Vladimir Guerrero Sr among others. Crow-Armstrong is now also the second player to ever have two straight 30/30 seasons at age-24 or younger, alongside Bobby Witt Jr.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the 10th player to record back-to-back 30-30 seasons, joining
Jose Ramirez 2024-25 Bobby Witt Jr. 2023-24 Ryan Braun: 2011-12 Alfonso Soriano: 2005-06 and 2002-03 Vladimir Guerrero Sr.: 2001-02 Barry Bonds: 1995-97 (3 consecutive seasons) Ron Gant: 1990-91… https://t.co/oK0nC4H6Q5
After going 4-for-5, with two home runs, a double, and three RBI, Crow-Armstrong now has a season slash line of .281/.379/.550. His 8.2 fWAR is lapping the entire field.
Last year, the top WAR in baseball (Aaron Judge) led second place (Shohei Ohtani) by 0.7.
In 2024, it was 0.8. In 2023, it was 0.2.
PCA currently leads all of baseball in WAR by 1.2.
We’ve been saying this since last year, but the gigantic strides taken by Crow-Armstrong this year in his plate discipline make it more true. Cubs fans are being treated to a special player, and this year specifically, they might be witnessing the best season a Cubs player has ever had when you take into account that Crow-Armstrong is also the best defensive player in the game.
What a talent. And it’s gotten to the point where, as a Cubs fan, you just have to love reveling in the haters.
— Baseball Images that Precede Unfortunate Events (@UnfortunateMLB) August 18, 2026
Take a bow, Pete.
Clutch? Pete Crow-Armstrong has the most "win probability added" in the National League. He also has the NL's best "Clutch" ranking (Ohtani ranks 49th).
One last fun fact from Monday night’s wild game. You have to go back all the way to 1957 to find the last time a player hit the first pitch of the game for a home run and the last pitch of the game for a walk-off home run.
Via OptaSTATS.
Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs is the first MLB player with a leadoff HR on the first pitch his team saw and a walkoff HR on the last pitch his team saw in a game since Vic Power did so for the Kansas City A’s against the Orioles on May 7, 1957.
Right now, there shouldn’t be a question as to who the NL MVP should be. It’s Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Before Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning on Monday night, a massive brawl broke out in the bleachers at Wrigley Field between Chicago Cubs and White Sox fans. It’s embarrassing to say, but you pretty much expect drunken jackasses fighting whenever these two teams play against each other. In the social media age, these fights obviously become much more visible as a video is a click or tap away from being on your screen.
This particular fight included the rare feat of the fans who had the higher ground losing and getting their ass beat. And it’s not like fan bases of either team should be pounding their chest after this shit show, because this shit is nothing to be proud of. The video below shows most of the altercation: the Cubs fan who ends up getting jumped by multiple other fans, both Cubs and White Sox fans, is shown throwing a cup and then kicking, sparking the brawl.
There are obviously a lot of Cubs fans calling the what appear to be White Sox fans, scumbags for jumping on the Cubs fan, who ends up eating about 20 punches as he’s sitting down by the end, but the biggest villain here might just be the guy in the nameless No. 23 Cubs jersey, who at first seems to be coming out of nowhere to help break up the fight, but then also begins to whale on the other Cubs fan who was the main instigator.
Maybe he was part of the friend group that was already beating up the Cubs fan. Who knows. Wild. I’ll never understand people getting to the stage in life where they’re out there starting fights in such a public place as a sports stadium, and seeing how often this actually happens is pretty telling. Imagine getting so heated over trash talking at a baseball game.
Also, shoutout to the usher who was in the middle of the 10-man scrum at the start and then made the Cam Newton business decision to get the hell out before the brawl escalated.
Unrelated, there were at least a few arrests during and after the game.
Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bears had just made the playoffs for the first time in seven years. They were one overtime drive away from reaching the NFC Championship. They have a dynamic young quarterback, a brilliant offensive mind at head coach, and a cluster of young talent at their core. Nobody would’ve blinked if general manager Ryan Poles came out swinging in the offseason, hoping to upgrade the roster to a level that it could make a run. That is what teams do, right? Once they’re sure they have the QB, they move fast to load up before his cheap rookie contract runs out of time.
Poles did not do that. By and large, the Bears’ 2026 offseason was rather subdued. Their only big free agent addition was safety Coby Bryant. Everybody else was brought in on mid-tier or lower deals. As for the draft, they didn’t do anything significant. They stayed put at 26th overall in the 1st round, taking safety Dillon Thieneman. Their biggest move of the spring was trading D.J. Moore for cap space and a 2nd round pick. People couldn’t understand why the Bears weren’t more aggressive.
Poles finally admitted the truth to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Future salaries were part of what kept Poles from going on a high-priced shopping spree. He was tempted to ride the momentum of the Bears’ first playoff win in 15 years but reminded himself he wants to contend for more than just a season or two.
“When you get into player acquisition phases, whether it’s free agency or the draft, we’re all like kids in a candy store,” he said. “But we surround ourselves with structure. . . . We want to do some unique things here and have success for a long time. That absolutely has to be a part of the process.”
Ryan Poles knows what is coming down the pike.
In some way, the Bears GM is a victim of his own success. For all the grief he gets about his free agent moves, his 1st round picks have been consistently good. Darnell Wright already received a massive extension, making him the highest-paid right tackle in football. That is just the beginning, though. Caleb Williams is likely the next priority. He is eligible to discuss a new deal at the end of the 2026 season. If he repeats or improves on what he accomplished in 2025, you can bet Chicago will be eager to get that done.
Then you have Colston Loveland, who already looks like a star. If he plays at the level he did towards the end of his rookie season, he’ll be the highest-paid tight end in football a couple of years from now. Ryan Poles understands all of this. The hardest thing to do as a general manager in the NFL is budgeting. As much as he wants to be aggressive and go hunting for upgrades, he understands there is a time and place for that. He can’t do it every year. Sometimes, you must bite the bullet and conserve resources.
"We're doing things to be a championship-caliber team for a very long time."@ChicagoBears GM Ryan Poles on HC Ben Johnson and what they are building in Chicago.
People forget his words from that press conference four years ago. “We’re going to build through the draft.” If there is one lesson Poles learned from evaluating the Bears when he took the job, it was that overreliance on free agents and big trades had hurt more than helped them. It gave them brief one or two-year windows to compete, but quickly swamped their roster with old and expensive players. You can’t hope to win championships that way. You have to draft, develop, and retain your own talent.
Poles has stuck to that stance from the beginning. Now look at the Bears. They’re young, hungry, and flush with talent in several key areas. All the while, they have most of their future draft picks and ways to create more cap space in the near future. If that meant sacrificing the 2026 offseason to the realm of boring, so be it. The GM believes it will benefit everybody in the long run.
