Good morning Chicago fans! Chicago Cubs baseball is on the air! And a new newsletter design is in your inbox!

I hope you love Opening Day as much as I do. Baseball is back. The first lineup card gets released. There are 162 games ahead of us filled with web gems, comebacks, and monster home runs. Plus, we get to question the manager’s decisions. See the bullpen implode. And see a star player get injured. The beauty of the game, right?

🏒 Chicago Blackhawks

TROPHY TRACKER

1-❌-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-🏆

Results:

W - Blackhawks 3, Flames 1

Landon Slaggert recorded his first NHL points (2 assists) and Jason Dickinson scored 2 goals to lead the Hawks to a controlling victory at home.

• The Hawks played with urgency out of the gate and went up 2-0 after the 1st period with a 14-7 SOG advantage

• Petr Mrazek had an impressive showing, stopping 38 of 39 shots

• Slaggert had a great scoring chance after Jacob Markstrom dove out of the crease, but his shot was blocked. He later scored a goal that was overruled by review. He’ll get his first NHL goal soon 💪

L - Senators 2, Blackhawks 0

The mini 2-game win streak abruptly ended with another ugly loss. The Blackhawks were shutout for the 12th time this season.

• The Senators controlled the entire game as the Hawks’ effort was nowhere to be found (SOG: Senators 34-19)

• Nikita Zaitsev left the game with an undisclosed injury

• Old friend Anton Forsberg recorded the shutout for the Senators

W - Blackhawks 5, Flyers 1

The offense flipped the switch again and capitalized on every opportunity in Philadelphia. A road win and 5 different goal scorers for the Hawks!

• Lukas Reichel was a gamechanger and provided a spark every time he touched the puck. He finished with 1 goal and 1 assist with 5 shots on goal.

• Arvid Soderblom had a strong outing, except for the one Flyers goal he probably would want back, and stopped 29 of 30 shots.

Week Record: 2-1-0

Season Record: 22-47-5

Star of the Week: Joey Anderson

Anderson has been very reliable this season, especially when paired with Jason Dickinson and Colin Blackwell.

He had a great week with 1 goal and 3 assists in 3 games with a +5.

Play of the Week: Johnson ➡ Kurashev ➡ Foligno

News & Notes:

• Luke Richardson initiated a bag skate last Monday at practice after poor efforts on the road trip against the Kings, Ducks, and Sharks

• March was by far the most impressive month of the season to this point, as the Blackhawks played .500 hockey at 7-7-0

🏀 Chicago Bulls

TROPHY TRACKER

❌-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-🏆

Results:

L - Wizards 107, Bulls 105

A 15-0 hole to start the game set the tone for the evening as the 13-win Wizards took care of business over the Bulls who lost their 3rd straight game.

• Both teams shot an identical (and ugly) 28.6% from 3PT (Wizards 14-49, Bulls 10-35)

• DeMar DeRozan’s last second heave from half-court hit the back rim, but he still led the Bulls in scoring with 27p/6a/5s

W - Bulls 125, Pacers 99

This was a major bounceback for the Bulls as they held the league’s highest scoring offense to 99 points on 40.0% shooting.

• DeMar put up 27 points, and Nikola Vucevic (22p/12r) had a very solid night as the Bulls ran the offense through Vooch more than they had in the last few games

• Javonte Green saw his first playing time since signing his 10-day contract and immediately provided hustle and energy off the bench (5p/4r/+26)

• Bears GM Ryan Poles was in the building 🔥 maybe taking notes on how not to build a roster?

L - Nets 125, Bulls 108

The Nets were on fire as they tied an NBA record with 18 3s in a single half and finished 25-44 from deep.

• A lack of 3 point shooting and inability to get stops doomed the Bulls yet again as they shot 9-30 from 3 and gave up 39-point 3rd AND 4th quarters.

• DeMar carried the Bulls offense with 31p/8r on 11-20 shooting

W - Bulls 109, Timberwolves 101

Unpredictable. Roller-coaster. Inconsistent. However you want to describe it, the Bulls showed up against one of the league’s best teams and got a big W.

• Alex Caruso had 21p/5a/5r/5s and hit his first 6 3-point attempts of the night

• The Bulls actually outplayed the T’Wolves from beyond the arc (17-29 vs. 11-37) and led by as much as 16 points

• DeMar led the way with 27 points, and Coby White broke out of his slump by shooting 4-6 from 3, including a dagger with 17 seconds left to go up 8 points

Week Record: 2-2

Season Record: 36-39

Star of the Week: DeMar DeRozan

This isn’t a surprise anymore. DeMar is the leader of this team and as consistent of a scorer as you can find.

DeMar averaged 28 ppg this week and led the team in scoring in each game.

Play of the Week: Alex Caruso breaking ankles

News & Notes:

• The 8th seed is essentially out of reach as the Bulls’ main focus in the last two weeks of the season will be to not fall into the 10th spot in the East:

• A 5-2 finish would secure a .500 record. With games against the Hawks, Pistons, and Wizards left on the schedule, it may be possible as long as they beat 2 more teams above them in the standings.

• Big-time AK free agent acquisition Javonte Carter has been a DNP in 4 of the last 6 games..

⚾ Chicago Cubs

TROPHY TRACKER

1-2-3-4-5-❌-7-8-9-🏆

Results:

L - Rangers 4, Cubs 3 (Opening Day - 10 Innings)

After the banner was raised for the defending champions, the Cubs blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th and ended up losing on Opening Day in extras.

• Justin Steele left the game with hamstring tightness after looking sharp (4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) 😢

• Christopher Morel’s bat is still a lightning rod as he went 2-5 with a triple and run scored, plus he had a near-grand slam in the 10th inning that barely went foul

  • I expected Morel to start at 3rd and see significant time there this season, but he started at DH - Nick Madrigal started at 3rd

• The Cubs were gifted a free run in the top of the 9th to take a 3-2 lead when the ump missed an obvious foul tip and allowed a heads up Michael Busch to score on a so-called “wild pitch”. Unfortunately, Adbert Alzolay gave up a HR to Travis Jankowski in the bottom of the inning.

L - Rangers 11, Cubs 2

An early 2-0 lead disappeared in a hurry when Kyle Hendricks got chased from the game in the 4th inning, and the Rangers poured it on with 6 more runs in the 8th inning.

• Dansby Swanson hit the first Cubs home run of the year, a 2-run bomb to left to give the Cubs the 2-0 lead

• Ben Brown was called up before the game and made his major league debut. Unfortunately, he was roughed up a bit and didn’t get any help from the defense behind him. He got through 1.2 IP with 5 H and 6 ER allowed.

W - Cubs 9, Rangers 5

The first W of the season! This was important to grab a game in Texas before heading to Wrigley for the home opener, and the bats came alive as needed.

• Ian Happ led the charge from the leadoff spot with a monster game: 4-5, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 RBI (you go, we go 2024 edition??)

• The defense continued to struggle behind Jordan Wicks who had a decent outing overall (4.0 IP, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K)

• Cubs scored 4 2-out runs in the 9th to take the lead

Week Record: 1-2

Season Record: 1-2

Star of the Week: Christopher Morel

Morel hit cleanup in all 3 games and went 2-5, 2-4, and 1-5 with 3 R and 1 HR.

He definitely started off hot and is clobbering the baseball.

Play of the Week: Morel HR

News & Notes:

• Justin Steele was placed on the 15-day IL with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, which may have been the best possible diagnosis

  • The Cubs expect he’ll miss the month of April at the very least

• I assumed Ben Brown was called up to take Steele’s spot in the rotation and start on Wednesday against the Rockies. After Brown appeared in Saturday’s game, I’m not sure what the plan is for Wednesday…

• Opening Day Roster decisions:

  • Nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni made the team

  • Luke Little and Jose Cuas made the team

  • Alexander Canario and Hayden Wesneski were optioned to Triple A, and Wesneski will be stretched out as a starter

• Check out the All Access video on YouTube looking behind the scenes at the offseason. Here are a couple highlights:

  • Shōta Imanaga seems extremely likeable while dealing with the difficult transition to the states, and he mentioned his focus is wanting to win championships

  • Peek into the first team meeting in Arizona this spring - even Tom Ricketts made an appearance!

🏈 Chicago Bears

TROPHY TRACKER

1-2-3-4-❌-6-7-8-9-🏆

News & Notes:

• Bears vs. Texans on August 1st in the pre-season Hall of Fame Game!

  • Considering the Bears have made the playoffs the last 4 times they played in the Hall of Fame Game, I love that they were chosen this year 👀

  • Even if it’s for one drive, Caleb Williams vs. C.J. Stroud would be an amazing start to the pre-season

• Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, and other Bears representatives attended the LSU Pro Day on Wednesday to see QB Jayden Daniels and other intriguing prospects

  • No official meeting between the Bears and Daniels has been reported 😕 I’m guessing they have a meeting…

• Ryan Poles met the media at the NFL Owners Meetings. Here are some highlights:

  • Trading Justin Fields was difficult for him on a personal level. Poles said his son has a Fields jersey hanging in his room, and he had a tough conversation with his son about the decision.

  • Caleb Williams’ teammates and coaches “love” him and respect his leadership abilities. Williams was mature and friendly at the Bears’ dinner with him and his teammates, and he didn’t check his phone even a single time.

  • Keenan Allen’s availability was unexpected, but Poles jumped at the chance because Allen has been playing at such a high level. Poles believes he’s the perfect WR to help out a young QB because of his deep understanding of the game, and the intent is to keep Allen around for multiple years (past his current contract that has 1 year remaining)

• Kevin Warren and George McCaskey met the media at the NFL Owners Meetings. Here are some highlights:

  • Building a stadium in the city is the CLEAR frontrunner, and a specific plan will be made public sometime soon

  • Warren is pleased with the direction of the franchise and the integrity Poles and Eberflus have shown during the offseason

  • McCaskey confirmed that he sat in on QB meetings at the NFL Combine but did not ask any questions

• Matt Eberflus met the media at the NFL Owners Meetings. Here are some highlights:

  • Flus wanted D’Andre Swift because he’s a “home run hitter” with speed and can also catch the ball out of the backfield

  • The secondary is working out together in California 🔥

  • He echoed what Poles said about Caleb Williams’ teammates loving him

  • Flus said Keenan Allen was trying to go “incognito” at the USC Pro Day but didn’t think he pulled it off with all the Bears gear on 😂

• Larry Mayer took us inside the drafting of Devin Hester in 2006, and it included video footage from the draft room! Let’s just say we’re all glad they made the right decision.

  • I would like draft room videos from each of the last 20 years, please! Also, how about that technology??? Take a look at the article here.

• The Bears have openly discussed weighing the benefits of drafting a tackle, wide receiver, or defensive lineman with their second 1st round pick. I’m shocked they would be this open about their current thoughts, and I LOVE getting this inside look into their team building methods. Premium positions only 💲.

📣 SAY WHAT?

😎 GOOD ONE ALERT

Ryan Poles

Ryan Poles has been in the spotlight for TWO straight offseasons now. And he’s only been on the job for 2 years. He’s a young 38 year old general manager heading up the entire Chicago football operation.

Through all of the pressure and the scrutiny, Poles has been firm on his stance of treating players like humans. He has empathy. He relates to his players and wants to, as he said about Justin Fields earlier this offseason, “do right by [them].”

Based on reports, Poles sent Fields to a preferred destination where Fields could continue to develop and potentially receive future playing time. His playing career could progress there.

And after trading a team leader and a great representative for the city of Chicago, Poles focused on the difficulty of the situation and wanting only the best for Fields.

When he re-signed Jaylon Johnson, he was honest about providing “life-changing” guarantees, cash flows, etc. in his contract offers and explained how he had a good relationship with Johnson.

It may not matter to many fans, but I love that my team’s GM cares about people. He treats people well. Sports are a cold business. They are 100% results based. And Poles has to succeed by winning football games. But he has a respect for the game and a selfless approach to his methods. I’m glad he’s leading the Bears.

🔥 MILD TAKE ❄

It’s OK that the Cubs didn’t sign Jordan Montgomery.

When Justin Steele went down with the hamstring strain, every fan felt validated that the Cubs didn’t spend enough money and could have had Montgomery in the rotation to help ease the blow.

Whether Montgomery was in this rotation or not, young guys would be making plenty of starts all year long. Before the Taillon and Steele injuries, the rotation would be:

Steele / Hendricks / Taillon / Imanaga / Wicks

ONE young pitcher would be slotted into the rotation. Of course, you have to fill spots with your depth when guys go down. And no one anticipated two injuries this early on. So the Cubs throw Javier Assad and now Ben Brown (potentially) into the mix.

If Montgomery was around, Wicks and Assad would still be starting every 5th day for at least a month.

Jed Hoyer has spoken frequently and glowingly about their starting pitching depth this season, and I agree with him. They have 4-5 extra guys who could step in at any time, and this iteration of baseball requires many starters to cover 162 games worth of innings.

You could convince me the 1-year deal for Montgomery would have helped this year’s team win. He was a 4+ win player last year. But a long-term deal was the early expectation, and it would have been puzzling to lock in another older starter with Taillon and Imanaga already locked up for 3+ years. Do we all think a mid-3s ERA pitcher with an 8 K/9 is the key to a deep playoff run? I don’t. What will Wicks’ stats look like at the end of the season?

The next wave of Cubs pitchers is already here, and they need major league experience. Plus, there’s still 159 games left. It’ll be OK.

Thanks for joining me as the baseball season gets started! Let me know what you thought of this week’s edition. And now that we’re in baseball mode…can we just fast forward the rest of the NBA and NHL calendars?