Chicago Sports

The Bears signed tight end Ryan Griffin to a one-year deal Friday.

Griffin, who turned 32 in January, spent his first six years with the Texans, who drafted him in the sixth round out of Connecticut. He spent the last three years with the Jets, starting 31 times. Griffin has caught more than 34 passes in a season only once — he had 50 for 443 yards in 2016.Last year, he caught 27 passes on 41 targets for 261 yards and two touchdowns, starting 12 games.

In his career, he’s caught 206 passes for 2,158 yards and 14 touchdowns.

At 6-6, 264 pounds, Griffin could be an intriguing red zone option. The Bears have only two right ends on their roster: Cole Kmet, who is the unquestioned starter, and Jesper Horsted. Jimmy Graham is unlikely to return, J.P. Holtz signed with the Saints and Jesse James is a free agent.

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The window of opportunity for high school basketball prospects to shine and raise their stock was severely shortened over the past two years.

In particular, each of the past two spring NCAA “live periods,” a time where college coaches and talent scouts evaluate prep talent, was wiped out due to Covid-19.

But it’s all back in 2022. The calendar is packed with one club basketball event after another in the months of April and May.

Last weekend marked the tip-off for grassroots basketball across the country, while the two live periods this spring will be April 8-10 and April 22-24.

At last weekend’s NY2LA Swish ‘N Dish event just outside Milwaukee, there was plenty we already knew and have seen before.

Cameron Christie of Rolling Meadows showed off the multiple ways he is capable of scoring the basketball, while Lake Forest’s Asa Thomas did his deep-three-draining thing.

St. Rita’s Morez Johnson continued to show why he’s arguably the best player in the state in the Class of 2024, and Darrin Ames of Kenwood showcased his dynamic scoring ability.

But there were others, players who haven’t generated a lot of headlines — or at least not big enough ones just yet — who provided a hint of what’s to come.

The biggest eye-opener among emerging prospects in Illinois was Burlington Central’s Drew Scharnowski.

Playing for a very good but out-of-the-way Burlington Central the past three years, it was going to take some time for the 6-8 Scharnowski to be noticed. College coaches and evaluators will soon be noticing an intriguing prospect who is just starting to grow into his game and his body.

Burlington Central coach Brett Porto saw it early. But he’s also been able to see up close the progression and where it’s headed.

“In our final scrimmage, before the start of the season, you could see him taking it to our seniors,” said Porto of a successful and senior-dominated team. “It was eye-opening.”

But throughout the early part of the season Scharnowski deferred to those veterans, Porto said. As the confidence and comfort level grew in his third varsity season, there was a definite shift that continues today.

“All the work he put in gave him more confidence,” Porto said. “Something clicked coming out of our game with Peoria Notre Dame.”

That was the championship game of the Plano Christmas Classic in late December, a game in which he struggled. But the second half of the season was a big step in Scharnowski’s development and consistency.

The skill set he flashes at his size, thanks to a combination of shooting, ball handling and fluidity in all that he does at 6-8, grabs your attention. That is also what makes him a legitimate Division I prospect despite not even averaging in double figures this past season.

This past season he averaged 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Scharnowski was a point guard in middle school and then grew into a 6-2 varsity performer as a freshman. That is where the perimeter skill set first emerged.

As he sprouted past 6-7, Scharnowski maintained his skill level and is now an emerging stretch 4-man who down the road will create mismatches with his shooting and size. How his game evolves from being an impactful role player this past year to a go-to player this spring and summer will tell us all a lot about his future.

“He’s just a multi-faceted player who can score inside and outside while also bringing the ball up the floor,” Porto said.

Scharnowski, who plays with Breakaway Basketball on the club basketball circuit, has a world of talent he seems to be just starting to tap into.

In addition to Scharnowski, here are a few others set to break through and raise their stock in the coming months.

There are several players in line for a sizable leap when it comes to their individual recruitments and name recognition.

Brock Harding, Moline

He emerged as a Hoops Report favorite last summer and gained more steam and statewide cred over the course of his junior season. He was named a City/Suburban Hoops Report first-team all-stater this past season.

And while he already has some serious suitors and a few impressive offers, the interest is set to soar for the purest point guard in the state. Several mid and mid-plus programs extended offers last year, including Drake, Illinois State, Bradley and Colorado State, while Loyola offered last week.

He’s a mid-major and mid-major plus dream recruit. But he will catch the eye of a high-major program at some point due to all that he brings to the table at the point guard position.

Both composed and capable of playing with basketball speed, Harding brings impeccable playmaking skills, feel and instincts. He creates opportunities for teammates that most players simply don’t see, thanks to an innate ability to read a defense.

The three-point jumper has improved immensely where he’s now at least a threat when left alone and coming off the ball screen.

Harding is a fun player to watch who plays with spunk and confidence.

Ahmad Henderson, Brother Rice

Locally, Henderson has a name that is very familiar to high school basketball fans. He led his team to 24 wins while averaging 15 points and four assists a game.

But with just a few offers that have been extended, he is still a player who has a lot to prove.

Here’s banking on Henderson proving it this spring and summer.

Henderson was offered by Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a staff that was recently fired, along with MAC offers from Northern Illinois and Kent State. Those all came last year. Look for Henderson to be a player in the class who generates a whole lot of interest and offers in coming months.

The hang up is simple: size.

At just 5-9, Henderson is a small-scale point guard in size who makes up for it with some true offensive punch. He has shooting range and competency, though it must become more consistent, and a pull-up game that keeps defenses on their heels.

DeAndre Craig, Mount Carmel

Much like Henderson, the Mount Carmel point guard has been a fixture on the high school basketball scene over the past few years. And he’s been a rock for coach Phil Segroves, averaging 21 points a game this past season while leading the Caravan to 28 wins.

That production and name recognition in the Chicago area has not resulted in Division I offers. Radford and Akron are the lone offers on the table and those came last summer, which is why he’s considered to be among the most under-recruited players in the class.

There will be more offers coming the more he’s seen on the club circuit and in June with the Caravan.

Craig is an energetic score-first point guard who is dangerous downhill in transition in getting to the rim and a shot creator. He offers an advanced pull-up game from 12-16 feet and offers legit range from the three-point line.

Ryan Cohen, Glenbrook North

Quietly, the 6-1 guard has put together two highly-productive seasons. As a sophomore he averaged 19 points a game and then this past season he put up 15 points a game.

He’s made the move to the Illinois Wolves this off season, teaming up with bigger names in Christie and Thomas, so he will have an opportunity to showcase his greatest strength: shooting the basketball.

Cohen is potentially a game-changing shooter, particularly as a spot-up threat from the three-point line in catch-and-shoot situations. He offers a clean release who gets it off quickly. This past season he connected on 85 three-pointers while shooting a remarkable 46 percent from the arc.

While he has a special knack for scoring, the next step is for Cohen to play at different speeds and begin to generate offense for others.

Look for Cohen to jump on the radar of scholarship programs from the Division II to low-major Division I level.

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The fact that “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” exists is not exactly a mystery.

The first film was a financial success for Paramount Pictures and by the year’s end would hold the distinction of being the No. 2 release in North America. That second fact should be taken with a grain of salt, though. It’s mostly dumb luck: The studio released it in February 2020, a month before theaters closed and studios began jettisoning their films to streamers or later release dates.

Still, sequels have been greenlit on less and “Sonic” didn’t just have dollars going for it. On the forgiving curve of video game properties being turned into potential franchises for studios desperate for a sure thing, it also wasn’t half bad. There were enough genuinely funny moments to make it enjoyable and much of that had to do with James Marsden’s performance as Sonic’s human companion Tom. Marsden is unbelievably natural and charming while acting against a cobalt blue, computer-generated alien.

It should have been a promising development that the entire original team assembled to get “Sonic 2” to theaters, including director Jeff Fowler, writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, and the cast — Marsden, Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, Tika Sumpter as Tom’s wife Maddie and supporting standouts Natasha Rothwell and Adam Pally.

And yet “Sonic 2” feels extremely rushed. Though it starts off promisingly enough with Carrey’s character marooned on a “piece of shitake” mushroom planet, it soon becomes evident that this outing is a soulless attempt to up the stakes and cash in.

It is a slapdash extravaganza that doubles down on its CGI stars, adding bad guy Echidna, Knuckles (Idris Elba), and a friend/Sonic superfan, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), for a globetrotting journey to find an all-powerful emerald, and relegates its human counterparts to the background to its own detriment. Kids may be pleased with the shift in balance, but their parental companions will likely be running for the door (or earplugs).

The humor also feels like it was generated by a game of pop culture mad libs, with snarks about everything from Vin Diesel and The Rock to Limp Bizkit.

For instance, “Oh great, the Winter Soldier,” Sonic deadpans as Knuckles chases after him on a snowy mountain in Siberia. This referential strategy can and has worked when done thoughtfully. Here it just comes across as a first draft at making a PG-rated “Deadpool.” And in the last third, the filmmakers decide to just do a full homage to the opening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Sonic is also now being positioned as a fledgling superhero who still has a lot to learn. Sure, what else can you really do to stretch this character into a big movie franchise that people care about? But it also takes the air and excitement out of the journey by making it something that we’ve seen many, many times before. Is there nothing else you can do with a superspeed alien hedgehog?

Then there’s Carrey, whose larger-than-life performance isn’t even big enough to compete with the CG action soup. It’s a shame to squander a roster of talented comedic actors who seem game to do anything opposite their alien counterparts. Hopefully there’s time for a little reflection before the next one is fast-tracked to a VFX house to do the brunt of the work. What this franchise needs most at this point is to slow down.

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Tony Mockus, a Chicago actor for seven decades, helped start a holiday tradition that has entertained an estimated two million theater-goers and this year will mark its 45th anniversary.

In 1978, he directed the first production of Goodman Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol.”

He also starred in countless plays, made TV appearances on shows including “21 Jump Street,” “Chicago Fire” and “Boss” and had movie roles as a fire chief in “Backdraft,” a gavel-pounding judge in “The Untouchables” and a marrying minister in “She’s Having a Baby.”

Mr. Mockus, 92, of Evanston, died April 1 of heart failure.

Onstage, he conjured warmth and authority.

“His voice was both stentorian and protean,” said his friend Joseph A. Morris. “Stentorian in that he could command a room, and his voice would fill it. But it was also a protean voice — it could be soft, it could be hard. He was able to do all kinds of accents.”

He spoke only Lithuanian when he entered St. Anthony grade school in Cicero because his Lithuanian grandmother raised him while his mother worked, according to his wife Mary Lou Mockus.

“He didn’t speak English,” his daughter Judy Hooper said, “yet he became a Shakespearean actor.”

While at St. Ignatius High School, he won a speech competition with a prize of a four-year scholarship to Fordham University in New York. But his mother needed him at home, so he was able to transfer the scholarship to Loyola University.

“It turned out to be a blessing,” his wife said.

In 1949, he landed a role in a Midwest theatrical touring company of “Mister Roberts,” working with Henry Fonda, John Forsythe and Jackie Cooper.

“He said, ‘I could never have had better training, watching those consummate actors,’ ” his wife said.

In 1952, he was gravely injured while clearing minefields in the Army during the Korean war.

“Tony noticed one mine was implanted in a dangerous place,” his wife said he told her. “He was in charge, and he could have sent another man. Instead, he went down the hill. He saw a pebble be dislodged and watched as it hit the trip wire, and the mine exploded.”

She said that, as a result of that, for the next two years, rather than acting in New York as he’d planned, “He was in Walter Reed hospital.”

His weight dropped from 225 pounds to just 128. Doctors thought they might need to amputate a leg. He refused general anesthesia, opting for a local painkiller so he could stay awake during surgery and make sure they saved the leg, according to his family.

After recovering, Mr. Mockus became a leading man in Chicago. He appeared in plays including “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” “Inherit the Wind” and “The Gigli Concert.”

He was a favorite of Cyd Charisse, Paulette Goddard, Cloris Leachman, Barbara Rush and Elke Sommer when they came to Chicago on the dinner theater circuit.

In 1969, he played the sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison alongside Tony Randall as neatnik Felix Unger in “The Odd Couple” at the Drury Lane Theatre.

“I’ve never heard laughter like that” his wife said of the response. “It was just glorious.”

When the Goodman decided to launch “A Christmas Carol,” Mr. Mockus “brought a strong and passionate vision to Charles Dickens’ beautiful work that, along with casting Bill Norris as Scrooge, established the production as an annual Chicago holiday tradition,” said Roche Schulfer, the theater’s chief executive officer.

He was “a staggeringly powerful presence on stage and in person yet warm and caring to all he directed and acted with,” said BJ Jones, Northlight Theatre’s artistic director.

His goal was “to reach out and touch another human being, soul to soul,” said his son, also named Tony. He said his father taught others “to do your best, to do it for the greater glory of God, to do it in the service of others and do it beautifully.”

The son, who sometimes acted with his father, said watching movies with him was “a master class,” that he’d make comments like, “Look what Alec Guinness did.”

Tony and Mary Lou Mockus were married since 1958.

“The first thing Tony did in the morning was cut out the ‘Love Is’ [comic] and have it at my place for breakfast,” she said.

“It was a family filled with laughter,” their daughter said.

Mr. Mockus also is survived by five grandchildren.

Visitation is planned at noon Saturday with a 1 p.m. Saturday funeral Mass, both at St. John Cantius Church, 825 N. Carpenter St.

His wife said she treasures a 1991 note to Mr. Mockus from Hal Holbrook, who starred with him in “The Awakening Land.”

After re-watching the 1978 miniseries, Holbrook wrote: “I was moved to tears by your great speeches about the destruction of the wilderness by the white settlers. . . . . You’re a fine man. I’m proud to have known you.”

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Marian Hossa’s No. 81 will never be given out again by the Blackhawks.

Hours after signing a ceremonial one-day contract to unofficially retire as a Hawk, the Hawks organization announced Hossa will become the eighth player in team history to have his number retired.

He’ll join Glenn Hall (No. 1), Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson (who share No. 3), Bobby Hull (No. 9), Denis Savard (No. 18), Stan Mikita (No. 21) and Tony Esposito (No. 35) in the United Center rafters when the jersey retirement officially occurs.

The Slovakian forward played only 534 of his 1,309 career (regular season) NHL games with the Hawks, but nonetheless made a huge impact as arguably the best free-agent signing in team history.

His arrival in 2009-10 put the budding Hawks dynasty over the top en route to their first Stanley Cup, and he played integral roles in the 2013 and 2015 championships, as well. He finished with 415 regular-season points and another 73 postseason points (in 107 postseason games) for the Hawks.

He played his final NHL game for the Hawks in 2017, but technically finished his career on the Coyotes due to his contract’s inclusion in a salary cap-management trade.

His selection for jersey retirement starts to answer many of the long-debated questions about how the Hawks will handle the jersey retirement aspect of their dynasty’s core.

Eliminated now is the theory they might hang one banner for all members of the core. And with Hossa chosen, it’s nearly certain that Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will all be retired, too, as fellow three-time Cup champs. Corey Crawford, who only won two, sits on the bubble.

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Marian Hossa’s No. 81 will never be given out again by the Blackhawks.

Hours after signing a ceremonial one-day contract to unofficially retire as a Hawk, the Hawks organization announced Hossa will become the eighth player in team history to have his number retired.

He’ll join Glenn Hall (No. 1), Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson (who share No. 3), Bobby Hull (No. 9), Denis Savard (No. 18), Stan Mikita (No. 21) and Tony Esposito (No. 35) in the United Center rafters when the jersey retirement officially occurs.

The Slovakian forward played only 534 of his 1,309 career (regular season) NHL games with the Hawks, but nonetheless made a huge impact as arguably the best free-agent signing in team history.

His arrival in 2009-10 put the budding Hawks dynasty over the top en route to their first Stanley Cup, and he played integral roles in the 2013 and 2015 championships, as well. He finished with 415 regular-season points and another 73 postseason points (in 107 postseason games) for the Hawks.

He played his final NHL game for the Hawks in 2017, but technically finished his career on the Coyotes due to his contract’s inclusion in a salary cap-management trade.

His selection for jersey retirement starts to answer many of the long-debated questions about how the Hawks will handle the jersey retirement aspect of their dynasty’s core.

Eliminated now is the theory they might hang one banner for all members of the core. And with Hossa chosen, it’s nearly certain that Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will all be retired, too, as fellow three-time Cup champs. Corey Crawford, who only won two, sits on the bubble.

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The start of the 2022 MLB season has finally arrived!

Beginning with seven Opening Day games on Thursday and continuing with the rest of MLB in action Friday, it’s time to welcome in a new year on the diamond. To celebrate baseball’s return, we’ve asked our experts to weigh in on what they are most excited to watch — and make a fearless Opening Day prediction.

Be sure to refresh this page early and often for our live updates and takeaways from every Opening Day game on both Thursday and Friday.

Season preview: Power ranks | Predictions | Moves that rocked the offseason
ESPN+: Passan’s predictions | How Opening Day was saved | 2022 changes
Play: ESPN Opening Day classic | ESPN fantasy baseball: Sign up for free!

Thursday’s Opening Day schedule

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

All times Eastern

7:05 p.m. on ESPN+ (delayed): Mets (Megill) at Nationals (Corbin)
8:00 p.m. on ESPN2: Reds (Mahle) at Braves (Fried)
9:38 p.m.: Astros (Valdez) at Angels (Ohtani)
9:40 p.m.: Padres (Darvish) at Diamondbacks (Bumgarner)

Friday openers: Red Sox-Yankees, White Sox-Tigers, A’s-Phillies, Orioles-Rays, Dodgers-Rockies, Mariners-Twins, Marlins-Giants and Rangers-Blue Jays

Zack’s back

Zack Greinke has been one of the best pitchers in the majors for almost two decades, and he cut his teeth as a young member of the Kansas City Royals from 2004 to 2010. Now he’s back on his original team and picking up right where he left off, throwing 5 2/3 innings and giving up just five hits and one run against the Cleveland Guardians on Opening Day.

The last dance

Superstar slugger Albert Pujols announced that 2022 will be his final season in the majors after signing a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals in March. He spent the first 11 seasons of his MLB career with the Cardinals, winning two World Series titles and three National League MVP awards. As Pujols approached the plate for his first at-bat of the season Thursday against the visiting Pirates, fans showered him with cheers.

First home run of the year

Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner hit the first home run of the MLB season. He smashed a pitch by Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes out of the park in the bottom of the fifth inning.

First run of the year

After three innings, the first run of the season is on the board. Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain hit a groundout to first, but Andrew McCutchen was able to make it home to give visiting Milwaukee a 1-0 lead over the Cubs in the top of the fourth.

Welcome to the league

Getting called up to the majors is a big moment for any baseball player. Leading up to Opening Day on Thursday, players were notified that they made their teams’ rosters, which produced some touching moments for the teams and players.

During the Chicago Cubs‘ spring training game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday, pitcher Ethan Roberts was notified by manager David Ross that he made the Opening Day roster. Roberts, who was drafted by the Cubs in 2018, was visibly emotional after receiving the news. The Cubs’ first game of the season is against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

Julio Rodriguez, the No. 3 prospect as ranked by ESPN, got the nod for the Seattle Mariners‘ Opening Day roster. He signed with the team as an international free agent in 2017. Rodriguez is slated to start in center field and will make his debut on Friday against the Minnesota Twins.

Rodriguez was full of excitement when manager Scott Servais broke the news. Things got even better for the 21-year-old when he was informed that his parents will be in attendance for his first MLB game.

The Kanas City Royals drafted Bobby Witt Jr. second overall in the 2019 MLB draft. Roughly three years later, he will make his big league debut, starting at third base for the team against the Cleveland Guardians. The 21-year-old was all smiles after hearing he made the Royals’ Opening Day roster … and later recorded his first hit.

Seiya Suzuki made his MLB debut against the Brewers on Thursday. In March, he signed a five-year deal with the Cubs. Before joining Chicago, he played in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, in which he was a four-time All-Star and three-time Golden Glove winner. In the bottom of the fifth, Suzuki hit a ball into left field for the first hit of his MLB career.

Opening Day well wishes

The Atlanta Braves begin their quest to defend their World Series title against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. The Georgia Bulldogs, who won the College Football Playoff National Championship in January, wished the team good luck on their upcoming season.

The Chicago Bears shouted out to both the White Sox and Cubs ahead of their first games of the MLB season.

Takeaways from Thursday’s action

Cubs defeat Brewers 5-4: The first game of the 2022 MLB season provided a reminder that you never know what you are going to see when you go to the ballpark. Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner hit the first home run of the 2022 season off reigning NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes. Yes, you read that right. Hoerner, who hadn’t hit a long ball in two seasons, became the first player to follow up a homerless year with a dinger on Opening Day since Emilio Bonifacio in 2009. Burnes, on the other hand, walked the first batter he faced in 2022, after the Brewers ace set a major league record by striking out 58 before issuing his first base on balls a season ago. Yeah, you can’t predict baseball.

All in all, Burnes walked three batters in five innings on Thursday — including issuing a free pass to Japanese rookie Seiya Suzuki, who walked twice, had a single and scored a run in his MLB debut. — Jesse Rogers

Opening Day predictions and what we can’t wait to see

What’s the one thing you are most excited to watch on Opening Day?

Bradford Doolittle: I’m in Minneapolis for a Twins-Mariners series that was pushed back a day because of some inhospitable early spring weather. The upside is that I get two Opening Days and can watch the debut of Bobby Witt Jr. in Kansas City on a screen of some sort Thursday before getting to see Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez firsthand on Friday. We haven’t always seen the most exciting prospects on Opening Day (Witt is No. 2 and Rodriguez is No. 3 on Kiley McDaniel’s top 100 prospect list), so this is a wonderful thing. A great American League Rookie of the Year race is on.

2 Related

Jesse Rogers: The debut of Cubs rookie Seiya Suzuki. He’s a multiple-tools player with power to all fields and a rocket of an arm. As noted in the recent collective bargaining agreement battle, most rookies don’t make a lot of money — but Suzuki signed a five-year, $85 million contract this offseason, so eyes will be on him throughout the baseball world. He has a chance to be the next big star on a team suddenly void of them. Thursday is his first chance to show fans across the city of Chicago what they’re getting.

David Schoenfield: The most fascinating team to watch in April might be the Padres. There is a lot of pressure on a team that now runs one of the highest payrolls in baseball and is coming off a losing season. They collapsed down the stretch, and while the rotation is healthy again, the Padres will have to play a couple of months without Fernando Tatis Jr. So on Opening Day, I want to see how Yu Darvish looks after going 1-8 (6.16 ERA) in the second half. I want to see how new manager Bob Melvin sets up his late-game bullpen. I want to see if Ha-Seong Kim can not only fill in for Tatis but hit like he did in Korea after struggling in his debut season. I want to see which Manny Machado shows up. The Padres begin with 14 games against the Diamondbacks, Giants, Rangers and Pirates — a golden opportunity to get off to a hot start and put 2021’s disappointment behind them.

Joon Lee: I’m with David on this one. The Padres are at a fascinating inflection point in the tenure of AJ Preller with the injury of Tatis and the level of financial investment in this team’s core. According to multiple sources, the Padres club chemistry suffered under Jayce Tingler, so the addition of Melvin will completely shake up the team’s locker room dynamics. I’m interested to see which Darvish shows up on Opening Day and how former Cy Young winner Blake Snell fares in his second season in San Diego after struggling to put up numbers akin to his tenure in Tampa Bay. Especially after the trade for Eric Hosmer fell through and Tatis’ injury, the team will need its high-salary players to play better in 2022.

Buster Olney: I’m in Atlanta, and I’ll be fascinated to see the reception for new first baseman Matt Olson — and I’d expect that it will be loud and lasting. If anybody is going to replace Freddie Freeman at first, Olson is the perfect candidate given his local roots, his age, his power. If the Braves’ magic script from last year’s World Series is still in play, then Olson will get a pivotal hit — and the Atlanta fans will go wild. What a story that would be.

Coley Harvey: I am beyond excited to be joining Buster in my hometown of Atlanta, where I’ll have a front-row seat for a coronation that’s been a generation in the making. And as a lifelong supporter of all things ATL, 404, Chick-fil-A and Waffle House, the 10-year-old inside me still can’t believe one of the pro teams from his city is finally about to have another banner-raising night. The Braves’ 1995 and 2021 championships and Atlanta United’s MLS title in 2018 are all we’ve got! After the 28-3 memes and jokes, the City Too Busy To Hate more than deserves to celebrate last October’s World Series win one more time. Atlantans have earned it.

Alden Gonzalez: I’ll be at Angel Stadium on Thursday, and because of that I’ll be the luckiest of us all. Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound and he will be in the lineup, beginning what promises to be another enthralling season as a two-way player. The talk around Angels camp this spring centered on whether Ohtani can actually be better this year, given how he improved as a pitcher and how he grew comfortable with the two-way role as the season progressed. It sounds impossible — until you realize how special this man is.

Tim Keown: The Mets got Max Scherzer to team with Jacob deGrom, and they’re Opening Day starter is … Tylor Megill. Next to the Pirates’ JT Brubaker, Megill is the most non-Opening Day starter on Opening Day. Even Oakland has Frankie Montas, even though there’s a chance he could be traded before Friday’s first pitch in Philadelphia. This might not mean a whole lot — Scherzer is supposed to be back soon, maybe even for the second game — but is sure feels like an omen.

Jeff Passan: All due respect to Bobby Witt Jr., whose debut I’ll see in person, but the greatest show in sports is performing today on a different stage. For the first of hopefully many times this season, Shohei Ohtani spends his day pitching in the top half of innings and hitting in the bottom half. He will do that thing where he throws 100-mph pitches and hits 100-mph rockets. His magnificence knows no bounds. And as a bonus Opening Day treat, the Shohei Ohtani Rule — which allows him to remain in the game as a hitter after he’s yanked as a pitcher — gets its first whirl.

It’s time to call your shot: What is your one Opening Day prediction that will definitely come true?

Doolittle: Albert Pujols is going to homer in St. Louis. Even if it turns out to be the only homer he hits all season, there is no way this doesn’t happen. There are a lot of young Cardinals fans in St. Louis who have only heard about Pujols from their parents. It’s tremendous that they get to experience him this year as he moves on from a Hall of Fame career.

Rogers: Corbin Burnes will one-hit the Cubs — and Suzuki will be the only hitter to get to him. Chicago has little left-handed pop, while right-handed opponents compiled a miniscule .179 batting average against him in 2021. With a right-handed-hitting player at first base and right field — two positions often reserved for lefty power hitters — the Cubs will be at a disadvantage against top righties all season. Trying to hit against Burnes on Thursday, in 40 degree weather, will make things that much more difficult.

Schoenfield: Machado got off to a slow start in 2021, but with Tatis out, the Padres need him to hit from the get-go. He hasn’t hit Diamondbacks starter Madison Bumgarner that well during his career (.212/.257/.515), although three of his seven hits off him are home runs. I say he goes yard twice off MadBum as the Padres win their opener.

Opening Week is here! You can watch the 2022 season begin with a schedule featuring some of baseball’s biggest names.

8 ET Thurs. on ESPN2: Reds-Braves

7 ET Sun. on ESPN: Red Sox-Yankees
KayRod Cast debuts on ESPN2

Olney: He’s not pitching on Opening Day, but I’ll call that this will be the last year that future Hall of Famer Jacob deGrom is with the Mets. Steve Cohen has demonstrated he’s ready and willing to invest in any way he feels can help the Mets, but there are just too many variables involved for deGrom to return — the questions about his health now, his health moving forward, and most importantly, what he wants. We’ll look back at his assertion that he’s opting out of his contract in spite of his recent injury as the first true signal that he’s headed elsewhere.

Gonzalez: Rodriguez and Witt Jr. will each hit home runs in their major league debuts. The two highlight what looks like an incredibly deep AL Rookie of the Year field, along with Spencer Torkelson. Eventually Adley Rutschman and Riley Greene will join them. Not included in this list: Wander Franco, who exceeded his rookie eligibility last year but will play in his first full season in 2022. He might be the biggest star of them all. The young talent in the sport is amazing right now — and I only accounted for one league.

Keown: We’ll all be reminded that Mike Trout not only exists but remains the best player in the sport. The eyes of the game will be on Shohei Ohtani to start the Angels’ opener against the Astros, but by the end of the fourth or fifth inning, it’ll be Trout’s night.

Lee: Shohei Ohtani will come out of the gates strong on Opening Day, showing that last year wasn’t a mirage and that it’s possible to pitch and hit at a high level across multiple seasons — and opening up the idea that teams could potentially develop more two-way players, not necessarily at the level of Ohtani, but to maximize the value of every roster spot.

Harvey: OK, so Austin Riley‘s Grapefruit League showing wasn’t the strongest (.214, 6-for-28), but I’m banking hard on him having a big opening night. This will happen in what will be his first game at Truist Park since the World Series. At home last postseason, he hit .419 (13-for-31) with five extra-base hits. He’ll tap into that hitting success again in front of another raucous and frenzied Atlanta crowd, giving fans some late-inning magic.

Passan: Last we saw Max Fried, he was throwing six shutout innings for Atlanta in a World Series-clinching game. Prior to that, he had the lowest second-half ERA of any pitcher (1.74). And today, in front of a Truist Park crowd ready to fete its world champions, Fried gets the ball against a Cincinnati Reds team that traded its best hitter amid an ugly teardown. All of which is to say his pitching line will be 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts — and he’ll be in Cy Young contention throughout the season.

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Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer recently drove from Arizona to Chicago with his dogs. I have to think that at some point during the journey he brought up what he calls the cyclical nature of baseball and that at least one of his pets replied, “You must be referring to the rebuild.”

“Rebuild” is not a word Hoyer recognizes because he knows a complete overhaul brings very little short- to midterm joy for fans and because he and ownership know that selling hope is smart business. The Cubs want butts in seats, and that requires at least the veneer of possibility. This being Wrigley Field, beer and sunshine would probably suffice, though.

As I was driving, dog-less, to the ballpark Thursday for Opening Day, a radio talk-show host said that the beauty of the 2022 season would be fans’ ability to watch the big-league club while monitoring the progress of the prospects in the minors. It might turn out to be something like 2013 or 2014, he said, when the Cubs stunk but Kris Bryant kept Cubs fans’ hearts warm by tearing up minor-league pitching.

If it walks like a rebuild and talks like a rebuild, it’s probably going to tank like a rebuild. Wait! I didn’t mean that! “Tank” is another outlawed word!

Nothing disguises a teardown like a victory in the opener, so the Cubs’ 5-4 victory over the Brewers and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes was something Cubs fans could cheer about in the moment. Rebuild? What rebuild?

It doesn’t really matter whether fans have the appetite for another journey into darkness. It’s here. The franchise’s payroll has gone from $221.6 million in 2019 to $141.8 million this year. From third highest out of 30 teams to 14th. From big-city Chicago to not-so-big Cincinnati.

If you thought you had given all the blood you could afford to give without dying during the rebuilding years of 2011-14, well, let’s take a look at the veins in your other arm. If you thought you had done enough for the cause, which led to the Cubs’ finally, finally winning a World Series in 2016, you seem to have been sadly mistaken.

Whatever Hoyer wants to call it, he’s right about one thing: Teams are selling the idea that periodic, almost regularly scheduled ups and downs are part of doing business these days. When former Cubs president Theo Epstein unveiled his goal of “sustained success” in October, 2011, we thought he meant long-term success. It turned out to be four years of excellence.

“I don’t know what that (a rebuild) means,” Hoyer said. “Every team ends up in different cycles, whether it’s payroll cycles, whether it’s competitive cycles. Obviously we had an exceptionally successful group for seven years. Contractually, we weren’t able to keep that group together forever. So right now, we’re kind of in a different cycle. My goal would be to compete on the field but really try to build a farm system that can create something special like we did last time.”

That’s sounds a lot like what Epstein was pushing during his first spring training with the Cubs 10 years ago.

“There’s an opportunity for the fans to get in on the ground floor,” he said then. “We’re not asking them to be patient. We’re asking them to be demanding. They should expect a winner.

“… They can get invested with this 2012 club and the players, but they can also follow along with the way the organization is being built. Pay attention to the draft and the prospects.”

This is what modern baseball looks like and sounds like. A team says it has to part with stars it can’t pay anymore, then won’t use all the money it saved by trading those stars to sign more good players. No one says you fans have to like it. But the Cubs would like you to like it enough to buy tickets.

So, no, Hoyer was not talking about a rebuild before Thursday’s game. Except that he was. He said the 2022 Cubs would be a “scrappy group,” which is a baseball euphemism for “uh-oh.” He talked about the Cubs’ offseason signing of pitcher Marcus Stroman as proof it wasn’t all doom and gloom after the team’s trade of household names Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javy Baez last season. If it reminded you of Epstein’s enthusiasm for pitcher Edwin Jackson, his first major free-agent signing, no one would blame you.

The highlight of the Cubs’ offseason was the signing of Japanese star Seiya Suzuki to a five-year deal. The outfielder should be a Rookie of the Year candidate. Maybe he’ll become a cornerstone the way Rizzo became a cornerstone during the most recent lean, painful times. He picked up his first big-league hit, a single, in the fifth inning Thursday.

For now, Hoyer is rebranding a rebuild and calling it hope. Fewer stars mean more chances for non-stars to shine. Also, down is up.

“You want to give guys opportunities,” he said. “One of the things that’s really hard when you’re in kind of a winning mode, it’s hard to give guys opportunities. Some of the best stories you have and some of the real unearthed gems that you can have (come) by giving guys opportunities. I think we have a roster that we can do that.”

Stay strong, Cubs fans.

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As the Wrigley Field stands slowly filled up with fans bundled in Cubbie blue, Seiya Suzuki for the first time watched the ballpark come alive.

He’d visited Wrigley three weeks earlier, on a quick trip to Chicago before he signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Cubs.

Opening Day, even in 44 degree weather, was something else entirely.Suzuki had expected to be nervous.

“It was actually really fun,” Suzuki said through interpreter Toy Matsushita. “In all my at-bats I was able to be myself.”

The Cubs’ 5-4 win Thursday against the Brewers marked Suzuki’s Major League Baseball debut. He went 1-for-2 at the plate with a pair of walks.

The first stages of Suzuki’s on-field adjustment played out in spring training. And it wasn’t just that the four-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star struck out in his first two Cactus League at-bats before hitting a pair of home runs and then logging a multi-hit game in his last spring training appearance.

“Everybody always talks about the velo,” Cubs hitting coach Greg Brown said of the difference between the leagues, “but it’s also the disruption of timing and mechanics, like through slide steps. Deliveries are different, right? You face [Marcus] Stroman, and he gives you 17 different [looks]. I think that his creativeness and being able to adapt to the pitcher at that time is something that I’ve probably been the most impressed with.”

Suzuki’s timing started to click when he realized that instead of replicating his stride, he’d be better off moving with the pitcher. Facing Stroman in an intrasquad scrimmage last week was an especially helpful test.

“He’s my teammate, but there’s so many things that I felt like I needed to work on after my at-bats against Stroman,” Suzuki said early this week, after going 2-for-3 against the White Sox. “And that’s what I did in my at-bats [Monday].”

Stroman was equally complimentary, saying he was careful about putting anything in the strike zone against Suzuki.

“He can rake, man,” Stroman said. “He can rake, he’s got a great approach, he’s got a lot of power. He’s someone where you can’t make mistakes.”

The way Cubs video coordinator and Pacific Rim liaison Nao Masamoto sees it, the biggest adjustment to major-league pitching varies from player to player. Masamoto, who was a standout Division III baseball player himself, also worked closely with Kosuke Fukudome during his Cubs tenure.

“It’s not just the baseball, it’s everything else, right?” Masamoto said in a conversation with the Sun-Times. “Your lifestyle’s changing 180 degrees. When you wake up, it’s just different. So, I’m pretty sure that plays into how you perform on the baseball field too.”

Cubs bench coach Andy Green can attest to the drastic shift, after going from MLB to play a season in Japan in 2007.

“You end up on the other side of the world, and your day is night and night is day, and you can’t speak to anybody without an interpreter, and you’re not sure what practice looks like,” Green said. “… For me, it was a really tough transition.”

The past few weeks, he’s watched Suzuki seemingly adapt quickly to those things that were hard for Green.

Suzuki faced reigning National League Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes in his first two MLB plate appearances Thursday. He drew a two-strike walk in the first and lined a single to left field in his second.

That single started the Cubs’ biggest rally of the game. Suzuki eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Patrick Wisdom, tying the score at one run apiece. Shortstop Nico Hoerner gave the Cubs the lead the same inning, belting a two-run home run, his first homer since September 2019.

“Obviously a really great pitcher, and there was some stuff that I’d never seen before,” Suzuki said, referring to Burnes’ cutter. “So, it was really fun. But I came to this stage to challenge myself and to be able to face pitchers of that caliber. It’s going to bring my game to another level.”

Suzuki will still have learning moments. As teams gather more data on him, they’ll adjust, and he in turn will react to the new way pitchers approach him.But with his debut, Suzuki made a strong impression on the Wrigley Field crowd.

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When the Cubs created Marquee Sports Network to air their games, they said convenience was a factor. In the season before the network’s 2020 launch, local Cubs TV broadcasts appeared on ABC 7, NBC Sports Chicago, NBCSCH+ and WGN. And one game scheduled for ABC 7 was bumped to WCIU to accommodate the season finale of ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise.”

So, yes, having about 150 Cubs games on the same channel is undoubtedly more convenient for fans. (It also is more expensive, but that’s another story.) The same holds true for the White Sox, who made NBCSCH their exclusive home in 2020 after airing a package of games on WGN for years.

But MLB has other plans for broadcasting games, and they are undoubtedly inconvenient for fans. Starting this season, games will appear nationally on Apple TV+, ESPN, Fox, FS1, Peacock and TBS. Add in your regional sports network of choice, and you could be watching your favorite team on seven platforms throughout the season. (ESPN+ and MLB.TV also will carry games but with local blackouts.)

To be sure, we’re not talking about a large number of games. The Cubs and Sox are scheduled for nine exclusive appearances away from Marquee and NBCSCH, respectively. The networks haven’t completed their broadcast schedules, so those numbers could increase.

This much we know: Fans do not like change, and that handful of affected games will become a problem if fans can’t find them.

What follows is a baseball broadcasting primer. It explains what’s in store on TV and radio for Cubs and Sox games, as well as what to expect from the multitude of national networks.

Marquee Sports Network (Cubs TV)

Jon “Boog” Sciambi and Jim Deshaies return as the primary tandem, with Taylor McGregor and Elise Menaker serving as field reporters. Radio voice Pat Hughes and Beth Mowins will fill in for Sciambi on select games. Hughes takes over Sunday, when Sciambi will call “Sunday Night Baseball” on ESPN Radio. Ryan Dempster, Doug Glanville, Rick Sutcliffe and Menaker will contribute in the booth and studio.

Former Cubs Cliff Floyd, who starred at Thornwood, and Cameron Maybin join the cast of studio analysts. Other returning contributors include Mark Grace, Fergie Jenkins, Sean Marshall, Gary Matthews, Chris Myers and Lou Piniella. Cole Wright returns to host shoulder programming, which includes a pregame show that begins an hour before game coverage.

Marquee also will show some new camera angles, including a robotic camera from the center-field scoreboard.

The Score (Cubs radio)

Hughes, Ron Coomer and Zach Zaidman are back. When Hughes is in the TV booth, Zaidman will fill in. Afternoon co-host Matt Spiegel will call a few fifth innings again. He and Mike Esposito also will handle some pre- and postgame shows. After performing well on spring-training broadcasts, Menaker could fill in for Coomer on a few games.

NBC Sports Chicago (Sox TV)

The Sox’ TV crew returns in full, with Jason Benetti and Steve Stone calling the action and Chuck Garfien, Ozzie Guillen and Frank Thomas working in the studio. Former Sox Scott Podsednik and Gordon Beckham will join the crew throughout the season. Radio voice Len Kasper will move to TV for 20-25 games, filling in for either Benetti or Stone.

For the season opener Friday in Detroit, NBCSCH will air a one-hour pregame show starting at 11 a.m. The network will do the same for the home opener Tuesday, with the show starting at 2 p.m. Normal pregame shows are 30 minutes.

ESPN 1000 (Sox radio)

Kasper and Darrin Jackson are back in the booth, and Connor McKnight will resume hosting the pre- and postgame shows. McKnight also will handle play-by-play when Kasper is on TV. In addition to his NBCSCH games, Kasper is scheduled to call five games for Fox, including four with the Sox. ESPN 1000 will continue its two-hour “White Sox Weekly” show throughout the season. The Sox’ radio network expanded to a record 25 affiliates across eight states.

Apple TV+

Apple is making its games FREE to anyone with internet access without the need for a subscription – for a limited time. Apple’s “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheaders begin this week with Mets-Nationals and Astros-Angels. The games will be available on devices where Apple TV+ can be found, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, smart TVs, gaming consoles and cable set-top boxes.

Apple’s deal is exclusive, meaning the Cubs and Sox won’t appear on Marquee or NBCSCH, respectively, when their games are selected. In the first half of the season, those games are:

Next Friday: Rays at Sox, 6 p.m.May 6: White Sox at Red Sox, 6 p.m.May 13: Cubs at Diamondbacks, 8:30 p.m.June 17: Sox at Astros, 7 p.m.June 24: Cubs at Cardinals, 7 p.m.

ESPN

The network revamped its “Sunday Night Baseball” TV booth, moving in play-by-play voice Karl Ravech and analyst Eduardo Perez and hiring analyst David Cone, who calls the Yankees for YES. Reporter Buster Olney is the only returnee. The Cubs and Sox are scheduled for “SNB” once each so far: The Cubs host the Dodgers on May 8, and the Sox visit the Yankees on May 22.

Hoping to duplicate the success of its Manningcast for “Monday Night Football,” ESPN paired Yankees TV voice Michael Kay and former “SNB” analyst Alex Rodriguez for an alternate presentation of select games on ESPN2, starting Sunday. Neither the Cubs nor Sox are scheduled to appear on the Kay-Rod show.

Fox/FS1

With Joe Buck heading to ESPN to call “Monday Night Football,” Dodgers TV voice Joe Davis reportedly will be Fox’ lead voice and call the World Series. He figures to join John Smoltz on many of the network’s 17 Saturdays of regionalized prime-time games, the first of which is May 28. Fox will air Cubs at Sox that night, with Kasper on the call.

The Cubs are scheduled for four more appearances on Fox: June 4 against the Cardinals, June 11 at the Yankees, July 2 against the Red Sox and Aug. 11 against the Reds in the “Field of Dreams” game. The Sox are set for two other games on Fox, which also will be called by Kasper: July 23 against the Guardians and July 30 against the Athletics.

The Cubs and Sox will make multiple appearances on FS1, but those games are not exclusive.

Peacock

NBC’s streaming service will air 18 games exclusively on Sunday mornings, beginning with the White Sox’ game May 8 in Boston, which will start at 10:30 a.m. It’s the only game of the package that will be simulcast on NBC. All other games will be available only on Peacock, which is included in most Comcast customers’ plans. The Sox make one more appearance, Aug. 21 in Cleveland, and the Cubs make just one, July 24 in Philadelphia. Both games are scheduled for 11 a.m.

TBS

After carrying Sunday afternoon games in the second half for years, TBS will air a full season of non-exclusive games on Tuesday nights. The network released its schedule through June; the Sox will appear June 7 against the Dodgers. Former Thornton Fractional South and UIC star Curtis Granderson is part of TBS’ pre- and postgame show panel. Brian Anderson and Bob Costas will share play-by-play duties, with Ron Darling and Jeff Francoeur serving as analysts.

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