I know that no Bears fans want to talk about it, but the Chicago Bears made one of the most confusing moves in the 2017 NFL draft. The Bears traded up from the 3rd pick to the 2nd to take Mitch Trubisky. This would prove to be an overall failure as Trubisky did not live up to the hype while other very successful quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were still on the board.

Now, you could make the argument that Trubisky was the better selection. Here’s why: In 2020, the Bears’ playoff game vs. the Saints was televised on Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon announced they would have online voting to determine the NVP (Nickelodeon Valuable Player) at the end of the game. Despite the abysmal performance by Trubisky in the loss, he was able to walk away with an NVP trophy, something Mahomes does not have.

In all seriousness, the Bears fumbled this pick. Don’t get me wrong, I was 100% on the Mitch train when we drafted him, but looking back on it, it made no sense to trade up to draft the 3rd best quarterback in the draft. Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were miles better than Trubisky in every category and had way more experience coming into the draft. Not to mention, the next quarterback taken after Trubisky at #3 was Mahomes at #10. So we traded away three picks to pick someone we could’ve taken all along at #3 and picked the wrong guy. A mess. To make matters worse, Patrick Mahomes’ dad revealed that the Bears told Patrick that they were going to take him with the #3 pick.

It would’ve been one thing if the Bears traded up to get their guy. Fine. But the fact that they had the right guy and then traded up to draft the wrong guy is just painful. Obviously, it is very easy for me to sit here and say that an MVP is better than Mitch Trubisky, but strictly looking at college stats, it would’ve made too much sense to take Mahomes in that draft. He was the leading passer in the FBS and threw for 9,705 yards in his two years as a starter. That’s insane.

Well, I guess it’s time to get over the fact that the Bears missed out on a special talent like Patrick Mahomes and focus on the potential superstar they currently have in Justin Fields. Who knows if Mahomes would’ve even panned out with the Bears? Hopefully, Fields can take this team to the next level and make everyone forget about this mistake.

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The Bears have money to snag a Pro Bowl lineman

The Chicago Bears are flush with cash heading into the free agency period. They need it. The Bears will need to add some playmakers to their mediocre roster before they run to the 2023 NFL Draft with the number one pick. A Bears insider thinks the Bears’ best option is a Pro Bowl-caliber offensive tackle.

The NFL increased the overall salary cap to $224.8 million for each team next season. The Bears should have approximately $98 million for next season. That leaves them with ample leverage to outbid other NFL teams for star players. But the unknown factor is what upcoming free agents will not re-sign with their current team.

The Bears’ most realistic option

The Bears’ most prominent, but not exclusive, needs are at wide receiver, the offensive line, and the defensive line. Adam Jahns of The Athletic wrote in his mailbag about potential free agents the Bears could sign. One fan asked Jahns who the Bears’ “most realistic option” in free agency is. Jahns thinks offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is who the Bears can sign:

“Any list of potential free-agent pursuits for the Bears should start with Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. Poles is connected to Brown through the Chiefs. Signing Brown would then allow Braxton Jones to shift to right tackle. The Bears’ line would instantly look better.”

Brown would be an excellent pickup for the Bears. The Chiefs starting left tackle had a phenomenal season in which he reached the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive time. Brown earned a 75.8 overall grade by Pro Football Focus this season.

Brown gave up four sacks of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and 47 pressures this season during his whopping 769 pass-blocking snaps. For a Bears unit that needs discipline, Brown could help there. He was flagged just six times during his 1,133 snaps in the regular season. Browns’ downside for the Bears, he only blocked for rushing plays 364 times this season. General manager Ryan Poles seems more interested in players who can run block, even at skilled positions, versus building up the passing attack.

Another pricey option for a Pro Bowl player

Another option for the Bears that Jahns mentioned that I like better is Daron Payne. The defensive lineman made the Pro Bowl in 2022. Although, as Jahns notes, his services will not come cheap:

“Or do the Bears pursue Washington’s Daron Payne for their defensive line instead? The NFL informed teams of this year’s franchise-tag amounts on Monday, too. It’s $18,937,000 for defensive tackles.”

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Former Cubs All-Star outfielder Dexter Fowler, one of the mainstays of the 2016 World Series championship team, announced his retirement Tuesday on social media.

“It’s here. I’m hanging up my cleats,” Fowler said on Twitter. “I’m mostly proud to look back on my career knowing that I played the game the right way and did my best to make a positive impact beyond the win.”

Fowler spent only two of his 14 major-league seasons with the Cubs, but created one of the North Side’s most memorable moments by becoming the first, and so far only, player to hit a lead-off homer in a World Series Game 7 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. He slashed .233/.258/.467 in the 2016 Series. He also appeared in that season’s All-Star Game.

The Cubs acquired Fowler from the Astros in 2015 in exchange for Luis Valbuena and Dan Straily. After the 2016 season, Fowler declined a mutual option, becoming a free agent. He eventually signed with the Cardinals.

Fowler last played in the majors in 2021 with Anaheim.

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In early December, the Chicago White Sox announced they had signed Mike Clevinger on a one-year, $12 million dollar deal. He was a shoo-in as the fifth starter after the signing. Clevinger was coming off a tough year in San Diego after missing all of 2021 due to Tommy John’s surgery.

At the time, it was a great signing for the Sox. Clevinger had some really good years with the Guardians prior to surgery and was looking to have a big bounce-back year in 2023.

However, Clevinger’s time with the Sox may be ending as quickly as it started due to allegations of domestic assault and child abuse. Because of this, the fifth starter spot will be wide open going into spring training.

Now, if they would’ve just paid Johnny Cueto, this would not have been a problem. It even would’ve provided depth which is something that is unfamiliar to the Sox.

Now they are without an anchor to a good rotation and will likely have to count on a guy with limited experience to step up for those innings.

The Chicago White Sox will be looking for a new fifth starter this spring.

The current front-runner for the job is Davis Martin. Although Martin wasn’t great in 2022, you have to consider that he went all the way from AA to the MLB in one year.

He had almost no time to develop or get comfortable. Even when he was called on to pitch in 14 games last year, it wasn’t the worst thing ever. His stats were pretty similar to Clevinger’s as he had a 4.83 ERA and a 6.82 K/9 while Clevinger posted a 4.33 ERA and a 7.20 K/9.

This doesn’t mean that Davis Martin is the answer to all of their problems but he should be a solid replacement for what Clevinger likely would’ve provided.

The Sox still have a very solid rotation with Dylan Cease coming off the best season of his career, Michael Kopech coming back healthy, Lucas Giolito looking for a bounce-back year, and Lance Lynn doing Lance Lynn things.

At the end of the day, we really never knew what Clevinger was really capable of. We could’ve seen him continue on his decline but we also easily could’ve seen the 2017-2020 Clevinger who was a stud.

If Clevinger doesn’t in fact come back, there’s a chance that Davis Martin could surprise some people as he’s continued to develop throughout the off-season.

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The NBA trade deadline is right around the corner and the Chicago Bulls are sitting on a pile of question marks going into it.

While they on the verge of falling out of the play-in, they are just also four games back of the six seed. The roster that the Bulls have constructed has obviously not gotten the job done so far this year.

Still, the roster has three all-stars and solid depth this season. The question is does the front office believe the core can pull it together over the second half of the season and become some sort of contender with maybe some minor tweaks, or should they start flipping assets in preparation for an offseason retooling?

The Alex Caruso rumors put the Chicago Bulls in an odd position.

If the Chicago Bulls are truly shopping Alex Caruso, then they might be just looking for a quick fix at a position of need. Since the trade value of Coby White is still low, flipping Caruso or possibly Ayo Dosunmu to address the shooting needs and the lack of size on the team could be unfortunately more realistic.

Still, the rumors are that the Bulls are asking for two first round picks for Caruso. While that would be such a great get for the Bulls, there is not much of a shot that a team will trade two firsts for a player who does not even start. As good as Caruso is, two firsts are a lot to give up for his services.

The other takeaway from these rumors is that the Bulls have made it known they will not trade Zach Lavine or DeMar DeRozan during the season, which means they are looking to still compete. One would think that Caruso is a major cog in a competitive Bulls team, especially with Lonzo Ball being nowhere close to returning. If you do believe that you have a team that can make some sort of run, Alex Caruso is a must have on the roster. With the odds of getting two first for him being so low, expect Caruso to remain a Chicago Bull, at least until the offseason.

It just would not make a lot of sense to trade Caruso for even one first round pick from a contender considering it will most likely not be very valuable. Caruso is one of the few players on this roster who has extensive playoff experience and is one of the leaders amongst the team. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that Caruso is “basically untouchable” because of how valuable he is to the team. He went on to say that he is the culture of the team as well.

As far as the rest of the roster, there is a good possibility that the front office at least tests the market for players like White, Andre Drummond, and maybe even Javonte Green who has fallen out of the rotation due to injury. The Bulls do not have a lot of assets, but some teams looking to shed salary and potential bring in a young player who still has potential (White) could bite at an offer.

Whatever happens, there is basically zero chance that they blow it up completely during the offseason. Even if the season continues to go awry, the Bulls have control of Lavine and DeRozan and can make these decisions in the offseason and still capitalize on their value. Any moves made at the deadline will most likely involve role players or draft picks down the line.

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Monday, January 30, 2023

CHICAGO PREP

Christ the King at Ellison, 7:30

Hope Academy at Cristo Rey, 6:30

Walther Christian at Holy Trinity, 7:00

DU PAGE VALLEY

Naperville North at DeKalb, 7:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Horizon-McKinley at Wolcott, 5:30

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED-WEST / NORTH

Lane at North Lawndale, CNL

SOUTH SUBURBAN – BLUE

Tinley Park at Thornton Fr. North, 6:30

NON CONFERENCE

Cornerstone Christian at Lowpoint-Washburn, 7:30

Durand at Alden-Hebron, 7:00

El Paso-Gridley at Reed-Custer, 6:45

Elmwood Park at Rochelle Zell, 7:30

Jones at Oak Lawn, 6:30

Lake View at Northtown, 5:00

Legal Prep at Eisenhower, 6:30

Lockport at Joliet Central, 6:30

Mansueto at Back of the Yards, 5:30

Mooseheart at Aurora Central, 7:00

Rickover at Goode, 5:00

South Shore at Uplift, 5:00

Urban Prep-West at Excel-Englewood, 5:30

Woodstock North at Harvest Christian, 7:30

LITTLE TEN TOURNAMENT

at Somonauk

Serena vs. LaMoille, 5:30

IMSA vs. Newark, 7:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS – CONSOLATION

First Round

ACE Amandla at Senn, 5:00

UC-Woodlawn at Von Steuben, 5:00

Second Round

Urban Prep-Englewood at Wells, 5:00

Mather at Kennedy, 5:30

Richards (Chgo) at Urban Prep-Bronizeville, 5:00

Dunbar at King, 5:00

Crane at Schurz, 5:00

Collins at Fenger, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS – BLUE

Second Round

Clemente at Manley, 5:00

Excel-Englewood at Phoenix, 5:00

Kelvyn Park at North Grand, 4:30

Bowen at Tilden, 5:00

Juarez at Chicago Academy, 5:00

Solorio at Julian, 5:00

EPIC at Hancock, 5:00

Alcott at Little Village, 5:00

RIVER VALLEY ROUND-ROBIN

Tri-Point at St. Anne, 7:00

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Patrick Mahomes really should have been drafted by the Chicago Bears

By now we all know the story of the 2017 NFL draft for the Chicago Bears with a loaded quarterback class featuring Patrick Mahomes.

General Manager Ryan Pace traded up from No. 3 overall to No. 2 with San Francisco to take a quarterback. However, he took the wrong quarterback as he selected Mitchell Trubisky over Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. Trubisky lasted a few seasons in Chicago before signing with Buffalo and then Pittsburgh. Prior to legal trouble Watson was having a good career in Houston.

Then there’s Mahomes.

He’s already considered one of the best all time to play the quarterback position and is going to his third Super Bowl already for Kansas City. It’s a big time miss by the Bears and one that has many fans wondering “what if”.

On Monday, after the Chiefs beat Cincinnati to win the AFC, Mahomes father appeared on 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel show. During the appearance, he revealed that the Bears actually told Mahomes they would take him at No. 3 overall:

D’oh!

We know the story of Pace falling in love with Trubisky after a dinner in Chapel Hill and seeing the car he drives. We also know that Pace scouted Mahomes as well.

However, whether this has been out there before or not, it’s still a giant mess up for Pace.

Oh, what could have been…

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Former Cubs broadcaster Chip Caray is taking over as the television play-by-play voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, more than five decades after his grandfather and Hall of Fame announcer Harry Caray became a baseball staple with the same club.

Bally Sports Midwest announced Caray’s hiring in a statement Monday. The voice of the Atlanta Braves is replacing Dan McLaughlin, who left the Cardinals booth in December after 24 years following his third arrest for drunken driving.

“I’m grateful and excited to come home and call games for the team that made me fall in love with baseball as a kid in St. Louis County,” Caray said. “I have always admired the passion, knowledge and loyalty of Cardinals fans, both here in St. Louis and across the country. The honor of continuing the legacy of my grandfather Harry, my dad Skip and so many other great Cardinal broadcasters, past and present, is the stuff dreams are made of.”

The third generation of Carays to broadcast in the major leagues spent the past 20 seasons as the voice of the Braves on Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Southeast, TBS and Peachtree TV. He also called games regionally for the Seattle Mariners and the Cubs, where his grandfather spent the final 16 years of his career.

Harry Caray got his break in broadcasting with the Cardinals, though, beginning alongside former catcher Gabby Street in 1945. He held down the job alongside such luminaries as Joe Garagiola and Jack Buck through the 1969 season, then went on to spend a season with the A’s before a decade with the White Sox and the rest of his career with the Cubs.

Chip Caray’s father, Skip, was part of the Braves broadcast team from 1976 until his death in 2008. And his brother, Josh Caray, is the play-by-play voice of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.

“The Cardinals are pleased to share in today’s announcement,” Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said. “Chip brings a wealth of experience to the booth and has a great feel for the history and tradition of the franchise.”

McLaughlin, who is scheduled to appear in court next week, was charged on Dec. 5 as a persistent offender of driving while intoxicated following his arrest in the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur. He pleaded guilty to DWI charges in 2010, when he was sentenced to two years of probation, and in 2011, when he was given a suspended 90-day sentence.

McLaughlin and Bally Sports Midwest issued joint statements in December saying that he was stepping away. McLaughlin also said that he was planning to focus on his family and his recovery, which he said had already started.

His departure after more than two decades gave Caray a chance to return to his roots. The 57-year-old, who also spent six years as the TV voice of the Cubs, attended high school in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield before heading to Georgia for college. He also worked for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and the Mariners earlier in his career.

“There is an illustrious history of Cardinals broadcasters and we are excited to add to that incredible roster by bringing in one of the best play-by-play announcers in baseball today,” Bally Sports Midwest general manager Jack Donovan said. “Chip brings enthusiasm to the game and cherishes the opportunity to be part of Cardinals baseball.”

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The White Sox claimed right-hander A.J. Alexy off waivers from Minnesota on Monday.

Alexy, 24, made four relief appearances for the Rangers last season and five including four starts in 2021, combining for a 6.30 ERA in those games. He spent most of 2022 with Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization, going 6-6 with a 6.28 ERA over 31 games including 16 starts.

The Sox had room to add depth to their Triple-A roster and could be thin in their major league starting rotation with newly signed Mike Clevinger under investigation by Major League Baseball for alleged domestic violence and child abuse against his 10-month-old daughter and her mother and facing a possible suspension.

The 6-4, 195-pound Alexy was designated for assignment by Texas on Dec. 9 and claimed off waivers by Washington on December 13. He was DFA’d by the Nationals on Jan. 4 and traded to the Twins on Jan. 10 in exchange for right-hander Cristian Jim?nez. The most appealing thing on Alexy’s resume is his 2021 season in the minors, when he posted a 1.66 ERA in 16 games including 10 starts between Triple-A and Double-A in the Rangers system.

Alexy, who has an option year left and can be kept in the minors, will likely be added to the Sox’ mix of Triple-A pitchers along with right-handers Davis Martin, Jonathan Stiever and Jason Bilous who could be used for spot starting as Martin did last season.

Alexy is 19-25 with a 3.93 ERA and 465 strikeouts in 105 games including 78 starts over parts of six minor-league seasons.

The White Sox 40-man roster increases to 40.

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