Seth Jones had been craving a big night.

On Tuesday, his hunger fueled exactly that kind of performance. The star defenseman looked like a star indeed, taking over in the third period and overtime to lift the Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Sabres at the United Center.

“Seth led the way,” coach Luke Richardson said. “When there were times for him to join the rush when we were chasing the game, he joined. He was really excellent offensively. But defensively, he covers ground, and he’s got a heavy stick and [used it] when we needed a guy pinned in the zone. I thought he was on, all over.”

Jones celebrated as if he’d just clinched a playoff spot when his point shot slipped through a perfect net-front screen by Tyler Johnson and past Sabres goalie Craig Anderson to tie the game with 55 seconds left in regulation.

The crowd of 16,363 celebrated again when Jones knocked in a pass from Johnson for the overtime winner, doubling his season goal total in a four-minute span. It was his ninth shot attempt of the game, tied for his most as a Hawk.

“I’ve been trying to shoot a lot more as of late,” Jones said. “I had some chances in the second period, [including] a grade-A chance at the circle [where] I missed the net. I broke a stick on the bench there and wasn’t happy with myself. It’s kind of been that way, so it’s nice to see a few go in.”

Philipp Kurashev was also fantastic, tallying three points. Together with linemates Jonathan Toews and Taylor Raddysh, he continually gave the Hawks possession, momentum and life while the other forward lines struggled in the first and second periods.

The Hawks have now won four of five, finishing their seven-game homestand 4-3-0.

Athanasiou seeking a spark

Andreas Athanasiou’s production has come at a consistent rate. He scored three goals for the Hawks in October, three in November, two in December and has one halfway through January.

But he and the Hawks both wish that consistent rate was a bit higher. He has had a few too many nights in which his ridiculous speed and decent nose for the net have created opportunities, only for his hands and decision-making to let him down.

“A lot of times, he’s around the net and guys are chasing him, and [they] get their stick in there,” Richardson said. “He has had so many breaks this year — almost clear-cut breakaways, but not quite — where he has been . . . disrupted.”

Athanasiou’s name almost certainly will be tossed around as the trade deadline nears. He could be attractive to contenders as a relatively inexpensive addition whose speed could make more of a difference alongside better finishers.

That was precisely the Hawks’ idea when they signed him. Athanasiou knew that, too. He’s on a one-year contract for the third time in five years, so he’s already familiar with the annual routine.

“I don’t really think about [trade rumors] at all, to be honest,” Athanasiou said. “It’s part of the business. It happens every year: People get traded. But you can’t really control that.”

And if the Hawks end up showing interest in re-signing him, he wouldn’t be opposed in the slightest.

“I love it [here],” he said. “Obviously, it’s a stage where we’re learning as a team, but there’s . . . a lot of good things to look forward to in the future.”

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The Cubs continue to tinker with their pitching staff as spring training approaches, on Tuesday claiming right-hander Julian Merryweather off waivers from the Blue Jays.

To clear room for him on the 40-man roster, the Cubs designated reliever Manuel Rodr?guez for assignment.

Merryweather has appeared in 47 major-league games over the course of the past three seasons. This past year, he missed almost three months last season with a left abdominal strain and posted a 6.75 ERA in 26 relief appearances and one start.

Merryweather, 31, has spent his major-league career with Toronto but was drafted by Cleveland in the fifth round of the 2014 Draft, when Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins worked in their player development department.

Rodr?guez, 26, was also limited by injury last season. He returned from a right elbow strain in August, recording a 3.29 ERA in 14 games. He still could remain with the organization if he clears waivers.

Cubs pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than a month.

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Brother Rice senior guard Ahmad Henderson just couldn’t get the TikTok video right. He made a few attempts, but the fan’s phone wouldn’t cooperate.

It was odd watching him struggle with a common task after he made taking over a high school basketball game look so effortless.

The Battle of Pulaski was raging, with Crusaders fans screaming and Marist fans chanting. The RedHawks held a nine-point lead with 3:30 left, and their supporters could smell an upset over their rivals.

Henderson ended all that. First there was a gorgeous drive and elevation over all the defenders to score. Then there was an odd moment in the post where he almost lost the ball but somehow turned the mistake into an acrobatic bucket. There were two more drives to the basket for scores before a drive into the lane for a fadeaway jumper.

The ball hit the rim and bounced in, erasing No. 24 Marist’s lead for good. The RedHawks had two shots to win it on their next possession, but neither fell, and No. 7 Brother Rice won 49-48.

”I knew it was coming all game,” Henderson said. ”When it is winning time, I have to step up. My teammates needed me, and I had to deliver in that moment.”

Henderson scored a game-high 18 points.

Crowds have been excellent all around the area this season, but fans seem quieter since COVID. That wasn’t the case in the Battle of Pulaski. It was hot, loud and intense.

”That was so refreshing,” Henderson said. ”The last couple of years things haven’t been the same, so that felt special. It was great to play in front of that crowd.”

Junior guard Cale Cosme scored five points for the Crusaders and has emerged as a crucial second ballhandler. Khalil Ross, a 6-7 senior, had nine points and four rebounds, and 6-7 junior Zavier Fitch added nine points and a game-high eight rebounds for Brother Rice (19-2).

Henderson’s first drive and basket on the game-winning run seemed to signal that something special was about to happen. Ross knew exactly what was coming.

”I usually try to crash the glass when he’s going like that, in case he might miss it,” Ross said. ”But in this game I tried to clear it out for him. There were smaller players around. He converted every time.”

Sophomore Keshaun Vaval led Marist (17-5) with 13 points, and 6-4 sophomore Marquis Vance added 10 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Kaden White also scored 10 points for the RedHawks.

”When they scored, it was deafening; when we scored, it was deafening,” Ross said. ”Just back and forth every time. The gym was rocking. That’s as loud as I’ve ever heard it in my life.”

Because Brother Rice coach Conte Stamas is a coach, the defensive stop at the end was the first thing on his mind, not Henderson’s offensive heroics.

”We were a little sloppy handling the ball,” Stamas said. ”Maybe it was the atmosphere. But it came down to the one defensive stop that we needed, and the guys really hung in there and got it.”

It’s an extremely challenging week for the Crusaders. They host No. 25 Loyola on Friday and face No. 6 Rolling Meadows on Saturday at Benet.

”This was like a sectional final,” Stamas said. ”It’s my first experience with this, and it really was unbelievable. We knew this was going to be a big week for us, so it is nice to get this going back into the league against Loyola.”

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The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has released a mock draft that shows the Bears trading down in the 2023 draft.

Many fans were happy when the #1 overall pick fell into the arms of the Chicago Bears. While the season was full of anguish, there was finally a stroke of luck when the Texans lost out on the #1 pick in the final week.

The reason for so much excitement with this pick is because of the trade potential. The Bears don’t need a QB or at least it would not be worth it to draft another QB especially at number one. Therefore the Bears could expedite their rebuild with a team desperate for a good QB like Bryce Young where said desperate team would give up plenty of draft capital to secure the QB.

Dane Brugler has taken a guess at what may take place in the draft showing that the Bears will trade down with the Colts to the number 4 pick. In fact he states the picks the Bears would receive from the Colts. Pick number 1 for picks 4, 35 and a 2024 first round pick. While is seems light in comparison to what many expect, Brugler makes a solid point on why that is:

“For Bears fans screaming that the return in this trade scenario (this pick, No. 35 and a future first) isn’t enough, there would be added value in trading back with the Colts, as opposed to the Raiders (No. 7 overall), Panthers (No. 9 overall) or another team. The opportunity to stay within striking distance of the two “elite” defensive prospects in this draft should give the Colts a hypothetical advantage if the Bears have multiple offers to consider.”

It is a tough position to be in for Bears GM Ryan Poles but if it’s played right everyone can come out of this happy. Interesting enough Brugler states in his article that Colts GM Chris Ballard was a scout with Chicago and is very familiar with Poles as they were members of the Chiefs front office for four years.

The “elite”defensive prospect Brugler has the Bears taking at no. 4 is Jalen Carter. Elite is a fitting word for Carter as he was incredibly dominant alongside Jordan Davis for his first national title. He continued his dominance again this past season adding a second national title to his resume. A scouting report was recently done on Jalen Carter which goes more in depth on who he is as a player. Carter would be a great fit and a pivotal starting point to rebuilding Chicago’s defensive line.

We don’t know what will take place in April. For all we know the combine will change evaluations and pro days will make others look better than they actually are. As for now it may help to limit the expectation that the Bears will hold the number one pick for ransom and collect every draft pick imaginable.

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Before the 2019 season, the Bears had a celebration for the 100th season of the NFL. It was fitting for the charter franchise of the league to throw a giant party. During the celebration George McCaskey announced the team would be wearing throwback jerseys modeled after ones the team wore in 1936. There was only one problem, those uniforms debuted during a period where the NFL was excluding Black players from playing the game.

Chicago sports historian Jack Silverstein wrote an incredibly researched piece examining what role, if any, George Halas played in this era of segregation. At a time when the Bears wanted to celebrate their past, they were being haunted by it. It was a humiliating moment for the franchise.

McCaskey took action doing something that people in power often talk about, but rarely do: actually listen to others. The Bears had a social justice committee of players work through the issue with McCaskey. The result was positive conversations where the Bears chairman did more listening than talking. Then the team produced a video with McCaskey explaining what was a dark time in team, family, and league history.

“This Sunday against the Vikings, our players will wear the 1936 classic jersey,” said McCaskey. “That was from a time when, unfortunately, African Americans were not included on the Bears or other NFL rosters. Integration of the NFL and the Bears was too long in coming. But we’re proud that this year’s Bears will be the first African Americans to wear this jersey.”

I don’t know if this was a catalyst for change in the Bears organization overall, but it sure seems like it. McCaskey is privileged and quirky. Two factors that allow us to take jabs at him, but it seems clear that since then, he’s been more open to looking at the experience of his players through a different lens. The Bears are better off because of it.

In the middle of the pandemic, where issues of social justice were becoming too big to ignore, McCaskey again sat down with players to learn from their experience. Former linebacker Sam Acho and McCaskey had numerous conversations about the subject and put out a video explaining how the Bears would again take action.

Since then, we’ve heard McCaskey talk about the influence of people like: Lamar Campbell and Tanesha Wade. I admit that I feared that this was the Bears using high ranking Black executives as shield for failure, but McCaskey elevated their profiles during the process that led to Ryan Poles’ hiring. For a franchise that often operated like a mom & pop store, the Bears started to look less insular.

Now three of the most powerful people inside Halas Hall are Black. Justin Fields has become a fan favorite and a symbol of hope. The football operation is run by Poles who’s been tasked with bringing the Bears back to glory. He’s armed with the most cap space in the league and the number one pick in the draft.

On Tuesday, the Bears introduced new President and CEO, Kevin Warren. When news of Warren’s interest leaked out, it seemed like a perfect pairing. The resume speaks for itself. He has NFL experience, including being the point-person on the building of US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Considering the Bears have their own parcel of land to build on, his experience will be invaluable. Coupled with the rights deal Warren brokered for the Big Ten, it’s hard to think of anyone who was more qualified to take over for Ted Phillips.

It’s quite the turnaround for McCaskey and the Bears. Three years ago they were embarrassing themselves on the public stage when it came to issues of race and inclusion. Now they’re one of the most progressive franchises in the entire league. That doesn’t happen without the powerful really examining their successes and failures. McCaskey deserves credit for that.

I don’t know if any of this is going to work, but I do know that the Bears have become easier to root for. They are acting like a company worth billions of dollars should — finding the best people no matter what. The change has been seismic. This isn’t your grandfather’s franchise anymore and that’s a win for us all.

You can hear Laurence Holmes talk Chicago sports Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on 670 The Score with Dan Bernstein.

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Tuesday, January 17, 2023

CATHOLIC LEAGUE – CROSSOVER

DePaul at Providence, 7:00

Loyola at Montini, 7:00

Mount Carmel at Providence-St. Mel, 7:00

St. Ignatius at St. Laurence, 7:00

St. Rita at De La Salle, 6:30

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Benet at St. Viator, 7:00

Marian Catholic at Carmel, 7:00

Notre Dame at Joliet Catholic, 7:00

St. Patrick at Nazareth, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Burlington Central at Crystal Lake South, 7:00

Crystal Lake Central at Huntley, 7:00

Dundee-Crown at McHenry, 7:00

Jacobs at Hampshire, 7:00

Prairie Ridge at Cary-Grove, 7:00

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Coal City at Peotone, 6:45

Herscher at Reed-Custer, 6:45

Streator at Lisle, 6:45

Wilmington at Manteno, 7:00

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

North Shore at Morgan Park Academy, 4:30

INTERSTATE EIGHT

LaSalle-Peru at Plano, 7:00

Ottawa at Morris, 7:00

Rochelle at Kaneland, 7:00

Sandwich at Sycamore, 7:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Horizon-McKinley at Roycemore, 5:30

LITTLE TEN

DePue at Newark, 7:00

Earlville at Leland, 5:30

Hinckley-Big Rock at Indian Creek, 6:45

LaMoille at Hiawatha, 5:30

Serena at Somonauk, 7:00

METRO PREP

Hinsdale Adventist at Islamic Foundation, 5:30

NOBLE LEAGUE – BLUE

Baker at Golder, 7:00

NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD

Comer at Butler, 7:00

Noble Academy at Bulls Prep, 7:00

Rowe-Clark at Johnson, 7:00

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

Alden-Hebron at Harvest Christian, 7:30

Christian Life at Schaumburg Christian, 7:30

Mooseheart at Our Lady Sacred Heart, 5:30

Westminster Christian at Mooseheart, 7:30

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Grant at Round Lake, 7:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED-SOUTH / CENTRAL

Brooks at Phillips, 5:00

Hyde Park at Curie, 5:00

Kenwood at Perspectives-Lead, 6:30

Lindblom at Morgan Park, 6:30

Longwood at Simeon, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-CENTRAL

Catalyst-Maria at Urban Prep-Englewood, 5:00

DuSable at Richards (Chgo), 5:00

Hubbard at Dunbar, 5:00

Kennedy at Bogan, 5:00

King at Englewood STEM, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-SOUTH

Agricultural Science at South Shore 5:00

Corliss at Fenger, 5:00

UC-Woodlawn at ACE Amandla, 5:00

Urban Prep-Bronzeville at Harlan, 5:00

Vocational at Dyett, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-CENTRAL

ACERO-Soto at Instituto Health, 5:00

Back of the Yards at Gage Park, 5:00

Hancock at ACERO-Garcia, 5:00

Kelly at Horizon-Southwest, 5:00

Solorio at Tilden, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-SOUTH

Bowen at Chicago Military, 5:00

Carver at EPIC, 5:00

Excel-Woodlawn at Air Force, 5:00

Julian at Goode, 6:30

Washington at Hirsch, 5:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – BLUE

Hillcrest at Lemont, 7:00

Oak Forest at Bremen, 6:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – RED

Argo at Eisenhower, 6:30

Shepard at Richards, 6:30

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Evergreen Park at Thornton Fr. North, 6:30

Thornton Fr. South at Oak Lawn, 6:30

Tinley Park at Reavis, 6:00

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – BLUE

Bolingbrook at Lincoln-Way East, 6:30

Sandburg at Lockport, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – RED

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Stagg, 6:30

Lincoln-Way West at Andrew, 6:00

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Lincoln-Way Central at Homewood-Flossmoor, 6:0

TRI-COUNTY

Marquette at Lowpoint-Washburn, 7:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

Fenton at Elgin, 7:00

Glenbard East at Larkin, 7:00

South Elgin at Glenbard South, 7:00

Streamwood at East Aurora, 6:30

West Chicago at Bartlett, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Downers Grove South at Addison Trail, 7:30

Leyden at Proviso East, 6:00

Willowbrook at Hinsdale South, 7:30

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Hinsdale Central at Glenbard West, 5:00

NON CONFERENCE

Aurora Central at Timothy Christian, 7:30

Beacon at Cristo Rey-St. Martin, 7:00

Brother Rice at Marist, 7:00

Buffalo Grove at Glenbrook South, 7:00

Dixon at Princeton, 7:00

Donovan at Momence, 6:30

Elmwood Park at Aurora Christian, 7:00

Farragut at New Trier, 6:30

Gardner-So. Wilmington at Iroquois West, 6:45

Intrinsic-Belmont at Northtown, 6:30

ITW-Speer vs. Steinmertz, 11:35

MCC Academy at CPSA, 5:00

Orangeville at Byron, 7:00

Ridgewood at St. Francis, 7:00

Roanoke-Benson at Quest (Peoria), 7:30

Southland at Grant Park, 7:00

St. Francis de Sales at Fenwick, 7:00

Watseka at St. Anne, 7:00

Westmont at IC Catholic, 7:30

Wheaton North at Downers Grove North, 7:30

Woodland at Tri-Point, 7:00

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The pressure just got turned up on Bears general manager Ryan Poles, and he’s fine with that.

As Poles enters a pivotal offseason in which he has the No. 1 pick and by far the most salary-cap space in the NFL, he also has a new boss with high standards. When the Bears hired new president Kevin Warren, they made clear Poles would report to him rather than chairman George McCaskey.

And Warren doesn’t sound like he’ll be calling any consultants to help him judge whether Poles has the Bears on course to win a Super Bowl.

“I’ll be involved,” Warren said. “Our offices are right next door to each other. I guarantee you we’re gonna be communicating every single day on it, but I’m not a micromanager. That’s not my style. But we’ll be there and work through it.

“The things I’ve seen where people have fallen short is because they’re not comfortable with each other and don’t trust that they can be real with each other. One thing about Ryan and I: We will be real with each other. That’s the best thing you can do.”

Warren referred to his time with the then-St. Louis Rams, who won Super Bowl XXXIV during his time as a vice president from 1997 through 2000. He recalled the debate going into the ’99 season on whether Kurt Warner should take over at quarterback and noted that coach Dick Vermeil settled it by relying on facts over feelings. He said it’ll be the same between him and Poles.

When Poles took the job nearly a year ago, he anticipated that president Ted Phillips might be stepping down soon and once the Bears found a replacement, they’d revert to this more conventional structure.

The Bears went 3-14 in Poles’ first season — worse than they expected even in a rebuild. Warren said he joined the Bears with winning championships as his top goal — ahead of stadium construction or increasing the franchise value — will be as eager as anyone to turn them around.

The Bears brought Poles into their president search and wanted him to sit down with finalists to see how well they could work together. He was confident that he and Warren saw things similarly.

“A lot of things that we’re saying, it’s the same,” Poles said. “It’s the same mentality. It’s the same process to get this organization to a place where we can sustain success over a period of time.”

As Warren acclimates, he plans to begin official business in April. Poles has plenty to do before that.

His most likely course with the top draft pick is to trade it for more picks, but he said he hasn’t heard much from around the league yet. He figures his phone will start buzzing next month when teams zero in on specific prospects.

He and his staff were halfway evaluating the upcoming free-agent class Tuesday. Once the Bears line up their top targets, likely by mid-February, Poles will lay out the plan for McCaskey and Warren to get their input.

If there’s ever a disagreement, Warren said it’s Poles’ call.

“He’s the expert,” he said.

Poles also is waiting to see if he must rearrange his staff as assistant general manager Ian Cunningham emerges as a general manager candidate around the league. He was a finalist for the Titans’ vacancy before they hired Ran Carthon on Tuesday.

“It’d be a big loss, but at the same time, I was prepared for this,” Poles said. “Did I think it was gonna be less than 12 months? No. But I’m not shocked at all.

“I have a plan for it and I feel good about it. I didn’t expect he would be here long. He’s a really, really good person, and then his ability to lead and really get an organization on track, I think it’s going to be excellent when he gets that opportunity.”

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Chicago’s storied music history, from the home of the blues to a modern-day hip-hop launching pad, and everything in between, is headed for the national spotlight in a new edition of NPR’s World Caf? “Sense of Place” series, debuting on Jan. 18. (In Chicago, listeners can tune in to “Sense of Place: Chicago” online at worldcafe.org.)

Since 2011, the radio series (produced by the NPR affiliate WXPN out of Philadelphia) has set out to spotlight the music impact of cities across the world. Episodes include exclusive interviews, field recording and studio sessions with bit names and buzzy up-and-comers who have helped shape local music scenes.

“Chicago is a huge, major city but it has a very different flavor and vibe than New York or Los Angeles, and I think we were all interested in exploring that,” says World Caf? host Raina Douris. “Chicago has had this very strong underground punk and rock scene. It was a big part of blues and jazz, and house music. There’s all these deep roots in Chicago and it felt like we could go back 10 more times and still not get everything.”

Douris, contributing host (and Chicago native) Stephen Kallao, and a team of producers spent a week in the city last October gathering the soundbites and recorded performances that make up much of the 13-part series, which also features interviews pulled from WXPN’s archives.

Each episode of the 13-part series centers on a specific music genre, from the Jan. 18 pop-music focus featuring an interview with Chicago (and a performance recorded last fall for the show), to the final episode on Feb. 3, which offers up the story of the birthplace of gospel music, Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, and “quintessential Chicago albums” from “Sound Opinions” hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot.

In between will be episodes featuring ’90s mainstays Liz Phair (Jan. 19) and Billy Corgan (Jan. 24), the influential producer and engineer Steve Albini (Jan. 20) and his Electrical Audio studios, gospel legend Mavis Staples (Jan. 26), indie pioneers Wilco (Jan. 31), blues icon Buddy Guy (Feb. 2), Latinx quintet Dos Santos (Jan. 23), new artists Kaina and Dehd (Jan. 25), DIY muse Eli Schmitt and hip-hop maven Pinqy Ring (Jan. 27) and visits to the Chicago Music Exchange (Jan. 30) and Martin Atkins’ Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music (Jan. 20).

There was one thing that came up in all the interviews, says Douris, beyond the commonality of the location that ties all the artists together: it was a constant idea of giving back.

“Steve Albini is a great example. He stayed in Chicago, he stuck around and made this his place. He said many times in our piece, he’s a technician, he wants to help make records, and he’s there to give back to this community of musicians. That kept coming up over and over again with everybody that I talked to,” says Douris. “A lot of people said because it’s not L.A., because it’s not New York, the sense of cutthroat competition isn’t as strong [here] and it’s much more collaborative and the community is stronger.”

Rather than going after some of the more mainstream names in Chicago’s hip-hop scene, the “Sense of Place” team opted for Pinqy Ring, the indie artist behind works like “Little Hearts,” who was once a hip-hop cultural ambassador for the U.S. and a two-time recipient of Chicago’s Individual Artist Program grant.

“One of our objectives is to talk to people that maybe aren’t already on the mainstream radar in the same way, that can give us a little more insight into what working and living is like in Chicago,” says Douris who recorded the session while going on a walk with the rapper and teacher in Humboldt Park and visiting her alma mater, Lane Tech.

With Latin-fused psych rock band Dos Santos, Douris says she also discovered how influential Chicago’s diversity can be to developing a distinct sound.

“They’re a group of guys from all over; some were born and raised in Chicago, some in Central or South America. One of them who was raised in Panama said that it wasn’t until Chicago that he started playing Latin music. [The] diversity in the city has influenced a lot of the sounds,” says Douris.

But it was her chat with 20-year-old Eli Schmitt that really stuck with her, Douris says. The Radio DePaul host, creator of the “New Now” YouTube series and indie concert booker (who often holds shows in his own apartment) is propelling the local Gen Z DIY scene.

“Where I felt like I was the luckiest to be in the room was in Eli’s apartment; it really feels like the beginning of a scene,” recalls Douris. “He said to me, ‘You can have all these friends on Instagram but it’s not real unless you see each other in real life,’ and I thought it was so powerful. I love that he’s nurturing this in-person DIY indie rock scene in Chicago and carries the spirit on. You can feel the through lines of all that music history and that it’s still very much alive.”

NOTE: Chicago NPR fans can tune in to “Sense of Place: Chicago” online at worldcafe.org on the dates listed above.

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Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser and Mark Potash break down new president/CEO Kevin Warren’s introductory press conference and what it means for the Bears’ new stadium, ownership and the product on the field.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify and Stitcher.

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The Cubs are still looking to bolster their bullpen and may look to an old friend to do so.

The Chicago Cubs have made numerous impact free-agent signings this offseason. They’ve added several bats and have greatly renovated their lineup. Now it seems the team’s final focus of this free agency period is their bullpen. 

It has been reported in recent days that the Cubs are showing interest in relief pitchers Andrew Chafin and Matt Moore. The bullpen still appears be a work in progress. On Tuesday evening, the Cubs reportedly added Julian Merryweather off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Manny Rodriguez will be DFA’d by the Cubs in order to make for Merryweather. Rodriguez pitched in 34 games out of the bullpen for the Cubs over the last 2 seasons. The 26-year-old right-hander never secured solid footing with the Cubs and only managed a 4.88 ERA in his two seasons.

With the Cubs still looking to pin down a left-handed reliever, fans would definitely enjoy seeing the return of former fan favorite Andrew Chafin. Chafin pitched in 47 games with the Cubs across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He donned an impressive 2.13 ERA during that time. Chafin spent last season with the Detroit Tigers where he managed a 2.83 ERA in 64 appearances.

Last season with the Rangers, LHRP Matt Moore shined in 63 appearances out of the pen. Moore finished the year with an impressive 1.95 ERA. Either of these relievers will likely cost the Cubs quite a bit. MLB Trade Rumors expect Chafin to secure roughly two years and $18 million. Matt Moore likely wouldn’t be too far off. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Cubs may DFA another bullpen arm or possibly a second baseman. 

The team has made plenty of additions this offseason. Acquiring one of these relievers would likely be the final notable move of the Cubs’ offseason. Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. It will be interesting to see if Chafin or Moore is one of them. 

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