For the last week or so, I’ve been getting multiple daily reminders in my e-mail inbox from Yahoo!, ESPN and Bleacher Report that fantasy football time is here again. It somehow seems earlier every year, like Christmas shopping season or the point at which Derrick Rose gets injured and declared out for the year.
Even though it’s early, I can still see a storyline developing pretty clearly, and the storyline is this: The decline in the fantasy value of running backs is really happening.
In last year’s draft guide, my overall top 10 consisted entirely of RBs, and I doubted the then-popular prediction that RB value would fizzle. But after big bets on C.J. Spiller, Alfred Morris, Trent Richardson (!) and Ray Rice failed to pay off last year, I’m joining the club.
That doesn’t mean my Top 20 this year isn’t front-loaded with RBs. There are at least five RBs that still should have more fantasy value this year than anyone else. The other thing you might notice: there are three Bears players in my top 20, proving finally that anything can happen once.

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Posted on July 30, 2014

By Steve Rhodes and Marty Gangler

1. You might see a no-hitter.
2. Now with less Darwin Barney!
3. Good value proposition: They will always play a bottom of the ninth at Wrigley Field.
4. Spite.
5. Wrigley Field safer than Montrose Beach.

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Posted on July 29, 2014

By Jim Coffman

Jared Allen’s signing made it all legit.
So much of the optimism rushing through the veins of Bears fans as training camp kicked into high gear over the weekend goes back to that free agent acquisition in particular.
Allen may be at the tail end of his career but he had 11.5 sacks last year and has totaled 128.5 during a stellar, decade-long defensive end career just about evenly split between the Vikings and the Chiefs before them. He is the guy most capable of giving the Bears exactly what they need – consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks from the edge.

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Posted on July 28, 2014

By Roger Wallenstein

It is late at night, and having been away all day, I just watched a large man, a sports hero, a Chicago icon, display a slice of humanity that we see all too seldom from those who claim celebrity and adulation. Frank Thomas’s emotional Hall of Fame induction speech won’t soon be forgotten.
The other five inductees offered their thank yous, citing specific people, seasons and games in a controlled, straightforward manner. Thomas stated the obvious, “I’m an emotional guy. I wear my emotions on my sleeve.”
Within a minute of addressing the thousands who came to Cooperstown, the tears came in waves as Thomas talked about growing up in Columbus, Georgia, one of five children of Frank and Charlie Mae Thomas.

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Posted on July 28, 2014

By Steve Rhodes and Jim Coffman

Plus: Jay Cutler’s Conversion Van, Hawk Gone & Patrick Kane’s Excellent Offseason Adventure.

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Posted on July 26, 2014

By Dan O’Shea

Most fantasy baseball trade chatter centers around who to sell high, and a lot of buyers buy into that mentality – if they need a position or a stat, they tend to target the best f the best. There is another way to go about it, of course: Buy low, and buy smart.
Here are a few players who probably still can be bought low in many leagues:

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Posted on July 22, 2014

By Jim Coffman

Maybe if the Sox could have finished off the sweep. Maybe if they had eked one out after rallying to tie their game with the Astros at 7 after six innings Sunday at the Cell. Then, not only did they not hold on, they gave up the lead as quickly as they could (two doubles on about three pitches in the next inning) and eventually went down to an 11-7 defeat.
If the Sox had held on, perhaps a column on Chicago baseball would have filled the bill before a certain football team reports to training camp on Thursday. But the Sox didn’t hold on. Chicago baseball (other than Jose Abreu’s pursuit of 50 home runs) is still meaningless and on the North Side, hopeless.
So we cling to off-seasons.

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Posted on July 21, 2014

By Roger Wallenstein

I’ve lived here for more than six decades, yet driving around the South Side on Saturday, I felt more like a tourist than a Chicagoan. Yes, our city is one of neighborhoods, but leaving yours and investigating others leaves one with a sketch of the lives and experiences so different than our own. I’m confident this is a good thing.
With the usual 6:10 starting time for Saturday’s Sox game, which turned out to be a 4-3 victory over Houston thanks to a surprising and welcome scoreless three innings from an inconsistent bullpen, my pal Tom suggested that we check out a summer festival in Calumet Park before heading to The Cell.
Along with my wife Judy we navigated unfamiliar territory on our way to the festival which invited us to “See the Cyclone Grill in Action.” Anytime the word “grill” is used to advertise an event, I have more than a lukewarm interest. We discovered that the grill was four Webers on a circular platform with the ability to rotate. Unique to say the least, but the nearby church outing with a couple of 55-gallon converted drums with sizzling chicken, ribs, and pork butts had the Cyclone beat hands down.

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Posted on July 21, 2014

By Steve Rhodes

What up, Daytona?
How’s your speedway hanging?
Are those tons of Cubs prospects in your pocket or are you just happy to see us?
We turn our eyes to you because Chicago is a low-rate sports town that sells suckers on the minor leagues over and over and over and over like the global city it isn’t.
Plus, your beach is way better than ours.

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Posted on July 21, 2014

By Steve Rhodes and Jim Coffman

Plus: Chicago’s Embarrassing Draft Bid & The Only Baseball Story Left In Town.

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Posted on July 18, 2014