By Roger Wallenstein

If you’re planning on going to The Cell this week to see the resurgent White Sox tangle with the Indians and Twins, plan on sticking around for awhile. Work, school and appointments the next day will have to wait. Don’t leave early.
Scoring late and often, the South Siders sent that message to the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland A’s – along with heretofore frustrated fans – last week as the Sox won five of six on the road to square their record at 17. Two weeks ago, after losing four in a row to the Twins, the team’s stock was about as low as Chicago’s bond rating. But four straight series victories and nine wins in the last 12 games have signaled that just maybe this team still could live up to the preseason hype.

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Posted on May 18, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Well, that escalated quickly.
Just seven days ago, the Cubs had fallen back to .500 after a losing week. Then they ripped off six of seven and now it looks like this season is legit.
I mean, this doesn’t mean they are going to win anything or they won’t completely fall apart, because who the hell knows. But now they have the opportunity to actually blow it.
Like, there is something here to blow.

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Posted on May 17, 2015

By Thomas Chambers

The Cavs fatten up the bankroll; six horses to look at. Plus: The Streets of Baltimore.

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Posted on May 16, 2015

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

WTF was that? Plus: Here Come The Mighty Ducks; The Mighty Cubs; The Mighty Ramblers; The Chicago Fire Did Something This Week; and The Mighty Ramblers.

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Posted on May 15, 2015

Another Beachwood Special Report

The new bleachers are finally here, and boy are they an upgrade.
* Benches now made of artisanal woodstuffs harvested from the rainforests of Brazil and certified organic by Whole Foods.
* Now serving a special Budweiser craft beer called Stick Ball, an IPA with hints of popcorn, mustard and entitlement.
* Left field sucks! Right field WILL SUCK in a month!
* Hire-A-Fan lets bleacher-goers pay someone to watch the game for them while they trade stock tips, network with daddy’s board of directors and arrange after-game coke buys with their college dealers.

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Posted on May 13, 2015

By Jim Coffman

In January, the downtrodden Denver Nuggets traded a top asset, the reasonably compensated (a little over $4 million a year) burgeoning center Timofey Mozgov to the Cavaliers for two “first-round” draft picks of extremely dubious value.
When fans start identifying reasons for the Bulls losing just about as winnable a playoff game as a basketball team can lose, they can point to Derrick Rose’s disappearances for long stretches, Mike Dunleavy’s offensive failures, J.R. Smith’s killer three-point shooting and LeBron James simply being one of the top five players in NBA history.
But the main thing that killed the Bulls on Sunday was the Cavaliers’ huge advantage at center. Joakim Noah had a great game defensively, but he is in an offensive funk so severe he may have to hire a team of sports psychologists just to help him some day actually make two shots in a row.

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Posted on May 11, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

Two rousing endings to Chicago sports occurred on Mother’s Day about six miles and 40 minutes apart. One was heartbreaking although not so difficult to believe, while the other was totally unexpected and out-of-character.
Of course, the former – the one witnessed by a full house at the United Center and millions watching on TV – featured the finest, strongest, nastiest basketball player alive dashing the hopes of Bulls fans everywhere. The other – pretty much operating under the radar aside from the announced 20,123 at The Cell and the few of us flipping back and forth between the Sox and Bulls – still has us shaking our heads in disbelief.

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Posted on May 11, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Okay, I know I vowed to just enjoy this ride but Cubs Anger is starting to rise to the surface. I truly believe that Joe Maddon is getting the most out of these guys, but some of these guys are just not good enough, and Theo and his Wonder Boys surely knew this going in. This team is still rebuilding more than it is competing.
And as much as a lot of fans might be cool with this, we here at The Cub Factor are not. I mean, there are going to be people hit by buses this year who will not be around for 2016 and beyond. Think of the Bus People!

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Posted on May 11, 2015

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Irresistible front office meets immovable coach. Plus: Back To Blackhawks; The White Sox’ Most Unforgivable Sin; Cubs Still Have That New Car Smell; and A Chicago-Area School Will Win The National Men’s Volleyball Championship.

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Posted on May 8, 2015

By Dan O’Shea

It’s always fun when you draft a player onto your fantasy baseball team with one or two particular stats in mind and then find out that not only can he deliver in those areas, but he’ll pay you off with a bonus stat, too.
Such is the case this year with Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, already a top five 1B based on his HRs, OPS and, to some degree, runs scored (As a No. 3 hitter on a lesser team, he hasn’t been an RBI leader, but that could change). One month into the season, Rizzo has reliably delivered in the categories we expected, with his current line reading 5 HRs, 13 RBIs, 21 runs and a 1.025 OPS. He’s also excelled in a category where we didn’t expect a payoff – stolen bases.

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Posted on May 6, 2015