By Jim Coffman

The Bears will bounce back. The little Bears are done, i.e., the Cubs are no longer a serious contender to win a playoff series, let alone a pennant.
The North Siders might still squeak into the postseason but who could possibly be optimistic about their chances in even a wild card game against a Nationals team that will be able to choose between three aces (Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin) who are all better than the Cubs’ best?
And the Cubs in a series of any length against the scorching Atlanta Braves or the way-out-in-front Dodgers or even the Cardinals? I don’t think so. There are the final seven regular season games against St. Louis for the team to give the end of the season a little bit of a positive spin. But it’s not bloody likely.

Read More

Posted on September 9, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

Bobby Winkles, the baseball coach who won three NCAA championships at Arizona State before managing the Angels and A’s in the 1970s, tells the story about his near-miss at making the major leagues as an infielder in the White Sox organization in the 1950s.
Winkles had advanced all the way to Triple-A Indianapolis in 1959 when his manager, the old catcher Walker Cooper, summoned the young Winkles to his office.
“Bobby, there’s only one thing keeping you from being a major leaguer,” Coop said.
“What’s that, Skip?” enthused the fledgling youngster. “I’ll work on it.”
“Your ability,” said Cooper, and that was that. Winkles was finished as a player after that season.

Read More

Posted on September 9, 2019

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Bears not who we thought they were. But who are they? Plus: Chicago Predicts Bears Season, Audio Version; Cubs Suddenly Better Than Bears; Like Theo Before Him, Rick Hahn Is A Stone-Cold Liar, and more!

Read More

Posted on September 6, 2019

By Steve Rhodes

The Bears “unveiled” their Halas Hall upgrade last week to a wide-eyed and mouths-agape media all too happy to propagate the company line that the building is now a “game-changer.” All I could do was wonder, again, why our schools can’t get the same treatment. I could only come up with the same old answer: Capitalism is great for creating wealth, but awful for distributing it.
Now, I don’t begrudge the players their luxuries. But it would be interesting to do a little analytical study to see if there is any correlation at all between an NFL team’s facilities and their won-loss record. Assignment Desk, activate!
(For years, us Minnesotans were told, for example, that a new, taxpayer-funded ballpark would reap wins by the bucket. Instead, it has yielded the worst record in the majors.)
The best write-up on the “new” Halas Hall I saw, which also evoked schools, albeit in a very different way, came from the Chicago Architecture blog, which, purposely or not, put the abs in the absurd:
“The new HOK-designed building has more drama than a high school musical, with black carpets, brick walls, recessed linear lighting, and a black hallway lined with the illuminated numbers of retired Bears players arranged like markers on a gridiron.”
Nice.
“The lights come on as the players walk down the hall, accompanied by music, and arrive at a 46-foot video wall. There are about 175 video screens in the Halas Hall expansion. Your man cave weeps.”

Read More

Posted on September 5, 2019

Compiled By The Beachwood Crystal Ball Unit

In no particular order.
Rick Morrissey, Sun-Times: 10-6
Rick Telander, Sun-Times: 11-5
Patrick Finley, Sun-Times: 10-6
Jason Lieser, Sun-Times: 12-4
Mark Potash, Sun-Times: 10-6
Jim Coffman, Beachwood Reporter: 11-5
Gritty: 8-8
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus: 3-13
Joe Maddon: No thanks, that would be outcome bias.
Nicholas Castellanos: Undefeated, winning 16 straight home openers.
Lincoln Yards: If the Bears hurry up, we win it all.

Read More

Posted on September 5, 2019

By Jim Coffman

I hear Matt Nagy will have his starters sit out the second quarter against the Packers Thursday night to optimize health at halftime. Given how good the local sports commentariat thinks these Bears are going to be, three full-strength quarters out of four should be more than enough to blow away Green Bay.
The biggest football game in Chicago since the 2010 NFC championship loss (that actually occurred in January 2011) to that same delightful team from Wisconsin kicks off the 100th season of NFL football on NBC at 7:20 p.m. And no, I don’t think anyone will sit out any of it.

Read More

Posted on September 4, 2019

By Lydia DePillis/ProPublica

Since 1983, Kim Karsh has helped baseball teams deal with an inconvenient fact of the modern economy: Almost everything you need to play America’s homegrown sport is now made in China, from cleats to batting helmets.
Lately, supplying the game’s amateurs and fans has gotten more difficult. Karsh owns California Pro Sports in Harbor City, California, where invoices for big customers now include a caveat: Prices are up due to the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports, and they could rise further on short notice.

Read More

Posted on September 4, 2019

By Jason Bowman/American Poolplayers Association

Five Chicago residents are $10,000 richer after a recent visit to Sin City. But their good fortune didn’t happen in the casino. The team of the Apocalypsticks won the 2019 APA Ladies 8-Ball Championship last month in Las Vegas.
The Apocalypsticks were one of only 256 worldwide to qualify for the American Poolplayers Association’s (APA) Ladies 8-Ball Championship held at the Westgate Resort & Casino.
The Apocalypsticks took home $10,000 and ultimate bragging rights upon returning home to their local poolroom. Team members include: Courtney Glascoe, Darlene Dantes, Silva McDermott, Crystal Banks and Nicole Riggio.

Read More

Posted on September 3, 2019

By Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

As part of a consortium led by Yankee Global Enterprises, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (“Sinclair”) (NASDAQ: SBGI) announced that an indirect subsidiary of Diamond Sports Group has acquired a 20% equity interest in the Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network (“YES Network”), valued at approximately $346 million on a total enterprise value of $3.47 billion. In addition, under the YES Network management team, Sinclair will direct the YES Network’s traditional and virtual distribution relationships.
The YES Network is the country’s most-watched regional sports network (RSN), broadcasting games, programs and specialty content for the New York Yankees, the Brooklyn Nets, Major League Soccer’s New York City FC, and the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

Read More

Posted on September 3, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

His fastball frequently is clocked in triple digits. The curveball and changeup are rated 55/60 and 45/50, respectively, by FanGraphs. He was the freakin’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2018.
Yet, Dylan Cease is finding out just how difficult it is to get hitters out in the major leagues. Part of the problem with guys like Cease and other hot prospects, not only with the Sox but throughout the baseball universe, is that the expectations and ballyhoo are so intense and lofty that anything less becomes a disappointment suffered by a portion of the faithful that you’d think their dog just died.

Read More

Posted on September 2, 2019