GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

Happy Memorial Day! As we all enjoy a long weekend with family, barbecues, or relaxing on the couch, we can also celebrate Team USA bringing home World Championship gold for the first time since 1933! Shoutout to Frank Nazar and Alex Vlasic!

CHICAGO CUBS

L - Marlins 8, Cubs 7

Just one strike away

• Daniel Palencia had an 0-2 count on Derek Hill with 2 outs and nobody on…then gave up a double, walk, and triple to blow the save

• Matt Shaw returned to the big leagues with 2 hits and the would-have-been game-winning RBI

• Miguel Amaya had 5 RBI - all of them thanks to deflections off of LF Kyle Stowers’ glove

W - Cubs 14, Marlins 1

21 Cubs Street

• An 8-run 6th inning highlighted a 21-hit offensive clinic

• Jameson Taillon only gave up 1 HR and had a great start (7 IP, 1 ER, 2 K)

• 3 Cubs had 3 hits, 7 Cubs had 2+ hits, Seiya Suzuki had 4 RBI

W - Cubs 2, Marlins 1

Kyle Tucker is back on track!

• Tucker hit a solo HR and later hit a single that got away from Stowers in left field, allowing the game-winning run to score

• Cade Horton improved again (5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) and had 16 whiffs!

• Palencia was thrown right back out for another save opportunity and capitalized despite giving up hard contact

W - Cubs 13, Reds 6

Pete Comeback-Armstrong!

• PCA hit a grand slam off the right field foul pole when down 6-4 in the 7th inning

• PCA (x2), Seiya, and Dansby Swanson all hit home runs

• Matthew Boyd labored through 4 innings (8 H, 4 ER) but kept them close. Chris Flexen escaped a jam in the 5th, and the bullpen was lights out the rest of the way.

L - Reds 6, Cubs 4

Hit it where…they are

• Cubs ran into a ton of bad luck as their hard contact refused to land. They finished the game with a .439 xBA (compared to the Reds’ .252) and had 5 batted balls with an xBA of .700 or higher get caught for outs.

• Colin Rea had an off night (5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)

• Justin Turner hit his first HR as a Cub!

W - Cubs 11, Reds 8

The Reese McGuire Game!

• McGuire got called up after Amaya got injured, entered the lineup at the last minute when Carson Kelly was sick, and blasted 2 HRs against lefties in his Cubs debut!

• Seiya’s 3-R HR finished off a comeback after being down 8-3

• Ben Brown allowed 8 ER in 4.1 IP

Star of the Week ⭐ Seiya Suzuki

12-for-25 (.480 AVG), 3 HR, 4 2B, 10 RBI

Play of the Week 🎥 Pete Crow-Armstrong grand slam

Recalled Matt Shaw, selected C Reese McGuire and RHP Brooks Kriske from AAA, DFA’d Julian Merryweather and Nicky Lopez, optioned Moises Ballesteros to AAA

Activated Ian Happ and Ryan Brasier from the IL, placed Miguel Amaya AND Porter Hodge on the IL with oblique strains…seriously, the Cubs need to find the world’s best oblique specialist

Matt Shaw has been very good since coming back up to the big leagues! He went 9-for-25 (.360 AVG) with 5 doubles in his first 6 games, and his defense has been excellent. This throw across the diamond while falling down was insane! Only good signs for the Cubs’ present and future 3B. This week already had more production than the rest of the season combined at that position…

Ian Happ, on the other hand, has struggled since returning from the IL. He is 3-for-23 (.130 AVG) with 11 strikeouts and is clearly not back to his normal self.

Scored 10+ runs in 12 games already this season! It’s their most in their first 53 games of a season since 1898 😮 That means they score 10+ runs once every 4 or 5 games. They’re scoring at a historic pace!

9-3 to start this “easy” part of their schedule is HUGE for building a solid division lead! The Rockies, Reds, and Nationals are up next.

SCHEDULE 📅 M/T/W/F/SAT/SUN

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

Signed Joe Thuney to a 2-year, $35M contract extension

• Fully guarantees $33.5M for 2025 and 2026

• Halves his salary cap number for 2025 ($8M)

• Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman are ALL under contract through 2027…finally some continuity in front of a Bears QB!

• This was on the table since the day Ryan Poles acquired Thuney for a 4th round pick. Extending the 4-time Super Bowl winner and 2-time All-Pro was essential for the future of the Bears O-Line.

OTAs began on Wednesday! By all accounts, Ben Johnson’s intensity and attention to detail are on FULL display in practices.

Bears will host joint practices with the Bills and Dolphins during the offseason

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

OFFSEASON

🚨 Hired Jeff Blashill as the 42nd head coach in franchise history 🚨

Blashill will be a 2nd time head coach with a long resume of coaching experience. He coached a rebuilding Red Wings team from 2015 to 2022 and finished with an underwhelming 204-261-72 record. Since then, he has served as an assistant under Jon Cooper with the Tampa Bay Lightning who is in the top tier of coaches in the league.

Even without a history of winning at the NHL level, the former goalie has a couple championships under his belt. He won the Clark Cup with the Indiana Ice of the USHL (08-09) and the Calder Cup with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL (12-13). He won the AHL’s coach of the year award in 2013-2014 and has served on Team USA’s bench on multiple occasions.

He wasn’t the most sought after name on the market like David Carle. He wasn’t a previous Cup winner looking for a fresh start. But it seems like Blashill was the right hire at this point of the rebuild.

With his time in various levels of hockey, he knows how to work with young players and guide their development. His former players said he works hard to establish habits. For a Blackhawks team without an identity or consistent buy-in over the last few seasons, installing new winning habits seems like a logical first step to building a legitimate program.

Based on the timeline, he’s probably Rick Renteria instead of Joe Maddon. Maybe he moves this team forward, gets them out of the basement, and then someone else steps in to bring them to Lord Stanley. If that’s the case, it’s OK. Honestly, this team needs a coach like him. He brings a seriousness to the organization. No more dart-throw first-time head coaches with no idea how to create a culture. Hopefully, this change is exactly what the core needs to make significant improvements.

Anders Sorensen will remain on the Blackhawks’ bench as an assistant coach on Blashill’s staff

Michael Peca left the Rangers organization to join the Blackhawks as an assistant coach

Assistant coach Kevin Dean will be leaving the Blackhawks

World Championships

• TEAM USA WON GOLD!!! They beat Switzerland 1-0 in OT! 🥇

• Frank Nazar finished tied for 6th in the entire tournament with 12 points (6g/6a), which also tied him for the most points on Team USA

• Alex Vlasic was a +3 with 2 assists for Team USA

• Teuvo Teravainen had 10 assists for Finland and finished with 11 points

CHICAGO BULLS

OFFSEASON

Matas Buzelis was named to the All-Rookie 2nd Team!

1st Team: Stephon Castle, Jaylen Wells, Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Zach Edey

2nd Team: Bub Carrington, Matas Buzelis, Yves Missi, Donovan Clingan, Kel'el Ware

Buzelis joins Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, and Coby White who were also All-Rookie 2nd Teamers

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Gervon Dexter

Dino Dex has already left a good impression on veteran and Bears newcomer Grady Jarrett. The 3rd year DT invited Jarrett to work out with him and other teammates in Miami after Jarrett signed in free agency. Dexter has shown more intentional leadership and a strong work ethic heading into this season!

MILD TAKE

Frank Nazar is the next captain of the Blackhawks.

Captain Fliggy is here for another year, at least, so the next captain won’t be anointed for a while.

As we look ahead, there are a few solid candidates and others who could jump into the conversation based on their future development. Connor Bedard is the face of the franchise and will obviously be in the mix. Alex Vlasic is the hometown kid anchoring the back end and has already been through the grind of the NHL for some time.

I think Frank Nazar will be that guy.

In the second half of last season alone, he showed an abundance of skill on the ice and maturity off the ice to prove his leadership abilities. He was the best player in the arena on many occasions and was driving his line from the center spot. His forechecking prowess and active work ethic away from the puck emulate the type of effort Kyle Davidson wants to see on this team.

During his impressive run, he spoke about showing up to every single game with the mindset of playing hard for your teammates. He already has a solid perspective on building a winning culture and thriving in the NHL. And, now he has won gold on the international stage! It seems like the young core has gravitated towards him as the leader of the group.

The next Blackhawks captain will have a massive responsibility on his shoulders, but 21-year old Frank Nazar already seems up to the challenge.

HITTING THE LINKS

Charlie Roumeliotis - FEATURE: Bertuzzi and Chelios Confident in Blashill Leading Blackhawks Forward (blackhawks.com)

Patrick Mooney - An old Carson Kelly-Matthew Boyd connection shows new chemistry building within Cubs (The Athletic)

Scott Powers - What players, others around NHL are saying about Blackhawks hiring Jeff Blashill as coach (The Athletic)

Ben Pope - Analyzing Blackhawks' options for No. 3 pick: Caleb Desnoyers might fit best out of large group (Chicago Sun-Times)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

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Thanks for reading! Enjoy the holiday with family and friends while the Cubs play the worst team in baseball!