GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

I hope you’re all surviving the middle-of-the-summer heat! It’s been difficult to beat the heat and stay indoors after 7am most days. The weather conditions also didn’t treat the Cubs well at Wrigley Field this week, but at least Sammy Sosa returned home to lift everyone’s spirits:

CHICAGO CUBS

W - Cubs 5, Brewers 3

Stomping out the rivalry!

• Seiya Suzuki’s 3-R HR in the 5th inning gave the Cubs the lead

• Pete Crow-Armstrong made a sick diving catch WAY out into left field in the top of the 8th, then followed it up with a massive 452 ft. HR off the RF scoreboard in the bottom half

POSTPONED - Cubs vs. Brewers (Doubleheader August 18th)

L - Brewers 8, Cubs 7

Hitter-friendly winds at Wrigley

• Jameson Taillon’s HR bug returned as both teams sent a bunch of souvenirs into the bleachers (4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 HR)

• Ian Happ, PCA, and Dansby Swanson all homered for the Cubs as they nearly came back from an 8-3 deficit

L - Mariners 9, Cubs 4

Cal Raleigh vs. the world

• Raleigh hit 2 of the Mariners’ 4 HR as the Cubs bullpen had a rough day

• Matthew Boyd left the game after 5 innings (2 ER, 6 K) due to a bruised shoulder. He saved himself when he caught a 104.7 mph bullet in his glove, but the glove ended up hurting his shoulder 😬 He should make his next start!

W - Cubs 10, Mariners 7

Sweltering day in the sun

• Happ and Kyle Tucker hit back-to-back HRs to lead things off for the Cubs (Happ’s 2nd straight game with a leadoff HR)

• Cubs outfielders missed 3 fly balls thanks to the intense wind and sun

• Brad Keller was summoned with runners on 1st and 3rd and 0 outs in the 6th inning - he struck out the middle of the Mariners’ order 🔥

L - Mariners 14, Cubs 6

You get a HR, you get a HR, everyone gets a HR!

• Colin Rea gave up 4 HRs on a 9 HR day for the two teams

• Seiya made up for 2 errors out in RF by hitting 2 monster HRs

Star of the Week ⭐ Kyle Tucker

8-for-20 (.400 AVG), 3 doubles, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Play of the Week 🎥 Matthew Boyd comebacker catch

Sammy Sosa was welcomed back to the Cubs organization this offseason, but we didn’t know when he would be reintroduced to the Wrigley faithful for the world’s loudest standing ovation. On Friday, Sosa was back home.

It was a LONG 21 years without Sosa. Back in December, I wrote about how much I loved watching him play as a kid (Sammy Sosa Invited Back To The Cubs).

The Cubs had him on both broadcasts, gave him the grand tour of the clubhouse, gave him time to talk to players and staff, and honored him with a video tribute. The fans showed him so much love! Watch here.

PCA is already in the 20 HR/20 SB club! He’s writing history every night!

• First in MLB this season

• Fastest AND youngest to reach that mark in Cubs HISTORY

• Tied-4th fastest in MLB history (73 games)

Justin Steele is a fan like all of us:

PCA and Seiya are the 2nd pair of teammates in Cubs history to reach 20 HRs before the All-Star Break (Bryzzo in 2016!)

Shota Imanaga struck out 8 hitters in 4.1 IP at AAA Iowa on Friday, and his next start will be with the Cubs!!!! His return date is still TBD.

27 total home runs in the last 4 games at Wrigley Field. Absolute chaos when the wind blows out 💨

Recalled RHP Nate Pearson from AAA, DFA’d Genesis Cabrera after 2 consecutive 3 ER outings

I wrote about Ian Happ’s baseball journey and why he is built to be this season’s leadoff hitter:

MLB All-Star Voting: 1st Ballot Update

• PCA and Kyle Tucker are the Top 2 NL OFs

• Carson Kelly is 2nd for NL catchers

• Seiya (3rd), Nico (3rd), Busch (3rd), Dansby (5th), and Matt Shaw (4th) could all use a little push! Cubs fans really went hard on their ballots so far, and I love it. Shaw has no business even being close to making the team 😂

• Vote Cubs here!

SCHEDULE 📅 7 DAYS OF BASEBALL!

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

Training Camp Schedule!

• Rookies Report: July 19th

• Veterans Report: July 22nd

• Joint Practices: August 8th (Dolphins) and August 15th (Bills)

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

OFFSEASON

🚨 Re-signed Ryan Donato to a 4-year, $16M contract ($4M cap hit) 🚨

They got it done!! Donato was almost extended at the Trade Deadline when his name was also floated in trade rumors. There was obviously mutual interest, so it was bound to happen.

I’m really happy for Donato - he found his hockey home. Shoutout to the Blackhawks production team for featuring him in the very beginning of the first episode of Every Shift last season. We got an inside look at his family life as he awaited the birth of his daughter, his desire to stick in one city for a long period of time, and his drive to get better on the ice.

He focused his training last summer on improving his skating. In his 2nd season with the Blackhawks, on his 5th team in 8 years, he exploded with a career-high 31 goals and 31 assists. He spent a lot of time in the Top 6 and was the only source of offense for weeks at a time. His energy and work ethic paid off for him, and the Hawks are right to keep him in the mix moving forward.

🚨Traded Joe Veleno to the Seattle Kraken for F Andre Burakovsky 🚨

• Veleno was acquired by the Hawks at last year’s trade deadline in a move that unloaded Petr Mrazek’s contract that ran through 2025-2026 and cleared a spot in the goalie room. He didn’t stand out much as a 4th line center despite having 7 points in 18 games and ultimately wasn’t promised a role for this upcoming season. This was way better than buying him out!

• Burakovsky is 30 years old and has 2 years remaining on his contract at $5.5M/year. The Hawks have to get to the salary cap floor anyways, and this could end up being the Ilya Mikheyev trade 2.0 where a struggling forward finds his footing again with a change in scenery.

• The two-time Stanley Cup Champion (2018 Capitals & 2022 Avalanche) has been less impactful since his playoff heroics and 61-point 2021-2022 season. Hopefully, his solid speed and forceful shot help out the Blackhawks offense in a Middle 6 role.

Placed TJ Brodie on waivers with the goal of a buyout

• Brodie was a mess in his first season as a Hawk, so Kyle Davidson decided to clear a roster spot instead of keeping him around for the 2nd and final year of his deal

The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup Champions!

• Seth Jones won a Cup. Turns out the trade worked out well for both teams. Good for Jones to finally be on a winner and bring home the hardware!

• Corey Perry and Stan Bowman went home empty 😊

Jonathan Toews signed a 1-year deal with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. His NHL return is official!! Congrats to the Captain 🫡

Lukas Reichel is on Germany’s preliminary 2026 Olympics roster

NHL Draft is Friday and Saturday!

It feels like this draft will either be chalk or chaos. Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa are expected to go 1 and 2, and the Blackhawks have been linked to Anton Frondell for a long time. We may end up not seeing any fireworks, but there are some reports that the Top 5 could get interesting…

Frank Seravalli reported that the Blackhawks are open for business for trades, including their #3 pick 👀 Based on current reports and my own assumptions, I’m guessing that would result in 1 of 3 things:

1) Move up from #3 to draft Michael Misa

2) Move down from #3 to #5/6 or lower, acquire some extra value, and still select Porter Martone, James Hagens, or another player who may fall

3) Trade #3 for an established >24 year old great-to-star level player

CHICAGO BULLS

OFFSEASON

The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA Champions!

• Congratulations to Alex Caruso - once a Bull, always a Bull

• The Caruso for Josh Giddey swap is still a win-win for both sides. The Thunder added a tough, defensively elite, winning player right before truly contending. The Bulls acquired a talented young player who can quarterback the offense, just made huge strides with his shot (37.8 3PT% last season), and improved defensively.

• If only the Bulls had actually pursued Thunder GM Sam Presti when they were rumored to be interested in 2020…

With Billy Donovan ironing out an extension, I decided to dive into the recent history of coaches for all of Chicago’s Big 5 teams. Read about why the current group is the most respected in the last 15 years:

NBA Draft is Wednesday and Thursday!

All phones at the Advocate Center have been silent. There have been virtually no reports about the Bulls’ intentions with their #12 draft pick or any plans for the rest of the roster.

Since AK promised to continue the “roster makeover” that started last summer, I’m assuming there will be some significant changes again. Drafting Matas Buzelis at #11 last season at least gives us some hope for an exciting player at #12. I hope they find their future big man!

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Sammy Sosa

Slammin’ Sammy was legendary on the diamond, and he remains a Chicago icon for Cubs fans everywhere.

After dealing with a full divorce from the organization, being criticized by ownership, and not being welcomed at Wrigley Field for 21 years, Sosa’s tremendous heart was on display in his return. His gratefulness to the fans is so genuine. Every visit will be a huge event in the future! Read more about his return here:

MILD TAKE

D’Andre Swift can be a good lead back this season.

Bears fans had to wait until the 7th round of the NFL Draft to see a running back get selected. Nick Chubb went to Houston. No other signing was announced.

Everyone was clamoring for another addition to the running back room this offseason because of Swift’s disappointing 2024 season.

I agree that he didn’t live up to expectations, clearly looked hesitant in the backfield, and left extra yards on the field. He has to be better. But Swift was signed for situational runs, as a pass-catching threat, and as a weapon in the open field. Granted, that was the last coaching regime’s vision, but they also failed to execute that vision.

The coaching staff completely misused Swift in last year’s smorgasbord of an offense. With 3 different coordinators, 2 head coaches, and a patchy offensive line, the running game never even worked.

I don’t think we need to bash Swift for his performance; I think we need to look ahead at what a competent staff can do for him. Ben Johnson coached Swift in Detroit, and he’ll utilize him correctly.

HITTING THE LINKS

Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns - Bears 53-man roster projection: What OTAs told us about Ben Johnson’s team (The Athletic)

Sahadev Sharma - Drew Pomeranz nearly retired. He’s now key to one of baseball’s best bullpens (The Athletic)

Jesse Rogers - Inside the rise of Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong (ESPN)

Scott Powers - Why the Blackhawks brought back Jared Nightingale to shape their future with AHL IceHogs (The Athletic)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

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Thanks for reading! Have a great Monday as we head into draft week!!!