👋 Good morning!
In the words of Michael Jordan (via David Falk):
I’m back.
And I’m just in time for Rank Week at CHGO!
Last year, we ranked the top 25 games in Chicago sports history. This year, we’re counting down the top 10 “What If” scenarios in our city’s storied past.
For example, what if one of these teams actually put something together and brought a championship home? Crazy, right?
We’re kicking off this packed week with a special CHGO Blackhawks Top 10 What Ifs show tonight at 7 p.m!
Hoge. Jahns. CHGO.
CHGO is the new home for Adam Jahns and the Hoge & Jahns podcast. And it can be your home for premium Diehard content all season long for $36 for the first year, too.
Become a Diehard for access to Limited Edition Hoge & Jahns merch, merch discounts, exclusive events, and top-tier written content!
Act fast — This deal ends July 31st!
A toast to the ‘05 White Sox
The White Sox honored members of the 2005 World Series championship team over the weekend at Rate Field. The 20th anniversary celebration included a statue unveiling, a unique gift from a noteworthy fan, and a touching tribute.
Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. And now Mark Buehrle’s contributions to the White Sox will live on forever in the form of a bronze statue in the right-field concourse at Rate Field, unveiled Friday, depicting the southpaw’s throwing motion.
On the honor, Buehrle said: “Honestly, when people are saying, ‘You're worthy of this, you earned it,’ like, I didn't earn it. You don't go out there and play to earn a number retirement, a statue. You go out there and just play to try to win the game.”
One Of A Kind: Good luck finding another “Konerko, Pope Leo, No. 14” White Sox jersey signed by the 267th Bishop of Rome. The club gifted the papal pinstripes uniform to the former first baseman during Saturday’s celebration.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Konerko said. “I’m sure my mom will ask for dibs on it.”
The six-time All-Star added: “I saw some footage a couple weeks ago, he was wearing a White Sox hat at the Vatican. Who would have thought that? That's pretty cool. It's kind of surreal. I'm sure my mom will have some opinions on it in terms of the meaning of it, and that I need to get back to church. But we'll deal with that as it comes."
The White Sox also unveiled a No. 45 patch that the team will wear on the left sleeve of their jerseys throughout the rest of the 2025 season, honoring the late Bobby Jenks.
Jenks died on July 4 in Sintra, Portugal, where he had been battling adenocarcinoma. He was 44.
During Saturday’s pregame ceremony, Buehrle asked fans to join in a toast to his former teammate, as A.J. Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye handed out Miller Lites to the group on the field.
With their drinks held high, Buehrle, as he often did so well, kept it short: “A toast to Bobby Jenks — we miss you, brother.”
Former manager Ozzie Guillen then leaned over the lectern, adding: “We love you forever.”
It was a bittersweet moment in the midst of a beautiful celebration of an all-time team. For an organization often criticized for struggling to even get the little things right, they knocked it out of the park all weekend long.
⚾️ DIEHARDS ONLY ⚾️
We’re knocking the Friday 1:20 Club out of the park and onto a Wrigley Rooftop.
Join DIEHARDS ONLY at this premium event when the Cubs host the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 15th!
Your event ticket includes all you can eat and drink throughout the game, a CHGO Cubs shirt of your choice and a CHGO hat!
FIRST HALF-ISH: Hey! Not too as shabby as last year, right? The Sox were 27-71 entering last year’s All-Star Break. They’re 5.5 games better than that mark heading into this year’s midsummer classic.
Despite eventually losing in extras to the Guardians, Andrew Benintendi clubbed his team-leading 12th home run on Sunday.
Why is that important to note? Because, in checking in on our preseason predictions for the Sox, I was reminded that only one person picked him to lead the team in homers this year: me.
THE DISRESPECT: After a weekend dedicated to remembering the ‘05 World Series team, ESPN forgot all about ‘em…again.
A company that has 0 respect for the 2005 White Sox
— #CHGO White Sox (#@CHGO_WhiteSox)
12:05 AM • Jul 14, 2025
DRAFT NIGHT: The White Sox made three selections on the first night of the MLB Draft:
1.10 » Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS
2.44 » Jaden Fauske, OF, Nazareth Academy
3.76 » Kyle Lodise, SS, Georgia Tech
The draft resumes for rounds 4-20 at 10:30 a.m.
DAAA JANKEES LOSE: Talk about a huge series win for the Cubs heading into the break…
After Friday’s shellacking at the hands of former Cub Cody Bellinger, the Cubs rebounded in a big way on the backs of Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga. The pair combined for 15.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 12 K on Saturday and Sunday.
The pair of wins also kept the Cubs in sole possession of first place in the NL Central ahead of the surging Milwaukee Brewers, who trail the Cubs by only one game.
At 57-39, the Cubs are 18 games over .500 at the break for the first time since 2016, when the eventual World Series winners were 53-35.
DRAFT NIGHT: The Cubs also made three selections on the first night of the MLB Draft last night:
1.17 » Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest
2.56 » Kane Kepley, OF, North Carolina
3.90 » Dominick Reid, RHP, Abilene Christian
BLUE SWEDE: Blackhawks 2025 first-round pick Anton Frondell will sign his contract with the Blackhawks and return on loan to Sweden to play for Djurgårdens of the SHL, per Swedish media reports.
The news of Frondell returning to Sweden for the season is unsurprising, but the report also indicates that the 18-year-old will head back before training camp.
To The Folks Who Made Us: When all is said and done, we’re shaped by the people who raised us — whether that meant showing up to every little league game, taking us to every practice, or simply providing the love, support, and guidance that got us where we are today.
Fred Carman, 99, was a native Chicagoan, captain of his high school football team, and a U.S. Army veteran of World War II who rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant. Most importantly, he was Mark Carman’s dad.
James Zawaski Sr., 81, grew up in West Beverly, served six years in the Marine Corps Reserve, and worked for IBM for more than three decades. Above all, he was Jay Zawaski’s father.
We lost both Fred and James Sr. earlier this month, and Mark and Jay lost their No. 1 fans.
Their dads helped shape the men they are today — thoughtful, generous, and passionate about their work and their families.
And in the end, all we can hope for is to hold onto our memories and carry on the legacies of the folks who made us — the same way Mark and Jay have done for Fred and James Sr.
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☀️ SUMMER LEAGUE SPECIAL ☀️
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Top 10 ‘What Ifs’
