👋 Good morning!
Well, that crosstown series went about as expected.
Several popes in the bleachers, botched flyballs, and lots and lots of runs scored. What more could you want from a windy, wacky weekend at Wrigley?
Sure, it was another tough series for the White Sox, but we learned that Miguel Vargas might be a building block after all. And Sunday’s sixth inning aside, Jonathan Cannon had one of baseball’s top offenses guessing in yet another solid outing.
As for the Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong is the second most valuable player in all of baseball this season by fWAR & bWAR. Hello?? That’s absurd. He literally has the power and the speed to be the best in the National League (as of right now).
Sole Focus…Again?
The Bears announced on Friday afternoon that the franchise had made significant progress in discussions to create an “economic development project” in Arlington Heights.
Statement from the team: “Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality.”
On February 15, 2023, the Bears announced that they had closed on purchasing all 326 acres of Arlington Park, the former home of Arlington International Racecourse, for $197.2 million. One year later, the Bears shifted plans from developing the property to remaining on the lakefront.
At the 2025 NFL Annual Meeting in April, Bears CEO Kevin Warren reintroduced the idea of relocating to Arlington Heights: “The focus now is both downtown [Chicago] and Arlington Heights. These are not linear processes or projects. They take time, they take a lot of energy and effort.”
Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia on Friday: “We have a great working relationship with the team, and I have always believed that the former Arlington Park site is the best location for a new NFL stadium-centered development for the entire Chicagoland region.”
This backs up just about everything we’ve heard in recent months. While the team wanted to publicly keep the door open with the city of Chicago—and while that door is still technically cracked open—the primary focus has been on Arlington Heights for some time now.
Now, nothing matters until shovels are in the ground, but when might we see an agreement announced? Maybe before training camp? It’s certainly possible.
I don’t think too many Bears fans are broken up about this news, either. In fact, I included a poll in a newsletter last month about the preferred location of a new stadium: 77.1% supported a move to the northwest suburb.
Why? Owning the stadium and the land surrounding it gives the Bears carte blanche in building their very own Wrigleyville or Deer District (Milwaukee) while taking home a sizable chunk of change from each business operating on the land. It’s somewhat impossible to pass up on that opportunity.
Quick Hits
TASTES LIKE PROMOTION: All signs point toward Matt Shaw rejoining the Cubs in Miami today after a brief stint in Triple-A. First, Shaw was scratched from the Iowa Cubs’ lineup on Sunday without news of an injury. Then, Craig Counsell said after Sunday’s win against the White Sox that promoting Shaw was “under consideration.”
Shaw, 23, broke camp with the major league club, but struggled in 18 games, slashing .172/.294/.241. Things got dicey for the third baseman after his demotion to Iowa last month, but Shaw has since rebounded, pulling together a .286/.409/.560 slash line with six homers.
TIERAMID PYRAMID: Adam Hoge broke down and ranked the entire 2025 Chicago Bears *91-man roster. I read it last night—it’s excellent. You can check that out here.
MOVIN’ ON UP: Do you remember Jake McCabe on the Blackhawks? What about Sam Lafferty? The Blackhawks traded the pair to the Toronto Maple Leafs way back in February 2023 for a few prospects and picks.
And with the Maple Leafs dropping another Game 7 last night, the Blackhawks will officially have the No. 25 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft thanks to that deal. Not bad.
That guy has great hair…
And Dansby Swanson’s there, too!
I’ve spotted @thecarm in the wild
— #Cody Delmendo (#@cody_chgo)
9:37 PM • May 18, 2025
Today!
📺 CHGO Bears
12:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bulls
4:00 on YouTube
⚾️ Cubs @ Marlins
5:40 on Marquee
⚾️ White Sox vs. Mariners
6:40 on CHSN
📺 CHGO Cubs
POSTGAME on CHGO Cubs YT
📺 CHGO White Sox
POSTGAME on YouTube
