Let’s Make A Difference Today!
Today is Big Brothers Big Sisters Day! We’ve been raising money all week for our Big and Little friends, but today is the day to SMASH RIGHT THROUGH our Spirit Week goal of $10K. Donate during your favorite CHGO show on YouTube or contribute directly at bbbs.org/allcity!
👋 Good morning!
Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.
The Stanley Cup Final is over, the NBA Finals were off for a second night in a row, and we lost our baseball games to a storm.
I stared at a wall for hours, wondering what I should be doing with my time. It never came to me. I ended up playing solitaire for a little while and used the College World Series for a bit of background noise.
On the bright side, a Chicago baseball equinox is technically possible today, assuming the Cubs and Brewers don’t go deep into extras.
The Cubs won’t make up last night’s rainout until August 18, but the White Sox and Cardinals are playing a back-to-back doubleheader beginning at 1:10.
Start at Wrigley at 1:20 and make your way to Rate Field for the second game there. That sounds like an ideal Thursday in Chicago.
⚾️ Summertime Sweepstakes ⚾️
Rate & CHGO are giving away a pair of tickets to the Rate Club for Cubs-Sox at Rate Field on July 26th.
All you have to do to enter? Download the Rate app and enter at:
No purchase necessary—just good vibes & great seats!
Blackhawks re-up Donato
Ryan Donato is sticking around! After a career year, Donato and the Blackhawks have agreed to a four-year deal worth $4 million per season.
Donato, 28, picked a heck of a time to tally career highs in goals (31) and assists (31). His previous career high in points? Four years ago, when he posted 31 points on 16 goals and 15 assists for the Seattle Kraken.
GM Kyle Davidson on the extension: “[Donato] brings energy and competes hard every game, which has been a huge asset to our team over the last two seasons. He’s been a crucial part of our offense, and we’re excited for Ryan to continue to make a difference in our lineup for the next four years.”
The deal leaves the Blackhawks with a projected $25,203,690 in cap space for the 2025-26 season, with Connor Bedard eligible for a contract extension in 12 days.
How much of that will the Blackhawks spend this offseason? Probably not a whole lot, but Donato’s AAV coming in a tad lower than expected could open some new avenues when free agency begins on July 1st.
I asked Jay Zawaski for his take on the deal. Here’s what he had to say:
This is really a tidy piece of work for Kyle Davidson. Many (including us at CHGO Blackhawks) thought Donato could command $5 million or more per year. To get him at $4 million and four years is a bargain, even if Donato doesn’t replicate his 31-goal, 62-point pace ever again.
He makes up for any potential production dip with his versatility. He can play center and wing, and can fit comfortably on all four forward lines.
He is also a great “culture fit.” Donato is an experienced vet who has chosen to stay in Chicago to see the rebuild through. He’ll set a great example through his work ethic and in demonstrating how working on elements of your game can lead to instant results.
Thanks Jay!
⚾️ FRIDAY 1:20 ⚾️
Join Cody Delmendo and CHGO Cubs Diehards at Murphy’s Bleachers at 10 a.m. this Friday before heading into Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs open a three-game weekend set against the Seattle Mariners!
ALL-STAR UPDATE: The Chicago City Council approved a $32.1 million plan yesterday to upgrade security at and around Wrigley Field, including adding bollards designed to prevent vehicular attacks on the stadium and the surrounding neighborhood.
The Cubs have long been rumored to be the leaders in the clubhouse to host the 2027 All-Star Game. However, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in February that the club needed to rectify certain security issues before being awarded the Midsummer Classic.
In January, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told 670 The Score, “The simplest issue is [that] active streets around Wrigley Field is very difficult from a security perspective, from the league's judgment.”
ALSO KIND OF AN ALL-STAR UPDATE: Before his massive effort in the Cubs’ win on Tuesday night, Pete Crow Armstrong essentially took himself out of the running for the 2025 Home Run Derby: “That’s not for me. That’s a different kind of power.”
Bummer. PCA leads the Cubs with 19 homers this season.
TRAINING CAMP! It’s official — Bears rookies report to Halas Hall for training camp on July 19. Veterans report on July 22. Additionally, the Bears’ joint practice with the Dolphins will take place on August 8, with another joint practice on August 15 with the Buffalo Bills.
How life feels when the Cubs game gets postponed and you have to go a night without watching PCA play baseball
— #Corey Freedman (#@corey_cubs)
11:28 PM • Jun 18, 2025
📺 CHGO Bears
12:00 on YouTube
⚾️ White Sox vs. Cardinals
1:10 on CHSN
⚾️ Cubs vs. Brewers
1:20 on Marquee
📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube
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4:00 on YouTube
⚾️ White Sox vs. Cardinals
4:40 on CHSN
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POSTGAME on YouTube
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8:00 on CHGO Cubs YT
