👋 Good morning!

Surprise! I’m back filling in for Patrick Norton this week while he’s on a well-earned vacation — presumably somewhere far, far away from analyzing open rates and marking up Carm’s love-letter copy on Tyson Bagent.

You might remember me from the early iteration of these CHGO newsletters or even my original Midway Minute newsletter from the deepest days of the pandemic. I’ve been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the past year or so, including the growth of our newsletters at ALLCITY.

Do me a solid and tell a friend about what Patrick usually does in this space?

– Kevin Kaduk

Godspeed to a Chicago legend

(USA Today Images)

Unfortunately, the first story of the week is an unimaginably sad one.

Bobby Jenks died Friday in Portugal after announcing early this year he’d been receiving treatment for Stage 4 stomach cancer. He was only 44.

Jenks was one of the most colorful members of the 2005 World Series champion White Sox and also one of the most important. While that year’s club boasted an iron-clad middle of the bullpen with Neal Cotts and Cliff Politte, the closing job became a big question mark chronic back problems threatened Dustin Hermanson’s claim on the role after the All-Star break.

Enter big, bad Bobby Jenks … a 24-year-old baby-faced castoff from the Angels who Kenny Williams had claimed off waivers for $20,000 the previous December and arrived with 100-mile per hour potential on the radar gun and almost no expectations from anyone outside the front office.

Jenks made his debut with the White Sox on July 6, 2005 — 20 years to the day yesterday — and didn’t record his first save for the Sox until August 25.

But Jenks became an inextricable part of Ozzie Guillen’s club, not only in 2005 but for several years afterward.

Jenks recorded saves in Games 1 and 4 of the World Series and also pitched two scoreless innings in the 14-inning marathon that was Game 3.
He was an All-Star in both 2006 and 2007 while saving a total of 173 games for the Sox from 2005 to 2010.
He retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, a MLB record until teammate Mark Buehrle reached 45 with his perfect game and subsequent start in 2009.

Jenks was a beloved teammate on the South Side, as evidenced from the outpouring on social media that followed news of his death this weekend.

“As a teammate, he was the best,” Aaron Rowand said via the AP.

Jenks’ death will undoubtedly cast a pall on the big reunion of the 2005 team at Rate Field this weekend.

But in a city that loves its folk heroes, there’s little doubt that Jenks will forever start that list on the sporting side — and close it, too.

MORE —> Sean Anderson dedicated Sunday’s episode of the CHGO White Sox Podcast to Bobby Jenks

⚾️ 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:

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No purchase necessary—just good vibes & great seats!

Is there any doubt that Sunday belonged to Matthew Boyd?

The 34-year-old Cubs pitcher started the day with news he’d been named to the first All-Star Game of his 11-year big-league career.
It ended with nine strikeouts over five scoreless innings against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in an 11-0 win on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball — a performance that dropped Boyd’s season ERA to 2.52.
Boyd will be joined in Atlanta next week by teammates Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Both were voted into the starting lineup.

“To make this staff as one of the starters in this league, that’s not an easy thing to do,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Sunday’s win ran the Cubs record to 54-36 and a four-game edge over the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cubs wouldn’t be sitting in such a great position without Boyd’s contributions to that injury-riddled rotation.

Seiya and Nico Snubbed: So only three players from the NL’s second-best team? If the form holds, that’ll be the case.

The NL outfield is a crowded scene, which kept Seiya Suzuki and his NL-leading RBI total on the outside looking in. (Two Cubs already manning positions out there probably didn’t help).
As for Nico Hoerner, he leads the National League in WAR at second base. But Arizona’s Ketel Marte won the voting and St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan snuck past Hoerner as the Cardinals’ lone All-Star representative.

From Rule 5 to All-Star: Pitcher Shane Smith learned on Sunday that he’ll be the lone White Sox player in Atlanta.

Smith is only the second player in MLB history to make the game after being selected in the Rule 5 draft the previous winter (Dan Uggla).
Smith did not have as good of a day as Boyd, giving up five runs over 4 1/3 innings in Sunday’s 6-4 loss at Colorado.

Smith had a brilliant start to his South Side career with a 2.37 ERA over his first 13 starts. But has struggled over the past four outings, giving up 21 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings of work.

Let’s hope the All-Star Game nod gets him back on track.

All-Star Barbie 2.0: Angel Reese is heading back to the WNBA All-Star Game for her second straight season after the game’s reserves were announced on Sunday.

Reese turned in a 16-point, 17-rebound performance in the Sky’s 80-75 loss to the league-best Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.
Though the Sky have struggled in the first half with a 5-12 start, Reese has found her groove lately. She’s the first player in WNBA history for 15+ rebounds in five consecutive games.
The WNBA All-Star Game will be held in Indianapolis on Saturday, July 19.