👋 Good morning!
It’s July 22nd, and the Milwaukee Brewers have the best record in baseball.
I can’t say I expected that.
After all, it’s been 111 days since the Cubs didn’t hold at least a share of first place in the NL Central. But it’s been 17 days since the Brewers last lost a ball game.
Now, the pressure’s on. Sure, the trade deadline is still more than a week away, but a critical three-game set in Milwaukee begins next Monday.
Will the Cubs make a splash before next week, or should we expect another bullpen game headlined by Ben “Oops, All Homers” Brown?
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!
Top Training Camp Storylines
Today is the day: veterans report for training camp in Lake Forest. General manager Ryan Poles and first-year head coach Ben Johnson will speak to the media this afternoon to kick things off at Halas Hall.
But before we get there, what should we be focusing on over the next few weeks?
Day 1 LT: When will Braxton Jones be cleared to return from ankle surgery? And if it’s not soon, who between Kiran Amegadjie and Ozzy Trapilo will be called upon to serve with the first-team offense?
Amegadjie struggled in limited reps throughout his rookie year after missing most of last year’s training camp with a lingering quad issue.
But Trapilo is just a rookie. And after investing heavily in Caleb Williams’ protectors this offseason, could it really be up to a Day 2 pick taking his first NFL reps to protect the quarterback’s blindside?
Ben + Caleb = ??? How will the QB-HC relationship look between the two most important figures in the building? Caleb Williams had three different offensive coordinators and two playcallers last season. That process changes drastically with Johnson locked in and in command of the offense.
At this point, it’s up to Williams to properly execute Johnson’s vision for the Bears on Sundays this fall, and the journey toward properly doing that takes a big step today.
WR3 Battle: What type of role can we expect Luther Burden III to earn in his first NFL camp? His game tape suggests he could become an explosive complement alongside Rome Odunze and DJ Moore. But the ex-Mizzou receiver missed most of the team’s offseason programs after sustaining a minor rib injury in rookie minicamp.
Due to his prolonged absence from the field, it’s obvious that Burden III won’t waltz into camp and be handed the WR3 job. He’ll have to compete, and if you ask me, Olamide Zaccheaus is the early frontrunner for the gig when the season starts. By Week 8? Maybe that’s a different story.
As Adam Jahns pointed out in his CHGO Diehard Q&A, you want to hear about the offense winning some days early and often throughout training camp.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t important for the defense to get better and stronger over the next few weeks, but it’s a group that’s been playing together for a while — their wins are to be expected.
And the offense is not that.
Keep in mind, as Ben Johnson pointed out during minicamp: “Game 1, we’re going to be far from a finished product and hopefully by the time we get through the bye week, we’ll start [to see] some of these guys come together and really jell as a unit.”
The Kickoff Classic ⛳️
FORE! Join your favorite friends and Diehards from CHGO at 9 a.m. on August 22nd when we kick off the NFL season with our third annual Kickoff Classic at Cog Hill #2 — The Ravines!
You can sign up as an individual, twosome or a foursome, and your entry fee includes 18 Holes with a cart, limited-edition CHGO tee gifts, contests, giveaways, and lunch during a post-round ceremony.
UNSTOPPABLE FORCE: The White Sox cannot lose. And they can’t stop scoring, either. After 27 runs in three games in Cleveland, the Sox scored another eight in last night’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Brooks Baldwin smacked a unicorn homer to start the scoring in the second inning, Miguel Vargas hit his team-leading 12th home run of the season, and Luis Robert Jr. tacked on two hits.
The Sox are winners of four straight games for the first time since last May, and 35 runs scored is their most in a four-game span since scoring 38 between September 7-10, 2022.
Who did it better? Fan or Theo?
— #CHGO Cubs (#@CHGO_Cubs)
12:31 AM • Jul 22, 2025
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