👋 Good morning!

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the defense looked much better than the offense at Bears training camp.

For what it’s worth, when Ben Johnson said he wanted Caleb Williams completing 70% of his passes, he never said it had to be the offense catching ‘em.

Regardless, it’s just one day. If things are meant to be, then it’s only up from here…right?

– Patrick Norton

Hoge. Jahns. CHGO.

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Become a Diehard for access to Limited Edition Hoge & Jahns merch, merch discounts, exclusive events, and top-tier written content!

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A Turning Point?

Yes, the White Sox still have the worst record in the American League (37-66). But they’re winners of five of their last six, and they’ve done it in the most inspiring way possible: on the backs of their future.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Nope, it wasn’t déjà vu. After hitting his first major league home run on Tuesday night, Colson Montgomery made quick work of hitting his second. In his first at-bat last night, Montgomery crushed a game-tying three-run bomb off Rays RHP Taj Bradley.

But the rookie shortstop didn’t stop there. Down 7-6 in the 8th, with one run already across in the inning and the bases loaded, Montgomery roped a double off the wall to right-center to give the Sox the lead.

Coming into the night, Montgomery had seven career runs batted in through 15 games. He tacked on five to that total in the victorious series finale.
SECOND VERSE SAME AS THE FIRST: Montgomery wasn’t the only rookie putting on a show last night, either. Kyle Teel, acquired from the Red Sox in December as part of the return for Garrett Crochet, went 4-5 with three singles and his first career home run.

On the series win, Teel said postgame: “I would describe it as a lot of fun.”

Good call, Kyle.
A FAREWELL TO ARMS: Next up for the Sox? The Crosstown Classic. Adrian Houser is set to take the mound for the White Sox against Shota Imanaga and the Cubs on Friday.

Will this be Houser’s last ride before the trade deadline? He’s a virtual lock to be dealt before 5 p.m. next Thursday, but the rotation has him slotted to start next Wednesday, July 30.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals DFA’d Erick Fedde yesterday morning.

You might remember that Fedde was a major player in the massive eight-player deal last July between the Sox, Cards, and Dodgers, which sent Fedde and Tommy Pham to the Cardinals and Michael Kopech and ex-Cardinal Tommy Edman to Los Angeles.

What did that massive unload net the Sox? Three prospects from the Dodgers, including Miguel Vargas, who’s come back down to earth a bit as of late, but has had his moments throughout the season.

Why am I bringing this up? Houser looks better right now than Fedde ever did with the Sox. Reclamations, revelations — whatever you want to call ‘em, the White Sox’s system is working, and it’s netting them flyers on mid-level prospects at the very least.

Oh, and don’t forget about former All-Star Noah Syndergaard working his way back to the majors via the Sox’s minor league system. Is he 2026’s trade deadline diamond in the rough?

Ehhh, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

GO DEEPER: Sean Anderson needed a healthy ~~dose~~ douse of reality spray after last night’s comeback win.

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.

AT LEAST THERE’S THAT: Sure, the Cubs dropped a three-game series to the Royals that they probably should’ve won. And no, they haven’t won a game in which they’ve trailed entering the seventh inning since May 25th.

Buuut Crain’s Chicago Business is reporting that MLB and Cubs officials, along with local politicians, will be at Wrigley Field to officially announce the venue as the host site for the 2027 MLB All-Star Game.

The Cubs haven’t hosted the Midsummer Classic since 1990, and Chicago hasn’t hosted the event since 2003.

A PRIVILEGE: When I heard this quote from Dennis Allen after yesterday’s training camp practice, the first thought that popped into my head was, “Oh, my dad’s going to love this.” He did, and I think you will, too.

Day one of training camp, a muggy 93º — that didn’t stop Allen from having his guys doing up-downs during an individual period on Wednesday.

When asked why, Allen said: “It’s all part of building the culture of what type of defense we’re going to be. You have to pay the toll. You have to pay the price. It’s a privilege to be on this defense.”

GO DEEPER: Jahns’ (with the help of Hoge & Carm) takeaways and observations from Day 1.