👋 Good morning!
Have a night, Grant Taylor!
Family in the stands for your major league debut? Check. Scoreless inning in relief? Check. 101.5 mph on your first pitch? That’ll play.
Add in another Shane Smith quality start and a Brandon Eisert save, and suddenly, the White Sox have won five of their last seven.
I think we’ve answered whether or not this team is “fun” bad, or just plain bad.
To make last night’s win even sweeter, Luis Robert Jr. went yard in the fourth inning and doubled home a run in the second.
Could Robert Jr’s trade stock be rebounding at just the right time?
Gone Fishin’
The Bears wrap up their final day of OTAs at Halas Hall today. The three-day set of workouts concludes the team’s spring session, meaning the next time we’ll see everybody back in the building will be at the start of training camp in late July.
In addition to the team’s last practice open to the media, we also heard from head coach Ben Johnson, left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, and tight end Colston Loveland. Here’s what caught my eye:
Johnson on rookie WR Luther Burden’s extended absence from the practice field as he recovers from a soft-tissue injury that has sidelined him since rookie minicamp:
“He misses a lot. Any time you're not out there, if you're in the training room when the rest of the guys are practicing, you're losing valuable time; valuable time with your coaches, valuable reps with your teammates, the ability to build the trust that we're talking about.
It's not just the coaching staff having trust in you, doing the right thing over and over, but it's also your teammates. They have to be out there. They have to see you do it. They have to know that the guy to the right and the left of them are going to do the right things, and they're going to make the plays when called upon. It's for everybody.
It's a shame that he got dinged up and missed all that time, because for a young player, it's really where you get the most reps and you can get better in a hurry that way. That's really for every player on this team.”Hyppolite on Caleb Williams’ presence at Halas Hall this week despite the workouts being voluntary:
“It's great. He wants to get better, he cares about his team, about winning, about getting everything right, getting all the i's dotted and t's crossed. It's great. Seeing him around the building is very important for not only the team, but for the young guys to see, including myself, that leaders of the team are always here and present even when it's voluntary.”
Loveland on if he’ll be good to go by the time training camp rolls around:
“That's the plan. Just working every day to get there.”
I felt it was necessary to keep the entirety of Johnson’s response on Burden’s absence because it really speaks to what seems so different about the Bears’ new coaching staff.
Players begged for more accountability, and they got it. But it’s a reciprocal process, too. The onus is not solely on the staff to be accountable and hold players accountable.
We didn’t get a firm update on Burden’s status throughout his lingering absence, but Johnson did say he expected him to be on the field for training camp.
This isn’t to take away from the severity of the rookie receiver’s injury and pain, but Johnson’s message was clear on Tuesday: Despite the time missed, come to camp prepared.
After all, we’re less than two months removed from the NFL Draft, and Burden is already behind.
Meanwhile, Caleb Williams, who wasn’t obligated to be on the field this week, was there. Maybe the staff asked him to stick around for the extra reps, or maybe Williams wanted to spend as much time with Johnson as possible before breaking for the summer, but just being there speaks volumes from the second-year quarterback. And it’s something his teammates and coaches seemed to appreciate.
Also in attendance? Rome Odunze.
Paul Skenes @ Wrigley 👀
HAPP-HAPP HOORAY! Ian Happ might be back. The Cubs’ left fielder clubbed two home runs, including a go-ahead shot in the sixth inning last night, propelling the Cubs to their 41st win of the season. Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch also homered in the Cubs’ 8-4 victory.
The Cubs will send Ben Brown to the mound for today’s rubber match against Jesus Luzardo and the Phillies. In his last two outings, Brown has allowed just two runs in 13 innings pitched.
IRISH GOODBYE: Sky legend Allie Quigley formally announced her retirement from the WNBA on Tuesday morning in a column written for The Players’ Tribune entitled “Irish Goodbye.”
Quigley, 38, was born in Joliet, Ill. and played with the Sky from 2013 until 2022. In her time with Chicago, Quigley was elected to three WNBA All-Star Games, won four three-point contests, and played an integral role in the Sky’s championship run in 2021.
In 2020, she became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer — a record that stood until her wife, Courtney Vandersloot, broke it less than two weeks ago. Quigley’s announcement comes days after Vandersloot suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
David Greenwood, the Bulls’ first-round selection in the 1979 NBA Draft, died on Sunday. He was 68. Perhaps best known as the Bulls’ consolation prize for a lost coin toss that allowed the Lakers to draft Magic Johnson with the first pick in the '79 draft, Greenwood played six seasons in Chicago, averaging 12.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
In 1985, the Bulls sent Greenwood to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for George Gervin. Five seasons later, Greenwood was a member of the Detroit Pistons squad that defeated Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals en route to their second consecutive title.
Fate.
The bear hat Ruben Hyppolite is wearing today says “Defense” on it. He told me he bought it three weeks before the #Bears drafted him.
“It’s crazy how that works,” he said.
— #Adam Hoge (#@AdamHoge)
7:30 PM • Jun 10, 2025
📺 CHGO Bears
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⚾️ Cubs @ Phillies
12:05 on Marquee
📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Cubs
POSTGAME on CHGO Cubs YT
📺 CHGO Bulls
4:00 on YouTube
⚾️ White Sox @ Astros
7:10 on CHSN
Talk to you tomorrow!
And until then, keep your feet in the ground and keep reaching for the stars.
