👋 Good morning!

Seeing Jonathan Toews in another sweater in a regular-season game gave me some truly mixed feelings.

Sure, it’s great to see the captain back on the ice and in game action for the first time in over 900 days.

And he’s beloved in Winnipeg — the standing ovation he received last night proved he’s in good hands.

I just never wanted to believe we’d see No. 19 lace ‘em up for anybody but the Blackhawks.

🏈🍺 WATCH PARTY 🍺🏈

Join Us For:

CHGO Bears Pre & Post Shows
Bears at Ravens (noon)
• Brick By Brick w/ Briggs & Azumah

Where: Joe’s on Weed St.

When: October 26th at 10:30 a.m.

Diehards Get 20% Off

More Info HERE

Game On.

There will be a Game 5 in Milwaukee on Saturday night. Everything came up Cubs in last night’s gotta-have-it Game 4 at Wrigley Field. The pitching staff was phenomenal and the bats finally came alive.

  • The Long Ball: Ian Happ was 2-for-21 this postseason entering Thursday night’s game. His third hit of the playoffs — and second home run of the NLDS — sent The Friendly Confines into a frenzy in the first inning.

    Kyle Tucker added some insurance with a solo shot in the seventh inning before Michael Busch hit his third homer of the series to really seal the deal in the eighth.

    Matt Shaw also picked up his first two postseason hits, including a crucial RBI single in the sixth.

    Craig Counsell on Happ: “I'm just so happy for Ian. I think it was great for Ian to have the playoff moment that he deserved. It was a huge swing, a huge swing.”

  • Shutout: Well, that’s one way to rebound. Matthew Boyd’s 0.2 IP outing in Game 1 of the NLDS was his worst in a Cubs uniform, allowing six runs (two earned) before being yanked.

    Boyd erased any memory of that performance, tossing 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball and striking out six last night, only running into any real trouble in the fifth inning. Counsell turned it over to Daniel Palencia, who forced a pop-out to escape the jam on the first pitch he threw.

    The Cubs’ bullpen combined to allow just one hit and one walk over 4.1 innings despite striking out only two in the process.

    Counsell on Boyd: “He delivered a great one tonight. I know it was really important to him after Game 1, how he pitched tonight, and he gave us exactly what we needed.”

  • Listen To This Crowd: 41,770 packed the stands at Wrigley Field last night.

    Counsell on the fans: “The crowd was incredible tonight. I've never seen a baseball game like that. That was just amazing what they did tonight. Offensively, we did a really nice job of putting pressure on them often, and the crowd picked up on that, I thought, consistently, and they were awesome with it.”

    Brewers manager Pat Murphy on the crowd: “It affected the game. This crowd affected the game the last two games. It affected the way we played for sure. We've got a really young team. I think everybody knows that. Maybe by far the youngest team in the postseason.

    “That kind of stuff emotionally can affect guys. They can start to play a little too hard. This game is a game of precision, and the Cubs' experience and what they've been through, they were better in this environment for sure.”

And now it all comes down to Saturday night.

Decisions, decisions. With both clubs using their best starters in Game 4, Game 5 is completely up for grabs right now.

Maybe Murphy rolls with rookie Jacob Misiorowski, whose high heat shut down the Cubs’ offense in Game 2 out of the bullpen.

As for Counsell, Shota Imanaga will be on normal rest. But the Cubs’ pitcher got tagged in Milwaukee on Monday night. This could be a spot for an opener, or possibly a planned platoon with Colin Rea.

All we know about that game is that it’ll begin at 7:08 p.m. and be broadcast on TBS.

Cubs 6, Brewers 0

Use code: HICHGO for 50% off*

Bruins 4, Blackhawks 3 - F/OT: Connor Bedard came close to striking on several occasions in Tuesday night’s (afternoon’s??) season-opener. It just never happened and the Blackhawks lost, 3-2.

Bedard wouldn’t be denied on Thursday night in Boston, scoring his first goal of the year on a howitzer from the left circle via a slick setup from first-year Blackhawk André Burakovsky.

Bedard then set up Louis Crevier for his first of the year in the second period. Burakovsky scored his first with the Blackhawks to tie things up in the third. But a flurry of shots in overtime led to an odd-man rush the other way that Bruins C Fraser Minten buried past Arvid Söderblom for the game-winner.

Great effort, just not enough to get it done. The Blackhawks will look to pick up their first win of the year in Saturday night’s home-opener against the Montreal Canadiens.

Bulls 119, Cavaliers 112: The Bulls’ tribute video to Lonzo Ball, who they traded to the Cavaliers back in June, was arguably the most exhilarating part of this contest.

With Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, Julian Phillips and Coby White all sitting out, it turned into the Josh Giddey and Tre Jones show. Giddey scored 14 but struggled as the primary facilitator of the offense.

Then, in true Giddey form, he drained a buzzer-beater. The good news for the Bulls? That buzzer-beater won’t impact their spot in the draft quite like the last one…

Good, Better, Invest: Caleb Williams and his strategic investment firm, 888 Midas, are investing in Boston Legacy FC, an NWSL team that kicks off its inaugural season next year.

In a statement, Williams said: “Women’s sports is a movement, and I admire and respect the work that the team and the NWSL continues to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes. Boston Legacy Football Club is building something special, and we’re proud to be a part of what’s next.”

Injury Report: The Bears’ first post-bye week practice report was a bit of a doozy, with 11 players estimated to appear on the report had the team practiced on Thursday.

Did Not Participate:

  • S Jaquan Brisker (quad)

  • DT Grady Jarrett (knee)

  • RB Kyle Monangai (thigh)

  • OT Darnell Wright (elbow)

Limited:

  • NB Kyler Gordon (hamstring)

  • IOL Jonah Jackson (rib)

  • TE Colston Loveland (hip)

Full:

  • DE Austin Booker* (knee)

  • LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring)

  • RB Travis Homer* (calf)

  • K Cairo Santos (thigh)

*Designated to return from IR

Gordon told reporters last week that he’d make his season debut after the bye and reiterated that sentiment on Tuesday. Getting Edwards back is a nice lift as well.

But how the Bears elect to set their offensive line for Monday night is worth watching.

Theo Benedet made his first NFL start two weeks ago in Las Vegas at right tackle. But after replacing Braxton Jones at left tackle in the second quarter, Benedet is poised to slot into that role for the Bears moving forward.

If Wright is unable to go on Monday due to the elbow injury he sustained in Week 3, is it possible we see rookie Ozzy Trapilo get his first career start?

Rally Smiles Cakes

It’s. All. In. The. Cakes.

🐻 Hoge & Jahns
12:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Bears
1:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Cubs Related
8:00 on CHGO Cubs YT

Something on your mind? Rate this issue and leave a comment, question or topic to discuss!

Talk to you next week!

Reply

or to participate

Keep Reading

No posts found