👋 Good morning!

We’re almost there.

The first round of the NFL Draft will be in the rearview in less than 100 hours.

All of the tape you’ve watched, each time you’ve checked out Adam Hoge’s ‘Bears 100’ Big Board, and the hours spent listening to the CHGO Bears podcast this offseason have led us to this moment.

So, who’s joining the Bears on Thursday night? Your guess is probably as good as mine…unless your guess is a quarterback.

– Patrick Norton

Ben Johnson visits Wrigley

In front of a packed Wrigley Field crowd, noted Cubs fan and Bears head coach Ben Johnson threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Saturday’s win.

• Flashback: During Johnson’s introductory press conference in January, while mentioning reasons he was drawn to Chicago, Johnson pointed out: “For the last 10-plus years, my family and I have been coming up for a Cubs series every summer.”
   
  When Adam Hoge had a chance to sit down with Johnson one-on-one at the NFL’s Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., Johnson told Hoge, “I think we’re going to find out” if the new head coach can fly under the radar enough to carry on his familial tradition of enjoying a game from the bleachers.
   

• Supporting Cast: Spotted at the park, in addition to Johnson and his family, were Bears CEO Kevin Warren and players Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Austin Reed, Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet.
   
  Not a bad outing before the team’s extra voluntary minicamp kicks off today.
   
  P.S. Ballpark cam also found John Cusack, Jerry O’Connell, and Jim Belushi at the Friendly Confines this weekend.

Slow news weekend…could you tell?

Props to Johnson, who told WMVP’s Waddle & Silvy back at the NFL Draft Combine in February that if given the chance to throw out the first pitch, he’d “throw the piss out of that ball.” Not bad, coach. A little low, but we can work on that.

Cubs television analyst Jim Deshaies said the pitch looked like a “splinker” (splitter-sinker combo), so maybe Johnson decided to take a little something off at the last minute.

After the win, Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who had a moment to meet Johnson before the game, said:

“It’s all in front of him, and that’s what’s kind of cool. That’s what you kind of think when you are meeting him. You are thinking, ‘You have a great, great future in front of you, and you have challenges in front of you, and you have a lot of fun in front of you.’”

All of this reminds me of a moment in the CHGO office from last week:

As Sean Anderson and I headed to the alley to prove to ourselves (and Sales Guy Jim) that we could still throw strikes, Hoge mentioned that he had thrown out the first pitch at a White Sox game a few years ago.

He says it was a perfect strike down the middle, but if anybody has any video proof, I’d love to see it.

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Quick Hits

Welcome to The Show! Appearing in just his fourth big-league game, Edgar Quero played the role of the hero for the White Sox on Sunday, driving home the go-ahead run in the 7th inning as a pinch hitter. Since coming up last Thursday, Quero, 22, has four hits in 11 at-bats.

Quero’s efforts helped propel the White Sox to their first win on the road this season and first win overall since the previous Saturday. Before Sunday, Chicago was 0-8 away from Rate Field.

When asked if retirement is on the table, Kris Bryant, who is currently on the Colorado Rockies’ injured list while he battles lumbar degenerative disc disease, told reporters on Sunday: “I want to play. I want to talk to doctors, see if there’s anything else we can do. But, yeah, I want to not give up.”

Bryant hasn’t played more than 80 games in a season since leaving the Cubs at the trade deadline in 2021, and the former NL MVP has accumulated a -1.6 bWAR since signing a 7-year/$182 million deal with Colorado in 2022.

Game recognize game.

Today!

⚾️ White Sox @ Red Sox
10:10 on CHSN

📺 CHGO White Sox
POSTGAME on YouTube

📺 CHGO Cubs
1:00 on CHGO Cubs YT

📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Bulls
4:00 on YouTube

Talk to you tomorrow!