👋 Good morning!
In case you missed it, Frank Thomas III plans to follow in his father’s footsteps and has committed to play college baseball at Auburn.
That rocks.
And Little Hurt (I don’t know if that’s his nickname, but it really should be) has more than earned it, slashing .544/.634/.899 last season…as a sophomore.
Fun fact for you: The Big Hurt is one of just two members of the Baseball Hall of Fame to have played in the SEC.
Can you name the other?
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• CHGO Bears Pre & Post Shows
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Where: Joe’s on Weed St.
When: October 26th at 10:30 a.m.
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Same Old New Beginnings
The NBA regular season began last night — and it featured a brief appearance from Michael Jordan as the league returned to NBC.
The Bulls kick things off at home tonight against the Detroit Pistons. What’s there to know about this team?
Additions & Temporary Subtractions: If you were still watching by the end of last season, this roster is filled with mostly familiar faces. The most notable addition was bringing in Isaac Okoro in a deal that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After five seasons with the Cavs, this is a chance to hit the reset button for Okoro after averaging career lows in minutes and points per game last season.
Injuries: The Bulls will be without Coby White at least until November as he recovers from a calf strain suffered in August. Zach Collins also recently underwent surgery to repair a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist. He won’t be back for at least four weeks.
Expectations: Oddly enough, it’s not a question of what Bulls EVP Arturas Karnisovas’ expectations are for this season, but rather whether or not he has any at all.
Karnisovas said last month: “We’re going to focus on winning every game without putting goals on the team, besides just getting better and growing together.”
The Greatest of All Time: Just about everything from the NBA on NBC’s return was special. The broadcasts were excellent and John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock” was as b-b-b-b-b-beautiful as ever. Heck — I even liked the scorebug.
But having Michael Jordan on the air — even for three minutes — turned an already great night into a special one. Sure, the material was relatively tame, but it didn’t matter.
When asked what compelled him to join NBC’s coverage, Jordan told Mike Tirico: “To pay it forward. I have an obligation to the game of basketball.”
I asked CHGO Bulls’ Will Gottlieb for a bit of insight before the season kicks off. Here’s what he had to say:
The Bulls kick off their 2025-26 campaign tonight, and though the roster has been altered from where it was two years ago, the expectations and projections haven’t changed much at all.
After doling out $100 million to Josh Giddey, the Bulls are still destined for a high-30s outcome and a fourth-consecutive Play-In berth. Hopefully, Matas Buzelis can continue to build on a strong finish to his rookie season and impressive preseason.
Are the Bulls onto something with their young core? Or will they spend another season spinning on the treadmill of mediocrity? Only one way to find out.
Thanks a million, Will. And we’ll see you in the Play-In.
Snip snap! Snip snap! The Bears released DE Tanoh Kpassagnon from the practice squad on Tuesday. He appeared in four games this season and had one sack.
A quick timeline:
July 22 - Bears sign Kpassagnon
August 26 - Bears release Kpassagnon
August 27 - Bears sign Kpassagnon to the practice squad
September 20 - Bears sign Kpassagnon to the 53-man roster
October 17 - Bears release Kpassagnon
October 18 - Bears sign Kpassagnon to the practice squad
October 21 - Bears release Kpassagnon from the practice squad
Think he’s coming back?
Playoffs?! The Fire will host the franchise’s first postseason match since 2017 tonight at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill.
They’ll host No. 9-seeded Orlando City in a wild-card match that’ll send the winner into the playoffs to face the top-seeded Philadelphia Union on Sunday.
The Fire haven’t won a postseason game since defeating the New England Revolution in 2009. They went on to lose to Real Salt Lake, the eventual MLS Cup champions, on penalty kicks in the semifinal.
Ghosts of QBs Past
🐻 Hoge & Jahns
12:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bears
1:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Cubs
2:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:30 on YouTube
📺 CHGO White Sox
4:30 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bulls Pregame
6:30 on YouTube
🏀 Bulls vs. Pistons
7:00 on CHSN
📺 CHGO Bulls
Postgame on YouTube
Something on your mind? Rate this issue and leave a comment, question or topic to discuss!
Talk to you tomorrow!
P.S. The other SEC player in the Baseball HoF? Todd Helton, class of 2024.
