Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
NHL league sources are reporting that Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell has broken a collarbone and rib and will likely miss the rest of the season, including playoffs, after a cheap shot from Alexander Ovechkin in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Capitals.
The Blackhawks are now forced to scramble to put together a defensive group behind the already-tired Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brent Sopel have both missed time because of injuries this year and, because they block a lot of shots, are banged up a lot. Jordan Hendry hasn't dressed for most of the team's games this year.
The most likely scenario is that the Hawks will place Nick Boynton, acquired before the trade deadline, on waivers Monday in hopes that he clears and can join the team on the road trip before Wednesday's game against Anaheim.
Adding Boynton from Rockford doesn't help the Hawks' defensive issues, though. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are both playing too many minutes, and it's starting to show in the quality of their play. Niklas Hjalmarsson hasn't been a 23-minute-per-night guy yet in his career, but might be in the wake of this devastating news. Campbell was playing well for the Hawks this year, playing only two seconds per game less than Seabrook.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
On Friday afternoon, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville made a seemingly subtle announcement that could have a significant impact on who will be between the pipes for the Hawks in the playoffs.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
As Cubs fans collectively take a deep breath and flush twice after the reminder this week that Milton Bradley was on the roster last year, I thought it might be nice to look back at free agent acquisitions that actually earned their money.
The one rule I followed in putting this list together is that each player had to originally come to the Cubs as a free agent. So Jody Davis, who was selected in the Rule V Draft in 1980, didn't qualify. Neither did Greg Maddux's second tour of duty in Chicago.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
In case you missed it, Milton Bradley shot his mouth off again. This time, it was on ESPN, and he was once again throwing the city of Chicago under the bus. For those that are late to the party, here's the video:
Milton loves to hate Chicago, and has been claiming the entire offseason that his issues in Chicago were unique. How should we, as Chicagoans, respond?
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
On Tuesday morning, the Minnesota Twins revealed that their closer, Joe Nathan, had a torn ligament in his throwing arm and would likely be shut down for the 2010 season.
The subsequent barrage of texts, tweets and comments from White Sox fans were overwhelmingly celebratory. As one Sox fan friend of mine put it, "Hell yeah!"
There's no doubt that Nathan being removed from the equation seriously hurts the Twins' chances of winning the AL Central even though it's only the beginning of Spring Training. But the response from White Sox Nation made me wonder.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
When the Chicago Bears signed DE Julius Peppers to a six-year, $91.5 million contract, they made a number of statements.
One, the Bears indicated to the rest of the NFL that with Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuga, they're trying to win. A franchise that had historically been referred to as "cheap" gave Peppers the highest total of guaranteed money in the history of the NFL ($42 million).
Two, the Bears showed their fans that, between Peppers and Jay Cutler, they want to sell jerseys. This is the second consecutive offseason that the Bears have made a significant move to improve their team in an overwhelming way.
The third statement the Bears made was subtle, but very direct. Bears' GM Jerry Angelo just made life hell for Bulls GM Gar Forman for the next six months.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
When the Chicago Bears signed tight end Brandon Manumaleuna on Friday, the first thing to go through my head was "I am so glad I'm not doing play-by-play for the Bears." In fact, I found it quite funny that Bears GM Jerry Angelo only referred to him as Brandon throughout the Friday evening press conference.
The second thing I thought of was "I wonder how many Scrabble points that dude's last name is worth?"
So I did some homework, and was actually fairly impressed. MANUMALEUNA is worth 15 Scrabble points, which is impressive. It is not, however, the highest total on the Bears, or in Chicago.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
On Friday, March 5, 2010, the Chicago Bears signed All Pro defensive end Julius Peppers and running back Chester Taylor as free agents. These two signings represent not only the largest amount of money ever spent on free agents by the Bears in one day, but arguably one of the biggest offseason days in the franchise's history.
March 5 is a big day, but the best? Let's look back at some other candidates for the best non-game days in the history of our Chicago Bears.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
Over the next three weeks, the Blackhawks will learn a lot about how they stack up against the rest of hockey's elite teams.
Between now and March 25, the Hawks will play nine games against playoff teams, most of whom made significant moves at the trade deadline to improve their club. When the Hawks play a home-and-home against Columbus, they should have a good idea of what they'll need to do to win the Stanley Cup.
Former Hinsdale Central quarterback, Taylor University running back, currently a dad and husband.
Follow on:
Most Chicago fans felt that the Blackhawks would make at least one major move, if not more, before Wednesday's trade deadline. After all, there are a few areas (goaltending, goaltending and... goaltending) that most fans and analysts thought could use improving if the Hawks are going to make a run at the Stanley Cup.
But then the deadline came and passed... and the Blackhawks did nothing.
The knee jerk reaction to the lack of action from the United Center is a lot of four-letter words and sweaty palms. How are the Blackhawks supposed to win the Stanley Cup with the guys they have? What are we going to do? Help!
