Sports Archives

Now that the sale of the Chicago Cubs is a done deal, the Ricketts family wants to make itself known to the city, especially to North side baseball fans who've been waiting many years for a step in a more positive direction.

BY TONY VALDIVIESO

The Chicago Bears have finally found a quarterback who they would like to hang onto, at least for the time being. Last night, Jay Cutler agreed to a two-year contract extension which will keep him in Chicago through the 2013 season.

BY TONY VALDIVIESO

As if the 21-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons wasn't enough, some Chicago Bears on Twitter became the victim of cyber-bullying yesterday.

StubHub "accidentally" sent automated emails out to thousands of Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox fans, as well as those from other teams, stating they can see their team "chase baseball immortality" in the playoffs.

This TwitPic was posted by @826rebel_nalej with the caption, "My lil Bears fan."

The hottest NFL rumor this morning involves the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens.

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews has an alleged creepy stalker named Michael David Barrett and he happens to reside in Westmont, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago. He's been accused of cutting holes through her hotel rooms all over the country and taping her with a cell phone camera.

BY FAHAD ZUBERI

The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 48-24 on Sunday, and they now head into their bye week with a 3-1 record.

There was plenty of buzz leading up to today's IOC decision at 11:57 a.m. Central Time. That was the time, supposedly, that everyone would find out if Chicago or Rio de Janeiro would be awarded the 2016 Olympics.

President Barack Obama's announcement early this morning that he would be traveling to Copenhagen, Denmark to support Chicago's 2016 Olympic Bid has sent shock waves through the Twitterverse.

BY TONY VALDIVIESO

In what would seem a like a recurring theme lately (for the Bears and elsewhere in the NFL), the Bears-Seahawks game would comedown to its final seconds.

For a moment, never mind the game.

As the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears kicked off this afternoon, the first thing to generate significant buzz on Twitter was the neon-green jerseys the Seahawks are sporting.

Chicago's Olympic bid committee is sending Oprah to Copenhagen to represent the city and be a part of the official delegation to help pitch Chicago for the 2016 bid.

Bad news for the Chicago Blackhawks today, as the team announced rugged winger Adam Burish will have surgery due to an ACL tear in his right knee and is expected to miss six months.

BY MARCUS WEKENMANN

Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley has been suspended for the remainder of the season, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The home opener is finally here, and today Soldier Field will get its first look at Jay Cutler in a Bears jersey for regular season action.

What's on the players' minds headed into the match-up against the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers? Twitter helps give a glimpse.

BY FAHAD ZUBERI

Jake Peavy will make his long awaited White Sox debut this weekend.

BY GRACIE CASELLA

The President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are hosting an Olympic and Paralympic event at the White House today, September 16, to promote Chicago for the 2016 Olympics. Live coverage of the event is available at NBC Chicago.

Three words are being circulated across Bears Nation this morning. Linebacker Brian Urlacher wrote in a text message to the Chicago Tribune, "season is over."

Within 30 minutes, more than 600 "Urlacher" tweets followed the story from the Tribune.

The Chicago Bears' season opener at the Green Bay Packers went all the way down to the final minute, but when all was said and done, the Bears suffered a heartbreaking loss in a defensive battle.

The early going of Jay Cutler's regular season debut with the Chicago Bears left fans with much to be desired.

Many have said that it's awfully selfish of Oprah to shut down a portion of North Michigan Avenue for more than 48 hours and disrupt countless Chicagoans' commute fresh off a holiday.

But was it really her idea or could there be more to this behind the scenes? Let's mull over the evidence, shall we?

The Chicago Bears found out last night that their No. 2 running back Kevin Jones is done for the season after an ankle injury in the team's final preseason game.

Local Twitter users shared their disappointment upon hearing the news and pondered the implications for their team.

Those interested in endurance tend to stick together. That's because they can so easily relate to each other, sharing tips, experiences, motivation, and inspiration.

If you're an endurance enthusiast, you'll certainly want to follow these local Twitter users.

College football fans are known to be passionate and information-hungry.

If you fall under either category, then you won't want to miss these local Twitter feeds that can provide you with everything from breaking news to inside info.

Four weeks from tomorrow, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will name either Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, or Tokyo the host of the 2016 Olympic Games.

But a fresh poll by the Tribune reveals something rather interesting: apparently, these days, just as many Chicagoans oppose the Olympics as want them.

After Milton Bradley publicly displayed his outrage toward the alleged racism of Chicago Cubs fans, tweets from Chicagoans, Cubs and Sox fans alike are pouring in about the Cubs outfielder.

That didn't take long.

Just hours after the Bears' 17-3 home win over the New York Giants, fans are already eyeing next week's match-up with Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos.

The Twitterverse had much to say on Brett Favre's recent move to the Minnesota Vikings.

Now that he's back in the NFC, Chicago tweeters are stirring in their seats and are eager to see the Chicago Bears play him on a rival team once again; this time in purple.

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler only played one quarter on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. He only threw 10 passes, completing five. He only had some of the expected starters playing alongside him, with no Greg Olsen and Matt Forte.

But, fair or not, his every move was analyzed in this meaningless NFL exhibition game.

Rumors are spreading like wildfire across the blogosphere and Twitter that the Chicago Tribune will be the new home to Jay Mariotti's weekly sports column starting September 1. However, the Tribune has made no official statement about hiring him.

The former Sun-Times sports columnist was known to get a rise out of Chicagoans with his highly debatable content, playing devil's advocate time and time again.

You’d think there would be some sort of formula in the naming of professional sports teams’ Twitter accounts. But there’s not.

The name of the authentic account for your favorite team can be very strange and quite a chore to find.

Early this morning, Patrick Kane was apparently arrested after a disagreement with a cab driver in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y.

ESPN will feature Steve Bartman, arguably the most wanted man in Chicago during the fall of 2003, in an hour-long documentary according to WBBM radio 780AM.

A back injury has forced Bears' starting cornerback Charles Tillman to have surgery and he is out indefinitely, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Local Twitterers are giving their take on the impact of the news.

Did you see Mark Buehrle, #whitesox and Chicago White Sox jump up the Twitter trends today?

Unless you live in a cave, you'll know exactly why that happened, too. Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game, the second in Sox history and 18th in Major League Baseball history.

The real-time social networking site was filled with thoughts, reactions, links, and comments on the feat.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a big splash in free agency when they signed winger Marian Hossa away from the Detroit Red Wings for 12 years and $62.8 million on July 1.

But some are now second-guessing the move, as news comes out that Hossa has been nursing a shoulder injury and may even need surgery.

Many Chicago Twitter users were not happy when they heard the report. Some laughed it off, while others were much more serious.

President Barack Obama, well known to be a White Sox fan threw the first pitch at this year's MLB All Stars baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

His left-handed pitch hit home to South-siders as he sported his White Sox jacket with popped collar, looking as presidential as one can wearing jeans.

Rumors circulated late last night that Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon had been fired, and this morning they were confirmed by the Chicago Tribune's Chris Kuc and others. He will be replaced by Stan Bowman, previously assistant general manager and son of NHL Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman.

Hockey bloggers broke the news to Twitter - @Eklund provided the news first and @2ndCityHockey posted the first Chicago-based report on Twitter.

If you haven't heard them yet, White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams made some controversial comments on Tuesday when addressing the state of his team.

The Ricketts family has agreed on a deal with the Tribune Co. to buy the Chicago Cubs for just less than the $900 million original bid, Reuters reports this morning.

One of Chicago's craziest weekends is upon us and if you're still not sure what kind of activities to partake in, Metromix Chicago has the "schedge" laid out for you.

Most of the city has the day off today, and locals are tweeting up their weekend plans. Take a look and you might find some ideas!

By Dave Adams

The Chicago Blackhawks parted ways with winger Martin Havlat Thursday after signing star winger Marian Hossa Wednesday. Active on Twitter, Havlat tweeted his reaction to leaving Chicago.

By Dave Adams

The Chicago White Sox completed a sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 6-2 victory Wednesday night behind 8 innings pitched and 2 runs given up by Jose Contreras. The Sox have won 12 out of their last 16 ball games and are gaining ground fast on the first place Detroit Tigers.

The Sox moved 3 games behind first place Detroit Wednesday night, behind a clutch rbi single by Alexei Ramirez to tie the game and opposite field 3run homer by Roman Castro to take the lead as Chicago Tribune and White Sox beat writer Mark Gonzales was their live to tweet it.

By Christiana Johns

For a team enveloped in superstitions, add another one to the list.

Buffalo Grove chiropractor Daniel Kamen has vowed to go on a 500-calorie per day hunger strike until his beloved Cubs win five games in a row. The North Siders haven't been able to win five straight all season, and Kamen said he hopes to "embarrass" the team into winning by watching him whither away.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a big splash today by signing unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa to a 12-year deal worth $5.2 million per season, according to TSN. The Slovak right-winger scored 40 goals last season for the rival Detroit Red Wings and he has played in the last two NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

@sigsegfalt was the first Chicagoan to tweet on the news, just seconds after tweets citing TSN confirmed it.

The Chicago White Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs Saturday afternoon 8-7, off a game-winning hit by rookie Gordon Beckham in the bottom of the 9th. It was the 11th loss the Cubs have suffered this season in their opponent's final at-bat.

The Cubs and Sox battled each other for the 69th time in history Friday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field. With the all-time series even at 34 wins a piece, the Cubs grabbed bragging rights beating the Sox 5-4.

@coatney posted this TwitPic from the game with the caption "What did I do to deserve this? 9th row sox cubs game all you can drink and eat with @chazelbert @lannyz @schemblogger"

The Sox took an early 1-0 lead with a home run from Jermaine Dye in the 1st inning, but it was the only lead they would see as Jake Fox gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead in the 4th with a blast to left field. Chicago Tribune White Sox beat writer Mark Gonzales tweeted live from the game.

1. 
   MDGonzales Dye HR. Sox 1-0 in 1st. 26 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   MDGonzales Jake Fox 2-run HR in 4th, Cubs take 2-1 lead. 26 Jun 2009 from web

The Sox went on to tie the game at 2 in the bottom half of the 4th on a opposite field home run by Jim Thome. However after an error by Paul Konerko in the 7th on a bouncing ball hit by Mike Fontenot, Geovany Soto blasted a three-run shot that would prove to be the difference in the game.

The Sox had an opportunity to respond with the bases loaded in the 8th, but A.J. Pierzynski pinch hit into a double play, ending the threat.

Gonzales and Chicago baseball fans tweeted their reaction to the Cross-Town Classic.

1. 
   MDGonzales Soto smokes 3-run HR, Cubs take 5-2 lead. 26 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   MDGonzales Error by Konerko that preceded Soto HR snapped 118-game errorless streak. 26 Jun 2009 from web
3. 
   MDGonzales first pitch DP. Cubs protect 5-4 lead. 26 Jun 2009 from web
4. 
   MichelleHalm Wanted my boy AJ to tie up the game. Let's go #Sox 26 Jun 2009 from web
5. 
   DHinsider BREAKING: Cubs offense hot as a (Jake) Fox in 5-4 win over White Sox in Act 2, Game 1. 26 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck
6. 
   MDGonzales Contreras said he felt slight pinch in lower back but is fine. 26 Jun 2009 from web
7. 
   TribSports Cubs 5, White Sox 4: Geovany Soto 7th-inning blast the difference in City Series game Geovany Soto hit a three-r.. http://bit.ly/pw0EX 26 Jun 2009 from twitterfeed
8. 
   LcDUB great game!! #sister hazel pre-game performance..#adam burish threw out first pitch..HOT guy sat in front of us..and #CUBS WIN!! 26 Jun 2009 from txt

Game two comes your way today at 3 p.m. on Fox.

The hottest Chicago link on Twitter today referred to Cubs catcher Geovany Soto testing positive for mairjuana at the World Baseball Classic. The ESPN link was tweeted 66 times as of this post, while other Tweeters linked to the story at USA Today, the Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times, and fantasy sports site RotoWorld.

ESPN reports that Soto will not be penalized by the Cubs or Major League Baseball, but according to the Sun-Times he has been banned from international baseball for two years.

Local Twitterers were quick to add their thoughts about the report, which broke this afternoon.

1. 
   kevinwarwick HA! RT: @Suntimes: Cubs catcher Soto tested positive for marijuana at WBC. http://tr.im/pLky Banned from international play for 2 years. 25 Jun 2009 from TwitterFox
2. 
   LonoSG @espn Cubs' Soto tested positive for marijuana - http://tinyurl.com/kwxoec - Like things couldn't get worse... 25 Jun 2009 from web
3. 
   Legendary23 Geovany Soto was smoking weed at the WBC? Wow! I guess weed messes up your baseball swing. Might have wanted to think about that first. 25 Jun 2009 from UberTwitter
4. 
   cubsjunkie I seriously thought everyone was joking about the Soto thing...but I just read it. Wow, ridiculous. #cubs 25 Jun 2009 from UberTwitter
5. 
   SalUkani I cnt believe Cub's Catcher Geovany Soto tested positive 4 Marijuana during the WBC. Explains a lot. 25 Jun 2009 from UberTwitter
6. 
   chrishill this explains the .227 batting average! RT @espnchicago: Cubs' Soto tested positive for marijuana http://tinyurl.com/nzpk4c 25 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

Follow along throughout the evening here at Breaking Tweets Chicago for updates on the NBA Draft and news about the Chicago Bulls.

We will be posting all the latest along with real-time analysis from Twitter users in Chicago, beginning in a few moments. Have your refresh button handy so you can follow along with us.

Follow us on Twitter @BTChicago.

6:05 p.m. -- Locals have some thoughts as the draft is ready to get underway.

1. 
   TMichaelCronin NBA Draft Time! While the talent pool is weaker than other years its still deep. Plus the amount of guessing is crazy. Nothing is certain! 25 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   traptecho Dear Bulls, please acquire Amare Stoudemire and draft Tyler Hansbrough and Omri Casspi. Thanks! 25 Jun 2009 from web
3. 
   acarterjr @hwood24 they both on the block, if i was cle i would have tried for amare first, my bulls need a post guy give up tyrus, hinrich, & #16 25 Jun 2009 from web in reply to hwood24

6:38 p.m. -- No. 1 pick is Blake Griffin. No surprise there.

1. 
   MauckAndrew Clippers take Blake Griffin from OK. Kid is a beast. Good luck in LA, you'll need it! 25 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   IHeartSheena On a lighter note...Blake Griffin goes #1 in the NBA Draft. I predicted right!! 25 Jun 2009 from UberTwitter

6:44 p.m. -- With No. 2 pick the Memphis Grizzlies select Hasheem Thabeet of Connecticut.

1. 
   C4DUNK Hasheem Thabeet at #2, Memphis now has a shot-blocker but does he want to play there? 25 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   numbtenor21 Hasheem Thabeet-shiny suit. Dude needs to gain some weight if he's going to play center in the NBA. 25 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon

6:52 p.m. -- No. 3 pick is ... surprise... Arizona State guard James Harden. Most had Spain's Ricky Rubio going here.

1. 
   stupiddopemoves JAMES HARDEN??!?!? 25 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   nbullsa don't know much about him, but harden looks bust like to me. 25 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

6:59 p.m. -- Rubio slipping. No. 4 is Tyreke Evans of Memphis heading to Sacramento.

7:09 p.m. -- Rubio No. 5 to Minnesota, and the Timberwolves also take Jonny Flynn at No. 6.

7:39 p.m. -- A local Tweeter notes an interesting observation from Mark Cuban, while the official Twitter account of the Bulls @chicagobulls just announced that New Jersey has selected Terrence Williams at No. 11. That means Chicago's coming up at No. 16.

1. 
   stevemco My how the times have changed...RT @mcuban reading the tweets of NBA players as their teams draft is amazing 26 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   chicagobulls #11 New Jersey: Terrence Williams, Louisville 26 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

7:50 p.m. -- Local Tweeters react to Tyler Hansbrough going at No. 13 to the Indiana Pacers, dashing the hopes of @traptecho and some others.

1. 
   thekevinbecker awesome! the bulls wont draft tyler hansbrough 26 Jun 2009 from mobile web
2. 
   b_zak wow Tyler Hansbrough to the pacers, that was a curve ball #CSNBulls 26 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

8:05 p.m. -- The Bulls have selected James Johnson of Wake Forest at No. 16 in the first round of the draft. @chicagobulls tweeted about the pick first; the first four Chicago Tweeters to respond to the pick were not happy.

1. 
   chicagobulls #16 Chicago Bulls... James Johnson... thoughts? 26 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   swanksalot Bulls select James Johnson, who doesn't bother to show up. #NBA_Draft 26 Jun 2009 from Tweetie
3. 
   ChitownHeiress James Johnson huh? No feelings on him yet. Not thrilled, not disappointed... 26 Jun 2009 from UberTwitter
4. 
   forjanuary the Chicago Bulls First Round 16th Pick Selection is: James Johnson? wtf... 26 Jun 2009 from web
5. 
   Krypto13 @chicagobulls Not happy. Think Blair's toughness and and skill would have been a great addition to the team. Need to see more of Johnson. 26 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to chicagobulls

Doug Thonus of Chicago Bulls Confidential has a different view on the pick.

8:58 p.m. -- The Bulls have selected Taj Gibson from USC at No. 26 in the NBA Draft. Local tweeters voiced mixed views on this pick.

1. 
   Ben_Brabston Bulls just picked Taj Gibson? I just puked a little in my mouth. 26 Jun 2009 from TwitterFox
2. 
   nessacakes Excited to see the new @ChicagoBulls players: James Johnson & Taj Gibson next season! Welcome, guys! 26 Jun 2009 from web
3. 
   offtheoldblock seriously @chicagobulls, TaJ gibson? 26 Jun 2009 from web
4. 
   stevemco Umm...didn't know Taj Gibson was even on the #Bulls draft board. We could have traded down to get him. Bad move! 26 Jun 2009 from web
5. 
   NickC91 @chicagobulls I think that Taj Gibson will be a wonderful addition to the Bulls. 26 Jun 2009 from web in reply to chicagobulls

Thonus provided his analysis on the Gibson pick.

9:35 p.m. -- The Bulls may be done for the night without a Round 2 pick, barring a trade, but one prominent NBA player and two Chicago Tweeters were mutually surprised that one guy remained on the board after Round 1.

1. 
   KevinDurant35 Wow this draft is crazy...no dejuan Blair, Sam young or chase budinger in the 1st round!!! 26 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon
2. 
   dakidblizz @KevinDurant35 yea thats crazy i just knew the bulls would pick up d. blair at 26....oh well, wat can u say 26 Jun 2009 from web in reply to KevinDurant35
3. 
   CHAPMOE my bulls didn't do anything 2 help da team no dajuan blair 26 Jun 2009 from TwitterRide