CHGO Digest: White Sox, Cubs Crosstown crisis, Bears get Hard Knocks

Happy Monday, friends!

Why is everybody so mad all of a sudden?

Tommy Pham nearly shadowboxed the White Sox into a benches-clearing brawl with the Brewers on Sunday.

Chennedy Carter and the Sky implemented Jordan Rules against Caitlin Clark on Saturday.

Is it the cicadas? Are we not getting enough sleep right now?

Surely tensions will die down for the Crosstown Classic at Wrigley this week…

— Patrick Norton

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Could a Cubs-White Sox hybrid make a World Series?

What else is there to say about Chicago baseball in 2024? The White Sox are in the midst of an 11-game losing skid, and the Cubs haven’t won a series since the second week of May.

I’m starting to think that the only way to field a playoff roster is by combining the best players from each team into one. Is there enough firepower to make a championship run? Throw out injuries, slumps, and all common sense — could it work?

C – Korey Lee
1B – Cody Bellinger
2B – Nico Hoerner
3B – Yoan Moncada – 60-day IL
SS – Dansby Swanson
LF – Ian Happ
CF – Luis Robert – 10-day IL
RF – Seiya Suzuki
DH – Christopher Morel

Starting Five: Javier Assad, Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele

Just for fun, I simulated an entire season with this lineup and rotation on MLB The Show: 88-74. Wild Card exit. Luis Robert led the club with 35 homers.

⚾ NEXT | Cubs vs. White Sox — Tuesday, 7:05 on Marquee Sports Network & NBC Sports Chicago

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Join CHGO for the Crosstown Series! Limited Tickets Remaining!

Come hang out with the CHGO Cubs Crew and other diehards as the Cubs take on the White Sox at Wrigley THIS TUESDAY! There are limited tickets available so grab yours today!

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Caleb, Bears selected for HBO’s Hard Knocks

It’s a Hard Knocks life for George McCaskey. Despite the team chairman’s best efforts in the past, NFL Films and HBO are about to give Bears fans unprecedented access inside the walls of Halas Hall.

The NFL announced the show’s training camp focus would be on Caleb Williams and the Bears on Thursday. But while McCaskey’s past comments label Hard Knocks as a distraction, Bears coaches and players are viewing this as an opportunity.

• Matt Eberflus said the team has “a real positive attitude about it”. However, the presence of cameras won’t change how the team goes about its business. “No one changes how they act, no one changes what they do,” the coach said on Friday.
  
• Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds considers the league selecting the Bears a compliment, saying “It shows that we got something brewing here. Everybody wants to see what’s going on and (it’s) just really being yourself out there.”
  

We’ll get an in-depth look at how Caleb Williams is handling the spotlight in Chicago, Steve McMichael’s and Devin Hester’s Hall of Fame inductions, and the build-up to one of the most anticipated seasons of Bears football ever. The five-part season debuts on August 6.

📖 READ | CHGO Bears’ Nicholas Moreano updates Bears fans on Caleb Williams’ better showing in the second week of OTAs.

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Join CHGO across the pond!

The dates are set! The Chicago Bears are going to London in October, and so is CHGO! Book your plans with TrueFan Travel today to hang out with your favorite friends from CHGO!

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Roundup: Sky fined after loss, Jordan Shrug anniversary

• The WNBA upgraded Chennedy Carter’s common foul hip-check on Indiana’s Caitlin Clark to a flagrant-1 after reviewing the play over the weekend. Angel Reese was fined $1,000 for failing to make herself available to the media after the game. The team was also fined $5,000 for Reese’s failure to follow the league’s policies. The Sky lost a heartbreaker to the Fever on Saturday, 71-70.
  
• Happy anniversary, Michael Jordan! On this date in 1992, Jordan hit six first-half three-pointers in the first game of the NBA Finals. Upon hitting the sixth, Jordan turned toward the cameras, shrugging in near disbelief at his shot-making abilities.
  

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That’s right, Caleb. Green Bay does suck.

🤷‍♂️😂 pic.twitter.com/LuYLn07GKZ

— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr23) June 2, 2024

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More on CHGO!

• Become a Diehard to access Nicholas Moreano’s deep dive into Keenan Allen’s past performances against the NFC North. Catch up with Part 2 against the Detroit Lions!
  
• Could the Bulls trade up for UConn’s Donovan Clingan in the draft? The CHGO Bulls Podcast crew debated the idea last Friday’s show!