Still Gotta Come Through Chicago
Bears Are Undefeated and Postseason Baseball is Here
Well, well, well Chicago. Who the hell has it better than us?
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The Bears are 3-0. The Cubs won the division. The Sox are in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The Bulls CGI’ed some 2018-2019 highlights to make Billy Donovan think we have good players on our team, and the ink on the contract is dry.
The City of Chicago is rebounding better than the Bulls have since Joakim Noah donned a jersey here, and its citizens will be allowed to stay out in bars responsibly drinking beers until 1:30 beginning Thursday.
Time to log on to Twitter and start puffing out our chests again? You bet your ass. Fly that 4th Phase flag on your pick-up truck. Oh, the Bears beat three teams that have losing records? Imagine caring about that for a single second. Guess what, the Bears will probably lose some games this year to teams worse than them. They’ll probably beat some teams better than them as well.
It’s the NFL. Winning games is not easy, whether you’re playing the Falcons or the Chiefs. Sitting with your head down on a Victory Monday worried about the fact that the Bears haven’t beaten a high quality team (three week into the season, I may add) is a loser mentality.
It was okay to be upset at the Giants game. The Giants are a bad football team and had no business being in that game with us. But two come-from-behind wins against the Lions and the Falcons are supposed to be reasons for pessimism? Give me a break.
What’s being glossed over from Sunday’s win is that it was, and I’m really not trying to be hyperbolic, one of the single worst officiated games I’ve ever seen.
Among other awful calls, the Bears lost a touchdown to a brutal interception ruling, and were the victims of two disgusting roughing the passer calls that extended Falcons’ drives. For crying out loud, even Mike Pereira — the TV ref — disagreed with that ruling on Allen Robinson’s catch in the end zone. Do you know how rare it is for any TV ref to disagree with a call on the field in any sport?
(I almost forgot about Calvin Ridley’s touchdown, which should have been a touchback.)
Despite a massive deficit and brutal call after brutal call, in addition to Anthony Miller dropping a wide open touchdown, the Bears won on the road. Being anything other than ecstatic about that result is in direct contradiction with the SGCTC lifestyle.
It’s okay to be upset after some wins. But after Sunday’s? Absolutely not.
I have to admit that I feel genuinely bad for Mitch Trubisky. Losing your job sucks for anyone, no matter how much money you make. I’ve said it a million times, but it wasn’t Trubisky’s fault that the Bears traded up for him or that two generational talents were drafted after him.
The guy has made a million mistakes on the field, but hasn’t done much off the field, other than making a few delusional comments, to make me wish him anything but the best. It’s okay to feel horrible for him as a person but also recognize that his play on the field absolutely warranted him being pulled from the game.
I assumed Nick Foles would become the starter this year, but I also assumed it would be after irreparable damage had already been done to the season. The fact that we were able to make the change before we lost a game has absolutely dumbfounded me.
This is the number one takeaway from Sunday’s game, in my opinion: the Bears were able to hand over power to a new quarterback without having their season go into the gutter first.
Nick Foles looked fantastic. Truthfully, he should have had five touchdown passes in the second half, given the A-Rob mishap and Anthony Miller’s drop. He was putting balls where our receivers have never even seen them, which a few players and staff actually shamelessly admitted to after the game.
Whether it’s right or not, Matt Nagy trusts Foles more. He took Trubisky out because he missed a wide open Allen Robinson and was staring down a receiver when he thought the defense was in man and not zone. That is more than enough to pull a quarterback, especially if it was not exactly a new phenomenon.
Now he’s going to show us whether he is the true “offensive genius” that he was dubbed when he was hired. I think all of our opinions’ of Nagy have wavered a bit since 2018. But the bottom line is that he hasn’t had a quarterback he trusted since he got here. Foles may not be the most talented guy in the NFL, but he knows what he’s doing. That alone can take the Bears to new heights. And that’s damn exciting.
It sucks that Tarik Cohen won’t be a part of it for this year after he tore his ACL. By the way, the fact that that flag was picked up was also a disgrace. I feel like Cohen is almost more than anyone a representative of the Matt Nagy/Pace era. Sometimes we love him, sometimes we hate him when he runs backwards for no reason, but at the end of the day, he’s our guy.
I’m not convinced losing Cohen changes our season outlook all that much, but it is a shame that a guy that tore his ACL and immediately tweeted after the game about the Bears being 3-0 is no longer with us. I’m glad he got paid before Sunday.
The Bears are the first team in NFL history to win two games in a season where trailed by 16 points or more heading into the 4th quarter, per ESPN. They’ve done so before Week 4. Everything else aside, in what world are we living in? The Bears I know blow leads and make us all sweat out games against inferior teams to the very end with their heels on their own end zone.
I loved this team in 2018. It’s still the same team. We took our lumps last year, but I love our guys. It’s still such bullshit that I can’t get a ClubDub video after these games. It makes no sense whatsoever and I demand an answer from the Chicago Bears. Do we not know how to utilize modern technology? I mean for God’s sake, the Bears social team post 1,000 videos up close and personal with the players as they come off the field but we can’t get a little Cupid’s Shuffle and a Matt Nagy BOOM in the locker room? As long as you aren’t allowed to buy booze past 9pm in the city, it should be a mandate that ClubDub videos are allowed. First they came for my alcohol and I said nothing. Then they came for my ClubDub videos and I went absolutely ballistic. Two massive comebacks and all I get is still-frame posts of Tashaun Gipson Sr. on Monday. Give me a break!
When Foles came in, the Bears immediately increased their yards per play by 2.5 yards. This offense is going to open up starting on Sunday with the Colts, you watch. The Colts are the best team we’ve played this year and yet I am more confident heading into this one than I have been in the first three. David Montgomery is a monster, and if you blamed him for the awful offensive line situation last year (by the way, they’ve sneaky been better), then I hope you have sent an apology letter to Halas Hall. The guy refuses to go down on first contact and will only have more opportunities moving forward with an opened up offense and Tarik Cohen out.
Also, Jimmy Graham has looked… kind of awesome? Maybe Aaron Rodgers just doesn’t know how to utilize a big ‘ol beast at the tight end position like I thought he did. This absolutely goes to show you how much it matters to have someone competent at that position, but I really have nothing but good things to say about him through three games.
Now for the Bears defense, which has also under-the-radar had one of the biggest upgrades in the NFL from 2019 to 2020. Replacing Prince Amukamara with Jaylon Johnson has been a godsend, and Johnson has been one of the best cover corners in the game by some metrics thus far.
Akiem Hicks is back to being the All-Pro he was all of 2018. Khalil Mack continually puts pressure on the quarterback despite getting held every play of the game. The Bears need to have their video editors, who apparently can’t step foot in the locker room to film a ClubDub video, instead dedicate their time to putting together a compilation of all the no-calls on Mack this year. It’s pathetic, yet Mack still makes a difference on nearly every snap and that’s still not good enough for some Bears fans who scroll straight to the sack category to evaluate their pass rushers every week.
The run defense hasn’t been as good, but I have no doubt that that will continue to get better. Our talent on that side of the ball is too good for it not to. The Bears have made fixable mistakes in the first three games and have won all of them. The key word there is fixable. Their most glaring downfall has been replaced and everything else is rounding into shape.
We’re onto Week 4 against Phillip Rivers at Soldier Field. Rivers played pretty poorly in the Chargers/Bears game last year, which I wish I didn’t remember vividly. It’s going to be about 50 degrees and rainy in Chicago Sunday — not quite Bear weather, but damn close. Get that guy out of San Diego and now his precious dome and that short arm BS won’t be nearly as effective. I want 4-0 badly. Badly.
The Colts are favored 2.5 points which means I can bet on the Bears in good faith this week. The Vikings suck. The Lions are the Lions. And the Packers… they’ve got the same record as us! Let’s go Bears.
P.S. What in the hell was that visor that Foles was wearing when he first came in? I haven’t seen a guy look more out of place with a visor on than when my Irish buddy in high school skipped the entire offseason workout schedule and two-a-days just to run onto the field like he was Rudy for the first day of regular practice with a horse collar, a visor and brand new under armor gloves. Some guys look good in visors. Other guys look like they grabbed the wrong helmet.
Hello Postseason!
The Cubs bailed me out of losing 250 dollars that I don’t necessarily have to spend on a crosstown series bet this weekend. Frankly, I should’ve taken home the 250 if it wasn’t for that awful collapse on Saturday. The Cubs and the Sox were a wash this year which means the Cubs maintain the Crosstown Cup for another year. Honestly, a 3-3 final tally feels about right.
The Cubs are playing the Marlins this year and for a guy that apparently knows what he’s talking about, I have absolutely zero clue who the hell is on the Marlins.
After doing some preliminary research I think I recognized like three guys on the team, total, which probably means at least two of their pitchers will be no-hitting the Cubs through the sixth inning.
Theoretically, the Cubs should have a marked advantage with Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks going Game 1 and Game 2. But my guess is as good as anyone else’s in terms of how the offense will play.
The Marlins will most likely have Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez going, two guys who have had respectable seasons — at or right above a 3.0 ERA with 42 IP and 57 IP, respectively.
Kris Bryant, God bless him, looked more like himself in the Sox series, and so did Javier Baez.
I have zero expectations for the Cubs this postseason, which is sad and exciting all at the same time. Could the Cubs make a run? Of course they can, this is 2020 and I don’t think even the biggest math nerds know what to expect out of this whacky playoff format. All it takes is for the right guys to get hot.
This past weekend was a start.
Look, I’m glad that we have sports back. But the idea that the Cubs are playing a playoff game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. is asinine. I would’ve loved for some background Cubs day games to have been on while I was working during the regular season.
But I can’t imagine what’s worse: not watching a playoff game at all because its smack dab in the middle of the workday or trying to work while simultaneously having playoff-induced asthma on every pitch when it’s 1-0 in the eighth inning.
If you’ve forgotten what it feels like to watch your team in the playoffs either because 1) the last seven months has been a whirlwind and you haven’t had time to think of seemingly smaller things or 2) you haven’t made the playoffs since Barack Obama was inaugurated in Grant Park, you better start prepping.
Playoff baseball is awesome if your team isn’t playing and miserable if they are. There’s nothing you want more than to have your team in the postseason during the regular one. Then when the postseason starts and every 3-2 count feels like you’re on the brink of a heart attack, you want nothing more than to be watching a meaningless July baseball game.
While you’re hitting, it’s manageable. When you’re in the field, though, and you come to the realization that nothing that is about to happen can truly be a good thing — only okay or negative — that’s when you may decide that you’ll just work instead of lose your mind over a missed strike call in the third inning.
Finally, Yu Darvish should win the Cy Young. I don’t think he will, though, because I’m not sure the Cubs season has inspired enough national notoriety for him to do so. Instead, I’m sure it will be Trevor Bauer, who is a chubby guy with a bad beard that thinks he’s a tough guy and posts on YouTube and Twitter 45 times per day. But he does make a lot of noise, so people naturally know he’s pitching well this year.
For all of you who criticized Theo’s decision to sign Darvish over Jake Arrieta three years ago, I hope you’ve made amends.
Speaking of postseason baseball. I hope you know that Arrieta is still one of my favorite Cubs of all time.
Also, speaking of playoff baseball and all the superstitions that come with it. Shout out to my friend who left the apartment we were watching at when the Cubs were trailing in Game 4 of this series and solely prompted the comeback that took place afterward. Love you bro. If you need his number to say thank you as well, feel free to reach out.
The last thing about the Cubs to consider, which I don’t want to, is what they will do in Game 3 pitching wise if it gets there. I assume it will be a bullpen type game, which means we may get another few innings out of Jon Lester at Wrigley and would also most likely mean that we get to see Adbert Alzolay in the postseason, who’s had a breakout last couple of weeks and will undoubtedly be a larger part of the rotation moving forward.
The Cubs also promoted their 21-year-old lefty Brailyn Márquez this past week, who is their top prospect. His first 0.2 innings were… not good, but it’ll be exciting to see him get more action in the future, particularly next season.
Soxtober!
The Sox went from having the best record in the American League to being the 7th seed heading into the playoffs, and that is largely due to some god awful managerial decisions from Ricky Renteria of late.
I haven’t heard anyone say something good about Ricky Renteria besides his ability to speak Spanish and thus connect to his Spanish-speaking players. Guess what, I’d rather have a guy speak German and only German and still make the right lineup and bullpen moves when your team is trying to win its first division title since 2008.
I know Ricky is a nice guy, but it’s unfortunate that his managerial issues had to shine so bright in a pennant race. That’s when they tend to, however. That’s from someone who has watched Joe Maddon manage a competitive team in September the last two years.
Even Steve Stone, who seems like he may be on the brink of another Cubs-like exit (I hope not), is blatantly unhappy with the managing.
He regularly not-so-slyly criticizes Renteria on Twitter when prompted by questions from fans.
But that shouldn’t be the focus heading into the postseason for the Sox. What should be is that Jose Abreu was 66% better than a league average hitter this year per OPS+, that he’s a legitimate MVP candidate, and still managed to hit 60 RBIS in a 60-game season.
It should be that Tim Anderson, who was widely expected to come back down to earth after winning a batting title last year, proved that he’s absolutely for real. His OBP was identical in 2019 and 2020, but he walked more (10 this season, 15 last season in 74 more games), and showed that his ability to turn balls in play into hits at a high rate was not a fluke.
Anderson is also, through his on-field play and off-field activism, becoming one of the faces of Chicago sports and and a major SGCTC guy. Any man that cheers for the Bears on the weekends and spends his winters in the city may as well be from here, as far as I’m concerned.
Luis Robert struggled mightily down the stretch, but he proved himself early on to be a force, one that will learn to figure out the tricks of the trade moving forward, just as pitchers have figured him out over the last month.
The Oakland A’s are a good team, and also historically stink in the playoffs. The Sox are only +115 to win the series according to Vegas, meaning that they believe the matchup is relatively even — particularly over the course of a three-game series.
I know White Sox fans try to burn Guaranteed Rate down to the ground after every bad game, but there’s a lot to look forward to. Sure, this team has a lot of holes. They’ll have the opportunity to fix those in the offseason. For now, they’ve made the playoffs in the first year they were expected to, albeit with an expanded postseason.
Enjoy the little things, Sox fans. Because success in the big leagues is fleeting.
The wind is cool and the Sox are playing a playoff baseball game this afternoon. Get your work done, crack a beer, and enjoy the ride.
Lastly, the Cubs/Sox fiasco in Game 1 of the series this past weekend was sort of embarrassing, particularly because of the Sox endorsing the #LetTheKidsPlay movement over the last two years. Willson Contreras bat flipped them, and the Sox should be the last team to take issue over that.
And yes, I saw the Cubs bullpen acting like high schoolers out there. Still, Rick Hahn and Tim Anderson had the right reaction. Hahn said on 670 The Score that the Sox should get batters out if they don’t want them to bat flip. Anderson patted Contreras on the back. That’s why they’re each SGCTC guys.
Now let’s enjoy go win some playoff baseball games!
Before you forget:
Commenting on the Bears section before I get to the rest of the Newsletter. As you stated, it is insane that Khalil Mack hasn't gotten a holding call in his favor. It actually feels like it happens on over 60% of pass plays.
I'm not ready to give Pace credit on Jimmy Graham yet. I've spent too much time with fellow subscribers Jacob Werner and Jack Carrico and am on the "Guilty until proven innocent" "This guy sucks" "Pace is a moron" train. That 2 yard out route in the endzone ain't fooling me! Plus I started Montgom... nevermind.
I've made a lot of excuses for Mitch, blamed Nagy, Pace, their line, etc. But it wasn't until Foles came in the game that I realized how truly hindered/handcuffed our offense was with him. Is that partially Nagy's fault? Absolutely, but those downfield passes Mitch attempted throughout the game were laughable, something that any average quarterback should make.
Mitch- I do love the guy and think he has done everything the right way. You can tell his teammates feel for him, and it sucks that he sucks so badly. Excited to see what the offense can do this weekend and hopefully that will take some pressure off of the defense. I want 4-0 baby!!!!!
So I couldn't sleep last night...tossin and turning (and burnin..a cig). And then I finally realized it...A rob and Anthony Miller is the best 1-2 punch in the NFL with Foles at QB.. Look at the numbers, Quarter for Quarter, they are averaging a TD every Quarter, AND it should have been 2 TDs per quarter..A rob got jobbed, and I sympathize for Anthony Miller because how is he suppose to expect the ball to hit him in the hands when he has had Mitch throwing to him since hes been a Bear. LOOK AT THE NUMBERS! Best 1-2 punch in the game and its not even close.
Now for all the Cubs - Sox Fans out there. If you got pissed at contreres for the Bat flip...get your priorities straight, Timmy A asked for it when he hit a homerun against the Royals in the 6th inning playing for a team that sucked. That being said, I think Timmy A is the coolest athlete in Chicago at this point in time. soooooo SUCK ON THAT CUBS FANS!
Sox got about as good of a playoff draw as they could've asked for. A's have historically beat up on the Sox for the past decade, but I'll take the sox in a best of 3 any day. Chapman is out, which is huge, but you are honestly the highest person on the planet if you don't think Eloy will find a way to get hurt, if he isn't already, for these playoffs. And for anyone who thinks the sox might love tonight...they have literally NEVER lost to a left in 2020. That means its statistically impossible, it would be the an absolutely anomaly, for them to lose today. Go back to class, kids! STATS DONT LIE.