Column: Observations to kick off a Chicago sports summer, with NASCAR around the corner

Chicago Tribune

6 hours ago

The summer solstice is almost here, which means we're one day closer to the start of Chicago Bears camp.
Until then, we'll have to make do with the first-place Chicago Cubs, the rebuilding White Sox, the Bulls and Blackhawks' draft nights, the NASCAR race and the latest Angel Reese social media posts.
Here are 11 observations to kick-start your summer vacation.
Instead of the city and state paying the bulk of the $32.1 million it will take to install bollards for security and other improvements around Wrigley Field so the Cubs can get MLB's approval to host the 2027 All-Star Game, I propose a different, cheaper plan. Maybe the city can just close off the area surrounding the ballpark before and after games, rerouting buses and only allowing cars with resident passes inside the zone. A car-free zone from Halsted Street on the east, Southport Avenue on the west, Grace Street on the north and Newport Avenue on the south would keep Wrigley secure and create minimal headaches for commuters and residents. Too sensible? Yeah, probably.
Back in 2012, a writer and SABR member named Jason Lukehart invented a stat he called 'the Maddux,' named after former Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux. A 'Maddux' is accomplished when a starter throws a complete game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches, which Greg did 13 times in his Hall of Fame career. After Tuesday's performance at Wrigley, perhaps it's time for a new stat — the PCA — after Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. A PCA would be accomplished by a hitter who makes a sensational catch and then leads off the next inning with a home run, as Crow-Armstrong did in the eighth inning of the Cubs' 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
In the real world, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani would not deserve to pitch in the All-Star Game. Ohtani, who had Tommy John surgery in 2023, made his first appearance on the mound in nearly two years Monday at Dodger Stadium, and obviously won't be among the league leaders in any pitching category. But since he'll be there in Atlanta anyway as the National League DH and leading vote-getter, why not just let Ohtani start for the NL to face Aaron Judge in the first inning? Would traditionalists be upset? Well, no one minded in 2001 when starting American League shortstop Alex Rodriguez switched positions with Cal Ripken Jr. in the first inning of the All-Star Game in Seattle so the retiring Orioles great could play shortstop one last time in the Midsummer Classic. It's entertainment, after all, and the game doesn't count. The ratings would be terrific.
The Bulls are about to hand Billy Donovan another extension, according to the Tribune's Julia Poe and other media outlets, which suggests he's an excellent coach who hasn't been given the right players to win. But if that's the case, the guy giving him the players, executive vice president of baseball operations Artūras Karnišovas, should be replaced by someone who can take full advantage of Donovan's coaching abilities.
When the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau after their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers, fans and media speculated on how it could happen. No one seemed to recall that Thibodeau's Knicks blew a 14-point lead to the Pacers with under three minutes left in Game 1, a colossal collapse that ranks among the greatest chokes in NBA history. It was as easy a decision to make as the Boston Red Sox firing manager Grady Little after he blew Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Some losses you just can't recover from, even if you're Thibs.
The Knicks reportedly were denied permission from five teams to interview their head coach for the coaching vacancy. The list included Dallas' Jason Kidd, Houston's Ime Udoka, Minnesota's Chris Finch, Atlanta's Quin Snyder and Donovan. Hopefully they continue going down the line and keep getting denied by every team until there's only one man left. Then what we all suspect will be confirmed — the Los Angeles Lakers' JJ Redick is the NBA's worst coach.
The White Sox series at Colorado on July 4-6 is shaping up to be a big one, historically speaking, pitting players from two all-time bad teams. But the suddenly lukewarm Rockies, who seemed primed to erase the 2024 Sox from the record books, entered Wednesday's game against Washington with a three-game win streak and a 7-7 record in their last 14 games. With a 16-57 record on Wednesday, they're still on pace to break the 2024 White Sox's record of 121 losses. At this point in '24, the Sox were finding new ways to lose. They fell to 20-57 on June 21, 2024, when Paul DeJong was doubled off first on a routine fly to center to end a 2-1 loss in Detroit. DeJong is gone, like most of the '24 Sox, but the '25 version should be motivated to ditch the record, making the Sox-Rockies showdown at Coors Field a must-win series.
Former Sox manager Pedro Grifol said some crazy things after losses last year. But it seems his successor can also get a bit frustrated. After an 11-inning loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday, manager Will Venable said: 'The feeling that we feel after this game is one that we can feel.' Yogi Berra could not have said it better.
The Blackhawks sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round draft pick in March, and also agreed to pay 26% of his average salary of $9.5 million for the remaining five years on Jones' contract. The Panthers went on to win their second straight Stanley Cup on Tuesday, which means Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson can officially take some credit for something other than lucking into the No. 1 pick that netted Connor Bedard.
Polarizing debate show shouter Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and the other studio guy on ABC's NBA Finals pre- and postgame shows are why the mute button was invented. I assume they're also bad at halftime but I've tuned them out. No wonder ABC/ESPN is importing the entire TNT 'Inside the NBA' crew to do their studio shows next year.
Now that Chicago Sports Network is airing on Comcast, thousands more viewers can watch their repetitive commercials touting local business owners who like the White Sox. For the extra $20 Comcast charges customers for the channel, you'd think they'd get some new sponsors.