(AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee)

With the Cardinals sending out Adam Wainwright and the Cubs sending out Jeff Samardzija this game figured to be a pitchers duel. One pitcher was dealing and the other got knocked around early.

The Cubs wasted no time in getting to Wainwright who clearly didnt have is best stuff to start the game. After two quick outs to start off his night Wainwright surrendered a two out double to Nate Schierholtz which kept the inning alive. The next batter Alfonso Soriano doubled in Schierholtz to give the Cubs and early 1-0 lead. With Soriano on second Ryan Sweeney rocketed a two run homer to right field to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. Cody Ransom then preceded to deposit a solo shot into the seats in left to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead, and that proved to be more than enough to get the W. Wainwright settled down not allowing the Cubs to do anymore damage during the six innings he pitched after the first. This was one of the few games this year were the Cubs came out on top when their bats were silent most of the game. Fortunately the Samardzija was up to the task of holding the lead that the Cubs gave him before he even took the mound.

Samrdzija was magnificent throughout the night not allowing the Cards to get into any offensive rhythm. He was baffling cardinal hitters with his sinker and two seamed fastball. However, In the bottom of the sixth the Cards got a run on a Carlos Beltran solo homer to cut the lead to 4-1. That was one of the few blemishes on an other wise great outing from The Shark. Jeff was looking good so Dale decided to run him out there for the start of the ninth inning.

Things got a little dicey  in the bottom of the ninth when Samardizija allowed two runners to reach. Jeff’s pitch count was over 110 so it was a wise move by Dale to take him out, also Dale didn’t want his great outing to be spoiled by one bad inning. Svuem took Samardzija out in favor of closer Kevin Gregg. Gregg came in with runners on first and second one out. Yadier Molina singled in Matt Holliday to cut the lead to 4-2 with the winning run stepping to the plate in the form of David Freese. Gregg however did his job and got Freese to ground into a game ending double play preserving the W for Samardzija who arguably pitched his best game of the year.

The Cubs will look to build off of this strong performance tomorrow as they will face Jake Westbrook (2-2, 2.05 ERA) of the Red Birds. The Cubs will send out Edwin Jackson (3-8, 5.40 ERA) who is looking to take success from his last start into this start. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 pm central time.

CHICAGO- A week or so after it was announced that former Illinois basketball player Myke Henry transferred to DePaul, the Blue Demons continue to make additions to their men’s basketball program.

Head coach Oliver Purnell has now added a new assistant to his coaching staff. Renard Phillips comes to Chicago from our nations capitol. While there he was the head coach of Washington D.C.’s Friendship Collegiate Academy.

He only coached FCA for 13 months, but in that time he amassed a 20-7 record and lead the institution to the semifinals of the Beltway Independent Playoffs. Before FCA he was an assistant at various high schools in the Maryland/D.C. area from 2002-2012.

Phillips has also been involved with AAU Basketball in the Beltway, he coached two different AAU teams from 2006-2012. He played college ball at the Virginia Military Institute where he played in 96 games from 1998-2002.

He holds the VMI record for most assists by a point guard with 200. Phillips is being brought in to replace former DePaul assistant coach Brian Ellerbe who has moved on to seek other opportunities.

It was a very active spring for DePaul and it looks like they will be very busy this summer as well.

For those of you who have Facebook, I could use your help. I have entered the “Sportcaster For a Day” contest with Lakeshore Public Television in Northwest Indiana.

The grand prize is to anchor the award-winning “Lakeshore News Tonight” sportscast. In order to do this I need to win the most votes. You can do vote for me by going to the link posted below, scroll down until you see my name {Gabe Salgado} and click “like” on the post with my name on it.

You can find the Lakeshore Facebook page here.

I am very blessed with the opportunities this business has given me. I am hoping to continue to entertain and bring you the best sports coverage that I can by using different media platforms.

Thank you for your assistance, follow me on Twitter @GabeSalgado82

Here’s Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series

Finally my first annual Chicago Bulls player value rankings have come to an end. For those of you that missed out on Parts 1, 2 and 3, the idea behind this series was influenced by the brilliance of Bill Simmons’s NBA Trade Value rankings. Instead of ranking the NBA’s top 50 players, I’ve decided to compile the Bulls top assets. In Part 4 of this series I analyze the faces of the Bulls franchise: Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose.

THE RUNDOWN:

13.) Malcolm Thomas

12.) Richard Hamilton

11.) Kirk Hinrich

10.) Marquis Teague

9.) 2013 No. 20 pick

8.) Carlos Boozer

7.) Luol Deng

6.) Taj Gibson

5.) Nikola Mirotic

4.) Protected Charlotte Pick

3.) Jimmy Butler

2.) Joakim Noah

1.) Derrick Rose

GROUP B: “Would only be traded for a superstar”

3.) Jimmy Butler

Let’s put it this way, if I did these rankings a year ago, Butler would’ve been near the bottom of the list after having a promising but very limited rookie season. One year later and he’s a franchise cornerstone.

The same guy that played less than ten minutes in three games during the first month of the season played 48 minutes in five of the Bulls 12 playoff games. Yes you read that right. Butler became the fourth player since the ABA-NBA merger (1976) to play 48 minutes in three straight playoff games according to ESPN Stats and Info. Tom Thibodeau couldn’t get himself to put the 23-year old sophomore on the bench. You can’t blame him with the way Butler played toward the end of the season.

Butler averaged 10.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 47.5 percent from beyond the arc post All-Star break. As a starter he was even better, averaging 14.5 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 20 games. Butler’s PER jumped from 12.48 as a rookie to 15.26 during his second season thanks to an efficient offensive approach.

Butler ranked 39^th in the league in points per play according to Synergy. Butler was especially impressive in the post, ranking 45^th in the league in points per play in post-up situations. Although he only shot 39.5 percent in the post, he drew a shooting foul in 18.1 percent of his post-ups. Butler’s 0.46 FTA/FGA ranked third in the league among wing players according to hoopdata.com (min. of 40+ games played and 20+ MPG). Butler is an outstanding finisher in the paint as his 68.2 field goal percentage at the rim ranked 10^th in the league among small forwards. Besides his attacking skills, Butler raised his 3-point percentage from 18.2 percent as a rookie to 38.1 percent this past season. He also shot 40.5 percent from downtown in the playoffs while making 1.3 per game, proving his shot might improve even more in the future. Butler’s greatest asset is his dogging defense despite his budding offensive skills

This season Butler has emerged as one of the top 10-15 best perimeter defenders in the league. Butler ranked 29^th in the NBA in points per play defended as his opponents shot only 36.8 percent from the floor. Butler ranked in the top 100 in all of Synergy’s play types (iso, P and R, post-up, spot-up, off screen and hand off). If you’re an anti-Synergy guy, Butlers opponents PER of 10.7 ranked second in the NBA according to 82games.com. Essentially whoever Butler guarded turned into Richard Hamilton. Butler opponent’s PER at shooting guard was even more outstanding at a mere 7.0. When defending at small forward that number went up to 12.7, so perhaps Chicago should consider switching Butler onto shooting guards whenever possible. Butler also struggled defending the post, where he ranked 97^th in the league in points per play, suggesting small forwards tend to outmuscle him. Whether at shooting guard or small forward, Butler is already an All-Defense caliber player. Just look at what he did against the Heat.

Butler had to guard either Dwyane Wade or LeBron James the entire game while doing his best Ironman impersonation during the second round of the playoffs. Wade had an atrocious series, averaging only 12.6 PPG. James also underperformed as he averaged only 23.6 PPG while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor against the Bulls (vs. the Bucks and Pacers LeBron averaged 27.4 PPG while shooting 54.5 percent from the field). Even outside of his suffocating defense Butler led the Bulls in scoring during the series at 15.6 PPG. In Game 1, which was the Bulls only win in the series, Butler was especially monstrous, scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Who knew the Bulls 30^th pick in the 2011 draft would already become their third best asset just a couple years later. Even Bill Simmons put Butler at 49^th in the league in his trade value rankings. Butler’s become so good, so fast that Luol Deng has suddenly become expendable. I can’t wait to see this guy play alongside Derrick Rose next season.

2.) Joakim Noah

Noah is safely the Bulls second best asset even with the emergence of Butler. Although he’s undoubtedly valuable to the Bulls, it would nice to see him healthy in the postseason.

After having a career year, Noah had to play through the tail end of the season with plantar fasciitis. This comes a year after Noah injured his left ankle against the 76ers and missed the last three games of the series. Prior to that injury in Philadelphia Noah was averaging 15.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 73.1 percent from the floor (as well as a 28.7 PER). Not surprisingly the Bulls lost two of the final three games in the series. Fortunately for Chicago, Noah was at least able to play this postseason despite the tear in his plantar fascia. Well, he was barely able to play that is.

In the Game 1 blowout loss to the Nets, Noah was limited to only 13 minutes, totaling four points and five rebounds. His next two games weren’t much better as he combined for 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field in Games 2 and 3. With Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich sitting out the final three games of the series, Noah had to step up come Game 7, even if he was still hobbling up-and-down the floor. And man did he ever.

Noah began the game with a crazy motor even for his standards–he basically looked like a mad man–. His manic effort couldn’t help but inspire the rest of the team to come out with the same intensity. Noah flat out dominated both ends of the floor, finishing with 24 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor in a 99-93 Game 7 victory. Noah became one of two players since 1986 to put up that stat line in a Game 7 (Shaq in 2004). Noah ended up struggling in the five-game series loss to the Heat, but his injury was clearly taking a toll on him. He just wasn’t the same player. If anything his below-average play the rest of the postseason made his performance in Game 7 that much more special. That game was without a doubt the highlight of Noah’s season, but it didn’t come close to being his only highlight.

Noah would’ve had a great chance to win the Defensive Player of the Year if he didn’t miss 16 games (although he did still make the All-Defensive 1^st team). Noah did it all defensively, finishing eighth in the league in rebounds per game (11.1), sixth in blocks per game (2.14), third in steals per game among centers (1.18) and 71^st overall in points per play allowed according to Synergy. Chicago also allowed five points less per 100 possessions with Noah on the floor according to NBA.com. Noah’s best defensive showing was against the 76ers on Feb. 28 when he had 23 points, 21 rebounds, 11 blocks and three steals. Only one player has put up those numbers in the past 27 seasons and he’s a Hall of Famer (Hakeem Olajuwon in 1989).

Noah’s bread and butter is his help defense. To put his help defense in a statistical form, Boozer’s defense rating (points allowed per 100 possessions with him on the floor) was 102.0, ranking 10^th on the team. When Boozer played alongside Noah, his net rating improved to 100.2 (Noah and Boozer played 1,641 minutes with each other this season, ranking third on the team).

Aside from his All-World defense, Noah turned into the best playmaking big man in the league this season. Noah and Marc Gasol led all NBA centers and power forwards in assists per game at 4.0 (min. of 50 GP). That number came along with a sky-high turnover rate of 15.0, ranking in the bottom 15 among centers, but Noah’s passing skills were crucial to a Bulls offense withour Rose. Noah also contributed to Chicago’s offense with the 16^th best offensive rebound rate in the league. Noah provided little offensively outside of passing and rebounding as he ranked 309^th in the league in points per play. However his defense, playmaking and energy, otherwise known as his heart, hustle and muscle, more than made up for his offensive shortcomings.

Heading into this season Noah was highly valued by the Bulls, but was underrated by the rest of the league. Simmons didn’t even have Noah in his 2012 Trade Value rankings. In his latest edition Noah has moved all the way up to 17^th (just ahead of Kevin Love, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard). If Noah could stay healthy for an entire season (which is a big if considering he’s missed an average of 16.5 games the past four years) than maybe we’ll see him jump into the top 15 assets in the league a year from now.

Even though this series is about trade value, Noah isn’t going anywhere.

GROUP A: “Would only be traded for LeBron, but essentially untouchable”

1.) Derrick Rose

There’s no surprise here. Derrick Rose is everything to Chicago. Without him the Bulls lost four out of five against an eighth-seeded Sixers squad in 2012 and won only 45 games in the regular season after leading the league in wins the past two years. Before I jump into the “will Derrick Rose ever be the same” debate, I want to quickly address the “should Rose have played in this postseason” debacle.

Throughout the postseason I was a supporter of Rose playing. I know this thinking isn’t popular among Rose enthusiasts, but the Bulls could’ve done something special this postseason if their MVP was in the lineup. Just look how vulnerable the Heat have looked against the Pacers and Spurs. Insert Rose into the Bulls lineup and you never know what would’ve happened. My biggest problem with the Rose situation is that he should’ve said he wasn’t going to play a couple weeks before the regular season ended instead of keeping Chicago waiting. It didn’t help watching Rose throw down pre-game dunks after being medically cleared for months. This whole situation could’ve been avoided if the Bulls ruled Rose out instead of listing him as day-to-day for the entire postseason. Rose will be 25-years old heading into next season, so he has his whole career ahead of him, but I have a feeling this postseason will be talked about for much longer.

Now that I got that off my chest it’s time to assess how long it will take for Rose to be in MVP form again. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we have two other young point guards to compare Rose to that also suffered torn ACLs during the 2011-12 season: Ricky Rubio and Iman Shumpert.

Rubio might not be the most ideal comparison to Rose since he’s much more of a passer than scorer, but the 22-year old Spaniard is surprisingly athletic. So much so that ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle calculated Rubio as the 32^nd most athletic player in the league. Foul drawing, rebounds, steals and blocks are all great indicators for athleticism and Rubio excels in those areas. Rubio needed a couple months to gain his athleticism back upon returning in mid-December, but once he shook off the rust he was even better than his pre-ACL self.

Pre All-Star break (25 games): 7.8 PPG, 6.5 APG, 2.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG and 34.3 FG% (26.4 MPG)

Post All-Star break (32 games): 12.9 PPG, 8.0 APG, 5.2 RPG, 2.9 SPG and 36.8 FG% (32.3 MPG)

Rubio got out of the gate slow, averaging only 4.2 PPG in December and 5.4 PPG in January while shooting below 30 percent from the field in both months (albeit he only played in 17 combined games). Rubio improved his PPG the next two months to 12.8 PPG and 14.1 PPG, respectively. Post All-Star break his athletic numbers were off the charts as he averaged 5.2 RPG (2^nd in the league among PGs post ASB), 2.9 SPG (1^st in the NBA post ASB) and attempted 5.1 FTA per game (seventh among PGs post ASB). Rubio’s PER for the 2012-13 season actually improved from his rookie year (14.64 to 16.20). Shumpert also saw a massive improvement in his game as the season progressed.

Pre All-Star break (13 games): 5.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 58.3 FT% and 33.8 FG% (19.2 MPG)

Post All-Star break (32 games): 7.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 82.9 FT% and 41.8 FG% (23.3 MPG)

Even though Shumpert tore his ACL on the same day as Rose (Apr. 28), he returned on Jan. 17 while Bulls fans are still waiting for The Return. After struggling from the start, Shumpert finally starting looking like himself again toward the end of the season. Interestingly enough, Shumpert improved his 3-point shooting dramatically from his rookie season despite the recovery period (30.6 percent to 40.2 percent). That stroke continued into the postseason where he made 1.5 3-pointers per game at a 42.9 percent clip. He also upped his rebounding to 6.0 per game in the postseason. Oh yeah, and he almost broke the rim with this put-back dunk against the Pacers, proving he hasn’t lost any athleticism from the ACL tear. One alarming statistic was Shumpert’s sizeable drop-off in his field-goal percentage at the rim, which fell from 61.6 as a rookie to 48.7 this past season. This statistic is especially important to Rose who constantly attacks the basket.

Rubio and Shumperts’ progression throughout the season bodes well for Rose. He might not be the same Rose until around December or even later, but by the 2014 postseason Rose should be more than ready. So when Rose begins the season with underwhelming numbers, stay calm, it’s going to be a process.

Naturally Rose’s absence dropped him six spots to No. 9 in Simmons’s 2013 rankings. It’s hard to argue with the guys in front of him (CP3, Kyrie Irving, Melo, Harden, Westbrook, Steph Curry, Durant and LeBron). Even though Rubio and Shumpert have faired well post-ACL tears, everyone’s body is different. There is a chance Rose may never have a better year than 2010-11, although I wouldn’t bet on it.

Even if Rose returns to form, can he be the best player on a championship team? Hopefully next year he’ll have a chance to answer that question.

After snapping a brutal losing streak and dodging a four-game-sweep in Houston, the White Sox (29-38) will head up north to take on the Minnesota Twins (30-36).

Both teams have struggled in recent times—the Sox losing 14 of 18 games, and the Twins dropping 7 of 11—and currently sit at the bottom of the AL Central ladder. Detroit sits securely at the top, with Kansas City and Cleveland neck-and-neck a little farther down, but the Sox and Twins will spend the next three games in a battle royale to not be the loser of the AL Central.

Personally, I think they should just let their mascots duke it out–it would be just as compelling.

Dylan Axelrod (3-4, 4.26 ERA) will start for the Sox tonight, after taking a seven-day break from his disastrous start last week. It’s crucial that Axelrod gets his act together and sets the momentum in favor of the White Sox early-on in the series. The Sox will face Mike Pelfry (3-6, 6.12 ERA), and if they can’t get a hitting rally started against him, I don’t know if they ever will this season.

And while Adam Dunn is not exactly hitting up a storm these days, he has had five hits in his last 10 at-bats against Pelfry and we hope to see some big hits tonight.

Tuesday: 7:10 p.m., RH Dylan Axelrod (3-4, 4.26) vs. RH Mike Pelfrey (3-6, 6.12)

Wednesday: 7:10 p.m., LH Chris Sale (5-5, 2.43) vs. RH Kevin Correia (5-4, 3.97)

Thursday: 12:10 p.m., LH John Danks (1-3, 4.50) vs. LH Scott Diamond (4-6, 5.29)

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

After a long rain delay both clubs were looking to send two of their best pitchers to the mound in the forms of Shelby Miller for the Cards, and Travis Wood for the Cubs.

Until the fourth inning both of these pitchers were dealing, but in the fourth Yadier Molina delivered for the Red Birds. After Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran singled to start the inning , and Allen craig flied out Molina hit a two RBI double into the right center field gap to give the Cards a 2-0 lead.

After the fifth inning Cardinal starter Shelby Miller left the game with an apparent calf injury but that didn’t stop the Cardinals pitching staff from dominating Cub hitters. The game would remain 2-0 Red Birds until the bottom of the seventh. The Cards got a questionable run in the seventh on an Anthony Rizzo throwing error. It appeared that Yadier Molina was out as Wellington Castillo’s throw and Travis Wood’s tag beat Molina to home-plate. Dale Sveum would argue the call and get ejected. With David Freese on third Shane Robinson hot a sac fly to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.

Travis Wood should have had a quality start but instead gave up four earned runs. The Cubs got their two runs on a Nate Schierholtz single that drove in Luis Valbuena in the top of the eighth, and a Darwin Barney home run in the top of the ninth. The Cards would add another run in the bottom of the eighth on an Allen Craig sac fly. Final score Cards 5, Cubs 2

Miller picks up the win after going the required five, and Travis wood takes a tough defeat. The Cubs will look to get back to winning baseball as the face another tough Cardinal pitcher in Adam Wainwright(10-3, 2.18 ERA), but the Cubs will send out one their best in Jeff Samardzija (3-7, 3.46 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 central time.

Lunt chose Illinois over Louisville after visiting both universities. The news was first reported by Zach Kerker from channel1450.com and then later by ESPN’s Joe Schad.

The soon-to-be sophomore QB chose Illinois because he believes he’s a good fit for new offensive coordinator Bill Cubit’s spread offense. Lunt chose to transfer from Oklahoma State after losing his job after being injured early in the season. He began the year as the starter for the Cowboys, compiling 1,108 yards and 6 TD’s to 7 INT’s in 5 games. He was the first true freshman to start at quarterback in Oklahoma State history.

Lunt will have to sit out the 2013 season due to transfer rules, but will have 3 years of eligibility remaining starting in 2014. Looking ahead to that season, Lunt will be competing with senior Riley O’Toole, and 4-star sophomore Aaron Bailey. Bailey has the ability to change positions though, so it could be Lunt’s job to lose depending what happens this season for O’Toole and Bailey.

It was a heartbreaking Game 2 finish Saturday night for Chicago after Daniel Paille netted one past Corey Crawford in overtime to even up the series 1 – 1. Now the contenders are in Boston for Game 3 and the Blackhawks know they have to be better.

“I thought we came out well in the first,” said Brent Seabrook. “We’ve got to continue to play like that.”

Seabrook is exactly right: Chicago outshot Boston 19 – 4 after 20 minutes at the United Center, including a Patrick Sharp goal and a disallowed Marian Hossa chance. Then again, the Hawks have consistently come out hard in the first period this postseason, but they tend to lose it somewhere in the second period. After attacking Rask in the first, the Hawks only registered only 4 shots in the second period, allowing Boston enough zone time to even up the score at 1 – 1.

Perhaps it’s the rest between periods or too much confidence. Still, the Blackhawks need to perform much better in the faceoff circle. Yet again, Boston held the edge in that category in Game 2. That was the idea behind acquiring Michal Handzus before the trade deadline: faceoff wins. He was the only Hawk that had a positive faceoff win percentage in Game 2 (excepting Brandon Saad, who won his only faceoff of the night). Jonathan Toews and David Bolland went a combined 14 – 20 on the night.

Corey Crawford has been the most consistent player for Chicago, matching Rask at nearly every turn (hence the overtimes). He has allowed 5 goals in this series, earning him a 2.50 GAA and a .939 series save percentage, but that’s not the whole story. With Crawford, it never really seems to be.

After a disappointing first-round exit last season, much of the blame was placed on Crawford’s shoulders. He had let in several soft goals in overtime and perhaps he got more blame than deserved. Maybe it was spot-on. Either way, he has been magnificent for Chicago all season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After 19 games, he holds a league postseason-best 1.72 GAA and ranks second only behind Tuukka Rask with a .935 save percentage. More than this, he has shown his ability to take away lanes from the shooter and flash his glove with a big save. He is the anchor for Chicago and the rest of the team must follow his lead if they want to take home their second Cup in 4 years.

Perhaps a troubling statistic for Chicago, the Blackhawks have not won a Game 3 in this postseason and are going into TD Garden knowing that Boston has won 5 straight games there. The energy will be electrifying and Chicago must stick to its fast-paced game because it suits them well. The first period is, as it has been, all-important for Chicago. Tone must be set and pace must be well-established. Oddly enough, the first goal doesn’t seem to be the most important in this series (feels very strange to even think that!). The first goal in each of the first two games have been scored by the eventual loser. Could be something; could be nothing.

Chicago Blackhawks Head Coach Joel Quenneville revealed today that Viktor Stalberg would replace Brandon Bollig in the lineup for Monday night’s contest in Boston. Stalberg was benched for the second time this postseason for a lack of productivity on the scoresheet late last week.

Welcome to the new and improved Chicago Bears CCS Panel! In a new twist this season we have elected to give the members of CCS their own voice, and have received answers to questions from several members of the board. If your answers aren’t listed here, you are strongly urged to try again next week!

Without further adieu, let’s meet our guest analysts!

Name — CCS Handle
Lorin C. — Wakacha
Chris H. – ole69
Nick F. – nwfisch
Allen B. – SERE Bear
Rory S. – Rory Sparrow

Below are the three questions asked to our Bears Forum inside CCS.

1: What Chicago Bear do you expect to have a breakout season?

LC – Alshon Jeffery. With Martellus Bennett, Brandon Marshall, and Matt Forte on the roster, Jeffery is kind of the forgotten man both on and off the field. He was injured on and off last season, but was still able to make an impact in 9 games. It was clear as the season progressed that he can Jay Cutler were developing chemistry and trust, and those only improve with time. Of Jeffery’s 24 catches, 17 were for 1st downs, so Cutler knows he can trust him to move the chains. Add in Martellus Bennett and a improved Offensive Line, and defenses won’t be able to pay much attention to Jeffery because they have so many other players to deal with. This makes Jeffery primed to have a breakout year, healthy and in a real offensive system.

CH – I think Martellus Bennett will surprise a lot of people with a breakout season for 4 reasons. First, in Martz’s 2010 offense which isn’t known for featuring tight ends, Greg Olsen didn’t disappear into the H-back role as many predicted, but remained an important outlet for Cutler, targeted 70 times (tied for 3rd most on the team) and racking up 5 TDs, including a spectacular one on the opening drive of the playoffs. Second, despite how atrocious Kellen Davis was in 2012, Cutler still favored him (perhaps second to Marshall) in his progressions until it became obvious he couldn’t be trusted to hold on to the ball. Combine that with Cutler’s use of Olsen and Scheffler in 2009 and earlier, and I think it’s safe to say that Cutler likes to utilize the tight end as an outlet. Third, Bennett has proven to be exceptionally durable (by Bears standards), missing only 4 starts in 5 years. And fourth, I think Bennett has a chip on his shoulder to prove that he can be more of a featured tight end than he had been perceived in Dallas and New York.

NF – I know we’ve been waiting on this guy to come around for quite some time, but I’d say Earl Bennett. He’s had good chemistry with Jay Cutler, and when the Martz offense was coming around in Chicago. In three games in 2011 before Cutler went down with injury, against Philadelphia, Detroit, and San Diego, Bennett had 14 receptions for 250 yards and a TD. He has struggled to stay healthy and with his problems with injuries have slowed his development on the field. Bennett has been the only WR to not have any issues during mini-camp with hamstrings or other injuries, so I hope Bennett can be the guy the Bears paid him to be 2 years ago.
For defense, I’d probably pick Major Wright. He’s been a solid player for a couple of years now, and has stayed healthy over the course of two years. He had 4 INTs last year, and it’ll be interesting to see how the defensive backfield responds to a shift in defensive philosophy. Hopefully he makes his mark as a Pro-Bowl safety this year.

AB – Matt Forte should benefit from the west coast style that Trestman reportedly is bringing to the Bears offense. Forte’s single season highs to this point are 63 receptions (2008) and 547 yards (2010) however I expect him to eclipse booth of those this year.

RS – Jermon Bushrod. I think Forte will have a really good season, but he’s already had good seasons with the Bears. I think people will be fawning over Bushrod from the start, and he will be given superstar status in part because he’s not JaMarcus Webb. I expect the defense to have a downturn, so I don’t think anyone will be a “breakout” player on that side of the ball. Nearly all the good players are in their 30′s anyways.

2: What concerns do you have with the new coaching staff?

LC – Positional Coaches. I’m not worried about Trestman or either of the coordinators, but the positional coaches are much more unknown. Because of their lack of recognition, I wonder just how much players respect them. They respect Trestman and the big dogs, but the positional coaches aren’t the same. Some of their experience makes me question them too. QB Coach Matt Cavanaugh came most recently from the Jets, whose QB situation is a mess; RB Coach Skip Peete came from Dallas, whose running game hasn’t been much to boast about; WR Coach Mike Groh, who has no NFL experience and only 5 years WR coaching experience, came from Alabama and arguably had little influence on his only NFL WR, Julio Jones’, breakout year. Others like Andy Bischoff (TE Coach), Pat Meyer (Assistant OL Coach), and Tim Tibesar (LB Coach) followed Trestman from the CFL and have little to no NFL experience. It is comforting to still have Jon Hoke, but I’m a little uneasy about the majority of them.

CH – My main concerns with the new coaching staff are how long it will take them to cohere and each phase complement the other. I anticipate some growing pains. Also, while I am excited that our head coach, for the first time since Ditka, is known for his offensive focus, I don’t want the balance — or imbalance — of the team to flip to a competent offense (a tall order anyway) and a weak defense. Mel Tucker has some solid credentials but you can’t avoid looking at his 2012 stats and having some reservations. Jacksonville was a horrible team but I wouldn’t say it was for lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball.

NF – Fans are worried about Trestman not knowing the rules, how many downs, etc. I’m not worried about that because the CFL only has 3 downs to get a first, so Trestman will have the knowledge of how to get 10 yards in two tries, as opposed to 3.My concerns on the offensive staff are having too many cooks in the kitchen. Trestman and Kromer are going to have an interesting dynamic in who calls the plays, and how to run protection schemes. Similar to Martz and Tice, I’m worried Trestman or Kromer will be too willing to pass and not allow the run game to develop. I also am worried about Kromer’s labeling by some fans as “OL guru,” as some credit for developing guards can go to Buffalo Head Coach Doug Marrone. My biggest concern on defense isn’t so much the staff itself, because I believe Emery and Trestman did a decent job in filling out that staff. I think the biggest problem for the staff will be after the defense allows a big play, and who the defense will blame. If the defense rallies as a unit and goes hard for the next play, I think they’ll be fine. If the defense decides that Mel Tucker isn’t calling the right plays or isn’t putting the unit in a position to succeed, I’d be worried how the coaches respond to adversity and how they manage to communicate with guys who have been there much longer than they have.

AB – George Halas said “Find out what the other team wants to do. Then take it away from them.” I want to see how this Coaching staff responds when the game plan falters. Are they married to their game plan or are they capable of making effective in game adjustments?

RS – The individual assistants have never worked with each other, and most of them only have a tangential relationship to Trestman. My biggest concern would be how the coaching staff handles that first bad loss or that first losing streak…do they become defensive and start pointing fingers? Do they make drastic changes to strategy and personnel? I think coaching staffs where the assistants are familiar with one another can handle adversity better.

3: Which game on the regular season schedule are you looking forward to most?

LC – Week 9 @ Green Bay. I know it’s the easy answer, but there are a number of reasons why this will be most interesting. Obviously we all want to beat the Packers, but this particular game is even more important. It is Trestman’s first game against the rivals, and Lovie Smith put so much emphasis on beating the Packers, but struggled to do so, so how will Trestman fare? Coming off a bye week, Trestman should have plenty of time to game-plan and get his team ready, so it will be interesting to see how ready they are. It’s also the middle of the season, so the team should be pretty set in its ways by then, and the Packers should be a good barometer for their progress. Plus, it’s in Green Bay, and you always want to steal the road game. It will be a tough matchup, but it’s definitely the one I’m looking forward to the most.

CH – I am looking forward to the first Packers game not just because they are our historic arch rival but because they have consistently embarrassed us since 2010, even if many of those were close losses, worse than any other opponent during that time, and our woeful offense was usually the prime culprit in those losses. However, I think the opening matchip against a well-rounded and talented Bengals will be a more telling game in terms of what Trestman brings to the table as an offensive mastermind, because I think he will be required to show right away how he and Mel Tucker handle in-game adjustments (something Lovie rarely could do, and his coordinators could usually do at best only at halftime).

NF – Aside from divisional games and the first game, I always look forward to the Thursday night games, so I’ll pick that game against the Giants in Chicago, along with the game preceding it in New Orleans. I’ll be looking forward to see how the offensive line has developed at that point, and if the Bears can slow down two of the top pass rush groups in the NFL 4 days apart.

AB – The Redskins in week 7 should be a real test and not only because of their dynamic RG3 led offense. The Redskins had the #1 ranked pass defense and #11 rushing Defense in 2012. By week 7 I expect Coach Trestman to have the Bears hitting their stride offensively so this game should be a good barometer of what the Bears O is capable of.

RS – I think the Week 5 matchup against New Orleans will give the best indication as to how good this Bears team is. There will have been enough time for NFL coaches to have seen Trestman’s new offense, and the Saints will be the first good offensive team the Bears defense will face. Much like the Vikings and Seahawks games last year, this year’s Saints game might end up determining a playoff spot.

Closing Notes:

We’ve got a great group of posters here at ChiCitySports, and the five posters involved in this panel are regular contributors to the site.  Feel free to view the forum and sign up here if you’d like to leave your comments, or maybe grow into a CCS writer!

Kirk Nieuwenhuis walks off with a three-run blast off of Carlos Marmol in the ninth (Jason Szenes – Getty Images)

Cubs were set up to complete their first road sweep of the Mets since 1991, “set up” being the key phrase. 8 innings of shutout baseball going into the ninth, 2 homers and 4 runs coming out.

It seemed to be in the bag as the Cubs got ahead early with great hitting from Luis Valbuena and Starlin Castro in the first against Mets starter Jeremy Hefner. Alfonso Soriano put the Cubs on the board 1-0 knocking in Valbuena from third when he drove one into left.

In the fifth following a single from Castro and a walk to Nate Schierholtz, Soriano reached first safely from a throwing error by David Wright at third. That would be only the first Met blunder of a wild scoring play. First baseman Daniel Murphy corralled the ball and threw passed John Buck at home. By the time shotstop Omar Quintanilla snatched the ball near the Cubs dugout and threw into no-man’s land, both Castro and Schierholtz scored to make it 3-0.

The Cubs felt more than comfortable with a slight cushion due to the stellar performance on the mound that Matt Garza was cooking up. Through the seventh, Garza was letting the Mets have another bitter taste of the Cubs starting rotation. He would even bail out Castro in the sixth when a throwing error would eventually lead to a dangerous situation with men on second and third. Garza went on to fan both Marlon Byrd and Lucas Duda to get out of it. Despite rebounding from Tuesday’s horrific outing against the Reds, Garza left New York with a no decision from a 7 inning gem where he allowed just 3 hits collecting 6 Ks. Here’s how that happened.

Kevin Gregg had pitched four straight days which earned him a rest. The staff then put the save opportunity in Carlos Marmol’s hands. That choice became questionable immediately. The Cubs shutout quickly diminished with a solo shot by Byrd to begin the ninth. Marmol then walked Duda and gave up a single to Buck. Kirk Nieuwenhuis stepped up to the plate, blasted one to right, and it was over. Unable to sweep, Marmol and the Cubs would take the loss. Bobby Parnell took the win and the Mets salvaged the series for themselves.

Tomorrow the Cubs visit St. Louis to battle Majors League’s best. Travis Wood (5-5, 2.65) will face Cardinal Shelby Miller (7-4, 2.21) at 6:05pm.

“‘I look at my past history and I know what I am capable of doing,’ [Hester] said. ‘We all know I am the best return man that is stepping on this field. Coach Joe D. and I, we have spent a lot of time watching film on some of the things that can be corrected. It’s a team thing.’”

“‘The mistakes that I made and the mistakes that we made as a unit, those are easy to correct,’ he said. ‘At the end of the day, I am the best returner in this game, and I know that for a fact. What man can sit here and tell me that I lost it when I know what I am capable of doing?’”

• Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune answers your questions including this interesting observation:

“Who is the best fit for the slot WR position long term? — @Tjacobs78, from Twitter

“With the way the slot position is evolving in the NFL, that’s a difficult question to answer. In the past, most teams had a specific profile for a slot receiver—they wanted a quick, tough receiver who could create separation with craftiness, burst and change of direction on underneath routes. That is not necessarily the case anymore. Most teams play multiple players with different body styles and athletic talents in the slot. The Bears did it that way last year, and I anticipate they will do it the same way this year. I don’t believe they will have one slot receiver. They’ll have two or three players who get a lot of time in the slot. One is sure to be Earl Bennett though. He fits the traditional definition of a slot receiver. If the Bears can get advantageous matchups, you can count on Marshall spending some time in the slot too.”

On a related note, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians makes a good point as he talks to the Associated Press about wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Via Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com:

“’If you want a hundred balls, move around. If they know where you’re at, it’s easy to take you out of the game.’

“Of course, that means taking Fitzgerald out of his comfort zone.

“’I think as a human being you’re a bit of a creature of habit,’ Fitzgerald said. ‘I’ve played the same position since I was in junior high school.  I’ve never had to really move around and you know I’ve gotten good at it.  So I think we all resist change to a certain degree, especially if you’ve had a little bit of success.  But as I’ve gone through the offseason workouts, I’ve definitely become more receptive of it.’”

Teams are doing a good job of moving their best players around to create mismatches now a-days and a good spot to do that is in the slot. Perhaps the most interesting thing to watch for scheme-wise this season will be what the Bears do with running back Matt Forte. There is much talk in Chicago about creating mismatches with the tight end but moving Forte, a versatile offensive weapon, around the formation will likely be a big key to the offense.

• Adam L. Jahns at the Chicago Sun-Times also wraps up the Bears minicamp with some observations to consider:

“Changes up front

“The Bears’ offensive line has undergone major changes personnel-wise and scheme-wise. CenterRoberto Garza described it as a ‘totally different offense [with] totally different techniques.’ It’s an inside-out protection scheme under offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer.

“‘[It’s] different footwork, hand placement, some of the ways our combination blocks are being done differently, targets and things like that,’’ Garza said.

“Marc & Jay

[Head coach Marc] Trestman is doing everything he can to get to [quarterback Jay] Cutler and get the best from him. He has used a verbal clock to speed up his reads and release and brought in some of his former quarterbacks, notably Rich Gannon, to speak to him, Josh McCown and Matt Blanchard.”

These two points from Jahns were of interest because they tell us more about what to expect the offense will look like. Despite all of the talk about adapting to Jay Cutler’s strengths its now becoming evident that Trestman is going to expect him to adapt to his general style of offense rather than completely changing his own ideals to fit Cutler.

Blocking from the inside out means conceding the outside rush to keep a clean pocket up the middle for Cutler. It probably means that, with the occasional exception, we aren’t going to be seeing Cutler in roll outs or plays where the plan is to get him on the move where he often performed best in previous years. Trestman is going to expect him to step up and throw from the pocket the vast majority of the time.

Cutler probably also isn’t going to be able to scan the field and wait for receivers to pop open. If Trestman has Cutler on a verbal clock, counting seconds for him to get rid of the ball, that means Cutler is going to be expected to throw the ball on time to a receiver with anticipation. This has been tried before. Former offensive coordinator Mike Martzevidently worked to get Cutler to do the same thing. Cutler lost confidence in his receivers and eventually stopped trying to do it, leading Martz to give up. Personally, I have little hope that Cutler is capable of doing it here, either, but the situation is different this time around. This time if Cutler doesn’t adapt, he will be the one on the street, not Trestman. That, along with a more dependable group of wide receivers, could make the difference.

• Finally we have DJ Gallo at *ESPN.com** who has suggestions for sports-related gifts for this Father’s Day celebration. Here’s my choice:

“Books

“A book: a Father’s Day gift slightly less clichÉd than a tie. ‘Here, Dad, I got you a reading assignment as a gift.’ Congratulations — you are the Phil Jackson of sons, only with zero championship rings.

“If you must go the book route, get him a bundle of laughs on the cheap. For one cent, you can get Charlie Weis‘ book “No Excuses: One Man’s Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame.” For another cent, you can get “Return to Glory: Inside Tyrone Willingham‘s Amazing First Season at Notre Dame.” And for a third cent, you can get Lance Armstrong‘s “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.” That’s three cents (plus shipping and handling) for hundreds of pages of side-splitting laughter. Can’t beat that. (And by that, I mean the value, not Weis, Willingham or non-PED-fueled Armstrong. They’re all quite beatable.)