Pulse Plus

OK, the Bulls did in fact register back-to-back wins against the Hawks in Atlanta (talk about weird scheduling). If nothing else, they survived Tre Young. Sunday, Young poured in 35 points to go with nine assists in a 152-150 (!) win for the visitors; Mr. Nemesis missed a contorted jumper with time expiring to tie the game. The Bulls countered Young by having nine players—topped by Matas Buzelis with 28 points—score in double figures. Last night was more of a “defensive” game, if a 126-123 score indicates defense. And Coby White led the way scoring 24 points as he tries to regain his “seas legs,” while Ayo Dosunmu didn’t take the bait late in the game when Young tried to provoke him with a pat on the butt. Young may have been angling for a punch thrown and an opponent tossed. Instead, he and Dosunmu were each assessed a technical as the Hawks were outscored 34-18 in the fourth quarter. So, that’s four wins in a row against two teams, the Cavs and Hawks, both ahead of the Bulls in the division standings. What does it mean? Basically, that the 14-15 Bulls can win if everyone stays healthy. No great players on the roster (yet), just a bunch of good ones. That said, this may turn into the best Bulls’ team since the days of Derrick Rose. Granted, it’s a low bar. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Priorities

Beware the Chicken Littles dressed in Bears’ jerseys now that the Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to leave Missouri for Kansas. Why? Because that august state is going to pick up 60 percent of the tab to build the Chiefs a new $3 billion stadium. How generous of a state that refuses to expand Medicaid coverage to residents. Truly, the state has its priorities in order. Better to help the Hunt family, carpetbag owners, before any needy Kansan. One last thing for the Chicken Littles to consider—the Chiefs intend to build a domed stadium, which will be number eleven in the NFL; the Bears’ would be number twelve and the Commanders’ thirteen. Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you keep increasing the supply of big indoor venues, won’t you be decreasing the chances of getting a Super Bowl or Final Four? Seems to me the sky’s falling only if you build an NFL dome.

Then What?

Well, that was a surprise. The White Sox have signed 25-year old slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million deal. Sox GM Chris Getz is hoping the swing that’s produced 265 homeruns along with 722 RBIs and a .273 BA over eight seasons will translate from Japan to the major leagues. We’ll see. The signing comes with some risks. The lefthanded-hitting Murakami does a mean Dave Nicholson/Adam Dunn imitation in his swings-and-misses, striking out as much as 184 times in a season. And he’s not exactly a Gold Glove at first or third base, his two principal positions. From what I can see, the idea is to put him at first base. OK, then what? Something, or somebody, has to give and make room for Murakami. My guess is Getz will make at least one and maybe two deals before Opening Day to resolve the glut of infield talent, up to and including a switch of Colson Montgomery to centerfield if Luis Robert Jr. gets moved. More likely, Lenyn Sosa will be playing somewhere else before long. Is signing Murakami a good idea? For now, let’s just say it isn’t a bad or dumb move. In baseball as in other areas of life, nothing ventured nothing gained. And the Sox are forcing Chicago media to cover a story totally unrelated to the Bears, which is always welcome.

Incredible…Wet Blanket

The Bears scored ten points with 2:04 left in regulation to force overtime against the Packers in a rocking Soldier Field last night and then went on to win on a 46-yard touchdown throw from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore. Nothing short of incredible. Now for the stuff that might otherwise be forgotten in all the excitement, like ten penalties for 105 yards. That can’t happen in the postseason. Same goes for time of possession. You can’t expect to beat a good team by letting them control the ball over twelve minutes more than you do. And you can’t expect to beat a good team by knocking out their starting quarterback with a concussion, which is what the Bears did to Jordan Love in the second quarter. And you can’t let the backup quarterback perform like he was the starter. Malik Willis went 9-for-11 for 121 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. Willis also rushed for 44 yards on ten carries. Pout it all together, and he had a 142.8 rating. The Bears struggled to beat a Packers’ team without edge rusher Micah Parsons playing and Love playing just over a quarter; there were other Green Bay injuries as well that, together, probably explain why they went 0-for-5 in the red zone. You can’t expect the opposition to misfire like that in the postseason. Speaking of misfiring, Bears’ coach Ben Johnson must wondering how long his quarterback will keep scrambling to his right only to heave desperation throws; it isn’t pretty, and it isn’t effective. If I’m reading the stats correctly, Caleb Williams has been called four times for intentional grounding while doing his escape act, right, left or in the hands of an opponent. Of the four teams that have done it four or more times, only the Bears are going to the postseason, where you definitely don’t want it to happen. That said, a win’s a win, and a win against the Packers is always nice.

A Pulse

Not only have the Bulls won two in a row, they beat the same team, the Cavaliers, who have a winning record. What gives? In part, injuries and sickness, along with the truth of “what goes around, comes around.” The Bulls are only recently healthy, playing with everyone they need over the past week or so. They needed a full roster to beat back Donovan Mitchell, who scored 32 points against them Wednesday but sat out last night’s game due to illness, and All-Star guard Evan Mobley missed both games with a calf injury. Hence, maybe, the win. Next up are two games against the Hawks, with guard Tre Young, another Bulls’ nemesis, coming off of injury. The nice thing about being healthy is, coach Billy Donovan cand throw a lot of people at the opposition; when guard Kevin Huerter and center Zach Collins are getting significant playing time, it’s a good thing. Last night, they combined for 27 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Guard Tre Jones also contributed sixteen points and six assists in 22 minutes. If the Bulls can beat Atlanta both games, we’ll see. Otherwise, whatever.

Sign of the Times

The White Sox finished the overhaul of their coaching staff this week. Of the ten coaches who’ll suit up for a game, only one, bullpen coach Matt Wise, has major-league experience. The assistant pitching coach is 29, one of the bullpen catchers 22 (!). Journalist Jimmy Breslin once wrote a book, Can’t Anyone Here Play This Game?, about the hapless ’62 Mets (more hapless than the 2024 Sox?). Breslin wrote back when teams tended to hire people with major-league experience out of the belief they could impart lessons learned playing to current players. Those were the days. Now teams hire callow youth that already seems to know it all.

Road(s) to Nowhere

Bears’ President and CEO Kevin Warren is broadening the team’s search for worthy home for a “world-class stadium” fans can be proud of to include—wait for it—northwest Indiana. This is a ploy equally pathetic and funny. Warren sent a letter to season-ticket holders yesterday relaying the news. He also deigned to talk to the Tribune about the stadium situation. The one thing he failed to do was tell the truth and admit the Bears were issuing an empty threat in a sad, sad effort to gain some leverage. If Warren were being honest, he’d note how hard it would be for fans to get to a world-class stadium in Indiana, an oxymoron if there ever was one. Are fans going to take the Skyway? Sure, provided they’re ready to shell out $7.80 in tolls to get there, or $15.60 for a roundtrip. And then what, a site along I-90 or I-80? Pick your poison, unless bumper-to-bumper semis going 70 mph or more is your cup of tea. All those trucks on a Sunday night, all those fans slightly tipsy after a game. Imagine the possibilities World class? Hmm. The Bears think the 326 acres they own in Arlington Heights would be perfect, if only the General Assembly rolled over and gave them the power to negotiate property taxes with local governmental agencies. No doubt, they’d get that in Indiana, but where, exactly? For 326-plus acres of property across the state line, odds are it won’t be pristine. Far more likely, the land will be a brownfield in need of major remediation. Check that. It’s Indiana. Passing a magic wand over the site should suffice for cleanup. Bears’ fans might glow in Indiana, but it will have nothing to do with beating the Packers.