The last weekend of the year without having Caleb Williams to watch seemed like a perfect time to sit back and reflect on the state of the local sports scene.
Or better yet, take a nap and try to forget about everything that’s happened to our Chicago teams in 2024 while awaiting the start of the Bears season.
Here’s 13 observations on what’s happened last week and what’s on tap:
The White Sox have lost a franchise-record 107 games after Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the New York Mets left them 0-10 on the homestand and swept for the 22nd series of the season.
But they still have the Campfire Milkshake for the stretch run, so hope is in the air.
Here’s a fun fact: Since Garrett Crochet appears to be on a restriction of no more than four innings, that would mean he can’t qualify for another win. And with the trade of Erick Fedde and Drew Thorpe’s injury, that means no current starting pitcher aside from Jonathan Cannon has won a single game since Crochet beat the Boston Red Sox on June 7, nearly three months ago.
Cannon (2-9) has two wins since then — on June 18 against the Houston Astros and Aug. 6 against the Oakland A’s. Chris Flexen (2-13) has gone 20 straight starts without a win since beating the Tampa Bay Rays on May 8. He’ll try to break that streak, and the Sox’s third double-digit losing streak of the season, on Monday in Baltimore.
As a whole, Sox starters are 20-64 after Sunday’s loss, which is four more wins than Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. But hey, those Campfire Milkshakes sure are tasty.
No. 7 Notre Dame’s 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M before 107,315 on a hot night in College Station, Texas, was impressive on paper and should help in the polls. But watching it play out had to be gut-wrenching for Irish fans. New quarterback Riley Leonard finished 18-for-30 yards for 158 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt in a snooze-inducing offense.
The Irish were turnover-free but went 2-of-12 on third downs and committed 11 penalties for 99 yards. The schedule the rest of the way is so soft Notre Dame should be penciled in for the CFP right now.
But they have a long way to go to prove they’re a real national championship contender.
“Little” Darren Baker, often seen sitting on manager Dusty Baker’s lap two decades ago in the Cubs interview room Dusty nicknamed “the Dungeon,” was called up to the majors by the Nationals on Sunday in Washington, making everyone just feel a little bit older. Dusty was in attendance as Darren knocked out his first hit, appropriately against the Cubs. After finally winning the World Series as Houston Astros manager in 2022, Dusty has now hit the jackpot.
The Chicago Sky should just give in and schedule a Flagrant Foul Appreciation Night for 2025 the next time they face Indiana’s Caitlin Clark.
Pat McAfee continues to ruin ESPN’s “College Game Day” with his country fried comedy shtick that reminds one of the old variety show, “Hee-Haw.” Why the network insists on shoving him down the throats of college football fans is beyond my comprehension. “I understand that you may have a lot of reasons to potentially hate me,” McAfee said last week. “I think they’re misguided. I would appreciate it if you would give me and my guys a chance. I think we’re helping out sports media as a whole in the future.” Clueless as it gets.
Former White Sox DH Eloy Jiménez was hitting .296 on Sunday in his first 23 games for the Baltimore Orioles, and had spent zero days on the injured list. He also seemed to be running faster for the contending Orioles, who had 59 losses entering the day. The Sox lost their 59th game back on June 24.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers starring in Dr Pepper ads and making a not-so-subtle joke about his backup, Arch Manning, can only mean that Manning will supplant him as the starter before the season is over. Clip ‘n save.
Maybe the Cubs needed the extra time to fix the field from the pair of Pearl Jam concerts, but they should have scheduled Monday’s Labor Day matchup against Pittsburgh as a day game instead of a 6:40 p.m. start. Holiday day games were once a staple of the Cubs. Thanks to the Ricketts’ ownership, they now go out of their way to ignore the old traditions.
Northwestern’s new pop-up stadium by the lake was cool to see on the drone shots, though the south end zone seats appeared to clear out in the fourth quarter despite a close game, suggesting some fans were there just for the scenery. If the Wildcats manage to beat Wisconsin on Oct. 19, let’s hope the students throw the goalposts into the lake in celebration. It would be a much shorter trip than the one on Nov. 7, 1981, when NU students “celebrated” their team breaking the Division I record of 28-straight losses by tearing down the goalposts at Dyche Stadium, making the mile-long trek to the Lincoln Avenue Beach and throwing them into the lake. Those were the days.
Is Craig Counsell’s reputation for saving the best for last real, or just media hype? His regular season record in September/October the last seven seasons in Milwaukee suggests it’s real. Here is how the Brewers finished the season over the final month since 2017:
- 2017: 16-12
- 2018: 20-7
- 2019: 20-7
- 2020: 13-13
- 2021: 14-15
- 2022: 17-16
- 2023: 18-11
They finished first in the National League Central three times and second twice, with five postseason appearances. Unfortunately, he needs to have to have the best September of his career for the Cubs to make the postseason.
Former Cub first baseman Anthony Rizzo was activated from the 60-day injured list by the New York Yankees in time for his long-anticipated return to Wrigley Field on Friday. Rizzo hasn’t been back since being dealt at the 2021 trade deadline. No word on whether Kevin the dog will also be on hand.
The worst versus the worst: Walkoff wins by the 2024 White Sox: 1. Walkoff wins by the 1962 Mets: 9.
