Chicago sports moments that mattered in 2022
Bears
1. Shake it up:
In just a three-day span in late January, the Bears hired Ryan Poles to be their next general manager and Matt Eberflus to be their 17th head coach.
The first season has been a rough one, but that was to be expected as Poles tears the roster apart and remakes the team in his image. Eberflus has proved to be an even-keeled coach thus far. It will be interesting to see how he fares when the pressure builds in Years 2 and 3.
2. True Field general:
Justin Fields has proved to be the real deal when it comes to using his feet. He's a threat to take it the distance on every snap. Fields has also made strides as a passer. He's seeing the field better and is far more patient than in the early going. Is it perfect? Not even close. But Fields has shown enough that we know he will almost certainly be the Bears' quarterback for years to come.
3. Trade winds blew hard:
GM Ryan Poles took some serious TNT to his defense this year, trading Khalil Mack to the Chargers, Roquan Smith to the Ravens and Robert Quinn to the Eagles. He also allowed Akiem Hicks to walk in free agency.
The defense is now a mess, but the hope is Poles can bolster it with all the extra draft picks he acquired.
4. Run, Bears, run!
While it's been a miserable campaign record-wise, the Bears could surpass the 1984 squad's record for most rushing yards in a season (2,974). These Bears need to average just 129 yards per game to accomplish the feat.
Blackhawks
1. Rocky Wirtz meltdown:
In February, the Blackhawks held a town hall meeting to discuss how they would move forward in the wake of the Kyle Beach sexual abuse scandal. It was a great idea, but owner Rocky Wirtz lost his cool when the panel was asked how players and/or employees will be empowered to speak up if abuse occurs in the future.
"What we're gonna do today is our business," Wirtz scowled. "I don't think it's any of your business. ... You don't work for the company. If someone at the company asks that question, we'll answer it. And I think you should get on to the next subject. We're not going to talk about Kyle Beach, we're not going to talk about anything that happened. We're moving on."
The tirade went national and cast an ugly light on the Hawks. Wirtz quickly apologized, but the damage was done.
2. DeBrincat and Dach traded:
When GM Kyle Davidson was hired, he made it clear that the Hawks were rebuilding. He then proved it in dramatic fashion by trading Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa for three draft picks, and Kirby Dach to Montreal for a pair of picks. Davidson used those selections to take defenseman Kevin Korchinski, center Frank Nazar and center Paul Ludwinski.
"We truly got our guy," Davidson said of Korchinski.
These two trades will be analyzed for years to come.
3. Richardson hired:
In late June, the Hawks tabbed Luke Richardson to be their new head coach. He seems to be a solid choice to bring along young talent and keep their spirits up during tough times.
Although he can get riled up, Richardson is normally not a yeller and a screamer. The 53-year-old believes in the calm, measured approach.
"Some players can take a little bit more, maybe harshly at times, and blunt," Richardson said during his introductory news conference. "And some players you maybe have to back off and realize, 'OK, I'll attack that tomorrow or after the game,' because I can tell they're already upset. They're not going to ingest anything I'm bringing to them right now.'"
White Sox
La Russa's abrupt end:
A heart issue and another unnamed medical condition ended Tony La Russa's season early.
The White Sox's 78-year-old manager got a call from his doctor before an Aug. 30 game against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Hoping to return to the dugout at some point in September or October, La Russa never returned. He was replaced by bench coach Miguel Cairo and Pedro Grifol was named the Sox's new manager on Nov. 3.
La Russa was an unpopular choice when chairman Jerry Reinsdorf brought him back to the White Sox after being away from the field for a decade.
In his nearly two seasons as manager, La Russa was 156-134 with one playoff win. With an 81-81 record this year, the Sox were baseball's biggest disappointment.
"Our team's record this season is the final reality," La Russa said at his farewell media gathering. "It is an unacceptable disappointment. There were some pluses, but too many minuses. In the major leagues, you either do or you don't. Explanations come across as excuses.
"I was hired to provide positive, difference-making leadership and support. Our record is proof. I did not do my job."
Moving on:
For nine years, Jose Abreu was a consistent force in the middle of the White Sox's lineup.
The first baseman was the American League MVP in 2020, he led the league in RBI in 2019-20 and he ranks No. 3 in franchise history with 243 home runs and No. 5 with 863 RBI.
A free agent at the end of the season, Abreu wound up signing a three-year, $60 million contract with the World Series champion Astros.
"I want to thank (Sox fans) for all the support, for always having my back," Abreu said through a translator. "It's been very special and I'm going to be forever grateful for them."
Cease steps up:
The potential was always there.
Dylan Cease tapped just about all of it this season and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting after going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA while striking out 227 in 184 innings.
"It's a lot of years of effort and some failures and some successes," Cease said. "It really all kind of came together and by far, it was my most consistent year ever as a professional. As the years have gone on, I have gotten a lot more comfortable with a lot of things that go along with being a big-league baseball player. I was comfortable this year and performing and producing always feels good."
Cubs
Pitching prowess:
It was a second straight losing season for the Cubs but pitching - an ongoing sore spot - showed some promise.
Over the second half of the season, the Cubs' staff posted a 3.28 ERA. Only three teams (Dodgers, Astros, Guardians) were better.
The success came without veteran starter Kyle Hendricks, who went down with a shoulder injury in early July and never returned.
Marcus Stroman had some early injury issues but he finished strong while young starters Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson and Hayden Wesneski stepped up.
Happ-ening:
There has been such a drain of star power for the Cubs the past few years.
Ian Happ did his part to fill the void this season.
The left fielder won a Gold Glove and made his first All-Star Game appearance while hitting .271/.342/.440 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI.
Happ is eligible to be a free agent at the end of the 2023 season and Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said "we've taken the first steps" in getting a contract extension done.
The long goodbye:
Catcher Willson Contreras was open to signing a contract extension with the Cubs for the last two years. A suitable offer never arrived.
Hitting the open market after the season ended, Contreras wound up with the rival Cardinals on a five-year, $87.5 million contract.
"I always wanted to do something every single day to get better even though they (Cubs) were rebuilding," Contreras said. "I'm excited for the next chapter, and I'm looking forward to beating the Chicago Cubs. I want to do everything I can to help the St. Louis Cardinals win it all."
Bulls
A playoff win:
The Bulls didn't last long in the 2022 NBA playoffs, but did record the first postseason victory for the franchise since Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo delivered two wins in Boston in 2017. On Apr. 20 in Milwaukee, DeMar DeRozan scored 41 points as the Bulls beat the Bucks 114-110 in Game 2 of the first round.
All-star tandem:
Two Bulls took part in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in a while. They played on opposite teams, but both fared well. Zach LaVine scored 12 points for Team Durant, while DeMar DeRozan had 10 for victorious Team LeBron, with both Bulls on the floor during crunchtime.
Pair of firsts:
DeMar DeRozan pulled off two feats last season that had never been done. Technically, the first one took place in two separate years, but on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, DeRozan hit game-winning shots at the buzzer on consecutive days against Indiana and Washington, a first in NBA history. Then in February, DeRozan became the first NBA player to score at least 35 points in eight consecutive games, while shooting better than 50% from the field in every one.
SKY
Repeat thwarted:
In their 17th season, the Sky posted the best regular-season record in franchise history at 26-10. The quest to earn a repeat WNBA championship went well until the final 4:46 of the playoff semifinals. In Game 5 against Connecticut at Wintrust Arena, the Sky gave up a season-ending 18-0 run and lost 72-63. The Sun then lost to Las Vegas in the WNBA finals. The future is a bit uncertain for the Sky, since Courtney Vandersloot, Candace Parker, Allie Quigley and Emma Meesseman are free agents.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Division 3 shines in state:
Northern Illinois couldn't defend its MAC title, Illinois squandered a chance to win its first Big Ten West title and Northwestern hit a 33-year low. But North Central College dominated Division 3, winning its second national championship in the last three seasons by beating Mount Union 28-21. Running back Ethan Greenfield won the Gagliardi Trophy, given to the best player in D3.