Good sumnmer can put Hawks back on top

A year after the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in a half-century, and only a season removed from the cataclysmic salary-cap nightmare that cost them half a roster, it's possible the Hawks may be the Chicago team closest to winning another title.

They still have cap problems that will make it difficult to fix the bottom end of their roster, but the core proved in the first round against Vancouver that even a Stanley Cup finalist at full strength had precious little edge on the Hawks.

And now the Canucks will have their own summer of cap conundrums.

The rest of the Western Conference is shockingly balanced, and with the right moves this summer to add some size on defense and an edge throughout the roster, the Hawks could be right back in the Cup Finals a year from now.

Meanwhile, the Bulls have a great future but will have Miami to deal with for the next few years, and the Heat only figure to get better before next season.

The Bears have the Super Bowl champs in their division and a Detroit team that could be better than the Bears if they can somehow keep QB Matthew Stafford healthy.

The Cubs are, well, the Cubs, and the White Sox have gone all in and that should be good enough to win their division this season, but it stresses the imagination to think at the moment that they'll be good enough to defeat the Red Sox or Phillies in a seven-game series.

That brings us back to the Hawks, who will get a long summer to rest and regenerate.

There is much work to be done before they are again the favorites to come out of the West, but they have many of the right players in place if GM Stan Bowman can add and subtract in proper fashion.

They're far ahead of last summer knowing they have a superb goaltender in Corey Crawford, and they have every right to be encouraged by what they saw late from Michael Frolik, Chris Campoli, Nick Leddy and Ben Smith.

If someone like Jeremy Morin arrives to provide some scoring depth, there's reason to be optimistic.

So Bowman's got work to do, but if he can work some magic, a few months from now it might very well be the Hawks who look like the next Chicago team poised to win it all.

The last leg

Only two of the last 19 Belmont winners have had the lead after a mile, and Preakness winner Shackleford (9-2) will probably be out front again Saturday with Derby winner Animal Kingdom (2-1) chasing.

Animal Kingdom is a wonderful horse, but perhaps fatigue from the last few races finally gets him here in the stretch.

Nehro (4-1) started from the 19 post in the Derby and worked his way up to lose to Animal Kingdom at the finish, and he skipped the Preakness knowing five of the last 11 Belmont winners have run the Derby and passed on the Preakness.

Nehro would seem to be the one to beat, but the pick here is Master Of Hounds (10-1), who went from 15th to fifth late in the Derby after getting a terrible trip inside. Trainer Aidan O'Brien brings him back from Ireland after the break, so he must think he's got a serious chance.

Look for Nehro and Animal Kingdom to hit the board for a piece again.

Ivan Boldirev-ing

Congrats to former Hawks assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who took over as Winnipeg GM on Wednesday.

Before winning a Stanley Cup with the Hawks, Cheveldayoff won four AHL titles during his 12 years with the Wolves.

Now Cheveldayoff goes to work with current True North vice-president Craig Heisinger, who was the Brandon equipment manager when Cheveldayoff played for the WHL's Wheat Kings in the late '80s.

The good guys

The Texas Rangers used a 33rd-round pick to draft Georgia outfielder Johnathan Taylor, who was paralyzed in March after breaking his neck in an outfield collision with teammate Zach Cone, the Rangers' second-round pick.

Next bout

Notre Dame boxing champ Mike Lee will return to the ring July 9 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., just outside of L.A.

The 23-year-old Lee will be featured on the undercard of the Showtime lightweight championship fight between Brandon Rios and Urbano Antillon.

Lee is currently 5-0-0 with 3 knockouts.

The quote

Defending U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell, on Tiger Woods: “Will he be back? Nobody knows at the minute. There's obviously a lot going on. His mental health is one question and his physical health is now another. Golf needs him. He has been golf for the last 15 years.”

Passing fancy

Omaha World-Herald's Brad Dickson: “Tony Romo just got married. If someone caught the bouquet, the bride has a better passer efficiency rating than her husband does in big games.”

Just asking

S.F. Chronicle's Scott Ostler: “Before those Ohio State kids are allowed to return to the football team, shouldn't they be required to return their tattoos?”

And finally …

Miami Herald's Greg Cote, on the MLB draft: “This is where your team drafts guys you have never heard of who might or might not make the big club in around five years. Otherwise it's pretty exciting.”

brozner@dailyherald.com

ŸListen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's “Hit and Run” show at WSCR 670-AM.