With the transition from spring into summer comes an outbreak of professional sports activity. LZ’s proximity to Chicago sports teams means there is plenty for sports fans to pay attention to, whether they prefer basketball, football, baseball, or hockey.
The NBA is in the midst of the playoffs, while the NHL Stanley Cup Finals approach. The NFL Draft recently concluded as all 32 teams prepare for the upcoming season. Baseball began in March and continues through the summer.
With all these sports, there is much a fan can lose track of.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls won the NBA Eastern Conference with a record of 50-16 and earned the top seed in the playoffs. However, they were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers in their first series. The Finals will take place on June 12.
The Bulls overcame many injury obstacles during their successful regular season. Derrick Rose, last season’s league MVP, was out for 26 regular season games with a variety of injuries. 2012 addition Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton missed 38 games in the regular season. Luol Deng sat for 11 games despite playing through torn wrist ligaments.
One injury in particular proved too much to overcome, though. Rose tore his ACL in the final minutes of the first playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers, taking him out for the remainder of the season. When Joakim Noah hurt himself in Game 3, the Bulls quickly lost even more ground to the 76ers. They were eliminated when the 76ers won Game 7.
“The unfortunate part of this year is we didn’t measure up against the teams we wanted to measure up against. But I personally believe this group can compete against anybody and beat anybody,” Noah said in a Chicago Tribune article regarding his hopes for next year. “We had tough breaks throughout the year. That’s unfortunate but it’s part of the game. You learn from being injured and the hard times. That will make the good times even better.”
Chicago Bears
The Bears began the offseason with a splash after finishing the 2011-2012 season with a 8-8 record. In his first season as general manager after the firing of Jerry Angelo, Phil Emery traded two third round picks to the Miami Dolphins for Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
The 2012 NFL Draft occurred on April 26, with the Bears drafting defensive end Shea McClellin in the first round, as well as Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Hardin, Evan Rodriguez, Isaiah Frey, and Greg McCoy. Meanwhile, LZHS graduate Anthony Costanzo will be protecting new Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck, who was drafted with the first overall pick.
LZHS graduate Matt Blanchard, who played at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, also entered the NFL. Though he was not drafted, the Bears signed him to a contract to look at him during rookie minicamp. He is a long shot to make the final roster, but he will compete for the third quarterback place, or perhaps a spot on the practice squad.
Offseason training for Bears players began on April 16. The official Bears training camp starts in July in Bourbonnais, IL, with fans invited to watch. The regular season will kick off September 9 at home against the Indianapolis Colts.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are in a rebuilding stage after firing president Jim Hendry and hiring former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations, overhauling the entire Cubs organization. They struggled at the start of the season, beginning with a 3-11 record.
“You never want to start out poorly,” Epstein said in an April Chicago Tribune article. “There are a lot of things we can improve upon, and we will. But you also don’t want to read too much into one homestand and one road trip. Certainly crystalize some areas we need to continue to strive to get better at.”
The season improved after the Cubs got their first series win against the Cardinals in April, and now have a record of 15-20.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are 17-19 under new manager Robin Ventura. There have been high points and low points throughout the season, but Ventura remains optimistic.
“Offensively we have to pick it up,” Ventura said in a Chicago Tribune article. “We’ve been leaving a lot of guys on base. We have guys who are swinging OK, just not coming through. You just continue to grind and it’s going to turn around.”
There have been bright spots for the Sox so far, most notably Philip Humber’s perfect game, only the 21st in Major League Baseball history.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks finished the regular season strong with a 45-26 overall record. They clinched a playoff spot with the tenth best record in the National Hockey League.
The playoffs began on April 11, with the Blackhawks facing the Phoenix Coyotes in the first series. The Hawks’ season ended in Game 6, when they lost 4-0, giving the Coyotes the fourth win in the best of seven series.