Larry Goldman

1 week ago | dawindycity.com | Larry Goldman

The consensus is that the Bears' offseason has gone swimmingly so far. Bolstering the offensive and defensive lines has gone accordingly to plan, if not exceeded the plan. Maybe a solid third receiver option could still be in the works like Keenan Allen's role last year. But overall, fantastic. To finalize a great offseason, the Bears need a killer draft. Everyone has weighed in on the possibilities, the needs, the wants, and the shoulds.

4 weeks ago | dawindycity.com | Larry Goldman

Spring Training is over and here ends our Chicago Cubs Spring Stories segment. Last week, we talked about overreactions to the Tokyo Series and this week, we will talk about some optimistic predictions for the first month of the season (end of April). 1. The Cubs Will End April in First PlaceOn April 30, 2025, the Cubs will be in first place in the NL Central. The Cubs have an absolutely brutal schedule to start the season.

1 month ago | dawindycity.com | Larry Goldman

The Chicago Cubs currently have the worst record in baseball. The caveat is, of course, that they are one of two teams that have actually played regular season games. Even though the Cubs lost both games in Tokyo against the Dodgers, by no means were they blown out (4-1, 6-3). Nonetheless, we would not be Cubs fans if we didn't overreact to things after just two games. Offense Has Regressed Again to Last Year's LowsIn 2025, the Cubs are averaging two runs per game.

1 month ago | dawindycity.com | Larry Goldman

Next week, the Chicago Cubs will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, along with two exhibition games against Japanese ball clubs. The Cubs are bringing 31 players to Tokyo; all 31 can play in the exhibition game, but only 26 can be active for the Dodgers games as they are considered regular-season games. With two weeks left in Spring Training, who the Cubs bring to Tokyo, as well as how they play them, will give us insight into the current decisions that manager Craig Counsell has made.

1 month ago | dawindycity.com | Larry Goldman

The Cubs find themselves at a disadvantage, given that they have to start their regular season two weeks ahead of everyone else in Tokyo on March 18. It feels like manager Craig Counsell is almost treating it as an extension to Spring Training. The benefit is that it will let him start to try out some real game tactics. Third BaseMatt Shaw has been playing every other day the past week. On his off days, Gage Workman has been playing third base.