Hump Day Hits- 06/26/13

Hump Day Hits is where I catch you up on what is going on around the sports world, what you may have missed, and what you’ll need to know moving forward.

 

Wimbledon:  In case you’ve missed it, Wimbledon started on Monday morning.  The tournament already has seen Rafael Nadal upset in the first round (his earliest exit from a major tournament).  I have never claimed to be a Nadal fan, in fact, some would call me a Nadal hater, so I was thrilled to see the 135th-ranked Steve Darcis pull off the upset.  Darcis has since withdrawn with a shoulder injury.  Speaking of injuries, other withdraws within the last day include John Isner and Victoria Azarenka, shaking up the bracket for this tournament.  All of this means one thing– if Andy Murray does not win Wimbledon this year, a Brit will never again win the tournament.

 

Chicago Blackhawks: I’ve probably written enough about the Blackhawks over the last month, but seeing as they are currently the only major competitive team in Chicago sports, they were due the attention.  My season review will post tomorrow, but I wanted to use this time to give a shout-out to the injured players that still produced in the Stanley Cup Final.  I wrote yesterday about Andrew Shaw getting hit in the face with a puck, but it hasn’t been revealed yet if any facial bones were fractured.  Other players skating injured: Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa- slipped disk that caused him to lose feeling in his legs at times; Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron- broken rib, torn cartilage muscles, separated shoulder; Bruins’ Nathan Horton- dislocated shoulder.  Hockey players are tough!

 

Chicago Bulls: The NBA Draft is tomorrow night and the Bulls have two selections, the 20th and the 49th.  After seeing how shooters were able to spread the court for the Heat and Spurs, reports are that the Bulls are interested in another 3-point shooter, having played last season without Kyle Korver and learning what it was like to be without a true 3-point threat.  Of the shooters, look for the Bulls to pick from Reggie Bullock (North Carolina, 43.6% 3-pt shooting) or Tim Hardaway, Jr. (Michigan, 37.4%).  Jamaal Franklin from San Diego State is also an option here, though he isn’t a typical long-range shooter.  Apparently, the Bulls are also in discussions about exchanging Luol Deng for a top-5 pick, having targeted the Wizards at number 3.  This would be a great deal for the Bulls!  Deng’s contract runs out after next season, and it is believed that the Bulls would let him walk to free up cap space to sign a legitimate #2 to Derrick Rose.  If they’re able to pull this off, it would be a great job by upper management, but it remains to be seen what all the Wizards would have to gain from this.  It’s worth monitoring though.  In the 2nd round, look for the Bulls to choose Illinois’ Brandon Paul, who had a 2nd workout with the Bulls on Monday.

 

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs inch closer and closer everyday to becoming the first sellers of the 2013 MLB season.  Already, Carlos Marmol is gone, but that was due to general suckage (I think that’s the appropriate term?).  I think Kevin Gregg will be gone soon, as he has yet to blow a save and is outperforming his ability, so the Cubs will want to deal him before he comes back down to Earth.  Nate Schierholtz, who like Gregg is outperforming his ability, could be another option.  Stay tuned, because when the selling starts, it is going to take off.

 

Chicago Fire: Don’t look now, but the Chicago Fire are starting to play some really good soccer.  When I last discussed the Fire, they had just drawn 2-2 with the Portland Timbers.  Since then, they’ve defeated Colorado 2-1 away, and Columbus 2-1 at home.  In those two games, Mike Magee has scored a goal apiece.  Magee has been big since coming to the Fire, and while they still have a long way to go to get back into contention, two consecutive wins, their first such streak of the year, is a fantastic way to get things started.

 

Chicago White Sox: In case you missed it, this happened last night (MLB doesn’t allow embedded videos, so you’ll have to follow the link):

A Classic White Sox Blunder

Yes, the White Sox dropped an infield pop-up to give up a tying run in the 9th.  While they ended up winning in the bottom of the 9th, this blunder comes one game after this:

The Pre-Blunder Blunder

That team actually cost the team a victory.  So it’s quite clear that this team is currently learning how to catch a ball.  When they’ve mastered that, they’ll learn how to throw.  If there is still time in the season, they’ll move to hitting.  But they are improving.  They’re taking baby steps towards becoming better than your average Little League team.

 

Your Chicago daily sports schedule (one game to watch)

Sky v. Liberty – 11:30 am

White Sox v. Mets – 7:10 pm

Cubs @ Brewers – 7:10 pm

Blackhawks-Bruins Game 1 Review

What. A. Game.

3 OT.  117 total SOG. 6 power plays.  3 goals for the Bruins.  4 goals for the Blackhawks!

This was always going to be a tough game for the losing team to come back from.  You don’t want to play 3 OTs and come out of it without a win.  Fortunately, the Hawks pulled it off, and that bodes well for the rest of the series.  And if you were able to stay up for the entire game, then you certainly were rewarded for your patience and dedication.  Assuming you’re a Blackhawks fan, of course.

Looking at my keys to the series, the Blackhawks came through on two of three of them.  First of all, Jonathan Toews was a non-factor.  He had a +/- of 0, only put five SOG (fifth on the team), had a 52.3% win rate on faceoffs, and had 0 assists.  It’s concerning to say the least that he has been hard to find on the ice.  As center, he may be focusing more on the defensive aspect of his game, but with only one blocked shot last night, that doesn’t seem to be the case.  For the Blackhawks’ sake, I hope he comes to play on Saturday night.

My second key to the series was whether Corey Crawford would show up.  This was about a 50/50 success.  Crawford was pedestrian for the first two and a half periods, giving up three goals in only 19 shots.  However, after the Bruins went up 3-1, Crawford stopped the next 35 shots, including 29 in the OT periods.  Additionally, a number of the OT chances for the Bruins were quite good.  There were a number of failed attacks where I came away scratching my head wondering how they hadn’t scored.  Crawford played a big role in that.  If OT Crawford shows up throughout this entire series, the Blackhawks have to be seen as the overwhelming favorites.

My final key to the series was whether the Blackhawks would be able to compete physically.  This was their greatest success of the game.  They outhit the Bruins 61-59.  It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but since the Bruins are a physical team and the Blackhawks rely on finesse, if the Hawks are able to break even in the hits department, the whole team has done their job.  Leading the team in hits were Bryan Bickell, Brandon Bollig, and Andrew Shaw, all with 9 hits apiece.  Shaw has to be seen as the MVP of this game, scoring the winning goal in OT, adding an assist, and posting a +/- of +2 (tied for best on the team).  If Shaw is able to continue this level of play, it definitely minimizes the statistical absence of Jonathan Toews.

The Blackhawks will be back on the ice Saturday at 7:00 pm and if Game 2 is anything like this one, you had better be tuning in!  And to hold you over until then, just keep watching this highlight (and ears open for Shaw’s f-bomb at 2:06):

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (one game to watch):

Cubs v. Reds – 1:20 pm