This week in sports—December 8
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and a lot has happened in the world of sports. In the NHL, the start date of Jan. 1, is now in jeopardy. Kendall Coyne Schofield was named as player development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks, and several teams have announced the possibility of moving their home games outdoors for the upcoming season. In the MLB the Chicago Cubs released Kyle Schwarber at the MLB nontender deadline and the White Sox released Carlos Rodon. Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper joins the White Sox. In the NFL, the Bears fall below .500 for the first time this season and the Pittsburgh Steelers remain undefeated. The NBA offseason has commenced in full force after the 2020-21 start date is announced.
NHL
Will We Ring in 2021 With Hockey?
The NHL is dangerously close to missing their target start date of Jan. 1, for the 2021 season. Commissioner Gary Bettman originally planned to start the season on New Year’s Day, but there has been no update since. With a Jan. 1 start date, training camps would normally be taking place at this time, but with health and player safety issues, the start date is looking very unlikely.
There are still a slew of concerns waiting to be resolved before the green light can be given to initiate the next step of starting the 2020-21 season. There is still no confirmation whether the NHL will have an all Canadian division, which would cause a realignment of the divisions. Teams that have not played in almost a year will need an extended training camp to get ready for the upcoming season. There is also no clear plan on whether teams will be able to play in their own arenas.
Bettman stated in an article for NHL.com, “if you're playing a regular schedule of games, you can't quarantine players for 14 days as you're moving in and out of the country, which is why, among the other issues that are going to impact a possible season, is we literally would have to realign and create a situation where maybe the teams in Canada only play each other, and we have to realign the way all of our teams are playing competitively.”
Kendall Coyne Schofield Joins Hawks
Chicago-area native Kendall Coyne Schofield was recently hired as a player development coach by the Chicago Blackhawks. Coyne Schofield is the first woman in Blackhawks history to hold a coaching title. This is the first move to take place since the Marlins hired Kim Ng as their general manager. She joins Dawn Braid of the Arizona Coyotes as the second woman in the NHL to hold a coaching position.
While working with the main roster of the Hawks, Coyne Schofield will also be scouting and helping the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Hawks.
Coyne Schofield has played professional hockey in the National Women’s Hockey League and won a gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In 2018, Coyne Schofield was the first woman to participate in the NHL skills competition where she competed in the fastest skater event and placed second behind reigning champ Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
Coyne Schofield is familiar with the Blackhawks; she grew up watching the team and has worked with many of the local hockey programs throughout the Chicagoland area. She also has her own development program for girls playing hockey called “Golden Coynes.”
Hockey Moving Outdoors
Several teams including the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars are considering playing their home games outdoors during the 2020-2021 season. Because COVID-19 is making its second wave throughout the United States, fans would not be able to attend games if they were indoors at their home arenas.
Fans would be able to attend outdoor games while social distancing, allowing the teams to generate some form of revenue. One issue that was discussed out of this potential plan is how well the ice will hold up for teams located in the southern states. Teams like the Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes would have a hard time keeping the ice solid when temperatures rise in April. The move is set not in stone but is being considered as a viable option.
MLB
Cubs and White Sox Stay Busy at Non-tender Deadline
The Cubs and White Sox have been two of the most active teams this offseason. Both the Cubs and Sox have decided to add to their roster moves with the non-tender deadline approaching. The Cubs announced they officially non-tendered outfielders Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr., and veteran reliever Ryan Tepera. The Cubs tendered third baseman Kris Bryant to keep him on the team for the 2021 season.
To most Cubs fans, the release of Schwarber and Almora is the start of a rebuilding process. Both Schwarber and Almora were part of the Cubs offensive woes in 2020. Schwarber played in all but one game in the 2020 season hitting an abysmal .188 and only 11 home runs. Almora appeared in 34 games and hit only .167. Both players were part of the 2016 World Series Championship team and will become free agents.
The White Sox non-tendered their third-overall pick in 2014, pitcher Carlos Rodón. Rodón missed most of the 2020 season recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had in 2019. Rodón appeared in four games, failing to register a win in all of them. His most notable appearance came against the Cleveland Indians where he blew a 4-1 lead and cost the Sox a must needed win.
Rodón has been considered a bust by many, being injured through most of his tenure in Chicago. He was named the 2019 Opening Day starter in 2019 for the White Sox and gave up three runs in just five innings. Rodón has shown flashes of talent when healthy but has been mostly inconsistent with the injury bug during his six years with the White Sox.
Nomar Mazara was the second nontender victim for the White Sox. Mazara was brought in to be the everyday right fielder on the South Side but ended up being a major disappointment. He hit just .228 and had only one home run that came at the tail end of the season. He finally started to show potential in the wildcard series against Oakland where he hit .500 with 2 RBIs but with a deep outfielder market in free agency, it is all but guaranteed the Sox will be moving on from the 25-year old after just one season.
Len Kasper Switches Sides
For the first time since 2004, the Chicago Cubs will have a new play-by-play broadcaster. Longtime TV voice of the Cubs Len Kasper has decided to leave his position as lead TV broadcaster and take on the position of lead radio play-by-play broadcaster for the White Sox. The Cubs announced that Chris Myers of Fox Sports will replace Len on Marquee Network.
Kasper spent the last sixteen years as the Cubs TV announcer, being regarded one of the best in the game. The White Sox were looking for a replacement for interim radio voice Andy Masur who filled in for the Sox after the passing of longtime radio announcer Ed Farmer. Kasper will join longtime Sox analyst Darrin Jackson in the upcoming season.
NFL
Bears Drop Below .500
Fresh off their bye week the Bears showed picked up right where they left off, losing 41-25 to the rival Green Bay Packers. They are now 5-6, falling into third place in the NFC North and falling below .500 for the first time this season. The embarrassing loss on national TV has fans calling for the firing of both Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace.
The defense has shown its weakness without Eddie Goldman or Akiem Hicks and the offense has continued to struggle. The return of Mitch Trubisky as quarterback ended up being a failure, as Trubisky threw two interceptions in the endzone and fumbled a ball that ended up being run in for a touchdown for Green Bay.
With only five games left in the season the Bears are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. They will likely have to win out the rest of the season in order to have a shot at hosting a wildcard game. A loss will likely end the Bears’ hopes of making the playoffs. They currently have a 26% chance of making the playoffs, but have a favorable stretch of upcoming games against the Texans, Vikings, and Jaguars.
Steel City Dominance
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the NFL’s hottest team this season going undefeated through twelve games. Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has shown that he still has plenty left in the tank, throwing 25 touchdowns and over 2800 yards. The offense has done its job averaging just under 30 points a game. The Steelers’ defense sits third in the league only giving up 17 points a game which is the fewest in the league. The Steelers are currently the favorite to get a bye week in the playoffs with the Kansas City Chiefs right behind them. Chase Claypool, wide receiver, has made a name for himself this season with over 45 catches and over 600 yards rushing after catches.
NBA
With just under a month before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season, players have been rapidly on the move. Some of the most recent activity includes the Houston Rockets trading Russell Westbrook to Washington for Wizards star John Wall. Gordon Hayward signed in Charlotte for $120 million over four years after being traded from Boston over the offseason. The Toronto Raptors are without Serge Ibaka as he has moved on to the Los Angeles Clippers. Former Bull Joakim Noah was cut from the Clippers and is likely considering retirement after nearly fourteen seasons in the NBA.
The NBA’s season restarts on Dec. 22, which will be playing another shortened season.