Ten Thoughts on Chicago Sports: Chicago Bears and beyond

1) This question goes out to the hardcore Chicago Blackhawks fans; Does it bother you that so many Blackhawk fans are bandwagon fans? I consider my Blackhawks fandom to be relatively new, (about 2007, after Rocky Wirtz took over). I watch a handful of regular season games each year, but the playoffs have been pretty much must see TV. Am I considered a bandwagon fan?

2) If the Blackhawks win it all tonight, the two logical choices for playoff MVP would be Patrick Kane or Corey Crawford. Unless Kane does something really spectacular this evening, I don't see how the Conn Smythe trophy can go to anyone but Crawford. He's been consistently brilliant all postseason.

3) Full MLB disclosure, the Chicago Cubs are my second favorite baseball team, so I'm not living and dying with every season like the true die-hards. From my perspective, it does look like the future is bright, but I'd like to know if you True Blue fans trust in the vision and future that Theo Epstein is promising?

4) If Cubs closer Kevin Gregg is traded away, does that mean Carlos Marmol goes back to being the 9th inning guy? Allowing Marmol to close games may be the only way the Cubs will ever get his trade value back up.

5) Chicago White Sox 2nd baseman Gordon Beckham was hitting real good before his stint on the DL, and since he's been back he's done very well also. He's entering what should be the prime of his career, and I think this is the real Gordon Beckham that fans were waiting for.

6) The White Sox need to act quickly and move Jesse Crain before he comes back to earth. He's on an insane run, and his trade value will never be higher. As a Tiger fan, I'd be OK with shipping him to Detroit...

7) The NBA Draft rumors are really starting to heat up, and the Chicago Bulls and small forward Luol Deng are right in the center of a bunch if those. Unless a team really blows the Bulls away with an offer for Deng, I see no reason to move him.

8) And speaking of the NBA Draft, if the Bulls stand pat at 20, the consensus pick for them seems to be Louisville center Gorgui Dieng. I'd be fine with this pick. He's an athletic, defensive minded big man, that plays smart with the ball in his hands, and has a developing offensive game. He would be able to spell the 5 and the 4, and is a player that appears ready to log some NBA minutes from the start.

9) As mentioned and linked up in today's Den, even though the NFL didn't allow Chicago Bears rookie Kyle Long to participate in OTAs, technology allowed him to be involved.

During OTA practices, Long awoke at 5 a.m. and spoke to assistant offensive line coach Pat Meyer via "FaceTime," which allows for real-time video communication between two parties. Long then used FaceTime to keep track of what was transpiring in team meetings.

"I'd see the screen and I'd hear coach [Aaron] Kromer and coach Meyer talking the guys through what they were seeing, so it was a good opportunity for me to see what the meetings are going to be like," Long said.

Long has been hard at work, doing what ever he can to prepare himself to compete for a starting position. I wouldn't bet against him.

More From WCG: The Bears Den: June 24, 2013 - Offseason news and notes

10) I may drop an occasional "nerd" joke when it comes to the Moneyball type evaluations that are starting to creep up around the NFL, but I'm a big proponent of using that kind of data when scouting. It's the unbiased nature of their work that is so valuable, and the Bears having a director of analytics will just bring more to the table when building their team.

72-10, that is all...

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