Gameday Notebook: Sky/Mercury Finals Game 1; Bears at Raiders; Sox Face Elimination
A busy, busy day in Chicago sports punctuates a great time to follow sports in the city
Detroit got a double dose of Chicago hospitality last Sunday with two of its teams getting treated like the life-long rivals they are.
The Lions got rudely downed by the Bears, enlivened for the first time for an entire game by Justin Fields, and the Tigers got a cheap win over the playoff-bound White Sox before packing their things up for another long off-season.
A third Chicago team played last Sunday at around the same time and just about in the middle of the Bears’ Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field. The Chicago Sky staked their claim in October being “Skytober” and won the first of two playoff games it would win at home in Wintrust Arena this week, the two wins giving the youngest Chicago pro franchise its second championship finals berth in eight seasons, only the Blackhawks (2015) and the Cubs (2016) have played for titles in that time since.
The 2021 Sky are currently in Phoenix warming up for their WNBA Finals Game 1 contest against the Mercury (2 pm CT, ABC). They just as easily could have been in Vegas today, as the Bears are — with Fields firmly established now as the team’s starting QB, the potentially revived Bears are facing the Raiders (3:05 pm, CBS) in a game that will overlap the second half of the Sky/Mercury.
Given Chicago’s penchant to not be Detroit at least, it may have made for good karma for two of our teams to be in one city just one week after ceremoniously treating another city in the unique way that only Chicago can “treat” someone.
Although, it may have also been tempting fate — after all, the Sky know very much what its like to be disappointed in the playoffs in Vegas… that a similar Aja Wilson-Dearica Hamby-led Aces team couldn’t get past Phoenix may be a very good thing.
As far as the Bears go, you never know how things can go with them and a random result generating team like the Raiders. You would have thought the trip to London in 2019 would have been pretty easy for the guys, but it wound up signalling what would be a bitterly disappointing season.
This time around the Bears may be just as positive in their outlook as they were then as reigning NFC North champions and a potential conference contender. With Fields under center and Andy Dalton not able to work any packages, primary or sub, its only a matter of how much the team wants to let its imagination soar, which should coincide directly with how much it wants to let its potential game-changing QB soar.
Two screens at once? Tape one, watch the other? No matter how you get down, we got options today, Chicago sports fans. Thankfully the folks at Major League Baseball saw fit to make the Sox’s do-or-die Game 3 against Houston a prime-time affair (7 pm, FS1), with some breathing room in between that and the Bears.
Of course, a considerable amount of Chicago (Cubs fans) may already be checked out at this time, but they as much as any fans in the city should understand the stakes at hand today with the other teams — after all, they tried their best to snag Fields into their Wrigley trap when he first came to town, and they seem to be pretty tight with the Sky on social media and IRL.
This is a good time to recognize the shared experiences of all Chicago sports fans, how we all rely on each other from time to time, how we can be all things to each other at once. Our teams all represent different things to us, separate histories that somehow run together to underscore a civic tradition of fight, attitude and often unprecedented success (when bitter losing can be avoided, that is).
We may see a little of all these things today and regardless of the results to come that should make this a day to remember.
Keep up with this post for my hopefully cogent and expounded thoughts at key times of the day and moments from each game. For more off the cuff commentary you can check me out on Twitter @meansmatters.
Chris Pennant — a real one
Good luck with your multi-tasking, brother. And while we’re at it…big, big ups to his podcasting partner (Skyhook podcast), James Kay.
This is just really great to see. If you know James then you know he deserves this moment as much as anyone. S/o to him and Chris and to Annie Costabile and everyone who’s been on the grind covering the Sky and the WNBA, they deserve the shine.
Sky up big at half/Bears close to kickoff
Minutes away to kick-off in Vegas, this is a good time to acknowledge the Sky’s big first half in Phoenix.
Between a store run at the game’s beginning and agonizing over the conflagration of my parlay across the early afternoon NFL games, I’m not much for detail right now on the Sky’s great early effort. But all you need to know about how they took control in the second quarter against Phoenix is in the tweets below.
Bang. Bang.
A bit of what I could read from the first half: the Sky’s D…man, I’m not sure about statistically, but they got to have put together the best WNBA playoff team defense this season, if not for multiple seasons. Look at their overall performance in the series against Jonquel Jones. Now they’re containing Brittany Griner and Diana Turausi and Skyler Diggins-Smith (for the time being).
Runs like that, though, are hard to ignore and they seem to be something the Mercury are prone to giving up. They just famously let Vegas run off 24 points in a row in their last series. Given the way the Sky like to occupy passing lanes and get the ball out in transition, their chances for more quarters like today’s second could be high. And if that’s the case so could the chances at a Sky series win.
Fields throws 1st NFL TD pass
Don’t know why I thought he did this last week, but alas he didn’t. Jesper Horsted gets to be the lucky recipient. Nice to see Fields converting with someone outside of the usual suspects - another good sign that the offense is evolving and maximizing talent with its new leader.
Sky win Game 1
More on this to come when the Bears reach halftime. Very encouraging win though. Don’t want to jinx it, but the chances of a clinching Game 3 next Friday have risen and your man will likely be in the house. Skytown, baby!
A couple interesting talking points come from this tweet - I’ll have to bring them up on some WARR programming this week. First, there is the discussion of who is the WNBA’s GOAT - it would seem popular opinion is giving the title to Taurasi at the moment, something I don’t mind, I’ve long been a fan of hers, but Candace has been a game-changer in every sense of the word and she may tip the Sky into permanent contender status after a championship run this year.
Though her (possible) two titles still wouldn’t match Taurasi’s three, or the four such players as Cynthia Cooper from the league’s early Houston dynasty, the impact of the two titles may supercede those. This isn’t LeBron arguing for his four against Mike’s 6, or trying to say the one in Cleveland »»»»»»» any of the 90’s Bulls runs (an arguable suggestion, yet not elementary…).
This is really the WNBA’s most glamorous, most crossover star on top of being a top 5-10 raw talent on the court, having brought a title to LA and to Chicago and in Chicago creating a championship pedigree pretty much out of nothing. It’s something to think about.
Bears up 14-3 at the half
A rare, almost wholly satisfying first half from the Bears in Vegas. Brad Biggs gets to the heart of what has powered Da Bears offensively so far.
Any offensive power for the Bears has to be highlighted but we can’t take for granted the defense, which as been aggressive and disruptive all day. Still, the trio of Fields, Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams out the backfield has been superb, though you got to hope for Fields to stay on his feet a bit more in the second half.
The Raiders have already fell behind 14-0 in three games this season not counting today, so they know how to play from behind and they know (and mostly prefer) to get yards in big bunches, so nothing is settled yet, but the Bears have already made a stop in the initial 3rd quarter drive, so they’re still in as much control as they’d like.
Final: Bears 20, Raiders 9
Click on the Brandon Pope tweet and you’ll see Allen Robinson sporting maybe the best basketball jersey going right now, the “Chi-Town” Sky alternate, which is already hard to get, with two more wins they won’t be able to keep them on shelves.
As for the Bears — man, a nice performance overall. The offense still could do more, but they at least broke 20 points, which again looks to be enough to allow the defense to secure a game in most weeks.
You can go to my tweets to see some more of my thoughts on the Bears defense vs. its offense. I’m not too interested in repeating myself, plus its pretty obvious what’s up at the moment. Today did see the team rely on the rushing attack well and thrive for most of it — Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams were both showcased, combining for 139 yards on 34 carries (just north of 4 yards a carry) and a Williams TD.
Just fine, that is, the 34 carries in particular. Lets see some more trust of Justin Fields to make plays, something that should occur over time, and that should help lead to more time spent in opponent’s red zones, which should lead to more points.
The Bears are a work in progress but they’re looking less like the team that has so often gone two steps forward and one back, which has been a common theme of the Matt Nagy/Ryan Pace era. Like with Herbert and Williams today, the team as a whole is specializing in pushing the line ahead.
The Remains of the Day
Remainder, actually. Excuse me for trying to be a little more literate than I typically am.
Anyway, s/o to the Chicago Red Stars, a professional team as well who I’ve given short thrift to today. I definitely don’t want to do that cause women’s soccer is quite aligned with women’s basketball in both the fight for equality for women’s athletes and the fight for dignity for people everywhere. Plus, they win too, and they are fighting hard to secure a playoff spot in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Keep up with their game going live now against OL Reign in Tacoma, Wash.
Also, the Bulls are continuing their preseason in Cleveland. That’ll be something I check up on with the late re-airing on NBC Sports Chicago. Speaking of that fine organization of sports broadcasting, ya man has a little announcement regarding himself and them that will lead off “Monday Night Means” tomorrow. Please join if you want to hear right away.
And, finally, the main event of this day — the White Sox are minutes away from trying to stave off elimination against Houston in what will be a blacked-out and lit up G-Rate Field.
As long as I’ve gone here I think I’m going to spare you good folks the extra scrolling and save any Sox commentary I may have for another post. There’ll definitely be plenty on MNM tomorrow, but if I have the energy there may be something else tonight. In the meantime lets see what the Sox have left - things have gone well so far today, no reason for a weak finish.
Also, safe travels to all the naturally (and less naturally) charged up Chicagoans heading home from Vegas over the next 24 hours or so. Feel free to keep whatever you got into there, except for the winning momentum that is.
Late edition
Ya love to see it. #Soxtober lives, #Skytober is in control of a championship series and the Bears and Bulls both have pretty bright futures. Lets wrap this day up like a blanket, Chicago, and get some sweet rest.
Back at it tomorrow at the G-Rate. #Soxin5.