Banter From The Bench

NationalWeek One of the NFL preseason gave us our first look at rookies and depth players, with a few breakout performances and some early injury scares. Micah Parsons made headlines by requesting a trade from the Cowboys, sparking speculation on which contender might make a move. Shohei Ohtani’s name surfaced again off the field, this time tied to a Hawaii real estate lawsuit. We each shared our top three Heisman picks for the upcoming college football season and reacted to the first AP Poll, noting a few surprises in the rankings. In MMA news, the UFC announced a $7.7B deal with Paramount that will eliminate PPV events starting in 2026.

ChicagoThe Bears’ preseason opener against the Dolphins offered glimpses of offensive rhythm and some promising defensive moments, while Sunday night’s matchup with the Bills will be a key test for roster hopefuls. The White Sox’s second half has been a mixed bag, with a few bright spots but continued struggles overall. And as the season plays out, questions linger over whether the Andrew Vaughn trade was a win or a miss for the Sox.

National - We recap a good deal of the moves made so far in the off-season in the NBA so far. Which teams have made the most movement? Which teams have done close to nothing? The NBA draft had some pretty surprising picks...who caught our eye?! And finally, Sean recaps the NHL draft and some of the major headlines that weekend!

Chicago - How did the Blackhawks do this year in their draft weekend? The Bulls made some interesting picks this year, in what seems to be a play for trusting the development of both guys selected this year! Do we love it, do we hate it? Tune in to find out!

National:

The NBA Conference Finals are heating up—Pacers hold a 3-1 lead over the Knicks, while OKC is also up 3-1 on the Timberwolves with the series heading back to Oklahoma. NCAA Baseball Regional play kicks off this week, and we’ll run through every regional to make our picks. Plus, the Women’s College World Series begins—get ready for our championship predictions.

Chicago:

The Blackhawks made a major move, hiring Jeff Blashill as their next head coach, while the Bulls land the 12th pick in the NBA Draft—who might they target? On the South Side, Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, and Miguel Vargas are all showing major promise with big numbers at the plate. In a bold but necessary move, the White Sox have optioned struggling first baseman Andrew Vaughn to Triple-A.

National
The NHL Draft Lottery shook things up with the Islanders landing the top pick and Utah jumping ten spots to fourth, along with revealing their wild new name—the Utah Mammoth Sluts. A new lottery format debuted, drawing mixed reactions. In the NHL playoffs, Toronto, Carolina, and Edmonton hold early series leads. The NBA playoffs are also underway, with Indiana and New York among the teams off to strong starts.

Chicago
The Bears’ draft haul was solid, headlined by TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden III. The Blackhawks landed the No. 3 pick, keeping hopes high for a key addition. The White Sox are trending upward, with strong showings from Edgar Quero, Miguel Vargas, and Rule 5 surprise Shane Smith. On the farm, Tim Elko and Braden Montgomery are raking while Colson Montgomery works on swing adjustments in Arizona.

We live stream our reactions to each pick in round 2 of the draft, and also giving our thoughts on how our Bears did in the first round, taking Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick!

National - The Florida Gators are the Mens College Basketball champions. UConn takes home the title for the Womens College Basketball tournament. Alexander Ovechkin has officially passed Wayne Gretzky's all time goals record, in the same exact amount of games! NBA playoffs are starting to take shape, with only a few games left on the schedule for each team.

Chicago - The White Sox farm system has some exciting names, some guys are making a serious case to be called up, while others are facing some early struggles. Oliver Moore picked up his first two points for his Blackhawks career, Sam Rinzel followed up with his first on Sunday night. Do the Blackhawks have a chance at the number one overall pick?!

National - The Final Four features all 1 seeds. Do we have a new era of college basketball due to the NIL? Baseball extensions are happening left and right - who are the latest players to cash in? The NFL might be trying to ban the tush push - do we agree with this?!

Chicago - The White Sox starting pitching staff has looked incredible so far. Who are some names we might expect to see from the farm system shortly? The Bulls officially made the Play In Tournament - yay? The Blackhawks are continuing their youth movement, which should make for an exciting finish to the season!

National - We make our picks for every single game in the first two rounds. Spoiler alert...we love upsets. NFL Free Agency is still fairly busy - who are the latest players with new homes?

Chicago - Sean Burke was named opening day starter for the White Sox. Artyom Levshunov was called up and seems to be getting some meaningful ice time - what have we noticed so far? Da Bears are starting to fill roster spots, hear about some of the latest names that are coming to the Windy City

National - The Raiders/Seahawks made an interesting trade this week. Some teams are clearing cap space, and others are ready to SPEND. NHL trade deadline was primarily won by the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers, but had a lot of excitement during the final two days. March Madness is HERE - who do we predict will win each conference tournament?!

Chicago - The Blackhawks traded Seth Jones, Petr Mrazek, and a pick to start planning for the future! So far, Spencer Knight looks like he could be a key piece moving forward. The Bears made a few trades of their own, bolstering the offensive line before free agency opens this week! Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney are the newest Bears - do we like these moves so far?!

National - We give our thoughts on the 4 Nations Tournament. Ovechkin is closing in on Gretzky's scoring record - will he hit it this year? The NBA All Star Game was played? Couldn't tell...no one watched it. NFL free agency is less than two weeks away and there are already a lot of rumors - what are the latest names?

Chicago - Seth Jones is causing chaos in the Blackhawks locker room while he waits to be traded. With Spring Training under way - will the White Sox have another brutal season? What are we expecting to see from them this year? Ryan Poles met with the media at the start of the NFL Combine, and had some entertaining comments. Finally - apparently Ben Johnson would give up his testicles to win championships for Chicago...yes you read that right.