WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

It didn’t take long for new White Sox GM Rick Hahn to get some needed work done for the 2013 team. The biggest news is right-hand pitcher Jake Peavy and the team agreed to a two year contract extension worth $29 million. A third option year is worth $15 million, if Peavy pitches a certain amount of innings. The Sox starter will also get the $4 million dollar buyout from his present contract; it will be spread between 2016 -2019.

“Early on in this process, Jake expressed his strong desire to remain with the White Sox,” says Hahn, “We’re happy to reach a deal that keeps him at the top end of our rotation and his influence in our clubhouse for at least the next two years.”

Last season, 31-year-old Peavy had a come-back year after a tough injury. He made the All-star team and went 11-12 with a 3.37 ERA.

His win total would have been more if he had better run support.

“I’m really excited to come back to Chicago and build on what we did last year,” Peavy said.  “I made no secret of the fact that this is where I want to play.”

Another pitcher back in the fold for the next season is Gavin Floyd. The Sox picked up his $9.5 million contract for 2013. He was 12-11 with a 4.29 ERA. He battled elbow soreness a number of times during last season.

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It seemed the Bears were in hibernation for almost three quarters of the game Sunday night, the way they were playing against a much lesser Carolina team. Even the Soldier Field crowd was quiet and uneasy until Bears cornerback Tim Jennings snatched a pass from Carolina Quarterback Cam Newton and ran it back for a score to finally give the Bears a lead in the fourth quarter. That lead didn’t last; the Panthers didn't lie down as their kicker Justin Medlock hit his fifth field goal of the game. Then it was a moment of redemption for Bears kicker Robbie Gould: He had missed a 33-yard field goal, but with seconds left, he nailed a 41-yarder to give the Bears a 23-22 win.

The numbers game

If you look at the stats (the Bears players may not want to) this game was clearly a win-by-the-numbers for the Panthers: Newton threw for more than 300 yards. The time of possession was so lopsided, with the Panthers offense on the field over 36 minutes. The one area the Bears had a clear advantage on was field position; Carolina head coach Ron Rivera, for some reason, squibbed his kick offs. You could say to keep out of Devin Hester's hands but it was a dangerous idea that the Bears did not take advantage of most of the game.

The turning point

Bears Quarterback Jay Cutler had negative receiving yards until late in the third quarter, when Earl Bennett caught back-to-back receptions.

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In a move that has been evolving over the past year, the White Sox made some changes to their front office Friday. Rick Hahn has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager after spending the past 12 years as assistant general manager to GM Ken Williams. Williams, meanwhile, has been elevated to Executive Vice President of the club.

Williams said his new role would involve more of a “macro” handling of the team. One of his tasks will be to bring “fan energy” back to U.S. Cellular Field, similar to efforts that have taken place in Boston, New York and California. He will also become more involved with the White Sox farm system. 

Hahn has worked closely with Williams and will likely continue many of the former GM's methods. The Winnetka native, who has intereviewed for several GM positions in the past year, went to University of Michigan, Harvard Law School and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. When asked about his collegiate background and his current chosen path, the new GM said, “Baseball has always been special to me.” Prior to joining the White Sox, Hahn worked for the sports agency firm of Steinberg, Moorad and Dunn.

Hahn also said he is actively involved in negotiations with the Sox free agents Jake Peavy, A.J. Pierzynski and Kevin Youkilis, as well as potential free agent Gavin Floyd.

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For the record, I always liked Ozzie Guillen. The former Sox manager would say ridiculous, even crazy things, but I took that as a sign of his insecurities rather than a sign of malice. But I know that for others, mentioning the name Ozzie Guillen in conversation is like throwing a hand grenade.

It's a real factor for the recently-fired Miami Marlins manager, who is out of work and is now looking for a new job. Or maybe he won't look for a new gig: Even though he's been let go, by the terms of his contract Ozzie will still collect over $7 million for the next three years. 

But if Ozzie did want to work in Major League Baseball again, would he have any chance of finding employment within the sport he loves second only to his family?

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I normally don't put much stock in the NBA pre-season, but this year is different for the Bulls. We know what the big issue is — no Derrick Rose — but there are other reasons to pay attention besides the injured All-Star.

Last year's lock-out took a huge toll on many fronts. Remember, the league cut training camp short and crammed 66 games into the schedule. When a team has a head coach like Tom Thibodeau, the use of practices, especially during training camp, are imperative to learning and absorbing the Bulls system.

Here is a look at some of the areas the Bulls are hoping to address before the 2012-2013 seasons gets underway Halloween night at the United Center:

• Without Derrick Rose, offense will be at a premium. Richard Hamilton needs to deliver. Hamilton was supposed to provide Rose with offensive help in the backcourt. But the guard was badly affected by the shortened camp and a late signing caused by the labor dispute, and plagued by injuries most of the season.

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You could debate that Monday night's Bears 13-7 win over Detroit wasn't pretty, but you can't debate the toughness of the team's QB Jay Cutler.

The Bears quarterback turned the team's first possession into a 7 yard touchdown reception to Brandon Marshall.  With just over five minutes left in the first half, Detroit's 307-pound Ndamukong Suh man-handled Jay Cutler into the turf. Cutler laid there for a moment and had to come out of the game for one play. Before the half, the Bears quarterback did leave to have his ribs examined and take X-rays, he returned to play in the second half. During the post-game press conference, both Cutler and Lovie Smith had no issue with Suh over the manner of his play. “That’s football, no one is trying to hurt anyone out there,” said Smith. Cutler expects his ribs will become sorer in the ensuing days. He will get additional treatment during the week.

 The Bears defense had big moments, as they have had all season. Forcing two Lions’ fumbles and an interception in the "red zone" were keys to the Bears domination of their divisional opponent.

One of the biggest defensive plays of the game occurred late in the third quarter on the Bears one yard line; Henry Melton forced a crucial Detroit turnover.

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You get the feeling that tonight's Lions/Bears meeting at Soldier Field could be a throwback to the good ol' days of the "Black and Blue" division games played decades ago. All week long the phrase "playing through the whistle-and beyond" was how Detroit was being characterized around the Bears in Lake Forest.

While the Bears (4-1) were enjoying a bye-week, the Lions (2-3) came back in the 4th quarter to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-23; they won despite racking up 16 penalties (playing through the whistle and beyond). That was a huge win for the Lions; much has been expected from them this year. They were a big story last season making the playoffs after being the NFL doormat for a long time. Of course, the Bears would love to beat them to maintain a good distance with their lead in the NFC North’s division. The only blemish on the Bears season was the loss to Green Bay — a loss to the Lions wouldn’t be devastating, but could complicate playoff scenarios.

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