Chicago Sports Fan Blog

For two seasons, the Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester was the most electrifying return man in the NFL. Now Hester, the receiver, wouldn’t mind getting back to his roots.

“I know what I’m best at,” Hester said Thursday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “The return game is my bread and butter, so if I had to cut back on my receiving and go back to returning, that’s something I would love to do.”

Hester scored 11 regular-season touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns from 2006 to 2007, and brought a kick back for a score in the Super Bowl in 2007. In an effort to get his play-making ability on the field more, Bears coaches turned Hester into a receiver before the 2008 season, and the experiment has had mixed results.

Hester has averaged 54 catches for 711 yards in his two full seasons as a receiver, but his return game has suffered. He hasn’t scored a touchdown on a return since Dec. 30, 2007 against the New Orleans Saints. After returning 31 kicks without a score in 2008, Hester returned just seven in 2009 as Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox got the bulk of the work.

Hester said the coaching staff makes the decisions, and he is willing to do whatever they ask.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPNChicago.com

With their focus directed on winning the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks aren’t putting much thought into individual honors.

So good that the buzz around the league has Keith as a leading candidate for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman.

Through 55 games, Keith has already established a career high in points (49) and assists (38), both second-best on the Hawks behind winger Patrick Kane. Keith is one goal shy of his career-high 12, set during the 2007-08 season.

“It doesn’t really mean a whole lot to me right now,” Keith, 26, said of the hype about his Norris chances. “It’s obviously nice to hear your name mentioned in things like that with so many great defensemen in the league, but at the same time there’s still a lot of season left to play. There’s no point in really thinking about anything like that.”

Among defensemen, Keith is second to the Capitals’ Mike Green in points, who has 52 in 52 games, third in shots with 143 and sixth with a plus-19 plus-minus rating. Keith is second among all players with an average of 26 minutes, 33 seconds of ice time per game.

Click here to read the full article – By Chicago Tribune

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Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died Sunday morning of cardiac arrest, the Greenwood, S.C., county coroner said. He was 26.

Greenwood County coroner James T. Coursey told ESPN that Adams, a Greenwood native, was taken to the emergency room at Self Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9 a.m.


Adams, who had just completed his third season in the NFL, went into cardiac arrest at his family’s home early Sunday morning, said Marcia Kelley-Clark, chief deputy coroner for Greenwood County.

The autopsy showed Adams had an enlarged heart, a condition Kelley-Clark said can often lead to a heart attack. But Adams’ relatives didn’t know about it.

“Nobody was aware of any kind of medical condition,” Kelley-Clark said.

Toxicology tests are being run by the State Law Enforcement Division, though drug use was not suspected as a factor in Adams’ death. However, those results probably will not be available for at least two months, Kelley-Clark said.

“I remember him at the 2007 Draft as a fine young man,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said of Adams on Sunday. “Our condolences to Gaines’ family, his teammates on the Bears and Buccaneers, and their organizations on their loss.”


Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said an ESPN.com report that a decision to fire him already has been made is “totally not accurate.”

Citing sources with knowledge of the Bulls’ thinking, Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine reported on Sunday night that a decision has been made and the Bulls are just waiting to find Del Negro’s replacement.

The coach said he and Bulls management are on the same page, and Del Negro told reporters to ask vice president of basketball operations John Paxson or general manager Gar Forman about the situation. Forman declined to speak to reporters after practice Monday.

Phone messages left for Paxson and Forman were not returned on Sunday, but in text messages to ESPN The Magazine on Sunday night, Paxson neither confirmed nor denied the report.

“It’s just funny to me,” Del Negro said. “There’s really nothing to say. You have all these people that have rumors, and everyone has their sources. It’s just not accurate.


Click here to read the full article – By Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com

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The final details of their contract extensions have been ironed out, and that means Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith are officially Blackhawks for a long time.

The Hawks will have a news conference on Thursday to announce the signings of the trio of young stars, who were set to become unrestricted free agents after the season.

The Tribune first reported on Nov. 17 that Kane, Toews and Keith all would sign extensions at the same time, establishing a core group of players to solidify the franchise’s future. After two weeks of tweaking and salary-cap manipulations, Hawks general manager Stan Bowman completed identical five-year deals for forwards Kane and Toews worth a reported $31.5 million each, while defenseman Keith inked a 13-year, $72 million contract.

It was reported widely the announcement of the deals had been delayed because the Hawks didn’t have tagging room, meaning the new salaries would put the team over next season’s salary cap, a violation of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. Whether that was the case or if Bowman created room to maneuver under the cap could be cleared up Thursday.

Click here to read the full article – By Chicago Tribune

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The Blackhawks are back home after their annual circus trip, and Patrick Kane is making a return home of his own: to his familiar spot at right wing.

Kane, who was shifted to the left side to make room for Marian Hossa on a line with center Jonathan Toews three games ago, was back on the right side during practice Monday. Kane was moved to a line with winger Dustin Byfuglien and center Kris Versteeg. Meanwhile, Patrick Sharp joined Toews and Hossa, and the Hawks will start that way when they take on the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at the United Center.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Kane said of the switch. “I don’t know if it’s balancing out the lines or getting me back to my old position … but I’m happy with wherever they put me.”

Kane had two assists in the three games paired with Hossa and Toews, but the Hawks’ offense sputtered, scoring just one goal in the final two games of the trip, both losses.

“You can kind of sense it coming,” said Kane, who leads the Hawks in scoring with nine goals and 16 assists. “Something was going to change. It’s a pretty dynamic line now with Sharp, Toews and Hossa.”

Click here to read the full article – By Chicago Tribune

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History has shown that it’s never too late for the Bulls to turn things around.

In 2004-05, they started 2-13 and recovered to win 47 games. Last year, they won 12 of their last 16 to finish with a .500 record.

So to call the coming week a critical stretch for the Bulls would be an overstatement. But it would help if they could end a run of four straight lopsided losses before the team’s chemistry and confidence suffer lasting harm.


Click here to read the full article – By Mike McGraw of Daily Herald

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“The Blackhawks enjoyed a well-deserved day off today — if you can call flying from Los Angeles to Chicago a day off.

Regardless, they didn’t take the ice the day after concluding their six-game road trip with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Kings on Saturday night.

The Hawks finished the trip with a 4-1-1 mark and have come out of the journey with some momentum and positive feelings about where they stand a little over a quarter into the season.

“We like our team in a lot of ways,” coach Joel Quenneville said after the loss to the Kings. “We have a lot of options as far as putting lines together and special teams. Our goaltenders this trip were great.

“We should be excited about getting better. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at. There are areas we can improve, but certainly we like all our options.”"

Click here to read the full article – By Chicago Tribune

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