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MLB Mock Draft 2012: Keith Law Projects White Sox To Select 3B Richie Shaffer

2012-05-16T19:17:04Z

ESPN's Keith Law projects the Chicago White Sox to select Clemson third baseman Richie Shaffer with the No. 13 overall pick in his first mock of the upcoming MLB Draft. Shaffer is a potential slugger that could move somewhat quickly through Chicago's farm system.

Here's what Law had to say about the White Sox and Shaffer:

Shaffer has the most raw power of any college hitter in this class and has a very good chance of being a solid big league regular, but probably not a star. It'll be interesting to see if ownership allows the scouting department to spend up to the new, higher slot numbers, since they almost never exceeded the old figures. I've also heard them tied to Ohio prep lefty Matt Smoral.

Considering how weak the White Sox's farm system is, you can't really sit down and say that there's any obvious need within the organization. They can use help pretty much everywhere, making the "take-the-best-player-available" mantra especially important for them this year.

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has generally been the cheapest owner in all of baseball when it comes to the draft, and he was a major influence in getting the major draft spending restrictions written into the new CBA. It'll be interesting to see how Chicago approaches the draft now, but one thing that shouldn't be expected is big spending.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the White Sox, head over to South Side Sox. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels.

MLB Mock Draft 2012: Keith Law Projects Cubs To Select OF Albert Almora Sixth Overall

2012-05-16T19:06:44Z

In his first mock of the upcoming MLB Draft, ESPN's Keith Law projects the Chicago Cubs to select high school outfielder Albert Almora with the sixth overall pick. Almorra has been rising up draft boards lately as one of the most explosive athletes in the entire draft.

The Cubs also have their eyes California prep lefty [Max] Fried and Puerto Rico's [Carlos] Correa. Almora, who has an advanced feel for hitting and good range in center, is the likely favorite here.

Almora currently plays center field for Mater Academy Charter in Hialeh Gardens, Fla. Coming in at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, scouts have been increasingly impressed by the prep outfielder's polish despite being so young. He's not exceptionally fast, but uses strong instincts to run quality routes in center field, yielding plus results.

For more on the Chicago Cubs, check out the Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels.

Chicago Bulls' Gar Forman Finishes 4th In NBA Executive Of The Year Voting

2012-05-16T18:36:39Z

Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman finished fourth in the voting for 2012 NBA Executive of the Year, as the team announced on Wednesday. This year's winner is Indiana's Larry Bird, who helped to build the team that's currently giving the Miami Heat a run for their money in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

#Bulls GM Gar Forman finishes 4th in NBA Executive of the Year award voting. Pacers' Larry Bird this year's winner.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 16, 2012

Bird finished the voting with 88 points and 12 first-place votes. San Antonio's R.C. Buford was second with 56 points and eight first-place votes while the Los Angeles Clippers' Neil Olshey finished third with 55 points and six first-place votes.

Forman didn't make any major moves with the Bulls this season, mostly choosing to keep his veteran-laden team intact. The acquisition of shooting guard Richard Hamilton, plus the drafting of European prospect Nikola Mirotic last year, could be considered two of his substantial moves.

For more on the Bulls, stick with SB Nation Chicago and make time to read Blog a Bull. For more news, notes and analysis from around the NBA, visit SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Pro Soccer Returning To Wrigley Field For First Time Since 1984

2012-05-16T17:38:49Z

For the first time in over 25 years, fans will be able to travel to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to take in a professional soccer game. As Katie Fowler of CSN Chicago reports, a friendly match between Italy's AS Roma and Poland's Zaglebie Lubin has been scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on July 22 at the Cubs' home park.

The playing field at Wrigley will run from the third base dugout to right field, which is similar to the football field layout during the 2010 Allstate Wrigleyville Classic game between Northwestern and Illinois.

The match is part of an American tour being done by AS Roma that also includes trips to Boston and New York City. The last soccer match played at Wrigley Field was back in 1984 when the Chicago Sting of the now-defunct North American Soccer League defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Tickets for the event will go on sale on Thursday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m. through this website. Tickets reportedly will cost $25 to $110 before taxes.

For more on Cubs, check out the team blog Bleed Cubbie Blue . To keep tabs on AS Roma before their Wrigley visit, check out Chiesa Di Totti, SB Nation's AS Roma team blog.

Ex-White Sox Pitcher Kevin Hickey Passes Away At 56

2012-05-16T17:00:15Z

Chicago White Sox batting practice pitcher Kevin Hickey was found unresponsive in his hotel room on April 5 prior to the team's opening day game vs. the Texas Rangers, and today he passed away at the age of 56.

Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our teammate and colleague Kevin Hickey.RIP Kevin
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 16, 2012

Hickey was a one-time softball and semi-pro baseball player in the 1970s in Chicago when he was offered a contract by the the White Sox after the team held an open tryout at Comiskey Park. He would go on to pitch three seasons for the Southsiders from 1981-1983 before returning to the majors with the Baltimore Orioles, where he would pitch for three more seasons from 1989-1991.

Hickey posted a career ERA of 3.91 in 232.2 innings pitched in his career, picking up nine wins and 17 saves.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the White Sox, head over to South Side Sox. For more news, notes and analysis from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Bears Roster 2012: Chris Williams Officially Moving To Tackle, According To Source

2012-05-16T16:29:43Z

What was once rumor is now fact, according to ESPN Chicago's Michael C. Wright. The Chicago Bears are officially moving ex-first round pick Chris Williams back to tackle after starting him at left guard for each of the past two seasons.

Williams is expected to compete for the team's starting left tackle spot along with incumbent starter J'Marcus Webb and possibly right tackle Gabe Carimi. Chicago's offensive line has been a sore spot for years running, but the new Bears brain trust, led by first year general Phil Emery, did not decide to address the team's pass protection in this year's draft.

Per Wright, Williams hasn't started a game at tackle since Week 2 of the 2010 season against the Dallas Cowboys, a game in which Williams injured his hamstring on the opening drive. His final start prior to that was in the opener against the Detroit Lions, in which the Bears infamously gave up four sacks.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bears, be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron. And drop by SB Nation NFL news hub for more updates and commentary from around the league.

Randy Wells Does Not Like The Minor Leagues

2012-05-16T16:03:15Z

Erstwhile Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Randy Wells is understandably unhappy about being in Triple-A. Wells, who was once a fixture of Chicago's rotation, did not make the major league team out of Spring Training, and has only been up for two starts this year, in which he posted an ERA over six. Wells knows that the only way he can make it out of the minors again is to pitch well while there, but according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Chris De Luca, his disdain is still palpable.

‘‘It sucks, but it’s part of the game,’’ Wells said. ‘‘Hanging your head and being upset with it isn’t going to do you any good. If you come down here and don’t pitch well, you’re pretty much burying yourself.’’

(via Chicago Sun-Times)

Making things worse for Wells is that he hasn't been any good in Triple-A this year, posting a 2-2 record and an ERA of 7.71. With Chris Volstad continuing to struggle, the door is certainly open for Chicago's minor league starters, but if a change is made anytime soon, it seems unlikely that Wells will get the call.

For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at Beyond the Box Score. Also, check out the team blog Bleed Cubbie Blue .

Notre Dame's Buyout Of Charlie Weis Could Reach $19 Million

2012-05-16T15:29:51Z

Charlie Weis will only be the head coach of one football team in 2012, but he'll be paid as if he's coaching two. The ex-Notre Dame Fighting Irish headman is now looking to revitalize a down-and-out Kansas Jayhawks program, and while he tackles that task he'll continued to be paid handsomely by the Irish per the terms of his buyout.

The Chicago Tribune's Brian Hamilton dug into Notre Dame's 2012 tax filings and found out that the school has already paid out nearly $8.7 million dollars to Weis after firing him and will continue to do so through December 2015. The total amount of Weis' buyout likely won't be known until sometime in 2016, but according to Hamilton, if it continues at this rate it will approach a total of $19 million. That, of course, is on top of the $2 million-plus salary earned by current head coach Brian Kelly.

Weis had a career record of 35-27 at Notre Dame, but was 16-21 in his final three seasons. His lone postseason victory came over the Hawaii Warriors in 2008. Weis took over at Kansas after stints as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and Florida Gators.

For more on this story, stick with SB Nation Chicago. For more on Notre Dame, head over to One Foot Down. For more news, notes and analysis from across the country, head over to SB Nation's college football news hub.