Illinois

After signing their lucrative off-season contracts this week, new Chicago acquisitions Carlos Pena of the Cubs and Adam Dunn of the White Sox have come together on a friendly wager to celebrate their new city.

With the Bears-Patriots game just days away, both head coaches have begun trash-talking back and forth in ways that can only be heard by them. The lack of enunciation reached a fever pitch Wednesday when reporters asked Bears coach Lovie Smith if Tom Brady was the best quarterback in the league.

After an eight-yard scramble against the Lions by Bears QB Jay Cutler last Sunday, the internet was abuzz with thousands of stories touting Cutler’s “underrated athleticism.”

The White Sox will be able to afford their new DH by making him solely responsible for security at U.S. Cellular Field.

The 2010-2011 campaign has been a rough one so far for Marty Turco, the Blackhawks goalie and main free agent acquisition coming into this season. Turco, a seven-year starter for the Dallas Stars and former All-Star, was deemed the starting goalie immediately upon his signing, but has seen significantly diminished playing time recently. Corey Crawford, a guy most Hawks fans have no idea started a few games last year, has been the man between the pipes for five of the Hawk’s previous six games.

The Cubs made their first noteworthy signing Tuesday night by inking Rays free agent 1B Carlos Pena to a one-year, $10 million deal. However, GM Jim Hendry quickly regretted the deal after being reminded Pena's .196 batting average last year was terrible.

While much of the Chicago sports media is focusing on the Cubs' signing of free agent 1B Carlos Pena, the South Siders made their own headlines at first base this morning by coming to terms with some guy named Paul Konerko.