Motor City Matchups Signify Sad State of Affairs for Chicago Sports

"The Tigers, for the first time in 10 years, are going to the playoffs!" That was the voice of former Chicago White Sox play-by-play broadcaster Jason Benetti calling the final out of a 4-1 Detroit Tigers victory over the South Siders on Friday night. It was a victory that clinched a postseason appearance for Detroit and a defeat that clinched Chicago the most losses in modern baseball history.

Benetti famously exited the television booth on the South Side after the 2023 season for a chance at the same position in the Motor City with the Tigers. Reports indicated that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf wasn't a fan of Benetti and was perfectly content with allowing the popular broadcaster to leave.

Rewind the clock just three years ago: Benetti was making the same energetic call as the White Sox clinched the American League Central Division title in 2021. Now, the White Sox are officially the worst Major League Baseball team ever and Benetti is receiving a champagne shower in the Tigers locker room on the road to the playoffs.

If you're wondering if there are any "in your face" moments left, rewind the video. Who came in with the second beer pour on Benetti? That would be no other than Tigers manager A.J. Hinch.

In what has become the worst-kept secret, Hinch was famously former Chicago general manager Rick Hahn's top choice to replace Rick Renteria after the 2020 season and become the new White Sox manager with the exciting up-and-coming team in 2021. However, as he loves to do, Reinsdorf reportedly stepped in at the last second and hired his old buddy Tony La Russa instead. The rest, as they say, is history.

The White Sox are now left to finish their weekend in Detroit and stare at what could have been rather than the worst season in MLB history. Accountability has to start at the top, but unfortunately for the South Side faithful, accountability isn't included in the White Sox dictionary.

Hockeytown Ahead of Hawks

The White Sox weren't the only team visiting Detroit Friday night, as the Chicago Blackhawks visited Little Caesars Arena to take on the Detroit Red Wings in a preseason matchup. The Blackhawks were defeated by a score of 2-0 Friday, but that isn't the story of focus.

Times have been tough in Chicago for hockey fans as well after the most historic run in franchise history in the 2010s. In fact, COVID madness aside, the Blackhawks haven't won a playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2015. The franchise hasn't exactly had an exemplary performance off the ice either.

The Blackhawks appear to be on the rise with young talent surrounding reigning Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard. However, it's nearly impossible for any Blackhawks fan to look across the ice at Detroit and not let out a sigh.

History, as it does time and time again, has a way of repeating itself. When Chris Chelios was traded by the Blackhawks to the Red Wings in 1999, it was a dagger in the hearts of Hawks fans everywhere. It's also something that took over 20 years for Chicago fans to forgive Chelios for.

Chelios appeared to be officially forgiven last February when the Blackhawks retired his No. 7, eliciting a raucous ovation from the United Center faithful. It felt like he was a Blackhawk again and the bad memories of seeing one of Chicago's own become a Red Wing were gone.

But it didn't take long for those feelings to creep back. In fact, it took less than three hours. Arguably the greatest Blackhawk of all time was in the house that night as well. This time, however, after 16 seasons with the Blackhawks, Patrick Kane was on the visitor's bench sporting a Red Wings jersey.

This time around, things were different. There was no booing inside the United Center when Kane's welcome back video was played, like what Chelios experienced for years. Kane received a lengthy standing ovation and did three laps around the ice in acknowledgment.

In the Blackhawks video tribute for Kane, fans referred to him as "The Heartbreaker" numerous times. It was something Chicago fans had seen Kane do to numerous other fan bases countless times: Break their hearts. Sometimes, unfortunately, what goes around comes around.

The game went into overtime, and frankly, Chicago fans should have known what was coming. After James Reimer made a save on Seth Jones' shot, Alex DeBrincat passed the puck to center ice where Kane was all alone for a breakaway to win the game.

Any Chicago fan knows that the writing doesn't need to continue here for a reader to find out if Kane scored or not. Alas, Kane beat Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek and clinched the victory for Detroit . After the goal, Kane shouted "SHOWTIME" numerous times to the crowd before being mobbed by his teammates.

It was the first and hopefully last time that Blackhawks fans cheered an opposing team's goal. Kane did one last lap around the ice to acknowledge the fans again. It was a surreal moment for Chicago fans. No less, it was hard for anyone to walk out of the building that night without feeling like they'd been stabbed in the chest. Heartbreaker indeed.

As the 2024-25 NHL season approaches, the Blackhawks figure to reside in the lower tier of the NHL's standings once again. While there's plenty of reason for hope for the Blackhawks down the road, things figure to remain painful in the immediate future.

Meanwhile in Detroit, the Red Wings are gearing up for a push to the playoffs led by their pair of former Blackhawks in Kane and DeBrincat. When the Red Wings visit Chicago in November, the "Detroit Sucks" chants will be out in full force. However, with the current state of affairs, nobody will fully be saying that with their chest.

Pigskin Problems Persist

When it comes to football, Detroit and Chicago have both famously suffered. The Chicago Bears are still clinging to a Super Bowl that was won nearly 40 years ago. The Lions, on the other hand, don't have any history to cling to. But last year, a franchise that has never figured it out did just that.

The Lions found themself minutes away from Super Bowl LVII after letting a large lead slip away to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The Lions, led by their gutsy head coach Dan Campbell, have begun to rewrite history in Detroit. These aren't the same ol' Lions.

In Chicago, after three games this season, these do appear to be the same ol' Bears. After selecting quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, there was reason for optimism among Bears fans. This appeared to be the pick that would finally change the tides along Lake Michigan.

But through Week 3 of this season, the offense, as it always has been in the 105-year history of the Bears, has been abysmal. The Bears' offensive line can't stop a nosebleed. The rushing attack doesn't exist and the only Bears win this season featured a game in which they didn't score an offensive touchdown.

In a division of great head coaches, with Campbell in Detroit, Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, and Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota, Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus is the imposter in the room. Even with a stylish new look in 2024, Eberflus still comes equipped with all of the questions fans have asked about him over the last two years.

There's certainly still time for the Bears to figure things out in 2024, but would any fan who's suffered through this franchise over the years put their money on that? The Bears will travel to Detroit on Thanksgiving to see a fan base that's thankful for a team that finally figured it out. In Chicago, fans will likely be looking toward the new year with a resolution of following the Lions' game plan.

The Rest of the Mess

Currently, Chicago doesn't have a team that fans can take pride in. A city with two MLB teams, an NFL team, an NBA team, and an NHL team has nothing. No winners, limited hope, and constant despair: The Chicago way.

The Chicago Bulls are hardly worth mentioning. Another Jerry Reinsdorf masterclass, the Bulls remain irrelevant post-Jordan and offer no real reason for hope . The only glimmer of hope disappeared with Derrick Rose's knees, and relevancy hasn't been sniffed since.

The Chicago Cubs shocked the world when they won the World Series in 2016, but things on the North Side haven't exactly been smooth sailing since. A major-market team that prints money prefers to hide behind its ivy-covered walls when it comes time to put a respectable team on the field and reward its fan base's dying dedication.

Jed Hoyer's plan seems to be running out of time and Theo Epstein is long gone. Cubs fans appeared to have the upper hand when manager Craig Counsell spurned the rival Milwaukee Brewers to join Chicago. However, 2024 was another season of watching Milwaukee march to the playoffs while the Cubs sit at home.

"Detroit Sucks" has been chanted across many of stadiums in Chicago. But on Friday night in the Motor City, Chicago fans were hit with a harsh reality. The Tigers are marching to the playoffs. The Red Wings are in the hunt with Patrick Kane. The Lions, against all odds, are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Detroit no longer sucks, and unfortunately for Chicago's teams, "sucks" doesn't even begin to describe things.

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