A look back at Chicago sports in 2022, the year of heartbreak

How much heartbreak can one person endure?

It’s a question worth asking any Chicago sports fan after years of misery.

Let’s start with Sky, the team that was riding the biggest wave of success. Coach James Wade’s team almost guaranteed a return to the WNBA Finals as the Candace Parker-led championship roster appeared to get an offseason upgrade. Sky instead lost her 11-point lead to the Sun on home court in Game 5 of the semifinals.

Is there anything more heartbreaking than that?

Just ask the White Sox fans. It’s the heart and soul of the team, Jose after a season that started with postseason hopes and ended in disappointment after saying goodbye to his Abreu. Do you think it cannot be surpassed? Talk to Bulls. The team, led by coach Billy Donovan, began the season with the Eastern finding a home near the bottom of his conference standings following a run to the playoffs last season.

Both teams have proven a point that when it comes to love, there are few things worse than falling in love with someone’s potential.

While the disappointment has wreaked havoc on Chicago, a couple of athletes associated with the city have given fans some relief.

Dusty Baker became the third black manager to win a World Series and won the World Series after 25 seasons, including four with the Cubs from 2003-2006. Former Sky’s No. 2 pick Sylvia Fowles enjoyed a farewell tour in celebration of her 15th and final season in the WNBA. The Sky said goodbye to her eight-time All-Star and her two-time WNBA Champion, who spent her seven seasons in Chicago with recliners, framed jerseys, and knitting kits.

No sports story has been more significant than Britney Griner’s 10-month detention, which she was released from Russian custody on December 8 after being arrested in February.

Back in Chicago, the cure for heartbreak begins with facing the past. Before sports fans can look forward to it, let’s take a look back at The Beat Reporter’s vision of the sport for 2022.

Sky

Wade started the year with a free agency move that ultimately earned him his first Executive of the Year honors. By keeping the core group of Courtney Vanderthroat, Sky is perfectly positioned to repeat as WNBA champions.

After setting a franchise regular season record and tying the eventual champions ace to a league best record at 26-10, Sky’s hopes of a repeat title were dashed in an epic semifinal collapse against the Sun. Uncertainties surrounding the futures of the three veteran stars await them in the new year, including whether Parker and Quigley will retire.

Annie Costabile

bulls

When Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas took over in April 2020, his first goal was to strip the existing product and return it to a playoff caliber team. In 2022, Karnisovas and his Co. checked that box, ending a four-year playoff drought. It wasn’t a goal for the Bucks to lose him the first round in five games, but the progress was welcomed.

DeMar DeRozan is better than advertised on and off the court, but the Bulls only go as far as his five-year, $215 million maximum contract with Zach LaVine.

Anything akin to consistency has been elusive throughout the first half of this season.

Joe Cowley

white socks

In 2022, Dylan Seeds had a no-hitter, allowed 1 or 0 earned runs in a major league record 14 straight games, and finished second in the American League Cy Young voting. But the highlights beyond that were fleeting during an injury-filled and disappointing 81-81 season for a team with realistic postseason expectations.

Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa was unable to make the most of what he had to wrestle with, and his second management tour on the South Side ended late in the season due to heart problems. ended at

Pedro Griffol was hired in November, becoming the Sox’s third manager in four seasons, and former MVP Jose Abreu signed with the Astros after nine seasons in Chicago.

Darryl Van Showen

cubs

The addition of Seiya Suzuki and Marcus Stroman, the development of Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson, and the emergence of Christopher Morrell were only effective enough to boost the rebuilding team.

During the 1974-88 season, it became clear that “spending wisely” had more effect on the long-term plans than in 2022. Wilson Contreras and Ian Happ never did. Trade rumors intensified, earning All-Star selection… around them.

Out of playoff contention, the Cubs tied at 39-31 after the All-Star break.

After the season, the Cubs officially parted ways with Jason Heyward (released) and Contreras (free agency), leaving Kyle Hendricks as the only remaining player on the roster as the 2016 World Series champion.

Recent additions like Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon and Cody Bellinger have arguably made the Cubs better.

Maddie Lee

bear

What started as a year of change ended as Justin Fields’ season — with many losses in between.

Fields set a quarterback rushing record with a magical midseason run that doubled the Bears’ scoring. His development will be vital to the defensive rebuilding under General his manager Ryan Pauls, who traded his stars Khalil Mack, Locan Smith and Robert Quinn.

Paul and coach Matt Everflas replaced Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy in January. President and CEO Ted Phillips has announced plans to retire in early 2023 as the team prepares to close escrow on his site at Arlington Heights stadium.

Fields looks to have passed most of the tests this season, but Pauls has a lot of work to do during the offseason.

Patrick Finley

blackhawks

The Blackhawks entered 2022 in what they hoped would be a long transition period into their next successful era. Unsurprisingly, the team has lost far more games this year than it has won.

On the ice, GM Kyle Davidson officially declared a rebuild, sending out key players like Alex Devlincat, Kirby Duck, Brandon Hegel, and Kevin Kochinski, who could be the cornerstones of the future. Drafted by Frank Nazar.

On the ice, the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal that dominated the Hawks’ 2021 news cycle is hopefully out of the spotlight and never repeated. I reviewed it.

Near the end of the year, Jonathan Towes and Patrick Kane celebrated their 1,000th game together — Game 1 was October 10, 2007 — but their future with the Hawks remains uncertain.

Ben Pope

fire

After making headlines in the offseason by signing attacker Xherdan Shaqiri, the Fire finished the season in a familiar fashion.

First-year coach Ezra Hendrickson led the team to a 10-15-9 record and entered the offseason with clear questions to answer before taking charge of his second season. Goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina — a local player — has signed for his Premier League side, Chelsea, and the Fire were looking to replace him.

Club owner Joe Mansuet has opted for sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Peltzer, who have failed to build roster depth or succeed during their three-year tenure.

The Fire’s future remains uncertain as ever.

Annie Costabile

red star

The introduction of Chris Petrucelli as the new coach was the beginning of the year. However, two investigations loomed over him across the Red Stars and the National Women’s Soccer League as they tried to keep business as usual.

The findings of a U.S. Soccer investigation into abuse and sexual misconduct in the league, led by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, were released in early October. Yeats’ report exposed systemic abuse in the league and highlighted the failure of his three clubs, including Red Stars, to fully cooperate. Reports of emotional and verbal abuse by former coach Rory Dames were ignored by majority owner Arnim Whistler.

Whistler began the process of selling its stake in the club before the results of a second investigation conducted by the NWSL and the players’ union were released in December.

Annie Costabile

NCAA football

After a 31-28 upset against Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, Northwestern University coach Pat Fitzgerald said, “I know how to win here and compete at the championship level. ‘ said. After 11 losses, the Wildcats (the lowest-scoring Power Five team in the country) entered another long and dark offseason.

Illinois, 8-4, much brighter in the bowl bound. Highlights: No touchdowns allowed in the first four home games. Midseason win streak against Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. And drive back the greatness of Chase Brown. Low point: Director Brett Bierema’s mother and his stepfather died six days apart in November.

8-4 in Notre Dame hardly looks good because it is Notre Dame. Rookie coach Marcus Freeman has important work to do.

Steve Greenberg

NCAA men’s basketball

Illinois and Loyola in Pittsburgh were down in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in March. The Illini said goodbye to Kofi Cockburn and greeted a rebuilt roster of great veteran transfers and impactful freshmen with plenty of promise. The Ramblers say goodbye to Missouri his Valley and goodbye to the Atlantic 10.

The DePaul women are back in the NCAA. This is the man’s program — migrated from Dave Leitao, thankfully — as you can imagine.

How’s Chris Collins doing in Evanston? Since Big Dance’s breakthrough, Northwestern has been trying to avoid a loss for his sixth straight season.

Steve Greenberg

NCAA women’s basketball.

DePaul coach Doug Bruno was announced to kick off the year alongside Becky Hammon and Penny Taylor as headliners for the 2022 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class.

A few weeks later, Bruno’s team returned to the big dance for the first time in two years, losing to Dayton in the first four of the NCAA Tournament. Illinois was the only other state team to compete in the tournament, being bounced back by Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the first round.

Northwestern University’s Veronica Burton was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the third year in a row and was selected by the Wings with the 7th overall pick in the WNBA Draft after being named an AP All-American.

Annie Costabile

high school football

Mount Carmel dominated the 2022 season. Caravan advanced to Class 7A State his championship with his 14-0 record and emerged as a top-ranked team in the Super 25.

Prairie Ridge quarterback Tyler Vassey had a historic season, setting records for rushing yards and touchdowns in a single season.

Two weeks after the season ended, John Hallcheck resigned after 17 years with Loyola. He led the Ramblers to the Class 8A title in his 2022 season. The Ramblers have appeared in his seven finals under Holleczyk and made the playoffs in each season he coached.

Michael O’Brien

high school basketball

Glenbird West’s undefeated season in the state and dominant playoff run to the Class 4A championship was the story of high school basketball in 2022.

The Hilltoppers — Brayden Huff, Cayden Pierce, Ryan Renfro, Paxton Warden and Bobby Durkin — started the season with 26 straight wins. Their only loss was at ESPN’s Wintrust his arena before a sold-out crowd in Sierra Canyon, California featuring Amari Bailey and Bronnie James. It was a buzzer beater.

In August, major offseason news came when Michigan State recruit Jeremy Fears Jr., a top 30 player in the All-American class for 2023, returned to Joliet West from Indiana’s prep school La Lumiere. was.

Michael O’Brien