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Mark Sadowski is out as Chicago Bears college scouting director, sources say, as Ryan Poles reshapes the front office

General manager Ryan Poles is working to reshape the Chicago Bears front office and scouting staff after the NFL draft, his second set of moves after hiring some trusted advisers.League sources say the Bears dismissed college scouting director Mark Sadowski, a 1992 St. Rita graduate who has been with the organization since 2005, when he was hired as an area scout. Sadowski worked under GMs Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery before Ryan Pace inherited him in 2015 and promoted him to his current role the next year.AdvertisementMark Sadowski was promoted to college scouting director in 2016. (Chicago Bears)Sadowski started with the Bears as a scout in the southeast region, a critical area for all teams, and he covered that area in 2006 when the team selected All-Pro returner Devin Hester from Miami. That began a climb through the ranks of the scouting department as he became a national scout.The Bears also parted with national scout Chris Prescott and college scouting coordinator Bobby Macedo, according to sources.AdvertisementShortly after arriving in January, Poles hired Ian Cunningham as assistant GM. Then he brought Trey Koziol — a Hinsdale Central graduate who played with Poles at Boston College — to Halas Hall from the Kansas City Chiefs with the title of co-director of player personnel.Because of Koziol’s “co-director” title, it’s believed a second person will receive that title, which could mean an internal promotion. One source said Poles might shuffle the area assignments for a few college scouts.How the Bears will replace Sadowski remains to be seen.

Sports

5 things we heard from Norm Maciver, the Chicago Blackhawks associate GM, including his thoughts on tanking for draft picks

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson can claim ex-Hawk Al Secord, former Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi and the late “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek.Associate GM Norm Maciver can boast of the NHL’s Staal brothers — Eric, Marc and Jordan — and Paul Shaffer, David Letterman’s lovable band leader and foil.Advertisement“He says Sudbury’s better than Thunder Bay,” Maciver told the Tribune about their respective Ontario hometowns. “I tease (him that) Thunder Bay’s better, whether it’s hockey players, celebrities, anything. We give it to each other.” Giving it to each other forms the basis of the relationship between Davidson, an outspoken go-getter, and the reserved and cerebral Maciver, whom the Hawks rehired March 9.Advertisement“There was perhaps some disappointment (among Hawks fans) when I just brought in someone that I’d had a previous relationship with,” Davidson said in April, “but that previous relationship allows him to say basically whatever the heck he wants. He’s going to be very honest, very open, and tell me if he thinks I’m barking up the wrong tree and what I need to hear.“There’s no feeling-out process for that. Right out of the gate, he’s going to give me the honest truth, and that’s what I want.”[ [Don’t miss] 5 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ season finale: ‘It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth’ ]Maciver said the two have been close since May 2012, when then-Hawks GM Stan Bowman named Maciver assistant GM.“At that time, most of my kids were in high school so my wife and kids stayed back in Minnesota, so I was here by myself,” Maciver said. “Kyle was single at the time, so we kind of bonded.“We can say anything to each other. Neither of us are going to take offense to it. He’s going to challenge me and I challenge him, and that’s how it’s always been for us, even when he was in a position below me in years past.”Now Davidson is the boss and the architect of an organizational overhaul, and Maciver is one of his biggest hires.Maciver talked more about the rebuild — “It’s a very challenging situation we’re in right now” — in an interview with the Tribune on Monday. Here are five topics he addressed. When Bowman shook up the hockey operations hierarchy in summer 2020, he demoted Maciver from assistant GM to vice president of player personnel and promoted Davidson from assistant to the general manager to assistant GM overseeing hockey administration.AdvertisementMaciver didn’t want to get into his relationship with Bowman or the job change, but he ultimately left to become the expansion Seattle Kraken’s director of player personnel.Blackhawks associate general manager Norm Maciver at the United Center on Feb. 9, 2016, during his previous stint with the team. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)He returned to Chicago just short of a full season with the Kraken. Davidson was the biggest reason, he said, “but also that opportunity to have more of an expanded role than I had in Seattle.”Davidson assured Maciver he would have a major voice in making over the team.“He has a different background than myself, much like (player development coach) Brian Campbell,” Davidson said. “They’re (former) players, and Norm has been an assistant coach, he’s been in development, he’s been in scouting, he’s been in management, so he’s got this great depth of experience that I don’t have myself. So that’s a great resource.”Davidson fired vice president of amateur scouting Mark Kelley and assistant GM of pro evaluation Ryan Stewart during the season, and now the amateur and pro scouting directors and the director of player personnel report to Maciver.Maciver kept his department “status quo” until the end of the season, and he’s not looking to clean house but rather change the scouts’ priorities.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Blackhawks continue sweeping changes by firing assistant coaches Marc Crawford and Rob Cookson ]“There are certain things that are huge red flags for us that maybe in the past might not have been deemed red flags,” he said. “The competitive nature of players’ speed and size weren’t emphasized as much. There was definitely a priority toward skill in the past.“It worked. We got three Stanley Cups out of it,” but Maciver said it would be folly to try to replicate those circumstances.“Having (Duncan) Keith in place and then being able to draft (Jonathan) Toews and (Patrick) Kane in back-to-back years, I don’t know if something like that will ever happen (again),” Maciver said. “We’re going to have to have an approach where we build this through the type of players we draft.“Obviously we’d like to be able to play faster than we’ve been able to play, a little bit more tenacious maybe. … One of the biggest issues over the years is keeping the puck out of our net, so defensively we need to get a lot better.”Blackhawks associate general manager Norm Maciver at the United Center on Feb. 9, 2016, during his previous stint with the team. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)The names may be the same, but Maciver said their new positions include the power to carry out their own vision — echoing sentiments Davidson expressed in April.“This is definitely a fresh start for both of us,” Maciver said.AdvertisementThe hiring of former Cubs executive Jeff Greenberg shows Davidson’s willingness to deviate from hockey norms. That outside-the-box mindset bleeds into everyday conversations between Davidson and Maciver.“We’re both huge sports fans, so we’ll be watching ‘Inside the NBA’ and I’ll get a text message (from Davidson): ‘Did you see what Charles (Barkley) said last night?’” Maciver said. “We also study what’s made those (non-NHL) teams so successful. … There could be a golf tournament or World Series or Super Bowl, whatever it is, just constantly (sharing) little tidbits someone sees.”Davidson’s imperative has been to collect high draft picks and prospects, and that’s usually done through the long slog of losing — and losing badly.However, the Hawks won’t have a first-round pick this year unless they land one of the top two picks in the lottery or the conditional pick they received from the Minnesota Wild for Marc-André Fleury upgrades. And Maciver said you can’t bank on losing as a strategy.“Look, coaches, players, they’re competitive people and we’re competitive. You can’t try to manufacture losses,” he said. “We obviously have to be strategic in what we’re doing, but we’re not out there trying to lose. We’re trying to be the best team we can (be) under the current environment … for the fans.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Strome and Kubalik are restricted free agents with arbitration rights. Maciver kept his cards close to the vest.Advertisement“(Davidson) and I and Brian Campbell, we’ll be the ones making those decisions,” Maciver said.With Lankinen an unrestricted free agent, the Hawks don’t have a goalie under contract.Blackhawks goaltender Kevin Lankinen during a pause in practice at the United Center on Dec. 13, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)“Once we get a little more clarity as to what happens May 10 with the lottery situation, that’s going to clear up a lot of things for us,” Maciver said. “We definitely need to rebuild the pipeline and we do that through draft choices. … And then we have to spend our money very wisely.”Maciver indicated he would prefer to keep salary-cap room to take on a bad contract from a desperate team, “similar to 2016 where we have to move assets to help your own cap situation.”In summer 2016, the Hawks faced a $3.07 million salary-cap overage and had to part with Teuvo Teravainen to get Bryan Bickell’s $4 million contract off the books.“So we’re just going to take it all in and evaluate it,” Maciver said.

Sports

Dylan Cease strikes out 11 and allows 1 hit in ‘the best start of my career’ for a 3-0 Chicago White Sox win

Dylan Cease was in command against the entire Los Angeles Angels lineup Monday — and Mike Trout was no exception.Cease struck out the three-time American League MVP three times in the Chicago White Sox’s 3-0 victory, part of an 11-strikeout performance that matched the right-hander’s career high. He got Trout swinging in the first inning, retired him on a 98 mph fastball in the fourth and struck him out looking in the seventh. Advertisement“That was the best start of my career by far, from execution to stuff to results,” said Cease, who allowed just one hit in seven innings. “That’s definitely a good one to build on.”[ [Don’t miss] What went wrong for the White Sox in April? Breaking down a tough first month to the 2022 season. ]Cease and relievers Kendall Graveman and Liam Hendriks limited the Angels to two hits and struck out 15 as the Sox gained a split of the four-game series in front of 13,112 at Guaranteed Rate Field.Advertisement“I don’t think you can say enough about what Cease has been able to do the whole year,” said Hendriks, who struck out the side in the ninth and collected his fifth save. “He’s been unbelievable.”Just two Angels reached against Cease (3-1), who surrendered a double to Taylor Ward in the fourth and hit Tyler Wade with a pitch in the sixth. It’s the fifth time Cease has recorded 11 strikeouts.“I felt great,” Cease said. “I went in with a plan — just keep my eyes on the target, execute pitches — and fortunately it worked out.”Cease’s 10 double-digit strikeout games are tied with Jim Scott and Gary Peters for ninth in Sox history. He has 39 strikeouts this season, tied with Chris Sale (2014) and Jake Peavy (2013) for the third-most by a Sox pitcher through five starts.“How quickly he’s developing is just very fun to see,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “To me he’s pitching with a lot of command. He also competes. Never satisfied with the last inning. It’s always the next one.”Cease struck out at least two batters in four of his seven innings, including striking out the side in the fifth.“Some games I’ll have outings where I’ve only got really two pitches working and I’m battling,” Cease said. “Today I pretty much feel like I knew where four pitches were going.”That includes the three times he faced Trout.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Why Liam Hendriks doesn’t like intentional walks: ‘I’m never thinking about putting somebody on,’ the White Sox closer says ]“He’s maybe the greatest player of all time, so any time you can get him out it’s definitely a confidence booster,” Cease said. “I stayed pretty even-keeled today. It’s best to just focus on what you’ve got to do. If you sit there and think, ‘Oh, my God, it’s Mike Trout,’ it’s going to be hard to get him out.“I was just staying focused on what I had to do. And it worked out well.”Hendriks struck out Trout in the ninth to end the game — and an 0-for-4, four-strikeout day for the Angels superstar.“You’re talking about one of the best hitters not only just currently in the game, but possibly in history,” Hendriks said. “And he doesn’t swing and miss too often. I’ve heard some people say his approach is he sits on the pitcher’s best pitch. Well Cease has five different best pitches. It’s unbelievable.“You don’t see it too often (against Trout). That just means whoever he plays tomorrow, he’s probably going to break out and do something really cool.”Offensively, the Sox carried over the momentum from Sunday’s five-run ninth inning by scoring twice in the first. Tim Anderson and Luis Robert singled and scored.AdvertisementIn the sixth, José Abreu singled and scored from first on a two-out double by Adam Engel. Abreu had a smile on his face following a slight tumble after sliding at home plate.“We kept building off the energy from that last inning (Sunday),” Anderson said. “Hopefully we can keep building off this win today, keep competing and be able to go across town and get two wins (against the Cubs).”After losing eight straight, the Sox have split their last six games.“We never really lost hope,” Cease said. “It was just a really rough stretch and things like that’ll happen. But it’s a long season and I would put our talent with just about anybody.”The Sox optioned infielder Danny Mendick and reliever Anderson Severino to Triple-A Charlotte before the game as Major League Baseball reduced rosters from 28 to 26 players.Mendick was 5 for 20 (.250) with two doubles, one home run and three RBIs in 10 games. Severino had a 6.14 ERA and nine strikeouts in six relief appearances.

Sports

David Robertson has been lights out for the Chicago Cubs after coming back from a potentially career-ending injury

The uncertainty surrounding his baseball future lingered in David Robertson’s mind.Right elbow soreness derailed Robertson’s 2019 season just seven appearances into a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He tried to rehab the injury but ultimately required Tommy John surgery in August 2019 to repair his ulnar collateral ligament.AdvertisementLooking back, Robertson says he should have listened to doctors and stopped trying to push through the injury in an effort to avoid surgery.“I went into Philly with really high hopes,” Robertson told the Tribune. “It was a great opportunity, a great spot to be in and when I got there, my body just let me down.Advertisement“And it was a tough road. There was always that fear it was the end.”[ [Don’t miss] Column: Cubs need to get their rotation back on track after April’s struggles — including back-to-back blowout defeats ]Robertson, who turned 37 last month, endured a winding road to get back to the big leagues, where he again is an elite high-leverage reliever. He has been essentially unhittable in the first month of his Chicago Cubs career.Robertson hasn’t allowed a run through 10 innings this season while giving up just one hit in nine appearances. He leads the Cubs with five saves and has 14 strikeouts and five walks.The formula for his success: “Having a new elbow — honestly, that’s the biggest thing,” Robertson said. “It’s having a little bit of structure in my day-to-day routine and just feeling healthy again. Having the ability to throw the ball like I was when I was younger.”Cubs reliever David Robertson, right, waits to be introduced April 7, 2022, on opening day at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)His return to the majors, let alone this type of success, was never a given.Robertson faced a setback in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic affected his rehab from Tommy John surgery, complicated by losing a month because of an outbreak at the Phillies complex in Florida where he was rehabbing. It cost him a shot at returning during the shortened 2020 season.“I like being the guy that’s depended on, even if it doesn’t always work out in the game,” Robertson said. “I’ve been on the injured list a few times but never for anything like that. So I had to basically say this year and a half is gone. “My rehab process was a little screwed up, definitely different from most folks. But I got it done and eventually everything healed up.”Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Column: Is the Cubs offense for real or is it too small of a sample size to judge? ]Robertson, though, wasn’t content merely to get back to the big leagues. He turned down major-league offers last spring because they weren’t what he was looking for. He felt he was a higher-caliber pitcher than what was reflected in those deals, so he remained a free agent going into the 2021 season.“I wasn’t going to do it for less than what I thought I was worth,” Robertson explained. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I knew then I wasn’t done. If I had to take a year off (in 2021), I thought I could do it and come back.”When Robertson learned of a possibility to pitch for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics, he continued to prepare his body and arm. He went on to win a silver medal, tallying two saves in three appearances.Team USA catcher Mark Kolozsvary and David Robertson celebrate a 4-2 win against South Korea at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 31, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)Going into the Olympics, Robertson knew the trade deadline would pass by the end of the tournament. He figured he would be one of the best relief options available, especially when accounting for his postseason experience.His gamble paid off in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, showing glimpses over the final month and in the postseason of what had made him a valued reliever.Robertson, again representing himself during contract talks, found the right fit with the Cubs in March on a one-year, $3.5 million contract.AdvertisementManager David Ross staunchly avoids naming or referring to a specific closer on his team. When the Rays were at Wrigley Field last month, Ross wryly noted that if a team like the Rays with three straight playoff appearances doesn’t need to denote a closer, why do the Cubs?[ [Don’t miss] Willson Contreras’ bigger Cubs leadership role is fueled by years of listening — and putting in work ]Ross clearly wants to maintain flexibility in how he uses the back end of the bullpen without worrying about the perception of which relievers are entrenched in certain roles. The Cubs bullpen seems to be on board with this flexible approach, and it has paid off. The relievers have been generally reliable, posting a 3.45 ERA that ranked 12th in the majors through Sunday.But while Robertson hasn’t officially been called the Cubs closer, they’re consistently using him in save opportunities. His five saves are four more than right-handers Rowan Wick and Mychal Givens have.The things Ross values in pitchers he continues to see from Robertson — throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters, nasty breaking balls. Adding those qualities to Robertson’s poise and veteran experience has been an extremely effective combination.Cubs reliever David Robertson delivers against the Rays at Wrigley Field on April 18, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)“The calmness, the pace, the intent in which he pitches has really stood out to me,” Ross said during last week’s road trip. “I love the fact that he mixes his deliveries. There’s a real slide step there. You’re not going to be able to take advantage of running on him or messing up his rhythm. He’s messing with the timing of the hitter. Very deceptive.”Only the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Dillon Peters (11⅓ innings) and the Cleveland Guardians’ Trevor Stephan (10⅔) own longer scoreless-innings streaks to begin the season than Robertson.Advertisement“He is so consistent day in and day out,” Cubs bullpen coach Chris Young said, “and as he’s coming off an incredibly short sprint for him, he’s continued to build arm strength, continue to build reps, the stuff’s trending up a little bit.[ [Don’t miss] How Cubs first baseman Frank Schwindel’s experience at catcher helps him defensively: ‘He’s hungry’ ]Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“But the consistency at which he pitches, it just gives you that vibe of he could roll out of bed and throw a down-and-away strike and a curveball for a strike. It’s incredible the roll he’s gotten back on now that he’s healthy again.”Baseball Savant’s Statcast data indicate Robertson is throwing a career-high 33.8% sliders since he first started using the pitch in 2017. Meanwhile, his typical go-to curveball sits at a career-low 15.9%. When asked about how the pitches’ usage differs from career trends, Robertson explained he doesn’t view them as distinct pitches.“It’s just a breaking ball,” he said. “I don’t consider them different. I grip them slightly different and roll them off. I’m just trying to keep them from getting hit, so whatever it takes.”Cubs left fielder Ian Happ, left, celebrates a 5-4 win over the Brewers with reliever David Robertson on April 7, 2022, on opening day at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Robertson’s off-speed stuff has been a key part of keeping hitters in check. The lone hit he surrendered came off his cutter, while only nine of the 78 off-speed pitches he has thrown have been put in play.Said Young: “The ability to add and subtract velocity, to change shapes, to throw one in put-away counts, to move it around — his feel for that off-speed pitch to make it do different things at different velocities in different locations is a huge piece of the success for him.” AdvertisementRobertson is generating the highest ground-ball rate (52.9%) of his 14-year career. Hitters have yet to barrel a ball off him. He is striking out 38.9% of batters while recording a 75% first-pitch strike rate.All of it plays into Robertson’s lights-out performance.