Welcome to the South Side Sports Roundup! Check back every month for the latest news and updates on everything South Side sports fans need to know.
White Sox no longer in last place as Murakami mania sweeps baseball
White Sox fans are used to their team playing nigh-unwatchable baseball the first month of the season. The last two Aprils, they’ve combined for just 11 wins against a whopping 42 losses.
This time, though? The smell in the Armour Square air is a little bit different.
After five March games resulted in a 1-4 record, the Sox appeared poised to deliver more of the same in 2026. Instead, an even 13-13 record in April has carried over to an equally promising May. At press time, the Sox were 17-18, just half a game out of first place in a tight AL Central.
The South Siders’ charge back into respectability has been powered by rookie sensation Munetaka Murakami, leading the league with 13 home runs after a decorated career in Japan. Murakami gained legend status in 2022 with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows when he broke Sadaharu Oh’s record for home runs hit in a season by a Japanese-born player. Now, it appears the Sox may have found a phenomenal first baseman to follow in the footsteps of Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko, and José Abreu.
A player of Murakami’s star power landing with a team like the White Sox—terrible on the field, and with a modest media footprint—is nearly unheard of. But concerns about his tendency to strike out blocked him from receiving the massive big-market contract many anticipated. Consequently, his two-year, $34 million deal is the biggest steal in baseball, and fans are already anxious to extend his time on the South Side.
It’s difficult to understate Murakami’s stature in his native Japan, where his fan-given nickname was “Murakami-sama,” because his feats at the plate were doable only by a “kami-sama,” or “god.” And his scorching-hot start has been creating White Sox buzz in Japan. It would be beyond “penny-wise, but pound-foolish” to not keep him in the fold.
Furthermore, with Murakami mania growing and a bevy of promising minor leaguers on the verge of breaking through, the Sox are finally enjoying some momentum after three brutal seasons. If they can hold it all together, expectations for this Sox team may rise quickly.
Sky season nearly underway amid huge shakeup
The Chicago Sky engineered the biggest shakeup in franchise history fewer than 24 hours before last month’s edition of the roundup went to print.
Most notably, superstar Angel Reese is out. Sky fans were blindsided by Reese’s trade to the Atlanta Dream for multiple first round draft picks, the first domino in a hectic pre-draft frenzy that saw former All-Star Sky guard Ariel Atkins dealt to the Los Angeles Sparks for forward Rickea Jackson. The Sky also dealt their 2028 first round pick to Washington Mystics for third-year guard Jacy Sheldon; this move drew heavy criticism from analysts. The team’s selection of UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez in last month’s draft was also met with mixed reviews.
Still, not all hope has been lost at Wintrust Arena, with Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca garnering praise for some aspects of the team’s re-shuffling. In addition to Jackson, who averaged 14.7 points per game and received several MVP votes last season, the Sky made their biggest free agency splash in years, signing seven-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer Skylar Diggins to be their point guard for the next two seasons. They also reunited with forward Azurá Stevens, who played a critical role in the franchise’s 2021 championship and shored up their bench with the addition of guard DiJonai Carrington, who was named Most Improved Player of the 2024 season. Returners from last year’s squad include defensive stalwart Elizabeth Williams, sparkplug guard Rachel Banham, and franchise icon Courtney Vandersloot, who all signed new contracts. And Kamilla Cardoso will anchor the center position for the third straight season.
The Sky kick their season off at home against the Dallas Wings on May 20th at Wintrust Arena.
Bears draft draws mixed reviews, Chicago native selected fourth overall
Another NFL draft has come and gone. And while the Chicago Bears are coming off their first division championship (and therefore, their lowest draft position) since 2018, fifth-year general manager Ryan Poles left some fans and analysts scratching their heads about his selections.
Poles used the team’s first two picks to address recently-vacated positions, adding Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick and Iowa center Logan Jones at #57 as replacements for the departed Jaquan Brisker (free agency) and Drew Dalman (retirement). The selections of tight end Sam Rousch and wide receiver Zavion Thomas in the third round, however, drew criticism from those who expected the team to fill a glaring hole on the defensive line.
They did use their final three picks of the weekend on the defensive side of the ball, adding Texas defensive back Malik Muhammad, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott, and Georgia Tech lineman Jordan van den Berg in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds, respectively.
The rest of the draft saw several other South Side and Chicago natives get their tickets punched to the NFL, led by Marist wide receiver Carnell Tate, who was selected fourth overall by the Tennessee Titans after a successful career at Ohio State. He became the highest-drafted Chicagoan since Mount Carmel legend Donovan McNabb, the second selection of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999. He’s the fourth local to be selected in the top five since 1990, joining McNabb, former Defensive Rookie of the Year Simeon Rice (1996), and former Whitney Young star Russell Maryland (1991);Maryland remains the only Chicagoan to be taken with the top overall pick.
Two of Tate’s former Marist teammates were selected that weekend: Indiana center Pat Coogan,signed by the Tennessee Titans; and Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder, picked by the Detroit Lions. The Chicago Public League was also well-represented, as former Simeon star and current Florida edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. was taken by the Indianapolis Colts.. Lewis Bond, a wide receiver from Boston College by way of Kenwood Academy, will also be suiting up for the Houston Texans this coming fall.
Malachi Hayes is a Bridgeport-based writer and South Side native.