Baffoe: And Now The Chicago Sports Hangover

By Tim Baffoe--

(CBS) Good morning, sunshine. How we feeling today?

Little dizzy? Heart and/or head pounding? Got that weird euphoric mix of adrenaline and extreme sleepiness?

The parade and rally for the Chicago Blackhawks were a whole lot of fun Thursday, weren't they? I might call the day too much fun, but there's no such thing in this town when a team wins it all.

But it's a new day in Chicago, champ. Time to greet it, unpleasant as that possibility sounds. Grab a coffee and an Ibuprofen or five and get ready to confront the reality of the rest of the summer. It's not exactly a fun Chicago sports to-do list, but it's one you can't ignore as you sober up from deserved celebration.

The business of sports sucks -- salary caps and expiring contracts and who is too good to let go and therefore who gets deemed expendable. Like your actual housecleaning, it's easy to imagine general manager Stan Bowman looking at the Blakchawks roster as is, sighing, and then putting on the rubber gloves.

"While Bowman is adept at manipulating the books," writes the Tribune's Chris Kuc, "the challenge is that the Hawks have 14 players signed for next season taking up around $64 million in cap space. That means a roster upheaval is lurking and bringing back any combination of unrestricted free agents Johnny Oduya, Antoine Vermette, Andrew Desjardins, Michal Rozsival, Brad Richards and Daniel Carcillo would appear difficult."

Carcillo? Whatever.

The Stanley Cup will make its way to U.S. Cellular Field at some point, and that will arguably be the highlight of the summer there. Because it certainly won't be the White Sox. What's going on with that team is like watching an animal deal with a terminal disease. It doesn't know not to keep trying to exist, but everyone has sort of agreed it might be better if it all ended soon.

Trades have to happen. There's a dearth of bats on this White Sox team, and there's little budding in the organization to suggest a sliver of offensive hope anytime soon.

You have a high-priced closer on a bad team, which is like a spoiler on your two-door hatchback. Jeff Samardzija as not part of the future is needless weight. Alexei Ramirez turns 34 at the end of the season and has a team option for $10 million next year. Adam Eaton got a five-year deal in March and is a try-hard, gritty moron that somebody might bite on maybe hopefully no why not please? Jose Quintana can help a contender and bring some future pieces in return (cough, cough, call the Cubs, cough).

Oh, hey, yeah, the Cubs. They aren't dreadful. Fangraphs has them projected as finishing with the National League's fifth-best record. Only three NL teams, per Baseball Prospectus, have a better playoff percentage per PECOTA. The prospects like Addison Russell and Kris Bryant have arrived — are still arriving in Kyle Schwarber — and Anthony Rizzo anchors a young, scary lineup as a professional ballplayer polished beyond his years.

But it's the Cubs. Nothing ever can truly be un-nervous with the Cubs. There was Javy Baez's recent injury setting back a call-up (and/or the dangling of him to acquire a starting pitcher). The bullpen has been much improved of late, but it's been overworked and previously ranged from bad to just enough to not lose. There could be the inevitable shipping off of young names you've become attached to in the name of winning now and in 2016, and you'll reflexively say you hate the trade.

The Cubs bring anxiety and the shakes like no other. Especially on a hangover.

The Bulls have a draft coming next week. You'll hate the pick, and there's a 50/50 chance your armchair analysis will be correct as Marquis Teague pumps your gas as you wear your Jimmy Butler shirsey. Speaking of Butler, his contractual issue looms.

"Butler has plans to pursue shorter-term offer sheets this summer, resisting the Bulls' initial plans to offer him a five-year, maximum contract extension," according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. "As the NBA's salary cap is set to dramatically rise beginning with the 2016-17 season, Butler has become far less interested in locking himself into the five-year, $90 million-plus deal the Bulls are expected to present him on July 1."

Plus there's a rookie NBA head coach here in Fred Hoiberg, who gives you no reason to feel unease. Unless you start to think about how he will mesh with wealthy veterans hardened under years of the Tom Thibodeau yoke. And Taj Gibson is expected to miss four months now. Yay!

And then there's the Bears.

OK, let's look at this Bloody Mary glass as half full. There's no more Phil Emery/Marc Trestman clown college. It really can't be any worse than what that was, so up is the only way this team can conceivably go, even if the progress is minimal.

There's a more-than-competent coach here who at the very least should run a professional locker room that was so lacking last season. Jay Cutler might actually have an offensive coordinator who he flourishes under. No, really, seriously. And Cutler's time left here is dwindling anyway (as is that of Adam Gase, who will likely get a head coaching offer after this coming season).

The Bears … won't be good in 2015. But they'll be interesting as usual. That's something. Right?

Feeling OK? You look like you could use another Ibuprofen.

Tim Baffoe is a columnist for CBSChicago.com. Follow Tim on Twitter @TimBaffoe. The views expressed on this page are those of the author, not CBS Local Chicago or our affiliated television and radio stations.