Jon Greenberg

When it comes to Game 6, Paul Bako used to contemplate the what-ifs. “It’s been a long time since I used to think about this,” Bako said. “For a while there, I just kind of think, ‘What the hell could we have done differently?’” But what haunted the catcher about that NLCS game between the and Florida Marlins on Oct. 14, 2003, is different from what has troubled other people in the past 20 years. Advertisement Because when you think about that accursed eighth inning, when everything went to hel…

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Like a lot of young quarterbacks, dreamed of making the . And now that he’s made it, he can safely say it was fate. “Yeah, oddly, I always thought it was gonna happen,” Bagent said Wednesday in his first midweek press conference as a starting quarterback in the NFL. “Me and my dad really were the only ones that thought that this was gonna happen.” Advertisement His father, for the uninitiated, is Travis Bagent, the arm-wrestling champion, so perhaps tenacity is an inherited…

If you’re just joining us, Chicago columnist Jon Greenberg and Browns beat writer Zac Jackson take a weekly break from covering the QB carousels of their respective disappointing teams and pick football games for fun and profit. GREENBERG: One of my pet peeves about gambling coverage is the faux concern about how the casinos are doing when a rash of public favorites covers or the easy bet wins the Super Bowl. It’s right up there with people writing about the feelings of TV executives. Who cares?…

If you’re just joining us, where have you been? Browns beat writer Zac Jackson and Chicago columnist Jon Greenberg have been . Sometimes they’re right, other times they’re just having fun out there. GREENBERG: It figures. After reading about , the two totals I take to go over go under. while three of the four unders went over. Thank the good Lord for Penn State-Ohio State, your bet of the century. Advertisement In my defense, though, Raiders-Bears needed a garbage time score to go over 37.5. And…

If you’re just joining us, you’re in time for #MACtion, the true start of the football season. But Mid-American Conference alums Jon Greenberg and Zac Jackson (who may still owe some parking tickets before officially getting his diploma) since late August — to mixed results. JACKSON (3-2 last week, 26-25 overall): Let’s get everybody caught up on how weeknight #MACtion became a thing before we try to pick some winners. Advertisement A hundred years ago, give or take, ESPN gave each MAC program…

The declined their club option on shortstop , the team announced Saturday. Here’s what you need to know: The team option was for $14 million and would’ve marked the final year of a six-year deal signed before the 2017 season. The two-time All-Star batted .245 with just one home run and 25 RBIs in 123 games. His .296 slugging percentage and .582 OPS were the lowest of any American League batter. Anderson was suspended six games in August for instigating a bench-clearing brawl with in which they…

Forgive me for the outdated pop-culture reference — a staple of the sports columnist lexicon — but the should be able to “Parker Lewis” it this week. Meaning they can’t lose. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Trying to delete. We all know the scenario. With a win, loss or tie against the , the can improve their draft stock for the spring. Advertisement We’re getting to the point of the season where we’re talking more about draft position than anything else. And if you’re annoyed by that point of view, wel…

It’s MACtion season and no better place to find gambling advice (that you should probably fade) than with Mid-American Conference scholars Jon Greenberg and Zac Jackson, who pick college and games every week for their own amusement. JACKSON (3-1 last week, 29-26 overall): Three MAC games Tuesday night. Three MAC games Wednesday night. Advertisement Have I died and gone to heaven? Or am I just woozy from watching four quarters of Zach Wilson Monday night? I hate to have to go here, Jon, but it’s…

After eight seasons, beloved broadcaster Jason Benetti is leaving the and heading to Detroit as the Tigers’ play-by-play announcer. Here’s what you need to know: Benetti, 40, signed a multiyear contract with the , the team said Thursday. The club did not disclose the terms of the deal. He will appear on Tigers broadcasts on Bally Sports Detroit and call at least 127 games each season. Benetti will continue his national broadcast duties with Fox, and if they conflict with a Tigers game, longtime…

With seven games left in the season and facing a possible severe deadline on his tenure, doesn’t seem harried. Then again, he rarely does. “Just go out there and win games,” Fields said of his point of view to reporters Wednesday as he prepares to play his first game in a month. Advertisement “I’m not here to prove anything to anybody. I’m playing for my teammates, I’m playing for the coaches, and that’s it. Everything else will take care of itself. So I’m not necessarily trying to prove anyth…