With all due respect to Bears general manager Ryan Poles, his reputation among Chicago sports fans has soared in part because of how low certain other pro teams have sunk. Making a handful of popular moves and seeming to have the Bears on the uptick have practically made Poles a unicorn.
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we asked which team’s roster architect you trust the most. The Cubs’? The Blackhawks'? The Bulls'? No, it was Poles by a mile.
“He appears to have an idea what the team needs to win,” @jaangry commented.
“He has done really well in building depth and played his cards right with the Panthers trade [that netted the No. 1 overall draft pick],” @jnoahramirez wrote.
Next, we asked about the Sky’s game against Caitlin Clark and the Fever on Saturday: Is it a must-watch for you?
“All the Sky games should be must-watch games,” @MIKEKIN73778218 offered.
Last: the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga or the White Sox’ Garrett Crochet? We asked which lefty you’d rather have in your rotation for the next few years.
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: Which Chicago roster architect do you trust the most?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Saturday's paper.
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) May 30, 2024
Poll No. 1: Which Chicago roster architect do you trust the most?
Upshot: Davidson got some decent support and deserved a lot more, according to @JamesRSchulte, who cited a “bias and size of the fan base in favor of the Bears and at the Hawks’ expense.” Indeed, it’s a Bears town. And Poles is — for now — the fans’ guy.
Poll No. 2: The Sky — with top draft pick Kamilla Cardoso expected to make her debut — visit Caitlin Clark and the Fever Saturday on ESPN. What is this game to you?
Poll No. 2: The Sky — with top draft pick Kamilla Cardoso expected to make her debut — visit Caitlin Clark and the Fever Saturday on ESPN. What is this game to you?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) May 30, 2024
Upshot: If nearly three-quarters of voters are in the “must” and “might” camps, that sure seems like heightened interest. It’s an exciting time for this league.
Poll No. 3: Which lefty starter would you rather have in your rotation for the next few years?
Poll No. 3: Which lefty starter would you rather have in your rotation for the next few years?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) May 30, 2024
Upshot: @GregK_305 writes, “Shota is gonna bust out his other three pitches that nobody has seen yet.” But @KyleJ1894 is in the camp of “the 24-year-old who leads the league in strikeouts [per nine innings].” Let’s hope both keep doing well and that we can have this argument for a nice, long while.
