Headlines of October 26, 2015 “Key dates to watch for Cubs and White Sox in offseason” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Which Chicago team will next win a title?” … Chicago Tribune “Ten years ago today White Sox win Game 3 of the World Series” … Kyle Thele, Chicago Sun-Times “Neal Cotts to be inducted in Illinois State Hall of Fame” … Dan Cahill, Chicago Sun-Times “MLB rumors roundup for Oct. 23” … ESPN.com “Postseason Classics: The most unforgettable games” … ESPN.com “White Sox offseason preview: Shopping for help at the corners” … Lindsey Foltin, FOX Sports Key dates to watch for Cubs and White Sox in offseason Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune October 24, 2015 Five days after World Series: Free agency begins. Teams must decide which players to extend one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offers, most notable in the cases of White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija and Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler. The Cubs' Austin Jackson and Chris Denorfia and the Sox's Gordon Beckham and Geovany Soto are among several other players likely set to hit free agency, along with relievers such as the Cubs' Jason Motte, Fernando Rodney and Trevor Cahill and the Sox's Matt Albers. The Sox must decide whether to give shortstop Alexei Ramirez a $10 million club option, or he will become a free agent too. 12 days after World Series: Qualifying-offer decisions made. A player must accept his team's qualifying offer or venture into free agency, likely in search of a longer, bigger contract. If a player rejects the offer, the team will receive a compensatory draft pick in 2016 from the team with which the player signs. Nov. 9-12: General managers meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. Not many deals are completed at the annual meeting of baseball executives, but the groundwork for future moves often is laid. Nov. 20: 40-man rosters filed. Any eligible minor-league players a team doesn't want to lose in December's Rule 5 draft must be placed on its 40-man roster. Dec. 2: Non-tender deadline. A team must decide which arbitration-eligible players to extend contracts to for the 2016 season. Any player not tendered an offer becomes a free agent. Dec. 7-10: Winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Baseball's giant offseason gathering is where the big moves often happen, as the Sox demonstrated in 2014 when they acquired Samardzija, David Robertson and Melky Cabrera in less than a week. Will the Cubs land a starting pitcher? Will the Sox fill their position player needs? Be on guard during this period. Jan. 12: Salary arbitration filing deadline. Eligible players must file for salary arbitration by this date. Teams and their players then exchange figures three days later and, if they don't come to an agreement, they go to hearings in the first three weeks of February. Jan. 15-17: Cubs Convention. Players, coaches and fan favorites return in the dead of winter to bring warm thoughts to Chicago fans at the Sheraton Chicago. Jan. 29-31: SoxFest. Autograph signings, photo opportunities and chat sessions with players and coaches highlight the weekend at the Hilton Chicago. Third week of February: Pitchers and catcher report for spring training. Teams' report dates vary by a few days, but this is generally the start of spring training, with position players arriving a few days later. April 4: Opening day. The Cubs open their season against the Angels in Anaheim, and the Sox open up against the Athletics in Oakland. Which Chicago team will next win a title? Chicago Tribune October 25, 2015 After the Cubs' World Series title drought was extended to 107 years, we asked our writers to rank the five major Chicago pro teams based on which team will be next to win a championship. Brad Biggs: The Bulls would have been much higher the last several years, but they're trending in the wrong direction. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bears 4. Bulls 5. White Sox Rich Campbell: October baseball is here to stay on the North Side, and the Cubs' odds will only improve after they buy more starting pitching this offseason. 1. Cubs 2. Bulls 3. Blackhawks 4. White Sox 5. Bears Mark Gonzales: Despite playing in an increasingly competitive Western Conference while in the midst of a rebuild, Blackhawks management usually finds a way to structure a Stanley Cup challenger on an annual basis. And the nucleus remains intact. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bulls 4. White Sox 5. Bears Teddy Greenstein: The Bulls have a LeBron problem. The Hawks might have a chemistry problem. The Cubs have talent, money and — as you might have heard — they're due. 1. Cubs 2. Blackhawks 3. Bulls 4. White Sox 5. Bears David Haugh: If the Cubs sign a bona fide ace in free agency, and another bat, they will return as a strong contender for the National League pennant. The Hawks always will be relevant and competitive, yet newness and Duncan Keith's surgery mean they could struggle to make the playoffs. The Bulls depend on you-know-who. The Sox have pitching but little else. The Bears can make the playoffs in 2016 because it's the NFL, but a Super Bowl? Ha. 1. Cubs 2. Blackhawks 3. Bulls 4. White Sox 5. Bears Philip Hersh: The Cubs won't win until at least 2017, but after 107 years, what's a couple more? (Or, alas, a lot more if their young sluggers don't field better.) 1. Cubs 2. White Sox 3. Blackhawks 4. Bulls 5. Bears Chris Hine: All you can ask in the randomness of baseball is to get a crack at the playoffs every season and hope to break through and win a title. With their roster of young talent, the Cubs should be there for much of the next decade. 1. Cubs 2. Blackhawks 3. Bears 4. Bulls 5. White Sox K.C. Johnson: The Blackhawks are close to dynasty status, particularly in a league with a hard salary cap. They've proved they can endure cap-related casualties before. And their core remains as good as it gets. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bulls 4. Bears 5. White Sox Colleen Kane: The Cubs may be creeping closer, but the Blackhawks, despite recent departures, have the core and experience to win another championship first. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bulls 4. White Sox 5. Bears Chris Kuc: Players come and go, but as long as the core of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford remains intact, the Hawks are contenders. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bulls 4. White Sox 5. Bears Fred Mitchell: If the core of the Blackhawks remains healthy and Patrick Kane skates (on the ice, of course), yet another Stanley Cup title seems most plausible and imminent. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bulls 4. Bears 5. White Sox Shannon Ryan: Despite offseason moves, Patrick Kane's offseason turmoil and Duncan Keith's injury, the Hawks are the city's most gifted team and will repeat as Stanley Cup champs. 1. Blackhawks. 2. Cubs 3. Bulls 4. White Sox 5. Bears Steve Rosenbloom: I hate what the salary cap does to defending Stanley Cup champions, but I love the way this team responds the season after that. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bears 4. Bulls 5. White Sox Paul Skrbina: This year wasn't next year, but next year (or the year after that) could be this year for Joe Maddon's boys on the North Side. 1. Cubs 2. Blackhawks 3. Bulls 4. White Sox 5. Bears Paul Sullivan: I may be the last person on earth who believes Derrick Rose will get his ring before leaving town, even if he's out for the NBA Finals. 1. Bulls 2. Cubs 3. Blackhawks 4. White Sox 5. Bears Dan Wiederer: The last Chicago team to win a title will also be the next. The Hawks still have the talent and the formula. 1. Blackhawks 2. Cubs 3. Bulls 4. Bears 5. White Sox Ten years ago today White Sox win Game 3 of the World Series Kyle Thele, Chicago Sun-Times October 25, 2015 White Sox fans may not be happy where their team is right now, but Sunday represents an anniversary of one of the most memorable moments in team history. Game 3 of the 2005 World Series started on Oct. 25, it wouldn’t finish until after midnight central time. However, White Sox everywhere stayed up late to celebrate moving just one game away from an eventual World Series championship. Sunday, the White Sox celebrated the anniversary with a few throwback pictures. As every White Sox fan will remember, the game was tied heading into the 14th inning when Geoff Blum came off the bench and hit what would be the game winning home run. The White Sox won 7-5 and moved within one game of their first championship in 88 years. Neal Cotts to be inducted in Illinois State Hall of Fame Dan Cahill, Chicago Sun-Times October 23, 2015 Former White Sox and Cubs pitcher Neal Cotts will be inducted into the Illinois State University Hall of Fame on Saturday. Redbird Baseball @RedbirdBaseball Neal Cotts will be inducted into the ISU Percy Family Hall of Fame! Congrats! #TBT Cotts was 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA in 69 games for the 2005 World Series champion White Sox. The left-hander was taken by the Oakland A’s in the second round—69th overall—of the 2001 MLB Draft after three seasons with the Redbirds.