Welcome to the Bleacher Nation Newsletter! The plan was to debut this tomorrow morning, but … surprise! I felt like putting something together today for our early subscribers.

The Top 10 Chicago Sports Stories of 2023

Usually, this newsletter will be a little bit of this and that from the day it was in Chicago sports. It’ll feature my take on the day’s stories and include some highlights at BN. Today will look slightly different and feature some thoughts on the 10 stories I believe most impacted this year’s Chicago sports landscape.

I’ll also work hard to keep this newsletter full of exclusive content you can’t get on BN. So, if you’re a regular BN-er who visits the site daily and asks yourself, “Why do I need that email if I already visit the site every day,” there’s your answer.

Anyway, let’s get into the topic of the day!

10. Cubs Fall Short of the Postseason, But the Summer Was Fun

It was a fun summer to be a Chicago Cubs fan. Well, for most of the summer, anyway. The Cubs were a May drought away from keeping pace with the Brewers in the NL Central standings this season and a game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot in the National League when the dust settled.

With Arizona riding that Wild Card berth to the World Series, it reminds us that getting in can sometimes be all you need for a magical October run.

Unfortunately, the Cubs came up shy of their chance at a similar October. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of bright spots for the Cubs in 2023.