Back in January, RedEye singled out 14 Chicago athletes who seemed destined for a breakout 2014. Time to see if we were right.
SEAN JOHNSON, FIRE
Verdict: Miss
USA Today Sports
Not that he had a bad year, he just came up short of the goal RedEye set for him to lead MLS in goals-against average.
WHOEVER THE BEARS QB IS
Verdict: Miss
USA Today Sports
Oh man, we were WAY off on this one. The Bears offense has been a massive disappointment, and a lot of that is because of Jay Cutler.
JONATHAN BOSTIC, BEARS
Verdict: Miss
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Getty Images
Hmmm, no turnovers forced and just 40 tackles in 10 starts this season. Very meh.
JOSE ABREU, WHITE SOX
Verdict: Hit
Chris Sweda / baiduhai
We’ll let the words “American League Rookie of the Year” speak for themselves.
KYLE LONG, BEARS
Verdict: Hit
John J. Kim / baiduhai
He hasn’t missed a start this season and should be on track for another Pro Bowl appearance.
DERRICK ROSE, BULLS
Verdict: Hit
Scott Strazzante / baiduhai
If we’re judging based on his shooting percentage, then this would be a big miss. That said, it’s a victory just because he won a FIBA World Cup gold medal and is still standing this late in the NBA season.
TONY SNELL, BULLS
Verdict: Miss
Brian Cassella / baiduhai
Snell still has time to become a solid contributor, but he’s not there yet. He’s lost out on playing time to Nikola Mirotic, too.
RICARDO LAMAS, MMA
Verdict: Hit
baiduhai
It sucks he didn’t win his title bout, but he did win his two most recent UFC bouts and is 15-3 in his career.
FELICE HERRIG, MMA
Verdict: Hit
Andrew A. Nelles / baiduhai
Even though she advanced only to the quarterfinals of the latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” it’s a huge publicity win.
TRAVIS WOOD, CUBS
Verdict: Miss
Scott Strazzante / baiduhai
Yikes, another big-time whiff. Wood finished the 2014 season with an 8-13 record and a disastrous 5.03 ERA.
BRYAN BICKELL, BLACKHAWKS
Verdict: Miss
Getty Images
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Just to be clear, Bickell is still money in the postseason. He’s still finding his way in the regular season, though.
D.J. WILLIAMS, PREP BASKETBALL
Verdict: Hit
Nuccio DiNuzzo / baiduhai
Although he did not lead Simeon to another title, he’s still one of the best prep basketball players in the state, and will play at Illinois next season.
BRIAN HANSEN, SPEED SKATING
Verdict: Miss
MCT
Um, yeah, the U.S. didn’t win a single speed skating medal at the Sochi Olympics.
AJA EVANS, BOBSLEDDING
Verdict: Hit
Reuters
Evans and driver Jamie Greubel teamed up to win a bronze in Sochi. That makes her year right there.
FINAL 2014 TALLY
Looks like we were 50 percent on this year’s picks. So we can get a whole lot better in 2015.