Chicago Sports

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

BIG NORTHERN

Rockford Christian at Rockford Lutheran, 7:00

Stillman Valley at Genoa-Kingston. 7:00

CATHOLIC LEAGUE – BLUE

St. Rita at Leo, 7:00

DU PAGE VALLEY

DeKalb at Neuqua Valley, 7:00

Naperville Central at Metea Valley, 7:00

Waubonsie Valley at Naperville North, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Joliet Catholic at Benet, 7:00

Marist at Marian Catholic, 7:00

Notre Dame at Nazareth, 7:00

St. Viator at St. Patrick, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Burlington Central at McHenry, 7:00

Crystal Lake Central at Cary-Grove, 7:00

Hampshire at Crystal Lake South, 7:00

Huntley at Dundee-Crown, 7:00

Prairie Ridge at Jacobs, 7:00

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Coal City at Lisle, 6:45

Manteno at Herscher, 7:00

Peotone at Wilmington, 7:00

Reed-Custer at Streator, 6:45

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Elgin Academy at Northridge, 6:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Morris at Kaneland, 7:00

Ottawa at Sandwich, 6:45

Rochelle at LaSalle-Peru, 7:00

Sycamore at Plano, 7:00

LITTLE TEN

DePue at Leland, 5:30

Hiawatha at Indian Creek, 6:45

IMSA at Hinckley-Big Rock, 6:45

LaMoille at Earlville, 7:00

Newark at Somonauk, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

Aurora Christian at Riverside-Brookfield, 7:00

Chicago Christian at IC Catholic, 7:30

Wheaton Academy at St. Francis, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – RED

Aurora Central at Westmont, 7:30

Elmwood Park at Ridgewood, 7:00

McNamara at St. Edward, 7:30

NORTH SUBURBAN

Stevenson at Mundelein, 7:00

Waukegan at Libertyville, 5:30

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

South Beloit at Westminster Christian, 7:00

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Antioch at Round Lake, 7:00

Grant at Lakes, 7:00

Grayslake North at North Chicago, 7:00

Wauconda at Grayslake Central, 7:00

SOUTHLAND

Rich at Kankakee, 6:30

Thornridge at Bloom, 6:30

Thornton at Crete-Monee, 6:00

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Plainfield Central at Joliet Central, 6:30

Plainfield East at Romeoville, 6:30

Plainfield South at Joliet West, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST

Plainfield North at Oswego East, 6:30

West Aurora at Minooka, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – BLUE

Homewood-Flossmoor at Lockport, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – RED

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Andrew, 6:00

Lincoln-Way Central at Lincoln-Way West, 6:30

TRI-COUNTY

Henry-Senachwine at Woodland, 7:00

Lowpoint-Washburn at Dwight, 7:00

Midland at Marquette, 7:00

Roanoke-Benson at Putnam County, 7:00

UPSTATE EIGHT

Fenton at East Aurora, 6:30

Glenbard East at Bartlett, 7:00

South Elgin at Elgin, 7:00

West Chicago at Streamwood, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Addison Trail at Downers Grove South, 6:00

Hinsdale South at Willowbrook, 6:00

Proviso East at Leyden, 6:30

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Glenbard West at Hinsdale Central, 7:30

Lyons at Proviso West, 6:00

York at Oak Park-River Forest, 6:30

NON CONFERENCE

Aquin at Winnebago, 7:00

Bogan at Brother Rice, 6:00

Bremen at Jones, 6:30

Byron at Princeton, 7:00

Christian Liberty at Christian Heritage, 5:30

De La Salle at Kenwood, 6:00

Julian at South Shore, 5:00

Little Village at Agricultural Science, 5:00

Morrison at Oregon, 7:00

Oak Lawn at Thornwood, 6:30

Seneca at Serena, 7:00

Shepard at Kennedy, 7:00

Stagg at Lemont, 6:30

Taft at Downers Grove North, 7:30

Thornton Fr. South at Lake Forest Academy, 6:30

Yorkville at Lincoln-Way East, 6:30

CENTRAL SUBURBAN CROSSOVERS

Highland Park at Maine South, 7:00

Deerfield at Glenbrook South, 7:00

Maine East at Niles West, 7:00

Maine West at Glenbrook North, 7:00

Vernon Hills at Evanston, 7:00

CHICAGO PREP TOURNAMENT

Semi-Finals

Ida Crown vs. Walther Lutheran

Hope Academy vs. Christ the King

METRO PREP TOURNAMENT

Semi-Finals

Hinsdale Adventist at Universal, 5:30

Islamic Foundation at CPSA, 5:30

MID SUBURBAN CROSSOVERS

Barrington at Wheeling, 7:00

Conant at Buffalo Grove, 7:00

Fremd at Hersey, 7:00

Hoffman Estates at Elk Grove, 7:00

Schaumburg at Prospect, 7:00

RIVER VALLEY TOURNAMENT

Tri-Point vs. Grace Christian

Illinois Lutheran at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 7:00

Donovan at Momence, 7:00

Clifton Central at Grant Park, 5:30

Championship

St. Anne at Beecher, 7:00

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MESA, ARIZ. – The Cubs spring training facility was already a hub of activity Tuesday, the day before pitchers and catchers’ first official workout. Marcus Stroman came out early to play catch. Cody Bellinger stood in the batter’s box for Jameson Taillon’s bullpen. After pitchers cycled through their sessions, three waves of hitters took batting practice on the adjacent field.

This is the first normal spring training since 2019. The past three were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by last year’s MLB lockout. With plenty of offseason additions, the Cubs are getting an early start in Mesa this year.

And not just pitchers and catchers. The rest of the position players don’t have to report until next week, but they were well represented at the complex Tuesday, including appearances from Dansby Swanson, Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal, Miles Mastrobuoni and Zach McKinstry.

Here are storylines to watch as spring training officially begins Wednesday:

Rotation battle

The fifth rotation spot is shaping up to be the most compelling position battle in Cubs camp.

Marcus Stroman, Jameson Taillon, Justin Steele and Drew Smyly will likely begin the season in the other starting spots, not necessarily in that order. But with Kyle Hendricks still working up to throwing off a mound in the coming weeks, several other players could compete for a place in the opening day rotation.

Keegan Thompson has impressed as both a high-leverage multi-inning reliever and as a starter. Adrian Samson broke into the rotation last season as it was hit by injuries, but he only improved as the season progressed. Hayden Wesneski turned heads in six games last year, the first of his major-league career. Javier Assad proved he could be a stabilizing force.

Those who don’t make the rotation could move into the bullpen or provide depth in Triple-A. The Cubs also have three off days in the first three weeks of the regular season, so if they wanted, they could use those to push back the decision on a fifth starter.

Third base committee

Bench coach Andy Green joined Madrigal in Arizona for a week this offseason to work with him at third base. Madrigal, who estimates the last time he played third was as a teenager for an inning at a showcase, is expected to play multiple positions this year.

“I really appreciate him taking the time just to make sure I’m prepared with everything I need over there,” Madrigal said.

He’s almost exclusively played second base in his professional career. But Swanson’s signing this winter moved Hoerner from shortstop to second base, making versatility a priority for Madrigal this offseason.

“I haven’t bounced around too much in my life, but I feel like I’m fully capable of doing it,’ Madrigal said. “And we’re all here to win.”

He joins Wisdom, Christopher Morel and McKinstry as options at third base.

New team, new me

First baseman Eric Hosmer said at Cubs Convention last month that he doesn’t believe a “change of scenery” is always helpful.

“But for me, in this instance, I think it’s going to be good,” he said. “It’s a lot of good veterans that they signed, it’s a lot of good young guys that have good energy that come up.”

Hosmer is one of several new Cubs looking to bounce back from offensive dips in 2022, including Bellinger, Trey Mancini and Tucker Barnhart. There were multiple factors, like injuries or organization changes, that may have contributed to their individual slumps. But with a change of scenery also comes a fresh set of eyes on swing mechanics. This spring, they’ll test out any adjustments they’ve made during the offseason.

Similar recommendations will play out on the pitching side. Taillon, for example, is working on a more sweeping slider as the Cubs try to maximize his potential.

Rule changes

Before spring training, the Cubs outfitted their Mesa complex fields with digital pitch clocks behind home plate and attached to the batter’s eye.

At least initially, the pitch clock will likely have the most noticeable effect of the 2023 rule changes, which also include infield shift limits and larger bases.

“It’s just getting the reps,” Hottovy said of the pitch clock.

He plans on integrating live batting practice sessions into training earlier than usual. One advantage will be a more flexible and varied buildup, something the Cubs are confident they’ll be able to implement because of their consistent communication this offseason – as opposed to last year when coaches couldn’t talk to their players during the lockout.

“The other part of it is to get them into that game-type feel as quick as possible,” Hottovy said.

With the pitch clock comes a limit on pickoff attempts. Pitchers can disengage from the rubber twice. The third time, they’ll be charged with a balk unless they throw out the base runner. The count resets if the runner advances.

The key there, as Hottovy sees it, will be making sure pitchers know the intricacies of the rule and exactly what counts as a disengagement. He’s planning a rules meeting once camp begins.

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Plays have scripts that tell actors what to say, plus occasional stage directions, indicating how to deliver a certain line or when to move in a particular direction — the most famous being Shakespeare’s notation in Act III of “A Winter’s Tale”: “Exit, pursued by a bear.”

Music has chains of notes representing various pitches and durations, with extra instructions delineating whether they be played loud or soft, fast or slow.

But how do ballet dancers know where to step?

There are videos, of course, and a complex system known as Benesh Movement Notation, resembling notes on a scale. Neither works particularly well.

“I can tell when someone learned off an audition video,” said Suzanne Lopez, one of two choreography directors from the Joffrey Ballet for “Anna Karenina,” opening at the Civic Opera House on Wednesday. As for the notation system, “It takes years of learning how to do that,” she said, “and I’m not qualified.”

So how does a troupe learn a new ballet? Surprisingly, the way dancers are taught their steps in the 21st century has much in common with the way bards were taught to recite “The Iliad” in ancient Greece.

“It needs to be person-to-person,” said Lopez. “It needs to be passed down. Copious notes. I have a giant binder for ‘Anna Karenina,’ constantly updating.”

Which can be a challenge when working with a top choreographer like Yuri Possokhov, the former star dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and frequent guest choreographer at the Joffrey.

Possokhov starts creating a ballet choreography to only one or two dancers.

“He wants to have that small, intimate feeling when he’s creating,” Lopez said.

Rehearsals are collaborations.

“He doesn’t come into the room with the choreography already made up,” she said. “He’ll listen to the music, he’ll create some movement, and our job is to flesh that out.”

Not that it’s easy.

“When things are described, it sounds like something that can’t possibly be done,” Lopez said. “It just sounds impossible. ‘Throw her this way and she’ll land that way.’ We can’t picture it at all. Then he will do it, himself, with a partner, whoever was in the room, and make it work.”

Part of it is listening to the dancers.

“He has a little more of a collaborative process than other people. He really wants the dancer to bring their individual personalities to the movement,” she said. “He couldn’t do it alone and really doesn’t want to. For the dancers, it’s a lovely process and gives them a feeling of ownership to the material.”

Speaking of owning the material, the Joffrey is being assailed on social media for putting on the ballet of a Russian novel.

“It looks like you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, but at least try to read the room,” runs a typical comment. “Russia has blood of innocent people on its hands, including dancers. This is a shame to promote their culture at this time.”

Punishing members of an artistic community for the crimes of autocratic leaders half a world away is not fighting fascism, but manifesting it. It might feel like doing something for social media warriors, but often hurts the wrong people: Possokhov, for starters, is Ukrainian.

This is especially questionable in Chicago, the city where, during World War I, schools stopped teaching German, and our City Council purged streets of Germanic names like Berlin, Hamburg and Rhine. That is not the sort of zeal a city looks back on with pride. Even then, “Goethe” was spared because his contributions to world culture were seen as surpassing his unfortunate heritage.

That has to go double for Tolstoy, a strict pacifist who urged his followers to avoid military service. “Anna Karenina” doesn’t boost Russian aggression today, but denounces their war, all war, as “a beastly, cruel, and awful thing.”

Besides, these collaborations take many years. The Joffrey asked Possokhov to create “Anna Karenina” in 2014. That involved commissioning an original score and working with the Australian Ballet. The ballet debuted in Chicago in 2019. To bring this international, five-year artistic effort to a screeching halt would harm not Vladimir Putin, but ourselves. We need arts now more than ever, particularly ballet, especially this one.

“Love those who hate you.” Tolstoy writes in “Anna Karenina,” bearing in mind that “when you love someone, you love the whole person, just as he or she is, and not as you would like them to be.”

“Anna Karenina” runs through Feb. 26.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Pitchers and catchers report to White Sox spring training Wednesday, and a collective chip on their shoulders should be plain to see.

It’s a sensible mindset for a team that let itself and a disillusioned fan base down with an underachieving 81-81 season.

And it’s a theme that undoubtedly will be heard when position players arrive before or on their official reporting date Monday. It beats arriving with a sense of entitlement, as the Sox did a year ago assuming the American League Central was theirs to lose.

And then they lost it. Decisively.

Whether they have the talent, fundamentally sound habits and depth to win a winnable division is for new manager Pedro Grifol to find out, and with help from a newer coaching staff, to figure out.

Grifol’s guiding hand after a failed two-year helming from manager Tony La Russa will be one of the main storylines in February and March. Early on, the first days of the Grifol era might be muddied by the presence of Mike Clevinger, the free agent pitcher signed to a one-year, $12 million deal to fill out a quality rotation of Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Lucas Giolito before it became known Jan. 24 that Major League Baseball is investigating Clevinger for alleged domestic violence and child abuse. That investigation is ongoing, and in the meantime the Sox must wait for MLB to complete it. The Sox didn’t know Clevinger was under investigation already last summer when he was pitching for the Padres and likely won’t comment.

By the time the Astros and their new first baseman, Jose Abreu, are raising a World Series banner when the Sox visit Houston on Opening Day March 30, the Sox should have answered the spring training questions of who the right fielder, second baseman and closer will be.

Oscar Colas, the No. 85-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline but with only seven games played at Triple-A, is the favorite to land the job in right. Romy Gonzalez, a minus-0.4 wins above replacement level player who appeared in 32 games last season, looks like the latest choice to keep the Sox’ endlessly spinning door at second base, like right field another position that hasn’t been solved since Tadahito Iguchi. Prospect Lenyn Sosa will get a chance to compete in camp.

While other teams spent big in the offseason, the Sox reached their limit with Clevinger and left fielder Andrew Benintendi, who signed a club record $75 million, five-year deal.

They spent $54 million on a four-year deal for closer Liam Hendriks in January 2021, but Hendriks is fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and the time of his return is unknown.

That will leave ninth-inning duty to a closer to be named, or a mix-and-match collection of Kendall Graveman, Aaron Bummer, Joe Kelly and Reynaldo Lopez.

Leadership is another void, although a less tangible one, with Abreu walking toward legitimate World Series hopes in free agency as Andrew Vaughn becomes a full time first baseman. Lynn is the clubhouse alpha dog but not an everyday player and Hendriks was in the same mold. Among position player leader types, shortstop Tim Anderson is an energizer who leads with performance, but played a career low (for a full season) 79 games due to injuries.

Anderson, Lynn, Graveman, Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Jose Ruiz will miss varying amounts of time while playing in the World Baseball Classic. The hope is the experience playing intense, pressure games outweighs risk of injuries, which clobbered the Sox last season.

Lynn injured his knee during a Cactus League start and didn’t pitch till June 8, Moncada strained an oblique on the last day of camp and got off to a slow start of a disappointing offensive season and Jimenez tore a pectoral muscle in spring training 2021. With the Sox, fingers are always crossed.

Perhaps newly hired Senior Director of Sports Performance Geoff Head find a way to make things better.

It all starts Wednesday, 43 days before Opening Day March 30.

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Most of us have some familiarity with the fairy tales spun into Stephen Sondheim’s lyrically and musically mind-blowing musical “Into the Woods.” And the characters therein: Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Jack, his beanstalk — all in the show (book by James Lapine). “Into the Woods” has long had a convenient synopsis: It’s about what happens after happily-ever-after.

Questions Sondheim addresses: How did things turn out for Cinderella after marrying a guy she’d known for less than three midnights? What kind of mother would imprison her daughter in a castle with no exits and only a hairbrush to keep her occupied? How is the ending of “Jack and the Beanstalk” happy if you’re the giant?

Money, mortality, morality and spectacular showmanship are near the heart of Paramount Theatre’s wondrous production of Sondheim’s often laugh-out-loud funny and constantly thought-provoking musical.

Paramount’s production, directed by Jim Corti and Trent Stork, does the show justice, deftly managing to be immensely family friendly while also leaning hard into the musical’s mature themes and darker elements. Chief among them: Happily-ever-after is a myth in a world where, per the Witch (Natalie Weiss), “sometimes people leave you, halfway through the woods.” Paramount doesn’t sugarcoat the elements of loss and regret that “Into the Woods,” explores, but it won’t give children nightmares, either.

In the first act of “Into the Woods,” a familiar clutch of fairy tale characters go into the woods on journeys. Princess, golden eggs, children — all wishes granted. The second act shows what happens next. The eggs were stolen. The baby won’t stop crying. The princess? Problematic. Looming over all is the Giant, (Dana Tretta), egregiously, irreparably harmed in the first act and demanding blood sacrifice in the second.

Larry Yando sets a mood of droll wonder as the Narrator/Mysterious Man. He swans about in sumptuous regalia (opulent work throughout from costume designer Jordan Ross), refusing to properly identify himself as he watches the story unfold under his beneficent guidance.

Yando’s matched in mystery and presence by Weiss’ witch, whose garden of succulent greens and magic beans is at the root of a multi-generational curse that impacts everyone from Little Red Riding Hood (Lucy Panush, a graceful, agile dancer who is also totally believable as a young woman who greatly enjoys stabbing and skinning things) to Rapunzel (Molly Hernandez, making the most of a role that goes from insipid to madness, mostly in a wordless aria).

Weiss does well with the show’s signature belters: “The Last Midnight” is at once condemnation, ultimatum and plea. “Children Will Listen” brims with rue and wisdom.

As the latter song title indicates, parents and their children figure heavily in the story, although it would be a spoiler to reveal all of them. Jack (an endearing/bratty Will Koski) and Jack’s Mother (Christine Bunuan, capturing the Sisyphean fatigue of endless work and endless debt with sharp humor and heroic dignity) struggle to get by on a poxy cow, until Jack makes them rich by stealing from a giant who invited him for lunch. Cinderella (Hannah Louise Fernandes, whose ambivalent agony “On the Steps of the Palace” will be wildly entertaining to anyone who has ever — to paraphrase Sondheim — made a decision not to decide) prays to her dead mother (Tretta, shimmering presence and vocals).

Cinderella’s Prince (Alex Syiek) and Rupunzel’s Prince (Devin DeSantis) are not related, but they are brothers, men ranged to be “to be charming, not sincere.”

While the princes bemoan their romantic states, the Baker’s Wife (Sarah Bockel) and the Baker (Strephen Schellhardt) seek to undo a curse that has left them childless. Bockel creates a major moment tackling temptation in “Moments in the Woods,” a concise, musical treatise on quandary that has entangled humans for aeons.

Which brings us to the Baker and the second act duet “No More,” a contemplative number between Schellhardt’s Baker and Yando’s Mysterious Man. It winds up being the hushed, emotional epicenter of “Into the Woods,” a sorry/joyful ode to the uncanny power of genetics and the strength of blood connections.

Although the sound design needs tweaking — Kory Danielson’s 16-piece orchestra outweighs the vocals every so often — the stage is eye-popping from start to finish. Scenic designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s lushly populated woods shimmer and blaze Paul Santiago’s vibrant lighting design and Paul Deziel’s fluidly-incorporated projections, detailed down to the leaves and the moss on the stones. This is a “Woods” to get lost in.

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There’s never a good time for a team to be hit with the injury bug, but now is a particularly bad time for the Bulls to lose more bodies.

Coach Billy Donovan’s team is a half-game behind the Washington Wizards for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the last spot in the play-in tournament. Now, they’re up against a back-to-back with DeMar DeRozan’s availability in question.

An MRI done Tuesday morning revealed DeRozan has a Grade 1 thigh strain. DeRozan was listed as out for Wednesday’s game against the Pacers in Indianapolis.

It was not clear if DeRozan would be available for Thursday’s game against the Bucks at the United Center.

“There’s enough discomfort there where he is having a hard time moving, cutting and jumping,” Donovan said. “A lot of it is going to be how he progresses every day.”

DeRozan was forthcoming about his discomfort after the Bulls’ Monday night loss to the Magic, saying he’s been playing through pain for over a month. The discomfort was enough to cause him to remove himself from the game late in the fourth quarter for fear of further injury.

He missed three games in January with a strained right quadriceps and another last week with right hip soreness. But according to DeRozan, those absences didn’t help improve his ailment.

“It’s been bad to be honest,” DeRozan said. “I’ve never been one to complain or make any type of excuses. It’s just been something I’ve been dealing with for a while.”

The honesty from DeRozan provides some clarity on why he’s looked like a less super version of superman for the Bulls in the month of February. In the six games he’s appeared in he’s averaging 18.3 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds.

Now the question becomes how do the Bulls make a push for a spot in the play-in tournament without their All-Star.

Derrick Jones Jr. left Monday night’s game in the second quarter and will also miss Wednesday’s game.

Meanwhile, Alex Caruso — who was absent from Monday’s game after reaggravating his sprained left foot — was improving, according to Donovan. He is questionable for Wednesday.

Down multiple bodies, Donovan will look to rookie Dalen Terry to step up. He credited the young forward for staying ready and coming in Monday night and providing valuable minutes. He finished with four points and one rebound in nine minutes against the Magic.

“I feel comfortable with him,” Donovan said. “He, for the amount of minutes he got, gave us a really big lift off the bench.”

Looking back on February reveals a negative trend for the Bulls.

They’re last in the league in three-point percentage after shooting 27.4% from deep through seven games. Their 106.4 offensive rating has dropped them to 29th in the league this month.

Considering the push the Bulls need to make in the 25 games that remain in the season in order to earn a play-in spot, Donovan said his team has the right sense of urgency. Whether they utilize it is a separate conversation.

“I’ve said this before, their spirit has always been the kind to try and come back,” Donovan said. “This group has character from that standpoint. We’ll see. We’re going to be down maybe some bodies here going in. It doesn’t really make a difference. We have to play better and compete better.”

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The Chicago Bears have some big decisions to make ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. Of course, they currently hold the first overall selection which means they are now on the clock. Every team in the league wants that pick from them but only a few have a real chance to get it.

There is also another wrinkle to all of this. We aren’t positive that they are all in on Justin Fields right now. We thought they might be but there are still folks out there talking about a potential switch. That could mean that the Bears select a quarterback with that first overall pick.

Justin Fields showed tremendous strides in his game this year. He became one of the most lethal ground threats we’ve ever seen from the quarterback position. However, he was not as good when it came time to actually throw the football.

There were a lot of plays that he made that were s cool to watch but that didn’t lead to any winning. We have no clue if he has what it takes to be a winner in this league. Of course, the team around him is terrible but that hasn’t kept some other quarterbacks from taking big steps.

Justin Fields isn’t a lock to be on the Chicago Bears in 2023 or beyond.

If you had to guess whether or not the Bears will trade Fields, the answer would be no. However, it is a true possibility. There are a lot of teams in the top ten that could really use a quarterback right now. Between him and the first overall pick, the Bears really could rule this entire draft.

Justin Fields was not drafted by Ryan Poles so he is not his guy. Maybe he became that guy but we won’t truly know until the draft is complete. When you are a team like the Bears who have been bad forever, everything must be on the table when it comes to planning.

If Fields is only good with his legs again in 2023, they won’t get anything for him in a trade so that has to be considered as well. All of these moves could change the franchise for good or bad. All options are on the table.

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The Chicago Bears were gifted the 2023 NFL Draft’s first overall pick thanks to some late-game heroics by the Houston Texans in week 18. Now, the Bears have a lottery ticket that every team in the league wants to have. It is a rare time.

There are a lot of teams in the top ten that need a new quarterback. Of course, the Bears are not one of those teams because Justin Fields showed them that he is the guy this year. One of those teams that might give up a lot in order to get that first pick might be the Indianapolis Colts.

Indianapolis is a franchise going through some major changes. They fired their coach in week 10 and hired Jeff Saturday to be the interim guy. They ended up with the fourth overall pick and have a long way to go to get back to being at the top of the AFC South.

They made a big move on Tuesday when they hired Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to be their new head coach. This is a great opportunity for him and a great offensive mind to bring in and help whichever young quarterback they end up with.

The Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts could make a big draft trade.

In order to get that young quarterback that they really want, they need to make a trade with the Chicago Bears for the first overall selection. Colts owner Jim Irsay let out what he wants to the media on Tuesday which is something that might help the Bears. They are desperate.

Based on these quotes, it is obvious that the Colts really like Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Again, if they want him, it will likely not come at pick four. The Houston Texans are picking at two and are certainly going to take a quarterback.

In addition, you never know who acquires the first pick from the Bears if it isn’t the Colts. Maybe that team takes Bryce Young. Because of this desperation and uncertainty, the Colts should make that move as soon as they can before it is too late.

The fourth overall pick would almost certainly be coming back to the Bears in this package for the first pick and that can be a weapon as well. They could either draft a very good player or trade down again for even more picks.

There is a lot of good that can come from this reveal that the Colts allowed to happen on Tuesday. They need their quarterback and the Bears can help them get it for a huge haul.

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MONTREAL — After scoring the dramatic shootout winner in the Canadiens’ Black Friday visit to Chicago, Kirby Dach cooled off in December.

During his three-year Blackhawks tenure, a tougher month like that might have dented the former third overall pick’s sometimes fragile confidence. In Montreal, however, he has matured not only physically but also mentally, so that didn’t happen.

He quickly bounced back and entered Tuesday’s Hawks-Canadiens rematch as his team’s leading scorer since New Year’s Day, with seven goals and 12 points over his last 16 games. He’s on pace for a 54-point season after topping out at 26 last season.

“I don’t think I’ve really changed anything in my game,” Dach said. “I just continue to stay on the path and not focus on the results, more on the process, and not get frustrated if things aren’t going right the way.”

Of course, Dach — who turned 22 in January — is receiving more opportunities to succeed with the Canadiens, too.

It’s hardly a secret that ex-Hawks Stan Bowman and Jeremy Colliton first rushed Dach prematurely into the NHL, then didn’t give him a long-enough leash to find his own footing once he got there. Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis hasn’t made those same mistakes, giving Dach an average of 19:17 of ice time per game since Nov. 12.

“When you’re getting to play more minutes and the coach trusts you, you have more fun,” Dach added. “I want to say I’m the same player that I was there, but obviously there’s differences. I have more confidence and I’m playing better and producing.”

Toews remains absent

The Jonathan Toews situation hasn’t changed much since he recovered enough from his unspecified illness to start working out in the gym last Thursday.

Toews remains in Chicago — away from the team — and, as of Monday, was still just working out with assistant strength and conditioning coach Patrick Becker. Coach Luke Richardson said the plan was for Toews to finally skate Tuesday, but he wasn’t sure if that happened.

On Wednesday against the Maple Leafs, Toews will miss his fifth consecutive game and seventh overall due to illness since the start of December. It’s possible he could fly in and join the team Friday against the Senators, but that seems unlikely.

Stalock not concussed

Doctors have determined goalie Alex Stalock — who has missed 11 consecutive games since an accidental collision in practice Jan. 16 — actually didn’t suffer his second concussion of the season.

Instead, Stalock has a “cranial thing that affects his eyesight and tracking,” Richardson said. That sounds concerning in its own right, but it’s apparently a preferable diagnosis.

“When they ruled out a concussion, that took some worry out of his mind and he was more back to his [usual] personality in the dressing room,” Richardson added. “Unfortunately, we’re missing him in situations like this. He’s one of those glue guys on the road when the team’s together a lot.”

Quiet market

Richardson, back in the city where he spent the last four years as an assistant coach, naturally flipped on TSN during breakfast Monday morning at the Hawks’ Montreal hotel.

But he quickly learned there wasn’t much hockey news for the TV panel to discuss. Aside from a few big splashes, the trade market hasn’t heated up league-wide yet.

“It seems quiet everywhere,” he said. “I’m sure there’s calls, but it’s just all, ‘Make sure you call me if you’re doing anything,’ and there’s no offers. That’s the only thing I’ve heard.”

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As soon as the sectional seeds are announced and the brackets follow the very next day, the season’s focus immediately and dramatically shifts.

After scouring over those seeds and brackets over the weekend, here are some quick, initial thoughts.

No. 5 ranked Curie a No. 3 seed

The very first ‘brow-raising sectional note has to come from the Hinsdale Central Sectional.

First, the sectional is loaded. With four teams ranked in the top 10, five ranked among the top 17 and a Riverside-Brookfield team with 24 wins, it’s the toughest sectional in the state.

But Curie appeared to be in great shape heading into seeding week. The Condors were fresh off a win over Young, which gave coach Mike Oliver’s team wins over Oswego East, New Trier, Joliet West, Simeon and Young. With the schedule Curie played, an argument could easily have been made that Curie was the No. 1 seed.

However, coaches in the sectional have indicated not every coach even submitted seeds. There were three coaches who didn’t vote, which is really a shame for all of those involved.

Instead, Curie ends up with the No. 3 seed. The Condors are behind Young and were just edged out by Hinsdale Central. As a result, Curie likely has the toughest tournament road in the state.

Because the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the sectional are both regional hosts, there won’t be a 4 vs. 5 regional final. Other teams are jumbled and moved to make it work, and it’s Curie, a No. 3 seed, that will now have to go play the No. 5 seed, a 22-win Lyons team, on the road in LaGrange.

The Simeon bracket

After the grind of playing five overtimes to win a pair of Public League playoff games and claim city championship, the early state tournament road for No. 1 Simeon doesn’t exactly look daunting.

Simeon will play the winner of the Kennedy-Englewood matchup in the regional championship. Then the Wolverines would play either Lindblom, which it beat 90-48 in January, or St. Laurence in the sectional semifinal.

Waiting for Simeon in the final of the Glenbard South Sectional will likely be Mount Carmel or Hyde Park. The Caravan have lost four of their last six games, while Simeon beat Hyde Park 68-50 earlier this season.

Barrington Sectional vs. New Trier Sectional

The winners of the Barrington and New Trier sectionals will meet in the Hoffman Estates Super. However, the depth and quality of the two sectionals couldn’t be more different.

Libertyville, the No. 1 seed at Barrington, is an impressive 24-5 on the season. But several of the five losses came to teams in the New Trier Sectional, including a 69-43 late-season dismantling at the hands of Rolling Meadows, the No. 3 seed at New Trier.

More of a concern is the fact top-seeded Libertyville may have to play on the road in the regional final and face a team it lost to earlier this season. If it can take care of Mundelein in the regional semifinals, Warren, the No. 8 seed, would host Libertyville in the title game. Warren beat Libertyville back in January.

The good news? No one believed Barrington, last year’s winner of this sectional, would be able to beat whatever team came out of the opposite sectional. But the Broncos upset Glenbrook South in the super-sectional and headed to Champaign.

Injury upends New Trier Sectional

Getting out of the New Trier Sectional, where there are multiple ranked teams and a whopping seven teams with 21 or more wins, was never going to be easy.

But Glenbrook North had to like its chances after the regular season the Spartans put together. GBN has beaten each of the other top five seeds at least once already this season.

Those hopes took a massive hit, however, with a season-ending injury to junior point guard Josh Fridman. The engine of this 24-win team suffered a devastating injury in a win over Rolling Meadows last week.

The longest regional ride

Yorkville has had a breakthrough season. The Foxes have won 24 games and even entered the Sun-Times Super 25 rankings the past two weeks. But they haven’t won a regional championship since 2005.

Yorkville will need to travel 120 miles a couple of times next week to end that drought.

While nearly every team in its conference will be playing in the Bolingbrook Sectional, the Foxes will travel 120 miles to play the host school, Pekin, next Wednesday night. With a win next Wednesday, they would return for a regional championship in Pekin two nights later to face the Normal-East Moline United winner.

The reward would be a sectional semifinal date with Class 4A power Moline — in Moline. Yes, another 120-mile trip.

That’s a tough situation for a team that’s enjoyed so much success and had such a good fan following this year. Playing in front of an abundance of their own fans and students in the postseason will unfortunately be lost due to the travel.

Speaking of excessive travel …

As noted, Moline will be hosting its own sectional. But the Maroons, who have legitimate hopes of playing in the State Finals in Champaign, must first trek across the state for two regional wins.

Moline will travel two and a half hours — 166 miles one way — to play in the Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional.

Best tournament roads

Looking at the big picture — and we mean the entire state tournament road — there are a few highly-ranked teams that really have a favorable path in getting to Champaign.

In Class 3A, Metamora is 26-2 and hasn’t lost since falling to Joliet West back in November. The Redbirds have beaten defending Class 3A state champ Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin during the 24-game win streak and have the state tournament experience of a year ago in their back pocket.

Metamora will be heavily favored to win the Galesburg Sectional and then could face either Burlington Central, Marmion, Crystal Lake South or Rockford Boylan in the Ottawa Super. That screams a repeat for the Redbirds.

This isn’t to jinx Benet, but the Redwings are the one ranked team playing in a sectional without another ranked team in it. Benet is 27-1, ranked No. 2 in the Super 25 and is an overwhelming favorite in the Bartlett Sectional.

The Bartlett Sectional winner then faces the Rockford Jefferson Sectional winner, where DeKalb, Huntley, Rockford Guilford and Rockford Auburn are the teams to watch.

Higher seeds in tough road environments

The amount of higher-seeded teams having to play regional games on their opponent’s home floor is an endless list. It remains one of the biggest gripes I hear from high school coaches each year at this time — and deservedly so.

Coaches and their teams work so hard to put together the best r?sum? as possible to earn a top four seed. Then they’re rewarded with a true road game in regional championships.

Once upon a time in high school basketball, the highest-seeded team hosted the regional. It’s time to revisit.

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