Chicago Sports

Wisconsin fired head coach Paul Chryst on Sunday after a 2-3 start to his eighth season leading the school where he played in the city where he grew up.

The surprising move comes a day after Wisconsin lost at home 34-10 to Illinois and former Badgers coach Bret Bielema.

Chryst is 67-26 since taking over as coach of the Badgers in 2015. But the program has been backsliding. Chryst had double-digit win seasons in four of his first five years at Wisconsin and had gone 15-10 since.

Chryst, the 56-year-old Madison native, has four years left on his contract. He was set to make $5.25 million this season.

Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, another former Badgers player, was named interim coach. The 39-year-old former NFL defensive back has been part of Chryst’s staff for seven seasons.

The in-season coaching move was the fifth already this season, and second of the day. Earlier Sunday, Colorado dismissed Karl Dorrell.

But none of the changes have been as unexpected as Wisconsin’s.

The program has been built on stability for more than three decades since Barry Alvarez turned it around in the 1990s.

Chryst, who played quarterback for the Badgers in the late 1980s, was an assistant under Alvarez and Bielema.

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Bears rookie Velus Jones could barely stand the wait for his NFL debut. When he finally made it, he was miserable.

Jones cost the Bears their last realistic chance against the Giants by coughing up the ball on a punt return with two minutes left in their 20-12 loss at MetLife Stadium. A good return would’ve given them a shot at forcing overtime, but the ball went right through Jones’ hands.

He tried to fall on it as it bounded away, but when cornerback Lamar Jackson’s leg hit him and the ball ricocheted until Giants running back Gary Brightwell recovered it.

“I’m definitely gonna let this one sit and hurt,” Jones said. “It’s gonna motivate me next time I’m out there. I know the type of returner I am.”

Jones was an excellent punt returner in college, and the Bears drafted him in the third round at No. 71 overall for that talent and to be a threat at wide receiver. He returned two kickoffs against the Giants for 22 yards apiece and had a 19-yard punt return.

His muffed punt wrecked what coach Matt Eberflus thought was a perfect plan.

He saved time by using two timeouts while forcing the Giants into a three-and-out and imagined a scenario where Jones got the Bears to midfield with one timeout available.

“That was sweet,” Eberflus said of everything until Jones lost the punt. “The punterout-kickedthe coverage a little bit, and we had Velus Jones back there. We had great blocking. There was a wide space for us.”

Jones missed some of the preseason and the first three games with a hamstring injury. In his first preseason game, he fumbled the opening kickoff but bounced back with a 48-yard punt return.

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SAN DIEGO — The writing has been on the wall for some time. But the White Sox will make it official Monday at a 4 p.m. press conference announcing the end of manager Tony La Russa’s tenure on the South Side.

Heart problems have sidelined La Russa, who turns 78 on Tuesday, and he hasn’t managed since Aug. 29. His doctors are recommending he doesn’t fulfill the third year of his contract next season.

It’s probably the best thing for both the Hall of Fame manager and the organization, which dragged itself through one of hits most disappointing seasons in memory after La Russa managed the Sox to a 93-win season and AL Central Division championship in his first season.

“My thoughts are making sure he’s doing what is the best possible for his health,” closer Liam Hendriks said before the Sox played the Padres in their final road game of the season Sunday at Petco Park. “We play a game for a living. Certain things are bigger than the game and health is one of those things.”

With four games to play, the Sox are 78-80, arguably the biggest disappointment in baseball.

“Obviously health is No. 1,” relief pitcher Joe Kelly said. “As much as he probably wants to be here day in and day out, the stress and the edge and the anxiety that this team probably gave him probably wasn’t good for health.”

La Russa was set in his ways as you’d expect one his age and with his resume to be, and coexisting with the front office and his staff did not always go without hitches and glitches. What’s more, he made decisions and lineups that drew criticism, became a lightning rod for disappointing fans and was booed at home games. “Fire Tony” chants became a thing.

Shortly before the Sox played the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field on Aug. 29, La Russa was instructed by his doctors to go home and go for testing the next day. The next day he underwent a procedure to repair his pacemaker.

La Russa was hoping to return as manager and was in Oakland on Sept. 10 to attend Dave Stewart’s jersey retirement ceremony. He looked healthier and relaxed and visited players in the clubhouse and watched the next two games at home from a suite.

“So, he’s going to have a good retirement,” Kelly said. “It would be different if he was 50. He’s not in the beginning part of his career. He’s had a great career, Hall of Famer. Ultimately we fell short as players and we didn’t perform as well as we should have.”

Acting manager Miguel Cairo, who guided the Sox to a 13-6 run that kept their postseason hopes flickering before an eight-game losing streak dashed them, would like to be considered and deserves consideration, although it seems more likely the Sox will look outside the organization this time.

In any event, more accountability from all corners of the organization will be a must, Cairo said.

“Whoever is going to manage or whoever they’re going to hire or whoever is going to be there, I know they’re going to be expecting something a little different,” Cairo said. “It’s going to be more people accountable for doing their job. I think it’s going to change. It’s going to be a little different.

“It happened because you go to the playoffs two years in a row and all of a sudden you felt like you didn’t make it this year, you can see what went wrong. It’s going to be some people accountable for the job that they’re going to do. I hope there is.”

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SAN DIEGO — The writing has been on the wall for some time. But the White Sox will make it official Monday at a 4 p.m. press conference announcing the end of manager Tony La Russa’s tenure on the South Side.

Heart problems have sidelined La Russa, who turns 78 on Tuesday, and he hasn’t managed since Aug. 29. His doctors are recommending he doesn’t fulfill the third year of his contract next season.

It’s probably the best thing for both the Hall of Fame manager and the organization, which dragged itself through one of hits most disappointing seasons in memory after La Russa managed the Sox to a 93-win season and AL Central Division championship in his first season.

“My thoughts are making sure he’s doing what is the best possible for his health,” closer Liam Hendriks said before the Sox played the Padres in their final road game of the season Sunday at Petco Park. “We play a game for a living. Certain things are bigger than the game and health is one of those things.”

With four games to play, the Sox are 78-80, arguably the biggest disappointment in baseball.

“Obviously health is No. 1,” relief pitcher Joe Kelly said. “As much as he probably wants to be here day in and day out, the stress and the edge and the anxiety that this team probably gave him probably wasn’t good for health.”

La Russa was set in his ways as you’d expect one his age and with his resume to be, and coexisting with the front office and his staff did not always go without hitches and glitches. What’s more, he made decisions and lineups that drew criticism, became a lightning rod for disappointing fans and was booed at home games. “Fire Tony” chants became a thing.

Shortly before the Sox played the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field on Aug. 29, La Russa was instructed by his doctors to go home and go for testing the next day. The next day he underwent a procedure to repair his pacemaker.

La Russa was hoping to return as manager and was in Oakland on Sept. 10 to attend Dave Stewart’s jersey retirement ceremony. He looked healthier and relaxed and visited players in the clubhouse and watched the next two games at home from a suite.

“So, he’s going to have a good retirement,” Kelly said. “It would be different if he was 50. He’s not in the beginning part of his career. He’s had a great career, Hall of Famer. Ultimately we fell short as players and we didn’t perform as well as we should have.”

Acting manager Miguel Cairo, who guided the Sox to a 13-6 run that kept their postseason hopes flickering before an eight-game losing streak dashed them, would like to be considered and deserves consideration, although it seems more likely the Sox will look outside the organization this time.

In any event, more accountability from all corners of the organization will be a must, Cairo said.

“Whoever is going to manage or whoever they’re going to hire or whoever is going to be there, I know they’re going to be expecting something a little different,” Cairo said. “It’s going to be more people accountable for doing their job. I think it’s going to change. It’s going to be a little different.

“It happened because you go to the playoffs two years in a row and all of a sudden you felt like you didn’t make it this year, you can see what went wrong. It’s going to be some people accountable for the job that they’re going to do. I hope there is.”

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Every Bears defender seemed to have a tale of woe in a 20-12 loss to the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Even linebacker Roquan Smith, who had Giants back-up quarterback Tyrod Taylor in his sights in the backfield on a third-and-four play at the Giants 27-yard-line in the fourth quarter and the Bears trailing 17-12 — only to see Taylor spin away for an eight-yard gain and a first down.

With a stop, the Bears get the ball back with 10 minutes left and a chance to take the lead with a touchdown. Instead, the Giants drove for a field goal for a 20-12 lead with 5:31 left.

“I hate missing tackles and quarterbacks and that’s definitely one,” said Smith, who had a team-high 10 tackles. “Hats off to him for making a heckuva spin move. But I expect myself to those plays every day of the week. Hopefully I see him again one day and I can give him a taste of something. But he got me on that one, so hats off to him.”

It was that kind of day for the Bears defense, which seemed so intent on stopping Giants running back Saquon Barkley that it left them vulnerable to sleight-of-hand play-action bootlegs of quarterback Daniel Jones — and ended up getting burned by both.

Barkley rushed for 146 yards on 31 carries (4.7 avg.). But Jones tore the Bears’ heart out with his deft touch and sneaky-fast legs. He rushed six times for 68 yards and two touchdowns — a 21-yard score that gave the Giants a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, and an eight-yard run for a 14-3 lead in the second quarter. The Bears allowed 262 rushing yards — the most since 2013.

“It was a lot off quarterback runs –more than we anticipated,” Smith said “Those guys had a good game plan and they got some plays on us. It was good on their behalf and us not sticking to our keys. If you do that, you’ll have a great shot at stopping them. But hats off to those guys. Good play-calling on their behalf. We’ve just gotta get better from it.”

On both plays, the Bears had virtually zero containment, leaving Jones a gift-wrapped path to the end zone.

“We gotta keep contain. We’ve got to follow our rules,” linebacker Nick Morrow said. “What’s frustrating mostly is not executing. We’e got to get a little better execution — myself included. Because we know we can stop ’em. We know we can be in position to make those plays. You got to make a move.”

Safety Eddie Jackson also gave credit to the Giants, but also lamented lapses by the Bears — himself included –that helped make Jones such a damaging force.

“[It’s] the eyes. You gotta keep your eyes in the right spot,” Jackson said. “They were doing a good job of setting it up –running with Saquon, running, running and then slip a boot here and there. We just gotta do a better job with our eyes and on the edge.”

It was a day of frustrating lament. Rookie Kyler Gordon had a 40-yard pass interference penalty that led to a field goal. Morrow had Barkley in his grasp on a third-and-nine play in the second quarter — before Barkley reversed field and turned it into a 15-yard gain and led to Jones’ second touchdown.

“I’ll start with myself –missed tackles,” Morrow said. “Had a chance to get off the field on third down and he reversed field and got in there even closer in the red zone and [that] put the team in a bad spot. That starts with me. That was a TFL for me and they kick the field goal [instead of a touchdown]. It’s definitely frustrating. I’ve got to make that play.”

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Every Bears defender seemed to have a tale of woe in a 20-12 loss to the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Even linebacker Roquan Smith, who had Giants back-up quarterback Tyrod Taylor in his sights in the backfield on a third-and-four play at the Giants 27-yard-line in the fourth quarter and the Bears trailing 17-12 — only to see Taylor spin away for an eight-yard gain and a first down.

With a stop, the Bears get the ball back with 10 minutes left and a chance to take the lead with a touchdown. Instead, the Giants drove for a field goal for a 20-12 lead with 5:31 left.

“I hate missing tackles and quarterbacks and that’s definitely one,” said Smith, who had a team-high 10 tackles. “Hats off to him for making a heckuva spin move. But I expect myself to those plays every day of the week. Hopefully I see him again one day and I can give him a taste of something. But he got me on that one, so hats off to him.”

It was that kind of day for the Bears defense, which seemed so intent on stopping Giants running back Saquon Barkley that it left them vulnerable to sleight-of-hand play-action bootlegs of quarterback Daniel Jones — and ended up getting burned by both.

Barkley rushed for 146 yards on 31 carries (4.7 avg.). But Jones tore the Bears’ heart out with his deft touch and sneaky-fast legs. He rushed six times for 68 yards and two touchdowns — a 21-yard score that gave the Giants a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, and an eight-yard run for a 14-3 lead in the second quarter. The Bears allowed 262 rushing yards — the most since 2013.

“It was a lot off quarterback runs –more than we anticipated,” Smith said “Those guys had a good game plan and they got some plays on us. It was good on their behalf and us not sticking to our keys. If you do that, you’ll have a great shot at stopping them. But hats off to those guys. Good play-calling on their behalf. We’ve just gotta get better from it.”

On both plays, the Bears had virtually zero containment, leaving Jones a gift-wrapped path to the end zone.

“We gotta keep contain. We’ve got to follow our rules,” linebacker Nick Morrow said. “What’s frustrating mostly is not executing. We’e got to get a little better execution — myself included. Because we know we can stop ’em. We know we can be in position to make those plays. You got to make a move.”

Safety Eddie Jackson also gave credit to the Giants, but also lamented lapses by the Bears — himself included –that helped make Jones such a damaging force.

“[It’s] the eyes. You gotta keep your eyes in the right spot,” Jackson said. “They were doing a good job of setting it up –running with Saquon, running, running and then slip a boot here and there. We just gotta do a better job with our eyes and on the edge.”

It was a day of frustrating lament. Rookie Kyler Gordon had a 40-yard pass interference penalty that led to a field goal. Morrow had Barkley in his grasp on a third-and-nine play in the second quarter — before Barkley reversed field and turned it into a 15-yard gain and led to Jones’ second touchdown.

“I’ll start with myself –missed tackles,” Morrow said. “Had a chance to get off the field on third down and he reversed field and got in there even closer in the red zone and [that] put the team in a bad spot. That starts with me. That was a TFL for me and they kick the field goal [instead of a touchdown]. It’s definitely frustrating. I’ve got to make that play.”

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Willson Contreras hugged pinch-runner Alfonso Rivas, acknowledged a standing ovation with a wave before embracing manager David Ross and shaking hands and exchanging more hugs with his teammates in the dugout in the eighth inning.

Contreras knew well before an 8-1 win over the Reds that this likely was his last home appearance in a Cubs uniform, and he returned to the field after his teammates sang “Go, Cubs, Go” with the fans.

“I enjoyed every moment because I had a good time,” said Contreras, who was joined by older brother Wilmer and family members around home plate.

“This could have been my home for my whole career, but I got to a moment in my career that is like a dream coming true. I earned my spot in free agency and I’m looking forward to it.”

Contreras, 30, joined the Cubs organization in 2009 and praised former executive Oneri Fleita for asking before the 2012 season if he would switch from third base to catcher, along with scouts Paul Weaver and Julio Figueroa for their support.

“Once I got to the big leagues (in 2016), I told (former manager) Joe Maddon that he was never going to send me down to Triple-A because I’m going to own this spot, own this place.”

Contreras is a three-time National League All-Star, but his greatest memory was winning the 2016 World Series.

“The World Series is everything to me and the group of guys we had,” Contreras said.

But Contreras hinted last week of an eventual separation, as he spoke of signing with a team where he feels welcome.

“That’s why I wanted to come back this week, because I don’t know what the future holds,” said Contreras, who missed four weeks because of a sore ankle. “I don’t know if it’s going to be my last game with the Cubs, but I enjoyed the moment.”

Contreras also appreciated the effort and camaraderie of his teammates. The Cubs’ 38-29 second-half record alleviated the emotional roller coaster of him not being dealt by the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

“This team has grown up during the year,” said Contreras, who wasn’t sure if he would play the final three games at Cincinnati. “I know we didn’t end up where we wanted to. The fact is every member of this team is going out there and play 100 percent every day. It matters to this team, and that’s what good teams end up doing — playing 100 percent every year until the last game, and that’s what everyone is doing here.”

Despite the seven-game winning streak and strong second half, not everyone is assured of returning. That includes reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who posted a 2.37 ERA and limited opponents to a .203 batting average in his last 16 games.

“I’d say it’s out of my control,” Leiter said. “I feel I’ve done very well, and hopefully I put myself in a position to be here next year. It would be great.”

Ross, meanwhile, has been delighted with the effort even after their deficit in the NL Central reached double digits permanently on June 11.

“Nobody is going through the motions here,” Ross said.

ON DECK

CUBS AT REDS

Monday: RHP Hayden Wesneski (3-1, 2.33) vs. RHP Hunter Greene (4-13, 4.66), Marquee Network, WSCR-AM 670

Tuesday: RHP Javier Assad (2-2, 3.62) vs. RHP Luis Cessa (4-4, 4.76), Marquee Network, WSCR-AM 670

Wednesday: RHP Adrian Sampson (45, 3.10) vs. RHP Graham Ashcraft (5-5, 4.52), Marquee Network, WSCR-AM 670

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Willson Contreras hugged pinch-runner Alfonso Rivas, acknowledged a standing ovation with a wave before embracing manager David Ross and shaking hands and exchanging more hugs with his teammates in the dugout in the eighth inning.

Contreras knew well before an 8-1 win over the Reds that this likely was his last home appearance in a Cubs uniform, and he returned to the field after his teammates sang “Go, Cubs, Go” with the fans.

“I enjoyed every moment because I had a good time,” said Contreras, who was joined by older brother Wilmer and family members around home plate.

“This could have been my home for my whole career, but I got to a moment in my career that is like a dream coming true. I earned my spot in free agency and I’m looking forward to it.”

Contreras, 30, joined the Cubs organization in 2009 and praised former executive Oneri Fleita for asking before the 2012 season if he would switch from third base to catcher, along with scouts Paul Weaver and Julio Figueroa for their support.

“Once I got to the big leagues (in 2016), I told (former manager) Joe Maddon that he was never going to send me down to Triple-A because I’m going to own this spot, own this place.”

Contreras is a three-time National League All-Star, but his greatest memory was winning the 2016 World Series.

“The World Series is everything to me and the group of guys we had,” Contreras said.

But Contreras hinted last week of an eventual separation, as he spoke of signing with a team where he feels welcome.

“That’s why I wanted to come back this week, because I don’t know what the future holds,” said Contreras, who missed four weeks because of a sore ankle. “I don’t know if it’s going to be my last game with the Cubs, but I enjoyed the moment.”

Contreras also appreciated the effort and camaraderie of his teammates. The Cubs’ 38-29 second-half record alleviated the emotional roller coaster of him not being dealt by the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

“This team has grown up during the year,” said Contreras, who wasn’t sure if he would play the final three games at Cincinnati. “I know we didn’t end up where we wanted to. The fact is every member of this team is going out there and play 100 percent every day. It matters to this team, and that’s what good teams end up doing — playing 100 percent every year until the last game, and that’s what everyone is doing here.”

Despite the seven-game winning streak and strong second half, not everyone is assured of returning. That includes reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who posted a 2.37 ERA and limited opponents to a .203 batting average in his last 16 games.

“I’d say it’s out of my control,” Leiter said. “I feel I’ve done very well, and hopefully I put myself in a position to be here next year. It would be great.”

Ross, meanwhile, has been delighted with the effort even after their deficit in the NL Central reached double digits permanently on June 11.

“Nobody is going through the motions here,” Ross said.

ON DECK

CUBS AT REDS

Monday: RHP Hayden Wesneski (3-1, 2.33) vs. RHP Hunter Greene (4-13, 4.66), Marquee Network, WSCR-AM 670

Tuesday: RHP Javier Assad (2-2, 3.62) vs. RHP Luis Cessa (4-4, 4.76), Marquee Network, WSCR-AM 670

Wednesday: RHP Adrian Sampson (45, 3.10) vs. RHP Graham Ashcraft (5-5, 4.52), Marquee Network, WSCR-AM 670

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There was little cause for joy in the Bears’ locker room after they crawled to a 20-12 loss to the Giants on Sunday with mishaps in all phases, but kicker Michael Badgley was justified in smiling.

In the Bears’ moment of need, with ultra-reliable kicker Cairo Santos away because of a personal situation, Badgley stepped in and made all four of his field goals. He hit from 29, 22, 40 and 35 yards in his debut, about 24 hours after signing with the team.

“I’m expecting a call every week to get a workout and go play,” he said. “They had something come up, I came in and won the job, and here we are.”

Badgley, 27, was working out in Huntington Beach, Calif., when the Bears called Thursday to see how quickly he could get to Halas Hall for a tryout. He landed shortly after midnight and was on the field Friday afternoon competing against Josh Lambo and Brian Johnson.

The next day, he signed a practice squad contract — with an immediate promotion to the active roster for the game — and boarded the team charter to kick against his childhood team. Badgley grew up in nearby Summit, N.J. and had a crew of family and friends in the stands.

He got the full MetLife Stadium experience, too, with light rain and wind that was officially 10 miles per hour but often gusted.

“Growing up, coming to Giants games, you know how it swirls… so you come into a game like this expecting that,” Badgley said. “I just figured, aim through the middle and let it go.”

Punter Trenton Gill handled kickoff duties, which Santos usually handles.

The Bears would be wise to keep Badgley around regardless of when Santos expects to return.

It’s common for a team to keep a kicker on its practice squad, and that’s actually how Santos got the job in 2020. Since then, he has made 91% of his field goals and 94% of his extra points.

Badgley, meanwhile, is in his fifth season and made 18 of 22 field goals and 40 of 41 extra points between stays with the Colts and Titans last season.

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Matt Mervis won’t need to be protected when the Cubs’ 40-man roster isfinalized in November.

But after a powerful breakout minor-league season, Mervis will be ready if the power-needy Cubs tender an invitation to spring training.

“Whether it’s big or minor-league spring training, I’ll do what I always do to prepare for next season and hopefully keep building on what I build this year,” Mervis said.

“It’s up to them to make decisions.”

The left-handed hitting Mervis, 24, played himself into consideration for the first base job by producing 36 home runs, 40 doubles, 119 RBIs and an .984 OPS at three minor-league levels. He provides the Cubs with a low-cost option at first base.

“I want to be a major league baseball player,” said Mervis, who wasn’t selected in the five-round 2000 draft and signed as a free agent out of Duke. “It’s been my goal since I was 4 years old. I’m going to keep doing what I can do to get there, and let the front office make their decisions.”

Mervis was surprised by his home run total but thought his .204 batting average with nine homers at Class-A Myrtle Beach in 2021 was misleading.

“I know I’m a good hitter,” Mervis said. “I know what I’m capable of. I’d say last year at Myrtle Beach was the anomaly. This is hitter I except to be.”

Mervis was one of 14 prospects participating in a four-day seminar at Wrigley Field. He will depart shortly for the Arizona Fall League.

Davis on comeback trail

Outfielder Brennen Davis was projected to join the Cubs at some point in 2022. But that was before he suffered lower back discomfort that required surgery in late June. The surgery revealed no disc or structural problems and he returned to play in the minors in late August.

“I couldn’t sit down straight or watch TV,” said Davis, 22, who hit 19 homers at three levels in 2021 and smacked two homers in the 2021 Futures Game.

“It sucked. And then trying to compete on the field, too, it wasn’t a recipe for success. I’m happy to be past that and continuing to build and get back to where I know I can be.”

Davis had only 178 at-bats this summer and will try to catch up in the AFL. He chuckled after a reporter asked him if he thought he could make the 2023 Opening Day roster.

“I’ll be ready if that’s the vision the club sees from me,” Davis said.

This and that

The Cubs 2023 home paid attendance was 2,616,780, their lowest in a non-pandemic impacted season since 1997. … Marcus Stroman was 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in his last 16 starts since July 9.

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