Chicago Sports

Owner Joe Mansueto explained why the Fire stuck with Arlo White.

“I like Arlo White,” Mansueto told the Sun-Times. ”He’s one of the best soccer TV announcers on the planet, and I respect his right to work for whomever he wants to work for. I think that’s a slippery slope, trying to judge countries and evaluate them and determining who you want to have relationships with.”

White recently joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf as its lead commentator. The Saudi government is responsible for numerous human-rights violations, and the nascent tour is seen as an example of sportswashing. That said, relationships with the Saudis or other governments with poor track records are common in sports and geopolitics, including the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Mansueto understood the criticism of the decision to stay with White despite his new employer but said “everyone has a right to free speech.”

“It’s fine to criticize, it’s very fair if you don’t like a relationship someone has with a particular country, but I would draw the line at withdrawing employment from somebody because of those relationships,” he said. “Fine to criticize, but to deny somebody employment, I think goes too far. I think you’ll get more traction in changing countries by engaging with them rather than ostracizing them — engaging with them, setting a good example, exposing them to our values rather than trying to shun them, ostracize them and hope they’ll wake up one day and change. That’s my personal view.

“Which countries, which issues, it’s a slippery slope, and in many ways I think sports should be a bit of a safe haven from politics. [There’s] pretty much politics all around us, so that’s really what went into this decision.”

Training facility

The Fire are moving forward with the city to build a new training facility in the Roosevelt Square area of the Near West Side as they work through approvals with the Chicago Housing Authority, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the city council.

Mansueto said the team is hopeful the process will be finished by the end of the year.

In June, ProPublica reported on how that land was promised for affordable housing but is now earmarked for the Fire. Mansueto noted that the land has sat vacant and that he didn’t know of any plans to build affordable housing there. He also said the constraint in Chicago is not the land, but the funds to build the housing.

“We’ve relocated, working with the city, all of those affordable housing units to other land that the city has,” Mansueto said. “There’s been no lessening of the number of units of housing.”

He added that the Fire are paying a “premium” to build there and that it would be less expensive to go to the suburbs. Instead, Mansueto said he wants to spur development around the training facility.

“We’re making a significant community-benefit investment,” Mansueto said. “The land needs some remediation, so we’re investing quite a bit, and we think it’s for the good of Chicago.”

Soldier Field

The team’s initial three-year option on Soldier Field is up at the end of the season, and Mansueto said the current plan is to sign on for the next three-year portion. The 11-year pact begins with three three-year segments, then two one-year extensions.

Though Mansueto is pleased with the results and what the move has meant for the fan experience and isn’t looking for land to build a new stadium, the Fire aren’t satisfied with certain aspects of the arrangement. He wants to improve some of the economics, including the high costs of refreshments. Parking is another concern.

“It’s another example of the cost structure that we face,” he said. “We don’t control the parking price, that’s Soldier Field, but it’s an example of maybe other costs that are similarly a little higher than you think they should be.”

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With all due respect to the WNBA All-Star Game, which was played Sunday in Chicago, the NBA and NHL All-Star games and the NFL’s Pro Bowl, the only All-Star Game that offers great offense and great defense is Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. Even ESPN’s Bob Ryan, my writing partner on ”In Scoring Position: 40 Years of a Baseball Love Affair” and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, agrees. (But he does claim to remember great

defensive battles in the NBA’s midseason exhibition.) The first All-Star Game was held at Comiskey Park on July 6, 1933. It was the brainchild of Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune. It was designed to lift the spirits of the country mired in the Great Depression. I like to hope the game continues to lift the spirits of those who watch and enjoy baseball.

This week’s quiz focuses on the All-Star Game. As David Letterman would say as he introduced stupid pet tricks: ”It’s not a competition, it’s only an exhibition. Please, no wagering.”

Have fun. Enjoy the quiz and enjoy the game.

1. Which Chicago player had the most All-Star Games in which he got a hit?

a. Ernie Banks

b. Ron Santo

c. Nellie Fox

d. Minnie Minoso

2. Who was the last Chicago pitcher to win an All-Star Game?

a. Lee Smith

b. Chris Sale

c. Mark Buehrle

d. Lucas Giolito

3. Which of these Chicago pitchers did not win an All-Star Game?

a. Early Wynn

b. Greg Maddux

c. Jack McDowell

d. Lee Smith

4. Two White Sox have homered in the All-Star Game. Who are they?

a. Jose Abreu

b. Frank Thomas

c. Magglio Ordonez

d. Paul Konerko

5. Six Chicago players have stolen bases in the All-Star Game. Who was the thief who swiped two?

a. Alexei Ramirez

b. Ray Durham

c. Luis Aparicio

d. Starlin Castro

e. Derrek Lee

f. Ryne Sandberg

6. The year was 2003, and the White Sox hosted the All-Star Game. It followed the 2002 Bud Selig mess when the NL ran out of pitchers and the game ended in a tie. Selig then made matters worse in 2003 by declaring that the All-Star Game winner would provide its league with home-field advantage in the World Series. ”This time, it counts!” was the slogan shouted by MLB and the networks covering the game. The AL did get home-field advantage by virtue of its 7-6 victory. Who won the 2003 World Series?

a. The Marlins

b. The Yankees

c. It was a tie

7. I feel obliged to put in a Home Run Derby question. The derby is a made-for-TV event that means even less than the All-Star Game but always draws a big viewing audience. There have been multiple formats over the years: league vs. league, nation vs. nation and now individual vs. individual. The first of these events took place in 1985, when the AL edged the NL 17-16 (although the Reds’ Dave Parker was the individual winner). The AL team had five players, four of whom hit four homers each. Who was the player who hit only one?

a. Jim Rice

b. Carlton Fisk

c. Cal Ripken Jr.

d. Eddie Murray

e. Tom Brunansky

8. Who has hit the most All-Star Game homers?

a. Ted Williams

b. Willie Mays

c. Stan Musial

d. Henry Aaron

9. I always love to end with a walk-off. There have been three walk-off homers in the All-Star Game. Which of these players didn’t hit one?

a. Stan Musial

b. Ted Williams

c. Ken Griffey Jr.

d. Johnny Callison

ANSWERS

1. Ernie Banks hit in seven All-Star Games to lead the Cubs, but Nellie Fox hit in 10 to lead Chicago.

2. Chris Sale of the White Sox was the winner in 2013, when the AL topped the NL 3-0.

3. Early Wynn won in 1958, Jack McDowell won in 1993 and Lee Smith won in 1987. Greg Maddux appeared in four All-Star Games in his magnificent career and had a record of 0-0.

4. Magglio Ordonez homered in 2001 and Frank Thomas in 1995.

5. In 2011, Starlin Castro came into the game as a pinch runner for Troy Tulowitzki. With the Angels’ Jordan Walden on the mound, he stole second and third.

6. The Marlins were the victors in six games, winning two of three games in Yankee Stadium. In spite of Selig’s proclamation, the All-Star Game didn’t count for much.

7. Cal Ripken Jr. hit only one homer, and his consecutive Home Run Derby streak ended at one (although he was the winner in 1991).

8. There are many reasons why Stan is ”The Man.” Hitting six All-Star Game homers is one of them.

9. Ted Williams hit the first in 1941. Stan Musial hit the second in 1955. Johnny Callison hit the third — and final one to date — in 1964. I think we’re due for another one.

There is one thing that I think should happen in the All-Star Game this year: My hope is that these male athletes find some way to remind the world that we are all behind Brittney Griner.

Have a peaceful and safe week. Don’t forget to write me at [email protected].

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Fortunately for manager Tony La Russa, the White Sox hung in there in Cleveland and got off to a good start in Minneapolis on a critical road trip heading into the All-Star break. Had things broken bad throughout the week, the heat on La Russa — from fans, at least — would’ve been on high.

Instead, it’s … high-ish?

In this week’s “Polling Place” — your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter — we asked voters if they’d make a managerial change on either side of town. And even though the Cubs are on pace for 100 losses, David Ross came out smelling like a rose. La Russa, not so much.

“It’s painfully obvious that Tony has seen better days,” @ShawnaP79 commented.

“Rossy is at least getting an honest effort out of his team on a nightly basis,” @JeffreyCanalia wrote. “The Sox look like they’re sleepwalking through the season.”

We also asked about Sox left fielder Eloy Jimenez: As often as he gets hurt, should he be in the designated hitter role all the time? We asked about the job new Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson is doing, too. On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: If you were in charge of Chicago’s baseball teams, would you make a managerial change on either side of town?

Upshot: It’s hard to make a fair assessment of Ross’ performance because no manager could win with this Cubs roster. Someday he’ll leave — or lose — this job, and chances are we still won’t quite know what to make of him as a skipper. But with La Russa, things are cut-and-dried: He has the horses, he draws frequent criticism and here we are.

Poll No. 2: Has the time come to pull oft-injured White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez out of left field and make him a full-time designated hitter?

Upshot: The other night, he ran at about three-quarters speed to catch a ball — a routine play, really — and ended up limping off the field (again), missing some games (again) and sending Sox fans over the edge (again). Many, including @den_manders_01, would like to see an outfield of A.J. Pollock, Luis Robert and Adam Engel. No doubt, it would be a much better one defensively.

Poll No. 3: New general manager Kyle Davidson has made a flurry of moves as the Blackhawks rebuild. On the whole so far, do you approve or disapprove?

Upshot: This vote is inconclusive. Then again, Davidson pretty much just got here. “Those who disapprove are too clueless to realize we needed a full rebuild,” wrote @TheAflacDach. Maybe so. But as @epicco77 sees it, “Davidson and his braintrust had two young talents in Dach and the Cat [and] received in exchange ‘maybes’ and ‘ifs.’ “

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In the wake of the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal, the Blackhawks vowed to scrub their organization of anyone involved in the 2010 cover-up.

Less than a year later, it turns out the Hawks are scrubbing the entire organization. This is a comprehensive teardown.

The state and composition of the franchise come October, when a bleak 2022-23 season will begin, will be virtually unrecognizable from any previous version of the franchise, even from just a year or two before.

On the ice, Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach, Brandon Hagel, Marc-Andre Fleury, Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, Calvin de Haan and others have been jettisoned. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews almost certainly will be gone within a year, if not sooner. They’re the only two of the Hawks’ top seven forward point producers from last season still on the team.

In fact, Kane, Toews and Connor Murphy are the only three players from the 2019-20 Hawks roster still on the team.

Off the ice, Stan Bowman, Al MacIsaac, Ryan Stewart, Mark Kelley, Jeremy Colliton, Marc Crawford, Pat Foley and plenty more are gone, even if most cases are for the better. Eddie Olczyk, arguably the man most associated with the Hawks across generations, is still without a contract.

Even on the business side, changes are rampant. The Hawks have made significant layoffs this summer, according to several sources. Many of those who remain have been repurposed or reassigned in restructured departments.

If not for their trademarked name and perhaps “Chelsea Dagger,” the present-day Hawks could hardly be described as the Hawks.

The teardown has been prompted in part by financial implications. The Hawks remain an immensely valuable franchise, valued in December by Forbes at $1.4 billion — fourth-highest in the NHL. But like everyone, they’ve struggled because of COVID-19. The Hawks’ operating income was $41 million in the red in 2021, Forbes estimated.

As the pandemic fades, leaguewide income is generally stabilizing and increasing again. The Hawks, however, will have to deal with an awful on-ice product for the next few years denting ticket sales and TV viewership. Reducing the cost of 84% of their season-ticket packages for next season, some by significant margins, will help keep seats occupied — but it’ll certainly affect the team’s revenue.

The biggest reason for the teardown, however, is that new general manager Kyle Davidson inherited a disaster of a hockey team. He had few options other than to rebuild.

The group Bowman assembled and expected to be a playoff contender in 2021-22 turned out to be one of the league’s worst. Even worse, it was crammed up against the salary cap, giving the Hawks no leverage at a time when cap space is more valuable than ever.

But worst of all, the prospect pipeline was direly lacking in talent. Bowman and Kelley had not only drafted inefficiently for years, but they traded away most of their draft successes in ill-advised, nearsighted moves. Every first-round pick Bowman made either didn’t sign with the Hawks, didn’t pan out as an NHL player or was traded early in his career. In January, shortly after Davidson’s takeover, the Hawks’ prospect pool was ranked 25th in the NHL by The Athletic.

So Davidson, without exactly saying such, decided to basically start over. That decision wasn’t completely clear or certain during his first few months, but it is now.

DeBrincat, Dach and Hagel were realistically the only assets he had that were valuable enough to get first-round picks in return. Considering most teams’ salary-cap situations, the Hawks wouldn’t get that much for Kane, Toews and Seth Jones because of their massive contracts, even if they requested trades and waived their no-movement clauses. Just look at the Golden Knights trading Max Pacioretty to the Hurricanes on Wednesday for literally nothing.

Davidson’s managing hasn’t been perfect. No GM’s is. It would’ve been nice to get more for DeBrincat. It would’ve been nice to see Strome, Kubalik and de Haan turned into assets, even small ones, at the trade deadline in March. Some of the Hawks’ 11 new draft picks won’t turn into anything. Davidson will inevitably make more mistakes in the future, too, and take heat for them.

And this process will only get worse before it gets better.

The Red Wings are a good example. They largely bled their organization dry while hanging on too long to the remnants of their dynasty era before finally tearing it down in 2016. Six years later, they’re on an upward trajectory with plenty of young stars and excitement, but they’ve yet to even return to the playoffs.

This is the path the Hawks have chosen, though, and they’ve done so with plenty of logic supporting their decision, even if their approach of eschewing nuance and empathy in favor of absolute destruction has rubbed some the wrong way.

So what’s the correct reaction to it all?

Is it outrage over the ruthlessness of the teardown, the good people and players sacrificed in the mess, the slaphappy embrace of tanking, the lack of respect for fans who spend and have spent thousands of dollars through their fandom?

Is it relief and optimism that there’s finally a firm plan and vision moving forward, that those who made unforgivable decisions in 2010 have been ousted, that fans will hopefully be able to enjoy another Hawks ascension over the next decade?

Or is it ambivalence because the Hawks are no longer relevant and because there are plenty of other things to spend life caring about?

At the moment, equally sized groups of onlookers — Hawks fans, hockey fans, Chicagoans and more — fit into each of those three buckets. Over time, as the teardown gradually evolves into a buildup, the franchise’s leadership is counting on the majority eventually trickling into the second group.

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As a first-time NFL general manager at 36, Ryan Poles knew he’d be challenged by episodes that would test his leadership abilities.

After 13 years with the Chiefs, he was prepared for the scouting, evaluating and organizing. Draft picks, trades and other roster decisions were responsibilities he’d worked his entire career to learn how to manage.

But finding out your presumed No. 1 free-agent acquisition didn’t pass the physical? Getting a call from a player who tells you he’s just been arrested?

Those are the kinds of curveballs you figure you’ll eventually see, but Poles has had more than his share in his first six months as the Bears’ GM:

A three-year, $40.5 million deal with free-agent defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi fell apart when Ogunjobi failed his physical. He was coming off surgery after injuring his foot in the Bengals’ wild-card playoff game against the Raiders.Wide receiver Byron Pringle, who signed a one-year, $4.125 million contract in free agency, was arrested April 23 in Florida on charges of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.Free-agent linebacker Matt Adams (one-year, $1.047 million contract in free agency) was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor firearms possession June 24 in downtown Chicago.Wide receiver David Moore (one-year, $1.035 million contract in free agency) was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of weapons when he was found with three pistols and marijuana edibles in his car at a Taco Bell drive-thru, according to NFL.com.In an unexpected move that became public July 1, Poles fired LaMar “Soup” Campbell, vice president of player engagement, who was part of the five-person search committee that hired him.

To cynical fans who are reflexively skeptical after witnessing just four Bears playoff victories in the last 31 seasons (only three teams have fewer in that span), those are red flags that don’t bode well for Poles. When former GM Ryan Pace was hired in 2015, his first red flag was the signing of defensive end Ray McDonald that March — with the blessing of the McCaskey family — despite McDonald being under investigation for suspected sexual assault. The Bears released McDonald in May after he was arrested and charged with domestic violence and child endangerment.

That was an embarrassing episode for Pace and the McCaskeys, but it was more of a blip than a harbinger of the bad things to come. Under Pace, the Bears went from 3-13 in Pace’s first season under coach John Fox to 12-4 and the NFC North title under coach Matt Nagy in 2018. Pace’s misses on Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky were the big reasons the Bears were unable to sustain that initial success. Signing the 30-year-old McDonald was a roll of the dice to stay relevant during a rebuild.

And, just the same, the mishaps in the opening months of the Poles regime could end up becoming the trials of a rookie GM more than an indicator that Poles wasn’t the right guy for the job.

The Ogunjobi miss bears watching, especially after the Steelers signed him to a one-year contract in June. Poles took a chance on an injured player — something rebuilding GMs are more prone to do — and learned an early lesson.

The three arrests are problematic, especially because Poles has a history with Pringle with the Chiefs and coach Matt Eberflus has a history with Adams with the Colts. But in the context of NFL transgressions, none of the charges crosses into the more dangerous territory of domestic violence or sexual assault, which are clearly fireable offenses.

It remains to be seen how Poles responds to the Adams and Moore arrests. (He called Pringle’s arrest a “disappointment” but vouched for Pringle’s character; “It’s not a reflection of who he is at all,” he said.)

And he has some explaining to do on the firing of Campbell — a well-respected confidant to many players. Did the arrests have any impact on the decision to fire Campbell? And, if not, why did he wait until July to make that move?

On the other hand, that Poles has the authority to fire someone who had a hand in hiring him is a good sign at Halas Hall. The Bears need a football authority figure more than anything — someone who will rule on his own accord rather than be guided by George McCaskey and team president Ted Phillips.

The Bears’ best hope is that Poles grows into that overarching authority role. And if some manageable rookie mistakes are the price they have to pay, it might just be worth it.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Two down. Maybe two more to go.

After taking the first two games of a make-or-break kind of series against the Twins by a total of 14 runs, the White Sox, finally at the .500 mark after a 6-2 victory against the AL Central Division leaders Friday night, can fancy the idea of finishing off the first half with a really big sweep.

It will take wins Saturday and Sunday with Lance Lynn and Dylan Cease pitching, but you know it’s what everyone is thinking after Adam Engel and Tim Anderson homered and four relievers followed Michael Kopech with scoreless relief Friday as the Sox stretched their winning streak to four and reached .500 for the first time since May 29.

The Sox have won six of eight and trail the Twins by three games. They suffered a big blow losing Luis Robert in the second inning because of of lightheadedness after Robert drew a walk and scored in a two-run first.

But Engel, Robert’s replacement in center, lined a three-run homer in the seventh against right-hander Griffin Jax to turn a one-run lead into four. The Sox also got a tiebreaking homer from Anderson and a quick strike of two runs in the first.

This time they scored again first against left-hander Devin Smeltzer, who was pulled after three innings. Smeltzer gave up two runs on five hits and two walks — the Sox left three runners in scoring position against him — and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was probably noting the Sox’ .288/.345/.459 hitting line against lefties when he pulled him.

Anderson’s homer against righty Emilio Vargas broke a 2-all tie in the fourth, and Anderson’s leaping catch on the first base side of second helped Kopech finish with a perfect fifth, his only 1-2-3 inning.

The good news from Kopech was that his fastball velocity sat in the 94-96 mph range, up a couple of ticks from his recent starts. He entered with a worrisome 6.15 ERA over his previous five starts, and he labored through five innings with four walks and five hits allowed while striking out two and getting just three swings and misses on 90 pitches (54 for strikes). But Kopech, who has been pitching with some right knee soreness, will take four scoreless innings into a needed All-Star break.

“He’s probably being careful about planting and pushing off,” La Russa said. “And that’s something to pay attention to because if that alters your delivery that’s where you could have [issues. The pitching coaches] had some real good sessions with him. I think we’re on top of it. But you can pitch with that if you can move the ball around and command it.”

Andrew Vaughn, who homered Thursday night, moved the ball around and found a hole between shortstop and third base for a two-run single in the first. It was just the kind of needed hit assistant hitting coach Howie Clark was talking about before the game. The Sox have searched for consistent run production all season.

“If you put too much into why this is happening or that is happening, sometimes you’re one ball going in the hole for a hit from something opening up,” Clark said.

“When guys think they’re going bad they’re never that far away. And when they’re going good they’re not that far from going the other direction, too. When the guys are swinging, it’s contagious. We’ve seen it go the other direction.”

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MINNEAPOLIS — Center fielder Luis Robert left the White Sox’ game against the Twins Friday with lightheadedness, the team said, leaving the team without its hottest hitter in its biggest series of the season.

Robert, who is day-to-day, was replaced by Adam Engel to start the bottom of the second inning at Target Field.

Robert was charged with an error in the first inning when Carlos Correa’s line drive skipped past him and went to the wall. Robert drifted back to catch Jose Miranda’s inning-ending fly out, reaching up to make the catch on a ball that appeared to sail on him.

Robert entered the game on a streak of three consecutive three-hit games, raising his batting line to .301/.332/.461. He hit a grand slam and drove in five runs in the Sox’ 12-2 win in the first game of the series Thursday, and walked and scored in the first inning Friday on Andrew Vaughn’s single, sliding home with the second run.

The Sox said Robert is day to day.

Pollock’s arm strength coming back

Outfielder AJ Pollock won a Gold Glove trophy in 2015 when he played for the Diamondbacks and was nominated for one in 2021 as a Dodger without the luxury of having a strong arm.

At 34, however, Pollock feels like he’s retrieving some arm strength probably lost after numerous problems withhis right elbow.

“I’m doing what I can, man,” Pollock said. “It’s getting there.”

A year after being drafted in the first round in 2009 by the Diamondbacks, Pollock fractured his right elbow diving for a ball. He fractured it again in 2016 sliding into home, and in 2019 had surgery to remove metal hardware that was inserted in the growth plate in 2016. There were infections in the plate area as well.

“The elbow wasn’t right for years,” Pollock said.

“But it’s weird, sometimes I think I have a squirt gun arm but I feel like I’m getting it back. Now it feels like I having something behind it for the first time in years.”

Pollock nailed the Twins’ Gio Urshela with a throw from left field on the fly Thursday, denying the tying run and completing a double play in a 12-2 win.

Eloy unlikely for Twins series

Eloy Jimenez hit in the cage but isn’t running yet, and isn’t expected to play until after the All-Star break.

Jimenez walked off the field after making a running catch in Cleveland Wednesday. It’s the same right leg soreness that paused his rehab assignment at Charlotte but he said he felt better the day after this time.

“I’m going to heal faster because I feel way better in my second day,” he said. “I’m already swinging.”

This and that

Yasmani Grandal caught Friday and homered for Triple-A Charlotte for the second time as he rehabs after going on the injured list with back spasms. Grandal was 8-for-17 nine walks in six injury rehab games between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte going in.

*Shortly after announcing that Jake Burger (hand) would begin a minor league rehab assignment at Charlotte Friday, the Sox said the rehab was on hold due to illness.

*Saturday’ game has an unusual 2 p.m. start, following the Twins’ honoring of 2022 Hall of Fame electee Jim Kaat. Kaat won 283 games in his career, including 45 with the Sox from 1973-75.

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A McHenry County judge on Friday increased bail for a man facing domestic violence charges and who also is accused of making threats against the upcoming North Coast Music Festival.

Judge David Gervais ordered 28-year-old Daniel Susma’s bail doubled — to $50,000 — during a court hearing after prosecutors filed a motion requesting the increase, according to the McHenry County state’s attorney’s office and court records.

Susma was investigated by the Algonquin Police Department and the FBI in Chicago after messages were posted on social media describing a shooting at the electronic music festival that included racial slurs and referenced violence, officials said.

The reported threat came after multiple high-profile mass shootings across the country, including in suburban Highland Park, where seven people were killed and dozens more wounded in a mass shooting on July 4 at the village’s Independence Day parade.

Organizers of the festival, scheduled for Sept. 2-4 in SeatGeek Stadium in suburban Bridgeview, tweeted a statement in response to the threats on Tuesday, saying organizers contacted law enforcement and “are handling it with the utmost seriousness.”

Algonquin Deputy Chief Ryan Markham told the Sun-Times Friday that their joint investigation with the FBI into Susma’s alleged statements led them to determine “[Susma] was not a threat to the festival … and does not have the capacity to carry through” an attack.

Algonquin police were called about 10 p.m. Tuesday to a home in the village after a female relative reported Susma had struck her, grabbed her arm and put his hand over her nose and face, preventing her from breathing, Markham said.

Susma was subsequently charged with felony counts of aggravated battery and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and ordered held on $25,000 bail.

If Susma posts the newly increased $5,000 bond — 10% of the $50,000 bail amount — and is released, he will be required to submit to GPS monitoring and 24-hour home confinement, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Susma remained in custody as of Friday, according to sheriff’s office records.

His next court date is set for Aug. 3.

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Pitchfork Music Festival got off to a sloshy slow start Friday as the rain poured down on Union Park with ponchos and the shelter of trees in high demand by the growing flock of attendees.

Though many still pushed through the showers, enjoying the chill sounds of afternoon performer Indigo De Souza, matching the overall breezy feel of the long independently run event.

Lines for food and merch were uncharacteristically slow for a festival though the options include some great local picks including Billy Goat Tavern, Goddess & Grocer, Donerman and Beat Kitchen, among others.

If the muddy terrain from today’s downpour is any indication, boots will necessary the rest of the weekend.

Here’s a look at some of the sights and sounds of Day 1 of the weekend festival in Union Park:

More to come …

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MINNEAPOLIS — White Sox outfielder AJ Pollock won a Gold Glove trophy in 2015 when he played for the Diamondbacks and was nominated for one in 2021 as a Dodger without the luxury of having a strong arm.

At 34, however, Pollock feels like he’s retrieving some arm strength that was probably lost after numerous problems withhis right elbow.

“I’m doing what I can, man,” Pollock said. “It’s getting there.”

A year after being drafted in the first round in 2009 by the Diamondbacks, Pollock fractured his right elbow diving for a ball. He fractured it again in 2016 sliding into home, and in 2019 had surgery to remove metal hardware that was inserted in the growth plate in 2016. There were infections in the plate area as well.

“The elbow wasn’t right for years,” Pollock said.

“But it’s weird, sometimes I think I have a squirt gun arm but I feel like I’m getting it back.”

A night after making a running catch in right field and banging into the side wall in Cleveland, Pollock nailed the Twins’ Gio Urshela with a throw from left field on the fly, denying the tying run and completing a double play. Never mind that Twins manager Rocco Baldelli should have challenged the close call. Manager Tony La Russa opened his postgame interview lauding Pollock for making the defensive play of the game for the second night in a row.

“I’ve always been accurate to second and third but never felt like I had the strength to home,” Pollock said.

“Now it feels like I having something behind it for the first time in years.”

Eloy unlikely for Twins series

Eloy Jimenez hit in the cage but isn’t running yet, and isn’t expected to play until after the All-Star break. The only scenario La Russa sees him playing is pinch hitting “with two outs and the bases loaded.”

Jimenez walked off the field after making a running catch in Cleveland Wednesday. It’s the same soreness that paused his rehab assignment at Charlotte but he said he felt better the day after this time.

“I’m going to heal faster because I feel way better in my second day,” he said. “I’m already swinging.”

Zavala’s ABs ‘as good as anybody’s’

While Yasmani Grandal rehabs after going on the injured list with back spasms — he was 8-for-17 with a home run and nine walks in six injury rehab games between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte — Seby Zavala has shined catching in tandem with Reese McGuire, batting .303/.349/.474 with an .803 OPS and handling the defensive side and pitch calling without issue as well.

“He’s receiving well and throwing well, they’re not running too much on him,” La Russa said. “But offensively he’s had as good at-bats as anybody.”

Burger update

Shortly after announcing that Jake Burger (hand) would begin a minor league rehab assignment at Charlotte Friday, the Sox said the rehab was on hold due to illness.

Jim Kaat day

Saturday’ game has an unusual 2 p.m. start, following the Twins’ honoring of 2022 Hall of Fame electee Jim Kaat, whose uniform No. 36 will be retired. A two-time 20-game winner for the Sox, Kaat won 283 games in his career, including 45 with the Sox from 1973-75.

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