Chicago Sports

Former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks reached agreement Tuesday on a one-year deal worth up to $10 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Hicks’ addition likely means the end of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh‘s time in Tampa. Suh also is an unrestricted free agent. Hicks will now give the Bucs the veteran presence on their defensive line that Suh had provided the past three seasons.

The 2021 season was disappointing for Hicks, who battled groin and ankle injuries throughout the year. In nine games last season, Hicks totaled 3.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and 9 quarterback hits. Over the past three seasons, injuries have forced Hicks to miss 20 games.

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Hicks, 32, was a marquee free-agent signing by former Bears general manager Ryan Pace and signed a two-year contract with Chicago in 2016. After Hicks amassed seven sacks and 54 tackles in his first season with the Bears, the team gave him a four-year, $48 million contract extension in 2017 that kept him with the franchise through the 2021 season.

He was a productive defender in Chicago over six seasons and among the best run-stoppers in the NFL. Hicks made the Pro Bowl in 2018 and was a key member of a Bears defense that led Chicago to the playoffs. In 16 games that season, Hicks totaled 7.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits.

He has 40.5 sacks, 387 tackles and 6 forced fumbles in 10 NFL seasons.

ESPN’s Jenna Laine and Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.

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Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields was great on roll outs in his first season

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields had moments of brilliance in his rookie season last year. Fields looked his best when using his legs to get out of the pocket. However, many Bears fans wondered why Matt Nagy wasn’t using roll outs and getting him out of the pocket, especially when Fields seemed his best doing that.

Bears fans weren’t crazy. Matt Nagy was. USA Today NFL analyst Doug Farrar tweeted a stat that confirmed Fields was his best rolling out during his rookie season.

Impressive, right?

The problem is that Fields only had 19 rollout attempts in his rookie season which is just gross. Fields played in 12 games, so he averaged only having approximately 1.5 roll outs a game. It shows Nagy didn’t know what he was doing. He failed to play to his quarterback’s strengths and didn’t analyze games properly.

Playing to Fields strengths will help the Bears

New offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is shaking up the offensive scheme. Tight end Cole Kmet hinted the Bears would see a lot of play-action. It’s a good guess this will include a lot of rollouts. The jury is still out on FIelds, but Bears fans expect that he can flourish with the right system in place. Fields needs to be able to use his speed to get more time and his arm strength to get passes thrown downfield this season.

Nagy didn’t have that system. His stubbornness on playcalling seemed questionable to even the casual Bears fan. Why would he and general manager Ryan Pace draft Fields, only for Nagy to use him in a system that didn’t work for any quarterback he brought in?

Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.

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TORONTO — The White Sox placed shortstop Tim Anderson on the 10-day injured list Tuesday (retroactive to May 30) with a strained right groin and reinstated outfielder Luis Robert from the COVID-19 related injury list.

Anderson suffered the injury making a play in the field in the Sox’ 5-2 victory over the Cubs Sunday.

The Sox announced the moves hours before their game against the Blue Jays in Toronto Tuesday night, which opens a three-game series and six-game road trip that continues against the Rays. Manager Tony La Russa said Anderson was headed to the IL on Sunday. Anderson was further evaluated and underwent an MRI Monday, but no further details about the severity of Anderson’s injury were immediately provided by the Sox.

No matter how long or brief Anderson is out, the loss will be significant. The All-Star and former batting champion is batting .356/.393/.503 with five homers, nine doubles, 19 RBI and eight stolen bases in 40 games this season.

Robert, 24, was placed on the injured list on May 24. He is batting .285/.319/.438 with six home runs, 17 RBI, six stolen bases and 21 runs scored in 33 games this season. Robert and Anderson are the Sox’ top offensive producers for a .500 team struggling offensively.

Anderson leads the major leagues with nine errors but has has played 16 straight games without one, and 26 of his last 27 games have been error-free with numerous excellent, rangy plays sprinkled in.

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Taste of Chicago’s full lineup of food vendors and musical entertainment was announced Tuesday morning by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

Returning as a multi-date, multi-location event, festival admission will be free of charge and once again food vendors will be accepting only credit cards or cash in lieu of traditional food/beverage tickets. The festival will also feature SummerDance lessons and each location will have family-fun activities for kids of all ages.

Festival pop-up dates are June 11 in Austin; June 18 in Pullman; June 25 in Little Village; and a “bite-sized” Taste in Grant Park running July 8-10.

At Grant Park, more than 30 vendors will be serving up food from across the city. Three stages will present music sets and dance instruction.

“After an all-virtual Taste in 2020 and community pop-ups in 2021, we are thrilled to bring Taste back to Grant Park and back into our neighborhoods in 2022,” said DCASE Commissioner Erin Harkey in the official announcement. “We are excited to showcase the food and music of Pullman, Austin and Little Village this summer.”

Here’s the Grant Park info:

Noon to 8 p.m. July 8-10; Buckingham Fountain (Jackson & Columbus)

Main stage headliners include:
7:15 p.m. July 8: Nelly
7:15 p.m. July 9: Aterciopelados
7:15 p.m. July 10: Drive-By Truckers

Food vendors include:
Whadda Jerk
The Original Rainbow Cone
Don Paleta
Mr. Quiles Mexican Food
Decadent Flavor
Ms Tittle’s Cupcakes
Haire’s Gulf Shrimp
Buona Beef
Cynthia’s Gumbo Express Inc.
Auntie Vee’s Kitchen
La Cocinita Food Truck
Taco Sublime
Josephine’s Cooking
Robinson’s No.1 Ribs
Churro Factory
Yum Dum
Mr E Chef Catering LLC
The Sole Ingredient Catering LLC
Doom Street Eats
Chicago’s Doghouse
Prime Tacos
Healthy Substance
Seoul Taco Chicago LLC
Eli’s Cheesecake Company
Barangaroos Aussie Pies
BJ’s Market & Bakery
Arun’s Thai Restaurant
Classic Cobbler Baked Goods Company
Tandoor Char House
Porkchop
Esperanza Kitchen Delights
Connie’s Pizza
Restaurante Franco Inc.

Here’s the Taste of Chicago Austin info:

June 11; 5720 W. Chicago Ave.

Food vendors include:
Catered By Kish
Cooking from the Soul Catering
Cynthia’s Gumbo Express
Doom Street Eats
Josephine’s Southern Cooking
Mr. Quiles Mexican Food
Ms Tittle’s Cupcakes
Razpachos
Robinson’s No.1 Ribs
Schweet Foods
The Sole Ingredient Catering
Whadda Jerk

The music lineup includes (starting at noon):
Joe Pratt and The Source One Band
Mary Lane and The No Static Blues Band
Tail Dragger
Demetria Taylor
Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials

Here’s the Taste of Chicago Pullman info:

June 18; Pullman Park, 11101 S. Cottage Grove

Food vendors include:
Don Paleta
Mr. Quiles Mexican Food
Ms Tittle’s Cupcakes
Cynthia’s Gumbo Express Inc.
Auntie Vee’s Kitchen
Catered By Kish
Taco Sublime
Razpachos
Robinson’s No.1 Ribs
Yum Dum
Chicago’s Doghouse
Southside Grinds
Coffee Co.
Jus Sandwiches
Burp Restaurant and Catering
Truth Ribzzz & More

The music lineup (starting at 1 p.m.) includes:
DJ Steve Miggidy Maestro
Lizzie G
Maestro Peter Jerico
Jabba44x
Kine Melik
Chicago Band Roster Spotlight
Meagan McNeal
Aniba & The Soul Starz

Here’s the Taste of Chicago Little Village info:

June 25; Ortiz De Dominguez School, 3000 S. Lawndale Ave.

Food vendors include:
Don Paleta
Mr. Quiles Mexican Food
Ms Tittle’s Cupcakes
Auntie Vee’s Kitchen
Taco Sublime
Razpachos
Yum Dum
Mr. E Chef Catering LLC
Healthy Haven
Chicago’s Doghouse
Prime Tacos
Healthy Substance
Carnitas Y Tacos
Maravatio |
Ann’s Flavored Cheesecakes

Music lineup (starting at noon) includes:
Intro’s
DJ Greedy
Jarochicanos
Braided Janes
Quinto Imperio
Malafacha
DJ Jes

Complete festival information for all locations is available at TasteofChicago.us.

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In bygone eras, White Sox fielding by the numbers would have been no cause for alarm. The Sox’ 32 errors are only five more than the MLB average, and their .982 fielding percentage isn’t far off MLB’s .984 average.

Problem is, the Sox haven’t been very good at turning batted balls into outs, which shows up in defensive efficiency percentage, defensive runs saved and other modern metrics.

The Cubs have been better than average with 25 errors and a .985 fielding percentage, but they fall short in DefEff and runs saved.

Defensive efficiency is calculated by this formula: 1 – (hits – reached on error – home runs) / (plate appearances – walks – strikeouts – hit by pitch – home runs).

The idea is to factor out all outcomes that don’t involve fielders and leave only balls in play. If a batter reaches base, it’s a play not made, regardless of whether it’s a hit or an error.

Defenses short on range will fare poorly in DefEff.

The Sox rank 26th of 30 teams with a .676 DefEff, while the Cubs are 21st at .690. The MLB average is .699.

Teams best at converting balls in play into outs have been the Angels (.728), Padres (.724), Rays (.723) and Dodgers (.720). The Twins, who lead the Sox by 4oe games in the American League Central, are above average at .706.

Baseball Info Solutions’ defensive runs saved factors in fielder range, outfield arms, double plays, handling of bunted balls and more. While DefEff is a team stat, DRS is applied to individual fielders.

DRS measures runs above or below average, so an average fielder will have zero runs saved.

The White Sox are at -9 DRS, 25th in MLB, meaning defensive shortfalls have led to nine extra opponents runs. The Cubs are at -7.

By runs saved, the Angels remain a good defensive team at +9, but the best has been the Mariners at +28, followed by the National League Central-leading Brewers at +25. The Twins are at +7.

The Sox’ DRS leader has been catcher Reese McGuire at +5, with right fielder Adam Engel at +3.

On the downside, Andrew Vaughn is at -6, with -4 in 109 innings in left and -2 in 72 innings in right. Catcher Yasmani Grandal is at -4.

Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner and left fielder Ian Happ are at +4. Second baseman Nick Madrigal put up +3 DRS before his injury. But catcher Willson Contreras is at -4 and center fielder Jason Heyward -3.

The totals are a comedown for the Cubs, who haven’t been negative in DRS since -38 in 2014 and had a sky-high +107 in their championship 2016 season. Last season, they were at +29 after +25 in COVID-shortened 2020.

But the Sox have been defense-challenged for years, with a most recent positive DRS season of +7 in 2012. In 2021, they were at -40 and still ran away with their division title. In a closer race, giving away runs can be costly.

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When the Cubs called up Christopher Morel from Double-A a couple weeks ago, outfielder Nelson Vel?zquez had a feeling he wouldn’t be far behind.

Sure enough, Vel?zquez texted Morel on Sunday saying, See you soon.

Morel said he texted back: Stop kidding. But Vel?zquez was serious. The Cubs were recalling him from Triple-A Iowa to make his major-league debut Monday.

“Nelson for me is like a brother, really,” Morel said Monday, through team interpreter Will Nadal. “Inside the baseball field, outside the baseball field. The only thing that’s missing is blood between us. We get along super well. He’s been there to support me, help me out. I’ve been there as well.”

The Cubs’ doubleheader against the Brewers on Monday featured two sets of reunions – Vel?zquez and Morel, and right-hander Matt Swarmer and catcher P.J. Higgins.

Swarmer started Game 1, making his MLB debut.

“I had to soak it all in at first,” he said. “It was amazing.”

Swarmer’s reaction when he saw Higgins was catching him: “That’s awesome.”

Higgins, who debuted last year, had been catching Swarmer on and off since they were in Single-A Myrtle Beach together in 2018. And Higgins said he reminded Swarmer that they’d been doing this together for a long time as they went over scouting reports.

“I was like, ‘This is your big-league debut, you’re going to be nervous,” Higgins said. “But I was like, ‘Just trust me back there, I’ve got you. Just do what you do, and don’t don’t worry about anything else.”

Their pairing worked well. Swarmer held the Brewers to one earned run, although two errors behind him led to three more unearned runs. Most of the damage against Swarmer came on a pair of homers.

“A real low heartbeat for a first big-league start,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “… Just having mistakes and things go wrong, and continue to make your pitches, continue to hold runners. It never felt like he sped up, which happens to a lot of guys. Just continued to control what he could control, and that definitely stands out from a guy making his first start, first time in the big-leagues.”

Higgins provided a boost on the offensive side too, hitting the first home run of his major-league career.

Other firsts Monday included Vel?zquez singling in his first major-league at-bat. He beat out a slow roller to the right side of the infield.

It wasn’t the most predictable first knock for a hitter who left Triple-A tied for the most minor-league home runs in the Cubs organization this year (12). But Vel?zquez said he focussed in the Arizona Fall League on his timing and two-strike approach to cut down on his strikeouts.

He was named the 2021 Arizona Fall League MVP.

“I know there was some raw power in there that they were trying to tap into,” Ross said of Vel?zquez’s development, “and that the swing adjustments that he made and the work that he put in going into last year kind of put it all together for him, just being able to make more contact. He’s still got some of that in his game, but when you have that kind of power, that’s going to come.”

Morel, who Vel?zquez called his “bestie,” entered Monday hitting .293 with two home runs since his MLB debut on May 17.

Said Vel?zquez: “He told me, ‘No matter where you’re at, just go there, have fun, be you, and you will see the success come true. Just have fun like you know how to do.'”

They’d been teammates through different levels of the minor leagues – their promotions staggered at times – since Short-Season A ball in 2018. They began this season in Double-A together, before Vel?zquez moved up to Triple-A early this month.

“We always had the mentality that we were going to be together and do as well as possible,” Morel said. “The big-leagues weren’t really in our heads at that point, we just wanted to do our best and then eventually get to the big leagues.”

Monday afternoon they took the field together, Vel?zquez, playing right field, lined up behind Morel at second base.

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The White Sox put right-handers Dylan Cease and Kendall Graveman on the restricted list before their three-game series which opens in Toronto Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

The Canadian government requires entrants to be vaccinated for COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to entry.

Cease started against the Cubs Sunday and wouldn’t have pitched in the series. Graveman is one of the Sox’ top relievers. Graveman owns a 2.78 ERA with 19 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings and has two saves and 10 holds this season.

Right-hander Kyle Crick was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to fill Graveman’s void in the bullpen. Krick has pitched to a 5.18 ERA in five appearances with the Sox this season.

Also, Dallas Keuchel, who was designated for assignment Friday, was placed on release waivers.

Players who go on the restricted list because they are unvaccinated won’t get paid or accrue major league service time.

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Brittle scraps of Scotch tape stick to the marble walls, chipped and gouged from decades of comings and goings — and if it were any darker in the lobby of the Fine Arts Building on South Michigan Avenue, a flashlight might come in handy.

On the lobby’s west wall in small, tarnished lettering, it reads: “The Studebaker” above papered-over doors — a reminder of the building’s earlier life, stretching back to the late 1800s, when it housed Studebaker buggies and wagons.

But then, there’s a faint of odor of epoxy and the muffled growl of a drill, and it’s clear something is happening on the other side of those doors.

Inside, hidden almost in plain sight, is the newly renovated Studebaker Theater. With its glittering mirrored walls and ice-white lighting, the grand old theater once again radiates a kind of frosty warmth.

“It’s unique. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I don’t know that I’ve found a true comparison [in Chicago] because there are few theaters that are this grand but of this size,” said Jacob Harvey, the theater’s managing artistic director, leading a tour last week of the all-but complete multi-million dollar, two-year renovation.

By “this size,” Harvey means the relatively small capacity. It has 600 seats now, though when the theater first opened back in 1898, it could seat about 1,300 people. That’s back when patrons were jammed in up to the rafters. It opened only five years before the Iroquois Theater went up in flames during a performance, killing 602 of the 1,700 attendees.

“This was also the very early years of theater technology. There were still early experiments in terms of lighting and sound,” said Tanya Palmer, a Northwestern professor and Chicago theater historian. “A lot of what people would go to see were music-hall kind of experiences. … It was quite an event to go to this space.”

The Studebaker, 410 S. Michigan Ave., hasn’t offered live theater on its stage since the early 1980s, when it was chopped up and converted into an art-house cinema. It closed in 2000.

But in its heyday, some of Hollywood and American theater’s biggest names appeared on stage, including Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Peter O’Toole, Louis Gossett Jr., and a young Martin Sheen, among many others.

Other somewhat less illustrious entertainers also performed there, including “Dr. Harlan Tarbell,” an illusionist famed for his “eyeless vision.”

On a recent tour, Harvey was keen to emphasis the state-of-the-art technology embedded, mostly unseen, within the theater. Where clunking metal levers once controlled the stage lighting, now it’s mostly done with computer touch screens.

“Basically everything is new, with the exception of the physical architecture itself,” Harvey said.

What hasn’t changed, Harvey said, is the expectation the theater will return to its 125-year-old theater roots, offering locally produced shows and those coming from out of town.

In June, a new musical, “Skates,” opens, billed as “‘Grease’ meets ‘Hairspray,’ with a dash of Xanadu!'”

The Studebaker is also set to become the new home of the Chicago-based NPR quiz show, “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!”

Despite the pandemic and the theater’s history of sometimes struggling to find audiences, Harvey said now is as good a time as any to reopen.

“There is something incredibly ephemeral and uniting about being in the theater and having that shared community experience that people have been craving and are continuing to crave,” Harvey said.

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Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is footing the bill on his highest White Sox payroll ever this season.

But he isn’t getting much bang for his buck.

Consider:

In the fourth season of a six-year, $43 million contract, Eloy Jimenez has played in 243 games of a possible 430 since signing his deal, including 11 this season because of his latest of numerous injuries, a torn hamstring requiring surgery. Jimenez’ recovery was stalled when he left the first game of his rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Charlotte after two at-bats with soreness in the hamstring area.

Lance Lynn, signed to a $39 million extension that pays $18.5 million this season and next, will miss the first 2 1/2 months of the season with a knee injury.

Yoan Moncada, earning $13 million this season in the third year of a five-year, $70 million extension, has played in 15 games in 2022.

Luis Robert, earning $6 million in the third year of a $60 million contract, has missed 13 games in 2022 because of groin and COVID issues after being limited to 68 games last season because of a torn hip flexor.

Reliever Joe Kelly signed a two-year, $17 million deal before the season and started it on the injured list with a biceps nerve injury. Kelly returnedtothe IL after straining a hamstring last week after just seven appearances and will be out at least a three weeks.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal, in the third year of a four-year, $73 million deal – the richest in franchise history – is at the center of the Sox’ offensive plight with his .168/.281/.226 hitting line, two homers and .508 OPS. Grandal was limited to 93 games last season because of knee problems that required surgery.

And Jos? Abreu, in the final season of a three-year, $50 million deal, is batting .238/.332/.400, the worst April-May of his nine-year career with the possible exception of 2016. Say this for Abreu: he doesn’t get hurt, which on this White Sox team sets him in a class by himself.

On Sunday, All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson went down with a right groin strain and will go on the injured list, a blow the injury-riddled Sox can hardly withstand. They’re 23-23, trailing the Twins by five games in the AL Central, and their offense has been awful.

Now they carry on with a six-game road trip against the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays without Anderson, a .354/.392/.503 hitter with five homers and an .895 OPS. Imagine where the Sox offense, which ranks 27th among 30 teams in OPS and on-base percentage and 28th in runs, would be without Anderson at the top.

We’re going to find out this week.

“I don’t want to,” manager Tony La Russa said Sunday, “because then it really strains your optimism to say we’re going to be OK.”

In the final year of a team friendly six-year, $25 million deal (with club options of $12.5 million and $14 million the next two seasons), Anderson, like Jimenez, Moncada and Robert after him, was locked in long term before his arbitration and free-agent years. He has had his share of injuries with two stints on the IL with hamstring issues last season and a high ankle sprain that caused him to miss more than a month in 2019.

Anderson had an MRI and was examined by doctors Monday, the results of which the Sox will share Tuesday. Whatever the outcome, it will be a matter of weeks before he returns. He’ll join Jimenez, Lynn, Kelly and Garrett Crochet on the IL Tuesday.

The Sox survived a barrage of injuries last season and won the AL Central with 93 victories. But they were 33-21 on May 31, and need a win Tuesday in Toronto to be above .500 going into June this season.

With a total payroll of $195 million, the seventh highest in the majors per Spotrac, mediocre in the prime year of a contention window is not what ownership had in mind.

There are four months of the season left to make it pay off.

WHITE SOX AT JAYS

Tuesday: Lucas Giolito (3-1, 2.63 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (4-3, 2.25), 6:07 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Wednesday: Michael Kopech (1-1, 1.29) Hyun Jin Ryu (2-0, 5.48), 6:07 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Thursday: Johnny Cueto (0-1, 2.40) vs. Alek Manoah (5-1, 1.77), 2:07 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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