Chicago Sports

Former Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen, now a free agent, apparently suffered an injury during a training session being livestreamed on his Instagram account.

The hard-luck player, released in March by the Bears because of past injuries, grabbed the back of his leg after going down during the workout on Tuesday. The incident was seen on Instagram Live, with Cohen falling to the floor after backpedaling.

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Cohen played three full seasons with Chicago but made it to only three games in 2021 before tearing knee ligaments. He missed the rest of that season and then was released by the Bears.

A fourth-round draft pick in 2017, Cohen had a strong rookie year as a running back and kick returner. He made All-Pro as a punt returner in 2018, when he led the NFL with 33 run-backs for 411 yards.

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Former Bears running back Tarik Cohen got hurt Tuesday during a workout that was being broadcast live on Instagram. He was in the middle of a drill when he fell to the ground and grabbed his right ankle area. It was not immediately clear how severe the injury was.

Cohen, 26, is trying to restart his career after missing nearly two seasons because of a torn ACL. He suffered the injury while calling for a fair catch on a punt return against the Falcons in Week 3 of the 2020 season and hasn’t played since. The Bears released him in March.

Cohen was one of the biggest stars on the Bears’ 2018 playoff team while putting up 1,169 yards of offense and eight touchdowns. He struggled the next season, but returned in 2020 with renewed dedication and earned a three-year, $17.3 million contract extension shortly before the Falcons game.

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If you have never heard of the South Chicago Dance Theatre, it’s not surprising.

The company was formed just five years ago, and founder and executive artistic director Kia S. Smith admits that public recognition has not always kept up with its explosive growth. But that should change substantially May 20 when the company presents its first performance at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, one of the city’s leading arts venues.

“We do want to expand our audience base,” Smith remembers thinking a year or so ago when she began looking toward an appearance in the Millennium Park theater, “and the Harris Theater is so central in the city that it would give us the opportunity for more people just to know that we exist.”

The program, titled “An Evening with South Chicago Dance Theatre: Celebrating Five Years,” features five world premieres by a varied group of choreographers, including Smith, who was a 2021 choreography fellow at Jacob’s Pillow, a prestigious dance festival and school in Becket, Mass.

“The celebration of diverse voices is very central to what we do and who we are,” she said.

The Chicago native imagined running her own dance company since she was a child, and she was finally able to that make that dream a reality in 2017. And there was little doubt as to where she would establish it.

“I have a lot of connections to the city’s South Side,” Smith said. “My great-grandmother actually came here during the Great Migration and lived in the South Chicago area, and, so, I just have a passion, I guess, for the South Side of the city.”

The still-young organization does not yet have its own quarters. For now, it is in residence at the Hyde Park School of Dance, which has provided space for a couple of years on an in-kind basis. “That’s where I trained in high school,” Smith said. “That’s kind of like my dance family.”

South Chicago Dance has multiple facets, starting with its professional dance company, which consists of four dancers on a 44-week contract and guest artists, as well as an emerging artist program. In all, 12 dancers will take part in the May 20 program.

Like the variety of approaches she seeks in choreographers, she wants company to be diverse as well. “When I’m choosing dancers,” Smith said, “I don’t like people to look the same or dance the same.”

Lourdes Taylor, a Chicago native who got her early training at the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, joined the company as an emerging artist in 2021-22 and hopes to return. “It’s been great to work with Kia,” she said. “She has a really unique style and commitment to her own fresh voice, but she loves the way that so many of us — and we’re all quite different — interpret her movement and give it our own style.”

In addition to its performing troupe, the organization hosts the annual South Chicago Dance Festival, which is tentatively scheduled for September this year, and sponsors educational programs in 11 public schools and a youth training company.

During the first two years of the organization, Smith covered its start-up costs with some help from family and friends. The company began receiving foundational and donor support in its third year when it had an annual budget of $80,000. That figure doubled to $160,000 the following year, and its 2021-22 budget has soared to about $400,000.

Right from the start, Smith has had high artistic aspirations for the company that go beyond establishing simply trying to find a niche in Chicago dance scene. “When I think about South Chicago Dance Theatre,” she said, “I think about it from a global perspective, and so whenever I’m making new work or commissioning artists, I also think: How would this piece look on the world stage? It’s so much bigger to me than Chicago or myself or even the city’s South Side.”

Such talk of a global dimension to the company’s work is more than words. As part of Choreographic Diplomacy, its cultural-partnership initiative, it performed in South Korea in November 2019 and the Netherlands in March.

But thinking internationally does not mean the company has not fostered strong local ties. Smith has received support from other members of the Chicago dance community such as Nan Giordano, artistic director of the Giordano Dance Chicago.

“We love the community,” Smith said, “but I just don’t to try to fit into the community necessarily. I want to have just our own unique path and way of doing things and try to be more innovative and pioneering.”

One way she hopes to make the company more experimental and distinctive is her development of what she calls “dance opera,” a kind of cross-disciplinary work that fuses movement, live sound and scenic and projection design into a “holistic performance experience.” South Chicago Dance is slated to present the first such work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Fall 2023.

The May 20 lineup won’t have dance opera, but it brings together five new works each created in a different style, starting with her piece, “In Lieu of Flowers,” a duet she created after her father died, that explores the stages of grief. “The work helped me stay in touch with myself and keep myself together,” said Smith, who serves as the company’s resident choreographer.

In their first collaboration with South Chicago Dance, Wade Schaaf, founder of Chicago Repertory Ballet, has assembled a 12-minute contemporary ballet for seven dancers titled “Coeurs S?par?s (Separated Hearts),” which was inspired in part by the choreographer’s “kinship” with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

“A lot of it is based around the idea that you may be going through a challenging period,” Schaaf said. “For me, I call it broken-heartedness and the journey you can have while having that sense, so the full range of human experience — joy, sadness and connection with others.”

Also on the program is Stephanie Martinez’s jazzy “On a Lark,” Crystal Michelle’s Afro-modern “Lit-anies” and Ron De Jes?s’ “HYbr:ID Line.”

“The dancers are literally flying through the air,” Smith said of De Jesus’ evening-ending creation. “It’s a really sleek and just powerful work.”

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Can the Chicago Bears really get to 11 wins? One NFL analyst thinks so

Most media members around the nation have predicted the Chicago Bears will have a rough 2022 season judging by their offseason moves. The Bears roster is being rebuilt this season by a new front office and head coaching staff.

The team arguably lost two of their best players on each side of the ball, wide receiver Allen Robinson and linebacker Khalil Mack.

However, with a favorable schedule, one analyst has the Bears making the playoffs. Nick Wright, co-host on FS1’s “First Things First”, predicted an 11-win season for the Bears. Yep, an 11-win season and a second-place finish in the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers.

Getting to 11 wins would be an achievement

Putting 11 in the win column for the Bears would be an incredible achievement for general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus in their first season together. For the Bears to accomplish this, the defense would have to transition to the 4-3 defense seamlessly, and the new draft picks on the secondary would need to be serious ball hawks.

Justin Fields would also need to take a great leap forward in his second season in the NFL, and with his second offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy. The Bears still have questions on the offensive line and at wide receiver. Both of those are very important to Fields success here in year two and you can argue that both are the two biggest weaknesses on the offense.

If the Bears can sort those positions out in the preseason and get some lucky breaks in every game, the Bears could have a better season than many anticipate. Easier said than done however.

A prediction of11 wins seem a little high at this point with where the roster is at in May. But if it happens, it will be a very surprising, yet good sign for the future.

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

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Is Willson Contreras on his way out of Chicago? Here’s why the Cubs should extend him instead

There are only three Chicago Cubs players still on the active roster from when they won the World Series back in 2016. Four if you still count manager David Ross.

After trading away most of the core this past season with Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo gone, Willson Contreras found himself still on the roster and Chicago’s best player this season.

But Contreras may not be here for long either if the Cubs plans continue.  As of now, here have been no reports, or even rumors of any potential extension talks for Contreras at the moment. This leads to the question of why are the Cubs not looking to extend their catcher in the Contreras?

The Cubs starting catcher in Contreras is only 30 years old, so the front office really cannot say they are not looking to extend him based off age. The front office also cannot blame it on him not producing as Contreras is having another good year in 2022 so far. Heading into Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates Contreras is hitting .283, 5 home runs, 14 RBI’s, and an OPS of .906 through the first month and a half of the season.

Contreras had a very good start to the series against the Pirates on Monday going 2 for 5 in the Cubs 9-0 route. Wade Miley picked up his first career win in a Cubs uniform as well. Contreras wasted no time starting off the bottom of the first with a leadoff double. He then came up again in the first as the Cubs batted around to hit a grand slam to make it 8-0 after the first inning.

An emotional Willson Contreras following the game

It is never going to be a bad night when you hit your 100th career home run, plus finish with 4 RBI’s on one swing of the bat. That is exactly what Contreras did on Monday night at Wrigley Field. Contreras seemed to get a little emotional in the dugout after the milestone. He is a player that always has played hard and wears his heart on his sleeve. An interesting fact about Contreras is he now has four career grand slams with three of them happening in the first inning.

The Cubs did sign veteran catcher Yan Gomes to a two-year contract this past offseason, but he is not going to be the long term catcher on the north side of Chicago. Gomes is already 34 years old at the moment, and seems to be on the back end of his career.

Bringing in Gomes allows Ross to rotate both catchers behind the plate. With the designated hitter now in the NL the Cubs can keep Contreras in the lineup with saving his legs for later in the season at the same time.

One of the Cubs top prospects in their farm system, Miguel Amaya had to have Tommy John surgery to repair his throwing elbow. Amaya will have to miss all of the 2022 season which really throws a wrench in the catching plans. This is another reason to extend Contreras and build around him as there is no clear future catcher waiting in the wings.

The Cubs definitely have the money to extend him. Coming into the year the Cubs were 15th in payroll in the MLB. That is unacceptable from an ownership standpoint that has stated over and over that they are doing all they can do to put a winner on the field.

Keeping Willson Contreras proves they want to win sooner than later

A good start to proving they are all about winning is by extending Contreras. Build around him for the foreseeable future. Could the Cubs get an absolute haul of prospects for Contreras? Absolutely, but at the same time why not keep him around and actually try and win? Building around everyday players like Seiya Suzuki, and Contreras is a good start.

We were told by the front office that this would not be a full tear down like in the first rebuild in the few years before 2015. Last July we saw the Cubs trade away some big time names. How about this time around you start to build a contender with your starting backstop in Contreras included in it.

Who knows, maybe the Cubs front office will get an extension done with Contreras in the near future. If they do not extend Contreras though he will be extremely missed on the north side of Chicago for the rest of his career.

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

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Kim Kardashian keeps stunning fans. First it was her jaw-dropping Marilyn Monroe look at this year’s Met Gala — and the spotlight continues for the star as she covers 2022’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

The magazine announced Monday this year’s cover models for its popular swim issue, which included the reality star and entrepreneur alongside singer Ciara and models Maye Musk and Yumi Nu.

Kardashian told the outlet that she “never thought in a million years” she’d be featured, especially at her age. Greg Swales photographed the 41-year-old, who wore in a nude bikini with matching nude gloves in the Dominican Republic.

“I vividly remember Tyra Banks on the cover and women with curves. I remember thinking that is so cool. But, I still didn’t think I would have … I thought you had to be a professional model and a runway model. It was always really young girls. I don’t want to date myself or sound old, but in my 40s? That’s crazy!” she said.

But if anyone is proving that age doesn’t matter in beauty, it’s Musk. At 74, she rocked the cover in a ruffled Maygel Coronel suit shot by Yu Tsai in Belize.

The author’s daughter Tosca praised her mom as an unstoppable force. “My mom is 74 now. In her years on this planet she’s earned two master’s degrees in nutrition science, won awards in the dietetics field, has been in countless fashion shows and editorials, and she’s even appeared in a Beyonc? video. She is an uncontainable force, and she’s the most fearless woman I’ve ever known.”

Ciara, 36, who is married to Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, donned her cover in an animal-print one-piece and a cowboy hat. She was photographed by Ben Watts in Barbados.

The youngest of the cover stars, 25-year-old Nu, made the Swimsuit cover after first debuting in the issue last year. The recording artist and plus-size model was photographed in Montenegro by James Macari. During her shoot, she wore swimsuits by brands such as Michael Costello x REVOLVE, Ola Vida, Riot Swim and more.

Nu cemented her place in history as the first plus-size model on the cover of Vogue Japan.

“I’m second-generation Japanese American, and Japanese culture values being skinny, dainty and small. So for me to be on the cover of Vogue Japan meant being seen and being honored by a culture that often makes people with bigger bodies like mine feel invisible,” she told Sports Illustrated.

Sports Illustrated’s 59th Swimsuit issue hits newsstands on May 19 with images and stories from “28 powerful and beautiful women.” Others featured include WNBA stars Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart and Duckie Thot, Kamie Crawford, and Olivia Ponton.

The issue also features 2021 Rookie of the Year Katrina Scott, who was photographed when she was six and a half months pregnant and model Kelly Hughes, who showed off and celebrated her C-section scar in her photos.

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Still trying to shore up depth at a needy position, the Bears signed tackle Shon Coleman on Tuesday morning, just before they began an organized team activity practice.

An Auburn alum, Coleman was a third-round pick by the Browns in 2016. He started all 16 games for the Browns in 2017 when they famously went winless, but hasn’t appeared in a game since.

The Browns traded Coleman to the 49ers in 2018. He went to injured reserve in August 2019 and again in 2021. In between, he sat out the 2020 season with coronavirus concerns. He qualified as a high-risk opt-out player because he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia as an 18-year-old.

Coleman was picked up by the Colts this offseason and was released earlier this month.

To make room, the Bears cut punter Ryan Winslow, leaving rookie Trenton Gill, whom the Bears chose in Round 7, as the only punter on the roster.

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Late last month, new Illinois State coach Ryan Pedon extended a number of offers to Illinois prospects in the Class of 2023. There were nine in total.

The offers were a statement.

Under Pedon, Illinois State will put a heavy emphasis on recruiting the state, something the Redbirds haven’t prioritized in recent years.

“Our state is very important to us,” said Pedon, the former Ohio State assistant who recruited Belleville West star EJ Liddell to Columbus. “Our staff has a background with Illinois and the Midwest. When I put our staff together, we wanted to put ourselves in a position to recruit at a high level, and that starts in our state.”

Redbird assistant coach Walter Offutt targeted Illinois relentlessly while working at Toledo over the last three years.

And veteran assistant Rob Judson knows the state as well or better than anyone. He played and coached at the University of Illinois and was a head coach at Northern Illinois and an assistant at Illinois State and Bradley. Judson is as familiar a name in Illinois high school basketball as you will find after decades in the business.

Pedon also had a firsthand look and experience with Illinois high school basketball during his time as John Groce’s special assistant for two years at Illinois. He said he saw all the pluses the state had to offer.

“Very rich tradition with lots of history and tremendous coaching and talent,” Pedon said. “My time at Illinois showed and taught me that. In the position I was in, I was able to meet and interact with a lot of high school coaches. I just have a great appreciation for the great coaching in this state.”

In addition to offering nine of the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 20 prospects in the Class of 2023 in Illinois, Pedon already has secured a couple of pieces through the transfer portal: Darius Burford, who starred at Bolingbrook, and local product Colton Sandage from Bloomington.

Burford and Sandage averaged an identical 13.4 points at their previous schools. Burford also averaged 4.1 rebounds and three assists in his sophomore season at Elon, while Sandage played at Western Illinois.

“I think with our early signings, even in a short time here, it would indicate that [focus on Illinois],” Pedon said. “I am just a strong believer that we can get high-level players from our state and surrounding areas. If we are doing our job, we are at a place that is attractive enough to attract those kinds of kids.”

Burford could prove to be quite the coup. He already has racked up 600 career points in two seasons at Elon, where as a freshman he was named to the Colonial Athletic Association’s All-Rookie team. This past season, he was named to the All-CAA third team after leading Elon in points, assists and steals.

Burford’s relationship with Illinois State assistant coach Andrew Dakich played a big part in the jet-quick guard returning home. Dakich was the director of basketball operations at Elon during Burford’s two years there.

But the distance from home was a huge factor, something Pedon surely will use to his advantage in recruiting pitches to prospects. Burford is close with his family and cherishes the times they can see him play. Family, Burford said, and all it has to offer is a crucial part of developing as a college student-athlete.

“Playing Division I basketball is hard,” Burford said. “There are some really difficult, challenging times. I talk to my family every day. Having your support system is important. And being far away makes that difficult.”

Burford is excited that his family will be just a 90-minute drive away. He pointed out that anyone from home who wanted to see him play at Elon had to take a flight and then make a drive. Plus, the money spent for travel expenses added up, which Burford said he always had in the back of his mind.

“Being close to family is a special thing to have,” Burford said. “I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

He’s excited to be playing for a new coach and trying to help reboot a program that hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998.

“I loved every part of what they had to say and what they showed me on my visit and during the process,” Burford said. “I can’t wait to play there.”

Over the years, particularly with Illinois State’s most successful teams, the program has been led by in-state products. Doug Collins, Roger Powell Sr., Jeff Wilkins, Rick Lamb, Tarise Bryson, Rico Hill, Osiris Eldridge and Paris Lee are just a few of the bigger in-state names who were stars for the Redbirds.

Pedon hopes Burford and Sandage are just the beginning of a local pipeline to Illinois State.

“I think early on we want to send a message that we are serious about recruiting the state” Pedon said. “Our actions should indicate we are pretty serious about recruiting the state. Talk is cheap.”

The actions have been loud, and so far, the results have been swift.

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Former Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo is off to a fantastic start for the New York Yankees

At the trade deadline last season, the Chicago Cubs unloaded several key players and set the rebuild into gear. This included core players, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo.

Another notable member of the Cubs’ previous core is Kyle Schwarber. He last played for the Cubs in 2020, but he joined Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez in this offseason’s exciting free agency period.

These former members of the Cubs’ core all signed massive contracts before this season began. All of their contracts combined are worth a whopping $433 million. Unfortunately, these players have yet to make much of an impact on their new teams. The one exception to that is Anthony Rizzo.

Rizzo garnered the least significant contract of these players as he re-signed with the Yankees for 2-years and $32 million.

Baez and Schwarber are off to underwhelming starts with their new clubs. Baez is now with the Detroit Tigers and is only batting .216 with a .586 OPS in 26 games. Schwarber has also struggled so far. His power certainly hasn’t faded as he has already launched 9 home runs. Unfortunately, he has racked up 43 strikeouts in 142 plate appearances. His batting average also only sits at .189 through 33 games. The former MVP, Kris Bryant, has put up good numbers with the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately for Bryant, he has struggled to stay on the field. He has only appeared in 15 of the Rockies’ 34 games.

That leaves Rizzo.

Anthony Rizzo’s hot start for New York Yankees

Although his batting average has been abnormally low to start the season at .225, he has been incredibly productive for the Yankees. Rizzo has recorded 9 home runs this season which is tied for 5th in the league (tied with Schwarber and 5 others). His power-hitting teammates, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton, also rank at 1st and 4th, respectively. Currently, Rizzo also sits at 14th in the league in RBIs with 23. The Yankees have been incredible this season and Rizzo has been a key contributor.

Of these former Cubs, Rizzo is the only one who re-signed with their new club. Perhaps the extra familiarity or comfort with his new environment has been beneficial. Playing in front of the bright lights of New York City is a difficult or even impossible adjustment for some players. Anthony Rizzo seems to be handling it just fine. Of course, there is still a massive chunk of the season remaining and this can all change in a heartbeat.

Rizzo returned to Chicago over the weekend to face the Chicago White Sox. Fans will not be surprised to see that he continues to be incredibly charitable towards the city he spent almost ten years in.

Although the Cubs are off to a rough start this season, fans will always have a soft spot for the players that brought them the 2016 World Series. These players are all sure to become major contributors to their new clubs as the season progresses.

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

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Two people were killed and nine others were wounded in shootings across Chicago Monday.

In the day’s first fatal attack, a man was killed after being shot and then run over by the gunman’s getaway car Monday morning in Marquette Park on the South Side, Chicago police said.

The man was inside a vehicle in the 7000 block of South Maplewood Avenue when someone stepped out of a dark-colored car and opened fire around 8:10 a.m., police said.

The man, 40, stepped out of his vehicle and was then struck by a shooter’s car as it fled the scene, police said. He was taken to Chris Medical Center in Oak Lawn with several gunshot wounds and pronounced dead.

A man was fatally shot and Chicago police officer was injured after he was struck by a car driven by a carjacker Monday afternoon in West Englewood.

The incident began about 3:25 p.m., when someone fired shots from a vehicle at a 21-year-old man in the 5100 block of South Elizabeth Street, according to police.

The man was struck in the torso and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The suspects drove off and crashed in the 1900 block of West 57th Street, where three of them were taken into custody, police said. A fourth suspect carjacked a vehicle in the 5700 block of South Damen Avenue and struck a police officer who was trying to stop him. The suspect fled and was later arrested in the Ashburn neighborhood.

The officer was taken to Christ Medical Center where he was in good condition, police said.

In nonfatal shootings, two people were shot outside a convenience store in Avondale Monday night.

The man and woman were leaving a convenience store about 10:35 p.m. in the 3900 block of West Diversey Avenue when someone inside a black SUV fired shots before leaving the scene, police said.

The man, 51, was struck in the leg and was taken to Norwegian Hospital in fair condition, police said. The woman, 27, was shot in the food and was taken in fair condition to Community First Hospital.

A man was critically wounded late Monday in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood.

The 37-year-old was walking just before midnight in the 2700 block of North Marmora Avenue when a suspect dressed in all black approached him and fired shots, police said. He was shot in the leg, chest and face and was taken in critical condition to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

At least six others were wounded in citywide shootings Monday.

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