Chicago Sports

BUFFALO, N.Y. — At long last, this Blackhawks season, one so disastrous, so embarrassing, so miserable, so drawn-out it felt like it would never end, has ended.

The Hawks closed the book on 2021-22 –a year begging to be forgotten that, for Kyle Beach’s sake, must never actually be –with a 3-2 overtime loss Friday against the Sabres, more than seven long months after it began.

The amount of change since the team’s first day of training camp Sept. 23 is hard to fathom in retrospect.

Jeremy Colliton was the coach then. Derek King was Friday. Another man altogether might be in a few months’ time. Stan Bowman was the general manager then. Kyle Davidson was Friday.

Marc-Andre Fleury made his Hawks debut, earned his 500th win and left for Minnesota all within that span. A rebuild — a full-fledged one this time — was declared. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews’ futures have never looked so tenuous.

But first, the Hawks can finally take a deep breath and wipe the slate clean. The grind –at least this particular grind — is over.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” King said. “It’s almost like, ‘What are we going to do tomorrow for practice?’ It will sink in later. [It’s] unfortunate how the season went. We made some strides here for a while, and then we just teetered off and lost our edge.”

That’s not to say this season won’t live forever in the history books, unfortunately for the franchise’s legacy.

On the ice, the Hawks’ final record of 28-42-12 — good for 68 points –was their worst in a full season since 2005-06 and tied for their fifth-worst since 1958. They posted identical 14-21-6 records both at home and on the road.

They finished 27th in the final NHL standings, 28th with 2.60 goals per game, 26th with 3.52 goals allowed per game, 21st with a 19.2% power play rate, 24th with a 76.2% penalty kill rate and on and on.

Off the ice, the brutal truths uncovered about the Hawks’ 2010 sexual assault scandal and the ensuing cover-up by some of the formerly most legendary figures in team history — John McDonough, Bowman, Al MacIsaac, Joel Quenneville –cast a dark shadow over everything. In terms of significance, the on-ice struggles paled in comparison.

The next few years ahead likely won’t bring much relief from the losing, but they’ll hopefully at least usher in positive cultural change throughout the organization.

In the short term, however, the attention can now shift away from the every-other-night pattern of bad hockey games and toward the instrumental offseason ahead. The Hawks will discover very soon, specifically on May 10, their draft lottery fate; they’ll have a 15.4% chance of receiving the first- or second-overall pick.

“It sucks when you’re not in the playoffs,” Seth Jones said. “You have nothing to look forward to after this.

“It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, right? The competitive nature of myself and all of us is to be ready for next year. Come back with a chip on our shoulder, all the guys in the locker room stick together, and we’ll go from there. It starts this summer.”

Friday’s finale couldn’t have exemplified the season much better.

The Hawks squandered 1-0 and 2-1 leads, conceding the tying goal to Owen Power with 5:38 left in regulation and the winning goal to Casey Mittelstadt just 2:07 into overtime. They were outshot 19-4 after the second intermission, spoiling a solid final start by Collin Delia. Since late March, the Hawks blew 19 of the 20 leads they at some point held.

“Time and time again, we were leading in the third [period], or in the second, and we gave it up,” Strome said. “You’re not going to win many games when you give up third-period leads.”

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Barring a surprise trade, Bears general manager Ryan Poles wrapped up Friday night by drafting Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones in the third round at No. 71 overall.

Finally.

It was Poles’ third selection of draft after taking Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon and Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker in the second round at Nos. 39 and 48, respectively.

Jones had 62 catches for 807 yards and seven touchdowns last season, as well as an SEC-best 628 kick return yards and a touchdown and 272 punt return yards.

Jones is 6-foot, 200 pounds and will turn 25 in two weeks. He is actually five months older than Bears third-year receiver Darnell Mooney.

Jones began playing at Southern Cal in 2016 and transferred to Tennessee in 2020. Before last season, his career best was 280 yards.

The Bears likely will wait until the fifth round Saturday to make their next pick. They have two fifth-rounders at Nos. 148 and 150, then a sixth-rounder at No. 186.

The extra fifth-round pick (No. 150) is from trading wide receiver Anthony Miller and a seventh-rounder to the Texans last year. The Bears are missing their fourth-round pick from the trade to get quarterback Justin Fields a year ago.

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Chicago Bears Kyler Gordon

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The White Sox got into their current funk as a team and they’ll only get out of one way.

As a team.

So says Jose Abreu, a team leader who has been through more rough stretches during his nine-year career than he cares to recall.

A 7-11 start to a season that brimmed with confident postseason aspirations and then a 6-2 start is a different animal, though. The Sox entered Friday’s game against the streaking Angels, winners of five straight games, having lost nine of their last 10. They aren’t hitting, they’re not fielding well and the pitching has taken its share of responsibility, too.

“The numbers, the stats, they speak for themselves,” Abreu told the Sun-Times through translator Billy Russo before the game. “We’re passing through a very tough moment, as a whole team. There is no magic answer. The only thing we should do is get out of this as a team, swing at strikes, have good at-bats.

“We’re in this as a team. Get out of it as a team.”

Hammering home the point of sticking together begged a question. This team is together, right?

“We’re united,” Abreu said. “Listen, I understand what people might say, that maybe we’re not. But that’s not the case. Things just aren’t going our way right now. And it’s no secret we’re missing key players [to injuries]. When you lose a game, and when the losses pile up, you can feel down. But that doesn’t mean we’re not united. We are. We’re humans, too, and we have feelings. We’re going to get out of this is a unit.”

The Sox entered batting .186/.238/.292 and averaging 2.4 runs over the last 13 games. They were last in the majors with 38 walks, last in on-base percentage at .263 and 26th with a .608 OPS.

“Maybe we’re being overly aggressive,” Abreu said. “But we have to figure out a way to get out of that. Maybe one way is to be smart. Swing at good pitches.”

Angels leadoff hitter Taylor Ward and Shohei Ohtani swung at two of Giolito’s pitches that left the park in the first inning, putting the Sox in a 2-0 hole. Tim Anderson doubled and scored on an error in the first, cutting the lead in half against Jimmy Herget, who started in place of Noah Syndergaard, a late scratch due to a non-COVID related illness.

Abreu, who was batting .206/.286/.349 with two homers, smashed into a 106.7 mph double-play one-hopper to end the first. He was robbed on a catch by Trout at the right-center field fence to end the fourth.

Abreu has had a hand in the majors-worst defense with two errors and failing to scoop a couple of low throws he knows he should have had this season.

“We’ve made more miscues than we want to make,” he said. “But that doesn’t define us. We’re a much better defensive team than we’ve shown. It’s one of those funky slumps we’re in. For us, we can’t over-react. Keep trusting the work, keep trusting the abilities.”

Abreu isn’t necessarily buying into manager Tony La Russa’s and hitting coach Frank Menechino’s contention that the team is pressing. Abreu suggested the Sox simply aren’t having good at-bats and not making the plays in the field.

“We all respect Tony and his opinion. I’m not going to contradict him — maybe he’s right,” Abreu said. “But it’s just a matter of working. Once we get in a groove, we’ll be OK.”

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The Bears selected Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker with the 48th overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday night.

The 6-1, 206-pound Brisker, who started his college career at Lackawanna Community College in 2017-18, was a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten player last season.

Brisker was known for his aggressiveness against the run as a strong safety in Penn State’s defense. He had 64 tackles, including six tackles-for-loss for the Nittany Lions last season. He also had seven pass break-ups and two interceptions. He was not penalized in his two seasons as a starter at Penn State (21 games).

Brisker figures to get an immediate opportunity to start alongside Eddie Jackson after Tashaun Gipson was not signed in free agency. The Bears’ other safeties are veteran special-teams ace DeAndre Houston-Carson, Dane Cruikshank (the former Titans safety signed in free agency) and Michael Joseph.

The Bears previously drafted Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon in the second round (39th overall) Friday night.

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After not having a pick in the first round, the Chicago Bears had to wait until Friday to add to their roster under the Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus era. And on Friday night, the Bears made their first selection at No. 39 overall in the draft taking cornerback Kyler Gordon of Washington.

The selection of Gordon adds a much needed body to the cornerback room for the Bears’ defense behind Jaylon Johnson. Gordon was an All-Pac 12 player in 2021 for the Huskies.

Analysis

Here is a breakdown of Kyler Gordon’s game via NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein:

Cornerback who comes with an elite, high-performance engine but a GPS still in the process of loading. Gordon’s dynamic athletic qualities will show up in testing, but more importantly, they are all over his tape. His blend of play strength and explosive burst affects the passing game from press, off-man and zone coverages. He plays with an alpha demeanor and hitting is definitely part of his overall package. Gordon lacks polish and needs to play with better route recognition and anticipation, but if those elements click, his ball production could be near the top of the league as one of the top playmakers in the game.

Highlights

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

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The Bears drafted Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon with their first pick in the second round Friday, giving them another big-bodied Pac-12 player to pair with Jaylon Johnson. They used pick No. 39 on Gordon, who was present at the NFL draft celebration in Las Vegas.

Gordon was a first-team all-conference player last year, his only one as a starter, defending nine passes and intercepting two more. The Seattle-area native, who weighs 5-11 and weighs 194 pounds, has a background in dance and martial arts. He danced until age 15.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, he credited those activities with enabling him to play a strong cornerback.

“With dance and Kung Fu, honestly, just like my body control, the way I move my body,” he said then. “Just my ball skills just the way I’m able to control myself. Even just in press technique with my hips and how I’m able to balance, and the weight transition on the ground, and just make up so much time and speed. I definitely feel like that helps a lot.”

Gordon’s favorite cornerback growing up was the Jets’ Darrelle Revis. He said he admires Marshon Lattimore, Denzel Ward and Stephon Gilmore now.

The Bears entered Friday holding Picks No. 39 and 48 in the second round and No. 71 in the third round. They didn’t draft in Round 1, a result of former general manager Ryan Pace’s trade for quarterback Justin Fields in last year’s draft.

The Bears had a long list of needs entering the second round. Cornerback was in the top three, beside wide receiver and offensive line. Gordon will get a chance to start right away, with Johnson also playing outside and Tavon Young the favorite to play the slot.

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It’s been a quarter century since the coming-of-age rock musical “Spring Awakening” swept the Tony Awards.But in Porchlight Music Theatre’s revival of Duncan Sheik (composer) and Steven Sater’s (book) adaptation of German playwright Frank Wedekind’s 1891 drama, one thing remains inarguable: Killer numbers like”Totally F*****” and “The B**** of Living” will resonate powerfully as long as humans experience anger, frustration, heartbreak and unfairness.

In director/choreographer Brenda Didier’s staging, that brutal relevance shines through despite uneven vocals and some egregiously over-the-top acting.

Didier’s production is mostly solid, but, amid moments of soaring sublimity, the ensemble struggles with the score’s substantial musical demands, particularly the male roles.

The plot follows Wendla (Maya Lou Hlava), a smart, inquisitive teenager who hasn’t the faintest idea how babies are made despite being an aunt twice over. She pleads with her mother for information, but she’s met with the uncertain implication that nice girls and proper women never speak of such things.

Wendla and precocious schoolmate Melchior (Jack DeCesare) fall in love and dream of a future in which their children aren’t punished for asking questions.

Subplots underscore the story’s exploration of lethal hypocrisy and rigid narrow-mindedness.Ilse (Tiffany T. Taylor) is an incest survivor thrown out of the house after reporting her father. Moritz Stiefel (Quinn Kelch) is devastated beyond repair when told he’s failed his final exams.

Sheik’s score is rich in snarling, growling rock-and-roll angst, amplified by microphones the characters wield like weapons, and choreography that’s more Rolling Stones-in-an-arena tour than 1890s small-town Germany. Porchlight gets the growls and snarls, the pitch less so; ramping up the volume does not mask sour notes.

And conductor Justin Akira Kono’s six-piece band is spread too thin. Despite the impassioned performances of the musicians, there’s a tinniness to the sound.

But Porchlight’s production also shines. The ensemble’s a cappella blend is gorgeous. Its delivery of the text has a crystalline clarity.

As Wendla, Hlava captures both the joy and the restless discontent of a young woman constricted by societal expectations that allow no room for variation. From the bitter demands of “Mama Who Bore Me” to the glimmering hope of “Whispering,” Hlava conveys the full emotional spectrum.

Alas, DeCesare is miscast as the upstart Melchior. DeCesare reads more early 30s than late teens, and his command of the score’s upper register demands is shaky.Kelch’s Moritz also struggles. He’s part Billy Idol, part Jim Carrey, both dialed up to 11 throughout and bringing Moritzwithin a whisker of cartoon territory.

Then, there’s John Marshall Jr. as the outwardly suave, secretly defiant Hanschen. Marshall’s remarkably high falsetto is stunning, his bone-dry, comic timing a highlight. There are plenty of doomed teenagers in “Spring Awakening,” but Marshall’s Hanschen–think Oscar Wilde meets George Michael–is determined not to be among them.

Taylor’s Ilse brings a rich, robust tragedy of “The Dark I Know Well,” and, in its repetitive, final refrain, she and Ariana Burks’ Martha deliver a power surge of hopeless rage that’ll make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

As the Adult Men and Women, McKinley Carter and Michael Joseph Mitchell effectively move from diabolically heartless (the school officials) to concerned (Melchior’s mom) to fatally misguided (Moritz’s dad).

Nobody on stage is helped by Patrick Chan’s lighting design, which features a distracting array of disco-like effects that blink on and off in various colors, beams of blue shooting up through the floor during one particularly climactic moment.

Costume designer Bill Morey’s cottage-core prairie dresses and awkward knee breeches credibly lend the cast a late 19th century air. Christopher Rhoton’s minimalist set design, framed by cut-out trees, showcases Didier’s expressive choreography.

“Spring Awakening’s” depictions of sexuality walks a thin line between comedy, profundity and tragedy. And intimacy designer Kristina Fluty doesn’t falter so much as a breath.

“Spring Awakening” is about harrowing, not happy, endings. Despite its missteps, there’s transcendence and beauty in Porchlight’s timely take.

NOTE: The production arrives as “Spring Awakening” experiences a resurgence in pop culture: On Tuesday, HBO airs ‘Those You’ve Known,” a documentary exploring how a 19th century German play became a 21st century rock musical that broke ground with its intentionally anachronistic score and its depictions of sex.

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Luis Robert returned to the lineup after missing the last two series with a sore right grain. When he got there, he saw that his spot was taken.

Andrew Vaughn, who took a .300/.375/.600 hitting line, team-best .975 OPS and four home runs into the White Sox’ game against the Angels Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field, batted second for the fourth straight game and fifth time in his last six.

“He earned that spot,” La Russa said of Andrew Vaughn, the team’s best hitter in a slumping offense so far this season. “We talked about it. That’s the way I was taught, that number two spot, especially when you have quality middle guys, it’s a really important spot.”

Robert, who missed six games, is much faster than Vaughn, but coming off the groin issue likely limits his value as a stealing threat.

“Hopefully we get Luis sharp right away and with his legs he’s a nice fit there as well,” La Russa said.

“It’s very nice to see his name in there, now we’ve got to keep him in there. Track it inning to inning with him, at-bat to at-bat. Make sure everything is not getting tight or sore. It’s a lift for us.”

With Yoan Moncada (oblique) at Charlotte on a rehab assignment, the Sox are “trending in the right direction,” La Russa said.

“People are getting hurt all over baseball, the game you’re playing is the game that counts and the guys who are playing can help you get a win. You don’t want to get distracted by what if, what if. Just take what we’ve got.”

Syndergaard scratched

Angels righty Noah Syndergaard was scratched from his scheduled start Friday due to an illness. Jimmy Herget will take his place. Angels manager Joe Maddon said Syndergaard could pitch later in the four-game series.

Ryan Burr reinstated from Charlotte

Right-hander Ryan Burr returned from his rehabilitation assignment at Charlotte, and righty Kyle Crick to was optioned to Charlotte to make room. Burr was on the 10-day injured list with a shoulder strain.

Burr recorded five outs over two scoreless appearances at Charlotte. He posted a 2.45 ERA in 36 2/3 innings with 33 strikeouts in 34 games last season. Crick allowed four earned runs in six innings this season.

Talking things over

When the pitching staff meets before each series to go over the opponent’s hitters, right-hander Kendall Graveman is all for the pitchers speaking up more.

“A lot of times it’s led by a pitching coach or bullpen coach,” Graveman said, “and the analytical department has put together some numbers. My goal is eventually we get to a place where we’re leading those meetings because we know the hitters that well.”

Players can study video on their phones, tablets or laptops, or in the video room. It takes time and effort, Graveman said, but pitchers can come to the meetings armed with info.

“We have the time and technology at our fingertips to watch it at our home if we want,” Graveman said. “I’m hearing guys speak up in those meetings, saying ‘This is what I saw, I feel like I can attack him’ and bouncing those ideas off everyone. That’s the biggest thing, having a knowledge of how to get guys out.”

This and that

Dallas Keuchel will receive his 2021 Gold Glove Award, the fifth of his career, in a pregame ceremony Saturday.

*Joe Brand will fill in for Len Kasper on the ESPN 1000 radio broadcast Saturday. Radio voice Len Kasper is broadcasting the game with A.J. Pierzynski for Fox Sports 1.

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