Patrick Kane’s shootout goal lifted the Blackhawks to a win over the Islanders on Sunday. | AP Photo/Corey Sipkin

After beating the Islanders on Sunday, the Hawks are perfect in three shootouts this year and 27-15 in them dating back to 2014-15.

It was clearly a dumb strategy all along.

The Islanders employed the most patient — as in, boring — approach to three-on-three overtime seen in years Sunday against the Blackhawks, holding onto the puck for the vast majority of the five-minute period but refusing to take any risks to try to convert that possession time into scoring chances.

They were, essentially, playing for a shootout. And the Hawks — fully aware of their track record as one of the NHL’s best shootout teams — were happy to play along.

“[Mathew] Barzal likes to hold onto the puck, I guess,” Dylan Strome said afterward. “He was trying to get his Corsi up or something like that. He just kept circling back. Some of the guys were saying it was a pretty uneventful overtime, but sometimes it’s like that.

“We’ve got such good guys in the shootout that I think if we can take it to shootouts, more times than not we’ll win.”

After a combined four shot attempts in overtime — three by the Hawks — Patrick Kane scored in the shootout and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all three Isles shooters to earn a rather predictable 3-2 win.

The Hawks are now 27-15 in shootouts since the start of the 2014-15 season, the second-best winning percentage in the NHL over that span. (The Avalanche rank first at 21-11; the Islanders, notably, are 29-31.) The Hawks are now 3-0 this season and have won five straight dating back to last season.

In a tiebreaker designed to be largely a crapshoot, the Hawks have broken the system — it’s only a crapshoot for almost everyone else. Nearly two-thirds of the time, they win.

That is predominantly because of two players: Kane and Jonathan Toews. Since the start of 2014-15, they’ve both been absolutely ruthless in shootouts; Kane is 19-for-40 (47.5%) and Toews is 17-for-36 (47.2%).

The league average is around 33%, by comparison, and among players with 20 or more attempts over that span, Kane and Toews both rank in the top 10. No other team has anything close to that kind of one-two punch of shootout shooters. And they’re only getting better, too: since 2018-19, Kane is 10-for-19 and Toews 9-for-15.

On the goalie side of things, the Hawks were briefly disadvantaged by Robin Lehner — whose inexplicable shootout ineptitude was a hot talking point in fall 2019 — but have generally enjoyed solid play from Corey Crawford and, now, Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury is 61-35 in shootouts in his career and has a .738 career shootout save percentage, which ranks seventh all-time (among the 73 goalies who have been in 20 or more shootouts). Crawford finished his career 34-24 with a .716 save percentage.

This season, Kane is 2-for-3, Toews 1-for-3, Alex DeBrincat 1-for-1 and Fleury has stopped all eight opponent attempts.

So how are they so good? The Hawks do occasionally practice shootouts as a team, relay-style. But the daily post-practice games of two-puck — in which Kane and Fleury are the most competitive — likely help even more.

And does it affect their overtime strategy? Strome said Sunday it doesn’t, at least not until the last 20 or 30 seconds, when he admitted they might decide not to take a risk knowing what’s coming otherwise.

The Hawks have been more patient in overtimes this year, however, sitting back and defending until they sense a moment to spring a two-on-one counterattack. Their overtime “pace” — measured by combined shot attempts, both by them and their opponent — is sixth-slowest in the NHL at 1.55 attempts per minute.

“It’s funny the way three-on-three has evolved,” Kane said recently. “It was kind of chaos to start, when they first introduced it. And then it was all about puck possession and holding onto it and trying to get the other team tired and change, get fresh guys out there. Now…we’re fine playing that transition game.”

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Nagy got exactly the season he should’ve expected. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Everything has gone as expected for the 4-8 Bears. The formula of a castoff quarterback plus a shaky offensive line plus a head coach who can’t get his own offense working plus an eroded defense with glaring holes in the secondary equals a bad team.

This has been another exasperating Bears season to heap onto the pile of them, and they’ve plunged so deep into the sewage of it that no one points out the stench anymore. They’ve gotten used to it.

But it’s neither surprising nor disappointing. This season has gone exactly as it was designed.

The formula of a castoff quarterback plus a shaky offensive line plus a head coach who can’t get his own offense working plus an eroded defense with glaring holes in the secondary equals a 4-8 team.

When you swoop in to sign 34-year-old Andy Dalton after the Bengals spent nearly a decade unable to decide whether he was good and the Cowboys wanted him last season only as a backup, you get an extremely limited quarterback liable to throw four interceptions.

And if coach Matt Nagy had his way, he would’ve spent all season riding Dalton to mediocrity — he’s 27th in yards per pass — while rookie Justin Fields learned from the bench. It’s unclear which of them will start Sunday against the Packers, by the way, as Dalton deals with an injured non-throwing hand and Fields continues recovering from cracked ribs.

Any guess on the last time Dalton flung four interceptions before his debacle against the Cardinals on Sunday? Less than two years ago. It was recent enough that the Bears would’ve studied film of it going into free agency this year. It was the fifth time in his career, and over the last nine seasons, only freewheeling Jameis Winston has more games of four-plus picks.

Funny how the quarterbacks keep changing, but the results don’t. Nagy has shuffled through Mitch Trubisky, Chase Daniel, Nick Foles, Dalton and Fields — all guys he chose, even Trubisky by virtue of picking this job in 2018.

What was so magical about Dalton, who hasn’t posted a 90-plus passer rating since 2016, to make Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace think he’d be the one to finally unlock this offense?

It’s looking more and more like the quarterback Nagy needs is Patrick Mahomes. Sorry, not available.

Nagy solidified the rest of the personnel with what he believed were ideal fits and he’s in Year 4 of installing an offense that he swears is just about to click, but to date has scored 20 or fewer points in almost half the games he has coached.

A little over a month ago, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks called on everyone to “appreciate the offense for stepping up and putting up points” after the Bears scored 22 against the 49ers — the same total they managed in their loss to the Cardinals. There are 18 teams averaging that this season, but that qualifies as a good day for a team that sits 30th at 16.8 points per game.

It’s always “almost” and “sometimes” and “if only” with this offense. That’s normal in the first year, but alarming in the fourth.

Nagy can point to drives, but no points. Yards, but no scoring. Sparks, but no fire.

“If we can just minimize those mistakes, I think we can be a lot better,” Nagy said. “And I think it showed with some of our numbers [in the Cardinals game]. But against a really good football team, that’s trouble.”

And now he faces another one in the Packers. “Almost” comes up a lot in this rivalry, too.

Allegedly, it was progress that the Bears were down only a field goal in the fourth quarter two months ago, only to lose by 10. But wasn’t it supposed to be progress in the 2020 finale when they were within five in the fourth quarter of an eventual 35-16 loss?

The time for progress has passed. Four seasons in, actual results are long overdue.

And everyone, including Nagy, knows it.

Most of this season has followed the expected path, with the exception of the Bears’ win at the Raiders in Week 5. Anytime they’ve faced a top-tier opponent, they’ve had no chance. The Cardinals didn’t even play that well Sunday and still won handily. Nagy went 3-11 against playoff teams in 2019 and ’20 and is 1-6 against teams on track to make it this season.

That’s why he doesn’t flinch when questions at his press conferences regularly are prefaced with the implication that he’s going to get fired. He has been addressing it matter-of-factly.

Nagy’s search for the “whys” has come up empty. They’ve escaped him for good. Now it’s on to the “whens,” as in when the Bears will finalize a foregone conclusion.

The inevitability of change, but the delay in enacting it makes these last five games a waste of time. In a way, after chairman George McCaskey and president Ted Phillips opted to keep everything the same after the Bears went 16-16 over the last two seasons, this entire season has been a needless delay.

Nagy will fight that to the end, understandably, and hinted Monday at the ludicrous notion of the Bears scrambling to a playoff berth.

“There’s a lot of things that can happen in the next five games,” coach Matt Nagy said Monday. “We control that.”

The Bears can’t even control their own coach-to-quarterback radio transmitter. To say anything is in their control at this point is absurd. Sure they face a bunch of bad teams down the stretch, but they’re a bad team, too. Every remaining opponent has a better point differential than the Bears, and none has a worse record.

And the undercurrent to that far-fetched conversation is that it wouldn’t mean anything if they pulled it off.

It shouldn’t have meant anything last season, either, when the Bears feasted on some of the NFL’s worst teams to reach 8-8 and get the last spot in the playoffs. That playoff berth didn’t stamp 2020 as a good season, and reality set in yet again when the Bears predictably got trounced by the Saints in the first round.

It was equally predictable that if they stayed with the same approach after that, they’d end up sitting precisely where they are right now. This is where they were headed all along.

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Two times a year the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers square off in one of the oldest rivalries in professional sports. It’s appointment television. For Bears fan like myself, well, it’s appointment television in the sense that I make an appointment with my couch, order some sort of food item(s) that will make me feel better about the fact that the Bears are playing the Packers and then I crack open an ice cold Great Taste Less Filling Miller Lite to accompany it. The first Lite washes down the food, the next five wash down the Bears’ performance. But this time, things are different.

Here’s what I’m talking about: Miller Lite, aka the nectar of the Gods, is teaming up with retired Bears player, Zach Miller, to add to your Bears-Packers experience with a one-of-a-kind ‘Da Miller Lite Mobile Tailgate’. Ahead of this weekend’s tilt at Lambeau Field between the 9-3 Green Bay Packers and your 4-8 Chicago Bears, Miller Lite and Miller Tight [End] will be giving away limited-edition Bears Holiday Sweaters to fans at different places across the city.

The sweater itself is a super exclusive orange and blue twist on their classic holiday sweater and it’ll be available for FREE (yes you read that right) to Bears fans on December 12th. One day only—the day of the big game—and only in Chicago, fans will have the chance to meet Zach Miller at various spots across the city as he travels through different neighborhoods passing out the sweater on a first-come first-serve basis. You can check out the map below for locations and times.

If you’re a Chicagoan by nature and see these cross streets in these neighborhoods and instantly begin tapping into your inner-taxi driver, you know these spots as the corners of: (1) 16th Street Bar & Coffee Lounge, (2) Mother Hubbard’s, (3) Wrigleyville Dogs or The GMan Tavern, and (4) Lottie’s Pub. Who knows, maybe you show up to Lottie’s between 7-8 to get your sweater, stay a while, and Zach Miller slams beers with you at the best bar in the city? I don’t think Zach’s dog comes included but that’d probably be the only thing that could make this Mobile Tailgate any better.

We know the Bears are likely going to lose in Green Bay. In fact, the Bears are 3-20 against the Packers the past decade and haven’t won in Green Bay since November of 2015. Considering the Bears are 14-point underdogs on Sunday night that doesn’t look likely to change, either. But if you have an ice cold Miller Lite, and a comfy, cozy, stylish Miller Lite sweater to swaddle away your sorrows, who is the real winner? You, that’s who.

So, remember these things as you prepare your game day agenda and just know that you’re in store for more smiles than otherwise drinking a GTLF in a dope Chicago Bears x Miller Lite holiday sweater.

Image Credit: ICF Next

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The sports book area of the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, shown in 2018. | Associated Press

If approved, the city tax would bring the total rate on gross revenues from sports betting in Chicago to 19%. Such revenues already are taxed at 15% for the state and 2% for Cook County.

Chicago would impose its own 2% on gross revenues from sports betting — bringing the total tax collected in the city to 19% — under a revised ordinance poised for City Council approval this week, a move that did nothing to appease casino magnate Neil Bluhm.

Lightfoot has argued there is no hard evidence allowing sportsbooks in and around five city stadiums would “cannibalize” revenue from a Chicago casino.

That’s the scenario outlined by Bluhm, whose Rush Street Gaming company is part of two separate groups vying to build a Chicago casino. Bluhm’s Rivers Casino in Des Plaines already has a sportsbook that stands to lose business if sports betting is legalized in Chicago.

But in an apparent attempt to satisfy both Bluhm and recalcitrant Council members, the Lightfoot administration’s revised sports betting ordinance headed for approval before the Council’s License and Zoning Committees includes a 2% city tax on gross revenues from sports betting in Chicago. Such revenues already are taxed at 15% for the state and 2% for Cook County.

“We’re in good shape to move this forward. And I look forward to making sure that we get our fair share of the revenues from this,” the mayor said Monday.

Noting that two percent matches the county tax, she said, “It’s only fair that the city of Chicago also obtain revenues as a result of this new venture by the sports teams.”

At an unrelated news conference on affordable housing, Lightfoot noted that City Hall must shoulder the financial burden for “any infrastructure work” needed to accomodate sports betting in Chicago as well as for “regulatory oversight.”

“We need to make sure that there are sufficient resources for us to be able to do it,” she said.

Bluhm was not appeased by the proposed city tax, which is not imposed on sports betting at his Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.

“That 2% is nothing. It’s small potatoes. The 2% will be somewhere in the area of $1 million. But we believe and have studies that say that the loss of casino revenue will be in the area of $11 [million] or $12 million a year,” Bluhm told the Sun-Times.

“While people are betting on sports at Wrigley Field or United Center — fantastic locations [that] will open two-and-a-half years before a casino, so people will be used to going there — they won’t be at the casino … betting on casino games. For every dollar of sports betting you’re losing, you lose about $3 or $4 of casino revenue. … While they’re there, they walk around and play slot machines. They play roulette. They play blackjack. That’s the big money for both the city and state.”

Getty
The United Center, home to both the Bulls and Blackhawks, would be among the sports stadiums in Chicago able to add sports-betting facilities on site under a proposed ordinance. The city now wants to add its own 2% tax onto gross revenues from sports betting.

The casino is a “very tough deal in Chicago because the tax rate” is so high, Bluhm said, even after the General Assembly lowered it at Lightfoot’s request. That’s why several major players in Las Vegas took a pass.

Asked about withdrawing from the Chicago casino sweepstakes if the full Council approves the revised sports betting ordinance, Bluhm said: “We haven’t made that decision yet.”

Mara Georges, the former city corporation counsel now representing the United Center and Wrigley Field Holdings, called the 2% city tax a “mistake” that could push the total tax on sports betting to a “breaking point.”

Georges noted Chicago’s professional sports teams and their fans “already pay one of the highest, if not the highest, amusement taxes in the country between the city and the county.” The amusement tax would be paid by “anyone even coming into one of these stadiums where the sportsbook is going to be,” she said.

“Imposing an additional tax on sportsbooks creates an unlevel playing field between the city and the sportsbook in the suburbs, which is the Des Plaines sportsbook,” Georges said.

“The higher you make the tax, the more likely you are to push people online to do their sports betting. [Already], more than 86% of people do their sports betting online. This tax will [also] push people to the suburbs to do their sports betting as opposed to the city. And, at some point, it’s a point of diminishing returns where, the higher the tax, the less revenue raised. … When you look at sportsbooks across the country, those with the highest taxes generate the least amount of revenue.”

Georges laughed when asked if the proposed 2% tax was a “bone the mayor is throwing” to Bluhm, whose family has close ties to Lightfoot.

Lightfoot has received more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from Bluhm’s daughter Leslie and her sister Meredith Bluhm-Wolf.

“It’s probably what she feels has to be done to get the ordinance passed. I don’t know that I agree. … The time to add a municipal tax was when the state legislation was being drafted and negotiated,” Georges said.

But, she added: “If this is what it takes to get this ordinance passed, we won’t stand in the way of the passage of the ordinance.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Neil Bluhm, chairman of Rivers Casino, chats with a reporter in March 2020 during the public opening of BetRivers Sportsbook, the first brick-and-mortar sportsbook approved by the Illinois Gaming Board, at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.

Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), chief sponsor of the sports betting ordinance, called the 2% tax the price that must be paid — not to appease Bluhm, but to win the 26 Council votes needed to lift Chicago’s ban on sports betting.

“A lot of aldermen were actually concerned about, what was the city’s benefit out of all of this besides the infrastructure money that was going to the state and gonna be spent back in the city. This will help to satisfy a lot of aldermen in reference to that,” Burnett said.

“The city needs to be something more out of it. … This will give us a continuous flow of extra cash to help balance our budget.”

As for the sports moguls, Burnett said: “I’m sure they’d rather not do it. but they didn’t complain about it. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Georges noted Monday that, even at 17% the existing tax on sports betting in Cook County is “sixth-highest” in the nation. Three of the five states with higher rates effectively have a “monopoly,” with sports betting controlled by the state lottery, she said.

“At some point, the tax gets so high that revenues go down and the municipality does not accomplish what it had hoped to accomplish,” she said.

Bluhm scoffed at the suggestion that the 2% city tax would give his Rivers Casino in Des Plaines an advantage.

“The casino in Des Plaines is almost 20 miles away. It’s a long ride. It’s right near the airport. For most of the time, it takes an hour to get there. It is a different market,” he said. “Des Plaines has nothing to do with this.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Neil Bluhm’s Rivers Casino in Des Plaines already has a sportsbook operation that stands to lose business if sports betting is legalized in Chicago.Read More

Former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett walks into the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a high near 34 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low near 10 and sub-zero wind chill values. Tomorrow will be sunny early, then cloudy with a 20% chance of snow and a high near 24.

Top story

Jussie Smollett takes the stand in his defense

Jussie Smollett took the witness stand today, hoping to convince a jury that he was an innocent victim of a hate crime attack and not the mastermind of a hoax.

The former “Empire” actor began to testify a little after noon, and early questioning by defense attorney Nenye Uche focused on Smollett’s childhood and family background. He said he wasn’t always close to his father until later in life, but he called his mother “my favorite human in the world.”

Smollett also talked about being a “working child actor,” doing commercials in New York, moving to Los Angeles and landing a role in “The Mighty Ducks.”

“I played a Duck,” Smollett said.

Later, Smollett talked about his time on “Empire,” where he said he was paid around $28,000 per episode for the first, 10-episode season. By season three, he said he negotiated a raise to $80,000 per episode with a $10,000 increase per season. By the time he was fired, he said he was making $100,000 an episode.

Still, he said he was told, “You have to be for gay Black men what Phylicia Rashad was for Black women on ‘The Cosby Show.'”

Smollett’s time on the stand will mark his first extensive public remarks on the case against him since the former “Empire” actor read a statement as he left the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in March 2019. That followed a hearing at which the Cook County state’s attorney dropped all charges just weeks after he was indicted.

Andy Grimm has more on the latest developments in Smollett’s trial.

More news you need

Unvaccinated Illinoisans would have to pay for their health care expenses — including hospital bills — out of pocket if they contract COVID-19 under legislation filed today in the Illinois House. Rachel Hinton has more on the bill, which was proposed by State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, and will likely face legal questions.

A new round of federal low-income housing tax credits will allow for $1 billion in development projects with an emphasis on the South and West sides, Chicago officials said today. Officials also announced the purchase of critical vacant land in Pilsen that’s part of a plan to provide more affordable housing.

Two North Shore brothers who entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection each pleaded guilty today to misdemeanor charges connected with the breach. Christian Kulas and Mark Kulas Jr. now face up to six months in jail and a maximum $5,000 fine.

Fans of “West Side Story” will want to make time to see Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of the musical, which our Richard Roeper gave a raving four-star review. “In a career filled with brilliant achievements, Spielberg has injected new life, new blood, new energy, new artistry, into a classic,” Roeper writes.

A bright one

‘Ferris Bueller’ accordion Berwyn polka queen Vlasta Krsek played in Chicago parade scene sold at auction

The accordion that Vlasta Krsek, the Berwyn musician who was known as the “International Queen of Polka,” played in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” has been sold for $12,500 at a Hollywood auction.

Krsek, who died of cancer last year at 83, performed “Twist and Shout” and “Danke Schoen” on the instrument while riding on a float with “Ferris” star Matthew Broderick in the exuberant parade scene in the 1986 John Hughes movie.

Gene Pesek/Sun-Times file
Polka queen Vlasta Krsek of Berwyn and her Baldoni accordion, which she played in the parade scene in downtown Chicago in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

The accordion, which Krsek kept for years at her Berwyn home, was custom-made by Baldoni, a company long based in Wisconsin.

It was sold through Julien’s Auctions over the weekend at a Hollywood entertainment auction whose priciest item was a notebook, sold for $437,500, with Sylvester Stallone’s handwritten ideas for his 1976 movie “Rocky.”

A Prague-born World War II refugee, Krsek composed polkas for the Chicago Bears and Pope John Paul II, played for President Ronald Reagan and once danced the polka with Mayor Harold Washington.

Read the full story here.

From the press box

Justin Fields’ status for Sunday against the Packers remains unclear, coach Matt Nagy said today.
A White Sox legend for decades, Minnie Minoso is now a Hall of Famer, too. The longtime outfielder’s family cried tears of joy upon hearing that Minoso would finally enter Cooperstown, Daryl Van Schouwen writes.
Steve Greenberg agrees with putting Purdue as the No. 1 team in the opening AP Top 25.
After a big weekend of high school basketball, here are Michael O’Brien’s latest Super 25 rankings.

Your daily question ?

After the news that Minnie Minoso finally made the Hall of Fame, who is another Chicago athlete you think is overdue for the same honor? Why?

Send us an email at [email protected] and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: What was the best album of 2021? Here’s what some of you said…

“Japanese Breakfast’s newest album ‘Jubilee.'” — Cesar Cruz

“Mastodon — ‘Hushed and Grim'” — Joe Pasaye

“‘The Future’ by Nathaniel Raetliff and the Night Sweats.” — Sam Gambill

“Robert Plant and Alison Krauss — ‘Raise the Roof'” — Howard Moore

“Taylor Swift’s ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)'” — Amber Nicole Alvarado

“Jazmine Sullivan’s ‘Heaux Tales’ for sure!” — Bertram Dugan

“‘The Quest’ by Yes” — Hayley Boyd

Thanks for reading the Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

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Dan Butler of “Frasier” stars as a sports reporter working on his sobriety in “When Harry Met Rehab.” | Michael Brosilow

Quick pace, focus on character helps transcend any cliches in play about Harry Teinowitz’s emergence from addiction.

Harry and his friends spend every evening in rehab watching “Cheers” reruns. At first, the confounding ritual seems like it might trigger painful memories or stir the desire to duck out for a quick shot or two. But in “When Harry Met Rehab,” a straightforward but charming new play at the Greenhouse Theater Center, this tradition serves as a reminder that strangers often serve as the best friends, particularly in times of trouble, and that camaraderie among addicts extends well beyond the bottom of the glass.

Harry himself is no stranger to shouting into the ether hoping someone is listening. Loosely based on the life of former ESPN 1000 radio host and personality Harry Teinowitz, the show opens on Harry (Dan Butler, best known as Bulldog on the “Cheers”-adjacent sitcom “Frasier”), sports reporter and owner of many Chicago team windbreakers, recounting the story of receiving a DUI on the way back from a Blackhawks game. Harry is a bit of a local celebrity, so thousands of Chicago sports fans instantly learn about his arrest and his mugshot runs in the newspaper for four days. The bad press spurs the station to issue an ultimatum to Harry: Obtain sobriety or relinquish your job.

Determined to maintain his position of sports authority and patch relations with his wife and two children, Harry arrives at rehab and is greeted by a cast of characters that would fit well into a sitcom-style mold. Leading the gang of misfits is Barb (“Little House on the Prairie” alum Melissa Gilbert), a therapist who rocks baggy overalls, performs magic tricks as drinking metaphors and brightens dour sessions with “fun facts” — like how 10 percent of drinkers consume 50 percent of the booze.

Vince (the excellent Chike Johnson) is a straight-talking family man and rehab veteran who takes Harry under his wing. The two room together along with Isaiah (Keith D. Gallagher), a former pharmacist with a loose prescription pad, and George (Jonathan Moises Olivares), a disengaged twentysomething who has been estranged from his mother for 17 months. Rounding out the crew is five-time divorcee Andrea (Elizabeth Laidlaw), whose acquisition of her daughter hinges on her sobriety.

Michael Brosilow
Vince (Chike Johnson) is one of the rehab patients working with therapist Barb (Melissa Gilbert).

There’s nothing particularly novel about these personas, but Teinowitz and co-writer Spike Manton wisely steer towards shorter scenes — most are only a few minutes — to weave a broader narrative. Not long after Harry is struggling to grasp the seriousness of an assignment from Barb to write a letter to his liver, a new scene finds him showing up to a group session with a packed notebook. Forward momentum is embedded in the script, leaving little time to dwell on any particular cliche and maintaining a focus on character development rather than meta commentary on therapy itself.

Director Jackson Gay (of interactive theater company New Neighborhood) further disambiguates the narrative by introducing real-world stories. While Harry occasionally breaks the fourth wall in character, the others do so only to read letters from other addicts, whose photos are projected onto the wall of the sparse set (a couch, a few chairs and some Chicago sports memorabilia). These moments introduce the twisted logic many addicts share — one woman sets arbitrary rules for her drinking, such as no booze before 6 p.m., to emulate the feeling of being in control. These vignettes provide an avenue to compose the multifaceted narrative of an addict, even if the characters in “When Harry Met Rehab” only hit a note or two.

Because scenes are short, the most powerful elements of the show are those that make repeat appearances. At one point, Harry arrives at a group session eager to share a drawing and letter he had received from his daughter, only to learn, in real time as he reads aloud, that the hurt he inflicted runs deeper than he realized. This drawing runs through a handful of scenes as a physical reminder of Harry’s emotional pain, and the conceit is never given enough time to wear on its effectiveness.

The svelte nature of the scenes also serves the humor, of which there is plenty. Funny lines like the one comparing part of rehab to receiving a “colonoscopy in the middle of a food court” hit hard because they arrive in otherwise mundane or emotionally fraught scenes. After Isaiah offers poorly timed fist bumps of solidarity, his revelation of a secret plays less like a Very Special Episode of a sitcom, one in which we must all feel Deep Concern, and more like one of the many moments in a friendship that asks for empathy. Like “Cheers,” the humor is as much about the line itself as the timing and pacing of the line, suggesting a grasp on how to compose a comedic play on a dark subject that doesn’t feel manic-depressive.

The simple refrain echoing throughout the play is “I’ll keep coming back” — whether directly expressed during the testimonials or in so many words by Barb and the other recovering addicts. In “When Harry Met Rehab,” one’s ability to change is only as strong as one’s willingness to show up to a room full of strangers until everybody knows your name.

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Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray runs in the first half against the Bears. | Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Breaking down the biggest players of the Bears’ depressing, soggy 33-22 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday:

Breaking down the biggest players of the Bears’ depressing, soggy 33-22 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday:

Kyler on the run

The Cardinals were already ahead by seven when quarterback Kyler Murray took a shotgun snap from the Bears’ 9 with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter.

On third down, Murray dropped back and was flushed right by Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn racing around the left edge. The Cardinals, who had lined up in an empty set, had all five receivers run routes into the end zone, where they were covered by seven Bears defenders.

Murray’s scramble turned into a full-on sprint when he turned the corner at the 18 and pointed toward the right pylon. By the time he pump-faked at the 15, five of the Bears’ seven players in coverage were still in the end zone. The one who wasn’t was on the opposite hash mark.

It wasn’t until Murray got to the 5 that two defenders sprinted forward: cornerback Jaylon Johnson and inside linebacker Alec Ogletree. Neither could even touch Murray as he slipped into the end zone past the right pylon.

“He had a few plays, a couple of scrambles, where we’re in man coverage and he got on the outside …” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “There’s techniques involved with the defensive end and the linebacker and how they play levels, and I feel like we were OK with that yesterday. There were times we were really good and there were times where they took advantage of it.”

When the Bears interviewed defensive coordinators last offseason, they were struck by how many talked about the ultimate defensive challenge: stopping mobile quarterbacks. Murray’s athleticism was on full display Sunday after missing the last three games because of an ankle injury. He ran 10 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns, saving his scrambles for moments when the Cardinals needed it the most. Five of his 10 runs came either on third downs or for touchdowns.

Montgomery catching on

Running back David Montgomery had eight catches Sunday — more than double his previous season high of three — and a season-high 51 receiving yards. The Bears made a concerted effort to throw his way.

“The thing with David, is, very rarely do you see the first guy make the tackle — in the run game and the pass game,” quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo said. “I think that that’s a nice security blanket for [quarterback Andy Dalton], knowing that if you do check the ball down, there’s a good chance you’re going to get positive yards.”

The Cardinals strategy was rooted in game flow — one of Montgomery’s catches came in the first quarter, after which the Bears were chasing points and the Cardinals were playing more conservative coverage.

“Defensively, they were getting some depth,” running backs coach Michael Pitre said.

Long drives — based on runs and checkdowns to Montgomery –were counterproductive because they drained the clock with the Bears behind. But it was the only way the team could score.

On the Bears’ 13-play scoring drive in the second quarter, Montgomery touched the ball nine times — on seven runs, including a one-yarder for a touchdown, and two catches.

On the Bears’ 13-play scoring drive in the third quarter, Montgomery touched the ball 10 times — on five runs, four catches and a direct snap in which he handed the ball to Jakeem Grant on a trick play.

Nagy reached into the past for inspiration, citing two former Chargers: quarterback Philip Rivers and running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

“Philip Rivers is one of the greatest ever at checking the ball down and getting a lot of yards because he’s smart, just taking what the defense gives you,” he said. “And LT would catch the ball on a little checkdown and before you know it, you look at the stat line, he’s got 12 targets, he’s got 12 catches for 95 yards.

“I think that’s what yesterday was. It was one of those days. When David gets the football one-on-one, he’s usually going to get forward yards.”

Jaylon in coverage

On fourth-and-2, DeAndre Hopkins was the only Cardinals receiver to line up to the right. Johnson pressed him in man coverage. Hopkins released outside and stiff-armed him with his left hand. Murray threw a perfect pass over his right shoulder, and Hopkins caught the ball at the 1, getting two feet down before falling out of bounds on the side of the end zone, to go up 7-0.

On 19 coverage snaps, Johnson allowed only one catch: the touchdown.

In his first game in five weeks because of a hamstring injury, Hopkins tied season lows with two catches and two targets. His 32 receiving yards were his second-fewest this season.

Entering the game, Johnson was on alert for Hopkins’ lying eyes. He does a better job than most of masking when the ball is in the air, keeping the defensive back guessing as to when it will arrive.

“He has a tremendous catch radius,” Johnson said last week. “Being able to track the ball and make tough catches.”

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Jaden Ivey with the flush in a Big Ten opening win against Iowa. | Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Boilermakers have so much size, shooting, slashing, ball handling and depth, it’s a perfectly legit ranking.

Well, well, get a load of good ol’ Purdue. The Boilermakers are — for the first time in school history — No. 1 in the AP Top 25.

And you know what that means: They’ll lose their next game. When is it, anyway? Ah, yes: Thursday at Rutgers.

But I kid. Sort of. The Boilermakers are an absolutely wonderful team. They have so much size, shooting, slashing, ball handling and depth, this is a legitimate ranking. There’s no question at this point they’re the best team in the Big Ten. Really, it’s not even close. Still, early-season No. 1 teams go down all the time.

Just ask Gonzaga, which has been beaten twice — by Duke and Alabama — already. Or Duke, which coughed up a big second-half lead in a loss at Ohio State.

Ninety-seven days to Selection Sunday and counting …

AP Top 25

1. Purdue, 2. Baylor, 3. Duke, 4. UCLA, 5. Gonzaga, 6. Villanova, 7. Texas, 8. Kansas, 9. Alabama, 10. Kentucky, 11. Arizona, 12. Arkansas, 13. Tennessee, 14. Houston, 15. Connecticut, 16. USC, 17. Iowa State, 18. Auburn, 19. Michigan State, 20. Florida, 21. Ohio State, 22. Wisconsin, 23. Seton Hall, 24. BYU, 25. LSU.

(Click here to see the poll in more complete list form.)

My ballot

1. Purdue, 2. Baylor, 3. Duke, 4. Kansas, 5. Kentucky, 6. Alabama, 7. Gonzaga, 8. UCLA, 9. Villanova, 10. Arkansas, 11. Arizona, 12. Iowa State, 13. Texas, 14. Tennessee, 15. Houston, 16. USC, 17. Connecticut, 18. Auburn, 19. Xavier, 20. Michigan State, 21. Oklahoma, 22. Florida, 23. Wisconsin, 24. Ohio State, 25. Colorado State.

(Click here and then on “all voters” to see each voter’s individual ballot.)

Five things

o Alabama is the big riser after beating the Zags 91-82 in Seattle. Man, these guards — Jaden Shackelford, Jahvon Quinerly, JD Davison, Keon Ellis — can get up and down the floor and score like it’s nothing. Watch out for the Crimson Tide at what clearly is a basketball school.

o Memphis has left the building. The Tigers join Michigan as the most disappointing teams in the nation thus far. As coaches, Anfernee Hardaway and Juwan Howard sure were great players.

o I just can’t vote for Illinois yet, though its performance against Rutgers was topnotch. It still feels, though, like the Illini are well behind where they hoped to be.

o I thought about Loyola at No. 25, but it would’ve been a homer vote. The Ramblers were outstanding in their loss to Michigan State and really tough down the stretch in the win over DePaul, but I’ll let ’em get hot before I start ranking them. I think they’ll get there.

o Oklahoma, on the other hand, crashed my top 25 for the first time. Nice going, Porter Moser. Wisconsin, Ohio State and Colorado State also moved into it. Colorado State? The Rams are 9-0 and leading the nation with 53.6% shooting from the field.

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