Moon Alert

Until 10:45 p.m. Chicago time, there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Capricorn.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

This is a powerful day to begin your week. For starters, others notice you more than usual because you are charming and successful. Not only that, it looks like you have the backing of people and resources to help you bring about whatever you want. Powah!

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

This is a wonderful day to travel or to make travel plans. Likewise, it’s a great day to explore opportunities in publishing, the media, the law or medicine. You will also enjoy studying and teaching. You feel energized talking to a diverse group of people!

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

A productive day at work! You will get a lot done because you’re pumped to work, plus you can count on the help you need from others regarding finances and practical assistance. This help might be minor, but it will be there. Oh yeah.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

You feel friendly today. You want to socialize and hopefully, play! This is a great day to discuss vacation plans or better yet, to be on a vacation. Fun activities with children, social outings, sports events and the arts will appeal.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

You’re in a playful frame of mind this week. Today, your creative urges are strong and many of you are involved in a hands-on way with creative projects. Basically, you want to do something to make things run more smoothly at home.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Your focus on home and family (including DIY projects) continues to be strong. This is timely because today, you are so persuasive and charming, you’ll have no trouble persuading someone to help you or to kick back and have some fun.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

This is another fast-paced week for you, so, get ready! Today you might want to make some major purchases for home improvements. Among other things, these might relate to plumbing, bathrooms, recycling and garbage areas. Good day to get on top of stuff!

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

You’re practical and focused today, which is why this can be a productive day for you. Not only do you have an agenda, you have the ability to persuade others to go along with what you want because you’re very convincing. (Meanwhile, money and cash flow continue to be your main focus.)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Things will go your way today. After all, the sun and Mercury are in your sign attracting people and favorable situations to you. Meanwhile, a hidden energy that is taking place behind the scenes might favor you financially. You might find a practical gift or a solution where you least expect it. (Perhaps a back-alley find?)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Even though you prefer to keep a low profile right now (certainly for the rest of the week); nevertheless, you’re active dealing with groups today. You might even compete with someone? Fear not, because you will be all grace and charm with the moon lined up with Venus in your sign.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Hidden love affairs are percolating behind the scenes. (Coincidentally, many of you are involved with younger people.) Happily, today things will tend to go your way because not only is your ambition aroused, doors will open for you. Act now!

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

The sun at the top of your chart continues to cast you in a flattering spotlight, which is why everyone admires you. Obviously, now is the time to champion your ideas to others, perhaps leading the way with political, religious and racial ideas. People are listening!

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actress Sarah Rafferty (1972) shares your birthday. You are a truth seeker. You love knowledge and constantly seek to learn more. You have a flair for the dramatic, and know how to cause a stir. This year requires flexibility on your part because you are undergoing change. Until 2021 is over, you will continue to discover opportunities to grow and travel new paths.

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The Blackhawks kept the Islanders winless at their new UBS Arena home. | AP Photos

Despite the Isles’ late tying goal and only 46 combined shots on goal, the Hawks found a way to cap their road trip with a victory.

ELMONT, N.Y. — Appreciating the Blackhawks right now requires a taste for a certain kind of hockey.

Excitement needs to be low on the list of priorities. Little about the way this team puts a lid on the shot-counter and grinds its way through each minute is exciting.

But for fans who want competitiveness in any fashion, the Hawks deliver. They did so again Sunday, overcoming a late tying goal and an uneventful overtime to beat the Islanders 3-2 in a shootout.

”The big thing here is our guys are buying into having to take teams to a 2-1 win or a 2-2 tie going into overtime,” interim coach Derek King said. ”And I like our chances. We’re OK with it. Good for them to compete [for] all three periods.”

There’s good reason for King to like the Hawks’ chances: They’re 2-0 in overtime and 3-0 in shootouts since he took over. They’re 8-4-0 under him, having just taken two of three games on this trip, despite winning only three times in regulation.

They just keep finding a way. Dylan Strome scored what he admitted he thought would be the winning goal with 14 minutes left, only for the Islanders’ Noah Dobson to tie the score with four seconds to play.

But the Hawks allowed the Islanders, who have lost 11 consecutive games, zero shots on goal in overtime before winning on Patrick Kane’s conversion and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s three saves in the shootout.

”Obviously, we struggle to score [at] five-on-five, but . . . we’re winning those 2-1, 3-2 games, and that’s what we have to do when the puck’s not going into the net,” said wing Brandon Hagel, who scored in the first period. ”Hopefully the pucks start going in. But what we’re doing right now, we can’t change that.”

King’s homecoming

King still holds a little bit of love for the Islanders in his heart. Given his lengthy and successful time with them — he scored 499 points in 638 games while wearing their uniform from 1986 to 1997 — it’s easy to understand why.

So his first matchup against the Islanders as an NHL coach was emotionally significant.

”I’ll have some family members [here],” he said before the game. ”I know I’ve got some buddies that will probably have my jersey on and screaming things and making me look like an idiot. It’ll be a little weird.”

The only thing missing from King’s semi-homecoming — he actually was born in Hamilton, Ontario, but one wouldn’t know that from the way he describes Long Island — was the dilapidated charm of Nassau Coliseum.

The Islanders debuted their brand-new UBS Arena last month after years of anticipation and an ill-fated venture to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

King lovingly described the ”mothball smell in the carpet” at the Coliseum, which seemed like a palace when he arrived for his first training camp in 1985. But as he glanced around UBS Arena’s spacious layout and modern design for the first time, he also gave it his approval.

”As a kid, you looked up and you couldn’t believe the size of it,” he said of the Coliseum. ”Coming from the [Ontario Hockey League], it’s a big, big step. But then after awhile, [when] you go to all these other rinks when you’re playing, you go back home, and it’s [like], ‘When are we going to build a new rink?’

”I’m just happy that the rink and the Islanders are back on Long Island and not in Brooklyn and going somewhere else. I’m happy for the fans.”

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An African drum salute makes its way through Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Hyde Park on Sunday at the start of a memorial service for Timuel Black. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

The three-hour memorial opened with African drums and dance. More than two dozen people shared stories about the impact Black had on them and on Chicago, and there were several performances of jazz, which Black loved.

Hundreds of people poured into the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago on Sunday to celebrate the “life of jazz and social justice” of the late historian Timuel Black.

“Tim truly loved his life. It was a great life,” his wife, Zenobia Johnson-Black, told the crowd. “He would often say ‘I done the best I could. We couldn’t accomplish everything — there is still so much to do.'”

Johnson-Black said her husband was at peace with himself near the end of his life, because he had “lived up to his own standards” and had faith that a new crop of young civil rights leaders would sprout to continue the fight for equality.

A funeral service had been held in October for Black, 102, who died Oct. 13. He had fought most of his life for labor, political and civil rights working alongside other leaders such as Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama.

The three-hour public memorial opened with a traditional African ancestor salute, with African drums and dance. More than two dozen people shared stories about the incredible impact Black had on them and Chicago at large. There also were several live performances of jazz, which Black loved.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
An ensemble plays during the recessional at Sunday’s memorial service for Timuel Black. The service was at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Hyde Park.

Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted Black’s role in helping elect Harold Washington as Chicago’s first African American mayor and Carol Moseley Braun as the first African American woman to serve the U.S. Senate — and then, of course, President Barack Obama.

“Most of us could only hope to witness a century on this earth. Timuel Black shaped his century,” Pritzker said.

“He took on corporations fighting to ensure Black voices were loud and proud in the labor movements of the 20th century. He took on the state of Illinois to protect the right to vote for all people,” the governor said. “By insisting that he was better than no one, he became the very best of us.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a memorial service for Timuel Black on Sunday at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Hyde Park.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot called Black a “freedom fighter without parallel” in Chicago’s history and said that to her, as he was to many others, Black was a teacher.

“Tim was a son of our city and he was a gift to our city, our state and our country,” Lightfoot said.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a memorial service for Timuel Black on Sunday at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Hyde Park.

“As a Black person in this world, most of us know that we can recite by name the giants on whose shoulders we stand. Whether they are moms or dads, grandparents, siblings, teachers, pastors or others, we know that as Black folks we never pass through this world alone — someone sacrificed in order for us to fulfill our God-given talent,” the mayor said.

“Timuel Black was such a person for me.”

Throughout the service, Black was remembered as always engaged and willing to share his wealth of knowledge with anyone seeking it.

Brandon Walker, an 8th grader from Munster, Ind., remembered the first time he met Black.

Brandon had moved to Indiana from Chicago in 2018. African American history was not being taught in his new school, he said. He wanted to change that, so he went to see Black.

“Before entering Mr. Black’s home, I thought how I’m going to interview a person who is nearly a centenarian, is a lifelong learner and educator, a veteran, was an activist at the beginning of the civil rights era, knew my great-grandfather and so much more,” Walker said. “I felt proud to meet him.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Brandon Walker, an 8th grader from Munster, Ind., got to meet Timuel Black and spoke about that experience at Sunday’s memorial service for Black, an educator, historian and civil rights activist, who died in October.

Walker said Black hammered home his belief that change was coming and that it was important for young people like Brandon to believe that the future will be better for them — and they needed to be prepared for it.

“Mr. Black spoke to me about it not being enough to advance just myself and that I have a duty to advance others who may not have my same advantages,” Walker said. “He said, ‘The door is going to open, and be prepared to walk in — but keep the door open so others can come in, too.'”

Rich Hein/Sun-Times
The life of educator, historian and civil rights activist Timuel Black, shown here in a 2018 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, was celebrated at a memorial service on Sunday at the University of Chicago.Read More

Windy City Smoke Up organizer Dom Brown takes a pull from a joint inside the underground warehouse party in West Town on Sunday. | Tom Schuba/Sun-Times

While the city hasn’t set rules for public pot consumption, the event’s organizer insisted it was a private, invitation-only affair and thus “100% legal.” The rapper Afroman was listed as the headline attraction.

Under a thick cloud of smoke, a constant rotation of blunts and joints circulated Sunday afternoon at an underground party in West Town that celebrated cannabis legalization while embracing the still-booming black market.

Dozens of attendees paid $55 to $108 just to get into the Windy City Smoke Up, which allowed open weed consumption and was billed as a cannabis expo with live art and music. Afroman, the rapper best known for his stoner anthem “Because I Got High,” was listed as the headline attraction.

In a warehouse in the 2100 block of West Fulton Street, weed smokers sat on leather couches and got stoned as a DJ spun rap and vendors sold their wares, including various black market pot products similar to those found at the state’s highly regulated dispensaries.

“This is one step closer to what I wish we could do everywhere, instead of just Illinois,” Niko Bretti, 26, from Springfield, said while smoking in a VIP lounge.

Eva Hernandez, 31, of Little Village, started Crybaby Sweets four years ago and now churns out pot-infused products she markets online, delivers herself and has sold at similar events. At $10 a pop, her infused brownies, cake truffles and drinks are far cheaper than similar offerings at licensed Illinois pot shops.

Tom Schuba/Sun-Times
Eva Hernandez, selling cannabis-infused edibles, was among the vendors at the Windy City Smoke Up on Sunday.

And while her business remains underground, Hernandez said legalization has made her less fearful of unwanted attention.

“Everything is still illegal as f— but it’s not as much repercussion now, which is nice,” Hernandez said of her products. “Like nobody’s gonna test my pastry to see if it has real weed in it.”

Dom Brown organized Sunday’s party and other similar events; his goal is to “normalize cannabis and to make it accessible and to take the stigma away from it,” he said.

“I saw a space in Chicago where there was nobody willing to take the risk to produce an event like this — which it’s 100% legal as long as you follow the guidelines,” said Brown, who also hosts a pot-centric YouTube show called “Wake & Bake.”

The Chicago City Council hasn’t set rules for public consumption lounges, which state law allows only in dispensaries and tobacco shops with local approval. A bill that stalled in Springfield earlier this year would have given counties and localities the power to allow marijuana sales and consumption at temporary events, pot clubs and cannabis tours.

Brown, 32, argued his event was a private, invitation-only affair and thus wasn’t subject to the same public consumption rules. But in case issues arose, his attorney and an off-duty cop were both on hand.

Though Brown bemoaned Illinois’ troubled social equity licensing efforts and complained “big corporate brands” still dominate the legal pot market, some existing operators were listed on flyers as sponsors. Those companies — Green Thumb Industries, Progressive Treatment Solutions and Dispensary 33 — didn’t respond to requests for comment.

A native of California, where a robust gray market still thrives, Brown said he’s merely “following the road map of what other successful cities are doing.”

“When we fly out and shoot [the YouTube show] in these places, it’s so normalized, it’s so relaxed and it’s such a part of their society,” he said. “That’s why I come back here and I do my work to move that forward.”

A flyer for the Windy City Smoke Up event on December 5, 2021.Read More

At least six people were killed and 19 others wounded in citywide shootings since Friday evening. | Sun-Times file

The 15-year-old boy was shot Saturday night in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue, as police responded to complaints of a “large group in the downtown district.”

Six people were killed and 19 others wounded — including a 15-year-old boy– in shootings since Friday night in Chicago.

The teen was shot Saturday night about 11:20 p.m. in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue, as police responded to complaints of a “large group in the downtown district.”

The boy was walking and bumped into a male moving in the opposite direction, Chicago police said. Following an argument, the male shot the 15-year-old in the arm, police said. The teen was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

No one was arrested in that shooting but 21 other minors were arrested in the area Saturday night; nine were charged with violating curfew. Police reported they also recovered two “replica firearms.”

Also on Saturday, a CTA bus driver was beaten in the Loop, and a 15-year-old boy was charged.

About 9 p.m., the bus driver, 49, was inspecting the bus after hearing a loud noise in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue when he was pushed and repeatedly punched by an unknown male and female, police said.

He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with bruises to his face and body, police said, and listed in fair condition.

The boy was arrested moments later and charged with one felony count of aggravated battery to a transit employee, police said.

Two police officers were also injured while responding to incidents in the Loop Saturday night. One officer’s arm was broken; the other officer’s injuries were unknown.

Area detectives are investigating the attacks. According to police, the department “had sufficient resources deployed to manage the crowd and ensure public safety.”

Details on city homicides

One person was killed and two others were critically wounded Sunday morning in Jefferson Park on the Northwest Side. A woman and man, 20 and 23, were walking in an alley about 4:30 a.m. in the 4800 block of North Central Avenue when someone opened fire, striking them both, Chicago police said. Another man, 23, was inside a building when he was hit by gunfire, police said.

The woman, identified as Meagan Bilbo, was taken to Community First Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Her name hasn’t been released yet. One man took himself to Illinois Masonic Medical Center while the other went to Evanston Hospital, police said. Both men were listed in critical condition, police said.

About an hour earlier, two people were shot, one fatally, on the Near West Side. About 3:20 a.m., a woman and man, 41 and 56, were sitting in a car in the 300 block of South Hoyne Avenue when they were struck by gunfire, police said. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where the man was pronounced dead, police said. His name hasn’t been released. The woman was in good condition, according to officials.
A man was fatally shot Friday night outside a home in West Chatham, officials said. Lynnez Patterson, 44, was arguing with a male acquaintance on his porch about 8:25 p.m. in the first block of 78th Place, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The acquaintance then shot the man multiple times, striking him in the torso and head, police said. He was taken to Stroger, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
A few hours later, a woman was shot inside a building in South Shore. About 8:20 p.m., the 27-year-old was shot in the head by someone in a hallway in the 7100 block of South Ridgeland Avenue, police said. She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, police said. She has not yet been identified.
An 18-year-old man was killed Saturday night in Englewood on the South Side. The man was walking through a gas station about 8 p.m. in the 1100 block of West 63rd Street when a vehicle drove by and someone from inside opened fire, police said. He was shot multiple times in the body and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His name hasn’t been released.
A few hours earlier, Parrish Peeples was fatally shot in West Englewood, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The 54-year-old was standing on the porch of a home about 5:15 p.m. in the 6500 block of South Claremont Avenue when people got out of a vehicle and fired shots at her, police said. She was struck in the leg and abdomen and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Details on other shootings

Two teens were wounded in two separate shootings Sunday, one in Englewood, the other in Pullman on the South Side. About 12:45 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was in the 6800 block of South Green Street, when he heard shots and felt a pain, Chicago police said. He was struck in the right arm and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, in good condition.

About 15 minutes later, a 17-year-old girl was in the 12500 block of South Lowe Street, buying narcotics, when she got into an argument with someone she knew who fired shots at her, police said. She was struck in the leg, and brought to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, in good condition.

A 17-year-old passenger was shot and seriously wounded Saturday night in Chicago Lawn on the South Side. About 9:20 p.m., the teen was a passenger in a car traveling in the 3400 block of West 61st Place when the vehicle he was in passed by two males who were shouting at him, police said. The driver of the car heard gunfire, and the teen was shot in the back of his head, police said. He was taken to Christ, where he was in serious condition, police said.
A man was critically wounded in a shooting Friday evening just blocks from the Mag Mile. About 6:50 p.m., the 31-year-old was inside a vehicle in the first block of East Huron Street when another vehicle pulled up alongside and someone opened fire, police said. He was shot in the legs and brought himself to Stroger in critical condition, police said.

At least 14 others were wounded in shootings in Chicago since Friday, 5 p.m.

Three people were killed and 26 others wounded in gun violence across Chicago last weekend.

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Bears coach Matt Nagy leaves the field after another loss on Sunday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Is there still any point to the Bears’ season?

Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser break down the Bears’ bummer of a loss to the Cardinals and wonder what’s left to play for.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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Thornton’s Ty Rodgers (23), Vincent Rainey (2), Wadell Bell (3) and Ariohn Herring (0) return to their team after winning the game against St Rita. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Two new teams join the rankings and Kenwood has moved up.

Two teams earned their way into the Super 25 this week.

Batavia, which was firmly on my radar in the preseason, is off to a 6-0 start. The Bulldogs beat previously unbeaten Huntley 67-66 on Saturday. Trent Tousana scored 30 points.

Wheaton-Warrenville South’s overall resume is undeniably solid. The Tigers are always strong defensively and have already beaten Naperville Central, St. Charles North, Rolling Meadows and Fremd.

Lyons drops out after losing to Riverside-Brookfield and Glenbard West this week. Obviously there is no shame in losing to either of those teams, but the margin of defeat against the Hilltoppers (71-34) is a little concerning. I expect Tavari Johnson and the Lions to return to the rankings at some point this season.

Tinley Park is the other team that slides out of the Super 25 this week. The Titans lost to Stagg. It might take awhile for all the new transfers to fit in. There’s still a lot of potential on coach DJ Brown’s team.

Proviso East has been sidelined due to COVID and didn’t play this week. I kept the Pirates in for now but another week of inactivity and they will probably have to drop out.

I was impressed with Oak Park at the Chicago Elite Classic on Friday, but the Huskies’ season is currently suspended due to COVID. It’s hit a number of teams around the area this week.

Also keep an eye on Leo. The Lions knocked off St. Ignatius in their first game of the season. The Wolfpack is reeling a bit and I’ll get a look at Leo this weekend so I decided to keep them out for now since there wasn’t really a team that needed to be replaced.

Super 25 for Dec. 5, 2021

With record and last week’s ranking

1. Glenbard West (6-0) 1

Paxton Warden steps up

2. Kenwood (3-0) 3

Showtime is here

3. Simeon (3-0) 4

The Rubin twins opened eyes

4. Young (0-1) 2

It’s just one loss

5. Glenbrook South (6-1) 5

Cooper Noard can fill it up

6. Curie (7-0) 6

Faces Leo Sunday

7. New Trier (6-0) 7

Hosts Glenbrook South Thursday

8. Bolingbrook (5-0) 10

Hosts Marian Catholic Wednesday

9. Hillcrest (5-0) 11

Glenbard West on Saturday

10. Thornton (4-1) 14

More than just Ty Rodgers

11. St. Rita (4-2) 8

Jaedin Reyna is a show

12. Lake Forest (4-2) 9

Hosts Stevenson Tuesday

13. Brother Rice (4-1) 12

Takes on Marian Saturday

14. Orr (2-0) 13

Farragut and Clark up next

15. Marian Catholic (5-1) 15

Several tests this week

16. DePaul Prep (5-0) 16

Handled Evergreen Park

17. Mount Carmel (6-0) 17

At De La Salle Tuesday

18. Oswego East (7-0) 21

May be underrated

19. Yorkville Christian (5-3) 19

Took down St. Patrick

20. Riverside-Brookfield (5-1) 20

Beat Lyons

21. Hyde Park (3-2) 18

Can they stop Jaden Schutt?

22. Evanston (5-1) 24

Lost to Glenbrook South

23. Batavia (6-0) NR

Impressive start

24. Wheaton-Warrenville South (6-0) NR

Solid resume already

25. Proviso East (4-0) 25

Didn’t play last week

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St. Ignatius’ Noah Davis (10) takes the ball to the basket against Chaminade. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

All the scores from around the area.

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected]

Sunday, December 5, 2021

NONCONFERENCE

Yeshiva 59, Cruz 18

KISKI PREP, PENN.

Lawrenceville Prep, N.J. 64, Lake Forest Academy 49

RIDGEWOOD

Glenbard West 57, Glenbrook South 54

Maine South 49, St. Viator 34

Taft 75, Ridgewood 44

Yorkville Christian 76, St. Patrick 57

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Bears coach Matt Nagy is now 32-28 in four seasons. | Getty

The afternoon was emblematic of their season — sloppy, maddening and rife with self-sabotage. And their next humiliation lurks around the corner with a visit to the Packers.

The muck of this Bears season turned from metaphorical to literal when they arrived at Soldier Field amid cold and rain to see a 25-yard-wide swath of brown down the middle of the field from one end zone to the other.

It took two snaps before running back David Montgomery slipped on whatever you’d call the playing surface — grass certainly isn’t the word for it — and stumbled for four yards when there were many more to take. It was the start of a muddled mess for the Bears as they lost 33-22 to the Cardinals.

The afternoon was emblematic of their season — sloppy, maddening and rife with self-sabotage.

They were going to lose this game either way. The only question was how circuslike and indicting the defeat would be. Every great opponent the Bears have faced this season has smashed them, and coach Matt Nagy had nothing when asked how he could convince anyone — even himself — that they have any shot next week against the Packers.

“Just keep fighting,” he said, beginning a predictably empty answer. “Let the guys know we’re in this thing together… The only thing we can do is keep fighting and sticking together. I know it can sound old. I know it can sound monotonous. I gotcha. But… that’s all we can do.”

It’s monotonous because it never has any substance.

The combination of poor roster construction, injuries and Nagy’s blunders have left the Bears in a position where they aren’t consistently good at anything.

Everything about them is broken, even the radio communication system between Nagy and quarterback Andy Dalton. It scrambled in the second half and set up a humbling, comical scene where Nagy was receiving play calls from offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, his subordinate, in the booth and relaying them to Dalton via a walkie-talkie and hand signals.

It was the second home game in a row in which the Bears had that problem. Maybe they ran out of AAA batteries. Does anyone know what’s going on?

“I don’t,” Nagy said. “I wish I did.”

Speaking of malfunctions and mysteries, there was a mountain of them on offense.

Immediately after Montgomery’s tumble, Dalton fired a fastball to Jakeem Grant that glanced off his fingertips right to safety Jalen Thompson to set up an eventual touchdown pass by Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.

The Bears signed Dalton specifically because they were sure he was too smart to make mistakes like throwing high, hard and behind in the rain to a 5-foot-7 receiver with a history of unreliable hands. It was his first of four picks.

Their next possession ended with an interception, too, but that wacky debacle wasn’t Dalton’s fault. Tight end Cole Kmet coughed up the ball as he hit the ground at the Cardinals’ 10-yard line, and safety Budda Baker plucked it from the air.

Nagy wavered between accountability — this wasn’t the first football game ever played in rain — and using weather as an excuse.

“Weather was involved, but our guys know… you’ve gotta really look the football in [and] you’ve gotta be secure with what you do,” he said.

“And for us, right now, we don’t have room for error with that offensively.”

Or defensively. Remember the vicious defense that spurred the Bears to an NFC North title in 2018 and kept them afloat the last two seasons? It’s history.

All the disorder and incompetence on display in this loss was a snapshot of what’s been happening all season.

It started with Nagy taking it unnecessarily slowly with rookie Justin Fields, hampering a quarterback who would take over the starting job in Week 3. It continued with Nagy playing hot potato with play calling and the Bears allowing a four-paragraph report on something called Patch.com to torpedo them ahead of the Lions game.

They were in quicksand Sunday on the weathered turf at Soldier Field, and they’re sinking into it as an organization, too.

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