What’s New

Thousands of seats were unoccupied in the United Center for the Blackhawks’ game Wednesday. | Ben Pope/Sun-Times

Large swaths of the United Center sat vacant as the Hawks drew officially only 15,946 and 16,449 fans to their home games this week.

Kyle Beach’s story rattled around inside Jonathan Mayotte’s head. It nauseated him. It ripped his heart out. It made him question his priorities.

For Mayotte, a Blackhawks season-ticket holder since 2017, the Hawks’ game Oct. 27 against the Maple Leafs was supposed to be another typical trip to the United Center. But while waiting for his wife to finish work, Mayotte had watched Beach’s interview with TSN, in which the former player revealed just how much the Hawks’ cover-up of his 2010 sexual assault destroyed his life.

And those words changed everything.

”My wife walked out, looked at me — as I’m putting my shoes on — and said: ‘Do we really want to go to this game?’ ” Mayotte recalled. ”And my response was: ‘No, I don’t really think so. I’m not in the mood to watch hockey tonight, and I’m really not in the mood to go into that building.’ ”

Mayotte’s seats in Section 327 sat empty that night. He didn’t attempt to sell them or give them away. He purposely wanted them empty. He wanted to make it clear to Hawks management that what happened to Beach was unacceptable.

”The only real voice that the fans have is when it comes to buying tickets, buying merchandise and things like that,” he said. ”So if you do want to send a statement, that’s really your best way of doing it.”

Thousands of Chicagoans have made the same choice recently. Empty seats dotted the United Center for that game against the Maple Leafs. And this past week, for games Monday against the Senators and Wednesday against the Hurricanes, large swaths of seats sat completely vacant. Some 200- and 300-level sections were largely uninhabited; even some 100-level sections featured empty rows.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Even some 100-level seats were unfilled for the Blackhawks’ game Wednesday against the Hurricanes.

After years of losing, Hawks attendance already was slumping. Their 535-game sellout streak ended Oct. 24 against the Red Wings — before the sexual-assault scandal erupted. But with the reputation and community goodwill of the organization now shattered, crowd sizes have fallen off a cliff.

”It’s definitely different,” captain Jonathan Toews said. ”With COVID protocols . . . I feel like that could have something to do with the empty building, as well. And obviously the losing streak. [There are] just a lot of different variables right now. But it is what it is.”

Toews isn’t wrong about the multiple variables. Some fans might be wary of crowded indoor spaces. Others might disagree with the United Center’s vaccination-or-negative-test entry requirement. Tangential effects of the pandemic, such as fewer people ending their workdays downtown, are also factors.

And attendance declines have been talking points NHL-wide this fall. Only five teams — the Kraken, Golden Knights, Lightning, Capitals and Bruins — have sold out every game; 11 did so in 2019-20. Eight teams sit below 13,000, a threshold only two teams finished below in 2019-20.

But the fact remains the Hawks are struggling at the gate. After leading the league in attendance for 12 consecutive seasons, averaging more than 21,300 fans every year, they rank sixth this season with an average of 18,470 through six home dates, and that likely will keep dropping.

They officially drew 15,946 and 16,449 against the Senators and Hurricanes, respectively, but that overstates how many people were there because attendance is calculated by tickets sold, not tickets used. The building was jarringly quiet, the atmosphere deflating.

Those figures might prove to be the minimum, given they were early-season, weeknight games against non-traditional opponents. Anger at the Beach cover-up unfortunately but inevitably will subside over time, too.

Nonetheless, demand remains low: On the resale market, the cheapest tickets available for nine of the Hawks’ next 10 home games are less than $25.

After a week of reflection, Mayotte returned to his normal seats Wednesday. He thinks the Hawks took ”some steps in the right direction” with their responses to the investigation, he’s happy to support the innocent current players and he already has paid for the tickets.

Looking around the half-empty arena, Mayotte joked he expected Alexei Zhamnov, Jocelyn Thibault or ”some of these guys who played when nobody was showing up” to appear. Indeed, comparisons to the early 2000s, when Hawks attendance ranked 23rd or worse every season, have been abundant lately.

That might be the direction in which things are trending. Many of Mayotte’s friends say they’re no longer willing to attend Hawks games. He expects it’s ”going to be a long time before they come back.”

And he’s unsure whether he’ll renew his season tickets come 2022.

”After this year, we were thinking maybe a partial-season [plan],” he said. ”If I had to answer that question today, maybe we wouldn’t. . . . I was hoping we’d keep these things forever and ever and be able to take our kids to the games. But now I don’t know.”

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Four people were killed and 13 others were wounded in citywide shootings Friday. | Sun -times file

The boy was shot about 5:45 p.m. in the 8300 block of South Saginaw Avenue.

Three people were killed and a 4-year-old boy was among 13 others wounded in shootings in Chicago Friday.

A man was killed in a shooting Friday afternoon in Chatham on the South Side. The 44-year-old was found about 1:30 p.m. with a gunshot wound to his body in the 300 block of East 80th Street, according to Chicago police. He was pronounced dead shortly after he was found. Police didn’t release any additional details on the circumstances of the shooting.
A man was fatally shot while driving in the West Englewood neighborhood. About 6 p.m., the 29-year-old was driving in the 2100 block of West 71st Street when two people exited the vehicle behind him and began shooting, police said. A shot went through the rear window of his vehicle, striking the man in the back of the head, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He has not yet been identified.
Another man was fatally shot hours later after a fight over a car blocking his garage in Belmont Central on the Northwest Side. About 9:50 p.m., the 36-year-old and another man were arguing over the suspect’s vehicle blocking his garage in the 2600 block of North Mobile Avenue, police said. The gunman shoved the man and then shot him in the back before driving away, police said. He was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he died to his injuries, police said. His name hasn’t been released yet.
A fourth man was shot and killed a couple of hours later in South Austin on the West Side. The 21-year-old was outside in the 5200 block of West Adams Street about 11:50 p.m. when he was shot multiple times in the body, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
In nonfatal attacks, a 4-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting in the South Chicago neighborhood. The shooting happened about 5:45 p.m. in the 8300 block of South Saginaw Avenue, police said. The boy suffered gunshot wounds to both thighs and his hand, police said. He was taken to South Shore Hospital in good condition, police said.
Hours later, a 17-year-old was shot in front of a store Friday night in Chatham on the South Side. The teen was standing about 11:45 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue when someone dressed in all black approached and opened fire, striking him in the leg and back, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

At least 11 others were injured in citywide shootings Friday.

One person was killed and 11 others wounded in shootings in Chicago Thursday.

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A teen was shot in front of a store Nov. 5 on the South Side. | Sun-Times file photo

The teen was standing in front of a store about 11:45 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue when someone dressed in all black approached and opened fire, Chicago police said.

A 17-year-old was shot in front of a store Friday night in Chatham on the South Side.

The teen was standing about 11:45 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue when someone dressed in all black approached and opened fire, striking him in the leg and back, Chicago police said.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

No one was in custody.

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Moon Alert

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Sagittarius.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Discussions about shared property, inheritances or how to divide something will favor you. (You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.) Obviously, this is an excellent day to sit down with others and do business. It’s also a passionate, affectionate day for romance.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Conversations with partners and close friends will go well because people are easy-going and lighthearted. You might discuss travel plans with someone. You might also explore ways to get future training or further education. It’s an interesting day.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Coworkers will support you. This is a positive day for any kind of work related to your job or your personal life. You will also enjoy making your workstation look more attractive. You will also be interested in ways to improve your health. It’s a feel-good day!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Grab every chance to enjoy playful activities with kids, sports events and fun socializing because any pleasant diversion will appeal to you. This is also a good day for those of you involved in the arts and creative projects.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Family discussions will go well today. In particular, you might want to discuss home repairs or ways to make your home look more attractive. This is also a good day to check out real estate opportunities. Very likely, you will need to put the considerations of someone else before your own today. (It happens.)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You can make money from your words, which is good news for those of you who write, edit, sell, market, teach or act. This is also a great day for a short trip because you will enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. (Happiness is being able to enjoy the scenery on a detour.)

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Financial discussions will go well because this is a good day for business and commerce. Pay attention to your moneymaking ideas. If shopping, you will enjoy buying beautiful things for yourself and loved ones, especially because your appreciation of beauty is heightened today.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Today Mercury in your sign is dancing with Venus, which makes it easy for you to tell someone that you love them. It will also make it easy for you to appreciate your daily surroundings. Leisure pursuits will appeal, especially reading, art exhibits, concerts or chatting with friends.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Solitude in beautiful surroundings will appeal to you today because a moment of privacy will feel precious. It will give you the opportunity to catch your breath, especially if you can enjoy solitude in a beautiful outdoor setting. (You feel revived when you are outdoors.)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Discussions with creative, artistic people will be an enjoyable diversion for you today. You might talk to younger people. In fact, the discussions might even affect your future goals. This is also an excellent day to shop for wardrobe items for yourself. (You dress to impress.)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Conversations with bosses, parents, VIPs and the police will go well today because you are charming, diplomatic and cooperative. This is what they want to hear. In fact, relations might be so smooth, some of you will strike up a romantic connection with a boss. (Tread carefully.)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

This is the perfect day to travel for pleasure. If you can’t travel, enjoy a short trip. You want to learn something new today. You will especially appreciate the artistic creations of others. Similarly, you will enjoy profound discussions that are inspirational.

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actor Ethan Hawke (1970) shares your birthday. You work hard because you are fiercely determined. You are also sensitive and shy. You have a pleasing personality and are sympathetic to others. You can be a perfectionist who likes to be in control. Simplicity is the key for you this year. Physical exercise is also important. It’s time to build physical structures in your life — internally and externally.

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Mount Carmel’s Dennis Furlong (11), Blainey Dowling (7) and Darrion Gilliam (17) celebrate with teammates during the game against Batavia. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Two controversial pass interference calls on Mount Carmel’s final drive set up Dennis Furlong’s heroics.

Mount Carmel added a video board to its stadium this season. All the lights are turned off before the game and a short video is played, stacked with highlights of signature moments in Caravan football history.

Junior Dennis Furlong’s nine-yard touchdown run to give Mount Carmel a 16-14 win against Batavia in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs on Friday may wind up in that highlight video eventually.

“It was supposed to be a pass,” Furlong said. “I thought we had it all the way.”

The play was designed for receiver Damarion Arrington. Quarterback Blainey Dowling was supposed to hand off to Furlong, who would throw it to Arrington. But Furlong ran instead.

“I told him he had it,” Arrington said. “I have faith in my brother. No doubt. They were eyeing me the whole game. I knew Furlong had to take it and he did.”

Furlong’s heroics came on an untimed down after time expired. Batavia was called for pass interference in the end zone. Two Mount Carmel receivers wound up on the ground before the pass reached the end zone. It was the second crucial pass interference call on the Caravan’s final drive.

“It just felt like we were playing against two teams,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. ” I’ve never seen that in my life. I’m not a person that says things like this. I can’t make these kids feel better. It isn’t the loss. I don’t mind losing games. This is going to sound horrible in the paper tomorrow, but whatever.”

Batavia (10-1) led 14-10 at halftime and neither team was able to muster much offense in the second half.

“We just put pressure on them the entire game,” Mount Carmel linebacker Danny Novickas said. “I can easily say we are the most physical team in the state and we can beat almost anybody we want. As long as we play a good physical game we are going to come out on top.”

Novickas had two sacks. Mount Carmel fumbled a punt in the third quarter that Batavia recovered. That was the only turnover in the game.

“I don’t know why we always start slow but we know how to finish,” Arrington said.

Mount Carmel quarterback Blainey Dowling was 7 for 13 for 96 yards with a 21-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Darrion Gilliam. Dowling had 12 carries for 57 yards and it was his confident decision making that propelled the Caravan (8-3) downfield on the final drive.

“The defense came to play,” Dowling said. “They are the reason we won this game. Awesome job by them.”

Batavia running back Jalen Buckley had 15 carries for 43 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Ryan Boe was 7 for 14 for 115 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to AJ Sanders.

“They didn’t want to shake hands at the end,” Dowling said. “I don’t know. I thought it was a respectful game. We knew they didn’t play the best on the road. It gets so loud in here. I couldn’t even hear at the end of the game. So the fans played a huge part. It was an awesome atmosphere in here.”

Mount Carmel will face the Yorkville-Brother Rice winner in the quarterfinals next weekend.

Watch the final minute of Batavia at Mount Carmel:

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Ravi Shankar | Alan Kozlowski Photo

Among the items on display at the South Asia Institute are hundreds of LPs showcasing decades of work as well as artfully designed concert posters and promo materials, and his last sitar.

Ravi Shankar is perhaps best-known as the “Godfather of World Music” — what good friend and “disciple” George Harrison of the Beatles once termed the sitar master and cultivator of Indian classical music.

In a new exhibition at Chicago’s recently-opened South Asia Institute, observers will learn so much more about the instrumentalist and humanitarian whose passion for sharing music lives on nearly 10 years after his death in 2012.

“It really is a love letter to Ravi,” says co-curator Brian Keigher, a Chicago native and longtime producer/promoter for events like Chicago’s World Music Festival.

In addition to one of Shankar’s prized sitars on display, the 100-plus pieces of ephemera that make up “Ravi Shankar: Ragamala To Rockstar,” running through March 5, are solely from Keigher’s extensive collection. It’s the largest collection outside of the Ravi Shankar Foundation and the first Shankar retrospective in the United States.

Sukanya Shankar and her husband Ravi Shankar are shown in this undated photo.

It comes in the wake of events that had been planned throughout 2020 in honor Shankar’s centennial.

“We had so many things planned for his 100th birthday, including concerts, but the pandemic happened,” says his wife of 40 years, Sukanya Shankar. “But it’ll be an ongoing thing, these exhibitions. You can never finish with Ravi Shankar.”

Among the items on display are hundreds of LPs as well as artfully designed concert posters and promo materials for Shankar’s appearances at Woodstock, the Monterey International Pop Festival and the Concert for Bangladesh.

Shankar is noted as the only musician to have performed at all three of the late 1960s/early 1970s events, after enchanting figureheads like George Harrison (who Sukanya says was like a son to Ravi), David Crosby, Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Ravi Shankar’s beloved sitar is on display in the exhibit “Ravi Shankar: Ragamala To Rockstar.”

There are also rare photographs of a boyhood Ravi, giving a glimpse of him as a dancer in his elder brother Uday Shankar’s traveling Hindu Music and Dance troupe. Shankar’s debut in Chicago was in a 1933 appearance with the group at Chicago Symphony Center.

“Every time I connected with Ravi, he’d always talk about his love for the Symphony Center, Studs Terkel and even Chicago winters,” says Keigher, who made sure there was a “wall of Chicago” in the exhibition.

Keigher worked alongside one of Shankar’s longtime students, sitarist Gaurav Mazumdar. Mazumdar, who is based in Wisconsin and gives sitar lessons across the Midwest, met Shankar in 1985.

“He did so much to bridge the gap between East and West and gave music to anyone who came to him,” says Mazumdar, remembering living with Shankar for seven years so he could learn the craft. To pay it forward, Mazumdar will be giving sitar workshops as part of the multi-disciplinary programming the South Asia Institute has planned over the course of the exhibit (full details and dates are on the Institute’s website).

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Album covers, posters and art prints spanning the career of Ravi Shankar are featured in “Ravi Shankar: Ragamala To Rockstar” at the South Asia Institute.

That giving nature is a sweet facet Sukanya also remembers about her husband. “It was his whole philosophy. He never charged for his music. His disciples lived with him. In fact, he’d pay them a stipend,” she recalls. “I asked him once, ‘Why are you paying them?’ And he said, ‘They’re all young musicians. If I didn’t give them money for their pockets, they’d all have to go earn something and it would take away from their music.’ He deeply affected people. Once you met him, you never forgot him.”

Of course, Shankar was also a very “strict” teacher according to Mazumdar, and Sukanya even recalls the first time she met her future husband, when she played the tambura in his 1972 show at Royal Albert Hall, and he cut her long fingernails out of fear it would affect her playing and disturb his show.

“But that’s just who he was. Music was a constant night and day. He slept very little, about three hours a night. But the rest of the time he was like a livewire. Even at 92 he was like that,” says Sukanya, also mother to their musician daughter Anoushka (his other daughter is, of course, Norah Jones), hoping that young people who come to the exhibit can be inspired to see what hard work and dedication can achieve.

For the founders of the South Asia Institute, husband-and-wife Afzal and Shireen Ahmad who established the collaborative center in Motor Row in the fall of 2019, hope the exhibit provides the chance to learn more about the culture and heritage of South Asia through one of its biggest gateway figures.

“Inclusivity is one of the biggest things — just looking at the people he’s worked and collaborated with, it’s clear,” says Shireen. Afzal adds, “Ravi made such a difference in this world. And his philosophy is the same as our philosophy, to be an inviting place to sit down together. It’s the same bridge-building we are trying to do.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Brian Keigher, co-curator of “Ravi Shankar: Ragmala to Rockstar,” stands alongside a collection of Shankar’s vinyls during a media preview of the retrospective of Shankar at the South Asia Institute in the South Loop.

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Robert Quinn will face multiple blockers often if Khalil Mack is out. | Getty

The pass rush isn’t the same without Khalil Mack, leaving Robert Quinn to face a steady serving of double- and triple-teams. And on the back end, a shaky secondary is struggling.

If the Bears had been forthcoming at the start of the season — and that’s not a strength of theirs, obviously — they would’ve said everything was riding on their pass rush.

General manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy knew they’d made iffy moves in the secondary and hoped to negate those concerns with an overwhelming trio of outside linebackers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks up front. If opposing quarterbacks barely had time in the pocket, the Bears’ unproven cornerbacks wouldn’t need to hold their coverage long.

That plan worked for a while. But now it’s not.

The Bears didn’t have a sack or even a quarterback hit the last two games as the Buccaneers and 49ers combined to pile up 71 points. Tom Brady smacked them for a 109.8 passer rating, and Jimmy Garoppolo followed with a 100.6. Neither threw an interception.

In fact, the Bears have faced 107 consecutive passes without picking one off. And it gets more difficult against the Steelers and 18-year veteran Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger is throwing the ball quicker than any quarterback in the NFL at an average of 2.37 seconds from snap to release, and the Steelers are tied for the 10th-fewest sacks allowed at 14 in 284 drop-backs. He has been pressured on just 20.3% of his drop-backs (fourth-best in the league) and thrown interceptions on 1.5% of his passes (seventh).

“You don’t get to him,” defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. “People don’t get sacks in one second, right?

“Sacks are a function of rush and coverage. You can’t have a breakdown in one and expect the other to be great. That’s just not possible. We need to be tight [in coverage], and then when Ben gets to the second and third pump, we’ve got to get there. You better win on those chances [when he holds the ball for] three seconds.”

The ground is crumbling beneath the Bears on both sides of that concept, though.

Mack was out last week because of a sprained foot and is very much in question for Monday after missing the first two practices this week.

And in the secondary, injuries and cost-cutting moves have forced the Bears to rely on the following:

-Cornerback Kindle Vildor, who is allowing a 147.4 passer rating in his first season as a starter.

-Cornerback Duke Shelley, who played sparingly on defense until this season.

– Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson, who has been predominantly a special teams player over his six-year career.

-Safety Teez Tabor, who was on the practice squad a month ago.

-Safety Marqui Christian, who went five games without playing a snap on defense after a rough outing in the opener.

Again, the Bears could weather all of that reasonably well if their pass rush was as formidable as it was early in the season, when Mack and Quinn were both in the top 10 in sacks.

The two of them thriving simultaneously was a revelation for the Bears, who had no reliable threat to pair with Mack the last two seasons. Leonard Floyd didn’t contribute much in 2019, and Quinn was a dud last season after signing a five-year, $70 million contract.

Their underperformance left Mack consistently facing double- and triple-teams, and he dropped to single-digit sack totals for the first time since his rookie season. With Mack mitigated, the Bears were 22nd in sacks, 25th in takeaways and 11th in opponent passer rating over 2019 and ’20.

If Mack remains out or limited, Quinn will be the Steelers’ priority. He got a taste of that in his 52 snaps against the 49ers.

“I don’t want to say rough — It was just football,” said Quinn, who has 5.5 sacks. “Khalil is great, I would say probably a Hall of Famer, but you can’t put all of your money on him. We’ve got 10 other guys out there who get paid to make plays, too, so everyone has to step up.

“You’ve just got to do a little bit more, strain a little bit harder. They’re not going to allow you to have a great day easily… Taking on two, three every play is going to be… not impossible, but it’s going to be tough.”

It’s going to be tough to overcome all that’s working against the Bears, too. Between personnel attrition and the Steelers’ quick-pass offense, they’ll probably need a different formula defensively. That’s Desai’s job. It requires constant reconfiguring throughout the season, and this won’t be the last time the Bears need him to innovate.

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The Rams’ play against the Bears seems to have made quite the impression. | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Respondents went in hard for the Rams, who received more votes than the Cardinals, Cowboys and Packers put together.

Anyone else remember a 50-yard kickoff return by the Bears’ Khalil Herbert, followed almost immediately by a 41-yard run by David Montgomery and soon after that by — oh, no — an intercepted Andy Dalton pass in the end zone?

Yep, the season-opening drive against the Rams. It was fun for a couple of minutes, anyway.

From there, it was a blur of Matthew Stafford to Van Jefferson, Stafford to Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ pass rush harassing Dalton, hope and belief in what the Bears could be slipping away, etc. The gap between the teams was comically large.

In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter, we asked which of four one-loss teams — the Cardinals, Cowboys, Packers or Rams — has the best chance to unseat the defending champion Buccaneers in the NFC. Respondents went in hard for the Rams, who received more votes than the other three teams put together.

“They’re the best all-around team in the NFC,” @JeffreyCanalia wrote.

We shall see about that. On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: Which of these one-loss teams has the best shot to unseat the Buccaneers as the champions of the NFC?

Upshot: If you look at NFC title odds on various betting sites, you’ll find all four of these teams are bunched pretty closely together. Why, then, would so many here vote for the Rams? Probably because the Bears’ opener was such a miserable night that it left an extra-large impression on fans. Plus — let’s face it — most Bears fans would rather be sacked by Aaron Donald than vote for the Packers.

Poll No. 2: According to betting sites, four quarterbacks are the leading favorites to win NFL MVP. Which would be your pick?

Upshot: “I’ll go ahead and write in Dak Prescott,” offered @zachdavis555, helping not one bit. Then again, the Cowboys’ Prescott could win the thing if he and his team keep trending upward. The same could be said of Stafford, Allen and Murray — and, it goes without saying, of the inimitable Brady. Pretty cool that this vote was so close across the board. What fun it’ll be to watch the rest of the way.

Poll No. 3: Who’s winning Monday night in Pittsburgh?

Upshot: How good have the Steelers been in their last 19 home appearances on “Monday Night Football”? Good enough to have won every flippin’ one of those games. As if the Bears didn’t already have enough challenges to confront, right? By the way, the Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley is on the record with a prediction of 15-14 in favor of the Bears. We’ll have to throw him a parade if he nails it.

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Palatine’s Bobby Widlowski (11) celebrates after making a tackle for a loss against Taft. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

All the scores from the second round of the state playoffs.

Second Round

Class 8A

#1 Loyola (10-0) at #17 Naperville Central (7-3), Sat. 1

#9 Lincoln-Way East (8-2) at #25 Minooka (6-4), Sat. 6

#13 Glenbard West (8-2) at #4 Lockport (9-1), Sat. 6:30

#5 Warren (9-1) at #21 Glenbard North (7-3), Sat. 6

#2 South Elgin (10-0) at #18 Marist (7-3), Sat. 1:30

#10 Glenbrook South (8-2) at #7 Hinsdale Central (9-1), Sat. 2

#3 Neuqua Valley (9-1) at #19 Palatine (7-3), Sat. 6

#11 Plainfield North (8-2) at #6 Maine South (9-1), Sat. 1

Class 7A

#1 Batavia (10-0) at #17 Mount Carmel (7-3), Fri. 7

#9 Brother Rice (8-2) at #25 Yorkville (6-4), Sat. 4

#13 Hoffman Estates (8-2) at #4 Wheaton North (9-1), Fri. 7

#5 Moline (9-1) at #21 Willowbrook (7-3), Fri. 7

#15 Pekin (8-2) at #2 Hononegah (10-0), Sat. 1

#10 St. Rita (8-2) at #26 Geneva (6-4), Fri. 7

#3 Normal (10-0) at #19 Jacobs (7-3), Fri. 7

#11 Prospect (8-2) at #6 Buffalo Grove (9-1), Sat. 7

Class 6A

#1 Cary-Grove (10-0) at #9 Grayslake Central (8-2), Fri. 7

#4 Deerfield (9-1) at #12 Crystal Lake Central (7-3), Fri. 7

#7 Prairie Ridge (8-2) at #2 Wauconda (10-0), Fri. 7

#6 Lake Forest (8-2) at #3 Harlem (9-1), Sat. 4

#1 Lemont (10-0) at #9 Springfield (7-3), Fri. 7:30

#5 Richards (8-2) at #4 East St. Louis (8-2), Sat. 3

#7 Crete-Monee (7-3) at #2 St. Ignatius (9-1), Sat. 7

#6 Washington, Ill. (8-2) at #14 Champaign Centennial (6-4), Sat. 2

Class 5A

#1 Glenbard South (9-1) at #9 Sycamore (7-3), Sat. 2

#5 Rochelle (8-2) vs. #13 St. Patrick (6-4) at Triton, Fri. 7:30

#2 Fenwick (8-2) at #10 Rockford Boylan (7-3), Sat. 6

#14 Nazareth (6-4) at #11 Marmion (7-3), Sat. 1

#1 Kankakee (10-0) vs. #9 Morgan Park (7-3) at Gately, Sat. 1

#5 Marion (9-1) at #4 Mascoutah (9-1), Sat. 2

#7 Morton, Ill. (8-2) at #2 Morris (10-0), Sat. 2

#6 Triad (8-2) at #3 Mahomet-Seymour (10-0), Sat. 5

Class 4A

#8 Wheaton Academy (8-2) at #1 Joliet Catholic (10-0), Fri. 7

#5 St. Francis (8-2) at #4 Genoa-Kingston (9-1), Sat. 3

#7 Stillman Valley (8-2) at #2 Richmond-Burton (10-0), Sat. 1:30

#6 Phillips (8-2) at #3 Kewanee (9-1), Sat. 1

#1 Rochester (9-1) at #9 Paris (7-3), Sat. 3

#5 Carterville (8-2) at #4 Freeburg (8-2), Sat. 2:30

#7 Murphysboro (7-3) at #2 Breese Central (9-1), Sat. 2

#3 Sacred Heart-Griffin (9-1) at #11 Civic Memorial (7-3), Sat. 5

Class 3A

#8 Lisle (7-3) at #1 Byron (10-0), Sat. 1

#5 Clark (9-1) at #4 Reed-Custer (9-1), Sat. 1

#7 Prairie Central (8-2) at #2 Princeton (9-1), Sat. 1

#6 IC Catholic (9-1) at #3 Pecatonica (9-1), Sat. 3:30

#8 Paxton-Buckley-Loda (7-3) at #1 Tolono Unity (10-0), Sat. 2

#5 Fairfield (9-1) at #4 Williamsville (9-1), Sat. 2

#7 Carlinville (8-2) at #2 Mt. Carmel, Ill. (10-0), Sat. 2

#6 Monticello (8-2) at #3 Benton (10-0), Sat. 2

Class 2A

#1 Wilmington (10-0) at #9 Sterling Newman (7-3), Sat. 3

#5 Erie-Prophetstown (8-2) at #13 Bishop McNamara (6-4), Sat. 2

#7 Deer Creek-Mackinaw (7-3) at #2 Tri-Valley (10-0), Sat. 1

#6 Tremont (8-2) at #3 Farmington (10-0), Sat. 1

#8 Vandalia (8-2) at #1 St. Teresa (10-0), Sat. 2

#5 Johnston City (9-1) at #4 Breese Mater Dei (10-0), Sat. 2

#7 Maroa-Forsyth (8-2) at #2 Pana (10-0), Sat. 1

#6 Nashville (9-1) at #3 Bismarck-Henning (10-0), Sat. 1

Class 1A

#8 Iroquois West (8-2) at #1 Abingdon-Avon (9-1), Sat. 1

#5 St. Bede (8-2) at #13 Ridgeview (6-4), Sat. 1

#7 Fulton (8-2) at #2 Ottawa Marquette (9-1), Sat. 1

#6 Lena-Winslow (8-2) at #3 Forreston (8-2), Sat. 6

#1 Camp Point Central (9-1) at #9 Central A&M (7-3), Sat. 4

#5 Arcola (8-2) at #13 Brown County (6-4), Sat. 2

#7 Greenfield-Northwestern (8-2) at #2 Carrollton (9-1), Sat. 1

#6 Sesser-Valier (8-2) at #3 Athens (9-1), Sat. 2

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Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu graduated from Barrington High School. Columnist Michael Sneed used to teach at Barrington High School. And you know what that means? Absolutely nothing. | AP file photo

Sneed: Casual similarities can lead some of us believing they are more than coincidence

A “granfalloon” is among us!

Stay with me.

Back in 1963, the word “granfalloon” impacted the vocabulary of my generation.

It slipped into our “woke” lexicon via a book by bestselling author Kurt Vonnegut titled “Cat’s Cradle.”

Remember it?

Well, perhaps not.

AP
Author Kurt Vonnegut

Anyhow, the definition of a “granfalloon” is simply something one has in common with someone else … that no one else may give a damn about.

Or, specifically, if you look it up: “A group of people who affect a shared identity or purpose — but whose mutual association is actually MEANINGLESS!”

It’s sort of like the QAnon group in Texas last week believing the late John F. Kennedy, Jr., son of the late President John F. Kennedy, was going to show up at their meeting alive and well.

Anyway, the Vonnegut book, a satirical comedy about modern man and his madness, got me thinking about that word.

And it plays today.

Well, with me anyway.

Why?

I got hit by a “granfalloon” twice recently.

o Granfalloon No. 1: Newly elected Boston Mayor Michelle Wu — the first woman, Asian and non-Irish America to occupy the office — graduated from Barrington High School.

The connection? I once taught at Barrington High School, my first job after graduating from Wayne State University in 1965.

o Granfalloon No. 2: Former Blackhawk player Kyle Beach — who filed a negligence lawsuit alleging team officials swept his 2010 sexual misconduct complaint against then video coach Bradley Aldrich under the rug, ignited a major scandal that led to multiple resignations in the organization and NHL — graduated from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich.

The connection: I also attended Northern Michigan University.

But beware of granfalloons!

Belonging may be a basic human need providing a sense of meaning, value and acceptance.

But skip the granfalloons which believe the Big Lie, the resurrection of John F.Kennedy Jr. or that a man did not land on the moon.

Those believers are called “Grand Buffoons.”

The Blago beat …

Former Ald. Dick Mell, the father-in-law of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, claims he doesn’t know much about the huge Hulu documentary airing Sunday on his son-in-law.

They apparently “talk football and baseball and things like that” … but not Hulu.

“I’ll probably watch it Sunday like everybody else,” chirped Mell, whose relationship with Blago in the past was toxic.

Time marches on. Family is family. One Blago daughter has already graduated from Northwestern University since her father’s release from federal prison on corruption charges after he was freed by Trump last year; the other is at university.

Blago continues to be vocal and the star of his own show — wishing birthday wishes to anyone who’ll pay for it on Cameo.

And Mell is still in the kitchen cooking up dinners once a week for two elderly female neighbors since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.

Yum.

Well, maybe not.

Questions. Questions.

Are we in the midst of an explosion of American Gas?

Is America looking under the hood while the car is still running?

Or are we about to blow the Biden engine by failing to turn the car key off while figuring out if Biden actually has his hand on the throttle before his engine kicks in?

Should we frown at President Biden’s calm, measured … almost at death’s door demeanor, a far cry from the boisterous harrumph of Donald Trump’s unapologetic trumpet?

Consider.

When is the last time you heard a U.S. President quietly exclaim: “I, honest to God … ,” when explaining the clumsiness of a political decision?

Ever?

Never?

Backshot: The quote prefaced an apology from Biden to French President Emmanuel Macron for America’s “clumsiness” in mishandling a nuclear submarine deal — and a subsequent week of Biden poll numbers plummeting due to stalled national legislation and Dem election losses.

It was all a stunner. And political power can be fleeting.

The big question? Do Biden’s words reflect weakness and inability to lead?

Or is he an honest man in office willing to keep calm and carry on … and tell the truth after years of what the hell was going on?

It’s early. The nation has time to decide.

Or do we?

Sneedlings…

Saturday birthdays; Emma Stone, 33; Ethan Hawke, 51; Sally Field, 75; Thandiwe Newton, 49. …. Sunday birthdays; singer Joni Mitchell, 78.

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