John Tortorella has been a very successful coach in the National Hockey League. He has made the postseason more often than not, won a Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner as the coach of the year. All of this is very impressive but he […] Chicago Blackhawks: John Tortorella would be a horrible idea – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Matt Nagy coaches the Bears against the Raiders. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

Bears coach Matt Nagy was ruled out for Sunday’s game because of the coronavirus.

In the days after he tested positive for the coronavirus Monday, Bears coach Matt Nagy began preparing special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor for the possibility that he’d be in charge Sunday at Soldier Field. They ran through different hypothetical situations, from how to deal with assistant coaches and players to how to navigate moments and mindsets during the game against the 49ers.

”Just different scenarios and different things, so I can help him out as much as possible,” Nagy said Friday. ”Some things he might not think of on game day.”

Nagy also began preparing himself for the fact that one of the most important games of his Bears tenure will take place with him nowhere near Soldier Field. On Saturday, it became official: Nagy, who is vaccinated, could not pass two coronavirus tests in a 48-hour span before kickoff and will not coach in a critical game against the 49ers.

The difference between a victory and a loss Sunday is the chasm between a .500 record and a three-game losing streak, between the Bears being part of the playoff conversation during the Week 10 bye or, if they also lose to the Steelers in prime time Nov. 8, being stuck in yet another months-long free fall.

The Bears have yet to lose a game in which they were favored this season. If that changes Sunday, it will affect the tenor of the season — and Nagy’s job security by the end of it.

Nagy ran team meetings on Zoom last week and watched practice film, but the quarantine was enough to sour Nagy’s sunny-side-up disposition.

”I don’t think frustration’s a good word,” Nagy said. ”I think you’re eager and you want to be able to be there with your guys. And probably the biggest challenge as you go through this is just making sure that everybody is doing everything as best as they can. And that’s where just talking through things, it’s easy to [use] technology now to do that. . . .

”But there’s just — you don’t have that feel, right? Because you’re not there.”

Tabor said earlier this week he’d be ready to lead the team. As the acting head coach, he’ll run the Saturday night meeting and make in-game decisions Sunday.

”You’ve always been preparing yourself your whole life to do that,” said Tabor, whose head coaching experience spans the 2001 season at NAIA Culver-Stockton. ”I’ve watched a lot of football games and have thought about those types of things.”

The irony is that, after Nagy delegated play-calling to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor in the wake of the Bears’ blowout loss to the Browns in Week 3, he leaned hard into a personality-driven coaching style. In the dreary days after the loss, Nagy gathered his offensive players and actually asked them for advice about how to retool the playbook.

The night before the game against the Buccaneers, Nagy held an emotional team meeting in which, according to running back Khalil Herbert, he showed ”how much he cares and what he means to this team and how he wants to bring us together.”

The Bears then lost 38-3.

Nagy has said all month that not calling plays allows him to be more connected to everyone — from the quarterback to his defense — on game day. Rather than bringing the team together this past week, however, Nagy was apart from it.

He’s left in a lose-lose situation. If the Bears win without him, fans pushing for Nagy’s ouster will claim he’s unnecessary. If they lose, the same people will paint the Bears as a sinking ship without a leader.

At various points last week, Nagy described the possibility of becoming the first Bears head coach to miss a game since Mike Ditka had a mild heart attack in 1988 as ”strange,” ”unique” and ”weird.”

”I wish I could tell you,” he said, ”but I have no idea what it will be like.”

Sunday, in front of a television, he’ll find out.

Read More

Read More

Crete-Monee’s Joshua Franklin (7) returns a kickoff for a touchdown against Kankakee. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Joshua Franklin and his coach, John Konecki, were too caught up in the moment to realize just what had happened when Crete-Monee played Thornwood on Sept. 17.

Joshua Franklin and his coach, John Konecki, were too caught up in the moment to realize just what had happened when Crete-Monee played Thornwood on Sept. 17.

“I didn’t know at all,” said Franklin, the Warriors’ junior quarterback.

But his mother did.

“My mom had asked me to ask the stat keeper [about his numbers],” Franklin said. “He told me and I was amazed.”

Who wouldn’t be? Franklin put up video game numbers in Crete’s 78-18 win: 469 total yards and eight touchdowns –340 yards and six TDs passing, 129 yards and two scores rushing.

Konecki said he was just focused on the next play all night long.

“[The game] was back and forth and we just exploded,” he said. “I got the stat sheet and I was like, ‘Oh. OK.’ … It was one of those deals where somebody was in that state of flow.”

Usually, Franklin is flowing from one sport to the next. When the 6-foot, 167-pounder was younger, he did five of them: football, baseball, basketball, track and wrestling.

Even now in high school, he still does four, splitting his time in the winter between football and wrestling.

“I have to talk to both of my coaches to work around the schedule,” said Franklin, who doesn’t want to give up either one. “I’ve been playing both since I was little.”

Ditto for football, where he got his start with the University Park Lions.

“He came in as a freshman, played a little on varsity, we were able to see a little bit of that athleticism,” Konecki said. “Then COVID hit.”

But even a pandemic didn’t slow down Franklin. He worked out at home and did some seven-on-seven events on a team thrown together for the purpose with some friends from his youth football days.

Konecki marvels at Franklin’s motor. “He’s go, go, go — he’s been that way forever,” the coach said. “I tell him, ‘It’s OK sometimes to stay on the couch.'”

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times
Crete-Monee’s Joshua Franklin (7) gets ready for a kickoff after scoring his third touchdown against Kankakee last season.

But sport is life for Franklin. He was a state medalist in the triple jump during the spring track season and is starting to get Big Ten and Mid-American Conference interest in football.

Konecki has coached some elite athletes at Crete. Two reached the NFL — Laquon Treadwell and Lance Lenoir — and two more — Trayvon Rudolph and Clint Ratkovich — are currently playing for Northern Illinois.

“He reminds me of those guys when they were younger,” Konecki said of Franklin.

Can Franklin reach similar heights? His coach isn’t betting against it.

“He’s a great leader, a tremendous kid to be around,” Konecki said.

The scary thing for opponents? Franklin is still getting used to playing quarterback after coming to high school as a wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner (he’s still doing the latter two).

“I had some games where I had some mistakes,” he said. “I’m still learning the position, but I’ve got a great quarterback coach [Quincy Woods].”

And as the numbers showed that night in September, he’s getting the hang of it.

Read More

Matt Nagy coaches the Bears against the Raiders. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

Bears coach Matt Nagy was ruled out for Sunday’s game because of the coronavirus.

In the days after he tested positive for the coronavirus Monday, Bears coach Matt Nagy began preparing special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor for the possibility that he’d be in charge Sunday at Soldier Field. They ran through different hypothetical situations, from how to deal with assistant coaches and players to how to navigate moments and mindsets during the game against the 49ers.

”Just different scenarios and different things, so I can help him out as much as possible,” Nagy said Friday. ”Some things he might not think of on game day.”

Nagy also began preparing himself for the fact that one of the most important games of his Bears tenure will take place with him nowhere near Soldier Field. On Saturday, it became official: Nagy, who is vaccinated, could not pass two coronavirus tests in a 48-hour span before kickoff and will not coach in a critical game against the 49ers.

The difference between a victory and a loss Sunday is the chasm between a .500 record and a three-game losing streak, between the Bears being part of the playoff conversation during the Week 10 bye or, if they also lose to the Steelers in prime time Nov. 8, being stuck in yet another months-long free fall.

The Bears have yet to lose a game in which they were favored this season. If that changes Sunday, it will affect the tenor of the season — and Nagy’s job security by the end of it.

Nagy ran team meetings on Zoom last week and watched practice film, but the quarantine was enough to sour Nagy’s sunny-side-up disposition.

”I don’t think frustration’s a good word,” Nagy said. ”I think you’re eager and you want to be able to be there with your guys. And probably the biggest challenge as you go through this is just making sure that everybody is doing everything as best as they can. And that’s where just talking through things, it’s easy to [use] technology now to do that. . . .

”But there’s just — you don’t have that feel, right? Because you’re not there.”

Tabor said earlier this week he’d be ready to lead the team. He’ll run the Saturday night team meeting and make in-game decisions Sunday.

”You’ve always been preparing yourself your whole life to do that,” said Tabor, whose head coaching experience spans the 2001 season at NAIA Culver-Stockton. ”I’ve watched a lot of football games and have thought about those types of things.”

The irony is that, after Nagy delegated play-calling to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor in the wake of the Bears’ blowout loss to the Browns in Week 3, he leaned hard into a personality-driven coaching style. In the dreary days after the loss, Nagy gathered his offensive players and actually asked them for advice about how to retool the playbook.

The night before the game against the Buccaneers, Nagy held an emotional team meeting in which, according to running back Khalil Herbert, he showed ”how much he cares and what he means to this team and how he wants to bring us together.”

The Bears then lost 38-3.

Nagy has said all month that not calling plays allows him to be more connected to everyone — from the quarterback to his defense — on game day. Rather than bringing the team together this past week, however, Nagy was apart from it.

Nagy’s left in a lose-lose situation. If the Bears win without him, fans pushing for his ouster will claim he’s unnecessary. If they lose, the same people will paint the Bears as a sinking ship without a leader.

At various points last week, Nagy described the possibility of becoming the first Bears head coach to miss a game since Mike Ditka had a mild heart attack in 1988 as ”strange,” ”unique” and ”weird.”

”I wish I could tell you,” he said, ”but I have no idea what it will be like.”

Sunday, in front of a television, he’ll find out.

Read More

Getty

“This is me,” Grandal said. “If you don’t like it, you can change the channel. That’s pretty much the way I see it.”

Yasmani Grandal is one of the best hitting catchers in baseball, known also for his pitch framing, an experienced, playoff-tested switch-hitter whose value on the free-agent market earned him the biggest contract in White Sox history.

That he’s not the best blocker of balls in the dirt is something the Sox will have to live with.

“This is me,” Grandal told the Sun-Times this week. “If you don’t like it, you can change the channel. That’s pretty much the way I see it.”

How Grandal saw the 2021 season is worth noting, considering his seven consecutive years of being in the playoffs. For him, it was all about the experience.

The White Sox saw firsthand a more battle-tested, experienced team in the Astros that beat them in the postseason and must learn from it. For Grandal, enduring an injury to his right knee in spring training and tearing a tendon in his left knee in July, neither of which prevented him from producing at remarkable offensive levels in the 93 games he appeared in, was “just another learning experience.”

“I played the entire season on one foot,” he said. “I don’t think too many people can do that, and I pretty much performed at a high level.”

Grandal, 33, batted .240/.420/.520 with a .939 OPS, buoyed by a .337/.481/.673 hitting line and 1.154 OPS in the 30 games he played after surgery. The Sox easily won the American League Central but lost to the Astros in four games in the ALDS.

Grandal’s spin on the way it ended is positive.

“Tremendous job from the front office all the way down from top to bottom,” he said. “The right moves were made, and when you look at what we were able to accomplish with what we had, it was incredible.”

Tony La Russa’s presence was a plus, he said, “managing his players the way he did to get us where we needed to be.”

“Obviously the end result wasn’t there but we’re definitely trending toward the right direction and that’s all you want, right?” Grandal said.

Well, a World Series title would have been nice.

“I’d trade how I ended up for having done [lousy] and be in the playoffs right now,” he said.

The Astros prevented that not because they were necessarily better than the Sox but they have the experience the Sox need to win when it counts.

“They have a really good team but so do we,” Grandal said. “But they’re definitely more experienced in those situations and those are the experiences you need to get under your belt in order to be successful in the future. It was a great opportunity for us to learn.”

Experience often wins out on teams closely matched, and that’s what happened to the Sox, Grandal said.

“It happens in boxing all the time, right? Canelo [Saul Alvarez] fighting [Floyd] Mayweather early in his career to get experience. He lost but now he’s known as the best fighter in the world. It’s almost the same thing. A lot of teams looked similar when matched up but experience usually wins out. I was glad we were able to go against a team like the Astros.” The Astros did small things that made a difference, Grandal said.

“Making the plays they needed at the right time, getting the base hit when they needed it at the right time, taking a walk, little things like that,” he said. “Not always looking for the big swing, but putting the ball in play, very small things, and those type of details happen with experience. They were able to execute when the time came.”

With his knees fixed up and protection from the Force3 Defender catcher’s mask and gear made by a company he and former Sox catcher Tyler Flowers are invested in, Grandal says he is nowhere close to the end of his career. He has two years left on a four-year deal and won’t be asking for more time at first base or as a designated hitter.

“Now is not that time,” Grandal said. “I still want the bulk of the innings behind the plate. I still feel like I can go out there and catch 140-150 [games] if need be.”

Grandal says blows to the mask have locked his jaw and put him on liquid diets in years past but since using his current equipment starting in 2017, he has had no such problems or concussion issues. Having that confidence, along with his most valuable takeaway from 2021 — understanding his body, “listening to myself” throughout the knee issues and knowing his numbers would be there at the end of the season” — already have him geared up for 2022.

“We have a group of guys who have the talent to do it and get us where we need to be,” he said. “And that’s why I’m here.”

Jerry Narron, a former manager who oversaw Sox catchers in 2021, envisions a healthier Grandal leading the way.

“You look back at some of the video and he has made some unbelievable blocks,” Narron said. “At times he may want to frame pitches so much that he doesn’t move as well as he possibly could on pitches that are running out of the zone. A lot of catchers can be guilty of that. But as a framer he does a tremendous job, and I’m looking forward to him being healthy, with two good knees. I still think he has a Gold Glove somewhere in his future. I’d like to see him win one on his overall body of work back there. And I want to see him win a World Series ring.”

Read More

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks will return to the top of the Cubs’ rotation next season. | Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Cubs’ starting pitching was their downfall last season. Even before the trades of Kris Bryant, Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo, the rotation put the Cubs behind the eight-ball.

The Cubs’ offseason began with Jed Hoyer building his front office going into his second year as team president. He went a year without a general manager after his promotion before hiring Carter Hawkins to fill the role. Now that the dust has settled from the front-office movement, the work begins on the roster.

Coming off a season that saw the Cubs lose 90-plus games for the first time since 2014, there are several holes to fill, but some are more urgent than others. With a commitment to be active in free agency and some payroll flexibility, it won’t be impossible for them to address their needs.

The most glaring need is in the starting rotation.

The Cubs’ starting pitching was their downfall last season. Even before the trades of Kris Bryant, Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo, the rotation put the Cubs behind the eight-ball. Far too often in 2021, the Cubs would get only three or four innings from their starters, putting lots of stress on the bullpen.

Cubs starters churned out a 5.27 ERA, good for 27th in the majors. They were also 26th in earned runs allowed and 28th in WHIP.

”If you sort of look at the whole season, there’s no question that we have to acquire more pitching — better pitching — this winter,” Hoyer said this month. ”I think that’ll be the No. 1 priority because that was the downfall of this season. Our rotation was short, and we weren’t effective enough in terms of run prevention.”

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks will return to the top of the rotation next season, but who will join him? Right-hander Alec Mills was the team’s second-best starter for the majority of the season before scuffling down the stretch. Still, he likely will be looking at a spot in the rotation along with Hendricks.

Right-handers Adbert Alzolay and Keegan Thompson and left-hander Justin Steele all got their opportunities to pitch in a big-league rotation in 2021. Alzolay had the most success, but he went through his share of growing pains in the process. Steele ended the season with a career-high seven scoreless innings, but Thompson never found his groove as a starter.

While the Cubs won’t say where those three will fit in next season, they’ll continue to be creative in how they deploy them, even if it means pitching in non-traditional roles.

”We’ve seen teams do a creative job of piecing some rotation spots together with guys going . . . three and four innings at a time, and sometimes that can actually give your bullpen more of a break,” Hoyer said. ”And so the most important thing is, how do you get 27 outs in a game? I think the way that’s happening in baseball is evolving, and I think that’s in a lot of ways a good thing.”

The Cubs obviously will be adding to their starting-pitching depth this offseason, and there are some interesting names available. Among the options will be Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Rodon, Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray and Marcus Stroman.

Based on where the Cubs are in the timeline of their rebuild, it might take them out of the running for some higher-priced free agents. Starters such as Jon Gray, Eduardo Rodriguez and Anthony DeSclafani are likely to be more in their range.

”I think I’ve said repeatedly that we do have financial flexibility,” Hoyer said. ”We have money to spend this winter, but I think it’s really important that we do that in an intelligent way.”

Read More

Ed Galvin was the head basketball coach at Fenwick High School from 1969-79. | Courtesy of Fenwick High School

The former Fenwick coach thought of us as his sons.

I was a skinny freshman at Fenwick High School in 1974 when a 6-foot-6 presence with a buzz cut so tight you could have putted on it stopped in front of me in the locker room.

This was Ed Galvin, the school’s varsity basketball coach. Gym class had just ended, and not surprisingly, seeing that he doubled as a gym teacher, we had spent the session playing basketball.

The goal of every unsure, self-conscious 14-year-old is to avoid detection of any kind. So, uh-oh. What had I done wrong?

“Morrissey,” he said.

“Yes, sir?” I said.

“You keep shooting,” he said.

I had two immediate thoughts: 1) How would Galvin, the coach of one of the best teams in the Chicago Catholic League, know who I was? And 2) Keep shooting? Could a shark stop swimming? Could an artist deny his creative side?

The first thought never left me. That an adult would notice me in a positive way meant everything. I felt 7-feet tall, not the 5-8 I was at the time. The second thought was probably my hoops downfall. Perhaps if I had paid attention to defense, ball handling, rebounding or any of the other things that make a basketball player I would have contributed more to the varsity when I was a junior and senior. Or, perhaps, and this is more likely the case, you can’t make a two-toed sloth play shutdown D.

“Yes, sir,” I said.

Then he walked away.

Ed Galvin died last month. He was 88. I had not seen him or talked with him since my senior year, but I always knew that was immaterial. You don’t lose your coaches. They stay with you, no matter where you are and no matter how many years have passed.

He’s in the Catholic League Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for his stops at St. Rita and Fenwick. He became the first men’s basketball coach at Rosary College (now Dominican University), moved on to North Central College and then spent the last 10 years of his career coaching at Illinois Math and Science Academy. When he retired in 1997, he had more than 600 victories. Those are the mileposts of his professional career, the brighter lights of a life devoted to the game. But for many of us who played for him, it’s the smaller, everyday sparks that still give us warmth.

“He expected you to do what he taught you to do, and you know the looks that he gave if you didn’t,” said Pete Stroth, a big, strong teammate of mine at Fenwick. “That head would cock one way or he’d give it a quick shake or he’d put his head down so he could look up at you when he was mad.

“My sisters used to do this imitation of him pulling up his pants, then pushing them down, then going side to side. His nonverbal stuff was legendary.”

Oh, those withering looks. You didn’t want to be on the business end of one of those. Mostly, you didn’t want to carry around the boulder that came with knowing you had let him down. But if he praised you, well, there was no better feeling for a high school kid in need of direction, which is to say every high school kid.

“When I got a big rebound, I’d never look for my parents, anyone in the crowd, some girl I might have been sweet on,” Stroth said. “I was looking at Ed Galvin. He’d give quick nod that said, ‘That a boy.’ And it felt great.”

The big moments for us were wonderful. Led by Brian Liston, who went on to play at Loyola University, we finished second to St. Joseph and Isiah Thomas in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament my senior year. We beat a Westinghouse team that had Mark Aguirre, Skip Dillard and Bernard Randolph.

We lost in triple overtime to undefeated East Leyden in the state tournament, ending our season. You don’t know silence until you’re in a locker room after a game like that.

Tough memories? Yes. Austin’s Eddie Hughes, who would go on to play three seasons in the NBA, stripped me of the ball during a game that year. He got a three-point play out of it because I fouled him on the layup. It was a trifecta of bad. Coach Galvin let me have it in the locker room afterward, and it signaled the end of meaningful minutes the rest of the season. It turned out to be a very good, though very painful lesson: You don’t get everything you want in life. Also: Maybe work on your weaknesses as you journey forward, kid.

These were different times. You weren’t buddies with your coach, not like it is today. No one was dousing Coach Galvin with bottled water in the locker room after a big victory, partly because there wasn’t bottled water back then but mostly because it just wasn’t like that. You’d get a rousing postgame speech from the coach, and you knew you did well.

What I didn’t know then was how much he cared about us.

“My dad loved his players,” said Eileen Galvin Healy, one of Coach’s six children, all girls. “When my mom went in to deliver my youngest sister, the doctor came out and said, ‘Ed, I’m sorry, it’s another girl.’ My dad was offended. He found it ironic to have six daughters because his whole life was surrounded by all the young men he coached, who were like his sons.”

Fifteen years ago, I took a month off from work while I began chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. I was a columnist for the Chicago Tribune at the time. An assistant sports editor told me he picked up a ringing phone in the newsroom one day and heard a gravelly voice on the other end.

“This is Ed Galvin. Where has Rick Morrissey been?”

A few days later, I received a card from the coach and his wife. They had asked the Poor Clares to offer a Mass for me. I also had my wife’s sister’s order, the Carmelites, on my side. It was a full-court spiritual press, and, really, the cancer didn’t have a prayer.

I experienced then some of the same feelings I had when I was a freshman: Coach Galvin remembers me? And he took the time to check in on me? It only would have been better if he had left a message telling me to keep shooting.

I wrote back to him and thanked him and his wife for thinking of me. I told him that I was OK and that I hoped the cancer treatments would somehow be so effective I’d be able to dunk. My name and the term “above the rim” had never been used in the same sentence before.

It wasn’t until 20 years after I graduated from Fenwick that I learned that Coach Galvin was in the Hall of Fame at Loyola University New Orleans for his illustrious playing career and that he was the 55th overall pick in the 1955 NBA Draft for the Syracuse Nationals. He was drafted into the U.S. Army right after that and never played professionally. In his senior year, he averaged 19.9 points and 16.7 rebounds. Astounding numbers.

But what would your typical self-absorbed teenager know of anything outside his knot of immediate concerns? Nothing. I was too concerned with getting through the coach’s demanding practices. At the end of those sessions, he’d have groups of us alternate running around the outside of the court, doing pushups, jumping rope and hopping over rows of folding chairs pushed together like little bridges. It was a sort of basketball Stations of the Cross. Maybe you ran a little harder when you ran past the coaches sitting at one corner of the court. Just maybe.

Before each Fenwick home game, “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the Harlem Globetrotters theme song, would blast over the loudspeakers as we ran on to the court. Another tradition.

“The pride of my dad walking into that gym with his team,” Galvin Healy said. “That’s something I’ll never forget my whole life.”

Neither will I.

Read More

Bell Bowl Prairie. | Photo by cassi saari

There seems little question that at least a portion of the prairie would qualify for nature preserve dedication, as it is of outstanding ecological quality

Illinois has one of the strongest laws to protect natural areas of any state — the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act. The Act provides for dedication of land as nature preserves, and land so dedicated is protected in perpetuity from both private and governmental action. However, dedication requires the affirmative act of the landowner. As of May 2021, there were 412 dedicated nature preserves totaling 61,662 acres in Illinois. This land has been dedicated by the owners, including the State of Illinois, forest preserve districts, and a large number of private owners. Administration of the Act is overseen by the Nature Preserves Commission, consisting of nine unpaid volunteers, and a small professional staff.

Bell Bowl Prairie is owned by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority. There seems little question that at least a portion of the prairie would qualify for nature preserve dedication, as it is of outstanding ecological quality. The prairie is threatened by expansion of the Rockford Airport. However, the airport authority has not requested nature preserve dedication and until it does, there is little the Nature Preserves Commission can do.

SEND LETTERS TO: [email protected]. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be approximately 350 words or less.

Fortunately, in response to a suit filed in U.S. District Court by the Natural Land Institute, the Airport Authority agreed on Thursday evening to suspend construction until March 1. During that period, the authority will continue to consult with the FAA, Illinois DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to explore alternative designs that will protect the prairie.

The Sun-Times editorial correctly pointed out that the commission has been without a director for six years. During that period, other staff members have performed the duties of that role, in addition to the responsibilities of their customary positions. However, they have been handicapped by the fact that they did not have the authority to represent the commission as its director.

Fortunately, under the leadership of Colleen Callahan and John Rogner, director and assistant director of the Illinois DNR, authority to hire a director has been obtained and the search for one is well underway.

On behalf of the Nature Preserves Commission, I applaud the Sun-Times for its continuing coverage of the commission and its need for the leadership of a director.

George Covington, chair, Illinois Nature Preserves Commission

Redistricting hearings put politics above public interest

As a high school civics teacher, it’s my job to teach our youth about government accountability, separation of powers, fair elections and other principles of American democracy. I testified before the Illinois Redistricting Committee. and I witnessed first-hand how public hearings on redistricting and the input process for under-represented groups was an exercise in name only.

In reality, for me and for other individuals and groups, the redistricting hearings were disingenuous and secretive. Key information was held back, and that only fuels distrust in government and the politicians we elect. The politicians in charge of the remap had their own agenda, and nothing the public said was going to change that.

SEND LETTERS TO: [email protected]. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 350 words.

We can only hope that the judicial branch can offer a necessary check-and-balance mechanism, and rectify the egregious abuse of power displayed by state legislators who put politicians’ interests over the public good. There is still time for political power to be distributed fairly according to our Constitution and the population guidelines.

The courts could end up deciding this chapter in our history. If and when they do, I sincerely hope it proves we have a political system that is fair and provides justice for all.

Froylan Jimenez, Chicago Public Schools civics teacher, Bridgeport

Carbon pricing the right step to fight climate change

A climate emergency is a fair description of the world after a summer filled with fire, heat, and flooding. The recent article “EPA employees begging President Biden for a climate emergency declaration” is a signal of just how limited the agency’s powers have become in the wake of the previous administration. Although emergency declarations are crucial to empowering the EPA under the current leadership, the way to lasting change is through legislation.

Democrats in Congress are working on a budget reconciliation bill set to be the biggest action on climate change ever undertaken in this country. Congress is considering a powerful emissions-limiting strategy: carbon pricing.

A carbon price has bipartisan support, and would tax oil and natural gas at the source. In doing so, polluters pay for the damage they are doing to our climate. Set correctly, a carbon price could help us reach the key goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50% nationally by 2030, and set us on the path of being carbon neutral by 2050. It’s important that a carbon dividend — a repayment to American households of carbon price proceeds — be passed as well, so lower- and middle-class households can make the changes necessary to reduce emissions while maintaining the same standard of living.

Emergency declarations can limit damage, but last only as long as the president stays in office. We can take multiple approaches at once. Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth should continue to advocate strongly for a carbon fee and dividend policy.

We’re running out of time.

Michael Holler, Montclare

Facebook and Meta

Facebook, don’t waste your resources trying to rebrand. Use those resources to reform your practices.

Warren Rodgers Jr., Matteson

Read More

Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Michigan State Spartans is tripped up by Noah Pierre #21 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half at Memorial Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Bloomington, Indiana. | Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Bet on it: Top-10 clash has piqued the interest of gamblers, too

LAS VEGAS — For the fifth time, both No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Michigan State will sport single-digit rankings when they play football Saturday in East Lansing.

The Wolverines won in such a previous meeting, at Michigan State, in 1964, and the Spartans triumphed in Ann Arbor in 1956, 1957 and 1961. Those four victors, though, weren’t national-title factors–an issue we’ll address.

Michigan (7-0) is favored by 4 1/2 points, the total 50 1/2 . BetMGM data analyst John Ewing reported Wednesday that this has been the most heavily bet of the week’s 53 games, with much attention on Michigan State (7-0).

Before the Spartans’ upset victory as 22-point underdogs last season, according to WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels, 45 of the previous 50 games in the series were won by the team with the most rushing yards.

Michigan has averaged 203 yards on the ground in its last three games, Michigan State 184.

“With the added pressure of both teams being undefeated, expect conservative play-calling,” says the Cleveland-based Michaels. “Nine of the past 12 in the series have gone Under. Expect another one here. Under.”

Long Island handicapper Tom Barton takes Michigan, averaging an 11th-best 37.7 points. Michigan State is in the bottom third of the country allowing opponents an average of 423 yards.

“While the Spartans are a good story, I’m more impressed with the fact that the Wolverines have trailed only once all season,” says Barton, a regular on the nationally syndicated SportsGarten radio network.

“And Michigan has won tough road games. I don’t love that Sparty secondary. We know Michigan will run the ball, but if the Wolverines find success in the air they might win this going away.”

Of much more significance, can Saturday’s victor defeat Ohio State, which hosts Michigan State on Nov. 20 and visits Ann Arbor on Nov. 27, win a Big Ten title game and eke into the national-playoff picture?

Yes, says Barton, who believes Ohio State is vulnerable against run-heavy teams that control the clock. “But I wouldn’t bet against the Buckeyes.”

At Vegas sportsbooks, the Wolverines are 40-1 to win the national championship, the Spartans 100-1. Ohio State is about +700.

Until Michigan or Michigan State breaks through that scarlet-and-gray barrier, their rivalry will continue being a sometimes-cute parochial affair.

SUMMER WINDFALLS

The call arrived late last Saturday night. San Diego State, the alma mater, had beaten Air Force to remain undefeated. The pal asked, What was your windfall on those Aztecs?

Nope, I said. I’d never jinx the lads like that.

However, that outcome did pay off, courtesy of Kenny White’s College Football Power Ratings magazine.

The second-generation Vegas bookmaker’s third edition arrived in late June and was packed with player and team ratings, the projected scores of every game and a squad’s probable victory range.

Two weeks later, Station Casinos released its regular-season win totals. I compared those numbers with Kenny’s projections to earmark, and bet on, the largest discrepancies.

Stations had the Aztecs at 6 1/2 victories. White had them going 12-0, with a total

near 9 by factoring in win probabilities. Add those, divide by two.

Taking Over at -120 (risk $120 to gain $100, for example) represented an immense four-win value cushion.

That is the wager I won Saturday, when the Aztecs improved to 7-0.

Washington State (Under 6 1/2 , -155), Northwestern (Under 6 1/2 , -120), BYU (Over 6 1/2 , -140), Army (Under 7 1/2 , -110) and Michigan State (Over 4 1/2 , -125) were the other midsummer value plays.

At 7-0, the Spartans have already cashed, too. BYU is 6-2, and it’s favored Saturday at home against Virginia and will likely thrash Idaho State, also in Provo, next Saturday.

Northwestern, at 3-4, can go an unlikely 3-2 the rest of the way and I still win. Army (4-3) will pay dividends if it flops against Liberty, and Air Force or Navy.

Should Washington State (4-4) have difficulty, as expected, at Arizona State and Oregon, that ducat pays, too. Plus, White pegged 0-7 UNLV to go winless. I nabbed Under 1 1/2 at Even.

A possible 7-0 bounty from some midsummer homework.

Grazie, Mr. White.

PHI BETA BETTA

The tickets were from 2019, so it’s understandable why the writer hesitated cashing them a couple of months ago.

Jay Kornegay, executive vice president of the Westgate SuperBook, had made some wagers at a South Point affiliate, likely Rampart Casino, and forgotten them.

As 2019 became the mayhem of 2020, that’s understandable, too. Kornegay found them. When he hit the snag, he gave them to oddsman Vinny Magliulo, who works with South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews.

That trio has more than a century in the bookmaking business.

Magliulo gave the tickets to Andrews, who would text Kornegay — Jay, I have an envelope here for you. Kornegay responded, ‘Give it to your ticket writers.’

A “not insignificant” amount, says Andrews. Tips are split among all writers.

Kornegay opted for discretion, only telling me that writers at every sportsbook have difficult gigs and deserve occasional unexpected gifts.

“I’m sure it’ll be one of the better tips they’ll get all year,” says Andrews. “We pay any tickets. If you have them and we can verify them, you’ll get paid.”

He could not recall a similar scenario.

“A class move. Jay did a helluva thing. We’re competitors, out there fighting tooth and nail for every customer we can get. But we’re also a pretty good fraternity.”

Read More