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Two 15-year-old boys were among three people seriously wounded in a shooting Wednesday night in Morgan Park on the Far South Side.

The shooting happened about 7:45 p.m. in the 11100 block of South Bishop Street, according to Chicago fire officials.

The three victims were transported to area hospitals all in serious to critical condition, fire officials said. The age of the third victim was not yet known.

The shooting happened down the street from Shoop Academy, 11140 S. Bishop St. At the scene, dozens of evidence markers filled the sidewalk near the mouth of an alley.

A resident, who has lived in the area for the past three years, described the block as “quiet” with “not too much going on.”

Chicago police have not yet released information on the shooting.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

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At least four people were wounded, two critically, in a shooting Wednesday in the Fulton River District neighborhood in West Town.

The shooting happened about 5:15 p.m. and spanned two blocks of Milwaukee Avenue from Hubbard to Grand streets, Chicago fire officials said.

Four adults were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, officials said. Two were listed in serious-to-critical condition and two were in good-to-fair condition.

Crystal Wilson, a ride-share driver, said the gunman hit a passenger in her blue Kia before continuing its chase through the intersection. She remained on the scene waiting for officers to investigate her car.

“I’ve got a headache, I’m a little shocked,” Wilson said. “I live in Indiana so I don’t want to just leave my car… I was trying to take my passengers home, and we heard a lot of noise, and I thought the noise was like some random fireworks. And then he said, ‘No, I’ve been shot.'”

Wilson stopped the car and dialed 9-1-1 as another woman came over to help.

“These guys were hanging out in the window shooting…I was trying to focus on not hitting someone else’s car and… make sure my passenger was OK,” Wilson said.

Dancello Bennett and Harry McGraw were on their way to grab a bite to eat when they heard the sound of gunfire quickly approaching. McGraw dropped to the ground for safety while Bennett tried to run inside a building.

“We literally have an office down the street. Just grabbing lunch and [then] it’s like an all out gun war, like shooting down the streets,” Bennett said. “It’s wild.”

McGraw said it looked like a gunman from an SUV was shooting at a car in front of them. He thought he heard 20 to 30 gunshots in 10 seconds.

The fleeing car honked at other drivers to get out of their way so they didn’t get blocked in.

“It was just unbelievable to know that these guys are willing to risk it all in the midst of everybody else, just reckless driving, reckless shooting,” ” McGraw said. “So we need to pray for Chicago; we need better for Chicago.”

Daniel Cater, a new driver for Fortune Fish & Gourmet, was preparing to turn off Milwaukee Avenue onto Halsted Street when he saw two people hanging out of a car with guns.

Two bullets hit the top of the truck — inches from his head– and another bullet pierced his driver-side tire.

“I saw it happen; I knew that was shooting,” Cater said. “I’m still in shock, it was a near-death experience,” Cater continued. “It’s almost unbelievable … I could have died right now. I really don’t feel anything.”

Following the shooting, people gathered around the typically crowded six-way intersection littered with dozens of bullet casings.

Michelle Peterson, of Lake View, was having a drink on Clover’s patio, 722 W. Grand Ave., with a friend when she heard what she thought were fireworks.

“By the time we heard it, it was kind of too late to do anything about it. Two people were shot right there … in broad daylight, in the middle of a busy population area,” Peterson said.

Chicago police have not yet released information on the incident.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday sounded almost resigned to moving on at Soldier Field without the Bears, at least if convincing the team to stay requires building a new stadium to accommodate the financial reality of the modern-day National Football League.

Lightfoot was forced to face the possibility of the Bears leaving Chicago when the team upped the ante in the high-stakes negotiations by signing an agreement to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property.

Churchill Downs pegged the price at $197.2 million and said it anticipated closing the sale in 2022 or early 2023.

Between now and then, Lightfoot hopes to talk turkey with the Bears about what she can do within fiscal reason to expand and improve Soldier Field and maximize year-round revenues.

But if nothing short of a new, preferably domed stadium — either in parking lots adjacent to Soldier Field or on land now occupied by McCormick Place East — will prevent the Bears from moving to Arlington Heights, the beloved Bears could be a goner.

“You know the economics of municipally-financed stadiums, as do I, as do the Bears. If you look at what’s been built recently in the NFL — whether it’s SoFi [the Rams/Chargers stadium in Los Angeles] or the Allegiant in Las Vegas, you’re talking about a $4 or $5 billion venture. And if you look into the future, that price tag is only gonna go up,” Lightfoot said Wednesday in an interview with Mike Mulligan and David Haugh on 670 The Score.

“In a time where we’re going through a recovery from an epic economic meltdown as a result of COVID-19, we’ve got to be smart about how we spend taxpayers’ dollars and I intend to do just that. … I would love that the Bears be part of our present and our future. But we’ve got to do a deal that makes sense for us in the context of where we are.”

Bears team president Ted Phillips issued a statement Wednesday saying the purchase agreement is “the critical next step in continuing our exploration of the property and its potential.

“Much work remains to be completed, including working closely with the Village of Arlington Heights and surrounding communities, before we can close on this transaction,” the statement continued. “Our goal is to chart a path forward that allows our team to thrive on the field, Chicagoland to prosper from this endeavor and the Bears organization to be ensured a strong future. We will never stop working toward delivering Bears fans the very best experience.”

Lots of room for the Bears to build on at the site of Arlington National Racecourse. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Phillips and Bears chairman George McCaskey declined to speak with the Sun-Times.

The Bears would still need approval from the Village of Arlington Heights to build a stadium, but it doesn’t sound like that will be a problem.

“I could not be more excited,” Mayor Tom Hayes said. “The Village is committed to working with the Bears organization and all stakeholders to explore this opportunity for Arlington Heights and the northwest suburban region.”

This isn’t the first time the Bears have talked of going to Arlington Heights; when the idea was floated in the 1970s, Mayor Richard J. Daley threatened to prevent the team from keeping “Chicago” in its name.

Mayor Richard J. Daley was not amused by the thought of the Chicago Bears leaving the city to play in Arlington Heights when the team pondered such a move in 1975. Sun-Times files

At first, some saw this renewed interest as another negotiating tactic, though news of the purchase agreement has changed that.

Lightfoot said she appreciates the heads-up phone call she got from McCaskey. But what she clearly does not appreciate is the team’s decision to cancel a negotiating session that had been scheduled for Tuesday as it continues to play cat-and-mouse about what, if anything, it would take to keep them at a renovated Soldier Field.

“We can’t operate in the dark. I don’t have a magic eight ball to divine what the Bears want. Obviously, we have some sense of it. But you’ve got to get down to brass tacks. You’ve got to put your cards on the table and figure out what’s possible and what’s not possible. … We have been open to a conversation. They have not,” she said.

“They’ve got a contract that runs to 2033. I’m not about to let them out and certainly not on a ‘Thanks for the memories and goodbye.’ If they want to leave, they’re gonna have to pay us consistent with the contract. But we’ve got to have a discussion with them and they’ve got to put some cards on the table, which, thus far, they really haven’t been willing to do.”

Soldier Field renovations, shown under way in 2002, included building a new seating bowl within the existing confines of the historic stadium. It improved sightlines and fan amenities, but also reduced capacity. Soldier Field now officially seats 61,500 for football, according to the National Football League, making it the league’s smallest stadium.Associated Press

That payment for leaving Soldier Field early could amount to about $86.9 million, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of the team’s 2001 lease with the Chicago Park District, which owns Soldier Field.

Renovations to Soldier Field started the year after that lease was signed. The work was financed by bonds issued by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. The total debt, about $660 million, won’t be paid off until 2032.

Two architects who worked on the Soldier Field renovation and a structural engineer familiar with that project told the Sun-Times that when it comes to improving the facility, the mayor’s hands may be tied by the constraints of a lakefront seating bowl already towering over historic colonnades at a stadium that’s also a war memorial.

Chicago architects Dirk Lohan and Adrian Smith said only modest expansion is possible at the NFL’s smallest stadium, and only in the north and south end zones. And a retractable dome would be equally difficult, requiring a new support structure.

Sports marketing expert Marc Ganis went even further.

He argued nothing short of a new stadium will keep the Bears on the lakefront, because the “economics of the NFL” have “changed dramatically” since the renovation.

“It wouldn’t really matter that much if the mayor said you could do naming rights. You could do gambling. And you can have more advertising. You can put in more events. The building itself was economically obsolete before the concrete dried.”

During Wednesday’s radio interview, Lightfoot pretty much agreed.

She argued the Bears cut a deal 20 years — and two mayors — ago that “they’re unhappy with” and “clearly feel doesn’t work for them” in current NFL economics.

“There’s longstanding issues way before I came on the scene. I can’t do anything about the past. All I can do is about the present and the future. And we were more than willing to have a reasonable discussion with them. But they’ve got to want to come to the table in good faith,” she said.

With the Chicago Bears announcing they have signed an agreement to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property, Mayor Lori Lightfoot seems resigned to the possibility of the team leaving Soldier Field, its home for 50 years.Sun-Times photo

Lightfoot: Room to do something ‘bold’ on lakefront

With or without the Bears, Lightfoot said she is intent on improving the fan experience at Soldier Field, maximizing year-round revenues.

The mayor said she is “very mindful of what the restrictions are” along the lakefront. But, she argued, there is “still room to do something big and bold” without running afoul of the Lakefront Protection Ordinance and Friends of the Parks. Opposition from that group killed former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to build the Lucas Museum near Soldier Field.

“We are not getting the best that we can out of that venue. Six months of the year or so, it stays empty. … It makes no sense to me that we’ve got these massive parking lots that are vacant for much of the year,” she said.

“So we’ve assembled a small group that is gonna start looking at, what can we be doing really from the Shedd [Aquarium] down to McCormick Place, to maximize the value of this incredible asset and really make the fan experience — whether they’re coming for a Bears game or they’re coming for a concert — something that is really enjoyable and can be there as a year-round revenue generator.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot talks to reporters Wednesday after a Chicago Fire Department graduation ceremony.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

As far as whether the Bears can use “Chicago” in their name, Lightfoot noted Wednesday the NFL already has 11 teams that play outside cities in their names. And when asked whether she’d like to see a second football team in the city — which Mayor Richard M. Daley once sought — Lightfoot said only: “We’re a long, long way from that discussion.”

Noting that Soldier Field was “rocking” for last weekend’s Shamrock Series match-up between Notre Dame and Wisconsin, Lightfoot said: “If the Bears decide their future is in Arlington Heights — and I hope that’s not the case — we’re not gonna lack for suitors to make Soldier Field a permanent home.”

Even if the Bears move, the taxpayers will have to shell out a lot of money to pay off the stadium renovations.

Three months ago, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority refinanced part of its Soldier Field debt to let Chicago taxpayers off the hook for what would have been a $22 million cost tied to the pandemic, which caused a drop in the hotel tax revenue used to pay off the Soldier Field bonds.

In the last fiscal year, ending June 30, the debt service payment was $46.5 million. It goes to $49.4 million in 2022, and continues to increase gradually until balloon payments at the end: $66.5 million in 2030, $81.7 million in 2031 and $86.9 million in 2032.

Those balloon payments were among changes made after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as the travel industry ground to a halt.

To salvage the Soldier Field renovation deal, Richard M. Daley pressured the Bears to permanently forfeit their right to sell corporate naming rights to Soldier Field and built in a two-year protection for Chicago taxpayers.

Under the original version, the state could keep a chunk of the city’s share of the state income tax whenever the Chicago hotel tax failed to grow at an annual rate of 5.5% — enough to retire $399 million in stadium bonds.

The new version was restructured — with interest payments deferred, triggering those balloon amounts — to make a local tax bailout unnecessary for two years. That gave the airline, convention and tourism industries an opportunity to rebound from the devastating losses they suffered after the terrorist attacks.

Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout, Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser

The renovated Soldier Field opened in 2004. Sun-Times file

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Six times. No, I think it was seven. Or maybe even eight.

I guess I lost count of how many times I wanted to turn away from the screen while watching the bizarre and thrilling and provocative and unnerving “Titane,” a symphony of disturbing and dark madness unlike anything you’ve ever seen — and I mean that in a good way, but you might have a little trouble sleeping after this one.

Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or as the outstanding film at the Cannes Film Festival, “Titane” is a triumph of hallucinogenic, gender-switching, erotic and violent horror from writer-director Julia Ducournau. At times it reminded me of David Cronenberg’s psychological thriller “Crash” from 1996 and the Scarlett Johansson-starring “Under the Skin” (2013), but this is a wholly original story brimming with creativity and a uniquely weird viewpoint. I mean, when was the last time you saw a movie about a serial killer with a plate in her head who has sexual relations with automobiles and passes herself off as a man even though she’s pregnant?

I rest my case, but let’s go back to the beginning.

In a prologue sequence setting the oddball tone for what’s to come, an adolescent girl is in the back seat of car, fidgeting and fussing and making sounds like a revving engine, irritating and distracting her father to the point where he crashes the car, and the girl needs to have a titanium plate implanted into the side of her skull. When the girl is released from the hospital, the first thing she does is zip over to the car to embrace it.

Flash forward two decades, and the girl has grown up to be Alexia (Agathe Rousselle in an unforgettably searing performance), who wears her hair in a way that exposes that titanium plate and works as an exotic dancer who performs on the hoods of muscle cars as panting men take pictures with their smart phones and mob her for autographs after the performance. Just don’t touch her or make a move. One persistent fan tries that, and let’s just say we won’t see him for the rest of the movie.

With cinematographer Ruben Impens delivering gorgeous and haunting, neon-saturated, wet-pavement-noir imagery, “Titane” follows Alexia as she emerges dripping from a shower, climbs into a pimped-out Cadillac, and has sex. By herself. Or with the car. Or something. All we know is, she gets pregnant, and we’re thinking whatever emerges from Alexia’s womb might be so otherworldly not even Rosemary’s Baby would want to have a play date.

Fueled by anger and distrust and simmering with intensity, Alexia embarks on a killing spree, highlighted by a scene reminiscent of the massacre in the luxury house in “Us.” Then things get REALLY strange when Alexia shaves her head, bruises her own face, binds her breasts and assumes the identity of a young man named Adrien who has been missing since he was a boy. Vincent Lindon is a revelation as Vincent, a macho firefighter who convinces himself this is really his son, even though anyone who isn’t delusional and perhaps even deranged could see otherwise.

What transpires after that is best left for the viewer to discover. Suffice to say “Titane” gets increasingly weird, dark and unsettling, as writer-director Ducournau explores the drastic measures some will take in an effort to find companionship and comfort.

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The cost of breaking their Soldier Field lease could cost the Chicago Bears nearly $90 million, but that would only be a small chunk of how much the team will have to shell out to reach its goal of playing in a shiny new suburban stadium — and it could be dwarfed by the amount of government subsidies the team might ask for to break ground in Arlington Heights.

That’s according to a Sun-Times analysis of the team’s lease with the Chicago Park District, which owns the aging lakefront gridiron and has the Monsters of the Midway on the hook if they skip town for Arlington Heights within the next few years.

The Bears — among the few NFL teams that don’t own their home turf — signed the lease in 2001 after pushing for Soldier Field’s notorious overhaul. They started playing at the renovated stadium in 2004, paying $5.7 million a year for use of the stadium and parking lots.

The contract with the park district runs through 2033 and calls for that payment to increase every five years, an increase tied to the Consumer Price Index, putting their current rate at about $6.6 million per year.

Arlington International Racecourse owner Churchill Downs said the sale to the Bears could close by early 2023. If the Bears were to break ground then, followed by an estimated two years for construction, the team could be expected to break their Soldier Field lease in 2026.

But the Bears’ contract with the park district puts the team on the hook for 150% of their remaining obligations if they go through with such an “improper relocation,” which shakes out to roughly $86.9 million, the Sun-Times calculates.

When the Bears signed the contract to play in a renovated Soldier Field, they agreed to pay a fine if they broke the lease and left before the term was up.AFP/Getty Images

That buyout fee decreases the longer the team stays at Soldier Field. For example, it’d be closer to $55 million if they stick around till 2029, or less than $12 million if they break the lease with a year remaining.

The contract also leaves open the possibility of either side challenging the contract through independent arbitration.

Still, $86.9 million is less than half what the Bears agreed to pay for the 326-acre Arlington Heights property, and it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the financing needed for a new stadium guaranteed to cost billions.

The Arlington property has plenty of land for the Bears to develop as they see fit. It also has a Metra stop right next to it.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Whatever the price, the move is an attractive option for the Bears, who would stand to generate huge new revenues over Soldier Field. It has the NFL’s smallest capacity at 61,500.

Meanwhile, with or without the Bears, taxpayers will still be paying off debt on the Soldier Field renovation for another decade. It was financed by bonds issued by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, obligations that will total $660 million by the time it’s paid off in 2032.

Officials at the Facilities Authority did not respond to requests for comment on the Bears’ threat to move.

While the team has said it’s still only in the “exploration” phase of a move, one conservative group is urging state and local officials not to “repeat the mistakes of the past” with sizable public financing and tax breaks.

“I expect the Bears to ask for the world,” said Brian Costin, deputy state director of the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity.

He pointed to the case of southwest suburban Bridgeview, which issued $135 million in bonds in 2005 to build what’s now called SeatGeek Stadium, only to see its main tenant, the Chicago Fire, break its lease to move to Soldier Field — while the village’s bond rating plummeted to junk status.

Bridgeview built a new soccer-only stadium to lure the Chicago Fire from Soldier Field to the western suburb in 2006. But the Fire reversed course and returned to Soldier Field in 2020, though the Chicago Red Stars, who play in the National Women’s Soccer League, are still a tenant, however.Sun-Times file

But Costin noted a multibillion-dollar stadium would be a boon for Arlington Heights and Cook County through property taxes — something the Bears have never paid as lakefront tenants.

“This can be a very pro-taxpayer development with private financing and the right policies in place,” he said.

Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes declined to comment on whether he’d support subsidizing the Bears’ move, or whether the team has broached the topic.

“We’re certainly looking forward to further exploring this potential move, and we’re going to have a lot of community discussions,” Hayes said.

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The MVP chatter has already begun for Luis Robert.

Not for this year, of course, because Robert has played in only 64 games due to a torn hip flexor suffered on May 2, but because of the numbers the White Sox’ prized 24-year-old center fielder has amassed in those games. Over a 162 game season, Robert’s numbers in the first 120 games of his brief two-year career translate to a .298/.349./516 hitting line, 31 homers, 40 doubles and 97 RBI.

Couple that with the rangy, fluid defense the 2020 Gold Glove winner displayed both as a rookie and this season and process the adjustments he’s made offensively and you begin to see a potential MVP package blossoming in front of your eyes.

In 2021, Robert ranks seventh on the White Sox with a 3.2 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference, quite remarkable considering the limited games played. Even more noteworthy is what Robert has done since getting back on the field Aug. 9, producing a .367/.403/.645 slash line with 11 homers, 13 doubles, 33 RBI and 29 runs scored in 39 games.

That’s a nice roll on which to be heading into the postseason.

“There are times which make me feel like you can do everything on the field, and you can dominate,” Robert said through translator Billy Russo after after hitting home runs that traveled 415 feet to center and 445 majestic feet to left in the Sox’ 7-1 win over the Reds Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. “But there are other times where things look harder for you. It’s just baseball. Sometimes you can do things very easily and then sometimes you can’t find a way to make things happen. You have to deal with it. I’m glad that this year, the results have been there for me and I’ve been consistent with those results.”

It’s not only the results that make Robert stand apart on so many levels, though. His size (6-3 1/2 , 225 pounds per Sox strength and conditioning coordinator Allen Thomas), sleek and muscular body frame — teammates have called him an Under Armour mannequin lookalike — and exceptional talent that makes him so easy on the eyes. Baseball is not an easy game, but Robert is playing it and winning with seemingly effortless proficiency.

And if it’s modesty you like, hear manager Tony La Russa on Robert: “Even around the clubhouse, he never walks around like a ‘dig me’ kind of player. If you look at the great ones, like [Derek] Jeter and guys like that, they have their feet firmly planted. Their ego doesn’t overwhelm them. They have talent and play to their talent. He’s just trying to do, trying to win a game, catch a ball, make a throw or hit.

“He’s got his ego in check, and it’s very important. It gives him a chance to be very good for a long time.”

Robert is getting it done with an aggressive approach in the strike zone, swinging early as long as he sees something to his liking, but the aggressive wanes when it comes to stealing bases (he was five for six going into the Wednesday’s game against the Reds), but La Russa is reeling him in, in part because the hip injury is still too close in the past for total comfort and mainly because he wants to keep legs healthy and fresh going into a postseason that is already clinched.

Robert is fast, but “we have to be careful with turning him loose,” La Russa said.

Maybe next year, when he might be putting together that MVP portfolio. His numbers this year, a .349/.387/.579 hitting line with a .956 OPS, 12 homers and 41 RBI over 227 plate appearances, may offer a hint of what’s next.

“He’s playing to his huge talent and he’s producing huge, he plays defense huge,” La Russa said. “You understand how much we missed him and Eloy [Jimenez, torn pectoral muscle] in the first half. Can’t give our club enough credit for hanging in there. Having those two guys back, it’s a different looking team.”

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Say it ain’t so! Soldier Field may not be home to the Chicago Bears for much longer.

The team announced Wednesday morning they have agreed to purchase the Arlington Park property in Arlington Heights.

We asked Chicago Sun-Times readers on Facebook and Twitter what they thought of the news. Here are some of the best responses:

“About time! Chicagoland deserves an amazing state-of-the-art stadium. Soldier Field is great but it’s not awesome. It’s too small. Arlington Park is a great location with the train already there.” — Mackenzie Currans

“In retrospect, they probably should have built a new stadium elsewhere in Chicago 20 years ago instead of trying to fit a modern stadium at Soldier Field. The NFL has changed since then, so this might be the best option.” — Kurt Regep

“Would hate to see them leave, but it makes a lot of sense for them to make the move. It doesn’t seem as Chicago can even remotely provide the space and resources to generate to compare. The Bears could potentially build a top-notch stadium with a dome to attract other events, including the Super Bowl and control all the space around the stadium to build out bars, restaurants, other entertainment venues. That isn’t possible in Chicago, unless they are willing to knock down the Old McCormick place which isn’t really utilized anymore and build out a new stadium with a dome and top-notch amenities that produced increased revenue for the Bears, I can’t see them staying around.” — John Holton

“Bear management has shown us time and time again that all they care about is money — not the players, not the city, not the fans. Let them move. But they should forfeit the right to use ‘Chicago’ in their name.” — Greg Berezewski

“San Francisco does not play in San Francisco, New York does not play in New York, Dallas does not play in Dallas. It’s okay if the Chicago Bears play in Arlington Heights.” — Gloria Chevere

“Maybe with additional seating the prices will come down. Wishful thinking, I guess. I love Soldier Field, but it’s hard to find parking and prices are so high… maybe I’d get a chance to see the Bears play.” — Penny Curran

“They lose in the city and they will lose in Arlington Heights too.” — Diane Gioia-Esposito

“Won’t actually happen, they don’t have the money to pay for a new stadium and all the infrastructure upgrades… and the public isn’t going to pay for it. This is all just a ploy for leverage in their negotiations with the City.” — Robert Ivaniszyn

“They better put a great product on the field because all of the pregame and postgame excitement of going to a Bears game will be forever removed. Moreover, there will no longer be the wonderful shots of the city that make Soldier Field the most beautifully set stadium in the NFL.” — Daniel Giudice

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PITTSBURGH — The Cubs have been able to avoid any major issues with COVID this season, but with four games left in the season, they got one more reminder that the pandemic is still in control.

The team put rookie sensation Patrick Wisdom on the injured list before Wednesday’s game against the Pirates. The Cubs’ third baseman will miss the final four games of the season.

The Cubs did not give an injury designation for Wisdom or put him on the COVID IL, but over the past two seasons, teams will often put players who have tested positive or been a close contact to someone who has tested positive for the virus on the IL. Not to be confused with the normal 10-day IL.

“This is not the wrist,” manager David Ross said of Wisdom’s IL stint. “We’re taking every precaution we can to make sure everybody’s healthy on the field when they step foot out there.”

The move to the injured list also opens up a spot on the 40-man roster, which wouldn’t happen in normal circumstances. The team selected infielder Trent Giambrone from Triple-A Iowa to take Wisdom’s place on the roster.

It was clear on the field at PNC Park that something had taken place with regards to a COVID situation. When the team took the field for batting practice, all players, coaches and other team personnel emerged from the clubhouse with masks on.

The Cubs have had to walk a fine line with COVID as they remain one of a handful of teams, who did not reach the 85% vaccination threshold this season. The team has been fortunate to not have an outbreak this season considering they’ve been unable to reach the vaccination threshold. Several teams have been ravaged unlike other teams around baseball who have had several players test positive.

Wisdom’s situation isn’t the first time the Cubs have had a coronavirus reality check. Ross and president Jed Hoyer both tested positive earlier this month, but both were vaccinated. First base coach Craig Driver and bullpen coach Chris Young also tested positive earlier this season, but were also vaccinated. It’s not known at this point if Wisdom has been vaccinated.

According to MLB protocols, Tier 1 personnel who are vaccinated and are close contacts of someone who tests positive for the virus would not have to quarantine. Unvaccinated Tier 1 personnel would have to quarantine for seven days if deemed a close contact.

“I think that everybody has gone through some form of adversity within this pandemic,” Ross said. “We’ve had our fair share even as minimal as it’s been. … We follow the protocols, and you follow the rules the best way that has been instructed for us to stay safe and try to stick to that.

“I think we found a nice routine in the middle of trying to win baseball games and do the best we can on the field as well. And it’s been a really challenging thing to do.”

Wisdom took the league by storm this season with his prodigious power and quickly began to make a name for himself, providing the Cubs with serious power. Not only did, breaking Kris Bryant’s rookie home run record slugging 28 homers.

He finishes his rookie campaign with a .231/.305/.518 with 13 doubles, 28 home runs and 61 RBIs in 106 games this season. Wisdom also put together a strong season with the glove, rating as an above-average defender at third base with a plus-four defensive runs saved and plus-six outs above average.

The 30-year-old rookie told the Sun-Times last month that he was excited for the chance to be a part of next year’s roster and after his breakout 2021 season, the chance he gets that opportunity are high.

“He had a really great season,” Ross said before the game. “Super proud of the year he was able to put together for us. Filled a lot of holes and did a really nice job for us.”

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The uncomfortable issue confronting Bears coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace since they were fortunate enough to avoid getting fired at the end of last season is whether they are committed to what’s best for the team or what’s best for their own jobs.

Nagy just clarified it, by accident.

Rather than give the Bears’ quarterback of the future an opportunity to cleanse the foul memory of his starting debut by getting back out there Sunday against the lowly Lions, Nagy intends to start Andy Dalton over Justin Fields.

Intends is the key word. Dalton exited in Week 2 with a bone bruise in his knee and didn’t practice last week. He was only a partial participant Wednesday, while Fields was full-go despite a wrap on his right thumb and wrist from an injury he said was minor.

Regardless, it’s short-sighted to send Fields back to the bench after a disastrous day in which Nagy did next to nothing to help him schematically and he tumbled to a final line of 6-of-20 passing, 68 yards and a 41.2 passer rating with just three runs for 12 yards.

If the mission, as Nagy and Pace always say, is to do what’s best for the Bears, isn’t Fields’ ongoing development the most important factor?

“More than fair question,” Nagy said before not really answering it. “Justin did a good job in many ways — just keeping composed in that environment… That one was a rough one, and I put that on me. That’s on me for why that went that way.

“I’ve gotta learn from that… I think we have some answers, which is good.”

Sure, he has answers. But the fear all along, for Fields’ sake, is that they aren’t the correct ones.

When the Bears signed Dalton, it felt desperate. When they drafted Fields, it restored some faith that Pace and Nagy were being responsible stewards of an organization that might be handed over to a new general manager and coach at the end of the season.

But they’ve tipped their hand by insisting Dalton as the starter and Fields as his understudy. There was, indeed, a lot for Fields to learn after the Bears drafted him No. 11 overall, but they limited his opportunity to from Day 1. Dalton was assured of the job, and Fields was put on a slower track that included offseason homework of practicing calling plays into a phone and sending the audio files to the coaches.

If the Bears had gone full speed with Fields, he’d be further along. Everything about his makeup suggests he’s a quick learner, which should compel Nagy to start him again. It’s a much better education than story time with Dalton and Nick Foles.

But Nagy played Fields last week only because he was forced to, and that’s the only way Fields will start against the Lions.

He might be right that Dalton gives the Bears a better chance to win Sunday than Fields, though the fact that this is being debated ahead of an opponent that might be the NFL’s worst team is profoundly sad, but that’s a preoccupation with the short term.

And that’s the biggest problem at Halas Hall: In what world did it make sense to go all-in on this season, financially or otherwise, with a team that went 16-16 over the last two and had minimal salary-cap space to make improvements? It’s a problem of George McCaskey’s own making by bringing them back for one more season when it was obvious the Bears needed to rebuild.

It’s not worth stunting Fields’ growth just to go 9-8 — an unambitious record that increasingly seems like it’ll be difficult for the Bears to reach — and hope that’s enough to make the playoffs.

Fields has tremendous potential, but it’ll take time to reach. He needs to ride out early struggles. There’s no fast-forwarding through that part. Long-term thinkers would see that.

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The cost of breaking their Soldier Field lease would be a pittance for the Chicago Bears compared to the price tag of a shiny new suburban stadium — and it could be dwarfed by the amount of government subsidies the team might ask for to break ground in Arlington Heights.

That’s according to a Sun-Times analysis of the team’s lease with the Chicago Park District, which owns the aging lakefront gridiron and has the Monsters of the Midway on the hook for nearly $87 million if they skip town for Arlington Heights within the next few years.

The Bears — among the few NFL teams that don’t own their home turf — signed the lease in 2001 after pushing for Soldier Field’s notorious overhaul. They started playing at the renovated stadium in 2004, paying $5.7 million a year for use of the stadium and parking lots.

The contract with the park district runs through 2033 and calls for that payment to increase every five years, an increase tied to the Consumer Price Index, putting their current rate at about $6.6 million per year.

Arlington International Racecourse owner Churchill Downs said the sale to the Bears could close by early 2023. If the Bears were to break ground then, followed by an estimated two years for construction, the team could be expected to break their Soldier Field lease in 2026.

But the Bears’ contract with the park district puts the team on the hook for 150% of their remaining obligations if they go through with such an “improper relocation,” which shakes out to roughly $86.9 million, the Sun-Times calculates.

When the Bears signed the contract to play in a renovated Soldier Field, they agreed to pay a fine if they broke the lease and left before the term was up.AFP/Getty Images

That buyout fee decreases the longer the team stays at Soldier Field. For example, it’d be closer to $55 million if they stick around till 2029, or less than $12 million if they break the lease with a year remaining.

The contract also leaves open the possibility of either side challenging the contract through independent arbitration.

Still, $86.9 million is less than half what the Bears agreed to pay for the 326-acre Arlington Heights property, and it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the financing needed for a new stadium guaranteed to cost billions.

The Arlington property has plenty of land for the Bears to develop as they see fit. It also has a Metra stop right next to it.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Whatever the price, the move is an attractive option for the Bears, who would stand to generate huge new revenues over Soldier Field. It has the NFL’s smallest capacity at 61,500.

Meanwhile, with or without the Bears, taxpayers will still be paying off debt on the Soldier Field renovation for another decade. It was financed by bonds issued by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, obligations that will total $660 million by the time it’s paid off in 2032.

Officials at the Facilities Authority did not respond to requests for comment on the Bears’ threat to move.

While the team has said it’s still only in the “exploration” phase of a move, one conservative group is urging state and local officials not to “repeat the mistakes of the past” with sizable public financing and tax breaks.

“I expect the Bears to ask for the world,” said Brian Costin, deputy state director of the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity.

He pointed to the case of southwest suburban Bridgeview, which issued $135 million in bonds in 2005 to build what’s now called SeatGeek Stadium, only to see its main tenant, the Chicago Fire, break its lease to move to Soldier Field — while the village’s bond rating plummeted to junk status.

Bridgeview built a new soccer-only stadium to lure the Chicago Fire from Soldier Field to the western suburb in 2006. But the Fire reversed course and returned to Soldier Field in 2020, though the Chicago Red Stars, who play in the National Women’s Soccer League, are still a tenant, however.Sun-Times file

But Costin noted a multibillion-dollar stadium would be a boon for Arlington Heights and Cook County through property taxes — something the Bears have never paid as lakefront tenants.

“This can be a very pro-taxpayer development with private financing and the right policies in place,” he said.

Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes declined to comment on whether he’d support subsidizing the Bears’ move, or whether the team has broached the topic.

“We’re certainly looking forward to further exploring this potential move, and we’re going to have a lot of community discussions,” Hayes said.

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