What’s New

Lionel Messi finalized agreement on his Paris Saint-Germain contract and arrived in the French capital on Tuesday to complete the move that confirms the end of a career-long association with Barcelona.

Dozens of PSG fans gathered at Le Bourget Airport in Paris to welcome Messi, who was wearing a T-shirt featuring “Ici c’est Paris” — “Here is Paris.”

The 34-year-old Argentina star has agreed a two-year deal with the option for a further season, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the contract ahead of it being signed and the official announcement. Messi is set to earn around 35 million euros ($41 million) net annually, the person said.

Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, also confirmed his son was moving to PSG in a brief exchange with reporters at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport on Tuesday.

At the same airport, Messi was later seen arriving with his wife and three children before boarding a private jet.

“With it all, toward a new adventure. The five together,” Antonela Roccuzzo said on Instagram alongside a photo with her husband on the plane.

PSG supporters have seen their club transformed over the last decade since the influx of Qatari sovereign wealth investment linked to the emir. Once Messi’s Barcelona contract expired — and the Catalan club was unable to afford to keep him — PSG was one of the few clubs that could finance a deal to sign the six-time world player of the year.

Messi’s arrival gives PSG formidable attacking options as he links up with France World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe and Brazil forward Neymar.

“Back together,” Neymar posted on Instagram over a video of them hugging, playing for Barcelona.

While PSG had to pay 222 million euros (then $261 million) to sign Neymar from Barcelona in 2017, there was no transfer fee for Messi.

Messi became the most desired free agent in soccer history after his attempts to stay at Barcelona were rejected last week by the Spanish league because the salary would not comply with financial regulations, with the Catalan club burdened by debts of more than 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion).

PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino quickly made contact with his fellow Argentine after Barcelona announced last Thursday that Messi would be leaving the club he joined as a 13-year-old.

Messi won every major honor with Barcelona and was granted a tearful exit news conference on Sunday to signal the end of an era. Only Cristiano Ronaldo in the current era challenges Messi’s status as an all-time great.

PSG will be hoping not only that Messi helps the team regain the French title it lost to Lille last season, but finally win the Champions League.

If Pochettino uses a 4-3-3 formation, the front three could see Messi deployed on the right with Neymar on the left and Mbappe between them as the center forward.

The quandary for Pochettino would be how to use Angel Di Maria, whose goal sealed the Copa America title last month, and another Argentine attacker — Mauro Icardi. It’s a tactical challenge most coaches would relish, with a 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 also in the mix to accommodate the attacking talents available.

What should be less demanding is PSG complying with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play. Some flexibility has been provided in the rules due to the pandemic and changes are due to the system that were designed to stem losses. It is PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi who, as chairman of the European Club Association and a member of UEFA’s executive committee, is involved in the process of discussing a wider update to FFP that could allow more unchecked spending again.

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The 1969 Cubs had a shelf life, as all good rosters do. The great Ernie Banks’ career was in the books by the end of the 1971 season. Lefty Ken Holtzman was traded after that same campaign, and fellow starting pitcher Bill Hands after the next one.

But in the dust-settling of the 1973 campaign, the ’69 Cubs became ghosts. Ace Fergie Jenkins, infielders Ron Santo and Glenn Beckert and catcher Randy Hundley all were dealt. By this point, star right fielder Billy Williams had developed a sad, almost maudlin tradition — a teammate countdown — with shortstop Don Kessinger. With each departure, Williams would call Kessinger and the pair would mark the number of ’69 guys left.

In March 1974, outfielder Jim Hickman was dealt to the Cardinals.

“Two,” Williams told Kessinger.

It was just them. After that season, Williams was shipped to the Athletics.

“That’s one,” came the call. “Kess, you got it.”

Kessinger’s 11th Cubs season, in 1975, would be his last with the team. That’s how long it took for the whole shebang to reach its conclusion.

“Kess and I kind of had fun with it, but it was so sad to see all those guys go,” Williams recalled this week. “You spend more time with those players than your family. Six months out of the year, you’re with them. Quite naturally, you miss them. When they leave, it’s pretty rough.”

Less than two weeks since the wrecking ball obliterated a different Cubs era with the deadline trades of Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez and Kris Bryant, Williams the fan is picking up the pieces.

“The next month and a half is going to be tough for fans to go out there and witness,” the Hall of Famer said. “And it’s going to be a while after that, hopefully not too long. I’m 83 now. I hope it doesn’t go another 108 years.”

Following the Cubs’ 2016 championship, Williams was certain the core would produce at least one more title. As the Cubs dragged through the first half in 2017, though, he surmised correctly that it wouldn’t happen that year.

“But I thought they would come back in 2018 and win it,” he said. “I had a great feeling about that.”

When the Cubs started 12-3 in 2020, Williams was lured in again, watching every pandemic inning at home in Glen Ellyn. Even this season, when the Cubs threw a combined no-hitter to beat the Dodgers in the opener of a seven-game road trip to get to 42-33 — tied for first in the National League Central — he believed that elusive second World Series could happen. He began to read up on potential trades the team could make to really go after it.

Williams had no idea an 11-game losing streak was about to start. None of us did. Before the Cubs ended a series in Milwaukee — where the streak extended to six — he knew the score.

“I said, ‘Well, the season’s about over,’ ” he said.

Williams is a bit of a Cubs romantic. He has faith that the next group of Cubs prospects will bubble up and do some good. He wants to be at spring training in Arizona to watch things develop, a responsibility he feels not only to the Cubs and for himself but for Banks and Santo. And he’ll miss Rizzo, Bryant and Baez, not to mention the others who won what his ’69 team couldn’t.

“It was just a joy to see them do what they did here,” he said. “They played good for the organization. The fans appreciated them. I appreciated them. It’s sad they’re all gone. It’s a sad ending.”

JUST SAYIN’

The Cubs teardown doesn’t square all that well with Andre Dawson, who so wanted to play for the North Siders in 1987 that he offered a signed, otherwise blank free-agent contract only to be handed a $500,000 pittance for a three-time All-Star.

Dawson, 67 — and a Cubs ambassador — puts the onus more on the star players who left.

“It kind of bothers you, to a degree,” he said. “The mindset today is fair market value, but I think there’s a very fine line because players get paid today really to do nothing. A lot of them make a lot of money, and really they’re average or above average. But you’ve got to have a sense of loyalty. If fair value is offered to you, you’ve got to weigh the pros and cons. If it’s not where you want to be, that’s another thing. But I’ve always felt you have to have a feeling and loyalty to an organization if you can if the numbers are fair.”

Dawson wasn’t as confident as Williams in the Cubs core.

“You’re kind of on the fence with that because you would like to see, if possible, some guys retained, but I think this particular group had its run, got to the point where they were not consistent with where they should be, performance-wise, and they got to be pretty predictable,” he said. “So you take your loss, you chalk that up and you move on.”

o Williams has been watching the streaking White Sox, too.

“They’ve got a good club,” he said. “They have very good players over there. And they’re steady players. And of course, a manager, Tony La Russa, who knows how to run a ship. He can steer it right.”

His favorite Sox player: shortstop Tim Anderson.

o Get well soon to Jason Benetti, who is resting at home after a breakthrough positive test for COVID-19 following his return from the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. This is as fine a person as there is on our local sports media scene.

o The very best, as well, to Troy Murray, the Blackhawks radio analyst who announced Monday that he has cancer. Murray, 59, is a treasure. He was a terrific Hawks player and, more important, is a kind and friendly man.

o Watching Sox left fielder Eloy Jimenez homer four times and drive in 10 runs Sunday and Monday, I kept coming back to the same question: If the Cubs had never traded Jimenez and Dylan Cease and they were in the big leagues on the North Side, would Rizzo, Baez and Bryant still be their teammates?

Think about it.

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True crime content is in abundance whether it’s on TV, film, podcasts, books or theater.

Canadian journalist and college professor Dean Jobb, who’s written two crime novels previously, is contributing his own non-fiction book about a serial killer who spent time in Chicago.

“The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream” (Algonquin Books, $27.95), published last month, details the crimes of Canada-born Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, known as the “Lambeth Poisoner,” who spent time in Chicago, was incarcerated in the Joliet state prison, who, after his release, went on to kill more people in England.

The murderous spree by Cream, who killed — and sometimes poisoned — 10 people over the span of 11 years (1881-1892) across three countries, predates other well-known serial killers Jack the Ripper and Chicago’s H.H. Holmes, whom true-crime fanatics know from the best seller “The Devil in the White City.”

“What drew me to Dr. Cream was what his case says about the Victorian period, everything from the limitations of early detection to the primitive forensics of the time to justice system corruption, the various factors that enabled him to either evade justice or escape punishment,” Jobb says. “And as well how the society of the time — the stifling morality — drove desperate young women who were seeking an illegal abortion to his door.

“That’s what drew me to it, and a quest to understand how this could be? How could you get away with as many as 10 murders in three countries? Time and time again, either be a suspect, put on trial, and acquitted or somehow talk his way out of a situation that he would go to Joliet prison for 10 years, and still manage to be released to kill again.”

Algonquin Books

Jobb, who lives in Nova Scotia, says he came to Chicago to research Dr. Cream’s local crimes. Jobb also wanted to keep the language of the time in the book, as he explained in the readers’ note.

“Truth and accuracy are the most important things,” said Jobb. “My goal is to recreate the past but not to recreate any events or descriptions, or not to embellish. In the readers’ note, I just simply want to stress for people that for as amazing and bizarre and unbelievable some of the events are in Dr. Cream’s life and the effort to bring him to justice … they’re all true.”

While in Chicago, Jobb visited the Harold Washington Library to research newspaper clippings and other documents. Jobb’s research says Cream had an office in the 1200 block of West Madison Street, which is the Near West Side.

“The area was totally transformed and redeveloped, so there wasn’t a lot of his world left,” said Jobb. “But I do think it’s important to at least try to take a look and get a sense of what the city would have looked like in his time. When you research like I do, it’s amazing to me how it’s always been this way. True crime is fascinating, and you see it in the detailed accounts of the trial. Sometimes these [newspapers] would run verbatim transcripts of trial testimony. You don’t even have to go to the court officer’s record file to get a really good rundown of the evidence.”

Provided

Jobb believes the reasons why Cream was able to get away with murder for so long were his knowledge as a doctor to what could kill someone, his family connections, and the criminal justice system during the Victorian era.

“The police were ill-equipped to do a proper investigation,” said Jobb. “Very well-regarded police agencies in London are struggling as well to come to grips with the fact that a serial killer is operating in their midst.”

And what will readers get out of the book?

“I think readers will find it even a little infuriating to see time and time again — with the benefit of hindsight, of course — that [police officials] in various cities in various countries were so close so many times to stopping [Cream]. If he had been convicted in 1880 when he first come to Chicago, he would have killed no more than three people, so it was a missed opportunity.”

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I enjoy watching the White Sox. This year’s team is a lot of fun. But that’s not why I love baseball.

On Thursday, the Sox are scheduled to play the New York Yankees at the Field of Dreams in Iowa. The name comes from the novel “Shoeless Joe” by Ray Kinsella, which was made into a movie featuring a character named after the author. I’m guessing most people know the famous quotes from the movie.

“If you build it, he will come.”

“If you build it, they will come.”

But that’s not what the movie is about.

It’s about the line near the end of the movie, where Kinsella’s character says to the last player standing on the field, as the sun is setting: “Hey, Dad, wanna have a catch?”

That is the heart and soul of the movie. The reason it has staying power. It’s the connection over generations between fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters, through baseball and the simplest of shared memories, a game of catch. Some time spent together.

A moment in time. Or as Kinsella says while watching his daughter play with her mother just before that exchange with his dad: “Maybe this is heaven.”

Maybe the closest any of us will get, anyway.

For me, baseball will never be quite the same as it once was because I can no longer pick up the phone and talk about the game with my father. We will never again go to a ballpark together and sing, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Eat hot dogs. Ask the vendor to toss us a bag of peanuts.

Oh, how I loved bringing my baseball mitt to the games. We only went to double headers back in those days, full nine-inning contests, not the shorter seven-inning games played at double-headers today, because you had to get your money’s worth.

It was expensive going to baseball games back in the early 1960s, and the average family couldn’t afford it more than a couple of times a year. You had to pick your spots.

We always went to Yankee games because my brother, for some strange reason, was a fan of the Bronx Bombers and their star Mickey Mantle.

We used to argue about that. No more. Like my father, he is gone.

We had terrible arguments, my father, my brother and me. A lot of them were about the Vietnam War, just like the character in “Field of Dreams.” I said things I will always regret. Nevertheless, we could always talk about sports and baseball.

The same is true today. I have close friends who have different views on race relations, politics, immigration, vaccinations and fighting crime. Yet, we can still talk baseball.

A character in “Field of Dreams,” a tortured writer named Terence Mann, urges Kinsella to build a diamond in a corn field and says:

“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: It’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.”

Late in life, just a few years ago, I met a fellow named Ray. We became instant friends. It was a surprising thing because we were both past our prime. But he loved the White Sox.

Now he too is gone. COVID took him last winter.

I will think about him Thursday, and about my father and my brother. The game is what binds us together. And maybe there is hope for a nation at war with itself.

We built this country despite our differences, like a diamond rising out of a cornfield.

Maybe this is heaven.

[email protected]

Send letters to [email protected].

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Chicago, you are in some serious doo-doo. A young female officer lost her life this weekend at the hands of emboldened criminals. Your police officers are under siege by the gangs, and the people in charge are responsible.

Blame the mayor for her inflammatory rhetoric. Blame the police superintendent for being overwhelmed and underprepared. Blame the Cook County state’s attorney for playing favorites and letting too many bad guys go free. Blame judges for not imposing sentences that will keep the bad guys behind bars.

We seem to care more about the rights of the offenders than those being offended.

What should be done? Well, look no further than the county to the north, Lake County, where a year-long investigation by local police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is resulting in the dismantling of an entire gang. The leaders of the Satan Disciples could be going to prison for a very long time.

But not in Cook County, where instead we see the blame game go around in circle. We see underfunded and abandoned communities churn out soulless monsters.

Get serious, Cook County, and take your streets back from the gangs.

Scot Sinclair, Third Lake

A numbers of Sun-Times readers

Trust and the police

Members of the Chicago Police Department say they’ve been betrayed by politicians, but mostly they’ve been betrayed from within. The biggest betrayal has been a resistance to reform by the Fraternal Order of Police and the department’s administration, with politicians caving and failing to insist on reform a secondary betrayal.

The FOP and police administrators’ insistence on protecting rotten apples on the police force has betrayed sincere and dedicated officers, as well as the public.

Muriel Balla, Hyde Park

Tax the polluters

To push back against accelerating climate change, many Americans are proposing a carbon tax assessed on pollution emitters, such as coal-burning power plants. Others are calling for taxes on oil and gas companies. It is unconscionable that the average taxpayer is being forced to pay the costs of damage caused by natural disasters — fires, flooding, extreme temperatures, hurricanes and tornadoes — that have become more frequent and severe because of rising temperatures.

Mary F. Warren, Wheaton

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To see the top-selling real estate agents, click here.

1Lowe Group Chicago Compass $298.0 million

2Dawn McKenna Group Coldwell Banker $255.8 million

3The Jane Lee Team RE/Max $207.9 million

4Matt Laricy Group Americorp Ltd.  $202.9 million

5Emily Sachs Wong @Properties $178.3 million

6Leigh Marcus @Properties $158.2 million

7MG Group BHHS Chicago $157.7 million

8The Sarah Leonard Team RE/Max $148.7 million

9The Schiller Team @Properties $137.0 million

10MacPherson Westhoff Group Compass $136.2 million

11Bari and Elena Team @Properties $111.4 million

12The MVP Team Compass $109.2 million

13RNP Group Vesta Preferred $108.6 millionShould you renovate your house before putting it on the market?It is so much better to put a property on the market that’s been even mildly updated. Just replace countertops, repaint cabinets, refinish floors. Buyers cannot visualize anything anymore.
You can’t assume they are going to see past scuff marks.

14Mike McCatty Group Century 21 Affiliated $106.8 million

15Klopas Stratton Team BHHS Chicago $98.4 million

16Wilczek & Bacza Group  Realty Executives Elite $94.3 millionShould you renovate your house before putting it on the market?Not in this market. Don’t chase
what the buyer wants. Good photographs with digital color enhancement can help buyers see the property in its best light without spending on renovations.
How much does social media play
into selling properties?It really has taken the place of any print media. Thousands of followers scour our Instagram and Facebook pages looking for the newest listings, so it’s important to get a professional photographer and even a videographer.

17Morrison Home Team @Properties $93.4 million

18Home Discovery Team Jameson Sotheby’s $90.4 million

19The Biazar Group North Clybourn Group $90.2 million

20The DelBoccio/Marchetti Group @Properties $90.1 million

21GetBurbed @Properties $87.7 million

22Pattie Murray Team BHHS Chicago $84.5 million

23Ames Group Chicago Engel & Völkers $84.4 million

24The McKay Group @Properties $84.1 million

25Sergio & Banks Group @Properties $82.5 million

26The Wexler Gault Group @Properties $82.3 million

27The Kombrink Team RE/Max $82.0 million

28The Kite Team Keller Williams $80.8 million

29Bryan Bomba Group @Properties $78.0 million

30The Paige Dooley Team Compass $76.0 million

31Phil Skowron @Properties $75.5 million

32The Leslie McDonnell Team RE/Max $74.7 million

33The Sheahan Group Compass $70.2 million

34Kim Alden Compass $70.1 million

35Team Fallico Dream Town $69.9 millionWhat small thing can be an
immediate turnoff to buyers?Not having a bathtub. People are taking out tubs when they remodel, but 95 percent of buyers want one somewhere.What can sellers do to capitalize
on this hot market? Price your home at or below what it’s worth. Don’t try to squeeze extra money out of the market, because right now it’s either sell or sit. You’ll get more than one offer that will then drive the price up.

36The Lance Kammes Team RE/Max $68.9 million

37The Ben Lalez Team Compass $67.9 million

38Bridge Team Compass $67.7 million

39Brad Lippitz Group Compass $67.4 million

40Ivona Kutermankiewicz Group BHHS Chicago $67.2 million

41Mary Grant & Liz Watson @Properties $65.1 million

42Quaid & Rooney Keller Williams $64.3 million

43Busby Group Compass $64.2 million

44Marina and Andy Homes Griffith, Grant & Lackie $63.8 million

45Smothers Group Compass $62.8 million

46Weinberg Choi Residential Keller Williams $62.0 million

47The Cindy Banks Team RE/Max $60.8 million

48The Joanne Hudson Group Compass $60.7 million

49Team Luis Ortiz RE/Max $60.1 million

50The Danny McGovern Team RE/Max $59.9 million

51Lyon Folker Campbell Partners @Properties $58.5 million

52Rubenstein Fox Team Baird & Warner $57.5 million

53Missy Jerfita Compass $57.3 million

54Qamar Group Compass $56.2 millionHow can buyers get a leg up
in this hot market?It won’t always work, but a letter from the heart is phenomenal. A few paragraphs about why you really appreciate the house, how you see yourself living in it — that can resonate with the seller at a very deep level. What’s the best strategy for fielding multiple offers?
The highest isn’t always best. A lot of buyers go really high on their offer and count on the appraisal to bring it down. Look for strong financing terms and as-is offers.

55Melissa Siegal Group @Properties $56.0 million

56DG Advisors Group Fulton Grace $55.0 million

57The Moy Group @Properties $54.9 million

58Relux International Compass $54.1 million

59Barbara O’Connor Group Dream Town $53.8 million

60Kate Waddell Compass $53.5 million

61Danny Glick Group @Properties $52.4 million

62Monarque Group John Greene $52.3 million

63Olive Well Compass $51.1 million

64Judy Jisa @Properties $50.9 million

65The Thomas Team @Properties $50.6 million

66The Julie Sutton Group Compass $49.9 million

67The Brian Grossman Group @Properties $48.7 million

68LIV Partners Compass $48.3 million

69Wardlow Group Keller Williams $47.9 million

70Lake Group Compass $47.4 million

71Hering Homes Team @Properties $47.3 million

72The Hausman Team Compass $47.3 million

73The Melissa Garcia Team RE/Max $47.1 million

74C Starr Team @Properties $46.8 million

75Kalamaras Group @Properties $46.2 million

76Capitanini Team Coldwell Banker $45.1 million

77Dean Tubekis Team Coldwell Banker $44.9 million

78Dowell Group BHHS Chicago $44.7 million

79The Lori Mattice Team RE/Max $44.6 million

80ChicagoHome Brokerage Network @Properties $44.5 million

81Ted Pickus Team @Properties $44.3 million

82Jill Silverstein Compass $43.5 million

83ATM Team BHHS Chicago $43.5 million

84The Robert Wisdom Team RE/Max $42.9 million

85The Jeff Proctor Group @Properties $42.4 million

86Sohail Group @Properties $42.4 million

87The Goldstein Group @Properties $42.0 million

88The Alex Rullo Team RE/Max $41.9 million

89The Becker Group RE/Max $41.9 million

90The Corteam RE/Max $41.5 million

91Mandile Lorimer Group Compass $41.4 million

92Flora Blahnik @Properties $41.3 million

93Hebson-Murphy Group Dream Town $41.3 million

94The Kasper Group Compass $41.3 million

95Steve Genyk Group Dream Town $41.0 million

96The Lisa Sanders Group @Properties $40.9 million

97The Dorger McCarthy Group Keller Williams $40.9 million

98Foley Group John Greene $40.7 million

99DWK Realty Team @Properties $40.7 million

100Lothamer Group @Properties $40.6 million

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To see the top-selling real estate teams, click here.

1 Jena Radnay @Properties $124.4 million

2 Robert Picciariello Prello Realty $110.5 million

3 Carrie McCormick @Properties $104.4 million

4 Connie Dornan @Properties $88.1 million

5 Linda Feinstein Compass $75.6 million

6 Nathan Stillwell John Greene $72.3 million

7 Susan Miner Premier $70.4 million

8 Sam Shaffer Chicago Properties $67.7 millionWhat’s a reasonable number of repairs to ask for after the inspection?Focus on anything that’s a safety concern or that can cause additional damage between the offer and close dates, like a leak. If there’s wear and tear, you can try to negotiate a credit, but you have to be strategic in your requests.

9 Leila Zammatta Magellan Realty $66.5 million

10 Kris Berger Compass $66.4 million

11 Anne DuBray Coldwell Banker $64.3 million

12 Kim Wirtz Century 21 Affiliated $59.1 millionWhat design touches can make a house more attractive to buyers?Anything considered farmhouse chic. That motif includes vaulted ceilings, neutral muted exteriors, gray accents, and white cabinets.

13 Tim Salm Jameson Sotheby’s $58.0

14 Jason O’Beirne Jameson Sotheby’s $52.3 million

15 Chezi Rafaeli Coldwell Banker $52.2 million

16 Millie Rosenbloom Baird & Warner $49.6 million

17 Andra O’Neill @Properties $48.4 million

18 Mary Wallace Coldwell Banker $47.8 million

19 Greg Cirone Interdome Realty $45.8 millionHow can buyers get a leg up in this hot market?Research homes that have sat for a week or so. That’s where you find little treasures that slipped through the cracks.What design touches can make a house more attractive to buyers? Stick to slick, simple, open spaces. In life after COVID, buyers want versatile spaces to entertain.How long should you let your house sit on the market before you cut the price?In this market, if you haven’t sold in three weeks, something’s wrong.

20 Lori Neuschel @Properties $44.4 million

21 Susan Maman @Properties $42.7 million

22 Scott Curcio Baird & Warner $42.4 million

23 Nancy Tassone Jameson Sotheby’s $42.3 million

24 Ryan Smith RE/Max $41.5 million

25 Marina Carney Compass $40.8 million

26 Edward Lukasik RE/Max $40.5 million

27 Paul Mancini @Properties $40.3 million

28 Jan Morel @Properties $40.0

29 Deidre Rudich D’Aprile Properties $39.1 millionWhat simple things can draw in buyers?Painting and cleaning are big. Get the carpets cleaned and the windows washed. And I always have a handyman come in and look things over.What’s a reasonable number of repairs to ask for after the inspection?No more than 10, and I really try to shave that down because it can make the deal go south. It really comes down to safety and structural items.

30 Milena Birov @Properties $37.9 million

31 Ryan Preuett Jameson Sotheby’s $36.3 million

32 Bill White Sr. Baird & Warner $35.9 million

33 Stephanie Cutter Coldwell Banker $35.4 million

34 Annika Valdiserri @Properties $34.5 million

35 Lindsay D’Aprile D’Aprile Properties $34.4 million

36 Katie Hackett @Properties $34.0

37 Kati Spaniak eXp Realty $34.0 What small thing can be an immediate turnoff to buyers?A broken doorbell. It’s the easiest thing in the world to fix. But when you get to the front door and it’s broken or the screen is dirty, it just makes you wonder what other kind of deferred maintenance there is. What renovations are not worth doing before selling?Don’t redo the floors unless they’re completely damaged. It’s a huge amount of stress and cost. What’s the best strategy for making a first offer?Make one that’s priced correctly. A low offer will put sellers in a bad state of mind, and this is ultimately an emotional transaction.

38 Linda Levin Jameson Sotheby’s $33.0

39 Larysa Domino @Properties $32.4 million

40 Penny O’Brien Baird & Warner $32.3 million

41 Lynn Purcell Baird & Warner $32.1 million

42 Nancy Gibson @Properties $31.8 million

43 David Cobb RE/Max $31.7 million

44 Betsy Burke BHHS Chicago $31.4 million

45 Lori Rowe Coldwell Banker $31.4 million

46 Lina Shah Coldwell Banker $30.5 millionWhat overhyped amenities don’t add much value?Hot tubs and saunas. If they’re indoors, they just take up space. What design touches can make a house more attractive to buyers?Buyers focus on the color —  inside and outside —  and painting is the cheapest upgrade. Anything vibrant is risky, and neutral is trendy, so I recommend gray or beige.

47 Mary Baubonis @Properties $30.5 million

48 Susie Scheuber RE/Max $30.3 million

49 Elizabeth Wieneke Compass $29.7 million

50 Mona Hellinga BHHS Chicago $29.6 million

51 Jeff Stainer RE/Max $29.0

52 Julie Kaczor Baird & Warner $29.0

53 Lisa Byrne Baird & Warner $28.9 million

54 Shaun Raugstad @Properties $28.7 million

55 Aly Tesar Compass $28.5 million

56 Kari Kohler Coldwell Banker $28.2 million

57 Susan Teper @Properties $28.2 million

58 Vaseekaran Janarthanam RE/Max $28.0 What design touches can make a house more attractive to buyers?Lately, we’ve seen a lot of quartz countertops, hardwood floors, and gray walls. People are also looking for fancier blinds and light fixtures. Will this market stay hot?The mid-2000s bubble was due to hype. Now, everything is under control: Interest rates are low, appraisals are stringent. This market is going to hold.

59 Jody Dickstein @Properties $27.6 million

60 Pam Rueve Jameson Sotheby’s $27.1 million

61 Nicholas Colagiovanni Baird & Warner $26.8 million

62 Matt McCollum eXp Realty $26.7 million

63 Trish Orndorff @Properties $26.7 million

64 Diana Matichyn Coldwell Banker $26.2 million

65 Laura Fitzpatrick @Properties $26.2 million

66 Robbie Morrison Coldwell Banker $26.2 million

67 Lindsay Everest BHHS Chicago $26.1 million

68 Joann Coghill Keller Williams $25.6 million

69 Sara Brahm Baird & Warner $25.6 million

70 Megan McCleary BHHS Chicago $25.6 million

71 Marla Schneider Coldwell Banker $25.5 million

72 Michael Hall Baird & Warner $24.5 million

73 Alan Berlow Coldwell Banker $24.3 million

74 Elizabeth August @Properties $24.3 million

75 Meg Whitted Baird & Warner $24.2 million

76 Nancy Adelman Compass $24.0

77 Suzanne Gignilliat @Properties $24.0

78 Alan Candea Dream Town $23.9 million

79 Stephanie LoVerde Baird & Warner $23.7 million

80 Marta Lazic Jameson Sotheby’s $23.7 million

81 Chris Veech @Properties $23.7 million

82 Chris Pequet Jameson Sotheby’s $23.5 million

83 Bonnie Tripton @Properties $23.4 million

84 Paul Barker Baird & Warner $23.2 million

85 Megan Tirpak @Properties $23.0

86 Dawn Recchia @Properties $23.0

87 Andy Mrowiec Compass $22.8 million

88 Randall Brush Coldwell Banker $22.7 million

89 Gwen Farinella Jameson Sotheby’s $22.6 million

90 Salvador Gonzalez RE/Max $22.5 million

91 Mark Kloss @Properties $22.4 million

92 Bruce Glazer @Properties $22.2 million

93 Adam Zagata D’Aprile Properties $22.2 million

94 Tina Marie Mateja Baird & Warner $22.2 million

95 Michael Rosenblum BHHS Chicago $22.1 million

96 Kevin Terry Compass $22.0

97 Janet Borden Compass $21.9 million

98 Cathy Oberbroeckling Baird & Warner $21.8 million

99 Dinny Dwyer Coldwell Banker $21.7 million

100 John Lyons Baird & Warner $21.4 million

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Chicago Bulls: Patrick Williams shows off new and improved offense by Anish Puligilla

Going into summer league, no player was going to have more eyes (of Chicago Bulls fans) on him than Marko Simonovic. He is a 6’11 center/power forward from Montenegro and second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2020.

The Chicago Bulls have an urgent need in their frontcourt to bolster depth behind Nikola Vucevic – especially with Lauri Markkanen on his way out. While they did sign Tony Bradley earlier this summer, Simonovic is still poised to have a significant role on the team this season within their frontcourt rotation. Marko Simonovic’s performance in his Summer League debut for the Chicago Bulls is cause for optimism despite the team’s loss.

In his 15 minutes, Simonovic posted a stat line of 13 points and five rebounds to go along with one steal. At his height of 6’11, it was good to see Simonovic establish an interior presence. His predecessor on the Bulls, Lauri Markkanen, struggled to find an interior game and often planted himself at the three-point line.

As a result, while the Chicago Bulls were able to say they had a seven-footer in the frontcourt, the team’s play on the court never demonstrated it – this does not seem to be the case with Simonovic.

The Chicago Bulls are encouraged after Marko Sumonovic’s summer league game.

The main things that stood out to me about Simonovic were his willingness to absorb contact, play inside, and his overall effort. These were abilities that fans always wanted to see emerge in Lauri, but never saw come to fruition.

Additionally, Simonovic shot 35 percent from three in the Adriatic League last season which means he still has the ability to be an outside threat but what I enjoy about his game is that he uses it as a weapon rather than centering his entire game around it.

As a result, my way too early assessment of Marko Simonovic is that his game and impact on the Bulls roster could match that of Daniel Theis more than Lauri Markkanen. This could be excellent for the team because I believe the loss of Theis is more significant than many realize given his defensive effort and presence in the frontcourt.

Ultimately, the player I was most keen on watching as the Chicago Bulls kicked off their summer league season was Marko Simonovic. I was impressed with how he already understands the advantage of his size and how to use it to create plays.

Additionally, I loved that he didn’t settle for a “3 and D” type role even though he can hit threes at an above-average rate. Hopefully, he will continue to develop into this role and the Chicago Bulls might not only have the answer to their frontcourt depth but perhaps a long-term answer at the center position after Nikola Vucevic retires.

Related Story: Markkanen cuts ties to Chicago Bulls on social media

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A 14-year-old boy was charged in connection with a shooting that left a teenage boy dead and another wounded last month in Englewood.

The teen is charged with felony counts of murder and attempted murder in the July 24 shooting, Chicago police said.

Lugean Turner, 17, and a 16-year-old boy were in a backyard about 1:15 a.m. in the 6800 block of South Peoria Street when someone fired shots at them, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Turner was struck in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

The 16-year-old was shot in the abdomen and was taken to the same hospital in serious condition at the time. Police originally reported he was 15 years old.

The 14-year-old was allegedly identified as the attacker and was taken into custody Monday, police said.

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The Bears still have a miles-long injury report — but at least they’re getting one former Pro Bowl player back.

Safety Eddie Jackson came off the reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday and is set to practice with the team, coach Matt Nagy said. He came to training camp with a hamstring injury and has not played a practice snap this year.

Jackson could appear in the Bears’ preseason game Saturday; Nagy said that starters will play one or two series — or eight-to-10 snaps — at Soldier Field.

“We’re gonna work through volume of reps in practice and then we’ll get together the next couple nights here and start putting together an idea of getting through these next few days — of what it’s going to look like for the preseason game, too … ” Nagy said. “There’s a little juggling that goes on with how we want to do that for that game and then obviously we also gotta get through these next two days with Miami too.”

Jackson has been a constant presence at training camp despite the injury, holding the play cards on the sideline and communicating with coaches and teammates.

“It’s good to have the script out there for Eddie because he gets to see all parts of what they’re doing,” Nagy said. “And, again, he’s been through this before with knowing how the practice goes.”

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