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Lindsey Stirling is excited about marking her first concert appearance in Chicago since her 2017 Lollapalooza performance.

“Getting to now stand on stage and perform music and see what it means to people in-person after so long makes me remember how powerful music is to not only connect people,” said Stirling, an Arizona native. “It’s a language that goes beyond words.”

The show, scheduled for Tuesday, is one of 35 that Stirling has as part of her Artemis Tour (which is scheduled to end Sept. 10 at Milwaukee’s Summerfest). The show features tracks from Stirling’s fifth and latest album, “Artemis,” which debuted in September 2019 at No. 1 on Billboard’s dance/electronic albums chart before the pandemic rocked the live entertainment industry into desolation for over a year. Kiesza, an uptempo Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist who transcends genre, will join Stirling in her Chicago show, performing songs from her latest album, “Crave.”

Stirling’s tour name is inspired by the Greek goddess Artemis, a huntress with a wild nature and proclivity to dance. Stirling is known for her ability to draw her bow across the strings of her violin with an electric enthusiasm while dancing en pointe in a modern ballet style.

“This tour and this album is all inspired by [the “Artemis”] comic book that I wrote,” Stirling said. “It really gives a new life to the whole process of writing and touring… And it’s been especially fun trying to bring that story to life, not only through the music videos, but then to really think outside the box for the tour, from the costuming to the videos we play on the screen to the style of dancing we do. It makes for a very entertaining, colorful show.”

Her tour costumes are reminiscent of a wilderness left behind in the modernization of society. Folklore is ever-present in the thematic approach, fused with electronic dance music and classical violin. The set is bold and colorful, pulling from the storyline of her comic book series to bring light to her life and others’ during dark times.

“We’ve all been so deprived of these kinds of experiences and interactions, so there is just this really special feeling of gratitude that’s very powerful and very tangible,” Stirling said. “Even if you don’t come to my show, I highly recommend going to anyone’s show at this time because I think it’s a special time that won’t last forever. It’s something that anyone who experiences it is going to remember for the rest of their life.”

Stirling has been in the spotlight for more than a decade, getting her start as one of the first YouTube music sensations and appearing on “America’s Got Talent” in 2010.

Over the course of the past year (Stirling had not performed since 2019), she said she’s battled with a feeling of inadequacy. The first few tour shows were the most difficult because of that struggle; she cried in her dressing room after performing.

But her battle for perfection is something Stirling said she has long dealt with, driving her to anorexia, and ultimately overcoming her eating disorder through therapy.

“Now when I feel those feelings, I get reminded that I’m stepping onto the stage in the wrong way, if I’m stepping on the stage worrying that people are going to think I’m not enough,” Stirling said. “The show is about them — the fans. I really hope that when people hear my music they believe they can fight, because we often build the box that we live in.”

She continues to promote her nonprofit charity, The Upside Fund, to help families in need during the ongoing pandemic.

In Stirling’s spare time, she enjoys watching the TV show “Nashville” because of its authentic depiction of the music scene and multi-dimensional characters. Her guilty pleasure, though, is hit sitcom “New Girl.”

“I’m very excited to come back to Chicago,” Stirling said. “Back in the day before I ever had a band and I was just playing on my own with an iPod and a violin, one of the first shows I ever did was a showcase in Chicago. I’ll never forget that I walked a long way to Lou Malnati’s and learned I could only order a really large pizza and not eat by the slice. I asked a random guy on the street if he would like to split a pizza with me. I still have him in my phone as Chicago Tom.”

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The Cubs placed five-time Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward on the 10-day injured list Friday because of inflammation in his left index finger.

Manager David Ross said the finger has been bothering Heyward for “a pretty good bit” and he aggravated it taking batting practice at Colorado this week. Heyward is batting .198 with six homers and 22 RBIs.

The Cubs also recalled outfielder Greg Deichmann from Triple-A Iowa. He was acquired July 26 from Oakland in the deal that sent reliever Andrew Chafin to the Athletics.

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SAITAMA, Japan — For USA Basketball, some eras will end Saturday. It will be Jerry Colangelo’s last game as managing director of the men’s national team. It’ll mark the end of Gregg Popovich’s commitment as the team’s coach. Some players will likely be wearing the U.S. jersey for the final time.

Change is coming.

The Americans just don’t want it to be atop the medal stand.

France — the new official nemesis of USA Basketball — awaits the Americans in the gold-medal game on Saturday. France has won the last two meetings between the programs, denying the U.S. a chance to play for a medal at the 2019 Basketball World Cup and then winning again in both teams’ opener at the Tokyo Olympics.

“We came here with one goal and that’s to win a gold medal,” U.S. guard Damian Lillard said. “And now we’re in a position to do it.”

It would be a fourth consecutive gold for the U.S., and if secured that would mark the longest run of American dominance at an Olympics since the program won golds in each of the first seven tournaments from 1936 through 1968. Kevin Durant can join Carmelo Anthony as the only men in U.S. history with three gold medals, and Popovich — who served his country at the United States Air Force Academy and tried to play for his country at the 1972 Olympics but wasn’t selected — can only add to his lengthy list of accomplishments by winning gold.

“It’s been a tough run for us, and for us to be back is exciting,” Durant said.

Later Saturday, Luka Doncic and Slovenia will meet Patty Mills and Australia for the bronze, the winning side assured of claiming its first Olympic men’s basketball medal.

The summer for the Americans started with two exhibition losses, then the loss to France in the Olympic opener, and the U.S. had to pull off double-digit comebacks — 10 against Spain, 15 against Australia — in each of their last two games just to make the final.

Yet the Americans have clearly gotten better. The French, who have Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier among others with lengthy NBA experience on their roster, agree.

“This is not the same team we played two weeks ago,” said France’s Nicolas Batum, another of the NBA players on that roster.

The only national team that has defeated the U.S. men three consecutive times at the top level of international competition — the Olympics or what is now called the World Cup, formerly the world championships — was the Soviet Union. They garnered the still-debated gold-medal win at the 1972 Olympics and then topped the Americans at worlds in 1974 and 1978.

France is one win from matching that feat.

“I think, I hope, that we will be ready Saturday,” France coach Vincent Collet said. “We know Team USA is the favorite of this final. They have been (the) favorite for the last couple games. But I hope when we play against them we sustain our fire, we sustain our energy, even if we know they are favored.”

That doesn’t seem like it’ll be a problem for the French. After France survived the semifinals against Slovenia with a 90-89 win — secured when Batum blocked a layup try with 2.4 seconds remaining — Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was asked his thoughts on playing the U.S. for gold.

“I think it will represent something pretty special,” Luwawu-Cabarrot said, “because it’s the first one we’re going to win.”

That isn’t a level of confidence often heard before teams play the U.S., at least not in this era of sending NBA players to the Olympics. But the French have reason for that swagger right now, given the win in China then rallying to beat the Americans in the group-play opener. They believe they can win, despite being listed as double-digit underdogs.

“We all knew from the beginning what they were capable of and we know how they’ve stepped up every time during the tournament,” France’s Nando de Colo said. “We did a good game the first time, and we’ve got a lot of respect for their team. But we will play this final with a lot of confidence, and the most important thing is to stay focused on what we do as a team.”

This game marks only the second time that the U.S. will have gotten a rematch in the same Olympics against a team that defeated the Americans earlier in the tournament. The other instance came in 2004, when the U.S. lost to Lithuania in group play before winning the rematch in the bronze-medal game.

That was the tournament where the Americans realized everything had to change. Colangelo was brought in to rebuild the program, Mike Krzyzewski was hired to coach what became the first three Olympic runs and then the baton was passed to Popovich.

Colangelo has talked many times about how he’d like nothing more than to end his tenure with another gold.

France is assured of, at worst, matching its best Olympic performance; it got silvers after losing gold-medal games to the U.S. in 1948 and 2000.

The Americans — looking for a 16th gold medal in 19 Olympic appearances — don’t have that luxury. For them, only one outcome will be good enough.

“We’re here for the gold medal,” U.S. center Bam Adebayo said. “We’re not here to be second.”

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Next month Frank Lloyd Wright and Prairie School architecture will be celebrated at the annual Wright Plus housewalk in Oak Park and River Forest. But what makes these two neighboring western suburbs truly special is not just the 31 Wright-designed structures, but the wide variety of historic architecture that can be found here. Many of the houses come with impressive architectural pedigrees, whether it is Oak Park’s most “intact” Victorian designed by local architect Henry G. Fiddelke (who also worked on Ernest Hemingway’s childhood home) or a disputed River Forest residence done by either Wright himself or one of his young draftsmen, Harry Robinson.

If you’re an architecture geek like me, walking around OPRF can be like visiting an outdoor museum. Located just nine miles west of downtown Chicago, it’s a convenient place to live if you want to be close to the city. And though it can be a bit pricey, you can buy into the suburb’s architectural heritage.

Let’s start with the crème de la crème. When I lived near the intersection of Pleasant and Grove I’d always admire the impressive Victorians that sit on all four corners. This home at 139 South Grove Avenue designed by Fiddelke & Ellis is one of them. In our current world of HGTV renovations, it’s pretty shocking to see a home in such original condition with ornate millwork, stained glass windows, pocket doors, built-in furniture like bookcases and sideboards, as well as six fireplaces with hand-carved mantels. Five different types of wood was used throughout the home and none of it has been painted. It’s a miracle! Although the kitchen has been modernized, it still preserves the historical flair of the home. The one-bedroom coach house can be rented out or used for whatever suits your needs, whether as a guest house or office. But the best part is its walkability—not just to stores and restaurants in the Hemingway District but to public transportation. 

Located a few doors down from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Winslow House, this 1960 ranch-style design was one of twelve built by architect and developer Martin H. Braun on the former estate of Edward C. Waller. Chicago Tribune advertisements for Braun’s “tomorrow’s houses” lured potential owners with amenities like rumpus rooms and built-in televisions. Some of those original details survive, but this 10-room home has been updated for life in today’s world. Plus it has a yard to die for! You’ll find a surrounding deck, garden ponds, green house, and above ground pool. That might explain the hefty price, but who wouldn’t want a private oasis on an acre lot that backs up to the woods and the Des Plaines River?

Roy J. Hotchkiss was the draftsmen for local architect E.E. Roberts and these two men were responsible for hundreds of buildings in Oak Park, including the town’s art deco masterpiece, the Medical Arts Building. He designed this Craftsman-style Foursquare in 1924. Almost a hundred years later the home is a blend of historic charm on the exterior with modern day decor on the inside. You’ll find plenty of space here with 15 rooms offering different options for further renovation, plus a large coach house out back. And you’re just steps away from a Green Line stop.

This 1914 Prairie-style home comes with controversy. Frank Lloyd Wright famously did “bootleg houses” on the sly, which led to his boss Louis Sullivan firing him. Well, history repeats itself. Architectural historian William Allin Storrer declared an entire block of homes in River Forest to be Frank Lloyd Wright designs, although evidence shows they are “bootlegs” by Wright’s draftsman Harry Robinson. One of these disputed homes is currently for sale. Historically appropriate details include art glass and a roman brick fireplace. There is also a bright sun room for reading and relaxation and contemplation… who *actually* designed this house?

Located in between two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes on Oak Park’s beautiful Forest Avenue, this understated 1890 Queen Anne was designed by Patton & Fisher, architects responsible for a number of buildings in town, as well as one of Chicago’s most visible architectural landmarks: the vividly red-brick Main Building at the Illinois Institute of Technology, completed three years after this house. While preserving the original woodwork, the home has been tastefully updated inside with new bathrooms and a bright white kitchen that opens up to a spacious family room. Compared to the Victorian on Grove, which seems like a museum, this old home is quite livable for modern tastes.

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It seems that Zach LaVine’s shooting range is about 6,300 miles out.

According to a source, the Bulls guard was in constant contact with not only his front office with the start of free agency, but with several of the targeted players the Bulls had been in discussions with, all the while working with Team USA from the Olympics in Tokyo.

He took his best shot to play the role of recruiter and delivered.

Not that it should come as much of a surprise, considering how LaVine was talking about his role in the free agent process at the start of this week.

“I should have a good idea of what’s going on,” LaVine said. “I take that very serious. I’m going to keep up to date on what’s going on back home, but obviously still get my rest.”

He did both even if it did make him the fourth-highest paid player on the roster for the upcoming season.

With the Bulls reaching agreements with Lonzo Ball for four years, $85 million, and then a day later DeMar DeRozan at $85 million over three years, that drops LaVine to that payroll clean-up spot.

Depending on the details of both deals, Ball still breaks down to an average of $21.3 million a season, while DeRozan is at $28 million. Big man Nikola Vucevic will make $24 million for the upcoming season, while LaVine is in the final season of a deal that will pay him $19.5 this year.

Obviously that could drastically change at this time next offseason, but what LaVine showed the last few weeks is he has no problem putting the salary ego in check for the betterment of his organization.

Not all former Bulls All-Star quality players thought that way.

That’s why LaVine should be applauded. Even when the Olympic team came together for training in Las Vegas last month, the guard acknowledged that the recruiting process between elite talent was undoubtedly going to happen, and if that meant immediate changes of address or a few years down the road for it to happen, so be it.

He was still all in.

“I mean players is gonna be players, man. You gonna mingle and talk,” LaVine said.

And for LaVine that obviously didn’t mean mingling and talking to only the players in the Team USA camp. It doesn’t mean he was done, either.

There’s still the ongoing drama with restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen and what the Bulls could try and turn him into in a possible sign-and-trade for another piece. Especially with Markkanen reiterating on Friday how he would like a fresh start elsewhere in an interview he did with a media member from Finland.

Markkanen had been expressing — both privately and publicly — that same sentiment with the Chicago media for the past two seasons.

So how did LaVine do in his first real major push in helping the organization talk to guys about joining him? He should be proud.

Free agent grades for the Bulls:

Lonzo Ball – PG – It’s been the worst-kept secret since 2019, when the Sun-Times reported the old Bulls regime was kicking the tires on Ball. Then a Laker, Ball’s camp leaked that Chicago was a destination place for the former No. 2 pick, and GarPax definitely gave it a sniff.

With this current roster needing a true point guard, as well as a player who can control tempo and be a willing defender for coach Billy Donovan, the timing was perfect. More importantly, Ball can be a star for the second wave of talent that executive vice president of basketball Arturas Karnisovas is building — along with Patrick Williams — so a complete home run. Grade: A

Alex Caruso – G – It’s pretty simple why this signing happened. The Bulls guards were terrible at disrupting the pick-and-roll at the point of attack, and that’s Caruso’s specialty. Is $9.2 million a year pricey for the former Laker? Maybe, but they were paying Cristiano Felicio $8 million a year the past few seasons to guard the end of the bench and model street clothes. Grade: B-

DeMar DeRozan – SF – The third year of the deal could hurt, but for the immediate upcoming season, DeRozan could be a perfect fit. Yes, the 20 points a night are nice, but it’s his ability to be a play-maker from that position that will shine in Donovan’s system. Grade: B+

Tony Bradley – C – The big man is a rim protector who could have a few solid moments off the bench. Great pickup for the money and the need. Grade: B

NOTE: Combo guard/forward Javonte Green is reportedly returning to the Bulls on a two-year deal. The front office and coaching staff loved his defensive energy last season, and have put an emphasis on that side of the ball this summer.

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With the action in Tokyo wrapping up this weekend, it’s looking like a pretty sure bet that this will be yet another Olympic Games in which I have failed to bring home a medal.

Sorry about that.

Going into these games, I thought I was a shoo-in to win the gold in Marathon Channel Surfing on the networks of NBC. But it turns out age has taken its toll on even my talent for watching television at all hours.

I knew I was in trouble when we took a family vacation, and my son’s girlfriend got up at 3 a.m. to watch the U.S. women’s soccer match. There was no way I could compete with that kind of stamina and dedication.

Still, if the organizers of the Paris 2024 games would just add Tears Shed Over The Athletic Achievements Of Strangers as a demonstration sport, I could be a contender.

I think I’ve gotten teary almost once a day, though the highlight had to be the video of those kids in Seward, Alaska, cheering for teenage classmate Lydia Jacoby as she won gold in swimming. Seeing their display of pure joy and excitement for their friend touched my inner fan.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve always been a little nutty about the Olympics.

This was proven out at the 1976 summer games in Montreal, when I checked into a mental hospital — OK, it had been temporarily converted into a tourist hostel — just for the chance to attend in person.

I was 21 at the time, and, until then, I had dedicated my life to finding a sport in which I could actually compete as a real Olympian.

I’m using “dedicated” here as a relative term to encompass an unnatural willingness to prove myself mediocre in all manner of athletic endeavors, not any actual dedication to practicing one.

I think that was the same year I took college classes in both fencing and badminton in hopes of still finding my breakthrough sport, having given up by then on all the mainstream endeavors after slowly coming to the realization that I would always be too slow, too weak and too uncoordinated, with a tendency to choke under pressure.

Even now, though, I’ll always wonder whether team handball might have been my calling if only I’d had the chance to try it.

Mental health of athletes has been a major topic at this year’s Olympics thanks to Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the gymnastics competition, and I wonder if perhaps some attention should be devoted to the syndrome of individuals suffering dashed dreams of Olympic glory who never had any business having such dreams.

As I write this, there’s a replay of the women’s water polo and wrestling on one channel and a live broadcast of the men’s 50k walk race on another.

I am switching back and forth, because, of course, I wouldn’t want to miss out on any major development in the walking race — the most ridiculous track and field event in the Olympics. A sack race would make more sense. Or even a mixed man-woman three-legged race.

I know. I shouldn’t give NBC any ideas.

Mixed-gender competitions have become a big thing at these Olympics, in case you haven’t been watching. I still haven’t made up my mind what to think about them.

It’s definitely a bad idea in track, where it creates one more opportunity for the Americans to screw up a relay race while opening up a whole new avenue of excuses: gender-blaming.

What is it about Americans and relay races, especially the men? The deepest bench of fast athletes in the world (with the possible recent exception of Jamaica), but they can’t handle the task of handing off a baton.

I regard the Olympic relay failures over the past 20 years as symbolic of our country as a whole: We can’t pull together and cooperate to accomplish the most simple tasks. No wonder we can’t solve the big problems.

Of course, I once ran the anchor leg of a 4×100 relay when I was 15. Thanks to me, we finished last.

Some people are born to compete, and some are born to wish they could.

I recently bought a kayak. And I’m practicing.

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TOKYO — Allyson Felix finished third in the 400 meters Friday to win her 10th career medal and become the most-decorated woman in the history of Olympic track.

The 35-year-old Felix, a stalwart of American track and field, started in the outside lane and outraced Stephanie Ann McPherson of Jamaica to take third place by 0.15 seconds.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo blew away the field, winning in 48.36 seconds to defend her Olympic title from Rio de Janeiro.

Felix’s 10th Olympic medal broke a tie with Jamaican runner Merlene Ottey, and matches Carl Lewis, who also won 10 medals and was alone as the most decorated U.S. athlete in track.

The victory for Felix comes nearly three years after she helped spearhead a conversation about the way women are treated in track, and sports in general. She severed ties with Nike, which wrote in pay reductions to women’s contracts if they became pregnant. Felix had a daughter in 2018.

She won the race wearing a shoe she designed for a company she created.

This is the first bronze medal of an Olympic career that spans back to the 2004 Athens Games. Earlier, she had won six gold and three silver. She could go for No. 11 if the U.S. puts her in the 4×400 relay final, which is set for Saturday night.

While third place might have been a letdown in the past for Felix — famous are the snapshots of her crying in the recesses of the stadium after some hard-luck losses in Athens and Beijing — this one was nothing but sweet.

Felix has spoken candidly about the struggle to come back from a difficult pregnancy that led to an emergency C-section and put the lives of both her and her baby in jeopardy.

She’s spoken of the pressure she felt to return quickly, even when her body wasn’t responding the way it once did.

She also overcame one of her biggest hurdles — leaving her well-cultivated private image behind to become a spokesperson for something much bigger.

This week, she gave voice to the topic that’s been filtering through the Tokyo Olympics — the pressure to win.

“When I line up for a race, I’m normally afraid,” she said in a heartfelt essay on social media, posted only hours before the race. “I’m not afraid of losing. I lose much more than I win. That’s life and I think that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

After a semifinal heat in which she had to run full-out to make it to the medal race, she conceded that merely getting this far was quite an accomplishment. She’s not as young as she used to be, she quipped. Unspoken was the thought that she might walk away without a medal in her last individual Olympic race.

Her result in the semifinals relegated her to Lane 9, the far outside — a spot where you cannot see any of the runners until reaching the homestretch. Felix resisted the urge to go out too quickly, and when she rounded the last bend, she was in a battle for third with McPherson.

Felix won it, then collapsed on the ground — smiling wide this time for third place, a result that put her alone in the record books.

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SAITAMA, Japan — Soon after the U.S. women finished off Serbia to reach the Olympic gold medal game, members of the Japanese military honor guard started practicing for the medal ceremony.

The U.S. already knows that drill.

Brittney Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the Americans beat the Serbians 79-59 on Friday to advance to title game.

“This is exactly where we want to be,” said Breanna Stewart, who also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. “Everything is on the line. We’re going to do what we can to make sure we come home with a gold.”

The Americans are now one win away from a seventh consecutive gold medal which would match the U.S. men’s team that won seven Olympic titles in a row from 1936-68.

It would also give Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi five gold medals — the most ever by a basketball player in the Olympics. The Americans will face Japan on Sunday. The teams played in the preliminary round and the U.S. won 86-69. Japan beat France 87-71 in the semifinals, assuring the host nation its first medal ever in women’s basketball.

“I think everybody here wants to win gold for them, for us, for everybody that’s started this streak that got us here,” Griner said. “You know there’s a lot of different reasons why we want to win this gold medal. So I think you’re going to see some really good basketball in the gold medal game.”

The U.S. got a scare when Taurasi, grimacing and appearing to rub her left hip after collision, left the game midway through the third quarter. U.S. trainer Ed Ryan was talking with Taurasi when she went to the bench and she didn’t return. Taurasi missed the three exhibition games in Las Vegas with a hip pointer but appeared to moving without any issues during timeouts.

“Yeah, I’ve been battling this hip thing for a little bit so it’s just a little bothersome,” Taurasi said. “It’s fine.”

The U.S., which beat both France and Japan in pool play, has won 54 consecutive Olympic games now dating back to the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

The Americans got off to another strong start for the second straight game. Trailing 4-3, they methodically went on a 20-4 run to take control with a berth in the gold medal game on the line. Griner had four points on one possession. She hit two free throws after a foul was upgraded to unsportsmanlike and then scored cutting to the basket on a pin-point pass from Stewart and the Americans led 25-12 after one.

Neither team could really get much going for the first few minutes of the second quarter as there were more missed shots and turnovers than points. Serbia cut the deficit to nine points behind Yvonne Anderson, who played at Texas and became a Serbian naturalized citizen last year to play in the Olympics. She finished with a team-high 15 points.

The U.S. scored the next nine points, a run started by A’ja Wilson’s three-point play and led 41-23 at the half. The lead ballooned to 23 points early in the third quarter before the Serbia reserves started pressing and cut the deficit to 14 late in the period. The Americans scored the final five points to put the game away.

Serbia rested its starters for most of the second half with the bronze medal game roughly 24 hours away. The country won the bronze in the 2016 Rio Games.

“When you have one last chance to get a medal, it’s definitely who will want it more, who will be more hungry,” Serbia coach Marina Maljkovic said.

Serbia didn’t get a chance to warm up until 25 minutes before the game because traffic delayed the team’s arrival and the NBC Spydercam that hovers above the court had a cable break about 40 minutes before tip.

“It definitely was untimely to have these issues,” said Anderson. “What can you do? We’re an hour away and hit traffic. We tried to come out and there were camera issues. In the end you have to take what you’re given. We already faced an uphill battle.”

Serbia shot just 30% from the field — including missing 15 of its 19 3-point attempts.

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It never would have occurred to me that an owner of the Chicago Cubs could win a World Series and then, somehow, in the space of five fast years, turn into a villain. In a similar vein, it never would occur to me that a banana could turn into, say, a grenade.

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, his siblings and their dad’s money won a championship in 2016, breaking a 108-year Saharan dry spell. You want to talk about earning a lifetime of goodwill! Tom Terrific had done what had been considered impossible. Chicago was his.

As it turned out, though, winning the World Series and ending that curse was not the impossible part. Ricketts began testing all that goodwill by putting a price tag on anything that moved. Also anything that didn’t move. So Wrigley Field and the surrounding area became the maniacal focus of his attention. It was a theme park devoted solely to making money off Cubs fans.

That wouldn’t have been so bad if an organization purportedly built for multiple championships didn’t start slipping, thanks, in part, to an owner who refused to increase spending on the team that played inside the ballpark. It all hit rock bottom recently when the Cubs traded fan favorites Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez in the name of not doling out a lot of money.

Tom Terrific had become Tom the Terrible.

Ricketts doesn’t see himself that way because self-awareness doesn’t often visit the fabulously wealthy. He clearly believes he deserves better from fans for winning the World Series, and you can’t help but sense in him a bit of rich-kid resentment that the townies don’t appreciate what he has done for them.

In an attempt to explain why the club had moved Rizzo and the others, Ricketts wrote a letter to Cubs season ticketholders. It was a bunch of nonsense. He signed it “Tom,” in keeping with his man-of-the-people opinion of himself. If you don’t know already, he mixes with everyday folks in the stands. It’s why he calls himself the most accessible owner in sports, even though he’s been treating the media as if it’s COVID-19 contagious for 12 years.

It’s not always easy being an owner in a town as demanding of its sports teams as Chicago is. But some owners make it harder on themselves than would seem humanly possibly. This is a good time to take a look at the people who own the teams in Chicago. It’s a nice exercise in “my how things have changed.”

Whose arrow is up and whose is down? Let’s take a look.

Tom Ricketts, Cubs. Arrow: down.

As if getting rid of three icons weren’t bad enough, news broke Thursday that the Cubs had received permission from a city landmark commission to build a two-story sports book next to Wrigley. There is no such thing as unfortunate timing. There is only aptness. If it looks like the Cubs are money-grubbing, bottom-line, sell-their-soul capitalists, I’m here to tell you that there’s nothing wrong with your vision.

Ricketts wants your cash. The rest is incidental.

Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox and Bulls. Arrow: up.

Everything is going right for Reinsdorf, whose Sox have legitimate World Series aspirations. Despite some recent struggles, they still have a huge division lead over second-place Cleveland. Even the uproar over the chairman’s decision to hire older-than-God Tony La Russa as manager has been blunted by the team’s success.

Reinsdorf’s Bulls, although still firmly lodged in NBA mediocrity, made some moves recently that, at a minimum, are intriguing. Team vice president Arturas Karnisovas added Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. The Bulls have our attention.

If it’s any consolation to Ricketts, Reinsdorf used to be considered a scoundrel by Bulls and Sox fans alike. So there’s hope.

Rocky Wirtz, Blackhawks. Arrow: down.

Wirtz has a mess on his hands. Chicago and the hockey world are watching to see how the Hawks respond to a former player’s lawsuit. It says the team ignored his claims that a former video coach sexually assaulted him during the 2010 Stanley Cup championship season. Another lawsuit claims that the Hawks failed to notify a Michigan high school of the accusations against the video coach, Bradley Aldrich. After the school hired him, he allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old student. The lawsuit also alleges that the Hawks gave Aldrich a “positive review and/or employment verification” when he applied for a job at the school.

The Hawks have hired a prominent Chicago law firm to investigate the claims, and an outraged fan base will not settle for the affair being swept under a rug. As it stands now, some of the shine of team’s Stanley Cup era has been removed. Reputations, which have taken a beating during the scandal, seem like the least of the Hawks’ problems.

Oh, and if that’s not enough, decisions by the Washington Football Team and the Cleveland Indians to do away with names and images offensive to Native Americans place more of a spotlight on the Blackhawks and their logo. Is a day of reckoning coming?

George McCaskey, Bears. Arrow: sideways.

Other than the surprising addition of quarterback Justin Fields, whom the Bears traded up to get in the 2021 draft, there hasn’t been a whole lot of change to a team that has gone 8-8 each of the past two seasons. And no can be sure when Fields will play this season or if he can play.

Somehow, general manager Ryan Pace is still here, as is coach Matt Nagy … so why isn’t McCaskey’s arrow pointing down? Because there’s still talent on this team, especially on the defensive side. And, given that everything is relative in life, McCaskey doesn’t look nearly as bad as Ricketts right now. A jaundiced observer’s response: Let’s talk again in January.

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Yep, you’ve guessed it. It’s Crosstown Classic time! And it’s this weekend. And that means your favorite bars and restaurants are serving you the best foods and cocktails for the games. And I know you’re looking for the best spots in Chicago to watch it this weekend. So, look no further! This weekend, cheer on your favorite Chicago baseball teams at baseball hotspots, PB&J, Recess, Rizzo’s Bar & Inn, and Cork and Kerry’s! 

205 N Peoria St, Chicago, IL 60607

This weekend only, sports fans can root for their favorite home team while sipping on a frozen blue cocktail slushy to support the Cubs and a frozen white cocktail slushie to support the White Sox. Are you a fan of both? PB&J can combine the two flavors to make a Blue and White frozen swirl. And if you’re wondering what’s in these special drinks, the White Sox Frozen Colada is made with Bacardi Rum, Pineapple Juice, and Cream of Coconut (Pina Colada) and the Cub’s Blue Frozen Cocktail features Smirnoff Blue Lemonade, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, and Blueberry Redbull!

838 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60642 

Take a break and go to Recess to catch this year’s Crosstown Classic outside on Chicago’s largest outdoor patio. Televisions adorn the entire space within Recess, so whether you’re on the patio or inside their dining hall, you’ll never miss a pitch or the Seventh Inning Stretch. Mix your own margaritas on the brand-new Fender Blender bike between innings for perfectly blended spirits for your party, which serves up to six people. 

3658 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613

If you’re looking to pay homage to the history of Wrigley Field and its neighborhood, there is no better place than Rizzo’s Bar & Inn! It’s the perfect blend of old school and new school. This unique space features a patio with a retractable roof and heated floors, three full-service bars, twenty-eight LED TV’s and one thirteen-foot LED screen, perfect for this weekend’s Crosstown Classic. Not only is it the ideal place to watch the Cubs, but it’s also a great place to indulge in some alcoholic beverages. No shame in that.

Rizzo’s features FIVE insane fishbowl-type drinks that are perfect if you’re watching the games with your squad. These five include Tito’s Mule, Hornito’s Blood Orange Margarita, White Claw Bucket, Domestic Bucket, and Ketel One Cucumber Mint Refresher. And if you’re hungry and have a huge appetite, Rizzo’s has you covered. Order the Giant Pretzel and you won’t be disappointed. Yes, yes you guessed it, it’s a GINORMOUS Pretzel Served with a Side of Nacho Cheese, Whole Grain Mustard, and Cinnamon Butter. We’re not being hyperbolic when we say it’s basically the size of Wrigley Field itself. 

3258 S. Princeton Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

Last but not least, if you’re a Sox fan, head over to Cork & Kerry’s at the Park. Cork & Kerry At The Park is a neighborhood tavern located in Bridgeport and is only a couple of blocks from Guaranteed Rate Field. Their welcoming turn-of-the-century tavern boasts a menu featuring a large beer and drinks selection, traditional Irish meals, plus plenty of today’s favorite Chicago dishes. Enjoy the games with their award-winning burgers paired with perfectly cooked tater tots. A MUST! Or, indulge in some of Chicago’s favorites like a baseball classic, Vienna hot dog, Italian Beef, or a Four-Cheese Grilled Cheese. And it doesn’t stop there. What’s a baseball game without beer right? Cork & Kerry’s proudly serves Goose Island beers, featuring the 312, 4 Star Pils, Green Line Pale Ale, Old Man Grumpy, and an IPA. 

Featured Image Credit: Rizzo’s Bar & Inn on Facebook

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