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Chicago Cubs Rumors: Anthony Rizzo preparing for farewellJordan Campbellon July 28, 2021 at 4:39 pm

Jul 27, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) celebrates with catcher Willson Contreras (40) after hitting a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) celebrates with catcher Willson Contreras (40) after hitting a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is on Friday and there appears to be an increasing chance that the Chicago Cubs will trade first baseman Anthony Rizzo as the team continues to replenish their farm system.

Rizzo is among several players on the Cubs’ current roster that can be moved between now and Friday at 3:00 pm CST. Rizzo may be the biggest symbol of the Cubs’ core that was responsible for winning the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. A trade of Rizzo would certainly signal that the 2016 core is nothing more than a chapter in the past history of the Cubs’ organization.

Interest in Rizzo may have gained steam this week given the first baseman is finally showing signs of offensive life. Over the Cubs’ last 9 games, Rizzo has a slash line of .265/.375/.588 to go along with 3 home runs and 157 wRC+ (a value of 57 more runs than the average player per FanGraphs).

Rizzo had another home run on Tuesday night and energized the the fans in attendance. And, by one account at Wrigley Field during the Cubs’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, Rizzo could be preparing for his farewell from the Cubs’ organization.

The Chicago Cubs trading Anthony Rizzo would be the ultimate indicator that the team is ready to build a different core from the one they currently have.

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While Rizzo’s father is preparing for a farewell of the Cubs’ left handed first baseman, Rizzo, himself, told Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago that he is trying to not get caught up in the rumors:

“Whatever happens is out of my control right now,” added the lefty slugger with the spiking trade value. “To speculate I’m going to go here or I’m going to go there, that’s playing the child game on our end.”

The latest rumor has Rizzo being of strong interest to the Boston Red Sox. In the aforementioned Wittenmyer report, the Cubs’ insider solidified Boston’s interest in the Cubs’ first baseman:

But sources say the interest by the Red Sox is real, if not significant, and subject at this point to the Cubs coming off what’s considered a high asking price.

The encouraging sign from Wittenmyer’s report is that the Cubs’ asking price for Rizzo is at least high enough that they aren’t simply looking to trade Rizzo for the mere fact that he is a free agent at the end of the season. The point to the Cubs’ selling is to replenish their farm system. If a team like the Red Sox is willing to meet their asking price for a player like Rizzo, then without question, a deal should be made.

Having said all that, Rizzo does not have tremendous trade value. Rizzo’s season slash line of .248/.347/.448/.795 is a far cry from his career averages. If the Cubs truly do want to maximize Rizzo’s trade value, then they would almost certainly need to bundle him with an additional players. A bundle of Rizzo and closer Craig Kimbrel would certainly net the Chicago Cubs a fruitful return of prospects.

The Chicago Cubs have games against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on Wednesday and Thursday. With that in mind, there is chance that Rizzo’s farewell includes a curtain call at Wrigley Field as he is removed from one of those games because of a trade.

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Chicago Cubs Rumors: Anthony Rizzo preparing for farewellJordan Campbellon July 28, 2021 at 4:39 pm Read More »

Jacksonville, Florida is the American city with the fourth greatest economic growth in 2021.on July 28, 2021 at 3:59 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

Jacksonville, Florida is the American city with the fourth greatest economic growth in 2021.

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Jacksonville, Florida is the American city with the fourth greatest economic growth in 2021.on July 28, 2021 at 3:59 pm Read More »

Republicans Turn Their Backs On January Six Heroes in Blueon July 28, 2021 at 4:39 pm

The Quark In The Road

Republicans Turn Their Backs On January Six Heroes in Blue

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Republicans Turn Their Backs On January Six Heroes in Blueon July 28, 2021 at 4:39 pm Read More »

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Jensen K’s a career high 10; Rivas extends on-base streak to 26; Caissie homers againon July 28, 2021 at 3:59 pm

Cubs Den

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Jensen K’s a career high 10; Rivas extends on-base streak to 26; Caissie homers again

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Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Jensen K’s a career high 10; Rivas extends on-base streak to 26; Caissie homers againon July 28, 2021 at 3:59 pm Read More »

How limiting the Latin Mass may become the defining moment for Pope FrancisSteven P. Millieson July 28, 2021 at 3:23 pm

Pope Francis took sudden steps on July 16, 2021, to curtail the traditional Latin Mass, in an abrupt reversal of his predecessor’s policy.

To non-Catholics — and many Catholics — the decision may seem on first glance to be a technical, even obscure action not worth very much attention.

But it sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic Church. As a scholar who studies the Catholic Church‘s relationship to the world, I believe the move may be the most important action Francis has taken in an eventful papacy.

A history of the Mass

The Mass is the central act of Roman Catholic worship. During the earliest centuries of Christianity, there was widespread variation in the Mass. Local irregularities thrived at a time before printed books, and easy communication, were available.

But after the Reformation of the 16th century split the Western Church in two, the Roman Catholic Church regularized the form and the language of the Mass. At the Council of Trent, a gathering of Catholic bishops in northern Italy between 1545 and 1563 prompted by the rise of Protestantism, the Mass was codified. Disseminating the new rules to churches across Europe was made easier with the help of the newly invented printing press.

From that time, the ordinary celebration of the Mass followed a precise format that was set forth in printed books — and was always celebrated in Latin.

This Mass held firm in Catholic life for 400 years.

That was until the Second Vatican Council of 1962 to 1965. Also known as Vatican II, the council was convened to address the position of the Catholic Church in the modern world. Vatican II decreed that Catholics should be full, active participants in the Mass. Among other changes favoring that decree, the Mass was to be translated into local languages.

But before long, some Catholics began to express misgivings about the new rules regarding Mass, fearing that it changed too much by upending centuries of tradition.

One of them was French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who refused to conduct the Mass in anything other than Latin, saying, “I prefer to walk in the truth without the Pope than to walk a false path with him.” On another occasion he commented: “Our future is the past.”

How call to unity backfired

In 1976, Pope Paul VI suspended Lefebvre from acting as a priest. Lefebvre responded by defying the pope to form his own school in Switzerland where seminarians could be trained in the pre-Vatican II Mass.

Paul VI’s successor, Pope John Paul II tried to mend fences with Lefebvre and his followers, but ended up excommunicating him in 1988 after the aging Lefebrve ordained four bishops to continue his movement.

Lefebvre’s death in 1991 did not end the movement to return to the Latin Mass.

Although the traditionalist movement was not particularly large, it remained persistent. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI expanded the use of the traditional Latin Mass. In an apparent olive branch to traditionalists, Benedict said at the time that everyone “has a place in the church.”

After consulting with bishops around the world, Pope Francis has now concluded that Benedict’s approach backfired. Expansion of the Latin Mass had, in Francis’ words, been “exploited to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and encourage disagreements that injure the Church, block her path, and expose her to the peril of division.”

As a result, the pope announced rules including preventing bishops from authorizing any new group wishing to use the Latin Mass, requiring them to personally approve any use of the Latin Mass, and preventing groups wishing to use the Latin Mass from worshipping at regular churches. This is more or less a return to the conditions before Pope Benedict acted.

‘What we pray is what we believe’

The history of the Latin Mass controversy is important to understand the position in which Pope Francis found himself and the Catholic Church. But some other things are important, too.

There is a saying in Catholic theology: “Lex orandi, lex credendi.” Loosely translated, it means that “what we pray is what we believe.”

This means that prayer and the Mass are not isolated realities. How Catholics conduct the Mass says something about what Catholics believe. And since Pope Benedict widened the Latin Mass’ availability, two different ways of praying had begun to signify two different, competing communities within the Catholic Church.

Many people prefer the Latin Mass purely for its beauty, and not all of those people are uncomfortable with Pope Francis’ leadership. But many traditionalists are, and their views are not confined to prayer and Mass. The worldview that many in the traditionalist movement share with someone like Archbishop Lefebvre, who supported such far-right political leaders as Jean-Marie Le Pen in France, Spain’s Francisco Franco and Augusto Pinochet in Chile, is very uncomfortable with the modern world. It does not fit with Francis’ vision of a Catholic Church aligned with open societies and on the side of the oppressed.

Traditionalists opposed to Pope Francis have found a refuge inside communities that celebrate the Latin Mass. It has insulated them from the direction in which Francis has been trying to take the church.

Restricting the traditional Latin Mass as he has, it seems that that Pope Francis is challenging traditionalists to be part of the same church as he is.

Schism or not, a defining moment

Some people have wondered whether Pope Francis will cause a schism, a permanent division in the church, with the new ruling.

That seems like the wrong question. In my view, the divisions were already there and would remain there whether or not Francis limited the traditional Latin Mass.

The church unity Pope Benedict had hoped would follow the expansion of the traditional Latin Mass has not happened, the Vatican has concluded. How traditionalists respond to Francis’ new restrictions will tell us much about the church’s future — and may prove to be the defining moment of the Francis papacy.

Steven P. Millies is an associate professor of public theology and director of The Bernardin Center, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. The CTU is a member of the Association of Theological Schools, which is a funding partner of The Conversation US.

This article originally was published on The Conversation.

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How limiting the Latin Mass may become the defining moment for Pope FrancisSteven P. Millieson July 28, 2021 at 3:23 pm Read More »

‘Stillwater’: Matt Damon excels as a stoic Oklahoma dad on a mission in MarseillesRichard Roeperon July 28, 2021 at 3:00 pm

Matt Damon doesn’t get enough credit for having the range of some of his flashier contemporaries, but over a 25-year career, Damon has proved to be one of the most versatile and reliable actors of his time, whether he’s an action hero in the “Bourne” movies or an old-fashioned leading man in fare such as “The Adjustment Bureau” or part of a world-class ensemble in the “Oceans” movies and “The Departed” or doing nomination-worthy work in films such as “Contagion” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”

Focus Features presents a film directed by Tom McCarthy and written by McCarthy, Thomas Bidegain, Noe Debre and Marcus Hinchey. Rated R (for language). Running time: 140 minutes. Opens Thursday at local theaters.

In director and co-writer Tom McCarthy’s provocative and stirring “Stillwater,” Damon turns in one of the finest performances of his career as he disappears into the character of Bill Baker, a stoic and world-weary oil worker from Oklahoma who has been knocked up and down the block by life and has endured numerable hardships — many if not most of his own making — but is determined to vindicate his grown daughter and free her from prison and in the process find some inner peace and redemption of his own.

Damon’s Bill is a thick-armed, 40-something loner with an American eagle tattoo who has been picking up day-labor work ever since he was laid off from his oil rig job. He’s always wearing a beat-up baseball cap and he has the face of a man who hasn’t smiled much but isn’t looking for trouble, either. Before this character has uttered a dozen lines, we feel like we know who he is and what he’s about — but the next thing we know, Bill is on a plane bound for Marseilles, and when he arrives at his motel, it’s clear he’s been there many times before.

No. He’s not a secret agent. He’s a dad who was estranged from his grown daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) for a lot of her life (Bill spent much of the time in a booze- and drug-fueled haze), and there’s heavy irony in the fact they’ve grown reasonably close after Allison, who was studying abroad, was convicted of killing her roommate and lover. (“Stillwater” is pure fiction, but the main story has obvious and strong echoes of the Amanda Knox case.) Allison has always maintained her innocence, but she’s been in prison for four years, so whenever Bill can muster the funds, he flies out to see her and to bring her a few things and spend some time with her. (Allison’s mother has passed, so it’s just Bill.)

Allison gets wind of a new lead in the case and asks her father to deliver a letter to her attorney — but the attorney says hearsay isn’t enough to reopen the case and the worst thing Bill can do is give his daughter false hope. Bill lies to Allison and tells her the government is looking into the matter, as he takes it upon himself to investigate the whisper of a lead. Now, if this were a Mark Wahlberg or Tom Cruise or even Liam Neeson movie, we might see the hulking Bill spring into action and start taking names and kicking ass, but “Stillwater” travels a much more authentic and muted route. Bill struggles to overcome the language barrier, makes an ill-fated trip to the dangerous Kalliste neighborhood that lands him in the hospital, and generally clomps about and makes a mess of things while trying to keep his temper in check.

A French actress (Camille Cottin) agrees to act as Bill’s interpreter.
Focus Features

It’s only by great good fortune that Bill strikes up a friendship with a kindly French stage actress named Virginie (Camille Cottin in a beautifully empathetic performance), who agrees to act as Bill’s translator and eventually invites to Bill to stay with her and her adorable 8-year-old daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud), who takes an instant liking to Bill and gives him something of a second chance to be a father figure. For long stretches of time, “Stillwater” is as much about the evolving dynamic in this makeshift family as it is about the murder case. Bill and Virginie really do come from two different worlds and yet we believe their relationship. Bill prays before every meal and owns two guns and dodges questions about whether he voted for Trump — but this is not some condescending, heavy-handed portrayal of a roughneck, quite likely right-wing American. Bill is smarter than he gives himself credit for and he has kindness in him as well.

But Bill is also prone to rash actions, which leads to a relatively late development in “Stillwater” that is jarring and misguided and lands this movie just short of greatness. It’s a plot development that paints itself into a corner and results in more than a few implausible consequences. But even when the story comes close to flying off the rails, Matt Damon holds steady and commands the screen.

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‘Stillwater’: Matt Damon excels as a stoic Oklahoma dad on a mission in MarseillesRichard Roeperon July 28, 2021 at 3:00 pm Read More »

Blackhawks’ Nikita Zadorov saga ends with trade to FlamesBen Popeon July 28, 2021 at 3:26 pm

Nikita Zadorov’s brief but eventful one-year run with the Blackhawks ended Wednesday, shortly before free agency opened.

Hawks general manager Stan Bowman dealt the imposing but mistake-prone defenseman to the Flames for a 2022 third-round pick.

The trade recouped more value for Zadorov than if he’d been taken in expansion draft, but far less value than the Brandon Saad package used to acquire Zadorov last fall. (To be fair, Saad also left the Avalanche on Wednesday, becoming a free agent.)

The Flames will inherit Zadorov’s $3.2 million qualifying offer, which kept him a restricted free agent, and negotiate a new contract with him in the coming days.

Zadorov’s final Hawks stat line — one goal, seven assists and 190 hits in 55 games — won’t make any hockey history books, but it was certainly eventful. Heralded at the start of the year as the immovable defensive defenseman the Hawks had long needed, shopped heavily in April ahead of the trade deadline and last week ahead of the draft, Zadorov’s name was constantly in the news.

The third-round selection was the Maple Leafs’ pick originally and gives the Hawks now three 2022 third-round picks: the Leafs’, Golden Knights’ and Oilers’, but not their own.

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Blackhawks’ Nikita Zadorov saga ends with trade to FlamesBen Popeon July 28, 2021 at 3:26 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs Rumors: Kris Bryant to the Giants very possibleJordan Campbellon July 28, 2021 at 3:01 pm

Jul 27, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) hits a solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) hits a solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

With the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline on Friday, the Chicago Cubs have a “for sale” sign outside of Wrigley Field and are expected to entertain offers for the likes of Craig Kimbrel, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Anthony Rizzo.

It appears to be a foregone conclusion that the Cubs will trade Kimbrel prior to the trade deadline on Friday but there is less certainty in regards Bryant, Baez, and Rizzo. The reason why Kimbrel is a certainty is because of the fact that he is a legitimate closer that an acquiring team can control through the 2022 season.

Meanwhile, Bryant, Baez and Rizzo are all free agents after the year and rental position players have diminished value in regards to trades at the deadline.

Of the three position players that are available, it would appear that the most likely to be dealt is Bryant. Bryant has the most value compared to Baez and Rizzo and presents the Cubs with best opportunity to receive a quality prospect or two. MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi reported on Tuesday night that the Cubs and San Francisco Giants are in trade discussions regarding Bryant.

If the Giants were willing to offer Joey Bart in a trade for Bryant, a trade would have been completed yesterday. Bart is the No. 2 prospect in the Giants’ organization and appears to be at the cusp of being Major League ready. Bart already has had a cup of tea at the Major League level during the pandemic-shortened season last year and a clip of .233/.288/.320/.609. It’s likely that Bart was at the Major League level last year as a way to continue his development considering that the Minor League season was cancelled last season. At 24 years of age, this season has been his first experience at the triple-A and he has a clip of .310/.372/.532/.905 in 189 plate appearances.

The Chicago Cubs trading Kris Bryant to the San Francisco Giants would certainly add more questions to the future direction of the organization.

What is even more intriguing is that Bart is a catcher. That would seem to suggest that Cubs may be willing to move current catcher Willson Contreras as opposed to having him be a part of the next core. Even then, one of the Cubs’ top position prospects is Miguel Amaya.

In any event, it seems unlikely that the Giants would part with Bart for a rental such as Bryant. That is why Morosi follows up from his original tweet and suggests that Bryant could be packaged with an additional player.

If the Cubs truly do want to maximize on the trade value of Bryant, it seems likely that they would need to bundle him with another available player. The player that immediately comes to mind is Kimbrel. A bundle of Bryant and Kimbrel is likely to get the Cubs the prospect that can truly revitalize their farm system.

There is going to be a need for Cubs’ president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to get creative with the deals that he makes prior to the trade deadline on Friday. Whether that creativity is including cash in a potential trade or bundling players such as Kimbrel or Bryant, the Chicago Cubs can immediately kickstart their retooling if done right.

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Chicago Cubs Rumors: Kris Bryant to the Giants very possibleJordan Campbellon July 28, 2021 at 3:01 pm Read More »

Sky’s Stefanie Dolson helps USA make Olympic basketball historyAnnie Costabileon July 28, 2021 at 2:26 pm

Before Stefanie Dolson left for the Tokyo Olympics she said USA’s 3-on-3 team was focused on starting a new dynasty. One that held the same respect that the 5-on-5 team, in pursuit of their seventh straight gold medal, has earned.

Wednesday morning, Dolson along with teammates Allisha Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum coached by Kara Lawson brought Team USA its first gold medal in the new Olympic sport, beating the Russian Olympic Committee 18-15.

“It’s always special to be the first of anything,” Dolson said in her postgame interview. “Basketball runs deep in the USA blood. For us to have this accomplishment as well and hopefully start something is really special.”

Team USA’s only loss in the tournament was to Japan in group play, after they’d already secured the No. 1 seed in the semifinals.

Five hours before their gold medal game against the ROC, Team USA beat France 18-16 in the semifinals. Lawson stressed the importance of running their offense through their defense and USA executed the game plan throughout the tournament.

Against France in the semifinals, they forced six turnovers, outrebounded the French 18-15 and Dolson, Plum and Gray all recorded a blocked shot. Dolson had five points and eight rebounds in the semifinals and finished with seven points and nine rebounds in the gold medal game.

The USA opened its dominant gold-medal-winning run four days ago against France, capturing its first win of the tournament 17-10. The team would go on to win five more, beating Mongolia, Romania, the ROC, Italy and China for a 6-0 record, before losing to Japan 20-18 in the final game of group play.

The support for 3×3 was energetic from the first day, or night depending on your time zone, of play. Fans on social media shared posts all week showing their excitement for the new Olympic sport and Team USA’s pursuit of gold.

When they secured the first Olympic gold medal in the sport’s history, USA National Team coach Dawn Staley shared a message on Twitter: “Way to represent ladies!”

A dynasty is defined by a powerful group that maintains its position as the best for a considerable amount of time.

There is no better start than gold.

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Sky’s Stefanie Dolson helps USA make Olympic basketball historyAnnie Costabileon July 28, 2021 at 2:26 pm Read More »

US women win Olympic gold in 3-on-3 basketballEddie Pells | APon July 28, 2021 at 2:01 pm

TOKYO — Their scrapbooks and trophy cases are filled with memories from Final Fours, national titles, All-America honors and even some impressive showings in the pros.

Now, they all have Olympic gold medals to go with all that.

The U.S. team of Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young took an early lead against the team from Russia, then held on for an 18-15 victory Wednesday to win the title in the debut of 3-on-3 basketball at the Olympics.

Later on Wednesday, Russia played Latvia for the men’s title. Bronze medals went to China’s women and Serbia’s men.

Much as they did in the final, the Americans dominated through most of the five-day tournament. They played nine games and only lost one. Plum, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, led the way in this one, as well, scoring 55 points over the nine games. She scored all five of her points in the final early to stake the U.S. to a lead it never relinquished.

All four players are in the midst of successful WNBA careers. Of the four, Plum is the only one who didn’t win a national title in college. This seems like much more than a consolation prize.

When it was over, she got in a hug huddle with her teammates, then they made it over to the stands for a visit with IOC President Thomas Bach.

U.S. First Lady Jill Biden was at the Aomi Urban Sports Park for the opener last weekend.

Yes, this foursome, which came together only over the past couple of months and overcame the late loss of Katie Lou Samuelson to a positive COVID-19 test, are part of the see-and-be-seen crowd in Tokyo.

Time will tell if this sport turns into one of the cool kids on the Olympic program. Even with no fans in the stands, they sure are trying hard.

With a DJ spinning records and a cheeky announcer calling play-by-play — “Izzzzzz goooodddd!” — the players were greeted during pre-game introductions by a Japanese percussion team featuring a 5-foot-5 guy wailing on a massive Taiko drum.

The game? Not nearly as free-flowing as advertised, and the closer teams got to medals, the more things tightened up.

Dolson, the 6-foot-5 forward, took a nasty elbow to the face about two-thirds into this game but recovered quickly. She ended up making four free throws — yes, those exist in this version of the half-court game — and the U.S. scored eight of its 18 points in this game from the line.

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US women win Olympic gold in 3-on-3 basketballEddie Pells | APon July 28, 2021 at 2:01 pm Read More »