Thursday night, the 2021 NBA Draft finally takes place and the Chicago Bulls will be waiting around for a while before the finally make a selection.
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Injuries, Updates, and Trends
With bigger names drawing the spotlight leading up to Friday’s trade deadline, the Cubs made an early move last night with one of their lesser names, but most highly sought after pieces. Andrew Chafin was perhaps the second most desirable lefty reliever on the market behind the Twins Taylor Rogers. But with Rogers suffering a finger injury this week, it is possible Chafin jumped to the front of the line, and the A’s were ready to deal two of their top 15 prospects to snag him.
Now, the Oakland farm system is not the strongest, so it is possible COF Greg Deichmann (#8 according to FG) and RHP Daniel Palencia (#12) will not rate as highly in the Cubs improving system (especially after they receive an even greater influx of talent over the next few days), but on the surface it does appear to be a pretty good haul for Chafin.
Injuries (as well as the missed 2020 season) have slowed Deichmann’s ascent through the Oakland system since they selected him in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft. Cubs VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz was a member of the A’s front office at the time of that selection. The former LSU star has always possessed impressive raw power (probably a 65 or 70), but I have to admit his lack of flexibility concerned me greatly prior to the draft, casting doubt in my mind as to whether he would ever be able to access his power in the pros.
That seems to have come to fruition to some degree as 11 home runs (in 301 ABs in 2019) are his career high. Injuries no doubt played a role as well. He required surgery after being hit by a pitch in 2017, broke his hamate bone in 2018, and then a shoulder injury in 2019. On the positive side though, he was apparently recovered from the shoulder injury during his stint in the AFL after the 2018 season, where he was able to show off his in game power, leading the league with 9 dingers. No other batter hit more than 4.
All that missed time apparently led him to rework his body and devote time to adding flexibility during the 2020 layoff. I’m curious to see if these improvements will alter my pre-draft assessment of his athleticism once I get the chance to watch him regularly.
Deichmann has also come back in 2021 with a more patient approach at the plate. Never more than an average walk rate guy prior to this year, his BB% has jumped to 19% in AAA, leading to a .433 OBP so far. He is also currently hitting .300, but considering he is playing in hitter’s haven Las Vegas (and sporting a .401 BABIP), I would not expect that type of output in Iowa, let alone Chicago.
Of interest is Deichmann has managed just 4 homers in 261 PAs. He is pulling the ball more this season, and it seems to be leading to a higher ground ball rate. I’ll be curious to see if the Cubs try to make a tweak to his swing, or if they would rather him stick with the more patient and higher contact rate approach he’s taken in 2021.
What the lefty swinging Deichmann has done is absolutely mash right handed pitchers to the tune of .344/.487/.517. His corresponding numbers against lefties are obviously a concern (.186/.279/.288 in 59 PAs, so still a SSS), but even if he only fills a platoon role as corner outfielder (where he rates as average with an above average arm) and pinch hitter there is likely a job for him in Chicago sometime this season and heading into 2022.
Much less is known about Daniel Palencia. Signed as an overager by Oakland as part of their 2019 IFA period, and then like all other Minor Leaguers Palencia did not get a chance to pitch in game action during 2020, so his pro debut did not come until June of this year. The now 21-year old has jumped directly into the A’s Low-A starting rotation where he’s seen mixed results through 6 starts. Of the top of my head I believe the A’s were one of the organizations the Cubs held scrimmages against during instructs last fall and again in EXST this year, so I’m guessing they got a few looks at Palencia then.
I can understand why Palencia was probably not a highly sought after IFA, as he is a short right-hander (5’11”) and is officially listed at 160 pounds. He’s apparently added considerable mass to his frame since that time, as he now tips the scales near 200 pounds. His Manager at Stockton, former big leaguer Rico Brogna, described his build and mechanics as similar to 17-year MLB reliever Rudy Seanez.
The added strength has allowed Palencia to boost his fastball into the upper-90s, apparently sitting comfortably 95+ mph. He pairs it with a curveball which has flashed an ability to miss bats according to the latest update from Fangraphs. I’m not sure if those are his only two pitches, if so then Palencia will most likely profile as a reliever in the future, but given the Cubs lack of starting pitching depth right now due to injuries I’m sure they will continue to deploy him as a starter.
I’ll be doing a deeper dive on these two once I have a chance to review more video on them.
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Injuries, Updates, and Trends
Austin Romine has begun a rehab assignment in Mesa. Out with a knee injury for most of the season, the Cubs desperately searched for a replacement at backup catcher for a few months, finally settling on former farmhand and longtime MLB veteran Robinson Chirinos earlier this month. Chirinos has performed admirably on both offense and defense, while providing a boost of energy and appreciation for the opportunity. I’ll be curious what the Cubs decide to do once Romine is healthy. They could choose to carry three catchers, depending on how much roster depth remains after the trade deadline, with Willson Contreras perhaps given more frequent breathers from behind the plate and more opportunity at 1B.
I’m very anxious to see Reggie Preciado and Owen Caissie get a shot in Myrtle Beach, as I’m sure everyone else is as well, but I do think we’ll have to wait a spell. The Cubs will likely give college draftees CF Christian Franklin, CF Parker Chavers, RF Luke Matt, SS Liam Spence, 3B B.J. Murray Jr., and C Casey Opitz opportunities in full season ball first.
Preciado in particular is blocked in Low-A by not just Ed Howard, but Kevin Made (and to a lesser extent Luis Verdugo) as well. I assume Franklin will make it to South Bend before the year is out, and given Matt only signed for a $1,000 bonus I doubt they’d let his presence block Caissie from getting a call up, but Jordan Nwogu and Yohendrick Pinango might. Any additional prospects gained from trades this week will only add to the congestion. It is possible Preciado and Caissie are in Mesa for the duration (or they only receive a late call up).
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This morning we got the May CoreLogic Case Shiller home price indices for the top 20 metro areas that they follow. What they show is that the nation’s single family home prices rose 16.6% over the previous 12 month period. That’s an all time record for the country. The Case Shiller Chicago area index rose by 11.1%, which is the 103rd consecutive month of gains and slightly more than a 7 year record but, nevertheless, we still remain in last place.
You know who’s in first place? Phoenix with 25.9% growth! WTH. Do you know they had 34 days last year above 110 degrees? Yeah, dry heat my ass. And speaking of dry…where are they going to get their water? I think they are in like a 15 year drought.
As I’ve mentioned before this is a problem if you are planning on moving out of the area because the house you are moving into will likely cost more than the house you sell here. Sad.
But back to Chicago with all that Lake Michigan water. Check out the graph below which shows the year over year growth history. Condos are not appreciating nearly as much as single family homes – only 2.7% over the previous year.
Chicago area single family home prices have shown annual gains for 103 consecutive months
Craig J. Lazzara, Managing Director and Global Head of Index Investment Strategy at S&P DJI, remarked:
The 16.6% gain is the highest reading in more than 30 years of S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data. As was the case last month, five cities – Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, and Seattle – joined the National Composite in recording their all-time highest 12-month gains. Price gains in all 20 cities were in the top quartile of historical performance; in 17 cities, price gains were in top decile.
We have previously suggested that the strength in the U.S. housing market is being driven in part by reaction to the COVID pandemic, as potential buyers move from urban apartments to suburban homes. May’s data continue to be consistent with this hypothesis. This demand surge may simply represent an acceleration of purchases that would have occurred anyway over the next several years. Alternatively, there may have been a secular change in locational preferences, leading to a permanent shift in the demand curve for housing. More time and data will be required to analyze this question.
Note that Craig always requires more time and data.
I’ve plotted the monthly indices below going back to 1987 along with a red trend line for single family homes based on pre-bubble data. Single family home prices rose 1.8% from April while condo prices rose 1.1%.
What’s finally getting interesting in that graph is that we are getting close to those bubble peaks. Single family home prices are only off by 3.2% while condo prices are off by only 2.6%. No surprise that most of the rest of the country already surpassed those peaks. From a historical perspective single family home prices are currently below the period from December 2005 – October 2007 and condo prices are below where they were from March 2006 – December 2007.
If you compare where we are to the red trend line you’ll also see just how far off we are from where we “could have been”. That’s a 22.8% gap. On the other hand you can compare where we are from the bottom. Single family prices have jumped 58.8% and condo prices are jumped 61.2%.
The Chicago real estate market is finally getting close to catching up to bubble peak prices.
#ChicagoHomePrices #CaseShiller #HomePrices
Gary Lucido is the President of Lucid Realty, the Chicago area’s full service real estate brokerage that offers home buyer rebates and discount commissions. If you want to keep up to date on the Chicago real estate market or get an insider’s view of the seamy underbelly of the real estate industry you can Subscribe to Getting Real by Email using the form below. Please be sure to verify your email address when you receive the verification notice.
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The Chicago Cubs had to come back in order to even make it tied in the 9th inning on Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds. It wasn’t the best game for Kyle Hendricks on the mound but they found themselves in a position to win thanks to some clutch hitting throughout the game. When Javier Baez came up to bat in the 9th inning against his arch-rival Amir Garrett, you knew things could get chippy.
Baez and Garrett have a lot of history with one another in the league. They do not get along. In fact, the two rivals went into the plate appearance jawing at each other. With the bases loaded and only one out, Baez would have the last laugh.
THE CURTAIN RISES AGAIN!
Broadway in Chicago is back! We at Show Me Chicago couldn’t be more excited
The 2021-2022 Broadway in Chicago season kicks off October 5. 2021, with an exciting line-up of shows including two pre-Broadways, Paradise Square and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, four direct-from-Broadway productions Disney’s FROZEN, WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, COME FROM AWAY, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL and the national tour launch of SIX and more.
From traditional blockbusters to new shows to Pre-Broadway premieres–this highly anticipated season has something for everyone.
And it’s even sweeter because of what we missed.
RENT – 25th ANNIVERSARY FAREWELL TOUR, October 5 – 10, 2021CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
“Rent”—the 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour. Whether you have seen this show a dozen times or never before this is definitely something you want to put on your calendar.
The Tony award and Pulitzer Prize winning show that inspired us to choose love over fear and to live without regret may be even more timely today than it was produced 25 years ago.
ALTON BROWN: LIVE! BEYOND THE EATS
October 16, 2021 – Two Performances Only!
CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
Alton Brown hits the road with a new culinary variety show. Audiences can expect more comedy, more music, more highly unusual cooking demos, and more potentially dangerous science stuff. Prepare for an evening unlike any other and if Brown calls for volunteers…think twice.
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
October 26 – November 21, 2021
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St.
The national tour of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, Heidi Schreck’s Tony Award nominated Pulitzer Prize finalist play,directed by Oliver Butler, will return to Chicago this fall starring Cassie Beck (The Humans, “Shameless”)in the leading role.
The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of PARADISE SQUARE
November 2 – December 5, 2021
James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.
The creators of such landmark shows as Ragtime, Spring Awakening, The Laramie Project and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical bring Paradise Square to Chicago for a strictly limited engagement, prior to Broadway. New York City. 1863. The country is divided over immigration, racial tensions, and political ideology. The chaos of the Civil War rages on in the heart of the Five Points slum. But in this neighborhood, something extraordinary is occurring. Free born Blacks and those who escaped slavery are living, working, and intermarrying with newly arrived Irish immigrants.
BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL
November 2 – 7, 2021
CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history.
Disney’s FROZEN
November 19, 2021 – January 22, 2022
Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.
From the producer of The Lion King and Aladdin, FROZEN, the Tony®-nominated Best Musical, is now on tour across North America, and the critics rave, “It’s simply magical!” (LA Daily News). FROZEN features the songs from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers.
LESLIE ODOM, JR. THE CHRISTMAS TOURDecember 4, 2021 (One Night Only)
CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
Headshots available here.
Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted, award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor. With a career that spans all performance genres.
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL
December 14 – 19, 2021
CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is returning to Chicago on tour! One of Hollywood’s most beloved stories of all time, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL–a love story for the ages.
THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY
February 22 – 27, 2022
CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
Since its sell-out in London’s West End, THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY is now the world’s leading theatre show concerning Simon & Garfunkel featuring a full live band and state of the art video projection and lighting. The show includes all of their hits, such as ‘Mrs. Robinson’, ‘Cecilia’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘Homeward Bound.’
COME FROM AWAY
February 22 – March 6, 2022
Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.
Broadway’s award winning COME FROM AWAY is the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.
MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL
February 26 – April 24, 2022
James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.
Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory–a world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment with MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL
SIX
March 29 – July 3, 2022
CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of history.
MY FAIR LADY
June 28 – July 10, 2022
Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.
Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed? Always a favorite.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
July 19 – 31, 2022
Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, an iconic musical phenomenon with a world-wide fan base, In celebration of its 50th Anniversary with a modern, theatrical production. The show features award-winning music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas.
Pre-Broadway World Premiere of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
July 19 – August 21, 2022
James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.
Andy, an ambitious young writer in New York City, lands a job at a prestigious magazine. Trying to survive under her stylish yet terrifying boss, she finds herself caught between the dreams she thought she wanted, and the cost of what that reality in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.
TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets are on sale now for Disney’s FROZEN and PARADISE SQUARE. Tickets can be purchased for all shows for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing [email protected]. Broadway In Chicago will announce its new subscription series, led by PARADISE SQUARE, in August. For further information regarding all ticket sales visit BroadwayInChicago.com.
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Broadway in Chicago is back: the 2021-2022 Seasonon July 27, 2021 at 2:15 pm Read More »
A woman died after Dolton police shot into her car as she dragged one officer and struck another at a restaurant drive-thru early Tuesday, badly injuring both officers, officials said.
Dolton police were called around 1 a.m. Tuesday to Baba’s Famous Steak & Lemonade restaurant at Oak and Sibley Boulevard for a woman with a gun who was upset, Dolton spokesman Sean Howard told reporters.
Officers ordered the woman and a man inside the car to get out, Howard said. The man complied but the woman refused.
As one of the officers tried to remove her from the car, the woman sped off and dragged the officer, Howard said. Another officer then fired three times into the car, Howard said.
The woman ran over that officer and crashed into a squad car, Howard said. She continued to drive one block and crashed into an unoccupied bicycle shop, he said.
The woman died at the scene, Howard said. It’s unclear if she died from gunshot wounds or from the crash. Her name hasn’t been released.
The two officers were taken to a hospital and were in serious condition, he said.
“This was unfortunate,” Howard said. He said witnesses were cooperating with police.
Illinois State Police were investigating the officers’ use of force, Howard said.
TOKYO — No, women are not required to wear bikinis to play beach volleyball at the Olympics.
Yes, TV cameras do tend to linger on their glutes when they hold their hands behind their backs to pass signals to each other. And no, that’s not a problem for the players who believe that those who see the sport will remain fans.
“I have always felt like when you get somebody drawn in, however you get them into beach volleyball, they fall in love with the sport,” said American April Ross, a three-time Olympian. “So, hopefully that happens also.”
Beach volleyball has been one of the most popular sports at the Summer Games since it was added to the program in 1996. It has fast action, a party atmosphere and some telegenic American stars who have paraded to the podium to claim six of the 12 possible gold medals.
But there’s also no doubt that some who tune in on TV are there to ogle the women as they leap and dive across the sand in their bikinis. In 2012, the London tabloids ran photo spreads from the beach volleyball venue without a set or spike in sight; it was also the focus for then-mayor and current British prime minister Boris Johnson, who penned a guest newspaper column during the Olympics that were taking place in his city.
The attention on the bikinis intensified in Tokyo after a viral social media post misidentified a team that protested a beach handball dress code as playing beach volleyball. Beach handball, which is not an Olympic sport, requires women to wear bikinis, and the European federation fined the Norwegians for wearing shorts as a protest at a competition 5,500 miles away in Bulgaria.
In Tokyo this week, the German gymnastics team wore full-legged unitards that went down to their ankles, eschewing the traditional bikini cut that ends high on the hip. The athletes said they were trying to combat the sexualization of young women and girls in their sport, which is trying to recover from a decades-long sexual abuse scandal.
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The head of broadcasting at the Tokyo Games said this week said their feeds will not highlight sexualized images of female athletes, instead focusing on “sport appeal, not sex appeal.”
But beach volleyball players embrace their gear — and to them, equipment is precisely what the bikinis are — and choose it in almost all circumstances over more conservative attire.
The FIVB issued 22 pages of uniform guidelines for Tokyo, covering everything from fabric and color to names and numbers and how big manufacturers’ logos can be. Teammates also have to match.
An appendix has drawings of potential styles for women, including short sleeves and tank tops, long sleeves for modesty and long sleeves for warmth, long pants and shorts, and a one-piece bathing suit or a bikini. The men wear tank tops and board shorts, which can go over long-sleeved shirts and tights in cold weather.
There are also options for teams with religious dress codes.
“The FIVB beach volleyball uniform guidelines allow for a variety of different options,” the international federation said. “Beach volleyball welcomes all, and these uniform regulations ensure that our sport is culturally and religiously inclusive.”
Although the women’s side of the sport traditionally gets more attention — including the prime-time U.S. broadcast slots — a mirror-image men’s tournament has shared the sand at every Olympics since the sport joined the Summer Games in Atlanta.
Although the men wear tank tops and swimming trunks at the Olympics and on the international tour, they may play shirtless on the AVP domestic tour. Many choose to do so.
“Beach volleyball was a sport that was developed in Hawaii and Southern California and on the beaches of Rio,” Ross said. “And you play, and it’s hot, and then you go and jump in the water.”
One-piece bathing suits won’t work, because the sand gets inside and chafes; in fact, the players say, the less material that can trap sand, the better. Ross and her partner Alix Klineman, who helped design their own uniforms, also said it’s important that the straps don’t restrict her movement or breathing.
“For us, this is what feels most comfortable,” Klineman said. “You’re not wearing more clothing in really hot weather; getting sand stuck in places is not fun. But I totally respect other people wanting to be more covered if that’s what makes them more comfortable.”
Beach volleyball matches also proceed in all kinds of weather, including the rain from the leading edge of Typhoon Nepartak that dampened the Skiokaze Park venue this week. In Beijing, the Olympic championship was played in a downpour.
“This,” said American Misty May-Treanor, who was soaking wet but with a gold medal to show for it, “is just another reason why we play in bathing suits.”
Some teams did wear leggings and long sleeves under their uniforms on the cooler nights in 2012, dismaying the London tabloids, but even then most opted for the traditional board shorts and bikinis.
Four years later, after the FIVB expanded Olympic qualifying in an attempt to spread the sport to new countries, the Egyptians played in long sleeves, a loose-fitting top, full-length pant legs and hijabs to cover their heads.
“I have worn the hijab for 10 years,” said Doaa Elghobashy, a member of the first beach volleyball team from her country to compete in the Olympics.
“It doesn’t keep me away from the things I love to do,” she said. “And beach volleyball is one of them.”
1. Fraisier Cake Bites “The fraisier is a classic, luscious French dessert. I make a super-light buttercream mousseline with pastry cream and crème chantilly, which I pipe into all the nooks and crannies over a mountain of strawberries.”
2. Traditional Tea Sandwich “We spread whipped caviar cream cheese onto buttered brioche and garnish it with breakfast radishes and chives. You don’t even see the caviar until you bite into it, but it adds a mild salty flavor.”
3. Smoked Salmon Panisse “People think that tea always has to have sandwiches, but not every dish needs bread. Here, the panisse is draped with smoked salmon and a dab of dill crème fraîche.”
4. Kostali Popovers “Popovers are timeless, and the light crunch on the shell is a fun bite to start. They’re served with a fruit jam that’s blended with butter — peach ginger rum jam, blueberry mint, or rosé Champagne strawberry preserve.”
5. Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Tart “The bittersweet Guittard chocolate in this tart just melts in your mouth. The gold leaf adds exuberance, like in the Gilded Age.”
6. Tahini Shortbread Cookies With Dark Chocolate and Sesame Seeds “These are loosely based on my mother’s famous Armenian tahini rolls. Tahini has a distinct nutty chickpea aroma and is more savory and crumbly than traditional shortbread.”
Best Brunch AlternativeLynette Smithon July 27, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »
Choreographer Stephanie Martinez has shaped performances for some of the country’s best ballet companies, including the Joffrey, the Kansas City Ballet, and New York City’s Ballet Hispánico, but when the pandemic hit, the work dried up. Still, Martinez didn’t stop moving. She formed the new outfit Para.Mar in June 2020 and recruited local and national dance stars like Philadelphia-based Ching Ching Wong and former Hubbard Street dancer Alicia Delgadillo for the group’s first concert in October. To create an outdoor venue from nothing, she literally rolled out the red carpet — a garnet-colored Berber — over a parking lot at 3319 North Elston Avenue. Para.Mar may not dance on asphalt forever, but this stellar troupe is here to stay.
Best Use of a Parking LotLynette Smithon July 27, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »
After a year of living on the pandemmy diet (slurping Revolution beer while binge-watching Shameless in the dark), it’s time to head out to SoulCycle in Westfield Old Orchard to explore the music of Harry Styles while cycling up a massive hill! The outdoor classes, rolled out when communal heavy breathing in a confined space seemed like a ticket to COVIDville, are held in the breeze — ahhhhh — and the music is cranked. High-energy instructors help boost your metabolism and confidence with reminders like “Your legacy lives in what you do now!” (Try not to think too hard about how your legacy lives if what you’re doing now is trying not to die on a stationary bike in a mall.) From $20. 4999 Old Orchard Center, Skokie
Best New Fitness StudioLynette Smithon July 27, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »
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