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Chicago Bears: Aaron Rodgers set for “Last Dance” in Green Bay by Ryan Taylor

It was a really interesting turn of events for the Chicago Blackhawks over the weekend. They made as big of trade as any team in the National Hockey League so far this summer when they acquired Seth Jones from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It is a trade that allows the Hawks to add someone that is going to be their new number one defenseman for a long time. They gave him an eight-year contract extension upon his arrival at 9.5 million per on top of the one year he had left.

Right before they made the trade, they acquired his brother Caleb Jones in the trade that sent Duncan Keith to the Edmonton Oilers. It was a way of letting Keith get his wish of being traded to Western Canada but it was also a way for the Hawks to improve their team. Jones is a good player on his own but his brother has superstar potential.

When the trade for Caleb Jones was made, it seemed likely that they would at least try to land his brother Seth and they did. This is a dup that can really help the Hawks play much better in their own end. Each of them is going to be a massive upgrade over certain players they were trotting out there last season and the season before.

The Chicago Blackhawks are really hoping to get the most out of the Jones brothers.

The fact that they are both on the same team now might even allow them to take another step forward as individuals. We have already seen what Seth Jones can do at an extremely high level but maybe this brings even more out of Caleb. Add in other good players like Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin, Connor Murphy, and Calvin de Haan and it could be a pretty nice defense.

The Hawks were very bad defensively in 2020-21. They can score some goals but their depth up front is an issue as well. The addition of the Jones brothers might really help the forwards be better as well. The defensive effort taking a step could lead to even more offense.

Related Story: Niklas Hjalmarsson was an all-time great Blackhawk

There are plenty of people that are skeptical but there really isn’t a reason to be. They can only go up from here which is nice to hear when it comes to the future. They are starting to move past the teams that won them multiple championships and be more worried about the present and future. Seth and Caleb Jones are both going to really help in that quest.

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When you can’t outrun your past, one option is to face it with your own poetics. That’s the approach King Woman front woman Kris Esfandiari takes when confronting the Biblical archetypes branded on her psyche while coming of age in a Charismatic Christian family that practiced speaking in tongues and at-home exorcisms. On Celestial Blues, the follow-up to King Woman’s 2017 debut album, Created in the Image of Suffering, Esfandiari and her bandmates weave tales of doom, woe, and resurrection with gilded threads of metal and shoegaze. But Celestial Blues is far less vehement and dirgelike than its predecessor, in keeping with Esfandiari’s established knack for reinventing herself. The prolific vocalist has spent the past few years cycling through artistic identities, including the breakcore endeavor NGHTCRWLR, the doomgaze solo project Miserable, and the bleak R&B duo Sugar High. Celestial Blues documents Esfandiari’s final severing of her religious ties, but its theme of redefinition and reckoning doesn’t always extend to the music–that is, King Woman don’t completely abandon the formula that made them one of heavy music’s most celebrated newcomers half a decade ago. Joseph Raygoza’s drumming is still brick thick and brutish; Peter Arendorf’s riffs still fill each track like a flood of godly proportions; and Esfandiari’s vocals still carry an air of melodrama. The band’s creative renewal is most apparent on lead single “Morning Star,” which backtracks Lucifer’s fall from grace through the lens of Esfandiari’s own incredulity (“The next thing I knew / I was falling fast / Lightning hit my wings / Heard thunder crack”). “Boghz” showcases the range of Esfandiari’s elastic voice, which oscillates among syncopated sprechgesang, thunderous barks, and breathy lulls. Themes of resurrection weave throughout “Coil” (“Five wounds you rape me / But I resurrect”) and “Golgotha” (“The snake eats its tail / We return again / To this hell”), foreshadowing Esfandiari’s personal metamorphosis. Celestial Blues closes with “Paradise Lost,” a feather-light canticle based on John Milton’s epic poem, which Esfandiari received as a gift while plotting the album’s creative direction. Her vocals are so mumbled they’re nearly indecipherable, a siren song almost buried beneath plucky guitar and cymbal thrums. The mythologies retold by Celestial Blues have roots in trauma, but King Woman still startle with moments of nonplussed beauty, leaving you somewhere between exorcism and ecstasy. v

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A man was shot while driving on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 61st Street Monday night, but a 4-year-old in the backseat was not harmed, according to officials.

The man, 32, was traveling outbound about 8:30 p.m. when someone in a dark-colored Dodge Charger began shooting at his car, Chicago police said.

He was struck in the leg and exited the expressway near the Chicago Skyway, where he stopped for help at the toll booth, police said.

He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where his condition was stabilized, police said.

No one was in custody.

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Chicago Blackhawks: Niklas Hjalmarsson was truly great by Vincent Parise

Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Green Bay Packers organization for the upcoming NFL season. However, at the looks of his newly restructured contract, the Chicago Bears should be able to benefit in the future.

Rodgers’s contract is extremely uncanny. No other athlete in the world could create a contract like this. Adam Schefter reported multiple stipulations to Rodgers’s redrafted contract for the upcoming season.

“The 2023 year in Rodgers’ contract — the last one in his current deal — would be voided, with no tags allowed in the future,” Adam Schefter explained in a bullet-point presentation.

The Packers agree to review Rodgers’ situation at the end of this season. Rodgers’ contract would give the Packers more cap room. Mechanisms will be put in place to address Rodgers’ issues with the team. To be specific, Rodgers will not have to speak with general manager Brian Gutekunst.

According to Spotrac, the team can save $22.6 million in the cap if he is traded or released next offseason.

If Packers’ officials sign off on their willingness to trade Aaron Rodgers, and the agreement is finalized soon, here’s the biggest concession the reigning MVP will receive: the freedom to decide where he wants to play in 2022.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2021

Schefter explains this contract best by saying that Rodgers “will receive the freedom to decide where he wants to play in 2022.” It looks like this is the last dance for Rodgers in Green Bay.

It’s within the organization’s interest to trade Rodgers next offseason to save themselves from a cap nightmare that comes without Rodgers under center.

This contract seems like a temporary resolution to the relationship between Green Bay and Rodgers to see if they will come to their senses of firing Gutekunst — which was Rodgers’s only request in this entire debacle.

There is still a chance Rodgers could stay in Green Bay past this season because he essentially has a player option in his contract for the 2022 season.

Given the chance that Rodgers could return for the next two seasons, the Packers have already started negotiating a contract extension for Davante Adams, who has reported to be interested in an extension with his quarterback guaranteed to return next season.

With Aaron Rodgers expected to return to Green Bay while giving the Packers more cap room, the team now can make another run at trying to sign WR Davante Adams to an extension, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2021

To describe Green Bay’s situation as “hectic” would be a complete understatement. They are tied to an otherworldly contract that keeps their MVP quarterback around for only one year and is still trying to keep arguably the league’s best receiver on the team too.

Where do the Bears factor into this situation?

The Chicago Bears have two situations to keep in mind for the proceeding future.

Situation #1: Plan for a weakened division

It seems unlikely that Rodgers will compete in the NFC North following this season. Packers CEO Mark Murphy has stated on multiple occasions that they are committed to Guteknust, and they proved that by waiting out Rodgers in this situation.

That being said, if Guteknust is in Green Bay next offseason, Rodgers most likely isn’t.

The Bears need to start setting their sights on winning the NFC North for a playoff bid. The North would look like the NFC East if Rodgers leaves.

The Detroit Lions are in complete disarray, charted by many sportsbooks as the most likely team to have the worst record in the NFL last season. The Vikings are a defensive mess, giving up 29.7 points per game last season. And, the Packers are nothing without Rodgers and Adams.

Behind the young talent of Justin Fields, David Montgomery, Roquan Smith, Jaylon Johnson, etc., this team could have a bright future dominating the division.

The key to that success? Roster building and coaching evaluation.

Ryan Pace has done an excellent job this offseason building the roster, especially on the offensive side. The wide receiver core is deep with the speed that fits Nagy’s offense (Byrd, Goodwin, Newsome), the running back room is dynamic and deep (Williams, Herbert, Cohen), and the offensive line is growing (Jenkins and Borom).

The defense is going to need help soon. With Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevethan, Robert Quinn, and even Khalil Mack all growing older, the defense is going to need some rebuilding soon.

As far as coaching evaluation, 99.9 percent of Chicago Bears fans probably would have voted to fire Nagy after last season’s performance. But, owner George McCaskey decided to keep him on board.

This cannot be a problem moving forward. The Bears need to figure out if Nagy is their Super Bowl-winning coach after this season, to prep for a Rodger-less division.

Situation #2: Davante Adams

According to Bleacher Report writer Brad Gagnon, Davante Adams could end up on one of six teams next offseason as a free agent. One of them could be the Bears.

The biggest indicator of this possibility is the Bears’ projected cap space next offseason, which Gagnon remarked could be north of $37 million.

Plus, Allen Robinson is destined to hit the open market next offseason and explore a team that won’t cut him short of what he deserves. This makes Adams to Chicago is a bigger possibility.

Even though the Packers and Adams are talking through an extension, it’s unclear whether or not he will stay in Green Bay dependent on Rodgers.

The next offseason, with the Bears no longer in a major cap jam like they were this past offseason, they should be looking to strike big with the best receiver in the game if given the opportunity.

Next: Chicago Bears News: Jesse James brings excellent skill set

The Bears’ future in the division looks bright for keeping Rodgers off the schedule twice per year in the coming future. The young offense of the Bears should be ready to take over as soon as 2022.

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In 1981, a Southern Illinois University student from Naperville scored an interview with Chicago-based improv legend Del Close for the SIU radio station, and lucky for us, that student kept the cassette tape all these years and we hear snippets from it and recollections from the SIU student in the fascinating documentary “For Madmen Only.”

Says the former student: “He had just quit Second City the day before, and he had just quit cocaine a few weeks before and he’s changing his life now, and he would love to talk about that.”

With the tape rolling, Close says, “You got any dope by any chance” and the student says no and Close says, “F—. Oh well, bleep that out,” and off we go, with Close revealing he went to a witch’s coven to quit coke and, as always with Del Close, the story might be true or could be utterly false or most likely it was somewhere in between.

Oh, and by the way: That college student was one Bob Odenkirk, who along with Tina Fey and Tim Meadows and Jane Lynch and George Wendt and many, many others sing the praises of the mercurial madman who has influenced generations of comedians and actors with his revolutionary takes on improvisational theater. The director Heather Ross implements a variety of bold and creative tools to tell Close’s amazing story, including the use of comic-book-style graphics and staging some scenes with actors, with James Urbaniak doing a fabulous job of portraying Close and talented comedic performers such as Patton Oswalt, Matt Walsh and Lauren Lapkus contributing sharp supporting turns. The result is a comprehensive doc-biopic that works as an introduction to Del Close for those who might not know the name — but the comedy nerds who revere Close will certainly be geeking out over this deep dive into the man’s life and times.

As the late Robin Williams puts it in an old clip, “The cult of Del, it should be the church of Del.”

With the wonderful character actress Michaela Watkins providing narration, “For Madmen Only” takes us through Close’s troubled childhood in Kansas, with Close telling the story of how when he was just a boy, his father told him to hand him a glass of water and dad downed the entire glass — but it wasn’t water, it was battery acid. As with so many of Close’s stories (he claimed to have told L. Ron Hubbard to form a religion), that wasn’t exactly how his father committed suicide, but throughout his adult life, Close indulged in hyperbole as well as every drink and drug imaginable.

Utopia Media

We follow Close’s career he teams up with Mike Nichols and Elaine May and the Compass Players improv group in St. Louis in the 1950s, moves to Chicago in 1960, spends time with the San Francisco-based improv team the Committee later in the 1960s — and then settles more or less permanently in Chicago in 1972, where he worked at Second City for years before teaming up with the great Charna Halpern at ImprovOlympic, later iO. (Halpern is a wonderful interview subject in the doc, adding sanity and humor and perspective to the story.)

“For Madmen Only” chronicles Close’s breakdown and his stay at the psychiatric ward of Cook County Hospital — not the first time Close “went temporarily nuts,” as he puts it. And for all of Close’s breakthrough success as an improv pioneer and the incredible roster of greats he mentored, he lamented, “I’m the one that stays behind while the others go on to do movies and television.” As with so many comedic geniuses, Close was a dark and deeply troubled soul — but some 20 years after his death, his acolytes still have us laughing.

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Three people were wounded Tuesday morning in two separate shootings minutes apart in Back of the Yards on the South Side.

Two women, 18 and 34, were shot around 1:45 a.m. in the 5300 block of South Wallace, Chicago police said.

The women were standing outside when a red vehicle approached and someone inside opened fire, police said.

The 34-year-old woman was shot in her abdomen and the 18-year-old in her arm, police said.

Around five minutes later, a man was shot less than a mile away in the 900 block of West 54th Street, according to police.

The man, 34, was walking to a friend’s house when someone opened fire from a black SUV, police said.

The man was shot in his arm, police said.

All three victims were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and are listed in stable condition, police said. None of their names have been released.

Police are treating the shootings as separate incidents at this time.

No one was in custody. Area One detectives are investigating both incidents.

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The Cubs began to make their moves ahead of the trade deadline Friday, agreeing to deal left-hander Andrew Chafin to the Athletics on Monday for minor-league outfielder Greg Deichmann and minor-league right hander Daniel Palencia.

The Cubs acquired Chafin at the trade deadline last season from the Diamondbacks and though he wasn’t with the Cubs for long, he quickly established himself as both a clubhouse and fan favorite.

“This guy’s a culture changer,” manager David Ross said after the Cubs’ 6-5 win. “This guy’s been a leader in the bullpen. The way he takes the ball right or left, it doesn’t matter what situation I’m bringing him in, it’s the same stuff.

“Really nice pitcher and a really nice human being that goes out and does his job and [is] a really good teammate. We’re gonna miss him.”

Chafin was one of Ross’ most trustworthy high-leverage arms during his Cubs’ tenure and after re-signing with the Cubs in the offseason, he took off in 2021. The left-hander found out of his departure during the game, according to Ross, who said he knew to stay away from him with the deal close.

The Cubs’ southpaw has been a force at the back of the bullpen with right-hander Ryan Tepera and closer Craig Kimbrel. He was 0-2 with a sparkling 2.06 ERA in 46 games with the Cubs this season.

“I grabbed him when we when he came off the field,” Ross said. “He told me, ‘One bad outing and I get traded?’ He made me laugh pretty good at that one.”

Chafin’s personality resonated not only within the Cubs clubhouse, but the fanbase and while he’s leaving town, there’s no question what he brought won’t be forgotten.

“He’s just he’s an unbelievable teammate,” starter Kyle Hendricks said. “Unbelievable human being, overall. The energy, the positivity he brings in every single day, you can’t replace it. Oakland’s real lucky in who they’re getting.”

“You guys got a good taste of his personality. I think it was that much more obviously in the clubhouse,” infielder Nico Hoerner said. “Really positive person as well as somebody who’s performing at a really, really high level. Definitely someone you want on your team.”

Chafin is now the second player dealt by the Cubs during trade season, with several others still in play before the deadline. The team traded outfielder Joc Pederson to the Braves on July 15.

Deichmann, 26, is playing at Triple-A Las Vegas and where he’s slashing .300/.433/.452 with four homers in 60 games. Palencia, 21, 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA at Low-A Stockton and sports an upper 90s fastball that can hit triple digits.

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Hooray for for the return of festivals in Chicago! Lollapalooza 2021 is happening and it’s happening THIS week. Thursday to be precise. With that, I’m sure everyone already knows the line-ups, but I wanted to go through 10 of the ones that I think are definitely worth seeing. I might not vibe with all of these, but I can concur that their performances will be ones you wont want to miss. So, below are 10 must see acts at Lollapalooza 2021  this year. They are broken down by the days they will be performing along with a relatively recent song from YouTube so you know what you’re signing up for. 

Thursday

Miley Cyrus 

No need to explain why she’s a must-see and who she is. It’s pretty obvious I think. 

Illenium 

Nicholas D. Miller, known professionally as Illenium, is an American musician, DJ, and record producer. He has released four studio albums, his most recent being Fallen Embers, released in July 2021.

Cash Cash 

Cash Cash is an American electronic music group from Roseland, New Jersey. The group consists of three DJs: brothers Jean Paul Makhlouf, Alex Makhlouf, and Samuel Frisch. They produce, record, mix and master all their music together as a trio.

Friday

Tyler, The Creator

Tyler Gregory Okonma, better known as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, visual artist, designer, and comedian. I personally don’t vibe with his music, but I know a lot of people do and for a festival like Lolla, he’s a perfect fit.

Jacob Banks

Jacob Banks is a Nigerian-born English singer and songwriter from Birmingham. Banks won the 2012 MOBO UnSung regional competition in Birmingham and the Adidas “Are You In” music competition. His music is influenced by a range of genres including soul, R&B, and hip hop.

Saturday

Post Malone 

Again, this one is a no-brainer but he’s a definite must-see. 

Megan Thee Stallion 

I think we all know who she is, but here some fun background info on her. Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, yup thats her real name, is an American rapper and songwriter. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her freestyling became popular on social media platforms such as Instagram.

Sunday

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1994. It was founded by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of Nirvana after the suicide of Kurt Cobain.

Alison Wonderland 

Not going to lie, I always thought “she” was a band and it was called “Alice In Wonderland” just like the movie lol. Alexandra Margo Sholler, again her actual name, is an Australian electronic dance music producer, DJ, and singer. Her debut album, Run, was released on 20 March 2015, which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold.

Yellow Claw 

I absolutely love Yellow Claw. And I’ve only “seen” them live once (very short lived as the night didnt go as expected…aka alcohol). But, nonetheless I love them and you should too! Yellow Claw is a Dutch DJ and record production duo from Amsterdam consisting of Jim based in Bali and Nils based in Amsterdam. The duo’s music is a mix of a wide range of genres and often incorporates elements from trap, hip hop, dubstep, hardstyle and moombahton.

Lollapalooza 2021 Featured Image Credit: Newsweek

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