The two-day event in partnership with OneSight was the first in a series of vision clinics Oakley will sponsor in 2021 and it provided over 120 free eye exams.

Diamond DeShields was 15 when she was diagnosed with keratoconus and got her first pair of eyeglasses.

She remembers putting on her glasses and staring up at the leaves. It was the first time in her life they weren’t blurry.

“I told my mom, ‘Wow I can see the leaves on the trees,’ ” DeShields said.

On Friday, DeShields was the picture of joy watching kids and families put on their brand new glasses at KIPP Bloom College Prep because she understood on a visceral level how their lives would change.

“You see a need and you try to fill it,” DeShields said. “The South Side is a space in need. I live down here, this is my community. I can’t live here and not do something to positively impact the lives around me.”

Provided photo/OneSight

When DeShields partnered with Oakley, one of the first conversations she had with the company was about having an event that provided free eye exams. After two years in the making, DeShields said it was fulfilling to see the clinic sponsored by Oakley, in partnership with OneSight, finally come to fruition.

The two-day event was the first in a series of vision clinics Oakley will sponsor in 2021, and it provided over 120 free eye exams. Most participants in the clinic received prescribed eyeglasses on-sight.

OneSight, a global vision nonprofit, provided a mobile, state-of-the-art van equipped with a vision center and optical lab. Multiple optometrists, opticians and associates from Oakley were on hand to guide participants through the process.

“I’ve been getting emails from the school for about a month telling me they were going to have an event here,” said Deanna Berry, who was at KIPP with her son and daughter. “I was so thankful I didn’t have to call and make an appointment at a doctor’s office to get both of my kids glasses.”

Berry and her son, who just graduated from eighth grade at KIPP, have both had glasses for years. Her daughter, who is in primary school, was getting her first pair on Friday. An added bonus of the day was getting to play basketball with DeShields and some of her Sky teammates.

DeShields was joined by Azurá Stevens, Ruthy Hebard and Kahleah Copper as well as coach and general manager James Wade on Friday.

“I had friends that used to squint all through school. They couldn’t afford eyeglasses,” Wade said. “You think it’s a way of life. You come to understand it handicaps your potential to a point. For us to witness one of our players partnering with OneSight and Oakley to help correct those things that are a privilege some and not to others was really big.”

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Parades, music, museums, block parties, tours and yoga classes across Chicago and in the suburbs are some of the highlights of the annual celebration of freedom. 

June 19 marks Juneteenth, the true day of liberation in 1865 for the remaining enslaved African Americans, who were notified of their freedom on that date in Galveston, Texas.

Here are some Juneteenth celebrations planned in Chicago and beyond:

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield: A rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln is on display through July 6. Admission: adults $15, kids 5-15 $6; presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.

Provided

A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, 10406 S. Maryland and 1900 W. Jackson: The ninth annual Juneteenth celebration kicks off at Malcolm X College. The Friday slate includes a caravan parade route outlining the Great Migration trail to the Pullman Porter Museum and a panel discussion. The Saturday slate, which takes place at the museum, includes music and vendors. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 2-9 p.m. Saturday. The event is free; facebook.com/events.

Juneteenth Jazz Celebration, New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 4301 W. Washington Blvd., 2 p.m. June 19: honoring historian and educator Haki R. Madhubuti with a performance by Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few. Free; register for tickets at eventbrite.com.

Beverly/Morgan Park Juneteenth family festival and Black business crawl, 11000 S. Longwood Dr. and 2407 W. 111th St. (Beverly Arts Center): The event includes storytelling, art, drumming circles, food, and activities for kids, along with featured promotion of Black-owned businesses, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and noon to 3 p.m (BAC location), June 19. The event is free; facebook.com/events.

Chicago Architecture Center, Oak Woods Cemetery, 1035 E. 67th: The Chicago Architecture Center is hosing their “Civil War to Civil Rights” walking tour highlighting Black soldiers who fought in American wars. 1 p.m. June 19. $30 cover charge; architecture.org.

CMPI Juneteenth Celebration, online: The Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative will host a virtual celebration of diversity in classical music coinciding with Juneteenth. The slate of performers will include composer Xavier Foley and bassist Joseph Conyers, 6:45 p.m. June 19. The event is free; app.mobilecause.com.

Eden Place Nature Center, 4417 S. Stewart: The Fuller Park venue will host a Father’s Day Juneteenth celebration, The picnic outing includes storytelling, and music from the 64th Street Drummers and the Nancy Green Team Performers, 1-3 p.m. June 20. The event is free; edenplacenaturecenter.org

Evanston’s Juneteenth Parade, 1801 Main, Evanston: This year’s parade, which has the theme “A journey towards real reparations,” kicks off at the Robert Crown Center and proceeds north on Dodge Avenue to Simpson Street, east on Simpson Street to the Morton Civic Center. 11 a.m. June 19. The event is free; cityofevanston.org.

‘Fred!,’ online: The SPAA (Speakers Publishers & Authors Association) Theater & Performing Arts Center will host “Fred!” a virtual musical celebrating the life and times of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, 7 p.m. June 19. $10 cover charge; eventbrite.com.

The Garfield Park 1865 Fest Coalition, 100 N. Central Park: The Garfield Park 1865 Fest Coalition will host a three-day festival celebrating Juneteenth while honoring Black military veterans and those currently serving. The slate of events includes Saturday cultural workshops and a Sunday live gospel concert. Garfield Park Fieldhouse, Friday 2-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, Music circle, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 18-20. The event is free. Registration for the military honors are available via Eventbrite.

Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago Area and Northwest Indiana, Walgreens, 3405 S. King Dr.: The scouts are hosting a Chicago Neighborhood Walk in Bronzeville. The event will include a walk along the Bronzeville Hall of Fame along with food and snacks. 10 a.m. to noon. June 19. $2 cover charge. Internet registration ends June 16; activecommunities.com.

Harold Washington Cultural Center, 2701 S. Martin Luther King Dr.: The center partners with M.A.D.D. Rhythms and Bronzeville businesses for an in-person Juneteenth celebration including dance, DJ and live music, food, workshops, raffles, art and children’s activities. 1 p.m. June 19. Admission is free. Visit maddrhythms.com.

Jerk 48, 611 E. 67th: The jerk eats restaurant is hosting a block party with free food, a bounce house, giveaways and games, along with music provided by Chosen Few DJs member Wayne Williams. 2-5 p.m. June 19. The event is free; instagram.com/jerk_48.

Juneteenth BBQ & Ride, Ellis Park, 3520 S. Cottage Grove: Streets Calling Bike Club’s celebration kicks off with a bike ride that ends at Mandrake Park, 3858 S. Cottage Grove, where a march, a barbecue, music, food, and games will take place. 11:30 a.m. June 19. The event is free; instagram.com/p/CQI8wPGtx4L.

Juneteenth yoga class, 1618 E. 53rd: A Black-owned studio, YogaSix, is offering a Juneteenth yoga class. All proceeds will go to a social justice nonprofit or the DuSable Museum of African American History, 10 a.m. June 20. Suggested $10 donation; yogasix.com.

Suzanne Harris

Old Town School of Folk Music, online: The school presents a free stream of “Freedom Songs Juneteenth Celebration” featuring the Original Chicago Blues All Stars Revue, which includes members of blues great Willie Dixon’s band. The evening begins with singer-poet Ugochi and the Afro Soul Ensemble. Livestreams at 8 p.m. June 19. The event is free; oldtownschool.org.

My Block My Hood My City Juneteenth Celebration, Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd: MBMHMC will host a COVID-19 vaccination truck offering free vaccines, voter registration, free food and music via DJ. 1-4 p.m. June 19. The event is free; formyblock.org.

South Shore Brew Coffee + Pride Juneteenth 2021, 7101 S. Yates: The South Shore-based coffee shop will provide merchandise, music via DJs, a special menu, and pop-up shopping options. 8:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 19. The event is free; instagram.com/southshorebrewchicago/.

South Side YMCA Community BBQ, 6330 S. Stony Island: local residents are encouraged to bring their grill, food, and drinks, while music will be provided via DJ. Noon to 4 p.m. June 19. The event is free; ymcachicago.org/southside.

Chicago Red Stars’ Juneteenth game, Seat Geek Stadium, 7000 S. Harlem, Bridgeview: Chicago’s NWSL team is hosting a pregame expo ahead of their game vs. Washington Spirit. The event — highlighting Black-owned businesses and nonprofits — is in conjunction with local organizations My Block, My Hood, My City; Chicago Votes; and Black Fires, a Chicago soccer supporters’ group. 7 p.m. June 19; Tickets starts at $20; chicagoredstars.com/juneteenth.

The Woodlawn, 1200 E. 79th: The Chatham eatery and event space will host a Juneteenth Block Party featuring guest DJs, spoken word poetry, comedy, and light refreshments, Noon-10 p.m. June 19. The event is free; thewoodlawn1200.com.

Contributing: Mary Houlihan

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The blaze was reported at a building in the 7700 block of South South Shore Drive and was extinguished by 8:45 a.m., according to Chicago fire officials.

Five people were injured, including two children, after a fire broke out at an apartment building Saturday morning in South Shore.

The blaze was reported at a building in the 7700 block of South South Shore Drive and several residents had to be rescued from the higher floors, according to Chicago fire officials.

Two children and three other people were taken to a hospital, officials said. One of the injured was a woman who was listed in “very critical” condition but was stabilized at the hospital.

The blaze was extinguished by 8:45 a.m., officials said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Time will tell if this was a Nick Saban moment for Link Jarrett.

Jarrett, Notre Dame’s highly marketable baseball coach and the miracle worker who just took the Fighting Irish to the brink of their first College World Series in nearly two decades, didn’t mince words this week upon returning to campus from raucous Starkville, Mississippi.

Asked if he would “unequivocally” be Notre Dame’s coach in 2022, Jarrett didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, I will,” he said Tuesday, the bus engines still running outside Frank Eck Stadium. “If my name’s not involved or mentioned in some of these things that come up, then I don’t know that you’re pushing your own program correctly.”

Reportedly with three years left on his original five-year deal, Jarrett recently picked the sweetener the school has long offered to its most sought-after coaches, football and otherwise. That’s an endowed position in their current role.

LSU is in the market for a coach after Paul Mainieri announced his retirement following 15 seasons. Jarrett recently said he planned to reach out to Mainieri, his Notre Dame predecessor from 1995 to 2006, to offer congratulations on a long run that included a national title in 2009.

Jarrett, who just completed his first full season after getting plucked away from tiny UNC Greensboro, also could be in play at the professional level after guiding the Irish to a 34-13 season and the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Revamping an entire program on the fly and winning ACC Coach of the Year honors in the process will do that for a leader, even one who has been around as long as Jarrett.

So before heading off to Omaha, Nebraska, to watch son J.T. play in the CWS for North Carolina State, Jarrett did his best to tamp down any bubbling rumors and keep his recruiting class intact.

“I’m not searching for anything,” he said, “but if your name is not one that’s popular or appears to be doing the right things for the program, then are you really doing the right things for your own program?”

Socrates couldn’t have done it any better, much less NFL-era Saban before he ultimately ditched the dysfunction of the Miami Dolphins to construct an assembly line of first-round draft picks and national championships.

Saban, it should be noted, was 55 when he became Alabama’s coach nearly a decade and a half ago. Jarrett, 49, has paid his dues on the coaching ladder, including stops as an assistant at Flagler, Mercer, East Carolina and Auburn, as well as Florida State, the alma mater he led to three Omaha berths in four seasons as a shortstop for Mike Martin in the early 1990s.

Is Jarrett up for grabs? You wouldn’t think so after an answer like the one he gave, but the stealth inquiries from ADs and GMs aren’t likely to stop coming just because of one “Read My Lips” denial.

“I love it here,” Jarrett said. “I love these kids. These guys represent everything you could possibly ask young men to represent.”

He mentioned Notre Dame’s 3.2 team GPA this season, terming it “remarkable” considering the rigor of academics under the golden dome. He also noted that while the Irish have a handful of seniors they’d like back in 2022, they first must be accepted to grad school to stick around for a fifth season.

And then there are the facilities, which might have cost the Irish a chance to host a Super Regional at their quaint 2,500-seat home rather than fall to Mississippi State in three hotly contested games before a record-setting crowd for that stage of the college baseball postseason.

“We just came from the Disney World of baseball,” Jarrett said. “There’s people everywhere. It’s a laser light show in the place. They’ve turned that into something that is on the extraordinary end of what you see in college baseball.”

And in tiny Stark-vegas, no less.

“That’s what I want to build,” Jarrett said. “I want to build a national-brand baseball program.”

At this point, few should doubt his ability to do that. The only question is whether it will happen at his current job.

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When the Fire moved to Soldier Field, there was hope they could emulate the Seattle Sounders or Atlanta United. Those leading MLS clubs, playing in NFL facilities, were supposed to be the model for the Fire both on and off the field.

But there’s another team the Fire should follow that’s much closer to the lakefront:

The White Sox.

Despite long-term injuries to star outfielders Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez and the end of second baseman Nick Madrigal’s season, the Sox were 18 games above .500 after Wednesday’s 8-7 win over the Rays. While the Sox would probably be even better with one-third of their lineup, they’ve kept plugging along despite the adversity and look to be headed to the playoffs for the second straight year, with legitimate hopes for a World Series championship.

And you won’t hear them use the injuries as a crutch.

“Never give in, never give up,” Sox manager Tony La Russa told reporters the day after Madrigal’s injury.

That’s an attitude the Fire should copy.

Entering Saturday’s game at the Crew, the Fire are 1-5-1 and staring at another lost season if they don’t change course. After an 11th-place 2020 when they frequently mentioned the upheaval of the pandemic (which also affected the rest of the league), a common refrain from the 2021 Fire has been injuries.

Yes, they did suffer a rash of absences to their midfield. But other teams have been without key players, and none entered the June break behind the Fire’s .57 points per game.

So why can’t the Fire put aside adversity and get results? The Fire are still trying to figure out the answer, and coach Raphael Wicky said there isn’t a single explanation.

“The injuries we had, the six very important players for us who were hurt, they hurt us hard, but I don’t want to take these as excuses. That’s just a fact,” Wicky said. “We missed a lot of those players. Some of them are now back and some are on international duty. Other teams had that as well. There’s multiple factors.

“In certain games, we didn’t convert our chances and in certain games we made too many mistakes or we gave a goal up and then we couldn’t come back.”

No, the Fire-Sox comparisons aren’t apples-to-apples. Even with their injuries, the Sox’ baseball roster is better than the Fire’s soccer playing staff. Obviously, the teams play different sports, and the Sox have been carried by their starting pitching, a factor that isn’t present in soccer.

Yet at the same time, the Sox have gotten contributions from unheralded players and keep persevering partly because of a winning mentality that seems to get stronger by the series. The Fire, meanwhile, keep insisting things will change even though they haven’t had anybody step up and grab points.

“We are trying to reflect [on] what we can change, what we can do better,” Wicky said. “And the one thing is we are working hard on bringing this team back into winning games.”

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LAS VEGAS — As Vegas awakened from an 11-week pandemic shutdown one year ago, Joe Garcia parachuted in wearing a mask on his mug, larceny on his mind.

He’d bilk about $25,000 from a few hundred people. Was it all calculated or a series of events that escalated into a panicky escape?

The black mask might serve as Exhibit A.

“He absolutely loved that there was COVID and he could wear a mask,” says 57-year-old Chicago native John Murges, a longtime Florida resident and a professional bettor who would unwisely befriend Garcia.

“Nobody would ever be able to identify him. He once told me, ‘I hope [the mask requirement] stays forever; I never want to take it off.’ “

Garcia would ingratiate himself onto the scene at the South Point, Westgate SuperBook and The D, finagling an exclusive invitation to Circa’s Golden Ticket grand-opening gala in late October.

Embarrassing, says Derek Stevens, owner of Circa and The D. He and associates knew Garcia as Little Joe. The Vegas Stats & Information Network called him Backdoor Little Joe.

Today, in Las Vegas, his name is Dirt.

When Murges visited recently, Stevens’ lieutenant, Mike Palm, told him, “[Garcia] betrayed a lot of people.”

Jared Holley, who operates Sports Gambling Daily (SGD) in Texas, had hired Garcia as an independent contractor in a promotional capacity, and says nobody suspected him of being a scam artist.

“But I guess that’s the key to being a good scam artist,” Holley said. “He deceived everybody. It’s a wild story.”

CONNECTIONS

Garcia kept a blanket and pillow in his car — actually, his mother’s Altima. He first alighted at the South Point and Westgate. He concocted The Streak, a goofball consecutive-days sportsbook run that would surpass 200.

It clicked. From scant Twitter followers, SGD amassed more than 6,000. South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews soon insisted Garcia exclude him from those incessant mass tweets.

At the SuperBook on June 30, a retired San Diego cop introduced Murges to Garcia, who’d introduce Murges to vice president Jay Kornegay and executive director John Murray. At the D, Murges met Stevens and Palm through Garcia.

Those presentations wowed Murges, who was raised in Park Ridge, attended Maine East High, pitched at Illinois-Chicago and would make book for, well … let’s just say, well-connected figures.

Murges, who visited for 10 days to bet the first two NFL weekends, had hatched Wager Globe, a future sports-betting resource. For that, he prized Garcia’s connections.

Garcia suggested discussing partnership possibilities in private, so he weaseled into Murges’ room at The D. His round-the-clock gadget alerts drove Murges nuts. He would wash his clothes in the sink, dry them over the shower-curtain rod.

Exasperated, Murges left before the second weekend. He still fancied a Wager Globe affiliation — with a Circa, say — someday, but circumstances would intervene.

Garcia had told Murges and Holley he had done time for drug offenses. Holley finds no birthdate on Garcia’s 1099 tax form — he calls himself Juan and Santa Fe Springs, California, home — but pegs him in his early 50s.

Holley bristled that Garcia was making picks on SGD’s Twitter page and had made a Circa-mask snapshot his avatar. On an annual Halloween trek to Vegas, Holley severed ties with Garcia, who constantly glanced over his shoulders.

Holley suspected drugs.

NO IDEA

Publicly, against the NBA spread, Garcia went a ridiculous 24-3 through December. Emboldened, he trumpeted a $100 monthly tout service via a private Twitter account a week into 2021.

Venmo and PayPal would lock, albeit temporarily, his accounts. Garcia begged to access bettor Sean Alvarez’s information. He refused, recommending Stripe.

“He stopped responding,” Alvarez said. “I told him he needed a website and a privacy policy, terms of service, but he wanted nothing to do with that. He had no idea what he was doing.”

Garcia went 2-18 over two weeks, drawing immense criticism.

Murges had partnership papers arranged, but he would never make the increasingly edgy Garcia an offer. Garcia told Murges, in town for the AFC and NFC title games, he had to bolt to Southern California.

His mother, he said, had contracted the coronavirus.

On Jan. 24, Garcia vanished.

Many say 270 bought the service, a $27,000 heist. Some claim to have secured refunds, though, so the tab might be closer to $20,000. One source said “being ghosted” proved most infuriating.

“Also, it’s just too much money to let someone get away with stealing.”

Murges returned to Sarasota and vomited after Alvarez rang to say he believed they never again would see Garcia. Murges called more than 50 of those affected to profusely apologize for having associated with such scum.

VANISHING ACT

I ring Garcia in February, March and April. No answer. May 20, a man answers. Wrong number, he says, adding that he obtained it in early February.

Several people believe Garcia is lurking in the East L.A. shadows. A few hope to see him again, to settle scores. One speculates, “It’s a big desert.”

As legal sports betting seems to spread by the week, I tell Stevens that it’s imperative that greenhorns know the industry’s manifold perils, like Joe Garcia’s Hoboken Hustle.

“I don’t disagree with you,” Stevens said. “If he scammed somebody out of a hundred bucks, I feel bad for whoever got scammed. There are a lot of scams in this world.”

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New Rule: Bill Maher has to stop telling us that America is a post-racial society

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By Bob Abrams,
today at 8:24 am

Happy Juneteenth, America’s twelfth and newest federal holiday.

Celebrating the date on which Black slaves in Galveston, Texas were set free two and half years AFTER the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation has its own special irony, not the least of which is that it comes 156 years after the fact, but that is where we are in 21st Century America.

The face of corporate America, including the TV shows they sponsor is changing. Shows are more Blackish and commercials feature a good representation of Black and mixed race couples and families.

People of color comprise much greater segments of the workforces of many of America’s retail chains and tech giants.

All of that is good, but it mostly exists for the benefit of the corporations themselves, reaching out to an increasingly diverse population of consumers.

Just as the stock market does not reflect our economy as a whole, those changes do not reflect the state of being Black in America.

In a recent editorial at the end of his New Rules segment, Bill Maher declared that racism did not exist in his house. He didn’t specify if he was referring to his condo in a secluded community on Catalina Island or his multi-parcel estate in Beverly Hills, but let’s assume there is no racism in either of those places.

Maher’s focal point seemed to be that it’s better to be Black now than it was before the Civil War, when slave owners could rape young girls and sell them to their neighbors and beat, maim or kill Black men for any reason or no reason at all.

Not an overwhelming example of progress.

Maher trotted out a study that said Black people are more optimistic about the future than White people. Meanwhile, rampant and flourishing gun violence in America’s inner cities chronicles the crush of hopelessness and lack of opportunity.

Not for nothing here, but a certain Party needs to stop insisting that the ready availability and easy transportation of guns across state lines has nothing to do with gun violence.

Today is affirmation that we are making racial progress, just as we’re making progress in the fight against cancer. Cancer however, still exists.

It seems that for every step forward, we make one huge step backward. The 1965 voting rights act granted suffrage to Black Americans, but in 2013 the Supreme Court gutted that law on the absurd premise that it is no longer relevant.

Hello? Have you been to Georgia lately?

In LeBron James, Dennis Byrne and the acknowledgement of White privilege in America, I touch on the real meaning of White privilege and our inability to put ourselves into the shoes of people with whom we can’t empathize on a meaningful level.

Black people are incarcerated for the same crimes that are probationable for White people and receive longer sentences for the same crimes. Black people are also less likely to receive parole for the same crimes.

The Supreme Court just ruled that currently incarcerated prisoners can not benefit from criminal reform and reduced sentencing guidelines. Not surprisingly, those overwhelmingly affected will be Black inmates.

When someone like Kevin Hart says that White power and privilege are at an all time high, he says that as a Black man living in black skin. Even celebrities like Chris Rock admit to the fear that grips them when they spot a police cruiser in the rear view mirror.

Maher presents the murder of George Floyd as proof of our changing attitudes and values. I would argue that it does the opposite.

While Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, his fellow cops did nothing to stop him. In follow-up reports, they lied and tried to cover for Chauvin.

The look in Chauvin’s eyes as he suffocated the life out of George Floyd, staring into a cell phone camera, challenging America to stop him said, This is MY America.

A belief commonly held in many White communities, some who consider America’s Indigenous People – Native Americans – as invaders.

Even though Chauvin was tried and convicted of his crime, it is still the exception to the rules by which Chauvin lived. How many times before and after has a George Floyd lost his life to sanctioned street justice without the benefit of a video record of his death?

You can read more about Derek Chauvin by clicking HERE and HERE.

Sadly, Chauvin was right. This is his America and just speaking out against injustice has brought swift and violent pushback from America’s hate groups, which are now center stage and taking over our governing bodies, all the way up to the federal level.

Neither Bill Maher nor I can truly imagine the visceral fear of parents watching their children walk out the door, knowing that their lives could be extinguished for otherwise inconsequential missteps.

It’s true that most Black people are killed by other Black people, just as most White people are killed by other White people. The difference is that there is no institutional policy that White deaths at the hands of police should generally be considered justified.

Barack Obama’s presidency brought the idea of a post-racial society to the fore, but that singular event couldn’t possibly wipe out centuries of slavery, Jim Crow laws and the resurrection of Confederate icons.

Think of the cosmetic changes we see on TV as picking boogers out of a shit sandwich. In the end, you’re still eating a shit sandwich.

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Meet The Blogger

Bob Abrams

Bob “RJ” Abrams is a political junkie, all-around malcontent and supporter of America’s warriors. After a career path that took him from merchandising at rock concerts to managing rock bands to a 27-year stint in the pits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, he’s seen our nation from up and down.
As Regional Coordinator of the Warriors’ Watch Riders (a motorcycle support group for the military and their families) Bob plays an active role in our nation’s support of America’s warriors and their families.
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Latest on ChicagoNow

• New Rule: Bill Maher has to stop telling us that America is a post-racial society

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  posted today at 8:24 am

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The 40-year-old died after a fire broke out in her bedroom about 1 a.m. in the 1700 block of West 59th Street, Chicago police said.

A woman died in a house fire early Saturday in West Englewood on the South Side.

The 40-year-old died after a fire broke out in her bedroom about 1 a.m. in the 1700 block of West 59th Street, Chicago police said.

It was believed the cause of the fire was smoking material that was left unattended, police said.

A 13-year-old gorl and an elderly man were able to leave the building unharmed, police said.

No one else was injured.

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The No. 4 overall pick out of the 2020 NBA Draft had a nice season, resulting in being selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team. But the skillset demands more from Williams, as he has a chance to be the dominant two-way forward the league covets.

Most of the NBA world is not privy to the feats of “Practice Pat.”

But Bulls teammates, coaches, executives and a handful of others at the Advocate Center have seen the full potential of 19-year-old forward Patrick Williams.

The outside world saw snippets of it this past season: Williams’ power at the rim, the float game in his offense, his willingness to defend whomever, whenever as a rookie. (Just Google the block he had on the Suns’ Deandre Ayton on March 31.)

But if you want a complete highlight reel, Practice Pat put together a great one.

That’s why there’s so much excitement surrounding Williams’ offseason — starting with the fact he’ll actually have one.

Because of the coronavirus, the No. 4 overall pick out of Florida State was basically thrown right into fall camp last year. No minicamp, no working out with the veterans, no Summer League in Las Vegas. And still, Williams had unbelievable moments — unfortunately, too often in practice and not enough in games, when he often looked passive.

That has to change heading into next season if Williams wants to be a truly special two-way player, and the Bulls know it.

“The things we think Pat does [are], like, incredible, and he doesn’t know he’s doing incredible stuff out there,’’ veteran forward Thad Young said last month. “We thought [the Ayton block] was one of the most amazing blocks ever, and he was like, ‘Was it?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, if you don’t think it was incredible, go look at Twitter and go look at Instagram and you’re gonna see all the comments on it.’

“He’s just one of those guys that he has so many physical tools that it’s just all natural to him. That’s the fun part about having somebody like Pat. And that’s, I think, what’s gonna make him into a monster, because he’s doing stuff now that he’s already physically gifted to do. And when he gets that killer mindset in him, it’s gonna be trouble for a lot of people.”

That’s the hope. If what Williams shows in practice can translate more to games, it completely changes what the Bulls can be in the Eastern Conference. He’s that important.

The NBA is a wing-driven league. There’s a reason LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard are constant fixtures in the NBA Finals. Considering Williams’ size, physicality and skills, there’s no reason he can’t become the face of the franchise within the next few seasons.

He just has to be a willing participant.

“Usually when you get a young player, you build his arsenal,” said Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations. “You add certain things to his skill set. Pat has a lot of those skills. It’s just, when he is going to choose to use them?

“I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s going to have a summer for the first time. He knows again what he needs to work on. I’m looking forward to seeing his growth.”

FOCUSING ON FORWARDS

WHOM THE BULLS HAVE

Patrick Williams, Troy Brown Jr., Daniel Theis, Lauri Markkanen, Al-Farouq Aminu, Thad Young.

WHO COULD BE ON THE MOVE

Markkanen is a restricted free agent, and there will be money thrown his way from the outside. Theis is a free agent. Aminu had a player option for $10.1 million and picked it up for next season.

THE DRAFT

If the Bulls get lucky and retain a top-four pick in the draft lottery, they’re unlikely to use it to address their needs at forward. One player to remember is 2020 second-round pick Marko Simonovic, a draft-and-stash who could be on the roster by the fall.

FREE AGENCY

Expect the Bulls to make a tough decision on Markkanen but also put in an offer to keep Theis and his physicality in the frontcourt. Simonovic could take Markkanen’s role if he leaves, but the focus will be on keeping the frontcourt roster turnover to a minimum.

WILD CARD

After Kawhi Leonard and John Collins, it’s a weak free-agent class at forward. Simonovic is the wild card. Is his game NBA-ready? Arturas Karnisovas thinks it is.

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