What’s New

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Even after securing regional-host status for its first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years, Notre Dame isn’t about to surrender its underdog mentality.

”Kind of like playing with house money,” right-hander Tanner Kohlhepp said before the four-team mini-tournament this weekend at Frank Eck Stadium. ”There’s not a lot of stress. We don’t have to live up to any sort of expectations.”

A 30-victory season and an Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title already in the books, coach Link Jarrett’s surprise College World Series contender must find a way to subdue 2019 CWS runner-up Michigan, along with Connecticut and Central Michigan.

One way to do that, it seems, is for the Irish to keep their edge as a team that has been doubted all season long. Seeded 10th overall by the NCAA selection committee, Notre Dame knows it can’t get to Omaha, Nebraska, without a Super Regional side trip through Starkville, Mississippi, where Mississippi State projects to await.

”We thought we were going to be a little bit higher,” infielder Jared Miller said. ”But that’s out of our control. We had a great season. We thought our play spoke for a little bit higher seed, but we’ll just go out this weekend and prove how good of a team we are.”

A run of eight NCAA Tournament bids in a row ended in 2006, but you have to go back to 2004 to find the last time the Irish hosted a regional and to 2002 for the last time they got past the opening weekend. That year also marked the second CWS appearance in program history, the other coming in 1957.

Jarrett, a former Florida State shortstop who reached the CWS three times with the Seminoles in the early 1990s, doesn’t want his players taking the field with the burden of history. Instead, he prefers they embrace this rare opportunity, especially after laying an egg at the ACC tournament last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the words of Kohlhepp, the staff co-ace who started his college career at Tennessee: ”They’re big games, but there’s no reason to make them bigger than they need to be.”

A 10-1-1 series record since the season began in late February bodes well for Notre Dame, as does a team identity built around sound fundamental play and a deep, versatile pitching staff.

”We have balance to our team,” Jarrett said. ”There’s balance on the mound. We have a figure-it-out type of lineup. We have enough weapons and enough variety that we can be dangerous.”

While the postseason is all about incremental survival, one out at a time, you already could hear Jarrett prepping his

unlikely Cinderella group with some projection about how they might fare in a Super Regional trip to the heart of Southeastern College country.

”We talk a lot about having to play the game with minimal verbal communication,” said Jarrett, a former Auburn assistant. ”Our guys can tell you how many times I preach that you have to be able to play the game without yelling across the field at everybody like you can when we practice. You just can’t.”

Especially not in a place like Starkville, with all those blasted cowbells.

”I’ve been there a couple of times,” Jarrett said. ”You have to be able to play the game without constant communication verbally across the field. Our system is designed for this. We’ve trained for this. I think we’re more suited for it than maybe teams that don’t have that philosophy.”

First things first, of course, but it is interesting to hear a modern coach speak openly about what might lie ahead if this weekend goes as planned. Sure, the national pundits and NCAA selection committee have tried to let some of the air out of this latest Notre Dame golden narrative.

But that doesn’t mean Jarrett and his bunch of anonymous scrappers have to play along. In some ways, he already has his eye fixed beyond this 2021 season to a future filled with annual championship contention.

”I hope we can continue to evolve,” Jarrett said. ”I don’t want this to be a one-time story. I want our national relevance to continue.”

Read More

When schools went remote and sports halted in spring 2020, Lane Tech pitcher Anthony Scimone worried his chances of playing college baseball might be halted, too — that all his hard work to impress recruiters would go to waste.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, recruiters couldn’t attend games in person, so Scimone had to take matters into his own hands. Along with the rest of the Lane Tech team, he turned to posting on social media (Twitter, specifically), emailing and using free websites such as FieldLevel to showcase his talents. In previous years, paid showcases and travel teams had been expensive; now, more athletes were finding ways to be seen virtually — and at no cost.

“Not playing junior year makes you be more proactive — you have to reach out to more schools yourself, because not a whole lot of interest was coming at me,” said Scimone, now a senior. “I had to go out and send emails to a bunch of schools on my own.”

Many Lane Tech players had no experience using Twitter, including Scimone, who created his account only after schools sent students home last March. He knew a social media presence would be key in making an impression on college teams, so he asked the coaching staff for help. Coach Sean Freeman often posted in the team’s Google Classroom environment with links about effective Twitter handles and examples of effective posts.

“I talk to all of them because they’ve all had different recruiting experiences based on their individual talent levels,” Freeman said. “It’s definitely different for every kid. Some of them have done a really good job emailing and reaching out on their own, which is awesome.”

Student athletes had never experienced recruiting like this before. Seven baseball players from Lane Tech eventually landed college offers. Scimone committed in September to Division III Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the result of a process that started with a few tweets and direct messages.

“I was just trying to pursue my dream and see how long I could play baseball and how far it could take me,” he said. “And it worked out.”

Seven players moving on to play in college is the second-most Freeman has had in his time coaching (the most was eight, two years ago). Most schools Lane Tech’s size usually have only one or two commits a year.

“Credit to the kids, especially at this time,” Freeman said. “Obviously, the NCAA recruiting landscape at all levels has changed a lot because of COVID — it’s definitely been a lot tougher. It just shows you how good they are that they are still able to play at that level despite everything.”

For Illinois commit Ben Plumley, standing out to a Division I school meant dedicating his Twitter account to short videos of his increasing pitching velocity and retweets of his statistics. Ryan Wong, who committed to Division III CalTech, preferred emailing schools with details about his improvements. Three other players also preferred emailing to Twitter: Josh Aguiniga (Concordia University Wisconsin), Will Henson (Lindenwood University) and DeAndre Edwards (walk-on, North Carolina A&T State).

The time off in 2020 allowed Wong to focus on developing areas he previously struggled with, such as his strength.

“Not getting a season sucked, obviously, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be weight-wise,” he said. “I was able to focus on baseball more than I would have if we were in season and playing games. I think it bumped me up to the next level.”

Others similarly used the lost junior season to improve their skills. Pitcher Jace Phelan was able to increase his velocity from the mid-80s to the low-90s — a goal he thinks would have been harder without the time off. He has committed to Division I New Orleans as a walk-on next season.

“I think that time made me realize how much I missed playing baseball,” Phelan said. “I was able to be more productive and get a lot stronger, and now I get to play Division I baseball.”

Read More

GREENWOOD, Miss. — A group of Mississippi residents gathered on a sleepy, dusty Delta day to remember the fictional Billy Joe McAllister where — as the 1967 hit song had it — he ended his life when he jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge.

The Greenwood Commonwealth reported that members of the society calling themselves the June Bugs held a ceremony Thursday and talked about Billy Joe as if they knew him. The group included Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and Bill Luckett, an attorney and blues club owner who once ran for Mississippi governor as a Democrat.

They unveiled a tombstone at a spot called the Tallahatchie Flats.

“Ode to Billy Joe” was written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry, who lived part of her life in Greenwood.

Wicker quoted from the lyrics Thursday, speaking of the fictional character as if he had been real.

“People said, ‘Billy Joe never had a lick of sense,’ but I never believed that,” the senator said.

Luckett dressed as a pope and spoke about the possibility that Billy Joe committed some sins, including taking his own life by leaping into the Tallahatchie. Luckett announced that he “grants, conveys and bestows and publicly pronounces a special dispensation” for Billy Joe.

People sang “Wade in the Water,” and a tombstone for McAllister was unveiled with the phrase: “He loved the river even unto death.”

An Episcopal priest read a list of Mississippi authors and musicians who were also being memorialized, including William Faulkner and Muddy Waters.

Read More

There is almost no chance the Bulls can climb into the top three of the Eastern Conference over the next few seasons, and when taking a closer look, it won’t be easy to climb into the top eight.

Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas made it clear in his end-of-the-season news conference that he has a plan.

The details, however, are where there’s some serious uncertainty.

‘‘At this point in time, I cannot tell you what the plan is going to look like,’’ Karnisovas said last month. ‘‘But I can tell you that we’ll look at every possible way to improve the team. You cannot skip steps. So the greatest lessons are learned through experiencing what doesn’t work.

‘‘We have to grow from going through what we went through this year and move forward to gain respect in this league. We are certainly not satisfied. But we will learn from it, adjust and make sure what did not go well does not happen again.’’

That’s good because it can’t.

A team with two All-Stars in guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic should not have been sitting at home for the last few weeks. It should have been playing — then getting eliminated by — a team such as the Nets or Bucks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Instead, Karnisovas still is tinkering with the blueprints in an effort to get the Bulls to that spot.

Could the Bulls jump into the same class the 76ers, Nets and Bucks now occupy? That would be almost impossible. Those three teams likely will be at the top of the Eastern Conference for at least a couple of more seasons.

No, this is about the Bulls jumping from lottery irrelevance to being in that pack of playoff teams looking to stay alive for as long as they can.

That’s the next step.

And, as Karnisovas indicated, ‘‘You cannot skip steps.’’

New York Knicks

Final 2020-21 seed: Fourth.

Payroll for 2021-22 season: $49.7 million.

Outlook: No team is in a better salary-cap situation than the Knicks heading into free agency this summer. Problem is, it’s not a star-heavy free-agent class. Could they add key contributors to play alongside Julius Randle and an emerging RJ Barrett? Absolutely. Expect them to be in on players such as Lonzo Ball and Lauri Markkanen.

Likelihood of the Bulls jumping them: Small. While the Bulls are more talented on paper, the Knicks simply will play harder than LaVine, Vucevic and Co. during the course of a season. That’s what Tom Thibodeau-coached teams do.

Atlanta Hawks

Final 2020-21 seed: Fifth.

Payroll for 2021-22 season: $95.4 million.

Outlook: While the old Bulls regime was making mistake after mistake during the rebuild, the Hawks were doing the opposite. Their draft picks have panned out, and their free-agent decision-making has been way better than the Bulls’ since 2017. It will be interesting to see what happens with restricted free agent John Collins.

Likelihood of the Bulls jumping them: Small. The Hawks have a better all-around team, both with their starting lineup and their depth. They also have cap room to retain Collins or shop elsewhere.

Miami Heat

Final 2020-21 seed: Sixth.

Payroll for 2021-22 season: $77.8 million.

Outlook: Something was off all season with the Heat. Whether it was fatigue from reaching the NBA Finals in the bubble last season and having a quick turnaround or a growing chemistry issue in the locker room, the culture looked broken. Expect Pat Riley to fix that and for them to continue to build around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

Likelihood of the Bulls jumping them: Small. Riley doesn’t let issues fester; he cleans them up immediately. Expect changes, and the Heat’s ‘‘Big Two’’ are just better all-around players than the Bulls’ ‘‘Big Two.’’

Boston Celtics

Final 2020-21 seed: Seventh.

Payroll for 2021-22 season: $132.9 million.

Outlook: The front office already is getting an overhaul, with Danny Ainge retiring as president and Brad Stevens moving out of his coaching seat into Ainge’s office. Barring a trade, the roster is pretty much locked in. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be the focal points, surrounded by Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart in the last season of his contract.

Likelihood of the Bulls jumping them: Small. Even with the massive changes going on upstairs, the Celtics are just better than the Bulls when they’re healthy. Smart would be a big loss if they move him, but Brown and Tatum are a handful, even with Walker’s ugly contract.

Washington Wizards

Final 2020-21 seed: Eighth.

Payroll for 2021-22 season: $121.8 million.

Outlook: It will be very difficult to move Russell Westbrook ($44.2 million next season) or Bradley Beal ($34.5 million next season) this summer, so it looks like another year of building around that backcourt. That means players such as Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura will have to continue to develop at a high level. Beal and Westbrook are good enough to carry a team to the postseason, but they have no staying power in the playoffs.

Likelihood of the Bulls jumping them: Great. There’s no reason a healthy Bulls team couldn’t have done what the Wizards did the last month by getting hot and earning the No. 8 seed in a play-in game. The teams are similar in talent.

Indiana Pacers

Final 2020-21 seed: Ninth.

Payroll for 2021-22 season: $119.6 million.

Outlook: The medical setback for Caris LeVert and losing Myles Turner to a season-ending foot injury were massive gut punches for the Pacers. When healthy, LeVert, Turner, Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis are a formidable four-headed monster. The Pacers have an interesting offseason ahead of them.

Likelihood of the Bulls jumping them: Good. Even when healthy, the Pacers have some deficiencies that can be exposed. It feels like some changes might be coming, but their four main players are locked in at least through the 2022-23 season.

Charlotte Hornets

Final 2020-21 seed: Tenth.

Payroll for 2021-22 season: $83.1 million.

Outlook: As goes LaMelo Ball, so go the Hornets. The rookie showed star potential in his 51 games and has some young pieces around him in P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges. Gordon Hayward was solid when healthy, but his injury problems remain a concern, especially for the money he’s making.

Likelihood of the Bulls jumping them: Great. The Bulls should have finished better than the Hornets this season. They swept them during the regular season and matched up well with the Hornets’ strengths on both ends. If the Bulls can’t jump them in the standings next season, the roster might need a purge.

Read More

Officers found a man unresponsive Friday with gunshot wounds on the head and chest in the 1300 block of North Mayfield Avenue.

Four people were killed 11 other wounded in shootings across Chicago since Friday night.

In the most recent fatal attack, a man was killed and another wounded in a shooting early Saturday in Austin on the West Side.

Officers found a man unresponsive about 1:30 a.m. with gunshot wounds on the head and chest in the 1300 block of North Mayfield Avenue, Chicago police said. He was pronounced dead the scene. He hasn’t been identified, according to police.

Another man, 26, was also hurt in the shooting, police said.

He was shot in the ankle and self-transported to West Suburban Hospital. He was later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Mayfield, where he was in fair condition, police said.

On Friday, a man was killed in a shooting in Austin on the West Side, police said.

He was in a backyard about 7:25 p.m. in the 5200 block of West Le Moyne Street when someone approached and opened fire, striking him in the head, police said.

The 23-year-old was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His identity has not been released.

A man was fatally shot Friday in West Englewood on the South Side, police said.

The 27-year-old was on the sidewalk about 9:20 p.m. in the 5600 block of South Marshfield Avenue when someone fired shots at him from a white sedan, police said.

The man was struck in the head and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His identity has not been released.

Less than an hour later, a man was found fatally shot in University Village on the Near West Side.

The 24-year-old was found unresponsive with gunshot wounds to his head and chest in a vehicle about 10 p.m. in the 1300 block of West Roosevelt Road, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In nonfatal shootings, three males were arrested in connection to a shooting in South Loop late Friday night.

A 30-year-old man was standing outside about 11 p.m. when he was shot in the leg by a male in the 2100 block of South Michigan Avenue, police said.

A witness saw the shooter get in a car with two other males and they were arrested shortly after, according to police.

The man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was serious, police said.

On Saturday, a 17-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting in the Lawndale neighborhood.

The teen boy was sitting outside on the porch about 3:30 a.m. in the 4100 block of West 21st Place when someone inside a black-colored car fired shots, Chicago police said.

He was shot in the arm and was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital by a relative, police said.

The teen told officers the gunman was firing shots at a nearby group and was hit by a stray bullet, police said.

At least nine others were hurt in citywide shootins since 5 p.m. Friday.

Thirty-seven people were shot, three fatally, last week over Memorial Day weekend.

Read More

Both Chicago baseball teams ascended to the top of the division.

“The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.”

— Edwin Way Teale

Teale was a renowned ecologist, but he might as well have been a Chicago baseball fan in May.

Look at what a difference a month made for the White Sox:

• In April, the Sox were 14-11 (.560), with the seventh-best record in baseball and the fourth-best in the American League.
• In May, the Sox were 19-10 (.560), with the fourth-best record in baseball and the second-best in the AL. The Sox were one win shy of their wins record for May set in 1901 (20-7) and tied in 1951 (20-5) and 1963 (20-12).

But it was even better for the Cubs:

• In April, the Cubs were 11-15 (.423), with the 26th-best record in baseball and the 14th-best in the National League.
• In May, the Cubs were 19-8 (.704), the second-best record in baseball and the best in the NL. The Cubs were just two wins shy of their wins record for May set in 1903 (21-7) and repeated in 1977 (21-7).

Look at the two first-place teams in the Second City

NL Central standings on June 1
Tm W L W-L% GB

1. CUBS 30-23 .566 —
2. STL 30-24 .556 0.5
3. MIL 29-25 .537 1.5
4. CIN 24-28 .462 5.5
5. PIT 20-33 .377 10.0

AL Central standings on June 1
Tm W L W-L% GB

1. SOX 33 21 .611 —
2. CLE 29 24 .547 3.5
3. KC 26 26 .500 6.0
4. MIN 22 31 .415 10.5
5. DET 22 32 .407 11.0

It’s all the more impressive when you see their May 1 records

NL Central standings on May 1
Tm W L W-L% GB

1. MIL 16 10 .615 —
2. STL 14 12 .538 2.0
3. PIT 12 13 .480 3.5
4. CIN 12 13 .480 3.5
5. CUBS 11 15 .423 5.0

AL Central standings on May 1
Tm W L W-L% GB

1. KC 15 9 .625 —
2. SOX 14 11 .560 1.5
3. CLE 12 12 .500 3.0
4. MIN 9 15 .375 6.0
5. DET 8 19 .296 8.5

The Sox at the plate in May

The Sox hit .246 with 140 runs scored and 30 homers, 224 hits, 123 walks (led the AL) and 264 whiffs.

• Jose Abreu hit .333.
• Yoan Moncada hit .313.
• Yoan Moncada had 30 hits.
• Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, and Nick Madrigal each 28 hits.
• Jose Abreu hit six homers.
• Yasmani Grandal and Andrew Vaughn each hit four homers.
• Jose Abreu drove in 27 runs, second in the AL.
• Yoan Moncada and Yermin Mercedes each drove home 14.
• Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson each scored 17 times.
• Yasmani Grandal led the AL with 29 walks.
• Yoan Moncada was second in the AL with 24 walks.
• Yoan Moncada struck out 35 times.
• Yasmani Grandal and Tim Anderson each whiffed 26 times.

The Cubs at the plate in May

The Cubs hit .262 (led the NL) in May with 131 runs scored and 36 homers, 237 hits (led the NL), 87 walks and 244 whiffs

• Kris Bryant hit .327.
• Joc Pederson hit .314.
• Javy Baez hit seven homers.
• Kris Bryant and Ian Happ each hit five homers.
• Kris Bryant had 17 RBI.
• Javy Baez had 16 RBI.
• Kris Bryant and Javy Baez each scored 17 times.
• Willson Contreras walked 13 times.
• Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant each walked 10 times.
• Javy Baez led the NL, striking out 34 times.
• Willson Contreras struck out 27 times.

The Sox on the mound in May

The Sox had a 2.89 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP, threw 12 quality starts, had nine saves (most in the AL), two blown saves, allowed 203 hits, permitted 89 runs and 79 earned runs, walked 77, struck out 279 (most in the AL) and allowed 29 homers.

• Liam Hendriks had a 0.52 ERA.
• Lance Lynn had a 1.64 ERA.
• Michael Kopech had a 1.72 ERA.
• Lucas Giolito had a 2.41 ERA.
• Liam Hendriks had a 0.86 WHIP.
• Lance Lynn had a 0.94 WHIP.
• Carlos Rodon had a 0.98 WHIP.
• Lucas Giolito had a 1.04 WHIP.
• Carlos Rodon and Lucas Giolito each had three quality starts.
• Liam Hendriks had eight saves, to lead the AL (and had no blown saves).
• Aaron Bummer had two blown saves.
• Dallas Keuchel allowed 31 hits.
• Carlos Rodon and Lucas Giolito allowed 25 hits.
• Liam Hendriks permitted no earned runs in 11.2 IP.
• Michael Kopech permitted three earned runs in 15.2 IP.
• Lance Lynn permitted six earned runs in 33.0 IP.
• Codi Heuer walked one in 10.2 IP.
• Jose Ruiz walked two in 12.2 IP.
• Liam Hendriks walked two in 11.2 IP
• Carlos Rodon walked four in 29.2 IP
• Lucas Giolito struck out 45 to lead the AL.
• Carlos Rodon struck out 44, second in the AL.
• Dylan Cease struck out 37.
• Lance Lynn struck out 30.
• Liam Hendriks allowed no homers.
• Codi Heuer allowed one homer.
• Jose Ruiz, Michael Kopech, Aaron Bummer and Dylan Cease each allowed two homers.

The Cubs on the mound in May

The Cubs had a 2.52 ERA (lowest in the NL) with a 1.15 WHIP, had nine quality starts, had 10 saves, four blown saves, allowed 203 hits, permitted 85 runs (fewest in the NL) and 68 earned runs (fewest in the NL), walked 77, struck out 238 and allowed 26 homers.

• Keegan Thompson had a 0.52 ERA.
• Ryan Tepera had a 0.61 ERA.
• Zach Davies had a 1.72 ERA.
• Kyle Hendricks had a 2.67 ERA.
• Craig Kimbrel had a 0.92 WHIP.
• Adbert Alzolay had a 0.94 WHIP.
• Kyle Hendricks had a 1.19 WHIP
• Kyle Hendricks had four quality starts.
• Adbert Alzolay had two quality starts.
• Craig Kimbrel had eight saves, second in the NL.
• Craig Kimbrel had two blown saves.
• Kyle Hendricks allowed 37 hits.
• Zach Davies allowed 28 hits.
• Keegan Thompson permitted one earned run in 17.1 IP.
• Ryan Tepera permitted one earned run in 14.2 IP.
• Andrew Chafin permitted one earned run in 13.2 IP.
• Zach Davies permitted six earned runs in 31.1 IP.
• Ryan Tepera walked no one in 14.2 IP.
• Craig Kimbrel walked two in 12.0 IP.
• Kyle Hendricks walked three in 33.2 IP.
• Adbert Alzolay struck out 28.
• Kyle Hendricks struck out 26.
• Andrew Chafin allowed no homers.
• Ryan Tepera allowed no homers.
• Craig Kimbrel allowed one homer.
• Zach Davies allowed one homer.
• Keegan Thompson allowed one homer.

Here’s my Nine to Know for May

1. With runners in scoring position, Ian Happ hit .429.
2. Against lefties, Kris Bryant hit .476.
3. The first batters Liam Hendriks faced went 1-for-12 (.083).
4. With two outs, batters went 1-for-13 (.077) against Craig Kimbrel.
5. Carlos Rodon faced 97 righties and struck out 37 of them.
6. From the seventh inning on, Yasmani Grandal hit only .083, but he had a .476 OBP since he had one hit and nine walks.
7. Jose Abreu had 16 RBI with two strikes on him.
8. Javy Baez ended 16 innings with a strikeout.
9. With two outs, batters were 0-for-25 against Dylan Cease.

Have a great June!

Read More

A 17-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting early Saturday in the Lawndale neighborhood.

The teen boy was sitting outside on the porch about 3:30 a.m. in the 4100 block of West 21st Place when someone inside a black-colored car fired shots, Chicago police said.

He was shot in the arm and was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital by a relative, police said.

The teen told officers the gunman was firing shots at a nearby group and was hit by a stray bullet, police said.

Area Four detectives are investigating.

Read More

Yet again this year, the NHL draft — both the actual event and its extensive lead-up — is entirely virtual.

For forward Matthew Coronato, whose explosive season with the local Chicago Steel rocketed him up the draft rankings, and defenseman Sean Behrens, a Barrington native molded by two years with the U.S. national team, that means their ongoing meetings with NHL franchises are only through Zoom or phone calls.

“It’s definitely interesting and unique, but at the same time, it’s still really special,” Coronato said.

“I’ve still had a lot of really good conversations, getting to know the personnel of the teams and them asking me questions about my game and giving me pointers,” Behrens said. “I don’t think it has really affected me. It affects the teams a little more.”

Coronato and Behrens headline the list of players with Chicago connections hoping to hear their names announced at this year’s draft, which will be held July 23-24.

Seven players from the Steel — the Geneva-based junior hockey dynasty fresh off another USHL league championship last month — made the NHL Central Scouting Service’s final rankings.

Six players hailing from the Chicago area — but now playing across the continent — also made the final rankings.

Coronato on Blackhawks’ radar

A New York native, Coronato arrived in Chicago before this season brimming with confidence.

That translated into his performance, as his point production more than doubled from his first Steel season. He finished with 85 points (48 goals and 37 assists) in 51 games, ranking second on the team, and added a team-leading 13 points in eight playoff games.

“[I was] just continuing to work on my shot, work on the movement that our team liked to use in the offensive zone,” he said. “But a big part of my offensive production was a result of confidence.”

Coronato also improved defensively, staying goal-side of opposing forwards and using his stick to break up plays. But his biggest assets are his energy and motor; he’s constantly moving on the ice and therefore constantly noticeable.

His draft stock surged up from a projected third or fourth-round pick to a nearly certain first-round selection. He finished ninth among North American skaters in the final CSS rankings.

He’ll most likely go between 10th and 20th overall, which puts him on the Blackhawks’ radar for the 11th pick. He certainly wouldn’t mind being chosen by his adopted hometown team.

“I love Chicago,” he said. “I loved being here the last two years. The Blackhawks are a special team and organization, so that would definitely be a great spot to end up.”

This summer, he plans to work on his skating and strength — he measures at 5-10, 180 pounds right now, but hopes to get to between 185 and 187 pounds — in addition to going through the draft process before heading to Harvard next season.

Behrens benefitted from workload

The commute from Barrington to the United Center is long, but the Behrens family nonetheless made the trek often as Blackhawks season-ticket holders. That fandom jumpstarted their son’s own career.

“[The Hawks] were a big part of my passion for hockey,” Behrens said. “Winning the three [Stanley] Cups in six years was really cool for me to watch as a young kid growing up.”

Now the 24th-ranked North American skater, Behrens hasn’t met with the Hawks yet but could also be on their radar. He’s a projected second- or third-round pick and the Hawks hold two second-round selections.

Behrens is undersized at only 5-10, but his puck-moving skills make him one of the better offensive defensemen available in this year’s draft.

“I’m a two-way defenseman who loves to join the rush,” he said. “I’m a good skater with good [enough] hockey IQ to find passing lanes and open up my teammates. I’m a really good transition player.”

Many 2021 draft-eligible prospects, especially those in Canadian junior leagues, haven’t played a ton of games over the past two years due to the pandemic. That hasn’t been the case for Behrens, however.

He played 74 games in 2020-21, including 46 for the U.S. national U18 team (in which he tallied 35 points) and five more in the World Junior Championships, after appearing in 88 total games in 2019-20.

“I got better as the year went on,” he said. “I was developing my game on both ends of the ice, not only offensively — joining the rush at the right times, making smart reads there — but defensively being strong on guys, being strong on my skates, boxing guys out and closing on pucks quickly, which was a big thing I wanted to work on.”

He’s committed to Denver for next season.

Other Chicago-connected draft prospects

Defenseman Owen Power, a likely bet to go No. 1 overall to the Sabres, played this past season at Michigan but developed with the Steel in 2019-20.

Wing Mackie Samoskevich, a natural playmaker bound for Michigan next year, is — as the 26th-ranked North American skater — the second-highest ranked draft prospect from the 2021 Steel.

The other CSS-ranked players from the 2021 Steel are Harvard-bound forward Jack Bar (41st), UMass-committed defenseman Ryan Ufko (43rd), Arizona State-bound forward Josh Doan (87th), Boston University-committed forward Jack Harvey (91st) and Boston College-committed defenseman Lukas Gustafsson (186th).

Meanwhile, Highland Park native Simon Motew played in the OHL last year, then tore up a lower-tier junior league with the local Chicago Cougars this year due to the OHL’s shutdown. He’s the 129th-ranked North American skater.

Wilmette native Cameron Rowe went 9-2-1 with a .933 save percentage as a freshman at Wisconsin and is the 13th-ranked North American goaltender.

Minooka native Josh Lopina (139th), a UMass forward, and Chicago natives Quinn Hutson (177th), a Boston University-bound forward, and Colby Saganiuk (193rd), an OHL-bound forward, are the other CSS-ranked locals.

Read More

Arrieta allowed six runs in two innings in Friday’s 8-5 loss. The Cubs’ right-hander has an 8.28 ERA in his last six starts.

SAN FRANCISCO – The Cubs would have been in bad shape if it wasn’t for the job Jake Arrieta did in April. But since the first month of the season, things have not gone well for the veteran right-hander.

Coming off his last start where he didn’t make it through four innings, the Giants didn’t make it any easier on Arrieta in Friday’s 8-5 loss.

“I haven’t been great the last couple times out,” Arrieta said. We’ll get past that. Totally expect to to be a lot better and get back on track.”

Things came apart for Arrieta quickly with the Giants jumping all over him in the second with four consecutive base hits to start the inning, including a double and a three-run homer off the bat of Steven Duggar to give San Francisco a 3-2 lead.

The problems continued for Arrieta as the inning continued and after a single and a walk, he surrendered his second three-run homer of the inning to Alex Dickerson to make it a 6-2 game.

“I think he’s just fighting himself a little bit mechanically,” manager David Ross said. “From the side view, just flat. Two-seamers in [with] a lot of run middle of the plate. The cutter looked like it was backing up on him today. Couldn’t quite get it in there against lefties. They did some real damage on that pitch.”

There was plenty of loud contact against Arrieta with six hits in the inning over 100 mph and after closing the inning with the Giants sending 10 batters to the plate, he didn’t return in the third.

After the game, Arrieta said part of the reason for his performance was that he got sick before Friday’s game and dealt with the effects of that throughout the game.

“Before the game, I was pretty sick and apparently what I had for lunch today made me pretty sick,” Arrieta said. “Threw up before the game and then a few times after I came out of the game. I was really weak. Tried to try to go out there and do what I could, wasn’t able to, unfortunately. Put us in a big hole.

“I thought I was capable of going out there and doing a little bit more. I didn’t really have my legs underneath me. Just not a great day.”

The Cubs are going to have to figure out what to do with their veteran right-hander. Arrieta has an 8.28 ERA over his last six starts.

The Cubs’ offense did do some damage with both Kris Bryant and Joc Pederson hitting a pair of two-run shots in the first and fourth inning. It was Pederson’s second homer of the series.

Read More

The Chicago Cubs have had things going well for them since the end of April. They didn’t get off to a good start to the 2021 season but got back on track in May. Well, they hit the west coast looking to keep things going against some really good teams. The San Francisco Giants were […]

Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras have words – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

Read More