What’s New

The Westgate SuperBook installed the Packers as a 2.5-point favorite against the Bears on Oct. 17, but that will change if quarterback Aaron Rodgers leaves Green Bay.

LAS VEGAS — “Be my guest,” Paul Stone said as he waved pal Jim Schrope ahead of him in line at a South Point sportsbook ticket window a bit past 11 a.m. May 21.

Book director Chris Andrews had just released the spreads of 97 college football Games of the Year, and Stone and Schrope were some of the sharp bettors eager to take positions.

Schrope put a grand on Alabama, giving 13 points to Miami in a Sept. 4 game in Atlanta. The line moved to 14. Stone still saw value and put $1,100 on the Crimson Tide.

It had eked to 16 by Wednesday. At some shops around the country, it climbed to 17.5. Says Schrope, “That’s a lot of one-way action.” Of his dozen tickets, he coveted ’Bama -13 against the Hurricanes.

“When they put that up at under two touchdowns, I think a lot of people were salivating,” Schrope said. “If I hadn’t been one of the first two people in line, I would not have gotten that number.”

A recent swing through the usual troika — Circa Sports downtown, the off-the-Strip Westgate SuperBook and the South Point, at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard — was anything but common.

Football is king. It doesn’t kick off for another few months, but pigskin wagering is in full swing. The earliest birds savor the sweetest rewards. In one case, thanks to a friend of 10 years, that meant giving 13 points instead of 14.

“Usually, I let Paul go in front of me,” Schrope said. “He does so much for me. But he said, ‘You go first this time.’ I was grateful. I got the best number available.”

CIRCLE OCT. 17

Money has been trickling in at Circa on the Bears, moving their Super Bowl-title odds from 50-1 to 40-1 over the last three months.

Part of the property’s allure is yes/no proposition offerings, allowing patrons to wager, say, on the Bears to win Super Bowl LVI and the Packers to not win a fifth Lombardi Trophy.

The odds of the Bears not winning the next title are -7200, or wager $7,200 to earn $100 — also the Steelers’ figures.

Green Bay, meanwhile, the site of the daily Aaron Rodgers drama, is -2200 to not claim the crown. To win it all, the Packers are +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200).

At the Westgate, SuperBook chief Jay -Kornegay and his staff produced spreads and totals on every game of the 18-week NFL season, an epic achievement.

An intriguing tilt is Packers-Bears on Oct. 17 at Soldier Field. The SuperBook installed Green Bay as a 2.5-point favorite.

Rodgers is 21-5 against the Bears. That game’s complexion changes considerably, though, if he retires or is traded this summer.

The Bears getting 2.5 at home possibly against a Rodgers-less Packers squad would seem to be value. However, Long Island handicapper and nationally syndicated SportsGarten radio host Tom Barton never indulges in such early NFL lines.

“Too much can happen” he said. “Sure, Rodgers might not be there. But what if he is and they are unbeaten? What if Allen Robinson or [Khalil] Mack goes down? Too many injury variables in [pro] football.”

FADE AUBURN, IOWA STATE

At 10:19 a.m. May 20, Andrews released those 97 college games, blank spaces where spreads belong, on Twitter, noting, “Time to do some homework, fellas.”

Schrope, a 56-year-old aerospace engineer for the navy who lives in San Diego, drove to Vegas that day and went to work.

He had handicapped, via his power ratings, dozens of games. He jettisoned the ones that weren’t on that list. He attacked the ones that he hadn’t handicapped.

His day job affirms his affinity for numbers, and he has profited on his college GOY endeavors each of the last six seasons.

The 59-year-old Stone provides a handicapping service, college football being his wheelhouse, to select clientele from his east Texas residence. When he and Schrope discuss games, people listen.

Last Friday morning, Schrope saw that his lines on nine Notre Dame games matched, almost exactly, what Andrews had produced. He moved on.

Alabama-Miami was a no-brainer. Out of Schrope’s next 11 wagers, six entailed fading (betting against) programs that he believes have inflated statures; three against Auburn, three against Iowa State.

“Part of my usual strategy,” he said. “In all six of those cases, I felt like I got a very reasonable number.”

He is on Oklahoma State (Oct. 23) and Texas (Nov. 6), each getting 10 points at Iowa State, and he has West Virginia +8 at home Oct. 30 against the Cyclones.

“Iowa State will be very good, I just don’t think it’ll contend for a playoff spot,” Schrope said. “Those lines are a little bit out of whack. I think they all should have been under a touchdown.”

Schrope got LSU -3 at home against Auburn (Oct. 2), Georgia -4 at Auburn (Oct. 9) and Ole Miss +6 at Auburn (Oct. 30).

He views new Tigers coach Bryan Harsin, a former quarterback and coach at Boise State, as a regional misfit.

“He’s a West Coast guy,” Schrope said. “To me, it’s a really strange hire.

“Quarterback Bo Nix has completely underperformed there. Maybe this new regime turns him around, but I see this as a transition year for Auburn.”

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Going into the 2021 offseason, the Chicago Bears had to be shrewd. General Manager Ryan Pace was tasked with utilizing the Bears’ minimal cap space to address a plethora of needs and retool a team that has stagnated over the past two seasons since winning the division crown in 2018. The Chicago Bears are going […]

Chicago Bears: 3 early 2022 free agent targets to think about – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Coach Link Jarrett’s team a surprise national power

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Link Jarrett received a visit from an old friend during a recent home series against Florida State, where he played his college ball 30 years ago.

Notre Dame’s second-year coach, who has steered the Irish to 30 wins in their first 40 games and the top seed in this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, sat back and listened to Rick Mathews as he had so many times before.

The 74-year-old scout, based in Centerville, Iowa, made the trip east not just to check in with a former infielder he once supervised as the Rockies’ field coordinator. The former big-league bench coach and bullpen coach was on special assignment for the Rockies to see just what sort of baseball magic is unfolding in Jarrett’s program.

“I was told to come watch because this is the most well-balanced, complete, well-coached team in college baseball,” Mathews told his former pupil, according to Jarrett.

Jarrett, 49, could hardly process what he was hearing.

“This is a guy who essentially ran the minor-league system for the Rockies,” Jarrett said. “He’s been with them for 30 years, and he came to our game. This guy has done everything you could do in professional baseball.”

Even though the Irish dropped two of three to the Seminoles for their only series loss out of 12 this season, Mathews continued to relay how impressed he was with the surprise national power in the Midwest.

“That kind of made me step back and think,” Jarrett said. “I don’t always see the big picture. That’s probably when it hit me that some of the people that are in the game, that sit up there and watch, probably see things that I obviously don’t, that I overlook.”

Among those, Jarrett said, was how hard his team plays and how engaged in every pitch they remain, day to day, inning to inning. That’s how a program that has reached the NCAA Tournament only once since 2006 and lost projected closer Tommy Vail and senior starter Jack Sheehan to preseason injuries could set the college game abuzz.

Notre Dame has climbed as high as No. 2 in the national polls despite ranking 13th out of 14 ACC teams in scoring. The Irish are only sixth in the league in on-base and slugging percentage but rank third in ERA under longtime pitching coach Chuck Ristano thanks to three of the top four individuals in the ACC.

That includes the chart-topping combo of lefty John Michael Bertrand and righty transfer Tanner Kohlhepp, who started his college career at Tennessee. A patchwork pitching staff worked its league-best fifth shutout Wednesday in the ACC Tournament opener in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Nobody’s too proud,” Jarrett said. “Everybody’s just, ‘Give me the ball.’ We can’t start everybody, and we can’t close everybody. We don’t care. We mix and match.”

What the Irish do best, however, is catch the ball. They lead the ACC in fielding percentage, committing only 21 errors all season until muffing two chances in the tournament opener against the Hokies.

“I think our defense is exceptional,” said Jarrett, hired away from UNC Greensboro in 2019 to replace Mik Aoki after nine seasons.

Doubters can point to a down year for the ACC, where N.C. State (15th), Florida State (17th) and Miami (24th) were the only league clubs to join seventh-ranked Notre Dame in Baseball America’s latest national rankings.

It will be interesting to see how the NCAA selection committee seeds Notre Dame, which has reached the College World Series only twice in its history (1957 and 2002), and just how much respect it will get when it comes to tournament hosting privileges.

Even then, the Irish, who fell 14-1 to Virginia in Friday’s pool finale, could turn any potential slights into an advantage.

“We definitely have a chip on our shoulder,” senior second baseman Jared Miller said after playing through a sprained left wrist for much of the regular season. “But each time we step on the field, it’s just another game. We play hard . . . and we’ll see how far that takes us.”

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Chicago may value tradition over innovation — at least when it comes to uniforms.  

When there are eight professional sports teams in your city there will never be a shortage of opinions or hot takes ranging from who has the best stadium, head coach, team and even concession food.

So, when the White Sox released their brand new City Connect uniforms it seemed like the perfect time to answer one critically important question in this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times Sports polls on Twitter.

We’ve seen some fresh threads from teams like the Red Stars, Sky and White Sox this year. The Sky introduced three new uniforms ahead of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary season: the Heroine, Explorer and Rebel edition uniforms. Each uniform holds a significant tie to Chicago. The Rebel Edition, for example, pays homage to women of Chicago breaking through glass ceilings and pushing beyond boundaries.

The Red Stars introduced a new kit ahead of their season opener against Gotham FC to mixed reviews. It was dubbed the momentum kit and is meant to reflect the connection from the club’s historic past to its future.

“Is it ever not the Blackhawks,” asked @LooWaters, which leads us to believe Chicago is a city that values tradition over innovation. At least when it comes to uniforms.

You know what they say? If it’s posted on Twitter, it must be true.

Poll No 1. (two-part question): Who has the best uniforms in Chicago right now?

Upshot: The Blackhawks and Bears returned similar results in the polls. Twitter limits the number of choices to four per poll so without inaccurately deeming one a loser, we’ll say these equally traditional uniforms tied. The Bears who have used the same font since 1949, have stepped outside the box in recent years. The team’s throwback uniforms in 2019 paid homage to ones worn in 1936. They had no resemblance to its traditional jersey and helmet set and fans weren’t overly supportive of the new look. The throwback set was controversial beyond what fans thought as well because Black players were banned from the league from 1934-1945.

While we continue to see teams like the White Sox and the Sky introduce innovative looks to fans, this poll reminds us, nobody in Chicago likes change.

Commented @MurgesJohn, “The Chicago Blackhawks Jersey has withstood the test of time. No Jersey comes close in Chicago or anywhere else for that matter!”

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Friday, the White Sox released their new City Connect uniforms as part of a Nike series that will end up featuring seven clubs including the Cubs

I still remember the first jersey I ever wore to 35th and Shields as a young White Sox fan growing up in the ’90s.

OK, it technically was a replica of the 1991-99 road uniform, but I wore it with the pride and respect the name on the back — Frank Thomas — deserved.

Growing up in a Sox household, it was natural for me to align myself with the Big Hurt. He made his major-league debut two months before I made my debut in the world. I’m not saying his career in baseball somehow predestined my humble existence as a journalist, but we’re definitely connected, for the sole fact he’s my favorite player and that replica jersey took up space in my closet long after I outgrew it.

The White Sox’ 1990 cap logo is generational. Similar to the “NY” of the Yankees, the “B” of the Red Sox or the “LA” of the Dodgers, the Old English “S-O-X,” which became the team’s primary logo in 1991, is a clear identifier. Some influential people have worn those letters on hats, with arguably no one raising the logo’s status higher than the members of N.W.A., who made it a hip-hop staple in the early ’90s. Dr. Dre famously wore it in his “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” video in 1993. “Chicago changed their colors to black and white, which was perfect for us,” Ice Cube told NBC Sports when he was in town with his Big3 basketball league in 2017.

On Friday, the Sox unveiled their new City Connect alternate uniform as part of a Nike series that will end up featuring seven teams, including the Cubs. The Sox’ uniform was the third to be released, following the Marlins’ and the Red Sox’, and combines pinstripes and black and white of the past with a gothic “Southside” across the chest and matching “Chi” on the cap — a nod to the South Side community that shapes the team’s mentality today.

The Sox will wear the uniform for the first time June 5 against the Tigers.

Shortstop Tim Anderson was the first person from the Sox to see the design concept, before Nike or even chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. He had two words for the design team: “That’s dope.”

The Cubs’ City Connect uniform will be unveiled the week of June 7. Over the last 60-plus years, the Cubs have made only minor tweaks to their home uniforms, and their primary logo hasn’t changed since 1976. Tradition matters more for some teams, I guess. And taking risks with uniforms isn’t always rewarded. In 1976, the Sox wore white jerseys with a black collar, pairing them with shorts instead of traditional baseball pants. I wasn’t around to see those uniforms in person, and I thank the universe for that.

New uniform reveals used to get minimal mention, if any, with teams sometimes holding reveal ceremonies, but nothing like what it has become. The releases of today — with accompanying jersey sales — are no doubt a money grab, but they’ve also become a special way to involve fans and communities.

Fans on social media seem to enjoy what the Sox put out Friday. The new “Chi” cap has the potential to compete with the 1990 logo, especially in Chicago.

Personally, I think it’s time for me to upgrade my Thomas jersey. It’s still hanging in my closet.

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Were there positives coming from this Bulls season compared to last? Many. But the NBA isn’t horseshoes. This is a what have you done for me lately league, and the Bulls again fell very short in that department.

The NBA shouldn’t be an excuse business. The current Bulls regime knows that much better than the old one did.

That was demonstrated by executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas in his season-ending address with the media.

“There were lots of games that we played for 3½ quarters,’’ Karnisovas said. “Learning to win often requires a transition period. That is part of what we are going through here. We expect a steep learning curve with this team. The ups and downs in games were drastic, going from game to game. Consistency is the mark of a mature, developed team, a team that adapts to adversity. I get it, it’s protocols, lack of practice time, lack of rest and development gets to you. But every team was in the same situation. Resilient and mature teams rise above challenges.’’

Game, set and match. So while there was improvement over last season’s circus, the goal was not even close to being met. That’s why the overall grade for this season’s Bulls is a D.

Zach LaVine

The All-Star guard had career numbers across the board and was even willing to exert more energy defensively for the first time in seven seasons. That has to continue, as does the idea of understanding how to impact winning. GRADE: A-.

Coby White

It’s not often that a player fails point-guard school and loses his starting seat in the class, only to come back and actually look like a capable starter. Here’s the problem: White excelled at a point in the season when the pressure had dwindled. GRADE: C+.

Tomas Satoransky

The veteran guard hasn’t been the point guard/outside threat he was with the Wizards, but he did have some glue moments for the starting and reserve units. GRADE: C.

Garrett Temple

The veteran battled through some injuries and was inconsistent on the court, but his leadership for the money the Bulls paid for him? Priceless. GRADE: B.

Troy Brown Jr.

An ankle injury limited Brown to 13 games, but it was a solid showing, especially on the defensive end. Need to see more of Brown moving forward. GRADE: Incomplete.

Ryan Arcidiacono

The Bulls have an option on Arch, and while pound for pound, he’s one of the tougher players on the roster — see the charges he takes — it will be interesting to see if he’s picked up. GRADE: B-.

Javonte Green

Like Brown, the sample size was too small to fairly judge, but when he played, there was defensive energy. He is a free agent, and decisions have to be made. GRADE: Incomplete.

Patrick Williams

The rookie has uncanny tools for a 19-year-old, but he needs to stop overthinking his role with the team and play with aggression offensively. Williams should have been the third-best player on the roster at the end of the season and wasn’t. GRADE: B-.

Daniel Theis

Sure, he looks like a villain in a Jason Statham movie, but Theis brought a presence and toughness this team sorely needed. Now it’s about keeping the free agent in a Bulls jersey. GRADE: B+.

Denzel Valentine

The Michigan State product had some memorable moments this season — and not all of them good. Either way, the free agent-to-be is never boring when he’s in the game. GRADE: C.

Lauri Markkanen

The player once considered a foundation piece of the rebuild had every opportunity to excel this season. The right coach, the right offense, then some fellow Euros added to the roster at the deadline. But he continued to vanish far too often. GRADE: D.

Thaddeus Young

Coaching matters, and it definitely did with Young. He went from wanting to retire under former coach Jim Boylen to establishing a career high in assists under Billy Donovan. Then you add the leadership aspect. GRADE: A-.

Al-Farouq Aminu

The veteran has picked up his player option for next season at $10.1 million and might take over Cristiano Felicio’s chair at the end of the bench. GRADE: F.

Cristiano Felicio

It’s not Big Cris’ fault that former general manager Gar Forman thought he was the smartest exec in the room and handed the backup center $32 million. Felicio, however, never seemed to work on his weaknesses. GRADE: F.

Nikola Vucevic

The “Vooch’’ can fall out of bed and put up a double-double, but can he and LaVine figure out how to lift this team into the playoffs next season? GRADE: B+.

Billy Donovan

It was good to cover a coach who actually tries to be transparent, admits mistakes and takes ownership of losses.

Donovan was handcuffed after the deadline, getting five new players in the locker room and having almost no practice time to get them assimilated, but, again, in a pass/fail business, the Bulls didn’t get it done. GRADE: C.

Front Office

Karnisovas took a big swing in acquiring Vucevic and possibly losing a 2021 draft pick to do so and still fell short of the postseason. The message sent league-wide, however, was the Bulls are now a culture of trying to win rather than trying to survive.

We’ll see if it resonates. But for now, the Bulls are once again a lottery team that could lose its first-round ticket. GRADE: D.

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The 2021 NFL season could be when the respect finally comes back around to the Chicago Bears. Just two seasons ago, these Bears were looking like a Super Bowl contender. All they needed was the quarterback. The Bears only needed average quarterback play, and they would have been a contender back in 2018. But, as […]

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A 12-year-old boy was with a group of people about 1 a.m. Saturday when someone inside a black Dodge Charger fired shots in the 7100 block of South Dobson Avenue.

Three people have been wounded in shootings across Chicago since Friday night, including a 12-year-old boy who was grazed by a bullet in Great Crossing on the South Side.

The boy was with a group of people about 1 a.m. Saturday when someone inside a black Dodge Charger fired shots in the 7100 block of South Dobson Avenue, Chicago police said.

A bullet grazed his leg and he was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, police said. He may not have been the intended target, according to police.

Also Saturday, a 40-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the Brighton Park neighbohood.

The man was standing outside just after midnight in the 3300 block of West 47th Street when a pick up truck drove by and a male from inside fired shots, police said.

He suffered two gunshot wounds to the back and was taken to Mount Sinai in good condition, police said.

The gunman is about 27 to 29 years old, according to police.

On Friday, a ride-share driver was grazed by a bullet during a struggle with a person who tried to rob him in Bronzeville.

About 6:55 p.m., the driver was in the 4000 block of South Wabash Avenue when a male got into the back seat of the car, pulled out a gun and demanded the 42-year-old get out of the vehicle, police said.

The two struggled over the gun, causing it to discharge, police said. The man was grazed in the abdomen and the attacker fled the scene.

The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said.

Last weekend, 12 people were killed and at least 42 others were wounded in shootings across Chicago, making it the deadliest of the year.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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It has been a tough stretch for St. Louis sports fans. Their baseball team in the St. Louis Cardinals lost a series 2-1 to both the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs in the past week. Thier hockey team didn’t do much better either as the St. Louis Blues were swept out of the postseason […]

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