What’s New

This You Gotta See: Cubs get the Nationals and Cardinals, White Sox get the Twins and Yankees, and the NBA and NHL postseasons get rolling.

Here’s a slogan former manager Joe Maddon never thought of that would’ve been perfect for the contending Cubs from 2015 forward:

“Lester is more.”

More than the free agent who stamped the rising Cubs as legit. More than the ever-willing ace who thrived on guts and guile as much as talent. Indeed, even more than the Cubs bargained for when they convinced him to say yes to six years, $155 million and an opportunity to help lead the team where no one had in more than a century.

Over six seasons on the North Side, Jon Lester more than delivered. And now he’s back at Wrigley Field to start Monday’s series opener for the Nationals.

It’ll be good to see him. Left fielder Kyle Schwarber, too. How loudly can 10,000 or so fans cheer, anyway?

The Cubs had no use for Lester in the end, declining a $25 million option for 2021 — the obvious move — and then keeping him on the pay-no-mind list until he signed somewhere else for one year and a song. Like the Cubs, the Nats are muddling along. Lester has pitched well, though he has yet to add to his career win total of 193. Schwarber has hit some, not a lot. Would these Cubs be any better off with them? Probably not to any meaningful extent.

But to many, they will always be Cubs. Lester, for sure, and Schwarber, too. The Big Lefty and the other big lefty. To the fans who will be there Monday: Let ’em hear you — good and loud.

Here’s what’s happening:

MON 17

Nationals at Cubs (6:40 p.m., Marquee)

Other than five All-Star selections, eight Opening Day starts and three World Series rings, what does Lester really have that Adbert Alzolay doesn’t? But we kid the talented young right-hander, who gets a chance to outduel a legend.

Blues at Avalanche, Game 1 (9 p.m., NBCSN)

Remember the old days when the Blackhawks and Blues were rivals? Root for whomever you want as the 2019 champs take on the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avs.

TUE 18

Hornets at Pacers (5:30 p.m., TNT)

The winner of the Eastern Conference’s 9-vs.-10 play-in game stays alive, while the loser joins the Bulls on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Either way, Hornets owner Michael Jordan will be on the golf course if anyone needs him.

Wizards at Celtics (8 p.m., TNT)

From 17-32 hopelessness to the 7-vs.-8 play-in game? Take a bow, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal.

WED 19

White Sox at Twins (12:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

Just saying, any time struggling Lucas Giolito wants to get on board with the whole best-rotation-in-baseball thing would be fine by us.

Sky at Dream (6 p.m., The U)

Is it just us or is Candace Parker blocking a shot at the rim, racing the other way with the dribble and firing a 60-foot chest pass like a bullet into the hands of a teammate for a layup kind of cool?

THU 20

“Class is in Session with Doug Glanville” (5 p.m., NBCSCH)

With a Cubs-Nats game earlier in the day, start time is approximate. And speaking of ballpark figures, this episode features Bill James — analytics’ original nerd — as a guest.

Panthers at Lightning, Game 3 (5:30 p.m., USA)

Remember the old days when the Hawks and Joel Quenneville were best pals? Here’s your best first-round matchup, people.

NBA East elimination game (7 p.m., TNT)

To the winner goes a best-of-seven date with the top-seeded 76ers. Frankly, it doesn’t sound all that terrifying.

FRI 21

White Sox at Yankees (6:05 p.m., NBCSCH)

One hopes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and the rest of the gang in Monument Park won’t hurt themselves straining their necks to get a glimpse of Yermin Mercedes.

Cubs at Cardinals (7:15 p.m., Marquee)

At long last, the season debut of this wonderful rivalry arrives. Would’ve been nice to bump into Albert Pujols, though.

NBA West elimination game (TBD, ESPN)

If there is a basketball God, the Warriors will be part of this deal so Steph Curry can shoot threes like his very postseason life depends on it.

SAT 22

White Sox at Yankees (12:05 p.m., NBCSCH)

Just an idle thought, but, hey, any chance this is a postseason preview? Sox-Yanks would be off-the-charts fun.

Penguins at Islanders, Game 4 (2 p.m., Ch. 5)

Pens trio Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have been together so long, they make Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith look like the latest boy band.

Inter Miami at Fire (5 p.m., UniMas)

Did you know the same design firm created both team’s logos? Let’s just say one project was more successful than the other.

Gotham FC at Red Stars (7 p.m., Paramount+)

The visitors’ Sky Blue days might be behind them, but they can still hope for blue skies over SeatGeek Stadium.

SUN 23

PGA Championship final round (noon, Ch. 2)

Rory McIlroy ran away by eight strokes the last time this tournament was played on the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C. Nine years later — and despite his zero major titles since 2014 — he’s the betting favorite at 10/1 to finish atop the field again.

Cubs at Cardinals (6:08 p.m., ESPN)

What’s the only thing that can top a Cubs-Cards game? A Cubs-Cards game with Alex Rodguez on the mic. But seriously, folks.

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“We cannot — indeed we must not — characterize these events within the context of war or religious conflict or who shot the first rocket,” said Tarek Khalil, of American Muslims for Palestine. “This is not only false and misleading, but dangerous and dehumanizing.

On the heels of Israeli airstrikes that killed 42 people in the deadliest single attack in the country’s renewed conflict with Palestine, thousands rallied downtown Sunday to decry what organizers described as an “ethnic cleansing” and to push for Palestinian independence.

Speakers and attendees gathered at the intersection of Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and America’s military aid to the country. Tarek Khalil, an attorney and activist with American Muslims for Palestine, characterized the violence carried out by Israel as an ongoing “crime against humanity.”

“We cannot — indeed we must not — characterize these events within the context of war or religious conflict or who shot the first rocket,” Khalil said to a massive throng of demonstrators. “This is not only false and misleading but dangerous and dehumanizing.

“This is not a war between two armies, but an ethnic cleansing campaign that began in 1948 and continues today,” he added, referencing the year Israel became an independent state.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

The latest outbreak of violence began in east Jerusalem last month, when Palestinians clashed with police in response to Israeli police tactics during Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers. A focus of the violence was the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a hilltop compound revered by both Muslims and Jews.

Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, began firing rockets toward Jerusalem on Monday. That triggered the Israeli assault on Gaza.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in the hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, including 55 children and 33 women, with 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in some of the 3,100 rocket attacks launched from Gaza, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier.

Following the latest attacks, Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia noted the conflict has now “reached a new boiling point” that has given way to “murder and bloodshed with no immediate end in sight.”

“The death, the destruction must end,” the Chicago Democrat told Sunday’s crowd. “We must end the bloodshed and the U.S. must do its part to bring about a ceasefire.”

During his speech, Garcia urged U.S. and world leaders to condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “aggression” and called for “equal justice, equal freedom and the right to self-determination for the people of Palestine.”

The demonstrators made their way through the downtown area, shutting down traffic on Michigan Avenue and other streets while remaining peaceful and jovial despite the grim circumstances. Many waved Palestinian flags and wore traditional head coverings, with some dancing atop bus stop shelters and subway entryways as the demonstration went on.

Anees Muatan, 42, of Bridgeview, stood atop his SUV waving a Palestinian sash as the demonstrators returned to the starting point. Muatan, who is of Palestinian descent but was born in America, said he’s “sick of the same” and slammed the Israeli government for carrying out attacks that victimized women and children.

Tom Schuba/Sun-Times

“It’s the same thing going on, over and over again. It’s called the holy land for every religion. Why must you guys just take over?” he said of Israel.

The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, the Chicago-based liaison between the residents of the region and the country, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a televised address, Netanyahu said the attacks were continuing at “full force” and would “take time.” Israel “wants to levy a heavy price” on the Hamas militant group, he said.

Contributing: Associated Press

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A year removed from a 2020 season that was wrecked due to the lingering effects of COVID-19, Moncada said he’s feeling really good physically.

It’s hard to argue with the .383 on-base percentage third baseman Yoan Moncada carried into Sunday’s game with the Royals. What he and the White Sox are waiting on is the power.

Moncada, who hit 25 homers and slugged .548 in a breakout 2019 season, has just three homers to go with a .395 slugging percentage in 2021. The power, though, is going to come and Moncada won’t force it.

“That’s going to come organically,” he said through a translator. “I don’t think that you can go at every at-bat thinking of hitting a homer, because that’s just going to mess up your approach. I’m going up there trying to hit the ball hard.”

A year removed from a 2020 season that was wrecked due to the lingering effects of COVID-19, Moncada said he’s feeling really good physically.

His desire to win is also clear, which he showed in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 5-1 loss when he dove head-first into first base to try to beat out a ground ball to second. Though the effort highlighted his urge to help the Sox, manager Tony La Russa said the team doesn’t like the dangerous play and he would tell Moncada to try to avoid it in the future.

Moncada agreed it’s not a good idea to dive head-first at first, but mentioned the heat of the moment and the adrenaline running through his body.

Vaccinated
The Sox announced Saturday they have reached the 85% threshold of COVID-19 vaccinations, which allows them to relax certain safety protocols. One of them – not wearing masks in the dugout – was especially embraced by La Russa.

“Not having the mask, it was easier to breathe,” La Russa said. “It felt more normal.”

Hitting the 85% milestone doesn’t mean the Sox can just forget about the pandemic. They’ll still have to be careful and mindful of local regulations wherever they go, but they have taken another step toward returning to normal.

“Knock on wood, we are trending in the right direction, not just baseball, but as a country,” La Russa said.

Grandal watch
Yasmani Grandal caught and batted sixth Sunday for the Sox, who have managed his workload this season due a right knee injury suffered in spring training. La Russa said Grandal will also play Monday and possibly Tuesday as well.

Even with the extra caution, Sunday was Grandal’s 26th start behind the plate, which puts him on pace for 108 assuming he stays healthy.

“Between his preparation and the extra work he does in the training room and the work he gets there, it’s gotten us to this point,” La Russa said. “Knock on wood, we keep him in there.”

Engel update
La Russa said the Sox will be releasing something pretty soon about the next steps for outfielder Adam Engel (strained right hamstring). Engel, La Russa said, is making a lot of progress and “looking more like himself.”

“As far as the physical, getting to 100%, he’s either there or very close,” La Russa said.

Who’s No. 2?
Adam Eaton hit second, and La Russa said that will be the case against most right-handed starters like the Royals’ Brady Singer. Sunday was Eaton’s 19th game hitting the second, the most on the team.

SOX AT TWINS
Monday: Dallas Keuchel (2-1, 4.53) vs. J.A. Happ (2-1, 4.26), 6:40 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
Tuesday: Lance Lynn (4-1, 1.30) vs. Michael Piñeda (2-2, 2.79), 6:40 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM Wednesday: Lucas Giolito (2-4, 4.97) vs. Matt Shoemaker (2-4, 6.62 ERA), 12:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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This weekend, the Chicago Bears held rookie minicamp for the 2021 NFL Draft class and fellow undrafted rookies. To no one’s surprise, every eye was glued to rookie quarterback Justin Fields. There wasn’t a moment he didn’t absorb center stage. For Bears fans and media, this weekend was big. It was the first time we […]

Chicago Bears: Top 5 quotes from Justin Fields’ rookie minicamp – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Thomas Graham turned off the NFL draft broadcast after Round 5, disgusted, and walked into the back room of the Newport Beach, Calif., house he’d rented to celebrate what he thought would be a joyous day.

The former Oregon cornerback — whom Pro Football Focus considered the 76th-best draft prospect — turned on his favorite television show and tried not to think about football.

His agent called and tried to cheer him up. His parents did too.

“They just said, ‘We believe in you, just as much as you believe in yourself,” Graham said Sunday. “‘Your name is going to get called. When it is, take advantage of that opportunity.'”

And then, finally, Bears head coach Matt Nagy called to welcome him to the team.

“How’s your day going?” Nagy asked.

Graham, who still wasn’t over falling to No. 228 overall in Round 6, didn’t sugarcoat his response.

“Long,” he told Nagy. “Frustrating.”

Then the celebration began. Everyone in the house began screaming. Relieved and thrilled, Graham eventually went for a run on the beach.

“All that did was kind of put a chip on my shoulder. …” Graham said. “So I’m just going out there ready to go play, ready to go ball and do the things that I’ve always done my whole life, which is just go out there and make my family proud.”

Friday’s rookie minicamp practice was the first practice Graham had participated in — save for Senior Bowl week — since the Ducks’ 2019 season. Graham, who would have entered his senior year as the active FBS leader with 32 breakups, decided to opt out of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season.

Practice hasn’t been strange, Graham said, except for the fact that he’s found himself making audibles using the terminology the Ducks — not Bears — use.

He’s a quick study, though. Starting his freshman season two months after his 18th birthday, Graham led Oregon with three interceptions in 2017. He started 39-straight games in his Oregon career, totaling eight interceptions.

“I don’t think the speed is very different [in the NFL],” he said. “I think it’s just being able to learn the playbook and being able to play fast, and I feel like that’s the major difference. Definitely coming in as a rookie, I don’t know the defense. I’ve had a chance to learn some of it, but I didn’t really know all of it before I got here.

“So being able to play fast once you learn it is, I think, going to be able to slow the game down for me. Just kind of being a freshman in college all over again.”

Of the Bears’ five third-day draft picks, Graham might have the best chance to make an impact right away. The Bears cut two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller and didn’t make a splash to replace him, adding Desmond Trufant on a veteran minimum deal to compete with Kindle Vildor and Artie Burns. They didn’t add anyone to replace nickel cornerback Buster Skrine after cutting him in March, leaving Duke Shelley as an option.

Graham played field corner at Oregon — always lining up on the side of the defense with the most room to run — but, at 5-foot-10, he has a slot cornerback’s build.

“I absolutely think there’s an opportunity for him,” Nagy said. “You guys could see two years ago what type of player he was. We saw it. Really, really talented.”

He’ll be coached well; Nagy said nickel cornerback is a personal expertise of both defensive coordinator Sean Desai and secondary coach Deshea Townsend.

“It’s really going to be, ‘What can he handle mentally?'” Nagy said. “And then competition, man. Let’s let those guys go out there and then see what they can do against our guys in the slot.”

Graham said the Bears want him to play both outside and inside cornerback. The latter, though, should be his fastest path to playing time.

“Me personally, I want to go out there and start, but nothing is given in this league,” he said. “You have to go take it. You have to earn it.”

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It’s the perfect time of year to let your imagination run wild about the supposed potential of undrafted free agents — the Bears had 15 for rookie minicamp — and that enthusiasm almost always fizzles by September when only a few make the roster as third-stringers and special teamers.

But outside linebacker Charles Snowden is a different case.

It’s a lingering mystery why he didn’t get picked after 21 tackles for loss over his final two seasons at Virginia. He is 6-foot-6, 243 pounds. Many analysts projected him to be drafted, and some slotted him to go in the third or fourth round.

Snowden’s best guess is teams were scared off by the season-ending ankle injury he suffered in November, which kept him out of Virginia’s pro day. He was not full-go for minicamp, either.

“I’m not sure really what happened,” Snowden said of the draft. “I was upset for a day, but now I’m just facing reality of the situation. I had one scholarship offer coming out of college so I’m used to being the underdog.

“Even if I had gone third or fourth round I’d still be wanting to go out there and prove myself. Obviously that does give you a little chip on your shoulder, but I wouldn’t say it consumes me.”

When the rest of the team arrives, whether it’s for Organized Team Activities or training camp, the 23-year-old will be studying under six-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack.

Mack is the only certainty for the Bears at outside linebacker. After signing 30-year-old Robert Quinn to a $70 million contract last year, he produced two sacks in 548 snaps. The next-best option after him is journeyman Jeremiah Attaochu, who had five sacks for the Broncos last season.

“You can’t be a football player and not know the name Khalil Mack,” Snowden said. “So I’m excited to learn behind him.”

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If BGA President and CEO David Greising were a teacher filling out Lightfoot’s report card, he’d say she has the most “room for improvement” in the category of “works well with others.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot cannot be “written off completely,” but she has “a lot of work to do” to have even a shot at re-election.

That’s the bottom-line, mid-term assessment of Lightfoot from David Greising, president and CEO of the Better Government Association.

If Greising were a teacher filling out Lightfoot’s report card, he’d say the biggest “room for improvement” is in the “works well with others” category.

So far, Lightfoot hasn’t. In fact, her abrasive, micro-managing style and thin-skinned propensity to take things personally and lash out is alienating people and driving them away.

“Lori Lightfoot’s pique, her vulgar statements, her open personal animosity toward some of the people she gets caught up with doesn’t necessarily seem to advance an agenda. It looks more like a lack of discipline on her part. She keeps shooting herself in the foot,” Greising told the Sun-Times.

He pointed to Lightfoot’s recurring tension with Gov. J. B. Pritzker and her string of recent losses in the Illinois General Assembly.

That includes expanded bargaining rights for the Chicago Teachers Union and a pension sweetener for Chicago firefighters — likely to be followed by a sweetener for Chicago police officer pensions, too.

“Why is she at odds with Gov. J.B. Pritzker? … Can she potentially salvage that relationship and make it something constructive? Can she get something done in Springfield, which so far, she’s not done very well in? There are some things she could fix if she chooses to,” Greising said.

“But it gets back to that question of her personal discipline, her sense of isolation. What sometimes appears to be almost a sense of paranoia that she just is wary of everybody she’s dealing with. … If she can’t address those issues, then her viability if she chooses to run for re-election will be compromised.”

Aside from the persistent questions about Lightfoot’s temperament, Greising said the mayor’s greatest weaknesses have been in areas expected to be her greatest strengths: public safety and police reform.

Lightfoot made her political bones on those issues. She’s a former Chicago Police Board president who co-chaired the Task Force on Police Accountability amid the furor that followed the police shooting of Laquan McDonald.

In 2015, Mayor Rahm Emanuel was ordered to release the video of Officer Jason Van Dyke — later convicted of murder — shooting McDonald 16 times after Emanuel was accused of concealing the video until he was safely reelected.

Lightfoot personally drafted the policy requiring the city to release body-camera and dashcam video of police shootings and other incidents involving cop shootings within 60 days.

She promised during her inaugural address to stop the “epidemic of gun violence that devastates families, shatters communities, holds children hostage to fear in their own homes.”

Yet she hits the midway point with crime and violence far worse than when she walked in.

In March, shootings were up 70% over the same period a year ago. Homicides were up 50%. Carjackings more than doubled.

Her hand-picked police superintendent, David Brown, a retired Dallas police chief, seems overwhelmed by the job. His officers continue to be shot at in record numbers.

“The progress on policing so far has been utterly disappointing. … Some of the videos that have come out have been very disturbing. It almost seems that we’ve made zero progress on addressing some of the serious problems” in the Chicago Police Department, Greising said.

“The hope was that, because she had an inside view of what is wrong with the Chicago Police Department, she would have fixes in mind. And she doesn’t appear to have fixes of her own. Nor does … Brown seem to have a strategy that offers any hope that he really can fix this problem of a high level of violent crime, of rogue policing.”

Progressives had high hopes for Lightfoot but have been bitterly disappointed by her failure to deliver the elected school board she promised as well as civilian oversight of CPD.

The mayor’s spotty record on environmental issues — including the Hilco smokestack demolition debacle in Little Village and General Iron’s now-stalled move from Lincoln Park to a Southeast Side that has been Chicago’s dumping ground for decades — will be another tough pill for progressives to swallow, Greising said.

The BGA president gives the rookie mayor her highest grades when it comes to the progress she has made toward righting Chicago’s financial ship and in her strong leadership during the pandemic.

He pointed in particular to the tough decision she convinced the City Council to make to raise property taxes by $94 million in 2021 followed by annual increases tied to the consumer price index.

But he saved some of his harshest criticism for her surprisingly poor record on the issues of government openness, transparency and her failure to honor Freedom of Information requests.

Greising pointed to Lightfoot’s “terrible” failure to promptly comply with Freedom of Information requests and to the secret City Council meetings held during the George Floyd demonstrations that the BGA sued the city to stop.

“The city is required to pay the legal fees of anybody who sues under Freedom of Information if the city is not complying with those requests,” and Emanuel wracked up $1.7 million in legal fees over eight years, Greising said.

“In two years, she’s a third of the way toward matching Rahm’s abysmal record,” Greising said.

“From a mayor who promised transparency — for this mayor to have this disappointing a record is really a surprise. … We would look for a lot better from her in the second half of her term.”

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At least five people have been killed in citywide shootings since 5 p.m. Friday.

At least five people have been killed, and 32 others wounded in shootings across Chicago since Friday evening, including a 2-year-old girl who was shot in Little Village on the Southwest Side.

The girl was in the back seat of a car being driven by a male about 6:55 p.m. Friday in the 2800 block of West 26th Street when another vehicle drove up alongside them and someone inside that vehicle started shooting, Chicago police said.

She was shot in the leg and was taken by the driver to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was in good condition, according to police.

In the weekend’s latest fatal shooting, a man was shot dead Saturday afternoon in Woodlawn on the South Side.

About 2:45 p.m., he was in the 1300 block of East Marquette Road when someone opened fire, striking him multiple times, police said.

The 21-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Early Saturday morning, two people were killed and three others wounded in a shooting at a party in Gresham on the South Side.

Several people were at a gathering in the 7800 block of South Loomis Boulevard when a gunman opened fire shortly after 3 a.m., according to police.

A 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

A 21-year-old was also struck in the head and taken to the same hospital, where he later died, police said.

A 25-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was also taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.

Another man, 23, suffered two gunshot wounds to the right arm and was transported to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, police said. A fifth man, 21, was struck in the shoulder and listed in fair condition at the same hospital, according to police.

In another fatal shooting, a person was found shot to death about an hour later at a gas station in West Garfield Park.

The male was found about 4:05 a.m. in the parking lot of a gas station in the 400 block of South Kostner Avenue with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.

He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Friday night, a man was killed and another injured in a shooting in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side.

About 11:50 p.m., officers heard several shots fired and saw an 18-year-old man running with a rifle in the 6200 block of West Diversey Avenue, police said.

Officers placed him under arrest and noticed he had two gunshot wounds to the back and one to the arm, police said. He was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition.

While searching the area, officers also found a 32-year-old man on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head, police said. He was taken to the same hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

At least 18 other people were wounded in citywide shootings since 5 p.m. Friday.

Last weekend, five people were killed and 21 others hurt in incidents of gun violence across Chicago.

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

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He was on the sidewalk about 7:55 a.m. in the 3700 block of South Wood Street when a vehicle approached and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.

A 13-year-old boy was shot Sunday in McKinley Park on the South Side.

He was on the sidewalk about 7:55 a.m. in the 3700 block of South Wood Street when a vehicle approached and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.

The teen was struck in the head and neck, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

No arrests have been reported. Area One detectives are investigating.

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