A man was fatally shot May 1, 2021 in Burnside. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file photo
The man was sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle traveling in the 800 block of East 87th Place when someone fired shots in his direction, according to Chicago police.
A 21-year-old man was fatally shot Saturday night while riding in a vehicle in Burnside on the South Side.
About 11:15 p.m., the man was sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle traveling in the 800 block of East 87th Place when someone fired shots in his direction, Chicago police said.
The man was struck three times in the head and twice in the arm, police said. He was taken to Jackson Park Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet identified the man.
The driver of the vehicle was unable to provide any information on the shooter, police said.
Most Anglos don’t know that Cinco de Mayo is NOT the Mexican Independence Day. For all the partying going on in America, it’s more like the Mexican St. Patrick’s Day. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Puebla
This week gets busy due to Cinco de Mayo falling snack in the middle of it. I have tried to sort out events at knwon good beer spots, even if they might not mention specific beer specials. Just trying to weed out the same olf “buckeys of Corona.”
Monday, May 3
3:00 – 7:00 pm • Country Grill Chicken Truck Evil Horse Brewing Co., 1338 Main St., Crete, IL 708-304-2907 Map Country Grill is a food truck offering rotisserie chicken and ribs fresh from the spit, homemade salads and pretzels.
4:00 – 11:00 pm • Special Inauguration Hours Nightshade and Dark’s Pandemonium Brewing, 216 W. Clayton St., Waukegan, IL (847) 445-2467 Map To accommodate those attending the city council meeting and inauguration of Wakegan’s first woman mayor we will be open from 4pm to 11pm. Waukegan’s own Up In Smoke will be serving BBQ until 9pm. There will be a limited number of racks of ribs available for walk in’s. Come and celebrate.
7:00 – 8:30 pm • Yahtzee Game Night Evil Horse Brewing Co., 1338 Main St., Crete, IL 708-304-2907 Map We’re playing YAHTZEE (in a socially distanced way, of course!). Come with a group of your besties, or just by yourself. We will play 4 rounds of Yahtzee, and the group with the best average score wins! You can play with 2 or more in your group. If you don’t have a group, we’ll set you up! Feel free to bring your own Yahtzee set if you’d prefer, but we’ll have plenty of sets to play with as well.
Tuesday, May 4
2:00 pm • Side Lot Bingo! Side Lot Brewery, 110 Slocum Lake Rd., Wauconda, IL 847-714-2584 Map We’re playing Bingo again! Get ready to shake your balls every Tuesday night at Side Lot Brewery. Limited seating is available both inside and outside. Reservations are HIGHLY recommended. MASKS ARE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE PROPERTY & ANYTIME YOU’RE NOT SEATED. If this is a problem, stay home.
Wednesday, 5 de Mayo
Elmhurst Brewing Cinco Elmhurst Brewing Co., 171 N. Addison Ave., Elmhurst, IL 630-834-2739 Map May 5th we’re cooking up a little something special for Cinco De Mayo! If you love our classic Sponge Bob Margarita Pants, just wait till you see the variations Get your reservations in now, this is surely not the party to miss (630) 834-BREW (2739)
11:00 am – 8:00 pm • BCS Wednesdays at Goose Island Clybourn Goose Island Brewhouse, 1800 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago, IL (312) 915-0071 Map Join us for another round of special BCS tapings Wednesdays this spring. In honor of the transitions of seasons, we’ll be throwing on some older or rarer BCS and also some new fresh BCS from the 2020 lineup. Plus you get to take home a mini snifter glass while supplies last. Tap lineup TBA Join us for indoor or outdoor dining, make your reservation now. *Limited availability. First come, first served. On-site consumption only.
11:30 am – 9:00 pm • Cinco de Mayo at the Station Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, 1035 Sterling Ave., Flossmoor, IL (708) 957-BREW Map Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at the Station with food and drink specials, including: • Coctel de Camarón • Chicken Enchiladas Verdes • Steak Quesadilla Dinner • Fried Shrimp Tacos • …and Drink Specials!
12:00 – 8:00 pm • Cinco de Mayo with Tacos Marios Riverlands Brewing Co., 1860 Dean St. Unit A, St. Charles, IL (630) 549-6293 Map Ready to get your Cinco de Mayo on? Award winning food truck Tacos Marios will be here ALL DAY serving up tacos (their al pastor is OMGSOGOOD), burritos, and much, much more starting right at noon. Hit us up for lunch with your team and get 1/2 OFF ALL DRAFTS from noon to 4pm. Or, swing by after work for your food and beer fix. Either way, we plan to party.
12:00 pm • McCarty Mills 5 de Mayo McCarty Mills Taproom, 140 S. River St., Aurora, IL (630) 229-0451 Map Salsa Verde Chicken Pozole Served with traditional garnishings and tostadas. Preorders available at McCartyMills.com Casa Humilde beer specials • $5 Maizals • $6 Pepino Micheladas • $6 Tamarindo Micheladas;
3:00 – 6:00 pm • Cinco de Mayo with Burn ‘n Bull! Skeleton Key Brewery, 8102 Lemont Rd., Unit 300, Woodridge, IL (630) 395-9033 Map Featuring: * Tacos & more from Burn ‘n Bull, starting at 5pm * Margarita-style sour beer (our Paintball Fight kettle sour with lime elixir and a salted rim) * Cervezas Picantes (cans of Cold Fresh Joy with a hot-sauced lid and a sprinkle of Tajin — like a Michelada that mixes itself with every sip!) * Metalachi playing on the stereo (mariachi covers of metal songs)
3:00 – 7:00 pm • A Stitch in Lime – Cinco at the Hop’d Sew Hop’d Brewery & Taproom, One Union Special Plaza, Ste. 113, Huntley, IL (815) 701-8819 Map Del Toro Street Taco is celebrating the day with our friends at Sew Hop’d Brewery. Cheers! Tacos, Salsa, Guacamole, Elote, Queso
4:00 – 7:00 pm • Cinco de Drinko de Mayo The Red Barn Restaurant and Brewery, 303 E. Kensington Rd., Mount Prospect, IL (847) 749-0064 Map Chef Rafa got his Jam on with these specials! DO NOT MISS THIS! the Cheesy Birria Quesa Tacos if you’ve never heard of or tried are ridiculous!
4:00 – 7:00 pm • Drinko de Mayo Week at Wolfden Wolfden Brewing, 112 W. Lake St., Bloomingdale, IL (847) 610-5117 Map We will have a Special Cinco de Mayo Menu all week! Including…Micheladas • Margaritas • Sangria • Queso Dip & Chips • Carnitas & Elote • Tajin rimmed Beer • Fog of Dawn Beer Release
7:00 pm • Frida Kahlo Paint Party Oak Park Brewing Co., 155 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 708-445-0272 Map Frida Kahlo Paint Party- Cinco de Mayo Socially distanced and IN PERSON! Studio 928 will celebrate Frida Kahlo in this lively paint and sip. There will be fun TRIVIA while you paint and sip! We pre-draw the images on canvas for you. We TEACH, about brushes, mixing colors and painting technique. You paint with us in Oak Park Brewery’s private event space. Food and drinks are available for purchase. 6 PM is suggested arrival time to allow time for food and drinks. PAINTING STARTS promptly at 7pm. ALL materials provided. TRIVIA participation is optional A 15% gratuity is added to food and beverage checks. PLEASE NOTE the minimum tickets you can purchase is TWO. We’re offering tables for 2, 4 and 6 guests due to social distancing guidelines. Additionally, please note only DRINKS are allowed at the ART tables. So if you’d like to try the Brewery’s amazing food, pls arrive early. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram page for event updates and specials. $80.00 – $240.00, available here.
7:00 – 10:00 pm • The Sandlot Trivia The Brass Tap, 14225 95th Ave. Ste. 400, Orland Park, IL 708-226-1827 Map Who is the narrator of the movie? What is the name of The Beast? Who was the Great Bambino? What is the name of the lifeguard that “saves” Squints? If you can answer these questions get your team of up to 4 people together and come win some prizes! Hosted by Finer Points Trivia! **Call during business hours to make a reservation 708-226-1827 Wednesday Specials: 50% off ALL Bottles of Wine $6 Glasses of Large House Wine Pours $7 Flatbreads
7:30 – 9:30 pm • 80s/90s Trivia Global Brew Tap House, 2100 Prairie St., Saint Charles, IL 630-549-0397 Map Dig out your leg warmers and parachute pants! We are going to have a totally rad 80’s & 90’s trivia at GB Saint Charles! We are time warping back to 80’s and 90’s for a night of bodacious trivia!! And don’t forget to dress up for bonus points!!!! It’s going to be totally cool!
Thursday, May 6
Chicken Thursday at Pollyanna Brewing in St. Charles Pollyanna – St. Charles, 106 S. Riverside Ave., St. Charles, IL (630) 549-7372 Map The Country Grill Chicagoland Chicken Truck brings finest rotisserie specialties to the Pollyanna Brewing in St. Charles! Swing by for dinner and some fine beers! Serving 3-7 pm and 10 pm to 2 am.
2:00 – 5:00 pm • Beer Release: Things We Don’t Say (Hazy IPA) Sketchbook Brewing Co., 821 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL (847) 859-9051 Map & Sketchbook Brewing Co. – Skokie, 4901 Main St., Skokie, IL (847) 588-0652 Map Sketchbook is honored to join Eagle Park Brewing, Hope For The Day, and 140+ breweries around the world in brewing our own take on Things We Don’t Say: Craft Beer For Mental Health. 30% of profits from taproom sales (both locations) of Sketchbook’s Things We Don’t Say™ Hazy IPA (draft and can) thru the month of May will be donated to Hope for The Day. Look for more ways to engage in this campaign during the month of may…and consider taking Hope for the Day’s signature training. Mental illness has touched everyone at Sketchbook in some way. We have found that three keys for mental wellness- a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, and unconditional acceptance- are uniquely present in the craft beer industry with deeply passionate and creative people and we strive to foster that in our brewery. We have seen the lovely honest conversations that happen in the taproom and encourage people to show up exactly how they are. Those connections can be lifelines to someone struggling with mental illness. We support this cause whole-heartedly and can’t wait for the closer relationships that wait on the other side of this pandemic.
7:00 – 8:30 pm • Molly’s Cupcakes & Cocktails Tapville Social – Naperville, 216 S. Washington St., Naperville, IL (630) 536-8739 Map Tapville Social is pairing Molly’s Cupcakes with signature cocktails. Join us for a event to sample four delicious Molly’s Cupcakes and four selected hand-crafted cocktails. Tickets $35 at this link.
7:30 – 7:30 pm • Schitt’s Creek Trivia Elmhurst Brewing Co., 171 N. Addison Ave., Elmhurst, IL 630-834-2739 Map May 6th we will have Schitt’s Creek trivia here at Elmhurst Brewing. Reservations are encouraged and there are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Call us at (630) 834-BREW (2739) to reserve a table
Fresh Beer Events, occasional bacon, but always spam free, opt out any time.
Meet The Blogger
Mark McDermott
Writer, trivia maven, fan of many things. I thought to learn all there is to know about beer as a way to stay interested in learning. It is my pleasure to bring Chicago’s craft beer scene to you.
Avoid shopping or important decisions from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.Chicago time. After that, the moon moves from Capricorn into Aquarius.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Do be aware of the restrictions of the moon alert, especially when dealing with parents and bosses or committee heads. Don’t volunteer for anything and don’t agree to anything important. After 3 p.m., you will want to schmooze
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You are strong because four planets are in your sign; however, be aware of the moon alert. Until it is over, refrain from making travel plans or decisions regarding higher education, medicine and the law. Later, you will be high visibility, and people will notice you.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Avoid making decisions about inheritances, taxes and insurance issues during today’s moon alert, which is over by 3 p.m. You might think up some creative solutions, but wait until the moon alert is over to put them into practice.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
A conversation with someone will be frank and revealing during the moon alert. However, during this same window of time, agree to nothing important. Wait until it’s over. Nevertheless, welcome an honest exchange of ideas and opinions.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Your efficiency might suffer today. Once the moon alert is over at 3 p.m., this will be over. Later in the day, an important discussion with a partner or close friend might take place. Stay tuned!
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
This can be a creative day because it’s easy for you to think out of the box! You might experience this if you’re involved in the arts, working with children or sportsevents. Nevertheless, wait until the moon alert is over to act on anything important.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
There is a moon alert until 3 p.m. that will make things feel loosey-goosey at home. Do not shop during this time except for food. Postpone important decisions. Nevertheless, family discussions can be warm and sociable!
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
You might feel a bit off your game because the moon alert will affect your decision-making until 3 p.m. Therefore, don’t make important decisions until after this time. Likewise, don’t shop for anything other than food. However, this is a creative day for writing and acting!
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Be careful. Today the moon is sitting in your Money House; however, it is a moon alert until 3 p.m. Therefore, make no money decisions. Restrict spending to food until after the moon slert is over. The pace of your day will accelerate afterwards.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
There is a moon alert in your sign that lasts until 3 p.m. During this time, you might feel indecisive and at loose ends. You might encounter shortages. Nevertheless, it can be a social, light-hearted time and certainly creative. Restrict spending to food and gas.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
During the moon alert, which will last until 3 p.m., things will feel fuzzy, indecisive and vague. Admittedly, it can be a social time and definitely a creative time. Wait until it is over before you make important decisions or spend money.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
You will enjoy the company of others, especially during the moon alert, which will last until 3 p.m. A moon alert can be playful and sociable, and creative but it’s a poor time to make solid decisions or spend money (except for food).
If Your Birthday Is Today
Actor Dwayne Johnson (1972) shares your birthday. You are calm, caring and resolute. You like to keep the peace when dealing with others. You have a sympathetic, understanding temperament, but you are also hard-working, ambitious and determined. You will thrive in the year ahead because you will be happy to work hard to build or construct something either literally, or perhaps a virtual framework in your life.
Bears beat writers Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser and Mark Potash break down the 2021 NFL Draft and detail how the pressure has shifted to head coach Matt Nagy.
Headed into the season, the White Sox bullpen was projected to be one of the team’s strengths. Especially with the addition of closer Liam Hendriks, this was a vaunted group expected to secure a lot of wins.
But through the first month, they are still working on living up to pre-season hype.
In April, the White Sox bullpen posted a 4.50 ERA, good for the sixth-highest. Their seven blown saves were tied for the most in baseball.
“It humanizes all of us,” Aaron Bummer said. “I think that we all believed that we were going to be able to go out there and dominate our will on everyone. I think each guy has that mentality; when we’re on our game, we’re going to dominate. It’s just being able to get to that point as much as possible. We’re going to get rolling, and we’re going to be where we want to be and everything’s going to start clicking.”
Like the bullpen as a whole, Bummer has had a bit of a drop off in his performance this season, something he attributes to an issue in his mechanics. He said he feels like he is pulling off of pitches and sending them too far east and west rather than north and south.
Bummer has had to work through this before; he said that in 2018 he experienced similar issues but was able to kick them. This year, his strikeouts are down and the walks are up, but Bummer is confident that he’ll right the ship and do his part toward getting the bullpen back on track.
“It’s a simple thing of not trying to do too much, not trying to create, not trying to fight against anything,” Bummer said. “Just trust in your ability that it’s enough to get people out. With that mentality, you kind of simplify everything, and things start rolling downhill a little bit easier.”
Offense, starting pitching clicking
Bullpen woes aside, the other two-thirds of the White Sox are thriving. On offense, they have MLB’s highest wins above replacement and a league-leading .265 batting average. They trail only four other teams in total runs scored.
“We are hitting the crap out of the baseball,” Bummer said. “Our starting pitchers are giving us a chance dang near every single time out.”
The rotation had a 3.11 ERA going into Saturday, and the back end of the starting corps has been the strength lately.
Carlos Rodon threw the 20th no-hitter in Sox history on April 14 and in his last start struck out twelve Detroit Tigers in six innings of one-run work. After a wobbly first four starts, Dylan Cease pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine in his last start against the Tigers.
Lynn returns, Engel still recovering
Starter Lance Lynn made his first appearance since April 15 on Saturday. He had been on the 10-day IL with a strained right trapezius.
There is still no timetable on outfielder Adam Engel’s return to the roster, though he did on-field rehab Saturday.
“He was doing his leg work,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “It’s still a work in progress. I don’t know that they’ve given a day yet.”
Engel has been out since spring training with a right hamstring strain.
It’s often been said that baseball has evolved into a game of the three true outcomes: home runs, strikeouts, and walks.
The bottom of the second inning Saturday might have been one of the most clear examples of the modern game. Cleveland Indians starter Triston McKenzie either walked or struck out every White Sox batter he saw until he walked the bases loaded, walked Leury Garcia to give up his first run, and then Tim Anderson hit a grand slam.
Five Sox runs on one hit and six strikeouts in the first two innings. They put zero balls in play for the first three innings, but went on to beat the Indians 7-3 and collected three more hits and seven more strikeouts in the process.
“That’s an unusual one,” manager Tony La Russa said. “But the five run rally was built around a hit and a lot of patience. McKenzie, he’s usually hitting the black or barely off it, and we did a good job of forcing him onto the plate, and that set up Tim for the big blow.”
The offense was able to produce seven runs despite a baker’s dozen strikeouts because they also drew eight walks. Catcher Yasmani Grandal led that charge, reaching via free pass all four times he went to bat.
“When you see your average not where it usually is, every time you go to bat you want to make something happen, and his patience is really to be admired,” La Russa said.
The Sox added two more runs in the fourth when Leury Garcia doubled home Yasmani Grandal and Jake Lamb, who had both drawn walks.
Making his first appearance in two weeks, Lance Lynn was on a loose pitch count — La Russa said before the game that he planned for somewhere around 75-85 pitches — and for the first three innings, Lynn used his bullets conservatively.
It took Lynn 34 pitches to get to the fourth inning, but it took him 22 to get out of the fourth. Lynn gave up two runs on two walks, a double, and a single in that frame and a solo home run to Austin Hedges in the fifth.
“It was good to get back out there and compete,” Lynn said. “I’ve been missing that for the last 15 days or so. Physically everything felt great. Felt as good as it could. Just getting back into the game flow, getting back into the intensity. Everything was where it needed to be.”
All told, Lynn threw 68 pitches Saturday, good enough for five three-run innings. Michael Kopech pitched three scoreless innings in relief for the hold and Aaron Bummer finished things off in the ninth.
Both Lynn and Kopech benefited from excellent defense; Luis Robert chased down a 379-foot rocket that came off of Josh Naylor’s bat at 101 miles per hour in the second inning, and Anderson ranged deep behind second base and threw across his body to get the second out of the eighth.
“I can’t be just dangerous at the plate. I’ve been working to get better on defense, on the bases,” Anderson said. “Really just trying to beat you at all angles. And that’s something that I work every day to continue to get better. You guys are finally seeing what I can do.”
Saturday’s grand slam was the second of Anderson’s career. He hit his first on April 14, 2019 at Yankee Stadium.
Anderson struck out on fastballs in the first inning, and he said when he came up in the second, he made sure he was timed up for McKenzie’s heater.
“I didn’t miss. That was a big hit,” Anderson said of his blast.
Jeremy Colliton will follow a “Goldilocks” principle as he increases ice time for Blackhawks young players in the 2021 season’s final games.
“You want to try and give them just the right amount,” the Hawks coach said. “Not too little, not too much.”
In the Hawks’ 5-4 loss to the Panthers on Saturday, that meant the usual candidates still led the team in ice time, but the distribution was more even across the board.
For example, a power play unit of Kirby Dach, Brandon Hagel, Philipp Kurashev, Vinnie Hinostroza and Wyatt Kalynuk — a group with three rookies and an average age of 22.4 — scored the Hawks’ third goal.
“We certainly want the young guys to get in those situations, but you don’t want them to be overwhelmed,” Colliton said. “We want to put them in a position to thrive… As they get more comfortable in the league and they’re able to better prepare themselves mentally, they can take more of a load.”
Despite the bright future, the Hawks continued to struggle with defensive assignments and fell to 1-4-1 in their last six games with just five left to play.
That stretch will be especially crucial for someone like Ian Mitchell, who remains a big part of the Hawks’ long-term plans but hasn’t had the rookie season he imagined.
Mitchell made just his third appearance since March 26, slotting into Nicolas Beaudin’s spot from Thursday. His loud voice and penchant for communication could be heard over the crowd of about 200 Hawks family and friends invited for the United Center’s soft reopening.
He’ll need a stronger sophomore year to begin living up to his elite prospect expectations, and the momentum toward that starts now.
“A lot of it is…to get his swagger back,” Colliton said. “It wasn’t unexpected that there was a drop-off [in his performance]. But sometimes when you go through that adversity, your confidence takes a hit. [He’s] getting back [to] being confident in himself and his ability to make plays.”
Adam Gaudette, another young player with a lot on the line in these meaningless games, continued to impress. The 24-year-old ex-Canuck forward now sports four points in his first three Hawks appearances after directly setting up Murphy and Alex DeBrincat’s second-period goals.
Zadorov wants to re-sign
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a pending restricted free agent — presenting arguably the most unpredictable, compelling decision of the Hawks’ offseason — would like to stay in Chicago.
“For sure, I would like to re-sign,” he said Saturday. “I like the organization, I like the team. We’re moving in the right direction with these guys up here… It’s really big for me to re-sign here and be part of it.”
What the Hawks decide to do with Zadorov will have heavy ramifications on who they protect in the expansion draft, what identity they try to build with their defense and what extra opportunities are available for young defensemen next season.
The 26-year-old Russian has been a lightning rod for criticism at times this season, but said Saturday he doesn’t pay attention to that and feels this year has been a “big step forward” for him.
“I’m averaging 19 minutes a night, and most of the year I’ve played with [Murphy] on the first ‘D’ pair, so it’s a huge step for me,” he said. “I take that responsibility as I have some ups and downs during the year. I’m playing well. [I have] also had some not-great games, but all of us make mistakes.”
ISU offensive tackle Drew Himmelman signed Saturday with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent. (photo by Barry Bottino, Prairie State Pigskin)
After the NFL draft concluded Saturday, three former Illinois State players – Drew Himmelman, Romeo McKnight and Christian Uphoff — were busy finding new football homes as undrafted free agents.
Himmelman, a senior offensive tackle from Geneseo, signed with the Denver Broncos. Crystal Lake’s Romeo McKnight, a defensive end who played his final season at FBS Charlotte, joined the Cleveland Browns organization. Washington native Christian Uphoff, a junior safety, became a member of the Green Bay Packers.
The 6-foot-10, 325-pound Himmelman earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference recognition this spring for the second consecutive season. Himmelman joins a Denver team whose offensive line is coached by Pro Football Hall of Fame member Mike Munchak, who had a 12-year playing career with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans from 1982-1993.
Romeo McKnight
According to ISURedbirds.com, Himmelman graded out at over 90% this season for the Redbirds. He helped ISU pile up 172 rushing yards a game during the abbreviated spring season.
McKnight, who transferred out of the ISU program when the MVFC moved its season to spring 2021, led Charlotte with five tackles for loss in the fall. The defensive end had 24 total tackles for Charlotte, including a career-high 10 stops against Florida Atlantic in October. At Illinois State, he posted 12 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in 2019.
Christian Uphoff
Cleveland ranked 16th in the NFL last season with 38 sacks.
Uphoff started 15 games in 2019 for the Redbirds, ranking fourth on the team in tackles. He sat out the 2021 spring season to focus on draft preparation and play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., which is coached by NFL staffs.
Green Bay tied for 18th in the NFL last season with 11 interceptions as a team.
Blog co-authors Barry Bottino and Dan Verdun bring years of experience covering collegiate athletics. Barry has covered college athletes for more than two decades in his “On Campus” column, which is published weekly by Shaw Media. Dan has written four books about the state’s football programs–“NIU Huskies Football” (released in 2013), “EIU Panthers Football (2014), “ISU Redbirds” (2016) and “SIU Salukis Football” (2017).
John Velazquez riding Medina Spirit crosses the finish line to win the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. | Jeff Roberson/AP
Medina Spirit finished ahead of Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie and favorite Essential Quality.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — John Velazquez was in a familiar place, in the lead aboard Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby and holding off the stretch bid of three challengers. This time, Bob Baffert couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Medina Spirit won by a half-length on Saturday, giving Baffert his seventh victory, the most of any trainer in the race’s 147-year history.
The jockey and trainer — both Hall of Famers — teamed up eight months ago to win a pandemic-delayed Derby in September with Authentic, who raced to an early lead and hung on. That wasn’t so surprising.
This one was.
Sent off at 12-1 — astronomical odds for a colt trained by the white-haired, two-time Triple Crown winner — Medina Spirit was in a street fight thundering down the stretch.
The dark brown colt was pressed by Mandaloun on his outside. Hot Rod Charlie was coming fast outside of Mandaloun, with 5-2 favorite Essential Quality giving chase on the far outside.
“I kept waiting for all those horses to pass him,” Baffert said. “When he got to the eighth pole, we said, ‘This guy has got a shot.’”
Velazquez knew he had plenty of horse left.
“We got to the 16th pole and he put his ears down and kept fighting,” the jockey said. “I was so proud of him.”
In the paddock, Baffert watched in amazement as one of the least heralded Derby runners of his long career dug in at the front.
“You could tell he was laying it down and Johnny was riding hard,” Baffert said. “He was just relentless.”
Medina Spirit led all the way and ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.02. He paid $26.20, $12 and $7.60. The victory was worth $1.86 million.
Velazquez earned his fourth Derby victory aboard the colt that was purchased as a yearling for $1,000 and was a bargain-basement buy at $35,000 for current owner Amr Zedan of Saudi Arabia. By comparison, Zedan recently paid $1.7 million for an unraced 2-year-old.
“He doesn’t know how much he cost,” Baffert said, “but what a little racehorse.”
Baffert punched his right arm in the air after watching the finish on the video board. He was buried in celebratory hugs by his wife, Jill, and youngest son, Bode. Jill Baffert had reason to celebrate earlier, when a horse she co-owns and is trained by her husband won a $500,000 race on the undercard.
“I’m really, really surprised,” the 68-year-old trainer said of Medina Spirit.
It wasn’t false modesty. Baffert had been low-key about his chances after two of his best horses — Life Is Good and Concert Tour — were derailed along the Derby trail.
Medina Spirit isn’t the typical high-priced talent with a fancy pedigree in Baffert’s California barn.
“I cannot believe he won this race,” the trainer said. “That little horse, that was him, all guts. He’s always shown that he’s been an overachiever. His heart is bigger than his body.”
Medina Spirit has never finished worse than second in six career starts and two of his three losses came to Life Is Good, who likely would have been the Derby favorite had he not been injured.
“I’ve rehearsed this speech in the shower and treadmill,” Zedan said. “Never thought I was going to do it, but here I am.”
Medina Spirit broke sharply out of the gate while Essential Quality and 9-2 second choice Rock Your World bumped shortly after the start.
“We were done,” Rock Your World’s trainer John Sadler said. “No chance.”
Essential Quality was five horses wide in both the first and second turns before taking aim at Medina Spirit in the stretch and coming up short in fourth place.
“He didn’t get the greatest trip,” trainer Brad Cox said of the favorite. “That can happen when you start from the 14-hole.”
Mandaloun — Cox’s other entry — finished second and returned $23.00 and $13.40. Hot Rod Charlie, partly owned by five former Brown University football players, was another half-length back in third and paid $5.20 to show.
Baffert won back-to-back, having tied Ben Jones with his sixth victory last year when the race was run in September without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The seven wins? I can’t believe I won two,” Baffert said. “That’s what I love about this business: Nobody knows for sure.”
A week earlier, Baffert sat in front of the Arkansas Racing Commission appealing a 15-day suspension that was part of his punishment for a pair of drug positives involving two of his horses from May 2020. He was successful, with the commission voting unanimously to reduce his fines and overturn the suspension.
“I’m just so grateful I can still compete at this level,” Baffert said.
Velazquez became the first jockey to win consecutive Derbies since Victor Espinoza in 2014-15. The 49-year-old rider also completed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double for the first time since Calvin Borel in 2009, winning the $1 million race for fillies on Friday.
Velazquez had told Baffert a night earlier not to underestimate Medina Spirit, named for the second holiest city in Islam and capital of the Medina province in Saudi Arabia.
“Every time I asked him for a little more, he gave me more,” Velazquez said.
The Derby went off on a sun-splashed day with attendance of 51,838 — about 100,000 fewer than usual. Fans were told to wear masks inside the track, but plenty of them did not.
O Besos finished fifth, followed by Midnight Bourbon, Keepmeinmind, Helium and Known Agenda. Highly Motivated was 10th, ahead of Sainthood, Like The King, Bourbonic, Hidden Stash, Brooklyn Strong, Super Stock, Rock Your World, Dynamic One and Soup and Sandwich.
Winningest trainers in the Kentucky Derby
7 — Bob Baffert (1996-2021, starters-1-2-3: 31-7-3-3) — 1997 Silver Charm, 1998 Real Quiet, 2002 War Emblem, 2015 American Pharoah, 2018 Justify, 2020 Authentic, 2021 Medina Spirit.
6 — Ben Jones (1938-52, 11-6-2-1) — 1938 Lawrin, 1941 Wirlaway, 1944 Pensive, 1948 Citation, 1949 Ponder, 1952 Hill Gail.
Benches cleared in the eight innings after Reds reliever Amir Garrett shouted at first baseman Anthony Rizzo following a strikeout.
CINCINNATI – The Cubs didn’t play their best baseball in the month of April and stumbled out of the gate, going 11-15 last month.
Manager David Ross has been looking for more balanced games from his club, looking to get both good offense and pitching at the same time. Many of the Cubs games last month had either one or the other, but rarely both.
But the Cubs got a little bit of everything in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over the Reds.
“It’s a close game, got high emotions and a division rival,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “I know it’s May 1 and early in the year, but definitely significant for the morale of this team and what we can do in games like that.”
The Cubs trailed 2-1 early, but came back to tie it in the fourth inning on an RBI-single by Jason Heyward. They would score the go-ahead run in the sixth on an RBI-single by Hoerner to take a 3-2 lead.
Things got testy in the top of the eighth inning after Reds reliever Amir Garrett struck out first baseman Anthony Rizzo – the two have had verbal exchanges in the past. Garrett proceeded to yell in Rizzo’s direction after the strikeout as he walked back to the dugout.
“That’s not the way that I think baseball is intended to go,” Ross said. “But I think that’s his style. I don’t agree with it. I think it’s garbage, but he’s not on my team.”
Shortstop Javy Baez took exception to Garrett barking at Rizzo and immediately hopped over the rail in his defense. Baez walked toward the mound as the benches emptied before being broken up by umpires.
“I’m not going to let [Amir Garrett] or anyone disrespect my teammates,” Baez said after the win.
“I like what he does, he’s just got to do it to his team and not to us after a strikeout. I’ve hit three homers against him and I didn’t do anything to show him up or his team, you know.”
Once order was restored, the game’s intensity remained high as the Reds would give closer Craig Kimbrel everything he could handle in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Kimbrel allowed back-to-back singles to open the inning, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base with nobody out. He proceeded to strike Alex Blandino and Tyler Naquin looking before getting former Cub Nick Castellanos to end the game. The Cubs bullpen threw five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.
“A really good day in the bullpen. We held strong,” Ross said. “It was really big of Craig to lock it down there in the end, not crumbling under adversity and doing what he does. I thought all around it was a really nice win for us.”
The Cubs’ win might not have been possible without the work of Zach Davies, who wasn’t perfect, but had his best start in almost a month. Davies’ stuff was better on Saturday than many of his most recents starts as he had batters chasing his changeups down in the zone and induced uncomfortable swings with Reds hitters often diving across the plate to foul pitches off.
The game could have gotten away from Davies as he faced two-out, bases-loaded jams in both the third and fourth with the game tied at 2, but he made big pitches when he needed to keep the Cubs in the game, allowing them to come back late. Davies allowed just one earned run on four hits over four innings. He walked three batters and struck out three in the no-decision.
“Swing and miss is great,” Davies said. “You avoid contact, you avoid the luck or whatever they call it, BABIP and things like that in the game. … I felt like in the past few games, guys have kind of been diving over the plate trying to get low in the zone and sit on changeups. So today being able to locate in and out kind of freed up that changeup in the count to get a little bit different swings on it.”
Chicago’s Favorite Food Critics and Bloggers
Leave a comment