The ChicagoBlackhawks might look a little different in the Edmonton “play-in” series.
The Chicago Blackhawks might consider themselves lucky to have a chance at playing again when hockey comes back. There were seven teams out of 31 that weren’t as lucky and they weren’t far behind Chicago in the standings. They are going to have a chance to somewhat redeem a tough season in a “play in” series against the Edmonton Oilers. It is a very intriguing matchup that should have sports fans excited to watch.
The Blackhawks, like many other teams in the playoffs, are going to be a much healthier version of themselves by the time they return to play. Every team deals with injuries and all that and the Blackhawks are no different. They also made an addition that might be able to help them once the playoffs roll around as well.
If all goes well with some of these guys, this could be the making of a nice upset for the Chicago Blackhawks. The Edmonton Oilers are a very good team that has some elite players at the top of their lineup but if you shut those guys down you have a chance to beat them. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were the league’s two leading scorers in 2019-20. McDavid was hurt there for a minute so Draisaitl was actually able to pass him in the points race and now he might win the Hart Trophy as a result.
With players like that on the other side, you need team commitment to shutting them down. If these three players are able to join the lineup and make an impact, the Blackhawks will have a chance against the Oilers:
Jon Lester can become a free agent but would the Chicago Cubs welcome him back in 2021?
Jon Lester believed in what Theo Epstein was building here in the Windy City when he signed a six-year, $155 million deal with the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 offseason. Lester was 31 years old at the time and had won two World Series Championships with the Boston Red Sox and spent half a season in Oakland as well. I think most assumed he would return to Boston, a place he was comfortable, a place he had success, which shocked many when he picked Chicago.
Now nearly six years later, Lester will arguably go down as the best free-agent signing in Cubs history. Ben Zobrist is that for a position player, and yes, I know Andre Dawson exists. Lester was invaluable in the Cubs World Series run in 2016, pitching in relief in Game 7, after posting a career-best 19-5 record during the regular season.
He led the National League in wins during the 2018 season, earning his fifth All-Star selection in the process. But last year, specifically August, was not kind to him. Before the All-Star break, Lester looked ageless, posting a 3.72 ERA, but struggled in the second half.
In what was likely going to be his final year in Chicago, the coronavirus pandemic has put his future further in question. As part of his contract, Lester has a $25 million team option or $10 million buyout should he elect free agency.
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The Cubs have demonstrated that they aren’t afraid to exercise an expensive team option on a veteran pitcher – see Cole Hamels – but Lester will be 37 years old next year. Obviously, he’s not pitching right now, which helps his cause because no extra mileage is being added to his arm.
But with the Cubs set to lose two other starters to free agency, they are likely to retain at least one of them.
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Is Lester worth the $25 million?
Lester’s veteran presence on the roster, especially when the Cubs’ top prospects were first called up, cannot be quantified. Every team has that one veteran on the roster that is essentially the glue holding everything together.
If the Cubs let Lester walk in free agency, the oldest player – outside of a free agent signing – will be Yu Darvish. The Cubs paid John Lackey $16 million per year at age 37 and 38, and he was the perfect back end of the rotation guy.
Lester could transition into that role in 2021 for the Cubs with either a young free agent sliding into the number three slot or a prospect doing the same. The Cubs don’t need Lester to be the ace of the staff anymore, nor should they expect him to be.
We all knew the regression would happen at some point. We just had to hope that the Cubs would win during the front-end of his contract, and they did. Lester, as a fourth or fifth starter, is perfect for him at this stage in his career. The $25 million would be a tough pill to swallow, but, again, his presence is so important, especially for a team that has underperformed the last couple of years.
According to Spotrac, the Cubs have $96 million committed to 2021, so giving Lester the team option would not be the worst idea in the world. That said, they will need to pay a couple of their younger players rather soon. However, I’d like to see Lester stick around for another year while the Cubs continue to let some of their young pitching prospects develop.
Patrick Kane has done it all for the ChicagoBlackhawks over his career.
Despite their recent shortcomings, the Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the best teams in the National Hockey League over the past decade. Led by franchise cornerstones Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, the team won three Stanley Cups last decade, while making the playoffs nine years in a row.
But undoubtedly the best player on these teams has been Patrick Kane.
Over his 13 year NHL career, Patrick Kane has won countless awards. The Calder Memorial Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, The Hart Memorial Trophy, The Ted Linsay Award, and three Stanley Cup championships.
The numbers speak for themselves. 389 goals and 633 assists, which adds up to 1022 points. Those totals put him at 4th on the franchise all-time points list.
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Kane, who will turn 32 in November, has yet to show any signs of a decline. If he finishes his career as a Blackhawk, then who is to argue that he will not have a case to be the greatest player in team history?
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Absolutely.
Barring severe injuries or a rapid decline, Kane will get to the 500 goal threshold, which would make him the third player in team history to do so.
Mikita’s point total is 1467, which puts him 445 ahead of Kane. If Kane were to score at his average 78 to 79 points a season, it would take roughly six years for him to pass up Mikita.
That’s entirely possible for Kane to do. Kane led the NHL in scoring over the last decade, and over the past five years, he has scored a total of 465 points.
Most Blackhawk fans will argue that Mikita or Hull is the greatest player in Blackhawks history. However, Kane has been chasing the all-time greats for years. By the time his career ends, it is entirely possible and fair to say that he is the greatest Blackhawk of all time.
The city of Chicago had set June 3 as the date restaurants can open for patio service. I only have a few of these listed as of Saturday night. We can expect more of these to be announced much closer to the exact date, so I’ll add them as I find out. No doubt there are many local and neighborhood hurdles to clear, and not the least of them is finding space for outdoor seating in some streets.
No doubt some of these reopenings may be delayed owing to the current unpleasantness in downtown. I will try to keep up with changes as well as additions.
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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.
Chicagoans, when they cross the border into northwest Indiana, are likely to experience a very visible ad campaign that the state aggressively pushes in that area. The marketing campaign stresses the lower taxes for both individuals and businesses in the Hoosier state, and how the cost of living in Indiana is lower.
However, comparing the Land of Lincoln to the Crossroads of America is sort of like apples and oranges, given how Illinois contains Chicago, the nation’s third largest city and the absolute hub and de facto capital city of the Midwest. Having a major metropolis like this means Illinois has had to approach the COVID-19 pandemic in a completely different way than Indiana.
Up until the stay-at-home orders, Chicagoans would typically only cross the border into northwest Indiana for gambling. When casinos were far fewer in number, denizens of the second city would often head to Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago or Gary to test their luck. Now going online, from anywhere in the world, provides an opportunity to find out more about betting in the Hoosier state, where the gaming industry is currently booming.
Natives of Chicagoland often traverse this area for another reason- taking the SkyWay to the Indiana Dunes. With “Hunker Down Hoosiers,” the state’s stay-at-home order which began on March 24 ending on April 30, Republican Governor Eric Holcomb is striving to be fully reopened by the Fourth of July holiday. Meanwhile Illinois is still under stay-at-home order since March 21. While the state is slowly re-opening, the city of Chicago is lagging a phase behind. So you can expect a lot of Chicagoans to take Indiana Toll Road trips this summer.
Here’s the upshot though- Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker is doing a better job. ProPublica did an analysis of state-level data, updated daily, for the five metrics which stem from the reopening guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control. Those metrics are: number of positive tests per 100,000 people; percentage of tests that are positive; number of tests per 100,000 per day; availability of ICU beds; and number of hospital visits for “flu-like illness.”
In other words, the decision to when and how to reopen was based on five benchmarks, and Illinois was the ONLY state in the entire country to hit all five.
California and New York, two states also on the stricter end of the spectrum, who have also struggled mightily with the coronavirus, hit four of five goals. Indiana was one of 30 states to hit just three.
So really, at the end of the day, freer wheeling Indiana looks like the state that’s much more fun. However, buttoned-up Illinois is the safer and more productive place to be.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and ChicagoNow.
He’s been a featured guest in dozens of media outlets including The History Channel. His work has been cited in hundreds of publications including the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
I realized something funny when I was taking a walk while doing laundry this afternoon: When someone approached, I caught myself looking for a passing place.
I haven’t thought much about passing places since I was 12 and traveling in Scotland with my family, meeting Dad’s cousins and seeing part of the country. Especially in the west, as we tried to get to the Isle of Skye, the roads were very lightly traveled and only one lane wide. We stuck out the trip — as long as our car did, which is another story — because Dad’s ancestors in Clan MacDonald were (still are, I think) headquartered in Skye, and not least because he’d sung me to sleep with “The Skye Boat Song” —
“Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
‘Onward!’ the sailors cry;
Carry the lad who’s born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.”
As we traveled over the one-lane roads, we saw that sometimes, there were wide spots in the roads big enough to pull the car into. Dad did that sometimes. His cousins had told them about these spots, passing places. When he saw, or suspected, that another car was coming, the best thing to do was to pull into the passing place so that the oncoming car had time and room to get past us.
Did I mention that Mom preferred the Scottish towns and cities to out in the country?
Well, we all got used to passing places to some degree, as long as we needed them, and they faded from my memory.
Then came social distancing.
Now, as I see someone approaching on the sidewalk, I look for a doorway, a path through a lawn, or a driveway and step a few yards into it. Today, it came to me what I was doing: I was pulling into a passing place for my neighbors to get by.
Margaret Serious has a page on Facebook.
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I moved to Chicago from the south suburbs in 1986. I have diverse interests, but I love writing about what I’m interested in. Whether it’s a personal interest or part of my career, the correct words to get the idea across are important to me. I love words and languages — French and Scottish words enrich my American English. My career has included years as a journalist and years working in museums, and the two phases were united by telling stories. I’m serious about words and stories. So here I am, ready to tell stories about words and their languages.
We commiserate with our children about this unprecedented time as a result of the Covid-19 virus. We can only imagine how the Italian writer Dante drew inspiration from gruesome realities of that Bubonic Plague, hundreds of years ago, to write The Inferno about the stages of hell. Profound teachable moments among world events overshadow fleeting frustrations of home learning away from school, friends, teachers and staff. Now, our boys mourn the horrific death of George Floyd. This end of school year, we focus on the greater good to heal and work toward justice for all.
Last week of school
My husband and I answer questions from our outraged boys over the police brutality about protests and curfews. Our boys hurt for George Floyd’s family, his lost life and opportunities. They begin to understand how our privilege to enjoy our neighborhood parks, and so much more, differ from what some people of color may experience.
This end of the school year, our hearts continue to break for those impacted with Covid-19 virus, any illness during this time of social distancing in addition to those who suffer from inequality. We acknowledge fear for physical well being, financial security and survival. Among this complicated and chaotic time, we pause.
While our boys miss their school community at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chicago, we wonder at flocks of geese. The clouds sprinkle our horizon like lace over the bright sun. Tall strong trees help ground us with our values for justice.
Neighbor geese
The wisdom and goodness of our school community even from a distance, dear friends, family and strangers, help anchor us. They spark joy. We slow down to bask in the glorious bright sun that hints at a hopeful rebirth in leadership. Our resilient people of the United States must vote for change this fall. Our world must unite to grow.
We work toward a safer and more peaceful future. We speak up for others. We commit to continue learning, be kind and present. As this school year ends, we strive to embody our faith of love, mercy and justice. XOXO
It is important that everyone read the “Statement of Probable Cause” that was filed with the arrest warrant of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
It’s important because it provides facts that don’t seem to be reported about the arrest of Floyd, the resistance that he put up (as opposed to the widely circulated statement that he provided no resistance) and what the other officers did during the entire incident. I am not trying to prejudge the case; only to provide information.
27-CR-20-12646 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota STATEMENT OF PROBABLE CAUSE 5/29/2020
On May 25, 2020, someone called 911 and reported that a man bought merchandise from Cup Foods at 3759 Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota with a counterfeit $20 bill. At 8:08 p.m., Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) Officers Thomas Lane and J.A. Kueng arrived with their body worn cameras (BWCs) activated and running. The officers learned from store personnel that the man who passed the counterfeit $20 was parked in a car around the corner from the store on 38th Street.
BWC video obtained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension shows that the officers approached the car, Lane on the driver’s side and Kueng on the passenger side. Three people were in the car; George Floyd was in the driver’s seat, a known adult male was in the passenger seat and a known adult female was sitting in the backseat. As Officer Lane began speaking with Mr. Floyd, he pulled his gun out and pointed it at Mr. Floyd’s open window and directed Mr. Floyd to show his hands. When Mr. Floyd put his hands in the steering wheel, Lane put his gun back in its holster.
While Officer Kueng was speaking with the front seat passenger, Officer Lane ordered Mr. Floyd out of the car, put his hands on Mr. Floyd, and pulled him out of the car. Officer Lane handcuffed Mr. Floyd. Mr. Floyd actively resisted being handcuffed.
Once handcuffed, Mr. Floyd became compliant and walked with Officer Lane to the sidewalk and sat on the ground at Officer Lane’s direction. In a conversation that lasted just under two minutes, Officer Lang asked Mr. Floyd for his name and identification. Officer Lane asked Mr. Lloyd if he was “on anything” and explained that he was arresting Mr. Lloyd for passing counterfeit currency.
Officers Kueng and Lane stood Mr. Floyd up and attempted to walk Mr. Floyd to their squad car (MPD 320) at 8:14 p.m. Mr. Floyd stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic.
MPD Officers Derek Chauvin (the defendant) and Tou Thoa then arrived in a separate squad car.
The officers made several attempts to get Mr. Floyd in the backseat of squad 320 from the driver’s side. Mr. Floyd did not voluntarily get in the car and struggled with the officers by intentionally falling down, saying he was not going in the car, and refusing to stand still. Mr. Floyd is over six feet tall and weighs more than 200 pounds.
While standing outside the car, Mr. Floyd began saying and repeating that he could not breathe. The defendant went to the passenger side and tried to get Mr. Floyd into the car from that side and Lane and Kueng assisted.
The defendant pulled Mr. Floyd out of the passenger side of the squad car at 8:19:38 p.m. and Mr. Floyd went to the ground face down and still handcuffed. Kueng held Mr. Floyd’s back and Lane held his legs. The defendant placed his left knee in the area of Mr. Floyd’s head and neck. Mr. Floyd said, “I can’t breathe” multiple times and repeatedly said, “Mama” and “please,” as well. The defendant and the other two officers stayed in their positions.
The officers said, “You are talking fine” to Mr. Floyd as he continued to move back and forth. Lane asked, “should we roll him on his side?” and the defendant said, “No, staying put where we got him.” Officer Lane said, “I am worried about excited delirium or whatever.” The defendant said, “That’s why we have him on his stomach.” None of the three officers moved from their positions.
BWC video shows Mr. Floyd continue to move and breathe. At 8:24:24, Mr. Floyd stopped moving. At
2
27-CR-20-12646 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 8:25:31 the video appears to show Mr. Floyd ceasing to breathe or speak. Lane said, “want to roll him5/o2n9/2020
his side.” Kueng checked Mr. Floyd’s right wrist for a pulse and said, “I couldn’t find one.” None of the officers moved from their positions.
At 8:27:24, the defendant removed his knee from Mr. Floyd’s neck. An ambulance and emergency medical personnel arrived, the officers placed Mr. Floyd on a gurney, and the ambulance left the scene. Mr. Floyd was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner (ME) conducted Mr. Floyd’s autopsy on May 26, 2020. The full report of the ME is pending but the ME has made the following preliminary findings. The autopsy revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation. Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.
The defendant had his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total. Two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Mr. Floyd was non-responsive. Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous.
I’m a tiny bit obsessed with space. I’m told it’s an acceptable obsession because I take what I learn and share it with others. If I’m not writing about space, among other things, I’m busy doing science with one of the many student orgs I volunteer with or, advocating to bring more STEM programs to underrepresented students. I miss working in a lab, so invite me out to see yours!
SpaceX Crew Dragon is set to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) this morning, after a successful launch from Kennedy Space Center. Once Crew Dragon Endeavour rendezvous with the ISS it will dock and run through more tests before the crew can open the hatch and join the astronauts already on Station.
NASA Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley pilot Crew Dragon Endeavour to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA
Endeavour is expected to dock with the ISS at 9:29 am CDT with the hatch opening occurring around 11:45 am CDT. These times are estimates, and already the mission is ahead of schedule, so if you want to watch these events happen live, be sure to tune in to NASA’s coverage well before the listed times.
NASA is providing complete coverage of the mission and spacecraft arrival on it’s media channel, NASA TV, as well as live streaming coverage at NASA.gov/nasalive and the agency’s YouTube channel. SpaceX is also broadcasting the arrival of crew dragon on it’s website, SpaceX.com.
I’m a tiny bit obsessed with space. I’m told it’s an acceptable obsession because I take what I learn and share it with others. If I’m not writing about space, among other things, I’m busy doing science with one of the many student orgs I volunteer with or, advocating to bring more STEM programs to underrepresented students. I miss working in a lab, so invite me out to see yours!
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