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It’s been a wild ride for second-year pro Teven Jenkins. Over the past month or so, the Chicago Bears‘ 2021 2nd round pick has dealt with plenty of adversity.

As it stands, though, Jenkins looks to be the starting right guard for the Bears and most are moving forward with that assumption as the regular season looms near.

Following practice on Thursday, Jenkins spoke to the media and opened up about his current state of mind after all of the trade rumors, missing the first portion of training camp with an injury and now fighting for his future.

After the presser was over, most could conclude that Jenkins seems to be in a healthy state of mind and is doing everything he can to be the best player possible.

If the Chicago Bears get a healthy and locked-in Teven Jenkins, the entire saga will be forgotten in a hurry.

With the way the offensive line has looked, it’s safe to say that the Bears need him to play well and start at right guard, and that’s exactly how it appears to be going.

Right away when speaking to the media, Jenkins credited his loved ones, saying his fianc? is the main reason he’s been able to stay grounded.

“She’s my rock right now… I’m really grateful for her.”

He was later asked about his time learning the guard position as opposed to being on the edge at tackle. Jenkins has always been known to be a smart football player, so his answer was right on par.

“Ultimately, the goal is to make sure everybody knows every call … but, understanding that the guard has different calls in certain situations … a lot of it has to do with your eyes and being able to communicate with your tackle … understanding blitz looks…”

It’s clear he’s looking to help everyone up front learn and gel together.

Jenkins was also asked if he expected to be the starting right guard on September 11 and answered it rather humbly.

“I’m never one to say ‘Yeah, that’s MY job…that just sets up for bad chemistry. I’m not one to do that.'”

He did say that it’s up to him to keep being physical and playing well enough to earn the job. But, hearing him stay humble and refuse to buy into an easy “headline question” from the media was a positive.

Towards the end of his press conference, Jenkins simply left us with this:

“This is my career. This is my life. I have to take hold of it.”

For his sake, and the Bears’ sake, let’s hope Jenkins not only stays healthy, but continues to stay locked in and develops into a cornerstone piece for this franchise.

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Alright, let me start off by saying that I (a Chicago Cubs fan) consider myself a Seattle Mariners supporter. Am I a fan? No. But I did name my dog Griffey when I was about ten years old.

The Mariners and their fans deserve success. The fact that they never made it to a World Series with stacked rosters that at times featured players like Ken Griffey, Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Ichiro Suzuki is really a travesty.

I mean, you’re telling me that we couldn’t spare one World Series for the Mariners in that three-peat by the insufferable New York Yankees? After all, the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners have their share of similarities.

The all-time MLB record for single-season wins is shared by the Cubs and Mariners. The 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners both won 116 games, more than any other team in MLB history. Both teams failed to win a World Series that year.

Both franchises also have had their share of futility as the Mariners currently have the longest active playoff drought in Major League Baseball.

The Cubs, well. We don’t need to remind the world of their playoff and championship droughts. We can all ramble off those stats in our sleep, thanks to decades of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball throwing up a crummy graphic with the tally of years since the Cubs won a World Series.

As the Mariners continue to follow in the Cubs’ footsteps after failing to appear in the postseason since 2001, they decided to take another page out of the Cubs’ book.

Starting this season, the roof of Seattle’s T-Mobile Park is now lit up with a blue “W” after every Mariners win.

Sound familiar? Of course, it does. Shortly after the addition of the current hand-operated scoreboard in center field, the Cubs began flying a white flag with a blue “W” atop the scoreboard after each Cubs home win.

At the time, it was to alert passersby on the Red Line of what happened in the Cubs game that day, as it was well before the age of technology or easy access to MLB scores.

The Seattle Mariners have a new tradition familiar to Chicago Cubs fans.

To give the Mariners credit, there’s no “L” lighting after a loss, unlike the “L” flag at Wrigley Field. It should also be stated that when the Cubs began the W flag tradition, the colors were inverted with a white W on a blue flag.

The color scheme was reversed when the Cubs began retiring players’ jersey numbers in the color of a white flag with blue pinstripes and numbers.

But nonetheless, it’s a blatant duplication of the Cubs tradition as the T-Mobile “W” serves to alert Mariners fans passing by of the team’s success on that day as they pass the ballpark on I-5 to the east, much like the Red Line to the east of Wrigley Field.

T-Mobile Park even has a train line in right field, much like Wrigley (although the Seattle line is obstructed by the roof over the right field stands). Is it strictly a Cubs tradition? Not exactly. But it’s pretty darn close.

At the end of the day, the Cubs aren’t the only franchise allowed to fly a W after a game, and blue is sort of the Mariners’ color as well (at times). Plus, why not let the Mariners fly the W this year as they fight for a playoff spot for the first time since 2001? It’s not like the flag is a mainstay at Wrigley this year.

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I’ve long admired Chicago indie label Star Creature Universal Vibrations for its efforts to push the synth-heavy sounds of boogie and modern funk and bolster the international underground community that loves them. The label focuses on contemporary artists and releases, but it also maintains an indispensable archival project in the form of its ongoing Chicago Boogie compilation series. Star Creature cofounder Tim Zawada and his Boogie Munsters partner Hersh Singh (who DJs with the crew under the name Kool Hersh) released the first 12-inch, Attack of the Chicago Boogie, in September 2020. Its four songs bubble with the happy-go-lucky euphoria of the best boogie, and the digital edition costs just $10—not bad at all, given that you’d have to trade in a used car to afford original vinyl copies of each track. (A month after the January 2021 release of the second compilation, Zawada became managing director for Chicago archival label Numero Group, for which I’ve been doing some contract writing—specifically liner notes and PR copy for hardcore and emo reissues.) The newest release, The Chicago Boogie Volume 3: Set It Out, adheres to the high standards of the first two installments as it further documents the fascinating and sometimes strange ways that local artists interpreted postdisco funk and soul in the late 70s and early 80s. The string flourishes in Nimbiss’s sharply funky heater “Paradise” give it an elegant, wide-screen polish. The Light Touch Band’s “Chi-C-A-G-O (It’s My Chicago)” features one of the earliest examples of rap recorded in the city—and its playful disco stomp would make it a killer song even without that distinction. The four tracks on Set It Out work together like a great 20-minute DJ set—that is, they’ll do what all top-shelf boogie cuts do and leave you wishing the party could last longer.

Star Creature Universal Vibration’s The Chicago Boogie, Vol. 3 is available through Bandcamp. (drops 9/1)

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I’ve long admired Chicago indie label Star Creature Universal Vibrations for its efforts to push the synth-heavy sounds of boogie and modern funk and bolster the international underground community that loves them. The label focuses on contemporary artists and releases, but it also maintains an indispensable archival project in the form of its ongoing Chicago Boogie compilation series. Star Creature cofounder Tim Zawada and his Boogie Munsters partner Hersh Singh (who DJs with the crew under the name Kool Hersh) released the first 12-inch, Attack of the Chicago Boogie, in September 2020. Its four songs bubble with the happy-go-lucky euphoria of the best boogie, and the digital edition costs just $10—not bad at all, given that you’d have to trade in a used car to afford original vinyl copies of each track. (A month after the January 2021 release of the second compilation, Zawada became managing director for Chicago archival label Numero Group, for which I’ve been doing some contract writing—specifically liner notes and PR copy for hardcore and emo reissues.) The newest release, The Chicago Boogie Volume 3: Set It Out, adheres to the high standards of the first two installments as it further documents the fascinating and sometimes strange ways that local artists interpreted postdisco funk and soul in the late 70s and early 80s. The string flourishes in Nimbiss’s sharply funky heater “Paradise” give it an elegant, wide-screen polish. The Light Touch Band’s “Chi-C-A-G-O (It’s My Chicago)” features one of the earliest examples of rap recorded in the city—and its playful disco stomp would make it a killer song even without that distinction. The four tracks on Set It Out work together like a great 20-minute DJ set—that is, they’ll do what all top-shelf boogie cuts do and leave you wishing the party could last longer.

Star Creature Universal Vibration’s The Chicago Boogie, Vol. 3 is available through Bandcamp. (drops 9/1)

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The Chicago Cubs just played a very interesting series with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are a significantly better team than the Cubs but the Cubs went into Thursday’s game with a chance to win a five-game series.

The five games were played over four days from Monday through Thursday with a doubleheader on Tuesday. This is the last time that the Chicago Cubs’ rival will come to Wrigley Field in 2022 so the Cubs took the opportunity to honor some great players.

For a very long time, the Chicago Cubs have played host to guys like Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. Of course, Pujols spent a lot of time with the Los Angeles Angels too but the bulk of his Hall of Fame career came with St. Louis.

There was a nice little ceremony before Thursday’s game where the Cubs paid a tribute to these two as they are hanging them up after the season comes to an end. It was a very nice gesture as the two have been fierce rivals for a very long time.

The Chicago Cubs hosted the St. Louis Cardinals one last time on Thursday.

Each of their charities is going to get contributions as a result of a donation made by the Chicago Cubs as well. That is about as classy as you can get, especially when you are talking about a rivalry like this that has been amazing over the last 20 years.

The big news surrounding Pujols right now is his home run chase. He hit his 693rd home run earlier in the series and now is only seven away from that big 700 home run milestone.

He is also only three away from Alex Rodriguez’s total for fourth most in MLB history. He has certainly hit a lot of those against the Chicago Cubs.

Once this part of the day was over, there was a game to be played. As mentioned before, the series was tied but the Cardinals took a big 8-3 win to secure it. Paul Goldschmidt hit two home runs in the contest to lead them to victory.

Marcus Stroman made the start for the Cubs and he was not good at all. He gave up 11 hits, two walks, and five runs over 5.0 innings pitched. On the other side, Dakota Hudson went 7.0 innings where he only allowed two runs on five hits.

This was a tough loss for the Chicago Cubs as they had a chance to take the series against the top team in their division fighting for that division title but they couldn’t get it done. Now, they will have a chance to help the Cardinals as they head to Wisconsin to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.

This is a series that a lot of people will remember for a long time. It was nice to see the Cubs honor two very good rivals in the way that they did but it would have been even better for them if they got the win in the meantime.

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“Haven is no longer a storefront theater company, more like a storefront multidisciplinary production company,” says Haven Chicago’s artistic director Ian Damont. Pandemic lockdowns and theater closures meant that the theater company, like many others, was suddenly cornered, constricted by new hurdles that effectively paused live performances. With no option to resume in-person work, Haven’s attention pivoted to the screen. 

Haven’s inaugural Festival au Cinéma is the theater company’s flagship venture into media arts. Featuring more than 20 short films, this micro film festival aims to showcase the top visionary and innovative filmmakers worldwide. The Festival au Cinéma is framed by breaking conventions. Martin and the rest of the Haven team handpicked films that bend traditional genres and embrace an unorthodox new era of film. 

“The pause of live performance in the onset of the pandemic, plus the consequent heightened adaptation of media arts, provided the perfect opportunity for us to take these first steps towards the aspiration articulated in our mission,” Martin said. “We wanted to be a part of the conversation, to platform some of the incredible work we were discovering on our screens from multidisciplinary artists of every ilk.

“We wanted to cultivate community in the space between Chicago’s burgeoning filmmaking scene and the Chicago theatre community. We wanted to make a movie. And now we’re doing those things.”

During the festival, films will premiere individually or in curated genre-based or theme-based blocks. The four film blocks include the Quarantine Shorts, Chicago Shorts, Documentary Block, and Wxmen Direct! 

Over the course of the weekend, the festival will host four solo film screenings for the “META-mockumentary” Marathon Mindset (directed by Christopher Michael Carney); the horror Even Saints Bleed (directed by Ricardo Bouyett); the drama The Falling World (directed by Jaclyn Bethany); and Folded Map™ Project—The Movie (directed by Tonika Lewis Johnson). 

“I really want people to contend with the immediate future of filmmaking, media, and digital storytelling,” Martin said. “We are in a modern golden age of film and television with the advent of streaming platforms and overall increased access to art through digital media. And the tech is getting more advanced (and hopefully more accessible) every year. I think because of that, we’re going to see some really big changes, exciting new developments, and some really exciting new voices in the field.”

Festival au CinémaAugust 26-28The Den Theatre, 1331 N. MilwaukeeSingle day tickets $16, weekend pass $30, Silver Package $150, Gold Package $250Full schedule and ticketing information at havenchi.org/festival-au-cinema

The micro film festival is setting the stage for an impressive cast of local filmmakers. Martin emphasized that he is most thrilled to see the Chicago Shorts screenings, a selection that gives guests a glimpse of the visionary work being produced across Chicago. Martin also revealed his other top picks including Marathon Mindset and I Used to Write With My Left Hand (directed by Luzzo)—a film that exposes how shame and violence harm the queer members of a Chicago south-side Irish Catholic family.

The Festival au Cinéma will take place from August 26 to 28 at Haven’s resident home, the Den Theatre. The festival is three days and three nights, featuring a full schedule of events such as cocktail mixers, a boozy brunch, and an award ceremony on Saturday, August 27. All films will be eligible for Haven’s filmmaker awards, including Best Work, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Performance, Best Technical Art, and Best Friend (or Audience Favorite).

The film festival will give Chicagoans a chance to engage with the future of filmmaking. The Welcome Mixer on Friday night at 6 PM will allow the audience to immerse themselves in the filmmaking process and mingle with filmmakers, directors, and writers. 

Coinciding with the festival, Haven will host its second annual Made in Chicago Gala on August 28 from 6 PM to 10 PM. The fundraising event is Haven’s biggest event of the year, supporting the company’s projects year-round. Serving mouthwatering barbecue from Smoke Daddy BBQ and specialty cocktails, Haven will unveil a sneak peek of its inaugural film project––associate-produced by I Used to Write With My Left Hand director, Luzzo. (Also, guests will be given a free shot of Malört!)

For those looking for a boozy brunch, Haven will host a screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Saturday morning from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. For $40, guests will get Bloody Marys, bottomless mimosas, brunch from Uvae Chicago, a drag show, and the film screening. 

“We are so pleased and humbled by the interest in Haven’s inaugural Festival au Cinéma. We welcomed over 50 submissions from seven different countries and will be screening over 20 of the finest examples of the future of filmmaking,” Martin said. “Local filmmakers, first-time filmmakers, experimental filmmakers, and so much more will be descending on Haven for a festival of innovative, transformative filmmaking. We’ll see you at the cinema.”

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“Haven is no longer a storefront theater company, more like a storefront multidisciplinary production company,” says Haven Chicago’s artistic director Ian Damont. Pandemic lockdowns and theater closures meant that the theater company, like many others, was suddenly cornered, constricted by new hurdles that effectively paused live performances. With no option to resume in-person work, Haven’s attention pivoted to the screen. 

Haven’s inaugural Festival au Cinéma is the theater company’s flagship venture into media arts. Featuring more than 20 short films, this micro film festival aims to showcase the top visionary and innovative filmmakers worldwide. The Festival au Cinéma is framed by breaking conventions. Martin and the rest of the Haven team handpicked films that bend traditional genres and embrace an unorthodox new era of film. 

“The pause of live performance in the onset of the pandemic, plus the consequent heightened adaptation of media arts, provided the perfect opportunity for us to take these first steps towards the aspiration articulated in our mission,” Martin said. “We wanted to be a part of the conversation, to platform some of the incredible work we were discovering on our screens from multidisciplinary artists of every ilk.

“We wanted to cultivate community in the space between Chicago’s burgeoning filmmaking scene and the Chicago theatre community. We wanted to make a movie. And now we’re doing those things.”

During the festival, films will premiere individually or in curated genre-based or theme-based blocks. The four film blocks include the Quarantine Shorts, Chicago Shorts, Documentary Block, and Wxmen Direct! 

Over the course of the weekend, the festival will host four solo film screenings for the “META-mockumentary” Marathon Mindset (directed by Christopher Michael Carney); the horror Even Saints Bleed (directed by Ricardo Bouyett); the drama The Falling World (directed by Jaclyn Bethany); and Folded Map™ Project—The Movie (directed by Tonika Lewis Johnson). 

“I really want people to contend with the immediate future of filmmaking, media, and digital storytelling,” Martin said. “We are in a modern golden age of film and television with the advent of streaming platforms and overall increased access to art through digital media. And the tech is getting more advanced (and hopefully more accessible) every year. I think because of that, we’re going to see some really big changes, exciting new developments, and some really exciting new voices in the field.”

Festival au CinémaAugust 26-28The Den Theatre, 1331 N. MilwaukeeSingle day tickets $16, weekend pass $30, Silver Package $150, Gold Package $250Full schedule and ticketing information at havenchi.org/festival-au-cinema

The micro film festival is setting the stage for an impressive cast of local filmmakers. Martin emphasized that he is most thrilled to see the Chicago Shorts screenings, a selection that gives guests a glimpse of the visionary work being produced across Chicago. Martin also revealed his other top picks including Marathon Mindset and I Used to Write With My Left Hand (directed by Luzzo)—a film that exposes how shame and violence harm the queer members of a Chicago south-side Irish Catholic family.

The Festival au Cinéma will take place from August 26 to 28 at Haven’s resident home, the Den Theatre. The festival is three days and three nights, featuring a full schedule of events such as cocktail mixers, a boozy brunch, and an award ceremony on Saturday, August 27. All films will be eligible for Haven’s filmmaker awards, including Best Work, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Performance, Best Technical Art, and Best Friend (or Audience Favorite).

The film festival will give Chicagoans a chance to engage with the future of filmmaking. The Welcome Mixer on Friday night at 6 PM will allow the audience to immerse themselves in the filmmaking process and mingle with filmmakers, directors, and writers. 

Coinciding with the festival, Haven will host its second annual Made in Chicago Gala on August 28 from 6 PM to 10 PM. The fundraising event is Haven’s biggest event of the year, supporting the company’s projects year-round. Serving mouthwatering barbecue from Smoke Daddy BBQ and specialty cocktails, Haven will unveil a sneak peek of its inaugural film project––associate-produced by I Used to Write With My Left Hand director, Luzzo. (Also, guests will be given a free shot of Malört!)

For those looking for a boozy brunch, Haven will host a screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Saturday morning from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. For $40, guests will get Bloody Marys, bottomless mimosas, brunch from Uvae Chicago, a drag show, and the film screening. 

“We are so pleased and humbled by the interest in Haven’s inaugural Festival au Cinéma. We welcomed over 50 submissions from seven different countries and will be screening over 20 of the finest examples of the future of filmmaking,” Martin said. “Local filmmakers, first-time filmmakers, experimental filmmakers, and so much more will be descending on Haven for a festival of innovative, transformative filmmaking. We’ll see you at the cinema.”

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Whether or not the Chicago Bears‘ 2022 season is successful will not be determined by the number of wins that the team has. For the Bears, success will be determined by whether or not second-year quarterback Justin Fields takes a step forward in his development towards becoming the franchise quarterback that has evaded the organization since the days of Sid Luckman.

If Justin Fields does take a step forward in his development, then the Bears will have placed themselves in a prime position to be aggressive next offseason. The Bears will have nearly $100 million to spend in free agency and would be an attractive destination with an emerging Fields still on his rookie deal.

But, what happens if the opposite outcome occurs for Fields and the Bears in 2022?

The chances that Fields does not take a set forward in his development this season may not be likely but aren’t completely unlikely either.

The fact remains that Fields will be playing with a Bears roster that is littered with starters that would otherwise be insurance agents, or at the very most, third or fourth stringers on a competitive team. Not to mention, Fields is entering his second consecutive season with a new offensive coordinator and new offensive scheme.

While the Bears’ scheme for Fields in 2022 will certainly be improved from 2021 since there was no scheme, it still is unknown how the second-year quarterback will perform in the system. This is also where it should be distinguished that Fields’ success this season may not be determined by his stats this season either.

Fields’ stats may not look pretty this season based on the supporting cast that he has around him but if he is consistently putting the ball in the right places while routinely hitting on his mechanics, then there is no need to be concerned about Fields as the team’s starting quarterback moving forward.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields needs to take a step forward in his development during the 2022 NFL Regular season.

But, if some of the concerns over Fields’ performance in 2021 carry over throughout the duration of the 2022 season, then there is no question that the Bears must move on from the quarterback. The concerns to monitor are Fields’ ability to move through his progressions, his throwing mechanics, and ball security.

If Fields is consistently missing on plays because he is trying to force a “home run instead of taking a single” and his mechanics are still leading to a slow release, then when coupled with his supporting cast or lack thereof, the Bears are going to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season.

If that happens, the Bears must avoid the same mistake that they made with Mitch Trubisky. They can not afford to enter a third year with a quarterback where they are hoping that the mechanics finally take shape. Instead, the best move for the organization would be to move on from Fields and select a quarterback with their 2023 first-round draft selection.

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

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