What’s New

Email
print

Charlotte forward Gordon Hayward has been placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced Wednesday.

Hayward will miss the Hornets’ game Wednesday night in Indiana.

Hayward has started 45 games for Charlotte this season and is fourth on the team in scoring at 17 points per game. He was previously listed as questionable with a foot injury.

Charlotte, which is 7-3 over its past 10 games, is 3-0 against the Pacers and can earn the season sweep with a win.

Read More

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

CHICAGO PREP

Ellison at Walther Christian, 7:00

Ida Crown at Cristo Rey, 7:00

Rochelle Zell at Christ the King, 7:00

DU PAGE VALLEY

DeKalb at Naperville Central, 7:00

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Lake Forest Acad-Blk at Northridge, 6:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

ACERO-Cruz at Intrinsic-Downtown. 6:30

British School at Waldorf, 6:00

Fasman Yeshiva at Beacon, 6:30

LITTLE TEN

LaMoille at DePue, 7:00

METRO PREP

Universal at Horizon-McKinley, 5:30

NIC – 10

Auburn at Jefferson, 7:00

Belvidere North at Harlem, 7:00

Guilford at Boylan, 7:00

Hononegah at Belvidere, 7:00

Rockford East at Freeport, 7:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED-WEST / NORTH

Lincoln Park at Clark, 5:00

Orr at Marshall, 5:00

Schurz at North Lawndale, 6:30

Westinghouse at Farragut, 5:00

Young at Lane, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-CENTRAL

Solorio at Catalyst-Maria, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-NORTH

Foreman at Taft, 7:00

Lake View at Senn, 5:00

Mather at Von Steuben, 5:00

Northside at Uplift, 5:00

Sullivan at Prosser, 6:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-WEST

Clemente at Crane, 5:00

Legal Prep at Austin, 5:00

Payton at Wells, 5:00

Raby at Jones, 6:30

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-CENTRAL

ACERO-Soto at Englewood STEM, 5:00

Excel-Englewood at DuSable, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-NORTH

Chicago Academy at Alcott, 5:00

Marine at North Grand, 5:00

Rickover at Amundsen, 5:00

Roosevelt at Disney, 5:00

Steinmetz at ASPIRA-Bus&Fin, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-SOUTH

Julian at UC-Woodlawn, 5:00

Washington at Bowen, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-WEST

Chicago Collegiate at Ogden, 5:00

Douglass at Juarez, 6:30

Little Village at Manley, 5:00

Phoenix at Kelvyn Park, 5:00

Spry at Chicago Tech, 5:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Oak Lawn at Thornton Fr. South, 5:30

SOUTHLAND

Crete-Monee at Rich, 7:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

East Aurora at Glenbard South, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Leyden at Proviso East, 6:00

NON CONFERENCE

Chicago Christian at Shepard, 6:30

Grayslake Central at Marian Central, 7:00

Harvard at Oregon, 7:00

Herscher at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 6:45

Indian Creek at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

Kennedy at Eisenhower, 6:30

Lockport at Plainfield South, 6:30

McHenry at Johnsburg, 7:00

Momence at Manteno, 7:00

Nazareth at Walther Christian, 7:00

Winnebago at Marengo, 7:00

TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT

at Putnam County

Midland vs. Marquette, 6:00

Seneca vs. Putnam County, 7:30

Read More

DETROIT — The Blackhawks’ search for a permanent general manager has entered the action stage.

Interviews with candidates for the GM position will begin this week, and the chosen candidate will be hired and in place before the NHL trade deadline of March 21, Hawks CEO Danny Wirtz said as part of a sweeping update provided Wednesday.

“We are looking to hire the best strategic mind who can build and develop a hockey operations leadership team that will be best-in-class across professional sports,” Wirtz said in a statement.

“This new leader will create a team environment that brings the best experts together to guide decision-making on the future of the Blackhawks while ensuring they share in the overall organizational goals of consistently competing at a championship level. And without question, he or she must be someone who exhibits our organizational values.”

Interim general manager Kyle Davidson is a candidate for the permanent role and will retain full acting GM duties in the meantime, Wirtz said. Whether or not he gets this job, many in the organization expect him to retain a very significant leadership role.

But what won’t happen, as many had also speculated, is a hockey operations president being hired above Davidson or whoever is hired for this position. The GM will report directly to Wirtz, ruling out an overseeing, intermediary president role a la Jaime Faulkner on the business side.

Wednesday’s update comes after six weeks of undergoing a “discovery and research process that explored all functions and structure” of hockey operations, Wirtz said, which “revealed an incredible amount of in-house talent while also highlighting areas for growth and opportunities to become more competitive.”

The products of that process and the organization’s new long-term vision will be shared at a town-hall meeting with fans and media next week.

Meanwhile, Wirtz, Faulkner and an “advisory committee…comprised of leaders across the sports industry” will conduct and oversee the GM interviewing process. The Hawks hired prominent sports consultant Mike Forde and sought input from Cubs president Jed Hoyer in December, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported then.

This story will be updated.

Read More

Super Bowl is right around the corner. Have you decided where to go for the big game day? Lucky for us football fans, Chicago has some of the best sports bars to offer — and they’re always generous when it’s Super Bowl season! So, if you’re trying to decide where to watch Super Bowl in Chicago this year, check out our top picks. Most of these places are offering Super Bowl specials. Some are even doing tailgate parties. So, explore your options and have a blast!

1510 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60610

WHEN: 5:00 p.m. – End of the game

Located in the heart of Old Town, Benchmark is a convertible beer garden offering a lively sports atmosphere in an industrial-chic space. 40 TVs span across the concept with a great game day menu for shareable snacks, burgers, pizza and more!

$40 package includes:

Call Drink Package
One Food Menu Item

3647 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613

Tailgate Party: 5:00 – 9:00 PM

Located next door to historic Wrigley Field at Gallagher Way, the Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern offers an elevated dining experience with expansive bars, two outdoor terraces, and stunning views of Wrigley Field and the Chicago skyline.

$20 ticket includes:

All-You-Can-Eat Buffet: pizza station, classic mini sliders, taco & tatcho (tater-tot nachos) and build-your-own hotdog station
Premium seating + surprise giveaways

Drink specials: $15 buckets of 12oz Budweiser, Bud Light, or Michelob Ultra + $5 Trop Bombs or Lemon Drops

Purchase your tickets at BrickhouseTavernChi.com

Image Credit: Ranalli’s

1925 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

1326 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607

The Lincoln Park favorite known for its pizza is perfect to catch any game, as it has 27 TVs throughout the fluid indoor and outdoor space.

Specials include:

$6 Stadium Cups: Coors Light, Bud Light & Miller Light
$25 Hard Seltzer Buckets
$12 Two Topping Pizzas

Reserve your table at RanallisLincolnPark.com

The Big Game Platters

Pre-order all your favorite Ranalli’s dishes to enjoy at home

Chicken Tenders (24) – $75
Chicken Wings (24) – $50
Garlic Knots (24) – $30
Crispy Cheese Curds (75) – $45
Toasted Bolognese Ravioli (24) – $50
Mini Burgers (24) – $50
Family Salads (Italian, Kale, Caesar, Garden or Greek) – $14

Add all the ranch you could handle – it’s on the house!

Email [email protected] to order.

Chef Doug Psaltis and Andros Taverna are changing up takeout on Chicago’s best authentic Greek menu to celebrate this year’s Super Bowl by offering Charcoal Grilled Greek Wings on Sunday, February 13.

Chef Doug’s Charcoal Grilled Greek Wings ($18p dozen) are slowly grilled over roasting embers and will come served with spicy yogurt and greek fries. Wings will only be available to pre-order by the dozen a la carte through Tock, GrubHub and ChowNow on Gameday. Chef Doug will also release his Spanakopita and Artichoke Dip ($16), which comes served with pita crisp, his Spreads Party Pack ($39) featuring three Andros spreads along with pita crisps and cruidités of vegetable and Andros’ Olympia Fries ($10), which come topped with hand-cut gyro, tzatziki and cheese.

2200 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Bring home the best charcuterie and cheeses in Chicago on Super Bowl Sunday with Lardon’s Charcuterie and Cheese Boards! With three size options available to enjoy from your couch, pre-order yours for weekend pickups. Lardon offers 1-2, 3-4 and 6-8 person Charcuterie and Cheese Boards for your party, and the cutoff for ordering will always be 5 pm the day before pickup. Orders can be made through Lardon’s Tock.

205 N Peoria St, Chicago, IL 60607

Is there a better trio than pizza, beer, and football? What better place to celebrate all three than at PB&J’s where large parties are welcome and cheering is encouraged. Reserve your section today with no minimums and no deposit required and come and enjoy the best game of the year with delicious food and drinks flowing all game long. Even though it won’t be the Chicago Bears, PB&J’s in Chicago’s West Loop will be partying all Super Bowl night long.

838 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60642

Recess is the ultimate destination for NFL game days and the streak continues for NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl Sunday. Recess offers the Beer Down NFL Promotion throughout the playoffs and Super Bowl Sunday, which features food and drink specials all Game Day long.

Football fans can chow down on Slider Towers and a la carte Sliders, wash it down with Daaa Beers import and domestic buckets, as well as slurp specialty Large Format boozy cocktails made for Super Bowl Sunday. Fans can also get a High Life and a shot of Tullamore Dew for $10. Learn more about Recess Game Day specials by visiting www.chicagoinrecess.com.

221 N Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60601

Known for its wood-fired cooking and menu featuring the Midwest’s best meat, freshwater fish, and produce, FireLake is a great place to watch the game while enjoying delicious food and fun cocktails.

Order shareable items, such as the 2lb pretzel with beer cheese dipping sauce or the smoked whole bone-in wings with fried pickles for the first half and indulge in the Taste of FireLake which includes Coffee Rubbed Smoked Brisket, Rotisserie Chicken with Potato Salad, Smoked Ribs, Charred Sweet Corn Skillet Cornbread post halftime.

If ribs are the way to your heart, don’t leave without ordering a half or full slab of Calabrian Smoked Pork Ribs with fennel potato salad, skillet cornbread. In addition, a special Superbowl brunch will take place in Upper FireLake for $52 per person and includes mimosas. Make a reservation online or by calling (312) 477-0234.

Superbowl Takeouts in Chicago

Prefer to stay at home? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with the best SuperBowl catering and takeout options in Chicago as well! Grab your phone and get ready to call or place a reservation online! It’s the one weekend we can indulge and forget all about diet or New Year’s resolution!

1200 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

Make Super Bowl Sunday the ultimate fiesta at home with Old Pueblo Cantina’s catering menu and takeout offerings. Guests can choose from a variety of offerings including Chips and homemade Guacamole, OPC’s famous Cheese Crisps, Taco Platter Kits, and more.

1146 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091

Heading to the suburbs for the big game? Sophia Steak has got you and guests covered with their to-go family-style meals. Diners can choose from their choice of an entree that serves up to four guests, two large-format salads, appetizers, and sides. Each order comes with 2 oz cocktail kits from the bar.

500 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60661

Famous for their award-winning Southern fried chicken sandwiches, Boxcar Betty’s has Super Bowl grub taken care of with their loaded sandwich boxes. Each box comes with 10 individually wrapped mouthwatering sandwiches for you and your friends to chow down on and root on your team.

With sandwich options like the signature Boxcar, Chicken Not So Waffle, Buffalo, The Betty, or a build your own option, every base is covered. Plus, add on delicious sides like hand-cut fries, fried pickles, peach coleslaw, and more for the ultimate Super Bowl feast. Orders for carryout are available by placing an order online or calling the Bucktown location.

Various locations

Looking for a delicious and simple local option for game day? Look no further than Hannah’s Bretzel.

The local sandwich chain features healthy, natural, and organic ingredients in their made-from-scratch sandwiches and has catering options for parties of six or more. Try the Sandwich Tray with your selection of whole baguette sandwiches cut in half served with locally made salt+pepper house chips. Upgrade the tray to include salad and dessert and the package will include a freshly baked dessert box with organic quinoa blondies, triple chocolate brownies and organic chocolate chip cookies, and your choice of a freshly prepared side salad.

Visit the website or call your nearest location of Hannah’s Bretzel to place your order.

845 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607

Are you the type to prepare a game-changing spread for the Super Bowl as opposed to ordering out? El Che Steakhouse & Bar has you covered with its retail market, El Che Meat & Provisions.

The indy shop sells USDA premium Black Angus Beef from Creekstone Farms, South American wines, artisanal ingredients and more to help you prepare a game day feast. Grill Kits like the Parrillada Meal for 4 or the Ultimate Steak Box feature signature cuts of meat like short ribs, chorizo links and ribeyes alongside craft ingredients like chimichurri and salsa criolla, making them the perfect pre-assembled option to make for your Super Bowl party. Items are available for purchase online here or directly at the shop located inside the restaurant at 845 W Washington Blvd.

41 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611

Check out the delicious package put together by Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap, and never look elsewhere for your Superbowl meal. Pre-orders until 5 p.m. on Feb. 12. Here are the details.

Read More

After a promising start to the 2021-2022 NBA Regular Season, the Chicago Bulls have reached a rough patch of their season. The Bulls have lost 7 of their last 10 games and that has allowed the Miami Heat to leap them for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

While the Bulls performance on the court has not been the cleanest, injuries can certainly be attributed to the struggles that the team has experienced recently. Over the course of the past week, the Bulls have lost three players for 6-8 weeks. Starting point guard Lonzo Ball is sidelined for the next 6-8 weeks with a knee injury; veteran point guard Alex Caruso is out for the next 6-8 weeks with a fractured wrist; and, forward Derrick Jones Jr. was the latest injury casualty as he fractured his right index finger during a workout on Tuesday and will also be out for the next 6-8 weeks.

Read More

Email
print

Charlotte forward Gordon Hayward has been placed in the NBA’s Health & Safety Protocols, the team announced Wednesday.

Hayward will miss the Hornets game Wednesday night in Indiana.

Hayward has started 45 games for Charlotte this season and is fourth on the team in scoring at 17 points per game. He was previously listed as questionable with a foot injury.

Charlotte, which is 7-3 over its past 10 games, is 3-0 against the Pacers and can earn the season sweep with a win Wednesday night.

Read More

A blaze that killed a Des Plaines woman and her four children one year ago was caused by two electrical cords that had been improperly altered and connected, a local fire official said Wednesday.

One cord was part of a space heater that had been the focus of the investigation from the start, said Division Chief Dave Schuman of Des Plaines’ fire prevention bureau. The other was a heavy-duty extension cord plugged into a wall outlet.

Killed in the Jan. 27, 2021, blaze were Cithlaly Zamudio, 25, and daughters Renata Espinosa, 6, Genesis Espinosa, 5, Allison Espinosa, 3, and Grace Espinosa, 1.

The fire occurred in the apartment building on the 700 block of West Oakton Street where the family lived. The building originally was a single-family house but had been converted into apartments.

The space heater was inside the family’s second-floor apartment near a stairway, Schuman said. The extension cord was plugged into an outlet in the kitchen, he added.

The fire, which began about 10 a.m., trapped the victims inside because there was no safe exit other than the stairs, officials said at the time.

Two other occupants of the building got out safely with help from police and a passerby, reports state.

Read more at dailyherald.com

Read More

It was so cold outside Wednesday morning that, if someone had hurt my feelings, I wouldn’t have felt it. And, yet, somehow in those frigid conditions, I did start to feel something as the day progressed: a very faint reduction in my long-running disgust toward the Brrrs. I mean the Bears. I even noticed a certain charitableness toward the woebegone franchise creeping in. What was happening to me?!!!

Something, that’s for sure, because … because … I’m going to give new general manager Ryan Poles the benefit of the doubt.

Easy there, my fellow Bears cynics. I’m not abandoning you. Let me expand on this. I’m going to give Poles the benefit of the doubt without giving the McCaskeys the benefit of the doubt. That might seem like intellectual gymnastics with an impossible degree of difficulty, seeing as how team chairman George McCaskey had the final say in Poles’ hiring. I might pull a muscle doing it. But giving the 36-year-old Chiefs personnel man a chance seems like the nice thing to do. And taking for granted that the Bears probably passed over a future Hall of Fame GM in the process seems like the right approach, given their sad history.

Imagine being Poles. Excited about the huge opportunity to run an NFL team. Full of ideas, energy and enthusiasm. How could he know the depths of the franchise’s historical issues? Research would have taken him only so far. He couldn’t understand the full measure of ownership’s lack of aptitude when it comes to all things football.

So here he is, coming from a successful organization, arriving with thoughts of turning around this organization. And maybe he will. But if he does, it will be because of him, not because of any acuity on the part of ownership. That view might strike some as unfair and inconsistent. But I’ve seen some things over the years at Halas Hall.

So welcome, Mr. Poles. Knock ’em dead. A word of advice, though: Don’t go to McCaskey and president Ted Phillips for advice. Don’t use them as a sounding board. If they say zig, know that zagging is the only way to go.

Your success will depend on you, not them. Don’t do what your predecessor, Ryan Pace, did. He was all about collaboration, working the room, getting input from every inch of a very big tent. That made him lots of friends, but it didn’t get him nearly enough Bears victories. If you, Ryan Poles, believe that Justin Fields isn’t the greatest quarterback in the history of forever, let that be your guide. If your guides are named “George” and “Ted,” you’re going to find yourself in a dark alley and, eventually, unemployed.

If you’re sold on Fields, get him an offensive line. If you’re not sold on Fields, get him an offensive line. This might seem obvious, but it wasn’t obvious to Pace. Fields spent half his time last season getting up from being sacked.

Enough with the advice giving. OK, maybe a little more: Be yourself, don’t be them and you might have a chance. Might.

The problem with the Bears is that the gap between reality and dream is massive. The reality is a franchise that has had very little success since the 1985 Super Bowl season. In that span, the Bears have been to the playoffs just 12 times – seven times in the 29 seasons since the McCaskeys fired Mike Ditka as head coach. That’s not coincidence. It’s the result of a family that, because of the death of George Halas’ son in 1979, found itself several years later running a team it had no business running. Didn’t then and doesn’t now.

The dream, the one the McCaskeys are pushing and the one so many people around the league have bought into, is how grand it would be to win a Super Bowl for one of the NFL’s original franchises. And how wonderful it would be if 99-year-old Virginia McCaskey, Halas’ daughter, were around to see it. I’m guessing some of this drew Poles to the job.

That’s the way it was with the Cubs, too. The Ricketts family bought the team with the dream of ending the franchise’s century-long World Series title drought.

Maybe Poles will turn out to be Theo Epstein, but Epstein already had won two World Series with the Red Sox by the time the Cubs hired him as president. He already had been a baseball architect. We don’t know how much influence Poles had in building the Chiefs’ roster that won the Super Bowl two seasons ago. We don’t know yet what he saw in Patrick Mahomes and how much of a say he had in drafting him.

We do know that he didn’t draft Mitch Trubisky. That’s one warm thought.

Read More

The Bears are down to three candidates to be their next head coach.

Or are they?

While that’s the appearance after Dan Quinn and Matt Eberflus completed their second interviews Wednesday, following Jim Caldwell’s on Tuesday, it’s not a certainty as new general manager Ryan Poles settles into his new office.

Poles just got the Wi-FI password at Halas Hall. He might need a minute before he makes a potentially career-defining hire.

It is promising, though, that the Bears seem to have given Poles autonomy to move forward on picking a head coach without interference from chairman George McCaskey, president Ted Phillips or consultant Bill Polian. When Caldwell returned to Lake Forest on Tuesday, his interview was one-on-one with Poles.

If this is indeed in Poles’ hands now, it’ll be in accordance with his philosophy and on his timetable. He might have names beyond Quinn, Caldwell and Eberflus on his list. With the general manager now in place, it could be worth revisiting popular candidates like Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, former Dolphins coach Brian Flores or Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.

Poles might even have names that the Bears hadn’t considered as they interviewed 10 coaches before his arrival. The Bears didn’t bring in anyone from Kansas City, for example, which is where he worked the last 13 years.

Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has been one of the NFL’s most prominent assistants the last four seasons. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub, formerly of the Bears, has had a few head-coaching interviews. Quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka has gotten some looks.

While it’d be ideal for the Bears to close out their coaching search by the end of the week so they can move forward at full speed on plans for free agency and the draft, Poles deserves the right to reset the process if he thinks it’s necessary.

Read More

The Chicago Bears completed a second interview with former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell on Tuesday. While Caldwell has already interviewed with the Bears previously regarding their head coaching vacancy, the interview had extra significance as it was with the Bears’ new general manager.

Former Kansas City Chiefs executive Ryan Poles was officially hired as the Bears’ general manager on Tuesday and interviewing Caldwell was his first order of business. Caldwell has been the most polarizing figure on the Bears’ list of candidates to fill their head coach vacancy.

Read More