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Hillcrest’s Nyzir Duncan (10) floats down the lane to score a basket against Leo. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

All the scores from around the area.

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Friday, January 21, 2022

BIG NORTHERN

Byron at Oregon, 7:00

Genoa-Kingston at Rockford Christian, 7:00

Rock Falls at North Boone, 7:00

Rockford Lutheran at Stillman Valley, 7:00

CATHOLIC – CROSSOVER

Brother Rice at Marmion, 7:00

DePaul at Providence, 7:00

Fenwick at Providence-St. Mel, 7:00

Leo at Montini, 7:00

Loyola vs. St. Ignatius, at UIC-Credit 1, 7:00

St. Laurence at De La Salle, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Maine East at Deerfield, 7:00

Maine West at Vernon Hills, 7:00

Niles North at Highland Park, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – SOUTH

Glenbrook North at New Trier, 7:00

Maine South at Glenbrook South, 7:00

Niles West at Evanston, 7:00

CHICAGO PREP

Christ the King at Holy Trinity, 7:00

Northtown at Ellison, 7:00

Walther Christian at Hope Academy, 6:30

DUKANE

Batavia at Wheaton North, 7:15

Glenbard North at Geneva, 7:15

Lake Park at St. Charles East, 7:15

Wheaton-Warr. South at St. Charles North, 7:15

DUPAGE VALLEY

Metea Valley at DeKalb, 7:00

Naperville Central at Waubonsie Valley, 7:00

Naperville North at Neuqua Valley, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Carmel at Joliet Catholic, 7:00

Nazareth at Marist, 7:00

St. Patrick at Benet, 7:00

St. Viator at Notre Dame, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Cary-Grove at Jacobs, 7:30

Crystal Lake South at Dundee-Crown, 7:30

Hampshire at Burlington Central, 7:30

Huntley at Prairie Ridge, 7:30

McHenry at Crystal Lake Central, 7:30

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Coal City at Wilmington, 7:00

Herscher at Lisle, 7:00

Manteno at Reed-Custer, 6:45

Streator at Peotone, 7:00

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Elgin Academy at Lake Forest Acad-Blk, 6:00

North Shore at Northridge, 6:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Plano at Sandwich, 6:45

KISHWAUKEE RIVER

Harvard at Woodstock North, 7:00

Marengo at Johnsburg, 7:00

Woodstock at Richmond-Burton, 7:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

ACERO-Cruz at British School, 5:00

Intrinsic-Belmont at Waldorf, 6:00

Lycee Francais at Beacon, 5:30

LITTLE TEN

Newark at LaMoille, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

Aurora Christian at Riverside-Brookfield, 7:00

Chicago Christian at IC Catholic, 7:30

Wheaton Academy at St. Francis, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – RED

McNamara at Elmwood Park, 7:30

St. Edward at Aurora Central, 7:00

Westmont at Ridgewood, 7:00

NIC – 10

Belvidere at Harlem, 7:30

Belvidere North at Guilford, 7:00

Freeport at Boylan, 2-8 PPD

Hononegah at Auburn, 7:30

Rockford East at Jefferson, 7:00

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Forest at Stevenson, 7:00

Libertyville at Lake Zurich, 7:00

Waukegan at Mundelein, 7:00

Zion-Benton at Warren, 7:00

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

Christian Life at Westminster Christian, 7:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED-WEST / NORTH

Clark at Schurz, 5:00

Farragut at Lincoln Park, 5:00

Lane at Orr, 6:30

Marshall at Westinghouse, 5:00

North Lawndale at Young, 6:30

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-CENTRAL

Solorio at Tilden, 6:30

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-NORTH

Prosser at Mather, 5:00

Senn at Foreman, 5:00

Taft at Sullivan, 7:00

Uplift at Lake View, 5:00

Von Steuben at Northside, 6:15

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-WEST

Crane at Payton, 6:30

Jones at Austin, 5:00

Legal Prep at Collins, 5:00

Perspectives-MSA at Clemente, 5:00

Wells at Raby, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-NORTH

Alcott at Chicago Math & Science, 5:00

Chicago Academy at Amundsen, 5:00

Marine at Steinmetz, 5:00

North Grand at Roosevelt, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-WEST

Chicago Collegiate at Kelvyn Park, 5:00

Little Village at Chicago Tech, 5:00

Manley at Douglass, 5:00

Ogden at Spry, 5:00

RIVER VALLEY

Donovan at Illinois Lutheran, 7:00

Grace Christian at Beecher, 7:00

Grant Park at St. Anne, 7:00

Momence at Tri-Point, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – BLUE

Bremen at Oak Forest, 6:30

Hillcrest at Tinley Park, 6:30

Thornton Fr. South at Lemont, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – RED

Oak Lawn at Richards, 6:30

Reavis at Shepard, 6:30

SOUTHLAND

Bloom at Thornridge, 6:30

Crete-Monee at Thornton, 6:00

Kankakee at Rich, 7:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – CROSSOVER

Joliet Central at Minooka, 6:30

Joliet West at Yorkville, 6:30

Plainfield Central at Plainfield North, 6:30

Plainfield East at Oswego, 6:30

Plainfield South at Oswego East, 6:30

Romeoville at West Aurora, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – BLUE

Lincoln-Way East at Lockport, 6:00

Sandburg at Homewood-Flossmoor, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – RED

Stagg at Andrew, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Bolingbrook at Lincoln-Way West, 6:30

TRI-COUNTY

Dwight at Midland, 7:00

Henry-Senachwine at Marquette, 7:30

Lowpoint-Washburn at Woodland, 7:00

Roanoke-Benson at Seneca, 7:00

UPSTATE EIGHT

Fenton at Elgin, 7:00

South Elgin at Larkin, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Downers Grove South at Leyden, 7:30

Morton at Addison Trail, 7:30

Willowbrook at Proviso East, 6:00

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Hinsdale Central at Glenbard West, 7:30

Oak Park-River Forest at York, 7:30

Proviso West at Lyons, 6:30

NON CONFERENCE

Butler at Bowen, 5:00

Dyett at Poinciana (FL), 5:00

Home Run Kids at Cristo Rey-St. Martin, 7:15

King at Ellison, 5:00

Marine at Pritzker, 6:00

Muchin at Kennedy, 6:15

Schaumburg Christian at Westlake Christian, 7:30

Urban Prep-West at Yorkville Christian, 7:00

METAMORA

Lindblom vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais, 6:00

Metamora vs. Canton, 7:30

QUINCY

St. Rita vs. Huntington Prep (WV), 8:30

SALEM

East St. Louis vs. Salem, 6:30

Madison vs. Mt. Vernon, 8:00

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A blaze broke out Jan. 21, 2022, in Englewood. | Chicago Fire Department

The blaze was reported about 5:10 p.m., at a home in the 900 block of West Garfield Boulevard.

Firefighters battled a blaze Friday evening in Englewood near the border of the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side.

The fire was reported about 5:10 p.m., at a home in the 900 block of West Garfield Boulevard, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

Fire officials initially said a person was being evaluated for possible injuries, but later added that no injuries were reported and no one was sent to a hospital.

The fire was extinguished by 5:25 p.m., officials said.

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Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier talks to players on the sideline in November. | Bill Kostroun/AP

Bills defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier, a member of the Bears’ most notorious team, interviewed for the franchise’s vacant head coaching job Friday.

Bills defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier, a member of the Bears’ most notorious team, interviewed for the franchise’s vacant head coaching job Friday.

An Alcorn State alum, Frazier played cornerback for the Bears from 1981-85 before tearing his knee on a punt return during the Bears’ Super Bowl win against the Patriots. No Bears player had more interceptions in 1985 than Frazier’s six.

Frazier’s Bills have allowed the fewest yards and points in the NFL this season. He has the head coaching experience that the Bears crave, too, having gone 21-32 in three-and-a-half seasons with the Vikings.

Frazier — who has been a defensive coordinator for the Bengals, Vikings Bucs and Bills in his career — could be connected to the Giants soon enough. They hired Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their new GM on Friday morning.

Frazier has a busy weekend; Sunday, the Bills play at the Chiefs in the second round of the AFC playoffs.

The Bears interviewed another general manager candidate Friday, too: Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles. Poles has worked with the Chiefs since 2009, starting as a player personnel assistant and moving up the college scouting ranks before becoming the assistant player personnel director in 2018.

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Got a sweet tooth? We’ve got you covered with this list of the best bakeries in Chicago. From conchas and croissants to cookies and cakes, Chicago is home to all types of bakeries for sweet seekers. Start your day off right with a cup of coffee or tea to accompany these delicious confections. Check out our bakery guide below!

Also, remember to pair your pastry with a divine cup of hot chocolate this month for National Hot Chocolate Day!

Bittersweet Pastry Shop & Cafe

1114 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

916 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

Bittersweet is a true European-style bakery that has served the Lakeview neighborhood since 1992 with a recent expansion to Time Out Market. Stop by for pastries, pies, tarts, brownies, French macarons, cookies, and more. There’s also a small, thoughtfully curated gift section in the Lakeview location for last minute gifting or celebratory additions like cards and candles. In addition, this bakery in Chicago is known for its custom wedding and celebration cakes, having created cakes for Oprah, Michael Jordan, and the Cubs.

The Goddess and Grocer

1649 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

1127 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610

901 N Larrabee St, Chicago, IL 60610

911 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

International Terminal 5, 10000 W O’Hare Ave, Chicago, IL 60666

The Goddess and Grocer has been a popular Chicago spot for baked goods, lunch, drinks, and groceries since its first location opened in 2005 in Bucktown. Since then, the gourmet deli concept has expanded to four additional locations as well as opening several Goddess and the Baker cafes as well. 

One of the most popular items to order is the Rainbow Cake. Cakes and cupcakes are also available to order on Goldbelly with nationwide shipping.

Aya Pastry

1332 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Aya Pastry brings a creative take on signature bread and pastries from the culinary expertise of James Beard-nominated pastry chef Aya Fukai. Previously the head pastry chef at Maple & Ash, Aya opened the bakery in West Town in 2019, and has since been adored as one of the best bakeries in Chicago. From Asian-inspired flavors and treats to classic flaky croissants and bread, Aya has delicious treats for any craving. The bakery recently won the “Best New Baked Good Empire” title for the 2021 Eater Awards.

Tous les Jours

2144 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

1726 West Division St. Chicago, IL, 60622

Tous les Jours is a South Korean bakery franchise with more than 1,650 stores worldwide, including two in Chicago––Chinatown and Wicker Park––and five in the burbs. You’ll get more than your usual bakery fare here, though the chain has those classics too. 

The bakery specializes in French-Asian-inspired baked goods, including bread, pastries, cakes, desserts, and beverages. Try the Ube Latte and Taro Cream Bread if you’re jumping into the ube trend or the Red Bean Bread for a classic Asian bun.

Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter

100 E Walton St, Chicago, IL 60611

In 2010, Hendrickx brought Belgian baked treats and light fare to Chicago’s Gold Coast. Belgian Chef Renaud Hendrickx and his team use artisanal Belgian methods to craft fresh bread and pastries from scratch. If you are looking for the best bakery in Chicago, this destination has 13 different croissants, artisanal breads, macarons, pastries, and Belgian chocolates. Also on the menu are sandwiches, soups, and salads for something more savory.

Panaderia Nuevo Leon

1634 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608

Panaderia Nuevo Leon is a traditional self-serve Mexican bakery that has been in the Pilsen community since 1973. The bakery serves conchas, gorditas dulces, cakes, donuts, muffins, brownies, empanadas, and more. Conchas are made fresh daily with high quality ingredients throughout the day. Vegan selections are available as well.

You can also find fresh and made-from-scratch flour tortillas in flavors such as mole, habanero, chile morita, black bean with jalapeño, and more.

Jennivee’s Bakery

3301 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Jennivee’s Bakery is a cozy patisserie specializing in traditional American and Filipino cakes and pastries. The LGBTQ+ owned and operated bakery is a local favorite in East Lakeview. It’s also one of the few bakeries that are open late! The bakery serves cakes by the slice and as a whole, including custom cakes. The ube cake is one of the most popular flavors––you’ve probably seen it on Instagram! You’ll also find cupcakes, cookies, brownies, bars, and other delectable pastries.

Lost Larson

5318 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

2140 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

This Andersonville bakery and cafe serves bread, pastries, and light fare including sandwiches and quiches. Lost Larson pays homage to the neighborhood’s Scandinavian roots with menu items like lingonberry hibiscus lemonade, seasonal danishes, lingonberry almond cake, and more.

Try one of Lost Larson’s smørrebrøds, a traditional Danish-Norwegian open-faced sandwich, with filling options including smoked salmon, avocado, ham, and cheese, or turkey club. There’s also a rotating bread menu with specialties like challah, pumpkin seed kelp, sunflower rye, and potato. Lost Larson’s second location in Wicker Park has a slightly different menu and no cafe fare.

Sweet Moon Bakery

1964 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

This small bakery in Ravenswood is our new favorite lately! From ambience to pastry to simple meals offered on the menu, Sweet Moon is what we’ve always dreamed a neighborhood bakery to look like. And, just like in old times, they don’t use a website for orders. If you want to get your hands on their delicious bites, you’ll have to give them a call at (347) 985-5821!

Featured Image Credit: Lost Larson

The post 8 Best Bakeries in Chicago for Cakes, Cookies, Pies, & More appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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When the Chicago Bears made the decision to fire head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on January 9, Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey told reporters that team president Ted Phillips, while he would be in the room for the interviews, would not have direct involvement in the selection of the team’s new […]

Ted Phillips is apparently involved in Chicago Bears’ GM and HC search – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Brian Flores went 24-25 in three seasons coaching the rebuilding Dolphins. | Alastair Grant/AP

With eight teams looking for new coaches, here’s a projection of who fits where.

When Bears chairman George McCaskey described his ideal new coach, it was a romantic, old-school depiction that seemed like he wanted to find the modern Mike Ditka.

There was no mention of scheme or player development. It was much more of an artist’s rendering of a classic coaching persona.

“Tough, gritty, smart, opportunistic — winning football,” McCaskey said, pausing for emphasis between terms.

Sounding as though he were casting for the role in a movie, McCaskey also said players “don’t have to like him, they don’t have to love him, but they respect him.”

If that’s what he’s been imagining, it’d be no surprise to see the Bears fall in love with Brian Flores. And while his actual, concrete plans for quarterback Justin Fields, the declining defense and an incredibly crucial hire at offensive coordinator are much more important than his demeanor, McCaskey might end up hiring exactly the guy he needs by following his heart.

As Chicago Sun-Times NFL writers Jason Lieser and Patrick Finley predict who will land in each of the eight head-coaching vacancies, the Bears are most likely to connect with Flores.

They’ll probably interview a dozen or so candidates by the end of this, but few are going to be as impressive as him. At 40, Flores is among the rising stars in his profession, came up with the prestigious Patriots and is fresh off overachieving in three seasons coaching the Dolphins.

He did better than expected with a stripped-down roster by going 5-11 his first season, then followed by going 19-14 over the last two.

So why is this guy even available? That’s the key question the Bears must answer.

Flores appeared to have friction with owner Stephen Ross, general manager Chris Grier and upstart quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

That alone doesn’t preclude him from getting the job. Doug Pederson and Jim Harbaugh carry similar baggage. In considering any of those options, the Bears need to fully understand what went wrong and determine how exactly Flores would work with whoever they bring in as general manager. It’d be prudent to finalize that hire first.

That’s what McCaskey said he preferred to do anyway, and in that case, the incoming general manager’s opinion might diverge from McCaskey’s.

With Flores predicted for the Bears, here’s who Lieser and Finley project for the other seven teams:

Raiders: Jim Harbaugh

This is a classic move by both sides. Harbaugh is surely unsatisfied with how his run with the 49ers ended despite going 44-19-1 in four seasons, and the Raiders are always looking to make a big splash. Luring Harbaugh from Michigan would be the boldest move of this hiring cycle.

It’s an interesting time to take over the Raiders, who overcame coach Jon Gruden’s scandalous exit to go 10-7 and make the playoffs under special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. Harbaugh would likely join the team with significant authority over personnel and will need to decide whether the team is on its way to contending or needs to rebuild.

That decision looms largest at quarterback. Derek Carr hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2017, and while he’s solid, it’s clear after eight seasons he’s not a game changer. He has one season left on his contract, so now is the time to trade him if the Raiders want to start fresh at the position.

Jaguars: Doug Pederson

The Jags fired Urban Meyer on Dec. 16 and spoke to Pederson two weeks later. If he had blown them away, wouldn’t we know by now?

Nonetheless, hiring a Super Bowl champion head coach feels like something the Jaguars would do to try to restore credibility after the Meyer debacle. Pederson’s offensive expertise — he groomed Carson Wentz into a presumptive NFL MVP before the quarterback tore his knee in late 2017 — will appeal to a franchise building around rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus makes sense here, too, though the Jaguars might think twice about hiring someone whom — like Meyer — had never been an NFL head coach. Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich could work: he was the Jags’ first-round pick in 2003.

Broncos: Dan Quinn

Quinn likely will have multiple offers, but the Broncos seem locked in on him as their top target and he’d be a good fit there. He’ll inherit an excellent defense, which is his specialty, but he’ll have to solve the offensive woes that doomed Vic Fangio.

The Seahawks had the No. 1 defense in Quinn’s two seasons as coordinator, and he parlayed that success into landing the Falcons’ head job in 2015. He went 29-19 with a Super Bowl appearance — infamously blowing a 28-3 third-quarter lead to the Patriots — over his first three seasons, then crashed with a pair of 7-9 records and got fired after an 0-5 start in 2020.

Quinn quickly rebuilt his reputation as Cowboys defensive coordinator this season. They jumped from 28th in points allowed in 2020 to seventh under Quinn. They led the NFL in takeaways, finished second in third-down defense and were third in opponent passer rating.

Giants: Brian Daboll

When Big Blue hired Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen to be their next GM on Friday, Daboll immediately became a favorite for the job. Don’t discount Schoen’s familiarity with Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, either. The Bears had interest in all three men, interviewing Schoen and Daboll on Sunday and Frazier on Friday.

Daboll is the hottest offensive coordinator in the hiring cycle following the Bills’ 47-17 demolition of the Patriots in the playoffs’ first round. He comes off the Bill Belichick tree, with one year of Nick Saban thrown in — he won the 2017 national title as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Pedestrian stints as the coordinator in Cleveland, Miami and Kansas City are less inspiring.

Daboll’s development of Josh Allen is enough for teams to dream on. His opinion of Daniel Jones will be key — the Giants must decide in May whether or not to pick up the former first-round pick’s 2023 option.

Vikings: Todd Bowles

Bowles, who interviewed with the Vikings on Friday, would mark the team’s third-straight defensive-minded head coach since Brad Childress was fired in the middle of the 2010 season. Defense has nonetheless been the Vikings’ biggest problem; the last two years. In 2021, they finished 24th in the NFL in points allowed and 30th in yards. The year before, they ranked 29th and 27th.

Years before he drew up the defensive game plan to stymie Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl and lead the Buccaneers to a championship, Bowles was a middling head coach, going 24-40 in four seasons with the Jets. During that span, four quarterbacks started games for him: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty, Josh McCown and rookie Sam Darnold.

With Kirk Cousins entering the last year of his deal — the Vikings could either extend him or trade him, too — 2022 Bowles needs to present a clear, convincing plan at quarterback. Might it involve old friend Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator?

Dolphins: Leslie Frazier

The day after the Bills defeated the Patriots, Dolphins brass interviewed both Daboll and Frazier in Buffalo. The Bears have interest, too — they spoke with Frazier, a cornerback on their 1985 Super Bowl-winning team, on Friday.

As is the case with Bowles, the fact that Frazier has been a head coach at all — he was 21-32-1 in three-and-a-half seasons with the Vikings — is probably more important than his record during that span.

No team allowed fewer yards or points in 2021 than the Bills. Frazier works for a defensive-minded head coach in Sean McDermott; it’s up to teams to figure out exactly which man is the reason for their success.

Texans: Josh McCown

We know what you’re thinking: McCown must have done a helluva job as the quarterbacks coach at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C.

McCown — who famously coached his son’s team while playing for the Eagles in 2019 — interviewed with the Texans this week despite having no head coaching experience. He interviewed with them last year, too.

The former Bears quarterback is universally beloved around the NFL — even Jay Cutler thought the world of him — and a Texas native. Surround him with veteran assistants, and McCown could be a compelling outside-the-box choice. Unlike other sports, though, ex-players don’t just slide into head coaching roles in the NFL.

The unstable Texans probably lack the culture — and talent — to make it work.

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Trading Marc-Andre Fleury might be the Blackhawks’ best route to recoup a first-round pick. | Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

The Hawks, whose own 2022 first-rounder will go to the Blue Jackets barring a lottery miracle, desperately need one to bolster their prospect pool entering their rebuild.

The Blackhawks — a subpar team with a subpar prospect pool — don’t currently own a first-round pick in this year’s NHL draft.

To put it bluntly, that’s a bad situation.

Much has been said and written about ex-general manager Stan Bowman’s decision to relinquish the Hawks’ 2018 first-round pick (Adam Boqvist), 2021 first-round pick (moving down from 12th to 32nd overall) and 2022 first-round pick (albeit with top-two protection) as three major parts of the Seth Jones trade.

Regardless of how that blockbuster deal is analyzed in retrospect, however, it cannot be undone. Interim general manager Kyle Davidson — along with whatever outside talent is brought in to flesh out the Hawks’ hockey operations department — can only move forward with the wreckage they inherited.

Accordingly, Davidson’s top priority between now and the March 21 trade deadline should be to reacquire a first-round pick.

The Hawks simply cannot afford to enter their imminent rebuilding era without one. If they did, they’d be rebuilding around almost nothing — outside of Lukas Reichel, there might not exist another future top-six forward (or top-pair defenseman) anywhere in their pipeline. It would delay the entire process by at least a year.

There is a chance a miracle draw could rescue their original selection. If the season ended Friday, the eighth-to-last-place Hawks would have a 12% chance of winning the lottery for first or second overall, triggering the top-two protection clause and returning the pick to them from the Blue Jackets. In that case, the Hawks would not only have a first-round pick but a franchise-altering one.

Davidson nonetheless must assume the 88%-likely alternate outcome will occur instead, and that he’ll need to pry a first-rounder out of another team’s hands.

Trading Marc-Andre Fleury is the most logical, obvious route to consider. But even that process — and particularly getting a first-round, rather than second-round, pick in exchange — will require creativity and negotiation.

The Hawks may well need to retain up to 50% of Fleury’s $7 million cap hit to make it easier for his new team to financially fit him.

They’ll probably need to stir up competing trade offers from several suitors around the league to drive up the price. The Oilers (27th in team save percentage), Avalanche (21st) and Capitals (18th) are the three most logical suitors — especially the Avalanche, who appear one star goalie away from a nearly unbeatable roster. But could the Penguins or Maple Leafs, who both rank top-10 in team save percentage but with relatively unproven goalies, also join the sweepstakes?

They might have to sweeten the pot slightly, as well, attaching one of their many depth players to Fleury to bump the return over the first-round threshold.

And before any of that, they’ll have to convince Fleury to accept a trade. He officially wields a partial no-trade clause, but he might functionally have even more say than that, considering the Hawks’ presumed reluctance to double-cross him after convincing him to come to Chicago last summer. Fleury said publicly Thursday he hasn’t yet considered the trade possibility.

“[It’s] not my thought yet,” he said. “All I want is to have this team make the playoffs. Honestly, that’s what is in my head right now. To me, it’s not worth looking too far ahead.”

There are a few other conceivable scenarios that could push the Hawks back into the first round, such as packaging one of their three third-round picks with one of their other trade-bait players (Dylan Strome, Calvin de Haan or Dominik Kubalik), but they’d be even trickier to execute.

None of the options will be simple or painless, but nor is parting with a first-round pick from another team’s perspective. For the sake of their future, though, the Hawks must find a partner ultimately willing to do so — and then find a way to make it work.

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With Major League Baseball still in a lockout, the Chicago Cubs have been forced to put their off-season plans on hold. In the hours leading up to the lockout on Wednesday, December 2, the Cubs made their biggest off-season of the winter by signing free-agent pitcher Marcus Stroman. The Cubs’ decision to open their wallet […]

Chicago Cubs could be out on Carlos Correa after agent change – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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The Engineered Arts Ameca humanoid robot with artificial intelligence is demonstrated during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Major League Baseball is moving to an automated strike zone at Triple-A this season. Not good.

I have nothing against progress. Some of my best friends are traveling shoe salesmen, and I can’t tell you how many times my stone hand axe has come in handy around the cave. But I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve gone a tad too far with technology.

The latest assault on our humanity came Thursday, when news broke that Major League Baseball would use an automated strike zone at Triple-A this season. It means that robot umpires will be one heartbeat from the big leagues — a “heartbeat’’ being that thing once used to deduce whether a “person” was alive. Now we just make sure a robot’s circuit board isn’t overdoing it on the salty snacks, and life is good.

Real umps are human. That means they’re prone to dye jobs, bad breath and errors in judgment like the rest of us. What many baseball fans apparently want in their home plate umpire is infallibility, good hygiene and a head of hair that doesn’t look like it’s been dunked in rust.

The end game for too many people, especially people who follow baseball, seems to be the eradication of … people. That’s an overreaction only if you’re sure you’re not being body shamed right now by your Fitbit and your Fitbit’s friends. The march toward techno-ball began with analytics. You’ll dismiss me as a Luddite, one likely given to wearing a loincloth around the house, but the truth is that numbers-driven decisions in baseball are meant to take human feeling and intuition out of the equation as much as possible. Feelings don’t exist to the stats people because feelings can’t be measured.

But feelings are what separate us from most of the other beasts on the planet. Take emotion, daring and “Oh, what the hell, I’m going to swing anyway, despite what the computer says’’ out of it, and pretty soon the Big Red Machine has turned into “Ex Machina.’’ OK, I’ve taken this way too far, but how much do we want the human factor removed from baseball?

Many of you want umpires gone. You want mistakes gone. I don’t like mistakes, either, but I do like the messiness of life. I know: completely and recklessly irresponsible for a columnist purportedly in pursuit of the truth. I should want the right call made every time. A strike should be a strike, not a pitch three inches off the outside corner. But when I think about artificial intelligence in baseball, I always come back to entertainment. Baseball has lost its ability to hold an audience, and as silly and illogical as it might seem, flesh-and-blood umpires do have entertainment value. Herman the Robot does not.

Instant replay in baseball already stinks. Instead of the sight of a manager arguing with an umpire, we get two minutes of a crew chief waiting for a decision from the replay command center in New York. I would rather walk barefoot across a bed of zebra mussel shells than be exposed to TV announcers’ forensic analysis of whether a tag arrived before a foot hit the bag. Talk about baseball interruptus.

Yes, it is all about me. Just like it’s all about you. I’d rather see a manager sprint out of a dugout to confront an umpire than endure the constant pauses to get things right. I’d pay to see Tony La Russa power walk to get to the umpire.

What are we losing? That which makes us interesting. That which makes sports interesting. Think about tennis for a moment. The line-calling replay system in place now uses six or more cameras linked to a computer to discern whether a ball was in or out. Great. But great theater? No. If the technology had been in place in the 1970s and 1980s, we would have been deprived of John McEnroe as we knew him — loud, brash and out-of-his-mind outraged at the incompetence of line judges. Would it have been a better world without that? I don’t think so.

You want absolute accuracy. You want the smartest decision on every play. I want fun.

I can’t stand the shift in baseball. The analytics are clear that moving infielders to either side of second base to account for a hitter’s tendencies is the correct tactical move. But watching it live is like looking at cheese that has slid to one side of the pizza because the box moved on the ride home. The shift is an affront to symmetry. It’s also boring. You know how the show is going to end. Wonderful. And?

I do miss some elements of the old days. Not all, but some. I liked when ballplayers were rougher around the edges, the product of a sport that got its start in farm country and wide-open spaces. The unwritten rules of baseball don’t give me seizures, the way they do to those who see the knockdown pitch as barbaric. Those rules remind me that, at some level, we’re all idiots. Fascinating idiots worth watching.

A few years ago, MLB banned chewing tobacco at ballparks. It was the right move for health reasons, but it did leave some people wistful.

Let’s compromise. When the inevitable happens, when the only kind of ballplayer is a robot ballplayer, let him spit tobacco and scratch himself when things need scratching. It’s all that will be left of us.

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