What’s New

For a few minutes Tuesday, it looked like Alex DeBrincat — the star who has carried the Blackhawks so many times this season — might steal another win.

But Cale Makar — arguably the brightest among the Avalanche’s deep ensemble of stars — had other ideas.

Makar schooled Kirby Dach with a spin-o-rama, then Marc-Andre Fleury with a series of forehand-backhand puck handles to score an instant-classic overtime winner, dealing the Hawks a dramatic 4-3 loss. They’ve now lost five in a row, with three of those defeats coming in overtime.

“He’s a pretty special player, and he’s going to be a great player for a long time,” defenseman Calvin de Haan said. “He made a good play. It’s going to be all over NHL Network tomorrow. But we did a pretty good job overall against him and against their top players.”

The Avalanche seemed on track to run away with the game in the first period, hemming the Hawks in their zone throughout the period.

The game turned sharply after the intermission, however. High-danger scoring chances favored the Avs 5-0 in the first period but favored the Hawks 15-1 after that.

DeBrincat scored two power-play goals 40 seconds apart early in the third period to briefly give the Hawks the lead until a deflection past Fleury — who made 29 saves in his return from COVID — tied the score.

Jonathan Toews, who scored the Hawks’ first goal, had two glorious opportunities to win it before Makar scored.

“You want to see those go in,” Toews said. “You have to find ways to just feel that knack, feel you’re going to get that bounce and you’re going to get lucky. We know we played a lot better, especially the last 40 minutes, but we’re definitely not satisfied. We need to find a way to get results, and every guy feels that.”

Read More

Email
print

SALT LAKE CITY — Joe Ingles entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Tuesday, the first Utah Jazz player to be added to that list this season.

The Jazz had been the only NBA team yet to have a player in protocols this season. All 29 other teams had one player sidelined by COVID-19 at some point in the last three weeks during this outbreak, many of them placing more than 10 players on that list.

Ingles will not play Wednesday when Utah visits Denver, the Jazz said. There is no known timetable for his return.

The number of players in the protocols has dropped considerably in recent days, peaking around 125 last week and falling to 75 — based on figures released by teams — as of Tuesday evening. The numbers change often and some players still listed as being in the protocols are closer to returning than others.

Read More

On Sunday in Minneapolis, the Bears will end a lost season with a third straight victory started by a third different quarterback — a footnote most of us will soon forget.

One night later in Indianapolis, Alabama will beat Georgia for the second time in a little over a month — an ordeal that will haunt Bulldogs fans until merely the end of time.

And on Feb. 13 in Inglewood, California, guess who’s going to hold the Super Bowl trophy up high for all the world to see? The Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, that’s who. What, you were expecting Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes? Not this time, bub.

Look, I can go on.

Bulls closer extraordinaire DeMar DeRozan will start the All-Star Game on Feb. 20 in Cleveland, but he won’t finish it. Oh, he might be out on the floor, but he’ll have to watch like the rest of us as bigger superstars with bigger egos take all the biggest shots.

The Cubs (at the Reds) and White Sox (vs. the Twins) will open their seasons on March 31, as scheduled, though the lockout will have turned spring training into kind of a jumbled mess.

The Bulls will be at the United Center when the NBA playoffs commence on April 16, the Blackhawks will be in dentists’ chairs when the NHL playoffs get going on May 2 and — double-spoiler alert — the Warriors and Maple Leafs will eventually be the last teams standing in those leagues.

The Cowboys winning it all for the first time since 1996 won’t be anything compared with the Leafs ending a drought that goes back to 1967, but maybe some of you hosers knew that already.

What’s with all the predictions? It’s that time of year, is all. What some see as a blank sports slate, others recognize as a precious opportunity to climb far out on a ledge with 12 months’ worth of utterly useless, inevitably humiliating and maybe even occasionally accurate conjecture.

If having 2022 vision is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

A bunch of you don’t, either, as I learned after inviting folks on Twitter and Facebook to spit into the wind along with me.

“DePaul men’s basketball will be dancing in March,” @Mike_PiFF03 declared.

Oh, will it now?

“Bulls make the Finals but lose in six,” @RayJOrtega offered.

Bummer of an ending, but what a run it’s going to be!

“Ryan Pace makes a bad hire for Bears head coach, then trades up for a wide receiver who fails, all while not addressing the offensive line,” wrote Jim, sparing no detail.

“And the Bears go 6-11.”

For the second season in a row, on the off chance I was wrong about Justin Fields and the Bears beating the Vikings in Sunday’s finale. (Don’t worry, I wasn’t.)

Meanwhile, I’m definitely right about Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks and Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez making it to Dodger Stadium as first-time All-Stars on July 19. And also about Cubs first baseman Frank “The Tank” Schwindel homering into the corn a la Tim Anderson for a walk-off winner in the MLB Field of Dreams game on Aug. 11 in Dyersville, Iowa.

What, too random? Too silly? Like you should talk.

“The Bears rehire Lovie Smith as head coach,” @jakepowers actually put out there. “Up is down and down is up.”

“Following an NBA Finals loss to Golden State,” @jabressler began perfectly reasonably, “Kevin Durant exercises the player option in his contract and signs with the Bulls.”

Fun to think about, anyway, as is this bit of clairvoyance from @ChiCity_Smitty: “Lucas Giolito gets an extension, and the Sox sign Kris Bryant — the first $100 million-plus contracts in franchise history.”

But this is my column, and I’m here to tell you that Northwestern — sl?inte! — will start next season with a victory against Nebraska on Aug. 27 in Dublin. And just wait for the buzz on Sept. 3 when Bret Bielema takes Illinois to his old stomping grounds in Madison, Wisconsin, and wins. Alas, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame will take a disappointing “L” on Sept. 3 at the young coach’s alma mater, Ohio State.

Listen, don’t blame me. I’m just the messenger.

Will the Sox still be alive when the American League Division Series begin on Oct. 6? Sure, they will.

Tell you what, let’s let what’s left of the year be a surprise.

We somehow got this far without mentioning COVID-19. No, it hasn’t ruined the new sports year yet. Will it? How the hell should I know? I’m not even a real soothsayer, let alone an epidemiologist.

But that’s the thing about predictions. Sometimes, they’re right on the money. Other times, they’re trash. Either way, you get to reach out and remind me that I’m an idiot. And won’t that be nice?

Consider it my gift to you. Really, it was nothing.

Read More

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected]

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Marian Central at Benet, 7:00

Nazareth at Carmel, 7:00

Notre Dame at Marist, 7:00

St. Patrick at Joliet Catholic, PPD

St. Viator at Marian Catholic, 2-1 PPD

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Herscher at Coal City, 6:45

Lisle at Peotone, 6:45

Manteno at Streator, 7:00

Reed-Custer at Wilmington, 7:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Morris at Kaneland, 7:00

Ottawa at Sandwich, 6:45

Rochelle at LaSalle-Peru, 7:00

Sycamore at Plano, 7:00

METRO PREP

Hinsdale Adventist at CPSA, 5:30

NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD

Comer at Bulls, 7:00

DRW at Butler, 7:00

Rowe-Clark at ITW-Speer, 7:00

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Zurich at Mundelein, 7:00

Waukegan at Warren, 7:00

Zion-Benton at Stevenson, PPD

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

Harvest Christian at Schaumburg Christian, 7:30

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED-SOUTH / CENTRAL

Bogan at Simeon, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-CENTRAL

Instituto Health at Kelly, 5:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Bremen at Argo, 7:00

Evergreen Park at Lemont, 7:00

Hillcrest at Shepard, 6:30

Oak Forest at Oak Lawn, 6:30

Thornton Fr. North at Richards, 6:30

Thornton Fr. South at Reavis, 6:00

Tinley Park at Eisenhower, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – CROSSOVER

Minooka at Plainfield Central, 6:30

Oswego East at Joliet Central, 6:30

Plainfield North at Plainfield South, 6:30

Romeoville at Oswego, PPD

West Aurora at Joliet West, 6:30

Yorkville at Plainfield East, 6:30

TRI-COUNTY

Midland at Putnam County, 7:00

UPSTATE EIGHT

Bartlett at Streamwood, 7:00

Elgin at Glenbard South, 7:00

Fenton at West Chicago, 7:00

Larkin at East Aurora, 6:30

South Elgin at Glenbard East, 7:00

NON CONFERENCE

Aurora Central at Marquette, 7:00

Barrington at Prospect, 7:30

Beecher at South Newton (IN), 7:00

Belvidere at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

Brooks at Dyett, 5:00

Byron at Woodstock North, 7:00

Conant at Wheeling, PPD

Crane at Senn, 5:30

Deland-Weldon at Lowpoint-Washburn, 5:30

Dunbar at Urban Prep-West, 5:00

Dwight at Pontiac, 7:00

EPIC at Harlan, 12:00

Faith Christian at Richmond-Burton, 7:00

Francis Parker at Jones, 6:30

Freeport at Beloit (WI), 7:00

Fremd at Buffalo Grove, 7:30

Geneseo at Dixon, 7:00

Glenbard North at Elmwood Park, 7:00

Hammond Baptist (IN) at Grace Christian, 7:00

Hansberry at Chicago Christian, 7:00

Henry-Senachwine at LaMoille, 5:30

Hoffman Estates at Hersey, 2-8 PPD

Holy Trinity at Chicago Academy, 5:00

Hope Academy at Little Village, TBA

Illinois Lutheran at Donovan, 7:00

Instituto Health at Cristo Rey, 6:00

Juarez at Back of the Yards, 5:00

Lake View at Maine South, 7:00

Leo at Thornwood, 6:30

Leyden at Lake Park, 7:15

Maine East at Addison Trail, 1-31 PPD

Montini at St. Edward, 7:00

Niles West at Niles North, 7:00

Noble Street at Steinmetz, 5:00

North Boone at South Beloit, 7:00

North Shore at Northtown, PPD

Ogden at Wheaton Academy, 7:30

Palatine at Rolling Meadows, 7:30

Roanoke-Benson at Eureka, 7:00

Schaumburg at Elk Grove, 7:30

Tilden at Goode, 6:30

Tri-Point at Lexington, 7:00

Waubonsie Valley at Lockport, 6:30

Westlake Christian at Christian Life, 7:30

Westminster Christian at Westmont, 7:30

Willowbrook at Sandburg, 6:00

Woodland at Leland, 7:00

Read More

The Chicago Bears haven’t made it official but all expectations are that they will fire Matt Nagy at season’s end following a losing season. The talk surrounding the franchise has been about Nagy and potential head coach candidates for the offseason. And one name that came up again this year is Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

While leading Michigan to an upset over Ohio State, the Big Ten title, and an appearance in the College Football Playoff, there hasn’t been a lot of smoke surrounding Harbaugh and a return to the NFL. But on Monday, a report from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic suggests there’s a ‘real chance’ that he returns to the NFL with sources from Michigan and the NFL.

Read More

As one of the best Mexcian restaurants in Chicago, Evette’s Chicago is known for their magical combination of Lebanese and Mexican cuisines through a Midwestern lens. Now, the lincoln park favorite adds a seasonal melt to its winter menu.

Putting a Lebanese and Mexican spin on a traditional patty melt, the newly added items feature a choice of protein (Gyro, Steak, Lamb Birria, or Hatch Peppers + Onions) on sourdough bread with whipped feta, white American cheese, and pickled onions. The limited-time offerings are available for pick-up, delivery, and dine-in.

Lebanese-Mexican meets the Midwest

At Evette’s, the Lebanese flavors join with Mexico’s culinary culture, with dishes made from fresh produce. Evette’s knows the source of all the ingredients used, and AbouJamra works with producers who believe in caring for products the way they care about the menu.

The menu centers on Shawarma wraps ($11/$15), which come with a choice of chicken, gyro, steak, lamb, halloumi served with Evette’s pink lemon garlic sauce, sumac tahini, cucumber yogurt, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sumac onion, and pickles. The menu also features:

Taco Arabic ($5 each), red onion, radish, tabbouleh, whipped feta, cucumber yogurt, and Aleppo chili oil, served in a flour tortilla

Al Pastor Taco ($5), shaved pork, pineapple, red onion, radish, cilantro, served on two corn tortillas with American cheese between the shells.

Waffle Hash Brown Sandwich ($7) choice of bacon, pork sausage or halloumi. Waffle hash brown sandwich with protein, fried egg, chipotle mayo, chimichurri and cheese.

Lamb Bacon Hash-fries & Eggs ($14) house made lamb bacon, two eggs, specialty scoop potatoes, lamb bacon za’atar Mayo, chili oil, pickled jalapeño, feta cheese, onion, cilantro, and parsley.

Huevos Rancheros with Pita ($14) fried Greek pita topped with House made salsa roja, two eggs, onion, mozzarella cheese, cilantro & parsley

Pretty Salad ($13), romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, feta, fried pita, pomegranate seeds with a sumac lemon dressing

Super garlic feta fries ($12) are the most popular item on the menu. We have specialty scoop fries to replicate “fritos scoops” which makes eating topped fries a better experience. Topped with feta, pink garlic sauce, za’atar mayo, za’atar spice and parsley.

Pita Nachos ($13), and Baba Ghanoush ($12)

Shakes ($8) with flavors like Peanut Butter Date, Baklava, and Churro

Is your mouth watering yet? Come out for a lunch or dinner, or enjoy their brunch menu available on Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

About the Team

Mitchell AbouJamra is a first-generation Lebanese-American who grew up immersed in three food cultures that serve as his foundation: Lebanese, Mexican, and Midwestern. He was born in Flint, MI raised in Grand Rapids, MI, centered around his family’s table celebrating the foods of their homeland, their butcher shop & market.

When his parents split and his father moved to Tucson, AZ, he experienced Mexican food during his formative years. AbouJamra (who also goes by Jamra professionally) attended culinary school in Chicago and went on to work under Chef Dominique Tougne at Bistro 110. He has held positions across the spectrum of the hospitality industry, from running front-of-house operations at Wrigleyville’s bars to serving as general manager of DMK Group concept Marshall’s Landing, brand-managing alcohol companies with his business Great Lakes Beverage Collective, and serving as a lead chef-instructor for Sur La Table, opening new schools at locations across the country.

Featured Image Credit: Evette’s Chicago

The post Evette’s Chicago Launches Seasonal Melts appeared first on UrbanMatter.

Read More

Suns coach Monty Williams, after missing four games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, will return for Tuesday’s game vs. New Orleans.Read More

Hawks star point guard Trae Young scored an NBA season-best 56 points in a loss to the Blazers on Monday night.Read More

Desmond Bane said of Grizzlies teammate Ja Morant: “People debate whether or not he should be an All-Star, but I think we should be debating whether he’s the best point guard in the league.”Read More

Riding an eight-game win streak, the Chicago Bulls sit atop the Eastern Conference as we begin the 2022 calendar year. The Bulls were able to take care of business against Orlando on Monday night despite it being a close one but Chicago is used to close games recently with DeMar DeRozan saving the day twice in the span of three games.

The Bulls do have a tough stretch coming, which you can find odds for at bet-michigan.com, but the way they are playing, they can compete with anyone in the league.

Read More