Chicago Happenings This Weekend | Concerts 2024

Bears rule out RT Larry Borom for Sunday’s game

Bears tackle Larry Borom will miss Sunday’s game against the Cowboys after the Bears ruled him out with a concussion on Friday.

Borom started and finished Monday night’s win against the Patriots but did not participate in practices or walk-throughs this week.

Veteran Riley Reiff is likely to be his replacement. Reiff has played only one offensive snap this season — he was an extra blocker Monday night — but has 11 years of experience at tackle. He made 12 starts at right tackle for the Bengals last year but was injured before their Super Bowl run.

Head coach Matt Eberflus refused to name a starter but said the obvious: that the Bears have only so many options to replace Borom.

“Reiff’s been ready to go,” Eberflus said.

Borom, who is in his second season, started every game this year at right tackle. He beat out Reiff in training camp, securing the job toward the end of the exhibition season.

The Bears offensive line will be challenged Sunday by a Cowboys defense that leads the NFL in sacks. They’ll be without Lucas Patrick, who was put on the injured reserve this week with a toe injury. Sam Mustipher will start at center and Michael Schofield will play left guard.

The Bears are getting some reinforcements back, though. Eberflus said the team would return Alex Leatherwood to the active roster this week. A first-round pick by the Raiders in 2021, Leatherwood was cut in early September and claimed by the Bears. He went on the reserve/non-football injury list with mononucleosis earlier this year and has yet to play for the Bears.

Bears rule out RT Larry Borom for Sunday’s game Read More »

Cubs part with hitting coach Greg Brown, promote Dustin Kelly

Greg Brown got one season on the job as the Cubs’ hitting coach, continuing a pattern of turnover in the position over the past decade.

Brown will not return next season, the Sun-Times confirmed. He was offered another position within the organization but decided to seek opportunities elsewhere.

The Cubs will promote Dustin Kelly from minor-league hitting coordinator to major-league hitting coach.He will be the eighth coach to hold the position since 2012. Kelly spent two seasons as the Cubs’ minor-league hitting coordinator, after three seasons as a minor-league hitting coach in the Dodgers’ farm system.

The rebuilding Cubs ranked No. 22 in MLB this season in runs scored (657), a year after trading away their offensive championship core at the deadline. They were in the bottom half of the league when it came to team batting average (.238), on base percentage (.311) and slugging (.387).

“It’s not going to work out for every player to have their career years [the same season],” Brown said in a conversation with the Sun-Times during the last series of the season. “And if they do, we’ll probably win the championship that time. But when it comes down to being able to set the expectations and the standards in which we’re trying to achieve, well, I think that’s been done in Year 1. And I think that’s a success.”

This year was Brown’s first on a major-league coaching staff, as part of a robust and eclectic career in baseball.

Brown, a former minor-league player, was an area scout with the Astros in 2009-2010 before spending nine seasons as the head coach at Nova Southeastern University. He then spent two seasons as the minor-league hitting coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays before the Cubs hired him last winter.

The lockout stifled Brown’s ability to contact his new players for much of the offseason, and he had a condensed spring training to get to know them better.

“I made mistakes of trying to help without creating that relationship first,” Brown said. “And so, that’s been a large portion of my learning curve throughout [this season.] That’s something you take away and go, ‘moving forward, how do I not make that mistake again?'”

Cubs part with hitting coach Greg Brown, promote Dustin Kelly Read More »

Bears seem to be getting details right, but rebuild still hinges on QB Justin Fields

Halfway through the first season of the Bears latest rebuild, there’s good cause for optimism. It’s still going to take a while, perhaps until the 2024 season, for them to hit maturity as a legitimate contender if all goes well, but there are indications that it’s off to a good start.

Matt Eberflus seems capable of managing all the new responsibilities that came with his jump from defensive coordinator to head coach.

His CEO-style approach to running the team has been a good change from Matt Nagy’s setup of focusing on offense and giving his defensive coordinator autonomy. Eberflus oversees everything, and if this works and his coordinators and position coaches get plucked for promotions elsewhere, he should be in good position to replace them.

From a personnel standpoint, general manager Ryan Poles has gradually filled in deficiencies and still has a long way to go. He acknowledged he’d need more than one draft class to assemble a quality roster. There are many more problems to solve, but he has certainly added to the very small core of young talent he inherited.

But everything still hinges on quarterback Justin Fields.

The Bears can — and should — address every detail of their roster and organizational structure. But even if they get all those aspects fixed, it won’t matter unless they solve the riddle that has flummoxed them for decades.

They’ve already seen what happens when “everything else is there” besides the quarterback, as president Ted Phillips put it last year. That path led the Bears to their current rebuild, meanwhile teams that have seemingly only a quarterback always have a chance.

Fields’ next opportunity to fortify his case as the franchise quarterback is Sunday against the Cowboys. It’s another game against a top defense. Dallas has allowed the second-fewest points at 14.9 per game and is seventh in opponent passer rating at 77.7.

If Fields keeps advancing and arrives by the end of the season, he’ll enhance all the subtle upgrades the Bears have made. If he doesn’t, the Bears doing all the other little things right won’t be enough to vault them into contention.

He has made impressive plays and had great halves and even some complete performances like the one he delivered in the win over the Patriots on Monday, but the next checkpoint for Fields is to do it consistently and establish baseline expectations. The Bears are still waiting for him to play three good games in a row.

He played one of his better games against the Vikings in Week 5 and was threatening to at least force overtime before Ihmir Smith-Marsette got stripped with about a minute left. But Fields followed that by sputtering through a 12-7 loss to the Commanders at home.

The Bears had 10 days between that game and their Monday night visit to the Patriots and used that break to install designed runs for Fields. It activated him and their offense, and while opponents like the Cowboys will counter it with their defensive game plans, it looks like a viable part of the Bears’ offensive identity.

Fields turned in 179 yards passing and 82 yards rushing, which was his sixth-highest combined total. As the Patriots devoted more resources to restricting him to the pocket, there was more space for receivers to get open. If Fields gets better at playing those strengths off each other, the production should increase.

It took the Bears and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy a while to get there, but they finally seem to have tailored the offense to Fields’ talent.

While the overall picture is still from perfect, and Fields will play behind a tattered offensive line Sunday, there should be enough here with which to work. Now it’s on him to thrive and elevate the players around him, particularly the receivers, because that’s what franchise quarterbacks do.

Bears seem to be getting details right, but rebuild still hinges on QB Justin Fields Read More »

Sources: NBA wants salary limit over luxury taxon October 28, 2022 at 7:58 pm

2:54 PM ET

The NBA is pursuing the implementation of an upper salary limit in its negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Players Association, a systemic change that has been met with significant union resistance.

In the wake of large market contenders Golden State, Brooklyn and the LA Clippers running up massive payrolls and luxury tax penalties, the NBA is proposing a system that would replace the luxury tax with a hard limit that teams could not exceed to pay salaries, sources said.

The league’s proposal has been met with the firm resistance of the NBPA, to the point of the union considering it a non-starter in discussions, sources said.

Sides often use the early part of negotiations to float wish lists, and that could be what’s happening with the NBA’s proposal – as opposed to the buildup of a hardline stance that could ultimately lead to a work stoppage.

The NBA and NBPA are working to reach an agreement prior to a December 15 deadline that each side has to give notice on opting-out of the current CBA in December of 2023. The seven-year CBA expires after the 2023-2024 season.

The NBA believes that the current system fails to provide a level enough playing field to make more of the 30 teams competitive, and contends that the spending disparity of top teams has made the imbalance ultimately unsustainable, sources said. The league is pitching the idea to the union that a more competitive league will deliver higher revenues – and higher salaries amid the league’s 51-49 percent share of Basketball Related Income with the players.

Beyond the NBPA, there is also skepticism among smaller NBA marketplaces who worry that an upper spending limit would fail to create the competitive parity that the league is hoping to achieve, instead causing well-constructed smaller market teams to have to break up cores of contending talent despite a willingness to enter into the luxury tax, sources said.

Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA’s Labor Relations Committee, including Charlotte owner Michael Jordan and Golden State owner Joe Lacob, has held several meetings with the union, which is under the leadership of new executive director Tamika Tremaglio and president CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the system now, teams can re-sign their own players and add salary in free agency through various exceptions to exceed the salary cap. The NBA’s proposed system change would end luxury tax payments that are shared with many smaller market teams, requiring the league to find a new mechanism for revenue sharing, sources said.

Twenty of NBA 30 teams are currently below the luxury tax threshold of $150.3 million — with 10 teams projected to pay a league-record $697 million in luxury tax penalties in the 2022-2023 season. Among them, 61 percent of that shared among the Golden State Warriors ($176.5 million), the Clippers ($145 million) and the Brooklyn Nets ($108.9 million).

Those three teams contributed to 73 percent of the luxury tax penalties in 2021-2022.

Among the other top priorities in collective bargaining talks for the league, sources said:

o Finding mechanisms to incentivize top players participating in more regular season games, creating crisper competition and greater value in the league’s media rights deals.

o Working on a “smoothing” plan to incrementally add in the windfall escalation of revenue in the league’s looming media deal, which would avoid a repeat of the cap spike in 2016 that disproportionally rewarded one class of free agents and selected teams.

o To end the “One-and-Done” early entry rule and allow high school players back into the NBA Draft, the league wants a requirement that player agents can no longer pick and choose the teams with whom they supply prospects physicals and medical information. The NBA also wants some minimal requirements around presence and participation in the draft combine.

Discussions are expected to become more frequent between now and the December 15 date to declare notice of an opting of the current deal in December of 2023, and there’s always the possibility that deadline could be extended should the sides believe they’re making progress.

ESPN Front Office Insider Bobby Marks contributed to this story.

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Sources: NBA wants salary limit over luxury taxon October 28, 2022 at 7:58 pm Read More »

Chicago Reader announces new hiresReader staffon October 28, 2022 at 6:34 pm

The Chicago Reader is pleased to announce some new hires in our editorial and marketing departments.

Kerry Cardoza (she/her) is the Reader’s newest culture editor, and her focus will be on art, architecture, books, literary arts, and other related cultural topics. She is a Chicago-based journalist who often writes about art, culture, labor, and power. In addition to her work with the Reader, Cardoza is the punk columnist at Bandcamp Daily, and a member of the Freelance Solidarity Project.

“Kerry has been a valued contributor to our culture pages since her tenure here years ago as an intern,” said managing editor Salem Collo-Julin. “She will bring a trained eye and studied expertise to our coverage and I’m happy to have been able to bring her on as part of our talented staff.”

Chasity Cooper (she/her) is the Reader’s new newsletter associate, and works closely with our marketing and editorial teams. She is a writer, entrepreneur, and wine culture expert. Cooper has previously written for Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine, and the Chicago Tribune.

“I’m so excited to bring Chasity Cooper on board. Her extensive background and expertise on brand and marketing products is such a crucial addition to our marketing team,” said Reader director of marketing Vivian Gonzalez. “Excited to see what we can accomplish.”

The Chicago Reader is published by the Reader Institute for Community Journalism, a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization.

Chicago Reader announces new hiresReader staffon October 28, 2022 at 6:34 pm Read More »

What the Hideout means to me nowLeor Galilon October 28, 2022 at 6:44 pm

Last Wednesday, multidisciplinary artist Mykele Deville went public in a detailed Instagram post about his traumatic experiences at the Hideout, where he worked as programming director from summer 2021 till March 2022. The next day, the Hideout issued an apologetic response. I find the venue’s response inadequate, but I encourage you to read both posts. I’ve developed some insight on the matter myself, though I’ve had no good way to share it—from April till August, when Deville decided that he’d rather not tell his story through the media, I attempted to report on his work for (and firing from) the Hideout.

I’ve known Deville for years. He’s been part of several overlapping Chicago arts scenes, and he’s been appearing in the pages of the Reader since 2016, when Lee V. Gaines wrote a lovely profile. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Deville perform in several local venues; he’s one of the most magnetic rappers in the city, and his effusive performances leave me energized no matter how late it is. He has that effect on people in general, I’ve found. He’s been generous in his support of other Chicago artists too, notably through the Dojo, a defunct Pilsen DIY space he cofounded in the mid-2010s. Deville used his Dojo experience and the sterling reputation the venue acquired to apply for the job of programming director at the Hideout.

Deville shared the news about his hiring with the Reader’s Gossip Wolf column in June 2021. He also told me about his firing this past spring. I soon set out to report on what had happened to him at the Hideout, and on the wider impact and implications of his firing.

When he’d been hired, Deville told me he wanted to “make sure to give space to people that you’ve never heard of.” In his short time at the Hideout, he brought in musicians, comedians, and visual artists who’d never been onstage there—some of whom had never even walked through its doors before. Deville’s bad experiences at the Hideout (and especially the way his tenure ended) will have ripple effects on the artists he booked and the fans they attracted, many of whom may also have been new to the venue.

I’m reminded of Tonia Hill’s January 2022 report for the TRiiBE on the impact that the closing of the Ace Hotel would have on Black millennial nightlife. “Ace Hotel helped fill a gap in the limited number of nightlife options for Black Millennials,” Hill wrote. Deville did the same for the Hideout. I wanted to capture that with my story too, and I thought I could do it quickly. But my reporting took months, and as always I had trouble squeezing in the work around other deadlines. When Deville asked me to stop, I obliged. It’s his story, and I appreciate that he entrusted me with it in any capacity.

Even after Deville knew I wouldn’t be publishing my story, he continued to show me a lot of grace. This didn’t tell me anything new about his character, but it confirmed what I’d long known to be true. I wish he’d received the same grace from his former employers, and I’m glad he went public in the way that’s most comfortable for him.

When a musician gets onstage at a venue, a constellation of workers has already been involved—sound engineers, ticket takers, drink slingers, program directors, website developers. These employees make show spaces work, and when all goes well, they make them feel like homes away from home. I’ve certainly described the Hideout as a “haven” before, but it’s the staff, not the space, creating that feeling. And the question always needs to be asked: A haven for whom? If the owners of a venue harm the people who work there, then that’s a structural problem—and it means that in some senses the venue is welcoming in spite of its owners, rather than because of them.

On Tuesday, October 25, Deville posted a follow-up on social media. He said that the Hideout and venues like it can find a way forward, but that there are no shortcuts: “They need to be willing to do the true work of self analysis while not relying on the labor of BIPOC individuals to walk them through what that looks like.”

Since Deville went public, several local acts have expressed solidarity with him by canceling their shows at the Hideout, including Mia Joy, Tobacco City, and Morinda. Block Club has published a roundup of such cancellations. The venue’s remaining staff may also be impacted, since lost shows mean lost revenue.

Earlier this week, former Reader reporter Maya Dukmasova and Reader columnist Ben Joravsky moved their monthly series, First Tuesdays, out of the Hideout—their November 1 election edition will be at the Nighthawk in Albany Park. And until the Hideout does the work Deville talks about, I can’t see myself going back, even though I once thought of it as a home.

Mykele Deville unpacks blackness for the basement-show set

This restless rapper, poet, and actor has helped bridge cultural and racial divides in Chicago’s DIY scene on his way to bigger stages.

by Lee V. Gaines
November 9, 2016August 18, 2021

Rapper and poet Mykele Deville signs on as the Hideout’s new booker

Plus: Ghetto-house pioneer DJ Deeon makes his debut for the Teklife label, and radical Jewish hardcore band Acid Mikvah drops a scalding demo.

by J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
June 29, 2021August 18, 2021

Chicago’s Growing Concerns Poetry Collective use kindness to unite people against bigotry

by Leor Galil
October 19, 2020August 18, 2021

Best Chicago venues for the COVID averse

Music venues leading the city with vaccination and masking requirements

by Jamie Ludwig
March 2, 2022March 15, 2022

Why won’t City Hall fight for Chicago’s homegrown music scene?

The Chicago Independent Venue League shouldn’t have to push back against the Live Nation handouts in the Lincoln Yards development—but the city doesn’t protect its own treasures.

by Mark Guarino
January 23, 2019August 18, 2021

Will Success Spoil the Hideout?

Their Secret’s Out

by Peter Margasak
August 20, 1998August 20, 2021

Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at the Museum of Contemporary Art

What the Hideout means to me nowLeor Galilon October 28, 2022 at 6:44 pm Read More »

High school football: Final 2022 AP Illinois high school football rankings

This season’s final rankings of Illinois high school football teams in each class, according to an Associated Press panel of sportswriters.

Class 8ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Lincoln-Way East (6) (9-0) 87 2

2. Loyola (3) (8-1) 82 1

3. York (9-0) 74 3

4. Glenbard West (8-1) 59 4

5. Warren (8-1) 42 5

6. O’Fallon (8-1) 37 7

7. Maine South (7-2) 35 6

8. Marist (6-3) 22 9

9. Plainfield North (9-0) 20 8

10. South Elgin (9-0) 11 10

Others receiving votes: Palatine 9, Glenbrook South 7, Naperville North 6, Naperville Neuqua Valley 3, Edwardsville 1.

Class 7ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Mount Carmel (9) (9-0) 90 1

2. Hersey (9-0) 77 2

3. Prospect (8-1) 68 3

4. St. Rita (7-2) 57 4

5. St. Charles North (8-1) 52 5

6. Wheaton North (8-1) 41 7

7. Pekin (9-0) 38 6

8. Jacobs (8-1) 27 8

9. Lake Zurich (8-1) 20 T9

10. Batavia (6-3) 10 T9

Others receiving votes: Yorkville 6, Moline 6, Brother Rice 3.

Class 6ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. East St. Louis (8) (7-2) 83 1

2. Simeon (1) (9-0) 80 2

3. Lemont (9-0) 73 3

4. Crete-Monee (7-2) 59 5

(tie) Prairie Ridge (8-1) 59 4

6. Normal West (8-1) 41 7

7. Grayslake North (8-1) 27 NR

8. Chatham Glenwood (7-2) 20 NR

9. St. Ignatius (7-2) 15 9

10. Wauconda (7-1) 14 6

Others receiving votes: Kaneland 12, Notre Dame 5, Kenwood 3, Bremen 2, Champaign Centennial 1, Belvidere North 1.

Class 5ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Sycamore (6) (9-0) 87 2

2. Mahomet-Seymour (1) (9-0) 76 3

3. Kankakee (2) (7-2) 74 1

4. Highland (8-1) 59 5

5. Morgan Park (8-1) 55 6

6. Rockford Boylan (8-1) 40 8

7. Peoria (8-1) 39 7

8. Morris (7-2) 25 4

9. Sterling (7-2) 19 9

(tie) Nazareth (5-4) 19 10

Others receiving votes: Glenbard South 2.

Class 4ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Sacred Heart-Griffin (8) (9-0) 89 1

2. Richmond-Burton (1) (9-0) 82 2

3. Rochester (8-1) 64 4

3. Joliet Catholic (7-2) 64 5

5. St. Francis (8-1) 59 3

6. Carterville (9-0) 43 7

7. Wheaton Academy (8-1) 34 8

8. Macomb (9-0) 21 9

9. Providence (5-4) 18 NR

10. Rochelle (7-2) 12 NR

Others receiving votes: Hyde Park 3, Breese Central 3, Coal City 1, Columbia 1, Phillips 1.

Class 3ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. IC Catholic (9) (8-1) 99 1

2. Reed-Custer (1) (9-0) 90 2

3. Princeton (9-0) 78 3

4. Byron (8-1) 63 4

5. Fairbury Prairie Central (9-0) 57 5

6. Williamsville (8-1) 46 7

7. Genoa-Kingston (7-2) 31 10

8. Stillman Valley (8-1) 26 6

9. Seneca (9-0) 24 8

10. Mt. Carmel, Ill. (8-1) 21 6

Others receiving votes: Tolono Unity 10, Benton 4, Durand-Pecatonica 1.

Class 2ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Decatur St. Teresa (9) (9-0) 99 1

2. Maroa-Forsyth (1) (9-0) 91 2

3. Wilmington (8-1) 78 3

4. Bismarck-Henning (9-0) 69 4

5. Rockridge (8-1) 55 5

6. Pana (8-1) 36 8

7. Shelbyville (8-1) 24 7

8. Downs Tri-Valley (7-2) 23 6

9. Johnston City (9-0) 21 7

(tie) Athens (7-2) 21 5

(tie) North-Mac (8-1) 21 9

Others receiving votes: Nashville 5, Carmi White County 2, Knoxville 2, El Paso-Gridley 2, Mercer County 1.

Class 1ASchool W-L Pts Prv

1. Lena-Winslow (11) (9-0) 110 1

2. Colfax Ridgeview (9-0) 95 2

3. Hope Academy (9-0) 87 3

4. Camp Point Central (9-0) 79 4

5. Fulton (7-2) 57 6

6. Ottawa Marquette (8-1) 54 8

7. St. Bede (7-2) 32 NR

8. Gilman Iroquois West (7-2) 23 NR

9. Greenfield-Northwestern (8-1) 21 9

10. Kewanee -Annawan-Wethersfield (7-2) 15 10

Others receiving votes: Tuscola 14, Jacksonville Routt 13, Moweaqua Central A&M 2, Abingdon 2, Cumberland 1.

High school football: Final 2022 AP Illinois high school football rankings Read More »

What NBA head coaches faces the most pressure to win this season?

We look at the NBA coaches that are under the most pressure this season

The NBA season started it’s 77th season on October 18 and while some teams start the season with a fresh perspective; others come into the season with the burden of their finish last year or the looming repercussions if the do not win this season. Here are the NBA head coaches who feel the most pressure this season:

Thibodeau is entering his third season as the Knicks coach and while the results have been better than when he was in Minnesota coaching the Timberwolves; he is still not brought many happy days to the fans at Madison Square Garden. During his tenure as the Knicks coach, the team still lacks an identity and has only played one NBA Playoff series. Last year in particular was shocking for the Knicks going 37-45 and finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference.

One of the biggest criticisms I have had of Thibs is his refusal to play younger players and instead play veterans who are past their prime. Promising forward Obi Toppin who the Knicks drafted 8th overall in 2020 was losing playing time to 36 year-old Taj Gibson last season and is not effective in large stretches of playing time. The Knicks traded for Cam Reddish who showed flashes of potential in Atlanta but Reddish only started to get playing time with the Knicks after injuries to other veteran players.

With the addition of point guard Jalen Brunson this summer and maybe a return to an All Star level play for forward Julius Randle, the Knicks should have the look of a playoff team and if they don’t then fans and general manager Leon Rose could look toward Thibodeau as the culprit of another disappointing season in Gotham.

Rivers is starting his third season as head coach in Philly and while he has won a playoff series in his first two seasons the 76ers have not gotten past the second round of the NBA Playoffs during his time as the head coach. When he was hired in 2020 to replace Brett Brown, the thought was that Doc would bring his experience of appearing in two NBA finals and winning a championship with the Celtics to this team who had only made the playoffs 3 out of the last 10 years.

The truth is that Doc Rivers has not made the conference finals as a coach since 2012 and has twice coached teams that have squandered 3-1 series leads and lost those series in seven games (Clippers vs the Rockets in 2015 and Clippers vs Nuggets in 2020). The pressure to win this year is huge with the uncertainty about Joel Embiid ability to stay healthy, the possible upcoming free agency of guard James Harden and the fact that general manager Daryl Morey did not hire Rivers.

Monty Williams-Phoenix Suns (Record as Suns Head Coach: 170-92 including playoffs)

On April 10, 2022, the Phoenix Suns ended the regular season with a 64-18 record and the number one team in the Western Conference, let’s look at all the things that have happened since then:

–Played a six game NBA playoff series in the first round vs the 36-46 New Orleans Pelicans -Lost a game seven on their home-court to the Dallas Mavericks by 33 points in the second round of the playoffs–Had a COVID outbreak that happen during their series vs Mavericks that may have violated NBA policy–Re-signed starting center Deandre Ayton who has a frosty relationship with Williams to a four-year contract -Trade demand by forward Jae Crowder– Owner Robert Sarver being suspended for the entire year by the NBA for violating workplace standards and then facing pressure from sponsors and players he putting the team up for sale.

Since the Suns won Game 2 of the NBA Finals in 2021, they have a 7-10 record in the playoffs and are 1-6 in playoff road games. For a team that has a top 10 payroll this year and the 2nd best player on the team (Chris Paul) is 37 years old, the time is now in the Valley of the Sun. Basketball fans and media will be looking to see can Williams guide this team back atop the Western Conference and further in the playoffs.

Nate McMillian-Atlanta Hawks (Record as Hawks Head Coach: 81-62 including playoffs)

Coming into last season, the expectations for the Hawks was very high after making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 however the Hawks did not leave up to those expectations in 2022. The Hawks struggled for the first three months of the season and at one point their record was 17-25. The team would start to turn things around and eventually earn a playoff spot but would then lose to the Miami Heat in the first round. In the off season, the Hawks traded for guard Dejounte Murray who made his first All-Star game last season and can help share some of the ball-handling responsibility with Trae Young.

Of the eight players that are returning to the team and played the most minutes, all of them are under the age of 30 so the time is now for this team to take the next step and be consistent contenders in the Eastern Conference. The question that general manager Travis Schlenk may be asking is McMillian the coach to make the Hawks a consistent contender. The season will be key in answering that question.

Steve Nash-Brooklyn Nets (Record as Nets Head Coach: 99-71 including playoffs)

Nash’s tenure as Nets coach is one where you will fans and media are very divided about his performance going into his third season. On one hand, you can say that he has to deal with injuries to Kevin Durant (Durant has missed 74 games in the last two seasons), the refusal of Kyrie Irving to get vaccinated causing him to miss games in cities that required vaccinations, the depletion of their depth to make the trade for James Harden in 2021 and because of their bloated payroll an inability to add depth to the roster.

The critics of Nash point to constant lack of cohesion on offense and defense, inability to make adjustments vs the Celtics in the playoffs, not playing the younger guys on the roster more and not taking more authority with his two star players.

This offseason, Durant asked for a trade or the removal of Nash and general manager Sean Marks which owner Joe Tsai did not do and the Nets did not trade Durant. Can the Nets finally live up to hype and win important games in May and June?

Mike Budenholzer (Record as Head Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks: 251-118, including playoffs)

Of all the coaches on this list, Budenholzer has been with his team the longest and is the only coach to win a title with his current team. So you may ask why is he on this list? One of the reasons that he is on this list is because of the age of this Bucks roster. Of the projected nine players expected to play the most minutes this season, seven of them are 30 years old or older (Reserve forward Pat Connaughton will turn 30 in January).

While having experience can be helpful in winning games, it also puts pressure to win with an older group that could be prone to injuries and can have trouble playing lots of minutes. Also, forward Khris Middleton could potentially be a free agent at the end of the season (he has a player option), Brook Lopez will be a free agent as well as backup point guard George Hill.

The reason that the Bucks have been so successfully recently is players like Lopez and Middleton that surround Giannis Antetokounmpo and compliment his strengths as a player. The Bucks are going to have to ask themselves how much they are willing to pay to bring these players back to keep Milwaukee a title contender. The time to win with this group is now and Budenholzer has to manage this roster to make sure that they are ready for the important NBA playoff games next spring.

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Seeking sanctuary in Routes

Nearly a decade after it debuted at the Royal Court Theatre in 2013, Rachel De-lahay’s Routes has landed at Theater Wit for its American premiere. Presented by Remy Bumppo, Routes is a story of progressively intertwined, mirrored vignettes of two characters and the handful of people who will determine their respective fates. Olufemi (Yao Dogbe) is a Ghanian immigrant who, after running afoul of British law, is deported with a near-guarantee to never reenter the country, effectively separating him from his family for life. Bashir (Terry Bell) is a barely 18-year-old Somalian refugee, orphaned young, who is completely unaware of his precarious status in the only country he’s ever known.

Routes Through 11/20: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM; also Sat 10/29-11/12 2:30 PM and Thu 11/17 2:30 PM; audio description and touch tour Sat 10/29 2:30 PM (touch tour begins 1 PM), open caption performance Sat 11/5 2:30 PM; Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-975-8150, remybumppo.org, $32-$40 ($15 industry, $10 student)

“Routes” and “roots” are homophones (at least in the typical British “Received Pronunciation” accent), and this subtle duality speaks to the play’s underlying theme. How do you chart a new route that is in conflict with your roots?

You can’t watch this play today without considering the impact Brexit has had on the efficacy of the European Court of Human Rights, an already dubious protective measure in the lives of asylum seekers (as the play demonstrates). But the timing of Routes’s American premiere is especially relevant with regard to the rampant inhumanity of current immigration policy in the U.S., as well. Mara Zinky’s scenic design casts these issues into the literal box they are often shelved in by politicians and cozy constituents alike. The entirety of the production, directed by Mikael Burke, takes place inside a sparse, glass-walled structure. The audience views the action through a sharper-edged fishbowl perspective while the six-person cast orbit each other fluidly and gracefully. Helming this choreography the night I attended was Lucas Looch Johnson, understudy for Bashir’s boisterous, tenderhearted, and unexpected ally, Kola, who was a joy to watch.

Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at the Museum of Contemporary Art

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This fact should make Chicago Cubs fans smile before the World SeriesVincent Pariseon October 28, 2022 at 4:30 pm

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 29: Seiya Suzuki #27 of the Chicago Cubs is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring during the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field on September 29, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

The Chicago Cubs were a terrible team in 2022. They were fun at times but nobody ever thought that they had a chance to be a playoff team at any point in the season.

However, there were flashes of brilliance from certain players at different points throughout the season which led t some wins.

Now, we have to see the Philadelphia Phillies play in the World Series as the National League Champions against the American League Champion Houston Astros.

There is one fact that Chicago Cubs can be happy with when they look at the World Series matchup this year.

The Chicago Cubs can be very proud of this fact before the World Series.

They went a remarkable 6-0 against the Phillies in the 2022 season. Yes, the Chicago Cubs went undefeated with two sweeps against the team that is representing their league in the World Series. For some reason, the Cubs had their number.

If the Phillies would have played against the Cubs the way that most other National League teams did, they probably wouldn’t have struggled to make the playoffs in the end. They probably wouldn’t have backed into the playoffs the way that they did.

It is probable that they wouldn’t change anything about the way that their season went but losing all of those games to the Cubs couldn’t have felt good when it wasn’t a lock that they’d make the playoffs. Either way, now they are where they are.

The Cubs are headed into this offseason knowing that they had a chance to beat some good teams in 2022 but didn’t do it enough. They are continuing to develop their prospects and are probably going to spend some big money during the offseason.

They can learn a lot from the Phillies who had the longest playoff drought in the National League before surprising everyone this year after a few changes. The Cubs aren’t going to fire their manager the way that Philly did but they can make the changes ended to compete next year.

Now, knowing this fact, everyone can enjoy what promises to be an incredibly entertaining World Series between two teams that are so different. Hopefully, it lives up to the hype.

This fact should make Chicago Cubs fans smile before the World SeriesVincent Pariseon October 28, 2022 at 4:30 pm Read More »