Seventy-five years ago, on a cloudy day in Comiskey Park, Larry Doby stepped out of the shadows into an exclusionary world.On that day — July 5, 1947 –the unassuming 22-year-old Paterson, New Jersey native joined the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians).

Only 24 hours earlier, Doby had hit a home run in his last at-bat for the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues, whose plucky existence emanated from apartheid in America’s pastime.

Doby’s contract had been unexpectedly sold for $10,000 by Newark owner Effa Manley to Bill Veeck, Cleveland’s maverick owner.With no clue what lay ahead,Doby took a cab to Comiskey with Veeck.He started the game on the bench, surrounded by Chicago plainclothes policemen. In the seventh inning, Doby was called to pinch-hit, and struck out.

So began his enduring niche in history as the first Black player to integrate the American Leagues. Yet his legacy remains in the shadows, if not near-obscurity.

Eleven weeks before Doby’s debut, Jackie Robinson had broken baseball’s color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, the first Black player to compete in the modern major leagues. Robinsonwould emerge into a civil rights icon, a larger-than-life hero whose No. 42 is now retired by every major league team.

Yet Doby, who died at 79 in 2003, is baseball’s forgotten racial pioneer. If Robinson’s “great experiment” made integration a fact, Doby’s profile in courage made it a sure thing. It’s time Major League Baseball finally recognizes — as it belatedly recognized the Negro League as a major league one year ago — Doby’s immeasurable contributions in forging racial equality.

Every American League player should wear his No. 14every July 5.

Robinson’sbook “I Never Had It Made” could’ve easily been about Doby. He endured the same pressures and vulgar racism, also barred from his team’s hotels and restaurants. When Doby joined Cleveland, several teammates refused to shake his hand. Opponents spat on him.Veeck received 20,000 hate letters for signing Doby, who played in segregated Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, and throughout the South during spring training games.

Doby remembered bench jockeys yelling, “You’re not supposed to be in this league. You’re supposed to be in that bush league with that other n–.” The racism even extended to his wife, Helyn, who could not get her newborn baby a drink of water in a Tucson hotel.

Robinson and Doby had strikingly similar backgrounds. Both were four-sport standouts, served during World War II, attended college, played briefly in the Negro Leagues. They spoke often during their first year in the majors. Yet Doby’s travailswere significantly overshadowed by Robinson’s, who played in New York City, the epicenter of baseball during the post-war era. Doby was a quiet man, a marked contrast to Robinson’s brash outspokenness.

Yet his graceand dignity impacted racial progress almost a decade before the Civil Rights Movement. As Ebony magazine noted in its May 1949 issue, “Although Robinson pioneered in the majors, probably Doby has been a more important factor in sending club owners into the chase for Negro talent.”

Doby — who was also the second Black manager in baseball history, for the Chicago White Sox–scarcely received proper acclaim as a racial pioneer or for his on-field excellence. He was a seven-time All-Star who averaged 27 homers a year over a decade in Cleveland. Still, it took nearly three decades before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

One of Doby’s proudest moments in baseball came in 1948,the same year President Harry Truman banned segregation in the armed forces.After becoming the first Black player to hit a home run (and win) a World Series for Cleveland,Doby was joyously embracedby teammate and winning pitcher Steve Gromek. The photo of a white man hugging a Black man appeared in newspapers across the country, sparking outrage in many quarters. To Doby it was a picture of acceptance.

“That’s what America is all about, or what it’s supposed to be about,” hesaid years later. “I think I feel as good about that photograph as anything.”

Doby was born in the segregated south, but his worldview emerged growing up in a mixed neighborhood in Paterson in the late 1930s and ’40s.He captained his integrated high school teams, where his fondest athletic memories came playing at nearby Hinchliffe Stadium.

An original Negro Leagues ballpark built in 1932, Hinchliffe is now undergoing a major renovation to restore its former communal glory.The project will also include a small museum to honor Doby, the city’s hometown hero.

Long overdue, Major League Baseball should do the same, to indelibly honor Jackie Robinson’s partner in the integration of baseball.

Dave Kaplan,the founding director of the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, is an adjunct professor at Montclair State (New Jersey) University. Joseph Thomas Moore is an emeritus professor in history at Montclair State and the author of Larry Doby’s biography, “Pride Against Prejudice.”

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We take a look at five mid-level exception targets fro the Chicago Bulls left in free agency

After seeing the largest names in NBA free agency sign league-altering contracts over the past week, the market has hit somewhat of a halt since the self-introduction of All-Star Forward Kevin Durant into the trade market. As teams across the league gather trade packages, bigger named free agents such as Deandre Ayton and Collin Sexton remain unsigned so that teams have their full salary cap space to identify possible paths to acquiring the Brooklyn Nets’ superstar.

As the Bulls continue their off-season, mainly resigning Zach Lavine to a massive 5-year, $215 million contract, there is hope that Chicago is one of many franchises making a realistic offer to acquire Durant. However, while teams want to reserve cap space for this potential trade, there is still work that the Bulls’ front office can continue to do in the free agent market to make the 2022-23 roster deeper than last season. While signing a big-name contributor would be difficult to imagine, both in the salary cap and on the floor, there is certainly still room for improvements and additions.

Most notably, the Bulls still possess their 2022-23 Mid-Level Exception (MLE), a salary cap exception that allows teams to go over the cap to acquire a contributing veteran without destroying the already in-tact roster. The NBA’s salary cap is certainly a bit confusing at times, but the MLE is actually a very common roster tool used annually during free agency. In fact, during the 2021-22 NBA season, 28 out of 30 teams used a MLE of some form, and many teams showed the importance of the players that often take these deals.

Last season, for example, MLEs were used across the league for players such as P.J. Tucker, JaVale McGee, Patty Mills, Reggie Bullock, and the Bulls’ own Alex Caruso. While it is apparent from this list that these players aren’t necessarily superstars, many were integral to their respective teams last season, including the playoffs (Bullock averaged 11 ppg and 5 rpg on 40% 3-pt shooting and Tucker averaged 8 ppg and 6 rpg on 45% 3-pt shooting). In fact, the New Orleans Pelicans split their MLE last year amongst two players, forward Herb Jones and guard Jose Alvarado, two players who were crucial in taking the eight seeded Pelicans to a game six against the one seeded Phoenix Suns.

This season, the MLE is roughly $10 million, so while the Bulls continue to try to improve and deepen their current roster, this exception will likely come into play at some point this season. Here are my top 5 Mid-Level Exception candidates for the 2022 roster.

Taj Gibson (37-year-old forward)

Admittedly, this hypothetical contract may be closer to a veteran minimum, but despite the age and limited minutes, there is still a lot of value in the former Bulls veteran. After following former Head Coach Tom Thibodeau around the NBA, from Chicago to Minnesota to New York, Gibson is still playing a relatively high number of minutes for his age. Just last season, Gibson averaged 4.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg in a little over 18 mpg. Nothing spectacular from the looks of it, but a deeper dive shows that Gibson was in fact nearly a 50/40/80 player last year and a total +43 +/- for the season.

However, Gibson’s impact would likely be greater than his on-court statistics. Last season, the Bulls were in the bottom third of age across the league and had only a few players with legitimate playoff experience (DeRozan had made the playoffs several times in Toronto with little success and Caruso won a championship with the Lakers in the bubble). Adding a player like Gibson who has been in the NBA for a very long time, has made the playoffs numerous times, and most importantly, understands the importance of Bulls basketball in the city of Chicago could be a good beacon of light for many of the younger players currently on the roster.

Carmelo Anthony (38-year-old forward)

Fresh off a disappointing season all around in Los Angeles, adding Anthony could do a couple of things for the Bulls roster. First, even at his age, Anthony is still a reliable player and scorer. Last season, Anthony played 69 games for the Lakers, and while he only started in three of them, only Russell Westbrook and the recently departed Malik Monk played in more contests for the purple and gold. In this time, Anthony averaged over 13 ppg with 4 rpg in 26 mpg. Additionally, his shooting splits were relatively effective at 44/38/83.

Coming off the bench in Chicago, Anthony would likely be focused on perimeter scoring, but given the athleticism in the second unit with Dosunmu, Caruso, and Jones Jr, Antony could compliment some of these players’ shooting woes as a veteran, 3-pt scorer.

Blake Griffin (33-year-old forward)

After spending two years (really one and a half) with the up-and-down Brooklyn Nets, the former Rookie of the Year and Slam Dunk Contest champion still has some quality basketball left in the tank. Griffin, a traditional power forward, would fit in nicely and bring another dimension the Bulls, who often run lineups with only one big. With as much value as a scorer that Griffin can bring, especially as a dunker alongside like-minded athletes in Lavine, Caruso, Green, Jones Jr, and frankly the whole roster at this point, the former All-Star’s value may be most obvious on the defensive side of the ball.

Despite the addition of Andre Drummond in free agency, low post defense is still an area of concern for the Bulls heading into the season, and an athletic, big body such as Griffin alongside any of our centers, especially Vucevic, could really take some of the defensive pressure of these players.

Hassan Whiteside (33-year-old center)

Mentioned above, the interior defense is one of the greatest areas of concern for next season, and again, despite adding Drummond, the Bulls still have a relatively small center rotation. Vucevic, Drummond, and backup Tony Bradley all sit around 6’10”, with Mario Simonovic being the tallest on the roster at about 6’11”. First and foremost, adding Whiteside would provide the team with a true 7’0” player, who can be utilized specifically in many different situations, such as closing with a lead. Despite his 63% FT average last season, Whiteside accounted for about 8 ppg with nearly 8 rpg in just under 18 mpg.

Most notably, however, Whiteside totaled 103 blocks in 65 games, and as a relatively effective rim-protector, there is a lot of value to add him into the center rotation. Frankly, to compete in the Eastern Conference, teams need to have a solution for bigger scorers such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Whiteside probably is not the answer to stopping these forces, but he’s likely a step in the right direction and could be effective in limited minutes, more so than Vucevic or even Drummond.

T.J. Warren (28-year-old forward)

Certainly, the player on this list with the biggest on-court potential, Warren seems like an obvious candidate for many teams to spend an MLE on for the 2022 season. Warren pulled the attention of many NBA fans during the 2020 NBA bubble, where in ten games, the forward averaged nearly 27 ppg with 6 rpg including a 53-point night where he shot 9/12 from deep. The only problem with Warren is that the bubble was the last time he was healthy, and after playing in only four games since then, there is a lot of concern around the player’s durability and availability.

In his last significant season, the 2019-20 campaign, Warren averaged 15 ppg on 54/40/82 splits. As a relatively effective scorer, there is hope that Warren could become a primary bench scorer on the Bulls and would have significantly less pressure to stay healthy. In many ways, signing Warren to the MLE would be an accessory of sorts, the cherry on top. We know that the Bulls have a solid roster without him, so anytime we could play with him healthy would simply provide another scorer that opposing teams would have to focus on.

This would be a riskier signing, as the forward started for his team in his last full season but has essentially missed two seasons since then. It is nearly impossible to predict whether he will return to his bubble form, or would simply be an addition off the bench, but with the MLE, it seems like a worthy risk to add him to the roster.

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Do the Chicago Bulls have a legit shot at landing Kevin Durant? The latest odds show there’s a at least a chance

The Chicago Bulls have been mostly quiet in free agency so far outside of signing Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, plus bringing Zach LaVine back. But is a big move on the horizon?

The latest odds in the race to land Kevin Durant, who asked for a trade last week, are out and the Bulls are listed as the  third favorite team to land the 12-time All-Star with +1000:

Should we expect the Bulls to pursue Kevin Durant?

While this isn’t much to lose your mind over, it definitely piques the interest of any Bulls fan looking to see a big change to the franchise. It has been three days since Durant formally requested to be traded out of Brooklyn, and there has been nothing but rumors and speculations on what deal Brooklyn will pull the trigger on.

The Bulls have not been completely stagnant during this Free Agency period, but have yet to make the big splash everyone has been waiting for. In signing Durant’s former teammates Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond, the possibility of Durant putting on a Bulls jersey is not just a pipe dream. However, the more interesting question remains: Who would the Bulls give up in order to get Durant?

There have been numerous made-up trade scenarios floating around already, and most of them consist of Chicago getting rid of most of their young talent (ie. Draft picks, Patrick Williams, Coby White, Lonzo Ball, Dalen Terry). Such a big trade could also result in Chicago shipping away one of their leaders in DeMar DeRozan.

As the Fourth of July holiday weekend comes to a close, we can expect Brooklyn to find a landing spot for Durant this coming week.

Averaging 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists for the Nets last season, the 33-year-old Durant has not lost a step in his game and continues to get better every year. The former two-time Finals MVP will be entering his 15th year in the league with his third new team since being drafted back in 2007.

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At about 8 p.m. on the Fourth of July last year, air pollution levels across Chicago started to climb. Just a few hours later, as Chicagoans watched brightly colored fireworks explode in the sky, the city reached a level of air pollution more than four times the hourly average of a normal summer evening.

The hours between 9 p.m. and midnight on July 4, 2021, ranked as the most intensely polluted hours the city experienced at any point over the past year, according to an analysis of data on Chicago’s air quality. The new analysis is part of an ongoing project by MuckRock, WBEZ and the Sun-Times.

While the findings, from first-of-its-kind data from Microsoft air sensors installed in more than 100 locations across Chicago, are not surprising, experts say they underscore how holiday traditions like fireworks can contribute to poor air quality in a short amount of time. Researchers found similar spikes in particulate matter, or PM2.5, in Los Angeles on the Fourth, and noted it produced as much smoke as a moderate wildfire. Like Los Angeles, Chicago has among the worst air pollution of any major city in the U.S., and some of the country’s highest rates of childhood asthma, resulting in a dangerous mix for those most vulnerable.

In response to the findings, the Chicago Department of Public Health said in a statement that while it’s against the law to use fireworks in Chicago and Illinois, those laws are ineffective when they are not “regionally applied and surrounding states are more lenient in the sale and use of fireworks.”

Most types of fireworks, including bottle rockets and Roman candles, are illegal in Illinois but can be purchased in neighboring Indiana.

The city’s health department also said the new data “highlights how disproportionately elevated PM2.5 is in the South and West Sides and can affect the health of vulnerable populations, emphasizing the importance of addressing environmental justice and education about the hazardous effects of using fireworks.”

Microsoft has led a project to build a hyperlocal air quality sensor network citywide. Precious Esie, a recent doctoral graduate of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health program, was a Microsoft research intern last summer when she noticed the spike in air pollution on the Fourth of July and the unequal effect on certain neighborhoods.

“Pollution levels were particularly elevated in areas on the South and West Sides of the city,” said Esie, who also noted the higher rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases in those areas.

Last year, Adam Niermann, a 43-year-old Irving Park resident and father of three, was just arriving at a park near his home as the city’s air began to fill up with fireworks and pollutants. Niermann’s neighborhood usually follows the same Independence Day traditions: a kid’s bike parade, backyard barbecues and families waiting for the sun to go down and the fireworks to start.

Chicago’s official fireworks go off over the water near Navy Pier, often before the official holiday, with this year’s display taking place on Saturday. Much of the smoke and haze Chicagoans observe on the evening of the Fourth come from individual caches and neighborhood fireworks shows.

At a park near Niermann’s home, families and kids from around the neighborhood gather for a do-it-yourself display of fireworks bought by parents in Indiana. Every year, Niermann said, the air becomes so thick by the end of the night that floodlights at the park and street lights show clouds of smoke drifting in the air.

“By 10:30 at night, it’s just a hazy fog and smoke everywhere that you can see,” Niermann said.

Although fireworks pollution is short-lived, the particles released contain toxic metals, like barium, manganese and copper, which can give people with respiratory diseases discomfort or even cause asthma attacks and lead to hospitalization in some cases.

Huge spikes in Austin, other neighborhoods

During the holiday’s most intense period of pollution, around 10 p.m., five sensors in the network recorded hourly averages over 100 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the new analysis. All of these sensors are on the city’s South Side — in Englewood, South Chicago, Washington Park and Ashburn.

The only area in the city that experienced more intense pollution was in Austin, at about 9 p.m., where a sensor at the Harrison and Central bus stop right next to Columbus Park reached an hourly average of 149 micrograms per cubic meter. These numbers are almost double the citywide averages for the evening, which were already double the 35 micrograms per cubic meter that the EPA has specified as the maximum amount for a daily average. While this threshold is considered dangerous by the agency, the EPA does not regulate short-term pollution events like fireworks displays. Rather, they look for high pollution as a daily average over multiple years.

There are several things experts say can help reduce the human health impact of Fourth of July air pollution.

At home, people should keep the windows closed and the air conditioning on, experts say. Wearing a N95 or KN95 mask can reduce exposure to firework pollution, said Dr. Brent Stephens, a professor at Illinois Institute of Technology who leads a research team that focuses on indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Attending a municipal show rather than using at-home fireworks reduces the amount of fireworks on the holiday and ensures a larger distance between people and the source of the pollution.

The city itself could begin to shift away from combustion of fireworks to other types of displays, like drones, that do not produce smoke, said Shahir Masri, an air pollution scientist at the University of California, Irvine, who has studied the impact of fireworks on air pollution.

“I hope that cities get more technologically savvy,” Masri said. “If we replaced even 50% of our fireworks with light shows, that’d be a 50% reduction in pollution.”

But official municipal displays are only part of the overall fireworks footprint in Chicago.

The Niermann family usually keeps the windows closed and air conditioning on during the holiday. One of their children had lung problems as an infant, but as a father, Adam was always more worried about emissions from the highway next to their house. Knowing that celebrations of the Fourth also bring some of the worst hours of air pollution has put him on alert.

“I will definitely be paying more attention and noticing what the air quality is like on the holiday,” Niermann said.

Dillon Bergin is a reporter for MuckRock, a nonprofit collaborative newsroom that works on editorial projects with partners, and brings together journalists, researchers and the public on its news platform. Support for this project also came from Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation, which provides grants to encourage and support new technological endeavors in media.

Charmaine Runes is WBEZ‘s data/visuals reporter.

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A 17-year-old boy was among at least four people wounded in a mass shooting early Monday in Parkway Gardens, according to Chicago fire officials.

Officials responded to a call of multiple people shot about 12:20 a.m. in the 6500 block of South Martin Luther King Drive, a spokesperson with the fire department said.

The boy was taken to St. Bernard Hospital in fair to serious condition, fire officials said. A man, 34, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious to critical condition.Another man, 19, was taken to the University of Chicago, also in serious to critical condition.A second 19-year-old man was taken to the University of Chicago in fair to serious condition.

No other details were immediately available.

This is a developing story, check back for details.

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Is there a revolution afoot in the American League Central?

Was the White Sox’ three-game sweep of the Giants in San Francisco a declaration that they’re finally ready to heat up like a backyard barbecue?

Or is this just another tease, a momentary sparkle that will fizzle out like all the ones before it?

Let’s face it: Though the weekend was mighty nice for the Sox, this season has been no picnic. Every time it has looked as though a hot streak might be coming, a cloudburst of calamities — injuries and managerial head-scratchers included — has doused the Sox’ fun. One minute, they’ve managed to climb back to .500; the next, they’re amateurishly slathering ketchup on their hot dogs.

Anyway, have you heard the latest? The Twins are coming! The Twins are coming! Yes, the division-leading Twins are coming to Guaranteed Rate Field for a three-game series that starts Monday. There still are 4 1/2 games separating the Twins and Sox in the standings — with the Guardians in between — and these upstarts, who swept the Sox in April in Minneapolis, clearly aren’t messing around.

If the Sox don’t win this series, we probably can go ahead and officially cancel that parade.

But if there’s going to be any sort of grand finale for the 2022 Sox, they’d better bring their bats — and their brooms — to the next three games.

You really want something to celebrate? This dud of an intro is done. And here’s what’s happening:

MON4

Nathan’s Famous Hot-Dog-Eating Contest (11 a.m., ESPNews)

Coney Island, Joey Chestnut, 10 minutes — and one record of 76 hot dogs and buns to break. God bless America.

Cubs at Brewers (3:10 p.m., Marquee)

To the Cubs fans who snidely used to refer to Miller Park as ”Wrigley North,” it’s American Family Field now, got it? Good. By the way, you’re all still invited. And feel free to bring an appetizer or dessert.

Twins at White Sox (7:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

Johnny Cueto allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his six starts in June. Not to tell the man his business, but maybe he just ought to stick with that.

TUE5

Twins at White Sox (7:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

Michael Kopech opposes Chris Archer, who, once upon a time, was the No. 1 pitching prospect of the Cubs. See? There’s another reason to beat him.

WED6

Sky at Lynx (noon, Ch. 26.2)

The Sky have won five consecutive games, look way better than they did at any point last regular season and are 2-0 against the Lynx. Other than that, they’re in big trouble.

Cardinals at Braves (6:20 p.m., ESPN)

Brewers and Mets who? You’re looking at two potential division champions right here, folks.

THU7

Tigers at White Sox (7:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

You’ve got to admit, ”four games at home, beginning tonight, against the worst road team in baseball” has kind of a nice ring to it.

Summer League: Rockets at Magic (9 p.m., ESPN)

No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero goes for the Rockets against No. 3 Jabari Smith for the Magic. Will both teams wish they had Chet Holmgren by the first timeout?

FRI8

Summer League: Mavericks at Bulls (3 p.m., ESPNU)

And so the Akoldah Gak era begins. That Dalen Terry kid out of Arizona might be sort of interesting, too.

Cubs at Dodgers (9:10 p.m., Marquee)

It was right around this time last season when the Cubs lost in L.A. to start an 11-game skid that marked the extinguishing of an era. Sheesh, aren’t we just a ray of sunshine?

SAT9

Wimbledon women’s final (8 a.m., ESPN)

Heading into the week, there simply was no denying this was absolutely anybody’s tournament to win. That’s a long way of saying Serena Williamslost in the first round.

WNBA 3-Point Contest & Skills Challenge (2 p.m., ESPN)

Welcome, sharpshooters, fancy dribblers and expert passers. Have a look around, admire the banner up above and please don’t touch the trophy.

Crew at Fire (7 p.m., Ch. 9)

The home side has won the last three meetings in this rivalry. Just saying, Fire coach Ezra Hendrickson is free to use that in his pregame speech if he wants to.

SUN10

Wimbledon men’s final (8 a.m., ESPN)

A Novak Djokovic coronation would be his fourth in a row here and — no big deal — Grand Slam title No. 21, breaking a tie with Roger Federer and putting him one behind Rafael Nadal for the most of all time.

WNBA All-Star Game (noon, Ch. 7)

Let’s see if the champs have enough pull on their home turf to get Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Kahleah Copper and Emma Meesseman on the floor all at once.

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