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Chicago Bears: Tom Brady is a problem for them historicallyVincent Pariseon October 24, 2021 at 11:00 am

The Chicago Bears are 3-3 after being destroyed by the Green Bay Packers. The score of 24-14 didn’t reflect how little of a chance the Bears had against Aaron Rodgers and the crew. Now, the Bears go from one all-time great to the actual greatest of all time in Tom Brady. The defending Super Bowl […] Chicago Bears: Tom Brady is a problem for them historically – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Chicago Bears: Tom Brady is a problem for them historicallyVincent Pariseon October 24, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »

3 things we learned: Defense saves the day for Redbirds, ending 3-game losing skidon October 24, 2021 at 11:43 am

Prairie State Pigskin

3 things we learned: Defense saves the day for Redbirds, ending 3-game losing skid

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3 things we learned: Defense saves the day for Redbirds, ending 3-game losing skidon October 24, 2021 at 11:43 am Read More »

2 shot during attempted robbery in Dunning, including 15-year-old boySun-Times Wireon October 24, 2021 at 6:44 am

Two people were shot October 23, 2021 in Dunning. | Adobe Stock Photo

The teen and a man, 19, contacted a 29-year-old man about purchasing a gaming console in the 3600 block of North Octavia Avenue.

Two people, including a 15-year-old boy, were shot during an attempted robbery Saturday night in Dunning on the Northwest Side.

The teen and a man, 19, contacted a 29-year-old man about purchasing a gaming console that was posted online, Chicago police said. The three met to exchange the purchase about 10:10 p.m. in the 3600 block of North Octavia Avenue.

After the 29-year-old handed over the gaming console, one of the males grabbed the item and walked towards a parked vehicle without paying, police said. The man went after him and saw another person sitting inside the vehicle with a gun.

The man pulled out his own gun and fired shots, according to police.

The 15-year-old was struck in the head and taken to Community First Medical Center in critical condition, police said. The other, 19, was shot in the shoulder and was taken to the same hospital in fair condition.

Area Five detectives are investigating.

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2 shot during attempted robbery in Dunning, including 15-year-old boySun-Times Wireon October 24, 2021 at 6:44 am Read More »

Fifty years of Don McLean’s “American Pie”on October 24, 2021 at 5:06 am

I’ve Got The Hippy Shakes

Fifty years of Don McLean’s “American Pie”

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Fifty years of Don McLean’s “American Pie”on October 24, 2021 at 5:06 am Read More »

Chicago Halloween Week with Beer, October 25-28on October 24, 2021 at 5:48 am

The Beeronaut

Chicago Halloween Week with Beer, October 25-28

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Chicago Halloween Week with Beer, October 25-28on October 24, 2021 at 5:48 am Read More »

Braves beat Dodgers to advance to first World Series since 1999Paul Newberry | APon October 24, 2021 at 4:40 am

Left fielder Eddie Rosario belts a three-run homer off Dodgers starter Walker Buehler in the fourth inning to give the Braves a 4-1 lead in Game 6. | John Bazemore/AP

Eddie Rosario capped a remarkable NL Championship Series with a three-run homer as the Braves won the best-of-seven series 4-2.

ATLANTA — Eddie Rosario capped a remarkable NL Championship Series with a three-run homer, sending the Atlanta Braves to the World Series for the first time since 1999 with a 4-2 victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

The Braves won the best-of-seven series four games to two, exorcising the demons of last year’s NLCS — when Atlanta squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads against the Dodgers — and advancing to face the AL champion Astros.

Game 1 is Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

The Braves will be going for their first Series title since 1995, when they beat Cleveland with a team that included Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones — a no-nonsense group that became better known for numerous postseason flops during a momentous run of 14 straight division titles.

This flashy team is led by a far more unlikely hero.

Rosario, acquired in a flurry of deals just before the July 30 trade deadline that rebuilt the Braves’ depleted outfield, set an Atlanta franchise record and became only the fifth player in baseball history to record 14 hits in a postseason series. He was an easy choice as MVP of the series.

“Since I was a little kid, I’ve dreamed of this moment,” Rosario said through an interpreter. “Look at me now.”

Will Smith worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save of the postseason after a brilliant relief stint by winner Tyler Matzek, who escaped a huge jam in the seventh by striking out the side. The left-hander has 11 strikeouts with runners in scoring position in the seventh inning or later this postseason.

“I was out of baseball in 2017,” Matzek said. “Now I’m in the World Series.”

The Braves endured a 22-year gap between appearances on baseball’s biggest stage.

They can’t wait to get to Houston.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the World Series,” longtime first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “This is absolutely incredible. I’m speechless.”

Spurred on by chants of “Eddie! Eddie! Eddie” from the raucous sellout crowd of more than 43,000, Rosario finished 14 of 25 (.560) against the Dodgers, with three homers and nine RBIs.

His final hit was certainly the biggest of the 30-year-old Puerto Rican’s career.

With the score tied at 1 in the bottom of the fourth, Rosario came up after pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza extended the inning with a two-out double into the right-field corner. Slow-running catcher Travis d’Arnaud was held at third by coach Ron Washington, surely aware of who was up next.

Rosario got into an extended duel with Walker Buehler, who stepped up to start on three days’ rest after ace Max Scherzer wasn’t able to go because of a tired arm.

Rosario swung and missed the first two pitches. Then he fouled one off. Then he took a ball. Then he fouled off two more pitches.

Finally, he got one he liked from the Dodgers’ 16-game winner — a cutter that Rosario turned into a 105 mph rocket down the right-field line, higher and higher, straight as an arrow until it landed well back into the seats below the Chop House restaurant.

Rosario knew it was gone, dancing down the line after delivering a 361-foot finishing shot to a highly paid team that won 106 games during the regular season — 18 more than the NL East-winning Braves — but came up short in its bid to become baseball’s first repeat champion since the 2000 New York Yankees won their third straight title.

The Braves will be looking to bury their city’s reputation for playoff misery. From four World Series losses in the 1990s to the NFL Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead in the 2017 Super Bowl, Atlanta again finds itself on cusp of an extremely rare feat.

A championship.

Those ’95 Braves remain the city’s lone team in the four major sports — baseball, football, basketball and hockey — to capture a title. Freeman said after a Game 5 loss that the city’s history would remain an issue “until we kill that narrative.”

They’re four wins from doing just that.

After starter Ian Anderson allowed Cody Bellinger’s run-scoring single in the fourth on his next-to-last hitter of the night, the well-rested Atlanta bullpen took over.

A.J. Minter struck out four in two innings of work. Luke Jackson failed to get an out in the seventh, giving up AJ Pollock’s run-scoring double, but Matzek stranded runners at second and third with three straight strikeouts — the last of them by Mookie Betts on three pitches.

Matzek returned to the mound for a perfect eighth before handing off to Smith.

The Braves jumped ahead with back-to-back, two-out doubles off Buehler in the first — the second of them by Austin Riley, whose shot down the left-field line one-hopped into the Dodgers bullpen.

With their pitching staff in disarray, the Dodgers scuttled plans to start Scherzer. The right-hander had complained of a dead arm after Game 2, and he was still struggling to bounce back after a workout Friday.

Buehler, who had been projected to go in Game 7 if the series went that far, was bumped up to start for Scherzer on just three days’ rest.

Scherzer, the Dodgers insisted, would be ready to go Sunday night.

Now, he’s got all winter to rest up.

TRAINER’S ROOM

The Dodgers brought an extra pitcher to Atlanta after LHP Justin Bruihl felt something in his arm while warming up for Game 5. But Bruihl remained on the roster after assuring manager Dave Roberts he felt good enough to take an inning in Game 6. As it turned out, he wasn’t needed.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: After a steak of seven straight victories in elimination games was snapped, they won’t play another game that counts until the 2022 season opener against the Colorado Rockies. That comes on March 31 at Dodger Stadium.

Braves: Charlie Morton is set to go against his former team in the World Series opener. He memorably came out of the bullpen in Game 7 of the 2017 Series to pitch four innings of two-hit ball, closing out the lone title in Astros history with a 5-1 win over the Dodgers.

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Braves beat Dodgers to advance to first World Series since 1999Paul Newberry | APon October 24, 2021 at 4:40 am Read More »

Bulls improve to 3-0 in win over Detroit, get defensive along the wayJoe Cowleyon October 24, 2021 at 3:06 am

Guard Lonzo Ball had a reputation as a great defensive player before joining the Bulls, and that was on full display on Saturday, as he and his teammates locked down the visiting Pistons on a night the offense was shaky at best.

It was quite the few minutes for Lonzo Ball.

The Bulls point guard re-entered the game against the Pistons with just under five minutes left in the first half, the home team grinding out a five-point lead, and the United Center crowd anxious for something to get them out of their seats.

Ball did just that, and not just once.

There was the ridiculous block on Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart at the rim, a nifty strip of Jerami Grant, and then more relentless pushing of the ball down the floor on the offensive end.

As the Bulls walked into the locker room for halftime, the lead was 11 – despite Zach LaVine only scoring four points – and the realization of just how special Ball could be was again reiterated.

“He’s everywhere,” LaVine said of Ball. “Hits his open threes, pushes the transition, brings a real energy and physicality to the defensive end. All-around player, man. We’re glad to have him.”

The Bulls should be, as they went on to dismantle Detroit 97-82, remaining unbeaten in the regular season and off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

It again bears asking: While the Lakers moved on from Ball because of the addition of LeBron James and a changing of the landscape, what were the Pelicans thinking?

It seemed like that organization was focused more on Ball’s weaknesses than his strengths.

LaVine had a different take on it, however.

“I feel like the media is the one that makes those narratives,” LaVine said, when asked why Ball’s game had been picked apart so often over the last few years. “It’s not the players. The players know who the real ballers are and who the real players are. It’s always about what you can do, not what you can’t, and [Ball] effects the game in so many ways and it trumps the things he’s not good at. And he works at the things he’s not good at. One of the hardest working guys on the team. He shows out how good of a player he is.”

And it’s contagious, especially on the defensive end.

The Bulls actually started the game in a 9-0 hole, before Nikola Vucevic scored a quick five and then Ball nailed a three. And while Detroit (0-2) played hard that first half, a lack of talent against this Bulls team eventually gets exposed.

By the end of the third quarter the Bulls were up 79-54, and it was just a matter of getting out healthy and staying on the gas.

They accomplished both, as Ball followed up his Friday triple-double with 13 points and only one assist, but led the team with four of their 11 blocks, as well as registering three of their 13 steals.

Dirty work at its best.

“I think I made the comment when [Ball] first got in the league that he’s the kind of guy you want to play with because he’s so unselfish,” coach Billy Donovan said after the latest win.

Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 21 points, and Vucevic added 15 points and 18 rebounds. LaVine had just 14 on a 6-for-18 shooting night, but also had five rebounds.

It was the defense, however, that remained the story.

“You want to give yourself a chance to win, and I think our defense did that for us,” Donovan said. “I was really impressed with our defense and what they were able to do.”

Ball with the starters, and then Alex Caruso with the reserves, have been two big reasons why, as Caruso led the team with five steals on the night.

“It’s a next-game mentality and we expect to play this way,” LaVine said. “We’re really competitive on both ends of the floor and it really shows.”

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Bulls improve to 3-0 in win over Detroit, get defensive along the wayJoe Cowleyon October 24, 2021 at 3:06 am Read More »

3 things we learned: Western losing streak reaches 4 games as passing mark fallson October 24, 2021 at 3:07 am

Prairie State Pigskin

3 things we learned: Western losing streak reaches 4 games as passing mark falls

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3 things we learned: Western losing streak reaches 4 games as passing mark fallson October 24, 2021 at 3:07 am Read More »

3 things we learned: Turnovers prove to be EIU’s undoing in Homecoming shutout defeaton October 24, 2021 at 3:32 am

Prairie State Pigskin

3 things we learned: Turnovers prove to be EIU’s undoing in Homecoming shutout defeat

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3 things we learned: Turnovers prove to be EIU’s undoing in Homecoming shutout defeaton October 24, 2021 at 3:32 am Read More »

Fire put “sampling” theory to test in 1-0 win over Real Salt LakeBrian Sandalowon October 24, 2021 at 2:01 am

The Fire’s Federico Navarro receives the ball during Saturday’s game. | Courtesy of the Fire

Thanks to giveaways and promotions, the Fire distributed an announced 31,308 tickets for their home finale, the third-biggest crowd for a standalone MLS match in team history and the largest since the inaugural 1998 season.

By Brian Sandalow

For the Sun-Times

Both owner Joe Mansueto and president Ishwara Glassman Chrein use the word “sampling” when discussing getting new fans out to a Fire match. Their idea is if people take in one game, they’ll want to see more and more.

Even with an unfinished product, the franchise put that theory into motion for Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

“That was a special night, and one I think we left a really good image for the fans,” interim Fire coach Frank Klopas said.

Due to giving season-ticket holders two free tickets and other factors such as increased marketing, expanded group sales and fan appreciation night promotions, the Fire distributed an announced 31,308 tickets for the home finale, the third-biggest crowd for a standalone MLS match in team history and the largest since the inaugural 1998 season. Before Saturday, the Fire had averaged 11,081 in nine games at Soldier Field since pandemic-related capacity restrictions were lifted, with a high of 15,915 on Sept. 26.

Though the Fire won’t know Saturday’s impact for a while, there were some immediate dividends. The atmosphere was noticeably louder, fans waving light blue flags with the new logo after Robert Beric’s 45th-minute goal and the final whistle provided a striking visual, and the parking lots were filled with people enjoying pregame festivities.

Unfortunately for the franchise, the Fire’s showcase match was the latest game played on a Soldier Field grass surface with noticeable issues. Despite being six days removed from the Bears’ loss to the Packers, the football lines and paint had only dulled somewhat, and the grass itself was chewed up in the middle of the field.

The team confirmed there have been ongoing discussions with ASM Global, the firm that manages the stadium, about the playing surface and its appearance.

Something the Fire can address on their own before 2022 is the team’s quality. Saturday was the last home game in another lost year, one that cost coach Raphael Wicky his job and should foreshadow an offseason of change.

And as the Fire know, a better team would make it easier to consistently draw the types of crowds Mansueto wants.

“It was great to give the fans something really to be excited about for the future of the club because the future is bright,” Klopas said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t hit our goals this year, but a lot to build on.”

The Fire business side hopes a lot of the first-time customers will agree.

NOTE: The Fire announced the Homegrown signing of 16-year-old midfielder Sergio Oregel to a contract that runs through 2025 with a club option for 2026. Earlier this year, Oregel helped the Fire’s under-19 team to the MLS NEXT Tournament championship and earned the event’s Golden Ball, which is awarded to the most outstanding player in each age group.

The Fire currently have 10 Homegrown players under contract for next year; Oregel is the eighth the team has signed since Jan. 2020.

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Fire put “sampling” theory to test in 1-0 win over Real Salt LakeBrian Sandalowon October 24, 2021 at 2:01 am Read More »