Moon Alert

Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 5:30 to 7 a.m. Chicago time. After that, the moon moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

You make a great impression on parents, bosses and important people. This could be handy in case you want to make your pitch, or do something to advance your cause, or you need approval or permission. If so, this is the day.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

This is an excellent day for you because the moon is in your fellow Earth sign, which is supportive to you. Good day to make travel plans or explore avenues in publishing, the media, medicine and the law. In important discussions, people will listen to you.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

This is a strong money day for you, especially if you’re negotiating details about shared property, inheritances, taxes, debt and insurance matters. Others, especially coworkers, are ready to listen to you.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

A conversation with a partner or close friend will go well. Nevertheless, it will be in your best interests to go more than halfway when dealing with others because the moon is opposite your sign. (In two weeks, when the moon is in your sign, you’ll be in charge.)

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Your efforts to get better organized will be successful today. You can do something to improve your home or help a family member. This will please you because you are in the mood to redecorate or do something to make where you live look more attractive.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

This is a playful, creative day! Accept invitations to party or socialize with others. Enjoy sports events and fun activities with kids. Grab every chance to express your own creative talents. This is a very good day for those who write, act or teach.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

The stars are giving you mixed messages today. Mars in your sign makes you want to get out there and be proactive! It’s a good time for physical exercise. However, both the sun and the moon want you to hide and relax at home. It’s your call.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

You have a strong desire to enlighten others about something today. You have something to say. You want to talk to siblings, relatives and neighbors about something that’s important to you. Fortunately, with fair Venus in your sign, people will listen to you.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

This is a good money day for you. You might attract money to you. You might also have excellent money-making ideas. Many of you might buy something beautiful for yourself or a loved one. Interactions with younger people will be busy and competitive.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Today the moon is in your sign, which means you’ll run the meeting. You find it easy to be diplomatic and charming with others because the Moon is dancing with fair Venus. This is a lovely day to interact with friends and groups, especially people who are creative and artistic.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

You will feel happy to hibernate today and withdraw from the busyness around you because you need to catch your breath or take a breather. (Whew!) Possibly, a boss, parent or someone in authority will give you the nod so that you can do this. (Every little bit helps.)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

A conversation with a female friend or acquaintance might be important for you today. They might give you tips about redecorating or how to smooth a troubled relationship or how to make something better, especially how to make it look more attractive. Ideas?

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actor Sam Neill (1947) shares your birthday. You are a spirited optimist who is charming and understanding. You have a curious mind and you love mysteries. You are quick-witted, independent and have strong opinions. You’re also courageous. This year you are in the first year of a nine-year cycle, which means you are beginning things. You are exploring new territory. The key for your success is to be open-minded.

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A 29-year-old man was fatally shot Monday night in Brainerd on the South Side.

The man was buying a part for his vehicle about 8 p.m. in the 1400 block of West 95th Street when two male suspects approached him and fired shots, Chicago police said.

He was shot twice in the chest and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

His name hasn’t been released.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

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Frank Schwindel has contended for the title of best hitter in the majors since July 30, when he replaced the departed Anthony Rizzo in the Cubs’ lineup.

Patrick Wisdom last homered Aug. 28, but he is only one home run shy of Kris Bryant’s Cubs rookie record of 26.

The success of two older rookies has salvaged some interest for the last couple of weeks of the Cubs’ season.

Wisdom turned 30 on Aug. 27, but baseball ages are as of July 1, so he and Schwindel are in their age-29 seasons.

They had earlier major-league appearances that didn’t close their rookie status. Schwindel was 1-for-15 for the Royals in 2019 and 3-for-20 for the Athletics this season. Wisdom hit .260/.362/.520 in 58 plate appearances for the Cardinals in 2018, .154/.185/.192 in 28 plate appearances for the Rangers in 2019 and was 0-for-2 for the Cubs last season.

This season has been different. Wisdom came up first and in 325 plate appearances is hitting .236/.302/.527, with 26 walks and 25 homers adding offensive value despite a low batting average.

The homers not only are one shy of Bryant’s franchise record for rookies, they’re also a high for National League rookies 29 or older. The major-league high is trickier. Luke Easter was 34 when he hit 28 homers for the Indians in 1950. He was classified a rookie then, but his season won’t come up in a search of rookie seasons at Baseball-Reference.com. That’s because Negro Leagues seasons now count as major-league service.

Let’s leave it at Wisdom’s total is an age-29-plus rookie high for anyone not named Luke Easter.

Wisdom’s 118 weighted runs created plus (minimum of 100 plate appearances) ranks ninth among major-league rookies, and his 2.1 WAR at Fangraphs.com ranks fifth.

Such a low bar for plate appearances can mislead. Schwindel hasn’t had enough to experience the valleys that go with the peaks. But he has put up a 1.7 fWAR that prorates to a star-level 5-plus for a full season. His 169 wRC+ easily leads the Marlins’ Bryan De La Cruz (138) for the top spot among rookies.

Since July 30, Schwindel’s 187 wRC+ is second in the majors to Phillies MVP candidate Bryce Harper (206). Schwindel’s 1.9 fWAR in that time ranks eighth in the majors and third in the NL behind Harper (2.7) and the Nationals’ Juan Soto (2.2).

For comparison, the Cubs’ rookie fWAR record is 6.1 by Bryant in 2015. Among qualifiers, Bryant also tops the wRC+ list at 136. A selection of relatively recent Hall of Famers finds rookie fWAR and wRC+ of 2.2 and 86 for Ryne Sandberg, 2.0 and 92 for Ernie Banks, 0.6 and 92 for Ron Santo and 1.2 and 110 for Billy Williams.

The Hall of Famers started with lower-level numbers, but they began at much younger ages with more room for growth. Age is a limiting factor for all players, but that’s no reason not to enjoy what Schwindel and Wisdom are bringing to the plate now.

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A woman was shot during an argument Monday afternoon in Englewood on the South Side.

The 50-year-old was traveling in her vehicle about 4:15 p.m. when she tried to make a left turn in the 6700 block of South Wentworth Avenue and a blue car cut her off, Chicago police said.

She got into a verbal argument with the suspects who got out of their car and pulled out a gun and fired shots, Chicago police said.

She was shot in the leg and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said.

No one is in custody as area detectives investigate.

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When Rashon Burno took over the Northern Illinois basketball program last spring, he intended to have a presence in the Chicago area.

One way or another, whether it was a bounce-back transfer, junior college prospect coming home or a local high school talent, the Huskies roster was bound to have not only a local feel but a recognizable one with name recognition.

The first big-named local recruit he landed was Bloom’s Keshawn Williams, who announced he was transferring from Tulsa to NIU last March.

Now Burno has landed a high-profile local prospect out of high school as Young’s Xavier Amos committed to NIU on Monday. Amos is among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 10 prospects in the state in the Class of 2022.

“I am excited to be part of something new and fresh, to be part of building something special at NIU,” said Amos of joining first-year coach Burno’s Class of 2022 recruiting class. “This is a great opportunity to get me to the point where I want to be in my career.”

Amos said the growing relationship he had with Burno and the rest of the coaching staff at NIU, including assistant coach Steve Christiansen who was front and center in his recruitment, set the right path for him.

“I have spent a lot of time with the coaching staff, coach Burno, coach Christiansen and on the phone with them, sitting down in our in-home visit, and really got to know them well,” said Amos. “We’ve had a great few months getting to know each other. They are great people.”

Amos was recruited heavily by mid-major programs, including those in the Mid-American Conference and Missouri Valley Conference. UNC-Wilmington and Cal-State Fullerton offered the 6-8 forward over the summer.

This is the highest ranked recruit Northern Illinois has landed out of Illinois since Abdel Nader of Niles North in 2011. Amos brings instant NIU basketball name recognition to both the Chicago Public League and the Chicago area basketball scene.

Amos had a breakthrough junior season with the Dolphins, becoming a productive and more consistent force. He was a major factor over the course of Young’s abbreviated season. He then put together an impressive performance at this summer’s Riverside-Brookfield Shootout where he earned several offers, including one from Loyola.

“A lot of it was just confidence,” Amos said of his growth as a player over the past nine months. “I felt like I was getting better every game this summer at Riverside-Brookfield and Ridgewood [shootouts]. Then is continued while playing with Team Rose over the summer. It all carried over from this past season.”

A player with terrific basketball size, mobility and the versatility to play multiple front court positions, Amos can score the basketball in multiple ways. He has range that extends to the three-point line and is capable of both putting it on the floor and scoring around the basket. Most importantly, he’s blessed with considerable upside and has a bundle of talent to work with as he continues to develop as a player.

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Listen up, fans.

Your Bears are right where they want to be — tied for first place in the NFC North!

Yes, they got pounded by the Rams on Sunday, losing 34-14 in that huge new stadium where — yes, sir — they likely will play in the Super Bowl in February.

Why? Because they are tied with the Vikings, Packers and Lions for the NFC North lead. How wonderful!

Of course, all those teams are 0-1. And if they each go 0-17 for the season, we might have a coin flip to see who represents the division in the playoffs.

Come to think of it, however, all four can’t go 0-17 because they play one another twice each and somebody usually has to win.

But the NFC North is looking like a race to the mid-bottom, and the Bears are in the pack.

Indeed, the Bears were so awful with a roly-poly offensive line, invisible defense, bizarre quarterback substitutions, coaching from hell and overall malaise that it’s hard to know what they did well or even with mediocrity.

That was Matthew Stafford, the old Lions quarterback, chopping them up after being freed from Detroit and the four-team division that is the worst in football.

Interesting note about Stafford: While with the Lions, his defense gave up the second-most points per game in NFL history. Now he’s got Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Co. stopping foes. Free at last!

And here’s something: If you think it’s bad in Chicago, envision the loathing going on in Green Bay after the Packers were roasted by the Saints 38-3, even though Drew Brees is now a TV analyst.

The Packers were a genuine Super Bowl hopeful, led into battle by quarterback hero and three-time NFL most valuable player Aaron Rodgers.

Not only did Rodgers reek in the game, which was played in Jacksonville, Florida, because the Saints were displaced by Hurricane Ida — 15-for-28, 133 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions, 36.8 rating — he also has a lingering stench because of his curiously fan-offensive offseason behavior.

Last season, Rodgers walked on water in Wisconsin. This season? Not sure he could float in a baby pool.

The Vikings lost in overtime to kid quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals 27-24. And the Lions, well, they’re experts at losing. They got beaten at home 41-33 by the 49ers.

Those poor wretches in Motown have only one playoff victory in the last 58 years. The Lions haven’t even made the postseason in five years. And you wonder why Stafford is happy to restart his career 2,000 miles to the west?

This brings us to the Bears, whom Stafford toyed with Sunday, throwing for 321 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a career-best 156.1 passer rating. Myself, I didn’t know ratings could go that high.

Luckily, the abysmal Bears defense took some of the heat off the abysmal offensive line. We knew the O-line was bad, but the lousy defense surprised us.

So did the strange insertion of rookie quarterback Justin Fields for Andy Dalton at the oddest moments by coach Matt Nagy. It was almost as though Nagy wanted to make sure viewing audiences were still awake during the rout. Surprise! He’s in!

It’s a blessing the NFC North is so bad. That keeps the Bears in the thick of it.

Maybe all the teams will right themselves and start steamrolling opponents. Maybe the Bears simply will hand Fields the keys to the offense and put Dalton in a rocking chair. Other rookie quarterbacks started Sunday and played well, remember.

But the Bears’ salvation might be the NFC North, where being winless is OK.

I’m reminded here of a tale that nicely describes the varying degrees of wretchedness in some people and, by extension, some teams.

A priest was performing final rights at a cemetery gravesite. Only a couple of people were in attendance. The priest asked for one of them to say good words about the deceased man in the casket before he was buried. Silence.

The priest said he wouldn’t finish the ritual without some kind words about the man. He looked at the two attendees. Silence.

In anger, the priest said no one was leaving until somebody eulogized the dead guy. Right now.

Reluctantly, one of the two men stepped forward, head bowed.

”His brother was worse,” he said.

Da Bears!

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NEW YORK — R. Kelly’s longtime assistant testified Monday that the R&B superstar was so paranoid, he once asked her to change into a robe to demonstrate she was not wearing a wire.

“He could get pretty heated,” said Diana Copeland, who was Kelly’s assistant for 15 years. She told jurors he made her cry at times.

Copeland testified that Kelly kept strict policies for his entourage and once compelled her to write a letter falsely confessing to stealing from him.

Still, Copeland said she did not witness any of the alleged abuse — including kidnapping and sexual assault — described by a long list of witnesses over the past month in Kelly’s racketeering trial at a federal court in Brooklyn.

The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling singer has denied accusations that he led a criminal enterprise that sexually exploited women, girls and even boys during a 30-year career highlighted by his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly.” His lawyers have portrayed his accusers as groupies who are lying about their relationships with him.

Copeland’s testimony revealed new details about Kelly’s unusual routines and the degree to which he relied upon his inner circle.

She said he had no control over his own bank account and had “no idea where his royalties were going.”

“He didn’t even know his own Social Security number,” Copeland said. “That was a huge problem.”

The singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, has trouble reading and writing and would have Copeland draft his text messages before the advent of voice-to-text applications.

Kelly lived a nocturnal lifestyle in which he often didn’t start his day until 5 p.m., played basketball at midnight and remained in the recording studio until the sun came up, Copeland said.

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Before Saturday night, maybe White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech was in a little bit of a rut.

Then in the middle of a wild game that ended up a 9-8 loss to the Red Sox, Kopech restored order. He threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out five. In 31 pitches, Kopech got seven whiffs, relying on his four-seam fastball 24 times and his slider seven per Baseball Savant.

As for that rut, it looks like Kopech escaped.

“I think it was more self-inflicted than anything,” Kopech said Saturday. “I don’t think my stuff was necessarily bad. It was just kind of getting in my own way. Trying to do too much. And I think sometimes, a little bit of bad luck. That happens in baseball. You can’t really control that. But I feel like I was able to take two steps forward today and that’s a good sign.”

A dominant Kopech is of course a very good sign for the Sox. When they acquired Craig Kimbrel and Ryan Tepera before the trade deadline, it was to build a bullpen of October-ready power arms. And when he’s right — as he showed Saturday — Kopech’s stuff plays against any lineup in any situation and figures to be a valuable weapon next month for manager Tony La Russa.

“He was super,” La Russa said of Kopech’s outing Saturday. “That’s the Michael that we’re excited about.”

A key Saturday was that slider, which produced two of the strikeouts and gave Boston hitters something to worry about other than Kopech’s fastball, which was its usual lively self.

“I talked to some of our other pitchers about it,” Kopech said. “I think it’s just my eyes getting too big when there’s two strikes and there’s two outs. It’s a moment I really need to make a pitch. I’ve been trying to make my pitches better than they are, which tends to do the opposite. So I think just trusting my stuff today was big for me.”

Kopech, who topped out at 100.2 mph Saturday, knows that hitters will focus on his fastball. One of Kopech’s keys to success is how he works in other pitches, and that went very well for him and catcher Yasmani Grandal on Saturday.

“It’s not getting too fastball-heavy when I know that’s the case,” Kopech said. “Or maybe have to check off a fastball and sit on a secondary pitch for me. I try to get a little slider happy and those are the pitches I end up trying to do too much with and they get hit.

“It’s doing a better job of mixing rather than trying to get too heavy on one pitch and I think that I worked well with Yas tonight and we were on the same page.”

For Kopech, the 2021 season has been a learning experience. A starter by trade, Kopech is working out of the bullpen, and pitching in big-league games for the first time since 2018.

The hope for the Sox is that he continues to improve and is ready for big moments that are yet to come.

“I think Kopy, the more he throws, the better he gets, especially when he’s out there on back-to-back outings or he’s throwing multiple innings,” Grandal said. “I feel like, with him, he’s been used to throwing a lot of innings during a year since he was a starter. And now he’s kind of taken over the role as a reliever. I think the more he gets to throw the ball, the better feel he gets, and we can go from there.”

ANGELS AT WHITE SOX

Tuesday: Packy Naughton (0-1, 2.57 ERA) vs. Lucas Giolito (9-9, 3.69), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Wednesday: TBD vs. Dallas Keuchel (8-9, 5.33), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Thursday: TBD vs. Reynaldo Lopez (3-2, 2.05), 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Coach Brian Kelly knows that his Notre Dame team is a work in progress as the 12th-ranked Fighting Irish prepare for Saturday’s visit from Purdue.

After escaping Florida State with a 41-38 overtime victory on the road to open the season, the Irish showed little improvement during a 32-29 comeback victory at home over Toledo. It has some wondering if Notre Dame is ripe to be picked off by Purdue, a longtime foe it hasn’t faced since 2014.

Kelly’s solution?

“One is to put your players in a position where they’re not making mistakes … keep it simple so they can play fast and free,” he said Monday. “The second thing is to get players on the field that are fresh so we don’t have guys that are fatigued and making mental mistakes.”

Notre Dame’s rebuilding offensive line, despite the presence of preseason All-Americans in center Jarrett Patterson and guard Cain Madden, has struggled to consistently open holes for Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree. It also has not protected quarterback Jack Coan, who has been sacked 10 times in the first two games and Saturday had two first-half turnovers that led to 10 Toledo points.

Coan did overcome a dislocated finger on his passing hand to throw the winning 18-yard TD pass to tight end Michael Mayer with 1:09 left. When he has had time, Coan has completed 69% of his passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns. The Irish also used true freshman quarterback Tyler Buchner, who ran for 68 yards.

Still, Notre Dame has just 197 yards rushing and is averaging 2.7 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman’s attacking style of play has yielded four big plays totaling 282 yards.

The Irish surrendered an 89-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard TD pass at Florida State, while Toledo had a 66-yard pass play and a 67-yard run that led to 10 points. Take away the four big plays and the Irish defense, led by linebacker JD Bertrand and free safety Kyle Hamilton, is yielding just 3.8 yards per play.

Purdue coach Jeff Brohm has a 2-0 team that has won its first two games by a combined score of 79-21, including a 49-0 rout at UConn last weekend. But he is cautious about reading too much into that going into Saturday’s game.

“They’ve had to work for the last two wins, which actually from their standpoint really is a good thing because it gives them a chance to see the few things they need to work on to get better, but they found a way to win,” Brohm said. “That’s what winning football teams do. There have been a couple other top-10 teams in the country that haven’t been able to do that the last week or two, and they have, so give credit to them for pulling out victories. Very talented team, and we’ve got our hands full.”

Despite being wary of Purdue’s combination of quarterback Jack Plummer (73.8% passing for 558 yards and six touchdowns) and wide receiver David Bell (14 receptions, 255 yards, three TDs), Kelly isn’t giving up on his team.

“We have to coach better, and they have to play better,” Kelly said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the building walking around going, ‘This is the best 2-0 football team we’ve ever had before.’ There’s no panic. We got to get better.”

Notes: Purdue will be without fifth-year running back Zander Horvath, who is out 4-8 weeks with a broken leg. The running load will fall on junior King Doerue and freshman Dylan Downing.

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It would be foolish to judge Bears first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai on one game. But the defensive performance in a 34-14 loss to the Rams on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium was a major letdown.

It’s not just that the Rams scored four touchdowns and 34 points against Desai’s defense, but how they did it — taking advantage of misplays, miscommunications and mental lapses.

Three big plays by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide-open receivers accounted for 170 yards — a 67-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson on the Rams’ third offensive play of the game; a 56-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp on fourth play of the second half; and 37-yard pass to tight end Tyler Higbee that led to Darrell Henderson’s one-yard touchdown that gave the Rams a 27-14 lead late in the third quarter — right after the Bears had closed to within a score of the lead.

Stafford’s arm strength was a factor — especially on the touchdown to Jefferson. But it’s not like the Bears forced him to make other-worldly throws to beat them. His longest pass play after those three went for 19 yards en route to 321 passing yards and a career-best passer rating of 156.1.

If first impressions matter, it was a little disconcerting and a potential red flag. Desai was expected to infuse a veteran defense with intelligence, confidence and aggressiveness. Instead, the Bears looked like a fledgling defense still getting used to playing with each other. No Bears defender was within 10 yards of Kupp when he caught his touchdown pass 44 yards downfield at the 12-yard line.

“That’s probably what’s most frustrating — and our guys know that,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “When they see it on the tape … Matthew Stafford is hard enough to play against, and when you have somebody that wide open, that’s what you don’t want.

“I have a lot of faith in Sean — and our players — in understanding that you go up against a potent offense like the Rams, you better know what you’re doing on every single play.”

While observers outside of Halas Hall are concerned the poor performance against the Rams might be a sign this defense is in an uncontrollable downward spiral, Nagy is hopeful it was a one-off that will be rectified when the Bears play Joe Burrow and the Bengals on Sunday at Soldier Field.

“Overall I’d say the biggest theme for us would be ‘No panic’ and just understand that this was Sean’s first game calling [plays] and this was our first game of 2021, and we understand that that’s not good enough,” Nagy said. “We want to focus on any of the positives that were out there. That’s why I think we all believe in one another and now we get another chance this weekend.”

The failure of veteran safeties Eddie Jackson and Tashaun Gipson to touch Jefferson after he fell at the 15-yard line — allowing Jefferson to get up and score — also was troubling. Though it appeared to be inexcusable lapse, Nagy called it a “learning experience.” Even if it was just a brain cramp or an awkward play — momentum carried both players away from Jefferson on the ground — it didn’t leave a good first impression for Desai’s defense.

“They both nonchalantly tried to tag him. You gotta do it more aggressively,” Nagy said. “You gotta make sure [he’s down]. If anything you gotta hit him. Don’t put any gray into it.

“I guarantee you that entire defense will learn from that, and our offensive players will learn from that, too — if you’re not touched, stand up and run and turn it into a touchdown. I know Sean is teaching those guys the right thing to do, and I know those guys will definitely learn from it.”

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