Blackhawks lose again to Panthers as focus shifts beyond this seasonon May 2, 2021 at 2:32 am

Jeremy Colliton will follow a “Goldilocks” principle as he increases ice time for Blackhawks young players in the 2021 season’s final games.

“You want to try and give them just the right amount,” the Hawks coach said. “Not too little, not too much.”

In the Hawks’ 5-4 loss to the Panthers on Saturday, that meant the usual candidates still led the team in ice time, but the distribution was more even across the board.

For example, a power play unit of Kirby Dach, Brandon Hagel, Philipp Kurashev, Vinnie Hinostroza and Wyatt Kalynuk — a group with three rookies and an average age of 22.4 — scored the Hawks’ third goal.

“We certainly want the young guys to get in those situations, but you don’t want them to be overwhelmed,” Colliton said. “We want to put them in a position to thrive… As they get more comfortable in the league and they’re able to better prepare themselves mentally, they can take more of a load.”

Despite the bright future, the Hawks continued to struggle with defensive assignments and fell to 1-4-1 in their last six games with just five left to play.

That stretch will be especially crucial for someone like Ian Mitchell, who remains a big part of the Hawks’ long-term plans but hasn’t had the rookie season he imagined.

Mitchell made just his third appearance since March 26, slotting into Nicolas Beaudin’s spot from Thursday. His loud voice and penchant for communication could be heard over the crowd of about 200 Hawks family and friends invited for the United Center’s soft reopening.

He’ll need a stronger sophomore year to begin living up to his elite prospect expectations, and the momentum toward that starts now.

“A lot of it is…to get his swagger back,” Colliton said. “It wasn’t unexpected that there was a drop-off [in his performance]. But sometimes when you go through that adversity, your confidence takes a hit. [He’s] getting back [to] being confident in himself and his ability to make plays.”

Adam Gaudette, another young player with a lot on the line in these meaningless games, continued to impress. The 24-year-old ex-Canuck forward now sports four points in his first three Hawks appearances after directly setting up Murphy and Alex DeBrincat’s second-period goals.

Zadorov wants to re-sign

Defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a pending restricted free agent — presenting arguably the most unpredictable, compelling decision of the Hawks’ offseason — would like to stay in Chicago.

“For sure, I would like to re-sign,” he said Saturday. “I like the organization, I like the team. We’re moving in the right direction with these guys up here… It’s really big for me to re-sign here and be part of it.”

What the Hawks decide to do with Zadorov will have heavy ramifications on who they protect in the expansion draft, what identity they try to build with their defense and what extra opportunities are available for young defensemen next season.

The 26-year-old Russian has been a lightning rod for criticism at times this season, but said Saturday he doesn’t pay attention to that and feels this year has been a “big step forward” for him.

“I’m averaging 19 minutes a night, and most of the year I’ve played with [Murphy] on the first ‘D’ pair, so it’s a huge step for me,” he said. “I take that responsibility as I have some ups and downs during the year. I’m playing well. [I have] also had some not-great games, but all of us make mistakes.”

Blackhawks lose again to Panthers as focus shifts beyond this seasonon May 2, 2021 at 2:32 am Read More »

Trio of former ISU Redbirds find new homes as undrafted NFL free agentson May 2, 2021 at 1:54 am

Prairie State Pigskin

Trio of former ISU Redbirds find new homes as undrafted NFL free agents

Trio of former ISU Redbirds find new homes as undrafted NFL free agentson May 2, 2021 at 1:54 am Read More »

Medina Spirit wins Kentucky Derby, giving trainer Bob Baffert his record 7th Derby winSun-Times wireson May 1, 2021 at 11:08 pm

John Velazquez riding Medina Spirit crosses the finish line to win the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. | Jeff Roberson/AP

Medina Spirit finished ahead of Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie and favorite Essential Quality.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — John Velazquez was in a familiar place, in the lead aboard Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby and holding off the stretch bid of three challengers. This time, Bob Baffert couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Medina Spirit won by a half-length on Saturday, giving Baffert his seventh victory, the most of any trainer in the race’s 147-year history.

The jockey and trainer — both Hall of Famers — teamed up eight months ago to win a pandemic-delayed Derby in September with Authentic, who raced to an early lead and hung on. That wasn’t so surprising.

This one was.

Sent off at 12-1 — astronomical odds for a colt trained by the white-haired, two-time Triple Crown winner — Medina Spirit was in a street fight thundering down the stretch.

The dark brown colt was pressed by Mandaloun on his outside. Hot Rod Charlie was coming fast outside of Mandaloun, with 5-2 favorite Essential Quality giving chase on the far outside.

“I kept waiting for all those horses to pass him,” Baffert said. “When he got to the eighth pole, we said, ‘This guy has got a shot.’”

Velazquez knew he had plenty of horse left.

“We got to the 16th pole and he put his ears down and kept fighting,” the jockey said. “I was so proud of him.”

In the paddock, Baffert watched in amazement as one of the least heralded Derby runners of his long career dug in at the front.

“You could tell he was laying it down and Johnny was riding hard,” Baffert said. “He was just relentless.”

Medina Spirit led all the way and ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.02. He paid $26.20, $12 and $7.60. The victory was worth $1.86 million.

Velazquez earned his fourth Derby victory aboard the colt that was purchased as a yearling for $1,000 and was a bargain-basement buy at $35,000 for current owner Amr Zedan of Saudi Arabia. By comparison, Zedan recently paid $1.7 million for an unraced 2-year-old.

“He doesn’t know how much he cost,” Baffert said, “but what a little racehorse.”

Baffert punched his right arm in the air after watching the finish on the video board. He was buried in celebratory hugs by his wife, Jill, and youngest son, Bode. Jill Baffert had reason to celebrate earlier, when a horse she co-owns and is trained by her husband won a $500,000 race on the undercard.

“I’m really, really surprised,” the 68-year-old trainer said of Medina Spirit.

It wasn’t false modesty. Baffert had been low-key about his chances after two of his best horses — Life Is Good and Concert Tour — were derailed along the Derby trail.

Medina Spirit isn’t the typical high-priced talent with a fancy pedigree in Baffert’s California barn.

“I cannot believe he won this race,” the trainer said. “That little horse, that was him, all guts. He’s always shown that he’s been an overachiever. His heart is bigger than his body.”

Medina Spirit has never finished worse than second in six career starts and two of his three losses came to Life Is Good, who likely would have been the Derby favorite had he not been injured.

“I’ve rehearsed this speech in the shower and treadmill,” Zedan said. “Never thought I was going to do it, but here I am.”

Medina Spirit broke sharply out of the gate while Essential Quality and 9-2 second choice Rock Your World bumped shortly after the start.

“We were done,” Rock Your World’s trainer John Sadler said. “No chance.”

Essential Quality was five horses wide in both the first and second turns before taking aim at Medina Spirit in the stretch and coming up short in fourth place.

“He didn’t get the greatest trip,” trainer Brad Cox said of the favorite. “That can happen when you start from the 14-hole.”

Mandaloun — Cox’s other entry — finished second and returned $23.00 and $13.40. Hot Rod Charlie, partly owned by five former Brown University football players, was another half-length back in third and paid $5.20 to show.

Baffert won back-to-back, having tied Ben Jones with his sixth victory last year when the race was run in September without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The seven wins? I can’t believe I won two,” Baffert said. “That’s what I love about this business: Nobody knows for sure.”

A week earlier, Baffert sat in front of the Arkansas Racing Commission appealing a 15-day suspension that was part of his punishment for a pair of drug positives involving two of his horses from May 2020. He was successful, with the commission voting unanimously to reduce his fines and overturn the suspension.

“I’m just so grateful I can still compete at this level,” Baffert said.

Velazquez became the first jockey to win consecutive Derbies since Victor Espinoza in 2014-15. The 49-year-old rider also completed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double for the first time since Calvin Borel in 2009, winning the $1 million race for fillies on Friday.

Velazquez had told Baffert a night earlier not to underestimate Medina Spirit, named for the second holiest city in Islam and capital of the Medina province in Saudi Arabia.

“Every time I asked him for a little more, he gave me more,” Velazquez said.

The Derby went off on a sun-splashed day with attendance of 51,838 — about 100,000 fewer than usual. Fans were told to wear masks inside the track, but plenty of them did not.

O Besos finished fifth, followed by Midnight Bourbon, Keepmeinmind, Helium and Known Agenda. Highly Motivated was 10th, ahead of Sainthood, Like The King, Bourbonic, Hidden Stash, Brooklyn Strong, Super Stock, Rock Your World, Dynamic One and Soup and Sandwich.

Winningest trainers in the Kentucky Derby

7 — Bob Baffert (1996-2021, starters-1-2-3: 31-7-3-3) — 1997 Silver Charm, 1998 Real Quiet, 2002 War Emblem, 2015 American Pharoah, 2018 Justify, 2020 Authentic, 2021 Medina Spirit.

6 — Ben Jones (1938-52, 11-6-2-1) — 1938 Lawrin, 1941 Wirlaway, 1944 Pensive, 1948 Citation, 1949 Ponder, 1952 Hill Gail.

4 — Dick Thompson (1920-37, 26-4-3-1) — 1921 Behave Yourself, 1926 Bubbling Over, 1932 Burgoo King, 1933 Brokers Tip.

4 — D. Wayne Lukas (1981-2018, 49-4-1-5) — 1988 Winning Colors, 1995 Thunder Gulch, 1996 Grindstone, 1999 Charismatic.

3 — Jim Fitzsimmons (1930-57, 11-3-1-0) — 1930 Gallant Fox, 1935 Omaha, 1939 Johnstown.

3 — Max Hirsh (1915-51, 14-3-0-2) — 1936 Bold Venture, 1946 Assault, 1950 Middlegroud.

Medina Spirit wins Kentucky Derby, giving trainer Bob Baffert his record 7th Derby winSun-Times wireson May 1, 2021 at 11:08 pm Read More »

Emotions run high in Cubs’ 3-2 comeback victory over the Reds as benches clearRussell Dorseyon May 2, 2021 at 1:05 am

Benches cleared in the eight innings after Reds reliever Amir Garrett shouted at first baseman Anthony Rizzo following a strikeout.

CINCINNATI – The Cubs didn’t play their best baseball in the month of April and stumbled out of the gate, going 11-15 last month.

Manager David Ross has been looking for more balanced games from his club, looking to get both good offense and pitching at the same time. Many of the Cubs games last month had either one or the other, but rarely both.

But the Cubs got a little bit of everything in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over the Reds.

“It’s a close game, got high emotions and a division rival,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “I know it’s May 1 and early in the year, but definitely significant for the morale of this team and what we can do in games like that.”

The Cubs trailed 2-1 early, but came back to tie it in the fourth inning on an RBI-single by Jason Heyward. They would score the go-ahead run in the sixth on an RBI-single by Hoerner to take a 3-2 lead.

Things got testy in the top of the eighth inning after Reds reliever Amir Garrett struck out first baseman Anthony Rizzo – the two have had verbal exchanges in the past. Garrett proceeded to yell in Rizzo’s direction after the strikeout as he walked back to the dugout.

“That’s not the way that I think baseball is intended to go,” Ross said. “But I think that’s his style. I don’t agree with it. I think it’s garbage, but he’s not on my team.”

Shortstop Javy Baez took exception to Garrett barking at Rizzo and immediately hopped over the rail in his defense. Baez walked toward the mound as the benches emptied before being broken up by umpires.

“I’m not going to let [Amir Garrett] or anyone disrespect my teammates,” Baez said after the win.

“I like what he does, he’s just got to do it to his team and not to us after a strikeout. I’ve hit three homers against him and I didn’t do anything to show him up or his team, you know.”

Once order was restored, the game’s intensity remained high as the Reds would give closer Craig Kimbrel everything he could handle in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Kimbrel allowed back-to-back singles to open the inning, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base with nobody out. He proceeded to strike Alex Blandino and Tyler Naquin looking before getting former Cub Nick Castellanos to end the game. The Cubs bullpen threw five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.

“A really good day in the bullpen. We held strong,” Ross said. “It was really big of Craig to lock it down there in the end, not crumbling under adversity and doing what he does. I thought all around it was a really nice win for us.”

The Cubs’ win might not have been possible without the work of Zach Davies, who wasn’t perfect, but had his best start in almost a month. Davies’ stuff was better on Saturday than many of his most recents starts as he had batters chasing his changeups down in the zone and induced uncomfortable swings with Reds hitters often diving across the plate to foul pitches off.

The game could have gotten away from Davies as he faced two-out, bases-loaded jams in both the third and fourth with the game tied at 2, but he made big pitches when he needed to keep the Cubs in the game, allowing them to come back late. Davies allowed just one earned run on four hits over four innings. He walked three batters and struck out three in the no-decision.

“Swing and miss is great,” Davies said. “You avoid contact, you avoid the luck or whatever they call it, BABIP and things like that in the game. … I felt like in the past few games, guys have kind of been diving over the plate trying to get low in the zone and sit on changeups. So today being able to locate in and out kind of freed up that changeup in the count to get a little bit different swings on it.”

Emotions run high in Cubs’ 3-2 comeback victory over the Reds as benches clearRussell Dorseyon May 2, 2021 at 1:05 am Read More »

Breaking down every Bears draft pickPatrick Finleyon May 2, 2021 at 1:15 am

CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T - Ohio State v Alabama — The Bears took Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields No. 11 overall. | Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

A capsule look at the Bears’ 2021 draft class:

Round 1, Pick 11
Justin Fields
Ohio State QB
6-2, 227 pounds
Age: 22

Background: A star high school baseball player and five-star football player in Kennesaw, Ga., 30 miles northwest of Atlanta, Fields stayed in-state to play at Georgia. After one year as the backup, he transferred to Ohio State, where he was simply dominant. He went 20-2 as a starter — both losses were in the playoffs — and threw 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He lost the national title game to Alabama this year; he was clearly hampered after a hit to his side.

The skinny: Trevor Lawrence was the only quarterback in college football with a two-year resume more impressive than Fields, who was a captain last year. His nimble feet and muscular build will enable him to run away from pressure and survive when he can’t. His accuracy will play well in the NFL, though his reads and progressions will need to speed up.

He said: “I feel like when big moments present themselves, I feel like there’s just another thing that kicks inside of me.”

Round 2, Pick 39
Teven Jenkins
Oklahoma State OT
6-5, 317 pounds
Age: 23

Background: The Topeka, Kansas, native started 35 games — 26 at right tackle, seven at left tackle and two at right guard — over four seasons at Oklahoma State. He opted out of the 2020 season after seven games.

The skinny: Jenkins has played right tackle since grade school. While he helped out on the left side in a pinch, he focused on trying to improve his left-handed steps this offseason. Jenkins said he’s also learned how to snap. Expect him to start at right tackle for the Bears.

He said: “I’m ready right now. I’m ready forever.”

Round 5, Pick 151
Larry Borom
Missouri OT
6-4, 322 pounds
Age: 22

Background: Borom was a basketball nut — his dad was 6-8 — until he played football for the first time his freshman year of high school. The last two seasons at Missouri, he started at right tackle 16 times, left guard twice and left tackle once.

The skinny: Like new teammate Teven Jenkins, Borom is both giant and physical. While he’ll be a developmental project this season, he could eventually pair with Jenkins to bring a nastiness the Bears’ offensive line lacked in recent years.

He said: “As a player, I’m a mean, physical, dominant big person that’s going to displace people off the line of scrimmage.”

Round 6, Pick 217
Khalil Herbert
Virginia Tech RB
5-9, 210 pounds
Age: 23

Background: Herbert never quite broke through at Kansas, but after transferring to Virginia Tech as a grad student, he piled up 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Also, he was born with six fingers on each hand (one on each hand was removed) and has a sixth toe on his left foot.

The skinny: The Bears are set at running back with David Montgomery starting and Damien Williams behind him. Herbert will have to fight off Artavis Pierce, who made the roster as an undrafted free agent last year, to claim a spot on the team. It’s more likely he ends up on the practice squad.

He said: “[I’m a] home-run hitter… I’m able to do everything out of the backfield.”

Round 6, Pick 221
Dazz Newsome
North Carolina WR
5-10, 190 pounds
Age: 21

Background: Versatile athlete from Hampton, Va. who played cornerback, wide receiver, running back and returned kicks in high school. Recruited to North Carolina as a cornerback, but switched to slot receiver as a freshman. Had 126 receptions for 1,702 yards and 16 touchdowns in his last two seasons.

The skinny: Sturdily built, tough receiver who is effective in the middle of the field. Route-running and attention-to-detail not yet what they need to be to succeed in the NFL.

He said: “I’m gonna come in and make an immediate impact. I’m gonna come in and do what needs to be done.”

Round 6, Pick 228
Thomas Graham Jr.
Oregon CB
5-10, 192 pounds
Age: 21

Background: Graham started 39 times and recorded eight interceptions in his first three years at Oregon before sitting out last year because of coronavirus concerns. He worked on his straight-line speed and showed it off at the Senior Bowl.

The skinny: Graham’s athleticism doesn’t jump off the page, but he’s been a productive, smart player since his freshman year. Pro Football Focus considered him the No. 76 prospect in the entire draft; if he comes close to that, he’ll be a steal.

He said: “[After opting out] I listened and learned from everybody and what they had to say about my game, and I just tried to see what I agreed on …”

Round 7, Pick 250
Khyiris Tonga
Brigham Young NT
6-2, 325 pounds
Age: 24

Background: A three-star recruit who did not play football as a senior in high school, Tonga did not play at BYU until he was 21 in 2017 after a two-year LDS mission. Started 32 games, including 22-of-24 games as a junior and senior.

The skinny: Typically stout run-stopping nose tackle with good, strong hands but also athletic enough to impact the pass game with rush ability and 12 career pass deflections.

He said: “[I’m] somebody who tries to be powerful — that’s something I pride myself in — being a powerful player and being disruptive and winning most of my one-on-ones and being able to find the ball.”

Breaking down every Bears draft pickPatrick Finleyon May 2, 2021 at 1:15 am Read More »

Tanking talk not being discussed by Bulls front office down the stretchJoe Cowleyon May 2, 2021 at 1:20 am

The Bulls might be better served to rest some key players over the final eight games and hope for lottery luck, rather than chase a fading play-in dream. But coach Billy Donovan said there has been no such talk from executive VP Arturas Karnisovas.

It sure felt like a night to all of a sudden decide to go the tanky route.

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, however, insisted that wasn’t the case.

Asked if there was any discussions with executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas about sitting guys with just eight games left in the regular season, Donovan said, “No, I haven’t had any conversations like that. Our focus [was on Atlanta Saturday] and then it will be coming back on Philly [Monday], but we have not had any discussions along those lines at all.’’

Considering how transparent Donovan has been with the media this season, there’s no reason to doubt him, but there’s also the reality of dealing with the league and how much they frown upon teams even hinting about tanking.

Yet, there the Bulls were against the Hawks, still without All-Star Zach LaVine and reserve guard Troy Brown Jr., and then minutes before tip-off announcing that All-Star center Nikola Vucevic was a late scratch after dealing with tightness in his right adductor.

So what would be the incentive to be overly-cautious with players at the expense of games at this point for the Bulls? After all, they are still in the running for a play-in spot, and could be until the final few games of the season.

It comes down to math.

While the Bulls are not eliminated, they are still in a very tough situation in the chase down of the Wizards. Not only does Washington have an easier schedule, but has been playing much more consistent basketball the last few weeks.

All the Bulls have on their side is the tie-breaker over the Wizards, and the hope that LaVine could be returning from the health and safety protocol at some point next week.

However, if the Bulls nose dive down the stretch here, miss the play-in and fall deeper into the lottery, there’s a chance that they could still salvage something from the 2021 draft with lottery luck. The Vucevic trade cost them a first round pick, but it is protected one through four.

As of Saturday, the Bulls were sitting in the No. 7 spot, having just a 6% chance to land No. 1, but a 26.3% chance to land in the top four and retain the pick.

The best-case scenario at this point would be they added Vucevic to go along with LaVine, can continue the development of 2020 first-round pick Patrick Williams, and then hit a top four spot in the 2021 lottery and land a Cade Cunningham or Jalen Suggs to solve the point guard issues.

Obviously, a lot would have to break their way and there’s a definite gamble going that route, but it’s much better than a scenario in which they miss the postseason and lose the draft pick to the Magic, walking out of the season with little to show for it.

Sound advice

Vucevic is admittedly not the most vocal leader, but he will speak up when he feels it’s time to. With so much still at stake for the Bulls and an uphill climb in front of them, the veteran big man did talk about the best philosophy to take down the stretch now.

“We can sit here and cry about it and be disappointed, but it won’t do us any good,’’ Vucevic said. “We just have to move on, take the wins and losses as they come and continue to move forward. You have to have a short memory.’’

Tanking talk not being discussed by Bulls front office down the stretchJoe Cowleyon May 2, 2021 at 1:20 am Read More »

Watch Crew-1 Return to Earth in Early Morning Splashdownon May 2, 2021 at 1:06 am

Watch Crew-1 Return to Earth in Early Morning Splashdownon May 2, 2021 at 1:06 am Read More »

2021 NFL Draft: Bears pick RB Khalil Herbert in sixth round at No. 217 overallJason Lieseron May 1, 2021 at 9:13 pm

The Bears now have four incoming rookies, led by Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

The Bears drafted Virginia Tech running back Khalil Herbert in the sixth round at No. 217 overall. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry on his way to 1,183 for the season and rushed for eight touchdowns.

The Bears originally held the No. 208 pick, but traded it to the Seahawks for No. 217 and a seventh-rounder at No. 250.

Herbert, 23, was born with six fingers on each hand — one on each hand was removed when he was an infant — and he has six toes on his left foot and they are webbed. That doesn’t seem to have impacted him football-wise, and Herbert said at Big XII media day in 2018, “It’s all I know, so it doesn’t feel any different to me.”

The Bears have third-year running back David Montgomery in place as their starter, followed by veteran Damien Williams and developmental project Artavis Pierce.

The Bears opened the draft Thursday by trading up from No. 20 to 11 to land quarterback Justin Fields, then trading up in the second round Friday to get offensive tackle Teven Jenkins. Their next pick was No. 151 overall in the fifth round, and they added another offensive tackle in Missouri’s Larry Borom.

The Bears have two picks remaining at Nos. 221 and 228 overall in the sixth round.

2021 NFL Draft: Bears pick RB Khalil Herbert in sixth round at No. 217 overallJason Lieseron May 1, 2021 at 9:13 pm Read More »

5 displaced, including 4 kids, after Chatham fireon May 1, 2021 at 8:13 pm

One firefighter was hospitalized for “a minor eye injury,” fire officials said.

Sun-Times Wire

May 1, 2021, 3:13pm CDT

5 displaced, including 4 kids, after Chatham fireon May 1, 2021 at 8:13 pm Read More »

Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ star, dies at 89on May 1, 2021 at 8:32 pm

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher’s mother in the romantic comedy “Moonstruck,” has died. She was 89.

Dukakis died Saturday morning in her home in New York City, according to Allison Levy, her agent at Innovative Artists. A cause of death was not immediately released.

Dukakis won her Oscar through a surprising chain of circumstances, beginning with author Nora Ephron’s recommendation that she play Meryl Streep’s mother in the film version of Ephron’s book “Heartburn.” Dukakis got the role, but her scenes were cut from the film. To make it up to her, director Mike Nichols cast her in his hit play “Social Security.” Director Norman Jewison saw her in that role and cast her in “Moonstruck.”

Dukakis won the Oscar for best supporting actress and Cher took home the trophy for best actress.

Actress Olympia Dukakis, winner of a Golden Globe for “Best Performance in a Supporting Role” and Cher, winner of the “Best Performance by an Actress in a musical or comedy”, hold the awards they received for performances in the hit movie “Moonstruck” at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 24, 1988.

She referred to her 1988 win as “the year of the Dukakii” because it was also the year Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, her cousin, was the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. At the ceremony, she held her Oscar high over her head and called out: “OK, Michael, let’s go!”

Dukakis, who was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, had yearned to be an actress from an early age and had hoped to study drama in college. Her Greek immigrant parents insisted she pursue a more practical education, so she studied physical therapy at Boston University on a scholarship from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

After earning her bachelor’s degree, she worked at an understaffed hospital in Marmet, West Virginia, and at the Hospital for Contagious Diseases in Boston.

But the lure of the theater eventually led her to study drama at Boston University.

It was a shocking change, she told an interviewer in 1988, noting that she had gone from the calm world of science to one where students routinely screamed at the teachers.

“I thought they were all nuts,” she said. “It was wonderful.”

Her first graduate school performance was a disaster, however, as she sat wordless on the stage.

After a teacher helped cure her stage fright, she began working in summer stock theaters. In 1960, she made her off-Broadway debut and two years later had a small part in “The Aspen Papers” on Broadway.

After three years with a Boston regional theater, Dukakis moved to New York and married actor Louis Zorich.

During their first years of marriage, acting jobs were scarce, and Dukakis worked as a bartender, waitress and other jobs.

She and Zorich had three children — Christina, Peter and Stefan. They decided it was too hard to raise children in New York with limited income, so they moved the family to a century-old house in Montclair, a New Jersey suburb of New York.

Actress Olympia Dukakis, a celebrity Grand Marshall for the 41st annual Gay Pride parade, waves to the crowd while being driven past them in San Francisco on June 26, 2011.

Her Oscar victory kept the motherly film roles coming. She was Kirstie Alley’s mom in “Look Who’s Talking” and its sequel “Look Who’s Talking Too,” the sardonic widow in “Steel Magnolias” and the overbearing wife of Jack Lemmon (and mother of Ted Danson) in “Dad.”

Her recent projects included the 2019 TV miniseries “Tales of the City” and the upcoming film “Not to Forgot.”

But the stage was her first love.

“My ambition wasn’t to win the Oscar,” she commented after her “Moonstruck” win. “It was to play the great parts.”

She accomplished that in such New York productions as Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night” and Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo.”

For two decades she ran the Whole Theater Company in Montclair, New Jersey, specializing in classic dramas.

Zorich died in January 2018 at age 93.

While her passion lay in stage, a line from her Oscar-winning performance as Rose nonetheless seemed fitting: “I just want you to know no matter what you do, you’re gonna die, just like everybody else.”

___

The late Associated Press writer Bob Thomas in Los Angeles was the primary writer of this obituary.

Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ star, dies at 89on May 1, 2021 at 8:32 pm Read More »

Zadorov wants to re-sign

Trio of former ISU Redbirds find new homes as undrafted NFL free agents

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