The baseball season opens today, not as the national pastime, but a perk for hedge fund millionaireson April 1, 2021 at 1:00 pm

Cheating Death

The baseball season opens today, not as the national pastime, but a perk for hedge fund millionaires

The baseball season opens today, not as the national pastime, but a perk for hedge fund millionaireson April 1, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »

15 observations from the Chicago Bulls loss to the Phoenix Sunson April 1, 2021 at 12:00 pm

The Chicago Bulls lost their fifth-straight game to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, 121-116 without three important players.

There was no Zach LaVine, Coby White, nor Garrett Temple due to injury and the Bulls only lost by five points to the second-best team in the Western Conference. This is the first step in confidence-boosting the new squad.
The starting lineup for tonight included Tomas Satoransky, Patrick Williams, Thaddeus Young, Lauri Markkanen, and Nikola Vucevic. The second rotation started with Denzel Valentine, Daniel Theis, Troy Brown Jr., and Ryan Arcidiacono. No sighting of Al-Farouq Aminu (for the second straight game) nor Javonte Green.
Team Offense. The Bulls shot below average from the field as a team, making 43 of their 99 field goal attempts, which averages 43.4 percent. They shot 33 percent from three, cashing in 11 of their 33 attempts. They moved the ball well, racking up 27 team assists.
Dominating the Paint. The Bulls really dominated the paint, scoring 56 points in the paint against the Suns’ 44 points. This aggression contributed to an above-average night in free throw attempts with 21 attempts from the charity stripe. The Bulls made 19 of those attempts for an impressive 90.5 percent. Markkanen deserves a shoutout for playing aggressively and finishing through contact.
Williams stepped up to play shooting guard for LaVine tonight while Donovan made the frontcourt bigger with Vucevic, Markkanen, and Young. Williams scored 16 points on 7/11 shooting from the field, adding three rebounds and one assist to his repertoire. He also put a monster block on Deandre Ayton. His night ultimately proved he is a positionless player that can help on both ends of the floor at any position.
Valentine attributed greatly to keeping the Bulls in the game, as they trailed the Suns for most of it. He scored 19 points off the bench, making 8/18 shots from the field and 3/9 from behind the arc. Valentine added six rebounds and four assists to his box score tonight too. The confidence he took with his shot was encouraging and a reason why he closed the game with the starting lineup. He could see a future with the Bulls with games like these.
Offensive rebounds. A large reason the Bulls stayed in contention was their work on the offensive glass. The Bulls grabbed 18 offensive rebounds against the Suns. The starting lineup accumulated for 14 of them. Young led the way with six on the night, giving the Bulls excess opportunities and creating the gap in shot attempts from the Bulls’ 99 to the Suns’ 81 attempts.
Team Defense. The defense looked miserable again, allowing the Suns to shoot open shots and apply hardly any pressure on them. The Suns were shooting > 60 percent from the field for plenty of the night but ended the game at 56.8 percent shooting. They cashed in 44 percent of their three-point attempts. A positive for the Bulls was the fact that the Suns committed 10 turnovers, the same amount as the Bulls.
The Suns’ pick-and-roll offense between either Chris Paul and Dario Saric or Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton looked too easy. The drop coverage in pick-and-roll situations for the Bulls has to end! They do not have the athletic bigs to do that and the only Bulls’ big man who has shown flashes of success in this method has been Theis.
Transition defense was a huge problem for the Bulls. Booker constantly wore the Bulls down by running the floor and playing unpredictably on fast breaks. The Suns recorded 14 fast-break points, which doesn’t seem like a lot but they kept the Bulls in check while getting back on defense.
Booker was too much for the Bulls to contain. He scored a season-high 45 points on the night, shooting a spectacular 17/24 from the field. He added four rebounds and four assists. Booker was able to get nearly any matchup he wanted in his offense which the Bulls need to make adjustments on going forward.
Daniel Theis is becoming a bigger piece of the defensive pie already and he needs to see more tick. He saw just 20 minutes of action tonight, in contrast to Young (28 minutes), Markkanen (34 minutes), and Vucevic (34 minutes). Ideally in the future, Theis gets paired up with Markkanen on the bench to make for a healthy balance of offensive and defensive power in the frontcourt.
The Bulls’ recurring theme of fouling three-point shooters continues. They committed two fouls on three-point shooters tonight, Theis being the first of the two to do so. Contesting is important but over-contesting and fouling are detrimental.
The Bulls should bring a zone defense into the mix of their defensive scheme. The man-to-man might need a break because the Bulls are a bigger lineup now with weaker defensive players. Donovan has flashed his 2-3 zone a few times this season, and maybe it’s time to try it again. After seeing Paul drop 14 assists helping the Phoenix Suns slice up the Bulls’ interior defense, it could be time for a change.
This loss should be a confidence booster for the Bulls. They just competed with the second-best team in the Western Conference without their best player. They also didn’t play extremely great offense (shooting just 44 percent from the field) and their defense was unwatchable. They have adjustments to make but when they fix their defensive game and continue to hit shots they will succeed.

BONUS: If LaVine has to sit out now to get healthy, he should do so. Forcing himself to play through an ankle injury could hurt his chances of playing further than the regular season. Let him rest now so the Bulls can get him back fully healthy.

The Bulls trek forward with the hope they will have the few players returning from injury to dig them out of this hole. The Bulls travel to Utah to play the Jazz on Friday at 8 p.m.

15 observations from the Chicago Bulls loss to the Phoenix Sunson April 1, 2021 at 12:00 pm Read More »

A special morning: Learning powerlines with Jason “Special” Le, catching coho while talking life and arton April 1, 2021 at 11:44 am

The coho rushed the south side of Montrose Harbor so fast I lost feel of it Sunday as I hand pulled line. But Jason Le and crew assured me it was still on and I landed my first fish on a powerline.

I’ve wanted to fish with Le for a long time, partly for his fishing skills, but mainly for his eye in combining fishing and art in custom-painted lures, Instagram, YouTube and self-designed gaiters.

“Fishing is what we do every week on our days off,” said Le, who manages a small business and is off Tuesdays and Sundays. “Even if you go out and don’t catch fish, you still have fun.”

Sunday the group included Le’s friend Donnie Nguyen, uncle Mai Nguyen and brother Ricky Le.

I met Le at 5:30 a.m. at Park Bait, where he bought night crawlers and large fatheads. Because of the wind, we stayed at Montrose Harbor instead of going to one of his isolated powerline spots.

“I look at the wind before I go,” he said.

Sunday, northerly winds did what he predicted, curling around to a calmer area on the harbor’s south side.

“We’ll catch fish today, as long as the wind doesn’t go crazy,” he said.

He waited until light came around 6:19 a.m., so he could point his pipe in the right direction. Le uses 12 Owner 5315 No. 4 or 2 hooks, spaced at least six feet apart. Up to 50 hooks are allowed when powerlining. He thinks 12 is enough.

Jason “Special” Le fires his weight Sunday to powerline for coho at Montrose Harbor.

“Twelve hooks is faster and you can only catch five [salmon daily],” he said. “And it only takes me 10 minutes to get set up.”

Le alternated between crawlers and fatheads on his line. On Sunday, all our coho came on fatheads. His brother used crawlers. Donnie Nguyen alternated squid and minnows.

Le had good reason for powerlining.

“It is the only way we can catch them, they are way out,” he said.

I didn’t powerline before because I thought it was ethically the same as longlining in the ocean. Le helped me rethink that.

Powerliners evolved in what they use to propel the weight. In days of yore, it was whirling a railroad spike around, then letting it fly. Next came using a plumber’s helper. Now a fire extinguisher blasts the weight out (75 yards or more).

Four minutes after Le blasted out his weight, the closest group–powerliners were spaced the length of the harbor’s south side–landed a coho.

Le’s uncle caught our group’s first at 6:38.

Jason Le documents the first coho our group caught Sunday while powerlining at Montrose Harbor to be used in one of his YouTube videos Sunday. Credit: Dale Bowman — Jason Le documents the first coho our group caught Sunday while powerlining at Montrose Harbor to be used in one of his YouTube videos Sunday.

At 6:50, we had our first hit. Le had me bring it in. The hard part was walking out the hooks when pulling the line in, so as not to end up with a mess. Even with the coho charging, the Owner hooks did their job and held.

At 8 a.m. I caught my second coho, then came a lull and I learned Le came to fishing naturally. His father fished and had a boat when living on an island off Vietnam.

“I think that is where I get it from,” said Le, who left Vietnam at 7.

He earned the nickname Jason Special when a friend used one of Le’s custom-painted lures in Wisconsin for fall Chinook and “Boom” it worked.

After that, it became the “Jason Special” lure.

“Everyone who uses the lure catches fish,” Le said. “They love it.”

Le became Jason Special One on Instagram. His YouTube channel is Jason Special. His gaiters are designed around Jason Special.

At 9:30, Le’s uncle and I doubled up with coho. At 9:50, I caught my fourth. Le thought I would get a limit. But I ran out of energy by 11.

It was time.

On Monday, I baked coho whole with olive oil, soy sauce, lemon and garlic, then served them with lemon wedges and dill-yogurt sauce, delicious and heart healthy.

Coho baked whole with lemon, olive oil, soy sauce and garlic, then presented with lemon wedges and a dill-yogurt sauce. Credit: Dale Bowman — Coho baked whole with lemon, olive oil, soy sauce and garlic, then presented with lemon wedges and a dill-yogurt sauce.

A special morning: Learning powerlines with Jason “Special” Le, catching coho while talking life and arton April 1, 2021 at 11:44 am Read More »

Rangers allowing 100% capacity is a mistake, Biden sayson April 1, 2021 at 11:53 am

President Joe Biden told ESPN on Wednesday it was a mistake for the Texas Rangers to allow full capacity at their ballpark for their first game.

Speaking on the eve of Opening Day, Biden also said he supports discussions between Major League Baseball and the players’ union on moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta over concern about legislation adopted in Georgia restricting voting rights.

Fans are set to return to major league stadiums on Thursday after they were kept out during the regular season last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Capacity will be limited to about 12% in Boston and Washington. Twelve teams are at 20%, Colorado at about 43% and Houston at 50%.

The only team higher is Texas, at 100%. The Rangers’ Globe Life Field can seat 40,300 people.

“Well, that’s a decision they made. I think it’s a mistake,” Biden told ESPN. “They should listen to Dr. (Anthony) Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But I think it’s not responsible.”

Major League Baseball is encouraging everyone involved with the sport to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. A three-page memorandum from MLB and the players’ association sent to players and staff on Monday says some restrictions will be eliminated when 85% of major league players and primary field staff are vaccinated against the coronavirus.

But Major League Baseball isn’t requiring the vaccine for players or staff. Asked how he would advise players who might feel hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine, Biden said: “I would say I’m President of the United States and I got vaccinated. I don’t have an unimportant job. Would I take the vaccine if I thought it was going to hurt me? We have done incredible research on the vaccines and they have shown that they work. We have to get to the point where enough people have taken the vaccine so we diminish the possibility for it to spread.”

The Nationals announced Wednesday that they had a player test positive for COVID-19, and four teammates and a staff member had been quarantined after contact tracing. They are scheduled to host the Mets on Thursday night.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark also are discussing the possibility of moving the All-Star Game because of the legislation adopted in Georgia restricting voting rights. Manfred said Wednesday he is talking to “various constituencies within the game” about the issue.

Georgia’s new law adds a photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail, cuts the amount of time people have to request an absentee ballot and limits where drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed. It also bans people from handing out food or water to voters waiting in line and allows the Republican-controlled State Election Board to remove and replace county election officials while curtailing the power of the secretary of state as Georgia’s chief elections officer.

Clark has said he “would look forward” to discussions around moving the Midsummer Classic out of Truist Park, and Biden said he would “strongly support” such a decision.

“People look to them,” Biden said, referring to professional athletes. “They’re leaders. Look at what happened with the NBA, as well. Look what’s happened across the board. The very people who were victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these various sports, and it’s just not right. This is Jim Crow on steroids what they’re doing in Georgia and 40 other states.”

Rangers allowing 100% capacity is a mistake, Biden sayson April 1, 2021 at 11:53 am Read More »

Chicago Cubs: Opening Day of “The Last Dance Part II”on April 1, 2021 at 11:00 am

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 23: Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs (R) celebrates his two run home run with Javier Baez #9 in the 1st inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on August 23, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) — CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 23: Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs (R) celebrates his two run home run with Javier Baez #9 in the 1st inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on August 23, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

We are getting close to summertime! The Chicago Cubs and the rest of Major League Baseball get their season underway today! The Cubs are going to play a 1:20 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates to get their campaign going. This is a unique Opening Day for them as it is going to set the tone for the way they look at the rest of the season. Going against one of the worst teams in the league with Kyle Hendricks on the mound is a great way to get going.

The Chicago Cubs have a lot on their plate going into Opening Day 2021.

During the heart of the pandemic, most sports fans watched “The Last Dance” on ESPN. It was a documentary that went over the 1998 Chicago Bulls and everything that came before it. There were some great moments during that season but the point of the show was the demise of their core at the season’s end. It sort of feels like something similar is happening with the Cubs.

Now, it is to a much lesser degree because this Cubs core isn’t nearly as accomplished as those Bulls teams. They also aren’t going to lose the greatest player in the history of the sport like that Bulls team with Michael Jordan. They are, however, in danger of losing a core that ended a 108 year World Series drought and made consistent playoff appearances.

Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo are all on contracts that are expiring after the season is over. We don’t know what the future holds for any of them but their stay is not guaranteed. The big news throughout the week so far has been Rizzo’s comments about assuming he will be a free agent if he doesn’t have a deal by Opening Day.

Well, here we are on Opening Day with no deal for Rizzo so nobody knows what is going to happen. It is a shame that we are talking about 2021 being “The Last Dance Part II” instead of being excited about the future but it is what it is.

The Cubs still have a chance to be good in 2021. Those guys are still going to be in the lineup for the time being and there are some other good players. If starters like Jake Arrieta and Zach Davies have good years along with Hendricks, it could be a formidable rotation. They go in as one of those teams that could be awesome or could be bad. They just have to hope that it is the former.

Chicago Cubs: Opening Day of “The Last Dance Part II”on April 1, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »

6 charged after shots fired at Oak Lawn Hiltonon April 1, 2021 at 10:22 am

Five people were charged, including two men facing felony gun charges, after shots were fired Tuesday at a Hilton Hotel in suburban Oak Lawn.

Isaac Sharp, 24, of Chicago has been charged with a felony count of aggravated discharge of a firearm, Oak Lawn police said. Sharp was on parole for an unlawful use of a weapon conviction and faces a parole violation.

Marcus Shears, 21, also of Chicago has been charged with a felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, police said. Three other individuals were charged with being in possession of a controlled substance and a fourth person was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant out of Lake County for domestic battery.

Officers responded to reports of gunfire just after midnight at the Hilton Hotel, 9333 S. Cicero Ave., and stopped two vehicles that were trying to leave the area, police said in a statement.

Two handguns were recovered along with several shell casings, police said.

No injuries were reported in the shooting, which was the result of an altercation between a man and a group of people who were outside the hotel, police said.

6 charged after shots fired at Oak Lawn Hiltonon April 1, 2021 at 10:22 am Read More »

2 killed, 1 seriously injured in house fire in Clearing: policeon April 1, 2021 at 9:38 am

Two women were killed and a man was seriously injured in a house fire Thursday morning in Clearing on the Southwest Side.

About 2:10 a.m., authorities responded to a house fire in the 5200 block of West 64th Place, Chicago police said.

A man and woman from the residence, 57 and 60, were taken to Holy Cross Hospital in serious condition, and the woman was later pronounced dead, police said. A third woman, 41, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where she was pronounced dead.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet released the details of the fatalities.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

2 killed, 1 seriously injured in house fire in Clearing: policeon April 1, 2021 at 9:38 am Read More »

7 shot, 2 fatally, Wednesday in Chicagoon April 1, 2021 at 8:33 am

Seven people were shot, two fatally, Wednesday in Chicago including a 32-year-old man who was fatally shot in Austin on the West Side.

The man was arguing with someone about 6:55 p.m. in an alley in the 100 block of North Lotus Avenue, when the other person shot him in the head, Chicago police said. He was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet released information on the fatality.

Earlier in the day a man was shot and killed in Austin on the West Side. A gunman in a black Jeep fired shots at the man as he stood on a sidewalk in the 5500 block of West Corcoran Place, according to police. The man, 25, was shot about 1 p.m. and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In non-fatal shootings a 16-year-old boy was shot in the East Side neighborhood. He was walking on the sidewalk about 9:35 p.m. in the 10400 block of South Avenue J, when someone in a silver sedan fired shots, police said. The boy was struck in the leg and transported to Comers Children’s Hospital in good condition.

About an hour prior, two men were in critically injured following a shooting in Englewood on the South Side. About 8:30 p.m., the men were in a vehicle at a gas station in the 1500 block of West 71st Street when someone in a gray sedan pulled up and fired shots, police said. One man, 28, was struck in the face and leg. The other man, 21, was shot several times in the body. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

Thirty minutes prior a woman was shot inside a store in Austin on the West Side. The woman, 37, was inside the store about 8 p.m. in the 100 block of South Laramie Avenue when someone fired shots, striking her in the leg, police said. The woman was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in serious condition.

A man was critically wounded in a shooting in Chicago Lawn on the Southwest Side. About 4:20 p.m., the man, 41, was near the backyard of a home in the 6000 block of South Artesian Avenue when someone walked up and fired shots at him, police said. The man was struck in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

Two men were shot in Calumet Heights on the South Side. A man, 23, and another of unknown age were inside a vehicle about 3:45 p.m. in the 9200 block of South Stony Island Avenue when they heard shots and felt pain, police said. The 23-year-old was struck in the abdomen and transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition. The other man was struck on the body and taken to the same hospital. His condition was unknown.

In the day’s first reported shooting, a 34-year-old man was shot in West Garfield Park on the West Side. About 4 a.m., he was standing on the sidewalk in the first block of North Kilbourn Avenue, when a vehicle pulled up, two people walked up and fired shots, police said. He was struck in the back and brought to the hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

7 shot, 2 fatally, Wednesday in Chicagoon April 1, 2021 at 8:33 am Read More »

Roger Powell Jr. back Four moreJoe Henricksen | @joehoopsreporton April 1, 2021 at 5:48 am

Roger Powell Jr. (left, with Drew Timme) has been an assistant coach at Gonzaga under Mark Few for two seasons. The Bulldogs have gone 61-2 during that span. Getty Images | Ethan Miller, Getty

The former Illini returns to the Final Four 16 years later as an assistant coach with Gonzaga.

Roger Powell Jr. is back in the Final Four.

Powell was a key player for the Illinois team that lost to North Carolina in the 2005 NCAA national championship game. Before that, he was a star high school player at Joliet.

Now Powell’s reputation is growing as a college coach. He’s in his second season under coach Mark Few as an assistant at Gonzaga. Powell has been part of a two-year run in which the Bulldogs have gone 61-2.

The Chicago Sun-Times spoke with Powell the morning after Gonzaga’s Elite Eight victory against USC.

Sun-Times: The buzzer sounds Tuesday, and you know you’re going to the Final Four for the first time as a coach. What were your immediate thoughts?

Powell: To be honest, it was crazy. Cutting down the net last night took me back to beating Arizona in the Elite Eight when I was playing for Illinois. That feeling of sacrificing, competing, grinding, all to get to the biggest stage in college basketball. That’s a special feeling.

S-T: Is there more of an appreciation for how difficult a journey it is to actually get to this point, to get to the Final Four?

Powell: Without a doubt. I’ve been coaching for 10 years, and it’s the first time that I’ll be coaching in the Final Four. And it’s taken 16 years since I was a part of it as a player. Taking it in now is much more surreal.

S-T: What has been the most difficult challenge in this tournament run in Indianapolis?

Powell: Obviously, being in a hotel for three weeks and not seeing family, trying to keep our guys active, busy and excited. . . . That was a big challenge. We did this Topgolf thing as a team, and they took us to the zoo, so those things do help break up the monotony of being in a hotel. On the other hand, it’s helped us stay focused. We haven’t had the distractions of flying home. We have just been able to be together, and in a way, it’s helped with our chemistry.

S-T: How much talk has there been within the program about the possibility of being the first unbeaten national champion in 46 years?

Powell: Our guys have seen it enough on TV. Every time you look, you’re being reminded of it because someone is saying something about Gonzaga. You’re hearing and seeing it enough, so when we are together, we just stick to the process.

S-T: A lot of people are asking about when it will be your time to become a head coach.

Powell: I kind of always told myself I wanted to be an assistant for 10 years before I felt like I was ready to take over a program. Now this is Year 10. I didn’t realize that after 10 years I would be as blessed and experience as much success as I’ve been fortunate enough to have. Even with the success, I’ve had challenging years also. It’s all brought me to a place where I think I’m ready. But I’m not in a rush. I can continue to get better, continue to learn, and we can continue to win at a high level here.

Roger Powell Jr. back Four moreJoe Henricksen | @joehoopsreporton April 1, 2021 at 5:48 am Read More »