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Illinois State opts out of remainder of spring seasonon March 22, 2021 at 2:34 am

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Illinois State opts out of remainder of spring season

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Illinois State opts out of remainder of spring seasonon March 22, 2021 at 2:34 am Read More »

7 Facebook Groups Every Chicagoan Should Joinon March 22, 2021 at 1:13 am

Whether you’re new to the area or just looking to connect with neighbors, Chicago Facebook Groups are a great way to stay in the know on what’s happening in Chicago. These digital spaces allow us to discuss a common activity, interest, or cause. You can create an event, post photos, links, files, share related content, and have an open, organic conversation. Here are a few of the best FB Groups in Chicago. 

Calling all history buffs! This group’s goal is to discover and document little known facts of Chicago’s infrastructure, architecture, neighborhoods and general cityscape, whether existing or historical. Join today and you might learn a few things. 

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Need some weekend plans? Browse this collection of the best things to do in Chicago! The group shares updates on festivals, events, weekend plans, top bars & restaurants, and everything in between. Hey, you could even meet some new friends.  

Searching for a new pad can be intimidating. Especially if you need a 2 bedroom, pets welcome, near a bus station in Lincoln Park…at a reasonable price. This group hooks up renters across the city. Plus if you’re looking for a solid roommate, skip Craigslist and check out this group instead.

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Looking to support Black-owned businesses? Check out this group where owners are encouraged to network and promote their offerings. The goal is to achieve efficient “Black Economics” by connecting Black business owners with customers. One note: all people are welcome to join BBA, however only Black owned business profiles are able to post.

From random free stuff to hot takes on Arby’s, you can be sure to get quality content here. Not a Lakeview resident? Find a community page in your neighborhood by following these steps: click the magnifying glass (search bar) in the upper left corner, type in your neighborhood, then scroll down and click “Groups.” A bunch should pop up for you to explore!

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Single in the city? Stopping swiping and start flirting in this casual group. Their only rules: have fun, be respectful, and enjoy life! And hey, if you end up meeting your life partner in a Facebook Group, you’ll have a story for the grandkids. 

Chicago Facebook Groups

Bred for their easy going personalities and smarts, it’s no surprise these dogs are taking over our city. The Chicago Doodles group is a great way to meet other doodle pawrents — whether you’re looking for a doggie daycare recommendation or a pup playdate. Find it all (and more) here. 

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Chicago Facebook Groups Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

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7 Facebook Groups Every Chicagoan Should Joinon March 22, 2021 at 1:13 am Read More »

Cubs’ closer Craig Kimbrel feeling ready, not rushed as spring training winds downon March 22, 2021 at 12:23 am

MESA, Ariz. – Craig Kimbrel’s performance during his Cubs tenure has been either rocky or dominant with very little in between. The goal of the MLB’s active leader in saves and the Cubs over the past two seasons has been to find the consistency that made him one of the best closers the game has ever seen.

Kimbrel’s first three appearances this spring didn’t go exactly like he had hoped as he struggled, allowing nine earned runs over 2 2/3 innings and lots of loud contact. But after starting out slow to begin camp, the Cubs’ closer feels like he’s finding his way at the right time.

The 32-year-old right-hander had his best outing of the spring his last time out, striking out three batters and feels he’s right on track with two weeks until the regular season begins.

“I think early on in spring training I talked about finding my keys and finding my timing and all those kinds of things, which is part of spring training,” Kimbrel said. “I really enjoy the fact that it’s six weeks long, because it kind of gives you the time to get in, get working on things, and then settle things in. That’s kind of what I’ve felt like I’ve been able to do so far.

“In my first couple outings, numbers-wise, obviously going out, giving up runs and hits, all those kinds of things don’t look good. I wasn’t too worried about it. I was more worried about how I physically felt. How the ball was coming out of my hand and what I could do in my next outing to make it a little bit better each time out. And it’s worked out so far. I didn’t want to get upset about my first couple and then go out there and try to throw as hard as I can. That wouldn’t have been productive.”

The idea of ramping up is something that pitchers use during spring training to increase their workload as the season gets closer. Mixed into Kimbrel’s success and failure in a Cubs uniform is the reality that he’s never had that time.

During his first season with the Cubs, he was thrown into the middle of a playoff race in 2019. Due to the pandemic, the shortened 60-game season and abbreviated summer camp didn’t help in that regard either.

But working on things and gradually building before the season begins has been a welcomed sight for Kimbrel in his third season with the Cubs.

“I feel very comfortable where I am right now less than two weeks away from the season starting,” he said. “I think a lot of us felt rushed to get back and ready to go in the short period of time. I don’t have that feeling this year, I feel nice and relaxed. … I think you’re seeing that from a lot of players.”

One of the major reasons for Kimbrel’s struggles that he and the Cubs identified last season was with his mechanics. Kimbrel self-admittedly fell into bad habits with his delivery, leading to his rough start where he allowed seven earned runs over his first four appearances.

After his demotion from the closer’s role, Kimbrel found himself and allowed only one run the rest of the season and returned to being one of the best relievers in the majors with a 0.00 ERA, 13 strikeouts and no walks in eight appearances in September.

”Sometimes when you do struggle, you learn a lot about yourself,” manager David Ross said. ”I think last year was Craig learning a lot about himself.”

During last season’s struggles and early this spring, Kimbrel’s fastball has leaked out over the plate resembling more of a two-seam fastball and not a true four-seam fastball. When Kimbrel’s fastball is at its best, it rises in the zone with late life. In his most recent outing, it did just that, touching 98 mph on the gun in the process.

“When you’re trying to throw a four-seam, it’s not good to throw a two-seam,” Kimbrel said with a smile. “It’s just all about it’s all about angles. It’s all about angles and getting the hand and everything in the position it needs to be. If you don’t land and fire your hips at the right time, there’s so many things within mechanics and everyone’s different. But personally, it’s just getting my hand staying over the rubber and not trying to rush down the mound and throw it by the guy before I even hit the ground. It’s the little things.”

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Cubs’ closer Craig Kimbrel feeling ready, not rushed as spring training winds downon March 22, 2021 at 12:23 am Read More »

Loyola students celebrate win over top-seeded Illinois by storming street: ‘We kind of can take claim of Illinois now’on March 21, 2021 at 11:22 pm

After the final buzzer sounded Sunday on eighth-seeded Loyola’s 71-58 defensive stunner against top-seeded Illinois, coach Porter Moser and star Cameron Krutwig embraced.

Moments later, Loyola players waved up at Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the team’s beloved 101-year-old chaplain, who called the upset one day prior.

Meanwhile, back in Rogers Park, hundreds of Loyola students stormed Sheridan Avenue as the team clinched its second Sweet 16 berth in four years.

The throng of fans blocked traffic for a bit as they chanted “L-U-C” and danced in the street. The group was moved to the sidewalk near Fordham Hall, where the party continued for another hour. Cars honked as they drove by; some also waved Loyola flags outside their windows.

At one point, a man showered the crowd with a bottle of champagne.

One student described it as “one of the best moments” of their Loyola experience. Several others said they believe the Ramblers have what it takes to go all the way.

“If Illinois can’t beat them, nobody can,” sophomore Michael Kongl said.

“Birds are chirping, the beers are flowing, the grass is growing, the Loyola Ramblers are showing,” another student, Jeremy Hancock, said.

Maleah Ahuja, a senior, said Loyola has bragging rights as the best college basketball team in Illinois after beating their downstate rival.

“We kind of can take claim of Illinois now,” she said.

But not all fans were expecting Loyola to pull off the upset.

“Dude, I’m not going to lie, I was not ready for Loyola to win but we f- – – ing did it,” said Mac Stalloch, who is studying computer science. “That was the best, biggest upset of the century.” Illinois had a lot of good players … but you can’t stop Krutwig. That man is a beast.”

Loyola of Chicago players celebrate after beating Illinois in a college basketball game in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Sunday, March 21, 2021. Loyola upset Illinois 71-58.
Loyola of Chicago players celebrate after beating Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday. Loyola upset Illinois 71-58.
Associated Press

Loyola’s win busted a lot of March Madness brackets — not that anyone partying near campus cared.

“My bracket low-key got broken, but Loyola’s going all the way,” Stalloch said.

Many fans said they tuned in to the second-round matchup at home since reservations were scarce in the area.

Senior Ollie Connelly — who watched the game at his buddy Zach Coe’s apartment — said he was on “pins and needles the whole time.”

“I didn’t want to get my hopes up, even at halftime when we were up, it was just very surreal,” Connelly said. “It’s insane. You don’t go to Loyola thinking that you’re gonna be in the mix for a major sports title year after year, I guess it’s just unexpected, but we’re both huge sports fans so it’s… welcomed.”

“We were going nuts,” Coe said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of us in there, but I’m sure our downstairs neighbors were not too pleased with us jumping around and celebrating.”

Sister Jean celebrates the Loyola Ramblers' win over Illinois in the NCAA basketball tournament second round at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday, March 21, 2021.
Sister Jean celebrates the Loyola Ramblers’ win over Illinois in the NCAA basketball tournament second round at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday.
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Bulldog Ale House opened an hour early for the late morning tip-off and was at capacity within 30 minutes.

Bar manager Kyle Kramer said the vibe was intense yet exhilarating throughout the game. Though capacity was limited to 50%, Kramer compared the overall energy to that of Loyola’s Final Four run in 2018, saying “it’s deja vu.”

“It’s the first time in over a year we’ve had any sort of energy comparable to that,” Kramer said. “You couldn’t hear. We couldn’t do any to-go orders during the game because you can’t hear anybody on the phone.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

But fans believe this is just the beginning for Loyola, who will play the winner of the game between 12th-seeded Oregon State and fourth-seeded Oklahoma State.

“It might just be the Sweet 16, but we ain’t done yet,” said Teddy Delker, who called himself a “proud Loyola student.”

Here are some other fan reactions from Twitter, with emotions ranging from true joy to stunned heartbreak:

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Loyola students celebrate win over top-seeded Illinois by storming street: ‘We kind of can take claim of Illinois now’on March 21, 2021 at 11:22 pm Read More »

3 things we learned: Freshmen lead Eastern Illinois to victoryon March 21, 2021 at 10:07 pm

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3 things we learned: Freshmen lead Eastern Illinois to victory

©2021 CTMG – A Chicago Tribune website –
Crafted by the News Apps team

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3 things we learned: Freshmen lead Eastern Illinois to victoryon March 21, 2021 at 10:07 pm Read More »

Ta da! It’s warmer in Chicago than in Jacksonvilleon March 21, 2021 at 10:34 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

Ta da! It’s warmer in Chicago than in Jacksonville

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Ta da! It’s warmer in Chicago than in Jacksonvilleon March 21, 2021 at 10:34 pm Read More »

Find What Works for Youon March 21, 2021 at 11:52 pm

Spiritual and Physical Wellness

Find What Works for You

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Find What Works for Youon March 21, 2021 at 11:52 pm Read More »

Man critically injured in South Chicago crashon March 21, 2021 at 10:13 pm

A man was critically injured in a crash Sunday on Lake Shore Drive in South Chicago.

The man crashed his Honda into a utility pole just before 4 p.m. in the 9100 block of South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

The man, who was the only person in the Honda, was thought to be in his mid-20s, Chicago fire officials said.

The police department’s Major Accidents Unit is investigating the crash.

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Man critically injured in South Chicago crashon March 21, 2021 at 10:13 pm Read More »

‘Silicon Valley’ actor Thomas Middleditch accused of sexual misconducton March 21, 2021 at 10:35 pm

TV actor Thomas Middleditch, once a prominent performer in Chicago’s improv scene, is accused of sexual harassment at a Los Angeles goth nightclub.

A Los Angeles Times report on Sunday alleges owners at Cloak & Dagger looked the other way when employees and clients made charges of sexual misconduct. Among the alleged offenders is Middleditch, a regular on HBO’s “Silicon Valley” who now plays the recipient of a kidney donation on the CBS sitcom “B Positive.”

In the report, club client Hannah Harding describes an encounter in which Middleditch made lewd sexual overtures toward her and a girlfriend and, when rebuffed, continued to pursue her and groped her.

In an Instagram direct message to Harding, seen by the Times, Middleditch said, “Hannah I had no idea my actions were that weird for you … I know you probably want to just put me on blast as a monster … I don’t expect you to want to be my friend or anything … I am so ashamed I made you uncomfortable.”

A representative for Middleditch declined the Times’ request for comment.

Harding said she later saw Middleditch grope another woman at the club, but when she complained, the club’s co-owner told her she must have been mistaken.

The report cites nine other women, including four former employees, as saying sexual misconduct occurred at the Cloak & Dagger and was ignored by its co-founders.

Middleditch, 39, performed with Second City and iO and was a founding member of the acclaimed Improvised Shakespeare Company during his years in Chicago. He was Emmy-nominated for his work as Richard Hendricks on “Silicon Valley.”

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‘Silicon Valley’ actor Thomas Middleditch accused of sexual misconducton March 21, 2021 at 10:35 pm Read More »

Loyola 71, Illinois 58: How do the Ramblers and their fans like that No. 8 seed now?on March 21, 2021 at 9:46 pm

It didn’t even take until the first TV timeout.

Was top-seeded Illinois simply too much for Loyola? Had the eighth-seeded Ramblers been irrevocably wronged by the NCAA Tournament selection committee? Wouldn’t it be so much better if this matchup happened a round or two down the road?

Three little minutes answered those questions. That’s all it took for the Ramblers to go up 9-2 Sunday in Indianapolis. Senior center Cameron Krutwig hit the Illini with a little lefty jump shot, a basket on a lob and a jump hook over 7-footer Kofi Cockburn before they even knew what hit them. Braden Norris added a three and it was cut to commercial and — holy Moses — here we go with a game we’re all going to remember for a long time.

Loyola (26-4) is off to the Sweet 16 after a 71-58 upset of Illinois (24-7). The Ramblers kept defending, kept executing their offense, kept believing and kept coming. The Illini got knocked on their heels, couldn’t fully and never — repeat, never — managed to stop being outplayed.

“It’s amazing what happens when you get a group of young men who believe,” Ramblers coach Porter Moser said.

Many Loyola supporters didn’t want this game, didn’t believe it was right. Not in Round 2. But can any of them imagine not having it now?

“We got an 8 seed,” Krutwig said. “That’s just the hand we were dealt. We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the country.”

Not long ago, a Ramblers team reaching the Sweet 16 would’ve been shocking in itself. But we’re past that now. The Final Four run of 2018 is in the books. Another one — by what just might be an even better team — is well in the making.

“We worked so hard all year to get to this point, to make the tournament, to compete against the best,” Krutwig said. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

In her pregame prayer with the team, 101-year-old chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt asked that her boys might put a flurry of points on the board quickly and “make our opponents nervous.” Well, she nailed it. The Illini, who came in soaring off a Big Ten tournament title and a first-round romp against Drexel, didn’t get Cockburn going early and never got All-American Ayo Dosunmu or senior guard Trent Frazier in gear.

If the Illini weren’t nervous, they did a good job fooling everyone watching. They wilted in the face of Loyola’s nationally No. 1-ranked defense and lapsed repeatedly at their own defensive end. Krutwig was everywhere at once with 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Cockburn hung in there with a game-high 21 points, but junior Dosunmu — in what almost certainly was his final college game — had little positive impact in 38 of his worst minutes of the season.

Dosunmu was stripped by defensive stopper Lucas WIlliamson and Krutwig on back-to-back possessions near the end, when the Illini were desperately trying to come back. After that, there was nothing left but the awful grind of the clock and the searing pain brought with each tick to an Illini team that was terrific, hugely likable and seemingly of championship caliber. In college basketball, March is a most fickle mistress.

“I definitely feel like I let my team down today,” Dosunmu said, “but I can take it. I can take the criticism.”

There ought not be too much of it. Dosunmu is the player who led the program’s rise from the depths under coach Brad Underwood. He led by example — in the gym every day, in or out of season, remaking his body and putting up shots until he was a superstar come to life. And when it was over he hugged all his teammates before they left the court and told them to hold their heads high.

“His jersey will hang in our rafters someday,” Underwood said.

But the brackets belong — once again — to the Ramblers. For a bit longer, the state of Illinois does, too.

Williamson, a senior, played one of his best games. Sophomore Marquise Kennedy was an unexpected marvel off the bench. There were many contributions and moments that added up to a victory even bigger and better than any achieved by the 2018 team.

Taking down a No. 1 seed? The state’s flagship school? A place that definitely doesn’t roll out any welcome mats for the kinds of players who end up at Loyola?

Maybe the only way to top all that is to win the whole thing.

Moser’s first game as coach came in November of 2011 at Illinois. It was the first of many blowout losses in a 7-23 season. That was the last time the schools met until Sunday.

“It means a lot to Loyola, where we were to where we are now,” Moser said. “And we’re not done.”

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Loyola 71, Illinois 58: How do the Ramblers and their fans like that No. 8 seed now?on March 21, 2021 at 9:46 pm Read More »