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A letter from the dark, thirsty and frozen Texason February 20, 2021 at 4:14 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

A letter from the dark, thirsty and frozen Texas

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For Black History Month, these are some of the legends who play the Saxon February 20, 2021 at 4:57 pm

I’ve Got The Hippy Shakes

For Black History Month, these are some of the legends who play the Sax

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For School Boards, It’s What They Do, Not What They Say That Countson February 20, 2021 at 5:44 pm

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For School Boards, It’s What They Do, Not What They Say That Counts

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Saturday’s high school basketball scoreson February 20, 2021 at 4:21 pm

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected]

Saturday, February 20, 2021

CATHOLIC – CROSSOVER

De La Salle at Leo, 2:00

Loyola at Providence, 3:15

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Deerfield at Niles North, 4:00

Highland Park at Vernon Hills, 4:00

Maine East at Maine West, 4:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – SOUTH

Evanston at Glenbrook North, 4:00

New Trier at Glenbrook South, 4:00

Niles West at Maine South, 4:00

DU KANE

Batavia at Geneva, 6:00

Lake Park at Glenbard North, 6:00

St. Charles North at St. Charles East, 6:00

Wheaton North at Wheaton-Warr. South, 6:00

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Herscher at Peotone, 11:30

Manteno at Wilmington, 12:30

Streator at Reed-Custer, 3:15

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Morris at LaSalle-Peru, 1:00

LITTLE TEN

Earlville at Hinckley-Big Rock, 10:00

Serena at Newark, 11:30

METRO SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Aurora Central at Riverside-Brookfield, 4:00

Elmwood Park at Chicago Christian, 5:30

McNamara at IC Catholic, 1:30

Ridgewood at Aurora Christian, CNL

St. Edward at Wheaton Academy, 7:30

Westmont at Timothy Christian, 6:00

MID-SUBURBAN CROSSOVER

Barrington at Rolling Meadows, 7:30

Conant at Elk Grove, 7:30

Fremd at Prospect, 7:30

Hoffman Estates at Wheeling, 7:30

Palatine at Buffalo Grove, 7:30

Schaumburg at Hersey, 7:30

NIC – 10

Auburn at Freeport, 1:00

Belvidere at Rockford East, 1:00

Belvidere North at Harlem, 1:00

Boylan at Hononegah, 1:00

Jefferson at Guilford, 1:00

NORTH SUBURBAN

Libertyville at Lake Forest, 3:00

Mundelein at Lake Zurich, 3:00

Stevenson at Zion-Benton, 3:00

Warren at Waukegan, 3:00

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

Harvest Christian at Alden-Hebron, 1:00

South Beloit at Our Lady Sacred Heart, 12:00

RIVER VALLEY

Illinois Lutheran at Grant Park, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Argo at Thornton Fr. North, 3:00

Shepard at Thornton Fr. South, 1:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Plainfield Central at Joliet West, 7:00

Plainfield East at Joliet Central, 7:00

Plainfield South at Romeoville, 7:00

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST

Oswego at Minooka, 7:00

Plainfield North at Yorkville, 7:00

West Aurora at Oswego East, 7:00

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Andrew at Bolingbrook, 12:45

Lockport at Stagg, 10:00

Sandburg at Lincoln-Way West, 12:00

TRI-COUNTY

Lowpoint-Washburn at Midland, 2:30

Putnam County at Marquette, 2:30

Roanoke-Benson at Woodland, 2:30

Seneca at Henry-Senachwine, 2:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

East Aurora at Fenton, 12:00

WEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Glenbard West at Lyons, 12:00 (Non-Conf)

Glenbard West vs. Hinsdale South, at Lyons, 1:00

Hinsdale South at Lyons, 2:00

Proviso East at Hinsdale Central, 12:00

Willowbrook at Proviso West, 12:00

NON CONFERENCE

Benet at Naperville North, 2:30

Hiawatha at Amboy, 2:30

Hinckley-Big Rock at Oregon, 7:00

Johnsburg at Marian Central, 7:30

Jones at Holy Trinity, 1:00

King at South Shore, 4:00

Lakes at Carmel, 3:30

Marian Catholic at DePaul, 5:00

Naperville Central at Glenbard East, 4:00

Neuqua Valley at Burlington Central, 10:30

Northridge at Walther Christian, 4:30

Notre Dame at Fenwick, 6:00

Prairie Ridge at Plano, 6:00

Schurz at Christ the King, 12:30

South Elgin at Jacobs, 1:30

St. Joseph at Nazareth, 3:30

St. Viator at Lake Forest Academy, 2:00

Streamwood at Huntley, 4:00

Tolono Unity at Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 3:30

Tri-Point at Iroquois West, 11:30

Watseka at Bismarck-Henning-RA, 7:30

Waubonsie Valley at St. Francis, 4:00

Woodstock at Elgin, 1:00

Young at Mount Carmel, 5:00

Many schools livestream games on the NFHS Network, which often charges fans to watch. However, several local schools stream games on their own that are free to watch. Some schools do all the games, some just home games and some select games.

If your school streams games, please send a link to the channel or home page to [email protected]. Here’s a list of all the schools that have submitted links so far.

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2 displaced in Evanston house fireon February 20, 2021 at 3:47 pm

Two people were displaced from their home after a fire broke out in their attic Friday in north suburban Evanston.

Firefighters responded about 1:20 p.m. to a report of black smoke and flames coming from the roof of a home in the 2100 block of Seward Street, Evanston fire officials said in a statement.

The fire was located in the attic and flames could be seen from the street, officials said. Crews extinguished the blaze about 30 minutes after the initial call.

Two residents escaped the fire before firefighters arrived and crews rescued a dog from the home, officials said.

A firefighter suffered a minor ankle injury due to “icy conditions,” officials said. No other injuries were reported.

The American Red Cross is working to provide housing and food for the two people displaced, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Chicago Bears: What does all the silence from Halas Hall mean?on February 20, 2021 at 1:00 pm

Chicago Bears (Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)
Chicago Bears (Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)

Over the last few weeks, the Chicago Bears have been linked to every quarterback that’s been in the rumor mill this offseason.

First, it was Matthew Stafford. Then Deshaun Watson and somewhere in between, Chicago was linked to Carson Wentz and still continues to be linked to Derek Carr.

The Bears have continued to be silent. While this is an organization that’s shown it’s not one to leak anything to the media, it’s hard to analyze how Chicago’s quarterback situation could play out.

The silence this time at Halas Hall is different for the Chicago Bears.

Remember, the last time Chicago operated in silence when it came to the quarterback position was in 2017. That silence landed the Bears Mitchell Trubisky, costing the franchise two third round picks and a fourth-round pick in the process.

Just five years after selecting Trubisky, Chicago is once again in the market for a quarterback. While Wentz having been traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a pair day two draft picks, Chicago’s options at quarterback are now dwindling.

For many, the silence at Halas Hall has led to some intriguing questions. By passing on Wentz, do the Bears have another option like Carr in mind? What about the possibility of trading for a guy like Watson? That would require trading away significant draft capital both now and in the future.

One significant aspect of the silence at Halas Hall which is being overlooked is that Chicago could even decide the best route to go this offseason at quarterback is retaining Trubisky on a cheap deal. The key word there is cheap deal for two reasons. First, Trubisky hasn’t shown anything to warrant being signed to a long-term deal. Second, bringing Trubisky back in 2021 would mean the Bears are once again playing musical chairs at the quarterback position during the 2022 offseason.

The silence could also mean Chicago is exploring its options at quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Bears aren’t going to land Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), who’s expected to go first overall. That leaves Chicago with the opportunity to trade up for either Justin Fields (Ohio State) or Zach Wilson (BYU). Fields and Wilson are projected to be top-10 picks, meaning Chicago would need to trade a 2022 first-round pick in order to trade up from 20th overall to acquire either.

Then there are two wild cards in Trey Lance (North Dakota State) and Mac Jones (Alabama). Jones has been labeled by some to be a perfect fit in Nagy’s offense, while Lance has earned the label of a player with all the tools and traits needed to be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL but is still very raw. Both could be options for the Bears at 20th overall but a trade up for either shouldn’t be out of the cards.

Next: Chicago Bears: Carson Wentz situation was all smoke

Overall, the silence at Halas Hall is something to monitor over the next few months. Chicago has operated in this capacity before and it lead to one of the biggest blunders in Bears history. While no NFL team is going to publicly disclose what their plans for quarterback are, whatever move the Bears make this offseason will impact the franchise for years to come.

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Chicago Bears: ESPN 1000 story about 2017 draft is horrifyingon February 20, 2021 at 2:00 pm

(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

By now, you know all about the horrors that come from the 2017 NFL Draft for the Chicago Bears. They selected Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick after trading up from pick three and left Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes on the board. It was a mistake that could keep the Bears from ever taking advantage of this window. It is something that the media is going to clown them for over the next few decades. When Ryan Pace ultimately gets fired, it will trace back to that exact moment.

The story of the Chicago Bears messing up the 2017 NFL Draft gets worse and worse every day.

ESPN 1000 is a delightful radio station. It is locally in the Chicagoland area and is perfect for those of us who love sports. Well, David Kaplan was on his show “Kap and J-Hood” on Thursday morning when he shared a story that he was told by Kansas City Chiefs radio announcer, Mitch Holthus. Kaplan asked Holthus to recap exactly what happened on that fateful night back in 2017.

Holthus shared that the GM of the Chiefs, Brett Veach, is best friends with Matt Nagy who was their offensive coordinator at the time. Nagy and Veach played football together at the University of Delaware and then worked with each other in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The two of them decided that they really wanted Patrick Mahomes out of the three quarterbacks.

The person with the final decision was Andy Reid. Nagy was instructed by Reid to turn a scouting report on all three quarterbacks. He knew Trubisky was a project with good talent, Watson was a proven winner and great player that had injury worries, and he called Mahomes a “generational talent” and a “must get”. Reid still needed more convincing so he had a five-hour meeting with Mahomes to talk football and watch film amongst other things. When they came out of the meeting and the rest, as they say, is history.

Meanwhile, up in Chicago, Ryan Pace did what he did without any consultation with the coach, scouts, or anything like that. It is a real shame but it shows how dysfunctional the Bears are compared to other organizations. The Chiefs had lots of collaboration before the final decision was made and the Bears had little to no due process. Now, the Chiefs have a generation quarterback that has been to three straight AFC title games, two straight Super Bowls, and has a Super Bowl title/MVP. He also has a regular-season MVP.

Hot: Could Kirby Dach return to the Chicago Blackhawks this year?

It is crazy to hear stories like this but they all make too much sense. The Bears are not very good and this draft is the biggest reason why. A lot of people believe that they are a team that would be a Super Bowl contender if they landed a great quarterback. Well, the Chiefs are great and the Bears are lousy because of the way each team does their business. If things don’t change, neither will the results.

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Chicago Bears Mock Draft: A whopping four trades shock the NFLon February 20, 2021 at 3:00 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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Chicago Bears, Khalil Mack

Chicago Bears (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears have a core of players that can win right now, but it will take some aggression in the 2021 NFL Draft to make it happen.

Over the past week, the Bears’ offseason has really come into focus. With the Carson Wentz trade finally going down, and Chicago opting to pass on his services, the quarterback position remains at the forefront.

General manager Ryan Pace must know this is his last chance, not only to get the quarterback position right, but to prove that he deserves to stick around in his current position. The Bears’ front office is not that smart, but they’re also not that foolish. If Pace botches the quarterback position for a fourth time, he’s done.

So, that’s what it’s about. It’s all about the quarterback from here on out. That’s where it begins and where it ends for this franchise. If they can’t get the quarterback right, the Bears won’t be going very far.

Will it be another trade, only this time for an unproven kid like Sam Darnold or Gardner MInshew? Or, will Pace get aggressive and move up in the draft?

A lot of fans prefer the latter, and quite frankly, that’s probably Pace’s best option. Free agency looms right around the corner, but when it comes to the quarterback, it has to be the draft — right?

Speaking of free agency looming, the Bears have a big issue on their hands with Allen Robinson. It seems as though Robinson’s opinion on the front office has been severely damaged, and people are wondering whether or not it can be salvaged. More than anything, people are wondering why Pace will not give him the extension he deserves.

In our latest 2021 mock draft, both the quarterback position and Robinson’s situation are addressed. Buckle up and get prepared for a whopping four trades, as the Bears gear up for a run in 2021.

Next: Round 1, Pick 15

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Our Native Daughters bring Black women’s voices, music to forefront in documentaryon February 20, 2021 at 2:00 pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Playing a banjo as a Black female artist is a form of activism for the four members of Our Native Daughters.

Their story, appearing in a new documentary called “Reclaiming History: Our Native Daughters” airing Monday on the Smithsonian Channel, is both personal and ancestral, connecting the stories of Black enslaved women to their own experiences dealing with constructs of genre, race and class.

Documented on video, Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell and Amythyst Kiah wrote together in 2018 in a tiny Louisiana studio and recorded the music in just 12 days. All of them play the banjo and have worked primarily in acoustical, roots music.

“We wouldn’t be here doing this, having this talk if it wasn’t for the strength and the resilience and tremendous wealth of that lineage that’s carried forward in us,” said Russell. “It was a healing experience to make this music together.”

Giddens has won a Grammy Award and a McArthur Fellowship for her exploration of Black musical history that has largely been whitewashed. But all of them have experienced dismissals of their interest in acoustic and folk music.

“Why, if you pick up a banjo, does someone assume it’s a white Appalachian thing? Why does someone assume if you’re Black, you must be doing urban music, whatever that means?” said Russell. “I am an urban Black country woman playing the banjo.”

“There is stigma, and there’s a lot of pain and there’s a lot of reasons why that is,” said McCalla.

“Songs of Our Native Daughters” which came out on the Smithsonian Folkways record label in 2019, focused on the stories of women during the transatlantic slave trade, but also the triumphs of Black women. One song focuses on Polly Ann, the wife of the steel driving folk hero John Henry, while “Quasheba, Quasheba” is about Russell’s African ancestor who was bought as a slave.

“People are ready to sit with this history and I think doing it with music, it’s like the best way to disarm a person,” said Kiah.

Kiah earned a Grammy nomination for her song “Black Myself” from this record, which she has re-recorded into a new version released on Friday. The song addresses the intra-racial discrimination that focuses on the darkness of a person’s skin, inspired by experiences she had seen in her own life as well as historical accounts.

“There’s this idea of the lighter that you can get, the more you’ll be respected by the white supremacist society that they were living in, that we are still living in,” said Kiah.

The documentary shows them on tour playing to largely white audiences, an issue that has prompted a lot internal discussions among the group. They aren’t responsible for how their music is marketed in a commercial music industry, but what does it mean if they aren’t reaching some Black audiences?

“We each have had frustrations with the way that American music is segregated,” said Giddens. “What we’re trying to do is dismantle the thing that is keeping the Black audiences from the show.”

Throughout the documentary, the artists explain the history of Black music and instruments that created the roots of so many different styles of modern American music. As Russell explains it, the music is global, mixing and traveling across continents through the African diaspora.

“As much as we need to face the pain of the past, we also have to bring forward the joy and the innovation. And I think that’s what we tried to do on this record,” said Russell.

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Chicago Bulls: Therapy for a Chicago sports fan, session 3on February 20, 2021 at 12:00 pm

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Chicago Bulls fans, like many Chicago sports fans in general, have plenty to deal with on a daily basis.

What do fans of each Chicago sports team have in common?

We all don’t trust ownership.

In response, I have decided to go to therapy for all of our fans. I’ve had two sessions so far. I’m hoping that this is my last session to avoid talking about the rage I have towards the Bears.

You may ask why we should go to therapy for a team on the rise like the Bulls? I would argue that this is the time we need it the most. When a bad relationship ends, it is most important to deal with the past trauma and work on ourselves.

There was a lot of damage done, but thankfully we have therapy for this.

Let’s get into our third session.

*Steps into therapy session*

Tim, I’m glad you decided to come back. I know you felt pretty good at the end of the last session; however, we have a long way to go. Remember; however, we are here now in the present moment.

So, how are you feeling today?

It’s nice to be back, Dr. Kristin. I watched a fantastic win the other night for the Chicago Bulls, and I want to talk about them.

Looking back as a fan, I can vaguely remember driving around post-championships in the late ’90s and hearing everyone honking their car horns after their final Championship.

Sadly, I have never seen this team win at a high level.

The sour taste of losing is too familiar, however. Life as an early Chicago Bulls fan consisted of way too many mock drafts, dreams, and excitement about potential draft picks like Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, and Marcus Fizer.

They have broken my heart as well — none worse, however, than the fall of Derrick Rose. I swear if I never got injured, the Bulls would have won at least one more Championship.

More from Chicago Bulls

Thanks for sharing that.

Anyway, I want to be present as we talked about last time.

There is good news here: Unlike some other front offices in this city, *coughBearscough* the Chicago Bulls saw an organizational problem this offseason and brought in actual basketball guys to fix it. Our new executive vice president Artrus Karnosvious was given complete autonomy by management and brought in a well-rounded front-office team to compliment him.

Our coach, Billy Donavan, has been fantastic. Donavan is the perfect fit to develop our young players while smart enough to play to their strengths. He knows how to push their buttons in the right way as well (See second-half benching’s vs. Pistons).

In contrast, Jim Boylen had no idea how to use his players. For example, he would frequently use three-point shooter Otto Potter in pick-and-roll isolation situations (in which he would lose the ball); While our best isolation players, Zach Lavine and Coby White, would stand around waiting. How about the fact that he shattered Lauri Markkanen’s confidence? Or his misuse of Thad Young? I still get upset thinking about last season.

See- I told you- I get stuck in these loops of frustration from the past couple of seasons’ ineptitude.

I’m going to introduce you to something called Snake Breaths. Let’s watch a video.

Have you seen this?

I am so confused right now.

That’s OK- One of the quickest ways to get back to the present moment is through your breath.

Watch me–take a deep breath in from your diaphragm, exhale with a long, slow hiss until you run out of air. You try this a few times.

*sounds of potential Parseltongue is heard echoing around the room*

Feel better now?

*nods*

I don’t want to deal with something.

And why is that?

I don’t want to accept that the Chicago Bulls may never be good enough to win a title any time soon.

We are so far away from being championship contenders. Once again, we lose to the good teams (Lakers, Clippers, Celtics), but beat up on the bad teams (Knicks, Hornets, Rockets, Pistons). Here we are, stuck in basketball limbo, which is impossible to break out of without a real superstar player.

*Does shaky snake breath*

Realistically, this team is young and learning how to win. There will be epic 25-point comebacks like they did against the Pistons on Wednesday, but there’s also going to be frustrating five-point leads blown in the final minute, as they did several weeks ago against the Trailblazers.

Hold on. Go back to what you were saying about a superstar player. Let’s delve more in-depth into that issue.

As a fan, I want to take back whatever little ounce of control I have by escaping and projecting fake off-seasons, mock drafts, and player trades. When it comes down to it, I’m struggling to trust these new front office people to fix this team because frickin’ GarPax destroyed my faith in the Chicago Bulls organization.

Can they even fix it, though? Dr. Kristin, I can’t hide from the fact it is SO RARE for a team to win an NBA Title without superstars. How will the new front office positively change our brand to get the superstars to sign here after GarPax messed it up so badly?

I don’t expect to sign one; we must bank on developing the team through the draft. What are the chances, however, of finding a superstar while drafting consistently in the 10-24 range? You don’t just luck into a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it’s not every day where you find a Nikola Jokic in the mid-’40s. It’s just not realistic to expect that to happen.

It. Sucks.

It sounds like you are projecting your issues into the future.

Alright, alright- the present moment. I get it. Look — My sister-in-law gave me a gift card for the Nike store for Christmas. I have wanted to get a Bulls jersey, and I have a perfect opportunity to do it.

The crux of my issue with the Bulls is playing out in this jersey conundrum. I feel like this purchase is me saying “I do” to this team, yet I’m not sure whose jersey to wear.

Well, this makes perfect sense. Once you slowed down, I heard a little more your fear of trust and commitment in your words.

Huh?

Well, you have talked about not trusting ownership in all your prior sessions. You’ve been hurt by all these teams once before. Why commit until they win again? Right?

That blows my mind.

You’re right; I like Carter Jr., but why commit to a jersey for an average player? I don’t want to buy Markkanen’s jersey either since he might not be here next year. I can’t buy White’s since his jersey is sold out; Honestly, I don’t want that jersey anyway.

Zach Lavine is playing out of his mind. However, I would feel so dumb if I dropped $110.00 on a player we could trade later in the season.

I need to think about this one.

That sounds like a good idea.

I do know one thing – I voted for Lavine to be an All-Star.

Awesome! Great progress today. Let’s end it the same way: If you could speak to one person in the organization right now to begin your healing journey, what would you say:

Cristiano Felicio. I would ask him how the heck he is still with the team after all of these years. I would also ask for advice on how to succeed at my job while doing minimal work.

How are you feeling right now?

A little mixed up, but this is mild compared to the session I’m about to have on the Bears.

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