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Chicago and most of the suburbs were moved into Tier 2 on Monday. That’s great news for lower-risk high school sports.

Chicago and most of the suburbs were moved into Tier 2 on Monday. That’s great news for lower-risk high school sports.

Per the Illinois High School Association’s announcement on Monday those teams can begin practice immediately and can play games “at a future day to be determined by the board.”

Lower-risk sports teams will be allowed to play games within their conference and region. Lower risk sports include boys and girls bowling, cheerleading, dance, girls gymnastics and boys swimming and diving and badminton.

Medium-risk sports in Tier 2 regions will be allowed to practice. There are no medium-risk sports on the IHSA’s current winter sports schedule. But on Friday, the IHSA said that spring and summer medium-risk sports at schools in Tier 2 can begin contact days on January 25. That would include soccer, volleyball and water polo.

Everything remains on pause in Will and Kankakee counties, which are still in Tier 3.

The IHSA successfully conducted seasons in golf, girls tennis, cross country, and girls swimming & diving through Sectional competition this fall, but all IHSA sports have been paused since November 20.

Tier 3

Region 7: Will, Kankakee

In this region all sporting activities remain paused.

Tier 2

Region 8: Kane, DuPage

Region 9: McHenry, Lake

Region 10: Cook

Region 11: Chicago

In these regions lower-risk sports can play games within their conference and region. Medium-risk sports are allowed to practice. No games are allowed. Higher-risk sports can hold no-contact practices.

Tier 1

Region 2: Rock Island, Henry, Bureau, Putnam, Kendall, Grundy, Mercer, Knox, Henderson, Warren, McDonough, Fulton, Stark, Marshall, Peoria, Tazwell, McLean, Woodford, Livingston, Lasalle

In these regions lower risk sports can play games, including tournaments and non-conference and out-of-state games. Medium-risk sports can play games within their conference or regions. Higher-risk sports can hold practices but not games.

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“The NCAA has to have the almighty dollar from the men’s tournament. The almighty dollar is more important than the health and welfare of me, the players or anybody else,” Mulkey said.

WACO, Texas — Baylor coach Kim Mulkey believes money will be the main reason the NCAA will continue playing basketball this season and hold its men’s and women’s tournaments amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“The answer is this: The season will continue on. It’s called the almighty dollar,” Mulkey said after the sixth-ranked Lady Bears lost 75-71 to Iowa State on Saturday night. “The NCAA has to have the almighty dollar from the men’s tournament. The almighty dollar is more important than the health and welfare of me, the players or anybody else.”

Over the last few days, the Virginia and San Jose State women’s teams decided to end their seasons.

“We have the pleasure of coaching a very resilient group of young women who have fought through injuries, COVID-19 protocol and all the mental battles that come with it,” Virginia coach Tina Thompson said in a statement. “So the decision to end our season midstream comes with great difficulty.

“As difficult as it is to end our season in this manner, it is a necessary one.”

They joined Duke and SMU as schools that had already ended their seasons after starting them.

College basketball teams are accustomed to being busy through the holidays, often absent for family gatherings on Thanksgiving in particular. During this pandemic-altered season, players were even more isolated with campuses largely cleared out and arena doors closed to fans in many places.

Many teams didn’t allow their players to go home over the holidays for fear of spreading COVID-19. Mulkey had a small gathering at her house and contracted the virus.

She returned to the sidelines Saturday for the first time since Dec. 19 and her team hadn’t practiced much over the last few weeks because of protocols.

“One conference does this, one conference does that. The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says this. Everybody is confused. I’m confused. I’m uncomfortable coaching. I understand, COVID is real. I’ve had it — come talk to me sometime. But I don’t know … all the calls and procedures, that’s gonna go on and make it unusual, uncomfortable for every program. We’re no different at Baylor.”

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Quite some time has passed since Chicago saw their favorite MLB teams take the field. Last fall, the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox saw their playoff dreams cut short in the Wild Card round. The White Sox lost their series 2-1 against the Oakland A’s while the Cubs were swept by the Miami Marlins. It’s safe to say that the question of who is the top Chicago MLB team remains unanswered.

Given the circumstances around last season with the pandemic, both ball clubs had a good year. Neither were favored to win it all, but postseason appearances were definitely on the radar for both of Chicago’s baseball teams. And now that they both accomplished that, the only question left is: What’s next? Well, that answer to that starts in the offseason, and we’re here to cover everything that our favorite MLB teams have done since last fall.

A Southside Spending Spree

Some of the most notable changes to the Chicago baseball landscape stem from the White Sox offseason moves. It’s clear this team wants to win. And they want it badly. Despite not knowing if or when fans will return to the stands, the White Sox organization has been on a spending spree this offseason. 

The first of the White Sox offseason transactions came at the end of October when the team picked up Leury Garcia’s contract option. Fast forward a couple months to December, and the team signed Jace Fry, traded for Lance Lynn, and also signed Adam Eaton. Eaton returns to the team after spending some years on the Washington Nationals. He’ll bring a strong offensive presence at the plate, which is an area the team certainly doesn’t struggle in. Jace Fry will join the Sox pitching rotation, another area that has seen a major boost in the last couple of days.

January 15 was the big day for the White Sox offseason. The team signed free agent RHP, Liam Hendriks, to a three year deal with an option in the fourth year. Hendriks, if anyone recalls, was previously part of the Oakland A’s and is considered to be one of the top closers in the MLB. He’ll join a pitching rotation which includes Lucas Giolito, who was also signed on the 15th. Lucas’s one-year contract gives the team time to figure out a long term deal next year. With all of these moves, the White Sox put themselves in a prime spot to overtake the Twins for the divisional throne.

Cubbies Maintaining the Status Quo

While the White Sox have made plenty of moves this offseason, the Cubs haven’t been as active. In fact, not many teams across Major League Baseball have either. The main reason for this is teams don’t know when they’ll have fans return and paying for seats. It’s causing them to tighten their budgets, delay acquisitions, and put a pause on rebuilds. In the case of the Cubs, there really haven’t been any big offseason transactions or additions. The team parted ways with Jason Kipnis, Jose Quintana, Jon Lester, and Kyle Schwarber. All of those players either declared for free agency, or had options that weren’t picked up. The Cubbies also moved Yu Darvish in a trade that saw them acquire Zach Davies from the Padres. The most notable moves for the Cubs come in the form of one year deals to their core, as Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Zach Davies, and Anthony Rizzo were all signed to new deals to avoid arbitration. Next offseason will certainly be a busy one for the Chicago Cubs front office.

When Will the MLB and Chicago Baseball Return?

It’s the start of a new year which means professional baseball will return before you know it. Some big dates to take note of are the start of spring training and opening day. This year, spring training is set to begin on Saturday, February 27. A full schedule of spring training games can be found on the MLB website. Once spring training concludes, the 2021 Major League Baseball season will begin with Opening Day set for April 1, 2021. Stay patient, fans of the MLB and Chicago’s teams, baseball is almost back!

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters and what we should write about next in the comments below!

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Woof! Bark! Meow! Your four-legged friends are more than pets, they’re family. And they deserve the best care possible. So whether you’re heading out of town or just need someone to watch Sparky for a few hours, check out these top dog walking services in Chicago. 

Windy City Dog Walkers

833 W. Chicago Ave. Suite 206, Chicago, IL 60642

Since 2002, Windy City Dog Walkers have been making hounds sit, stay, and rollover! From daily dog walks to cat care, the folks at Windy City Dog Walkers put emphasis on personal attention to meet any of your pet care or dog walking needs.

Chicago Pet Sitters

2144 N Wood St, Chicago, IL 60614

Looking for someone special to watch your furry friend? Consider Chicago Pet Sitters! They offer dog walking, feedings, play times, and just good company—or whatever you need. CPS strives to be the most accessible and dependable service in the Windy City.

Smart Paws

3916 North Broadway, Chicago, IL 60613

As a dog Mom or Dad, you want to be able to fully trust someone with your keys and pets. For this reason, Smart Paws only hires responsible animal lovers who will treat your four-legged friend as their own. All employees must pass a background check, and every walker has prior experience with dogs. 

Uptown Pet Services

Chicago, IL 60640

Their mission is simple: to love and adore your animal! Uptown Pet Services offers exceptional care through exercise, interaction and personalized attention. And that means more than just coming to your home for a quick visit. UPS routinely walks, plays, and trains your animal to make sure they’re getting some well-deserved, structured exercise.

West Town Walkers

1613 W Hubbard St Ste 2, Chicago, IL 60622

West Town Walkers guarantee great service at competitive prices! Their walkers and sitters are educated in basic training techniques and CPR certified so you can have peace of mind. They’ll even work with you on any behaviors you may want changed or are currently working on.

Windy City Paws

2523 W Eastwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Voted Best Dog Walker from 2017 to 2019 by Chicago Reader, Windy City Paws is the business of making pups (and owners) happy. WCP founder, Katie, started walking dogs all by herself and today the company has grown into a staff of seven with approximately 60 dog walkers and hundreds of clients throughout the city.

Urban Tailz

2528 N Linden Pl #1, Chicago, IL 60647

Flexible scheduling, an easy-to-use app, and detailed visit reports with GPS tracking are just a few reasons you’ll love Urban Tailz. Not only are they reliable and kind, the folks at Urban Tailz will go above and beyond to make your pooch’s day. 

Snappy Paws

Various locations

Through years of hands-on experience, the staff at Snappy Paws are well-trained and knowledgeable on all things pet-related. They specialize in providing professional custom pet care (hey, every animal is different!). It’s important they get to know your pet personally in order to offer you tailored care. 

Featured Image Credit: Sammy-Williams from Pixabay 

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Chicago Bears: Allen Robinson likes tweet linking him to Baltimore by Ryan Heckman

The Chicago Blackhawks are really struggling to not be a terrible defensive team.

The Chicago Blackhawks are a bad hockey team. They were projected by many to be one of the worst teams going into the season but it appears to be worse than we thought. You can’t overreact to just three games but you can be concerned about what has happened in the early going. In three games played so far this season, they have given up five goals in each game for a total of 15 goals against. They have a combined five goals total in those three games that they gave up 15 combined.

The problem is that for this season, it isn’t going to get much better. The roster that has been constructed is not good at all. Stan Bowman has been very unclear about the direction of the organization but this roster isn’t going to win anything. Not everyone they play is going to be as good as the Tampa Bay Lightning but the Florida Panthers faired just as well. Florida is a good team but they aren’t world beaters by any means. You would think they were with the way they played against the Hawks.

If they want to stop the bleeding at any point, the team defense needs to be way better. They have some nice players but they are very thin with depth. Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Alex DeBrincat are all good players who are entertaining to watch. For some reason, however, the coach has an issue giving ice time to some of the team’s best players.

Dominik Kubalik, a reigning Calder Trophy nominee, only played 13:13 in their most recent games against the Panthers. In the same game, Dylan Strome played for only 14:04. Those are two of the better players, especially offensively, in a game that they are losing by more than one goal sitting on the bench for most of the game. It is very strange to see and the coach will have to answer for it sooner or later.

The Hawks did show a little bit of fight in this most recent game, however. They came back from being down 2-0 to tie but it didn’t last very long. Less than a minute after Connor Murphy tied it, the Panthers took the lead again which flushed away any momentum the Blackhawks had. They ended up putting home two more to get to that total of five. If the Hawks don’t stop giving up goals in bunches like that, they are going to continue to lose.

Of course, the goalies could be better too. Collin Delia got the start against Florida for his second straight start. Malcolm Subban started the first game of the season last week and was bad as well. Each of them needs to play better otherwise they are going to see more time in the AHL than the NHL after this year. Chicago would be wise to make a trade at some point. It won’t matter much, however, so they might as well try to be involved in the lottery.

Hot: Not every Blackhawks opponent is as good as the Lightning

We don’t know what the future holds for players like Patrick Kane but he has to be so annoyed with what is going on. This team had a chance to be good for a few extra years but they threw that chance away. They have another one against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night and not giving up five should be the biggest key for them going into it. Hopefully, they are able to have a much better showing for the first time this season.

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Why will pass rusher Robert Quinn be the key to the Chicago Bears‘ defensive resurgence in 2021?

If there was one word to describe the Chicago Bears in 2020, it was disappointment. The Bears disappointed on offense, regressed on defense throughout the second half of the year, and never really seemed to get into any kind of rhythm which led to a tumultuous season.

However, if the biggest disappointment of them all was pass rusher Robert Quinn, who signed a five-year deal worth $70 million dollars during free agency in 2020. Quinn was signed for one main reason: To upgrade the Bears pass rush, teaming up with Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks.

Instead, Quinn did the opposite of that, sacking the quarterback just twice, have six quarterback hits, and 20 tackles. In other words, it was a season that Quinn failed to show up and produce, especially considering how much the Bears paid him. While we saw Quinn make somewhat of an impact towards the end of the 2020 season, his presence was never really felt on the field.

With the Bears set to have a new defensive coordinator in 2021, it’ll be important to maximize Quinn’s ability to rush the passer. However, first Quinn will need to get healthy. If he can participate in a full offseason, there’s no denying the fact that he can get back to his old ways, which saw him be a double-digit sack machine during the 2019 season with 11.5 sacks.

A healthy Quinn means that opposing offenses will need to decide between double-teaming Mack or Quinn on any given play. That would essentially allow for either one to have one-on-one matchups on any given play. For Chicago, this would lead to an increase in sack numbers.

Good defenses in the NFL are predicated on having a strong pass rush. Essentially, the more Mack and Quinn are able to get after the quarterback, the less time quarterbacks will have time to make throws. This can then lead to erratic decisions which the defense can take advantage of.

Getting Quinn going could also lead to an increase in turnovers for the Bears defense. Something that the unit struggled to do over the course of 2019 and 2020, Chicago will need its defense to produce turnovers, especially with uncertainty at the quarterback position and with the offense in general.

Next: Chicago Bears: Five things to learn from playoff teams

Overall, many expect the Bears defense to have a bounceback year in 2021. If this is going to be the case, then Quinn needs to get healthy and then produce at a high level if Chicago is going to get back to being an elite defense.

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