Why Dogs Make Us So Happy!citizen john q publicon August 30, 2020 at 4:23 am
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Bears put justice over football; Matt Nagy backs players mulling boycott of gameJason Lieseron August 29, 2020 at 11:39 pm
Danny Trevathan, entering his ninth season, has been one of the most influential players in the Bears’ locker room. | AP Photos
In their first public comments since protesting by canceling practice Thursday, the Bears continued their push for racial equality with strong statements after their scrimmage Saturday.
In the minds of many in the Bears’ organization, there was no better use of their time together Thursday than to have an honest conversation about racial injustice. The ongoing police brutality and systemic racism against Black people matters more than practice — or even a game.
The Bears joined the NBA, NHL and several MLB teams in drawing attention to a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, repeatedly shooting Black man Jacob Blake in the back and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. The NBA shut down for three days and the NHL for two — both in the middle of their playoffs — and multiple baseball games were postponed because of player protests.
The Bears arrived at Halas Hall early Thursday but never took the field.
‘‘Let me say this: Football is a game,’’ outside linebacker Robert Quinn said. ‘‘What we’re talking about is real life. One day we’re all going to be done playing football, and I’m going to still have to live as a dark-skinned, Black African American.
‘‘At the end of the day, my skin is dark and football is a game. And American history has shown that they belittle dark-skinned people. So while I’m playing this game, I’m going to play it to the full max. But I’m not going to put no game before my goddang life.’’
Quinn, a 30-year-old who grew up in South Carolina, spoke passionately after the Bears’ scrimmage Saturday at Soldier Field, as did linebacker Danny Trevathan and coach Matt Nagy.
Quinn continued driving home the point that being a professional athlete doesn’t insulate him from discrimination in society or when stopped by the police.
‘‘What happened in Kenosha is nothing,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s American history for you. People that look like me have been hunted for a long time. . . . This Kenosha thing ain’t no one-time incident.’’
In a sign of how much things have changed since former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick lost his career over taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016, athletes who boycott over the same issues now often are celebrated and supported.
Nagy, who promised after George Floyd’s death in May at the hands of police in Minneapolis to make these issues a priority, said flatly the Bears would support any player who felt compelled to sit a game as a demonstration against racial injustice. He said he was moved by the player-led meeting Thursday.
‘‘When that stuff happens and it’s very raw and it’s not scripted . . . it’s really, really making us strong right now,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘We’re really pulling together in a powerful way.
‘‘That day was about the players; it was about their voice. . . . It was their day, and I’m just very proud of where we’re at right now as a team. I think we’re as strong as we’ve ever been, together and united. It’s nothing but love right now for us. You just feel it.’’
In addition to Kenosha being only 35 miles north of Halas Hall, the story also hit close to home when Bears legend Brian Urlacher ridiculed the athlete protests and showed support for 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who is accused of killing two people amid the protests.
Urlacher’s social-media activity was so inflammatory that the Bears released a statement denouncing his views.
‘‘We saw it,’’ Trevathan said. ‘‘You have to see the bigger picture. There’s a bigger picture out here. If you really take a look, it’s real life. People might be stuck in their ways. Some people want to be stuck.’’
The Bears were one of 10 NFL teams to cancel practice Thursday. The handful of coaches who were setting up the field before it was nixed wore Black Lives Matter shirts that read ‘‘Am I next?’’ on the back.
The team resumed football activity with a walkthrough Friday in Lake Forest before somewhat simulating a game Saturday in an empty Soldier Field.
First college football game of COVID-19 era kicks off Saturday night: Austin Peay vs. Central ArkansasUSA TODAYon August 29, 2020 at 9:47 pm
In this Sept. 21, 2019, photo, Central Arkansas head coach Nathan Brown walks on to the field before a game. When Central Arkansas and Austin Peay signed up to play in the first game of the college football season, little did they know how notable it would become. The FCS schools will kick off the shortened season Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in the Guardian Classic before a limited number of fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown says “we are the show in Week Zero and the game to really kick off football, not just college football but also professional football.” | Eugene Tanner/AP
The FCS schools will kick off the season, which is shortened by the coronavirus, on Saturday before a limited number of fans.
There will be college football on Saturday night.
More than five months after the coronavirus pandemic shut down all sports, and even as several major conferences have opted against competing this season while others attempt to manage outbreaks of positive cases, the 2020 college football season will begin roughly as scheduled with a game between two teams from the Championship Subdivision.
Central Arkansas and Austin Peay (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) were originally scheduled to complete a home-and-home series in Conway, Arkansas, before the pandemic led the two teams to shift the meeting to the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
Not household names, the schools are among the better programs in FCS. Both teams reached last season’s playoffs, with Central Arkansas advancing to the second round and Austin Peay reaching the quarterfinals in winning a school-record 11 games under coach Mark Hudspeth, who abruptly resigned in July, citing the need to spend more time with his family. He was replaced on an interim basis by associate head coach Marquase Lovings.
As the only game of the opening weekend — known as Week Zero — and broadcast in prime time on ESPN, the matchup is expected to draw an audience starving for football content.
“This is different,” said Central Arkansas athletics director Brad Teague. ”And certainly because we’re the only game on Saturday and the first game of the college football season, the first NCAA contest since COVID shut it down in the spring, there is a lot more excitement.”
The chance to play on ESPN “is thrilling for these guys,” Teague said. “They’re very motivated and very excited. For our brand and for our national recognition and publicity, we’re very excited about that. We know it’s going to be very positive for us.”
The season opener provides a glimpse into how teams will handle the logistics of scheduling, planning and playing games while managing the health and safety concerns still posed by COVID-19.
Programs in the Bowl Subdivision have also been forced to reschedule individual games and even create entirely new schedules as conferences and specific teams drop out of competition. The Power Five leagues that have remained on track to begin the season in September have added conference games to the regular-season schedule.
Both teams will drive to the game on Friday and stay in a hotel overnight. Austin Peay will travel in four buses, one more than usual, with each bus at half capacity and with one person stationed per row. Every person in the Central Arkansas caravan will wear an N95 mask while on the bus, Teague said.
Central Arkansas’ testing protocols began with giving every student-athlete a gateway test — an initial test for the coronavirus — when they returned to campus. The athletics department has been testing athletes once a week since early August. There have been 300 tests administered across the past two weeks and just one positive result, Teague said, with the latest round of tests given on Wednesday.
In addition, Central Arkansas is requiring the bus drivers tasked with transporting the team to take a test for COVID-19 and have a negative result.
Austin Peay had an outbreak of 11 positive cases in June, leading the university to shut down all athletics for three weeks to recover and reevaluate existing protocols and procedures.
Several programs that discussed the logistics behind traveling to games with USA TODAY Sports said that roster sizes won’t change but the total size of the normal travel party will decline by removing cheerleaders, bands and superfluous staff members.
The smaller groups from Central Arkansas and Austin Peay will stick to the same distancing protocols used on campus or inside football facilities, limiting the amount of interaction players, coaches and staff members will have outside of hotel rooms.
“It’ll be a little different because under normal circumstances parents and friends could linger in the hotel lobby and hang out with players on the team,” said Austin Peay athletics director Gerald Harrison. “But that’s not happening now.”
The Cramton Bowl will limit attendance to a quarter of its 25,000-seat capacity, mirroring similar benchmarks used in the Power Five. Every SEC school that has announced attendance plans will allow capacity around 25% while adding measures requiring face coverings and prohibiting tailgating while shifting solely to mobile ticketing.
Both Central Arkansas and Austin Peay were allotted 400 tickets for athletes’ families and guests, Harrison said, while the remainder of tickets were sold online.
Unsurprisingly, the game is a sellout.
“We also understand the scrutiny that’s going to come with us playing while many others are not and being the first game when many have pushed back to September. We understand that,” Teague said. ”We’re ready to face those questions and talk about our safety protocols that have been in place really since June.”
Chicago Bears: Five concerns about QB competitionUsayd Koshulon August 29, 2020 at 1:00 pm
With the Chicago Bears competition continuing, what are five reasons to be concerned? The Chicago Bears quarterback competition will continue next week behind closed doors. As the team begins preparing for their week one matchup against the Detroit Lions, the hope is that either Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles begins to distance themselves from the […]
Chicago Bears: Five concerns about QB competition – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More
Chicago Cubs Rumors: 3 players to deal at trade deadlineVincent Pariseon August 29, 2020 at 2:00 pm
The Chicago Cubs could look to be sellers at the trade deadline for many different reasons. The Chicago Cubs got off to a red hot start when the 60-game 2020 season got underway. They were so good as they scored lots of runs and had dominant starting pitching. Well, it hasn’t been all that great […]
Chicago Cubs Rumors: 3 players to deal at trade deadline – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More
Chicago Bears will lean on defense early in the seasonPatrick Sheldonon August 29, 2020 at 12:00 pm
The Chicago Bears must rely on their defense early.
We currently sit just over two weeks away from the Chicago Bears taking the field in Detroit to face the Lions in the first game of the season. When they do, it will be unlike any other game any of these players have ever played.
For starters, the stadium will be completely empty (ok so maybe not that different than their previous games in Detroit — I kid, I kid). They will also enter the game likely feeling ill-prepared. This is not because Matt Nagy and the rest of the coaching staff have not done enough to get them ready. It is simply because their preseason routine has looked nothing like it has in every other year of their career.
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Chicago Cubs: 3 trade deadline sellers to partner withRyan Heckmanon August 29, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Chicago Cubs (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
If the Chicago Cubs end up buying at the 2020 MLB trade deadline, there are several possible sellers.
The 2020 MLB season has been anything but ordinary. For the Chicago Cubs, it began with quite a run out of the gate. After winning 10 of their first 12 games and 13 of their first 16, David Ross and his club looked as though they could end up making a serious run this season.
The starting pitching was lights out for a while, and still is one of the best rotations in all of baseball. To this point, Yu Darvish has been one of the top arms in the Majors with an ERA of 1.70. His season counts not only as one of the biggest surprises for the Cubs, but for the entire league.
As a team, the Cubs are still not too shabby overall with an ERA of 4.55 — good for smack dab in the middle of the league at 15th overall. However, that takes into account the entire pitching staff.
The weakest link of this Cubs team in 2020 is no secret. By far and away, it is the bullpen. Halfway through the season, fans have become used to a simple joke. When the starter finally gets pulled, it’s time to grab a drink.
It is fair to say that the Cubs’ batting has been poor, too. Currently, they are 24th in batting average and 17th in runs scored. Yet, this roster still has plenty of potential in terms of offense.
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When you have guys like Kris Bryant and Javier Baez batting .177 and .221 respectively, it’s tough to completely lose hope in this offense. Heck, Ian Happ has been the team’s best overall offensive player — what a breakout that’s been.
If Chicago goes out and buys at the MLB Trade Deadline, they will likely go after a bullpen arm in hopes that their starting pitching can continue to hold opponents down and the offense picks things up eventually.
There are several teams who could be sellers at this year’s deadline, but we take a look at five in particular.
On ‘big day’ for baseball, White Sox beat Royals, move into first-place tieBrian Sandalowon August 29, 2020 at 3:14 am
Yasmani Grandal and the White Sox celebrate his walk-off home run Friday night. | Getty
The Sox’ latest win came on the annual commemoration of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier.
Jackie Robinson Day is always an important date on the baseball calendar. This season, it felt even more consequential.
In purely baseball terms, it also mattered for the White Sox and Yasmani Grandal.
On Friday, the Sox beat the Royals 6-5 on Grandal’s ninth-inning walk-off home run that moved them into a first-place tie in the American League Central. The dramatic victory came on the annual commemoration of Robinson breaking the color barrier after it was shifted from April 15 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were waiting for this moment,” Reynaldo Lopez said, “and now that we’re [in first place], it’s a really sweet moment for us, and it’s a reward for all the work we’ve been putting in in the past and that we continue doing in the present.”
Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert also homered, Lopez allowed two runs in four innings and the Sox won a game that was moved up to 6:10 because of a forecast for inclement weather. And they made it interesting.
With one out in the ninth against Alex Colome, Kansas City’s Maikel Franco’s line drive fell into left-center. He overran first and was caught in a rundown but eluded Jose Abreu’s tag before getting to second. Abreu then threw home, but Grandal wasn’t expecting the ball, and it got past him, allowing Bubba Starling to tie the game at 5.
But Grandal made sure the top of the ninth was a footnote.
“I told myself, just take a shot, see what happens,” Grandal said. “If not, get on base and hopefully [Abreu] can get me in.”
The Sox’ latest win came on what manager Rick Renteria called a “big day for the game of baseball for what Jackie meant to us as baseball goes and as a society.” And as for athletes using their platform to raise awareness and work to bring change, Renteria said he’s “totally behind” any decisions players make to use their voices, and that it “behooves us to be able to listen.”
“It puts an exclamation point on some of the gravity and importance of some of the points that need to be made,” Renteria said. “It’s not a situation that’s comfortable for many, I’m sure. But they’re trying to emphasize and bring to light some of the things that they’ve been having to deal with over so many years. They’re probably saying, ‘Enough’s enough,’ and they want to make sure that there are changes truly occurring and there are adjustments to how we deal with everyday life.”
This was the Sox’ first game since Wednesday afternoon, when the NBA’s Bucks became the first sports team to choose not to play in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in the back in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Before this game, both teams observed a 42-second moment of silence in honor of Robinson and those affected by racism. And like in past years, everybody wore Robinson’s No. 42, though there was no additional demonstration.
Renteria said he spoke with a couple of players before the game and that Tim Anderson relayed that the Sox were ready to play Friday.
On Twitter, Anderson explained what the annual Robinson remembrance means to him, calling it a day of reflection.
“Jackie encourages me to speak out, be who I am and play the game in a way that gives me passion and excitement,’’ Anderson wrote. ‘‘He taught me that there is beauty in being the underdog. I will honor and respect #42, today and every day.”