When Nick Hill joins the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s weekly conference call with other head coaches today, he expects a few questions from his colleagues.

Hill, the head coach at Southern Illinois, and his team began fall training camp late last week in advance of its scheduled Aug. 29 season opener at Kansas.

“We’re one of the first teams in the country to start training camp, college or pro,” he said. “I talked to a couple coaches around the country (already) about how things were going.”

During a media conference call Saturday, Hill discussed the numerous precautions his team and coaches are taking amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 150,000 Americans, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, and more than 7,500 in Illinois.

“The last six weeks, most of my time and the staff’s time has been about how we meet, how we eat, how we practice, and listening to the doctors and local health officials and meeting with them,” Hill said. “We’re only doing what they’re telling us we’re allowed to do. We have to default to the doctors and public health officials on, ‘Is this safe to do?’”

Hill and his coaches wore face coverings and face shields, while SIU’s players had plastic shields affixed to their helmets during practice.

The team has ordered cloth face coverings, which are expected to arrive by Aug. 10, that affix to the inside of a helmet and cover players’ mouths.

Among other precautions are having players meet in groups of less than 50, meaning the offense and defense are meeting separately. Those meetings are taking place in the Banterra Center, the Salukis’ basketball arena.

The team is using an outdoor locker room under Saluki Stadium to promote proper social distancing protocols and air flow, which can dilute the virus.

SIU’s coaches and staff members no longer meet in their usual conference room. Instead, those meetings have moved to the 120-seat team meeting room, Hill said.

The team, which had its first round of COVID-19 testing on Friday and is awaiting results, is doing 7-on-7 drills but has not done any 11-on-11 work as of yet, according to Hill.

Amid losing spring practices and dealing with months of COVID-19 uncertainty, Hill praised his team for its approach to the difficult situation.

“The guys have been really resilient, going back to when spring ball was cancelled,” he said.

According to Hill, team discussions have involved football – of course – along with latest news about the virus, developments in college athletics, and players’ concerns about safety and health.

“We’re teaching not just football,” he said. “It’s also the logistics of how you come in the building, how we meet. I’ve been proud of our guys as far as where their heads are at.”

Hill said the new gear has caused a few challenges.

On Saturday, the SIU coach said he learned that blowing a whistle while wearing a face shield can be difficult – and loud for the whistler blower. He also said wearing a gaiter-style face covering proved difficult at times while trying to blow a whistle.

Rain during Saturday’s practice led to several additional breaks for everyone to wipe off their shields and a change in the practice schedule.

“We’ve come to find out that 2020 is a lot like that,” he said.

Cody Crider, a sixth-year senior linebacker who has suffered multiple knee injuries in his career, said losing spring practice and access to the SIU weight room forced him to be creative.

Crider told the media he turned the garage at his home in Mayfield, Ky., into a weight room and also used Facetime to connect with trainers while doing rehab for his most recent knee injury.

When it comes to headlines about the pandemic and developments affecting college football, Crider said the team talks regularly about the latest news, and he and other teammates keep track on social media.

“My generation really relies on Twitter, so we’re checking that each day to see what’s going on,” he said.

Carina is an amazingly beautiful, talkative, yet shy, four-year-old, 12-pound (chubby) female green-eyed Tortie/Maine Coon-mix looking for a loving guardian.

Found as a kitten in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, she somehow found herself stuck under the hood of a car. Luckily a couple of women walking by heard her meows for help and she was brought to Friends of Petraits Rescue.

She was adopted as a tiny kitten, however she was returned recently after four years in her home when her humans purchased a Boxer puppy who tormented her.

After you’ve gained Carina’s trust, she loves to be brushed and purrs happily. She is very shy and sensitive, but her best friend in her former home was a 10 year old girl. She can share a home with another cat, but she’s had bad experiences with canines.

Carina has been vet checked, microchipped, spayed, vaccinated for rabies and distemper. She even had a dental and sadly had to have 10 teeth pulled. She has all her claws and she would like to keep it that way.

To meet and possibly adopt this special cat, please contact [email protected] for an adoption application. Her adoption fee of $150 benefits the rescued pets of Friends of Petraits Rescue.

She is being fostered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood.

I’m one of the few among my acquaintances who haven’t seen Hamilton on stage. I wouldn’t pay the extravagant ticket price, contending that nothing is a must see. Besides, I expected there would be a movie eventually.

Now there is a screen version — not an adaptation but a film of the actual 2016 New York production with the original cast. It’s on Disney+, where it will remain for the indefinite future. Last weekend I had my first viewing, on a television screen, of what many consider the greatest Broadway musical of all time.

Hamilton, in case anyone doesn’t know, tells the story of our country’s founding years. Along with Alexander Hamilton, major characters are Aaron Burr, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

I don’t know what I missed not seeing Hamilton on stage, but it’s hard to imagine an improvement on the filmed version. Turning off the TV after nearly 2¾ hours, I wondered: Can a stage production seen on screen be as good as the real thing?

I expect theater people would answer no. In The Guardian, theater critic Mark Shenton said just that, in fact, about the transmission of London plays into cinemas. (He mentions National Theatre London productions, a couple of which I saw at the Gene Siskel Film Center last year.)

“[I]t’s a second-best and also second-hand experience,” Shenton wrote. Among his arguments: Because the experience “lacks liveness,” the “circuit of communication between stage and audience” is missing. Film editors make the choice of what to look at for you.

Hermione Moby, The Observer’s arts writer, made the counterarguments. She saw Rory Kinnear’s National Theatre performance as Hamlet not at the National Theatre but in a movie house. “[W]atching Hamlet through cameras in fact made me look harder,” she said. “There were things I would have missed had I been watching from the auditorium.”

I agree. Any ticket I’d have bought for Hamilton would have been for a seat too far from the stage to see facial expressions. The screen provided close-ups. “The best seat in the house . . . actually kind of better than the best seat in the house,”Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton creator and star, has said about watching on film. (Admittedly, he has a self-interest in promoting the film now.)

Moby’s arguments were premised on watching a filmed play in a movie theater with an audience. I missed an audience experience of Hamilton, since I watched it alone in a living room, but there came a point where I stopped being aware of where and how I was watching the musical. I was simply engrossed.

Shenton has seen a lot more plays and knows a lot more about theater than I, so I’m hesitant to say he’s wrong. I’ll just say that what he calls merely a “better than nothing” experience was more than good enough for me, who’s more the average audience member.

And let’s be honest: One thing that makes a play (or a movie) a must-see is that it’s hot at a moment in time; if you see it then you’re able to be in the conversation when everyone around you is talking about it. That I did miss, but I coped. I’d be happy to discuss Hamilton on Disney+ with anyone interested.

*****

ANTI-TRUMP COMMENTS: 124TH IN AN ONGOING SERIES

“A normal leader would be grateful for a man like Fauci and follow his advice whenever possible. Trump has, instead, made a habit of contradicting his adviser and now, like a child, seems envious of him. . . . [T]he President really isn’t capable of changing direction and doing the right thing to save American lives. Left to his own devices . . . , he fell right back into irresponsibly touting a bogus drug treatment and pouting about a medical expert who really is a national treasure.”
— Michael D’Antonio, CNN

Hey everyone! Welcome back to “Styling with The Heath Dolls” We appreciate you coming back and we welcome all of our first time visitors! This month, we’re excited to show you how we recreated the looks of the beautiful Beyonce, Khloe Kardashian, Issa Rae, and Jennifer Williams using bold prints. Be sure to comment down below and let us know if you think we nailed it. We’re also excited share that you can shop most of our featured looks on our website! All photos were shot by Thomas of TK Photography Chicago!

Banana Leaves

If you know anything about fashion, you know that the Banana Leaf print has been a fav across the country! From A list celebs to runway models and influencers this print is a hit and we understand why!  The print is bright, bold and perfect for any Sunmer outing. The Heath Dolls are wearing a matching two piece set featuring a trendy crop top and knee length skirt. We paired the look  with their signature round sunnies and simple ballerina flats. You can shop this look now at http://www.Fancylikemommy.com

Photos by Thomas of TK Photography Chicago

Floral

We Channeled the beautiful Jennifer Williams in this white two piece. We love it because it gives us nothing but vacation vibes! The white crop top boast soft ruffles on the sleeves and bottom. The two layered skirt has comfy shorts under the long sheer overlay featuring a beautiful floral print. You can shop this two piece set right now at http://www.fancylikemommy.com/

Photos by Thomas of TK Photography Chicago

Leopard

Raise your hand if you love leopard print as much as we do. This comfy yet stylish romper is the perfect thing to add to your summer wardrobe. We also loves that it doubles a gymnastics suit! We Channeled Khloe Kardashsian bu pairing it with our signitute black oversized shades, a conac waist bag and a pair of our favorite sneaker! Shop the look now at http://www.fancylikemommy.com/

Photos by Thomas of TK Photography Chicago

Polka Dot

Polka Dot has been one of the classist print since the beginning of time. We love that you can find the print in a variety of different sizes and colors, but if we had choose its Black and White for us. To channel the look of the beautiful Issa Rae we were forced to put our creative hat on. What looks to be a dress is actually a waist length top worn dramatically off the shoulders. We then added a smaller polka dot crop top to create a layered ruffled effect like the one worn by Issa Rae. Mommy had so much fun recreating this look and we loved rocking it. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Photos by Thomas of TK Photography Chicago

Steve Bartman recently showed up in the stands during a Seattle Mariners game — in cutout form.

I get that there are some of these that are fun, but the Mariners should leave Bartman alone. This is on the LF foul line at T-Mobile Park. pic.twitter.com/e5VoziToiC

— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) August 3, 2020

Bartman, and many other fans, famously reached for a foul ball during the 2003 NLCS that Chicago Cubs leftfielder Moises Alou felt like he would’ve caught. Things unraveled after that and the Cubs missed the World Series.

With Bartman being the subject of intense ridicule following the incident, some thought it was in bad taste for the Mariners to poke fun at him.

“Wow,” one Twitter user wrote. “45 year Cubs fan here. Mariners should be ashamed. Lots went on in that series. Bad Dusty managing. Team stressing over the 95 year WS drought as of 2003. Alex Gonzalez blowing a routine DP. There will always be debate if Alou could make catch. But not the reason team lost.”