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Column: It’s a big weekend between Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’ potential swan song and the underperforming White Sox

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’s audition for the New York Mets begins Thursday night at Wrigley Field, just as the White Sox arrive at a fork in the road in Minneapolis.This final weekend before the All-Star break figures to be a most interesting one for the Cubs and Sox, two teams that have tried the patience of their most patient fans.AdvertisementThe Sox have failed to live up to the high expectations that greeted the 2022 season, slogging around the .500 mark in the first half while manager Tony La Russa takes a beating on the postgame show. The Cubs haven’t even met the extremely low expectations most fans had for them in April, and are likely to trade the popular Contreras to the highest bidder, possibly even to the hated Mets.As the break nears, Chicago has witnessed some of the worst baseball it has seen in years. Entering Thursday, the Cubs and Sox had a combined .400 winning percentage (35-54) at home, seemingly saving their worst for the paying customers at Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate Field.AdvertisementLa Russa has done the unimaginable in his second year on the job: He has dominated the conversation on sports-talk radio, even on WSCR-AM 670, the Cubs’ flagship station. Not since former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has any local sports figure created as much heated discussion on the airwaves.Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa (22) stands in the dugout before the start of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Guaranteed Rate Field, June 23, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)It hasn’t translated at the box office, where the Cubs are still outdrawing the Sox by an average of about 8,400 fans per game. But it’s a lot more fascinating than the Rick Renteria era. The “Fire Tony” chants have been frequent enough on the South Side to jolt White Sox management, though not enough to consider making a change from the 77-year-old manager and BFF of Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.La Russa invites criticism and says he’s harder on himself than anyone else could be.“If you’re preaching accountability for the players, you better start with yourself,” he told reporters Wednesday. “I think our record should be better, so I should manage better.”Many Sox fans concur, particularly when it comes to La Russa’s decisions to call for intentional walks to hitters already behind in the count. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was trolling his critics, which include Ozzie Guillén, the former manager and star of the postgame show. Guillén called La Russa “Renteria with credentials,” a shot at both Renteria and La Russa. He later apologized for the Renteria shot.The Sox have Johnny Cueto, Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease on the mound this weekend for the showdown with the Minnesota Twins, with struggling right-hander Lance Lynn scheduled for Saturday. Winning three of four would end the half on a positive note and leave them within spitting distance of first. Otherwise it could be time to focus on the wild-card race.Meanwhile, beer cup snakes have received more attention on the North Side than the games on the field. Even Baltimore Orioles fans were able to take over Wrigley this week, thanks to the availability of tickets on the secondary market from disgruntled season-ticket holders. They loudly chanted “Let’s go O’s” during wins Tuesday and Wednesday as bleacherites stacked their cups and ignored them.In contrast to the “tough love” approach by NBC Sports Chicago to La Russa and the Sox, the Cubs are treated more kindly by their station, Marquee Sports Network, despite being on pace for a 99-loss season. AdvertisementAfter their sixth-straight loss Wednesday, analyst Rick Sutcliffe concluded on the postgame show that Contreras needs to be traded for the Cubs’ sake, and for Contreras himself so he can try to win another ring.Even as Contreras continually says he wants to remain with the only organization he has played for, the narrative he must go has been amplified on the network co-owned by the Cubs owners, the Ricketts family. Go figure.Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (40) walks through the dugout during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Wrigley Field, July 12, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)NBC Sports Chicago’s postgame shows remind you of a college radio station taken over by student radicals, while Marquee Sports Network’s postgames are closer to a state-run newscast spouting the government line. “It’s different here” is more than just a marketing slogan.So Contreras probably is as good as gone, though he doesn’t actually have to audition for the Mets. They know what he can do for them or any contending team that needs a top-hitting catcher/DH. But if Contreras wants to endear himself to New Yorkers, just in case he’s Queens-bound, this would be a fine time to do so. Mets fans are likely to take over the ballpark in bigger numbers than Orioles fans, and they’re louder by nature.Cubs manager David Ross said his players understand “it’s part of our business” when a team decides to unload valuable pieces for future assets. The Cubs, he explained, are only trying to speed up the timeline for winning.“We know we have All-Star caliber players that are really good,” he said. “Sometimes that timeline doesn’t match up where you get to keep those guys.”AdvertisementContreras’ days of playing for the Cubs at Wrigley seemingly are numbered, and like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez last July, he could spend some time this weekend looking around at his soon-to-be old home. After the break, the Cubs have only two home games remaining before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.The long goodbye has officially begun.By now everyone should be familiar with the drill.

Sports

Kyle Davidson had ‘healthy’ talks with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews about ‘tough decisions’ facing Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said he gave team leaders Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews a heads up about some “real tough decisions,” though he didn’t give them foreknowledge about the details of the moves he was planning.“It wasn’t specific about, ‘We’re going to do this,’ it was more in general that there are probably some real tough decisions that are going to have to be made,” Davidson told reporters Thursday at Fifth Third Arena. “You don’t know what you’re actually going to do, so you can’t necessarily say we’re going to telegraph it, because who knows if anything comes to fruition.Advertisement“But we knew there were some difficult decisions to come this summer, and we definitely put that in their court. So, it’s something they were aware could potentially happen, but not from a specific standpoint.”Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson talks about discussing “some really tough decisions” with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews regarding trading Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. pic.twitter.com/awnE1dwFVa— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) July 14, 2022

Davidson traded leading goal-scorer Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach on draft day, and he declined to re-sign Dylan Strome, Kane’s and DeBrincat’s linemate, as well as Dominik Kubalík, who often skated with Toews last season.AdvertisementToews, in particular, hasn’t received trades well in the past, such as when Davidson dealt Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning before this year’s trade deadline, and both he and Kane have been adamant that the team could quicken their turnaround if much of the roster was kept intact.That’s not going to happen now.Davidson said he has talked with Kane and Toews this week about the personnel decisions.“I thought it was healthy, open communication, open dialogue as it has been in the past. It was necessary,” he said. “It’s never easy losing great players and great friends off the team. So, it was important that we sat down.”Kane’s and Toews’ agent, Pat Brisson, told TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that his clients are “not necessarily in agreement with the direction the team is taking,” according to LeBrun’s tweet at the opening of the free-agent signing period Wednesday.But “they will let the dust settle first and then patiently make the best decisions for each player as it pertains to their respective careers,” LeBrun tweeted.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Davidson was asked if he sensed Kane and Toews still buy into the rebuilding plan.Said Davidson: “I think that’s probably more of a question for them, but I felt the meeting went well and (it was) open dialogue both ways. It was a healthy process, so they’re both here and chatting with them and keeping that communication open.”AdvertisementWhile there has been speculation that parting ways would benefit both sides, Davidson reiterated his stance that he wants the three-time Stanley Cup winners to stick around.“From our perspective they offer so much value to being here,” Davidson said. “Not only are they great on the ice, but all of the experience and all of the professionalism and what they know and what they know of the NHL and the lifestyle is something that’s invaluable when bringing younger players into the organization.”Davidson bemoaned his lack of a pipeline when he inherited the job but has brought an infusion of prospects in short order — including 11 draft picks.However, he said, “You can’t just have a full NHL team of ‘kids.’ That wouldn’t be fair to those young players coming in, so you need great veterans. That’s something you need around the room and to help them in their development.”Those “great veterans,” Davidson said, include Kane and Toews.

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Home at last

There’s a scene near the end of Albany Park Theater Project’s Homecoming (the company’s first live show since the pandemic began) where the cast sings “With…

Sports

U.S. attorney sues Cubs alleging disability law violations with Wrigley Field renovations

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday alleging the recent overhaul of Wrigley Field violated federal law by failing to make the park “appropriately accessible” to fans who use wheelchairs or have other disabilities.The 19-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court comes nearly three years after it was revealed that federal authorities had launched an investigation into whether the Cubs’ $1 billion, five-year renovation of the century-old ballpark met the standards of the Americans With Disabilities Act.AdvertisementThe suit alleged that the extensive rebuild of the bleachers and lower grandstand, which was dubbed the “1060 Project,” failed to provide wheelchair users with adequate sightlines as compared to standing patrons.In the lower grandstand, the suit says, “a wheelchair user can barely see any of the infield when spectators stand up—often during the most exciting parts of the game.”AdvertisementIn general admission areas, wheelchair seating is largely clustered in the last row of seating sections, according to the suit. The design also failed to remove architectural barriers to access in unaltered portions of the ballpark. > > > Read the lawsuit: U.S. attorney sues Chicago Cubs alleging disability law violations Handicapped-accessible seating at the back of the 200 level terrace reserved seats on May 9, 2018 at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)The Cubs also failed to incorporate wheelchair seating into new premium clubs and group seating areas, such as the Catalina Club in the upper deck and the Budweiser Patio in right field, the suit stated.The lawsuit names as defendants the Cubs and other corporate owners and operators of the Wrigley Field facility. The suit seeks declaratory, injunctive, and monetary relief to remedy the alleged ADA violations.A spokesperson for the Cubs could not immediately be reached.The suit includes photos of some of the worst alleged violations of federal law, singling out the overhaul of the bleachers as being particularly bad for wheelchair users.“The Cubs’ decision to cluster wheelchair seats on the porches not only isolates wheelchair users from other fans and confines them to the worst seats in the bleachers, it also inhibits their ability to watch the game,” the suit stated. “This is because the wheelchair seats on the porches were not constructed to provide lines of sight to the field over standing spectators.”Afternoon BriefingDailyChicago Tribune editors’ top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.Instead, the suit stated, the wheelchair seats rely on a policy that “discourages but does not preclude bleacher fans from sitting and standing in the two rows immediately in front of the wheelchair spaces.” Though the rows are roped off and ushers are supposed to enforce the rules, spectators still wander in front of the seats, according to the suit.AdvertisementThe “Batter’s Eye” area in dead centerfield, which is covered with a mesh tarp and gets abnormally hot in the summer, has also been the subject of numerous complaints from wheelchair users, the suit alleged.The Cubs first filed notice of the federal review in December 2019 as part of a lawsuit brought by a wheelchair-bound fan alleging seating for those with disabilities was in fact worse than before the renovation.At the time, a lawyer representing the team wrote a letter to the judge saying the Cubs believed the overhaul had “significantly increased the accessibility of the ballpark.”The letter said compliance with the ADA “is of critical importance to the Cubs, as is ensuring the accessibility to all fans to Wrigley Field, a historic and aging ballpark with a limited physical footprint.”Team spokesman Julian Green said at the time that the Cubs planned to “fully cooperate” with the review.jmeisner@chicagotribune.com