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Sports

Gary Moeller, who coached Michigan to 3 Big Ten football titles as Bo Schembechler’s successor, dies at 81

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Gary Moeller, who succeeded Bo Schembechler as Michigan’s football coach and later led the Detroit Lions as interim coach, died Monday. He was 81.The University of Michigan announced his death, and no cause was provided.AdvertisementMoeller was promoted from offensive coordinator to lead the Wolverines program in 1990 and was 44-13-3 over five seasons.“Gary Moeller was a great family man, great friend, great coach, and a man of integrity and high character,” Lloyd Carr, who succeeded Moeller as Michigan’s coach, said in a statement. “I admired him, I respected him and I loved him.”AdvertisementA two-time Big Ten coach of the year, Moeller won a conference championship in each of his first three years and had four bowl victories, including the 1993 Rose Bowl over Washington. He resigned in May 1995, less than a week after he was arrested on charges stemming from a drunken outburst at a restaurant in suburban Detroit.Moeller bounced back in his personal and professional life, becoming tight ends coach for the Cincinnati Bengals that same year. He went on to lead the Lions linebackers and was their interim coach in 2000 after Bobby Ross quit midway through the season.Moeller was 4-3 as Lions interim coach and was perhaps a missed kick away from keeping his job. He was fired after Paul Edinger made a 54-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to lift the Chicago Bears to victory in the regular-season finale, knocking the Lions out of playoff contention.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“He also suffered bad breaks and poor timing in his career,” former Michigan player and broadcaster Jim Brandstatter said. “But you never heard Gary Moeller complain or make excuses. He was a class act. He was a good man.”The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Moeller to be their defensive coordinator in 2001, and he later coached the Bears linebackers for two seasons.Moeller, who was from Lima, Ohio, played linebacker and was a captain for Woody Hayes at Ohio State. He was an assistant for Schembechler at Miami (Ohio) and joined him on his first staff at Michigan in 1969.Moeller struggled in his first head coaching job, going 6-24-3 from 1977-79 at Illinois. He returned to work for Schembechler and later made a successful transition to coaching offense and became an innovative coordinator.With a relatively wide-open approach and willingness to throw the ball as head coach, he helped wide receiver Desmond Howard win the Heisman Trophy in 1991 during a stretch in which the Wolverines set a Big Ten record by winning 19 straight conference games.Advertisement“He was one of the giants in modern football history at Michigan,” Brandstatter said.He is survived by his wife, Ann, their daughters, Susan, Amy and Molly, and their son, Andy, who was a linebacker and captain for the Wolverines and an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns.

Sports

Dodger Stadium concession workers authorize a strike vs. Levy Restaurants — 1 week before MLB All-Star Game

LOS ANGELES — Concession workers at Dodger Stadium have voted to authorize a strike days ahead of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game festivities in Los Angeles.Workers employed by concessionaire Compass Group and its subsidiary — Chicago-based Levy Restaurants — voted 99% to authorize a strike, which could begin at any time, according to Unite Here Local 11. The union is seeking what it calls “a fair new contract.”AdvertisementLevy employs nearly 1,500 food servers, bartenders, suite attendants, cooks and dishwashers at the stadium, which will host the All-Star Game for the first time since 1980. Events begin Saturday and culminate in the game on July 19.“They are the backbone of our tourism and sports industry, yet many struggle to stay housed and to make ends meet,” said Susan Minato, co-president of the union. “No worker should have to continue to live like this.”AdvertisementThe union represents more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona.The Major League Baseball Players Association said Monday it stands with the stadium workers.“They deserve to be treated fairly and will continue to have the 1,200 members of the MLBPA behind them,” a statement said.

Sports

Dylan Cease, left off the All-Star team, is focused on improving. ‘There’s still room to get better,’ the Chicago White Sox starter says.

CLEVELAND — Dylan Cease ranks among the best in the American League in several pitching categories.He led the league in strikeouts per nine innings (13.01) entering Monday and was second in strikeouts (133) and fourth in ERA (2.45).AdvertisementDespite the impressive numbers, Cease’s name did not appear Sunday afternoon when Major League Baseball announced the pitchers and reserves for this year’s All-Star Game.“It’s disappointing, but I can’t control it so I’m just going to focus on what I can control,” Cease said before Monday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.AdvertisementCease will be back on the mound Tuesday in Game 2 of a split doubleheader against the Guardians. Davis Martin is slated to pitch Game 1.Cease has built on his 2021 season, when he showed growth while going 13-7 with a 3.91 ERA and 226 strikeouts.[ [Don’t miss] Column: White Sox need more than a couple of wins to prove they’re a serious threat in the AL Central ]He’s 7-4 in 17 starts, and his 2.3 WAR is seventh among AL pitchers, according to Baseball Reference.“He’s got the type of stuff that could be special,” Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal said last week at Guaranteed Rate Field. “He’s made huge strides from the first year I got here to now.”The All-Star pitchers and reserves were selected via a combination of the player ballot — a vote by players, managers and coaches — and by MLB, according to the All-Star Game release distributed Sunday.Cease has received support throughout baseball after his name wasn’t on the list. Former teammate Carlos Rodón told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly that Cease “put together a first half better than a lot of guys on that list.” Carlos Rodón said an All-Star snub hurts more for guys who haven’t received the honor in the past. He seemed more bothered that his former White Sox teammate, Dylan Cease, was left off. “He put together a first half better than a lot of guys on that list.”— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 10, 2022

Cease said Rodón’s comment “means a lot.”“Carlos and I are good friends, so it was cool he had my back like that,” Cease said.AdvertisementA chance remains that Cease could be added as a replacement if spots become available, which often happens in the lead-up to the All-Star Game. The game is scheduled for July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.“A lot of things happen within the last week, so I wouldn’t give up,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said.Cease is concentrating on continuing to elevate his game.“In my mind I think there’s still room to get better as always,” he said. “If I continue to focus on what I think needs to be fixed and I just continue to take care of the basics and fundamentals, it should take care of itself.”[ [Don’t miss] Tim Anderson is ‘very thankful’ to be the 1st White Sox shortstop to start the All-Star Game since 1970 ]Still, he’s glad to see some of the work he has put in paying off.“It’s definitely more fun when you have good results, and this is definitely the most competent I’ve ever been as a pitcher, the best numbers I’ve put up, all of that,” Cease said. “It’s a little disappointing that as a team we aren’t where we want to be. That would be the most fun, good numbers and team’s doing well. But I’m pretty proud of myself and happy with a lot of the adjustments that have been made.”AdvertisementThe Sox began their final trip before the All-Star break with the first of four games in three days against the Guardians. That’s followed by four in Minnesota against the first-place Twins.Chicago #WhiteSox president Ken Williams addressed the players and staff on Friday about their underachieving performance this season, reminding them of their talent, but that it was time to focus and pull together. No one was absolved, from staff to players, for the team’s woes.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 11, 2022

They entered Monday with a 41-43 record, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote Sunday, “There have been a lot of whispers of unrest, cliques and the lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse tearing apart this talented team.”La Russa said of the report: “You always wonder who the sources are, where the information came from. Not really worth much unless you know that. I think I’m closer to it than whoever the sources are. Our coaches are closer to it. But you know, when you have expectations, talked about it and they’re disappointing, there ain’t no free lunch.“I like the veterans. And I like the way our young guys respond to their responsibilities and their willingness to step forward. It’s a terrific mix. That’s why stuff like that always is something. Put it this way: Either whoever the sources are are right or the coaches and I are wrong. So you take your pick. You watch us, you can agree wherever — it’s the beauty of this situation. Everybody has their own opinion, just like strategy. Either they’re right or we are wrong.”Cease likes the team’s chemistry.“It honestly makes coming into the clubhouse and to the park a lot more enjoyable,” he said. “I consider this a pretty close-knit group, so, yeah, it’s definitely not an issue on this team.”

Sports

Zach LaVine says, ‘My heart was in Chicago,’ in signing a maximum deal with the Bulls — and he’s ‘excited’ to welcome his 1st child

When Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine entered his first summer as an unrestricted free agent, he kept his cards close to the vest.The two-time All-Star guard said he couldn’t commit to remaining in Chicago and planned to take as many calls as possible to weigh the market as he pursued a maximum contract.AdvertisementBut in the end, LaVine said he didn’t take a single meeting with another NBA team. Within the first 24 hours of the free-agency window, LaVine had committed to a lucrative future — $215 million over five years — while chasing a title with the Bulls.“My heart was in Chicago,” LaVine said during a Monday news conference.AdvertisementLaVine said he approached free agency with an “open mind” and researched other teams before sitting down for a dinner with Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas, general manager Marc Eversley and coach Billy Donovan. After building the roster around him the last two years, LaVine said the front office didn’t hesitate to grant all of his requests.He described the dinner as celebratory — and, he added, an opportunity to get the front office to pick up the tab for some expensive wine.[ [Don’t miss] Marko Simonović hopes to earn a Bulls rotation spot after bulking up in the offseason: ‘I’m ready to work’ ]“Once they came to me with everything I wanted, there was no other reason for me to go outside and look at any other team,” LaVine said. “I think that would have been pretty disrespectful on my end. They gave me everything I asked for.”While other Eastern Conference teams made blockbuster trades for new centerpiece players this offseason, the Bulls stuck to their plan to maintain the same core unit from last season. They have added only five new faces to the roster: veterans Andre Drummond and Goran Dragić and rookies Dalen Terry, Justin Lewis and Javon Freeman-Liberty.Despite a quiet free-agency period, LaVine voiced excitement about the Bulls additions. He described Terry as an “exciting, competitive” player and said he exchanged texts with Dragić and Drummond, who hopes to train with LaVine in California later this summer.LaVine said the Bulls believe they can improve on the 2021-22 season with the same starting group.Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) and forward DeMar DeRozan (11) head to the locker room after a playoff loss to the Bucks at the United Center on April 24, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)“People are going to move each and every year, and there’s still a lot of movement that can happen during the offseason,” LaVine said. “It’s just teams trying to get better and better, and I think we’re trying to do the same thing as well. “You know, we added some additions, but … we wanted to run it back. I think that’s what (Karnišovas) and Marc wanted to go after and really see what this team was like whole and healthy. So I’m fine with it. I understood how good we were in the first half of the year, but we’ve got put two halves together.”AdvertisementDespite making the playoffs for the first time and earning his second All-Star distinction, LaVine’s 2021-22 season ended on a bitter note as he struggled through a left knee injury, missing games and flying to California for a midseason injection.LaVine said he’s feeling “way better” after undergoing arthroscopic surgery in May, describing the procedure as “run of the mill.” He’s back in the weight room and on the court less than two months after surgery and expects to be full speed for training camp.“I’ve been doing all the good stuff and all the boring stuff,” LaVine said. “You have to start slow like always, but I feel really good.”[ [Don’t miss] John Bryant embraces coaching the Bulls summer league team after his father’s death: ‘He’d be so proud of me’ ]Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Despite the significance of securing a maximum contract, the biggest news of LaVine’s offseason had nothing to do with basketball. He announced earlier this week that he and his wife, Hunter, are expecting their first child.LaVine flashed an uncharacteristically large smile as he talked about becoming a new parent, citing his relationship with his father as an inspiration as he prepares for his family to expand.“That’s bigger than basketball, bigger than everything,” LaVine said. “I’m nervous, anxious, excited. … I know how to play basketball — but this is something I haven’t done yet.”AdvertisementWhile LaVine is feeling the pressure of his impending new role off the court, he expects to feel the same next season on the court — even with a max contract.When the Bulls return to Chicago for training camp in two months, LaVine said he’ll be excited to get back to business.“There’s no extra added pressure,” he said. “It’s just who I am. (There are) goals and things I want to reach within how much better can we get as a team, but there’s no added pressure. “I think this is just a compliment of a lot of hard work and showing what type of player I am.”