Author: staff

Sports

Column: Uncertain futures of Patrick Kane and Willson Contreras are just the way of the world in the age of the rebuild

Patrick Kane and Willson Contreras are two elite players in their respective sports and fan favorites in Chicago, where they’ve spent their entire careers.Both know what it’s like to play on a championship team and have recently experienced the flip side, toiling for two of the worst teams in their leagues.AdvertisementThe Hall of Fame-bound forward from Buffalo, N.Y., and the All-Star catcher from Venezuela might have little in common, but now both Kane and Contreras are looking at the possibility their stays in Chicago could soon be over.The Cubs have failed to come to an agreement on an extension with Contreras, who is expected to be dealt before the Aug. 2 trade deadline. It’s a story that has been talked about all season, and the clock is ticking toward the deadline.AdvertisementKane has one season remaining on the eight-year deal he signed with the Blackhawks on the same day as teammate Jonathan Toews in 2014. But with the Hawks in full teardown mode and sidekick Alex DeBrincat having been dumped on draft day for a first-round pick, it makes little sense for Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson to keep such a valuable trade asset as he starts the rebuild.Nothing is written in stone, and maybe one or both will stick around. But Cubs and Hawks fans are braced for the worst, knowing the way of the world and the lengthy process of rebuilding a team.Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (40) is unable to tag out Milwaukee Brewers baserunner Mike Brosseau (20) at home plate as Brosseau scores in the fifth inning at Wrigley Field, June 1, 2022. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)Athletes come and go, a fact of life you learn to deal with from a young age after your favorite player suddenly leaves via trade or free agency. Maybe you cry or curse or declare you’ll find a new team. But eventually you get over it.The jersey your parents bought with the player’s name and number gets folded up neatly and put in a closet. Years later, when you’ve grown up and learned to accept the harsh business of professional sports, you look at that old jersey and fondly remember how much you cared about someone you never really knew.It’s the cycle of life for every sports fan. From Bobby Hull to Javier Báez, you learn nothing lasts forever and no one is irreplaceable.Contreras has handled his situation as well as can be expected, saying all the right things about his love for the organization and the support of Cubs fans. After watching the sell-off of Báez, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant last summer, he knows how this all works.“I would love nothing more than play for the Chicago Cubs the rest of my life,” Contreras said Friday in Los Angeles. “Obviously those kind of things are out of my control, but I’m really excited and proud and humbled to be a Chicago Cub.”Wishful thinking. In a year or two he’ll no doubt return to Wrigley Field to a standing ovation. The Cubs will show Contreras’ highlights on the video boards, and perhaps team President Jed Hoyer will present him with an innings window — his No. 40 — from the old center-field scoreboard.AdvertisementThe “homecoming” of the former player has become a cliché in sports, as we recently witnessed in Atlanta with Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman’s tearful return. The Hawks did likewise this season with Duncan Keith’s return as an Edmonton Oiler.We haven’t heard what Kane thinks about the Hawks’ full-scale surrender. His agent told TSN analyst Pierre LeBrun they were not “going to make any decisions or comments at this point,” which makes sense. Kane holds the cards with a no-movement clause, so why show them now?Twitter went crazy over the weekend speculating over a possible trade to the New York Rangers, which would bring Kane closer to his native Buffalo while giving him a chance to win another Stanley Cup. That would be a serendipitous scenario, much like the road former Hawks great Steve Larmer took by winning his first and only Stanley Cup with the 1994 Rangers. Larmer was traded early in 1993-94 after 13 seasons in Chicago.“From not knowing what was going to happen to me to winning the Stanley Cup, it’s been an incredible journey,” he told me that night after hoisting the Cup in Madison Square Garden.Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane handles the puck during the first period against the St. Louis Blues, Feb. 27, 2022, at the United Center. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)Most of us envisioned Kane and Toews retiring as Blackhawks. Perhaps that’s still a possibility, but it now seems like a long shot for Kane. While he and Toews are in the same boat, Kane is much more valuable than his longtime teammate, who was held to career lows in goals (12) and points (37) last season after sitting out 2020-21 with a medical issue.Before their arrival, the Hawks were 29th in NHL attendance at less than 13,000 per game. But they led the team to three Cups and turned the franchise from a laughingstock into a success story under billionaire owner Rocky Wirtz.AdvertisementDavidson told reporters on draft day that he would like Kane and Toews around to “set the example for younger players coming in.” That’s a nice sentiment but out of touch with reality. If you’re trying to lose — and that’s obviously the game plan — you might try to at least deal Kane to get some good young prospects.While Kane is eligible to sign an extension July 13, that seems unlikely at this point. Whether he wants to stay and lose for the only organization he has known will be up to him.Maybe he values playing for only one team in his NHL career. Or perhaps, like Larmer, he values winning over everything else.Either way, Kane and Contreras have provided Chicago with moments that never will be forgotten, much like Keith, Báez and many other local legends.No one is guaranteed a Hollywood ending, no matter how much joy they brought us.It’s just the way of the world.

Lifestyle

How to treat leaf scorch amid record-breaking summer heat

When plant leaves turn yellow or white or get brown at the edges in summer, it’s likely a sign the amount of water they’re getting is not keeping up with the heat and sunlight they endure.The condition is called leaf scorch. “It can happen in hot spells, which we’re certainly having this summer,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum. Leaves need to be full of water for plants to cool themselves in hot weather and avoid drying out in the sun.AdvertisementPlants can easily be scorched if the conditions have changed so they are getting much more sunlight than they can handle. For example, if you have a tree trimmed, the new gaps may suddenly admit too much sun for shade-tolerant species such as hostas.Young trees, which don’t have enough of a root system to store much water, are easily scorched. A tree that lacks sufficient water will first show scorched leaves on the top and the sunny side.AdvertisementSolomon’s seal and hostas, both shade-tolerant plants, are scorched by unaccustomed sun after tree branches overhead were trimmed. Any plant can be scorched if it does not have a sufficient water supply in the soil to resist drying out. (Beth Botts/Morton Arboretum)“The only preventive for leaf scorch is to make sure plants consistently have enough water,” Yiesla said. That means watering deeply, until water soaks several inches into the soil.The best way to check if the soil is well moistened is to dig a small hole and touch the soil 2 to 3 inches down to see if it feels moist. The soil should feel just moist, not sopping wet. “Soil that is too wet can cause rot and actually prevent the plant from absorbing water,” Yiesla said.Check the soil often to make sure the plants have a steady supply of moisture for their roots. “You see the damage in the leaves, but it’s the roots that need to absorb the water,” she said. A layer of mulch will prevent moisture from evaporating and keep the soil around the roots moist longer.Generally, leaf scorch will affect the leaves on the top and outer edges of the plant. To improve the plant’s appearance, you can remove those leaves down at the base of the plant or at a main stem. “Just make sure you have watered deeply first, so that the newer green leaves you expose to sunlight have enough water to resist getting scorched themselves,” Yiesla said. Don’t fertilize an affected plant; that would stimulate new green growth that would be extra vulnerable to scorching.Leaf scorch is not the only possible reason for browned leaves. It can also be due to bacterial or fungal infections. Herbicides and fungicide sprays drifting onto plants can cause leaves to brown. Too much fertilizer can dry out plants, since chemical fertilizers are basically salts.Lawn grass that is not regularly watered usually gets a brown cast in July and August as individual leaves turn brown. “That’s a sign of dormancy, which is part of the grasses’ natural life cycle,” she said. “They only stay green if we prevent the natural dormancy by watering.” The grass will green up when cooler, wetter weather returns in fall.If you’re worried about browning leaves, experts and resources such as the Plant Clinic can help you identify the cause. But first, water. “Whatever the problem is, a sufficient supply of water in the soil will help plants resist stress,” Yiesla said.When a large area of plants is scorched, such as that bed of shade-loving plants exposed to sun by tree trimming, you may need to plan on a lot of transplanting this fall.Advertisement“Every kind of plant has its own sun tolerance,” she said. “If you chose plants that could tolerate the shade of a tree and the shade is gone, they will need a new patch of shade.”For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.

Sports

NIL a year later: A good idea marred by poor execution and leadership

Oliver Luck was a two-time All-American quarterback who guided West Virginia to a win over the Florida Gators in the 1981 Peach Bowl.But during the offseason, Luck was like many college students hoping to make extra money working for a coal company with many of his Mountaineers teammates.Advertisement[ UCF great Daunte Culpepper embraces new role as ‘biggest cheerleader’ ]“It was real work, and while we didn’t go into the mines we had to clean stuff and pull cable,” Luck said. “A lot of kids today don’t have summer jobs. They don’t know what it means to go to the golf course at 7 a.m. because you’re on the grounds crew and you’ve got to cut the greens before the golfers come out or deliver newspapers.”Offseason jobs were typical among college athletes during Luck’s era, but a lot has changed in the last 40 years as the NCAA and institutions took a hard-line stance against those opportunities, fearing possible eligibility issues.AdvertisementThat changed last year when the Supreme Court overwhelmingly ruled against the NCAA in the NCAA v. Alston case, which opened the door for athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness, or NIL.While the move opened the door for limitless financial opportunities for college athletes, it also came with its own set of challenges and issues. With little to no guidance from the NCAA and ambiguous state laws, the NIL landscape has become something of a free-for-all with supposed under-the-table deals as recruiting enticement.Instead of clarity, NIL’s birth on July 1, 2021 has created confusion. Some would even call it chaos.Pittsburg (Calif.) quarterback Jaden Rashada, a 4-star prospect, chose Miami over Florida, and a reported $9.5 million deal brokered by booster John Ruiz may have had something to do with it. (JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/Bay Area News Group/TNS)Darren Heitner, a Florida sports attorney, has been working with college athletes to help guide them through the NIL process. He was instrumental in crafting the state’s NIL legislation which went into effect a year ago this month with Florida being one of nearly a dozen other states to enact their version of the law.“It has developed very much in the way that I suspected,” explained Heitner. “Which is initial extreme interest among the masses and many brands to sort of being the first to market and establish relationships with athletes, then to find new and innovative ways for boosters who pool their resources in a fashion that would benefit the athletes.“It took some time, but we’re at the point where the more established brands, the Fortune 500 companies, are very much getting involved.”The Power Five leads the way in total NIL compensation according to the latest figures provided by Opendorse, a company that connects businesses with college athletes. The Big Ten is at the top, followed by the Big 12, Big East, Pac-12, SEC and ACC.After a short pro career with the Houston Oilers, Luck worked as an executive with several franchises in NFL Europe and as president and general manager of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. He also served as athletics director at West Virginia (2010-14) and an executive position with the NCAA (2014-18).Advertisement“I’m not sure anybody had any idea how the marketplace would roll out,” said Luck. “The fact that student-athletes have the opportunity to maximize their value by monetizing their NIL is what I think most folks intended.”While most states debated enacting their version of NIL legislation, the NCAA provided little clarity, with many in the organization hoping for interference from the government. NCAA president Mark Emmert has repeatedly said it would take the help of federal lawmakers to enact sweeping national legislation. When that didn’t happen, the NCAA released a vague guideline for NIL.That ambiguity leaves college administrators and coaches with little or no idea of what to expect.Tom McMillen is the CEO of LEAD1 Association, which represents the athletics directors of the 130 programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision.“We hear from many ADs about how chaotic it is out there,” said McMillen. “Nobody knows what the rules of the road are. They use the expression the Wild West. There’s no policing going on.”Former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton smiles during a Mission Control event in Orlando last month. Milton is a co-owner of Mission Control, a NIL collective established to provide UCF athletes with financial opportunities. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)An unintended consequence has been the rise of the collectives.AdvertisementCollectives are school-specific groups created by boosters which allow them to pool their money to pay college athletes.“I’m not sure very many student-athletes are capable of going out and doing all the things you have to do to monetize,” said Luck. “Because the universities were at arm’s length and nature abhors a vacuum, the collectives popped up.”There are 74 collectives, according to the Business of College Sports, with some schools featuring multiple groups. The Gator Collective, Gator Guard and MarketPryce Florida are associated with the University of Florida while Rising Spear and Micconope 1851 represent Florida State athletes. Bring Back the U is for University of Miami athletes and UCF has Mission Control.Most collectives work as third-party entities, separate from their specific schools. In some states, however, the schools can help guide their athletes to collectives.Some of those organizations reach beyond simple meet-and-greets and into the grey areas where NIL deals are recruiting incentives.When Miami booster John Ruiz tweeted that his company, LifeWallet, had signed former Kansas State guard Nijel Pack, who was transferring, to a two-year deal worth $800,000 it raised eyebrows.Advertisement“I could not have predicted that we would have seen specific individuals, who you classify as boosters, prominently and publicly stating the offers they’re presenting to particular individuals,” said Heitner.LifeWallet executives John Ruiz (center) and Diana Diaz at their first NIL signing with Miami defensive back Gilbert Frierson. Ruiz has been one of the more vocal people when it comes to promoting his client’s NIL deals. (Photo Courtesy of LifeWallet)Ruiz also was instrumental in bringing Hanna and Haley Cavinder from Fresno State to Miami after signing the twin sisters to NIL deals.Texas A&M and coach Jimbo Fisher came under fire after reports of a $30 million NIL fund surfaced, drawing criticism from Alabama coach Nick Saban among others.“We were second in recruiting last year and A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team and made a deal for name, image and likeness,” Saban said at the time.He later apologized to Fisher for his remarks.“What the collectives need to do is to stay as far away as they possibly can from prospective student-athletes, high school recruits,” Luck said. “That, to me, is not appropriate behavior for a collective.”Advertisement[ NIL king Jimbo Fisher should embrace what Nick Saban said | Commentary ]In response to concerns over some NIL deals that appeared closer to pay-for-play, the NCAA’s Board of Directors issued guidance in May reassuring the role of collectives. Among those ideas presented is that collectives can’t promise deals as recruiting incentives. The BOD directed the NCAA’s enforcement staff to review these violations.The NCAA’s enforcement staff recently sat down with Ruiz and Miami officials to review their NIL deals, the first inquiry into a college athletics department.“Back in the day, it was the bag man,” said Luck. “It’s a very similar quandary for whoever enforces the rules. It doesn’t matter if it’s some new entity that serves FBS football or the NCAA. It’s still a challenge.“The work that the collectives have done is solid and a big benefit to student-athletes and I don’t see them going away at all.”Florida Rep. Chip LaMarca has been pushing to amend the state’s NIL legislation. It’s a move that could come as soon as 2023 with proper support. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Some want the rules tweaked so that the individual schools can assume a more significant role in collectives.“The long-term solution is to bring this back into the school and let the school manage all this,” said McMillen. “You can have a whole licensing arm in the school and they can be working on deals. The long-term solution is not to have collectives.Advertisement“The idea of having these outside the school’s scope and management is illogical and certainly would never happen in the NBA or the NFL. They would never allow their players to be taken over by third-party boosters. The system will have to evolve and I’m not sure the collectives will be here for long.”Alabama was among nearly a dozen states to enact NIL legislation last July. Since then, however, legislators pushed to repeal the law after the NCAA adopted a more relaxed interim policy. Many states have amended their current regulations, including Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.Florida lawmaker Rep. Chip LaMarca (R-Lighthouse Point) sponsored an amendment to the state’s law, but it failed to make the last legislative calendar. Another attempt could come in the spring of 2023.Staff Writer Edgar Thompson contributed to this report.This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.

Sports

Amherst College’s Jack Betts: The king of Division III NIL

Jack Betts’ journey into NIL isn’t your typical story, but it speaks to how random success can be.As a Division III-A athlete, businesses weren’t necessarily knocking down his door with offers to use an Aston Martin like Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, or a Mercedes G Wagon like Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.AdvertisementIt wasn’t until January that the junior receiver at Amherst (Mass.) College explored NIL opportunities. It came via Twitter from a direct message.“I got a DM from this company called Lifestyle Bands and they reached out and were like, ‘Hey, would you be interested in possibly becoming a Lifestyle Bands athlete?” Betts recalled.AdvertisementProfiting off his NIL had intrigued Betts ever since legislation was enacted on July 1, 2021. After discussing it with his parents, who are both lawyers, he agreed to do it.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“Thirty-plus deals later, I’ve been given the moniker of the King of Division III NIL,” said Betts. “It’s been a lot of fun. I kind of view NIL as a continuous internship because I’m gaining an understanding of what, in the marketing world, these companies are looking for.“I’m speaking to CEOs, CFOs and entrepreneurs daily and creating content for them. It’s work, but it’s fun work.”For Betts, securing his NIL deals required patience, persistence and a lot of trial and error. He developed a pitch about himself and sent mass emails to potential business partners.“I wouldn’t always hear back, obviously, because it’s difficult to market yourself at the Division III-A level. But I feel I have a useful email template,” he said.Betts primarily creates content on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.“For one of my first deals, Positivity Alkaline Water, I have to post four times a month on my [Instagram] story or on Twitter to receive a free case at the beginning of every month,” he said. “My Omaha Steaks video, which was a promo for their Father’s Day Special, I just threw some steaks on the grill. I filmed myself seasoning them, flipping them and then finally serving them.“All of them are within a minute or a 1:30. It’s decent work if you can get it. I would say it’s been life-changing and it’s opened countless doors.”

Sports

Chicago Fire fail to hold a 2-goal second-half lead in a 3-2 loss to the Columbus Crew

Substitute Derrick Etienne scored twice in a 12-minute span of the second half, and Cucho Hernández delivered the game-winner in his debut as the Columbus Crew rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire on Saturday at Soldier Field.Etienne cut a two-goal deficit in half in the 63rd minute and scored the equalizer in the 75th for the Crew (6-5-7).AdvertisementHernández, a 23-year-old Columbian who played for England’s Watford in the Premier League, joined the team after the Crew agreed to pay a club-record transfer fee of just more than $10 million. Hernández paid immediate dividends with a goal in the 83rd minute, giving the Crew three points.Rafael Czichos scored in the 29th minute and Chris Mueller found the net in the 41st to stake the Fire (4-10-5) to a 2-0 halftime lead. The Fire are 2-10-2 in their last 14 matches.AdvertisementThe Fire outshot the Crew 13-9 and had a 5-4 edge in shots on goal.

Sports

‘Good from the get-go’: Chicago White Sox starter Johnny Cueto dominates the Detroit Tigers in an 8-0 win

Fans stood and applauded as Johnny Cueto walked to the dugout after retiring Tucker Barnhart on a flyout to left to end the eighth inning.It was another day, another impressive outing for the veteran Chicago White Sox right-hander.AdvertisementCueto allowed five hits and struck out five in eight innings, pitching the Sox to an 8-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers in front of 29,215 on Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field.“I was feeling good from the get-go and I was feeling a lot of energy,” Cueto said through an interpreter.AdvertisementCueto, 36, pitched at least eight scoreless innings for the 17th time in his career and for the first time since shutting out the San Diego Padres on May 23, 2016, while with the San Francisco Giants.White Sox starting pitcher Johnny Cueto delivers against the Tigers in the first inning Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Cueto allowed only five hits and struck out five in eight innings, leading the Sox to an 8-0 win. (Mark Black/AP)“He can go through the lineup and if he had six at-bats against him, he would show you something different every at-bat,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s very smart. He’s one of those pitchers that can watch the hitter and get a feeling of the guy sitting in or looking away or looking hard or soft just by how they look and the way they swing at things.“Talented, great command, great arsenal and he’s smart.”Cueto has pitched at least six innings in nine of his 10 starts since joining the Sox in May.“He’s picked us up when we needed it,” La Russa said.Cueto (3-4) hasn’t received a ton of run support this season, but he had plenty to work with Saturday.“It’s important when you get that kind of run support,” Cueto said. “For me that was a boost. Then I told myself to keep performing and keep the ball down.”Gavin Sheets sparked the offense, hitting a three-run homer in the first. He got the green light on a 3-0 pitch and made the most of the opportunity.Advertisement“I knew that (Tigers starter Garrett Hill) wanted to come to me, didn’t want to get bases loaded for (Yoán) Moncada,” Sheets said. “In that situation, I’m just trying to put my best swing on it and see what happens.”The home run came with two outs. The Sox had more timely hitting in the second, scoring three more runs with two outs.“That’s something that we did really well last year and that’s something we do as a team,” Sheets said. “So to see that (Saturday) was a good sign.”A day after being voted a starter for the All-Star Game, shortstop Tim Anderson started a two-out rally in the second with a double. He scored on a Luis Robert single. José Abreu drove in two with a double, extending his hitting streak to 14. It’s the seventh hitting streak of at least 14 games in Abreu’s career.According to Elias, he is one of four Sox players to record at least seven 14-plus-game hitting streaks in franchise history, joining Hall of Famers Nellie Fox (nine), Luke Appling (eight) and Eddie Collins (eight).White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (79), Yoan Moncada (10) and Gavin Sheets celebrate their 8-0 win over the Tigers on Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Mark Black/AP)After Abreu’s double, the Sox didn’t get another hit until the sixth when Seby Zavala led off with a double against reliever Will Vest. Anderson drove Zavala in with a single. Leury García scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.AdvertisementIt was the fourth time the Sox have scored at least five runs in one of Cueto’s starts. And the first of those, May 16 at Kansas City, reached five in extra innings.Cueto has found a way to keep the Sox in games.“He hits his spots,” Zavala, the Sox catcher, said. “Mixes everything well. When he wants to go in, he misses in. When he wants to go out, he misses out. He can throw anything in any situation, whatever he needs.”Cueto’s eight innings marked the longest start this season for the Sox. He lowered his ERA from 3.30 to 2.91 while ending the Tigers’ winning streak at six.“He’s a pitching artist,” La Russa said. “That offense is going good. He very rarely misses over the plate. Just got the edges. Changing speeds. By the time you slow your bat, he throws it by you. You quicken it up and he gets you out in front.”Cueto already was looking forward to getting back to work.Advertisement“Thank God I’ve just been feeling healthy,” Cueto said. “I just hope to keep feeling this way and keep helping the team.“I just trust my routine. I just like to work hard. After an outing like (Saturday), tomorrow I’m going to be working as hard as I’ve been working the whole time, doing my steps, climbing some steps and just running.”