Author: staff
NewsOne Featured Video Jenifer Lewis Source: Leon Bennett / Getty From the silver screen to the stage, actress, singer and dancer Jenifer Lewis has been a…
The Chicago White Sox begin a make-or-break trip to Cleveland and Minnesota on Monday, facing the teams ahead of them in the American League Central in the final week before the All-Star break.The Sox could play themselves out of contention with a poor trip, or they could make a statement they’re still the team to beat in the second half by dominating the Guardians and Twins.AdvertisementBut the way the season has gone, chances are they’ll be close to where they were Sunday, looking up at the Twins and repeating their mantra: “It’s still early.”Whatever your perception of the Sox, know that manager Tony La Russa believes the media hype about the importance of the eight-game trip is merited, even though he’s sticking to the mantra.Advertisement“We need to play competitively and come out with competitive results,” La Russa said Sunday morning in the Sox dugout. “The one thing you have to temper the hype with is when it’s over, you’re still in July. But it’s an important road trip. It’s an important game today.”[ [Don’t miss] Tim Anderson is ‘very thankful’ to be the 1st White Sox shortstop to start the All-Star Game since 1970 ]The Sox came back Sunday to beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 and split the four-game series, ending the homestand against the Twins and Tigers with a 3-4 record.The Tigers gift-wrapped this one in the eighth inning with a dropped two-out pop fly, which the Sox gladly accepted.“If a team gives you an extra out, good teams take advantage of it,” AJ Pollock said. “And we were fortunate enough today to be able to take advantage of it. … We’ve seen some teams take advantage of us when we didn’t make plays, and it’s nice to be that team (on the other end).”The score was tied at 2 in the eighth when left fielder Robbie Grossman botched a fly off the bat of Luis Robert to keep the inning alive. After an intentional walk to José Abreu, Pollock singled off Gregory Soto to give the Sox their first lead. Eloy Jiménez followed with another run-scoring single, and closer Liam Hendriks shut down the Tigers in the ninth for his 17th save.Leury García (28), AJ Pollock (18) and Adam Engel (15) celebrate the White Sox’s 4-2 win over the Tigers on Sunday, July 10, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Mark Black/AP)The Sox improved to 41-43 and trail the division-leading Twins by five games as they hit the road for the last time before the All-Star break.It’s easy to look at the last two games against the Tigers as “big” wins, but every time the Sox think they’ve taken a season-turning step forward, they come out flat the next night. Hendriks said it’s important to “regain the authority figure we had last year,” referring to the team’s confidence level in 2021.“Just gain that (attitude of) ‘We are better than everybody else and we can do this,’” he said. “We need to get that mindset back. That’s something we’ve had spurts of, but it really hasn’t caught fire yet. I’m hoping games like (Saturday) and today in a row will help spark that fire a little bit.”AdvertisementTheories for the first-half malaise are widespread, but the most common seems to be that the Sox have played too “relaxed.” TV studio analyst Frank Thomas repeated that criticism after Thursday’s loss to the Tigers and called for some “snappage” in the dugout, suggesting players get in each other’s faces as they did back when he played.[ [Don’t miss] Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and White Sox’s Oscar Colás are named to the All-Star Futures Game ]Game analyst Steve Stone was just as blunt during Friday night’s telecast: “You cannot sleepwalk your way through the rest of the season.”Whether the Sox players heard the critiques — or cared — is unknown. Maybe they simply shrug off the observations of the team’s TV analysts, believing everything is fine and the winning eventually will start happening because of the talent in the clubhouse.But Thomas and Stone are two of the most knowledgeable and outspoken analysts around, and unlike many team-approved announcers who sugarcoat their team’s shortcomings, they’re not afraid to point out the Sox’s problems.Michael Kopech is one of the most promising young pitchers the Sox have had in years, but he needed to step up Sunday after four straight losses and a 6.86 ERA in that span. Instead Kopech walked the first batter on four pitches, then served up a two-run home run to Javier Báez that put the Sox in a quick hole.White Sox starter Michael Kopech pitches against the Tigers during the first inning Sunday, July 10, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Mark Black/AP)Kopech recovered and pitched into the sixth without allowing any more runs. But he needs to pitch deeper into games if he wants to be considered an elite starter. AdvertisementWhen he didn’t cover first base on a grounder to the bag in the second, La Russa and the trainers came out to the mound to see what was wrong. Sox fans held their breath. Back on June 12, Kopech left a start against the Texas Rangers after only 13 pitches with knee discomfort.But apparently the only thing wrong with Kopech on Sunday was he didn’t properly field his position.“I just got over a little slow,” he said. “How the first inning went, maybe there was some concern there were some underlying issues going on. I felt as good as I have been. I just didn’t have my best stuff.”Little things like that have made this an aggravating season for Sox fans. The Sox need to be cognizant of the perception they don’t run the bases well, play poor defense and make mental mistakes on a daily basis, such as when Robert let a fly ball fall next to him during Friday’s loss.“Not a good look,” Stone said.“Nope,” play-by-play man Jason Benetti responded.AdvertisementThere was silence in the booth for several seconds. Sometimes the silence says it all during a Sox telecast.A couple of wins over the Tigers was a nice way to end a mediocre homestand. But it will take a much longer streak of well-played games to convince everyone the Sox are back to where we all thought they would be.They no longer can rely on their reputations, whether it’s La Russa, Kopech, Robert or anyone else in the clubhouse.It’s time to prove themselves — all over again.
LOS ANGELES — An emotional Ian Happ dropped his head into his hands as he digested the news Sunday morning in the visitors clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.Chicago Cubs manager David Ross called a pregame meeting to go over the team schedule and plans for the upcoming All-Star break. But then Ross had one additional detail to share, waiting until the end to reveal the news: Happ made his first All-Star team as a National League reserve.AdvertisementHapp will join teammate Willson Contreras, the NL’s starting catcher, for the All-Star Game on July 19 in Los Angeles.Ross recalled Happ telling him Thursday before Contreras’ All-Star honor was announced that if he happened to make the team, not to tell him in front of everyone because he would cry like a baby. Of course, the clubhouse setting provided the perfect backdrop for the big news. It set off clapping and cheers from his teammates, who enveloped Happ in hugs.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] After All-Star Game honor, Willson Contreras makes it clear: ‘I would love nothing more than play for the Chicago Cubs the rest of my life’ ]“It was a great scene, great for our guys, something to really celebrate and I think everybody was genuinely really, really happy for Ian,” Ross said. “Happer has been as consistent of a player as I’ve ever seen him be, and the fact he gets rewarded by being an All-Star, he’s deserving of that. He’s upped his game, not just offensive numbers but his defense and baserunning, his all-around game has been stellar and I’m so happy for him.”The All-Star honor is a remarkable achievement for Happ, who turned around a big-league career trending in the wrong direction.On this date last year, Happ was hitting .183 with a .296 on-base percentage, .626 slugging percentage, 29% strikeout rate and 73 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) through 76 games. The slump raised significant concerns about whether Happ, a free agent after the 2023 season, fit into the Cubs’ future plans. But instead of an awful first half completely derailing the 27-year-old switch hitter, he turned around his 2021 season in the final two months and carried that success into 2022.Happ has overcome adversity during his six-year career, including getting sent to Triple A to start the 2019 season. Among NL outfielders, Happ entered Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers ranked third in OBP (.372), fourth in batting average (.277), fifth in weighted on-base average (.357), fifth in WAR (2.2), sixth in RBIs (40) and seventh in wRC+(129). In his first at-bat Sunday after making the team, he doubled as part of a five-run first inning against Dodgers starter Julio Urías.“It’s spectacular, man,” Ross said. “I’m so proud of him. The mental toughness that you have to have to come out of that is really good. When you see guys set their path to greatness, it’s after stuff like that. Being able to come out and be where he’s at right now, I’m super happy for him.”Patrick Wisdom’s locker in the Dodger Stadium clubhouse is situated directly next to Happ’s, and Wisdom could feel the emotions coming from Happ after the announcement. Watching Happ endure last year’s struggles and come through it while playing at an elite level has rubbed off on Wisdom.“He’s having an All-Star-caliber year and he’s more than deserving to be on that team, so it wasn’t a surprise to me because I knew that he should be there,” Wisdom told the Tribune. “He’s a pro through and through, and either hitting behind him or in front of him, just watching how he handles the successes and the failures, I’ve added that to my game and am learning from him constantly whether he knew that or not.”
Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum led a team assembled by teammate A’Ja Wilson to a lopsided 134-112 victory in the WNBA All-Star Game on Sunday at Wintrust Arena.A first-time All-Star, Plum earned the MVP award by scoring 30 points to match the All-Star scoring record set by Maya Moore in 2015.AdvertisementBut it was Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles — also playing for Team Wilson — who stole the show in the final All-Star Game of her career. The 36-year-old Fowles, who announced in February this would be her final season, opened the game by sinking a rare 3-pointer and receiving a big cheer from the crowd as a former Chicago Sky first-round draft pick.“I appreciate the love that I’m getting, which is kind of weird because I always shy away from it,” said Fowles, who finished with seven points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals in 20 minutes. “But it’s been comforting knowing that people do appreciate the things I’ve done throughout my last 15 years in this league.”Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Chicago played host to WNBA All-Stars this weekend. Here’s what we saw — and heard — around the city. ]Witnessing Fowles pull up behind the 3-point line is a rare sight for even the most passionate WNBA fan — she has taken only one shot from long range in her entire career, making it in 2010 for the Sky against the now-defunct San Antonio Stars.Fowles showed off again in the second quarter when she picked off a pass, jogged down the court and hammered a right-handed dunk. Despite her 6-foot-6 frame, the dunk was a similarly rare sight — Fowles hadn’t attempted a slam since 2008.Fowles said this All-Star weekend in Chicago was one of her favorites among her eight All-Star nods. She added that she led both teams in urging Sky star Candace Parker to dunk in the game, but Parker, 36, said she’s “too old” and stayed grounded for the game.“She dunked for both of us,” Parker said.Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, who also has announced this is her last season, played only 15 minutes for Team Stewart and didn’t score in her final All-Star Game. She and Fowles earned standing ovations when they exited the court for the last time.[ [Don’t miss] WNBA players balance activist roles as political turmoil hangs over All-Star weekend ]“It’s actually a nice feeling. Maybe a little bit of closure, right?” Bird said. “As an athlete, when you come to the end of your career, so much goes into the decision to actually retire. So the way people have reacted and these little moments I get both in Seattle and on the road — I know it’s the right timing for me, but it gives it a (feeling) like, ‘OK, this is going to be all right.’ Everyone’s getting their moment that we can share.”Connecticut Sun center Jonquel Jones also made a run at the All-Star scoring record, finishing with 29 points for Team Stewart after missing her final attempt from 3-point range.AdvertisementExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 38Chicago Sky players Courtney Vandersloot, left, and Allie Quigley walk the orange carpet Friday during WNBA All-Star weekend in Chicago. (Quinn Harris / Getty Images)Parker mugged for the camera and playfully teased the referees throughout the game as she scored 15 points in 23 minutes for Team Wilson. She hounded Sky teammate Kahleah Copper whenever they were paired against one another, with Copper scoring eight points in 17 minutes for Team Stewart.“We’re definitely going have to win a championship so we can forget about this part of the season,” Copper joked after the game. “It’s funny because we had the moments where we’re going at it and then we came to each other and Candace was like, ‘I don’t like being across from you.’ So let’s just let it be over and then let’s get back on the same side.”Sky captain Courtney Vandersloot had eight points, eight assists and six rebounds in 17 minutes for Team Wilson, keeping her style of play consistent from the regular season to the exhibition. The Sky’s Emma Meesseman added eight points and four rebounds in 14 minutes for Team Stewart.Sky coach James Wade helmed Team Stewart, which was assembled by the Storm’s Breanna Stewart.[ [Don’t miss] Rev. Al Sharpton stirs effort for Brittney Griner’s return amid WNBA All-Star festivities: ‘Bring Brittney home’ ]Players continued to use All-Star weekend as a platform to bring attention to the detainment of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia.The Phoenix Mercury star was named an honorary All-Star starter, and both teams wore jerseys bearing Griner’s name and number throughout the second half.Advertisement“It’s hard for all of us. Not a day goes by that I’m not thinking about Brittney Griner,” Wilson said. “Wearing her jersey and letting the world know that we’re not whole without her, that’s a statement in itself. We’re playing on ABC and ESPN, showing that it’s real and understanding that we’re not going to stop until everyone understands how serious this really is.“At the end of the day, we’re always playing for BG. We’re just praying that she gets home safe.”
The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline plunged 19 cents over the past two weeks to $4.86 per gallon.Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey…
Wintrust Arena — home of the Chicago Sky — is hosting the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. And we tracked it all.For the latest…
Melissa Kramer (backward cap) was the first fan in line this morning for the WNBA All-Star Game at Wintrust Arena on July 10, 2022.. She is a huge fan of Sue Bird, ” She’s extremely down to earth and we need more genuine people like Sue. Because of her, I found my own voice and place in the world.” (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Three masked men armed with guns robbed a store on Ogden Avenue in Naperville Saturday night, police said.The incident occurred about 9:30 p.m. in the first…
WIMBLEDON, England — Novak Djokovic waited. He waited for Nick Kyrgios to lose focus and lose his way. Waited to find the proper read on his foe’s big serves. Waited until his own level rose to the occasion.Djokovic is not bothered by a deficit — in a game, a set, a match. He does not mind problem-solving. And at Wimbledon, for quite some time now, he does not get defeated.AdvertisementDjokovic used his steady brilliance to beat the ace-delivering, trick-shot-hitting Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Sunday for a fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship and seventh overall.The top-seeded Djokovic ran his unbeaten run at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament to 28 matches and raised his career haul to 21 major trophies, breaking a tie with Roger Federer and moving just one behind Rafael Nadal’s 22 for the most in the history of men’s tennis.AdvertisementAmong men, only Federer, with eight, has won more titles at Wimbledon than Djokovic. In the professional era, only Federer was older (by less than a year) than the 35-year-old Djokovic when winning at the All England Club.His comeback on a sun-filled afternoon followed those in the quarterfinals, when Djokovic erased a two-set deficit against No. 10 seed Jannik Sinner, and in the semifinals, when No. 9 Cam Norrie grabbed the opening set. In last year’s title match at Wimbledon, Djokovic dropped the opening set. In the 2019 final, he erased two championship points against Federer.There were two particularly key moments Sunday that went Djokovic’s way, ones that Kyrgios would not let go as he began engaging in running monologues, shouting at himself or his entourage (which does not include a full-time coach), finding reason to disagree with the chair umpire (and earning a warning for cursing) and chucking a water bottle.In the second set, with Djokovic serving at 5-3, Kyrgios got to love-40 — a trio of break points. But Kyrgios played a couple of casual returns, and Djokovic eventually held. And then, in the third set, with Kyrgios serving at 4-all, 40-love, he again let a seemingly sealed game get away, with Djokovic breaking there.The 40th-ranked Kyrgios was trying to become the first unseeded men’s champion at Wimbledon since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Ivanisevic is now Djokovic’s coach and was in the Centre Court guest box for the match.Kyrgios is a 27-year-old from Australia who never had been past the quarterfinals in 29 previous Grand Slam appearances — and last made it even that far 7 1/2 years ago.In some ways, he stole the show Sunday. He tried shots between his legs. Hit some with his back to the net. Pounded serves at up to 136 mph and produced 30 aces. Used an underarm serve, then faked one later.
LOS ANGELES — The Chicago Cubs are still a week away from the All-Star break, yet two pitchers are already on the verge of reaching career-high workloads.Right-hander Keegan Thompson and left-hander Justin Steele are among the highlights of an otherwise dismal season for the Cubs. Through the first three-plus months, the consistent pitchers both feature an ERA+ over 100, which is league average. Left-hander Drew Smyly, who is coming off the injured list Sunday to try to prevent a four-game sweep at Dodger Stadium following Saturday’s 4-2 loss, is the only other Cubs starter above that mark.AdvertisementThompson, 27, and Steele, 26, are already approaching uncharted territory with their workload.[ [Don’t miss] After All-Star Game honor, Willson Contreras makes it clear: ‘I would love nothing more than play for the Chicago Cubs the rest of my life’ ]Steele, who has spent the entire season in the rotation, has thrown 76⅓ innings through 16 starts. He is less than five innings from surpassing his combined innings from 2021 between Triple-A Iowa and the majors. Now in his ninth season in the organization, Steele has recorded only one season with more innings than last year. He threw 98⅔ innings at High A in 2017 before Tommy John surgery ended his season.AdvertisementThompson’s 77 innings over 19 appearances, including 11 starts, have already pushed him past his 2021 season total (67 innings) with Iowa and the Cubs. His single-season career high since he was drafted five years ago by the Cubs came in 2018 with 129⅔ innings. Thompson could exceed that by early September.“It’s just doing everything you can possible in between starts to recover, whether it’s taking a day of no throwing or whatever,” Thompson said to the Tribune Saturday. “Recovery is the biggest thing.”Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Tribune there isn’t a hard innings limit for Thompson or Steele. He anticipates the Cubs getting creative with how they could manage the duo’s respective workload over the final three months of the season.Cubs starting pitcher Keegan Thompson throws during the first inning against the Dodgers in on July 8, 2022. (Ashley Landis/AP)Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele walks to the dugout after pitching during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on June 29, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Among the options the Cubs, according to Hottovy: skipping a start if there is a scheduled off day, rearranging the rotation coming out of the All-Star Break when the Cubs open in Philadelphia on June 22 or find spots to give an additional day between starts. Steele is getting extended time off because of the impending birth of his child; after starting Monday in Milwaukee, he did not join the Cubs in Los Angeles and went on the paternity list Saturday.“It’s an important way to continue to minimize or just control the amount of innings these guys are going to eat this year,” Hottovy said to the Tribune. “But there’s a part of me too that we never have the right answer. … Guys don’t throw 180 innings until they do. Guys can or can’t. And I think we play this game a lot of times trying to protect guys and say, OK, maybe if we do this year, it’ll happen next year. We don’t know. We don’t have an 8-ball to control the future.”In six of Steele’s 16 starts, he was sent out for the next inning without completing the frame. Notably, in each of Steele’s last three outings, manager David Ross kept him in to begin the sixth (twice) and seventh on a batter-to-batter approach. He was unable to get through both innings cleanly, hitting the 100-pitch mark both times.As Thompson has fully transitioned to the rotation, he is also being challenged. In four of his eight starts since the beginning of June, he began an inning and was pulled without getting out of it. Two of those instances came in the seventh inning, his first times pitching that deep into a start. A dropped fly ball by right fielder Seiya Suzuki in Friday’s loss to the Dodgers, which should have ended the sixth, instead allowed an unearned run to score and ended Thompson’s night because of a season-high pitch count (96).There are tactical and matchup-related reasons to bring starters out for another inning while knowing they might not finish it and leave with runners on for the bullpen. But it’s also rooted in player development. Hottovy believes it’s important to pitchers, especially young and inexperienced ones, to understand what it feels like to pitch with fatigue.AdvertisementThe bullpen has been a strength for most of the season, allowing the Cubs to use this approach. Hottovy and Ross are confident in their relievers to handle dirty innings and high-leverage moments. So the Cubs have picked their spots to challenge starters with a particular focus on Thompson and Steele. The Cubs’ 34-51 record and fourth-place standing in the division creates more leeway for long-term vision and development.“Sometimes when you’re sending them out there they’re gassed, and it’s like, no, we want to see what you can do, in a reasonable way,” Hottovy said. “And yeah, a lot of times it doesn’t work out. It may backfire, but we’re trying to build these guys for the postseason, for deeper into the season, deeper into games and pitching in those high-leverage situations. So I think it’s important learning opportunities for guys, and you have to juggle that when you’re also trying to win games.”With the 13-pitcher limit and an increasingly taxed Cubs bullpen, there is a greater emphasis on getting as many outs as possible from starters. Who is available out of the bullpen on a given day can be a factor as well as matchups against the opposing lineup. Ross accounts for those scenarios when determining whether to send out starter for more.[ [Don’t miss] 3 questions for the Chicago Cubs to address in the 2nd half, including if Ian Happ is a player to build around ]“All of that stuff affects us,” Ross told the Tribune. “Depending on where we are at moving forward and how many multi-inning guys we have in the bullpen, like Keegan’s not down there anymore so he doesn’t give us a reset of the bullpen. So you have to be cognizant of that and understand I may need a little bit more out of you, and these guys have handled it really nicely.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.At this point of the season — 85 games in to the 162-game schedule — the Cubs are watching Thompson’s and Steele’s fatigue numbers and how they rebound start-to-start.“Every outing we get deeper in the season, that’s more innings than they had last year, but also every outing we get deeper in the season, that’s adding innings to our total that we’ll get for next year,” Hottovy said. “We’ll make decisions when we feel like we need to.”AdvertisementThe Cubs ideally want Thompson and Steele pitching through the end of the season, both of their first full years in the big leagues. It will teach their body what it takes physically and mentally to grind through the final month. Hottovy explained that by September, everybody is gassed, so mentally, a pitcher needs to figure out what to do between starts to take care of himself.[ [Don’t miss] Kyle Hendricks’ MRI shows no structural damage — but there’s no timeline for the Chicago Cubs starter’s return ]“I think it’s greatly important to be able to go through that,” Hottovy added.However, the Cubs aren’t going to push the pitchers if they believe a break is needed or they’re getting fatigued. The organization will want to be smart with how they monitor and handle workloads, particularly during September. Beyond publicly available data like Statcast velocity trends and spin rates, the Cubs have internal data to look in a pitcher’s fatigue from bullpen sessions and between-start work, including weight-room routines.Communication and feedback from pitchers is an important part of the equation, too. For Thompson, it comes down to learning what his body needs so he can be effective the next time out. He appreciates the Cubs pushing him more, and the organization hopes these learning moments pay off when they are repositioned as postseason contenders.“It’s been a huge confidence boost for sure,” Thompson said. “I wish I’m able to finish those innings more, but it’s nice to have them have the trust in us to go out there and try to get the last inning so we know what it’s like and have the experience. If you have the experience, you have more confidence going in for the future.”