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Sports

Could site of a proposed Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights also include a minor-league baseball complex?

The Chicago Bears are making progress toward completing their purchase of Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, officials say, with the clock ticking toward a deadline to seal the deal in 2023.Village documents obtained by the Tribune show the highest levels of the team’s administration, including Chairman George McCaskey, have been involved in meetings to make the purchase and subsequent construction of a new football stadium happen. The documents showed that the team deposited $125,000 with the village for studies of the stadium proposal, and they also included a former baseball executive’s proposal to add a minor league baseball complex to the site.AdvertisementIn September 2021, the team announced it had signed a purchase agreement to buy the property from Churchill Downs Inc. for $197 million, pending final approvals by both parties. Churchill Downs Inc. subsequently closed the famed racetrack. The Bears would have to break their lease at Soldier Field to build a new stadium at Arlington.[ [Don’t miss] The Arlington Heights Bears? Here’s what to know about the team’s possible move from Chicago’s Soldier Field. ]The new baseball fields were proposed by William Larsen, former general manager of the Kane County Cougars minor league team. In an email in February to Mayor Tom Hayes, Larsen wrote that the baseball fields would host four to six teams of undrafted college players.AdvertisementLarsen said he had no financial or other formal backing for the proposal, and hadn’t heard back from the Bears, but was told by scouts and others in professional baseball that there is a need for undrafted players to chase their dreams of playing professionally.“I might as well find out if they’re interested,” he said. “I knew it had a lot of potential.”He estimated 10 to 15 acres would be needed for the project on the 326-acre site, but did not cite any financing or backing for the deal.He guessed that the games could draw about 450,000 fans a year.The village forwarded the email to the Bears. Village officials would encourage the team to consider the idea, Hayes said, but it’s up to team officials to decide what to do with the site, within the village’s parameters. Meanwhile, village and team officials have continued meeting to discuss plans for the site, he said.Brandon Faber, Bears vice president of communications, didn’t comment on the baseball proposal, but said the team is still trying to see if the site will work for a football stadium.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 16Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, in Chicago on Sept. 29, 2021. The Chicago Bears have signed a purchase agreement for Arlington International Racecourse, a move that takes the team a step closer toward securing property for a new stadium and leaving their longtime home at Soldier Field. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)“We continue to work through the due diligence process on the Arlington Park property with our accomplished team of land use experts,” Faber said. “While significant progress has been made, we still must do extensive work and analysis to determine the viability of developing the site. Our expectation for a decision on whether we can purchase the property remains late 2022 or early 2023.”The village’s first recorded meeting with Bears representatives was Aug. 26, 2021, followed by meetings in October, February, March, April and June. Bears officials also agreed to attend training sessions this year on stadium security.AdvertisementThe October meeting at the village included McCaskey, Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips, and team attorney Cliff Stein, among others, village emails showed. Mayor Hayes, Village Manager Randy Recklaus and Director of Planning and Development Charles Perkins, among others, attended for the village.[ [Don’t miss] ‘One step at a time’: Chicago Bears remain in a waiting game for a potential new stadium in Arlington Heights ]Afternoon BriefingDailyChicago Tribune editors’ top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.Hayes wouldn’t talk about specifics of the discussions, but said progress was speeding up due to the Bears’ deadline to finalize the deal by mid-2023.He confirmed that due to the size of the site, its plan likely would include mixed-use development featuring residential, commercial, retail and entertainment.“Things are moving quicker than they had been, as a result of the timeline the Bears are working under,” Hayes said. ”We have been working together with the team to meet their needs and our needs, and things are progressing. We’re doing all we can to make this a reality.”The Bears also deposited $125,000 with the village to pay for necessary consultant studies that the village would conduct regarding the proposal, Recklaus said.Such payments are not uncommon for projects that may require the hiring of a consultant for studies of traffic, security, crowd control or other issues, Recklaus said. A similar arrangement took place when studies were conducted before the former Sheraton Hotel near Arlington Park became apartments known as Arlington Downs. The village hasn’t conducted any such studies for the Bears yet.AdvertisementIn March, the team announced it had hired Manica Architecture, which designed the Las Vegas Raiders’ new stadium. The team also hired stadium development manager CAA Icon and real estate investment firm Jones Lang LaSalle to work on the proposal.rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com

Sports

Chicago White Sox make Shohei Ohtani work but strike out 15 times in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Tim Anderson and José Abreu singled in the first inning for the Chicago White Sox against Shohei Ohtani.Anderson reached third and Abreu second on a wild pitch. But the Los Angeles Angels two-way star struck out Gavin Sheets to end the threat.AdvertisementThe Sox had another big opportunity in the fourth, loading the bases. But Ohtani struck out Josh Harrison for the third out.The Sox made Ohtani work but they couldn’t cash in Wednesday, falling 4-1 in front of 27,612 at Angel Stadium.Advertisement“We didn’t put the ball in play enough,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “That’s to their credit. Their pitching was good.”The Sox struck out 15 times as they dropped the rubber match of the three-game series.“We got it going, just key times they made a pitch and we didn’t put it in play,” La Russa said.Wednesday was billed as a showcase pitching matchup between Sox starter Michael Kopech and Ohtani. And both had numbers good enough to win.[ [Don’t miss] Andrew Vaughn, back at the site of his big-league debut, is putting up All-Star-caliber numbers for the White Sox ]“Obviously he’s a superstar,” Kopech said of Ohtani. “We have to be prepared coming into that on both sides of the ball with a guy like that. And for the most part, I was able to stay in control of that and work counts with him (Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk). I might not have been as efficient as I would have liked, but I was able to stay in the driver’s seat with him there.“He did a great job on the mound tonight. Kind of answered all of his own problems or his team’s own problems that they may have struggled with offensively, and they had a couple of big hits and came through for him. It’s quite a matchup like that, but I would like to see my best stuff on a day like that.”Kopech allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 5⅓ innings.White Sox starter Michael Kopech pitches in the first inning Wednesday, June 29, 2022, in Anaheim, Calif. (Jae C. Hong/AP)“It was kind of a grind,” he said. “I started off making a few mistakes that got taken advantage of. And then toward the end where I really needed to bear down and make some tough pitches, didn’t make those pitches and I got taken advantage of. I’ve got to do a better job of putting us in control and being in the driver’s seat a little bit.Advertisement“I’ve been putting the team in a position where we have to fight all night long, and I can’t continue to do that.”Ohtani gave up five hits, struck out 11 and walked one in 5⅔ scoreless innings.“I thought we worked the at-bats,” La Russa said. “And then we did a better job of making the at-bats go longer. But he’s got weapons. He’s for real.”The first two Angels batters scored in the first. Taylor Ward singled and Mike Trout drove him in with a double.[ [Don’t miss] Rockford Peaches — 30 years after ‘A League of Their Own’ — live on in a new series: ‘We didn’t know we were part of something bigger’ ]With runners on first and second, Jared Walsh hit a grounder to Abreu. The first baseman threw to second to get an out, but the return throw got past Kopech as he tried to time getting the ball and the bag. Trout scored on the sequence, making it 2-0.Luis Robert and Abreu singled to begin the fourth. Sheets hit the ball hard, but Trout made a running catch in center for the first out. Ohtani struck out AJ Pollock but walked Leury García to load the bases.AdvertisementOhtani then struck out Harrison on five pitches.Abreu collected his third of four hits, a one-out single, in the sixth. Ohtani struck out Sheets and exited, having thrown 108 pitches. Pollock singled against reliever José Quijada, but Leury García hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning.The Angels extended the lead with a two-run homer by Luis Rengifo in the bottom of the sixth. Kopech exited after 99 pitches.“I was talking to Lance (Lynn) a little after my outing and he said it best: The days you don’t have your best stuff and you’re able to grind through five or six and limit damage, that’s what pitching is about,” Kopech said. “Not when you do have your best stuff, things are going easy. You would like to have that every time, but it’s a difficult time and we face really good players.”The Sox scored on a wild pitch in the eighth, but that would be all for the offense. They went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.“Sometimes you strike out that many times and you didn’t do a good job,” La Russa said. “But we did a good job of prolonging at-bats, we had opportunities and they made the pitch to get the outs. Tip your cap to the other side.”

Sports

Mo Bamba becomes unrestricted free agent, but reunion with Magic possible

The Orlando Magic didn’t tender a qualifying offer to Mo Bamba by Wednesday, which will make him an unrestricted free agent when free agency officially opens at 12:01 a.m. Friday, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Orlando Sentinel.The Magic not extending the qualifying offer doesn’t mean Bamba won’t return. They still have an interest in bringing him back and are expected to work on negotiating a new deal when the period opens.AdvertisementBamba, the No. 6 pick in the 2018 draft, finished the final season of his 4-year, $24.1 million rookie scale contract in 2021-22.He averaged career-highs across the board, including minutes (25.7), points (10.6), rebounds (8.1), blocks (1.7) and assists (1.2) in 71 games (69 starts).AdvertisementThe Magic had until the close of business Wednesday to tender a 1-year, $10.1 million qualifying offer to Bamba to make him a restricted free agent.The move didn’t come as a surprise. Early Wednesday, it was clear that the Magic were “unlikely” to make the qualifier, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Sentinel.Orlando would have risked diminishing the value of Bamba’s contract on the trade market if it extended the qualifying offer and he opted into it. Players who return to a team on the qualifying offer are no longer extension eligible and become unrestricted free agents the following season. They also have a no-trade clause for that season they’re on the qualifying offer, meaning the team would need the player’s consent for a trade.If the Magic and Bamba agree to a new deal, it’d allow Orlando to retain his Bird rights and have more contract flexibility.Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player’s original team can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. As an unrestricted free agent, Bamba can sign with any team.There’s also the possibility the Magic sign and trade Bamba.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.The Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to be interested in Bamba, a person told the Sentinel.AdvertisementTeams may communicate with free agents starting at 6 p.m. Thursday before agreeing to terms six hours later.The free agency moratorium is a negotiation period from Friday through July 6 in which teams can come to terms on contracts and other deals while the new salary cap numbers are adjusted after an audit of league finances. Those deals can become official at 12:01 p.m. on July 6.The Magic had three other players who were eligible for 1-year qualifying offers — Bol Bol ($2.7 million) and two-way players Ignas Brazdeikis ($50,000) and Admiral Schofield ($50,000).The Magic extended a two-way qualifying offer to Schofield, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Orlando Sentinel, making him a restricted free agent.The Magic didn’t publicly comment on any of these players.This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.

Sports

Photos: Cubs 8, Reds 3

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, center, celebrates with center fielder Christopher Morel and third baseman Patrick Wisdom (16) after hitting a two-run homer during the fifth inning on June 29, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Sports

Federico Navarro’s goal gives the Chicago Fire a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union, their 2nd win in 3 games

Federico Navarro scored in the 68th minute and the Chicago Fire beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Wednesday night at Soldier Field.Gabriel Slonina saved both of the shots he faced for the Fire (4-8-5), who won for the second time in three games after a 10-game winless streak. It was the seventh shutout of the season for Slonina.AdvertisementAndre Blake saved three shots for the Union (7-2-8), who lost for the first time in seven games.Both teams play Sunday. The Fire visit the San Jose Earthquakes and the Union visit the Columbus Crew.