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ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 10Allie Brown, 10, and her sister Ava, 9, have fun in their floating tubes at Riviera Beach in Lake Geneva on June 27,…

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Andrew Vaughn, back at the site of his big-league debut, is putting up All-Star-caliber numbers for the Chicago White Sox

ANAHEIM, Calif. — A tribute board hangs near the entrance of the visiting clubhouse at Angel Stadium, acknowledging players who made their major-league debuts at the ballpark since 2020.The list includes Andrew Vaughn.AdvertisementThe Chicago White Sox designated hitter enjoyed returning to Angel Stadium this week.“It’s kind of cool,” Vaughn said before Monday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. “They have a little thing in the clubhouse that has a bunch of (autographed) balls from guys that debuted. I got to be up there, which is kind of special.Advertisement“Brings back a lot of memories.”Back on April 2, 2021, Vaughn went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run in a 12-8 Sox victory.“It was a whirlwind,” Vaughn said. “So many emotions. Nerves. Excitement. It’s tough to put into words how much was going through my head.“Looking back, it’s been a year and a half, but it kind of feels like yesterday. It’s so cliché to say, but you don’t forget things like that.”[ [Don’t miss] Yoán Moncada returns from the IL looking to turn around a frustrating season ]Vaughn said the journey from then to now has been “a learning curve.”“I’ve gotten to improve on so many things because of that moment,” Vaughn said. “I got to just build upon it and learn what it’s like and how this game works and evolve with it.”In that short time, Vaughn has become one of the team’s top hitters. He entered Wednesday’s series finale slashing .307/.360/.465 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 56 games. He’s second on the team with 13 doubles.Vaughn has a .798 OPS against right-handers, an improvement from .610 last season.AdvertisementAnd he has been clutch, going 15-for-42 (.357) with runners in scoring position and 7-for-18 (.389) with runners in scoring position and two outs.White Sox designated hitter Andrew Vaughn hits an RBI double against the Blue Jays on June 20, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)He was not in the starting lineup Wednesday, as manager Tony La Russa said the team wanted to give Vaughn two days — including Thursday’s day off — to “refresh his legs.”“Most days if not all days this season, he’s as good as any hitter we have on the team, and that’s a remarkable statement to make,” La Russa said before Wednesday’s game. “He’s smart. He adjusts. He takes instruction well. And he’s a hungry hitter.”Vaughn is slashing .337/.391/.429 (33-for-98) with six doubles, one home run, 11 RBIs, 10 walks and nine multihit performances in his last 23 games. He has reached base safely in 22 of the 23.He’s seventh in the American League in average (.315) since May 1 and tied for ninth in the majors (.345) since May 31.All of that success has led to Vaughn’s name popping up in the All-Star conversation.Advertisement“They are amazing words,” he said when asked about being in the All-Star discussion. “I don’t even know how to explain it. But it’s pretty cool to be in that company. As a kid, you watch the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game and it’s probably the coolest thing to watch during the whole year besides the playoffs.“It would be an extreme honor, but I think the No. 1 goal — and everyone in here is the same way — is to get to the playoffs.”[ [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’ ]Among Vaughn’s favorite All-Star week moments were a couple that occurred in 2007 in San Francisco.“Vlad (Guerrero) Sr.’s Home Run Derby in San Francisco, hitting the glove (well beyond the left-center wall), which was basically thought to be unheard of,” Vaughn said. “The Ichiro (Suzuki) inside-the-park home run in SF (in the fifth inning of the All-Star Game) was insane. Just so many (moments).”Vaughn was born in Santa Rosa, Calif., and played college baseball at California. The Sox selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft.He said his parents and sister were in attendance at Angel Stadium. He’s expecting more friends and family when the Sox play the Giants this weekend at Oracle Park. That three-game series begins Friday.Advertisement“It’s really cool,” he said. “As a kid I was a Giants fan, I went to Giants games. Giants games were where it was at. Fun, a great atmosphere. It’s going to be pretty special to get to play there after sitting in the stands so many times.”

Sports

5 things we learned about Luke Richardson, including why you might see the new Chicago Blackhawks coach in purple

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, like many GMs before him, believes progress isn’t necessarily “linear.” But Luke Richardson has lived it.AdvertisementThe Montreal Canadiens went from play-in charity chase in 2020 to Stanley Cup Final runner-up in 2021 and back to last-place languisher this past season, and Richardson was along for the ride as an assistant coach.So Richardson appeared unfazed by the word “rebuild” during his introduction as Hawks head coach Wednesday at the Blackhawks Store on Michigan Avenue.Advertisement“I’ve been through — both playing and coaching — rebuilds, teams that are competitive, whether it was two years ago in the Stanley Cup Final. The ultimate challenge is to get there,” Richardson said. “I’m totally comfortable with developing players, having patience with players, but I said right from the start, I am an optimist and I want to go win every game and I’m going to approach every game like that.”[ [Don’t miss] Luke Richardson’s mentors say the new Blackhawks coach has a way with players: ‘Going to command respect right away’ ]But there will be plenty of time for all the heavy lifting — and losing — this team may endure. Wednesday’s introduction christened the honeymoon phase.Richardson held court with a backdrop of the Apple Store and Tribune Tower across the Chicago River, but he might as well have been perched atop Willis Tower.“It’s a real exciting day,” he said. “Right from Day 1 of my NHL career, (Chicago) was such an exciting place to be, and I’m so happy to be on it from this side of it for a change.”The former defenseman alluded to his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 1987, when his Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Hawks 7-5 at Chicago Stadium.Luke Richardson is introduced as the new Blackhawks coach Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)In settling on Richardson as the franchise’s 40th head coach, Davidson chose the person he believed would have credibility with veterans and patience with prospects.“When we started the search, we wanted someone who could lead with authority and hold players accountable,” Davidson said. “In addition we were looking for someone who could develop and coach young talent while also connecting with the veteran players.”AdvertisementRichardson replaces interim coach Derek King, who took the reins after the Hawks fired Jeremy Colliton on Nov. 6. Davidson still envisions a place for King — whom he called “a serious candidate” for the head coaching job — to be determined later this summer“It was a tough spot for Derek to step into (in) his first foray as a head coach, so we thought he did excellent,” Davidson said. “He really helped calm things down and solidify things in the locker room. … We’re looking to bring high-character people into the organization, and Derek is that.”Here are five things we learned about Richardson.Talk to people who know Richardson, and one word keeps coming up: “calm.”Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis told the Tribune, “He’s got a quiet confidence.”Folks once said similar things about Colliton’s demeanor, and we saw how that turned out. So Richardson was asked: Can you get feisty when you need to?Advertisement“Usually the referees do that to me,” he joked. “I have learned I don’t have to do that so much, and you get your point across better. It’s the same with the players.”[ [Don’t miss] 3 things we learned from Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, including why he hired a ‘baseball guy’ ]When he needed to send a message in practice, especially when he coached the AHL Binghamton Senators, “I’d (bag) skate the players, but I’d skate with them,” Richardson said. “And I would try to beat them. I would hold my breath and pretend I was not out of shape. But I am. I try to let them believe that I can (beat them), and it shapes them into, ‘Wow, we’ve got to pick it up here.’”That’s a case where he needs the players amped up. Richardson wants them also to follow his lead when he needs them to settle down.“A calm demeanor … leads to the players feeling calmness on the bench but aware of their job and what they have to do,” he said. “Not tense or yelling and screaming at the ref but under control. I think that filters into the players in front of you and they lose track of the game plan and get off track.”Luke Richardson on his (mostly) calm demeanor: “If you have to make a point you pick the time to make that point and then you don’t lose the players. … where they’re going to shut you off and not listen to you because you’re yelling more than you’re teaching and coaching.” pic.twitter.com/b9xGgjmki9— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) June 29, 2022

Richardson said it’s not calculated but occasions to be aggressive will come up organically. He thinks back to what he responded to as a player.“It’s not all the time where they’re going to shut you off and not listen to you because you’re yelling more than you’re teaching and coaching,” he said. “Nobody wants to be in an environment like that. I don’t.”AdvertisementRichardson said he first learned of the Hawks’ interest when Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes informed him that the Hawks asked permission to interview him.“The initial reason that Luke’s name popped up was something you’re seeing a lot of over the last couple days: Nobody has a bad word to say about him,” Davidson said. “Everyone’s had a great experience with him, so that was one of the first things that put him on our radar.“Then once we got into the room with Luke, something intangible — it just felt like it clicked. It felt really natural and comfortable.”Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, left, introduces Luke Richardson as the team’s new head coach Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)The first interview lasted “4½ hours or something, but it didn’t seem that long,” Richardson said. He discussed his philosophies with Hawks management and broke down film.“Once we got a little deeper into how he sees the game and how he views players and his communication styles,” Davidson said, “it really resonated with us and felt like something that would work within the system we’re putting in place here.”The Hawks also interviewed King, Vancouver Canucks associate coach Brad Shaw and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Todd Reirden. They invited Richardson to fly back to Chicago and took him to dinner. Later, he watched a Stanley Cup Final game with Davidson.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] 5 things we heard from Norm Maciver, the Blackhawks associate GM, including his thoughts on tanking for draft picks ]“I felt very comfortable, confident on how things went,” Richardson said, “and Kyle said, ‘I think we’re going to meet one more time tomorrow morning.’ I walked back to the hotel thinking, ‘Well, that’s got to be good.’“Then I started overthinking: ‘Maybe they’re going to call me in and say thanks very much for coming, see ya next time.’ But it worked out and Kyle presented it to me in a way that I felt was the right fit — not a good fit, it was the right fit. Very comfortable with each other in supporting each other going forward on the direction the management and organization want to go, and I feel that I can deliver in that area.”“… I felt was the right fit — not a good fit — it was the right fit.”—new Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson on being offered the job pic.twitter.com/BOpGIlD1x1— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) June 29, 2022

There’s a unique energy at the United Center when Jim Cornelison belts out the national anthem, and that hasn’t been lost on Richardson.“If we can take that passion and excitement and take that right out of the national anthem and play like that, taking the X’s and O’s out of it, just with that passion alone and implementing it into our system, that is what I want,” he said. “I think the people see that.”And there’s a time when the music stops.[ [Don’t miss] Jeff Greenberg brings the system he learned with Theo Epstein’s Cubs to the Blackhawks as he tries to ‘close that gap’ with baseball ]“Obviously sports is a tough business, it’s a win-loss business, and you get there with your play,” he said. “When? I’m not sure. I can’t give a timeline on that, but I know that we’re going to be working toward that every day, and I think that will resonate and show in the product on the ice.”AdvertisementRichardson added this caveat, reminiscent of Davidson’s reluctance to rush the rebuild or put a timeline on it: “We’re going to have to take those steps one, two, three, four. We can’t go one, 10 — we can’t skip anything. We have to do everything right.“It’ll take a little time. I’m not sure how much time, but that’s exciting. I like a challenge and I’m ready for it.”Richardson’s rookie season, 1987-88, also happened to be Hawks great Eddie Olczyk’s first season in Toronto.“I was lucky enough to be roommates with Eddie Olczyk,” Richardson said. “What a great mentor he was both on the ice and off the ice. His personality is so bubbly.Richardson made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 1987, at Chicago Stadium. Olczyk alleviated any pregame nerves.AdvertisementThe Flyers’ Luke Richardson, right, is sent flying by the Maple Leafs’ Tie Domi on March 29, 2001, in Philadelphia. (MILES KENNEDY / AP)“He took me out for breakfast that morning — because obviously he knows Chicago — at a little diner somewhere,” Richardson said. “And just being with me all day that day. He was like: ‘Just make sure you’re ready for that national anthem. Just make sure you’re ready.’“It didn’t matter how many times the players said that, I was not ready. I was definitely intimidated with the big team, the loud crowd and that organ. Chills on the back of my neck. It was such an exciting game.“Today, every time I come to the United Center, I have that feeling. It brings me back to 1987.”After the news conference, Richardson posed for pictures with his family, flanked by wife Stephanie and daughter Morgan.Earlier he memorialized his daughter Daron, who inspired his family’s cause to raise suicide awareness among young people. Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“Life is tough and 11 years ago we lost our daughter Daron (then 14) to suicide,” Richardson said. “It was devastating obviously for our family, but we wouldn’t be here today, the three of us, without the hockey community, guys like Eddie (Olczyk) reaching out and his wife, Diana. Our house was full of people that I played with, coached with, hockey community, and that’s the only way we got through it.Advertisement“And that’s the way I believe that a hockey team survives. It’s family and it’s support. So I coach like that.”The Richardsons created Do It For Daron (DIFD) to support suicide prevention, and Richardson said he was gratified that as he moved from stop to stop in his hockey career, each community — Ottawa, Binghamton, Montreal, New York — took up the cause.“We bring that movement of mental health awareness with us everywhere we go,” he said, “and that’s why purple is a big part of my wardrobe and our family’s. It’s Daron’s favorite and it’s part of the DIFD movement.” In the wake of the scandal involving the 2010 Blackhawks — in which former prospect Kyle Beach accused a former video coach of sexual assault and the team was found to have suppressed the allegation — the Hawks launched a new department dedicated to players’ mental health.“(The) department that’s in place here is ahead of anybody in the NHL, I can tell you that,” Richardson said. “Very impressed with meeting with everybody and talking about creating an environment where the players feel comfortable going in and having support.“And the coaching staff has got to respect that, support that. (That’s) a great advantage for our organization to have and it’s a very smart step for all teams to follow.”