Author: staff

Q. I am on the board of a midsize condominium association. We are considering renting a portion of the common area to unit owners to park…

“I bought my home last fall and was pleasantly surprised by lots of flowering bulbs this spring and would like some tips on how to best care for them and choose more to plant this fall. Can I cut back the ugly foliage now?”— Tracy Patterson, Morton GroveAdvertisementBulbs do not require much maintenance. They will generally perform best in a location that is moist in spring and fall, and dry in summer. Most bulbs will not perform well in beds that are consistently moist or watered heavily throughout the summer. An important consideration for being successful with bulbs, like other plants, is choosing ones that are well-suited to the growing conditions in your garden. Plant daffodils and ornamental onions if you have rabbits and deer browsing in your garden. Tulips and crocuses are routinely eaten by deer and rabbits, but you can grow them by diligently spraying repellents in spring as they are growing. I have also seen plantings of crocus dug up by squirrels and chipmunks this spring as the foliage was going dormant.AdvertisementIt is tempting to cut back the bulb foliage before it should be trimmed, as the weather warms and the foliage looks increasingly worse. It is best to wait until the bulb foliage has gone dormant before cutting it back. The leaves will turn yellow to brown. Once the leaves have all turned yellow, it is OK to cut them back. The bulbs need their leaves to photosynthesize and make food that is stored to produce foliage and flowers next year. Cutting the foliage back too soon can reduce the vigor of the bulbs and flowering the next year. Tying up the leaves, bending them over and braiding the leaves are not good practices either as it reduces the leaf surface for photosynthesis. If you plant bulbs in the lawn, then you need to hold off on mowing the lawn in these areas to give the bulbs time to go dormant. You will probably need to cut the grass before the bulbs are completely dormant so set the mower at the highest setting to save as much of the bulb foliage as possible.Daffodils, above, and ornamental onions are good flowering bulbs to plant if you have rabbits and deer browsing in your garden. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden )I generally do not fertilize my bulbs, though they end up getting fertilized when the shrubs and perennials planted around them do. Phosphorus is often recommended for bulbs, but this nutrient does not readily move through the soil, so surface applications of it will do little good for any of the plants in your garden. Many garden soils already have adequate levels of phosphorus for plants to perform well. Test your soil if you want to know for sure.If an established patch of bulbs starts to bloom less or begins blooming sparsely, the bulbs may have become overcrowded, or the planting site too shady as adjacent trees have grown. That’s the signal to dig and divide or move them to another location. The first step is to lift the bulbs from the ground, being careful to dig the bulbs and not pull them up by the foliage. Take care when digging that you don’t damage the bulbs themselves. Start digging a few inches away from the plants and wait until the bulbs are loosened up before trying to pull them up. The best time to move or divide bulbs is when the foliage has gone dormant, meaning the leaves have finished producing food for next year’s flowers and you can still see their location.To divide bulbs, carefully pull the small bulbs from the base of the plant to increase plant numbers and gently separate them so that they can be planted with more spacing in their new location. The larger the small offset bulbs are, the sooner they will flower. Check the original bulb for firmness. If it appears in good health, go ahead and replant it; you may still get several years of flowering. If it appears shriveled or damaged, toss it.For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Chicago was known as the “city of losers” in 1976.Not by outsiders but by ourselves.AdvertisementIn the year of the nation’s bicentennial, the last local team to…

Long before the movie version, Arch Ward created a field of dreams. His was called “The Game of the Century,” and the Tribune’s sports editor based it on a perennial fantasy of baseball fans:If Sweetbread Bailey was pitching and Babe Ruth was batting, who would prevail?AdvertisementThe question was as frustrating as it is fascinating. One played in the National League, the other in the American League, and they never crossed base paths unless in a World Series.But Ward’s imagination conceived a means to settle such puzzlers: A contest pitting the best players of each league during a World’s Fair celebrating Chicago’s 100th birthday.Advertisement“A smart inspiration in the Tribune’s sporting department will give Chicago as an incident of the Fair, the baseball game of all time,” the paper reported on May 23, 1933. “The baseball managements could have found a million reasons why it could not be done but found every reason why it should be.”[Follow along with all of our 175th anniversary coverage and sign up to receive a special edition of Daywatch in your inbox with anniversary coverage]Crowds lined up at Comiskey Park on the morning of July 3, 1933, to buy bleacher tickets for “The Game of the Century” between American and National league all-star teams. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)The All-Star Game’s birth was a fortuitous byproduct of the Great Depression. In 1933, Edward Kelly, Chicago’s newly installed mayor, was worried. The city was committed to hosting a World’s Fair. But with millions of Americans out of work, how could Chicago attract enough visitors to ensure the fair’s success?Kelly took the question to Col. Robert R. McCormick, the Tribune’s publisher. There was some discussion of an athletic event, and McCormick turned the problem over to Ward, who had a talent for not only covering athletic events, but creating them.Ward knew that the novelty of an all-star game would get a few days advance coverage plus a post-mortem. The trick was to keep the public’s attention for much longer with headlines like that of the May 30 edition:“Simmons Increases Lead Over Ruth in poll. Babe Trails In First Returns From New York.”By Ward’s design, the lineups for the game were established by a democratic process. The Tribune asked readers to vote for their favorite players, and 47 papers quickly followed suit.Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, circa 1953. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)“The count will be forwarded to the Tribune every few days,” Ward explained. “At least twice the number of papers which have already joined will be enrolled in a few days, judging from the inquires over the weekend.”AdvertisementThat transformed the contest from a single ballgame into a daily face-off between fans. Some moved players around like a savvy manager. The American League had two hard-hitting first basemen. When the Yankees’ Lou Gehrig piled up an unbeatable lead, fans of the Athletics’ Jimmy Foxx still wanted him in the game.“Foxx once played third base for the Athletics and played it pretty well,” the Tribune noted. “The fans began voting for Foxx the third baseman.”But the White Sox’s Jimmy Dykes won the position, and the American League, bolstered by Babe Ruth’s two-run homer, beat the National League, 4-2.A decade earlier, Ward had cofounded the Golden Gloves with his counterpart at the New York Daily News, another Tribune paper. Their creation evolved into international boxing competition and added to the long list of Ward’s celebrity friends. The mornings of his professional bouts, heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano would have breakfast with Ward.Ward didn’t tout his own celebrity. His personal style was unassuming, the product of a Middle American upbringing of which he was proud. Born on a farm near Irwin, Illinois, he returned there shortly before his death for a final look at the barn of his youth.“I made baseballs with twine, black tape and glue,” he recalled. “I practiced pitching against the side of that barn. I pictured myself as a major league pitcher or shortstop.”AdvertisementFred Miller, president of the Miller Brewing Company of Milwaukee, left, and Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, sign a contract which gives the Miller company television and broadcast rights to the annual All-Star football game and an option to air the Golden Gloves in 1953. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)He liked to quote Knute Rockne, the famed football coach at the University of Notre Dame where Ward was a student and Rockne’s publicist.“The farm boy is the best prospect for America’s future leaders,” Rockne told Ward. “The city boy is too soft, and his schools make him mushier with their talk about character building.” Rockne grew up in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.Named the Tribune’s sports editor in 1936, Ward inherited the “In the Wake of the News” column, a potpourri of gossip, quips and readers’ contributions. One reader reminded Ward of his predecessor Ring Lardner’s description of a White Sox rally: “This consisted of ‘a dropped third strike,’ a ‘base on balls, a scratch hit, an error, and a close decision.’ ”Ward’s forte was athletes’ profiles, dense with facts and sometimes running in several installments.But his words could capture an indelible moment. For instance, Joe Louis flooring Max Schmeling with a blizzard of punches at the opening bell of their 1938 heavyweight championship bout:“Schmeling knew then and there that there was no escaping this cold, expressionless figure whose opening blast blurred his eyes and raised a welt on his left cheek,” Ward recalled decades later. “A half smile caught on his face became a fixed grin.”AdvertisementIn 1932, Ward ignited another fans’ debate, by noting that Jack Chevigny, coach of the Chicago Cardinals professional football team, thought that the 1930 Notre Dame squad was the best football team he had ever seen.“The conductor of this column has received hundreds of letters commenting on Chevigny’s ratings,” Ward reported. “Professional players, college coaches, and fans who lay it on the line every Sunday have had their say.”Max Krause, fullback of the Washington Redskins, crashes over the goal line from the 2-yard line in a battle with the College All-Americans on Aug. 31, 1938. The game, witnessed by 74, 250, was won by the All-Stars, 28 to 16. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)Capitalizing on its readers’ enthusiasm, Ward created, and the Tribune sponsored, a 1934 College All=Star game in Soldier Field. It began with a deafening display of pageantry, as the paper reported:“A huge spotlight shined down from a far corner of the field. The band struck up ‘The Maize and the Blue’ and Michigan men and women began to shout. Then into the spotlight alone stepped Michigan’s great center Chuck Bernard. Next came the songs of Purdue and Pittsburgh, and Fritz Febel of Purdue and Frank Walton of Pittsburgh, guards on this great All- American team, took their turns before the floodlights.”When all the school songs were sung, 79,432 fans saw the college players and the Chicago Bears, champions of the National Football League, battle to a 0-0 tie. The Associated Press reported: “Collegians Outplay Champions of Pro League, Gaining Six First Downs to Three”Vintage Chicago TribuneWeeklyThe Vintage Tribune newsletter is a deep dive into the Chicago Tribune’s archives featuring photos and stories about the people, places and events that shape the city’s past, present and future.The proceeds of the game went to charities, as did those from subsequent games, until the series ended in 1976.AdvertisementWard died in 1955, a few days before the All-Star (baseball) game. His funeral, set for the day of the game, resembled a monarch’s coronation. The game was set back an hour, so baseball’s honchos could get back from Chicago in time to see the first ball thrown out in Milwaukee.Pallbearers including Don Maxwell, managing editor of the Tribune, Stuart Owen, assistant managing editor, Wilfred Smith, George Strictly, Ed Press and Dave Condon of the sports department, carry Arch Ward’s casket for burial on July 12, 1955. (Ray Gora / Chicago Tribune)Bishop Bernard Shiel led the services at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Belmont Avenue. Rocky Marciano interrupted his training and flew in from New York. Former boxing champions Barney Ross and Tony Zale were there. So, too, were yesteryear stars of every sport Ward wrote about.The Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, Notre Dame’s president, preached the sermon. “Arch Ward had a passion for sincerity and fair play, a love of good and his fellow men,” Hesburgh said. “In the process he became immortalized in the hearts of millions.”When the collegians kicked three field goals to beat the Cleveland Browns in that year’s All-Star Football Game, the Tribune noted that Ward had a special affection not for the most gifted but those who give it their all.“Knute Rockne’s successors down at Notre Dame, when all else failed, used to tell their squad, ‘This one is for Rock,’ and their young pupils responded like tigers,” the Tribune wrote. “We hope we are not too trite in suggesting that this one was for Arch Ward.”Sign up to receive the Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter at chicagotribune.com/newsletters for more photos and stories from the Tribune’s archives. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Ron Grossman and Marianne Mather at rgrossman@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com.

Dear Amy: My husband has girls from work that message him. Sometimes these are work-related, and sometimes not.When I stress that I don’t like it, he says it’s nothing I should be concerned about. He also says it’s unattractive for me to act this way, that they are his friends, and I need to get over it.AdvertisementI do not give other men my phone number.I know that he is flirtatious (whether he realizes it or not). Girls fawn over him because he’s such an attractive and nice guy.AdvertisementIf the situation was reversed and I was receiving messages from men, he would hate it. He’s comfortable with this double standard.I’m at my wits’ end because he just doesn’t get it.We’ve had infidelity issues in the past (on both sides), and I don’t trust his or others’ intentions.Am I wrong for feeling this way?– UpsetDear Upset: You aren’t “wrong” for feeling the way you feel. Your feelings are your feelings, and you get to have them.However, because you and your husband have a history of infidelity and a lack of trust (certainly on your part), you haven’t “normalized” friendships, work relationships, and communication between people.You don’t give your phone number to men. Why not? Don’t you have the right to communicate with male colleagues and friends?AdvertisementI assume this is because you are trying to demonstrate behavior you want your husband to mirror.Well, he’s not taking you up on it.You could do some work on your own to rebalance your attitude toward your friendships with men, making an effort to understand what a relaxed, confident, and totally trustworthy friendship with a man would feel like for you.Your husband is deriding your anxiety and your behavior when it surfaces. Yes, your reaction might be “unattractive,” but it is unkind for him to toss this at you, when he could – and should – be reassuring you.The standard practice when rebuilding trust is to share any contact that causes the partner anxiety. So he would show you his messages, tell you who he is receiving calls from (or calling), and you would do the same.And, even if he is a yummy charmer out in the world, he should always put you at the center.AdvertisementYou two are continuing to play out the dynamic leftover from your mutual infidelity.You could take this into the office of a skilled counselor, and come out with a new understanding and a new way of behaving toward each other.Dear Amy: I received two college graduation notifications and I am unsure what I should do.The first is from a friend whose daughter has graduated from a prestigious college.When she graduated from high school, we attended her graduation party and brought a gift that was personalized, unique, and useful for years to come.We never received a thank you. I personally picked it out and made sure we received it well before her graduation. When we went to her party, she barely acknowledged us.AdvertisementI know she may be different four or five years later, but it is still an irritant.The second graduate is a son of a niece who we have not met since he was a baby, if even that.We received an announcement of his graduation.Coincidentally, both grads went to the same college, although they don’t know each other.My plan is simply to send congratulation cards to each.Am I being small-minded?AdvertisementWhat is your suggested course of action? Should I still enclose a check?– WonderingDear Wondering: Because one of these young people is a stranger and the other has a bit of a history with you, you should think primarily about what would make YOU feel the best.Would it make you feel good to ignore the ungrateful grad? (It might…).I’d probably send a card and a very modest amount to both, congratulating them and telling them that their first post-grad cappuccino (or martini) is on you.You will not be thanked.AdvertisementDear Amy: You are so good at what you do, but I wish life were as easy as you make it seem.Ask AmyDailyNo-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.Many days my wife and I discuss your advice. I’ll read a letter out loud, and we both try to guess what you’ll say.After we both had our turns, I do the “reveal” and we’d decide who was closer.– RandyDear Randy: Many families report doing this together – and it makes me extremely happy. Thank you!Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and we’ll send it to her.AdvertisementSign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time — get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.©2021 Amy Dickinson.

DENVER — Looking like by far the better team against the defending champions, the Colorado Avalanche overwhelmed the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0 in the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.Valeri Nichushkin scored his seventh and eighth goals of the playoffs and continued to be the best player on the ice, Game 1 overtime hero Andre Burakovsky beat Andrei Vasilevskiy again and even defensive defenseman Josh Manson and 35-year-old grinder Darren Helm got in on the fun with a goal apiece. Playoff MVP front-runner Cale Makar scored twice in the third period, inciting chants of “We want the Cup!” from a fired-up crowd.Advertisement“They’re playing at an elite level right now — give them credit. We are not,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. Rarely have the Lightning been outclassed during this run of postseason success, but they also hadn’t faced an opponent like the Avalanche, who forced them into one uncharacteristic mistake after another. The Avs were dominant in every facet of the game to move two victories away from their first title since 2001 and the first by this core led by Nathan MacKinnon.AdvertisementThe Avalanche go to Tampa, Fla., for Game 3 on Monday night up in the series despite no goals in the series from MacKinnon. They still became just the third team in NHL history to score three-plus goals in the first period of Games 1 and 2 in the final.Goaltender Darcy Kuemper celebrates after the Avalanche defeated the Lightning 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday in Denver. (John Locher/AP)“We played a pretty good game,” Helm said. “We just played a full 60-minute game.”The dominant performance started by pouncing on an early mistake by typically reliable Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak when he bobbled the puck at the blue line on one of the game’s first shifts. It was all Avalanche after that.Their aggressive forecheck led them to draw a penalty on veteran Ryan McDonagh, scoring on the ensuing power play when Burakovsky fed Nichushkin for his first of the night. It wasn’t his last, and the Avalanche poured it on with six of the game’s first seven shots and complete territorial domination with much of the game played in the Lightning end.“We came out with a purpose,” said forward Andew Cogliano, who returned after missing Game 1 with a right finger injury. “We got to our game, we skated from the drop of the puck and we just didn’t let up. “With Vasilevskiy — whose play was the key to the Lightning’s incredible ability to bounce back after a loss in the playoffs — looking shaky and even dropping his head after letting Makar beat him clean on one of many 2-on-1 rushes, the Avalanche made the most of all their offensive zone time. The highest-scoring team this postseason put on a clinic against the team that has played more hockey than anyone else over the last two years.That finally might be taking its toll, and it’s exacerbated by the blazing speed with which the Avalanche play. They again not only outskated the Lightning but used quick feet to force errors that turned into goals.“Am I shocked that we lost 7-zip?” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. “I mean, I don’t think we saw that coming.”AdvertisementThe Lightning fell to 18-2 after a loss since the start of the first round in 2020. The streak of 18 in a row ended in the Eastern Conference final against the New York Rangers when the Lightning fell behind 2-0 before roaring back, though it’s hard to see the Avalanche falling into the same trap.Even if players brush off the concept of momentum from game to game during a playoff series, their romp over the champs combined with a 7-0 road record should fill the Avalanche with confidence. But they might again need to dip into their pool of depth because of injuries.After getting Andrew Cogliano back from missing the series opener with a right finger injury, the Avalanche lost Burakovsky again in the second period. Burakovsky blocked a shot in the first game in the West final and has been playing through pain since. Coach Jared Bednar said he would be reevaluated ahead of Game 2.The Avs are inflicting plenty of pain on the Lightning, who resorted to some rough stuff after falling behind. Of course, even MacKinnon was throwing hits in the third period despite the game being well in hand.The Avs’ Darcy Kuemper barely was tested in net, picking up the shutout with 17 saves.“He was just rock solid,” Manson said. “He was exactly what we needed to be.”

At one point this season, you might have been encouraged to come out to Soldier Field to support the Chicago Fire, who were unbeaten and in second place in the Eastern Conference.Fast forward about 90 days and it’s a very different picture.AdvertisementThe Fire entered Saturday night’s home match against D.C. United last in Major League Soccer with just 11 points from 14 matches and winless since March 19. No team had scored fewer goals than the Fire’s 13 entering the weekend.And designated players Xherdan Shaqiri (hamstring), currently the league’s highest-paid player, and Jairo Torres (hip) missed the match because of injuries, putting even more stress on a team that has rebuilt twice in the last three seasons under sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer.AdvertisementBut the Fire might have alleviated some of those burdens with a 1-0 victory thanks to Fabian Herbers’ headed goal in the 78th minute.“Luckily I got the goal at the end, so I’m happy to help the team,” Herbers said. “It’s a huge push for us in the right direction hopefully, and hopefully we can continue to build on it and keep going.”Herbers’ goal helped the Fire snap a 10-game winless streak.“Hopefully we can change the narrative about this team that this is a team that can’t close out games,” coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “We showed tonight that we have what it takes.”But even with the victory, the math still might be against the Fire (3-7-5, 14 points) if they want to play postseason soccer.Excluding the pandemic-altered 2020 season, the final playoff spot in the East the last four seasons went to teams that finished with 48 points (2021), 45 points (2019) and 50 points (2018 and 2017).That means the Fire, who finished third with 55 points in 2017, need to have Supporters’ Shield-like form — typically about two points per game — over their final 19 matches to even have a shot at qualifying for the playoffs.“What I said to (the players) after the game is remember this feeling,” Hendrickson said. “Remember how good this feels to walk off a pitch when you’ve played well knowing that you didn’t give the game away or you didn’t lose the game. … Consistency is something we need to work on.”AdvertisementThe Fire approached the recent international break as an opportunity break out of their recent funk.“We got a chance to analyze what we had been doing up to this point,” defender Jonathan Bornstein said. “Got a good amount of time to put in the work and watch videos, just really prepare for this next game. A lot of it was that we spoke about where we were at in the season, being realistic and reevaluating everything prior to this game.”Hendrickson warned the Fire would experience “growing pains” this season and touched on the need for patience Wednesday during his weekly news conference.“It’s not so much patience because guys are young, but it’s patience because it’s a relatively new team,” Hendrickson said Wednesday. “It’s going to take a while to get guys to mesh and jell with each other, and now you have also a new coach with a new philosophy that they have to also grasp.Advertisement“So … when I talk about patience, it’s not so much about age or anything like that, it’s about giving time to develop. And we’re seeing the progress. We’re definitely seeing the progress. If we were sitting here and we were losing every game 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, we would have an issue.”To Hendrickson’s point, the Fire probably aren’t as bad as their record.But even after Saturday’s result they have 0.93 points per game, a rate that isn’t dissimilar to 2015-16, when the Fire finished last in MLS with 30 points (0.88 PPG) and 31 points (0.91 PPG).That’s not to say the Fire will end this season with their third Wooden Spoon, a fan-created “honor” awarded to the team that finishes at the bottom of MLS. But the margins are thin and the Fire need to build on Saturday’s victory.They might have to do so for some time without Shaqiri, who leads the Fire with six assists and entered Saturday the team’s joint-top scorer with three goals. Torres has been dealing with his injury off-and-on since joining from Atlas FC in May.AdvertisementThe severity of Shaqiri’s injury was not announced, but Hendrickson said the Fire hope the midfielder is fit for their next match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.“Hamstrings are very tricky, so we’ve got to be careful with that,” Hendrickson said.The Chicago Fire, including goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, stand on the field before their home opener against Orlando City at Soldier Field, March 5, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)The Fire goalkeeper and Addison native has been the subject of several transfer inquiries, with English Premier League club Chelsea and European and Spanish La Liga champions Real Madrid interested in the 18-year-old.Any deal for Slonina likely would include a loan back to the Fire for at least the rest of the season.AdvertisementHendrickson declined to comment on the speculation Wednesday but said he’s not worried about Slonina losing focus in the meantime.“It’s really good that he’s kept his head and stayed focused because that could be really distracting,” Hendrickson said. “This is something we really can’t discuss and just let the guys do the negotiations … handle that stuff and we just want to focus, me and my staff on the games coming up.”

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick avoided the carnage and calamity that took down golf’s best Saturday at a U.S. Open that set the tone for a final day of survival.Zalatoris, who lost in a three-hole playoff at the PGA Championship last month, made only one bogey — a staggering feat on a beast of a Brookline course — for a 3-under 67.Advertisement“Felt like I shot a 61,” Zalatoris said. “Whenever I made a mistake I was able to get away with it or pull off something miraculous.”Fitzpatrick, already a champion at The Country Club with his U.S. Amateur title in 2013, was equally steady and ran off three birdies over his last five holes for a 68. He will be in the final group of a major for the second straight time.AdvertisementMost telling was they didn’t make any double bogeys.Will Zalatoris pumps his fist after making a birdie on the fourth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. (Charles Krupa/AP)Matt Fitzpatrick of England prepares to putt on the 18th green during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Fitzpatrick shot a two-under 68 and has a share of the lead at 4 under entering the final round. (Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)That’s what knocked defending champion Jon Rahm out of the lead on the final hole. The Spaniard thought he had seen it all — including a shot he played backhanded from the base of a tree on the eighth hole — when he took three swipes from sand in two bunkers.Rahm’s first shot from a fairway bunker hit the lip and nearly rolled into his footprint. His next shot found a plugged lie in a greenside bunker, and two putts later he had a 71 and went from one ahead to one behind.Rahm wasn’t upset with his swing on the final hole. If anything, he said it was getting dark and he didn’t notice his ball sitting in the sand. The USGA sent the last group off at 3:45 p.m. to maximize television exposure.Rahm was looking ahead instead of what he left behind.Jon Rahm, of Spain, reacts after a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Rahm is one stroke back entering the final round. (Charles Krupa/AP)“I have 18 holes, and I’m only one shot back,” he said. “That’s the important thing.”Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick were at 4-under 206, the same score of the 54-hole lead when the U.S. Open last was at The Country Club in 1988.It’s not like Rahm had full rights to the lead. The day was so wild that Rahm was among eight players who had at least a share of the lead at some point. Three of them didn’t even finish among the top 10, including two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.AdvertisementMorikawa, who shared the 36-hole lead with Joel Dahmen, had double bogeys on the seventh and 13th holes and might have had a third after a chunked wedge on No. 4 except that he made a 25-foot putt for bogey. He finished with a 77.Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was not immune. The world’s No. 1 player looked to be pulling away when he holed a wedge from some 80 yards for eagle on the par-5 eighth.He was at 6 under and cruising until his wedge to a back pin on the 141-yard 11th hole bounced hard over the green and into deep rough. He took two to the green and two puts later was no longer leading. And it only got worse as three straight bogeys followed and he shot 71.Seven of the top 12 players going into Saturday made at least one double bogey in strong wind and cool temperatures that made this sweater weather in June.Rory McIlroy was not on that list. His was more of a slow bleed, mostly from a putter that wasn’t behaving. He made one birdie in his round of 73.All that, and this U.S. Open was far from settled.Advertisement“It was one of the toughest days on a golf course I’ve had in a long time,” McIlroy said. “I just needed to grind it out, and I did on the back nine. To play that back nine at even par today was a really good effort, I thought. Just kept myself in the tournament. That’s all I was trying to do. Just keep hanging around.”Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the sixth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)Twenty-three players were under par going into the third round. Only nine remain with 18 holes remaining, all of them separated by three shots.That includes a local star — maybe not the Francis Ouimet variety, but Keegan Bradley is big enough in Beantown that he heard his name chanted loudly and proudly as he marched up toward the 18th green. A former PGA champion, he called it “probably the highlight of my whole entire life.”He gave them reason to cheer. Three over through seven holes, Bradley answered with passion and birdies, five of them over his last 11 holes for a 69.He was two shots behind with Adam Hadwin (70) and Scheffler). McIlroy was three back along with Sam Burns (71) and Dahmen, who didn’t make a birdie in his round of 74 but stayed in the game because he didn’t have any big blunders.The average score was 73.5, and only seven players broke par. Denny McCarthy made the cut on the number at 3-over par. He finished his 68 before the leaders even arrived at the course. By the end of the day, he was tied for 11th, five shots behind.AdvertisementThe U.S. Open played every bit like one.“I knew it was going to be hard,” Dahmen said. “I didn’t know it was going to be that hard.”

HOUSTON — Johnny Cueto volunteered to pitch Sunday when the Chicago White Sox needed help after starter Michael Kopech exited in the first inning with right knee discomfort.Cueto entered in the third against the Texas Rangers and tossed five innings in the second relief appearance of his 15-season career.AdvertisementHe was back in his usual starter’s role Saturday against the Houston Astros and was in complete control against one of the best lineups in baseball.Cueto allowed two hits, struck out five and walked two in seven innings, pitching the Sox to a 7-0 victory against the Astros in front of 36,747 at Minute Maid Park.Advertisement“I just tried to keep the ball low in the zone because I know that they can hit,” Cueto said through an interpreter. “I was good with executing.”White Sox starting pitcher Johnny Cueto pumps his fist after helping turn a double play against the Astros during the seventh inning Saturday in Houston. Cueto tossed seven innings of two-hit ball in a 7-0 Sox win. (David J. Phillip/AP)A few hours after the Astros scored 10 runs in one inning during Friday’s 13-3 victory, Cueto kept them off-balance to earn his first win with the Sox.“(Friday) night was a bad game for us,” Cueto said. “But I always say you need to keep your head up. Keep your head up and be optimistic and come back the next day and try to do your job.”Cueto (1-3) did just that.The only hits he surrendered were a Jose Altuve single to center leading off the first and an Alex Bregman infield single leading off the seventh. Both of those runners were erased on double plays.Cueto helped the Sox to their first win at Minute Maid Park since May 23, 2019, snapping a streak of seven straight losses — including two in the 2021 postseason.“That’s pitching at its finest,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said.Cueto hadn’t received much run support since joining the Sox. That changed Saturday against Justin Verlander.AdvertisementThe entirely right-handed-hitting starting lineup had success, often taking the ball the other way.“We know you are going to have to stay on the ball because he’s a Hall of Famer to be, so I thought it was a very intelligent approach,” La Russa said.Danny Mendick and Andrew Vaughn singled to right, loading the bases with one out in the third. Luis Robert brought two home with a single to right for the game’s first runs.José Abreu drove in two with a double to left, extending the lead to 4-0.The hot hitting continued in the fourth. Josh Harrison singled to right and scored when Vaughn’s hard-hit grounder went through the legs of second baseman Altuve. Robert had a two-run double down the left-field line, stretching the lead to 7-0.Robert had three hits and four RBIs. Vaughn had three hits and scored twice.Advertisement“My approach was the same as always,” Robert said through an interpreter. “I just tried to make good contact and put the ball in play.”White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, left, and center fielder Luis Robert celebrate after a 7-0 win against the Astros on Saturday in Houston. (David J. Phillip/AP)Verlander exited after Robert’s hit in the fourth. He allowed seven runs, four earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts in 3⅔ innings. His ERA went from 1.94 to 2.30.“After that support, I just said ‘OK, I just need to keep the game as it is right now, I need to keep my focus,’ ” Cueto said. “Because sometimes you can lose it. And I was able to do that.”Cueto’s ERA went from 3.53 to 2.95. He has pitched at least six innings in each of his six starts.“With his contribution to what we are doing, that’s how he has pitched his whole career,” La Russa said. “He has given us a tremendous lift.”The Sox had been held to three runs or fewer in four of Cueto’s first five starts. The one time they surpassed the mark was in his Sox debut May 16 in Kansas City, Mo., where Robert hit a two-run homer in the 10th for a 5-3 victory.Advertisement“It’s nothing personal, Johnny,” La Russa said. “But that’s a makeup (Saturday). Against a guy like Verlander, a lot of really good at-bats. Stringing hits together, hitting down in the count. It was a lot of major-league hitting (Saturday).”And big-time pitching from Cueto, who said he didn’t feel any linger effects from the relief appearance.“I just like to work,” Cueto said. “Work hard, execute, try to keep the ball low in the zone and work hard to stay healthy. That’s the most important thing.”The Sox played Saturday without third baseman Yoán Moncada, who left Friday’s game in the third inning with right hamstring tightness.“We’re going to wait, wait it out (Sunday) and see how he is Monday,” La Russa said. “Got checked today. There’s something there, but it’s not so much of a problem that we can’t be a little bit patient to see if it comes through. See how he feels.”The Giants have claimed C/1B Yermín Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. C Michael Papierski has been designated for assignment.— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 18, 2022

Former Sox designated hitter Yermín Mercedes was claimed off of waivers by the San Francisco Giants. Mercedes, who was named the AL Rookie of the Month for April in 2021 but cooled off and was optioned to Charlotte on July 2, was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Black business owners gathered in Roseland on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth with a pop-up event that included food, music and a raffle.Racquel J. Bradley, owner of…