Author: staff

News

Photos: 2022 SAIC Fashion Show

Our contributor Isa Giallorenzo attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s fashion show in May. The annual event returned to an in-person format this year (the…

Sports

Column: Another day, another Chicago White Sox controversy they avoid addressing

The Lance Lynn-Joe McEwing dugout incident during Monday’s Chicago White Sox game in Detroit brought back some vivid memories of a similar incident in 1996.Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura, two of the biggest stars on the ‘96 Sox, engaged in a heated dugout spat on a hot August afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Thomas shoved Ventura in the chest in the seventh inning after Ventura tried to prevent him from getting ejected for arguing with the home plate umpire. Teammates Dave Martinez and Lyle Mouton quickly intervened before things got out of hand.AdvertisementBut a WGN camera caught the incident, and Sox manager Terry Bevington called the players together after the Sox’s 8-4 loss to tell them not to comment because he’d handle everything.“Both of those guys respect each other,” Bevington told reporters. “Both of those guys like each other. Little disagreements happen on teams. It’s really nothing.”AdvertisementBut Martinez ignored Bevington’s directive.“(Ventura) was just speaking honestly in the dugout, and (Thomas) snapped,” Martinez said. “When a guy 275 pounds snaps, look out.”Ventura politely said he couldn’t talk about what happened, but then was informed Martinez already had given us a blow-by-blow account.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Tony La Russa isn’t worried about Chicago White Sox fan discontent — he’ll ignore it like he did in his 1st South Side stint ]“I talked to him afterward. I have nothing against Frank,” Ventura said.So he was just trying to keep Thomas from getting ejected?“Evidently,” he said.Thomas, unaware his teammates had spoken, brushed past reporters and barked: “I have nothing to say.”The incident was the talk of the town. “Frank flips, Sox Flop” read the Chicago Tribune headline. But it quickly blew over, as most controversies do over the course of a long baseball season.AdvertisementThe Lynn-McEwing kerfuffle Monday was one of those things that happen when two headstrong individuals disagree. Unfortunately for them, it was shown on the NBC Sports Chicago broadcast and the video quickly spread on Twitter.Manager Tony La Russa told reporters afterward that Lynn was mad at himself for making a bad pitch. Lynn joked he and McEwing were debating what kind of steak was the best. McEwing was not made available for comment.Honesty may be the best policy, but silence is golden. The Sox didn’t feel it was necessary to explain the details of the spat, which is their prerogative. But the lack of accountability from La Russa and Lynn came on the heels of another controversy — La Russa’s intentional walk call on a 1-2 count to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trea Turner last week — a decision that not only backfired but made the Sox a national story.On a replay of the game, NBC Sports Chicago edited the inning that included the Turner at-bat out, a decision seen by many as a team interfering with its regional station’s editorial integrity to avoid making La Russa look worse than he already did.La Russa’s relationship with Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is well known. The Sox are part-owners of NBC Sports Chicago. Conspiracy theories abounded, especially after Marquee Sports Network’s censorship of a show that contained criticism of Cubs president Jed Hoyer.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Mood turns ugly for the Chicago White Sox as ‘Fire Tony’ chants ring out in a loss at home ]So NBC Sports Chicago took its lumps, and deservedly so.AdvertisementKevin Cross, president and general manager of the three NBC stations in Chicago, said Tuesday the company in New Jersey hired to edit games down to a three-hour window erred by not leaving the fateful inning in the final edit.“There was no conspiracy,” Cross said. “We had to cut an hour and 13 minutes out of the game, and the person that did it didn’t know the nuance of that intentional walk. They are not from this market and didn’t know the nuance of Tony La Russa’s decision.“Where we messed up (is) we should’ve talked to (the company) and said ‘Whatever you do, don’t cut out this ending … That inning is untouchable.’ The fact it did get cut makes us look bad.”Accountability matters.White Sox manager Tony La Russa watches from the dugout during a game against the Tigers on June 13, 2022. (Duane Burleson /AP)NBC Sports Chicago accepted blame for the editing mistake. La Russa needs to heed the station’s example and be upfront about the Lynn-McEwing spat.Whether the disagreement was over defensive positioning doesn’t matter as much as the attempt to obfuscate and avoid the subject afterward. McEwing obviously stood his ground against a popular player who has much more job security than a third base coach.AdvertisementLa Russa had an opportunity to defend his coach. Instead he chose to make up a story. La Russa sat back in his chair in the visitors’ office with his pants undone as if he’d just finished Thanksgiving dinner and praised Lynn for always being “accountable.” Lynn then made his joke to reporters about the steak dinner.No accountability here.What happened between Lynn and McEwing might soon be forgotten, just as the Ventura-Thomas spat was by the end of ‘96. But throwing McEwing under the bus, as La Russa and Lynn did, will linger.The 2022 Sox still have a long way to go to match the wacky episodes of ‘96, when Tony Phillips was arrested for punching a Milwaukee Brewers fan, Bevington got into an altercation with umpire Rich Garcia at a downtown restaurant and the Thomas-Ventura incident at Yankee Stadium.The ‘22 Sox have 102 games left after Tuesday’s game in Detroit. Someone could flip. Someone could flop.Rest assured it’s a story that gets more interesting by the day.

Sports

MLS and Apple announce 10-year streaming partnership that allows fans to watch every game without local blackouts

Apple’s foray into live sports took a big step forward Tuesday.Apple and Major League Soccer have announced a 10-year partnership on a streaming service that will allow fans to watch every game without local blackouts or restrictions. The service will be available exclusively through the Apple TV app beginning next year.AdvertisementThe deal is Apple’s second venture into streaming professional sports. In April, it began airing “Friday Night Baseball,” an exclusive weekly doubleheader of Major League Baseball games.“The opportunity to partner with a sports league, and truly build the product together with them is very, very unique,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. “We can bring the things that we do really well with the things that they do really well and really make the product, which I think will be significantly better for the fans. We want to create a great experience for fans to be able to watch and experience MLS like they’ve never had before.”AdvertisementThe details of the streaming service will be announced in the coming months. The package will be included for fans who have full-season ticket packages for their club.Some MLS and Leagues Cup matches will be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches also available for free.“We really couldn’t have found a better partner to embark on this new journey together to capitalize on the momentum that exists in MLS today,” league Commissioner Don Garber said. “We can use this deal as rocket fuel as we build towards the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026 and thinking about what the sport of soccer, what Major League Soccer could look like, in the years beyond.”Currently, most MLS games are streamed on ESPN+, but there are blackout restrictions due to some local rights agreements. The league’s deals with Fox Sports and ESPN expire at the end of the year, but Garber is hoping the league can reach a deal with a broadcast partner.Even with the Apple deal, MLS does have the opportunity to simulcast some games nationally.Streaming is already built into soccer fans’ DNA. The league said it has found in various studies that 83% of MLS fans watch sports on streaming devices or recorded TV in a typical week, much higher than the general average of 52% for all TV viewers.What also makes the deal intriguing for Apple is that MLS has the youngest and most diverse audience compared to the other four major professional North American sports leagues.Besides all regular-season and postseason matches, the package includes all Leagues Cup matches — the competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX — as well as select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches.AdvertisementApple will also partner with MLS on presentation of the matches as the league takes over production. This is another step forward for the league, but is similar to the way European soccer leagues do business. All matches will be called in English and Spanish while those involving Canadian clubs will also be available in French.All matches will also be available in Full HD (1080p) for the first time. Previously, matches were broadcast in 1080i or 720p.Garber said the league will have a more streamlined schedule beginning next season, with most matches taking place on Saturday evenings and some on Wednesdays. The only time that might change is for a national broadcast or stadium conflict. The league will expand to 29 teams in 2023 with the debut of St. Louis CITY SC.The deal comes as Apple is also exploring opportunities with other sports. The company has been pursuing streaming NFL games when the league’s “Sunday Ticket” expires at the end of the upcoming season.