Author: staff

More than just picking nominees for governor and other offices, Illinois Republicans’ choices this June 28 primary also will determine the GOP’s future and whether the…

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…

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 win a championship was the 1963 Bears. The Cubs hadn’t won since 1908, the White Sox since 1917.Every time a Chicago team tried to break the mold, a collapse of monumental proportions would unfold, and fans here grew to expect nothing less.AdvertisementBut the next 25 years would bring massive changes to the local sports scene, including the arrival of Michael Jordan, who would go on to become the greatest basketball player of all time and bring six titles to Chicago with the Bulls.The Bears won their only Super Bowl in the 1985 season behind a fiery coach and a collection of fun-loving characters who ruled the city like no team before or since. New baseball ownership on the North and South sides attempted to end the droughts of the Cubs and White Sox, which ultimately bled into the 21st century. It was also the end of the line for two beloved stadiums, Comiskey Park and the Chicago Stadium, and for the time-honored tradition of day-only baseball at Wrigley Field.[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]Workers high atop the new Comiskey Park look far down on the old one on July 10, 1990. (Frank Hanes / Chicago Tribune)And for those who loved reading about their favorite teams and athletes through thick and thin, 1976-2000 was a golden era for Chicago sports writing — and the Tribune was graced by some of the finest writers in history.AdvertisementFrom “In the Wake of the News” columnists Bob Verdi, Bernie Lincicome and Steve Daley to Hall of Fame baseball writer Jerome Holtzman to specialists including Don Pierson (football), Sam Smith (basketball), John Husar (outdoors) and Fred Mitchell (multiple sports), the idea of a slow news day on the Chicago sports front was virtually unthinkable.DePaul coach Ray Meyer is mobbed by fans upon his team’s arrival at O’Hare after they beat UCLA to advance to the Final Four in 1979. (Don Casper / Chicago Tribune)It’s hard for some to believe now, but DePaul men’s basketball was bigger than the Bulls before Jordan’s arrival from North Carolina in 1984. Legendary coach Ray Meyer’s Blue Demons started out as a Cinderella in 1979 and wound up dancing all the way to the Final Four while playing their home games in tiny Alumni Hall on Belden Avenue.They never made it back, despite highly ranked teams, and moving to the Rosemont Horizon in 1980 removed the narrative of the lovable little school under the “L” tracks.Chicagoans didn’t expect much from their teams in the 1970s and early ‘80s and thus were seldom disappointed. Fans could overlook the flaws on a team that was entertaining, such as the “South Side Hit Men” of 1977.In July of that season, Verdi, then the White Sox beat writer, wrote that the players “gamble so wantonly on the basepaths you would think they failed to visit the john before leaving the clubhouse.” The Hit Men faded on cue, like a pair of well-worn blue jeans. But 45 years later they remain a treasured part of Sox lore.The Bears were an afterthought for most of the 1979 season after starting out 3-5. But running back Walter Payton, linebacker Doug Buffone and a resilient bunch won six of seven leading into the season finale at Soldier Field. They needed a win over the St. Louis Cardinals and a Washington Redskins loss — and to make up a 33-point differential with the Redskins — for a wild-card spot.AdvertisementThe players awoke on Dec. 17 to the news that Bears President George “Mugs” Halas Jr. — the 54-year-old heir apparent to team founder George “Papa Bear” Halas — had died. But the Bears went on to trounce the Cardinals 42-6 before the Redskins lost by one point to the Dallas Cowboys, giving Payton & Co. a playoff berth.“From dawn to dusk the Bears were involved in perhaps the most unbelievable day in their 60-year history,” Pierson wrote.The Bears lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1979 playoffs, but Halas hired coach Mike Ditka in January 1982, and the ‘85 Bears not only won the Super Bowl and brought Chicago its first championship since 1963, but also changed the way athletes marketed themselves with their “Super Bowl Shuffle” video.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 14With an escort from Otis Wilson (55), Bears’ Wilber Marshall (58) steams into the endzone in the fourth quarter after scooping up a fumble 52 yards upfield during the NFC Championship game with the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field on Jan. 12, 1986. (Bob Langer / Chicago Tribune)Halas was not alive to see it, and daughter Virginia McCaskey inherited the team. In a front-page article, Tribune sports writer Phil Hersh wrote: “The Bears, once hoisted aloft, can simply put one foot on the Picasso, another on the Sears Tower, and step right up to the Chicago cloud, where team founder George Halas will be waiting.”For decades the names Halas, Wrigley and Wirtz were synonymous with the word “frugal” in the minds of many fans. Others preferred the generic term “cheapskates.” Verdi nicknamed Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz “Dollar Bill” in a Tribune column for his inability to part with money to pay his players.Reputations are difficult to erase. Just ask the Cubs.AdvertisementDuring a baseball strike in the summer of 1981, Tribune Co. — at that time, the owner of the newspaper, WGN-TV, WGN-AM 720 and other entities — pulled off a shocking deal with William Wrigley to purchase the Cubs for $20.5 million, or $1.5 million less than current Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward’s 2022 salary.The Wrigley family had owned the team for three generations and stamped its name on the iconic ballpark. But on June 17, 1981, the day after the sale was announced, the Tribune reported Cubs fans were ecstatic over the possibility of the team finally spending money, installing lights at Wrigley Field and dismissing general manager Herman Franks.“It was clear the general attitude would have been positive even if Bozo the Clown had taken over,” read one report in the Tribune sports section.In spite of new management, nothing changed immediately. Cubs gotta Cub. Early in the 1983 season, manager Lee Elia unleashed a profanity-laden tirade against Cubs fans, calling them the “dumb 15 (bleeping) percent that come out to day baseball (while) the other 85 percent are earning a living.” Radio reporter Les Grobstein saved the tape for posterity, and every year Cubs fans relive the memory of the rant heard around the world.The White Sox, however, would be the bigger story in ‘83. Manager Tony La Russa’s club shook off a lethargic first half to run away with the American League West title and dominate the headlines. “The Miracle on 35th Street,” Holtzman wrote on Aug. 29, 1983, after Greg “The Bull” Luzinski cranked his third rooftop home run of the season at Comiskey Park.The miracle ended with a loss to the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series, and La Russa was fired in 1986 — only to return 34 years later. When the Sox flopped in ‘84, the Cubs stole the city back.AdvertisementUnder manager Jim Frey and new stars Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe and Gary “Sarge” Matthews, the Cubs ended a 39-year playoff drought. Tribune Co. took a premature bow, and Tribune columnist Mike Royko mocked San Diego fans as bandwagon jumpers. Royko reveled in the Cubs’ 13-0 win over the Padres in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field.“Bullies, that’s what we’ve become,” Royko wrote. “Big, bad, mean bullies. And, oh boy, does it feel great. Why didn’t we think of this years ago?”The bullies blew a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, an epic collapse that somehow trumped the misery of 1969.But Wrigleyville — or Lakeview, as the neighborhood was more commonly known in the early ‘80s — would never be the same. Lights arrived at Wrigley Field on Aug. 8, 1988, and the formerly run-down neighborhood turned into a yuppie paradise. Rooftops became big business and real estate values climbed.On Aug. 8, 1988, Wrigley Field was lit up for the first night game in the park’s 74-year history. The weather, however, didn’t cooperate. The Cubs and the Phillies were rained out in the fourth inning. (Frank Hanes / Chicago Tribune)The Cubs soon resorted to their old ways, but the Harry Caray effect and the fans’ love affair with Wrigley made the team a gold mine for Tribune Co., which mirrored the Wrigley ownership in its reluctance to spend. After a surprising division title in 1989 under Don Zimmer, the Cubs didn’t return to the postseason until Sammy Sosa and Kerry Wood led them to a wild-card spot in 1998.During the ‘98 playoff race, Cubs radio analyst Ron Santo made one of the most famous calls in franchise history, shouting “Oh, noooooo!” after a dropped fly ball by outfielder Brant Brown led to a ninth-inning loss in Milwaukee.Advertisement“It was the kind of despair you’d associate with someone losing a member of their family,” Santo’s broadcast partner, Pat Hughes, later told the Tribune. “His call will live on in Cubs lore — in infamy, you could say, because it was such a tough loss.”Pittsburgh’s Tom Barrasso touches the helmet of Blackhawks Jeremy Roenick after the Penguins beat the Blackhawks in four games to win the Stanley Cup, on June 1, 1992, at the Chicago Stadium. (Jim Prisching / Chicago Tribune)The Blackhawks went through an array of ineffective and overmatched coaches from 1976-2000, including Bob Pulford’s three stints from 1977-87. Pulford also served as general manager, where he was equally clueless.The only time the Hawks were relevant was during the Mike Keenan era, when the feisty coach led them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1992. But the Hawks were promptly swept in four games by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Keenan lost a power struggle with Wirtz six months later and was let go.“Keenan wanted to be king,” Verdi wrote. “The power freak craved too much of a fix, and the real boss declared, game over.”It wasn’t until 1991 that Chicago sports fans got a real taste of excellence. Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to their first title, beating Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the NBA Finals. After a third straight championship in 1993, Jordan retired to play minor-league baseball for the White Sox, only to return in ‘95 and team up with Pippen and Dennis Rodman for another three-peat from 1996-98.Jordan’s winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals in Utah clinched the sixth Bulls title, capping a reign that seemed to make up for all the disappointing endings Chicago teams suffered the previous three decades.Advertisement“And there was Michael Jordan, after hitting what could have been his final and biggest basket as a Bull, hugging coach Phil Jackson,” Tribune beat writer Terry Armour wrote. “Both had tears in their eyes, realizing that this might be the end of the road.”Jordan’s shot would provide Chicago with a memory to last a lifetime, like the championships this century for the White Sox (2005), Cubs (2016) and Blackhawks (2010, ‘13 and ‘15). But Santo’s call, Elia’s rant, the South Side Hit Men and the “unbelievable day” of the ‘79 Bears won’t be forgotten soon either.If there’s one thing we’ve come to accept in Chicago, it’s that the journey still matters.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.

One of the most momentous changes in the long history of the Tribune took place on Sept. 19, 1982, and almost none of the paper’s more…

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.”