Author: staff
A’ja Wilson had 22 points and 16 rebounds, Dearica Hamby added 14 and 12, and the Las Vegas beat the defending-champion Chicago Sky 83-76 on Saturday at Wintrust Arena for their sixth consecutive win.Kelsey Plum had 19 points, Chelsea Gray added 18 and Jackie Young finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks for the Aces (8-1).AdvertisementGray hit three free throws to spark a 10-0 run that made it 39-29 midway through the second quarter, and the Aces led the rest of the way. They took a 51-38 lead into halftime, led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and had a 10-point lead with 4 minutes to play.Courtney Vandersloot had 12 points and nine rebounds, Kahleah Copper also scored 12 points and Candace Parker added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Sky (4-3). Rebekah Gardner also scored 11 points and Azura Stevens added seven points and a season-high 10 rebounds.AdvertisementThe Sky missed 18 consecutive 3-point shots after Candace Parker made a 3 that pulled them within a point with a minute left in the first quarter. Vandersloot snapped the streak with a 3-pointer that trimmed the Sky’s deficit to 70-62 midway through the fourth quarter.The Sky finished shooting 34.6% (28 of 81) overall and made just 5 of 31 (16.1%) from 3-point range.
PARIS — Police deployed tear gas on supporters waiting in long lines to get into the Stade de France and security struggled with fans desperate to see the Champions League final that was delayed by 37 minutes Saturday.Angry Liverpool fans held in the lines were seen hanging onto railings and heard shouting: “Let us in. We’ve got tickets.”AdvertisementThere were many instances of fans breaking through security and attempting to get into the stadium. The Associated Press saw two fans — one wearing Liverpool attire — wrestled to the ground by stewards and bundled out of the gates.A fan climbs the fence in front of the Stade de France before the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday. Police deployed tear gas on supporters waiting in long lines to get into the stadium. The start of the match was delayed for 37 minutes. (Christophe Ena/AP)Three more fans were seen evading stewards and sprinting through the concourse and into the bottom level of the stadium. Others climbed the fences instead.AdvertisementSupporter Colm Lacey saw “children crying, people trapped” outside the entrances.“People started jumping the queue, then they ripped the gate open and then there was a push,” Lacey said.Fans shows tickets in front of the Stade de France before the Champions League final match between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday. (Christophe Ena/AP)Police officers with batons and riot shields ran from gate to gate to prevent pockets of fans forcing their way into the stadium without showing tickets. One policeman collapsed and had to be helped by other officers. Officers used tear gas on Liverpool fans on repeated occasions.One Liverpool fan kissed his ticket and looked to the sky after finally getting through security.The scenes were reminiscent of the chaos outside Wembley Stadium before the European Championship final last year between England and Italy.There were long lines of Liverpool fans still outside the stadium when there was 40 minutes to kickoff.Police stand guard inside the Stade de France prior to the Champions League final soccer match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, in Saint Denis near Paris, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Police have deployed tear gas on supporters waiting in long lines to get into the Stade de France for the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid that was delayed by 37 minutes while security struggled to cope with the vast crowd and fans climbing over fences. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (Christophe Ena/AP)Then, about 15 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of 9 p.m. local time, an announcement was made that there would be a delay, blaming the late arrival of fans to the stadium. It was greeted by jeers inside the stadium, given those fans already had endured long waits.The game started at 9.37 p.m. local time.AdvertisementThis story will be updated.
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CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham was suspended by Major League Baseball for three games on Saturday after San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson said Pham slapped him because of a dispute about their fantasy football league.Pham, 34, also was fined. The suspension was made retroactive to Friday night, and he will serve the final two games this weekend.AdvertisementWhile the Giants warmed up in the outfield before Friday’s series opener, Pham confronted Pederson and smacked him in the face before the pair was separated.Pederson said after the Reds’ 5-1 victory that he was accused of cheating for placing a player on injured reserve and replacing him with a free agent in a fantasy football league. Pederson said the player he put on IR had been ruled out for that week, which made it a legal move. He said Pham had executed essentially the same maneuver with his own team.Advertisement“I sent a screenshot of the rules, how it says that if a player’s ruled out, you’re allowed to put him on the IR and that’s all I was doing,” Pederson. “He literally did the same thing. That was basically all of it.”Pederson said he had no advance notice that Pham might confront him during the series in Cincinnati.“There was no argument, he kind of came up and said, ‘You remember from last year?’ and I said, ‘Fantasy football?’” Pederson recalled.The scuffle was witnessed by reporters and occurred before fans entered the ballpark.
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The Chicago White Sox designated starter Dallas Keuchel for assignment, the team announced Saturday.Keuchel had a 2-5 record and a 7.88 ERA with 20 strikeouts in eight starts this season.AdvertisementThe left-hander, who won the American League Cy Young Award in 2015 with the Houston Astros, was a major addition during the 2019 offseason, agreeing to a three-year, $55.5 million deal. The contract included a team option for 2023.Keuchel went 17-16 with a 4.79 ERA in 51 appearances (49 starts) for the Sox.AdvertisementHe finished fifth in the American League Cy Young voting in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, going 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 starts. Keuchel was 9-9 with a 5.28 ERA in 32 outings (30 starts) last season and was placed on the taxi squad for the playoffs.Keuchel this month had strong outings at Boston (two runs in six innings on May 8) and against the New York Yankees (five shutout innings on May 14) before struggling against the Yankees on May 21 at Yankee Stadium (six runs in four innings) and Thursday against the Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field (six runs in two innings).In Saturday’s corresponding move, the Sox recalled infielder Danny Mendick from Triple-A Charlotte.
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Major League Baseball whiffed three times when it came to scheduling the annual City Series between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox.Not only did MLB neglect to schedule a Friday game at Sox Park, it inserted both rounds too early in the 2022 schedule and only three weeks apart.AdvertisementFor that, the schedule-makers deserve the golden sombrero.Nevertheless, the games will be played, so here are 10 things to watch for this weekend.Advertisement1. The Cubs and Sox combined to give up 36 runs on 39 hits Thursday. But both teams used a position player in relief — even with an off day Friday and nine-man bullpens. So managers Tony La Russa and David Ross should have a full complement of rested relievers Saturday.2. Cubs rookie Christopher Morel is expected to make his City Series debut. In nine games since being called up from Double A, Morel has two home runs, a .313 average and a .968 OPS. He also has played flawlessly at short, second, third and center field and could be the Cubs’ best starting option at all four positions.Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel (5) walks on the field during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field, May 18, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)General manager Carter Hawkins was at Triple-A Iowa last week and told the Des Moines Register the farm system was “on the up and up.” OK, then let’s see them at Wrigley this summer. If Morel’s brief success has proved anything, it’s that Cubs fans would rather watch kids develop than journeymen such as Jonathan Villar going through the motions, as he did Thursday. Villar reached on an errant throw as he jogged to first on a grounder, sending the wrong message.3. If the rivalry were as heated as it used to be, the Cubs would’ve started Marcus Stroman on Sunday on his normal rest. The Sox rank 24th in the majors with a .228 average against right-handed pitching and fourth against left-handers at .258. Instead of throwing two right-handers, the Cubs will start Keegan Thompson on Saturday and lefty Wade Miley on Sunday. Ross has a 1-7 record versus La Russa.4. Marquee Sports Network’s spin on censoring criticism of team President Jed Hoyer on “The Reporters” seems to have worked. Sunday’s episode will be hosted by WSCR-AM 670 personality Danny Parkins, who sources said will discuss the decision by the network to halt taping of this week’s episode because of a bogus “technical issue” before telling reporters not to return to the subject of Hoyer’s alleged lack of “transparency” when retaping the segment.Will Marquee admit to censoring reporters after initially lying about the reason to stop taping?When former Tribune media columnist Phil Rosenthal tweeted “The Reporters” was a “sham” and that any media outlet looking for credibility should avoid reporters making appearances, Parkins’ responded on Twitter by calling it “laughably ridiculous,” adding: “Good to know you went your entire career without making a mistake.”No media outlet that cares about its independence and credibility should allow staff to appear on this show. Anyone who does appear on this show is telling the world they are the pocket of the @Cubs and @WeAreSinclair. https://t.co/eRIxjtrFxy— Phil Rosenthal (@phil_rosenthal) May 25, 2022
That is laughably ridiculous. I’ll be hosting the show this Sunday. It’s going to be live. I host on the home of cubs radio and have been plenty critical before. Admittedly, they don’t own the radio station.Good to know you went your entire career without making a mistake.— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) May 25, 2022
Censoring criticism of team management on any team-run station is disturbing in any media market and bad for baseball. But Marquee pays panelists $500 and won’t have trouble finding guests. Money talks. Check your journalistic ethics at the door.Advertisement5. Luis Robert’s stint on the COVID-19 injured list was ill-timed for the Sox. Robert has four home runs in nine games against the Cubs with a .412 average and 1.311 OPS. La Russa said Tuesday that he jumped in Lake Michigan when he heard Robert would be out.“If I survived it, I thought, well, we can survive (without) Robert,” he said. “We barely did.”A reporter told La Russa the lake was “kind of cold” for jumping in.“I’m a wuss,” he replied.6. The first rule of Fight Club is there is no Fight Club. The Sox once avoided Saturday night games in the City Series to avoid fan incidents.During the first round at Wrigley Field, Sox analyst Frank Thomas said the word around baseball was MLB decided to reduce heated interleague rivalries from six games to four to reduce fighting and ugly incidents. We’ll find out Saturday if there was any reason for concern.AdvertisementWhite Sox fans fly the L flag in the bleachers, May 4, 2022, at Wrigley Field. The White Sox defeated the Cubs 4-3. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)7. “If people want to write me off, that’s OK.” Those were the words of Sox starter Dallas Keuchel on Thursday after getting shelled from the get-go in a 16-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Consider it done. If Keuchel isn’t moved to mop-up-man duties by the end of this weekend, La Russa has some explaining to do.8. The White Sox unveiled billboards this week touting Tim Anderson as “The Face of Baseball.” He is shown shushing New York Yankees fans after Sunday’s ninth-inning home run at Yankee Stadium. Another billboard simply reads: “Baseball Needs More Tim Andersons.” Actually baseball couldn’t handle another player as open as Anderson. Sox fans should be glad they have the real deal.9. Anderson and Ozzie Guillén shook hands Tuesday, ending their beef after Anderson told the former Sox manager and NBC Sports Chicago analyst to “STFU” in a tweet.Guillén didn’t really have a beef with Anderson and actually was criticizing La Russa for sitting the team’s best hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. Anderson seemingly took it as a personal shot. The incident was forgotten by the time Josh Donaldson disrespected Anderson by calling him Jackie Robinson.10. Ross’ streak of being ejected two straight games will be on the line. Has any Cubs manager been thrown out of three straight games? This is where we really miss Les Grobstein.
After we’ve shivered and sloshed through a cold, wet spring, this may be hard to imagine — but it’s time to think about watering the garden.“Trees and other plants in the Midwest go through a sort of minidrought every July and August,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “That’s just a couple of months away, so homeowners would be wise to prepare for it now.”AdvertisementBy thinking ahead, you can help your plants avoid water stress that can weaken them and make them more vulnerable to pests and diseases. The mass of a mature tree is roughly 35 percent water, and a tomato plant is at least 90 percent water.“All kinds of plants need sufficient water to stay healthy through the summer,” Yiesla said. By July, they will have long since used up the water added to the soil by the rains of April and May.AdvertisementYet if we don’t pay attention, it’s also easy to overwater. “That’s not just wasteful, it’s harmful,” Yiesla said. “Watering too much can distort plants’ growth and lead to some kinds of disease and pest problems.”For example, overwatered lawns provide a perfect habitat for grubs, many of which hatch into Japanese beetles.Water oozes slowly from a soaker hose into the soil. Lay soaker hoses out early in the season so you can water beds easily and efficiently through the summer.
(Beth Botts/Morton Arboretum)Here are some suggestions from Yiesla for preparing to water this summer.“Watering on a set schedule is a recipe for overwatering or underwatering,” Yiesla said. “If the system turns on when there’s already moisture in the soil, it will encourage grubs and root rot. If it turns on briefly two or three times a week, it will barely dampen the soil surface. That will leave the grass and other plants underwatered while still running up the water bill.”Instead, shut off the timer. Turn on the sprinklers manually to water deeply only when you’ve determined that the soil is actually dry.“We need to pay more attention nowadays, because our climate has changed and made the weather more volatile and unpredictable,” she said. “We can’t go by assumptions from 20 or 30 years ago.”Many gardeners have a habit of watering every morning or every Saturday. Instead, make a habit of checking the soil to see whether or not it needs watering. The easy way is to dig down a couple of inches with a trowel, touch the soil to see if it’s moist, and consider the plants that are growing in the spot.“For lettuce seedlings, you need moisture in the top inch of soil, but for established trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns, it’s sufficient if the soil is moist 2 inches down,” Yiesla said.AdvertisementYour goal should be to moisten the top 6 inches of soil. Then allow enough time — more time in cool weather, less time in hot weather — for the water to trickle down deeper and the top few inches of soil to dry out. Water again after you’ve checked the soil for moisture.When these hoses are laid on the soil in garden beds, their tiny perforations allow water to ooze out slowly all along their length. Soaker hoses deliver water right to the soil, where the roots are.“They reduce the chance of plant diseases because they don’t get the foliage wet,” Yiesla said.Since the water soaks in so gradually, roots have time to absorb it. Soaker hoses are less wasteful than sprinklers because they don’t fling water through the air to be lost to evaporation. Place the hoses early, then cover them with mulch and leave them in place for the whole season.Because their root systems are immature, trees and shrubs need extra watering for their first two to three years. You can water them with a soaker hose, a sprinkler, special watering bags that zip around the trunk of a tree or even a bucket.“Water deeply, right near the base of the trunk where the roots are,” Yiesla said. “As a rough rule of thumb, plan on 10 to 15 gallons each time at intervals of a week or 10 days, depending on the weather.”AdvertisementAmong many other benefits, a layer of mulch prevents water from evaporating from the soil. In perennial beds, an even layer 1 or 2 inches deep is enough. Around trees and shrubs, spread mulch evenly in a wide area about 3 to 4 inches deep. “Just be careful not to pile mulch against the trunk,” Yiesla said.For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.