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After splitting the season-opening homestand, the Chicago Sky have proven they can contend with any team in the WNBA once their full roster is available. AdvertisementThe Sky committed 25 turnovers and shot 31.8% on 3-pointers and still were in the driver’s seat against the Los Angeles Sparks in the opener. If it wasn’t for a phantom foul at the end of regulation, Chicago could very well be at the top of the standings after blowing out the New York Liberty by 33 points Wednesday.Here are some takeaways from how the Sky have played so far in 2022.AdvertisementWhen Emma Meesseman landed in Chicago, it was unclear how coach and general manager James Wade would ensure she and last year’s starters got enough minutes. With Allie Quigley not practicing full-court in training camp and Kahleah Copper finishing her overseas season in Spain, Wade has experimented with a lineup featuring Azurá Stevens, Meesseman and Candace Parker — all of whom are 6-foot-4 or taller.The early results with that front court have been superb.In a small 28-minute sample size, the trio has outscored opponents by 19 while limiting them to 31.9% from the field. The fluidity they have displayed by stretching the floor and creating opportunities for teammates is something the rest of the league will have to figure out. A good example of this came against the Liberty when Courtney Vandersloot found Meesseman at half court in transition. Meesseman drove to the free-throw line, attracted the attention of two defenders and found a trailing Stevens, who hit an open 3. Bigs typically don’t have that type of malleability in their roles yet the Sky have three of them.“I’ve played against Emma for years and it sucks guarding her,” Parker said. “The way in which she reads, the pace that she plays with and her IQ is going to make our chemistry continue to get better.”ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 21Coach James Wade with Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Azura Stevens, Allie Quigley and Emma Meesseman at Chicago Sky media day on May 3, 2022. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)The Sky could easily be 2-0 right now if two of their top-six players were available. Quigley has been hampered with a knee injury that has kept her from practicing extensively until this week. Copper won EuroLeague MVP and is finishing up her commitment overseas. Wade has been forced to lean on his veterans, and playing overtime May 6 didn’t help.However, reinforcements are on the way. Quigley is expected to make her season debut Saturday. Copper should be back in the United States in the next week. The Sky’s depth will be bolstered by Julie Allemand making her return to the WNBA after a brief hiatus and 6-foot-7 center Li Yueru joins from the Chinese Basketball Association.In 2020, Allemand became the first player drafted in the third round to make the All-Rookie team. She was second in the league in assists behind Vandersloot that season and shot 47.5% on 3-pointers. The Sky will rely on Allemand to be a combo guard who can back up Quigley and Vandersloot. The Belgian could turn into the Sky’s point guard of the future, but in the short-term Chicago is going to need Allemand to play 20-25 minutes of efficient basketball every night.Advertisement“This is a long season and she’s going to be really good here,” Wade said. “Her playing alongside Dana (Evans), Rebekah (Gardner) and Sloot, she is going to be good. We need as many good players as we can have.”Yueru has been compared to NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal (some have called her “Female O’Neal”). The Sky’s front court with Meesseman, Parker and Stevens has looked solid so far but Yueru will provide insurance against bigger front courts this season. She isn’t a prototypical big for Wade’s offense, but Stef Dolson and Astou Ndour-Fall’s physical presence down low last postseason proved to be vital. Chicago could utilize Yueru in a similar role.When the Sky were forced to waive newly-acquired forward Crystal Bradford because of an offseason injury, they were left with a void behind Copper. Two games into the season, it appears Wade has found the solution to his problem.Gardner, 31, made her WNBA debut against the Liberty and looked electric scoring in isolation. She scored 14 points and finished with a +20 plus/minus on the night. There were few available wings on the market at Gardner’s pricepoint and the Sky struck gold after being limited by the salary cap.“I know the league is small and there aren’t a lot of opportunities,” Gardner said. “There’s a lot of great players who are not in the WNBA but I used this opportunity to come out and take it.”Gardner went undrafted out of UCLA in 2012 but kept playing overseas. Wade lives in southern France and saw her play against WNBA talent, proving herself against Copper, Diamond DeShields, Arike Ogunbowale and Gabby Williams. AdvertisementEven though Gardner didn’t make it to training camp, Wade felt he knew what he had in Gardner to keep her on the roster. She has answered her first call and will be integral part of the second unit moving forward.James Kay is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Rich Strike, the 80-1 long shot who thrilled the racing world with his late charge to victory in the Kentucky Derby, will skip the Preakness, owner Rick Dawson said.Dawson said he and trainer Eric Reed originally planned to run Rich Strike in the Derby and come back five weeks later for the Belmont Stakes.Advertisement“Obviously, with our tremendous effort & win in the Derby, it’s very, very tempting to alter our course & run in the Preakness at Pimlico, which would be a great honor for all our group,” Dawson said in a statement provided by Preakness organizers. “However, after much discussion & consideration with my trainer, Eric Reed & a few others, we are going to stay with our plan of what’s best for Ritchie is what’s best for our group, and pass on running in the Preakness, and point toward the Belmont in approximately 5 weeks.”Reed had indicated since the morning after the Derby that he expected to enter Rich Strike in the Preakness if he held up well in training. In an update from his home track in Kentucky on Wednesday, Reed said: “Everything seems good.”AdvertisementThe decision to skip the Preakness is unusual but not unprecedented. Country House, who won the 2019 Derby after Maximum Security was disqualified, did not travel to the Preakness because of a cough and never raced again. Before his defection, it had been 23 years since a Derby champion failed to take a shot at the second leg of the Triple Crown.

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Wednesday’s postponed Chicago White Sox-Cleveland Guardians game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader July 23 at Guaranteed Rate Field, the Sox announced Thursday.Game 1, the makeup game, will start at 12:10 p.m. The regularly scheduled contest, Game 2, begins at 6:15 p.m.AdvertisementThe May 11 postponed game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Saturday, July 23. Game 1, the makeup game, will begin at 12:10 p.m. CT and the regularly scheduled contest, Game 2, will start at 6:15 p.m.— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 12, 2022

Game tickets, parking and Huntington Bank Stadium Club passes from the postponement will be honored only for the 12:10 p.m. makeup game, the Sox said. Fans don’t need to exchange game tickets, parking passes or Stadium Club passes to attend the rescheduled game, the Sox said.Wednesday’s game was postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests in the Guardians organization. It was the first coronavirus-related postponement of the 2022 MLB season.

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