Author: staff
The Chicago Bears will announce their 2022 schedule Thursday night as the NFL releases its full slate of games for the upcoming season.NFL Network will air a schedule-release show at 7 p.m., with multiple players, coaches and analysts as guests.AdvertisementThe Bears already had their home and road opponents set.Along with playing NFC North games against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions Soldier Field and away, the Bears will host the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans. They will travel to face the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.AdvertisementDates and times for those games — including how many the Bears will play in prime time under new coach Matt Eberflus — will be revealed. The Bears had four games in prime time last season.After the announcement, single-game tickets for the preseason and regular season will go on sale at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at chicagobears.com/tickets.Along with the NFL’s show, teams typically take to social media to announce their schedules in creative ways, often in coordination with sponsors. The Bears partnered with Benjamin Moore in 2021 to create a paint-themed release.The games often are leaked on social media throughout the day, so check back for updates.
“Bro, there ain’t gonna be any home runs today.”Those were the famous last words of Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito after Dylan Cease predicted Tim Anderson was about to go yard last week at Wrigley Field.AdvertisementGiolito’s statement made perfect sense.It was cold and rainy, with a 23 mph wind blowing in from the north for the opening game of the City Series. Leading off the third inning, Anderson faced Keegan Thompson, who had not yielded a home run in 17⅔ innings entering the inning.AdvertisementBut Cease was undeterred.“I believe in him,” Cease told Giolito. “I’m going to go ‘Home run over the Sloan (sign) in right field. Oppo home run.’”Anderson quickly grabbed hold of a cut fastball on the first pitch and delivered it over the Sloan ad in right field. As the Sox dugout celebrated, Cease shook his head.“I die a legend now,” he said. “That’s all I can say.”The serendipitous moment was captured on video for posterity and might have to go into a 2022 time capsule if the Sox make it to the World Series. Cease had been mic’d up for the NBC Sports Chicago telecast and knew his words would be remembered.But anyone can predict a home run before a teammate’s at-bat and be right once in a while. Predicting exactly where Anderson’s would land at Wrigley made Cease into “Soxtradamus.” On his Instagram account, Cease boldly called it the “greatest called shot since Babe Ruth” before asking: “What should I predict next??”Everything seems to be going right for Cease these days.As he prepared for Thursday’s start in the opener of a big four-game series with the New York Yankees, the 26-year-old was tied for the American League lead with 47 strikeouts, compiling 28 over his last 18 innings. He had a 1.50 ERA over those three starts, dominating from the outset.Advertisement“Feels great,” Cease said during a recent sit-down in the Sox dugout. “If anything it’s just a big confidence booster to know the process we’re following is working. It’s just a continuation (of 2021), another year of experience, getting used to how you prepare and what you’re going to experience.”The White Sox knew Cease had this in him. He was, after all, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect when acquired in the Eloy Jiménez deal in summer 2017. But command issues early in his career were a real concern. Even after he made 12 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Sox didn’t trust him to start in the postseason series against the Oakland Athletics. Manager Rick Renteria wasted Cease for an inning of middle relief in Game 2 before employing the rest of the bullpen in the disastrous Game 3 loss that led to Renteria’s exit.Cease cut his walk rate from 5.2 per 9 innings to 3.7 last season, going 13-7 with 226 strikeouts, third in the American League and tied for eighth-highest in franchise history. He called 2021 “the first year I sort of consistently proved” himself.But in his postseason start against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, Cease was yanked by manager Tony La Russa with two outs in the third after walking his third hitter of the inning. The Sox trailed 3-1 in a must-win game, and La Russa had no patience for Cease’s control issues.It was a disappointing ending to an otherwise successful season, and now Cease is building on those lessons and evolving into one of the league’s most feared starters.Chicago White Sox cheer for starter Dylan Cease (84) in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels, May 2, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)“This is the first year where I feel like I’m bringing out my best self a majority of the time now,” he said, adding the support he has received from Sox fans “definitely is hyping me up.”AdvertisementWith Lance Lynn rehabbing from right knee surgery, Cease’s performance has become integral to the Sox staying above water in the Central. And with Giolito entering his walk season in 2023 without a realistic extension offer, the Sox might be counting on Cease and Michael Kopech to anchor the rotation down the road.Kopech led all starters Wednesday with a 0.93 ERA. Cease was third in strikeouts per 9 innings with 12.4.“They’ve both been everything that we could have asked for thus far into the season,” general manager Rick Hahn said Monday. “Dylan obviously was a little farther ahead (this spring) than Michael … but Dylan has continued to do what we saw for the bulk of the second half of last season, and that’s establishing himself as one of the elite starters in this league.”The future looks bright for Cease, who not only has lived up to the early hype but watched the video of his “Called Shot 2.0″ at Wrigley Field go viral.“It definitely blew up for a day or two after,” he said with a grin. “I haven’t heard much about it since. I truly don’t know what happened. I blurted it out, and then a half-second later — bang — it happened. It was weird.”After establishing a reputation as a soothsayer, Cease has been asked by some to make predictions on the spot. He has declined to do that so far but reserves the right to make more predictions when the time is right.Advertisement“We’ve got to save them until it really matters,” he said. “If I feel something real strong, maybe I’ll throw something out there. But for now we’re saving it.”
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It’s a long walk back to the time of the dinosaurs.Down past the sauropod skeletons, their necks snaking along a mural of an ancient plain, feathery foliage bursting from the wall, just as it did eons ago.AdvertisementDown past the frothy ferns sprouting from the wall, a misty herd of giant creatures wandering in the distance.Every step you take into the interactive Dinosphere exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is met with thundering footsteps of dinosaurs, felt and heard but unseen. The ground shakes under their weight, just as it did way back when.AdvertisementThe museum’s own staff paleontologists dug up quite a collection in Wyoming and carted it back to their headquarters in Indianapolis, where they brushed, cast and assembled the remnants into genuine skeletons and fleshed-out models.Staff paleontologists traveled to Wyoming for a dinosaur dig that led to the expansion of Dinosphere exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. (The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis)The expanded Dinosphere, which debuted in 2004, reopened in March, a celebration of the extinct giants that have achieved immortality in the imaginations of millions of children.Under the dome of a vivid Cretaceous sky, dinosaurs big and small fight and eat, soar and snore. Bite marks on dinosaur leg bones show how they fought. Fossilized impressions of foliage indicate the types of plants that provided shade and food to lumbering triceratops.You can’t beat a dinosaur for the killer combination of science and education, and you can’t beat the Indianapolis exhibit for elevating dinosaurs — if that’s even possible — to the next level in the preschool paleontology pantheon.The oldest, largest and in many ways, most innovative children’s museum in the world, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (childrensmuseum.org) blends the best of traditional museum research with enlightened design that welcomes kids of all abilities. Founded in 1925, it has led the philosophy and application of hands-on learning ever since. With 13 major exhibit spaces that range from a tiny village, to a 7-acre outdoor sports park, the museum is a childhood must-see for families in the Midwest and beyond.Even before reaching the dinos, visitors can cling to a rose-painted Victorian carousel horse as it glides up and down, around and around; slide into an Indy 500 race car; or buckle into a slice of airplane and wing their way to Greece.So many scenes for the dinosaurs to steal.Down in the Dinosphere, an occasional screech overhead warns of danger in the skies. Light shifts, dappling the canopy of palms that circles a dino panorama. Kindergartners poke their heads into gargantuan masks and see the world as a triceratops might. Adults might walk right by the knee-high tunnel that beckons kids to crawl into the center of the exhibit and pop up, prairie dog-style, into a plastic bubble. From there, they can see the action from all angles — and enjoy a perspective denied to adults.AdvertisementA massive sauropod skeleton is part of the newly expanded Dinosphere exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. (The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis)In a nearby alcove, kids can excavate for bones at a simulated dig site. A slice of simulated fossil-studded hillside serves two purposes: it shows the depth at which dinosaur bones are buried and enables children to scrape artifacts from the pretend hillside, just like real scientists do.The dino lab occupies an entire wall. Sliding glass windows open to invite visitors to quiz the paleontologists as they work, gently unwrapping plaster casts from long-broken bones.The most-often asked question? Visitors wonder if the fossils are actually real, said Jenn Anné, lead paleontologist. “People must think we get them from the dinosaur Ikea,” she jokes while narrating the lab’s operations for a recent group.Visitors who crave a slightly more sedate experience can head upstairs to the dinosaur art lab, a favorite of staff science educator Becky Wolfe.“You can rub the texture of a dinosaur’s skin,” she said, demonstrating by running a crayon over a piece of vinyl cast in a reptilian texture. Take that colored-in dinosaur outline and scan it into the art lab’s animation machine and your very own dinosaur will pop onto the wall-sized screen and chase other visitors’ hand-decorated dinosaurs through a fantastical Jurassic landscape.Children can design their own dinosaurs as part of the expanded interactive Dinosphere exhibit opened this spring at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. (The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis)AdvertisementChildren ages 3 to 8 often are obsessed with dinosaurs because, well, they’re the opposite of kids’ daily experience, said Clio Stearns, assistant professor of education at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Massachusetts.“Dinosaurs are all about the battle and the fight,” said Stearns, herself the mother of two school-aged children, one engrossed by dinosaurs and the other, not. “Kids are trying to come to terms with what it’s like to be big and powerful. They’re little and they usually lose their power struggles. But if they’re a T. rex, he’ll win every battle.”The kind of detail that scrolls through the Dinosphere is oxygen to kids who yearn to be masters of a universe — any universe, she explained.“You can memorize encyclopedic amounts of knowledge about dinosaurs and being an expert is really, really fun,” Stearns said, reeling off a list of candidates for second place in the arena of trivia mastery. “Outer space, animals — there’s a handful of topics where you see kids practicing accumulating massive amounts of knowledge, organizing it, and showing off.The new Dinosphere exhibit opened this spring at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, following the museum paleontologists’ expedition in Wyoming. (The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis)“Dinosaurs are really handy for that,” she said. “Little kids love to be experts; there’s very little under their control. It’s something kids can amaze us with, and they love that, and we should honor that.”AdvertisementDinsophere delivers on it all: The tongue-twisting scientific names, the cool tools, and most importantly, the ability to enter, if just for a moment, the center of dinosaur world, where no adults could fit (even if they were welcome).The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is best taken in half-day visits, given its size and in-depth exhibits. Tickets are $21-$28 for children over 2 years old, and $26-$34 for adults, and you can save up to 25% by buying tickets in advance. The on-site cafe serves plenty of kid favorites along with the full complement of caffeinated drinks to help parents keep up.Review the museum’s website (childrensmuseum.org) in advance, to identify your must-see exhibits and to prioritize the rest. Be sure to bring a generous spending allowance for the capacious gift shop, which features hard-to-find gear — especially for dinosaur devotees — like play-size trail vehicles equipped with dinosaurs in cages.Indianapolis is rich with destinations for families. Build a long weekend around the Children’s Museum with a day walking through history at Conner Prairie, and an arts walk at the parks and museum campus west of the central business district.Conner Prairie (connerprairie.org), a half-hour drive north of downtown in suburban Fishers, takes you back in time for a whole day. Pet goats and sheep at the barn that’s part of the William Conner House, the historical dwelling of a white settler in the area. Costumed interpreters demonstrate how the Indigenous American Lenape tribe made the most of central Indiana’s rich natural resources.Then explore Prairie Town, where costumed interpreters go about their daily weaving, shopkeeping, woodworking and blacksmithing, and continue on to a re-creation of a 1863 Civil War skirmish. If weather permits, you can even board the basket of a replica 1859 sightseeing balloon and rise above it all.AdvertisementThe White River State Park defines the western border of downtown Indianapolis. On or adjacent to its campus are the Indianapolis Zoo (indianapoliszoo.com), the Indiana State Museum (indianamuseum.org), and the gem that is the Eiteljorg Museum (eiteljorg.org), which showcases art, sculptures and artifacts of the American West, both confirming and puncturing popular perceptions of the region and era.If you stay downtown, be sure to walk to the Sailors and Soldiers Monument, a circular plaza at the intersection of Market and Meridian streets. Its soaring pillar capped with a statue is a classic Midwest landmark. Plus, it’s fun to walk up the many steps to the base of the monument.Plenty of casual restaurants dot downtown Indy. A good option for families who like variety is the Indianapolis City Market (indycm.com), four blocks east of the Sailors and Soldiers Monument.Major hotel chains are represented throughout downtown Indianapolis, including midpriced and higher-end brands such as Omni, Marriott and Hilton. The Children’s Museum is about a 10-minute drive north of the central business district and the sites at the White River State Park a quarter-mile hike.Joanne Cleaver is a freelance writer.
Dear Amy: I am a 32-year-old woman with a 6-year-old son.I am in a relationship with “Larry,” who is 48. He is not my child’s father.AdvertisementBefore meeting Larry, I lived alone and raised my son by myself.After losing my job, my son and I moved in with my folks. We were financially dependent on them. Over the course of a year I looked for work, but couldn’t find a decent-paying job that conformed with my son’s school hours.AdvertisementI felt I became a burden to my parents financially. They scrambled to get my son from school while I was at work.During that time, I was dating Larry and decided to move in with him.I knew it was a mistake fairly quickly. We just aren’t compatible.I feel like I’ve become stuck.Now I’m working at a good job, and I know I can afford to be on my own. I hate to seem selfish and leave, but I’m not happy.I don’t blame Larry. I know I have personal issues to work on, but I know being on my own would be best for me and my child.The only thing is that I would need my family to help with some childcare (my child’s father isn’t around). At times it seems my family gets tired of helping out.I know that if I stay with Larry, he will help with my son’s school drop-off and pickup, and with other miscellaneous things.AdvertisementDo I leave Larry, suck it up, and ask for my family’s help again, or should I stay in this relationship?I’m really torn. I just want to do what’s best for my son.– Confused in TexasDear Confused: Your question illustrates how childcare lies at the heart of concerns for all single parents.You mention two things about “Larry”: His age, and his ability to help with your son. He likely deserves to have a partner who genuinely wants to be with him.I can’t speak for your parents, but I do believe that most parents, given the option, would rather provide some childcare for their grandson than have their daughter dependent on her much-older partner to do it.AdvertisementYou should check with your son’s school and enroll him in after-school care, if at all possible. This sort of lower-cost program has been a Godsend for hard-working parents.Talk with your parents very frankly about your needs. You should do everything possible to lessen any imposition on them.I can speak for all parents here: We want for our children to demonstrate that they are moving forward. A good job, decent housing, stable schooling for your son: these are all signs that you are making progress. Keep going.Dear Amy: When I was a teenager, I self-harmed and as a result have visible marks on one of my arms. These are left over from that time when I deliberately cut myself.I often forget that these scars are there, and most people don’t say anything about them, except for children.On several occasions, young kids have asked me what’s on my arm (the skin is raised and looks odd).AdvertisementOver the years I have alternated between outright lies (I had an accident!), saying it’s personal, or evading/changing the subject.It just makes me feel so awkward. Is there a better way to handle this?– LDear L: I’m so glad you are healing from that very tough time in your life.I say – own your scars. They are tangible evidence of your growth and survival.You can tell a child, truthfully, “Those are scars. That’s what your body does when it heals over a cut. The skin comes together and sometimes it leaves a mark. And those marks are there because I hurt myself when I was younger, but now it doesn’t hurt at all.”AdvertisementIf a child probes further, you can say, “Well, that’s sort of personal, and I don’t really want to talk about it, but I’m just glad I’m not hurt anymore.”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.Dear Amy: Your response to “Snacked” bordered on insulting. Because a grandfather was giving his grandchild cookies, you suggested he might steer the child “…toward less benign choices.” Like what? No car seat, foul language, drugs!Most of us grandparents are able to make the distinction between cookies, and much more dangerous choices. How dare you! Your contemptuous, suspicious tone toward this Grandpa was obvious and offensive.– UpsetDear Upset: I was exaggerating for effect. Unfortunately, it seems to have worked.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.