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It’s a small development that has virtually no impact on the ice, but its symbolism is significant.The Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday opened up the locker room for media to interview players at Fifth Third Arena.AdvertisementAs any fan who has been watching video or news footage of interviews probably knows, locker rooms at the Hawks’ practice facility and the United Center generally have been closed to outsiders since the pandemic.And it was like the floodgates opened, a mix of voice recorders and TV cameras dashing over to some of the team’s top prospects sitting at their stalls.AdvertisementPredictably, someone stepped on the logo before a staff member called attention to it. You probably can’t blame the “outsiders” for forgetting about that old taboo — that’s how long it has been.Here are three things we learned at camp.The Blackhawks made it official: Anders Sörensen is the Rockford IceHogs’ permanent coach, removing the interim label.“Excited, right?” Sörensen said during development camp at Fifth Third Arena. “Proud to be part of what’s going on in our organization here, looking forward to everything.”It’s a critical role in the Hawks rebuild, and the team was impressed by how Sörensen, 47, stepped up last season when former IceHogs coach Derek King was promoted to replace Jeremy Colliton, who was fired Nov. 6.Sörensen, 47, led the IceHogs to a 35-26-4-1 record and their first playoff appearance since 2018.Making the playoffs is a valuable experience, but at the minor-league level it’s about how the players get there — and beyond.“The biggest thing for us is the habits” Sörensen said. “What habits they have that are going to carry them to be able to play in the NHL. Once they leave us and they go play for (new Hawks coach) Luke (Richardson), it’s going to be what habits they have to be able to stay up there and stay in the lineup.”AdvertisementThe top “habit” — play fast — sounds more like an attribute: Either you have it or you don’t.The Hawks kept speed in mind at the draft and declined to tender qualifying offers to several prospects from the previous front office regime.Said Sörensen: “We want to play with pace, we want to play fast, we want to be fast down the middle, we want to be competitive, a lot of things I’m sure you’ve heard us talk about here the last three to four months are the biggest things we’re talking about.“I haven’t had time to sit down yet with Luke and go through how he wants to play, he’s going to kind of dictate how we play down there, so the biggest thing for us is their habits.””I jokingly tell those guys, ‘We’re your caddies. We’re telling you to hit the 7-iron, if you want to hit the 8-iron, that’s up to you.'”– Anders Sorensen, who was officially named Rockford IceHogs head coach today, on his approach to player development pic.twitter.com/qxfK95E54f— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) July 12, 2022

As King often lamented, and Sörensen agrees, that just because you teach certain habits doesn’t mean the players always listen — some of them are still teenagers.“We’re here to serve them,” Sörensen. “I jokingly sometimes tell those guys, ‘We’re your caddies.’ We’re telling you to hit the 7-iron. If you want to hit the 8-iron, that’s up to you.Advertisement“We’re just helping you guys out here, and that’s really what it comes down to for me.”Kirby, a restricted free agent, was traded to the Montreal Canadiens Thursday, for first- and third-round picks that were used to select forwards Frank Nazar and Gavin Hayes.For Hawks fans still reeling from Alex DeBrincat’s trade, it was another draft-day stunner. That included one Dach fan in particular.“It’s kind of upsetting,” said Kirby’s brother Colton, a fellow center and Hawks second-round pick in 2021. “You think you’re going to play your career with your brother. But it’s a new path for me, so I’m excited.”Colton said the Dach family was “a little bit shell-shocked” at first before the news sank in.”I think as a family we were a little bit shellshocked for the first few minutes of it, then we let it sink in and started to slowly realize what was really going down.”– Colton Dach on the Dach family’s reaction when the Blackhawks traded older brother Kirby to Montreal pic.twitter.com/noX9AKMKzk— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) July 12, 2022

Colton said his brother advised him to focus on camp and do his best, and the younger Dach said he has been growing: “My neck’s been getting a little bit thicker.”AdvertisementSörensen has noticed physical changes in Dach and defensive prospect Nolan Allan.“I think they’re starting to look like men now,” Sörensen said. “I remember seeing them early last year at the rookie tournament and I think both of them have filled out a little bit. They look a little bit more mature, they act a little bit more mature and I think their habits have improved.”Even with Hawks prospects broken up into four teams, a height advantage isn’t easy to come by.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Case in point, Team Savard defenseman Louis Crevier is 6-foot-8, but so is Team Murray forward Riku Tohila, though they’ve yet to face off against each other.“I saw him yesterday at dinner,” Crevier said with a big smile. “It was one of the first times I saw someone the same height, so it was pretty fun.”Not so much fun for 6-6 defenseman Alex Vlasic, who’s used to towering over people.Advertisement“When I first got here I felt small,” he said. “(There are) some guys that are taller than me, which is weird.“Our team, we had some challenges today. We have a pretty big team on our squad and we had some ladders and sprints and push-ups to do, so our team kind of struggled with that.”It wasn’t all bad for Vlasic. He had the goal of the day during four-on-four drills, crossing in front of the goalie for backhander.“That was pretty sweet,” he said.

Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts has had preliminary conversations with Sky principal owner Michael Alter about becoming a potential investor in the WNBA team, multiple sources told the Tribune.One source said Ricketts and her wife, Brooke Skinner, are considering the opportunity because it aligns with their philanthropic mission.AdvertisementSince the Sky won the 2021 WNBA Finals, Alter has stated he is open to adding investors. That possibility has progressed since his offseason comments, according to a source close to the matter.“Brooke and I would love to support the Sky in any way we can,” Ricketts told the Tribune. “We really respect, admire and appreciate all that Michael Alter has done for that team. They are one of a few (WNBA) teams that weren’t started in connection with an NBA team, and so the challenges that has had and the impact that has had on the team makes Michael’s investment all the more impressive and I really appreciate that.”AdvertisementAlter did not confirm any conversations with Ricketts have occurred but did offer thoughts on why she would be an ideal investor.“Hypothetically, she is a very prominent owner of a sports team,” Alter told the Tribune. “She has been a big fan of this league for a long time and has been active civically here in Chicago, which is very important to us. If she’s someone who wanted to be involved and had an interest, then we would certainly talk to her about it.”[ [Don’t miss] Title IX played a big part in Laura Ricketts’ life. ‘The impact is immeasurable,’ the Cubs co-owner and MLB groundbreaker says. ]One source said talks between the two owners are “still at the preliminary stage” with details of Ricketts’ potential involvement still being discussed.The sides are already in business after the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network reached a multiyear deal with the Sky in May for the cable channel to broadcast a select number of Sky games. A source close to the situation said Ricketts was heavily involved in pushing that deal through.Since joining the WNBA in 2006, the Sky have had a reputation for not providing the same resources as other teams in the league. They don’t own a private training facility, and practices are conducted at Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield — 30 miles from Wintrust Arena.Sky coach and general manager James Wade said the team has added more accommodations for players every year since he was hired in 2018. Over the offseason, the Sky added features such as post-practice meals, massages, customized ice tubs and expanded coaching and training staffs.Wade said the team purchased a $50,000 AlterG anti-gravity treadmill at Sachs Recreation Center and now has its own weight room at the practice facility.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 18Chicago Sky’s Candace Parker celebrates a layup after missing a couple shots during the first half of the WNBA All-Star Game at Wintrust Arena on July 10, 2022. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)“We just feel taken care of,” Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot said. “It can be simple things like a massage or food after practice. That is so important for us as athletes, and we never had access to that before. Other teams have kitchens at their practice facilities and it’s something you can take for granted, but eating is such an important thing for what we do.Advertisement“We don’t have time to take care of ourselves and they heard that. They have done an amazing job and we have felt that big difference.”Alter said if the Sky were to add investors, it wouldn’t be because of a lack of financial resources but instead to help drive up the value of the franchise.“I’ve been working to build this league for 17 years,” Alter said. “One of the things that I’ve been very focused on is demonstrating how the value of the franchises has increased over the years. One way to validate that is to go out and raise capital with third parties at a certain value.”Sources told the Tribune that talks are too early for Ricketts’ potential role with the Sky to be determined. However, the consensus is she would fit the league mold of a possible investor.[ [Don’t miss] WNBA players balance activist roles as political turmoil hangs over All-Star weekend ]Across the WNBA, the importance of ownership representing the league’s stance on human rights is pronounced. In 2020, players campaigned against former Atlanta Dream owner and U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., after she spoke out against the Black Lives Matter movement. She later sold the team and lost the Senate race to Raphael Warnock, whom the players advocated for, wearing “Vote Warnock” T-shirts to their games.Ricketts and Skinner have been huge advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in Chicago. The WNBA features members of that community, including Sky guards Vandersloot and her wife, Allie Quigley. Sky players who spoke to the Tribune reiterated their desire to have members of ownership align with the league’s social values.Advertisement“It’s really important,” forward Azurá Stevens said. “When you do business with good people, it starts at the top and trickles down to the bottom. It’s super important to have someone who is aligned with women deserving more because if they don’t feel that way, this isn’t the right room for them.”Chicago Tribune reporter Meghan Montemurro contributed.James Kay is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Little mistakes have added up lately for the Chicago Cubs.For a team sitting one game out of last place in the division but with a stretch of four straight series wins before last weekend’s sweep in Los Angeles, clean play can be the separator. The suddenly hot Baltimore Orioles — a team that lost 110 games last year — were the latest to take advantage of the Cubs failing to produce an all-around game.AdvertisementWith one out and runners on the corners in the sixth inning Tuesday night and the Cubs trailing by one run, Seiya Suzuki got doubled off third base on Nico Hoerner’s lineout to third to end the inning. The Cubs did not have another baserunner over the final three innings of a 4-2 loss at Wrigley Field.The Cubs (34-53) have lost five consecutive games and seven of nine. The Orioles’ nine-game winning streak is their longest in one season since 1999.AdvertisementThe Cubs committed an error for a fourth consecutive game, which prevented starter Adrian Sampson from getting through the sixth. Left-hander Brandon Hughes entered with one out after Ramon Urias singled off Sampson to put runners on first and second. Hughes induced a double play to overcome Patrick Wisdom’s fielding error to open the inning.[ [Don’t miss] Willson Contreras is ‘blessed’ to share the All-Star stage with his brother William. ‘It will be amazing,’ the Cubs catcher says. ]While the error didn’t lead to a run, it forced manager David Ross to call on his heavily used bullpen sooner rather than let Sampson, at 91 pitches, potentially pitch through a would-be two-out single by Urias.The Cubs have 13 errors in their last 12 games, including four multi-error games.Ross didn’t want to speculate on reasons for the recent defensive miscues, though he mentioned they could stem from fatigue.“Just like hitting, you’re going to go through some times that you’re not fielding it cleanly,” Ross said. “And sometimes those things stand out and compound. It’s just one of those things we’ll keep working on and try to get better at.”Ian Happ homered in his first at-bat at Wrigley since making the All-Star team. Runs in the first and second didn’t hold up as the Cubs recorded only four more hits, all singles.

Candace Parker had 31 points and 11 rebounds, Kahleah Copper scored 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting and the Chicago Sky pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Dream 90-75 on Tuesday night at Wintrust Arena.Emma Meesseman added 10 points, six rebounds and a season-high eight assists for the Sky (17-6).AdvertisementAari McDonald hit a 3-pointer that gave the Dream a 70-65 lead with 7:50 to play, but the Sky scored the next 15 points. The Dream went scoreless for nearly five minutes and the Sky never trailed again. Meesseman either scored or assisted on 18 of the Sky’s 30 fourth-quarter points.Cheyenne Parker led the Dream (10-13) with 14 points. McDonald and Tiffany Hayes scored 12 apiece and former Northwestern star Nia Coffey added 11.AdvertisementThe Sky, who have won seven of their last eight games, shot 53% overall, had 24 assists on 35 field goals and forced 17 turnovers, including 11 steals.

Shortly before Sunday’s game in Los Angeles, a text message popped up on Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’ phone.His younger brother, William, sent him a photo of an envelope — the one players receive when they are invited to the All-Star Game. AdvertisementWilliam, who won a World Series ring last year with the Atlanta Braves, not only will join Willson on the National League team for next week’s game at Dodger Stadium, but for the first time since 1992, a pair of brothers will start an All-Star Game together. Willson was voted in by fans as the starting catcher, while William is replacing the injured Bryce Harper as the NL designated hitter. Knowing what awaits them next week, Willson thought back to when he was a kid playing baseball on the patio with William at their home in Venezuela using a stick and plastic ball.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] After All-Star Game honor, Willson Contreras makes it clear: ‘I would love nothing more than play for the Chicago Cubs the rest of my life’ ]“It will be amazing to spend the time with my brother on the same field,” Willson said before Tuesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at Wrigley Field. “That’s something we haven’t done since we were kids.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.William, 24, is a first-time All-Star, but Willson, 30 — who earned his third All-Star start — doesn’t plan to advise him on what to expect. He prefers to let his brother soak in the environment.“I want him to get that figured out all by himself,” Willson said. “I know how I felt the first time that I went to the All-Star Game, and it was a great experience. I know that he will me ask whatever questions he needs to ask over there, but I want him to find out himself.”Cubs catcher Willson Contreras walks through the dugout after the second inning against the Orioles on Tuesday July 12, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)The Braves’ William Contreras gets high-fives in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Cardinals on July 5, 2022, in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com/AP)The All-Star Game adds another chapter to a memorable season for the brothers. In late April, they shared a big-league field together for the first time during the Cubs’ three-game series in Atlanta. Before one game, Willson and William memorably exchanged lineup cards, prompting Willson to become emotional talking about the moment after the game.Then on June 18, the Contrerases played against each other at Wrigley Field, both getting the start behind the plate.“We’re blessed,” Willson said. “Those are blessed moments. … There’s no specific word to describe how I feel and how my family feels. This is the first time that I’ve got my whole family in the USA and everything happened, like, back-to-back. Hopefully it keeps coming.”Their parents, Wuiliam and Olga, and other brother, Willmer, are expected to join them in Los Angeles for the All-Star festivities.“They deserve it more than I do, especially my mom and dad,” Willson said. “They did everything that they could do to raise three kids in a poor neighborhood, and that’s not an easy job. They deserve it more than I do to go there.”

Artūras Karnišovas isn’t overwhelmingly optimistic about Lonzo Ball’s recovery nearly six months after the Chicago Bulls point guard suffered a knee injury.The Bulls vice president of basketball operations voiced uncertainty about whether Ball will be ready for training camp during an on-air interview in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s NBA Summer League game against the Toronto Raptors.Advertisement“He’s progressing. That’s as much as I can say,” Karnišovas said during the NBA TV telecast. “He’s getting better — probably not at the speed that we would like, but he is getting better. Hopefully he’s going to be ready for training camp, (but) that’s just our hopes.”Karnišovas’ lack of optimism matched that of general manager Marc Eversley, who said on draft night last month that Ball hasn’t been able to scrimmage.AdvertisementBall was sidelined in January with a meniscus injury that ultimately ended his first season in Chicago. Before the injury, he averaged 13 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals, providing a smothering defensive presence that anchored the Bulls in transition.After weeks of attempting to rehabilitate without an operation, Ball underwent meniscus surgery and eventually was shut down for the remainder of the season. His recovery was complicated by a deep bone bruise suffered before the meniscus injury, which repeatedly forced him to shut down efforts to ramp back up to full speed because of lingering pain.[ [Don’t miss] Zach LaVine says, ‘My heart was in Chicago,’ in signing a maximum deal with the Bulls — and he’s ‘excited’ to welcome his 1st child ]Ball was set to return to a California specialist in May after the season ended, but the Bulls have provided only vague updates since.“It’s very frustrating,” Ball said during his exit interview on April 28. “This year we had a lot of promise and I don’t think it was met, mainly due to a lot of health issues. But you can’t change your past. I think everything happens for a reason. For me now it’s just about moving forward and getting ready.”Injuries have been a consistent detriment for Ball, who has yet to play a full season without an injury in his five years in the NBA. During his tenures with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, he suffered a sprained MCL, a torn ankle ligament and injuries to his adductor, knee, hip flexor, shoulder and thumb.Ball has played only 64.6% of the total regular-season games possible in his career and never has logged more than 63 games in a season. This pattern is a major concern for the Bulls, who saw Ball as a game-changer — and his injury as a back-breaking loss as their 2021-22 season came crashing to a disappointing close.Two months remain before Ball needs to be at full speed — or relatively close to it — for training camp. But warning bells may be in order if he isn’t available by then.

CLEVELAND — Andrew Vaughn’s grounder just squeaked between third baseman José Ramírez and shortstop Amed Rosario for a two-out single in the first inning.The Chicago White Sox wouldn’t get another hit against Cleveland Guardians starter Shane Bieber until an infield single by José Abreu with one out in the seventh.AdvertisementBieber has often given the Sox fits, and Tuesday was no different. The Sox were limited to three hits in a 4-1 loss in the first game of a split doubleheader at Progressive Field.“He threw the ball well,” Sox second baseman Josh Harrison said. “That’s baseball. Sometimes you’re going to have guys that have outings like that. He pounded the zone. That’s pretty much what a lot of starting pitchers want to do. He lived down in the zone, got his outs.Advertisement“He got a couple of double plays, ground balls when he needed them. Sometimes you’re going to run into guys that have a day like that.”[ [Don’t miss] Column: Ken Williams to the rescue? More like another maddening moment in a miserable White Sox season. ]Bieber went the distance, striking out seven with no walks.“I don’t know how many balls he threw over the middle of the plate — once in a while to get ahead — but (he had) command the whole game,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “So I give him credit.“Our plan was try to hit more balls to the middle. We rolled over a few, but when that ball is spinning in on you or spinning away, it’s hard to. The pitcher deserves the credit.”Bieber entered Tuesday with a 6-2 record in 13 career starts against the Sox. His 2.48 ERA against them was his second-lowest against any American League opponent behind only the Baltimore Orioles (0.75).Davis Martin kept the Sox in the game, allowing four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks in six innings.Martin took a liner near his right shoulder in the second but recovered and turned a double play — and remained in the game.The Guardians scored three runs in the third, all with two outs. Ramírez had a two-run single to make it 3-0.Advertisement“I liked how I attacked the zone,” Martin said of his overall outing. “This team is a good hitting team. They are a contact team. They are going to get their singles. I’d say probably three things: Walking (Myles) Straw (with one out in the fifth), the fastball that leaked in to Rosario for the double (in the fifth) and just when we faced Jose Ramírez. He’s an All-Star for a reason.“Can’t let him beat you and I pitched too into the zone against him. I should have been a little bit more, hey, let’s try to move it off the plate or try to get him to chase. There’s guys on base. He wants his RBIs. Let’s see if we can get him to chase. If he doesn’t? Fine. Let’s go to the next guy.”[ [Don’t miss] White Sox drop the opener of an 8-game trip after Ken Williams reportedly addressed the ‘underachieving’ team ]The third inning featured less-than-stellar defense from the Sox. Austin Hedges reached on a grounder that third baseman Yoán Moncada couldn’t cleanly field for an infield hit. Hedges scored with two outs when Rosario’s liner to left-center fell for a double. Left fielder Eloy Jiménez did not take a direct path to the ball.With runners on second and third and two outs, the Sox elected to pitch to Ramírez, who knocked in two with a single to right.“We were going to pitch Ramírez tough, and probably the mistake he made there, puts the ball over the plate (and) it’s a single,” La Russa said. “Still was a ground ball, found a hole.”Rosario drove in Straw with the double in the fifth. Ramírez came up and was intentionally walked after fouling off a pitch.AdvertisementWhite Sox starter Davis Martin delivers in the first inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Guardians on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Cleveland. (David Dermer/AP)“The second time we were pitching around (Ramírez) too,” La Russa said. “Even then, pitch tough. Because sometimes then you get the guy, they get themselves out. And if they get good patience, it’s like an unintentional intentional walk.“So that’s what (pitching coach) Ethan (Katz) went out to say, and the first pitch was on the plate. He fouled it off, so I said, well, put him on (with the intentional walk). I just think it’s lack of experience for Davis and understanding more about that situation. Because he’s smart enough to know to pitch off the plate and he got it on, cost him two runs (in the third). He was supposed to do it again (in the fifth) and after one strike, said no.”[ [Don’t miss] Dylan Cease, left off the All-Star team, is focused on improving. ‘There’s still room to get better,’ the White Sox starter says. ]The Sox showed some signs of coming together offensively in the seventh. Jiménez followed Abreu’s single with one of his own, bringing home Vaughn for the team’s only run. Gavin Sheets represented the tying run but grounded into an inning-ending double play.Bieber retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth as the Sox dropped to 1-6 this season against the Guardians.“Nothing’s missing,” Harrison said. “We’ve just got to put it together day in and day out and be consistent.”

A new face is joining the crowd as the Chicago Bears completely rebuild at wide receiver, where they have Darnell Mooney and a cast of newcomers.The Bears are acquiring N’Keal Harry, a former first-round draft pick by the New England Patriots, in a trade for their 2024 seventh-round pick. NFL Media first reported the deal.AdvertisementHarry was a bust in New England as the 32nd  pick in the 2019 draft — selected ahead of A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, Diontae Johnson and Terry McLaurin — but the Bears are buying low and getting a player who should be motivated entering the final year of his rookie contract. Harry reportedly requested a trade before last season, but that didn’t materialize. Now he has a new home where the depth chart is wide open two weeks before training camp.AdvertisementThe Arizona State product totaled only 57 catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns over 33 games in his first three seasons. He had 12 catches for 184 yards and no scores in 12 games last season.Harry was very productive for the Sun Devils in three seasons, especially in 2017 and 2018, when he combined for 2,230 yards and 17 touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder was able to use his size and strength to overpower defenders in college but hasn’t been a physical presence in the NFL.The Bears have competition for playing time in Byron Pringle, signed to a one-year, $4.125 million contract, and third-round pick Velus Jones. Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis, Tajae Sharpe and 2021 sixth-round pick Dazz Newsome also are part of a crowded room.It’s a minimal investment for the Bears. Maybe a fresh start will prove to be what Harry needs.

LeBron James seems to wonder if fellow basketball star Brittney Griner will want to live in the U.S. again if she’s released from the Russian prison she currently calls home.In a promotional clip for his YouTube talkshow “The Shop,” James appears to believe that Griner, who was arrested in Russia in mid-February, would not want to return to the nation that has been unable to bring her home amid difficult relations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.Advertisement“How can she feel like America has her back?” James said. “I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?’ ”LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers attends a game between the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns during the 2022 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 08, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images,)The 31-year-old WNBA star was apprehended for allegedly possessing hashish oil at an airport near Moscow. She reportedly pleaded guilty last week and faces sentencing Thursday.AdvertisementHer incarceration has coincided with Russia’s war with Ukraine, which has had the support of the U.S. and its allies. Putin ordered Russian troops into its neighboring nation on Feb. 24.[embedded content]Griner’s wife of three years, Cherelle Griner, has spoken with the White House about bringing her spouse home. Representatives of the WNBA, as well as community leaders and activists, have urged U.S. officials to bring the Houston, Texas, native home. She plays for the Phoenix Mercury.Like James, Griner stands 6-foot-9 and has won two Olympic gold medals.He posted a promo for his upcoming episode of “The Shop” on Twitter with a caption reading, “This one’s a global affair.”James has nearly 52 million followers on Twitter.Griner’s WNBA coach Vanessa Nygaard speculated last week that her star may be getting less support because she’s a gay woman.“If it was LeBron, he’d be home, right?” she asked USA Today.According to a letter Griner reportedly sent to President Biden, coming back to the U.S. is a priority.Advertisement“I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments,” she wrote. “I’m terrified I might be here forever.”

The man who fired Tony La Russa was in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse Sunday morning, two days after the man who could fire La Russa also made a cameo appearance.But any resemblance between the clubhouse visits of Ken “Hawk” Harrelson and Ken Williams was purely coincidental.AdvertisementHarrelson, who memorably fired La Russa in the summer of 1986 during Hawk’s one-year reign as general manager, was in town in his role as team ambassador. He stopped by the clubhouse Sunday morning to chat with old friends, including La Russa.Williams, the former Sox GM who was promoted to executive vice-president in 2012, made a trip to the clubhouse to address the team about its underachieving season. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who reported the news, tweeted that “no one was absolved, from staff to players, for the team’s woes.”AdvertisementChicago #WhiteSox president Ken Williams addressed the players and staff on Friday about their underachieving performance this season, reminding them of their talent, but that it was time to focus and pull together. No one was absolved, from staff to players, for the team’s woes.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 11, 2022

But whether Williams actually blamed La Russa or his staff for the aggravating, mind-numbing and generally uninspiring play of the team is questionable to say the least. La Russa said Williams was there as the team was “celebrating” Tim Anderson’s All-Star recognition.“There wasn’t anything he said I disagreed with,” La Russa told reporters Tuesday.What was Williams’ message?“We’ve had our ups and downs and the talent’s talent’s there to make it more ups than downs the second half of the season,” La Russa said.Didn’t sound like anyone was being blamed. If Williams actually thought the manager and coaches weren’t pulling their load, he should’ve let the camera crew filming Anderson’s celebration for Twitter continue to roll. It would’ve gone viral, and the message would’ve been sent.But of course, Williams was not going to publicly say something critical about Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s hand-picked manager, or his own hand-picked coaches. The fact the news leaked at all was embarrassing to everyone but Williams, who apparently believed he was the right person to give the speech.Williams went back into his cocoon after Nightengale’s tweet, sending a message through a team spokesman that whatever he said in the clubhouse was a “private discussion.”The Sox went on to lose to Cleveland in the opener of a critical eight-game road trip, and play the Guardians in a split double-header Tuesday.AdvertisementIf Sox players truly needed a talking to, it should’ve been La Russa’s job to say something. He supposedly was brought out of semi-retirement because of his leadership skills, so why would he need Williams to pinch-hit for him?And if both the players and staff needed to be called out for the team’s sloppy play, it should’ve been GM Rick Hahn’s job.Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa, right, talks with General Manager Rick Hahn, center, and Executive Vice President Ken Williams during batting practice before a game against the Cleveland Guardians, May 9, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)Once again, it’s another example of Williams trying to prove he’s still in charge, as he did seven years ago in Detroit when he said of Hahn and then manager Robin Ventura: “I take full responsibility for the underperformance right now. Believe me when I tell you this, the first phone call when the chairman is upset, it isn’t to any of those guys. It’s to me.”That was Williams’ “Al Haig moment,” when he let Sox fans know he was still The Man. Ventura was his hire, and he was going nowhere.Hahn eventually let Ventura go after his contract ended in 2016 and without a job search hired bench coach Rick Renteria as the manager of the Sox rebuild. But when Hahn fired Renteria after the shortened 2020 season that ended with a playoff loss to the Oakland A’s, he was informed La Russa would be the right choice as his replacement.Theoretically, Hahn should have the authority to fire La Russa, like any GM in professional sports. But it’s the worst-kept secret in Chicago that La Russa can only leave by his own volition because of his bromance with Reinsdorf. The longer the Sox struggle, the worse it looks for Hahn, whose hands are seemingly tied.AdvertisementLa Russa hasn’t faced this kind of heat in years, mostly because he’d been working in various front offices since leaving St. Louis, where he was revered for his two championship seasons with the Cardinals. He also knows most managers in his position come under fire for the disappointing play of their teams.The buck stops there. It comes with the territory.Former Cubs manger Dusty Baker, now with Houston, spent his final two years in Chicago fending off rumors about being fired. In 2006 Baker coined the term “blame black box,” referring to the device on an airplane that reveals whether a crash was because of pilot error or mechanical problems.“The one thing you learn about in life, no matter what job you’re in, is you’re going to have your turn to be in that box, whether you’re a manager or a coach or a CEO or a president or a janitor,” Baker said. “You know everybody is going to get a chance in what I call the black blame box, because that’s what it is.”La Russa is now in the box, like it or not. But Sox fans don’t chant “Fire Tony” at Guaranteed Rate Field because they actually think it’s going to happen. They do it to show their outrage with the play of this team and for some of his head-scratching decisions. If they also could boo Hahn, you know they would.Before Monday’s game in Cleveland, La Russa was asked to address another Nightengale report that “there have been a lot of whispers of unrest, cliques and the lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse tearing apart this talented team.”AdvertisementLa Russa denied the report, saying it was a “very tight club.”“That’s why it’s more irritating,” he said. “But more irritating if our fans buy into it at all.”Without knowing who is doing all the whispering, it’s hard to take that report too seriously. The Sox are like any other underachieving team in the post-Zoom era. Most of the stars avoid being around media members before games. Some players talk by appointment only. The exception is outspoken closer Liam Hendriks, which is why Hendriks so often is used as the team’s unofficial spokesman on various topics.Either way, a lack of leadership from Sox players isn’t their biggest problem. The decision to fill holes in the offseason with affordable journeymen position players instead of bidding on the best free-agent infielders and outfielders tops the list. When injuries hit, the Sox had little depth.That’s on Hahn, or maybe Williams if he’s still The Man, as the clubhouse address suggests.There’s still a chance for the Sox to dig themselves out of this hole. But if not, Hahn has to seriously start thinking about unloading players.AdvertisementThe blame black box applies to them as well.