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During his final weeks, as a stream of family members, friends and former sports media colleagues came to his bedside at Lake Forest Hospital, John “Moon” Mullin remained full of resilience, positivity and gratitude. One after another, each visitor left inspired by Mullin’s strength and impressed with his grace.From the day he was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in 2019, Mullin set his mind on fighting his battle with a positive attitude, beginning a push to squeeze the most from whatever time he had left. He was still intensely engaged in that quest until the end.Advertisement“He remained unfailingly positive,” said Dan Pompei, a former Chicago Tribune sportswriter and currently a writer for The Athletic. “From the very start, his head was in the right place in terms of his priorities and his approach to a life-threatening illness. He recognized this as a period of growth for him. … And he somehow found his way to a better place.”Mullin, a longtime Chicago sports reporter, died Sunday at age 74, according to Pompei.AdvertisementOur dear friend John “Moon” Mullin passed peacefully this afternoon. He was surrounded by loved ones. He made it a better world, and his spirit will with us. pic.twitter.com/eodHYXsUjz— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) June 19, 2022

A graduate of Notre Dame High School in Niles and the University of Dayton, Mullin was a well-known and respected figure in the Chicago sports media landscape for decades with his most prominent contributions coming on the Chicago Bears beat. He covered the team from the final stretch of the Mike Ditka era into the early stages of Matt Nagy’s tenure as coach.Mullin began his sports reporting career at the Daily Herald in the early 1990s, later spent more than 11 years at the Tribune and eventually became the Bears insider for Comcast Sports Net Chicago in 2009. (CSN Chicago later became NBC Sports Net Chicago.)Former Tribune sports writer Melissa Isaacson, a longtime friend of Mullin’s, was among the horde of visitors who streamed through Lake Forest Hospital in recent weeks. True to form, Isaacson said, Mullin continued overpowering any potential anxiety or bitterness with natural doses of perspective and gratitude.“I’ve seen the many stages this illness has taken on Moon,” Isaacson said. “But without a doubt, the one constant has been the amazing, indomitable spirit he has shown. It was impressive to experience that up close. And it was not a surprise to me that he would take this opportunity to make the best of things and to view it as an experience he was going through — as a journalist almost.“This was his opportunity to explore all these different feelings and all these relationships and all these little moments of his journey.”Mullin was an avid cyclist, loved good wine and enjoyed taking trips with his family. He was also big into music, at one time a guitarist and backup vocalist in a band called Jobreen.Mullin was told at the outset of his battle with cancer that he would be lucky to survive a year. Instead, he lived for three-plus years, tapping into that deep reserve of enthusiasm, gratitude and grit to live well beyond what doctors believed his initial prognosis would allow.AdvertisementDuring one of his final hospital visits with Mullin, Pompei found himself feeling encouraged and energized amid the most sobering of circumstances.“He talked so much about gratitude and blessings and what a great life he had had,” Pompei said. “He was heartfelt in expressing his thanks for my friendship and for all the people who were coming to see him. … You sat there so sad because of all that was happening to him. But you walked away uplifted because he had found his way to such a good place emotionally and spiritually.”Fred Mitchell, who competed against Mullin on the Bears beat before the two later became teammates at the Tribune, appreciated Mullin’s friendship and collegial approach.“As competitive as we all were to break stories and beat the other guy with a scoop, Moon always had that friendly nature and always contributed to that lighthearted atmosphere in the press box and at the old Halas Hall,” Mitchell said. “We kidded each other a lot. We had a lot of fun.“To be able to balance that competitive spirit with that light energy and all the back-and-forth teasing was fantastic. There’s a lot of pressure on that beat to be on top of every story. But Moon always had a way of keeping it in the right perspective.”Isaacson moved from the Bulls beat to the Bears beat in 1996 and admitted she initially was intimidated by Mullin’s presence, football knowledge and extensive network of sources. Mullin’s dogged reporting skills and fierce competitive streak only added to the aura.Advertisement“For self-preservation reasons,” Isaacson said, “I wanted him so badly to be hired by the Tribune.”In 1997, she got that wish, and the two quickly became unified teammates, building a friendship that lasted for more than a quarter century. Isaacson quickly grew to admire how Mullin naturally built strong relationships with players, coaches and front-office executives. She saw how some of the most meticulous aspects of the grind were a labor of love for him.As a former offensive lineman himself, Mullin gravitated to players in that position group and accepted the ribbing his colleagues and competitors gave him for doing so.Sending prayers to John “Moon” Mullin (left) during his cancer battle. I covered the Bears many years for the Chicago Tribune as Dan Pompei (center) covered for the Sun-Times before joining the Trib. Moon wrote for the Daily Herald before joining the Trib and NBC Sports Chicago. pic.twitter.com/IdF29yZwck— Fred B. Mitchell (@kicker34) June 14, 2022

“It was truly a joy and an education every day with him,” Isaacson said. “He had incredible people skills that made him a better reporter. And I think I picked some of those up simply through osmosis.”Current WSCR-AM 670 host and former Tribune sportswriter David Haugh, meanwhile, was 34 years old when he came to Chicago to become the Tribune’s new Bears beat writer in 2003. That meant replacing Mullin, who had been shifted to cover Northern Illinois University and other college sports. Haugh recalled the intense pressure he felt joining such a high-profile NFL beat for one of the country’s biggest and most prestigious newspapers in an intensely competitive market.Ironically, Haugh said, it was Mullin who became one of his most influential supporters and life rafts.Advertisement“For a number of different reasons, I was walking the tightrope without a net,” Haugh said. “My competitors didn’t like me. I had no experience as a beat writer and no experience in a major market. And Moon Mullin was the best mentor I had. The guy whose job went to me was the guy whose advice I sought. And Moon was the guy who graciously took me under his wing and said, ‘OK. This is when you go to Halas Hall. These are the people you need to talk to. This is the phone number for the general manager. Oh, let me introduce you to the owner.’“He had no obligation to do any of that. But he became my lifeline for the first year on the beat. And without him, I might have had a nervous breakdown.”Those who shared beat territory with Mullin always noted the easygoing demeanor he brought to his work, his “gentle spirit” Pompei called it.“He was just being himself,” Pompei said. “He wasn’t one of these guys who was in the locker room trying to maneuver as a real smooth operator. He just talked to people naturally and earned their trust because of who he was. He wasn’t pumping guys for information. He just had a way that broke down barriers and earned trust.”Mitchell still laughs at one of his favorite inside jokes with Mullin, which came after United Airlines had mistakenly sent Mullin a premier executive membership card for which he had not qualified. Mitchell and Pompei, who were established and legitimate premier executive travelers, playfully chided Mullin for flaunting and attempting to utilize his phony status. During a playoff trip to Minneapolis at the end of the 1994 Bears season, Mitchell prank-called Mullin’s hotel room on New Year’s morning, altering his voice and grilling Mullin on his United status.AdvertisementSaid Mitchell: “He answered and I said (with an accent), ‘This is United Airlines calling. We understand you have been caught using an unauthorized premier executive card. This is an urgent matter. Our legal department will be in touch soon to get this rectified immediately.’”After a short pause, a startled and unsuspecting Mullin responded.Former Tribune writer John Mullin. (LAB tba / Chicago Tribune)“He says, ‘It’s 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning. How did you find me here?’” Mitchell remembered.Rattled, Mullin recounted that story in the press box later that day to Mitchell, Pompei and others, none of whom let their buddy in on the joke. As a matter of fact, Mitchell said, it was more than a year before anyone let Mullin know Mitchell had made that call.“For years after that,” Mitchell said, “every time Moon and I ran into each other somewhere, the running joke was, ‘How did you find me here?’ That just showed the camaraderie we had. He took that in stride. But he had that coming to him.”Pompei laughs at all those memories that built up over the years. He appreciated Mullin’s versatility.AdvertisementMany years back, Pompei took his wife and children to see Mullin play with his band at a local bar. Mullin invited the kids on stage to play the maracas. Pompei said it’s a memory the family still talks about.“He could connect so easily with NFL executives, with NFL players just as he could connect so easily with kids or anybody,” Pompei said. “… Moon lived a full life. He lived a bunch of lives really. What a cool thing. He got his money’s worth out of 74 years.”For Mullin’s family and closest friends, there will always be a gratitude for how long and how well he fought his Stage IV cancer, rallying at every turn and earning extra time to soak everything in.In January, Mullin carved out time to visit his sister in Naples, Fla. Earlier this spring, he managed another trip with his wife to visit family in Hilton Head, S.C.Mullin also showed a heartfelt intent to pay forward the lessons he was learning from his cancer fight. Last winter, he began a YouTube series — “Attitude Over Cancer” — hoping to encourage others with cancer to fight with a positive attitude. During a video posted in February, he celebrated something as simple as a 20-minute ride on the new e-bike he bought for himself.Advertisement“I’m so jacked that I left the bike on the back of the car,” Mullin said. “Because I want to go out again tomorrow. I can’t wait. Which brings me to some of the themes of this — making plans, looking forward to things. That’s just a part of (having) a positive attitude. I only went for 20 minutes, making sure I knew how the bike worked and so forth. But I was a lot out of breath. I needed oxygen to help with the Stage IV pancreatic cancer that has metastasized into my lungs. So I need a little extra air help. But the point of the ride was the ride — just to do what I can.”[embedded content]Initially, Mullin admitted, he was flustered that his days riding at higher speeds and for longer distances were long gone. But he said he gained an acceptance of his condition and an appreciation that he could still ride at all.“Too often,” Mullin said, “we probably don’t do an activity because, well, we won’t be as good as we remembered or we think we were. … But you’re not measuring yourself against what you were 20 years ago or before cancer. So just getting out today meant everything to me.”Mullin hoped that somewhere, for somebody, his experiences and advice would resonate.In May, as his tumors grew and cancer attacked his liver and lungs, Mullin continued persevering. Even as his body weakened and deteriorated, his spirit never did.In the final weeks, as nurses encouraged Mullin — for his own well-being — to put up a stop sign or at least a yellow light for the constant groups of visitors who were wanting to spend extra time with him, Mullin welcomed the company and the camaraderie.Advertisement“He said out loud, ‘This is the greatest period of my life,’ ” Isaacson said. “And he truly meant it. That sounds odd. But we knew what he was saying. It was incredible for him to have that experience, to have that time with his friends, to have that chance to tell them how much they meant to him and for them to do the same. Moon was always this student of life. And I think, in this phase, he found so much of it educational and interesting.“I know he had deeply sad moments and sick moments. I know that. At the same time, he chose to really, really look at this as a life experience that he could find value in.”One after another, visitors came to Mullin’s hospital room in recent weeks to tell stories, laugh, cry and say goodbye. One after another, they left enlivened.Said Mitchell: “It was incredibly admirable how he went about dealing with his illness. He always understood his diagnosis and prognosis and realized he had been able to enjoy a wonderful life, a wonderful career and some amazing opportunities. It’s one thing for all of us to talk about how we might handle the eventuality of death. But it’s quite different to experience it firsthand, to understand that it’s imminent and to be able to deal with that with the grace and class that he did. It’s remarkable to me. And it should be a blueprint for all of us that when that day comes on how we should handle the inevitable and the grace we should lend to what we don’t have control over. I’ll forever have respect for the way he handled his circumstance.”

BUDAPEST, Hungary — World swimming’s governing body has effectively banned transgender women from competing in women’s events, starting Monday.FINA members widely adopted a new “gender inclusion policy” on Sunday that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. The organization also proposed an “open competition category.”Advertisement“This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair,” James Pearce, who is the spokesperson for FINA president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press.“They’re not saying everyone should transition by age 11, that’s ridiculous. You can’t transition by that age in most countries and hopefully you wouldn’t be encouraged to. Basically, what they’re saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage.”AdvertisementPearce confirmed there are currently no transgender women competing in elite levels of swimming.The World Professional Association for Transgender Health just lowered its recommended minimum age for starting gender transition hormone treatment to 14 and some surgeries to 15 or 17.FINA’s new 24-page policy also includes proposals for a new “open competition” category. The organization said it was setting up “a new working group that will spend the next six months looking at the most effective ways to set up this new category.”Pearce told the AP that the open competition would most likely mean more events, but those details still need to be worked out.“No one quite knows how this is going to work. And we need to include a lot of different people, including transgender athletes, to work out how it would work,” he said. “So there are no details of how that would work. The open category is something that will start being discussed tomorrow.”Lia Thomas prepares for the 500-meter freestyle at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 17, 2022. (John Bazemore/AP)The members voted 71.5% in favor at the organization’s extraordinary general congress after hearing presentations from three specialist groups — an athlete group, a science and medicine group and a legal and human rights group — that had been working together to form the policy following recommendations given by the International Olympic Committee last November.The IOC urged shifting the focus from individual testosterone levels and calling for evidence to prove when a performance advantage existed.FINA said it recognizes “that some individuals and groups may be uncomfortable with the use of medical and scientific terminology related to sex and sex-linked traits (but) some use of sensitive terminology is needed to be precise about the sex characteristics that justify separate competition categories.”AdvertisementIn March, Lia Thomas made history in the United States as the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming championship, the 500-yard freestyle.Thomas said last month on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that she was aiming to become an Olympic swimmer. She also disputed those who say she has an unfair biological edge that ruins the integrity of women’s athletics, saying “trans women are not a threat to women’s sports.”The University of Pennsylvania didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Thomas.Other sports have also been examining their rules around transgender athletes.On Thursday, cycling’s governing body updated its eligibility rules for transgender athletes with stricter limits that will force riders to wait longer before they can compete.The International Cycling Union (UCI) increased the transition period on low testosterone to two years, and lowered the maximum accepted level of testosterone. The previous transition period was 12 months but the UCI said recent scientific studies show that “the awaited adaptations in muscle mass and muscle strength/power” among athletes who have made a transition from male to female takes at least two years.

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.

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.

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.”

At one point this season, you might have been encouraged to come out to Soldier Field to support the Chicago Fire, who were unbeaten and in second place in the Eastern Conference.Fast forward about 90 days and it’s a very different picture.AdvertisementThe Fire entered Saturday night’s home match against D.C. United last in Major League Soccer with just 11 points from 14 matches and winless since March 19. No team had scored fewer goals than the Fire’s 13 entering the weekend.And designated players Xherdan Shaqiri (hamstring), currently the league’s highest-paid player, and Jairo Torres (hip) missed the match because of injuries, putting even more stress on a team that has rebuilt twice in the last three seasons under sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer.AdvertisementBut the Fire might have alleviated some of those burdens with a 1-0 victory thanks to Fabian Herbers’ headed goal in the 78th minute.“Luckily I got the goal at the end, so I’m happy to help the team,” Herbers said. “It’s a huge push for us in the right direction hopefully, and hopefully we can continue to build on it and keep going.”Herbers’ goal helped the Fire snap a 10-game winless streak.“Hopefully we can change the narrative about this team that this is a team that can’t close out games,” coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “We showed tonight that we have what it takes.”But even with the victory, the math still might be against the Fire (3-7-5, 14 points) if they want to play postseason soccer.Excluding the pandemic-altered 2020 season, the final playoff spot in the East the last four seasons went to teams that finished with 48 points (2021), 45 points (2019) and 50 points (2018 and 2017).That means the Fire, who finished third with 55 points in 2017, need to have Supporters’ Shield-like form — typically about two points per game — over their final 19 matches to even have a shot at qualifying for the playoffs.“What I said to (the players) after the game is remember this feeling,” Hendrickson said. “Remember how good this feels to walk off a pitch when you’ve played well knowing that you didn’t give the game away or you didn’t lose the game. … Consistency is something we need to work on.”AdvertisementThe Fire approached the recent international break as an opportunity break out of their recent funk.“We got a chance to analyze what we had been doing up to this point,” defender Jonathan Bornstein said. “Got a good amount of time to put in the work and watch videos, just really prepare for this next game. A lot of it was that we spoke about where we were at in the season, being realistic and reevaluating everything prior to this game.”Hendrickson warned the Fire would experience “growing pains” this season and touched on the need for patience Wednesday during his weekly news conference.“It’s not so much patience because guys are young, but it’s patience because it’s a relatively new team,” Hendrickson said Wednesday. “It’s going to take a while to get guys to mesh and jell with each other, and now you have also a new coach with a new philosophy that they have to also grasp.Advertisement“So … when I talk about patience, it’s not so much about age or anything like that, it’s about giving time to develop. And we’re seeing the progress. We’re definitely seeing the progress. If we were sitting here and we were losing every game 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, we would have an issue.”To Hendrickson’s point, the Fire probably aren’t as bad as their record.But even after Saturday’s result they have 0.93 points per game, a rate that isn’t dissimilar to 2015-16, when the Fire finished last in MLS with 30 points (0.88 PPG) and 31 points (0.91 PPG).That’s not to say the Fire will end this season with their third Wooden Spoon, a fan-created “honor” awarded to the team that finishes at the bottom of MLS. But the margins are thin and the Fire need to build on Saturday’s victory.They might have to do so for some time without Shaqiri, who leads the Fire with six assists and entered Saturday the team’s joint-top scorer with three goals. Torres has been dealing with his injury off-and-on since joining from Atlas FC in May.AdvertisementThe severity of Shaqiri’s injury was not announced, but Hendrickson said the Fire hope the midfielder is fit for their next match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.“Hamstrings are very tricky, so we’ve got to be careful with that,” Hendrickson said.The Chicago Fire, including goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, stand on the field before their home opener against Orlando City at Soldier Field, March 5, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)The Fire goalkeeper and Addison native has been the subject of several transfer inquiries, with English Premier League club Chelsea and European and Spanish La Liga champions Real Madrid interested in the 18-year-old.Any deal for Slonina likely would include a loan back to the Fire for at least the rest of the season.AdvertisementHendrickson declined to comment on the speculation Wednesday but said he’s not worried about Slonina losing focus in the meantime.“It’s really good that he’s kept his head and stayed focused because that could be really distracting,” Hendrickson said. “This is something we really can’t discuss and just let the guys do the negotiations … handle that stuff and we just want to focus, me and my staff on the games coming up.”

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick avoided the carnage and calamity that took down golf’s best Saturday at a U.S. Open that set the tone for a final day of survival.Zalatoris, who lost in a three-hole playoff at the PGA Championship last month, made only one bogey — a staggering feat on a beast of a Brookline course — for a 3-under 67.Advertisement“Felt like I shot a 61,” Zalatoris said. “Whenever I made a mistake I was able to get away with it or pull off something miraculous.”Fitzpatrick, already a champion at The Country Club with his U.S. Amateur title in 2013, was equally steady and ran off three birdies over his last five holes for a 68. He will be in the final group of a major for the second straight time.AdvertisementMost telling was they didn’t make any double bogeys.Will Zalatoris pumps his fist after making a birdie on the fourth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. (Charles Krupa/AP)Matt Fitzpatrick of England prepares to putt on the 18th green during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Fitzpatrick shot a two-under 68 and has a share of the lead at 4 under entering the final round. (Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)That’s what knocked defending champion Jon Rahm out of the lead on the final hole. The Spaniard thought he had seen it all — including a shot he played backhanded from the base of a tree on the eighth hole — when he took three swipes from sand in two bunkers.Rahm’s first shot from a fairway bunker hit the lip and nearly rolled into his footprint. His next shot found a plugged lie in a greenside bunker, and two putts later he had a 71 and went from one ahead to one behind.Rahm wasn’t upset with his swing on the final hole. If anything, he said it was getting dark and he didn’t notice his ball sitting in the sand. The USGA sent the last group off at 3:45 p.m. to maximize television exposure.Rahm was looking ahead instead of what he left behind.Jon Rahm, of Spain, reacts after a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Rahm is one stroke back entering the final round. (Charles Krupa/AP)“I have 18 holes, and I’m only one shot back,” he said. “That’s the important thing.”Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick were at 4-under 206, the same score of the 54-hole lead when the U.S. Open last was at The Country Club in 1988.It’s not like Rahm had full rights to the lead. The day was so wild that Rahm was among eight players who had at least a share of the lead at some point. Three of them didn’t even finish among the top 10, including two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.AdvertisementMorikawa, who shared the 36-hole lead with Joel Dahmen, had double bogeys on the seventh and 13th holes and might have had a third after a chunked wedge on No. 4 except that he made a 25-foot putt for bogey. He finished with a 77.Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was not immune. The world’s No. 1 player looked to be pulling away when he holed a wedge from some 80 yards for eagle on the par-5 eighth.He was at 6 under and cruising until his wedge to a back pin on the 141-yard 11th hole bounced hard over the green and into deep rough. He took two to the green and two puts later was no longer leading. And it only got worse as three straight bogeys followed and he shot 71.Seven of the top 12 players going into Saturday made at least one double bogey in strong wind and cool temperatures that made this sweater weather in June.Rory McIlroy was not on that list. His was more of a slow bleed, mostly from a putter that wasn’t behaving. He made one birdie in his round of 73.All that, and this U.S. Open was far from settled.Advertisement“It was one of the toughest days on a golf course I’ve had in a long time,” McIlroy said. “I just needed to grind it out, and I did on the back nine. To play that back nine at even par today was a really good effort, I thought. Just kept myself in the tournament. That’s all I was trying to do. Just keep hanging around.”Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the sixth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)Twenty-three players were under par going into the third round. Only nine remain with 18 holes remaining, all of them separated by three shots.That includes a local star — maybe not the Francis Ouimet variety, but Keegan Bradley is big enough in Beantown that he heard his name chanted loudly and proudly as he marched up toward the 18th green. A former PGA champion, he called it “probably the highlight of my whole entire life.”He gave them reason to cheer. Three over through seven holes, Bradley answered with passion and birdies, five of them over his last 11 holes for a 69.He was two shots behind with Adam Hadwin (70) and Scheffler). McIlroy was three back along with Sam Burns (71) and Dahmen, who didn’t make a birdie in his round of 74 but stayed in the game because he didn’t have any big blunders.The average score was 73.5, and only seven players broke par. Denny McCarthy made the cut on the number at 3-over par. He finished his 68 before the leaders even arrived at the course. By the end of the day, he was tied for 11th, five shots behind.AdvertisementThe U.S. Open played every bit like one.“I knew it was going to be hard,” Dahmen said. “I didn’t know it was going to be that hard.”

HOUSTON — Johnny Cueto volunteered to pitch Sunday when the Chicago White Sox needed help after starter Michael Kopech exited in the first inning with right knee discomfort.Cueto entered in the third against the Texas Rangers and tossed five innings in the second relief appearance of his 15-season career.AdvertisementHe was back in his usual starter’s role Saturday against the Houston Astros and was in complete control against one of the best lineups in baseball.Cueto allowed two hits, struck out five and walked two in seven innings, pitching the Sox to a 7-0 victory against the Astros in front of 36,747 at Minute Maid Park.Advertisement“I just tried to keep the ball low in the zone because I know that they can hit,” Cueto said through an interpreter. “I was good with executing.”White Sox starting pitcher Johnny Cueto pumps his fist after helping turn a double play against the Astros during the seventh inning Saturday in Houston. Cueto tossed seven innings of two-hit ball in a 7-0 Sox win. (David J. Phillip/AP)A few hours after the Astros scored 10 runs in one inning during Friday’s 13-3 victory, Cueto kept them off-balance to earn his first win with the Sox.“(Friday) night was a bad game for us,” Cueto said. “But I always say you need to keep your head up. Keep your head up and be optimistic and come back the next day and try to do your job.”Cueto (1-3) did just that.The only hits he surrendered were a Jose Altuve single to center leading off the first and an Alex Bregman infield single leading off the seventh. Both of those runners were erased on double plays.Cueto helped the Sox to their first win at Minute Maid Park since May 23, 2019, snapping a streak of seven straight losses — including two in the 2021 postseason.“That’s pitching at its finest,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said.Cueto hadn’t received much run support since joining the Sox. That changed Saturday against Justin Verlander.AdvertisementThe entirely right-handed-hitting starting lineup had success, often taking the ball the other way.“We know you are going to have to stay on the ball because he’s a Hall of Famer to be, so I thought it was a very intelligent approach,” La Russa said.Danny Mendick and Andrew Vaughn singled to right, loading the bases with one out in the third. Luis Robert brought two home with a single to right for the game’s first runs.José Abreu drove in two with a double to left, extending the lead to 4-0.The hot hitting continued in the fourth. Josh Harrison singled to right and scored when Vaughn’s hard-hit grounder went through the legs of second baseman Altuve. Robert had a two-run double down the left-field line, stretching the lead to 7-0.Robert had three hits and four RBIs. Vaughn had three hits and scored twice.Advertisement“My approach was the same as always,” Robert said through an interpreter. “I just tried to make good contact and put the ball in play.”White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, left, and center fielder Luis Robert celebrate after a 7-0 win against the Astros on Saturday in Houston. (David J. Phillip/AP)Verlander exited after Robert’s hit in the fourth. He allowed seven runs, four earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts in 3⅔ innings. His ERA went from 1.94 to 2.30.“After that support, I just said ‘OK, I just need to keep the game as it is right now, I need to keep my focus,’ ” Cueto said. “Because sometimes you can lose it. And I was able to do that.”Cueto’s ERA went from 3.53 to 2.95. He has pitched at least six innings in each of his six starts.“With his contribution to what we are doing, that’s how he has pitched his whole career,” La Russa said. “He has given us a tremendous lift.”The Sox had been held to three runs or fewer in four of Cueto’s first five starts. The one time they surpassed the mark was in his Sox debut May 16 in Kansas City, Mo., where Robert hit a two-run homer in the 10th for a 5-3 victory.Advertisement“It’s nothing personal, Johnny,” La Russa said. “But that’s a makeup (Saturday). Against a guy like Verlander, a lot of really good at-bats. Stringing hits together, hitting down in the count. It was a lot of major-league hitting (Saturday).”And big-time pitching from Cueto, who said he didn’t feel any linger effects from the relief appearance.“I just like to work,” Cueto said. “Work hard, execute, try to keep the ball low in the zone and work hard to stay healthy. That’s the most important thing.”The Sox played Saturday without third baseman Yoán Moncada, who left Friday’s game in the third inning with right hamstring tightness.“We’re going to wait, wait it out (Sunday) and see how he is Monday,” La Russa said. “Got checked today. There’s something there, but it’s not so much of a problem that we can’t be a little bit patient to see if it comes through. See how he feels.”The Giants have claimed C/1B Yermín Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. C Michael Papierski has been designated for assignment.— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 18, 2022

Former Sox designated hitter Yermín Mercedes was claimed off of waivers by the San Francisco Giants. Mercedes, who was named the AL Rookie of the Month for April in 2021 but cooled off and was optioned to Charlotte on July 2, was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Northwestern leading scorer and rebounder Pete Nance is transferring to North Carolina.The 6-foot-10, 225-pound senior forward announced his commitment to play his fifth year for the Tar Heels in a social media post Saturday. It’s a significant addition for North Carolina, offering a potential replacement for departing starter Brady Manek from a run to last season’s NCAA championship game.AdvertisementNance averaged 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Wildcats last season and shot 45.2% from 3-point range.The Tar Heels return four starters in big man Armando Bacot, guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis and versatile swingman Leaky Black. But Nance offers size with the ability to stretch defenses after UNC lost the 6-9 Manek, who transferred from Oklahoma and averaged 15.1 points while shooting 40.3% on 3-pointers.AdvertisementWith Manek helping to space the floor, the Tar Heels made a late-season push to a record 21st Final Four before falling to Kansas in the NCAA final in Hubert Davis’ debut coaching season.

CINCINNATI — On the same date that he reached 10 years of major league service, the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday designated for assignment two-time All-Star outfielder Lorenzo Cain.Cain, 36, hit .179 with one home run and nine RBIs over 43 games this season.Advertisement“It just got to a point where it’s probably time,” Cain told a small group of Brewers’ beat writers. “I haven’t been performing like I would’ve liked, but the situation is what it is. I’ve had a great career. I can’t really be upset about anything, but, yeah, it’s time. I wish all my teammates the best, coaches, trainers, everybody that I’ve played with or met throughout my entire career, I wish them nothing but the best. It’s been a really fun ride for me for sure.”Cain is in the last year of a five-year, $80 million contract he signed in January 2018 as a free agent. Milwaukee is responsible for the $10,897,121 remaining of this season’s $18 million salary. He is unlikely to be claimed off waivers because of his salary. If he is released, any team can sign him for a prorated share of the $700,000 minimum.AdvertisementWaiting until Saturday allowed Cain to be fully vested in the players’ pension fund.The center fielder played a key role for the 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals before signing with the Brewers, the team that originally drafted him before trading him in December 2010 to the Royals. He helped Milwaukee reach postseason play each of the past four seasons.“No doubt, he did his part,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “At the end, it was time for this. It was just time.”If Cain harbored any ill will, it didn’t show.“I would say it was mutual to part ways,” he said. “We have a really good team. I don’t think I was contributing the way I would’ve liked. I feel like they definitely had to make a move. I definitely would’ve liked to play a lot better – contribute to the team a little bit more – but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case this year.“At the end of the day, it’s been fun. I think that team can go really far. They’re really well-coached, well-managed. Those guys play their hearts out. I’m definitely gonna miss them. It’s been a fun ride for sure.”