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Andrew Vaughn was aware he needed a triple for the cycle when he came to bat in the sixth inning Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays.“You’ve got to keep it out of the back of your head,” Vaughn said.AdvertisementVaughn didn’t get the triple, but he did single to match a career high with four hits in the Chicago White Sox’s 8-7 victory in front of 22,482 at Guaranteed Rate Field.Vaughn had an RBI double in the first, singled and scored in the third and hit a solo homer in the fourth. His sixth-inning at-bat finished with a single to left.Advertisement“His stroke (Monday) was as pure as it could be,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “(Blue Jays starter José) Berríos, we hit some good pitches. We stayed on the ball good because that guy’s tough.“But we talked about it before, that’s what (Gavin) Sheets has shown, (Jake) Burger, they’re hungry hitters. They go up there every at-bat trying to make something happen, and Vaughn, he’s got that nailed.”It’s the third time Vaughn has had four hits in a game. He has five multi-hit performances in his last seven games.“Just learning from last year,” Vaughn said. “Learned how to take care of my body better. It’s 162 games. It’s long. Just being smart and being proactive about it.”Vaughn’s home run was the third of the night for the Sox. Josh Harrison’s two-run homer in the second gave them a 3-2 lead. Luis Robert made it 5-2 with a two-run homer one inning later.The Sox had production up and down the lineup, finishing with 13 hits. Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit. Leadoff batter Tim Anderson singled twice and scored a run in his return from the injured list.[ [Don’t miss] Tim Anderson is ‘excited to be back’ from the injured list for the White Sox, but Yoán Moncada heads to the IL ]“I was seeing the ball real well,” said Anderson, who last played for the Sox on May 29, when he suffered a strained right groin. “If I just stay right there where I’m at, just continue to keep pushing, I’ll be in a good spot.”La Russa said of Anderson: “His stroke is a thing of a beauty. I mean, he can get to anything.”AdvertisementHarrison was getting to almost anything defensively. He made several impressive plays, including a tremendous diving stop and throw from his knees to get Gabriel Moreno for the first out of the fifth.“He had a great game,” La Russa said of Harrison. “A clutch home run, he hit a couple of balls hard, but the defensive plays — every time you take an out away from that club is a huge step in the right direction.”Lance Lynn benefited from the defense in his second start of the season and his first at home. The right-hander allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five-plus innings.There was a questionable ball four to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the sixth. Teoscar Hernández followed with a two-run double, getting the Blue Jays within 8-4. That was Lynn’s final batter.Asked about the progress from his first start to his second after returning from right knee surgery in the spring to repair a torn tendon, Lynn said: “I don’t know. I gave up five runs in five innings. It’s still horse(bleep).”La Russa had a slightly different assessment.Advertisement“The ball was coming out great,” La Russa said. “He was very aggressive. I watched him closely in that sixth. That lineup is tough. You saw what they’ve done all year long. And he was very sharp. Didn’t get bothered by the first two (runs on a homer by Raimel Tapia in the second) and kept shutting them out until the end.”White Sox reliever Reynaldo López celebrates after getting the last out in the top of the seventh inning against the Blue Jays on Monday, June 20, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Reynaldo López followed Lynn and struck out two in the sixth. He came back for the seventh and stranded a runner on second with another strikeout.With closer Liam Hendriks on the injured list, the Sox opted for Kendall Graveman in the eighth and Joe Kelly in the ninth. Kelly surrendered a two-run homer with one out in the ninth to Cavan Biggio but rebounded with two grounders — including another nice play by Harrison — to help the Sox begin their homestand on a positive note.“The decision point there was that Graveman, we felt, could get the last out in the seventh (if necessary) and come back in the eighth,” La Russa said. “They can both pitch the ninth, both pitch the eighth (and) the seventh.“But to me, one of the stars brighter than anybody was Reynaldo López. (To) come out there and also pitch that seventh as effectively as he did, you’ll meet no bigger star than him.”

TAMPA, Fla. — Steven Stamkos, Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat each had a goal and an assist, and the Tampa Bay Lightning scored four times in the second period to beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 Monday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.Anthony Cirelli, Nicholas Paul and Corey Perry also scored to help the two-time defending champion Lightning bounce back after playing poorly while losing the first two games on the road. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman had two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 37 shots.AdvertisementStamkos, Paul, Maroon and Perry scored in the second period, when the Lightning chased Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper while pulling away to trim their series deficit to 2-1.Gabriel Landeskog had two goals and Mikko Rantanen had two assists for the Avalanche. Kuemper gave up five goals on 22 shots before he was replaced by Pavel Francouz, who finished with nine saves.AdvertisementGame 4 is Wednesday night at Amalie Arena, where the Lightning have won a franchise-record eight straight playoff games and where the Avalanche lost on the road for the first time this postseason.Two nights after being limited to 16 shots in a 7-0 loss in Denver, the Lightning rebounded by finally finding a way to neutralize the Avalanche’s speed and solve Kuemper to avoid falling to the brink of elimination.The defending champs became the first team since 1919 to win a Stanley Cup Final game after losing by seven-plus goals the previous game.The Avalanche lifted Kuemper after Maroon scored a soft goal that put the Lightning up 5-2 with 8:45 remaining in the second. Perry reached behind Francouz to tap in a rebound that came off the right post to make 6-2 with 5:02 left in the period.The Lightning overcame a 2-0 series deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to eliminate the New York Rangers in six games. They’re looking to do it again against the Avalanche to complete their quest for the NHL’s first three-peat in nearly 40 years.Cirelli and Palat scored in the first period for the Lightning, who played with a lot more energy than in Games 1 and 2, when they appeared to be a step or two slower than the speedy, high-scoring Avalanche.The seven-goal loss in Game 2 raised the question of whether a team that has played 68 postseason games since 2020 — the most by one team over a span of three playoffs — is running out of gas as it tries to become the first franchise to win at least three consecutive Stanley Cup titles since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83.And while coach Jon Cooper discounts the toll playing so much playoff hockey has taken on his players, the Avalanche clearly looked like the fresher team in Games 1 and 2 after going 12-2 against the Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers in breezing through the first three rounds.AdvertisementSpurred on by a sellout crowd of more than 19,000 and playing with a sense of urgency absent for much of the first two games, the Lightning scored twice in a span of 1:51 to wipe out a 1-0 lead the Avalanche took on the first of Landeskog’s two power-play goals.Cirelli crossed in front of Kuemper to make it 1-1 at 13:03 of the opening period. Palat delivered his 10th goal of the playoffs off a pass from Stamkos to give the Lightning a lead for the first time in the series.Vasilevskiy yielded a second power-play goal to Landeskog, who briefly trimmed a two-goal deficit to 3-2 before the Lightning pulled away for good.After allowing the most goals he ever has given up in the playoffs in Game 2, Vasilevskiy had 13 saves in the first period, 12 in the second and 12 in the third.The Lightning became the third team in NHL history to score six goals in a Stanley Cup Final game after yielding at least seven the previous game.Both teams played without one of their top forwards.AdvertisementLightning center Brayden Point, who missed 10 games after being injured during the series-clinching victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, was scratched after playing in Games 1 and 2 in Denver.Avalanche forwards Andre Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri sat out. Coach Jared Bednar said both are day to day.Paul scored for the Lightning after sitting out a portion of the first period with what appeared to be a right leg injury.The Avalanche entered Monday with a franchise-record seven-game postseason winning streak. The Avalanche also suffered their first road loss, dropping to 8-1. The Lightning improved to 8-1 at home this postseason.

PITTSBURGH — Three starts into his big-league career, Caleb Kilian is searching for answers.For a pitcher who didn’t walk many batters in the minors since joining the Chicago Cubs organization last July, walks have plagued the rookie right-hander in his last two outings. Kilian’s big-league debut in early June provided excitement for Cubs fans who haven’t had much to cheer about this year.AdvertisementCommand problems derailed Kilian again Monday in a 12-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.“It’s super frustrating, actually, because I feel like I’m digging myself in a hole with walking people and getting behind in counts,” Kilian said. “I feel like it’s not far off. I feel like it’s close. And once it clicks, it’ll be a lot better.”AdvertisementKilian surrendered seven runs (five earned) and struck out three in 2⅓ innings, hurt by five walks and shaky defense.[ [Don’t miss] Why the Cubs chose to option right-hander Adrian Sampson to Triple A after a stellar outing ]“I do best when I am aggressive or have an aggressive mindset, but I still was trying to be too fine with my misses,” Kilian said. “Instead of missing in the zone when I was missing just away earlier and then getting behind in counts, the walks — I just hurt myself, you know?”Too often Kilian threw noncompetitive pitches that were balls out of his hand.Kilian is the first Cubs pitcher to walk at least five hitters in consecutive outings since Yu Darvish in May 2019. Kilian’s issues against the Pirates felt similar to his previous start Wednesday versus the San Diego Padres, in which he surrendered five runs and five walks in four innings. “Just not like myself,” he said.Cubs starter Caleb Kilian, center, hands the ball to manager David Ross during a pitching change in the third inning Monday, June 20, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)Before the blowout loss, Cubs manager David Ross indicated the focus between starts for Kilian was “cleaning up the consistency of his mechanics” so he could feel he’s able to move the ball in and out of the zone as he wants. Kilian mentioned doing drills that helped him get back into his legs and find better timing.“We’ve got to give this kid a little bit of runway before we start changing too many things,” Ross said. “The more information we’re able to gather at this level and what he looks like, then we’ll be able to assess and continue to work start to start.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Kilian, though, couldn’t harness what he found between outings. Afterward, he wasn’t sure what led him to get out of sync against the Pirates.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Column: From yuppies to ‘Cuppies,’ Wrigley Field bleachers are still the place to ignore the Cubs’ failures ]“If I knew I would have probably fixed it out there,” he said. “It kind of just got out of whack a little bit today and then it didn’t go too well.”The Cubs, losers in 13 of their last 16 games, can give Kilian time to work through his command issues in the majors if they want. Ross recalled former teammate Jon Lester saying a pitcher will have five really good starts, five that stink and it comes down to the other 20 starts.Only 33 of Kilian’s 66 pitches were strikes, including 14 foul balls and five balls in play that either scored a run or were not an out.The Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds scores on a wild pitch by Cubs starter Caleb Kilian (45) during the third inning Monday, June 20, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)“I definitely would say the big leagues is different than the minor leagues for sure,” Ross said. “He’s got a long big-league career ahead of him and he’s a hard worker. He’ll go back to work.”At some point, it might pay off for Kilian to implement the adjustments at Triple A, where there is less scrutiny, but right now there is an opportunity to work hands on with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and the big-league staff. Kilian is trying to learn as much as he can, from the trainers to the strength coaches, and soak it in.“I’ve just been picking people’s brains,” Kilian said. “Maybe I’ve got too much going on in my head at the moment, but I think in the long run it’ll pay off.”

PITTSBURGH — Right-hander Adrian Sampson did everything in his control to stick on the Chicago Cubs roster.Sampson impressed Sunday, shutting down the Atlanta Braves over 4⅔ innings of relief with five strikeouts, no walks and only one batter reaching base. But when the Cubs needed to remove one pitcher from their active roster by Monday’s deadline for the 13-pitcher limit, Sampson was the odd man out.AdvertisementThe rule initially was set to be implemented for the start of the season, then was pushed back twice because of the 99-day lockout’s impact on pitchers’ ability to build up.Manager David Ross described an “extremely difficult” conversation with Sampson when informing him of the decision to option him to Triple-A Iowa. Sampson is unavailable for three days because of how much he pitched Sunday, which played a part.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Theo Epstein is leaving Chicago 2 years after leaving the Cubs. Here’s how he spent his final weekend in the city. ]“The guy goes out there and saves your bullpen, saves the team, allows us to reset the bullpen with really probably one the better performances I’ve seen him have and one of the better performances out of our bullpen,” Ross said Monday before the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “At this moment in time, we cannot afford to be short with no off days coming up. “So it’s a difficult conversation. It’s some of the worst ones I have, especially when it’s not performance-based. As bad as it stinks, he also made an impression on everybody, and when you come out and do that, the sooner you’re going to be back when you’re fresh.”The Cubs recalled outfielder Nelson Velázquez to replace Sampson and give them an equal split between pitchers and position players on the 26-man roster. Velázquez is expected to be used as a pinch hitter and could get starts against left-handers. Ross said Velázquez’s role would be similar to how Clint Frazier was used while he was on the roster.“Right now he’ll come off the bench and be a pinch hitter and an extra outfield body,” Ross said.Cubs outfielder Nelson Velázquez hits an infield single against the Brewers in his major-league debut May 30, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.This likely will be another short stint in the majors for Velázquez. David Bote resumed his rehab last week after bouts of dizziness put his return on pause as he works back from left shoulder surgery. Bote was off Monday and will play seven to nine innings Tuesday at Iowa.Seiya Suzuki is working out at the team’s complex in Mesa, Ariz., while the Cubs are on a seven-game trip. Ross said Suzuki’s strained left ring finger showed less swelling when Ross saw it before they parted ways ahead of the trip to Pittsburgh.The Cubs should have a better idea by the end of their four-game series against the Pirates how long Frank Schwindel could be sidelined by his low back strain. Schwindel dealt with similar back issues in the spring, so expect the Cubs to take a cautious approach and not push the first baseman to return too quickly.The Cubs can’t seem to catch a break with injuries. As of Monday, they have 13 players on the injured list. An inexperienced rotation will need to step up after the loss of the extra reliever, starting with rookie Caleb Kilian, who started Monday against the Pirates.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Column: From yuppies to ‘Cuppies,’ Wrigley Field bleachers are still the place to ignore the Cubs’ failures ]“It’s going to be even more important that we find those guys that can get us outs out of the bullpen and keep us in games or keep us with the lead and give us multiple innings,” Ross said. “Because you’re not going to be able to use everybody every day, and we’ve got a long season and a lot of back-to-back games. Pitchers, especially the bullpen guys, get worn out.”Multi-inning arms carry added value for teams needing to cover innings out of the bullpen. Right-hander Alec Mills knows pitchers like him will become even more important as teams adjust to having one fewer pitcher on staff.“I need to be ready to go every day,” Mills told the Tribune on Monday. “With less pitchers, sometimes I need to wear a couple just so we can save the bullpen. I think we saw that, especially right when I came up almost two weeks ago now, but I needed to go out there and do it right then. The bullpen was fried, so I was happy to do it.”

The Chicago White Sox reinstated shortstop Tim Anderson from the injured list ahead of Monday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Guaranteed Rate Field.In a corresponding move, the Sox placed third baseman Yoán Moncada on the 10-day IL retroactive to Saturday with a strained right hamstring.AdvertisementAnderson went on the IL retroactive to May 30 with a strained right groin. The All-Star suffered the injury during a May 29 game against the Cubs.Anderson is having another sensational season, slashing 356/.393/.503 with nine doubles, five home runs, 19 RBIs, 24 runs and eight stolen bases in 40 games.

WASHINGTON — WNBA star Brittney Griner tried to call her wife nearly a dozen times through the American embassy in Russia on the couple’s fourth anniversary Saturday, but they never connected because the phone line at the embassy was not staffed, Cherelle Griner said Monday.The couple has not spoken by phone in the four months since Griner’s arrest in Russia on drug-related charges. That was to have changed Saturday, when a long-awaited call was to have finally taken place. But the day came and went without any contact, leaving an anguished Cherelle Griner to wonder what went wrong and to suspect at least initially that Russian authorities had thwarted the call.AdvertisementOn Monday, she said she learned from her wife’s lawyers a more distressing truth: Brittney Griner had tried to call 11 times over a period of several hours, dialing a number she was given at the U.S. embassy in Moscow, which the couple had been told would then patch the call through to Cherelle Griner in Phoenix. But each time, the call went unanswered because the desk at the embassy where the phone rang was apparently unstaffed Saturday.“I was distraught. I was hurt. I was done, fed up,” Cherelle Griner told The Associated Press in an interview, recounting how an anniversary she had eagerly anticipated was instead spent in tears. “I’m pretty sure I texted BG’s agent and was like: ‘I don’t want to talk to anybody. It’s going to take me a minute to get my emotions together and just tell everybody I’m unavailable right now.’ Because it just knocked me out. I wasn’t well, I’m still not well.”AdvertisementThe experience has exacerbated already simmering frustrations about the U.S. government’s response to her wife’s case. U.S. officials have repeatedly said they are working behind the scenes to get the two-time Olympian home from Russia and consider her case a top priority. But Cherelle Griner said she remains “very pissed” by the snafu, especially because the call had been on the schedule for two weeks and yet no one warned her during that time that it might be logistically impossible because of the weekend.The State Department said Monday that it was aware of the issue and was looking into it. Cherelle Griner said a contact in the U.S. government had apologized to her for the error. She said she since has learned that the one number Brittney Griner had been told to dial typically processes calls from prisoners on Mondays through Fridays but not weekends.“But mind you,” Cherelle Griner said in the interview, “this phone call had been scheduled for almost two weeks — with a weekend date.”She added: “I find it unacceptable and I have zero trust in our government right now. If I can’t trust you to catch a Saturday call outside of business hours, how can I trust you to actually be negotiating on my wife’s behalf to come home? Because that’s a much bigger ask than to catch a Saturday call.”Cherelle Griner said she still hopes to talk to or meet with President Joe Biden, but “at this point it’s starting to feel like a no.”Brittney Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained at a Russian airport on Feb. 17 after authorities there said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.The State Department in May designated her as wrongfully detained, moving her case under the supervision of its Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator. Russian state-run news agency Tass reported last week that her detention had been extended until July 3.So far, Cherelle Griner says she has had to rely exclusively on others’ assessments about her wife’s condition. Lawyers and consular affairs officials have been able to speak with the basketball star, but her wife has not.AdvertisementOn the evening before the call, she went to sleep at 5 p.m. so she would be awake and alert at midnight to receive the anticipated call from Russia to Phoenix that never came.“This was such a big moment because this would have been the first time where I truly could tell if she’s OK,” Cherelle Griner said. “This would have been the first time for me to actually just hear her in real time and to truly know if she’s OK or to know if she’s seconds away from not being in existence anymore.”Feinberg reported from New York. AP’s Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.

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He gone.Former Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein is leaving Chicago and heading back East.AdvertisementEpstein’s successor, president Jed Hoyer, confirmed the rumor Monday on WSCR-AM670′s “Mully and Haugh Show.” Epstein’s destination is unknown, but the Boston native will be closer to family and Major League Baseball offices in New York.[ [Don’t miss] Column: From yuppies to ‘Cuppies,’ Wrigley Field bleachers are still the place to ignore the Chicago Cubs’ failures ]Since leaving the Cubs after nine seasons on Nov. 17, 2020, Epstein has worked as a consultant to Commissioner Rob Manfred, focusing on potential rules changes to improve the game. He’s long been speculated as a replacement for Manfred down the road, though Epstein has never publicly voiced interest in becoming commissioner.AdvertisementEpstein spent part of his final weekend in Chicago at Wrigley Field, spending time with friends in the left field bleachers Friday and with family on Sunday.According to Epstein’s friends, who asked not to be named, Friday’s excursion to Wrigley was a spin on the 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” with Epstein playing the role of Ferris — Matthew Broderick’s character who enjoys an adventurous summer day in Chicago with a stopover at Wrigley.Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein on Oct. 7, 2016, before Game 1 of a National League Division Series at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)They began at Castaways, the bar and grill on North Ave. Beach, for some pregame partying. From there, the group took Divvy bikes to Wrigley for the game, where Epstein was photographed lounging in the bleacher baskets. Photos of Epstein spread on social media, but Epstein’s friends said the photos were taken after the game.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Hoyer was invited to join the group during the game but declined.After the game, the group headed to Metro, where they watched The Strokes perform. The post, postgame party was not revealed.After a day of recovery Saturday, Epstein took his wife and two sons to the Cubs-Braves game Sunday afternoon for one last look at the ballpark, which underwent massive changes since his first day thanks in part to the revenues from the first Cubs championship since 1908.Epstein declined to comment on the farewell weekend or his future plans.[ [Don’t miss] Vintage Chicago Tribune: No more ‘city of losers’ — A look at Chicago’s golden era of sports writing ]His vision of “sustained success” for the Cubs lasted only through 2020, but Epstein changed expectations forever on the North Side, leaving Hoyer with the burden of trying to live up to those high standards.AdvertisementEpstein’s arrival in Chicago was first noted in the Tribune when he appeared in town on Oct. 9, 2011, for an interview with Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts. He was spotted by a Cubs fan at a Starbucks, where Epstein tried to pretend he was not himself. His tenure ends in the same low-key fashion, perhaps with the same Pearl Jam ball cap on his head as Epstein leaves Chicago for the next chapter.

It has been 50 years since Title IX was signed into law by President Nixon. The measure barred discrimination against women when it came to programs that receive federal assistance. It has a broad and extraordinary impact on everything from the safety of college campuses to athletics to education at public schools. The progress has been halting at times.A timeline of key events before, during after after the 1972 passage of the landmark U.S. law known as Title IX.Advertisement1836: Georgia Female College is the first women’s college to open in the U.S.1917: Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first woman elected to Congress.Advertisement1920: U.S. women gain the right to vote.1936: A federal appeals court effectively says doctors can prescribe women birth control.1947: The first Truman Commission report pushes for more equal access to higher education, including ending race and religious discrimination.1953: Toni Stone becomes the first woman to regularly play professional baseball (Negro Leagues).1954: U.S. Supreme Court rules “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” in landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.1960: Wilma Rudolph becomes the first American woman to win three gold medals in an Olympics. The star Black sprinter becomes a prominent advocate for civil rights.Wilma Rudolph with the three gold medals she won in the 1960 Olympics. (Tribune file)1963: The Commission on the Status of Women, headed by Eleanor Roosevelt, finds widespread discrimination against women in the U.S. and urges federal courts that “the principle of equality become firmly established in constitutional doctrine.” Congress passes the Equal Pay Act.1964: The Civil Rights Act includes sex as one of the things that employers can’t discriminate against. It also establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Patsy Mink of Hawaii becomes the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House; she later co-authors Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act and the Women’s Educational Equality Act.Advertisement1965: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act gives federal funding to K-12 schools with low-income student populations. President Lyndon Johnson also signs the Higher Education Act of 1965 that gives college students access to loans, grants and other programs.1966: The National Organization for Women is established, calling for women to have “full participation in the mainstream of American society … in truly equal partnership with men.”1967: Aretha Franklin covers Otis Redding’s 1965 hit, “Respect, ” and it quickly becomes a feminist anthem.1969: New York Democrat Shirley Chisholm becomes the first Black woman in Congress. She later becomes the first woman to seek nomination for president.Rep. Shirley Chisholm addresses the women’s caucus at the Democratic National Convention in Miami in 1972. (James Garrett/New York Daily News)1971: The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) founded to govern collegiate women’s athletics and administer national championships.1972: Congress passes Title IX, which is signed into law by President Richard Nixon. Title IX states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Congress also passes the Equal Rights Amendment, but it never gets approval from the 38 states needed to become law.Advertisement1973: The Supreme Court issues its Roe v. Wade opinion establishing the right to an abortion. Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in straight sets in the “The Battle of the Sexes” tennis exhibition match.1974: The Women’s Educational Equity Act provides grants and contracts to help with “nonsexist curricula,” as well as to help institutions meet Title IX requirements.1975: President Gerald Ford signs Title IX athletics regulations, which gives athletic departments up to three years to implement, after noting “it was the intent of Congress under any reason of interpretation to include athletics.”1976: NCAA challenges the legality of Title IX regarding athletics in a lawsuit that is dismissed two years later.1977: Three female students at Yale, two graduates and a male faculty member become the first to sue over sexual harassment under Title IX (Alexander v. Yale). It would fail on appeal.1979: Ann Meyers becomes the first woman to sign an NBA contract (Indiana Pacers, $500,000). She had been the first woman to receive a UCLA basketball scholarship.AdvertisementHall of Fame finalist Jamaal Wilkes, center, is greeted by George Gervin, from left, Elgin Baylor, James Worthy, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Bill Walton and David Robinson during a news conference on Feb. 18, 2011. (Jae C. Hong/AP)1979: U.S. officials put into effect the important three-prong test for Title IX compliance when it comes to athletics.1980: Title IX oversight is given to the Office of Civil Rights in the Education Department.1981: Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.1982: Louisiana Tech beats Cheyney State for the first NCAA women’s basketball title. Two months later, the AIAW folds, putting top women’s collegiate sports fully under the NCAA umbrella. Cheryl Miller scores 105 points in a high school game to kick off one of the greatest careers in basketball history.1984: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro becomes first woman to earn a vice presidential nomination from a major political party. The U.S. wins its first Olympic gold medal in women’s basketball.1987: Pat Summitt wins the first of her eight women’s basketball national titles at Tennessee.AdvertisementTennessee coach Pat Summitt waves as she leaves the court on March 19, 2012. (Nam Y. Huh / AP)1988: Congress overrides President Ronald Reagan’s veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, making it mandatory that Title IX apply to any school that receives federal money.1994: The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act is passed. Under Title IX, schools with federal financial aid programs and athletics must provide annual information regarding gender equity, including roster sizes and certain budgets.1995: Connecticut wins the first of its 11 national titles under coach Geno Auriemma.1996: Female athletes win a lawsuit and force Brown to restore funding for women’s gymnastics and volleyball after the saying the school violated Title IX when it turned both teams into donor-funded entities. The NBA clears the way for the Women’s National Basketball Association to begin play the following year.Brandi Chastain celebrates by taking off her jersey after making the clinching kick in penalty shootout goal against China in the 1999 Women’s World Cup final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. (Lacy Atkins / AP)1999: Brandi Chastain’s penalty kick gives the United States a win over China in the World Cup final, invigorating women’s sports in the U.S.2001: Ashley Martin becomes the first woman to play and score in a Division I football game as a placekicker for Jacksonville State.Advertisement2008: Danica Patrick wins the Japan 300 to become the first female victor in the top level of American open-wheel racing.2014: Becky Hammon becomes the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history.2015: The United States’ 5-2 win over Japan in the Women’s World Cup final becomes the most viewed soccer game in the history of American television.2016: Citing Title IX, the Obama administration says transgender students at public schools must be allowed to use the bathroom or locker room that matches their gender identity. Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to win a major party nomination for president.2017: Serena Williams wins her 23rd Grand Slam title, second-most of all time., Serena Williams holds up a finger and her trophy after defeating her sister, Venus, in the final at the Australian Open on Jan. 28, 2017. (Aaron Favila/AP)2020: New Title IX amendments take effect, largely regarding sexual harassment.Advertisement2021: Report rips NCAA for failing to uphold its commitment to gender equity by prioritizing its lucrative Division I men’s basketball tournament “over everything else,” including women’s championship events.2022: South Carolina’s Dawn Staley becomes the first Black Division I basketball coach, male or female, to win more than one national championship. The U.S. women’s national soccer team reaches a milestone agreement to be paid equally to the men’s national team.

It was a beautiful afternoon for baseball Saturday, so I ventured out to the Wrigley Field bleachers to see how Chicago Cubs fans were coping with the rebuild that can’t be called a rebuild.The bleachers were packed for the game against the Atlanta Braves as fans stood behind the last rows in left and right field and congregated behind the concessions to socialize without the obligation of watching the actual game.AdvertisementIn other words, business as usual at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield avenues.Cubs owners throughout the years have counted on fans being oblivious to the failures of the team on the field, knowing that no matter how bad it gets there always will be young fans looking for a party atmosphere at Wrigley.AdvertisementThe bleachers have been a prime spot for tanning, beer drinking and people watching forever, which is why tickets are so expensive for seats so far away from the action. Even former Cubs President Theo Epstein made a trip out to the left-field section Friday afternoon to soak in the sun and have a few cold ones with friends.After selling the White Sox in 1981 to a group led by Jerry Reinsdorf, Hall of Fame owner Bill Veeck spent his summer days sitting in the front row of upper center field at Wrigley, which he called the “best seats in the house.” In an interview from his perch in 1983, Veeck told me: “It’s one of those rare places where people of my generation can get along with young people.”Cubs fans make a beer snake in the bleachers on May 22, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Back in the days when bleacher tickets went on sale only on the day of the game, regulars would line up early along Sheffield to ensure their favored spots. But the former owner, Tribune Co., did away with that long-standing policy in 1985 in a money grab that changed the bleacher vibe.Veeck, who helped plant the ivy on the outfield walls in 1937, began his celebrated boycott of the bleachers because of that policy change.Every generation of Bleacher Bums decries the younger generation encroaching their territory at least since I was a 20-something sitting in right field in the 1980s before heading to work on the Chicago Tribune city desk. Years later, after becoming the Cubs beat writer, I spoke with longtime Cubs fan and rock star Billy Corgan about the trendiness of celebrities attending games.“The emphasis has to be on the people who support the team — day in, day out — and I always defer to that,” Corgan said in a 2004 interview. “I’m a common Cubs fan. I was a common Cubs fan long before I became famous. I’ll never forgive the yuppies for moving in back in ‘84. I’m still mad about that.“When the Cubs stopped selling bleacher tickets the day of the game, that was the end of that old Bleacher Bums culture. Now it’s just fake Bleacher Bums.”[ [Don’t miss] Vintage Chicago Tribune: No more ‘city of losers’ — A look at Chicago’s golden era of sports writing ]The yuppies may have caused the demise of the bleacher culture four decades ago, but now it’s the “Cuppies” who’ve taken center stage. You may have caught them on recent national TV broadcasts, including Fox Sports and ESPN telecasts of the Cubs-Cardinals series two weeks ago.AdvertisementThe Cuppies are young fans who spend a significant part of the game collecting empty beer cups to stack high enough to cover several rows. These are usually referred to as beer snakes or cup snakes. It has been going on for at least five years but lately has become a nuisance to some.The regulars I spoke to Saturday in the left-field bleachers were adamant: The Cuppies are ruining the bleacher experience. But they also agreed there was nothing anyone could do to stop them.Fans in the bleachers stack cups to create a “cup snake” on opening day at Wrigley Field on April 7, 2022. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)A security guard I spoke to said orders from on high were to stop the Cuppies from going section to section collecting cups and to remove those tossing cups for beer snakes from one section to another. When I mentioned that beer snakes received obsessive coverage on both Fox and ESPN, the guard said the Cubs couldn’t do anything about the national telecasts but that Marquee Sports Network won’t allow shots of cup stacking during its telecasts.The security guard asked not to be named to avoid being reprimanded by the Cubs.At least Cubs security bosses have their priorities in order. As someone once ejected from Wrigley Field for accidentally spritzing a fan with a water mist from a spray bottle on a sweltering afternoon in 1983, I can attest that bleacher high jinks can lead to a life of crime. Fortunately, I turned my life around by moving from the bleachers to the press box, where I’m no longer a threat to the organization.I asked some of the Baby Boomer bleacherites if the current Gen Z and Millennial inhabitants really are any worse than the Boomers were during their heyday. In case anyone had forgotten, I reminded them the Cubs installed the baskets at the bleacher wall in 1970 because fans had been jumping onto the field after wins, a deed far worse than stacking beer cups.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] StubHub site upgrade causes problems for Chicago Cubs and MLB fans looking to sell and buy tickets ]Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.They assured me the original Bleacher Bums were there only to root for the Cubs and have some fun, while the Cuppies are a blot on bleacher society and not even “real” Cubs fans. Someone pointed out that one fan caught a Manny Machado home run during the Cubs-San Diego Padres game Wednesday and refused to throw it back. Oh, the horror!I have no quarrel with the Cuppies. They have the right to be oblivious to the Cubs’ plight, just like the generations that came before them. If someone wants to pay $100 or more to not watch the Cubs from the bleachers, that’s their prerogative.Back in the summer of 1987, for an article on the 50th anniversary of the construction of the bleachers, I interviewed 57-year-old fan Marv Rich, a Bleacher Bum since 1943. Rich insisted the yuppies had taken over the bleachers and spoiled the vibe for everyone else.“They don’t care about watching the game,” he said. “All they care about is getting a good tan and being able to tell everyone later that they got it in the bleachers.”The Cuppies have taken over from the yuppies, but the song remains the same. The bleachers are part of Wrigley Field, but watching the game isn’t mandatory.It’s going to be a long, hot summer. The Boomers and the Cuppies will have to coexist.AdvertisementCan’t we all just get along?