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PARIS — Rafael Nadal got past rival Novak Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in a monumental match in the French Open quarterfinals to move a step closer to his 14th championship at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament and 22nd major trophy overall.The match began a little past 9 p.m. Tuesday in Paris and concluded more than four hours later, after 1 a.m. Wednesday.AdvertisementNadal ended the top-seeded Djokovic’s bid for a second consecutive French Open title. He also made sure Djokovic remains behind him in the Grand Slam count with 20.Nadal improved to 110-3 for his career at Roland Garros. Two of those losses came against Djokovic, including in last year’s semifinals.AdvertisementThis showdown was the 59th of their careers, more than any other two men have played each other in the Open era. Nadal narrowed Djokovic’s lead to 30-29.Nadal turns 36 on Friday, when he will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

Curtis Francois was introduced to racing much the same way as Roger Penske, who attended his first Indianapolis 500 as a child with his father and now owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.For Francois, his father took him to St. Louis International Raceway Park in Madison, Illinois, a drag strip built in 1967 that introduced Francois to adrenaline-pumping fast cars and eventually a brief career as a racer.AdvertisementThe drag strip was renovated into a full-purpose racing venue that had decent success until an economic downturn led to its 2010 closure. The facility began to deteriorate, and plans were put in motion to dismantle the grandstands to sell for scrap metal.Francois, a St. Louis native and real estate developer, stepped in before the speedway became an abandoned eyesore.AdvertisementHe purchased the track referred to as Gateway in 2011 and has spent the last decade preparing it for its crowning moment: World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday will host NASCAR’s premiere Cup Series for the first time with the Enjoy Illinois 300 (2:30 p.m., FS1).It’s the only race in Illinois on the 2022 Cup Series schedule. Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet last hosted NASCAR’s top series in 2019.Francois’ first day as the track owner was a challenge.“The first thing I had to do was figure out a way to drive across the parking lot because the weeds were 6 and 8 feet tall,” Francois said in an interview with The Associated Press. “And so that’s what I did first, focus on the capital improvement needed to stabilize the property.”The final result has made Gateway the only new points-paying venue on the 2022 Cup schedule, and Francois expects a sold-out 80,000 spectators Sunday.“I really felt that I was put in position, for some reason or other — the fact that my background was in real estate was a key piece,” Francois said. “But also I’d had some experience with racing and so I’ve been to a lot of tracks, got a view from behind the wheel and there really wasn’t anyone else around St. Louis that had that skill set.“It was not something I took lightly, but I felt that I was probably the right person to take this task on.”Curtis Francois, owner of World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, poses on the start/finish line on May 23, 2022, in Madison, Ill. (Colter Peterson/AP)Gateway hosted CART and IndyCar over the years, NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series from 1997 through 2010 and the Truck Series from 1998 until the track’s brief closure. IndyCar returned in 2017, and the NASCAR trucks followed the next year.AdvertisementFrancois kept spending, developing and renovating. He has spent at least $50 million on renovations so far — $15 million alone in the 10 months since IndyCar was there last August — and expects to eclipse $100 million in property upgrades by 2025.Among the enhancements Francois made since his 2011 purchase:A new track surface around the 1.25-mile oval.The addition of 450 acres in an expansion that stretched Gateway’s footprint to nearly 700 acres. The property now includes an adjacent 18-hole golf course, 1,200 new camping sites and additional parking areas.A renovated suite tower and grandstand, a new fan zone that provides an infield experience and a walkway for spectators to observe active garages.The “Confluence Festival: Crossroads of Concert & Community,” a live entertainment showcase that will feature a diverse all-star musical lineup all weekend, headlined by Old Dominion, Nelly, Cole Swindell and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.For his efforts, Francois has received the Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, and after the Cup Series closes its Sunday show, Gateway will be the only motorsports facility in the United States to host NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA in one year.Francois, who paused his preparations for this weekend to attend the Indy 500 on Sunday at Penske’s invitation, has high hopes to turn Gateway into an elite motorsports venue. In his brief racing career, Francois made exactly one start in the Indy Lights Series — at Gateway. He started third and finished fifth in his lone 2002 appearance at the track he now owns.“Anyone who knows me recognizes that I am always singing the praises of St. Louis and I have a deep commitment to St. Louis and really recognize what a gem this speedway is,” Francois said. “I think it can be difficult for folks to understand why we’ve been investing so much, but that’s what it takes to make facilities vibrant. It took $40 million in investments to even start a conversation to get a Cup date, and there certainly were no guarantees that I was going to get a return on that investment.“But it goes back to my belief in the strength of the NASCAR brand, IndyCar and the NHRA and what they can bring to the city and how we can showcase St. Louis.”

LOS ANGELES — At least when it comes to its top announcing crews, the NFL’s free agency is over for this year.Fox Sports completed its lineup for the 2022 season on Tuesday by announcing Greg Olsen as its lead NFL analyst. During its upfront presentation for advertisers two weeks ago, Fox announced that Kevin Burkhardt would be the top play-by-play announcer.AdvertisementThe move was expected for a couple of months after Joe Buck and Troy Aikman moved to ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”How long Olsen will remain in the top spot remains to be seen. Tom Brady has signed with Fox and will move into the booth after he retires for good.AdvertisementFox has two of the next three Super Bowls, including the game in Phoenix at the end of the 2022 season.Fox Sports president of production/operations and executive producer Brad Zager said that the past couple of months has been stressful but rewarding.“There have been a lot of dominoes out there. You just tried to focus on the people and making sure that everybody was happy at the end of all these moving pieces,” Zager said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.“I don’t want to speak for anybody else. But you know, we’re excited for the future after all this and knowing that we’re set up for a long time. But it’s a lot of different emotions as you go through something like that.”Olsen has worked for Fox since 2017 and did some game, and studio analyst work while still playing. Olsen and Burkhardt were the network’s No. 2 crew last season when Olsen retired following a 14-year NFL career.Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will return as the sideline reporters.The team makes its regular-season debut on Sept. 11, when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers.Olsen’s promotion caps an unprecedented offseason of announcer transactions. In March, Buck and Aikman had the most significant move to ESPN after being Fox’s No. 1 team since 2002.AdvertisementBuck said two weeks ago during an ESPN teleconference that he has been as surprised as everyone else with the movement.“Somebody said to me the other day that we as fans need a sportsperson to tell us where all these sports announcers are ending up because everybody has shifted and moved places,” he said.“My dad (Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck) passed away 20 years ago. I think he’d be stunned if he walked out of the grave right now and said, ‘Wow, that’s what’s going on in this business?’ Nobody saw that coming.“It’s been kind of crazy. It’s been exciting on this end of the business.”Al Michaels, who had been on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” since 2006, started the movement by signing with Amazon. He will team up with Kirk Herbstreit on Prime Video’s inaugural season of “Thursday Night Football.”Many thought Michaels and Aikman would be working together at Amazon until ESPN got its dream booth with Buck and Aikman.AdvertisementWith Michaels going to Prime, Mike Tirico will call “Sunday Night Football” with Cris Collinsworth.In a phone interview with The Associated Press last month, Tirico said he was stunned at first over the attention devoted to the announcer moves. However, with the longevity of most booths and networks devoting an average of $10.27 billion per year in rights fees when the new television contracts begin in 2023, the lead voice on NFL packages is significant.“It’s the power of the NFL. With Sunday afternoons, Sunday nights, Monday nights, and now Thursdays, people have that as part of their routine. And by extension, we as announcers become part of that routine,” he said. “So, I think that’s a natural reason for this becoming such big news and why some change and upheaval becomes part of the story.“Obviously, Joe and Troy still working together is going to be natural, but hearing them on Monday nights instead of Sunday afternoons will be a little bit different. I just think having our habits changed a little bit is multiplied by the power and visibility of the NFL, which is different than any other entertainment entity out there right now.”The only booth that hasn’t changed is CBS. Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will be in their seventh year together when the season kicks off in September.

Mickey Callaway has lost yet another managing job in baseball.The disgraced former MLB manager and pitching coach was fired from his job as skipper of the Mexican League team Acereros de Monclova.Advertisement“The results force us to make moves in order to have a season that lives up to the expectations of our fans,” the team said in a statement on Monday. “We want to reiterate our absolute respect and admiration for Mr. Mickey Callaway, who we wish much success in his future baseball projects.”Under Callaway the team went 16-17 and is fifth in its division.AdvertisementEx-Met skipper Mickey Callaway lost his job in Flushing in 2019. He lost his next job as pitching coach with the Angels in 2021. Now he’s lost his manager role with his Mexican League team. (Seth Wenig/AP)Callaway was fired as the Mets manager in 2019 after two seasons in which the team went 163-161. The Mets finished fourth in the NL East his first year and had a winning season his second year, but failed to make the playoffs. He was terminated before he could complete the three-year contract he signed.He was fired again as the Angels pitching coach in 2021 and put on MLB’s ineligible list through the end of the 2022 season for allegations of sexual harassment and mistreatment of women.A February 2021 report alleged that Callaway sent sexually explicit images and requests for nude photos to multiple women who worked with him, many of whom were reporters. The allegations surrounding Callaway also included his time with the Mets.He will be eligible to apply to MLB for reinstatement following this season.

Swimmer Lia Thomas, who became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship earlier this year, is responding to criticism against trans women competing in sports.“Trans people don’t transition for athletics,” Thomas said in an interview that aired Tuesday on “Good Morning America.”Advertisement“We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions,” she added.The former University of Pennsylvania swimmer first made national headlines in December after posting the nation’s fastest times in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio.AdvertisementFour months later, after winning the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Atlanta, Ga., Thomas’ success quickly turned her into the poster child of the anti-trans movement in sports.Despite complying with hormone therapy requirement guidelines, Thomas was fiercely criticized by some on social media and was also vilified by a number of prominent conservative voices, including Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who tweeted that the NCAA was “destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud” by allowing her to compete.“The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned,” said the 23-year-old swimmer, who began hormone therapy in May 2019.“People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.’ I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself,” Thomas added.Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas waits for results after swimming the women’s 200 freestyle final at the NCAA swimming and diving championships, Friday, March 18, 2022, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. (John Bazemore/AP)Thomas, who graduated from Penn earlier this month, said that she will attend law school in the fall. She later hopes to work in civil rights and public interest law.“Having seen such hateful attacks on trans rights through legislation, fighting for trans rights and trans equality is something that I’ve become much more passionate about and want to pursue,” she said.“Trans women competing in women’s sports does not threaten women’s sports as a whole,” Thomas said. “Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes. The NCAA rules regarding trans women competing in women’s sports have been around for 10-plus years. And we haven’t seen any massive wave of trans women dominating.”

DESTIN, Fla. — Alabama coach Nick Saban tried to put an end to his feud with Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher on Tuesday as Southeastern Conference leaders gathered for spring meetings at a resort on the Florida Gulf Coast.“I didn’t really say that anybody did anything wrong,” Saban said when asked if he had evidence that Texas A&M has been buying players with name, image and likeness compensation deals. “OK, and I’ve said everything I’m going to say about this. I should have never mentioned any individual institutions as I’ve said that before.”AdvertisementSaban added: “I have no problem with Jimbo. I have no problem with Jimbo at all.”Saban set off Fisher two weeks ago when he called out Texas A&M and other schools while talking about the need for NIL regulation in college sports.AdvertisementFisher responded angrily, saying Saban’s comments were despicable and calling his former boss at LSU a “narcissist” while denying any wrongdoing with his program that landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2022.The SEC spring meetings — taking place in person for the first time since 2019 because of the pandemic —- were the first opportunity for the two superstar coaches to meet face-to-face since the dustup. Fisher was not scheduled to meet with reporters Tuesday.Georgia coach Kirby Smart downplayed the back and forth between Fisher and Saban. Smart worked under Saban for years, including a season at LSU when Fisher was Saban’s offensive coordinator.“You guys should be on the headphones sometimes,” Smart said, referencing the interaction between coaches on game days. “It just happened in front of everybody.”Before heading into what was scheduled to be a five-hour meeting with all 14 SEC coaches, Saban met with reporters for about 10 minutes.The first question Saban he was asked was about Texas A&M and he quickly pivoted into trying to make a broader point about NIL.“Some kind of uniform name, image and likeness standard that supports some kind of equitable, national competition I think is really, really important in college athletics and college football,” Saban said.Saban said transparency was needed to ensure athletes are signing legitimate deals that pay them for their services and that boosters needed to be kept out of recruiting.The NCAA lifted most of its rules barring athletes from earning money from sponsorship and endorsement deals last July, but there are concerns among many in college sports that NIL deals are being used as recruiting inducements and de facto pay-for-play. The NCAA issued guidance to Division I members in early May to make clear booster-funded collectives being involved in recruiting is a rules violation.AdvertisementChicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“Believe me, I’m all for players making as much as they can make,” Saban said. “But I also think we’ve got to have some uniform, transparent way to do that.”Florida coach Billy Napier, another former Saban assistant and newcomer to the SEC in his first year in Gainesville, ducked commenting about Saban and Fisher, but agreed the current situation with NIL compensation is difficult to manage.“We’re living in a land of no laws,” Napier said, but added he has no qualms with football players taking home some of the millions in revenue they generate.“It’s foolish to say the players don’t deserve a piece of the pie,” Napier said. “If there’s no players in the stadium there’s nobody sitting in the stands, and nobody sitting at home watching on TV.”Saban reiterated Alabama players made plenty of money with NIL deals last year, hiring agents to guide them through the process.He just wants those deals to be struck after a player enrolls at a school.Advertisement“This is not about Alabama,” Saban said. “This is not about what’s best for us. I just hope we can sort of put some guardrails on all of this.”

PARIS — Coco Gauff left Roland Garros 12 months ago crestfallen, knowing she let a big lead slip away in her major quarterfinal debut. She vowed to remember that and learn from it.Consider that done.AdvertisementGauff, still only 18, returned to that stage Tuesday for a second time and was not about to let this one end similarly, beating 2017 U.S. Open champion and 2018 French Open runner-up Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-2 in a matchup between Americans at Court Philippe Chatrier to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.“It was just a mental challenge today,” said Gauff, who began this trip to Paris by taking photos near the Eiffel Tower while holding her recently earned high school diploma. “Last year in the quarterfinals, it was a tough loss for me and I think that match made me stronger and better prepared for the tough moments today.”AdvertisementGauff has seemed to be preparing for this sort of moment for quite some time, even before she became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history at age 15 and beat Venus Williams en route to the fourth round there in 2019, even before she won the French Open junior title a year prior.Coco Gauff celebrates defeating Sloane Stephens to advance to the French Open semifinal. (Thibault Camus/AP)One measure of how she has continued to improve: Her forehand was long considered her weaker groundstroke, but against Stephens, that produced more winners than her backhand did.“I believe in myself. Even last year, I was too focused on trying to fulfill other people’s expectations,” said Gauff, who hasn’t dropped a set through five matches. “I know no matter how good or bad my career is, I know I’m a good person, so I think that’s a good message for young people. … Just know: If you love yourself, who cares what anyone else thinks?”Her quick rise is quite a contrast from the long road her next opponent, Martina Trevisan of Italy, traveled along the way to her own first Slam semifinal at age 28.The 59th-ranked Trevisan is emotive as can be, and she screamed while thrusting both arms overhead and letting her racket fly after eliminating U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, who was seeded 17th, by a 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3 score in a match between a pair of left-handers.Fernandez was treated by a trainer for a problem with her right foot after the match’s fifth game and her movement was hampered throughout. About three hours following the match, reporters were told that Fernandez would not speak to the media “on advice of the tournament medical team due to” the injury.Trevisan eventually finished things off nearly an hour after holding her first match point while serving for the victory at 5-4 in the second set. She double-faulted twice in the ensuing tiebreaker.“I felt a lot of tension,” Trevisan said later, “and I was so nervous … my arms felt it.”AdvertisementSo after that lapse, Trevisan took a trip to the locker room.“I was very tired and I had to go to the bathroom. I got just a quick moment alone in a room, away from the court, away from any people, in silence. It gave me a chance to regroup. I threw some water on my face,” she said. “I was playing to get to a semifinal, and I still had a set in front of me, so I had to start from scratch.”The reset worked wonders.Trevisan grabbed the initial seven points of the third set and took a 4-0 lead in what would become her 10th consecutive victory on the heels of earning her first WTA title at Rabat, Morocco, the week before the French Open.In 2020, Trevisan beat Gauff in the second round at Roland Garros on the way to reaching the quarterfinals as a qualifier who was ranked 159th and making only her second main-draw Grand Slam appearance.About two months beforehand, Trevisan wrote a blog post that discussed in detail her experience with anorexia as a teenager. At 16, Trevisan was a promising prospect whose mother taught tennis — and named her after Martina Navratilova — and whose brother played professionally (her father was a pro soccer player).AdvertisementBeset by pressure, Trevisan quit her sport and took a 4 1/2-year break, before returning in 2014.“I’m happy on the court. I’m doing what I love,” she said Tuesday. “So my past is the past, and it helps me to be in the present, to be what I am right now.”

Tim Anderson led off the bottom of the first Sunday against the Chicago Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field in typical Tim Anderson fashion, hitting the ball the other way for a single.The White Sox shortstop displayed another part of his game later in the inning, swiping second base.AdvertisementThe Sox will be missing that all-around game for an unspecified period after Anderson exited in the fifth with a strained right groin. After ranging to his left to field a grounder and making the throw to first, he fell to the ground in shallow center field.Sox manager Tony La Russa said Anderson is headed to the injured list.Advertisement“If he goes down like that, you know there’s something up,” Sox infielder Danny Mendick said Sunday. “Hopefully he can get healthy and get back out there real soon.”[ [Don’t miss] Column: Despite comeback win, White Sox fans still seeking a reason to believe in this team — and its manager ]Anderson has a .356/.393/.503 slash line with five home runs, 19 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 40 games. His 164 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), according to fangraphs.com, ranks 11th in the majors. The stat estimates a player’s offensive contribution in total runs and adjusts that number to account for external factors such as ballpark and era. The major-league average is 100, meaning Anderson is 64% above that.“He’s a great player, legitimately a great player,” La Russa said Sunday.Here are four numbers that highlight Anderson’s impact.White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson steals second base as Cubs second baseman Andrelton Simmons makes the late tag on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Anderson is a major reason the Sox made the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history in 2020 and ‘21. Since the start of the 2020 season, they are 123-89 when he’s in the starting lineup and 28-28 when he’s not, according to the Sox.During that span, the Sox are 104-58 when Anderson gets at least one hit and 26-3 when he homers.Anderson has excelled in the postseason too. He collected nine hits in the 2020 wild-card series against the Oakland Athletics, batting .643 in the three games. He had seven hits in last season’s American League Division Series against the Houston Astros, hitting .368 in four games.Anderson didn’t waste any time aiding the offense against the Los Angeles Angels on April 30 at Guaranteed Rate Field, hitting José Suarez’s first pitch over the right-field wall.AdvertisementIt was the 15th leadoff home run in Anderson’s career and the second time he accomplished the feat this season. The first was April 24 in Minnesota.He has hit six homers on the first pitch of a game, tied for third in major-league history, and he ranks second behind Ray Durham (20) in leadoff homers by a Sox player.Anderson already had two hits during the second game of a May 22 doubleheader against the New York Yankees when he came to bat in the eighth.Fans at Yankee Stadium greeted him with boos throughout the game in the aftermath of Yankees third baseman/designated hitter Josh Donaldson calling Anderson “Jackie” during the previous day’s game and the conversations that followed between Donaldson and the Sox, which resulted in the benches clearing.There were two on and two out in the nationally televised Sunday night game, and the Sox led by two. Anderson provided insurance with a dramatic three-run home run to right, quieting the crowd.“You’ve got to give me something to keep me motivated,” Anderson said two days later.AdvertisementAnderson had another three-hit game May 26 against the Boston Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, and his 49 three-hit games since 2019 are the most in baseball during that stretch, according to the Sox. The Sox are 34-15 in those games.White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson celebrates after hitting a solo homer against the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 13, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Anderson entered Sunday with a .326 batting average since 2019, which according to the Sox was tops in the majors during that period.Anderson led the majors with a .335 average in 2019, finished second in the American League in 2020 (.322) and was fourth in the AL last season (.309).Entering Monday, Anderson ranked third in the AL this year at .356.“Tim’s a great player having a great year,” La Russa said Sunday. “Now he’s going to have to recover. Recovering from any injury is not fun. But for us, just got to look around at who we send out. We’ve got a lot of guys to send out that can help win a game. That’s our attitude.”

The Chicago Bears continue organized team activities next week at Halas Hall, marching toward mandatory minicamp in June and the start of training camp in July.Last week, defensive assistant coaches spoke with reporters for the first time since the coaching and front office overhaul in January. Here are four things we heard during that session.AdvertisementChicago Bears edge rusher Trevis Gipson stretches, May 24, 2022, during OTAs at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)The Bears’ decision to trade Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in March was a calculated move, made in large part because general manager Ryan Poles saw an opportunity to add draft capital in exchange for a proven player on the backside of his career. But that deal also symbolized a vote of confidence in Gipson, who has quickly earned belief from the new regime.Coach Matt Eberflus noted in April that he was impressed with the third-year pass rusher’s motor and athleticism and sees a chance for Gipson to take another big step forward in 2022. Gipson made the most of his opportunities last season, totaling seven sacks and forcing five fumbles.Advertisement“That’s not something that just comes naturally to everyone,” new defensive line coach Travis Smith said of Gipson’s production. “He has good awareness that when you’re an edge rusher, that if guys get high in the pocket, he can come back inside. Or if he has the edge, then he can turn it on high where then he can affect that quarterback and also go for the ball.”Gipson’s strip-sack victims last season included Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings. He also had two strip-sacks of New York Giants quarterback Mike Glennon.Gipson’s growth down the stretch after Mack went on injured reserve in Week 11 with a foot injury was obvious.“He went in there and showed up,” Smith said. “He was productive.”Smith has also quickly developed an affinity for Gipson’s demeanor and approach.“He is competitive,” Smith said. “He enjoys football. You can tell. You can see it on his face and you see he really enjoys playing the game.”Chicago Bears defensive back Jaylon Johnson works out, May 17, 2022, during the organized team activities at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)It was notable that the third-year cornerback, a two-year starter, was practicing with the second-team defense during drills while Kindle Vildor was with the first team.But Eberflus and defensive backs coach James Rowe instructed media members, who have been allowed to watch only two of six OTAs practices, not to read into the grouping. Eberflus said Johnson, who wasn’t on the field during voluntary minicamp in April, was “just getting back into action,” and the Bears were seeing where he was at with his conditioning.AdvertisementRowe said the Bears are trying different combinations. When asked if Johnson has been meeting the coaches’ practice standard, Rowe said, “No doubt. He’s getting better every day at it.”Johnson said during the first week of OTAs that working with a new coaching staff is a “complete reset” and noted he needed to show them what he can do in person — beyond what they saw on film.Rowe said he thinks Johnson is on a good path toward doing that.“The thing that I probably like most about him so far is how intelligent of a football player he is,” Rowe said. “Just continuing to do that and then … just learning our system and the way we want guys to practice and how we want things done. He is doing a good job of taking ownership of that.”Chicago Bears defensive back Jaquan Brisker works out, May 17, 2022, during organized team activities at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Multiple people have noted the play of the two second-round picks in practices. Eberflus said Gordon was “lighting it up” during the first week of OTAs, and Rowe noted Brisker’s knack for punching the ball out.“Maybe his punch is a little bit heavier than most because we ask everybody to punch the ball on every play,” Rowe said. “I probably would hate to get in a fight with him. No, he just has a knack for it right now, and it’s something we all teach, obviously, the ‘Peanut Punch.’ So he’s just got a specialty.”AdvertisementEberflus brought Charles “Peanut” Tillman in to speak during rookie minicamp, and safeties coach Andre Curtis noted Tillman is making himself available to Bears players to pick his brain.Curtis said some players just seem to have a focus for getting the ball out, and Brisker appears to have it.“The other thing is not only punching but being accurate with it,” Curtis said. “Some guys have really good hand-eye coordination, and he’s done a good job of it so far, so we’ll see how it goes.”Chicago Bears linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi talks to players, April 19, 2022, during minicamp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Upstairs at Halas Hall, Borgonzi has taken note of a picture of the Bears’ four Hall of Fame linebackers: Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher.“There’s obviously a lot of history and tradition,” he said.Borgonzi also has history with former Bears coach Lovie Smith, having served as a defensive quality control coach under Smith with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014. That helped further his understanding of the defensive scheme the Bears will run under Eberflus.AdvertisementBorgonzi’s entry into the NFL came in 2011 with the Dallas Cowboys. He was a defensive assistant while Eberflus was the Cowboys linebackers coach under coordinator Rob Ryan. Borgonzi and Eberflus worked together for two seasons in Dallas and then for the last four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. So Borgonzi said it was a no-brainer to join Eberflus in Chicago.“We have a really good relationship,” Borgonzi said. “A lot of what I know is from what he taught me. So when he got this job, I was really fortunate that he gave me an opportunity to come with him.”

More than a dozen men gathered for a banquet at Baltimore’s Belvedere Hotel in March 1914, and though they were set to embark into challenging, uncharted territory, they were brash and confident. The men were the stakeholders of the new Federal League — a rival to the established American and National Leagues — and every speech and statement was soaked in conviction.“You can’t lose,” one said, and many invoked war: This new baseball league, already purloining star players, would triumph.Advertisement“If there is not room enough for three big leagues in this country,” another said, “you may paste it in your hat that the Feds will not be the ones to go to the wall.”By the next year, 1915, however, the eight-team Federal League had dissolved. The league boasted future Hall of Famers — and Chicago’s Wrigley Field was built for a Federal League team — but it ultimately couldn’t compete with the American and National League, which fought to rid themselves of the upstart league. After two seasons, “the Feds” were gone.AdvertisementAnd yet, an intangible consequence from that league, specifically, from Baltimore’s club, the Terrapins, remains significant even today.The Baltimore Terrapins existed for just two years, 1914 and 1915, but a lawsuit they filed led to a Supreme Court decision that continues to have a significant impact on Major League Baseball. Copy of The Sun newspaper from April 12, 1914. Baltimore — eager for a major league team since one iteration of the Baltimore Orioles left after the 1902 season and later became the New York Yankees — welcomed the Terrapins, who wore orange and black, in 1914. They’d been dubbed “Baltimore’s big league club,” and so, while in 1915 two of the Federal League’s owners were permitted to buy into existing major league teams and five others accepted buyouts, the Terrapins declined a settlement of $75,000. They instead kept the fight alive in the courts, battling the two entrenched leagues by arguing that organized baseball had conspired to monopolize the sport.The fight lasted years, until May 29, 1922, when the U.S. Supreme Court, headed by William Howard Taft, ruled against Baltimore and for the organized baseball leagues. The court said baseball was not interstate commerce, and thus, the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 did not apply.That decision, made 100 years ago this week, has allowed MLB to enjoy an incredibly rare antitrust exemption today — giving it latitude and freedom that other industries and other pro sports leagues don’t have — even as most experts agree the exemption is flawed and illogical.“Does the exemption make sense? No, it doesn’t,” said Ed Edmonds, a professor at Notre Dame Law School with a focus on antitrust law and baseball. “It hasn’t for a long, long time.”Though he had a celebrated career, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes has received a barrage of criticism for the decision he wrote in the 1922 case, Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore, Inc. v. National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. And while a 2020 academic paper said he “blundered badly” in the decision, a paper published this year sought to “repurpose the ire” and the “blame” against Holmes and direct it toward two other decisions by the Supreme Court. Twice, the court, in 1953 and 1972, largely upheld baseball’s antitrust exemption.The three cases have allowed baseball to operate without the scrutiny of antitrust law — rules set up to promote competition in business — and regardless of which court is to “blame,” the 1922 suit, brought by the Baltimore Terrapins, laid the foundation.[ Antitrust ball started rolling in Baltimore ]In the years since, other pro sports leagues have sought similar exemptions, without luck, and so MLB, bizarrely, remains in a class of its own. Patricia Campbell, a University of Maryland Carey School of Law professor who teaches antitrust law, said courts rarely create an antitrust exemption.Advertisement“So baseball’s exemption is pretty unique,” she said.The Curt Flood Act, passed in 1998, removed baseball’s antitrust exemption as it relates to MLB players — but it kept the rest of MLB’s antitrust exemption intact.“There’s a lot of other stuff there that it applies to,” said Nellie Drew, a University of Buffalo professor of sports law. “So things like minor league baseball, ownership transfers, the amateur draft, franchise relocation, licensing matters, all [those] sort of things.”It allows MLB more control and gives it the power to make decisions without having to worry about antitrust law. And though it’s long imprinted into the fabric of baseball’s very business, it’s been opposed by many, including in the past year by both Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and progressive Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.“I think it’s based on flawed law,” Drew said.In its third ruling regarding baseball’s antitrust status, in 1972, the Supreme Court passed the buck to Congress, saying that by “positive inaction,” the legislative branch had, in a way, endorsed the exemption.Advertisement“If there is any inconsistency or illogic in all this, it is an inconsistency and illogic of long standing that is to be remedied by the Congress and not by this Court,” it wrote.[ Orioles’ run-ins with law historic ]Congress, over the years, has considered removing the exemption for various reasons. A year ago, Republican senators threatened to remove the exemption after MLB moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver following the passage of changes to voting laws in Georgia. Cruz said at the time that MLB “shouldn’t expect to continue to receive special benefits from Congress.”Then, this year, Sanders announced a bill that would remove MLB’s exemption.“The anticompetitive grip of Major League Baseball on the sport, its players, its workers, and its communities must end,” the bill reads.Edmonds, the Notre Dame professor, said that over the past several decades there have been more than 100 bills concerning antitrust exemptions in baseball and other sports, but — in part due to the lobbying power of MLB — it’s highly unlikely legislation would overturn the exemption. The best chance, in his estimation, came two years ago, when MLB cut ties with 42 minor league teams.“I don’t think Congress has much interest in overturning the exemption because that would’ve been probably the best opportunity in recent years for them to band together and say we’re going to get rid of this exemption,” he said.AdvertisementFour teams that lost their affiliation with MLB sued last year in the Southern District of New York, arguing that MLB would not have been able to make such a move without its antitrust exemption.“Virtually no other business in the United States would have even considered such a brazen horizontal agreement among competing businesses,” the lawsuit said. “MLB and its Clubs, however, had no such qualms because for almost a century they have laid claim to an anomalous, judicially created ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ from antitrust scrutiny.”In plain terms, the suit opposes the Supreme Court’s previous decisions.“The time is at hand to cast the baseball exemption into the dust bin of antitrust history,” it stated.Because the court has already affirmed the exemption twice and because it previously handed the issue to Congress, it may seem unlikely that it would overturn precedent. But last year, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that “this Court has refused to extend Federal Baseball’s reasoning to other sports leagues — and has even acknowledged criticisms of the decision as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘inconsistent’ and ‘aberration[al].’”The suit goes on to say that, perhaps if the Supreme Court was given another chance, it would reconsider MLB’s exemption.AdvertisementSaid Campbell: “If you want a sports analogy, they’re throwing the court a lob.”Armed with a century of precedent, MLB has labeled the lawsuit from the four former minor league teams as “patently frivolous,” but there remains a chance it could reach the Supreme Court.“Here’s the court’s opportunity if it really wants to do away with the antitrust exemption,” Campbell said. “Who knows what’s going to happen? The court could very well say, it’s up to Congress. We just don’t know how it’s going to turn out.”Back at Belvedere Hotel in 1914, the emerging Federal League began with such confidence, eager to war with the establishment.“If one may predicate the future of the Federal League baseball clubs from the spirit that was manifest last night,” read an article in The Sun, “the outlook of the new organization seems to be a rosy one indeed.”But the Brooklyn Tip-Tops, Buffalo Blues, Chicago Whales, Kansas City Packers and Newark Peppers, among other Federal League teams, did not last. Baltimore’s star pitcher, Chief Bender, whom baseball historians credit with bringing the slider to prominence and is enshrined in the Hall of Fame, had the worst season of his career in Baltimore in 1915, when the Terrapins went 47-107.AdvertisementFor all the assertive optimism that the Federal League began with, it quickly shriveled. It wouldn’t be until decades later, in 1954, when Baltimore would finally get another major league team. The Orioles are now Baltimore’s big league club, and the Terrapins became the University of Maryland’s nickname. The Baltimore Terrapins were short-lived and forgettable — and yet, in a way, they live on in a century-old case and the puzzling precedent it created.