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BOSTON — The Chicago White Sox inserted center fielder Luis Robert in the No. 2 slot of the batting order for Sunday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.But manager Tony La Russa anticipates having third baseman Yoán Moncada in that spot Monday against the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field.Advertisement“I told Robert, ‘We like you hitting fourth but I’m moving you to second (Sunday), but you’ll be back at fourth (Monday),” La Russa said before Sunday’s game. “Moncada is swinging the bat well and he adds a lot to the lineup at that spot. So that gives him a chance to spark us.”Moncada is expected back after a rehab stint with the Knights. And it’s likely he’ll be joined by reliever Joe Kelly, who has also been rehabbing with Charlotte.AdvertisementMoncada suffered a right oblique strain on the final day of spring training and went on the injured list April 5. Kelly has been working his way back all spring from a right biceps nerve injury suffered last season.“Kelly, we are going to embrace him with open arms,” La Russa said.Moncada slashed .318/.360/.636 with one double, two home runs and five RBIs in six games with Charlotte.“We are excited to get him back, period,” La Russa said. “But add the exclamation mark with the way (Triple-A manager) Wes (Helms) is talking about how he’s working, great frame of mind and really getting the bat out.”Kelly did not allow a hit and struck out three in three innings with Charlotte. He’ll add depth to the Sox bullpen.“The true rubber-armed reliever is more rare now than ever,” La Russa said. “Most guys are launching their pitches. They are not finessing it. So there are days, a lot of days, those guys shouldn’t pitch back to back.“Now all of a sudden, you have Kelly to pitch that seventh or eighth.”White Sox reliever Joe Kelly poses on photo day at spring training on March 16, 2022. (Rick Scuteri/AP)La Russa recalled watching Kelly during spring training in 2011 while managing the St. Louis Cardinals.Advertisement“I remember we always had the competitive batting practices and I was behind the cage with (pitching coach Dave) Duncan and we saw this guy and he was like — explosive fastball, curve ball, slider, change, athletic as all,” La Russa said. “‘Who is this guy?’“At the end of the spring, they were going to send him to A ball. And I went, ‘I want to manage A Ball.’ (The Cardinals) brought him up in (2012) and he did good and they traded him to Boston (in 2014). I was with Boston (as an executive) when he was here the championship year (in 2018).“So, knock on wood, keep him healthy. He’s a serious competitor.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Eric Reed, his hair a tad mussed, stepped out of an SUV on Sunday morning to check on the horse that had changed his life the night before.“I haven’t slept yet,” he said.AdvertisementNo surprise that his nerves did not settle quickly after he watched his 80-1 long shot, Rich Strike, run down a pack of more celebrated horses to win the 148th Kentucky Derby.The new champ looked none the worse for wear as camera people gathered to capture his morning bath outside Barn 17. Reed said Rich Strike ate all of his dinner Saturday night and was moving well. Television viewers saw him gnawing on his pony after the Derby, suggesting the effort did not drain him of his fight.Advertisement“I think he thought he had another horse to beat,” Reed joked. “I don’t think we got to the bottom of him yesterday.”Does that mean Rich Strike will be ready to go May 21 in the Preakness Stakes? Reed said that’s what he and owner Rick Dawson want, though they won’t commit until they’ve observed Rich Strike for a few days at his home barn in Lexington.Preakness officials called Sunday morning to extend a formal invitation. “That’s the plan,” Reed said into a cellphone. If he does go, Rich Strike will ship from Kentucky in time to spend a few mornings on the track at unfamiliar Pimlico Race Course.Reed has never been to Baltimore but said “The Wire” is one of his favorite television programs. He owns an “Omar’s Coming” sweatshirt.The 57-year-old trainer, anonymous to the wider racing world until Saturday night, is a natural character. The pinkie on his right hand was painted with gold nail polish, a ritual he began 12 years ago with his daughter, Martha, who thought he needed an extra boost when he took a talented mare, Rinterval, to challenge the great Zenyatta.“You guys want to get a better picture?” Reed said Sunday morning. Then he took off his right shoe to reveal all his toe nails were painted gold as well.From left, trainer Eric Reed, jockey Sonny Leon and owner Rick Dawson celebrate with the trophy after Rich Strike won the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday in Louisville, Ky. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Elsewhere at Churchill Downs, trainer Steve Asmussen did not rule out taking Derby runner-up Epicenter to Baltimore for a Preakness rematch.“He came out of the race good, so we’ll just try to move forward,” Asmussen said. “I haven’t spoken to [owner] Ron [Winchell], but I will speak with him later, and we’ll figure out what we’re going to do next.”AdvertisementIn 2007, one of Asmussen’s greatest horses, Curlin, finished third in the Derby and bounced back to win the Preakness. Two years later, he saddled Rachel Alexandra for her Preakness victory.Other contenders had already begun lining up to take a shot at Rich Strike.Early Voting qualified for the Derby after running an impressive second in the April 9 Wood Memorial, but his trainer, Chad Brown, and his owner, Baltimore native Seth Klarman, opted to hold off for the Preakness. Five years earlier, they chose the same approach with Cloud Computing, and their patience paid off with a win in the second leg of the Triple Crown.“The horse is doing super,” Brown said of Early Voting. “He’s only had three career starts. He hadn’t had anywhere near the adversity in some of his starts that [morning-line Derby favorite] Zandon had. There’s still a little bit of a question with that horse at a mile and a quarter, so I thought going a mile and 3/16 [in the Preakness], getting six weeks rest instead of four, running in a 14-horse field instead of 20, it’s probably more fair for the future of the horse. And I have a tremendously patient owner with Seth Klarman … so it was a pretty easy decision to do the right thing by the horse.”The decision set up Early Voting to be a popular choice in the Preakness, where he’ll try to take advantage of tired Derby horses as Cloud Computing did in 2017.Brown said third-place Derby finisher Zandon would ship back to New York on Monday but left open the possibility that he might join Early Voting in the Preakness field.AdvertisementMeanwhile, six-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas said he might enter his Kentucky Oaks winner, Secret Oath, in the second leg of the Triple Crown. She’s also a candidate for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes the day before.“We’re tickled to see her come out of that tough race and to be bouncing around here this morning,” the 86-year-old Lukas said the day after the Oaks. “The Preakness is an option but so is the Black-Eyed Susan. The big difference is a million dollars and a Grade 1. It would be nice to get her a second Grade 1 [win].”Swiss Skydiver won the Preakness after finishing runner-up in the Oaks in 2020. Rachel Alexandra won the Oaks in 2009 and turned around to beat Mine That Bird, a 50-1 Derby winner, at Pimlico. A similar scenario could be appealing to Lukas, who loves to push his horses into the biggest races.Maryland-bred Joe could bring local flavor to the Preakness coming off his victory in the April 16 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park. Owner Stuart Grant said he and trainer Mike Trombetta would assess the competition coming out of the Derby before entering Joe, a four-time winner in six career starts.“I guess we’ll see how the Derby goes [and] we’ll see how our horse continues to progress,” Grant said last week. “It’s a nice position to be in. I’m very happy with how Joe’s done.”Trainer Kenny McPeek said Creative Minister, an impressive winner on the Derby undercard, is a possibility for the Preakness. He’ll watch how eighth-place Derby finisher Smile Happy recovers before deciding what’s next for him.AdvertisementUntil Rich Strike unexpectedly joined the Derby field Friday morning, Reed thought he’d spend Saturday on a lake fishing with his father. He’s not used to being a target in a nationally televised race with a crowd of 100,000-plus focused on his every move. But he did not seem daunted by the prospect.He thought his life in racing might be over six years ago when a fire ravaged his barn and killed 23 horses. So this is all the best kind of gravy.“I’m so happy to be here on a bright, sunny day,” he said. “And everyone’s happy.”147th Preakness StakesPimlico Race CourseMay 21AdvertisementTV: Chs. 11, 4 (coverage begins at 2 p.m.)

BOSTON — It’s the type of win teams remember when building a successful season.The Chicago White Sox were down but not out Saturday against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.AdvertisementTrailing by a run entering the ninth, the White Sox rallied to tie the game. They went ahead in the 10th with RBI hits by José Abreu and Luis Robert and held on for an impressive 3-1 comeback victory in front of 33,026.“We had a really rough April and to win this kind of game gives us hope,” Robert said through an interpreter. “Our hope is up, our confidence is up. Everything is up.”AdvertisementThe White Sox were down 1-0 going into the ninth. Jake Burger walked and Adam Engel doubled, giving them runners on second and third with no outs. Burger scored on second baseman Leury García’s sacrifice fly to right.Robert made a nice play running down Christian Vázquez’s hit in the gap in the bottom of the ninth, limiting him to a double and making Jackie Bradley Jr. stop at third.The White Sox celebrate after defeating the Red Sox 3-1 in 10 innings Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP)“As soon as I saw the ball hit, I knew it was a fast runner on first so I did my best to get to the ball and get it back to the field,” Robert said.The hit gave the Red Sox runners on second and third with one out. But Reynaldo López struck out Bobby Dalbec looking and Trevor Story popped out to García.“I tried to calm down and relax and tried to make a pitch so I could get out of it,” López said through an interpreter.AJ Pollock began the 10th at second and Abreu drove him home with a double, his second hit of the game. Robert followed with an RBI single, making it 3-1.“My mentality was try to move Abreu to third base and I got lucky and got a base hit and found a hole,” Robert said.Liam Hendriks pitched a perfect 10th for his ninth save as the White Sox won their fifth straight.Advertisement“It was one of those games you need to battle,” Sox starter Dylan Cease said. “To do it late shows we didn’t give up and we fought to the end and got it done.”The Sox went 8-12 in April but have rebounded early in May to return to .500 (13-13).“After a bad month, to win these games playing the way we have been playing with pitching, defense, hitting at the right moment, it’s something we need as a team,” López said.Starting pitching was the story early with Cease allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in five innings. He exited after throwing 101 pitches.“I was mixing pretty well,” he said. “I wasn’t the sharpest with my command but I was able to mix and grind and keep us in it.”White Sox starter Dylan Cease pitches during the first inning against the Red Sox on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP)Cease’s outing was the latest successful start for the White Sox. Coming in, White Sox starters had a 2.51 ERA with a .197 opponents average and 65 strikeouts in the last 11 games. They allowed 16 earned runs in 57⅓ innings in that time.AdvertisementMore pitching depth could be on the way during this stretch of 18 games in 17 days with veteran Johnny Cueto continuing to work at Triple-A Charlotte.Dallas Keuchel, Michael Kopech and Lucas Giolito are the probable pitchers for the next three games. Wednesday’s starter is to be determined, with Vince Velasquez — who has been impressive winning his last two starts — and Cueto among the options.Saturday the starter and relievers came through, along with some late clutch at-bats to give the White Sox a standout victory.“There was so many key moments because it was such a close game,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “The biggest impression I got was we really worked to win that game. (The Red Sox) did too, but we were really working to win and we got rewarded.“All game long we kept trying to push and (Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta) shut us out. We kept pushing and (had) that late rally and the team was rewarded for trying so hard. It makes it extra special. It proves what I’ve been telling you all about them all along: heart, guts, talent.”

ATLANTA — Ronaldo Cisneros’ goals proved to be pivotal as Atlanta United picked up a 4-1 win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday.Cisneros put United (4-4-2) ahead for good at 2-1 in the 27th minute. United also got one goal from Brooks Lennon.AdvertisementChinonso Offor scored for the Fire (2-4-4), who have been outscored 10-2 during a six-match winless streak (0-4-2).Atlanta defender Miles Robinson collapsed to the artificial turf with a non-contact injury to his left leg and was removed on a stretcher in the 16th minute. A serious injury could cost the 25-year old a roster spot for the World Cup after Robinson started 10 of 14 qualifiers for the U.S. men’s national team.AdvertisementUnited outshot the Fire 12-7 with seven shots on goal to three for the Fire.Bobby Shuttleworth saved two of the three shots he faced for United. Gabriel Slonina saved three of the seven shots he faced for the Fire.United plays at home May 15 against the New England Revolution, while the Fire will host Cincinnati on Saturday at Soldier Field.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rich Strike was not in the Kentucky Derby when Friday morning dawned at Churchill Downs. He made the field as an alternate when Ethereal Road scratched.Of all the scenarios fans and analysts batted about Saturday before the 148th running of the Derby, he was not part of any. He went off as an 80-1 long shot, the ultimate afterthought.AdvertisementThat changed in a hurry as he roared down the stretch in pursuit of two of the most gifted blue bloods in the race, Epicenter and Zandon. When he hit the wire ahead of both, this previously anonymous colt became the second-longest shot ever to win the Derby.“I fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire,” said trainer Eric Reed, who had never saddled a horse for the Derby. “I about passed out.”Advertisement“He was tough. He was tough,” said Rich Strike’s jockey, Sonny Leon, after riding to victory in his first Derby.Rich Strike, a fitting name if there ever was one, paid a whopping $163.60 on a $2 bet to win, $74.20 on a $2 bet to place and $29.40 on a $2 bet to show. Only Donerail in 1913 won the race at longer odds.Epicenter, the 4-1 favorite, finished second, paying $7.40 on a $2 bet to place and $5.20 on a $2 bet to show. Zandon, the morning-line favorite, finished third, paying $5.60 on a $2 bet to show. Epicenter’s trainer Steve Asmussen and Zandon’s trainer Chad Brown, two of the most accomplished figures in the sport, again fell short in their respective quests to win a first Derby.Instead, the glory went to Reed, a second-generation trainer who said he nearly left the game when he lost 23 horses to a barn fire in 2016. When Reed found out his horse was in the field on Friday, he was already planning a Saturday workout and a trip to New York for the May 14 Peter Pan Stakes.Rich Strike (21), with Sonny Leon aboard, beats Epicenter (3), with Joel Rosario aboard, at the finish line to win the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday in Louisville, Ky. (Mark Humphrey/AP)He claimed Rich Strike for $30,000 last fall after the horse won a maiden race at Churchill Downs. He did not win again over his next five races.Reed loved the way he was training at Churchill Downs, so when the Derby opportunity presented itself, he figured: why not?Saturday dawned overcast and cool, but patrons in pink jackets and flowered hats soldiered their way to Churchill Downs, determined to soak in the largest party of the spring. The coronavirus pandemic sucked the spirit out of the Derby along with every other public gathering, pushing it to Labor Day weekend in 2020 and limiting the crowd to 51,838, about one-third of the usual throng, in 2021. So this was a stab at normalcy for a city where racing remains a signature industry.Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Olympic swimming great Michael Phelps were among those in town for the festivities, with both appearing on the red carpet at the Barnstable Brown Gala fundraiser on Derby eve.AdvertisementBeyond the pandemic, the Derby itself has been a stage for chaos in recent years.In 2019, patrons, bettors, trainers and jockeys waited 22 minutes to see if stewards would disqualify Maximum Security, who crossed the finish line first after veering into the path of several rivals on the far turn. They did, handing victory to 65-1 long shot Country House, who never raced again.Last year, Medina Spirit seemed to give trainer Bob Baffert his record-setting seventh Derby win. But his victory was called into question, and ultimately overturned, by a positive test for the ant-inflammatory medication betamethasone.The ensuing hubbub over Medina Spirit’s entry in the Preakness (he was allowed to run after extra prerace testing and finished third) cast a shadow over the Triple Crown series. The colt died suddenly in December, about two months before the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stripped his Derby win and suspended Baffert.That penalty kept the sport’s most famous figure away from Churchill Downs this year. His traditional Barn 33 sat empty, devoid of the signs celebrating his past Derby triumphs and of the crowd that usually congregates around the white-haired trainer. Baffert was not entirely absent from the race, however, with two of his former trainees, Messier and Taiba, entered under the care of his former assistant, Tim Yakteen. In an interview with ESPN on the eve of the Derby, Baffert vowed to continue fighting to clear his name and to restore Medina Spirit’s victory.So the 2022 race went off against a complicated backdrop. But Rich Strike blew the messy stories out of the water with his monumental upset.AdvertisementThis story will be updated.147th Preakness StakesPimlico Race CourseMay 21TV: Chs. 11, 4 (coverage begins at 2 p.m.)

The Chicago Cubs have been a staple of “Sunday Night Baseball” telecasts for years, thanks in part to a star-studded lineup, a national following and the photogenic ballpark they call home.Wrigley Field looks as good as ever, and fans still turn out in droves if the weather is nice and the beer is cold.AdvertisementBut Sunday night’s ESPN game against the Los Angeles Dodgers could be one of the Cubs’ final appearances in 2022 the way their season is trending.There are only so many ways to talk about Wrigley before admitting the obvious: The Cubs are not ready for prime time.AdvertisementDodgers star Clayton Kershaw dominated Saturday in a 7-0 win in the opener of a split doubleheader, handing the Cubs their 12th loss in 15 games. They entered the nightcap seven games under .500 at 9-16.[ [Don’t miss] Column: ‘Winning Time’ was great junk food TV. Now how about a series on the 2004 Cubs? ]They have a .344 winning percentage (42-80) since June 14, 2021, picking up where they left off last season. Daniel Norris was scheduled to pitch the second game of the doubleheader, making his first start since Aug. 2, 2020, with the Detroit Tigers.After a day Thursday and Friday’s postponement, the sun finally came out at Wrigley on a chilly Saturday afternoon, so it wasn’t a total loss for the announced crowd of 37,594 — aided by a large contingent of Dodgers fans.Even Dodger-hating Cubs fans should have been glad for the opportunity to watch the 34-year-old Kershaw, a future Hall of Famer, defy his age with another dominant performance.“At some point you feel like the ball will bounce our way or some of those balls will fall in,” said manager David Ross, who pointed to several hard-hit balls off the Dodgers veteran.Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw watches from the dugout during the eighth inning against the Cubs on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)Perhaps, but Kershaw scattered five hits over seven shutout innings to improve to 4-0. He has a 1.00 ERA over his last three starts and is one of only three starters this season with 30 or more strikeouts and three or fewer walks.Hitting aside, baserunning gaffes by the Cubs also were on display early in the opener.“Making outs on the bases, we can’t do that when you’re facing a good pitcher like that,” Ross said.AdvertisementAfter Kershaw picked Seiya Suzuki off first base to end the first inning, Nico Hoerner was tagged out chugging into second base to end the second. After reaching on an infield hit, Hoerner apparently believed the errant throw went into a camera well and bounced back, entitling him to a free base. Ross said Hoerner should’ve waited for the umpire to make the call.“Just one of those tough lessons,” Ross said.[ [Don’t miss] How do 10 ex-Cubs stack up after 1 month of 2022? Here’s a ranking, with Anthony Rizzo leading the way. ]Drew Smyly lasted 4⅓ innings in the opener, allowing two earned runs on six hits and four walks in his return from the bereavement list. Command issues in the first put the Cubs in a quick hole, and his only other mistake was a fourth-inning home run by Austin Barnes.Ross said Smyly threw “extremely well,” but Smyly conceded he “wasn’t very sharp today … and threw a ton of pitches” in the first.“That’s probably the worst team to face when you’re not being aggressive in the zone and attacking,” Smyly said. “They don’t really chase.”Cubs starting pitcher Drew Smyly, center, listens to pitching coach Tommy Hottovy during the first inning against the Dodgers on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Ross acknowledged before the game that Cubs starters collectively haven’t pitched to their potential, but he still believes they can become “a solid pitching staff if we continue on the trajectory we’re on.”AdvertisementBut the Cubs no longer can use the excuse of a short spring training to explain their 5.16 ERA entering the day or the lack of quality starts. Cubs starters had lasted five or more innings in only nine of the first 25 games heading into the nightcap. The only starters who had thrown more than five innings were Marcus Stroman (twice) and Kyle Hendricks (three times).Justin Steele, who compiled a 9.35 ERA over his last three starts and failed to last more than three innings in any of them, was pushed back to Monday night’s game in San Diego. The Cubs have only four starters on the roster, though Ross said the Steele move “was a product of how our roster is shaped.”[ [Don’t miss] Mike Napoli is perfecting his coaching chops with the Cubs — and playing some cribbage in the process ]Wade Miley said he would throw a bullpen session Sunday after pitching four scoreless innings Thursday in a rehab start for Triple-A Iowa. Miley could be ready to join the team on the upcoming trip to San Diego and Arizona.It won’t save the season. But at this point, the Cubs can use all the help they can get.“It takes a lot to win a game,” Smyly said. “They’re never easy.”And it’s harder than ever for the Cubs.

The Chicago Bears held their second day of rookie minicamp Saturday in Lake Forest. The 11-man draft class continued to learn the ropes amid a pack of 69 players that also included 16 undrafted rookies under contract and a horde of tryout players. Here are four things we learned.AdvertisementExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 11 Meet the Chicago Bears’ 2022 NFL draft class. (Jae C. Hong/AP)Carter, one of three seventh-round picks, arrived at Halas Hall this week with wide eyes. He is from a one-stoplight town in White Castle, La., and journeyed to the NFL through Southern University in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision. So when he pulled into Bears headquarters for rookie minicamp, it was an experience.Advertisement“Crazy,” Carter said. “It was a sight, man. Just coming from where I come, small school in high school and college, it was a lot to take in.”An offensive tackle at Southern, Carter is beginning a transition to guard and will have to fight the next four months to earn a roster spot. He said he pushes himself every day in honor of his older brother, Orthello, who was killed in a car accident when Ja’Tyre was in high school.[ [Don’t miss] Column: How Trestan Ebner’s fast-acting agent — and his sister’s cellphone — connected the Bears with the Baylor RB ]The crash occurred just days short of Orthello’s high school graduation, Carter said. The two were high school teammates — Orthello played on the defensive line — and also played basketball and participated in track and field with one another.“I take him everywhere I go,” Carter said. “He just helps me keep going. … He’s in my heart. Everywhere I go, he’s right there. He’s got a special place.”Carter described his older brother as a quiet guy who was “cool to everybody.”“He was a good kid,” he said. “It was unfortunate that happened.”Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones (70) stretches at rookie minicamp at Halas Hall on Friday, May 6, 2022, in Lake Forest. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)Jones, whom the Bears drafted in the fifth round, comes from a Southern Utah program that played a spring and fall season in 2021.FCS teams such as Southern Utah played spring games after the 2020 season was disrupted by COVID-19. That means Jones, who followed up the spring season by starting 11 fall games at left tackle, has had little break from football for more than a year, including spending the last several months training for the draft.AdvertisementJones said maintaining consistency in his recovery process will be key as he continues his work in minicamp and then organized team activities this month.“This weekend has been a little bit more difficult with that,” he said, “in terms of the schedule is a little bit more crammed and you don’t necessarily have as much time for recovery. But you still can get it in there.[ [Don’t miss] Bears Q&A: Why didn’t GM Ryan Poles get more help for QB Justin Fields? How many starters did they draft? ]“That’s the biggest thing for me is making sure I’m staying on top of those things and really making sure I’m putting time away for recovery. Because it’s super important, especially knowing that it’s not going to stop anytime soon and that we’re just going to pick up and keep on going as the season goes.”Jones, one of four offensive linemen the Bears drafted on Day 3, said his main focus this weekend is to show he is coachable.“When the coach tells you your first step is slow, you go out there over and over again and try to correct that first step,” he said. “That was a big thing for me, even yesterday, was just that first step was too slow and behind me, so I wasn’t gaining enough ground to get to where I need to be.“Some of these guys when I get to training camp are going to be much faster than they are now. So that’s very important, just being coachable and understanding, looking at the coach and being like, ‘Yes, I understand that. I can pick that up.’ And then I can translate it on the field.”AdvertisementBears cornerback Kyler Gordon (6) at rookie minicamp at Halas Hall on Friday, May 6, 2022, in Lake Forest. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)Williams gave his scouting reports on Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon and Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker, whom the Bears drafted with the 38th and 49th picks. He started with Gordon’s size: 6 feet, 194 pounds.“Thickness. He’s not a frail guy. He’s a thick guy,” Williams said. “And then the attributes that Mom and Daddy gave him. He has speed. He has the right temperament that we like. He is athletic. He runs. And then we look at the football IQ. He’s instinctive.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Bears haven’t had 2 rookie DBs start Week 1 in 51 years. Could Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker end that streak? ]“And then you go to the stuff that he did on tape. Sticky in coverage. At the top of the route, he stays connected. And then he finished plays, which is the most important thing that, at the moment of truth, he makes the play.”Williams said Brisker elicited a “huge yes” from multiple people on the Bears scouting and coaching staffs as they were evaluating players. Wililiams then used one of coach Matt Eberflus’ abbreviations in his description of Brisker.“(Eberflus) would say M&M. He would say motor and mean,” Williams said. “And then he would say he has quickness, he has instincts, he has strike. Those are things we saw on tape.”AdvertisementYes, Eberflus is a defensive-minded coach who spent the last four seasons as the Indianapolis Colts coordinator, and he has certain philosophies and a clear vision for how he wants his defense to run.But Williams will get autonomy to run his own show and has been thankful to his boss for that freedom.“He’s been A-plus,” Williams said of Eberflus. “I don’t know if many people could do that — have a defensive background and let someone else go and put their stamp on things. But so far he’s done that. I can’t say how much I appreciate that.”[ [Don’t miss] Column: Excitement, surprise, hope. The NFL draft delivered it all for the Bears. ]Williams worked under Eberflus as the Colts defensive backs coach the last four seasons. So it’s not as if he came to Halas Hall implementing drastic changes or suggesting significant overhauls. The foundation of the Bears defense will be incredibly similar to what Eberflus ran in Indianapolis.“The fundamentals of what we do have been around for a very long time,” Williams said. “And (Eberflus) has kind of stayed away so that I can put my stamp on it, so I can put my personality into it. I commend him for that.“In every meeting and every practice, he’s not looking over my shoulder to where I have to go, ‘Oh, am I doing things right?’ He has kind of stayed away and said, ‘Alan, you take it, you run with it, you build it, you do it. Put your stamp on it.’ And then he has kind of stayed back.”

LONDON — Chelsea will be sold to a consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly, ending 19 years of ownership and lavish investment by Roman Abramovich until the Russian oligarch was sanctioned and forced to offload the Premier League club over the war in Ukraine.The sale price of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.1 billion) for the reigning FIFA Club World Cup winners and 2021 European champions is the most lucrative-ever for a sports team worldwide but Abramovich cannot receive the proceeds, which he hopes will go to a foundation for the victims of the war. A further 1.75 billion pounds ($2.2 billion) has been committed to invest in Chelsea’s teams and stadiums after two months of rapid negotiations to sell the west London club since Russia invaded Ukraine.AdvertisementAfter several rival bids were rejected, Chelsea said Saturday that buyout terms had been agreed with a consortium that features Boehly along with Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and funding from private equity firm Clearlake Capital.The Premier League must approve them as the new ownership and the government has to sign off under the terms of the license that allows Chelsea to continue operating as a business through May 31 while being one of Abramovich’s frozen assets.AdvertisementAbramovich has said he would write off loans of more than 1.5 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) to Chelsea but that has been complicated by the sanctions put in place by the British government as part of a crackdown on wealthy Russians with ties to President Vladimir Putin. Abramovich’s side positioned him as a potential peacemaker but that trail has gone silent publicly in recent weeks and the billionaire has not condemned the war.A couple walk outside the Stamford Bridge stadium prior to the start of the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Wolverhampton, in London, Saturday, May 7, 2022. Chelsea is being sold to a consortium fronted by American sports investor Todd Boehly, ending 19 years of ownership and lavish investment by Roman Abramovich until the Russian oligarch was sanctioned and forced to offload the Premier League club. The sale price of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.1 billion) is the most lucrative-ever for a sports team. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) (Frank Augstein/AP)Chelsea, whose ability to sell match tickets and commit to new player spending has been hampered by the sanctions, expects the sale to be completed by late May.“Proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate 100% to charitable causes as confirmed by Roman Abramovich,” Chelsea said in a statement.Boehly is already in London and was expected to attend Chelsea’s Premier League match against Wolverhampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel’s team is third in the standings with four games remaining. The title is out of reach but Champions League qualification is nearly secured.Chelsea has the smallest and most dated stadium of the Premier League’s most successful clubs, with plans for a rebuild of the 41,000-capacity venue put on hold by Abramovich in 2018 as British-Russian diplomatic tensions deepened.Chelsea said the 1.75 billion pounds committed will be in funding investments in Stamford Bridge, the academy and the women’s team, which can win its league title on Sunday.Boehly is part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers MLB franchise and he also has minority stakes in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.The challenge will be maintaining the expectation of regular trophies produced under the expensive transformation of Chelsea, with 21 collected in 19 years.AdvertisementDodgers co-owner Todd Boehly watches a game against the Tigers on April 30, 2022. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)Chelsea had won the league title only once — in 1955 — when Abramovich bought the club in 2003. Helped by expensive signings, the club won the Premier League title two years later and has added four more since then, most recently in 2017.There is increased competition from wealthy owners to buy and retain players. In England alone, Manchester City has benefited from Abu Dhabi investment since 2008 and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund bought Newcastle last year.No details have been provided about the future day-to-day leadership of Chelsea, which was the first Premier League club to benefit from mega-rich foreign investor in 2003.Boehly, who studied at the London School of Economics, co-founded the Eldridge Industries investment firm in 2015 and serves as its chairman and CEO. The private holding company has investments in over 70 businesses, including in sports, entertainment and media.Besides the Los Angeles teams, Boehly has minority ownership stakes in the esports organization Cloud9 and DraftKings, an American fantasy sports wagering company.He is chairman of Security Benefit, a retirement solutions provider based in Topeka, Kansas, and MRC, an entertainment company that funds and produces film and television programming, including such major shows as the Golden Globes, the American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards.AdvertisementMRC’s other holdings include Penske Media, which owns Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.Before he co-founded Eldridge, Boehly was president of Guggenheim Partners. Walter, who teamed up with Boehly to buy Chelsea, is CEO of the financial services firm.Their first chance to see Chelsea win a trophy is next Saturday. Liverpool is the opponent in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

The Chicago Bears have had a lot of success with rookie defensive backs since drafting Mike Brown, one of the best safeties in team history, in the second round in 2000.Charles Tillman (2003), Nathan Vasher (2004), Chris Harris (2005), Kyle Fuller (2014), Adrian Amos (2015), Eddie Jackson (2017) and Jaylon Johnson (2020) all stepped in during their first seasons and began successful careers. But you have to go all the way back to 1971 to find a draft that produced two Week 1 rookie starters in the secondary: cornerback Charlie Ford and free safety Jerry Moore.AdvertisementThat’s the plan this year after first-year general manager Ryan Poles used two second-round picks on defensive backs: cornerback Kyler Gordon of Washington and strong safety Jaquan Brisker of Penn State. They’re getting indoctrinated in coach Matt Eberflus’ defense during rookie minicamp this weekend at Halas Hall, and the basics of the scheme will allow them to make a quick transition when the draft class joins veterans in the offseason program.[ [Don’t miss] Column: How Trestan Ebner’s fast-acting agent — and his sister’s cellphone — connected the Bears with the Baylor RB ]Nothing will be handed to the draft picks, but the depth chart at each position is thin. And while choosing the defensive backs didn’t address clear offensive needs on the line and at wide receiver, Poles did match need with value in adding Gordon and Brisker.AdvertisementEven with one of the best pass rushes in the league in 2021, the Bears struggled mightily in the secondary, ranking 27th with 7.6 yards allowed per pass attempt. Quarterbacks had a 103.3 passer rating versus the Bears, the worst figure in the NFL.Gordon, drafted with the 39th pick, and Brisker, selected 48th, visited Halas Hall for the first time together before the draft, beginning a relationship that has taken off over the last week.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 11 Meet the Chicago Bears’ 2022 NFL draft class. (Jae C. Hong/AP)“It’s been great,” Brisker said. “You know, just talking to him, making sure that we’ve got the playbook down and things like that, just making sure I have that chemistry with my teammate. … Making sure that we’re both comfortable and that we can play fast out there on the field. And then also off the field that we have a good relationship.”Brisker has an intriguing combination of size — 6-foot-1, 199 pounds — range and hitting ability to go with a personality that could help him develop quickly as a leader.Gordon left practice early Friday with cramps but is expected back Saturday. Besides learning the terminology the coaching staff uses, the rookies need to leave Sunday with an understanding of the techniques they’ll be asked to use along with a basic understanding of the playbook.[ [Don’t miss] Bears Q&A: Why didn’t GM Ryan Poles get more help for QB Justin Fields? How many starters did they draft? ]Jackson, the free safety and a holdover who should be in line for a starting job, described the new defense as “simpler.”“It’s not too much eyes here, eyes there,” Jackson said. “You just see what’s in front of you and play.”That doesn’t mean it will be easy for the rookies to adjust, but it’s not as complicated as what the Bears did under previous defensive coordinators Vic Fangio, Chuck Pagano and Sean Desai.AdvertisementBears safety Jaquan Brisker (9) at rookie minicamp at Halas Hall on Friday, May 6, 2022, in Lake Forest. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)The Bears will have more defined coverages with base landmarks, fundamental rules that apply, alley fits for the safeties and a clear understanding where help and leverage are for the cornerbacks. It’s not overly complex and it doesn’t change a lot with motion or movement by the offense, which is huge for a lot of today’s teams. The Bears can maintain the integrity of their defense without having to react to movement.Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams will use late rotation with the defensive backs — which the Bears didn’t do a lot of when they played Lovie Smith’s version of the Tampa-2 — but not as much as the team did the past several years.[ [Don’t miss] Bears undrafted free-agent tracker: A complete list of UDFA signings and rookie minicamp tryouts ]The Bears have a new candidate to play nickel cornerback after signing former Baltimore Raven Tavon Young to a one-year, $1.365 million contract. Young, 28, played well for the Ravens but missed 15 games in 2020 because of an injury and was sidelined for the entire 2017 and 2019 seasons with injuries, so durability is a legitimate question.“We’re still working through that,” Eberflus said when asked about Young’s fit in the scheme.It’s also worth wondering which side the cornerbacks will play on. Johnson spent the majority of the last two years on the right side when he wasn’t matching a specific wide receiver. He could be shifted to the left side as Gordon was playing the right side Friday. But all of that is a work in progress for Eberflus and Williams.Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon speaks to the media before rookie minicamp at Halas Hall on Friday, May 6, 2022, in Lake Forest. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)“Left (cornerback) is where the ball goes that way,” Eberflus said when asked about the strategy of choosing sides for his cornerbacks. “But if you do the stats, I don’t know if that’s true because I’ve looked at that several times. We’ll figure out all that as we go. That’s going to be a process all the way through OTAs, the mandatory minicamp and then all the way into training camp.”AdvertisementIf Gordon and Brisker do a good job of processing what they’re being coached and make gains, they will surely be in the mix when decision time comes in late August and early September.[ [Don’t miss] Bears draft class is older with more college experience — a byproduct of COVID-19. Could it be deeper too? ]“I watch NFL all the time and I’m constantly a person that’s looking for corrections,” said Gordon, who did not allow a touchdown reception the last two seasons with the Huskies. “I’m watching like, what can I do to get better? So when I’m watching NFL games, I’m taking pieces from the game if they’re doing good — or if they’re doing bad, that’s not what I’m going to do. Just consistently learning.”A weekend introduction to the defense is the first step toward something the Bears haven’t seen in more than 50 seasons.

The day after the series finale of your favorite TV show is always difficult.You’re trying to decipher the meaning of the ending while wondering if you’ll ever find another show as enjoyable as this one.AdvertisementSorry, but I won’t be accepting any calls, emails, texts, DMs, instant messages or beeper messages Monday while processing Sunday’s finale of the HBO show “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Consider me on the IL.Knowing I’ll have to spend the rest of the NBA postseason without Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, Jerry West, Jerry Buss and the rest of my favorite characters is distressing me to no end.AdvertisementIf you don’t have HBO — or don’t spend time in many of our favorite roadside motels that advertise the premium channel on their marquees — you’ve been missing out on one of the greatest sports-related dramas in television history.As the title implies, “Winning Time” is based on the Los Angeles Lakers’ rise to glory in the 1979-80 season after drafting Johnson out of Michigan State to team with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.Among the plotlines that figure to be resolved Sunday are:Will Magic be able to rekindle his relationship with his old girlfriend, Cookie, after a year of nonstop sexual escapades?With his mother having just died and his team in the NBA Finals, will Buss suffer yet another in a series of emotional breakdowns?Can the Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals after the team voted to kick coked-out star Spencer Haywood off the playoff roster?Can interim coach Paul Westhead and assistant coach Riley head off the scheming Jack McKinney, the head coach they replaced after his skull-breaking bike accident?Will Magic learn the sky hook from Kareem and get revenge on his childhood hero, Julius Erving, after Dr. J embarrassed him on the court following a night out on the town?Can West ever find inner happiness?If you haven’t guessed, “Winning Time” is more soap opera than sports drama. That’s why there are so few scenes of the actors playing basketball. The Lakers and their famous players and coaches are the hook, but the off-court drama is the meat and potatoes of the series.It’s based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.” But the series takes dramatic license throughout, fictionalizing events to suit the narrative. The basic story is based on reality, but the characters aren’t always true to life — or at least to our perceptions of them.John C. Reilly, left, Quincy Isaiah and Jason Clarke in “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” (Warrick Page/HBO)Most notable is West, an iconic player whose silhouette is used as the NBA logo. In “Winning Time” he is portrayed as a Bobby Knight-like bully — constantly angry and screaming and obsessed with beating the archrival Boston Celtics.It’s a far cry from the image West maintained as a player and NBA executive, and he recently demanded HBO to issue a retraction. (Spoiler alert: It didn’t.) West even said he was willing to take his case to the Supreme Court, which was something his character in the show might’ve said.You can’t blame West for being upset with the show’s portrayal of him. Jason Clarke, a fine actor, makes West out as a raging lunatic with a severe personality disorder. Then again, everyone on this show is cartoonish, especially Buss, Magic and Riley.AdvertisementMost sensible viewers would quickly understand that Clarke’s West is a caricature of the Lakers executive, not necessarily the real deal. The show is similar to 1980s over-the-top, prime-time soap operas such as “Dallas” and “Dynasty,” with a little bit of “The White Shadow” mixed in for hoops fanatics.Junk food TV at its best. It looks and sounds like a 1980s TV show with bad hairpieces, funky-looking clothes, moody background music and plenty of overacting by stars Adrien Brody (Riley), Jason Segel (Westhead) and Sally Field (Buss’ mom). John C. Reilly’s nod as Buss has a distinct J.R. Ewing flavor to it. Like the famed Texas tycoon of “Dallas,” Buss is portrayed as an amoral creep who still is hard to hate and always gets off the best lines.“Winning Time” is not meant to be high drama like “Downton Abbey,” and in fact it slows to a crawl whenever it turns serious. Buss is one of the main characters, but I’ve had enough of the dysfunctional family plotline. Particularly uninteresting is the story of daughter/future executive Jeanie Buss, one of the only real-life characters — along with Cookie Johnson — whose public image doesn’t take a beating.Everyone else apparently was fair game, including the L.A. sports writers, who in one episode are dumb enough to drive to the airport to interview Magic Johnson about an upcoming road trip. Like West, the Lakers beat writers of the 1980s should take their case to the Supreme Court for being portrayed as complete dopes.The parts I enjoyed most were the cameos — arrogant Celtics honcho Red Auerbach, shady UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian and a misanthropic Larry Bird, the yin to Magic’s yang. These are sports figures we’ve seen on TV and read about but never really knew.Whether the portrayals we’re seeing in “Winning Time” bear any resemblance to the humans they’re based on is irrelevant to me as a viewer. It’s an enjoyable 10-part series, not a documentary. Fortunately HBO already has renewed it for another season in spite of the outrage it created for repeated fact-stretching.AdvertisementAnd as a baseball beat writer who has chronicled a few soap operas over the last few decades covering the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, I can’t help but think about how some of my all-time favorite seasons — and players, managers, executives and owners — would be portrayed in a fictionalized TV miniseries.Theo Epstein, Jake Arrieta and the 2016 Cubs? Terry Bevington, Tony Phillips and the 1996 White Sox? Both the characters and teams were worthy of their own series, but the perfect choice to piggyback on the success of “Winning Time” would be the 2004 Cubs, a season that needed no embellishment.Among the plotlines would be angry reliever Kent Mercker (played by an angry Sean Penn) calling the Wrigley Field press box to complain about announcers Chip Caray (Nicholas Braun) and Steve Stone (Stephen Root); reluctant closer LaTroy Hawkins (Will Smith) holding a news conference to announce he no longer would be talking to media members; disgruntled slugger Sammy Sosa (Wilmer Valderrama) putting himself on the disabled list with a sneeze and walking out on his teammates on the final day of the season, leaving manager Dusty Baker (Wendell Pierce) to explain his absence.And, of course, some explanatory flashbacks to the 2003 playoffs, with Timothée Chalamet giving an Emmy-worthy performance as Steve Bartman. The possibilities are endless. That’s must-see TV you and your family would tune in to every week.Sammy, get me rewrite.