Chicago Sports

A woman was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire between a security guard and a gunman near Chicago Police headquarters on the South Side Tuesday.

The guard had been arguing with someone in the 200 block of East 35th Street when the person pulled out a handgun and shot the guard in the leg around 4:15 p.m., police said. The guard, 34, fired back.

The woman, 55, was caught in the crossfire and hit in the chest. She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead, police said. Her name has not yet been released.

The guard was taken to the same hospital and was listed in good condition, officials said.

A weapon was recovered at the scene. No one was reported in custody.

Read More

There have been all kinds of rumors coming out of Portland as the trade deadline approaches.

Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic and Larry Nance Jr. are all reportedly on the block.

Same landscape with Indiana, as the Pacers were looking to try and move the likes of Myles Turner, Caris LeVert and Domantas Sabonis in hopes of shaking up the roster come Feb. 10.

As for all those hot Bulls rumors?

Crickets.

Just like executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas liked it.

What has remained constant since Karnisovas was handed the keys to the entire operation is he chooses to operate in the dark.

According to several basketball executives over the last week, the Bulls remain one of the toughest organizations in the Association to get a read on just because Karnisovas plays things very close to the vest and very little seems to leak out.

Before watching his team beat the Magic 126-115 Tuesday night to remain atop the Eastern Conference, Billy Donovan was asked about that mentality from the organization, admitting that while there are no edicts handed down from the suits about being cognizant of keeping quiet about talks, it is a front office that likes to keep a lot in house.

“I think it’s probably the way Arturas conducts his business,” the coach said. “In this league it’s such a tight-knit league, and there’s only 30 teams, everyone knows each other, so I would assume from a front office perspective they are probably having conversations that they want to stay in between the walls. I don’t think that’s necessarily any different from any other organization. But I think it speaks to the fact that at least the guys that I dealt with in the front office from [general manager] Marc Eversley, [VP of player personnel] Pat Connelly, [assistant GM] J.J. Polk, I mean there’s great guys … and they have a certain way I’m sure they want to go about doing [their business].”

It’s no secret the Bulls (32-18) have been in search of a defensive-minded four to fill the vacancy left by the Patrick Williams injury.

It’s remained Javonte Green – all 6-foot-5 of him with shoes on.

That’s not going to cut it against the likes of a Joel Embiid or Bam Adebayo come the postseason, when Nikola Vucevic is going to need some help.

That was on display against the Magic, as big man Wendell Carter Jr. went on the attack against his former team right from the tip, going 5-for-6 for 11 points in that first quarter, finishing with 24.

Thankfully for the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan and his ability to finish games were on the court.

Up two with just 2:54 left, DeRozan hit the 19-footer, and after a Magic miss found an open Ayo Dosunmu for the 17-footer. Dosunmu wasn’t done, then hitting a three, putting the Bulls up nine just like that, and avenging a loss to Orlando last month.

“I just think it comes from a mentality,” Dosunmu said of his big shots in the win. “It’s something that was always instilled in me.”

The Sun-Times reported last week that there was growing momentum throughout the organization that Williams could be back before the end of the regular season, but that’s a leap of faith the team shouldn’t be counting on.

A guy like Nance would be ideal, simply because he doesn’t demand a lot on the offensive end and brings an edge to the defense. If guard CJ McCollum is moved that could open the door for Portland being interested in a package for Coby White, but the dominos would have to fall perfectly for that to happen.

Considering the current injuries in the backcourt, however, the Bulls might feel like White has to be a keeper, despite a pay day possibly due to him this offseason.

Time will tell, because the Bulls sure won’t.

Read More

MOBILE, Ala. — The Bears have already added Aaron Rodgers’ position coach. Now they’re considering adding Joe Burrow’s former pass game coordinator.

Two days after hiring Packers assistant Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator, the Bears interviewed Joe Brady for a job on their offensive staff, a source confirmed Tuesday. Brady, 32, shares an agent, former Bears defensive end Trace Armstrong, with the team’s two decision-makers, coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles.

Brady is best-known as the pass game coordinator and receivers coach on the LSU national title team that saw Burrow, now the Bengals’ Super Bowl quarterback, posted perhaps the best offensive season in college football history. In 2019, Burrow threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and only six interceptions with the Tigers.

After winning the Broyles Award as the nation’s best college assistant coach in 2019, Brady became the Panthers’ offensive coordinator but was fired in December after less than two seasons.

It’s unclear if Brady would be Justin Fields’ quarterbacks coach or have additional responsibilities. It might prove difficult for the Bears to name a quarterbacks coach until their candidates are certain they won’t land a coordinator job during the league’s hiring cycle.

Eberflus has a lot of jobs to fill; among position coaches, only defensive line coach Chris Rumph and defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend are still listed on the team’s staff roster. Eberflus and Poles are expected to attend Senior Bowl practices Wednesday.

Read More

The blowout of Portland on Sunday helped.

That got Ayo Dosunmu and the rest of the Bulls starters out of the game early for some much needed rest. But even with an easier night than usual, the minutes police have to be circling around the United Center lately.

Over the last nine games, including the light 34-minute night against the Trail Blazers, Dosunmu was averaging 37.7 minutes per game. Over the course of a full season, the former Morgan Park High School standout would currently be second in the league in minutes per game, trailing only Fred VanVleet and his 38.6 minutes per game.

Then again, the minutes police would be the only ones really concerned because it sure wasn’t bothering the 22-year-old Dosunmu.

Very little does these days, especially after he was named to the All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars Game on Tuesday evening, joining the 12-player rookie team.

“I always say, your mind tells you you’re tired and you have about 60-70% left,” Dosunmu said to reporters about all the minutes he’s played lately. “So I try to just train my mind that. So when I think I’m tired – it’s just probably a spur of the moment thing – you can keep going, dig deep, and dig deep on your habits. In the offseason, those extra runs, those extra sprints. Then it gives me a little bit more leniency with my recovery.”

The rookie’s extended playing time has not only been out of necessity with Lonzo Ball (knee surgery) and Alex Caruso (wrist surgery) sidelined, but it’s also been a huge positive for Dosunmu. From Day 1 of training camp, teammates have talked about how the former Illini guard asked more questions than most rookies they could remember, and not only asked the questions but retained the answers.

“He’s a sponge,” veteran DeMar DeRozan commented earlier in the season.

“He’s just an eager guy to learn,” coach Billy Donovan said of Dosunmu. “You see levels of inconsistencies and when there is inconsistency I think you see growth and improvement. There’s just going to be certain things he’s going to go through for the first time that he’s gonna learn from, he’s going to get better from. He’s eager to get better. He thrives on that. And whatever situation you throw him into, even if at that moment if it doesn’t go great you can be pretty confident that he’s going to address it and respond to it and be better the next time.”

That’s why Donovan had been petitioning for Dosunmu to make the Rising Stars Game. It’s not only a big reward for a second-round pick, but it will give him a chance to absorb even more from the young elite players that he’ll be around.

“I’m not quite sure all his relationships with players around the league that are close to his age, of who he’s played against in high school or AAU, who he’s played against in college,” Donovan said. “But he’s a guy that when you throw him in experiences he looks at the experience, and he’ll take something from it if he gets the opportunity.”

All-Star honor

Zach LaVine will find out on Thursday if he made the All-Star Game as a reserve, but Donovan could also be joining the mix.

If the Bulls are atop the Eastern Conference after Sunday’s games, Donovan will be coaching in the All-Star Game.

“Obviously it would be a great honor to be able to do something like that,” Donovan said. “It speaks to the players and the team. It would probably be something we all share in because you’ve got to finish in first place in the East.”

Read More

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

BIG NORTHERN

Genoa-Kingston at Winnebago, 7:00

Rockford Christian at North Boone, 7:00

Rockford Lutheran at Rock Falls, 7:00

Stillman Valley at Dixon, 7:00

CATHOLIC – BLUE

DePaul at Mount Carmel, 7:00

Fenwick at Leo, 7:00

Loyola at Brother Rice, 7:00

St. Rita at St. Laurence, 7:00

CATHOLIC – WHITE

De La Salle at Montini, 7:00

Marmion at St. Ignatius, 6:00

Providence at Providence-St. Mel, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Maine East at Highland Park, 7:00

Maine West at Deerfield, 7:00

Niles North at Vernon Hills, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – SOUTH

Glenbrook North at Glenbrook South, 7:00

Maine South at Evanston, 7:00

Niles West at New Trier, 7:00

DU KANE

Batavia at Glenbard North, 7:15

St. Charles East at Wheaton-Warr. South, 7:15

St. Charles North at Geneva, 7:15

Wheaton North at Lake Park, 7:15

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Notre Dame at Benet, 7:00

St. Viator at Marian Catholic, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Cary-Grove at McHenry, 7:00

Crystal Lake Central at Dundee-Crown, 7:00

Huntley at Hampshire, 7:00

Jacobs at Crystal Lake South, 7:00

Prairie Ridge at Burlington Central, 7:00

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Herscher at Wilmington, 7:00

Manteno at Lisle, 6:45

Reed-Custer at Peotone, 7:00

Streator at Coal City, 6:45

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Elgin Academy at North Shore, 6:00

Latin at Lake Forest Acad-Blk, 6:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

LaSalle-Peru at Sycamore, 7:00

KISHWAUKEE RIVER

Marengo at Woodstock North, 7:00

Richmond-Burton at Harvard, 7:00

Woodstock at Johnsburg, 7:30

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Wolcott at Waldorf, 6:00

METRO PREP

Hinsdale Adventist at Lycee Francais, 6:00

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

Riverside-Brookfield at St. Francis, 6:45

Timothy Christian at IC Catholic, 7:30

Wheaton Academy at Chicago Christian, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – EAST

Buffalo Grove at Wheeling, 7:00

Elk Grove at Rolling Meadows, 7:00

Hersey at Prospect, 7:00

MID-SUBURBAN – WEST

Hoffman Estates at Barrington, 7:00

Palatine at Fremd, 7:00

Schaumburg at Conant, 7:00

NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD

Butler at Bulls, 5:30

ITW-Speer at DRW, 5:30

Rowe-Clark at Johnson, 5:30

NORTH SUBURBAN

Libertyville at Lake Forest, 7:00

Mundelein at Lake Zurich, 7:00

Stevenson at Zion-Benton, 7:00

Warren at Waukegan, 7:00

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

South Beloit at Schaumburg Christian, 7:00

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Grayslake Central at Grant, 7:00

Grayslake North at Round Lake, 7:00

Lakes at Antioch, 7:00

North Chicago at Wauconda, 6:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-NORTH

ASPIRA-Bus&Fin at Amundsen, 6:00

RIVER VALLEY

Donovan at Momence, 7:00

SOUTHLAND

Crete-Monee at Thornridge, 6:00

Kankakee at Thornton, 6:00

Thornwood at Bloom, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Joliet Central at Plainfield South, 6:30

Plainfield Central at Plainfield East, 6:30

Romeoville at Joliet West, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST

Oswego at Plainfield North, 6:30

Oswego East at Minooka, 6:30

Yorkville at West Aurora, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – BLUE

Homewood-Flossmoor at Bolingbrook, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – RED

Lincoln-Way Central at Andrew, 6:30

Stagg at Lincoln-Way West, 6:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

Bartlett at Fenton, 7:00

Elgin at East Aurora, 6:30

Glenbard South at Streamwood, 7:00

Larkin at Glenbard East, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Downers Grove South at Willowbrook, 7:30

Leyden at Morton, 7:30

Proviso East at Hinsdale South, 7:30

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Glenbard West at Downers Grove North, 7:30

Lyons at Oak Park-River Forest, 6:30

Proviso West at Hinsdale Central, 7:30

NON CONFERENCE

Brimfield at Putnam County, 7:00

Clifton Central at St. Thomas More, 7:00

Dwight at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 6:45

East Dubuque at Byron, 7:30

EPIC at Juarez, 5:00

Goode at Intrinsic-Downtown, 5:00

Heritage Christian at Illinois Lutheran, 6:00

Hirsch at Horizon-McKinley, 5:00

Jones at Reavis, 6:00

Lake Forest Acad-Org at Carmel, 7:00

Lexington at Woodland, 7:00

Lindblom at Oak Lawn, CNL

McNamara at Grant Park, 7:00

Metea Valley at Nazareth, 7:00

Oak Forest at Agricultual Science, 7:30

Rich at Bradley-Bourbonnais, 7:00

Richards at Marist, 7:00

Ridgeview at Roanoke-Benson, 7:00

Seneca at Beecher, 7:00

Trinity (Kankakee) at Grace Christian, 7:00

Walther Christian at Harvest Christian, 6:30

Washington at St. Francis de Sales, 12:00

Westlake Christian at Marian Central, 7:00

Westminster Christian at St. Edward, 7:00

LITTLE TEN TOURNAMENT

at Somonauk

Hinckley-Big Rock vs. Indian Creek, 5:30

Newark vs. IMSA, 5:30

Read More

Bears general manager Ryan Poles had been in the Matt Eberflus business for something like five minutes before introducing the brand-new coach to reporters Monday as his “brother.”

More like oh, brother, right? Poles and Eberflus are brothers in much the same way that you and the contractor remodeling your bathroom are brothers. It’s all love until you’ve lost a few games in a row or had to shower one too many times at your filthy neighbor’s, and then all you can think about is getting back to life without each other.

But introductory press conferences are always like that, especially once the new coach begins speaking. From there, it’s all trite clich?s, banal aphorisms and empty platitudes and, by the way, did you notice that all those phrases mean pretty much the same thing? Kind of like “building a foundation,” “creating a culture” and “trusting the process” all mean pretty much the same thing.

Eberflus hit all those usual notes Monday, which means there wasn’t much of substance to be gleaned beyond his intentions to switch the defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and let his coordinators do all the play calling. Other than that, he wants players who run fast, hit hard, make big plays and have a lot of passion because, let’s face it, who doesn’t?

“We’ll be an effort-based team,” he said, undoubtedly correct in his determination that being so beats the heck out of not trying at all.

“Chicago tough,” he threw in at one point, the sort of blatant attempt at currying favor with local fans that LSU’s suddenly Southern-twangy Brian Kelly would appreciate.

As Eberflus answered questions, Twitter came alive with cracks about his unoriginality. But poking fun at football coaches’ empty rhetoric has become almost a sport in itself. The college football media are relentless (and hilarious) at this. The NFL media are catching up. Eberflus’ predecessor, Matt Nagy, was a master of the word salad and was lampooned for it on a near-weekly basis.

Anyway, what does it all signify? What have we learned about Eberflus that really matters? What did he say that we should throw our arms around and carry forward into a new Bears era?

Nothing.

And that’s totally fine. One might even say it’s as it should be.

After all, Eberflus is following in the footsteps of one of his mentors, the great Nick Saban.

“We want to be a physical, aggressive football team that is relentless in the competitive spirit that we go out and play with week in and week out,” Saban said when he was introduced at Alabama in 2007.

Six national championships later, it sounds great. But every other coach who has ever been handed a whistle has said essentially the same thing.

Take Bill Belichick, for example.

“My basic philosophy in terms of winning football games is to have a strong, tough — both mentally and physically — and physical team and to try to be as well prepared as we possibly can for all situations that will come up in the course of the game,” he said on Day 1 with the Patriots in 2000.

Six Super Bowls titles later, it’s still a mouthful of nothing.

Take a guess who spoke these utterly unrevealing words at his introductory press conference in 2019:

“It’s about offense, defense and special teams, and that’s going to be a big emphasis for us going forward.”

That was the Packers’ Matt LaFleur, Eberflus’ new No. 1 rival.

And what about this season’s Super Bowl coaches? Much like LaFleur, the Rams’ Sean McVay and the Bengals’ Zac Taylor are supposed to be younger, hipper, cut from a newer, different kind of cloth, aren’t they?

Yet the substance of McVay’s first Rams presser in 2017 can be summed up in two sleep-inducing quotes: “We can’t wait to roll our sleeves up and go to work” and “We’re going to create a culture of ‘we,’ not ‘me.’ ” The ghosts of a thousand coaches gone by surely nodded in approval.

And — OK, so I’m cherry picking here — let’s end with this beauty of a nugget from Taylor’s unveiling in 2019:

“I have a high opinion of Andy Dalton. We’re very fortunate he’s the quarterback here. He’s a great fit for this offense.”

Of course he was. They always are when the words don’t mean a thing.

Read More

The Blackhawks worked on forechecking during practice Tuesday.

But the usual sounds at Fifth Third Arena — skates scraping ice, pucks banging glass, sticks knocking each other — were drowned out for much of practice by a fuming, screaming Marc Crawford.

The Hawks’ veteran assistant coach, who was known for (and sometimes criticized for) his fiery temper at previous stops but who has worked to calm himself since coming to Chicago, unleashed several profanity-laden tirades when the Hawks continued to make the same mistakes in drills that they had during Monday’s excruciatingly lifeless loss to the Canucks.

“We need a wake-up call here,” interim head coach Derek King said afterwards, speaking on behalf of the coaching staff. “It was good. [It added] a little emotion, a little excitement. It was making them feel a little uncomfortable, which they needed.”

King admitted he and Crawford when necessary adopt a good-cop, bad-cop approach, logical given their stark contrast on the intense-to-laidback spectrum. So King, clad in his daily toque, watched quietly Tuesday as Crawford passionately orchestrated the drills and jack-of-all-trades assistant Chris Kunitz manned the whiteboard.

Dylan Strome and MacKenzie Entwistle, the two players who spoke after practice, both echoed Crawford’s frustration.

“That wasn’t a great effort last night,” Strome said. “[We have] to be more desperate than that, especially now. … [Crawford] does a good job of showing his emotion. He has been around for a long time, and he knows when to do it and when not to do it. Clearly he felt like we needed it, and we’ll respond tomorrow.”

“It’s great when coaches and players are showing emotion,” Entwistle said. “That means people care. They want to get everyone giving their 100%.”

The 16-22-7 Hawks, losers of six of their last seven games and 12 of 17 since mid-December, will host the Wild on Wednesday before beginning the All-Star break. And although the list of issues contributing to their on-ice struggles has become quite long, the forecheck is the latest focus of their ire.

When forechecking, the first forward to enter the offensive zone and pursue the dumped-in puck is called the “F1,” the second to do so is the “F2” and the last is the “F3.” The Hawks are particularly concerned about the ineffectiveness of their F2s.

“F1 has to drive the engine, F2 has to read off F1, and a lot of times, we weren’t [doing that],” King explained. “We were getting lost. F2 was just going somewhere for no reason. You can’t do that, especially against really good teams. One pass beats us all, and then F3, he’s in la-la land. It’s not good.

“So that’s what we wanted to work on today. [But] the guys weren’t getting it right away. As a coach, sometimes you get a little ticked off and you show it.”

Instead, King wants the Hawks’ F2 to analyze F1’s situation as he pursues the opponent’s first defenseman back, then determine whether he should “hunt down” the other defenseman or anticipate where the first defenseman might try to exit or clear the zone.

“Then the F3 comes in a little late, and he’s a support for all that,” King added. “And if we do win the battle, then all of a sudden, F3 joins in and you’ve got your ‘O’-zone [possession].”

That wasn’t happening much Monday, and it hasn’t happened enough all season. The Hawks rank last in the NHL in forecheck (and cycle) scoring chances during five-on-five play, per Corey Sznajder’s tracked data, and only three Hawks forwards (Ryan Carpenter, Brandon Hagel and Philipp Kurashev) sit above league average in both forecheck pressures and recovered dump-ins.

It is yet another area that drastically needs help. It’s just unclear whether Crawford’s fury, justified as it may have been, will actually make a difference.

Read More

NEW YORK — Whatever little chance there was of an on-time start to spring training all but vanished Tuesday during a contentious 90-minute negotiating session between locked out players and Major League Baseball.

Players made two slight moves during the first meeting in a week.

The union lowered its proposed pool of money for pre-arbitration-eligible players from $105 million to $100 million. The union also cut the number of players it wants credited with an additional year of major league service to the top 20 at each position in each league by WAR, or the top seven, depending on position, down from 30 and 10.

A session on noneconomic issues is set for Wednesday and there is no date for the resumption of talks on the core matters, such as luxury tax thresholds.

Given the lack of urgency in talks to end a work stoppage that began Dec. 2, both sides are behaving as if it is a foregone conclusion that spring training workouts will not start as scheduled on Feb. 16.

Players don’t start accruing salaries until the regular season, scheduled to start on March 31, making it unlikely there will be great movement until mid- to late February at the earliest.

A minimum of three weeks of training and exhibition games are needed to start the season, with additional time beforehand for players to report to training camps and undergo COVID-19 protocols.

In a sign of the lack of progress, the players’ association is making $5,000 stipends available to its members. The union had $178.5 million in cash, U.S. Treasury securities and investments on Dec. 31, 2020, according to its latest financial disclosure form filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.

Baseball’s ninth work stoppage and first since 1995 started when the five-year collective bargaining agreement expired on Dec. 1.

Players are asking that salary arbitration eligibility be expanded to those with two years of service, its level from 1974 through 1986, when it increased to three years. In the expired agreement, it was three years plus the top 22% by service time of players with at least two years but less than three years.

Management last week agreed to the concept of a pool for pre-arbitration players, offering $10 million.

To address alleged service time manipulation, the teams proposed that any player called up in August or September who remained eligible for Rookie of the Year the following season would count toward extra amateur draft picks. The union said Tuesday it was willing to accept that concept, with modifications.

The additional service time would go to the top seven players at each position in each league by average Fangraphs and Baseball Reference WAR, except for starting pitchers, relief pitchers and outfielders, where it would be 20 in each category. The union made the proposal to address what it claims are clubs delaying players’ debuts, such as in the case of the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Byrant.

Players have asked that the luxury tax threshold, designed to slow spending by high-revenue teams, be raised from $210 million to $245 million, and teams have offered $214 million.

MLB proposed raising the major league minimum salary from $570,700 to $615,000 for players with less than a year of big league service — but with a provision teams couldn’t pay more than that amount — $650,000 for at least one year but less than two and $700,000 for at least two. Players have proposed a $775,000 minimum.

Read More

When Frank Reich was hired as the Colts’ head coach in 2018, Matt Eberflus was somebody else’s guy.

Eberflus had actually been hired as defensive coordinator by Josh McDaniels, who backed out of an agreement to become the Colts coach just before his introductory press conference.

But, as was the case with new Bears general manager Ryan Poles in the interview process for the Bears coaching job (“From the moment he walked [into] the room, I knew he was the guy.”), it didn’t take long for Reich to know he inherited the right guy. Not only a defensive coordinator, but a future head coach.

“I felt that from Day 1,” Reich said Tuesday on a Zoom call with Bears reporters. “One of the things I appreciate about ‘Flus’ … he’s very thoughtful and deliberate in his communication.

“There’s not going to be any fluff. He’s not going to play games. He’s going to be direct. He’s going to stick with what he believes in. You’re not going to be able to find ways to manipulate him. You’re not going to be able to fool him.”

Reich’s endorsement for Eberflus getting the Bears job was particularly enthusiastic. He emphasized Eberflus’ readiness to be a head coach — and not just a coach who earned the shot by being a successful coordinator.

“It’s a big job. It’s too much for one person,” Reich said. “You have to hire the right people that you believe in and trust. You have to have patience. You have to have deep conviction because you’re going to make some mistakes along away. You have to stay the course. You have to lead in a way that is very clear and people understand where this is going. It has to be us doing it together.

“Flus is going to do a great job of that I could not be more excited for him and his family. It’s such an incredible opportunity — well-deserved for him. Bears fans are going to see what leadership looks like, and demonstrated [that for] years to come.”

Reich extolled strengths of Eberflus that figure to go beyond building a strong defense — player evaluation for the draft; having conviction in his system yet being able to adapt to his personnel; and most of all, eliciting maximum effort from his players.

Eberflus’ “H-I-T-S” principle (Hustle, Intensity, Taking the ball/taking care of the ball and Smarts/situational excellence) already has been mocked as a collegiate approach. But his dedication to it is similar to Lovie Smith’s fixation with takeaways or Vic Fangio’s emphasis on details.

It worked for Eberflus with the Colts, who were 10th, 18th, 10th and ninth in his four seasons — after being 30th the year before he arrived; and they were in the top 10 in takeaways each of his four seasons.

“Let me tell you — he eats, sleeps, drinks, bleeds that in every aspect,” Reich said. “Those are the standards. It’s going to be very clear to the players what this H-I-T-S principle is all about.”

But Eberflus’ impact as a head coach that figures to determine his success — unlike Matt Nagy, who only needed to build an offense and could not do it. It’s clear Eberflus makes a good first impression. The Bears need someone who can sustain his impact.

“Matt’s coaching style is very intentional about every move,” Reich said. “There’s a clear standard, there’s a clear process and there’s a clear vision for what it’s going to take.

“He’s not a big yeller and screamer, but he has an intensity. He’s not afraid to get after guys, but he does it in the right manner. It was a style that I thought fit what we were trying to do here, and in his own unique way, I think Matt is a great leader and has great style in that regard.”

Read More

The view of the outside world that greets the Goodman Theatre audience at “Gem of the Ocean” is seen through the battered wooden slats at the backside of Aunt Ester’s home. The year is 1904, and that’s old Pittsburgh peeking through the gaps. But at times the outside world becomes a harrowing time out of mind, a storm-battered sea bearing a ship of human cargo, even the underwater realm of the magical City of Bones.

“Gem of the Ocean” is the first in a ten-play saga of Black Americans throughout the 20th century by the late American playwright August Wilson. These extraordinary tales are all set in a working-class Pittsburgh neighborhood known as the Hill District, where Wilson himself was born. It took the Pulitzer Prize-winning author more 30 years to complete the entire project, and although the works can certainly stand alone as individual plays, Wilson’s Century Cycle really constitutes a massive poem that charts the path of Black Americans out of the Civil War South and into the modern era.

The oldest historical scenes, which recall the struggle of former slaves shackled to ships, are alive with the African spirit world. The stories of younger descendants are vivid each in their own way, too. Wilson’s plays were created as the episodes came to him, out of chronological order in terms of the story line. We see Black generations grab life by the fist as watermelon peddlers, musicians, athletes, numbers runners, coffee shop owners, intellectuals, cab drivers, husbands and wives — even real estate developers and mayoral aspirants. All occurring in the same Pittsburgh neighborhood over time. Catch just one of these plays, you will want to catch them all.

Director Chuck Smith sees this pitch-perfect revival of “Gem of the Ocean” as containing the first threads of this century saga, which can now be told, as Goodman intends to do, in chronological order from the standpoint of the story line. The plays didn’t come off Wilson’s pen that way, and Goodman has done the cycle before, but not as ordered here.

Sydney Charles stars as Black Mary and Sharif Atkins stars as Citizen Barlow in August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” at the Goodman Theatre.Liz Lauren

“Gem” is rich in the lore of slaves old enough to remember the dread passage by slave ship firsthand. Indeed, to hear the brilliant actor Lisa Gaye Dixon, as ancient Aunt Ester, conjure up the underwater City of Bones, is to hear her anchor the slaves’ brutal history in hallowed ocean ground. (Ester is said to be 285 years old.)

“Gem of the Ocean” unfolds entirely in Aunt Ester’s home. She uses her conjurer’s gift to attempt the healing of young Citizen Barlow, a desperate fellow who feels the death of another is on his shoulders. Sharif Atkins, in his Goodman debut as Citizen, is all raw energy as a crisis-causing petty thief in urgent need of redemption.

Citizen Barlow is in trouble, not that he can’t take time out to proposition stoic young housekeeper Black Mary. She is played by Sydney Charles, who endows this largely quiet, patience-worn feminine spirit with a finely honed stubborn streak. Although she delivers patent-worthy silent glares and the occasional volcanic eruption, this Mary is certainly aware of Citizen’s charms.

Meanwhile, trouble lurks in the form of Black Mary’s brother, Caesar. Kelvin Roston Jr. is stellar as the aptly named brutal and self-serving cop, flamboyantly drunk on the white man’s rules.

The sense of a flammable mix is always present in Aunt Ester’s household, but it is indeed a likable place. One of the first people we meet is Solly Two Kings (James A. Williams, in a wise and touching performance), rich in streetwise knowledge and a store of experience as a former runner for the Underground Railroad. Now Solly collects and sells dog droppings, a product he calls “pure,” with the unmistakable tone of a connoisseur, blithely ignoring the colorful comments of the home’s other denizens. Still, Solly tries to do what’s right, and that sense of honor pulls him out of safety and into danger once again.

Besides Black Mary, who’s ever-present, affable and engaging Eli (A.C. Smith) tends to Ester has her care-giver and confidant. He can hold forth at length on any topic necessary, and he is completely loyal, never more than a step or two from her side. It’s a role Smith has done before at Goodman, and plays him as a comforting bear, albeit one who can’t prevent trouble that keeps on coming.

“Gem of the Ocean” shows Black citizens establishing themselves in a North that didn’t necessarily want them, and that struggled to contain them. The playwright wasn’t born into this neighborhood until 1945, but he was born to tell this story.

Read More