In case he needed it, Mitchell Trubisky will have all the motivation he could ask for in the 2020 season.
As the Chicago Bears move towards the start of the 2020 season, Mitchell Trubisky, their incumbent quarterback will be looking to re-establish himself as a franchise quarterback, which is something he hasn’t been thought of for quite some time. In doing so, he will have all the motivation he could possibly want to drive him back to where he wants to be.
First, let me begin by saying that I like Mitch, and really, how could you not? Off the field, he is everything you want your franchise quarterback to be. He’s a tremendous teammate and a hard worker who lives and breathes football. He stays out of trouble, is involved in the community, and wants nothing more than to bring a Super Bowl back to Chicago.
However, it’s his performance on the field that has created doubt about his ability to accomplish that goal and led to a steep divide amongst Bears fans. While there are those, like myself, who love Mitch the person and want him to succeed, but have enormous reservations about Mitch the player, there are far more fans who fall into one of two categories: “Trubisky Truthers” or “Trubisky Haters.”
If you don’t believe me, you need only cruise through Twitter for a few minutes and look at the chatter about Mitch.
#Bears fans… Are you rooting for Mitch Trubisky to WIN the open QB competition?
Don’t believe me? Then take a look at a recent poll posted by ESPN’s Waddle and Silvy. The question was simple — are you rooting for Mitch Trubisky to win the open QB competition. Note, it didn’t ask if you “think” he will win, but simply are you “rooting” for him to do so. So who would actively root against the kid? Well, apparently 48.9 percent of fans. The number was shocking to me. Again, do I have confidence he will win it? No. But am I rooting for him to do so? Of course, because that is the best-case scenario for the franchise.
If knowing fifty percent of the fan base wants you to fail isn’t motivation enough, Mitch will also have substantial, financial motivation to play well in 2020. Look, the Bears can say what they want publicly, but the fact that they haven’t picked up his fifth-year option, at a cost of $24 million, speaks volumes. It would be a complete shock if the Bears did so by the May deadline. Therefore, Mitch likely isn’t only playing for his job, but for his next contract as well.
Finally, there’s the motivation that comes with the feeling that you’ve been snubbed by the very organization that drafted you. Pursuing, and ultimately trading for Nick Foles, was necessary. This is a business, and Ryan Pace knows his job is in jeopardy if the team doesn’t produce next year. However, that doesn’t mean it stings Mitch any less that the team who once touted him as the future is already looking for an escape plan.
Whether it’s a slight from the fans, being snubbed by his own team, or financial stability, Mitch will have no shortage of motivating factors to get him going next year. Whether he can remains to be seen, but we should all be rooting for him to succeed.
As Anthony Rizzo enters his age 31 season for the ChicagoCubs, is there legitimate concern for a dropoff in production?
It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Chicago Cubs were acquiring Anthony Rizzo from the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitching prospect Andrew Cashner. The Cubs were coming off several years of stability at first base in Derrek Lee, but after one year of Carlos Pena and a short stint of Bryan LaHair, it was obvious that a long-term upgrade was needed at the position.
Rizzo batted just .141 in 49 games with the Padres during the 2014 season, and that was enough for the Friars to move him for pitching help. To the Cubs’ benefit, Rizzo led the north siders out of the dark ages, breaking out in 2014 with a .286/.386/.527 line to go along with 32 home runs and 78 RBI in the first of three consecutive All-Star selections.
He’s been the model of consistency for the Cubs while being an instrumental piece in helping the team win their first World Series title since 1908. Now 30 years old, Rizzo is coming off one of his best seasons, offensively, slashing .293/.405/.520 with 27 home runs and 94 RBI (137 OPS+).
Rizzo is also entering the first of two club options that were included in his team-friendly seven-year, $41 million deal. While an extension would seem like a foregone conclusion, the Cubs were reportedly not going to discuss one with Rizzo during the offseason. That doesn’t mean he is gone after the 2021 season, but it’s certainly odd to not, at least, have the conversation.
Let’s look at several examples around the majors to discern if a potential dropoff is coming.
EDMONTON, AB – NOVEMBER 25: Patrick Sharp #10 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Rexall Place on November 25, 2013 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
The ChicagoBlackhawks have had legendary players in the mix for a lot of their recent years but where does Patrick Sharp stack up?
The Chicago Blackhawks were an elite team for ten years. It very well might go down as the greatest stretch in the history of the franchise. It is also one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the National Hockey League. They also had to do it in the salary cap era which makes it even more impressive. The fact that a player like Patrick Sharp was their sixth-best player says a lot about how good they were.
Sharp was a brilliant NHL player and was extra special in his year with Chicago. He spent the first two years and change with the Philadelphia Flyers. They traded him to Chicago 22 games into his 2005-06 season. He played in 749 games for the Blackhawks and scored 249 goals and had 283 assists for 532 points. It was a brilliant trade for Chicago as he was a key piece to their three-time championship core.
In addition to his brilliant offensive numbers, he was a very good defensive winger. He had the luxury of playing with Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews at times who are some of the greatest defensive forwards of all time. Even when Sharp was on the ice with Patrick Kane he was very good defensively. A lot of the time, it allowed Kane to do his thing and Sharp was the beneficiary of it. He was given votes for the Selke Trophy throughout his career for that reason.
With a setup man like Kane or Toews, it was easy for Sharp to find himself with the puck in high danger scoring areas. He had a very good shot and could score goals from many different places on the ice. Patrick Sharp was a 30 goal scorer on multiple occasions which is why he scored 287 of them in total. He also had 42 playoff goals in 117 playoff games which went a long way in five very deep playoff runs.
As mentioned before, Sharp was very good with and without the puck. His 54.7 CorsiFor suggests that when he was on the ice, the Hawks had significantly more possession than their opponents at even strength. When a winger like that is as responsible in his own end as he is in the attacking end, it does wonders for a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations.
Sharp was traded to the Dallas Stars after winning the 2015 Stanley Cup. He spent two seasons with them where he played okay when playing with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Then, he signed a one year contract to play his final year with the Blackhawks again. He only had 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in those final 70 games with Chicago. After 15 great years in the National Hockey League, he decided to hang them up.
Sharp should be remembered as one of the great players from this Blackhawks generation. There is a chance that he has the honor of seeing his number 10 hang from the ceiling of the United Center someday. Either way, Sharp was brilliant for Chicago in both the regular season and the playoffs in his career.
While many bars, restaurants, and businesses are closed in the city due to coronoavirus, some businesses are still up and running. A few Chicago dispensaries are still open for business for recreational patients with curbside pickup. As the new virus spreads and continues to affect us, newly opened dispensaries have had to figure out how to adjust their operations, which for some means no recreational sales. Lucky for us, there are still a few open to the general public.
MedMen
MedMen still has its doors open but is encouraging customers to order online so they can do express pick-ups and deliveries when available. They have designated hours for minimal contact among customers as their delivery has been delayed due to the volume of orders. Their employees are taking extra safety cautions like washing their hands multiple times throughout the workday, using hand sanitizer frequently and are cleaning and disinfecting all frequently touched surfaces at the store. MedMen is also using its best judgment with social distancing within stores and are ensuring a 6-foot distance is maintained among all employees while helping customers maintain this distance as well.
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Sunnyside
Not only does Sunnyside have special hours for those with heightened health risks, but they’ve also expanded their hours to best meet the needs of all their consumers. That said, adult-use customers are limited to online ordering and pick up, unless they meet the special hours criteria of those with a heightened health risk, essentially 55+ adults. Medical customers are welcome to order online or walk in during all open hours.
Verilife
Verilife is also keeping its doors open at this time but they are doing their recreational sales by appointment only. They are operating at their regular hours and are encouraging anyone exhibiting symptoms to stay at home. To follow the CDC’s guidelines and recommendations, they are ensuring that there is adequate distance between people waiting in line inside at the dispensaries. Unfortunately, there is no delivery for recreational users but you shouldn’t have a problem making an appointment to pick up.
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Hopefully, these dispensaries are able to continue to keep their doors open throughout this confusing time but are ensuring customers that they are constantly reevaluating and will make changes if necessary.
Rhea and Rava are friendly, but wiggly, six-month old sister Dumbo Rats looking for a loving guardian.
These girls are handleable, love to snuggle with each other, and try new foods.
They eat rat blocks as their main diet, but enjoy bites of orange, tomatoes and other healthy treats.
They love to run around while supervised and typically run back to the cage to go the bathroom. They are gentle and have never bitten anyone, but they are wiggly at times.
They do like to run around, dig and chew so they need to be watched when let out of their cage.
Due to current social distancing during the pandemic, we are conducting adoptions by handling adoption donations electronically, and leaving pets to be picked up upon appointment.
Unfortunately, at this time, there’s no opportunity to meet and greet pets prior to adoption.
The two girls, their cage and supplies are available for an adoption donation of $75 to the Friends of Petraits Rescue. If you only want the rats and not their supplies, they are available for an adoption fee of $35.
They are currently being fostered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. To adopt Rhea and Rava, please contact [email protected].
I’ve been issuing weekly updates on the impact of the coronavirus nightmare on the Chicago real estate market prior to today but I’m now due for my monthly update so I’ll just weave the two together. March is the first month where we can start to see how these unusual circumstances are affecting the market. Of course, the stay at home order was not issued until March 20 so the impact is not reflected for the entire month. However, even before the order was announced people started to retrench into the security of their own homes.
Check out my monthly sales graph below with all the March data points flagged in red and a 12 month moving average in light blue. Looking at just sales you might not see an impact because anything that closed during March was well on its way to closing before things started to get scary. March closings actually rose 2.8% over last year but that was still weaker than 4 of the past 5 years. When the Illinois Association of Realtors reports their numbers in a couple of weeks they will incorrectly state that closings were only 1.0% higher than last year.
Chicago home sales have been declining now for several years
Chicago Home Contract Activity
The real impact of the coronavirus situation is seen in the earlier stage of transactions – contracts written – and they fell off a cliff in March, even though the impact was limited to the last half of the month. You can immediately see how bad it is in the graph below, which shows my estimate of a 28.3% decline from last year. First, this is the lowest level of contract activity in 9 years. Second, it’s the biggest percentage drop since April 2011. This does not bode well for sales in the next couple of months.
If we look at just the week ending March 28 we see a 43% decline in detached contracts written and a 50% decline for attached homes. So that gives you some idea of what April might look like.
After a strong February Chicago home sale contract activity plummeted in March due to Coronavirus concerns.
Pending Home Sales
Now, with the much lower level of contracts written and with a lot of stories of deals falling apart I really expected to see a huge decline in pending home sales. However, as you can see in the graph below, the decline does not look that much greater than what we’ve seen in recent years. Pending homes sales were only down 339 units from last year. But if you look at the graph closely you will see that we had actually been running flat compared to last year (based on the moving average) until March came along.
The backlog of homes likely to close in the next 1 – 2 months fell yet again in march
Distressed Home Sales
Of course, distressed home sales as a percentage of all home sales continued to decline, hitting 4.7%, down from 8.4% last year. What’s odd though is that the decline seems to be greater than other recent declines. Not sure why that would happen. I might have expected that to happen down the road a bit as the lenders hold off on completing foreclosures in the middle of a pandemic.
Since the housing crisis the percentage of home sales that are distressed has steadily declined.
Chicago Home Inventory
The inventory of homes for sale continued to decline in March, hitting a 3.7 month supply of attached homes for sale, compared to 4.0 months last year. However, the bottom dropped out of detached homes for sale which plummeted from a 3.9 month supply last year to only a 3.0 month supply this year.
Listing activity is definitely dying down – partly because potential sellers don’t want strangers delivering viruses to them and partly because they believe the market is soft. For the week ending March 28 the number of new attached listings declined by 55% while the number of new detached listings declined by 48%.
There’s actually a lot more nuance to this story than I want to cover here right now so I might follow up with another post later this week. To give you a preview you can’t just look at the number of units for sale and you have to be careful how you calculate months of supply.
Chicago Home Sale Market Times
There was not a clear pattern in how long it took to sell a home that closed in March. Attached homes that sold took slightly longer than last year – 104 days vs. 96 days last year – continuing the trend that is evident in the graph below. But detached homes actually sold faster: 106 days vs. 111 last year. So it was a mixed bag.
Gary Lucido is the President of Lucid Realty, the Chicago area’s full service real estate brokerage that offers home buyer rebates and discount commissions. If you want to keep up to date on the Chicago real estate market or get an insider’s view of the seamy underbelly of the real estate industry you can Subscribe to Getting Real by Email using the form below. Please be sure to verify your email address when you receive the verification notice.
After 20 years in the corporate world and running an Internet company, Gary started Lucid Realty with his partner, Sari. The company provides full service, while discounting commissions for sellers and giving buyers rebates.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot made this proclamation after it was revealed that she had had her hair cut without a mask when beauty salons had been closed because of the coronavirus panic-demic.
She’s the mayor and represents the city and she has to look the part, she explained:
I’m in the public every day. And candidly, my hair was not looking the way it did. I thought maybe I’d do it myself, but I knew that would be disaster.
But as she explained in a public service announcement, “Getting your roots done is not essential.”
I beg to differ. Getting your roots done is quite essential. It’s fundamental.Foundational. Two-tone went out with the two-tone cars of the 1950s. Two-tone proclaims to the world all kinds of messages, none of which are terrific. Two-tone, especially if let to grow throughout the shutdown for weeks, even months, will look laughable, if not scary.
So, ladies, it is this one man’s opinion: Do your roots.
Just a quick list for today. My mind has been going through my mental Rolodex and I have hit upon my Top 10 songs for the COVID 19 homebound.
Ten Songs For Those Alone At Home
10. Stuck in the Middle With You. Stealers Wheel. A song to sing to the empty chairs on your left and right.
9. The World Outside. The Four Aces. As you gaze out your window and yearn for an end to social distancing.
8. Every Breath You Take. The Police. It’s good you are breathing, just don’t exhale in my direction.
7. I Saw Her Standing There. The Beatles. But I stayed six feet away and she turned and walked away.
6. One Man’s Ceiling is Another Man’s Floor. Paul Simon. And that thin layer of floorboard and carpeting may be all that’s keeping you safe.
5. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Les Misérables. This isn’t the first time we have been all alone.
4. Rocket Man. Elton John. If I am going to be alone, get me up, up, and away.
3. The End. The Doors. Keep your hopes up, this too will end and we will be together.
2. The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle. The Wellingtons. When you feel like you are all alone on a desert island, just remember that the Harlem Globetrotters could show up any day.
1. Alone Again (Naturally). Gilbert O’Sullivan. Naturally.
I am sure there are many more. Send ’em in. We are all in this together.
And don’t miss our COVID Haiku–They have traveled around the world.
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Hi! I am Les, a practicing pathologist living in the North Suburbs and commuting every day to the Western ones. I have lived my entire life in the Chicago area, and have a pretty good feel for the place, its attractions, culture, restaurants and teams. My wife and I are empty-nesters with two adult children and a grandchild. We recently decided to downsize, but just a bit! I will be telling the story of the construction of our new home, but also writing about whatever gets me going on a particular day. Be sure to check out the “About” page to learn more about where we plan to go with this blog!
With the coronavirus pandemic pandemonium going on, it’s easy to forget the other important things and people in our lives. For example, April is Autism Awareness Month! Unfortunately, schools and other centers are closed that would otherwise promote autism awareness throughout the month because of the virus, and rightly so.
Meanwhile, for those who don’t know, autism awareness is so important. Autism is a developmental disorder where there are different spectrum levels; meaning you can’t put all autistic people in one box. One great example is the movie Rain Man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. I, too, was guilty that all autistic people was like the role being played by Dustin Hoffman.
In this film, Cruise was the selfish younger brother forced to take care of older brother Hoffman, who had autism, if he wanted to partake in his millions. In the end, Cruise discovered that it took patience and care dealing with someone with autism. He developed love for a brother he didn’t know he had, let alone had autism.
I wouldn’t have known about autism unless my oldest son’s preschool teacher suggested that he get evaluated by a therapist. I’m glad that I did because I was able to get him the proper placement. I thought that if I put him in a class with other children who are talking that he would do the same, but that wasn’t the case. I noticed similar behavior in my youngest son and automatically knew what to do.
As mentioned, you can’t put all autistic people in the same box. My sons are different as night and day; not because of their five-year age gap but their personality. I jokingly call them Prince William and Prince Harry. My oldest is soft spoken like William and my youngest is aggressive like Harry. They’re both in their 20s but they’re still babies to me!
They both have come a long way but the most important thing to know about autism (especially to keep from getting frustrated) is to know that there are periods of regression. There are seasons when things are calm and just when you think you’ve made a breakthrough, they go backward into the behavior you thought they’ve conquered.
For more information about autism, contact your local organization by zip code or via Google for a broader search.
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I’m an author and playwright of urban fiction, a mom of two boys with autism, and have lupus. I lived my formative years in the Cabrini-Green Housing Projects. I have an article about my thoughts of the demise of Cabrini-Green on Page Four of the Chicago RedEye titled “Eyesore yes, but public housing was our home” (April 2010) and a lupus article titled “Butterfly is more than some ink on my leg” (May 2010).
This question is a pinnacle part of a Passover Seder (ritual/festive meal) asked by the youngest in attendance. Typically it’s followed by a lengthy answer, telling the tale of plagues and exile, then freedom. This year, the answer seems much simpler: Because the world changed and our Passover, and our Easter, will be like no other.
With stay-at-home orders in most states and people quarantined everywhere from lavish homes, high-rises, rural towns and farms to urban and suburban abodes, lately it seems that this night/day isn’t different at all. It’s the same as we learn and live – and fight! – day to day to flatten the curve, save lives and rid our population of Covid-19.
Yet tomorrow night as millions of Jews around the world usher in Passover and later this weekend millions more usher in Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we have to acknowledge that these holidays are different than others, and we have to allow ourselves to feel.
My first thought was that we must allow ourselves to mourn the loss of tradition this year, the loss of what so many of us know and love about these holidays with our families, our rituals, our foods. I’ve recognized that I’m feeling a loss of what I know this holiday to be, while hoping to create an indelible memory with my kids and extended Zoom family that will bring joy and fill our hearts. The funny thing for me is that Passover is, by far, my least favorite holiday – so much prep work, don’t love the food, and it just doesn’t excite me most of the time. But the Seders bring me joy because I love being with family and friends – generations of cousins, incredible sets of grandparents whose suns and moons rise around their grandchildren, and sometimes unique Seders with friends and new traditions. So the fact that I’m feeling sad surprises me a little.
But I’m letting myself feel. We must allow ourselves that in these trying times.
I mentioned my first thought was allowing ourselves to mourn. But I had a second thought earlier today when I chatted with a lifelong friend who, frankly, busts her ass year after year, back-to-back nights to prep her home, cook for 30-something people each night, and do the clean-up, to boot. And now that we’re forced to isolate, she’s feeling lightness, less pressure, relieved that she can focus on trying to work from home, parent and keep her sanity while creating a sweet space for her nuclear family to recognize the holiday.
She has to let herself feel. We must allow ourselves that in these trying times.
So whether your Zoom Seders, virtual Good Friday or Easter services go off without a hitch or don’t go off at all, take this holiday-focused, reflective time to love yourself, care for your family, and feel.
I would, of course, encourage gratitude. Find the silver linings: less cooking, less clean-up, no need for shoes, let alone make-up, undivided attention to your nuclear family and technology that lets us still share some moments and tend to those we love who may be isolated, to rattle off a few.
And four cups of Passover wine, and Easter candy!
We will all feel things in the coming week. Whatever those feelings are, please own them, acknowledge them, embrace them and be kind to yourself. Your Seder may be a bust. The Easter Bunny may be a no-show. But the spring is here, both holidays mark that. And maybe that means an awakening, a new beginning?
I can’t answer that question but I do hope it aligns with Passover’s theme of freedom.
To you and yours, happy holidays. Stay home. Stay safe. Stay grateful.
Please follow Grateful Girl on Facebook. My blogs here may be few and far between, though I hope they resonate. I post often on the Facebook page to help inspire and connect gratitude to my life and yours.
I’m a Detroiter turned Chicagoan who loves University of Michigan football (GO BLUE!), hanging with her school-aged kiddos and hubby, writing, organizing, helping at school and launching new passion projects, including this blog!
I’d be remiss not to boast about the two kids’ books I’ve published — Crazy Hair teaches kids to be confident and recognize differences, and It’s Just a Potato teaches kids to be brave in trying new foods! You need signed and dedicated copies, so message me to get copies or check them out on Amazon.
Glad you’re reading Grateful Girl — I hope you find gratitude today!
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