Yes, it’s spring again, and the sky is soft and gray. Crocuses are blooming. The pussy willows are opening, the same color as the sky.
This morning, I went to get milk at the Walgreens at Roosevelt and Ridgeland in south Oak Park. There was a big delivery truck full of stuff, but no one knows what’s on it. Milk? Rubbing alcohol? This is how we live now, and every day is different.
Some businesses are laying off workers. Some shops are forced to close, for now. The Jewel is hiring—apply online or at the Customer Service desk.
Later in the afternoon, I walked back to Walgreens. The parking lot was packed! There were lines of people at all the registers. Limit 2 on paper products. No one was buying Easter candy, yet. There was no milk, today. Tomorrow, who knows. I’ll be back.
March is unpredictable, anyway. There may be snow on Sunday. But today, clouds give way to sun. Kids are playing basketball in the alley. There are buds on the branches, but no baseball on the radio. Remember baseball? Here’s a post on baseball, and opening day.
But we are learning how to live here now—-in this changing weather, Spring and all that is. There is such beauty in this world–tough and resilient and audacious–the crocuses, the daffodils, the chirping sparrows, the first green leaves. Buds are swelling on the lilacs and magnolias.
I am originally a country girl from downstate Illinois. I was a Chicago girl in Rogers Park by the Lake. Now I live in Oak Park, by the Blue Line and the Congress Expressway. I write about the weather and other things.
I hope you enjoy and join in these observations. Welcome to Chicago Weather Watch!
When things stand out to me, I spend most of my day thinking and trying to understand why it happened the way that it did, At my foundation, I believe that everything happens for a reason. Some things don’t make sense at the time, but at some point later in life, in reflection, I seem to find a connection, Is that the same for you?
Well I have certainly been stumped a time or two, but this “RONA” has me scratching my head.Those who know me, know that I ALWAYS have something to say, but I don’t always say it. I wait until the time feels right for me. It feels like the right time to talk about Ms. RONA.
I am not a scientist – but I observe and research things to share my findings.
I am not a doctor – but I diagnose problems in my head.
I am not a preacher – but I have a message.
When it comes to “Rona” (as labeled by social media), also known as Coronavirus or COVID-19, I have had many thoughts, ideas and possibly suggestions.
I don’t think any of us have answers, but most of us are reflecting quietly and in our small groups.
We can focus on the problem or focus on the solution. The outcome from this seemingly insignificant mindset shift will be dramatically different.
I know that I am not the only one wondering, “How could this happen to US?” but WHAT IF we, for this moment not focus on the how, but focus on the what if…
What if…
WE, the global WE needed to slow down. WE, the world WE. Maybe things were moving too fast and we were about to CRASH. Despite best efforts, no one could redirect us make us stop and WE were out of control.
YOU needed to “RE-ORG” your life? You knew this already but you never had time to do it because you had work, you had play, you had this event and that event and this…and that.
YOU needed to spend more time with your family? Despite your best intentions, you always had other demands on your time. You had this meeting, that meeting, this thing, that thing.
YOU needed to spend time with YOURSELF to think and reflect about your life’s journey, where you came from, where you are now, where you are going and how the heck are you going to get there.
YOU needed to learn to APPRECIATE what you have and realize that you don’t NEED anything else.
YOU needed a reminder to be GRATEFUL for your life, your health, your job, your family and friends.
YOU needed to stop being SELFISH and to think about others for a change.
YOU needed to realize that PEOPLE really do matter and you can’t make it alone.
YOU needed to understand that you really don’t have the POWER and CONTROL that you thought you had.
Have you ever heard it said that something really bad has to happen to get people’s attention?
What if everything that is happening now is what was needed to make US open our eyes to what is really important in life? What if we had to go through this to get back to caring about each other, valuing differences, treating people the right way, making time for our loved ones, reconnecting, spending quality time, getting our lives in order, appreciating what we have, realizing what we NEED or maybe just revisiting the very foundation of our existence as humans. Rethinking our values, morals, rules or maybe it was just to remember to wash our hands, cover our cough, be careful what we touch…
Everyone won’t get it, but let’s suppose that we came out of this with:
a renewed spirit
a realization of how important people are to our lives
real conversations, that matter
re-connection with estranged friends/family
a clean closet
an organized brain
time to write a book that we’ve wanted to write for years
a chance to listen to someone who has been trying to talk
a new focus on health and wellness
whatever you needed to learn
What if we center ourselves, get focused, rest up, catch up, prepare for what will come next? Let’s try to stay positive and do our part in helping to solve the problem. While we are in it, let’s work on ourselves in a way that can help others. …AND maybe, I’m just ranting and none of what I said means anything to anyone. However, if the outcome is good and one person learns from it then it was time well spent.
La June was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She has always held writing close to her heart. She unleashed some of the voices in her head with her first published work, Karma-Candy Ain’t Always Sweet (Urban Fiction). She also compiled, One Day A Butterfly Kissed Me, a compilation of inspirational quotes. La June began writing at the age of nine when she created her first book of poetry with a simple black pen and composition book technology. She is a walking storybook. She is an avid blogger with many amazing stories waiting to be released.
As our country deals with the Coronavirus and its consequences, a time of crisis, among other things, will no doubt reveal who we really are. Try as we might to write it off as instinct, but what really gets revealed in a crisis is character. Character reveals who we are for better or worse. Thomas Paine’s famous quote perhaps says it best. “These are the times that try men’s souls.” During a time of crisis such as the Coronavirus, it’s not just a time of anxiety and worries but it affords us a chance, an opportunity, to choose well or badly. In the last week, while grocery shopping I have witnessed both behaviors. I have been jostled, pushed, yelled at and also I have witnessed the opposite behavior; kindness, compassion, a friendly smile, and a kind word. Someone dead set on getting 20 rolls of toilet paper, scores of hand sanitizer, and disinfection towels, was not worth the hassle to stand my ground. I’ll live to shop another day. Fights did break out.
`
If you were to write the word “Crisis”`in Chinese it is composed of two distinct characters, one represents danger the other represents opportunity. Chicago’s last Mayor Rahm Emanuel once was quoted as saying “YOU NEVER LET A SERIOUS CRISIS GO TO WASTE.” A perfect example of the double meaning of CRISIS — some folks see danger and some see opportunity. Before the danger of the Coronavirus is even neutralized, and the many victims it leaves in its wake are still fresh, lots of people are seeing opportunity.
The thinking is any kind of crisis can be good, shaping new ideas and spawning new opportunities that we have suddenly been subjected too while avoiding danger. Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot have asked for unprecedented measures to try and stem the onslaught of a fast-moving killer virus. Stay at home, stay 6 feet from each other, just essential movement and groupings, sensible measures to try and save lives and keep people from being sick. Certainly, two leaders that have not given OPPORTUNITY a second thought, saving lives and keeping people from being sick is the sole focus.
Dante says the darkest places in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in times of a moral crisis. Believe me, I’m no Dante but in my opinion that hell should include those who are second-guessing the life-saving strategies of our leaders, constantly looking for someone or something to blame and ignoring basic decency. Hoarders during a crisis such as a Coronavirus virus are not to be confused with “PREPPERS” who stockpile life-extending goods, such as water, storable food, plants and seeds and YES! weapons and ammunition, simply because if it ever came time for it, others would seize their property.
As soon as the pandemic was announced and America was being attacked by the virus, we saw first-hand thousands of people immediately heading to the stores stockpiling toilet paper(still trying to figure that one out) water, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes, basic groceries such as eggs, pasta, bleach, and many other items that we routinely put into our shopping baskets, were immediately impossible to buy because the hoarders got there first.
Above is a photo of Chicago’s Magnificant mile. A Saturday morning, usually bustling with thousands of shoppers and tourists. Many stores resorting to boarding windows as a precaution to prevent “ALTERNATE SHOPPERS” A new way to describe looters and smash and grabbers. Tonight an entire city will be tested when the stay at home order by the Governor goes into effect. Will we respond with a sense of decency and civic pride or will we see opportunists and bad behavior by those who ignore the danger for selfish gratification.
Bob Angone is a Marine VETERAN and a retired Chicago Police Lieutenant. He worked his entire Career covering the streets of Chicago as a Tactical Officer, Tactical Sergeant, and Tactical Lieutenant. His last assignments were in special Functions, he was the C/O of the CPD Swat teams his last five years and was an HBT (Hostage Barricade Terrorist) Sergeant for 10 years.
MESA, Ariz. — Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez and the team’s young bullpen catcher, Mike Borzello, were in the middle of New York City on that sunny Tuesday morning that turned to smoke and horror in an instant.
“In a half-hour, our lives changed,” said Borzello, now the catching and run-prevention strategist on the Cubs’ coaching staff.
“The buildings come down. We’re trapped in Manhattan. We don’t know if we’re getting attacked.”
When baseball shut down last week because of the coronavirus pandemic — along with every other major professional sports league and the NCAA — that was one of the first flashes through Borzello’s emotions: the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
“But that was a different feeling, obviously, than this,” he said as he spoke through a fence one morning this week, standing a safe distance of 8-10 feet away, at an otherwise quiet spring-training facility.
“This is more panic,” he said of the overall public response to the COVID-19 crisis that has shut down schools, businesses and even public beaches across the country in the last 10 days.
“This is more of a gradual understanding of what we’re dealing with — we’re still not sure to an extent. The question about 9/11 at the moment was, ‘Are we being attacked?’ Once we got past that, it was a moment. This is a slow burn right now.”
In fact, the Sept. 11 attacks shut down baseball for only a week, and the season was extended to allow the full schedule to be completed before starting a postseason in which Borzello’s Yankees reached the World Series.
By the time the Yankees played Game 3 in New York, their first home game in that series, president George W. Bush received a deafening ovation as he took the mound for the ceremonial first pitch and delivered a strike in what might have been the emotional peak of a dramatic seven-game series.
Now, only the silence is deafening across spring-training diamonds in Florida and Arizona during what was to be the final weekend of exhibition games before teams broke camp for season openers this week.
“It’s pretty quiet,” said center fielder Ian Happ, one of maybe 20 players still using the Cubs’ facility to work out and stay ready for a season nobody can be sure will be played.
“Has this happened before? Has this ever happened, where the season was about to start and then it gets postponed?” left fielder Kyle Schwarber said during a conversation a few days ago about the “limbo” players and teams are facing.
It hasn’t, other than the labor stoppages Schwarber already knew about.
In fact, since the longest-running major team-sports league in the U.S. began its current American League-National League configuration in 1901, the shortest season played was the strike season of 1981, when three teams played 103 games each (the Giants played 111).
Even the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-20, which killed more than 600,000 Americans, did not cause a baseball stoppage, although the 1918 and 1919 seasons were shortened after a directive from the U.S. Secretary of War during World War I regarding the activity of would-be soldiers.
Teams lost between 23 and 31 games because of the early end to the 1918 season.
The twice-delayed 2020 season already has wiped out more than 40 games from the front end of the schedule based on the most recent postponement lasting until mid-May.
Locked-down Cubs camp
Nobody seems to expect baseball to resume by then. And even if it did, players say they’ve been told to expect three to four weeks of spring-like prep time to ramp up for rescheduled openers.
That means at least mid-June, maybe July. And making up that much lost time on the back end is impossible without daily doubleheaders and/or a warm-weather (or domed) neutral-site postseason.
“That’s on the table, I’m sure, more doubleheaders,” Cubs reliever Brandon Morrow said. “I’ve heard [a proposal] of just playing a bunch of doubleheaders and expanding the roster so you could carry three or four extra pitchers.”
Of course, nobody can know.
“It’s unprecedented,” infielder David Bote said.
Said Happ, a Cubs union rep who gets regular updates from the union’s constant talks with MLB: “It’s a lot of guesswork right now.”
That’s just the baseball part, the part that involves the eerie silence of the sports world.
“It’s hard to even fast-forward to next week and understand where our country’s going to be at that point,” Borzello said. “It’s hard to even think about a season at all.”
Borzello just moved to Arizona from the Los Angeles area this offseason. He’s showing up at the complex to offer whatever he can, mostly working with pitchers during informal work.
Morrow also lives in Arizona, making the complex an easy commute and a comparative safe zone. Happ is staying with friends and not bound by a lease. Bote just extended his spring rental agreement through April to buy time to learn more before making a longer-term decision.
Anthony Rizzo doesn’t want to fly 5 1/2 hours home to Florida only to find out he has to be back in Arizona in a few weeks. Yu Darvish has a home in the Phoenix area, and his wife and kids are with him.
So they stay. For now.
But top executives have left the complex. Manager David Ross stayed in town with his kids until Thursday, when he stopped by the complex to drop off some equipment before heading to the airport.
Kyle Hendricks and Darvish play catch Tuesday at Cubs’ locked-down complex in Mesa.
“There’s more and more people leaving every day as this evolves,” said Morrow, who estimated 35 of the 39 players still on the big-league spring roster were in camp the first day or two of the shutdown. “But then each day there were two or three guys packing their bags.”
Even inside the recently deep-cleaned workout facility, the few still at work are taking social-distancing precautions and wearing latex gloves under their batting and fielding gloves. There is a 10-person limit in the enormous team weight room.
It’s not lost on Borzello and many of the players that sports often provide an escape for fans’ real-life difficulties and hardships — “even for people who play sports,” Schwarber said.”
“After 9/11, baseball became the campfire everyone got around to get their mind off of all the tragedy and horror that happened,” Borzello said.
Similarly, president Franklin Roosevelt in January 1942 urged MLB to play its season for the morale of a country at war again.
“The good thing about our sport,” Schwarber said, “is it sounds like they’re still going to let us play, eventually.”
Even if the battle lines of this war do not seem as clear.
“This might be the most united that the world’s ever been,” Borzello said. “We all have the same enemy.”
It almost felt like a time warp last month as Kendrick Nunn strolled through Simeon’s locker-lined corridors and past the trophy case, where the nets he helped cut down are draped over the four pieces of hardware he helped win.
He can’t believe how much time has passed.
“It doesn’t even feel like 10 years to be honest,” Nunn told the Sun-Times in a phone interview this week. “Maybe like five, but not 10.”
Nunn, a budding NBA rookie this season, was by no means a star on Simeon’s 2009-10 team, which won the Wolverine’s first of four consecutive Class 4A state titles. He was more so a role player, stepping in when needed. The same goes for his buddy and fellow freshman that season, Jabari Parker.
No, the star of the first team, who might get overlooked now, is Brandon Spearman, who was one of only two seniors at the time.
And Parker made sure to emphasize the impact Spearman had on him and the team that season.
“To be honest with you, Brandon Spearman, he carried us that whole year,” Parker said. “He played the majority of minutes and we were just there just to try to help him because he carried us so much and that trophy definitely go to him.”
In Nunn and Parker’s first season, the two teenagers were still growing into their own. Nunn was as slim as a toothpick, but had already exhibited an elite level of athleticism. Parker was pudgy and tall, but the raw talent was undeniable.
Spearman, who has known the two guys since childhood, took on a leadership role on the team.
Still, Simeon struggled for most of that season. The Wolverines couldn’t find cohesion and lost nine games that season. Coach Rob Smith called it the “was the worst season I’ve ever had record-wise.”
“It didn’t seem like we could do it,” Smith said of winning the state title. “We thought we had the personnel to do it but we just didn’t think Jabari and Kendrick were old enough to help us push over at the time.”
That was until Simeon met up with Benet in super sectionals.
Down three with only seconds remaining, Parker grabbed the rebound and passed it to Spearman who took a deep off-balanced shot at the buzzer. He made it and sent the game into overtime. Then, Spearman hit two free throws to send the game into double overtime.
Brandon Spearman carried Simeon on his back all the way to a state title.Sun-Times Media
Simeon ultimately won, 55-50, in what was arguably the biggest defining moment of the season.
After another close win against O’Fallon in the semifinals, Simeon was set to go against Young, who was arguably the best team in the state all season.
“We knew that Whitney Young was so far ahead of us, they had a great team, they had a group of guys who were returning, they were the defending champs,” Parker said. “[At first, we] were just trying to figure out, ‘OK, how do we play against them?’ But that [Benet] game was really the preparation for that. And as soon as we got to the championship, it was like, ‘OK, it’s a whole different team that they’re going to face and we have the confidence to play them.'”
Simeon knocked off Young 51-36 for the first Class 4A title. From there, the Wolverines went on to be unstoppable over the next three years.
“They were the No. 1 team,” said former Warren coach Chuck Ramsey, whose team lost to Simeon in the 2011 Class 4A title game. “They just kept putting championship teams together.”
Simeon ultimately had the most dominant eight-year run in IHSA basketball history. During that time, the Wolverines won three Public League titles and a record-tying six titles — two of each came in the latter half of Derrick Rose’s tenure.
“They were the gold standard,” Ramsey said. “They were what everyone was aspiring to be and to do what they did.”
That run led by Parker and Nunn only further cemented Simeon’s legacy as a Public League powerhouse.
“It just put a stamp on it,” Nunn said. “No other schools are doing that. It definitely put a stamp on Simeon and let them know what we’re about. And that’s forever.”
“It actually took us to another level,” Smith said. “We were on the map pretty much with Derrick and those guys — and of course Ben [Wilson] — but with Jabari and Kendrick it kind of took us over to make us a national program.”
And that’s not an exaggeration.
Parker and Nunn developed a reputation as Batman and Robin. They were a dual threat in Simeon’s stacked lineup. They were also best friends. During the summer, they could be spotted in Parker’s driveway, matching up one-on-one over and over and over again.
Some New Trier fans get their photo taken with Simeon’s Jabari Parker after their team’s loss in the IHSA Class 4A super sectional at Chicago State University in 2013.Sun-Times Media
By the 2012-13 season, Parker was a household name. He was also the consensus No. 1 prep player in the country before a foot injury temporarily sidelined him. Simeon started that season as ESPN’s top high school team in the nation.
The Wolverines were rockstars in the prep world. They traveled more than an AAU basketball team. It wasn’t unusual for fans in the stands to ask players for their autographs. And at the Pontiac Holiday Basketball Tournament, Smith said the demand was so high that his team was set up in an auditorium to meet fans and sign autographs.
“It kind of just came with [the territory],” Nunn said. “It didn’t feel out of the norm, it felt normal for all of us because we were going through it, and it was awesome. We were just having fun and in the moment. So it just felt right, everything felt right.”
Simeon’s Kendrick Nunn dunks against 2013 Stevenson in the 4A championship game. Sun-Times Media
Simeon’s program is built on years of tradition and striving for greatness. Still, to this day, Smith shows his players highlights of the late Ben Wilson, a basketball phenom who was shot and killed at age 17 in 1984.
“[Smith] would play these games for us and he would show us the way, how to win, how to play the Simeon way,” Spearman recalled. “He would show us and he would tell us and he would coach us on the court very hard and let us know how he would want us to play and do things and it worked as you see.”
Simeon retired Wilson’s No. 25 jersey in 2009. But players like Nunn and Rose where his number now in honor of him.
After winning their fourth and final title, the group split up to their respective schools. Parker was Duke bound. Nunn and Jaylon Tate went to Illinois. They all embarked on their separate journeys, though they agreed they were forever bonded from their time at Simeon.
We all know the story of what happened next for Parker. After one season at Duke, he declared for the 2014 NBA draft, where he was selected second overall. Parker was destined for greatness and almost became an All-Star one season.
AP Photos
But two knee injuries sidelined him and he hasn’t been able to return to the level some believe he could’ve been. He signed a two-year, $40 million deal with his hometown team. However, his Bulls stint lasted only six months before he was traded to the Wizards.
Parker doesn’t have any ill feelings about how things have gone over the last few seasons.
“I don’t think it’s negative,” he said. “The things that happened in my life were meant to happen in my life because life is not about the road being smooth. … Everything that we’re involved with has challenges, I’m grateful for those challenges and most importantly I’m grateful that I overcame those challenges and whatever is in my life, I have to deal with.”
Meanwhile, Nunn took a very different route to the NBA.
Nunn played three seasons at Illinois before he was dismissed after accusations of domestic violence in 2016. (Nunn pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery in 2016, the Sun-Times reported at the time.) He sat out the following season due to NCAA transfer rules before playing his final year of eligibility at Oakland. He averaged 25.9 points, second in the nation to only Trae Young.
But come draft night in 2018, Nunn didn’t receive a call with good news.
“My dream was to get drafted, but at the time, I knew there was a chance I was not going to get drafted so it was a reality [of the situation],” Nunn said. “I had to accept that. So going undrafted, I just knew I was going to have to take another route.”
He signed a contract with the Warriors and spent the entire season in the G League, where he averaged 23.9 points on 47.3 percent shooting.
Looking back, Nunn believes that season might’ve been the best for the sake of his development.
“It helped my game a lot because I was playing with other professionals and my game developed and the pace of my game changed,” he said. “I kept working and kept working, learning new things.”
When the Heat signed him in April, Nunn knew he had a lot to prove. And in one year, he’s shown tremendous growth on the court. He’s third in the league among rookies in scoring, averaging 15.6 points. And last month, he appeared in the NBA’s Rising Stars game at the United Center.
Kendrick Nunn played in this year’s Rising Stars game at the United Center. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-TimesTyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
“My first year, playing back at home in Chicago, that’s huge,” Nunn said. “I mean, that’s when I really noticed how big everything was, that I’m actually here, that’s when it really hit me at All-Star and when I attended that [event].”
“It’s no coincidence,” Parker said. “Kendrick was supposed to be in this situation two years ago, three years ago, but like I say, everybody’s journey is different, it’s a part of life.
“What Kendrick has been able to do so far is the same things he’s been able to do for a long time. Like, he was a top-50 player coming out of high school, and he was one of the top players out of college, he just had some things he had to deal with and I’m just happy that he’s where he’s supposed to be and without him, I wouldn’t have made it this far — as far as like the accomplishments that I’ve gained, along with other guys, but mostly him because we were always together those four years and we played USA together and yeah, he’s definitely a person that I needed.”
They have a saying at Simeon — “FINAO” or “Failure is not an option.” The motto came from former Simeon player Saieed Ivey, who was shot and killed in Los Angeles.
It’s a constant and sometimes painful reminder that many players hold close to their hearts and incorporate into their daily lives. For example, Tate often writes #FINAO in some of his Instagram captions and Donte Ingram wore custom “FINAO” kicks during Loyola’s Final Four run in 2018.
Nunn carried on the tradition of former players making their annual (and sometimes more often than that) trips back to the birthplace of their careers.
Nunn, in town for All-Star weekend, wanted to provide a motivational boost before Simeon competed for this year’s Public League title. He also came bearing gifts: custom white slides that had “FINAO” in blue font and “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION” in yellow across the strap.
“It felt good [to be back] because that’s always something that I told myself I was gonna do,” Nunn said. “When I made it to the league, just to come back and have an impact on them.”
Nunn told them to “go on out there” and “come back with a championship.”
And in typical Simeon fashion, that’s just what the Wolverines did. They beat Morgan Park for their 10th city title.
One month later, though, the Mustangs eliminated them from state title contention one day before IHSA canceled the tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Simeon basketball is a brotherhood. And there’s a sense of pride among those who wear the uniforms and get to carry on the tradition.
“It was everything to me,” Nunn said of his time at Simeon. “We were the best in the city, we knew we were the best, we felt like the best and just representing that Simeon jersey, that felt great along that we knew that there were guys before us that were great as well, so we definitely felt a part of the family.”
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see how the Bears’ quarterback competition between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles plays out in 2021.
Sorry, did I say 2021?
I meant 2021.
Oops, there I go again. I meant 2020.
Maybe.
It gets harder by the day to believe that sports — the games, the action, the conversation pieces, the appointment TV around which many of us revolve — will return any time soon. March Madness is dead. The NBA and NHL seasons might soon be beyond the point of return. The baseball season is in grave peril.
Every day — and by that I mean, quite literally, every day — the reports, official pronouncements and speculation from doctors and scientists have gotten worse. More dire. More foreboding. More disquieting and depressing.
The coronavirus pandemic abounds with unsympathetic alacrity. We all know it’s bigger than a sports problem, but what if?
What if all of the above sports are wiped out in 2020, and football is, too?
No less of an authority on pandemics than President Donald Trump says the United States could be wrangling with the outbreak through July or August. And if we can’t trust the word of the all-knowing Donald, whom can we trust?
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a real, live infectious-disease expert, says it will be a year or longer before a vaccine is ready for widespread use in the fight against COVID-19. What does he know, right?
Meanwhile, more broadly speaking, scientists are estimating that between 40 and 80 percent of the global population could become infected. According to my admittedly pedestrian-level math, one year plus 60 percent or so equals no Bears game in Week 1.
But maybe I’m just cynical. Certainly, I’m wary and feeling vulnerable these days. We all are, aren’t we?
I have an elderly parent who is too sick to take on the coronavirus. I have a sibling whose family may be taking it on already but can’t yet be tested. I have a child whose freshman year of college has collapsed in a heap and a high school senior whose prom and graduation — and tours of colleges — probably won’t happen. I have children who had jobs and suddenly don’t. As someone whose livelihood depends upon sports, I sure worry about my job, too. It’s kind of necessary right now that I keep it.
But that’s just me. I’m no more important, no more put-upon, than anyone else.
I’m guessing you — and by that I mean every single one of you — can relate on some level. And the virus hasn’t even knocked on our doors yet. Or has it?
Maybe worrying about football is stupid, or beside the point, but right now it feels like a big deal. We’ll need those slobberknockers, won’t we? We’ll need the games on Sundays and Saturdays to set things right again.
The NFL is going about its business as if nothing is amiss. A new collective-bargaining agreement between players and ownership was approved last weekend. Player movement — hello, Mr. Foles — is afoot.
God bless it all, because the loss of football could be devastating. No, not in a life-or-death sense. We aren’t dummies just
because we love sports, after all. But football, more than any other sport, makes the sports world go round. And we’re absolutely going to need it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed college basketball’s offseason landscape.
While you would think the cancellation of NCAA postseason tournaments would speed up the actual hiring process, the coronavirus has definitely slowed it down.
The traditional March coaching turnstile has slowed across the country. But the UIC job is one that’s more coveted than some would think following the release of former head coach Steve McClain after five seasons on the job.
UIC has a fresh face and new man in charge in Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz, who was hired last October after eight-plus years at North Carolina State. Every coach would prefer the boss he works for to be the one who hired him, so the opportunity to be Lipitz’s “guy” going forward is appealing.
The hope is the UIC athletics infrastructure makes positive strides moving forward under Lipitz, which would only advance the basketball program.
Plus, UIC has a fertile recruiting ground with an endless talent pool in the Chicago area, throughout Illinois and one that extends into Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. The Flames play in a very winnable Horizon League and have strong resources in comparison to other teams in the conference.
There are long-shots, obvious names and some outside-the-box candidates in every college coaching search. Here is a short list of some prime candidates who are poised to make a jump from hot assistant coach to up-and-coming head coach and might fit the UIC profile (listed alphabetically).
Rashon Burno, Arizona State assistant
Coach Bobby Hurley’s associate head coach in Tempe has ties to Chicago from his playing days at DePaul from 1998-2002. Burno, who blends personality with toughness and competitiveness, has learned from some great ones.
Burno played his high school ball in New Jersey under legendary prep coach Bob Hurley, Sr., and he sat on the bench beside coaching star Billy Donovan at Florida, where he went deep into the Jabari Parker sweepstakes. More impressively, he was an assistant coach on teams that went to a Final Four and an Elite Eight while at Florida.
He recruited former Thornton star Alonzo Verge to ASU and had the Sun Devils involved with Morgan Park star Adam Miller.
This is a head-coach-in-waiting and it won’t be long before he’s running his own program.
Chin Coleman, Illinois assistant
A long shot due to Coleman’s youth, short stint as a high-major assistant and that he was once on fired UIC coach Steve McClain’s staff.
But Coleman is at the flagship state university, and he’s Chicago through-and-through. He has city ties and roots in the local prep and grassroots scene as a former coach with the Mac Irvin Fire club program and as an assistant coach at Whitney Young. He’s helped Brad Underwood revitalize the Illinois basketball program, helping land Morgan Park stars Ayo Dosunmu and Adam Miller.
Jerrance Howard, Kansas assistant
The Peoria native is a well-known name around Chicago after his years as an assistant at Illinois and while continuing to recruit Chicago
as an assistant at both SMU and Kansas. The high-energy Howard has been a part of a monster program at KU and experienced a ton of success under coach Bill Self the past six seasons, including being a part of a Final Four team in 2017-18.
Ben Johnson, Xavier assistant
A sharp, polished, all-around assistant coach who in the past couple of years has been deeply involved in head coach openings. He’s had stops at Northern Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and currently Xavier. The experience coaching in urban college settings at Xavier and Minnesota would be beneficial. He’s a key, hands-on aide who has been a part of NCAA Tournament teams at both Northern Iowa and Minnesota while helping the Xavier program get back on track this past season.
Luke Murray, Louisville assistant
Murray is a hot assistant coaching name who is working his way to a top job. Now it’s a matter of what job will tempt him to leave a basketball thoroughbred like Louisville? Murray emerged as a young head coach candidate while working for Chris Mack at both Xavier and Louisville. He was a part of three NCAA Tournament teams while at Xavier, one with Louisville and was part of a top 25 team with the Cardinals this past season.
Regarded as an exceptional recruiter, Murray helped bring in a top 10 recruiting class in 2019 as the Cardinals’ recruiting coordinator. Murray was also instrumental in the recruitment of Bryce Hopkins, a 2021 Louisville commit who plays locally at Fenwick.
Roger Powell Jr., Gonzaga assistant
There is certainly name recognition with the very likable Roger Powell, but he would be more than just a flashy hire. The fast-rising assistant coach is in a great spot at a college basketball giant, so he can afford to be a little picky. But the Joliet native and former Illinois star has a natural presence about him. He’s on the fast-track and will be a head coach sooner than later, but he may be better suited to wait.
Craig Robinson, New York Knicks executive
An outside-the-box choice and the lone name on the list with head coaching experience at the college level.
A recognized name with high-major head coaching experience is a big plus. The resume on paper, with an overall head coaching record of 123-132 at Brown and Oregon State may not stack up, though it did come at two very challenging coaching spots. The vast basketball experience and strong Chicago ties — a native of Chicago, former Northwestern assistant and brother-in-law of Barack Obama — are intriguing.
Daniyal Robinson, Iowa State assistant
The former Rock Island native has been on the cusp of landing a head coaching job at the mid-major level in recent years. He’s spent the past five seasons at Iowa State and reached the NCAA Tournament three times with the Cyclones. Robinson, who has heavily recruited the Chicago area throughout his career, has had assistant stints at both Illinois State and Loyola under coach Porter Moser.
Luke Yaklich, Texas assistant
The former Joliet Township head coach and current associate head coach for Shaka Smart at Texas has had a meteoric rise in the college ranks. He spent four years at Illinois State before making a name for himself as John Beilein’s assistant at Michigan, where he was a part of back-to-back Sweet Sixteen teams and a team that reached the NCAA championship game.
The Illinois native is extremely comfortable and familiar recruiting the state of Illinois and has relationships with current high school coaches and club programs across the state.
The ChicagoBlackhawks are going to end their third straight season in which they failed to meet expectations and Stan Bowman deserves some blame.
The Chicago Blackhawks have made a claim that is a bit disturbing to their fans. They have claimed that no matter how this season ends up, John McDonough, Stan Bowman, and Jeremy Colliton are going to be back in 2020-21. It isn’t necessarily fair to rip on Colliton as he could be a good coach one day. He has gotten a lot out of a roster that is simply not that good.
One guy who should probably be reevaluated is Stan Bowman. He has made so many mistakes over the past four years that has made this team fall well below where it should be. The last time the Blackhawks have won a playoff series was the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. They also haven’t made the playoffs at all since 2017 where they were swept by the Nashville Predators. It hasn’t been good for them in a while and you can point right to Bowman for a lot of the issues.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel with him so they need to start making some changes. This roster, as currently constructed, can’t sustain a good season. They are capable of having good stretches because Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are there and the goaltending has been solid, but they are not deep enough to win enough to make the playoffs. If they ever want that to change, they need some drastic change all around. It starts with Stan Bowman. These three moves that he made in summer 2019 alone should get him fired:
ChicagoBears (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears are extremely low on capital for the 2020 NFL Draft, especially after their recent trade to land Nick Foles.
The first wave of NFL free agency is nearing its end, and the Chicago Bears made a handful of notable moves. General manager Ryan Pace entered this week with plenty of needs to shore up a potential Super Bowl roster, but did he do enough for the Bears to be comfortable heading into the 2020 NFL Draft?
To start out with, Pace inked veteran tight end Jimmy Graham to a 2-year, $16 million deal. Graham was recently let go by the Green Bay Packers, and the 33-year old didn’t have to wait long to find work. This move was a bit curious, because fellow free agent tight end Eric Ebron ended up signing with the PIttsburgh Steelers for $4 million less on the same length deal.
Following the Graham signing, Chicago made some noise when they agreed with veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn on a 5-year, $70 million contract. While they didn’t need to spend the money on an edge rusher, I see why they did so. Per ESPN Stats and Info, Quinn led the NFL in pass rush win rate in 2019. Seeing him line up opposite Khalil Mack is going to be scary.
Then, of course, came the trade which no one will be able to stop talking about until the regular season is underway — and maybe not even then will we all stop talking about it. The Bears dealt for Nick Foles, sending their fourth-round compensatory pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Bears did re-sign both Deon Bush and Patrick Scales, after re-signing linebacker Danny Trevathan prior to this week. But, with the Bears only picking in one of the first four rounds of the draft, where do they go from here? My guess is, they aren’t done dealing. Let’s analyze ways for them to secure more draft picks in the coming days.
Chicagoans please take 5 minutes to fill out the U.S. Census online so we can get our fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds
Chicagoans must complete the 2020 U.S. Census to make sure we get our fair share.
Since millions of Americans are at home on lockdown during the coronavirus outbreak now would be the perfect time to complete the 2020 U.S. Census online. Trust me, it only takes a few minutes to complete and completing the census would help your community get its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year that will be distributed based on the census information.
Tron Griffin grew up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. He writes about issues facing Chicagoans. You can check out Tron’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/tron-griffin
`
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19822349/Screen_Shot_2020_03_20_at_4.24.54_PM.png)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19822429/Screen_Shot_2020_03_20_at_4.46.26_PM.png)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19822451/641130.jpg.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19823125/merlin_15907289.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19823127/merlin_33996083.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19823128/merlin_34544251.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19823131/merlin_64513816.jpg)
AP Photos
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19823132/merlin_89879579.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19823134/View_album__Recents_.png)
Leave a comment