chicagotribune--2020-03-05--‘There’s no shortcuts in life:’ Like his dad — ex-Bull Adrian Griffin — Illinois guard Alan Griffin

‘There’s no shortcuts in life:’ Like his dad — ex-Bull Adrian Griffin — Illinois guard Alan Griffin had to work for success

“ I expected that for a while now , ” Cockburn told reporters .
“ I played against him in @ @ @ @ @ always try to tell him to be the kind of player I know you are @ @ @ @ @ shooter we all know you are .
He shot the ball tremendously in high school @ @ @ @ @ have the same kind of success here is a good feeling . ''

Alan Griffin dunks during the second half against Northwestern on Feb. 27, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
CHAMPAIGN — Last summer, Alan Griffin watched his dad chase his dream.
Adrian Griffin, who played three seasons for the Bulls and spent five more as a Bulls assistant coach, won his first NBA championship as a Raptors assistant.
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“It was nice to finally see him get a ring,” said Alan, a sophomore guard at Illinois. “That’s what he’s been working for his whole life. It’s super motivating for me seeing my dad at the next level.”
Alan Griffin is doing his part to help No. 23 Illinois ascend to the next level. The Illini (20-9, 12-6 Big Ten) are likely a lock for their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013, and Griffin’s six 3-pointers and career-high 24 points Thursday against Northwestern provided a glimpse of what a difference he could make to Illinois’ postseason fortunes.
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Averaging 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds off the bench, the 6-foot-5 Griffin has played an increasingly important reserve role after a spotty freshman season.
Delayed success wasn’t a downer for Griffin, who learned from his dad how far fortitude can take a player.
Height can be passed along through genetics. A smooth shooting stroke can be taught. But Adrian was determined to pass along a subtler lesson through his own work ethic and perseverance.
He went undrafted in 1996 after a solid four-year career at Seton Hall and played in the USBL, the Italian League and the CBA before joining the NBA as a 25-year-old rookie. He played nine NBA seasons, more than three after tearing cartilage in his right knee.
Adrian often brought Alan with him to the gyms, including Bulls practice facilities and the United Center.
“He was old enough to see me at the end of my career and saw me fight and scrap,” Adrian said. “What I tell (my kids) is, ‘You have to work hard.’ They never questioned that. I tried to be an example of putting my head down and working.
“When I was talking to Alan last year, I said: ‘Don’t run from work. Embrace it, embrace the physical work.’ He took it to heart.”
Like his dad, Alan didn’t mind an uphill start.
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A three-star recruit out of Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, N.Y., he was the No. 4 prospect in New York in the 247Sports.com composite but received offers mostly from Division I mid-majors such as Fordham, Iona and LaSalle. St. John’s offered during his senior year and Rutgers and Dayton visited him, but he picked Illinois that March.
As a freshman, he averaged only 2.8 points in 8.1 minutes. While his scoring is up considerably, coach Brad Underwood applauds Griffin most for his defensive improvement — which is how his dad made a living in the NBA.
“I think he thinks, ‘Score a lot,’ ” Underwood said. “The problem at different times with him has been consistency on the other end. Now we’re seeing that. There’s starting to be tremendous trust.
“He adds another dimension. Alan’s becoming a really nice Big Ten basketball player. (He is) light years (better) on the defensive end.”
On a team with subpar 3-point shooting — the Illini rank 12th in the Big Ten at 31.2% — Griffin’s penchant for hitting key 3s could be essential in the postseason. He leads the team at 42.1% (45 of 107).
“I felt like it just happened from the workouts I put in,” he said of his improvement. “I didn’t overthink it. I just worked and was ready for a bigger role.
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“I’m more comfortable with the ball in my hands this year. Last year I was a little tight. I had to loosen up a little bit. … You learn to get through it. You want to find a shortcut, but there’s no shortcuts in life. You have to go through it.”
Moving around the country as a kid — from Dallas to Houston to Chicago to New York — because of his dad’s profession, Griffin found basketball was a comfort and connector. He played his first two high school seasons at Oak Park-River Forest.
“Basketball got me through it,” he said. “I felt like if I wasn’t playing basketball, meeting new friends would be kind of tough. Basketball always made it easier.”
The game came so naturally to him, he said, he believes he would be playing even if his dad hadn’t been an NBA lifer. The Griffin family is a study in nature versus nurture.
Adrian was a three-year starter at Seton Hall. Alan’s mom, Audrey, was an All-America track athlete at Seton Hall.
Two of his three siblings are elite basketball players too. AJ is a 6-7 forward for Archbishop Stepinac who is the nation’s No. 7 recruit in the junior class and has committed to Duke. Their sister Aubrey is a 6-1 freshman guard at Connecticut and a former McDonald’s All-American.
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His uncle Roney Eford (Audrey’s brother) played basketball at Marquette and professionally overseas.
The Griffin kids played often against their dad, attended his games as youngsters and supported his teams when he got into coaching. It was at the United Center where Alan beat Adrian for the first time when he “banked in a 3 on the wing to win the game.”
It’s also where Adrian instilled in Alan what he had learned from his father.
“My dad, he worked hard 9 to 5 in Wichita, Kansas, in an airplane plant,” Adrian said. “He would come home and be exhausted. He’d say, ‘Just have a cold glass of water for me.’ As soon as he had that drink, we’d hit the park from 5:30 till 10 at night. Every day.
“That always stuck with me. The impact he had on my life, just to be in there. I always remembered having (my) kids with me in the gym. Parents do what we have to do. Sometimes that means we’re exhausted. Keeping them in the gym was a way to keep them focused and out of trouble. Thank God for sports that allow children to dream big.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 15 Illinois guard Alan Griffin dunks during the second half. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Being around NBA athletes so often made the profession appear more of a reality than a dream for Alan.
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After his star turn in the 74-66 victory at Northwestern, he took off his arm sleeve and handed it to a young Illini fan.
“I’ve been a kid like that, always asking for stuff,” Alan said. “I’ve been around NBA guys all the time. I always wanted one of their shoes or wrist bands or an arm band.”
But nobody compared to his dad.
They have a family group text to keep up on each other’s athletic feats. Adrian said the drawback to his coaching career is missing his kids’ games in person, but he has all the apps so he can watch while running to his own games and practices.
Their communication was meaningful in January.
Alan was suspended for two games after he was ejected for stepping on Purdue’s Sasha Stefanovic. Alan issued an immediate apology for a move he described as “out of character.”
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His dad’s advice was the most valuable.
“The best thing we can do as men and women is to admit our mistakes when we make them and forgive yourself and be better,” Adrian said. “Listen, was it the smartest thing to do? Of course not. But I also wanted to tell him, it’s not the end of the world. It’s out of character but something to learn from.”
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Griffin is building a reputation in the Big Ten for his hot hand instead.
In four straight games in late December and early January, he averaged nearly 16 points, making 22 of 30 shots. As he was draining 9 of 11 against Northwestern on Thursday, Griffin looked down at his hands, saying later they were “heated.”
“Shooters shoot,” teammate Kofi Cockburn shouted as he walked behind Griffin during postgame interviews.
“I expected that for a while now,” Cockburn told reporters. “I played against him in high school, and I always try to tell him to be the kind of player I know you are. Be the kind of shooter we all know you are. He shot the ball tremendously in high school, so to see him have the same kind of success here is a good feeling."
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Alan said his dream is to play in the NBA for a team his dad coaches.
For now, he’s focused on building March momentum for the Illini. More hot-handed games would be welcome in Champaign.
“When you’re in the right mental space,” he said, “it’s nice to have that feeling and keep it as long as you can.”


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Of the realistic options available, the most intriguing quarterback for the Bears is ________ . Our

Of the realistic options available, the most intriguing quarterback for the Bears is ________ . Our writers answer 4 big Bears questions.

I ’ m not sure a perfect option is available for the Bears , and there certainly isn ’ t an intriguing option that would arrive on a cheap contract .
The odds of Derek Carr coming via trade don ’ t seem good .
He created plenty of buzz last month when he posted a picture of himself with Khalil Mack after the game against the Raiders in London .
The Raiders would have to land Tom Brady , and the sense I get is their coaches would prefer Carr to Brady and the team ’ s interest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Teddy Bridgewater played very well in a relief role for the Saints last season .
Bridgewater is seeking an opportunity to be the starter .
Would the Bears be willing to offer him that and push Mitch Trubisky aside right away ?
If that ’ s possible , he might be the best option but probably wouldn ’ t be a cheap one , especially if the Buccaneers are interested in Bridgewater as a replacement for Jameis Winston .
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has a ton of experience and has played for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dalton does a better job of reading the field than Trubisky but lacks athleticism .
Dalton is probably more realistic than Carr and Bridgewater , but the Bengals control his future for now .
The domino game at quarterback likely will start with Brady and Bridgewater , and then musical chairs begin .
For the Bears to land a player before the music stops — and the only quarterbacks left are the ones considering backup jobs — they probably either have to trade for a player or offer a starting job from the @ @

After a disappointing 8-8 season, the Bears head into free agency and the NFL draft with several needs — most notably at quarterback, tight end and a few spots on defense. Our team of Bears writers weighs in on four timely topics for Ryan Pace and Co. as free agency opens this month.
1. Of the realistic options the Bears could add at quarterback, I’m intrigued by ________________.
Brad Biggs: How difficult it will be to land a good one.
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I’m not sure a perfect option is available for the Bears, and there certainly isn’t an intriguing option that would arrive on a cheap contract. The odds of Derek Carr coming via trade don’t seem good. He created plenty of buzz last month when he posted a picture of himself with Khalil Mack after the game against the Raiders in London. The Raiders would have to land Tom Brady, and the sense I get is their coaches would prefer Carr to Brady and the team’s interest in Brady is driven by owner Mark Davis. Teddy Bridgewater played very well in a relief role for the Saints last season. Bridgewater is seeking an opportunity to be the starter. Would the Bears be willing to offer him that and push Mitch Trubisky aside right away? If that’s possible, he might be the best option but probably wouldn’t be a cheap one, especially if the Buccaneers are interested in Bridgewater as a replacement for Jameis Winston. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has a ton of experience and has played for new Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. Dalton does a better job of reading the field than Trubisky but lacks athleticism. Dalton is probably more realistic than Carr and Bridgewater, but the Bengals control his future for now. The domino game at quarterback likely will start with Brady and Bridgewater, and then musical chairs begin. For the Bears to land a player before the music stops — and the only quarterbacks left are the ones considering backup jobs — they probably either have to trade for a player or offer a starting job from the outset.
Colleen Kane: The more difficult ones to obtain, of course.
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Would the quarterback room improve with the most realistic additions of Andy Dalton, Case Keenum or Marcus Mariota? Yes. The Bears would have a quarterback who could push Mitch Trubisky, which was not the case in 2019 with backup Chase Daniel. Can I use the word “intrigued” when those names come up? Ehhh. I’d be far more interested in Derek Carr if the Raiders somehow signed Tom Brady. But whether that’s a path the Raiders or Brady would go down is in question. I’d be intrigued if Ryan Pace somehow scrounged up the money to bring in Teddy Bridgewater as the new starter, but we know money is tight for the Bears this offseason. Should the Bears bring in Dalton, Keenum or Mariota, the competition process — and how Trubisky handles it — would be interesting to watch. But whether it would yield a better Bears offense is uncertain.
Dan Wiederer: Andy Dalton.
At the very least, you’re talking about a guy who has helped guide his team to the playoffs five times. A guy who has three Pro Bowl nods. A guy with experience (133 regular-season starts), intelligence and a reputation as a solid teammate. A potential union with Dalton wouldn’t establish the Bears as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. It would simply give them a reliable backup to support and challenge Mitch Trubisky. An exhilarating addition? Hardly. But that’s the plight of an organization that wandered its way into this mess and must find a way to get back on course. In that regard, the Bears’ quarterback hunt was never going to be electrifying. They’re not venturing out to buy a fancy new sports car. They’re searching for a life raft.
2. Ryan Pace’s commitment to Mitch Trubisky during his combine media session was ________________.
Biggs: Bordering on iffy.
Actions speak much louder than words, but the refusal to shed any light on the team’s plans for the fifth-year option on Trubisky’s contract for 2021 makes it clear Trubisky is — at best — on unsteady ground. If the Bears aren’t willing to commit to Trubisky in 2021, how firm are they when it comes to believing in him in 2020? Asked if he still is committed to Trubisky as his starter for this season, Pace said he is.
“We believe in Mitch,” Pace said. “Mitch knows he needs to be better. We need to be better around him. And that’s our goal.”
Some have taken those words and pointed out that, absent another quarterback on the roster, the Bears naturally are committed to Trubisky because there are no other options. We’ll get a clear indication of where that commitment is in a little more than two weeks.
Kane: A commitment with conditions attached.
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There’s fine print when Pace says Trubisky still is in line to be the 2020 starter. (*Subject to change if the Bears make a deal to obtain a better quarterback or if Trubisky fails to improve during training camp and early in the season.) Pace may still have faith in Trubisky. But it also would do Pace no good to announce Trubisky’s status as the starter is up in the air, certainly not when it comes to maintaining Trubisky’s confidence. The quarterback market this offseason is a complicated web of teams and available players, and we will better understand the Bears’ level of commitment to Trubisky after the free-agency dust settles in a few weeks.
Wiederer: Subject to change.
Yes, we heard Pace tell us he still believes in Trubisky and anticipates a breakthrough in the near future. We heard his latest Drew Brees allusion. We heard him call for more help around the quarterback. And we heard him emphasize that, for whatever reason, he believes in Trubisky’s “trajectory.” But we also heard Pace sidestep questions about the fifth-year option on Trubisky’s rookie deal. The Bears made it clear they don’t need to support their belief in Trubisky with contract backing until the end of May. And a lot could change between now and then. So the Bears’ unwillingness to commit to Trubisky for 2021 easily can be interpreted to mean they’re not all that willing to commit to him beyond early October either. In fairness, that’s the practical approach. Now it’s a matter of monitoring their next move at the position.
3. Outside of quarterback, the Bears’ priority as free agency opens should be ________________.
Biggs: Cornerback, right guard and tight end.
Given the team’s salary-cap space and options at various positions — as well as the strength of the draft (see: wide receiver) — I would prioritize finding a cornerback who fits nicely into defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano’s scheme. The Bears also should consider options at right guard and maybe tight end if there is a player who can come in without having to overpay him. The Bears had a solid starter at corner in Prince Amumakara, but he slowed down and wasn’t running as well as they liked. That is an extremely important position to fill, and while finding a future starter in the draft would be great, the Bears at least need an experienced option to consider.
Kane: Rebuilding the tight ends room and plugging holes at inside linebacker, cornerback and safety.
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Production last season from Bears tight ends was abysmal. While Trey Burton returns from hip surgery, the Bears can’t count on him to be the player they originally envisioned simply because of his injury history. And Adam Shaheen looks like he’s on his way out. That means they would be best served bringing in a veteran tight end while also considering draft possibilities. The Bears should be in good shape at inside linebacker if they can bring back either Nick Kwiatkoski or Danny Trevathan. But they are losing a pair of veterans in cornerback Prince Amukamara and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, should he look to sign elsewhere. Sorting through quality options will be a key offseason task.
Wiederer: Tight end.
Matt Nagy’s offense could make a giant leap forward in 2020 with even modest improvement from the tight end group. So now is the time to formulate a plan to get as much help as possible. That should start in free agency and continue into the draft. Last season, Bears tight ends combined for 46 catches and 416 yards. That’s abysmal. It’s even more depressing when you consider no tight end on the roster made it to 100 yards for the season. Level of need: high.
4. Without a first-round draft pick, the Bears need to ________________.
Biggs: Construct an offseason puzzle they can effectively piece together via free agency.
It’s easy to point to the Bears’ needs right now when looking to the draft, but we will have a clearer picture of what positions they should prioritize with their two second-round picks after the first 72 or 96 hours of free agency. The Bears will be mindful of their needs and what they can possibly add in the draft when they launch into free agency. Yes, Ryan Pace will have to hit on his second-round picks to get players who can contribute right away. He has had success in Round 2 with the exception of tight end Adam Shaheen. The Bears probably cannot gamble on small-school players in Round 2 this year. They need to get players with a proven track record who would fit in nicely on the depth chart and be in position to play early in their rookie seasons.
Kane: Not whiff on their two second-round picks.
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Ryan Pace has had hits and misses in the first two rounds. With an offense that needs a lot of work, a defense with key starting openings and not a lot of money to work with in free agency, Pace needs to be sure to hit with the Nos. 43 and 50 picks. Along with the aforementioned needs at tight end, cornerback and safety, the Bears might benefit from a deep wide receiver class and add depth to a group that lost its best speed option when Taylor Gabriel was cut. Offensive line depth and another edge rusher are other needs they could fill through the draft. And even if they land a quarterback in free agency — especially if it’s a “competition” guy or somebody on a short-term contract — why not draft a quarterback to develop?
Wiederer: Do more with less.
Unlike Ryan Pace’s first four drafts, in which he had the luxury of choosing in the top 10 each time, the Bears likely will be inactive on the first night for the second consecutive year. You know the adage: They’ll have to do more with less. The Bears figure to begin draft weekend with eight picks, starting with Nos. 43 and 50. But with so much top talent gone from the board, the margin for error becomes much slimmer. Pace and his staff can’t afford any whiffs. They have to address needs and plug holes. They should be able to take advantage of a deep talent pool at receiver and a fairly strong offensive line class. The focus has to remain on fixing an offense that plummeted to the bottom tier last year. But there also are defensive needs at cornerback, safety, edge rusher and inside linebacker. Pace’s draft batting average this April needs to spike dramatically.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Cubs heckle Pedro Strop — now with the Reds — from the dugout

“ I ’ m not going to make any predictions , ” Epstein said .
“ You guys know we @ @ @ @ @ a lot of our guys , and with a few exceptions we haven ’ t @ @ @ @ @ done , so it ’ s not worth talking about .
If we can get @ @ @ @ @ .
And if we can ’ t , we ’ ll move forward .
Players @ @ @ @ @ obligation to sign .
”

GOODYEAR, Ariz. —
Reds reliever Pedro Strop admitted “it felt so weird” to pitch against his former Cubs teammates, who heckled him from the dugout during his outing at Goodyear Ballpark.
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“They were yelling: ‘He stinks,’ ” Strop said. “(Victor) Caratini and (Anthony) Rizzo were in the dugout going, ‘Throw the fastball’ when I was throwing sliders. It was getting my attention. Usually I’m really focused and look like I’m mad. But today I couldn’t do that. It was fun, and I was happy to see my ex-teammates in there enjoying the moment, me pitching against them. Me too.”
Strop signed a one-year, $1.825 million deal with the Reds after ending a 6½ season stint with the Cubs. He said the Cubs wanted to re-sign him and “tried hard to bring me back,” but let him know they couldn’t afford him.
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The transition has been smooth.
Tiebreaker goes to the team wearing red jerseys. Sorry @Cubs fans, we don't make the rules... #RedsST 🌵⚾ pic.twitter.com/i6GHoL6s0T — Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 4, 2020
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“At first when I signed with (the Reds), I was like, ‘Uuuuuunh, what am I going to do now?’” he said. “But it’s not that bad. I’ve done it before, from the Rockies to the Ranger to the Orioles. … Had a lot of great moments with the Cubs, but I’m happy to be here.”
Strop was pleased to learn Javier Baez took his former locker as a tribute, but added: “Maybe the locker is going to smell like me.”
Theo Epstein might be talking with some players about an extension … or maybe not.
With the Brewers and star Christian Yelich reportedly agreeing to a nine-year, $215 million extension, will a Cubs player follow suit and sign a long-term deal this spring?
“I’m not going to make any predictions,” Epstein said. “You guys know we tried really hard to sign a lot of our guys, and with a few exceptions we haven’t been able to get it done, so it’s not worth talking about. If we can get it done, we will. And if we can’t, we’ll move forward. Players don’t have an obligation to sign.”
Is Epstein working on anything now?
“Yes and no,” he cryptically replied.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Column: Craig Kimbrel hopes to change the narrative after his ‘2 shots to the jaw’ ending with the C

Column: Craig Kimbrel hopes to change the narrative after his ‘2 shots to the jaw’ ending with the Cubs in 2019

Kimbrel pitched the fourth inning of a 6-6 tie against the Reds , serving up a solo home run and @ @ @ @ @ 95-96 mph on his fastball .
He looked much the same with his crab-like stance @ @ @ @ @ he trimmed his beard quite a bit , going from “ shaggy chic ” to @ @ @ @ @

GOODYEAR, Ariz. —
Craig Kimbrel last pitched in a major-league game Sept. 21 at Wrigley Field, entering with a one-run lead over the Cardinals in the ninth inning with the traditional “Sweet Child O’ Mine” blaring over the PA system.
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You might remember it. Or perhaps you’ve chosen to forget it.
It was the kind of moment Kimbrel was signed for in June, a move that gave Cubs fans hope the season could be saved. But it eventually turned into the sort of nightmare Cubs closers have experienced for decades, from Phil Regan to LaTroy Hawkins to Carlos Marmol.
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Yadier Molina tied the game on Kimbrel’s first pitch with a home run into the left-center-field bleachers. The next batter, Paul DeJong, promptly gave the Cardinals the lead for keeps with another home run to left, also on a first-pitch fastball.
“Un-BEEEEEE-lievable,” was the epitaph Cubs radio broadcaster Pat Hughes used to describe the crushing shot that put Cubs Nation into the fetal position.
“Two shots to the jaw,” manager Joe Maddon called it afterward before adding sound effects: “Poom, poom.”
The Cubs were down for the count in the National League wild-card race, and the implosion would go down in franchise history along with Hawkins’ meltdown against the Mets at Shea Stadium during the 2004 wild-card race.
Suffice to say it won’t be featured anytime soon on “Cubs Classics” on the Marquee Sports Network.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 21 Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Kimbrel didn’t pitch again the final week of the season, so that was the defining moment he carried into the offseason.
Despite Kimbrel allowing nine home runs in only 20⅔ innings with a gaudy 6.53 ERA and 13 saves in 2019, Cubs President Theo Epstein brought the veteran closer back without blinking an eye, perhaps knowing no team would assume the remaining $33 million guaranteed on his contract through 2021.
Jed Hoyer suggested at the general managers meetings in November that not having a spring training might have had a negative effect on Kimbrel’s season, along with knee and forearm injuries.
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A full spring and no health issues would resolve everything, the Cubs believed. So Kimbrel, 31, is back and in the middle of a full spring training, albeit with a later start to his Cactus League debut.
“I don’t put too much emphasis on any one spring appearance ever,” Epstein said Wednesday before Kimbrel’s first outing. “But we’re really happy with how he’s looked. He’s had a nice, steady progression from intentionally (going) a little slower to build himself up.
"It’s a good next step for him to get in against hitters wearing other jerseys.”
The Cubs didn’t want to make it too big of a deal. Epstein stayed back at the Cubs complex and watched it on TV.
“I’m not looking for ninth-inning Craig Kimbrel today,” manager David Ross said beforehand. “There’s still a build-up process that’s going to take place all spring. But he’s excited to get out there on the bump.”
Kimbrel pitched the fourth inning of a 6-6 tie against the Reds, serving up a solo home run and striking out two while averaging 95-96 mph on his fastball. He looked much the same with his crab-like stance before delivering pitches, though he trimmed his beard quite a bit, going from “shaggy chic” to sort of distinguished looking.
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Kimbrel began his outing by striking out Joey Votto before serving up a solo home run to Derek Dietrich on a 95 mph fastball. Shogo Akiyama was retired on a grounder to first that almost turned into an infield hit when Akiyama nearly outraced Kimbrel to the bag.
Tucker Barnhart then hit a routine grounder that David Bote botched at second, but Kimbrel struck out Phillip Ervin on a 96 mph fastball to end his day. Kimbrel said “there should be” more in the tank and was pleased with the performance.
“Everything overall, other than one pitch,” he said, referring to the home run. "It was a good outing.”
One of the reasons Kimbrel doesn’t pitch earlier in Cactus League games, he said, is because he doesn’t want to “try to do too much” and turn on the adrenaline before he’s ready at the start of the season. His next appearance will be Sunday against the Diamondbacks at Sloan Park.
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The Cubs are counting on Kimbrel — a seven-time All-Star with 346 career saves — to return to form in 2020, and they have no obvious backup plan. Sure, Jeremy Jeffress was a closer with the Brewers, and Rowan Wick might be the Cubs’ closer of the future.
But neither is expected to pitch the ninth this season unless Kimbrel is unavailable or something disastrous occurs. In other words, it’s Kimbrel or bust.
Was it difficult to shake off the bitter ending in 2019, or was it all just part of being a closer?
“That’s all I can do,” Kimbrel said. “I don’t have a choice.”
Poom.


chicagotribune--2020-03-06--‘I just want to keep on going.’ Raised on America’s pastime, more female athletes are resisting the

‘I just want to keep on going.’ Raised on America’s pastime, more female athletes are resisting the siren call of softball to stick with baseball.

“ My dream as a kid was to play in Major League Baseball , ” she said .
“ But @ @ @ @ @ I knew that ’ s not really going to happen .
So I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ hold onto it .
This is probably my last summer season of baseball , which @ @ @ @ @ But knowing I ’ ll have to change the sport in order to go on @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ll have to make that change .
”

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chicagotribune--2020-03-06--Understanding the new coronavirus is key to figuring out how to stop it. Scientists at Argonne Lab a

Understanding the new coronavirus is key to figuring out how to stop it. Scientists at Argonne Lab are working on it.

The researchers have come to Argonne National Laboratory from the University of Chicago , Northwestern University , Purdue University and @ @ @ @ @ unravel the mysteries of this newest strain of the coronavirus , which causes a disease @ @ @ @ @ they gather could be used to develop drugs to fight the virus , but any @ @ @ @ @ a year away .

Karolina Michalska, a protein crystallographer from the University of Chicago, speaks while 3-D computer images of coronavirus proteins are seen at the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont on March 3, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
In a secure lab about 25 miles southwest of Chicago, a powerful X-ray beam is pointed toward a crystal grown from a coronavirus protein.
Stuck on the end of what looks like a long needle attached to a robot arm, the crystal is barely visible to the naked eye. Nearby, scientists hover around computer screens, looking at the magnified crystal along with brightly colored 3-D models of the coronavirus protein.
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The researchers have come to Argonne National Laboratory from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Purdue University and other academic research institutions to unravel the mysteries of this newest strain of the coronavirus, which causes a disease called COVID-19. The data they gather could be used to develop drugs to fight the virus, but any treatment could be at least a year away.
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The X-ray beam at Argonne, a lab in Lemont owned by the Department of Energy, is powerful enough to show researchers the atomic structure of coronavirus proteins.
Figure out the structure of the proteins, and scientists can figure out how the virus infects cells in the body. Then, researchers can find a way to treat it before the virus becomes severe.
“The point of doing this is really to understand what they do, how they do (it) and how to stop them,” said Karolina Michalska, a University of Chicago researcher and protein crystallographer at Argonne.
Argonne's Advanced Photon Source is used to structure a coronavirus protein at the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont on March 3, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
This isn’t merely an academic exercise. COVID-19 has killed about 3,200 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The outbreak began late last year in Wuhan, China, and is spreading around the world.
In the U.S., fears surrounding the virus have sent stocks plunging. Airlines have slashed international and domestic flights, major conferences have been canceled and supply chains have been disrupted. Chicago-area Catholic churches have even changed Mass practices to reduce the potential spread of the virus.
Five people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois. The respiratory virus causes pneumonia in some patients, and is spread through coughing and sneezing.
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The research underway at Argonne is through a consortium, the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, which studies infectious diseases and respond to outbreaks. It is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
When there’s an outbreak such as the coronavirus, the research community mobilizes immediately, said Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Within weeks of the initial outbreak, a test to diagnose COVID-19 was developed, Fauci said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention distributed test kits to various labs last month, including a Chicago lab run by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
There is no specific drug developed yet to treat the coronavirus, Fauci said. In such a case, researchers either work toward developing a drug, or find one that can be repurposed.
Pharmaceutical companies have entered the effort as well.
Youngchang Kim, a protein crystallographer from the University of Chicago, activates the doorway to enter the Structural Biology Center at the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont on March 3, 2020. Researchers are converging on Argonne National Laboratory to do research that could lead to a drug to fight COVID-19. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. announced Wednesday that it was starting development of a drug to treat high-risk individuals with COVID-19. The Japanese drugmaker, which earlier this year closed its Deerfield headquarters, also said it would study drugs it already has on the market to see if they can be effective in treating infected patients.
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In late January, AbbVie donated a supply of an HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention drug to Chinese health officials for use as an experimental treatment option. The North Chicago-based drugmaker said it also is exploring potential collaborations with a public-private partnership called the Innovative Medicines Initiative to further research COVID-19 treatment options.
With more research needed, to be followed by product development and clinical trials, experts say it could be more than a year before a drug is available.
“People expect the results to come out very quickly," said Argonne’s Michalska. "The research takes time.”
There is hope that lessons learned from the 2003 outbreak of SARS — another strain of coronavirus — could prove useful in treating COVID-19.
The SARS epidemic affected 26 countries and resulted in more than 8,000 cases, according to the World Health Organization. Proper infection control practices brought the outbreak under control within months.
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Ideally, a drug that was in development for SARS could treat this new strain of coronavirus. But some tweaks might be necessary, said Dr. Karla Satchell, professor of microbiology and immunology at Northwestern University and co-principal investigator for the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases
The new coronavirus is comprised of 28 different proteins, and the consortium of researchers is working to map them all. So far, they’ve figured out four of the proteins.
Argonne does not have the coronavirus itself at its facilities, just the individual proteins that make up the virus.
Michalska sat in front of a computer screen at Argonne earlier this week, showing a reporter a 3-D model of one of the recently mapped proteins. The proteins were displayed in bright colors on the model, like bubble gum pink, magenta and turquoise, and grouped together to form a structure full of peaks and crevasses.
Michalska used a computer mouse to spin the model on the screen to show how the proteins bond. She flipped the model around to show one specific protein. The model identified the spot in the protein that a potential drug molecule could bind to, potentially making the virus weaker or preventing it from replicating in the body.
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The work is like trying to find puzzle pieces that fit together, said Andy Mesecar, a biochemistry professor who is leading the coronavirus research effort at Purdue.
And if researchers can’t find a puzzle piece that fits?
“This is where chemistry comes in,” Mesecar said. “In order to get those drugs, we will synthesize chemically different versions of that puzzle piece — of that molecule — until it fits in perfectly.”
Many of the proteins in the new coronavirus are similar to proteins in SARS. The protein most recently mapped at Argonne is 89% identical to a protein in SARS, for example.
Purdue already is working with potential drug molecules, Mesecar said. The eventual drug could move into clinical trials in two years.
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“We had some ideas of what compounds would work because of SARS. We took our knowledge from that ... and instantly applied them to our work here,” he said. “This is pandemic preparedness."
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @AllyMarotti
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chicagotribune--2020-03-06--Viral video of police shooting at CTA Red Line station highlights limits of CPD training

As it stands , the department ’ s guidelines make no distinction between an officer drawing a gun while confronting @ @ @ @ @ lot and doing the same in the busy , confined spaces of CTA rail lines @ @ @ @ @ incident took place just as CPD was adding 50 officers to the ranks of the @ @ @ @ @ `` L '' network , virtually ensuring an increase in the kind of encounter that @ @ @ @ @

The Chicago Police Department does not specifically train officers on use of force and de-escalation methods for the city’s crowded CTA train system, a gap experts said has been magnified with the controversial shooting by police of an unarmed man after a struggle during rush hour in a downtown Red Line station.
As it stands, the department’s guidelines make no distinction between an officer drawing a gun while confronting a suspect in a vacant lot and doing the same in the busy, confined spaces of CTA rail lines. And the Red Line incident took place just as CPD was adding 50 officers to the ranks of the 200 who already patrol the "L" network, virtually ensuring an increase in the kind of encounter that touched off the shooting.
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In the Feb. 28 incident, two officers made a fateful choice. One shouted at his partner to shoot a man they had wrestled with, and she did — once as the suspect ran away from the cops up an escalator in the presence of startled commuters.
An image from video shows a Chicago police officer aiming her gun at a suspect after she and another officer appeared to struggle to handcuff the man at the Grand station on the CTA Red Line on Feb. 28, 2020. As the struggle continued, she appeared to fire the gun at him. Then another shot was fired as the man scrambles up the escalator. (Michael G. McDunnah)
Department leaders said the incident could spur adjustments in training.
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“That’s a possibility. We often look at our training in light of situations that arise," Daniel Godsel, deputy chief in charge of CPD’s police academy, told the Tribune this week.
Experts interviewed by the Tribune said the shooting points to several training deficiencies and also raises questions about preparing officers for posts with a high volume of interactions with the public.
“If you have officers that are going to be working in a particular space that has a higher than usual level of anything ... you want to have them better trained than the average officer,” said David Klinger, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri at St. Louis.
The principles of current officer training can carry into different environments, Godsel said, and while officers aren’t trained for specific situations in the CTA rail system such as the one that emerged last month, they are expected to take the “totality of the circumstances” into account as they make decisions to use lethal force.
A police supervisor watches over a gathering of protesters at the CTA Red Line State and Lake station on March 4, 2020, in response to the police shooting of a man last week at the Grand station. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
“It would certainly have to do with the environment, such as a crowd of people,” said Godsel. “The officers have to be aware of their entire situation, the entire picture."
The incident also promises to be a test for the city’s four-month-old Force Review Board, a group mandated under reform to help the department address training or policy deficiencies that contribute to unnecessary uses of force against the public.
The CTA shooting is the most high-profile CPD shooting that board has handled, and is arguably among the most explosive videotaped incidents the department has grappled with since the 2014 killing of teenager Laquan McDonald — an incident that resulted in criminal charges and a second-degree murder conviction for Officer Jason Van Dyke.
Per a department general order, the board, which includes the superintendent and other department officials, evaluates incidents to see if actions by officers were “tactically sound and consistent with department training.” Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck on Wednesday stripped the two officers involved in the Red Line shooting of their police powers, and the incident is under criminal investigation by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office with assistance from the FBI.
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Reaction to the shooting by city officials was unusually swift and direct, perhaps driven by the availability of the cellphone video taken by a CTA customer. That included Mayor Lori Lightfoot calling it "extremely disturbing.”
In it, the officers involved can be seen wrestling with a man, 33-year-old Ariel Roman, and attempting to pin him to the floor of the Grand Red Line station and handcuff him. One of them repeatedly yells, “stop resisting,” and then says, “shoot him.”
Roman can be seen on the video getting up and staggering, as one of the officers fires her gun at him. Another shot can be heard as Roman darts up an escalator in the station, which was filling with late-afternoon commuters heading home from work on a Friday.
The chain of events began when the two officers, who both joined the department in 2017 and were assigned to the mass transit unit, saw Roman hopping from train car to train car — a city ordinance violation. Roman was expected to make a long recovery from being shot in the abdomen and buttocks, according to his lawyer.
Aside from the regular CPD training, officers assigned to mass transit detail do receive training from the CTA, officials said, but that training has nothing to do with use of force or de-escalation techniques for dealing with people who resist them in crowded stations.
Those officers receive "CTA rail-safety training to familiarize them with basic CTA rail operations and procedures," said Brian Steele, a CTA spokesman. "It’s a daylong training that involves both classroom and field instruction."
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CTA riders watch a group of protesters in the State/Lake Red Line subway station in response to the police shooting of a man last week at the Grand station. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Godsel said CPD’s regular training does include instruction on use of force and de-escalation in confined spaces, including confronting unruly suspects on CTA buses. Some of that training is applicable to the incident last week, he said.
“Generally speaking, when you refer to close quarters those techniques haven’t changed," Godsel said. "The training is still sound. And it’s still relevant. So that wouldn’t change.”
Beck has not specifically stated whether he expects changes to training after the videotaped shooting, and the department did not make him available for this story.
Experts who viewed the viral video of the encounter told the Tribune the officer who fired did not appear to justifiably shoot Roman, saying the handling of the confrontation was rife with tactical errors, including poor teamwork and should be cited in future department instruction.
“I want officers that know how to talk to people and calm people down,” Klinger said. "But also I want officers who are competent to engage physically with people and get them under control.
“And it appears to me ... setting aside the nature of this interaction in terms of how it came about, (once) the physical altercation goes down, you have to be able to do a better job than these two officers did.”
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Adam Bercovici, a security consultant and a former Los Angeles police lieutenant, said the two officers were "outmatched physically" by Roman during the struggle.
“They were exhausted so that could have affected their judgment as well,” Bercovici said.
Both use-of-force experts said the officer who discharged the shots made a bad decision to open fire when her partner was standing behind the suspect.
“If she misses, or if the bullet goes through the body of the suspect, her partner is going to be struck, so it just doesn’t make sense from a positional, tactical perspective," Klinger said. "Then the question of, what is the justification for pulling the trigger at that point?”
Klinger also found problems with the confrontation even before the actual shooting. For instance, as Roman wrestled with the male officer on the ground, one of his hands grasped that officer’s handcuffs as the cop tried to place them on Roman’s wrist. In that situation, Klinger said, the female cop should have stepped on his hand or tried to pry his fingers off the cuffs.
“It’s just a failure in terms of teamwork and in terms of a concerted effort based upon an understanding that we need to get control of the handcuffs and we need to get the handcuffs on this person,” said Klinger, a former police officer in Los Angeles and suburban Seattle.
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Godsel said CPD’s current training does stress using physical restraint against combative suspects to gain compliance.
“If an individual is fighting with a police officer, the officer has certain techniques and tools that that officer can respond with,” Godsel said.
For many years, CPD has struggled to adequately train its cops, including on when to use deadly force.
In a 2017 report on Chicago’s policing practices, the U.S. Justice Department found that CPD provided such poor training and supervision to its officers that, in some cases, those inadequacies led to police misconduct. The report’s findings helped eventually set into motion a federal court ruling requiring CPD to follow a consent decree to improve officer training and other policing issues.
But at the same time, the department on its own began boosting in-service training for officers. This year, officers will be required to undergo 32 hours of training and 40 in 2021, and in each year after that.
This includes scenario-based training on CPD’s revamped use-of-force policy, de-escalating tense encounters and dealing with people experiencing mental health crises and other issues.
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jgorner@chicagotribune.com
asweeney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Ask Amy: Dad worries about partner's off-site texting

You need to differentiate between human instincts ( when you just know in your bones that something is amiss ) @ @ @ @ @ issues perpetuated in your marriage and triggered by this work friendship .
Discuss this tactfully @ @ @ @ @ her to be open and transparent about her friendships , and show an interest in @ @ @ @ @ .

Dear Amy: I'm a 50-year-old divorced father of three wonderful daughters.
My previous marriage was not a healthy one. My wife had several affairs.
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I'm now in a very loving relationship with someone I adore. My girls love her and she's a great motherly figure. We've talked extensively about marriage. We rarely argue or disagree. Our relationship is fantastic.
The one thing that bothers me involves texting and social media. She routinely gets text messages from a male co-worker during the evening and weekend hours. I firmly believe that it's inappropriate and unnecessary for the communication between the two of them outside of work.
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She is a devoted life partner, but why does this continue, even after I have expressed my concerns?
Early in our relationship, before we were fully committed, she went on a trip that was previously planned to visit a man she was in a prior relationship with. She wasn't fully forthcoming about this until she returned home. She said she didn't think we were in a fully committed relationship. I have forgiven her.
I'm thinking about getting engaged, but I wonder why these behaviors continue. She's a very friendly and caring person, which may at times come across as flirtatious.
Am I being unreasonable and insecure, or should I be concerned?
— Just Wondering
Dear Wondering: Your girlfriend is a "devoted life partner." Devoted life partners get to have friends outside of the partnership. These friendships should not be conducted in secret and should be acknowledged openly -- and occasionally shared -- with the family.
The friendship with this co-worker predates your relationship. As you two continue the process of braiding your lives together, you should meet one another's friends and learn the backstory of these various friendships. Platonic friendships outside of the primary relationship are not "inappropriate" or "unnecessary." In fact, these friendships can demonstrate (as well as expand) a person's capacity for other relationships.
Yes, texting and posting on social media during "together time" is distracting and rude to one's partner. Perhaps as a couple (and family group), you can all agree on parameters regarding phone use.
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You need to differentiate between human instincts (when you just know in your bones that something is amiss), and the toxic trust issues perpetuated in your marriage and triggered by this work friendship. Discuss this tactfully with your partner, encourage her to be open and transparent about her friendships, and show an interest in meeting all of her friends.
Dear Amy: Over the past year, my husband has come to believe that conversation consists of asking lots of questions, even if they relate to details regarding a range of topics that I cannot possibly know.
Topics run the gamut from information in the news to details about my relatives. This has gotten worse over time. Sometimes our "conversations" seem like an interrogation. He does not converse with others in this way.
Recently, I returned home after driving seven hours to arrange an assisted-living facility for my mom -- an emotionally draining experience.
Upon entering the house, I was confronted with intense questioning about issues surrounding my mother's trust and estate. I felt like getting back in the car and driving away.
The next morning, I told him that his way of welcoming me home was highly undiplomatic, and that intensely questioning someone is not carrying on a conversation.
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We are both 65, I am fully retired, he is partially retired, and we do not have financial stress. I do not have secrets from him, and we trust each other completely.
What gives?
— Interrogated
Dear Interrogated: This might be a sign of a cognitive problem, except your husband doesn't seem to do this with other people.
Arriving home from a stressful trip -- not to a greeting but an interrogation -- is not the best way for him to love you. Point this out during a calm moment.
Encourage him to dive into his outside friendships -- because it seems that he is storing up a lot of what he sees as "conversation starters" for you. If this gets worse, he should get a medical check-up.
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Dear Amy: I was shocked by your response to "Annoyed," the young mother whose foreign-born mother-in-law constantly makes nonsense baby noises to her baby.
The reason your response shocked me was because you got it right.
Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
"Annoyed" should perhaps take the opportunity to listen to a podcast while her mother-in-law is "goo-goo-gooshing."
Thank you for encouraging this kind of adult-baby communication.
— Shocked
Dear Shocked: I accept your backhanded compliment -- and thank you.
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(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Alex DeBrincat scores twice as the Blackhawks fend off the Oilers 4-3 for their 4th straight win

“ I think just the puck hasn ’ t gone in the net as often , ” coach Jeremy Colliton @ @ @ @ @ “ He ’ s had the chances .
He ’ s had as many opportunities @ @ @ @ @ like I went through game by game .
I think both shots and quality of @ @ @ @ @ there for him .
That will even out over time .
”

Don’t look now but the Blackhawks are riding a four-game winning streak and are four points out of a wild-card spot with 15 games remaining after upsetting the Oilers 4-3 at the United Center on Thursday night.
True to form, the Hawks nearly blew their golden opportunity with another third-period letdown, giving up two goals in the process, but they held on.
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“(The Oilers) had a couple of chances there but obviously Crow (goaltender Corey Crawford) has been playing amazing for us,” said Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, who netted his 30th goal of the season. “He made some big saves there at the end.
“Never fun to give up a 4-1 lead there and let them back in the game but (we) kind of learned the lesson and it’s huge we got the two points.”
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Alex DeBrincat scored two goals, Jonathan Toews added another and Adam Boqvist had two assists.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
1. Friday’s game against the last-place Red Wings is a must-win.
If coach Jeremy Colliton’s worst nightmare were to happen and the Hawks leave Detroit with a loss, they wouldn’t be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but morally they should be.
The Red Wings (15-48-5) are far and away the worst team in the league — by 25 points.
Their goal differential is — wait for it — minus 121. Check the math, but that means that over 68 games so far they’ve been outscored by about 1.8 goals per game.
Colliton has to say all the right things about not overlooking the Red Wings, however.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 14 Blackhawks left wing Alex DeBrincat celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal in the second period. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
“We’ve got to realize that we that we need every point we can get and we can take nothing for granted,” he said. “We’re far from the type of a team that can just show up, lace them up and think it’s just going to happen.”
Players echoed similar sentiments.
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It’s a competitive league. You know, any given Sunday … or Friday, in this case.
Said Patrick Kane: “We have to make sure we don’t take the team lightly tomorrow because obviously they have a lot of players fighting for jobs and looking for positions next year on their team. Can’t take them lightly.”
2. How did the Hawks keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in check?
It was clear the Hawks were going to force the Oilers to look elsewhere than Connor McDavid, who came up empty on three shot attempts, all in the first period.
Leon Draisaitl missed his lone attempt, though he assisted two goals.
“We’ve been in that situation, with guys (like the Blackhawks) playing for contracts and that stuff, and you just kind of go out and play,” Draisaitl told the Edmonton Journal. “But that’s not an excuse, if you want to be a playoff team, you have to beat these teams.”
Coach Jeremy Colliton said the forwards did an excellent job defending McDavid and company.
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“We were getting above the puck consistently, our gap was good,” Colliton said. “He’s a great player and Draisaitl’s a great player, but when you’ve got to come through five guys, it makes it easier to defend.”
The players took it as a challenge to limit the Oilers duo.
“For the most part you try to frustrate them,” Patrick Kane said, “you try to get above them and make sure they have to go through more than a couple of players out there.
"But they’re so talented they’re going to create their chances and get opportunities.”
3. Connor Murphy and Duncan Keith had to stepped up when Lucas Carlsson went down. So did the forwards.
Oilers defenseman Kris Russell’s shot caught Lucas Carlsson in the side of the head, forcing Carlsson to leave the game with 3½ minutes to go in the second period.
Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton was unsure whether Carlsson had sustained a concussion but said Carlsson would travel to Detroit.
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Nick Seeler was a healthy scratch so other defensemen had to pick up the slack. Connor Murphy played 26 minutes and Duncan Keith played almost 28.
“It was a lot of minutes left at that point so we were just trying to string them together,” Colliton said. “At that point a lot of the responsibility falls on the forwards to really find a way to advance the puck cleanly and spend some time in the offensive zone.
“I think we did enough to protect those (defensemen) and obviously the guys that were left did a good job.”
Credit also goes to the forwards for backchecking and helping clog the middle.
“I think everyone is doing the job,” goalie Corey Crawford said. “Forwards are coming back and helping out. It’s everyone together. It’s impossible to do it alone.
“Our (defense) have been great. We’ve been taking away a lot of the middle chances and backend plays.”
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Here is more coverage from the game.
Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and Patrick Kane notched his 30th goal of the season as the Blackhawks held off the Oilers’ third-period rally to win 4-3 on Thursday.
“Big win for the team,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. "First two periods were excellent for the most part, and they had a push there in the third, thought we fed their push a little bit, obviously a couple turnovers and they ended up in the back of our net, which they gained some life from.
“But I was proud of how we finished the game off. We gritted it out.”
Still facing tough odds, the Hawks reached 70 points to move to within four of a wild-card spot. The Predators beat the Stars 2-0 to reach 74 points — same as the idle Canucks — as both teams held on to their slots.
“I think that we just take it one game at a time and try to keep building,” Duncan Keith said. “We know we’re not out of it, so we just keep going and try to have another good start and good game tomorrow.”
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Kane said the win against Edmonton, which is second in the Pacific Division, “absolutely” means the playoffs are a possibility.
“It’s fun. These are big games for us,” he said. “Fun to play in front of our crowd. Obviously, we have a big one tomorrow, too, (against the Red Wings) and we can really get rolling here.”
A win in Detroit would give the Hawks five in a row.
In the first period Thursday, Kane squeezed in a top-shelf goal from the bottom of the left circle for his fifth 30-goal season in his career and fourth in his last five seasons.
“Yeah, it’s a good number,” he said. "Obviously, throughout the season you know you start thinking about those numbers, whether it’s 20 or 30 and obviously you want to get even more than that.
“I think we have 15 games left here so finish strong and I think if I finish strong and do my part we might have a good chance to get in.”
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DeBrincat’s season, meanwhile, at times has been marked by frustrating, almost inexplicable droughts.
“I think just the puck hasn’t gone in the net as often,” coach Jeremy Colliton said before the game. “He’s had the chances. He’s had as many opportunities. It’s not like I went through game by game. I think both shots and quality of chances they’ve been there for him. That will even out over time.”
Turns out “time” was just several hours later.
About five minutes into the second, DeBrincat fired one in from the top of the right circle through traffic. About eight minutes later, he snapped his second goal just inside the left post as teammate Drake Caggiula screened Edmonton goaltender Mike Smith.
The cat tallies his second of the night and it's 4-1! #Purr
Watch live on the #MyTeams App: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/nanhevUNJD — Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 6, 2020
Caggiula was in front on both of DeBrincat’s goals, in fact,
“Yeah, for sure, he’s really good in front of the net, so any time playing with him these past few games he’s always there so trying to shoot through the screen and tonight it worked,” DeBrincat said.
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After plenty of times the puck hasn’t bounced his way, he hopes to keep it rolling offensively.
“I think I’ve had a lot of chances this year and a lot of chances to get two-goal games and they just haven’t gone it," he said. "For me tonight I think some luck was on my side and was able to put those in the net.”
For the second game in a row, the Hawks came out with the hot hand in a goal-heavy second period.
Against the Ducks, they put up four goals to Anaheim’s one. On Thursday against the Oilers, Jonathan Toews scored 47 seconds in on a wrap-around goal. DeBrincat added his two goals before Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put Edmonton on the board.
But the Oilers turned up the pressure in the third period, firing 12 shots at Corey Crawford. He faced just four in the second.
Josh Archibald scored on a two-on-one with Zack Kassian. It took a video review to confirm Kailer Yamamoto’s goal 51 seconds later.
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Adam Boqvist had two assists for the Hawks.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Ayo Dosunmu scores 21 points, but Illinois fades late in a 71-63 loss to Ohio State. 3 takeaways fro

Ayo Dosunmu scores 21 points, but Illinois fades late in a 71-63 loss to Ohio State. 3 takeaways from the defeat that sets up an important season finale Sunday against Iowa.

Liddell went 7 of 9 from the field , making the most of his time after Wesson hit the bench @ @ @ @ @ also grabbed 11 rebounds , including four on the offensive end .

A reporter asked coach Brad Underwood after Illinois’ 71-63 loss at Ohio State on Thursday if the defeat should be considered a one-off.
“Sure,” he said.
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The problem is the No. 23 Illini (20-10, 12-7 Big Ten) have only one regular-season game left and no excuses for an off night if they want to make a long postseason run.
The game doesn’t ruin Illinois’ NCAA Tournament chances. That’s the good news for Illini fans.
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But its hopes of winning a regular-season conference title likely are over. Illinois started the day only a half-game behind conference co-leaders Maryland, Wisconsin and Michigan State.
Sunday’s finale against No. 18 Iowa in Champaign is still important. A victory would give the Illini a top-four Big Ten finish and provide a precious double bye in the conference tournament, which begins Wednesday in Indianapolis.
“Next game,” Underwood said. “We have a lot to play for.”
Illinois struggled with shooting and rebounding against the No. 19 Buckeyes (21-9, 11-8), who overcame an 11-point first-half deficit.
Here are three takeaways from Thursday’s loss in Columbus, Ohio:
1. The Illini need more than Ayo Dosunmu.
The sophomore guard has proved to be so clutch this season it seems at times he could win games on his own.
Obviously that’s not the case. And Illinois might have received a wake-up call to the importance of his teammates in March.
Dosunmu was aggressive and productive, scoring 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting with five assists and five rebounds.
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But he was the only one on fire.
The Illini shot 43.6% from the floor, making only 27.3% (6 of 22) of their 3-pointers. Outside of Dosunmu, they shot only 36.5%.
Andres Feliz added 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting and made only 1 of 6 3-pointers. He had 11 rebounds.
“Besides Ayo, we have to have some other guys step up,” Underwood said. “Tough night shooting.”
Some of it had to do with key players getting into foul trouble.
Center Kofi Cockburn sat the final 10½ minutes of the first half with two fouls. He was scoreless before halftime and finished with six points and three rebounds.
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Underwood bemoaned Cockburn’s foul trouble — he finished with four — and the way Ohio State drew him out of the post.
Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Feliz also picked up early fouls, handcuffing Illinois. Trent Frazier also finished with four fouls.
“We had lineups out there we hadn’t seen,” Underwood said.
It seemed a gift that the Illini led 37-30 at the half.
“It was out of rhythm for them, and we just didn’t make shots,” Underwood said.
2. Illinois lost the battle of the boards, especially on the offensive end.
Underwood pointed to two reasons for the loss.
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“The ball didn’t go in, and we gave up 16 offensive rebounds,” he said. “That was the game. That’s very very out of character for us.”
Illinois ranked 16th nationally and first in the Big Ten, averaging 12.8 offensive rebounds per game. It’s been a difference-maker most of the conference season.
“I was disappointed,” Underwood said. “We’ve been chasing down rebounds all year. It was just us not getting them. We’ve been doing that.”
Again, Cockburn being drawn away from the basket was an issue. The 7-footer came in averaging 9 rebounds per game.
Ohio State outrebounded Illinois 38-22.
“What we didn’t foresee was their dominance on the glass,” Underwood said.
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Illinois accomplished its goal of holding Ohio State to six or fewer 3-pointers. The Buckeyes hit only 3 of 15.
But it didn’t matter.
“We were going to make them shoot 2s,” Underwood.
Kaleb Wesson scored 19 points, and E.J. Liddell (more on him below) tied a career high with 17 off the bench.
3. E.J. Liddell says hello to Illinois.
Liddell was the only player other than Jabari Parker to win the Mr. Basketball of Illinois award twice.
He reminded the Illini of why they wanted him as a recruit out of Belleville West.
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Liddell went 7 of 9 from the field, making the most of his time after Wesson hit the bench with foul trouble. Liddell also grabbed 11 rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
The Buckeyes have won four in a row and nine of their last 11. Underwood wasn’t surprised to see Liddell perform at a high level.
“We recruited E.J.,” he said. “We know how good he is. He hit a groove. That gives them a complete look.”
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chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Chicago police union president forced into runoff election against cop facing discipline for filing

Chicago police union president forced into runoff election against cop facing discipline for filing report on Eddie Johnson

Catanzara has a lengthy history of complaints filed against him in his 25 years as a Chicago cop .
Records @ @ @ @ @ he had at least 35 complaints against him through mid-2017 , many of them for @ @ @ @ @ s also been suspended several times in his career , and past superintendents have tried @ @ @ @ @ .

Kevin Graham faces a runoff in his bid for reelection as president of the union representing thousands of rank-and-file Chicago police officers after failing to garner more than 50% of the vote in a race with four other challengers.
Finishing in first place in Thursday’s election for president of Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 was Officer John Catanzara, an outspoken critic of Chicago police leadership who is currently relieved of his police powers for a pending disciplinary matter. He finished with 2,639 votes, or 32.12% of the total vote, in his bid to replace Graham, according to sources briefed on the election results.
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Graham finished second with 2,095, or 25.50% of the vote, the sources said. Finishing third was Martin Preib, Graham’s second vice president and an ardent critic of the local media for its coverage of police misconduct issues who ended up with just 30 fewer votes than Graham.
More than 8,200 votes were tallied. Active and retired officers were eligible to vote.
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On Thursday night, Catanzara told the Tribune he was disappointed he couldn’t win the election outright with over 50% of the vote but was pleased that most of the other candidates on his ticket for other FOP positions were elected to their posts. Graham could not immediately be reached for comment.
The winner of the runoff will head the union’s negotiations for a new police contract, as the existing one expired about three years ago. When Graham was elected FOP president in 2017, the contract was under fire in the fallout over Laquan McDonald’s fatal shooting.
In its aftermath, a task force formed by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel criticized the union contract for contributing to a “code of silence” that protects bad officers. Negotiations over the next contract, the task force wrote, should focus on removing current provisions that prevent people from filing anonymous complaints and force them to sign affidavits describing police misconduct.
The FOP’s relationship with Mayor Lori Lightfoot also got off to a rocky start. Last year, a hot mic at a City Council meeting captured Lightfoot calling Graham’s No. 2, First Vice President Patrick Murray, an “FOP clown." She later apologized and acknowledged it was inappropriate for her “to say that out loud.”
Catanzara on Thursday night said he’s willing to work with Lightfoot and get serious about contract negotiations with the city because he doesn’t want to see an independent arbitrator decide what goes in a police contract.
“The ball’s in her court,” he said of the mayor.
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Catanzara has been known as an outspoken critic of CPD's leadership and city government. He's been a mainstay at public meetings over the years, including monthly Chicago Police Board meetings where he's often chided police brass on myriad issues.
When the Tribune last year uncovered that CPD ran secret background checks on citizens who signed up to speak at Police Board meetings, Catanzara told the newspaper he felt the practice was “intrusive.” Lightfoot ordered an end to the controversial policy and requested the city’s government watchdog look into its origins.
“You should be told that your name will be ran for a background investigation prior to the meeting," Catanzara said at the time.
He is currently relieved of his police powers and under investigation by the department on allegations related to a 2018 police report he filed against then-police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. Catanzara accused him of breaking the law by allowing marchers onto the Dan Ryan Expressway that summer to protest city violence.
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Catanzara has a lengthy history of complaints filed against him in his 25 years as a Chicago cop. Records obtained by the Tribune show he had at least 35 complaints against him through mid-2017, many of them for personnel violations. He’s also been suspended several times in his career, and past superintendents have tried twice unsuccessfully to fire him.
In August 2008, then-Superintendent Jody Weis sought his firing on allegations that he did not follow orders to complete a psychological exam, according to Chicago Police Board records. But in February 2009, the board cleared Catanzara of wrongdoing in a 5-3 decision.
Three years later, then-Superintendent Garry McCarthy tried to fire him for working a side job as a security guard for a restaurant in the Old Town neighborhood when he was supposed to be on medical leave for a back injury.
The Police Board found him guilty of several Police Department violations, board records show. But instead of firing, the board in a 7-2 decision voted to suspend Catanzara for 20 days.
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The department in 2017 issued Catanzara a reprimand — among the lightest punishments a Chicago cop can face — for violating department rules that prohibit officers from participating in any partisan political campaign or activity while on duty.
In that case, he posted a photo of himself on Facebook in an apparent protest of NFL players who knelt during the national anthem at the start of games. The photo showed him in uniform holding an American flag as he stood in front of a marked Chicago police SUV.
Asked Thursday night what Catanzara might tell people who criticize him for his disciplinary history, he quipped, “Until you walk in someone (else’s) shoes, (you) probably should shut your mouth.”
Tribune reporter Jennifer Smith Richards contributed
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Prosecutors: Gunman posed with gun on social media hours after fatally shooting Humboldt Park man

After the car turned onto Springfield , Thomas pulled out a “ large , shiny gun ” and fired three @ @ @ @ @ toward Garfeed and two others , prosecutors said .
Two of the witnesses with Garfeed @ @ @ @ @ out .
One of them returned to the scene and found Garfeed barely breathing and @ @ @ @ @ authorities said .

Two hours after he fatally shot a weed dealer on a West Side corner this past Monday, prosecutors said the 20-year-old gunman posed with the murder weapon on social media, telling viewers he would sell the handgun because it “had bodies on it.”
Julius Thomas then told viewers on Facebook Live that he killed two people with the gun that resembled the handgun an eyewitness saw him use to shoot Diviris Garfeed, 30, authorities told a judge Thursday during a bail hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
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Judge Charles Beach II granted the prosecution’s request to deny bail for Thomas, who faces a first-degree murder charge for the 12:35 a.m. shooting in the 1000 block of North Springfield Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Julius Thomas, 20, faces first-degree murder charges for the March 2, 2020, shooting death of Diviris Garfeed, 30. (HANDOUT)
Authorities said surveillance video captured the deadly shooting, and that POD cameras and license plate readers led police to the getaway vehicle, a white Pontiac sedan registered to Thomas.
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In court, prosecutors said Thomas was the passenger in the Pontiac with another person driving when it pulled up to the corner of Augusta Boulevard and Springfield around 12:35 a.m.
Thomas asked Garfeed and one of two other people standing with him if they had $20 worth of marijuana. Garfeed told the car’s driver to pull over, authorities said.
After the car turned onto Springfield, Thomas pulled out a “large, shiny gun” and fired three shots through the open window toward Garfeed and two others, prosecutors said. Two of the witnesses with Garfeed fled as the shots rang out. One of them returned to the scene and found Garfeed barely breathing and bleeding from the head, authorities said.
Garfeed, of the 1000 block of North Springfield, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
One of the witnesses identified Thomas from a photo array as the shooter, according to prosecutors. On the livestream, authorities said Thomas bragged that he “put two bodies” and a gang rival on the gun, meaning he’d killed the people. Thomas was also still wearing the same blue sweater that the witness had described to responding officers.
Thomas was arrested a day after the shooting at his home as he got into the Pontiac, prosecutors said. Inside the car, police recovered a single 9 mm shell casing that matched casings found at the shooting scene.
Thomas, of the 4400 block of West Fulton Street in West Garfield Park, had a 2018 conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 18 months probation, according to court records.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Longtime Chicago political operative William Helm indicted on charges he bribed state Sen. Martin Sa

Longtime Chicago political operative William Helm indicted on charges he bribed state Sen. Martin Sandoval

Tobolski ’ s chief of staff , Patrick Doherty , was indicted last month on federal charges alleging he conspired @ @ @ @ @ relative of an Oak Lawn trustee in 2017 to get lucrative red-light cameras installed there @ @ @ @ @ company called SafeSpeed LLC .
Doherty has pleaded not guilty .

Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after pleading guilty to bribery and tax charges on Jan. 28, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A longtime Chicago political operative was indicted Thursday on federal bribery charges alleging he paid off then-state Sen. Martin Sandoval on behalf of a suburban construction company for the senator’s support on a state road project.
William Helm, the onetime deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation who went on to a high-level position with the Illinois Department of Transportation, was charged in a two-page indictment with a single count of bribery.
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An arraignment date has not been set.
According to the indictment, Helm was retained in 2018 by a construction company that was seeking IDOT approval for a signalization and road construction project in East Dundee.
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At the time, Sandoval was the head of the influential Senate Transportation Committee.
The indictment alleged Helm paid bribes of at least $5,000 to Sandoval between July and November 2018 in exchange for the senator’s influence in helping the project gain IDOT approval.
The company was referred to in the indictment only as Company A. Helm’s consulting company also was not identified, but records show he owns WAH Consulting LLC, which has a principal address in Schaumburg.
There was no attorney listed for Helm on the public docket as of Thursday evening.
Helm was the latest person to be charged in a sprawling political corruption investigation that first came to light when the FBI raided Sandoval’s office in Springfield in September.
Helm’s name was among a who’s who of Illinois power players named in the warrant, which included asphalt and casino magnates, red-light camera operators transportation and utility executives and a handful of other elected officials.
Helm was also listed in a September search warrant served on village hall in southwest suburban McCook, where Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski is mayor.
Tobolski’s chief of staff, Patrick Doherty, was indicted last month on federal charges alleging he conspired to pay bribes to a relative of an Oak Lawn trustee in 2017 to get lucrative red-light cameras installed there on behalf of a clouted company called SafeSpeed LLC. Doherty has pleaded not guilty.
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A November Tribune report listed Helm as among clouted political players tied to SafeSpeed as sales agents collecting cuts of cash from tickets paid.
Sandoval, meanwhile, pleaded guilty in January to bribery and tax charges. He admitted to taking $20,000 in campaign contributions — and later $70,000 cash from a SafeSpeed co-owner who was secretly working with agents — to act as the company’s “protector” in the Illinois Senate.
Helm was a longtime 47th Ward operative who left IDOT earlier this decade after he was disciplined and departed his job with the airport after he was accused in a pending lawsuit of pressuring airport truck drivers to do political work. He’s denied the allegation.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
jmahr@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--After years of debate, will one of these four proposals determine the future of Evanston’s Harley Cl

After years of debate, will one of these four proposals determine the future of Evanston’s Harley Clarke Mansion?

“ While Friends of Harley Clarke looks forward to restored faith in our City Council and working together as partners @ @ @ @ @ s perspective , we can ’ t help but have concerns around an exclusive review @ @ @ @ @ creates ) of the Harley Clarke proposals by City Council — the same body that @ @ @ @ @ demolish the mansion until the very last moment when the overwhelming results of the referendum @ @ @ @ @ the group wrote in a statement .

An exterior view Friday, July 13, 2018 shows the east facade of the Harley Clarke Mansion in Evanston. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
After months of speculation on what the future may hold for Evanton’s Harley Clarke Mansion, city officials are set to consider four proposals that could determine the lakefront home’s next life.
The proposal period ended Feb. 28 with four official plans submitted to the city for the vacant lakefront mansion just north of Northwestern University’s campus. All four proposals envision a community space that would welcome Evanston residents, but the exact use proposed in each of the plans differs.
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The most recent efforts to revitalize the building and turn it into an environmental education center fell through in April 2018 when the city council voted against a plan from the group Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens, saying the nonprofit citizens group had not raised enough money to give aldermen confidence that the plans would be successful.
That followed an effort in 2013 from Evanston resident Jennifer Pritzker to turn the mansion into a boutique bed and breakfast hotel.
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The latest request for proposals was made after more than 80% of voters on a non-binding referendum in November 2019 agreed that the mansion should be preserved at little to no taxpayer expense.
It also followed a decision by aldermen in December not to appeal the Preservation Commission’s denial of a permit that would have been necessary to tear down the lakefront mansion. That move essentially stopped the controversial demolition plans.
Of the four proposals now under consideration, two have already been publicly detailed.
Evanston Community Lakehouse and Gardens
One of those previously discussed plans is from the group Evanston Community Lakehouse and Gardens. The organization is back for another shot at taking over the property and turning it into a community center, according to the group’s proposal and website. The group’s previous proposal was rejected in 2018 after aldermen said they weren’t confident organizers could fund their vision.
This time, “it was quite a community effort,” said Emily Guthrie, president of the group’s board. Evanston Community Lakehouse and Gardens held community meetings to see what residents most wanted out of the building, which is owned by the city of Evanston.
“That really is our strength and our emphasis, what the community told us they wanted,” Guthrie said.
The group plans to build a community campus that would encompass the mansion and nearby Lighthouse Landing Park, Noah’s Playground and the Jens Jensen-designed gardens.
“The opportunity is waiting for a unique destination experience, opening up incredible opportunities. For example, imagine events for the community such as workshops, meetings, light fare cafe, performances, classes, museums and galleries as well as outdoor activities like lakeside classes (e.g., yoga, dance, drama) and ecological tours of the gardens,” the group wrote in their proposal.
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While programming largely would be free, the group plans to “coordinate community events that will generate sufficient funds after the second year to provide an annual contribution to a building maintenance fund," the proposal reads.
Organizers also believe they can secure about $4 million in donations to renovate the building once a lease is signed, according to the proposal.
Artists Book House
Another proposal comes from bestselling author and Evanston native Audrey Niffenegger who submitted her plans with the group she spearheads, Artists Book House.
“The goal is to found a book arts and literacy center,” Niffenegger said. “There’s a lot of longing associated with this.”
While Niffenegger declined to immediately discuss the financial backing of her proposal, she said a fundraiser on Feb. 9 attracted 200 people. Most of the donations have been small, she said, but the group also is in touch with larger donors who could give more if a lease is approved.
“We’ve got lots of friends in the world of books,” Niffenegger said. She declined to give the estimated cost of her project.
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The Artists Book House would offer classes for children and adults in creative writing, book binding, paper making, letterpress printing, calligraphy, reading groups and more, according to the group’s website.
A bookshop would offer artists’ books, zines, comics and more, as well as books by local authors. Niffenegger plans to bring in writers and artists “to give readings, demonstrations and book signings,” according to the website.
A cafe on site would offer “a lot of caffeine to keep up with the activities going on,” according to the website.
The house would be open to the public, Niffenegger said. The cafe, bookshop, library and paper studio would be located on the first floor; a book bindery, gallery and classrooms would reside on the second floor, and the third floor would feature a multipurpose room for events and gatherings, according to the website. Studios and classrooms would reside in the basement.
The facility would not be rented out for events and weddings, according to the website, “because closing the house for a private party means less access for the public." Those events also usually happen on weekends, which would be the most popular time for visitors to the book house programs and events.
Four submitted proposals are looking at new uses for the Harley Clarke Mansion, shown looking west from Lake Michigan in this file photo. (Genevieve Bookwalter/Pioneer Press)
ONECommunity Museum
The third proposal comes from Allison Lavigne, an Evanston native and Evanston Township High School graduate who works for an Evanston-based company from her home in Virginia, she said.
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Lavigne said she and her husband — also an Evanston native — envision a free community museum called ONECommunity Museum. Exhibits and attractions would focus on environmental education and community and could draw visitors from Evanston and beyond.
Lavigne said she has been watching the mansion saga for some time and submitted her proposal because “the things I wanted my kids to do, and we were doing, are not accessible to everybody.”
Namely, Lavigne said, the museums she and her family enjoy visiting are largely not free in the Chicago area.
Lavigne said her project would cost between $3 and $5 million, and would be done in stages, with parts of the mansion reopening as the money was raised to pay for renovations.
Some funding has been secured, Lavigne said, but declined to discuss details pending the council’s evaluation.
Evanston Conservancy at the Harley Clarke Mansion
The final proposal comes from Richard Murray, president of Equity Schools, Inc. in Evanston. He submitted plans to create what he calls an Evanston Conservancy at the Harley Clarke Mansion.
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This proposal “will house a nature-based preschool, community co-working and conference spaces, mindfulness and movement programming, maker and performing arts spaces, a farm-to-table light fare café (with potential dinners, classes and events of this type), utilization of the greenhouse and conservatory for classes by a local farm, and a ‘ride-up’ bicycle shop located in a portion of the coach house to service cyclists utilizing the recently-completed bike paths on Sheridan Road,” Murray said in an email.
The $4.9 million capital fund would be paid for through investments, federal and state tax benefits, grants, bank financing and donations, according to Murray. Improvements would include historical renovation, ADA compliance measure and refurbishment of the Jens Jensen gardens, among others items.
“Through strategic partnerships we envision a welcoming and inclusive space with a variety of uses for members of the community from all wards, with the potential to offer visitors from even further afield an opportunity to explore and experience this rare, landmarked beauty, while providing revenue-generating possibilities to Evanston for cultural tourism, employment opportunities, and more,” Murray wrote.
Next steps
The proposals will now be considered by Evanston aldermen. Interim City Manager Erika Storlie said it is still to be determined when the plans would come before the city council for consideration. She said a timeline could be decided at Monday’s city council meeting.
Friends of Harley Clarke, the group organized in the initial fight to save the mansion from demolition, has called for resident involvement in the process.
“While Friends of Harley Clarke looks forward to restored faith in our City Council and working together as partners, from a citizen’s perspective, we can’t help but have concerns around an exclusive review (and the appearance it creates) of the Harley Clarke proposals by City Council — the same body that voted for a process to demolish the mansion until the very last moment when the overwhelming results of the referendum ... were undeniable,” the group wrote in a statement.
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This story was updated to clarify the name of one of the proposal groups.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--'It felt like I was being ripped open, and they wouldn’t help me’: Black, Latina women report more p

'It felt like I was being ripped open, and they wouldn’t help me’: Black, Latina women report more pain postpartum but receive less opioid medication, study says

“ You have to be forceful about your own health care , ” Boyd said .
“ I am a @ @ @ @ @ my son through IVF ( in vitro fertilization ) .
Sometimes there ’ s an @ @ @ @ @ that you want because they don ’ t want to give it to you .
@ @ @ @ @ my doctors : Do not dismiss what I ’ m thinking , what I ’ @ @ @ @ @ I feel .
If so , I will ring every bell , every alarm , @ @ @ @ @ hear me because this is my body .
I need this body to deal with @ @ @ @ @ him grow .
”

The pain that black and Latina women are experiencing postpartum is not being taken seriously by some health professionals. (Getty Images)
Patrice Bell, 29, of Beaumont, Texas remembers delivering her son Justin six years ago in a Virginia hospital. She recalls being in a lot of pain during labor and a subsequent cesarean, which she felt she was forced into. When she was in recovery and air compression leg wraps were placed on her legs to prevent blood clots, she said she screamed aloud each time they would inflate.
“Every time they would inflate to get the circulation pumping, it would move my torso, so it felt like I was being ripped open,” Bell said. “I’m a small person, so every time they would inflate, I would feel pain in my lower body. And they wouldn’t help me. I was screaming, and they wouldn’t give me pain meds at all.
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"I’m allergic to hydrocodone, and they knew that coming in. All they said to me was: ‘You’re allergic. I can’t give you anything.' But I was like: ‘You knew about this. You should have had the meds available. That way I would be comfortable after I had the baby.’”
Bell said she didn’t know how long she was in pain. She said it felt like hours. When Bell, now a Winthrop Harbor resident, remembers that moment, she doesn’t know why the nurses weren’t listening to her.
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“I just remember not feeling heard. They gave me attitude like this was normal — deal with it. (The nurse) ... it was like she had been through deliveries so many times and seen so many people scream that mine fell on deaf ears,” Bell said.
Bell is not alone in such postpartum scenarios. A recent Northwestern Medicine study found that black and Latina women report more pain postpartum than white women, yet they receive less opioid medication in the hospital and are less likely to receive a prescription for an opioid at postpartum discharge. Following delivery, women commonly use pain medication to manage cramping, vaginal lacerations, and surgical and musculoskeletal pain. Previous studies have found that minority patients with migraines and long bone fractures receive less pain medication than white patients. Northwestern’s study shows that postpartum women experience similar disparities.
The study looked at a cohort of 9,900 deliveries at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital from December 2015 through November 2016, said lead researcher Dr. Nevert Badreldin, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician.
She said the reasons for the disparities in pain management are complex. According to the study, cultural differences and language barriers may factor into the inequity of pain management. It remains unclear if the findings in the study are the result of different prescribing by obstetricians, different management of pain by bedside nurses, or different patient requests for or acceptance of opioid analgesia.
“We assess pain routinely on a level of zero to 10, and that scale can mean something very different from one person to the other and even culturally from one culture to the other,” Badreldin said.
When health care professionals assessing pain and function postpartum pay more attention to their own expertise than to what their patients are saying, that’s when situations like Bell’s occur, according to Badreldin.
“So the patient might say that I’m in pain, but the provider will assess that the patient is up and mobilized and meeting milestones and therefore will treat them as though their pain is less,” she said. “People rely very heavily on what they perceive is their clinical expertise. And that’s part of the impetus for us getting this qualitative data from patients and understanding what their experience is."
Columbus, Georgia, native Shekeia Boyd, 38, delivered her son Khorie 19 weeks ago. Since then, she said, she’s been diagnosed with sciatica so excruciating that she has difficulty walking with her son in her arms or picking him up. She’s told medical professionals about the ongoing pain, but their response is that she should take Motrin. She said she has had to go back repeatedly to ask for a better solution and eventually was given naproxen.
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“You have to be forceful about your own health care,” Boyd said. “I am a single mother. I conceived my son through IVF (in vitro fertilization). Sometimes there’s an argument to get the care that you want because they don’t want to give it to you. I had to tell all my doctors: Do not dismiss what I’m thinking, what I’m telling you or how I feel. If so, I will ring every bell, every alarm, every whistle. You will hear me because this is my body. I need this body to deal with my son, to help him grow.”
Badreldin’s research (with co-authors Dr. Lynn Yee and Dr. William Grobman, also of Northwestern) points to the need for standardizing opioid-prescribing protocols to decrease discrepancies in postpartum pain management.
“The first step to try to tease out those contributing factors, and we’re doing, is by performing a qualitative study where we’re doing more in-depth interviews with a smaller cohort of patients to kind of understand what their postpartum pain experience was and their perception of their providers, views on opiate prescribing and opiate use in the postpartum period,” Badreldin said. “Acknowledging the presence of racial and ethnic disparities in postpartum pain management is the first step toward addressing why it exists and how we can stop it."
Bell is now training to become a doula to help prevent other women of color from experiencing what she did. She plans to open her own doula practice called Sunny’s Organic Services.
“After my own birth, I ran across an article about how there is a need for more black advocates for minorities," she said. “During birth, you can’t really speak for yourself. So much is going on, a lot of people just go with the flow instead of realizing that they can say, ‘No, I want this.’ You have to get past this idea of being problematic in delivery. If you’re uncomfortable, you have to speak up and out about it. Not only is the voice for you, but your child as well.”
drockett@chicagotribune.com