chicagotribune--2020-02-15--Kris Bryant sets the record straight on his desire to stay with the Cubs — ‘definitely no hard feeli

Kris Bryant sets the record straight on his desire to stay with the Cubs — ‘definitely no hard feelings’ — and the Astros’ sign-stealing apology — ‘what a disgrace’

“ I just saw this as a process that is eventually going to help the players in the next round @ @ @ @ @ was going to be that guy to have the courage to do it .
I @ @ @ @ @ backlash for it , and I understand it .
”

MESA, Ariz. — A candid Kris Bryant admitted to being somewhat surprised about returning to the Cubs but stressed his desire to stay in Chicago after losing his service-time grievance while also correcting false reports about contract offers and blasting the Astros for their sign-stealing scandal.
During an expansive news conference Saturday that lasted nearly 36 minutes, Bryant elaborated on many topics, including his impending fatherhood and potential free agency after 2021.
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“There were trade rumors last offseason, too, and going through that I understand this part of the process as you get closer to free agency and everything’s up in the air,” Bryant said two days before the Cubs’ first full-squad workout.
“I understand it, and I just really try my best to tune it out. It’s really hard.”
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Trading Bryant, 28, the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year and 2016 NL Most Valuable Player, might become more of a reality with two seasons left before free agency and the Cubs facing the possibility of paying a competitive-balance tax for the second consecutive season.
Bryant, who will earn $18.6 million this season, concurred with a team source’s contention last winter that he was never offered an extension worth more than $200 million, adding he hasn’t looked at social media much except when friends send him screenshots about rumors.
“I love everybody here,” Bryant said.” I love the city. It’s just part of the game to people. It’s just talk. Whether it's true or not, we're just chucking darts at a wall, and maybe something sticks.”
Bryant on whether he’s surprised to remain with Cubs: pic.twitter.com/UXC2KzhclN — Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) February 15, 2020
Bryant emphasized he has no hard feelings toward the Cubs after alleging the start of his service time was manipulated in 2015 so that he wouldn’t become a free agent until after 2021.
He said he filed the grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association as a matter of principle, adding: “My mom and dad always told me to stand up for what I believe in, and I was going to see the process through.”
“There’s definitely no hard feelings, so let’s definitely put that that narrative to bed,” said Bryant, who added he didn’t flip over tables after the ruling.
“I just saw this as a process that is eventually going to help the players in the next round of negotiating, and I was going to be that guy to have the courage to do it. I know there's going be backlash for it, and I understand it.”
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The grievance was filed in October but wasn’t decided until late January. That surprised Bryant, who thought a decision would arrive in a few weeks.
“That took forever,” he said. “Obviously I knew (winning the hearing) was an uphill battle.”
Bryant on length of grievance pic.twitter.com/XilxKoIqQq — Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) February 15, 2020
Potential trade partners for Bryant appear to be dwindling. The Phillies are near the luxury-tax threshold ($205 million, according to rosterresource.com), as are the Anthony Rendon-less Nationals ($197 million).
The Rangers, who have been frequent trade partners with the Cubs over the last several seasons, have the financial flexibility but not the young, impact pitching the Cubs would seek in return.
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That leaves the Rockies ($179 million) and disgruntled All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who will earn $35 million in the second year of his eight-year, $260 million contract that includes an opt-out clause after 2021.
A source confirmed that the Cubs inquired earlier this month about the Rockies’ young pitchers before the Arenado spat, but any deal might need to include several players to alleviate salary-tax concerns for the Cubs.
Team President Theo Epstein has stressed there are no “untouchables” on the Cubs roster, but Bryant wouldn’t mind being “in the loop a little bit” about his future.
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“I feel like I’ve earned a little respect here,” Bryant said. “It’s just how I go about my business and just who I am as a player and a person to kind of sit down and have talks like that.”
Bryant was even more candid about the Astros’ sign-stealing tactics and said players should have been penalized for their involvement.
“What a disgrace, just watching their apology (Friday),” Bryant said. “There’s no sincerity, no genuineness when it comes to it. I certainly know that if I messed up big in that way, I'd be the first one to let you know just how big of a mess of it was.”
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Bryant believes the tactics went back further than the 2017 season and thinks the Astros used buzzers inside their jerseys to indicate which pitches were being thrown.
“If they didn’t get caught, they’d still be doing it,” he said. “They’re only doing this apology because they got caught, and that’s it.”
Bryant even went as far to suggest Astros batters would be thrown at intentionally.
“If teams are going about it the right way, you know if you do get hit and you’re not going after people’s heads and stuff like that, I think they’re definitely going to experience some of that this year,” Bryant said.


chicagotribune--2020-02-15--Des Plaines woman killed on I-290 in Schaumburg after leaving car following a crash: state police

The two women got out of the car and ran across several lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder @ @ @ @ @ said .

A 24-year-old Des Plaines woman was hit by a car and killed on Interstate 290 in Schaumburg after she exited the car following a crash, according to the Illinois State Police.
Gloria M. Sanchez-Perez was one of two women in a Toyota Prius that was traveling fast on I-290 near Schaumburg Road just before 11 p.m. Friday, police said. The Prius left the road and crashed into a ditch.
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The two women got out of the car and ran across several lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder of the road, police said.
Sanchez-Perez was hit by a Toyota Camry that was traveling on the interstate, police said. She died at an area hospital.
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The investigation remains ongoing.


chicagotribune--2020-02-14--Man credits selling bouquets on Chicago streets for his recovery from alcoholism: ‘Selling flowers h

Man credits selling bouquets on Chicago streets for his recovery from alcoholism: ‘Selling flowers helped me survive’

Though Flores had been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning a few times over the two decades that he spent on the @ @ @ @ @ better and then continue drinking .
The last time his liver was severely damaged and @ @ @ @ @ he drank “ one more drop ” of alcohol , he would die , Franciso @ @ @

After spending nearly 20 years living on the streets of Chicago, drowning in alcohol and begging for money, Rodolfo Flores found the strength to change his life in 2009 after severe alcohol poisoning and liver failure landed him in the hospital.
In the attempt to recover from alcoholism, Flores, 56, began to sell bouquets in the same streets he once tramped, begging for alcohol or the money to buy it in the Pilsen area.
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He did it. Nearly 10 years later, Flores is still sober and continues to peddle flowers, now in the Gage Park neighborhood.
Though now he walks at a slower pace after hurting one of his knees and has a smile that shows his worn teeth, he is happy and “eager to keep fighting in whatever way I can,” Flores said in Spanish in a recent phone interview.
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As on every Valentine’s Day, he is one of the many flower peddlers defying a 1943 city ordinance that prohibits the sale of flowers in the streets. Some stand at traffic stops and offer bouquets to motorists. Others set up small tents where they also sell teddy bears and boxes of chocolate.
Defying the bitter cold, Flores planned to sell his bouquets of roses all weekend at 51st Street and California Avenue, he said. If the Chicago temperature becomes unbearable, he asks for permission to sell in restaurants and stores.
“Selling flowers helped me survive,” Flores said in an interview last year. But beyond a second chance at life and a source of income, the bouquets signify the hope he couldn’t find when he was deeply depressed and unable to find a way out of his alcohol addiction, he said.
“Thank God, I’m still doing well,” he said Thursday, laughing. “Last year the sales weren’t great, but I’m healthy."
Rodolfo Flores sells flowers on Valentine's Day at La Quebrada Restaurant in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Most cold days, Flores sells his flowers inside La Quebrada Restaurant, 5100 S. California Ave., near his regular intersection. On hot days, he goes in to cool off.
The owners of La Quebrada for nearly 20 years, Jose and Hilda Rodriguez, and their daughter, Joseline, now restaurant manager, witnessed Flores’ struggle with alcoholism. When they saw his recovery, they supported him, Joseline Rodriguez said.
“People know him here, they come here to look for him to buy flowers and when he doesn’t show up for a few days, they’ll ask about him,” she said. “He is a good man.”
Flores lives with his younger brother, Francisco Flores, and his brother’s family in a modest house in Gage Park.
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Although Francisco Flores does not charge his brother rent, Flores brings food home and helps to pay bills.
Every morning before 8, Francisco Flores helps pick and arrange the bouquets from his small flower shop for Flores to sell. The average bouquet is $15 to $20 but sometimes Flores has to sell them more cheaply to take at least some money home, he said.
There are days Flores makes $60 or more, but other days he doesn’t sell a single bouquet. That’s never discouraged him from going out to sell flowers. Seeing and talking to new people encourages him to stay strong. And he added that over the years he has made many friends and has some very loyal customers.
Depending on his monthly earnings, he tries to send $100 to his mother, Maria de la Paz Erazmo, 82, who he hasn’t seen since he arrived in the United States when he was 16.
Flores came to the U.S. in the early 1980s, first to California looking for his father, who had abandoned him and his siblings in Guerrero, Mexico, with their mother. Although Flores was able to locate him, Flores’ father had another family and their relationship was turbulent.
So Flores decided to move to Chicago with some friends, with the hope of working to save money and help his family back home. For a few years, he worked as a waiter and a dishwasher in various restaurants in the city.
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At first, he was able to save enough money to help bring Francisco Flores to live with him here. And in 1986, Flores was able to regularize his immigration status through an amnesty enacted under President Ronald Reagan.
But soon everything changed.
When Francisco Flores noticed in the early 1990s his older brother had alcohol dependency, he begged him to stop drinking, Francisco Flores recalled.
“I started drinking and little by little, I forgot everything else," Rodolfo Flores said. "I abandoned myself and could only think of what I was going to drink next. I wanted to be alone and it never crossed my mind to look for help because I didn’t have a job.”
Flores lost his job because he was constantly intoxicated, his brother said. He then distanced himself from Francisco Flores, ashamed of what he was doing but unable to stop drinking.
Alcoholism, Flores said, is something “so strong that it doesn’t let you think, walk, or act.”
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He remembers sleeping on benches in parks, under bridges, and sometimes on porches or in backyards of people he knew. When he couldn’t get a hot meal, he searched through garbage cans in alleys.
Most days, he would go from bar to bar on 18th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood, begging for a beer or money or asking for work in exchange for alcohol.
For many years, he lost touch with his brother and his mother.
Flores was taken to a hospital in 2009, after someone who knew him saw him unconscious, lying in the middle of the street, and notified Francisco Flores of his homeless brother’s whereabouts, Francisco Flores said.
Though Flores had been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning a few times over the two decades that he spent on the streets, he would get better and then continue drinking. The last time his liver was severely damaged and doctors warned him that if he drank “one more drop” of alcohol, he would die, Franciso Flores said.
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Flores said he spent a few weeks at the hospital praying to the God he had forgotten and entrusted himself to Our Lady of Guadalupe for strength and a way to survive.
After Flores was released from the hospital in 2009, his brother took him in “without any judgment or resentment,” Flores said.
Flores took the first step to sobriety by spending his time trying to earn some money by selling bouquets of roses from Francisco Flores’ flower shop. At the time it was the only work he could get because of his illness, but he says it turned into the therapy that saved his life.
To this day, Flores prays every day before heading out to sell roses.
All it took was faith and willpower to find a way to change his life, he said. Though he tried, he never became a member of an Alcoholics Anonymous support group.
“I regret everything that I did,” said Flores, who now lives every day trying to make up for the time he wasted.
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“If I had worked all those years, my life would have been different now.”
Regardless, he is hopeful and grateful to his brother and for his flowers.
"It is never too late to recover and little by little I have to move forward,” Flores said. “I don’t think about what happened anymore. Everything I did, I left behind. I just think about what’s next in my life.”
“My dream is to keep looking forward, to never look back or let myself down and keep going until God allows me to,” Flores said.
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An earlier version of this story was published in Spanish in Hoy in 2019.
larodriguez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-17--Cubs sign deal to air Marquee Sports Network on streaming service Hulu

Traditional cable and satellite providers lost about 6 million subscribers last year , according to data from industry analysts MoffettNathanson @ @ @ @ @ partially offset by gains in streaming services like Sling TV , Hulu and YouTube TV @ @ @ @ @ to continue , with traditional cable expected to shed another 19 million subscribers by 2023 @ @ @ @ @

When Marquee Sports Network, the exclusive new cable TV home of the Cubs, debuts Saturday with the first spring training game against the Oakland Athletics, Chicagoans will have at least one alternative way to watch it.
The Cubs on Monday announced a deal with streaming service Hulu to carry the fledgling regional sports network on the Hulu + Live TV service, allowing Midwest viewers to watch the games through a TV, computer or mobile device — without a cable subscription.
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A streaming option could loom large for Cubs fans who are also Comcast subscribers because Marquee, a partnership between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, still is trying to secure a spot on the cable giant’s Chicago-area channel lineup.
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[ 5 questions — and answers from Crane Kenney — about the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network deal with Hulu ]
“For the folks who are more conditioned to streaming their content, this gives them a way to watch the Cubs,” said Mike McCarthy, Marquee’s general manager. “That being said, our traditional cable and satellite subscribers are very important to us too.”
Hulu + Live TV streams dozens of news, sports and entertainment channels online and will include Marquee as part of its regular $54.99 monthly package in the Cubs’ regional broadcast territory.
Major League Baseball defines Chicago’s home broadcast territory as portions of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. Marquee is working to line up deals with cable providers large and small throughout that region.
[ 7 facts worth clarifying about the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network ]
Marquee is set to run on AT&T and RCN but has no deal with Comcast, the Chicago area’s largest traditional cable provider. The Cubs open the regular season March 26.
“We have received the proposal from Marquee and are reviewing it,” said Jack Segal, a Comcast spokesman.
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McCarthy said the proposal in front of Comcast is comparable to agreements with other large cable providers to carry Marquee. Pressure is intensifying to get a deal done with Comcast before the opener against the Brewers next month, when many Cubs fans could be left in the dark.
“It’s in their hands,” McCarthy said. “I’d be very surprised if something weren’t to work out sooner than later with Comcast.”
In light of the Comcast stalemate, the Hulu deal might provide one more reason for consumers to cut the cable cord and subscribe to a streaming video service, a growing trend that has disrupted the traditional pay-TV model in recent years.
[ Ryan Dempster will have a talk show on the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network. Will it feature Kris Bryant’s new guitar skills? ]
Traditional cable and satellite providers lost about 6 million subscribers last year, according to data from industry analyst MoffettNathanson. Those losses have been partially offset by gains in streaming services such as Sling TV, Hulu and YouTube TV. The trend is likely to continue, with traditional cable expected to shed another 19 million subscribers by 2023, the firm said.
Live sports programming, from national networks such as ESPN to regional networks such as NBC Sports Chicago, has been the “glue” that keeps subscribers tethered to the traditional cable bundle, according to MoffettNathanson. Cable providers pay a premium to carry sports networks and pass that cost along to subscribers on their monthly bill.
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Marquee is scheduled to air at least 145 regular-season and 28 spring training games — by far the most Cactus League games a Cubs TV partner has broadcast. Marquee also will feature expanded pregame and postgame coverage, classic broadcasts from the archives and other programming.
[ Mark Grace joins Marquee Sports Network as an analyst for select Cubs games ]
Saturday’s programming lineup includes a documentary on Ernie Banks and contributions from actor and comedian Bill Murray, the Wilmette native and Cubs superfan who was in Chicago on Friday filming segments for Marquee’s inaugural broadcast.
A dozen Cubs regular-season games are reserved for national broadcasts, but Marquee will be the exclusive local TV home this season after the team parted ways with NBC Sports Chicago, the regional sports network it formed in 2004 with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.
The Cubs also exited local over-the-air TV after 71 years, pulling the plug on WGN-9 and ABC-7 and moving a combined 70 games to Marquee this season.
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Marquee and NBC Sports Chicago are now battling it out for sports viewers and a share of carriage fees — the amount cable and satellite providers pay for programming.
NBC Sports Chicago has carriage deals in place with Comcast, AT&T, DirecTV and RCN, among other cable and satellite providers. The network is also available through streaming services such as Hulu, fuboTV and YouTube TV.
Comcast is a partner with the Bulls, Hawks and Sox in NBC Sports Chicago.
This story has been updated to clarify that Marquee will be carried on the Hulu + Live TV service.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-17--Can courts do more to force FOID card violators to give up their guns? Cook and DuPage counties cons

Can courts do more to force FOID card violators to give up their guns? Cook and DuPage counties considering how following Tribune report.

“ The state ’ s attorney ’ s office supports this proposal , ” said Aviva Bowen , the officer @ @ @ @ @ affairs .
“ Providing the judiciary with all of the relevant information regarding an offender @ @ @ @ @ for setting a bond that protects the public while at the same time maintains the @ @ @ @ @ We remain committed to ensuring public safety in Cook County and reviewing procedures to keep @ @ @ @ @ of those most likely to commit violent crimes .
”

Stacy St. Clair, Cecilia Reyes, Annie Sweeney, Sarah Freishtat

Cassandra Tanner Miller in her Joliet home on Feb. 6, 2020. Her 18-month-old son was fatally shot death by his father with a gun that he was no longer legally allowed to possess. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
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Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is calling for changes in how the judicial system handles defendants with revoked gun licenses following a Tribune investigation into the ballooning backlog of people declared too dangerous to own firearms and the state’s failure to address it.
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The move comes after the Tribune highlighted the story of Christopher Miller, a Joliet man who fatally shot his 18-month-old son, Colton, with a gun he should have relinquished after having his firearm owner’s identification card revoked more than a year earlier. According to a Tribune analysis, Miller was among the more than 70% of revoked FOID permit holders statewide who ignored police orders to account for their weapons.
During his 20 months on the revocation list, Miller appeared before judges in two separate counties on criminal charges and never once was asked if he complied. No one at the hearings — one in DuPage County and one in Cook County — ordered the Illinois National Guardsman to give up the multiple firearms he kept in violation of state law.
His wife even warned DuPage officials about the weapons and his FOID revocation by the Illinois State Police, but no one acted on the information. DuPage prosecutors told her to seek an order of protection if she was afraid.
Within a month of Miller’s Cook County bond hearing and shortly before he was due to stand trial in DuPage, he fatally shot their infant son and then himself during a brutal attack in his estranged wife’s Joliet home.
Under Dart’s proposal, the FOID revocation status of all defendants would be checked and shared with a judge before bond is set. In a letter to Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans after the Tribune shared its findings with Dart, the sheriff said bond court, particularly, is “ideally situated to require compliance.”
Christopher Miller, in his Illinois National Guard dress uniform. (Family photo)
Christopher Miller, 35, shot his 18-month-old son, Colton, and then killed himself with a gun that he was no longer legally allowed to possess. (Stickney Police Department)
“Every day in bond court, pretrial service representatives assess an individual’s risk for fleeing and offending,” Dart’s letter reads, explaining that information on whether a defendant had a FOID card revoked and why can better inform a judge’s decisions to require compliance with gun licensing laws when setting bail. “This point in the judicial process serves as a prime opportunity.”
Through a spokesperson, Evans said that his staff will work directly with the sheriff’s office on how to address the issue.
The Tribune has analyzed the state’s FOID card revocation system in several stories since a revoked cardholder opened fire on Feb. 15, 2019, at the Henry Pratt plant in Aurora, killing five people before he was killed in a shootout with police. Five responding police officers and an employee also were injured.
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The investigation revealed that shooter Gary Martin had his FOID card revoked five years before the tragedy. He failed to turn in his weapons and no one in law enforcement followed up to make sure he did.
The Miller case was yet another tragic example of a FOID cardholder who ignored the state law and then committed an act of gun violence.
A closer look at the details of Miller’s case reveals missed opportunities inside Illinois courtrooms, the very place where a judge and prosecutors would appear to have the most leverage to get compliance.
Dart’s proposal has the support of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, whose office has access to a statewide database detailing residents who had their cards rescinded, the reason for the revocation and whether they complied with orders to account for their weapons. Currently, Cook County prosecutors look at FOID revocation status “where it is relevant to the case,” including charges that involve guns or violent crimes.
Prosecutors knew Miller was facing trial for felony battery in DuPage, but they determined his FOID status was not germane to his drug case and did not check. That would change under the sheriff’s plan.
“The state’s attorney’s office supports this proposal,” said Aviva Bowen, the officer’s director of external affairs. “Providing the judiciary with all of the relevant information regarding an offender’s background is imperative for setting a bond that protects the public while at the same time maintains the individual’s rights. We remain committed to ensuring public safety in Cook County and reviewing procedures to keep firearms out of the hands of those most likely to commit violent crimes.”
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Dart’s request also has the backing of Cassandra Tanner Miller, Christopher Miller’s estranged wife who also was violently assaulted during the September 2019 attack.
“I think it’s 100% needed,” she said. “Where else are you going to have that opportunity?”
Christopher Miller was arrested in August 2019 for cocaine possession in Stickney and appeared in bond court in Bridgeview the following morning. Tanner Miller went to the courthouse for the hearing in the hopes authorities would address his continued gun possession and keep him in jail until he relinquished them.
She listened incredulously as prosecutors made no mention of his FOID revocation and his public defender talked about how Miller was a patriot who had served his country honorably in the Illinois National Guard for a decade. Miller was released on a personal recognizance bond and walked out of Cook County Jail, where a defendant’s revocation status is not part of the background check conducted prior to release.
“I was sad and disappointed. This person has done so much damage criminally on so many different levels and they didn’t care if he still had guns,” she said. “It was just another reason why the justice system is failing.”
Cassandra Tanner Miller shows the last picture taken of her son, Colton. The picture was taken at 11:44 a.m. on Sept. 21, 2019, the day he was killed by his father. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
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The Aurora shooting had already prompted officials in DuPage County to examine gaps in the FOID revocation system.
The Family Violence Coordinating Council in DuPage County courts created a committee six months ago that includes police, prosecutors, domestic violence advocates, judges and court personnel, to determine how courts could more actively seek information about FOID status and bring revokees into compliance.
As a matter of long-standing practice, judges in DuPage issue an order to all felony defendants to surrender FOID cards and guns. In Miller’s case, he bonded out at a police station, which meant he was not given any orders related to his FOID card.
Addressing such a gap in the system is part of the discussions happening in DuPage now. Another idea under consideration would be giving defendants a deadline to comply with the orders.
“The Pratt shooting was a catalyst to having us think about what we are doing in this circuit to address these issues and can we do better," said DuPage County Judge Ann Celine Walsh, who chairs the council. “The courts are concerned about whether or not the orders are being followed through.”
sstclair@chicagotribune.com
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creyes@chicagotribune.com
asweeney@chicagotribune.com
sfreishtat@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-17--1 dead, 2 injured after shooting in Jackson station transfer tunnel, police say

She moved to Chicago two months ago from France to study at Harold Washington College , she said .
She @ @ @ @ @ South Side but moved to the Loop on Thursday because it was closer to her @ @ @ @ @ it would be safer .

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chicagotribune--2020-02-16--Man, 40, fatally shot in Back of the Yards, police say

Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert just before 9 p.m. in the 700 block of West 50th Street in the @ @ @ @ @ on the South Side , police said .
The man was found lying on the @ @ @ @ @ taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition .
He was later @ @ @

A 40-year-old man was fatally shot Feb. 16, 2020, in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side, according to Chicago police. (Paige Fry / Chicago Tribune)
A 40-year-old man was found Sunday night on the South Side with gunshot wounds to his face and leg, according to Chicago police.
Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert just before 9 p.m. in the 700 block of West 50th Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The man was found on the ground and he was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he later died.
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The man has been identified as Ronnie Peterson, of the Lithuanian Plaza neighborhood on the South Side, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He was pronounced dead at 9:53 p.m. Sunday.
No arrests have been made.
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Check back for updates.
pfry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-16--Ask Amy: Granny should be the coach of family's team

The unemployment rate is very low right now .
And the experience of job searching has changed .
Applicants often @ @ @ @ @ once and then -- if they are lucky enough to score an in-person interview -- @ @ @ @ @ .
I recently spoke with a hiring manager who waited for 20 minutes for the @ @ @ @ @ manager said this would n't have been a problem , if the person had apologized @ @ @ @ @ did n't .

Dear Amy: We are a group of grandmas who see our grandkids for hours or sometimes a few days at a time.
Our question is how we should handle punishments given by the parents when our grandchildren are with us.
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When the parents of my grandkids ask how things went, I always say "fine," but other grandmas give a detailed account of everything that went on.
This discussion started when I was given instructions to deny my 5-year-old grandson treats while he was with me because he had defaced something at his house (I was not there).
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During their visit, his older brother constantly reminded me that the punishment for his brother was to be followed while they were at my house.
I was left with the feeling that I could not spend the time with my grandsons as I wished.
I know that in order to have a presence in my grandchildren's lives, I need to follow the parents' instruction. However, I don't like how the punished child's sibling was policing the situation.
We all agree that any problem of significance should be shared, but how about the little things that come up?
— Loving Grandmother
Dear Grandmother: Generally, grandparents should make their best efforts to adhere to discipline guidelines laid down by the parents.
That having been said, when the children are with you, you are (in effect) "in loco parentis" -- in place of the parent. This means that you should use your own best judgment, without directly or deliberately undermining the parents.
I diagnose this NOT as a discipline issue with the parents of a 5-year-old, but as a tattle issue with an older sibling.
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You should very gently remind this older brother, "OK, Mr. Tattle McTattlemuch, when you guys are with me, I'm in charge of treats and punishments. And because we are a team, if one of us doesn't get treats, then none of us get treats.
So, until your parents say so, we're not going to have our daily ice cream scoop. But we'll have other sorts of good things. Have you ever eaten fruit kabobs off of a skewer and dipped in yogurt? It's really good. But the deal is that you don't get to remind me about your brother's punishment. Because we're a team here ... and I'm the coach."
Then you look your little dudes straight in the eyes and ask, "Who is the coach? I can't hear you..." etc., until they both get the message that Coach Grammy is in charge.
Dear Amy: I am an employer seeking to hire a new employee.
I have been very disappointed when applicants confirm an interview and are then no-shows.
Sometimes they respond that they were in a car accident, a child is in the hospital, or that an accident on the highway prevented them from arriving.
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Then they ask to re-schedule.
Other times, they don't show up, and there is no communication at all.
I do not know why they don't email/call to say that they are not going to make their appointment.
I am grateful to know in advance that they would probably not be good employees, but I do not understand the behavior.
Our time is valuable, too, and it is disappointing.
Do they just need to apply for jobs to satisfy receiving unemployment benefits?
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— Frustrated Employer
Dear Frustrated: Yes, people receiving unemployment benefits are often expected to show evidence that they are actively searching for work.
And sometimes, people get hung up in traffic or have children whose needs overtake their day.
The unemployment rate is very low right now. And the experience of job searching has changed. Applicants often apply to multiple jobs at once and then -- if they are lucky enough to score an in-person interview -- have to juggle these commitments. I recently spoke with a hiring manager who waited for 20 minutes for the applicant to arrive. The manager said this wouldn't have been a problem, if the person had apologized for being late. They didn't.
Applicants should demonstrate professional behavior as well as common courtesy, calling if they are delayed or hope to reschedule.
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 >
Dear Amy: I loved your answer to "Desperate," the med student who wanted to settle in a small town, while her longtime boyfriend craved city life.
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I'd like to add my city, Tulsa, to the list of cities you mentioned that offer a great combination of small-town and metropolitan life.
— Proud Tulsan
Dear Proud: I have spent a lot of time in Tulsa. I agree with you.
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Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
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chicagotribune--2020-02-16--New format injects missing drama into the All-Star Game as Team LeBron beats Team Giannis 157-155

Team Giannis introduced strategy in the final moments of the third quarter as it trailed 40-39 and elected to foul @ @ @ @ @ 1 of 2 free throws .
Rudy Gobert fielded an alley-oop on the next play @ @ @ @ @ the score 41-41 .
Westbrook missed a fadeaway and the quarter ended in a tie @ @ @ @ @ donation from the third quarter over to the fourth .

Years from now, the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago will be remembered as a classic showdown. A lot of elements from Sunday night at the United Center worked (the new format), but some didn’t (the national anthem).
Here are 10 observations about the finale to All-Star Weekend.
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1. Anthony Davis provided a poetic ending.
Anthony Davis embodied two of the night’s themes: Chicago hosting the All-Star Game and the NBA paying tribute to the late Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
Davis, a Laker and Chicago native, sank a free throw to win the game for teammate LeBron James’ side.
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“Joel Embiid was trying to say we shouldn’t be able to win on a free throw, but, hey, that wasn’t in the rulebook,” Davis said. “I’m just glad we got the win.”
2. It’s safe to say the new format worked.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came up with something to motivate the All-Stars to play competitively after some ridiculously lax games in recent years.
Under the new rules, each team could win $100,000 for its charity by winning a quarter, and each of the first three quarters were up for grabs. The fourth, untimed quarter had to be won by reaching the “target score” — the higher cumulative score through three quarters plus 24, in honor of Kobe Bryant — with more money for the winner’s charity.
At first, the new format seemed to fail. Team LeBron blew out Team Giannis 53-41 in the first quarter, and Team Giannis returned the favor 51-30 in the second quarter.
The game tightened in the third, which ended at 41-41. The fourth quarter got a bit physical — a total of 21 fouls in the quarter — and had the air of a playoff game as Team LeBron overcame an 11-point deficit to win 157-155.
“It was dope,” Jimmy Butler said. “Damn sure got to compete at the end.”
“It was a great feeling,” Anthony Davis said. “The new format was amazing. The game was fun. Bringing defense back to the game. Bringing excitement back to the game. We all loved it. I was happy that I was able to be the one to knock down the free throw to seal it.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 39 Anthony Davis of Team LeBron is fouled by Kyle Lowry of Team Giannis in the fourth quarter of the NBA All-Star Game. Davis made one of two free throws to win the game. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Giannis Antetokounmpo said his brother and Bucks teammate Thanasis told him “this has been the most fun All-Star he’s been a part of. And I asked him why, and he told me, ‘Because you guys were really competitive. You guys were playing to win.’ ”
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3. Perhaps we all owe Giannis Antetokounmpo an apology.
When Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James drafted their All-Star teams, many NBA observers believed James took advantage of his counterpart. James’ roster was stacked with MVP-caliber talent and clearly had the advantage in 3-point shooters.
But here’s the thing: That’s all well and good for the regular season, but perhaps the Greek Freak figured that no one plays with much intensity on defense in the All-Star Game, and certainly not in the paint.
So why not stack your roster with trees who can dunk, rebound and block like Rudy Gobert, Pascal Siakam and Joel Embiid? Team Giannis did win the rebounding battle and dominated points in the paint.
4. Jimmy Butler had some bad turnovers.
Jimmy Butler replaced Joel Embiid with just under six minutes left in the first quarter, and less than a minute later, he made three straight bad passes in a 33-second span. He added another turnover to give him four in four minutes.
All-Stars get a bit careless when trying to set up teammates for the highlight reel, but that level of recklessness — from Butler of all players — is eye-opening.
The only question is whether Regular Season Jimmy will drag All-Star Jimmy on social media or embarrass him in practice.
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5. Kyle Lowry is a taker of charges.
Kyle Lowry taking a charge (or flop?) against Kawhi Leonard was one of the highlights of the game, and Lowry pointing both fingers at his former Raptors teammate while lying on his back was priceless. Lowry’s takedown of Anthony Davis, however, proved devastating, sending Davis to the free-throw line for the game-winning shot after a failed coach’s challenge.
“I literally couldn’t do anything,” Lowry said. “It sucked to end like that. Maybe we have to tweak that format a little bit more (and have the game end on a made basket). But it was a fun learning experience.”
His Team Giannis teammates appreciated his tenacity.
“It’s great. That’s what he does,” Joel Embiid said. “Game on the line, he’s going to be there. He is going to do what he has to do. I love him.”
6. Chaka Khan, some folks didn’t ‘feel for you’ or your anthem.
Who would’ve thought that after songs by Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan, Hudson would have the much more subdued performance.
Hudson, the Chicago native famous for her vocal gymnastics, gave what many found to be a moving tribute to Kobe Bryant before the game.
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Chaka Khan showed far less restraint with her riffs during the national anthem.
“I live in the West Loop and I heard Chaka Khan’s version of the National Anthem from here in my high-rise,” one local tweeted.
Another Twitter user wrote, “The Astros punishment should’ve been Chaka Khan singing the anthem for all of their home games.”
Someone else tweeted a picture of Klay Thompson’s ears bleeding in a reply to the singer’s own account. She blocked other replies.
Online, the headlines also weren’t kind. When you resurrect memories of Fergie’s disastrous All-Star rendition, it probably hasn’t been a good night.
7. Common put his stamp all over All-Star Weekend
Chance the Rapper performed at halftime and Kanye West sat courtside, but All-Star Weekend belonged to Common.
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He won the Celebrity Game MVP on Friday. Then on Sunday, the city’s hip-hop laureate rapped a love letter to Chicago’s streetball roots and gave tribute to “a king named Kobe Bryant, who wore purple and gold.”
There is no place like Chicago ❤ pic.twitter.com/ZbaHw2RSff — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 17, 2020
But he’ll probably be best remembered for his rhyming introductions. Here are five of the best ones:
“Think you can shake this first-time All-Star? Au contraire, mon frere . From the Utah Jazz, the Stifle Tower, Rudy Gobert.”
. From the Utah Jazz, the Stifle Tower, Rudy Gobert.” “Like a protest on the court, he’s an all-time disrupter. From the Miami Heat, y’all give it up for Jimmy Butler.”
“A league MVP who breaks ankles with no pardon. From the Houston Rockets, the league’s leading scorer, James Harden.”
“Making his second All-Star appearance, he runs the team like a mogul. From the Los Angeles Lakers, the coach, Frank Vogel.”
“Making his All-Star debut, going hard in the paint is his style. From the Miami Heat, Bam Adebayo.”
8. Not everyone gets credit for playing defense.
It took a while for players to warm up to the idea of playing defense — and it wasn’t everyone’s forte.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had the best no-so-subtle jab of the night.
“Offensively, we were just trying to find whoever James Harden was guarding. That’s who we thought we’d have the opportunity to score on.”
9. It was interesting to see the fantasy team that is LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.
In an alternate universe, with a different decision by Kawhi Leonard, they would have been Lakers teammates.
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LeBron James set up Leonard for a 3-pointer for the first points of the game. In fact, James and others kept looking Leonard’s way, and he finished with 30 points and the MVP trophy.
“I played with Bron and A.D. (in the All-Star Game) last year, and I think the year before that or so,” Leonard said. “But it’s always fun just to get around guys that are very competitive, see what they do on an everyday basis. Just talking, just being their teammate. We go at each other all year round, and it’s great to be able to pick their brain and just be around them and joke and laugh.”
10. Kobe Bryant’s ‘presence’ could be felt throughout the night.
Players on both teams wore either No. 24 or No. 2, Kobe Bryant’s number and that of his daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash with him last month, along with seven others.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 18 Jennifer Hudson sings a tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, before the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago on Feb. 16, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
LeBron James declined to say the game’s competitive play was motivated by a desire to honor Bryant, “but you could definitely feel his presence just from the start,” he said.
“From every moment, from the fans chanting his name till you seen the numbers,” James said. “Every time you saw Giannis’ team run on the floor, you saw the 2-4. So he was definitely here.”
Here’s more coverage from Sunday night’s game:
The NBA entered the 69th All-Star Game hoping to change the tone of its annual showcase by creating a new scoring system and adding a charitable component to stoke the competitive fire of the league’s 24 best players.
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Year No. 1 of the All-Star experiment was a hit with players and fans Sunday night at the United Center. The first All-Star Game in Chicago since 1988 ended with Team LeBron hitting the target score of 157 for a 157-155 victory over Team Giannis.
Kawhi Leonard posted 30 points and seven rebounds to become the first player to win the renamed NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award.
As a condition of the new format, Team LeBron also raised $400,000 for Chicago Scholars, and Team Giannis’ effort resulted in a $100,000 donation to After School Matters.
Team LeBron’s Anthony Davis made the decisive point as he knocked down a free throw to bring to a close one of the most exciting All-Star Game finishes in recent memory. Although this game wasn’t marked by one singular offensive performance, there was anticipation and excitement that had been lacking in previous years.
At the start of the night, the exhibition had general nonchalance bordering on boredom taking hold for two quarters. That changed in the third quarter and disappeared completely in the fourth, when strategy and foul calls entered the fray and the entire arena hung on the edges of their seats on every play.
Team Giannis introduced strategy in the final moments of the third quarter as it trailed 40-39 and elected to foul Russell Westbrook, who made 1 of 2 free throws. Rudy Gobert fielded an alley-oop on the next play and flushed it to make the score 41-41. Westbrook missed a fadeaway and the quarter ended in a tie, carrying the $100,000 donation from the third quarter over to the fourth.
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Then the game clock went off and the competitiveness came out. From there everything changed: Actual defense was played, bodies hit the floor, shot selection was exercised and coaches used challenges.
Because Team Giannis led 133-124 after three quarters, 24 points were added to its score to create a target score of 157. Team LeBron overcame the disadvantage with a 33-point fourth quarter.
The game became an all-out battle when the score became tied at 152 in the fourth. Each team had to claw and fight from there.
With Team LeBron leading 154-153, Team Giannis successful challenged a goaltending call on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s block of a LeBron James layup attempt, and James Harden was called for an offensive foul that erased a 3-pointer that would have ended the game. Shortly thereafter, James finished a dunk to give his team a 156-153 lead.
On the final play, Kyle Lowry fouled Davis to send him to the line needing one free throw to hit the target score. Davis added extra excitement when he missed the first free throw. But he hit the second to make Team LeBron the first winner under what appears to be a promising new format.
— DeAntae Prince


chicagotribune--2020-02-16--NBA All-Star Weekend: League pays tribute Kobe and Gianna Bryant and David Stern as Team LeBron tops

NBA All-Star Weekend: League pays tribute Kobe and Gianna Bryant and David Stern as Team LeBron tops Team Giannis

“ I don ’ t think us as NBA players sometimes realize how much of an impact we have on @ @ @ @ @ at the Robert Clemente Academy where he served as camp host .
“ I probably @ @ @ @ @ year just by seeing me and me being just who I am .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ but I still act like a kid , I am a kid .
I still @ @ @ @ @ so I ’ m out here clowning and jumping around playing with them .
”

Jamal Collier, Teddy Greenstein, Deantae Prince, Phil Thompson, Tracy Swartz, Javonte Anderson

Anthony Davis of Team LeBron is fouled by Kyle Lowry of Team Giannis in the fourth quarter of the NBA All-Star Game. Davis made one of two free throws to win the game. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Team LeBron topped Team Giannis in a nail-biter in the All-Star Game at the United Center on Sunday, 157-155, earning $400,000 for Chicago Scholars.
The game capped off a busy weekend around Chicago, that included the Celebrity Game, Risings Stars game, charity events by Bulls players, Slam Dunk Contest and too many celebrity sightings to count on one hand.
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And we tracked it all.
Winners and losers from NBA All-Star Weekend, including that scene-setting Chicago video, Common’s rhymes, cold weather complaints and of course, GarPax
10 takeaways from the NBA All-Star Game, including Anthony Davis’ poetic ending and Kobe Bryant’s presence
Friday, Feb. 14
In weather news, it was cold in Chicago. And celebrities who came to town weren’t happy about it. But Chance the Rapper made an appearance at Dance Studio in River North, while Tiffani Thiessen and her 9-year-old daughter, Harper, kicked off the Rookie USA fashion show at Morgan Manufacturing in West Town.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 43 Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West watch the first quarter of the NBA All-Star Game at the United Center on Feb. 16, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Meanwhile, Charles Barkley had a few free minutes to talk before the TNT pregame show from the House of Blues. And he has some thoughts about all things Bulls.
True to form when “First Take” goes on the road, the ESPN morning show lines up local guests, and Friday at Navy Pier was no exception, with Dwyane Wade, Zach LaVine, Diamond DeShields and Common among the guests with Chicago ties.
Here are some highlights:
Co-host Stephen A. Smith asked Wade what role he played in recruiting former Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler to the Heat. Wade said, “I talked to (Heat president) Pat (Riley) yesterday about this, I said, ‘Listen, I did my part. You did your part,’ that’s all I’m going to say. I’m not going to say I delivered Jimmy, I’m going to say I did my part as one of the faces of this franchise, and you did your part of the president of this franchise to bring in a player that fit the culture, that fit the cloth.”
Smith asked LaVine whether he’s interested in recruiting players to Chicago, where “it’s freezing.” LaVine replied, “We’ve got to have a certain style of player and a culture to where they want to come and play with us. I think, me personally, it starts with hard work and us having an understanding of where we want to build this thing and where it wants to go. “I’m always in the mood to bring good players and talent in here. Obviously, the elements ain’t going to help that a lot. It’s not L.A., but we’re going to do what we can do, and I’m going to definitely do my part.”
And on his All-Star Game snub: “Am I mad about it? I’m upset because I feel like I played at an All-Star level. But I understand what goes into as well. The way it’s going now you have to be in the playoff hunt and things like that.”
Smith asked DeShields, who enters her third WNBA season this year, how she stacks up against elite players. She said, matter-of-factly, “Honestly, Stephen A., I don’t think there’s anybody in the league that can do what I do. When it comes to comparatively, as far as talent and skill level, I think that I’m the best guard in the league. Co-host Max Kellerman asked her to elaborate, to which she said, “If you watch me play I think that there’s a certain level of speed and athleticism that I have that I don’t think that anybody else has, and so that’s what kind of allows me to have an edge.”
Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance at the Rising Stars’ NBA Cares event at Wintrust Arena.
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President Obama joined the Rising Stars player’s at Wintrust Arena for an NBA Cares event. pic.twitter.com/8MjEBUbZUo — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) February 14, 2020
Obama worked the room and dropped stats and sports references, bonding with players, coaches and children on hand for the event.
Wendell Carter Jr., Zion Williamson and Trae Young were on hand. For all three players, the only thing more shocking than meeting Obama was hearing his basketball knowledge.
“He knew what college I went to, knew that I played for the Bulls and was wishing that I’d get healthy soon,” said Carter, who hopes to return to the court for the Bulls after the All-Star break. “It shows how big of a basketball head he is. It was pretty neat.”
My best video of President Obama from the Rising Stars event. It was amazing to watch him work that room. He shook every hand and knew small details about every player. pic.twitter.com/4m8gI2nSsu — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) February 14, 2020
Trae Young, who was eye-to-eye with President Obama, talked about how exciting it was to meet No. 44 at the Rising Stars’ NBA Cares event. pic.twitter.com/AugjqFR6V6 — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) February 14, 2020
Zion Williamson was stationed with President Barack Obama at the Rising Stars’ NBA Cares event. He said he was shocked Obama knew so much about his game. pic.twitter.com/zCM9qjauUN — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) February 14, 2020
The NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game was held at Wintrust Arena before tonight’s Celebrity Game. On hand were Dikembe Mutombo, Muggsy Bogues, the Sky’s Cheyenne Parker, former Bulls player Toni Kukoc and many others.
Former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo, center left, stands with teammates during the national anthem before participating in the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game at Wintrust Arena. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Sky player Cheyenne Parker is introduced for the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game at Wintrust Arena on Feb. 14, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Former Bulls player Toni Kukoc is introduced for the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game at Wintrust Arena on Feb. 14, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night at Wintrust Arena was filled with actors and rappers who hail from Chicago. It also featured trash-talking, showboating — and some unintentional laughs.
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ESPN commentators Michael Wilbon and Stephen A. Smith went head-to-head as coaches, with Wilbon’s team winning 62-47.
Rapper Common, a South Side native, won MVP honors after scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
“I think about how important basketball has been to Chicago,” Common said. “Me coming up as a young man, I really wanted to be a ballplayer.”Gamer link: Common link:
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 47 Quavo reaches for a loose ball as Common defends. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its finalists for the 2020 class. The list of eight finalists is so strong — leading with Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett — that the Hall will limit the size of the class.
In addition to Bryant, Duncan and Garnett, the finalists are Tamika Catchings, a 10-time WNBA All-Star; Rudy Tomjanovich, who coached the Rockets to NBA titles in 1994 and 1995 and was a five-time All-Star as a Rockets player; Eddie Sutton, the first coach to lead four schools to the NCAA Tournament; Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, the first woman to win NCAA championships as a player, assistant coach and head coach; and Barbara Stevens, a five-time Division II national coach of the year.
The Rising Stars game served as the official tip-off to NBA’s All-Star Weekend with a game filled with highlight reel moments between the best first- and second-year players, both domestic and international.
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The best moments started at halftime, however, when Hornets guard Miles Bridges sent out a tweet from the locker room, with a man sitting up in his seat at attention with two words “alright bet.” Bridges then proceeded to put on a show during a 13-point third quarter, which included an emphatic ally-oop dunk to himself off the backboard, to help lead Team USA to a 151-131 victory over Team World. Bridges was named MVP of the game after scoring 20 points with five rebounds and five assists.
The clock was winding down toward halftime of the NBA Rising Stars game on Friday night, when Luka Doncic began dribbling the ball slowly up the court. He paused just before crossing half court, collected his dribble and pulled up from the logo, knocking down a 3-pointer off the backboard, much to the disbelief of Hawks guard Trae Young, who finished with 18 points himself.
The end of the game belonged to Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson. He attempted a pair of 360 dunks, bringing the crowd to their feet in anticipation although he could not finish either. Still, Williamson’s misses were one of the highlights of the night.
Williamson, who entered the game as an injury replacement for Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr., finished with 14 points and a few rim-rattling dunks of his own, an introductory showcase for a player who figures to be apart of All-Star Weekend often in the future.
Zion with one of the best misses you’ll see to close Rising Stars. pic.twitter.com/pL6dVd73wF — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) February 15, 2020
Zion Williamson was in awe after meeting with former President Barack Obama, particularly because Obama mentioned Williamson’s 32-point effort Thursday against the Thunder.
“I was like, you probably have one of the most busy schedules in the world," Williamson said, "and you’re able to keep up with a rookie, like superstars, college people, even high-school people, and tell them their stats and like what they’ve been doing good, what they can work on.”
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Williamson, in turn, impressed Trae Young by dunking so hard in the second quarter that he bent the backboard.
“Yeah, I didn’t even realize that” at first, Young said. “That isn’t the first rim he’s probably bent throughout his career. I’m surprised I didn’t see it, but, yeah, that’s crazy.”
Simeon’s own Kendrick Nunn took a measure of pride when it was brought up that the undrafted Heat rookie was part of a U.S. team starting five that included four top-five picks.
“That’s big, man,” Nunn said. “Straight up, that says a lot about just the hard work that I put in. My success has been a tremendous story, my story has been a long, hard journey, (and) I have been patient. I’m having success and it’s a lot of fun out there.”
Kendrick Nunn on the realization that he started on #RisingStars USA squad with four high first-rounders even though he went undrafted. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/xjkrWLNVgF — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 15, 2020
Who could have foreseen that the stars would align and rookie Heat guard Kendrick Nunn would be playing in the Rising Stars game in his hometown of Chicago?
@nunnbetter_ Kendrick Nunn talks about being back in hometown Chicago for All-Star Weekend and reconnecting with fellow Simeon alums @JabariParker and @drose. pic.twitter.com/nTDfgAsAnZ — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 14, 2020
“Honestly, I didn’t envision that back in Simeon, this aspect of it,” said Nunn, who’s coming off his third straight Eastern Conference Player of the Month award. “I envisioned being in the NBA, but (this) in depth, All-Star Weekend, it’s something I hadn’t visualized when I was in high school. But I started to visualize that maybe the beginning of this year that I would be able to participate.”
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Recognizing the city in which he’s playing, Bridges touched on a couple of Chicago themes. He was asked was was the words “Chicago basketball” meant to his experience growing up: “I would say tough, gritty, played great defense. I mean, I grew up watching, I’d say, the Derrick Rose era, but Joakim Noah and all those guys. They hustled for everything that they had. Even now when we play Chicago, they’re a good defensive team, and that’s what I think of when I think Chicago.”
Bridges also was mindful of the fact he was playing in the house his boss — Hornets owner Michael Jordan — built.
“I didn’t have any extra motivation really, I wouldn’t say that, but MJ putting Chicago on the map, it definitely plays a big part, though,” Bridges said.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 38 Miles Bridges poses with the MVP trophy after scoring 20 points in the Rising Stars game. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Saturday, Feb. 15
Almost immediately upon arriving at the House of Hoops highlight camp Saturday afternoon, Bulls guard Coby White became a kid again.
He sat on the base line with a basketball and began talking to one of the kids attending the camp. He challenged another kid to see if he could score a basket on him and when he was successful, the rest of the camp, about 100 10-13 year-olds from the city, worked themselves into a frenzy.
“I don’t think us as NBA players sometimes realize how much of an impact we have on kids,” White said at the Robert Clemente Academy where he served as camp host. “I probably made some of these kids year just by seeing me and me being just who I am. I’m in the league, but I still act like a kid, I am a kid. I still like to have fun, so I’m out here clowning and jumping around playing with them.”
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 7 Coby White works with campers at the House of Highlights basketball camp on Feb. 15, 2020, at Roberto Clemente Community Academy. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Although the Bulls were largely absent from the NBA’s premier events during All-Star weekend, aside from Zach LaVine’s participation in the 3-point shootout, several players still stuck around for the weekend to host events around the city, including White, who called his Saturday morning the most fun he’s had all weekend.
“I wanted to give the kids something, something I didn’t have growing up,” he said. “When they first see you, they’re shy and kind of star struck. But once they realize, you’re like them, but just a little but older, I think they all just open up.”
White, 19, also admitted he was disappointed to miss out of Friday’s Rising Stars challenge. The Bulls rookie is averaging 11.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 55 games as a reserve this season.
“I was disappointed because I’m competitive,” White said. “And I want to be good. But like I always say, just use it as motivation. Next year I’ll be playing in it.”
Don’t include Jimmy Butler among those crushing #GarPax.
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Asked at media day whether he’s surprised the Bulls rebuild is taking so long, Butler replied: “I don’t know, is that the goal or point of a rebuild? I would think so.
“You know what? I have faith in management here. I think they have to know what they’re doing. I think their decision (to trade me) was right for them. I’ll continue to wish them the best. I think they have some really great young talent. They’ll figure it out. They’ve got nothing but time.”
The Bulls drafted Butler with the 30th pick in 2011, and he rewarded them with three All-Star seasons.
Jimmy Butler might not be a Bull anymore, but he’s happy the city of Chicago is hosting the 2020 All-Star Weekend. https://t.co/Wp23HJA9QK pic.twitter.com/15g7StA99Y — Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) February 15, 2020
They traded him to the Timberwolves in 2017 for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the rights to Lauri Markkanen. Butler is now thriving with the Heat (35-19), while the Bulls (19-36) have lost six straight, and some fans are calling for the firing of executives John Paxson and Gar Forman.
Asked if he’d ever like to come back and play for the Bulls, Butler replied: “Yeah, of course. Like, c’mon, this is Chicago. This was home for me for a long time and still is home for me now. It’s a definite possibility, maybe toward the end of my career. Who knows? We’ll find out when that time gets here.”
Anthony Davis appealed to Dwight Howard to get himself and fellow Lakers teammate LeBron James involved in tonight’s Slam Dunk Contest.
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“I told him he should dunk from the free throw line over me and ‘Bron and he for sure would get a 50 (score), but he said, ‘No,’” Davis said. “I think he’s got some dunks with him that a lot of people haven’t seen. I’m not going to tell ya’ll what it is."
Anthony Davis on Dwight Howard: “I told him he should dunk from the free throw line over me and ‘Bron and for sure would get a 50, but he said, ‘No.’” pic.twitter.com/cUp4YGkv6K — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 15, 2020
Davis teased that Howard had something special planned.
“He ain’t show me, he told me. If he does the dunk that he said, he should win. He should win for sure.”
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell reveled at the thought of playing as an All-Star in the same arena as Michael Jordan and the ‘90s-era Bulls, who he considers to be “rock stars.”
“Honestly I think the biggest thing was looking at Michael Jordan. I still have the VCR tape of the ‘Unforgettabulls.’ I have ‘Michael Jordan’s Playground.’ I have all of those on VCR. I grew up watching that so to be able to be here where all that has happened is truly special, it’s truly inspiring. You just want to go out there and continue to work, continue to get better.”
Donovan Mitchell talks about the VHS tapes he watched of Michael Jordan and the Bulls. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/1aoANMSHGN — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 15, 2020
Zach LaVine had plenty to say during his interview with ESPN’s First Take, but it was the fans who stole the day. During that visit fans screamed “Fire GarPax” in reference to team management, GM Gar Foreman and Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.
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LaVine was asked about that experience at NBA All-Star Media day and reaffirmed his stance that he’s committed to the team and management.
Zach LaVine said at NBA Media Day that he wasn’t affected by the “Fire GarPax” chants that started during his interview with ESPN’s “First Take.” pic.twitter.com/Z2Bv7fZSRJ — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) February 15, 2020
Zach LaVine on the “fire garpax” chants from fans during his First Take interview: “I don’t speak for the fans, I think some fans in Chicago been frustrated”
Added that some Chicago fans get rowdy, but it is what it is. — Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) February 15, 2020
All too briefly, Spencer Dinwiddie was a member of the Bulls. He appeared in five preseason games in 2016 and then averaged 19.4 points for the D-League (now G-League) Windy City Bulls.
The Nets snapped him up and he has blossomed into a player worthy of his three-year, $34 million contract.
The 6-6 Dinwiddie will compete in the Skills Challenge tonight. He won it in 2018.
Asked if he wishes it had worked out with the Bulls, Dinwiddie replied: “Of course. You never want any stop on your journey to not work out. In a sense I wish Detroit worked and I wish Chicago worked. I love the city here, but everything happens for a reason. I don’t have any hard feelings for the Bulls.”
Has he run into fans who say: We wish you were still here?
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“All the time,” Dinwiddie replied. “Which I appreciate obviously. We’ll see what happens.”
Kobe Bryant owned All-Star Weekend throughout his 20-year NBA career with the Lakers, first as a brash 18-year-old winning the 1997 Slam Dunk contest and later as a grizzled veteran reasserting his dominion over the league.
The renamed NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award is on stage with NBA commissioner Adam Silver tonight at the United Center. pic.twitter.com/OFBIgauIJv — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) February 16, 2020
The numbers support that claim. Bryant played in 18 All-Star Games and won the game’s MVP award four times — both records. In his media availability that many consider basketball’s state of the union, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced the All-Star Game trophy has now officially been named the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award in honor of Bryant, who died at 41 years old in a helicopter in January.
It wasn’t a good start to the Skills Challenge for players with Chicago ties.
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley — a Chicago native — and Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie — a former Bull — both missed their passes through the ring Saturday night in the opening competition of All-Star Saturday Night at the United Center.
Beverley actually missed two of them. Then he “accidentally” drifted into Pascal Siakam’s path while both were trying to make layups — probably no surprise to anyone familiar with Beverley’s tenacity.
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If it was an attempt to slow down Siakam, it didn’t work. Siakam completed his layup and then got back to the other end of the court to sink his 3-pointer to move on to the second round.
The Heat’s Bam Adebayo took the trophy, beating the Pacers’ Domanta Sabonis in a what came down to a 3-point contest at the end. Adebayo eliminated Dinwiddie in the first round and Siakam in the semifinals; Sabonis knocked off defending champion Jayson Tatum in the opening round and the Bucks’ Khris Middleton in the semis.
Zach LaVine’s All-Star Saturday Night came to an early end in the 3-Point Contest.
The Bulls guard fell short with 23 points, placing fourth in the first round behind Devin Booker (27), Buddy Hield (27) and Davis Bertans (26).
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 Bulls guard Zach LaVine participates in the 3-Point Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend at the United Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
LaVine missed several shots from his money rack, which he set at the top of the circle, and whiffed on both 3-point balls.
He came into the contest as a long shot, according to oddsmakers.
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Zach LaVine talks about the differences between the 3-point and dunk contests and explains why he chose to place the money rack at the top of the key. #Bulls #NBAAllStar #NBAAllStar2020 pic.twitter.com/buWXHWnnc6 — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 16, 2020
Hield jumped around like a kid on Christmas morning after hitting the final shot to win the contest, edging Booker 27-26. Hield made five in a row on his second rack and 4 of 5 on his money rack, including his last shot.
Bertans finished third with 22.
“There’s more moving parts, there are more competitors on the floor,” LaVine said. “You’re doing more things, you’re doing more moving parts in the 3-Point Contest than the dunk contest. But still, (it’s) bright lights, man, you’ve got to push on.”
He got plenty of encouragement from Bulls teammates.
“Everybody texted me," LaVine said. “They expected me to bring the trophy home. I’m upset with myself, but it’s all fun.”
We have controversy, folks, courtesy of the Slam Dunk contest.
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Derrick Jones Jr. and Aaron Gordon were so good they needed extra innings. Both players received perfect scores of 50 on their two second-round dunks, placing judges in a tough spot at the end of the night.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 17 Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. cradles the dunk contest trophy after his victory. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Jones received a third 50 to start the dunk-off, and it was on Gordon to deliver and keep it going. Gordon did just that with a between-the-legs dunk over Chance the Rapper.
The judges tightened it up on the next dunk, with Jones earning a 48 on a windmill from the free-throw line.
Gordon then pointed to Dwight Howard, who then pointed to 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall. Gordon hopped over him and finished the dunk ... and the crowd was stunned — after he earned a 47 to lose.
The crowd believed Gordon was short-changed the dunk, reacting with guttural boos.
Aaron Gordon robbed (again?) in the dunk contest. Boos are raining down in the United Center. Judges go three 9s and two 10s on the dunk in which he clipped Tacko Fall's head. — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 16, 2020
Sunday, Feb. 16
Chicago native Chance the Rapper gave a spirited performance of his hits and a soulful tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant during halftime of Sunday’s All-Star Game at the United Center.
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The 13-minute set featured appearances by DJ Khaled, Migos rapper Quavo and Lil Wayne plus fireworks and a marching band — but the highlight was Chance’s performance of “I Was a Rock” as footage of Bryant played in the background.
The NBA paid tribute to Kobe Bryant and David Stern before the All-Star Game on Sunday.
The basketball community still is reeling from the deaths last month of the two iconic figures, so the game was an opportunity for the league to celebrate and honor their legacies of the legendary star and former commissioner, respectively.
The lights in the United Center were dimmed with shades of purple and gold as Magic Johnson began the pregame ceremony by asking the crowd to stand and hold hands during an 8-second moment of silence.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 18 Jennifer Hudson sings a tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, before the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago on Feb. 16, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“We all are hurting,” Johnson said. “This is a tough time for the whole NBA family.”
Chicago native Jennifer Hudson then sang a tribute to Bryant, and Chicago rapper Common then dedicated his performance to him.
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As for the game, Chicago native Anthony Davis made the final free throw in the untimed fourth quarter to put Team LeBron over the top.
Team Giannis won $100,000 for After School Matters by winning the second quarter.
And Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists to capture the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award.


chicagotribune--2020-02-16--Blackhawks lose 3-2 in Winnipeg to complete their 5-game Canadian trip with a 1-4-0 record

The Jets appeared to go ahead at 9:05 on a goal by Kyle Connor , but it was reviewed and @ @ @ @ @ went in off his arm .

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Nathan Beaulieu’s first goal of the season early in the third period sent the Jets to a 3-2 victory Sunday night as the Blackhawks finished a 1-4-0 trip through western Canada.
Playing in his 27th game of an injury-riddled season, Beaulieu fired a one-timer from the point that hit a Hawks player and got by goalie Corey Crawford to give the Jets a 3-2 lead. Beaulieu also had an assist.
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Mason Appleton had a goal and an assist, and Jack Roslovic also scored for the Jets, who were coming off two straight losses. Dmitry Kulikov added a pair of assists.
Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves for the Jets (30-25-5), who were playing the fifth game of a six-game homestand (3-2-0).
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Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Carpenter also scored for the Hawks, who were coming off an 8-4 win in Calgary on Saturday night that snapped a five-game losing streak.
Crawford stopped 35 shots for the Hawks (26-25-8), who led 1-0 after the first period.
Carpenter scored his third goal of the season after Kane sent a sharp-angled backhand pass to the front of the net and Carpenter redirected the puck past Hellebuyck at 15:44.
Jets forward Andrew Copp went in alone on Crawford about a minute later, but his shot missed the net.
The Jets outshot the Hawks 14-10 in the first period.
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Appleton tied it when he tipped in Beaulieu’s point shot at 6:38 of the second.
The Jets appeared to go ahead at 9:05 on a goal by Kyle Connor, but it was reviewed and waved off because the puck went in off his arm.
Roslovic gave the Jets a 2-1 lead at 15:37 when he tipped Kulikov’s point shot, and the Hawks tied it when Kane scored his 27th goal of the season with 53 seconds left in the period.
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Beaulieu, who missed time this season with three injuries, took a pass from Patrick Laine and fired the puck past Crawford at 1:36 of the third. The defenseman made a gesture of throwing a monkey off his back after his goal.
The Hawks tried to beat Hellebuyck in the final minutes with an extra man, but the Jets blocked shots and got their sticks on pucks to stymie those efforts.
No penalties were called in the game.
The Hawks finally return home Wednesday to face the Rangers at the United Center.


chicagotribune--2020-02-16--Chance the Rapper’s NBA All-Star Game halftime show pays tribute to Kobe Bryant

The Grammy winner put his own spin on Kanye West ’ s “ Ultralight Beam ” but did not bring @ @ @ @ @ though West was sitting courtside with his wife , Kim Kardashian West .
West held @ @ @ @ @ the day at Credit Union 1 Arena .

Chicago native Chance the Rapper gave a spirited performance of his hits and a soulful tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant during halftime of Sunday’s All-Star Game at the United Center.
The 13-minute set featured appearances by DJ Khaled, Migos rapper Quavo and Lil Wayne plus fireworks and a marching band — but the highlight was Chance’s performance of “I Was a Rock” as footage of Bryant played in the background.
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Chance, born Chancelor Bennett and raised on the South Side, started the show with “No Problem” featuring Lil Wayne. DJ Khaled and Quavo joined him for their hit “I’m the One.” Chance also performed “Hot Shower.”
The Grammy winner put his own spin on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam” but did not bring him on stage, even though West was sitting courtside with his wife, Kim Kardashian West. West held his Sunday Service earlier in the day at Credit Union 1 Arena.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 43 Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West watch the first quarter of the NBA All-Star Game at the United Center on Feb. 16, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The halftime show culminated a busy weekend for Chance, who captained the losing team in Friday’s All-Star Celebrity Game and made a cameo in Saturday’s dunk contest.
Up next for Chance is hosting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on March 22. He’s also taking the reins as host of a revival of the prank series “Punk’d” for Quibi.


chicagotribune--2020-02-16--Wrestling notes: E’lan Heard paces Libertyville contingent to 3A state meet

“ That ’ s love because my brother Danny is not able to be here to compete , ” Heard @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I ’ m doing this for both of us .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve never wrestled at state in Illinois , so I ’ m excited @ @ @ @ @ s like .
I ’ m ready to wrestle some great opponents .
”

Libertyville senior E’lan Heard knew he had to make his first sectional tournament as an Illinois high school wrestler a memorable one.
After Heard pinned McHenry’s Brody Hallin in the 152-pound final Saturday at the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, he immediately turned to his right and gave a double-kiss salute to the Libertyville contingent in the packed stands.
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Heard, a Cincinnati native, transferred to Libertyville for his senior season. The Illinois recruit moved into fellow Illini signee Danny Pucino’s house last fall amid concerns about Heard’s housing situation in Ohio. But Pucino, a three-time state qualifier, was not able to pursue a state championship, as he was ruled out for the sectional meet due to a concussion he suffered last week.
“That’s love because my brother Danny is not able to be here to compete,” Heard said of his post-match salute. “I’m doing this for both of us. It’s deeper than just me. I’ve never wrestled at state in Illinois, so I’m excited to see what it’s like. I’m ready to wrestle some great opponents.”
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Heard (26-1) said he was motivated throughout sectionals to win for Pucino, who started the process that led to Heard’s relocation to Libertyville.
“Danny taught me a lot, to win this,” he said. “Winning state has been his dream for a long time, so it’s sad that at this point, right at the end, it was taken away from him — even the chance to win a state title.”
Led by Heard, the Wildcats qualified three wrestlers for the state meet. Caelan Riley (39-5) notched third at 106 pounds, and Josh Knudten (32-14) claimed fourth at 160.
Stevenson sends four to state: Cole Rhemrev forgot one key aspect of his wardrobe on Saturday: his Stevenson jacket.
Before Rhemrev stepped onto the podium to accept his 120-pound first-place medal, he asked to borrow a Stevenson jacket from a teammate to represent his school properly.
“I forgot my (jacket) at the school,” Rhemrev explained.
That was the only mishap for Rhemrev at the Barrington Sectional. The sophomore won all three of his matches to capture the title at 120 pounds. Rhemrev (36-5) placed fourth at sectionals at 106 pounds last season.
“I feel good because this was my expectation, to win sectional,” he said. “I’m ready to compete in Champaign and redeem myself from last year and get on the podium. I matured a lot since last year, and I’ve mentally matured to get over those mental humps.”
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In total, Stevenson is sending four individuals to state.
Lorenzo Frezza is heading to state after placing third at 113 pounds, while Matt Millman (195) and Keegan Houlihan (285) both notched fourth-place showings in their weight classes.
Guadarrama wins at 285: Mundelein senior Jason Guadarrama isn’t sure about his future sport in college. He likely will have options to wrestle or play football.
The highly successful two-sport standout is still making college decisions, but he’s certain about his immediate future. Guadarrama (40-2) pinned Rockford East’s Joey Pineda to capture the 285-pound sectional title and earn a trip to Champaign.
“It’s amazing to win this, and kind of crazy since I was at 220 pounds at the beginning of the year, just trying to find the right fit,” he said. “It feels amazing to represent my community, my team and doing it for my past teammates and also for my family and myself.”
Jackson heading to state: Buffalo Grove’s Gio Jackson was a ball of energy following his final match on Saturday.
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Buffalo Grove's Gio Jackson defeats Glenbrook North's Louis Schaller in their 220-pound match Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. (Brian OMahoney / Pioneer Press)
The senior hugged numerous family members, shook hands with a few teammates and gushed with excitement. Jackson (37-1) capped a memorable weekend by defeating Barrington’s Evan Roper 7-6 in the 220-pound final for the fourth time this season.
“I feel very accomplished because I’ve never won sectionals before,” Jackson said. “It feels very good because I made state last year. Last year, I got out really quick at state, so I came out with the mindset this year that I knew I had to work hard and beat everyone.
“My mindset in the title (match) was it doesn’t really matter what happens because both of us are (the) top two wrestlers, and we might see each other at state, so just to come out and fight.”
Alejandro Mejia also advanced to state by placing fourth at 152 pounds.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press


chicagotribune--2020-02-16--Sudden closure of the Lincolnshire NOAH’S location leaves area brides, grooms in lurch and scramblin

Sudden closure of the Lincolnshire NOAH’S location leaves area brides, grooms in lurch and scrambling to change wedding plans

She serves on the board for a park venue in Elgin , so she said she has been trying to @ @ @ @ @ in a new place , though it may not be the same as what they @ @

Lincolnshire couples are among ones nationwide who are left scrambling following news that NOAH’S, a venue that rents space for such popular events as weddings, has closed its doors permanently.
One of NOAH’S two Chicagoland locations is located in Lincolnshire, at 200 Barclay Avenue. The Utah-based company filed for bankruptcy in May 2019, according to court records, and shuttered the doors of locations across the country Feb. 7, village staff told the Lincolnshire Review.
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In recent days, panicked brides flocked to Facebook, trying to gather information about the closure and posting in various wedding groups about what to do now.
One of those brides, Ania Dylewicz, of Park Ridge, was scheduled to marry her high school sweetheart at NOAH’S on Sept. 12.
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After getting engaged on New Year’s Eve a little over a year ago and booking their ceremony and reception at the Lincolnshire location in February 2019, Dylewicz thought everything was set. That is, until she received a message from a friend on Saturday about the venue’s closure.
“I booked it so early thinking I have my perfect venue, I have my perfect date,” she said. “But now it’s all just flipped upside down.”
Dylewicz and her fiancé paid nearly $7,500 on the venue and are now looking for other options. However, she said not knowing if they’ll receive a refund from NOAH’S makes the re-booking process more difficult.
She also said the process is complicated by the fact that she has family traveling to the wedding from Poland, so she can’t change the date. Since she’d scheduled her ceremony for a Saturday in September — a popular time for weddings — she said she’s feeling the urgency of finding a new place.
“Every day that passes, you feel like you're losing on another venue that could potentially have your wedding day,” she said. “It’s just unnecessary stress.”
Lincolnshire village staff is aware of the closure and are trying to gather information about whether or not the company has a plan for reimbursing its customers, according to Ben Gilbertson, director of economic development. He said the local NOAH’S staff was not aware of the closure ahead of time.
According to a statement posted on the company’s corporate website, renters “will be eligible to file for an administrative claim.” The company also said it hopes new management will step in, purchase the buildings and honor current event contracts, as one Utah location has done so far.
Groom-to-be Larry Noble said his fiancée is hopeful this might happen in Lincolnshire, but he isn’t as optimistic. He said he has started looking at other Lincolnshire venues like Viper Alley and Loft 21.
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These and other nearby venues, as well as some local event coordinators, have reached out to those who have been affected by the closure. They’ve offered open dates and, in some cases, discounts.
Amber Dooley, co-owner of event-planning company Copper and Lace, has spent the last few days talking to panicked brides and trying to help them.
She serves on the board for a park venue in Elgin, so she said she has been trying to help brides recreate their vision in a new place, though it may not be the same as what they planned.
“I know it’s not the same exact kind of venue, but it at least gives them hope,” she said.
She said she has heard of some renters receiving refunds from their banks, but the situation remains stressful.
“Just because brides are getting their money back from their venue doesn’t mean they can get their money back from all their vendors if they have to change their date,” she said. “It’s really affecting a lot of people.”
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As renters, like Dylewicz, continue to wait for further information from the company about the thousands of dollars invested in their special day, they begin to adapt their plans and move forward.
“I’ve been imagining my wedding a certain way for a whole year and now all of a sudden what I imagined will never come true,” Dylewicz said. “We’re so blindsided by this entire thing."
kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist


chicagotribune--2020-02-15--3 takeaways from White Sox spring training, including prospect Andrew Vaughn pacing himself in his f

3 takeaways from White Sox spring training, including prospect Andrew Vaughn pacing himself in his first camp and Tim Anderson sensing a ‘winning vibe’

“ They talk a lot about what just happened in the work that they did and the adjustments that maybe @ @ @ @ @ able to get done , '' Sox manager Rick Renteria said .
`` ( Grandal @ @ @ @ @ guy who can see a lot of things from behind the plate .
And more @ @ @ @ @ familiar with the personalities .

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Here are three takeaways from White Sox spring training Saturday.
1. Andrew Vaughn is soaking up all spring training has to offer.
Last year at this time, Andrew Vaughn was playing college baseball at California.
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This spring the first baseman is participating in White Sox camp as a nonroster invitee.
“It’s kind of weird,” Vaughn said Saturday. “Last night I was watching Cal play on the live stream and I was like, ‘I was just doing that.’ And now I’m fortunate enough to be in big-league camp. I couldn’t be more humbled.”
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The Sox selected Vaughn with the third pick in the 2019 draft. The 21-year-old is the No. 16 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
Vaughn slashed .278/.384/.449 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 55 games at three minor-league stops last year.
His first hit after his promotion to high-A Winston-Salem was a home run.
✅ 1st @WSDashBaseball hit
✅ 1st @WSDashBaseball HR
Andrew Vaughn's first day in High A has been 🔥. #NextSox pic.twitter.com/MCuf1UihBk — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 31, 2019
“That was pretty special,” Vaughn said of the home run. “The first hit, that was pretty cool.”
Vaughn picked up a lot of lessons during those 55 games.
“I learned (to) take care of your body, get in the weight room and learn how to pace yourself,” Vaughn said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. There are a lot of games.”
Vaughn has used the early portions of spring training to get into a good routine.
“Getting in early, getting my work in, getting in the gym, getting in the cage," Vaughn said. "Just getting it all done.”
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His goals for the spring?
“I want to go out and be the best I can be,” Vaughn said. “Whenever my name gets called upon to play, I’m going to go do my best and just soak it in and enjoy it.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 54 Yoan Moncada cuts a ribbon to open SoxFest. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
2. Tim Anderson notices a ‘winning vibe’ in the clubhouse.
Shortstop Tim Anderson made huge strides at the plate in 2019, winning the major-league batting title with a .335 average.
With all the moves the Sox made in the offseason, he’s thrilled about the possibility of the team making a leap forward in 2020.
“I was excited,” Anderson said when asked about the team’s acquisitions. "That let me know that we were ready to take that next step, and I’ve been ready since I stepped into that locker room. So I was excited when we signed some more guys.”
It’s reflective of the vibe he senses in the clubhouse.
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“I get a winning vibe, all positive and winning vibes,” Anderson said. "Everybody knows what we are here to do. We are here to win a championship. ...
“Everybody is on that vibe.”
3. Yasmani Grandal’s communication skills were on display with Michael Kopech.
Micheal Kopech threw a bullpen session Saturday with Yasmani Grandal behind the plate, and the two chatted briefly afterward.
“They talk a lot about what just happened in the work that they did and the adjustments that maybe they see they might be able to get done," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "(Grandal is) kind of another guy who can see a lot of things from behind the plate. And more than anything, becoming more familiar with the personalities.
"You can see (Kopech), the ball coming out of his hand really good (Saturday). You could also see him getting himself frustrated when he missed a location or something, which is natural. (He’s) very competitive. They’re just starting to get a feel for each other, and it’s pretty nice to see.”
Renteria likes how Kopech is progressing. The right-hander missed all last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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“He looks like he’s understanding a lot more about who he is,” Renteria said. “I think he’s understanding also there’s a controlled aggression you can take when you’re doing your work. And it’s evident in his work. He’s growing up, he’s learning. He’s going to be really good.”