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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Ten Thoughts on the NFL and the Chicago Bears

1) The Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers season opener is still looking like a lock to kickoff the NFL’s 100th season from Soldier Field on Thursday, September 5, but now another high profile Bears game is rumored to be on the table.

John Ourand of Sports Business Daily is reporting that the 2019 Thanksgiving games will feature the Bears and the Detroit Lions again, with the Miami Dolphins traveling to play the Dallas Cowboys in the other traditional afternoon game.

Ourand also reports that all the network executives (CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC) met during Super Bowl week to discuss the types of games they want from the NFL and here are a couple interesting nuggets.

The NFC slate of games are expected to be better this year, so CBS could get some ratings-grabbing NFC games cross-flexed to them.

Some of the network requests are the same every year. Every network wants reliable ratings performers like the Cowboys, Patriots, Packers and Steelers on its schedule. For this upcoming season, the networks also showed a lot of interest in the Chiefs, Bears and Rams.

The Bears have always done good ratings thanks to the Chicago market — even during the bad years — but now coming off a 12-4 record with a likable head coach and players, I’d expect the Bears to be all over prime time.

2) One more thing about that expected Bears vs. Lions matchup. After Aaron Leming tweeted his quick thought on the game, Chicago’s Taylor Gabriel responded with an “Easy W don’t worry.”

Gabriel has since deleted the tweet, but you you know the Lions are grasping for any extra motivation after getting swept in 2018.

3) One more on the Lions, their general manager Bob Quinn, on a recent Q&A with season ticket holders, didn’t rule out drafting a quarterback in the first round.

“We’re in a position now with the eighth overall pick that the whole draft board is really wide open to us. We’re not going to really eliminate any prospects.”

“There’s a few more players that are going to be available and if there’s a quarterback out there that we deem could help us this year or in the future, we’ll never close the door on that.”

If they do draft a QB, that would likely signal an end to the Matthew Stafford era. Not immediately, as cutting him this year would be $49 million in dead money, but dumping him before the 2020 season would save them $11.5 million and that could be an option for the rebuilding Lions.

4) It seems like 30-year old Antonio Brown has zero intention to go back to the Pittsburgh Steelers after Tweeting out his goodbye.

Technically, he’s still employed by the Steelers as his contract runs through the 2021 season, but realistically there’s no way they don’t trade him as soon as possible. I can’t see Pittsburgh moving him in the AFC, so my guess is he ends up with the San Francisco 49ers, but don’t rule out a desperate Green Bay Packers to make a splashy move to fit Brown in under their cap.

5) The Cleveland Browns are taking a chance on running back Kareem Hunt by signing him to a one year deal.

There’s likely a suspension looming, but once he’s able to play, he’ll definitely help the team. The Browns have second year back Nick Chubb coming off a fantastic rookie season, and they also have pass catching Duke Johnson in the mix. From a football standpoint, this three-headed tailback monster is going to be a terror on opposing defenses.

6) Speaking of a three-headed tailback monster, I think the Bears could go that route in 2019 by keeping Jordan Howard, drafting (or signing) a rookie that is more of a system fit, and letting Tarik Cohen keep lining up all over the offense.

The Bears’ running backs ran the ball 23 times a game last year, with Cohen only getting 6 carries per game. If Howard stays (and I still think the Bears would move him in the price was right), his role may be reduced with his free agency coming after 2019. The Bears could get a rookie in place to take over the Cunningham/Mizell role while learning the ropes and playing when need be.

7) And speaking of Hunt, we ran this poll on our Twitter account.

Those results were surprising considering how many voted that they wanted the Bears to take a chance and sign him. Last month we asked our Twitter, Facebook and WCG audience if they wanted the Bears to sign Hunt and the results all came back yes, with 62%, 63%, and 72% respectively.

8) Quarterback Kyler Murray, who won the Heisman Trophy after his stellar 2018 season with the Oklahoma Sooners, has finally decided to pass up the chance to play major league baseball with the Oakland A’s, leading some to speculate that he has a good idea that he’s going in the first round of the NFL Draft.

One rumor as the Arizona Cardinals as a possible suitor with the first overall pick, which would likely lead them to trade last year’s first round quarterback, Josh Rosen. This wouldn’t so much as the Cards giving up on Rosen after averaging an interception a game as a rookie, but more that new Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury views Murray as a better fit for his offense.

I can’t see him going first overall, nor do I think he’ll be the first QB picked, but he’s a electrifying prospect.

Some internet scouts are already knocking Murray’s 5’10” frame, but we’ve seen plenty of shorter quarterbacks find success if given a chance. Plus, with the way QBs are protected it’s even more likely a smallish player can thrive in today’s NFL.

9) I think Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins is going to be the first quarterback off the board, and any mention of Haskins requires pointing out what a dumbass Stephen A. Smith is.

10) SB Nation recently released their NFL Future Power Rankings, with the following question in mind.

Which team is the best set up to win not just in 2019, but 2020 and beyond?

And here’s how they have their top five.

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

The Colts are led by veteran, but still only 29-year old, Andrew Luck at quarterback, and the other four teams have QBs that are either 23 or 24.

Here’s their specifics on the Bears.

The Bears’ roster probably isn’t going to change much this offseason. The team doesn’t have much cap space and doesn’t have a draft pick until the end of the third round. On the plus side, the roster is already damn good. Chicago went 12-4 with arguably the best defense in the NFL and an offense that finished No. 9 in points scored. That earned Matt Nagy the Coach of the Year Award in his first season as a head coach. It’ll be on Mitchell Trubisky to take the Bears over the hump in 2019 after he finished his second season 20th in the league in passing yards, 14th in passing touchdowns, and 16th in passer rating.

Sports Illustrated recently gave their picks for the Super Bowl winners for the next five years, and the Bears garnered a couple mentions from the ten writers they polled. The Bears were the only NFC North team mentioned.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2019/2/12/18222135/antonio-brown-trade-rumors-ten-thoughts-on-the-nfl-chicago-bears-detroit-lions-draft-matt-stafford

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Pediatricians’ association says: Don’t spank your kids

Two decades after it recommended against spanking children, the Illinois-based American Academy of Pediatrics has beefed-up its advice on the subject, saying corporal punishment — and verbal abuse — can harm kids.

“The good news is, fewer parents support the use of spanking than they did in the past,” Dr. Robert D. Sege, one of the authors of the academy’s latest statement. “Yet corporal punishment remains legal in many states, despite evidence that it harms kids — not only physically and mentally, but in how they perform at school and how they interact with other children.”

The academy’s 1998 statement discouraged parents from spanking their kids, but the new statement — posted online Monday and set to be published in the December issue of Pediatrics — draws upon 20 years of research to bolster that position.

The research found, among other things, that, over time, spanking often leads to more aggressive behavior in kids. Another study links prolonged spanking to reduced development in the part of the brain that controls and regulates emotions. A different study found that within 10 minutes of a spanking, 73 percent of children resumed the behavior for which they’d been punished.

Marc S. Atkins, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at U.I.C.’s Institute for Juvenile Research, says when a parent spanks a kid — say, for fighting with another child — it sends an unintended message: “‘Wait until you’re as big as me and then you can get away with it.’ The distinction between disciplining and then going out and beating somebody up because you don’t like them is not a distinction that is very clear to little kids.”

Atkins recommends a range of strategies instead of spanking, including being prepared for possible behavioral issues before they arise, such as bed-time tantrums. Offer a reward for good behavior, but keep it simple. He recalled one parent who bought a child a bicycle after the kid got up on time during his first week of school.

“What’s the problem? What are you going to do for week two?” Atkins said.

Parental spanking remains legal in the United States, although corporal punishment is outlawed in schools in 31 states, including Illinois.

Source: https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/pediatricians-american-academy-pediatrics-spanking-corporal-punishment/

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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First-place Cubs open road trip at Cincinnati

The Chicago Cubs, winners of five of their past six games to bolster their position atop the National League Central, will aim to continue their hot streak on Thursday as they begin a 10-game road trip with the opener of a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds.

Ian Happ belted his second homer since making his season debut on July 26 by launching his second career grand slam in Chicago's 10-1 romp over the Oakland A's on Wednesday afternoon. The 24-year-old is batting .320 (8-for-25) with six RBIs in 12 games.

"The way he's swinging the bat right now, I'm creatively trying to get him in the lineup and see how it plays," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Happ, who has played all three outfield positions and second base this year.

Kyle Schwarber blasted a three-run homer for Chicago, which will look to improve upon its poor road record (21-33) on Thursday versus a Cincinnati club that has won seven of the teams' 12 encounters this season.

The Cubs also made waves off the field on Wednesday by signing veteran Jonathan Lucroy to replace injured All-Star catcher Willson Contreras (hamstring). Maddon confirmed the move by telling reporters that Lucroy would join the Cubs on Thursday.

Lucroy was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels last Friday, two days removed from the club acquiring fellow catcher Max Stassi from the Houston Astros.

The 33-year-old Lucroy was reinstated from the injured list last week after sustaining a concussion and a broken nose during a collision with Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick that caused him to miss two weeks.

Chicago left-hander Cole Hamels (6-3, 2.84 ERA) will get the nod on Thursday after a sparkling return from a strained left oblique injury that sidelined him for all of July.

Hamels received a no-decision on Saturday despite scattering four hits over five scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 35-year-old permitted one run on two hits in one inning on June 28 against Cincinnati before exiting with the injury. Hamels took the loss in that outing, falling to 11-2 with a 1.97 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 18 career starts versus the Reds.

Hamels has flustered Tucker Barnhart (1-for-13) in his career, although the Cincinnati catcher is entering the series on a hot streak.

Barnhart belted a pair of solo homers and scored three times on Tuesday as the Reds recorded their eighth win in 11 outings, an 8-4 victory over the Angels.

"Just trying to contribute any way I can to help the team win," said the 28-year-old Barnhart, who is batting a robust .379 (11-for-29, three homers, nine RBIs) since the All-Star break.

"I've played around here long enough where we haven't been any good. We're good now. And we're going to make things interesting down the stretch."

Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez launched his team-leading 30th homer Tuesday, marking the second straight season in which he has reached that plateau.

"For me, that's my goal every year, to break my numbers," the 28-year-old said. "That feels really good, and to go back-to-back is more special. Back-to-back 30-home-run seasons is not easy."

Reds left-hander Alex Wood (1-0, 3.18 ERA) will get the nod on Thursday after yielding two runs in each of his starts this season since returning from the disabled list. He had been sidelined due to a sore back.

Wood picked up the win on Friday at Atlanta, overcoming a pair of solo homers and four hits total in 6 2/3 innings during a 5-2 victory.

The 28-year-old sports a 3-2 mark with a 2.86 ERA in nine career appearances (six starts) versus the Cubs.

--Field Level Media

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/first-place-cubs-open-road-trip-cincinnati-055620299--mlb.html?src=rss

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Magic aim for season sweep of Spurs

In each of the last two seasons, the Orlando Magic were presented with chances to complete a season sweep of the San Antonio Spurs but did not come close to getting it done.

After winning two games in Mexico City, the Magic host the Spurs on Wednesday night and get a chance at completing their second-ever season sweep of the Spurs.

On Nov. 29, 2016, the Magic snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Spurs with a 95-83 win at San Antonio. In their attempt to get the sweep, the Magic shot 39.5 percent and committed 17 turnovers in a 107-79 home loss on Feb. 15, 2017.

Last season, the Magic coasted to a 114-87 home win on Oct. 27, 2017, as part of their 8-4 start. They failed to get the sweep by shooting 34.1 percent and committing 20 turnovers in a 108-72 loss at San Antonio on March 13.

On Nov. 4, the Magic led by as many as 26 points, shot 50.5 percent as Aaron Gordon scored 26 points in a 117-110 win at San Antonio. The win in San Antonio put the Magic in position to get their first season sweep since 2008-09 when they reached the NBA Finals.

"We played very well for about 40 minutes," Orlando guard Evan Fournier told reporters on Tuesday when asked about the first win over the Spurs. "Offensively, defensively the focus was pretty good. The intensity was very high. We had a five-minute stretch where we let up, but overall we were very good.

Besides going for the season sweep, the Magic (14-15) will attempt to reach .500 again. They lost three straight after getting to 12-12 with a win at Miami on Dec. 4 but rebounded with two effective defensive showings against the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz.

"I've said it from the beginning that the difference in this team is our attitude," Orlando guard D.J. Augustin said. "In the past, we'd lose a few games and we'd keep losing because we'd get down on ourselves. Now, if we lose one or two, it might be nasty or a really tough loss, but we'll still fight back and get a good win against a good team."

After a 97-91 win over the Bulls on Thursday, the Magic held the Jazz to 31.5 percent shooting and scored 41 points in the fourth quarter of a 96-89 victory on Saturday. The Magic allowed their second-fewest points of the season and their lowest shooting percentage of the season.

"I think it's been like that a couple of times this year -- more than just those last two games -- where our defense helped us stick around while our offense was struggling," said Orlando forward Jonathan Issac, who blocked six shots in Mexico City. "Absolutely, I think we've done a great job defensively and there's still so much room for improvement."

San Antonio (16-15) has spent most of the last month hovering around .500. Since the Spurs were 7-4, they are 9-9 in their last 18 games.

San Antonio was 11-14 after a 121-113 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers two weeks ago but has won five of its last six games. The Spurs rebounded from scoring 31 second-half points and blowing a 21-point lead Saturday to Chicago by coasting to a 123-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

"There was nothing to say," forward Rudy Gay said after San Antonio's fourth double-digit win on a 5-1 homestand. "We were really engaged. There was no question we messed up and let that one go (against Chicago)."

On Monday, San Antonio scored at least 120 points for the eighth time and shot 56.3 percent for its third-best shooting percentage of the season. It also was the ninth time the Spurs shot at least 50 percent.

Rudy Gay scored 21 points and is averaging 16.6 points in his last nine games. DeMar DeRozan added 20 and is averaging 22.9 points in his last nine games.

"I think we're starting to figure out each other more than anything," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We're pleased with the progress, but still have a long way to go."

Orlando is 4-14 since getting its lone season sweep of the Spurs.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/magic-aim-season-sweep-spurs-004537500--nba.html?src=rss

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Pre-Gamin’: Cubs at Pirates (3:05 CT) – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Happy Fourth of July … to the second-place Chicago Cubs.

As you all well know, the Cubs are a full game back in the NL Central and have lost 7 of their past 10 games, including three straight against these very Pirates. If they don’t win today, the Cubs and Pirates will have the same number of losses on the season..

But the American revolutionaries faced tougher odds than that 200+ years ago, right? And we’re not gonna let thEM DOWN ON THE BIGGEST AMERICAN HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR, RIGHT?!

AND WE’RE GONNA FIGHT UNTIL THERE’S NO FIGHT LEFT IN US, RIGHT?!

Game Info

Chicago Cubs (45-42) at Pittsburgh Pirates (42-43) – Thursday, July 4th at 3:05 CT on NBC Sports Chicago, 670 The Score

Starting Pitchers

Pirates: Jordan Lyles (R)

versus

Cubs: Jose Quintana (L)

Chicago Cubs:

Kyle Schwarber, LF

Javy Baez, SS

Kris Bryant, RF

Anthony Rizzo, 1B

Willson Contreras, C

Robel Garcia, 2B

David Bote, 3B

Albert Almora Jr., CF

Jose Quintana, P

Pittsburgh Pirates:

Kevin Newman, 2B

Bryan Reynolds, LF

Starling Marte, CF

Josh Bell, 1B

Melky Cabrera, RF

Jose Osuna, 3B

Jung Ho Kang, SS

Elias Diaz, C

Jordan Lyles, P

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/07/04/pre-gamin-cubs-at-pirates-305-ct-lineups-broadcast-info-game-thread-2/

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Ask Sam Mailbag: 02.22.19

On Zion. Where's he fit at 6'7" without a jump shot? I know he can drive the ball & jump like a guard, but at 285, doing that incessantly will destroy his knees. Under the hoop, he'll have Wendell's problems multiplied. No matter how high he jumps, a 6'7" guy cannot have the reach of a 7-footer. Barkley is the closest comparison, but he lost a bunch of weight... and he could shoot.

If the Bulls get the #1 pick, I'm leaning toward Ja Morant. On the Bulls, Zion would probably end up on the bench, whereas Ja would be likely to start and push Dunn to the bench. Barrett & Reddish s/b good players too, but probably not significantly better than Otto Porter. Who do you like if the Bulls don't pick in the top 3 or 4? If Zion, Morant, Barrett & Reddish are all gone, who's left who can help the Bulls?

Though the frenzy for top lottery picks is not abating, and probably just getting worse. So... First, I'd drop teams 11-14 from the lottery altogether. Those are the 4 teams who almost made the playoffs. Even though their odds are short, we constantly hear about them rather being in the lottery than losing in the 1st round. Let's start by putting an end to that. Then I'd flatten the odds among the bottom 10 teams, maybe even make them dead even, to discourage tanking into the bottom 3. That might eliminate nonsense like the Knicks sitting Enes Kanter while the fans are screaming for him.

Art Alenik

Sam: And, in case anyone wonders, I received this before the latest game of the century Wednesday that went on for about 34 seconds before Williamson got hurt. While the discussion since has been all about whether he should retire (from college ball) and Mars Blackmon's exclamation about the shoes, I think the injury issue is a legitimate question for other reasons. I don't expect the way Zion comes across personally as someone who would run away from Duke for fear of injury. He seems more committed to his teammates and the program. And even if he were to get injured, he'd still be a high lottery pick. Joel Embiid was injured before the draft and wouldn't play for two years and everyone would take him No. 1 now instead of No. 3. Michael Porter Jr. last year got into the lottery even with back surgery and knowing he wouldn't play for at least a year. Williamson doesn't seem the kind of person interested in money only. If he chooses that way, fine. It's his decision and no one will hold it against him. I'd be surprised if he did. But more so, I'd be concerned about injury and longevity given his size, and more than splitting his sneakers. I'm not a doctor and all that, but it seems this era is overwhelmed with injuries despite the incredible medical and training specialists for every team because of the way we (not me) push our bodies to ends perhaps too excessive. It seems like there's the potential for an unusual amount of strain and torque on the joints, as you suggest, with almost 300 pounds on that size of a body given he's not that tall. There's only so much the knees can take. I'm sure he'll be able to shoot at least as well as Barkley, though I see him more like an Anthony Davis kind of player—not necessarily the same style— but what I'd call a finisher instead of a starter.

The biggest impact stars of the game are the players who start the play with speed and ball handling and push, like LeBron and Durant and Harden and George and Westbrook and Curry. The finishers are players like Davis or Klay Thompson who get the ball from someone and then finish the play. They're great to have, but if they're you're best you probably aren't at the ultimate elite level. It's not to suggest Williamson won't be a superstar. We've hardly seen him play enough, and I cannot see anyone not making him the No. 1 pick in the draft. Because we've really never seen anyone like him, and when someone like that comes along you take him and find a way. No matter how good Markkanen is, Williamson would not be a Bulls backup. Or a backup even on the Warriors. But it is a reasonable point about the point. The Bulls may need my definition of a starter the most.

Meanwhile, as anti-tanking plans go, that one sounds like something. Maybe put those better teams in that single elimination thing that comes up occasionally with the seventh and/or eighth place teams in a play in over a few days at the end of the season. Really, if you're seventh or eighth you don't deserve much. Seventh and eighth don't even get into the playoffs in most sports. Then start the playoffs a few days late as that first round goes too long anyway; cut that down. And, I agree, equalize the odds through the worst six or seven teams in a lottery so that trying to get to 14 wins isn't a goal. I'll contact the commissioner once he figures out how to get out of the mess he helped create with the demand that Anthony Davis continue to play for the Pelicans while not caring or trying.

My thoughts looking at the projected top 3 guys: Zion, Barrett and Morant.

Zion - is he starting at small forward over Porter? Probably, but then you'll have a $25M 6th man. Start him at the 4 over Markkanen? Ehhhh... Would Zion be OK not starting??

Barrett- do you put him on the bench in back of Levine? Can he play a bit of small forward? Trade Levine for a point guard?? Would Barrett be OK not starting?

Morant - I hope we get him... Seems like a perfect fit. Dunn seems like a great backup point guard on a good team.

Joe Dobrzynski

Sam: I've noticed the discussion these days is not so intense about losing games with the percentages the same at 14 for the bottom three and then 12.5 for four, which is where the Bulls now are. But position does matter. The Bulls are playing out the rest of the season to win games. With the addition of Otto Porter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen finally healthy and playing at a higher level, they'll win a reasonable number games. The way it still works in the lottery is once the top three picks are determined—and usually one team breaks through from the bottom—the selections go in order of standings. So if, say, the team with the sixth best odds moves up to No. 1, then the records count for the succeeding draft slots. So the team with the worst record then goes second, the second worst gets third and so on. So like last season, if you're third maybe you get this year's version of Luka Doncic. And if you're fifth or sixth, well, I really haven't watched enough college basketball yet to know. The consensus seems to be your three guys will be gone by four. Like everyone else, I've mostly watched Duke and I think LaVine and Markkanen are better than everyone else I've seen not named Zion. Though you'd think with Illinois already naming a far Chicago suburb after Williamson, it's kismet.

So, here we (maybe) are again. The Bulls may have an opportunity to draft a guy who's a consensus can't-miss, rare talent...who sprained his knee towards the end of his college career. Although the result the first time around was thrilling and I don't regret any part of it as a fan...I'm not sure I'm prepared to do that again after watching that shoe-fail incident and Zion's attendant knee sprain. Besides...we have two awesome power forwards and a top-ten 3 just acquired. We need a point guard, and there's a really good one available. Even if the Bulls (again, not even as odds-against this time) luck into the number one pick overall, they should take the PG from Murray State. Shouldn't they?

Chris Granner

Sam: There are reasons to pass on Williamson, though a knee sprain—assuming it's just that—is not uncommon. But there's that torque from that incredible body. Derrick Rose wasn't even a consensus No. 1. It's been players like LeBron, Patrick Ewing, Anthony Davis, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal. And Hakeem Olajuwon over Michael Jordan and Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Should they? I'm wondering more, would they? I doubt it.

Joel Embiid has knee issues, hopefully not serious, but who knows? Then Zion goes down on a freaky first possession play. Maybe a point in the "tanking is bad" club? So you want to tank like the 76ers and take 5 or more years to be relevant and then uh oh maybe your main guy still has knee issues!? You want to tank to get Zion now? Can this get worse for him or could this just be an isolated incident? Just shows it is never a guarantee unless you are the machine that is Lebron James.

Jon Kueper

Sam: The holy grail in sports is the elite superstar player, and no one knows how to get one. They just kind of land on your team and then you take bows. You think the Warriors knew about Curry at No. 7 in the draft? They almost traded him instead of Monta Ellis. You think the Bucks knew about Giannis? They were trying to trade that non lottery pick all over the league that season and when they couldn't get much they did a what the heck. Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo went before Westbrook in the 2008 Derrick Rose draft, and then Mayo was traded to get Kevin Love, taken below Westbrook. No one knows how you get a player like that unless it's obvious, like LeBron or perhaps now Zion. So you take your shot because otherwise you'll generally just keep trying, anyway. Ask the Portland Trailblazers when everyone knew the next one was Greg Oden. In the meantime, you keep putting together enough talent, like the Bulls are doing now, to become competitive. And then you hope—which is everyone's plan—to get lucky in the draft or free agency or someone's owner decides James Harden isn't worth the extra $5 million.

Too many teams have created max contract spaces than there are premier, tier one free agent players. Some stars may not want to play in a specific market or for a weak team. It's a reasonable expectation that some teams with abundant cap space will not be able to sign preferred players. This sounds like a rerun of the Krause two full boat debacle with Mercer and Boozer but with more teams. A team like the Knicks with a very high pick may be "forced" into a trade to acquire good tier one talent. Assume for the moment that the Knicks were desperate for a player like Davis and were offering their lottery pick. How does the draft pick trade off against a Davis salary and the salary cap? Would the Knicks need to add additional players in that trade to match up the salaries? Are draft picks salary slotted? How are future picks valued? It would seem that pre draft trades and later free agent signings and trades will be more prevalent and especially interesting this year and be somewhat uncharted territory.

John Petersen

Sam: It's another reason we love the NBA. Relax, there's always basketball games talk. Especially playoff time, which is coming most places. The gossip, which always has been part of the NBA back to Wilt demanding trades and Oscar picking his spot with the first real no trade clause, helps make the league special. Draft picks have zero value versus salary until the players sign contracts. Maybe, as speculated and lip read at the All-Star game, Irving and Durant choose the Knicks. Durant would be making the biggest mistake of his career, though what fun we all could have driving him nuts because he reads every Tweet. I can see Irving going to the Knicks because he's always talked about finishing near where he grew up in New Jersey. Plus, I think a part of the Celtics dysfunction this season was the way he bailed out on the team in the playoffs last season and wouldn't even show up for the closing playoff game. Elective surgery from a November injury the day of Game 7? Seriously? Probably didn't want to see LeBron dance after getting himself out of there. Draft picks obviously carry intrinsic value because of their (often inflated) worth in this era.

The reason the Porter trade made sense for the Bulls was the path to attracting free agents is a better record. As Krause painfully discovered. Now we know top guys don't want to be builders. They prefer being joiners. I can see Durant if he chooses to leave, which I wouldn't but which would open up the West, going to the Mavericks or the best place probably would be the Clippers with Leonard. With Kawhi and the guys they have like Lou Williams, the Clippers probably would be better than the Warriors without Durant. Then the West would be wide open, also. If a team like the Knicks got No. 1, it likely would be enough to sell to their fans, like when they got Patrick Ewing in the first lottery, and provide enough hope not to do anything radical. From there, a team can start getting serious. It's ironic that the Bulls were candid and forthcoming and mostly got attacked for it. It made sense to add a veteran like Porter to their young players to eventually get in position for free agency rather than pursuing the fantasy that Durant or Leonard couldn't wait to join a 19-win team and then hear, see, we told you the team would not get a free agent. So why didn't you go for someone like Otto Porter?

Does the Porter trade signal the end of the 'younger and more athletic' phase of the rebuild? Seems to me like they have the pieces they want in place and the focus is on developing them and hoping at least one takes the leap to the next level. Unless we have a top 2 draft pick and get either Zion or Morant, we're likely to add a backup wing/forward. Plan A should be to bring in veteran mentors for the young Bulls. I'd love to see them use their 20ish million in cap space to bring in a combination of players like Rondo, Vince Carter, Danny Green, Taj, and resign RoLo.

Brodie Larsh

Sam: Carmelo should be available, too. Maybe Jordan makes a comeback. You know the commissioner would add him as that 13th guy for the 2020 All-Star game. He and Dominique in the slam dunk. Now that would be something to see. That's a bit too veteran, I'd say. I could see Taj, though I think Taj would rather go somewhere he could play more. I doubt he sees himself as the mentor quite yet.

The problem with bringing in those aging veterans no matter how good it sounds to many fans and media is the players don't much listen to them if they can't play anymore. It's like your parents telling you about what they did. Players roll their eyes, too. With Porter, I think the Bulls are in a good place at, going by the numbers, two, three and four. Wendell Carter is perhaps at five, but they also need some depth and size there. And, of course, there's Dunn and the point guard conundrum. Can he be the guy? If not, you need a fairly high level starter because this time, no really, this time the Bulls have to be playing to be a playoff contender. With Markkanen going into his third season and Zach into his sixth, there's no younger anymore. Porter is a head start into that. We'll, of course, wait out the luck of the lottery and draft. But I expect the addition to be a starter or capable of that. With so many free agents and so many likely to return to their teams, it's too soon to know who even will be there. I expect several new Bulls faces who don't know where the G-league cities are.

Kaiser Gates of the G League Bulls looks ready to come onto the NBA Bulls. He was the Big East's best shooter. I could see him really contributing off the bench as a sharpshooter. And with his size at 6"8 he trumps Blakeney and Alkins. What do you think of bringing him up now?

Ryan Carpel

Sam: Even though guys play for the Windy City team, they are not Bulls minor leaguers. That's only the two-way players, Alkins and Sampson. All the others can sign with any NBA teams. So the Bulls have to have a roster spot to sign someone on a 10-day contract. I think they do have one open, but Hutchison should return soon and I don't know if there's much point in carrying another backup big man at a time they appear to be trying to play a more open game. Is this a tanking thing?

Am I the only one questioning how Anthony Davis can leave a regular season game (and arena) due to a "shoulder injury" but still deem himself able to play in the All Star game? Also why doesn't Adam Silver intervene?

Anthony Reed

Sam: Plus the Cubs, I hear, feel Sammy Sosa may have made him do it and aren't allowing Davis to come back, either, given their historic anger about anyone leaving early.

What are the odds the Bulls bring back Luol? watching the Bulls haven't been the same since they traded him and it would be nice to see him retire a Bull!

Joseph Higgins

Sam: Well, I suggested that recently for Noah and Rose; at least the retirement part. Actually, Lu could be one of those veterans that might be fine closing it out being the bench mentor. How much anyone 22 would listen is another thing, though it would work for me. Though that stuff didn't work too well in the early 2000s when the Bulls brought back Scottie Pippen, Will Perdue B.J. Armstrong and Charles Oakley. Tough to see these guys finish on those 60-loss teams.

Am I right in noticing that amongst the under-25 players in the NBA, the cream of the non-USA players are clearly better than the cream of the USA players?

Simmons, Doncic, Giannis, Embiid... maybe KP or later Markkanen for PF. What group of USA 25 and under is beating that?

Alejandro Yegros

Sam: And you left out Jokic and Porzingis. It is an interesting evolution, and at least demonstrates what we often fail to accept in the United States, that there's excellent athletic talent everywhere. Notice they usually lose the Ryder Cup golf, also. This should be viewed as a positive for the NBA, which remains without walls. You know, Basketball without Borders. Obviously, the depth of talent still is from the United States given our infrastructure. But what we are seeing is more fundamentally sound, mature players coming from outside the U.S. because of our flawed and often corrupt AAU and prep feeder systems. The training and coaching overseas tends to be more disciplined. I suspect it accounts for many U.S. players not reaching their potential, which also helps explains the surfeit of depth. We've got a lot of kids, but they jump around to schools and AAU teams in mostly informal competition and then into the NBA. And aren't ready. It can short circuit a career. I remember when the NBA started the high school direct to pros. Obviously there were some great players, but I remember one GM telling me many of the players who'll be hall of Famers now would max out as all stars, and the players who might be all stars would max out as just good players. Can't prove it either way, but I would not be surprised. So many of these players from overseas are on professional teams playing with adults at a younger age and knowing the game better. Which also is a reason why as they get older and learn the game and competition more, it's so many U.S.-born players who emerge at the top. There are enough developing, young NBA players now no to quite embarrass the U.S., like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Marvin Bagley, Jaren Jackson, De'Aaron Fox. The U.S. will be fine; it's good for the game and the country.

I can't seem to understand the lack of recognition Lauri Markkanen is getting from the media outside of Chicago. I was having a look at his stat line this year and thinking that his improvement as a 2nd year 7-footer has been impressive and he is balling at the moment. For comparison, I compared his 2nd year to more 'hyped' young european bigs - Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis to highlight this

2nd year

Markkanen (35* gms) - MPG 32.3 / 18.5 pts / 8.8 rbs / FG% 43.7 / 3P% 38.3 / 1.3 ast / 0.7 blk (Season ongoing)

Porzingis (66 gms) - MPG 28.4 / 18.1 pts / 7.2 rbs / FG% 45.0 / 3P% 33.3 / 1.5 ast / 2.0 blk

Jokic (73 gms) - MPG 27.9 / 16.7 pts / 9.8 rbs / FG% 57.7 / 3P% 32.2 / 4.9 ast / 0.8 blk

In Porzingis's second season he was being touted as a revolutionary type player who would change the way the NBA was played. Maybe with New York being the centre of the universe for the media it swayed in his favor but still. Jokic wasn't the high pick the other two were but again, his passing ability and strong play had the media gushing at his 'point-centre' style and he quickly came into the calculation for most promising bigs in the league.

My point is Lauri's stat line is equal and if not better to those two in their second years and yet, we do not hear the plaudits that Jokic and Porzingis were getting at this point in their second year. When it comes to top young bigs in the league, I am startled he doesn't at least seem to be in the conversation.

Caleb Slade

Sam: Out of sight, out of mind. The combination of being on a team last year not much interested in winning and then being hurt half this season, and not being in New York while doing so leaves you out of the conversation. Last year he was awfully shy and didn't speak much to media. He's broken out of that this season, but is mostly humble and defers to others. He's a bit too much of a team player sometimes, in my view. I'd rather see him taking 10 "bad" shots than many others' good shots. He doesn't think that way. But people who know, know. That's why despite not playing until December and playing hurt that month, he still was selected a Rising Stars game starter. The coaches know, and when the Bulls improve, as they should substantially next season without another epidemic of injuries, it's not inconceivable Markkanen could be in the All-Star game conversation as Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton were this year. He's got a higher ceiling than both those players, but still a team not on TV much.

Do you think Rajon Rondo will ever be a head coach in the NBA? You could see what happened to the Pels when they let him go, and we all agree pretty much that his absence against Boston cost the Bulls that series two years ago.

Jim Hecimovich

Sam: The NBA is a lot about out of the box, and if I were looking for a coach I would take a chance on Rondo as player/coach. He's pretty much like that when he's on your team the way he works with the young players and always is searching out film and knows every opponent's plays. He's fit enough and smart enough, I think, to handle both in the model of the Hall of Fame's Lenny Wilkens, the last great player/coach. I know it's said now there's too much to do, but, really I'd take my chances. After all, doesn't everyone have about eight assistants hanging around?

Sam, what is a "protected" draft choice. And what is the significance issue and how is it utilized by management?

Mike Kibler

Sam: This continues my NBA 101 since we always take for granted everyone knows what we know because, well, if we know it how hard could it be? Perhaps that didn't come out right. A protected draft choice means it is transmitted to the other team unless it is at a certain position. It's a way for a team to "protect" itself in case they have a poorer season than they expect. So a team wants to make a trade and the other team wants the first round draft pick for the player. There always has to be some value in a trade. But the team receiving the player is afraid something could happen and their season goes bad. So they "protect" the draft pick through, for example, the first 14 picks. It means if it's in the top 14 they keep it. If it's 14 to 30, it goes to the other team. But the other team eventually has to receive something. So there are provisions written in for, say, "protection" through top 10 the following year, top eight after that and so on until the other team eventually gets something. The terms are part of the trade negotiation. Management uses it as something they can add to a trade of value if just, for example, one player for another isn't enough to get the deal done while having "protection" against a disastrous season and the other team then falling into the next Zion. Oh no!

I was listening to sports radio this morning as White Sox fans called in to complain about the team not signing Manny Machado. One caller blamed it on Reinsdorf being cheap. I'm not really writing about that topic. As evidence this caller said, "This is the same guy who when he signed Michael Jordan said, 'I'm going to regret this.'" The hosts, both longtime Chicago radio and newspaper personalities, didn't contradict him on the quote. It's not a quote or story I've heard before so I wonder if you can shed any light on it.

Cameron Watkins

Sam: It is longtime "evidence" that is specious, but why, you know, mess up your bias. This is what happened back then: Jordan, and to his credit with the occasional private compliant, had finished his eight-year $25 million contract. It was groundbreaking and shocking deal at the time, and, of course, outdated in a few years. Michael never demanded a renegotiation, saying he signed it, so he'd live up to it. Yes, how quaint. Obviously, Michael couldn't lower his ethics to be a college coach. But the White Sox did bring him into their minor league system, as he requested after his this-is-really-final 1993 retirement, and paid him his $4 million annual basketball salary even though he was a minor league baseball player.

SamOK, so he returns to the Bulls late in the 1994-95 season and plays for $4 million in the magical 95-96, 72-win season, and is that season about the 150th best paid in the league. He doesn't say much. Now it's time to pay. How much? The salary cap for 1995-96 was $23 million for the entire team. Patrick Ewing was the highest paid in the league at about $18 million. Only six players earned more than $6 million. Jordan asked for about $55 million over two years. The Bulls proposed year by year a deal that, in the end, would work better for Jordan. So they finally agreed on $30 million for one year. Remember, just four teams in the league had entire team salaries that exceeded $30 million. The Knicks were highest at $43 million with Ewing's 18 million. Pay one guy $30 million? Sure, it was Jordan and he brought more attention to the league than anyone. But pay him more than almost 90 percent of the teams? It's like you are buying a $100,000 auto. You say with a laugh to the salesperson you hope it doesn't break down on the way out of the showroom; you know, I hope I'm not making a mistake. Ha ha. So Reinsdorf offered a bit of a quip about the salary, which was with a laugh, "I hope I don't regret this."

SamLook, Jordan and his agent were smiling. There were cigars. No one in American sports ever even thought about a salary like that. The Bulls team salary immediately went to No. 1 in the league and 35 percent more than the second highest, a rare financial gap. Jordan alone was paid more than the entire payrolls of 20 different teams and well above for one player the total salary cap per team. Maybe you'd make a bit of a nervous joke, also, but the negotiation started above the per team total. No player in the league was even making half Jordan's salary. It even seems like a lot 22 years later when today it would still be in the top 10 of current NBA salaries in a period when the salary cap has gone up more than four fold. Which means in today's NBA it would be an annual salary of maybe $135 million. It doesn't strike me as being cheap. But that's just me.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/ask-sam-mailbag-022219

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Bella Bronze Tan Abruptly Closes Up Shop at 1503 S. Michigan

A reader writes:

Hey Sloopin,

Any idea what happened to Bella Bronze Tanning Salon???

I stopped by yesterday afternoon (July 1st) and there was a masterlock on the outer door and the place looked cleaned out. I reached out to them in Instagram and haven’t gotten a response. I’ve regularly tanned there for 6 years, nothing emailed and nothing in the last mailer about them closing.

Another reader writes:

Walked past the salon today and it is completely empty with a lock on the door? No notice that they closed or moved. Website and Instagram still active. Twitter shows they made a tweet on July 3rd regarding tanning specials.

It looks like they had a tweet recently, but it looks pretty generic and may just be a reoccurring type of tweet. We also called their phone number and the mailbox is full - which is obviously not a good a sign.

Anyone have any scoop?

(Hat tip: L&C!)

Source: http://www.sloopin.com/2019/07/bella-bronze-tan-abruptly-closes-up.html

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Chicago Places Join Giraffes on Endangered List

Written By Editor on May 8, 2019

• Booth Cottage• Giraffes• Hill Motor Sales Building• Hoover Estate• Landmarks Illinois• Millstadt Milling and Feed• Ray House Rushville• Rock Island County Courthouse• Saint Mary's School Galena• Sheffield Historic District• Thompson Center• University of Illinois• Washington Park National Bank

Just days after the Fish and Wildlife Service started talking about adding giraffes to its endangered species list, Landmarks Illinois put out its annual list of the Prairie State’s most endangered places.

There are a dozen entries on the list, with three in Chicago, three in the surrounding area, and the remainder scattered across the state.

Here’s the endangered dozen:

Chicago

The Thompson Center

James R. Thompson Center, Chicago

For the third year in a row, LI is including the one-of-a-kind, state-owned building in Chicago’s Loop on its Most Endangered list. Designed by Helmut Jahn and built in 1985, the Thompson Center remains threatened as the State of Illinois continues to pursue a sale of the building that could allow new development on the site. In March 2019, Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation that outlines a two-year plan for the building’s sale. Landmarks Illinois only supports a sale if it includes reuse of the irreplaceable building, which remains Chicago’s best example of grandly-scaled, Postmodern architecture.

Sheffield Historic District (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Sheffield National Register Historic District, Chicago

Located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, this historic district is home to some of the city’s best examples of late-19th century architecture. While the district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this does not protect against demolition of its architecturally significant buildings, and an increasing number of them are being torn down by new owners and developers in favor of new construction. To date, a third of the district’s buildings have been demolished and LI would like to see new polices explored to prevent further demolition.

Washington Park National Bank (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Washington Park National Bank, Chicago

The five-story, limestone neoclassical building at the corner of Cottage Grove and 63rd Street, was built in 1924 and is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The site was once the heart of a thriving retail area in Chicago’s Woodlawn community, but has been vacant for years. Current building owner, the Cook County Land Bank Authority, has fast-tracked redevelopment of the long-vacant site and recently selected a proposal from a developer that includes demolition of the historic bank, despite community input that demonstrated a preference for its preservation and reuse.

Chicagoland

Booth Cottage (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Booth Cottage, Glencoe

This Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home is currently for sale and unprotected. The one-story frame house was originally built in 1913 for Sherman and Elizabeth Booth, prominent members of the Glencoe community in the early 20th century. While charming in size, the house is located on a substantial lot that could accommodate a much larger residence, putting it at risk for tear-down and redevelopment.

Hoover Estate (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Hoover Estate, Glencoe

The historic Hoover Estate was built in 1925 and designed by architect William Furst, architect of Glencoe’s village hall. The estate includes three buildings, all of which are remarkable examples of the Tudor Revival style, important not only for their architectural significance, but also for their association with famous vacuum magnate H. Earl Hoover. The Estate was recently purchased by a developer who plans to demolish the buildings to make way for multiple new single-family homes. The Glencoe Village Board rejected the Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendation for honorary landmark status, which would have delayed demolition and given the commission opportunity to urge reuse of any of the buildings.

Hill Motor Sales Building (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Hill Motor Sales Building, Oak Park

The former Packard showroom, also known as the former Foley-Rice dealership, was built in 1924-27 and remains one of the best preserved and most architecturally striking examples left from the time when Oak Park’s Madison Street was an automobile sales district. Despite vocal protest from the community and recommendations for local landmarking from their own Historic Preservation Commission, Oak Park officials recently agreed to allow a developer to demolish the vacant building to make way for a new grocery store. Locals continue to push for the historic building to be incorporated in the development.

Elsewhere in Illinois

Saint Mary’s School (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

St. Mary’s School, Galena

The 1865 school is part of Galena’s National Register Historic District and a cherished part of the community. Unfortunately, the building has suffered from neglect under private ownership since the 1970s. The current owner is willing to sell, but the cost and scope of repairs makes the project challenging. The Galena Foundation, a local nonprofit, is advocating to save St. Mary’s School as well as for Galena to pass a “demolition by neglect” ordinance to prevent historic buildings in private ownership from reaching such a state of disrepair. An ordinance of this type was proposed last year, but failed to pass the Galena City Council.

Millstadt Milling and Feed Company (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Millstadt Milling & Feed Company, Millstadt

Built in 1857 with a grain elevator added in 1880, the property is one of the oldest continually operating grain elevators in the state and represents a critical piece of Illinois’ industrial and agricultural past. Despite its historic significance and sound condition, Millstadt village officials have declared the site a “public nuisance” and given the current owners a tight timeframe to provide a detailed plan for restoration or face condemnation and demolition.

Chancery and Piety Hill properties, Rockford

This group of three historic buildings includes the Chancery & Bishop’s Residence, the St. Peter School and a convent, and are part of the former “Piety Hill” campus located prominently in Rockford’s Signal Hill community. Designed by architect Wybe J. van der Meer and built between 1922 and 1929, the buildings are excellent examples of Beaux Arts and Renaissance Revival architecture. Current property owners, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford, is hoping to demolish the historic structures despite local opposition and eligibility for local landmark status.

The old Rock Island County Courthouse (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Rock Island County Courthouse, Rock Island

The Spanish Renaissance-style building was designed by Fredrick C. Gunn and Louis S. Curtis and built between 1895 and 1897. Vacant since the neighboring Justice Center Annex opened in late 2018, the Rock Island County Board and Public Building Commission have moved to demolish the historic courthouse without complying with state preservation law. Landmarks Illinois joined a lawsuit with five other plaintiffs seeking to prevent this unlawful demolition. The case is currently being heard by the State of Illinois Third District Appellate Court.

Ray House (Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Ray House, Rushville

The Ray House was built in the 1850s and remains one of the oldest homes in Rushville. It is a beautiful example of Gothic Revival and Victorian architecture and is perhaps best known for hosting Abraham Lincoln during his 1858 senatorial campaign. Unfortunately, the Ray House sits vacant and has suffered significant deterioration following years of deferred maintenance. Immediate repairs are needed, including to the brick foundation and basement walls. A local nonprofit, the Schuyler County Architecture Foundation, has started a campaign to raise funds for the much-needed restoration.

(Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois)

Greek Housing at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois campus has one of the largest concentrations of Greek Life in the country, but an increasing number of the century-old or more fraternity and sorority houses face demolition. These beautiful homes, which have become an integral part of the architectural fabric of Champaign and Urbana, have suffered from deferred maintenance, declining occupancy rates and a rapid escalation of property tax assessments, often making them tear-down targets to make way for new, higher-density apartment buildings.

Author: Editor

Editor founded the Chicago Architecture Blog in 2003, after a long career in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Source: https://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/2019/05/08/chicago-places-join-giraffes-on-endangered-list/

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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Overflow thread 1: Cubs vs. Nationals, Saturday 5/18, 6:15 CT

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Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/5/18/18629182/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-nationals-saturday-5-18-6-15-ct

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bacondriver55-blog · 6 years ago

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All Tarik Cohen ever needed was a chance

CHICAGO — Before Tarik Cohen became the Human Joystick — before the Chicago Bears‘ do-everything back was bamboozling All-Pro safeties, landing back-flip catches, rewriting record books, or arousing Soldier Field – he was sitting at a computer in his fourth-period class at Bunn High School, dangerously close to his teacher’s desk, composing emails. Clandestine emails.

“What’s up!” he’d begin after slapping his name in the subject line, operating with caution for fear of the teacher’s watchful eye. He’d conclude with a link to a highlight reel that would hypnotize the uninitiated. In between, a plea, to any college coach that would listen: Give me a chance.

There was an unspoken desperation about the exercise. But this, by the winter of senior year, is what Cohen’s recruitment had come to. He had played his last down of high school football. He’d captivated a rural North Carolina town of 344, and compiled his exploits into a motion picture to dangle in front of college talent evaluators. All he needed was one bite.

Yet recruiters came and went. They saw the breakaway speed and absurd production. They looked right past it, right over Cohen’s head. And they’d invariably leave Bunn coach Chris Miller with an all too familiar parting message: “Coach,” they’d say of the 5-foot-6 Cohen, “he’s too small.”

In other words, before the Human Joystick programmed himself with the power to put Pro Bowl linebackers on the seats of their pants, hundreds of collegiate coaches across America were threatening to unplug him. Possibly forever. So contingency plans began to crystalize.

“I had took the ASVAB,” Cohen says, referring to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. “I had scored real high. … I was going to go to the Navy.”

Six years later, he sits inside Bears headquarters Halas Hall, speaking just like he moves on Sundays: expressive yet succinct; jumpy and dizzyingly quick; and, most of all, liable to burst with exuberance at any instant. But as he sinks into a sofa, a camouflage-colored jacket preparing him for the early-November cold, the topic of conversation isn’t touchdowns or spin moves or schematic versatility. It isn’t stats or speed or size.

It’s the disadvantages and difficulties that could have preempted all that. It is, in ‘Rik’s words, “perseverance.” It’s the poverty endured; the setbacks withstood; the available excuses shunned.

It isn’t the NFL life Tarik Cohen always dreamed of. It’s the obstacles he leapt over and around to live it.

A retelling of Cohen’s journey can begin in many places; after all, he rarely stays still in one for very long. This one begins with sunflower seeds spilling onto a Raleigh, North Carolina, floor. Cohen’s cousin, Cornelius Newell, had bought them. Newell, 11 years Cohen’s elder, has been many things to the now-23-year-old: guardian, role model and trainer among them. On this summer evening, he served as NBA 2K adversary. Against all odds – “He doesn’t even play 2K,” Cohen says – Newell had beaten Tarik. And anger simmered inside Cohen’s teenage body.

After the loss, Cohen eyed the seeds. Because, as he animatedly argues all these years later, “he bought ‘em for me.” Even in defeat, he defiantly thought, “I’m still boutta eat these sunflower seeds.” But Newell had other ideas. Two hands reached for the bag. Pretty soon, neither was chowing down. Instead, they were swinging at each other. The cousins had thrown on boxing gloves to settle arguments before. But this was a legitimate fistfight.

“Our whole family,” Newell later explains, “is sore losers. We hate to lose. But he’s the worst.”

So many elite athletes do. The hatred becomes a work ethic’s catalyst. Cohen, in many ways, is no different. As a child, the rage supplied a temper. After a devastating Madden loss, he hurled his controller at the TV. A separate fit broke his PlayStation. (Cohen, as you’ve probably gathered, was and still is a gaming fiend.)

As the hatred of losing aged, though, it began to stoke an obsession. An obsession with self-improvement. After one set of back-to-back Madden losses to Newell, Cohen begged for a Game 3. Newell refused – and takes the story from here: “He stayed up aaaaaall night practicing, and woke me up in the morning to play again.” The result? “Oh, he beat the hell out of me. He beat me bad.”

Eventually, the competitiveness fused with a love of football and drove ridiculous summer workouts. Newell would devise them: Miles on the treadmill, laps in the pool, pushups, situps, squats. Cohen, more often than not, would complete them. Newell would occasionally float a pair of Jordans or another object of Cohen’s desire as incentive.

But in high school, a new genre of defeat had become incentive enough. Coaches began telling Cohen he wasn’t good enough. Not good enough for varsity as a freshman or sophomore. Not good enough or big enough to succeed at the next level. Cohen interpreted the lack of opportunity as: “I think you’re going to lose.”

And as he says now, “It immediately became fuel” – fuel transcribed in a Twitter bio that begins: “OVERlooked…..UNDERrated.”

Skeptical football minds, though, weren’t the only sources inflaming Cohen’s hunger.

The hardship

Another retelling of Cohen’s journey might unravel chronologically, beginning with a childhood on the move, in search of stability. With uncertainty, stopgaps, and constant upheaval. “We moved so many times when I was in elementary school,” he remembers.

But Cohen isn’t especially fond of talking about all that. Never has been. Never lets it cloud his life. So when I first hint at the family’s struggles, in search of the perseverance that propelled him from backwoods obscurity to this sunlit room lined with Hall of Fame artifacts, he doesn’t take me all the way back. Instead, his mind wanders to eighth grade.

Football, by then, had become a passion. But this particular autumn, several inhibitive factors conspired to make it a void. Cohen didn’t have a ride to and from practice. His mother didn’t have a vehicle. Re-zoned districts left him too far away from school. So rather than strap on an oversized helmet and shoulder pads after his final class of the day, he’d flow right into homework. Or PlayStation. Occasionally tackle football with friends at the park. But mainly “Madden and school,” he says. Football, for the time being, had been stripped away.

The four-letter Q word, though, never infiltrated his mind. Perhaps because adversity, throughout his youth, had been par for the course. Cohen’s father was never a presence in his life. His mother, Tilwanda Newell, toiled tirelessly to support Tarik and his three brothers; to pay for football equipment; to maintain basic necessities.

Sometimes that meant entire weekends away at work, leaving the boys to fix Hamburger Helper, hot dogs and cereal for themselves. Sometimes it meant co-opting the stove as a heater for the whole home. In sixth grade, for Tarik, it meant one pair of jeans. From Walmart. He’d wear them to school three out of five days per week.

But the everyday tribulations, whenever they arose, never seeped onto gridirons. The eighth-grade emptiness merely ramped up ninth-grade anticipation. With coaches and upperclassmen pitching in with rides, Cohen returned to football. By 11th grade, he was a varsity star. In 12th, when Tilwanda moved to Raleigh, Tarik stayed with an aunt, and at Bunn. A scholarship had thus far been elusive. But with one more standout season, Cohen reasoned, he could sustain his dream.

Tarik Cohen took to emailing college programs, asking anyone to give him a look. (Tarik Cohen/Twitter)

The offer

“Can I tell his family?”

That was Chris Miller’s first question for a college assistant when he heard the news. Midway through Cohen’s senior season, the diminutive playmaker was still without an offer. And without an offer, college would have to wait. The Navy beckoned. But Miller, Cohen’s high school coach, caught wind that a then-FCS school was readying one. He knew, he says, because the recruiter had told him so: Absolutely he could tell the family.

So he did. Excitement built. The following week, a coordinator arrived for the follow-up visit. And the happy ending to Cohen’s scholarship-less ordeal was minutes away.

Or so Cohen thought. He doesn’t quite recall a concrete promise. But he was “under the impression … Yeah, they ‘bout to offer me.”

When the meeting commenced, though, the vibe was “funky,” according to Miller. It concluded with a, “Thanks a lot, we’ll be in touch.” Miller sniffed trouble, and asked for a private word. Minutes later, he was seething. “They kind of rescinded the offer,” he says now. “I went off.”

“Then I had to tell [Tarik],” he continues. “And that’s a crusher, man. Because you have the dream. You didn’t think it was necessarily going to happen. Then it’s there. And then it’s snatched. He could have easily just folded up.”

Tarik Cohen received one offer to play college football — from North Carolina A&T. (Getty)

The opportunity

The two-hour drive through the heart of North Carolina, from Greensboro to Bunn, isn’t the most eventful of excursions. The odd southern fast-food staple interrupts otherwise unremitting greenery. But Rod Broadway, at the time North Carolina A&T’s head football coach, is grateful he made it.

Trei Oliver, a then-A&T assistant, had fallen in love with an undersized running back from the tiny town, and had been imploring Broadway to trek east to see for himself. Broadway’s initial response had echoed dozens of others: Tarik Cohen was too short.

Nobody ever told him so to his face. And size hadn’t prevented him from gashing a defense for 262 yards in a state playoff game. But he was aware. Aware that he just needed one believer. But aware he might not have any.

Until Broadway hopped on the road and saw past the physical traits. Rather than being turned off by Cohen’s size, he was turned on by his “bubbly” personality. Less than a year later, Cohen was slipping in between engaged offensive and defensive linemen at Aggie practice, as if ducking underneath a human arch, forcing coaches to rewind film dozens of times in astonishment. Four years later, he’d toppled the MEAC’s all-time rushing record, and scored more touchdowns than any other player in school history.

These days, he remains fiercely loyal. To the family that supported him, of course. And to his new brothers, his Bears teammates – “watch how you talkin bout my QB boy,” he tweets at Mitchell Trubisky doubters. But his attachment to his school is undying. He rocks A&T sweats; gives back to Greensboro kids; and gloats about rivalry-game victories. And on a Sunday night in November, gives Minnesota Viking defenders the sauce in prime time. But he knows he wouldn’t be here without the one institution that gave him a chance.

The moral

Nowadays, no retelling of Cohen’s journey remains complete for very long. Because nowadays, the Tarik Cohen story adds chapters weekly. It’s the boundless energy. The mazy scampers. The video game-like shiftiness that earned him his nickname.

It’s the type of play that became a regular occurrence back at Bunn, when hundreds bore witness rather than millions. The attention-snaring one-handed grabs. The soul-stealing jukes. The scoop-and-scuttles that rendered squib kicks futile.

Cohen poses a similar all-purpose threat today. He lines up in the backfield and the slot; darts in motion or stays split out wide. He is, to Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, a “fun toy.” And “there’s more there,” says Helfrich, who smiles dreamily at the thought.

But the 70-yard catch-and-runs, the impossible cuts that infuse frigid Chicago nights with Carolina heat … they’re merely a sliver of who Cohen is. Head coach Matt Nagy hails his “infectious” enthusiasm. Others claim Cohen “never has a bad day.” The energy, according to locker room neighbor Prince Amukamara, isn’t quite bottomless. That is, “unless there’s music playing,” Amukamara says. Then Cohen comes alive.

But would Tarik Cohen be Tarik Cohen without all the obstacles? Without the parentless weekends, or the eighth-grade football deprivation? Without his mother’s brief homelessness while he was in college, for which his best antidote was to “hurry up and get to the NFL?”

As if to answer, he heads across town on an in-season off day, to 103rd and South Elizabeth Street, down to Julian High School on Chicago’s South Side. He scans a room full of students, and sees at-risk kids, some from single-parent households, wrestling with hardships. He looks around, and in one sense, sees himself.

He’s reticent to talk about his challenging upbringing publicly, in part because he knows millions of Americans face worse. But here, he’s “equal.” He has come to listen to the teens, to “give them somebody in my position to hear them out.” Somebody who can relate. Somebody who is walking, flourishing proof that perseverance paves a path to rewards.

He now relegates most of his athletic perseverance to back pages. Though he still retweets dismissive scouting reports, and brandishes ignored emails as receipts, most non-believers have become afterthoughts.

But he wants to ensure that kids like 13-year-old Tarik never are. “That’s why I like to share my story and give hope,” he says. Perhaps not hope that others can one day whiz around a football field like the Human Joystick. But hope that endurance pays off.

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Henry Bushnell is a features writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/tarik-cohen-ever-needed-chance-010751303.html?src=rss

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