Taste Chicago

I’m still warming up to the idea of targeting Andrew McCutchen this winter, considering our discussion this morning. I think he fits offensively, positionally, and financially – plus, he’s just an easy guy to root for.

But there’s a catch. Well, two catches. First: I hope, this self-evident, but, for the purposes of that discussion, I’m operating under the assumption that Bryce Harper or Manny Machado are off the table for the Cubs. Second: I’m assuming the contract estimates from MLB Trade Rumors, Jon Heyman, and FanGraphs (roughly 3 years and $40M) will end up being close to reality. If McCutchen instead gets the Lorenzo Cain treatment (5 years/$80M), well, that changes things.

• And to be fair, Cain was almost the same age when he signed his deal with the Brewers last winter, coming off a very similar season offensively (115 wRC+ v. 120 wRC+) and without nearly as much past success as McCutchen. Then again, Cain also provides far better defense at a more premium position, so it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples thing. There’s no doubt in my mind, though, that McCutchen’s agent will be pointing to Cain’s 5.7 WAR season in 2018 and the $80M deal that preceded it.
• Buster Olney’s podcast shook some rumors and news loose, including a Bob Nightengale deduction that the Nationals are probably going to miss re-upping with Harper – suggesting instead, that, with no apparent intentions to keep negotiating from Harper’s side, the Nats will simply have to move on under the assumption that he’s not returning (a decision, which could force that $300M offer off the table entirely, if it isn’t already).
• With the Giants likely out and the Yankees’ eyes elsewhere, there’s only one obvious landing spot as of today – at least, in their minds:

• The White Sox are also named as potential landing spot, but the Phillies are expected to “do everything possible” to get Harper to sign there. As for Machado, the expectation is still New York, according to Nightengale, though the Phillies and White Sox are mentioned once again.
• Olney reiterated that he’s heard the Cubs are “boxed in” with their payroll, prompting this response from Jesse Rogers (emphasis mine): “Well, I think you’re right, but I would not have said that 6-8 weeks ago as the season ended. I thought for sure they’d be in on the Bryce Harper sweepstakes and making some other changes. [But] I think the rhetoric changed once the front office got its budget.” Rogers reaffirmed his belief that things must have changed from the end of the season to the start of the GM meetings – “I think ownership drew a line” – and even suggested that Theo Epstein won’t be able to overhaul as much as he’d like (or planned to?) because of that budget. Wow.
• If Rogers’ sense is correct, that’s a borderline bombshell. No one calls the Ricketts family cheap, because, well, until now, they’ve essentially allowed Epstein and Co. to do whatever they want. And also, it’s not like the payroll won’t be a huge number in 2019 regardless. But if the front office wound up being caught off guard by a firm budget line drawn by ownership? That would be quite a surprise, and it would make you wonder if that’s an artificial decision, or if it reflects revenue issues that no one expected.
• Other than that, Rogers thinks the Cubs will add a left-handed reliever (naming Andrew Miller and Zach Briton as potential options) and should add a leadoff hitter to shake things up – which is easier said than done.
• Olney has heard that the Cubs are not setting their budget based on the CBT tiers, but Rogers shares a sentiment from an agent that the Cubs are in CBT hell, because if they spend at all they’ll blow past the top tier and incur all those penalties. But while that last part is correct if the Cubs commit another $20 million or more, the penalties for going over are actually not that bad. Just do the math – Brett did, and he likes spinach pancakes.
• The good news is that clearly the Cubs and White Sox are finalists for Bryce Harper:

• All the smoke in the world is pointing towards Manny Machado and the Yankees. I think it’s easy to say they’re the public favorites at this point, as the rumors continue flowing:

• BUT things are never this simple. And at USA Today, Bob Nightengale shares the following Hal Steinbrenner comments: “If it’s a $300 million guy or a $10 million guy, clearly those comments are troubling.” The Yankees’ owner went on to say that it’s really GM Brian Cashman’s job (to deliberate?), but really stuck with his original point: “Because that ain’t going to sell where we play baseball …. That conversation will happen.”
• Something tells me Machado is really gonna be crawling out of his skin if/when that conversation goes down.
• But what are his other options? The Yankees have obvious interest and I’m guessing the White Sox do, as well, but the Nationals likely do not. The Phillies may be prioritizing Harper, and I just don’t believe they’re actually going to sign both guys. The Dodgers and Cubs are debating not spending big this winter, the Rangers and Braves reportedly are not, the Red Sox may not make a huge commitment to another bat, and Machado also doesn’t quite fit perfectly into many other clubs’ budgets. I suppose I could see the Cardinals or Brewers having the need, but not the guts to do what it takes to get it down (in years for St. Louis and dollars for Milwaukee).
• The Giants, meanwhile, have a crowded left side of the infield with Evan Longoria (tough to move contract) and Brandon Crawford (they don’t want to move) at third and short. And word is Farhan Zaidi is looking to create a little financial breathing room for the Giants, which is understandable for a new President and a team that loaded with aging veterans. The Yankees might be by far Machado’s best option.
• Here’s a breakdown of what it would take to sign a free agent attached to draft pick compensation fo reach team: if the Cubs sign one of the free agents attached to draft pick compensation – like Bryce Harper – they’ll have to give up their second-highest pick and $500K in IFA bonus pool money.
• And lastly today, Jon Heyman dumped a bunch of notes at FanCred, which you can sort through for the full effect, but among the notable bits … A.J. Pollock could be a sneaky candidate to return to the Diamondbacks if he’s not finding the right value on the free agent market. I think the Cubs could show interest in Pollock, but only if they fail on Harper, Machado, McCutchen, and maybe someone like Michael Brantley, who’s projected to get a similar deal to McCutchen, but is slightly younger. That said, Brantley is reportedly high on the Braves’ wish list.
• Also according to Heyman (re: a trade for potential Cubs target Whit Merrifield): “GM Dayton Moore does not like to trade stars who have already made a connection with fans and in the clubhouse …” I know the Cubs can afford to operate differently with respect to “star players” than smaller market clubs, but if the Royals don’t trade Merrifield for that reason alone … woof. That’s a bad look.
• Finally from Heyman: expect J.T. Realmuto rumors to be all the rage at the winter meetings and the Astros, Dodgers, and Yankees might make the most sense. The Marlins do not want to trade him in their division.

The Bears’ decision to sit outside linebacker Khalil Mack and receiver Allen Robinson on Sunday against the Jets had nothing to do with their looming division schedule, coach Matt Nagy said Monday.

After their game Sunday against the Bills, the Bears will play three games in 11 days against NFC North opponents — Nov. 11 against the Lions, Nov. 18 against the Vikings and Nov. 22 against the Lions again. The first two games are at home, and the third is on Thanksgiving in Detroit. The Bears are in first place in the division.

‘‘I don’t really think it plays that much of a role because all these games, they count so much and they’re so hard,’’ Nagy said.

Mack, who hurt his right ankle against the Dolphins, sat out against the Jets despite going through a similar practice routine as he did the week before. Like Robinson, who has a groin injury, he played against the Patriots but was mostly ineffective.

Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack warms up Sunday. | Nam Y. Huh/AP photo

‘‘Trust me, we want Khalil Mack out there, right? We want Allen Robinson out there,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘They wanna be out there. But this is just part of the business that we have to make sure that we’re doing what’s best for both parties. As hard as it is to understand for some, it’s a body part. It changes all the time, your reaction to it.’’

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Nagy said he’ll ‘‘stay cautious’’ with Mack’s injury.

‘‘I’m hoping this week it gets better,’’ he said.

Will Bears make a trade?

With the NFL trade deadline looming at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nagy said the Bears don’t have an obvious area of need.

It also might be hard for them to go into acquisition mode, considering they already have traded their first-round picks the next two years for Mack and their second-rounder in 2019 for receiver Anthony Miller.

The Bears don’t figure to be sellers, either, though Nagy said fielding offers is part of the business.

‘‘If there’s something that teams are calling about, then you have to listen,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘But, for the most part, we just keep rolling. . . . We’ve done a lot over the past eight months, so we feel really good where we’re at.’’

Special gaffes

Nagy said punt returner Tarik Cohen made a mistake when he tried to pick up a rolling ball deep in Bears territory with about 5:40 left and the team leading by two touchdowns Sunday. Cohen touched the ball and it squirted away, but the Bears recovered it.

‘‘We’ve got to be a little more disciplined in not touching that football because we’re up 14 there,’’ he said. ‘‘If they get that ball back, they’re in the red zone. They weren’t in the red zone a whole lot, so that could be a sudden change there.’’

(Copyright ©2018 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.)

November 19, 2018

Number of years in real estate: 6

Describe your look: Professional, stylish.

What do you consider a “fashion don’t”? Workout clothes and sweats when meeting clients.

What is your favorite piece of clothing and why? Trendy black skirt; it’s easy to work with in my wardrobe and always appropriate.

What do you consider a must-have accessory? For women, black ankle boots. For men, black dress shoes.

What is a fashion crime you have committed in the past? Wearing workout attire in my (former) office.

Where are your favorite places to shop? Enaz, Bloomingdales and Lori’s Shoes.

What, besides your wardrobe, completes your look? I enjoy dressing up outfits with trendy jewelry. I’m particular about the pieces I buy and I don’t overdo it.

What is in your bag/briefcase? In my purse: cash, credit cards, hairbrush, glasses, lipstick, pens, business cards, phone, phone charger. In my briefcase: computer, computer cord, files.

Sleeveless shirt: Theory (Neiman Marcus); pants: Banana Republic; purse: Coach; boots: L’idea; jewelry: Shoshanah Lee; watch: Seiko

The Carolina Panthers had an array of topics to address during what was certainly a long weekend without a game.

But trying to piece together any sense of the 52-21 loss at Pittsburgh last Thursday night gave the Panthers lots of fodder.

"Guys trying to do things that they don't need to try to do," Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. "A lot of good things happened for a three-game stretch and unfortunately we made mistakes. Sometimes you've got to take your medicine. ... A very humbling experience to get beat the way we did."

The setback followed a three-game winning streak, so it's not like the Panthers (6-3) are in a freefall.

They're back in action Sunday at Detroit, where the Lions (3-6) hold a three-game losing streak and would certainly appear to be in a much more desperate situation.

The Lions host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving and the Los Angeles Rams the following week, and likely need wins in all three games to maintain reasonable playoff hopes.

"I'm not saying it's not daunting," Lions safety Glover Quin said. "I'm not saying it's easy, but I'm just saying, I'm pretty sure any other team that's in the situation we're in will take three home games in a row, (then) Arizona-Buffalo on the road, Minnesota back at home and then a close at Green Bay."

Of the Lions' seven remaining games, they play their four toughest opponents -- or the four teams with the best records, at least -- at Ford Field.

Given the time of the season, there's little room for error now.

But Quin insisted there's reason for optimism in how the Lions have played of late, too. The Lions have lost their last three games by double-digit margins after falling behind big early, but they held the Chicago Bears to just eight second-half points in last week's 34-22 loss.

The Panthers know they can't afford to move on without getting some things right.

"We'll come up with some things," Rivera said, noting the extra time for evaluation was put to good use.

The 52 points allowed tied the franchise record for points given up, matching a 2000 Christmas Eve game against the Oakland Raiders.

There were some problems that were situational. For instance, the Panthers didn't handle the Pittsburgh pass rush well, but given the deficit it was clear what Carolina's intentions were. Not detecting what was happening on the fly might have been the biggest cause for some alarm.

"It's being able to recognize certain things," Rivera said.

Because of quarterback Cam Newton's ability to escape trouble in the pocket, the Panthers aren't used to giving up big sacks.

"It is critical," Rivera said. "Guys are going to look at this game and see what (the Steelers) did."

However, the Lions have had no pass rush to speak of during their three-game losing streak. They averaged 3.5 sacks over the season's first six games, but have just four sacks in the last three weeks combined.

"I mean on every single pass play it would be great if we could just sack the quarterback," Lions head coach Matt Patricia said. "That's my goal, 100 percent. It hasn't really worked out that way so we're going to try to do a better job with the pass rush."

The Panthers also saw things that hadn't been so painful in the past. Rookie cornerback Donte Jackson was exposed at times, so while it's not out of the ordinary for a first-year player, it's something to address.

And the Panthers aren't about to pin the blame exclusively on the secondary. The defense's pass rush hasn't been up to par.

"We have to keep rolling these guys out until we see something really click on the pass-rush side," Rivera said.

The Lions, however, are having problems protecting their quarterback. Matthew Stafford has caught some heat locally for his recent struggles, but the Lions need to give him more help. Stafford has been sacked 16 times in the last two games and he ranks as one of the most turnover-prone quarterbacks (eight interceptions, three lost fumbles) in the NFL.

The Panthers are hoping that the mini-break with extra time between games proves helpful. Rivera suggested that the players get away from football for a few days, and he liked what he saw when practice resumed this week.

The Panthers scored a late touchdown at Pittsburgh. Rivera said perhaps there's some carryover into the Detroit game from a positive moment on a dismal night.

The good thing is there's plenty more football for the Panthers, who appear in solid shape in pursuit of a spot in the playoffs.

"I'd like to think we'll have more than seven weeks left," Rivera said. "I don't think (the Pittsburgh game was) indicative of the type of football team we are. One game is not going to define who we are going forward."

Three children, all from the same family, were struck and killed at a school bus stop in Indiana Tuesday morning, police said.

The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. in Fulton County near 4600 N. State Road 25, according to Indiana State Police. 

Authorities said the children were at the bus stop on the west side of the road and the stop-arm on the bus was out when a pickup truck hit and killed the kids. 

An 11-year-old boy was also injured in the crash and airlifed to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne where his condition was not immediately known. 

Police said the children killed were all from the same family. They were identified as twin brothers Xavier and Mason Ingle, both 6 years old, and their 9-year-old sister Alivia Stahl. 

"Obviously that compounds this situation even more," said Sgt. Tony Slocum with the Indiana State Police's Peru District. "I just can't imagine the pain that family is going through. The one thing I'd like to tell people - we all have a responsibility to share the road in a safe manner. I don't know why this crash - why this person did not see the stop arm extended but we all need to pay a little more attention because it's all our responsibility to make sure our children get to and from school safely."

There were no children on the school bus at the time of the crash. 

Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation said all four children struck were students. 

"Our school corporation has suffered a tragedy this morning," the group said in a statement. "We have learned of three student fatalities and one student seriously injured and airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital as they were hit by a vehicle while boarding their bus. We have deployed all school counselors to meet the emotional needs of our staff, students and parents. We are awaiting to learn more confirmed details but wish to ask the community to come together to pray for the families, our students and our staff."

One witness said her grandchildren were supposed to be at the bus stop as well but a last-minute change of plans kept them from being at the scene. 

"I knew something bad happened," she said. 

Police were interviewing the woman who was driving the pickup, but no charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon. The accident happened near Rochester, about 100 miles north of Indianapolis. 

Check back for more on this developing story. 

Source: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/3-Kids-Killed-in-Crash-at-Indiana-Bus-Stop-499006871.html

The Addams Family starts Christina Ricci, Raul Julia, and Anjelica Huston.

$5 includes admission, popcorn, a hot dog and a drink.

The show starts at 6:30pm at the Margate Park Fieldhouse, 4921 North Marine. There is limited parking in a lot east of the fieldhouse, and street parking on Marine Drive.

Source: https://www.uptownupdate.com/2018/10/family-friendly-haunted-movie-at.html

HHS said it will fund its share through so-called pass-through savings. Since the waiver will lead to lower premiums, the government will spend less in tax credits in the state. As required by federal law, the 1332 waiver will not increase the federal deficit.

On Monday, HHS also approved Maine's 1332 waiver. Under its reinsurance pool, up to 90% of claims between $47,000 and $77,000 will be paid and 100% of claims in excess of $77,000 for high-risk enrollees diagnosed with certain health conditions or who are referred by the insurer's underwriting judgment.

The pool is funded up to $93 million, with $33 million coming from the federal government via pass through savings. Maine projects that under the 1332 waiver, premiums will be about 9% lower in 2019 than they would be without the waiver. In addition, it predicts the number of uninsured will fall by about 1.7% due to the lower cost of coverage.

HHS has also approved 1332 waivers in Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota and Oregon.

Aerial View of Snodgrass Field, opens a new window by Steve Snodgrass, opens a new window / CC By 2.0, opens a new window / Cropped from originalFall is my favorite time of year—it means football season is here! American football, not to be confused with soccer, has been played in this country for over a hundred years. Growing up, I spent Sundays with my dad watching my favorite team, the Chicago Bears!

Get in the game and score these football titles to learn about the history, traditions and rules of the game, or just read about football for fun!

The Story of the Chicago Bears: Learn the history of one of the NFL's iconic franchises, Chicago's hometown team!

Score With Football Math: There is no better combination than math and football!

Big Book of Who: A must-have football reference for football enthusiasts.

Football Double Threat: An exciting tale of a talented football star on the field and at school.

The Big Time: An action-packed football novel with a juicy plot.

Game Changers: A riveting novel with enough action to make you feel like you're at the game.

The Bigfoot in the End Zone: The Scream Team is at it again in this wild read about a reluctant big-footed placekicker.

Youth Football: Interested in youth football? Find resources in the Windy City.

USA Football: All of your football resources in one place for the football parent.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame: Learn about the legends of the game from all 32 NFL teams, including the Chicago Bears!