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Column: It’s fun to dream of Chicago Bears picking 1-2 in the NFL draft, but the path to becoming a real challenger requires success now

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

A badly needed victory over the Washington Commanders changed the tenor of things at Halas Hall and, for a week anyway, did nothing to alter the projected draft order for April.The Chicago Bears own the first-round pick belonging to the Carolina Panthers, the NFL’s only winless team, meaning right now they would have the No. 1 pick. As one of six 1-4 teams entering this weekend, the Bears would have the No. 2 pick in the draft based on those standings due to the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker. The tiebreaker can fluctuate significantly with so many games remaining.The idea of the Bears entering draft season with the top two picks has been bandied about for a few weeks, especially before the dominating 40-20 victory at FedEx Field when quarterback Justin Fields threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns. No team has gone 1-2 in the draft since the Indianapolis Colts held the top picks in 1992 and netted defensive tackle Steve Emtman and linebacker Quentin Coryatt. The mind races...

Field hockey notebook: Loaded Div. 3 is up for grabs

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

Do you remember when late-game heroics took over half of the Div. 3 state quarterfinal games last year in field hockey? When a goal inside the final four minutes was the only offense both Newburyport and Dover-Sherborn used to punch their tickets to the Final Four? No?Gloucester and Foxboro do.How about in the next round, when offensive juggernaut Sandwich was blanked up until scoring the game-winner early in the fourth? The same state semifinal round an impressive defensive season came to an abrupt halt with a 6-0 loss to Watertown? Remember?Newburyport and Dover-Sherborn do.And Sandwich’s slim loss to Watertown in the Div. 3 state final for a … you get the point.Gloucester head coach Lauren Riley-Gove quipped in early September that there’s nothing like a little heartbreak to end the prior season. It’s a little extra fuel that a team like hers – with a large returning cast from an upset loss – can use as motivation.The only problem with how that translates to any sort of adv...

How a United Kingdom fan group provided hope for one Ravens fan and sparked many more

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

William Shakespeare once wrote that “the miserable have no other medicine but only hope.” Three years ago, Darren Foster struggled to find any.It was the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rare genetic syndrome that Foster’s teenage daughter, Bethany, suffers from made her potentially susceptible to the worst case scenario of the virus. In 2020, there were more than 238,000 deaths from coronavirus in the United Kingdom and Ireland alone, and the stout former rugby player, father of two and dispensing optician from Warrington, England — halfway between Manchester and Liverpool — was often consumed by fear and loneliness. Then he found hope in an unusual place: the U.K. Ravens.Baltimore and London are separated by more 3,600 miles and an ocean, but the longtime fan group provided the solace and joy that Foster, a 40-year-old built like a fire hydrant and with a beard as thick as his northern English accent, desperately needed amid strict isolati...

‘20 years went fast quick.’ Remembering the Chicago Cubs’ fateful Game 6 — and how Mark Prior, Dusty Baker and more see it now.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

Mark Prior, sporting a graying beard and Dodger blue, leaned back in the leather chair as he thought back to the last postseason start of his dazzling but injury-shorted career.“Twenty years went fast quick,” Prior told the Tribune earlier this year. “You still remember things like they’re fairly fresh. Obviously, everything is magnified down to the last two games.”Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series when the Chicago Cubs fell apart five outs away from their first World Series appearance since 1945. One of the most defining plays in the loss — or the most, depending on whom you ask — is seared in the memory of fans over 40: left fielder Moises Alou leaping over the wall in foul territory but unable to make the catch as fan Steve Bartman, among others, attempted to catch the foul ball. An irate Alou slammed his mitt to the ground at Wrigley Field, and the Cubs let the game get a...

Palestinians are struggling to flee south in Gaza after Israeli evacuation order

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians struggled Saturday to flee from areas of Gaza targeted by the Israeli military while grappling with a growing water crisis after Israel stopped the flow of resources to the region ahead of an expected land offensive a week after Hamas’ bloody, wide-ranging attack into Israel.Israel renewed calls on social media and in leaflets dropped from the air for Gaza residents to move south, while Hamas urged people to stay in their homes. The U.N. and aid groups have said such a rapid exodus would cause untold human suffering for hospitalized patients, older adults and others unable to relocate.The evacuation directive covers an area of 1.1 million residents, or about half of the territory’s population. The Israeli military said “hundreds of thousands” of Palestinians had already heeded the warning and headed south. It said Palestinians could travel within Gaza without being harmed along two main routes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. It was no...

Canadian Press NewsAlert: Canadian-Israeli woman dead, family says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

Twenty-two-year-old Canadian-Israeli Shir Georgy, who was missing since Hamas militants ambushed a music festival in southern Israel last Saturday, has been confirmed dead, her family says.More coming.The Canadian Press

Amid a mental health crisis, toy industry takes on a new role: building resilience

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — As more children emerge from the pandemic grappling with mental health issues, their parents are seeking ways for them to build emotional resilience.And toy companies are paying close attention.While still in its early phase, a growing number of toy marketers are embracing MESH — or mental, emotional and social health — as a designation for toys that teach kids skills like how to adjust to new challenges, resolve conflict, advocate for themselves, or solve problems. The acronym was first used in child development circles and by the American Camp Association 10 years ago and gained new resonance after the pandemic. Rachele Harmuth, head of ThinkFun, a division of toy company Ravensburger, and resilience expert and family physician Deborah Gilboa, formed a MESH taskforce earlier this year with the goal of getting manufacturers to design toys with emotional resilience in mind and to have retailers market them accordingly. “We just need to educate parents and educators j...

1 person dead in southeast Austin homicide, according to police

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – One person has died in a southeast Austin homicide early Saturday morning, according to the Austin Police Department.Austin police officers responded to a shots fired call just before 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning and found a victim on the ground with injuries, APD said at a press event.The incident occurred at an apartment complex located at 1700 Burton Drive in southeast Austin, according to police. Austin-Travis County EMS took the victim to Dell Seton Medical Center where they were pronounced dead, per APD.Homicide investigators were on scene and conducting a preliminary investigation. APD said it is conducting interviews but has no information on suspects yet.One person has died in a southeast Austin homicide early Saturday morning, according to the Austin Police Department (KXAN Photo)One person has died in a southeast Austin homicide early Saturday morning, according to the Austin Police Department (KXAN Photo)APD said this was likely an isolated incident and th...

What to know before Saturday's St. Louis Blues home opener and pep rally

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It's almost time for the St. Louis Blues home opener! The season began Thursday in Dallas, but the Blues saved the grand festivities for the weekend. The Blues open the home slate of the 2023-24 season on Saturday with a matchup against the Seattle Kraken. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Enterprise Center.If you’re planning to head to Downtown St. Louis on Saturday, either to attend the game or enjoy a hockey atmosphere, you'll want to plan ahead. Tens of thousands are expected between the big game and a pregame pep rally. Here's what to expect for the pep rally and home opener: Pregame rallyFrom 3-5:30 p.m., the Blues will host an outdoor pregame rally at Union Station. The rally includes live music, T-shirt tosses, contests and appearances from Blues staff and alumni. Some lucky fans might even win tickets to the home opener. The Well Hungarians, a country rock band, will perform live music starting around 3 p.m. New captain Brayden Schenn will speak on the gr...

Officers shoot knife-wielding man in downtown L.A., police say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:39:00 GMT

Los Angeles Police Department officers shot a man allegedly armed with a knife in downtown Los Angeles early Saturday morning.The shooting at Broadway and 6th Street occurred around 1:30 a.m. when officers who were on patrol spotted a man running around with a knife, police said.Few details have been released about what led up to the shooting, but police confirmed the man was taken to a local hospital.His condition is unknown.Footage shared to the Citizen app appeared to show officers providing first aid to the man, who was lying in the middle of the street.No further details were available.Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.