Bulls vs. COVID-19
By Sidney Madden | @sidney_madden_
🏀 SPORTS
Nine Bulls players are sitting out per the NBA’s COVID-19 safety protocols. So…will the NBA postpone any games?
The outbreak started when guard Coby White tested positive earlier this month. Since then, a handful of players — including stars Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and top rookie Ayo Dosunmu — and two Bulls broadcasters (and former players) Stacey King and Bill Wennington have also gone into isolation, according to ESPN.
The Bulls were able to temporarily sign Alfonzo McKinnie and Stanley Johnson. But Johnson — yes, even the team’s alternate — tested positive and was sidelined over the weekend.
That leaves nine players left on Chicago’s roster. Last season, the NBA postponed games when there were only eight players on a team.
While the NBA has yet to postpone any games this season, the Bulls could use it. They lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat last week.
Some good news? Players could start trickling back to the court this week — including DeRozan and White, according to CBS Sports.
👉 Watch the Bulls play the Detroit Pistons at the United Center Tuesday at 7 p.m., or on NBC Sports Chicago.
📚 CHI HISTORY
The Second City. Windy City. The City of Big Shoulders.
Chicago is known by many names. “We matter so much to the country, people [are] always talking about us,” says Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, aka The TikTok Historian.
🎧 Listen to Dilla talk about the history of these nicknames — and drop a few other Chicago history facts.
📰 NEWSFEED
▪️ At least six people were killed in an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, after a tornado hit Friday. [New York Times]
▪️ More than 100 CTA employees and supporters protested downtown Saturday for better protection after high-profile attacks. [CBS Chicago]
▪️ Your child can join 120 other Chicago kids, ages 6 months to 5 years old, in a COVID-19 vaccine trial. [Chicago Tribune; Lurie’s]
▪️ Uh, why doesn’t Illinois have any federal Indian reservations? [WBEZ]
▪️ Yeah, the Bears lost, but at least the newly vaccinated can thank Aaron Rodgers for a free hot dog this week. [Wieners Circle]
💙 CITY CAST LOVE
Not sure who to nominate for the Chicago Reader’s best local podcast and newsletter this year? How about City Cast Chicago?
🗳️ Vote for us by Wednesday at noon!
🗓️ EVENTS
+ TODAY: Virtual mental health town hall
Hear officials discuss COVID-19’s mental health toll at 6:30 p.m.
+ THURSDAY: ‘A Very Rust Belt Reading’
Listen to festive stories from around the region online Thursday at 6 p.m.
+ FRIDAY: Jamila Woods concert in Wrigleyville
See the local singer-songwriter at the Metro Friday at 8:30 p.m.
🌭 MADE IN CHICAGO
Friends, meet the Chicago Sauce, aka everything you’d need to put on a Chicago-style dog, in sauce form.
I know you’re like, “Sid, are all seven toppings really in it?” Yep.
Pickles ✔️
Tomatoes ✔️
Onions ✔️
Yellow Mustard ✔️
Sweet Relish ✔️
Sport Peppers ✔️
Celery Salt ✔️
Credit: Big Fork Brands Instagram
And I gotta say, the reviews on Reddit are, well, mixed.
For someone who likes just ketchup — and a lot of it — on her hot dog, I might have to pass on this one. Sorry.