{"id":646433,"date":"2026-03-27T11:54:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T11:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/646433\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T11:54:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T11:54:27","slug":"baseball-is-back-in-chicago-chicago-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/646433\/","title":{"rendered":"Baseball is back in Chicago \u2013 Chicago Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, Chicago.<\/p>\n

Opening day in Chicago conjures a lot of emotion for a lot of people, and to a great many of them it\u2019s one big family reunion. Indeed, \u201cOpening day is a holiday,\u201d as the saying went on the T-shirts of a lot of fans yesterday, and many greeted old friends and familiar faces with refrains of \u201cHappy New Year.\u201d<\/p>\n

So it was across the street from Murphy\u2019s, outside the entrance for the bleachers, where Christopher Sorley said he arrived at 5 a.m. He plopped down a folding camping chair and sat in the dark for a while as friends slowly began to line up next to him, drawn to Wrigley by the pull of a new season and old bonds that grow deeper by the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt almost brings a tear to my eye,\u201d Sorley said, and over the past 15 years he\u2019d found community and friendship in the seats beyond the outfield fence. \u201cWe\u2019ve been catching up. We\u2019ve been catching up for the past 15-20 minutes here, just, \u2018How was your winter? What\u2019s going on? \u2026 The pipes burst,\u2019 you know?<\/p>\n

Read the full story<\/a> from the Tribune\u2019s Andrew Carter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including\u00a0why a vending machine in Wrigleyville is giving away thousands in cash<\/a>, new plans for Michael Jordan\u2019s former Highland Park mansion<\/a> and a review of the play \u201cModern Gentleman.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s eNewspaper edition<\/a> | Subscribe to more newsletters<\/a> | Asking Eric<\/a>\u00a0| Horoscopes<\/a> | Puzzles & Games<\/a> | Today in History<\/a><\/p>\n

\"TravelersTravelers line up at a TSA checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lekan Oyekanmi)
\nSenate approves funding for TSA and most of Homeland Security, but not immigration enforcement<\/a><\/p>\n

The Senate early this morning approved Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies, but not the immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship on workers.<\/p>\n

The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House, which is expected to consider it today.<\/p>\n

\"SpeakerSpeaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, looks at photos of Jose Medina and Sheridan Gorman during a press conference on March 25, 2026, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis\/Getty)
\nSheridan Gorman\u2019s family blast officials for using her name in \u2018political arguments\u2019 about Loyola student\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n

The parents of\u00a0slain teenager\u00a0Sheridan Gorman criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for\u00a0their remarks\u00a0about her death, saying in a statement that they want to \u201censure that what happened to her does not happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not allow Sheridan\u2019s name to be used in political arguments \u2014 but we will insist that her loss leads to real answers and real change,\u201d the family said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.Rep. Greg Casar speaks during a press conference with Sen. Bernie Sanders in the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2026, in Washington. They introduced a bill to protect sports fans and taxpayers from professional sports team relocations. (Heather Diehl\/Getty)
\nSen. Bernie Sanders\u2019 bill aims to slow \u2014 or stop \u2014 teams like the Chicago Bears from moving to other states<\/a><\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t even really root for the Chicago Bears, but U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders says he wants to ensure Bears fans \u2014 and sports fans of all stripes \u2014 are protected from the\u00a0heartbreak he suffered\u00a0as a teenager, when his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers left for Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Sanders, the independent Vermont senator and two-time presidential candidate, threw his support behind long-shot legislation yesterday that would give communities a chance to keep their professional sports teams if their owners threatened to leave.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe entrance gate to Michael Jordan’s estate in Highland Park is seen on April 29, 2016. (Chris Walker\/Chicago Tribune)
\nBuyer who paid $9.5M for Michael Jordan\u2019s Highland Park mansion has a new plan to convert it into a museum<\/a><\/p>\n

After scuttled efforts at selling co-ownership shares in the mansion and renting it for short-term stays, the commercial real estate executive who paid $9.5 million for retired Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan\u2019s massive mansion heads to the Highland Park City Council on Monday with detailed plans to convert the home into a living museum.<\/p>\n

\"KevinKevin Urbanski, right, shows Matthew Hallberg the $11 he got out of the fintech company Acorns compounding vending machine at Big Star Wrigleyville on opening day, March 26, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)
\nAcorns giving away thousands in cash from a Wrigleyville vending machine during three-day investment promotion<\/a><\/p>\n

As banking giveaways go, fintech company Acorns is offering Chicagoans something a little more valuable than the traditional pens and calendars.<\/p>\n

Acorns is handing out cold, hard cash.<\/p>\n

\"AA U-Haul truck is parked outside of West Suburban Medical Center on Thursday, March 26, in Oak Park. (Cam’ron Hardy\/Pioneer Press)
\nWest Suburban Medical Center closure leaves patients, workers scrambling<\/a><\/p>\n

The hospital\u2019s closure comes after a yearlong financial crisis. Walk-in patients were no longer accepted after 4 p.m. Wednesday and Oak Park Fire Department officials were informed the hospital\u2019s emergency room was no longer accepting ambulances.<\/p>\n

\"CubsCubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong takes the field to face the Nationals on opening day Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)
\nColumn: Chicago Cubs got a bargain in Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s new deal, even as he\u2019s still growing as a player<\/a><\/p>\n

To no one\u2019s surprise, the loudest cheers during yesterday\u2019s opening-day introductions at Wrigley Field were reserved for Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, writes Paul Sullivan<\/a>. It didn\u2019t take long for Crow-Armstrong to bind himself to Cubs fans \u2014 or for the Cubs to realize they needed to keep him around as long as possible to keep the Wrigley Field ATM running smoothly.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why\u00a0Crow-Armstrong\u2019s six-year, $115 million extension,\u00a0which was announced shortly after the Cubs\u2019 10-4 loss to the Washington Nationals, is considered a steal for the organization.<\/p>\n

\"WhiteWhite Sox pitcher Shane Smith reacts to a pitch during the second inning of an opening-day game against the Brewers on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/Kayla Wolf)
\n\u2018Not good, at all\u2019: Chicago White Sox strike out 20 times, walk 10 batters in 14-2 opening loss in Milwaukee<\/a><\/p>\n

No White Sox player had led off the season with a home run \u2014 until yesterday. Second baseman Chase Meidroth worked a full count against Milwaukee Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski before launching a home run to left field.\u00a0Meidroth pumped his fist as he made his way to first base.<\/p>\n

The good times didn\u2019t last long for the Sox.<\/p>\n

\"IllinoisIllinois guard Keaton Wagler (23) celebrates a basket alongside Houston guard Milos Uzan during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston. (Eric Gay\/AP)
\nIllinois rides defense to 65-55 win over Houston for 2nd Elite Eight berth in 3 years \u2014 vs. Big Ten rival Iowa<\/a><\/p>\n

Illinois entered the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with one of the top-rated offenses in the country, but it needed to match Houston\u2019s elite defense to pull out the gritty win. The third-seeded Illini came through with a 65-55 victory over the second-seeded Cougars to advance to the Elite Eight, putting up their lowest scoring output in a win this season.<\/p>\n

\"AlecAlec Phan and Kaylah Marie Crosby in “Modern Gentleman” by About Face at Raven Theatre. (Jenn Udoni)
\nReview: In \u2018Modern Gentleman\u2019 by About Face, a trans man faces the dating scene<\/a><\/p>\n

Dating in the Tinder era can be tough in the best of circumstances, writes Emily McClanathan<\/a>. Between the endless swiping through superficial profiles and the risk of being ghosted, catfished or worse, it seems like a win against the odds when someone actually finds love. Add to that the grief of a broken engagement and the uncertainty of navigating romantic connections as a newly out trans man, and it\u2019s easy to understand why Adam, the protagonist of \u201cModern Gentleman\u201d at About Face Theatre, feels apprehensive about putting himself back out there.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, in this world premiere by Chicago playwright Preston Max Allen, Adam (Alec Phan) has supportive people in his corner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Good morning, Chicago. Opening day in Chicago conjures a lot of emotion for a lot of people, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2290],"tags":[5,169],"class_list":{"0":"post-646433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baseball","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116301011769008248","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}