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”We won’t rule him out and we won’t say he’s definitely in,” the coach said during the team’s off-day availability on Friday. ”But it is a positive he’s back on the ice.”

Bergeron missed Game 4 on Thursday with an undisclosed injury – a surprise to the Maple Leafs, who had no warning he was hurt. The Bruins won 3-1 in Toronto to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

While there was no on-ice workout for the rest of the team Friday Authentic Jalyn Holmes Jersey , Bergeron skated with a backup goalie and a coach at the practice facility. He did not show any impairment.

Cassidy stressed that even though the Bruins have a cushion in the series that would have no impact on when Bergeron returns.

”The last game, 90 percent of the time, is the hardest one Authentic Justin Reid Jersey ,” Cassidy said. ”I can pretty much tell you if he’s cleared to play he’ll be in the lineup. But that’s a medical decision that he has to be comfortable with as well.”

A four-time Selke Award winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward and the Bruins’ No. 3 scorer this year with 63 points in 64 games, Bergeron broke his foot while blocking a shot on Feb. 24 and was sidelined for a month. Without him, the Bruins went 9-2-2.

”Unfortunately or fortunately David Justice Jersey , we’ve had to go to that a little bit in the regular season,” defenseman Adam McQuaid said. ”So it wasn’t a totally new situation for us.”

Bergeron had had five assists in the first two games of the playoffs, centering a line with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak that tallied 20 points in the two Bruins wins. After losing Game 3 with the top line held scoreless Cheap Rashaan Evans Jersey , Marchand scored a goal and Pastrnak had two assists playing with center Riley Nash on Thursday.

”They played without him for a while when he broke his foot there and they continued to just keep on rolling,” Maple Leafs defenseman Ron Hainsey said. ”I’m certain they’d rather have him in there. He’s the best player on the ice most nights he’s out there. … It wasn’t like we were doing cartwheels in here when they were missing him. We didn’t think we were going to have an easy night. That’s a great team.”

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Game 7 will be played Sunday in Cleveland.

The three-time defending Eastern Conference champs again were led by LeBron James with 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Nobody else scored more than 13 points as the Cavaliers lost their first closeout game in 14 tries dating to 2009. James had won 11 consecutive closeout games and is 12-0 all-time in the first-round series.

Kevin Love hurt his left wrist on a hard fall midway through the second quarter and wound up scoring just seven points while shooting 3 of 10 from the field.

JAZZ 96, THUNDER 91

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points and Utah held off Oklahoma City in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Russell Westbrook had 46 points for the Thunder and Steven Adams added 19 points and 16 rebounds.

The rookie and the MVP went back and forth in the second half, with Mitchell and the Jazz moving on to face the top-seeded Houston Rockets in a series that starts Sunday.

Derrick Favors scored 13 points and Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz Cheap Anthony Averett Jersey , who lost starting point guard Ricky Rubio to a left hamstring injury in the first quarter.

RAPTORS 102, WIZARDS 92

WASHINGTON (AP) – Toronto overcame a halftime deficit in a road playoff game for the first time in 24 tries, using 24 points from Kyle Lowry and a tremendous effort from its finally whole second unit to beat Washington in Game 6 and end the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Toronto trailed by as many as 12 points in the first quarter and was down 53-50 at the end of the second. The Raptors‘ first lead did not come until the third quarter, and they were back down by five points entering the final period.

But with star guards Lowry and DeMar DeRozan Authentic Sebastian Janikowski Jersey , who had a personal series-low 16 points, resting to begin the fourth, reserves led by point guard Fred VanVleet turned around the game. Bothered by a bad right shoulder, VanVleet had played a total of three minutes in the series until Friday Authentic Luke Falk Jersey , but he was just what Toronto needed in this game, with five points, four assists and four rebounds

John Wall had 23 points and eight assists in Game 6. Bradley Beal led Washington with 32 points. But the Wizards‘ run of eight home playoff wins in a row came to a close.

The timeline remained unclear whether Paul might be fine to play a possible Game 7 if the Rockets lost Saturday night’s Game 6 and had to return to Houston to face the Golden State Warriors again Monday night. Eric Gordon started in Paul’s place Saturday at Oracle Arena.

”I think he’ll play as soon as he can Bobby Cox Jersey ,” D’Antoni said before the game Saturday. ”It’s just not a question of trying to outsmart. He’s going to play. As soon as he’s able to walk and run, he’ll do it. There was no shot at it today.”

Golden State forward Andre Iguodala was out for a third straight game this series after he sustained a bone bruise in his left knee during Game 3. Coach Steve Kerr said Iguodala continues to have pain when running, so he’s still listed as day to day.

”It’s a bone bruise, and those are hard to predict,” Kerr said. ”Until he’s able to really run without pain Cheap Marquez Valdes-Scantling Jersey , then he can’t play.”

Paul’s presence at Oracle Arena still meant plenty.

”He’s devastated. He has to be. We’re all devastated for him. At the same time, we’ll rally and do what’s right,” D’Antoni said. ”He’s so integral in what we do and the spirit of the team. And him being here is a big deal, and him being on the bench is a big deal. He’ll will us through, if he can.”

Kerr felt terribly for Paul – and others who have gone down.

”More than anything Alex Wood Jersey , I feel bad for Chris. The guy is a phenomenal player and competitor, and pretty much willed his team the last two games. He’s just been haunted by these types of injuries in his career, and it’s a shame,” Kerr said.

”I hate when anybody gets hurt. I hate when Andre got hurt. I hate to see Kevin Love last night, Kyrie (Irving). These guys train so hard and they’re here and they’re competing Cheap Oakland Raiders Hoodie , and you want everybody to be healthy, but just the reality is it usually doesn’t work out that way. So you’ve just got to keep playing with whoever’s there and keep going.”

Second-year Golden State guard Patrick McCaw, who had been out since a scary back injury at Sacramento on March 31 when undercut by Vince Carter, was available to play after earlier being upgraded to questionable. He wasn’t expected to contribute key minutes given the injury and time missed.

”It would be a tough spot to put him in, in the meat of the game Authentic Jaleel Scott Jersey , with not having played for a long time. But at this point, it’s all hands on deck, obviously,” Kerr said. ”You never know how the game’s going to play out. I had teammates who literally played one play in a playoff game and made a play and helped us win a game. So you just never know.”

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His last NBA game may have been there as well.

Retirement is a very – very – real option for Wade Authentic Paul Worrilow Jersey , who has been not-so-quietly saying for weeks that he isn’t sure if he’ll be back next season. The offseason is here now, after the Miami Heat were ousted by the 76ers on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series, and the face of the franchise may have taken his jersey off for the final time.

He has not decided.

But some of his closest friends believe this could really be the end.

”I appreciate y’all concern,” Wade said in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. ”But we’ll worry about that later.”

Of course, his fans want him to come back. One prominent fan cast her vote before he even left the floor after Game 5.

”I hope this isn’t the end, but my God,” his wife, Gabrielle Union, wrote on Twitter. ”Dwyane Wade has a career most people dream of. He is a damn legend. An icon. And he’s cute.”

No one Authentic Jonathan Allen Jersey , not even Wade, knows how long this process will take. He’s going to talk to his wife. He’s going to talk to his kids. He’s going to talk to the Heat, and he’s going to talk to the people within his inner circle that are trusted most.

Wade isn’t a starter, but it could be argued the three-time NBA champion is still Miami’s best player. Wade carried the Heat to victory in Game 2 and got them on the brink of a win in Game 4. He doesn’t run as fast or jump as high as the version of himself known as Flash did, but he’s still capable of delivering big moments.

If Wade is done, the last visions fans will have of his career will be with him in a Heat uniform, still doing his thing. That matters to him. He isn’t Michael Jordan going out in a Washington jersey, or Patrick Ewing playing his last game with Orlando, or Shaquille O’Neal limping away from his NBA finale in Boston colors.

He wouldn’t be going out on top Authentic Logan Cooke Jersey , but he’d be going out in the right uniform and still playing at a high level.

One way or another, his career always was going to end in Heat colors anyway. He wasn’t going out in a Chicago jersey, nor a Cleveland jersey. He had to wear ”Heat” across his chest again, and when the Cavaliers traded him to Miami in February, it immediately became obvious that Wade was changing franchises for the final time.

Resume-wise, he’s more than good. He’s got three NBA championships. He’s got an Olympic gold medal. He’s going to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He’s going to go down as one of the best two or three shooting guards in the history of the game. The only guys with as many points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots in their regular season and playoff careers as Wade? Jordan is one, LeBron James is the other.

Here’s something else to consider: Wade has never wanted a farewell tour. He watched Kobe Bryant go through it Yuli Gurriel Jersey , noted how much of a grind it was for the Lakers star, and doesn’t want to hear the same questions in every road stop next season.

What’s the motivation to return?

That’s the unknown.

Wade is set financially. So this decision won’t primarily be about money. Even after a brutal divorce and custody battle a few years ago, Wade will never worry about cash. He’s well-invested, has deals that will continue working for him well after his playing days end, and will make millions next year whether he’s wearing sneakers or suits.

The Heat have serious cap challenges and won’t have a bankbreaking deal to offer Wade this summer. He won’t play for the minimum. He won’t get anywhere near the maximum. For him to return, it’ll have to be worth his while. He spends a ton of money to keep his body right. And if Wade can make more off the court than on it next year, it might make sense for him to retire.

Plus, put simply, Wade wants more time with his family.

His oldest son R.A. Dickey Jersey , 16-year-old Zaire, is finishing his sophomore year of high school. Zaire can play. He gets attention because of his father’s name, but his game is real. The next couple years will be critical to his development as a ballplayer, and his dad wants to have the time to share as much wisdom as he can.

So clearly, there are good reasons for Wade to retire.

But he can still play. And that might be the reason to come back, one more time.

—

Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org

In the AFC championship game at New England on Sunday Authentic Paul Worrilow Jersey , it’s a tight end. Rob Gronkowski is considered the NFL’s best at the position, a 6-foot-6, 265-pound behemoth and a daunting matchup for nearly every defender in the league.

Not for Ramsey, who might get a chance to test his skills against the fellow All-Pro.

”He hasn’t played a corner like me before,” Ramsey said Friday.

Ramsey has held his own and then some against a handful of the most dynamic receivers in the league: DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton Phil Rizzuto Jersey , Keenan Allen, Larry Fitzgerald, Doug Baldwin, Marqise Goodwin and others.

The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Ramsey has the size, speed, athleticism, instincts and body control to stay with anyone. Gronkowski would create other issues Cheap Kalen Ballage Jersey , mainly because of his strength and agility.

Asked what advantage he would have against Gronk, Ramsey replied: ”Everything.”

The Jaguars certainly have faith in their trash-talking, second-year pro.

”If I had to bet on a corner to cover (Gronk), I’d put money on Jalen Ramsey for sure,” quarterback Blake Bortles said. ”I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve ever seen out of him. His physical tools and obviously his mental toughness and what he’s able to do throughout the game and kind of getting in guys’ heads and doing different things.

”I think it’ll be awesome, and I think it’s a great challenge for him, and I think it’ll be a cool experience to watch those guys go head to head if they get the opportunity to.”

It wouldn’t be the first time a cornerback has lined up across from Gronkowski. Teams often do it when he shifts wide in hopes of getting a favorable matchup against a linebacker or safety.

Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash, as expected Cheap Uchenna Nwosu Jersey , offered few hints about what could be in store for Gronkowski, who caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season.

”We have to get the right guy on him in man situations and obviously know where he is at in zone coverage,” Wash said. ”Nobody around the league has stopped him, so we have to have a plan. We feel very confident with our plan and we have to go in there and execute it.”

Is Ramsey covering Gronk part of the plan?

”In a basketball game, I think we would,” Wash said. ”But Jalen is a corner and we’re going to run our system. I think the last thing you can do is to go into a game like this and you try and reinvent the wheel. … Jalen is a good corner and he plays against wide receivers.”

Gronk is as dangerous as any receiver in the league, and the Jaguars know it. So don’t count out seeing Ramsey across from him at some point.

”Jalen is a freak Cheap Lorenzo Carter Jersey ,” Jaguars veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis said. ”Tall, rangy, long arms and physical and can run. It’s tough for a tight end because a lot of us are long striders. When you get a guy disrupting stuff and punching you and messing up your stride, it can be tough.

”Even if you come off the line and try to do something early, he’s probably going to punch you in the mouth right back. He doesn’t shy away from anything. It’d be a matchup that would be interesting.”

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The move by Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman followed a tough year for organizers of the 1,000-mile (1,610 kilometer) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race who have faced financial hardships, the loss of other sponsors and its first-ever dog doping scandal.

Jack Daniel’s decided to go a different direction by shifting most of its marketing efforts to a partnership with the National Basketball Association Authentic Marshall Newhouse Jersey , company spokesman Svend Jansen said in a statement.

He said a campaign against the Iditarod by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had nothing to do with the decision, which will affect the 2019 race in March.

”As a sponsor of The Iditarod for 15 years we have been particularly impressed with the utmost care in which the animals are treated by the race veterinarians, the dog sled teams and everyone associated with this event,” Jansen wrote in a follow-up email to The Associated Press.

Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George said organizers were notified by Jack Daniel’s that the company made the move to focus on sponsorships in other areas.

”We are confident that we will continue to grow the race with new sponsorship opportunities,” St. George said in an email.

PETA said Jack Daniel’s did the right thing. Spokeswoman Tricia Lebkuecher said the organization believes it had an impact on the decision following public protests and after thousands of PETA members and supporters flooded the company with emails urging the company to end its ties with the race.

PETA said it first contacted Jack Daniel’s following the deaths of five dogs connected with the 2017 race. One dog died in this year’s race as well Cheap Josh Sitton Jersey , with the cause of death blamed on aspiration pneumonia.

”This is a victory for all the dogs who’ve been forced to run this cruel race,” Lebkuecher said in a phone interview.

PETA says its tally of dog deaths totals more than 150 in the Iditarod’s history. That number is disputed by race officials, who say there are no records of dog deaths during the early years of the race, and an accurate count is not available.

In June, the board for the race implemented a major change regarding dog deaths. Organizers will now remove mushers from the race if one of their dogs dies while on the trail. If a dog’s death is caused ”solely by unforeseeable forces Nick Ahmed Jersey ,” then a musher may be allowed to stay in the race, according to the change.

Iditarod officials also responded after one if its veteran mushers, Hugh Neff, was banned from competing in the 2019 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race over dog care issues.

Registration for the upcoming Iditarod start Saturday. Organizers say they have the right to ”reject any entrant that does not conform with or demonstrate humane animal care practices.”

The Iditarod also has been suffering financially and lost Wells Fargo bank as a major sponsor last year. Organizers have blamed animal rights activists for pressuring sponsors.

Last year’s race also was marked by fallout from the Iditarod’s first-ever dog doping scandal. Race officials announced that the team of four-time champion Dallas Seavey tested positive for an opioid painkiller after his second-place finish in 2017 but said they could not prove he gave tramadol to his dogs.

Officials didn’t punish Seavey but changed race rules to make mushers responsible for any positive drug test. Seavey, who won four titles between 2012 and 2016 Justin Grimm Jersey , denied giving drugs to his dogs and sat out this year’s race in protest.

—

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He’s returning to the Northwest this time with a chance to build a franchise from scratch – pending NHL approval.

Leiweke was introduced Wednesday as the CEO and president of the prospective NHL expansion franchise seeking to call Seattle home beginning with the 2020 season. The announcement has been expected since Leiweke announced he was stepping down from his role with the NFL earlier this year. But it was another step forward for the expansion bid.

”It’s kind of fun to start from scratch because you can build a culture the way you would want a culture to be built with likeminded people who want to serve, who love the game of hockey. In this, it is a grand opportunity,” Leiweke said.

The prospective majority owner of the franchise, David Bonderman, said he believed there could be a possible conditional announcement about the franchise from the NHL in June and a potential formal announcement in September coinciding with upcoming NHL Board of Governors meetings.

”We hope there is not any doubt about it and it’s certainly not just a formality. However Authentic Su'a Cravens Jersey , there is a process with the NHL and we expect to play through that process,” Bonderman said.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, speaking before the playoff opener in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, wasn’t as optimistic, saying there is no set timeline for a decision on Seattle’s expansion bid.

”We don’t have a timetable,” Bettman said. ”That would be nothing more than speculation. I would be surprised.”

While announcing the president and CEO for a team that doesn’t exist yet might seem a bit presumptuous Maury Wills Jersey , Leiweke brings the kind of clout that will only strengthen a bid that almost appears to be a foregone conclusion.

Oak View Group, a partner in the franchise and the group responsible for renovating KeyArena, is expected to begin construction on the building later this fall and have the remodel done for the 2020 season. The season-ticket drive that started on March 1 was a rousing success and was capped at 33,000 deposits.

Leiweke got his start in hockey with the Minnesota Wild. He also worked in Vancouver and most recently helped build Tampa Bay into a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. Leiweke left the Lightning in 2015 to become the COO of the NFL and didn’t have any interest in leaving the league office until the project in Seattle began to gain real traction.

”The fact is I found the NFL to be a pretty amazing and fascinating place to work and I was starting to get quite comfortable in my role there so I wasn’t looking,” Leiweke said. ”But I think the stars aligned and my son’s advice was, `Dad Cheap Harold Landry Jersey , how can you not do this?’ Today, I think he’s right.”

Leiweke’s job will be to capitalize on a market whose demographics have changed significantly since he left the Seahawks in 2010 after being largely responsible for the team hiring head coach Pete Carroll. Seattle is the largest market in the country without a winter pro sports franchise and has seen an influx of wealth in recent years. Even when he was running the Seahawks, Leiweke believed Seattle was ripe for the NHL and the response to the season-ticket drive only strengthened that belief.

”It really is a great fit. I always thought this could be a great hockey market and it proved it. So far, so good,” Leiweke said. ”Now it’s on us because I think people are going to show up opening day ready to believe and what are we going to put out there? Does it all connect?”

Leiweke’s hiring also reunites him with his brother, Tim Steve Carlton Jersey , the CEO of Oak View Group, which created the privately funded deal to finally solve Seattle’s arena issue.

”I’m so in awe of what we did here,” Tod Leiweke said. ”This has been a challenging issue and my brother came in here and figured it out.”

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TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors appeared to have control of their first-round series against Washington Wizards when they won the first two games.

They also thought they had Game 4 within their grasp Justin Turner Jersey , and yet the series is tied 2-2.

The pressure will be on the No. 1 Eastern Conference seed when they host the No. 8 seed Wizards in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series at the Air Canada Centre.

“I feel like both teams protected home court, now it’s the best-of-three,” Wizards guard John Wall said. “Somebody is going to have to win on the opponent’s court to win. We have a good opportunity to go there with some momentum, going into Game 5, and we want to take full advantage and try to get that win.”

It could have been different. With just under five minutes to play in Game 4 at Washington on Sunday, Wizards guard Bradley Beal fouled out. He had scored 31 points in 32 minutes.

The Wizards did not fold, however, but the Raptors did. With Wall leading the way, the Wizards went on to defeat the Raptors 106-98 to even the series.

“This one was tougher, because I thought we had it under control Ryan McMahon Jersey ,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.

Wall had 27 points, 14 assists and six rebounds in playing 43 minutes on Sunday.

After dropping the first two games in Toronto, Washington won both games at home, including a 122-103 decision in Game 3.

The Raptors led by 14 points during the third quarter on Sunday, but the score was tied at 92 when Beal fouled out.

The Raptors, who used their full bench successfully during the season, have started to again rely heavily on their All-Star guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

DeRozan had 35 points, six rebounds and six assists Sunday, but also committed four of Toronto’s 19 turnovers (the Wizards made 13 turnovers) in 38 minutes. He also made some ill-advised shots down the stretch and was willing to shoulder his share of the blame.

“I blame myself for a lot of mistakes, for a lot of forced shots late in the game Miguel Rojas Jersey ,” DeRozan said. “Mental mistakes, turnovers, late-game execution, stabbing in the backcourt in transition late in the game. A lot of things.”

Reserve guard Delon Wright continued on that theme.

“I just think we have to make that adjustment to realize that they’re not blitzing (DeRozan) as much anymore, they’re playing more single coverage,” said Wright, who passed up a couple of 3-pointers.

“Shoot it, man,” DeRozan said. “Every one of my teammates, I don’t care if they miss 20 shots in a row Cheap Phillip Gaines Jersey , if you get a shot, shoot it. That’s the confidence we’ve had in one another all year.”

Lowry also saw considerable playing time, playing 39 minutes and had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

A key player off the bench for the Raptors all season has been point guard Fred VanVleet, who has played only 2:49 in the series because of a sore right shoulder and is listed as doubtful for Game 5.

The Wizards, meanwhile, have been dealing with adversity all season with Wall limited to 41 starts because of a sprained left shoulder and surgery on his left knee. The Wizards were 2-2 against the Raptors during the season even though Wall missed all four games.

“You have to have resolve to win in this league,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “We’ve had some tough moments this year with John missing half the season, but we found it, and it put us in a position to make the playoffs through resolve. You win playoff games Jason Heyward Jersey , and you win playoff series with having that. We have that, and we have to continue to have that because we have to win two more games, and one of them has to be on the road.”

The Raptors will be trying to avoid making as many turnovers. Another veteran, forward Serge Ibaka, also made four turnovers Sunday.

“Some of it is Washington’s good defense and some of it is just taking out a gun, pointing it at your foot and shooting ourselves in the foot,” Casey said. “A lot of it was uncharacteristic. But it just didn’t start in Game 3. We had some of the same turnovers the first two games, but we were able to score and have a cushion and live through it. We have to take care of the basketball. Make sure we get quality shots.”

On one side of the room there is a framed quote that reads Bruce Maxwell Jersey , ”All those who achieve great things are great dreamers.”

Alston, 41, is definitely dreaming. In one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago, he is dreaming of more graduations and birthday parties. Life for a group of kids on the edge.

”I can be overwhelmed, but then when I go home … I never say I’m not doing this, I always reflect and say, `Wow, this kid is going through this,’ and then the next day, I’m renewed,” Alston said.

Alston is a therapist in Choose to Change, a five-month program that aims to reduce youth violence through therapy and mentorship. And it very well might be gone by now if not for the effort of one unusual coalition.

The Cubs, White Sox Cheap Jonathan Allen Jersey , Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks. The titans of Chicago sports, united with a singular purpose.

—

Near the end of a violent 2016 in Chicago, Roseanna Ander went to a meeting. Ander, the executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, goes to a lot of meetings, but this one was different.

The room included White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and his son, Michael, the president and chief operating officer of the Bulls. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and his sister, Laura, who also is part of the Cubs’ ownership group, were there. Same for Bears chairman George McCaskey and Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz.

”It was like a very Godfather-esque moment,” Ander said with a grin.

Concerned about a precipitous rise in violent crime – Chicago had 762 homicides in 2016 Domingo Santana Jersey , a 64 percent increase from 485 in the previous year – the city’s most prominent sports executives had an idea, and they were looking for help.

”They decided that this was a very unprecedented challenge facing the city and they wanted to do something unprecedented,” Ander said, ”and that was really to try to see if putting their resources together that they might be able to do something more significant than they could each do independently.”

It began with Jerry Reinsdorf, 82, who once lived in some of the South Side neighborhoods that have been racked by violence. He took the idea of a united effort to the rest of the owners, and they quickly signed on for what became the Chicago Sports Alliance.

Then came the tricky part.

”It became very clear that we really didn’t understand what was behind the homicides and the violence,” Michael Reinsdorf said. ”We all had ideas and theories, but we really weren’t as educated as we should be.

”We decided instead of just jumping in there and making some type of investment, let’s get smarter.”

That led the group to Ander and the Crime Lab, which was created in 2008 following the shooting death of a graduate student at the University of Chicago to study crime and develop and evaluate crime-reduction programs. While the room grabbed Ander’s attention, her presentation struck a chord with the group.

”It’s just tough,” Michael Reinsdorf said. ”I have kids and we teach our kids that they can dream and they can do anything they want and they have such incredible opportunities. But the kids that we’re talking about trying to help in some of these communities Lewis Brinson Jersey , their dreams are totally different than the dreams of like my children.

”Their dreams are like, surviving. … Their expectations are I won’t live a long life.”

—

Alston had a group session in May where only one of the six young men showed. It was a nice day in Chicago and graduation festivities were in full swing.

The 17-year-old who made it to the session was depressed about the death of his cousin in January. He wanted to retaliate sometimes, but he said the program was keeping him on the right track.

”He says, `Yeah, but this group,’ he says, `since I’ve been coming in February is helping me think,”’ Alston said.

A buoyed Alston kept going, sitting straight up in his chair in a common room down the hall from his office on the city’s South Side.

”You know just with the people he knows, the family he’s involved with, it’d be easy to go and retaliate,” he continued.

”I want you to think logical. If you go retaliate and you’re 17, there’s two things going to happen. You may get away with it for a little bit. But you’re going to end up dead because they’re going to retaliate Cheap Vinny Curry Jersey , or you’re going to be in jail and you’re 17, I want you to get to my age.”

—

The Chicago Sports Alliance was unveiled in December. The teams announced a total of $1 million in one-time grants for Choose to Change, the Crime Lab and for training for embedded civilian analysts who work with the police department to develop strategies to reduce crime in the city’s most violent areas.

While the money provided a lift, the alliance itself might have made an even bigger statement.

”It’s not just the dollars, but I think it’s kind of who they are, their ability to have influence with such a huge range of the population,” Ander said. ”But I do think for me the most important thing was sending a message that this isn’t just somebody else’s problem to fix.”

The funding for Choose to Change had run out by the end of 2017, so the money from the alliance kept it alive for the first part of this year. Another group of teenagers w. Womens Martinas Rankin Jersey , Authentic Womens Patrick Omameh Jersey , Jon Niese Jersey Womens , Womens Jeremiah Attaochu Jersey ,

The team also announced that club president Don Waddell will become the full-time general manager after serving as acting GM.

The team scheduled a news conference for Wednesday to discuss the moves.

Waddell said a number of coaching candidates were discussed, but ”our conversations with staff and players consistently returned to the same person.”

One of the team’s most decorated players, Brind’Amour captained the Hurricanes’ only Stanley Cup championship team in 2006.

”Rod is the greatest leader in the history of this franchise, and has earned the opportunity to take charge of our locker room Christian Arroyo Jersey ,” Waddell said in a statement.

The two-time Selke Award winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward retired in 2010 and ranks third in club history in assists (299), fourth in points (473) and fifth in games played (694).

He replaces Bill Peters, who opted out of his contract last month following his fourth year and subsequently was hired by the Calgary Flames. He becomes the Hurricanes’ third straight first-time NHL head coach, after Kirk Muller and Peters.

Brind’Amour has been a Carolina assistant since 2011. He spent half his 20-season NHL career with the Hurricanes Cheap Ed Dickson Jersey , leading them to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002 and again four years later.

But Carolina has made the playoffs only once in the 12 years since Brind’Amour hoisted the Cup, and the Hurricanes’ nine-year absence from the postseason is one of the longest stretches in NHL history.

That has led to a busy five months for the Hurricanes, with Dallas businessman Tom Dundon buying a majority interest in the team from longtime owner Peter Karmanos Jr. in January.

A month later, Hall of Fame player and general manager Ron Francis – who Wilmer Difo Jersey , like Brind’Amour, has his jersey number hanging from the PNC Arena rafters – was reassigned to another front-office position, and his contract was terminated last week.

In between, Peters – who was hired by Francis in 2014 – exercised the out clause in his contract Dixon Machado Jersey , saying the incoming general manager should be able to pick his own coach.

Turns out, that job fell to Waddell – the former general manager and president of the Atlanta Thrashers who had been part of the Hurricanes’ front office since 2014 and had been filling in since Francis’ demotion and subsequent exit.

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