The following are posts related to specific shoots. And other things that I cannot stop myself from writing about.
My good friend Kevin Besetzny’s lovely wife Linda threw him a wonderful birthday party on Sunday at the home in Park Ridge. Congratulations to one of my oldest friends. I have known him since 1982 when I first met him in Communications class at Loyola.
It was great to see Kevin, Linda, Frank, Debbie, Lisa, Renato, Vanessa, Kevin’s parents.
See you next year!
The Romeoville Live Event is not at Romeoville High School. It’s at the Romeoville Athletics and Events Center, a large sports facility that normally hosts basketball and indoor soccer leagues. It’s big. The soccer field has six basketball courts assembled on top of the field turf.
The games themselves are abbreviated versions of a high school game. Two halves of fifteen minutes. Few foul shots. Not a whole lot of defense. These “Live” events allow college coaches a chance to see high school players in person. They afford the casual fan a chance to see the skills of individual players. To see how teams play together at this early part of the year. To check out the new players on a team. Plus, its basketball when there is not a whole lot else going on.
I couldn’t catch many games, some late games Friday and some early games Saturday. I managed to see some teams I cover: Lane, DePaul, Evanston and Simeon. Also, Sean Connor’s Antioch Sequoits—can’t miss them.
Lane was handled in the first game I saw by a West Aurora team that was a revelation to me. I have study up on them. Very talented.
The Champions rallied for a solid win over Oak Park/River Forest. In between those games was Antioch v. Evanston. Sean Connor’s mythical swamp creatures were depleted by injuries and players out playing baseball. They struggled a little moving the ball but plenty of fight in the Sequoits. Sean will have them ready to compete up there near the border.
Evanston looked athletic but these are not the Wildkits of recent years. Mike Ellis will coach ‘em good and have them ready to make trouble in the Central Suburban South.
I really wanted to see DePaul Prep v. St. Laurence on Friday afternoon but that was not in cards. This morning the Rams would face Hyde Park and Oswego East. We would get a good look at the Rams against stiff competition. They did not disappoint.
In typical Tom Kleinschmidt fashion, the Rams built to a small lead on Hyde Park midway through the first half and stayed away despite a furious full court press with four minutes left in the game. Rams 57, Thunderbirds 39.
The Oswego East Wolves would be the early test for this year’s Rams. Oswego East upset Joliet West in last season’s 4A Sectional final only to lose a close game to eventual 4A State Champ Moline in the super-sectional. This wasn’t last year’s team but some key pieces are still there.
The Rams got behind early and just looked out of sync. Would this be end of the streak?
No. Midway through the first half, the Rams put together a 12-0 run and managed to carry the up and down eight point lead to a 48-40 victory. Sophomore forward LaShaun Porter is filling in nicely for the departed Payton Kamin and the injured Jonas Johnson.
I also got a chance to catch up with Dominic Scianna from CPS Athletics and St. Laurance assistant coach Billy Judge. So that was good.
With these two Live events behind me, I guess it is football season now.
Some think Memorial Day, Labor Day, Fourth of July are the best part of the summer. The truth is the best weekend of the summer is the Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout.
The 20th Annual Summer Shootout is the premiere summer “Live Period” event in the Chicago area. R-B coach Mike Reingruber and his staff put run a superb event, a well-oiled machine. Eighty high school teams from the area including two from the St. Louis area. The facilities make it easy to watch two games at a time; even the food is good.
It’s a little early to start writing about what teams are going to be the top going into the 23-24 season. The R-B is more about getting a look at emerging players and how teams have changed.
Whitney Young v. East St. Louis. The first game I saw was Whitney Young v. East St. Louis. The Dolphins reloaded and are led by junior forward Antonio Munoz who looked in fine form. Junior point guard Damajay Richardson impressed with some nice moves followed by long jumpers.
Lane Tech v. O’Fallon. Lane Tech v. Downers Grove South. Lane struggled in the first half against O’Fallon but the shots started to fall in the second half. The Champions definitely missed Dalton Scantlebury who did not play. On Friday, the Champions fell to O’Fallon 69-43. They rallied but lost in overtime to Downers Grove South 62-60.
Kenwood v. Oswego East. These are two really good teams. Kenwood got even better in recent days by landing Rivals #43 ranked player in the nation Davion Hannah. At least one report says Hannah is not fully committed to attending Kenwood. Nevertheless, he played for Kenwood today. Kenwood handled Oswego East 67-54 and then Rolling Meadows 77-56. Kenwood looks like the top Chicago Public League, at the R-B, in June.
Oswego East went on to top St. Charles East 68-48.
Simeon v. Marist. Last year’s number one area team, Simeon has a new coach and a whole to look. The Rubin brothers and hugely talented point guard Jalen Griffith have graduated. The Wolverines are smaller but very quick. Senior Rashad Mckinnie is back and played well today. So did senior point guard Jashon Liggett.
DePaul Prep v. Lindbloom. DePaul Prep v. Hillcrest. The Rams come into the R-B newly crowned IHSA 2A champions having graduated their leader Maurice Thomas and lost starting forward Payton Kamin to a prep school transfer, plus standout junior Jonas Johnson is out with an injury. Who was going to fill in? Rams’ junior guard Rob Walls stepped right in. So did sophomore RaShaun Porter. Despite being 2A State Champions, the Rams finished seventh in the Chicago Catholic League Blue with a 6-7 record.
Those who follow the Rams closely will recall that injuries deprived the Rams of two of their best players, Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin, for the bulk of conference play. The Rams look to return to top form and will compete for the top of the Chicago Catholic League Blue.
The Rams move up to 3A this year because of the schools ballooning enrollment, either that or the IHSA success factor having been to the State Finals three times in four tries including one championship. DePaul Prep expects an incoming freshman class of 315.
DeLaSalle v. Lyons Township. On Saturday, I wanted to see what Gary DeCesare was doing with his Meteors. They are big and athletic and seem to have picked up where they left off atop the Chicago Catholic League White standings.
St. Lawrence v. Schaumburg. Next over to the Field House to check out the second half of the St. Lawrence Vikings against Schaumburg’s Saxons. The Vikings expect to challenge the Meteors in the CCL White. Today, Byron Burt’s Vikings were led by former St. Rita head coach and now St. Lawrence assistant, Roshawn Russell. Coming with Russell from St. Rita was Nojus Indrusaitis. Nojus is the second ranked Illinois in Prep Hoops in the class of 2024. St. Lawrence is going to be very good and looked every bit the part against a good Schaumburg squad.
St. Ignatius v. Homewood-Flossmoor. It was a bit of an early day for me at the R-B, so this would be my last game of the day. I managed a quick word with the leader of the Pack, St. Ignatius coach Matt Martin. The Pack were a little depleted at this R-B with some players out injured and with others unavailable. Knowing that going in, I was struck by how quick the new group of wolves played. Quick up and down the court and moving the back around for the open shot.
The R-B always leaves one wanting more.
The DePaul Prep Rams took on the Notre Dame Raider (Quincy) in the IHSA 2A Third Place game at the Peoria Chiefs’ Dozer Park. Unfortunately, the Rams came up on the short of end of the crappy scoreboard the Dozer. 7-2.
Even so, it was great experience. It was a little surprise how few members of the press covered the finals. No one except me from Chicago and guy from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Garen Vartanian, his story is here: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/columbia-rolls-state-championship-game-230351543.html. It appeared in the Post Dispatch first but its behind a pay wall now). There were a couple guys from Shaw Media covering the 1A games. Maybe it’s just the lack of sports coverage in general or maybe it’s just that high school baseball does not generate a lot of interest.
Nevertheless, it did happened. My photos will prove it. Here are the photos from the third place game.
My last event of the school year. God willing I will be back in the fall.
A preview of this week’s article in Inside Publication’s Booster.
By Jack Lydon
The DePaul Prep Rams ran into Columbia and its star pitcher Dominic Voegele in Peoria on Friday afternoon losing 9-0 in IHSA 2A baseball semi-final. The powerful Rams lineup could barely touch him. When then they did, bad breaks killed a couple potential rallies.
Columbia got to the Rams’ ace Dylan Kaminski with a couple early runs. Dylan kept it close but Columbia broke it open for a six-run sixth inning.
Dominic (Dom) Voegele, was the story. It was a pitching masterpiece. He turned off the red-hot Rams offense like a switch. 92 pitches and 66 strikes. That’s pretty good. He was on the plate and keeping the ball down. I got a text message from a friend watching on the internet, “his slider is pretty good.”
“I thought I pitched well enough to win. And then Brennan [Weik] calling the game back there really help. The defense making plays and the bats played a huge roll today,” Dom Voegele said in understated fashion after the game.
The plan the whole game was to “throw strikes make them hit it, let the defense make plays and keep the pitch count as low as possible.
I was throwing “the normal four-seam fast ball was working today. I threw a lot more sliders today that usual. Then get the curveball over with a first pitch strike. And the change-up to the lefties,” continued Voegele.
The Columbia Eagles were in this game last year but Voegele didn’t pitch that game. The Eagles lost that game 4-1 to the winner of Fridays other semi-final game, Joliet Catholic.
“Being here last year and going through the routines, and coming to the field, I don’t think we had the shock and awe of it this season. We knew what to expect. We had a bunch of the guys from last year’s team back this year. Having that experience is definitely an advantage,” said Eagles head coach O’Donnell.
It’s not like the Rams had no chance. Rams’ senior right-hander Dylan Kaminski was getting people out. Five and two thirds with nine strike outs. When he wasn’t striking batters out, they were getting hits, ten in all. Despite the hits, Kaminski limited the damage to three runs in five innings.
In the bottom of the third, DePaul’s Cameron Klein lead off with at single. Carter Levine reached on an error. No one out and the Rams in business. Levine stole second. Addison Latke struck out and now the top of the order. AJ Garcia crushed a line drive to the first baseman Drake Whittenbrink who quickly doubled up Levine off second.
“Drake was in a little bit. That play might have been a little different if we had moved him back. Baseball is a pretty funny game sometimes. We were bailed out with some pretty solid defense,” said O’Donnell.
“That’s a good team. We knew they were going to throw Dom. We were just hoping we could put some good balls in play. We hit the ball hard; we hit the ball well. We had some good at bats. They just didn’t fall. Congratulations to Columbia. We wish them nothing but the best,” Rams’ head coach Sam Colon said.
“I don’t think we were that far off today. The ball just did not roll our way a couple times. Our guys came out and competed. They showed pride for the school and our community. They did all they could. They left it all out there. For sure,” Colon continued.
“I don’t think the scene gets to them. They realize [now] that it takes a little bit more focus than they might have thought to continue to put good bats on balls against Dom. He throw really, really well. He threw all his pitches for strikes. It was really hard to get into a rhythm offensively. We did get some runners on. It felt like we were just a double away from getting right back into this one. AJ hit a hard a sharp line drive and we get doubled off. If the ball is over his head there and it’s a three, two game at that point.”
“A lot could have changed in baseball right there.”
That’s what happens in high school baseball. One runs into a great pitcher and in a one game series, the season is over. The Rams move on to face Quincy Notre Dame (35-2, 8-0) in the third-place game. Senior pitcher Robert Rivera will take the mound for the Rams.
The DePaul Prep Rams (23-14, 8-8) landed in Rockford for the IHSA 2A baseball super-sectional against the Byron Tigers. The convincing 13-3 win sends the Rams to the State Finals in Peoria this coming weekend.
Before, during and after the game, the Rams were loose. Didn’t seem like a super-sectional. Just like another game. Just fun to play baseball. Not so much for Sam Colon, the Rams’ first-year manager. His normal easy going demeanor seemed a bit more focused, serious, businesslike.
And land on the Byron Tigers the Rams did with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Byron rallied with three in the top of the second. That’s about as good as they had. The Rams just put it on them after that. Three in the bottom of the second. Another in the fourth. Three more in the fifth and two in the bottom of the sixth for a walk off ten run slaughter rule victory.
Senior pitcher, the always focused and businesslike Robert Rivera pitched well. Rivera struggled in the top of the second. A balk with nobody out and men on first and third scored the Tigers’ A. Lorenz from third.
“I just thought shake it off. Being the pitcher on the mound, you’re the leader. I have hold my composure and show everyone it’s not going to phase me. Even letting in those three runs, I knew I could fight back,” Rams’ pitcher Robert Rivera said.
“I changed up my mechanics. I went to stay closed longer. I started leaning more toward the plate. It helped me control my curveball. It really upped my [velocity] on my fastball too.”
The three runs in the top of the second were the only runs he would allow.
At bat, the whole team contributed--total team victory. Michigan commit and the fastest man on the field, AJ Garcia had a hit, a stolen base and two walks scoring three runs. Vance Kurakowa had a hit and run scored. Catcher Oliver Vigerust was hit by a pitch, had a hit and a base-on-balls. First baseman Kevin O’Connor had a huge game with three hits, two RBI’s and a walk. Griffin Horne had a hit and scored two runs. Beni Espinosa had three hits, four RBI’s, scored two runs and a walk. Third baseman Cameron Klein three hits and an RBI. Carter Levine two hits and three RBI’s, not to mention a spectacular diving catch in right field. Addison Latko had two hits, including a legged out triple and gapper in right center, and scored a run, but no homeruns today.
As hurtful as the super-sectional loss to Byron by the DePaul Prep womens’ basketball team was in March, this emotional super-sectional victory for the Rams took some of the sting out of it.
“I told Sarah [Zarymbski, girls basketball coach and 2014 Gordon Tech classmate of the Sam Colon] that we would get some revenge for her,” Rams head coach Sam Colon said after the game.
“This team has got all the talent in the world. It’s a matter of can you put it all together in a year. Our first goal was to win the [Chicago Catholic] League [White]; we put ourselves in a position to get there. We didn’t get there. The next goal was to get a second season. The expectation was to get to Peoria. Now it’s to win it.”
It’s third trip to State for the Rams so far this year. Mitch Baum’s boys’ cross-country team won a state title in November. Tom Kleinschmidt’s boys’ basketball team won the 2A basketball state title in March. Now it’s Sammy’s turn.
The Rams will face the Columbia High School Eagles (30-4), from south of St. Louis, at the Peoria Chiefs’ stadium, Dozer Park, on Friday at 3:00 p.m. The other state semi-final will feature Joliet Catholic v. Quincy Notre Dame. The Championship game will be Saturday at 5:30.
The DePaul Prep Rams got ahead early and stayed away to take another sectional championship 7-3 over Timothy Christian and advance to face Byron in the super-sectional on Memorial Day.
With a huge crowd on hand at Montini, the DePaul Prep Rams (22-14) took on the Timothy Christian Trojans (17-15). The Rams were the visiting team. That’s okay; it just gave the chance to grab an early lead.
And so they did. In the top of the first, with one out, Vance Kurokowa walked. Oliver Vigerust singled. Kevin O’Connor walked. Griffin Horne singled. Vance scored. Beni Espinosa singled. Shane Leonard, the runner for Vigerust, scored. Kevin O’Connor scored. C. Klein singled. Michael Bloom, the runner for Griffin Home, scored. Carter Levine struck out. Addison Latko struck out. So that’s four runs in the first.
Dylan Kaminski had a four-run lead before he took the mound. That’s not a good idea for Timothy Christian to spot Dylan four runs.
In the bottom of the first, Dylan set down the first two hitters. But walked the third hitter on four pitches. He would struggle with control all day. The Trojans’ J. Armstrong absolutely crushed Dylan’s third pitch well over the fence in right-center. Lots of action in the first.
The Rams added one in the second then gave one back in the bottom of the fifth on a curious balk call with a man on third base.
“I was just trying it over the plate. They were kind of smacking me. My curve ball was not working against their two hitter. I slowed down a little bit. Once the bases were loaded I knew we had this on the line. I just wanted to lock it in and just get it down,” Dylan Kaminski told me about that fifth inning.
“I was a little tired but persevered and got through it.”
But it was Addison Latko’s tremendous homerun in the top of the seventh that put the game away. On a 3-2 count, Timothy Christian reliever J. Armstrong served one up and out over the plate. Latko absolutely crushed it out onto 16th Street. Two runs in. 7-3. With AJ Garcia in for Kaminski, that was pretty much it.
“I was locked in from the start. I was ready in that a bat, the adrenaline. Everybody yelling chirps at me. The crowd talking. Everything was good. I loved it. It fueled me to just get up there and hit that homerun,” Addison Latko said, hardly able to contain himself.
“It was a fast ball and I hit fast ball. I love fast balls. That’s my favorite pitch to hit. So I just took a drive. Let it in the zone and big dog is gonna eat. That’s what happened baby.”
A convincing win for the Rams. A sectional championship in hand, in curiously workmanlike fashion. Another day at the office.
And another day at the office on Monday in the Super-sectional against Byron High School. Interestingly, this will be the second super-sectional match up for a Rams team in the last couple months. In March, the DePaul Prep girls basketball lost a super-sectional game to Byron in Elgin.
This Rams baseball team will face a 25-6 Byron baseball team in Rockford on Monday, Memorial Day, at 1:00 p.m., at the Rockford Rivets Stadium.
Preview of this week’s INSIDE article:
By Jack Lydon
The Walter Payton College Prep Grizzlies (13-17) unexpectedly reached the Chicago Public League baseball city championship last Monday at the White Sox’ Guaranteed Rate Field only to fall in a thriller to the Kenwood Academy Broncos 2-0.
The young Payton Grizzlies put together an inspired late season run to make it into the City Championship. The Grizzles opened the season four wins against sixteen losses through the beginning of May. Amazingly, the Grizzlies then reeled off eight street victories including convincing wins against Simeon, Lake View and Mather to make to the championship against Kenwood.
The Kenwood Broncos (27-4) came into the game the favorite as the number two ranked team in the Chicago Public League. Despite what might have been considered a lopsided match up going in, the game was a thriller. Grizzlies senior left hander Max McNamara battled pitch-for-pitch, batter-for-batter against Kenwood’s junior left-handed pitcher Kevari Thunderbird, who is one of three brothers on the Broncos varsity team.
“Our record doesn’t indicate it much but baseball is a funny game. You start playing good baseball and its contagious. That’s what we had this year and I am proud of the kids,” said Payton head coach Garry Gustafson, in his second year at Payton. Prior to Payton, Gustafson was the head coach at Niles West for thirty-one years.
“To play in a ballgame like this obviously special for all the kids. That goes for our program and the same thing for Kenwood. We are just very resilient. We are a tough kind of team. We just stay the course and we’ve done that all year long,” Gustafson said.
The Grizzlies struggled against Thunderbird who struck out twelve batters and only gave up two hits and two walks in six scoreless innings. Thunderbird only came out of the game because he reached his pitch limit. The only trouble Thunderbird found was the top of the fifth where he gave up two hits and a walk but worked his way out of the jam.
Grizzlies pitcher Max McNamara matched Thunderbird inning for inning albiet not in quite the same dominant fashion. After giving up four hits and four walks but no runs in the first five innings, McNamara struggled in the bottom of the sixth with the game on the line. A single and a walk to open the inning put two Broncos on base with nobody out. A prefect sacrifice bunt to the Bronocos junior left field Destin Edwards advance the runners to second a third. A hot line drive knocked down by McNamara held the runners. But McNamara the threw the ball over the head of first baseman Lekh Murthy. The runners on second and third scored on the errant throw. That would be all the scoring there was.
“I had a talk with our pitcher [Max McNamara]. I told him that he has to keep his head up. He threw an outstanding game. We can’t hang our heads over one ball down the right field line. We didn’t get enough runs on the board. Our pitcher was outstanding all day, getting ahead and just one little mistake. Mistakes are part of baseball,” Gustafson said.
Broncos pitcher Thunderbird was ebullient after the game.
“I felt good. I wasn’t nervous. I came out prepared. I knew what was going on, I was prepared for it. [After we scored], I felt comfortable in my team that we would finish the job,” Thunderbird said after the game.
Both teams have moved on to IHSA playoffs. Payton defeated Prosser 10-0 on Wednesday moving to face Fenwick in the 3A regional final. Kenwood defeated 5-3 on Wednesday advancing to face Reavis in the 4A regional final.
DePaul Prep’s Dylan Kaminski tossed another masterpiece to defeat IC Catholic 6-0 at Kerry Wood Field on Saturday.
Full story to follow.
The DePaul Prep Rams defeated ITW Speer 16-1 on Senior night last Friday.
I confess this was my first lacrosse game. I was impressed. It takes a unique athletic to play well. Kind of a cross between soccer and hockey. Very entertaining.
It was a new experience taking the photos. Very much like soccer photos. I will be doing more lacrosse. I hope you like the photos.
I am a little late in posting these photos, three and a half months. The processing of these photos waw just over taken by events and then slipped past me until now.
But that’s okay. It just gives us more opportunity celebrate a state championship. A sweet one at that. The regular season was a punishing with losses. Tough close loss after tough close loss against the best teams, especially the teams in the Catholic League Blue.
The Benet game showed me something. I had seen Benet a few times before the regular season finale against the Rams. The Rams played right with the Redwings. It was a seven point game, just within reach, for most of the fourth but ended with a Rams four point loss. I’ll take that against the No. 2 ranked team.
This Taft game was senior night. An early senior night in mid-January but that’s the way the schedule played out. With Jaylan McElroy back in the line up the Eagles were having trouble. The Rams braintrust started all senior line up who jumped out to an early lead. When the younger starters got in the game, it was worse for Taft.
To have Jaylan back in the lineup with better than a month before the playoff run would give him time to get back in game shape and knock off the rust. I was glad, optimistic to have him back without respect to how he was playing at that moment.
As we know now, it worked out. Jaylan played like a champ down the stretch. And so did the rest of the Rams. But we already know that.
This January 14th evening against Taft, we didn’t know. But we had could see how it might end.
So here are the Senior Night photos.
A preview of my upcoming Inside—Booster article
By Jack Lydon
Alex Burstein is going to be famous someday. That day may be soon. The eighteen-year-old Lane Tech senior is a young man on a mission and that mission is well underway. Alex broadcasts Lane Tech football, basketball, volleyball and baseball games on Lane Tech’s You Tube channel.
“Tonight (April 24 game against Von Steuben) was my 163rd broadcast,” Alex said. “I do every baseball home game. And for basketball it’s home and away. I also do home games for girls’ volleyball and football. I also did one or two flag football and boys soccer games. I’ve done the boys basketball games since freshman year. I have done the baseball games since sophomore year.”
To prepare for each broadcast, “I keep notes. I email the coach a week in advance. I talk to the opposing coach in advance. I look up the opposing players on Twitter and news articles. Even if it’s one or two notes about a player. Parents really love when they hear me say something about a player,” said Alex.
The Rogers Park eighteen-year-old, whose brother Simon is a junior at Lane, has known what he wants to do from an early age.
“Growing up I was always interested in sports, but I was not great at sports. In fifth grade, I realized that I wanted to do this as a career. I wanted to find a way to work in sports,” Burstein said.
“Before [Alex] even started at Lane, I was in the stadium for a state soccer game. He hunted me down trying to talk about next year’s football team,” said Lane Tech men’s basketball coach and former athletic director Nick LoGalbo.
“Broadcasting is my thing that I do out of school. I put a lot of time into it. Basketball season is usually three games a week. Baseball is three to four a week. I also work with the school newspaper as a co-editor-in-chief,” Alex said.
In addition to broadcasting, Alex is one of three editors-in-chief for the Lane Tech school newspaper, the Champion. Oh, and his grade point average is 5.07 on a four-point scale. His tireless work in and out of school has landed Alex a full ride scholarship to Syracuse University where he will major in broadcast journalism with a minor in political science.
Alex has a gained a certain celebrity in the Lane Community. “The parents, a lot of them watch. But also the coaches. LoGalbo doesn’t love it because a lot of the coaches get film on him. So a couple times this year we “privated” video. There is not a lot of programs like this in Chicago. It’s nice to get recognition,” Alex said.
As for the players, “they all think it’s pretty cool.”
“I have been doing this now for almost 20 years. He is one of the most special people that has come out of our school,” LoGalbo said.
“For what he does, he is driven by such a clear north star and sense of purpose. It’s really crazy to see that. To have a young man like that who has had a such a clear sense of purpose and direction, he’s done wonders for our school and our athletic department.”
“Him getting a full scouting report on us for other teams when they watch his live broadcasts hasn’t been awesome but if you are a good coach you are going to do your scouting anyway,” LoGalbo admitted.
“Alex does his homework on the other teams too. He has called every coach that we have played for the last four years to get their starting lineup, to get their story to get their records. It’s no wonder he’s got a full ride to Syracuse. We’ll see him on ESPN one night.”
Last year after Lane’s varsity basketball game at Whitney Young, legendary Dolphins’ head coach Tyrone Slaughter went over to Alex who was broadcasting from a table on the sideline and said to Alex, “I am a huge fan. I watch you on You Tube. You do a great job. I find it very helpful.”
Lane head baseball coach Sean Freeman praised Burstein as well. “He is a huge piece of Lane. Not only does he do all the sports games; he is head of the paper. He does a lot for the community as far as getting out all the good things that are happening. He has been an invaluable piece of our program, the football program, the basketball program and covering school wide news.”
“I think it’s a great thing [that Alex broadcasts our games]. We have people all over the country that are now able to watch our games. My parents live in Colorado. Up until last year, neither of them had seen any of our games live, now they are able to watch every home game because he puts those on-line. If the other teams get a little scouting edge on us, in my book, it’s worth it overall,” said Freeman.
“I am not surprised that [Alex] has a high GPA. He’s been part of our publication here for his four years. He did not take journalism as a freshman but he contacted me” to get involved, said Lane Tech English and journalism teacher and newspaper advisor David Strom.
“Alex became the sports editor pretty early in his sophomore year. He has been co-editor-in-chief his junior and senior years. He has a ton of experience with reporting and writing. That’s a huge advantage. He is a leader in our classroom and our staff. He collaborates with first year journalism students. He will go along on an interview with someone who is new. That is hugely valuable for me as a teacher,” Strom said.
“He carries himself like a professional and he has just been there. And he does really good work. I have seen the improvement he has made. People recognize that and think highly of him because of it,” Strom said.
Favorite experience as a Lane broadcaster, “probably Wrigley Field. That’s hard to beat. So the City Championship last year for baseball, that was pretty cool. For basketball, I’ve done the Chicago Elite classic every year. My freshman year, they had me on radio row at DePaul’s Wintrust arena. That was early on but that was hard to beat. This past summer I went to Israel to cover the Maccabiah Games. Just calling games there was really cool. That was probably my favorite,” Alex said.
As for favorite broadcasters, “I would say it’s Pat Hughes, the Cubs’ radio broadcaster. That’s my dream job, Cubs’ radio. For basketball, it’s Adam Amin, Bulls’ TV broadcaster. He also does a lot of national work with Fox Sports. That’s my other dream job because he does so many other sports,” Alex added.
“Broadcasting has been my main extracurricular. That and the school newspaper. I am the editor-in-chief of the school paper. Those two are the heart of my college applications. I think it helps a lot. I have a demo real that I submitted to a couple schools. I wrote my essay about going to Israel and transitioning from being an athlete to be a broadcaster. I am going to Syracuse. I am majoring in broadcast digital journalism. My goal is to do this professionally. I really like sports journalism but I really like political journalism. I am probably going to do minors in sports analytics and political science.”
As for a color commentator on his broadcasts, “it’s hard to find someone to do it. The biggest thing is that the kids who care most about sports that could be a color commentator are the kids playing. It would be ideal to have a color commentator, but I think it’s good practice [for me] to do both rolls,” Alex said.
As for the equipment used, “it’s a mix. I bought a lot of the audio equipment,” Alex said. [The school has] helped with a couple GoPros and stuff so it’s a mix.”
“They are all really supportive. The broadcasts are on the school’s You Tube channel. They kind of have let me do whatever I want to do with it. All the administrators know about it and they watch. There is a lot of support. And obviously, with the coaches too.”
You can find Alex’s broadcasts on the Lane Tech You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lanetechathletics743/videos
The DePaul Prep Rams defeated the St. Ignatius Wolfpack 6-2 at the brand new baseball field at Rice Park in a Chicago Catholic League showdown.
“We’ve been talking about it the last two weeks. We’ve got to produce with runners in scoring position. We have struggled a little bit with that,” said Rams’ manager Sam Colon.
Up 3-0 in the top of the fourth, with two down and two strikes on him, freshman catcher and left fielder Addison Latko rifled a shot between third base and the third baseman. Oliver Vigerust, Kevin O’Connor and AJ Garcia came around to score putting the Rams up 6-0.
“That was big time for the freshman for sure,” continued Colon.
DePaul’s senior pitcher Dylan Kaminski (3-0) continued his dominance only giving up two hits and no runs through five innings. However, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, up by six runs, Kaminski found a little trouble.
Kaminski gave up a sharpe single to center, then a walk, then another single on a ground ball to left. A throwing error allowed a run in, then another run scored when no one covered home on the throwing error.
That was that. The next batter popped up and the inning was over with two Wolves left on base.
Dylan set down the next Wolves from the Pack in order in the bottom of the seventh for a complete game Rams’ victory.
Rams move on to face Harvest Christian tomorrow and then start an important two game set against Montini.
Lane Tech Champions are on a roll. Josh Katz keep his foot on the gas with a 6-1 complete game over the Whitney Young Thursday at Kerry Wood Field. Katz gave up one run on threes hits with eleven strike-outs.
Last Friday evening, the Champions dropped the Dolphins at Whitney 16-2 with an impressive outing by Jack Davis. Davis gave up two runs on seven hits. A scoreless six up, six down save by Zach Sharpe sealed the victory.
The Campions look to continue steamrolling the Public League with games against Walter Payton College Prep on Wednesday and Thursday.
Kerry Wood Field is a neighborhood treasure. Friday night featured four excellent teams in two great (seven inning) games, no pitch clock. Why people sit home binging dopey TV shows when live quality baseball is free just a few blocks away is a mystery to me.
Friday evening featured the #1 ranked Lane Tech Champions against the #2 ranked Von Steuben Panthers in game one and the DePaul Prep Rams hosting the Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs in game two.
Champions senior righthander Jacob Maza struggled early giving up one in the second and two in the third. He fought through his early troubles and the Champions rallied in the bottom of the third to draw even at two each. After that I stopped keeping score when Mike Clark arrived and I filled him in. I went down to the field to take some photos leaving the reporting to the professional.
Even at three going into the last of the seventh, with one down, Champions Teo Greco singled to right. Lane senior and Penn commit Josh Katz rifled a single over the shortstop’s head advancing Greco to second with one out.
The next batter, senior third baseman Louie Dereschin, went down swinging bringing up sophomore and Boston College commit Henry Murray with two down and the winning run at second base. In the third inning, Murray drove in two runs on a double over the head of the right fielder. Could he outdo that with a gaming winning walk him hit to score Greco?
Of course. On a 1-2 count Murray laced a gaper to right-center. No doubt about it. Give him a single and a game winning RBI.
Champions remain atop the Jackie Robinson North Division with huge win over rival No. 2 Von Steuben.
You can watch the game with Alex Burstein’s expert call on the Lane You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmvSIgU9phc
For the nightcap, Rams’ skipper Sammy Colon brought his 9-4 DePaul Prep Rams across the parking lot to Kerry Wood Field to face the Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs.
The Rams faced an even bigger hill than the Champions going down 5-0 in the second. Rams’ junior pitcher Kevin O’Connor settled down shutting down the Bulldogs thereafter.
The Rams chipped away until the sixth inning when senior centerfielder A. J. Garcia showed why his is a much sought after D-1 recruit driving in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth and then coming up two amazing catches in center field to secure the victory of the Rams and first year head coach Sammy Colon.
Great free entertainment at Kerry Wood Field. Tell your friends and neighbors. I even saw a great parents with a picnic set up just outside the right field fence. Still plenty of time to enjoy some games.
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth was likely elected today as the next 48th Ward alderperson with a 601 vote lead over Joe Dunne.
Full story to follow shortly.
41 degrees is about as cold as I can take when photographing a baseball game.
The DePaul Prep Rams faced the St. Rita Mustangs at Kerry Wood Field to open Chicago Catholic League conference play.
I left after the fourth inning when the Rams were down 6-2. Other things to do unfortunately so I don’t know who won the game.
I am getting back into the swing of shooting baseball. I did not have my 300mm lens with me so these were taken from some weird angles from behind the screen. I had the GoPro going so I will get that video up soon also.
Preview of my Inside Publications article.
By Jack Lydon
The Aldermanic Runoff in the 48th Ward is only a week away. Lifelong resident and affordable housing developer Joe Dunne and small business owner and progressive activist Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth faced off last Tuesday in a debate hosted by the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce in the basement at St. Ita’s on Broadway.
“Leni and I agree on a lot of things. We have the same progressive ideals. The difference is that I have the experience, the skill and the plan to realize those ideals. I have the experience to be an effective leader for the Ward on day one, to step in and start taking action to improve the lives of all the residents of the 48th Ward,” Joe Dunne summarized his candidacy.
“I am running for the 48th Ward [alderperson] because I love this ward. I want it to be a place where my kids will consider settling down for generations to come. I have been a coalition builder for many years. But for far too long we have been using band-aids for issues that we really need systemic, permanent change. I know we can do many things together because we have already done it before. Equity has to be at the center of everything. And when we think about community, it means all of us. And I will be honored to be your next alderwoman of the 48th Ward,” Manaa-Hoppenworth summed up her campaign.
Fairly standard political stuff, but differences were apparent throughout the course of the evening. Moderator Pat Whalen, from the Jackalope Theatre Company, did a great job asking the questions and keeping the candidates within the rules.
The most contrast on issues came on the issue of public safety. The candidates were asked to identify the most pressing safety issues and what specific strategies would he or she use for public safety.
“This is going to take leadership,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said. “We need a mayor that is going to prioritize structural change and include putting people in place that can do the job, including a new police superintendent who has a citybroad strategy . . . We need to work together along with the police department, with the fire department, with the schools, with the teachers, with the chambers of commerce, to find ways that we can all be safe.”
In response, Joe Dunne said, “public safety has been the number one issue as I have gone across the Ward. There are two approaches we need to be taking at the same time. One of them is trying to address the root causes . . . . But was also need address crime on the streets. . . . We need the police reengaged in our community. We need to active re-invigorated community policing in the 48th Ward. We need to be working together in partnership to make sure that we know where the crime is happening. We need to have police officers out and about who know us, who know people in the neighborhood, who came make sure that crime is not happening,” Joe Dunne said.
“When we think about public safety, we also need to think about who is living in violent conditions every single day including those who live on the south and west sides where disinvestment has happened for decades. So I look to young black and brown people who are putting together ordinances including the Peace Book Ordinance. . . . We need to work with the new Police Council, we need to work with the Mayor, the new Police Superintendent, to make all of us safe. There is a cares program that is piloted in Uptown and Rogers Park that we can look to for alternatives to policing. We need treatment not trauma so that we can meet mental health resources that the need,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said.
Both candidates agreed that economic development is important.
“We see a lot of empty store fronts across the ward. . . . We also see a lot of suffering on our streets, on our sidewalks, in our parks and in our transit system. People are not getting what they need. There is a crisis with our housing and also with our health care,” said Manaa-Hoppenworth in her opening statement.
“We need treatment on trauma and alternatives to policing. We need to listen to the youth, especially the black and brown youth who are in the most disinvested parts of our city and to pass the Peace Book Ordinance which is the opposite of the game database to show people a pathway to economic stability especially our youth. We need to fix our systemic issues and talk the root causes. Stop criminalizing poverty. We need a permanent funding stream for our houselessness,” continued Manaa-Hoppenworth.
Joe Dunne focused on his connection to 48 and his skills and experience to get things done.
“I am running . . . because this is my home. I was born and raised right here in the Ward. I am the third generation of my family to live here. I am raising my kids in the house I grew up in. My kids are the fourth generation of my family to live there. I’ve got deep connections across the Ward. There are people here that I have known my entire life. I have also been very active in the Ward. I served three terms on the [Peirce Local School Council]. I served on the fundraising board. I have helped to build that school be become a destination school. I ran the principal selection committee. I served on the Edgewater Community Council when that still existed. I think it is missing in the community. We need to bring something like that back.
“Professionally, I have been building affordable housing across the City. I have devoted my professional career to trying to address that. Stable housing is one of the first things we need to turn people’s lives around. Given them stable housing, help them turn their lives around, then they can focus on education, they can focus on economic development. Then we can focus on all the things that address the root causes of poverty.”
I want to be the alderman of the 48th Ward so that I can implement those things that I have been doing across the city right here . . .. It’s important to see positive change to take care of people that are least able to take care of themselves, whether it is people with mental health issues or people with addiction or people living in the parks. I have got the experience to do it. I have been doing it for 20 plus years. I want to do it right here where I grew up. This community means a whole lot to me, a whole lot to my family. I want my children to recognize that, to embrace it and raise their families here as well.
As for priorities as alderperson, Manaa-Hoppenworth said, “the three issues that keep coming up at the door include housing affordability, economic development and health care including mental health support. All of those things need to be viewed through an equity lens and a wholistic approach.”
In contrast, Joe Dunne said, “my vision for the 48th Ward is to see the Ward remain the welcoming diverse community that it is. We need a bold plan. We have got some headwinds. Inflation, rising property taxes, rising rents. I see opportunities for affordable housing along the Red Line. . . . I think we can do that here. When [the Red Line reconstruction] is completed, there is brand new space under that where the embankment used to exist. That is the perfect opportunity to build out the infrastructure for electric car charging stations so we can move away from fossil fuels and promote the use of electric vehicles. We need to rebuild the Bezazian Library with senior housing above like exists at Pratt and Western.
Moderator Pat Whalen asked each candidate to identify the top infrastructure opportunity in the ward.
Leni said, “we have a very pedestrian friendly ward. But we also have roads that separate us. Lake Shore Drive, Ridge, Broadway. These are like rivers that cut through us. And people are not safe. We should all be able to use our roads, and our sidewalks, whether we walk, or bike, or use and assistance devise.
In response to a question about aldermanic staffing, Joe Dunne said, “I am happy to say that when I am alderperson Dan Luna will remain as my chief of staff. My staff will reflect the racial make-up of the community.
Manaa-Hoppenworth said, “80% of the job of an alderwoman is constituent services. That has to be the priority. The only way to do that is to be in touch with constituents. I will do that everyday as alderwoman of the 48th Ward.”
The candidates were asked what would be their process for reviewing and approving zoning changes.
“When someone is coming into the Ward to do a development, we will have a document to give them and say, ‘here is what we want to see.’ Don’t tell us what you want to put there; understand what we want to see in the community. The community voice has got to be there and it’s got to be proactive—looking forward. As alderman, I will have a zoning advisory committee that will transparent open meetings. I don’t want to see a process where one block club is the deciding factor,” said Dunne.
“The community has to be involved. I plan on having a community commission. We need policies in place to preserve the character of our neighborhood, Manaa-Hoppenworth said.
Reaction in the crowd after the debate were mixed as one might imagine with supporters of both candidates in attendance. Former 48th Ward aldermanic candidate and founder of Green Element Resale, Brian Haag, echoed the sentiments of other in the crowd about the lack of specifics from Manaa-Hoppenworth.
“Joe really highlighted the difference between a show pony and work horse,” Haag said.
One can watch the debate in its entirety on You Tube at: https://youtu.be/vMcGo5BaOi8.
No one wanted to say it out loud but the DePaul Prep Rams came into the 2A state final game the favorite. Their defense throttled previous playoff opponents. The leadership of Maurice Thomas, the can-do-everything play of the PJ Chambers, the in-the-paint dominance of Jaylan McElroy, the scoring of Payton Kaymin and the point guard skills advanced beyond his tender years of Makai Kvamme would be tough to overcome. With defense and free throw shooting, sprinkle in some three pointers and the occasional dunk or layup off turnovers, and no team beats Tom Kleinschmidt’s DePaul Prep Rams.
Even so, this game was by no means a done deal for DePaul. The Rams were favored to win last year too but didn’t. Bloomington Central Catholic’s standout junior forward Cole Certa and his supporting cast had beaten plenty of good teams. Certa, one of the top-rated players in the state, just might put together a huge game and with some contributions from his saintly brethren, the Rams might well be beaten.
Nevertheless, the Rams (23-12, 6-7) won the IHSA 2A state championship in convincing fashion with a 65-41 defeat the of the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints (26-12, 6-3) Saturday in Champaign.
The Rams jumped out to a 12-8 lead holding Certa to just three points in the opening frame. The Rams didn’t exactly light up the arena with their typically modest twelve points but encouraging signs were present. The Rams did not turn the ball over and spread the ball around. Four of the five starters scored. They were able the score inside and outside.
During the convincing playoff run, no game every being in doubt. It wasn’t always that way this season. Coming into the season, the Rams posted a second third-place state finish in three many years, plus having won a number 1 ranking after winning the Chipotle Championship in COVID year. The Rams were expected to compete for a title in a tough Chicago Catholic League Blue. The early season injuries to junior standouts Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin crippled the Rams chances in the CCL Blue.
The opening season victories at the Battle of the Bridge, including a title game victory over Notre Dame l, gave way to four straight losses in the Chicago Catholic League Blue, a demoralizing start to the season.
Coach Kleinschmidt and his team refocused. They would use this time to play the younger players. Sophmore forward Jonas Johnson and guard Rob Walls benefited from minutes and talented opponents that they would not have otherwise seen so much of.
Butit’s not like the Rams had a bad season. They put together a win against IHSA 3A third-place finisher and rival St. Ignatius. And a nice win against Marmion who had its best season in decades. Telling though, was the close four-point loss to second-place 4A finisher Benet. This was a a harbinger. At full strength, the Rams are very good.
“If we got healthy, we knew we had the team. We thought we were one of the better teams in the state, no matter what class. We just played Benet two weeks ago. It was a four-point game. Payton and Jaylan, as well as they played, still aren’t at their best,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.
“We never doubted it. We had two injuries but we never let that get to us. We kept our heads high. We kept fighting,” said junior forward Jaylon McElroy.
“During our losing streak, we were trying to focus on our goals. We knew we wanted to win state but the first the task at hand was the Catholic League. It was all just trusting the process, trusting in the team and each other,” said junior guard PJ Chambers.
“I never lost hope. I knew the team we had and I knew we were capable of winning it,” said sophomore point guard Makai Kvamme.
“We all showed Kai how to lead in terms of setting the offense. As far as everyone else, we all kind of learned everything together and throughout time, we got better at it,” said Maurice Thomas.
The Rams headed into the halftime with a 16-11 lead. Not overwhelming but encouraging to have held Cole Certa, one of the best players in the state, to 8 points in the half.
Kleinschmidt must have given his players a talking-to about scoring in the locker room. The Rams put it on ‘em in the third, in the third with a 14-5 run, lead by PJ Chambers with six points. The Rams held a 42-24 lead to open the fourth.
That’s pretty much over when facing a Tom Kleinschmidt team. The Rams simply do not lose a lead. More than eight, never. They shut out Teutopolis in the fourth quarter of the semi-final.
But Bloomington Central Catholic never gave up. The fourth quarter had a lot of fouls and a lot of foul shots.
The fourth went in topical fashion the Rams were fouled and the Rams made their foul shots but not before all the Rams got in the game including Miles Stewart, Henry West, Will O’Shields, Jack Hoste, Dane Barkley, Cole Jungwirth, Jack Kenessey and Rashaun Porter.
“We shoot a lot of free throws. I shoot a lot of free throws with my dad. We also shoot a lot as a team. At the gym, we start off with free throws. In between water breaks, we shoot free throws. Then another water break, we shoot free throws. And at the end of practice, we shoot free throws. We shoot a lot of free throws,” said Maurice Thomas who finished 11 of 13 from the line.
On a personal note, I would like to thank the team and the coaches for winning the state championship. I had a great time connecting with my son Dan who played on the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 varsity teams and reconnecting with his pals, particularly Greyson Sanchez, who at one point was a manager. I loved every minute of the weekend in Champaign. I apologize for being more of a fan than a professional photographer. I confess I was concentrating more on a Rams victory than making good photos.
On to baseball season now. Go Rams!
