Bears chairman George McCaskey releases statement after Jim Irsay's death
Bears chairman George McCaskey releases statement after Jim Irsay's death
Long-time Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay passed away at the age of 65, the team announced Wednesday.
Irsay is a long-time member of the Colts, where he served as the team's vice president and general manager from 1984-1996 before taking over as owner following his father Robert Irsay's death in 1997. Indianapolis drafted Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning during Irsay's tenure, where he led the Colts to a world championship with a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl 41 in 2006.
Bears chairman George McCaskey released a statement following Irsay's passing, where he spoke with reverence about his friend.
"Jim was a Chicago guy through and through, and spoke often about his pride in being connected to our great city," McCaskey wrote, via the Chicago Bears. "He was a gracious victory in Super Bowl XLI, and he was a great friend of the Bears. Our condolences to Carlie, Casey, Kalen and the entire Irsay family."
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Irsay family and the Indianapolis Colts.
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Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
25 years later, Pacers back in NBA Finals: 'It's almost a replay of the way it felt in 2000'
INDIANAPOLIS – Waiting in the wings of the Staples Center 25 years ago was a 7-1, 345-pound behemoth who could dribble, drain a jump shot and shut down any opponent who came his way underneath the basket. Shaquille O'Neal was dubbed by sportswriters as "a wrecking ball in the paint." Alongside this Los Angeles Lakers giant who wore size 22 shoes, ready to battle the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals, was a 6-7, 215-pound, svelte, smooth-shooting guard who could slice and dice two and three players at a time. Kobe Bryant, media said, was "an artist in high tops." This Lakers team was indisputably one of the most lethal, powerful and successful in the franchise's rich history. That didn't faze the Pacers. They were in the NBA Finals for the first time in their franchise's history. The team was floating on what seemed to be an eternal high after beating their nemesis the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. The trash-talking Pacers superstar Reggie Miller was telling anyone who would listen the Lakers would choke just like the Knicks. Coach Larry Bird was ready to re-live his Boston Celtics era and trounce the franchise that had been his nemesis in his playing days. Looking back, Pacers center Rik Smits says it was beautiful oblivion as Game 1 of the Finals was set to begin. "We believed in ourselves," he told IndyStar this week. "That was the mindset back then." Even Pacers president Donnie Walsh, known for his no-nonsense, tell it like it is, realist persona, wasn't counting his team out. "I knew it was going to be difficult, let's put it that way," Walsh said. "Because Shaq, nobody had seen anything like him, unless you were around to see Wilt (Chamberlain). Not only gigantic, well-built, strong men, they were also great athletes. "Still, I thought we had a chance (to beat them)." Jalen Rose didn't think there was a chance. He knew the Pacers could beat the Lakers. His Game 1 attitude was confidence on steroids. He had no doubt his team was ready to take the leap into the glorious hall of NBA champions. "I felt like when we made it to the NBA Finals, not only were we going to win it, but our team and the franchise would continue to make it back," Rose told IndyStar. "I had no idea 25 years would pass." After the Pacers lost to the Lakers 4-2, squashing a basketball state's dreams to finally have an NBA title, a quarter of a century unfolded. And as the years passed, the city the Pacers called home transformed into an NFL city. The Indianapolis Colts, up to then a virtual non-player in the NFL, started winning. Then they won a Super Bowl. The Pacers became background noise in Indy's sports scene. "The Colts started really winning consistently and people really embraced the Colts," said Bart Peterson, who was Indianapolis mayor from 2000 to 2008. "And it's not like they weren't basketball fans anymore. Of course they were. But I think that the love got transferred a bit to the Colts." In those 25 years, the Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals just four times (2004, 2013, 2014, 2024), but they could never get past the opponents. The Pistons in 2004, the LeBron James-led Heat in 2013 and 2014 and then being swept by the Celtics in 2024. Now, as the team heads to its first NBA Finals appearance since 2000 to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, they are considered by most, including the oddsmakers in Vegas, as heavy underdogs. Just like that roster in 2000 who had no idea they were underdogs — until O'Neal and Bryant emerged from the wings of the Staples Center surrounded by a solid cast of teammates and took the court in Game 1. "Well, you know, look, the joy of making it to the Finals is a big thing," said Walsh. "But you quickly come to the realization, now you've got to go play in the Finals." GOLD RUSH! How the Indiana Pacers claimed their first Eastern Conference title in 25 years As the bright lights shined inside the Staples Center June 7, 2000, in front of nearly 19,000 fans with throes of celebrities sitting courtside, Miller came out and gave an unbelievably unremarkable performance, going 1-of-16 and scoring seven points in Game 1. Miller didn't score a single point until a pair of free throws, four minutes into the third quarter. He hit his first field goal three minutes later and it would be his last. "He offered no excuses, regrets or apologies," IndyStar reported after talking to Miller about his dismal, career playoff low. "I couldn't put the ball in the basket," he said. "But I'll tell you what, if they continue to give me those looks, they're going to be in trouble." The Lakers didn't dispute that one bit. "You would think aliens would come down from outer space before Reggie Miller shoots 1-16 again," said Lakers forward Rick Fox. O'Neal, on the other hand, had no problem draining shots. His Game 1 attack included 43 points, 19 rebounds and three blocked shots, much to the delight of the likes of Jack Nicholson and Chris Rock and every other Lakers fan who roared and reveled in the 104-87 victory. The Pacers leading scorer was Mark Jackson with 18, followed by Austin Croshere with 16. Rose, who scored just 12, was called out by Bird, who simply said, "Jalen didn't play tonight." "We're a funny team. We can be a hard-nosed, good, steady, tough team like we were in Games 5 and 6 against New York, or we can be a soft team," Pacers assistant coach Dick Harter said. "Somehow, we have to find our toughness." Part of that toughness for Game 2 included a series of adjustments by the Pacers to try to contain O'Neal inside and take their chances dealing with Bryant's full court game. "If we need to pick our poison, we'd rather it be Kobe," Pacers' backup point guard Travis Best told IndyStar at the time. "You can always get help on Kobe." The strategy failed miserably. The Pacers lost Game 2, 111-104, with O'Neal scoring 40 points and shooting 39 free throws after Bryant left the game early with an ankle injury. The Pacers committed 38 fouls. O'Neal made 18-of-39 free throws. While Miller scored 21 points, he had zero in the fourth quarter. Rose, seemingly ready to prove himself to Bird, scored 30 points. It wasn't enough. As the team prepared for a trip home, 0-2 in the series, to see if the magic inside Conseco Fieldhouse and an absent Bryant in Game 3 would be the answer, Bird was calm but adamant. "We have to find a way to win one," Bird said. "It's up to us to make adjustments and get some scoring inside." Being down 0-2 didn't hamper the electricity permeating Indianapolis. Smits remembers arriving home to an indescribable "excitement in the air," which is still one of his favorite memories of being a Pacer. The love his team felt from the city. It was almost as if the basketball gods had planned this whole NBA Finals just for the Pacers, who were getting to host the next three games in a flashy, glitzy, brand new $183 million arena. Conseco Fieldhouse had just opened the winter before and was getting rave reviews from fans and opposing teams. "And Reggie was, you know, the hero of the city. And everybody in Indianapolis loved him," said Peterson. "And the rest of the team was full of a bunch of really likable players. And so the city was in love with the team exactly like it is today." Fans were on the edge of their seats with this NBA Finals, a culmination of years of playoff runs with the Knicks throughout the 1990s. This time, the Pacers had overcome their big-city nemesis, beating the Knicks in six games in front of a rowdy, New York-heavy crowd of nearly 20,000 people. Rose says it was his No. 1 moment of being a Pacer, sweet revenge for the season before when the the teams were in the exact same arena playing Game 6 and the Knicks beat the Pacers 90-82 taking the series 4-2. "As I look back at the journey and there's an image of us winning against the Knicks, who obviously at that time it was Hicks versus Knicks, there's an image of Reggie Miller and I hugging at half court at the Garden," Rose said. "We did it on the logo. This was our turn for redemption and it was only right that we did it against them." To win the Finals would simply be icing on the cake. And the Pacers had a sixth man on their side for Game 3 — the city of Indianapolis. "We got a lot of guys that feed off this crowd," Rose said, "and we get a lot more energy from that." With Bryant out for Game 3 with a sprained left ankle and O'Neal scoring just one basket in the first 11 minutes (dropping him from his previous two 40+ games to 33 points), Miller racked up his own 33 points, combined with Rose's 21 for a Pacers' 100-91 victory. There was a collective sigh of relief across the city. "If we were down 3-0," Miller said after the game, "you could have pretty much written us off." Instead, the Pacers returned to their home court three days later and proved they could compete with the Lakers in a thrilling overtime ... loss. But still, they were right there. Down two points with 5.9 seconds left in overtime, the Pacers walked back out on the court confident Miller would do what he usually does — be clutch. "The first thought is you just want to run him off the 3-point line," said Bryant, who returned from his ankle sprain for Game 4. "But then I saw Robert Horry with those long arms running toward him. If there was anyone who could get a piece of the ball, it was Robert." Coming out of the Pacers' timeout, Miller came off two double screens, cut the pass and turned to launch the 3-pointer. "It was an image burned into the mind of anyone who has ever watched the slender Pacers guard move to stage center at the end of close games with everything to win and everything to lose," IndyStar wrote. "As he turned, the fieldhouse crowd, already on its feet, seemed frozen in breath and thought as he let it fly." The ball arced toward the hoop, hit the rim and bounced high into the air. But as the final buzzer sounded, that ball didn't fall through the basket as it bounced onto the court. "It felt good," Miller said after the game. "What distracted me was when Robert Horry was running at me. I had to shoot it higher over his hand and when you do that, you've probably got to shoot it a little bit longer, which I didn't, but it was right on target. It was just short." The Pacers lost 120-118, but it didn't feel exactly like a loss. It felt like they had really competed and, if they continued to play the way they did in Game 4, they might be able to call themselves NBA champions. Inside Conseco Fieldhouse for Game 5, trailing 3-1, the Pacers went on a rampage to finish a contest that can best be described as an outright blowout, 120-87. The Pacers seemed virtually unstoppable from tipoff to the final buzzer, hitting six straight 3-pointers early, and giving the Lakers their worst Finals loss since 1985. O'Neal led his team again with 35 points and 11 rebounds but got little help from his supporting cast. Bryant shot 4-of-20 and the Pacers dominated the boards 46-34. Miller and Rose combined for 57 points — 32 of those belonging to Rose. "He was sensational against the Lakers," Walsh said this week. Those two players were exactly who his team had planned to tame going into the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. Instead, they went wild. After the game, Jackson was asked if Indiana's performance may have pumped new life into the Pacers going into Game 6. "I guess that's an obvious," Jackson said. "Yes." As they headed back to L.A. for Game 6, the Pacers were smiling, now down a respectable and doable 3-2 in the series. "We have nothing to lose and everything to gain," Miller said at the time. "Everybody had written us off, so let's go out there and have some fun." There was just one thing that might put a glitch in that fun for the Pacers — they would have to win two games playing in the Lakers' kingdom. "I felt really good about our team," Walsh said. "Now, I also understood we were playing a powerhouse. I knew we were in for a tough thing and they had the homecourt advantage. So right there, that was the difference." The Pacers led much of Game 6, 26-24 after the first quarter, 56-53 at the half and 84-79 after three periods. They controlled the pace of the game, coming out aggressively from the outset and pushing back at the Lakers each time it seemed they were inching closer. The Pacers had three players with at least 20 points, led by Rose with 29, Miller with 25 and Dale Davis with 20 points and 14 rebounds. But a victory wasn't meant to be. "Monday night, reality dawned upon the Indiana Pacers that it would not be their championship, that their journey had gone as far as it would go, that they were one game short," the IndyStar wrote after the 116-111 loss. "A game in which they won the first three quarters only to have it all slip away in the last 12 minutes." O'Neal sealed the series with 41 points and 12 rebounds, but the Lakers' surge in the fourth quarter came with the help of Derek Fisher and Horry. As Walsh walked out of the Staples Center that night, he said he wasn't thinking about how long it would be until the Pacers made it back to the NBA Finals again. But then 25 long years passed and, when they clinched the spot last week, Walsh went back and watched some of those 2000 games. "We were competitive. I mean, we weren't just, you know, getting swept. But they were really good. They really had a powerful team," he said. "They just had one player after another so, you know, we got beat by a better team. That's the way I look at it now." The way he looks at it now is that his 2000 Pacers should have felt joy in just making it to the Finals, win or lose. "But once you get to the Finals and you lose, you don't feel good, you know, wanting to win," he said. "But when you really look back on it, yes we made the Finals. We're pretty damn good." Fast forward 25 years and there is only one person, one human common denominator, who was on both the Pacers teams that made it to the NBA Finals — coach Rick Carlisle, who was an assistant for the team in 2000. "He was just a good guy that everybody respected at the time. Everybody valued his opinion," Smits said. "And yeah, I'm assuming he's still that same way. The guys seem to like him and I know we did back then, too." Carlisle is a man of few words, getting right to the point, said Walsh. "The thing he does is he tells the players exactly what to do and continues that communication in every area in their game the whole time he's with them," he said. "So they understand everything he's saying. And he doesn't give long speeches and all that, he just gets out there and tells you." If there is anyone who can lead the Pacers to their first NBA title in history, its Carlisle, Walsh said, along with his players who seem to have that same chemistry the 2000 Pacers had. "These guys, you can tell they don't care who scores how many points," Smits said. "It's all about the win." Peterson said it feels like "a throwback," to 25 years ago, in many aspects. "Today, it's Tyrese Halliburton playing the part of Reggie Miller. If Halliburton played a game where he gave out 22 assists and scored no points, he might come away saying that was the greatest game of his life," Peterson said. "The team being unified and a bunch of good guys and likable, it's almost a replay of the way it felt in 2000." Except one thing. There is no wrecking ball in the paint or artist in high tops the Pacers have to overcome. The mountain to climb this time around isn't insurmountable, and this Pacers team of so-called underdogs aren't really underdogs at all, Walsh said. "I think they've got all the qualities of a champion," he said. "So, no matter what happens, they have that." Get IndyStar's Pacers coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Pacers Update newsletter
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
NRL poised to unveil Mal Meninga as Perth Bears' inaugural coach
Mal Meninga is expected to be announced as the Perth Bears' inaugural coach ahead of their first NRL season in 2027. Mal Meninga is expected to be announced as the Perth Bears' inaugural coach ahead of their first NRL season in 2027. Photograph:Mal Meninga has a mighty task to make the Perth Bears competitive from the outset as history paints a bleak picture of the NRL's expansion teams in their early years. The NRL is poised to unveil Meninga as the Bears' head coach this week, with the rugby league great expected to relinquish his post in charge of the Australian national team to take the helm in 2027. Advertisement Related: Billy The Kid looks out of bullets as Maroons face another Origin defeat | Jack Snape The nine-time State of Origin series-winning coach is understood to have beaten South Sydney great Sam Burgess and former Parramatta boss Brad Arthur to the role, his first in charge of a club since 2001. The appointment of household name Meninga is expected to help generate big interest in the AFL-mad city, which has not had a team since the Western Reds folded in 1997. But a tough task looms for Meninga amid the excitement of the Bears' return to the NRL, 25 years after their Northern Eagles merger with Manly collapsed. Some 14 expansion teams have joined the NRL and its predecessors since 1982, when the league first began to expand out of Sydney. Advertisement Only two of those teams, the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm, played finals in their first two seasons. Even then, the Broncos only made it to a playoff game to reach the official post-season in 1989, losing that match to Cronulla. Among the 12 remaining teams, only one – the Auckland Warriors of 1995 – had a winning record in either of their first two seasons, while three picked up the wooden spoon in the same time-frame. Only six of the 12 remaining are still in the league in their current format, the vast majority of others folding in the aftermath of the 1997 Super League War. The last Perth expansion team, the Reds, did not play finals in any of their three seasons, the best of those an 11th-placed finish in 1995 that ended with a respectable 50% winning record. The statistics come after Wayne Bennett told AAP last month coaching an expansion team was one of rugby league's bigger challenges. Advertisement Related: NRL approves revised Perth team expansion bid to bring back the Bears NRL HQ considers the Dolphins expansion project a big success for its nationwide fan community and ability to challenge the Broncos for airtime in rugby league heartland Brisbane. But even then, Bennett did not lead the team to finals in their first two years, and the team sits outside the top eight at the halfway mark of their third campaign. '[Coaching an expansion team] sounds like a lot of fun but it can be a journey to nowhere,' South Sydney coach Bennett said. 'It's an extremely tough gig and it's not something I would recommend for anyone to take up.'
Chicago Tribune
9 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Colin Chung wants to pitch again. First, Lake Zurich has to beat Mundelein. So he does his part.
A different day, a different hat for Lake Zurich junior Colin Chung. As the season has progressed, the Bears have come to expect Chung will do something positive each game, and those contributions don't come only in his most high-profile position as a starting pitcher. 'The fact that I'm playing a bigger role is great,' he said. 'It's a lot more fun to be in the mix.' The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Chung isn't merely in the mix, however. He's one of the main ingredients. On Wednesday, when Chung was playing second base, he delivered the go-ahead single in the eighth-seeded Bears' 9-3 win against fourth-seeded Mundelein in the Class 4A Stevenson Sectional semifinals in Vernon Hills. As a result, Chung will pitch Saturday, when Lake Zurich (26-11) will play another North Suburban Conference rival, second-seeded Libertyville (32-4), in an attempt to win the program's first sectional title. The Bears will also be pursuing their 14th victory in their past 16 games. 'I'm always excited to get on the mound again and attack hitters and try to win my team a game,' he said. 'I've always had confidence in my ability to pitch.' Chung's bat was the problem for the Mustangs (23-11-2). His one-out single to the opposite field off senior reliever Brody Paluch drove in the first of the six runs the Bears scored in the fifth inning to break open a 3-3 tie. 'That kid was pounding curveballs on the first pitch getting ahead, so I was just sitting curveball and took it the other way,' Chung said. 'In every inning, you just have to keep on going, and my hit might have sparked it. Then everyone after me did their job to continue to have a good approach at the plate.' That's Chung's kind of hitting, and Lake Zurich employed it throughout the game by producing nine runs on six hits, seven walks and a hit-by-pitch. Chung's strategy at the plate is unusual given that he's the cleanup hitter. Lake Zurich first-year coach Mike Manno moved Chung up a spot in the order before a 3-0 victory against Stevenson on May 22, when Chung also earned the win by allowing just three hits over six innings. 'He's a contact guy who gives us good at-bats and builds pitch counts on pitchers,' Manno said. 'That's why we moved him there. The beauty of having him there is that he's able to do a lot of different things for us, and he's really come through.' Chung is batting .296 with 19 RBIs, and his team-high six sacrifice bunts, including one Wednesday, have given teammates behind him a chance to drive in runs. 'He (Manno) has confidence in me bunting guys over,' Chung said. 'My approach is to find gaps. It might not look like a typical four hitter, but the job gets done, attacking strikes when I get them and putting the ball in play.' Chung follows Lake Zurich's most productive hitters, seniors Cash Kaczmarek and Owen Strahl. 'Colin is the most consistent No. 4 hitter I've ever been in front of in my life,' Strahl said. 'Every time I get on, I can expect something good out of Colin. He's just constantly on every pitcher. It's always good when he has those six-, seven-, eight-pitch at-bats.' That's not the kind of at-bat Chung wants to see when he's on the mound. He has been a great complement to senior right-hander Josh Marzec, who pitched Wednesday. Chung has recorded a 1.31 ERA in nine starts and one relief appearance over 42 2/3 innings with 56 strikeouts and 21 walks. 'I've been throwing a lot more change-ups this year,' Chung said. 'I started to add that to my repertoire, and it has helped keep hitters guessing, which is how I like to pitch — mixing in off-speeds and keeping hitters off balance. I have confidence in throwing it for a strike on any count.' Lake Zurich has shown confidence in Chung. 'I sort of knew that I would have a spot with the team pitching,' he said. 'But with a new coach, I didn't know how I would pitch or hit and fit in the lineup. So I'm just happy I've been able to perform and be a contributor.'
