HANGING UP HIS TRUNKS Two-time Canadian Olympic medallist Ryan Cochrane is retiring from competitive swimming. The 28-year-old from Victoria, B.C., made the announcement on Tuesday morning.
Former Bulls GM Jerry Krause dead
Jerry Krause, the Chicago Bulls’ general manager during their 1990s dynasty that saw them capture six NBA championships with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, has died. He was 77. A Chicago native, Krause spent 18 seasons leading the Bulls’ front office and was a two-time NBA executive of the year. He helped put together a run that ranks among the most successful in NBA history and made the franchise a worldwide brand. The Bulls notched two championship three-peats in the 1990s.
Manu star set to join Chicago Fire in MLS
World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger is leaving Manchester United to join the Chicago Fire. The MLS team is signing a 32-year-old midfielder in the twilight of his career who struggled to make an impact after leaving Bayern Munich for United in 2015, mostly because of injuries and lack of playing opportunities. His move to Chicago is dependent on passing a medical exam and obtaining a visa. “I am grateful to the club for allowing me the chance to take up the challenge at Chicago Fire,” he said.
Opera tells tale of pivotal baseball star
The Summer King, an opera about Negro Leagues baseball star Josh Gibson, will have its world premiere in Pittsburgh April 29. Gibson’s story also figured in Fences, the movie starring Denzel Washington that was originally a play by Pittsburgh native August Wilson. Baseball and opera “don’t usually inhabit the same universe,” said Christopher Hahn, Pittsburgh Opera’s general director. But opera is the perfect medium because it allows people “to sing about emotions and aspirations and fears.”