Le Journal

The neon sign in front of the new location of Pinkerton’s Barbecue tells diners almost everything they need to know about the restaurant. Based on a drawing by pitmaster and owner Grant Pinkerton, the sign’s retro-inspired design and simple declaration of “Beef, Pork, Links” offers a simple summation of what the restaurant will serve when it opens to the public this Tuesday, January 20.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. Ernie in the Hall, The Penguin comes to Chicago, Dexter Fowler* arrives, and other stories for the discerning reader. RIP Don Sutton. Today in baseball history: 1934 – Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Shoeless Joe Jackson’s appeal for reinstatement. (1,2) 1956 – In New Jersey, the city of Hoboken dedicates a plaque honoring the achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball at Elysian Fields in Jersey City. (1,2) 1959 – The Players Association orders their International League members not to sign a pact unless it includes their pension plan. (2) 1972 – The New York Yankees acquire outfielder Johnny Callison on a conditional basis from the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees will end up keeping him and completing the deal by shipping pitcher Jack Aker to the Cubs on May 17th. (2) 1977 – The BBWAA elects Ernie Banks to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In a 19-season career, Banks hit 512 home runs, had 11 All-Star selections, and won back-to-back National League MVP Awards, (1,2) 1983 – Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Ron Cey is sent to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers Vance Lovelace and Dan Cataline. Cey will play 518 games at third for the Cubs, the most since Ron Santo. 2013 – Two all-time greats pass away today, as long-time Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver dies at 82 and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Stan Musial is a victim of Alzheimer’s disease at 92 later in the day. Both were members of the Hall of Fame. (2) 2015 – The Astros trade OF Dexter Fowler* to the Cubs for 3B Luis Valbuena and P Dan Straily. The deal opens the way for top prospect Kris Bryant to start at third base for the Cubs. (2) 2016 – In settling a class action lawsuit filed by fans, Major League Baseball announces changes to its policy regarding the streaming of live games over the internet on MLB.TV. Fans will now be able to buy a package that covers their favorite team and that allows them to circumvent local blackouts, while the cost of the league-wide full package will be reduced by 15 percent. However, the settlement does not cover certain regional networks not owned by DirecTV, MLB’s principal broadcasting partner. The suit was filed because, while MLB.TV promised subscribers that they could watch all MLB games lives, local blackouts meant that in reality, fans who bought the package were often unable to follow the games of their local teams, a frustrating situation in markets where the local cable sports network is either not made available by every provider or is part of an expensive premium package. (2) 2021 – Hall of Famer Don Sutton, a 300-game winner, passes away at age 75. (2) Cubs Birthdays: Ollie Hanson, Ken Frailing, Kevin Coffman, Anthony Young, Phil Nevin, Chris Stynes, Amaury Telemaco, Nick Burdi. Today in History: 1363 – English King Edward III introduces his Sumptuary Laws, restricting what people ate and wore to preserve social status (largely ignored). 1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey. 1955 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first-ever televised presidential press conference. 1977 – Snow falls in Miami, Florida.…

On Monday night, Mark Pope broke the news that Kentucky point guard Jaland Lowe would be done for the season, as he’s opted to have surgery on his shoulder. That the news might not come as a shock to many, but it does impact this team substantially this season. Despite that fact, it was fairly obvious the pain that Lowe was facing while on the court, and he still ran out of that tunnel and powered through for this team. That is the type of guy you want helping run your squad every single season. With Lowe out, Jack Pilgrim of KSR spoke with his dad, Marland Lowe, about this whole process. His dad gave some insight into the decision that went into finally getting the surgery. “The doctors talked and said, ‘Look, man, it’s just going to probably happen again and he’s got at least, at minimum, maybe three weeks to rehab. You just never know what’s going to happen.’ With that being said, they recommended, like, ‘Listen, man, we probably need to shut him down,’” Lowe told Pilgrim. “It was tough for him, but we understood what it was. He understood what the possibilities were all the time and he was willing to sacrifice that because he wanted to play and wanted to be out there with his teammates and play for Kentucky.” It’s a brutal development for both Kentucky and Lowe. The Wildcats have been plagued with injuries seemingly every year now, while Lowe battled through a broken finger during his sophomore season at Pitt before making his way to Lexington. Now that Lowe’s season is over, is he planning to come back to Kentucky next season? For now, the plan is to be back so long as the coaching staff wants Lowe back. “If they will have him back, if they want him back, you know? I’m pretty sure that’s what the plan would be,” Lowe said. “That’s what he wanted, to play there. And he looks forward to it. It’s just, I think, the nature of the beast now would basically fall on the University of Kentucky and how they would view him going forward if they want him back or not. That would be our plan, but if not, I know that there are plenty of (schools) that would want him [laughs].” Will be a lot to watch this offseason, but now it is time to wish Lowe and his recovery the best! Here’s to hoping we get to see him play a full season when next year rolls around. Be sure to read Pilgrim’s full report for more insight into Lowe’s injury and time with the Wildcats.

President Trump is attending the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos this year with fellow world leaders who seek answers on Ukraine and Gaza.

Coming into the season, this Kentucky Wildcats team had talent. This is a roster that came into the season with expectations of being more athletic and versatile than last year’s team. The one concern was this team’s ability to shoot the ball. Saturday in Knoxville, this team showed that it can shoot. Kentucky made 11/24 3-pointers and shot 47.5% from the floor in a come-from-behind 80-78 win over the Tennessee Volunteers. Trailing by as many as 17 points late in the first half, the Wildcats clawed back into the game by making shots and playing tough defense. Kentucky made 6/11 3-pointers in the second half, outscoring Tennessee 49-36 in the second half and holding the Volunteers without a basket in the final 5:38 of the game. Saturday’s win can build confidence. Coming back from down 18 at LSU is one thing, but coming back from down 17 at Tennessee, a team led by its bigs, without Jayden Quaintance and Malachi Moreno scoring just three points on four shot attempts, is the kind of win that builds confidence, character, and resilience. Kentucky vs. Tennessee Stars of the Game 1. Collin Chandler: 12 pts, 4-6 3-PT FG, 3 rebs, 2 ast., 1 blk, 3 stl, 24 mins Chandler looked like the player on Saturday that many Kentucky fans had hoped he would be this season. Every time he took a 3-point shot Saturday, it felt like there was a good chance it was going to go in. All six of Chandler’s shots on Saturday were from 3-point range, and he made four of them. Every one of those four 3-pointers was crucial. For the second straight game, though, it was an assist by Chandler that won Kentucky the game in Knoxville. With 40 seconds to play, Chandler stole a pass from the Volunteers’ leading scorer, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and then threw it ahead to Otega Oweh, who converted what proved to be the game-winning and-one six seconds later. “It was great coming to Knoxville again. Our team loves playing in Knoxville,” Chandler said. It’s great to see Chandler shooting the ball well again. Even more so, he’s making winning plays without scoring. That’s a testament to his growth in his sophomore season.  2. Denzel Aberdeen: 22 pts. 7-11 FG (3-6 3-PT FG), 5-6 FT, 2 ast., 2 stl, 29 mins Kentucky doesn’t get back into this game without Denzel Aberdeen. He made an impact in the paint and from beyond the arc Saturday in leading the Wildcats with 22 points. Aberdeen went 7-11 from the field overall and 3-6 from 3-point range. The most impressive part of Aberdeen’s performance was playing all 20 minutes in the second half. He didn’t pick up a foul in the second half, after picking up two in the first half. Aberdeen scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half and hit all three of his 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes. 3. Jasper Johnson: 12 pts, 5-6 FG (2-3 3-PT FG), 4 ast., 2 rebs, 19 mins Johnson did all of his scoring in the first half Saturday, but he had a team-leading three assists in the second half.  All three of his assists were crucial. First, he found Denzel Aberdeen for a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 58-54 with 11:12 to play. Then, he hit Otega Oweh for a 3-pointer to make it 65-62 with 7:52 to play. Less than 30 seconds later, he found Malachi Moreno for an and-one to cut the deficit to 67-65. That’s when I told many people around me on press row that Kentucky was going to win this game. Mark Pope talked after the game about Johnson’s progression throughout his freshman season. “He’s coming. He’s coming, he’s on his way. He gave us a massive lift when we were stuck. I’m proud of him, his future in this game is so bright.” Not only is Johnson finding his own rhythm, but he’s playing within Kentucky’s offense and distributing the ball to his shooters. 4. Mouhamed Dioubate: 10 pts, 4-11 FG, 2-2 FT, 6 rebs (4 off.), 1 stl, 27 mins, +16 Dioubate delivered in a big way yesterday. For starters, he was 2-2 on his only trip to the free-throw line. In a two-point win, that is crucial. Kentucky was +16 when he was on the…