Jeff Cirillo

In two weeks, high school athletes will be back in action, as football, boys' water polo, cross-country, girls' volleyball and girls' golf teams get ready to kick off the 2012-13 school year. As is the case this time every year, anticipation for...

PROVIDENCE HIGH — Marcus LoVett Jr. and Patrick Gonzalez have led the Providence High boys' basketball team all season. So it seemed fitting that the two players were also instrumental in guiding the Pioneers to their first-ever CIF Southern Section...

Already a highly touted boys’ basketball prospect when he arrived at Providence High as a freshman prior to the 2011-12 school year, Marcus LoVett Jr. could have sequestered himself in the Pioneers’ gym and concentrated his athletic efforts...

The Tribune's White Sox beat writer answers reader questions throughout the season. This week, there's talk about trades, the off-season, and how the Sox can get back in the race this season. Mark: I realize Iguchi is a rental player for the Phillies,...

In 30 years of covering high school baseball in Southern California, I've seen Jack McDowell intimidate hitters with a frightening scowl, Bret Saberhagen throw a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium, Jeff Suppan dominate with pinpoint control, Randy Wolf throw...

Everything is relative. Take starter Gavin Floyd's White Sox debut Friday night. Yes, he allowed six runs in a 12-0 loss to the Twins, but at least he held the Twins to only one touchdown. And that's not bad, considering the Sox lost the opener 20-14....

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the Cubs are lacking when it comes to putting together a prolonged hot streak. But trying to put a finger on what exactly is ailing the club is a question best left for Rhodes scholars. The Cubs blew...

Questions about Mark Prior's health surfaced again Thursday after another shaky outing in an 8-6 loss to Milwaukee, but the answers were as elusive as Prior himself. Whether Prior will make his next start is up in the air, and the possibility of Prior...

Manager Dusty Baker summed up the feeling of thousands of Cubs fans Wednesday night at Miller Park. "Dang," Baker said. "That was tough to swallow, especially when we kept fighting back and fighting back." Pinch-hitter Jeff Cirillo ended the 3½-hour...

With the pressure off and the focus of the city squarely on the White Sox, the Cubs suddenly are looking like world-beaters. A 6-3 victory Tuesday night at Milwaukee, coming on the heels of an 8-3 homestand, helped relax a clubhouse that was anything but...

Jerome Williams had five messages on his phone by the time he reached the Cubs locker room on Tuesday night. "I know one of them is from my father in Hawaii," Williams said. "He probably listened to it on the radio. I know he is going to be happy."...

If first impressions are truly lasting, a survival kit may be necessary for White Sox fans to get through the 2002 season. The Sox managed to live through a bumpy encounter in the season opener Monday when Keith Foulke escaped a bases-loaded jam in the...