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CHICAGO - Kyle Davidson became an internet sensation when Penalty Box Radio, not knowing he's the Chicago Blackhawks' general manager, interviewed him on the street prior to the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Nashville on Wednesday.

Now Davidson's also got his own T-shirt.

It's a "Kyle From Chicago" shirt, and Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson wore it when he addressed the media at the team's development camp session at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday.

"My wife found it online and it's Kyle's birthday today. I thought I'd wear it," said Richardson on Davidson, who turns 35 on Saturday.

"[Davidson] saw me a few minutes ago and he's like, 'Oh, no.' The guys were having fun with it over there. He asked if I was wearing it here [to the presser] and he said, 'Oh, no' again. Stretch it out as long as you can."

The shirt is available online from Obvious Shirts, a Chicago-based T-shirt company. Davidson's video features him playing coy and not telling his interviewer he was the Blackhawks' GM until after it was finished. He answered questions about how many NHL players he could name in 20 seconds and said on a scale of 1 to 10 on hockey, he was a 4.

Richardson said he wasn't sure what he was watching was real.

"At first, I thought it was set up and I started getting texts from friends and family saying, 'That's got to be set up.' And I said, 'Yeah, it's got to be,'" he said.

"Then he was busy, and I heard him say something at the draft table. So I asked our PR department and they said, 'No. It was just random. Guy didn't maybe know hockey well and didn't know Kyle.' Just walking around a different city with his hat on backward, just incognito a little bit. I think Kyle was trying to hint the guy along when he started saying the whole Stanley Cup roster of the Chicago Blackhawks. It was pretty funny. I thought it was great. I had to go back and text everybody that it was real."

Obvious Shirts also has tees in honor of forward Connor Bedard, who the Blackhawks selected No. 1 at the draft, including "We Have Connor Bedard And You Don't."

ARLINGTON -- Rangers manager Bruce Bochy described this point of the season as a sprint. With the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror, teams know what pieces are in place for the stretch run.

“You have your club now. This is who you are,” Bochy said before Wednesday’s game. “Can’t thank ownership, front office enough for the work they did bringing in these really nice players to help us out. Now, it’s time for us to go to work.”

A few hours later, there was no question that the message had been received. Plenty of Rangers put in work during an 11-1 rout of the White Sox at Globe Life Field, but All-Star shortstop Corey Seager and right-hander Dane Dunning were the biggest stars of the night.

Seager was activated off the injured list a couple of hours before first pitch, clearing the final hurdle when he hit against live pitching before the game. He continued to hit live pitching well once the contest kicked off, driving in the Rangers’ first three runs. Seager belted a two-run home run in the first inning, sending a 1-0 knuckle curve from White Sox starter Dylan Cease into the right-center-field seats. Then he sparked what became a five-run second inning with an RBI single.

He finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

“I felt good during my [live hitting sessions],” Seager said. “At this point, it’s kind of a pain tolerance thing, right? I felt like I could go. They were OK with me going, so we went.”

Seager had missed nine games with a sprained right thumb. He sustained the injury while making a headfirst slide into second base in a July 21 game vs. the Dodgers. But the thumb didn’t appear to bother him throughout the game.

Chicago’s first three batters hit balls to Seager to start the game and he had no issues fielding them, although Luis Robert Jr. reached on a soft single. Offensively, Seager shined for five innings before exiting with the Rangers leading 9-0.

“I don’t know what else to say about Corey. He’s amazing,” Bochy said. “He’s just that talented. He takes one day of live BP, says he’s good to go and the first at-bat [he hits a home run]. Really, really incredible what he did today.”

Dunning, meanwhile, dazzled on the mound with a career-high 11 strikeouts. He threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings before giving up a solo home run to Seby Zavala. That ended Dunning’s night, but he earned his first win since July 4.

Much like how Andrew Heaney answered the bell on Tuesday, Dunning stepped up as the Rangers' rotation faces competition after the Trade Deadline additions of Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery.

“Competition is a good thing,” Bochy said. “[Dunning] goes out there and is right on. I’m sure that might have been motivation, but throughout the season it’s been a good rotation. This is more who we are, and hopefully it gets contagious.”

Along with Seager and Dunning, Josh Jung had an impressive night. He entered the game 0-for-12 with six strikeouts over his past three games, but broke out of that mini-slump with a two-run home run and a double. Marcus Semien also went deep.

All of it resulted in a dominant victory for an organization that pushed its chips all-in at the Deadline. As Bochy said, the Rangers’ ownership and front office showed confidence by being aggressive and making big-time trades, highlighted by acquiring Scherzer and Montgomery.

By winning Wednesday, the Rangers remained atop the AL West standings. A loss would have dropped them a half-game behind the Astros. But the sprint is just getting started.

“It’s definitely coming down to the wire, but I don’t think anything changes for us,” Seager said. “We’ve been trying to win series all year. It’s just going out there and playing good baseball and trying to win the series.”

When 6-5, 250-pound middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is on the practice field, it seems like there's a redwood tree in the middle of the Bears defense.

"Justin [Fields] said it best the other day," said offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. "We have a scheme that should take advantage of somebody in the middle of the field, but the dude's like seven feet tall, and [with his] wingspan, it's not happening."

A two-time Pro Bowler in five seasons with the Bills, Edmunds signed a four-year contact with the Bears in March to anchor their defense. It's no surprise that his presence has been felt throughout the first seven training camp practices.

"He shrinks the windows for sure in the pass game," Getsy said. "And his ability to play sideline-to-sideline just really challenges an offense to be able to capture the edges."

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Fields has enjoyed the challenge that Edmunds presents in practice.

"I mean, goodness gracious," Fields said Wednesday. "We had one play today where if it was any other linebacker in the country, I mean [the receiver] would have been open. He's so huge. He definitely covers ground well too. It's been great for us as an offense to have him out there, to challenge us every day."

Edmunds revealed that he hit his biggest growth spurt as a high school sophomore.

"I grew tremendously," he said. "I was having knee pain and all that type of stuff. When I hit it, it was about filling my body out and becoming comfortable to get down in that linebacker stance."

While some players who grew like Edmunds at such an early age would be converted to defensive line, his athleticism enabled him to remain at his favorite position.

"Linebacker's been my love since Day 1," Edmunds said. "Thanks to the man above, my gifts allowed me to stick with that position and be able to get down, be able to do the things that come with playing that linebacker role. It's been my love, man, and I wouldn't trade it for nothing."

Moore leading by example

On and off the field, receiver DJ Moore has been everything the Bears expected when they traded for him and—pardon the pun—more.

The sixth-year pro was acquired along with four draft picks from the Panthers in exchange for the No. 1 selection in this year's draft.

"Most important, he's gone in that room and taken a really good leadership spot," Getsy said. "He does it by his work ethic, his humility. That guy's a grinder. He's all about his teammates, and when he makes a mistake, he owns it. That's all invaluable stuff that every young player is able to see, and then being in a relationship with the quarterback is important to him. So those young guys, again, learning the way to be a pro has probably been the best thing that we've been able to have with DJ in the room, despite all the good stuff he's doing on the field as well."

Moore, who averaged more than 72 receptions and 1,000 yards over his first five NFL seasons in Carolina—has produced impact plays throughout the first week of training camp. On Tuesday, he displayed his blazing speed by turning a quick slant into a big gain.

"He's such a powerful man," Getsy said. "His play strength and balance and body control are his strengths, for sure. He has patience when the ball's in the air too. That's a talent that I remember [former Packers receiver] James Jones talking about all the time back then, just having the patience to let the ball come to you and not let the DB know that the ball's right there until it's already caught. You can see those in him. It's been fun to let the young guys kind of learn that from him."

DOWNTOWN — The Shedd Aquarium revealed new details Tuesday for its years-long renovation to overhaul existing exhibitions and add a 40-foot underwater tunnel.

The plans are part of the aquarium’s ongoing $500 million Centennial Commitment initiative announced last year. It was created to update the Shedd and it make it more accessible by its 100th anniversary in 2030.

Renovations to 14 of the aquarium’s galleries and exhibitions will be made by 2027, according to a press release. The changes will not only be for guests but also the animals at the Shedd, officials said.

Among many changes will be the transformation of the aquarium’s North Gallery into an immersive tunnel exhibit, which will be the new home of the Shedd’s rescued green sea turtle, Nickel.

“By providing double the amount of water volume and state-of-the-art infrastructure to support a complex, warm saltwater environment, new spotted eagle rays will also join Nickel with over twice the space to swim and explore,” Shedd officials said.

Additionally, exhibitions will be changed to focus on the animals, their behaviors and the greater biodiversity of their environments, instead of the current focus on geography, leaders said.

These exhibitions will also allow guests to feel as if they are underwater, learn what kelp tastes like and examine how hagfishes use slime to protect themselves, according to the Shedd.

“We know that when people can truly connect with animals, it motivates an emotional, empathetic response that shifts attitudes and fosters a personal sense of responsibility for local waters, global oceans and wildlife,” Bridget Coughlin, the Shedd’s president and CEO, said. “People cannot care about something they do not know or understand, and it is only when we care about something, we are motivated to act — to love it, to protect it, to save it.”

The aquarium will remain open during the upgrades and renovations. New galleries, programs and experiences will open on a rolling basis.

Here is what’s set to be completed over the next four years:

Summer 2024

Summer 2026

Winter 2026

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We're back with a Smart Brevity™ breakdown of another topic in Mayor Brandon Johnson's transition report: transportation.

Why it matters: Greater Chicago saw about 280 million rides on public transportation in 2022, down from 560 million in 2019, according to the Regional Transportation Authority.

Catch up fast: We pored over the 223-page transition report to better understand the blueprint for Johnson's first term, as well as how he'll tackle big issues like getting riders back onto public transit.

Transportation

The scope: The transition team's recommendations share a goal for how to better and more equitably get around the city and near suburbs.

Committee members: State Rep. Kam Buckner, who made the CTA a focal point of his mayoral run, and former state Sen. Kirk Dillard, chairman of the RTA, lead the 32-member group.

Goal 1: Get the CTA back on track after declines in ridership, reliability, safety and cleanliness during the pandemic.

Intriguing recommendations: Prioritize growing the city's bus rapid transit system with dedicated bus lanes, and improve bus and train service beyond rush hour.

Between the lines: The report stops short of calling directly for the firing of CTA head Dorval Carter, despite complaints from several alders that the transit chief skips City Council meetings and rarely rides the CTA.

Goal 2: Improve access to existing public transportation stations and service lines, especially on the South and West sides, where many residents live in "transit deserts."

Intriguing recommendations: Create more affordable housing and retail areas near transit stops.

What we're watching: How the RTA, which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace, can avoid a projected budget shortfall of $730 million by 2026, without raising fares.

Of note: The report lists a citywide network of connected, protected bike lanes and improvements for connecting bike paths to DuSable Lake Shore Drive as long-term recommendations.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that there were 280 million rides on public transportation in greater Chicago last year, not 280 million people relying on public transit.