Jazz home games are selling out, as are Donovan Mitchell jerseys. The team’s fortunes are on the rise, having made it to the second round of the NBA playoffs for two straight seasons, and profiles for players and the franchise itself are exploding on social media.

As you would expect, Jazz TV ratings are up as well. The Jazz were ranked fifth in the NBA in local TV ratings last year, which represented a sizable jump from last year, as well as the highest total of the last five seasons.

As the Jazz’s fortunes turned, so did their TV ratings. Over the entirety of the 2017-18 NBA season, the Jazz averaged a 4.9 share on AT&T SportsNet — a share being the percentage a market’s televisions that are tuned into that broadcast. But in the second half of the season, from February to April, they earned a 6.6 share. And finally, the playoff games on AT&T SportsNet averaged a 9.2 share, a figure which doesn’t include the percentage of people who chose to watch the first round on TNT or ESPN.

Ranking fifth over the whole season left the Jazz trailing only the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs in the local TV ratings for the 2017-18 season, according to Sports Business Daily. All four of those teams have significant track records of long-term, on-court success.

"Our ratings are a tangible reflection of the passion people have towards the team and we’re thrilled so many people are watching our games with friends and family,” Jazz president Steve Starks told The Salt Lake Tribune.

But while the ratings are good, the Jazz don’t make money directly from more eyeballs. Instead, they get a consistent average annual rate from AT&T Sportsnet: about $20 million annually. That’s part of the agreement signed in 2009 that runs through 2021.

That number puts the Jazz at a disadvantage when compared to some of the deals signed more recently. The Sacramento Kings signed a deal in 2014 that gives them an average $35 million per season through 2034, and just this summer, the Milwaukee Bucks signed a 7-year deal worth about $30 million per season. Sacramento’s TV market is ranked 21st in the NBA, the Jazz are ranked 26th, and Milwaukee’s TV market is ranked 27th. But the Jazz have the highest TV ratings of the three: Sacramento earned just a 1.3 share of their market this season, and Milwaukee got a 2.3 share.

But even those bigger small-market deals don’t compare to the fortunes earned by big-market franchises. Back in 2011, the Los Angeles Lakers signed a deal with Time Warner Cable to create Spectrum SportsNet that was worth a reported $4 billion over the course of 20 years — good for an average $200 million per season.

Many big-market franchises own their own television outlets, which allows them to hide the true amount they make on their sports TV rights. The parent company of the New York Knicks, for example, also owns the MSG network. For accounting purposes, they say that the rights to Knicks games are worth $75 million per year, but a confidential report ESPN acquired puts the true value at over $100 million annually.

Some teams are locked into deals that are worth fractions of their true value. For example, the Philadelphia 76ers earn just $12 million annually from their deal with NBC Sports Philly, which lasts until 2029. The deal is a holdover from their Comcast ownership, but the team was sold in 2011 to billionaire Josh Harris.

With NBA payrolls next season projected to be in the range of $90-150 million, the difference between a good local TV deal and a bad one can make all of the difference in team budgets.

For small markets, though, good news comes in the form of the NBA’s revenue sharing agreement, where big market teams send a significant portion of their profits to the smaller markets who need it. Last year, the Lakers wrote a $49 million revenue sharing check thanks to their gargantuan TV deal.

And according to ESPN, the Jazz have received $15 million per season in revenue sharing payments for at least the last four years, even though they’ve been profitable without the league’s money. That’s because the Jazz’s small market puts them in a separate revenue-sharing bracket that essentially gives them a guaranteed share of the pool from the big-market teams.

In other words, the Jazz are in very good financial shape, even after the $125 million Vivint Arena renovation. Team ownership has essentially given carte blanche to Dennis Lindsey and the rest of Jazz basketball operations to spend up to the luxury tax level of $123.7 million. The Jazz’s salary expenditures in the 2018-19 season currently project to be about $117 million.

There may come a point where the Jazz need to spend above the luxury tax level for competitive reasons, however, as the team grows to the point where it believes it’s ready to fight for an NBA championship. In particular: the 2021-22 season is when Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert could earn new contracts that pay them up to 30 percent of the salary cap each. With a full team of players around them, the Jazz could be forced to go into the luxury tax to keep their stars.

Maybe it’s coincidence, or maybe it’s not, but that’s also the season in which the Jazz could start a new local TV deal, which could earn them the money to keep their team together.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell stepped into a national political fray Saturday morning, defending LeBron James after President Donald Trump called James dumb on Twitter.

Late Friday, Trump attacked James and CNN broadcaster Don Lemon, tweeting:

“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!”

James had criticized Trump as racially insensitive in a Monday interview with Lemon, in which James announced he was opening a school for at-risk children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Mitchell retweeted Trump's message, replying:

“A sign of an insecure human being is one who attacks others to make themselves feel better... im just sad that young kids have to see stupid tweets like these and grow up thinking it’s okay... forget everything else Donald your setting a bad example for kids [emoji] our future [emoji]”

A sign of an insecure human being is one who attacks others to make themselves feel better... im just sad that young kids have to see stupid tweets like these and grow up thinking it’s okay... forget everything else Donald your setting a bad example for kids😑 our future 🤡 https://t.co/eg0MECg8xC

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) August 4, 2018

Critics joined Mitchell in defense of James and Lemon — both of whom are black.

"There’s a lot of insults the president could have hurled at LeBron and Don Lemon, but it says something that the president openly questioned their intelligence. Gee, wonder why," wrote sports journalist Jemele Hill.

“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that Trump thinks African-Americans are dumb,” Tweeted political writer Max Boot.

Lemon replied:

“Who’s the real dummy? A man who puts kids in classrooms or one who puts kids in cages?” followed by the #BeBest hashtag, in reference to First Lady Melania Trump’s campaign discussing children’s well-being.

Other NBA players came to James' defense.

“So let me get this straight: Flint, MI has dirty water still, but you worried about an interview about a man doing good for education and generations of kids in his hometown? Shut your damn mouth! Stop using them twitter fingers and get stuff done for our country with that pen,” wrote Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Anthony Tollivar, Towns' teammate, tweeted:

“I’ve been silent about ALL of the DUMB stuff this man has tweeted but THIS is attacking the NBA brotherhood and I’m not rollin'! What an embarrassment...”

The Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal wrote simply:

“Tired of you!”

Very few Americans realize this important fact: Almost all the individual rights and liberties enjoyed in this country today were created by the federal judiciary. At the time of the Constitution’s ratification, a few rights mentioned in Article I Section 10 were guaranteed to U.S. citizens.

The adoption of the Bill of Rights in December 1791 did not create any new individual rights because it limited only the national government. This was made crystal clear in Barron versus Baltimore (1833). Religious liberty and the other rights were enjoyed only if your state decided to grant those rights.

Mormon history illustrates that, until states were specifically forbidden from infringing on religious liberty, religious minorities might not enjoy religious liberty. Thus in 1840, when Mormons submitted a “lengthy and eloquent petition” to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, detailing the wrongs and injustices done against them by Missouri officials, the committee unanimously reminded them that they had not alleged anything unconstitutional, as their petition failed to allege national government wrongdoing.

A state prohibiting a religion no more violated the First Amendment’s religious liberty than a father prohibiting profanity from his children violated their First Amendment’s freedom of speech because, by definition, only Congress could violate the First Amendment. A half century later, in 1890, a conservative Supreme Court, guided by earlier precedents, upheld an Idaho policy which denied Mormons the right to vote or hold elective office. States could operate in a tyrannical manner against any minority they chose to oppress.

Similarly, there was no individual right to own guns. Thus states could bar African Americans from owning guns. In U.S. versus Cruikshank (1876) the court explicitly stated the Second Amendment, “means no more than it shall not be infringed by Congress. This is one of the amendments that has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the national government.” Individual gun rights were created in 2008 (District of Columbia vs. Heller) when five members of the Supreme Court discovered or created an individual right that no court in the 1700s, 1800s or 1900s had ever recognized.

Individual rights are created by diminishing state powers. If, in 1890, the court had liberally construed the First Amendment and created religious liberty as the Mormons wanted, the majority of Idaho voters would have had their prerogatives diminished. Idaho’s duly elected officials might have as deeply resented the federal intrusion on behalf of the Mormons, much as southern state officials resented federal intrusion on behalf of African Americans in the 1960s.

When individual rights are created it tends to federalize those rights and expand federal oversight and regulation over the states. Through the 1800s, conservatives wanted to limit the national government and keep power in the hands of the states. Thus they resisted expanding individual rights that would be enjoyed by all people. Had individual rights been created, they would have protected religious and racial minorities — people the dominant groups viewed as the “wrong people.”

Throughout the 1800s, both state and federal courts would summarily dismiss any notion of individual rights based on the first eight amendments of the Bill of Rights. If the Supreme Court had always been staffed by conservatives following legal precedents, today there might be almost no individual rights. Probably 95 percent of the rights enjoyed today were created after 1900 by courts with a majority of civil libertarians rejecting earlier conservative precedents.

I believe that those who clamor for a restoration of the way it was at our nation's inception are unaware that would entail giving states despotic powers.

Rick Edwin Jones, West Haven, holds a master’s degree in political economy from the University of Utah and teaches economic history at Weber State University.

Imagine all federal lands in Utah sitting comfortably atop a sturdy steel desk. Not a flashy platform, maybe, but functional and sturdy. Now imagine transferring those lands to a wooden three-legged stool. A different platform now, but it serves the purpose. Or does it?

Sen. Mike Lee and other lands-transfer proponents want you to believe that gaining ownership of all public lands to Utah is a good idea. Unfortunately, the three legs on which they base their claims are cracked, rotten and riddled with termites.

Lee & Co. argue that 1) there is good legal rationale supporting a transfer; 2) owning the land will benefit Utah financially; and 3) Utah can manage public lands better than the feds.

There’s no evidence supporting the last point. State politicians and land managers are under the same pressures and constraints to balance competing interests as the feds, including budgets. Anti-feds starve government agencies of funds they need to properly manage their portfolios, then cry, “Mismanagement!” And claiming that state officials, being “closer than Washington bureaucrats,” can manage Utah lands better is cracked. Our public lands are managed on the ground by dedicated civil servants of the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Forest Service and National Park Service, federal employees who live right here in Utah.

The second, rotten leg, then: The feds pour $250 million a year into public land management in Utah. We also receive $41 million annually for Payment in Lieu of Taxes. PILT compensates rural counties with large federal land holdings for uncollected property taxes because the feds don’t tax themselves on those lands.

Where is Utah going to come up with $290 million annually if 30-plus million acres of public land suddenly fall in our lap? I know! Let’s raise our taxes. That’s a good thing, right? After all, grabbing that federal land makes financial sense! Or we could sell the land to commercial, industrial or residential interests — also a good thing because Utah could then collect property taxes on that developed land (or tax ourselves on the undeveloped land, something the feds are too stupid to do). Or we could lease the land to oil, mining or logging interests, never mind that this would jeopardize our $12.3 billion annual outdoor recreation industry employing 110,000 Utah taxpayers.

And the termite-riddled third leg? The Property Clause of the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that authority over federal lands resides only with Congress: “Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.” Further, the claim that Utah can legally “take back” public lands is false. We never owned those lands! Utah gave up any claim to federal lands when we became a state: “the people inhabiting [Utah] do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries thereof [Utah’s Enabling Act, 1894].”

Finally, numerous Supreme Court decisions and broad federal legislation, including Pollard’s Lessee v Hagan (1845), Utah Power & Light v U.S. (1917), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 affirm the federal government’s authority to hold, manage or dispose of all federal lands as it deems appropriate. The FLPMA expressly requires the federal government to retain ownership in public lands unless “it is determined that disposal of a particular parcel will serve the national interest.”

Transferring public lands to Utah is a terrible idea. You and I own those lands, as do all Americans, for our mutual and personal benefit and enjoyment. Run off the snake oil salesmen who would take that away from you.

Scott Bell, West Jordan, is a retired engineer and candidate for Utah House District 47.

As a victim of the Cold War from the 1950s atomic testing, I am appalled to read that President Trump is wasting money from the military budget for repainting rusty 40-year-old tanks that the U.S. army does not need or want. Such a boondoggle may create a few temporary jobs for people in Lima, Ohio, who lost jobs when the tank manufacturer ceased production five years ago. But why can’t they build new sewer systems or strengthen deteriorating bridges instead of refurbishing 11 useless tanks every month?

Those military funds should have been committed long ago to compensating workers and families who suffered diseases and deaths from the Nevada atomic tests. The tests were categorized as “weapons development,” for the purpose of national defense. Thus the unpaid debts from the Cold War should be paid from defense budgets.

The Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s was reassuring residents of Nevada and southern Utah that the tests were harmless. But winds were carrying fallout particles of radioactive iodine, known as I-131, across a wide territory. When unprecedented numbers of people who lived near the test site began dying of cancer and thyroid diseases, the government had to acknowledge responsibility.

Sen. Orrin Hatch wrote a major bill called RECA — the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Passed in 1990 and slightly amended in 2000, the act included an apology from the U.S. government. It offered recompense of up to $50,000 for families in the “downwinder” areas of Southern Utah and Nevada who had suffered losses, diseases and deaths from the fallout.

Northern Utah counties were not considered eligible for RECA. Yet in 1954 and 1957, strong winds had carried the dreaded I-131 particles directly over Salt Lake City. Particles that fell onto grass were ingested by grazing cows, whose milk then conveyed radioactive iodine to humans. Milk-drinkers were therefore vulnerable, regardless of their residential location. And we now know that airborne fallout has affected all the states of the USA, some of it drifting from far-away Russia. As nuclear power plants around the world experience accidents and meltdowns, we see again the disastrous effects of radioactive iodine upon human lives and the environment.

A major study by 10 scientists (Rasoul Yahyapour et. al.), published online in March 2018, explains the bio-chemical reactions and how they cause autoimmune diseases. It confirms that inflammation damage can continue over an individual’s lifetime, and that related health problems can occur up to 25 years after exposure. Radiation causes inflammation in body tissues, which can trigger one’s immune system to sense a foreign presence in various organs and attack them. Several autoimmune diseases that can result from exposure include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, clinical depression, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes 2.

My own family was exposed in 1954 in Salt Lake City. Since then, we have had five deaths from cancer — my husband, my brother, my sister, my niece and my son. My son born in 1954 died of melanoma cancer at age 62. Suffering great pain for two years, he was unable to work. His wife quit her job to care for him, and they exhausted their retirement savings. Their expenses easily exceeded the $50,000 CETA should owe his widow.

It’s clearly unjust to compensate some downwinders in Utah and not others. Attempts to amend RECA have stalled because of concern over budget deficits. That is why the Defense Department should provide money to compensate victims of the weapons development program of the Cold War. This is not a new tax. It’s a debt of honor.

Helen Heightsman Gordon, Santa Barbara, Calif., is Salt Lake City’s East High School and was an honor student English major at the University of Utah until 1962. She taught 21 years as an English professor at Bakersfield College, Bakersfield, Calif. She still has family members in Salt Lake City and Provo.

Thousands of Utahns want to cut the cord, but there’s one thing holding them back: being able to watch Utah Jazz games.

Right now, there is no “over-the-top” streaming service that carries AT&T SportsNet, the channel that has paid the Jazz about $20 million per season in exchange for the terrestrial and digital rights to show Jazz games.

That puts the Jazz in stark contrast with most of the NBA. Most of the NBA’s 30 teams (26 to be exact) have games available on an over-the-top streaming service (such as Sling, YouTube TV, Playstation Vue, or DirecTV Now) that allows fans to cut the cord and go internet-only with their TV package. Most of those packages cost $25-40 per month.

Surprisingly, AT&T SportsNet isn’t even available on the DirecTV Now streaming service, a service that AT&T owns. AT&T acquired DirecTV in 2015.

Even for those Jazz fans who prefer to keep their standard television contracts, streaming Jazz games away from their TV screen isn’t always easy. Late last season, AT&T SportsNet released its mobile app and streaming website, providing access to stream the games to those who subscribe to participating pay TV providers.

In Utah, though, only DirecTV is among the list of AT&T’s participating providers. Notably, a Comcast, Dish, or Google Fiber subscription doesn’t allow one to use the AT&T SportsNet app to watch games. And even for those who can use the app, the rights agreements prevent the video from being “casted” to a television screen — the video has to stay on the phone, tablet, or computer screen.

The result: hordes of frustrated Jazz fans, who want to watch games without being tethered to their living room TV screens.

The Jazz organization would love broader distribution of its games across multiple platforms but gave the full digital rights to AT&T SportsNet in a contract signed in 2009 that runs through 2021. The Salt Lake Tribune has learned that the team has tried to put pressure on AT&T SportsNet to improve the situation, but it doesn’t really have any leverage. Naturally, the Jazz are worried about losing the next generation of fans, the younger generation that is less likely to pay for a traditional TV deal.

“Our broadcast strengthens the bond between our fans and the team and is the connection in the season-long journey,” Jazz president Steve Starks told The Tribune.

The NBA league office, too, says that it wants it’s games on the largest available platform, but has no ability to interfere with a valid contract between a team and a regional sports network.

AT&T SportsNet, meanwhile, asks viewers to reach out to their TV provider and ask for streaming access. “We continue to have conversations with providers and hope to add additional providers soon,” Suzanne Trantnow, an AT&T spokesperson, said in a statement.

Providers aren’t biting, though, and for reasons that are more than just financial. A story by the Houston Chronicle suggested Comcast has chosen not to ink a streaming deal with AT&T SportsNet (which also broadcasts Houston Rockets games) because “the company does not want AT&T to have access to information about its subscribers.”

Meanwhile — in a back-and-forth battle that will be familiar to those who followed the Pac-12′s battle with DirecTV — television providers such as Comcast are asking that viewers contact AT&T SportsNet leadership in order to convince them to be more generous with the terms of the contracts, in terms of user data and money.

For those who’d prefer to pay for an over-the-top service and cancel their standard TV contracts, AT&T asks that Jazz fans contact the individual service providers there, too. So, yes, irritatingly, in the case of DirecTV Now, they’re asking consumers to contact their own subsidiary.

Last season, it seemed as if progress would be made, and that Jazz games would be available on an over-the-top service, but that optimism faded as the Jazz got deeper into the season. Now, it seems as if both AT&T SportsNet and the TV providers are entrenched in their positions, with no end in sight.

A DirecTV Now streaming option makes the most sense of the over-the-top options, but as of this summer, there is a feeling of resignation: no one The Tribune spoke to was willing to put a timeline on when AT&T SportsNet might be available on the service. After all, why hasn’t it been done already?

There appear to be only two solutions to the problem: public pressure and time. Several executives noted that AT&T SportsNet and the TV providers considered those who wanted streaming a “vocal minority,” and that they felt there wasn’t yet a compelling business reason to move off their negotiating position.

And for the truly patient, the deal’s expiration will give the Jazz the ability to negotiate more favorable streaming terms into their next TV deal. While that’s still a few years away, the Jazz plan to make it a priority to get their games in front of as many eyeballs as possible, no matter the technology used.

Moab, Utah • A 15-year-old Boy Scout who had been reported missing since going mountain biking with his troop near Moab in eastern Utah has been found safe and in good condition.

The Grand County Sheriff's Office says Kyler Wood of Vineyard was spotted Saturday morning by a state Department of Public Safety helicopter.

The boy was reported missing Friday afternoon.

The Sheriff’s Office said he was found in the Gemini Bridges area about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of Moab.

Larry Krystkowiak’s summer has been anything but a break.

Not that it ever was before, but when change hovers over a program, as it has under Krystkowiak in recent seasons, you have to get your batch of newcomers up to speed. This summer his Runnin’ Utes welcomed five members of a lauded freshman class who will be leaned upon to not only contribute, but be integral parts of a program in its eighth season under the watch of the 53-year-old head coach.

During the start of the few weeks of the offseason — student-athletes will return to campus when the fall semester starts on Aug. 20 — Krystkowiak was in the middle of a lengthy drive back to his home state of Montana when he discussed a number of topics regarding these young gun Utes, the vaunted nonconference schedule pieced together for the upcoming season, and what expectations he has for such a youthful squad.

It started this summer not on the court, but in the weight room.

Utah’s loss to Penn State in the NIT final in late March served as a lesson for Krystkowiak’s group that while the 2018-19 team will be stocked with young talent, it must be ready for what will be a significantly upgraded schedule. The Utes struggled physically against Penn State, so this summer, it has been all about bulking up.

“We’ve given our strength and conditioning staff the direction to, ‘Hey, let’s put some beef on,’” Krystkowiak said.

Utah was able to practice four hours a week for eight weeks during the summer semester, which is made a bit more tricky considering coaches are recruiting as much as five days a week. When the coaches were on the road, the Utes were turned over to the training staff in the gym.

And when you have five new freshman plus some JC transfers, you’ve got a lot of paperwork to sort through just to get off the ground.

Which Krystkowiak feels Utah’s on target with.

No spring or summer during his seven previous years was as fruitful or productive as this one, he said. The 2018 class of guard Naseem Gaskin, wings Both Gach and Timmy Allen and bigs Riley Battin and Lahat Thioune has acclimated. Transfer guard Charles Jones Jr., last year’s NJCAA Player of the Year, has too.

Utah’s 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes are their most hyped to date, so what, if anything, has changed?

“A lot of things in life don’t happen overnight,” Krystkowiak said.

Plenty has changed, but also, not that much. Utah has been in the Pac-12 long enough now, Krystkowiak says, that it has produced star players (see Delon Wright, Jakob Poeltl and Kyle Kuzma), contended for conference titles and even added that spiffy new basketball facility to wow recruits. Utah lost four seniors to graduation and five more to transfers after missing out on March Madness.

“We knew there was a lot of work to be done,” Krystkowiak said, crediting his staff. “We really invested a lot of time and effort as a group of recruiters.”

Fans might be drooling over the potential, but potential isn’t quantifiable. For Krystkowiak, outmuscling the other dude for a rebound, or soaring just a bit higher to block a shot is. Utah, as it is every year, has completed its first phase of the calendar year. Senior Parker Van Dyke said as much when the team held its last squad meeting at the conclusion of the summer semester.

“You can never win a golf tournament on a Thursday,” Krystkowiak summed up.

But you can certainly put yourself in position to.

That’s why Utah’s nonconference schedule, which for some time has been scrutinized by fans and media, has been bolstered. Utah hits the road for games at Kentucky and Minnesota, faces rival BYU at Vivint Smart Home Arena in the Beehive Classic, and hosts the likes of Tulsa and last year’s Sweet 16 team Nevada. Why has Utah loaded up for this season? “Sometimes, your mindset changes a little bit,” Krystkowiak said.

“You look at the blueprint of success in the NCAA Tournament,” he added, “and you need to try and get a couple marquee wins early and if you don’t give yourself an opportunity to do that — certainly we’ve got our hands full — but at least we have the opportunity to do some of that.”

If Utah’s in the mix for an at-large bid come next March, there won’t be any questions regarding the bubble. Beyond that, a trip to Rupp Arena or facing a veteran-heavy Wolfpack team will ensure the annual road trip at Arizona isn’t an eye-opener for this young Runnin’ Utes crew.

“Now is the time for our players and our staff to be challenged during the preseason, and it’s been a process,” Krystkowiak said. “I can remember three, four years ago, whatever it was, you get killed because you don’t tackle enough. You do your best as a coach with where your program is and you schedule accordingly. I’m not saying what I’m doing is correct, but it’s the plan that we have.”

The Utah coach didn’t want to single out any player when asked who has turned heads or who is exceeding expectations this summer. But Krystkowiak does believe he’s got a bunch of players who are willing to guard, and as far as length and athleticism, well, there’s never been a previous team that has rivaled this year’s roster.

They’ll be tested this upcoming season. All of them. And it’ll start early in November, not January.

Krystkowiak says he’s reach the point in his career where he’s no longer worrying about winning 20 games. Instead, he adds, “I’m trying to figure out ways to get to the NCAA Tournament.”

First, the disclaimers: Utah's receivers gets degree-of-difficulty points, going against one of the Pac-12's best secondaries in practice. Coach Kyle Whittingham's praise came after only the third day of practice. And he's shrewd enough to build up a position area that is being questioned from outside the program.

Even so, it was meaningful Friday when Whittingham, asked if any group had made a big impression in the first week of camp, immediately cited the receivers.

“I like the wide receivers' work ethic, how they're really getting after, taking care of business,” he said. “It's a group that is all business right now. There's really no group that's been disappointing, but I would say they've stood out.”

That’s encouraging. Having lost Darren Carrington II, who caught 70 passes in his only season with the Utes as a graduate transfer, the receivers lack proven qualities. Britain Covey is the only returning player who seemingly has maximized his ability — and that was two years ago, prior to his church mission.

Yet the early signs suggest some productive players will emerge, and freshman Solomon Enis might be one of them. Whittingham has consistently mentioned the 6-foot-3 Enis, from Phoenix, without being asked about him (he has not cited Terrell Perriman, the other touted freshman receiver, so that’s a further endorsement of Enis).

Whittingham also pointed to Siaosi Mariner, Demari Simpkins, Samson Nacua and Covey, adding, “I'm sure I'm missing somebody” among seven or eight receivers who have looked good.

The receivers know what other people are saying about them. “We feel really good about ourselves,” Nacua said. “I hear a lot of talk about the receiving corps and how it's been in the past, and everyone's worried about that, but I know that we've all closed that off and are not worried about what people say. … We're ready to show everyone what we've got.”

Tight ends are often overlooked in the discussion of Utah’s offense, because they’re not a big part of the passing game. But junior Jake Jackson and sophomore Connor Haller appear capable of handling their blocking and receiving roles. The coaching staff has moved Ali’i Niumatalolo from linebacker to offense in a fullback/tight end role, a position the Utes employ occasionally. He’s a son of Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo.

Bourbonnais, Ill. • If training camp and the preseason opener have indicated anything positive to the Chicago Bears, it’s young talent at key positions could be deeper than anticipated.

Rookie outside linebacker Kylie Fitts and several other Bears outside pass rushers have stepped up at a need area, while seventh-round draft pick Javon Wims is giving an indication competition for jobs at wide receiver will be fierce.

“I think for all of us outside ‘backers it’s a young group, so we all have a lot to show out,” Fitts said.

Fitts made a sack and four tackles Thursday night in the Bears’ 17-16 Hall of Fame Game loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

It’s not the first time this summer the Bears’ sixth-round draft pick from Utah has been harassing quarterbacks. In training camp, he’s almost been too effective as he made contact or got too close to Mitchell Trubiski, Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray.

“We had to get on him the last couple weeks and even in OTAs on staying away from the quarterback,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said.

With the start of preseason games, Fitts can finally finish off sacks.

“He plays extremely hard,” Nagy said. “I have to sometimes remind him to make sure to stay away from the quarterback and the throwing motion and he actually came up to me and apologized to me for it. But you can’t fault a kid for trying to play hard trying to get to the quarterback. So I told him ‘when we get to the preseason, do it as much as you want.’ “

The Bears needed someone to complement outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, and signed former 49ers defensive end Aaron Lynch. Lynch hasn’t practiced due to a hamstring injury, and Nagy said he’ll likely miss another preseason game.

They also have veteran Sam Acho, who has been a reserve for three seasons in Chicago.

So when Fitts and second-year outside linebacker Isaiah Irving each came up with a sack Thursday, and the pass rush piled up eight sacks, the position seemed less of a problem.

“I feel really comfortable with that,” Nagy said. “And again, having Lynch out right now is a struggle, just because we want him out there. But we’ve got to be safe with him and make sure he’s 100 percent when he’s back.

“But once we get him back with Floyd and Acho and you have these other guys, these younger guys that are coming up, I feel like we’re in good shape at that spot and have depth there.”

Except for a minor arm injury, Fitts has been healthy through camp. He finds it refreshing after injuries kept him off the field his last two college seasons, and likely caused a slide in the draft.

“Last season it was tough sitting out all those plays, but I just ignore, don’t think about injuries. I just come out and think about performing really well,” Fitts said.

Like Fitts, Wims also fell in the draft. He went in the final round after a productive year at Georgia.

So Wims said he has something to prove, and Thursday did it with game-highs of seven catches for 89 yards.

“He did a good job using his size and he also did a good job using his release moves, so that was a positive,” Nagy said. “And then in regards to some details, he had some sloppy routes too.”

Wims is just another in a large group of receivers to excite Bears offensive coaches. Veterans Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Kevin White and Josh Bellamy, and rookie Anthony Miller have also been productive in practice.

At 6-foot-3, Wims not only lined up outside, but also in the slot.

“I think the great thing about this offense is all receivers have got to know all positions,” Wims said. “Everybody. You kind of have got to be position-less, and just be plugged in at spots.”

The next test for both young draft picks will be continuing their progress Thursday at Cincinnati

“Usually, the biggest thing that you see happen when a guy has a good game — whoever that is; any position — sometimes, those young guys then start to think, ‘OK, I did a lot to help myself out and now I can kind of coast into practice or coast into the next game,’ “ Nagy said. “And that’s not the case.

“So our message to them is that’s over with now. You did that, you played well. Now improve on that and build (on) those blocks.”

NOTES

Safety Deon Busy (left hamstring) and cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc (groin) were injured in Thursday’s game and did not practice Saturday. ... Nagy said prior to the opener that talks were “stalemated” between the agent for first-round draft pick Roquan Smith and the team as the holdout continues. Nagy said Saturday there have been no new developments and the sides haven’t talked again.

Washington • First lady Melania Trump stepped away from her husband’s criticism of NBA star LeBron James to compliment his work on behalf of children and even offer to visit his school for at-risk children.

"It looks like LeBron James is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation and just as she always has, the First Lady encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today." Mrs. Trump's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement Saturday.

The statement’s tone was in stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s tweet Friday night following James' appearance on CNN in which he told journalist Don Lemon that he “would never sit across” from Trump, whom James has criticized in the past. The interview took place at James' “I Promise” school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

"Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon," Trump tweeted in a swipe at a news network he often derides. "He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do."

While many former and current professional athletes jumped to James' defense, Mrs. Trump's spokeswoman noted that the first lady's Be Best initiative for children promoted "the importance of responsible online behavior" as well as their well-being and healthy living.

"Her platform centers around visiting organizations, hospitals and schools, and she would be open to visiting the I Promise School in Akron," Grisham said.

Mrs. Trump has stood apart from her husband’s views before. In June, when migrant families entering the U.S. illegally were being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trump administration policies, she said through her spokeswoman that she “hated” to see the separations and that she believed the U.S. needed to be a country that “follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”

At least three participating restaurants in the annual Taste of the Wasatch food and wine event scheduled for Sunday at Solitude have pulled out over concern that tens of thousands of dollars in proceeds are going to the host organization and its leader instead of being donated to Utahns Against Hunger.

“We had always expected this money was going to feed hungry children,” Ryan Lowder, owner and chef of Copper Onion and Copper Kitchen, told The Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday.

Lowder said he has canceled plans to send eight employees to the Sunday event and instead will donate about $3,000 directly to Utahns Against Hunger. That’s about the amount he figures he would have spent on participating in Taste of the Wasatch, which he’s done annually for almost a decade.

But a leader of the sponsoring organization pledged that most of the 50 participating restaurants would come and the event would live up to the expectations of 1,800 people who signed up for it.

“I owe it to the folks who have bought tickets that they experience a great event,” said Zane Holmquist, board chairman of the nonprofit that hosts Taste of the Wasatch and a vice president and corporate chef of Stein Eriksen Lodge. “As a professional, I owe it to them.”

The hosting organization, 3 Squares Inc., will regroup after Sunday and make whatever changes are necessary to ensure the event’s future, Holmquist said. “It’s been 19 years, and we want to have 20.”

The group’s executive director, Karen Zabriskie, has offered her resignation, Holmquist told The Tribune, but no decision will be made before Sunday’s event and without input from the full five-person board.

Zabriskie unilaterally made the decision last year to forgo the promised $50,000 donation to Utahns Against Hunger, which has led the anti-hunger group to cut ties with Taste of the Wasatch. She and Holmquist said the painful choice was necessary to prevent the debt-caused dissolution of 3 Squares.

The decision to spend the $50,000 elsewhere, which only later was revealed to the board, was still unknown to many of the restaurants participating in Taste of the Wasatch until a story published this week by The Salt Lake Tribune.

Matt Crandall, executive chef at Whiskey Street and White Horse Spirits & Kitchen, disclosed Saturday that he is skipping the event.

“We feel our contribution from last year was not handled as intended and the main purpose for this event was to help Utahns Against Hunger,” Crandall said on Facebook. “We are currently looking into ways to contribute this year’s costs to Utahns Against Hunger and are open to any suggestions.”

Holladay’s 3 Cups coffee is abandoning the event, too.

“After reading about this in the SL Tribune and then talking to our employees about it. We have decide that we will be pulling out of tomorrows Taste of Wasatch event. Just feels like the right thing to do,” the restaurant announced on Instagram.

After reading about this in the SL Tribune and then talking to our employees about it. We have decide that we will be pulling out of tomorrows Taste of Wasatch event. Just feels like the right thing to do. Here is the link to the story for those that want to read about it https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/08/03/anti-hunger-group-utah/ . All food made for the event will be sold in house tomorrow and 100% of proceeds will go directly to Utahn’s Against Hunger. So, come on in and support an important and great cause Https://www.uah.org/meet-uah . . #honestyisthebestpolicy #supportcommunity #sltribune #UAH

A post shared by 3 Cups(@3_cups_coffee) on Aug 4, 2018 at 11:20am PDT

“I’d be shocked if more restaurants don’t jump on board,” Lowder told The Tribune on Saturday.

Zabriskie sent an email Saturday evening to participating restaurants, encouraging them to stick with the event.

“I would strongly suggest that you show up tomorrow for the people who bought tickets and want to taste your food,” she wrote.

“We are a 501(c)3 so when you contribute and donate to this event, you can be assured the funds are being used in the efforts to fight hunger locally. I apologize for not sending this information earlier in the year. And will strive to so a better job of keep you informed on where the funds are going.”

“People gave money thinking it was coming to Utahns Against Hunger,” Executive Director Gina Cornia previously told The Tribune about last year’s event, “and it didn’t, and that’s not OK.”

It appears Utahns Against Hunger isn’t the only feed-the-hungry nonprofit that feels betrayed by Taste of the Wasatch. Green Urban Lunch Box Executive Director Shawn Peterson said it happened to his nonprofit three years ago.

Zabriskie “told us we would get between $30,000 and $40,000” for partnering with Taste of the Wasatch that year, Peterson told The Tribune on Saturday. “We provided a bunch of staff, helped put on the event. After the event, they just went cold to us, wouldn’t return our calls, wouldn’t do anything. Finally, they just sent us a $1,000 check in the mail.”

In a report to the IRS, 3 Squares said the 2015 event took in $104,612. After expenses, it reported clearing $59,063. Zabriskie, president of 3 Squares, took salary of $56,600 that year.

“All in all, we felt really used,” Peterson said, adding that he came forward after a colleague sent him a copy of the story about Utahns Against Hunger and asked, “Sound familiar?”

He urged participating restaurants to boycott the event and donors to look elsewhere for a good cause.

“There are so many good organizations that people can support,” Peterson said, “and it’s unfortunate to support that one.”

Zabriskie, who reported a 2016 salary of $71,500 on tax returns, did not respond to requests for comment Saturday. She had told The Tribune that 3 Squares ran into money problems because of a venture to build a kitchen for its classes teaching children from low-income families to cook.

The kitchen was to be styled as a for-profit business making money from renting to caterers and others, but with the money being used to support its nonprofit educational activities. Construction was underway, Zabriskie said, when several promised donations fell through.

Holmquist, who offered himself Saturday as the spokesman for 3 Squares in place of Zabriskie, confirmed that the nonprofit’s financial troubles last year stemmed from the kitchen construction and unfulfilled donor pledges. He said he was unaware of any commitment to Green Urban Lunch Box in 2015 and didn’t know of the organization.

Financial records Zabriskie provided indicated that 3 Squares took in $196,568 last year, including $137,390 from Taste of the Wasatch. But expenses totaling $214,852 were shown, including a reduced $42,575 salary for Zabriskie.

Asked about Zabriskie’s future, Holmquist said that would be up to the board.

“In my opinion, I have never seen anybody work so diligently, so hard to make a charity successful,” he said. “I’m very happy with her commitment to the charity, her ideals and her goal and her passion. I am disappointed that she didn’t involve the board with the decision to divert the funds from 2017.”

“If I remain involved, which I may or may not," Holmquist continued, "I will make sure that I have a personal dialogue with every chef about what’s going on for next year.”

Reporter Kathy Stephenson contributed to this story.

A sample of mosquitoes caught in a commercial area in Logan have tested positive for West Nile virus, the city announced Saturday.

The mosquitoes were taken from an area near 1200 West and 1700 North and were analyzed by the state’s Public Health Laboratory, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page.

West Nile virus is most commonly spread to humans from mosquito bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are no known cures for the virus, nor preventive medications. The best way to reduce one’s chances of catching the virus is to not get bitten.

While many people don’t show symptoms after contracting the virus, about 1 in 5 will have a fever. About 1 in 150 infected people die from the illness, according to the CDC.

Logan is installing insecticide designed to kill larval and adult mosquitoes.

The city recommends that residents do the following to curb the threat of mosquitoes:

• Use mosquito repellent.
• Drain standing outdoor water.
• Wear long sleeves and pants between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes carrying the virus are most active.
• Ensure that door and window screens will keep the insects outside homes.
• Cut tall weeds and grass, where adult mosquitoes rest during the day.

Officials last month discovered this year’s first signs of the virus in Utah. Infected mosquitoes were found in Box Elder, Davis and Uintah counties. Now infected mosquitoes have been found in Salt Lake, Duchesne and Kane counties, according to the Utah Department of Health’s most recent West Nile surveillance update.

There have been no reports of human infection.

Washington • A question to my colleagues in the media: Why do we play President Trump’s foil?

The scene in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, last Thursday night was familiar: journalists on an elevated platform in the middle of the arena, penned in, filming the proceedings and typing on their laptops while the president of the United States points at them and provokes thousands of people to boo them, jeer them, taunt them and chant ("CNN sucks!").

By my count, the president attacked the press — what he calls "the enemy of the American people" — no fewer than 21 times in his 75-minute speech, accusing them of fakery and conspiracy to suppress his voters.

"Oh my God, what fake news!"

"Only negative stories from the fakers back there."

"Whatever happened to honest reporting?"

"They are the fake, fake, disgusting news!"

"These people back here, these horrible, horrendous people."

The attacks on press coverage spanned the landscape of topics: the 2016 campaign, trade, the economy, NATO, Russia, his meeting with Queen Elizabeth II. There were more attacks on the press than on Democrats. There is good reason for this: Democrats aren't in the room. A demagogue needs to make the enemy threat clear and present. Journalists are present and clearly visible on their risers. We become the boogeyman against which Trump whips his crowds into a frenzy.

To their credit, CNN and MSNBC didn't take the rally feed live. But why are journalists allowing themselves to be sitting ducks? We should reduce our presence to the Air Force One "pool" — a small rotating group that shares its reporting with the rest of the media. Any other journalists who wish to cover these spectacles should attend as members of the public — as my colleagues and I did when Trump briefly banned The Washington Post and other outlets from covering his events during the campaign. If Trump says something outrageous, report it. If there is violence, or conspiracy theorists taking over the place, report that. But let's not make ourselves into targets, and let's not reward this demagoguery with airtime.

Journalists should not be the story, we often say. Trump is making us the story by making us the in-house villain of his rallies. And in recent days, our breathless coverage is helping to spread the impact of a new fringe conspiracy group by naming it — which I'm not going to do here. Most egregiously, we're playing into Trump's larger purpose, and his likely 2020 theme: Any news that is unfavorable to him is fake.

My colleagues' instinct has been to fight back. During a live stand-up from Trump's Tampa rally last week, CNN's Jim Acosta was taunted by the crowd, which had been chanting "fake news" and "go home." Said Acosta: "We're staying right here. We're going to do our job and report on this rally to all of our viewers here tonight."

A noble sentiment, but better to “go home” — so Trump can’t use the scenes to his benefit. Eric Trump retweeted video of Trump supporters chanting “CNN sucks” at Acosta, adding the hashtag #Truth. The president retweeted his son.

Likewise, little was gained by Acosta's insistence, in a televised White House briefing, that Sarah Huckabee Sanders "say, right here, at this briefing, that the press ... are not the enemy of the people. I think we deserve that."

Of course, she would do no such thing ("the president has made his position known") and instead used the occasion to portray herself as a victim of harassment by the press (this after falsely alleging last week that the media tipped off Osama bin Laden about U.S. surveillance). Acosta walked out to protest Sanders' "shameful" behavior.

But we can't expect the soulless Sanders to give us what we "deserve." Let's give her what she deserves: no more cameras at the briefings, or at least no more cuts of reporters asking questions. Ask the questions, but don't play her game.

Thursday night's speech was, for Trump, relatively tame (he generally stuck with the script), but he still managed his usual mix of the false ("U.S. Steel is opening up seven plants"), the reckless (accusations regarding his own generals, the Justice Department and the Queen of England) and the scurrilous ("many" immigrants are "stone-cold killer[s]"). Is it news that Trump now says, as he did Thursday night, that his campaign claim that Mexican immigrants are murderers and rapists was "peanuts compared to what turns out to be the truth"?

Arguably. So report that. Stop letting him make us the story.

Dana Milbank is a Washington Post columnist. He sketches the foolish, the fallacious and the felonious in politics. Twitter, @Milbank.

What’s better than rows and rows of food trucks lining up for a downtown block party?

Add beer.

The Salt Lake Tribune’s Food Truck and Brewery Battle brought local brewers and food trucks to The Gateway for a free event in its backyard. Above are some photos from the event.

New York • Professional dodgeball is chaos, but it’s organized chaos.

At the 2018 Dodgeball World Cup, people were dodging, dipping, diving, ducking and, well, dodging some more all over the two-court theater at Madison Square Garden. And while that part of the matches may have look scrambled, the rest did not.

Each attack Saturday was thought out, strategically planned around players’ strengths and weaknesses. Balls didn’t just fly amuck. They were thrown with purpose.

“It’s not the same game that most people remember from school,” Team Canada player Katie Morrison said. “It’s exciting to tell people that and to see their reactions that it’s actually a competitive sport. It demands a level of athleticism when you’re performing on the court — power, speed and agility.”

The game grew up. It got rugged. Some players now get injured to a point where they bleed.

All of this was on display at the World Dodgeball Association’s second biennial tournament, where 13 different countries competed for the ultimate dodgeball title. There were three divisions — men’s, women’s and mixed competition — with 10 teams each.

Austria won the men’s bracket. England won the women’s and mixed.

The WDA was founded as dodgeball’s world governing body in 2013, bringing together 35 countries from different continental federations. Since then, it has grown to 62 countries and WDA president Tom Hickson said there are more than 67.5 million participants.

“We’ve got quite a big growth agenda happening in the Middle East at the moment,” Hickson said. “Within the next two to four years, we want to be aiming to deliver over 90 countries and over 100 million people worldwide.”

That’s the goal.

“I don’t see it shrinking,” Team USA president and player Ed Prentiss said. “It should keep growing.”

Prentiss has been playing dodgeball seriously since 2003 when he founded the National Dodgeball League. The next year, the movie “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” was released and interest spiked. Similar leagues start popping up everywhere.

Once established, it took the WDA 18 months to come up with a standardized set of rules that satisfied everyone.

“Our rules system is not necessarily designed for the grassroots activity,” Hickson said. “It’s more into that high-performance standard. It’s making sure we get the best out of our athletes and get the best out of the sport.”

The basics are the same: Get hit or get caught, get out.

A game is played with five balls — cloth, not rubber — with six players per team. There are two 15-minute halves with an indeterminate number of sets. Last team standing at the end of a set, or with the most remaining players, gets points. Then, the balls are reset and action begins again. This repeats until time runs out.

Members of the dodgeball community are proud of the fact they play a very inclusive sport.

“I’m a little guy, smallest guy out there,” Prentiss said. “I love it because I can dodge and catch. Some people love it because they’re throwers. Some people love it because they’re the total package. It just depends, but you see all body shapes and sized out there.”

And they’re all wearing the same uniform — some sport knee pads for sliding, too.

Right now, players pay for their own gear and travel. Teams try to gain sponsors and fundraise as much as possible. Most players maintain a full-time job in addition to dodgeball.

The ultimate prize for winning the World Cup is an engraved silver plate. No purse.

Still, none of this deters players.

“We just want to establish recognition,” Morrison said. “I personally want to show the youth and the future generation of the sport that they have something to look forward to, that they have something to look up to as far as professional athletes and that this is a sport they can compete in as they get older much like the more traditional, mainstream sports like basketball, hockey and baseball.”

Kids walked around Saturday in team jerseys and general dodgeball T-shirts.

There also was the World Junior Finals slotted in the middle of the World Cup’s schedule, showing future generations that going from the gym to the Garden is possible.

“All the major sports have gone through it: They had to start somewhere,” Prentiss said. “This is our start.”

Beverly Hills, Calif. • For the first time in the 34-year history of the Television Critics Association Awards, a Utahn has been honored.

Well, the trophy for Best Reality Show went to Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” and Salt Laker Tan France is one of the stars of that show. France — the son of Pakistani immigrants who grew up in London — immigrated to the United States. And he’s lived in Utah’s capital city for nearly a decade.

(France and the other members of the Fab Five — Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness — were unable to attend the ceremonies at the Beverly Hilton Hotel because they're in production on Season 3 of “Queer Eye.”)

The big winner at the 2018 TCA Awards was “The Americans,” which wrapped up a six-season run on FX in May. The series about a pair of Soviet spies posing as an American couple and operating in the United States at the height of the Cold War was named best drama and program of the year — and series star Keri Russell won the award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama.

Robin Thede, the host of the BET series “The Rundown With Robin Thede,” opened the evening with 10 minutes of comedy poking fun at both TV and TV critics. The awards were presented by members of the TCA, including this reporter, with the exception of the Career Achievement award, which legendary producer Norman Lear (“All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son,” “Maude,” “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons”) presented to Rita Moreno — the Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner is starring in the Netflix revival of another Lear sitcom, “One Day at a Time.”

In addition to the three awards for “The Americans,” FX took home a fourth when “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” was named Outstanding Miniseries or Movie.

Cable series dominated the evening. BBC America’s “Killing Eve” won Best New Series, and CNN’s “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” was honored for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information two months after Bourdain’s death. HBO won two honors: “Sesame Street” won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming, and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” won the TCA Award in a new category — Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Shows.

In addition to the “Queer Eye” win, a second streaming service series was honored when Rachel Brosnahan, the star of Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” won for individual achievement in comedy.

NBC represented for the broadcast networks — its sitcom “The Good Place” was named Best Comedy. And the TCA’s Heritage Award — which is sort of a career achievement award for a series — went to “Friends” for its enduring cultural significance, 14 years after it ended its 10-season run on NBC.

The nominees and winners were voted on by members of the TCA — more than 200 journalism professionals from across the United States and Canada.

The 2018 TCA Award winners are:

Individual Achievement in Drama: Keri Russell (“The Americans,” FX).

Individual Achievement in Comedy: Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amazon Prime).

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information • “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" (CNN).

Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming • “Queer Eye” (Netflix).

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming: “Sesame Street” (HBO).

Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Shows: “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO).

Outstanding New Program • “Killing Eve” (BBC America).

Outstanding Achievement in Movies And Miniseries • “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX).

Outstanding Achievement in Drama • “The Americans” (FX).

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy • “The Good Place” (NBC).

Program of the Year • “The Americans” (FX).

Lifetime Achievement • Rita Moreno.

Heritage Award • “Friends” (NBC).

Sandy • Real Salt Lake’s front office has drawn a fair share of ire from the fan base recently.

Some of it warranted, some of it typical banter.

But RSL’s braintrust got one very crucial signing right this offseason. He’s No. 6 in your game-day booklet. The 6-foot-1 Croatian box-to-box midfielder who continually has proved that he’s not only part of RSL’s long-term project, but he’s here to help expedite the process. Sure, there might be a center forward issue for RSL as the transfer window closes next week, but there is no production shortage out of the midfield.

Damir Kreilach has made certain of that.

The 29-year-old put RSL on his shoulders against a scuffling Chicago Fire team that put all three of its superstars on the bench when the lineups were introduced Saturday evening. And more importantly, Kreilach delivered RSL three points for the first time in a month in the 2-1 win over the Fire. The win snapped RSL’s three-game winless streak and extended Chicago’s losing streak to six.

The two-goal performance upped his season total to six — tied for the team lead — to add to his team-high six assists.

It was Kreilach’s header, after all, that finally awoke Rio Tinto Stadium from a slumber that lasted nearly every minute of the sloppy, turnover-filled first half. The offseason signing showed, yet again, why the franchise was in hot pursuit of the Croatian. Because he can get up.

In the final minute of stoppage time in the first half, Kreilach freed himself room in the box and cooly placed a header into the near post that Chicago goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland had no hopes of saving. The cross played into the box by Jefferson Savarino found the one guy who has proved to be an aerial threat on a weekly starting lineup that doesn’t feature that much height.

Saturday night was Kreilach’s 21st start of the year and his 23rd overall appearance. When your new, highly paid players need to get their feet wet and become acclimatized as soon as possible, it helps that they’re available to make a possible impact in every outing.

Kreilach, learning to be that second deep-lying midfielder in RSL’s formation, has done exactly that. Before signing with RSL in February to occupy the spot alongside Kyle Beckerman, he’d spent the past five seasons with Union Berlin in the German second division, where he scored 33 goals.

Eventually, Chicago’s dude with the gray hair decided to have a say.

After Bastian Schweinsteiger entered the game as a substitute, it took all of two minutes for him to introduce himself to Rio Tinto Stadium in the sort of fashion synonymous with Schweinsteiger. A rocket of a right-footed shot that thumped the back of the net left spectators in awe. The former German national team star, World Cup winner and Bayern Munich mainstay let loose a shot that fans in attendance of Saturday night’s match will get to talk.

Kreilach, however, would have last say.

A simple tap-in was all he needed to do after Savarino dribbled through several Fire defenders, laying the ball off to Joao Plata, who played a pass across the face of goal, for Kreilach to hit into the net, putting RSL up 2-1 in the 75th minute.

Cleveland• Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia is expected to step down at the end of this season, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Scioscia has managed the Angels since 2000 and is the longest-tenured manager in the majors. Only four managers in baseball history have managed one team for more consecutive seasons than these 19 by Scioscia.

The 59-year-old Scioscia led the Angels to a World Series title in 2002.

The Athletic’s report was pinned on unidentified major league sources and surfaced late Saturday night following the Angels’ 3-0 loss at Cleveland. Scioscia is under contract through the end of 2018. The Angels are 55-57 this year.

A voicemail left by The Associated Press with a media relations member traveling with the Angels was not immediately returned.

Scioscia has 1,625 career wins. The former big league catcher led the Angels to six division titles and seven playoff appearances.

Canton, Ohio • One of the great leaders football has seen, Ray Lewis used his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech to call for more enlightened leadership in our country.

The last of the seven members of the class of 2018 on hand to be enshrined, Lewis eschewed notes and the lectern, instead strolling along the stage and passionately urging his listeners to come together.

“Are you living every day to make this world better?” Lewis asked Saturday night at the end of his 33-minute oratory, often invoking the teachings of Martin Luther King. “Think what we can do if we work together as a country ... teaching our nation to love each other again.

“It’s how we react to the challenges in our life that shows our greatness. How do we execute that dream? Who will answer that knock on the door in the middle of the night? And it has to start right now. We need people willing to fight for what is good and what is right.”

Turning to the 140 Hall of Famers on the stage, he told them: “We can go from being legends to building a legacy bigger than football, bigger than sports. Look at what unites us ... the answer is simple, love. Hope, faith and love, and the greatest is love.”

Lewis was joined by Randy Moss, Brian Dawkins, Brian Urlacher, Jerry Kramer, Robert Brazile and Bobby Beathard as inductees at the hall ceremony.

One of the best linebackers in NFL history, Lewis won two Super Bowls with the Ravens; he often chanted “BALTIMORE!” during his speech.

“Tell me something can’t be done is like pouring lighter fluid on an open flame,” said Lewis, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who won a second Super Bowl for the 2012 season — coming back from a torn triceps — then retired. He was the MVP of the 2001 title game.

“I came back, and boy did I come back,” Lewis said. “When you walk off the last time with that thing, that Lombardi, it’s a confirmation I am living proof of the impossible.”

A first-year nominee, Lewis was selected 26th overall in the 1996 draft — what were other teams thinking? He wasn’t even Baltimore first choice: Jonathan Ogden was, and the big tackle made the Hall of Fame in 2013.

His impact was immediate, both on the field, in the locker room, and even in pregame introductions, when his “squirrel dance” fired up fans and teammates alike. He and Ogden even did a short version on the stage.

Lewis was the first player with 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in a career. An eight-time All-Pro and inside linebacker on the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team, he had a franchise-record 2,643 career tackles.

Dawkins also delivered a powerful speech and, as he promised, cried during it.

One of the hardest-hitting and most versatile safeties in NFL history, Dawkins stared at his bust and nodded his approval to the crowd.

“The majority of success I have had has come on the back end of pain,” he said, noting he had suicidal thoughts when he battled depression. “On the other side of it, all of a sudden I became better. There’s a purpose for my pain.

“I have grown leaps and bounds because of the things I went through. For those going through this now, there is hope on the other side. Keep moving, keep pushing through.”

Dawkins was the leader of an Eagles defense that made four straight NFC championship games and one Super Bowl. Voted to the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team and a five-time All-Pro, Dawkins intercepted passes in 15 consecutive seasons and had 37 picks overall. He averaged nearly 100 tackles a year and spotlighted his versatility as the first player in NFL history to get a sack, interception, fumble recovery and touchdown catch (on a screen pass) in a game, against Houston in 2002.

Urlacher became a record-28th Chicago Bear inducted into the hall. A first-year nominee who filled the tradition of great middle linebackers in the Windy City so brilliantly, Urlacher actually was a safety at New Mexico. Chicago selected him ninth overall in the 2000 draft and immediately converted him to linebacker. He spent two weeks in training camp on the outside, then was moved inside — for 13 spectacular seasons.

“I love everything about football: the friendships, the coaches, the teachers, the challenges, the opportunity to excel. I loved going to work every day for 13 years,” said the 2000 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2005 Defensive Player of the Year, a season in which Urlacher had 171 tackles.

The five-time All-Pro and member of the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team even did some work on special teams.

But it was in the heart of the defense where he shone.

“The most coveted position for a defensive player to play is middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears,” said Urlacher, who had to hold back tears several times. “Just think about it. I hope over my 13 seasons I made you Bears fans proud.”

Another first-year nominee, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Moss brought the perfect combination of height, speed, soft hands and agility to Minnesota as the 21st overall draft pick in 1998 after a rocky college career. His 69 receptions, 17 for touchdowns, and 1,313 yards helped the Vikings go 15-1 and earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

That was just the start for the eccentric but always dynamic Moss. When he finally hooked up with an elite quarterback, he caught a record 23 TD passes from Tom Brady in New England’s perfect 2007 regular season.

Moss rubbed the face and top of his bust, then delivered a sermon worthy of any church or synagogue. He paid tribute to his family, to the fans of his five teams, and to his roots in West Virginia — he promised he would return to his hometown of Rand on Sunday to show off his gold jacket.

“To my gold jacket brothers, I vow I will wear it proudly,” Moss said.

One of those Hall of Fame brothers, Terrell Owens , declined to attend. Instead, he held his own celebration at his college in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was shown in a video and his photo was hanging in Tom Benson Stadium. Otherwise, T.O. was MIA.

In a lengthy and humorous speech, Kramer brought the crowd back to the Lombardi Era. A senior committee nominee, Kramer became eligible in 1974 after 11 seasons with the Packers in which he won five NFL championships and two Super Bowls.

“It was an incredible experience to be with him and have him bring you along,” he said about Lombardi, who gave him “approval and belief: powerful, powerful tools.”

Kramer also spent some time placekicking for Green Bay. He made five All-Pro squads, the NFL’s 50th Anniversary Team, NFL All-Decade Team of the 1960s and the Super Bowl Silver Anniversary Team.

Brazile, known as Dr. Doom when he played in all 147 games for the Houston Oilers in his 10-year NFL career, kissed his bust when it was unveiled. He spoke of how he and Walter Payton made history by being selected in the first-round of the same draft from a historically black college.

Also a senior committee nominee, Brazile was drafted sixth overall out of Jackson State, two picks behind his teammate. He made such an immediate pro impact he was the 1975 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and went on to five All-Pro seasons as one of the game’s most versatile linebackers. He was in on a stunning 185 tackles in 1978.

Presented by his father, also named Robert, Brazile made the 1970s NFL All-Decade Team. He retired in 1984 and became a special education teacher.

“When they knocked on my door,” he said of finding out in February he had finally made the hall, “all of my dreams came true. And after all these years, I’m at home.”

Beathard won four Super Bowls as a team executive and drafted four Hall of Famers. His best hire might have been coach Joe Gibbs, who presented Beathard for induction.

A contributor’s committee nominee, Beathard worked for the Chiefs, Falcons, Dolphins, Redskins and Chargers. He won two NFL titles each with Miami, including the perfect 1972 season, and Washington. He also helped Kansas City and San Diego make Super Bowls.