Somewhere...

Somewhere, the late Abe Gibron is smiling. Gibron coached the Bears over the stretch of three horrible seasons, 1972-74, when they went a collective 11-30. But Gibron was only an assistant coach for the Munsters in 1971, when they lost 6-3 in a battle of field goals against the Broncos at Mile High Stadium on December 5th. Bears’ quarterback Bobby Douglass was sacked nine times and threw two interceptions. I remembered watching that game while watching the Munsters lose 6-3 last night to the visiting Seahawks at Soldier Field. Caleb Williams was sacked seven time while throwing one interception. You can see why I thought this was that and that was this. This—past or present, you pick—is what the McCaskeys and their lackies want the people of Illinois to contribute $2.4 billion for a new lakefront stadium. Not then, not now.

Three and Ouch

Pity the poor Bears. Really. They face the Seahawks today, for their third game in eleven days. If there’s any consolation, they’re not alone. Yesterday, four teams—Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers, Texans—did likewise in order to satisfy the “need” for NFL Christmas-Day programming. That’s five teams subjecting their players to a whole bunch of punishment with minimum time to recover. The Seahawks, who play the Munsters at Soldier Field tonight, will be playing for the third time in twelve days. I’m guessing what a difference an extra day won’t make for accumulated aches and pains. The NFL is a ravenous beast. Network broadcast deals aren’t enough anymore to satisfy owners. Now, they’re going after streaming revenue, as evidenced by Netflix doing yesterday’s games and Amazon Prime tonight’s contest. Bears’ and Seahawks’ fans will be able to watch the gam the old-fashioned way, on free TV. How generous of the overlords. That the NFL Players Association agreed to this schedule highlights the union’s weakness vis-à-vis the owners. From what I can tell, players are also going into “Macho” mold—we’re football player, dammit, we can take it. Get back to me in twenty years, guys.

A Gift to Myself

I couldn’t just have Michele buy me a White Sox team autographed team ball for Christmas, so I bought one, too. A hearty welcome to the 85-77 1962 Sox. There are three HOFers—Luis Aparacio, Nellie Fox and Early Wynn. As for Floyd Robinson, I can’t get over how small and legible he wrote his name. Plus a shoutout to Dom Zanni and Dean Stone. Charlie Maxwell, I think that’s your autograph. As to the name directly below Turk Lown’s, I haven’t a clue. It could be Eddie Fisher, or Al Weiss. No, check that. I’m going with Sherm Lollar. Yes, we have a match and a Merry Christmas.

Old-school

Who’d have thought it, me claiming to be just like my late father-in-law? In many way, especially sports, Bob was very old-school. It was a factor of time and place, the Chicago Public League in the 1940s. Bob played football and basketball, two “bladder” sports, as he put it. Playing the line or starting at forward, it was all the same to him. You kept your head down, plowed through the opposition and did your best to win the game. You did not showboat, which may or may not have been a term he used. Old-school Bob sat and watched college sports, less with envy for a chance he never had—running up and down hills in Korea with a bull’s eye on his back got in the way—than irritation with the constant celebrating. I can only imagine what he would’ve made of the end zone spectacles that have become a staple in college and the NFL. The danger is to turn this into a racial thing, to point out the Bears’ Tyrique Stevenson to the exclusion of everyone else for being unaware of the adage about laughing last and best. But I got tired long ago of Cole Kmet, the pride of Notre Dame, swinging for the fences after every touchdown he catches. You’re still stuck on a crappy team, Cole. Head down, plow ahead, do your best to win. It worked for Bob, it works for me.

Crickets

Another game, another loss, and I don’t mean for the Sad Sox. Lions 34 Bears 17. In these parts, athletics is politics. I’m willing to bet that early in the year the McCaskey war room fashioned a plan for pressuring the General Assembly into opening up the purse strings to help pay for a new mega stadium. It hinged on drafting Caleb Williams. From there, the propaganda machine took off. I just did a quick Google search for “Kevin Warren lakefront stadium.” My, the Bears’ president and CEO was very chatty between March and October, from when fan interest was building behind the team, which happened to have the first selection in the draft, to when the Munsters had themselves a 4-2 record. Now, at 4-11, it’s crickets. I wonder why.

He's Back

From all indications, Sammy Sosa and the Cubs have kissed and made up. On Thursday, Sosa issued a statement in which he admitted, “I made mistakes,” when “There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games.” His former team responded by inviting Sam-a-la to the 2025 Cubs Convention. Whatever. I root for the other team in town and should be the last one to throw stones given the condition of the glass house I call home. What gets me, though, are those local sports’ people who think Sosa needs to get on his hands and knees; beg for forgiveness; and detail what PEDs he used, when, and from whom. To those Sosa critics who reported on him back in the day, allow me to ask a question or two. Why didn’t you call him out at the time? What, you didn’t notice anything along the lines of a science experiment? In which case, shame on you.

Perchance...

Here’s something that you don’t see every day—the Bulls beating the reigning champions Celtics on the road. But that’s what happened last night for the first time in three years as the visitors scored a 117-108 upset in Beantown. The win moved coach Billy Donovan’s kids to 13-15, which would be good enough to put them in the NBA playoffs. What’s interesting is the team features a bunch of young players plus three “old” guys—Lonzo Ball (27); Zach LaVine (29); and Nikola Vucevic (34). LaVine and Vucevic have been playing lights out while Ball playing at all on his surgically repaired left knee pretty much qualifies as a medical miracle. All three are considered trade bait. There should be no rush to move anyone quite yet. Let’s say by some miracle the Bulls win their next two games, a rematch with the Celtics tomorrow at home followed by a visit Monday from Giannis Antetokuounmpo and the Bucks. In which case, why mess with a good thing? We’ll see. Did I mention that Donovan was nominated to the basketball HOF?

Playing with Fire

You reach a certain age, and the past becomes a potential problem. A person can confuse then with now, never a good thing. So, best to tread lightly in yesteryear. That said, I’m treading, in the form of a family tree that looks for all the world to consist of White Sox team autographed balls. The idea is to get balls from the year my parents married (1939) and my in-laws (1953); the year of my birth (1952) and my wife’s (which I won’t divulge here); Clare’s (1991); Chris’s (1990); the grandchildren and so on. Along those lines, I just got a ball with autographs that include Chico Carrasquel and Virgil Trucks; if you gotta ask, you don’t the Sox past. At some point, I want to include balls from the years my sisters Barb and Betty were born, 1942 and ’46, respectively. Hello, Mike Tresh and Dairo Lodigiani. Plus I have a sister-in-law and brother-in-law and….

Cut-rate

You can’t make this stuff up. The Sad Sox are changing the name of their home mall to “Rate Field,” per a rebranding by their partner, the former Guaranteed Rate mortgage company. Apparently, the new logo will feature a red arrow above the word “Rate.” The arrow happens to be pointing down, sort of like it is for a franchise that lost 121 games this season. If the new logo gets put up at the ball mall, Sox fans will have a field day come the first ten-game losing streak of the season.

The Stink

As expected, the Bears lost to the Vikings last night 30-12, as quarterback Caleb Williams spent most of the game running for his life while his offensive line looked on as the opponents they were supposed to be blocking chased the guy they were supposed to be protecting. Things are so bad, the stink so great, that general manager Ryan Poles may get the axe after just three seasons. Hiring Mickey Eberflus was like the White Sox hiring Mickey Mouse. Poles should ask Rick Hahn how that worked out. Mouse had a big hand in the Sox going 41-121, which works out to a .253 winning percentage. Right now, the Munsters’ record stands at 4-10, or a .286 wp. If McCaskeys Kids lose the last three games of the season, as more than a few experts predict, that will leave them at 4-13, which will leave them at .235. They need one more win to put their wp at .294 and better than the Sox. The saying goes that those who hesitate are lost. And fired, from the looks of it.

Extra! Exstra!

It’s nothing short of delicious. The NFL has created 24/7 in-season coverage (and the rest of the year, for that matter), and the Bears are part of it. I’m guessing the McCaskeys wish they could turn back the clock to the 1970s. But, No, the Chicago media is full of stories going into tonight’s game that pits the 4-9 Munsters against the 11-2 Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Oh, will that Viking horn blow. Bears’ Nation is—pun alert—all atwitter over the stalled development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams along with the head-coaching vacancy. The worse Williams does every game, the more intense the twitter, if you will. I have nothing against Williams; he sure didn’t ask to lead the league in being sacked. Fifty-six body-pounding times, no less. I’d love to see the Munsters pull off an upset, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Whatever happens, an avalanche of coverage will start on Tuesday morning.

You Have Got to be Kidding Me

The White Sox website posted a story on Friday about the team’s interest in Japanese ace starter Roki Sasaki. This, despite April Fool’s being 3-1/2 months off. I mean, what’s their pitch—come to a team looking to break its own record for losses in a season? Kiss the postseason goodbye and focus on fundamentals? Lose, grin and bear it? No 23-year old in his right mind is going to sign with this organization, not until it shows it can win, as in 90+ games a season. And that, my friends, won’t be happening anytime soon.

Fun to Watch

I’ll say this for the 2024-25 Bulls—they’re entertaining, a bunch of guys who can shoot the ball. Can they play defense? If the best defense means averaging 118.7 points a game, then, yes, they can. That way, the 121.9 points a game opponents average doesn’t count. Does a team with an 11-15 record have a shot at the postseason? Sure, why not? What I like is the change from last season. DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso have moved on, and it’s like they were never there. Gone, pretty much, are the mid-range jumpers and isolation, along with anyone who cared about defense. All of that is offset by the massively improved (offensive) play of a healthy Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball along with a miraculously rejuvenated Nikola Vucevic. I can see effort here, which no doubts reflects on coach Billy Donovan, the only head coach/manager in Chicago who speaks in everyday English and believes in player/coach accountability. If the Bears and White Sox had sought out those qualities in previous hires, maybe they would’ve had records good enough to seduce the General Assembly into funding both teams new stadiums. The better the Donovan Bulls do, the greater the pressure on the Bears and White Sox to get it right, for a whole bunch of reasons.

A McCaskey House of Cards

This week, the Bears got what they wanted, a property tax bill that will save them in the neighborhood of $5 million a year in property taxes for their 326 acres in Arlington Heights. The village and two area school districts signed on, or gave in, whichever you prefer. Here’s the thing. How serious can the team be about building a $2 billion stadium there—not to be confused with the $4.7 billion one they want on the lakefront—if it’s so important for them to save a relative pittance on their tax bill? It all comes down to smoke and mirrors, the combination of which is intended to minimize project funding the McCaskeys will be responsible for. Lucky for state residents and any members of the General Assembly in need of a spine that the Munsters are their own worst enemy. Hardly anybody wants to go to bat for a 4-9 team on a seven-game losing streak. Ditto any team with a 41-121 record looking for new digs on the public dime.

On the One Hand...

The White Sox traded someone who won six games last seasons and nine games in a four-year career for four Red Sox prospects, all of them top-fourteen caliber and all of them from a system ranked third or seventh out of 30, depending who you believe. On the other hand, the Sox traded away Garrett Crochet. What it comes down to is this is a trade made necessary by Jerry Reinsdorf’s refusal to sign pitchers to big contracts. If Mark Buehrle couldn’t get paid what he was worth, Crochet didn’t have a chance. This is a reality Sox fans have to accept until the day Reinsdorf leaves the building, front entrance or back. That said, it could be worse. With Kyle Teel, the White Sox now have two hot-shot prospects behind the plate, Edgar Quero being the other. Plus Korey Lee. Not a bad logjam to have going into spring training. In addition, we got outfielder Braden Montgomery, who’s supposed to know how to hit, a rarity among White Sox outfielders in 2024. Montgomery, though, suffered a broken ankle before the Red Sox drafted him in the first round this summer. So, there’s that. But it’s December, I might as well be optimistic. The White Sox also acquired infielder Chase Meidroth, who had 105 walks to go with a .437 OBP in Triple-A last season. The seven homeruns could indicate another Nick Madrigal, or not. Again, it’s December, I’ll go with not. Did I mention it’s December, a time to count one’s blessings? For me, that means no more Mickey Mouse managing the White Sox and at least a glimmer of hope that next season will be better than last. Now, if Reinsdorf would just sell, I might even break into a smile.

Burger Time

Clare left a text with Michele this morning to tell me that ex-Sox third baseman Jake Burger had been traded from the Marlins to the Rangers for three minor leaguers. This should give Texas a lineup with considerable pop: Burger, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Marcus Semien. Burger and Semian. The Sad Sox sure can trade ‘em away for nothing, can’t they?

Offensive

The White Sox have an offensive coordinator, whatever that is. At least I know who Grady Sizemore is. Which is more than I can say for the other hires on new manager Will Venable’s eleven-coach staff. By my count, five of twelve have major-league experience, with Sizemore and Venable leading the way. The other three are variations on a cup of coffee, or a pot at best. The last time the Sox lost 100-plus games was 1970. The housecleaning afterwards brought in new manager Chuck Tanner and three coaches to join holdover Luke Appling. Two of the new hires were Tanner buddies, base coaches Joe Lonnett and Al Monchak. The other one? Pitching coach Johnny Sain. I’ll be over the moon ecstatic if Venable comes anywhere near Tanner in ability. But holdover pitching coach Ethan Katz is no Johnny Sain, and none of the other guys except Sizemore can come close to Appling. Maybe ol’ Aches and Pains just stood there in the third-base coaching box, but Walt Williams once told me, “I liked him,” and I suspect he was talking about more than a pleasant personality. Appling could hit, and he no doubt shared what he knew with anyone willing to listen. Did I mention that a team that ranked near the bottom in every hitting category—including runs, hits, homeruns, batting average and on-base percentage—kept its hitting coach? Tanner and his four coaches took the Sox from 56 to 79 wins. Let’s see if Venable and company can come close to that.

Beltin' Bill Melton

Michele and I were in NYC last week, so news of Bill Melton’s death came via phone call from Clare. It took some of the fun out of seeing the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. I remember Melton winning the AL homerun crown by hitting his 33rd homer on the last day of the season in 1971. It was a Thursday day game, and I had my dad’s car to drive to De Paul. Of course, the radio was tuned to the Sox game. Chuck Tanner had Melton batting leadoff so he’d get more at-bats; the homerun came in the third. Crown in hand, Melton gave way to Walt Williams. Wherever I was going, back home or to school for a late class, I had dreams of what next season might be. With the Sox trading for Dick Allen in the offseason, who know, they might’ve slipped past the A’s in 1972, if not for the devastating back injury Melton suffered after he fell off a roof in the offseason. What might have been. Not that Sox announcer Harry Caray cared. Melton was Caray’s default Sox player to ride. If Melton couldn’t regain his 1971 form, it was because he didn’t try hard enough. The attacks continued for four years, until Melton was traded after the 1975 season. The irony, of course, was that Melton became a Sox analyst himself. Melton was at the SoxFest Clare and I attended in 2019. I was tempted to ask him about Caray only to decide against it. I’m pretty sure what he would’ve said, though, that he always focused on the play, not the player. And that’s to his credit.

Goodbye, Columbus

The NCAA men’s basketball season is heating up, with local favorites Northwestern and Illinois both looking to return to “the big dance.” Whether or not that happens, both teams will look different. Gone are NU star guard Boo Buie and Illinois guard/forward Terrence Shannon Jr. Buie was all-world his last two seasons with the Wildcats. In 2022-23, he averaged 17.3 points and 4.6 assists a game. Then, last season, he improved 19 points and five assists. Both seasons, Buie powered an underdog program into the D-I tournament. Shannon spent two years at Illinois. In 2022-23 he averaged 17 points and 4.6 points a game; last year it was 23 points and four rebounds. Shannon’s play helped get the Illini back to the tournament after a one-year absence. What a difference a year makes. Both players entered the NBA draft in June. Buie went undrafted, after which he played for the Suns’ summer-league before signing with the Knicks; he’s now on a two-way contract with them. Shannon was picked by the Timberwolves in the first round but has only played 3.7 minutes in four games. Buie is 6’2”, Shannon 6’6”. Players that size have to possess superior skills just to make an NBA team, let alone start. All Buie and Shannon can do is hope they demonstrate those skills before another flood of players enters the draft. The odds are slim, at best. Reading a little Philip Roth may provide some comfort in the meantime.