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.