Chicago Sports

The Cubs Convention returns this weekend after a two-year hiatus, and the team’s TV network finally will be able to cover it.

Marquee Sports Network launched five weeks after the 2020 Convention and 2 1/2 weeks before COVID-19 shut down the world. The Cubs didn’t hold the convention in 2021 and ’22, so the regional sports network is set for its maiden voyage.

It will air 13 1/2 hours of live coverage Friday to Saturday from the Sheraton Grand Chicago, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday with the “Red Carpet Special.” The opening ceremony starts at 6, and “Off the Mound with Ryan Dempster” will follow. Marquee will cover the convention from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and air every panel session.

For a network in its offseason, the convention is the perfect opportunity to provide live programming and expose fans to an event not everyone is able to attend.

“I can’t imagine not covering it,” Marquee general manager Mike McCarthy said. “We have to be there, and we have to bring this to fans who can’t make it. There’s a lot of live TV. I’m sure we’ll have our challenges to pull it all off smoothly. But I think the Cubs fans that can’t physically make it to the convention will get a kick out of watching it at home.”

Marquee will have a set next to the main stage, where the panel discussions will be held. Network host Cole Wright will conduct interviews from the set between sessions. Marquee also will air segments of shows “Road to Wrigley,” “Icons of the Ivy” and “The Reporters” from there. Cubs left fielder Ian Happ’s podcast, “The Compound,” will record a live episode at the convention, as well.

The network will have six stationed cameras and several mobile cameras in and around the convention grounds. Whereas previous conventions held multiple panel sessions simultaneously, this event will have one large session at a time, allowing the network to air them all.

“When there’s a panel on the stage, we’re going to cover it live,” McCarthy said. “We’re not going to manipulate it or produce it. We’re going to kind of eavesdrop on behalf of Cubs fans.”

McCarthy said just about everyone who appears on Marquee will have a role in the broadcast. Wright, Cliff Floyd, Taylor McGregor and Elise Menaker will host from the red carpet. Wright, Menaker, Jon Sciambi, Jim Deshaies and Lance Brozdowski will host sessions.

“It’s sort of a C-SPAN meets ‘Sportscenter,’ ” McCarthy said. “Some of it is unknown to us. We’ll have our challenges at times to fill the time in between the staged events. We have a pretty good plan for it. But it’s a lot of live television. We’re having big asks made of our talent.”

Marquee was created to provide Cubs fans with immersive content like this. (Well, and to collect carriage fees from distributors, which come from regional sports fees paid by subscribers. Let’s be honest.) The Cubs Convention, which began in 1986, was the first fan fest of its kind, and now Marquee is the first network to air comprehensive coverage of such an event.

“There’s probably a reason nobody’s done it before,” said McCarthy, who spent 23 years at MSG Network in New York. “I’ve done condensed versions, and I’ve tried to capture things and post-produce them and remove some of the oddities that could take place in an event like this. But here, the mantra was, Let’s do it live, let’s come as close to bringing you into this thing as we can if you can’t make it.

“I think we’ll uncover some mysteries about how to do it going forward, but I also think we’ll bring a professional version of a telecasted convention to Cubs fans for the first time, which is exciting.”

After convention coverage, Marquee will premiere the documentary “Brick by Brick: The Story of Wrigley Field,” narrated by actor and Cubs fan Bob Odenkirk, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Remote patrol

The Score’s “Parkins & Spiegel” show will broadcast from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Cubs Convention. Zach Zaidman will host the opening ceremony on the Cubs’ flagship from 6 to 6:45.

Bulls radio voice Chuck Swirsky will call his 2,000th NBA game Friday, when the Bulls host the Thunder. The team will honor Swirsky at the game.

Overnight Monday into Tuesday, The Score will celebrate the life of Les Grobstein one year after his death. Mark Grote will host and share memories of “The Grobber.”

George Ofman’s podcast, “Tell Me A Story I Don’t Know,” begins its seventh season Tuesday. It includes interviews with Chris Chelios, Jason Benetti, Joe Maddon and others with Chicago ties.

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The Cubs Convention returns this weekend after a two-year hiatus, and the team’s TV network finally will be able to cover it.

Marquee Sports Network launched five weeks after the 2020 Convention and 2 1/2 weeks before COVID-19 shut down the world. The Cubs didn’t hold the convention in 2021 and ’22, so the regional sports network is set for its maiden voyage.

It will air 13 1/2 hours of live coverage Friday to Saturday from the Sheraton Grand Chicago, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday with the “Red Carpet Special.” The opening ceremony starts at 6, and “Off the Mound with Ryan Dempster” will follow. Marquee will cover the convention from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and air every panel session.

For a network in its offseason, the convention is the perfect opportunity to provide live programming and expose fans to an event not everyone is able to attend.

“I can’t imagine not covering it,” Marquee general manager Mike McCarthy said. “We have to be there, and we have to bring this to fans who can’t make it. There’s a lot of live TV. I’m sure we’ll have our challenges to pull it all off smoothly. But I think the Cubs fans that can’t physically make it to the convention will get a kick out of watching it at home.”

Marquee will have a set next to the main stage, where the panel discussions will be held. Network host Cole Wright will conduct interviews from the set between sessions. Marquee also will air segments of shows “Road to Wrigley,” “Icons of the Ivy” and “The Reporters” from there. Cubs left fielder Ian Happ’s podcast, “The Compound,” will record a live episode at the convention, as well.

The network will have six stationed cameras and several mobile cameras in and around the convention grounds. Whereas previous conventions held multiple panel sessions simultaneously, this event will have one large session at a time, allowing the network to air them all.

“When there’s a panel on the stage, we’re going to cover it live,” McCarthy said. “We’re not going to manipulate it or produce it. We’re going to kind of eavesdrop on behalf of Cubs fans.”

McCarthy said just about everyone who appears on Marquee will have a role in the broadcast. Wright, Cliff Floyd, Taylor McGregor and Elise Menaker will host from the red carpet. Wright, Menaker, Jon Sciambi, Jim Deshaies and Lance Brozdowski will host sessions.

“It’s sort of a C-SPAN meets ‘Sportscenter,’ ” McCarthy said. “Some of it is unknown to us. We’ll have our challenges at times to fill the time in between the staged events. We have a pretty good plan for it. But it’s a lot of live television. We’re having big asks made of our talent.”

Marquee was created to provide Cubs fans with immersive content like this. (Well, and to collect carriage fees from distributors, which come from regional sports fees paid by subscribers. Let’s be honest.) The Cubs Convention, which began in 1986, was the first fan fest of its kind, and now Marquee is the first network to air comprehensive coverage of such an event.

“There’s probably a reason nobody’s done it before,” said McCarthy, who spent 23 years at MSG Network in New York. “I’ve done condensed versions, and I’ve tried to capture things and post-produce them and remove some of the oddities that could take place in an event like this. But here, the mantra was, Let’s do it live, let’s come as close to bringing you into this thing as we can if you can’t make it.

“I think we’ll uncover some mysteries about how to do it going forward, but I also think we’ll bring a professional version of a telecasted convention to Cubs fans for the first time, which is exciting.”

After convention coverage, Marquee will premiere the documentary “Brick by Brick: The Story of Wrigley Field,” narrated by actor and Cubs fan Bob Odenkirk, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Remote patrol

The Score’s “Parkins & Spiegel” show will broadcast from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Cubs Convention. Zach Zaidman will host the opening ceremony on the Cubs’ flagship from 6 to 6:45.

Bulls radio voice Chuck Swirsky will call his 2,000th NBA game Friday, when the Bulls host the Thunder. The team will honor Swirsky at the game.

Overnight Monday into Tuesday, The Score will celebrate the life of Les Grobstein one year after his death. Mark Grote will host and share memories of “The Grobber.”

George Ofman’s podcast, “Tell Me A Story I Don’t Know,” begins its seventh season Tuesday. It includes interviews with Chris Chelios, Jason Benetti, Joe Maddon and others with Chicago ties.

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WASHINGTON – Dalen Terry thought he could help.

Nothing new from the 18th overall pick from last summer’s NBA draft, because Terry always feels like he could have helped.

After every game, and every DNP [Did Not Play] Coach’s Decision.

But Wednesday was different. The Bulls were without veteran DeMar DeRozan (right quadriceps) and Javonte Green (right knee surgery), still managed to build a double-digit lead going into the halftime locker room, only to see it painfully evaporate and end up being a three-point loss.

Meanwhile, Terry was a spectator for all 48 minutes … again.

“I’m definitely anxious to get playing time,” Terry said. “I always want my name to be called. As a competitor and just me being a rookie, I’m never gonna stop until I feel like I’m somebody in this league.

“With the position I’m in right now, it’s just like you’ve gotta embrace it, but you can’t ever get comfortable. I can’t get comfortable with learning every day and not playing. I just have to find that balance.”

No easy task for Terry.

To call Terry high energy is an understatement. He’s not only like the kid in class that devoured way too much sugar and was told to try and sit quietly, but he also got a hall pass and snuck a quick can of Red Bull.

Unfortunately for the guard out of Arizona, that same energy is also why the game hasn’t slowed down enough for him where the coaching staff is comfortable making Terry a regular in the rotation.

By all accounts, his jumper continues to improve in practice and scrimmages, he’s shown glimpses of being an electric passer and play-maker, and his defense is rotation ready, but until he can dial back the RPMs on what he’s seeing on the floor, he remains a work in progress.

Evident by the fact he’s only played in 14 games so far, and mostly in mop-up duty.

“Never,” Terry said, when asked if he’s ever been on the bench like this at any level of his basketball career. “I’ve never sat like this in my life.”

That’s why he finds himself talking to so many people about it. He joked that they all give him the same answer and he knows what the response will be, but he still needs to hear it.

“You just always want to know why,” Terry said. “So just talking to some of the vets – obviously you guys know my relationship with DeMar – and he just always tells me like, ‘Kobe [Bryant] didn’t play a bunch his first three years.’ He’s always sending me videos on how Kobe channeled the why he’s not playing and used it to get better, do the things the coach wanted him to do, and he’s one of the greatest of all times.

“Just lean on guys in my corner, like NBA players I grew up around, they all tell me like, ‘This is normal for rookies to go through this.’ If you’re not a top five pick, there’s a chance you go through something like this. My freshman year in college, I went from starting and playing like 25 minutes, to coming off the bench and playing like 18 minutes, and it was hard for me to even do that.”

So how does he channel all that energy during games? Just watch Terry during timeouts or key baskets, especially if it’s a DeRozan basket. DeRozan has taken Terry under his wing as a mentor, and in return there’s no bigger DeRozan hype-man on the roster than the Rook.

Whether it’s choreographed dances or just yelling from the sideline, Terry has embraced trying to be the best teammate he can be as he waits for his name to be called.

“Just keep working and getting my game more polished,” Terry said. “Just waiting for my time.”

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The Bears are naming Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren their president/CEO, sources confirmed Thursday morning.

Warren will replace Ted Phillips, who announced in September that he would retire at the end of the season after 23 years in the role.

He will be the fifth president in Bears history, following founder George Halas, his son “Mugs,” eldest grandson Michael McCaskey and Phillips. Phillips replaced Michael McCaskey in 1999 after serving as the Bears’ controller, finance director and vice president of operations for a combined 16 years.

Warren, who turned 59 in November, is just the second Bears president — alongside Phillips — not related to Halas.

Warren is appealing to the Bears because of his experience in not only the Big Ten but as the chief operating officer of the Vikings when they built U.S. Bank Stadium. Some inside Halas Hall believe the stadium, which opened in 2016, to be a model for the Bears’ Arlington Heights project. The Bears are in escrow on the 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse property and hope to close soon.

Warren, who has 18 months left on his Big Ten contract, interviewed with the Bears in December. At the time, the Big Ten released a statement saying he “regularly receives unique opportunities and interest for his expertise.”

He lives in the Chicago area; the Big Ten is based in Rosemont.

A Phoenix native, Warren played college basketball at Penn and Grand Canyon. He averaged 20 points per game at GCU from 1984-86 and was put in their Hall of Fame in 2012.

He’s a 1990 Notre Dame Law School grad and former agent who worked for the Rams and Lions — and later a law firm — before joining the Vikings in 2005. He was named COO 10 years later and then, in 2019, the first African American Power 5 commissioner.

One of his first duties as commissioner was unprecedented — dealing with the coronavirus. He postponed the 2020 fall season amid blowback from players, coaches and then-Ohio State star Justin Fields. Fields, who is now the Bears’ quarterback, launched a petition to reinstate sports in the conference. Warren reinstated them a month later and the Big Ten played an abridged season.

Warren shocked the college sports world last summer when he lured UCLA and USC to the Big Ten from the Pac-12 — they will join in 2024. Buoyed by the attractiveness of the Los Angeles market, the Big Ten negotiated a lucrative media rights deal less than two months later.

The Bears’ executive structure under Warren will be telling. Currently, general manager Ryan Poles reports directly to chairman George McCaskey, a change that he enacted a year ago, knowing Phillips’ retirement was likely near.

McCaskey, Phillips and Tanesha Wade, the Bears’ senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, interviewed candidates with help from search firm Nolan Partners. In September, George McCaskey said the team was open to candidates with different backgrounds but cited traits the team thought were essential: “leadership, vision, humility, [and] consensus-building.”

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The Chicago Bears have a new CEO/President lined up

The Chicago Bears have found their next CEO/President. Before the season, reports came out that longtime CEO/President Ted Phillips would be stepping down at the end of the season.

In a fitting end to his tenure, Phillips will be leaving the Bears after his final season, where the Bears finished 3-14, the most losses in a single season for the franchise. No matter to the team’s finances, the Bears averaged crowds of 59,823 for their 61,500-capacity stadium each home game this season. Justin Fields’ jersey sales were ranked fifth in the league around Christmas Time.

According to a report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Bears are expected to name Kevin Warren as the next CEO/President of the Bears. Warren will be leaving his job as the Big Ten commissioner.

Warren has decades of football experience. Before he accepted the Big Ten commissioner job, Warren worked with a couple of teams in administration. He was with the St. Louis Rams when they won a Super Bowl.

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The Bears are naming Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren their president/CEO, sources confirmed Thursday morning.

Warren will replace Ted Phillips, who announced in September that he would retire at the end of the season after 23 years in the role.

He will be the fifth president in Bears history, following founder George Halas, his son “Mugs,” eldest grandson Michael McCaskey and Phillips. Phillips replaced Michael McCaskey in 1999 after serving as the Bears’ controller, finance director and vice president of operations for a combined 16 years.

Warren, who turned 59 in November, is just the second Bears president — alongside Phillips — not related to Halas.

Warren is appealing to the Bears because of his experience in not only the Big Ten but as the chief operating officer of the Vikings when they built U.S. Bank Stadium. Some inside Halas Hall believe the stadium, which opened in 2016, to be a model for the Bears’ Arlington Heights project. The Bears are in escrow on the 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse property and hope to close soon.

Warren, who has 18 months left on his Big Ten contract, interviewed with the Bears in December. At the time, the Big Ten released a statement saying he “regularly receives unique opportunities and interest for his expertise.”

He lives in the Chicago area; the Big Ten is based in Rosemont.

A Phoenix native, Warren played college basketball at Penn and Grand Canyon. He averaged 20 points per game at GCU from 1984-86 and was put in their Hall of Fame in 2012.

He’s a 1990 Notre Dame Law School grad and former agent who worked for the Rams and Lions — and later a law firm — before joining the Vikings in 2005. He was named COO 10 years later and then, in 2019, the first African American Power 5 commissioner.

One of his first duties as commissioner was unprecedented — dealing with the coronavirus. He postponed the 2020 fall season amid blowback from players, coaches and then-Ohio State star Justin Fields. Fields, who is now the Bears’ quarterback, launched a petition to reinstate sports in the conference. Warren reinstated them a month later and the Big Ten played an abridged season.

Warren shocked the college sports world last summer when he lured UCLA and USC to the Big Ten from the Pac-12 — they will join in 2024. Buoyed by the attractiveness of the Los Angeles market, the Big Ten negotiated a lucrative media rights deal less than two months later.

The Bears’ executive structure under Warren will be telling. Currently, general manager Ryan Poles reports directly to chairman George McCaskey, a change that he enacted a year ago, knowing Phillips’ retirement was likely near.

McCaskey, Phillips and Tanesha Wade, the Bears’ senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, interviewed candidates with help from search firm Nolan Partners. In September, George McCaskey said the team was open to candidates with different backgrounds but cited traits the team thought were essential: “leadership, vision, humility, [and] consensus-building.”

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Northwestern has hired an outside attorney to investigate alleged hazing within its football program.

The school said Wednesday in a statement it “immediately” hired attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff to lead the investigation after it was made aware of the alleged hazing following this past season. The school said Hickey will likely interview players, coaches and staff members. ESPN first reported the investigation.

“While we do not yet know whether the allegations are true, hazing is prohibited by University policy, and we take these claims seriously,” Northwestern said in a statement. “The health, safety and well-being of our students is the first priority.”

Northwestern would not say if a player made the allegation, or if players, coaches or staff members were involved.

“The purpose of Ms. Hickey’s investigation is to find the underlying truth of the allegations — including the scope of any potential hazing activity or harmful culture,” Northwestern said.

The Wildcats finished 1-11 for their worst record since the 1989 team went 0-11. They’ve lost 17 of their past 18 games.

Coach Pat Fitzgerald is 110-101 in 17 seasons leading his alma mater and is by far the school’s winningest coach. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020 plus five bowl victories. But they are 4-20 over the past two seasons.

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DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been together 25 years and had an ideal marriage. She has recently become a dedicated baseball fan, or should I say, obsessed. She has season tickets and attends wearing her team outfit. She got a team license plate and scours the daily sports page for team news first thing every morning. She talks baseball with anyone anytime, including me, incessantly, despite my lukewarm interest.

At home on game day she has multiple TVs on, as well as her laptop and phone dialed to the game, lest she miss one second of play. She can talk about every player on a first-name basis, and their family in minute detail. When her team misses a play or loses, she gets irate and loudly curses at the TV. I worry she takes it too seriously.

She’s now bringing her portable TV into bed for late games. Needless to say, thinking about baseball in the bedroom has thrown a curve to our marital bliss. When I bring up the interference, she argues that “most husbands” would be thrilled to be married to a “Gamer-Babe.” Can you referee this disputed call? — STRIKING OUT IN SAN FRANCISCO

DEAR STRIKING OUT: Tell your sports-obsessed wife that while most husbands would be thrilled to be married to a “Gamer-Babe,” she isn’t married to one of them. Tell her you love her, but you are oversaturated with statistics and need her to dial it back. Explain that the portable TV in the bedroom is interfering with your sex life, and if she values your marital relationship, she will respect that. Don’t wait. Take your stand now, before baseball season starts again.

P.S. In self-defense, arm yourself with new interests of your own because I have a feeling you are going to need them.

DEAR ABBY: I have a lovely life — a wonderful husband and five caring children entering adulthood. I have a successful career I am well compensated for. The problem I face is that at 47, my health is such that I live every day in debilitating pain. I spend my energy getting through my day and evenings, and weekends in pain and recovering from my work week.

My husband is understanding, but friends and family don’t understand. I don’t know how much longer I can continue this, but I don’t know how to give up a well-paying career without which my family’s quality of life would considerably change. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. — TRYING TO REST IN MIDWEST

DEAR TRYING: Whether your friends and family “understand” the challenges you are dealing with is beside the point. I will assume that you have talked at length about this with your husband. Your next step should be to talk with your physician about a referral to a pain-management specialist. If you are unable to find relief there, you may have to take the financial hit. Although it may mean your family will have to make do with less, your quality of life is important, too.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order “How to Have a Lovely Wedding.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

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