Chicago Sports

As the Bears’ season concluded, there’s a line from Phonte’s 2018 masterpiece album, “No News Is Good News,” that I’ve been thinking about. At the end of the album, there’s a drop after the final song. A voice comes on and says: “If you’re on the receiving end of this message, congratulations, you made it.” The drop acts as punctuation, but it’s more than that. The album is a triumph in personal growth. Throughout it, Phonte challenges himself and those around him that acknowledgement of mistakes means little without the impetus to change one’s behavior.

Bears game-day DJ Jay Illa described it as Jay-Z’s “4:44” for regular people. It’s an astute observation. As much as I appreciated the honesty and vulnerability of Jay-Z on that album, relating to the problems of a billionaire who’s married to another billionaire is a tough mental exercise.

The reason Phonte’s line has stuck with me is because Bears fans have been asked to do some heavy lifting this season. Every fan wanted massive changes after the Ryan Pace/Matt Nagy regime flamed out in 2021. Bears ownership obliged, but not without a warning about how hard the road back to relevance would be. And it has been tough, for sure.

Bears fans had to accept the idea that the team had to be bad in the short term in hopes of long-term success. That’s a hard thing for a football fan to accept. The NFL is a league built on the idea of going from worst to first quickly. Even in this year’s playoffs, there’s proof of that. The Jaguars went from last place to winning the AFC South this season.

The other main objective of the season was finding out if Justin Fields was the guy. I’m not going to go over all of his exploits and stats. You saw it. It’s one of the cool things about how Bears fans responded to him. Fields’ development was embraced and even celebrated. Watching him work was the weekly sorbet that you got for otherwise bad-tasting football. He’s the dude, and fans know it.

As an organization, the Bears seemingly have been on a never-ending quest for a quarterback. That pursuit has been mocked in every prime-time game the Bears have played for the last decade. As much as we all respect the legendary Sid Luckman, using him as the standard-bearer for Bears quarterbacking always felt like a backhanded compliment. Like the league was snickering at Chicago.

But no more.

On Sunday, the Bears were able to pull off quite the coup. They concluded Fields was worthy of building around, and they stumbled into the No. 1 pick in the draft. That would be enough to refill fans’ hope bucket, but there’s more. Part of the reason this Bears season was so bad was because general manager Ryan Poles had an inexpensive roster. Player salaries were kept low so Poles could stockpile cash and get ready for upcoming free agency.

As it stands, the Bears have more cap space than any team in the league, the most coveted draft position and a quarterback they feel good about. It’s quite the trifecta. One that allows them to set the agenda of the NFL offseason. A place where no one would’ve expected this franchise to be 12 months ago.

We can’t leave this column without singling out the contribution of former coach Lovie Smith. He did his old team a real solid by playing to win in his last act as the Texans’ coach. I know that Smith isn’t hurting for money, but he is now out of work. If he craves a challenge, he should announce his candidacy for mayor of Chicago right now. He won’t struggle to get enough signatures for his petition after Sunday. He wouldn’t even have to campaign.

The next part is fun. Expectations will be raised. Instead of hiding their heads in shame, Bears fans again can be puffy-chested. With all these assets acquired, Poles’ position is the most coveted in the league. The dark days are over.

Hey, Bears fans: If you’re on the receiving end of this message, congratulations, you made it!

You can hear Laurence Holmes talk Chicago sports Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on 670 The Score with Dan Bernstein.

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Bears general manager Ryan Poles seemed chagrined, maybe even a little embarrassed, to have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. But he’s not giving it back.

“Losing, it hurts. You always expect to win more than three games,” Poles said Tuesday at his season-ending media availability. “I got home and one of my buddies from the neighborhood drove by like, ‘Hey, congratulations on the first overall pick.’ I’m still not in that mindset right now. It hurts. It hurts to be in that position.”

Well, here’s a trade scenario that might ease Poles’ pain: The No. 1 overall pick to the Colts for the Colts’ first-round pick (No. 4 overall), second-round pick (No. 36) and 2024 first-round pick.

Based on recent trades for top-three draft picks, that’s a reasonable scenario — at least in Chicago — that should work for the Bears. It likely would allow them to still draft one of the two potential difference-making defenders in the draft (at this moment) — Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter or Alabama defensive end Will Anderson.

It would virtually replace the second-round pick (No. 32) they traded to the Steelers for wide receiver Chase Claypool. And it also would give the Bears an additional first-round pick next season that could be in the top 10 — or high enough for the Bears to trade into the top 10 or higher.

If not this deal, Poles figures to get a similar haul for the No. 1 pick, with three quarterbacks just waiting for some desperate team to fall in love with them: Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis.

The Colts just check all the boxes for the Bears to max out on the deal:

1. They need a quarterback.

2. They need to make a splash after back-to-back disappointing seasons.

3. They have the No. 4 pick.

4. They have a general manager who is feeling the heat in Chris Ballard.

5 They have a wacky, impulsive, shoot-from-the-hip owner calling the shots in Lincolnwood’s own Jim Irsay.

Sure enough, Ballard took the first step in creating the trade-frenzy the Bears are hoping for. Asked at his own season-ending media availability Tuesday in Indianapolis if he would “move heaven and earth” to trade up in the draft to get a quarterback he loves, Ballard replied: “Yes. I’d do whatever it takes.”

Poles played it only a little more coy. He still paid lip service to the idea that the Bears could actually take the best player available at No. 1. But the reality is this: Operators are standing by at Halas Hall.

“We can evaluate the talent there,” Poles said. “We can see what player presents themselves in that position to help us. And then we can look at the scenarios. If the phones go off and there are certain situations where [a trade] can help us, then we’ll go down that avenue, too.

“We have good flexibility to help this team, regardless if it’s making the pick there or moving back a little bit or moving back a lot. We’ll be open to everything.”

Poles insisted he was not obsessed with the Texans-Colts game Sunday that gave the Bears the No. 1 pick. And wasn’t cheering when he heard the good news. Truth be told, there was a bigger reaction in the Soldier Field press box when the Texans took the lead.

“I honestly wasn’t paying attention to that,” Poles said. “Someone in here [the interview room] saw me and told me about it. And I was like, ‘Eh.’ I just wasn’t in the mood for it.”

Eventually, Poles will warm up to the idea — and he probably did the moment he stepped out of the interview room at Halas Hall.

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Tuesday, January 10, 2023

BIG NORTHERN

North Boone at Dixon, 7:00

Oregon at Winnebago, 7:00

CATHOLIC LEAGUE – CROSSOVER

De La Salle at Mount Carmel, 7:00

Marmion at DePaul, 7:00

Montini at St. Ignatius, 7:00

Providence at Brother Rice, 7:00

Providence-St. Mel at St. Rita, 7:00

St. Laurence at Loyola, 6:30

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Maine East at Highland Park, 7:00

Maine West at Deerfield, 7:00

DU KANE

Wheaton-Warr. South at Glenbard North, 7:15

DU PAGE VALLEY

Neuqua Valley at DeKalb, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Notre Dame at Marian Catholic, 7:00

St. Patrick at Carmel, 7:00

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Elgin Academy at Latin, 6:00

KISHWAUKEE RIVER

Johnsburg at Woodstock, 5:15

Marengo at Richmond-Burton, 7:00

Woodstock North at Harvard, 7:00

LITTLE TEN

DePue at Indian Creek, 6:45

Hiawatha at Hinckley-Big Rock, 6:45

LaMoille at Somonauk, 5:30

Leland at Serena, 6:45

METRO PREP

Hinsdale Adventist at Universal, 5:30

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

Aurora Christian at IC Catholic, 7:30

Timothy Christian at St. Francis, 7:00

Wheaton Academy at Riverside-Brookfield, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – RED

McNamara at Aurora Central, 7:30

St. Edward at Ridgewood, 7:00

Westmont at Elmwood Park, 7:30

NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD

Johnson at ITW-Speer, 7:00

Noble Academy at Comer, 7:00

Rowe-Clark at Butler, 7:00

NORTH SUBURBAN

Mundelein at Lake Zurich, 7:00

Warren at Lake Forest, 7:00

Waukegan at Stevenson, 7:00

Zion-Benton at Libertyville, 7:00

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

Alden-Hebron at Westminster Christian, 7:30

South Beloit at Christian Life, 7:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED-SOUTH / CENTRAL

Kenwood at Simeon, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-WEST

Douglass at Phoenix, 5:00

Kelvyn Park at Juarez, 5:00

RIVER VALLEY

Beecher at Illinois Lutheran, 7:00

Clifton Central at Donovan, 7:00

Gardner-So. Wilmington at Momence, 7:00

St. Anne at Grace Christian, 7:00

Tri-Point at Grant Park, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – BLUE

Hillcrest at Bremen, 6:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – RED

Evergreen Park at Argo, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Lemont at Reavis, 6:00

Oak Lawn at Oak Forest, 6:30

Shepard at Thornton Fr. North, 6:30

Thornton Fr. South at Richards, 6:30

Tinley Park at Eisenhower, 6:30

SOUTHLAND

Crete-Monee at Kankakee, 6:30

Rich at Bloom, 6:30

Thornton at Thornwood, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – CROSSOVER

Joliet Central at Plainfield North, 6:30

Joliet West at Oswego, 6:30

Plainfield Central at Oswego East, 6:30

Plainfield East at West Aurora, 6:30

Plainfield South at Minooka, 6:30

Romeoville at Yorkville, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – RED

Lincoln-Way Central at Bradley-Bourbonnais, 7:00

UPSTATE EIGHT

Bartlett at Glenbard East, 7:00

East Aurora at Fenton, 7:00

Elgin at South Elgin, 7:00

Streamwood at West Chicago, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Addison Trail at Proviso East, 6:00

Downers Grove South at Morton, 7:30

Hinsdale South at Leyden, 6:30

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Glenbard West at Lyons, 6:30

York at Proviso West, 7:30

NON CONFERENCE

Barrington at Elk Grove, 7:30

British School at Morgan Park Academy, 6:00

Bulls Prep at Chicago Christian, 7:30

Byron at Bureau Valley, 7:00

Clemente at Niles West, 6:30

Conant at Prospect, 7:30

DRW Prep at Fenwick, 7:00

DuSable at South Shore, 5:00

EPIC at Catalyst-Maria, 5:00

Evanston at Niles North, 7:00

Excel-Englewood at UC-Woodlawn, 5:30

Fremd at Wheeling, 7:30

Genoa-Kingston at Harvest Christian, 7:30

Harlan at Morgan Park, 5:00

Hoffman Estates at Buffalo Grove, 7:30

Holy Trinity at Southland, 7:00

Intrinsic-Belmont at Foreman, 5:00

King at Marist, 7:00

Lisle at Joliet Catholic, 7:00

Lycee Francais at Islamic Foundation, 6:00

Mooseheart at Westlake Christian, 7:30

Morris at Pontiac, 7:00

Newark at Marquette, 7:00

Palatine at Hersey, 7:00

Roanoke-Benson at Fieldcrest, 7:30

Rock Falls at Orion, 7:00

Sandwich at Princeton, 7:00

Schaumburg at Rolling Meadows, 7:30

Seneca at Coal City, 6:45

St. Francis de Sales at Leo, 7:00

UIC Prep at Chicago Tech, 5:15

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NBCSportsChicago.com Bulls writer Rob Schaefer and Cubs writer Tim Stebbins were let go by parent NBC Chicago on Tuesday, further dwindling a digital team that not long ago was the regional sports network’s focus.

Schaefer and Stebbins follow former Cubs writer Gordon Wittenmyer, whose contract expired at the end of the year, as well as former Bears insider J.J. Stankevitz, Bears writer Cam Ellis and Blackhawks writer Scott King, who were let go nearly two years ago.

Before then, NBCSCH had channeled resources into its digital platforms as part of a strategy to emphasize live game coverage on linear TV and digital content when there was no game. The only team writer left is Alex Shapiro, who covers the Bears.

NBC Chicago includes NBCSCH, NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago. They share a digital team, which is run by Lisa Balde of NBC 5. Balde, NBCSCH digital head Michael Allardyce and a human resources representative notified Schaefer and Stebbins on a call this morning.

Digital writers from NBC 5 will be asked to pick up the slack, though they don’t figure to have the insights of Schaefer and Stebbins.

The layoffs have no bearing on NBCSCH’s linear coverage of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox. TV insiders K.C. Johnson (Bulls) and Charlie Roumeliotis (Hawks) and Bears insider Josh Schrock are unaffected.

NBCSCH’s contract with the Hawks, Bulls and Sox expires in October 2024. The Hawks have said they’re committed to staying with the Bulls and Sox, but whether that’s with NBCSCH or another network has yet to be determined. In June, the Sun-Times reported that the teams have discussed launching their own network.

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This probably will be the most important offseason of Ryan Poles’ run as Bears general manager. After the team plunged to the NFL’s worst record while he cleaned up Ryan Pace’s mess, the demolition is done and construction must get underway.

He has $118.1 million in salary-cap space and full slate of draft picks, including No. 1 overall. It’s a far more advantageous position than the one he inherited.

But Poles tried to hit the brakes on the enormous expectations of what he’ll do with those resources.

“Everyone’s talking about how much money we have and how we’re just gonna go crazy; We’re gonna be sound so that we get the right players and we get good value,” he said Tuesday.

He continued, “You make a mistake and say, ‘This is it.’ No, we’re gonna approach it the same and be consistent so that we make sound decisions.”

Poles doesn’t have much of a body of work to evaluate his decision making at this point. Most of his moves have been comparable to what any new general manager would’ve done when taking for Pace, who mortgaged future draft picks and cap space to build a 6-11 roster.

His two boldest acts came within about 24 hours when he traded linebacker Roquan Smith for the Ravens’ second-round pick and used his own second-rounder to land wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Steelers.

The Ravens, by signing Smith to a five-year, $100 million contract Tuesday, showed they agree with Smith that Poles undervalued him.

Claypool, conversely, created more questions after the trade. It was reasonable that he needed time to adjust after a midseason trade, but there’s no way anybody at Halas Hall was satisfied with his 14 catches for 140 yards and no touchdowns in seven games.

The draft pick Poles dealt ended up being No. 32 overall (the NFL stripped the Dolphins’ first-rounder), and when a general manager pays that price, he’s planning on having him for a long time. Poles showed no regret, saying he isn’t “blinking at that one at all,” but cooled when pressed on whether it influenced his opinion on signing Claypool to the contract extension he’ll almost certainly seek before next season.

“I wish he came in with 1,000 yards, but it didn’t happen that way,” Poles said. “But do I believe in that talent and what he can bring to this team? Yeah, I still think we’re going to get that.

“In terms of the contract stuff, we’ve just got to … see how he gets implemented and how he does in this offseason. He’s going to spend a lot of time with Justin [Fields] as well as the other receivers and build that chemistry. We’ll evaluate that even clearer next year.”

Claypool is going into the final season of his rookie deal, as is cornerback Jaylon Johnson, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet. Any player who has produced, as Claypool did with 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns over his first two seasons, would want an extension before training camp.

But even at their best, neither Claypool nor Mooney is the game-changing wide receiver the Bears need. Poles has to bring in

someone over top of them through free agency, the draft or the ever-unpredictable wide receiver trade market, though he doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

“You can have a collection of guys that work really well [and] a tight end mixed in with the group,” he said. “You would love a No. 1. I hope one of these guys on our roster — or if someone’s available — can develop into that guy… We’re always trying to look for playmakers, and hopefully one of the guys that we have will elevate to that position.”

Every position needs upgrades, by the way. Poles’ job is to prioritize and fix the most glaring deficiencies.

If he’s certain of Fields as his quarterback, next is defensive end. The Bears were last in the NFL in sacks this season and have the flexibility to replace their entire defensive line. Poles listed pass rusher first among “premium positions,” followed by offensive line and cornerbacks.

The Bears are far from complete in all three of those spots, and they’re only solidified at quarterback if Fields makes substantial strides.

Poles is looking at a team that needs almost everything. But he also has everything he needs. He can downplay it, but this is the time for him to show he was the right pick for the job.

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The nerves kicked in for David Ross heading into this week as he flew home to Tallahassee, Fla., after a couple of hearty days and nights celebrating dear friend Jon Lester’s retirement and birthday in Georgia.

These were the good kind.

“The nervous excitement, the nervous energy,” he said, “starting to organize my thoughts, starting to write down lineups.”

Ross’ fourth season as Cubs manager — and his first with a team that will look vastly different — is close enough that he can smell it, taste it.

“There’s been so much good about this offseason,” he said. “In my eyes, it’s go time.”

Ross will be back in Chicago at the end of the week for Cubs Convention, which opens on Friday, and on another plane Saturday to Orlando, Fla., where he’ll grab a car and head an hour-plus to Ocala to watch daughter Landri play in a volleyball tournament. She’s a few weeks shy of 16 now, a 5-10 left-handed setter and outside hitter who’s starting to talk to colleges and has a good bit of the old man’s fire in her belly.

“If practice starts at 2,” Ross said, “she wants to be there at 1 and stay until 5. She’s got the itch to stay and do extra and all that. It’s fun to watch her really take hold of something.”

Soon, Ross will be in Arizona to take hold of a Cubs team that has added shortstop Dansby Swanson, center fielder Cody Bellinger and first baseman Eric Hosmer, among others, and seemingly is on the uptick. What he does with it will go a long way in shaping his own reputation as a skipper.

“I have optimism in everything that I do and have gone in with the highest of expectations every single year that I’ve had this job,” he said. “But are those expectations more realistic now? Probably so.

“We still have to have a lot of things go right. I don’t get as excited, maybe, as the fans might with the names we’ve brought in because I know how much work we still have to do, the holes we still need to fill. I’ve learned so much every year as a manager — and I’m definitely getting better — but I’m constantly looking at, ‘Where are we going to get better?’ “

But before Ross fully plugs into the 2023 season, he wanted to get unplugged. It started almost as soon as last season ended in Cincinnati, where most of the exit interviews with players were completed. A few days later, he was watching Landri’s high school playoffs and eighth-grader Cole in middle-school football — and fretting only a bit about a knee in need of meniscus repair, surgery he’ll try to put off for at least another season.

Ross, divorced in 2020, lay low for the holidays in Tallahassee with Landri, Cole and younger daughter Harper. They stayed up late watching movies, playing board games, waging ferocious Uno battles. It was a break he wanted and needed.

That went for his personal time, too, when he didn’t have the kids. He got himself into better shape, the knee being one reason. Before baseball’s winter meetings in December — and after meeting with Swanson to pitch him on the Cubs — Ross spent most of a week in Las Vegas, taking in country music and playing golf with ex-Cubs Kris Bryant and Dexter Fowler and former Red Sox teammate Shane Victorino.

After the kids returned to school from winter break, Ross — the damn knee barking at him — went skiing in Beaver Creek, Colo., with his agents. From there, he high-tailed it to Lester’s shindig, where he ate, drank and swapped baseball stories with a motley crew of World Series pals from Boston and Chicago: Dustin Pedroia, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kyle Schwarber, John Lackey, Travis Wood, Eric Hinske, Mike Borzello.

“Oh, man,” Ross said. “Such a good time.”

Ross made time in December to check in with another friend: Willson Contreras, newly signed by the Cardinals. Ross’ phone rang almost before he’d pressed “send” on a text.

“We’ll be competing our butts off against each other,” Contreras told him.

“I told him how much I’m going to miss him and thanked him for everything,” Ross said. “That’s a World Series brother for me. I’m happy for him. He’s going to a good organization, a place he has a chance to win. But that guy and myself are connected for life. That, to me, trumps anything he can do over there.”

And Ross always had the plug handy, because he was there for face-to-face meetings with all the free agents who would become Cubs — and some who wouldn’t — as well. President Jed Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins saw to the nuts and bolts. Ross contributed to that, of course, but with the personal touch that is his gift.

“I believe my passion came out,” he said, “my love for Chicago and our group of guys, the coaching staff. The stuff I start talking about, man, it just pours out of me.”

Baseball is coming. Ross’ nerves are tingling.

“How much more am I going to appreciate rolling out the Dansbys and the Bellingers, and Nico [Hoerner] at second and the Hosmers? Seiya [Suzuki] is going to be better, and [Ian] ‘Happer’ took a huge step forward last year being a consistent All-Star and a Gold Glover. There’s just so much to be excited about.”

All that and Wrigley Field, too.

“Just wait ’til it warms up and that sun comes out there,” Ross said. “There’s no place better.”

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Lincoln Park Zoo’s lion pride just got a little bigger.

Four-and-a-half-year-old African lion Zari gave birth to three cubs on Monday, zoo officials said. The cubs appear to be healthy and reached a critical milestone when they began nursing within their first hours.

The cubs have not been named or had their sex determined yet, officials said. Over the next few days, the cubs will open their eyes and be more mobile though they will remain dependent on their mother for several weeks.

“We could not be more honored to care for Zari, her cubs, and the rest of the pride here at Lincoln Park Zoo,” said Mike Murray, curator of mammals and behavioral husbandry. “The animal care and veterinary team confirmed Zari’s pregnancy after observing breeding behavior, monitoring hormone levels, and conducting voluntary ultrasounds.”

Murray said it will take some time for the new additions to meet the rest of the pride, and it will be up to Zari to decide when to make the introductions. The other lions are separated from Zari and her cubs, but they can all see each other.

“Zari is just an incredible mom, and she was immediately attentive to the cubs,” Murray said.

The new cubs and Zari will not be visible to the public for several weeks. In the meantime, staff will keep watch for important milestones in the cubs’ development.

Zari’s pregnancy came after the zoo used breeding recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ “survival program” for captive African lions. It was suggested Zari and her 5-year-old mate, Jabari, produce cubs after genetic testing.

This is Zari’s second pregnancy. Pilipili, her first male cub with Jabari, was born in March, officials said.

“It’s a wonderful pride that we have here, and it’s thrilling to watch them settle in and have this pride grow the way it has,” Murray said.

African lions are considered a “vulnerable” species, with declining wild populations estimated between 23,000 and 39,000, down from half a million in 1950, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This vulnerable species is found in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and its habitat ranges from forests to shrublands and grasslands.

The zoo’s Pepper Family Wildlife Center, which opened in 2021, recreates a savanna-style living environment for the lions. The habitat won a Chicago Innovation Award in November.

The facility is also home to two Canada lynxes, two red pandas and two snow leopards.

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Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) says he wants to keep the heat on Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Police Supt. David Brown to fire an officer with alleged ties to the far-right Proud Boys and send a message that hate groups won’t be tolerated.

Taliaferro held a news conference Tuesday days after the Southern Poverty Law Center sent a scathing letter to the mayor and superintendent over the decision to suspend the officer, Robert Bakker, instead of firing him.

The West Side alderman and two other members of the City Council are sponsoring a resolution calling for Brown to attend a public hearing on the investigation into Bakker.

The resolution hasn’t been called to the City Council floor.

Taliaferro said previous superintendents would’ve fired the officer, not just for his extremist ties, but because an internal investigation found that he lied in an internal police investigation.

“My opinion is that the superintendent should fire this officer,” Taliaferro said Tuesday at a meeting of the Leaders Network at the Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W. Jackson Blvd.

“We have fired officers in the past with less transgressions in their associations,” said Taliaferro, who is chair of the City Council’s public safety committee.

Brown has defended his decision not to fire the officer, saying the Proud Boys are not considered a hate group by the FBI. But Taliaferro said Brown’s position defies common sense.

“If anyone associates with a group — whether or not the FBI has labeled them a hate group or not, but they’re generally viewed in public as a hate group — they should be fired,” he said.

Asked to comment, the police department repeated a statement issued last week that it doesn’t tolerate its members associating with hate groups and will investigate any new allegations that arise against Bakker.

Bakker’s suspension ends March 1, following two internal investigations into his ties to the Proud Boys.

Those investigations began after antifascist activists outed Bakker’s ties to the Proud Boys in May 2020 by releasing private communications between him and the group.

Police investigators then learned Bakker had failed to disclose that FBI agents contacted him months earlier about his ties to the far-right group.

Bakker was initially handed a five-day suspension for failing to disclose the interview, but other allegations on his association with criminals and members of the Proud Boys were not sustained.

The case was reopened at the request of city Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, who in November 2020 said investigators overlooked incriminating evidence and “inconsistent statements” Bakker made to investigators.

Taliaferro said the second investigation resulted in five sustained allegations against Bakker, including one allegation that he made contradictory statements to investigators.

Bakker then offered to serve a 120-day suspension for those violations.

Taliaferro, who served as a Chicago police officer for 23 years, said he had never heard of an officer recommending their own suspension. “I served in internal affairs for nine years and I never had an officer recommend a penalty. It’s unprecedented,” he said.

Although that suspension was the result of a binding agreement between Bakker at the city, Taliaferro said the superintendent can still fire the officer.

“I want to stress that,” Taliaferro said.

Taliaferro claimed CPD has taken a relaxed attitude toward officers accused of breaking a department rule against lying in investigations.

When Taliaferro was an officer under Supt. Jody Weis, he said it was a given that any officer would be automatically fired for lying in an investigation.

“The officer would be fired because he would no longer be credible in court,” Taliaferro said.

Taliaferro said the new Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability should take a stand on the issue.

“We also have to engage that commission as well to push for policies that could hold the superintendent accountable,” the alderman said.

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Patrick Finley and Mark Potash break down GM Ryan Poles’ end-of-season comments about Justin Fields as his starter, what he’ll look for in the No. 1 pick and what he’ll do next.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify and Stitcher.

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Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek grew up idolizing former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. He proudly wore Cech’s blue-and-white jersey all around his hometown of Ostrava, Czechia.

So young Mrazek probably would have been shocked and starstruck if he knew what he’d be doing on Jan. 9, 2023.

What he was doing Monday was attempting to convert soccer penalty kicks against Cech — then futilely trying to save Cech’s kicks — at the Chicago Fire’s practice facility while a handful of Hawks teammates watched and, later, joined in. He converted two of five, a respectable effort. He saved zero of five.

“[I was] not bad,” Mrazek said, grinning. “I hit the crossbar there. The thing is, I think [Cech] read almost every single ball from everyone. When he reads that, it’s lucky to get in.”

On Tuesday, the two countrymen switched sports — and thus drastically flipped their hierarchy.

After the Hawks’ team practice at Fifth Third Arena, Cech hit the ice in full hockey-goalie gear and a mask styled like the U.K. flag. He took shots first from Hawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite to warm up, then from the defensemen from longer distance, and later from the forwards in a very well-attended iteration of the customary post-practice game of “two puck.”

Cech said he felt more comfortable once he made a few saves and started moving. He had some trouble stopping the NHL forwards one-on-one, but did manage to knock out a few guys — including Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Johnson — right off the bat.

“You’re facing the top players in the world, so you have to expect that they will have a good shot and be clever and in control,” Cech said. “But you try to do the same thing: you try to fill the gaps and try to read them, which is harder. Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was a priceless experience for me.”

Of course, there’s a backstory to all of this. The idea of Mrazek and Cech uniting in Chicago, as well as the idea of Cech playing ice hockey at all, makes much more sense when it is provided.

The two of them met about 10 years ago, when Mrazek’s pro career was just beginning with the Red Wings while Cech was cementing his legacy as one of the best goalies in Premier League history. It turned out they were both represented by the same agency.

It also turned out they loved each other’s sports. Cech was skating during his free time with a local semi-pro hockey team in England, dreaming of a late-career change that he has since made a reality. He may be a soccer superstar, but he calls hockey his passion. He actually grew up idolizing Dominik Hasek, whom he now wears No. 39 to honor.

And Mrazek, as mentioned, is a diehard Chelsea fan. It became an annual tradition for Cech to host Mrazek in London every August.

“Having that connection…was incredible,” Mrazek said. “Even when he wasn’t playing, he would still take care of us. We would go to Arsenal and Chelsea games, or we would travel with Chelsea somewhere close around London.”

The two of them long ago first discussed Cech returning the favor and visiting Mrazek in North America, but the Premier League and NHL schedules — which both start in the fall and end in the spring — never lined up properly. But they finally made it happen this year, bringing Cech to Chicago for the first time since 2006 (when Chelsea played an exhibition game against the MLS All-Stars in Bridgeview).

Cech attended the Hawks’ overtime win over the Flames on Sunday — a “great game,” he said — and will stick around for the Hawks-Avalanche matchup Thursday.

And now, the backstory explaining why this year worked for his visit. As crazy as it sounds, Cech resigned this past summer from a position in Chelsea’s front office to focus full-time on his hockey career — at age 40.

He previously played part-time for the Guildford Phoenix, an English fourth-division team. This year, he signed with the Chelmsford Chieftains, a third-division team, and has gone 3-1-0 with a .907 save percentage in five appearances. He also practices occasionally with the Guildford Flames, who are currently the first-place team in England’s top league (the EIHL).

“I’m a bit older, so I don’t play back-to-back games,” Cech said with a laugh. “But otherwise, I’m happy. As long as I feel fit and feel like I contribute and I enjoy it and my body enjoys it, then I carry on.”

The positioning aspect of hockey goaltending — determining the correct depth and angle in any given moment — is surprisingly comparable to soccer goalkeeping, he insisted. The playing surface, however, is obviously not.

“The big challenge is skating, because you need to get the technique,” he said. “Once you’re on the ice, the slides and the recovery, that’s something you have to really work on. There’s no other way around it.

“In terms of the positioning, you need to be in the right place and set before the shot comes, so that is a similarity. The pressure on the goalie remains always the same. But obviously, the nature of the game is completely different.”

Mrazek has helped Cech’s training. He often sends videos of himself — some self-recorded on a GoPro camera set up in his garage — for feedback and tips. The fact Mrazek catches with his left hand and Cech with his right complicates things slightly, but Mrazek has still taught him to keep his glove further out and use it more aggressively, in particular.

Cech repaid Mrazek for his consulting time by referring him this fall to a New Jersey-based chiropractor, who ultimately aided Mrazek’s recovery from his recurring groin injuries.

And come Monday, Cech and Mrazek were all smiles and laughs as they filmed silly videos with the Hawks’ marketing staff and kicked the ball around with Hawks teammates.

The whole arrangement was somewhat surreal. Cech explaining how to handle the pressure of World Cup-level PK shootouts to Mrazek, Seth Jones and Max Domi almost sounds like a Mad Lib. So does Cech comparing late-arriving Jonathan Toews to Chelsea star midfielder Jorginho. But both things actually happened.

Jones and Jason Dickinson even demonstrated some soccer prowess, in case they ever consider Cech-esque career changes. Mrazek, meanwhile, would probably be best-served sticking to hockey — but at least he has a friendship with one of soccer’s all-time greats to brag about.

“It’s cool to see that we’ve become this close and that we have a chance to do this,” Mrazek said.

Added Cech: “I’m kind of living my childhood dream.”

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