The Chicago Bears need to play in a new stadium that has climate control.
A lot of Bears fans and media like to talk about something called “Bear weather”. The idea suggests that the Bears have an advantage over thier opponents, especially those from warm climates, because of how cold it gets in the winter months. That idea, however, is wrong and doesn’t help the Bears in any way, shape, or form.
If “Bear weather” was a real thing or had any sort of advantage, they would probably have more division titles or playoff wins over the past decade or more. In fact, they have been one of the worst franchises in the sport for a very long time so the weather isn’t helping them at all.
This is why nobody should use that as an excuse as to why they shouldn’t upgrade the stadium. They don’t win in the cold so playing in a dome or a place with a retractable roof isn’t going to harm them on the playing field. If anything, it could help them because then they would actually play on a field that is well kept and designed for football.
If they moved into a state-of-the-art stadium that had a roof, it would be an amazing thing for the state of Illinois as well. When football season is not going on, they would be able to host things like the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, and Wrestlemania. All of those things would be so fun to have right in our own backyard. Soldier Field doesn’t get to hold any of those activities for a variety of reasons, despite being located in a world-class city.
The Chicago Bears should absolutely consider this move if they are awarded the land. They would have to pay money for the duration of thier current lease that they would be breaking but it would be worth it for a franchise that is worth billions. “Bear weather” hasn’t helped them in their history and it isn’t going to start any time soon.
Enough already! Please, make the bloodletting stop. Over the last couple of weeks, it’s been heartbreak after heartbreak as yet another writer exits the Chicago Tribune.
As most of you know by now, among the horde of talented notables who took buyout offers from the Trib’s new owner, Alden Global Capital, are columnists Dahleen Glanton, Heidi Stevens, Eric Zorn, John Kass and Mary Schmich.
In full disclosure, many of the greats had already left the building, including Barbara Brotman, Mark Caro, Monica Eng, Jimmy Greenfield, food critic Phil Vettel and architecture critic Blair Kamin.
No matter what happens next, the Chicago Tribune, which once billed itself as the “world’s greatest newspaper,” will be, well, lacking.
The paper will never be the same. Chicago will never be the same. Neither will journalism. Neither will I.
When I was growing up in the 1950s, the oldest of three siblings, we lived on the first floor of a three-flat in South Shore. We were, in retrospect, middle class–although it didn’t always feel that way after returning from our yearly Mother’s Day trek to Glencoe, hometown of our distant cousins.
At that point, we may not have achieved the American dream of owning a single-family home, but one thing we never did without was newspapers.
It was the glory days for newspapers, each one fat with advertisements, which helped pay the papers’ bills. We got four, count ’em, four newspapers delivered to our door. The Tribune and Sun-Times in the morning, The Daily News and the American in the afternoon.
I started reading newspapers for the comics, but by the time I was nine, I began devouring the rest of the paper. For me, newspapers became a connection to the world outside of our insulated neighborhood.
I must admit, I always searched out Ann Landers advice column first and even sent away for her brochure about how to overcome shyness, which, sadly, didn’t work.
Later, as a young advertising copywriter, I didn’t need a cup of java in the morning, but the day didn’t start out right if I didn’t get a chance to glance at my Trib. I loved the various feature sections–food, health, women– sections that came and went.
Although I liked writing print ads and TV commercials, coming up with, hopefully, bright ideas to market hair care products, food products, the Illinois State Lottery and more, I dreamed of being a journalist. Of writing for the Trib.
My bachelor’s degree was in education (another story for another time), but I had no formal training in journalism. That’s zero. Zilch. Nada.
What I did do was read the Tribune news stories and opinion columns assiduously.
I studied the work of the news reporters, the feature writers, the columnists, especially, especially, Mary Schmich, whose column had long since replaced Ann Landers, as my go-to-first in the paper.
I learned from her. I was inspired by her. Her wisdom, wit, insight, humility, her ability to tell a story simply, graciously, intelligently, unpretentiously.
Her raw honesty, especially when it came to her family. I was awestruck that she could hit it out of the park most every day.
Some 25 years ago, I got to see my dream realized. When my first feature story appeared in the paper– “By Judy Marcus, Special to the Tribune,” my freelancer byline read back then, I literally jumped up and down for joy.
Thanks to studying the work of the Tribune greats (including Rick Kogan. Please don’t go, Rick!), I went on to write Trib stories about everything from recumbent bicycle riders to bakeries to families affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
My goal was always to write opinion pieces, and eventually, I got my wish (although there were many rejections in between). I have had the privilege to express my thoughts on an array of topics and see them printed in the op-ed pages of the Chicago Tribune.
To those staffers who have already left or are in the processing of saying sayonara to the the Trib, I want you to know this: You’ve informed me. Entertained me. Moved me to tears. You’ve influenced my life.
You taught me how to interview. How to write (in my own style, of course).
I thank you all, with a special shout-out to the unsung heroes, the former Trib editors: Marcia Lythcott, Maria Mooshil, Denise Joyce, Mary Jane Grandinetti, Lara Weber and others, for being my private mentors, who in spite of often being on deadline, were never too busy to help guide this freelancer.
Judy Marcus is a freelance writer whose work appears in a variety of publications. She’s also a food lover. For news, recipes and commentary about food, check out her blog, Sugar Buzz Chicago. For news and opinions on almost anything else, visit Opinionated Woman.
Ross had a “pit in [his] stomach” after benching Baez. | AP Photos
It’s June, and the Cubs are swooning. At the least, they’re wobbling into the teeth of a defining stretch. Urgency is upon us.
Would Cubs manager David Ross have yanked Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo or Jason Heyward from Monday night’s 4-0 loss to the Indians at Wrigley Field for making the same baserunning blunder — and it was a bad one — Javy Baez made?
I have my doubts, but file that under the timeless, perhaps pointless category of second-guessing the manager. Not just Ross. Any manager. It’s kind of a sport unto itself.
“I think that, yes, [I would have] if the circumstances were the same with anybody,” Ross said. “I’m not trying to set an example of Javy ever. The guy plays his butt off and brings it 99.9% of the time. So it’s not about setting an example of a star player that’s a big part of this team. That’s not it.”
Ross wasn’t wrong for pulling Baez four innings into a 1-0 game after the shortstop lost track of outs and — believing there were two instead of one — jogged around second base on a lazy fly ball, then, after realizing his mistake, failed to even feign an attempt to get back to first base to avoid being doubled off.
But Ross wasn’t right, either. Baez often plays at a harder, higher level than many big-leaguers can match on their best days. And that’s saying nothing of the keen awareness and insight he routinely displays — seeing things others don’t — which might seem to earn him some room for the occasional brain cramp or moment of frustrated letdown.
A decision like this one isn’t about wrong or right. It’s about why. As White Sox manager Tony La Russa said of himself this season: Ross is the guy with the office. Ross’ “why” is the one that counts.
Javy Baez has a blunder so bad that he gets benched by David Ross immediately pic.twitter.com/jHXk1rt6Gr
And in this case, it’s June and the Cubs are swooning. Or threatening to swoon. What constitutes a swoon, anyway? They’ve lost six of eight heading into Tuesday night’s finale of a two-game series against the Indians, after which they leave for their longest, toughest road trip — 10 games, beginning with four at Dodger Stadium — of the season.
It could get ugly. The July 30 trade deadline waits for no one. It’s foolish for anyone to assume the Cubs — tied for first with the Brewers, whom they visit after the Dodgers — will kick into go-for-the-gusto mode if their struggles multiply.
Half a lifetime ago, in 1997, Ross, then Auburn’s catcher, hit a three-run, walk-off homer in a regional finals series against Florida State to help lift the Tigers to a rare appearance in the College World Series. Facing the mod of giddy teammates waiting for him at home plate was a lot more pleasant than facing the media after pulling Baez.
“I did not feel good to take Javy out of the game,” he said. “I definitely would agree with that statement. I never feel comfortable doing that at all. That’s a pit in my stomach and was in my stomach the entire game.”
That pit isn’t going anywhere. His team is wobbling into the teeth of a defining stretch.
Los Bukis will now perform two shows in September at Soldier Field. | Cortesía de Los Bukis
The iconic Latin music superstars, led by Marco Antonio Solis, announced their reunion tour — “Una Historia Cantada” — earlier this month.
Newly reunited Los Bukis, already slated for a sold-out Sept. 4 show at Soldier Field, have added a second show to their Chicago engagement, on Sept. 5.
The iconic Latin music superstars, led by Marco Antonio Solis, announced their reunion tour — “Una Historia Cantada” — earlier this month with three shows on the schedule including Los Angeles, Arlington, Texas, and Chicago. New shows (including a second Los Angeles date) have been announced for venues in Houston and San Antonio, Texas, and Oakland, California.
The band, which was formed in 1976, gained worldwide attention with its first single “Falso Amor” (“False love”). Their 1987 album “Me Volvi A Acordar De Ti” sold more than one million copies. The band, to date, boasts 16 studio albums, including its final studio release, “Por Amor a Mi Pueblo” (“For Love of My Town”) in 1995. They officially went their separate ways a year later.
ACE 14U team will play New York team before White Sox play Yankees in Field of Dreams game
The kids are having their own dream game, New York vs. Chicago style, in the cornfields of Iowa.
Youth baseball teams from those cities will square off in an exhibition game called “A Dream Fulfilled” in Dyersville, Iowa on Aug. 11, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.
The Chicago squad is a 14U team from the White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) Program. It will take on a team from the New York based DREAM program the day before the Sox play the Yankees in the Field of Dreams game adjacent to the site of where the Field of Dreams movie starring Kevin Costner was made.
The players and coaches will attend the Sox-Yankees game, set to be the first Major League game ever held in Iowa, at a temporary ballpark with a potential capacity of up to 8,000 fans, on the following night, Aug. 12.
The Sox created the ACE program in 2007 with the goal of providing high-quality baseball instruction and leadership/mentorship opportunities to young athletes from Chicago’s underserved and inner-city communities.
Sure, we’ve only reached the Conference Finals for the NBA Playoffs at this point of the year. But that doesn’t mean offseason action and rumors plan on slowing down any time soon. In fact, multiple coaches have already parted ways with their organizations after their seasons ended. The Celtics were among those teams, and they eventually made a trade with the Thunder to move Kemba Walker and some picks for Al Horford and picks. And now with the NBA Draft Lottery right around the corner, things are about to get even spicier in the league. So where do the ChicagoBulls stand as we approach the NBA Draft Lottery?
Depending on how you view it, the Chicago Bulls historically unlucky NBA Draft Lottery outcomes are both good and bad. On one hand, they’re good because we aren’t necessarily the worst team in the league so our odds to receive a top pick are lower and we shouldn’t expect them. But on the other hand, they’re still one of the 14 worst teams in the league given the fact they’re invited to the NBA Draft Lottery, and not receiving high picks doesn’t help. Since its inception in 1985, the Chicago Bulls have only lucked out on the #1 pick twice. In 1999 when we drafted Elton Brand, and in 2008 when we drafted Derrick Rose.
The Chicago Bulls face an interesting scenario for the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery this year. First and foremost, we NEED to secure a top four pick to be able to even draft in round one. If we don’t, that pick will go to the Orlando Magic as part of last season’s trade for Nikola Vučević. Our current odds to keep the first rounder are at 20.3% which comes from odds of 5.7% for pick 4, 5.2% for pick 3, 4.8% for pick 2, and 4.5% for pick 1. So basically, there’s an 80% chance we lose our first round pick. These odds don’t make it impossible however, and they are similar to the Bulls odds at receiving a top 4 pick in last year’s NBA Draft Lottery where we managed to jump all the way up the board. All we Chicago fans can do now is keep our fingers crossed and wait.
This year, the balls will drop for the NBA Draft Lottery on June 22 at 7 P.M. CST. To watch the lottery, tune into ESPN on your TV or through the app. The Bulls will need all the luck and support they can get. Once the picks are confirmed, the 2021 NBA Draft is the next big event on the leagues calendar. That’ll take place on Thursday, July 29. Stay tuned Bulls fans!
She’s helped rebuild the lives of scores of sexual exploitation victims. Now a new memoir from activist Brenda Myers-Powell reveals that her strength lies in having endured the unimaginable herself.Read More
You’re vaccinated, you’ve got a cutie to do things with, and Chicago is open again— so now what are you going to do? There are so many great ways to have fun with a friend here in the city; here are just a few suggestions to resurrect Date Night with the perfect summer bae-cation:
Experience Patio Season as it was meant to be experienced: with a great view of the city and the perfect cocktail. This newer rooftop spot in Wicker Park is situated at the top of Hyatt Place Chicago/Wicker Park, giving you the best vantage point from which to appreciate the skyline with your boo.
Located at 2444 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, The Hotel at Midtown is perhaps the finest boutique hotel in the entire city. But it’s so much more to that. Attached to the Midtown Athletic Club, a stay at The Hotel at Midtown gives you access to a world-class fitness facility, a brunch restaurant, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, and a spa that is to die for. It’s truly a perfect blend of luxury and wellness, indulgence without having to stay directly in the heart of The Loop.
With food, music, and other attractions, it’s no surprise that Navy Pier is one of Chicago’s top destinations. Even if you’re a Chicago native who’s had all the deep-dish pizza and ferris wheel rides they can stand, the summertime fireworks are always a great opportunity to get outside with your honey and gaze at the night sky.
222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Ste 470, Chicago IL 60654
This huge light display on the facade of the old Merchandise Mart building is often accompanied by music, and features work by world-renowned artists. What better way to take in the summer nights than to see some local art in the fresh air?
With thousands of plants on display in eight different indoor gardens, Garfield Park Conservatory is an oasis of green within the urban landscape. Make a reservation for you and your friend to take a minute and smell the roses.
This 1.25-mile walk includes some of the city’s best dining, public art, outdoor activities, and more. Check out the Chicago Architecture Center, grab some lunch at one of the Riverwalk’s many restaurants, and even try your hand at urban kayaking!
June through August, you can catch live music at the Museum of Contemporary Art every Tuesday at 5:30p.m. No more date nights watching music livestreams on a screen!
Two people were wounded in a shooting Monday night on Interstate 290 near East Garfield Park on the West Side.
About 10:30 p.m., officers responded to the westbound lanes of I-290 at Kostner Avenue, for calls of a vehicle with passengers who had been shot, Illinois State Police said.
Two people, the front and rear passengers, were struck by gunfire and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, state police said. The driver was not injured.
About 11:55 p.m., all lanes of traffic were closed for an investigation, with traffic being diverted to Independence Avenue, state police said. All lanes reopened about 3:45 a.m.
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