The fast-talking mountebank would show up in the depressed dusty town with a flashy wagon, a box full of his magical elixir, and two sickly-looking members of the audience, planted days earlier.
Within hours, the elixir was allegedly making hair grow, curing dysentery, and fixing marriages all with one swig, while the marks freely tossed what money they had at the feet of the swindler.
Hope sells, and they were all in on buying it, hook, line and sinker.
And by the time they realized it was actually false hope, the flashy wagon was long gone … until the next flashy wagon pulled in months later and promised even more from their batch of snake oil.
Year after year they drank the elixir. Sure, they had to fight Bears fans over it, but a sprinkle of a safe No. 7 overall pick here, a trade Jimmy Butler-and-rebuild sip there. Heck, why not a dash of out-of-shape and mopey hometown kid Jabari Parker?
And every April when the wagon pulled away, the lost townspeople promised themselves “That’s the last time!”
Until it wasn’t.
That’s basically been the relationship between Bulls fan and front office the last two-plus decades.
Does it feel like the new regime of executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley are using the same operating handbook? Absolutely not.
All indications are that Karnisovas has a plan and it is an aggressive one.
Flashes of it have already been shown at the trade deadline, as young potential – and a certain amount of softness – was sent out for a proven All-Star in Nikola Vucevic, a tough-minded big who resembles a bad guy out of a Jason Statham movie in Daniel Theis, and couple of interesting wing defenders in Troy Brown Jr. and Javonte Green.
On paper, all solid moves, and even more importantly, a powerful message sent to the rest of the league that these were not the same old Bulls, spinning in the mud of survival mode.
The problem with big swings? Sometimes they miss. While the jury is still out on the long-term effect Karnisovas’ first major roster moves will have, the immediate payoff as far as this season has to be considered a fail.
Even if the Bulls somehow win their last five games, and the Pacers or Wizards have an historic collapse, opening the door for a play-in game, what can this Bulls roster really accomplish?
One or two meaningful games for Zach LaVine and Vucevic to play together before the roster gets yet another facelift this offseason?
No thanks. Save bonding time for the two this summer with less health and safety protocols expected from the league, and then next fall training camp. LaVine will be entering his eighth season and Vucevic his 11th. If they can’t figure it out quickly by then, well, maybe that says something about the players.
The best way to handle these last five games? Sit both of them. Play the Greens, Browns and Coby Whites. Play the lottery percentages and pray.
This roster is a generational point guard away from becoming something special. The price for possibly a Chris Paul or Michael Conley will be huge. Meanwhile, this 2021 draft – one in which the Bulls will not participate in unless they land in the top four of the lottery – has two such players in Cade Cunningham and Jalen Suggs.
Marching out LaVine and Vucevic for some sort of development/meaningful-game showcase down the stretch is the wrong play.
It’s bad medicine.
Unfortunately for far too many Bulls fans, they’ll drink it up. They don’t know anything different.
It’s yet another flashy wagon coming through town.
Tawny Kitaen in May 1998. Authorities in Orange County, California say she died at her home in Newport Beach on Friday, May 7, 2021. | Bruce C. Strong/The Orange County Register via AP
Tawny Kitaen, who appeared in rock music videos during the heyday of MTV and starred opposite Tom Hanks in the 1984 comedy “Bachelor Party,” has died. She was 59.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Tawny Kitaen, the sultry red-haired actress who appeared in rock music videos during the heyday of MTV and starred opposite Tom Hanks in the 1984 comedy “Bachelor Party,” has died. She was 59.
The Orange County coroner’s office said she died at her home in Newport Beach on Friday. The cause of death was not immediately released.
Her daughters, Wynter and Raine, confirmed their mother’s death on Kitaen’s Instagram account.
“We just want to say thank you for all of you, her fans and her friends, for always showing her such support and love. You gave her life everyday,” their statement said.
Kitaen became the rock world’s “video vixen” after appearing on the cover of two albums from the heavy metal band Ratt and starring in several music videos for Whitesnake, including the 1987 smash song “Here I Go Again.” The video, played repeatedly on the burgeoning music television network, featured Kitaen performing cartwheels on the hood of a Jaguar.
She also starred as the fiancee to Tom Hanks’ character in the comedy “Bachelor Party,” and as Jerry Seinfeld’s girlfriend in a 1991 episode of “Seinfeld.” Other TV credits included a stint as co-host of “America’s Funniest People” and on the reality shows “The Surreal Life” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” in which she revealed her struggle with substance abuse.
Kitaen had a tumultuous personal life, which included a brief marriage to Whitesnake’s lead singer, David Coverdale, and a rocky marriage to baseball pitcher Chuck Finley, with whom she had two daughters.
“My sincere condolences to her children, her family, friends & fans,” Coverdale tweeted on Saturday.
With our old blog about to expire, it’s nice to know that ChicagoNow kept ours up in the interim. It is a sad time, because we had so much in the archives over there, but it’s been on life support for a while now since we haven’t been able to do much with life and responsibilities getting in the way. We couldn’t really justify the hosting costs, so thus ends an era. But hopefully, when I get into a groove again, you’ll see more stuff over here.
In the next couple weeks, I’ll go and see if I can rescue a few of the good ones and post them over here, in sort of a revised format. This is an updated version of the aggregation of Condensed Game videos from the 2016 Cubs postseason run, in which they won the World Series. I have been on record as saying that 2016 is (and for many of the Cubs fans out there, too) the “One Before I Die,” and that will keep me relatively content for the next 10 years after. Well, here we are in 2021, and that grace period is about halfway done. I suppose I thought we would have seen the Cubs snag a few more rings by now, but this is perhaps a reminder that baseball is hard, and winning the World Series is harder.
At the same time, this is a collection of happy memories, and evidence that, at one point, the players that are on their way out were really good at their craft and brought us the greatest of rewards. For that, we should always be grateful.
(I did kind of skate around the few players who we knew at the time, or later found out, were trash human beings. Although they did contribute to the overall goal, since baseball is a team sport, I’m just not going to talk about them and hope that the remaining guys never milkshake duck.)
There were something like 16 billion articles written on the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series championship run, and while those are all nice, sometimes you need to watch the highlights and relive the glory. And if you’re in a long stretch between games, or you don’t find certain sporting events interesting, etc., well…that means you have time to get through a longer highlight reel. And maybe freak out at all the people that are hanging out maskless while packed in like sardines. It was a different time!
The MLB.com Media Center has all games archived and set up as condensed games as well, showing major plays and the final pitches of every significant plate appearance. I’m not sure when they expire, but until they do, and given that all are embeddable (YAY), this is a good place to show all 11 victories en route to the greatest moment of our sporting lives.
Game 1: Javier Báez hit his homer around 6:53 of this clip…
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Game 2:Kyle Hendricks gets his run-scoring hit about 3:32, and leaves the game around the 6:50 mark after a comebacker (he ended up being OK), while former Cubs pitcher Travis Wood hits his homer at 7:54.
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Game 4: Grandpa David Ross hits a homer at 2:15, and the comeback for the ages starts at 9:10.
Game 5: You can watch Jon Lester field his position most amusingly around 3:07, and Anthony Rizzo drops a 100-point bunt at 10:55. Adrian Gonzalez tried his own bunt at 11:25, but Javy was too good for that upon replay. The Cubs would plate their winning run at 13:55.
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Game 6: Well, the clincher! Just enjoy this, especially Willson Contreras‘ bat drop after homering against Clayton Kershaw at 5:28. Kyle Hendricks also has a sweet pickoff at 3:04.
Game 2: You can see Javy the Teletubbie get on base at the 2:00 mark, but the Cubs wouldn’t plate the winning run until Kyle Schwarber‘s single around 3:17 (worth the visual after the play haha). Jake Arrieta would lose his no-hitter at 10:23.
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Game 5: The first World Series win at Wrigley Field in over 70 years. Ross and Rizzo have their juggly catch at 1:32. Heyward’s catch is at 4:10. Kris Bryant hits the tying homer at 5:15, and the Cubs plate the winning run at 8:18.
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Game 6: Back to Cleveland. And on to a Game Seven. And a reminder that He Who Shall Not Be Named Lest He Name Search And Then Troll Us lost twice in the World Series to the eventual champion Cubs.
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Game 7: The clincher. Another Hendricks pickoff at 4:06. After the rain delay, the game-winning rally starts at 24:07. The final out and celebration starts at 28:18. I showed this video six times that Friday while teaching class as I couldn’t get the day off since half the teachers were out. There was a parade or something, but the wife and kid got to go so I was there in spirit.
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The Cubs won the World Series. People forget that. Now here are 11 reasons not to forget anymore.
Rice Cube is the Executive Vice President of Snark for World Series Dreaming. Rice is not a native Chicagoan and thinks all your traditions are crazy but still loves the Cubs so hopefully we can all get along.
The Cubs placed Ian Happ on the 10-day IL with a rib contusion suffered in an outfield collision with Nico Hoerner earlier this week. To replace him on the roster, the Cubs purchased the contract of former A’s outfielder Nick Martini from Iowa. Martini is a left-handed bat capable of playing either corner in the outfield or first base. There is maybe a little surprise Martini was chosen over long-time MLB vet Cameron Maybin and Rafael Ortega, a younger outfielder who had a good spring and is also off to a hot start in Iowa, but this figures to be a very temporary MLB assignment, and Martini is likely to be DFA in the near future when Rowan Wick and/or Jonathan Holder are ready to come of the 60-day IL. The Cubs may have felt Martini had a better chance of passing through waivers than Maybin or Ortega.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Martini, the club designated Kyle Ryan for assignment. It was only a matter of time until Ryan lost his roster spot. With Rex Brothers and Justin Steele emerging in the MLB pen, Brad Wieck returning to strength at Iowa, and former Phillies reliever Adam Morgan back from elbow surgery and on a MiLB deal, the Cubs have enviable left-handed relief depth, even if Ryan gets plucked off waivers.
Iowa jumped ahead 2-0 on a two-run homer by Rafael Ortega in the 1st. It was his third homer already in four games so far this season. He wasn’t the only impressive performer early on in this game though, former top five pick of the Minnesota Twins, Kohl Stewart punched out nine men over five innings of one-run ball. After Indy took the lead 3-2 off Michael Rucker in the 6th, Adam Morgan and Jake Jewell shut the door the rest of the way, enabling the I-Cubs to mount a late comeback. Cameron Maybin’s solo hot in the 8th evened the score. And then in the bottom of the 10th, Andrew Romine scored on a walk-off passed ball.
Top Performers
Kohl Stewart: 5 IP, H, R, BB, 9 K
Jake Jewell: 2 IP, H, 0 R, BB, K (W, 2-0)
Rafael Ortega: 1-4, HR (3), R, 2 RBI
Cameron Maybin: 1-4, HR (1), R, RBI
Abiatal Avelino: 2-3, R, BB
P.J. Higgins: 1-2, 2 BB
Jose Lobaton: 1-3, 2B, BB
Injuries, Updates, and Trends
Rafael Ortega has hit in all four games so far, and already had a two-homer game on Wednesday night. The 29-year old lefty opened some eyes in Winter League action, and was impressive this spring as well. His MLB career stats amount to an unimpressive .229/.287/.290 line with 3 homers in 410 at bats, but its possible the Cubs found a capable under the radar fill in should additional injuries strike.
You’d think that by racking up 13 runs the Smokies bats really exploded in this one. And they were pretty good, but Montgomery committed an incredible six errors to assist the Smokies as they dented the scoreboard in five consecutive innings.
Top Performers
Tyler Payne: 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI
Zach Davis: 2-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 SB (1, 2)
Jared Young: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB (1)
Christopher Morel: 1-5, HR (1), R, 2 RBI
Levi Jordan: 2-5, 2B, R, RBI
Andy Weber: 1-4, 2 R, BB
Erich Uelmen: 3.1 IP, 2 H, R, 4 BB, 2 K
Injuries, Updates, and Trends
Shortstop Andy Weber (.417/.462/.500) has reached base twice in each of the Smokies first three games. A left-handed bat, Weber is still a little inconsistent on routine plays at short, but has average or better defensive tools. His bat has steadily improved as a pro, and it appears he is trending toward a MLB bench job, perhaps as soon as mid-2022. In time, Weber could potentially even claw his way into a platoon starter role.
The River Bandits jumped on the Cubs early in this one, as starter Derek Casey struggled with control (4 BB, HBP, 5 H in 3 IP). A rough night at 3B for Chase Strumpf (3 errors) didn’t help, leading to a pair of unearned runs. The Cubs made a game of it late, pushing across a two runs in the 7th and again in the 8th, but they were unable to keep the string going in the 9th.
Top Performers
Delvin Zinn: 2-3, R, BB, 2 SB (4, 5)
Cole Roederer: 1-2, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB
Jacob Olson: 2-5, 2B, 2 R
Chase Strumpf: 1-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB
Bryce Windham: 1-4, R, BB
Cayne Ueckert: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Injuries, Updates, and Trends
Another game, another double for Chase Strumpf. The defense may still be a work in progress, but his bat looks really good so far. I haven’t seen enough yet this year to say where his defense truly is at, but in pre-draft and my looks in 2019 I felt he’d be fine at 2B. Not good, but good enough. Thanks to all the shifting that happens now, 2B is not as demanding as it used to be. I also felt he could handle 1B or maybe even LF. They tried him at 3B last night, which I never considered, but its worth a try despite the rough results on Friday.
Delvin Zinn (photo by Rikk Carlson)
A bundle of energy who always plays with a smile on his face, Delvin Zinn has already played multiple positions and swiped 5 bags this season. I’m not sure he’s got a MLB ceiling in his bat, but he is the type of player team’s love to have at the Minor League levels, and he’ll continue to get opportunities for a long time if he wants.
An interesting late round (27) arm in 2019, Cayne Ueckert has displayed plenty of life on his fastball and slider so far. I don’t have radar gun readings on him yet, but he looks to be around 93 to my eye. All six outs he recorded last night came via strike out.
Ryan Reynolds launched a solo homer in the 2nd, then drove in Ed Howard and Yohendrick Pinango on a triple in the 3rd. Howard was on after singling in a run and Pinango after doubling in a run earlier in the inning. Edmond Americaan also scored in the 3rd and then added an insurance run with a solo shot in the 6th.
It was enough of a cushion for the Pelicans to overcome a rough start by Richard Gallardo, who allowed six base runners and three runs in a 41 pitch 1st inning. Jose Albertos (2.2 shutout innings), who looks to be in great shape, and Jake Reindl (2.1 shutout innings) picked up the slack. In all, the Pelicans pen struck out 12 while allowing just 1 run over 8 innings.
Top Performers
Jose Albertos: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, HBP, 3 K (W, 1-0)
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally protesting the electoral college certification of Joe Biden as President in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. | Evan Vucci/AP
Do the protections carved out for companies when the internet was in its infancy 25 years ago make sense when some of them have become global powerhouses with almost unlimited reach?
WASHINGTON — Lurking beneath Facebook’s decision on whether to continue Donald Trump’s suspension from its platform is a far more complex and consequential question: Do the protections carved out for companies when the internet was in its infancy 25 years ago make sense when some of them have become global powerhouses with almost unlimited reach?
The companies have provided a powerful megaphone for Trump, other world leaders and billions of users to air their grievances, even ones that are false or damaging to someone’s reputation, knowing that the platforms themselves were shielded from liability for content posted by users.
Now that shield is getting a critical look in the current climate of hostility toward Big Tech and the social environment of political polarization, hate speech and violence against minorities.
The debate is starting to take root in Congress, and the action this week by Facebook’s quasi-independent oversight board upholding the company’s suspension of Trump’s accounts could add momentum to that legislative effort.
Under the 1996 Communications Decency Act, digital platform companies have legal protection both for content they carry and for removing postings they deem offensive. The shelter from lawsuits and prosecution applies to social media posts, uploaded videos, user reviews of restaurants or doctors, classified ads — or the underworld of thousands of websites that profit from false and defamatory information on individuals.
Section 230 of the law, which outlines the shield, was enacted when many of the most powerful social media companies didn’t even exist. It allowed companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to grow into the behemoths they are today.
Republicans accuse the social media platforms of suppressing conservative voices and giving a stage to foreign leaders branded as dictators, while Trump is barred. Democrats and civil rights groups decry the digital presence of far-right extremists and pin blame on the platforms for disseminating hate speech and stoking extremist violence.
“For too long, social media platforms have hidden behind Section 230 protections to censor content that deviates from their beliefs,” Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the senior Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, has said.
On this, Trump and President Joe Biden apparently agree. Trump, while president, called for the repeal of Section 230, branding it “a serious threat to our national security and election integrity.” Biden said during his campaign that it “immediately should be revoked,” though he hasn’t spoken about the issue at length as president.
Facebook, with a strong lobbying presence in Washington and a desire to have an input into any changes, has stepped out in favor of revisions to Section 230. Congress should update the 1996 law “to make sure it’s working as intended,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said. And he’s offered a specific suggestion: Congress could require internet platforms to gain legal protection only by proving that their systems for identifying illegal content are up to snuff.
Some critics see a clever gambit in that, a requirement that could make it more difficult for smaller tech companies and startups to comply and would ultimately advantage Facebook over smaller competitors.
Spokespeople for Twitter and Google declined to comment on the prospects for legislative action on Section 230 following the Facebook board ruling; a spokesperson for Menlo Park, California-based Facebook had no immediate comment.
The decision announced by the Facebook oversight board upheld the suspension of Trump, an extremely rare move that was based on the company’s conclusion that he incited violence leading to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. But the overseers told Facebook to specify how long the suspension would last, saying its “indefinite” ban on the former president was unreasonable. The ruling, which gives Facebook six months to comply, effectively postpones any possible Trump reinstatement and puts the onus for that decision squarely back on the company.
Trump was permanently banned after the riot from Twitter, his favored bullhorn. But it was Facebook that played an integral role in both of Trump’s campaigns, not just as a way to speak to his more than 32 million followers but also as a fundraising juggernaut driving small-dollar contributions through highly targeted ads.
Critics of Facebook generally saw the oversight board’s ruling as positive. But some view the board as a distraction by Facebook to skirt its responsibility and to stave off action by Congress or the Biden administration. What must be addressed, critics insist, are the broader problems for society from the fearsome power, market dominance and underlying business model of Facebook and the other tech giants — harvesting data from platform users and making it available to online advertisers so they can pinpoint consumers to target.
That’s where the debate over changes to Section 230 comes in, as a key area for new regulation of social media.
Gautam Hans, a technology law and free-speech expert and professor at Vanderbilt University, said he finds the board to be “a bit of a sideshow from the larger policy and social questions that we have about these companies.”
___
Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.
A man is facing charges in connection with two armed carjackings from April 30, 2021, in Englewood and Scottsdale. | Adobe Stock Photo
Keshawn Wordlow allegedly committed both carjackings less than an hour apart, police said.
A man is accused of committing two armed carjackings less than an hour apart in Englewood and Scottsdale last week.
Keshawn Wordlow, 18, allegedly carjacked a 37-year-old woman at gunpoint about 11:20 a.m. April 30 in the 200 block of West 66th Street, Chicago police said.
Later, about 12:10 p.m., Wordlow approached a 27-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man in the 8300 block of South Pulaski Road and allegedly took their vehicle and property by force, police said.
Wordlow was arrested Thursday and charged with two felony counts each of vehicular hijacking with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm, police said.
He was denied bail at a court hearing Friday, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
Eisbaren Berlin forward Lukas Reichel tops the Blackhawks’ prospect rankings. | Courtesy of Chicago Blackhawks
Lukas Reichel and Henrik Borgstrom headline a list that experienced much turnover this season as prospects graduated to the NHL.
The Blackhawks’ end-of-season prospect rankings look tremendously different than they did entering the season.
Four of the 10 players listed in the November edition of this list — Ian Mitchell (then No. 1), Philipp Kurashev (No. 3), Brandon Hagel (No. 4) and Wyatt Kalynuk (No. 6) — became regular NHL players for the Hawks this season, and Lucas Carlsson (No. 8) was traded.
All told, six of the 10 players on this list are being ranked for the first time. But most may stay for a while — the Hawks will be more focused on developing their preexisting young players than integrating new ones next season — and a few may be bumped out by the Hawks’ 2021 draft class.
As always, the order of these rankings is determined partially by NHL readiness and partially by upside. Players in Rockford have five games left, so their stat lines aren’t quite complete.
No. 1. Lukas Reichel, wing/center, age 18
Previous Ranking: No. 2
Stat line: 27 points in 38 games with Berlin (Germany)
Reichel, the 2020 17th overall selection, is the clear top prospect in the Hawks’ system right now.
The young German forward greatly impressed Hawks general manager Stan Bowman this year, ranking fifth on Eisbaren Berlin in scoring as an 18-year-old facing adults.
Berlin’s season ended Friday, when they won the league championship. The Hawks would like to sign Reichel this summer and bring him to North America next season. He was originally projected as an NHL wing, but he played a lot of center this season and now looks even more versatile.
No. 2. Henrik Borgstrom, center, age 23
Previous Ranking: N/A (acquired from Panthers)
Stat line: 21 points in 30 games with HIFK (Finland)
After Borgstrom scored 18 points in 50 NHL games with the Panthers in 2018-19, it would’ve been difficult to justify classifying him as a prospect. But after falling out of favor in Florida and playing this season overseas, he’s a prospect again.
Borgstrom is overflowing with natural offensive talent — Bowman described the University of Denver product as the best college player he’s ever seen — and could be a difference-making center in the NHL if he can finally put it all together. The Hawks hope to sign him this summer, too.
No. 3. Nicolas Beaudin, defenseman, age 21
Previous Ranking: No. 7
Stat line: Six points in 17 games with Blackhawks; 10 points in nine games with Rockford (AHL)
Eleven of Beaudin’s 17 Hawks appearances this year came before Feb. 20. The 2018 first-round pick possesses a high hockey IQ and strong offensive instincts but needs to improve defensively. His 40.1% on-ice scoring-chance ratio is the worst on the team.
“When he’s at his best, he’s moving the puck, he’s skating the puck, he’s getting us out of the ‘D’-zone, he can give us something on the offensive blue line,” Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said recently.
No. 4. Evan Barratt, center, age 22
Previous Ranking: No. 5
Stat line: 14 points in 26 games with Rockford (AHL)
Barratt is the top prospect scorer on the IceHogs this season. He has enjoyed a beneficial first pro season, gaining maturity and becoming more comfortable with the puck.
He should see some NHL time next season, although Rockford coach Derek King said this week he doesn’t think Barratt is quite ready yet.
“The big thing [he must improve] is his first two strides,” King said. “But…he’s getting a full boat of everything. It’s nice to see a prospect like that just get better every day.”
No. 5. Wyatt Kaiser, defenseman, age 18
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Stat line: 10 points in 28 games with Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)
Kaiser’s stock skyrocketed during his freshman year. The Hawks’ 2020 third-round pick was one of the top defensemen on a Frozen Four team, as evidenced by his now-famous 59:39 ice time in a quintuple-overtime win over North Dakota.
No. 6. Alec Regula, defenseman, age 20
Previous Ranking: No. 10
Stat line: Four points in 16 games with Rockford (AHL)
Regula, an ex-Red Wings prospect obtained in the Brendan Perlini trade, made his Hawks debut Thursday. He’s a big body (6-4, 208 pounds) with surprising patience and poise with the puck. He projects as a third-pairing defensive defenseman at the NHL level.
No. 7. MacKenzie Entwistle, wing, age 21
Previous Ranking: Others to watch
Stat line: 12 points in 22 games with Rockford (AHL)
Entwistle has also played three games so far with the Hawks, recording his first NHL point Tuesday. His upside is relatively low, but his likelihood of establishing himself as a reliable bottom-six grinder is very high.
No. 8. Isaak Phillips, defenseman, age 19
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Stat line: Seven points in 23 games with Rockford (AHL)
Phillips, seeking to become the first Jamaican hockey team alum to reach the NHL, has more than held his own as one of the youngest defensemen in the AHL this season. He was skating, confidence and defensive instincts were already solid, and his development has only accelerated.
No. 9. Landon Slaggert, center, age 18
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Stat line: 22 points in 25 games with Notre Dame (NCAA)
The Hawks picked Slaggert in the third round last October and he rewarded them with a very good freshman year at Notre Dame. He ranked third on the team in points, trailing only two juniors: his older brother Graham Slaggert and Maple Leafs signing Alex Steeves. He’s a good defensive center, too.
No. 10. Alex Vlasic, defenseman, age 19
Previous Ranking: Others to watch
Stat line: Eight points in 16 games with Boston University (NCAA)
Vlasic took a huge step from his freshman to sophomore years of college, doubling his point total in half as many games and adding strength to his huge 6-6 frame. The Hawks drafted him 43rd overall in 2019 because of his raw tools, knowing he’d take a while to develop, and their patience may eventually pay off.
Honorable mention: Artur Kayumov, wing, age 23
Stat line: 29 points in 57 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Russia)
Kayumov would not only appear but fall in the upper echelon of these rankings if it was more certain he’d one day come over from Russia and join the Hawks’ organization. He’s already a dynamic skater, shooter and playmaker in the world’s second-best league. But he has at least one year left with Lokomotiv.
Other prospects to watch: Drew Commesso (G, 18), Michal Teply (W, 19), Andrei Altybarmakyan (W, 22), Josiah Slavin (W, 22), Jakub Galvas (D, 21), Cam Morrison (W, 22), Antti Saarela (C, 19)
Seven people were shot, one fatally, since 5 p.m. May 7, 2021. | Sun-Times file photo
A 31-year-old man was fatally shot Friday in the first block of North Menard Avenue.
A person was killed and at least six others were wounded in shootings across Chicago so far this weekend.
A 31-year-old man was fatally shot Friday night in Austin on the West Side.
About 10:15 p.m., the man was standing in a gangway between two buildings in the first block of North Menard Avenue when someone fired shots at him, Chicago police said.
He suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body and head and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
In nonfatal attacks, a 25-year-old man was shot Friday night in Gage Park on the Southwest Side.
About 8:55 p.m., he was outside in the 5700 block of South Kedzie Avenue when two males approached him and one fired several shots, police said.
The man was struck once in the groin and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
A 27-year-old man was critically wounded in a shooting Friday night in Bridgeport on the South Side.
About 10 p.m, he was in the parking lot of a gas station in the 600 block of West 31st Street when a male approached and fired shots into his vehicle, police said.
He suffered gunshot wounds to the face and neck and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, police said. The shooter fled the scene in a dark colored sedan, according to police.
Also Friday night, a 33-year-old man was seriously hurt in a shooting in Englewood on the South Side.
He was standing on the sidewalk about 11:45 p.m. in the 7400 block of South Racine Avenue when a male suspect got out of a vehicle and began firing shots, police said.
He was shot in the leg and groin and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition was serious, police said.
On Saturday, a 17-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting.
Just after midnight, the teen boy was dropped off at Norwegian Hospital with a gunshot wound in the leg, police said. He was in good condition.
He would not give details of the incident or the location of the shooting, according to police.
A man was shot early Saturday in West Englewood on the South Side.
The 43-year-old was walking about 1:45 a.m. in the 5600 block of South Hermitage Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain, Chicago police said.
He was struck in the torso and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said.
Mark Giangreco poses inside his South Loop home on May 4. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
The longtime Chicagosports anchor has rubbed some people the wrong way, but he has delighted, informed and supported countless more.
Chicago was tugging at Mark Giangreco’s sleeve long before he called it home.
When he was 8, he’d lie in bed at night — when the signal reached his home outside of Buffalo, New York, the clearest — and listen to the city’s radio stations on his transistor. He was obsessed with the music stations. He’d rock to WCFL and WLS and dream of becoming a disc jockey like Dr. Brock, John Records Landecker and Larry Lujack.
Even though he was more than 500 miles away, Giangreco felt connected to Chicago, which to him was a much larger Buffalo. The cities have the same Great Lakes accent, the same blue-collar mentality and relatively the same weather. They share an ethnic mix of mostly Irish, Italian and Polish, which he identified with, having grandparents in an Italian neighborhood where no one spoke English.
Giangreco’s attraction to Chicago grew stronger while he was at the University of Dayton, where he had a roommate from Northfield, a suburb north of Chicago. They would hitchhike into the city on weekends to party on Rush Street. If they had access to a car, they’d make the five-hour, 300-mile trip, party, then drive back. They felt invincible.
When he began his broadcasting career, Giangreco knew where he wanted to end up. But when he finally arrived in Chicago in 1982, he learned quickly that partying there and competing there were mutually exclusive.
He had no idea the city was about to enter the greatest sports era in its history, in which every major team would win at least one championship, and he’d become its top TV sports anchor. In Chicago, a provincial town despite its major-market status, that equates to celebrity.
“Chicago doesn’t have movie stars — they’ve got sports stars,” said longtime TV news anchor and journalist Carol Marin, who worked with Giangreco. “Without any Hollywood [types], you’re stuck with the news people.”
Chicago became enamored of Giangreco. His authenticity came through the TV screen as clearly as the radio signal that reached his childhood bedroom. It’s hard to act your way through a newscast. At some point, the façade will crack and viewers will see through you. Giangreco was himself, script and all.
“To Mark Giangreco, they were never just words on a page,” said former news anchor Ron Magers, who also worked with him. “They were words he created; they were words he wrote. They were the essence of him. That’s why in what seemed to be an even ordinary story, you still got him.”
But being him had its drawbacks. During his school days, he was often blunt and outspoken — traits he picked up from his mother, Joanne — and found himself in trouble for it. Once he became comfortable in Chicago, he pushed the boundaries and inevitably crossed them a few times.
Whether his last transgression merited his ouster is at least questionable, if not outright wrong, to many. During what became his last newscast Jan. 28 at ABC 7, Giangreco jokingly said news anchor Cheryl Burton “can play the ditzy, combative interior decorator” on a fictional DIY Network show he concocted. Burton complained to station management, which took Giangreco off the air. He and the station reached a separation agreement March 12 for the remaining 18 months on his contract.
But labeling Giangreco a “bad boy” would be a misnomer. Another element of his authenticity is his generosity — a trait he picked up from his father, Joseph. Those he has touched have reciprocated with an unyielding show of support for which he is grateful.
Another reason for his success — and that of his stations’ newscasts in the ratings wars — was his unique style. He was paid to live on the edge, and handsomely. While others in town kept their sportscasts straightforward, Giangreco kept viewers coming back to see what he’d do next.
“I have some regrets. That’s what happens when you shoot from the hip,” said Giangreco, 69. “But that was just me. I’m lucky that the fans in this town were a lot like the people I grew up with. I never wanted to be a celebrity. I just wanted to be creative and have fun with the subject matter, which is sports. I was lucky that just being myself worked.”
ProvidedGiangreco at WLKY in Louisville, where he worked for four years before coming to Chicago in 1982.
Giangreco’s first job was in Dayton at WING radio, where he was a news and sports sidekick. He cut his teeth in TV at WLKY in Louisville, Kentucky. Though the station rated a distant third in the market, it was producing strong work with young, talented people. It couldn’t gain traction because those same people moved on to bigger markets.
“But we were the only station that had a helicopter,” Giangreco said. “We promoted the hell out of that.”
Giangreco spent four years in Louisville, but he was pushing to move on more than halfway through. At the time, he was dating his ex-wife, Cindi Lyles, who was an investigative reporter and weekend anchor at the station. She was pushing for him, too, and sent out his tapes.
NBC 5 in Chicago received one and hired Giangreco to be the weekend sports anchor and work with Chet Coppock. Giangreco, in his late 20s, arrived for work at the Merchandise Mart with equal parts fear and awe.
“I get in the elevator, and all the other floors had numbers on them except WMAQ. It had a peacock,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’ ”
Giangreco learned the ropes from the late Coppock like a rookie backup quarterback watching a veteran starter. Coppock was protective and supportive of Giangreco, all while battling rival anchors Johnny Morris at CBS 2 and the late Tim Weigel at ABC 7. They would vie for scoops and volley assaults at each other through newspaper TV critics, who would fan the flames. Giangreco stood back and watched.
Less than a year after Giangreco arrived, the station fired Coppock and threw Giangreco into the top spot. Management had had enough of Coppock’s ad-libbed, rambling sportscasts slamming into Johnny Carson’s monologue on “The Tonight Show,” among other indiscretions. One such lapse in time judgment led to executive producer Phyllis Schwartz coming into the studio and screaming at Coppock.
“It was no-holds-barred craziness,” Giangreco said of those times.
Not only had Giangreco become the station’s No. 1 sports anchor, but the Chicago sports scene was taking off. The White Sox won their division in 1983, the Cubs followed suit in ’84, the Bears won the Super Bowl after the ’85 season, and Michael Jordan was turning into a national phenomenon with the Bulls. It all put sports front and center, and the competition between stations became even more fierce.
“There was no greater satisfaction than beating the competition,” Giangreco said, “and there was no greater humiliation than getting beat.”
Back then, station management expected a scoop every week. Sometimes, during competitors’ live shots, power cords magically came unplugged. There was always lots of jostling for position in scrums around players, and tensions would rise. Giangreco and ABC 7’s Jim Rose almost came to blows once in the Bears’ locker room, to the players’ amusement. Cooler heads prevailed.
At the Bears’ peak in the 80s, TV crews couldn’t miss a minute at Halas Hall, and it had nothing to do with football. They needed video of quarterback Jim McMahon wearing goofy glasses and shoulder pads on backward while riding a scooter, or whatever hijinks the players were up to.
Giangreco missed one iconic moment, though it’s hard to fault him. Morris delivered lots of exclusives because he was coach Mike Ditka’s teammate with the Bears in the 1960s. Media weren’t allowed upstairs at the old Halas Hall in Lake Forest — the pressroom was downstairs — but Morris would go up there and sneak his cameraman with him.
Ahead of a 1987 game against the Vikings in Minneapolis, Ditka disgustedly called the old Metrodome a “Rollerdome” and said the cheerleaders should wear roller skates. Vikings general manager Mike Lynn responded by sending a pair of skates to Ditka, who put them on and wheeled around the floor. Morris and cameraman Chuck Davidson were on hand for the scoop.
“I remember when they showed that video, I’m like, ‘Goddamnit,’ ” Giangreco said. “We rebounded when Ditka put gum on our camera lens.”
That was emblematic of a contentious relationship with Ditka. Unlike other media types, Giangreco refused to fawn over Ditka and didn’t fear him. In fact, he would go out of his way to make fun of him on his sportscasts. Ditka resented it, and to this day he has no fondness for Giangreco.
But that wasn’t the case with athletes. Giangreco had a great relationship with Jordan. They would challenge each other in interviews, and it was Giangreco who asked the first few questions at Jordan’s first retirement news conference. It appeared to be turning into a one-on-one interview before Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf — another Giangreco detractor — quietly told Jordan to call on someone else.
Giangreco had his share of scoops, too. In Jordan’s early years, when the kid didn’t know any better, Giangreco would grab him and pull him into a broom closet for an interview. Competitors complained about the access, but they did it, too.
He once overheard Bears linebacker Wilbur Marshall in the locker room complaining that teammate Mike Singletary received a new contract and Marshall hadn’t yet. After practice, Giangreco congratulated Singletary, who wondered how Giangreco found out. The bit of eavesdropping led to an exclusive on-camera interview.
His favorite scoop was riding in a limo with Scottie Pippen en route to the Bulls star’s appearance on “The Arsenio Hall Show” in Los Angeles during the 1991 NBA Finals. CBS 2 reporter Jay Levine was waiting at the back door of the studio for what he thought would be an exclusive interview. When the limo pulled up and Giangreco and his crew popped out, Levine realized that was no longer the case.
The competition extended to the sports recap shows on Sunday nights, especially during football season. CBS 2 had Ditka on its show, of course, and ABC 7 had running back Walter Payton and McMahon. Giangreco and NBC 5 took a different approach, hiring Steve “Mongo” McMichael.
Their “Sports Sunday” show was lewd, crude and sometimes revolting. McMichael brought movie props to abuse Giangreco: a chainsaw, a shaving-cream pie, a knife, water balloons. He’d put Giangreco in a chokehold or headlock, cut off his tie or immobilize him with duct tape. After Giangreco mocked McMichael’s wife for her makeup, Mongo painted his face with lipstick and mascara.
“Thirty seconds of that show could never air today,” Giangreco said. “Not even 20 seconds.”
It was perhaps inevitable how McMichael’s run ended after two years in 1991. He brought a giant, cartoonish hypodermic needle that collapsed to make it appear as though it was injected in someone. He told Giangreco, “You and I have been working together too much — I gotta give you an AIDS test,” and he put the needle to his neck.
That night, the lead story of the newscast was about a woman who died of AIDS after contracting HIV from her dentist. The station fired McMichael immediately.
ProvidedGiangreco had a friendly relationship with Michael Jordan throughout the Bulls’ dynasty years, much to the annoyance of competing sportscasters.
By late 1994, Giangreco had become a star on the Chicago sports scene. But he didn’t have a contract with NBC 5 beyond that year, and the station was stringing him along in negotiations. He also was at odds with general manager Pat Wallace.
“In the 12 years I was at Channel 5, I loved everyone I worked with, but not everyone I worked for,” Giangreco said.
Meanwhile, ABC 7 was running out of patience with Weigel, who had owned the market. He could rub some people the wrong way on the air, but the station still had a slight lead over NBC 5 in the ratings.
ABC 7 general manager Joe Ahern saw an opportunity. He met Giangreco for lunch and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Giangreco didn’t want to break up his family with Magers and Marin. He essentially was the snotty little brother to big brother Ron and big sister Carol. He also didn’t want to join his longtime enemies.
He consulted with Magers.
“You gotta get outta here,” Magers said. “We’ll still be friends. Just go. This is ridiculous. You gotta take it.”
NBC 5 had the right of first refusal, and it refused to match the offer.
“[Wallace] and the news director, Mike Ward, made me sit in the outer office with the door open while they talked,” Giangreco said. “They called me in, and Wallace said, ‘There’s no way I’m gonna match this offer. I don’t think you’re worth what we’re stuck paying you here.’ I said, ‘Fine. [Expletive] you.’ And I walked out.”
Ahern had chosen Giangreco over Weigel, cementing the former’s status as the top sportscaster in town — not to mention as a millionaire. It was front-page news in the Sun-Times and Tribune. It also set off a round of musical chairs that saw Weigel leave ABC 7 for CBS 2, Corey McPherrin leave CBS 2 for Fox-32 and Darrin Horton leave the market.
Giangreco didn’t want anyone to see him pack, so he planned to sneak into his NBC 5 office at night. But Marin uncovered the plot, as she always was apt to do, and stayed late to wait for him.
“I hated to see him go, but I understood,” she said. “What do you do when you love somebody? You help them pack.”
ProvidedGiangreco and close friend Bob Vorwald, who experienced Giangreco’s generosity first-hand when he left sports media to go back to school in the 1990s.
One of Giangreco’s all-time best friends is WGN-TV director of production Bob Vorwald. From 1990 to ’93, Vorwald was Giangreco’s producer at NBC 5.
“He’s one of the smartest guys I know,” Giangreco said. “He made my career. He really did.”
After establishing the sports department for the new Fox-32 newscasts in 1987, Vorwald would sit by Giangreco in press boxes, and the two became friendly. Eventually, Giangreco let Vorwald know of a possible job opening that came to fruition.
They talked sports and broadcasting all day, through meals and on walks. Giangreco’s joke was that Vorwald made his living by telling management he could handle him. Vorwald might have been a good buffer, but Giangreco didn’t need handling. He had a way of aspiring to excellence without being a jerk.
Vorwald saw the sports-media landscape changing with ESPN coming into its own and sports marketing becoming an industry. He thought it best to prepare himself by enrolling at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management to receive his MBA. But that meant he had to leave Giangreco.
They met for lunch before school started, and as they finished, Giangreco handed Vorwald an envelope. Without looking inside, Vorwald shook Giangreco’s hand, and they parted. When he returned home, Vorwald opened the envelope and couldn’t believe what he saw: a check to cover his first year of tuition.
Vorwald called Giangreco to say he couldn’t accept it, but Giangreco was insistent. “You earned it,” he said.
That’s one example of many — though likely the most expensive — of Giangreco going above and beyond for others. He was a mentor, with a veritable coaching tree of media figures who interned for him.
Marc Silverman, who co-hosts ESPN 1000’s afternoon show with former Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle, interned for Giangreco at NBC 5. They met when Silverman was in seventh grade, and Giangreco spoke at his high school, Niles North. Mark Shapiro, the former ESPN executive who produced the incredible “SportsCentury” documentary series, also was an intern.
Giangreco always made time for his interns. He taught them the skills to put a show together and helped them make audition tapes on the set.
He also has emceed countless events for the Ronald McDonald House and other institutions. It all stems from advice his father gave him.
“My dad always said, ‘Don’t ever think you’re so great, don’t ever get full of yourself,’ and ‘You’ve been so lucky, you’d better share that,’ ” Giangreco said. “People helped me, and I’ve never forgotten. That makes you want to help others, because look what it did for you.”
Giangreco never would be confused for Howard Stern, but they had some similarities. For one, people always wanted to see what they would do next.
“I got that a lot, and that was my goal,” Giangreco said. “When someone would say that to me, it was so appreciated. But it was just me trying to be me. I was trying to come up with something funny or quirky or controversial.”
To Giangreco, the most important part of his sports segment wasn’t the lead story. It was the last story, the spot where he’d show that out-of-the-ordinary video. It might have been only 15 seconds, but he drove his producers crazy looking for a perfect shot or coming up with a funny line.
He did not lack creativity. The scripts and graphics were his, and his puns could match those of any newspaper headline writer.
But standards have evolved. He used to have a section of his sportscast called “Sports Briefs,” and among other sports items in the graphic above his shoulder was a pair of underwear.
“They were like, ‘You’re gonna have to take the shorts off [the graphic],’ ” he said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, God, really?’ ”
The undies had nothing on some of his questionable, if not objectionable, on-air remarks. Before a Bulls-Lakers game during the 1991 NBA Finals, he half-jokingly accused the league of trying to extend the series by assigning alleged Bulls hater Hue Hollins to officiate. NBC had the NBA’s broadcast rights, and neither appreciated the insinuation. He was suspended and forced to apologize.
When his newscast included a story about boxing promoter Don King ripping off local fighters, Giangreco chimed in with, “What do you expect from a murderer?” King had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1967, so when his lawyers heard “murderer,” Giangreco had to apologize.
“But I didn’t really read the apology the way it was written,” he said. “I said, ‘I apologize for calling him a murderer. Technically, it was manslaughter.’ And I had to apologize for that.”
When Aretha Franklin performed one night at the Chicago Theatre, the newscast aired a clip. Said Magers: “There she is, the Queen of Soul.” Said Giangreco: “She looks more like the Dairy Queen of Soul.”
“I shouldn’t have made fun of an overweight person,” Giangreco said. “But I was never trying to be malicious. I just said whatever blurted out of my mouth.”
After the Pistons won the NBA title in 2004, he showed video — taken from a Godzilla flick — of a city being ravaged by fires and called it a “typical night in Detroit.” It earned him a suspension.
“That was perceived as being racist, and I’m like, ‘What?’ ” he said. “Detroit was our archrival in every way.”
Giangreco suffered his biggest indignity in 1999 when he said Payton looked like Gandhi, not knowing he had a liver disease that would kill him that year. Payton had told Giangreco’s ABC 7 colleague Brad Palmer that he had overtrained for a marathon. Giangreco thought the quip was safe.
He apologized profusely and tried to reach Payton a number of times. Payton eventually called Giangreco to forgive him, admitting he had misled him. Nevertheless, the episode has stuck with Giangreco to this day.
ProvidedMark Giangreco, Ron Magers, Carol Marin and Jerry Taft.
Giangreco always told colleagues he never wanted a goodbye party. He certainly made sure he didn’t get one.
But the public perception of his ouster at ABC 7 has abated his initial fears about how he’ll be remembered. He has been surprised and overwhelmed by all of those who have rallied around him, though he earned their support long ago.
“Chicago doesn’t put their arms around you right away,” Marin said. “They want to see if you’re going to stick around and if you mean it. And if you mean it, then they’re loyal to you.”
Giangreco developed another audience and grew his popularity by joining former ABC 7 colleague Janet Davies for the station’s New Year’s Eve countdown show. Their on-screen partnership was a ratings hit and lasted 20 years.
Marin, Davies and plenty more female colleagues have expressed their support.
“Every female anchor I ever worked with reached out and lined up behind me, backed me during all this, which I will never, ever forget,” Giangreco said. “Because my relationship with them was genuine.”
He isn’t sure what he’ll do next. He has received several inquiries and offers, and he’s mulling it all.
Part of him says he isn’t finished in broadcasting and still has a lot of juice left. The night Carlos Rodon threw a no-hitter for the White Sox, Giangreco was contemplating how he would package the highlights and sound bites in his segment, if he still had one. The other part of him says he’s 69 and it’s time to enjoy himself, maybe reinvent himself.
For now, he’s enjoying being a civilian and a casual sports fan. He’s watching documentaries, riding his bike and getting back in the gym. He’s visiting his three sons and three grandchildren. He’s hanging out with his college buddies and siblings.
“It’s all good right now,” he said. “It’s really a weight off my shoulders.”
While the end to his 39-year run in Chicago was unglamorous, it might have been, in some warped way, appropriate. And in retrospect, it might have been predictable.
“I said to him, there probably was never going to be another way,” Marin said. “You were going to be shot out of a rocket out of there.
“It’s fitting for his personality, for his history. And what’s really good about all this is he’s at peace with it.”
Jim Curtin looks on during the second half of a CONCACAF Champions League soccer match against Deportivo Saprissa. | AP Photos
A former defender in Chicago, Curtin has helped execute a plan that looks similar to what the Fire are trying.
Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin doesn’t throw words around. So when he said he’s sure that the plan put in place by owner Joe Mansueto, sporting director Georg Heitz and coach Raphael Wicky will bring success to the Fire, it wasn’t something he said simply because of his long playing career in Chicago.
“It’s not a question anymore,” Curtin said. “[The Fire fans] would have my word that this is going to work with this group of coaches and leaders.”
Curtin, who spent seven seasons and won three trophies as a defender with the Fire, has coached the Union since 2014. Philadelphia, which visits the Fire on Saturday, has methodically climbed to the top of MLS thanks to an investment in youth paired with shrewd but mostly unflashy signings.
The Union (0-1-2, 1 point) won the Supporters’ Shield last year and already have advanced to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. They also have sold young stars Brenden Aaronson to Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg and Mark
McKenzie to Belgian club Genk in transactions that could net the team $15 million to $20 million if certain bonuses are met.
There were some hiccups along the way, but Curtin and the Union’s technical staff benefitted from a patient ownership group.
“I’m fortunate that in Philadelphia, we had a plan and a vision,” Curtin said, “which actually I do see right now in Chicago, which is awesome to see, too.”
The Fire’s plan looks similar to the Union’s blueprint.
The Fire (0-1-2, 1 point) have made investments in youth. They also have eschewed big-name signings and have spoken about building something sustainable while
producing talent that eventually could move to Europe.
Whether it will work is unclear — the Fire’s start and 2-0 loss last week to the Red Bulls did nothing to instill faith that the program is on the right track — but Curtin had nothing but praise for Mansueto, Heitz and Wicky.
Curtin said he chatted with Mansueto and Heitz before their teams met in the preseason and came away excited for the Fire. He even noted that Mansueto thanked him for his contributions to the Fire.
“You talk to these two guys, and there’s a clear vision, there’s a clear identity for what they want to be,” Curtin said. ‘‘They want to respect the past but also blaze a new path.”
Curtin was Wicky’s teammate with Chivas USA and visited him when he was leading FC Basel. Curtain was impressed with his methods and likes that Wicky respects and has knowledge of MLS, unlike some coaches whose experience is mostly in other leagues.
It’s clear that Curtin thinks the Fire have the right people in place to wake up a franchise he said “seems like a real sleeping giant.”
“Joe Mansueto is going to win, Georg Heitz is going to win and Rapha Wicky is a winner,” Curtin said. “That’s the best endorsement I can give.”
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