Caruso finally tested out of the health and safety protocols, getting work in on Monday. While his minutes will still be a question, as long as there are no setbacks he will play Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Bulls still won’t be getting whole this week, but they will likely be getting the heart of their defensive back.

According to coach Billy Donovan, Alex Caruso finally tested out of the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, and could be back Wednesday, when the Bulls host the up-and-coming Cavaliers.

What will have to be determined leading up to that game will be a plan for minutes, especially considering how long Caruso has been in and out of the lineup since Dec. 4, when he first tweaked a hamstring and started a spiral of missed time.

“He did some work [Monday], he’ll do some work [Tuesday], and probably make some kind of assessment then at that point before the Cleveland game,’’ Donovan said of Caruso. “I think the bigger issue I don’t know the answer to right now is what are his minutes going to look like when he does come back? Because he really has not played since, maybe around – he’s played a game here and there, but he’s really been out since Dec. 4, and he had that hamstring in Brooklyn that kind of held him out, then he came back and played against the Lakers, kind of got that mid-foot sprain against Houston, and then came back and was ready to go and got Covid, so there really hasn’t been consistency for him.

“This has almost been like a six-week thing for him where he’s been in and out, so we’ll have to have a plan for him if he is able to physically play Wednesday, and what his minutes will look like to help him get back to what he was. I don’t know what that looks like. I really haven’t had a chance to talk to him about that.’’

As far as the Bulls getting all of their defensive “dawgs’’ back? That will have to wait.

Lonzo Ball was still bothered by a sore knee, and the team decided to have him fly home before the game with the Grizzlies so that he could see team doctors and make sure it was nothing serious.

And while Javonte Green started working out with the Windy City Bulls, his injured groin wasn’t quite cooperating like the team hoped.

“The challenge with [Green] – just talking to the medical guys – there are still some things that he’s doing movement-wise that he can still feel [the injury], they’re still there a little bit,’’ Donovan said. “They obviously push him to a point, and then they pull back. The problem for him is when we’ve really got him ramped up a little bit more, especially laterally, there’s been some things he feels. Not to say that he’s set himself back, I don’t mean to say that. When you’re still feeling that they’re going to pull back how hard they’re pushing. Trying to get some opportunities where he could be playing against contact will be helpful.’’

Donovan already called Green very doubtful for Wednesday.

Hill-topper

For a guy that had just a few hours to get acclimated with the Bulls system, Malcolm Hill impressed Donovan in his debut in the Boston loss, playing 18 minutes. Enough so that Donovan leaned on him off the bench yet again in the game with the Grizzlies.

“He’s been great as a guy,’’ Donovan said of the former Illini forward. “We’ve been really fortunate. I think [general manager] Marc [Eversley] and [executive vice president of basketball operations] Arturas [Karnisovas] have done a great job, not only brining in quality players, but they’ve been brought in guys that fit very well inside our team.’’

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Running back Jonathan Taylor (28) was one of three Colts position players to receive All-Pro recognition who were drafted by GM Chris Ballard and assistant GM Ed Dodds. Guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard are the others. | AJ Mast/AP Photos

Assistant general manager Ed Dodds — Ballard’s right-hand man — interviewed for the GM position Monday. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus interviewed for the head coaching position.

As a former Bears director of scouting, Chris Ballard seemed like a natural McCaskey family choice for the Bears’ general manager job in 2015. In fact, that was almost the knock on Ballard — that like Phil Emery, a former scout who had just been fired as GM, Ballard was too familiar with how they do business at Halas Hall.

As it turned out, Ballard’s desire to alter business-as-usual at Halas Hall reportedly was a key reason he didn’t get the job. Instead, the Bears hired Saints director of player personnel Ryan Pace — a nice guy who went 48-65 in seven seasons, 0-2 in the playoffs.

Ballard, then the Chiefs director of player personnel, eventually got his GM job with the Colts in 2017. Despite getting blindsided by Josh McDaniel reneging on an agreement to become his head coach and quarterback Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement, the Colts have prospered under Ballard. They’re 37-28 with two playoff berths the past four seasons.

Despite a monumental collapse against the Jaguars in Week 18 that cost the Colts (9-8) a playoff spot this season, Ballard has them in good shape — top 10 in scoring and scoring defense in 2021.

Bypassing Ballard seems like a mistake at this point, so it was a bit amusing that the Bears are looking toward Ballard’s Colts as they try to pick up the pieces from the Pace-Matt Nagy era. The Bears confirmed they interviewed Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds for the GM position and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus for the coaching job Monday.

Dodds might be the more intriguing candidate because he’s considered to have the hard-edge personality that Pace did not. A disciple of former Raiders owner Al Davis, he got his start with the Raiders (2003-06). Dodds spent 10 seasons in personnel with the Seahawks (2007-16), where he had a hand in building the roster that went to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014 — winning in 2013. He joined the Colts in 2017 when Ballard, a longtime friend since their days at Texas A&M-Kingsville, was hired.

A top-notch evaluator who is Ballard’s right-hand man, Dodds is given a large share of the credit for the influx of talent that has boosted the Colts since Ballard arrived — an impressive group headed by three 2021 All-Pro selections: four-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson, linebacker Darius Leonard and running back Jonathan Taylor.

The Colts had two other players named to the All-Pro team: Long-snapper Luke Rhodes (first-team) and special teamer Ashton Dulin (second team). Linebacker Matthew Adams also received votes as a special teams player.

Dodds’ interest in the Bears job is notable not just because of his connection to Ballard but because — knowing that being a GM in the NFL often is a one-shot deal — he is being deliberate about where he gets his chance. He pulled himself out of the running for the GM job with the Browns in 2020 and with the Panthers last year.

Eberflus, 51, a former defensive coordinator at Missouri, has been the Colts’ defensive coordinator the past four seasons after spending seven seasons as the Cowboys’ linebackers coach. Eberflus inherited a defense that was 30th in the NFL in points allowed. Since then the Colts have finished 10th, 18th, 10th and ninth in scoring defense. Building a defense to fit his personnel is considered a strength of his. He had Pro Bowl players at all three levels of the Colts’ defense this season — Leonard, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and cornerback Kenny Moore. Eberflus also has interviewed with the Jaguars.

Eberflus has the lowest Q score of the six head coaching candidates the Bears have interviewed. But if the Bears need to delve deeper, all they have to do is call their old friend Chris Ballard.

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McCaskey said his strong preference is to hire a general manager first, then a head coach, but he’s willing to do it the other way around for the right candidate. | Provided by Chicago Bears

There’s a lot of work to do as the Bears prepare for free agency and the draft. The sooner they line up a general manager and coach, the better.

The Bears missed an opportunity to get a head start on their busy offseason by insisting on riding it out all the way to the end with general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy.

There’s no way anyone would believe they truly hadn’t firmed up their decision on those two until 8 a.m. the day after the season finale, especially considering the Bears were 4-10 in mid-December and special advisor Bill Polian was almost certainly deep into his review by that point.

But since they refused to act promptly, the Bears have no leg up on the other seven teams seeking a head coach. In fact, they’re behind the four of those clubs that kept their general manager and will be ready to make an offer as soon as they identify their candidate of choice.

Instead of being months into their search, the Bears have been at it a week.

They could pick a coach before they hire a general manager, but they shouldn’t. Regardless, they better get moving.

They’ll likely keep their scouting staff in place through the draft, but the new administration will reset the guidelines of the players they’re trying to find. The clock is ticking relentlessly toward free agency and the draft, and the new general manager will need time to set up his operation and make sure he and the new coach have a shared vision before it’s time to make key decisions.

The HBCU combine is Jan. 28, and the first college postseason bowl game for potential draft picks is the next day. Senior Bowl practices start right after that.

The Bears also have 30 of their own pending free agents to evaluate and over 700 from the rest of the NFL.

The bottom line: The Bears have tons of work to do, and it’s coming up quickly. They need to move with urgency on the general manager so they can pounce on a coach. And any delay in that hire will delay the new head coach filling out his staff.

The Bears have a list of 14 general manager candidates and have interviewed seven, the latest being Colts vice president of player personnel Ed Dodds on Monday. Dodds, 41, joined the organization when it hired Chris Ballard as general manager in 2017.

He and director of college scouting Morocco Brown helped Ballard weather a 4-12 season to start, then hired coach Frank Reich and went 37-28 with two playoff appearances (one win) over the last four seasons.

They hit two home runs in the 2018 draft with guard Quenton Nelson in the first round and linebacker Darius Leonard in the second, and both are three-time all-pro selections. They also scooped up linebacker Anthony Walker and defensive tackle Grover Stewart, both multi-year starters, in the fourth round or later.

While the Bears weigh Dodds’ candidacy and prepare for upcoming general manager interviews, they’re also interviewing coaches without their prospective boss in place. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus interviewed Monday, making him the sixth coach to do so.

There’s nothing wrong with chairman George McCaskey doing some preliminary work on potential new coaches, but it’s unwise to pick one without having a general manager first and making him part of the process. McCaskey indicated that’s his strong preference. If so, the Bears need to wrap up this stage of their makeover quickly.

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Cody’s Public House, located at 1658 West Barry Avenue, the corner of Paulina and Barry in Lakeview, is now open. A legendary neighborhood mainstay, former owner Gene Frankowski purchased the bar in 1986 and ran it for over 30 years as Cody’s Public House, named after his dog, until closing in 2019. Frankowski sold the building to Red Door Tavern Group (The Graystone Tavern, The Rambler Kitchen + Tap) in September 2021, who promised to honor the bar’s history with tasteful restorations of its beloved elements while adding updated amenities.

“While working through our renovations and updates, we made it a priority to keep the vibe the same as the old Cody’s you know and love,” said owner Kyle Bagley. “We wanted to respectfully carry on the corner tap tradition, so we made sure to adhere as closely as possible to the original bar with thoughtful, complementary renovations while also updating the amenities for our staff and guests.”

Cody’s is open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Guests will enjoy a full bar with a selection of beer, wine, cider, seltzers, and signature cocktails and shots. For more information, check out their website!

Image Credit: Papergirl PR

The Space

Cody’s Public House is housed in a 126 year old building constructed in 1894, and Red Door Tavern Group spent months restoring several of the bar’s original elements. The existing authentic tin ceiling was repainted copper and features several antique Schlitz chandeliers hanging throughout. The original backbar sconces were repurposed as pendant lights and sconces throughout the main bar, and the original oak wood floors were refinished. The bar’s pool table and jukebox were upgraded, and both the dart boards and much of the artwork were cleaned, polished, and rehung.

New improvements included replacing the glass block windows with larger windows for better ventilation during the warmer months. Farm-style siding was added on the outside of the building, and a fresh coat of dark and cozy green paint was added inside, complemented by a knotty pine trim, as well as art and memorabilia from the new owners’ personal collections. Adding to the space’s amenities are eight 65-inch TVs around the bar for a total of 10 throughout the space. 

Newly revamped gameroom at Cody’s Public House. Image Credit: Papergirl PR

Additionally, Cody’s now has a dedicated game room that includes darts, Golden Tee and Big Buck Hunter. Available for rentals, the game room can also be used for private parties for up to 30 guests.

Outdoors, Cody’s offers an expansive beer garden that can accommodate 100 people where guests can cozy up to the year-round fire pit, weather permitting. In early spring 2022, Cody’s will remodel the beer garden adding new lights, seating, tables and backyard games.

Signature cocktails at Cody’s. Image Credit: Papergirl PR

Beverage Menu

Cody’s is equipped with a full bar and a new state-of-the-art tap system featuring 16 beers on draft. Offering local craft favorites and rotating seasonal brews, winter selections currently include Maplewood Son of Juice, Three Floyd’s Gumballhead and Zombie Dust, Revolution Anti-Hero, Spiteful IPA, Noon Whistle Bernie Milk Stout, Goose Island Greenline and more. 

For cocktails, Cody’s features a menu with classics as a nod to the building’s history ranging from $10 to $12. Signature drinks include the Black Manhattan with Piggyback Rye Whiskey, Amaro Montenegro, bitters, orange bitters and brandied cherry, an Old Fashioned with Pink Hook Bourbon, Angostura bitters and simple syrup with an orange twist, and an Espresso Martini with Tito’s, Cafe Borghetti, espresso and simple syrup. Perfect for the cooler months, hot drinks are available for $10 each including the Kentucky Hot Chocolate with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, bourbon cream, whipped cream and sprinkles and the Buckeye with hot chocolate, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, whipped cream and sprinkles.

Mini Beer Shots at Cody’s Public House. Image Credit: Papergirl PR

Cody’s also offers a menu of signature shots and bombs for $8 each like the Mini Beer with Licor 43 and heavy whipping cream, Watermelon Margarita with Hornitos Plata Tequila, watermelon juice and lime, and a Cubbie Bomb with Stoli Rasberi Vokda, blue curacao and Red Bull Coconut Edition. The full drink menu can be found HERE.

Featured Image Credit: Papergirl PR

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