Under most circumstances, Monday would have been an off-day for the Bulls players.

Sunday’s off-night against Denver, however, altered that.

Then again, calling it an off-night was being kind.

Guard Ayo Dosunmu was a minus-27 in his 30 minutes of work, closely followed by DeMar DeRozan’s minus-26, Patrick Williams’ minus-24, Zach LaVine’s minus-18, and then Nikola Vucevic bringing up the rear at a minus-16.

Further evidence of that dismal showing came in the very first quarter in which the starters dug themselves into a 12-point deficit courtesy of lethargic defense, and had six turnovers on the offensive end.

A half-hearted display that fell directly on that first unit from tip-off to final horn, earning the entire group – starters and reserves – a noon practice 14 hours later.

LaVine didn’t run from that after the game, calling the display in front of the United Center crowd “unacceptable.”

But then the two-time All-Star added something very interesting, continuing on with, “from all of us, one-through-15, the coaching staff, everybody.”

That’s usually the type of statement that could raise some eyebrows on maybe there’s more going on behind the curtains. When players publicly involve the coaching staff in their failings, it’s often considered an indictment more so than honesty.

Newsflash – that’s not the case with LaVine.

LaVine has always been a straight-shooter after tough losses, and doesn’t work with an agenda of cryptic messaging about the coaches or front office.

His feelings were then backed up by Billy Donovan after the Monday practice, with the coach explaining in length the accountability that everyone involved should take away from the performance against the Nuggets.

Like LaVine, Donovan has proven to be very good in the transparency department on those fronts.

It also doesn’t hurt that both are working from a place where they are very comfortable in saying what needs to be said.

LaVine was just given a five-year, $215-million max contract last summer, while sources have told the Sun-Times that the front office hasn’t had a hint of wavering from the idea that Donovan is the right person to coach this team in Year 3 of his four-year contract.

So should the panic button even be pressed in mid-November with just 14 games in the books, a 6-8 record, and still over 80% of the season left? Pressed? No. Located just in case? Definitely.

The Bulls have the record they have not because they were unprepared and low-energy in all eight of the losses. If anything, Denver was an outlier. They have eight losses because executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas took a leap of faith that continuity was the right path with this group.

A group that is made up of players with a history of inconsistent availability.

That’s been on display yet again since fall camp started in September. Without Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery) available, and then making it public the morning of the regular-season opener in Miami that LaVine was on a left knee-management schedule for an unknown amount of time, the 8-ball was rolled into place and the Bulls quickly found themselves behind it.

The organization is still holding out hope that Ball will be back at some point this season and get enough games under his belt to be ready for a possible playoff run. When it comes to LaVine, he’s been able to get more work in lately, both in the games and practice, which is a win in itself.

Having a fully healthy roster is the light at the end of this tunnel, but that means continuing to fight through the darkness.

And on some days, that also means having an extra practice.

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Jeremy Roenick is a true inspiration to the game of hockey, coming from an American grown game played.

His talent was phenomenal as he knew how to put on a show for the folks of Greater Chicago and fans around North America.

Jeremy Roenick was drafted 8th overall, in 1988 in the NHL Draft, coming out of high school.

Drafted by Chicago nevertheless, he was a solid addition from the get go.

Playing 524 games for Chicago, recording 267 goals and 329 assists, resulting in 596 points.

His attitude was what made his era of game memorable to the fans and teammates that gave him his superb reputation.

Jeremy Roenick’s achievements were an American Success.

Aside from the Chicago Blackhawks, Jeremy Roenick has achieved certain milestones a few American born players have achieved on different teams after his stint with the Blackhawks.

Jeremy Roenick is a Silver Medalist from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Now an analyst for NBC Sports.

His game was like no other in his prime.

Roenick’s incredible patience to score goals and nifty moves gave him that edge to be an elite and become that leader on-ice.

His physical presence for his game was surprising to commentators and fans because the combination was unheard of at the time.

How did Roenick’s game affect the NHL?

His ability to play the game at various levels was amazing and quite entertaining to say the least.

He is a true leader amongst men and is a player that stems from the Blackhawks organization.

How his game evolved during the years was interesting because stemming from his first season to the second his scoring to point production pace picked up drastically and never looked back.

Roenick’s game is a true player’s ability to play at heart and gave his teammates a chance to learn and give themselves the time and chance to play at his level as well.

For the most part Jeremy Roenick is a true contender at heart and is remembered for his tenacious gameplay that brought hope and love to the game of hockey to the City of Chicago.

One thing is for sure is that Mr. Roenick will forever be a Blackhawk and give kids that hope to be great like him.

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Back in March, Calvin de Haan was pleasantly surprised he wasn’t dealt by the Blackhawks at the trade deadline.

In retrospect, however, he somewhat wishes he had been.

Instead of toiling away on the down-and-out Hawks at the end of last season, the additional exposure provided by contributing to a contender down the stretch likely would’ve helped the 31-year-old defenseman earn a new contract more easily as an unrestricted free agent this past summer.

It worked out well enough in the end — he parlayed a training-camp tryout with the Hurricanes into a one-year, $850,000 deal — but he didn’t receive the interest he anticipated for a while.

“It probably would’ve been beneficial for me to get moved at the deadline, to get some playoff hockey in,” de Haan said Monday. “I was on an expiring contract. That’s the general rule of thumb for that stuff. But sometimes it takes two teams to tango. Maybe nobody wanted me. Maybe a lot of teams did and the Hawks didn’t know what to do. That’s a question for their management.

“A lot of the [other defensemen] who were UFAs either played in the playoffs or re-signed with the teams they were familiar with. I don’t blame other teams for re-signing guys they were familiar with… But after seeing some of the deals that those guys got, it would’ve been nice to be in a similar position.”

De Haan insists he still enjoyed his time in Chicago — where he made 142 appearances over three seasons — even though it was a “weird few years” with little team success.

In every interview, he was a fervent optimist the Hawks would soon put things together, but they simply never did. De Haan still managed to win over plenty of fans with his quick-witted personality, frequent activity on social media, love of beer and devotion to blocking shots. The fact he played much of the 2021 season with a fractured tibia will never cease to be remarkable.

“I’ll cherish all my moments as a Hawk,” he said. “We had a good three seasons here. The city is awesome, and I hope I’m welcomed back with open arms one day.”

Now, de Haan is back where he was — in Carolina — before landing on the Hawks in 2019. He and the Hurricanes “chitchatted” throughout the summer (during which he never contemplated retirement), and after veteran Hurricanes defenseman Jake Gardiner suffered a setback in his injury comeback attempt, de Haan’s services were needed.

“I was confident I was going to get something at some point,” he said. “I have a pretty good pedigree. I’m not going to put up a million points, but I try to play the game the right way. So I think a number of teams could’ve used me.”

He’s already accustomed to the city of Raleigh, which he appreciates. Adjusting to a much smaller workload on the Hurricanes’ stacked roster, however, has been tougher.

After playing nearly 19 minutes per night over 69 games with the Hawks last season, he has averaged only 12:48 of ice time and tallied two points in nine games for the Hurricanes so far, rotating with Dylan Coghlan, Jalen Chatfield and Max Lajoie on the third pairing. He was disappointed to be a healthy scratch for his homecoming game Monday at the United Center.

“I’ve played a significant role on most teams that I’ve played on, and I’m sitting in the back here a little bit,” de Haan said. “At the same time, it’s hard to complain about being on a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations. They’ve had good success the past few years, and to come in here and try to earn a spot is tough. I’m just trying to do my best with the ice time I’m given.”

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Justin Fields still has a lot to prove as a passer, but he has established one element indisputably: He’s the best running quarterback in the NFL.

Raise your hand if you thought you’d never see that on the Bears.

It’s an overwhelming weapon, and that alone is grounds for hope that Fields is the long-awaited franchise quarterback. He’s bringing a superpower to the line of scrimmage every play, and no matter what defenses do to negate that, he’s good enough to overcome it.

Regardless of whether he improves as a passer, and there are indications he’s getting better, he’ll always have that. That’s enough to build around if you have a general manager and coach willing to adapt. Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy saw the light four games into the season and did so.

There’s no longer any resistance at Halas Hall to letting Fields do his thing, and finally free of that hindrance, he has been electric.

Over his last six games, Fields has put up an average of 270 yards passing and rushing combined. He has produced 15 touchdowns. He has picked up 11.7 yards per carry. His passer rating is 99.6. He isn’t why they’re losing.

And his running ability isn’t going away.

Fields leads all quarterbacks in yards rushing (749, which is seventh overall), rushing touchdowns (six) and rushing first downs (48). His 7.2 yards per carry is a hair behind Lamar Jackson, the gold standard of dual-threats, at 7.4.

It takes a microscope to decide which of them is the better runner, but Fields gets the edge by combining Jackson’s agility with speed reminiscent of Michael Vick’s. He clocked the top speed by a quarterback at 21.2 miles per hour on a run against the Cowboys, and has exceeded 20 miles per hour seven times.

There are a bunch of good running quarterbacks — Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones — but Fields and Jackson are on their own level.

Fields looks like Vick when he glides and weaves into the second level of a defense, as he did on a 67-yard breakaway Sunday against the Lions. He looks like Jackson when he slips defenders in the backfield to turn losses into gains, as he did when avoiding an eight-yard sack and running a total of 34 actual yards for a one-yard touchdown Sunday.

It is with great caution that anyone compares a quarterback’s running ability to Vick and Jackson. But Fields has joined the club.

Isn’t it a marvel, by the way, that defensive backs who are 20 yards farther down the field have so much trouble getting to him? He’s so fast that by the time they realize what’s happening, it’s too late.

“He’s got tremendous speed and he’s very strong,” Eberflus explained. “He steps on guys pretty fast. He doesn’t do a lot of wiggling once he gets into that defensive backfield; He puts on the gas.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody really like him in terms of the strength and the speed. He just breaks down angles really fast.”

That’s essential to Fields’ style and success. If he ramps up his passing production, he’ll be an absolute star.

The only concern, and it’s a significant one that was presented to Eberflus again Sunday, is injury. There’s always queasiness about a quarterback taking hits, but the Bears just need strong stomachs. They can’t restrict this part of his game.

It’s not as scary as it seems. Over Vick’s second through sixth seasons, he played 66 of a possible 80 games — most of the time he missed was in 2003 when he broke his leg. From his second season through now, Jackson has played 51 of 58.

It’s worth the risk, especially for a team that’s typically thrill-starved. It took way too long for the Bears to get here, but they finally have a quarterback who does at least one thing better than anybody.

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The Cubs had already given outfielder Jason Heyward a sendoff at Wrigley Field, honoring him during a game in late September. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had made their plans to split clear a couple months prior.

On Wednesday, the Cubs made the move official, announcing they’d granted Heyward his unconditional release. Heyward had one more year and $22 million remaining on the contract he signed in December 2015.

“What I’ve taken most from it is, how do we handle failure?” Heyward said in a September press conference. “Because that’s a big part of life, obviously, but it’s a big part of this game. We’re always going to fail more times than we succeed. And I know that’s cliche, but how we handle those things, that comes back your way.”

Heyward leaves the Cubs carrying a 2016 World Series ring, two Gold Gloves and a .245 batting average in his Chicago tenure, a reflection of the highs and lows of his time with the Cubs.

“Great teammate, he’s a great defender,” Hoyer said in August when asked how Heyward’s tenure should be remembered. “Someone that, even when he was struggling, tried his absolute hardest every day, every offseason. That’s what I’ll remember.”

When Heyward spoke in September, he was unsure of what the free agent market would hold for him this time around.

He didn’t rule out a return to the Cubs when his playing days are over, mulling over a vision of a partial ownership role that would allow him to be a bridge between the players and front office. The cubs, too, have expressed interest in a potential reunion in some capacity down the road.

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Justin Fields’ fourth quarter Sunday was a rollercoaster ride that belonged as much in Gurnee as Soldier Field.

He sprinted for a breathtaking 67-yard touchdown run — the longest by any Bears quarterback in franchise history — and threw an interception that former Ohio State teammate Jeff Okudah returned for a 20-yard touchdown.

Otherwise, the offense was stuck in mud in the final frame. Take away Fields’ touchdown run, and they gained 18 yards on 16 fourth-quarter plays in a 31-30 loss to the Lions at Soldier Field.

It continued a trend that concerns Bears coaches and players alike: on 16 possessions when tied or trailing by a touchdown or less this season, the Bears have managed only two touchdowns and two field goals.

Breaking down Fields’ up-and-down fourth quarter:

The pick

On second-and-18 from their own 17 — the Bears were backed up because of a hold on tight end Ryan Griffin on what would have been a 19-yard run by Khalil Herbert — Fields faked a handoff to his left.

He looked to throw a screen right to tight end Cole Kmet. Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick in April, recognized the screen and, rather than rush Fields, backpedaled toward Kmet.

Fields pump-faked to try to create some space for Kmet, then rolled right for two more steps before two Lions lunged for him. He was at the 5 when he tried to loft the pass over Hutchinson and to Kmet, but sailed the pass over both their heads. It was caught by Okudah, who was five yards behind the tight end. He returned the interception for a touchdown.

“Tried to move him a little bit and tried to float it over Cole, and just overthrew it,” Fields said. “I just gotta ‘dirt’ it on the next play.”

It gave the Lions life.

“We’ve been in that position earlier this year and we haven’t been able to capitalize …” Okudah said. “We looked at the challenge straight up, and we embraced it.”

The run

Three plays later, Fields lined up in a shotgun formation with three tight ends on the field. Griffin and Trevon Wesco were set along the line of scrimmage next to right tackle Riley Reiff. Kmet, one step off the line, went in motion from left to right as Fields faked a handoff up the middle to David Montgomery.

Fields followed Kmet around the right edge, where the tight end was one-on-one with cornerback Mike Hughes.

Kmet did what he always does on that play, which has proven popular for the Bears since the Patriots game: he aimed to block the outside shoulder of the furthest outside defender. Fields was supposed to follow him outside.

He didn’t.

“I don’t know how he saw that cutback, but that is special,” Kmet said. “That was pretty cool to watch.”

Fields never slowed as he ran upfield and cut inside of safety Kerby Joseph at the Bears’ 41. Joseph dove and missed him. Fields was never touched as he ran toward the left sideline and into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown.

“I didn’t realize how fast he’s gotten since college,” said Okudah, Fields’ former teammate at Ohio State. “He’s a fast guy now.”

Head coach Matt Eberflus smiled Monday when describing the athleticism it took for Fields to score.

“I think I taught him everything, there, that he needs to know on that play,” he said.

The final drive

The Bears’ final possession featured two incomplete passes, two sacks and one checkdown throw to Montgomery. They gained one first down: -on a third-down defensive holding flag on Joseph.

The next play, Fields stood in the shotgun with two receivers split left and Kmet in the left slot. Kmet was looking back toward Fields on a crossing route, while Okudah was chasing receiver Dante Pettis’ shallow cross from right to left. The two collided. Okudah kneed Kmet in the right thigh.

Fields was mid-throw to Kmet when he saw him fall. The quarterback tried to hold up, but the ball squirted out for an incomplete pass.

The Lions were “messed up in their coverage,” Kmet said. They played zone on the right side of the field, yet Okudah reacted as though he was in man on the left side.

Either way, Kmet was open.

“That would’ve been a big play if there was no collision there,” Kmet said.

With Kmet on the sideline, Fields dropped back on second down. Rushing over Reiff, Hutchinson pushed his way to the left and grabbed Fields with his right arm for a sack.

The clock kept running. The Bears lined up quickly for third-and-15 and checked the ball down to Montgomery for seven yards before taking a timeout with 1:12 to play.

On fourth-and-eight, the Bears put two receivers left and offset Griffin, the backup tight end, from the left tackle. He and Montgomery stayed in to block. The Lions rushed six against the Bears’ seven, and still sacked Fields.

“We got to do a better job protecting on that particular one, but, you know, it’s all about being able to just sit back there and deliver the ball,” Eberflus said. “And it comes down to protecting him too.”

In other game situations, the Bears have their league-best rushing attack — or at least the threat of it — at their disposal. Not so much in the two-minute drill Sunday.

The Bears needed to be more precise.

“The playbook’s more open when it’s the second, third quarter,” Kmet said. “You kinda have a lot of things at your disposal. So I think in that sense they’re kinda understanding, ‘Hey, it’s full-on pass situations.’

“So we’ve gotta be able to do a better job in our protections and getting open on routes and things like that.”

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An open tight end is often the sign of a good offense. But Cole Kmet was so wide open on a downfield pass route in the third quarter against the Lions on Sunday that the anticipation threatened to make the easiest catch a little difficult. If there’s such a thing as being too wide open, this was it.

But Kmet had a bigger problem as Justin Fields’ pass hung in the air and the Soldier Field crowd anticipated a big play.

He lost it in the sun.

“The sun at that time was right in that vision, so I lost it for a couple of seconds and warlike, ‘Where is this thing at?'” Kmet said. “There’s a slight shade coming in and you kind of see it peek through the sun. My baseball days playing center field probably helped out in that situation.”

The Bears’ third-year tight end made the catch at the Lions 17-yard line and — with no defender within 10 yards of him — easily completed a 50-yard touchdown that gave the Bears a 24-10 lead with 2:43 left in the third quarter.

“I think it just set up nice,” Kmet said. “We obviously saw through the game that they were overplaying a little bit. We run a lot of those movements with Justin. Justin really likes those types of pass plays — get him out of the pocket. I was able to kind of nod the safety over. Little bit and the come fall across his face — and it turned out to be a big play.”

Kmet’s 50-yard touchdown was his second in less than five minutes of game time. He previously had scored on a six-yard pass from Fields that was just as well-conceived and well-timed, with Kmet feigning a blocking play and breaking free to get open and make it an easy throw for Fields for the touchdown.

Fields’ record-setting running has been the obvious key to the Bears’ offensive surge under coordinator Luke Getsy — 555 rushing yards in the last five games, 9.0 yards per carry and franchise-record touchdowns of 61 and 67 yards. But Kmet’s production arguably has been the next biggest indicator of the progress of Getsy’s offense. After scoring two touchdowns in his first two seasons under Matt Nagy — both of them in his rookie season of 2020 — Kmet has scored five touchdowns in his last three games.

Kmet’s numbers still are relatively modest. He has 23 receptions for 274 yards (11.9 average). His average of 27.4 yards per game is actually less than it was last season in Nagy’s offense (36.0 — 60-612).

But in Getsy’s offense he looks like a weapon. And he’s becoming a bigger factor as the offense grows. Kmet had no receptions and just two targets in the Bears’ first two games this season. He’s had 13 target in the last two games, with nine receptions for 115 yards and four touchdowns.

“Opportunity, execution,” Kmet said when asked about the difference. “I’m the one on the receiving end as it’s happened the past three weeks. Being able to have a guy like Justin [where] you don’t know run or pass, that’s a big deal for me.’

All the hard work Kmet did to establish a foundation as a blocker — a focus during his two seasons in Nagy’s offense — is paying off. Not only is he an effective blocker, but it makes it easier to sell on a pass play.

“All the blocking I do in-line and being able to release off of that and do some of the things off of the runs we have, [that’s] really helped e out a lot, too,” Kmet said. “And then you just get good matchups against guys. I’m 6-6 going up against a [defensive back] body — that’s usually going to turn out pretty well.”

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Blackhawks’ Tyler Johnson took part in training, Monday, fueling the news he might be back in action in a week.

Forward, Tyler Johnson could be back on the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks in a week. The 32 year old, who has been sidelined since Oct. 25 with a left ankle sprain, was a full participant in the team’s Monday morning practice.

After Johnson suffered the injury, the Blackhawks listed his return timeline at 4-6 weeks. He resumed skating last week, taking the ice prior to Blackhawks’ practices ahead of a West Coast road trip. Now, Johnson is back at practice three weeks into his timeline.

He old wouldn’t put a specific return date on his recovery timeline but was unwilling to officially rule himself out next week. Still, the news does mean that Johnson’s total games missed will reach at least 12, having already been sidelined for the previous eight contests.

The veteran forward got off to a nice start prior to going down with the injury. In six games, he scored six points (two goals, four assists) as a fixture of the Hawks’ second line.

The Blackhawks have a busy week ahead with four games in the mix and it’s not clear exactly when Tyler Johnson will return to game action, but fully participating in practice Monday is a positive news .

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a five-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be partly sunny with a high near 41 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of snow and a low near 33. Tomorrow will bring snow, possibly mixed with rain, and a high near 37. Snow accumulation of less than one inch is possible.

Top story

Injured St. Ignatius hockey player recalls ‘crash, bang’ of semi striking team bus in Indiana. ‘We all stayed together and prayed’

Colin McGrath was resting on his friend’s shoulder on the St. Ignatius College Prep hockey team’s bus Saturday evening after a tournament in Indiana.

“All of a sudden I hear a crash, bang, and I blacked out,” said McGrath, a player on the school’s junior varsity Wolfpack team.

A semitruck had plowed into their bus as the team returned to a hotel from dinner in Warsaw, about 50 miles south of South Bend. McGrath woke up on top of his friend, shattered glass was strewn everywhere.

“I picked up my friend and some pedestrian came and opened the emergency door for us,” he said. “After that it was just walking, freaking out, just getting out and figuring out what was happening and getting everyone safe.”

McGrath was seated in the rear of the bus, near where the truck struck it.

“If I was one row back, it would’ve been a lot worse,” he said.

Sixteen students were hurt and three of them were taken in “very critical” condition to Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital, police said.

McGrath suffered a dislocated shoulder and swollen jaw, he said. His left arm was in a sling as he returned to class Monday morning, wearing his Wolfpack hockey jersey.

The crash happened around 8 p.m. Saturday. The school’s junior varsity hockey team had competed in a tournament at Culver Military Academy. Felony DUI charges were pending against a semi driver who police say ran a red light and crashed into a bus carrying 23 students and two hockey coaches.

One of the seriously injured students was discharged from a hospital Sunday evening, school spokeswoman Kristyn Hartman said Monday. Two other students were expected to remain hospitalized for three to five more days, she said. Ten others on the bus were uninjured, police said. All were taken by another school bus to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital, where officers notified relatives, police said. The students are 14 to 17 years old. The seriously injured players will require more surgery for internal injuries, McGrath said.

McGrath was eager to leave the hospital and reunite with his team.

“I didn’t want to be there because I wanted to be with my teammates. We all stayed together and prayed,” he said

David Struett and Allison Novelo have more on the harrowing crash here.

More news you need

A downstate man who assaulted a police officer during the Jan. 6 insurrection is being held in the Sangamon County Jail following a wrong-way crash last week on I-55 that killed a woman, authorities say. Shane Woods, 44, of Auburn, is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, authorities said.Cook County prosecutors today asked for more time to decide on whether to prosecute R. Kelly on sexual abuse charges involving four Chicago-area women. The next hearing in the case has been set for Dec. 13.Mauyak, a female beluga whale that had lived at Shedd Aquarium for a quarter of a century, has died, aquarium staff said. “She was a very independent whale, extremely playful and was an attentive mom to her calves,” a Shedd official said.On the cusp of the 2022 holiday movie season, Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper has previewed his most-anticipated upcoming films. The list includes films like “The Fabelmans,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and more.

A bright one

Photographer, historian team up for unique portraits of Chicago’s ‘antique skyscrapers’

They are domed or stepped back or crenelated, like castle towers. With illuminated clocks or fierce gryphons or flying buttresses. Urns and eagles, ladies liberty and neon signs.

In Chicago, there is the azure blue of the American Furniture Mart, whose windows seem to float against perfect summer skies. Or the white summit of Mather Tower, a reminder that the top four stories started crumbling and were lopped off, only to have the city eventually force the owner to helicopter in a replacement. The glittering gold crown of the Carbide and Carbon Building.

Chris Hytha, a 25-year-old Philadelphia photographer, calls them simply “Highrises” on his sleek online project presenting stunning high-resolution photographs stitched together from close-up drone shots of grande dame buildings across the country. Historian Mark Houser calls them “antique skyscrapers” and covers them in his self-published 2020 book, “MultiStories: 55 Antique Skyscrapers & the Business Tycoons Who Built Them.”

Not just a valentine to lovely old structures, the book is a scholarly attempt to puff off the dust and view them afresh — and the book put Houser on Hytha’s radar.

The two teamed up and visited Chicago in August and shot 16 buildings. While Hytha was taken with their image, Houser focused on their history.

“We don’t appreciate that these iconic buildings were disruptive high technology,” Houser said. “They radically changed every city in America, not just Chicago and New York.”

Hytha sells his photos in a variety of ways: as “Architecturally Annotated Prints,” 13-by-19-inch images including information Houser has dug up, limited signed editions of 100 for $100 apiece. In group posters for $20, or iPhone wallpaper for $10.

The big money, though, is in NFTs, non-fungible tokens — digital collectibles that have shaken up the art world. Since April, Hytha has sold 65 NFTs of high-rises, for about $500 to $1,000 each. Though as with all NFTs, they also trade on an aftermarket, where these unique, unreproducible bundles of code have sold for five to 10 times what Hytha got for them.

Neil Steinberg has more with Hytha and Houser here.

From the press box

Your daily question?

Based on architecture/design, what is your favorite Chicago building? Tell us why.

Send us an email at [email protected] and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: What’s your favorite hidden gem in Chicago?

Here’s what some of you said…

“The captured submarine at the Museum of Science and Industry. My absolute favorite exhibit in Chicago! If you haven’t been since third grade, time to go back!” — Vana Kikos

“OZ Park, it has all the statues there. Of course, my favorite, tin man, is right on the corner.” — Debra Marlin

“The National Museum of Mexican Art is definitely a gem. Good time to visit too. Is one of my favorites.” — Kathryn Eret Kinder

“Manny’s Deli the best corn beef pastrami sandwiches~” — Kathy Juarez

“The Martin Luther King Roller Rink and Bowling Alley on 76th and Racine. The only one of its kind in Chicago. An oasis of peace and fun in a troubled area.” — Timothy Thomas

“Maggiano’s Little Italy. Absolutely wonderfully delicious.” — Karla Cashen

“The Lodge on Division.” — Larry Parham

“Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park.” — Nicky Weiner-Swank

“Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art.” — Jane Borton

“Seminary Co-op Bookstore — stacks and stacks of beautiful books on the South Side. And the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond on the North Side — a great place to read a book.” — Craig Barner

“Jimmy’s Hot dog stand on Grand and Pulaski.” — Ricki DellaBianca

“Pequod’s Pizza. Best I’ve ever had.” — Misha Kieren

“For me The 63rd Street Beach on summer afternoons by the drummers.” — Klever Coleman

“Belmont Harbor.” — Maureen Rhoda

“JuJu’s Vintage. Would live in this store if I could.” — Nicole Boylan

“Northerly Island and 12th Street beach.” — Sarah Villegas

“My favorite hidden gem in Chicago is the Peace Garden at Buena and the Lakefront Trail — it has gardens, a statue, a water garden and a small waterfall in the warmer months.” — Gene Tenner

“The William W. Powers State Recreation Area in Hegewish. It’s beautiful!” — William Helmcke

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