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What gifts will we bring the Baby Jesus?on January 3, 2021 at 4:34 pm

Being Catholic…Really by Pam Spano

What gifts will we bring the Baby Jesus?

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What gifts will we bring the Baby Jesus?on January 3, 2021 at 4:34 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Decisions should not hinge on Packers gameon January 3, 2021 at 1:26 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears should not base decisions solely on the Packers game.

Later this afternoon, the Chicago Bears will take on the Green Bay Packers in the most anticipated game in years. At 3 p.m. central, the two rivals will kick off in a game that means a ton to both sides — albeit much more to the Bears.

At stake for the Packers is the top overall seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. With that goal in mind, they will be playing to win rather than resting their starters as some may have hoped.

On the other side of the field, the Bears will be playing for their playoff lives. The Bears are in control of their own destiny. Win and they’re in the postseason. Lose, and they have to hope the Los Angeles Rams, playing with their backup quarterback can beat an Arizona Cardinals team playing for their playoff lives.

But beyond a trip to the postseason, some have speculated that head coach Matt Nagy, general manager Ryan Pace, and quarterback Mitch Trubisky will be playing for their lives. Well not literally, but at least playing for their jobs.

However, the reality is that shouldn’t be the case. The Bears should not be making decisions about the long-term future of any one of those three based on the outcome of today’s game — or even the last three games of the season.

Too often fans and sometimes teams, place too much importance on a small sample size. They shouldn’t. It’s important to evaluate the entire body of work, especially since you don’t get caught up in recency bias.

Does one game really fundamentally change who Matt Nagy is as a coach, or who Ryan Pace is as a general manager? Does a win over the Packers really change Mitch’s body of work, which includes never accumulating a passer rating of over 100 against a team with a winning record?

Next: Bears can change the narrative

Regardless of what the Bears decide, whether they ultimately decide to bring them back or part ways with one or more, one would hope they would not put too much importance on one game. It’s unfair to the ones being evaluated and it’s dishonest to the process itself.

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Brief Chicago Week in Beer, January 4-7on January 3, 2021 at 5:52 am

The Beeronaut

Brief Chicago Week in Beer, January 4-7

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Brief Chicago Week in Beer, January 4-7on January 3, 2021 at 5:52 am Read More »

Streaming a course from the campus of Northwestern, naturally.on January 2, 2021 at 9:13 pm

The Quark In The Road

Streaming a course from the campus of Northwestern, naturally.

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Streaming a course from the campus of Northwestern, naturally.on January 2, 2021 at 9:13 pm Read More »

Release Radar 1/1/21 – Jack Jezzro vs Paul McCartneyon January 2, 2021 at 9:17 pm

Cut Out Kid

Release Radar 1/1/21 – Jack Jezzro vs Paul McCartney

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Release Radar 1/1/21 – Jack Jezzro vs Paul McCartneyon January 2, 2021 at 9:17 pm Read More »

Welcome Januaryon January 2, 2021 at 10:15 pm

Chicago Weather Watch

Welcome January

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Welcome Januaryon January 2, 2021 at 10:15 pm Read More »

The unspeakable hypocrisy of a Chicago Teachers Union officeron January 2, 2021 at 6:50 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

The unspeakable hypocrisy of a Chicago Teachers Union officer

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The unspeakable hypocrisy of a Chicago Teachers Union officeron January 2, 2021 at 6:50 pm Read More »

The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 32 Bloomon January 2, 2021 at 4:56 pm

When high school basketball fans think back to the 1980s, programs like Quincy, Providence St. Mel, East St. Louis Lincoln and the arrival of city powers King and Simeon are easy to think back on.

The 1990s brought us memorable basketball giants in Peoria Manual and Thornton, a few steamrolling Proviso East teams and the continued dominance of King.

The first 10 years of the 2000s included Glenbrook North, Peoria High and the beginning of a Simeon juggernaut.

Now, with the calendar inching closer to wrapping up an unforgettable 2020, the end of this month closes out another decade. And it’s another high school basketball time period to look back on.

Earlier this year we broke down the decade’s best teams and best players. Now, with every season of the past decade complete, it’s time to look at the Chicago area programs who won the most.

This list is comprised of the 50 winningest programs over the past 10 years, starting with the 2010-11 season and concluding with the 2019-20 season. Every team in every class throughout the Chicago area will be broken down in a variety of ways. But total wins, with winning percentage used as tie-breaker, determined the rankings.

We present No. 32 Bloom today and will add one program a day going forward.

32. BLOOM: 204-84

Decade’s biggest storyline: The Blazing Trojans ended the decade with a bang. Coach Dante Maddox’s team took the floor with the most talented and exciting team at Bloom in years. This was a must-see team this past season with it’s superior athleticism, above-the-rim excitement and Division I talent.

Bloom, which entered the season with huge expectations and ranked No. 1 in the preseason, finished the year with a 28-6 record following a sectional loss to Marian Catholic.

Underrated highlight: While the highly entertaining 2019-20 team was a bigger-named team and the decade’s biggest storyline, the 2011-12 team brought back some hardware from Peoria and can’t be forgotten.

Led by point guard Donald Moore and a tight defense — that team allowed just 35 points a game — Bloom finished fourth in the state. The Blazing Trojans lost to both Simeon and Rockford Auburn in Peoria and wrapped up the season with a 28-5 record and the first trip to state since 2000.

Player of the Decade: Dante Maddox, Jr. (2020)

All-Decade Team: Donald Moore (2012), Jamal Parks (2016), Dante Maddox (2020), Keshawn Williams (2020) and Christian Shumate (2020)

Other decade highlights:

-Bloom won six Southland Conference championships in the decade (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2020) with a combined conference record of 61-5 in those title years.

-The 2019-20 team produced five Division I players: Keshawn Williams (Tulsa), Dante Maddox, Jr. (Cal-State Fullerton), Christian Shumate (Tulsa), Martice Mitchell (Minnesota) and Donovan Newby (UW-Milwaukee).

-The Blazing Trojans won five regional championships in the decade.

-Dante Maddox, Sr., a 1993 Bloom graduate, took over the Bloom program as the new head coach in 2015.

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The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 32 Bloomon January 2, 2021 at 4:56 pm Read More »

Longtime Glenbrook North football coach Sam Samorian dies at 89on January 2, 2021 at 5:37 pm

When Bob Pieper was hired as Glenbrook North’s football coach before the 1997 season, the first call of congratulations he got was from Harold “Sam” Samorian.

It was far from the last.

Samorian, who died on Tuesday at 89, was a fan of Glenbrook North football long after he retired as the Spartans coach. He also had one of the most eclectic resumes in Illinois prep sports history, reaching the state finals in four different sports as a player, coach and official.

“He was there from the day I got the job,” said Pieper, who led Glenbrook North to a program-record 120 wins over 19 seasons. “He was the first person who called me and said, ‘What do you need from me?’

Samorian, who continued to attend Glenbrook North home games and sit in the same seat near the press box for decades, remained engaged long after stepping down as coach in 1985.

“Every Friday, he called to say, ‘Good luck,'” Pieper said. “He would call me on Monday, only if we lost, to see how I was doing.”

Samorian led the Spartans to the greatest season in program history, a 12-0 run to the Class 5A title in 1974, the first year of the IHSA playoffs.

In the championship, Glenbrook North beat an East St. Louis team led by future Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow, winning 19-13 in overtime.

Pieper said Samorian remained active in the Illinois Football Coaches Association well after his retirement from coaching. He also was involved with wrestling for decades, as an official and charter member of the state coaches and officials association.

“The first thing when you think of Sam is class,” said Mike Bukovsky, who coached Montini to eight state titles and is a past president of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. “They don’t make them like Sam anymore.”

Besides coaching a football state champion and officiating the wrestling state finals, Samorian also was a member of Rockford East’s boys basketball state runner-up team in 1948, and was an assistant coach for Glenbrook North’s baseball state champs in 1966.

“He just thought, ‘How could I give back?'” Pieper said of Samorian’s wide-ranging and long-lasting athletic career.

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Longtime Glenbrook North football coach Sam Samorian dies at 89on January 2, 2021 at 5:37 pm Read More »

Favorite Rewatchables in 2020on January 2, 2021 at 5:36 pm

Hammervision

Favorite Rewatchables in 2020

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Favorite Rewatchables in 2020on January 2, 2021 at 5:36 pm Read More »