High school basketball: Catholic League heating up, Lake Park’s Cam Cerese and Oswego East’s Mekhi Lowery

With five teams on pace to win 20-plus games and all five of those teams either unbeaten or with one loss in conference play, the Catholic League’s Blue Division is ready to heat up.

The next big matchup to help sort things comes next week when St. Rita and Mount Carmel, both 5-0 in league play, square off.

But looking long term in this 2022-23 season, the potential for the league to make major headlines is there for the taking.

The top six Catholic League teams, five of which are or have been ranked among the Super 25, are spread out in five different sectionals and in three separate classes.

While Public League power Kenwood will be the team to beat in the sectional, St. Rita will host the Class 4A sectional where league rival Brother Rice will join them.

A re-charged Loyola has won eight of its last nine, including a recent rivalry win over St. Ignatius, and will be a sleeper in the 4A New Trier Sectional.

Mount Carmel has a smooth path to a potential sectional title game matchup with Simeon in a Class 3A sectional at Glenbard South.

St. Ignatius will be favored in the 3A De La Salle Sectional while DePaul Prep is again a major threat to advance deep in the Class 2A tournament.

Cam Cerese opening eyes

Lake Park’s Cam Cerese is this season’s biggest scorer with the least amount of fanfare and name recognition.

The 6-2 Cerese has time to garner more attention as he’s one of this season’s breakout juniors. He scored 40 points in a December win over Wheaton North and is averaging 23 points a game in helping the Lancers to an 11-7 record.

While Cerese was a starter as a sophomore for a 22-win team last season, no one fully expected an offensive explosion quite like this as a junior. He scores it in multiple ways, including an advanced mid-range game. Cerese is quick in transition, capable of attacking the rim and continues to become more of a threat from the three-point line (18 of 58).

Plus, Cerese is an outstanding two-way player. Lake Park coach Billy Pitcher assigns him to guard the opposing team’s best player, no matter the size or position.

Appreciating Mekhi Lowery

Oswego East is 17-4, on its way to another Southwest Prairie West and fresh off a significant road win over Joliet West.

There is no better time to appreciate the talents of its best player: Mekhi Lowery.

The do-everything Lowery is among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 20 prospects in the senior class, yet the absolute complete nature of his game, both on offense and defense, is different from other top players. He impacts so many facets of the game.

Defensively he’s game-changing with countless steals and deflections, blocks and contested shots. While leading the Wolves in scoring, he’s also capable of facilitating the offense as a 6-6 point-forward, setting up teammates and making the often unnoticed extra pass.

There is the obvious size, physical ability and versatility that immediately stands out. Then there is the stat-sheet stuffing Lowery provides. He averages 12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

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Not so golden

The hardest working queen in showbiz? That’d be Ginger Minj (fight me). After three stints on RuPaul’s Drag Race (season seven, All Stars 2, and All Stars 6), the breakout star and two-time RDR finalist has kept busy with countless live shows, small screen hits, a trio of studio albums that showcase her Broadway-worthy belt and theater productions the world over, including last year’s Music Theater Works staging of La Cage aux Folles. Royalty of this caliber deserves better than The Golden Gals Live! (This Fruit Wine Productions offering at Mercury Theater Chicago should not be confused with Hell in a Handbag’s long-running The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodeslocal franchise.)

Neither an homage nor a parody of the groundbreaking, iconic sitcom Golden Girls, Golden Gals lacks a point of view and swings uneasily between tones. One moment, it’s pure, over-the-top camp and broad comedy. The next, it’s a deeply serious drama overloaded with more earnest plot points than a month’s worth of Very Special Episodes. 

The Golden Gals Live!Through 2/12: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2:30 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport, 773-360-7365, mercurytheaterchicago.com, $39-$75

Following the character template of the original, the titular gals include Minj as the boisterously sex-positive Blanche; Divine Grace as the acerbic, formidable Dorothy; Gidget Galore as the dimly sweet Rose and MR MS Adrien as Dorothy’s spitfire mother, Sophia. Jason Richards plays four supporting roles, most of his heavy lifting done by bad wigs. 

The rambling, overstuffed plot is weirdly retro, and not in a good, nostalgic way: a coming out storyline relies heavily on the tired joke where somebody repeatedly confuses being a lesbian with being Lebanese. An ex-husband’s groping handsiness is played for laughs. Far too much stage time is devoted to a tired catfight between Blanche and Sophia as they vigorously attempt to get the same unimpressive dude in bed. 

Joshua Eads (aka Minj’s government name) is credited with both directing the production and writing the script, which runs roughly two hours, although laborious scene changes for the one-set show make it feel like longer. There’s enough solid comedy here for a Drag Race acting challenge, which generally runs a few minutes. 

Minj looks gorgeous as Blanche and the Mercury Bar is a captivating place to hang out.  And really, Golden Gals only needs two things to elevate: a new script and comic timing. For those Minj fans longing for new material (and still waiting for the release of her long-delayed LP Clown Fucker), Golden Gals offers little to applaud.


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Not so golden Read More »

Not so goldenCatey Sullivanon January 18, 2023 at 4:49 pm

The hardest working queen in showbiz? That’d be Ginger Minj (fight me). After three stints on RuPaul’s Drag Race (season seven, All Stars 2, and All Stars 6), the breakout star and two-time RDR finalist has kept busy with countless live shows, small screen hits, a trio of studio albums that showcase her Broadway-worthy belt and theater productions the world over, including last year’s Music Theater Works staging of La Cage aux Folles. Royalty of this caliber deserves better than The Golden Gals Live! (This Fruit Wine Productions offering at Mercury Theater Chicago should not be confused with Hell in a Handbag’s long-running The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodeslocal franchise.)

Neither an homage nor a parody of the groundbreaking, iconic sitcom Golden Girls, Golden Gals lacks a point of view and swings uneasily between tones. One moment, it’s pure, over-the-top camp and broad comedy. The next, it’s a deeply serious drama overloaded with more earnest plot points than a month’s worth of Very Special Episodes. 

The Golden Gals Live!Through 2/12: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2:30 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport, 773-360-7365, mercurytheaterchicago.com, $39-$75

Following the character template of the original, the titular gals include Minj as the boisterously sex-positive Blanche; Divine Grace as the acerbic, formidable Dorothy; Gidget Galore as the dimly sweet Rose and MR MS Adrien as Dorothy’s spitfire mother, Sophia. Jason Richards plays four supporting roles, most of his heavy lifting done by bad wigs. 

The rambling, overstuffed plot is weirdly retro, and not in a good, nostalgic way: a coming out storyline relies heavily on the tired joke where somebody repeatedly confuses being a lesbian with being Lebanese. An ex-husband’s groping handsiness is played for laughs. Far too much stage time is devoted to a tired catfight between Blanche and Sophia as they vigorously attempt to get the same unimpressive dude in bed. 

Joshua Eads (aka Minj’s government name) is credited with both directing the production and writing the script, which runs roughly two hours, although laborious scene changes for the one-set show make it feel like longer. There’s enough solid comedy here for a Drag Race acting challenge, which generally runs a few minutes. 

Minj looks gorgeous as Blanche and the Mercury Bar is a captivating place to hang out.  And really, Golden Gals only needs two things to elevate: a new script and comic timing. For those Minj fans longing for new material (and still waiting for the release of her long-delayed LP Clown Fucker), Golden Gals offers little to applaud.


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Not so goldenCatey Sullivanon January 18, 2023 at 4:49 pm Read More »

Bulls will take cautious approach with guard Lonzo Ball – ready or not

PARIS – The cool morning Paris weather made the team photo shoot at the Eiffel Tower a bit unpleasant.

The nice thing about it was it included injured point guard Lonzo Ball.

Don’t get too comfortable with that idea, however. That photo might be as close as he gets to being in the picture this season.

After Ball made a rare media interview on Monday and took an optimistic approach to trying to return at some point in the 2022-23 campaign, coach Billy Donovan was much more guarded on that process and insisted that the idea of just dropping him into the playoffs if that’s when he’s ready, was really not on the table.

“No, without him being able to have some kind of … I don’t think we’re talking about five days,” Donovan said of when Ball was even cleared. “I think this is going to be weeks for him to get himself back. And then it’s going to be, ‘OK, he had a hard workout and got up and down. Can he come back and do it the next day?’ Or is it, ‘He’s had three really good days but he needs an off day.’ All those things are going to have to be managed. Because nobody really knows outside of his rehab and him and the medical, what does this look like during contact? And how does he feel the next day after contact? I think all those things will be variables for his return to play.”

What has changed in Ball’s recovery from two left knee surgeries in less than a year, was the idea of him starting to be around the team a bit more. If his rehab allows it the organization would want to take Ball on more future road trips and keep him engaged with teammates and practices.

Where it will get interesting is will the organization and Ball be on the same page when it is time for him to ramp up contact and start preparing for games? The last scenario the Bulls need is rushing him back for the playoffs and then having setbacks that carry into next season.

Ball’s mindset was he’s a high-IQ player, and once he’s cleared can be thrown in no matter the magnitude of the games – regular season or playoffs.

“Yeah, I mean I know how to play basketball, so it’s really just about me being comfortable enough to get out there and feel safe, and once I get back to that point I’ll be back in the gym,” Ball said.

Sleepwalkers

Because the Bulls took a red eye to Paris on Sunday, and were still trying to get used to the time change, Donovan was doing his best to make sure everyone was on a better schedule as Thursday’s Paris Game against the Pistons was approaching.

“I just look at what I’ve been through and I’m not even playing,” Donovan said. “I was up [Tuesday] at 3:30 or 4 am and couldn’t go back to sleep. There is a seven-hour time change and red-eye flight that you’re dealing with. I would sit there and say it would be hard to categorize everybody in the same boat. But I’m sure there are some guys that it’s been challenging for physically and with their sleep. It is so different.”

Full go

Injured forward DeMar DeRozan was a full participant in the Wednesday practice, as unless there was a setback in his right quadriceps in the next 24 hours, he was expected to return to the starting lineup after missing the last three games.

“He went through everything [Wednesday],” Donovan said. “A lot of it will depend on how he responds off [the practice] because we competed and scrimmaged and went up and down and that’s the first we’ve been able to see him do that.”

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NBA Power Rankings: Celtics, Grizzlies playing like frontrunners; Luka can only do so muchon January 18, 2023 at 3:59 pm

7:33 AM ET

For as much as Luka Doncic does for his team on the court, his team does that much less when he’s not on the court. The Dallas Mavericks have recentered themselves in the Western Conference playoff picture courtesy of their young superstar, but they have failed to gain momentum despite Doncic’s nightly MVP performances.

The Mavericks are one of the few teams in the Western Conference playoff picture that have not seen first place. The streaky West has seen nine other teams spend a day in first place so far this season, per ESPN Stats & Information research, and many of which don’t boast a talent like Doncic.

Now the door might be closing for Dallas to make a run to the top of the conference, as the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies are putting their feet on the gas with six and 10-game winning streaks, respectively.

The Boston Celtics might also be outpacing anyone in the Eastern Conference. The team that has spent much of the year with the NBA’s best record has put together a seven-game winning streak and has returned to its early-season form.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 1 Week 6

NBA Power Rankings: Celtics, Grizzlies playing like frontrunners; Luka can only do so muchon January 18, 2023 at 3:59 pm Read More »

What do police district councils do?

There are more than 100 candidates vying for seats on Chicago’s police district councils in the February 28 election. These councils, like the citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), were created by the 2021 Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance, which the City Council passed in 2021 after years of community organizing.

Read our voter guide to police district council candidates

There are 66 council seats; three in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts. Each council is made up of a chairperson, a community engagement coordinator, and a member of the citywide committee that nominates CCPSA members. Council members are elected to four-year terms beginning in 2023. They must live in the district and cannot have been a member of the Chicago Police Department, Independent Police Review Authority, Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), or the Police Board for at least three years before they assume office. If there is a vacancy on one of the councils, its members will submit three names to the CCPSA, which recommends one to the mayor for an appointment.

Police district council responsibilities

Community interaction and support

The police district councils are required to hold monthly meetings to discuss policing issues. They inform the community about the work the district councils and the Commission are doing, and gather input from the public about public safety and policing in their communities. They’re required to assist the public with such issues and help community members request information about investigations from the police department and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

Police interaction and oversight

Police district councils work with district commanders and community members to develop and implement community policing initiatives, and the councils are specifically tasked with developing and expanding restorative justice and similar programs. They’re required to encourage police officers to help the community access resources, and they provide information to police about their work and the Commission’s work.

CCPSA input

Beginning in 2023, district councils will be able to nominate 14 candidates to the CCPSA, and the mayor will be required to select seven from that list (the City Council nominated 14 candidates to the current interim Commission in 2022).

The police district councils will send one member to quarterly and annual meetings with delegates from all 66 councils. Councils may report their findings and make policy recommendations to the CCPSA.

CCPSA responsibilities

Hiring and firing public safety administrators

When there is a vacancy of the police superintendent, Police Board members, or the COPA chief administrator, the CCPSA sends a list of candidates to the mayor, who selects one whom the City Council confirms.

The Commission is responsible for hiring COPA’s chief administrator (whom the City Council confirms) and can fire them for cause.

At the beginning of the year, the Commission sets goals for the police superintendent and the department, COPA’s chief administrator, the Police Board and its president. At the end of the year, the Commission will evaluate their performance.

The Commission can hold hearings about the police superintendent and members of the Police Board, and take a vote of no confidence in them, which would require the City Council to hold hearings and a vote, as well as a public response from the mayor.

Police department policy oversight

General orders for CPD can be drafted by the department or the Commission, but they require a majority vote by the Commission to become policy. The Commission will post draft policies on its website and invite public comment. The police department is still under a federal consent decree, and policies that are covered by it can’t be set by the Commission. The mayor can veto policies enacted by the Commission, and the City Council can override the veto by a two-thirds majority vote.

The Commission works with the police department on community policing programs and recommends solutions to violence that are preventative, community-based, and include non-policing alternatives.

The Commission can make recommendations about what the Public Safety Inspector General should audit. It also reviews the police department budget and can recommend changes to it before the City Council votes on it.

If the police department and Commission disagree on a policy, there is a process to resolve differences and build consensus between them.

Community engagement and transparency

The CCPSA must hold monthly meetings. It conducts outreach on relations between community and police; department policies and practices; and the department’s accountability system. The Commission can publish reports on matters of community concern, and it can require the police superintendent to answer questions in public and provide reports to the Commission.

The Commission will appoint an advisory council made up of Chicago residents who do not have citizenship.

Frank Chapman discusses the history of the movement for community control of the Chicago police.

by Jim Daley
January 11, 2023January 16, 2023


But despite delays, progressive alderpersons and activists remain hopeful on ECPS

by Matt Chapman
January 11, 2022October 17, 2022


Lori Lightfoot has hampered the process of installing a police oversight council, activists say, despite making it a major part of her public safety platform during her mayoral run.

by Maya Dukmasova
June 24, 2020August 18, 2021

Read More

What do police district councils do? Read More »

What do police district councils do?Jim Daleyon January 16, 2023 at 5:07 am

There are more than 100 candidates vying for seats on Chicago’s police district councils in the February 28 election. These councils, like the citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), were created by the 2021 Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance, which the City Council passed in 2021 after years of community organizing.

Read our voter guide to police district council candidates

There are 66 council seats; three in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts. Each council is made up of a chairperson, a community engagement coordinator, and a member of the citywide committee that nominates CCPSA members. Council members are elected to four-year terms beginning in 2023. They must live in the district and cannot have been a member of the Chicago Police Department, Independent Police Review Authority, Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), or the Police Board for at least three years before they assume office. If there is a vacancy on one of the councils, its members will submit three names to the CCPSA, which recommends one to the mayor for an appointment.

Police district council responsibilities

Community interaction and support

The police district councils are required to hold monthly meetings to discuss policing issues. They inform the community about the work the district councils and the Commission are doing, and gather input from the public about public safety and policing in their communities. They’re required to assist the public with such issues and help community members request information about investigations from the police department and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

Police interaction and oversight

Police district councils work with district commanders and community members to develop and implement community policing initiatives, and the councils are specifically tasked with developing and expanding restorative justice and similar programs. They’re required to encourage police officers to help the community access resources, and they provide information to police about their work and the Commission’s work.

CCPSA input

Beginning in 2023, district councils will be able to nominate 14 candidates to the CCPSA, and the mayor will be required to select seven from that list (the City Council nominated 14 candidates to the current interim Commission in 2022).

The police district councils will send one member to quarterly and annual meetings with delegates from all 66 councils. Councils may report their findings and make policy recommendations to the CCPSA.

CCPSA responsibilities

Hiring and firing public safety administrators

When there is a vacancy of the police superintendent, Police Board members, or the COPA chief administrator, the CCPSA sends a list of candidates to the mayor, who selects one whom the City Council confirms.

The Commission is responsible for hiring COPA’s chief administrator (whom the City Council confirms) and can fire them for cause.

At the beginning of the year, the Commission sets goals for the police superintendent and the department, COPA’s chief administrator, the Police Board and its president. At the end of the year, the Commission will evaluate their performance.

The Commission can hold hearings about the police superintendent and members of the Police Board, and take a vote of no confidence in them, which would require the City Council to hold hearings and a vote, as well as a public response from the mayor.

Police department policy oversight

General orders for CPD can be drafted by the department or the Commission, but they require a majority vote by the Commission to become policy. The Commission will post draft policies on its website and invite public comment. The police department is still under a federal consent decree, and policies that are covered by it can’t be set by the Commission. The mayor can veto policies enacted by the Commission, and the City Council can override the veto by a two-thirds majority vote.

The Commission works with the police department on community policing programs and recommends solutions to violence that are preventative, community-based, and include non-policing alternatives.

The Commission can make recommendations about what the Public Safety Inspector General should audit. It also reviews the police department budget and can recommend changes to it before the City Council votes on it.

If the police department and Commission disagree on a policy, there is a process to resolve differences and build consensus between them.

Community engagement and transparency

The CCPSA must hold monthly meetings. It conducts outreach on relations between community and police; department policies and practices; and the department’s accountability system. The Commission can publish reports on matters of community concern, and it can require the police superintendent to answer questions in public and provide reports to the Commission.

The Commission will appoint an advisory council made up of Chicago residents who do not have citizenship.

Frank Chapman discusses the history of the movement for community control of the Chicago police.

by Jim Daley
January 11, 2023January 16, 2023


But despite delays, progressive alderpersons and activists remain hopeful on ECPS

by Matt Chapman
January 11, 2022October 17, 2022


Lori Lightfoot has hampered the process of installing a police oversight council, activists say, despite making it a major part of her public safety platform during her mayoral run.

by Maya Dukmasova
June 24, 2020August 18, 2021

Read More

What do police district councils do?Jim Daleyon January 16, 2023 at 5:07 am Read More »

Bears OC Luke Getsy to be Senior Bowl head coach

Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was named head coach of one of the Senior Bowl teams Wednesday.

Getsy will coach the American Team on Feb. 4 in Mobile, Ala. Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will coach the National Team.

“It is a privilege to be able to work alongside my peers from around the league and to be able to lead this special group of men that are the future of the NFL,” Getsy said in a statement.

Getsy will run practices and will get an up-close look at some of the nation’s most intriguing draft prospects. However, many of the prospects projected to be available when the Bears pick — whether that’s No. 1 overall or, after a trade, likely in the top 10 of the draft — will not be there.

Getsy, though, could get a good look at a backup quarterback for Justin Fields. TCU’s Max Duggan, Fresno State’s Jake Haener and BYU’s Jaren Hall are among the quarterbacks who have accepted invitations to the game.

More than 40 percent of the players drafted the past two seasons have played in the game.

For the first time in the 74-year history of the Senior Bowl, full NFL staffs will not coach the game. Instead, NFL Football Operations took nominations from all non-playoff teams. Senior Bowl leadership and NFL executives chose them from among the nominees.

Three other Bears staffers will also head to Mobile: linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, assistant special teams coach Carlos Polk and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts.

Getsy just finished his first year as the Bears offensive coordinator. He interviewed for the Broncos head coaching job last offseason but has not been booked for an interview during this cycle.

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Fun time should be over in Paris, as Bulls prepare for last push

PARIS – There’s been plenty of time to drink the Parisian wines and partake in the fine cheeses.

Alex Caruso was all for that since the Bulls landed in Paris on Monday.

But Wednesday?

The guard made it very clear to his teammates that Wednesday was the start of business from here on out, and that needed to be understood by the starting five all the way down to the 15th man on the roster on this Paris Games trip.

“That’s just part of the responsibility of being a professional athlete,” Caruso said after the team’s practice at the Paalais des sports Marcel-Cerdan. “If you can’t have fun and then come back and focus, get ready to do your job – this is a job at the end of the day – then you probably shouldn’t be here.

“So for me it’s a pretty easy situation. Have your fun on the days you can have fun, and then [Thursday] you’re playing a basketball game that counts on our schedule, counts on our record.”

And could count in helping the front office to start making decisions on being buyers or sellers as the Feb. 9 trade deadline looms.

At 20-24 and sitting in the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, Caruso & Co. know that there’s been far too many disappointing nights and reasons for executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas to have his doubts about this team.

By all accounts, however, he hasn’t yet. The next few weeks could go a long way in reiterating his beliefs, and the players know that.

“We’ve won a lot of games that we thought we could and lost games that we shouldn’t have,” two-time All-Star Zach LaVine said. “It’s frustrating that we couldn’t play at that level consistently each game. But obviously, there’s a lot of season left and time to turn it around. We have great players. We all like each other. And we understand what’s at stake. You keep playing like this, you’re not going to be in the position you want to. So better start racking them up.

“The more you win, everybody is happy. If you lose, everybody is pointing fingers and looking over their shoulder. Obviously, we don’t want that. And the front office doesn’t want that. We can continue this winning streak in Paris and keep it going and see what happens. Obviously, they have to do their job and we have to do ours.”

If they don’t, there’s really not a safe player on the entire Bulls roster. LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic could all be discussed in trade scenarios and realistically be elsewhere when the deadline comes and goes.

Even small pieces like a Coby White or Derrick Jones Jr. could be sent out if Karnisovas was looking for a small tweak to the roster dynamics.

According to a source, Caruso could be the one untouchable just because of how valuable he is defensively and in the plus/minus category, but all that remained to be seen.

First things first were beating the Pistons on Thursday, and then getting back to the states for a huge stretch of winnable games.

“It’s on the level of we want to win,” Caruso said. “We think we’re a good team. And we want to be a good team. I don’t think anybody’s motivation is don’t get guys traded or don’t make moves. I think it’s more so of let’s play to our potential and be the team we’re capable of being.

“I think the coaching staff has done a good job of putting us in positions to do that. I think it more so falls on the players. Step up and win games. Professional sports, you win games and everything goes away. Winning solves everything. At the end of the day, you gotta show up and do your job.”

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Pontoons, baseball tours, Anthony Bourdain Trail, Indiana Chinook stocking survey

Kevin Mulvaney watched with a beatific smile as several of us surveyed a high-end pontoon with a blue theme at the Chicago Boat Show.

It started an orgy of three outdoors shows in less than 24 hours for me. After nearly three years interrupted by Covid pandemic impacts, I began with the Boat Show Friday evening at McCormick Place, then did the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont and the Spring Lake Izaak Walton Outdoor Show in Hobart, Indiana.

I needed the human contact, others milling around with mutual interests.

Years ago big go-fast boats put on the glitz at the Boat Show, now pontoons dominate. With good reason, they have changed remarkably.

Ryan Kloppe in boatingindustry.com noted, “In 2021, pontoon boats made up 22% of total marine units registered that year, outperforming others in the main powerboat segment.”

“We were laughing today about how it used to be where the pontoons were in the basement,” Mulvaney said. “Now the average pontoon does 40 to 50 mph anymore and they are turning. It’s like a living room that goes fast. That’s why all the old performance guys started to do pontoon boats.”

With the blue-themed pontoon, I could see why. He said it can go 60 mph and consistently does 53-58. The speaker system was Roswell designed.

Mulvaney, who has the good looks of a beach bum who’s weathered the decades, has worked around boats for 30 years.

Kevin Mulvaney working the Munson Marine display Friday at the Chicago Boat Show.

Dale Bowman

As to working the show, he said, “Beats working as a greeter at Walmart.”

Human contact comes in many forms.

My main goal at the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show was learning about the Anthony Bourdain Food Trail in New Jersey.

But my biggest surprise came at the Premier Baseball Vacations booth. Doug Lawson, who has been to all the current MLB stadiums except for the Rangers’ new Globe Life Field, does baseball tours with good seats and good hotels. It’s smarter than the way I would love to do it on the cheap.

“People can knock out [up to] six stadiums in one week,” said Lawson, who learned serious traveling while a piano player with “The Lettermen.”

The Heartland Tour, for example, goes from Cincinnati to Toronto with stops at Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit. The Hall of Fame Tour includes the Yankees, Red Sox and Cooperstown.

Tour information is at grandslambaseballtours.com.

I dreamed on baseball before flowing back into the crowd.

Human connections make life livable.

Lori and Doug Lawson posing. after some wonderful stories, at the Premier Baseball Tours booth at the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show Saturday.

Dale Bowman

Indiana Chinook survey

The Indiana DNR’s survey on stocking Chinook has multiple options. The one that would eliminate stocking at East Chicago and split stockings between Trail Creek and the Little Calumet has anglers, understandably, riled. Those with an Indiana fishing license in the last two years should receive an email with the survey (mine arrived Tuesday), otherwise, it should be accessible this week at facebook.com/INdnr.

Stray cast

History will rate the Do-Nothing Worm far higher than the 2023-24 House of Representatives.

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