Former Cowboys great Troy Aikman is interviewed before a 2019 game between the Cowboys and Bears. Jim O’Donnell says here’s a thought to fuel holiday fantasies from Lake Bluff to Batavia and beyond: What if fresh controlling ownership brought Aikman in as the fire-kindling new president & CEO at Halas Hall?
AP
WHAT’S IT GONNA BE SANTA, what’s it gonna be?
There’s naughty and nice. Somewhere, there are winter wonderlands. And then there is the reality of being a committed fan in The Captive Sports City.
Chicago, Illinois — gateway city to sports futility. A town where championship teams get broken up, inept executives remain employed and four primary franchise titans operate with all the impunity of Vlad Putin on a local school board in suburban Moscow.
Against that cheery backdrop, some Yuletide Ins and Outs to warm a pointless Bears Sunday:
In – Troy Aikman – If there was any doubt that he’s the premier NFL TV analyst in the land, ol’ No. 8 put that to rest with his brilliant insights into the reeling Bears during their loss at Minnesota Monday night. … Here’s a thought to fuel holiday fantasies from Lake Bluff to Batavia and beyond: What if fresh controlling ownership brought Aikman in as the fire-kindling new president & CEO at Halas Hall? … (With a piece of the team, of course).
Out – Tony Romo – A muffled and unmitigated embarrassment every time he calls a game for CBS. … What a drag it is hearing he has any prime assignments. … Makes Jim Nantz essentially work both roles in the booth and has gotten so babbling and meandering that there are very human concerns about the state of his acuity … In other words, he’d be perfect for sports talk radio in Chicago.
In – Ashton Jeanty – King Potato Head among the stout blue spuds of Boise State. … Next up in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday afternoon, December 31. … But the deeper projection is that he will one day be mentioned in the same hallowed run-on sentences with Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. … Jeanty is generationally good and more fun to watch than yahoo fly fishing in Pocatello.
Out – Travis Hunter – Great athlete whose two-way status for Coach Prime’s Colorado wakes up echoes extending back to Chuck Bednarik and George Gipp. … But with Jeanty also on the ballot, his Heisman Trophy win was a travesty. … The idea that Hunter will be a “60-minute man” in the contemporary NFL is also as dismissible as “Emily In Paris, The Musical.”
In – NCAA women’s volleyball – An absolutely sensational national tournament concludes with Penn State-Louisvillle Sunday (2 p.m., ABC). … The sport has evolved into a remarkable showcase for athleticism and intensity. … PSU’s net-tingling five-set reverse sweep over formidable Nebraska Thursday night was greatly assisted by Chicago’s very own Gillian Grimes (Nazareth Academy) and Camryn Hannah (Marist).
Out – Big Ten men’s basketball – So now it will be 18 teams eating their own for the next three months until all fall down before the NCAA championship game. … The power tilt is also already swinging west with Dana Altman and Phil Knight’s Oregon plus Mick Cronin and UCLA up on top. … Does anyone remember Tom Izzo and Mateen Cleaves cutting down the nets way back in 2000 – the last time a B-10 team won The Big One?
In – Holiday prep tournaments – The week split by Christmas Day merely stirs even more snowy memories of the excitement generated by Bob Frisk and Keith Reinhard and even Michael Jordan sneaking into the Wheeling High gymnasium to watch son Jeffrey Jordan play for Loyola in The Hardwood Classic. … Dick Quagliano’s superb preview in The Daily Herald did nothing to stymie the cage Currier and Ives within.
Out – The Illinois High School Association – Coming across more and more as little beyond a bunch of baffled bureaucrats who really know how to gum up state tournaments (but maintain their salaries). … As is, the IHSA’s day has passed. … Why not just expand the state football tournament to 32 divisions and include all teams that have dressed for one regular-season game? … That’d assure enough participations ribbons to placate all.
In – Cole Kmet – Is there any current rostered Bear who continues to represent all that Chicago Bears football once was? … He deserves so much better. … Also continues to draw highest marks from attending media as an ultimate reliable for quotes even in the worst of moments. … Somewhere along the line, Kmet caught some critical touchpoints about competitiveness and accountability from the spirit of Mike Ditka.
Out – Sammy Sosa – His “reconciliation” with the Cubs is like hearing that the city of Chicago has decided to bring Skid Row back to West Madison Street. … A fraud to his Caribbean gills, Sosa’s 1998 home run “battle” with Mark McGwire was as genuine as the career of Newt Gingrich. … If Dick Allen — in his prime — had access to the same kind of “slugger’s helpers,” Sir Richie would have peaked with a seasonal output of 110 home runs.
• Jim O’Donnell’s Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at [email protected]. All communications may be considered for publication.