Current culture tells me I should be practicing gratitude. Or is it mindfulness I’m meant to focus on? Maybe I’m supposed to be mindful of my gratitude. And where does intentionality fit in?
This is hard.
It’s especially hard in Chicago, where many of the sports teams make it difficult to appreciate something without grousing about something else.
My approach is to stop trying to fight it. Thanksgiving is upon us, but we can be grateful/mindful and hateful/malignful at the same time. Allow me to show you how.
Bears
I’m thankful for: Caleb Williams. The rookie has shown enough flashes of brilliance to lead me to believe that the Bears finally have a quarterback. I’m not sure how many Bears fans are with me on the bandwagon, but I don’t blame them for their doubts. They have so many scars you’d think they’ve been lab practice for med school students.
In his last two games, against the Packers and the Vikings, Williams was very good, bordering on superb. He has arm strength that can’t be taught and instincts that can’t be bought. I don’t know whether he’ll be able to keep it up against the rough-and-tough Lions on Thursday, but I do know I’ll be watching because of him.
I’m not thankful for: Pretty much everything else. Ownership. Coaching. General managing. The Bears are in the middle of a five-game losing streak because the McCaskey family decided to bring back head coach Matt Eberflus after the team went 7-10 in 2023. Eberflus fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy after the season, and, because few high-quality assistants wanted to work with a head coach whose future was very much in doubt, had to settle for Shane Waldron as Getsy’s replacement. How bad did it get? Eberflus fired Waldron nine games into this season.
The third offensive coordinator in nine months, Thomas Brown, has done a fine job in his first two games in the role, but let’s see if the offensive line that general manager Ryan Poles has given him will revert back to imitating a sheet on a clothesline.
One thing I’m beyond not thankful for: The proposed stadium the Bears are trying to ram down the throats of taxpayers. Stop giving us updates. Pick a site — downtown or Arlington Heights — then get back to us so we can tell you to go pay for it yourself.
Bulls
I’m thankful for: Coby White. I didn’t think much of the North Carolina star when the Bulls drafted him seventh overall in the 2019 draft. And his lukewarm shooting the first two seasons backed up my pessimism. But he’s taken a big leap the past few seasons. This year, he’s averaging 19.2 points, and his three-point shooting percentage is at a respectable .393.
That’s part of why I like him, but not the biggest part. It’s this: He brings joy to the game. He always looks like he’s about to smile. He looks eternally happy. That makes me intermittently happy. There needs to be a stat for this.
I’m not thankful for: Purported defense. Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Bulls were giving up 123.1 points a contest, second most in the NBA. They’re allowing 126.1 a game at the United Center. What have we ever done to them?
I had to laugh the other day when a reporter asked Nuggets coach Michael Malone if his team needed to flush the memory of a 145-118 loss to the Knicks.
“F— that, man, no. No, we’re not flushing,” he said. “You don’t flush when you get embarrassed, you don’t flush when you gave up 145 points, you don’t flush when you didn’t play hard, didn’t play with effort, physicality, I’m not flushing anything.”
You know what we call a bad defensive effort like that in Chicago?
Friday. Or Saturday. Or …
Blackhawks
I’m thankful for: Connor Bedard. He’s great, no matter what his sad three goals in 21 games so far this season say. And I’m very thankful he’s only 19.
I’m not thankful for: Luke Richardson’s line changes. The big idea, the only thing that matters for this franchise, is Bedard. So why does the coach treat lines like Kleenex? Heading into Wednesday’s game, Richardson had changed them 11 times in the Hawks’ 12 losses. Hard for anybody to feel at home, especially the kid. Knock that off.
Sky
I’m thankful for: Angel Reese. She averaged 13.6 points and a league-best 13.1 rebounds in her rookie season. She made the 13-27 Sky palatable.
I’m not thankful for: The mess. The Sky fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season. The Sun-Times, citing league sources, said Weatherspoon “had lost the locker room because of a culture that catered to the needs of a few players.’’
Drama is interesting. In moderation.
White Sox
I’m thankful for: A report that chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is in “active discussions’’ to sell the team to a group led by former pitcher Dave Stewart.
I’m not thankful for: The silence. That report came out almost six weeks ago. Let’s get moving on this, Jerry. The stink from the 2024 season, in which the Sox set a modern-era record for most losses (121), is still very much here.
Cubs
I’m thankful for: The 2016 World Series title. Good times.
I’m not thankful for: The aftermath. It took 108 years for the Cubs to win their third championship in team history. I guess I shouldn’t be griping that it’s been only eight years since their last one. But, I don’t know. Big market. Billionaire owners. Passionate fan base.
What do I expect?
More.
Happy Thanksgiving. Or not.