Columns Posts

A few days ago, my wife and I took off for California by way of Iowa, Nebraska and Arizona--by car. Yes, a real road trip.And before I left, I reminded myself...Benny, old, boy--it's a big country out there, and you'll be driving through MAGA la…

I've been writing and thinking about Chicago politics for so long that just about everything I see in politics reminds me of something I've already seen in Chicago.But sometimes Chicago fools me. Sometimes I'll see something in Chicago and think--…

As the self-appointed bridge between those who are addicted to sports and those who know nothing about it, I feel compelled to update the know-nothings about the latest brouhaha gripping Chicago's baseball world.So here goes...First, the name.…

The time has come for me to pay homage to the man who knows everything--Dwight Garner, book reviewer extraordinaire for the New York Times.One of my favorite Sunday morning moments occurs when, book review section in hand, I flop on the couch…

Went to the White Sox game the other day.Took the train. On the way, I broke out a paperback--Demon Copperfield by Barbara Kingsolver. Great read.Love reading on the subway. Makes the trip fly. Before you know it, the voice on the speaker’…

The strange saga of John Phelan's recently aborted reign as secretary of the Navy is one of those Trump-era political stories that's so preposterous it's easy to think it’s fake. Unfortunately, it’s all too real.Please, follow. …

Let me interrupt the horrors of Trump’s war against Iran to remind you of some good news that may have been lost amid the bombing.He fired Pam Bondi.Well, that’s not really the good news.The good news is why he fired her. Specifica…

As the man on the podcasting mic, I'm compelled to wade in on any rip-roaring controversy--especially the one involving Caleb, Skip, George & Jerry.So here goes...Caleb Williams is the sensational, young quarterback, who led my beloved Bears…

In a sign of the insanity of our political times, the solar and wind-mill crowd in Texas has decided to advance its clean-energy cause by getting behind an oil-and-gas guy for attorney general.I know, that makes about as much sense as anything in …

When I was but a wee lad--young and fresh and new to town--Mayor Harold Washington enthralled me with his amazing ability to effortlessly throw around big-time words and phrases that sent me to the dictionary.Now that I'm an old dog, it's New York…

Ironically, I happened upon the obituary for Colman McCarthy as Trump and Netanyahu dropped their bombs on Iran. I’ll get to the irony—but first, a few words about McCarthy.He was a journalist for the Washington Post—…

For the last few days, reporters have been desperately searching for a logical explanation as to why Trump would do something so illogical as start a war with Iran.It's a challenging mission cause there's no logical explanation other than the one …

If I had a pantheon of super-smart lefties who influenced my life, Noam Chomsky would be right up there with Kurt Vonnegut.I loved Vonnegut's books. Still read Slaughterhouse Five from time to time.Vonnegut could reduce the atrocious hypocrisies…

On February 6, I woke to discover Trump had posted a video, depicting the Obamas as apes.Still half asleep, I thought...You gotta be kidding me--how low will this fucker go?A few minutes later the Associated Press offered their assessment, rep…

There I was, walking along Wabash Street through the heart of Boyle Heights, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Los Angeles, when who did I see looking back at me?Melania!Well, not in person. She was on a bus-shelter poster beneath a plate…

In the aftermath of the Bears' stunning come-from-behind playoff victory over the dreaded Green Bay Packers, it's time to reveal the inside story of the behind-the-scenes hero, who made it all possible.Here goes…I was in California, visit…

In my desperation to find something positive to say about Trump's invasion of Venezuela, I've come down to this...He’s telling the truth—sorta.That is, after he's done lying. So you might say he's the most truthful liar in the histor…

I need to make an apology and a correction, and I need to make them fast!They have to do with One Winged Dove, a song by Stevie Nicks. You know the one–it goes…“Just like a one-winged dove–ooh, baby, ooh.”…

Many years ago when I was just a kid, I loved Norm Van Lier with a passion that’s hard to explain and embarrassing to admit.He was the six-foot-tall guard on the Bulls, usually the shortest, skinniest guy on the floor. But he played with a f…

It was late at night and I was home alone watching a movie, when the text came in.Back to the Future, if you must know--the movie I was watching, that is. Sad to say—it didn’t stand the test of time. Another topic for another day. So, …

This week I took a trip inside my brain—here’s how it went down…Every few months or so, Charles Henderson, peace activist extraordinaire, comes on my podcast to talk about the issues of the day–with me asking the questions…

I was on the phone with this super-smart young journalist. Call her Nell--as that’s her name.And I made a wisecrack that caused Nell to laugh and say, “you’re funny.”To which I reflexively said the first thing that popped…

There are so many reasons I love One Battle After Another--Paul Thomas Anderson's latest movie--it's hard to mention them all. So I'll keep it to one--the sensei.That would be Sergio St. Carlos, the character played by Benicio del Toro, who's call…

By the time I met Tony Fitzpatrick, he was already a Chicago legend.This was the fall of 2006. By chance, our children attended the same high school. And I saw him at a parent-teacher conference night, sitting in the last row to meet with Ms. Gall…