Last year on Thanksgiving, I warned readers to avoid discussing the “three E’s” during their family get-togethers:
Eberflus, Elon and the election.
Thankfully there’s no longer any reason to discuss former Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus, Elon Musk’s approval ratings have dropped significantly since his bromance with President Donald Trump, the 2024 election is old news and the midterm elections aren’t for another year.
For Chicagoans, there are many more reasons to celebrate this Thanksgiving, from the resurgence of the Bears to the Cubs’ playoff run to the fine fall weather we had been having.
In other words, we can all relax, watch football, eat turkey and enjoy each other’s company without bringing up topics that can turn your Thanksgiving meal into that fork-flinging episode of “The Bear.”
Here are some things I’m thankful for in 2025.
Ben Johnson
The first-year Bears coach not only has them in first place at Thanksgiving, he has brought a renewed sense of optimism to perennially pessimistic Bears fans. It’s not “How are they going to blow this?” anymore. It’s “How are they going to win this?” Improbable wins are still wins.
Banana Ball
When the Savannah Bananas brought their act to the South Side in August, it showed that fans indeed would come out to the corner of 35th Street and Shields Avenue to watch a baseball game if it was entertaining enough. It was part baseball, part “Glee” episode and part Harlem Globetrotters. Banana Ball comes to Wrigley Field next July and hopefully will make Chicago an annual stop on its national tour.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Colson Montgomery
Crow-Armstrong didn’t have a great second half for the Cubs, and Montgomery didn’t even get called up to the White Sox until the Fourth of July. But both young stars proved in stretches they’re the future of their respective teams. “PCA” was even gracious enough to thank the Wrigley Field ushers and security guards at their daily meeting for doing their jobs. Both should be around for a long, long time, assuming Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf don’t blow it.
Joe Mansueto and Justin Ishbia
Mansueto, the Chicago Fire owner, is privately financing a $650 million stadium for his team at The 78 site in the South Loop. “It is my belief that these stadiums should be privately financed,” Mansueto said. “Most of the value accrues to the sports team. So it’s only fair that the sports team shoulders the cost of its construction.”
Ishbia, who eventually will take over the Sox from Reinsdorf and also hopes to build a new ballpark, told the Tribune he’s simply a “steward” of the team and plans to win “many championships for decades to come” when he takes control. These guys “get” Chicago.
Churros at White Sox games
You still can get a churro for less than $7 at Sox Park, and it’s a treat that should not be ignored, no matter what kind of a diet you’re on. Dessert still matters.
Pope Leo XIV
The election of Chicago priest Robert Prevost to lead the Catholic Church was so stunning, not even Nostradamus could’ve predicted it. But news of Pope Leo XIV’s ascension made all Chicagoans proud, particularly T-shirt vendors, Sox marketing executives and Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood. What he’s going to do with all that Sox, Bears and Bulls swag he has been gifted is now one of life’s biggest mysteries.
Chi Resisters
Normally Chicagoans come together only during blizzards and sports championships. But the massive resistance to ICE by average citizens of Chicago and its suburbs ran bloviating Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino out of town. It was our finest hour.
Josh Giddey’s shot and Colston Loveland’s catch
The buzzer-beating, game-winning, half-court shot by Bulls guard Josh Giddey to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on March 27 at the United Center was as good a sports moment as we’d seen in this town since before the pandemic.
Then Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland said “Hold my Malört,” making a game-winning, 58-yard touchdown catch from Caleb Williams in the final seconds of a 47-42 comeback win over the Bengals on Nov. 2 in Cincinnati. Moments like that are why we love sports.
Wieners Circle
It wasn’t just the lure of a free hot dog that brought hundreds of people out in the rain to the delightfully rude North Side stand after the owners promised free dogs if Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys. It was the idea that we’re all in this together. Caleb made it happen, and though he didn’t show, his dog, Supa, did. Cheers to owner Ari Levy, the trash-talking “Poochie” and the entire Wieners Circle gang for reminding us how much we love our city, our football and our hot dogs.
Chuck Swirsky
Is there anyone who loves their job more than the Bulls play-by-play announcer? If so, I’ve yet to meet them. His calls on WSCR-AM 670 are always entertaining, win or lose, and many don’t realize he was a sports-talk pioneer in Chicago at age 25 on the old WCFL-AM 1000, which is now WMVP. The world needs more Swirskys.
Bedard and Byard
At age 20, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard is 12 years younger than Kevin Byard III, the veteran Bears safety. One career is just beginning, and the other is nearing its final stages. Bedard arrived with so much hype as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, it was nearly impossible to live up to expectations during his first two seasons. Now he’s considered one of the game’s elite players.
Byard came to the Bears last year with virtually no expectations but has led the team’s defensive resurgence and is tied for the league lead with five interceptions. Bedard and Byard are living proof that age is only a state of mind.
Kyle Hendricks
The former Cubs pitcher retired without a peep after spending his 11th and final season with the Los Angeles Angels. No farewell tour. No statement. No nothing. In an age when many athletes feel the need to call attention to themselves 24/7, Hendricks’ classy exit was most welcome. We were fortunate to have someone like “The Professor” represent our city for as long as he did.
Wrigley Field
There’s no better atmosphere in sports than a game at Wrigley Field, as evidenced by Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. “Waking up, I felt it,” Nico Hoerner said. “I wish the ivy could turn.” The Cubs wouldn’t make it past the NLDS, but Wrigley came alive in October for the first time in years, and it was worth the wait.