Rick Morrissey

1 month ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Rick Morrissey

Pete Rose used to set up shop during Hall of Fame induction week in Cooperstown, N.Y., a nonperson hawking his autographed products, a huckster banished to the edge of things. People flocked to the sideshow because they loved Rose, because America enjoys a spectacle and because the four-legged lady presumably was out of town. It is just Rose’s luck that, six months after his death, another sideshow, one bent on legitimizing him, has taken over the world.

1 month ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Rick Morrissey

Every new NFL head coach comes to the job with his own brand. When the Bears hired demanding defensive coach Matt Eberflus, he even brought his own acronym, a gutsy move. H.I.T.S., he said, stood for Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways and (playing) Smart. When those qualities became harder to find over three seasons, it ended up standing for Hey, Imbecile, Timeouts (are) Serious, and many, many uglier substitutions. Lesson: Motivational sayings and slogans are better left on the Pop Warner sideline.

2 months ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Rick Morrissey

It’s wonderful that deep-pocketed Justin Ishbia reportedly is interested in gaining a bigger stake in the White Sox, with the idea of buying the team, but there’s no indication that owner Jerry Reinsdorf plans to release his icy grip on the franchise any time soon. And imminence is what matters here. It’s the only thing that should matter to the people doing the heavy duty suffering. That would be Sox fans. I don’t blame them a bit for getting their hopes up.

2 months ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Maddie Lee |Rick Morrissey

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Cubs pitcher Cody Poteet believed the 95 mph fastball he threw to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Max Muncy was in the strike zone. Home plate umpire Tony Randazzo disagreed and called it a ball. Instead of arguing, Poteet simply patted the top of his cap, signifying he wanted to challenge the call. After a few seconds, the verdict was ready on the video board in right-center field. Poteet was correct — the pitch was a strike, just catching the bottom of the zone.

2 months ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Rick Morrissey

Mets owner Steve Cohen isn’t particularly happy that he’s piling $325 million into his team’s payroll this season, but he believes it’s the price of getting where he wants to go. “I want a winning team,” he told reporters Tuesday. “And I want to get the best team I can on the field.”Who says money can’t buy you love? Oh, right. The Cubs do. They say it regularly with their relative lack of spending. Forbes valued them at $4.2 billion last year, fourth highest in baseball.