Scoop Jackson

1 week ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Scoop Jackson

He was two games away from playing in his second World Series finals. But he sat there in the dugout after his last at-bat. Face emotional and emotionless. Cap removed. Looking outward from the field he’d just stepped off, seeing nothing. Blank stare, blank slate. Camera on him, tight close-up. Not for us to look at him, but to look inside of him. To imagine what the kid must be thinking in this moment. Knowing that he might not even know.

2 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Scoop Jackson

There are many disturbing things circulating inside of the world of sports. Sports-betting companies taking over sponsorship of every broadcast show, podcast and stadium. Athletes calling out members of the media for not ‘‘knowing the game’’ when most members of the sports media are former players. Etc. There exists one greater. Let’s call this a sartorial conundrum. Before this rant, understand none of the following is directed at men in general; this is about those of us involved in sports.

3 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Scoop Jackson

‘‘How a small-market NBA Finals affects the bottom line.” “Can small-market Finals teams punch above their weight in the ratings?” “History shows Pacers vs. Thunder may draw record-low ratings.”Those were just the headlines. And those were before Game 1. It has become a thing leading into the NBA’s latest iteration of its championship series.

4 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Scoop Jackson

Bend the knee. Last Sunday was the five-year observance (can’t really call it an anniversary, can we?) of the death, murder, publicground ‘‘lynching’’ of George Floyd. So last week I reflected. As many did. Reflected on the incident and the response. But, more important, on the nothing changed of it all. The racial hijacking of a movement and the reckoning of America wanting its country back.

1 month ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Scoop Jackson

What happens when a player separates himself from the balance? The Cubs, with their National League Central-leading start that is beginning to feel like something that will last through September, have elevated themselves to being one of the most-talked-about teams in baseball this season because of their balance. Especially at the plate. The stats don’t back it up (even as they lead the league in runs) the same way the ‘‘feel’’ does.