Jim O'Donnell: The Bears on ‘Hard Knocks’ are perfect viewing for an empty Arlington lot
THE FANBOYS WERE FROTHING this week after the announcement that “Hard Knocks” will showcase the Bears beginning Aug. 6.
Nice in the cartoon slot would be a Disney+ documentary on “First-and-Me: A Day in the Life of Kevin Warren.”
“Hard Knocks” is the C-list HBO annual miniseries that scopes in on one NFL team in training camp and another during the league's nonexistent “off-season” from February to June.
Its primary target is pastime-challenged males 6-to-106 who still believe in high cable bills, Chris Berman and the essential integrity of pro football outcomes.
The Giants are the free agency/draft selection for 2024. The Bears — for the first time since “Knocks” premiered in 2001 — will fill the preseason drills billing.
IT MAKES IMPERFECT NONSENSE that a swerving organization facing a critical foundational camp with rookie QB Caleb Williams would be burdened with the potential for yet another imaging diminishment.
Away from football ops, the calendar year has not been kind to Halas Hall.
Already, the team has ruffled faithful season-ticket holders with an egads price hike.
And other than his very public bromancing with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson at a Second Citadel “stadium reveal” in April, second-year president Warren has commanded externally with all the success of Cubs $40M man Craig Counsell doing standup at Milwaukee's Summerfest.
PERHAPS GOV. JB PRITZKER CAN step in and declare that Williams and the '24 Bears on “Hard Knocks” is “a non-starter” — just like Warren's ill-planned lakefront stadium laugh-jerker.
If not, hopefully there will be widescreen viewing of Episode 1 available in the Metra lot at Arlington Park.
Fans can bring their own froth.
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THE BATTLE LINES HAVE BEEN drawn inside WBD/TNT over the future of the group as a national NBA rights holder and it's coming down to Charles Barkley at one free-throw line and an imperious CEO and some others at a different end.
Barkley has been extraordinarily vocal in repeatedly expressing his disgust with the way WBD CEO David Zaslav has allegedly mishandled renewal negotiations with the league.
Two years ago, Zaslav made the most impolitic statement that his corporation “didn't need” the NBA.
Now, NBC is reported to be very close to a return as a network home of pro games, unplugging Turner. Some expected an announcement Friday — one day after TNT's yearly gamecasts ended when Luka Doncic and the Mavericks closed out Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals.
THAT BROADCAST BULLETIN didn't happen. But Barkley has been telling all who will listen that he thinks NBA commissioner Adam Silver is punishing Zaslav for his comment, essentially defying the TV executive to do anything about his trademark candor.
Barkley miffed set mates Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson recently when he bypassed Turner's PR department to do an interview with the New York Times on Zaslav's possible muff.
The 61-year-old “Chuckster” is expected to either travel with the package or wind up on ESPN/ABC or with new third partner Amazon.
NBC has reportedly made an offer of $2.6B for the NBA's “B” package.
The expanded troika will commence with the 2025-26 season.
STREET-BEATIN':
The first presence on any NBCSCH / White Sox programming — Ozzie Guillen, Frank Thomas, Steve Stone, Chico Escuela — who says Jerry Reinsdorf must sell and get out of the game wins. If it's Stone, it will be spun with inside precision and an absolute indicator that the 88-year-old sports capitalist is packing it in. The franchise is a disgrace and the enabling legislation that established the Illinois Sports Facility Authority 37 years ago needs a re-examination at the highest levels of state government. …
Rich Moser reports that Saturday's “An Evening with Champions” at Eastern Illinois sold out in 30 minutes. That's what happens when you bring alums Jimmy Garoppolo, Tony Romo, Mike Shanahan and Sean Payton back to Charleston. It's hard to believe that “Jimmy G” — the former Arlington Cowboy who's scheduled to be in camp with the Rams — is 32 years old. …
The unlisted status of Chicago's AM-1000 in the Nielsen Audios continues to embarrass George McCaskey and the Bears. It's being taken as more evidence of how far the value of most local NFL radio rights has dropped. The team brand gets zero boost from the ghost-flagged station. …
The upcoming renewal of “The Cross-town Nap Pact” between the Cubs and Sox at Wrigley Field Tuesday and Wednesday nights is giving interleague play a very bad name. A deep no-hit bid by either scheduled home-ivy starter — Shota Imanaga or Jameson Taillon — would magnetize some straying eyeballs. …
And Dave Fairfield, on Dan Hartleb and his Big Ten regular-season baseball champs from Illinois being sent to the NCAA regional of powerful Kentucky: “Why didn't they just send 'em to Yankee Stadium?”
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.