O’Donnell: Combine all and Bears-to-Arlington could be back on track
NFL COMBINE WEEK IS NORMALY RESERVED for intensely immersed fans interested in the possibilities of draft capital, three-cone drills and overlooked linemen from Savannah State.
Leave it to tangents related to the meandering new stadium search of the McBears to disrupt that cocooned Indianapolis jamboree.
On Thursday, the Daily Herald's Steve Zalusky reported that Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz — himself a former Bear and WBBM-AM (780) team analyst — retained significant questions about civic cost, traffic and infrastructure if the football corporation decides to build at Arlington Park.
Almost concurrently, Arlington Heights president Tom Hayes confirmed that his village staff is finally expecting to receive critical Bears-generated studies about traffic and financing.
ALL SUDDENLY SUGGESTS that a decision by the McWafflers to move forward on the 326 acres of AP is back on track.
Hayes declined to confirm that intent. He is retiring after 12 years as village president in May.
An all-in by the Bears on the vacated local oval will end:
· 42 months since the team announced a purchase agreement with Churchill Downs Inc. (Sept. 2021);
· 30 months since George McCaskey and Ted Phillips hosted a rah-rah, let's-build rally at John Hersey High School (Sept. 2022); and,
· 10 months since current team president Kevin Warren staged an embarrassing Chicago lakefront-ho media event downtown last April, complete with opening prayer.
THE BEARS TO ARLINGTON PARK once appeared to be doink-proof from the gods, a miraculous instance of cosmic correction after the thoroughly unnecessary demise of a global-class race track.
Then some ghosts in the machine consigned the project to paths that not even the highest-tech GPS could bring back toward fulfillment.
IT NOW APPEARS TO BE odds-on. But who wants to bet anything in this era that depends upon sustained coherency by the Chicago Bears?
Finding a future All-Pro lineman from Savannah State is a less daunting proposition.
STREET-BEATIN':
If only Cactus League victories could be redeemed for NL Central wins in September, the hot spring start of Craig Counsell and the Cubs would mean so much more. Plus, that season-opening two-game set vs. the Dodgers in Toyko (March 18-19, 5:10 a.m., Central Time starts) is a colossal waste of marquee events. For American TV, it's as if the Beatles initially played “The Today Show” instead of “Ed Sullivan.” …
Viewers are still buzzing about a brilliant commentary by ESPN's P.K. Subban in which he contrasted the night-to-night intensity of the NHL opposite the direct-deposit monitoring of far too many pampered NBA stars. Google “P.K. Subban discusses difference between NHL & NBA.” (Long-distance runaround: The 3-point shot also continues to soften the NBA product.) …
Even only two weeks away from Selection Sunday, it's nothing but tumblin' dice trying to pick the champ of either NCAA Tournament. But Rick Pitino's Red Storm Express at St. John's continues to roll. Few masters have put together a team as well constructed for the new NIL/transfer portal March men's showcase. (The “Johnnies” are near odds of 27-1 to win it all; they' re 11 points from a perfect 29-0.) …
The recent flurry of publicity about second-year White Sox TV play-by-play man John Schriffen was curious. He had a terrible rookie season with a historically awful ballclub and serves as a constant reminder of the wit and spark of the departed Jason Benetti. But Jerry Reinsdorf has never been averse to sponsoring budget-friendly buzzkills in his broadcast booths. …
In sports corners everywhere, the death of Gene Hackman prompted fresh dissections of his 1986 classic “Hoosiers.” Some facts: Hackman didn't want to focus on dialogue until 15 minutes before scenes were shot; he repeatedly cut script segments of novice mastermind Angelo Pizzo on the fly, saying, “I can 'act' those words”; and, his relationship with co-star Barbara Hershey was strained and he thought their love interest in a movie about multiple life redemptions was “trimmable fat.” …
Mike Imrem recently celebrated his 80th birthday, which is hard to believe. The Vietnam vet — and University of Illinois grad ('67) — had a distinguished 39-year run as one of the Daily Herald's lead general sports columnists (1978-2017). Imrem also helped set the presses for the corporation's remarkable decades of ascent under such DH Hall of Famers as Dan Baumann, Doug Ray and Bob Frisk. …
A jubilant moment at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines last week: While career brat Phil Hellmuth was making a promotional appearance, a small-stakes player hit the rolling “Bad Beat Jackpot” at close to $323,000. In Texas Hold 'Em, the loser has to have four 10s or better — very rare — and get trounced. His four Qs were topped by a Q-high straight flush. The badly beaten got $162K, the winner of the hand received $81K and the four other players at the table each walked away with $20K. Chances of the sequence are app. .00006. …
And Bill Hazen, on Green Bay's proposal to ban Philadelphia's “Tush Push”: “Aaron Rodgers always ran kind of a flag football offense anyway.”
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.