Jim O'Donnell: McCaskey parlor games beg for a Jerry Jones clone
WITH A WEEK AHEAD when sports should mean so little, let's cut to the chase:
Until the Bears get dynamic new ownership, the organization is a cork on the NFL ocean.
The future of Ryan Pace? The retention of the forever-mitigating Matt Nagy? The football destiny of Mitch Trubisky?
All fare for parlor chitchat that does little more than keep a fanboy media pumping out millions of words that mean so little.
The contemporary McCaskey family is not a football family and its members have no notable history as a very progressive football business family.
So, Chicago - the NFL's largest single-team market - stumbles into yet another decade as a captive city, with a franchise grossly dependent upon the league's socialistic profit distribution structure to keep up with other entrenched mediocrities.
It's a shame that a clone of 1989 Jerry Jones doesn't exist to swoop in and end the fan-draining hibernation.
Within months of purchasing the fading Cowboys, the oily Arkansas spawn fired Tom Landry, ditched Tex Schramm and displayed absolutely zero respect for any of the decaying canon surrounding "America's Team."
He took massive public and media hits, especially after Jimmy Johnson's first edition went 1-15.
But in the next six seasons, Jones and the Cowboys won three Super Bowls.
He also got a regal new stadium built and helped pull upstart Fox Sports into the NFL broadcast realm - with billions of dollars in extra profits to be pooled.
Now, at age 78, he may be arced-out. But his Cowboys, purchased for $140 million, continue to push toward an estimated value of $6 billion.
And at Halas Hall?
Family parlor games.
And McCorks on the ocean.
STREET-BEATIN': The clean out in Cleveland in tandem with Minnesota's inertia leaves the White Sox as overwhelming favorites to win the AL-Central and the 10-1 third pick to capture the 2021 World Series (behind the Yankees and the Padres). Irony to the north is that new $54M South Side closer Liam Hendriks was a bust as a starter in the Twin Cities. ...
The report that Aaron Rodgers will be one of the guests hosts for new editions of "Jeopardy!" reminds that former Chargers kicker Rolf Benirschke did six months in 1989 as emcee of the daytime "Wheel of Fortune." Pat Sajak had temporarily split to try late-night TV on CBS. ...
More Green Bay: The Rams have never played a postseason game at Lambeau Field (Fox, Saturday, 3:35 p.m.). Vince Lombardi's final power brats beat Roman Gabriel's L.A. outfit 28-7 in the 1967 Western Conference championship game at Milwaukee County Stadium, eight days before the fabled "Ice Bowl." ...
During the upcoming GB-LAR showdown, Bears faithful will get to watch alumni Leonard Floyd impact for the Rams and Adrian Amos do the same for the Packers. (Maybe Robert Quinn can host a special preview.) ...
NBC/NHL executive producer San Flood was notably clipped this week during a media teleconference when it came to questions about the dismissal of Mike Milbury and the hiring of unpredictable Mike Babcock as a studio analyst. ...
Eddie Olczyk is telling all that Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in the NHL. (The 25-year-old "three zoner" also has a recurring role on the Canadian comedy series "Mr. D.") ...
A little less than four years ago, Mark Giangreco was suspended by knock-kneed WLS-Channel 7 management for calling Donald Trump "a cartoon lunatic." Now, many would call for a statue of Giangreco to be built outside of the station's Near North studios. ...
The Daily Herald's Steve Zalusky continues to receive props for his profiling of WBEZ-FM (91.5) sports gem Cheryl Raye-Stout. With Part 2 due Sunday, not to be overlooked is that the resolute reporter was a co-participant in the Michael Jordan-to-baseball global scoop in December, 1993. (The full story behind the story, ahem, began when Mr. Jordan was late for a downtown business appointment the week after Thanksgiving.) ...
Opening theme for Sunday's telecast of Drew Brees and the Saints vs. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers must be Frank Sinatra's "It Was a Very Good Year." (Fox, 5:40 p.m.) ...
And also from the fine old kegs, clever headline in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Brady vs. Brees - a matchup for the ages and the aged."
• Jim O'Donnell's Sports & Media column appears Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com.