Jim O'Donnell: Swanson, Benintendi stoke the hot stove Ins and Outs of a clement January
MILD ADO ABOUT SOMETHING, spotlighting highs and lows as the inexorable trek toward Super Bowl 57 rambles on:
In - Applauding the return of some Hot Stove League to Chicago baseball - Once upon a time, wintertime speculation was a magical thing around Major League Baseball. ... In these parts, demoralizing rebuilds (Cubs and Sox) and daffy ownership decisions (Exhibit A, Jerry Reinsdorf's Hallmark bromance with Tony La Russa) ended much of that. ... Now, suddenly, it's OK again to while away an Al Gore January with talk of Dansby Swanson, Andrew Benintendi and other yields of dreams.
Out - Disparaging Cubs fans who went gaga over the comeback of the team's winter convention - Forget about the cynical operational arc of the conquering Ricketts family. ... For everyday people, memories of a first love forever linger near the center of the heart. ... So whether the bond was forged because of Fergie Jenkins or Anthony Rizzo or anyone in between (good morning, Glenallen Hill), what's wrong with letting the Cubbie-blue love flow? ... For a little while.
In - DeMar DeRozan - The current Bulls have two, maybe three, players who would have even been rotation contributors on the best of the Michael Jordan championship classics. ... DeRozan is the most prominent. ... All the exemplary pro wants to do is "ball" and close out wins. ... Arturas Karnisovas, Billy Donovan and associates are extremely fortunate that he's back 'n ballin' after a quad strain.
Out - The NBA's "Paris Game 2023" - Understood that the league wants to go global. ... And NBA masters can't fully predict midseason stragglers. ... But to send two sub-. 500 outfits - the Bulls and the Pistons - to Gay Paree for a Thursday afternoon (U.S.) showcase? ... It was Fashion Week in Paris but the event design of Adam Silver and Co. was less fashionable than Shaquille O'Neal in low-rise jeans.
In - Acknowledging the full uphill realities of the Bears - The team has a new president who wasn't around for the hiring of the GM and head coach. ... The GM and head coach didn't draft the track-star quarterback. ... The QB comes from a brawny university that historically doesn't produce top-gun NFL quarterbacks. ... And call card-swallowing Luke Getsy is still on line to return as OC. ... Will Pharell Williams' "Happy" ever play in a Bears locker room again?
Out - Trying not to LOL at one of the best new Kevin Warren payoff lines going - "At Halas Hall, he'll get to park in the visitors lot." ... The incoming Bears prez is nothing if not meticulous about career management. ... At age 59, above all else, Warren will steer his best interests forward. ... He's also crafty enough to understand that in contemporary pro sports, ownership achieved signifies arrival. ... The McCaskeys better watch their flanks.
In - Tony Stubblefield and the DePaul men's basketball team - The record remains modest but it's impossible not to note recent wins over Villanova and No. 8 Xavier. ... They're not exactly waking up the echoes of Corzine, Aguirre and Cummings just yet. ... But with the transfer portal, shiny Wintrust Arena and now some positive cross-regional attention, the Blue Demons might finally be positioned to sustain competitiveness in the Big East.
Out - Taking too many uncontested shots at Brad Underwood - The Fighting Illini head coach is what he is. ... His pit-bull prowl on the sidelines undoubtedly does not play well on the home HDTV of many coddled potential recruits. ... But since four-star Skyy Clark departed after a bottoming-out loss at Northwestern on January 4, Underwood and his lieges are 4-1. ... They'll have their March.
In - Watching the NFL Divisional Weekend with a wary eye - Last January's DW was far too dramatically fulfilling - three 3-point decisions and an overtime game. ... Mike White and his storyline staff at "The White Lotus" couldn't have scripted it any better. ... The 2022-23 season has already been theatrically heavy - some would say suspiciously so. ... Do the pixies dare do it again?
Out - Not having an opinion on Sunday's playoff games - John Harbaugh and the Ravens laid out the template for stymieing Mighty Joe Burrow and the Bengals last week. ... Leslie Frazier's defense and Buffalo (-5 ½) should take that to the Bank and Falls of Niagara. ... Brock Purdy and SF (-4) have been living on borrowed Cinderella vs. second-rate foes. ... Cowboys inside LB Leighton Vander Esch needs to play the game of his life. ... Willy B. and Verna Hills say Dallas wins by at least 8.
• Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears Sunday and Thursday Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.