Baseball's All-Star Game was the brainchild of Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, to coincide with the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. It was an immediate success, with Babe Ruth hitting a game-winning home run in the inaugural event at Comiskey Park. Fans have selected the All-Star starters intermittently since the game's inception. After Reds fans stuffed the ballot box and helped seven of their starters win starting All-Star spots, fan voting was removed but

Michael Jordan has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's weekly issue 50 times — more than any athlete in the 72-year history of the magazine. But it actually took him awhile to get on the cover for the first time. Jordan should have been on the Nov. 30, 1981 cover with North Carolina teammates James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Jimmy Black and Matt Doherty as a ballyhooed freshman starter for the preseason No. 1-ranked Tar Heels. But coach Dean Smith did not allow fresh

The grandaddy of them all. You know a Monopoly game is vintage when the hotels and houses are made of wood! The classic 1960s/1970s version of Monopoly. All-Star Baseball was a classic board game of the 1960s — not only fun to play with the spinner and strategy, but it used Wrigley Field as it's background. Through the magic of baseball-reference.com, this background shot was taken on Aug. 21, 1968. That's Fergie Jenkins pitching to Braves left fielder Mike Page in the top of

The '69 Cubs have their own special place in baseball's Hall of Infamy — a team still beloved if not revered despite a horrific collapse that ruined the greatest summer of our lives. Do the 1964 Phillies or 1978 Red Sox get the same kind of love that the '69 Cubs get? Probably not. Despite the scars of that dreaded finish, the glory of the 1969 season can't be forgotten, or ignored. Why? Timing was everything. The Cubs had not won a pennant since 1945 and had not been in cont

Chicago was the pinball machine capital of the world in the 1940s-70s. Many of the leading pinball manufacturers — including Gottlieb, Williams, Chicago Coin, Bally and Stern — were based in Chicago in pinball's heyday. It was an ironic distinction, because pinball had been illegal in Chicago since the 1940s, as a gambling device that attracted organized crime. Pinball, in fact, was also illegal in many suburbs (Oak Park, Arlington Heights, Evanston, Des Plaines and others)

NFL draft savant Joel Buchsbaum was the nerd's nerd. He looked the part, sounded the part and played the part. He was as reclusive as he was brilliant, with an encyclopedic recall of NFL draft prospects — the only thing I ever heard him talk about. His cramped apartment in Brooklyn was part of his legend. When he first started writing for Pro Football Weekly, they say he submitted his copy in longhand — he did not have a computer — and I believe it. I first heard Buchsbaum on

From the White Sox' glorious 1977 season, when they were second in the American League with 192 home runs (Richie Zisk 31, Oscar Gamble 30, Eric Soderholm 25; Chet Lemon 19; Lamar Johnson/Jim Spencer combined for 36). The Sox faded in August and September to finish 90-72 — in third place, 12 games behind the Royals (following the lead of the Cubs, who were 47-22 on June 28 and finished 81-81 to land in fourth place, 20 games behind). I think I bought this knockoff t-shirt at

The Cubs overcame early season injuries to starters Justin Steele (season-ending elbow surgery) and Shota Imanaga (out seven weeks with a bum hamstring) to make the playoffs in 2025 and set themselves up to take a big step toward World Series contention in 2026. But already, their starting rotation injury issues are getting worse instead of better, leaving otherwise hopeful Cubs fans to wonder what's next. Starter Matthew Boyd, whose career-best season helped bail out the Cub

Bears-Packers rivalry stories never get old no matter how cliche they become — the history of the rivalry is that good. But this week's Bears-Packers game is particularly enticing. Not only are both teams battling for the NFC North title in Week 16 (a rarity in the series), but the head coaches have a frosty relationship and the teams are playing for the second time in three weeks, when memories of the previous game — including the cold postgame handshake between Ben Johnson

The Bears 2025 rookie class came in with all sorts of potential because the first three picks were offensive players chosen specifically for Ben Johnson's offense — tight end Colston Loveland (1-10), wide receiver Luther Burden (2-39) and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (2-56). That plan worked well for the Lions in 2023, when two rookies made a big impact — first-round running back Jahmyr Gibbs (182-945, 5.2 yards per carry, 10 touchdowns) and second-round tight end Sam LaPort

The Bears-Eagles game was branded as a defining moment for Ben Johnson and the 2025 Bears and it certainly was that. Their convincing 25-19 victory — on a short week, on the road, against a defending Super Bowl champion Eagles team motivated to atone for a loss to the rival Cowboys five days earlier — turned into a classic "statement" game. But just how big of a statement was it? The Bears have won "statement" games before, but none in recent Bears history has had much stayin

When you watch a football game as a teenager and think, "That's the greatest run I've ever seen," chances are that you not only have seen greater runs in your past but will see several more better runs in your future. Not so with Walter Payton's 18-yard run against the Chiefs on Nov. 13, 1977. With the Bears trailing the Chiefs 17-0 at Soldier Field and their faint playoff hopes flickering, Payton took a handoff from Bob Avellini at the Chiefs' 18-yard line, got hemmed in on

The Bears' 2025 rookie class got off to a slow start, but has shown signs of life in recent games, with room for more growth in the final eight games of the season: Tight end Colston Loveland (first round, No. 10 overall) had 11 receptions for 116 yards and no touchdowns in his first six games. But he six receptions for 138 yards and a game-winning 58-yard touchdown against the Bengals, and four receptions for 55 yards against the Giants last week. Wide receiver Luther Burde

This 2019 feature included a top-10 list of Bears players who were not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Since then, Jim Covert (2020), Devin Hester (2024) and Steve McMichael (2025) have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Gale Sayers played just 68 games with the Bears — tied for 231st on the Bears' all-time list Among those who have played more are Markus Paul (70), Bruce Herron (71), Zack Bowman (73) and Craig Steltz (77). But his impact on the Bears and the NFL was indelible — he scored 18 touchdowns of 50 or more yards in his first three seasons with the Bears. His knee injury against the 49ers in 1968 shortened his career — but even as a shell of his former self, Sayers still led the NFL

The Bears are down to three players from the Chicago area — tight end Cole Kmet (St. Viator), linebacker T.J. Edwards (Lakes) and offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie (Hinsdale Central). Two years ago they had six — Kmet, Edwards, Jack Sanborn (Lake Zurich), Robert Tonyan (McHenry), Dan Feeney (Sandburg) and Doug Kramer (Hinsdale Central). This week's Bears scrapbook takes a look back at the Bears best hometown players — one of many NFL lists headed by the great Dick Butkus:

The anticipation among Cubs fans was palpable after the Cubs signed Dave Kingman to a five-year, $1.4 million contract as a free agent in...

The Bears' rally from a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation to beat the Packers 22-16 in overtime last Sunday turned what looked like another dreadful loss to the Packers into one of the best Bears regular-season victories ever. It was a walk-off win. It had memorable, highlight-reel plays — Caleb Williams' fourth-down touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Jahdae Walker; Josh Blackwell's recovery of an onside kick; and Williams' 46-yard touchdown pass to

As a history buff, I love longevity links. Harrison Ruffin Tyler, a grandson of President John Tyler — who was born in 1790 and served as president from 1841-45 — just passed away on May 25 of 2025 at 96. Al Benton, a two-time all-star pitcher for the Tigers, pitched to Hall of Fame sluggers Babe Ruth, who began his big-league career in 1915, and Mickey Mantle, who played his last big-league game in 1968. Former White Sox starter Jim Kaat, who played in the big leagues in 198

It was nearly as difficult to sell patience to Bears fans in 1975, when Walter Payton made his NFL debut against the Colts, as it is...