End of Act II

I like to joke that I was “classically trained” at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, but the reality is that when I was in J-school at Mizzou (1979-81), I was like the white guy at the end of the Duke basketball bench — the walk-on who looks totally out of his element, whose only chance of getting in the game was at the end of a blowout. A prodigy, I was not. 

That guy never makes it to the NBA, but somehow it worked out for me. Luckily in sportswriting, a work ethic can go a long way. But you need some breaks and I got my share. I was unemployed after the St. Louis Globe-Democrat folded in 1986 and became a stringer for legendary Sun-Times/Daily News prep sports guru Taylor Bell. That turned into a “full-time free-lance” gig ($600 a week!) in 1987. 

That’s where fate stepped in. The Newspaper Guild — always at odds with Taylor’s free-lance fiefdom — filed a grievance in objection of the full-time arrangement, and through a settlement, I became a Sun-Times employee in March of 1990. I totally back-doored my way into a 38-year career at one of the best major metro newspapers in America — a difficult trick before the internet ultimately gave everybody in the world their own printing press or radio/TV station. 

I am a proud over-achiever who was fortunate (yet again!) to re-invent himself as a reporter in 2009 after a nine-year sentence on the Sun-Times sports copy desk — a very rewarding Act II. I knew it would not last forever, but I’m still disappointed it ended as it did — taking a buyout under the threat of being laid off. And the timing is impeccable — the Bears are better positioned for a run of sustained success than they’ve been since Mike Ditka was fired. (Fun Fact — the last time I left the full-time Bears beat, in 2001, the Bears were coming off a 5-11 season and went 13-3, so …)

I’m still hoping to continue working in Chicago media. But if not, I’ll spend many of my days reveling in all the great memories from a career in sportswriting that almost without fail “beat working for a living.” My dad always told us, “Find a job you like and you’ll never work a day in your life” and except for that stint on the copy desk, that’s been my life for the last 44 years since graduating from Mizzou in 1981. 

So as I posted on Twitter, thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this such a fulfilling, memorable ride — my mentors, bosses, colleagues, competitors and editors; the athletes and coaches — from high school to the pros — who have made sports so compelling and exciting and made every event like a first-time experience; and most of all my wife, who made it all possible with her selfless dedication to our family and my career. (In 1996, I covered the Bulls home-and-road throughout the playoffs in May-June, and then spent three weeks at the Olympics in Atlanta in July when our kids were 6, 4, 3 and nine months — yikes!)

I loved the grind — covering a 4:30 high school basketball game at King on the South Side, then a 7:30 game at Mundelein; covering Notre Dame vs. Boston College in Chestnut Hill on Saturday, then the Bears and Giants at the Meadowlands on Sunday; covering the Super Bowl in New Jersey on Sunday, the Blackhawks vs. the Kings in L.A. on Monday, the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday, the Coyotes in Phoenix on Friday and the Bulls vs. the Lakers back in L.A. on Sunday — with a trip to Arcadia to watch the Joel Quenneville/Mike Tice-owned horse "Midnight Hawk" race at Santa Anita in between.

But I also loved being “in the game” — being in the press box, being in the locker room, being at press conferences, being able to ask the questions I thought fans wanted asked. I loved being a player in the Chicago sports media game. If there is no Act III, I think I’ll miss that most of all.