Paul Sullivan

Column: Anything goes in the ‘Me First’ era, whether it’s spitting on opponents or taking souvenirs from kids There never will be a shortage of Adults Behaving Badly in the sports world, but the recent rise in rude and boorish behavior caught on video is quite alarming.

There never will be a shortage of Adults Behaving Badly in the sports world, but the recent rise in rude and boorish behavior caught on video is quite alarming.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs attends the 2025 MLB All-Star Game red carpet at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) of the Chicago Cubs flies out during the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/TNS)

A crazy night at the All-Star Game was a success for Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, while the tiebreaker "Swing Off" was confusing to most fans and TV viewers.

Kyle Schwarber said Crow-Armstrong reminds him a little of Javier Báez.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/16/m...

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/13/c...

Chicago White Sox pay tribute to Bobby Jenks throughout 2005 World Series championship reunion celebration The Chicago White Sox raised a toast to the late Bobby Jenks during their 2005 World Series championship reunion celebration on Saturday.

The White Sox have spent the 2005 World Series championship reunion weekend honoring the late Bobby Jenks.

📝 @lamondpope.bsky.social

How the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, a 1st-time All-Star at 23, has become elite in every facet Pete Crow-Armstrong’s work behind the scenes the last two years set up the Chicago Cubs center fielder for his breakout 2025 season.

An All-Star Game starter at 23, Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is fully harnessing his 5-tool skills.

“Guys are attacking him like a star player now.”

“If there were no walls he’d catch everything.”

“This is the expectation for himself.”

On PCA’s meteoric rise: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/13/c...

Column: Special weekend on tap for Chicago White Sox with Mark Buehrle statue dedication and reunion of ’05 champs The Chicago White Sox will unveil a Mark Buehrle statue and hold a 20th-anniversary reunion for the 2005 championship team during a special weekend on the South Side.

Mark Buehrle will join an exclusive club of White Sox elites when his statue is unveiled today behind the right-field bleachers.

@pwsullivan.bsky.social writes that it's fitting Buehrle will share the spotlight this weekend with many old friends from the 2005 World Series champs.

Count on @pwsullivan.bsky.social to get to the heart of the matter: "the growing celebrity deficit."

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/27/c...

Column: ‘Baseball deserves better’ than fan’s behavior at Chicago White Sox game — and so does society Sending a message that such behavior won’t be tolerated was the least the Chicago White Sox could do after the ugly incident in which Ketel Marte was brought to tears.

The banning of a White Sox fan for inappropriate heckling of Ketel Marte was a good first step.

Sending a message that such behavior won't be tolerated was the least the Sox could do.

"Baseball deserves better,” Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo.

Chicago deserves better too.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Column: Jed Hoyer doesn’t need to wait to improve the Chicago Cubs — as the Rafael Devers trade proves By acquiring Rafael Devers, the San Francisco Giants put the pressure on all teams — including the Chicago Cubs — to show a little urgency.

Cubs President Jed Hoyer has cautioned that teams generally don’t make major deals nearly seven weeks before the deadline.

Then the Giants' Buster Posey casually nuked that maxim by acquiring Rafael Devers, showing how backward it is to wait until the last minute.

@pwsullivan.bsky.social's column.

Column: Why Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is content with just being himself Can Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong continue to be a consistent power threat? “We are going to see things still that we haven’t seen from Pete,” manager Craig Counsell said.

It would be a shock if the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong is not the NL’s starting center fielder in the All-Star Game.

And he would seem to be just the kind of player who gets an invite to the Home Run Derby.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Column: Craig Counsell doing his best Don Zimmer imitation — and his impact on Chicago Cubs’ success is real He doesn’t manage outside the box like Don Zimmer did in 1989, but manager Craig Counsell’s imprint on his Chicago Cubs’ team is glaring.

Is Craig Counsell having a Zimmeresque season?

It was a question only old-timers could answer, and even then it’s probably too early to make any conclusions.

But the comparisons between Counsell and former Cubs manager Don Zimmer are growing.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

This is the official bsky account for the Chicago Tribune Guild. We learned today that @chicagotribune.com is offering buyouts to our journalists. This move by Alden Global Capital, our rapacious ownership group, shows a total lack of vision and respect for the newsroom and the city we serve. (1/5)

Column: Jerry Reinsdorf’s clumsy handoff of the Chicago White Sox only adds to his checkered baseball legacy It might be. It could be. But is it? When will Jerry Reinsdorf give control of the Chicago White Sox to Justin Ishbia?

If only Jerry Reinsdorf took the lead of former President Richard Nixon, who said goodbye to the media in 1962 after losing the California gubernatorial race, writes @pwsullivan.bsky.social.

Column: Did the Fire just call dibs on The 78? Or are the White Sox’s ballpark dreams still alive? Calling dibs on The 78 without even putting an old chair in the lot was a surprise move by the Fire owner that seemingly blocked the White Sox from their long-held desires on the land.

Calling dibs on The 78 without even putting an old chair in the lot was a surprise move by the Fire that seemingly blocked the White Sox from their long-held desires on the land.

But the Sox “remain confident the riverfront location could serve as a home to both teams.”

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Do the Chicago Cubs have a closer? 4 takeaways from an NL-best team as they start a tough road trip. The Chicago Cubs are tied for the best record in the National League. Here are four takeaways from their 5-1 homestand.

The Cubs woke up tied with the Mets for the best record in the National League.

They begin a 9-game road trip in Washington before two extremely difficult challenges against the Tigers, who have MLB's best record, and the Phillies.

@pwsullivan.bsky.social's 4 takeaways from the 5-1 homestand.

Column: Ben Brown and Chicago Cubs embrace a new role — and the conditions — as they finish an 18-9 May In his best performance as a Chicago Cub, Ben Brown dominated in a six-inning relief stint against the Cincinnati Reds.

If the Cubs get to October, they’ll remember May as the month they established an identity as a team that can win in a variety of ways.

They did it again Saturday, getting six dominant relief innings from Ben Brown after using an opener in a 2-0 win over the Reds.

@pwsullivan.bsky.social's column.

Column: Game takes back seat to summer vibes as City Series begins, while Cubs’ new star continues to blossom The emotions of Pete Crow-Armstrong, who went 4-for-5 with six RBIs, spilled out into the stands, where Cubs fans soaked in the sun and celebrated their budding star.

Cubs-Sox games are always eventful, @pwsullivan.bsky.social writes, though this was one of those days when Sox fans could only laugh at their team beating itself.

On a beautiful spring day at Wrigley Field, Friday was all about welcoming in the summer vibes.

Column: ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson’s saga is an essential part of baseball history — and could finally come to an end With a renewed chance to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the amazing saga of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson is one that every baseball fan should learn.

Will "Shoeless" Joe Jackson finally make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Or will his involvement in one of baseball’s biggest scandals preclude those voters from checking his name if it gets on a ballot?

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Conclave Selects First Chicago-Style Pope

Conclave Selects First Chicago-Style Pope

Is Pope Leo XIV a Chicago Cubs fan? He already has an invite to Wrigley Field from Tom Ricketts. Would the Chicago Cubs ask the new pope to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field? A message to the team got a quick response.

Would the Chicago Cubs ask the new pope to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field?

@pwsullivan.bsky.social's question to the team got a quick response.

And now, a note on Bill Owens who, until this past week, was the executive producer of 60 Minutes.

We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.

Start of Friday’s Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field is delayed by inclement weather Friday’s Chicago Cubs game against the Philadelphia Phillies began in a weather delay at Wrigley Field with rain and lightning in the area.

Friday's Cubs game against the Phillies began in a weather delay at Wrigley Field with rain and lightning in the area.

Colin Rea is scheduled to start for the Cubs, who are 4-1 on the homestand and sit in first place in the National League Central — 3 games ahead of the Brewers.

Column: After Wrigley Field’s goose flew the coop, the search is on for a new Chicago Cubs’ rally animal The Chicago Cubs had a rally goose nesting in the Wrigley Field bleachers, but the team said it flew the coop. Will the team get a new rally animal?

The Cubs had a rally goose nesting in the Wrigley Field bleachers, but the team said Monday it had flown the coop.

The goose, who was nicknamed PGA — "Pete Goose-Armstrong" — by one bleacherite, was unavailable for comment.

Will the team get a new rally animal?

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Column: It might be a bumpy season, but Chicago Cubs fans should just relax and enjoy the ride Chicago Cubs fans should relax and enjoy the ride this season instead of focusing on the potential pitfalls, such as losing Kyle Tucker in free agency.

Why are Cubs fans so panicky so early?

It's a confluence of events.

A 4-year playoff drought, the arrival of Kyle Tucker, the Tom Ricketts' reluctance to go the extra mile on payroll and perhaps the added anxiety of not knowing whether your 401(k) will rebound.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Countdown

Column: CHI BASE OPS group text is feeling ‘Giddey’ over the start of a new baseball season Somehow, Paul Sullivan was added to an unknown group text string labeled CHI BASE OPS, along with two individuals with the initials JH and CG.

Somehow, @pwsullivan.bsky.social was inadvertently added to an unknown group text string labeled CHI BASE OPS, along with two individuals with the initials JH and CG.

Because he was unable to verify the authenticity, he's posted the transcript to let readers decide what is real and what’s not.

Column: Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts sticks to the script when telling CNBC his philosophy on spending Why don’t the Chicago Cubs spend like their big-market rivals? Chairman Tom Ricketts says they spend enough to make the playoffs, in which “anything can happen.”

Why don’t the Cubs spend like their big-market rivals? Chairman Tom Ricketts says they spend enough to make the playoffs, in which “anything can happen.”

✍ @pwsullivan.bsky.social column

Justifying my employment

Column: It won’t be easy, but the Chicago White Sox hope to earn back their fans’ trust day by day Earning back the trust of Chicago White Sox fans will be a brick-by-brick effort for a team coming off a historically bad season. And it all starts here at Camelback Ranch.

Earning back the trust of White Sox fans won’t be easy after last year’s record-setting 121-loss season.

The evidence is everywhere.

Do the players feel they have to show Sox fans they’re worth watching, assuming they can find them?

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social