Paul Sullivan

Column: Chicago Bulls say good riddance to February, while sports fans welcome the madness of March In a blah February, the Chicago Bulls were winless, the U.S. women’s hockey team was slighted, Cactus League play began and no one could escape the saturation of political ads on TV. Thank go…

Trib's @pwsullivan.bsky.social ends his column with a question I've asked, too.
"While being deluged with campaign commercials before the March 17 primary, one thing sticks out: If all these local politicians stood up to ICE like their TV ads suggest, how did it get away with causing so much havoc?"

Sod alert

Bregman’s first Cubbie Occurence

Being there

Column: Olympic halfpipe skier Hunter Hess is easy to root for if you value freedom of speech in America Little-known Olympics freeski halfpipe skier Hunter Hess enters the culture wars with a statement on the state of the U.S., earning the wrath of President Trump.

Little-known Olympics freeski halfpipe skier Hunter Hess enters the culture wars with a statement on the state of the U.S., earning the wrath of President Donald Trump. @pwsullivan.bsky.social on why it's easy to root for Hess if you value freedom of speech.

Nice postgame moment between Billy and Joker.

Column: Chicago White Sox drop the ball in latest snub of Frank Thomas — and the divorce might be permanent The Chicago White Sox committed an unforced error in snubbing franchise legend Frank Thomas in a social media post for Black History Month. This time the divorce might be unfixable.

The White Sox committed an unforced error in snubbing franchise legend Frank Thomas in a social media post for Black History Month.

And this time, the divorce might be unfixable.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Basil Talbott Jr., Chicago Sun-Times political editor and journalist, dies at 89

Basil Talbott spent more than 30 years at the Sun-Times and was widely respected by his colleagues as a truth-seeker who bluntly challenged obfuscation.

Column: A spark is kindled at SoxFest — and Chicago White Sox players agree it’s time to believe The annual Soxfest kicked off Friday night at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport, and Chicago White Sox players agree it’s time to start believing.

The annual Soxfest kicked off Friday night at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport — and White Sox players agree it's time to start believing.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Right now, the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board is interviewing candidates for an endorsement.

I’ll be knocking doors in freezing weather instead.

Here’s why:

“Misguided view of our president.”

Kudos to the NYT editor who took “Appears to” out of the lead headline (finally)

Column: Something old, something new and a whole lot of blue at the Chicago Cubs Convention The Chicago Cubs welcomed back the 2016 champions at the Cubs Convention, while Kyle Tucker’s four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers was the talk of the day.

Something old, something new and a whole lot of blue at the this year's Cubs Convention.

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Column: Buzzer-beating Alex Bregman signing changes the mood of Cubs Convention weekend Alex Bregman and the return of the 2016 champions highlight the annual Chicago Cubs Convention, the unofficial start of the 2026 season.

Buzzer-beating Alex Bregman signing changes the mood of Cubs Convention weekend www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/15/c...

Column: Should Bears coach Ben Johnson’s postgame Packers remark have stayed behind closed doors? Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson’s “F−−− the Packers” postgame remark went viral, igniting a new debate on acceptable behavior from coaches in the modern sports world.

Ben Johnson’s “F−−− the Packers” postgame declaration after the Bears' wild-card win was fiercely debated on the hot take circuit.

Was Johnson a meatball head coach lacking in sportsmanship or just an honest guy expressing his opinion about a rival he doesn’t like?

📝 @pwsullivan.bsky.social

Column: On a memorable night for the Bears and Cubs, keeping the faith was easier said than done The Bears and Cubs combined to make Saturday a memorable night in Chicago sports history.

Saturday's miraculous Bears comeback win, combined with the miraculous opening of Tom Ricketts' wallet, was being heralded by some as the greatest day in Chicago sports history, writes @pwsullivan.bsky.social.

Throw in a Bulls win and a Blackhawks win, and it was a near-perfect day for Chicago.

Column: For college coaches like Lane Kiffin and Pat Fitzgerald, the past is no problem The games that go on behind closed doors in college football are often more interesting than what happens on the field.

The Lane Kiffin saga and Pat Fitzgerald return are nothing new in the mad, mad, mad world of college football, where the games that go on behind closed doors are often more interesting than those on the field.

@pwsullivan.bsky.social's column on turning a blind eye to the past.

Good trouble

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