Dan McNeil

Those of us in the opinion-making business are guilty of wanting it both ways. We require our superstar athletes to dazzle us not only with their performances, but also fill our notepads with colorful quips. Then when a jock offers total transparency...

So this is the dreamy, second-round match up that was to titillate the senses? The type of grudge match that was to rekindle all the deep-seeded ill feelings Chicagoans and Detroiters had for each other in the days of the old Norris Division? Or not....

Chicago now has digested a month of uninspiring baseball on both sides of town. The reaction has me puzzled. "It's going to be a long summer," seems to be the most common response from fans and the media. No, it isn't. The Cubs and White Sox are on...

There's no point assigning letter grades to the Blackhawks now that they've reached the halfway point in the truncated 48-game season. Straight A's across the board. Even the marketing team and virtual unknowns behind the scenes have performed at a...

Pat Foley wasn't behind a microphone when Patrick Kane's overtime goal in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup finals lifted the Blackhawks to their first championship in 49 years. NBC had exclusivity for the finals, which meant Foley was reduced to spectator...

Another Presidents' Trophy banner will be raised to the rafters of the United Center next fall. With their victory Wednesday night in Edmonton, the Blackhawks ensured home ice throughout the playoffs, a distinction that can be dubious. Ask Vancouver...

There's no reason to barbecue Phil Emery after the new GM's first few hours in the Bears' war room. I have no interest, however, in standing in line with anybody desirous of tossing rose petals at his feet. It sounds like Shea McClellin is a classic...

When the ribbon was cut on this NFL season in early September, nobody gave a second thought to the Bears' Week 12 assignment, Leslie Frazier's Vikings. No, you don't dismiss any divisional opponent, especially one that possesses the threat of Adrian...

Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips is bunkered down and buttoned up regarding the NU men's basketball program. It's tough to fault Phillips for that. Northwestern basketball isn't a subject many people are willing to engage. Hell, I'm reluctant...

If the Blackhawks earn a point against San Jose on Friday night, setting an NHL standard for best start to a season, expect the United Center ice to be littered with a variety of items from admiring patrons. Hats are always appropriate for hockey...

Barring some miraculous turn of events this weekend, these are our final chances to reflect on the improbable 2012 White Sox. Much of the audience already has headed for the exits, so I'm going to roll closing credits now and avoid an empty theater next...

As we continue to peel away the calendar pages — only 12 days left — until the Bears arrive in Bourbonnais, the assignment is determining the 10 most important players in 2012. Let's first establish the criteria for "important." To me, it...