Dan McNeil

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...

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...

Two weeks from today, the water cooler is going to be enormously popular in work places all over the Chicago area. That's where Bears fans will convene to debate general manager Phil Emery's second crack at the first round of the NFL draft. If ESPN...

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...

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...

If Stan Bowman spent Wednesday on the golf course instead of on the telephone, all I can say is I hope he broke 90. There wasn't any reason for the Blackhawks general manager to make a move as the NHL's trade deadline approached. The Hawks are as...

Greed is unattractive, but what kind of poker player walks away from the table when the dealer keeps throwing him hot cards? I got my wish when the Bears closed the book on Brian Urlacher's career here. As a bonus, Urlacher whined like a jilted...

Even the most pessimistic types have to tip the cap to the Bears for the big splash they made as free-agency season opened this week. Martellus Bennett has a chance to be more of a difference-maker at tight end than the Bears have had since Mike Ditka....

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...