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In case you were worried that you might have to spend too much time with friends and/or family on Christmas Eve and Christmas, there is good news for those of you who might be looking for an alternative: sports on television.
Maybe next time, Shanon Lersch will wear this outfit on "Sports & Torts." Hey, we can all dream.
OK, there is no guarantee you will be able to opt out of mandatory familial festivities. But for folks who can or who prefer to spend such time in a more isolated environment, Comcast SportsNet Chicago has a little something for you. OK, a lot of something.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts will be interview subject of the next CSN “Inside Look.” David Kaplan interviews Ricketts on the show that is to air Dec. 25 at 4:30 p.m. Which means the program will be going up against NBC’s Chicago Bulls-Los Angeles Lakers season opener. Which means a likely majority of sports fans won’t be viewing Ricketts.
Additional content will be available at CSNChicago.com. For those who miss Sunday’s show and don’t record it, “Inside Look” will repeat Jan. 1 at 5:30 p.m.; Jan. 8 at 9:30 p.m.; Jan. 13 at 11:30 p.m.; Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.; Jan. 19 at 8:30 p.m.; Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.
Among Ricketts’ remarks:
* On if he would have changed anything when he became Cubs chairman — given what he knows now: “I don’t think we would’ve done much differently. If you go back to those first couple of days, a lot of people wanted some quick decisions, particularly with baseball. I think they expected an owner to come in and change out the GM and go in this new direction and have some kind of bold plan, and in our case, it was my decision that I think what’s best for us is to really get to understand what our strengths are in a baseball organization, what our weaknesses are, be fair to the people that are here, and really get to know the baseball organization better.”
* On the “Theo Watch,” including the Starbucks sighting, before Theo Epstein became Cubs president of baseball operations: “Well, the funny part is that it was part of our ‘Secret Agent Man’-type stuff. He was sneaking in for the weekend, and we were very careful about who picked him up from the airport and all these things, and, of course, no plan survives that much secrecy. His wife wants an ice coffee and he hops out to get it and, of course, bumps into someone who recognizes him, so I guess we didn’t have to be that secret because everybody found out anyway. That’s just the way it happens, just kind of a funny thing.”
* On how the public views him and staying true to his goals: “I don’t really follow too closely what the perception is. All along, we started off with this ‘Day one is square one for everybody in the organization.’ Jim [Hendry, then general manager] had that rule; Crane [Kenney], who’s running the business side had that rule … on the business side, we’ve done well. I’m talking to Crane about extending his contract. We’re going to have him as part of the organization for a long time, locking down our business side. On the baseball side, we weren’t getting it done. We think we gave Jim a fair shot, but when it looked like it wasn’t going to be where we needed it to be, we had a great conversation and just decided to part ways and that got the process started.
“The period between when Jim left and when Theo came in was a little awkward, because you couldn’t really tell people what you were doing, but there was never a moment where I didn’t really feel like we had it under control. I think the only moment when I was a little nervous was when if we could ask the Red Sox for permission, and it’s entirely likely, it’s possible they could say no, and then we’d have to go on and look for another candidate, and that’s embarrassing because that candidate obviously wouldn’t be the first choice and you can’t keep those kind of requests secret. But we just hung tough, consistent … and played through it, and I think we’d done as best as we could.”
* On if he believes the 2012 Cubs will be competitive: “Well, absolutely. You look at a lot of the turnarounds in baseball over the last few years. Teams that have lost 90 games and have come back and won 90 games. You get the right 25 guys in that clubhouse with the right manager and everyone stays healthy … baseball, it’s a lot of parity, you come back and you stay healthy, you get off to a good start … then absolutely we’re back in the hunt.”
Well, all the Cubs need are the right 25 guys (no guarantee), right manager (no guarantee Dale Sveum is — too early to have a clue) and staying healthy (not a necessity actually because St. Louis won the World Series with injuries aplenty). But, hey, if you can’t be enthusiastic now, when can you? And if you’re not enthusiastic now, you’re not going to sell as many tickets as you might otherwise.
OK, so it's not a holiday outfit. Then again, April Rose looks good in anything.
Among CSN’s scheduling:
SATURDAY, DEC. 24
3 p.m.: “White Sox Classics” (July 31, 1991) – Down 8-6 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Robin Ventura hits a walk-off grand slam against the Texas Rangers. To be viewed as foreshadowing by Sox fans for the team’s new manager.
7:30: “Bulls Classics” (NBA Playoffs – Eastern Conference finals; Game 4 from May 31, 1993) – Michael Jordan scores 54 points against the New York Knicks to tie the series 2-2. To be viewed by Bulls fans envisioning similar success for Derrick Rose and the 2011-12 Bulls.
11 p.m.: “The Making of the Luvabulls” – Re-airing of the final two episodes from the behind-the-scenes look at one of the NBA’s most talented dance teams. To be viewed by at least part of the editorial staff at elliottharris.com.
SUNDAY, DEC. 25
1 p.m.: “Cubs Classics” (from April 23, 2011) – Cubs storm back to score five runs in the bottom of the eighth to post a solid 10-8 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nothing can stop this team from winning its first World Series crown since 1908. Right?
4:30: “Inside Look” featuring Tom Ricketts. Already described.
5 p.m.: “Kendall vs. Kustok” featuring former NBA player and current CSN NBA analyst Kendall Gill vs. former high school and college athlete and current CSN talent Sarah Kustok — along with their respective teams — taking on the “Chicago Fitness Challenge.”
7 p.m.: “White Sox Classics” (from June 3, 2011) – The White Sox battle the visiting Detroit Tigers and prevail 6-4 win. Nothing can stop the Sox from winning their first World Series since 2005. Right?
10:30 p.m.: “Bears Post Game Live.” Might be retitled “CSI: Green Bay,” depending on whether the Bears get out alive from Lambeau Field.
A quick timeout to thank Shanon Lersch and Otis Wilson for being outstanding in-studio guests on the Dec. 22 “Sports & Torts” show. Never has one hour gone by so fast. To hear former Luvabulls captain Shanon tell tales about life in China and to hear former Bears linebacker Otis offer insights to the 1985 Super Bowl team was a delight. For those who might want to make their own assessment of that appraisal, you can click on the link at talkzone.com.
What else is there to look forward to? Well, if things go according to plan (and as faithful readers — and even the philanderers — of this site are aware, occasionally they actually do), the newest installment of holiday tunes, which used to appear in Elliott Harris’ Quick Hits column in the Chicago Sun-Times, will have its elliottharris.com debut on Dec. 24. Which, by all calculations, should be Saturday.
Until then, for purely entertainment purposes, you will have to settle for some videos by a woman for all seasons, the delightful April Rose:
For those who might be interested (and who wouldn’t be?), April is involved in a contest with a Victoria’s Secret model. You can find the details by clicking here. Now that we have that taken care of, here is some some non-April video, too. ‘Tis the season, yes? Any time for this: