Thank you to sports columnist Paul Sullivan for being one of the few adults in the room (“Controversial White House videos draw criticism of Goodell, Manfred,” March 8).
People in leadership positions who accept or act out this type of behavior should be booted out immediately and held accountable.
— James Gondela, Park Ridge
Sports, not politics
Would someone please tell Paul Sullivan to stop beginning every “In the Wake if the News” column with gratuitous political commentary and get back to writing about sports?
He doesn’t like President Donald Trump. We get that. Many people don’t.
But some of us turn to the sports pages to read about the triumphs of great athletes, the inspiration of spirited competition and the standings of our favorite teams. We get enough of the other in other parts of the paper, on the nightly news and late-night television, and in our social media feeds.
Please either ask Sullivan to tone it down, turn it off or move him to the op-ed section of the paper.
— David Applegate, Huntley
Backlash inevitable
After reading the early Sunday edition of the Tribune on Saturdays, I rarely spend more than a few minutes reading the final Sunday edition online on Sundays and rarely more than 30 seconds on the final Sunday sports page. But the front page of this Sunday’s sports section, with a photo of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell with President Donald Trump, caught my eye (the unmistakable red tie in particular). I read the article and knew right away it would spur the animus of the always-ready-to-be-aggrieved MAGA faithful.
Paul Sullivan has been dragged over the coals in the past by irate sports fans/Tribune letter writers for allegedly bringing politics into sports reporting, as if politics weren’t there to begin with. Trump/MAGA supporters especially take issue with Sullivan’s pointing out how Trump inserts himself into professional and college sports (as Trump inserts himself into anything and everything he can; no amount of attention is too much attention for a toxic narcissist) and Sullivan’s alleged biases.
All I can say is: Bravo to Sullivan. As Trump and his bellicose aides mire this nation in an unnecessary, deadly, dangerous and probably interminable war against Iran, someone in the Tribune sports pages needs to point out that life isn’t all fun and games, not even in the already highly politicized world of sports.
Perhaps the MAGA faithful can save their ire for reckless elected officials running roughshod over peace, prosperity and democracy rather than targeting Sullivan. I realize this is probably too much to ask.
— Mac Brachman, Chicago
Announcer’s talent
Thanks to Paul Sullivan for extolling the talents of Jason Benetti as a sports announcer and occasional Bill Walton wrangler (“Benetti as voice of ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ yet another blemish for Chicago White Sox,” March 7). The short-sightedness of the White Sox organization has become legendary.
I’m sorry that I missed the Walton Sox game broadcasts, but I did catch the “Jason and Bill Show” at the end of a particularly one-sided college basketball game a few years ago. By the time the final horn blew, I was rolling on the couch with laughter.
After the game ended, I was impressed with how well Benetti set up Walton with straight lines, never once making me think he was making fun of him.
The White Sox would have done well to allow Benetti to do that for them, too.
— Jerry King, Merrionette Park
Downside to runoffs
Now that the primary election is days away, people are starting to see the flaws in our system (“Runoffs make a lot of sense,” March 9).
A reader sees the need for a runoff, because with so many candidates in the field, a winner can win with less than 50% of the vote. The more candidates, the lower percentage a person needs to win.
In 2019, there was a field of 14 candidates for the position of mayor of Chicago. Nobody got more than 20% of the vote. So they had a runoff with the top two, as per the reader’s suggestion.
More than 4 out of 5 voters did not vote for either of them in the first round. They should not have been in the runoff.
There are two solutions. The easiest one is to let voters vote for however many candidates they want. With 14 candidates, most voters will like a number of them. This will tell you which candidate has the most support.
Ranked choice voting will give even better results, but it’s tedious and complicated. The key to that is that you don’t have to rank all the candidates. You only need to do two or three.
But, please, no runoffs when you have so many candidates. Three candidates, yes. Any more than that, and you need a new system.
— Larry Craig, Wilmette
Burger preparation
So I recently tried the burger mentioned in the Tribune and was disappointed by how greasy it was (“In defense of McDonald’s CEO who only nibbled his Big Arch burger,” March 8). While using fresh meat is a great step, the preparation needs improvement. Cooking it on a flat grill seemed to trap excess grease; using a traditional grill might help produce a better result.
If chains are going to promote fresh beef as a selling point, they also need to ensure the final product reflects that quality. It would be interesting to hear how leadership, including McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski, plans to address consistency in preparation.
— Kris Bach, Ingleside
Ugly and fickle time
Let’s face it. This is the ugliest time of the year. For one thing, the landscape is barren, the trees have yet to blossom and the lawns are all brown. Making things even worse, we lose an hour of sleep that impacts our bodies for days, if not weeks.
Adding to our anxiety is the unpredictable weather. So many hearts are broken in anticipation of an early spring when temperatures reach uncommonly warm levels only to crash when the next Canadian cold front passes through.
Five-day forecasts are virtually useless, as is our comfort level that the very worst of winter is behind us.
After all, we don’t need an almanac to recall record snowfalls that have occurred in April.
Of course, there’s always St. Patrick’s Day and Easter to look forward to, even if this year’s parade and egg hunt is already predicted to be plagued by more chills than thrills.
And then there is opening day for our local baseball squads when parkas and blankets are more common than T-shirts and jerseys and beer sales are flatter than the actual brews.
Chicagoans who like to boast that at least we enjoy all four seasons must now explain to fair-weather fanatics the true meaning of March. Without a doubt, it will elicit a hearty laugh at our expense.
— Bob Ory, Elgin
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