telander
Rick Telander biography
Rick Telander has been the lead sports columnist at the Sun-Times since April, 1995. He previously was a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and ESPN, …
Read More-
Telander: Northwestern’s Kain Colter is just a ball of fun
In college ball, with 120 FBS teams and about a million smaller outfits, you always like to see somebody who’s worth the price of admission. If you’re in the Chicago area, folks, Kain Colter’s your guy. The Northwestern quarterback/tailback/wide receiver/whatever finished the Wildcats’ 28-17 victory …Read More
-
TELANDER: Ozzie Guillen can come back when he’s a big boy
When Ozzie Guillen was fired by Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria on Tuesday, there were two messages delivered by the boss: 1. Take your 69-93 season, $7.5 million, three remaining contract years and leave. 2. Grow up. It’s the second message that former White Sox manager …Read More
-
Telander: Cubs looking to be more charitable to themselves
I found it interesting that in an essay in this newspaper, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts described his team’s 2012 season as ‘‘disappointing.’’ Kind of like describing the Great Chicago Fire as ‘‘warm.’’ One hundred one losses. One for every week of the year, plus 49. …Read More
Search recent columns
More Columns
Late Chicago sportswriter Bill Jauss: A one-of-a-kind regular guy
RICK TELANDER: Bill Jauss was a friend. Think of your own life. How many people can you say that about? But then Jauss had a lot of friends.
Jay Cutler has loads of ability, but his early picks are worrisome
RICK TELANDER: Jacksonville is a nice, warm place where people come to fish. On Sunday, Jay Cutler cast his line out toward the Atlantic Ocean and reeled in a couple of big bluefins and a slimy dogfish.
Telander: No Chicago sports cheer, so we’ll borrow some from Brooklyn
I was all fired up to talk postseason baseball in this ‘‘Stew.’’ But guess what, Chicago? We don’t have any. So let’s switch to hockey. Oops, none of that, either. So, uh, Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose? He gone, too. The Bears? We got …
Telander, Ebert among Sun-Times winners of Chicago journalism awards
Rick Telander and Roger Ebert were among 13 Chicago Sun-Times reporters, columnists and editorial writers honored Friday night by the Chicago Journalists Association for work deemed the best in the business in the city and suburbs over the past year. Work published by the Sun-Times in print and online took seven top honors as the organization presented its 73rd annual Sarah Brown Boyden Awards.
Miguel Cabrera accomplishes something truly historic
Can we get a little love for Miguel Cabrera? The Detroit Tigers slugger just achieved one of the biggest milestones in sports in almost total silence. I mean, you could have heard a mouse pee on cotton, it was so quiet Wednesday in Kansas City, …
TELANDER: A better way to take one on the chin in football
Let’s get it on: ◆ I talked to Cincinnati Bengals running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis on Friday, just to chat about the high-tech chinstrap he wears, the one that supposedly can help him know when he has received a dangerous head blow and needs to either …
TELANDER: Northwestern has right to dream of making Big Ten title game
The Northwestern football team is 4-0. That’s undefeated, folks, and maybe we should stop right here before Saturday’s game against Indiana at Dyche Stadium (Ryan Field, if you’re young and don’t know the name was never supposed to change) and call it a day. Undefeated …
Ruling on last play of ‘MNF’ casts replacement refs, NFL in bad light
RICK TELANDER: The real NFL referees are bad enough. If you can’t remember a screwed-up call against your favorite team, then you don’t have a favorite team. But now this. The photo of one replacement ref signaling touchdown while another signals who knows what — Interception?
TELANDER: Cutler didn’t win pretty - but he won
All last week we had the Was-Jay-Cutler-Mean-To-J’Marcus-Webb? debate. (Funny how none of us in the media mentioned that Webb is four inches taller and 113 pounds heavier than Cutler and could have, at any time, pinched his head off like the crown of a zit.) …
Telander: It’s a crying shame star athletes are going bankrupt
Our topic for today is money. I guess you could say that’s the topic of every sports column ever written — if you’re cynical and don’t believe in athletic competition as fantasy, escape, myth, test, beauty, bonding, life in microcosm. Me, I waver back and …
Telander: New documentary ‘‘Head Games” is a football horror film
‘Head Games’’ is coming to town. And what a proper title that is. While we the public fret about bad NFL replacement officials and why our favorite college team is/isn’t playing up to snuff and how the Friday night lights are looking (if you have …
Oh, to ’do what Chicago AP sportswriter Joe Mooshil could ’do
Everybody needs role models. Without them, we would have no blueprint or even a vague dotted line to help us move into adulthood. Charles Barkley can say he’s no role model. But he is one, regardless. It’s just what kind of role model he is. …
Telander: Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall excel in chemistry, not math
It all starts with math, right? So when Jay Cutler was asked Tuesday if he could continue to throw passes to wideout Brandon Marshall at the rate he did Sunday against the Colts —that is 15 times a game, multiplied by 16 games, which equals …
Brandon Marshall pays immediate dividend
When before have we seen a wide receiver like this for the Bears? I could be wrong, but I’m thinking never. Brandon Marshall is as big as defensive ends were way back in the day. He’s 6-4, 230. And he’s lean. And fast. And has …
Brandon McCarthy’s injury exposes insanity of unprotected pitching
Oakland Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy had to have emergency brain surgery after a line drive off the bat of Angels batter Erick Aybar hit him in the head and fractured his skull during a game Wednesday. In my opinion, being a pitcher and following through …
Telander: Let’s hope Brian Urlacher’s career doesn’t end like Dick Butkus’
If he’s back, let’s just rejoice. I know there are a lot of Brian Urlacher dislikers out there. Doubters, too. I was a doubter myself. I didn’t doubt the Bears middle linebacker’s talent, drive or credentials — Hall of Fame, first vote, guaranteed. (Save your …
Pro football needs real refs; Lance Armstrong needs to get real
Happy Labor Day weekend, laborers! And that includes all you resting NFL officials. The way I see it is you’re like seasonal hedge-trimmers. If the hedge looks bad enough, or somebody falls in and gets thorns stuck in him everywhere because of bad trim work …
