Fan Mail & Russell Wilson to the Bears?

Vendors Russ Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

In response to our 3-part piece on the Negro Leagues’ Chicago American Giants, the current SportsWise crew received its very first “Letter to the Editor”! Following the letter, the SportsWise crew will keep it local with a brief discussion of quarterback Russell Wilson possibly coming here from Seattle to play for our Bears. In the meantime, please enjoy the below from StreetWise customer Britta Bolin:

I’ve enjoyed reading the Streetwise sports dialog for years and appreciate your contribution last month on early Chicago baseball. My children, both proud graduates of CPS (Chicago Public Schools), turned to baseball when History Fair rolled around. One did an exhibit on the Negro Leagues and the other on Satchel Paige. When my daughter moved to Kansas City and invited us to join her at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, we were excited. You’re right that few Chicagoans seem to know the proud history of the Chicago Giants. Fewer (probably) know that our team is featured in the Kansas City baseball museum where original jerseys and gloves are displayed!

We think any true Chicago baseball fan would enjoy touring the museum. The triumphs and struggles of the players against Jim Crow laws (and less than equal pay) are depicted as well as their fervent love of the game, excellence at their positions and…some of the international competition they engaged in during the 1920s and 1930s. We learned that Black American ballplayers were welcomed in Japan in 1927 before white/ Major League teams visited. There was also a Negro league in Cuba where Americans played.

On a non-sports, musical note, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum shares a building with the American Jazz Museum. It preserves the history of jazz music and, in pre-pandemic times, featured a lovely retro bar called the Blue Room, honor[s] musicians of the past and allow[s] visitors to enjoy live jazz and cocktails.

Thanks again, Britta Bolin

You’re welcome, Britta Bolin, and thank you for expanding our knowledge of this important piece of history.

Are quarterback Russell Wilson and the Chicago Bears a marriage made in heaven?

John: Even if there were such a thing as a marriage made in heaven, Russell Wilson and the Bears wouldn’t work. One of the weaknesses of the Seattle Seahawks is one of the same weaknesses the Bears possess: the offensive lines are less-than-stellar.

Russ: No way the Bears are going to land Wilson even though the Bears need him. I agree with John that both have poor offensive lines; however, one can be improved from one year to the next. If we do improve ours, we could keep Mitch Trubisky; that said, besides the fact that Wilson is a proven winner, he has an awesome name.

Donald: I like Wilson. Like I’ve always said, we need a “real” quarterback here in Chicago. Long as we continue to try to raise someone to become a “real” quarterback, we’ll never succeed.

Patrick: Good point, Don. In a weird way, because I like Russell Wilson even off the field, I’d almost not want to have him come here. I feel we may never win with someone of his stature, that we’ll win eventually with something other than a true quarterback.

Russ: Right. Defense, running game, special teams— something else.

John: Unfortunately for Wilson, even if he came, he could regress even more than he did in the second half of last season due to a similar lack of a running game. Or, at least, a coach who wants to run.

Donald: I say bring him on. It’s time to try something different.