1+ hour, 8+ min ago (695+ words) Bears fans pick up free hot dogs, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood after coach Ben Johnson took his shirt off in a postgame celebration for a win over the Eagles. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) It's been a rough month for Alinea and chef Grant Achatz. Not only did Achatz's iconic Chicago restaurant get demoted from three stars to two by the Michelin Guide, but it's now in danger of falling behind The Wieners Circle as the place to see and be seen. As The Wieners Circle's foul-mouthed cashier Poochie might say: "Tough (bleeping) luck, you (bleeping bleeps)." Everyone was there Tuesday for the big day at The Wieners Circle " the guy wearing 1985 Bears drip, people dressed like hot dogs and plastic mustard containers, various shirtless men, and, of course, a dog in a Caleb Williams…...

18+ hour, 29+ min ago (242+ words) Does Chicago ever need what the Bears are giving the city right now. Nothing unifies Chicago more than the Bears. Chicagoans disagree with one another on many things " including, of course, their baseball allegiances " but there's little if any dissent about our football team. Many of us live and die with them, and the rest of us are happier when they're succeeding and bummed out when they're not. So we think it fitting and proper, particularly after Thanksgiving weekend, to be grateful for meaningful December games for Chicago's NFL franchise. Before the season started, most fans would have been more than satisfied if you'd told them the Bears even would be in the playoff hunt at this point, much less leading the conference. Continuing with the thanksgiving theme, it's all gravy from here, Bears fans. Sure, if the Bears stumble…...

2+ day, 19+ hour ago (417+ words) Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Nov. 30, according to the Tribune's archives. 1905: Fielding H. "Hurry Up" Yost's point-a-minute University of Michigan machine, unbeaten in 55 straight games and featuring halfback Willie Heston, was upset by Amos Alonzo Stagg's University of Chicago Maroons and their resourceful 140-pound quarterback and future Tribune reporter Walter Eckersall. 1949: George Halas and the Chicago Bears retired three numbers: Red Grange's 77, Bronko Nagurski's 3 and Bill Hewitt's 56. At 14, the Bears and New York Giants have the most retired numbers among NFL franchises. 1956: "They sent a boy to do a man's job last night in Chicago Stadium " and he did it!" Tribune reporter Maurice Shevlin wrote. Floyd Patterson " at 21 years, 10 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days " became the world's youngest heavyweight boxing champion by knocking out Archie Moore in the fifth round of a match. Patterson, who…...

4+ day, 12+ hour ago (32+ words) After Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson's shirtless celebration, The Wieners Circle on the North Side said it once again will be giving out free hot dogs Tuesday. More in Chicago Bears...

5+ day, 17+ hour ago (806+ words) Last year on Thanksgiving, I warned readers to avoid discussing the "three E's" during their family get-togethers: Eberflus, Elon and the election. Thankfully there's no longer any reason to discuss former Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus, Elon Musk's approval ratings have dropped significantly since his bromance with President Donald Trump, the 2024 election is old news and the midterm elections aren't for another year. For Chicagoans, there are many more reasons to celebrate this Thanksgiving, from the resurgence of the Bears to the Cubs' playoff run to the fine fall weather we had been having. In other words, we can all relax, watch football, eat turkey and enjoy each other's company without bringing up topics that can turn your Thanksgiving meal into that fork-flinging episode of "The Bear." Here are some things I'm thankful for in 2025. The first-year Bears coach not…...

5+ day, 19+ hour ago (456+ words) Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Nov. 27, according to the Tribune's archives. Thanksgiving weather in Chicago: The most extreme conditions since 1872 The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have played 210 times in the past 100 years. Here's how the rivalry has unfolded. 1921: George Halas scored the final touchdown in the first meeting of the Chicago Bears, who were then known as the Chicago Staleys, and the Green Bay Packers. The Staleys won 20-0 at Wrigley Field. From Halas to Hester: The 32 Chicago Bears inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 1922: The Bears' first player deal. The team bought future Hall of Fame tackle Ed Healey's contract from the Rock Island Independents, nine days after the teams faced each other, for $100 (or about $2,000 in today's dollars) " twice the going rate for a franchise that season. 1926: Navy…...

6+ day, 3+ hour ago (170+ words) The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced. Cease would join a terrific rotation with the reigning American League champions. The right-hander, who turns 30 next month, went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts last season for the San Diego Padres. He struck out 215 batters and walked 71 in 168 innings. Cease was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round in 2014, but never played for the Cubs at the major-league level. He was part of the July 2017 trade that sent Eloy Jim'nez and prospects to the White Sox in exchange for Jose Quintana. He made his major-league debut for the White Sox in July 2019. Across five seasons with the White Sox, Cease had a 3.83 ERA and an 11.5 bWAR while starting 123 games. He was traded to the Padres in…...

6+ day, 17+ hour ago (824+ words) Everson Pereira and Yoendrys G'mez were teammates while working their way through the New York Yankees farm system. Pereira reached the majors in August 2023 and was in left field when G'mez made his big-league debut as a reliever on Sept. 28, 2023, against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The two were linked again Nov. 18 when the Chicago White Sox sent G'mez and reliever Steven Wilson to the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire Pereira and infielder Tanner Murray. Pereira admitted it was "a little bit" weird being traded for someone he knows, learning about the deal between games of a doubleheader in the Venezuelan Winter League. "Everything happens for a reason, and I think this is a good opportunity for me," Pereira said last week through an interpreter. Pereira and Murray joined the organization the same day the Sox acquired reliever…...

1+ week, 35+ min ago (764+ words) Bullpen volatility from year to year often presents one of the biggest challenges a major-league team faces when constructing a roster. The Chicago Cubs pulled all the right levers this past season in building a relief corps that was one of the best in baseball in the first half and helped them win their first postseason series since 2017. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office is charged with trying to reload a bullpen that returns only Daniel Palencia from its high-leverage arms. "It's an opportunity in a lot of ways; in some ways, it is a challenge," Hoyer said earlier this month. "We need a number of guys. We hit on a lot of guys last year, so we'll probably look at the same thing. We'll look at small trades, we'll look at small deals, we'll look…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (200+ words) Walker Monfort, izquierda, vicepresidente ejecutivo de los Rockies de Colorado, responde a una pregunta mientras Paul DePodesta, el nuevo presidente de operaciones de b'isbol del equipo, al centro, y Dick Monfort, presidente y director ejecutivo, observan durante una rueda de prensa el jueves 13 de noviembre de 2025, en Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Schaeffer asumi" el cargo de manera interina despu's de que los Rockies despidieran a Bud Black, el manager m's exitoso en la historia de la franquicia, en mayo tras un inicio de 7-33. Los Rockies terminaron la temporada con un r'cord de 43-119 y en "ltimo lugar en la Divisi"n Oeste de la Liga Nacional. Schaeffer se convierte en el octavo manager a tiempo completo en la historia del club. A sus 40 a'os, ha sido miembro de la organizaci"n de los Rockies por m's de una d'cada. "Estamos…...