Sports in Chicago: A Green Beer Agenda

Chicago is buzzing with sports excitement as St. Patrick's Day celebrations kick off early. This year, the festivities start on Friday and wrap up on Monday, just in time for the Cubs' season opener in Japan on Tuesday. This means Chicagoans will have plenty to talk about during the Green Beer Agenda. The sports world is always changing, and this year is no different. President Donald Trump is trying to settle the Great Golf War by reunifying the PGA Tour and the breakaway LIV Golf tour. This is a big deal for golf fans, but it's not clear if it will make a difference. The LIV tour has some big names, but most golf fans care more about the majors and the classic courses like Augusta National and Pebble Beach. The PGA Tour's real stars are the golf courses themselves. Watching top players compete on these iconic courses is what makes golf exciting. The LIV tour's gimmicks, like 54-hole tournaments and music, just don't compare. Most golf fans would rather watch a great game on a familiar course than a few ultra-rich stars competing with music in the background on a Trump-owned course. Meanwhile, in baseball news, Travis Jankowski quietly signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox after being with the Cubs. This move is a great example of the Irish Goodbye, where someone leaves without saying goodbye. It's a smart move for Jankowski, and fans are looking forward to seeing what he does in 2025. Rory McIlroy, one of the biggest names in golf, is already thinking about his exit strategy. At 36, he's planning to step aside and let the next generation take over. Most athletes have to be forced into retirement, but McIlroy wants to leave while he's still at the top of his game. It's a smart move, but it's hard to imagine him actually doing it. The White Sox game against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday was a big deal for Sox fans. It was televised on MLB Network, but the network cut to MLB Tonight while the Sox were up to bat with two runners on in the bottom of the ninth. It's a shame, but it's just another example of Sox luck. Northwestern's basketball team is in a tough spot. They won't make it to the NCAA men's tournament unless they win the Big Ten Tournament. But coach Chris Collins deserves credit for getting the most out of his team after losing Brooks Barnhizer to a foot injury. If Indiana is watching, he'd be a perfect choice as the next coach of the Hoosiers. The baseball free agent season is in full swing. Juan Soto signed his megadeal with the New York Mets, and Alex Bregman signed a big deal with the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, almost all the NFL's top free agents had deals in place on March 10. It's clear that having a salary cap gets things done quicker. But there's no question that MLB free agency is a long, slow process compared to NFL and NBA free agency. Veteran White Sox beat reporter Daryl Van Schouwen announced last week that he's leaving the Chicago Sun-Times after 37 years of duty. His final day will be at the end of the Sox's spring training. Van Schouwen covered both the Cubs and White Sox in his baseball-writing career, and he always had a better year than the teams he covered. Sun-Times readers will miss his solid reporting and professionalism, and all his friends on the beat will miss his daily presence in the press box and in the clubhouse.