The genius of the character of Marlo Stanfield is that a textless, bold-colored headband came to feel too flashy.
He opened without one, an intro so perfect yet under the radar because the scene is about Bubbles, not this unnamed, previously unknown character whose first appearance departing a building is teamed with the sound of a bird chirping, as if Marlo is a hawk fledging from his nest and preparing to hunt the people of Baltimore like squirrels.
Me and Laurence Holmes for my Score debut, July 15, 2016. Thanks Laurence!
Radio, TV, and podcast appearances
(titles are links)
2015 – present
9 FEB 2023 — On Devin Hester’s Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy, with Laurence Holmes on “Football Night in Chicago” on NBC Sports Chicago
6 FEB 2023 — On Devin Hester’s Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy and a look at the candidacies of Peanut Tillman, Lance Briggs, Olin Kreutz, Ruben Brown and Randall Cunningham, with Bill Zimmerman on “Bears Banter” on Windy City Gridiron (video) and Audacy (audio)
20 JAN 2023 — On George McCaskey’s evolution on Black hiring with regards to Kevin Warren, with Laurence Holmes on “Bernstein & Holmes” on 670 The Score
16 JAN 2023 — On George McCaskey’s evolution on Black hiring and the modernization of the franchise with regards to Kevin Warren, with Steven Negishi on The Double A Team podcast
5 JAN 2023 — On Virginia McCaskey turning 100 along with a look at the Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacies of Devin Hester and Lance Briggs, with Alex Shapiro on Football Night in Chicago on NBC Sports Chicago
1 DEC 2022 — Featured NFL historian for “American Football” podcast series covering the early days of the NFL, produced by HISTORY Channel, SMAC Entertainment / Michael Strahan and Misher Films, and narrated by Kate Mara, released on Audible (here me in the trailer, with excerpts from episode 7 on Red Grange and episode 8 on the 1926 fight for Red Grange)
3 AUG 2022 — Playing Tecmo Super Bowl against Weekend Gabe on Gabe Plays
18 JULY 2022 — On Steve McMichael’s Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy, with Nicholas Moreano, Kevin Kaduk and Will DeWitt on CHGO Bears on CHGO
15 MAY 2022 — On the legacy of Frank Thomas, with Deremy Dove and Jose Ruiz on Bigger Than the Game
7 FEB 2022 — On Brian Flores’s discrimination lawsuit against three NFL teams and the NFL, with Santita Jackson on “The Santita Jackson Show” on WCPT
2 FEB 2022 — On Bears diversity history, George McCaskey’s evolution and how they tie into the Brian Flores lawsuit, with Dan Bernstein on “Bernstein & Rahimi” on 670 The Score
6 AUG 2021 — On Scottie Pippen’s claims that Phil Jackson was racist, with TPJ on Bulls Fan Pod
1 JULY 2021 — On Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals and John Paxson’s shot, with Deremy Dove and Jose Ruiz on Bigger Than the Game
11 MAR 2021 — On a variety of Chicago sports topics — including Michael Jordan and George Halas — with Kirk Buckner on The Buck Stops Here of the Not in the Hall of Fame
29 OCT 2020 — On the odds of Peanut, Briggs and Kreutz for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Bears’ 1936 throwback jerseys, with Brendan Sugrue on The 46 Pod
6 MAY 2020 — On the Richard Esquinas – Michael Jordan gambling controversy, with Laurence Holmes on the House of L Podcast
19 APR 2020 — On The Last Dance and the Bulls dynasty, with Pavy and TPJ on Hoops N Brews
29 MAR 2020 — On the Bulls dynasty, with Mark Carman on WGN Radio
18 MAR 2020 — On Michael Jordan’s comeback, with four-time NBA champion and Bulls legend Will Perdue, and Tony Gill, on NBC Sports Chicago
31 JAN 2020 — On the 1984 Bears and the origins of the Gatorade shower, with Mike Lowe on WGN TV
2 OCT 2019 — On the Bears’ 1936 throwback jerseys, George Halas and the NFL’s 12-year ban on black players, with Greg Braggs and Joey 2 Scoops on Chi Fans in The Stands
27 SEP 2019 — On the Bears’ 1936 throwback jerseys, George Halas and the NFL’s 12-year ban on black players, with Sarah Spain and Jordan Cornette on “Spain and Company,” ESPN Radio
26 SEP 2019 — On the Bears’ 1936 throwback jerseys, George Halas and the NFL’s 12-year ban on black players, with Kyle Means on Regal Radio
26 SEP 2019 — On the Bears’ 1936 throwback jerseys, George Halas and the NFL’s 12-year ban on black players, with Paul Lukas of Uni Watch, Sports Illustrated (written article, and though he did not use the interview we did, I want to include this here)
25 SEP 2019 — On the Bears’ 1936 throwback jerseys, George Halas and the NFL’s 12-year ban on black players, with James Wickham on BBC
I’ve never felt thrilled for another city’s fans. Not like this.
That is nearly the exact same intro I used for my column May 14, 2010, the day after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics — AKA the final game LeBron played as a member of the Cavs until his return last year.
Way back in October, back when the Bulls’ record of 72 wins was safe, I began an essay about the 12 moves the Bulls made between June 1993 and October 1995 that turned an aged, bickering, 57-win champion into a flourishing, rejuvenated, 72-win juggernaut.
Seven months later, I have a 13,000-word e-book and have spent more time reading about and watching clips of the 1995-96 Bulls than any time other than 1995-96. I’ll save you the suspense: It’s been a sweet 7 months!
Thus I am very proud to release “How The GOAT Was Built: 6 Life Lessons From the 1996 Chicago Bulls.”
In the summer of 1996, after winning his fourth championship, Michael Jordan came within 30 minutes of signing with the New York Knicks.
“New York was right downstairs,” Jordan told Spike Lee in “Best Seat In the House.” “The Bulls — all they had to do was mess up.”
The Knicks had an offer on the table for Jordan: one year, $25 million. “We told (Jordan’s team) they could have all our cap room,” Madison Square Garden President Dave Checketts said at the time.
Could Michael Jordan have joined the Knicks? According to the man himself, it almost happened in 1996. (Photo illustration by Patrick Ortega, found at ballislife.com)
I believe in the planning and principles behind the ‘96 Bulls and the whole second three-peat. A lot of sound reasoning went into those teams. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any luck.
As I researched this team, I had fun diving into history’s wrinkles — those mostly forgotten sharp left turns our memories ironed into straightaways. The lesson: like the parable of the Chinese farmer, you truly never know if an event will end up being good luck or bad, so plan the best you can, react pragmatically, and move on.
And with that, here are my two favorite “what if?” moments of the 1996 Bulls — they’re related.
What if Chris Dudley didn’t sign with the Trail Blazers in 1993?
The championship Bulls don’t work without Scottie Pippen. So naturally the Bulls tried to trade him approximately a bajillion times between 1994 and 1998. In telling the story of the 1996 Bulls — and gleaning from that story wisdom for our own lives and pursuits — two abandoned Pippen trades stand out.
Incredibly, both failed because the OTHER team balked.
The first was between the Bulls and SuperSonics on the eve of the 1994 draft, the Pippen-for-Kemp deal that failed when Seattle got cold feet.
“I don’t want to be here (with the Bulls) the rest of the season,”Pippen said in early February. “I’m hoping teams are thinking about me. I’m still ready to get out of here. I’m looking for a different place, a different team, a different perspective on my career. I’ve got 18 days to go (to the February 23 trading deadline). The countdown is on. Just say I’m showcasing myself out here.”Continue reading “33-23 = 1.8, but 33+23 = 72”
Twenty years later, my number one vision of the Chicago Bulls in the spring of 1996 is 20 limbs and an approximate 35-foot combined wingspan fanned out like a flying octagon — five players between 6’6 and 6’11, four with point guard skills, four who could defend three positions, and a genius on the sideline joining his players in synced consciousness.
In short, they were awesome.
It’s no coincidence that the Warriors are too.
While watching Golden State this season, my thoughts have returned time and again to one question and one question only: Why? Why these Warriors? Why after Shaq & Kobe and Duncan’s Spurs and the Big 3 Heat and the Big 3 Celtics — why is THIS the team that finally made a successful run at 70 wins, much less 73?Continue reading “Dub-Bulls: How the 1996 Bulls led the small-ball revolution by going big”
ReadJack.com 