Sports Articles by Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times

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Rick Morrissey biography

Rick Morrissey has been a sports columnist at the Sun-Times since December 2009. Before that, he was a columnist at the Chicago Tribune for nine …

In NHL playoffs, all you need is luck

The best thing the Blackhawks have going for them isn’t Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane or the fact that they’re the defending Stanley Cup champions. It’s that they play the luckiest sport there is. When hockey players say the puck isn’t bouncing their way, which …Read More
Regular season has seen Hawks, Bulls trending in opposite directions

RICK MORRISSEY: The Bulls know what they do well and have never lost sight of it. The Blackhawks have never quite figured out what’s wrong.
Charl Schwartzel’s win no fluke at suspense-filled Masters

RICK MORRISSEY: Charl Schwartzel won the Masters on Sunday. Thanks for coming, everybody. What’s that? There’s more to the story? Oh, I suppose there is, if you like your golf breathless, your suspense white-knuckled and your insanity contagious. Otherwise, there wasn’t much to see here.

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Rory McIllroy showing poise of a veteran at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Publicly revealing the upbringing of a star athlete is a dangerous thing. It can make overzealous parents shove their kids in a similar direction — and, eventually, into mental-health counseling. But . . . when Rory McIlroy was 10, he regularly chipped golf balls …

Quiet start for Tiger Woods at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — There was a time when Tiger Woods couldn’t move on a golf course without people yelling something — his name, heartfelt exhortations, declarations of their undying love, even the occasional, discordant “Yahtzee!” Early Thursday at the Masters? Nothing. Polite applause on the …

Here’s hoping Wrigley’s empty seats mean Cubs fans sick of losing

RICK MORRISSEY: Cubs manager Mike Quade was perplexed about the seagulls that loitered in the outfield during the game Monday at Wrigley Field. The reason the normally skittish seagulls were so emboldened is obvious: There weren’t enough human beings inside Wrigley to scare off a worm, let alone a seagull looking for food. I see all of this as a sign of hope.

Omar Vizquel always seems to be in motion

RICK MORRISSEY: You wouldn’t be wrong if you assumed that an energetic 43-year-old major-league ballplayer has always been energetic. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Sunday’s starting third baseman for the White Sox -- Omar Vizquel. The guy’s 25 percent miracle, 25 percent hard work and 50 percent I-have-to-keep-moving-or-I’ll-die.

Knowledge is power for Fred Couples at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Hold on. Weren’t we just here? Wasn’t Fred Couples just lighting up Augusta National and acting somebody else’s age? How is it that he’s still around? It made for a nice story a year ago. Here was a 50-year-old golfer defying the …

Sox’ Chris Sale is some thin special

CLEVELAND — Chris Sale’s dad had a size-28 waist in his early 20s. So if you’re harboring any hopes that the 22-year-old White Sox reliever is going to fill out soon, you might want to give those hopes their unconditional release. It’s not going to …

Feel that win chill — it’s the White Sox

RICK MORRISSEY: This is how a season starts, at least in fairy tales. The White Sox had 14 runs and 15 hits Friday — through four innings. Everybody who dreamed of getting a hit got one, sort of like in T-ball. One day into the season, there are no self-esteem issues on this club.

It’s quiet now, but tension surely awaits Ozzie Guillen, Mike Quade

RICK MORRISSEY: Do you hear that? Neither do I. It’s quiet. Very quiet. Unnaturally quiet. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and new Cubs skipper Mike Quade shouldn’t get used to it. The dynamics have changed a bit in Chicago, but only because Quade isn’t a totally known quantity yet. We know what Guillen is.

Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau is clear-cut choice for Coach of Year

RICK MORRISSEY: If Tom Thibodeau doesn’t win the Coach of the Year award, there should be an inquest. With the job he has done with the Bulls, he probably should get Rookie of the Year, too.

With all the upsets and emotions, March Madness keeps getting better

RICK MORRISSEY: A tragically misguided friend of mine recently said he’d rather watch a Sacramento Kings-Washington Wizards game than a high-level NCAA tournament matchup. I’m not sure what this speaks to but it’s hard to understand how anyone could be anti-March Madness, especially after the last few weeks of the tournament.

Morrissey: We couldn’t care less about women’s basketball

You can’t shame someone into loving women’s college basketball, any more than you can shame someone into loving Velveeta, but Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma keeps trying. Three months ago, he accused “all the miserable [people] who follow men’s basketball” of not wanting his team to …

Jake Peavy hurt team, himself with attempt to break camp with Sox

RICK MORRISSEY: Jake Peavy says he’s going to be smart about taking care of his sore shoulder. Swell. It’s like a guy in a full-body cast saying that, from now on, he’ll look both ways before crossing the street.

Bracket busted at United Center by Florida State, VCU stunners

RICK MORRISSEY: March Madness happened at the United Center on Sunday night, which is to say that second-seeded Notre Dame and third-seeded Purdue lost by double digits to schools with double-digit seedings.

Scott Martin overcomes setbacks, gives Notre Dame needed spark

One of the more underappreciated coping mechanisms in life is to completely ignore what’s bothering you. Psychotherapists won’t tell you this. Notre Dame’s Scott Martin will. A torn anterior cruciate ligament? Disregard it. A torn ACL that wipes out an entire season of college basketball? …