Tag: Writers – Bryan Smith
By Bryan Smith
NOAH’S ARC: From a shoot-from-the-lip goofball who floundered on court and aggravated his teammates to a fiery star anchoring the Bulls and drawing covetous looks from another team, Joakim Noah has accomplished one of the most dramatic turnarounds in pro sports Read more
By Bryan Smith
A FRIENDSHIP IN WINTER: How a 34-year-old high-school dropout and recovering alcoholic found inspiration and a buddy in the irascible, imperious Dan Rostenkowski, the fallen political giant Read more
By Bryan Smith
Two years ago for the magazine, I wrote a profile of Rocky Wirtz, the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, so I was among the thousands, perhaps millions of fans who watched with rapture and jubilation as the team claimed its first NHL victory in 49 years. So what do you think I said when the team’s office called last week to see if I’d be interested, at Rocky’s invitation, in some one-on-one time with the great silver grail?... Read more
By Bryan Smith
MIGHTY MOUTH: The defense lawyer Sam Adam Jr. doesn’t merely argue cases—he performs, typically closing with an eruption of righteous indignation, and his clients (R. Kelly, for one) often walk free. Now Adam is set to strut and fret upon the brightly lit stage of former governor Rod Blagojevich’s corruption trial—and he aims to bring down the house Read more
By Bryan Smith
Is he or isn't he too . . . ahem . . . spangly for a family show? That's the question once again glittering around two-time Olympic skater and three-time U.S. national champion Johnny Weir in the latest figure skating hissy fit over his masculinity or lack thereof... Read more
By Bryan Smith
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office provides at least two reporters a memo containing scurrilous and unsubstantiated claims about the conduct of the Northwestern University journalism professor and his students in an earlier case. Read more
By Bryan Smith
A personal odyssey from flailing rail-clutcher to competitive champ Read more
By Bryan Smith
Nearly two years ago, the body of Michael York turned up in an alley on the West Side. The high-school student had died of an apparent overdose after a weekend bacchanal at a St. Charles mansion, and his friends had dumped his corpse in the neighborhood where they bought drugs. Three young people have now been charged in a case that painfully illustrates how heroin has invaded the suburbs Read more
By Bryan Smith
He swaggered into town with a gun for an arm and a penchant for shooting from the lip, raising hopes that he was the savior who would return the Bears to Super Bowl glory—but also questions about his judgment and leadership. As the Bears gear up for the 2009 season, we examine the file on the team’s ballyhooed new quarterback—and explain what all the fuss is about Read more