CALEB WILLIAMS WILL NOT be arriving at Bears training camp in Lake Forest this summer by mere automotive vehicle.
Instead, on a daily basis, he’ll probably descend on a royal, luminous cloud.
The rookie QB will turn gray skies burnt-orange and blue. He’ll make it rain whenever he wants it to.
That’s because in terms of hype — fan expectations plus pulsating media feverishness — he’s an unquestioned “10.”
CHICAGO HAS HAD ITS SHARE of “10s” before. Some have sizzled. Some have fizzled.
Some rated below “10” at point of entry have catapulted The Captive Sports City to celestial heights.
In terms of entrance hype, all have been subject to the reach and capabilities of the media of their times. Plus, one Bears phenom equals two or three of lesser local outfits.
HERE’S A RANDOM ARRAY of notable rookie sports arrivals in Chicago since 1965, complete with 0-to-10 hype rating when they got to Our Town (in order of ultimate championship impact or lack thereof):
• Michael Jordan, 1984 Bulls — (8.5) — Way back when, no rational fan could believe that a jackrabbit wing from North Carolina would take the sports masses to heaven and beyond … But he did.
• Patrick Kane, 2007 Blackhawks — (10) — Dale Tallon’s draft luck and Kaner’s talents finally let whispers of a possible Stanley Cup touch credibility on West Madison Street. … He outskated that icy slope.
• Scottie Pippen, 1987 Bulls — (8.5) — NBA championship essentials don’t come from Central Arkansas. … Still, what had been a small-college scouting murmur became a cautious major-market “maybe” by Draft Day ’87.
• Jonathan Toews, 2006 Blackhawks (8) — The first hint that the long, lost years of the Wirtz family could be ending. … The full trifecta box was Toews, Kane and the September 2007 passing of Bill Wirtz.
• Walter Payton, 1975 Bears — (9) — The prime “get” in the first draft of Jim Finks as Bears GM. … And the Finks of Minnesota renown didn’t draft RBs at No. 4. … No supreme Chicago pro worked longer and harder to finally get one Big One.
• Kris Bryant, 2015 Cubs (8.5) — Perhaps the single greatest rep of the instant golden impact of Theo Epstein. … Top draft pick in ’13, Rookie of the Year in ’15 and NL MVP and a World Series champ one year later. … His $182M deal with the Rockies in 2022 came at the wrong end of his career.
• Frank Thomas, 1990 White Sox (9) — Did the Beach Boys write “Good Vibrations” in anticipation of The Big Hurt? … Beyond his prodigious skillset, the man has maintained his dignity and graciousness through 35 years of relentless hoodoo around an implosive and toxic organization.
• Connor Bedard, 2023 Blackhawks (10) — Either Somebody Up There really likes the new-gen Blackhawks or someone down below has it in for the Vancouver teen. … Far too soon for any silvery conclusions.
• Derrick Rose, 2008 Bulls (10) — Hyped to the max and the hometown hero deserved every megabyte of it. … He was a massive supply of oxygen in a flaming inferno and instead wound up as the No. 1 embodiment of “The Curse of the Breakup.”
• Mark Prior, 2002 Cubs (8) — Has any premier Wrigley homebred had as clear a career dividing moment as Prior and The Bartman At-Bat? … Some very smart baseball people have long said he was also the victim of unconscionable overuse by Dusty Baker.
• Angel Reese, 2024 Sky (8) — Nationally, got far more attention when she and Caitlin Clark were not seeing each other in the last two NCAA tournaments. … Now, she’s at Wintrust Arena with good numbers and a high probability of a long and solid WNBA career.
• Dick Butkus, 1965 Bears — (10) — Chicago to the dibs and Daleys, this was the prize Illini everyone wanted plugged into George Allen’s killer defense. … Fading George Halas got his man, but the man himself got nothing but a chaotic, cynical organization in brutal transition.
• Gale Sayers, 1965 Bears (8.5) — Not as hyped as Butkus because he played on mediocre teams at Kansas and the Jayhawks were never seen on Chicago TV. … Great trivia nub: Name the five NFL Hall of Fame players in the Super Bowl era (1966-2023) who never appeared in a playoff game. (The answer appears at the end of the column.)
• Eloy Jimenez, 2019 White Sox (9) — There were a lot of things fans of the Stale Hose wanted to believe in back in the spring of 2019 and the impending superstardom of Jimenez was one of them. … Instead, heartache, “The Sleepy Senor” and soft-tissue injuries.
• Harry Chappas, 1979 White Sox (5.3) — The only 5-foot-3 shortstop in the history of the South Siders to make the cover of Sports Illustrated in his rookie spring (March 19, 1979). … Briefly displaced Don Kessinger as starting SS but was last seen running under buses on West 35th Street.
NFL trivia A.: Sayers, Butkus, Larry Wilson (Cardinals), Floyd Little (Broncos) and Joe Thomas (Browns) … The NFL had no scheduled playoff games before the championship until 1967.
Jim O’Donnell’s Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Thursday. Reach him at [email protected]. All communications may be considered for publication.