George Ryan on Bears’ training-camp move: ‘Time marches on’

Go Bears!

Bye-bye and boo hoo Bourbonnais!

Now that Da Bears announced this week they are hauling their training camp this summer back to the Chicago area (Halas Hall in Lake Forest) after an 18-year stint in downstate Bourbonnais, former Gov. George Ryan had to chuckle.

“Well, at least we’ve had the 18-year bragging rights for bringing the Chicago Bears downstate,” chirped Ryan, who was hugely instrumental in the Bears moving their training camp from Wisconsin to his backyard stomping grounds near Kankakee in 2002.

• Kickoff: Ryan’s success was the result of negotiations with former Mayor Richard M. Daley to renovate Soldier Field, which began in 2002 and completed in 20 months.
• Timeout: “The guys on the team were good citizens,” said Ryan. “Dr. John Bowling, Olivet’s president, told me all the bikes they bought to drive around town and the campus — and all the TVs they bought for their rooms ... the guys gave away to the locals after practice was over each year,” said Ryan. “They were terrific.”
• Down & out: “I hate to see this move happen, but I get it ... time marches on,” added Ryan, who refused to verify old rumors the Bears managers loved the Olivet Nazarene University training in Bourbonnais because it would keep the players on campus and from rolling around bars.

“I think we had an ideal training camp. ... It wasn’t that far from home. But business is business. I get it,” Ryan said.

So how does Ryan respond to reports fan engagement during training camp may decline as the result of the move?

“Heck, I don’t know about that,” said Ryan. “I just know I don’t remember ever going to watch the Bears training camp, but I could’ve gone once.”

(Yes, George, you sure did. Check out the photo!)

The Royal nails . . .

Blimey!

It’s no secret the Brit tabloid press attempted to slice and dice Meghan Markle shortly after she became the wife of Prince Harry, younger brother of the heir to the throne of England.

It seems even her fingernails got thwacked.

Yep.

One British journo who covers the royals declared Markle, also known as the Duchess of Sussex, was guilty of breaking a major aristocratic rule of etiquette by wearing “dark” nail polish.

As racist and gross as that comment is — the Brit press goes bonkers over photographing imperial jewelry worn on the fingers of British royalty — especially those of former commoner Kate Middleton, who now sports the 12-carat oval blue sapphire engagement ring of the late legendary Princess Diana, mother of her husband, Prince William.

AP

So in case you are wondering what nail polish is the royal preference while on stately duty, it’s a clear blush polish with the fingernail tips in clear view. (They are also trimmed short and squared off.)

Now aren’t you glad you read Sneed.

The numbers game . . .

Tally ‘em up.

It’s no secret Da Donald loves Twitter ... and apparently Twitter loves him back.

Sneed reported in January 2017 that President Donald Trump had 22.3 million Twitter followers a year after he was elected.

Now fast forward to January 2020, and the president has racked up an additional 48.8 million followers, bringing Trump’s new total as of Thursday to a whopping 71.1 million!

While various analyses have claimed that between 20-55 percent of his followers aren’t real, that is still a ton of followers.

• Backshot: Back in 2017, Trump only followed 41 others and had discarded basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson from his list after he tweeted his support for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
• Upshot: The Trumpster now follows 47 Twitter users.

Sneedlings . . .

Get well wishes to Amy Ryan, wife of former Gov. George Ryan’s son Homer (George Jr.) who had been recovering at UChicago Medicine from a stroke. . . . I spy: Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hosted a cancer fundraiser at TAO Chicago on Thursday. . . . Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp spotted at Chicago Cut. . . . A rare spot: Former Gov. Jim Thompson lunching at Harry Caray’s eatery on Kinzie. . . . White Sox legend Ron Kittle at Harry Caray’s at Water Tower last Thursday. . . . Saturday’s birthdays: Jason Segel, 40; Kevin Costner, 65; and James Smith, the ageless father of new daughter Ava. . . . Sunday’s birthdays: Dolly Parton, 74; Shawn Johnson, 28, and Shawn Wayans, 49.