Under rookie head coach Phil Jackson, the 1989-90 Bulls stamped themselves as legitimate contenders to win all the marbles.
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| MICHAEL JORDAN |
Michael Jordan was better than ever, and his supporting cast had become very good. Center Bill Cartwright was an intimidating defender and rebounder whose flying elbows were notorious throughout the NBA. Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant--the
"Dobermans," as assistant coach Johnny Bach called them--were long,
lean, strong, quick, and rapidly improving on both offense and defense.
John Paxson and B.J. Armstrong harassed rival ball-handlers and were
deadly when left alone on the offensive end. Their ability to hit the
open shot prevented opponents from collapsing on Jordan with impunity.
The Bulls sailed through a 55-27 regular season, going 27-8 over the last two months. Jordan captured his fourth consecutive scoring title and led the league in steals for the second time. The Bulls easily subdued Milwaukee and Philadelphia in the first two rounds of the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.
The Bulls and Pistons split the first six games, with each team winning three times on its home court. The decisive Game 7 at the Palace of Auburn Hills was, Jackson said, "My worst moment as a Bull." Paxson was out with a sprained ankle, Grant was out of sorts, and Pippen was suffering from a migraine headache. "Can you play?" trainer Mark Pfeil asked Pippen. Before Pippen could answer, Jordan said, "Hell yes, he can play. Let him play blind."
Pippen did play, but he was ineffective as the Pistons romped to a 93-74 win and then went on to claim their second straight championship. "These guys are kicking our butt, taking our heart, taking our pride," said Jordan. "I made up my mind right then and there it was never going to happen again."
And he was right.
Coach Mike Ditka and the Bears won nine of the first ten games and coasted to their sixth NFC Central Division title in seven years, bouncing back from a dismal 6-10 effort in 1989.
The Bears finished at 11-5 but entered the postseason with only two wins in the last six games. They defeated New Orleans 16-6 at Soldier Field in the first playoff game before being dispatched 31-3 by the Giants in New York to end their season. (The Giants went on to capture the world championship, winning the NFC title game and the Super Bowl by a combined three points.)
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| NEAL ANDERSON |
Neal Anderson, a truly outstanding player who had the misfortune to follow an immortal one, Walter Payton, as the Bears' primary ball carrier, led the team in rushing for the fourth year in a row (the streak eventually reached seven). Jim Harbaugh was the club's leading passer and Wendell Davis the leading receiver.
Rookie safety Mark Carrier led the league with 10 interceptions and joined Anderson, defensive end Richard Dent, and linebacker Mike Singletary in the Pro Bowl. Defensive lineman Dan Hampton retired at the end of the season. Eventually he, Dent, and Singletary would be reunited in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Strapping first baseman Frank Thomas, 22, made his big-league debut on August 2 in Milwaukee, going 0-for-4 with one run batted in. He got his first hit the next day and notched his first home run on August 28 at Minnesota. Thomas played in every game but two after joining the Sox, ending up with a .330 average, seven homers, 31 runs batted in, and a .983 on-base plus slugging (OPS). He was here to stay.
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| CARLTON FISK |
Catcher Carlton Fisk had one of his better seasons at the ripe age of 42, and shortstop Ozzie Guillen was a key contributor with his bat and his glove. Rookie righthander Alex Fernandez, 20, was called up after only eight games in the minor leagues and showed enough to mark himself as a future mainstay.
The original Comiskey Park hosted its last game on September 30. A full house saw the legendary Minnie Minoso deliver the White Sox' lineup card to the umpires before the game and
then saw the South Siders defeat the Seattle Mariners 2-1. Starter Jack McDowell won his 14th game of the season and Bobby Thigpen saved his 57th (exceeding the previous single-season record by 11).
The Blackhawks made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 21st consecutive year, going 41-33-6 to earn 88 points and first place in their division. Their
mercurial head coach Mike Keenan was a my-way-or-the-highway type of
guy who invariably wore out his welcome sooner than later. But he got the Hawks to
play hard for him night in and night out.
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| DOUG WILSON |
The Hawks' top skaters included defensemen Doug Wilson and Keith Brown, wingers Steve Larmer, Steve Thomas, and Adam Creighton, and centers Denis Savard and Jeremy Roenick. It was already obvious that second-year man Roenick, 20, was headed for stardom. Jacques Cloutier and Alain Chevrier shared the goaltending duties.
In those days, teams played only division opponents for the first two playoff rounds. The Hawks outlasted the Minnesota North Stars and then the St. Louis Blues, in seven games each, to advance to the conference finals. Unfortunately, like the Bulls, the Hawks lost the 1990 conference finals to the eventual champions--in this case, the Edmonton Oilers.
After the season, Savard was traded to his hometown, Montreal, for another future Hall of Famer--defenseman Chris Chelios, a native Chicagoan.
The Cubs were Chicago's only pro team to finish under .500 in 1990. They came into the season with high hopes after their surprising division championship the year before, but they never really got going. The Cubs' high-water mark came on April 18, when they were 8-5 and in first place. They lost eight of the next nine and never again saw the sunny side of .500. They finished 77-85 (39-42 at home, 38-43 on the road).
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| GREG MADDUX |
The usual suspects--second baseman Ryne Sandberg, right fielder Andre Dawson, and first baseman Mark Grace--were the Cubs' chief weapons on offense. Sandberg achieved career highs in runs scored (116), homers (40), and runs batted in (100), while winning the seventh of his eventual eight Gold Gloves.
Greg Maddux, already well established at age 24, and rookie Mike Harkey, 23, were standouts on the pitching staff. Alas, it was the one and only good year for Harkey, whose career was soon derailed by injuries. Maddux won the first of his 18 Gold Gloves.
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