Rick Tarsitano

Rick Tarsitano is a Sports Producer for WGN Evening News, WGN News at Nine and WGN News at Ten.

Covering the teams I grew up loving. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. Doing the same with my kids, too. Life’s too short not to smile.

Recent Articles

  • Matt Suhey keeps watch over Walter Payton’s legacy

    Listen to this episode of Savoring Sweetness: The Walter Payton Podcast in the player above. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Walter Payton trusted Matt Suhey. He knew the Bears playbook. He knew the business world. Most importantly, he knew how much family mattered to Walter. When Walter passed, Matt became the executor of his will. To this day, he helps manage Walter’s estate and his image and likeness, clearing the way for the Payton […]

  • Connie Payton shares how she fell in love with Walter & Chicago

    Listen to this episode of Savoring Sweetness: The Walter Payton Podcast in the player above. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It wasn’t love at first sight for Connie Payton. Not when it came to Walter or the city of Chicago. But the Southern belle fell hard for both after they opened up their hearts to her. Listen as Connie goes back in time to when she and Walter first met at Jackson State,  the […]

  • Zion Williamson set to take flight against Bulls

    CHICAGO – Bulls fans lottery dreams may not have come true, but they will get a chance to see Zion Williamson play in Chicago Wednesday night. Williamson lived up to the hype in his preseason debut. His numbers were pedestrian – 27 minutes, 16 points and seven boards, but the wow factor was there. “I played against him in high school so I’ve already seen it,” explained Bulls rookie guard Coby White. “He’s powerful, strong and he’s big. He’s rare. […]

  • Jon Gruden appears to mock Bears in Raiders postgame celebration

    LONDON – Jon Gruden had the last laugh Sunday. The Raiders $100 million head coach took a lot of heat for not ponying up more dough to keep Khalil Mack in Oakland, opting to trade away the All-Pro pass rusher instead. Gruden told the Athletic he cried for three days after the deal was done. He got some closure in London Sunday afternoon, holding Mack and the entire Bears defense to zero sacks in a 24-21 surprise victory. “It was […]

  • Jarrett Payton catches up with CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson & the other Chase Daniel

    LONDON – The Bears got to do a little sightseeing Saturday. Jarrett Payton did the same. He ran into fans from all walks of life, but one family in particular could not have asked for a better weekend to come to London. They are Bears season ticket holders from New Jersey and their son’s name is Chase Daniel. “We were thinking about naming him Chase. Then after we watched the Thanksgiving game,” explained little Chase’s dad Bart Chlewicki. “Chase Daniel […]

  • Dan Hampton tackles why Walter Payton was ‘the greatest player on planet earth’

    Listen to this episode of Savoring Sweetness: The Walter Payton Podcast in the player above. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Name a better defense than the 1985 Chicago Bears. Pro bowlers at every level, back-to-back shutouts to start the playoffs and a historic Super Bowl smackdown of the New England Patriots Add in a Hollywood-like cast of characters ranging from Da Coach to The Fridge and you could tell stories all day. Dan Hampton […]

  • St. Louis Blues surprise superfan with Stanley Cup ring

    ST. LOUIS – The Blues made a special delivery to their young superfan Laila Anderson, whose fight against a rare immune disorder called HLH was part of their motivation in winning the Stanley Cup. Alexander Steen and Colton Parayko did the honors, surprising Laila with a championship ring. A special gift from her boys – thank you Laila for being such an inspiration during our #StanleyCup run. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/4Zlu1Xuwjb — St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) October 1, 2019 The ring […]

  • Report: Joe Maddon interested in LA Angels opening

    ANAHEIM, Calif. — Manager Brad Ausmus has been fired by the Los Angeles Angels after just one difficult season in charge. Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced the decision to move on swiftly from Ausmus on Monday, a day after they finished 72-90 for the franchise’s worst record since 1999. The dismissal of Ausmus immediately sparked speculation that former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, who parted ways with the Chicago Cubs one day earlier, will return to the franchise where he spent three decades […]

  • David Ross would be interested in Cubs manager job

    CHICAGO — Former Cubs catcher David Ross is rumored to be the favorite for Joe Maddon’s old job. Sounds like it may not take much convincing either if Theo Epstein and company want to go that route. Ross, who is currently an analyst for ESPN, was asked on Baseball Tonight Sunday if he would be interested in managing his former team. “I’ve got a lot of close ties with those guys. I think the interest would be there. I think […]

  • Joe Maddon out as Cubs manager after 5 seasons

    ST. LOUIS – After 471 wins and a World Series title, Joe Maddon is out as Cubs manager. Maddon learned his fate in a meeting with team president of baseball operations Theo Epstein Saturday night, and the pair discussed the decision ahead of his final game as skipper Sunday. “Joe and I got together last night back in my hotel room and split a nice bottle of wine,” Epstein said. “Several,” Maddon joked. Epstein and Maddon said they both came […]

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