Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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GREAT SPORTS TOM THAYER This Peoria native tasted glory as a starter on the Bears' legendary 1985 Super Bowl–winning squad. Thayer continues his legacy as the team's play-by- play analyst for WBBM radio. Be prepared: "[As an analyst] you have to take everything into consid- eration on every play: time on the clock, positions on the field, personnel changes." Beach boy: "The minute I retired from playing, I started surfing, and now I spend the majority of the off-season in Hawaii." JASON MCLEOD The former director of scouting for the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, McLeod dreams of ending the Cubs' 104-year championship drought as VP of scouting and player development. Scout's honor: "From the moment I started scouting, I had a passion for the thrill of the hunt." Success story: "Some scouts couldn't believe we picked [Red Sox second baseman] Dustin Pedroia because he was a chunky college shortstop, but he became American League MVP and rookie of the year." MIKE GELLINGER As the assistant hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox, Gellinger tracks and breaks down every pitch and hit. Sign of the times: "When I came to Chicago in 1997, I'd chart every pitch with pencil and paper. We'd send the data to a company, and they'd input it into a computer and send it back to us." Hometown heroes: "As a kid, I idolized Robin Yount, the Milwaukee Brewers' shortstop. I once met him during White Sox spring training in Tucson because we shared a complex with his team. He had no idea how much I admired him." AL MACISAAC This Chicago Blackhawks VP and assistant to the president has hockey in his blood. He's won six cham- pionships, including three as a player and one in 2010 as a Blackhawks exec. We got Stanley: "I grew up in Canada, so from the age of four all I thought about was hockey. When I stood on the ice and held the Stanley Cup above my head, it was a pinnacle of my life." Proudest moment: "What means the most to me is my wife and three daughters." JEFF TANAKA Tanaka got his start as a trainer for the Los Angeles Raiders, UC-Berkeley, and the San Francisco 49ers. As the Chicago Bulls' assistant athletic trainer, Tanaka's come a long way from California. My kind of town: "Chicago and San Francisco both have lots of different neighborhoods with their own flavor. As for the winters—it's always 70 degrees in the gym." Best game ever: "Bulls versus Celtics, game six of the first-round playoff series in 2009. The game went into three overtimes, then Joakim Noah made a steal to seal the victory." MA MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 113