Master comedian Bob Newhart has one egregious character flaw. Born in Oak Park 91 years ago, Newhart deviated from his father’s intelligent position as a White Sox fan and somehow fell to the depths of Cub fannery. Because he has led an otherwise exemplary life, many would forgive this foible, but those of us who are strong Sox fans will always look at him somewhat askance.
Newhart is brought into play for this piece because between his time as an accountant and his TV hits, he was a stand-up — OK, more of a sit-down — comedian whose albums topped the Billboard charts.