Column: What we’ve learned so far in 2021, including Tony La Russa’s sense of humor, Brent Seabrook’s lasting words and Jason Benetti’s broadcasting hat trick

As we close in on the one-year anniversary of the Great Sports Shutdown of 2020, here are 12 things we’ve learned so far in 2021.

1. Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa’s most honest assessment of the spring began with “I know I’m basically humorless, but…” La Russa proceeded to joke that hitting coach Frank Menechino would throw in a Cactus League game that day if a Sox pitcher went over his pitch limit. He’s no Dave Chappelle, but at least La Russa is lightening up a bit at the ripe old age of 76.

2. Cubs manager David Ross was defending the MLB rule giving managers the option to “flip” innings in spring training by ending the inning with less than three outs if a pitcher exceeded 20 pitches. Ross said it was necessary to preserve pitchers and the games were not about wins and losses so there was nothing that could be done. I suggested perhaps teams could reduced ticket prices if the so-called games were merely simulated games. “OK, now you’re on the wrong Zoom call,” Ross cracked. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts was unavailable for Zooming.

3. Brent Seabrook’s fitting epitaph in his news conference announcing his retirement from the Blackhawks: “I told my body to screw off for 15 years. I finally turned around and said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore.’ Sort of been saying it, with different words involved.” That’s the way a proud warrior goes out.

4. White Sox play-by-play man Jason Benetti pulled off the rare Chicago sportscasters’ hat trick with his broadcast of the Cubs-Seattle Mariners exhibition game Wednesday for ESPN. Benetti has now called Sox, Cubs and Bulls games in the same season. The last Chicago sportscaster to call games of three local pro teams in the same year is believed to be Jack Brickhouse, who was the TV voice of the Cubs and radio voice of the Bears for decades before adding the Bulls to his resume during their inaugural season in 1966-67. Brickhouse had all three teams from 1966-73, his final year calling Bulls games for WGN-9. Now if Benetti can only wrangle a Blackhawks game from Pat Foley …

5. What the Cubs really need this spring is an inspiring how-to seminar on meltdowns from John Lackey, a professional umpire baiter.

6. Zach LaVine is the primary reason the Bulls are watchable again, but coach Billy Donovan is the reason to be optimistic about the future. Instead of lauding their progress in the first half, Donovan put the onus on the players — and himself — to do more: “We have a long way to go,” he said. " I’m trying to not have them be satisfied. We need to keep trying to pull more out of each other. They need to pull more out of me, I’ve got to pull more out of them.” Imagine the last Bulls coach admitting he needed to do more.

7. NFL expert Kyle Brandt said on “Good Morning Football” that Bears general manager Ryan Pace could make a quarterback choice that “shocks” everyone. “I think it’s going to be something that shocks us in a way that J.J. Watt going to the (Arizona) Cardinals shocked us,” he said. At this point, anything other than a move that sets the franchise back another five years would provide shock value to Bears fans.

8. Former Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber homered in his first spring at-bat for the Washington Nationals, before Joc Pederson, his replacement in left field, homered in his spring first at-bat. This is what’s known as baseball symmetry, and if everything goes as the baseball gods plan, Schwarber and Pederson will have the exact same amount of home runs in 2021.

9. Mayor Lori Lightfoot admitted last week she still refers to Guaranteed Rate Field as “Sox Park,” endearing her to many fans who refuse to use the corporate name. Whether you agree with her politics, at least Lightfoot appears to be a true Sox fan like former Mayors Richard J. Daley, Richard M. Daley and Harold Washington. Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel professed to be a true Cubs fan, but when asked by Ken “Hawk” Harrelson for his favorite baseball moment during a broadcast, he replied: “Well, you know, I remember there was a great play, when Ron Santos, on a line drive, just jumped, you know, I don’t even know what you would call it, leaped, jumped, just moved and caught a line drive. I forgot what game it was, but it was a tremendous play,” Emanuel said. Ron Santos? As Brickhouse would say: “Oh, brother.”

10. The Blackhawks started the season with three goaltenders. Kevin Lankinen, the last one they tried in goal, turned out to be the best of the three and is a big reason why they’ve surprised the experts so far. Who knew? Not management, apparently.

11. Former White Sox closer Robert Hernandez once turned a poor season around after saying he adopted the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with some of your old nonsense.” Hopefully, Cubs stars Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez can find similar words to live by from a TikTok influencer.

12. Forget about COVID-19 protocols. Let the pitchers run laps in the outfield during spring training games like the olden days — as long as they stay six-feet apart from the outfielders.