Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz stared back at a few dozen reporters on a Zoom call Friday afternoon after informing them top prospect Colson Montgomery doesn’t have to worry about making the team out of spring training.

No one had any more questions and no one was stopping the Zoom.

Getz wasn’t sure exactly what to do.

“Are we at the point where we just do a staredown?” Getz asked reporters.

I was prepared to take over as emergency moderator, but the White Sox media relations man got back on the screen after his Wi-Fi returned, saving the day.

It’s been that kind of a year for the White Sox, who never found a low point that couldn’t get even lower.

The recent exodus by broadcaster Jason Benetti to the Detroit Tigers booth was just the latest blow, coming off a season so horrible Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf admitted he wouldn’t watch the games on his DVR if the Sox lost. The team lost 101 games, so he missed some of Benetti’s finest moments.

Getz, the first-year general manager who replaced longtime Twitter piñata Rick Hahn, has been charged with the responsibility of changing the narrative on the Sox after “BenExit.” He’s already proven to be adept on the dismantling part, sending left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves for five players, including a possible replacement for shortstop Tim Anderson in Nicky Lopez.

Getz said Friday the addition of Lopez, who can also play second base, won’t have any residual effect on Montgomery’s future.

Colson is a special talent, he is,” Getz said. “He’ll certainly let us know he’s ready.”

That suggests Colson hasn’t yet told the Sox he’s ready, or maybe he’s too shy.

Rest assured Montgomery is the face-of-the-franchise-in-waiting and Anderson’s exit left a roster spot for him. When Montgomery gets that chance was going to be a spring-training question that could’ve carried the news cycle during many Cactus League snoozers.

Sox manager Pedro Grifol went a little overboard last September when he insisted everyone invited to spring training would get a chance to make the team. This obviously included Montgomery, the team’s only “name” prospect. Getz was asked about him at the recent general managers meetings.

“I don’t want to have the expectation for Colson to think he’s going to be our opening day shortstop,” Getz said earlier this month. “But I don’t want to cap anything for him either because it’s important for him to stay motivated and be ready to go in spring training because he knows how 2024 unravels for him.”

On Friday, Getz fed the possibility by raving about Montgomery’s “impressive” play in the Arizona Fall League.

“What he did in the box, the decisions he makes, the temperament, the (being) under control, the operation that he has, really stands out,” he said. “And then defensively he was a solid defender at shortstop. So he was certainly was one of the players talked about, (and third baseman) Bryan Ramos was as well.

“To have those guys on the left side of the infield there in Glendale was fun to watch, and (we) look forward to 2024. We do feel like both those guys are not only taking off, but ready to take off even further.”

So there was no talk of Montgomery making the Sox out of camp?

“No, the guys haven’t even talked of that,” he said.

So much for that story. Back to the Sox rebuild, already in progress.

“Project: Kansas City,” the unofficial name given Getz’s royal plan by social media wise guys, at least has some legs. Lopez spent most of his career with the Royals, the organization Getz and Grifol have a not-so-secret crush for. Unlike Anderson, Lopez can catch and throw accurately on a daily basis, which means he’s already an upgrade.

Getz successfully shed Bummer’s $5.5 million salary and waved goodbye to a left-hander whose five-year, $16 million deal in February 2020 turned out to be a failed, long-term gamble by Hahn based on early career projections.

The Bummer deal also continued the emptying out of the 2023 bullpen that included Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, Reynaldo López, Keynan Middleton, Jake Diekman and two guest appearances by infielder Hanser Alberto.

It will not be remembered fondly.

Alberto’s 21.60 ERA was not even the worst on the team. That honor went to actual reliever José Ruiz, who posted a 22.09 ERA in four outings. That’s so Sox.

After Liam Hendriks’ option was declined, Getz might avoid handing out those large, multiyear deals to relievers, a Hahn trademark. Paying that kind of money on the bullpen was always a dicey proposition for the Sox, who’ve had difficulties drafting, signing or acquiring relievers for decades.

Garrett Crochet’s health is imperative in 2024 after missing the 2022 season following left elbow reconstruction surgery and dealing with shoulder issues for most of 2023. He’s ready to be their Hendriks on the field and in the clubhouse, but whether he’ll be a starter or reliever is anyone’s guess, assuming he’s healthy.

“Coming into spring training, there is going to be an innings progression for him, and we’ll make a decision at some point whether we continue to extend those innings and build him up or if there’s a greater need in a different role for the White Sox,” Getz said. “Obviously I want him to be a multi-inning pitcher — if that means that it’s going to work toward a starter, so be it.”

It’s going to be an interesting offseason for the Sox, and Getz has his hands on the wheel with both eyes on the road.

Let the staredown begin.

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The Gophers offense was looking for a certain coverage from Michigan State’s defense before Minnesota dialed up one specific pass play at Huntington Bank Stadium on Oct. 28.

Coordinator Greg Harbaugh called the play at the end of the first half, even if the circumstances weren’t ideal, and stuck with it on a key third down when trailing 6-3. The Spartans played man coverage underneath, with one deep safety.

Receiver Daniel Jackson gave a stutter-step move coming off the line of scrimmage and the quick burst out of it created separation from the cornerback; Athan Kaliakmanis found Jackson open in the middle of the field and front of the safety for 22-yard touchdown and a 10-6 halftime lead.

“At this point, it was just, ‘Screw it,’ ” Jackson relayed about sticking with the play postgame. As Jackson said that, to his left, Kaliakmanis briefly chortled and smiled.

Kaliakmanis and Jackson have established great chemistry this season; they will need many positive results on some grand experiments when the four-touchdown underdog Gophers (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) play No. 2-ranked Ohio State (10-0, 7-0) at 3 p.m. CT Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes have one of the best receivers in the nation in Marvin Harrison Jr., but the Gophers believe Jackson deserves a spot near Harrison on the all-Big Ten teams. The numbers back it up, and those honors will be voted on and announced after the regular season.

‘I think last year he was good receiver,” head coach P.J. Fleck said of Jackson in early November. “This year, I think he is a really great receiver.”

Jackson leads the Gophers in every key receiving category — receptions (45), yards (681) and touchdowns (seven). Each of those marks are in the top five on the conference leader board.

In three of the previous four games, Jackson has produced at least seven catches and 100-plus yards.

The Gophers have been plagued by drops from pass-catchers this season, which cost them at key moments in losses to Illinois and Purdue the past two weeks.

“Right now, we have not been consistent enough — maybe just around (Jackson) at times,” Fleck lamented. “If we are, we probably win a few more games.”

But Jackson has been their reliable go-to guy.

Against Michigan State, Gophers coaches let Kaliakmanis and Jackson do their thing.

“Sometimes, you have to let players play,” Harbaugh said a few weeks ago. “That is the cool thing about our guys; they are growing up. They are continuing to get better.”

Before their touchdown connection against the Spartans, Kaliakmanis was flushed out of the pocket and threw a jump ball to Jackson. It didn’t appeared to be smart throw lofted into coverage — until Jackson came down with it.

“I trust D-Jack so much,” Kaliakmanis said. “I think it meant a lot to do that. But like I said, I trust the guys around me. They are going to make plays. A couple of plays before that, I just throw the ball up and he goes up and gets it. He’s just one heck of a player.”

While Jackson is listed at 6-feet, Fleck added: “I think he plays as a really big receiver. He’s not the biggest guy. When you see him, he’s not 6-4, but he plays really big and can play really small when he needs to. He’s lightning-quick and explosive.”

Fleck pointed to Jackson’s maturity on and off the field as a key reason why he’s blossomed this fall. The Gophers have a saying: a smarter player is a better player. And Jackson has started to embody that.

“Daniel has really grown up as a man and as a person, and that is what you see on the field,” Fleck said. “I think the ability to play every position and do a lot of different things. I think he has really evolved his game.”

Jackson’s mother JaKyta Lawrie said she has seen Daniel’s maturity in how he now communicates with family members — which have also been important relationships for them.

“He’s just being more intentional with his communications and staying in touch with families, and just reminding us of how much he loves us and appreciates us,” Lawrie said Friday from Columbus, Ohio. “That’s really been a big step in his maturity and just growing into an adult and realizing all of his blessings.”

Minnesota Gophers wide receiver Daniel Jackson (9) is photographed during the team’s football media day in Minneapolis on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Now in his fourth season at the U, Jackson plays all the U’s receiver positions, from the slot and split wide. He’s also tasked with option routes based on what the defense is presenting to them.

“I think his understanding of defenses has been way better because he does run some option routes,” Fleck said. “Having a really good decisive decision when you are making those things is important. … He is running every route in the route tree, and he is doing it at a very high level.”

From the stands at every game, Lawrie has seen Jackson’s present himself in a different way on the field.

“I’m starting to see a little bit of his personality come out more on the field,” Lawrie told the Pioneer Press. “He’s not always been a very emotional kind of player, not very vocal, but he’s really coming from his own. And I can just see how he just really loves the game still, just like when he was a young boy.”

That might come in a release of emotion after a big catch or in his assertiveness in run blocking, Lawrie observes. (Jackson is also the U’s fifth-highest-graded run blocker, per Pro Football Focus.)

“Sometimes he’ll do a celebration; that’s not something that he’s just always done playing football the majority of his life,” Lawrie said. “I just see him being aggressive in his blocking and just holding his own.”

One of Jackson’s finest moments came with his toe-drag touchdown to help the Gophers beat Nebraska in the season opener in late August. Afterward, NFL Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson reached out to Jackson on social media.

“That meant a lot to him,” Lawrie said. “He definitely wasn’t expecting that. But that game was very special. I think it really did something, just overall, for Daniel to have that type of exposure.”

Jackson aspires to play in the NFL, but his primary goal this season has been to play in every game. He’s on his way, playing in all 10 games so far. He missed two games apiece in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Jackson, who has one final year of eligibility for 2024, will make a decision about turning pro after the season, Lawrie said. Right now, he’s just enjoying the moment.

The indelible experience this year for Jackson and Co. came when 20 family members traveled from his home in Kansas City, Kansas, to Iowa City for the U’s game against the Hawkeyes in October.

Lawrie and husband Kenneth travel to every game, but for that occasion Lawrie rented a passenger van well in advance and they drove north and east for four hours and 30 minutes to see Jackson play.

The van was used to better accommodate elder family members, including Lawrie’s mother and Jackson’s grandmother, Janice Sullivan. The 76-year-old is coming off surgeries to her back and a knee earlier this year, but she was determined to see Jackson play college football in person for the first time.

As Jackson made seven receptions for 101 yards in the 12-10 win over Iowa, Sullivan kept saying: “He’s doing that for me because he’s knows I’m here watching!” Lawrie relayed. “Every run, every catch, it was: “I told my baby to do it for me! He’s doing it for his grandma!”

I drove a 15 passenger van to Iowa full of family to support Daniel and the team, and this win meant so much! My mom saw her grandson play college football live for the first time. Thank u to the Gopher and Iowa fans who helped my mom on those stairs. #floydishome #gopherswin pic.twitter.com/cR0OGajgzM

— Dr. JaKyta Lawrie (@jakyta_lawrie) October 22, 2023

After the Gophers won the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry trophy, Jackson, still wearing his jersey, made his way into the stands to be with his family at Kinnick Stadium.

“He wanted to make sure we got pictures with everyone, that he gave everybody hugs and thanked them for coming out,” Lawrie said. “It was just a really special moment. It really was.”

Jacking it up

Daniel Jackson’s stats and his Big Ten rank in receiving categories this season:

45 receptions — 5th

681 receiving yards —3rd

7 touchdowns — tied for 3rd

15.1 average yards per catch — 4th

68.1 average yards per game — 3rd

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Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune (TNS)

A generation ago, film director Eli Roth made “Hostel: Part II,” one of the most heinous things, never mind movies, on the planet — a film of lingering torture sequences, bad faith, worse misogyny and galling laziness.

Now Roth has made “Thanksgiving,” based on a mock trailer (2 minutes, 19 seconds) he shot that same year in 2007, for the Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez double feature “Grindhouse.” And get this: “Thanksgiving” works. It’s predictably gory but, at its best, unpredictably nimble. In a career pockmarked by lows, Roth’s latest stands out as a zesty example of holiday stress in extremis.

Director Eli Roth on the set of “Thanksgiving.” (Pief Weyman/Sony Pictures/TNS)

Screenwriter Jeff Rendell takes the original fake trailer as a reference point, not as a guidebook for feature-length expansion. The setup is terrific. At a locally owned Walmart-type big-box store, one Thanksgiving night in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Black Friday shoppers seethe and rage in the cold, desperate to get past the security guards. Meantime the store owner’s daughter Jessica (Nell Verlaque, a wide-eyed, easygoing presence) and her high school friends cavort inside, taunting the rabid customers on the other side of the glass.

The ensuing melee leaves at least three dead, and the escalating craziness of the opening sequence toggles between bloody black comedy and weirdly plausible thrills. A year later, there’s a Thanksgiving killer on the loose, with an apparent grudge against Jessica and company. Screenwriter Rendell lays out a buffet of potential suspects, likely all residents of the tight-knit community unraveling a little more with every corpse.

Patrick Dempsey is the kindly sheriff; Jalen Thomas Brooks and Milo Manheim trade dirty looks as Jessica’s competing, jealous romantic interests. The movie’s final third feels increasingly routine, by which time we’ve seen a lot of entrails and vivisections (one by dumpster lid). But getting there, Roth manages a pace and a merrily sadistic vibe recalling the better “Scream” movies, as well as a worthy protagonist determined not to die.

So why only a middling star rating? I’d place “Thanksgiving” halfway between “fair” and “good.” Inevitably, Roth can’t keep his baser storytelling and filmmaking instincts at bay forever. The culminating sequence depicts the masked killer basting and roasting a female alive, and the movie dies, temporarily, along with the female.

It’s supposed to be grotesque, of course — the diseased doings of a diseased mind, which means anything goes. The Motion Picture Association’s hilariously forgiving definition of an R-rating means the same thing. Roth knows it. He owes his career to it.

What I didn’t know is that Roth even had two-thirds of a good, legit genre movie in him, though his breakout film “Cabin Fever” came close. We’ll see the “Thanksgiving” sequel either in 2024 or 2025, I’m sure.

———

‘THANKSGIVING’

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for strong bloody horror violence and gore, pervasive language and some sexual material)

Running time: 1:47

How to watch: In theaters Friday

Rather than reaching for an espresso martini next time you’re hankering for a caffeinated cocktail, consider mixing up a cozier, more complex alternative: the Chartreuse Cappuccino.

This recipe comes from the pages of a new cookbook by the Portland-based all-things-coffee publication Sprudge, called “But First Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” by Sprudge cofounders Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen.

They credit this recipe to their friend, Paul Einbund, the San Francisco restaurateur behind the Morris and Maison Nico. Einbund combined his knowledge about coffee with a passion for Chartreuse — an herbal French liqueur made by monks at a single distillery in the French Alps — in this drink, which pairs well with Bay Area fog and cozy sweaters for sophisticated and atmospheric sipping.

“Espresso is rude and milk is forgiving,” Einbund says in the cookbook. “When you add a little bit of sugar and Chartreuse into the mix, that’s when things get really interesting.”

Union Square & Co. publisher

Chartreuse is in the midst of a global shortage, so sourcing it may be the hardest part of preparing this recipe. While demand has risen due to home cocktail-making, the monks, who use a secret recipe from the 1600s that contains 130 botanicals, have decided not to increase their production, citing environmental concerns and a desire to focus on other aspects of monastic life like solitude and prayer.

Einbund’s recipe uses yellow Chartreuse, and doesn’t look very different from a classic cappuccino. The cookbook’s authors, however, prefer using green Chartreuse, which gives the drink a sweet, vegetal note that blends well with the espresso. To make the drink appear more green, they add a dash of matcha powder — about 3/4 teaspoon — to the milk mixture before steaming.

 Note: This recipe requires an espresso machine steam wand.

Chartreuse Cappuccino

Makes 1 drink (8 ounces)

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce yellow or green Chartreuse

4 ounces whole milk or alternative milk of your choice

1 teaspoon palm sugar syrup or Demerara sugar syrup

3/4 teaspoon matcha powder, optional

1 espresso shot (1.5 ounces or 3 tablespoons)

DIRECTIONS

Add the Chartreuse, milk, palm sugar syrup and matcha powder (if using) to a steaming pitcher for milk. Steam the mixture using the steam wand on your espresso machine. You’re looking for traditional cappuccino foam here — frothy and not too wet. You will notice that the steamed milk is fragrant from the sugar and Chartreuse, which is very much the point.

Pull a shot of espresso and pour it into a cappuccino cup. Pour the steamed milk mixture over the espresso and serve immediately.

— Reprinted with permission from “But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” by Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen (Union Square & Co., $20).