Baller-in-Chief

From Fred Mitchell for the Chicago Tribune Online)

Lovie Smith, Jay Cutler among invited guests for fund-raising dinner

Bears coach Lovie Smith and the team’s new Pro Bowl quarterback, Jay Cutler, are among the invited guests for a private fundraising dinner Thursday for President Barack Obama.

The dinner, at the Chicago home of Obama’s longtime friend Penny Pritzker and her husband, Bryan Traubert, will precede a major fundraising event at the Hyatt Regency downtown Thursday evening.

The list of invitees (who reportedly are donating $15,000 apiece) also includes former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong, now the agent for Bulls Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose, as well as prominent Chicago financier (and pickup basketball colleague of Obama) John Rogers and local sports marketing attorney Andrew Stroth.

Smith, who generally keeps out of politics, was one of the first sports figures in Chicago to speak out publicly about his support for Obama before his election.

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