Here Come the Hawks!

The Hawks are back!

I went to my first Hawks game in three years on Sunday. They were a winner, beating the Flames 5-2 after losing two games to the Detroit Redwings.

My impressions? Things have changed a lot since three years ago. John McDonough, the President of the BH, has done a fantastic job to market this club to once again get fans - in this hockey town- excited, especially in four major ways. 1) Blackhawks games are now on TV. 2) Blackhawk Alumni such as Bobby Hull, Stan Makita, etc. are in attendance regularly to get 'old' fans to come to see the 'new generation Blackhawks.' (Even I a mere 20 year old girl, who knows nothing about these alumni and their past, but they have become a household, recognizable name to me, because they are constantly in the media). 3) The Winter Classic has been a success since its initiation in early July. (BH players such as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have sang the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley and the Hawks have been advertised in Wrigley in pretty much every one of the ten games I've went to... such as handing out schedules before the games).4) The BH now have a Fan Fest (like the Cubs Convention, Sox Fest).

...and obviously having a now winning club doesn't hurt.

Chicagoans are once again excited about hockey, because there is a great club on the ice, and you know what... we deserve it. We've had horrible few years of hockey with terrible management. J McD needed to do a lot to get back some of those fans that the past BH management lost. And honestly, I can say I am one of those "fans" that McDonough "brought in" and became interested in hockey.

When I was younger, hockey games were hardly on TV, because of the William Wirtz saga- blacking out the BH home games. Only a few away games were the only games on in my house, and generally I would never sit down and watch them with Ma and Pa, because I was not interested nor understood the game. My uncle would take me to one or two games a year or ever other year, and that was my one-two year fix...didn't watch any more games or wasn't really "begging for more."

Now with the new management, my brother and parents always have on the game, so I sit down and watch it with them as much as I can. I now understand what icing, offsides, slashing, etc. actually means. And as a soccer player for more than 15 years, all I can say is WOW... the formation, play set up, etc. portrays the same game as soccer, especially indoor soccer, except for obviously the ice and sticks. As a soccer player, and watching more of the Blackhawk games on TV, I've come to appreciate hockey a lot more and actually enjoy it more than ever.

Also, seeing the game on Sunday, I've come to appreciate the "sounds of the game." In all of the sporting events I've attended, no sport has cooler sounds than hockey- a skater's quick stop with the skate and seeing all the ice fly in the air, a puck hitting the stick or the board, a check into the board, etc. Even way above in section 309, 14 rows up could you hear those ever cool sounds.


The Winter Classic: For those of you who've read my first post ever on this blog, you can tell I'm a Cubs fan. So for me, watching the Winter Classic was exceptional. Although I know Soldier Field would have been a viable option for hosting the WC, because it sits about double the fans of Wrigley, but I think there is nothing like Wrigley for an event such as this: the rooftops, the neighborhood, the bars, the scoreboard, the bricks, the ivy. The WHOLE neighborhood was transformed into hockey-ville. Maybe its my Cubs bias, but there's nothing like Wrigley Field and it was the absolute best decision to hold the WC and showcase historic Wrigley Field's beauty and majesty with a outdoor hockey game in an icy cold, snowy January. I know many Sox fans didn't agree with the selection of the game at WF for two experiences I've had recently:

1) At my friend's house, her mom heckled me because I'm a Cubs fan (and because I always let it be known) but she screamed "the cubs suck and always will if they play in that hole...look at the BH, they can't even win there either."
2) A man sitting in front of me at the Hawks game was an obvious Sox fan. Between periods when the big screen showed clips/ pictures from the Classic, he would scream, "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET PLAYING AT THE WORLD'S LARGEST GAY BAR!" or "WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR" or "NO ONE CAN WIN IN THAT PLACE," chuckling, then subsequently high fiving his other mid forty-year-old-neck-bearded-fat-beer-belly-busting-friends.

Why can't we be friends? When leaving the United Center, a Sox fan started screaming "LET'S GO WHITE SOX" then a Cubs fan needs to show his place by fighting "LET'S GO CUBBIES." A third man, thank God (because I didn't want to hear this non-sense at a Blackhawks game, screamed "LETS GO BLACKHAWKS."

Man #3 is right. Go Hawks. Its hockey season. Unite Chicagoans. We actually have a winning club, and I'll be the first one to tell you... I'm jumpin' on this bandwagon while I can.

Sox and Cubs

I'd forgotten that this years Chicago doublentries into the baseball playoffs are both performing a tribute to the playoff performance of the 1983 White Sox. Love those key HR's given up, those bases loaded situations where nobody gets home, and players screaming @ the other team.

Both teams - no doubt about it -are facing tough opponents. But these performances? The Cubs have been worse, and are in a lot of danger now. No Cub hating here, as the Sox have suxxed as well - just a realization that a Chicago Series is sadly slipping into the gutter and both teams have been deeply pathetic. The Cubs are too good a team to be swept - or even not advance from the first round.

The Sox, after a stirring few days this week, still have a bit of life. One loss, when they wanted only one of two in Florida, is ok. They have @ least one game @ Comiskey on Sunday. And, maybe most importantly, they got Vasquez out of the way. The next three starters are Burlhe, Danks, and Floyd - and, if a fifth game is needed, then I believe it should be - i'm changing my vote - Richard the Rookie. Vasquez is a nice #5 starter, but we need better for this series.

Both teams need better. yeesh.

The Cubs Crew.

In Wrigley Field for the Cubs -v- Reds game on Tuesday nite. Jackson and Rocky and I were to meet in front of the Mac D.'s on Clark, but they'd already entered to reserve the seats. I was gonna see GF @ her werke, but time got the best of me and I had to go straight to 22d near the Chinatown El stop and El'd it to Wrigley. Again, I do so like riding the El from time to time.

Those fucks flew the coop - I was 5m late -so I decided to walk a little around wrigleyvilles alleys and discovered a funny thing - so many people rent out their garages for visiting fans that every alley has 6-7 very open garages. Smart $ makers w/ such a little effort.

Easil found the boys -we were in left field, near the curve in the wall. Pretty good game - the Cubs were obviously superior and had the upper hand the whole game. There were some great defensive plays on both sides. Aramis Ramirez in particular made several spectacular plays. I'd brought my radio -which - the Sox are so good this year and I have fallen into the obsession mode. So- yes I was watching the game in front of me, but on my transistor was the game that really mattered.

Oh - and up on the scoreboard. As I saw the Twins take a 5-2 lead on Boston @ Fenway (FINALLY the Twins were going on the road -and to Boston - the thinking went that the Sox mite pick up some games while playing K.C.). So -@ a certain point -the Sox were down 4-1 and the Twins leading byt ghat 5-2 score late. But it all worked out, @ least for this nite.

AH - but there was more than baseball this nite:

"He's working where??"

"Hey - I know the story of the first night they were to-gether"

"WHAT??"

"5000 hits!?!?!"

"So- compare this old girlf with this old girlf w/ this old girlfriend -which was the best?"

"Listen, listen -I got that story - listen"

etc etc etc...

The crowd around us was fine. Cub fans have a reputation as meatheads, but these ones were pretty mellow. We were heckling Adam Dunn, the Reds left fielder. I have the loudest voice of anyone that nite, but I didn't put in too much effort. I jabbled out a few warped Monty Pythonish bizarros, but it was mainly for my edification. Even I didn't get what I was yelling out.

Though the nite threatened rain -angry skies foto's by Rocky -whenever he flixx' them y'll see - it held off. I worked this day @ school, so I came in nice pants and tie to the game- and it was hot. Not opressively hot, but off the shirt. Was I mocked more for my shirtlessness or my Sox hat?

Dunno.

Rocky drop of Jaxx @ the Capital Ship, then me near 22d, and then we drove down to my crib so Rocky could crash over. But before we crashed...

Wrigley Gum Corporation Field

Although the Iowa unwashed are messing the backs of their overalls about the possibility of The Wrigley Gum Corporation Field being renamed after....... uh...... well........ a corporation, the Official Paper of the Cubs (todays space could be declared a tie - Sox got extra column space --due to two games played - the Cubs, as has been the usual all spring -got the front sports page. And the front Tempo page. What- don't believe me? Try reading the Trib. It really seems to be getting worse - maybe they still haven't corrected the balance when the Trib was forced to follow the Sox in '05) had an article from their excellent architecture critic Blair Kamin on the true dangers of this situation. A far more important issue is @ stake than the feelings of the tourists from Iowa - namely that if Zell or whoever gets the city to change landmark status on Wrigley, fucks like him mite use this example to run amok on the rest of the cities landmark buildings and districts.

Yes, I always love taking the piss out of Cub fans, but Wrigley without a doubt must be protected. It's one of three -oops, just about two now - remaining old buildings that fans can hoist up the sign "Babe Ruth played here" as they did @ Old Comiskey's last game that sad September day in 1990. Like Fenway and Yankee's, it's nice to sit in the stands and think about all the old players - and all the old fans who were here before. Although never as homey as the Sox's old home - remember Harry's peonna(sic) to Comiskey "Ah ya can't beat fun @ the Old Ballpark"-it's a great place to take in a game -as long as one can get past the yikky yokals. Chicago has lost too many sporting treasures to let anyone mess with Wrigley.

Now they have 'messed' with Wrigley before. The bleachers , for example- no, not adding 2000 seats several years back, but the entire structure itself. The upper deck and the scoreboard are also not original. And it was future Sox owner Bill Veeck who planted the ivy. But to-gether, it works well. By the twin fortunes of its surviving baseballs- and societies @ large- 'tear down era' and that neighbourhood turning from a shitty area to unwashed uppy central (ick!! -I am old enough to rememebr when that neighbourhood actually was a real cool city area instead of what you got now -what, would you hang out there? Really: Where? The Cubby Bear?? Or that place across the street from it? Hey guys - Let's get a drink @ THE CUBBY BEAR. Even Cabaret Metro rarely has kool shows these days) has allowed Wrigley to become an reminder of the old days of baseball. It should be protected. Remember, Cub fans - lose Wrigley and suddenly the Devil Rays mite suddenly become the choice of those from the hamlets of Iowa.

But the issue is more than the survival of Wrigley and grand old buildings like it are @ the center piece of Kamins article. It's more than sports architecture and rivalries. Shitheads like Mayor Daley, the Tribune Corporation, Zell, Trump, real estate developers - fuck, I'll even drop Robert Moses's name - who only see $$$ when we see garish efidices, horrid condo buildings, parking lots where there used to be class structures, and ripped out neighbourhoods - must be counteracted.

Cub fans - now that you have moved off the farm and into the city, please make as much fuss as you can about respecting the integrety of gum corporation baseball grounds. This city has lost way too much to people who do not care. Although the digg on cub fans is that when @ wrigley they do not pay attention to the game - remember, YOU ARE @ WRIGLEY ITSELF, and if you enjoy that atmosphere, @ least strive to protect it. I know that you get an enormous amount of grief from baseball fans, please fite for this. it's not just wrigley - it's the whole city's integrety @ stake.

Welcome to beautiful Crate & Barrel Park, home of the Cubs!

Sam Zell might be a brilliant real estate mogul, but he is no baseball guy. Thank god this soulless, spiritually bereft mother fucker is going to sell the team. Unfortunately, this cock sucker, "who only looks forward" ( you wonder if ever wipes his ass, since it is behind him) is going to sell the team and Wrigley Field separately. This robot of a man doesn't even understand that 'Wrigley Field' has more value when it is called Wrigley Field, than if it called (insert corporate name here) Park.

This of course would never happen in Boston, or in New York. Only in Chicago where that team on the southside replaced a decrepit, albeit beloved ballpark with a shopping mall. Where Da Bears put a fucking UFO inside a National Landmark and were so stupid that they didn't have the foresight to put in a dome. Finally, where the second oldest ballpark in all of America will be reduced to nothing more than another corporate sponsored advertising shell. And people wonder why they call this the second city. As far as our sports teams are concerned, they should call Chicago, Second Class city. Why can't they ever do anything first rate here, it really is depressing.

Check out Gene Wojciechowski's article on the same topic here.