The Black Sox faction

SOX WIN!! SOX WIN!!


Spent my first nite @ Comisky Park this season finally-to think that I used to go almost a score every year. I'd gotten severly discounted tix from CPS, always a treat, and I figrured to months ago that this would be the game- the only one offered on a "weekend" nite.

Da Sox's travails are well known. The batting, the relief pitching- hell, last years 90 win teams' "je ne sais pas" on how to win games is even missing- they are just flat out playing badly. It does seem that, for the first time in a millinium that starts w/ a "2" , the Sox will not be among the contenders in September. Two weeks ago, in the midst of a 5-17 run and the depressing thought that Mark Buerlhe's trade was imminent, the thought was that the Sox would be this years version of the Cubs last year, minus all the deep hate the fans threw on Chicago's other club. With the Cubs doing a suprising .500 in baseballs weakest division (they really do have a chance-Milwaukee looks good, but there is a lot of time left to ctch up) and the sportswriters grasping @ any straw unless they want to spend the next 3m talking about the Brewers and Tigers, the newspapers vitriol has turned to the Sox. We love it. Especially the sportswriter (Mariotti) who claimed that Sox fans hate the Sox. Hmmmm. Now, as a writer myself I understand how hard it is to make up angles, but maybe he should have asked one...............

But despite all the supposed gloom, it was a perfect nite to watch a game @ Comisky-Harry Caray's "Ah,ya can't beat fun @ the old ballpark" fits this Comisky as well as Mr. Caray's Old Comisky. Our seats were in the upperdeck 20 rows back, and we shared the area with enormous amounts of children. Since this was 'school 1/4 ticket nite', I figgered that a lot of these kids were here via the same ticket. Gf remarked that the upper deck fans are always rowdier than the lower deck fans, and I think this is true. There is a definate class distinction in the Comisky theatre: the Groundlings get the sky view, while the box seaters get..........well,the box seats. I always used buy cheap seats and then sneak down and sit rite behind the dugouts (Also: Wrigley, Yankee, Shea, Fenway, Candlestick, and where the A's play = buy cheap, sit rich.....ok, Candlestick is no longer an MLB park). No longer-Sox management now allows only people ticketed for the lower deck down there. So, except for the occasional times I bumrush the 16yo's guarding the entrance to the lower deck, I'm stuck upstairs.

The Sox played another bumbling team, Baltimore. Both teams are around 10 games under and 13 games back, and having their problems: Not only are they not playing well, but both teams are in tough division. Looks like a long season for the rest of the year. To make matters worse, there has been a lot of talk about trading away members of the team and giving up on this year. The trading deadline approaches @ the end of this month, and if the Sox do not make any noves in the standings we'll see a firesale- not the shameful matter of 1997, but a firesale none the less.

Sox were starting Javier Vasquez. He's not having a bad year; the whole starting staff is doing well. Mr. Vasquez, who got a large contract extension in the spring, has responded with a 'solid' year so far- 5-5, 3.7 ERA. His season so far mirrors the whole starting staff- pretty solid, but lost* admidst the rest of the the teams woes. Mark Buerhle is having his contract year turn out well, and John Garland is continuing to have an excellent career. Lefty John Danks, controversly traded for Brandon Mcarthy, has had a extremely promising start. Jose Contreras is having a tough start, but is not an over worry.

Mr. Vasquez performed @ a very high level: one run on four hits in a complete game victory. He was even more dominant than the stats suggest. Aided by the outstanding defense of 3b Josh Fields, the Orioles never looked dangerous. Of course, todays newspapers reaction to his game was that it "aided his trade value". Great. We got on of the best starting rotations in baseball, and they are all looked @ (outside of Danks) as trade bait. So how is it that this came to be?

The offense, last nite, came through when it mattered. Jerry Owens, back up in the majors to replace Scott Podseknik yet again, singled, stole a base, and scored on a Paul Konerko. Later, Jim Thome cranked a three run homer. This is the way its supposed to work. But too often this year, the offense has been anemic. Bases loaded, no outs in 3d lead to only one run- Jermaine Dye grounded into a double play. This has not been a problem just this year- remember the famous "Grinder Rule #17" from the almost collapse in Sept. 2005: "One Run on four hits will have to be enough". All too often the last three years -- and that includes the World season (remember, they managed to score only 3 runs in the final 18 innings of that World Series)-- the offense has been terrible. For a team that is supposed to play "Ozzie Ball" (small ball, I think its billed)and @ the same time currently holds the major league record for most 200+ HR seson in a row (seemingly to end this year), the Sox, the offense has sucked. The sluggers are all having off years, and the team is hitting .236- worst by 20 points in the AL. Mr. Dye:.230. Mr. Knoerko:.255. Juan Uribe:.233. Yeeesh!!

In my mind, the key that 2005 team now seems clear: Scott Podsednik. Very controversial item, I think, and I mite be alone in this thinking, but when healthy, he's a killer. In 2005 he played only 129 games, and when he started to miss games in the second half, that Sox team suffered. Last year he played 139 games, but seemed injury-indered all year. The Sox started off swell this year until he left again via injuries. And now the White Sox's manager, Ozzie Gullien, is voicing how the team cannot count on him. And without some speed, the Chicago White Plodders-Mr. Konerko, Mr. Thome, Mr. Dye, Joe Crede, etc.....can only look to hit home runs to get runners around the bases. In 2005, they had it going. Last year, although stats wise the team was fine, it justs didn't happen. And this year, all has gone asunder.

To try and replace Mr. Podsednik, again on the injured list this year, the team has promoted Mr. Owens for a second time. Batting .179 as I write, he seems a good bet for the future; for this game, he went 1-3 and had a run and a stolen base. Another oft injured Sox player, Mr. Crede, seems done for the season via his recurring back troubles. Like they did in the late 90's with Robin Ventura, the Sox seems to have the future already in place @ 3B: Josh Fields. Although batting .235 in his first 90odd @ bats this year, he roped a drive off the left field wall and played spectacular defense this game. Both have great futures, and played important parts in the Sox's win.

As bad as the offensive has been, he bullpen has been a disaster. Outside of Bobby Jenks, the bullpen has been stunningly bad. There have been so many relievers up and down in the minors, I really couldn't name the Sox's 25 man roster rite now. Too many jokers with 6.00 ERA's. As well as the starting staff has performed this year, the relievers have done the opposite. This nite, however, we were not to see the bullpen. I was really hoping that Mr. Vasquez would complete the game, and we were rewarded. I always want the starters to get their complete games, but I also didn't want to see any of the bullpen in besides Mr. Jenks (who didn't warm up).

So, we got the win. They've won seven of their last nine, and it seems the worst is behind them. Unless they keep playing this hot for the rest of July, Da Sox may lose most of the team via trade deadline firesales. Can they keep it going? They pulled within 10.5 games of Detroits wild card last nite**, but its still 10.5 games and six teams between them and the spot. There is less than half the season left, but enough of the World Champions remains for them to make a last run @ it this year. Likely? No. Possible? All baseball fans know its possible. Just a long slog. Forget about Mr. Crede and Mr. Podsednik - they are gone for the year. And if the Sox are to continue @ the .450 clip they have been playing @ this year, then they will lose even more of their vets: Mr. Burlhe and Mr. Dye have been highlighted in trade talks, along with Mr. Vasquez, Mr. Contreras, and Mr. Garland. Well, this would be the month to do it. Ten games against Cleveland, Detroit, and Minnesota, plus four against the Red Sox mean it will be a hard second half of July. Lets hope the pitching continues to throw complete games and the offense comes through. The thing about baseball is that any team can win on any given day. That's why they play 162 games- to average it all out. Is the Sox pulse these last nine games for real?? I'll wait these three weeks to see if we still have a season be interested in.

*=except for Mr. Buerhle's no hitter.
**=They stayed 13.5 out of first.

The Tank Era comes to a drunken end

The Bears released Tank Johnson today ending what was arguably one of the more embarrassing episodes of the Lovie Era. Not as emabarrassing as Lovie's constant belief in Rex Grossman, but pretty bad nonetheless.

Kenny's Bad Information

With the White Sox soon to raise the white flag of surrender on the South Side less than two years after winning a World Series it is of some interest to see how this team fell so far so fast.

Some have foolishly compared the White Sox to the 85 Bears, who only were able to bring home one Lombardy Trophy. This comparison is a great disservice to Da Bears. It is true that the Bears only won one championship, but they consistently made the playoffs and went deep in the playoffs only to be turned away by San Francisco and Washington. In fact, they were competitive until 91. That is a six year run of playoff football.

The Sox were respectable last year, winning 90 games. Kenny, tweaked with the roster, bringing in an ailing Jim Thome and some Kansas City rejects for the bullpen. Of course they missed the playoffs. They were not even able to defend their crown. Recall famously that last year during the trading deadline Kenny asked Ozzie and Captain Konerko if they needed anything and both said no. Of course the Sox collapsed and missed the playoffs.

Now comes the 2007 season. While the Tigers went out and got Sheffield, the Red Sox reloaded with Dice-K and JD Drew, the White Sox got Masset, Bukvich and Double AA Aardsma. Furthermore, they dumped Freddy Garcia and traded away their promising young arm to Texas for prospects. When questioned about these rather suspect moves, Kenny Williams defiantly said that everyone didn't have the information that he had.

What?!?!?! What exactly was that secret information Kenny? Was the secret information that you have single-handedly dismantled a World Series Champion with your incompetence? This guy should be getting shredded by the Chicago media. His foolish rants against MVP Magglio Ordonez and White Sox icon Frank Thomas shows just how little confidence Kenny has in himself. Confident men don't feel the need to lash out at everyone. They know they are the shit and don't need prove it to everyone everyday.

Kenny, your information, your team, your bullpen, your moves are all bad. Quick, make up your excuses how other perennially winners like the Red Sox and Angels aren't as smart as you. You are the greatest Kenny, and only you know it.

Attrition

Nice nite to catch a soccer game last Saturday when I went to see the Fire play Chivas U.S.A. in Toyota Park. There was a buzz throughout the crowd of 20,400 till the end of the game. The sell out crowd was a soccer knowledgeable crowd that knew enough to cheer an important corner late in the game. Unfortunately, both teams looked dead and play was uninspired. A mistake by a Fire played left Chivas score in the 79thm. However, it got me to thinking several things.

MLS is trying hard to attract the Latino market after ignoring it for many years. This year MLS is back on Spanish language tv after an absence of many years. Latin players, most noticeably the Fire’s Mexican star C. Blanco, are coming to the league. And then there’s the case of the Fire’s opponent, Chivas USA. Based in L.A., it is owned by the Mexican club Chivas of Guadalajara. It seems to be good marketing. Chivas is wildly popular in Mexico and the USA . Some of this good will has spilled over to Chivas USA. --they had a lot of road support Saturday. There were a lot of Mexican jerseys and flags in the crowd, and many cheers were for Chivas. They have gotten great crowds in L.A., and bring out supporters of Chivas of Guadalajara on the road. Good for MLS.

A second thing. This roving Chivas-Chivas USA crowd dueled with the Fires’ Section 8 , and despite the 0-1 loss, Section 8 stood up to the test. Section 8 is a section of fire fans who stand and chant and sing throughout the game, European soccer crowd style. They stand behind the north goal, in what they’ve dubbed the Harlem Stands (‘euro’ inflection again) and keep up a continual racket during the game. It’s always amusing to this American and further unique to Chicago’s sports scene. Part of the fun of a Fire game is to see what mood Section 8 is in.

Chivas USA fans would be able to drown out Section 8 songs when they wanted to in the beginning of the game. They have a repeated “Chivas clap clap clap Chivas clap clap clap Chivas clap clap clap” chant. After raising to huge volume, it eventuallu died down, and you would hear Section 8 emerge on the other side of the sound surge. Eventually, Scetion 8 was able to move ahead in this battle of attrition. By the 65m, they were singing confidently. By the 70m, they were able to shout down Chivas USA fans with their own repeated chant. Finally, sensing their power, in the 72m Section 8 led the whole stadium in fire chants. This war od attrition won would have continued until the end whistle, but for the Chivas USA winning goal in the 79m. That let out a giant roar that was unparalleled for strength the whole nite. But the home crowd--sad as it is to write this-- was able to hold their own.

A third thing. Ante Razov, all time Fire scoring leader returned to play against the Fire. He hasn’t played for the Fire in a while, but he scored a lot of goals for the team. Although it doesn’t have the history of the National League, but this is the MLS’s 12th year. It’s been around a long time now. Many players who first started playing in the league are now reaching retiring age. MLS has hung around a long time. MLS has had a great deal in lifting the U.S.’s prominence in the soccer world, and it’s good to see nice things happening for the league this year.

Dog-Ass Days!

As we approach June and the two month point in the baseball season, both the Cubs and Sox are teetering on point break. They both have the ability to win their respective divisions. The Cubs because of the weakness of their competition, and the Sox on experience and talent.

Both Ozzie and Lou are about to blow a rod. Who will be the first and how bad will it be. Its not only the fact that they are losing, but the hapless way in which these losses are aquired. Its very dificult to lose in the manner the Cubs and Sox have accomplished.

The Sox just dropped their 6th straight on a Buerle 2 hitter. Their chasing Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota while they try to immitate K.C. The Cubs have little leaguers as relievers that can give a game up when no lead is safe.

For the Cubs, the expectations were very high and for the first time in many years they cannot blame injuries. They play listless and without any seeming urgency.

Urgency is the bottom line for both teams, they are both designed to win now! The Cubs finishing towards the bottom would be an indictment of both Lou and the now free spending Hendry. For the Sox and their cost cutting management, this may be the last run for the World Series remnats. Two more weeks of this type of lsoing and some major moves will be made on both sides of town.

Summer in Chicago

Chicago is a two season town. The cold season is for drinking and staying on the couch. The hot season is for exercising and enjoying the lakefront. This Memorial Day weekend is the official start of the hot season, so get out and celebrate all that this great city has to offer.

Baseball update:

1. American League looks like it has about 4 teams worthy of the title chase. Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and LA/Orange County/Pasadena/Long Beach/Riverside look like playoff teams so far. All four have great starting pitching and a nice blend of veterans and newbies.

2. National League looks a bit more wide open. I like the Mets, Atlanta and San Diego. The Central must place a team in the playoffs. I really have no clue which team will even win 80 games in the division, maybe Milwaukee with great starting pitching and young talent up the middle.

Sidenote:
NBA Finals Spurs and Pistons Rematch from 2005. I remember game 7 of the 2005 Finals. Detroit is better now and San Antonio is the same team but two years older. I think this series will go 6 games and end in Motown for the Pistons. Webber is on a mission and will not be denied.

Back to the Nice Weather Now....

BooK EnD

Progression !!!

It was just a joy to watch. So exciting. And yes, I had them left for dead, but now I'm jumping on the bandwagon:

WE MUST DO IT!!

Several different thoughts, jumbled all over each other=

Shot after shot after shot went in. Until i checked the box score earlier, I though the Bulls shot 100%. Thank you Jesus for a hot hitting fool like Little Ben G., who will never miss another shot until the end of time.

Kirk!! Just loved the play where he midded a three from the left corner, ran for the daylight in the other corner while ignoring the ball bouncing out near him (he knew his teamate would get it and get it to him)and then drained the three. 13 assists for THAT fool.

He was invisible, right? Talking w/ Crankface, and we both were like "and we didn't even need a big game from Deng". Yet again, the box shows Luol with 20 points, seven boards, and four assists. Hopefully he'll have just as invisible a game Thursday.

Tyrus Thomas, SLAMMING !!! Just like the rest of the team, when we needed some play out of the ordinary, here was Double T two handing'm down. After Kirks three (above), my favourite was the alley-oop he put down from Ben Wallace in the third quarter. He was energy that the Pistons just couldn't deal withon top of the rest of the teams play.

P.J. Brown, hustling on the break, hitting the shots (15 points), and getting the boards (eight). Great game !!

So, Thursday. Yes, very obvious that they can pull it off @ home. Detroits gonna make some changes, but luckily there's only one day they can practice them. I suggest get in the faces of the Bulls shooters more; but then hopefully we can get inside more. The Bulls need to avoid cold shooting and keep the stifling D going.

Lets go Bulls!!

Raus !!! Schnell !!!

I just love how 'patriotism' is so freely used as a term for fascism in America. The New York Times reported this week on the practice of 7-8 baseball stadiums that force the crowd to stand still during the seventh inning stretch playing of patriotic songs that has kicked since 2001. I'm deeply sick of anti-American shitheads forcing their standards on the good people of America while disingenuously claiming that it is "the good American thing to do".

How dare the types who gave us Vietnam, slavery, Iraq, Bush, the genocide of the native Americans, and etc. now trying to force a new and improved form of McCarthyism on us. When I hear patriotic songs, I sometimes think of the greatness of my nation. But when I read of sorrowful situations such as this, I just think of the lie of American freedom. Why is it that that sort of anti-American crowd continually dictates what patriotic Americans must do. If I feel like doing jumping jacks during the singing of "God Bless America", why not??

We must reject those who hate America so deeply. The greatest rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" that I have ever heard, the deeply moving and beautiful rendition by Marvin Gaye at the NBA all star game in 1983, sparked loads of controversy. Never have I felt such 'pride in being American from a song' as that rendition. And that sort hated it and raised such a stink. I guess they not only were anti-American but they also had poor taste.

I understand that the freedom to move around a baseball stadium is maybe not the most important thing ever (like, say, having our votes counted accurately); but this is America, and we must protect her from those who hate out American Freedoms.

God Bless the United States of America.

Survival !!

So, the Bulls didn’t look all that outmatched Sunday in their 102-87 defeat of the Detroit Pistons to stay alive and provide some hope in their forlorn playoff series. They played with a seriousness from beginning to end that seemed more real than any other time in this series. From the beginning, they got the ball inside with great passing and ball movement that the Pistons defense could not keep up with. At times the Bulls seemed to be playing the ballgame that beat Miami.

Although the Pistons would have some leads in the first half and the Bulls seemed in danger of collapsing as the fourth quarter rolled on, they held on and closed out Detroit with a youthful display of movement, crisp passing (although some passes were horribly forced and resulted in some buck -ugly turnovers), and tough D. Where in game # 3 the Bulls collapsed in the third quarter, this time they extended the lead and looked ready to really womp the mo-town crew. Although there was some unsteadiness in the fourth quarter that looked like another disastrous collapse in the making, they held on and gained a lot of confidence. There was no disaster: the Bulls held their own and won.

The list of contributors was great. Ben Wallace had a 17 boards and hit 5-8 ft’s. Kirk Heinrich had a great game on both offense and D. And Ben Gordon, after a nothing 1st half, had a solid 2d half on the way to 19 points that was highlighted by an incredibly important three point shot late in the game that helped stunt the Pistons comeback. And Luol Deng continued his outstanding and continually getting better play. Luol was the only player not to sit the entire game. However, it was the playing great as a team to-gether that won the game. I can guess that the practices the team had in preparing for this game had a huge effect: the Pistons were the same team- it‘s not like they had a bad game- but now the Bulls seemed to have answers. The biggest change was getting the ball inside and actually scoring. The Bulls tried that in the first three games, but only now did they succeed when the game was on the line and not hopeless over.

The future? Methinks it ends Tuesday nite. We got what every team wants in a series down 0-3: that first win. But Detroit has such a good team and they so dominated the Bulls in The Palace that I have little hope for a game six. But one never knows: as I stated above, there was no collapse and the Pistons were beaten. If they can somehow survive another game in Michigan, maybe…………………

Double no hitters I was almost involved in both at the same time and they threw us into a hole and washed away the key and then laughed at us

Went w/ Gf to Cubs game last nite. I haven't been to a Sox game yet, but here I am @ the Wrigly Corporation(sic) Field. Met Gf @ Hilts H.S., and battled our way north up slow Western. I had the coupons rolling for some stuff @ Costello's Sandwichs and Things. This was not a 2-1, but a free drink and side. had two coupons, and supped fast and well. We dropped the car and did the double time (we didn't- we walked @ normal pace) mile walk to the stadium, and went in.

One thing I noticed was that there was a lot of Cub fans there. I know I have a bit of blinders on, but it's funny to this Southsider to see so many fans of Iowa team. True, too, not just a anti cubfan thing.

As stated in the title (LIARS!!!), there were two no hitters going this nite. Since I was @ Wrigley, I guess I dressed the part : the Cub pitcher had a no hitter into the seventh, but I must admidt I didn't notice until..............after the game. I was noticing the 4 in the first the Sox put up and that this game was going FAST AS HELL. I clapped the outs.

It was a good time. Wrigley is a great place to take in a game, although there are some negatives and some little funny thing as well.

The negative is having to look @ those fucking rooftop bleachers they put up outside the stadium. So bad. I totally remember the organic rooftops of my youth, where it was just the people who lived there & frenz invited who went, not the fux who infest the place now (who knows? maybe my Dad didn't die and was hanging out up there...............listening to the Sox game on his transistor........). That's a really sad part of the flavour of the park.

Another thing was the bleachers. yes, Yes, the $5 tix of my youth are now $45 or whatever, and there are now no 'Bleacher Bums' allowed anynear the place, but the expansion of the Bleachers went well from my viewpoint. They added 1000 seats or so, and it didn't hurt the park that much - or at all.

For all its faults, Comisky Park also had its impact on wrigley - the Tribune Corporation mimicing center field @ Comisky and adding a dark glassed viewing area. Again, when I was growing up, that area was dingy corrugated metal in center field. It fit in with the image of the Cubs of the 70's and early 80's- a team that was repped by Bleacher Bums and "The five percent who can't get jobs". (It really was kool/acceptable to be a Cubs fan way back. Now? Ten foot stick. It'll seat some more, and although I liked the metal and then the grass they replaced it with, that's business.

Tribune corporation didn't just steal from the Sox. They also stole from the Dodgers- the Brooklyn Dodgers. There was a little ragtime band playing some songs betwixt innings, and I really though I was @ Ebbets Field.

Truth be told, it was a good time. Viva the Cubbies..........

The Sinking Ship

The Sox season is sinking fast in what amounts to a pre white flag season. Currently they reside in 4th place with only one batter hitting better than .250. They have lost all of their speed and the small ball that brought them a World Series is only a memory.

Their challenges begin with being in the most competitive division in the league. Couple this with a very poor attempt to copy murderers row and a lack of fire and we may have some competition for K.C. Amazingly, Ozzie has been unusually silent throughout this slide. This may indicate that the hunger is gone and next years Washington Nationals blueprint is being executed ahead of time.

Unless the pitching is shutout like, the Sox have great difficulty scoring. They are all swinging for the fences with very poor results. The Thome trade has been a complete failure. He has continued his pattern of injury/mediocre production.

Yes their record may be better than the Cubs, but they will end up in the bottom of the division. This appears to be their last chance before the "rebuilding" begins. Reinsdorf is, indeed, a very frustrating owner. He is willing to admit via his trades that money is the bottom line.

It would be refreshing to hear Ozzie go against the company line, but winning isn't in the plan this year.

I am seeing the comparisons betwixt the Bulls-Pistons from now vs. the way back rivalry of the late '80's and 90's. It's not that it's these two teams, Chicago and Detroit. The uniforms may be the same, but the personnel and focus of both sets of teams are radically different from way back. It's not that the Bulls are the up and coming team that has to learn and live another year or two before they can successfully challenge the giants. The comparison I see is that these Bulls are getting their asses kicked by the Pistons.

That's just the way it is. Detroit, in their first two home games, have never even looked sweaty. As Rosario said, I'm tired of seeing these guys smile. The playoff series in '88, '89, and '90 all ended with the Bulls getting a little closer each year, but beinbg dominated when it really counted. As these series went on, the Bulls were able to get some wins @ home. Eventually they superseeded the Pistons, but those early series seemed just as this- a championship caliber team pushing around youngsters.

Thursday nite the Bulls have to respond with a big game, but the team seems utterly demoralised on the road court. Detroit moved the ball well, played d, and shot well. The Bulls were the absolute opposite. Again, the body language says it all- smiles -v- downcast grimaces.

I can't see the Bulls even winning one game they have been so outplayed. Thursday nite the series comes to Chicago, and the Bulls have to win. If they can control home court for the next two games, then they will only lose this series 4-3.

Lets go Bulls.

Experience Wins Again

Wings in 6-Pistons in 5 or maybe even 4.




Experience wins this time of the year in hockey and basketball.

I am from Detroit and am a very content sports fan at this time.

Bulls will learn from this experience. Will Paxson keep Skiles for another year? That is the question.

Book End

Can 2007 be like 1991?

Who can forget the end of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals when the classless Pistons walked off the court with 7 seconds left. Refusing to shake the Bulls hands. This was after the Pistons had beaten the Bulls the year before in the Eastern Conference Finals. This victory propelled the Jordan Bulls into one of the greatest dynasties in the modern NBA. The Bulls circa 2007 certainly aren't the Jordan Bulls, but could a victory over the Pistons be another defining moment in Bulls history?

I hope so. But honestly, I'm not optimistic. If you break it down position by position, the Pistons play like the Bulls, but are better at every position. I think Skiles might have the advantage or Flip, but Chauncey is better than Kirk, Rip is better than Gordon, Tayshaun and Luol might be a wash, Rasheed is better than Nocioni or Tyrus and Webber, while a defensive liability is better than the Wallace.

Can the Bulls win? Yes. They need to win one of the first two games in Detroit and finish the series in six. The Pistons have not been a great home team, the Bulls need to take advantage of that. Our Wallace has played some of his best games against Detroit, let's hope that continues. With Dallas being unceremoniously dumped by Oakland ( where exactly is Golden State)the door has been opened. This Bulls team has as realistic chance of winning the NBA Finals.

All the exciting things about the Bulls this year, unselfish play, no real superstar, the extra pass, great defense can also be said about the Pistons. Let's hope the Baby Bulls are all grown up and ready when the Bad Boys Earth Two come to play.

Prediction: Pistons in Six

Just Finish !!

After giving fans a chillingly bad vibe in the N.J. loss to end the regular season, the Bulls punished the Miami heat 4-0 to complete only the second opening round playoff sweep of defending champions in N.B.A. history. And they looked good doing it. A lot has been written about how this Bulls team resembles the early 90’s model in being built slowly while being allowed to grow. They are a hugely different from the Frankenstein model Miami sports: Shaq, ‘Zo, Payton, Williams, and sundry other parts assembled from afar. A healthy Dwayne Wade last year allowed Miami to win it all, but the collection of yesterdays stars and Dwayne Wade could not keep up with the Bulls in any facet of the game this year. This team has been allowed to mesh to-gether well, and the addition of Ben Wallace to the core has been a major plus this series.

It was good to see the Bulls respond to the season ending N.J. loss which dropped them from #2 to #5 in the important playoff seedings. Losing the opportunity to play two straight series against weak opposition to open the playoffs and instead pairing them first against the champs and then the #1 seeded Detroit Pistons could have crushed a teams psyche. But, these was no way even close that these guys were effected.

The Bulls are a talented, deep, young, defensive minded team that used all of these things to overwhelm the Heat. The truth was out the first quarter of game #3. Down 2 games to none, the Heat had to respond by coming out all championship style- but instead it was Luol ‘denging down shots, Wallace boxing out, and the Bulls hustling everywhere. To me, the Heats championship ran out unofficially early in the third quarter of this game when the Bulls survived a furious quarter and a half surge* and put the game away. Shaq had gotten some baskets with his inside immovable positioning, but the defense tightened up and frustrated the Heat, and Ben Gordon started to hit shots.

In Sundays game I just saw a beaten Miami side from the get go, despite the few scattered heroics of what was essentially the rear guard of the championship. Again, the Bulls were able do what they wished almost the whole game. The 4-0 series win was fairly indicitive of how both teams were paying.

Now Detroit. They also are coming off a 4-0 sweep, and seem to be a bigger problem for the Bulls then the somewhat injured and old Heat. However, I have the same good feeling about this team, and the 1st round only strenghtened it. This teams should be going to the finals, if they can get past the Pistons. And they will.



*=funny-I hesitated to use this word.

Sunday Ballin

I’ve muttered the phrases mantra-like throughout the season. Kinda like a Stepford Wife blankly repeating a recipe for Hail Mary cakes 30 times over. Wonderfully coiffed no less. That the veteran presence of PJB and Wallace will be incalculable come playoff time. And now that I’m fresh this Sunday morn in anticipation of a possible sweep, I shake my head and consider how true that statement was/is. Say we flashback to a Tyson, an Eddy, would our position this sweet Sunday be even remotely possible? Indeed we all knew the where Pax was going with the offseason moves and trades, but now that we can witness in realtime the true and beautiful science set into motion on national tv, it is nothing but remarkable.

Wallace and PJB have been crucial in taking Shaq out of the second half these past few games. I see their positioning on Shaq without the ball as key to having him not be able to be elemental the second half of the game. Of course, Shaq is going to get his 17 or so but collectively Wallace/PJB have somehow been able to nullify his massive presence the 3rd/4th quarters. Shaq almost seems exhausted.

Beyond that, the offensive hustle tips to keep the ball alive, the timely midrange jumper, these x factors have kept our Bulls in it. They’ve upped the pot. These vet efforts have really led to our success in this playoff series. Sweep or no sweep. I’m a believer.

Worlds of talents- Zilch of class

There's no question that the Cubs Mark Prior, when healthy, is one of the class pitchers in the game. Unless he was pitching against the Sox, I loved to watch him pitch. It truly is sad for him to have so much trouble with his health, especially with his talent. The same can be said of his older but junior partner, Kerry Wood. A third Cub pitcher of late, Greg Maddux, can be added to this working list.

Why them on the list? Is this another anti-Cub column masquerading as a positive Cub post? Well, maybe, but my stated point is this: Has one team ever had three bigger jagoffs than these three? It was really amusing to watch Prior jerseys sales go through the roof while that guy constantly presented such a negative vibe. No, Prior, yr not the best. No Prior, the reporter should be treated with class. No Prior, no matter how tall you are and however many wins you had in your one major league season, you shouldn't look down on people.

I understand that as a Sox fan, I've dealt with the surly-ass Albert Belle. And no matter how bad belle was, Barry Bonds is even worse- well, maybe. But all three of these guys never had any respect from me. Oh sure, Maddux is one of the great pitchers of the game, but do you really have to open up your smug mouth? Kerry Wood, do you really have to be so condesending (you are a Cub, after all)?

I hate to see these guys in pain. God Bless them all. I loved to watch prior pitch and even bat. But it will be nice not to have to have these fucks inflicted on us this season. All three are nightmares, and no matter how much talent one has, try and match it with class.

On the Brink?

To Quote the famous Commandant Hilts, " How the fuck did this happen"? The Bulls went from number two seed to number five in an instant. They now have the unenviable match up with the Heat. This incarnation of the Bulls have always played the Heat well, but this Heat season is quite bizarre.

The Heat begin the season with Shaq out, then Riley goes out, and then the season ending injury that wasn't hits Wade. All this led to a well rested and very resurgent late season rally for the Heat. The most important factor that can be gleaned from their season is that Shaq can still play hard every night if he is forced to or feels like it.

Where does this leave the Bulls? In a seven game series, the Heat definitely have the advantage. Shaq will wear down our frontline as they double team him. Though Wade hasn't been the same since the injury, he is still the most clutch player in the East.

Ah, playoff Basketball, what a time. The good players become great and the great players become immortal. Miami has two immortals already, but the Bulls have nothing to lose. If they go out in the first round, it will be said that they had the unfortunate match up of meeting last years champs. Statistically it looks very bad for the Bulls. Champions are rarely defeated in the first round under the current playoff system.

Bulls in Six!

Yes, once in awhile these things happen

It was both a spiritually uplifting nite in Chicago sports last nite as well as a deeply depressing one. Depression will be dealt with rite here: #5 seed. How the fuck................... Ok, on to Buerlhe.

Great nite. I went to see a play (House theatre's "The Sparrow") and I liked it tremendously. On the way up to the north side, I checking in on the Sox game for a half inning early, then switched to FM to concentrate on the uber important Bulls game. After the play, I clicked on the radio and got up the Sox postgame to see if they won. Listening, I knew immediately that something was up. Then I found out:

Holy Cow!!.

I'm glad: First things first, they're now one game under .500. Secondly, yet another strong pitching performance from the staff- The staff ERA, after the first two games, is rite around 2.00- THE WHOLE STAFF'S ERA IS AROUND 2.00. What, we were worried @ one point about the staff?? ( I know, were only 1/10th into the season- there's a long way to go.......and what about the bats.....?). But best of all, my favourite player today got some national attention with a great individual game. He had one walk, to the old Sox Sammy Sosa, and he erased him with a pickoff. 27 up and down. Good job, Mark. The no hitter will probably go a long way in insuring a $100m+ contract from the Cardnials, Red Sox, or Yankee's this fall.

So the Sox have had several no hitters on my watch. I missed the Barrios/Blue Moon odom one in '76, so my first brush with no-hitterdom came when Dennis Lamp almost no hit ( Years and teams my be wrong in this post, since I'm doing no research for this post) who-- the Brewers? This must have been 1980 or 1981. He took it into the 9th with the Sox winning, and I'll always remember Harry's call as the Sox made their 3d out and we went to commercial before the last three outs: "Now lets get to the important thing". Actually, I'm quite sure that that was not Harry's exact call, but I though it was funny that Harry was cool with the Sox making the third out and not able to extend their lead. I was with Harry. Lamp lost it after one out, as I remember. My Dad and Z#1 watched the ninth as well.

Flash 1986. I used to work as a dj @ a south side bar when I was TWENTY- it was good money for those days as well : $6.50/h. I worked for 8h, and I will admidt:

I SUCKED AS A D.J.

True.

But it was a sweet job- It was great to be able to play blocks of music from, say, the June Brides. It got really crowded @ nite with tonnes of people dansing-and again, it wasn't from anything I was doing. back then, they were dancing )probably) in SPITE of my efforts. Once a guy from high school came up- it was Professor Griff (extend the last name -- I didn't know him too well @ SRHS, but we knew each other enough)- and drunkenly said "Hey Hilts- yr not 21 yrs old!! I'm gonna tell". he was goading me, and then drunkenly told me he was just joshing. Anothe rgreat story from that job was the chick who --drunkenly again-- wanted to kiss me. I was way too virginal, afraid ('and everything she wants costs money'), and.......afraid, so I said no. Wasn't the first girl who I said "No kiss!" to- probably wouldn't say that again to an interested girl in the future, except that I now have a girlfriend.

But the Sox were on the coast that nite- a late game -v- the Angels- and I'm pretty sure I was the only one in the bar watching. He walked like 8 batters, and I think he even gave in a run or two. But I realised that I had seen then what I hadn't before- a Sox no hitter- and was very happy.

Final Flash--1991. Bad relationship choices let me scope out two no hitters, one by the Sox. It was the Wilson Alvarez one, where he beat the O's in Baltimore 7-0. I was staying in Omaha for several months with an old lover. Luckily, I could keep up with the Sox because WGN was a superstation back in the day. Q and I had stuff to do during the day, so I taped the game. When we got back, it was nice to kick back and watch the no hitter. Q was with me. Second Sox no no for me. The second nohitter I watched in Omaha? Wasn't a Sox no hitter. Q and I had the habit of listening to Omaha Royals games, the minor league AAA team of the K.C. Royals. We were listening when reports came over that Nolan Ryan was deep into a no hitter. We Speed Racered it to her crib, gathered her dad, and we all watched it upstairs on the second tv- her mom could care less about some Texas Ranger baseball game. Good memory.

And, because I listened to a half inning of last nites game, I'll claim this one as well. I'm glad. Burhle's such a favourite in Soxdom. So, to my great grandchildren, when I'm 95 and barely able to talk, I'll direct them here.

Sox Savvy Owner Sure to Influence Cubs Sale

No matter how much you love or hate Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, any way you slice it he will be the key to who the Cubs' new owner will be. Players in other baseball team sales indicate conclusively that knowing Bud, having ties to baseball (especially locally), and a potential bidder's stand on Bud's pet issues are crucial to the politics of baseball ownership. Lurking behind the scenes in the Cubs sale is none other than crosstown rival owner, Jerry Reinsdorf. News accounts state that no one is closer to Bud than Jerry. Aside from his informal influence, Reinsdorf sits on baseball's executive council (the equivalent to the Trilateral Commission) and on four other committees. Whatever Reinsdorf's overt or covert influence, no matter how hard you look, chances are you won't find a transparent process. The Sox might just blow a fastball by the Cubs, Chicago-style.

The Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century: Jackie Robinson

Sometimes, MLB and ESPN really get things right. The all day celebration of Jackie Robinson Day today was made even more poignant with the backdrop of the declining numbers of African American players entering the Major Leagues. It is hard to imagine today, but almost two decades before the Black Panthers, two decades before Martin Luther King, two decades before Selma, Jackie Robinson forced baseball, no, forced America to reevaluate itself and its promise. That just cannot be understated.

One thing that Jackie Robinson Day definitely did was educate people about the incredible accomplishments of Jackie Robinson. It is worth noting that not only was he great at baseball, tennis, football and track and field. In my opinion, he was an even greater athlete than Jim Brown.

In 1935, Robinson graduated from Dakota Junior High School and enrolled in John Muir High School ("Muir Tech"). There he played on various Muir Tech sport teams, and lettered in four of them. He was a shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, a quarterback on the football team, a guard on the basketball team, and a member of the tennis team and the track and field squad. He won awards in the broad jump.

In 1936, he captured the junior boys singles championship in the annual Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament, starred as quarterback, and earned a place on the annual Pomona baseball tournament all-star team, which included future Major League Baseball Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Bob Lemon. The next year, Jackie played for the high school's basketball team. That year, the Pasadena Star-News newspaper reported on the young Robinson.

After leaving Muir, Jackie attended Pasadena Junior College and played both football and baseball. He played quarterback and safety for the football team, shortstop and leadoff batter for the baseball team, and participated in the broad jump.

In 1938, he was elected to the All-Southland Junior College (baseball) Team and selected as the region's Most Valuable Player. On February 4, 1939, he played his last basketball game at Pasadena Junior College. Thereupon Robinson was awarded a gold pin and was named to the school's "Order of the Mast and Dagger.”

To add insult to injury, Jackie served his country in the Military during World War Two and upon his return was not allowed to play in the Major Leagues. Finally, in 1947, Jackie joined the Dogders. For two years he said nothing about the deplorable conditions blacks faced in this country. Such was his deal with the Dodgers.

Finally, he was allowed to play in the Major Leagues and quickly won Rookie of the year in 1947, was a Six time All-Star. Three years into his career he won the NL batting title and the League MVP. This was truly a great American Athlete, and an even greater American who deserves to have everyone remember his legacy.

Goodbye to the Cubs (as we have newly gotten to know them these past twenty years)

Cub fans should be in a dizzy these days with all of the talk about the end of the old Wrigley Corporation Field on Chicago's North Side. Hell, I'm as big a Sox fan as we are made, and I'm hating the idea of the loss of yet another wonderful piece of baseball architecture being scrapped. For the city and for Cub fans (I think) it would be a great mistake to do away with Wrigley.

Chicago as a city is losing much of what makes us unique. Too many old buildings are being torn down and replaced by bland suburban-type condo architecture and parking lots. Any old suburb- or, a newish car-driven city like Los Angeles - would kill for the streetscapes that we routinely destroy each week. Marquette Park, the neighbourhood I grew up in, has lost enormous amounts of the 'walking city' along 63d street and Kedzie. Tall three and four story buildings, movie theatres, marble storefronts= all are missing from the historical neighbourhood I knew. Replacing the irreplaceable has been........................parking lots..............ug......... I feel a little cheated that my neices and nephews can't grow up in a real neighbourhood like I did, full of bricks and morter and interesting sights. Instead, the pull in Chicago is to destroy all neighbourhoods and replace them with parking lots.

Baseball as well has almost destroyed its heritage. This is the pentumulate season @ Yankees Stadium. We lost Tigers Stadium a few years back. Worst of all, Old Comisky Park, the Baseball Palace of the World, was taken from the city in 1990. And now, the most serious rumours about Wrigley I have ever heard. For me, I would hate to lose Wrigley, and there are many reasons.

During the last game @ Comisky Park a guy walked around the park with a sign saying "Babe Ruth Played Here" (one of my favourite baseball signs). Wrigley, although not having as glorious a past as Comiskey, has been a part of baseball for 90+ years. The memories are legion: the White Sox have played there in interleague play (the 1906 World Series was played before either of Chicago's historical parks were built), the famous 23-22 game v. the Phillies was played there, and many famous players have graced the field: Don Kessinger, Ron Santo, Steve Stone, Steve Trout, Bobby Howry--even Michael Jordan. To destroy this park would be to partly destroy these memories.

Wrigley is a great advertisement for Chicago. The ballpark itself is beautiful, but architecturally the real key to the stadium is the view OUTSIDE the park. Wonderful Chicago buildings across the street are on view for fans inside the stadium and on tv. The view from Wrigley in, say, 1979, was unique. Unfortunately, as this is a yuppie Cub area, a lot of what made the view unique is being destroyed. Instead of historic Chicago two and three flats, we're getting a bunch of "I'm a good friend of Daley" cinderblock condo wonders across the street. The old buildings that people lived in for decades are being replaced by cheap corporate buildings built expressly for their rooftops. Despite the endemic general unwashed of those who live in this neighbourhood, it's still an area with strong and interesting buildings. Enough of the view outside of Wrigley must be saved along with the stadium itself to keep its charm.

Sox fans tend to be smug with superiority, but the one thing that Cub fans have over Sox fans in the historical park. I loved old Comisky, the greatest ball park ever, but am less fond of New Comisky. The retrograde changes that have been made in the last few years have improved the park greatly, but it still isn't old Comisky. Cub fans still have the park that, in the absence of all the old destroyed parks is deemed "special" 'cause of its age. If the new Cubs management actually tears down the park and relocates the team in the suburbs, Cub fans will then be completely put on the same level as of Devil Rays fans: not lovable at all, just losers. Camden Yards, Jacobs Field, The Toronto Dome, even New Comisky before the last three years: none have kept the initial giant rush of fans coming to the game unless the team is doing well (New Comisky). Let three years pass, and if the Cubs have their typical team, New Wrigley will be having the same 15-20,000 these other parks have in lean years. No matter what kind of wonderful new park they build, it won't be Sportsmans, Ebbets, Comisky, or Old Wrigley: it'll just be a new place that, no matter how many comical ways the home team will continue to lose, Babe Ruth never played in. Plus, it'll have that most ultra of embarrassing situations: during Cub games, thery'll be Cub fans there. Ha ha.

Errant Thoughts On Bull

I like Eddy Curry. Ditto Tyson. Their collective thriving presently under Player Coaches is certainly no odd thing. It was a foregone conclusion. These players obviously needed a more hands off approach. The antithesis of which is the Skiles/SLA school of Conformity through the Breakdown of Will and Ego. There’s no mistaking those glowering Skiles’ eyes beneath that balaclava.

Tonight’s game against the Cavs/Nets will prove meaningful in the Bulls final playoff positioning. I’ve never rooted for the Nets in anything in my life. I’ve always mocked the size of Jason Kidd’s kid’s head. Always cast aspersions. Tonight, though, they’ve never looked so good. I hope Vinsanity has the game of his stupid career. And that Kidd kisses 25 straight from the free throw line. And that they blow their old fogey who the fuck cares wad just in time for a first round matchup against your Chicago Bulls. Oh. That’s right. Jay-z cares.

Hell I even like Isaiah. Do you think him and Magic still touch cheeks?

Bulls/Knicks rivalry resuscitated over two all beef patties, special sauce. Could have been a lot worse. Teabags for instance.

If the Bulls clinch #2 and have home court ad the first two rounds, there is no small chance that we could be in the East Conf finals. Hell, the NBA Finals for that matter considering our chances against the Pistons. It’s all about cherry and the first round. It really is all there for the taking. Just spread and say, "Skiles."

Anybody's Day at Master's Sunday

With the course playing like newly re-paved Illinois tollroad and equally as frustrating to the pampered pros trying to master it, Augusta National has baffled even the greatest golfers in the world this time. The amazing thing is that anytime someone gains momentum, the course will inevitably knock them down to reality with incomprehensible greens and strategically placed water (everywhere). A case in point was Saturday's finish where Tiger was 5 strokes off the lead when he finished another disappointing round, but was only 1 stroke off the lead and scheduled to play in the final group at the end of the days debacle. The reason, no one, not even the best of the best pros can count on not fading at some point in the round. Breakfast prediction: Tiger wins by one stroke in a Sunday finish to remember.

Hendry's Moves looking Good!

With Big Z back to form today, the 2007 Cubs have now had four quality starts out of their revamped pitching staff. They also have a winning record for the first time since the first week of 2006.

While we haven't seen Wade Miller yet, early reports are looking good. Furthermore, this has all happened without any contribution from Prior or Wood. After the past three years of heartache and painful waiting for the health of Dusty's horses, Sweet Lou has determined that the past is not going to haunt the future. As a die hard Cubs fan, this is the sweetest music I've heard since 2003.

Off season pickups Mark DeRosa and Cliff Floyd are already paying dividends. Ceasar Izturis, whom we really didn't see last year because of injury is playing lights out.

Add to this the hiring of Lou Piniella, and Jim Hendry is looking like one of the best GMs this year.

I know it's early, but there definitely is a renewed sense of optimism and hope on the North Side this year. Let's hope it keeps up into October.

Spring Fever

Spring Fever

After last Saturday’s soul crushing defeat to as the French whisper, “Le James et co,” I couldn’t help but sleep it off deeply, sawing sheep and muttering “why didn’t Sir Hinrich-alot take the last shot?” Alas. Sweet delirious sleep.

I now understand that it was Saturday’s latest Bull disaster ala three guard pile up (akin to blue balls or as the French whisper “Bull balls”), coupled with unforgiving, brand-less scotch that felled me for the next few days and spun me sickly in a maelstrom of dyspepsia, midlife crisis, fevered babbling and utter desolation.

Hosanna, as chin hits sunken chest, we’re inching towards the playoffs. Maybe against the Heat.

But. But. Today. It’s bitter hilarious cold out and Gloria Gaynor must be playing somewhere in somebody’s bedroom. Let me fully disclose, we are alive. Last night the Bulls soundly stifled the Pistons in a near rout. I have to say it. IT was beautiful. Sublime. Clutch. Enough to make Deepak Chopra sing the song of life.

I’ll also throw this out. How refreshing it was not to see the Bens on the court yesterday. That was my thought as we successfully, professionally rounded the third quarter hump last night. Indeed, the glass wasn’t half sucks. The Bulls didn’t succumb to an inexplicable bout of dropsy. PJ B made his shots. I considered naming my firstborn Malik.

Hinrich had the game he needs to have on a more consistent basis if we eva wanna get over. Hinrich is getting closer to his world. He needs to step on the jugular as it were. Grow hair. Revive the Stockton shorts. He needs to cut down on the Curly Neal dribbling (when it’s more Curly than Neal). Move without it and look for his shot just as he did because we’ll need more games like this in the playoffs.

TyT literally had a fevered impact on the game. He’s brought on another welcomed element to the drive and kick offense. We can now drive and toss. If opposing teams now need to honor the baseline-alley-oop, the drive in the paint can be infinitely more dangerous. His stats show thusly. He has more dunks than all other rooks. See. Midseason I was a bit worried that he’d solely pad the “intangible” impact stats ala the “provides energy” column. Most dunks. I’ll take it.

I’m never one to be doubting Bens, but to actually have 5 on the floor who could provide Offense and Defense was refreshing indeed. Spring fresh. Funny. The Pistons were still laughing at the end of it. Hopefully it was of the nervous variety. But today, who cares? It’s certainly nothing I’ll lose sleep over.

Update as of 4/6 - This team has risen. Cavs slip to 5. Bulls now at 2.

Free At Last?

The Tribune Co is reportedly being sold to Chicago Billionaire Sam Zell. Zell recently sold Equity office property to Blackstone Group for $23 Billion cash. So to the winner usually come the spoils- not in this case. The Cubs are being sold at the end of the 2007 season. Let the billionaire freaks game begin!

Zell has acquired the trib, the LA times, wgn, the cubs and wrigley. Two months ago he stated that he had "absolutely no interest" in owning the cubs. Was this negotiating ploy or was he being honest. His logic at the time was that he didn't want to be the figure to burn in effigy if the cubs continue to lose.

Zell and or the Trib has decided to sell the Cubs at the end of the 2007 season. Zell is renowned for being a very tight spender- did this play into the sale idea? The irony is the Trib obviously was spending money that they knew wasn't theirs in order to entice a bidder who didn't even care. Remember that the cubs are being sold not wgn. The cubs situation will be entirely different without their parent station. There are several intangibles in the works. Will Wrigley go with the cubs?

A couple of years ago, having the Weiss Angel or anyone else buy the cubbies would have been a no brainer for joy. But now with vast spending and improvements, there is again great uncertainty in the air. The options for ownership are numerous- Cuban or any other billionaire wanting a feather in his cap. We'll have to wait and see how this one plays out, but there is immediate reason for joy- we currently own 1st place.

Phil Unlikely to Defend Title

Phil Mickelson looks like he's totally losing it. Recently at the CA Championship he had a opening round 77, followed by rounds of 72, 70, and 69. He has only been a factor in one tournament this season where he should have won with the Sunday lead, but then melted down to lose in the end. Mickelson has said that he had no energy left at the Ryder Cup last year so he took several months off and worked soley on his conditioning, losing 25 pounds and gaining back 10 of muscle. Despite this offseason work, it looks like the meltdown from the US Open is still dogging him. He was a total non-factor in defending the PGA Championship against Woods last year and going into this year's Masters, it looks like more of the same. Any way you slice it, it's over for Phil. Breakfast Ball's prediction: Phil misses the cut next week.

Wallace Shoe Deal Worthy of Note

The Bulls Ben Wallace recently endorsed Stephon Marbury's "Starbury II" shoes. Normally a basketball shoe endoresment would not be of interest except that these shoes and Wallace's stated reasons for endorsing them are different. The Wallace shoes will go for $14.99 a pair which is a striking reduction from other brand name basketball shoes which can go from $150-$350 and up. At a press conference the other day, Wallace stated that "You either feel it in your heart or you don't. I know the stress my mom felt buying shoes for eight boys and three girls." Wallace will wear the shoes in games, even though they will be available at Target. A classy move by a class act.

The King is Back!

We here at DCS usually leave the TV pimping to Deadspin, but this one is too important and rare not to pass on. Next week will receive plenty of Bristol airplay with MLB and the Masters, but the return of the King tops them all-Arnold Palmer in his prime.

On Masters Sunday at 12:30 pm, CBS will air the 1960 Masters. This was originally aired in b &w, but has now been remastered in color. The very first for a sporting event. This televised Masters was to golf what the '58 Giants/Colts championship was to the NFL. With vivid commentary by a pre wide world of sports Jim Mackay, we see a 30 year old Arnie in his prime.

This was a bridging of past and present at that point in golf history and a chain smoking Arnie proved he was King of them all. We see a 19yr old Jack, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan. But it is the everyman that is Arnold Palmer and his army that show why Arnie is still one of the most enduring sports legends ever.

Say it Ain't So Joe?

ESPN has thankfully fired Joe Theisman from the Monday Night Football booth. Officially, he is looking at other opportunities at the network. Let me just say it, I really hate Theisman, he is a self-righteous, utterly incapable of intelligent analysis and a long-winded blow hard. Concise is not in his dictionary.

What I find more interesting, is that his replacement, Ron Jaworski, is a good friend of Tony Kornheiser. While Kornheiser is tolerable on PTI, he is pretty poor in the booth. He doesn't have enough confidence to speak about the x's and o's, so he makes silly human interest comments. I remember him rambling on and on about how tough Rex Grossman was to take the criticism and how much he liked him. That's great Tony, what about his play on the field? Shouldn't you be speaking about that? Jaws addition and Joe's termination means that Kornheiser has growing influence at Monday Night. I was hoping that he would be fired as well.

Bottom line, if Theisman is on the ESPN less, that is a net gain. I suppose we will have live with Kornheiser for at least another year.

The One Year Rule-Aftereffects.

As we approach the end of the first year of the "mandatory" one year rule, it is having varying effects on both the NBA and the NCAA. We have a NBA that is less diluted and a NCAA that gets a glimpse of future stars.

I have to give Stern credit for addressing what had become an increasingly uncomfortable situation. At first, letting a few very talented high schools such as Garnett and Kobe enter the draft brought even more allure to the league. When people complained about allowing youngsters to enter the NBA at 18, Stern retorted with "its their right to earn a living." Soon AAU agents were telling many of the very talented kids that they could go pro hoping to catch a piece of them if they made it. As the high school entrants peaked at over 40, Stern and the league were forced to make a major move out of embarrassment. Clearly most of the high school stars weren't even close to having NBA talent and were learning on the job.

When the high schoolers began bypassing college, NCAA officials didn't worry because the numbers were so small. As the numbers swelled, the college game became division II like in its appeal. Most frustrating to the pharaoh like coaches was that their "hard" work recruiting and then exploiting kids had competition. A kid could first sign a letter of intent to a college, and then opt for the draft without any repercussions.

Ideally a professional athlete should be ready to play at that elite level, not need three years to "develop" his game. This is what the NBA was becoming. Stern wanted the age to be 20 years, but the players union fought hard for 19. Is the college game better for having a kid for only one year? This years tournament is interesting in that respect. Oden was on every one's radar and could easily been drafted number 1 out of high school. But this college season gave Kevin Durant a chance to standout when he wasn't even on the pro radar out of high school.

In my opinion the NBA should put more emphasis on developing a solid "minor" league like baseball, hockey etc. I've always felt that the NCAA exploits athletes in countless ways. You give a poor kid a scholarship, but don't even allow him a stipend or the ability to work so he can get a burger late at night when he's hungry. Most kids out of high school or college need to hone their game for the NBA, an efficient minor league system could accomplish this.

DCS Goes over 4000!

We recently surpassed the 4000 page views threshold and wanted to take a moment and thank our readers. Over our brief few months of existence, we have reached viewers all over the US, many parts of Europe and Asia. With the exciting Chicago baseball season about to start, our readers can look forward to even more coverage of our favorite sports stories in the future.

Thanks again!

16 divided by two

So now officialy the Love Jones part of the NCAA's has ended. On Thursday SIU lost to Kansas and on friday Butler lost to Florida. With the demise of these teams tourney's in the round of 16, my strong roting interest has ended. This tournement has been wild in a way I haven't appreciated: three of the regional finals feature #1 -v- #2, and the other one features #1 -v- #3. Jeeze! Could throw the romantics a fricking bone, could ya?

SIU looked good. They looked better than Kansas, I thought. Whatever that magic that makes up the chemistry in a team, SIU just didn't have enough of it Thursday to put it over the edge. It was a winnable game for sure, and I was hugely dissapointed. I actually turned off basketball I was so struck, but relented and put on a thrilling Bulls win over Denver. Rebraced, I returned to the NCAA's.

On Friday, it was another time to be dissapointed. Butler played well, but the whole game was an exercise in containing Florida. This was true even in the first half where butler led for long streches. The champs were obviously the better team,with great players all ove the court.

Butler did exactly what they had to do: keep the gameclose so that in the last minute anything can happen . With about four minutes left, I thought that Butler mite be able to grab the momentum: Florida had finally missed two shots in a row and Butler got a key score. That tide change was an illusion, and Florida took what they deserved. Florida is good.

I had invested in both games a lot in spirit and time. I watched both games intently. A lot of disapointment in being a sports fan.

I'm now down with Ohio State and Georgetown. Despite the prevelence of high seeds left(seven of the eight teams left are #1 or #2)to my personal enjoyment of the tournement, it has been great so far. So many well played close games, despite the dearth of miricle finishes. Plus, i admidt that the remaining excellent teams being pitted against each otherthe next few games will be an outstanding specticle to witness.

Quote of the Week!

This week brought to you by our most quotable manager Ozzie(Secundi)Guillen. Let's start with last week when he told reporters that 'I own Chicago' in reference to Lou managing the Cubs. In the Ozzie zone, that one was not enough to print on its own. But truth be told, by mid May this will be Lou's town. All media attention will gravitate towards regardless of record.

This weeks contribution by Secundi is amazingly on target and quite honest, just not p.c. In reference to the 1983 Sox reunion, Ozz was asked what a 2005 twenty year reunion might be like.

"Those ceremonies...Oh, Let's bring back those guys from 2005, we're all crippled and fucked up, pushing wheelchairs, kids crying because his dad was on the ballclub- fuck that!' "I don't need that bull. A bunch of fat guys, another one is broke. Hey, where's your ring, I don't know, I sold that son of a bitch two years ago."

Baseball must be very near and with both Lou and Ozzie, we are in for our most interesting season in years.

The possibility of the thing

There is a rumination on ‘the possibility of the thing’ in the movie Love Jones. When someone brand new is met, there is the crazy possibility of where the thing mite go. I have sort of the same relationship with the NCAA tournament. Those breathtaking first two days, when everything is all happening at once and at furious fast pace of speed, are always a blur. Friday nite @ 2300h, with both the last game and the crowd petering out, is always a sad goodbye to that initial stage of the tournament. The second round is different. No matter what, each year a few interesting teams escape into the second round. Something miraculous mite happen. However, a lot of the compelling stories have vanished by the end of the second round. For the most part, there is no more ‘possibility’; just a collection of superior teams and ‘make vanish’ for the lower teams. The fairy tale is over, and the grind out portion of the tournament begi.....

.....unless you have a team to root for. This tournament, like all before it, had many teams with as many different reasoning’s for me to root for. Remember my system posted last week about who I root for in the NCAA’s - former, local, catholic, and lower ranked schools are my favourites). First round sucked in many cases. There were very few upsets. One of two of the big upsets sucked: Notre Dame lost to Winthrop. However, using my logic, the #11 Winthrop team suddenly became a favourite. The biggest shock was Duke’s loss to #11 Virginia Commonwealth. Both teams were to lose in the second round- Virginia Commonwealth in 2 OT’s. Too bad.

Creighton was out in the first round. Marquette, another local and Catholic school, looked horrible in their loss. #9 Xavier, (low seed, local, Catholic) had #1 Ohio State beaten in the second round, but lost in OT by two. Local school disappointed as well; #12 Illinois was the single heartbreak after having a huge lead against #5 Virginia Tech and losing by two. Indiana lost in the second round. Ditto Wisconsin.

But there are some teams that have given me a rooting interest. Top of the Pops is Southern Illinois. They looked solid in their first two games, and I think they have a fair shot @ beating Kansas. Indiana’s Butler looks like cannon fodder v. reigning champs Florida. I bet Butler averages six inches smaller than Florida. Georgetown (Catholic) looks like they have a chance to win the East. And I think the Big Ten’s Ohio state can win the South. There: that’s my dream Final four @ this point.

But one can see. That possibility thing is over. There will be no magic @ 12.20 on a Thursday afternoon or as the sweeper wait to move in @ the end of the night session. Despite the rare Laetner shot in the quarterfinals, miracles have ceased. But what has developed in me is something different. It’s, well, a more mature appreciation of the teams that are left. I’ve watched a lot of the sixteen teams remaining. I can appreciate these teams better now than I could last week, and judge them on their strengths and weaknesses during the game. This mature outlook has me very excited about the big matches ahead. Interesting basketball remains to be played starting on Thursday, even though the possibility of the thing is over. Unless Southern can somehow beat Kansas. And Butler can……….

Down the Stretch

The NHL Season is now winding down with less than 10 games remaining for each team. This is the second season after the season-long shutdown of 2004-5.

I like these four teams going into the playoffs, New Jersey, Anaheim, Detroit, and Ottawa. I rate them in three key playoff categories-special teams, goaltending, and intangibles of leadership and coaching.

New Jersey-27 (Special teams-8, Goaltending-10, Intangibles-9)

Anaheim-26 (Special teams-9, Goaltending-9, Intangibles-8)

Detroit-25 (Special teams-7, Goaltending-9, Intangibles-8)

Ottawa-23 (Special teams-8, Goaltending-7, Intangibles-8)

Teams of merit to warrant a possible upset include Buffalo and Vancouver.

I am looking forward to this postseason.

DA BOOKEND

Sweet Sixteen

The tournament has not had many surprises to date.




Here are my quick takes:

1. Big Ten is better than advertised
2. ACC is overrated big time
3. Georgetown and Oregon will play for the title

My picks to round out the tournament will show up prior to the next round's first tip.

DA BOOKEND

PS- I tried to warn you all about Wisconsin. I hope not too many brackets were busted.