Chicago, IL

This was an excellent weekend for football teams in the state of Illinois. On Saturday, The University of Illinois toppled the number one team in the land, The Ohio State University. Then on Sunday, despite having to go to back-up quarterback Rex Grossman, the Chicago Bears managed to beat the Oakland Raiders with a couple of late game scores. (Granted the second of the two events was certainly not as exciting as the first, but it is worth mentioning).

I had a feeling that Illinois could play spoiler to OSU and their national championship hopes. They have been playing well this season and I knew that OSU would not be taking them seriously, already thinking ahead to next week game against The University of Michigan.

After Illinois had the lead toward the end of the game, it seemed like OSU was so stunned that they could not put together anything at all offensively.

I was very happy for Illinois, especially the coach and quarterback Juice Williams who were both so obviously touched by what had taken place. The coach revealed that two years ago, after a rough season, he told Williams and the other players that in two years things would be very different, as the team would rebuild and become a force to be reckoned with. The coach obviously knew what he was talking about as Illinois had its biggest victory in years.
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The Chicago Bulls opened the 2007-2008 NBA season with a loss last night to the New Jersey Nets 112-103 in OT. The Bulls started poorly, but managed to rally from a 17-point deficet and send the game into overtime. The Bulls have not won in New Jersey since 2001.

Of course the real story so far in this young season is the possibility that Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant may be wearing a Chicago uniform. Today, however, General Manager John Paxon said that, despite reports, they were never close to a deal to acquire Bryant. He said that talks are now over with the Lakers.

I definitely think that they were actively pursuing Bryant and that Paxon really wanted him. I also think that Paxon was letting himself get wooed by the idea of a superstar celebrity player and what that can mean for ticket and merchandise sales. Has he thought about what it will do to team morale? Has he thought about how it will alienate fans?

Granted, there are a lot of Kobe Bryant fans out there. I am just not one of them. I am happy to forgo his scoring ability and not have his strong defense if it means that I don’t have to deal with his cocky attitude and ability to whine.

I like this young group of players that the Bulls have, especially Luol Deng and Ben Gordon. I also love Ben Wallace. If one, or all, of these players would have been sacrificed to bring this nuisance to town, then I would have had to start watching more hockey.

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Chicago Bulls, Chicago, Kobe Bryant, Luol Deng, Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, John Paxon

Although the Chicago Cubs did not have the post-season that fans would have liked, it should not be overlooked that they did manage to win the National League central division. True Cubs fans likely purchased various memorabilia to remember the event, like T-shirts and hats. However, soon to be available at auction is a spectacular souvenir: The banners that hung throughout the city following their victory (see photo).

The City of Chicago’s “Sharing It” Banner Auction will take place November 14th and 15th in the east lobby of the Daley Center from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. on both days.

In addition to the Cubs banners, fans can bid on banners from the Chicago Bears NFC Championship, the Chicago Marathon, and the Chicago White Sox World Series, as well as two autographed Gibson guitars from the Los Lonely Boys and the Black Crowes.

The auction is sponsored by Mayor Daley’s “Sharing It” program which raises money for the underprivileged. Specifically, proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Last year’s auction raised over $13,000.

I think that some of the items would be fun to own, although I think that I would pass on Chicago marathon banners, given my experience with it this year. Now that I think about it, I don’t even remember seeing Chicago marathon banners this year. Most of the usual locations were filled with the Cubs banners this year. Perhaps the banners are from previous years, since it seems like they are auctioning off older things, like the White Sox banners.

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Chicago, Mayor Daley, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, three international boxers, in Chicago this week for the AIBA boxing championships, have disappeared.

Two boxers from Uganda, Phillip Adyaku and Sharif Bogere, as well as an Armenian boxer named Vachagan Avagyan have left their respective teams. All of them apparently left their hotel with their luggage, which indicates a planned move on their part to separate from their teams.

The men are not technically “missing persons” because the Chicago police do not believe that foul play is involved. They are considered to be on a “non-criminal, unauthorized absence.” The police believe that they are “exploring the U.S.”

The parents of the Armenian boxer were contacted by officials and were not upset by the situation, which, presumably means that he had made them aware of his plans before coming to the United States.

The athletes have 90-day visas to be in the United Stats for the tournament. If they remain in the United States past the time of the visa, they will have to apply for special permission to stay in the country, such as asylum. Being unaware of the circumstances of these men’s lives in their respective countries, I cannot say for sure if they are attempting to leave their countries due to problems in their home nation.

This is the first somewhat negative event to plague the tournament, which had been going well thus far. Whether this will have any effect on Chicago’s Olympic bid is uncertain. Certainly it is not the fault of the city if certain athletes decide that they were rather stay in the United States that remain a part of their team.

Chicago, AIBA, Phillip Adyaku, Sharif Bogere, Vachagan Avagyan, boxing

Despite U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth’s previous comments that Chicago is “lagging behind” the other cities in contention for the 2016 summer game Olympic bid, apparently the city is doing okay so far. Gerhard Heiberg of Norway, an International Olympic Committee executive board member said that Chicago is among three other cities as the front runners. The other main cities in contention are Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.

All of this talk has come as a result of the IBA World Boxing Championship getting underway in Chicago. I posted previously that I did not believe that this event, although an event of international stature, would really give the Olympic committee an accurate gauge of what the city could do with the Olympics. I now realize that the event will not show definitively that the city can handle the Olympics, but it may be able to show that it cannot.

If the city fails at its task of hosting this minor (in comparison to the Olympics) event, then it will surely drop from contention. If the anything goes wrong with the lodging or transportation for the boxers, or if something happens with the venue, then it could come back to haunt the city in their bid.

My main concern about Chicago hosting the event is cost, transportation, and whether they will be able to do all that they have claimed in terms of building venues. The city has a history of going over budget and past the due date on projects before and I do not see how this would be any different. Also, the perennial problem that is the CTA could make or break the city’s bid. I would think that the state of Illinois would be working to get funding for the CTA so that Chicago can show the committee that they are serious about public transportation reform.

Chicago Bears fans have not had a lot to cheer about this season. A rash of injuries on the defense, as well as the replacement of the starting quarterback due to his inadequacy, has made this season the polar opposite of last year’s Super Bowl run.

Yesterday after a win against the Philadelphia Eagles, however, it seemed like the tide shifted and the Bears might be able to right this season after all.

Although the first three quarters of the game amounted to a field goal kicking duel, the Eagles scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to take the lead.

Following a punt by the Eagles, the Bears had the ball at their own three yard line with less than two minutes left in the game. The Bears had no timeouts and it seemed like a win was hopeless. However, overcome all odds, the Bears drove the ball 97 yards down the field in a series of passing played and scored with only nine seconds on the clock.

While this only puts the Bears at a record of 3-4, I could tell by listening to the players in the post-game press conference that they feel a sense of confidence that they still be a contender this season.

The Bears will next play the Detroit Lions at home on Sunday at noon The Bears feel like they should have won in the last game against Detroit, so they are sure to come out without a lot of confidence and will do all they can to win.

Chicago Bears, Chicago, Philadelphia Eagles

In what many are calling a test to see how Chicago can handle an international event in their pursuit for an Olympic bid, Chicago will be hosting the AIBA World Boxing Championship starting next week.

The event, which runs from October 23rd through November 3rd, will take place at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) pavilion. The championship is a qualifier for the the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

An astounding 700 boxers from 120 countries are expected to compete in the eleven day event, including such notable athletes as Rau’shee Warren, Gary Russell, Jr., gold medalists Manus Boomjumnong of Thailand and Alexey Tishchenko of Russia.

In preparation for the event, the city will be hosting an Opening Ceremony Athlete Procession on Monday, October 22nd, beginning at the Palmer House Hilton, traveling north on State Street and ending at the Chicago Theatre. The event kicks off at 4:00 p.m. and is expected to last an hour.

While I am sure that Mayor Daley will be quick to praise the city if the event goes off well, I am not sure if I believe that it will really be a “test-run” to see if Chicago can handle the Olympics. This is only one sport and only one venue. Additionally, although there are a lot of boxing fans, I cannot imagine that the city is going to be invaded by hordes of tourists to see the event the way it would with the Olympic games. Even the amount of media for an event like this is going to be on a small-scale compared to the Olympics.

If you want to check out the event, tickets appear to rather affordable, starting at $10 for the early rounds and as cheap as $25 for the finals. For more information, visit the official site here.

Chicago, AIBA, World Boxing Championship, Olympics, boxing

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, several sites around Chicagoland will be hosting fundraising walks this Sunday. The event, called “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” benefits the American Cancer Society.

While like many charity walks one of the locations is in the city of Chicago, at Lawrence and Lake Michigan, suburban folks are not left out. If you live in the suburbs, there are other locations where you can participate. There will be a walk in Aurora at the Chicago Premium outlet mall (walk and then shop!) and another one at the Orland Park Mall (more walking and shopping!).

The Chicago event is a five mile walk, while the two suburban locations are 3.1 miles (5k). It is a non-competitive walk and there is no time limit, so you can take your time and enjoy yourself. The walk will also give you the opportunity to reflect on why you are all walking. The purpose of the walk is to support those living with breast cancer, survivors, and to fund research. Participants are asked to make donations if they can, as well as collect pledges from family and friends.

You can register online here and even set up a fundraising page. You can register as an individual, or as part of a group. The event (at all three locations) takes place this Sunday, October 21st at 9:00 a.m., with registration at 8:00 a.m.

If you want to know other ways that you can participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including different “pink” products out there, check out Discussing Breast Cancer. You can also read about her experience at the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk in her area.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Chicago, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, American Cancer Society

Are you one of the thousands of people who did not get to finish the Chicago marathon because you were ordered to stop when the race was canceled? Do you feel like you still have a marathon in you? Several marathon organizers are looking to help you out.

If you head to Denver, Colorado this weekend and provide proof that you were registered for the Chicago marathon, you can run the marathon there for free. You can pre-register here (use promo code ChicagoRunner) and then show proof of Chicago registration at packet pick-up. Although the marathon is at a higher altitude than what you trained for, the marathon organizer says that it is a fairly flat course.

The reason why Denver Marathon Executive Director Anton Villatoro decided to give free registrations is that “as a former professional athlete, I know what it takes to train for a big race and the disappointment of not being able to finish due to circumstances outside of my control.”

Other options available are $15 discounts at both the Des Moines Marathon on October 21st and the Siouxland Lewis and Clark Marathon on October 20th (use promo code Chicagomarathon07).

When I first heard the introduction of this story on the local news, I thought that the Chicago Marathon director was offering a rebate or a discount on next year’s registration. At least some other race directors recognize our disappointment, even if our own does not.

Personally, I decided to create this shirt, which I will wear proudly. Want your own? Click here.

Chicago Marathon, marathon, Siouxland Lewis and Clark Marathon, Des Moines Marathon, Denver Marathon, Chicago, running

Race officials ended the Chicago Marathon early today after the extremely high temperatures led to a water shortage and many ill runners. The temperature reached a record high of 88 degrees. One runner died after collapsing near mile 19.

Chad Schieber, of Midland, Mich., collapsed during the race near 1500 S. Ashland Ave., according to a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Schieber was taken to West Side Veteran’s Administration Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:50 p.m., the spokesman said.

Additionally, more than 300 people were hospitalized with heat related illness. All along the course, the medical tents were filled with runners sitting or laying down, completely spent as a result of the heat.

I can tell you from personal experience that the water shortage started very early for the middle-to-back of the packers. Thankfully the people of Chicago were wonderful and were bringing water out of their homes and business to help out the thirsty runners.

It is unfortunate that the race officials did not plan accordingly after the temperatures were forecast to be in high 80s since at least a week ago. For a race of this caliber to actually run out of water and gatorade is unacceptable.

It was the first time in the 30 year history that the race ended early.

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Chicago marathon, marathon, Chicago, Chad Schieber

The Chicago Cubs are in desperate need of a win after losing their second game in a row to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division series last night. Starter Ted Lilly got shelled early and the Cubs lost 8-4.

Although there were some good offensive highlights, like the two-run homer by rookie catcher Geovany Soto, the veteran players did not come through at crunch time. The Cubs left an unacceptable 9 men on base, which shows that they are not getting hits and driving in runs when they need to.

Lilly, who is normally a steady pitcher out on the mound and can be relied on to pitch well following a Cubs loss, lost his composure early after giving up a home run to the D-backs. Lilly threw his mitt to the ground in a show of anger and frustration. After that he never really got back on track and was taken out later in the game after giving up a two-run triple.

What I think is wrong with the Cubs is all mental. They obviously have strong enough pitching and hitting to have won at least won out of two from the D-Backs. I think what is happening is that the Cubs are over-thinking, over-trying, and putting too much pressure on themselves.

One look at the box scores of the first two games shows that players like Soto, Matt Murton, and Ryan Theriot are getting hits, while stars Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee have not been very successful. I think it is because Theriot and the others do not feel that they have pressure on them to hit homeruns and drive in a lot of runs, so they are more relaxed at the plate.

It could also be that the more veteran players realize the significance of the play-offs more and what it means for the Cubs to be in the play-offs and all of the history and years of anguish that are on their shoulders. This is preventing them from relaxing at the plate and causing them to swing at bad pitches. The rookies on the other hand appear to be playing it like it is any other game. Maybe that is the right mentality.

The Cubs play for their right to stay in the play-offs this Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Game time is 5:00 p.m. central time.

Photo: Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Cubs, Ted Lilly, Geovany Soto, Arizona Diamondbacks, NLDS

The Chicago Cubs play game two of their series with the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight in Phoenix. Last night’s game resulted in a 3-1 Cubs loss. The Cubs bats were mostly silent, with only four hits, including one coming from starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano left the game in the seventh with a 1-1 tie, but reliever Carlos Marmol could not keep the Diamondback scoreless.

While I expected a good outing from Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb, I really expected the Cubs to be able to get something going offensively. The power that they showed in the month of September was non-existent and the Cubs must realize that they need to put more than one run on the board to be successful in the playoffs.
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The Chicago Cubs playoff series is not the only internationally prominent sporting event taking place in Chicago this weekend. On Sunday, 45,000 runners will take part in the 30th Anniversary running of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

If you want to watch the marathon in person, be prepared to be surrounded by about a million other Chicagoans vying for a good vantage point. The Chicago Marathon website has a spectator guide, which can you give you an idea of good places to view the runners, as well as other helpful information.

As you can see from the map above (click on it for the larger size in pdf), the 26.2 miles running extravaganza covers a lot of landmarks throughout the city and goes through a number of different neighborhoods. The runners will travel north to Wrigley Field, home of the National League Central Champion Chicago Cubs, and as far south as U.S. Cellular Field where the White Sox play. The course also goes through Lakeview, where there are expected to be men in drag handing out water and Gatorade. The course also runs through the Pilsen and Bronzetown neighborhoods. In Chinatown, runners will be treated to a special show, featuring a dragon!

Do you know someone running in the event? You can sign-up to receive text messages letting you know their progress along the race course.

If you want to listen to the coverage of the marathon on the radio, it will be carried lived on 620AM, The Score. The marathon will also be shown on television locally on CBS2, from 7:30a.m.-11:00p.m. CBS2 will also air a highlight show Sunday night at 10:30 p.m.

Chicago Marathon, Chicago, Marathon, 26.2, LaSalle Bank, marathon course

The city of Chicago held a rally yesterday at Daley Plaza to celebrate the Chicago Cubs winning the National League central and making it to the playoffs. It is the first time that the team has made the post season since 2003.

The rally was attended by Governor Rod Blagojevich, White Sox fan Mayor Daley, former Cubs players, and other city officials. Large video screen displayed messages from the Cubs players and radio announcers were unable to attend the rally. Cheers went up in the crowd as each player gave a message to the fans, often to the point of drowning out what the players were actually saying.

As is typical in nationally-spotlighted games, Mayor Daley has made a wager with mayor of Phoenix, with the losing team having to send a variety of local food items to the winning city. Among the local companies making donations are Harry Carey’s restaurant, Fisher, and Connie’s Pizza. Daley joked that after Cubs manager Lou Pinella wins the World Series, he should go down to Springfield to help the governor out. Daley even donned a Cubs hat, if only for about 15 seconds.

The Cubs will first be up against the Arizona Diamondbacks who won the National League West. The series starts tomorrow and game one is expected to start at 9:00 p.m. central time on TBS. Game two will be at the same time on Thursday night. I am sure that there will be plenty of tired people at work or school Thursday and Friday mornings.

On Saturday, the Cubs come home to Chicago and the expected start at 5:00 p.m. at Wrigley Field.

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Chicago Cubs, playoffs, National League Divisional Series, baseball, Chicago, Mayor Daley, Lou Pinella

In addition to doing his part to try to ensure that the Chicago Cubs have a place in the post-season, Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee is also trying his hand at acting.

The slugger filmed a cameo for the television show ER last Thursday in Chicago. He will play himself and reportedly appears on the camera for less than a minute as he signs an autograph for a fan.

Lee agreed to do the cameo after learning that ER will have an episode later this season which features a story about a young girl stricken with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, the rare eye disease Derrek’s daughter Jada also struggles with. The disease causes blindness and Jada is blind in one eye.

Derrek has founded Project 3000, an organization which helps to bring awareness to Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis and help find a cure.

The Derrek Lee episode of ER is scheduled to air on October 18th on NBC.

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Chicago Cubs, Derrek Lee, ER, Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, Project 3000