It's a Good Time to be a Rambler

     Going to the Final Four has some prestige to it. Going to the Final Four as an 11 seed has a LOT of prestige to it. Like if Elvis walked in levels of prestige. And Loyola University has been reaping those benefits. Let's start with the obvious: memorabilia sales. The campus gift store has been bursting at the seams with Rambler fans wanting to get their hands on all the hottest Final Four apparel. So much so that the company running the store has had to call in reinforcements from other locations to handle the crowds. And even beyond that, there have been numerous satellite locations popping up around the city where fans can get their hands on Loyola gear. Beyond that, Las Vegas is the latest town to fall in love with the Ramblers. Loyola is by far the hottest team on the gambling books, attracting far more tickets than Michigan, Villanova, or Kansas. And they're loving Loyola on the internet too. Visits to the school's website have increased by 400% over last year. That bump in visibility is also leading to a bump in applications, which is a similar experience to what other 11-seeds have experienced after making it this far. It doesn't hurt that they have Sister Jean too.

Sir Charles and Sister Jean

     One of the other big names in this year's NCAA Tournament is Charles Barkley. He's doing analysis, he's doing commercials, he's pretty much everywhere. And that may include hanging out with Sister Jean. Last weekend, the Round Mound of Rebound expressed his desire to hang out with the 98 year-old nun if Loyola made it to the Final Four. Well, lo and behold they did. And not just that, but Sister Jean heard about Chuck's invitation. She actually agrees, but she has a limitation: "I like him when he talks as a sports announcer very much, but I don't want to see him play on the basketball court." As long as this doesn't end with Sister Jean getting left in front of a craps table in San Antonio, I think we'll all be okay.

Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Central: Let's Party!

     Well, we rode the Lightning alright. And after 3 days worth of riding the city's bars harder than a mechanical bull, the Hawks are ready to parade in front of their city showing off their fancy new hardware. Crowds of adoring fans will clamor to see the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy. The double-decker buses will roll through the streets of the city as they did in 2010 and 2013, until they reach the jam-packed Museum Campus, at which point the festivities will move over to Soldier Field for the rally. (Why no Grant Park? The field still isn't dry from Monday's deluge, and putting 100,000 people in a muddy field is not a wise decision.) How drunk will the players be? Just how X-Rated will Corey Crawford get this time? How many people will expose themselves during the 2-hour wait? And will the weather hold together for all of it? All of those questions and more will be answered tomorrow. And believe you me, I'll be back with all of the gritty details.

Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Final Central: Chicago Blackhawks man, Join the Hype Train!

     Ever since the Hawks won Game 5, the city has been salivating at the chance to win the Cup on home ice for the first time since 1938. Yeah, that's right. A National League Pennant has been raised in Chicago more recently than the Stanley Cup has been. Preparations for what might happen tonight are already underway. The Tribune Tower is decked out in a big Hawks banner:

     Nearby the Tribune Tower, the Official Blackhawks Store is doing land-office business, so much so that it might need to be renamed the Madhouse on Michigan. Meanwhile in Wrigleyville, the authorities are preparing right now. First off, the area already got a taste of Cup Fever on Saturday:

     Now combine that with what you may recall seeing back in 2013:

     And you've got something that the powers that be definitely don't want to happen again. To that end, there were reports of barricades going up all up and down Clark St. so that if the Hawks do win, the masses of liquored-up twentysomethings stay on the sidewalks. Finally, with the Hawks able to win it all tonight, there will be an additional guest at the United Center tonight. Earlier today, they were seen going through Security:

PUCK DROPS IN 7 HOURS

GO HAWKS

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Chicago 365: Stanley Cup Final Central: LET'S GO HAWKS!

     After a thrilling comeback victory at home in Wednesday's Game 4 that finally featured Patrick Kane getting a point for this series, the Final shifts back to Amalie Arena for Game 5. Ben Bishop took part in the morning skate, but there is no official word on his status for the game. There isn't even any official word on why Bishop hasn't played, so who knows what's really going on there? As far as the Blackhawks, our stars finally started playing like they mean it in Game 4, with Toews scoring a goal, Kane notching an assist, and Keith continuing his practice of living on the ice. Hopefully we can continue the press, because Tampa has proven to be relentless. Winning tonight would put us in a GREAT position, since then we can be one win away, and come back to our barn on Monday night with the Stanley Cup in the building. What an inspiration that would be. But we can't think about that at all till we win tonight. Puck drops in just over an hour.

GO HAWKS

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Weekends Can Get Crazy Around Here

     Summer is officially upon us, and it's hitting us with everything it's got. Trekkies from around the world are converging on the Westin O'Hare for Creation Entertainment's annual Star Trek Convention which goes through Sunday. Meanwhile, just up the road at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, MyFreeCams is hosting the Exxxotica Expo, a salute to all things hot and kinky. So we've got Trek fans and Adult Entertainment fans covered, what about Music fans? Fear not, for we've also got the Spring Awakening Festival going on at Soldier Field for those EDM lovers, and Blues Fest is happening at Grant Park. On top of all of that, Saturday will also see the World Naked Bike Ride taking place. And finally, even though we may be nerds, nudists, Adult Afficianados, EDM geeks, and bluesmen, we're all Blackhawks fans. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final starts at 7 PM on Saturday. All that, and I'll be bringing as much coverage of it as I can to you.

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Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Final Central: Double Down and Win!

     The cards are on the table. After two one-goal losses in a row making them lose back to back games for the first time this postseason, the Hawks are down 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final. We have to pull it out and win tonight. Get the puck to Kaner, work some magic, I don't know. But I sure as hell don't want to be going back to Tampa in a 3-1 hole to these upstarts. So the challenge has been issued. Let's win tonight!

GO HAWKS!

 



Chicago 365 Championship Central 3/3: Chicago Celebrates

       They came to Williamsport. They won the U.S. title. They showed the world that Chicago was a force to be reckoned with. They came back home. The only thing left to do was to have a party. And that's just what Chicago did on Wednesday. The day started off with a rally down south at Jackie Robinson Park. There were speeches by Coach Darold Butler, the players, and even some brief remarks from Mayor Emanuel and Governor Quinn, who read a letter from the widow of Jackie Robinson and proclaimed Wednesday JRW Champs Day in Illinois(and no boos this time, just some crickets[maybe Pat Quinn should just stay away from sports rallies from now on]).

     After that party was all done, the team boarded buses and made their way north. But before reaching their final destination, the convoy made a stop at U.S. Cellular Field. That was where the White Sox lent the team their 2005 World Series Trophy to use for the day. That was also where the team switched over to double-decker coaches(the same type that have carried the Blackhawks for their parades) to complete the journey into the city. After processing right down Michigan Avenue, the team disembarked in Millennium Park to kick off the downtown rally, where they were introduced by Hawk Harrelson. Theo Epstein and Ken Williams were there to represent Chicago's pro clubs, but the focus remained upon JRW.  Coach Butler's reaction to the screaming fans was palpable: "Wow, wow, wow, this is unbelievable...Y'all are about to make me cry. Chi-town, thank you, we love you."  After some more congratulations from the city, the rally dispersed.  But the celebrations didn't end there either.  Navy Pier dedicated its Wednesday night fireworks show to the boys of JRW.  Not just that, but the Rainbow/PUSH coalition was working out a deal to send all the boys to Disney World to further toast their accomplishment.


    

Day 179: 2 Cups in 4 Years-Championship Week (Bonus) Day 7

     Well folks, it looks like my stated goal of inaugurating Championship week to produce some playoff mojo for the Blackhawks didn't just work, but it worked astoundingly well.(To give some perspective, after I started this, the Hawks didn't lose another game.)  But the point of this post isn't to pat myself on the back as a good luck charm, but instead to chronicle the win-and the celebration.  So lets get started.

     While last time the cup-winner came in an overtime period, this time the winning goal was somehow even more dramatic(as if that was even possible[oh wait, it was])  The Boston Bruins had gone up 2-1 on the Hawks in the final 2 minutes of Game 6, and everybody assembled was packing it in and expecting a Game 7 in Chicago on Wednesday night.  Bryan Bickell took one look at that and said "nope".  With 1:26 left in the game, he slid a shot in past Tuukka Rask and tied up the game at 2 apiece, seemingly setting up the game for yet another overtime period.  Apparently Dave Bolland had plans after the game that couldn't be interrupted for another banal overtime period, because 17 seconds later, he slapped in the game-winner.  What do you suppose happened after that?  Well, I'll just let Jack Buck fill you in.  Okay, back now?  Great.  After the game clock officially wound down, the Hawks went crazy, the city went crazy, and sometimes it damn near felt that the whole world went crazy that night(okay, not really).

     One of the more interesting incidents that went down during the hometown celebration was on Clark Street, where the local population of liquored-up twentysomethings was out and about at several local establishments.  Once the Cup was won, the fans crowded into the streets(in fact, the crowd reaction was about the same as this video, just with all Blackhawks gear instead of Cubs gear.)  Long story short, the police moved in, pacified the crowd, and ended up arresting 23 people.  And that was all before the Hawks made it back to the city.  At 4 AM on June 25, the Chicago Blackhawks touched down at O'Hare Airport, greeted the fans who were assembled to greet them, and high-tailed it to the Harry Caray's location in Rosemont to begin their 2013 Cup Crawl.  The next few days saw them going to such places as the Scout Bar, Rockit Bar, as well as other establishments throughout the city.

     The party didn't stop that night, in fact it went all the way up until that Friday, the 28th, when the city turned out in force to honor the champions with a parade and rally(which I'm pretty sure attracted more than 2 Million people yet again, Ozzie Guillen can take a hike at his own convenience).  The route was modified this year, whereas in 2010 the parade started out at the United Center and then went right down Michigan Avenue to end with a rally held at Michigan and Wacker, this time the parade wound right into the heart of Grant Park(and it wasn't nearly as much of a disaster as the Bears one was), past the Buckingham Fountain, and ended up in Hutchinson Field, which was able to hold 100,000 spectators.  I went to the rally, and let me tell you I saw some pretty interesting things while I was waiting for more than 2 and a half hours for the team to show up.  Initially, the place smelled of cigarettes and cheap beer(in other words, just like a frat party).  After the 2 hour mark, the crowd started to get rather antsy(nothing approaching a riot or anything, but just what you naturally get when you put tens of thousands of liquored-up twentysomethings in a confined area for hours on end.)  Finally, the team showed up and the rally commenced.  To kick things off, some dignitaries gave some speeches(including one by Governor Pat Quinn that got a rousing response.  Then it was on to some videos, and then the team actually spoke.  The three highlights of that:

• Patrick Sharp's insinuation of a repeat.
• Patrick Kane's speech, that he was most likely intoxicated for,
• and of course, Corey Crawford's profanity-laden acceptance speech that could possibly even make Lee Elia blush(but it probably wouldn't).

     Overall, the 2013 Stanley Cup celebration in Chicago was even bigger and better than the one that came in 2010.  Let's see how many more we can get.  I mean, just think about it this way.  We're already a third of the way to another repeat of the Bulls dynasty.  Of course, as with all things, only time will tell.

Day 174: Lionizing the Champs-Championship Week Day 6

     In this blog we've already referenced the Art Institute as being one of the few buildings still standing from the 1893 World's Fair.  But another tidbit of note is something that happens whenever a team from Chicago makes it to the playoffs(normally the final round) of whatever sport it is playing in.  On those occasions, the Museum decks out the lions on the front steps in a helmet corresponding to the sports team in the finals.

     This tradition dates to the 80s, when the lions first donned Cubs helmets to commemorate the 1984 postseason run(interestingly enough, this was also the last time that the lions would wear Cubs gear, even though the team has been back in the playoffs 5 times since then).  The next team honored were the 1985 Bears, whose helmets were made by the same people that make the Weber grills.  Strangely, the lions didn't wear any Bulls gear during their dynasty.  In 2005, the White Sox made the World Series, and the lions donned Sox helmets.  In 2010, the lions wore Blackhawks helmets to honor their Stanley Cup run, and then once again wearing a helmet to honor the Bears when they played for the 2010 NFC Title.

     Since then, the lions have donned helmets once more.  In fact, they are likely still wearing them now.  I am of course talking about the Blackhawks' current winning of Lord Stanley's Cup.  The dressing up of the lions is a long and proud tradition, one that ought to go for many more years.

Day 173: 2 in a row, so long ago-Championship Week Day 5

     In 1906, the Chicago Cubs won 116 games and stormed into the World Series as the obvious and heavy favorite.  However, they ran into the 1906 White Sox, a team so ineffectual at the plate that they were dubbed the "Hitless Wonders", which led to their first ever (and so far only) crosstown matchup in the World Series.  Once the Series started, the White Sox stunned the Cubs and the rest of baseball.by taking the Series.  The next two seasons the Cubs went on to face the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, winning on both of those occasions.

     In 1907, the Chicago Tribune organized a group of fans to watch the deciding game of the Series at a local venue.  When they won it, fans poured out onto the streets in celebration and blocked up traffic for a considerable time(though, even with that, the celebration was probably much more tame than the postgame for the 2013 Stanley Cup).  After that exuberance, the team came back to town and played a celebratory baseball game at West Side Park, before wrapping up the celebrations with a special breakfast with the fans.

     The 1908 Season saw the Cubs return to the championship round(abetted by what is possibly the single most controversial officiating decision of all time) where they once again came up against the Detroit Tigers.  The Series started out with some intrigue as authorities took in two fans who were suspected of wagering on the game.  Later on in the Series, the Chicago Tribune held a gathering for fans where they could hear electronic dispatches from the game being played.  This event attracted over 4,000 people, and the proceeds were used to assist local hospitals.  Upon their victory in the Series, the Tribune published yet another article genuflecting about the Cubs becoming the first team to ever win back to back World Series titles, and informing the fans that these Cubs were here to stay and that a long run of titles was just around the corner.  Funny, 105 years doesn't seem very close around that corner...

Day 172: When Best Laid Plans go Awry-Championship Week Day 4

     On January 26, 1986, the Chicago Bears finished off the New England Patriots in the Big Easy.  The very next day, there was supposed to be a parade downtown to celebrate the accomplishments of the team.  As it was stated, the plan was to have the parade wind its way downtown north on LaSalle St., and then eventually make its way back to Daley Plaza.  However, two variables that had not been accounted for reared their ugly heads at the parade.  First off, the organizers didn't in their wildest dreams think that the parade would attract even 250,000 people.  Guess what? They were right.  It actually drew well over 300,000(but even that figure looks puny compared to the 2 Million that came to the Blackhawks' parade in 2010).  The simple mass of people meant that some of the spectators were jammed up against other patrons, barricades, and even a bus, for the entire parade.  The aftermath was such a mess that one of the organizers declared that she "would never do another parade on LaSalle [Street]" 

     Another unaccounted for variable was the temperature.  This figured its way into affairs in two ways.  Firstly, it made organizers edit their guesses for attendees down, which contributed to the unexpected flood of people.  Secondly , the cold ended up damaging the instruments of a local marching band that was to perform in the parade.  The school ended up having to pay several thousand dollars to have the instruments repaired.  However, when you look at the grand scheme of things, it's not the worst thing that could happen.  I mean, its not like underestimating the weather led to people actually dying or anything like that?

     Unfortunately, the very next day in Florida(1/28), it did.  Believe it or not, this actually had an impact on the Bears.  After the disaster, President Reagan was much too busy comforting the nation to celebrate with a football team.  After the immediacy died down, the team was just kind of forgotten.  That is until 2011, when President Obama finally invited them to the White House to celebrate their title(albeit 25 years late). Since 1985, the Bears have not won another Super Bowl, and have had fluctuating fortunes as the years go by.  Just like with the Bulls, we'll see what happens in the future.

Day 171: The Jordanic Dynasty-Championship Week Day 3

    If there is one basketball team that UNQUESTIONABLY owned the NBA during the 1990s, the obvious answer to that category would be the Chicago Bulls.  With 6 titles in 10 years, the Bulls were without a doubt the team to (try but fail to) beat during that period of time.  But before you build a dynasty, you have to start with the first title, which the Bulls captured in triumphant fashion on June 12, 1991. The next day, the team made its way home, and the fans were there to greet them(against the official advice of the city, but since when did that count for anything?) On Friday the 14th, the team was treated to a championship parade.  But much like as happened when the Blackhawks won it in 2010, there were a number of different things going on in the city that day, as the annual Philippine Independence Day parade was slated to step off on the same day, as well as the beginning of Blues Fest in Grant Park(which was the location of the rally).  Needless to say, the Bulls stole all of the attention from the other events going on in the city that day.

     The next year saw the bulls come back and win yet another title, one that was nothing short of inevitable.  Needless to say, a parade was inevitable as well.  In 1993, the Bulls were up for a 3-peat, and while the outside aspects of the team might have led some to believe that the dream ride was over(such as bickering, occasional acrimony amongst some of the team members, and some unexpected losses) the team ultimately persevered and delivered their 3rd championship.  A few short months after that title, Michael Jordan's father was murdered.  it was this, along with some other concerns that led him to retire from basketball on the eve of the '93-'94 season at the age of 30.  The next two seasons, Jordan spent his "retirement" trying to make it in the sport of Baseball.  He didn't do so well, and came back to the Bulls at the tail end of the '94-'95 season.  The '95-96 season saw the Bulls stampede through the NBA with the best record EVER for a basketball team. The next season was another repeat, albeit one capitalized by Jordan powering through a hellish case of the flu to win one of the games in the Finals.

     Then we get to '97-'98.  All year it had been rumored that this was the last year for Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, and even(gasp) Michael Jordan.  At the end of it, the Bulls were NBA Champions for the 6th time, had pulled off the 2nd 3-peat, and were at the end of the road.  At the victory rally in Grant Park(moved there because according to some conspiracy theorists the powers that be in the city didn't want the common folk milling about the Loop), Phil Jackson cryptically said that very same thing and confirmed the suspicions of fans everywhere.  In the end, the Bulls dynasty came to a crashing end in 1998, and they have not won a title since.  Who knows what the future might hold...

Day 170: Don't Stop Believin'-Championship Week Day 2

     When the Houston Astros went down swinging in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series, it broke a championship dry spell even more long-lasting than the one that would be broken by the Blackhawks 5 years later. The Chicago White Sox had not won a World Series since 1917, and they were ready to celebrate.  And what an achievement they had to celebrate, having just reeled off a nearly-perfect postseason record of 11-1, a mark that has only ever been equaled once by the Yankees.

     Their day of celebration started off much as the Blackhawks had started off theirs(except with a lot less bar-hopping), with a parade that started out at U.S. Cellular Field, and then wound its way downtown before stopping at Wacker for a special rally. At that point, various dignitaries took the stage, most notably Mayor Richard M. Daley, who has always been a lifelong White Sox fan(as indicated by his Irish roots).  After Daley's bit, Paul Konerko came up on stage and presented team owner Jerry Reinsdorf with the ball that he caught in order to end the series.  After that, Steve Perry came onstage and proceeded to sing the lines to the Sox's rallying song of 2005, Don't Stop Believin'

     The parade and rally were very highly attended, and in 2010 Ozzie Guillen would look back and claim that the White Sox actually drew more crowds than the estimated 2 Million that attended the Blackhawks' parade.(I think not)  Regardless, the 2005 season will always go down in history as a special time for the Chicago White Sox(for half of the city anyway)

Day 169: Bars, Cups, and Blackhawks-Championship Week Day 1

     The date: June 9, 2010. The place: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Patrick Kane has just done what no Chicago hockey player had done since before the birth of Barack Obama. The Stanley Cup was wheeled onto the ice, the league made its remarks, and then Jonathan Toews hoisted the cup and kicked off the wildest party in recent Chicago memory.  In the immediate aftermath, the biggest controversy proved to be a mystery as to the location of the puck that Kane drilled into the net in order to secure the OT victory.  While it was initially alleged that Chris Pronger(a player for the Flyers who can really pull off a dress) had grabbed it, it was apparently grabbed by one of the officials, who then did something with it.  Whatever happened, the puck is still missing to this day, even though there has been a bounty placed on it by the ownership of Harry Caray's restaurant(don't forget, they've always been one for a publicity stunt).

     Irrespective of the game-winning puck being completely out of possession of anyone, the onus was on to celebrate.  While the Hawks did not win the Cup on home ice, there were a small contingent of Blackhawks fans who had made the trip to Philly.  Not just that, but there were throngs of people back in Chicago watching and celebrating.  After some more on-ice celebrations in Philly, the Hawks took a red-eye flight back to Chicago and rolled into town at about 4 in the morning on Thursday the 10th.  Over the course of its existence, the Cup has had its share of crazy stories, from being drop-kicked into a lake, to being defecated in, even to being used as a pyre.  But it was in 2010 when Lord Stanley's Cup really learned how to party.  Once the Hawks touched down, they did what any group of hyped-up sleep-deprived twenty-somethings would do.  They went out and PARTIED.  Over the course of the next 24 hours, the Cup went on a Bar Crawl like no other, going from bar to bar, being posed with by various patrons and what not.

     But then came Friday, and the parade.  The team started out from the United Center in  buses and then wound their way downtown for the rally that took place not too far away from Pioneer Court(over by Jack Brickhouse, Tribune Tower, and the former home of Marilyn).  Meanwhile, up on the North Side, the Cubs were starting off a tilt with the White Sox in their first crosstown matchup since the contest was renamed the BP Cup(in yet another display of terrible timing) This was the scene of the city on that joyous day, and with any luck, we will soon be in the promised land again.