You Can Catch it All on WGN(again)

     In a somewhat surprising development in the arena of local sports, the Chicago White Sox announced yesterday their new radio affiliate for the 2018 season and beyond: WGN, and your eyes are not deceiving you here. Some background: for the past few years, the White Sox have been broadcasting their games on WLS, but recently the parent company of that station realized that the contract was unprofitable. They filed suit in court, won the case, and received the right to terminate their broadcast contracts with the White Sox and the Bulls. The Bulls moved over the 670 The Score, but there was some doubt about where the Sox would be until yesterday, when they reached a new deal with WGN. This is fascinating for a couple of reasons. First off, WGN has had a decades-long relationship with the Cubs, making them returning to the broadcast game with the White Sox interesting. Plus, for about 10 years, the Cubs were on WGN and the White Sox were on The Score. Now starting in 2018, the Cubs will be on The Score and the White Sox will be on WGN. This all just goes to show that the local sports scene is constantly changing and constantly evolving.

The Cubs are Coming! The Cubs are Coming!

     After a storybook 2015 Season that saw a triumphant return to the playoffs after 7 seasons of either mediocre or just plain bad baseball, the Cubs are back this weekend at the Sheraton Grand Chicago for the 31st Annual Cubs Convention. The first day boasts the Opening Ceremony as well as the return of Friday Night with Ryan Dempster. Saturday is the big day, with the Ricketts family starting things off with their annual panel. After that, it's a flurry of interest panels, an update on the Buisness Operations of the team, and a panel called Cy Young Winners, which pretty much sounds like Jake Arrieta, his beard, and Rick Sutcliffe are gonna get on stage and have a beer together(unless Greg Maddux makes a surprise appearance) Later on that night, Cubs Bingo makes its return to the Convention. Then on Sunday the Convention wraps up with Once A Cub, Always A Cub and the Farm System update. Overall, things are looking very good for the year's Convention. It's the first one to have completely sold out in at least 5 years, having been out of tickets for over a month by now. I'll be there all weekend, giving updates when I can.

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Woo! Protests! Woo!

     The latest day of discord in the streets of Chicago over the shooting death of Laquan McDonald took a sharp turn into the surreal at City Hall today when the Coalition for a New Chicago was holding a press conference in front of the Mayor's office. The Coalition's goal is to gather support for a bill that would allow for Mayor Emanuel to be subjected to a recall vote. While the conference was going on, a man wearing a Cubs uniform jumped in front of the microphone to add his two cents:

     Hold on a second, that guy looks awfully familiar. Could it be?

     Holy Mackerel! It's Ronnie Woo Woo! According to Mary Ann Ahern of NBC5, Mr. Wickers(his actual surname) said in part that "[the] Mayor should go" No word yet on whether or not any Woos! were uttered during the statement.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Four Days In October

     On October 17, 2004, the Boston Red Sox found themselves with a big problem on their hands. They were down 3 games to nothing in the American League Championship Series to their hated rival, the New York Yankees. Improbably, they managed to win 4 games in a row, reach the World Series, and excise the Curse of the Bambino once and for all. Eleven years later, Theo Epstein's team finds itself in the same position. Except this time that team is the Chicago Cubs. Last night's loss at a rainy Wrigley Field put the Mets up 3-0 in the NLCS. Defensive lapses, an offense that still looks anemic compared to last week, all of them have led to where we are now. Also, simply the fact that the Mets are a good team.

     We are now left with but a few things: young players who (hopefully) remain blissfully ignorant of history, a manager who hasn't been rattled by anything all season, Jason Hammel on the mound, and something Cubs fans have plenty of: hope. Hope that the Cubs will pull off what has only been done once before. Hope that Ernie, Ronny, Harry, and all the other departed Cubs greats will look down and provide us some good mojo. Hope that tomorrow will not be the final game of the magical 2015 Season. All of these hopes culminate at 7:07 PM tonight, when the Cubs take the field for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: The Bash Brothers 2.0

     Going into tonight's game, everybody and their brother had come to expect great things from Jake Arrieta. And they were right to. Unfortunately, this was not to be a good night for our ace. The Cardinals got to him for 4 runs, matching his total for the past 2 months. Luckily, we were the beneficiaries of an offensive explosion. It all started off when the Schwarbino went deep to get us on the board first. Then after Arrieta gave up the first two runs in the 4th, Castro went yard as well to draw us even. After we got another man on base, Bryant cleared the bases to put us up 4-2. That one chased the St. Louis starter. Next Batter: Anthony Rizzo. Another Home Run. The Bash Brothers are back, and this time they're clean. Arrieta then gave up 2 more runs, and his night was over. At this point we're leading the Cardinals 5-4, which isn't exactly the most comfortable of leads. Luckily, Jorge Soler proceeds to hit another ball over the fence, scoring 2 more runs. This also means that he has reached base in each of his first 9 postseason plate appearances(in case you were curious, yes this is a record). 2 innings later, Dexter Fowler decides to join the party and hits one out as well. After rolling through a few relievers, the Cubs handed the ball to Rondon to put the game away. Bad news: Rondon serves up a 2-run homer with 2 outs already recorded. Good news: Rondon then puts the next batter away to render that homer meaningless and make the Cubs a winner.

     With all of that craziness, not only was Arrieta still the pitcher of record, but he actually got a win for this one. As so much digital and real ink has been devoted to saying already this season, these Cubs are different. On a night where Arrieta served up 4 runs, the offense hit six homers, more than have been hit in over 1,400 postseason games. The Cubs now enter Game 4 at Wrigley with a 2-1 series lead, and a chance to do something that hasn't been done ever: win a playoff series at Wrigley Field. Who knows how things will shake out, but it definitely will be historic.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: We're Going To Win Tonight.

     After Friday's loss, the Cubs were down 1-0 in the NLDS. Did they let that get them down? Of course not! Saturday's Game 2 saw the ball handed to Kyle Hendricks, who closed out the regular season on a tear, at one point hurling 12 scoreless innings between 2 starts. Things didn't start out too good, as the Cardinals jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Then the Cubs made their presence known in the top of the 2nd with an offensive explosion that featured two squeeze bunts which made Maddon look like some sort of mad genius, and continued with a 2 run homer by Jorge Soler that brought the boys home and capped off a 5-run inning(incidentally, Soler replaced the Schwarbino in the lineup. Good call.) Eventually, the Cardinals managed to hit 2 over the fence, which ended Hendricks' night. Our periodically quixotic bullpen actually held together quite well after that, with Travis Wood throwing 2 1/3 innings and Hector Rondon holding on to save a 6-3 Cubs win.

     Where does that leave us now? In a damn good place, that's where. We're tied at 1 game a piece. We're back at Wrigley for the next two games. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant(whom I will be henceforth referring to as The Bash Brothers 2.0) haven't even gotten a chance to make an offensive contribution yet this postseason. Oh, and JAKE ARRIETA is pitching tonight. You know, the guy who hasn't lost a game since July 25. The guy who has given up a TOTAL of 4 runs since the beginning of August. The guy who tossed the first postseason shutout for the Cubs in 70 years in Pittsburgh. Putting it succinctly, the Cardinals are in for a world of hurt tonight, and Arrieta is just the man to deal it out.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Meet Me in St. Louis

     After the hoopla from Wednesday night's victory over the Pirates calmed down(and the team finally stopped celebrating) the next objective loomed large: the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series. The two franchises have played 2,344 games against each other, yet had not met in the postseason for 129 years, going back to the 1886 World Series. Needless to say, the hype train was leaving the station full steam ahead. Add in the fact that the Game 1 starters(Jon Lester against John Lackey) were teammates in Boston and the drama gets ratcheted up even higher. Finally the time came and the first pitches were thrown. Lester faltered a bit out of the gate, allowing two hits in the first inning to fall into an early 1-0 hole. After that, he righted the ship, at one point retiring 10+ batters in a row. Unfortunately, John Lackey was doing great too. Dexter Fowler hit a mammoth shot that would have scored two runs, if it hadn't been caught by a Cardinal on the warning track. Lackey only allowed 2 hits, including one to Kyle Schwarber(whom I will be henceforth referring to as The Great Schwarbino). Lester was doing well at keeping the Cardinals within striking distance, until the 8th inning rolled around and he gave up 3 more runs. The Cubs did not go quietly though, putting two men on base in the top of the 9th before ultimately striking out and losing to the Cardinals 4-0. After our dressing down of Pittsburgh, this showed us a few important things:

• We still might fulfill the prophecy and win the World Series, but it sure won't be a walk in the park.
• St. Louis is going to be a tough opponent to beat
• And finally, does anyone know of a way we can make about 4 clones of Jake Arrieta?

     That last point might have been slightly in jest, and we will get Arrieta again in Game 3. As for tonight's Game 2, Kyle Hendricks gets the start. Although he comes in with a pedestrian 8-7 record, he finished the season strong, hurling 12 shutout innings over his final 2 starts, earning himself this start. First pitch is at 4:37 PM from Busch Stadium.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: The Cubs? In the Playoffs? Believe it.

     After 7 years out of the postseason, and 3 hard years of rebuilding under Theo Epstein, the Chicago Cubs have made it back into the Playoffs. This year started out like the past several, with the goal being gradual improvement towards putting a competitive team on the field in 2016. That all started to change last November when the Cubs abruptly fired Rick Renteria and hired Joe Maddon, best known for taking the Rays all the way from the AL's cellar to the World Series in 2008.

     The next month, the team announced the signing of free agent Jon Lester, a veteran of postseason runs with the Boston Red Sox. The team was expressing the normal good cheer and high hopes at the Convention and Spring Training, but then the season started. The first few months of the season were good, the team was more than 2 games over .500 for the first time since 2009, and they were 7 games over by the All-Star Break. Then they got hot.

     With a 2nd half record of 46-25(with 4 games still to play) and the unrivaled performance of the true Ace of the pitching staff Jake Arrieta, the Cubs stormed towards the postseason without looking back. All the while Joe Maddon has been there keeping the team loose through the grind of a baseball season. And now, the Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The Playoff Express gets rolling next Wednesday when the Cubs take on their opponent in the National League Wild Card game(at this point likely the Pirates, and perhaps at PNC Park, but both of those could change). I'll be covering the Cubs for as long as this postseason party lasts. Make sure to stay with Chicago 365 this October for all of your Cubs news.

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Trivia Tuesday: The North Side Skipper

     Baseball is back, and so is trivia. But first off, the answer to the previous question. The year 2014 saw a minimum of 4 different festivals celebrating Bacon, including the Bacon Chase 5k/.05k, the Bacon, Sports and Beer Celebration, Baconfest, and The Great American Bacon Festival. Now, on to our next question: The Cubs and Sox both start their Spring Training games this week. In that spirit, here's the question:

Who is the new Manager of the Cubs?

 

     Seriously, that's it. No tricks here. But be warned, an easy question this week just might mean a harder question next week...

 

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Chicago 365 World Series Central: We've Been Bounced

     Unless you were either living under a rock or partaking in way too many recreational substances back in August, you've heard of Jackie Robinson West. I covered them extensively in this blog back then, from their encounter with Mo'ne Davis and the Taney Dragons, to the hometown celebration of their U.S. Championship, to everything in between(including that time when they were the most popular baseball team in the city). It was a glorious run that will live on in the memories of Chicagoans forever. The record books, not so much.

     This morning Little League Baseball announced that JRW will be stripped of all victories from their postseason run(including their miracle comeback in the Regional Title game and their Finals game versus South Korea). Apparently the team illegally included players from outside the city limits to create a Superteam. In addition to being stripped of its wins, the team's manager has been suspended, the head of the local Little League Disctrict has been fired, and JRW is also suspended from playing until they get their act together. Going forward, the fate is unclear, but we can all rally around the kids, remember how they made us feel, and look forward to the next baseball thrill to hit Chicago(maybe the Cubs and Sox will actually put a watchable product on the field this year)

Cubs Convention Day 3: Finishing Up

     After laughing with Ryan Dempster and enjoying the quirks of our fellow Cub fans, the final day of the convention was up to bat. To start things off, Bobby Dernier, Gary Matthews, Lee Smith, Rick Sutcliffe, and Billy Williams participated in a panel led by Wayne Messmer on "30 Years of Cubs Convention Memories". After that, there was the annual Farm System update, which saw C.J. Edwards, Pierce Johnson, Addison Russell, and Kyle Schwarber sit down with Head of Scouting and Player Development Jason McLeod to talk about some of their experiences in the farm system. Schwarber talked a little bit about how he got to this point. He said that it "really ticks me off when people say I can't catch", which definitely helps his case when it comes to proving his dedication. Everything finally clicked for Schwarber when he was at Class A Kane County for a 4 day stretch of work last summer, and he is now being developed as a catcher.

     Another player on the panel was C.J. Edwards, who you may remember from the Matt Garza trade in July 2013 trade that netted 4 players in return. Edwards thinks of his parents as his idols but also looks up to Pedro Martinez, a recent nominee to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Considering Pedro's pitching prowess, this is a good omen. Martinez and Edwards also share body types, to the extent that one fan gave the young pitcher some cookies as he was leaving the hotel to help put some weight on. Another famed pitcher whom Edwards has been compared to is Mariano Rivera, by the virtue of the characteristics of his fastball. To have a pitcher in our system who is drawing comparisons to those two legendary hurlers can only be a good thing.

     During the session, McLeod also told fans to keep an eye out for some names to come on the horizon, such as pitchers Duane Underwood, Paul Blackburn and Jen-Ho Tseng, plus catcher Victor Caratini, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, and outfielder Bijan Rademacher. McLeod said that Underwood has the "best pure stuff" among the team's Minor League pitchers. As the panel was wrapping up, all four of the young players truly got a taste of the devotion that the fans have.  One man told them that "We love you like we love our wives and our children". Cubs fans have loved their team and their players for generations, and title or not, they will continue to love them. As the 2015 Convention wrapped up, all eyes turned to April 5, when the Cardinals would come to the still-unfinished Wrigley Field, and the annual pursuit begins once again for this moment right here:

Cubs Convention Day 2: Cubs Central

     After the rousing first night of the convention, Cubs fans of all ages were back in their seats for the 2nd day. First thing up was a panel led by the Ricketts family. The topics ran the gamut of all that you would expect to hear, but the real entertaining pieces came when they opened up the floor for questions. One guy came up to the stage where he proceeded to announce that he had a "prepared statement", which elicited many groans from the audience. After that, a young lad came up who had a certain Twitter conversation with Ian Stewart in June 2013(the story is in the link, but long story short, Stewart said some things he shouldn't have about the organization and was let go 2 weeks later). After calculating that dumping Stewart had saved the team roughly $100,000, the guy asked Ricketts where his cut was. Ricketts made a comedic evasion to that question. Finally, a lady walked up who was a self-proclaimed "crazy die-hard Cubs fan":

     Based upon her hat, I'm not willing to dispute her assertion. After the panel was over, there were numerous things going on, but my next item was "A Recent Look Back: The Cubs of 2007-08". This one had Jacque Jones, Mark DeRosa, Ryan Dempster, Kerry Wood, Ted Lilly, and Bob Howry reminiscing and answering questions about those glory days(also the last time the Cubs were any good). By some miracle, I ended up in the front row for that one, so I was able to snag some pretty good pictures. After that session ended, I was on the 4th floor waiting around when I saw a very distinctive uniform:

     Yes folks, that is indeed the one and only Ronnie Woo Woo(because of course he'd be here). After some more scouting of the vendors, I ran into a gentleman on the lower level with a very peculiar pennant from the 1984 World Series that had a Cubs roster on it. The Cubbies made it pretty far in '84, but not that far. So what gives? Apparently the pennant was made up before the NLCS ended, so some backups were made in case the Cubs had made it. It was never supposed to see the light of day, but this guy got his hands on it anyway. After an update on the business operations of the club(which pretty much revolved around contingency plans for the non-completion of the 1060 Project by Opening Night) and a special preview of what lies ahead, I took a break for dinner at the Billy Goat Tavern.

     While I was chowing down at the Billy Goat, I happened to fall in a conversation with an elderly gentleman next to me. Turns out that he remembers hearing about the Cubs when they were playing in the 1945 World Series. No, I'm not making that up. After that chance encounter, I decamped back to the Sheraton where it was time for Cubs Bingo. Hosted by Wayne Messmer, this annual tradition saw hundreds of Cubs fans competing to win prizes, which wrapped up the evening.

Cubs Convention Day 1: Age of the New Manager

     As the lights dimmed in the ballroom of the Sheraton last night, the assembled crowd cheered in approval of their baseball heroes. Cubs baseball had returned, and fans were coming out in droves to the 30th Annual Cubs Convention. The evening stated out with a live broadcast by B96 in the hotel's bar, which saw many different giveaways(I even won a fedora!) Then the opening ceremony started, and as expected, the biggest applause was saved for Jon Lester and Joe Maddon. After all the festivities ended, it was time for Friday Night with Ryan Dempster, a talk show where Dempster interviewed different big names involved with the team, including new manager Joe Maddon, Anthony Rizzo, and other figures as well. Dempster even took a page from David Letterman and came up with a Top Ten List of why the Cubs hired Joe Maddon:

10. "We misheard and thought he knew [actress] Eva Longoria."

9. "We're trying to set the Guinness Book of World Records for most fired managers."

8. "We needed someone who would take the leftover Harry Caray glasses."

7. "The Cubs' bus keeps breaking down so we figured, 'Hey, we can use his RV.'"

6. "Most managers take shots from the media; Joe Maddon buys shots for the media."

5. "We have a young team here in Chicago, and if 60 is the new 40, well, we need someone to manage all of our toddlers."

4. "[Model wife of former Cub David DeJesus] Kim DeJesus told us to."

3. "He's the son of a plumber and, let's just face it: the Wrigley bathrooms need a ton of work."

2. "We just feel bad for anyone who lives in Florida."

1. "Well, because of all the other managers we tried to tamper with, none of them called us back."

     That was about it for Friday's first day, but Saturday promises to be the meat of the order, with several different sessions taking place, all which should be very interesting to see.  As promised, Chicago 365 will be there for all of the hype.

Baseball is Back! Cubs Convention Preview

    This weekend, Cubs fans will be gathering for the 30th year in a row to be with other fans, learn about the new season, and hope that this year may just be the year(of course, if Back To The Future Part 2 is to be believed, 2015 really IS the year). The convention returns to the Sheraton on North Water Street for the third year in a row. Along with the traditional sessions on Management, the farm system, and the ever popular Cubs Bingo, this year has several special sessions, including a look back at the 07-08 teams, a panel on 30 years of Convention memories, and a Friday night Evening with Ryan Dempster. But for all the new panels, possibly the two most highly anticipated sessions are the Meet the New Cubs slot, where both Joe Maddon and Jon Lester will be given Chicago style welcomes(no word yet on whether Maddon will buy brewskis for the house at Billy Goat Tavern), and then the Owner's panel should also be a must-watch, featuring the Ricketts family, updates on the 1060 Project, and much hand-wringing over the relationship(or lack thereof) with the rooftop owners. Then of course, you have the autograph sessions, the dealer's room, and the relentless crush of fans crowding the table after each panel. I will be at the Convention this weekend, and giving all of you the tale of the tape after each day on Chicago 365, your source for all breaking Cubs news on this Convention Weekend.

The High Five

     Dusty Baker is best remembered around Chicago for serving as manager of the Cubs for four seasons, years that saw them go from winning the NL Central(before being impeded by Steve Bartman) to turning in a 96-loss season. But he also played ball for 18 years, for the Braves, Dodgers, Giants, and Athletics, and that is where he earned another claim to fame: being one of the inventors of the High Five.

     In 1977, Baker was in the middle of his career, and playing on a Dodgers team that was easily rolling through the end of the season. On the last day of the season, with a playoff spot already in the bag, there seemingly wasn't much left to work for. But for Baker, there was something left to go for. Ron Cey, Reggie Smith, and Steve Garvey all stood with over 30 homers. Baker had 29. All he had to do was hit one more over the fence in order to make the '77 Dodgers the first team ever with 4 players having at least 30 home runs in a season. Finally, Baker cracked one out in the 6th inning. As he was rounding the bases, Glenn Burke joined the triumphant mob of Dodgers at home plate. Overcome with emotion, Burke threw his open palm up into the air. Not quite knowing what to do in response, Baker slapped it. The High Five was born.

     Dusty Baker isn't the only Chicago connection in this story. Ron Cey wound up playing on the 1984 Cubs, who would make it all the way to the National League Championship Series before falling to the Padres-and Steve Garvey. In the 37 years since, people of all walks of life and of all professions have used the High Five as a symbol of approval and appreciation.

Paulie!

     Over the past 15 years, there has been one constant on the city's South Side. Between new stadium names, managerial shakeups, good seasons, bad seasons, and everything in between, White Sox fans have always been able to count on seeing Paul Konerko step up to the plate for the team. Yesterday, Paulie played his final game as a member of the team, capping off a career that has seen him bring a World Series title to the South Side, as well as make a name for himself. It all started out in 1994 when he was drafted by the Dodgers, entering into their farm system and briefly making it to the big league squad before being traded to the Reds. After spending a few games in Cincinnati, he ended up coming over to the Chicago White Sox.

     In 2000, he made his arrival known by helping the Sox make it to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Even though they were swept in the first round, Paulie had made his impression. In 2005 the team returned to the postseason. That venture was slightly more successful. Konerko made an instrumental impact on the ALCS, driving in several runs and punching their ticket to the World Series. Once they got there, Konerko made another impact, smacking a Grand Slam homer to motivate the Sox and helping them to a sweep of the Astros. At their victory rally, Konerko produced another memorable moment:

    After the departure of Frank Thomas, Konerko became the face of the franchise, and he had several more special moments left in his career.  In 2008 he became the final opposing player to hit a home run in Yankee Stadium.  The next year he partnered with Jermaine Dye to become the first ever players to both hit their 300th home run in the same game.  Late in the 2010 season, he was hit by a pitch in Minnesota, which led to a contentious conclusion to the game.  In 2011 he was elected to his 5th All-Star Game in the midst of a season where he hit 30 homers and had 105 RBIs.  After Ozzie Guillen's departure following the season, Kenny Williams even considered making him player-manager.  Ultimately he decided against it and hired Robin Ventura, but Konerko remained a valued team-mate.  He announced that this 2014 season would be his last, and wrapped up his baseball career having played all but 81 of his 2,348 career games with the White Sox.

One Day in Chicago: Baseball Heartbreak

     45 years ago today.  September 24, 1969.  Two sides of town, two groundbreaking moments, and two infamous stories that live on to this day.

     In 1969, the Cubs were entering Leo Durocher's 4th season as manager. After coming in with a thud in a 101-loss first season(the last time before 2012 that the team would lose over 100 games), the team had performed better every year, culminating with an 84-78 record in the 1968 campaign. With the core back and getting hot at the right time, things looked great. Ernie Banks even said that "The Cubs will be fine in sixty-nine" And for the first several months of the season, it looked like Banks was right. They led the National League East for 155 days, a welcome sight for a fan base that hadn't seen postseason baseball since 1945. The team sent its entire infield to the 1969 All-Star Game, putting the world on notice that these Cubs were for real. All throughout the rest of the summer the team dominated. But then September reared its ugly, ugly head.

     It all started when the Cubs were at Shea Stadium playing the Mets on September 2nd. Ron Santo was in the on-deck circle when a cat got loose and made its way onto the field. Not a big deal, right? Did I mention that the cat was black? That was just the first nail in the coffin. After that you had Santo mercilessly castigating a young player for a rookie mistake, the Cubs going 18-27 down the stretch, Leo Durocher riding the players too hard for too long, day baseball, and before you knew what hit you, it was September 24, 1969, and the Mets won the NL East.  The Cubs' postseason dreams were crushed. Those freakin' New York Mets. After coming on the scene in 1962 and setting the modern day record for futility with 120 losses(never fear 1899 Cleveland Spiders, your actual record will never be touched), they'd spent the next 6 seasons as the universal joke of Major League Baseball. Then they came out of nowhere in 1969, not only overtaking the Cubs, but also leapfrogging established powers like the St. Louis Cardinals to win the pennant and the World Series. The collapse of 1969 left the city and the fan base numb with shock and disappointment, and many fans of a certain age remember the Fall of 1969 like it was yesterday.

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.


    

Chicago 365 Championship Central 2/3: Chicago Plays

     This past Sunday, Jackie Robinson West competed in the Final of the Little League World Series. They were up against International Champion South Korea,who reached the title game by way of a commanding 12-3 defeat of Japan. The game started with high hopes, as JRW sought to become the first all-black team to win it all. South Korea jumped out to an early 1-0 lead right out of the gate. After falling another run behind, West got one back in the 4th inning. South Korea added two more runs to their lead by the end of the 5th, before piling on 4 more runs in their half of the 6th. But even with their backs against the wall, JRW still held on till the end, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th and beginning their comeback bid. Alas, it was not enough, and South Korea wound up capturing the 2014 Little League World Series title by a final score of 8-4. Regardless, JRW put forth an effort to be proud of, and made memories that will last a lifetime. Not just that, but they seem to have accumulated accolades from all corners of the city. But there will be more on that in the next entry.

Chicago 365 Championship Central 1/3: Chicago Watches

     Well, what do you know?  After being humiliated by Nevada, and being advised by at least one Little League official to book passage home early to make it more streamlined, Jackie Robinson West reeled off 4 victories(including a win against Nevada) in a row to make it to the World Championship game.  Now what actually happened in the game will be the subject of the next part, but for now we'll be talking about the scene back in Chicago.  And what a scene it was.  Let's start down south. Jackie Robinson Park on 103rd Street has been the site of all the watch parties for their whole run dating all the way back to their Regional tournament. This game was no exception, except for a few differences.  This time, the watch party was at the Kroc Community Center, and there were even such people there as Pat Quinn, Bruce Rauner, and Rahm Emanuel.  But the big party was located downtown in the Loop.  And not just any part of the Loop, but right in front of the Chicago Theater.  The city actually went to the trouble of closing down State Street so that the viewing party could be held.  At this party, Chicagoans of all types turned out united in one desire: to see our boys from the Heights bring home the World Championship.  It was marvelous.  Of course the results of the game, not so much.  But that's for the next entry.