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's Newest Celebrity

     The Ramblers of Loyola have made a splash in the NCAA Tournament in the past month, and the fame has gone everywhere. But without a doubt, the most talked-about person in this tournament has to be Sister Jean. Jean Dolores-Schmidt started out as a Sister of charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1937. By 1961, she had moved to Chicago to join the staff of Mundelein College. Over the next 30 years, she plied her craft on the North Side. In 1991, Mundelein College was absorbed by Loyola University, and she was kept on at the institution. 1994 saw her become chaplain to the men's basketball team, and ever since then her fame has grown. In 2011 she was honored with her own bobblehead. 5 years after that, she was granted an honorary doctorate from the school.

     But all of that was just a warm-up for the past 3 weeks. Loyola entered the tournament as an 11-seed. But then they started winning. And they haven't stopped winning. Buzzer-beaters, blowouts, Sister Jean has been there for all of them. And that's not even counting the media coverage. The assistant Athletic Director has been deputized as Sister Jean's rep so as to sort through the mountain of requests for her time. On one day, her appearances were as varied as Good Morning America, WGN News, and ESPN. Add on the inevitable social media response, and Sister Jean is the newest celebrity of 2018. Who would've thought it would happen to a 98 year-old nun? I suppose the Lord DOES work in mysterious ways.

4 Points in 3 Games

     Ladies and Gentlemen, we've got a bona fide Cinderella in town, and its name is the Loyola Ramblers. After ANOTHER thrilling victory in the Sweet 16, Loyola has now pushed itself into the Elite 8, thanks to scrappy play and support from Sister Jean. The game was yet another close one, as Marques Townes delivered with 18 points. Nevada had a gunslinger of its own with Caleb Martin, who delivered 21 points, with his brother Cody scoring 16 more. Not to be outdone, Jordan Caroline scored 19 points of his own. Thankfully, Loyola prevailed in the end. Loyola certainly has a habit of keeping their fans on the edge of their seats. They've now won their 3 tournament games by a combined total of 4 points. The drama figures to continue tonight, as they are up to face Florida State in the Elite 8 with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Make sure to watch.

Big Brother Could be Watching YOU

     If sitting around tonight watching the Ramblers isn't your jam(or you just feel like doing so in public), and you've always wanted to be on TV, today is your chance! Big Brother is hosting a casting call at Bar Louie at 47 W. Polk St. tonight from 6-9. Make sure to check out the website for all the details, and best of luck!

Rambling On

     When the names were drawn on Selection Sunday, folks up in Rogers Park knew what was coming but were still surprised. Loyola University had made it into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985. Their status as an 11-seed meant that they weren't going to have it easy, but things wouldn't be impossible. They proved that right away with an opening round victory over Miami, coming thanks to a last minute 3-pointer. Then on St. Patrick's Day, the Ramblers came up with another dramatic victory over Tennessee, sinking a shot with 3 seconds left to hold onto the win. Since then, Loyola has become the newest Cinderella darling. Visits to the school website have shot up 300%. Sister Jean Schmidt has become the country's newest celebrity(even in these times, a 98-year old nun can apparently still grab headlines). The program is being held up as an example of how to build a mid-major team that can actually win. Now though, the time for talk is coming to an end. The Sweet 16 starts off tonight, with a game in Atlanta against Nevada on the books. And even though the team might have had a bit of an interesting time making it to the arena yesterday, they're there now and ready to play.

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 Ballad of Brianna and Jaelin

     Earlier this month Chicago was rocked by the release of yet another controversial video online. Was it another police shooting? More exposes of corruption on the 5th Floor of City Hall? No. It was something much more earth-shattering:

     For those of you who didn't feel like sitting through all 16 minutes of the video, let me tell you the tale of Brianna and Jaelin White. Two young (and married) whippersnappers, they struck out on their own with only their undying love for each other large piles of Daddy's money to try and flip houses in Chicago, that toddlin' town that it is. But once they got there, they found out that not all that glitters(or smells like piss in this case) is gold. They got into town that first night, crawled out of their Volkswagen Jetta, and stayed in a hotel for their first night in the city. The next day they bravely drove over to their new apartment in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city: Edgewater(I'm telling you, you can't make this shit up). While Jaelin braved the rough streets to buy a fully-customized bedroom set at Ikea, Brianna was back at the place going all Snapchat-crazy. Jaelin finally makes it back and Brianna embraces him like a proud wife welcoming her man back from the war. Apparently finding(at Ikea) and Snapping(at the apartment) the perfect piece is exhausting, because our brave little couple is famished. So they decide to hop on the 'tram'(that's Red Line in Dumb Twit Language) to get some food at Chipotle. But while waiting at the Granville stop, they're beset by a sinful mortal bum who engages Jaelin in conversation. In a terribly rookie mistake, Jaelin then engages the bum in conversation. The couple quickly realizes that the situation is getting out of hand, and they bail on the Red Line plan in favor of Ubering it up to Chipotle. But then, like a bad penny, a boomerang, or the antagonist in a bad horror movie, CreepGuy emerges from the station behind them. The Whites then take refuge in a Subway.

     I would go on from there, but transcribing 16 minutes worth of entitled white teenager-speak is probably one of the Seven Deadly Sins. If you're really that curious, watch the video. Suffice it to say, by the end of it all they're back home-and homeless to boot. Tommy and Gina went through less turmoil than this. Oh the humanity! Anyway, the way things were going, you know they were gonna crucify these two. And have the citizens of Chicago delivered. Aside from being universally panned on every forum available, one enterprising Chicagoan has even set up a walking tour to pay tribute to these two and their brave yet brief stand against the tyranny of random creepers. As of now the event has more than 4,600 people interested on Facebook, with more bound to see it before the walk on September 6.

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.

Breaking News: #TraumaCenterNow

     While the rest of the city is engrossed in Game 1 of the Finals, apparently there are other things going on too. One of which is a protest at the University of Chicago. Apparently there is a protest going on over at the University of Chicago over people wanting to put a trauma center in. The University is saying no, people are getting upset, and things are going from there. You can catch some more updates here

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