(Possibly the most stable man in Chicago sports. Scary, right?)
There must be something in the water in Chicago, something other than hundreds of wise guys and their favorite pair of cement shoes. It's been an odd few months for the Windy City and it's hometown sports teams. Where do we start? Should we go with the Bulls and their fans collectively hating Vinny Del Negro while their star point guard Derrick Rose is being accused of taking a seat on the bench for his SAT's? How about diminutive Blackhawks' winger Patrick Kane going Mike Tyson's Punch-out on a cabbie in Buffalo over pocket change? Better yet, what about the Cubs and White Sox race to see who can trade or release the most players or be the most games out of first place before the end of the season? Would anyone have guessed that Jay Cutler to the Bears would be the least sensational story in Chicago sports this year?
A certain amount of big stories should be expected to come out of a city that is home to two of the higher profile, and more vocal, managers in baseball as well as a football franchise with a fanatical fan base, but to see this many in one year borders on the surreal. It's as if Chicago offered to take the pressure off teams in New York, Boston and Los Angeles by losing it's collective sporting mind. One can only wonder if losing the state's favorite Senator has something to do with the foolishness
The more I think about this, the more bizarre it all becomes. Just days after Ozzie Guillen says he feels like he's "stealing" from Kenny Williams, the White Sox raise the white flag (see what I did there?) on their playoff hopes by trading slugger Jim Thome and Lustrium Glove winning pitcher Joes Contreras despite being only 6 games back of Detroit in an absolutely atrocious division. They give up the 2nd least runs in the division, while the division leading Tigers score the the 2nd least. The difference between first and third place can be a good or bad weekend series in the AL Central.
Remember when everyone thought the Cubs were going to run away with the Central and be the team to beat in NL? It must be fun living that fantasy world. Win or lose, the Cubs are always good for some great drama. Whether it be Milton Bradley wanted to beat the traffic out of Wrigley every day, the potential for a surprise shower from fans in center field or a Hall of Fame manager expecting to come back next year despite driving one of the most talented teams in baseball into the ground, the Northsiders usually good for a decent laugh, cringe, or both.
An open note to Patrick Kane: Nothing good happens at 4 A.M., and always carry change. I thought the story of him punching a cab driver over 20 cents was a joke the first time I read it. How can one of the NHL's biggest rising stars not be willing to part with 14 dollars, deciding instead to take a beating in the media and risk a spot on the U.S. Olympic squad? Patrick Kane, really? Probably the last person on that squad I would have expected to jack up a cabbie. Maybe he took offense to the drivers request for an autograph of his picture on the cover of Mad Magazine.
I'd expect these kind of circus-like headlines to come out of the "traditional"places, not from the relatively low key city of Chicago. The Super Fans may be less ridiculous than some of the current sitiuations. Hang on...breaking news...Mike Ditka expected to return to the playing field and challenge for the Bears starting tight end position.
What? It's no more outlandish than the real stories.
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