Cycling in Chicago is becoming more and more popular not only as a source of recreation and exercise, but, for many, as the primary method of transportation. The warm weather attracts people to their bikes and now with the Divvy bike-share program expanding on what seems to be a daily basis; more and more cyclists have taken to the road. Many commuters have also replaced vehicles with bicycles as a way to save money, avoid traffic and parking woes and help the environment.
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— Matt Willens /
Chicago Tue Jul 30 2013
There's nothing that says fun quite like an Iditarod race in Chicago, aptly named Chiditarod, that requires adults to mush about the city at different checkpoints, all for charity. The race, pageant, talent show and fundraiser helped raise over $34,000 in cash donations while collecting nearly 17,000 pounds of food for the Greater Chicago Food Depository this past March 2, after covering 4.8 miles in the greatest spectacle in shopping cart racing.
But why should the adults have all the fun, running around and acting like kids? It's time for the kids to get involved and show the grown-ups how it's done. On Saturday, August 10, the folks at "Chiditarod" will put on "Kiditarod," a kid-oriented version of the race, at a new interactive festival called Figment, that runs Aug. 10-11 at the Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave.
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— Jim Crago
The White Sox dealt another relief pitcher Monday, trading reliever Jesse Crain to Tampa Bay for... well, we'll get to that.
Reliever Matt Thornton was traded to Boston a few weeks ago, and it's clear that a) the Sox are cashing in any non-buildable assets they have and b) relievers are the easiest position to trade and trade for. The rub to this Crain trade is that he's currently on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury. He's been out all of July, and while many thought he would be back by the All-Star game, he suffered a setback and his return is undetermined.
Because of that, the Rays worked with the Sox on an interesting trade: Tampa gets Crain, and the Sox get a package depending on how many games Crain plays for them. The Rays (potentially) bolster their middle-of-the-pack bullpen while the Sox await a return.
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— Mike Chamernik
Cubs Fri Jul 26 2013
In the winter of 2006, former general manger Jim Hendry set out to fill what he, along with many in the industry, considered to be the missing piece for the Cubs to reach the playoffs and beyond. His goal: sign a leadoff hitter -- regardless of price. On November 21st, he inked the most expensive contract for a top of the order bat in the history of baseball. Soon to be 31-year-old Alfonso Soriano was coming to the Cubs for a cool $136 million over eight years.
Soriano had just completed his best season as a major leaguer, becoming just the fourth player in the history of baseball to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same year (ironically, he'll be teaming up with another in Alex Rodriguez -- a player he was also traded for in his career). In his six full seasons, he had never played less than 145 games. The expectations that came along with the $136 million were astronomical. And that's where the problems started.
The mid-2000s was a time of transition in Major League Baseball. Getting on base and drawing walks, especially at the top of the lineup, was quickly becoming a talking point for anyone familiar with Michael Lewis's bestseller "Moneyball". Soriano didn't draw many walks and the organization had to continuously beat back the idea of moving him down in the order. Hendry paid for his stolen bases too, not just his homers. It wasn't until July 4th of 2009 that Soriano was freed from the leadoff spot.
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— Chad Ruter
For those lucky enough to have a pass to the Blackhawks Convention this weekend (all passes are sold out), it's time to dust off your Stan Mikita jersey and bring an extra bag to store your collectables. The puck drops for the sixth-annual Convention Friday morning at the Chicago Hilton Hotel and will feature many of the members who helped bring home its fifth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Earlier today the Blackhawks announced the official panels for the Convention, via its site. The bulk of the panels will take place in both the International and Continental Ballrooms with the weekend starting Friday, July 26, at 5:00pm, and the final set of events starting Sunday, July 28, at 9:30am.
If you've been going through withdrawal over not hearing enough Chelsea Dagger, or simply forgot just how handsome Patrick Sharp really is, then load up the family truckster and zip down Michigan Avenue to take in a variety of events, which includes an improv set with members of Second City to re-living the Stanley Cup Final with WGN-TV's Dan Roan. Consider it your own personal Methadone clinic, sure to ease the anxiety away.
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— Jim Crago
Cubs Tue Jul 23 2013
In the past two years, the Cubs have become quite familiar with the minor league system of the Texas Rangers. After swinging a deadline deal last year that sent Ryan Dempster to Arlington for a package that included this year's Southern League All-Star starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs followed it up less than a year later by dealing Matt Garza, the hottest available starter on the market, for a package of four or five players, including top third base prospect Mike Olt.
Judging trades that involve a number of prospects is incredibly hard to do the day it happens. The hope is that the return is a healthy combination of quantity and quality when you're dealing what many consider the top player that is readily available on the market.
Here's what we do know, however. Whichever team traded for Garza was receiving a two month rental, and no more. Unless an extension is negotiated as part of the deal, then two months and roughly 12 starts is all you can count on. If you need proof of that, look no further than Dempster and Texas just last season. If all goes as planned, maybe a few extra starts in postseason play can be expected as well. So that's what the Cubs traded. A starter they weren't going to sign to a long-term extension because they didn't want to commit enough years/cash for a pitcher that's widely considered a number two or three starter to go along with an injury history that makes general managers wake up in pools of sweat if he's signed long term.
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— Chad Ruter
The Blackhawks have announced that eight of its players will attend Olympic Orientation Camps, which lead to the 2014 Games in Sochi. The organization has a league-high five players invited to the Canadian team with Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford getting the call. Camp for Team Canada will be in Calgary in August with 42 other Canadians hoping to make the squad.
Three other members of the Blackhawks have been invited to the United States Men's Hockey Team with Conn Smythe winner Patrick Kane, Nick Leddy and Brandon Saad getting the honor. The three Hawks players will head to Arlington, VA, on August 26 and 27. They will join 45 other U.S.-born players in hopes to make Team USA.
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— Jim Crago
By Veronica Arreola
This summer espnW is celebrating Title IX, the federal law that has provided girls and women access to athletic programs, with nine films. One film, "Let Them Wear Towels," which premiered July 16, documented the rise of the woman sports journalist and their biggest hurdle to success -- the locker room.
Today we don't bat an eye to see journalists, like NBC Chicago's Peggy Kusinski, grab an athlete right after the game and pepper them with questions. Sometimes she's in the locker room, sometimes she's on the sideline. She goes where she needs to get the story. And that is exactly why in the 1970s and '80s women sports journalists fought to gain access to the sweatiest and grossest place in sports. Earlier this year, WBEZ's Cheryl Raye Stout proclaimed her gratitude to former Chicago Bear Jim Harbaugh for questioning the policy to not let women into locker rooms. If we had to rank the feminist battles of the 20th Century, and some people like to do that, this might not be in the top 10. But it no less important than other glass ceilings that continue to be shattered.
I had the honor to speak to award-winning journalist Christine Brennan about the early part of her career, what the future holds for women sports journalists and how young women can take inspiration from her generation's battle.
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— Tailgate
The Chicago Outfit's b-team, the Shade Brigade, took home a win Saturday against the Ohio Roller Girls' b-team, the Gang Green.
The Shade Brigade held Gang Green scoreless for the first eight minutes of the bout, jumping out to a 29-0 lead. But Gang Green went on a 51-0 run to take the lead from the Shade Brigade. At the half, the Shade Brigade led 99-60.
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— Bill Mayeroff
The Windy City Rollers All-Stars beat the Denver Roller Dolls Mile High Club 138-132 Saturday to win the Golden Bowl III tournament.
Saturday's victory meant the All-Stars finished the tournament 3-0, while the other three teams - the Mile High Club, the Texas Rollergirls Texecutioners and the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls Golden Girls - finished with records of 1-2. Based on point differential, Denver finished second, Texas third and B.ay A.rea fourth.
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— Bill Mayeroff
As has been pretty clear for the last month or so, the White Sox will be sellers at July's trade deadline. They also will presumably be sellers post-trade deadline as well, placing any unsold vets on waivers and trying to work deals that way as well. Simply put, the Sox tried to run back last year by making only small cosmetic moves this past offseason. It didn't work, and now it's time to rebuild. For real, this time.
Right now, the Sox have one of the worst farm systems in the game, second-to-last in Baseball America's organizational talent rankings and third-to-last in Keith Law's farm system ranks (Insider only link). The Sox only had three top-100 picks in last month's entry draft, including the 17th selection.
The club obviously needs to replenish their young talent. In a glass half-full kind of way, it's good that the Sox are 38-56, because then they can shut down this season and not worry about what could have been.
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— Mike Chamernik
The Windy City Rollers All-Stars won both their bouts Saturday, leaving them one win away from winning the third annual Golden Bowl tournament.
The All-Stars, ranked 10th in the world (as of June 30) by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, beat the 4th-ranked Bay Area Derby Girls Golden Girls 237-174 and 6th-ranked Texas Rollergirls Texecutioners 155-152. All that stands between the All-Stars and the trophy are the 2nd-ranked (again, as of June 30) Denver Roller Dolls Mile High Club.
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— Bill Mayeroff /
It seems like only yesterday Dave Bolland scored the Cup-winning goal to beat the Boston Bruins in Game 6. That was 25 days ago. Since then, the team has whisked the Cup all over town, Bolland was shipped to Toronto, the NHL draft happened, with Stan Bowman wheeling and dealing the afternoon away, and free agency kicking in.
And now, just earlier today, the Blackhawks officially posted its 2013-14 schedule, with the first preseason game on Tuesday, September 17, against the Red Wings at the United Center.
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— Jim Crago
Some of the top roller derby leagues in the world will converge on the UIC Pavilion tomorrow and Sunday when the Windy City Rollers host Golden Bowl III.
The tournament will feature four of the top 10 derby leagues in the world, according to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. The Windy City Rollers All-Stars, as of June 30, are ranked 10th, while the Denver Roller Dolls Mile High Club are ranked 2nd. Also taking part in the tournament are the Texas Rollergirls Texecutioners, currently ranked 6th, and the 4th-ranked Bay Area Derby Girls Golden Girls.
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— Bill Mayeroff
Though Dick Allen was one of the most talked about players in baseball during his career, in the decades since his exit from the game he's one of the least talked about baseball greats.
It's a paradox, but it's true. Allen was one of the most controversial players in MLB during the 1960s and 70s, always in the headlines in the sports sections for the wrong reasons. Now? Allen hasn't gotten the recognition he has deserved as one of the best hitters in the game, someone who was an all-around force on the baseball field.
Allen, who spent his best years with the Phillies and White Sox, finished his career with 351 home runs, and a slash line of .292/.378/.534. That's a .912 career OPS, the 55th best of all-time (and better than Mike Schmidt and Willie Stargell). He won the 1972 AL MVP award, carrying a Sox team filled with nobodies to 87 wins and a second-place finish. Yet Allen isn't in the hall of fame and is hardly remembered, save for baseball diehards.
Dick Allen shares his story in the 1989 book, Crash: The Life and Times of Dick Allen, by Allen and writer Tim Whitaker. The book is a good one, and for the most part, Allen's life story comes straight from the horse's mouth.
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— Mike Chamernik /
As a father of three children under the age of 13, I am hyper-sensitive to the issue of child bicycle safety. It wasn't too long ago that I taught them each how to ride a bike.
How do we teach our children to ride a bicycle? Do we teach bicycle safety?
Here was my process: 1. Removed training wheels from bike; 2. Put child on bike and said, "I'm going to hold onto you, jog down the block for a bit and then let go"; 3. Started jogging along with them until they seemed steady; 4. Let go of bike; 5. Watched helplessly as they lost control and fell; 6. Helped them up; 7. Watched them get mad at me and run inside house to pout for a bit; 8. Repeated steps 3 and 4.
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— Matt Willens
All-Star games are commonplace now not only across top-level professional sports, but it's also a staple of minor league, college, high school and even little league seasons. The game is not just an entertaining exhibition for spectators and a reward for talented players, it also serves as a snapshot of a moment in time; all the best players gathered for one game, a marker of what happened and who mattered in a current year. Some might say otherwise, but All-Star games, particularly Major League Baseball's, are still a big deal.
In that context, it's crazy that the game had to be invented, and that it was a radical idea. It wasn't created by the commissioner or an owner or even a player. No, it was a concept thought up by a sportswriter. In 1933, Arch Ward, the sports editor at the Chicago Tribune, organized a one-game exhibition between the best players in the National and American Leagues at Comiskey Park.
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— Mike Chamernik
Boxing Tue Jul 16 2013
Former Chicago Golden Gloves heavyweight champ Thomas Hayes looks on while a group from the Chicago Park District constructs an outdoor boxing ring smack dab in front of the Picasso in Daley Plaza. Sweat drips down his face as the morning sun beats down heavily on his brow while directing traffic and unpacking boxes.
"K.O. Time," as Hayes has been known inside and out of the squared circle, hung up his gloves a few years ago after sweating and beating brows for almost nine. His fighting résumé has him well-traveled along the West Coast and throughout the Midwest, including a WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight shot against Chris Arreola, his second and final loss in 29 fights, all while training under Kevin Rooney.
But before Hayes walked down aisles in arenas, he walked his way to high school at Leo on the south side. One of those trips to school resulted in a gunshot wound from a .22 caliber, which would change the course of his life forever.
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— Jim Crago
Bandits Mon Jul 15 2013
Chicagoans know that softball (16 or 12 inch) is a way of city life once the grass turns green and temps rise above 50. Local parks fill up with all ages of ballplayers, hoping to squeeze in one more season and do their best to not pull a hammy.
And while cheering on your friends and loved ones, while praying they don't break an ankle, might seem like a lot of fun, why not hop the Blue Line to Rosemont and watch how the real pros get it done at the 2013 National Pro Fastpitch Championship Series.
The event takes place Thursday, August 22, through Saturday, August 24, at the Ballpark in Rosemont located at; you guessed it, 27 Jennie Finch Way. The Championship Series is sponsored through National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), which has given elite female fastpitch players the chance to compete since 1997. The teams representing this year are USSSA Pride, NY/NJ Comets, Akron Racers and your Chicago Bandits, the 2011 Cowles Cup champs.
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— Jim Crago
Attention White Sox fans: circle July 31 on your calendars. Or, set a reminder on your phone or whatever. It's going to be a big day.
Not only is that Wednesday the trade deadline, but that night the ballclub is hosting "A Night at the Ballpark with the Chicago White Sox" at US Cellular Field. The Sox will be in Cleveland to face the Indians, and guests can watch the game on the scoreboard. In addition to the game, fans can meet Phil Rogers of the Chicago-Tribune and Ron Kittle of the 1983 Sox, and take photos on the field, toss some pitches in the bullpen and even take a stadium tour.
Tickets for adults are $45 and kids are $25, and that included ballpark snacks. Have a big group that wants to root for the Sox, clown around with Southpaw and chat about "Winning Ugly" with Kittle? The price for a group of 10 is $300, and that includes everyone's name flashing on the big screen. Parking is free.
So relax and watch a ballgame in the evening at the Cell. It will be especially sweet after monitoring the trade deadline action all afternoon.
— Mike Chamernik
Cubs Fri Jul 12 2013
After well over five hours of hearings, backroom negotiations, along with an emotional note from Alderman Tom Tunney, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks unanimously approved the signage portion of the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field renovation plan. The deal calls for smaller signs than the ones outlined in the April agreement, but Wrigley will be getting the controversial Jumbotron in left center (5,700-square-foot total) along with a much reduced see-through sign in right field coming in at 650 square feet if the plan is approved by the city council.
Despite the sizes being smaller than what the Cubs' ownership was hoping for, it was a major score for Tom Ricketts in an effort to monetize portions of the ballpark to offset some of the cost of the $500 million renovation and restoration project. It should also improve the game-day experience for anyone in attendance. Not sure who's coming up to bat next inning? The board will answer. Did Angel Hernandez blow that call at first base? I want the truth!
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— Chad Ruter /
Needing to make a change at catcher, the White Sox gave a young righthanded hitter a shot to start regularly behind the dish. The new catcher responded, crushing two home runs in his first three games. His hot start excited the fans, who began to envision a glowing future cog in the White Sox offense.
But enough about Tyler Flowers.
Okay, I'm sorry! I don't mean to be a Negative Nancy here. But you have to admit that there was an interesting parallel between Josh Phegley's hot start and the first few games of 2013 for Flowers.
Phegley got the call to the bigs last week, and so far he's been good: three homers and eight RBIs in five games. It's an extremely small sample size. But in such a dismal season, the Sox and Sox fans will take all the positives they can get, and Phegley has been a huge plus. His grand slam Thursday afternoon against Detroit gave the Sox a lead they wouldn't give up.
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— Mike Chamernik
Here's an equation that I ask you to solve: bicycles + cyclists unfamiliar with Chicago bike laws - helmets = ? Read on, come back and fill in your answer.
If you haven't noticed, Chicago has a new bike-share program called the Divvy bike-share program. There are racks of bikes set up all through the city and people can rent them for limited periods of time. There will be 300 bike-share stations open in Chicago by August. You can rent a bike from one rack and return it to another. You may have seen these bikes around (photo above).
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— Matt Willens /
Bulls Thu Jul 11 2013
And we're off to yet another uneventful offseason brought to you by John Paxson and Gar Forman. The non-excitement is palpable. The Bulls drafted incoming NBA freshmen Tony Snell and Erik Murphy, who will likely continue coach Tom Thibodeau's rookie acclimation program where they'll average anywhere between 8-12 minutes per game, just as previous rookies Omer Asik, Jimmy Butler and Marquis Teague have over the last three years. Then management decided not to renew the contract of Thibodeau's best bud and lead assistant coach Ron Adams, which was a move that lubricated the rumors of there being friction between the GM and the coach.
The Free Agency period has been as quiet as Neil Funk after a Stacey King "Family Guy" reference. Nazr Mohammed tweeted that he's coming back to the Bulls. Whenever your team can re-sign a back-up center at the veteran's minimum, it's time to seriously consider favoriting the tweet of the sports writer who mentioned it on your timeline. In a move to appease a fanbase whose group-think has postulated that the organization (facing tax implications) is cheap (hat tip to Reggie Rose), the Bulls signed a soon-to-be-33-year-old Mike Dunleavy Jr. to a two year, $6 million deal.
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— Donny Rodriguez /
Cubs Wed Jul 03 2013
If you thought watching Cubs baseball this year couldn't get any worse, just wait until the club gets finished dealing away their tradable assets. But alas, the swaps of players and cash are all in the name of the future. With the Cubs in fourth place in a stacked National League Central along with sporting the fifth worst record in baseball, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer wasted no time in pulling the trigger yesterday afternoon.
In the span of 30 minutes, three trades were announced that not only reshaped the current team, but gave the Cubs more cash to spend on the international market. Without making the system sound complicated, each organization is given a budget based on the reverse order of how they finished in 2012. The budgets are broken into four different slots for each team at decreasing values, and are available to be traded. Teams can use the money they have or trade for however they'd like to sign as many eligible foreigners to play for them as they choose.
Instead of breaking down the trades individually, here's a look at the incoming and outgoing assets for the Cubs yesterday afternoon:
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— Chad Ruter
Why do Chicagoans need protected bike lanes? Recently, there was a car vs. bicycle accident on Clybourn Avenue in Old Town. The driver of the bicycle, Bobby Cann, 26, was killed, sending shivers through the biking community. Some think this accident could have been avoided if this stretch of Clybourn had protected bike lanes (PBLs).
The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has proposed building PBLs on Clybourn. However, the street is under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and IDOT has "red lighted" PBLs on roads under its jurisdiction until 2014, when there's three years of safety data in Chicago to consider. Many question why IDOT needs years of data to study when it's quite obvious that designated bike lanes help keep cyclists out of harm's way.
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— Matt Willens /
Sky Tue Jul 02 2013
The Sky's starting five have combined for eight All Star appearances (add three more to this tally once this year's roster has been announced), three Olympic gold medals, and if you remove decorated veteran Swin Cash -- zero WNBA playoff appearances. The starters are All Stars, and recently, chemistry has held this team in orbit on their latest three-game winning streak.
Elena Delle Donne has been named Rookie of the Month in June and come September her name will surely be tossed around in league MVP discussions. She's shooting 94 percent from the charity stripe, 44 percent from downtown, and averaging two blocks a game. Nobody in either basketball association can claim a stat line that unique.
Sylvia Fowles, who is day-to-day with an ankle sprain, is leading the WNBA in rebounds at 12 per game. Epiphanny Prince's 18 points a night are good enough for second on the team (when Prince is your second best scoring option, your team has an embarrassment of riches.) Courtney Vandersloot is a no-thrills game manager who manages to go from the top of the key into the lane with ease. The aforementioned Cash's eight points and five rebounds per are a luxury item in this stacked lineup. The Sky's starters boast a balanced attack that keeps getting aggressive while figuring out how to win with each other.
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— Donny Rodriguez
The Stanley Cup made quite the impression during its parade, but its doppelgängers were up to some shenanigans too -- even at the Pride Parade. Enjoy a few photographs of the faux cups collected from around flickr and GB's own flickr pool. If you've photographed some, consider dropping 'em in the pool! We'll collect and embed them here.
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— David Schalliol
After a successful parade downtown and rally in Grant Park, players on the Blackhawks began to take turns showing off Lord Stanley amongst the faithful in the Chicagoland area. Dan Carcillo took his date to a Rush Concert, parrot-headed Patrick Kane at the Jimmy Buffet concert, and the rest with upcoming dates on fishing boats and swimming pools.
While the players took in the fun, management found itself on the doorstep of the 2013 NHL Draft in New Jersey. No rest for the weary, as general manager Stan Bowman looked to secure future celebrations, while trimming salary in order to sign and resign key free agents.
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— Jim Crago
Cycling in Chicago is becoming more and more popular not only as a source of recreation and exercise, but, for many, as the primary method of transportation. The warm weather attracts people to their bikes and now with the Divvy bike-share program expanding on what seems to be a daily basis; more and more cyclists have taken to the road. Many commuters have also replaced vehicles with bicycles as a way to save money, avoid traffic and parking woes and help the environment. 
