SPORTS
Page C2 • Sunday, March 30, 2014
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
SUNDAY’S INSIDE LOOK
POP
Take2
QUIZ
Jeff Arnold
Prep Zone
and
Jon Styf
with Joe Stevenson – joestevenson@shawmedia.com
I’m just
as told to Jeff Arnold
Saying
jarnold@shawmedia.com
FACE OFF Austin Butts School: Woodstock Year: Junior Sport: Baseball
1. Who’s your favorite professional athlete? Paul Konerko. I like the way he plays the game, he’s a class act, he does everything right and helps the community too. He does everything.
2.
If you were a professional musician, what instrument would you play and what band would you like to be in? I would be a drummer for Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
3. What would be your dream job? To be a baseball scout because I’d travel around and see talent in a game I love.
4.
What do you think people say about you when you’re not around? I hope it’s nothing bad, I try to be as nice as I can to people. Maybe he’s a good guy. I don’t think I’ve ever hurt anybody.
5. Other than P.E., what’s your favorite class? My AP U.S. History. I’m kind of a history nerd and grown up around that stuff.
Tina Driscoll School: Huntley Year: Junior Sport: Track
1. Who’s your favorite professional athlete? Sanya Richards-Ross
2.
If you were a professional musician, what instrument would you play and what band would you like to be in? I’d want to play trombone in some really cool jazz band.
3. What would be your dream job? A CEO of a huge company What do you think people say about you when 4. you’re not around? I hope it’s good. I think they would say I’m funny and down to earth.
5. Other than P.E., what’s your favorite class? History for sure. I love learning about the world history.
Miki Winkler School: Richmond-Burton Year: Senior Sport: Soccer
1. Who’s your favorite professional athlete? Megan Rapinoe
2.
If you were a professional musician, what instrument would you play and what band would you like to be in? I would play the oboe, but I don’t know any bands that have an oboe.
3. What would be your dream job? I would want to be a professional soccer player. What do you think people say about you when 4. you’re not around? They probably say I’m weird and loud and a little bit annoying.
5. Other than P.E., what’s your favorite class? Art 4. I like to paint and stuff, ever since I’ve been little.
T
he Cubs and White Sox open their seasons, along with much of Major League Baseball, on Monday. Northwest Herald sports editor Jon Styf and reporter Jeff Arnold discuss:
Styf: Last year was so depressing for Chicago baseball fans. It seems like that’s been happening a lot of late. But there seems to be more hope now that things will turn around. I just don’t see this being the year, yet. Last year, the White Sox people in the office gave up by June. The Cubs people never had hope. This year, at least Javy Baez has some long spring training home runs. He and Kris Bryant should be up by July to instill some hope, the Cubs just don’t have any pitching again. So I can’t see the Cubs being competitive starting with their opening series at Pittsburgh. Arnold: Theo’s beloved Cubs Way appears to continue to promote the talent they have in the system, but the Cubs braintrust has deemed not ready for prime time. But hey, at least they have that whole 100-year anniversary of Wrigley Field to keep North Siders happy for a while. Of course, that won’t really help the Cubs in Pittsburgh. At some point, the Cubs need to decide that now is the time for them to make their run at anything higher than a fifth-place finish. And yet, despite all of that, they still may be the city’s best team. Styf: I’m not banking on that. But the White Sox have the same issue as the Cubs. I would guess the White Sox end up with a better lineup, but their rotation doesn’t seem any good beyond Chris Sale. Jose Quintana, John Danks, Erik Johnson and Felipe Paulino aren’t guys I’d pay to see. And they aren’t guys I’d count on to have much better than a .500 record this season. Arnold: The Cubs ace – and I use that word in its loosest form – Jeff Samardzija, isn’t even guaranteed to finish the year in Chicago. I’m guessing that Edwin Jackson won’t be improved from last year. I’m not sure he could be worse and so, clearly, pitching won’t be a strength with the Cubs either. After finishing last year with 66 wins, I don’t see many more than that unless Junior Lake finds a way to make the Cubs interesting early in the season or there is some Top Secret storyline that hasn’t emerged yet. Either way, I’m not holding my breath. Styf: So write off the season already Jeff? What should we watch instead, Red Stars? Or should we become Red Sox fans like Joe Stevenson? Arnold: I’ll give it six weeks before I completely sour on the Cubs. But I’m guessing that, by the time I start going to the six games I’ve got tickets to at Wrigley this summer, I won’t Cubs’ be expecting to hear Javier “Go, Cubs, Go” being Baez played. Who knows, maybe I’d be better off just going to sit on a rooftop, wishing that my view was obstructed. At least, the beer has to be cheaper, right?
Like millions of Americans, Kristine Leahy filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket. But, as a member of the CBS Sports family, the 2005 Prairie Ridge graduate had to publish her picks for a national audience. (Hint: She successfully placed Dayton in the Sweet 16 and has Florida beating Louisville for the national championship). Based in Los Angeles, Leahy is a sideline reporter – including for the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament. She also works as an anchor for CBSLA and KCAL.
I’ve been lucky enough to cover a Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final and I didn’t realize it going in, but I would say March Madness is – by far – the bigger and cooler event. You’re seeing these kids who live and breathe basketball and it’s the biggest moment of their life until they get married or have children. The whole country’s eyes are on these games and everyone fills out a bracket. So no matter if you’re a sports fan or not, you’re watching these games and you can kind of feel the magnitude of the event.
I like to connect with the fan in what I do and if you remove yourself too much from that experience, you become more of a reporter and you lose touch with what the fan wants. It was hard not to do that at March Madness, because the fans are so crazy. College kids go nuts for these games. So you kind of have to take a step back and look around. I feel like I wouldn’t fully grasp the experience if I didn’t do that.
The sideline reporter is really a scrutinized job because a lot of people just look at it as the sideline girl. But you can really take it to a place where you can become a value to the broadcast rather than a distraction – and that’s always been my goal. We’ve seen a couple of situations in the NFL this year where a coach goes down and gets sick and had to be taken away in an ambulance. Had there not been a sideline reporter on that game, it would have completely been a lost story. So that just shows the value of the position. I never look at it as something of a lesser position. I think it’s a great thing and I always try to live up to the expectation of being a good sideline reporter. I try to add to the story because I’m seeing things other people aren’t.
If there is anything negative that people say, it really doesn’t bother me because they’re not in my shoes. They don’t know what’s going on and people are going to say what they’re going to say. If they want to comment on my looks, that’s fine, because that’s part of the job and you definitely don’t want to look bad, but it is what it is.
I think (building working relationships with athletes) is about being a person. It’s about developing relationships the same way you would if you were just out doing your everyday life. It’s just showing them that you’re real and that you care about them, that you’re being professional and doing your job. I try to find a common interest with them. I will kind of bring something up like that to get that relationship going. Once they trust me, they open up. They’ll start telling you things that are valuable and sometimes, it’s best not to say that and just hold it in and gain their trust. Then, when it’s something really big that can be really big for you, that’s when you use all that built-up trust.
• I’m Just Saying is a regular Sunday feature. If there’s someone you would like to see featured, write to me at jarnold@shawmedia.com or send me a message on Twitter @NWH_JeffArnold.
Photo provided
Crystal Lake native and Prairie Ridge graduate Kristine Leahy interviews Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino earlier this season. Leahy worked as a sideline reporter covering the NCAA Tournament last weekend.
8SPORTS SHORTS West Dundee’s Hartman assigned to Icehogs The Blackhawks announced today that forward Ryan Hartman has been assigned to the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs. Hartman was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round of the 2013 NHL entry level draft
and 30th overall. The West Dundee native has appeared in 52 games for the Plymouth Whalers (Ontario Hockey League) this season, where he put up 53 points ranking tied for third in scoring for Plymouth. His 25 goals are a career-high and the 19 year-old posted six multigoal games.
Fire rally for tie at DC United season-opening loss. WASHINGTON – Quincy Amarikwa’s goal in the 82nd minute lifted the Chicago Fire into a soggy 2-2 draw against D.C. United on Saturday. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado also scored for the Fire (0-1-3), which has ties in each of its past three matches after a
Williams beats Li for title KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Serena Williams won a record seventh Key Biscayne title Saturday when she overcame a slow start and a set point to beat Li Na, 7-5, 6-1, at the Sony Open. She surpassed the tournament
record of six titles she shared with Andre Agassi.
national title after he broke his leg in a win over Duke in the finals of the Midwest Regional Ware to leave Louisville last season. LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A year after He had a rod inserted in the leg his gruesome leg injury in the and tried to come back this seaNCAA tournament, Kevin Ware is son. But he averaged 1.7 points transferring from Louisville. over nine games and eventually Ware became Louisville’s took a medical redshirt. rallying point on the way to the – Staff, wire reports