Page 2
Friday June 27, 2008
Friday June 27, 2008
Chicago Cubs simply the best
Bears sign Harris to four-year extension
by Jon
LAKE FOREST, IL — The Chicago Bears signed defensive tackle Tommie Harris to a four-year contract extension. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Harris’ new contract runs through the 2012 season. Harris became the first defensive tackle in Bears franchise history to be selected to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive years (200507) after establishing a career high with 8.0 sacks in 2007. A 2004 first-round selection (14th overall) by Chicago, Harris ranks second in the NFL among defensive tackles in the last two seasons with 13.0 sacks, while his 19.5 career sacks is fourth in Bears annals among DTs. Harris has started 56 of 60 NFL career games played and has recorded 208 tackles, 17 tackles for losses, six forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in four seasons with Chicago. The University of Oklahoma product was honored with the Bears 2007 Ed Block Courage Award and was also named the rookie recipient of the 2004 Brain Piccolo Award, both voted on by his teammates. CSR
photo by
A
Depth
Since we are looking forward to October, let’s look back at recent fall classics. Why did the Red Sox win in 2007? Sure you must have stars like David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, but ultimately, you win with role players. Guys like Reed Johnson, Ronny Cedeno and Mark DeRosa could be last year’s Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury. No matter what the matchup, Cubs manager Lou Pinella has what every manager needs to be successful - options.
Manager
Warren Wimmer
Chicago Rush finally clinch top seed in American Conference
D
Cusson
espite injuries, questionable focus and even problems finding a kicker, the Chicago Rush clinched the one seed in the American Conference for the first time in their eightyear history after defeating the Dallas Desperados 75-63. With the victory, the Rush insure that the road to the Arena Bowl comes through Allstate Arena as long as the team advances. Their first game, a Divisional Round playoff game, will come on July 6 at 2:00 P.M. The following game would be July 13. For a day that started with so much doubt, it ended with a character win and more importantly, a chance to redeem themselves as the playoffs progress. Coach Mike Hohensee talked about getting in the faces of his players this week. Hohensee said the effort was better this game and said that the expectations of this team are higher going into the playoffs. “We’re not ready to go home yet,” Coach Hohensee said. The Rush and Desperados got things started right away. Todd France, the Rush kicker who was signed away from the Orlando Predators earlier today, had his opening kickoff just barely go off the net. Desperado kick returner Josh Bush fumbled the ball. Rush fullback and special teamer Dan Alexander quickly recovered the ball for a touchdown. Bush immediately redeemed himself by taking the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Bush would sadly not see the end of his game as he was injured in the third quarter with what Desperados coach Will McClay called a fractured fibula. The Rush and Desperados went back and forth the entire first half. Both teams came into the game with a chance to be the one seed in their respective conferences. All the Rush had to do was win, while the Desperadoes had to win and have the Philadelphia Soul had to lose their game to the New York Dragons. The game had started an hour earlier, but was clearly over by the time the Rush and Desperadoes went into the second quarter. The Desperadoes made the decision to pull their starting quarterback/offensive coordinator, Clint Dolezel, once Philadelphia defeated New York. Dolozel admitted to doing some scoreboard watching, and once the game was over, he had already discussed sitting out the second half since Dallas would end up
Kerr
s the Cubs and Sox kick off their annual home and home series Friday at Wrigley, in honor of the six games here are six reasons why the Cubs have a better shot at the World Series than the Sox.
Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris leaves the field after the Bears defeated the Greenbay Packers.
by Jerome
Page 3
as the three seed no matter what. Although Coach Hohensee said the Desperados didn’t quit, the energy level and sense of urgency lessened. The Rush took advantage and ultimately outscored their opponents 40-21. Donovan Morgan, the likely choice for rookie of the year, caught nine passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns. Morgan gave a lot of the credit to one of the best receivers in AFL history, Damian Harrell. “I’ve learned a lot from Damian,” Morgan said, “and the one thing he keeps saying is ‘Just stay focused’.” Rush quarterback Russ Michna has had a tendency to make at least one back-breaking mistake per game. This game didn’t feature that. Instead, Michna was about as good as you could ask for in a game of this magnitude. He threw no interceptions, but did throw four touchdown passes and ran for two more. While Coach Hohensee was proud of his team’s efforts, he also knows the road ahead. He talked about the goals of winning the division, gaining the one seed, winning the conference championship, and finally the Arena Bowl. He talked about the players having a “game of their lives.” Hohensee seemed to be motivating his team through the podium by talking about players not being satisfied with whatever “game of their life” they had in college or the professional ranks. He ended this discussion by asking a question. “Why not make this the game of your life?”
Playoff Preview
The Chicago Rush, San Jose Sabercats, Philadelphia Soul, and Dallas Desperados will all have bye weeks by virtue of being the first or second best team in their conference. According to an Arena Football press release, here are the playoff match-ups for next week. Friday, June 27 #6 New York Dragons (8-8) at #3 Dallas Desperados (12-4), 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday, June 28 #5 Colorado Crush (6-10) at #4 Utah Blaze (6-10), 4 p.m. ET (ESPN) Monday, June 30 #5 Orlando Predators (9-7) at #4 Cleveland Gladiators (9-7), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2) #6 Grand Rapids Rampage (6-10) at #3 Arizona Rattlers (8-8), 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) The winners of the four Wild Card
games will advance to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Based on the formatting, the Rush could possibly play the Crush, Blaze, or Rampage on July 6. A full playoff preview will come
later this week with analysis, predictions, and players to watch will come on late Thursday into early Friday. I will also include a blog entry about which team the Rush should want to play for their first game.
This selection is not so much a slight on Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen as it is a ringing endorsement of Lou Piniella. This guy is the baseball equivalent of a cardiovascular surgeon - smart, bold and an easy touch to boot. His ability to get the most out of his roster, while making each and every player from Derrick Lee to Mike Fontenot feel they are irreplaceable, is what makes him brilliant. One thing you know won’t happen
Contributing Writers Andrea Beaver Dustin Beutin Bert Beiswanger Jesse Brasher Jerome Cusson Charlie Danoff Creighton Hart Dennis Hobein Eli Kaberon Jon Kerr David Lister Brian Livingston Phil Meyers Anthony Ray Nick Shears D.K Wilson
Contributing Photographers Dennis Wierzbicki Michael DiNovo PUBLISHED BY: The Chicago Sports Review The Chicago Sports Review is published biweekly and can be found at Chicagoland White Hens & 7-Elevens The Chicago Sports Review is not responsible for display advertisement, advertising articles and their contents. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. For questions or comments contact: THE CHICAGO SPORTS REVIEW 13520 St. Mary Circle, Orland Park, IL 60462 708.403.3285 office | 708.774.4464 cell | 708.460.8949 fax To read more great sports articles visit chicagosportsreview.net
Bullpen
My colleague Matt Kolsky makes some good arguments in his White Sox column. The Sox bullpen is one of the best in the American League, up to this point. But to say Scott Linebrink may be better than Carlos Marmol is like saying Atari is better than Xbox (I’m old enough to have played both). Again, in order to look forward, we must look back, my friends. How did the 2006 Cardinals go from an 83-win regular season to a World Series? Here are a few reasons - Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Josh Hancock. I believe the Cubs already have the 2008 equivalent in Bobby Howry, Kerry Wood and Marmol. And they are better than Linebrink, Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks.
Home Sweet Home
This is been one of the few years I can
remember where the Wrigley is a decided advantage to the home team. The Cubs have the most wins in the majors at home with 29, and haven’t lost since Hillary Clinton still had a shot the democratic nomination. The home demons from past seasons - too many day games, the wind blows in too much - have not reared their heads in 2008. When you have the lineup the Cubs have on a daily basis, expect those demons to take a rest, at least for this season.
Fukudome Effect
In my opinion, Kosuke Fukudome is the MVP of the National League. I know I am leaving myself out there for all the stat dweebs flying around the internet who will undoubtedly counter with an endless stream of mundane statistical minutiae as to why I’m crazy. The reason why I believe this? Fukudome is the most valuable (not best) player on the best team in the National League. The fact that Cubs hitters are considerably more patient this season is not a coincidence. The reason why the Cubs are mashing the ball at home is because they are consistently ahead of pitchers. Cubs batting
coach Gerald Perry also deserves credit, but if the Cubs go deep into the postseason, the signing of this Japanese import will prove to be the most significant.
Simple the Best
Notice how none of the categories are about the “curse” like Kolsky so predictably mentioned in his column. This argument by Sox fans has grown so tired, it’s like a guy who sees a buddy with a hot brunette and says, “I prefer blondes.” Well, then go get yourself one, kid! In the case of the Sox, they have their blonde - a 2005 World Series, yet prefer to focus how they don’t like brunettes. There are no curses, they only exist in urban legends and bad dramas on the CW network. The Cubs have had a bad century, we all know that. But their futility has all to do with mismanagement, brutal trades, horrendous free agent signings and just plain bad play on the field, nothing more. Bottom line, if this team wins it all this year it have everything to do with reversing the aforementioned futility, not because the Cubs are “due”, or because they have reversed some moronic “curse”. If they are playing their best in October, this team can win it all. I wish I could say the same for the White Sox, but I can’t. Oh, and I do prefer brunettes.
WS stands for White Sox and World Series by
Matt Kolsky
T Publisher, lead photographer & Editor in Chief Warren Wimmer
with Lou? He won’t open his mouth and say something so ridiculous and offensive as to ruin his team’s season. This is a shot at Guillen, who if he wasn’t a baseball manager (and a good one at that) would be running a bowling alley in Caracas.
he baseball season is 70 games old, which makes it about 43.2% complete, give or take 0.009% or so. That also makes it time to obnoxiously and prematurely speculate about who is primed and ready for the World Series. Yes, a month before the Midsummer Classic even happens, we erstwhile members of the sports media have to sit down at our keyboards and tell you who’s going to the Fall Classic. And fall – you could be forgiven for forgetting given our strange new weather patterns – happens after summer. But with the first Cubs-Sox series of the year ripping off the wrapping paper starting Friday – and both Chicago baseball teams in first place for the first time in God knows how long – now is probably as good a time as any to encourage some good, oldfashioned bickering between the North and South Sides. And though I was tragically born in Brookline, Mass. and reared in Evanston on our City’s northward border, I am your White Sox representative. Don’t ask why, just accept it; love it, even. Since you’re probably a Cubs fan, you are likely getting relatively puffy-chested in theold debate over which team is better-suited for a championship run. Well, I’m here to burst your bubble, because the White Sox are just biding their time, my friend, and are significantly better-suited to win the 2008 World Series than their crosstown counterparts. And here’s why I’m right, in three simple steps…
(1) The Curse
I don’t want to be that guy, but… oh, hell, I don’t really mind being that guy: THE CURSE. There, I wrote it – in capital letters. Do I believe in ghosts and goblins and curses and witches and whatnot? No, never. But do I insist on following the same routine for watching White Sox games? Yes. Even when I’m watching on my DVR and the action has already happened, there’s a part of me that believes my behavior has some small effect on the game. Baseball is fairly well accepted, I think, as
the most superstitious of all sports. From the record at 19 games over .500, and they can’t Curse of the Bambino to the many quirks pull away from the Cardinals who, after beof the Turk Wendells of the world, the sport ing predicted as a doormat, have the secondis filled with references to the supernatural best record in the NL. or otherwise mystical entities. The Cubs Does this guarantee the Sox a trip to the Curse is no different – logic, nevermind staplayoffs? Not at all. But it does make their tistics, would suggest that the team should road an awful lot easier. We all know that have tripped and fallen into a World Series once the playoffs start, anything can happen Championship at some point in the last 100 – just ask the Rockies, even if they didn’t win years. the World Series. But looking at a team’s The fact that they have failed to do so chances, their road to get to the playoffs is does not mean that the Baseball Gods perhaps the most important thing, and the (speaking of which, how often do you hear Cubs’ road will be significantly tougher than about “the gods” of any other sport?) are the Sox’s. punishing the Cubs for a perceived slight (3) The Pitching. to a goat ten decades ago – but This is the most important don’t think for a minute that of my three points. Which the weight of 100 years of failyou might have guessed, given ure won’t try to crush the Cubthat the first two have virtually bies at some point this year. Just nothing to do with the White ask Moises Alou, Mark Prior Sox’s current roster. and Dusty Baker. And Alex The Cubs have a pretty Gonzalez, while you’re at it. solid pitching staff. Certainly I don’t know if there are su•Please see their ace is the top dog in the pernatural forces really at work pages 4 and city – there’s no question that here – I think there are probCarlos Zambrano is the best 5 for photos ably not. But I don’t discount pitcher in Chicago, if not in the importance of thousands from the baseball. But let’s look at each of people believing that there Crosstown staff as a whole… ARE these forces, and you can Series at After Zambrano, the Cubs bet your bottom dollar that at Wrigley Field. throw Ryan Dempster – a great least a few of those believers are surprise and a bona fide number wearing the blue pinstripes for two at this point. But things a living. get ugly after that: of the other (2) The Route. players who have seen starting duty for the Simply put, the White Sox would be in Cubs, Rich Hill has the best ERA at 4.12, third place in the NL Central, sitting 5.5 and he was sent to the minors after being games behind the Cubs. Instead, they’re almost incapable of finding the plate. The in first place of the AL Central, 4.5 games current 3, 4 and 5 starters – Ted Lilly, Jason ahead of the Minnesota Twins, who are Marquis and Sean Gallagher – have all been under .500 – like every other team in the inconsistent at best. division. In the bullpen, Kerry Wood has been Contrary to preseason predictions, the quite good (despite blowing four saves) and NL Central is arguably the best division in Carlos Marmol is arguably baseball’s best baseball right now, while the supposedly setup man, but those two are followed by powerful AL Central flounders along with more question marks – Michael Wuertz a collective record about 16 games below is throwing well now but has never been break-even. The Indians can’t hit, the Tigers known for his consistency, Bob Howry and can’t pitch, and Minnesota is incredibly Neal Cotts have ERA’s pushing five, and last young and inexperienced, particularly in the year’s promising youngster Kevin Hart has pitching staff. Then there’s Kansas City, who been downright bad all year. simply can’t win. On the South Side, the pitching staff Meanwhile, the Cubs have baseball’s best has been almost uniformly spectacular. In
Eye Candy
fact, the only two pitchers currently on the roster with ERA’s over 3.34 are the perceived number one and two starters: Javier Vasquez is 7-5 and near the league lead in strikeouts despite a 4.13 ERA; Mark Buehrle sports an ugly 4.47, but is also tied for the team lead in quality starts, with nine. Jose Contreras, supposedly a question mark, looks almost like the pitcher who dominated the majors for a year in ‘05 and ‘06, and youngsters Gavin Floyd and John Danks have been fantastic – and surprisingly consistent – all year long. Meanwhile, the bullpen may be the best in baseball. Scott Linebrink has been a revelation, and is one of the only setup men in baseball who might be better than Marmol, and Bobby Jenks has been one of the most consistently successful closers in baseball since his 2005 debut. Meanwhile, Boone Logan and Matt Thornton have been murderous, particularly against lefties, and Octavio Dotel has proved to be a nice pickup. The lone bullpen pitcher with an ERA over 3.00 is Nick Massett, a long reliever whose modest 3.34 fails to capture the critical role he’s played in several games where starters were bounced early. All told, both sides of town have impressive staffs, but there shouldn’t be much discussion over whose is better. And if Sox fans learned anything in 2005, it’s that pitching wins championships. So there you have it – small victory though it may be in mid June, the White Sox are more prepared for their World Series run than are the Cubs. There are other things I could point out – the Sox hitting has yet to really click, but they still lead the majors in home runs and sit in first place. The Sox play better defense than the Cubs, on the whole. But let’s be honest, folks. We don’t know who’s going to win the World Series, because crap happens: injuries happen, collapses happen – hell, anything can happen. I’m not backing off my claims – I still like the Sox’s chances. I’m just saying it’s unpredictable, and the World Series is a long, long way away. So for now, I’ll settle for four out of six in the Crosstown Classic. Go Sox.
Page 4
Friday June 27, 2008
Page 5 9
White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher, right, and Cubs base runner Kosuke Fukudome stand at first base during the first game of the 2008 Cross Town Series, in which the Cubs won 4-3 Friday June 20, 2008.
C h i c ag o l a n d
World Series P rev i ew ?
Chicago Cubs second baseman Ronny Cedeno throws the baseball during the first game of the 2008 Cross Town Series.
A fan cheers on the Cubs during the first game of the 2008 Cross Town Series in which the Cubs defeated the White Sox by a score of 4-3 as Aramis Ramirez hit a walk off home run, his second homer of the day.
Chicago White Sox stater John Danks delivers a pitcher during play agains the Chicago White Sox in the first game of the Cross Town Series.
Chicago Cubs starter Ted Lilly delivers a pitch to White Sox batter Brian Anderson during the first game of the Cross Town Series.
Page 6
Friday June 27, 2008
Friday June 27, 2008
7
Erik Darnell driving the #99 truck in a Craftsman Truck Series leads the pack in the Cool City Customs 200 at the Michigan International Speedway.
CSR
photo by
Jeff Gordon, left, stopped by Victory Lane to congratulate teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., on his first victory at Michigan International Speedway Sunday June 15, 2008.
Warren Wimmer
The win that eluded Dale Jr., in Michigan by Jeff
B
Wackerlin
ROOKLYN, Mich. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, but it was a previous race he lost at the 2-mile track that still burns him to this day. After celebrating his win in the LifeLock 400 on Father’s Day, Earnhardt Jr. looked back at the 1999 IROC event in which he competed against his father at MIS. “That’s one race that doesn’t get much play. But, damn it, have y’all ever watched it?” Earnhardt Jr. asked in the MIS press conference room on Sunday. Michigan was the site of the third event
of IROC XXIII and Earnhardt Jr. lined up second on the grid. After winning the first two races at Daytona and Talladega the elder Earnhardt started from the back of the pack in 12th. He quickly drove his blue Pontiac IROC machine to the front, taking the lead on lap 27. As the race approached the final laps “The Intimidator” had a mirror full of the red Pontiac driven by Dale Jr. “I’m telling you, it bothers the hell out of me because I sat behind him and he waved and waved telling me to stay there. And, I’m like, ‘Man I’ve got to run my own race here. There’s only 12 of us out here, can’t you fend for yourself,’” Earnhardt Jr. said.
On the final lap, Earnhardt Jr. took a peek under his father in Turn 2, but his father closed the door. On the final turn, Junior swung to the high side and the father-andson duo raced side-by-side to the checkered flag. In the end, it was the elder Earnhardt taking the win by 0.007 seconds over his son. “I sat there like a good son until the last lap and put a good move on him and he never gave me any credit for that because he knew I had (him),” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I had worked like 10 men on that last lap.” When the pack crossed the finish line, “The Intimidator” had the car of Rusty Wallace on his tail. “It burns (me) to this day that Rusty Wal-
lace pushed him by me, because I wanted to beat my daddy so bad,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I had him, and he knew it.” Although Junior didn’t make the trip to Victory Lane, that race ranks right up there with his favorites. “I’m surprised that didn’t get more play when people talk about me and him and our friendship, our relationship as father and son because to me, that day ranks right up there with the Winston win.” Earnhardt Jr. will try to make it two ina-row at MIS when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns on August 17 for the 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo. Tickets and camping are available by calling 800354-1010 or visiting MISpeedway.com.
Kyle Busch relaxs his crew readies his car during the morning practice session for the LifeLock 400 Sprint Cup race being held at the Michigan International Speedway Friday June 13, 2008.
S elected S cenes f rom
MIS CSR photos by Warren Wimmer
Doing what he loved by
I
CSR
photo by
Scott Kalitta waves to fans during a NHRA stop in Joliet in June of 2008.
Andrea Beaver
Andrea Beaver
never had the pleasure of meeting Scott Kalitta. Not even a couple of weeks ago when the NHRA made it’s annual trek to Route 66 Speedway in Joliet IL. I was there as a spectator not a member of the media. I was able to roam the pits and absorb the entire event. But I never quite made it over to the Kalitta Racing pits. Now I’m sorry I didn’t. From what I’ve been reading over the last 24 to 48 hours Scott Kalitta was quite the person. He loved his family, his friends and most of all he loved drag racing. So much so that he came back to racing not once but twice after retiring to take care of other business or family. Can you imagine that? Being drawn to something so strongly that you not only dreamed about it as a child,
but you kept coming back to this sport even after stepping away from it? Being so drawn to it that even the risks were out weighed by the sheer passion and excitement you got out of doing what you loved so much. There are no words, right now, that can consol his wife, his sons or his father. A parent should never out live their child. The pain the family feels right now is something I can relate to at least on some small scale. I lost my dad last year to cancer. We had 6 months to try and prepare ourselves for his departure from this world and it still didn’t help. So to loose your son/husband/father in such a public way has got to be one of the toughest things I can ever imagine happening. As long as his family, friends and fans remember Scott Kalitta and the fact that he truly did what he loved up until the very end he will never be forgotten.
Driver Jimmie Johnson waits while his crew works on his car during a practice session at the LifeLock 400 Sprint Cup.
The Michigan Internation Speedway seen through a fish eye lens Saturday June 14, 2008 prior to the start of the Craftsman Truck Series Cool City Customs 200.
Jason White, foreground, and Jack Sprague compete in the Cool City Customs 200 at the Michigan International Speedway.
Page 8
Friday June 27, 2008
Julianne Hough sings the National Anthem prior to play at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Chicago Cubs batter Kosuke Fukudome hits a home run as the Chicago Cubs fall to the Orioles to end a 14game home winning streak Tuesday June 24, 2008.
Baltimore Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez’ baseball bat stands ready for use during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Wrigley Field mostly home sweet home CSR photos by Warren Wimmer
Mark DeRosa puts a tag on a base stealing attempt by Baltimore Orioles base runner Melvin Mora at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Cubs starter Sean Marshall delivers a pitch ot Baltimore Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora during the 1st inning of play at Wrigley Field in Chicago.