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| Can Chi really lose to Ducks? |
We’re
at that stage right now in professional hockey, where our very own Blackhawks
are taking on the Ducks of suburban Los Angeles (Anaheim, Calif., to be exact).
THE
DUCKS HAVE a 1-0 game lead, but the two teams play again Tuesday night, then
come to Chicago and the United Center for a pair of games.
To
that end, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has a bet with Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait – each mayor
put up a locally-brewed brand of beer and some sort of local spicy condiment
(chili peppers grown in Anaheim, against that neon green relish that you find
on an authentic Vienna beef hot dog), along with a charitable contribution to a
local organization.
Becoming
A Man in Chicago as opposed to ACT Anaheim.
The
point of these bets is less about engaging in a gamble as it is to promote
products associated with the home cities.
WHICH
MAKES ME wonder if everybody involved would be better off if their “home” team
were to lose. Considering that the actual ballplayers for our “home” team aren’t
from Chicago and rarely locate themselves here, I doubt the Blackhawks players
are all that concerned about the honor and fame and the glorious name of the
Second City.
Although
I can remember how back when Richard M. Daley was mayor, it always seemed like
these bets involved so many local products that it seemed like the companies
were involved trying to get their name included. A loss and their payoff would
be great publicity.
So
what should we think about the Blackhawks/Ducks matchup leading up to the
Stanley Cup championship; aside from the fact that it would be thoroughly
humiliating for a Chicago team to lose to a franchise named for a
thoroughly-mediocre Emilio Estevez film?
What
else is notable on the shores of Lake Michigan located between suburban
Evanston and Hammond, Ind.?
PROM
NIGHT GOES UGLY: As one who grew up in
and around suburban Calumet City, I couldn’t help but notice the weekend story
of the local boy who was killed in a car accident early Saturday after having
spent Friday night at the prom.
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| Another Prom Night casualty. Photograph provided by T.F. North High School |
Aaron
Dunigan, the T.F. North student and quarterback of the football team, was with
friends at the school’s prom, held at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown
Chicago. The car he was riding in was hit by another vehicle. The driver of
that car also was killed.
Police
reports indicate that the person who was driving the students’ car was under
the influence of drugs and now faces related criminal charges. The high school
says there were three students in the car, and that the others besides Dunigan
survived their injuries.
Not
that Prom Night is free of potential for hazards. Although this incident seems
to be so pointless that we can’t help but wonder “Why?”
ROOT,
ROOT, ROOT FOR THE WHITE SOX: The Chicago White Sox’ 7-3 victory over the Oakland
Athletics on Sunday was ever so significant because of the atrocious start to
the season the White Sox had.
It
gave them a record of 17-17, or .500. Considering there was one point when
their record in games played on the road was 2-12, the fact that they’re now
half and half over all is quite a comeback.
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| Still 4 1/2 months to play ball. Who knows what will happen? |
Heck,
a 2-1 extra-inning victory on Monday against the Cleveland Indians made the White Sox a
team with a winning record. But considering that it took a three-game sweep
against Oakland, along with winning series against Milwaukee, Detroit and
Cincinnati, just to be mediocre shows how below their skill level they were
playing during April.
We’ll
just have to wait and see if the Sout’ Siders can keep up winning ways in
coming weeks, or if the past week-and-a-half winds up being the high point of
2015!
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