Stop By, and Say Hi, Sports Fans!

[Barbaraann]

Is it true what I have heard about the typo forever etched in stone on the Banks statue?

"Lets play two"? (No apostrophe in "let's"?)

In stone for all to see.

Couldn't the Tribune Company spare a proofreader?

-- Barry

The sculptor is supposed to fix the mistake. Let's face it Barry, there are many of us who are not sure where, or when to use the apostrophe. Not a big deal to me. The bigger deal would be to finally get this team to a world series.

[Radiobarry]

The sculptor is supposed to fix the mistake. Let's face it Barry, there are many of us who are not sure where, or when to use the apostrophe. Not a big deal to me. The bigger deal would be to finally get this team to a world series.

Obviously that's true. I just thought it was worthy of mention that no one caught the mistake until after it was unveiled. And yes, many do struggle with where to put the apostrophe...but I figure you need to find someone who doesn't, before you unveil a statue like that.

And I would say that if it were Chicago or Anaheim or St. Louis or wherever.

But you're right, it's really not that big of a thing.

"Let us play two". Thanks for everything, Ernie.

-- Barry

[Radiobarry]

And speaking of "let's play two"...this is what it's all about, today...



UCLA-Memphis at 3:07 Pacific
Kansas-North Carolina following

All number one seeds for the first time...three traditional powers and an emerging power in Memphis

Winners meet in the title game Monday night

It's March Madness, in April!

GO BRUINS!!!

[Barbaraann]

I played the Nintendo Wii with my grandson today. You really can get exercise with a video game. I never hit a homerun in real life and yet I hit a homerun on there. The funny thing was that I hit it left handed, and I am righthanded. Now that I have a Wii in the house, I think that perhaps I will see my grandson more. Yes, I guess I resorted to a little bribery to get more of his time. It's fun playing with your grandson, even when he is a teenaged boy.

Put a little sports in your day today.

[Radiobarry]

I have played Wii games at friends houses, and indeed you can get something of a workout. We've looked at getting a console. I haven't played the baseball one yet. Bowling is my favorite so far. With my foot wounds I can't bowl, and I miss it. This is almost as good, and my score is definitely better.

Did you hear about the teenage girl that was attacked by a hawk at a Red Sox game the other night?

She suffered only a few minor scratches on the head.

Her name...get this. Alexa Rodriguez. Alexa Rodriguez.
Yankee fans have been saying it's just another Boston attack on A-Rod.

-- Barry

PS...Sometimes, sports are just for the birds...

[Barbaraann]

Very funny Barry. I did like the bowling. My grandson loves to bowl, and he was doing a really great job with the bowling game. My husband played as well, and he actually beat my grandson in the bowling department. It's just nice to have something to share with Sean. We have drifted away from him lately, and I am trying to reel him back in.

[Barbaraann]

My attention switches to the southside of the city that I live in. The White Sox are home, and their game is a later one, than the Cubs, who are also playing today. So it's a lot of baseball for me today.

My sports page is full of Final Four stuff. To be honest, I don't watch basketball. I haven't since Michael Jordan left the Bulls. That makes me fair weather.

Speaking of fair weather. The weather will be better for the Sox today, than it was for the Cubs, just a week ago. The comparisons are inevitable. The Sox are playing better than the Cubs at the moment. However, 6 games doesn't really tell us much.

Kerry Wood looks good, and don't you know that Cubs' fans are "knocking on wood", everytime he pitches.

Put a little sports in you day today.

[Barbaraann]

I don't get here often enough. Spring is starting to finally spring here in Chicago. I had to come today and comment about an article in my morning paper. It seems there are some who dream about a Crosstown Classic in the city of Chicago.

Now, I do root for both Chicago ballteams. If they ever played each other, I'd have to choose. I'd have to choose the Cubs. They would definitely be the under dog. The White Sox have been there, done that, and done it quite recently. The Cubs (don't call them Cubbies) have been on a 100 year drought.

Subway Series, is what it would be called. The city of Chicago is divided into North and South side. Madison Avenue is the street that divides it. Each ballpark is about 35/36 blocks both ways. You can literally ride the subways between the 2 places.

If Chicago ever had an all city World Series, this place would be, well let's just say, I can only hope no one gets hurt.

I never want it to happen. Of all teams to play, I'd want the Cubs to win, of course, but if they ever got there and lost to the Sox, that would be the worst tragedy, of all. Even worst than not winning in 100 years.

Let's not dream this dream.

Put a little sports in your day, today.

[Radiobarry]

Today marks one of the most important dates on the sports calendar, IMHO. It was on April 15, 1947 that Jackie Robinson first took the the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The first man to break the so-called color barrier.

One can only imagine what he had to endure in his early years.

All athletes of any type, all people of any type, need to realize the legacy of Jackie Robinson and realize how he changed the world in his own way.

Jackie's number 42 has been permanently retired by all teams. You might see some players wearing it today. Last year, every Dodger wore number 42, in honor of his memory.

Do just a little thinking about all of this, as you make through your sports day.

[Barbaraann]

I was born in 1947. I like the moment in the movie, A League of Their Own, where the ball is caught by the black female fan. Why is it, that as I try to comment about this, I weigh my words carefully? I grew up in neighborhoods where not everyone was of the same skin color as I. When my mom went into the hospital to have my baby brother, it was a black family that took care of us, because they were our friends.

Have things changed in 60 years? I am not inside the head, and the heart of the Jackie Robinsons in our society. You'd have to ask them. I know that, as a kid, we liked people who were good to us. They came from all walks of life, and all skin colors.

Put a little sports in your day today.

[Radiobarry]

This past week, UCLA's freshman center Kevin Love, a big part of the reason they got to the Final Four, announced he's leaving school after one year to go into the NBA.

I wish he hadn't done that, but it's his right,

But when he said he wanted to be remembered as part of UCLA's great tradition of big men, like Lew Alcindor (Kareem) and Bill Walton....

Sorry, Kevin. You may be the nephew of Mike Love, a co-founder of the Beach Boys and cousin of my cousin Brian, the other co-founder.

But those other guys went to school all four years, and won NCAA titles. So pardon me for snickering a bit.

Put a little "Love", or love, or whatever in your heart, and in your sports, today.

GO ANGELS.

[Barbaraann]

It's NFL Draft day, and I am happy to be back on MiceChat after not having computer access for over a week. There's just something not right about a day without a little MiceChat in it. I feel the same way about sports.

The Cubs and Sox are both playing better than I expected. The Cubs doing well this early in the season has caused some to act a little giddy. Since it's been 100 years since a World Series victory, the fans are celebrating any glimpse of that becoming a reality. Can't really blame them.

However, there's the old saying about counting chickens, or is it crossing bridges?

Enjoy this day in sports.

[Radiobarry]

Lou Piniella has the right attitude. He said that he had no idea how a franchise could go 99 years without a championship. He only knew about one of those years (last year).

And he's told his players that they can't worry about 100 years - they can only control "this year".

Easier for the Cubs to do, I suppose, when they are on the field rather than off, reading the newspapers or hearing from others in the city.

Maybe they should consult members of the 2004 Red Sox, who finally won it after 86 years. I remember Johnny Damon saying, somewhat jokingly, that they were just playing each day like a bunch of idiots (his word), who didn't know any history, and only knew how to go out each day to do their best to win a game.

I think we know what he meant. And it's a good way for the Cubs to approach this....because they certainly are, with Arizona, at the top of the National League right now.

[Barbaraann]

All I know is that it's fun watching them. I have been watching them. I usually just listen on the radio. However the best way to get to know the team is to see the players. That was an amazing catch last night. Too bad they had to lose that game. Then again, no one wins them all.

[Barbaraann]

It was obviously too cold for the Cubs to play baseball at Wrigley last night. The Brewers came out and scored 10 runs, to the Cubs 7. The Cubs being in first place this early in the season, probably doesn't mean much, but it sure is nice to see.

Kosuke Fukudome doesn't realize that when you make the cover of Sports Illustrated, that isn't necessarily a good thing. Of course, he wants to be the exception to the rule.

The Chicago Blackhawks will now be heard on WGN Radio. The announcement was made today. More hockey in my future perhaps.

The sports pages are full of discussion about Soriano's return to the lineup. Let the man play, and then you can analyze it later.

Ex Cub, Greg Maddux is still trying to get his 350th win. This in fact, is amazing to me.

The Sox play early today, and I really do need to remember to turn them on.

Put a little sports in your day today.