Now in Chicago

The Evolution of the Baseball Fan Tee Shirt

Go to Wrigley these days and you can’t help but notice the mix of fan garb draped over Cubs fans on Addison. But, a new fan trend is slowly creeping into the bleachers, Cuban and the Cubs tees are stopping to pop up here and there and curiosity is peaked.

Why look like everyone else at Wrigley?
  Fans are always searching for new tee shirts that define them as a fan. Walk down Addison and you will see a plethora of Fukudome shirts, Lou shirts, anything and everything under the sun shirts, and of course, Cuban and the Cubs tees, which seem to be of peaking interest; fans supporting a potential owner?

Twice seen on TV during games, and perhaps even in an upcoming documentary about the last 100 years of the Cubs, Cuban and the Cubs tees are starting to invade Wrigley. This politico-socio-grassroots, whatever you call it, movement is raising eyebrows among Cubs fans everywhere, as far as NY and Texas. When was the last time you saw a potential ball club owners name on a tee shirt? That’s what I thought. So, what gives?

The influx of media seems to be educating sports fans; they want a say in what goes on in the front office, and they want to have influence in decisions that affect the future of their beloved team, and perhaps the only way to do that is to wear their support across their chest.

So, while the Cuban revolution in Chicago marches along, despite recent rumors of Mark Cuban not being considered in the bid to buy the Cubs, what else might we see in the stands of ball parks?

Jerry is Full of Bull – Chicago Bulls owner
Sell out Selig - Commissioner of Baseball
Can’t Stand Canning – Potential owner of the Cubs, minority owner of the Brewers
Stymied by Steinbrenner – owner of the Spankees (I mean Yankees)

Celtics Embarrass Lakers, A Celebration to Remember

The Boston Celtics played the best all-around game I have seen in a very long time, beating the Lakers, 131-92, falling short of the largest differential in a playoff of 42 (Bulls over Jazz). While destroying the Lakers is an amazing feeling, it was the celebration that encompassed what this season has meant for the Boston Celtics. YOUR THOUGHTS

It started with Paul Piece dumping Gatorade on Doc Rivers. When have you ever seen that? It was the crowded sidelines with still 2.5 minutes to go. It was Kevin Garnett embracing Bill Russel, expressing that he hoped Bill was proud of the team. It was Kevin Garnett (Hulu Video), Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, the three kings of the court for the Celtics all reaching the pinnacle tonight. And then, each one of them humbled by the reality of reaching their childhood dreams, to be an NBA champion. Finally, it was Paul Pierce addressing the Boston fans after 10 years of battling for a championship, expressing his gratitude for being a Celtic and having the fans support him through the good and bad. All in all, this was the best championship celebration I have ever seen. YOUR THOUGHTS

On a final note, credit goes to Danny Ainge, the man who brought this team together. Amazing moves in the off-season set up the Celtics for tonight's win.

A special shout-out to Scott E (Ghost Poster and Commenter on Nowinchicago.com) - sorry bud, better luck next time...NOT! What do you have to say Scott?

THE CELEBRATION

Bulls Get #1 Lottery Pick

Normally, as a Celtics fan, I would not invest keystrokes into a piece about the Chicago Bulls, but as a displaced fan who needs an (live) NBA fix every now and then I am excited to see that the Bulls have some leverage and could perhaps make some strategic moves with the #1 pick in the draft. So, what should they do?

First Option: dump Hinrich for Corey Maggette
Hinrich makes too many bad decisions on the court. In college, you can get away with that. Plus, you can pick up Chicago native, Derrick Rose with the first pick, bunk him up with Ben Gordon and start molding him as the club’s franchise point guard. Then, pick up Corey Maggette from the Clippers. With Maggette and Thomas (Tyrus) on the court at the same time, teams will not be able to keep up with their strength and athleticism.

Second Option: Trade the #1 Lottery pick for Shaq
Would be cool to have Shaq in Chicago!

Third Option: dump Deng, pick up Beasley
Deng had a rough year, but is still a premiere talent and the Bulls could get a quality veteran (with the extra cash) if he opts to exercise his free agency. Beasley would look nice next to Tyrus Thomas, scary. But, they still need a tough center, Noah is an enthusiastic player, but he needs to pack on some muscle if he is going to be able to do some damage underneath.

Option 1 is the smartest way for them to go, as long as they can keep Ben Gordon.

GO CELTICS

The March Madness Effect

March Madness slowly approaches. In my mind (next to the NFL playoffs and Superbowl) March Madness is the greatest exhibition of sports all year.

With the excitement of college hoops, there does come however a dip in production in the corporate world. See some interesting facts below (found in Men’s Fitness);

According to current estimates, US companies will incur more than $1.2 billion in lost productivity this year as a result of workers watching games, checking scores, and playing office pools.

Last year, 22.9 millions working college hoops fans with Internet access spent 13.5 minutes a day focused on the tournament; that is $86 millions in ill-spent wages.

So, with that, get your game face on; March Madness is right around the corner!

MM Resources:

• Show your support; Get your collegiate Gnome
• Watch every game online
• Wiki History
• Best bracket; ESPN U
• Gamble away your life savings

Why Cubs Fans are total Morons

BY T. NOONAN - AVID WHITES SOX FAN

If you have been following the news in Chicago lately you are probably more than aware of the thought of Sam Zell, who recently purchased the Tribune and thus the Cubs, on selling the naming rights to Wrigley Field.  For some entertainment I read the comments on one of the newspaper websites which further enhanced my belief that people and in this particular instance, Cubs fans, are clueless.  Here are some of the inane comments made (paraphrased) and my reaction.

“If you sell the naming rights, millions will boycott the product of the purchaser so no one would dare buy the rights” – Really, millions of people are going to stop buying products at Home Depot, from Procter and Gamble, or stop eating McDonald’s?  Good luck with that, it would last about 4 seconds.  Besides any sustained boycott would be a drop in the bucket for the companies who would have the wear-with-all to shell out the report $400 million it would take to buy the rights.  Not to mention Zell wouldn’t care because he would already have the money.

“Don’t do it, you don’t need anymore money” – Uh, really, so what is it about capitalism and its ability to support democracy do you not understand.  Besides that the money generated more than likely goes back into the product on the field or to more business ventures which means more jobs and more prosperity for others.

“It’s a landmark, you can’t it” – No official landmark status as far as I know

“Fans won’t stand for it and won’t show up at the ticket window or buy season tickets” – You have got to be kidding me….these idiot fans have been showing up in record numbers for a losing franchise that hasn’t won a WS in 100 years…case and point in 2002 they had one of the worst records in baseball and set an all time attendance record…so changing the name is going to stop people from coming????  I don’t think so.

“How can you replace Wrigley Field with a corporate name” – Wrigley Field is the original corporate name…they just haven’t been paying for it for 20 years.  Not only that but who says you can’t leave the Wrigley Field name and have it be something like Wrigley Field at Home Depot Stadium….still has the Wrigley name.  On top that no one can force you to call it the new name.  Sox fans don’t really call US Cellular Field, US Cellular field, they still call it Comiskey or Sox Park…Cubs fans can do the same.

“Some things are bigger than greed and making money” – this is true, social justice issues, sweat-shop labor, genocide by dictators, the Iraq war, and other real meaningful matters of society are bigger than making money….the changing of the name of a baseball stadium is not one of them

My advice…Get over yourselves, take an economics course and realize that this is not an issue in the greater scheme of life.  You will be much happier if you do.

The Essence of a True Pats Fan

Viewer discretion is avised; enjoy: http://townienews.blogspot.com/2008/02/fitzys-we-blew-superbowl-xlii-webcast.html

Patriots Reign; I Mean Rain

Peter King of SI, said it best, "As Mike Tyson would say, 'Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face."

I am still dumbfounded about the Patriots Superbowl loss. I, like many Pats fans across the country feel like the season was a waste. But, in the end, we were out-coached and out-played.

Our offensive line was unable to stop the Giants penetration to Brady; we stayed away from the run (despite Maroney putting up good numbers in the two previous playoff games). The run game could have opened up more opportunities for the deep pass.

Our defense falied to penetrate, allowing Eli too much time to find open receivers, and our D-backs were less than stellar, allowing one too many 3-down conversions. The toughest part to swallow is that we were out-coached by Coughlin.

So, What happened?
Perhaps the Giants were just destined; divine intervention. I was concerned to be facing the Giants, as they simply kept winning games, beating two juggernauts, Green Bay and Dallas. But, I was confident that the Pats coaching staff would come up with a strategy that would frustrate the NY squad and bring home a Superbowl Victory, but Coughlin developed the better plan and stunned our beloved Patriots. Let’s get into some specifics that show how David beat Goliath (because statistically, it was pretty much even);

• Brady was sacked 4 times and hit while passing all too often;
• Eli made key plays; somehow escaping the grips of 5 Patriots, and then tossing a baloon-pass that somehow turned into a first-down conversion;
• Patriot miscues in the defensive backfield;
• Patriots’ offensive line was Swiss cheese;
• Giants defense made key plays to keep Patriots out of scoring position.

What now?
Who knows. I am not looking forward to the plethora of "I-told-you-so" commentaries that will soon be blasted through the media. The sting of the loss will last a couple of weeks, but will dissipate and Pats fans will move on; Go Celtics (36-8)!

What next?
I would not be surprised if there were some big moves in the off season. Not a dismantling, but there will be some surprises; this was the year to be perfect and they fell short, so back to the drawing board.

Remeber the Terry Tate commercial? Click here to go now!

Special Note: There will be a canle-light vigil tonight at Faneuil Hall for those mourning this horrific event.

Chicago Cubs; Cuban-less

A sad day for Cub fans; Mark Cuban will not be the Chicago Cubs owner for the upcoming 2008 MLB season. Sam Zell’s hopes of selling the Cubs before the 2008 season has fallen short…SEE ARTICLE.

Voice your opinion today! View petition at Cubanandthecubs.com.

Frank Cooney, the Lone Vote for Brett Favre

Tom Brady of the NE Patriots wins the AP NFL MVP award in a landslide, 49 out of 50 votes. While my initial thought was, "of course," but then I became obsessed to find out who the lone voter for Favre was. Well, I found out (as you can tell by the title of this post). I would hate to be Frank Cooney. Patriots fans, unite and blast this AP writer for this stubborn act.

Cooney is the founder and publisher of the SportsXchange, an information provider for news organizations. I am quite confident that he would love to here from all of you. He can be reached at gridder32@aol.com, or perhaps you would like to call him, 415.897.8555.

Tell Frank I said, "HI"

The Mitchell Report; Uh Oh

Yesterday was a dire day for Major League Baseball folks. Ex-Senator, George Mitchell submitted his “Steroid” report to Bud Selig and the public yesterday, identifying some major players from past and present, one being the perennial pitcher, Roger Clemens. DOWNLOAD REPORT HERE | See public address here

If the MLB was not already in trouble (from a Public Relations standpoint), then it is now deep in the trenches of utter distinction. Fan loyalty is already low within many major league baseball organizations. How will this report affect this decline? Will fan loyalty continue to decline? Most likely, yes, but it is too early to say. So, Bud, what are you going to do to combat this ugly stigmatism?

I have a few suggestions.
First off, fire yourself, and hire Theo Epstein as the commissioner of baseball. The league needs a progressive and intelligent leader that does not have his hands in everyone’s pockets.

Secondly, lift the ban on steroids. These guys are adults, if they want to die young because of the effects of steroid use, let them, but baseball is a game of accuracy, so no matter how strong you are, you still need to hit a round ball with a round bat, or throw ball to a small target. Look back at where baseball was in 2002 compared to now.

Third, let Mark Cuban buy the Cubs (CUBANANDTHECUBS.COM). This guy is a winner and has experienced a steady growth of attendance with the Dallas Mavericks, and helped increase viewership outside of the Dallas market. He has put the Mavericks on the map, and helped the struggling NBA increase viewership across the board.

Lastly, study up on the career of Gary Bettman and do the exact opposite of him; this may be the easiest route for now, but please do consider the previous options, as they will most likely be better suited for a strong future for major league baseball.

Good luck.