A hiatus

After over a 3 year hiatus, it's time to flash back on the radar before a going off into oblivion once more. So much has happened with in these 3 years since I've been gone, it would take forever to bring you, the casual sports fan, up to date. Plus, I'm not an almanac. I analyze the present and predict the future. Without doing much of any research, I'm going to address Chicago's #1 sports problem right now. The quality of the Chicago sports reporter. Long are the days of the grey haired, stogie smoking, suit wearing, type-writer savants, and in are the days the likes of Phil Rodgers, Rick Morrisey, Rick Telander, and Steve Rosenbloom. Any Pulitzers amongst that group, I think not. Why has the second city that claims to be second to no one employed second rate reporters? Telander speaks of the irrelevant, Morrisey at best can reproduce beat reporter's column with his plethora of thoughts, Rodgers is stuck in the 70s psychedelic with his thoughts (i.e. Cubs and White Sox should trade front offices), and Rosenbloom is the only reporter with a set of balls on him, but is often stuck in fantasy world like Rodgers.

Well what if you want to turn on the television you say? Have you ever seen Chicago Tribune Live. I could not imagine a more suburban, let's give everyone gold ribbons in tee-ball program; especially when it's lead by the castrated David Kaplan. Chicago Tribune Live is a glorified network news 5 minutes sports segment. There is no analyzing, and they often rely on reporters to go out of their comfort zone and make remarks on an array of sports which does not produce viewable results.

Why is this problem? Simple. It's a toss up between Chicago and Philadelphia for the toughest sports town in America. Only in Chicago will you see starting quarterbacks being booed in the preseason, ballplayers being booed on opening day (surprisingly on both sides of town), fans showing their displeasure by empty seats (Hawks and Sox), and fans showing their loyalty with full seats (Bulls during the Jordan to Rose gap; Cub fans should look at the Hawks and Sox on how to gain attention). With fans as passionate as these, why is that the face of the fan in Chicago is lead by such an under deserving group of reporters. Say what you want about Jay Mariotti, and I will say that personally I did not like him, but you cannot take away what he did. He decided to pick and prod on the tiny issues, expose the major issues, and say what you don't want to hear but better listen up too. And it pains me to say that the last sports reporter in Chicago with a backbone was that dickwad.