A Letter To The Ricketts Family......

Dear Ricketts Family Ownership Group:

I would like to congratulate you on your purchase of the Chicago Cubs. I feel as a baseball fan that a family ownership is so much better than a corporate entity running a baseball franchise. I think that with so many voices from random parts of the country, it's too difficult for a corporation to have one voice on one goal. With family ownership it's a little less involved and more goal oriented, therefore I look forward to your ownership of the Chicago Cubs.

As a life long Chicago White Sox fan, I have to tell you that winning a championship is a treasure whose riches will never fade away. That 2005 season was not only the year of the Chicago White Sox, but it was my year....my father's....my grandfathers...etc. Winning a title in Chicago means so much to so many generations that no monetary value could ever purchase. I sincerely hope one day that with your family's leadership you will present that treasure to the fine Chicago Cubs fans of this great city, and I hope I will be out of town for the parade. Again, I am a life long White Sox fan.

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Rock Report Rant: My Issue With Halloween This Year.....

Forgive me but I have something that has been bothering me for about a week now, and I need a little room to vent.

Why does Halloween have to happen this Saturday? WHY?? What nimrod up in his stone tower decided that October 31st this year should fall on a Saturday? Couldn't we find a better day to parade around like the clowns we are in all sorts of get ups and costumes? Why not a Thursday that way it leads into our Friday where we as Americans always seem to do the absolute minimum to just get into the weekend. Even Wednesday would be a better fit. Right smack dab in the middle of the week on the same night as ladies night at most fine establishments. Halloween and ladies night should always go hand in hand for the 20 something crowd.

For the first time in my life I am playing the father walking around with my one year old son to trick or treat "bother" the neighbors. I am a 28 year old, married, father of one, and I have to admit....I'm a little upset that Halloween is falling on a day where the World Series and College Football is normally on my radar.

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Get Over It! Welcome Back "Big Mac"

"Big Mac" is back with a new job to torment Cubs fans, teach Albert Pujols how to be a better hitter!! Is that even possible?

Yesterday Mark McGwire was hired to be the new hitting coach of the hated St. Louis Cardinals. What an outstanding move for the Cardinals organization to bring back McGwire back to the organization and sport where he was one of the more dominant power hitters of the past generation. Isn't that what most organizations do now-a-days anyway? Bring back the stars of yester-year to help the stars of today?

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Calm Down Bears Fans, Nothing Is Going To Happen......

Embarrassing. Mortifying. Worrisome. Discomforting. Any adjective you would like to use to describe what happened in the Queen City yesterday is up to you. Let's face it, the Chicago Bears did not show up to play. No matter who the player or coach, they all know its a game they would like to forget. This game is the 2009 version of the Atlanta game last season. Simple as that Bears fan, but let's all settle down for a second.

One loss to a good AFC team is not going to mean changes are on the way. Lovie Smith is not going to get fired. Jerry Angelo will stay as General Manager. Ron Turner will still be employed by the Bears. One game means nothing, there has to be a pattern of this type of play for anything to happen.

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Dear Reader....I Need Some Help! Why Should I Care About The NBA/Chicago Bulls in 2009?

I've made it a goal of mine (sort of a new season's resolution) to watch more Chicago Bulls basketball this upcoming winter. However, like any other resolution I've tried...I'm already trying to figure a way out of it. Now I will admit I am not the biggest fan of the game. Come to think of it my favorite part of the NBA game is watching what Craig Sager is wearing and the last two minutes of a contest. It's just a slow boring game to me with little suspense or build up that I can get into.

After last years' run of the Bulls in the postseason, I really got into the idea of rooting for cinderella only to have my hopes shattered once again by a Chicago sports team. I watched more NBA hoops in those seven games than I did all season long. Of course I have my favorite players which I enjoy following just like anyone else and I am sure you root for the same guys I do.

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Steroids Are Bad, But Missed Calls Kill

If this baseball postseason has shown "Joe baseball fan" anything, it's that instant replay needs to be instituted NOW. Last night provided three more examples of why the national past time needs to get with the times of today's technology. I do not understand how the human element aspect of America's game can be tolerated any longer with missed calls seemingly in every game of this postseason.

When people talk about the problems with baseball however, rarely does the issue of bad umpiring come up. Of course the steroid problem is first and then the high salaries these athletes are being paid always come up before anything. While steroids and high dollar salaries may taint the sport, these missed calls are killing the sport.

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Chris Chelios The Latest Athlete Who Can't Hang It Up When He Needs To

Retirement is a wonderful thought....to people over 40. Let's face it, at my age I am expecting to work in some capacity of the rest of my life. A lot of people at my age believe that same thing and think with the state of social security, planning for over 65 years of age is on the back burner. Let's face it, the age to retire might be 80 around the time I get an opportunity to do so.

One thing that has always bothered me however is when the millionaire sports figure cannot give it up. They "love" the sport so much, that they want to play till that "desire" (and money) is not there anymore. The latest victim of this is Chris Chelios who just signed a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers minor league affiliate Chicago Wolves.

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Message To The 4th Phase....Time To Rise Up!!

I know you were like me on Sunday night staying up way past your bedtime only to see the most disappointing loss of the year for our Chicago Bears. The Bears move to 3-2 and unfortunately could not keep up with the Minnesota Favre's falling to a full three game swing behind the NFC North leaders.

However with each game, there is little time to move on and get ready for the next opponent. This Sunday the Bears have a tough test heading to the Jungle in Cincinnati to face the 4-2 first place Bengals.

Now of course the story lines this week in Chicago will be former first round bust Cedric Benson and felon Tank Johnson facing their former team, but nationally it will be something different. People around the country will be talking about Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson and his trash talking twitter style.

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Bears Add DE Gaines Adams, Angelo Still Doesn't Address Biggest Need

Today the Bears made the first trade of the NFL season, and it wasn't for a wide receiver or even some help in the secondary. It was for a backup defensive end as the Bears picked up the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft Gaines Adams from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 2010 draft pick. Does that mean come April 2010, will the Bears be the first team to not participate in the draft because of lack of any picks??

A quick rundown on Gaines Adams (Clemson) includes playing for some mediocre Bucs teams under John Gruden and one playoff appearance in 2007. He's a tall (6'5) guy to put on the end and adds another body to an already deep DE's list on the Bears roster.

This was nothing more than to see if defensive line coach Rod Marinelli can do anything with Adams this year so the Bears can make a decision on what they want to do with Adawale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson, who are both free agents after this season.

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Bears Fans Need Direction With The Bye Week Blues

It's been very interesting over the last week and a half to watch/read/listen to Bears fans while they find ways to discuss their team during the bye week. No matter if you think its too early for a bye or it's at the correct time for this team with they injuries they have, everyone is different how they deal with their bye week blues.

I enjoyed a very comfortable day off to celebrate my son's first year on Earth while watching some football on a new 46' LED Samsung with family members. All the while participating in arguments over whether or not Ben Roethlisberger should cut his hair and if Brett Favre should stop wearing the flack jacket under the purple #4.

However, the conversations over the past week about the beloved have focused on two people who aren't even on the current Bears roster. One being the bearded one Kyle Orton and the other being T.O. otherwise known as Terrell Owens.

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USC/ND Is Just Another Ballgame...Nothing More...Nothing Less

Ever since I started producing at the Score I've been of the opinion that college football is not on the radar for most people in the Chicago market. This NCAA football year I decided to watch more of the game and with the increased viewing I've found that more people than I originally thought are into the college game.

Although this season seems like a race of four teams (FLA/TEX/USC/ALA) and the rest go by the way-side as well as arguing the BCS standings starting this Sunday, this weekend is all about Notre Dame and USC. The next chapter in the never ending story that is the coaching career of Charlie Weis and the much hyped and small burst Notre Dame team. A team that is so hyped by the national media that even former ND coach Lou Holtz before the season began saw the Domers in the national title game with defending champion Florida.

Since the Irish last pulled out a close OT win over Washington and USC rolled over rival #24 California, these last ten days have been nothing but relentless hype and speculation. Questions about if the outcome will be the last straw for Charlie Weis' coaching career. Questions about Jimmy Clausen and if this is a defining Heisman trophy game for him. Could Notre Dame actually make the national title game if they defeat USC?

For all the hype and speculation, here's three things that WILL happen no matter what the outcome of the game.

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Baseball Needs Some Advice: "Less Is More"

In case you have not noticed, the MLB postseason is underway!!! The problem is judging by the numbers (TV ratings) you are not watching.

Why aren't you (baseball fan) compelled by the Colorado Rockies and Troy Tulowitski's mullet? Why are you (baseball fan) not interested in Jason Kubel going 0-the series? You (baseball fans) are not watching more Chip Caray in the last week than you ever did when he was manning the Cubs broadcasting booth?

For all lack of an actual pennant race this season in any division, I figured when the stakes were raised....then people will watch. Unfortunately the ratings show, that even with a 14% increase in viewers overall for TBS playoffs, the numbers are compatible with Monk (Fridays at 8pm on USA) and ICarly on Nickelodeon.

Trying to find a reason why the numbers are where they are is an enigma. Of the a ton of reasons that may come up, some may bring up the markets where teams are from and some may say there needs to be more day games that way there is less competition among programming.

Could it be that the MLB playoffs are too long?

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In 2011, Ryno Is Not The Answer For The Cubs

As Lou Piniella heads into the final stretch run of the "Tampa Mai Tai Tour" next season, the question that begs to be answered is who replaces Sweet Lou? This decision could be the most important decision of the Tom Ricketts regime because you want to make a good first impression with the Cubs fan base. If you get off on the wrong foot, you may never come back into good graces.

I've noticed over the last five to six years, that Cubs fans have become the most demanding fans in major league baseball and for good reason. When your team doesn't win a World Series for over a century, you have the right to be a little upset with how things are on the north side of Chicago.

However this notion I've heard over the last week or so that Ryne Sandberg should be the next manager of the The Cubs is just asinine.

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When Winning Is More Important Than Life......

Remember when you were a kid and you dreamed of being the next sports superstar? No matter what the team or sport, you wanted to be the next big thing. The next Barry Bonds, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, or even Pele!

When you were that age it was all about the love of the game and all the other stuff that came along with it was just icing on the cake.

Few of us get to live that dream and maybe that is a good thing, because no one wants to see 275 pound guys try to hit a baseball or deke around a double team. It's just not a pretty sight and the risk of injury would be so high that contracts would not be nearly worth the money they are today.

However as the dream fades to black as we age, we become more critical of athletes and everything they do on and off the field. The one perk about being an athlete which always strikes me the worst is how they are treated differently the everyday guy.

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Hate It Or Love It....You'll Always Watch It

There are certain things I have found rather amusing when it comes to sports fans and the way we operate. I used to word amusing because it always makes me laugh even when I do the same thing I see others do. Sports are just games however and they're supposed to be fun, but the fans of teams no matter the sports always have the same issue with everything.

When you hate it, you still love it.

What I mean by this is as sports fans we always have a hero (love) and an enemy (hate) in our own sports world.

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Who's To Blame.....It's Someone You Might Know

So Chicago didn't finish first, second, or third...but LAST!

The second city in the free world couldn't make it to the final two.  As per my last post here, I was not a fan of bringing the Olympiad and will therefore keep my opinion.  

The decision was...

Shocking..yes.  

Disturbing..absolutely.  

But was it ever a guarantee that the Olympics were coming to the American coastline....NO.

The real question here after all the tears have been shed, after all the trash is collected from Daley Plaza, after TributoSaurus has played their final encore, is who's taking the hit for this?
Of course the easy targets are Mayor Richard Daley, Pat Ryan, and President Barack Obama.  Almost too easy to point the finger at them and say "You're too blame" for this extremely disappointing day.  However, the real people we need to blame are people who didn't even committed to the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid.  These people didn't sign on and petition for the games.  They didn't go out and lobby, hold a public speaking forum, or even hand out fliers to the general public.

The people who should take the biggest hit are the citizens of this city that were fine with the idea of the Olympics coming to Chicago.

The same people who are fine with the idea that there was going to be corruption somehow someway in the way the Olympics are paid for.  The people who use the excuse about how the Chicago school system has always been messed up.  The people who were OK with bulldozers and evictions and the idea of building sporting venues that will be used rarely if ever once the Olympiad left town.  

The same people who said that those that didn't "Back The Bid" are un-American and anti-Chicago.

You the Olympic supporter are to blame and you will take the biggest hit of all.  The hits Daley, Ryan and Obama take are merely political, but yours is something that I hope makes you look in the mirror and re-think your priorities for the future of Chicago.

You turned a blind eye to the real problems of this city because you thought you could pay outrageous prices to see the opening ceremonies.  You shunned the idea of safer streets with more police because Michael Phelps at the age of 31 could win his 24th gold medal.  

I hope you and the rest of us learn a valuable lesson from this experience.  Let's focus on what makes US better as a city rather than dream big about events that are not needed.  Let's ALL make Chicago the best city in the world where any possible worldwide event would BEG to come to.

-RoCk