A CHICAGO CHAMPIONSHIP!

just who was it that predicted hawks in six??  oh yeah, me! LOL!!!

whether you love hockey, like it a little bit or were just a casual observer monday night, you saw one of the greatest games in chicago history.  i can tell you from years of watching playoff hockey that when the home team takes the lead with seven minutes to play, it's almost always over..............until this year.  the CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS, time & again, reached deep into their hearts and souls and pulled games from the abyss of defeat and turned them into heart pounding victories.

think i'm overextending the hyperbole a bit?  read on.  after dismissing minnesota in five games, the hawks fell behind three games to one in the detroit series before winning three in a row, including three third period goals in game 6 and then overcoming a horrible call by the referee in game 7 which costs them the game winner with 1:49 to play in regulation but prevailing in overtime as BRENT SEABROOK pounded home the series clincher.  more???

how about coming from behind TWICE in game 4 in los angeles to win the game before going double overtime in chicago before PATRICK KANE beat L.A. after the kings stunned the united center when they scored with just 9 seconds remaining in regulation  to force extra time. 

catch your breath?  now throw in THREE overtime games in the finals PLUS two goals in 17 freaking seconds with a minute left to play to win the cup.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!

 

did you see the throng of people in wrigleyville following the game?  it upset a lot of local residents because apparently, there's NEVER been any type of championship celebration in THAT neighborhood over the past hundred years.

 

MVP of the playoffs was PATRICK KANE. my vote went to COREY CRAWFORD because the award is for the entire 8 weeks of playoffs, not just the finals.  but i'm good with kane too.

 

BRYAN BICKELL had to go for a hearing test recently because the sound of a cash register kept blasting in his ear every time he scored a goal in the playoffs. 

KA-CHING! KA-CHING! guess who's a free agent july 1st?

 

the sad part of winning is that you always have to say good-bye to certain players: RAY EMORY, JAMAL MAYERS, MICHAEL HANDZUS, VIKTOR STALBERG, BRANDON BOLLIG and MICHAL ROZSIVAL have probably worn the blackhawk sweater for the last time. and maybe bryan bickell if the club doesn't pony up with a big contract.   

 

ok, that's it for a while.  the hawks are the champs, the cubs & sox are toast, the bulls are resting in the pasture and the bears are still hibernating.  talk to you after the all-star break.

ALL SORTS OF STUFF

if you get a chance on sunday night, check out the "super moon" which showed up saturday because it is spectacular.  it's the closest the moon is going to be to  earth this year and 30% brighter than normal. i checked it out saturday night and it is very cool.

the world is screaming about PAULA DEEN using the word nigger in a deposition like it's some new revelation about her but the truth of the matter is that she has appeared to be a racist for some time now. along with admitting that she uses the most inflammatory word in the english language on a regular basis, she has long defended slavery in general conversation and recently hosted a party where she made the all-black waiters dress up in the same clothing slaves wore during the civil war. the 65 year old deen made the most insincere apology in history thru her media team on friday but to no avail as the FOOD NETWORK dumped her on her ass by not renewing her 12 year old contract worth 4.5 million annually. unbelievable.

and while i'm on the subject.......the trial started this week for GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, the neighborhood watch man in florida who shot & killed 17 year old TRAYVON MARTIN after a fight ensued when zimmerman started asking martin why he was walking thru a particular neighborhood. zimmerman is puerto rican and martin was black.  the area is split in two and the outcome in the 2nd degree murder trial might start riots if zimmerman is acquitted. "beyond a REASONABLE doubt" should come into play and i see not guilty for zimmerman.

get ready to stare at this next story and shake your head. a mother is shopping with her 8 year old daughter at wal-mart in jacksonville, florida when 56 year old DONALD SMITH starts up a conversation with mom and after just 20 minutes, he volunteers to take the little girl to the in-store mcdonalds for a treat so mom can finish her shopping. they never come back and the little girl is found murdered the next morning outside the local church. smith was arrested a short time later and has priors for molesting children.  a very sad story. AFTER 20 MINUTES, YOU LET YOUR DAUGHTER WALK AWAY WITH A STRANGER??????????

time for a drink and a cigarette but obviously, you can't go to the local bar and do that...................UNLESS........... you live in cheyenne, wyoming where residents just repealed the no smoking law for bars. "if people want to smoke in a bar while having a beer, i'm all for it. non-smokers will be fully aware of the law change and can stay home if it's a problem" said cheyenne's mayor. restaurants still stay smoke free.

finally, THE WALLENDA FAMILY have been involved in circus high wire acts for over a century and SUNDAY NIGHT ON LIVE TELEVISION at 7:00, NIK WALLENDA will attempt to walk 1/3 of a mile across the grand canyon with no net or tethers attached to him. wallenda is married with three kids and has previously walked the same distance across NIAGRA FALLS but on that occasion, ABC insisted he be tethered.  the DISCOVERY CHANNEL has no such qualms and agreed to let him walk the wire unencumbered  on a cable that's two inches wide and is suspended 1500 feet in the air, slightly higher than the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.  wallenda thinks the walk should take him about a half hour.  and for all you ghouls out there.............just in case of a fall, they have a 10 second delay on the tv channel.  good luck to him!

A CORNUCOPIA OF SPORTS

say what you want about LEBON JAMES & THE MIAMI HEAT but when their backs are against the wall, all they do is win. granted, lbj is a whiner who should be 'T' eed up every game for his rants and raves but he apparently knows how to win. two in a row ain't easy but i say here & now that they don't make three.

was there a sadder face on the planet than that of TIM DUNCAN after he missed that finger roll late in the game? the normally stoic duncan showed anger & emotion becasue i truly think he knew that missing the chance to tie the game really jacked up the heat going into the timeout........and he was correct. 

MANU GINOBILI? please. guy turned the ball over at critical times in both games 6 AND 7. enjoy your retirement.

baseball in chicago is as bad as i've ever seen it. both the CUBS & SOX are absolutely dreadful and no matter what kool-aid you're drinking, NEITHER TEAM has a future. bad minor league systems plague both ball clubs and the cubs will have but 3 or 4 major leaguers on the roster after the july trades.

the sox are old and slow and are stuck with ridiculous contracts so they will have to eat a LOT of money if they clean house.  if i'm the GM? say good-bye to my favorite PAUL KONERKO along with ADAM DUNN, JAKE PEAVY, MATT THORNTON and ALEXIE RAMIREZ just to start the pot boiling. rebuilding hurts but this ain't baseball that we're watching this season.

WHO would have thought that baseball in chicago would be done on the first day of summer? basically identical records at 29-42 with the sox 10 out of first place and sinking like a stone in water and the cubs 17 out. they suck.

i see where JAMAICA'S three time gold medal winner VERONICA BROWN just failed a drug test and was suspended from competition. what a surprise in the world of track & field! ok, a question FOR EVERYONE.....how many believe that at least 75% of all track & field competitors are dirty. raise your hand please.

ok. now for those who DIDN'T raise your hand....how many believe that 75% of cyclists in the TOUR DE FRANCE are juiced up?  hands, please.

for those who didn't raise your hand to either question....maybe i should just ask you a question about professional wrestling being legitimate.

THE BLACKHAWKS are two games away from the cup both both teams are really good.  a great series after 4 games.

HAWKS WIN!

WOW! what a game and what a run it's been so far!!

the RED WING series had me groaning in agony before the BLACKHAWKS shoved it down detroit's throat three times in a row with the coup de gras being an overtime winner to send the wings packing.

AND NOW THIS SERIES.  saturday night was a special hockey game and for those who watched the entire 91+ minutes, it was high drama at it's very best with more twists & turns than a top rated soap opera and the near misses in overtime by both teams had me screaming bad words at the television. real bad words.

p.s.  WE FOUND PATRICK KANE!!!

the BOSTON BRUINS will give the hawks all they can handle but i like the hawks in six games.

the CUBS actually impressed me with their draft choice on thursday. third baseman KRIS BRYANT from san diego university is a monster power hitter who banged a homer every two games this year. bryant wasn't the popular choice but the boys in blue didn't want to take a chance on JONATHAN GRAY out of oklahoma who recently failed a drug test. the cubs have zero pitching in the minors but bryant could fill a position for the next ten years and make an impact very soon while pitchers take a few years to develop.

i still think STARLIN CASTRO will NOT be part of the rebuilding program and he'll be moved for pitching prospects.

can the SAN ANTONIO SPURS keep it up and dump the HEAT? they would put a smile on a lot of faces if they can. LEBRON might be the best player in the world but that team is made up of major league puds. look for one of the biggest puds, chris 'birdman' anderson to have negotiations with the BULLS when his contract with the heat expires next month. really.

the NBA will miss retiring commissioner DAVID STERN.

MLB will NOT miss retiring commissioner BUD SELIG.

SERENA WILLIAMS is the best female athlete in the world. period.

i hope RYAN BRAUN, ALEX RODRIGUEZ, et al, are all crushed with 100 game suspensions but i caution you on one aspect of the scandal: in a court, just because they had contact with TONY BOSCH doesn't mean they used steroids. now you & i both know they're dirty but you have to prove they USED steroids which normally takes a failed test. bosch turned witness for MLB in exchange for no litigation from the league so he obviously has something to gain.  bottom line? you say i juiced. now prove it with something other than finger pointing.

whew. more later.  GO HAWKS!

A CORNUCOPIA OF SPORTS

catching up on a ton of stuff.

BRIAN URLACHER says adios to the nfl but the door to the hall of fame will be open as soon as he's eligible. it was a pleasure watching him and i'm glad he called it quits so he can enjoy life. i will never forget the monday night game in arizona when he single handedly brought the bears back from a 23-3 deficit.

that game 7 with the BLACKHAWKS was a classic and it was great to see detroit eviscerated on national television even after we got jobbed by the referee. but can the hawks get by the defending champion kings? their speed against the bulk of the west coasters.

WHERE IS PATRICK KANE?

the WHITE SOX are absolutely terrible and i would think JAKE PEAVEY'S six weeks on the disabled list will start the breaking up of this ball club.

 it turns out that last year was the exception for ADAM DUNN, not the norm, and he needs to board a plane. soon. he's a prime example of a big dollar contract being signed at the wrong time.  eat the rest of the contract and move on.

not re-signing AJ wasn't a popular move but it was the right one because eventually his numbers will tank and you can't pay big for players in the twilight of their careers. the mistake was not trading him when he still had value. getting zip for him was one last bad move by kenny williams. and now we're stuck with TYLER FLOWERS who's very good defensively but hits like my sister.

CUBS showing signs of life. at least the youngsters are getting a chance to play but get ready to say good-bye to MATT GARZA, KEVIN GREGG, CARLOS MARMOL (it's amazing that this goof is still on the team!) and DAVID DEJESUS. the cubs will get about ten prospects for the four players and continue on with the rebuilding.  it has to be done this way because the cubs have just two possibilities in the minors and that's it.

the BULLS went as far as they could with what they had but even the return of DERRICK ROSE and a clean bill of health for the rest of the time doesn't get them past the MIAMI HEAT in a seven game series.  one game? bulls win. but a long series gives LEBRON way too many chances to beat you. the bulls are forced to make a major trade to have a chance to climb the mountain.

A LOT TO TALK ABOUT!

SENATOR MARK KIRK wants to lock up all 18,000 members of the GANGSTER DISCIPLES street gang which, to the best of my knowledge, is totally black. while i applaud his initiative, there's a small problem of where to put these thugs when you do arrest them.  COOK COUNTY JAIL is always at capacity with 10,000 inmates and the federal lockup in chicago only handles a few hundred at a time. perhaps we could send all of them to summer camp.

and before any bleeding heart liberals begin to scream about 'probable cause' and 'constitutional rights' for the disciples, let me explain one thing to you. these animals take an oath to the gang to do what they want, when they want and to whomever they want anytime they want. they roam the streets like jungle predators, preying on the old and the weak and working off of a pack mentality. like most diseased animals, they need to be put down. in my mind, they gave up their 'rights' long ago.

DAMIEN WILKERSON lives in the AUSTIN JUNGLE and proved his mettle over the weekend by beating a dog to death after the canine jumped up and tore his $3.78 shirt.  that number is correct. THREE DOLLARS AND SEVENTY EIGHT CENTS. wilkerson showed how tough he is by beating the dog to death with a combination of milk crates, sticks & rocks before choking the dog into unconsciousness and then stabbing him and stuffing it into a garbage can. ah, the law of the jungle.

parents, do not let your kids be social workers or probation officers because wilkerson is the type of scum they'll have to deal with every day and it truly is a dead end job. you can't teach them and they don't want to learn.

and further news from the jungle: think your school board has problems?? FORD HEIGHTS on the south side just found out that three of its six board members are CONVICTED FELONS. drug possession, assaults and weapons charges highlight the magnificent three. out of 2700 residents, this is the best they have?  come to think of it, maybe it is.

did you see where CONVICTED EX-GOVERNOR GEORGE RYAN , who served 5 1/2 years in the prison, wants to write a 'tell all' book?  this from a guy who still won't admit he did anything wrong. i read occassionally that ryan has 'paid a severe price' and other woe is me rhetoric but in my opinion, it always comes back to the fiery deaths of the six willis children in 1994. 

while ryan was secretary of state, he closed his eyes to systematic corruption which infected his office in the form of bribes & kickbacks, many of which were received to obtain phony driver's licenses. that system put ricardo guzman on the streets and a series of events while he was pulling a trailer on the expressway led to the deaths of those innocent children. no corruption, no bribes.  no bribes, no bad driver getting a phony license.  no license, no six funerals.
screw you george ryan. and screw your book.

anyone keeping up with chicago rapper CHIEF KEEF? this moron, who will turn 18 in august and is a prime example of the south side ENGLEWOOD JUNGLE , already has a handful of arrests for weapons & drugs and flaunts his arrests on twitter.  he thinks it's all a joke and dares the police to make something stick. i'm hoping someone takes up his challenge.

JUSTIN BIEBER, what is your problem? another punk who has the world by the tail, continues to alienate fans with continued reports of heavy drug usage, showing up late for performances, cancelling concerts and causing confrontations with members of the media.  hey dickhead! you're making a million a week and one of the reasons for that is all the publicity you receive from the media. you're already getting booed at the awards shows and at 19, you're about to lose your teenage followers over the next couple of years.  then what?

to give you an example of this jerk: bieber lives in a gated community and neighbors have asked him to slow down when driving his ferrari inside the gates. "expressway speeds" in a posted 25 mph zone brought bieber a visit from retired NFL player KEYSHAWN JOHNSON but when bieber saw the large man pull up, he scurried into the house and sent his security team out. sissy boy.

closure department: scumbag JAMES EALY was convicted of the burger king murder of MARY HUTCHINSON and will spend the rest of his worthless life in prison. ealy, a former emplyee of hutchinson's,  killed her with a screwdriver and her own tie in the early morning hours when she had arrived to do a monthly inventory. she died for $1700.  still don't believe in the death penalty?