down the stretch they come!

the CUBS have just 34 games left and their magic number is down to 30 to reach the wild card playoff game in what has been a season of dreams for the organization and their fans. in what was initially termed a 'learning year' the cubs have benefited from every good bounce and every bad call and even profited from the only legitimate injury they had all year.

remember when MIGUEL MONTERO injured his thumb and was on the dl for six weeks?? even that injury worked out for the north siders because that injury forced the cubs to bring up KYLE SCHWARBER three months early and they caught lightning in a bottle with schwarber's ability to hit (there are no gold gloves in his future) and when montero returned, it allowed them to bench the uncoachable STARLIN CASTRO and implant ADDISON RUSSELL at shortstop, where he'll still be ten years from now. a team of destiny?  i think so.

of course, they have to survive the wild card game against the PIRATES  but if they do, i think the CARDINALS are out of gas and can be had in a five game series and then the cubs will be rooting against the DODGERS in their five game matchup against the METS because while the cubs have struggled with the dodgers at 2-4, they're 7-0 against the mets and pitting ARRIETTA & LESTER four times (and maybe five) against the weak hitting new yorkers in a seven game series would certainly be in the cubs' favor.

and now on to the WHITE SOX..................fire robin ventura.

ok, for you die hards..........the sox are JUST seven games out in the wild card race with JUST six teams ahead of them. but the exciting news is they just moved out of the cellar and have closed the gap on first place to just NINETEEN AND A FREAKING HALF GAMES! fire robin ventura.

how bad has this year gone for the DETROIT TIGERS?  they're currently BEHIND the white sox in the standings.  ouch.

so if the cubs fall short, CHICAGOANS can just start rooting for the bears, right? uh, i don't think so. this team will be the worst since 2002 when DICK JAURON coached the monsters to a 4-12 season. no speed, a very questionable defense and a quarterback who has NEVER stood up and accepted the blame.  ever. never.   isn't it strange that he's the ninth highest paid player in the NFL but his stats clearly indicate he's just a middle of the road quarterback? talk about pissing away money.  the only bright spot is this is the last year of his guaranteed money so he can be cut when the season ends but the head shaking part is he'll get signed to another monster contract somewhere.

JAY CUTLER. STARLIN CASTRO.  discuss.

what's going on with PATRICK KANE? the BLACKHAWKS golden boy did the right thing and went underground following the sexual allegations but he's keeping his fingers crossed that the case doesn't go to a grand jury. with a hot potato case like this one, the states attorney often doesn't want to make the decision on whether to prosecute so he'll throw it to the grand jury to cover his butt. no matter what happens with the grand jury, down the road the SA can easily deflect any criticism by pointing a finger at the grand jury.

 the problem for kane is if that happens, the grand jury is normally just a rubber stamp for the state's attorney and they'll surely indict him. there's almost no chance that he'll testify which means the jury will only hear the complaining witnesses' side of the story and if an indictment comes down, you can say goodbye to kane for this hockey season because there's no way the NHL lets him compete while this is pending. remember that an indictment is NOT a guilty verdict. it just means that the case is going to trial.

and continuing with bad news.............IS THERE A MORE SCREWED UP ATHLETIC PROGRAM  THAN THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS? athletic director MIKE THOMAS fires the football coach just a week before the season starts after staunchly defending him just three months ago. last spring, allegations of racism surfaced against the women's basketball coach and even the women's soccer team has pending lawsuits. while it's not the same kind of sleazy stench that permeated PENN STATE'S program, in just four years thomas has become the poster child for mismanagement and turned the sports program totally toxic.  would you send your kid to this athletic program?

 fair or not, the ENTIRE sports program is under the watch of the athletic director and it's bad enough when most of your sports programs stink on a yearly basis but when you can't control the internal problems and they continue to fester like an open sore, then you have to go because the buck stops in his office. pack your bags.

enough bad news.  adios