Chicago.com
The weekend that was supposed be all about our baseball teams got overshadowed by the Chicago Blackhawks city wide celebration. No one is happier about the fact that the Blackhawks finished their season than the Cubs and White Sox. For the first time since the opening week of the season the baseball teams hoped to get some attention, although based on the play of both teams this season it is hard to imagine if they deserved any.
Friday: Sox 10 – Cubs 5
The game on Friday was completely overshadowed by the Blackhawks parade, yet the Sox responded better by pounding the Cubs 10-5. A.J. Pierzynski had a great day at the plate, Alex Rios homered and had four hits, while Jake Peavy struggled at times but still got his fifth victory of the season. Randy Wells struggled early on and never could recover in time to prevent the Cubs’ from losing to their city rivals. The only positive note of the game for the Cubs happened in the 2nd inning when Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run home run, his 300th of the career.
Saturday: Sox 2 – Cubs 1
This game promised to be a pitchers duel and that is exactly what ended up happening. Mark Buehrle out-pitched Cubs ace Carlos Silva to hand him the first loss of the season. Paul Konerko provided two run-scoring singles and Bobby Jenks came in to get his 11th save of the season. On a day when both pitchers were pretty good, Buehrle proved to be just a bit better. Silva didn’t have his best stuff as he pitched seven innings allowing two runs and suffering his first loss of the season. Clutch hitting and timely pitching carried the White Sox to a second victory in a row over their National League rivals and gave their fans a chance for a sweep on Sunday night.
Sunday: Cubs 1 – Sox 0
For the first time since 1980, according to STATS INC., two pitchers carried no-hitters into the seventh inning as the Cubs beat the White Sox 1-o and avoided a sweep. Ted Lilly lost the no hit bid in the ninth inning, when pinch-hitter Juan Pierre singled and Carlos Marmol came in to finish the job that the feisty lefty had started. Gavin Floyd lost a no-hitter of his own in the seventh and eventually took the loss in a game that neither pitcher deserved to lose. Some will feel dissatisfaction with the decision to pull Lilly in the ninth after he lost the no hitter, but in the end it turned out to be the right call as Marmol shut the door on the Sox and their bid for a sweep. He made it interesting in the ninth by loading up the bases but got Carlos Quentin on a fly-out to center to end the game and save some face for the Cubs.
The teams will meet on the South Side June 25-27 and the winner of the series (if there is one) will be awarded the first ever BP Crosstown Cup. It should be an intriguing match-up at the “Cell” and one that will gain more attention, locally and nationwide due to the NBA and NHL Finals being over.
Soak it up Chicago. Take every moment in. Enjoy this time with your friends and family.
2010 Stanley Cup Champions - Chicago Blackhawks
After 49 long years, Lord Stanley Cup has finally navigated its way into the city of Chicago again. The longest drought in the NHL is finally over and Chicago is ready to party like it’s 1961. Almost 50 years of failure erased with a shot that no one even saw outside of Patrick Kane and a couple of his teammates. But boy, was it ever in!
This title means a lot. Anyone who tells you anything different should be at the intersection of Wacker and Washington Friday morning, when thousands of Blackhawks fans will join their heroes for the victory parade. This title means so much because of who won it – Chicago Blackhawks. One of the “Original Six” teams and a team that the whole Chicago can agree on. A team that everyone can root for in Chicago, those from the North side and those from the South side. No division needed here.
Sure we have seen titles in this town. The Bulls spoiled everyone with their six titles in eight years in the 90’s and the White Sox ended their own curse in 2005 after 88 long years. The Bears won their title in 1985 but nothing since. The Cubs, well, we don’t have time to focus on the negatives today. There will be plenty of time to reflect on the Cubs’ struggles. So, we have seen some titles in this town, but nothing the whole city can be happy about since Michael Jordan’s epic shot over Bryon Russell in the ‘98 NBA Finals. Just like back then the whole city can celebrate this one.
The writing has been there for all of us to see, all year long and even last year. Losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the Conference Finals last year was a learning step. Sure we were all disappointed with the outcome but still happy nevertheless, that our team made it that far after so many years.
Even this year and the famous motto: One Goal. Yes, everyone knew the team was better with a couple of big acquisitions and the maturity process of our youngsters Toews and Kane but good enough to win it all? Few will tell you they had the Hawks as the Stanley Cup favorites before the season started. Everyone knew the talent was there but no one knew it would mesh into this stellar team of rising stars and a couple of key veterans.
They peaked at the right time, and they found themselves a goalie for the next X number of years in Antti Niemi. The resilience of the team on the road was extremely impressive. The Hawks finished the postseason with exactly the same record on the road and at home: 8-3. It’s hard to win any game in the playoffs but to win eight on the road is simply incredible. The NHL’s largest crowd at the United Center (average 21,356 per game in the regular season according to ESPN.com) propelled the team to some great victories at home, but the true sign of a champion is winning games on the road. And that’s exactly what the Hawks did all playoffs long, none bigger than the game last night in Philadelphia.
Last night’s game summarized this team for anyone who didn’t know much about them. Leading 3:2 with about four minutes left, the Flyers scored the equalizer to extend their life and force the game to overtime with the possibility of Game 7 looming in two days time. It could have been very demoralizing for the Hawks, knowing they were four minutes from the ultimate glory only to be tied seconds later. As they have done all year long when facing adversity, they stepped up and delivered a knockout blow. Only this time there was no getting up for Philly. The fat lady had sung her tune and the Chicago Blackhawks have etched their name into the Stanley Cup history for the first time after nearly 50 years.
Can the Hawks repeat? Will they repeat? Who will leave and who will stay? These are all questions to be answered in the forthcoming weeks. These are serious issues that need to be revisited…but not right now. This is a happy time in the history of Chicago sports.
Live it up Chicago. Enjoy the parade and the rally tomorrow morning. This has been a long time in the making. Forty nine years to be exact. Oh, how sweet it is.
Congrats Blackhawks!!!
It was a rainy, soggy day but that didn’t keep hungry Chicagoans from enjoying the Taste of Chicago Preview event at Daley Plaza on Tuesday. Nine food vendors and four sponsors stood under white tents from 11am to 2pm promoting the upcoming festival. A DJ kept the crowd motivated and lured passers by to join in on the festivities. People wandered around under umbrellas and sat at rain soaked tables, talking and eating as though the weather was sunny and bright. It was a great day to sample some of the exciting treats being offered at the Taste of Chicago’s 30th anniversary this year.
One of the vendors, Bacino’s Pizza has been a part of the Taste of Chicago for over 20 years, but has only participated in the preview event for the past few years. Bill White, who was managing the booth, said the restaurant will be “going with what’s worked in the past” at the Taste this year. Bill also noted that the restaurant’s Wacker location will be promoting their new Green Delivery Service- using environmentally friendly Segways instead of cars to deliver pizzas. Bacino’s will be offering their stuffed spinach, stuffed sausage, and cheese pizza slices at the event.
Chicago classic Garrett’s Popcorn are fairly new to the Taste of Chicago and the Taste Preview, marking the second year they have participated. Their wildly popular Caramel Popcorncicles, which are popcorn balls on sticks flash frozen in liquid nitrogen, will make another appearance this year. The wacky treat is both delicious and fun to eat. Garrett’s will also be offering their cheese and caramel mix, popcorn balls, and mixed nuts. “We’re excited for our second year at the taste. We hope people will come out and have a good time and enjoy our food.”
Best Buy, one of the sponsors of the Taste, will be giving out coupons for free gift cards (with set purchase amounts) to use at participating Best Buy stores. Shoreline Sightseeing, another sponsor, had a raffle at the preview to win free boat tour rides. The tours occur several times per day and focus on Chicago history and architecture. The winner will be drawn on Friday. The Chicago Tribune was also at the preview promoting their involvement in the event.
Many business people stopped by on their lunch breaks, attracted by the lack of tax on food items. One hungry business man said he preferred the Taste Preview to the actual event because he doesn’t like the ticket system. “I like the direct money exchange here” he said, “I wish the larger event would switch to just using cash as well.” Many of the vendors felt the same way about the ticket system. One man from the Garrett’s Popcorn booth commented on how difficult it is to keep track of tickets and how some tickets can be counterfeit, which is a definite downside apposed to using cash. But it doesn’t look like the ticket system will be replaced anytime soon. Strips of 12 tickets will be sold for $8 at the entrance to the event and throughout the park. You can also purchase tickets in advance at Dominick’s stores from June 17-24.
The 30th anniversary of the Taste of Chicago starts June 25th and goes through July 4th in Grant Park. A total of 53 restaurants will host booths at the event. The ever popular “Taste Of” portions, which are smaller servings of each restaurant’s classic dishes, are available for between 2-4 tickets. Special musical performances take place at the Petrillo Music Shell inside the park every day. This year performances include Rob Thomas, Salt-N-Pepper, Mat Kearney, Passion Pit, and many more. The Taste will close early on July 4th at 6pm- but don’t go too far- there will be fireworks displays along the lakefront at 9pm.
One Goal.
That has been the motto of the 2010 Blackhawks.
One goal: To bring the Stanley Cup to Chicago after 49 long years of futility. Not an easy task for a franchise, so down in the drain a couple years ago, its own games were not televised locally. An absolute disgrace for a city as proud as Chicago and for a franchise that is one of the “Original Six.”
Well, that motto has taken a slightly different route since Sunday night. One win. That’s what the new motto should be and is within the organization and all the Blackhawks fans included. The Hawks are up 3:2 in the Stanley Cup Finals and on the brink of hoisting the cup that’s eluded the franchise and the city for nearly half a century.
It is hard not to get carried away when one is so close to something so precious. It’s almost like being given the go-ahead sign by a beautiful girl at a bar to approach her and talk to her. It’s almost like being a kid in the candy store, an arms reach away from a cake that’s been on your mind all day and is now sitting in front of you, but you are not supposed to eat it. It’s hard to say no to such an opportunity. Extremely hard. Yet that’s what the Blackhawks need to do now. Resist temptation.
With the way the Hawks played Game 5, it makes it even more difficult to be even keeled and not think about finishing the job on Wednesday, or even be extremely optimistic. But, one needs to look no further than Games 3 & 4 and realize that this Flyers team will not back down from any challenge or any deficit. They have proven this earlier in the playoffs and once again in the Finals against the Blackhawks.
The Hawks are saying all the right things before the epic Game 6: They are not taking the Flyers lightly and they are expecting an extremely tough game. That, however, is to be expected. After someone beats you twice on their home arena, you probably should not take them lightly. And the Hawks won’t!
The most probable scenario is that there will be a Game 7 on Friday at the United Center. The home team has dominated in this series and it’s hard to imagine that the tide will change now all of a sudden. The Hawks have the momentum now but that’s meant nothing in this series thus far. They had the momentum going into Game 3 at the Wachovia Center, yet Philly found a way to make its home ice neutralize that Hawks’ momentum.
For the sake of every Blackhawks fan out there, everyone hopes that tomorrow night is the last game and “our” boys can lift the Cup and end this long drought. It would help everyone’s blood pressure in Chicago if the series ended tomorrow night. If only things were this simple, but we live in Chicago and we have seen our teams fail in the past in crucial situations. Everyone remembers the Cubs in 2003, so excuse those who are pessimistic.
People are going to be cautiously optimistic going into tomorrow’s game. They will hope for the best but deep down expect a Game 7. If the Hawks win, the whole city will celebrate for several days, while the city bosses will be figuring out when and where the victory parade is going to take place. If they lose, a very nervous and stressful two day period will follow.
Let’s all hope the latter never actually happens.