***The Blackhawks win Sunday night turned their first round Stanley Cup Series with Nashville into a ‘best of five’. Game three is Tuesday evening in Nashville. The win also eased what was a horrible sports weekend for Chicago teams. The White Sox got swept in Cleveland, The Cubs dropped two of three to the lowly Houston Astros, the Bulls lost to the Cavaliers in Cleveland Saturday, and the Wolves got routed 6-0 by the Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center Saturday.At least the Rush won Friday night at Phoenix over Arizona up their record to 3-0 and the Fire blanked D.C.United 2-0 Saturday on the road.
***The Cubs first home stand was a blah one,going 3-3 and losing three of the last four including two of three to the Houston Astros who came to town 1-8.With the wing blowing in,Wrigley Field does the Cub hitter no favors. And this is a team that like their cross town neighbors, has so far relied on the long ball too much.Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall,the Cubs lone two reliable relievers,were both roughed up Sunday.Marmol blew a save and Marshall took the loss.
***The White Sox finished their first road trip 2-5,and that after winning two of their first three in Toronto. After the Blue Jays killed the Sox in the fourth game up there, the Southsiders went into Cleveland and got swept by the Tribe in a series for the first time since Ozzie Guillen became Sox Skipper in 2004. The Sox 9 losses are the second most in the AL to Baltimore’s 11.
***In light of the Bulls loss to the Cavaliers Saturday afternoon, Cleveland went 4-0 against Chicago this weekend.
***Joakim Noah of the Bulls wasn’t talking about the Cavs Saturday after the game, he called Boston’s Kevin Garnett “dirty” and said the former Farragut star uses his elbows like crazy. Garnett was ejected Saturday for elbowing Miami’s Quentin Richardson during a scuffle. Now, will the NBA have the ‘stones’ to suspend Garnett, or will he get away with this because he’s a Celtic? And for those who may want to say that Michael Jordan got preferential treatment, he was suspended twice, once for ‘slapping the Pacers Reggie Miller in 1993, and one for bumping Referee Tommy Washington a year earlier.