***Let the Super Bowl hype begin! The BAD NEWS it’s a two week break,not including the exhibition game known as the Pro Bowl,so the “stuff” we’ll have to listen to(or try to ignore)is already under way. It seems that when there have been just one week breaks between the Conference Title games and the Super Bowl,then the SB has usually been better played, But everything is predicated by what the TV Networks want. When the AFC and NFC Title games started at noon and 3:30 Chicago time,plenty of fans liked it better. The reason these games now start late is because the likes of Fox and CBS-TV want these later, prime time starts. This is no different that the World Series and League Championship games in Major League Baseball where there has not been a single afternoon game played in the Fall Classic since 1987(game six in 1988 would have been a day game,but the Dodgers finished off the A’s in five).The TV Networks will not budge on even played a single weekend World Series game in the evening,because they feel they can’t get the same advertising revenue. AND Major League Baseball will not step up and demand that the Networks(aka the TAIL that wags the DOG)give the masses a game or two that young kids can watch. That’s because they don’t care about ANYTHING other than $$$$$$$$.
***The GOOD NEWS is that we don’t have to put up what two full weeks of the national types(you know who they are)ramming Brett Favre down our throats. You know, the way they do the same every summer when the Yankees and Red Sox play. Don’t know who is waaaaay over hyped. Favre? of the Yanks-BoSox.
***There seems to be a paradox,or perhaps even a difference of opinion eternally with the White Sox of whether to bring the popular,but somewhat limited Jim Thome back for the 2010 season. Jermaine Dye is gone(yet still unsigned with anyone) while Thome,who has an offer from the Sox biggest challenger in the AL Central,yet not the Cubs.or anyone else has signed him yet either. Ozzie Guillen, whom loves Thome,appears to be the one who wants to move on and allow the less powerful lineup to get a chance this way. The way things now stand,the Sox figure to his fewer homers,but COULD in turn score more runs.
***The atmosphere in Evanston for Saturday night’s Northwestern-Illinois game was awesome. The sellout crowd of 8117 of course was dominated by NU fans(including students)but there were a couple of thousand Illini fans as well. Illinois took over about 8 minutes into the first half thanks to 60% shooting before half time, but the Wildcats,who blew a large lead to Illinois in the last couple of minutes last year in Evanston, then also saw a decenet half time lead vanish in Champaign on Decmber 30 before the Illini won in overtime. This time the Cats rallied, and thanks to clutch three point buckets late by Jeremy Nash,Juice Thompson and John Shurna NU won it. For the slumping Illini,it’s back to the drawing board.Coach Bruce Weber did not sound optomistic when I chatted with him as he was heading to board the bus after the game.
LES
