Spellman's Scorecard: Offering up some sparklers for your holiday
Happy Fourth of July!
Before we get going here, let's start off with my favorite trivia question concerning the Fourth - via the good folks at Reuters:
What day did most signers of the Declaration of Independence actually sign the document?
Answer:
That's right, it was Aug. 3.
Borderline fascinating, huh?
Who's it gonna be?
Just because there has to be a guy people love to hate, and the recently departed Brandon Bollig seemed to be that guy for Blackhawks fans, the question now is, who fills those shoes now that Bollig is out of the picture?
Magic 8-ball says, "All signs point to Kris Versteeg."
Wait, what?
Love Dale Tallon, but five years and $27.5 million for Dave Bolland?
Geesh.
The free-spending equation:
Tallon = Jim Hendry
Whew, that was close:
I hate that I was reaching a point with Derrick Rose where if he didn't try to help out in the recruitment of Melo - or anyone else, for that matter - I was going to start questioning whether he really wanted to be a Bull.
That seems extreme, I know, because I really like D-Rose and his passion for the game, but I was honestly beginning to wonder.
In the end, I'm glad he helped out during MeloFest, and it doesn't bother me a bit that he didn't go to dinner with the group because he already did his part.
Food for thought:
Speaking of dinner, let's say you're hosting a barbecue Friday afternoon and you can invite one player from each Chicago team … who's your fivesome?
Off the top of my head, I'm going with Jared Allen, Jose Abreu, Jake Arrieta, Jimmy Butler and Patrick Kane.
How about you?
Fair is fair:
If they're gonna build a Star Wars museum downtown, all I can say is there better be a Planet of the Apes shrine somewhere on someone's drawing board.
Sad passing:
The industry lost a pro's pro and one of the nicest guys I've ever met in the business.
Eric Brown will be missed.
Sight I never thought I'd see:
Arlington International honchos honoring former Mayor Jane Byrne with a presentation to her daughter Kathy in between races last week.
Hmm.
Oh, yeah, that's right, Kathy is on the Illinois Racing Board.
The place to be:
Arlington is going to be, in a word, a madhouse Friday with races starting at 3 p.m. followed by fireworks just seconds after dusk.
The savvy consumer, however, will schedule an outing to the track Saturday or Sunday because the weather's gonna be great and the crowds will be much more manageable.
Beauty and breathing room.
Heavy heart:
Deepest heartfelt condolences to Mr. Duchossois over the passing of his son, Bruce.
Please explain:
What was the deal with Serena Williams the other day at Wimbledon?
That video of her struggling just to hit the ball ranks right up there with the one of the guy who jumped onto the track at Pimlico on Preakness Day and tried to punch a horse as one of the oddest moments in sports.
Google it if you haven't seen it.
BTW:
Really pulling for Roger Federer to win one last Wimbledon title.
How much am I rooting for the guy?
In the words of Jack Donaghy, a lot to very,
Programming note:
The Cubs game is either on right now or will be really soon!
Love these 10 a.m. starts.
Short-distance dedication:
They never made Casey's Countdown, but you can bet the kids from Vanilla Lab have their feet on the ground and will keep reaching for the stars.
A final wish:
Enjoy the weekend, be safe, and see ya next week.
mspellman@dailyherald.com