North: Pirates a dark horse to win World Series
Time for a few random thoughts roaming through my brain.
• I think my dark horse to win the World Series this year is the Pittsburgh Pirates. At 76-49 (before Monday's game), no one is talking about them. If they get past the wild-card game, look out.
• In the meantime the Chicago Cubs are angling for the one-day playoff with the second wild-card spot. Baseball, however, is a game of ups and downs. After being so hot and on such a roll in August, it would only be a natural turn in momentum if the Cubs have a less-than-stellar September. Just a winning record for the month should keep the Cubs in fine shape.
• On the South Side, the White Sox are an afterthought in this market and executive vice-president Kenny Williams is perplexed. Unfortunately, no one cares Kenny, so just go away and get ready for next season and continue to undermine your general manager, Rick Hahn.
• Time for all the Bears who were on the roster last year to start worrying about this year.
• Bulls superstar Derrick Rose and one of the Blackhawks' main men, Patrick Kane, are in the news for all the wrong reasons. This wasn't the plan, and the once-in-a-lifetime gigs for both of these superstars in a great city like Chicago are in jeopardy because of unrelated sexual assault allegations. Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who has helped Rose tremendously, cannot be happy. Neither can Rose's sponsors. Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz and President John McDonough, who have managed to do so much right with the organization, are living under a cloud as the investigation continues during what should be happier times after winning their third Stanley Cup Championship in five seasons. I am hoping things turn out OK for both guys, but it doesn't look good right now.
• Defensive end J.J. Watt is a beast, and while I haven't always been a fan of the show "Hard Knocks," I have to admit it's been pretty good this year with the Houston Texans. I wonder if the Bears would ever agree to be featured on the show. That would be fun to see.
• Can someone tell me if deflate-gate is still going on?
• Jim Harbaugh, now head coach at the University of Michigan, had a chance to win the Super Bowl in 2013 with the San Francisco 49ers. It didn't happen and it appeared the team took a nose dive the following year, finishing 8-8 with chaos in their locker room. Yet Harbaugh is considered a genius? Sorry, I loved Harbaugh with the Bears, but if everyone is accountable, then it has to be said. At the end of his time with the 49ers, he had a disaster on his hands, and he contributed to the mess.
Program notes:
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