It's no secret Illinois has taken a beating in the national spotlight for weeks.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest and subsequent impeachment talk has opened a new chapter in the state's history of political scandals and corruption, and touched off near-constant ridicule.

To be honest, there's no shortage of material when you're talking about Illinois' colorful political past. From Otto Kerner to Dan Walker to George Ryan, and now this.

Sure, New York had the Eliot Spitzer sexcapades, but our governor is accused of trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat and shaking down hospitals.

The morning papers and evening news carry the latest sordid details. The late-night talk shows, Saturday Night Live and the Daily Show are having a field day of fun at our expense. There's outright criticism and stinging one-liners.

Much to our embarrassment, the mess has spawned political cartoons and a near endless supply of jokes, as well as a new cottage industry - eBay sales and auctions of Blagojevich-related materials. There's T-shirts, coffee mugs and even a prison toilet seat.

It's almost enough to make you wish you lived in Wisconsin.

What we need is a chance to shake off the body blows and put our best foot forward.

As luck would have it, that happens on New Year's Day.

All eyes - at least in the hockey world - will be on Chicago when the puck drops for the second annual Winter Classic. A frozen surface is being built at Wrigley Field for the nationally televised game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the rival Detroit Red Wings. Two of the best teams in the National Hockey League, the Wings are the veteran championship team being challenged by the young, upstart Blackhawks.

The game is outdoors in the cold just like hockey was meant to be played.

Last year's inaugural event was played in Buffalo and was a huge success. Certainly we can do it better.

There will be loads of nostalgia. The teams are Original Six franchises from before the days of rampant league expansion. Old-timers will think back to when greats Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio and Andy Bathgate pulled on the Red Wing sweater against Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall in the old Chicago Stadium.

And, what better place to stage a national event and give everyone better impressions about Illinois than at Wrigley?

Even the weather is expected to cooperate, with mild temperatures in the 30s.

Yes, it's only a game, and when the final horn sounds, the problems will bubble to the surface.

But for at least a couple of hours, we've got a chance to make people forget about talk of special elections, Senate appointments and impeachment proceedings.

It could be the ice pack needed for that black eye we've been sporting for the last several weeks.