Holy cow! Chicago's time may have come
Those who live in the Midwest are survivors. We have to be.
Just look at the calamities that we take on the chin, day in and day out. Flooding. Nasty winters. Political corruption. The Sox losing. The Cubs losing. Traffic congestion. Political corruption. The Bears losing. Locusts. (OK, not locusts, but certainly cicadas, emerald ash borers, gypsy moths and Asian long-horned beetles.) The Bulls losing. And did I mention political corruption?
But maybe, just maybe, we are getting out of fate's doghouse.
In the near future, the stars could align so that a series of Chicago-area political and sporting events never thought possible occur.
The question is: Has our time finally come?
Consider these not entirely ludicrous scenarios:
• The Cubs win the National League pennant. The Sox win the American League pennant. The two teams meet in the World Series, right here, right now. Unlikely? Yes, but not impossible.
• We inch closer to clinching the Olympics. Forget the competition. Madrid? Too hot. Rio de Janeiro? Too sexy. Tokyo? Earthquakes.
• Blackhawks go all the way. Hey, if the Sox and Cubs can shake off their respective curses, why can't wunderkind Patrick Kane and coach Denis Savard bring the Hawks back to their glory days?
Doubtful? Just look at these recent signs indicating Chicago is on a roll.
• Iconic Chicago Symphony Orchestra maestro Daniel Barenboim leaves to general despair. What happens next? We snag hotshot conductor Riccardo Muti. Take that, New York Philharmonic, which tried to lure Muti and failed.
• Presidential nominee Barack Obama hails from the Second City, bringing unprecedented attention to Chicago. And we're a lot easier to get to than Sarah Palin's Wasilla, Alaska.
• Steppenwolf Theatre masterpiece "August: Osage County" by Tracy Letts not only won a Pulitzer Prize, five Tony Awards and triumphed on Broadway - it's headed for London.
• The Cubs are in the playoffs and the Sox could very well be headed there, a turn of events not seen in Chicago since Teddy Roosevelt was president.
Need we say more?