Cubs all abuzz about Blackhawks’ playoff run

There was definitely a Blackhawks buzz around the Cubs on Sunday morning, just hours after the Hawks advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals with a double-overtime victory over the Kings.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum is a big hockey fan and so are many players. They may be able to get to Game 1 against the Bruins on Wednesday night at the United Center after their day game against the Reds.

“It’s nice to have a championship in the city you’re in,” he said. “I think we’ll be able to go to Game 1, and that might be about it. It’s always nice to be able to go and root the team on that’s in your city. I know a lot of us are into it, the hockey fans on the team. It’s a big talk in the morning, today and all that.

“It’s something when you’re involved in that before, in championships, and some people get to witness that who haven’t been a part of championships, it kind of gives you goose bumps to understand the reality of it whenever that happens.”

Sveum, an Arizona resident, is a Phoenix Coyotes fan, but he’s “adopted” the Blackhawks.

“Yeah, no question,” he said. “But I’ve kind of always been a Blackhawks fan anyway. Obviously, with the Coyotes, I’ve had season tickets when they were downtown. I got rid of my season tickets when they moved an hour and a half away with traffic.

“But my son was into it a lot at an early age, so we went to a lot of games. He lost his first couple of teeth at hockey games. He wanted to wait and pull them out at the hockey game.

“You kind of fall in love with the teams that are in your city. Unfortunately here, some people don’t like that I’m a Packer fan.”

Still slumping:Shortstop Starlin Castro was 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts in Sunday#146;s 4-1 loss to the Pirates. His batting line for the season has fallen to .243/.283/.339.Castro has 3 hits in his last 38 at-bats for an .079 batting average. Bullpen bits:Closer Kevin Gregg notched his seventh save in 7 chances. He gave up 2 hits but struck out two in the ninth inning. Carlos Marmol struck out two of the three batters he faced in the eighth. On Friday against the Pirates, he struck out two of three in a perfect seventh.