On the John
A small, good thing (Much obliged, Raymond Carver)
Originally completed December 31, 2009, 4:50 PM
Hoyne and LeMoyne
Chicago, IL
It was the year I lost my fandom.
Not lost, exactly. Set aside. To a more appropriate place, to a smaller room of the house of Jack, tucked away, not the first sight upon entrance. A room of peace and calm, of relaxation, of luxury in the truest sense: a luxury, something one is lucky to have, but can do without. Read more »
Kam Moye :: Splitting Image
as reviewed by Eric Sirota
The Onion recently rated Spike Lee’s 25th Hour the second best movie of the decade (the best being Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). In making this choice, The Onion AV Club reasoned that that 9/11 is the most defining moment of the last ten years and that 25th Hour is the best movie about 9/11. Fair enough, but what makes The Onion’s characterization of 25th Hour as a “9/11 Movie” interesting is that the flick barely mentions September 11, terrorism, the Middle East, al Qaeda, etc. Rather, the film is so effective because, though an intimate, personalized narrative about a man’s last night before going to jail, it captures the spirit of New York City struggling and surviving after the Towers fell.
It’s quiz time!
Can you name all 38 players who appear on Bulls championship banners?
Ready… Read more »
Gas! He gone!
As I have done with my Bulls writing, my Iran work, and my love for The Wire, I decided it’s high time I pool together all of my 2005 White Sox material. Even if it was “those other guys,” even if I did feel a slight bit cheated out one of the great Chicago teams of my young career…well heck, great is great, and they were great.
So here it is, from Buehrle’s first pitch to Jenks’ final one, from spring training to mid-season dominance to the late-season stumble and into the playoffs. The 2005 White Sox, in all their glorious glory, albeit from the eyes of a Cubs fan.
You can put it on the board…YES!
—J.M. Silverstein, December 11, 2009 Read more »
From Bear Down and Get Some Runs
October 27, 2005
Following his team's defeat in the 2005 World Series, Craig Biggio demonstrated "what sports are all about."
It’s 5:36 AM, Wednesday night/Thursday morning.
The White Sox are the 2005 World Series Champions.
Still.
Orlando Palmeiro bounced out to Juan Uribe five hours and thirty five minutes ago to end the game, and it still counts. It’s all Official. Chicagosports.com has it. ESPN.com has it. Whitesox.com has it. Luke, Sven, Don, and my parents have all confirmed what Meghan and I witnessed.
It actually happened.
The White Sox are champs.
What do you do the day after your team wins the World Series? Read more »
On the John
What’s rings got to do with it?
Originally completed December 8, 2009
Greatness.
Allen Iverson is a 76er.
The franchise’s most controversial star since Sir Charles asked out. Its most exciting since Doc hung ’em up. Its most dominant since Moses was exiled. The man responsible for its best season since Fo-Fi-Fo.
Welcome back! Read more »
From Bear Down and Get Some Runs
October 26, 2005: Part II
For Part I (the Geoff Blum game), click here
After a heartbreaking Game 3 loss, the Astros fans were back supporting their team one day later.
About a month ago, I got a call from my editor at NUVO. The newspaper was launching a blog section on their website, and he wanted to know if, as one of their regular contributors, I’d be interested in writing one.
Now, I don’t like blogs. I don’t like the idea of blogs, and I don’t like the word blog. But I figured I could dedicate it to sports and use it to write about all of the lesser items that I wouldn’t be able to publish in the paper, like my All-NBA team of the ’90s, for example, or my five favorite video game athletes. I called it “It’s Gotta be the Shoes” as a nod to one of my favorite old t-shirts: my Mars Blackmon/Michael Jordan black nike IT’S GOTTA BE THE SHOES…IT HAD TO BE THE SHOES shirt. And since I have such a strong aversion to the b-word, I decided to refer to it as a blip, something small, fun, and ultimately insignificant. Read more »
On the John
Change we can do ourselves
Completed November 3, 2008
Not as doomed as we thought...
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of observing classes at Chicago’s Noble Street College Prep. Do yourself a service and head over some time. To call the students “polite” would be much too passive. They are forward and nuanced and sincere. Come to a classroom door and follow the posted rules. A light knock, and within moments you are greeted by a student who meets you quietly in the hallway, introduces himself with a handshake, hello, and firm eye contact, and then proceeds to tell you what the class is and what they are working on. Read more »
From Bear Down and Get Some Runs
A legendary weekend of Chicago Sports
PART III: From the bats of Paulie and Scotty Pods…victory in Game 2!
For Part II, click here
So...did it hit him?
The Bears added a field goal in the third to make it 10-6, and when we went to the fourth the rain was still a-stormin’. I looked south, over the opposite scoreboard, and took a peak at the sky.
“Doesn’t look like a good day for baseball,” I said, and judging by the conversations in the stands, that was the general sentiment. But it was a great day for football, and with Thomas Jones leading the offense and the defense stuffing the Baltimore run and beating down on Wright, the Bears won the game convincingly…10-6. After a solid but limited 45 yards on nine carries in the first half, TJ took over in the second gaining 105 and carrying the team on his back in the fourth with 83 yards on 12 carries, including a spectacular 42-yard breakout dash down the right sideline that broke Baltimore and sent the fans home smiling and full of cheer. During the Bears-Eagles playoff game, I didn’t realize how cold it was until the final gun, and then it all caught up to me in a blast of brutal chill. This game was the opposite, with me shivering a bit all throughout until Orton sealed the win with a kneel down, at which point I felt energized and refreshed and oddly warm. Most importantly, I felt ready for baseball. Of course that ended up being the adrenaline; when I really down, I was pretty damn cold. Read more »
On the John
A weird one
Completed October 16, 2008
It was just past the word "Eatery" along this wall that I reconnected with Christ's Dark Angel of Death.
Some stories write themselves. This was one of those stories.
One Friday night this past August, I was making the walk from my brother’s apartment to my own when I came upon a familiar face. It is a fifteen-minute walk, heading up North Avenue in the Wicker Park/Bucktown area of Chicago right into the North/Damen/Milwaukee intersection. This particular evening was a beautiful one, low 70s as the sun dropped out, no wind, everywhere life bubbling and gay. The street was choked with cars, the sidewalk wet from bars, and from Ashland to Damen and a bit beyond drivers foolish enough to navigate the street found themselves in a crawl. To be on foot, beautiful. Read more »
