It killed Chris Chelios to say it, what with his being a Chicagoan and a former Blackhawks captain.
But he finally voiced what a lot of players in the NHL believe: Stay away from Chicago.
“The sad thing is, no one wants to go play there now,” Chelios said. “Free agents know it doesn’t take one or two guys. They need to rebuild the team.”
The city of Chicago and the tradition the Blackhawks like to yammer about doesn’t sell itself the way general manager Mike Smith thinks. It’s a mess, and getting paid around here means getting out of town. Just ask Chelios. Or Jeremy Roenick. Or Eddie Belfour. Or, soon, Tony Amonte.
“The biggest thing is the fans are suffering,” Chelios said. “There are only 4,500 season ticket-holders. It’s hard to believe that a market like Chicago has a team like that.”
USA Hockey bought coach-class tickets for the players participating in the U.S. Olympic hockey team orientation camp in Colorado Springs. Buying first-class seats would’ve cost another $75,000. Keith Tkachuk chartered his own jet. It’s good to be the king.
I watched this Roenick guy skate at the U.S. Olympic hockey orientation camp last week, and he’s good. The Blackhawks should get him. Oh, wait . . .
Northwestern President Henry Bienen said the university’s report on the death of Rashidi Wheeler will have credibility. Bienen, you should know, was the guy in charge when the school broke its own lifetime resolution to retain the Dyche name on the football stadium that is now called Ryan Field.
Practicing football in dangerous heat to play a cold-weather game is a fact of life. And death, sadly enough. Thing is, we never seemed to deal with these kinds of tragedies until pro and college football became such high-profile and big-money endeavors.
Which brings us to Life 101: Follow the money–for TV contracts, playing contracts, coaching contracts, endorsement contracts–and you’ll see why so many people seemingly are pushing so much harder than ever.
Here’s the deal: Coaches will promise not to work players hard if schools promise not to fire them for going 3-8.
Cubs outfielder Matt Stairs is pretty persistent in believing the Cubs ought to play more night games because day games mess up a player’s body clock.
“Let’s play 20 day games [and 61 night games],” Stairs said. “Why not try it?”
Sorry, but the city limits the Cubs to 18 night games a year because the residents don’t want night games. Traffic, parking, hooliganism. You know, the usual.
“Then move,” Stairs said. “Let them pack up and move if they don’t like night games.”
What’s your favorite memory of the Mike Fyhrie era?
The Braves purchased the contract of Tim Spooneybarger, but I think we all saw that one coming.
Devil Rays manager Hal McRae, on the difference between his team and the Mariners: “We play a similar game. We just don’t have the same ammo.”
I watched this Chelios guy skate at the U.S. Olympic hockey orientation camp last week, and he’s good. The Blackhawks should get him. Oh, wait . . .
Call me crazy, but if the Bears aren’t lying about running a true West Coast offense, then one of the surprises of the year will be tight end Fred Baxter.
Autry Denson. Whoo.
Jason Giambi has four straight seasons of 100 or more RBIs for the A’s, something neither Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco nor Reggie Jackson could do.
I watched this Gary Suter guy skate at the U.S. Olympic hockey orientation camp last week, and he’s good. The Blackhawks should get him. Oh, wait . . .
The Oregon Ducks have a linebacker named Wesly Mallard.
Sorry, but there’s no way Jose Canseco could be worse than Carlos Lee as a left fielder.
I watched this Amonte guy skate at the U.S. Olympic hockey orientation camp last week, and he’s good. The Blackhawks should keep him him. Oh, wait . . .
When Amonte gets a das vidanya and follows Roenick, Chelios and Belfour out the door over the usual problem of getting Billfold Wirtz’s money, the organ-I-zation’s highlight film should be called “Chisler’s List.”
LPGA star Juli Inkster, on who wins when she plays against her husband, Brian, a country club pro: “Let’s put it this way: He does a lot of dishes.”
