The new Cubs skipper might not manage the NL All-Stars in July, the local hot-stove season heats up and `Picks to Click’ are still clicking
Q. Will Dusty Baker manage the NL All-Stars this summer, even though he no longer manages the league-champion San Francisco Giants?
A. Traditionally the managers of the defending American League and National League champions handle those duties for the All-Star Game. But Commissioner Bud Selig hasn’t decided whether Baker, who left the Giants for the Cubs in the off-season, will manage the team.
Selig is said to be considering appointing current Giants manager Felipe Alou or St. Louis Cardinals boss Tony LaRussa to manage the NL. But with the game at Comiskey Park, it would be a nice touch to have a Chicago manager in one of the dugouts.
Q. Which teams do you favor in Sunday’s NFL conference championship games?
A. I wish I could say I’m always clairvoyant, but I did pick Oakland to face Philadelphia in the Super Bowl in the Tribune’s NFL special section last September. Because those teams are at home Sunday, certainly the odds favor them.
I picked Philadelphia to win the Super Bowl.
Q. The Cubs Convention is sold out for this weekend at the Chicago Hilton. When and where is the Sox Convention?
A. The Sox Convention will be Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on Wacker Drive. SoxFest will feature appearances by Sandy Alomar Jr., Joe Borchard, Joe Crede, Jon Garland, Tony Graffanino, Josh Paul, Aaron Rowand and Kelly Wunsch, as well as general manager Ken Williams and manager Jerry Manuel.
Former Sox All-Stars Harold Baines, Bucky Dent, Rich Dotson, Ron Kittle, Carlos May, Jack McDowell, Minnie Minoso and Billy Pierce also will attend. Admission is $30 per person for a weekend pass or $15 for a one-day pass. One- and two-night Hyatt Regency Chicago hotel packages are available for $133 and $230, respectively. Call the SoxFest hotline at 312-565-0769.
Q. The Cincinnati Bengals have hired a black head coach, Marvin Lewis. Do you consider that significant progress when it comes to minority hiring?
A. It’s a start, but only eight of 363 head coaches hired in NFL history have been black. That’s only 2.2 percent.
A group led by Johnnie Cochran Jr. and Cyrus Mehri has encouraged the NFL to hire minorities. All 32 teams agreed last month to interview minority candidates when they have openings for a coach or key front-office spots.
Q. In your Wednesday story regarding Northwestern having not won at Indiana in 35 years, you referenced the 1968 game being in Assembly Hall. I do not believe Assembly Hall opened until 1970. Can you check on that?
A. Actually, Assembly Hall opened in 1971. The Hoosiers played their home games in the New Fieldhouse before that. It is now called Gladstein Fieldhouse and is used for indoor track and field.
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Have a question or an idea for Fred Mitchell? E-mail: AskFred@tribune.com
